HVK Archives: Religion as convenience
Religion as convenience - Mid-Day
Editorial
()
December 3, 1997
Title: Religion as convenience
Author: Editorial
Publication: Mid-Day
Date: December 3, 1997
How convenient for Saifee Nadeem Akhtar that he has suddenly discovered
that he is a Muslim. It was obviously not on the top of his mind until a
clever
defence lawyer pointed out to him that it would be -a useful way of quashing
the extradition request -made by the Indian Government in connection with the
murder of Gulshan Kumar. Till recently, Nadeem was boasting of how
"Thackeray uncle" was about to help him out of his predicament: now he feels
that his life is at risk in India because he is a Muslim.
Strangely, his being a Muslim did not stand in the way of his becoming one of
the Hindi film industry's top composers, in collaboration with his Hindu
partner,
Shravan. Nor did his being a Muslim apparently stop him from gathering an
enormous fan following for his music, and that which he has personally in this
country. His fans could not have been only from India's 120 million Muslims.
And then there is the break he got in his career from T-Series magnate,
Gulshan Kumar, another Hindu. Only a little reflection brings out the absurdity
of seeing all things in a communal or religious light.
No, Nadeem, it now seems, protests too much. By playing the Muslim card,
and then using statistics collected by western organisations like Amnesty
International and Asia Watch, he only jeopardises faith in his innocence, with
the common man, if not with the police. Nadeem's guilt or innocence needs to
be proved in the Indian courts, which is where he is being charged. He will
possibly do his case much good if he returns to India and cooperates with the
authorities, rather than take refuge behind the screen of western prejudices
about the poor human rights record in India.
If anything, and perhaps understandably, Nadeem seems like a man lost,
seeking advice wherever he can find it. In this case, the reason could be that
he is too far from home.
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