By Dr. Mohammd Ghitreef,
Nowadays India is in rage. Not very long ago there was a huge protest led by Gandhian Anna Hazare and IAS officer turned politician, Arwind Kejrewal. Wherein the whole civil society; men and women, boys and girls, university teachers, students and schoolgoing children, human rightists and social activists all had participated in great numbers. Delhi’s Rajghat, Ram Lila Ground and Jantar Mantar witnessed an exited and irritated human sea in motion. These huge protests had erupted against the widely prevalent corruption in government’s high echelons and high political corridors. For example there have been biggest financial scandals and looting of national coffers by ministers and politicians; A Raja, K. Kanimozhi and their ilk. When these scandals and scams were exposed by media the public outrage poured in the streets of not only New Delhi and Mumbai but other metropolitan cities also. This outcry went ahead and swept towns and villages too all over India. This vivid Jan Andolan (people revolution) has given birth to Aam Admi Party.
Then there were wide protests that are still going on against the heinous crimes of raping and molesting women and girls in the streets of Delhi and other states, even innocent babies are not spared. One of the infamous and barbaric cases of this kind was the cruel incident whose victim was a 22 years old medical student Damini or Nirbhaya as the media named her, that brave daughter of India who fought the death for several days and eventually succumbed to her severe injuries and died in a Singapore hospital. After that there were wide spread wave of protests and demonstrations in which public outrages poured out against the culprits, the police and the politicians of the country as well. Men, women and young boys and girls were once more throbbing and marching on their foot, holding candles in their hands and making slogans in the streets of the capital and elsewhere in India.
Amidst all this hue and cry everyone would have noticed one thing, that something is missing; a Muslim voice. This is a serious question. Muslims are part and parcel of our secular democratic fabric. And they rightly cite this when they are victim of any injustice. Why then, whenever an innocent Dalit is killed in cold blood by upper caste man, when a young girl or an innocent girl child is raped and molested or teased, and all are seen in anger and in protest excluding a Muslim voice? Time and again Muslim clergy, muftis and imams in mosques say loudly and vehemently that Muslims are the best people (Khaire Ummah), they are sent by Allah almighty for the benefit of the world. Why then their being better is not translated into action to better the human situations anywhere? There are many a Muslim organization, institution and movement who project themselves as the sole representative and mouthpiece of Muslim community, why then, except some reports in very small (nonexistent in real sense) Muslim media outfits, there was no sensible, credible and sincere voice is heard or seen when it concerned all.
Muslims are nearly 18 percent of the total Indian population, potentially a sound vote bank, which, if electoral card is played tactfully, will turn as the king maker. But secular democratic polity is all about active and enthusiastic involvement in national life and not passively sitting on the bank. Generally Muslims are very active participants in either voting any political party in when are in consent or voting it out when they are angry with it. But this voting game is only a part of national life. Active participation demands Muslims to be active part of every activity, every joy and sorrow and every challenge and accomplishments as A G. Noorani rightly and aptly said: “Secularism demands not detachment but involvement in the entire range of the nation’s activities—economic, social, political and constitutional. The course they have followed in recent decades has furthered the fortunes of the thugs in New Delhi who claim to be their “leaders”, earned them favours and marginalised Muslims. The BJP would not have travelled as far as it did, nor would the Babri Masjid have been demolished if the Muslims of India had lent their shoulder to the cause of secularism”.
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Dr. Mohammd Ghitreef is the director of Foundation for Islamic Studies, New Delhi. He can be contacted at mohammad.ghitreef@gmail.com or ghitreef1@yahoo.com