Kolkata: What does a normal 26-year-old Indian software engineer does in life? Well, many might presume that they slog by the day and may be party harder at night. Well, if that also happens to be your perception for software engineers, being churned out in scores in the country, then perhaps, its time for a change. Meet Mohammad Habibul Rahman, a software professional by the day and a writer by the night. The techie, who loves hanging out with his pals and attending writing carnivals, has just launched #MyReligion campaign, which aims at creating an alternative identity of a person, in accordance with their job and not religion.
Rahman, who penned a bestselling novel, Half Life, and works with the Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Mumbai, is all set to add another chapter to his profile. He has also penned a fans version of the famous Vampire Diaries series, which has become quite popular.
Speaking about his campaign, Rahman says, “Today, people keep talking of religion as their identity. Not all, but many do. Today, religion has become one of the main causes for political and social unrest. I was quite disturbed with the hatred around us, hence I cam up with this idea #MyReligion.” But what is this campaign all about and how will it end the animosity? “I am an author, so Writing is #MyReligion. I began this campaign on Facebook (FB) like a challenge, where I tagged a couple of my friends, daring them to tagging their friends after declaring their religion. I am running this campaign also on Twitter.” He then adds, “For me writing is #MyReligion for others it could be philanthropy, music, cricket or even films.”
Rahman, who grew up in Mango, Jamshedpur where a large number of Muslims reside, adds, “Religion based hatred is on the rise. The concept of such hatred is quite alien to me, as I have been to cosmopolitan schools and have always had friends hailing from other community. Till date we continue being good friends. People forget, we are born into a religion. It’s not a personal choice we shouldn’t hate a person based on his religion. There is more to him than just the religion that he follows.”
Speaking about his campaign, he added that he now plans to get the support of General United Nation (Gen UN). “Gen UN is planning to flag off a campaign related to refugees. #MyReligion is a malleable campaign and it can be linked to the ban on refugees, which is being called as a ban on Muslims, by the US President Donald Trump.”
Rahman, who also, works as a volunteer for Gen UN, has also partnered with a Boston-based startup – The Art of Travel, as its philanthropy partner and eNewsroom as its media partner.
“I began this campaign in the first week of February as it redefines both me and my religion from a new perspective. This is my attempt to make people look at religion from a different perspective. It’s a small initiative of mine, which I want to grow big, really big as it aims at restoring global peace and non-polarising the world.
So, are you ready to wear your religion on your sleeves today and be an apostle of peace? #MyReligion, is writing but what’s yours?
