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HVK Archives: Unpatriotic Muslims do not belong here

Unpatriotic Muslims do not belong here - Mid-day

Khalid A-H Ansari ()
30 June 1997

Title: Unpatriotic Muslims do not belong here
Author: Khalid A-H Ansari
Publication: Mid-day
Date: June 30, 1997

1."The heat and dust over the film Border defies comprehension."

2. "The film may have shown Pakistan in unfavourable light. That does not
mean Indian Muslims have been 'poorly portrayed'."

3. "Islam enjoins its followers to be loyal to the country in which they
reside."

The heat and dust over the film Border generated by a small section of the
Muslim community which claims that it shows them in poor light, defies
comprehension.

Professedly produced to inspire noble sentiments of patriotism and
nationalism, the film is cleverly timed - with an eye squarely on the box
office - for release in conjunction with our Independence golden jubilee
celebrations.

Be that as it may, the hotheads among the 'defenders of the faith' here at
home and in Britain who are demanding that the screening of the film be
banned have nowhere said clearly and unambiguously either that it is
historically inaccurate, presents Islam in bad light, offends their
religious sensibilities and is therefore objectionable.

There would be substance in their argument if they were to back their
demand with cold logic rather than blind emotion.

If there are any such elements in the film they should, by all means,
clinically a unemotional spell them out after which the law could and
should take its course, as the overworked expression goes.

>From what one reads and hears, it appears that some fanatical elements are
crying wolf with mischievous intent. And the sad part is that unsuspecting
followers are once again being misled in the belief that Islam equals
Pakistan. Wrong. Fallacious. Untenable.

The film may have shown P in unfavourable light from a historical
perspective. That does not mean that Indian Muslims have been 'poorly
portrayed', whatever that means.

The sweeping allegation to the effect that many, if not most, Indian
Muslims owe allegiance to Pakistan and should, therefore, be asked to seek
safe haven across the border cannot be taken seriously. Such charges are
too contemptuous for words. They do not deserve to be dignified with a
rebuttal.

But there is no denying the fact that there does exist a small section in
the Muslim community here whose heart, sad to say, resides across the
border earn after 50 years of Independence.

It is this uneducated, unenlightened element that celebrates a Pakistan
cricket victory over India and mindlessly rakes up sensitive issues without
sufficient thought, as in the case under discussion.

It must be emphasised strongly that this unpatriotic component is minuscule
but extremely vocal. This vociferous minority, the fringe element, gives
the entire Muslim community a bad name because of its strident postures and
imbecilic acts such as wearing black armbands on Independence day as a mark
of protest and the like.

Bereft of responsible and enlightened leadership, uneducated Muslims have
been left adrift and to their own devices.

They are manipulated by self-proclaimed, self-serving political leaders
(many thrust upon them by the government in power) or obscurantist bigots
who lead them astray, counsel them to virtually declare 'jehad' in the name
of Allah at the slightest perceived or imagined threat to Islam.

The tragedy is that the depressed followers do not have the good sense
which comes through education to recognised the deceit and manipulation of
which they are victims. All of this provides abundant fodder (to use the
current fashionable term in these days of a scam-a-day) to the ISI
Machiavellis across the border.

Those with divided loyalty would do well to remember that Islam enjoins its
followers to be loyal to the country in which they reside. They also need
to be reminded of Muslim freedom-fighters, of the unsung 'mujahids' who
laid down their lives in the wars against Pakistan and China. And they need
to be told once again that millions of Muslims refused to cross over to
Pakistan because they consider India their mother country.

If they are still unconvinced, they have no business to continue living.


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