If we go through Muslim history of India, we find that present dangers are the biggest and more serious than in the past. The events of 1857 and 1947 in which Muslims found themselves at the receiving end, were an immediate reaction to certain developments for which Muslims were wrongly or rightly held responsible. Actions against Muslims were not motivated by any ideology intended to subjugate and threaten Muslims. But the present onslaught on Indian Muslims is based on ideology that intends to suppress Muslims in every sphere – from politics to religion and culture – and force them to live as a vanquished community, not an equal citizen.
Syed Khalique Ahmed
NWEW DELHI—Muslims in India never felt so much uneasy and frightened as they are today. This fear is not only perceived by poor and middle classes but also the upper strata of the Muslim society, including those who have been in the power structure at central and state levels for decades.
What is the reason behind it? Why has this situation arrived today? Who is responsible for it? If you talk with ordinary as well as elite Muslims, you get the answer that it is the BJP’s hostility towards Muslims that is responsible for the present state of affairs with respect to Muslims? And this hostility has increased in a geometric progression since 2014 after BJP acquired power at the Centre and Narendra Modi became prime minister and took over the centre-stage of Indian politics. BJP has been using its hostility against Muslims to consolidate Hindu voters in its favour.
But BJP does not seem to be content with securing political power by polarizing voters based on its antagonism with Muslims. Had acquiring political power been the only objective of its antipathy towards Muslims, it should have given up its hatred against Muslims after it won power at the Centre in 2014 and 2019, and formed governments in several states.
But its hostility towards Muslims has neither stopped nor got diluted after acquiring political power. Hence, those who believe that it is the electoral compulsion of the BJP – political arm of the RSS – that has made it keep the communal cauldron boiling, do not seem to be correct.
There certainly seems to be some ulterior agenda behind aggressive saffronization in the country. Several initiatives taken by the party at the Central and state levels where it is in power provide evidence that several of its leaders, including those holding constitutional positions, don’t bother about the Constitutional laws while dealing with Muslims.
Unleashing war against Muslims
If Delhi University Professor Apoorvanand is believed, then the state governments under BJP rule have unleashed a kind of war against Muslims which is a very dangerous development. The central government maintains silence on harassment and intimidation of Muslims that indicates its indifference towards problems faced by the Muslims. Its silence may also be construed its collaboration in the hate-Muslim project.
So, the task of targeting Muslims by fringe Hindu elements before 2014 seems to have been taken over by the mainstream groups to harass and intimidate Muslims. There has been no let-up in the situation with regard to Muslims. The problems for Muslims have been increasing with every passing day.
BJP and RSS-linked organizations have created controversies over Hijab, halal meat, cow slaughter, namaz (salat) and ‘azaan’ (Muslim call for prayers) over loudspeakers, triple talaq and uniform civil code. Those who opposed Citizenship Amendment Act-2019 and National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise were dubbed anti-national. Muslims argue that CAA in the present form would render a vast Muslim population as aliens in their own land. If CAA is implemented along with NRC, those failing to pass the NRC test would lose their right as Indian citizens and they would be sent to detention camps and all their assets like houses, properties and bank accounts may be seized. But people belonging to other religious groups would get Indian citizenship even if they fail to furnish documents required for NRC exercise. This discriminatory provision in the citizenship made Muslims to organize a prolonged nationwide protest against CAA. The government has, for the time being, delayed the implementation of NRC exercise and CAA, but Home Minister Amit shah has been repeatedly saying inside and outside Parliament that NRC would be conducted all over the country and CAA would be implemented.
There have also been open calls for genocide of Muslims by leaders from some political outfits as well as some religious leaders that has further poisoned the atmosphere against Muslims. But the state governments have kept total silence on it. The Kashmir Files, a film prepared by some Bollywood stars, also provokes genocidal calls against Muslims. Yet the movie was given clearance by the film censor board to release the controversial film.
Gyanvapi, Mathura Majids cases being used to terrorize Muslims
As if all this was not enough to intimidate Muslims, radical Hindu elements have moved courts, demanding that Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi, Shahi Idgah Masjid in Mathura, and the 12th century Qutub Minar complex housing the Quwwatul Islam Mosque in New Delhi be converted into temples, thus further polarizing the society. The Qutub Minar and the monuments within its complex were declared the UNESCO world heritage site in 1993. Unfortunately, courts have entertained Hindu parties’ petitions in all the three cases despite existence of The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The 1991 Act prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.
The only religious place that was exempted from the 1991 Act was the Ram Janmabhoomi/Babri Masjid complex. The dispute was finally settled when the Supreme Court in November 2019 handed over the site of the Babri Masjid for the construction of Ram Temple despite all evidence being in favour of the mosque. But Muslims accepted the verdict hoping that the court verdict would end the decades old dispute and bring peace and harmony in the country. But they were proved wrong as the radical Hindu elements opened new issues pertaining to Gyanvapi and Shahi Idgah mosques, and more recently the Qutub Minar complex. The way the courts considered the applications of the Hindu groups have disappointed Muslims.
Authorities’ biased action indicate their hostility against Muslims
The state governments, particularly in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, displayed open animosity with Muslims by demolishing their houses in cities like Ujjain, Khargone, Mau, Lucknow, Prayagraj (previously Allahabad). The arguments given by the authorities is that Muslim properties were either built illegally or constructed on government lands. In some cases, the government defended its actions by saying that stones had been thrown from these houses during communal brawls when Hindu religious processions were passing. The Indian law does not allow demolition of houses even if stones are thrown by occupants of these houses. As far as building illegal houses or encroachment of government properties is concerned, the concerned party is given the opportunity to defend himself in a court of law.
But no opportunity was provided to Muslims and their properties were demolished all of a sudden. Among the properties bulldozed included a ‘ madrasa’ (Muslim religious seminary) buildings in Kanpur and Azamgarh and houses of Muslim politicians in Lucknow, Prayagraj and Mau.
The BJP-run municipal corporation used bulldozer to demolish Muslim properties even in the National capital of Delhi. While the municipal authorities demolished part of a mosque and some Muslim houses in Jehangirpuri during the month of Ramzan, they spared a temple a part of which was on government land like the mosque. They also subsequently demolished some buildings in Kanchan Kunj locality in South Delhi on the pretext that they were built illegally while the fact is that such illegal buildings are there all over Delhi and most of them in Hindu-dominated areas. However, only Muslim properties were selectively targeted in Delhi as well. Are only Muslim politicians having illegally-built buildings? Are only ‘madrasa’ buildings constructed without following proper procedure?
Some leaders from the ruling BJP as well as Hindu saints have been reported to making unparliamentary comments about Islam and Prophet Muhammad at press conferences and in television debates, outraging the Muslim community.
In a number of mob lynching cases, the police booked Muslim victims when they approached the police to lodge complaints against Hindu miscreants. It had never happened so in the past. Though violence against Muslims is not a new phenomenon in India, Muslim victims were heard and their complaints were entertained during non-BJP rule. However, things have totally changed with the new political dispensation taking over the power in the country in 2014. Indian Muslims faced violence at a much larger scale in 1857 during the British-Christian rule and in the wake of Partition in 1947 but the anti-Muslim violence in 1857 and 1947 were localized. In 1857, it was restricted to areas in Delhi and Western UP. In 1947, it was again limited to border states like Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, and Delhi. But this time, Muslims are facing violence all over the country. There is no place in the country now where Muslims can live in peace.
Authorities aping Israeli modus operandi to further victimize Muslims
The actions of authorities indicate that they are copying the modus operandi of their Israeli counterparts to subdue and terrorise Muslims. While the Modi government claims that there have been no Hindu-Muslim riots since BJP acquired political power since 2014, the fact is that low intensity violence has been going on at the ground level all over the country threatening Muslims. In every such violence, it is the Muslim victims who are further victimized under Modi rule as victims are discouraged from making complaints due to hostile and non-cooperative attitude of authorities.
All these developments over a period of eight years under the Modi and BJP rule have unnerved Muslims and their leadership. As Opposition parties are scared of taking up Muslim issues with the government or raising their concerns over the victimization of Muslims at the hands of the Modi government, Muslim groups and individual Muslim leaders have now come forward to express their anger against the government.
Opposition parties don’t stand up for the Muslim cause
It is really a very strange situation for the Muslim community that opposition parties who win elections with the support of Muslims don’t come to the defence of Muslims when they are in crisis and need their support. Opposition parties feel that they would lose support of majority Hindus if they stand up for the Muslim cause. This situation that has developed owing to BJP’s intense Islamophobic campaign over a long period have made Muslims accounting for about 20 percent of the country’s population persona non grata or an outcast. Aware of this weakness of the Opposition parties vis-a-vis Muslims, BJP and its governments in different states and municipal bodies throughout the country do not hesitate in taking unconstitutional actions against Muslims.
Mushawarat pledges to defend constitutional, legal rights of Muslims
All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM), considered to be the umbrella body of Muslim orgnizations in the country, is the first to raise the issue of persecution of minorities, especially Muslims, under the Modi rule. At a meeting in Delhi last week, the umbrella body held a two-day convention of Muslim intellectuals, academicians, social and political activists to deliberate about the issue and find out what could be done to curb the violence and injustice against the Muslims. In a 10-point declaration issued at the end of the convention, AIMMM announced to use “judicial, political and all other legally permitted avenues to protect and safeguard the constitutional and legal rights of all Indian citizens, particularly Muslims and those belonging to deprived and weaker sections.” It also announced plans to hold meetings with people of other faiths all over the country to promote peace and harmony and defeat the designs of the forces engaged in spreading communal hatred. Those who participated in the Mushawarat included Jamaat-e-Islami Hind president Syed Sadatullah Husaini, Mushawarat president Navaid Hamid, Welfare Party of India president Dr. SQR Ilyas and former minister Tauqeer Raza Khan. Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi sent a letter to Mushawarat president supporting the convention.
Jamiatul Ulema-e-Hind vows to fight the divisive forces
The Mushawarat conference was followed by Jamiatul Ulema-e-Hind’s (JUH) conference at Deoband that was attended largely by Muslim clerics from all over the country. JUH president Mahmood Madani said that Muslims faced problems even when they walked on the streets of their own towns. He also announced the setting up of Sadbhavna Manch to fight the divisive forces. However, his comments that “Har zulm seh lenge, lekin isko hamari kamzori na samjhe. (We are ready to face any kind of hardship but this does not mean that we are weak),” received criticism from Muslim groups.
World renowned Islamic seminary – Darul Uloom Deoband – also held a meeting in connection with the current situation obtaining in the country and what should be the response of the Muslim community. It was held before JUH’s convention. But the seminary did not release any statement in this connection. It asked the participants to not talk to the media in connection with the meeting.
Plot to terrorise and subjugate Muslims
Two days ago, high profile leaders, mostly from Congress and other political parties, participated in a day-long deliberation on the current situation that was convened by former MP Mohammad Adeeb. Various leaders at the meeting pointed out that ” the very idea of India is under grave threat and in particular, Muslim community presently lives in a constant fear.”
” It must be understood clearly that various acts of anti-Muslim rioting, lynching and brutal atrocities and excesses in different forms including the demolition of their houses and businesses is the manifestation of a larger design to terrorise and subjugate the Muslim community,” the speakers noted at the discussion. The speakers at the convention, who included former minister Salman Khurshid, former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah, former planning commission member Syeda Hameed, and former MP K Rahman Khan stressed on the need for unity among various groups of the community to face the new challenges before the Muslims. But many of these leaders, who spoke about unity in the community to face the present situation, were reported to have been invited at the Mushawarat convention but they did not turn up. Even JUH, one of the biggest Muslim organization having its network all over the country, including rural areas, always avoids sharing platforms with other organizations on common issues of the community. Their leaders were absent from the Mushawarat convention.
Will Muslims unite to face the new challenges?
The big question is: Will Muslims unite to face the onslaught of the Hindutva forces and the Modi government? What prevents them from coming to a common platform to face the challenges that are bigger than that in 1857 and 1947? But one thing is clear: Muslims cannot defend their interests under the present political dispensation if they remain divided as they are today. If we go through Muslim history of India, we find that present dangers are the biggest and more serious than in the past. The events of 1857 and 1947 in which Muslims found themselves at the receiving end, were an immediate reaction to certain developments for which Muslims were wrongly or rightly held responsible. Actions against Muslims were not motivated by any ideology intended to subjugate and threaten Muslims. But the present onslaught on Indian Muslims is based on ideology that intends to suppress Muslims in every sphere – from politics to religion and culture – and force them to live as a vanquished community, not an equal citizen.
