Comments on: Azamgarh Muslims Should Turn A New Page

By: Milind Kher

Milind Kher — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:05:22 +0000

I agree with the fact that ultimately the will of the genuine Hindus will prevail and pseudo Hindus like Advani, VHP etc will be relegated to the background.

Hinduism is too tolerant a faith to have the likes of the above besmirching its name. You have to only see the massive Hindu turnout at Dargahs like that of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (r.a.) to appreciate the catholicity of the Hindu mind.

The Muslim has nothing to fear from the genuine Hindus. Only saffron brigade goons are a danger.

By: Kaleem Kawaja

Kaleem Kawaja — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:41:07 +0000

1. Adopting Arabic culture, dress mode, lifestyle etc:

A large number of Muslims from Arabia, Iran, Turkey migrated to India over the years and settled down there. Integrating with Hindus they created the Indo-Islamic civilization and culture. That includes a form of dress, food, language, way of life which has some elements from the migrants’ countries of origin and some elements from India.

Today Shalwar-kameez as dress is not Muslim and Saree is not Hindu. It is worn by women of both communities. Look at how much shalwar-kameez has become popular among wonen in South India. This is integration my friend.

For the last six hundred years Indian Muslims have not been wearing Arab garments or eating Arab food or listening to Arab music or using Arab language (other than for religious prayers). Today when many Indian Muslims are working/living in Arab countries, why should they suddenly switch to Arab lifestyle and give up their centuries old Indian lifestyle? Why should they de-integrate from Indian lifestyle?

Why should Indian Muslims try to be imitation Arabs or imitation Iranis or imitation Turks? Why not be what they really are, which is Indian? Albeit Indian lifestyle does not mean the Hindu lifestyle, it means the multireligious, multicultural lifestyle.

Does adopting Arab lifestyle make Indian Muslims more pious Muslims? For sure there is not even the remotest such hint in either Quran or Hadith or the works of countless Sufi saints.

2. Police harassment of Muslims:

Yes in the last 25 years under the influence of Hinduttava votaries a certain anti-Muslim virus has crept into some some Hindu policemen and govt officials and they behave unjustly to wards Muslims. Muslims must protest against that injustice and lobby with the majority secular Hindus to ensure that this virus is eliminated. But surely adopting Arab or Irani lifestyle, dress etc or traveling by the airlines of Muslim countries is only going to worsen the isolation of Muslims. The answer lies in better integration.

3. Indian mainstream:

Today the Indian mainstream is a composite of various religious, ethnic streams with the color of modern (western) culture on it. The Hinduttava votaries who are trying to bring back the ancient Hindu culture in the name of purifying the mainstream are not getting any success. Life always moves forward, not backward.

By: Milind Kher

Milind Kher — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:36:16 +0000

Kaatib,

“Sabr ka phal meetha hota hai” has its own context. When the situation demands action, you cannot have “sabr”. In fact, you have to have “be sabri” because you sense the urgency.

Ayatollah Khomeini had an Islamic REVOLUTION and not EVOLUTION, because, in his perception, that was the need of the hour.

So, we cannot WAIT for things to happen. We need to MAKE them happen.

By: kaatib

kaatib — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:28:15 +0000

By asking and singling out the community which is only 20% of the population once could not resist to ask as to why is the lefover 80% population so isolated about. It seems that when one castigates the Muslims, a lot of perceptions, well perceptions are cleared. So, when we have perceptions to be cleared by innocent blood (that very commodity has been used by the state as well as terrorists), I am sad to add that its more than the tribalism we show in brutally killing goats and bulls in temples, though we do not eat them. Isnt this in conjunction with people accusing muslims of being insensitive to ‘animals’ whereas there have been numeroud things happenings for more than a hundred years now, that nobody has shown ’sensitivity’ towards creatures looking lie human beings (Muslims -even if you do not consider them human, they look like one).
The double standards are killing everything hopeful.
How come we question only 20 out of a 100 and do not feel those 80 accountable. Secularism and democracy do not grow in isolation and those who think that they have it for them and in them by default, should look for the have nots who are more than 50% of this country. We do not have any foreign power to be blamed for in future. Are we going to blame these terrorists for the ills (50 % as defined above) of our future?

By: Naqqaad

Naqqaad — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:05:39 +0000

If we count the negatives (first) and positives (last) we find that the balance is a ‘credit’ as far as Azamgarh is concerned. If we ignore the media blitz which is not short of a war, I calculate that the Shibli, Kaifi, Shabana and Kaleem are more important that Abu Saalem etc that too if we convit him without trial. So, forget the Arabic dress and style becuase it smacks of imposing once dress code and life code on these people whereas these people have adopted it out of love for their host conutries. Contrast this with one fellow who lived in France. If he is not on consonant with the strict and of course targeted secularism, our own media will sermonise him and attack him for his religion whereas the willful acceptance of Arabic culture is taken as a attack on our Indian culture. Mr Kawaja please check whether you have taken Arabic language culture and religion through any tained goggle which is displayed in your country of stay without any reservation of sensitivity to the Arab people. You name too shows the disdain to the language as well!!
If the so called democratic US and West are too weak to Arabic things, why they preach contrary to what they practice. Do you mean once should wear a dhoti and choli to show that he/she belongs to India. Arent then you in league with the Shushma Sawaraj’s of India. Alas! you could have avoided attacking the cultural aspect because it is such a sensitive topic that discarding of tribal choli and ghagra by all in Rajasthan was used to attack Muslims in the 90s and blamed of Madarsa’s. Please remember that each distric of western Rajastan has one mosque each even though they have Muslim population of upto 20%.
Please analyse the situation as a whole and then treat the things so that the task is not defeated.

By: Kaatib

Kaatib — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:52:29 +0000

I fail to understand how the integration of whatever ‘mainstream’ we have in India is a one way street. Like the Muslim majority and Muslim populous towns, we find that the barest of basic amenities are deined to them. Moreover, why we need all Muslim towns and localites 7 star system that too self generated when we have not even a half-star life for most of us Indians, Muslims or Hindus? What is the guarantee that the not one but full batch of MBBS final year students will not be picked up just because they might attend a Juma or Taraweeh together. These have been the causes given as evidence of invlovement of youth in ‘anti-national’ activities like gathering in a mosque after a particular namaz, reading the Qur’an with Urdu translation, a book on namaz in Urdu or even a Urdu Newspaper.
Now, if one insists that Arabic Qur’an is not supposed to be read because it is in Arabic and that all Arabs are terrorising Israel, THE DEMOCRACY, isnt it a crazy situation? This same happens whereever we find a sizeable Muslims population in India. For example, we ask Pakistan to open trade routes for Kashmiri products, basically Apples whereas we claim that its an integral part of India. We are too happy to have the ‘healthy’ Washington, Wellington and Shanghai apples whereas our own Shimla and Kashmiri apple is considered for the not so healthy Indians.
I should wind up by telling all that we Indians, most of whom are Hindus should define the mainstream and join it by practising it as example then only we will grow the teeth to tell other Indians to join the ‘mainstream’ thus defined and practiced. We cant have Supreme and High court judged joining criminal orgs and telling others to follow the suit. I am sure, a day will occur in India when a Muslim PM or President will be arrested like what we see now for an MP, MLA, MLC and Corporator. The rule of land says that even if criminal, the PM or President can only be impeached and removed by the Parliament and not by the government agents viz police.
Unfortunately for common India, Muslim or otherwise, this is yet to happen, so this chaos. We need to come out of the euphoria by media that democracy and that too as practised by us is pennacea (Spelling please).
Democracy is by people and not by FEW people.
Lets stop finding faults with a struggling country like India and a struggling comminity like Indian Muslims. Be patients, things take time to settle down. It took 500 years for the so called developed world to come to the standard they are, so by this logic we are 5 times faster. صبر کا پھل میٹھا ہی ہوتا ہے۔

By: Suraj

Suraj — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:13:58 +0000

Great Post.

I sense Kalim’s deep sadness & a feeling of nostalgia for the good old times of Azamgarh. But who wouldn’t?

Couple of coastal towns in Karnataka/Kerala are also experiencing similar radicalization – as local Muslims in substantial number return from Gulf with misplaced as well as strident anti-hindu & anti-India attitudes. Pre-existing or rather non-existent inter-community relations – only deepen & amplify the mistrust.

By: elite

elite — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:06:54 +0000

Its a nice compilation of historical facts…
Azamgarh is in the news for wrong reasons,i wonder what efforts have taken by the literate Muslim community including the author himself all these years, allowing and waiting till things gone from bad to worst.

By: Hari

Hari — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:28:01 +0000

Good Post !
A nice critical analysis of the situation.
Cleared lot of my perceptions.

By: Milind Kher

Milind Kher — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:57:53 +0000

The notorious reputation of Azamgarh is not something that has developed overnight. For several years now, it has been associated with the underworld.

The relatively more educated people who hail from Azamgarh have also done little for its advancement, as has been pointed out in the article.

Unfortunately, it is not the Muslims of Azamgarh alone who need to improve their reputation, it is Muslims all over – because there is a very heavy propoganda mill working against them.

They clearly need help