Author: D Jose
Publication: Rediff on the Net
Sate: August 18, 1998
On Saturday, India's 51st Independence
anniversary, several schools in Kerala's northern districts defied the
state government directive on reciting Bankim Chandra Chatterji's poem,
Vande Mataram.
Many Muslim organisations in the
region had issued a fatwa against reciting the poem, which they believed
bore a communal colour.
Vande Mataram, they said, was in
praise of idol worship and, hence, against their religious principles.
Tense situation prevailed in several
parts of the Muslim-dominated Malappuram district. Though Muslims and activists
of the Rasthriya Swayamsevak Sangh took up positions around schools, timely
police intervention averted untoward incidents.
The government had stepped up security
in several sensitive areas following the strong objection taken by Muslim
organisations against reciting the poem during August 15 programmes.
Some Muslim organisations expressed
concern over the directive issued by the education department, under the
Communist state government. They alleged that the government made the order
under pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at New Delhi.
The order, making the recitation
of Vande Mataram compulsory in all educational institutions, was given
by the education department on July 27.
The department had sent a circular
on July 2 allowing the schools to recite any patriotic songs they chose.
However, the July 27 circular specified Vande Mataram as the song to be
sung on the Independence Day.
Students in several parts of the
state skipped the day's programme due to the controversy, which was confounded
by a clarification on Friday night that reciting the poem was not compulsory.
However, heads of schools in many places forced the students to sing the
song, fearing repercussions.
Muslim and Christian organisations
resented the directive as they felt that the poem contained references
hurting their religious sentiments. Muslim organisations under the Sunnis
and Jamaat-e-Islami had called for rejecting the directive.
The Muslim Students Federation,
affiliated to the Indian Union Muslim League, the National Development
Front, the Sunni Students Federation, the Students Islamic Movement of
India and the Students Islamic Organisation came out openly against the
direction.
The MSF termed the directive as
unconstitutional as the poem was in praise of idol worship, and hurt the
Muslim psyche.
Jamaat-e-Islami Kerala Amir Professor
K M Siddique Hassan said the BJP government's decision to make the recitation
of Vande Mataram compulsory showed the fascist face of the party. He said
the poem was against the religious beliefs of Muslims and Christians.
Those who are forcing the Muslims
and Christians to recite such a poem are the people who are trying to divide
the country, he said, appealing to all secular people in the country to
resist the dangerous designs of the BJP.
Students Islamic Organisation secretary
R Yusuf said by heeding the BJP government's direction, the state government
was encouraging the fascist forces. He said the move indicated that the
BJP has started on their hidden agenda. The recitation of Vande Mataram
through telephones also needs to be resisted as it amounted to the misuse
of the official machinery for propagating fascism, Yusuf said.
"This will only widen the communal
chasm," he added, "It is part of a wider move to impose Hindutva on the
country."
Yusuf urged the people to unite
against this.
