OBAMA,TERRORISM & SPRITUALISM

Guwahati November 18,2008
___________________

President-elect Obama would not concede grounds to either political Islam or, similar strain or ,to the highly spiritualised Wahabi brand of purist Islamism that resulted to the infamous Al Qaeda and similar lines of spiritualism in the context of any faith ,which in its most undiluted form has to provide sufficient space to faith-induced terrorism,the world has witnessed subsequently after the Ayodhya episode.

The Talibans had been the most spiritualistic group that followed the holy book down to the last comma and hence, the kafir idea or the jehadi against those who pose to be less spiritualistic than them. Hindu Talibans or Christian Talibans would not be much different either.If the rigid caste restrictions are complied with in this age and civilization, every street and village byelane would be red and charred corps.

Khomeini's Iran or, rightist Jakarta or,Mushraf-centric Pakistan had tutored the USA, the west and the rest of the world about what a little price the civil society ought to pay in the event of hyphenating progress with values that negate innate progress.

Obama would enhance the strategic presence of the USA in Afghanistan till the NWP of Pakistan is cleared of the forces inimical to entities that stand for civilizational values of the day.Samuel Huntington's way of looking at Islam in his assumed clash of civilizations, as what Bush conceived as 'axis of evil' factory ,may not be in the paradigm consideration of Ms.Clinton, the possible secretary of state post- 20 January next.Obama's past - a non-practising Muslim and, a Christian mother , himself attending an obscure church with lesser spiritual bent of mind, could be a strategic asset in defining the envisioned American multilateralism.

Terrorism could be the gift of blind spiritualism or ,fundamentalism,yet the world community is prepared to hold on spiritualistic fundamentalism and save the civilization from the icy hands of diehard spiritual fundamentalists of all manifestations.

South Asia- India inclusive,Assam, the NE states et.al.- appear in the focus of the new foreign policy initiative of the president-elect.Besides, multicultural Assam and the NE region bears significance in treating political Islam or Hinduism or Christianity within the private ethos of individuals.In a sense, any tilt towards spiritualism, based on purist religious doctrines might be incompatible with pluralist virtues and freedom of conscience.