(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
Loading ...1,911 views
How easy is it to be a Muslim among the non-Muslims? Ask someone from a Muslim majority area and he will tell that its a very perilous situation. He will base his arguments on the culture that exists in such localities, how modern people are and how difficult it will to get a match for marriage. I, having lived all my life among non-Muslims, don’t agree with his arguments except for the last one 
. His fears are based on stories he has weaved around non-Muslims and this kind of victimized mentality leads to ghettoization.
Faiza has an interesting post on this.
My school is a Muslim minority Institution and that was where i learnt about Islam. I spent 14 years there, right from my KG to higher secondary. Apparenlty, 95% of the girls in my school were muslims so practising Islam was never a problem for us.
But Ethiraj was so different to me. That was te first time in my life I was amidst so many non muslims and I was infact a bit scared in the first few months. There were also a couple of my school friends who said that I would be treated indifferently since I am a muslim. That is certainly, not the truth. I studied in the evening college and the timings were really cool. We used o have only 3 hours of college, it starts at 2.45 and ends by 5.45. But during Ramadhan, we were allowed to leave half an hour earlier. I was really impressed. That was when i really felt the fraternity that our religion preaches and also the values of our Indian society. I go back home happily to break my fast and therfore, fasting was never difficult to me.
Now I’m in BIM. In the hostel. In a place where there are only 3 muslims. Getting food for sahar is a great challenge to us. But our friends are amazing. They are simply superb. I see so many of them asking me what I eat and whether i need any help. Needless to say about our warden Ma’m, Saranya and apparenlty Flames (that’s our gang!!). Ma’m prepared rasam for us, Gayathri made egg gravy, Nandy had lent me her cooker, and Goki did a big shopping with me for this! And there is also TV and Maha who asked me if they can cook for us.I’m really glad. I’m grateful to Allah for having me born as an Indian. This is the spirit of India, Indians. Now i “feel” the meaning of the phrase “Unity in Diversity”. Above all, we are humans. Brothers and sisters, created by one God, the Almighty.
I have increasingly felt that living among non-Muslims has always made me realise my responsibilities as a Muslim. I am constantly reminded of things which I am not supposed to do. It’s like my test of piousness. I don’t get leaves for Friday prayers and no one arranges for congregational prayers. But people are so compromising and helpful that they are ready to help in whatever way they can. My Christian missionary school had a classroom booked for prayers during Ramdhan and students were given special leave during Friday prayers. Here in IITM we have special arrangements for sehar; a mess for food and prayers. The Iftaar party that we organize each year is taken in the right spirit by the administration and few high ranking officials do drop in.
What I feel is that this interaction is must for people of both the communities. Misconceptions are cleared and people get to know what Islam is all about. I had a visitor from my home town today. In our casual conversation he asked me, “are you fasting?”. My positive reply bewildered him. He was amazed how can i manage things here far away from home and above all how do I get fruits at 4 in the morning! Well he was under the impression that Muslims take only fruits in Sehar and that any other food will render the fast invalid. His bewilderment further grew when I told him that I that we are not even allowed to take water during fasting and that I go about doing my normal business during fasting. His confusion was because of lack of interaction with Muslims. Getting socially involved is an absolute must for a country like India which has a such huge diversity in culture. This social interaction narrows the existing divide. People get to know each others view point about topics ranging from religion to politics.
But sadly this communication gap seems to widen each day and the extremist voices are kept happy. They harness this lack on interaction to instill fear among people and weave their virulent agendas. The best way to handle these is my increasing our interactions. People from both the communities should take the initiative to educate the other.
I will write more about the Muslim ghetto societies and it’s ills under the post ‘The society we live in- II’. You can read the first post here
