A letter from the Bengali writer from February 1991
I understood the meaning of nonviolence in January 1964. There was a communal riot in the erstwhile East Pakistan. At that time, I was a university student and had leaning towards leftist politics. To be brief, I got the seed of nonviolence in that very occasion. (Note from Peter Dietzel: As Ahmed Sofa recounted, an emotionally incited group of armed Muslims marched into the neighbourhoods of Dhaka’s old city inhabited by Hindu families. Their intention was clear. Alone, he stood with his legs apart in the centre of the narrow street and shouted: ‘If you want to get through here, you have to kill me first’. The group dispersed).
Man does not understand his or her real commitment. Some feel week, some strong. The weaker section accepts the oppression as natural phenomena and the stronger thinks it is as their birth right to oppress and exploit others. This causes tension in the society. I consider this as the root cause of violence.
Islam, as I see it, is the religion of peace. But there are other interpretations. Militancy and Islam are often taken as synonymous terms. Unfortunately, there is a bitter truth in it. To my mind, this is not real Islam. Islam is a nonviolent religion. The Prophet of Islam had to propagate war, it is fact. But conceptually, the Prophet’s war was different from other wars. Later followers missed the essence and accepted the other form.
It is good to be modest. Sampriti (Bengali, English translation: affection, friendly assent) and Human Rights Movement is quite young, still in the infantile stage. But the beginning is wonderful. Most of the persons who are associated in this movement, are outstanding in the society. University professors, journalists, writers, poets, social workers and students are involved in it. We have some achievements. This movement did a lot in the last communal disturbance. I can say this with firm conviction. The idea of creating a strong society through peaceful means has created a new hope and aspiration. I could narrate things in detail. But I shall say, it is initial stage, before we go with field activities. We are busy in grasping the concept of peace philosophy. At the beginning, we are emphasizing on the philosophical aspect.
Fax dated 2 February 1991 to NETZ / Peter Dietzel
Published for the first time on this website.