As I sit today and ponder at the developments around me, I fail to understand how things have come to such a pass. The recent elections and the present social and political discourse inspire no confidence in me, but there is a hope that ‘We’ as the Muslim community, shall tread these times with a confidence and resolve “shown” never before in independent India.
While I should have written this piece a while back, more specifically the day on which democratic India’s decision was publicly declared, I pray it isn’t too late already. Having inherited Indian democracy from my forefathers, like my religion (Islam), I accept the process and its results, notwithstanding my misgivings and reservations to the “first-past-the post” system. However, I attempt to address the existential questions that my identity – which is founded on my religion – faces in the present scenario.
Before I proceed, I would like to emphasise that this piece is being written because of a systemic campaign, both within the mainstream and the off-stream media, as well as, in the social and cultural paradigms to malign Muslims – as a community, by a few Islamophobes (read Sangh Parivar) who have rightly or wrongly interpreted the elections as a vindication of their Hindutva ideology. Unfortunately, as a rational society India has failed to realise that the pattern these Islamophobes are displaying is reminiscent of the early days of Nazi Germany (while I pray that this is not the case).
Here, we have a Government, which has as its slogan “Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas”, while the foot soldiers of the ideology it espouses appear to be working against the apparent manifest intention and aim of this slogan. The only problem is that people never cross-checked with BJP and its foot soldiers what the expression “sab” entailed. The BJP’s model of growth, presently, has as its short term goal the vilification and condemnation of the entire Muslim community as being the social and cultural anathema to everything civilized: beginning with the criminalisation of an entire community specifically for acts of crimes against women (presently coloured as “Love Jihad”) in states of Karnataka and U.P., and crimes, in general. While, to some, this may appear to be irrational, but it seems to be in line with the beginnings made by Nazi Germany (remember Europe’s anti-Semitism against the Jews – and the supremacy of the ‘pure blood’ and ‘Aryan race’), and if we choose not to go too far in terms of distance and time, this is in line with beginnings of the Gujarat Model (I am speaking of the days that preluded the Godhra train massacre and the Gujarat ethnic cleansing). I won’t personally be surprised if, as a “next”, Muslims will be held responsible for lack of foreign investment and rise in GDP in the immediate future.
In light of the fact that this present dispensation has already given us feelers, through its campaign, and in the form of instances beginning with the Pune killing, followed by the Maharashtra Sadan incident, and the manner in which crimes are being communalised, I would like to call upon all Muslims, to stand up and be counted and work towards strengthening the community to achieve and realise its destiny in the “idea that is India”. We have failed to organise ourselves as a community, blaming our widespread dispersal as the major drawback. However, since we are dispersed, I believe this is exactly the reason why we should get organised and contribute to India’s dream, both material and spiritual, as a community.
In respect of the aforesaid, I would like to propose the following steps that Muslims as a community may consider:
a. Muslims from all walks of life should come forward to make themselves be counted at this critical juncture (not just the religious organisations, but also the academicians, doctors, lawyers, judges, businessmen, traders, liberals, rightists and others (to the exclusion of politicians).
b. An all-India conclave to assess our situation as a community – economically, socially and culturally needs to be convened.
There should be no restriction on participation based on the way the participants view Islam. The idea of the conclave is to ensure that when we sit and talk, instead of the differences that we share, we look at our commonalities, and our aspirations, and I am sure a facet of Islam will emerge from that.
The other reason for making this an inclusive discourse, is not to ensure that a particular sect/ class/ school of Islam gains hegemony, but to understand and ensure that each and every Muslim, irrespective of his sect/ class/ school, is afforded the opportunity to attain his optimum; and not to repeat the mistakes made by the Nawabs and ruling classes of yore of not devolving power to fellow Muslims.
After assessing the challenges we need to develop ways of addressing these in the most acceptable Islamic way. “Quran in one hand and skill sets in the other” may be considered as a slogan;
The conclave should establish a deliverable organisation. All participants should be allowed to raise challenges facing the community, present solutions and methods of addressing the said challenges. A vision for India’s Muslims for the next 3-5 years should be evolved.
c. The political challenges to Islam and Muslims as well as theological deliberations on right interpretation of Islam and “true Islam”, should be kept outside the scope of the organisation formed above for an initial period of 5-10 years – by which time the Muslim community should through this organisation have evolved the common principles for co-ordination and co-operation. Ordinarily, the Kalma can be the starting point, and if in our mosques we can send peace to those to our right and to those to our left (notwithstanding our animosities, personal or otherwise) at the close of our daily prayers, I am sure, we can move forward.
d. In the discussion on cultural, social and economic challenges, I am sure, corruption, inter-personal interactions with fellow countrymen hailing from other religions, treatment of women, Muslim empowerment through resources at its disposal including the Waqf, education, disaster management and internal displacements – with special focus not merely on relief but also rehabilitation, and public and personal hygiene, will surely figure.
e. The truth today is that Muslims in India (me included), in their everyday dealings are moving away from the moral fibre which guides them (read ‘Islam’) and the answer to this is not imposition of a ‘foreign system’, but rather continuous and informed engagement and deliberation of our ‘forgotten system’ and these new systems, and adopting the best so that we pass on an Islamic way of life to our future generations.
f. I believe a change from within will enable us to contribute to our ‘optimum’ and share with more self-confidence and ownership, the Idea that is India.
This is for consideration for the community. Insha-Allah, we will all be guided.
[The writer is a corporate lawyer working at a law firm in India. abidhussain17@gmail.com]