Islamic Hardliners Dictate Terms in West Bengal Thanks To Government's 'Soft Approach'
By Soudhriti
Bhabani
1 April 2015
Masum Akhtar
---------
Can the Urdu language
be associated with any one religion? It seems the Mamata Banerjee government in
West Bengal believes it has a close connection with Islam.
So, time and again,
Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress had promised to make Urdu the second
official language in those areas of the state where there are at least 10 per
cent Muslims.
And after gaining
power in the state the Trinamool government did just that, ostensibly eyeing
the Muslim vote bank. The demand over Urdu’s status was put forward during the
previous Left Front government.
However, despite
making promises in this regard, successive Left Front governments stayed away
from the language-religion question.
The Mamata government
has deviated from that and adopted a strategy that clearly showed the ruling
dispensation is not averse to playing the ‘Muslim card’.
To date, several
initiatives have been taken by the Trinamool government to woo the Muslims in
the state. From granting special status to the Urdu language to allowing an
honorarium for Muslim clerics, Chief Minister Banerjee has gone the whole hog
to flaunt her so-called “secular” credentials.
However, her perceived
“appeasement” policy - often slammed by the Opposition parties here - has
started to backfire.
The latest incident
involving Masum Akhtar, a headmaster of a Kolkata madrasa, indicated that the
hardline elements among West Bengal’s Muslims are not keen to practise
tolerance.
On March 26, Akhtar
was allegedly beaten up by some Muslim hardliners here who felt that the
headmaster had an agenda to malign Islam.
Akhtar had been vocal
about taking stringent action against those Madrasas in the state that
allegedly indulged in anti-national activities. He had written several articles
in leading dailies here to share his point of view.
That, and his
interpretation of historical events, didn’t go down well with the far-right
among the Muslims, who are increasingly acting with impunity across West
Bengal.
Akhtar's Ordeal
The Metiabruz locality in Kolkata where madrasa headmaster Masum Akhtar
has lodged police complaints after being assaulted by Muslim hardliners
Referring to the
assault on him, Masum Akhtar said he was attacked by a group of radicals who
were unhappy about his writings and views.
These radicals thought
Akhtar was anti-Islam, though he himself repeatedly countered that perception.
One may recall that
recently in March, a football match of women players had to be called off in
Malda district due to opposition of Muslim hardliners.
The Muslim clerics
were opposed to women playing the game wearing “tight dresses”. The local
administration buckled under pressure and eventually the match was cancelled
“to maintain law and order”.
Observers here say
that the Mamata government’s “soft approach” has encouraged the Muslim
hardliners to impose their diktats on several social issues. This was not the
case earlier when the Communists ruled the state for 34 years, observers added.
“There is a
complicated blend of religion and politics in West Bengal. A particular section
of people with vested interests is actually using it for their own agenda.
Those who believe in true religion will never do such things. But a group of
people is using religion as a tool to fulfill their shallow political gains,”
said Miratun Nahar, a social activist and Muslim intellectual.
“Everyone should have
the freedom of thought,” she said, adding that representatives of the minority
community are not free from religious customs and superstitions.
-------------
Madrasa Head
Terrified After Threat Calls
By Soudhriti
Bhabani in Kolkata
Masum Akhtar, a Madrasa
headmaster who was brutally thrashed by a section of Muslim hardliners on March
26 for his liberal views on Islam, on Wednesday claimed that he was receiving
threat calls.
“My life is in danger.
My professional life is also in danger as the managing committee of the madrasa
has expelled me, saying I was teaching anti-Islam ideologies. But I said no
such thing which may go against my religious belief,” Akhtar told Mail Today.
Akhtar was allegedly
attacked by a mob led by Muslim fundamentalists, after which he was
hospitalised. He claimed that he was attacked for his liberal views on Islam,
which he shared through articles in leading Bengali dailies here.
Akhtar had also
written an article about madrasas soon after the 2014 Burdwan blast. In his
article Akhtar sought stern action against madrasas that were allegedly
involved in illegal activities across West Bengal.
“I am now residing at
an undisclosed location. A conspiracy has been hatched by a section of
hardliners from our community who are instigating people against me by
distorting facts about my teaching techniques. They misinterpreted what I
taught my students about Islam at the madrasa and asked my students not to
accept what I said,” he said.
Akhtar lodged two
police complaints with the Rajabagan police station at Metiabruz locality in
Kolkata, but no arrest has been made so far in connection with the case.
Sources said a counter
FIR was also registered in which it was alleged that the madrasa teacher had
hurt the religious statements of Muslims.
Referring to the
attack on him, Akhtar said that he did call up the Rajabagan police station as
an irate mob had surrounded his school. Police arrived at the scene quite late
and when they were trying to get Akhtar out of the school premises the mob
attacked him. He was beaten up with an iron rod.
Asked if he spoke to
the administration, Akhtar said that he had a telephone conversation with West
Bengal Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee.
“I also tried to speak
to minister Firhad Hakim to inform him about my helpless state. But I could not
reach him. However, Mukherjee assured that he would look into the issue,”
Akhtar added.
------------
RSS Spreading Its
Wings In Bengal
By Soudhriti
Bhabani in Kolkata
The Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS), the ideological mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP), is fast increasing its footprints in various parts of West Bengal.
If sources are to be believed, the trend had started a few years ago but has significantly gained momentum since 2013 with people from different social strata joining them willingly.
The RSS has
expanded its presence across south and north Bengal
-------------
The pattern started
following the Trinamool Congress-led administration’s appeasement drives for
the Muslims in Bengal, which virtually gave birth to various fundamentalist
elements allowing them to play the religious card.
In a move to reach out
to people, the RSS also devised various modules to involve people in their
daily programmes.
“By nature Bengalis
are argumentative. They prefer logical discussions. The young generation of
Bengal has realised the politics of appeasement which is continuing for such a
long period. No political party is raising any voice against it thinking of
petty voting interests,” RSS spokesperson (West Bengal chapter) Jishnu Basu
told Mail Today.
He said no political
party ever raised the issue of monthly allowances to Imams (proposed by the
Trinamool government), or the issue of Madrasa education and illegal migration
from the neighbouring Bangladesh to West Bengal.
“Now people have
realised why we are taking about these issues, especially after the accidental
Khagragarh blast in Burdwan in October last year,” Basu said.
Sources said the
organisation has expanded its presence across both south and north Bengal by
opening as many as 1,500 branches - the figure that stood at nearly 850 just
two years ago.
The RSS also opened
over 1,000 Saptahik Milan (weekly assembly units) and more than 2,500 Sangh
Mandali primarily in the rural outskirts.
Besides these, there
is an IT wing of the RSS also which operates in Kolkata and other towns across
Bengal.
This particular wing
comprises IT professionals and students and there are operational at eight
locations including Kolkata, Siliguri, Malda, Asansol, Durgapur, Santiniketan
and Kharagpur.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3022164/Islamic-hardliners-dictate-terms-Didi-s-Bengal-thanks-government-s-soft-approach.html#ixzz3WB6xuwED
-----
West Bengal Bans
Togadia Entry
Special Correspondent
KOLKATA, April 2,
2015: The West Bengal government on Wednesday banned the entry of international
working president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Pravin Togadia into the State
stating that his closed door or public meetings would lead to “communal tension
and disruption in public tranquillity.”
Commenting on the
development, senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said, “This is wrong, he
should be allowed to enter the State.”
A notification signed
by State Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee said orders under Section 144 Cr.PC
had been promulgated throughout the State prohibiting entry of Mr. Togadia.
“These orders have
been issued by district magistrates and Police Commissioners on the basis of
information available to them,” Mr. Banerjee said. According to reports, Mr.
Togadia is scheduled to visit the State later this month. Last month, he was
banned from entering Udupi district of Karnataka.
In January, a police
complaint was lodged against Mr. Togadia and other VHP leaders at Birbhum for
allegedly hurting religious sentiments and creating enmity between the
communities.
Ranajit Sur, an
activist of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights, described the
order as “undemocratic.”
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/west-bengal-bans-togadia-entry/article7059168.ece
URL: https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/islamic-hardliners-dictate-terms-west/d/102228