Owning disowned one: Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi

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.