Author:
Publication: Tehelka.com
Date: September 14, 2001
While agreeing that terrorism must
be tackled, Muslim leaders tell Kunal Chauhan that India must look to its
own interests before jumping on the US bandwagon
India should not rush into any act
that can spell danger for the subcontinent is the strong message that Muslim
bodies in the country are sending following the terrorist attacks on the
US. They support India's stance against terrorism but caution against rushing
into any alliance with America without thinking about its own interests
and concerns. It worries them a little that India has offered unstinting
support to America in the latter's war against terrorism. What disturbs
them somewhat more is that this support comes without the US having spelt
out precisely what it requires of India.
Qazi Mujahidul Islam Qasmi, a conservative
and chairperson of the Muslim Personal Law Board, says, "India should not
jump to any quick conclusions. Instead, it should weigh the possibilities
of either supporting America or remaining neutral and only then act. America
should bring out proper and solid evidence against Osama bin Laden. It
should not attack Afghanistan just for the sake of settling old rivalries."
Even liberals like Jawaharlal Nehru
University (JNU) professor and South Asia expert Kalim Bahadur hold similar
views. "India should not be blinded by American rhetoric," says Bahadur.
"It should see that its interests are being taken care of. America has
decided to act against terrorism only after being affected, while India
has been shouting about terrorism from the rooftops for the past 10 years
and no one cared. So, it is important that India decide upon what kind
of help and support it is willing to provide to the Americans in its plans
for retaliation."
Many Muslim thinkers feel that it
is best for India to revert to its old policy of nonalignment. It was this
policy that introduced strain into India's relations with the US. Saeeda
Hamid, member of the National Commission on Women (NCW), feels that it
is nonalignment that would help India the most rather than a precipitate
leap on to the US bandwagon.
"India should remember Mahatma Gandhi's
policies and follow them," she says. "India is a country of deep philosophies
and believes in non-violence and it should not jump into any conflict that
will result in a catastrophe. What is to be seen is what will be America's
next step. If Afghanistan and Pakistan are attacked, India will be directly
affected."
What worries the country's Muslims
is the America's presumption that terrorism is directly connected to Islamic
fundamentalism. The Americans, in their grief and anger, have called it
a war between "extreme fundamentalism and democracy". But Muslim organisations
are at pains to stress that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism.
Qari Mohammad Mazhari, chairperson
of the National Minority Development Finance Corporation (NMDFC), says,
"The Americans are making a mistake by equating Islam with terrorism. There
is no connection between Islam and terrorists. Terrorism can't be successful
without big nations being behind it. Otherwise, how can you explain an
attack of such proportions on a country like America? India's position
on terrorism is correct and it should continue its fight against it."
Says Qazi Mujahidul Islam Qasmi,
"Religion has nothing to do with terrorism. Terrorist groups may claim
religion as their reason for fighting but other countries should not fight
each other on the basis of religion. What is required is to understand
how this terrorism started and then get to the root of the cause, rather
than giving statements about eliminating terrorism."
One of the commonest Muslim complaints
centres round the US' perceived inaction in West Asia. "No one, whether
a Muslim or someone from another faith, can condone the loss of innocent
human lives," says Prof Imtiaz Ahmed of JNU. "But we must try to understand
the reason behind the Muslim resentment against the American establishment."
Prof Ahmed, a champion of reforms in Muslim Personal Law, says that the
unresolved Palestine problem, along with increasing Israeli violence in
the region, has "upset the Muslims largely". The US is perceived as a "superpower
that is openly backing Israel against the Palestinians. This is where the
problem lies," he says.
There are ample cautionary words
for the Indian government. Says Kalim Bahadur, "The government should not
forget that during the 1980s, when the Punjab crisis was at its peak, and
later in the 1990s, when Kashmir was burning, the West, including the US,
backed Pakistan. So, the US may ditch us again after using us in its fight
against the Taliban. Before we join the US in its campaign, we must give
serious thought to some of these issues."
