Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts

Thursday, April 16, 2015

How ‘communalism’ hovers over the destiny of India By Ghulam Muhammed


How ‘communalism’ hovers over the destiny of India

By Ghulam Muhammed

India is at the threshold of a historical breakthrough. It has potential for reaching heights of progress and development as well as challenges that can usher in a neo-colonial stranglehold on entire Indian economy as well as its cultural expanding into a well defined civilization. This time around, unlike British, Portuguese, French and Dutch colonizer trying their luck to conquer India through the force of arms in the 18th and 19th century, the neo-colonizers will lasso India with huge amounts of paper investments, in which they themselves will remain indebted to a world, that dare not name its name. Like the earlier wave of colonizers, Jews will be the lead strategists and funders to all such foreign enterprises and as in earlier phases, they are relentlessly committed to their own priorities in shaping the world to their own dreams of a World Order. Earlier they camouflaged their moves under assumed identities like British, French, Dutch et al. This time around they are sufficiently confidant to come out openly to claim their victim’s total surrender to their diktats.

In India, they are playing the game of divide and rule, by taking advantage of the communal divide that was planted by the British colonials in India and using this communal divide to subdue India. While at face value judgment, President Obama’s praise for Modi’s rag to riches story depicting India’s dynamism and potential as a great nation, he has not find it convenient to analyze how Modi’s rise in Indian politics differs from the normal opportunity-led nations’ cleaner pathways. Modi has shot up a communal hate-mongering fascist organisation on the basis of its ‘triumph’ in teaching a lesson to the uppity Muslims in the post-Godhra state-wide genocidal pogrom. US Human Rights watch-dogs have appropriately kept alive the final verdict on how to deal with a supposedly state sponsored massacre of innocent civilians in Gujarat, by working against any lifting of the ban on Modi’s visa to visit the USA. 

However, Obama disregarded the massacre as a minor blip in national or international historical events and lauded the assumption of power by Modi, strangely on that same murderous record of Muslim bloodletting that could not fit into Obama’s own sense of dynamism and opportunities. 

One can place this bloody event as one off happenstance, if it is not tied up to an ideology that can rival with Islamism in its worst avatar. ‘The clash of civilization’ that Jewish British Historian Bernard Lewis had first identified and named in his famous article published in ‘Foreign Affairs’ magazine, could hover over India’s future in such a menacing scale that India’s future development will assume the same scenario that Europe had gone through in last century. It is time that Modi should realize that the way his and his party’s Hindutva is hiking the stakes in their Hindu-ization of India, is fraught with dangers that are not unknown in history.

Modi should not forget that while British were supposed to give up their colonial rule, they, Churchill in particular, came out with partition of India, as they wanted a part of India for their own strategic exigencies. Jinnah and Muslim League were minor details for them. Nehru, Patel and Gandhi thought once Muslims are out, they can rule India as their own undisputed property. They fought decades to nurse the dream. However, it was difficult to throw out the overpowering presence of the West, while we were trying to stand on our two feet. That partition of land has now gravely translated into partition of ideas. An Idea of India and an Idea of Pakistan! Both will be called upon to fight it out on our soil; while the neo-colonials will be there to pick up the pieces.

In his zeal to cut ribbons, hug opportunist friends and let international Zionist conspirators seep into nooks and corners of this vast country, like cockroaches in summer, he may push India into a big time arena, where its mettle may be tested much before it has gained strengths and stability. Modi must realize that the term ‘communalism’ should not be treated as something long known to India and easily subject to taming; it can take many shapes as peripherals change all around us. In the kaleidoscope of events and characters, India is treading on a tapestry that is renewing itself time and time again. Modi must come to term with its fellow countryman, the Muslims. India should be a united India to face the rest of the world.
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Monday, January 26, 2015

It Is Time For Iran To Tell The West ‘Goodbye’ — Paul Craig Roberts | MODI OFFERS INDIA TO USA ON A PLATTER -- Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai

MODI OFFERS INDIA TO USA ON A PLATTER

The great hoopla that Modi is making covering US President Obama visit, is to fool the people of India, while INDIA is being offered to the predator USA on a platter. This is second coming of the East India Company, who had come as traders and ended up ruling India and inflicting millions of death of India's civilians to consolidate their hold on the acquired territory. The same class of traders are now in the forefront of selling India cheap to a neo-colonial super-power that will never relinquish INDIA from its predatory grip for centuries to come.The merchants of Gujarat are known to even earlier century foreigners to sell commodities at commissions. These commission agents are once again getting their upper hand to offer our great country to exploit its resources and use its cheaply acquired man-power as canon-fodder for their wars that are certain to be unleashed in the region.

Modi the savior of India is the biggest commission agent that has mesmerized its people to rob them of their country, their identity, their independence, their true standing in the comity of nations. Like Iran, India too is a great civilisation and any Superpower worth its salt will have to subdue each and every visage of earlier great civilizations with the notion, that it may be exposed to an existential threat from any such resurgent civilisation. That's their agenda of 'clash of civilisation'.
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

It Is Time For Iran To Tell The West ‘Goodbye’ — Paul Craig Roberts


It Is Time For Iran To Tell The West ‘Goodbye’

Paul Craig Roberts

From all appearances, the Obama regime’s negotiations with Iran, overseen by Russia, were on the verge of ending the contrived nuclear issue. An end to the confrontation is unacceptable to the Zionist Israeli government and to their neocon agents in America.

The Republicans, a political party owned lock, stock, and barrel by the Israel Lobby, hastily invited Netanyahu, the crazed ruler of both Israel and America, to quickly come to tell the Republican Congress, which the insouciant American voters put in place, how to prohibit any accommodation with Iran.

Observing the Israeli-controlled Republican Congress, a collection of warmongers, taking steps to prevent any peaceful resolution of a fabricated issue, Iran’s leader, Seyyed Ali Khamenei sent a letter to Western youth advising the youth of the Western world of the mischaracterization of Islam by Western propagandists. http://s15.khamenei.ir/ndata/news/28731/pdf/en.pdf
 
I respect Khamenei’s effort to reach out to Western youth in order to help them differentiate the reality of Islam from the demonized portrait painted of Islam by Western politicians and media.
The question is: How much impact can Khamenei have?  

Khamenei’s voice is important, but it is small in comparison to the Western liars and propagandists.  Even an important representative, such as Khamenei, of a demonized country and a demonized religion can hardly be heard over the din of propaganda against Iran and Islam.

Moreover, secret Western black op organizations can conduct terrorist operations in the name of Islam, such as possibly occurred with 9/11, the Boston Marathon Bombing, and Charlie Hebdo.  The world is told that Islam is behind these attacks, but experts note that no real evidence is ever supplied.  Just official assertions, such as those that proved incorrect about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Assad’s use of chemical weapons in Syria, the false accusations against Gaddafi in Libya, and the false accusations against Russia in Ukraine.  The makers of this propaganda have many voices, and their trumpets overwhelm the voice of Iran’s leader.

Instead of appealing to the West, Iran needs to turn away from the West.  The historical time of the West has passed.

The West has devolved into a police state in which government is no longer accountable to law or to the people.  There are no jobs for young people, and no income security for the elderly. The West is actually in the process of looting itself.  Just look at what is happening in Greece. In order to guarantee the profits of the private banks from outside Greece, the Greek people have had their pensions cut, their employment cut, their social services cut, and they have had to sell their valuable public properties at low prices to private purchasers from outside their country. The same looting is now going on in Ukraine, and Italy, Spain, and Portugal face the identical fate.

In America the entire economic policy of the country is conducted only for the benefit of the super-rich One Percent.

If we use J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings as a metaphor for the West, the West is Mordor and Washington is Sauron.

It is pointless for Iran to negotiate with the West in hopes of gaining acceptance. Iran is on the same list as Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi, and Assad. The only way Iran can be accepted by the West is to consent to being an American puppet state. Suspicion about Iran’s nuclear energy program is a contrived issue. If it were not the nuclear issue, it would be some other contrived issue, such as weapons of mass destruction, use of chemical weapons, terrorism, and so forth. Iran’s leaders should understand that the real problem is Iran’s independence of Washington’s foreign and economic policies. Washington cannot say that the US wants regime change in Iran because Washington wants a puppet state, so Washington pretends that Iran represents a threat that must be overcome.
If Iran so much admires the decadent and corrupt West that it is willing to be a servile vassal in order to enjoy Western acceptance, all Iran needs to do is to capitulate and align with Washington’s hegemonic policies.

If Iran, one of the two oldest civilizations and cultures on the planet, wishes to continue its existence without coming under the rule of the “exceptional” Americans, Iran must turn its back to the West, ally with Russia, China, India, and the other BRICS countries, and have nothing whatsoever to do with the Western criminals. It is beyond explanation why a civilization as old as the Iranian one would see anything in the West worthy of being associated with.

Above all, Iran should stop fighting other Muslims, even extreme ones who betray the Prophet Mohammed and soil Islam. Iran should not accept the role of being Washington’s mercenary in the fight against the Islamic State. Iran should never help Washington kill Muslims, even misguided ones who betray the Prophet. Instead, Iran should understand that the Islamic State, even if it should be a creation of Washington, is enjoying its success because Muslim peoples are tired of being ruled by the West, which uses the antagonism between Sunni and Shi’ite to rule them both.

If the Islamic State is a Western creation, the Muslims who support it are not. The Islamic state is supported by Muslims because the Muslim people are tired of being ruled and ruined by America, Great Britain, and the French.

Khamenei should forget about America, where evil has taken hold and about which Khamenei can do nothing. Khamenei should try to unify the Muslim peoples and turn them in a new direction.
Islam is weak because it is not unified. For centuries Muslims, divided by ancient political claims, have permitted their religious differences to make them pawns of other powers. It requires leadership to repair a sectarian split, and that is the leadership Iran should attempt to provide. Iran cannot provide leadership by imposing its view. A unifying compromise among Muslims must be made. Fighting on the side of the Americans against the Islamic State perpetuates the split and seals the fate of Muslim peoples as colonies of the West.

The problems that Muslims face might be too large for leadership to rectify. Not only are Muslims afflicted by their internal split, Muslim populations in the West are now positioned by propaganda such that their leaders are compelled to support war against the Islamic State and Iran in order to protect Muslim communities from pogroms. Have history and propaganda made Muslims forever a colonized people?


 
 
Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West and How America Was Lost.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Court, misquote - By Tahir Mahmood -The Indian Express, Mumbai, INDIA

The Indian Express

Court, misquote

Tahir Mahmood | July 14, 2014 12:38 am
As long as there is  legally sanctioned room for settlement of disputes by non-state bodies, the court cannot isolate the mechanism  operating for it in any particular community and order its abolition.

As long as there is legally sanctioned room for settlement of disputes by non-state bodies, the court cannot isolate the mechanism operating for it in any particular community and order its abolition. Source: CR Sasikumar

Summary

 


The Supreme Court has not declared fatwas illegal. It has situated them within the law.
TAHIR
More From Tahir Mahmood
The Supreme Court has not declared fatwas illegal. It has situated them within the law.
A victory day for the Muslims, a day of deliverance for all others — these diametrically opposed perceptions of the apex court’s ruling on the fatwa and Dar-ul-Qaza traditions of Muslim society are being projected by the Urdu and English media respectively. Neither is warranted by the letter and spirit of the court’s absolutely innocuous judgment.

A few years ago, a Delhi lawyer had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the fatwa system and shariat courts, alleging that these were tantamount to running a “parallel judiciary” in the country. A division bench has now pronounced its judgment, which has been reported in the print media under sensational captions and is being hotly debated on TV channels. All this hurly burly is based on sheer misinformation about the system challenged and reflects a grave misreading of the judgment.

The Arabic word “fatwa” means an exposition of religious law by a Muslim cleric or seminary in answer to a specific query. It is like a lawyer’s opinion, which the querist may or may not act upon. The fatwa-giver writes his opinion as per his own understanding of religion, right or wrong, and does not claim it to be authentic — fatwas always conclude with the words wallahu a’lam bi-sawab (god knows better with certainty). Muslim law neither obliges any person to seek a fatwa in any matter nor makes it incumbent upon her to follow it if obtained.

As regards shariat courts, known as Dar-ul-Qazas, these are in the nature of what is known in law as alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms and generally decide personal law discords of disputants who voluntarily approach them and agree to abide by their verdicts. In some cases, where one party to a family dispute (generally a wife) seeks relief from a Dar-ul-Qaza and the other party unscrupulously keeps absent just to harass the complainant, a decision may, in the interest of justice, be given ex parte. No Dar-ul-Qaza decision, whether given ex parte or after hearing the parties, constitutes what is known in law as res judicata so as to bar the jurisdiction of any state court to entertain and decide the dispute.

A Dar-ul-Qaza hierarchy was first established on a mass scale in Bihar in 1919 and has successfully been operating there for over nine decades. Dar-ul-Qaza decisions are often taken by the disputants to local civil courts, which treat them as arbitration awards and pass decrees accordingly. Justice C.K. Prasad, who wrote the Supreme Court judgment, served in Bihar for long years as advocate general and high court judge.

He must be fully conversant with the true nature of the so-called shariat courts and his decision reflects a proper understanding of the system. He had spoken his mind during the hearing of the case in February this year when he told the petitioner: “You are assuming all fatwas are irrational. Some fatwas may be wise and may be for [the] general good also. People in this country are wise enough. If two Muslims agree for mediation, who can stay it? It is a blend of arbitration and mediation.” His judgment is fully in accord with this thinking.

That the court has declared fatwas or Dar-ul-Qazas to be “illegal” is a fantasy; that it has endorsed these religious traditions with impunity a delusion. Obviously, as long as the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution is available to the citizens, the court cannot restrain a mufti from giving his opinion on a religious matter. And, as long as there is legally sanctioned room for settlement of disputes by non-state bodies, the court cannot isolate the mechanism operating for it in any particular community and order its abolition. The SC therefore has done nothing of the sort — the petitioner’s demand for that has been clearly rejected, and rightly so.

At the same time, the court has made it clear, again absolutely rightly, that neither a fatwa nor a Dar-ul-Qaza verdict can be forcibly implemented by anybody against the wishes of the person who obtained it. It has further observed that in a bilateral dispute, a third party’s request for a fatwa should not be entertained by the muftis. Unfortunately, both practices are rampant.

Unconcerned persons having no locus standi in a particular dispute seek and obtain a fatwa, and the neighbours of the parties in dispute or the local community organisations harass them for not acting upon it. Instead of speaking out against such clearly unlawful practices in a mild way, the SC, in my opinion, could have issued mandatory directions in this regard. Of course, it has said in so many words that a person whose legal rights are being violated can always approach a state court for relief.

Instead of rejoicing over the judgment, Muslims must duly take its real message and translate it into concrete action. Others must let the judgment remain what it is — there is nothing in it for them to “celebrate”. Muslims should also evolve ways and means to ensure that fatwas are issued only by real experts in religious jurisprudence.

The writer has been chair of the National Minorities Commission and member, Law Commission of India


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Sunday, July 6, 2014

India, Muslims and Khilafat - By Ghulam Muhammed

Sunday, July 06, 2014


India, Muslims and Khilafat

With the coming to power of Modi with a very comfortable majority at the center, India could be on the threshold of a new era with the Idea of India taking a distinct turn towards a rightist Hindutva ideological formulation.

In the comity of nations India will appear to be charting a new course that has yet to unfold the full flavor of its supposedly cherished ideals and aspirations deeply drawn from its distant past of continuous experimentation with spiritual and temporal affairs.

However, the most visibly obvious challenge that its Hindutva ideology faces is its undeniable confrontation with Islam and Muslims that has robbed it of any originality that the world could look forward to.

Unlike Nehru, who had drawn a silk curtain around India and isolated the nation to give it a breathing space and develop the fundamentals of its new independent social and economic status while keeping it non-aligned in world affairs; Modi's government is finding itself in the very vortex of conflicting pulls of forces that is not offering any respite to pause and develop its own course of short term and longer term priorities.

The worst part is that its top leadership is very rapidly getting out of touch with its rank and file who were brought up on their own emotional priorities that do not gel with the challenges faced by the new government.  

From the Hindutva ideology, honed for over a century now, take out its hatred of Muslims, their history in India, and there potential to dominate any plural society with their distinct and well–established religious and social profile, and the entire edifice of Hindutva collapses.

The big challenge therefore for the new Hindutva government is how to go out in the open world with its anti-Muslim baggage.

Of course, it has support of the West and Israelis who are more or less committed to accommodate the new India on the highest tables of the world affairs. However, India cannot afford to be independent as well as dependent on the West for its survival as a proud and confident nation.

To compound the trials and tribulations, it is now faced with international challenges that directly pitch it against the same adversary that it has supposed to have licked to be able to come to power.

From Afghanistan, Pakistan and now Iraq, Modi's anti-Muslim reputation is creating more open adversaries than friends that a new government would love to cultivate.

For merely under 50 nurses held up in the newly occupied areas of Iraq, by ‘Islamic State’ or ISIS, India went through an agonizing fortnight, reliving the old Kandahar hijack saga, with media virtually loading its news with war hysteria language. In future, how we will deal with millions in the Gulf, if things go wrong with the monarchies of the peninsula. The new diehards are openly critical of India’s role against its Muslim minority. They would not need any signal one way or another to make a pretext of holding India to ransom for acts of commission and omission.

Afghanistan will be another headache in not distant future. If Indian leaders feel that the Western alliance and Israel will stand by it in any untoward happening in the region, it must be realized that their own problems with the Muslim hotheads are not yet under control, to be able to come to aid of India. Instead, they would like to drag India in their own imbroglio, whether India is willing or not.

With such unsavory climes engulfing the future of the area, the new announcement of a new Caliph, for whatever it is worth, will not be something India can possibly ignore.

With map making, being the cursor of threats, the entire Indian subcontinent being mapped as ‘Khurasan’ of the historical reference, is very unsettling and would require Modi government to deeply review its future course in dealing with both propaganda as well as symbolic disruptions that may leave India helpless and at the mercy of others that will not always forgo demanding their pound of flesh.

The swiftness, with which ISIS had spread out and captured territory in Iraq, cannot be so easy as it appears to be. Somebody is playing double game. And those masters of double game can always be there to attend to India, if that fits their national interest.

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Fading of the strongman [Altaf Hussain - MQM] - By Khaled Ahmed - The Indian Express, Mumbai, India

The Indian EXPRESS

Fading of the strongman

Khaled Ahmed | July 3, 2014 12:02 am
The MQM violence was compounded by Pakhtun violence in the turf war that ensued.
The MQM violence was compounded by Pakhtun violence in the turf war that ensued.

Summary

Altaf Hussain is no longer the figure he was. Yet, the MQM draws support because its alternative is the Taliban.
khalid-ahmad
More From Khaled Ahmed
The 60-year-old Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader-in-exile, Altaf Hussain, was dramatically arrested on June 3 from his home in North West London. He was to be interrogated on the recovery from his home of several hundred thousand pounds that he could not account for and was therefore exposed to a charge of money-laundering. He is currently out on bail.
 
On hearing the news, his “fortress” Karachi immediately closed down, with a few buses symbolically torched by his devotees. The MQM is the fourth-largest presence in the National Assembly of Pakistan. Karachi has 20 seats for the lower House, out of which 17 were won by the MQM in the 2013 election.

Altaf Hussain is the MQM’s leader with a cult. The charisma has arisen out of the fear — and resultant violence — a migrant arouses in the land he adopts after immigration. When, after 1947, Hindus vacated the four cities of Sindh where they formed majorities, they were not replaced by the rural Sindhi-speaking population but by the Urdu-speaking immigrants from India. On the basis of an odd rule, majority populations mostly live in the countryside while the vulnerable minorities feel safe in the cities. The Hindus of Sindh and Punjab were mostly urban while the Muslims were rural.

The cult of Altaf Hussain is based on the security he gave to the muhajir (migrant) by opposing local violence with migrant violence. A “gangster” MQM removed the stigma of a rogue organisation by taking part in elections and returning enough representatives from urban Sindh to parliament, to become a political make-weight in central alliances while ruling Sindh in tandem with the rural-based Pakistan People’s Party.

Hatred of the MQM is primal in Sindh because the migrants are “trespassers”. In Punjab too, there is an antipathy that is less easily explained. The outgoing Punjabi Hindu urban majorities were quickly replaced with rural Muslims from Pakistani Punjab and from Indian Punjab. The feeling against the Indian Punjabis was watered down by their shared language. But the Urdu-speaking urban Muslims arriving from India quickly found that they were not welcome in Lahore and, thereafter, most of them quickly took the train to Karachi where there were secretarial jobs waiting for them in the new capital.

The MQM’s dominance of Karachi and strong presence in the major cities of Sindh were disturbed by the influx of the Pakhtun through internal migration. In Karachi, the majority population is Urdu-speaking; but Karachi is also the biggest Pakhtun city in the world, comprising both Pakistani and Afghan Pakhtun. Because of the Pakistani state’s involvement in proxy wars, the Taliban Pakhtun turned against the state after it joined the global war against terrorism post-9/11. The MQM violence was compounded by Pakhtun violence in the turf war that ensued.

Altaf Hussain fled to the UK in 1992, fearing that his enemies, led by the state intelligence agencies, were closing in on him. His anti-Talibanisation, secular-liberal stance and his hold on urban Sindh appealed to a UK leadership worried about radicalisation creeping into expat British Pakistanis. He thereafter lived in London without distancing himself from the organisational pyramid of the MQM. He could have looked after himself much better had he the intellect to do so. A cult will always point to the implied godhead of its leader and eschew intellectual reasoning.

There are many cult figures in Pakistan who manifest a non-intellectual tendency to excess. This excess is often expressed in hate speech. Hate speech in turn is inculcated through the popular mode of address of the religious leader. The sermonising tradition in Pakistan is based on a sharp sense of the loss of utopia (injustice).

Altaf Hussain has been accused of hate speech in the UK. His telephonic addresses to Pakistan are violent to the point of being comic, but remain realistic because of his remote-controlled strategy of deploying party elements. The “angry” cult leaders in various degrees today are the following: Imran Khan, who, like Altaf Hussain, controls seats in parliament, but is given to heated rhetoric, now gradually seeping into his followers in the form of violence.

Another cult leader with violent rhetoric is Tahir-ul-Qadri, alias Sheikh-ul-Islam, at the top of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), who has opted out of politics but pledges “revolution” through Islamic “street power”, which he controls from abroad like Altaf Hussain. But, unlike Hussain, he has looked after himself by reason of superior intellectual gifts. Unlike Hussain, he has abstained from excessive food consumption and managed his colossal global wealth much better.

Hafiz Saeed of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) is a fiery hate-speech expert with untold wealth, backed by non-state actors, with a growing ability to penetrate the state and ultimately run it through his cult. He stays away from electoral politics but has the organisational skill comparable to Altaf Hussain and Tahir-ul-Qadri. Like Hussain, his health may be undermined by excessive food consumption. When the deep state needs a “long march” to scare off its perceived enemies, Saeed leads with money and men, to the astonishment and dismay of the other religious parties participating in the “long march”.

Living in London, Altaf Hussain is no longer the dapper figure he was. He should have managed his finances better too, like many Pakistani nationals and leaders who have their wealth stashed away in the UK. The technique of flying into a rage, borrowed from the religious cleric, should have been modified after the MQM became the only modern-liberal party in Pakistan, affording shelter to such minority victims of the predatory state as Shias, Ismailis, Ahmadis and Hindus. But the cult prevailed.

From Hitler to Saddam, the strongman fades after overreaching himself. This is the fate of the cult leader too, his lack of realism reinforced by his worshipping flock. Christ’s last words to his mother Mary were tough because as a mother she was scared that he would overreach, as he did when he attacked the Jewish temple, and didn’t really follow the cult. The cult leaders of Pakistan are threatened by this flaw of miscalculation that compels them to overreach.

In the prototype, the death of the cult leader leads to the death of his flock. Often, it is a collective suicide ritual. But on ground in Pakistan, the passage of the cult leader may lead to internecine violence among his followers. And if the MQM dies, the alternative will not be a peaceful Sindhi party but the Taliban, which thought should cause all Pakistanis to lose sleep.

That’s perhaps why Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and most parliamentarian leaders, unwilling to die at the hands of the Taliban and the deep state’s non-state actors, have decided to side with the MQM as its leader faces a possible court trial in the UK.
Ideology undermines intellect, replacing free inquiry with the mantra of frozen agitprop. That’s why some Pakistani political parties are cult-led and non-intellectual. “Visceral” will not morph into “cerebral”. As the original leader fades away, charisma will not descend on any intellectual alternative but on the family of the cult leader. Altaf Hussain is too big to be replaced by his daughter.

The writer is consulting editor, ‘Newsweek Pakistan’

Monday, March 10, 2014

A BJP- Muslim entente cordiale? By Hasan Suroor - The Hindu, Chennai, INDIA

My comments posted on The Hindu website article: A BJP- Muslim entente cordiale? By Hasan Suroor:

"Modi has realized the current fracturing of the political scenario does not promise his BJP any sign of majority MPs in the next elections and he is desperate to now increase his voter constituency to include misguided fringe Muslims who prize their business and material interests more than their larger community interests.These Muslim activists are now joined by well-meaning Muslim interlocutors who think they can hold a dialog with Modi and get a better deal with him if comes into power. Actually, these simpletons are not aware of the intensity of the RSS inroads into the psyche of the extremist of Hindutva. It is much wiser that Muslims should stop reforming Modi and let Modi remain as the Modi of 2002 Gujarat, so that voters are not fooled by his fraudulent election speeches. The more Modi remains Modi, the better for the fractured ‘secular’ political groupings to unite and defeat Modi. Otherwise, if Modi transmutes into Congress avatar, he will be doubly lethal for Muslims."

from:  Ghulam Muhammed
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 13:47 IST

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http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/a-bjpmuslim-entente-cordiale/article5767480.ece

Return to frontpage

Opinion » Lead

March 10, 2014
Updated: March 10, 2014 00:07 IST

A BJP-Muslim entente cordiale?

Hasan Suroor
Share  ·   Comment (39)   ·   print   ·   T+  
 
The threat of communalism is not a mere bogey, and the Muslim ‘sense of alarmism’ does not exist in a vacuum. It may often be exaggerated or fuelled by secular parties to get Muslim votes, but it is real.
 
In a TV interview last week, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley admitted that the BJP had a Muslim “problem.” “Yes, we have it,” he said, pointing out that there was a “problem both ways.”

“Part of the problem is that they (Muslims) have to understand us and part of the problem is we have to accept it…But I see a huge change in the situation.”

His remarks came on the heels of the party president, Rajnath Singh, offering a slightly puzzling, backdated apology to Muslims while appealing to them to give the BJP a chance in the coming general election.

Then came Mr. Narendra Modi’s “big” speech in Lucknow in which he studiously refrained from raising any contentious issue, choosing instead to direct his fire against Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav. If you didn’t know it was Mr. Modi speaking, it could have been any garrulous politician shopping for voters. Indeed, the party’s hard-core base in Uttar Pradesh may have been disappointed that there was not even a pro forma reference to Ayodhya.
 
A concern?
So, is something going on here in terms of the BJP’s approach to Muslims? A rethink of its Muslim policy?


On the face of it, all this sounds very much like an all-too-familiar pre-poll tactic to woo Muslim voters, but could it be that these developments reflect a genuine concern within the BJP over its “Muslim problem”?

Has the penny finally dropped that it cannot hope to prosper as a truly national party or effectively govern the country if it continues to exclude 170 million voters on the basis of some ancient feud and old prejudices whose provenance even is not clear to a new generation of Hindus and Muslims?

Mr. Swapan Dasgupta, the party’s resident intellectual, appeared to reflect this concern when he said in a television debate that the fact that Muslims were not with the BJP amounted to its failure to reach out to every segment of society.

“Yes, naturally if it fails to appeal to a certain section of the population it will count as a failure,” he said.

Likewise, Mr. Jaitley acknowledged, albeit with gritted teeth, that the party needed to soften its hard anti-Muslim image or “soften its angularities,” as the interviewer Ms Barkha Dutt put it. Yes, it had “a certain ideological personality” and took “positions” on issues such as the uniform civil code, but while theoretical and ideological beliefs were one thing, practical realities of day-to-day politics were quite another, he suggested.

“Judge us by our record,” he said implying how the party had put the Ramjanambhoomi issue on the back-burner when it was in power.

The BJP believes that it has already won over the Sikhs and sections of the Christian community (nearly half the cabinet ministers in the BJP-led Goa government are Catholics) and Muslims are next on its shopping list. It is convinced that only the “bogey” of communalism raised by “secular’’ parties is keeping Muslims away from it.

The trick, the party believes, is to be able to counter this “bogey” and rid Muslims of their “sense of alarmism,” to quote Mr. Dasgupta.

One wishes it was that simple. The truth is that the threat of communalism is not a mere bogey; and the Muslim “sense of alarmism” does not exist in a vacuum. It may often be exaggerated or fuelled by secular parties to get Muslim votes, but it is real and there is a basis for it. The basis is the history of Sangh Parivar’s Muslim-baiting to the extent of questioning their loyalty to their own country.

So, what is it that, in the words of Mr. Jaitley, the BJP must “accept” and the Muslims must “understand” that would pave the way for the twain to meet?
 
Notion of supremacy
The notion of Hindu supremacy is so deeply hard-wired into the BJP’s DNA and a part of its “ideological personality” that it will be unrealistic to expect it to transform miraculously into an all-inclusive big tent overnight. For that to happen, it will have to cut itself loose from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), its ideological mentor and, effectively, puppet-master. And that is not possible so long as the old guard — born and bred in RSS culture and dependent on its support — is incharge of the party. It will require a huge generational shift in leadership for the BJP to change and become a truly modern party free from sectarian prejudices.


Meanwhile, what it can do is what, in Britain, the Tory party is doing in relation to its old racist and homophobic attitudes. At its core, it remains largely a party of closet racists, misogynists and homophobes but in practice it is trying desperately hard (and succeeding, to some extent) to reach out to all — ethnic minorities, women and gays.

Who would have thought that one day it would fall to a Tory government to legalise gay marriage, and a Tory Prime Minister would be heard saying that he supported “gay marriage in spite of being a Conservative; I support gay marriage because I am a Conservative,” as Mr. David Cameron did. For a party which, until barely a decade ago, wanted innocuous gay groups to be shut down, legalising gay marriage is akin to crossing the Rubicon.

The BJP needs to do something like this vis-à-vis Muslims — some grand public gesture to make them feel welcoming and wanted, not just merely tolerated. Mr. Jaitley favours fielding more Muslim candidates in elections.

“We must get into the habit of giving tickets to them even if they lose initially,” he said.

That will, of course, help but more than anything else what Muslims really want is to be shown respect rather than being patronised. The problem that Muslims have with the BJP is not that it doesn’t give them an election ticket but that it tends to look down upon them and treat them as outsiders whom it has to tolerate because of political compulsions. This mindset must change.
 
Bridging the divide
As for what Muslims need to do to bridge the divide, it will require a huge leap of faith for them to embrace a party that, rightly or wrongly, they see as congenitally hostile.


But for starters they should shed their blind anti-BJPism. To some degree that is already happening. 

Disillusioned with secular parties and driven by sheer pragmatism they now have a more open mind when it comes to voting. No longer do they see the BJP as “untouchable,” a process which would have gained greater traction if Gujarat 2002 had not happened. The BJP also alienated many potential Muslim supporters by insisting on nominating Mr. Modi as its prime ministerial candidate in what they see as a calculated attempt to add insult to injury.

But it is still not too late. The Muslim mood is not set in stone and there is still a lot to play for if the BJP really wants their support. For example, a public show of genuine contrition by Mr. Modi for what happened under his watch or a direct appeal by him to Muslims can change the whole climate. The garbled apology issued by Mr. Rajnath Singh may have made a greater impact if it had come from Mr. Modi.

The good news, however, is that amid the fog of mutual distrust and suspicion, both sides have been making tentative moves to break the ice. Perhaps few people know that the RSS, of all things, has a Muslim wing, the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, ironically formed the same year as the Gujarat riots with the avowed aim of reaching out to Muslims. It claims to have 10,000 Muslim members nationwide and is said to be engaged in creating a network of sympathetic Muslim clerics.

It is notable that despite initial fears of polarisation along communal lines, the election campaign so far has been mostly secular with developmental concerns trumping mandir-masjid-like issues. With one month still to go, that is a long time in politics but could it be that we are seeing the beginnings of a long-haul journey towards some sort of a BJP-Muslim entente cordiale?
 
hasan.suroor@gmail.com
 
 

Radicalizing the Hindu term is now complete, if seen the kind of atmosphere we have in government offices, courts, police stations, public transport and even schools. The term secular and republic is a misnomer for our country now. Deities adorn the walls of aforementioned places across our country. How can we expect the minorities and its younger generation to grow and live in such atmosphere?

The shame is on Hindus for the present state of Muslims in India. Ghettoisation is nothing but the atmosphere you guys create towards minorities. The conditions have become so worse now, that alienation of Muslims start from the schools and go up to the judiciary. what happened in Gujarat to Muslims is beyond one's imagination. What a precision BJP and its cadre had on those carnage days! Marking the houses of Muslims by none other than neighbours and arranging to burn them by hiring criminals and anti socials. Is this what Hindus wanted to confide with Muslims then?

Its due to the ghastly caste system in Hinduism, which categorizes people according to their race and religion. Isnt it due to this, dalits and scheduled caste from their own religion suffered thro ages? Isnt this the reason, millions of such people converted to other faiths? What can Muslims expect from such system, where the concept is only to cater the Hinduism.

Relgions and belief is personal and its better leave that way. Dont try to dictate us what reforms and changes to bring in us. There are countless contradictions in Hinduism, which we are not bothered to ask. So why bother us? Instead see what you can do for us in a mannered way. Are Muslim youth who are educated and eligible candidates considered for jobs, opportunities etc..? Any nation's progress is based on its secular values. Remove the religion from schools, public transport, government offices, police stations and courts.


Unless this is eradicated, expect more alienation among communities, uneven growth, regional mindset among states which is already dominating in Tamil Nadu. Before advising Muslims, stop colonizing India in Hindutva style.

from:  Syed
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 18:21 IST

@syed,
Your victimization seems very laughable. All the secular talk is good
for muslims as long as they remain a minority. the moment they turned
majoirty, the real face of the cult knows. Forget about pakistan and
Bangladesh which embarrasses you, atleast remember Kashmir and what
the majority community has done there to minority community.
Unless you modernize and change your attitude nothing is ever going to
change. Sadly For muslims in pakistan and Bangladesh, there are no
excuse for being backward unlike in India.

from:  krishna
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 17:59 IST

Muslims will never grow out of their conundrum ghettoistic mentality. They are poor illiterate and never grown out of their self borne poverty.Although 67 years had passed after partition still they never accosted India as their own country as they see Pakistan as their own.We have tried every bit to confide in them that hindus are no enemy of muslims but they were unresponsive not reciprocal.Although they eat out of our hands but they never cared t see us as their brothers and sisters rather they exploit us in many spheres. They created a vote bank and started blackmail political parties and many parties fall prey to their machinations.But still BJP never uttered a single word against any muslim.What happened in Godhra not exceptional as Hindu Muslim riots happening in our country also in Gujarat since 1947.The train burning inflamed passion Gujarat riot happened it is a matter of regret that the govt was of BJP.If at that time congress would have the govt will they stopped the riot?

from:  muslim bhagawat
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 17:16 IST

On such a sensible ,meaningful article what's the point in commenting with PRE fixed mind.
 

The second largest populated country in the world. 102 cr Hindus, 17 cr uslims, & the rest
Christians, PARSIS, sikhs, etc. no where in the world you have this kind of spread. I feel
sorry my Indian Muslim friends making some strange comments.,living in India. Just see our
ex Indian brothers, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc.
 

Question is India needs to progress fast, &youth need to move fast, so we need decisive
honest leadership for all, SABKO SAATH, SABKO VIKAS, we have lost over 60 valuable yrs
,we can't continue to languish in vote bank politics of few leaders, at the cost of whole
country. So. I very much appreciate mr JAITLEYS views &article & thank god for giving 123
cr people of this country a great P.M SHRI MODIJI WHO WILL TAKE EVERYONE FAST
FORWARD, IRRESPECTIVE OF CASTE, CREED, RELIGION.
GOD BLESS MOTHER INDIA.

from:  BAPTY.s
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 16:43 IST

Very good analysis. BJP needs to accept Muslims as Hindus as equal citizens of India - that will be the first and the biggest step. A good sign to me, as the author pointed, is that most of the young don't identify with religion - in fact they feel suffocated by it, Hindus or Muslims. I for one do. I believe in equal opportunity and complete freedom for all. I also think cultural diversity is a bliss not a curse. Ours can be a beautiful country with all its diversity or the biggest sectarian hell if taken in the wrong direction. The key is in the hands of the youth. Long live India.

from:  Manish
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 15:35 IST

The Uniform Civil Code is welcomed by progressive Muslims. If your analysis is to bracket all muslims together as one on every issue, as an indivisible "vote bank" so to speak, then you will only have a flawed analysis like this one.

from:  Kumar
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 15:04 IST

If indeed BJP is to be judged on facts, as Jaitley wants, the party will get even fewer votes from Muslims. Treating riot- accused as 'heroes'and skimming over the fact that many Muslims died during the Muzzafarnagar riots speaks more than half-hearted lip sympathy.
The tiger cannot change its spots with a few lines...

from:  B.Banerjee
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 14:27 IST

I am from Malabar region of Kerala where Muslims are in majority.
Being a Hindu, I do not have problem interacting with Muslim friends
and participating in their festivals and other occasions. But what I
felt was that there is always a â€Å“limit†, no matter the level of
intimacy or friendship you have, you are not allowed to move beyond
that, especially when religion is the topic. In fact I admire that
strictness and of course we are not supposed to cross our limits. But
for sure, Muslims can never be secular and it is against their own
principle.
It is all about MAJORITY. That defines the rules and customs of that
place. If you are in a Hindu dominant area, then Hindu interest are
protected and same theory implies to place with Muslim majority.
On a lighter note, someone has requested below to stop RSS poisoning
children in their Shakhas and Vidya mandir. Hope everyone is aware of
the Madrassa and their teachings that are active in almost all parts
of the country.

from:  Hari
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 14:14 IST

"Modi has realized the current fracturing of the political scenario does not promise his BJP any sign of majority MPs in the next elections and he is desperate to now increase his voter constituency to include misguided fringe Muslims who prize their business and material interests more than their larger community interests.These Muslim activists are now joined by well-meaning Muslim interlocutors who think they can hold a dialog with Modi and get a better deal with him if he comes into power. Actually, these simpletons are not aware of the intensity of the RSS inroads into the psyche of the extremist of Hindutva. It is much wiser that Muslims should stop reforming Modi and let Modi remain as the Modi of 2002 Gujarat, so that voters are not fooled by his fraudulent election speeches. The more Modi remains Modi, the better for the fractured ‘secular’ political groupings to unite and defeat Modi. Otherwise, if Modi transmutes into Congress avatar, he will be doubly lethal for Muslims."

from:  Ghulam Muhammed
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 13:47 IST

@S.Ganesh. Will you stop comparing India with other Muslim countries? Indian Muslims have no business with those countries you lament about. Besides how can be there a comparison here, when our constitution is entirely from theirs? We have a constitution which gives us equality, regardless of color, race and religion. But on contrary, what we see in India is a total domination of majority Hindus. whats is the difference between the countries you speak about and India then?

In the Middle East, there is a non Muslim work force of five million specifically from India. do you think, those countries are looking for the religion factor there? The heads of many corporate houses and ministries in Middle East, Malaysia, Brunei etc are Hindus. Stop this comparing now.

The big question we have now is- are Muslims going to vote for BJP and their likes in general elections. Answer is a big NO, considering the sufferings of Muslims in the hands of RSS, BJP and their likes. Hasan Suroor is in a lala land it seems. The RSS ideology itself is for the Hindu puritans. Of lately they have made some modifications in their policies to please the lower caste Hindus. Its a farce to expect Muslims vote for BJP and to be its members. The so called manch is a drama and BJP indeed have hired time to time mercenaries from Muslim community, who dont have any respect in Muslims.

This has been the reason, Muslims have voted for other parties than BJP. For Muslims in India, their safety and livelihood matters most. They are under threat is the feeling now. Its the responsiblity of Hindu majority to include Muslims in this nations growth in all aspects.

from:  Syed
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 13:42 IST

A very well balanced article. Appreciate The Hindu for the timing of this publication. The
truth in the statement , 'The threat of communalism is not a mere bogy and Muslim sense of
alarmism does not exist in a vacuum ------is real' is justified, contextually bringing in the
element of misgivings that both the Hindus and the Muslims have been made to experience
by the divisive policies of the Colonial British first and then exploited by the so called secular
parties, Congress leading from the front, whose interests are no more mean than the British.
Kudos to the author for his handling of the very sensitive subject with tact and objectivity. The
bluff of 'secular' forces has been called off and it is time to dispel the misgivings and govern
the country as one Indian community for the welfare and development of all Indians. It is the
best opportunity for BJP to win the elections and demonstrate what true 'secularism ' is all
about.

from:  M.R.Sampath
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 12:54 IST


Kudos to Hasan,

The best possible representation of current situation (of relationships
between BJP and Muslims)and analysis, proposals and possibilities for
and from both sides.

from:  Shyam Tripathi
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 12:34 IST

How will BJP win Muslim confidence? BJP's important decisions are
taken with permission Of RSS. And in RSS only Hindus are admitted(?).
It means in practice, though not on papers, BJP's whole philosophy is
decided by only Hindus. In such a situation how can BJP expect that
Muslims will come under the fold of BJP? Shri Rajnath Singh's apology
is like crocodile's tears. It is for votes. He may decieve some people
by these tears but he cannot fool all. India is country of various
cultures. It has given birth to Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism etc. It has
aborbed Muslims, christians, Parsis in its fold. How can we forget
this? And how communalism solve our bread and butter problem?

from:  BRIJMOHAN HEDA
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 12:28 IST

A very good analysis. The most important to Muslims is safety of life for their families, businesses etc. We are seeing day in and day out that during any conflict a well trained mob from RSS take part in burning shops, houses etc. Question is not the apology from Modi but the mind set of BJP/RSS etc. Their mind is full of poison against Muslims in general. It is the attitude which requires being change. How can it be achieve? To my understanding, RSS Parivar MUST stops inculcating children against Muslims in their Shakhas, Vidya Mandir etc. The syllabus of primary schools has to be very secular. Look at CM of BJP ruling states (e.g., Shiv Raj Singh); they are poisoning mind of students by preaching hatred against Muslim.

from:  Aftab Khan
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 11:49 IST

Hasan Suroor has presented one side of the story. Let us look at the other side. Turn any direction you want - Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan. Can any non-Muslim aspire for the top job of the country? On the other hand, here in India, if you are a non-Hindu, your chances are higher. Naturally, the Indians are proud that they have such a liberal system not available in most countries. What is wrong in taking pride in it?

from:  S.Ganesh
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 11:44 IST

It is great to see that this parliamentary election would have a deep impact in our
country ecosystem.many parties strive hard to change their ideological stands and
make it accommodative as accordance with time.the one reason behind this move is
India's young population who are far liberal than their ancestors in perspective and
outlook of any issues. But,still, political parties need to understand that appeasement
cannot work before solid proof of development work.now,electoral understand what is
real politics.

from:  Abhishek Saurashtra
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 11:41 IST

The exclusively Hindu RSS will have the dominant say in a Modi
regime.The affiliate organisations will become hyperactive. Police will
be partisan or go slow. That will be trouble for minorities of all
varieties.

from:  Hilary Pais
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 11:30 IST

At the initial stages of BJP, it depended on Hindutva image and Ramjanma bhoomi issue to increase its MP seats from 2 to above 100. By this issue they had strenghtened their base in Hindi heartland.

After this, to increase their base to form a majority government they had to be inclusive of all sects, regions and communities. That is what differentiates between a regional and national party. So, they now have to appeal to all communities. This is also fuelled by changing mindset of voters towards development.

So, BJP is slowly changing their politics from religion to good and inclusive governance. At the same time they are not afforded to loose their old hindutva base. So, Mr Modi could not directly appeal. But in a dilute and indirect way they are trying to woo muslim voters and change their untouchable view towards BJP.

from:  aditya
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 11:30 IST

Now that the religious minority are in the driver's seat , it is time that their leaders announced the boycott of the elections. Let the 'Hindus' fight it out among themselves, then we will pick up the choice pieces. Take for instance the fact that the Lucknow seat has become such a hot issue. Are we still ruled in the name of the Mughal Emperors? Is India Without the large Muslim minority an impossibility? in India there would have been no 'Hindu' identity without the presence of the large Muslim minority.. We guys talk of a Muslim vote bank which certain parties were catering to. Maybe we were right. But what about the genetic vote banks, also called 'castes' because of which we are referred to as 'inbred'? The Muslims should boycott the next elections to prove the fact that they do matter.

from:  Gussie Soza
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 11:20 IST

I do not think the BJP or Narendra Modi should work towards pleasing any particular community. They should work towards all the Indians equally. I have been a minority in my state in India and in a country outside India. The best case scenario for me will always be to be not given any preferential treatment but be treated like everyone else. I think the minorities in India will love to be treated in the same manner as the majority is. Please do not preach the principles of the Congress party which has been dividing India on the basis of religion and other classifications just to create vote banks.

from:  Sachidanand Kabir
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 11:17 IST

they are not only remembering Muslims during the elections also the
hindus. the mentee should realise that they lost the power in the
centre during 2004 due to their pro hindus activities. by the way
religion should be the choice of the people and not of a nation. If they
dont realise, their skyfall is not far away, remember the nazi party.

from:  MALIC iBRAHIM
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 11:12 IST

In India there are never open discussions about Muslims which is
harming Muslims also. Except by politicians anything "Muslim" is not
discussed. In general Hindus avoid speaking about them openly as if
they are 'still' afraid of them & try to avoid them in every way. This
affects employment of Muslims & process of social assimilation.
Rulers-Politicians have exploited this divide since British rule. The
secular politics of vote bank will continue to harm both communities
and not allow improvement in the situation.
Any body is free to comment on issues related to Hindus but never a
word about Muslim community. Why this?
In Muslim countries state religion is Islam. The followers of other
religions have limited/no religious freedom. Christian nations openly
support conversions through missionaries. This is never discussed. Pro
Hindu should not necessarily mean anti Muslim. A person can be good
practicing Hindu as well as Muslim friendly. I like Hema it does not
mean i dislike others.

from:  r. pandya
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 11:00 IST

With All Due respect to Hasan suroor sir i must say that his article
titled 'A BJP-Muslim entente cordiale?' has instilled more hope and
optimism for BJP which has been anti minority form its days of
inception. To be frank Muslim voters have no problem to support Namo if
his party does the following befor3 2014 general election's
1) Construction of educational Institution instead of Grand Ram mandir
2) Namo who was the C.M. of Gujarat in 2002 should place a direct and
sincere apology for his failure to perform his basic law and order
fuction of a state govt.
3) Namo should also break his silence on Reliance Gas scam or atlest he
should state reasons for maintaining silence
I must also remind Mr.Hassan suroor that unlike 2009 election ow for
2014 elections muslims community has many options to vote for this time
we have APP which is the best alternative for BJP & Congress.

from:  RAZA SAMEER AHMED
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 10:45 IST

The new generation needs to move on. I don't think older generation can move on but the younger one can with careful considerations. And as far as this election is concerned I think the attempt to communalise this election has been more from the "Secular Parties" rather than BJP. But I think Muslims are still skeptical and they have every right to be so but the logic that BJP is communal and others are not is quickly becoming a farce and the truth is Minorities have been treated as a mere vote bank only.

from:  Praveen
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 10:44 IST

Whatever the author is pointing for BJP to do "Grand gesture" is
something that needs to come from Muslims. So far Muslims are in denial
of the historical atrocities on Hindu population by Muslim invaders.

from:  Chander N
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 10:23 IST

Mr Suroor has based his entire analysis on cherry picked half statements culled from the media. This makes his argument, such as it is, rather stretched.
For example, Rajnath Singh did not issue a "garbled appology". In fact he did not issue an appology at all. he said that IF the BJP had committed any "mistakes" it was "prepared to appologise". It is curious that Mr Suroor while wondering why Muslims remain suspicious of the BJP, and stating that what Muslims need from the BJP is "respect", fails to once mention the fact that the BJP is an ideological party. The core of its ideology is Hindutva, its goal is a Hindu Rashtra. This is premised on the superiority of Hindu culture over other cultures.
Its absolutely unclear what Mr Suroor expects will happen. Does he think the BJP will abandon its ideology?

from:  Tara
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 10:18 IST

It's too late for BJP leaders to awake from slumber as regards its
attitude toward Muslims. What's the guarantee that it's not an election
gimmick? I do not think Muslims (with exception of a few lackeys) can so
easily be duped.

from:  dipendutta
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 10:04 IST

Suroor says the attitude of Muslims is not set in stone. That is precisely what I doubt. The silent majority of Muslims are always going to be suspicious of the average Hindu when it comes to politics & voting. Suroor has written a book of which he had given excerpts in the Hindu sometime ago and I am waiting for the day when, as he has indicated there, the new generation of Muslims will not bother about the baggage of the older Muslims and think beyond religion & politics.

from:  S.Ganesh
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 09:43 IST

Muslim suspicion & animosity towards any Indian who utters the word "Nationalism" stems from the dream that they were once the ruling class (Mughal/Afghan) & were displaced by British & later Hindu democrats. Until they hoist Sharia flag from Red Fort they will always think they are under seige. This is similar to Taliban's frustration despite Pakistan being Islamic state.

from:  VS Iyer
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 09:34 IST

Which Muslim will believe BJP after all the saffronization of school
textbooks, after meticulously planning and pulling down Babri Masjid
cheating the Supreme Court and the Nation with solemn promise. The
height of their claim is, pulling down Babri Masjid was accidental. Are
the Moghuls such weak builders so that their structures will get razed
to the ground on sudden outburst of emotions? A Muslim must be out of
his senses to dig his own grave by supporting BJP.

from:  Syed
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 09:26 IST

Yet another example of pseudo-secularists bending over backwards to appear secular and fair. You need to develop a sense of perspective before making such flawed analyses. Muslims are forbidden by their religion to fraternise with "infidels" (their religion has created special words of hate to refer to those of other faiths; what greater proof of intolerance do you need?). It is not the fault of hindus that muslims choose to "ghettoise" themselves and shun secular education. The muslim religion endlessly talks of true gods and false gods as if they hold some kind of universal patent on god. Hinduism makes no such claims. When hindus oppose muslim attempts to impose their beliefs on others, you call that "terrorism". Why don't you do some research on the fate of minority hindus in muslim-dominated countries? That will be exactly the fate of hindus in India too once muslims are in a majority, which can happen very soon, considering their rate of breeding.

from:  Chander
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 09:17 IST

This article is very boring. First, the writer says that BJP looks down on Muslims, but, the same accusation can be thrown at Congress that it looks down on Hindus. "Muslims have the first claim on India's resources", said MMS. Has any BJP leader said that Hindus have the first right ? After getting Pakistan and Bangladesh, what standing Muslims have ? Why they are in India ? Indian media, including this newspaper, always give example of Gujarat riots, but, never mention Godhra train burning. Has any Muslim, ever, said anything against Islamic terrorism ? I know this comment will not be posted, but at least send it to the writer and Congress.

from:  BMehta
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 08:13 IST

No Party that wish to rule the Country like India can have a perpetual question mark in the thought process of any Community, whether religious or cast based. One or two leaders with Muslim sounding name will not meet the central problem the Party faces regarding the Muslim issue.

from:  Abdul Hameed
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 07:45 IST

Hasan Suroor would do a world of good to himself and the muslim community if he chose not to boast of the BJP apology to the 2002 riots when the party's Naqvi has clarified it is not to do with the 2002 riots.

Why would one not question the patriotism of a section of muslims if they are hell bent on foisting the black flag on Independence Day and Republic day in Belgaum and parts of Kashmir. Is it not sedition? Does the saner voices of Islam condemn them and issue fatwa against them for disturbing the harmony in this country where the minorities are dealt equally (at times superior) than what their brethren are doing in Pakistan or Bangladesh?

Your solution for BJP to severe ties with RSS is laughable. RSS is the one who feels that the muslims in India are also Hindus in their genetic make-up and calls for them to be treated equally. It is the craving of the muslims for special attention that alienates them from the mainstream.

from:  Vijay
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 06:34 IST

Hats off to Hasan Suroor. This is the sort of 'constructive' articles
one would like to read and hear on this communal-secular divide. It is
true that there is not only a perception issue but also a 'practical'
issue on this aspect. But the truth is there is no 'policy' decision
to be seen to be superior.It is just a case of numbers which gives
this 'problem' a twist. There is gut wrenching or visceral hatred. The
fact that BJP has put the three contentious issues in the back burner
is thanks 'our secular' credentials as voters. That is sufficient. BJP
has realised that India needs development and Muslims have to be a
part of it.The key is education. Why not educational trusts catering
to the poor among the Muslims as a target group for their well
being.Religion has nothing to do with this.Good There is a churning
for a give and take. good for India.Thanks Hasan.

from:  n vijayaraghavan
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 06:32 IST

The author takes a one sided view, while the core beliefs of a party may be extreme, it is what happens on the ground is more important and BJP has in its 5 year rule put aside Ayodhya, Uniform Civil Code etc.
Take for example AIMIM the party in AP, its founders were part of Razakar movement and waged an ugly pogrom for a separate country for Hyderabad, today the party leaders may be silent on those demands.
In that sense BJP is a nationalist party whereas AIMIM is anti national, but reality is different.

from:  Kranti
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 04:50 IST

The tone of the article appears as if Mr.Hasan Suroor wants the
impossible,[at least for the time being],to happen. But the mood in
general, does not look so. For instance what happened to the Sikhs
after Indira Gandhi's assassination, could be called a politically
emotional after math. But what happened in Gujarath for the Muslims,
would have left its deep sores, on account of the long- standing
hostility between one political party and one of the largest religious
sections of the world. Even if Mr.Modi personally and earnestly tries
to mend fences, it would only be viewed as a matter of electoral
convenience. After all every body knows here, that all political
parties paint themselves with fascinating colours for fetching votes
and these colours get bleached fast, once the elections are over and
the winners and losers are fixed. The Muslim population knows pretty
well, that both the so called secularists and sectarians have their
own hidden colours of self aggrandizement.

from:  P.Chandrasekaran.
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 03:03 IST

Thanks for the article which sheds the light on the much needed
understanding between India's muslim population and India's leading
leading representative of the views of Hindu populace. The author says
the party is prejudiced on "the basis of some ancient feud and old
prejudices whose provenance even is not clear to a new generation of
Hindus and Muslims." This is not correct. All cycles of violence
invariably starts off from "recent" provocation. The muslim populace
world over are under immense scrutiny because of radicals within their
community. The muslim populace must also do its bit in promoting
harmony and a sense of belonging by being proactive in rooting out
violence. In fact, although there were muslim invaders, they made
India their home unlike the British Raj who were interested in
"harvesting" India for its wealth. The normal muslim should come out,
defend people of all religions and reclaim their place in a fabric
that genuinely appreciates everyone's role. I am pro BJP.

from:  Jagan
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 01:18 IST

I don't think BJP is seriously interested in changing its image. It has
been bred on anti-Muslim rhetoric. They have read the history with
Saffron eyes. Any discussion of Muslim upliftment irritate them. Even if
they allot some seats to Muslims, it will be in those areas where there
winning chances are rare. Moreover, Muslims does not need the so-called
Muslim leadership as Shahnawaz Hussain and Muqtar Abbas Naqvi.

from:  Ahmed
Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 00:51