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The way things were
happening for last few weeks it was not surprising that
violence on such scale took place. It was, as if, in
store, large scale propaganda was going on that Muslims
are being killed all over the world. There is conspiracy
to kill Muslims everywhere and on Bodo-Muslim clashes
and about Rohingiyah Muslims in Burma prayers were being
organized in every mosque and SMSs were circulating
about it. Urdu papers were carrying articles saying
there is world-wide conspiracy to kill Muslims. Articles
simply appealing to emotions, not to reason.
I have not seen any sober
and analytical article in the Urdu press in Mumbai. The
Muslim leadership was creating a psychology of
victimhood in the minds of Muslims and pent up emotions
were waiting to explode with some triggering event. The
photographs about killing of Muslims in Burma had
greatly disturbed the Muslim youth. All photographs, I
must say, were not authentic but they circulated on
large scale and ignited emotions.
Muslim leadership which
hardly does anything for the real welfare of the
community always has an eye on such sensitive situations
and wants to grab the opportunity to enhance their own
interests. Also, mosques were used to announce about
rally giving it further religious colour. For those who
go to mosques to pray, in large numbers, particularly in
the holy month of Ramadan, are gullible and the moment
religious colour is given to an issue they become
extra-sensitive.
These religious leaders
and also some non-religious leaders of Muslims neither
fully understand the problem what is the conflict about
nor they care to know the facts what is going on the
ground. They simply make it a case of conspiracy against
Muslims. In Azad Maidan too where rally was organized
despite knowing that huge crowd is there with all sorts
of people, including anti-social elements, the speakers
made highly emotional speeches especially attacking
media for not covering killing of Muslims in Burma. Then
what more do you want to incite emotions for anything to
happen.
It was not only question
of managing the crowd; it was utterly irresponsible act
on the part of leadership of the rally. If they had
expected only 1500 persons to come and 50,000 turned up
the leaders should have clearly understood that
situation can get out of control any time as they were
simply dealing with raw emotions. A wise leadership
would not have allowed highly emotional speeches in the
midst of such huge crowd and fuel emotions further.
It is also not correct to
say that they expected only 1500 people to turn up as
they were making announcements inside the mosque on
Friday and also posters were put up. It means they aimed
higher and made efforts to mobilize large number of
people and succeeded in it. Ideal thing would have been
to have a dharna by about 1000-1500 seriously
interested people for a day long dharna and then
they could have met Chief Minister or Home Minister.
There was no need at all for such a huge rally.
And if at all such a huge
rally was organized why such emotional speeches were
made? They should have understood the sensitivity of the
problem. But then if they did, how can they be Muslims
leadership without arousing religious sentiments? In
fact as far as Assam is concerned hardly any one of
those who actively organized the rally knew anything
about the nature of conflict except that Muslims were
killed.
What was the history of
Bodo-Muslim conflict in Assam? Bodos are not killing
Muslims because of their Muslimness but the fundamental
problem is of land. Bodos are in conflict with other
communities also like Adibashis, Santhals and others and
they have come in conflict with all these communities.
Though it is not true that Bangla Deshis are migrating
in large numbers (this is largely the Sangh Parivar
propaganda) by unfortunately Bodos, in order to fulfill
their ambition of Bodo-land and for evicting Bengali
Muslims and other ethnic communities from the 4
districts of Bodo Territorial Council, are using this
propaganda for their own purposes. One can of course
blame the Congress Government for giving Bodos BTC to
buy peace with militant Bodo outfits. They should not
have without taking other ethnic communities in
confidence and giving them proper representation. We
have dealt with this issue on our last article on Bodo-Muslim
riots in Kokrajhar and other districts.
As for Rohingiyah Muslims
it is the Military Government of Myanmar which is to be
blamed. I visited Rangoon after the recent riots and
interviewed large number of Rohingya Muslims. No such
problem existed until 1981. They were treated as regular
citizens and had voting rights. It was the Military
Government of Myanmar which suddenly and without any
proper reason, took away their papers from them and
tried to expel them from Rakhine district of Western
Myanmar.
It treats these Muslims as
foreigners and wants Bangla Desh to settle them in its
territory which is totally unjust. Rohingya Muslims have
been in that province for centuries and there is no case
to describe them as outsiders. Most of them had settled
there with Muslim rule. But the Military Government of
Myanmar has been killing Burmese of other provinces too
and killed several Buddhist monks also during
pro-democracy demonstrations.
It is true that some
Buddhist monks have issued pamphlets against Rakhine
Muslims to show solidarity with their co-religionists
which they should not have done. But then like others
Buddhists monks also are getting politicized as their
pro-democracy demonstration also shows. But in both
cases (i.e. Assam and Rohingya Muslims) it is not part
of any world wide conspiracy to kill Muslims as it is
being propagated.
In Mumbai violence media
came under attack for no reason except that provocative
speeches were made against media. It was quite
ill-advise. A wise leadership would rather try to win
over media rather than antagonize it this way. Also, one
cannot tar the media with the same brush. Both print and
electronic media has different ideological and
commercial approaches. A blatant attack is totally wrong
and even if a section of media is ideologically against
or indifferent to Muslim problems, solution does not lie
in attacking its journalists, or OB vans. It is at best
foolish.
Urdu papers often write
that let Ulama-kiram (Honourable Ulama) guide the Muslim
ummah and give it a lead. How can one expect Ulama who
hardly have knowledge of the modern world and for whom
provoking religious sentiments is part of their
orientation, can provide leadership. It is not to say
that all Ulama are like this but a large number of Ulama
– and this has been proved repeatedly in political
matters - behave either in opportunistic or emotional
way.
And let us remember all
this happened in the holy month of Ramadan. The ulama
never tire of telling us that this month of fasting so
that we become more patient and able to control our
anger and we must devote us entirely to ‘ibadat i.e.
acts of worship, compassion and charity. What was then
hurry to take out this rally in this holy month when no
fresh incidents were taking place. The Assam situation
had come under control and what was urgently needed was
to collect money, clothes, shoes and medicines for those
in relief camps in those four districts.
In this holy month of
charity they could have concentrated on collecting
relief for those unfortunate 4 million people who are
rotting in relief camps in most unspeakable conditions.
Many Bodos also have been killed in retaliatory actions
and quite a few Bodos are also living in these relief
camps in as bad a condition as Bengali speaking Muslims.
As a good and compassionate Muslims, in this month of
charity they should adopt inclusive approach and collect
relief for Bodos too. This is what the Holy Qur’an also
requires of them.
If instead of making it a
conspiracy against Muslims, if they had condemned
killing of Bodos too and prayed for all it would not
have acquired such emotional proportions. Also the rally
also should not have been exclusively a Muslim rally but
a rally with the support of all sections of Indian
society i.e. Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and all
others – besides Muslims – to strengthen our secular
character. It was not only exclusively Muslim but
organized by Raza Academy – representing Barelvi
Muslims. What a sectarian approach. Deobandis were to
organize separately a day after but was postponed
because of violent turn which the rally on Saturday
took.
If we have to be against
violence and it should be our serious commitment – we
have to be more and more inclusive. When ever sectarian
approach is adopted, it becomes easier to resort to
violence and if it is inclusive of all sections it is
not only more democratic but also likely to be more
non-violent. Sectarian approach also results in
competitive approach and inclusive approach is also
cooperative approach.
The police is now saying
the violence was pre-planned which may result in
harassment of many Muslim youth. It is shameful that
some rallyists molested women constables and seized
revolvers from them. The police may take revenge for
this. Let us hope police does not. But one must say the
police had shown lot of restraint and Police
Commissioner Arup Patnaik himself had come and spoken
from the platform appealing Muslims to show restraint in
this holy month of Ramadan.
Let us hope wiser counsel
will prevail and peace would not be disturbed.
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