The use of religion for political, economic and social purposes
has been in vogue in Pakistan. Various interest groups use the card of religion
for the realization of their vested interests. The centrist forces use the card
of religion to galvanize the different linguistic and ethnic communities and
forge a sense solidarity and communion among them. The so called religious
political parties monopolize religion for securing political leverage. Those
directly associated with the institution of religion-the clergy class uses the
religion for their economic gratification. Religion in Pakistan can hardly be
observed as an end itself rather a means to an end. However, recently it use for commercial
purposes has been enormously increased.
With the holy month of Ramdhan around the corner, the private
television channels of Pakistan seem in full preparation to make most the month
for their commercial purposes. The fashion of conducting shows ostensibly with
religious contents is growing very fast and pull a large crowd. Almost all the
channels conduct the shows in their own manner.
Gatherings of actors, mullas and quasi scholars can be witnessed almost
on all the channels. Apart from the sermons the shows have for their viewers
quiz competitions and other components on the same pattern. The channels earn a
huge sum of money through the gimmick of religion. Besides the interval
commercial advertisements for the huge scale of viewers, the award of the
gadgets/appliances of the companies yield yet another opportunity of
advertisement that too for a holy purpose.
Each channel has hired a special group of anchors for the purpose, whose
costumes, make up and rhetoric clearly reflect the undercurrent purpose of the
gatherings.
A critical observation reveals that the use of religion for material
and economic purposes is very deep-seated in our society. Vendors of locally
made herbal medicines, for example, first quote verses from the holy book in
which they try to show a link either between the verse and the ingredients or the
disease which the medicine is suppose to cure. The context of the verses may
not be the same or the reference may not be valid, but this mention serves as a
successful marketing gimmick for the vendors.
During the
blasphemy crisis few years ago, the use of religion for personal objectives
became evident in a very interesting manner. During the protest many private
and public offices and firms were ransacked and some even damaged. At Peshawar
city the buildings made up of glasses were shattered by throwing stones at them
by the violent protesters, the private transport service Daewoo had suffered
the most in Peshawar. Since then all the buildings made up of glasses appeared
with a new strategy, they wrote the Kalma Tayyaba over their buildings so that no
one can throw stones at them during protestation.
Religion is either an end itself, or a means to the
hereafter, but it should never be made this much subservient a means to the
acquisition of material ends. In Pakistan its use for political, social,
economic and commercial motives is growing with each passing day. The shows of
the private TV channels are most obvious manifestation of the same. There is an
urgent need of reformation in this regard, the over commercialization of the
religion should be discouraged and any such attempt and act which make religion
subservient to any other purpose except the hereafter should be dealt with
severely.
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