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Indian Muslims caution against haste
While agreeing
that terrorism must be tackled, Muslim leaders tell Kunal Chauhan that
India must look to its own interests before jumping on the US bandwagon
New Delhi: India should not rush into any act that can spell danger for
the subcontinent is the strong message that Muslim bodies in the country
are sending following the terrorist attacks on the US. They support
India's stance against terrorism but caution against rushing into any
alliance with America without thinking about its own interests and
concerns. It worries them a little that India has offered unstinting
support to America in the latter's war against terrorism. What disturbs
them somewhat more is that this support comes without the US having spelt
out precisely what it requires of India.
Qazi Mujahidul Islam Qasmi, a conservative and chairperson of the Muslim
Personal Law Board, says, "India should not jump to any quick
conclusions. Instead, it should weigh the possibilities of either
supporting America or remaining neutral and only then act. America should
bring out proper and solid evidence against Osama bin Laden. It should not
attack Afghanistan just for the sake of settling old rivalries." Even
liberals like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor and South Asia
expert Kalim Bahadur hold similar views. "India should not be blinded
by American rhetoric," says Bahadur. "It should see that its
interests are being taken care of. America has decided to act against
terrorism only after being affected, while India has been shouting about
terrorism from the rooftops for the past 10 years and no one cared. So, it
is important that India decide upon what kind of help and support it is
willing to provide to the America in its plans for retaliation." Many
Muslim thinkers feel that it is best for India to revert to its old policy
of nonalignment. It was this policy that introduced strain into India's
relations with the US. Saeeda Hamid, former member of the National
Commission for Women (NCW), feels that it is nonalignment that would help
India the most rather than a precipitate leap on to the US bandwagon.
"India should remember Mahatma Gandhi's policies and follow
them," she says. "India is a country of deep philosophies and
believes in non-violence and it should not jump into any conflict that
will result in a catastrophe. What is to be seen is what will be America's
next step. If Afghanistan and Pakistan are attacked, India will be
directly affected." What worries the country's Muslims is the
America's presumption that terrorism is directly connected to Islamic
fundamentalism. The Americans, in their grief and anger, have called it a
war between "extreme fundamentalism and democracy". But Muslim
organisations are at pains to stress that Islam has nothing to do with
terrorism. Qari Mohammad Mazhari, chairperson of the National Minority
Development Finance Corporation (NMDFC), says, "The Americans are
making a mistake by equating Islam with terrorism. There is no connection
between Islam and terrorists. Terrorism can't be successful without big
nations being behind it. Otherwise, how can you explain an attack of such
proportions on a country like America? India's position on terrorism is
correct and it should continue its fight against it." Says Qazi
Mujahidul Islam Qasmi, "Religion has nothing to do with terrorism.
Terrorist groups may claim religion as their reason for fighting but other
countries should not fight each other on the basis of religion. What is
required is to understand how this terrorism started and then get to the
root of the cause, rather than giving statements about eliminating
terrorism." One of the commonest Muslim complaints centres around the
US' perceived inaction in West Asia. "No one, whether a Muslim or
someone from another faith, can condone the loss of innocent human
lives," says Prof Imtiaz Ahmed of JNU. "But we must try to
understand the reason behind the Muslim resentment against the American
establishment." Prof Ahmed, a champion of reforms in Muslim Personal
Law, says that the unresolved Palestine problem, along with increasing
Israeli violence in the region, has "upset the Muslims largely".
The US is perceived as a "superpower that is openly backing Israel
against the Palestinians. This is where the problem lies," he says.
There are ample cautionary words for the Indian government. Says Kalim
Bahadur, "The government should not forget that during the 1980s,
when the Punjab crisis was at its peak, and later in the 1990s, when
Kashmir was burning, the West, including the US, backed Pakistan. So, the
US may ditch us again after using us in its fight against the Taliban.
Before we join the US in its campaign, we must give serious thought to
some of these issues’ (tehelka). q |
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