In school when we used to take the India pledge and proudly say – “India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters.
I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage”, we did not know that it wasn’t true. We did not know there were people much more powerful than us dreamy eyed teenagers. What we failed to understand was a bigger nexus of politicians and media persons who wouldn’t essentially want us to be ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’.
Today when a columnist brazenly says – hanging Yakub Memon would send a wrong signal to the Muslim community; I feel ashamed. I feel ashamed because we are inching towards 70 years as an independent nation and yet we haven’t looked beyond this politics of appeasement. What are these handfuls of people hinting at? Why would the Muslim community be insecure at the hanging of a man responsible for the death of hundreds of people? Didn’t Indian Muslims die in the 1993 blasts in Mumbai? Or is he trying to say Indian Muslims have soft corners for terrorists?
Read: Shouldn’t Muslims in India move beyond Batla, Ishrat and 2002?
Just a few months back, there was a hue and cry about the Kasab and biryani incident, with the media trying to make biryani a solely Islamic dish. This reduced the entire narrative to a mere religious symbolism.
Now in the holy month of Ramzan, we see a run to throw Iftar parties. Did anyone even ask a common middle class Muslim about how he or she feels? Why would a non Muslim even have the right to an Iftar party? He or she, might if they complete all the rituals and fasting. But without that, isn’t it an insult to the faith? Yes. If a non Muslim is invited by a friend who is following the rituals of the holy month, it is up to them to attend. Without that it is just a brazen attempt to encash on vulnerable religious sentiments.
Talking about reservations, talking about doles etc, is just an attempt to marginalize the community. And no my dear politicians and media, Indian Muslims are not minuscule minority. Look at the other way; they are the second largest majority in the country. They do not need rescuing from you. They are doctors and engineers and they are soldiers who have died for this country.
Desperate to get a ‘secular’ tag, now we even see columns on films, pointing out which is Muslim and which is not. This is a big embarrassment for not just Indian Muslims but for the entire community. Haven’t we idolized Dilip Kumar and the Khans? How many of us thought we would be a little more secular if we tweeted in favour of a Salman Khan film? Haven’t we prayed for Lagaan to win at the Oscars?
Isn’t it sad that even the Indian cricket team wasn’t spared? An analyst aggressively pointed out that if India were to win the World Cup, it would be a high point for the Hindu Males. What about Mohammad Sami, the star of Indian bowling at the contest?
In a multicultural nation like India, we have all erred. I have seen multiple ethnic riots when I had just barely started recognizing the alphabets. I have also seen terrorists form a very close quarter. What I have realized is we move on. We don’t even want to remember who belongs to what religion and ethnicity. But the media and politicians never want us to move on.
I know many of my Muslim friends do not think hanging Yakub Memon is sending a wrong signal to them. Because they are as much Indian as I am. They have also taken the India pledge at some point of time. They have also seen terror and want India to give out a strong signal.
The Mumbai blasts were not ‘Muslim vigilantism’. Naming an act of terror as ‘Muslim vigilantism’ is a shameless branding of the entire community who lead as common lives as we do. It is segregation of the community, because deep down the people who play divisive politics want that. They want to give out doles, but never will give a hand to pick them up.
Today, years later when the news of Memon’s hanging comes, shouldn’t we be happy that some justice is being meted out? Yes we can debate on whether capital punishment is an answer or not, but can we stop these irresponsible statements and stop the disservice to the Muslim community?
Rattled and ashamed of our language of divisive politics, I apologize to Indian Muslims. I apologize because I need to. I apologize because when I shared a pencil or learnt a recipe or heard a song or watched a film; I did not learn to differentiate. I apologize because I just uttered the India pledge, but I did not know that I would also have to teach more people to fully understand the meaning of it.
well written article.
Yes true Chhota Raavan! :) You thought right!
LOL, enough apologies. You do realise the writer of the article is a Kashmiri Muslim? We don’t all have to take blame for it.
Ummm, isn’t the Author’s name Paulami Dutta ? I thought Dutta was a Bengali surname
No, I am referring to the writer of the “Hanging Memon will anger Indian Muslims” article who is a Kashmiri Muslim. The writer of this article is being unnecessarily apologetic as if we all must take collective blame for that article.
then who? RSS? Jamt -ud dawah? lashkar -e taibaa?
blame these, not the community, that is what she want to convey.
“Indian Muslim are not like other Muslims. they are different and first they are Indian.” – Hon’ble P.M Modi.
You didn’t understand my comment.
Majority of Indian belongs to middle class, including me. I am a student of Aligarh Muslim University,have many muslism friends and believe me as a student i never felt like i am living with some other group of peoples. they all are same as me,there families,way of living,thinking etc. We only worry about getting jobs,placements, training and all.. What i meant to say that now a days things are changing and middle class indian had gone above this bullshit politics thing.
This is what I was discussing with my uncle and few of my friends. A really well written article reflects the literacy simplicity yet the prowess of the writer. A must share.
a well written and eye opener article… very good..
Great article!!! I am amazed how the author uses the term “second majority” for muslims. Indian has largest number of hindus and second largest population of muslims in the world, hence calling them first and second majority seems correct. Instead of thinking themselves minority, they should think to be part of 1.2 billion strong Indians. If everyone think as “I” then everyone is minority in this country, but if everyone think “We” then they are a majority of the world.
Author fails to mention that last year politicians tried to divide the army in terms of religion by claiming that muslim soldiers have contributed more that hindu soldiers. They forget that army has no religion and everyone in army irrespective of religion or caste works to protect the nation and we should respect them all.
The definition of Hindu and Muslim is already fuzzy. There are many muslims who play Ram, Lakshman, Sita during Ram Leela while many hindus praise there acting. There are many muslims who are carpenters, builders, craftmen who work to build temples and many hindus who supply marbles etc for building mosques. If this isn’t unity what it is.
I am glad that 21st century Hindus and Muslims are more aware and they know they are being used as vote bank politics by politician. This is evident by the recent general elections and assembly elections where they have voted for absolute majority instead of fractured mandate. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Budhists, Jains etc etc, they all want development not appeasement.
“They do not rescuing from you”
hire a proofreader bruv
Perfect. It cannot be put in a better way. I had the same talks with an auto driver en route to my workplace. It is amazing to see how every working class Indian is looking up to a brighter future and sso sad to see the leechers who enjoy on our taxes are trying everything to push us back.it will change. Jai hind!
I do not see any Muslims commenting here. They like appeasment. They rather be appeased than think logically.