Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 370
The Basic Principle of Establishing Equality Among all the Children of Adam as 361 from these, apparently trivial practices, grave disorders arise. Observe how jokes based on racial, professional and religious differences are commonly concocted in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. The unskilled workers make jokes about skilled workers like barbers and weavers. In response, the barbers and weavers spin jokes about unskilled people. The skilled people relate jokes about the farmers and the farmers in their turn relate jokes about skilled people. Similarly in Pakistan, to tell jokes about Sikhs is very popular, while in India, the Sikhs and Hindus tell jokes about the Muslims of the subcontinent. If such jokes are told in private gatherings where the people about whom the jokes are cracked are not present to be offended, then, to some extent, this practice is generally considered harmless. This, unfortunately, is not the case. As a reaction to these jokes, racism between different nations, castes and professions freely flourishes. The Quran has warned to abstain from this practice; otherwise destiny may turn the tables against those who are powerful today. This warning is not confined to any particular region of the world. There was a period in the history of Great Britain when the professionals and traders were looked down on by the landed gentry. Now the landed gentry has lost its previous status of superiority and it is the rich professionals and tradesmen who rule the British