Dr Mohammad Didare Alam Muhsin :
The country is now in a heated debate over sculpture, to be more precise, over the sculpture of Bangabandhu under construction. A group is determined to take the construction of sculpture forward at any cost. The other group is strongly opposed to the sculpture, demanding for stopping it right away. The highways are trembling in reciprocal rallies and processions ¾ a kind of warlike situation! So, why is this debate for? What is its basis? Art, religion or politics? Or, all of it? How much emotion is working in this debate, and how much of it is being driven by reason? If you have followed the sequence of events consciously, you may feel like that all of these elements mixed together to create a mess, where everyone is running reckless.
Look at the evolution of world civilization. Here science, religion and art ¾ all of them have been making important contributions from their respective places. While science is constantly working to solve the problems of people’s daily lives, religion is always busy protecting the moral essence of the society from deviation. And, art? It has served as an inexhaustible source of entertainment for satisfying the thirst of mind. Is that all? As religion has an unparalleled inspiring power, art can play a unique role in entertaining as well as shaping the public mind. Where is the location of the sculpture here? A painting can say a lot in two dimensions, but you can at best hang it somewhere. But, if this three-dimensional work of art called sculpture is eye-catching, placed in a public place, it can become a place of interest for countless people. People will see it, be fascinated by its construction style and art, and return home with the message it wants to convey. Therefore, based on the case under consideration, a sculpture can be an ongoing history, a triumph of a nation’s pride, glory and heroism, a reflection of a memorable moment in a society, a memorial plaque of a great leader of a country or an image of gods and goddesses of a religious community. However, sometimes it can depict a man or a woman in such an unsightly way that it will appear to have come from mental insanity. Whatever the case, it is evident that a sculpture can be a powerful means of conveying a special message to the public due to its aesthetic and visual qualities.
Let’s see now, what is the prevalence of sculpture in the Muslim world? According to media reports, many Muslim countries around the world have sculptures of late national leaders and eminent personalities. Among them are Kamal Ataturk of Turkey, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah of Pakistan, Jamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt, Imam Khomeini of Iran and Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The sculptures of Saddam Hussein, however, were removed after the US invasion of Iraq. Eminent personalities include Allama Iqbal, Sheikh Saadi, Ferdousi, Rumi and others. There have been reports of the presence sculptures in the Arabian Peninsula as well, although it is not clear if anyone represents a human personality. So, where is the problem? Why are the Islamic scholars of this country opposing the construction of sculpture? Let’s hear from them. They say having a sculpture in a Muslim country does not mean that Islam approves it. The guidelines of Islam come from the Quran and the Hadith. As evidenced by multiple reliable hadiths, Islam strictly forbids the creation of three-dimensional images of humans or any other creatures. Most importantly, there is also an indication from the hadith that, in the past, polytheism originated among different nations by hanging pictures or creating images of the deceased for the purpose of showing respect and gaining inspiration. Satan thus misleads people and opens the door to shirk. They further claim that since the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) till today, the majority of scholars have consensus on the issue. Through this opposition, they are apparently fulfilling their responsibilities as the successors of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
But we should keep in mind that this country is being ruled by a Muslim ruler. The founder of this country Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a devout Muslim. Today’s Islamic foundation was established by him. As far as we know, his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is also a devout Muslim, who prays regularly. No government in this country has ever taken a direct stand against Islam. Most of the youths who apparently do not want to listen to you are also born to Muslim parents. If you can present your points convincingly with sincerity, you may certainly expect that no one would disagree. Instead, if you keep heating up the field, shoot cannon to kill mosquitoes, you can keep doing that. In the end, however, the ants may eat the molasses of profit!
It is our collective responsibility and duty to reach a splendid solution and conclusion by combining these differences. We should keep in mind that the contentious issue is extremely sensitive, especially, because Bangabandhu’s name is involved here. He is the source of unity of this country. He is gone. He has done what he could do for this country and nation as much as Allah has enabled him. Now, it is in our interest to put him above all controversy. It is important for all to take care that one’s words and deeds do not become disrespectful to him by any means. At the same time, the policy makers should also review the academic aspect of the objections coming from Alem-Ulama, without being driven by unreasonable emotions. We should keep in mind that the creation of unwanted tension will only create smoke in the society, which will give rise to a negative perception of the whole issue in commoners. So isn’t it wise to proceed slowly taking all into confidence? Bangabandhu is no longer with us, but if peace, stability and unity prevail in this country, surely his afterlife soul will find peace.
(Dr Muhsin is professor of Pharmacy, Jahangirnagar University).
