Every religion has a certain
group of people who believe that over a period of time, religion becomes
distorted, polluted and misinterpreted — as a result of which, it loses its
originality, purity and simplicity.
These people then make it their mission to revive the original teachings of
religion and implement them to reform the society.
Since they believe that innate human nature leads man to a sinful life; evil
must be thus eliminated from the society and people must be led to the righteous
path and their wrong doings corrected using coercive methods and severe
punishment.
To implement their religious ideals, these groups struggle to capture state
power and then use it to transform society according to their particular vision.
History has several examples of individuals who, gripped with religious fervor
and zeal and desirous of accomplishing their ideas, strove to seize power and
implement their agenda. The followers of these religious movements claim to be
‘rightly guided people,’ assigned by God to convert the world into a ‘religious
utopia’ so that everyone would strictly follow divine commands.
One example of this breed is Savonarola (d.1498), the Florentine priest who was
a fiery speaker and a religious extremist. He attacked the authority of the
church and the spiritual power of the Pope. He condemned corruption and
irreligious innovation which he believed had disfigured the teachings of
Christianity. In doing so, he sustained by a group of young followers with whom
he shared his views of societal change. With their help, he attained the
political power needed to implement his religious ideas. He also promulgated a
set of laws intended to make a ‘new Jerusalem’ out of Florence. He proposed that
exile and capital punishment should be abolished. He wanted Florence to become a
glorious, peaceful and prosperous state.
Savonarola also introduced moralistic laws against sodomy, consumption of
alcohol, ‘immodest’ attire and ‘immoral’ practices. Young people who followed
him patrolled the street and public places to maintain and monitor a strict
check on people, a formula that many similar zealots have also followed.
After enduring Savonarola for some time, Pope Alexander invited him to Rome but
Savonarola refused to oblige him and continued to deliver his fiery sermons.
Finally, the Pope excommunicated him and asked the political authorities of
Florence to take action against him. Savonarola was arrested, put on trial and
condemned to death. He was publicly burned at stake in the city square in
Florence; bringing his short-lived religious utopia to an end.
Another attempt to implement religious ideas was made in Geneva by John Calvin
(d1564) who broke away from the Catholic Church and established the Calvinist
sect. He was invited by the authorities in Geneva to come and set up a religious
utopia in the city based on his religious beliefs and teachings. After assuming
political power, he was in a position to implement his religious agenda. As a
first step, he exiled people who disagreed with him while those in favour of his
beliefs were allowed to stay and observe his laws. In case of refusal, they
would be excommunicated from the church, exiled from the city, imprisoned and
even awarded the death penalty.
His legislation included prohibition on feasts, dancing, singing, pictures,
statues, relics, church bells, organs, altar candles; “indecent or irreligious”
songs, staging or attending theatrical plays; jewelry, lace, or “immodest”
dress; extravagant entertainment; swearing, gambling, playing cards and hunting.
Traders and shopkeepers involved in adulteration or weighed less were severely
punished. The Bible was made available everywhere. Laughing during religious
services was regarded as a sin. Every citizen was required to thank God before
eating, and those who deviated from these repressive laws were severely
punished. During the six years of his rule, 150 heretics were burnt alive.
Eventually, the citizens of Geneva became fed up of this religious
totalitarianism and conflicts arose, Calvin was exiled and the old political,
social and religious order of the city was restored.
In the subcontinent, Syed Ahmad Shaheed and his zealous followers led a jihad
movement, the Tariqah-i-Muhhamadiyah, and founded an Islamic state in what is
today known as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He declared himself caliph and
Amir-ul-momineen. He introduced strict Islamic laws according to the Wahabi
interpretation. Those who protested or refused to abide by these severe
strictures were severely punished. Eventually tiring of his fundamentalist
religious policies, the Pathans rebelled against him and expelled his followers
from Peshawar. He and most of his disciples were killed in the battle of Balakot
in 1832.
Extremists are resented because they forbid people from enjoying even simple
entertainment and merry-making while enforcing a strict code whereby people are
required to remain fearful and remorseful; focusing purely on the life after
death. According to them, people should devote their entire lifetime to the
salvation of the soul. Instead of thinking about this world, they should regard
the next world as their final and permanent abode. Unsurprisingly, most people
aren’t willing to submit to this kind of rule, except under duress.