INDIAN BORN CONFUSED MUS=
LIM
Religion should be
Highlighted and bordered=
with
A Line Of Control.
Unlike the ABC=
D’s
(American Born Confused Desis) who do not have
anything to prove to their country, I have a few points to make- to my
motherland and to her unending populace. I am no less Indian or no less a
Muslim but confusion has always reigned in my mind. It reins my secular
thoughts too- especially when Religion and Politics sporadically keep baring
their ugly fangs to sink into the flesh of innocence.
It was the=
month
of August and the year was 1947. An irrational step was taken by a few Indi=
an
leaders to mark their footprints in time. Ever since, the Indian Muslim has=
had
a fractured identity. The famous faithful continue to demonstrate their
patriotism through sports, art or cinema, thereby making their country prou=
d.
The infamous not-so-faithful, tutored by ingratitude and willful ignorance,=
are
still bent upon attesting their undiluted faith to the Islamic world outsid=
e-
thereby bringing shame into their own domain. It is the ordinary citizen- t=
he
in between, the Indian Born Confused Muslim, that is caught in the crux of =
the
struggle.
Years later, the globe=
is
further marked by fresh footprints. They are bolder and more pronounced. No=
ne
need remember the years, as it is something else that counts. Only numbers!
Firmly registered in every mind are 9/11 and then 7/7. Firmly registered in
every Indian mind are numerous dates which I cannot even keep a count of. O=
n 9/11 was born Ground Zero- a child=
that
upon its birth cried out to the entire planet, teaching humankind words whi=
ch
many tongues were still unfamiliar with. Like Laden and Jehad and Hate!
7/7 was the pathetic resu=
lt of
an ineffectual demand for justice. And the Indian bomb blasts were nothing =
but
a mechanical massacre of the common man. All these actions however, were
passionate achievements of a growing tribe that believes not in sensible wo=
rds
but in senseless deeds.
Not everyone though, understa=
nds
the politics, the purpose or the futility of these attacks. What the world =
sees
is a senseless carnage. The end result is that these numbers now spell odium
for the entire population of a particular community. Obviously the fury of =
the
world is now directed towards a sad but lonely figure - the twisted form of
Islam, with a warped face of Jehad. It is the w=
ork of
but a bunch of fanatics. Yet it leads to the splintered existence of most of
the Asian community. For the bitter truth is that the wise Western world is
still ignorantly unfamiliar with the basic features of the East. Not
surprisingly, now every Muslim, whether guilty or innocent, has something to
prove. Not only to Uncle Sam or Her Majesty the Queen but to Mother India a=
s well!
Living in seclusion is now a =
sign
of non-cooperation; sort of a threat to the neighbouri=
ng
communities. Living in harmony is a sign of boldness- a signal of danger to
one’s own religious convictions. Saying too little is a sign of
complacency- it invites the ire of the radicals from the other side of the
fence. Saying too much is a sign of defiance- it incites criticism from the
same block of faith. Fortunately for the Intellectual India- the one that
thinks with its head and not with its heart, the view remains unchanged. How
else can one explain the outpouring articles, the multitudes of discussions=
or
debates that arise whenever art is mauled, rules are flouted or intelligenc=
e is
questioned? Sadly, these numbers are but a few.
Once upon a time Religion was consi=
dered
the ‘opium of the people’. Today it has become the drug that de=
sensitizes
one’s common sense. It has also turned into the latest gizmo for
politicking. Islam means ‘Peace’ and the rules, it is said, are
very flexible- implying that any erring human is always approachable to the=
all
forgiving Allah. So doesn’t it make more sense to use this ‘ext=
reme
flexibility’ for mending laws that reek of injustice, instead of bend=
ing
them for the sake of convenience? The Hindu philosophy is fairly elastic to=
o. Yet,
it certainly is not that expandable so as to allow saffron garbed terror to=
run
amok on the national streets. How can any rationalist be termed as
pseudo-secular? How can any religion ever be in danger?
Immediately after the
It is about time=
we
accepted one basic truth. Every religion on earth is but a dictate to curb =
our
animal instincts so we can lead a peaceful life. It is only a path that sho=
ws
us the way of living right. It is a societal sanction to have an orderly and
uniform existence and yet remain distinct in our own way. And nationalism i=
s love
for your own country. Not a collective justification of hatred towards
one’s own countrymen.
It is said that ‘Men will wra=
ngle
for religion; write for it, fight for it, die for it; do anything but live =
for
it.’ I try hard to live for my religion. I may not be a religious
scholar. I may not embrace all the pillars of my faith. Yet I daily witness=
the
purity of my religion. I sincerely spot its sanity. I view its modern appro=
ach
towards humanity. I perceive its true meaning. All this and more I see in t=
he
eyes of a mixed breed that my husband and I have created- my two children. =
Even
though they are the human emulsions of ‘oil’ and
‘water’, they have all the decent properties to mix with the
progressive world outside. They are the sound present. They are the distinct
future. And the onus of taking our nation forward lies in their able hands.=
It
is only in them and the likes of their kin, that I see the true image of a
Secular India.
Wars can be instantly
instigated. But peace takes time to build.=
These are times when harmony should become the clarion call of the e=
ntire
nation. These are times when creative imagination, emotional outbursts, med=
ia
inference and religious addictions should be marked with a line of control.=
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