India is certainly a nation of million mutinies. This truth was truer in the past. The plural nation with hundreds of religions and thousands of mother tongues was a complicated yet a beautiful tapestry of culture, language, and belief systems. However, colonial rulers tore apart this tapestry and polarised the composite communities, one against the other. Particularly Hindus and Muslims – two eyes of a common Indian nation as per Sir Syed – turned hostile to each other. The distrust fuelled by colonial masters on one hand and their communal slaves on the other reached to the extent that the nation was partitioned in 1947.
It’s not easy for this generation to grasp the horrors of partition and the environment thereafter. The canard against Muslims was spread with such vigour by Hindutva forces that the very mention of Islam and Muslims evoked doubt, if not distrust, in a common Hindu mind. Despite achieving a democratic and secular polity, the society was deeply communal and efforts were made intentionally to keep the misunderstandings afloat and add new ones to the heap. These misgivings resulted in a score of riots against Muslims. Those among Hindus who sympathised with Muslims too were unsafe – the fate of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation, is all before us.
THE SEED
Despite this polarised environment, it was rightly diagnosed by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind that a majority of the majority community members are peace-loving and sincere, and the source of trouble is a microscopic minority of communalists that are successful in their designs only because there is a communication gap between common Muslims and common Hindus on one hand and between Muslims and the government on the other. To ameliorate this pathetic situation it was decided to launch an English paper with the policy of presenting Islam and Muslims in their proper perspective before our countrymen. It was hoped that this bridge between Muslims and Hindus would spoil the fascist agenda of Hindutva forces because it is largely based on rumours and spreading false knowledge about Islam and Muslims.
And so, with the meagre financial and human resources but ample faith in Allah and sense of responsibility and accountability before Him, Radiance was launched. The first issue hit the stands on 28 July 1963. It must be noted that Radiance was not a mouthpiece of JIH in spite of being a brainchild of it and its consultative body. Actually, it was the blessings and wishes of the whole Muslim Ummah which saw the dream through. The paper had the blessings of the luminaries like Mufti Atiqur Rehman Osmani, Abdul Majid Daryabadi, Dr. Syed Mahmood, Dr. A.J. Faridi, Maulana Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, Ibrahim Suleiman Sait and Mr. Badruddin Tayyabji, etc. Two of its former five editors were non-members of JIH including the founder editor Mr. A.A. Ravoof. Hence, this paper was truly a representative of Muslims and Islam in India and it remains so to this day.
Radiance is run and managed by Board of Islamic Publications. In the very first issue of Radiance, the chairman of BIP expressed his gratitude thus, “Board issued an appeal which found a ready echo in the heart of every Muslim in India. Contributions came pouring in; the rich paid willingly and the poor paid spontaneously to the point of sacrifice.” One particular contribution which immensely touched the founders of Radiance and continues to inspire us even today “was from a Muslim woman in Bihar, who surrendered her last pair of silver bangles for the cause which we are going to uphold”.
Thus the seed of Radiance was sown in the soil of hard work, nurtured with piety, dedication and prayers of its patrons, staff members, well-wishers and readers and received warmth from the sun of sacrifice by all of them. In the rain of mercy and blessings showered by Allah Almighty it grew from height to height. And 50 years later, today, we are recounting its journey… and milestones!
As an exercise in thanksgiving, it must be noted that the challenges in this venture were enormous as aptly summarised in an editorial of Radiance, “Periodical journalism and more particularly Muslim journalism in India is full of hazards: infantile mortality is very common among them because patronage is poor and means of encouragement, few and far between” (23 July 1967).
THE ROOTS
Radiance was launched with the following eight-fold objectives:
1. Remove the prevailing misunderstanding about Islam and present its message in its true light and propagate its teachings.
2. Religious and social reform of Muslims.
3. Proper guidance of Muslims in the light of the principles of Islam in relation to those special problems which they face as a cultural unit.
4. Counteract irresponsible and false propaganda against the Muslim community, and awaken the country’s social conscience in regard to its difficulties and problems by presenting the real perspective.
5. Fair and impartial presentation of the Islamic standpoint with regard to the country’s political, economic and cultural problems and educate public opinion to discard regional, linguistic and communal prejudices in favour of a humanitarian and national outlook.
6. Help eradicate moral laxity, corruption and other social evils and check the tendency towards violence and intolerance.
7. Champion the just cause of the various religious, cultural and linguistic minorities and other weak and downtrodden sections of the society.
8. Strengthen the democratic forces in the country as against the totalitarian and fascist, protest against any violation of the Fundamental Rights granted by the Constitution, and especially to safeguard the principle that the State shall not discriminate against any citizen on religious ground.
The multidimensional topics that grace this Golden Jubilee Special Issue of Radiance are themselves a proof of yeomen services it has rendered to the nation in general and Indian Muslims in particular.
Those who are aware of the journalistic ethos of today’s commercialised world can testify that mere survival of a principled weekly magazine for 50 years is a miracle in itself. The odds against survival, and such a dignified survival, were great. But Allah is the greatest!
As we would come to know on later pages, the strength of Radiance lies in its policy which is based on truth and justice. Syed Yusuf editorially expressed this policy in the following words, “As Muslims we do feel that it is our bounden duty to be the upholders of justice and be steadfast in righteousness for Allah’s sake if we want to justify our existence – a precondition set by our Lord as a sine qua non as wadhu (ablution) is for namaz or zibah is for halal meat or nikah is for sexual intercourse. (22 January 1989). In pursuance of this policy, Radiance has presented “Islam and Muslims in their proper perspective” and “has championed the cause of minorities in general and Muslims in particular” (Editorial, 26 July 1964).
There are various shortcuts in journalism in order to succeed. A little compromise with ethics, a little sycophancy, a little character assassination, a little spice in the reporting, etc. are all there to name a few. But torch-bearers of Radiance strictly closed and bolted every such door and window of ‘success’. They declared: “We do not believe in breaking heads and windows. What we believe in is driving home our point; putting sense in the heads and changing the hearts. We are determined to keep knocking at the closed doors. They are bound to open one day.” (Editorial, 30 January 2000) and “Our pages are not open for all sorts of advertisements. We do not indulge in character-assassination. Scoops or scandals are not our forte. Our criticism is inevitably constructive, based upon facts and figures. We do not do kite-flying.” (Editorial, 11 April 2004)
They dared to do so because Radiance was never a purely business concern but a mission. This mission was “to serve the Millat in three ways: (1) by reflecting the true feelings of the Muslims, (2) by helping them to lead their lives in accordance with the eternal guidelines, enshrined in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, and (3) to establish a dialogue with the majority community with a view to building bridges of understanding and goodwill and to remove cobwebs of prejudice and misunderstandings” (Editorial, 15 July 1973). Thus, the shortcuts of journalistic success were ‘poison’ to Radiance and its great mission.
With this vibrant policy Radiance was determined to stand tall and blaze a new trail in periodical journalism.
THE LEAVES
As explained, Radiance started as a representative of Indian Muslims and started in a context where the tornado of misgivings about Islam and Muslims was sweeping across the nation. The first task and priority of Radiance was thus to cater to this beleaguered Muslim Ummah of India.
Radiance’s message for the Muslim community was simple and persuasive. It read: “Muslims should not run after and depend on concessions and preferential treatments at the hands of the State. It is an insult to their genius and inherent potential which is going unrealised and unexploited. True, they are handicapped in certain respects. There is prejudice and discrimination against them. But looking for excuses will lead them nowhere. Through will, determination, hard work and sustained efforts all handicaps can be overcome. These qualities cannot be injected in a vast community like Muslims by any Government. Muslims have to develop these on their own if they want to carve for themselves a place of honour and respect. If they do not, the blame will be with them and on none other” (Editorial, 21 May 1978). Radiance repeatedly appealed to Muslim leaders in India “to sink their differences and present a united front” to further the cause of the community and the country (Editorial, 26 July 1964).
This message of unity, self-confidence, and self-assertion was delivered with full vigour. No subject pertaining to Muslims and Islam in India was left unchallenged. Radiance literally waged journalistic battles on the issues of restoration of minority character to Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia, reversal of Shah Bano judgement and protection of Muslim Personal Law, notorious moves to ban Azan and delete some of the verses from the Qur’ān, demolition of Babri Masjid, discrimination against minorities and violation of their rights, illegal arrests of Muslim youth, and planned anti-Muslim pogroms.
Besides, it was Radiance that penned the plight of Muslims across the world. Whether it is riot or war or gross human rights violation by governments in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chechnya, Cyprus, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Yugoslavia – Radiance has always stood by the oppressed. As far as Islam is concerned, Radiance considered it a sin to be apologetic whether the matter involved is as complex as blasphemy, as sensitive as terrorism, or as delicate as polygamy.
In short, in the last 50 years, Radiance has endeavoured to serve its readers with piercing analysis of and accurate insight into the issues. It “has not contented itself merely with holding the mirror up to the Indian Muslims… Right from the beginning, it has also been our aim to give a correct and constructive lead to the Muslims of India. And we hope our readers have not found us wanting in this respect on any crucial occasion” (Editorial, 21 July 1968).
In 1970-71 Radiance “undertook a very important project… for the training of young Muslim journalists” at its expense. A number of youth benefited from this scheme and were trained in journalism. “The purpose of this training course is not merely to get trained journalists for Radiance. Provision has been made for their joining other journals after fulfilling certain conditions if they so desire. Our aim is to produce young Muslim journalists who may be an asset for both their community and country, wherever they may choose to work” (Editorial, 18 July 1971). As the plan was to make these Muslim journalists “missionaries of humanity, rather than mere mercenaries”, their proper training was arranged and it was also decided to hold frequent extension lectures in the Radiance Hall in which eminent personalities would be invited to deliver lectures and to enlighten the youth.
How easy would it be to spread the message of Islam when we have a practical example of the Islamic system established, be it in any farthest corner of the earth! Pages of Radiance are witness that “We are dying to see the day when the world Muslims succeed in establishing a Model State anywhere so that we may present the case of Islam more substantively, confidently and vigorously” (Editorial, 14 November 1993). It is perhaps for this reason that when the Iranian Revolution triumphed in the name of Islam and when Arab Spring swept across the Middle East, the jubilance of Radiance was dripping from its columns. And when democracy was betrayed to arrest and reverse the progress of Islamic movements in Algeria (1992), Turkey (1997) and now in Egypt (2013), Radiance stood tall in defence of legitimacy and democracy and exposed the forces that keep chanting democracy, freedom and legitimacy but extend their helping hand to dismantling the same when they happen to be Islamic as well.
THE BRANCHES
Polite language, strong argument, and open mind have remained a creed for Radiance throughout its existence. It has never lost the thread of sincere dialogue. It was perhaps this spirit of dialogue which saw Radiance open its pages to diverse viewpoints from the very first issue. The front page story of the first issue read: ‘Nehru Must Stay’. This was countered with yet another front page story in the next issue reading: ‘Should Nehru Stay?’
The high standard of debate and discussion was maintained in Radiance from its very inception. Such dialogues and discussions continued in later issues as well. After glancing through all the files of Radiance three more such discussions stand out in my mind.
Mr. J.P. Mishra of Indore penned an article for Radiance entitled “Please Clear My Doubts” (1 September 1974). In this article he raised questions over Muslim Personal Law, polygamy among Muslims, Islamic method of divorce and its relevance in modern age, etc. The writer criticised the Radiance Viewsweekly’s policy over AMU, Pakistan and China though he shared the weekly’s concern over the treatment meted out to Urdu in independent India. Mr. Mishra’s concerns were addressed by Ameenul Hasan Rizvi and others in the issues of 8, 15, and 22 September. Mr. Mishra wrote a rejoinder seeking further clarifications on 10 November which was offered in the issues of 15 December 1974 and 12 January 1975.
Another discussion ensued over K.R. Malkani’s article “Hindus and Muslims: A Question of Different Wavelengths”. This article had appeared in The Organiser whose Chief Editor was Malkani himself. Mr. S. Shahabuddin (then Rajya Sabha MP) wrote a reply to the article in Radiance (2 Nov 1980). Malkani replied in The Organiser which was published in Radiance too with an open invitation to readers to respond. Many Hindu and Muslim readers of Radiance responded to this call and a very sober and fruitful discussion ensued which continued till June 1981.
Another such dialogue was carried out when A.B. Shah, a champion of reform in Muslim Personal Law, wrote an article in Radiance (27 February 1972) calling for a free discussion on the issue of personal law among Muslims. Prof. A.A.K. Soze, in 5 March 1972 issue, wrote an article entitled “A Challenge to Mr. A.B. Shah and other Ultra-Secularists” thus inviting Shah for a debate. A.B. Shah accepted the gauntlet. A discussion ensued thereafter which went on till 16 July 1972.
THE FLOWERS
Barely five years into existence, Radiance had established itself to such an extent that Times (London) quoted it as the true spokesman of Indian Muslims when it wanted to show their reaction to an important political event in India. At around the same time, Mr. Theodore P. Wright Jr., Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of New York, wrote, “Radiance has been a valuable help to me in obtaining news of the Muslim community in India which does not appear in the other English language publications.” Likewise, Mr. Charles D. Gaddes, Chairman of the Board of Directors, American Institute of Islamic Studies wrote, “We find that your newspaper presents the position of the Muslims of India extremely well” (23 July 1967).
In early 1970s a West German newspaper reportedly catalogued Radiance among other ‘powerful’ media with an international base. In 1971 it was through Radiance that the Ulema of Iran came to know of the Shia-Sunni riots at Lucknow, and took an initiative to settle the dispute between the two Muslim sects on a permanent basis.
Five more years and Radiance was already reaching 37 countries. Given this early recognition and repute the following claim does not seem farfetched, “Today our voice is heard with full attention not only in India but even outside the country. Wherever people are interested in the problems and the conditions of life of the Indian Muslims, there Radiance is keenly awaited for its news and views both. As an indication of the above we have received numerous requests to supply back issues of all the last five years to many a research institute in India and abroad, although it has not been easy for us to comply with all these requests.” (Editorial, 21 July 1968)
Late 1979 through the active interest and initiative of one of the readers of the Radiance in Gorakhpur a Brotherhood of Radiance was formed with the purpose of spreading the message of Radiance far and wide.
Radiance Editors and correspondents had formal and informal talks with Maulana Maududi (1978), Prime Minister Morarji Desai (1979) and President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi (2013). Some of the important personalities who have been interviewed in Radiance include King Faisal of Saudi Arabia (1973); Gulbadin Hikmatyar (1989); Chandra Shekhar – Janta Party president, Y.B. Chavan – Opposition leader Congress (S), C. Rajeshwara Rao – Gen. Sec. CPI, E.M.S. Namboodiripad – Gen. Sec. CPI-M (all in 1978); Ali Reza Sheikh Attar – Iranian Ambassador to India (1998), etc. Such personalities also include Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leaders including Prof. Ghulam Azam, Minority Commission chairmen, Vice Chancellors of Aligarh Muslim University and Lalit Narayan Mithila University, etc. A special correspondent of Radiance accompanied Vajpayee when he, as a Foreign Minister, visited Pakistan in 1978.
THE AXES
Truth, even with humble beginnings, casts a very long shadow. It was perhaps manifestation of this principle that on several occasions the voice of Radiance has reached the Parliament as well. According to a report published on 1 September 1968 Onkar Singh, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Yajna Datt Sharma and Jagannath Rao Joshi raised questions on ‘communal’ papers like Radiance. Mr. Vidya Charan Shukla (Minister of State for Home Affairs) said in Lok Sabha on 23 August that no legally actionable material had come to the notice of Delhi administration as far as writings in Radiance were concerned.
However, soon after this debate in parliament a case was registered against an article of Radiance “Rationale for Riots: A Challenge to Muslims” (14 April 1968) for spreading enmity and hatred between Hindus and Muslims. Strange enough, the article was a reply to an editorial of The Organiser which appeared on 7 April 1968. The portions of the article found inflammatory were actually reproductions from Organiser editorial. Readers were updated about the progress in the case on 8 September, 10 November, 1 and 22 December of 1968. Written arguments of defence too were reproduced in Radiance in four instalments from 19 January to 9 February 1969. Editor M. Yousuf Siddiqui and Publisher Syed Husain were awarded one month simple imprisonment with Rs. 200/- fine each.
Later, I.K. Gujral, then Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, informed a parliamentary session that as writings in Radiance are communal in nature, it is from now on being denied government advertisements. The ‘setback’ to Radiance was only verbal as the government till then had only given one brief advertisement and that too on reduced rates. S. Ameenul Hasan Rizvi wrote an article (13 September 1970), exposing the government’s hypocrisy and the fact as to why it’s shying away from defining communalism.
Another stumbling block came when the Editor, Managing Director, General Manager and all the members of the Governing Council of Radiance were arrested on flimsy and frivolous charges under the Internal Security Act, 1971. These were the turbulent times in which Dhaka was to fall within days, marking an end of the East Pakistan. The Editor M. Yousuf Siddiqui, in a lead article (30 January 1972), shared his experiences of 41 days of detention in Tihar Jail rather sarcastically.
Then there was declaration of Emergency in June 1975 and publication of Radiance was suspended for 22 months, from July 1975 to April 1977, because of the unlawful arrest of its editorial and managerial staff members and putting the office of Radiance under seal.
Another case against Radiance was filed for its on-the-spot study of Ahmedabad riots. This study by S. Ausaf Saied Vasfi, appeared in 17 August 1984 issue. The case was too weak to stand the trial. The lead article Singing National Anthem by Editor Syed Yusuf (24 November 1991) too was hotly debated upon in the Parliament.
These ordeals came and went but could never jolt the Radiance which, by the grace of Allah, continued its publication with utmost zeal and enthusiasm. An editorial epitomises the lessons that all these ordeals taught so well, “The quintessence of our quarter-century experiment in constructive journalism is: tell the truth in a polite manner, and never, even amidst the gravest provocations, give up the constructive approach” (20 August 1989)
THE FRUITS
Presenting the socio-economic and political problems of the nation in its true perspective and educate public opinion to shun prejudices on the basis of region, religion, language and gender besides efforts to eradicate social evils are some of the objectives cherished by Radiance. Radiance is an ‘Islamic’ and not just a ‘Muslim’ weekly and this difference is always emphasised therein. Being Islamic, it could not and did not confine itself to specific problems of the Muslims. An editorial illustrates the weekly’s approach in this regard, “We are not, and we have never been a fence-sitter or a dispassionate observer of matters unrelated to Muslims. The pages of the Weekly are a testimony to the fact that whenever a bride, for not bringing sufficient dowry, is torched, whenever a girl commits suicide for her poor parents’ inability to marry her away decently, whenever a village of Dalits is erased off the surface of the soil, our heart goes out. And we do not remain unconcerned to the plaguing situation of the country as a whole – rampant corruption, unprincipled polity, values-free society. We raise our feeble voice not only against every conceivable national problem but also international issues of human rights, injustice and terrorism” (8 December 1996) and “Here even some legislators bury their female children alive. Here some innocent, teenaged widows are consigned to the flames of their husbands’ funeral pyre – for allegedly religious reasons. Here goddesses are said to claim sacrifice of babies to bless their parents with treasure troves. Here interest and usury are eating into the vitals of national economy while pay-offs and kick-backs are taken to be logical perks of foreign deals at official level. We as the mouthpiece of the major minority of the country are not supposed to adopt a dispassionate attitude towards the decomposition of society” (22 January 1989).
Readers will judge how far Radiance is successful in upholding the flag of truth, justice and morality. Here I want to concentrate just on a few definitions that Radiance tried to float in the public arena. For example, Radiance tried to redefine democracy and secularism in India. It said, “…democracy does not mean tyranny of the majority but tranquillity of the minority and secularism does not mean atheism but only that the State has no religion” (Editorial, 26 July 1964). Likewise, in a series based on six research articles on communalism (published from 2 March 2008 to 27 April 2008) the definition of communalism was problematised a great deal. It was argued that communalism is an inimical perception of other religions and communities. Considering oneself to be an upholder of truth, or considering others as followers of falsehood, or preaching one’s own religion, or having altruistic passion towards one’s own coreligionists is not communalism. In short, communalism implies negative (often violent and destructive) relationship with the ‘others’ and not strong and positive relationship with one’s own religion.
From its inception Radiance exposed communal fascist designs. India woke up to the possibility of anything that could be referred to as Hindutva Terror in the first decade of the 21st century but Radiance has noted that a deadly bomb that exploded in the midnight of 21 March 1964 in Lucknow at the house of Ram Bharose – an iron dealer of Farrukhabad – was actually an accident in the bomb making factory of RSS. The matter was however hush-hushed by the local police. Radiance has also repeatedly pointed out towards the planned mechanism of the riot-systems in India.
Radiance has also ably demonstrated that the virus of communalism is only among a select few. The majority of our Hindu brethren are peace loving and believe in harmony and coexistence. This larger chunk too found its voice in Radiance and contributed regularly in terms of articles and letters. S. P. Sinha, Gopal Mittal, D.R. Goyal, Col. B.K. Narayan, Kuldip Nayar were few eminent personalities whose opinion pieces and analyses graced the pages of the weekly frequently. This legacy is carried on by writers like Ram Puniyani and Pachu Menon, who are proving that despite every effort by Hindutva brigade, communalism is still looked down upon by common Hindus.
Radiance was not an addition to the index of protest-papers that are abundant in India whose only job is to criticise, castigate and reprimand. Radiance has also appreciated governments (for example, for their riot controlling measures in Calcutta in 1963-64), it has also appreciated non-alignment as a foreign policy in the era of cold war which according to an editorial projected India’s “brightest image abroad”.
Radiance, in fact, has proved with its ‘deeds’ what it proclaimed editorially, “All the right causes have been our causes and all the just struggles have been our struggles” (26 November 1995). How far it has succeeded in this struggle is for you to decide!
On our side, we believe that every just cause, in the nation and in the world, would continue to find a courageous ally in Radiance and its journalistic struggles even in the future.