Author: T R Rajan
Publication: The Times of India
Date: June 29, 2002
Vidya,
This is with reference to your
recent open letter, ‘Disunited Indian Family’ (May 15). The thrust of your
missive to us is that post-Gujarat, families like ours have become worryingly
anti-Muslim and that we are falsely accusing the secular press of bias.
Besides, in your eagerness to defend Muslims, you have all but portrayed
Hindus as bigots and obscurantists.
Let me list out the issues involved:
One, perceived anti-Hindu stance of the national press. Two, the loss of
Muslim lives in the Gujarat riots. Three, feeling among many Hindus that
Muslims are anti-national. Four, prevalence of Hindu symbolism in India.
First Gujarat. The Godhra massacre
was unpardonable, whatever the alleged provocation by kar sevaks. The riots
that followed were a bigger shame. The Gujarat government is squarely responsible
for not providing security to its people, Hindus and Muslims. Nonetheless,
in my view, the media went overboard in portraying the sangh parivar as
the only villain of the piece. This caused it to lose credibility among
the common Gujaratis; indeed, among those who accuse the media of bias
are many locals whose objectivity I could vouch for. The riots went on
and on even as intellectuals debated the culpability of one individual:
Mr Modi. And just when it looked as if supercop K P S Gill would sort out
the mess, the secular Congress stepped in and refused to release battalions
of the Punjab police. Obviously, the Congress couldn’t afford to let peace
return to Gujarat. And no, the secular press won’t be bothered with writing
any of this. Incidentally, why do you say only Muslim lives have been lost
in Gujarat? Twenty-five per cent of the dead are Hindus.
More on the secular press. Just
like the Godless Dravidian parties drove Tamils to embrace God and religion
(the shriller the DK’s and the DMK’s atheistic rhetoric, the louder the
devotional music from temple loudspeakers), the Congress and the Left with
their votebank politics, ably assisted by the secular media, have driven
secular Hindus into the arms of parties (like the BJP) that profess to
protect their interests. The media and such parties will refer to Hanuman
as the monkey god and Ganesha as the elephant god, even if that hurts Hindu
sentiments. Yet, they would not dream of ever referring, even in passing,
to Virgin birth (the Bible) or divine revelations (the Koran) in less than
glowing terms. And why is so little written about caste and untouchability
practices among Muslims and Christians? The liberal media barely protested
when Rushdie’ s Satanic Verses was banned. But it raised a din when SIMI
was banned. Can you truthfully say that the media treatment is even-handed?
Oppression of Dalits and burning
of women for dowry are condemnable and must be prominently reported. But
why not equally the undesirable activities of some of the madrassas and
some Christian missionaries spreading canards and disaffection? The wonderful
educational and medical services rendered by the more laudable of the various
missions are nullified by the activities of the fringe orders among them.
What rankles many is the pregnant silence of the secular media. Loud demands
for the ban of outfits like the Bajrang Dal are seldom made against their
Islamic clones.
As for the perception that Muslims
are anti-national, this probably arises because of factors that go back
by centuries. Although both Islam and Christianity are transnational in
character, the former has embraced many local customs. Many Muslims see
red when a lamp is lit at an inaugural function. Many of our forefathers
have seen their temples destroyed by their Muslim rulers. This hangover
had almost vanished, but has been resurrected by the secularists, assisted
by extremists, both Hindu and Muslim. Add to this the birth of Pakistan
and behaviour of organisations like the OIC. Although India has the second
largest Muslim population, the OIC will exclude India (because it is secular).
The Muslims you have quoted, Sameena,
Yaseen, Ayesha etc may form the majority in their community, but they are
non-visible. I agree with you that anti-Muslim prejudices can drive secular
Muslims to despair. But anti-Hindu tirades similarly affect the Hindus.
Historically, thanks to Islam’s transnational characteristic, some of its
adherents do have adjustment problems. Certain aspects of Islamic practices
may have been perfectly justified in 7th century Arabia, but surely not
today. Just imagine, if practices dictated by Manusmriti were followed
in letter and spirit by Hindus today.
I will come last to the prevalence
of Hindu symbolism like lighting of lamps at public functions (which you
characterise as Hindu; shorn of religion, it is an Indian custom). Let
us accept one thing. We are a predominantly Hindu country, not in the religious
sense but as a culture. Many of the practices you see as Hindu religious
symbols are cultural, and are what signifies the country as a nation. I
used to consult for a large Christian corporate group and later for a Muslim
Gujarati business group. Ayudha pooja and Saraswati pooja were big events
for both, and the latter’s accounting year began on Diwali day.
To hold our practices to ridicule
till they are endorsed by foreigners is an affliction most of us suffer
from.
Yours Rajan
