The Indispensable Importance of Exchanging Salaam in Islamic Societies

Recently I saw a video clip where Respected Journalist Mahmudur Rahman and Dr. Asif Nazrul, Law Professor and Law Advisor to the govt of Nobel Laureate Dr Mohammad Yunus. Dr. Asif Nazrul said India gifted us with hundreds of television sets, obviously to promote their culture. (Ironically depriving us of water when we need and flooding us when our rivers are swelling with water). Dr. Asif Nazrul mentioned he saw even a Hijabi lady dancing with Hindi Music. Though I live away from my country of birth, I try to keep in touch with the help of cyber technology. India has succeeded in many ways by promoting its culture on us, many of our young generation can speak Hindi quite well ( learning a language is excellent but not Shunning Arabic, once the polyglot a very famous Bangladeshi Dr Mohammad Shahidullah said learn Arabic, it’s the language of the people of Jannat).

I have seen many practicing Muslims don't know the sheer importance of this universal Islamic greeting Salam. Once i emailed a service manager of Queensland Area mental health service addressed her with Salam and explained that it’s our Muslim greeting it means May peace be upon you. She was amazed to learn this and praised this wonderful way of greeting. The Jewish people say Shalom, similar to salaam, Hebrew and Arabic are sister Semitic languages as Islam and Judaism are sister religions.

The prophet peace and salutations upon him said, spread this greeting and give Salam to people that you know and people you don't know. When we say Salam it means you are safe from me as well. Allah the Almighty says in the Koran when the ignorant people argue or address you say Salaam.

We have many forgotten heroes of our Liberation War; one is late Colonel A.R. Choudhury, who was Deputy Commander of our Liberation Army, a close associate of General Osmani. I visited Colonel AR Choudhury several times when I was on holiday at Sylhet in 2000. He told me when he went to India to fight the occupation forces the Pak Army. He realized the hidden agenda of India to subjugate us both culturally and administratively.

He greeted a prominent Awami League leader in a camp in India. When he said Salaam the AL leader said we don't say Salam anymore we say Joy Bangla instead of Salam. Colonel Choudhury told that leader if that's the case Allah the Almighty won't talk with you on the day of Judgement. I have noticed on several talk shows the anchor avoids saying Salam, some guests even a prominent leader of an Islamic Party both him and the anchor avoided saying Salaam. It’s an inferiority complex, be proud of your both Bengali and Muslim identity. Sher-E-Bangla was a perfect example of him. Deshbandu Chittaranjan once said “I have never seen such a true mix of a Bengali and a Muslim in one person like Fazlul Hoque”.

It is highly unfortunate to see that most of the educated Muslims in Bangladesh and some other Muslim majority countries have no idea about the importance of exchanging salaams or replying to salaams from fellow Muslims. When highly qualified people don’t realize the value of salaams, what can one expect from ordinary citizens?

After 15 years of cultural hegemony, it will take time to get over this malady. May Allah Almighty protect our beautiful country and its people of diverse religions and ethnicities. While concluding, it would be quite relevant to borrow a few words from medieval Persian scholar Imam Ghazali (1058 to 1111) who once said “In order to establish justice in a society, first we must establish the practice of exchanging salaams.”

 
Dr. Syed Saifuddin Ahmad is a psychiatrist
and an Islamic theologian based in
Sydney, Australia. Opinions expressed in
the write-up are the contributor’s own thoughts.