Afghans stormed social media when a news broke out
that Turkey and Iran showed interest to register Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi’s
masterpiece Masnavi Ma’nvi as their heritage in United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) list of heritage. Ironically,
political rival Iran and Turkey boded well when it comes grabbing others’ heritage and pride because that is where interest converges.
Iran has been largely blamed in
Afghanistan for ‘Persianization’ of Afghan culture and intellectuals. Iran has also disputed ethnicity of the renowned founder of Islamic modernism and pan
Islamism Said Jamaluddin Afghan, who had challenged imperialism and inspired
muslim intelligentsia across the world.
Afghans social media bloggers are now rigorously campaigning to
‘own’ Maulan Balkhi. They started petition calling on UNESCO to stop registering Masnavi
Ma'anawi from being recognized as a joint intellectual heritage of Turkey and
Iran. The petition so far has been signed by about 6000 people. Afghans are
quick in reaction though procrastinating due actions.
Intellectuals such as Maulana Jalaluddin
Balkhi and Said Jamaluddin Afghan, whose thoughts, ideas and worldviews have
been impressive worldwide, better not be confined in a specific geography or ethnicity. Let their ideas prevail. However, question raises that why some countries
deliberately provoke to confine globally renowned legends.
Government of Afghanistan throughout its
history so far has not done enough to avoid at least disputing such
intellectual ethnicity and birthplaces, let their thoughts be materialized
and optimized alone. A blogger on
Facebook rightly questioned not only Afghan government but Afghan
nation as a whole whether how many experts on Maulana Balkhi and his works do we
have? How many institutions do we have to explore his thoughts and works? The
same goes to Jamaluddin Afghan. This negligence should not be
justified in any case and here comes the term disowning; a deliberate
marginalization of intellectual to the extent that other can claim their
ownership.
Owning such intellectuals is
unfortunately the last though not the best resort. Afghan government and its
nation had better invest in exploring and universalizing Maulana Jalaluddin
Balkhi’s and Said Jamaluddin Afghan’s thoughts and views. Let their thoughts
go well beyond borders, ethnicity to inspire everyone and everywhere.
