By Syed Zubair Ahmad
A man is known by his company, a citizen by his community. The concept of individualism exits in the air; it is ideal to the West, surreal to the East. If someone utters the word, Panchar Putra, in a flight Azim Premji is travelling in, the Wipro chairman will move towards him automatically.
The word, ‘Panchar Putra’ has become identical to the Muslim community in India: the saffron zealots use it to overcome ‘perpetual mental slavery of Muslim-rule’; the others denote it due to socio-economic deprivation of the community. But for me the 20 plus crore Muslims should take up the derogatory term as a challenge and strive hard to prove both the sections wrong by looking for avenues of empowerment. Obviously, the term doesn’t emerge overnight, it has a history, it has a politics.
In the post-independent India, the Muslim community was, for some obvious reasons, forced to live a life without dignity, and in abject poverty as reflected in various reports, including the precisely documented Sachar Committee Report.
As a policy matter, the Congress deprives Muslims from bread and butter; the BJP forces them to live without dignity. Of late, the BJP has started pushing the Guru Golwalkar proposition of making Muslim second class citizen even harder. Golwalkar writes: “We or our nationhood defined that non-Hindus should live in India glorifying the Hindu nation, without equal rights, as second class citizens.”
In its 60 years rule, the Congress empowered some Muslims symbolically in order to keep its statement of ‘secularism’ correct. The Congress ‘adopted’ few Muslim families who were often found walking in the corridors of power. The members of the few families were given all ceremonial positions. They sat on the highest constitutional positions becoming presidents, vice presidents, governors, besides being chief ministers and cabinet ministers etc. Some also became chief justices of India and even chief of Intelligence Bureau. But empowerment of a few families, cannot be taken as empowerment of the entire community.
In recent past, a Muslim politician close to Gandhi family, who was called ‘Chanakya’, failed to ensure protection of former Congress party MP Ehsan Jafri when a rampaging Hindutva crowd gathered outside his during 2002 Gujarat riot. However, Jafri’s gruesome killing tells us a lot.
The status of an individual doesn’t matter. It can be understood from the example of Sikh, Parsi and Jain communities. They are negligible in terms of population but are socially and economically empowered. Can the Hindu zealots dare to lynch any member of the aforementioned communities with impunity as they did with Ekhlaq or Junaid?
Even a highly privileged individual doesn’t command respect beyond his jurisdiction. It is futile to have billionaires, super stars, presidents, cabinet ministers and chief justice amongst us if common Muslims run the risk of being lynched, racially abused on a daily basis. Similarly, there is little solace to have superstars and billionaires or have people sitting on top constitutional positions.
Recently, the death of Mohammad Shahabuddin, four-tim’e MP from Siwan, due to coronavirus triggered tantrum among the Muslim community with many accusing the present ruling dispensation of meeting out unequal treatment to the RJD leader. Chhota Rajan, a gangster who too was infected with the novel virus in Tihar Jail, was sent to India’s premier hospital AIIMS for the treatment but Shahabuddin breathed his last at an unknown government hospital in the national capital.
Muslims must learn from Sikh and Marwadi communities how they get organized and help their community members without the support of government .
When Lalu Prasad became chief minister of Bihar, he empowered his community; Ram Vilas Paswan is said to have given preference to his community in job recruitment and awarding tenders when he became railway minister. Similarly, other OBC leaders tried to raise the living standard of their communities. They didn’t do wrong, their communities needed affirmative action. The empowerment of OBCs and SC/STs is the empowerment of India, the empowerment of the marginalized and neglected communities. The same way the empowerment of the most backward community called ‘Muslim’ is the real empowerment of India.
Few years back a Muslim bureaucrat who worked with four prime ministers told me in Patna that once on a visit in Bangalore he tried to approach Wipro Chairman Azim Hashim Premji to discuss the educational backwardness of Muslims in Bihar. He was informed that Premji doesn’t like to discuss anything about ‘Muslim’ community.
Muslims like Premji should know that if anyone calls the word ‘Panchar Putra’ in a flight he is travelling in, he will definitely turn to look at the face of the caller. Does he not belong to the Panchar Putra’ community?
One should not forget that Jews bankers and VVIPs were also thrown in concentration camps in Nazi’s Germany. It’s just a matter of time. Today its Pehlu Khan tomorrow might be Salman Khan.
True
No Muslim takes pride in Azeem or any other of similar ilk in any field or sphere. So, this person is totally irrelevant to Muslims.
I also think 🤔 that people become happy and circulate a list of Indian Muslims who donated huge sone of money to govt or pm care fund. What he did for his community I think 0.
Nothing came to Muslims from that money.
That can directly give sone money as CSR to Muslim organisations , schools and even media houses. But they even don’t think so
If everything or part of it from muslims must go to muslims, then it is the same for every community. Why not make a list of tax paying communities and distribute it equally among themselves ?? This would lead us to tribalism and communalism, exactly what lead to our nation breaking into 3.
They mean afrter paying taxes. If some one tries to elevate the condition of their community whats wrong in that most of the indian polititian and large section of non Muslim society is doing that. But if dont like muslims to elevate their condition then no body care about what u think.
Cool, so Shahbuddin was an innocent man. What an absurd thing to say, that Lalu Yadav empowered Muslims. FYI, he didn’t , if u don’t believe me, look at the muslims in bihar who are still some of the the most backward in the country. He bought their loyalty in return for phyrric feel good factor for the muslims. The respect that Parsis, Sikhs, Jains and Marwadis enjoy was built by their blood and sweat. All that the muslims of this country(in fact most countries) have done is ask for freebies and special minority rights to adhere to their fanatical Sharia laws. A piece of advice, have an open mind and look how the Bengali Muslims or even the Israeli Jews built their stature through hard work and dedication. If the Indian Muslims want to cry wolf and ramble on about injustice while forgetting the fact that most waqf money goes into masjids and madrasas instead of modern libelar schools and colleges, then they deserve the fruits that this level of stupidity and ignorance has brought them.
@asli Munafiq
Here you are bashing Muslims, making anti-islamic remarks and saying the deeply bigoted things about Muslims which is very archetypical and typical of your kinds. Earlier, you said you were somehow saying the supposed reality and called me a bigoted mindset for calling you out for who you really are, and now (and in many other comments on this site) you are venting your gall.
Oh, well then, point out what is wrong in what I have said. I don’t think you can point out a single thing, the only reason you replied to me is beacuse your ego was hurt and your world view about the eternal victimhood of Muslims was challenged. I, as a muslim, have seen the disconnect between reality and action in my own community where people scoffed at me for trying to go vegetarian and started calling me stupid. When I encouraged my cousins to go for higher education, their own families dismissed it and married them off at 21 even though my cousins were decently smart and the families could easily afford it. This closeted thinking is what is ruining us and when someone calls it out, he is labelled as someone who throws dirt on his or her own community.
Lol, What makes you think that you are a Muslim and that you somehow have a right to patronize and condescend Muslims, while intentionally and deliberately ignoring the blatant realities Muslims all around the world find themselves in? The realities completely overwhelm what mistakes or alleged mistakes Muslims are committing. Well that’s useless to mention it to someone like you.
Scanning your comments in this website reveals this about you
1. Calls Sharia Laws Fanatical
2. Calls Muslims stupid, backwards, and also ignorant
3. Says that Muslims have nothing to do with The Third Holiest Site of Islam, Bait Al Maqdis
4. Calls Muslims freebie seekers and perpetuating Victimhood mentality
5. Calls this website Qur’an Jumpers
6. Says Muslims deserve disgusting and abhorrent treatment, something along the lines of “give someone the taste of their own medicine”..
And much more filth, inaccurate, bigoted and clearly prejudicial things.
See, i have no problem you saying these things (as far as done within decency and propriety) but it’s TOTALLY UNJUSTIFIED, IMMORAL, UNFAIR, INHUMANE, AND BIGOTED to call yourself “Muslim” while doing so. Perhaps, if reveal who you really are in terms of beliefs, then someone might slightly take you seriously and have an intellectual discussion. Otherwise, you will be viewed nothing more than a troll among countless trolls on the internet.
I psychologize your behavior as (i admit i may be wrong, never mind 😏)
Liberal atheistic, with deep inferiority complex with a frustration to “edify” Muslims and feeling oneself to be very unfortunate to have been born in a Muslim Family. And yes, you mistakenly think that you have got something serious to say. (Which is manifestly false)
It’s obvious he’s a Hindu RSS gutter rat pretending to be Muslim. These Hindus are disgusting low life creatures with zero intelligence, ethics, facts and character. I could have a better conversation talking to my neighbors dog.
@”asli musalman” aka asli harami Hindu goo bhakt,
How about you stop pretending to be a Muslim? Hindu trolls are weak and pathetic.
You comment shows
1. False Equivalence Fallacy
2. Genetic Fallacy
3. Hasty Generalization Fallacy
4. Ad Hominem Fallacy
5. Cherry-Picking Fallacy
6. Red herring Fallacy
7. Blatant Distortion
8. Prejudice
9. Unsubstantiated and Unsubstantiable claims
10. Affirming The antecedent Fallacy
With such pathetic argumentation, it’s impossible to take you seriously.
A piece of Advice
Take some rest, read some informative material, have an fair-minded approach and be sociable with Muslims, especially Good educated Muslim. May be, that will be a therapeutic to you.
Read Mr.Hooda work sometimes, he makes more sense than most of the writers on this site.
https://theprint.in/opinion/indian-muslims-must-rewrite-their-victim-mindset-to-be-indispensable-in-indias-rise/483132/
https://theprint.in/opinion/indian-muslims-and-liberals-are-trapped-in-a-toxic-relationship/490617/
https://theprint.in/opinion/islams-crisis-doesnt-need-reformation-it-calls-for-relocation/539158/
For all I know, there will be some person who will say that he, as a Sarkari Muslim can’t be trusted. Well then, whom do you trust ?? You have to start at someone. Of course, these bigots will call Mr.Hooda names for selling his soul as an expression of free speech, yet will be hurt when someone’s exercise the same free speech by calling them pinchar puttars or babar ki aulad.
We don’t need premji!
Very nice article👍 u hit the nail. I hope our community wakes up..In sha Allah
Everyday the dalits across India are treated no worse than the Jews. For them, the whole of Indian from Himalaya to the Bay of Bengal is no better than concentration camp. Anyone can take liberties with the life, dignity etc. of the dalit with perfect belief of impunity which did not mean anything to the countrymen. Martin Luther King Jr. had warned with emphatic statement we have ignored to take as an warning.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice verywhere.”
India thought dalit are vilest, and merited no justice.
Now the infection has spread to larger areas.
It’s all same.What do you think that Sachar committee was to assess the Muslims backwardness.No my dear it was an exercise to know how much damage has been done to the Muslim community as a whole and how much more is left to do.
Azim Prem jee has always been a front liner in terms donations and giving back to the society.But such a highly generous person who pays so much of taxes as well ,does he ever dare to talk to the government about how to bring in changes in the Muslim community in particular which he belongs to. The answer is never.
The history is a proof that changes in the community has never been brought by rich rather by poor mass.So we should not expect anything from these jingos.
He would have, but he learnt from his life that hard work and education are more important than doing favours for a particular community. Makes you think how many muslims have him or APJ Abdul Kalam as their role models. If you would have read or known anything about their lives, it would be clear to you that Islam was their personal faith, not something which was used by them as a collective idealogy or as a political tool to cry victimhood.
Chaddi, this is nor the Organizer website of rss, enough of ur trolling these dumbo-defenders who cannot identify a mocking crook like you. Shame.
The issue of identity has remained one of important components of socio-political life. The writer touches upon the identity of Muslim community, knowing well that it is the poor and marginalized who need an identity be it communal. racial or religious precisely to hide their “failures or disadvantages”. The burden of identity, without doubt, lies on the middle class.
Some of the comments are disgusting. The writer here uses Azim Premji metaphorically to drive the point that human society has not yet evolved to identify a man or woman without his/her affiliation to any broader group. However, Amritya Sen rightly says a man lives with multiple identities.
Hindus have punctured minds, and stinky asses….every comment by these sadak chaap sanghi bhangis proves this. The product of a garbage religion which produces superstition, backwardness, hatred and filth. Muslims should not donate a penny to help these ungrateful Hindu hate mongering sewer rats.
Why do Muslims need to make people like Azeem Premji, APJ Abdul Kalam, etc as their role model when the almighty has already given them the greatest role model humankind has ever seen. When most of the influential and rich Muslims are least concerned about their relatives then how do you expect them to think about their community. Hence, let’s put our faith in the teaching of our greatest teacher, work towards it and rest is will of almighty.
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But every one is well informed that WHO IS PUNCTURE PUTRA AND WHO IS NOT