Is religion more effective in fighting corruption?

[ejazr]

We all know and are angry about the daily barrage and exposure of Corruption cases in all aspects of our life from Politicians, to Judiciary and even the Army in some cases. A movement against corruption is gathering pace in the non-partisan NGO level that focuses on corruption. Religious leaders have also gotten involved in this. Does this make the campaign more effective? How far is it acceptable and when does it cross the line. What are your thoughts?

Some recent news articles

Rally against graft in city on Jan 30

Intellectuals, civil rights activists, noted lawyers fighting against corruption, professionals from corporate sector, RWA members and school/college students would participate in a massive 'March Against Corruption' to culminate at the Ram Lila ground on January 30. Claiming that a "decisive battle against corruption in India has begun", thousands of people would take to streets demanding enactment of a law to set up an effective anti-corruption bodies: Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayukta at state level.

The march would see participation from Swami Agni-vesh, Kiran Bedi, Maulana Mahmood Madani, Archbishop of Delhi Rev Vincent M Conces-sao, Arvind Kejriwal, noted lawyers including Prashant Bhushan, Shanti Bhushan and Fali S Nariman here at Delhi. Members of National Advisory Council Aruna Roy and Harsh Mander too would be there.

Large number of college students, professionals from corporate sector and others are likely to participate in the march.

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Swami Agnivesh on Corruption and religious leaders
Turning to today, do you see roles for religious leaders in fighting corruption?

The issue of corruption has blown up recently and billions of dollars of cases are coming up to the government. With the Archbishop of Delhi, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Swami Ramdev , Maulana Mehmood Madani, and other religious social leaders, we have mobilized thousands of people from all over the country to take an active role in countering these problems. For the first time, religious leaders are coming together to speak against corruption, issuing statements and drafting proposals and bills to submit to Parliament. We will see how far the momentum will carry..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-marshall/revolutionary-religion-a-_b_834337.html

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The Founders of the movement India Against Corruption, many include Religious leaders like Swami Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravishankar, Maulana Mahamood Madani, Archbishop Vincent M Concessao, Swami Agnivesh, Mufti Shamoon Qasmi e.t.c.
http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/aboutus.php

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Yoga guru Baba Ramdev also had some radical ideas on punishment to the Corrupt
Shoot the corrupt: Baba Ramdev
People found guilty of corruption should be shot dead, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev said on Sunday during a protest by his political party Bharat Swabhiman against alleged graft in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games. "India needs to execute atleast 20 corrupt officials to terrorize those corrupt ministers who've made a fortune at taxpayers' expense," he said, alluding to the corruption allegation surrounding the Games

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Electing criminals and taking bribe to vote are sins: Deoband
Knowingly voting for candidates with criminal record or taking a bribe to vote are un-Islamic and sinful. This was stated by Darul Uloom Deoband, the seat of Sunni Islam in India, in a fatwa (edict). "Voting is akin to giving testimony in Islam. By voting, a voter provides testimony that the candida
te is suitable and would fulfil all duties. A false testimony is a sin," the seminary said, responding to a fatwa sought by the Ghaziabad-based Social Awareness Society.

According to the electoral data, around 40% of candidates who get elected in India have a criminal record and voters are often courted with bribes.

Former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami welcomed the fatwa and said: "As politicians fail to act, religious organizations have risen to the occasion."

 

[venkat]

Corruption and the corrupt have no religion!!!!

 

[S.A.T.A]

Let him who has not sinned cast the first stone!..............Are the public officials and the public representatives the only ones corrupt,can all these swamis,reverends,maulanas,students or corporate professionals,businessmen and every other person supposedly fuming with moral outrage,say it with any sense of moral conviction that they haven't given into the temptation to cutting one's way to gain something one covets.

have the students never copied assignments or cheated i exams,how many businessmen have never tried to avoid paying what they nominally owe to the state and society,same with corporate professionals,which individual, from whatever walk of life, can singular claim to have lived virtuous life of no malice or never been tempted to get a leg up in life.Then why this ostentatious display of moral outrage.

A Dharma rajya is built on a Dharma samaj,and sucha asociety comes to be when each individual internalizes the Dharma.

P.S:What kind of a 'yogi' would ask people to be killed,i thought that was against fundamental tenets of Yoga

 

[Sabir]

Religion itself is a curruption. Whatever good messages the religions can deliver, human beings capable of understanding them with the help of their conscience without help of any religious tenet.

 

[S.A.T.A]

Religion cannot be a corruption,because it deals with things that are beyond the base tendencies that human beings have evolved with,our conscience is itself a prisoner to these tendencies and latencies.These tenets represents a neutral observation of human failings and remedies that might help us overcome them.What good is a religion that merely affirms what we humans think or like to believe is true,if it were so why all the human misery.

 

[Sabir]

Religion cannot be a corruption,because it deals with things that are beyond the base tendencies that human beings have evolved with,our conscience is itself a prisoner to these tendencies and latencies.These tenets represents a neutral observation of human failings and remedies that might help us overcome them.What good is a religion that merely affirms what we humans think or like to believe is true,if it were so why all the human misery.

I should have said religion in its present form is corrupted beyond any cure.

I strongly believe whatever moral aspects all religions deal with in their original forms is not beyond capability of modern human beings to perceive through their conscience.

 

[Nonynon]

In the Islamic countries its known that the religion fanatics are a lot less corrupt then others. On the other hand when you look at Europe in the middle ages you can clearly see religion as a corruption like no other. Religion can probably help only in some cases, don't know enough about Hinduism to refer to India.

 

[S.A.T.A]

We invent a past,present and future for religion,we hoist upon it attributes of name and form,rites and rituals, when all of this does not sufficiently satisfy us we claim the religion is sick and in need of a cure,we then construct a series prognosis on what ails the religion and then prescribe cures that will heal its ailment,so that the religion might once again become worthy of our reverence,not once do we pause and think that its not religion that is corrupted or ailing,its the 'us' who are corrupted and ailing and in need of a cure....

The conscience thinks i'm not the cause for any suffering,hence it blames everything else for it,did religion ever come to man saying i'm suffering please cure me.

 

[Energon]

It's hard to say. Corruption is first and foremost a social issue which is heavily associated with education. When an increasingly educated society realizes that adherence to the rule of law benefits everyone there is a steep decline in corruption and increase social values. Religion can undoubtedly make a huge impact in promoting education, social reform and the rule of law. At the same time a religious organization can also hinder the progress. As far as the religious order itself is concerned, like any human organization it is capable of benevolence and susceptible to corruption. It all comes down to how they execute their anti corruption campaign.

The current structure of governmental corruption in can be directly traced to Nehruvian socialism. Albeit it was Indira Gandhi's establishment that perfected the art of cronyism and inadequate regulation. It is unlikely that religion can have a direct effect upon this (nor should it), however it can still make a significant impact through social reforms. The Indian civilization has a long history of wealth disparity and many of those mechanisms still exist to this day in one form or another. Corruption and wealth disparity go hand in hand. But with social reform and consequently education the "war on corruption" can actually materialize with the help of religion.

 

[ejazr]

Tehelka - India's Independent Weekly News Magazine

Fed up with its notoriety as India's second-most corrupt state, NGOs and activists in Jammu and Kashmir are getting religious scholars and imams of mosques to fight against corruption.

Recalling how the clergy helped build an effective campaign against polio and AIDS over many years, the groups felt that the podium in mosques could be effectively used to educate people about their rights so they can fight corruption.

"The government should take effective measures to end the menace of corruption. The existing laws should be strengthened and there should be more accountability in the government as well as in private institutions," said Mufti Syed Mohammad Shah from Darul-Aloom Qasmia.

Noted RTI activist Muzaffar Shah believes imams could be an effective medium to build a movement against corruption and to apprise people of their rights. "Since they have a captive audience every Friday, they can teach people their rights in the sermons," he said.

For more than two centuries, Friday prayers have been used in Kashmir an effective medium to carry political messages. In the absence of political space during the Mughal, Sikh and Dogra regimes, preachers built political movements from the mosques.

Even Sheikh Abdullah launched his political career from Hazratbal shrine using the Friday sermons. It was also true for his rival Mirwaiz family, who used the Jama Masjid in Srinagar to build their political careers.

At a recent conference, where Moulvis from different parts were invited, it was decided to dedicate the Friday sermon for the next month to teaching people about corrupt practices and the procedures to use the RTI Act.

"We have become a bunch of people who are accepting corruption as a part of our society. This acceptance is proving lethal. No wonder, we rank second among the most corrupt states of India. It is shameful that Kashmir has become an epicentre of corruption. Islam is strictly against corruption. It is a pity that a state with 90 per cent Muslim population is ranked highly corrupt," says Syed Mohammad.

 

[Godless-Kafir]

Religion itself is a curruption. Whatever good messages the religions can deliver, human beings capable of understanding them with the help of their conscience without help of any religious tenet.

I agree religion is an corruption of ethics and it claims ownership of ethics which are Universal it is found outside of religion all too often but our conscious is not something tangible either. We all need to be taught about the repercussions of our actions call it ethics or merely good schooling. When an Cannibal keeps it as his tradition to hunt people and feels no remorse in eating them then his consciousness cant be the guide to his ethics. What is good or wrong can be simplified into what is dangerous(bad) and what action prevents that danger(good), so even if it is common sense it needs to be taught on a superficial level to guide us all. The only bad in Religion is that it uses these Universal values to divert them into serving itself and multiplying it flock.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Religion is simply a path to righteousness, Understanding it correctly and follow it are upto the individual in his own way..

Right and Wrong comes from Inside, That is something no one can teach..

First thing of any problem is the understanding of the problem itself and solutions of every problem is unique its own way..

Religion is a guide and the actions are up-to a individual`s intellect..

So only Light can remove darkness..

 

[Ray]

With modernity, globalisation, religion is no longer such a powerful mover and shaker.