Islam has the best social system to control the masses, through different religious congregations and religious gatherings. Having a history of 75 years, Pakistan is still a nascent state where institutions are not in a mature form. A politically unstable, economically crippled, and socially confused state is still moving between the pendulum of maturity and consciousness. Being an Islamic state, here religion can be a significant social force to solidify the current conditions of the country.
Islam has a robust power to control people from many social ills practically as well as socially. We are a blessed nation by God but not by our intuition, as we cannot manipulate things pragmatically for the last 75 years. If we can solve our problems using Religion as a social agency, we can hamper many social issues without tremendous effort. I will discuss some social issues and how religious entities can constitute consciousness in this regard.
Jummah Prayer is the weekly activity where many Muslims gather at a single place, the Masjid (mosque). This social gathering can be used for social benefits for the state. Our religious authorities are used to deliver the sermons in a traditional outlook, which is not problematic but insufficient to control society and culture. From Primary Education to University Education, every child comes across the fundamentals of religion, but the social issues are not discussed even at home or universities.
Religion is a social institution, just like education. As education can enrich young minds for an economic, competitive market, religion makes them “social men. Through daily five times gatherings at mosque, Jummah prayer gatherings, eid sermons, and other religious activities, our religious, and moral authorities can discuss the social problems spreading in our society like contagious diseases. Religion owes to develop the masses’ consciousness for the collective good of humanity.
Population is one of the rising social issues in Pakistan. Quoting Robert Malthus, Population growth in Pakistan is in geometric means 2,4,8,16,32… and sources of subsistence are growing by arithmetic means 1,2,3,4… so the ability of land to produce food is deteriorating day by day. Food consumption and food storage both are huge problems. Food wastage is a grave issue due to which we have to produce more food and during this process the degradation of soil becomes double.
By 2050 Population of Pakistan will be doubled. This rising population will cause disaster for the nation regarding living standards, employment, and prosperity which further leads to deviance, felony, anomalies, and crimes. So here comes religion as an active social force to develop people’s consciousness about this issue. During Jummah Prayers and other religious gatherings, our religious authorities can discuss this issue to sensitize people about the rising problem. Through religious sermons, Imams can play a vital role to enforce the true meanings of Islam, which focuses on the prosperity and co-existence of human beings. Religion can be a social agency here to constitute consciousness about Population Explosion. Islam focused on accountability which should also be considered during breeding. If the state and individuals can’t uphold more children in an accountable way it is better to resist unfettered growth. By gradual process, during the Sermons at Mosques, the religious authorities can construct constructive consciousness to breed less and nurture efficiently.
Moving forward, gender-based violence is one of the less-discussed issues due to social taboos. To abuse subordinates economically and socially in houses is easy. Then culture stops us from exposing the abuse because it is against the grace of family patterns.
Abusive households are problematic for the equilibrium of society. For instance, in 2021, 128 women were killed in the name of Ghairat (Honor), which is sheer injustice and a day of ignorance back to our nascent state of affairs. Islam emphasized the sacredness of human life and avoided any form of violence. Here religion can again appear as the institutional authority to induce the social ethics and social norms laid by Islam 1400 years ago. If religious leaders during Jummah sermons and Other religious-based gatherings speak about the severity of domestic violence, acid attacks, and economic exhaustion of genders in rural areas, it will constitute people’s consciousness. Jummah Prayer can be a beneficial force to develop people’s minds through religion that will restore the harmony of society and the mutual coexistence of genders.
Without science and technology, no nation can prosper in the coming days here. Religion can steer a vital role in being an active social agency to constitute the inclination of people toward modern literacy, technology, and advancement. During Jummah Prayers, the prayer leader can develop the consciousness of people about religious literacy as well as scientific knowledge for the collective prosperity of the whole Ummah.
Socialization of children and grooming of the young emerging generation is one of the most challenging phenomena for the State and parents. The coming generation is the future. But our youth is confused and confounded by contradictory values, for example, folk wisdom and progressive values. Youth is in between both ideologies. Here religion can again be a positive force to control people. During Jummah Prayer and religious sermons, prayer leaders can contribute to the intuition and cognition of young minds. During religious congregations, they can discuss contradictions of opposing values by comparing and contrasting methods to help youth be clear-minded.
It is time to practice religion as a social force to realign and re-manifest our priorities. According to Louis Althusser, religion is an ideological state apparatus (ISA) which is a legal force used by the state and social elites to control and, at the same time, manipulate people. Now it is on our State to decide whether it wants to incorporate religion as a social welfare force or regressive state apparatus. Islam itself claimed the manifestation of the equilibrium and restoration of society for people’s solidarity. Our religious representative must incorporate Islam as an enthusiastic force to make people mature and “social men.”
In conclusion, Many Muslims are constantly confused because religious authorities are not doing their work at an authentic pace, so most Muslims are in between religious and progressive ideologies of the West. Religious authorities should play significant roles in hampering socio-economic and socio-political issues by educating people during Jummah Prayer rather than centering their religious activities on the limited exposure to religion. Religion is the social institution that needs to revamp and reinvigorate the contemporary confusion of people, social issues, and social pathology. Max Weber said that Protestantism caused the industrialization and progress of humans in the early 19th century rather than technological advancement. Religion can be a robust and vibrant force to constitute consciousness, intuition, and cognition of people for social control. The state should also play a role in developing the consciousness of religious authorities so the religious authorities can constitute the refined morality of the People.
