Projecting India’s Susceptible Muslims

Veteran journalist Hasan Suroor is known for exclusive reportage of identity politics, communalism and Muslim issues. His reports in Indian and international publications are referred pragmatic even by a section of people that take keen interest in twisted Muslim-centric stories. His book, India’s Muslim Spring: Why Is Nobody Talking About It, projects such optimism while expressing concerns and hopes of Indian Muslims.

This book accounts transformations of Indian Muslims witnessed post partition. Their condition is still pathetic and why can’t they be the empowered community with a population of estimated 177 million at 14% (2011 Census not added) to become a powerful minority community? Indian Muslims are 3rd largest Muslim community today that surpasses some Islamic countries including Saudi Arabia.

Suroor raises an important question on sectarian politics and internal crisis that damage Islam under Shia, Sunni or other sub-sect divisions. Factors having direct impact on their identities are lucidly expressed. He speaks the mind of new generation Muslims—post 1992 Muslim youths with transformed lifestyles. Today’s Muslims are more devout God fearing individuals with secular credentials and least fundamentalist reluctant generations. As visionary Indians they foresee bright future of India and therefore don’t cope up suspicions raised on them as clamoring questions whether they are Muslims first or Indians first.

Introspection is a niche factor to judge the current scenario of Indian Muslims. What went wrong with them that they are still deprived under-privileged communities? Why they face discriminations everywhere unlike other Indian minorities that grew fast in the same period with the limited resources. Suroor’s caveats highlight solutions to avoid the worst scenarios in future. Indian Muslims could be crème de la crèmes in the undivided India. First damage was while Muslim intelligentsia migrated after choosing Pakistan as new homeland. Those remained in India by choice or due to circumstances were middle or lower middle class deprived sections. Indian Muslims must follow mainstream paths to write their destinies today.

What forced them to remain at the bottom of heap? Suroor blames community leaders and says why they have rather damaged the self-esteem of Muslims in India. Questions are raised on even achiever Muslims from Muslim community while they are denoted not a “typical Muslim” but a moderate Muslim.

This book documents rationales of historic blunders, cynicism and communal hatred and their aftereffects on the Muslim community. Story behind the demolition of Babri Masjid and its aftermath is explained lucidly in this book. Current scenario of Muslim thinking—new generation Muslims with drastic changes in approach towards Islam is a subject to study. Young Muslim men and women are more religious and less fundamental nowadays. They have reasons to look beyond Babri Masjid and pogroms that tarnished the Muslim self-esteem besides damaging country’s secular ethics.

Post-independence Indian Muslim attitudes have changed tremendously. Young boys and girls observe religious duties with devotion. Good chunk of them even perform Hajj. More Muslims boys wear beards and girls proudly show off ‘hijabs’ to showcase they like to be seen as Muslims and Indians with self-esteem. Shameless obsession with symbols of Muslim identity doesn’t irritate them anymore. They are open-minded, self-confident optimistic future-centric Indian Muslims unlike previous generations.

More Muslim youths don beards or caps in India today. Ironically they are suspected or usually picked up for interrogations from anywhere after terrorist attacks that shatters country’s secular image. Muslim appearances and values are still questioned but their leanings towards faith increase constantly. Strong message is given to both Muslims and Hindus—“while it is all too easy to blame politicians, ultimately it is for the two communities themselves to put the past behind them and embark on more constructive course of engagement with each other, thus preventing politicians from exploiting their differences. Muslims need to get out of their ‘siege mentality’ and stop seeing conspiracies everywhere.”

This book exhorts the prime concerns from Muslims lingering with identity crisis and community conflicts. Worst impacts of cases like Shah Bano, Babri Masjid demolition and reluctant attitudes towards banning books or violent protests are defined with reasoning. Islam spread through its characteristics instead of any forced mobilizations. Indian Muslims are asked to introspect why reluctance overpowered the adherence to Islamic faith. Why every incidence of terrorism is seen in the prism of Muslims and Islam?

‘Enemy within’ should be tackled first. Muslims look ahead to move forward in all sectors now instead of lamenting on what had suppressed them for identity crisis. Youths with whom Suroor met opine that Muslims can make community stand on its own feet to face challenges of 21st century instead of waiting for someone to show them a right path. New generation Muslims are individual thinkers instead of vote banks.

So called ‘Pakistan connection’ no more bothers Indian Muslims. Past six decades were enough for them to resolve such matters. Indian and Pakistani Muslim youths are not interested to peep into ‘other’s homes.’ Young Muslims ask this question when they talk with Suroor that they shouldn’t be linked with a fellow religionist in other side whenever country faces misfortune. Post-partition Muslims are homemade communities and therefore shouldn’t be driven by any past mistake.

“There was not a single Muslim—old, young, men, women, progressive, conservative, fundamentalist, secular—who was not scared by what happened on 6 December 1992. It has become part of the collective Muslim memory of humiliation.” This horrendous effect of worst phases of Indian secularism still haunts them. Self-styled Muslim leaders often hum liberals to damage community’s sanctities. Cases of liberals often beaten up; threatened or suppressed for voicing against fundamentalists are further damaging.

Encountering biasness as usual suspects are shockers for new generation Muslims even if their contribution in country’s growth path is remarkable. Their voices are that, “even well-adjusted younger Muslims—the harbingers of India’s Muslim spring—who don’t share the paranoia of their elders say they find it a hard slog at times. To be a Muslim in India means losing innocence at an early age and learning to live with covert suspicion, prejudice and discrimination.”

Indian Muslims are in a path to explore new springs by ignoring the dark moments of death of country’s secular character decades ago. An assessment in the book is that “demolition of Babri Masjid was a defining moment in their understanding of what it was like to be a Muslim. Not only did it make them conscious of their Muslim identity for the first time, they found themselves questioning the nature of Indian secularism and Hindu liberalism.”

Muslims are optimistic religious minorities in India and they enjoy privileges which even few sectarian Muslim minorities in Islamic countries don’t avail. “The country is full of mosques; major Muslim festivals are marked by national holidays; the state actively facilitates public celebration or observance of Muslim practices, often at considerable inconvenience to the public with roads closed for hours, for example, during Moharram processions and on Eid.” Questions still haunt Indian Muslims that—“they shouldn’t be treated special. What they want is to be treated as normal Indian citizens, not punished for being Muslims.”

India’s Muslim uprising is a mantra for prosperity. ‘Islam seeks its proponents to lead a life of reflection, introspection and to constantly develop their intellect.’ Muslims are aware of this fact that liberal outlook doesn’t require Muslims to discard basic teaching of Islam. They have unlimited opportunities to explore in a country that shines every day. Muslims must keep their conscience firm as an equal partner of growth.

Asif Anwar Alig ([email protected]) was executive producer in ETV; Editorial Coordinator at the Management Development Institute, Gurgaon; Media Specialist at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University of Saudi Arabia before joining the Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia as an Assistant Professor cum Media Relations Specialist.