‘They’re afraid but unashamed’
This news has been read 13743 times!
The Public Prosecutor ordered the detention of four former members of the board of directors of a cooperative society in the case of ‘embezzling shareholder’s money. The detention care after investigations linked them to free travel on Umrah trips and exploitation of chalets from the shareholders’ money.
Their behavior is similar in content to some people violating traffic laws, disturbing people’s comfort and endangering their lives by blocking the road with their vehicles to perform the prayer.
Their actions often stem from the immoral Machiavellian rule “the end justifies the means”, which is perhaps justified in politics and governance but not in religion. The fact that the goal is lofty does not mean that we justify taking other people’s money or depriving them of their freedoms or their right to use the road on the pretext that it is a matter of performing a religious duty.
It is similar, to some extent, to what happened recently in a well-known capital when a cart carrying watermelon overturned and watermelons were scattered all over the road and the driver of the cart was taken to the hospital. Passersby took advantage and stole all the melons and among them some who were on their way for prayers, entered the mosque and placed melons in front of them and completed their prayers.
The title of the article is a well-known Egyptian proverb, meaning that some are afraid of imprisonment, a fine and other penalties, but their lack of shyness – and this is a mental illness – pushes them to break the law and violate regulations.
When they are caught red-handed, they break down and cry and beg police to show mercy.
Our societies lack morals, and do not give weight to the law, but they know well what shame is and avoid committing it to a much greater degree than avoiding committing violations. The shame in our societies is often limited to sexual matters, and other shameful acts can be accepted and swallowed, albeit with difficulty.
It is a shame, for example, to talk about someone’s sister and the brother is ready to chop the head of anyone who does so. The matter may develop into something called honor killing, only to learn later on that the girl was innocent, but aura of honor does not leave him but rather he remains an example of honor in the eyes of the majority.
But if this same person did all of the following in less than a day: Parking his car under the shed of his neighbor’s house; blocking the road and disrupting traffic; throwing rubbish in the street, empty water bottles and waste into the sea, smoking in places where forbidden, verbally swearing at a resident, assaulting a poor or a weak person, going to (government) work late and leaving early, tampering with his work is he considered an honor?
And other illegal and immoral behaviors, because all of this has nothing to do with morality or shame in the eyes of the majority, as he is an honorable person, but he is just a violator and will learn when he grows up.
We repeat that belief is a human need, and not necessarily a tool for teaching morals. One of the crystal clear evidence of this is that the majority of financial and administrative violations committed during the past twenty years occurred in the most caring and preoccupied with religious matters.
e-mail: [email protected]
By Ahmad alsarraf
This news has been read 13743 times!
