Communalism

SY Quraishi writes: Why we met the RSS chief https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/why-we-met-the-rss-chief-muslim-community-members-dialogue-8172702/ September 26, 2022 

Extract: What prompted us to seek this meeting? Well, our pressing concern is about the way things are going, especially the insecurity being increasingly felt by the Muslim community in the wake of recurring incidents of lynching of innocents, calls by Hindutva hotheads for genocide and the marginalisation of the community in almost every sphere.

What was the meeting like? Of course, we could sense that Bhagwat was speaking from a position of authority. But it was subtle and his demeanour was never overbearing — there was nothing that would make us uncomfortable. In his opening remarks, he emphasised three things: Hindutva is an inclusive concept in which all communities have equal room. The country can progress only when all communities are united, he added. In a very significant statement, he emphasised that the Indian Constitution is sacrosanct, and the entire country has to abide by it. He sought to dispel the fear that RSS is seeking to abandon the Constitution at the first opportunity. And, that Muslims will be disenfranchised.

Bhagwat then said that Hindus are extremely sensitive about two things, the first of which is the cow. His inference seemed to be that in states where there is no legal ban, Muslims should voluntarily shun beef. This should be easy enough if it ensures security for the community. The other sensitivity he mentioned was Hindus being called “kafir”. Our response was that though the original meaning of this Arabic word was non-believer, if it is considered derogatory, Muslims must avoid it completely.

Bhagwat, RSS on same page as us on need for Hindu-Muslim reconciliation: Jung https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/bhagwat-rss-on-same-page-as-us-on-need-for-hindu-muslim-reconciliation-jung-8167529/  Extracts: “The liberals of today will say, why are you talking to RSS? Why do you trust me? I will say that of course I am going to talk to the RSS, my door is open. And I will talk to the Right, to the Left, to priests and clerics and academics and try to convince them that is the only way forward.” Do we represent the community? Maybe not. Nobody has elected or selected us. But we are also the community. We have our perceptions and observations. It was our individual initiative. Are we elitist? Possibly. But nowhere near our accuser, who lives in a palace 10-15 times bigger than our relatively modest houses. We are not illiterate. We are equally aware of the ground realities: Incidents of lynching; calls for genocide; rapes; economic boycott; questioning of voting rights, and discrimination in getting houses or jobs.

Comment on WhatsApp: I don't like the sub-text, that it is the liberal left that opposes such a move. In fact both quereshi and Jung need to be supported. And to take these forward, we should keep replying to messages from the mahasabha and others. But also keep asserting our stand on beef.. that eating it is not disrespect for the cow. In fact, this makes cow economy more viable... All the great indigenious cow species, which have multiple uses support organic agriculture and natural farming. It is breeding purely for slaughter that should be banned. 

PFI OR RSS, What is the Difference, Asks CPI leader Dinesh Chandra Varshney | Left, Right & Centre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm7A-zZhCXc
Sep 23, 2022 'Any organisation that bases its politics on religion - be it PFI or RSS, what is the difference?' said CPI leader Dinesh Chandra Varshney.

Hindu-Muslim enmity must end, solution depends on response to PM's Pasmanda gesture—Swapan Dasgupta  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo_6h9iUxhk Jul 8, 2022

Swapan Dasgupta, who is also a well-known columnist, admitted there is no doubt that a substantial faultline exists between hindus and muslims adding that this enmity cannot be permitted to continue. He emphasized there is now a need for muslims to reciprocate the Prime Minister’s gesture, pointing out that similar earlier gestures by Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, have not been reciprocated.

 Swapan Dasgupta is so far the first and only senior BJP leader and intellectual to willingly address this issue of reaching out to muslims and the connected question why should they respond given the way they have been treated, spoken of and often ‘othered’ or even treated as enemies. I encourage you to see this interview.

 In the interview, Swapan Dasgupta is first asked if this is a response to the widespread criticism India has faced, diplomatically and in the social media, in Arab countries after Nupur Sharma’s recent blasphemous comments about the Prophet? Is it a way of reassuring critics in the Middle East but also in Europe and America that India treats its muslim citizens well and without discrimination?

 https://thewire.in/communalism/radicalisation-of-indian-muslims

if the number of zealots among Muslim Indians attracted to the phantasmagoria of global Islamic Jihad was minuscule, it was because of their country’s secular constitution and the largely salubrious lived experience of being in a plural society –despite sporadic aberrations. 

An Indian Muslim’s psyche today, regardless of their adherence or otherwise to the faith of Islam, is a minefield of rage, frustration, helplessness and fear. There is evidence now to surmise that many have begun to shed their fear and confront the reality head on. The elite among the community may be thinking of the first opportunity to migrate to safer shores where their children can build a decent future, while some perhaps secretly wish their forefathers had not believed in the promise of the republic’s founders that they would be treated as equal citizens.

by Shajahan Madampat

08/07/2022

read more