Sectarianists or the secularists whoever among the hoard wins this election, the result, alas! will have no bearing on incidents like Hashimpura and Muzaffarnagar. Muslims as it seems are content flowing adrift with the destiny they have left to be written and designed not by their own actions but the actions and interactions of their adversaries at large.
This is a strange election in which no one seems to care about the views of 20% of the voters nor is anyone willing to talk about their problems.
The party of ‘Rafeeq-ul-Mulk’, (for whom Azam Khan is ready to face a bullet) is so confident [or scared] that it refrains from any mention of ‘Muslims’ in its election manifesto and talks of ‘minorities’ instead.
Everyone is worried about maintaining its ‘secular’ image and is scared of being accused of pampering a [particular] minority.
Thanks to the proponents of tactical voting, today Muslims, as a community, have become politically worthless and inconsequential so much so that secular parties did not even bother to talk to political and religious leadership of Muslims. They have understood and are therefore confident that Muslim voters have nowhere to go.
And those the God-fearing ones have on their part been degraded, terrorized and sidelined so much that out of the fear of becoming non-existent and ineffective that they as a last resort run to these so-called secular parties for getting a cover of the sort.
Due to the propaganda of tactical voting and actions of the propagators of secularism, BJP has succeeded in winning 280 seats in the parliament.
After every five years sectarian parties reappear on the scene to frighten the community. What on earth is the secret of the regenerative stamina of these sectarian parties that they muster so much strength and despite the best efforts by Muslims to bolster and strengthen the secular parties by giving even their blood these Secular parties remain incapable and ineffective to challenge the sectarian parties?
When the political expediency or opportunism requires these secular parties once helped and bolstered by Muslims, feel no compunction in securing the help of sectarian parties blatantly ignoring Muslims and leaving them looking bewildered and abused. In circumstances like these there happen to be some sympathisers and so called well-wishers who advise the Muslims not to remind the secular parties of their promises lest it may benefit and strengthen sectarian parties any further. So, are the Muslims advised that silence is the need of the hour. What a political maturity indeed!
What an irony that with the so called threat of sectarianists — secularists have succeeded in establishing their monopoly over the 20% of votes for good. Things have reached to such a climax that they are not even prepared to show the courtesy of talking to the community.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) thinks that by fielding 100 Muslim candidates it has done the greatest favor to Muslims in return to that they should tie with the tail of the elephant [BSP’s electoral symbol]. Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) think that as they have together forged the alliance to stop division of votes, therefore, ‘Muslims MUST follow the cycle [SP’s electoral symbol] and MUST not show the audacity of asking questions because we have not given them this right anyway. They should not forget the chastisement administered on them from time to time in the past.’
As for the BJP, that is any way a Muslim hating party. The fact of the matter, however, is that whether it is the secularists or the sectarianists who win the elections, Muslims are destined to face Gujarat, Hashimpura, Muzafarnagar and Dadri and the like. This scenario will go on taking place only the names of places may change.
Oh! You the People (Muslim), demolish those little shrines that you have built around you to serve your petty interests and build a paramount centre instead where all of you could join and get together as one. The soul of Dr Faridi is calling upon you and telling you that in independent India only your unity and collectiveness can guarantee your success. Shed off your fears and get rid of the fear of the unknown. For communities five or ten years mean little and at times even centuries do not mean much in their collective lives. You should at least make up your mind and start your journey towards your goal. Go to your people and help them and tell them that you are one. You have three crore and eighty lakh votes in Uttar Pradesh. Backwardness has been thrust upon you. Ideologically are you inferior even to Dalits? Instead of emotions and anger, use your intellect and wisdom. Get up and off your beds. The dawn will surely come when the destiny of India will not be written without your consent but only if you come out of this deep sleep and resolve to play your role in the construction of the country and the community.
[Badar Kazmi is an activist, Urdu journalist and has been Chairman of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawrat. Translated by Urdu Media Monitor.Com from Badar Kazmi’s Facebook page.]