Pir Roshan - Modern Day Folklore

Modern Day Folklore

Based on the successes gained by a small group of dedicated people against The Mughal Empire and Akbars Din-i-Ilahi the Roshanniya Movement became somewhat of a legend which seems to have made its way to the Universities of Europe such as University of Tübingen Germany.

Roshaniya was a sixteenth century reformation and enlightenment movement which conspiracy theorists have been quick to liken to everything from being remnants of the Hassassin to having influenced the creation of the Illuminati in Bavaria in the eighteenth century to the "New World Order". The reality, as exemplified in Pir Roshan, and which made him so very popular with disparate Pushtun qaums, was that he spoke of liberating oneself from self-inflicted ignorance and from the tyranny of the hereditary rulers/despots. Liberation of all humanity from the shackles of intolerance was his message and he inculcated the right for each human being to seek knowledge (to include women).

Because Pir Roshan failed in his mission, his message has been demonized and distorted by the powers that be who wished to retain the status quo. His ideas were congruent with the Enlightenment movement that followed in Europe. Thus, the predilection to somehow link his struggle with that of the Europeans (to include cult like entities), and even the American and French revolutions. His ideas did appear to make their way to the Universities of Europe but that was the extent of it.

Yet it seems that totalitarian type ideologies, and their adherents, have been determined to continue this false narrative (Marxists, fascists etc.) to discredit Pir Roshan's call of liberty or death in the face of tyranny. He came up with the concept: All humans are created equal. And, thus were free to choose the path as they pleased. This in an era when most of humanity were slaves, serfs or indentured or lived in abject poverty.

Today, there is no such practice to be found, as the people of Waziristan are Orthodox Sunni Muslims who revere Pir Roshan's ideas as do many fellow Pashtuns.