Coincidences have the knack of perfect timing.
I happened to see Subhash Ghai’s Black & White the day after the May 13, 2008, Jaipur bomb blasts. It was a terrific story of how a Gadhian professor of Urdu — a Hindu — makes a suicide bomber change his mind about killing hundreds of innocents seconds before he is supposed to set off the bomb.
I thought it was a poignant tale that dealt delicately with what makes a young man with everything to live for turn to terror.
I was similarly impressed with Pooja Bhatt’s (imagine!) Dhokha. Because it came came from the Bhatt stable, the film went by unacclaimed, but it was actually a well-told tale that ended with the police-officer protagonist telling his superiors: “I was told this by an enemy, but it’s true nonetheless. First we create terrorists, then we kill them.”
Coincidentally, again, I happened to exchange a couple of e-mails with Shahid Latif, editor of the Urdu daily Inquilab, on the plight of the Indian Muslim just a few days earlier. He felt that the crisis that has befallen the community should make it introspect whether many of its problems are self-created, by way of a skewed perspective, and also that there is a need for a new Muslim leadership.
While I don’t have permission to reproduce what he wrote, I am reproducing my reply below.
Dear Shahid Saab,
Just went through your piece carefully. I agree on many of the points mentioned, especially on the need for a new leadership.
A large part of the problem has been the self-imposed exclusion of the community from mainstream debates. This is because everything is being sought to be seen through the prism of religion. That view of life is sometimes taken to silly extremes. I can never forget the experience I had while waiting for my wife in a spa lobby. A few of the staffers were standing around gossiping and one of them mentioned that Shah Rukh Khan reads the newspaper while sitting on the toilet seat. While everybody else burst out into giggles, a Muslim gentleman flew into a rage and said: “If he does that, then Shah Rukh is not a true Muslim. Islam does not permit such things.”
I was appalled at this kind of thinking — I’m pretty sure Islam has no views on reading newspapers on the pot.
On the face of it, it was an incident to be laughed at and forgotten. On the other hand, it highlights my point about how seeing life through the prism of faith is taken to extremes. It is this attitude that worries me because the community is then seen to be irrational, which is only one step away from extremist.
Maybe it has a lot to do with years of being forced to live on the fringes and being discriminated against that has forced many to withdraw ever more inwards rather than step out and engage, be part of the mainstream.
I would never advocate that we forget our faith or where we come from. But the solution to the community’s problems is education foremost and economic prosperity next.
You’re absolutely right that the time for introspection has come, though I would not use words like ‘intolerant’, ‘violent’, ‘anti-social’, ‘unlawful’ and ‘unhygienic’. Instead, I would say, “Look around you. Are you happy? Is this what we aimed to become in our long journey in this country and world? If not, think about what you can be. Even small sects — the Swaminarayan sect, for instance — have grown to become powerful, prosperous and respected while still never losing sight of their faith. A great religion like ours can do so too. But it requires a change of mindset. It requires maturity from the people who follow this great faith. The challenge before us is to show these qualities.”
Shahid saab, one of the reasons I accepted the speaking engagement at Islam Gymkhana (see ’Walking the Talk’ and ‘My Speech’ below) that day was because it seemed like a chance to discuss things other than religion. This is vital for the community because there are many other things that affect us. The threats to our faith are great but the greater threat is us confining our stay on Earth to dealing only with such threats.
I hope my reply is not too long-winded and also that I have been able to articulate what is on my mind.
Regards,
Ashraf
Ashraf Engineer
shashi said,
May 16, 2008 at 10:58 am
Ashraf, couldn’t agree with you more. Your plea applies to all fundamentalists of course. To rewind to an earlier post of yours, I cringe too, when I see pix of Muslims celebrating Diwali (more of those than Hindus celebrating Eid). Guess it’s worse for Muslims though. So all the more reason why they — and all of us — should all be worrying more about starving children, dying farmers and women who don’t have access to bathrooms (I’m serious).
Somebody ban religion!
Shashi
Anindita said,
May 16, 2008 at 12:51 pm
A thoughtful post…wish more people in all religious communities understood this.
Arpana said,
May 17, 2008 at 11:02 am
Ashraf, one of the things that I have always respected you for is the way you do not wear your religion on your sleeve and yet I have always felt your love and pride for your religion. However, I think what i admire the most in you is the faith you have in your beliefs and the ability to say it as it needs to be said.
I could not agree with you more on this post….religion (all faiths) to my mind has existed to better one’s life….to help imbibe qualities that furthers man’s journey on earth in a manner that adds more meaning to as an individual, leading to a meaningful society. Sadly, today’s religion has been kidnapped by politics at large and the meaning of “meaningful” is lost!
Nazim said,
May 21, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Ashraf,
A very well-worded and insightful observation.
“He felt that the crisis that has befallen the community should make it introspect whether many of its problems are self-created, by way of a skewed perspective, and also that there is a need for a new Muslim leadership.”
My two bits, not very informed though, I can claim them to be:
One reason for the problem is definitely skewed thinking. Now how this skewed thinking came about to be needs to be introspected more on. Is it that Muslims were always traditional, conservative, “irrational”? Or are we just looking at the micro-picture. Is it that the years of — I don’t know conscious or unconscious — sidelining from the societal mainstream inculcated those attributes? There should definitely be a connection between the two. How else can you explain the fledgling, well-educated, even powerful, Muslim community come down on its knees, in just about a span of over 100 years from what it used to be in the 1900s.
And the leadership issue: I think that is again a result of the earlier problem — just one of the by-products of the state the community is in. So unless there’s a good leadership that works hard to stem the rot, there won’t be any improvement. And there won’t be any improvement because the community — in its current state — cannot produce a good leadership. A vicious cycle, I feel.
Would love to see your thoughts on this.
Nazim