Recently our Ex VP Mr. Hamid Ansari, on the last day of his office, made a statement that there is a state of unease and insecurity among the Muslims of India. This statement was backed by certain sections of the media who have been going on with this narrative of insecurity among Muslims for quite some time now. They have portrayed India is a Hindu state where Muslims are oppressed and made to live in fear. Sadly, it’s not the complete truth which is more dangerous than a total lie. The ground reality is something totally different.
But is there any part of the globe where one or the other section of Muslims does not feel unsafe, insecure or alienated from the country of their origin or residence? Let’s Find out.
Saudi Arabia, West Asia and North Africa: In Saudi Arabia, the birth place of Islam and the West Asia and North African countries, the conditions of Muslims are no better. Human rights and liberties are virtually non-existent especially for the women. Women in these countries are largely absent from high-level political positions, are restricted in marriage, divorce, and citizenship rights, and face discrimination in every walk of life. Religious minority often find it difficult to practice their faith in public or advance in government positions. There is a constant conflict between the various sects of Islam and each one is trying to prove that they are the real Muslims. These countries rely heavily on judicial interpretations of Sharia law, making it difficult to protect against discrimination. In all these countries, sections of Muslims continue to feel “insecure” and resort to violence either against the state or each other. The killers and their victims, both, swear by Islam. The recent bombing of the mosque in Mosul by the ISIS is an example of this.
Primary Source: http://iranprimer.usip.org/…/iran-v-saudi-arabia-women-mino…
United States of America And Europe: Do Muslims feel safe in the USA, a country founded on tolerance and freedom? Muslims here are labelled as a safety threat by a large number of people. One cannot simply walk around in Hijabs or with a beard and not being looked suspiciously. In the wake of 9/11 many also believe that the government “singles out” Muslims for increased surveillance and monitoring. Similar is the case of Europe. After the spate of Terror Attacks in Belgium, France, Germany and rest of Europe, the European citizens have started viewing Muslims suspiciously.
China: Do Muslims feel safe in China? Although there is a booming friendship between China and an Islamic Pakistan, Muslims are at war with the state in the Xinjiang province of China. Muslims here are not allowed to keep beard or wear the skull cup or teach their religion to their children. Fasting is banned during Ramadan. They are issued separate identity cards by the state.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/…/how-being-muslim-in-america-…
http://www.aljazeera.com/…/…/2012/10/201210493210185606.html
Pakistan: It is highly unfortunate that a few Muslims in India think that our neighbour Pakistan is a custodian of Muslims but they never talk about the 15lakh Bengali Muslims killed by Pakistan in 1971. Over the years, the Shias and Hazaras of Pakistan have been specifically targeted and killed by machine guns and suicide bombers like the ones in Quetta. They have been killed inside mosques and shopping markets, while on pilgrimage and even at funerals. Ahmadis have been declared illegal in an act passed in 1984.
Source: https://thewire.in/…/the-rising-threat-against-shia-muslim…/
A single fact that can change the perception of these people is that in Pakistan one has to pay taxes for Haj while in India one gets subsidy for the same. Minorities even in the Muslim communities have equal rights in India. Shia mosques are not bombed of in India. Ahmadis are not killed publicly. People are not stoned to death for so called blasphemy and even terrorists like Ajmal Kasab are given fair trial in India. Minority women not raped and forced to convert in India unlike many other countries like present day Iraq and Syria. India is the only country where all 72 sects of Islam flourish and are treated equally.
My Take: I have spent my childhood playing around with my Muslim friends and even now as an adult I have relished eating biryani in their marriages and other functions. The thing I learnt was that being a Hindu or Muslim does not affect your relationship with fellow humans.
Journalism and politics today promote this bitterness in the name of religion. There are some fringe elements in some part of the country trying to unsettle the Muslims but they are mostly unsuccessful. Yes, there have been incidents like the lynching at Dadri and Alwar and the killing of a Muslim youth for a train seat but one has to remember that these people are a part of a country which has a large record of crimes owing to its large population. One shouldn’t bring religion into these unfortunate crimes and realize that it’s the people who are actually suffering.
No Muslim I know feels unsafe in India at least in my part of the country because he is a Muslim. There may be some Muslims who feel unsafe, there may be some Hindus who feel unsafe but it has nothing to do with belonging to any community. Muslims are as safe or as unsafe as any other countrymen.