Guilty until proven innocent
The holy month of Ramadan, the period of renewing faith and repentance through prayers and fasts, has begun. Since the month of Ramadan has always been a month of introspection and self-correction, it is quite befitting that we look into the rising menace of Islamophobia that has swept the country and the world into a partisan "Us versus Them" way of thinking.
Why should every Muslim need to prove repeatedly that his/her actions, of practicising his faith or attempting to assimilate the culture of his faith into his lifestyle, are not with a hidden agenda of ethnic cleansing of the community he lives in or suppression of fundamental rights of those in his family?
India is a melting pot of culture. A country that seeks pride in its mult-cultural, multi-ethnic population free to practice his/her faith as long as it does not violate the rights of others. I'm sure these words have been repeated umpteen number of times. So many times that it hurts to read them or listen to them again. Yet not all of us have fully understood that this is the promise India has given to its citizens. A promise which should not be taken away.
I'm also sure the justification ― "a matter of personal choice" ― for wearing a purdha/burqa has also been repeated "ad infinitum, ad nauseam". But, guess what, the belief that ― a man who prays five times daily and grows a beard (or a woman who covers herself from head to toe in a black dress) is dangerous ― is both primitive and silly. This is nothing but the fear of people who are different from oneself. And there is a word for it ― Xenophobia.
Xenophobia is a disease. When will people realize that war crys and mud slinging will only result in a vicious cycle of bloodshed and vitriol? The "manly" thing to do here isn't to fight but to empathise.
I'm not washing my hands off by saying "It's their fault!". No, not at all. Muslims are to be blamed too. While the birdbrained amongst us have brought shame to Islam, the wise have kept quiet for too long hoping that better sense will prevail and normalcy will be restored. It is high time that we stop waiting with folded hands. I've listened to provoking speeches from "Muslim leaders" with intentions ranging from subtle jabs to outright hate speeches. And I'm sure there are many like me who have listened and then walked away choosing to ignore them. It is time we stopped such hate speeches. Instead of ignoring such charlatans, raise your voice and correct them.
Until we eradicate the ideology of hatred from our community, Muslims will always be in the dock. After all, Muslims are, in the eyes of many, guilty until proven innocent.
In case you are wondering why this sudden outburst on this blog, this post is a response to a post on another blog which I choose not to link to here.
2 comments