Ali Asani, professor of Harvard University (US), who specialises in Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures was in Mumbai last week. Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Kanchan Srivastava

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If the world is increasingly globalised, why do we see too many polarisations in the name of different identities?It’s a paradoxical situation. The differences over religion, race, ethnicity, gender, language and even opinions are increasing as we don’t teach people to understand these differences. Our education system has failed to provide religious literacy to people. It fuels identity politics across the globe.

Why has religion become the biggest political issue?Firstly, people usually associate religion with scriptures which are passive. One can interpret texts, depending on one’s education, understanding level, gender and age. Secondly, religion is believed to be monolithic that means people think all Hindus are same or all Muslims are same. Then, people assume religion as a person or agency which can ask followers to do something.  Besides, people hold religion responsible for the act of one individual. This makes religion a complex issue which can be exploited by politicians... Religion is not static.

Religion is not always dynamic as there are radicalists who want to keep a community away from modernityRadicalists reflect the context in which they interpret religious texts and get stereotyped. Some interpret religious texts negatively to feed negative forces, others interpret it positively to promote social justice.

Why is Islam seen as less liberal than other religions?An impact of globalisation and westernisation is that people are encountering differences of various types. They are unable to understand why this is happening and feel threatened about losing their identity. At the same time, their religious illiteracy makes them more vulnerable to exploitation by ideologues. These forces change the discourse once people acquire critical thinking and start questioning so-called religious authorities.

Ethnic cleansing in Pakistan, Burma, Iraq and Syria still continues. Why so much intolerance?It happens due to dehumanisation and because many people believe religion is the only identity of humans. There are many other identities attached to everyone whether it’s his/her personality, profession etc.  People who attack forget they actually share 80% identity with victims. Seeking to eliminate the difference is a global issue which needs to addressed.

How does Islam in South Asia differ from the Arab world?Pakistan and Israel are only two nation-states created on religion basis. Pakistan is the best example to prove that religion isn’t a glue to hold a nation. Jinnah had a liberal view but the country turned to radicalism, further dividing Pakistan, creating Bangladesh and then into Shia-Sunni. The Arab world is different. Colonialism and then oil-war led to different ideologies (like Wahabi, Turk) and so all Arab states are different from one other. Actually, Islamic state is a myth... There is no reference of Islamic state in Quran.

What are the reasons for slowest socio-economic growth of the Muslim community in India as compared to other communities?It started with Partition. India was founded as secular but Muslims were discriminated and started feeling victimised  and it still continues. They cocooned themselves which marginalised them further. Even now, many send their children to madrassas so that their identity remains.

‘Jihad’ is attracting many young, educated Muslims across the world. Could you please explain Jihad in all different contexts?Jihad means “struggle” to get anything. In the seventh century, during Prophet Mohammad’s time, Jihad was struggle against enemies for self-defence. However, it had other meanings too... In 8th-9th-10th century, in Arab world this term was used for imperialism. During colonial times, struggle for freedom was called Jihad. But 1980 onwards, a new Jihad came up after Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. To get rid of communism, US along with Saudi Arabia created, trained and established Jihadis spending billions of dollars. Thereafter, Jihad became a complex issue exploited by fundamentalists. In the US, there are several de-radicalisation programmes for religious scholars where they’re given other views.

Aren’t you afraid of fatwas?I’m not saying anything against Islamic doctrine. As a scholar, it’s my duty to discuss issues affecting religious tolerance.