INDIAN MUSLIMS AT THE CROSSROADS

Towards a Bright Future KEEPING the future in your mind and forgetting the past: This is the secret of progress in this world. Every individual and a group suffers from untoward experiences here. These events often lead to a point of no return. Those who choose to remember them, remain frozen; and those who forget these negative experiences and find ways to start their life all over again are the ones who succeed. This principle of forgetting is a universal principle. There is no exception in it either for an individual or a group. Both the Muslims and the Hindus of India are now facing this test. Both these communities must now forget whatever happened in the past and endeavour their utmost to make their future bright. This is the sole option for them that will lead to accomplishment and development. They do not have another option which is even remotely possible. Indian Hindus must forget the Partition, and Indian Muslims must forget Babri Mosque. Both of them are carrying the burden of the past. For the Hindus, a symbolic title for the burden they carry is ‘Partition’, and for the Muslims, ‘Babri Mosque’ is the symbolic title that can be given to their burden. If both these communities wish to build for themselves a bright and developed future, they first need to throw out from their minds bad memories of the past, and start thinking about future. The progress of both communities will remain stalled if they fail to do so. This burden of the past, in the long run, will spell doom for the country. A section of the Hindu community holds the Muslims responsible for the Partition of the country. Precisely for this reason, they still continue to entertain grudge against the Muslims which finds expression through various unpleasant events. While holding the Muslims responsible for the Partition, Hindu brothers have now no option other that treating the Partition as a thing of the past. They should forget who was responsible for the division of the country, and who demanded it. The issue is no more related with Partition. In fact, it is more about the destruction the country is suffering in paying the price of Partition. Partition was an issue for the Muslims till 1947, but now it is posing as a problem for the Hindus as well. It is because the memory of it is not allowing them to develop a moderate and tolerant viewpoint. So long as a moderate viewpoint eludes them, they cannot play their part satisfactorily in the progress of the country. Partition, in itself, is not such a dire event that should act as an insurmountable obstacle in the road to mutual progress. Many events from history testify to this fact, the more recent being that of Germany. In 1948, Germany was divided into two countries, but this division could not stop West Germany to attain to progress and prosperity. The German economy was left in tatters in the aftermath of World War II. It was further weakened by dividing the country into East Germany and West Germany. The Allied High Commission, in 1949, implemented the command that West Germany could not keep National Police. They were permitted to keep the police department of the elementary Municipality level, etc. The Partition and the weakened economy did not prove to be obstacles for the growth of Germany. It became numero uno European country by the sweat of its own efforts and struggles. How did Germany achieve such glory? Some attribute this stupendous success to the fact that it started its journey way later than other European countries. It is stated that those who start their journey later, cover their distance faster, because they can avail the latest technology from their predecessors. If the Hindu and Muslim communities wish to build for themselves a bright and developed future, they first need to throw out from their minds the bad memories of the past, and start thinking about future. Late starters can grow faster because they can borrow advanced technology from the early starters. (EB 6/214) This justification is not correct. India is among the late starters, but it has failed to achieve a worthwhile progress. The basic reason behind the fast progress of West Germany lies in the fact that it ignored the loss it incurred in WWII and the Partition of the country which followed soon after. By forgetting the past, it utilized all its capacities to build a bright future. Unfortunately, a considerable number of Hindus, especially from the North India, could not forget the Partition of 1947. As a result, the North India, from which the majority of Indian leadership comes, remained embroiled in negative activities. It could not devote itself wholeheartedly to the building of a new future. This is now the last opportunity for our compatriots to acknowledge this fact. They should unentangle themselves from the memory of the Partition and employ themselves in the positive development of a new India. That day is not far when our country begins its journey towards progress in leaps and bounds, and thereby achieve a respectful place on the global map which it truly deserves. As for Indian Muslims, they lagged far behind the other communities in the ladder of progress. After the demolition of Babri Mosque on 6 December, 1992, they are more in despair than ever. They feel that they do not have opportunities of progress in this country. This thinking is totally unwarranted. The principles in this matter is that no external event decides the decline or fall of a nation. The decisive factor in the rise and fall of a nation is its own internal capacity and energy, and not external events. Nations always move ahead with the power of their internal determination. If fortitude and determination are present, no external upheaval can cause hindrance in the journey of a nation’s progress. As for the mosques, there are many instances in the Muslim history where mosques became the target of the public frenzy. In AD 692, the army sent by Hajjaj bin Yusuf bombarded the Kabah using a catapult. It is mentioned in the books of history: Makkah was besieged, the haram bombarded with missiles, and the Kaba set on fire, the Sacred Black Stone was split in three pieces. (1/1047) Nations always move ahead with the power of their internal determination. If fortitude and determination are present, no external upheaval can cause hindrance in the journey of a nation’s progress. Notwithstanding these, the history of Islam did not halt. Those who had bombarded the Sacred Mosque, Kabah, were the ones who built it again. The Tartars ransacked the Muslim world in 1258, and demolished hundreds of mosques from Samarkand to Aleppo. Even this calamity did not put a stop to the progress of Islamic history. Again, the Tartars themselves built all these mosques. Even in India, thousands of mosques were razed in Haryana, Punjab, and in Rajasthan in 1947. Not one of these events put a stop to the wheels of Islamic history. Why would then one think that the demolition of Babri Mosque would bring the history of Islam to an end. The crucial thing for the Muslims is not the fact that Babri Mosque was demolished on 6, December, 1992, but the fact that still, there are more than 300,000 mosques in India. Religious seminaries in numbers exceeding the mosques are spread everywhere. Islamic institutes and religious movements abound in thousands. Apart from these, even after the event of 6 December, Muslims still have equal opportunities for progress and development. Muslims have no reason for despair and frustration in such a bright situation. They should now initiate the act of their upliftment with a new resolve. They would soon see that they have gained a lot more after 6 December than they had lost on 6 December. This is the message from the past, and the call of the future as well. The verdict of the Indian Supreme Court about the Babri Mosque issue was announced in November, 2019. This verdict is in the interest of the country. No one should now go about finding any negative aspect of this verdict. Instead, Muslims should look only at the bright picture. Looking at the positive side of the Babri mosque verdict is the sign of maturity and understanding. The second important thing in this regard is to look at the results. If accepting this verdict wholeheartedly helps break down the wall that has been separating the two communities for almost a hundred years, one should readily accept it. ‘Who listen to what is said and follow what is best in it. These are the ones God has guided; these are the people endowed with understanding.’ (38: 18) In the light of the above Quranic verse, looking at the positive side of the verdict is the sign of maturity and understanding. The second important thing in this regard is to look at the results. If accepting this verdict wholeheartedly helps break down the wall that has been separating the two communities for almost a hundred years, one should readily accept it.

For every closed door there is always
another which is open—but only to
those who have the eyes to see it and
the courage to march through it.