India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Vice-President Prof. Salim Engineer has urged Muslims to remain hopeful amid challenges facing India’s Muslim community, including communal violence, Islamophobia, mob lynching, hate speeches and crimes, and threats to their personal laws, Sharia, and Waqf properties.
Addressing a public programme on the issue of “The Changing Scenario of the Country and the Dawah (Islamic mission of conveying its message among humanity) Responsibilities of Muslims” at the JIH headquarters here recently, he said that these challenges are part of a broader agenda to impose a particular culture and instill fear among Muslims.
He appealed to remain compassionate toward fellow citizens, committed to conveying Islam’s message, and balanced and hopeful amidst attempts to provoke division and extremism.
Describing the current ruling party in India as an ideological force aiming to impose a specific cultural agenda that erodes democratic values and constitutional principles, Prof. Salim warned that the government’s “fascist inclination” threatens the country’s democratic system, pointing out, “Over the past 10 years, we have seen that in their attempts to advance their agenda, they have weakened these democratic values and constitutional principles.”
Current Political Scenario in India and Their Impact
Addressing the changing scenario in India, Prof. Salim focused primarily on political shifts and their societal impact. He noted, “When we talk about the country’s conditions, which is the topic here—the changing circumstances—we are primarily concerned with the political changes in the country and their impact on society.”
The JIH Vice-President highlighted several factors contributing to the changing landscape including the economic conditions, global context and its effects on India and prevailing global ideologies and cultures.
Particularly emphasizing the influence of global trends on the country and the community, Prof. Salim states, “Additionally, the prevailing ideologies and cultures around the world—such as capitalism’s agenda and the promotion of consumerism, Western culture, and its fundamental elements like promiscuity, immorality under the guise of freedom and empowerment—are being promoted with attractive labels.”
The JIH leader critiqued the current ruling party, describing it as more than just a political entity but as an ideology aiming to impose a specific cultural agenda. He warned that this party’s efforts to reshape the country’s cultural and political fabric are eroding democratic values and constitutional principles. “The current government seeks to replace democratic norms with a fascist agenda, undermining the freedoms and equality guaranteed by our constitution,” he said.
Addressing the current political situation in India, he described the present government as more than just a political party, saying, “Certainly, we cannot ignore the political situation, and you all know the current political conditions in our country. However, we must keep in mind and make the Muslim community understand that the present government is not just a government of a political party. It is not simply a case where one party replaces another. Rather, this party is more than just a political entity because it represents an ideology and an agenda that has been systematically promoted for the past 100 years.”
Explaining it, the JIH V-P expressed concern over what he perceives as a shift away from democratic values and stated, “The ruling party has a fascist inclination, imposing its will forcefully. It envisions a supremacy of a particular group, which they label as the majority, and aims to establish the supremacy of their religion and culture over others including Muslim minority.”
Prof. Salim warned that these “fascist forces” pose a threat to the democratic system and the constitution, which he sees as the biggest obstacles to their agenda. He noted, “Over the past 10 years, we have seen that in their attempts to advance their agenda, they have weakened these democratic values and constitutional principles. The democratic environment has been undermined, and the values of the constitution have been severely impacted.”
Challenges Facing the Muslim Community; Broader Agenda behind the Challenges
The JIH Vice-President detailed several challenges currently facing the Muslim community in India including communal incidents, Islamophobia, targeted attacks on Muslims, mob lynching, hate crimes and speeches, negative portrayal of Islam and Muslims in media, threats to Sharia and personal laws, discussions on uniform civil codes, concerns over citizenship rights NRC and CAA etc, incidents against mosques and Muslim places of worship and recent Waqf Amendment Bill.
Emphasizing that these issues are not random occurrences but part of a deliberate agenda, Prof. Salim stated, “Certainly, these issues are deliberate and stem from specific agendas and viewpoints that we need to be aware of. We cannot ignore these issues, we must face them, seek solutions, and work towards improving the situation. These conditions, while challenging, offer us a chance to reassess and strengthen our commitment to our duties”.
Prof. Salim outlined what he sees as the broader agenda behind these challenges such as imposing a particular culture and establishing the supremacy of the majority, instilling fear among Muslims, creating a sense of despair in the Muslim community, fostering hatred against Muslims and promoting Islamophobia and provoking extremist reactions from Muslims.
He advised, “While addressing and facing these issues, it is crucial to maintain the significance of these problems but also to keep the broader agenda of the forces creating these issues in perspective. These forces want to instill fear in Muslims, so Muslims should not be intimidated. They aim to generate despair, so Muslims should not lose hope.”
Calling for a balanced and moderate approach in facing these challenges, Prof. Salim emphasized, “Extremism and extremist thinking should be avoided, and Muslims should remain steadfast in their balanced approach to Islam.”
Warning against falling into the trap of isolation, he asserts, “These forces want to isolate Muslims from the general population, making them feel like an alienated and victimized community. They aim to make Muslims see the entire country and its people as their adversaries and enemies.”
Permanent Responsibilities amidst Changing Circumstances
Prof. Salim began by emphasizing that the core responsibilities of Muslims, particularly in regard to dawah (Islamic outreach), remain constant regardless of external circumstances. He stated, “In the context of the changing conditions of the country, the Dawah responsibilities of the Ummah are not subject to these conditions. This means that our responsibilities are not dependent on the state of affairs; rather, Allah has decreed the Dawah mission and purpose for the Ummah.”
He further elaborated on this point, saying, “These Dawah responsibilities and their requirements must be fulfilled by the Ummah in every circumstance.” Prof. Salim stressed that fulfilling these duties is not merely a response to current conditions but an obligation set by Allah. He warned that neglecting these responsibilities would lead to accountability before Allah, while proper fulfillment would be rewarded.
Remembering the True Status and Mission of the Ummah
A key point in Prof. Salim’s speech was the importance of Muslims remembering their true status and mission. He said, “The final point I want to make, especially regarding the changing circumstances, is that the most crucial aspect is that the attempt to induce despair, fear, frustration, and provocation is a deliberate goal. They want Muslims to remain entangled in these issues, struggling with them, so that they lose sight of their true status and carrying out their duty to canvey the message of Allah among other fellow citizens, which Allah has bestowed upon them.”
He reminded the Muslims of their elevated position, stating, “The Qur’an teaches us that we are a community of righteousness, a community that calls others to goodness. We aim to guide this country and its people towards a better path.”
Positive Aspects of the Current Situation
Despite the challenges, Prof. Salim highlighted several positive aspects of the current situation such as the majority of India’s population believes in God, making it easier to invite them to worship Allah, presence of justice-loving and peace-loving individuals in the country in large numbers, increased unity within the Muslim community due to hard circumstances, heightened awareness of Islamic identity and stronger commitment and attachment with Islam among educated youth and new generations.
He emphasized, “We need to expose this misinformation, which will aid us in carrying out our mission and strengthen our resolve. Many people who may not be aligned with our religion but are not opposed to it either sympathize with us because of the injustices and oppression Muslims face in the country.”
Call for Benevolence and Moral Excellence with a Final Message of Hope and Steadfastness
Concluding his speech by calling for a spirit of benevolence towards all people of India, the JIH leader stated, “We must remember that while our relations extends to all of humanity, our primary concern should be for our own country and its people. This includes the 1.4 billion citizens, of whom 200 million are Muslims and 1.2 billion are our fellow citizens. It is our responsibility to care for them, to protect them from going astray or going intro fire of the hell, and to approach them with a spirit of benevolence.”
He emphasized the importance of maintaining moral excellence, saying, “These conditions should not divert us from our missionary responsibilities. Our mission and its demands also require moral excellence. If the conveyor of the message or caller (Dai) and the Dai community adopt their true position, they will not descend to lower moral standards.”
With a message of hope and steadfastness, Prof. Salim states , “By upholding moral excellence, we will not fall into despair. We should not be intimidated by the worldly and material strength of those who oppose us or their numbers. Instead, we should keep our focus on our mission, duties, on the fact that we are on the right path and that Allah’s support is with us.”
He called on Muslims to remain firm in their belief and to stay on the balanced path taught by Islam, saying, “The Qur’an has assured us that truth comes and falsehood vanishes. With firm belief in this, we will not succumb to despair or fear, nor will we move towards extremism. Instead, we will remain steadfast on the balanced path that Islam teaches.”
The JIH Vice President provides a deep insight into the perspective of a prominent Muslim organization on the current socio-political climate in India. He highlights the challenges faced by the Muslim community while also emphasizing their responsibilities and calling for a balanced, benevolent approach during these difficult times.
