Author: Brig (Retd) VRP Sarathy
Publication: indiacause.com
Date: June 28, 2003
In the fifties a talented Muslim
actor (Yusuf Khan) still felt it necessary to assume a Hindu name (Dilip
Kumar) to survive in Hindi movies! Today there are more than a dozen Khans/
Muslim actors flaunting their Muslim name and identity and are doing well,
with a large (including Hindu) fan following in a highly visible medium
like Cinema! Yet the myth is perpetuated in the English media and by some
"secular' politicians/ academicians that Muslims are persecuted in India!
Whatever be their motives (and there are many) in persisting with this
myth, these people do a great disservice to India in the eyes of world
community.
Unlike in the West there were no
organised religious wars (Crusades, Jihads) in the entire history of India!
It is one of the very few countries in the world with no history of anti-Semitism.
India had given shelter to all the persecuted minorities in the world;
Syrian Christians, Armenians, Parsis, Jews, Tibetans and so on. Thus Christians,
Jews, Muslims came initially and were followed by Portuguese, French, and
finally the British who ruled the undivided India! All religions have co-existed
peacefully and have grown here. Hindu tolerance for centuries has been
well-recognised world over! The basic mindset of majority of Hindus is
broad-minded religious belief that all religions lead to (same) God, a
trend distinctly absent in any other, especially Abrahamic (Jewish, Christian
and Islam) religions.
The Hindus did not retaliate even
once as a community, when its members were pulled out of buses (like in
Muktsar) and killed in cold blood, during the entire period of Punjab insurgency.
The much maligned RSS, counselled restraint on the Hindu community! Hindus
have been selectively killed in J&K, almost on daily basis by Pak sponsored
Islamic militants executing a diabolic ethnic cleansing, to which there
has been no retaliation either in J&K or elsewhere in the country where
Hindus are in majority!! To call the Gujarat riots as "ethnic cleansing"
, having been silent to the actual ongoing ethnic cleansing in J&K
for the past three decades, is intellectual dishonesty! A community, which
has consistently shown such exemplary restraint for more than three decades,
is being accused day in and day out as communal, intolerant and medieval!
Majority of the Hindu politicians/
scribes feel a compelling need to project an image of being fair, but go
overboard to be critical or apportion a part of blame on Hindus, a trend
distinctly absent in Muslim scribes/politicians! Therefore if SIMI is to
be banned for "anti national activities" a ban on VHP or RSS is insisted
upon, as a balancing act, to be seen as "secular"! For fear of criticising
the entire Hindu population (vote bank politics) criticism of "sangh
Parivar" comes in handy! There appears to be a fear psychosis in their
(Hindu journalists) minds that if they do or say anything in favour of
the community they will be branded as members of the "Parivar"!
The reason as to why the Hindus
retaliated as a community, to Godhra terrorism needs to be introspected
by "secular" politicians/ media. Is the "majority" community, which has
been tolerant of targeted killing of its members over the years getting
increasingly insecure, developing a "siege" mentality (normally associated
with minority community) losing faith in getting justice from the institutions
of the Government?
Our "secular politicians" are vociferous
that Godhra did not justify Gujarat, but do not concede that Ayodhya too
did not justify Godhra! The same logic is somehow not good for "Hindutva"
forces! Why was the condemnation of Godhra, by the English media and the
"secular" opposition (with the exception of Jayalalitha) so subdued and
half hearted, lacking the same zeal and vigour usually reserved for "sangh
Parivar"?
One wonders what type of editorials
would have been written had the 57 burnt in Godhra were Muslims returning
from Haj, resulting in Muslim backlash on Hindus, a question, all "secular"
politicians and English media must honestly ponder over! Even respected
and level headed Muslim scribes showed bias in obliquely attributing (if
not justifying) Godhra to stories/rumors about disputes with tea vendor,
and "teasing of Muslim women in burqas" on 24 Feb, for Godhra on 27 Feb!
If true, these should have attracted action under "eve-teasing" and not
incineration! Spreading of such rumors by fictitious e-mail, was brought
to light by Prem Shankar Jha (Outlook, 25 Mar2002). Credit is denied to
majority community for not letting the Godhra/Gujarat riots spread to other
parts of the country! In blaming Hindutva forces for Gujarat riots, and
by soft pedaling Godhra the (English) media have obfuscated and wittingly
or unwittingly have shifted the focus from terrorism (which is what Godhra
was) to Hindu-Muslim riots denying the country the dividends that would
have accrued in a more balanced reporting!
US and Israel, retaliate as a state,
against any form of terrorism against their state or their citizens, accepting
casualties in targeted countries as collateral damage! No one called the
recent reprisals against Afghanistan or Iraq by US, as genocide!
The "Hindus being intolerant towards
Muslims" theme ignores past record; When a Hindu Goddess (Saraswati) was
painted in nude, Sita (painted) tied to Hanuman's tail by the likes of
MF Hussain, showing Sita as Ram's sister by groups like the "SAHMAT"(an
unnecessary and avoidable provocation), the Hindus showed exemplary tolerance
and did not indulge in communal riots! They were told to grin and bear
these sacrileges, and view these artistically! Contrast this with banning
of Salmon Rushdie's book in response to perceived Muslim public opinion,
or the reaction of Muslims in J&K to a reported statement about Hazaratbal
controversy, or their indulgence in violence in UP to alleged reports (rumours)
about burning of Quran in Delhi! In India, political alignment with the
Muslim League is "secular", but a permanent "pariah" status (till recently)
for the BJP, despite it being the largest democratically elected party.
No political leader (Hindu or Muslim)
deemed it necessary to criticize statements made by Shahi Imam of Delhi
calling on Arab countries to impose economic sanctions on India if Ram
temple is constructed in Ayodhya, or for fighting with Osama-Bin Laden,
for fear of offending "minority" sentiments, but pounce on Bal Thackrays
and Togadias! Governments assume control of Hindu temples; religious places,
but spares places of worship of other faiths! A "secular" majority community
(Hindu) government subsidizes 150 Crores of taxpayers money every year
on (Haj) pilgrimage (by Air) on Muslims, a Congress legacy, not followed
in any other nation (including Muslim Pakistan). conversion is another
wound often inflicted on the non-proselytizing Hindu community!
An emotionally ruined family I know,
mirrors Indian secularism! Of the two kids, the elder was normal, God fearing
and obedient; whereas the younger kid ailing with fits, was adamant, possessive
and weak. Family Doctor recommended delicate and sensitive handling of
the second kid and avoid physical punishments! The parents resorted to
punishing the elder one whenever his kid brother erred, which was often,
to make an example, as it was against doctor's advice to punish him directly!
So much resentment built up in the psyche of the elder boy that over a
period he turned aggressive, violent, losing respect for parents, institutions
and authority!
The Indian polity and media need
to honestly introspect if the country is to be saved from ruination and
stop treating minority communalism with kid gloves in the name of secularism,
causing resentment and estrangement in majority community!
(Brig VRP Sarathy is a resident
of Chennai joined Army after graduation in 1962. In a career of over three
decades in the Army, he actively participated both in 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak
wars in J&K sector. He was decorated twice, both during war and peace.
Served in Ladakh, Kargil, North East and other sensitive places. Commanded
units in North East, and in Ferozpur during Punjab insurgency and is well
versed in counter insurgency operations.)
