Indian Muslims are bruised and battered since long time as they face very hostile environment from RSS and its supported central government. Even in Covid 19 Pendemic,and subsequent Lockdown in the country which are extended till 17th May, the largest minority fights against Islamophobia and hate mongers.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party’s flush-with-funds info-tech cell kick-started what activists said a “systematic, synchronised and organized” attempt to target Muslims through distortion and lies which were communal in nature and inciteful in tone, spreading the deadly pathogen.
Islamophobia as a word came more into vogue after 9/11 2001 twin tower attack. In the aftermath the American media popularised the word “Islamic Terrorism” and for the first time in global history a religion was given association with the political act of terrorism.
In India the Hate against minorities had already been prevalent, but with different arguments. It was by-product of the communal politics, which came up during freedom movement as a reaction to Indian nationalism.
communal politics propagated Islam as a religion associated with violence, it was propagated that it spread through force, it indulges in terrorism, Muslim kings destroyed Hindu temples, Muslims indulge in polygamy, produce more children, are more aggressive, eating beef etc. All this was already the part of ‘social common sense’ here.
The political developments during the last five years, and in particular since the last May have forced many a Muslim intellectuals, community sympathisers and well-wishers to turn into a pessimist. They are brooding that many recent political developments and reaction of the Muslim religious and community leaders to them, do not bode well for the community.
However, many of the recent decisions and regulations of the right-wing establishment in India can be described as detrimental to the Muslims interests. The plans to amend the Muslim Personal Law and its replacement with common civil code, re-writing of Indian history, glorifying cow protection, interference in triple talaq issue, getting the way cleared for construction of the Ram mandir at Ayodhya, abrogating Art 370 in Kashmir and allowing non-Kashmiris to buy property in Kashmir, are all deliberate acts towards the marginalisation of Indian Muslims.
In this age of information technology, many a battles are being fought and won using the social media tools. The latest example in this regard is the surge in Islamophobic messages on the social media and response of the Muslim nations to it. Due to the overwhelming and immediate tough response of the Muslim countries, many social media platforms had to issue guidelines on how to manage the Islmophobic content, besides immediate remorse shown and forgiveness sought by people who engaged in posting Islamophobic content on various social media websites.
In addition, many western countries and international organisations have taken due notice of anti-Muslim policies and activities of the right-wing government, curbing religious freedom and have asked the establishment to amend its ways. This international pressurisation has resulted in some remedial actions. But, we also have to understand that we Muslims, as citizens of India, have some responsibilities too, besides being a model Muslim.
But the reality is that a vast multitude of Indian Muslims act completely uncontrollably. Instead of getting education and increasing the chances of their economic prosperity, they are content with following low paid, semi-skilled jobs. They believe in mob mentality and are least bothered by the issues of education, sanitation, progress and openness.
What we need today, is the unity amongst different sects of the Indian Muslims and proactive actions from our religious leaders, instead of their followers asking for guidance, they should provide guidance in advance on every issue, because the reality is that a vast multitude of Indian Muslims still listen to their clergy and not to their social leaders.
It becomes incumbent upon our religious leaders to forge unity amongst the Indian Muslim Ummah and lead them in their political, social, economic and religious life. And thus they’ll have to devise strategies on how to overcome obstacles in partnership with other religions also. For the current dispensation, religions like Parsis or Jews are considered as guests of India, while Christians and Muslims are considered as invaders, thus they deserve to be driven out or made second class citizens. As an enemy of your enemy could be your friend, Indian Muslims will have to forge amicable partnerships with religions like Christianity for their survival in India, and in this manner they’ll also be able to gain support of other countries, many of whom follow Christianity as state religion. Thus, Indian Muslims have to reform themselves and forge new friendships and accords, besides strive hard to co-exist in a fats changing scenario in the country.
The events in India during last few months, beginning with abolition of article 370, bringing of Citizenship Amendment Act and the spectacular democratic protest of Shaheen Bagh created a situation where the Hate spreading mechanisms became more aggressive. To cap it all came the Covid 19, the incident of Tablighi Jamaat, where the blame of spreading Corona was falsely put on Muslims as a whole. It was alleged that Muslims are out to launch Corona Jihad, are producing Corona bomb etc. became the part of popular thinking and life of Muslim community in general became unbearable. Even the lynching of Sadhus near Palghar by the local villagers was presented initially as the act of the ‘Hated’ community.
Normally the international community articulates an occasional protest and criticism against such gross inhumanity and violation of human rights of minorities. This time the levels of demonisation was so much that many international platforms and voices that matter expressed their unhappiness over the life of Muslims in India which is becoming unbearable and difficult. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, its Independent permanent Human Rights Commission, called for steps to protect the Muslims in India.
In addition, a drama unfolded in UAE. Here there are lakhs of Indians, many of them being Hindus. Some of them are seeped in the core communal ideology, proudly displaying their photographs with Indian prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Few of them tweeted on Tablighi Jamaat, Indian Muslims as doing ‘Islamic Jihad’, ‘Islamic virus’, ‘Muslim virus’ with gay abandon. Around this time one of the earlier tweets of the rising star of BJP, Tejaswi Surya resurfaced. In this tween Surya endorses the tweet of Tarek Fateh which is derogatory to Arab women. Some claimed that it is Indians who have contributed to the growth of gulf countries. As the whole atmosphere was becoming full of nauseating, labelling of Muslims in negative light.
Narendra Modi, who generally has been responding late to such incidents earlier also, finally woke up with these goings on. One knows that not only large number of Indians are employed gainfully in these countries; they are also sending millions of dollars back home. India is the third major country having trade with these countries. Modi’s tweet is being taken in a positive light by most commentators, who see a ray of hope in this. Modi said in the tweet, “”COVID-19 does not see race, religion, color, caste, creed, language or border before striking. Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood. We are in this together.“ He knows who in media, social media and through word to mouth channels are spreading this hate, but there is no reprimand against them in his tweet.
On similar line, the Sarsanghchalak (Supreme Leader) of RSS Mohan Bhagwat also said that whole community should not be targeted for the actions of few. Both these top leaders of Hindu nationalist politics fortunately woke up after the international reprimand, particularly the reaction from UAE, gulf countries who have already started terminating the jobs of some Indians for spreading Hate. Interestingly at the same time, Modi’s Cabinet Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi described India being Jannat (Muslim’s heaven) for Muslims.
Many commentators are hoping that the statements of Modi and Bhagwat can put a brake on the ongoing atmosphere of hatred against the hapless minority! Things are not so simple. This atmosphere today has been built up through close to a century long work of the communal forces. The molecular permeation of these hateful interpretations of history, and the presentation of Islam-Muslims by America dominated media after 9/11 are the twin pillars, which have been dug fairly deep in the social thinking in India.
Covid 19 demonstrated as to how deep are the roots of this type of thinking that such concoctions could be made part of the social thinking. It is possible only because of the decades long propaganda, which is divisive and against the concept of fraternity, which is the foundation of Indian nationalism. The protests from UAE, which incidentally gave the highest civilian honor to Narendra Modi in 2019, may put a small brake on the unabashed process here, but the real struggle is inside the country, where we need to see that the social perceptions of Indian nationalism, articulated by Gandhi and Nehru in particular are made to reach all the Indians through innovative and rational mechanisms. (With Media Input & Wikipedia)
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