It was very irresponsible and unfortunate on the part of daily Kannada Prabha, Bangalore to publish the translation of an old article by the infamous writer Taslima Nasreen on purdah, in its February 28 issue. The rebel authoress is famous for her anti-God, anti-Islam and pornographic writings.
Karnataka is the first South Indian State to fall under the spell of BJP, which as a matter of policy loves to divide people on communal lines. The last two years’ events in the State have amply showed that the Government there has encouraged the communal elements through its policies.
The said article is full of derogatory insinuations against Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) and dirty remarks about his respected wives. This was a potential provocation for young men who could not tolerate this disrespect to the Prophet and his wives. Their anger translated into huge demonstrations in Hassan and Shimoga. The elders successfully pursued the demonstrators to peacefully disperse but some hot heads indulged in stone-pelting which made the police to swing in action. As usual the use of force by the police was unproportionate to the provocation.
For communal elements it was a golden opportunity to indulge in widespread violence. The net result in Hassan was loss of property of about Rs. 80 lakh, and in Shimoga death of two innocent persons – Sadique, 23, who got married very recently and died in police firing, and of middle-aged Lateef, who was mercilessly beaten and hacked to death by rioters.
Muslim young men should remember that there is no dearth of communal elements in police force who would not hesitate to fire to kill at the slightest provocation. There is deep-rooted hatred against them which can be ignited very easily. Thanks to the media, the image of Muslims is of a people who should be taught a lesson or two whenever it is possible. Of course a peaceful demonstration is the normal democratic right of people to show their resentment. But the communally charged atmosphere in a State like Karnataka does not allow free use of this right.
The communal organisations took the advantage of the situation and unleashed violence and arson on a large scale. This resulted in an estimated loss of properties worth 8 to 10 crore in Shimoga. Now the results are there to see and face as the unwritten law is at work. Muslim youths are being terrorised, dragged to courts and thrown behind bars. The arsonists and real culprits are roaming scot-free. Such violent incidents do greater damage to the inter-community relations.
After all the Muslims being Khair-e-Ummat have a greater responsibility of showing utmost patience in the face of gravest provocations. If some of them get provoked and act irresponsibly, they would be the net losers, and besides this, it would damage Islam which has come as the source of salvation for the whole humanity. Islam requires a peaceful atmosphere for its fruition and success whereas the communal politicians require hatred and confrontation for achieving their goals.