Author: Syed Shahbuddin, Delhi
Publication: BJP Today
Date: February 16-28, 2001
Apropos Shri T.R. Gopalan's letter
in your issue of December 16-31, 2000) asking me to clarify my thoughts,
I must try to remove his confusion.
There is no question of the Government
of Saudi Arabia not being able to make satisfactory arrangements for Haj
pilgrims. The problem lies in the finite capacity of the Plain of Arafat
where all pilgrims must assemble at the same time, on the same day. Hence
the Rabita al-slam al-Islami has suggested a notional limit on pilgrims
at 1% of the Muslim population from any country. India is yet to reach
that limit.
Shri Gopalan obviously exaggerates
my capacity to persuade Muslim Indians not to accept the government subsidy
on Haj air charter. As it is, I have been unable to influence the successive
Governments! As for the pilgrims, most of them who come from rural areas
are not even aware of the subsidy. They pay what they are asked to pay.
But subsidy is good business for many people, and good politics for some
others. So it continues.
Subsidy is not 'Haram' because it
comes from the Government. Nor is it 'Hindu money' because the state belongs
to all and the governments should serve everyone. It is objected to because
Haj is a religious duty only for those who can afford it, which means,
who can bear all the expenditure involved. This is the view taken by the
Lahore High Court in 1998 or 1999 which ordered the Government of Pakistan
to stop such subsidy for Haj.
