Author: Tavleen Singh
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: July 23, 2006
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/9089.html
Introduction: There is little chance of us
winning if we continue to rely on governments in Delhi that have neither the
understanding of how serious the problem is nor the courage to admit that
Indian Muslims are becoming frighteningly influenced by the worldwide jehad
Am I the only one disturbed by a minister
in Mulayam Singh Yadav's government asking for a Muslim Pradesh in western
Uttar Pradesh? Is there nobody in Dr Manmohan Singh's Cabinet who thinks this
a worrying development? It seems that way. Two days after The Times of India
reported Azam Khan's demand, Dr Manmohan Singh and his Cabinet met and discussed
the following subjects. The Sixth Pay Commission, cultural cooperation with
Ireland, ties with Fiji, the protection of tigers and amendments to the Right
to Information Act. Not one word about the dangerously divisive demand by
one of Mulayam's senior colleagues. Do we have a government in Delhi or not?
Do we have a Prime Minister?
As someone who was in Mumbai on the day the
bombs went off and has been here ever since, I ask these questions not just
on my own behalf but on behalf of the people I meet every day in this city.
Like them I am beginning to worry about whether Dr Manmohan Singh's government
is capable of defending us against the ''jehad'' that is being waged against
us so successfully that if it continues unchecked, it could cause a civil
war and worse.
Nearly 200 people were killed in the carnage
on Mumbai's trains and the only response we have seen from the Government
of India is a ludicrous attempt to censor the Internet and vague allegations
against Pakistan. For a start this has to stop. Next time an Indian government
wants to blame Pakistan for terrorism it should do so when it can provide
us with evidence. Or we end up helping Pakistan instead of nailing it and,
more importantly, we mislead Indians into believing that the problem we face
is entirely the creation of a ubiquitous ''foreign hand''.
It is not. It is indigenous. It is a jehad
being fought by homegrown terrorists and the sooner we come to terms with
this the easier it will be to fight it. Having said this I have to sadly add
that there is little chance of us winning if we continue to rely on governments
in Delhi that have neither the understanding of how serious the problem is
nor the courage to admit that Indian Muslims are becoming frighteningly influenced
by the worldwide jehad and the sense that Islam has become the target of some
international conspiracy.
Let me give you an example from Mumbai. When
President Bush came to India, thousands and thousands of Mumbai's Muslims
took to the streets to protest against his visit. Now, whatever objections
we might have to the American President's role in West Asia, from an Indian
viewpoint he has been terrific. In any case, what is interesting is why it
is so easy to get hundreds of thousands of Muslims on to the streets against
cartoons they have never seen and an American president, and so hard to get
them out when 200 citizens of their city are killed for nothing.
Could it be an identification with the worldwide
jehad? My fear is that it is and that it is being fuelled by our own politicians,
who are mentally stuck in a time in which all that mattered was the Muslim
vote. If they understood today's realities the Prime Minister would not have
set up that commission under Justice Rajinder Sachar that is now asking courts
to count the number of Muslim judges they have. It is the sort of commission
that serves mainly to heighten the Muslim sense of alienation.
Why is the Prime Minister so keen on this
kind of exercise? We have a right to know. Just as we have a right to know
why his government does not realise how much it weakens India to view it constantly
as a collection of castes and creeds instead of as a nation. One of our greatest
achievements has been that in the past 20 years or so we have softened the
boundaries of caste and creed and come together strongly as one people, one
country. Dr Manmohan Singh's government seems determined to undo this.
The bombings in Mumbai are proof that we cannot
any more run away from the reality of an indigenous jehad. At such a time,
for a minister to demand a Muslim Pradesh is not just sick, it is an act of
treason. What does the Prime Minister intend to do about this?
tavleen.singh@expressindia.com
