Insulting Comments About The Prophet: Sanghi Muslims’ Bid To Cover Up The Mischief Of Nupur Sharma

Syed Khalique Ahmed

NEW DELHI—After widespread outrage among Muslims against the derogatory comments made about Prophet Mohammed (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) by BJP national spokesperson and Opindia.com editor Nupur Sharma, ‘Sanghi Muslims’ have come out in open to shift the entire blame on Dr. Tasleem Rahmani. Sharma made the offensive comments during a debate on Times Now TV channel in which Rahmani was one of the panelists. Meanwhile, more than half a dozen FIRs have been registered by Muslim organizations as well as some individuals against Sharma in different parts of the country, seeking her arrest and stringent punishment to her so that no one in future dared to use such a language against the Prophet, the Holy Quran, and Islam.

Fashion for right-wingers and radical Hindus to make dirty comments about the Prophet

It has become a fashion for quite some time for some of the right-wingers from the majority community to abuse Islam and the personality of Prophet Mohammad (Allah’s Peace and Blessing be Upon the Prophet). Some Hindu seers have made highly disparaging remarks against the Prophet at press conferences, in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and the so-called ‘Dharma Sansad’ (religious parliament). The tendency to use slanderous language against the Prophet has further increased with some people from Christian Europe and the United States of America publishing and circulating cartoons and literature offensive to the Prophet, Islam, and Muslims in general. There have also been physical attacks on mosques and the members of the Muslim community in Europe and the US by Islamophobe gangs. While the governments in a few smaller countries in Europe took action against extremists and terrorists from the Christian community, targeting Muslims and their mosques, the majority of the Christian-dominated countries have unfortunately allowed the slighting of Islam on the pretext of freedom of speech, instead of taking action against the offenders. France is one such country that resulted in the worsening of its relations with many Muslim nations, particularly Turkey.

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Right-wingers toeing the line of the Christian West to defame Islam

A section of the Hindu Right in India is also toeing the line of the Christian West and indulging in activities offensive to Islam and Muslims. This is because a majority of the Hindu intellectuals do not have their original study of Islam and go by what they have learned from Islamic literature produced by intellectuals in the Christian West. As Christian Europe has an old history of religious rivalry with Islam, their writers and intellectuals produced Islamic literature that prima facie appeared to be a sensible analysis of the teachings of Islam but was cleverly intended to distort and defame the image of Islam. 

In all cultures of the world, including Christian and Hindu, parents and religious personalities are held in high esteem, and making fun of them is not allowed. In Muslim culture also, which is derived from the teachings of Islam, religious personalities are held in high reverence all over the world–from Japan in the Far East to the US, and Canada in the other extreme part of the world. No one can claim himself to be a Muslim if he doesn’t hold the Prophet Mohammad dearer than his own life and the life of his wife, parents, and children. I am saying this based on authentic statements of the Prophet. So, what Nupur Sharma, a BJP spokesperson and editor of Opindia, did during a TV debate was highly offensive, from Hindu standards as well. Her statements showed poor knowledge she has about religion and culture. It showed that she was ill-intentioned. Does the kind of remarks she made benefit the country? It has become the habit of some BJP and Hindutva leaders to speak nonsense about Islam and Muslims because they know they can go scot-free under the present political dispensation. While Nupur should have rendered an unconditional apology to Muslims for offending their sensibilities, efforts are being made to turn the tables on Tasleem Rahmani which is again mischief of those trying to defend Nupur who has committed a crime not only as per Islamic law but also under Indian Penal Code. 

When journalists are not permitted to mention the name of a rape victim in their stories to protect the victim from getting defamed in society, how can someone be allowed to abuse the highest personality of a religion? Shall it be allowed under the law or on the pretext of free speech to say that person ‘A’ is a prostitute and her brother and husband are pimps for her? And what will happen if we say so in a TV debate? Will it not amount to crime? Shall a person being insulted in such a way not seek legal action against the offender? If the person represents a political party, will her party bosses defend his/her action? Shall such a person be allowed to continue in office by the party bosses? BJP has so far not taken any action against Nupur Sharma. People close to the Sangh Parivar are allegedly threatening Muslims that cases about 40,000 mosques claimed by Hindu groups would be opened if Muslims don’t shut their mouths over Nupur Sharma. Some groups and individuals have already filed court cases demanding the conversion of Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi, Shahi Idgah Masjid in Mathura, and Qutub Minar in Delhi in temples. VHP and Bajrang Dal activists a few days ago threatened to offer ‘pooja’(Hindu form of worship) in Srirangapatnam Jama Masjid in Karnataka.

I have never heard a Muslim attacking the religious personalities of Hinduism, Christianity, or their religious symbols. Muslims abstain from criticizing the religious symbols and personalities of others not out of any fear but because the Holy Quran, considered the word of God, strictly forbids Muslims to revile those whom the non-Muslims worship, besides Allah. “And insult not those whom they (disbelievers or non-Muslims) worship besides Allah, lest they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge,” reads the translation of verse number 108 of chapter number 6 titled Surah al-Anaam. It is because of this reason Muslims all over the world refrain from speaking ill of the personalities worshipped by people of other faiths.

No community can claim to be the copyright holder of patriotism

As Sanghi Muslims associated with the saffron outfits don’t find enough weapons to attack Muslims demanding legal action against Nupur Sharma, they have begun questioning the patriotism of Muslims. Do they have any definition of patriotism? For me, one who follows the Constitution is a real patriot and hence, Muslims are as much a patriot as anybody else as they follow the Constitution. Those who question Muslim patriotism must introspect about themselves. Nathuram Godse, considered a patriot and a hero by many right-wingers, assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. This was the first act of terrorism in Independent India. V D Savarkar hailed as the greatest of patriots by right-wingers had provoked Britishers against Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. But no Indian Muslim hails Mohammad Ali Jinnah as a hero. Muslims have never worked as spies for any foreign agency. All those caught so far for spying for foreign countries have been non-Muslims. One of them – a senior journalist Rajeev Sharma – was arrested in September 2020 for spying for China and is still in jail. Such “patriots” can’t silence Muslims from speaking in defence of their legal, constitutional, and democratic rights. No community can claim to be the sole copyright holder of patriotism and accuse the other communities of being “non-patriots” or fewer patriots. Muslims don’t require a certificate of patriotism from anyone.

Credentials of Sanghi Muslims

Moreover, what is the credential of the ‘Sanghi Muslims?’ They are with BJP and RSS for political power. The moment they lose power, they will shift their loyalty to other parties. Moreover, everyone knows Sanghi Muslims are not treated well even by their parties. BJP has not nominated any Muslim for Rajya Sabha, including sitting RS MPs Mukhtar Abbas, BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam and journalist-turned-politician M.J. Akbar whose term expires in July this year.

Habits of Sanghi Muslims, BJP leaders to run down Muslim leaders

It has also become the habit of some of the Sanghi Muslims as well as Hindutva and BJP leaders to run down the Muslim leaders. Do those who run down the Muslim leaders are better than Tauqeer Raza, Owaisi, and Madani though I do not agree with the type of politics played by any of these Muslim political and religious leaders? Are those running down Muslim leaders not divisive? What is required is to use the language that unites the communities and helps in the establishment of peace and harmony and promotes the co-existence of people belonging to different faiths.

Sanghi Muslims refer to the mercy of the Prophet to his tormentors to seek pardon for Nupur Sharma  

Some of the Sanghi Muslims’ mentioning the mercy and compassion shown by the Prophet to his tormentors deserve appreciation. Since the Prophet forgave his tormentors, does it mean that this gives license to people to use indecent language about him and his family? Sanghi Muslims are despatching their letters to various publications that have criticized Nupur Sharma’s dirty comments. They are using this trick to ask Muslims to give up their demand for legal action against Sharma. For us, the life of the Prophet is the best example to emulate. And Muslims try to follow the teachings of the Prophet despite many weaknesses among them. Though they are continuously being tormented since 1947, Muslims never did anything that harms the nation. The falsehood being spread by Sanghi Muslims and some of the radical Hindu groups to defame Muslims and Islam is intended to polarize the society for political gains. The right-wingers know well that they will not survive in politics if they don’t keep the communal cauldron boiling.

So, it is like the kettle calling the pot black.