By Md. Zillur Rahaman

March 21 is celebrated as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in every year across the world. Originally in 1979, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly first declared March 21 as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and behind the observance of this day is a tragic incident that happened to the poor people of South Africa.

Apartheid first started in South Africa. In 1960, ordinary people organized a peaceful protest against the passing of the Apartheid Bill in Sarpville, South Africa, where the police fired indiscriminately on the common people without any reason. In this incident, 69 innocent people lost their lives and 178 people were injured. After this incident, in 1966, the UN General Assembly called for the elimination of the terrible disease of racism and racial discrimination from all countries of the world and the UN started various programs on this issue.

Finally, in 1979, the UN General Assembly first declared March 21 as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In 2001, the World Conference against Racial Discrimination and Racism was held. Later, a conference was held in Durban, South Africa, with the main objective of eliminating the problem of race and caste and taking a new international commitment against apartheid.

Racial hatred or racism is a poisonous doctrine that has tarnished human civilization and human history for ages. Modern times have not escaped the ravages of this scandalous doctrine. Shameful but it is a burning reality. Lastly on May 25, 2020, the whole of America was in an uproar over the death of a poor young man named George Floyd and it was waved in different parts of the world.

Thousands of people broke the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and took to the streets in different parts of the world. A different history was written on American soil but this history is not a new history and it is not a sudden event. There have been many incidents of racism in this world and many people were injured and killed in this heinous acts. But racist behavior has no place in Islam. Islam does not differentiate between white and black, rich and poor, high and low, and caste and colour, and does not distinguish between the best and the worst and does not define them as any criteria of good or bad.

Racism refers to attitudes, practices and actions that believe that people are divided into groups and that some groups are superior or inferior to others for certain characteristics, or having authority over him, or more qualified or unqualified. Racism is the policy of discriminating politically, economically and socially against a group of people on the basis of caste.

Today, racism is not limited to caste, rather, it is observed in terms of class, caste, country and religious belief. Racism is one of the worst tools of social exploitation and racism is a great enemy for people and humanity. This racism not only belittles people, but also humiliates them, creates class discrimination. But the best human beings in creation are a unique part of the diversity of God's creation above caste-religion-language and any groupism. So any kind of exaggeration about it is highly discouraged.

Blacks are living as second-class citizens even after becoming American citizens because their skin is not white. Not only Africans or black-skinned people, but all types of people, including Asians and Chinese, are being oppressed everywhere even though they have citizenship there, just because their skin is not white and those whose skin color is not white and who did not get citizenship, the situation of those who are not able to say how terrible is. People of other skin colors are being discriminated against in all spheres of life, we can see the results of the movement organized in America in the history.

Despite the abolition of slavery, America has never been able to escape the culture of white racism, hatred and revenge. After winning the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln officially outlawed slavery in America in 1863 and proclaimed the emancipation of slaves. Supporters of slavery were defeated but internally active.

They shot and killed Abraham Lincoln in 1865. A hundred years after Abraham Lincoln, under the leadership of black leader Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights Movement against the human rights and political-economic discrimination of blacks was developed in America in the fifties of the last century. In 1963, King delivered his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech in front of millions of people in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Then, as a result of Luther King's movement, the Civil Rights Act was established in the United States in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. But unfortunately Luther King did not live long and in April 1968, Luther King was shot dead by white extremist terrorists.

One of the problems in today's world is racism and sectarianism. It is noted with great concern that despite the efforts made to eliminate discrimination and racism, discrimination and racism have not been eradicated from the world. Even because of this racism many people are losing their lives worldwide. In this case, one of the most famous statesmen in the world is Nelson Mandela, the undisputed leader of the South African anti-apartheid movement. He led the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa and establish a multi-racial democratic structure. His charming personality, keen sense of humor, colorful life story of forgetting bitterness and extending the hand of friendship to enemies made him a living legend.

Although the apartheid regime ended in South Africa, apartheid in the United States has not yet ended. About two hundred thousand Bosnian Muslims have been killed by the Islamophobic Serbs in modern times and it was indirectly supported by Islam-hating western powers.

The British Prime Minister at the time, John Major, publicly declared that 'the emergence of a new Muslim state in Europe will not be tolerated'. As a result, the Muslims there were placed under the joint rule of the Serb-Croat and Bosnian Muslim Federation through the Dayton Agreement. The main killers and accomplices of the genocide were not given proper punishment. Europe is not willing to accept Turkey as a member of the European Union for the same reason that the West did not tolerate the single-led state of Bosnia and Herzegovina due to its racist policies.

For ages, there have been movements to eliminate racial discrimination in different countries of the world. There have been laws, there have been various policies and various commissions. But why does this black and white discrimination and discrimination not stop? But there is no caste discrimination in Islam. Islam does not support racism or discrimination in any way. A unique example of establishing ideal state and society by eradicating racism has been established by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the emancipator of humanity, that is why we see Hazrat Bilal (RA) as the first muezzin of Islam.

Racism has been prohibited in numerous verses of the Quran and in many hadiths of the Prophet (PBUH). Even Hazrat Rasulullah (PBUH) in the Farewell Hajj speech, he said, "O people, the person among you who has the most honor and dignity in the sight of Allah is the one among you who adopts the most piety and cares most about Allah in all matters. Islam rejects the claim of superiority by any individual or nation based on pride of religion, race, power and lineage".

Islam does not support communalism and racism in any way. The Qur'an strictly affirms equality between people. It is stated in the Holy Qur'an, "O mankind, surely I have created you from a woman and a man, and divided you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Indeed, he is the most noble in the sight of Allah, the most pious. Surely Allah is All-Knowing and Aware of everything". (Surah Huzrat: 13).

Jealousy, hatred and racism are basically created from pride. Almighty Allah said, surely Allah does not like the arrogant (Nahl, verse 23) and the Prophet (PBUH) said, whoever has an iota of arrogance in his heart will not enter Paradise (Muslim Sharif).

Therefore, racist behavior has no place in Islam. Islam does not differentiate between black and white, rich and poor, high and low, and caste and colour, and does not distinguish between the best and the worst and does not define them as a standard of good or bad.

The people of the world must learn such a lesson today, so that there is no such thing as racism in the world. And in this case good education of Islam should be accepted. No law of Islam is evil because of racism. On the World Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the world must rethink this despicable act. Everyone should be sincere in stopping racist behavior.