When Ignorance Deludes

Faith is a powerful force. It binds communities, offers solace and gives people a sense of direction. But when faith gets mixed with ignorance and blind belief, it becomes an easy tool for manipulation. This has been seen time and again, all through yesteryears. And a recent incident in Kashmir exemplifies the extent to which people can be duped.

A self-proclaimed “peer” in Kashmir made headlines when he constructed a structure resembling the Kaaba, the most sacred site in Islam. Brazenly, he then went on to claim that those who could not afford to perform Hajj or Umrah in Mecca could fulfill their religious duty at his fabricated memorial. It was an audacious claim, one that defied religious, logical and ethical boundaries. Yet, some people believed him and visited this “artificial Kaaba”.

This incident was widely reported in the media. However, it is neither the first nor the last time when such a sham has occurred. For many years, individuals have exploited people’s faith for personal gain, creating false narratives and manipulating emotions. This is not about religion itself but the astonishing ignorance that allows such deception to thrive. The question is why do people so easily surrender their reasoning abilities? What makes them follow blindly anyone who proclaims to have “divine authority”? And also, how could people take any deranged person seriously?

The so-called peer who orchestrated this farce is not alone in his methods. History is littered with individuals who, in the name of spirituality, have amassed power, wealth and blind followers. From self-proclaimed godmen to cult leaders, from false saints to fraudulent spiritual healers, the pattern remains the same. These con men breed on one thing—people’s desperate need to believe, their inability to question and their readiness to accept anything wrapped in the veil of divinity.

The people who constructed this counterfeit holy site are equally complicit. One wonders about their motivations. Were they too ignorant to realize the nonsensicality of their actions or were they willfully part of a larger plot? Did they truly believe they were creating an alternative path to salvation or were they playing into the hands of a manipulator? The fact that such a structure was built in the first place, with resources and efforts poured into it, speaks volumes about the collective failure of reason within some segments of our society.

Even more perplexing is the reaction of those who followed this imposter blindly. It is understandable that faith can sometimes cloud judgment. But to what extent? Did they never pause to question how could a mock structure replace a sacred pilgrimage? Did they not think about the absurdity of a sick peer rewriting religious mandates? Gullibility cannot always be an alibi. These are the same people who, in other situations, might reject scientific reasoning, dismiss education and ridicule logic. Their unquestioning acceptance of an obvious fallacy reflects a broader issue: one that isn’t just about this incident but about a collective mindset that refuses to engage in rational thought.

There are countless such examples where fraud flourishes because of ignorance. From fake healers, promising miracle cures to self-styled peers demanding absolute veneration, society continues to witness episodes of manipulation that should have no place in this age of information. The cycle repeats itself because people are unwilling to educate themselves correctly, unwilling to question and unwilling to confront uncomfortable truths.

Even as this particular incident has been exposed, it is not the end. There are many such fake peers who operate under different guises, preying on people’s desperation and their fickle faith in religious teachings. They claim to have divine knowledge, the power to heal and even the ability to alter fate. And as long as ignorance persists, they will continue to surge, weaving illusions which multitude of people will accept without hesitation.

The responsibility, therefore, does not just lie with those who orchestrate such scams but also with those who enable them. A society that is feeble with its religious moorings, that refuses to challenge absurdity, that fails to inculcate critical thinking, and that nurtures blind obedience, will always be vulnerable to such trickery. This is not merely an unpleasant religious issue—it is a mind issue as well, one that will persist as long as people remain content with their ignorance.