Communal Harmony Story of India

When Old Delhi Came Together to Shower Petals on A Temple Yatra and Serve Food at the Bhandaara…. Abu Sufyan says, “We have shown the way to India”

This reminds me of how we have shown conflict Mitigation in America when Pastor Jones wanted to burn 3000 copies of the Quran.

Way back in the ’60s- when Jabalpur riots broke out,  Muslims and Hindus were throwing soda bottles at each other and several people were killed. My father sat us down along with friends and said this – if the first two individuals, let’s say Ram and Raheem were stopped from fighting, nothing would have happened. The quarrel was between the two,  it should have stayed between them, but within minutes each other’s friends join to beat up on the other and by the end of the day, it became a Hindu Muslim riot. They were store owners next door to each other fighting over who can read the morning newspaper. Then my father said, the quarrel was between the two idiots and not HIndus and Muslims.  I will always remember that the fights, wars, and riots start with two individuals and not religions, even if the idiots say Allahu Akbar or Jai Shree Ram. It is the individuals and not religions. Religions don’t have legs to walk and fight.

Courtesy of TheCitizen.In

NEW DELHI: It was a rare but warming sight in the winding lanes of Old Delhi. Despite the trepidation and anxiety that kept women and children indoors, the men folk of both communitiies came out to greet a Shobha yatra to reinstall idols in the temple at Lal Kuan, with flowers and bottles of water.

The Aman committee formed after the violence in Lal Kuan in which the temple was stoned, was there to greet the procession along with the residents of Old Delhi. They showered rose petals, offered bottles of water, and this gesture at the very beginning of the yatra diffused what could have become a very tense situation.

And if this was not enough the bhandaara organised by the temple, had the Muslim residents serving the food to the processionists. Another gesture that brought smiles to tense faces and contributed towards a peaceful end to a very tense day. The Delhi police that have played an exemplary role and earned the respect and support of both communities over the past few days, were present in large numbers. Ninety one CCTV cameras, along with audio, were installed in the area..

In the absence of conventional leaders —with all political representatives having disappeared from view—the residents of Old Delhi too peace into their hands and worked day and night to ensure that there was no disturbance during the course of a Shobha yatra to re-install idols in the temple at Lal Kuan.

It might be recalled that a clash between the two communities over a petty parking issue had resulted in stone throwing, with the Durga temple vandalised in the confrontation. The anger was contained then by the two communities who formed an Aman committee, and worked with the Delhi police to bring about an agreement in which the Muslims agreed to repair the temple. Those responsible for the violence were arrested.

There was no dearth of good samaritans. Young man Abu Sufiyan did the work that journalists no longer bother with, recording the procession, the arrangements, interviewing key persons and releasing the videos of peace on the social media to bust rumours that were aimed at inciting passions on the streets. Sufiyan diligently videographed the efforts for peace, while the eight member peace committee worked with the police to ensure that no spark was ignited by mischief makers that would set the area on fire.

Although Twitter kicked up a storm, on the ground in Old Delhi the peace committee and residents worked to diffuse rumours of big build ups on both sides, of sinister plans by the one community to attack the other. These were diffused again through positive posts on the social media and direct contact with residents. The Aman committee of both Hindus and Muslims did a good job, and according to the local residents, did amazing work to keep the situation under control. Not just that but to promote “bhai chara” between the residents, with the bhandaara in which the committee made the Muslims participate, and the joint reception with flowers and water going a long way for peace.

Sufiyan said, “when the trouble began we all really felt the need for political leaders as we had no idea what to do. But now that the people here have taken over, we are actually happy that none of them came here. They would have only complicated matters and perhaps made the situation very tense.” Instead the residents took over and have shown the country the power of the people in what was a very exacting and tense situation that went out of hand, but was immediately brought back in control.

As the local residents said, it is difficult to find words to express how this was done, and then as a young man piped up with a smile, “but we did it!” Sufiyan had the last word, “we have shown the way to all of India.”

Credit for Videos and photographs ABU SUFIYAN

Every time I read about Indian Jews leaving India, I wish they had not, then I realized that I have left India too, but of course, Indian blood runs in my veins. Two of the famous Indian Actors were David, who went to Canada, and Nadira (Film AAN fame with Dilip Kumar) died in 2016.

Mike

The Indian synagogues preserved by Muslims

By Kalpana Prodhan & Sreya Chatterjee 18 April 2019
Courtesy BBC News 

For more than 100 years, the synagogues in Kolkata, India, have been cared for by Muslims in a shining example of friendship uniting faith.

Pictures courtesy Getty’s image

       

Birth of the ‘Baghdadis’

For nearly 140 years, from 1772 to 1911, Kolkata was the capital of British India – a bustling commercial city on the bank of the Hugli River in the heart of West Bengal. Its strategic position, roughly 150km upstream from the Bay of Bengal, not only brought foreign trade, but also enticed several foreign communities – from Chinese to Armenians to Greeks – to migrate to the thriving city. Among them were Jews from the Middle East.

Known as ‘Baghdadis’ or ‘Baghdadi Jews’ because of their origins in modern-day Iraq, Syria and other Arabic-speaking places, Jewish immigrants began settling in Kolkata in 1798 after a trader named Shalom Cohen came in search of riches. As news spread of Cohen’s success in the trade of diamonds, silk, indigo, opium and cotton, Kolkata’s Jewish population grew rapidly, and by the early 1900s, thousands of Jews were living harmoniously alongside Kolkata’s many Hindus and Muslims.

Disappearing act

After World War Two, as many as 5,000 Jews resided in Kolkata. During the community’s peak in the 1940s, Kolkata was home to five synagogues, as well many Jewish businesses, newspapers and schools. Today, what was once India’s largest Judaic community has dwindled to fewer than 24 people, as many Baghdadi Jews have immigrated to Israel, the US, Britain, Canada and Australia.

Yet, while Kolkata’s Judaic population ages and shrinks, its remaining community continues a cross-cultural tradition that has existed for the past three generations: its three remaining houses of worship are maintained and cared for by Muslim men.

Family across faiths

Climbing the marble staircase and pushing past the stained glass window of Kolkata’s Beth El Synagogue, built in 1856, visitors may come across a rare sight: a team of four white-clad Muslim men busy polishing the wooden balconies, sweeping the chequered marble floors and ensuring that the Star of David and seven-pointed menorah adorning the building’s sand-coloured facade are clean.

Several of the caretakers, such as Siraj Khan, a third-generation Muslim employee whose family has been maintaining the synagogue for more than 120 years, have grown up alongside Beth El’s few remaining members. According to AM Cohen, general secretary of Kolkata’s Jewish Community Affairs, Khan and the other Muslim caretakers of the city’s synagogues are considered part of the Jewish family.

Religious relatives

Just 300m from Beth El, one of Kolkata’s other remaining synagogues, Magen David, a towering Italian Renaissance-style red-brick building, is also maintained by four different Muslim men whose families have looked over the temple for generations. Like at Beth El, after the caretakers unlock the doors and turn on the altar lights, illuminating Hebrew inscriptions of the Ten Commandments, the workers often gather in a courtyard to unfurl a prayer rug towards Mecca and bend in prostration to Allah.

According to Jael Silliman, one of Kolkata’s last remaining Jews and author of the digital archive Recalling Jewish Calcutta, which aims to preserve the memories and legacy of the city’s Jewish community, there has always been a cultural familiarity between Muslims and Jews in Kolkata, as the earliest Jewish immigrants to the city spoke Judeo-Arabic and wore Arabic attire.

Beyond Kolkata, the two religions have a long history of overlap. Fittingly, during the tumultuous years before and during World War Two, many European Jews fled Nazi Germany and found safe refuge in Kolkata. Like their Jewish Middle-Eastern predecessors, these newly arrived European refugees soon found that they had a lot in common with the Muslims who made up Kolkata’s largest minority group – from similarities between kosher and halal food to their music and dance.

Special bond

“God is everywhere, be it a mosque, temple, church or synagogue, and working in this quaint synagogue is a service to God that I do wholeheartedly,” said Khan (pictured), whose grandfather and father cared for the Beth El Synagogue, and who now maintains it alongside his brother.

“His name or form is not to be differentiated when the language of love and kindness is spoken. And this special bond is what I feel with this synagogue.”

Melting pot

West Bengal is home to India’s third-highest concentration of Muslims, and Kolkata, its capital, has always been something of a haven for religious tolerance. While the majority of the 4.5 million population is Hindu, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Sikhs from across the world have long co-existed in the so-called ‘City of Joy’.

Today, it’s not uncommon in Kolkata for Hindus to join Muslims in mosques to celebrate the Eid-al-Adha ‘Festival of Sacrifice’ – one of the holiest Islamic holidays. The Jewish Girls’ School that was established in Kolkata in 1881 is now predominantly Muslim. And every year during the holy Hindu celebration of Durga Puja and the Christian Christmas festivities, a sea of Bengali revellers, regardless of religion, routinely take to the streets to dance.

Fading away

According to AM Cohen, a few factors led to Kolkata’s Jewish population disappearing after the end of World War Two.

First, India’s independence from Britain in 1947 signalled an uncertain time for India’s Jews. Banks and businesses became nationalised, and many Jewish property owners, fearing their assets may be taken by the Indian government, moved to Britain or the US.

In addition, the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 spurred a steady migration of Jews from India and from around the world to the new country.

Uncertain future

Today, Kolkata’s dwindling Jewish population faces a very uncertain future. While both the Beth El and Magen David synagogues are now recognised as protected heritage buildings by the Archaeological Survey of India, they – along with the city’s oldest synagogue, Neveh Shalom – haven’t held regular Saturday services since the late 1980s due to a lack of attendance. According to the Jewish minyan congregational quorum, 10 adult males must be present to sanctify public prayer, and there aren’t enough Jewish men left.

In the 1940s, Ian Zachariah, treasurer of Emunah Calcutta Jewish Trust, remembers that the wooden seats at Kolkata’s synagogues used to be filled with hundreds of worshippers during the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Now, the three buildings are only open by special appointment or by asking one of the Muslim caretakers, who are paid to look after the temples by the Emunah Calcutta Jewish Trust, to enter.

Of the 24 or so Jews who continue to live in Kolkata, most are over the age of 50 and older than their Muslim brethren who continue to maintain the synagogues.

An Indian inspiration

As violence and political tension against Jews and Muslims continue to draw headlines throughout much of the world, Kolkata’s Muslim caretakers and their commitment to looking after these Jewish synagogues are a reminder that these two communities share much in common, and the importance of loving one’s neighbour.

Kolkata’s Jewish population may soon fade away, but as long as there is someone to care for the temples, open the doors and let visitors in, a part of their heritage will live on thanks to their Muslim brothers.

Video by Kalpana Prodhan, text by Sreya Chatterjee.

Breaking Barriers is a BBC Travel series featuring inspiring tales of unity and humanity in theatres of dispute and division.

Have Muslims Stood up for the Oppressed?

Have Muslims Stood up for the Oppressed?

If we don’t stand up for others, why should anyone stand up for us?

Muslims have to decide, believe and practice what Prophet Muhammad said, think for your brother what you want for yourselves? Was Prophet Muhammad’s scope of wisdom limited to a group of people or his kindness was for all humans beings?

I am proud of the pluralistic heritage of India. Over the last thousand years, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, and Jews have done everything to be a part of each other and yet have retained their identities. The society has developed a broad common culture to the shameful exclusion of Dalits and Adivasis, who are considered inferior humans; it is repulsive to think that such attitudes exist even now.

What did Muslims do? While I have many great examples to share, but most Muslims treated the Dalits in the same manner, as the ones they accuse of mistreating; the upper caste Hindus. 

A lot of work is done to correct thousands of years of DNA’d attitudes of the caste system; this disgusting practice needs to go. We are talking about human dignity and respect the God-given uniqueness of each one of us. Thanks to Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar and thousands of Indians for taking up the issue to correct the wrongs of yesteryears.  My father was bold enough to break the norms and invited the Dalits in our home to share tea or a meal with us, and eating from the same utensils that we used. On my part, I fought vigorously at the street corner water taps to give equal access to the Dalits. Many of you have done that.

Who does not want to be treated equal and included? Equal treatment of fellow humans was one of the reasons why many Dalits converted to Islam. But joining Islam did not give them the good they were looking for, they are still outcast Muslims, and Muslims in India have their own version of prejudice, Pakistan has its own version and other nations have their own versions.  A few consider themselves superior to the others – Ashraf, Syed’s and from the family of the Prophet.

How is one superior to the other? Do these Muslims know that even if you were the daughter of the Prophet, you don’t have any advantages over others unless you personally earn your place through good deeds – that is serving others without any return? 

I hope and pray that Muslims get rid of their prejudices, treat all humans as equal (Prophet’s statement) and stand up for the rights of others. If you are an authentic Amin, you’ll earn the respect of fellow humans for the common good.

Elections are coming up, Muslims need to seriously talk with the individual legislators to consider representing all Indians and shelve narrow interests. They should represent all or none and not be sold to any interest groups.  Together Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Dalits can be relevant in restoring India to be a great nation again.   It is time for Muslims to make up for their short-comings of the past, and become a just people and stand up for the rights of others and when we do that, more and more people will come around and we can build an India that is good for all.

The following inspirational video is worth watching  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOJXFf4BXtc

What about Owaisi and MIM Party;

You may have your own opinion, but Owaisi is as divisive as some of the other parties. We don't necessarily need Muslims to represent Muslims, what we need is our elected officials to represent every Indian. Muslims and Dalits need to reach out to the individual candidates regardless of what party they belong to.  The extremists won't listen, but the majority wants justice and fairness, even among BJP.

Owaisi's divisiveness lost 17 seats where Muslims were running through other parties, he stuck his candidates and divided the Muslim vote. He is hell-bent on doing that again in Karnataka. He needs to be kicked out of Muslim politics.  If other parties are divisive, let them, let's us be builders of our Nation.

We simply cannot go wrong if we pursue policies for the well being of all Indians, even though we are suffering.

Related Article: Can a Muslim become Prime Minister of India? http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2012/05/can-muslim-indian-become-prime-minister.html

Mike Ghouse

Tarek Fatah and Indian Muslims at odds

Tarek Fatah is the new provocateur in India with his TV show “Fatah ka Fatwa” on Zee News. While most Muslims go about living their lives, a few could not stand his slant on their practices and attacked him at the Jashn-e- Rekhta, the festival of Urdu language in New Delhi.

There are two sides to the conflict and am pleased to present both views.

Fatah is as intolerant as the people who mistreated him.  He cannot handle criticism and that is his greatest weakness. He is known to cut you off from his facebook page, yahoogroups or other social media if you differ with him. 

The guy is trapped in the net cast by the right leaning groups and is too eager to appease them, and of course delivers the words they want to hear. He validates the stereotyping of Muslims for them. All the while, he relishes the thrills in vexing those few Muslims. 

The right groups’ hypocrisy is incredible.  They want to throw out the Pakistani players and singers but they love the Pakistani bashers. As Mahmood in the film Padosan says, “Ek pay rehnaji”. Tarek Fatah is their man who bashes Pakistan and also Muslims. They got two in one devil. What has happened to the integrity?
 

I would have admired him as a reformer, if his intent was to bring the change, but his intent is not reform but trouble making. You have to be a part of the change to bring the change, you cannot be apart and dictate Muslims what to believe and what to do. That is the problem with bellicose reformers like Fatah. If he follows Mahatma Gandhi, he would succeed, some of the changes he advocates are needed.

However, the Muslim behavior towards him was not Muslim in any fashion. I am sure each one of the guys that misbehaved towards Tarek can easily recite how Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) treated people who differed with him.  He was kind even towards the lady who threw trash on him, he prayed for the miscreants in Taif who pelted rocks at him and there are plenty of examples that they quote so gleefully, but don’t believe in it enough to practice it.  

I urge Muslims to be Muslims and see how you earn respect from fellow humans. Be the Amins of the society and be the conflict mitigaters and goodwill nurturers.

If you entertain the ugly thought of harming Tarek Fatah, I will tell you God will protect him, not because he deserves it, but because you are unjust and mean towards him. On the Day of Judgment Prophet will go against you if you are unjust towards fellow humans.

We don’t like anyone from the majority to silence us, but we are doing the same to others who differ from us. We need to clean up ourselves from the duplicity.  Our inside and out should be the same.

It is embarrassing that some of us do not have faith in God, Prophet or the Quran, yet they claim to be faithful.  They think God is a weakling and will disappear if someone criticizes him and believe that Prophet Muhammad needs their protection; can you believe that mind set? It should be the other way around God protects us all, and Prophet’s mercy is upon all of us, not just Muslims.

Harassment of Tarek Fatah is not acceptable; this is a dangerous trend of silencing people. People like Taslima Nasreen, and Tarek Fatah have come and gone, but the bad behavior of those few Muslims make all of us look bad. 

God, Quran and the Prophet are not going to disappear because someone criticizes them, they are here forever. Instead of fighting with them, we need to fight with ourselves in finding the answers to their criticism.  Over the years, I have accepted ugly challenges from men and women who attacked these; I’ve studied many versions of translations and have taken up challenges from the rough rods.

Please visit www.QuraanConference.com to read the whole story.  That’s how strong my faith is and I thank Allah and the Prophet for the guidance. I hope you’ll earn your faith through accepting challenges gracefully and responding reasonably.



The right thing to do is challenge Tarek Fatah to a debate, be prepared to lose, he is very knowledgeable. Getting angry at him or simply quoting Hadith won’t cut it; he will make you look like a fool when he points out that it is not a legitimate quote.  Study the wisdom of the Hadiths but please beware of the fake Hadiths that go against God’s qualities of Rahman and Rahim and justice. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is a mercy to mankind, and if a Hadith shows him to be unkind and a misogynist, it is a fake Hadith.

Tarek will lose if you use the wisdom to challenge him, you will lose if you use the circular logic that Quran says so or Hadith says so, full stop!  Full stop discussions have no place in Islam. What you read is not the whole truth, even the translation of Quran are flawed (read four translations to know the truth). We have to learn, see the signs of God and continue to learn.

Men like Fatah are needed in the world to challenge Muslims who cannot think. Islam is covered up with layers of myths that are not Islamic, and we have the responsibility to clean it up. Thanks to him for stirring it up the dust.

Only Allah decides who is wrong or right as far as Imaan is concerned, and not you or me. Only Allah should be feared, if these guys act like Allah to frighten others, they are committing shirk.

Do us Muslims a favor, if you want to harass others, be a bully, do it in your own name, and not in the name of Islam; none of us are authorizing you to do bad things in the name of Islam. You are on your own today as well as on the Day of Judgment.  Your acts are your own, and have nothing to do with Islam. I don’t care what you do, but don’t do anything to malign Islam and don’t be arrogant to believe that God and the Prophet need your protection, they don’t need you, you need them to help you become kind, just and respectful of God’s creation; life and environment.

God bless you.

Dr. Mike Ghouse is President and Executive Director of the Center for Pluralism committed to building a cohesive America where no American has to live in tension, apprehension or fear of the other. He is a pluralist, thinker, writer, activist, motivational speaker and a news maker. He offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More about him in 65 links at www.MikeGhouse.net

Pakistani Hindus are a resilient minority too

Pakistani Hindus are a resilient minority too | MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.comhttp://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2015/06/pakistani-hindus-are-resilient-minority.html

It's a  fascinating article about Pakistani Hindus, Sameer Arshad writes, "The likes of Karni do not fit into how Pakistani Hindus are perceived in India" and most Indians would nod yes to it.   There is no doubt about the persecution, abductions and forcible conversions that are going in Pakistan; unfortunately the government has failed Pakistanis in protecting the rights of all citizens. Those thugs should not call themselves Muslims. Here is another story to it as well, that Sameer has painted it well.  The Pakistani Muslims have hard time believing that Indian Muslims would not want to live in any other nation than India.
Both Nations are identical in nature; they are indeed copy cats in doing bad things. Nuclear power, minorities live in apprehension, honor killing/bride burning, forcible conversions/ ghar wapasi, church burning, both deny visa to each other, and the leaders on both sides don't have the balls to put their foot down. Then the right wing Hindus of India and right wing Muslims of Pakistan speak the same language. What we need to do is to speak up against the extremists, because the majority of all of us are good people, be it religious, nationalistic or whatever stick, 

Some 12 years ago, I spoke at Hare Krishna Temple in Dallas on the eve of Janamashtami, several Pakistani Hindu Americans came up and talked to me, and said that they could relate with me. And in Louisville, my second home, I spoke at length with Dr. Lohano and Dr. Bhimani - yes, I could relate with them; the story is same except role reversals.  I am focused on initiating a course on Pluralism at this time, if not there is a need to study the Majority Minority relationships - no matter what religious cloak you wear, the behavior is identical.  The responsibility to call ourselves a civil society falls on the majority in how they treat their minorities.  No nation on the earth can be called completely civilized nation. May be we need to develop a civility index and measure nations.

I have appended three related articles below if you have the time.

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net 

# # # #
Pakistani Hindus are a resilient minority too
Coutresy - Times of India
Disbelief swept social media when the scion of an influential Pakistani Hindu family, Karni Singh, married an Indian woman with much Rajput pomp in Jaipur last week. It was understandable as any mention of Pakistani Hindus conjures up images of a necessarily persecuted minority. Expressions like influential Pakistani Hindu groom as such naturally sound oxymoronic. How has been it possible for Karni’s family to maintain its status and influence? This was the question that baffled many. The likes of Karni do not fit into how Pakistani Hindus are perceived in India. It has a lot to do with the idea of India seen as an ideal one in contrast with flawed Pakistan and prompts a broad-brushed portrayal of Pakistani Hindus as essentially hounded. The depiction cloaks complicated issues of class and caste besides admirable resilience of many Hindus, who have excelled in varied fields despite odds.

Karni Singh’s family is one of many upper caste Hindus, who have made a mark in politics, judiciary, activism, sports and fashion. In fact, at least one Hindu business family is among the highest taxpayers in Pakistan along with two Parsi clans of hoteliers and winemakers. In politics, Karni’s family has excelled since partition when its patriarch and Hindu Sodha clan head Rana Arjun Singh stayed back in Pakistan. He was a Muslim League member, who ignored calls for joining the Congress. Arjun Singh’s son, Chander Singh, carried forward his legacy and went on to become a parliamentarian, a federal minister and founding member of liberal Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Chander Singh enjoyed cross-border influence to the extent that he brokered the India-Pakistan thaw that facilitated then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s historic Lahore trip in 1999.

Karni’s father, Rana Hameer Singh, now holds sway in Thar Desert region that has a large Hindu population as Sodha Rajput head. His family has maintained its status in the area over centuries despite many destabilising upheavals due to its unique legacy. Hameer’s forefather and Amarkot (now Umerkot) ruler Rana Prasad had given refuge to emperor Humayun and his pregnant wife after Sher Shah Suri ousted the Mughal emperor in 1540. The royal couple’s illustrious son, Akbar, was born in Amarkot two years later under Rana Prasad’s protection. Akbar would perhaps have never been able to reclaim his father’s empire and expand it had not it been for Rana Prasad’s help. The bond boosted Hindu-Muslim affinity in syncretic Sindh. It endured in places like Umerkot even after the horrible rupture in 1947 that convulsed large parts of the subcontinent. The syncretism was evident when Rana Hameer Singh was anointed his father’s successor in May 2010. A large number of Hindus and Muslims joined his grand coronation in a procession in Hindu-dominated Mithi town. Hameer Singh arrived at the venue to his coronation in a convoy of hundreds of vehicles as two girls performed aarti. Hameer Singh sat on a decorated chariot while Rajputs in traditional headgear lined the road amid Hindu chants as part of an 800-year-old coronation tradition.

Communist leader Sobho Gianchandani was antithesis of the Ranas and perhaps best embodied Hindu resilience in Pakistan. His death aged 94 in Larkana in December 2014 ended his seven decade struggle against the establishment, imperialism, dictatorship, unjust society and Sindh’s autonomy. Gianchandani, who belonged to a landed upper caste family as well, refused to leave Pakistan in 1947 even as he was repeatedly incarcerated after his Communist Party of Pakistan was proscribed six years later. His consciousness was shaped a decade earlier while he studied at Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan University. Gianchandani remained resolute as one of Pakistan’s best-known Marxists. He organised peasants and industrial workers. The mobilisation helped Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s socialist PPP win the 1970 national election within two years of its formation. Pakistan’s slide began after General Zia-ul-Haq deposed Bhutto and had him hanged. The USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan eight months later made Zia the darling of the west as he colluded with it against the Soviets. Gianchandani was a leading voice of dissent against Zia-US alliance that abused religion, boosted fanaticism and began corroding the society in the 1980s. Despite his lifelong anti-establishment credentials, the government at least recognized Gianchandani’s contribution to literature when he became the first Sindhi to be awarded Pakistan Academy of Letter’s Award of Excellence in 2004.

Away from the uncertainty of activism in feudal, rural Sindh, designer Deepak Perwani remains Pakistan’s best-know fashion designer and most glamorous Hindu. He belongs to landed elite among Pakistani Hindus based mostly in Karachi and Hyderabad and remains enduring symbols of the country’s soft power. As the face of Pakistani fashion globally, the iconic fashion designer has been the originator of Islamic fashion festival, He was named Pakistan’s cultural ambassador to China and Malaysia a decade earlier. Deepak’s brother, Naveen Perwani, is among Pakistan’s best-known snooker players, who has represented the country globally and won medals at the Asian Games. But cricketer Danish Kaneria remains the country’s most successful Hindu sportsman. He became the country’s highest wicket-taking test spinner before match-fixing ended his promising career. Kaneria’s cousin, Anil Dalpat, too played for Pakistan in the 1980s.

Pakistani Hindus are predominantly traders, who have excelled in big businesses as well. Hindu-owned Chawla International (CI) is one of Pakistan’s biggest agricultural products company. It is among the largest suppliers of pesticides and owns Pakistan’s biggest rice mill. Businessman Bhagwan Das Chawla set up CI in December 1999 after excelling in family trade in tobacco, coal and beverages. Chawla’s main business before 1999 was octroi/tax collection nationally for the government with annual turnover of one billion.

Beyond business, Captain Danish earned the distinction of being the first Pakistani Hindu army officer when he was commissioned in 2006. Another officer Aneel Kumar has followed in his footsteps. Both belong to Sindh and joined the army despite family opposition. Danish has served in Wana in Pakistan’s tribal areas, where army soldier Ashok Kumar died fighting Taliban terrorists last year.

In judiciary, Rana Bhagwandas remains a role model thanks to his integrity. He went on to take the highest judicial post when he served as the first Hindu and third non-Muslim chief justice of Pakistan. He headed the country’s Federal Public Service Commission after his retirement. Bhagwandas is a regular visitor to Hindu mystic Neelu Bhagwan’s ashram in Uttar Pradesh and a follower of Sindh’s most-venerated saint Ishtadeva Uderolal Jhulelal or Darya Shah. The saint epitomises Sindh’s unique syncretic culture. Both Hindus and Muslims venerate mystics like Jhulelal, who are often known by different names among the two communities. A mosque and a temple exist in harmony on Jhulelal’s mausoleum complex near Sukkur in Sindh.

Sindh retains the semblance of its inclusive past as a result of the legacy of the mystics such as Jhulelal. It is home to all religious and ethnic communities. Over 90% Pakistani Hindus live in the province, where Hindus account for 49% of the population in Umerkot, 46% in Tharparkar and 33% in Mirpurkhas district. Their population varies from 8-19% elsewhere in Sindh. A majority of them belong to lower castes, who have not been beneficiaries of caste reform like in India. It is no coincidence that the Ranas, Gianchandhanis, Perwanis, Kanerias, Chawlas etc are all upper caste and largely shielded by vulnerabilities Dalits face particularly in rural Sindh. The plight of lower castes mirrors that of Muslim peasants reeling under the oppression of waderas (landlords), who dominate politics and have frustrated all attempts to carry out land reforms.

A minuscule minority of Goan Christians and Parsis like upper caste Hindus have excelled in virtually all fields purely because of their class. Goan Christian community in particular has given Pakistan some of its finest journalists, top ranking military officers, educationists, sportspeople, businessmen, musicians, jurists etc. Its affluence is in total contrast to Dalit Christian converts in Punjab, who continue to suffer discrimination like Hindu scheduled castes. A weak state and deep-rooted feudalism compounds their problems and make them softer targets of violence. Benefits of the quota systems in legislative bodies and jobs have not benefited lower castes as the state sees the Hindus as a monolith without taking yawning disparities between upper and scheduled castes into account. Reservations as such have been reduced to tokenism as upper castes exclusively benefit from them. Except Khatu Mal Jeewan, Kanji Ram and Poonjo Bheel, all other 21 Hindus lawmakers in Pakistan’s parliament and four provincial assemblies are upper caste. Pakistani activists have long complained 10% upper caste Hindus rule the majority 90% scheduled castes.

Quotas in jobs have not helped lower castes either at both federal and provincial levels as they are not exclusively entitled to them. Minorities on the whole irrespective of their varied conditions are entitled to five per cent job reservation in federal government services, including the Central Superior Services (equivalent of Indian Administrative Services) and provincial jobs in Punjab and Sindh. Smaller provinces Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa offer them three per cent job reservation. Quotas would remain meaningless as long as they are not implemented with greater sense of purpose that ends all forms of discrimination as well. Perhaps serious revision of text books that portray minorities as the other could be the first step in this direction. Pakistani state’s attempts to overhaul the country in the face of existential nihilistic Taliban threat would remain meaningless unless well-being and equality for minorities is not ensured. It is now or never for Pakistan to understand diversity is a strength that needs to be nurtured. The sooner it is realised, the better it would be for the state at crossroads and corroding from within courtesy Zia’s toxic legacy of exclusion dating back to the 1980s.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
 

Sameer Arshad is a chief copy editor with The Times of India. He primarily rewrites and edits news stories, but writing on Kashmir, human rights, minority affairs, Af-Pak, South and West Asia is his labour of love.

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re there any takeaways for Muslims from the Narendra Modi government?

We should never let things ride, good governance comes from critical analysis and democracy survives because of journalists. 

Thomas Jefferson made a strong statement about the role of the media in a democracy when he noted, “If it were left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” Describing the role of the press, George A. Krimsky, the former head of news for the Associated Press’ World Services and co-author of Hold the Press, writes, “In the wake of America’s successful revolution, it was decided there should indeed be government, but only if it were accountable to the people. The people, in turn, could only hold the government accountable if they knew what it was doing and could intercede as necessary, using their ballot, for example. This role of public ‘watchdog’ was thus assumed by a citizen press, and as a consequence, the government in the United States has been kept out of the news business.”

This author M Reyaz has done it right, we need more of this. It is time to hold the leadership and Mr. Modi accountable.

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net


Are there any takeaways for Muslims from the Narendra Modi government?

 Image for representational purposes only. RNA Research & Archives

Courtesy - DNA Analysis

As someone who has been very vocal in criticising the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) – I have been critical of the previous UPA government’s policies too – and Narendra Modi, I was particularly restrained (self-censorship, you may call it) since May 16, when the BJP, under Modi, won a convincing mandate to rule the country for next five years. In the last two weeks, I have been thinking of writing a ‘reconciliatory’ piece and urge the Muslim leadership to not make the ‘historical mistake’ and try to engage with the new government in power for the betterment of the community. 

As I sit to write this article, I am afraid there are not many positive takeaways from the new government, and if these are the signs of things to come, the situation really appears to be glum. 

As the new government takes shape, there are reports from Karnataka of how right-wing Hindu organisations are demanding a ban on the morning calls for prayer, and another group demanding a total ban on loudspeakers in mosques in Maharashtra. There were also reports of vandalism by jubilant mobs celebrating Modi’s victory in Bijapur. These were all small news and hence did not really catch the attention of the national media. 

But in the light of the chauvinistic government at the helm, at a time when you see the top-rung of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), including Sadhvi Rithambara, an accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, and Indresh Kumar, alleged to be a co-conspirator in the Samjhauta train blast case, seated along with other seers and spiritual leaders during Modi’s inauguration, such news cannot be ignored. 

Modi’s gesture of inviting leaders of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, particularly Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was seen by many as an overture to reach out to Muslims, like his political mentor LK Advani who visited Jinnah’s grave to project himself as more inclusive, much to ire of the RSS. Sociologist Dipankar Gupta tweeted on May 26, “SAARC leaders were called to legitimise, and give cover to the invitation to Pakistan and send comforting, positive signals to Indian Muslims.”


In fact, in the first message issued by the new prime minister immediately after taking oath, he talked of “a strong, developed and inclusive India that actively engages with the global community to strengthen the cause of world peace and development”. But that is the most we heard in a cabinet that has the full imprint of the RSS. 

One of the first controversies surrounding the new government is the statement made by Minister of State Jitendra Singh on Jammu and Kashmir and Article 370. The BJP had given a ticket to veterinary surgeon Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, who was accused of participating in the mahapanchayat and giving a provocative speech that led to the Muzaffarnagar riots last year. He has now been made a minister and already the theory that he was framed has begun circulating, like so many others in the past. 

This is not the end, senior police officers accused of being involved in extrajudicial killings and false implications of Muslim youth are being reinstated in Rajasthan and Gujarat already as former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Ajit Doval is slated to be National Security Advisor (NSA) to Modi. 

The most surprising was Modi’s choice of Dr Najma Heptullah as the minority affairs minister. To be fair, Heptullah is a doctorate in cardiac anatomy from the University of Denver, and thus educationally most qualified among the cabinet ministers. But that is not why she has been appointed minister, or else she would have been given a meatier portfolio. She is the grand-niece of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and was in the Congress and the Rajya Sabha for a long time. She has always been a political nobody whom the Congress kept in the Upper House, where she later became deputy speaker.

In 2004, when several people were hoping for a comeback of the NDA government, she switched sides apparently after differences with Sonia Gandhi. She had said she had been “humiliated” by the Congress leadership that has “moved away from the ideology of Nehru, Azad, Patel and Gandhi”. One wonders if the party she chose follows their ideology, according to her. Heptullah has been made a minister to reward her decade of loyalty to the party, clearly overlooking two other more vocal Muslim faces, Shahnawaz Hussain, who lost the election, and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. 

In 2006, the then UPA government formed a new ministry of minority affairs that has been assigned the responsibility of implementing minority welfare schemes. Clearly, Heptullah got this portfolio because of her name and because she belongs to a ‘minority’ community. However, immediately after assuming charge, in her first statement as a minister, she says Muslims are numerically too large to be called a minority, a line often taken by the RSS and its associates, though the Constitution too declares Muslims a minority. 

According to the 2001 census (data of religion-based census of 2011 not yet out), Muslims comprise 13.4% of the total population while Hindus are over 80%, and the remaining communities together form just about 6% of India’s population. Compare this to the Tamils in Sri Lanka, where 11.2% of the total population are Sri Lankan Tamils while another 4.2% are Tamils of Indian origin. 74.9% of the people are Sinhalese while the rest comprise other smaller communities including Moors, Malays, etc. Thus, roughly 15.7% of the Sri Lankan population is a minority, for which not only Tamils but even the current PM expressed his concern and urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to implement the autonomy in spirit. In Bangladesh, with 8.2% of the population, Hindus are the second biggest community, and the third largest in the world after India and Nepal.

Our PM’s heart bleeds for minorities in India’s neighbouring countries so much that he has announced they will get asylum to protect them from persecution. Yet, despite the riots and despite the 2006 Sachar committee report clearly stating that the lot of Muslims is worse than even the Dalits, their representation as a minority is in question.

Heptullah also said on her first day as minister that reservations were not the solution. One may argue on whether communities as a whole deserve reservations, or only the backward amongst them are in need, but what is interesting is that reservation is seen as appeasement only in context of Muslims, not for SC-STs, or OBCs or Kashmiri migrants or when Jats are included in the list of OBCs. 

Another concern has been that several scholarships programmes meant for minority students already appear to be facing a financial crunch, and there are fears they may be stopped altogether. Heptullah also said the PM’s 15 point programme need a revisit. Certainly they do, but in if she attempts to abolish it altogether in an attempt to create a “level playing field”, it will only result in the marginalisation of the minorities, the pet agenda of the RSS.

Now that the new government is here, one hopes that in the 100 days’ programme the ministry of minority affairs would lay out plans to bring the minorities at par with the rest of the population, and only then can there be a truly level playing field. 

M Reyaz is a Delhi-based journalist.He tweets at @journalistreyaz.

Aap Ki Adalat may show with Muslims about Modi

This is an eye opener for both Muslims and Hindus.

The points I have summarized in the last three articles, have been expressed by this group

Video:: Aap Ki adalat may - In Hindi/Urdu (1 Hour)

http://www.indiatvnews.com/video/category/aapkiadalat-1.html

 

It is worth watching, it is indeed  transformational, its almost like an agenda to move forward and gives me a lot of hope for India.  Each paragraph I have constructed in my op-ed is reflected in the show above. 

Modi's hypothetical speech tomorrow

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Mr-Narendra-Modi-s-hypoth-by-Mike-Ghouse-2014-Elections_Bharatiya-Janata-Party_Governance_Historicism-140525-136.html

 

 Engagement is always good and good days are coming

 

Mike Ghouse

Democracy and Indian Muslims by Tufail Ahmed

URL - http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2013/03/democracy-and-indian-muslims-by-tufail.html

The following piece "Democracy and Indian Muslims"  by Tufail Ahmad is reflective, thoughtful and dreamy.

For a Democracy to be alive and functional we have to bitch at the Government,  India is good at it and Pakistan and Bangladesh have done well in that area as well. The most patriotic person is the one who attacks government every day and on everything. We have got to keep the Government guys from becoming pig-headed.

In 1947, India rightly chose to be a secular state and Pakistani leadership erred in making it a religious state. By the way, the only two nations created on the earth based on religion are the ones facing most difficulties;Pakistan and Israel. We can blame the British or any one, but the fact is the problem persists.  God does not have a religion himself, he was super careful in not mentioning in any holy books  that he was a Muslim, Hindu, Christian or a Native, because he is not divisive.  God simply does not like religious governments, because he does not like any one to mess with his creation in his name. An attack on a Hindu, Muslim or any is an attack on God, who created them, do you think he likes it?  It is still not late to strip religion from the governance in Pakistan and Israel.

He prefers a government where all of his creation is treated with dignity, equality and respect. Individuals will be judged in the society by the society for the violations of others space, sustenance and nurturence, where as God  reserves the right to judge the individuals for their moral compass. 
. 
 God loves Americans for keeping him out of school and public spaces, he doesn't need any more headaches, he washed his hands off us when he implanted a self-governing device called brain, and he wants nothing but good for his creation, and offers the same guidance to all - to treat each other with respect.

Mike Ghouse is committed to build cohesive societies - www.MikeGhouse.net
.............................................


DAILY TIMES 
http://dailytimes.com.p/default.asp?page=2013%5C03%5C16%5Cstory_16-3-2013_pg3_5

Saturday, March 16, 2013

 Democracy and Indian Muslims — Tufail Ahmad

The organising principles of Indian polity and society are the same that define a western country: a multi-party system, individualism, liberty, a free press and rule of law

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the self-confessed leader of the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, may think that Pakistan is the best Islamic nation for the Bollywood star, Shahrukh Khan to move to, but it is India that is arguably the best Muslim country today. Muslims in India enjoy complete political and religious liberty, a free legislative environment to undertake economic and educational initiatives, a vibrant television media and cinema that teach liberal coexistence, and access to a vast number of universities and institutes of modern education. There is absolutely no Muslim country that offers such a vast array of freedoms to its people.

India is able to offer these freedoms to its citizens because it is a successful democracy. It was good for India to lose the 1857 war; if the British had lost, Indians would have continued to be governed by kings and nawabs, and under shari’a courts that existed during the Mughal era. At the time of independence, the British left behind a justice system that was blind to religious and caste inequities in Indian society, an inclusive democracy that guaranteed equal rights and religious and political freedoms for all; English language that opened doorway to enlightenment and scientific education; and a civil service that treated everyone as Indians rather than Muslims, Hindus or Christians. Muslims in India enjoy these freedoms because India is a thriving democracy, unlike Pakistan that chose a discriminatory constitution, barring its own citizens from holding top positions such as the president of Pakistan because they are Hindus or Christians. Over the past half century, hundreds of millions of Dalits and women have found political empowerment and social freedoms in Indian democracy.

Religion cannot be a good model of governance for modern times because it fails to imagine situations in which non-Muslim citizens could be trusted to govern a Muslim country. Conversely, democracies trust their citizens irrespective of their faith. In a democracy like India, any citizen could compete to be the elected ruler. As democracy matures, India has appointed its Muslim citizens to top positions, currently Hamid Ansari as vice president, Salman Khurshid as foreign minister, Justice Altamas Kabir as Chief Justice, and Syed Asif Ibrahim as the chief of the Intelligence Bureau. It is also true that Muslims lag behind in India’s collective life, but this is because they are under the influence of orthodox ulema or because Muslim politicians fail to imagine themselves as leaders of all Indians. A Muslim politician will be the country's prime minister the day Indian Muslims begin to view themselves as leaders of all Indians and not only of Muslims, much like Barack Obama who imagined himself as a leader not only of blacks, but of all Americans.

Effectively, India is a ‘western’ country. In the popular imagination, the west is viewed as a geographic concept, covering mainly the United States, Britain and parts of Europe. However, the ground realities are otherwise. Several countries, notably Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, are situated in the east, but in terms of their values and politics are firmly part of the west. Conversely, countries such as Russia and some in Latin America are geographically in the west but cannot be called a western country as their citizens do not enjoy the social and political freedoms available to free people in the west. The organising principles of Indian polity and society are the same that define a western country: a multi-party system, individualism, liberty, a free press and rule of law. As in a western country, consensus about governance, politics and society is moderated by media and political parties and is derived from differences rather than similarities of religion and ideology as in Saudi Arabia or North Korea.

Early this year, Shahrukh Khan wrote a long article in which he discussed how “stereotyping and contextualizing” determine the way societies treat us as individuals as we interact with others. Khan narrated that he is loved as a Bollywood star in every country, but is also questioned by officials at US airports over links to terrorists, as his surname is shared by an unknown terrorist. Khan also observed: “There have been occasions when I have been accused of bearing allegiance to our neighbouring nation [Pakistan].” Hafiz Saeed reacted to this statement, suggesting that Khan, and presumably all Indian Muslims, should move to Pakistan. If Khan were to move to Pakistan, think of the images he would witness everyday: the genocide of Shia Muslims; the Taliban bombers shooting girls and namazis; Karachi up in flames and Pakistani businessmen leaving the country; plight of Hindus and Christians and lawlessness everywhere.

Saeed and his cohorts must bear in mind that terrorism that affects Muslims in India originates from Pakistan: the jihad in Kashmir through the 1990s or the attacks by Indian Mujahideen collaborating with their controllers in Pakistan. Like any country, India has its own share of extremist Hindus as well as Islamic and naxalite militants, but the courts are taking care of them.

Indian democracy is a model for all Islamic countries. It is the only country where Muslims have experienced democracy solidly for more than half a century; the other countries where Muslims have had some democratic experience are Indonesia and Turkey but their experiences have been limited to just a few decades. Democracies trust their citizens and are accountable to them. Democracies also bring freedom and economic prosperity for their people. In his book, Development as Freedom, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen demonstrated that famines have occurred only in countries governed under authoritarianism while freedom available to people in democracies has ensured economic welfare of their entire populations. Indian democracy has a large Muslim population, about the same as in Pakistan. As democracy matures and economy prospers, Muslims in India are beginning to benefit from a sea of economic and educational opportunities opening before them.

Islamic and authoritarian countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and North Korea do not trust their own people. Islamic terrorists, jihadists like Hafiz Saeed and other Taliban-like Islamists think of defending their religions and ideologies rather than the interests and welfare of their people. It is due to such thinking that 180 million people of Pakistan are today literally buried under the weight of a failed education system, a rapidly collapsing Pakistani economy that is forcing business leaders to move their money to countries such Sri Lanka, lawlessness that makes common Pakistanis insecure in their own homes and a future that fails to offer hope. The Inter-Services Intelligence, a friend of Saeed that imagines itself as the ideological guardian of the Islamic state of Pakistan, could do a favour by trusting the Pakistani people and letting them decide their own course of life and governance.

The writer is a former BBC Urdu Service journalist, is Director of South Asia Studies Project at the Middle East Media Research Institute, Washington DC.