DR. JAVED JAMIL dwells upon Islamophobia in the purely Indian context, highlights the phenomenon of forced reconversion or what they call ‘ghar wapsi’, and suggests to us to combine our endeavour to counter this slander with wisdom.
As a term of slander, “Islamophobia” appears to have been a global phenomenon since the beginning of the present century, but in truth it has largely remained a western monopoly. The west has used the term to define its war against the World of Islam. It is aimed at nothing but perpetuating its hegemony over the world. Recently, however, this has acquired a local Indian dimension. India-born Islamophobia is beginning to appear as a big threat not only to the secular fabric of the country but also to its unity.
Though it exists in India since Independence, it has assumed ominous proportions only in recent years. The demolition of Babri Masjid was its first ugly manifestation of devastating nature. Things appeared to cool down a bit in the last decade. But the python is back with a bigger mouth and more venomous bite. The recent Lok Sabha elections witnessed plenty of Islamophobia but following the rise of BJP as the ruling party, it seems to have gone beyond control.
At the global level, Islamophobia is born more out of the threat to the economic and political designs of the west than the alleged violent ways of Muslims. Muslims being the second biggest ethnic community in the world after Christians, and the biggest community of true religionists, with more than 55 Muslim majority countries and a large number of countries with significant minority, the west fears that Islam’s ideological, moral, social and economic principles are a direct threat to the survival of its corporate-driven hegemony of the world. They fear that without globalisation of their markets, they cannot sustain their political supremacy, and if Islam continues to become increasingly powerful, they cannot sustain their economic hegemony.
As I have argued in my recent works, it is the west which is more dependent on the Muslim world rather than the opposite. If the Islamic world makes a strategic move towards the East, developing close economic and military ties with countries like Russia, China and India, it can easily get what it has been receiving from the west till now. But the west does not have many options to fulfil its needs of oil and energy. The west knows that the rise of Islamic fervour in the Muslim world will distance it from them, and therefore every effort has to be made to contain Islam as a political and social force. Islamophobia helps them in mobilising the public opinion in favour of military engagements with the forces in the Muslim world which they do not like.
India too is going western in terms of its strategies. In particular, the Hindutva lobbies in the country feel that without uniting Hindus behind them, they cannot monopolise the country. They are convinced that only an Islamophobic campaign can produce the desired results. India is therefore being given a daily dose of poison. Hindutva brigade seems to have gone amok. It appears that they are in a hurry, considering the fact that BJP is in power, and they feel that it is right time to take their agenda of hatred to the hilt.
It is also likely that their campaign has received a thrust because Hindus facing the worst internal crisis of the last century in the form of Sai-Shankaracharya confrontation, which threatens the unity of Sanatandharmis. It is also understandable that they are concerned about the decrease in the population of Hindu females on account of ever increasing female infanticide. What is however deplorable is that they are trying to use Islamophobia as the pivot of all their efforts. And they are on the warpath against Muslims even despite the fact that Muslims are neutral on all the issues they have been highlighting in recent months. The truth is that many issues that are troubling Hindus are a cause of even bigger concern for Muslims.
Till now, it appeared that the Government at the Centre is concentrating on the developmental issues, and the communal statements from regional leaders may be a part of their strategy to corner Modi. But with the continuing silence of the Prime Minister, and now a minister making a highly dangerous and provocative statement, it signals ominous times ahead. The statement by Maneka Gandhi is particularly dangerous, as in one go, she has put a question mark on the very survival of the meat industry and the patriotism of the Muslim community. Linking the meat industry to terrorism is too clever a move to have been masterminded by her alone.
Sakshi Maharaj’s comments linking terrorism to Madrasas are an additional hint to the strategy of linking terrorism to Muslims, particularly the community of meat businessmen. They forget that terrorism in India is a massive problem, and the major portion of Indian terrorism has nothing to do with Muslims. As I have detailed in some of my articles, out of more than 40,000 deaths in terrorist attacks in the last 20 years, the alleged killings by “Muslim terrorists” do not number more than 1500. Terrorism in India is primarily a Hindu problem with Naxalites, Maoists, Sikhs and Ulfa activists being among the major culprits. Elsewhere in the subcontinent, Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka killed more than one hundred thousands.
Linking Madrasas to terrorism is another example of blaming and throttling Muslims for what are primarily Hindu problems. Madrasas are certainly giving bigger lessons of peace than any other educational institutions of the country. Even Prime Minster Modi, in his interview with Fareed Zakaria, admitted that “Indian Muslims live for this country and die for this country”. The question by Zakaria telling that “despite Muslims being 170 million in the country, they have not joined the international groups like al-Qaeda” was a reminder to the nation that linking terrorism to Indian Muslims, Islam or Madrasas would have no takers.
Another example of the domestic Islamophobia is what they call “Love Jihad”. They seem to argue that “love jihad” is part of international conspiracy to reduce the size of Hindu population. The truth on the other hand is that Muslims cannot support such an adventure because it will harm them more than Hindus. If four hundred thousands of Muslim boys have married Hindu girls, for example, as claimed, it means that four hundred thousands of Muslim girls have been denied married life. At a time when polygamy among Muslims has become almost non-existent, this would be a big blow to the family system in the community.
Every single Muslim boy married to a Hindu woman means denial of marriage to one Muslim girl. The increase of unmarried girls in society is bound to lead to many complications. Further, Hindu girls would obviously marry good Muslim boys if well-educated Muslim boys marry Hindu girls, who will marry educated Muslim girls? Moreover, Muslims cannot afford to support such marriages because inter-religion marriages even if the Hindu wives appear to have converted to Islam, would lead to dilution of Islamic faith and culture in the coming Muslim generations. With such an enormous chain of issues, are Muslims so stupid that they will promote or fund such marriages?
The biggest propaganda tool in the hands of the forces spreading Islamophobia in India is the issue of “forced conversion”. If the media reports and the statements emanating from the Saffron Brigade are believed, it would appear that the conversion in India is a one way affair, with Hindus converting to Islam. Whatever the reasons of the conversion, the picture which is presented for public consumption is of a large-scale conspiracy, most likely a part of the global effort, aimed at converting Hindus to Islam so that the demography of the country tilts in favour of Muslims. The fact that even if any conversion to Islam is taking place in the country, it is voluntary in most cases is conveniently forgotten.
What however is not being debated at all in the mainstream media is that if any forced conversion is taking place in India, it is the conversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism. In most cases, such conversions take place under compulsion or as a result of lucrative offers. To make it look technically correct considering the fact that Hinduism does not permit conversion, the term “re-conversion” is used. The way things are looking, re-conversion can soon become a national campaign. If one surfs the Internet, one will easily find such news items on the websites dedicated to Hinduism. A report entitled, “More than 5500 Christians and Muslims returned to Hinduism in UP” says:
“A Great News from the heartland of Uttar Pradesh. Thousands of converted Hindus have been opted again their faith of their forefathers and returned to Hinduism again.
“On the very 25th Dec this year 2013, more than five thousand people returned to Hinduism and said goodbye to Christianity in a vast area of Uttar Pradesh in the localities of Agra, Aligarh, Kasganj, Bareilly, Badaun, Bijnor, Shahjahanpur, Mainpuri and Firozabad.
“The highest re-conversion (Shuddhi) in Aligarh, where 2000 Christian became Hindus, was held by Dhrama Jagran Samiti, a specific unit of VHP to make special efforts to sensitise the sense of Dharma in the marginal Hindus in any vulnerable condition, likely to be grabbed by the evangelic elements or other vicious elements like Zakir Naik.
“Chanting of Vedic mantras, purification with Ganga Water, wearing of sacred threads and sacrifice to the fire God were the prime rituals that had helped the aspirants to get a warm entry to Hinduism once gain and for ever. Most of the people who took the refuge of Hinduism in these programmes, told that they went to another faith by allurements and embraced Christianity. Seven Muslims in Shahjahanpur also adopted Hinduism.
“Upon a complaint, details of conversion in Bijnor, the administration is trying to get exact numbers of such ‘returned to home’ (ghar wapsi). From a source it is known that more than five hundred families (1600 people) became Hindu again. These people are mainly hailed from Malkan Rajput and belonging to Jat Muslim clan.
“Mayor of Agra Town, Sri Indrajit Arya was also present in the programme. In the ceremony held at Saraswati Vidya Mandir at Kasganj, 350 families (about 1,000 people) and Firozabad 66 families (200 people) rejected Christianity and returned to their traditional faith Hinduism once again.
“Prominent RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Hindu Vahini, Arya Samaj and Bajrang Dal leaders and the saints of Hindu organisations were present in these religious programmes. In Bareilly, six hundred people embraced Hinduism. Swami Yaswashi Arya of Arya Samaj sprinkled the holy Ganges water to the aspirants and initiated them with sacred thread (Yajna-Upaveetam).
“Various Hindu organisations have declared to extend their utmost support for providing the free education, health and rehabilitation for these brothers and sisters came to their own fold of faith almost a decade after”.
“Earlier, some 325 Muslim members of 150 families of Eta, Farukhabad, Pilibhit, Kasganj, Mainpuri, Bareilly and Badaun were assembled in Eta Arsha Gurukul, where they were reconverted into Hindu Dharma again in presence of Jagadguru Swami Rajrajeswaram of Badrinath Dham. The Swami initiated all the aspirants in the Hindu Dhrama without discriminating any caste or creed.”
More than 5500 Christians and Muslims returned to Hinduism in UP
This long report is enough to indicate the scale of conversion, the active involvement of Hindu organisations in the exercise, open programmes of conversion in big gatherings and the lure of better worldly life and opportunities. There is also a visible expression of excitement, happiness and aggression.
There is another report which tells how Hindutva activists created horrible conditions for a family that converted to Islam resulting in the “Ghar wapsi”:
“Four men of a family who were arrested on Wednesday in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri for converting to Islam have done a U-turn. On Thursday, hours after being released by the police, they embraced Hinduism at a local temple in presence of Bajrang Dal activists.
“Religious conversions are allowed in the state only if they are not forced. The people converting have to declare that it is voluntary and seek the state’s permission. This was what the men – Tularam Jatav, his son Keshav and relatives Maniram and Makhubhai Jatav – had apparently failed to do when they converted to Islam nine months ago.
“So on Tuesday, these four men accompanied seven of their family members who wanted to convert to Islam to the district magistrate to seek his approval, but activists from Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad protested and tried to convince the family to give up the idea. A day later, they again took their relatives to the magistrate but were arrested and booked under Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 1968.
“Seven other family members, including three women, were detained for questioning. If found guilty, the men would have been sent to jail for two years.
“On Thursday, the police, without disclosing any information, let off the four arrested men on bail and the seven detained. The Jatavs reached their village in Thaniyadana area, offered their prayers at a local temple and after a “shuddhikaran” or purification ceremony, again adopted Hinduism.”
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/men-arrested-for-converting-to-islam-become-hindus-again-587039
It is well known by now that certain Muslim communities like Rajputs and Jats, particularly in Rajasthan and Haryana, have been particularly vulnerable to the efforts of the Hindutva organisations. These communities living in the midst of a dominant and aggressive Hindu majority find it hard to resist the pressures built on them by Hindutva forces. Once back in the Hindu fold, they are offered lucrative jobs and other supports. The numbers of such conversions, according to reports, are quite large.
Continuing with Islamophobic campaigns, strangely, Muslims are now being openly blamed even for the Sai-Shankaracharya confrontation. The spokesmen of Shankaracharya group are now openly blaming Arab dollars for the rise of Sai cult in India. Their insecurity complex has compelled them to distort the whole issue and give it a communal twist. The whole emphasis by the supporters of Shankaracharya appearing in TV debates is on Sai Baba having been a Muslim, a Muslim not being worthy of sainthood and worship and his being the son of a Muslim traitor. Now the funding of Sai temples by Muslims living in Arab countries has been added to dissuade Sai supports from mobilising their supporters. Again, the truth is that Muslims have nothing to do with Sai Baba, his worship or his worshippers. This is purely a Hindu issue. Muslims are hard-core monotheists and can never support a polytheistic activity, morally, socially or financially.
Islamophobia, global or local, is nothing but a ploy by the dominant forces to continue their hegemonic and exploitative policies. It is being used as a ploy to devastate Muslim countries and Muslim societies. The western countries destroyed Afghanistan and Iraq in order to finish the “menace” of al-Qaeda and now again they are readying to attack Iraq and Syria “to save the world from the menace of ISIS”. The preparations are on the way to launch another attack on the Muslim Ummah, this time on the plea of destroying ISIS, which has become the latest “villain” of the world. An article, “ISIS Wins Again: Fear of a Caliphate” by Andrew Levine sums up the implications of the Western designs:
“The chances that the world, or any significant part of it, will soon be taken over by fanatical Muslims intent on imposing sharia (Islamic religious) law – another Islamophobic scare word – are nil”
“The caliphates of Muslim antiquity operated in a very different world from the present; their institutional arrangements reflected conditions that no longer exist. This is something even the IS cannot change. A true caliphate could hardly operate, much less endure, in today’s world.
“Even more surely, it supports the idea that the IS wants the US again to put “boots on the ground.” The more in America is, the happier they will be. The happier many of our Senators and Representatives will be too. Great minds think alike.
“Talk of caliphates serves the IS’s purpose, much as beheadings on YouTube do. And talk is cheap, and become cheaper. Since 9/11, the cost of getting America to do itself in has plummeted. And so, the IS, wins: Obama’s America is off to war again.
“Worry about that; not about what the IS says it wants to establish in the region or the world.
“The potential for harm resulting from the United States and other Western powers fighting against the IS is greater by many orders of magnitude than any harm that the IS can do in the areas it controls.
“And the only way it can harm the United States or other Western countries is the tried and true way: by getting them to harm themselves.”
Unfortunately, Muslim response to Islamophobia, global as well as Indian, has been inadequate. Muslim governments continue to be the minions of Western powers. They help them in pursuing Western designs in the Muslim world. Indian Muslims do not appear to have any clue to how to confront the local menace. What is required is an all-out onslaught at the ideological, intellectual and social level without being apologetic and defensive on one hand and militant and inflammatory on the other.
Secularism in India does not mean, as in the west, the negation of religion. Indian secularism means equal respect to all religions and all religious communities. In spite of the efforts of Saffron Brigade, the majority of Indian Hindus continue to be secular. Muslims need to develop strong ties with them on the basis of a common agenda, which should include eradication of social vices like alcohol, smoking, commercialisation of sex and gambling, high crime rates including crimes against women and economic issues like economic disparity, inflation and corruption.
When wisdom combines with endeavour, the consequences are more likely to be healthy.
[DR JAVED JAMIL is India based thinker and writer with over a dozen books including his latest, “Muslims Most Civilised, Yet Not Enough” and “Muslim Vision of Secular India: Destination & Road-map”. doctorforu123@yahoo.com]