Fear feeds intolerance
by, Naseer Ahmed
I think fear is the most important factor as far as intolerance is concerned. The degree and nature of fears determine the degree and nature of intolerance in a culture. These fears don’t have to be based upon facts; they could be just an outcome of bad food and weird imagination. On the other hand, when some spectacular facts about violence are linked to intolerance, it becomes tough to stop intolerance.
For example, the 9/11 terrorist attack on American soil have caused so much intolerance against Muslims in America that expatriation, deportation and entry ban sound bites have become quite acceptable in America . Even the president of the country talks intolerance loud and clear. It would have been impossible to talk this way about Muslims had nine eleven never happened.
As far as imaginary fears are concerned there were fears about nuclear weapons in the possession of former Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hossein.Those fears had no grounds in the facts about those nuclear weapons but Iraq was attacked under the spell of those imaginary fears. In the end nobody found those weapons but a region suffers from the consequence of that invasion on Iraq.
Similarly, fears about advanced democracies hell bent on destroying Muslims of world cause too much intolerance towards these democracies of Europe and North America among many sections Muslim populations of the world while the facts about Muslims living in these democracies enjoying a better life than anywhere else are ignored conveniently by these sections of Muslim populations of the world.
Intolerance is basically a refusal to coexist peacefully as equal human beings due to fears. From domestic violence to genocide we would find these fears determining the degree of intolerance in our world. Where do these fears come from?
To explain these fears we could go to reformation to renaissance to medieval to ancient to primitive to dinosaurs. It could give us a wonderful insight into fears but I think the world we experience in our short life also gives a wonderful insight into fears. That’s why I would go for the contemporary and alive instead of visiting graveyards and laboratories for now.
One important fear is around money as loss of money and lack of access to money blocks our access to a good life. Modern economy is based upon fears and greed around money. Having money ensures a good life while not having it makes it sure that you are a waste.
Having money in whatever way possible has become a kind of religion that the questions around means, methods and laws have lost their importance. Same way wherever a theocracy calls shots, nobody could ask the questions about means, methods and laws without suffering some form of punishment.
This sets off a competition of having more money than others. The nature of this competition varies place to place. In some places like Britain, you subvert, dodge, and deceive laws and ethics to enjoy this access to money. You set up a monopoly and like Mafia you get your people in the parliaments who safeguard your interests and make sure that laws support your monopoly. That is how a few companies are present in every high street in Britain.
These immoral and at times illegal attitudes towards money breed a sense of cynicism about laws, ethics and fellow people. This cynicism sooner or later leads to intolerance towards fellow people.
The corporate bosses begin to dislike slum dwellers due to fears of slum dwellers revolting against the system which works economic wonders for corporate bosses. Besides, this dislike helps them to ignore the flaws of their policies. It develops a kind of attitude where poverty is viewed as a personal choice.
The slum dwellers begin to hate the foreigners out of fears around violence, social instability and jobs. The foreigners begin to hate the native people around the fears of discrimination, identity and violence. Thus, this competition with damaged rules descends into a kind of full scale war without rules. The continuity of this process of intolerance for a generation or two ultimately leads to some dark place where rules themselves become a declaration of war upon the most vulnerable communities. Jews do not deserve a bank account kind of a place.
