If Muslim children are compelled to sing SARASWATI VANDANA they will be
withdrawn from municipal, government and such private schools that so force
them, most will give up education, some will land at MADARSAS.
It is these policies of discrimination, humiliation and oppression that
facilitate the Islamists’ drive to fan terrorism. And who can fault them, then?
What business do you then have to blame Muslims for dropping out of
schools, or patronizing Madarsas - or even for tolerating in their midst
terrorists that opt to fight injustice with violence?
Mindless force by state cannot be fought by a small minority
democratically and peaceably. Specially when its judiciary has been
substantially communalized. [Notice how every criminal of the ruling
dispensation accused of murder, encounters, extortions, woman chasing etc are
being cleansed of their sins by a compliant judiciary.]
What options then are left to Muslims - unless you really want them to
accept subjugation. That, I hope, is not going to happen anytime soon. Not till
men like me are alive. I will certainly oppose the Vandana at all costs.
One may ask, is it wrong for school children to sing praises to God? Yes,
for one how can you force God on children? You are already depriving them of
their free choice between faith and atheism. You are sniffing out all inquiry.
You are indeed forcing creation upon evolution, superstition upon science,
faith upon reason. And me rationalist is clearly agitated, as must be Nehru and
Roy, if they could.
And which God, anyway?Whose God? Why not the Islamic God then? After all
there are far more believers of Allah than of Saraswati globally. Or, more
fairly, why not the Gods of all faiths equally?
These are the same forces that ignored the Muslim assertion of ‘SareJahan
Se Accha Hindustan Hamara’ and questioned their patriotism for their
reservations against VandeMataram. Another round begins.
The deafening silence of the Sarkari Muslims – Najma, Naqvi, Akbar,
Nawaz, Shazia, Sareshwala… and their ilk – is understandable. But what about
our secular media?Higher judiciary?Human Rights Activists?Scientific
organizations?
Men like me chose to stay in India and serve it, despite options that the
so-called PravasiBharatis’ would envy. Is this how our nation rewards us for
our sacrifices? With ingratitude, betrayal and oppression?
Left to them, ordinarily most Indian Muslims feel fairly comfortable with
Namaste, Jai Ramjiki, Saraswati and Lakhsmi. And, for India, its sovereignty
and constitution, its earlier secular values - and for the good of its Hindus,
most Muslims would be willing to make enormous sacrifices. But when their core
values -and their faith - are violated and they are forced to make such
choices, they would choose the way most Hindus would: in favour of dignity and
faith. When people are so forced there would – indeed, must – be resistance.
If a non-practicing, rationalist Muslim like me feels so agitated,
imagine the anguish and anger of the believing, pious, Muslim? Why, does he not
have equal rights to his faith? Can he not remain both a practicing Muslim and
a patriotic non-Hindu Indian?
To defend his rights I, and millions of secular Hindus and Muslims will
fight - to the end of our lives.
Indian rulers of today, you choose whether we should focus our energies
on constructive nation building - to fight poverty, disease and corruption - or
to fight your senseless and retrograde mis-governance?
Pray do not further separate India’s Hindus and Muslims, its majority and
minorities, its believers and non-believers. Please.
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