Sectarian or ethnic violence as an externalization of a crisis in self-image

Jungian psychologists like Alice Miller and Lionel Corbett argue that the unconscious negativity we have for our own being is eventually projected onto others, if it is too much then it may turn into violence as well. It’s a kind of escape goat tactic played out by our ego as a defense mechanism. The ego finds it too hard to direct the violence toward oneself, and easier toward something or someone else as soon as it finds an excuse. 

Jungians argue that this externalization of hate and violence is at the root of ethnic and sectarian violence as well. A class of people who are economically improvised, not entertained well by the higher classes, may raise their children also while being under a lot of stress. The silent message ‘you are a burden’ maybe internalized for life by children being raised in such environments, despite the parents did their best in their limited capacity. The message is then reverberated by the society when such children grow up. 

Religion then comes to the rescue. A class of people which was otherwise rejected, is welcomed by religion. Religion thus can be a powerful transformative force to recover from a self-image crisis. But some religious demagogues use it to manipulate the insecurities of the improvised classes. The demagogues do not help transform the self-hate into self-respect, rather used the hate as a means to unite the disciples against an opponent. The hate rather is integrated into the identity of the disciple; ‘I hate therefore I am’. 

The demagogue may not be a popular religious figure, rather a secular politician who use this hate against an ethnic group. The opponents on both sides can keep projecting their internal hate onto the other, turning it into a vicious cycle. 

Often the state uses one group against the other to achieve some ends beyond the comprehension of the common public. Karachi for example has been a victim of such rivalries for many decades. When one or both opponents use religion to justify their projection of hate onto the other, it turns into sectarian violence. The recent violence in Lahore against the state and general public maybe evaluated in the same context.  

Since righteousness of one’s actions as a Muslim depends on the correctness of one’s intentions; therefore It is a critical moment of self-reflections for the initiators of violence of recent protests in Lahore to evaluate that if they turned violent against their fellow citizens who also adhere to the same faith, because they love Prophet s.a.w, or if they were projecting their internal animosities towards an opponent while using love for Prophet as an excuse to justify their projections. What if on the Day of Judgement, it turns out the loss of life and property they caused in the name of the love of Prophet s.a.w was an act carried out in pure selfish-interest to avoid the pain of self-hatred. There could have been many peaceful alternatives of staging protest or convey the pain caused by the insult to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w by some Frenchman.  

The reader might wonder, if the root of the conflicts as explained above is true, then how the self-hate may be cured. Again, the handiest tool available for the society is religion. Religion gives the message that all are acceptable in front of thy Lord, if they abstain from certain acts, be patient, and more so if they are poor then the rewards for their patience and steadfastness is many folds, while the affluence of the affluent class is a test against which one will be held accountable on the Day of Judgement. 

However, as Prophet s.a.w himself said that poverty can also take one towards apostasy, and it is easier for demagogues to exploit the poor, so any honest and unconditional poverty elevation initiatives or measures to advance socioeconomic justice by state or non-state actors, may help revive the self-respect of the pauper as well. Little wonder, why Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, got a noble peace prize, instead of a noble prize of economics. In Pakistan also many interest free alternatives operating to elevate poverty, may also have a positive impact in transforming the self-image of a class of people, and eventually achieve a more peaceful society.