Indian Muslims and their Supposed Political Appeasement: the Spiritual Dimension
By
Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
18
November 2021
Muslims Lost Their Political
Acumen and Identity in the Haze of a Hypothetical Political Appeasement
Main Points:
1.
After the partition
of India, Muslims became the most unwanted baggage to be carried for as far as
possible.
2.
When Pakistan and
Bangladesh treat their minorities inhumanly, Indian Muslims face the brunt
while the political parties (even the secular ones) look the other way.
3.
BJP, RSS and their
everyday growing fringe organisations cannot squarely be blamed for the impasse
Muslims in India are passing through as it is decades old.
4.
Hatred for Muslims
is the result of the farcical appeasement policy that every so-called secular
organisation adopts during elections for its political gain. That Muslims are
more backward on every count than any other community makes no difference to
anyone.
-----
Hitler walking over the
spineless leaders of democracy by British cartoonist David Low (Evening Standard
(8th July, 1936)
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After
the partition of India, Muslims became the most unwanted baggage to be carried
for as far as possible. On paper, Muslims enjoy every right that the
Constitution of India grants to its citizens but since independence, they have
been merely treated as a punching bag and a scapegoat. They are punched for the
faults of Pakistan and Bangladesh. When
Pakistan and Bangladesh treat inhumanly their minorities, Indian Muslims face
the brunt and the political parties (even the secular ones) look the other way.
They are not applauded when the said countries treat their minorities as
respected citizens in their countries.
I
cannot blame today’s BJP or RSS and their everyday growing fringe organisations
for the impasse Muslims in India are passing through, as I have personally witnessed anti- Muslim
hatred some thirty years ago in Arrah, a
district town of Bihar. This hatred for Muslims is the result of the supposed
appeasement policy that every so-called secular organisation has adopted for
its political gain. Every political party irrespective of their national,
regional, and linguistic or caste identity has taken the route of a
hypothetical appeasement of Muslims for their votes.
The
pseudo-secular parties make tall promises to Muslims never to fulfil any part
of it, but allowing Hindutva groups to accuse them of appeasement. One would
have thought that this would stop following the publication of Sachar Committee
report that laid bare the plight of Muslims in India. But nothing changed.
It
is because of this farcical appeasement policy that Muslims lost their
political acumen and identity. They were made to believe that they are getting
every support for their development when the reality was different. Muslims
never had a leader to guide them in the political world. Most of those that
came on the scene as Muslim leaders were merely following a policy of
self-aggrandisement. For the namesake every political party, left, right or
far-right has several Muslim leaders but no one of them ever stood and spoke
for the community. Even if they spoke it was along the party lines, not giving
voice to the reality faced by Muslims.
Those
leaders who have no understanding of the Quran and Hadith, though being a
leader of a multi-religious country they must have, and the Muslim leaders who
support such wrongful appeasement policy, must be acquainted with some Quranic
and Biblical verses so that they may know what fate is waiting them in the life
hereafter.
Quranic Verses on Appeasement
“And
fulfil (every) covenant. Verily! the covenant, will be questioned about” (Al-Isra: 34)
O you
who have believed, why do you say what you do not do? How despicable it is in
the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do! (As-Saf: 2-3) — Dr Mustafa
Khattab
And fulfil
(every) commitment. Indeed, the commitment is ever [that about which one will
be] questioned.
(Al-Isra: 34)
(Those
who) fulfil their promise when they promise ...
and it is those who are the righteous. (Al-Baqarah: 177
Christianity on False Promises,
aka Appeasement
Like clouds and wind without
rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give. (Proverbs 25:14)
And no wonder, for even Satan
disguises himself as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Role of Muslim Intellectuals in
Indian Muslims Political Downfall
Muslim
intellectuals and scholars divided the community into ‘progressive
Muslims’, ' moderate Muslims’ and
'orthodox Muslims' just to suit their closeness to the governing dispensation.
They
never guided Muslims on the right path that could have mixed them into the
mainstream of Indian culture and civilisation. Indian Muslims still are
perfectly mixed in the cultural milieu of the Indian social identity but this
is because of the knowledge they have been imparted through the Khutbahs on Fridays
and speeches on other domestic functions.
Muslim
intellectuals and scholars valued gubernatorial posts for themselves more than
the benefit of the destitute among the Muslims. Hence, every incumbent
government decided to please the individuals rather than the gamut of Muslims
whom they otherwise also never took as their national brothers and sisters.
AMUs
and JMIs were never the answer to the impediment Muslims have passed since the
independence. They needed their roots to be strengthened as those who remained
in India on the call of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and the likes were those who
were hand to mouth. The feudal elements, the rich and the educated ones mostly
left the country on the call of Jinnah. Common Muslims needed basic empowerment
and acceptability of being true Indians that they chose to make India their
motherland but it never happened.
All
the minority communities and other downtrodden people have fallen victim to a
farcical appeasement policy, sometimes or the other. This policy brought them
nothing but anger and jealousy in the hearts of other countrymen, brothers and
sisters.
Having
Presidents, Prime Ministers and CMs is not an appeasement of the community. It
is not the answer to the predicament a community faces. Development cannot take place without
inclusiveness in any society. As there cannot be a Smart City with huts and
open drainage in it, there cannot be a developed country unless people live in
harmony with one another.
To
foster a civilised and cultured society one needs to have every citizen of the
country woven in one compact. Being cultured and civilised is a sign of being
spiritual. Therefore, our priority should be to spread the spiritual essence of
brotherhood and divine inclusiveness among all our people to create a sense of
belonging to one country and one society. There has to be equality of
opportunity among all. The policy of appeasement creates a rift among the
people. All the major religions of our country discard appeasement and reward
equality. Those who run appeasement policy as their political acumen are
perhaps unaware that such people are called hypocrites and for them is waiting
for the hellfire hereafter.
Inclusiveness
is embedded in human nature. One has just to remind mankind of the teachings of
his religion and he will be guided to an ideology that advocates love,
compassion, brotherhood and inclusivity. Humankind has to taste the fruit of
inclusivity of a humane society to follow the following religious teachings.
An
individual leader or a party that plays the appeasement game is called ‘a
hypocrite’ in the truest sense of the term. Hypocrites are denounced in every
age and every society by everyone. Their hypocrite's face comes to the fore,
one day or the other and then they have no place to hide. Humankind has been a
witness to such hypocrites since the inception of the world. Consider the
following Hadees about hypocrites’ characteristics and recognise them amongst
you.
“There are four
characteristics, whoever has them all is a pure hypocrite: when he speaks he
lies, when he makes a promise he breaks it, when he makes a covenant he betrays
it, and when he disputes he resorts to obscene speech. Whoever has one of them
has one of the characteristics of hypocrisy, until he gives it up.” Narrated by
al-Bukhari, 3178; Muslim, 58.
Hypocrite
politicians and the ones who play appeasement games will do better to
understand the following lesson from Bhagavad Gita and verses of the Holy Quran
as given under:
Understand that knowledge to be
in the mode of goodness by which a person sees one undivided imperishable
reality within all diverse living beings. (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Text 20)
“Say
(O Muhammad to the people), ‘O mankind!
Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of God…’” (Quran 7:158)
"O
mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female, and have made you
into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Indeed the most
honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous. Indeed, Allah is
Knowing and Acquainted" [Quran 49:13]
The
Prophet Pbuh was asked: "Who among men is most favoured by Allah?' He,
(SAW) replied: "A man who does the most good to people."
(At-Tabaraani)
Much
damage has been done not just to the Muslims or other downtrodden Indians
through the game of appeasement but to the country itself. We, as Indian
nationals do have to follow, ‘united we stand, divided we fall’.
And
Allah Knows the Best.
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Arman Neyazi is a columnist
with NewAgeIslam.com.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-politics/indian-muslims-appeasement-spiritual/d/125792
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