A SECTION of Hindus, particularly the radicals blame the minority community of abating terror and fundamentalism. Muslims deny this charge vehemently. They cite discrimination, state inaction, police cruelty and branding terrorism as Islamist as the reasons. Why are they going into a shell?
In an attempt to understand what is going in the minds of the ordinary Muslims and the intelligentsia as well, Merinews called upon KA Siddiq Hassan, Vice Amir, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, one of the most influential Muslim organisations in India. In an interview with this correspondent, Prof Siddiq Hassan speaks about the fears of this community, its angst against the government and failure of media in rightfully projecting their cause:
Merinews: What is the grievance of the Indian Muslims against the state?
Siddiq Hassan: Muslims in India are perturbed by the inability of the state to uphold the values enshrined in the Constitution. Laws are inscribed only on paper and the spirit is absent. The community feels discriminated and a sense of resentment creeps in among the people.
Extra-legal, extra-judicial measures are used to illegally detain Muslim youth by police in the name of terror investigations. There are numerous innocent youth among them, who are heckled and manhandled. Is it right to arrest youth merely on charges of suspicion? This has lead to a fear psychosis among the people and the community as a whole.
This is not only happening in the moffusil areas, but right in the heart of metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai. People feel that the police department, which is there to ensure security, is instead bent upon eying all the people with blinkered view. In fact, the state has failed to play its actual role as being the upholder of law. Police and administration should work without bias and ensure there is no discrimination, real or perceived.
Q: Do you think the Indian state is really secular in action?
A: Despite the shortcomings of the Indian government, people in general and the Muslim community in particular, believe that India is a secular state. However, during the past few years there have been gradual erosions in respecting fundamental rights of citizens, especially among the Muslims in the country. They have been denied equality of justice and the state machinery sees them as responsible for all the terrorist crimes being committed in the country.
Indians are secular barring few sections of the society. Communalism is not as strong as it is made out to be. The state has to reinforce its secular credentials strongly to ensure both Hindus and Muslims do not lose faith in the system.
Q: It is believed that educated Muslim youth are increasingly taking recourse to violence. What is your take on this?
A: It is patently wrong to say that youth are taking to terrorism. For the last many years there has no case of any Indian Muslim getting involved in terror activities that has been legally proved. It is the handiwork of a handful of fundamentalists, who want to tarnish the image of the community and brand violence as Islamic terrorism.
Indian security agencies are working in tandem with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Mossad. Their ideology and world view is being influenced by the West, which has branded all terrorism as Islamic. Indian police and intelligence agencies are taking the lead from these organisations and they have started to look at every Muslim as suspicious. “Majority of the youth arrested by the police under various terror-related charges have never been proved. Most of them are acquitted, but their lives are scarred and they are destroyed forever. This is not acceptable.”
Q: You have maintained that the Batla House encounter was stage managed by the Delhi Police. What reasons do you give for that?
A: Not only us, but the entire population of this area is not convinced of this encounter and people here know that these boys were regular students. They were residing here for quite some time attending classes like normal students.
If the police was convinced that they were terrorists, then they should have executed the operation in a systematic method. “Prominent people in the area should have been involved so that their valuable lives were not wasted until legally convicted.” Police must build a relationship with the community and not operate in a void as it happens. It is up to the government to take corrective action and create trust among the community that police is their saviour and not a tormentor.
Q: But, what if some of these boys are really involved in terrorism?
A: If it is proven in the court of law, they must be punished. There is no second question about it. But, they should not be declared guilty without trial and by the word of the media. Terror and violence in all sorts is reprehensible and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind condemns it in all forms. Islam stands for peace and non-violence and so does Hinduism. There is so much space for peaceful co-existence in India for both the communities. We have lived in peace for centuries and this will continue despite some forces are inimical to peace.
Q: Why is Islam being identified with violence, while it is said to be a religion of peace?
A: This is all part of false propaganda and some media, particularly Western, are spreading this canard for wrong portrayal of Islam. No religion in the world condones violence and terrorism and Islam too stands for peace and amity. We have to ensure that this propaganda is stopped otherwise religious divisions will increase, which will lead to violence and bloodshed, which no one except some selfish people want. Indian Muslims do not subscribe to violence, but they need the space to live in peace and in safety.
Q: What is your message to the Muslim community and its youth in particular? What would you like to tell the majority community?
A: I want them to remember that we are Indians first and as Indian citizens all Muslims must work towards making this country a better place to live. The aim should be to ensure that India becomes a welfare state and each and every citizen is able to enjoy equal rights. As far as Hindus and Muslims are concerned, we are brothers and Hinduism, as I know, teaches peace and non-violence. As such there is a need to reinforce the relationship between the two communities. Bridges must be built between the two communities to ensure peace and prosperity in the country.
Q: How can we end the ghettoisation of this country with Muslims living in certain sections and Hindus in others?
A: Well, this is unfortunate, but a legacy of the partition that India faced in 1947. There was and still remains a sense of insecurity amongst minorities. The feeling has been further intensified by riots, which take place intermittently. It is important that more and more people from different communities should come together to create a balanced and harmonious society.
Q: You have been critical of the role played by the media, particularly in the aftermath of Batla House encounter?
A: Yes. This is unfortunate, but true. The manner in which media has held trial of the youth arrested and killed in the Batla House encounter is unfortunate. Media should try to be neutral and work without preconceived notions. Recently, a major Indian news magazine published confessions of three youth, which is unacceptable and patently illegal. This sends wrong message to the people. During the Gujarat incidents and also the Babri Masjid desecration, media played a positive role, but this time it appears to have faltered.
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