The current episode of Taslima Nasreen once again has brought out the hypocritical attitude of many Indians. I am amused about the hullabaloos made by the BJP, the Sangh Privar and some others for this Bangladeshi writer.
However, when it comes to dealing with the economic migrant from our neighbouring court, the same set of people wear the Hindu nationalist cloak and demand ‘operation push back’ for those poor and hungry people who want to feed their belly on the Indian soil. To them such people would turn India become a Muslim rastriya.
The other hypocrisy that comes out very clearly from this episode is while the Sangh Privar and others welcome Taslima Nasreen, a foreigner with open arms to live any where in India, they have booted out MF Hussein, the living Picasso of India from his own country.
It seems the ninety-year-old living legend is heading to become another Bahadur Shah Zafar who may bemoan for not getting two meters of land for his burial in his own motherland.
Well I need to be educated whether there has been any painter that can be equated with personalities like Dadu, Nanak, Kabir, Pipa, Aryabhtta and many others who have left an impression on the Indian civilisation. I tried to search a person in the field of painting that can match the greatness of such luminaries of India but have not stumbled upon even one name.
My idea is to say that M F Hussein undoubtedly is the greatest painter that India has produced in the modern times. It is irony that he has to live in exile for his alleged attempt to draw the Hindu goddess that may have hurt some Hindus brethren’s sentiments.
The big question is, was Hussein the first person in India to indulge in such an activity? Well we just need to flip through the pages of Indian history books to find that they are littered with much worst kind of painting then what Hussein has drawn.
Then why this aged Indian citizen has being singled out? Perhaps because Hussein bears a Muslim sounding name!
Well such hypocritical attitude and many others do not portray the picture that India is shining.
So naive of Mujtaba if you question the persecution of MF Husain. There is no word coming from the enquirers of absence of liberal voice from muslims. This is ‘nationalism’ dear and why you have total amnesia, that MF Husain in a muslim name and Husain has not repudiated Islam. I bet if most of them do not consider Salman Rushdie to be Muslim, the day he says I am sorry to Muslims, he too will be ‘descularised’ ala Javed Akhtar.
Definition: Who is a liberal Muslim?
Ans: One who calls any practising Muslim a Mulla and denigrates Islam and Muslims.