Retributions  

The government’s misunderstanding of the common Muslim is astounding.

It is increasingly clear that while the Hyderabad blasts may have been orchestrated by terrorists across the border, they were aided in their diabolical mission by the UPA government’s soft approach to terrorism. The government, by placing political correctness at a higher pedestal than national security, has only strengthened the hands of those who wish to harm Indians. And while India’s Home Minister, in an incomparable demonstration of shamelessness and ineptitude, may shrug his shoulders with an attitude of ”bad things happen”–surely, Indian people would be less understanding and forgiving.

But one would think that the government would know that. It would understand that the Indian voter would note how systematically this government has communalised national security; how it has made the safety of the aam aadmi subservient to electoral considerations; how it has failed to punish those who have killed Indians with a worrying regularity under Dr Manmohan Singh’s watch.

But what exactly are those electoral benefits which have guided the UPA’s government’s soft attitude towards terror? That the common Muslim would reward the UPA for treating Muslim terror groups with kid-gloves! This premise rests on two fundamentally flawed assumptions. First, Muslim terror group would spare the lives of their fellow Muslims. Looking at terror attacks over the last few years, not just in India but in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, it is easy to see that such groups have never shown any inclination to spare the lives of their fellow Muslims. Second, this government and a large section of Indian polity seems to believe that the common Muslim has fundamentally different aspirations from the common Hindu or the Christian. While it is debatable if this hypothesis is anything but the product of essentially divisive minds,–surely, when it comes the fundamental issue of security, every law-abiding Indian–irrespective of his belief–would have similar aspirations. Where is the dissonance?

Yet, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the government continues to behave as if taking a strong stand against terror groups would lead to an automatic backlash by the Muslim community! This exposes as little else does, how fundamentally flawed is India’s notion of secularism, and how cynical are those who claim to be upholders of Indian secularism.

Unfortunately, this propaganda is hardly restricted to national security. Even when it comes to foreign policy–more specifically–closer relationship with United States, many political parties egged on by the media continues to peddle the nonsense–how else one may describe it?–that the common Muslim is fundamentally opposed to United States. For evidence, they cite demonstrations against George Bush! In a county as large and as over-populated as India, it hardly requires magic to assemble crowd of a few thousand. As Abusaleh Sharif had argued in this brilliant op-ed,

What is important for the world to know is that Indian Muslims, in their psyche, behaviour and views, are as progressive as, if not more than, other outwardly looking communities across India. The desires and aspirations of younger Indian Muslims are the same as those of Hindu and Christian communities in India. For example, one would find educated Muslim boys and girls lined up in as much number and in similar proportions as any other social group in front of diplomatic missions of countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. The educated middle class amongst the Muslim community is no more inclined to be content with meagrely paid and often exploitative jobs in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and other countries in the Middle East.[link]

And yet this nonsense of monolithic Muslims community has gained increasing acceptance. Why?

Recall that a few years ago, political leaders of all hues would prostrate before the rabid Ahmed Bukhari, the Imam of Jama Masjid, virtually begging him for a fatwa in their favor. As any observer of Delhi-U.P politics would testify, Bukhari would be hard pressed to influence Muslims in Chandni Chowk ( where Jama Masjid is located), forget a state as large U.P! And yet this charade continued for a few years till better sense prevailed. So strong is the belief in the political class that Muslims are commodities who can be delivered by religious leaders or won over by a single issue, that it clouds their judgment.

One can only hope that the UPA government can come to its senses before more lives are lost.