Despite the Pandemic, Religious Bigotry is on the Rise
By Arshad Alam, New
Age Islam
19 April
2021
Members Of The Tablighi Jamaat Were Stigmatized
And Criminalized, No Such Alacrity Was Seen With Regard To The Kumbh Whose
Scale Was Much Larger Than The Tablighi Jamaat Event
Main Points:
1.
Kumbh is different primarily because
of its non-association with Muslims.
2.
In today’s India, only Muslims have
to prove that they are respecting the law.
3.
Many Muslims have volunteered to
help COVID patients by arranging for hospital beds, medicines, oxygen and food.
4.
Ordinary members of the Tablighi
Jamaat were made into a scapegoat simply because they were Muslims.
There is
not even a pretence anymore. In today’s India, only Muslims have to prove that
they are respecting the law; Hindus can simply do whatever they want to by
proclaiming it a matter of their faith. No one is interested in highlighting
this hypocrisy: neither the opposition nor the media. If this had happened some
decades ago, a section of Indians would have called this as Hindu appeasement.
But the situation has become so caustic that even well-meaning individuals
think twice before stating the obvious.
It is a
pervasive belief amongst Hindus that the waters of Ganga washes away their
sins. But this time the river is doing something more: it is showing us the
criminality and hypocrisy of a nationalist community, the political class, and
the vulture media which feeds on such decadence. Amidst a raging pandemic, the
Kumbh has been going on, largely un-monitored, simply because it is not
possible to monitor such a huge crowd. Those who are arguing that pilgrims were
allowed only after getting tests done are basically enacting a performance so
as to appear sensitive to the wider world. Authorities themselves have come on
record to state that it is simply impossible to screen everyone who is coming
to the Kumbh. There are already hundreds of reported cases but there is no talk
of accountability, no condemnation by anyone as to why so many lives were put
in danger.
Comparisons
will be made with how the Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) was held responsible for
‘spreading’ the virus during the first wave of the pandemic. All this despite
the well-known fact that when members of the Tablighi Jamaat became stranded in
the Nizamuddin Markaz, there was no lockdown in effect. Despite the foolish
exhortation of Maulana Saad (the chief of Tablighi Jamaat) to ‘fill the
mosques’, ordinary members of the Tablighi Jamaat were made into a scapegoat
simply because they were Muslims. This fitted well with the contemporary
political narrative of othering Muslims. The Tablighi Jamaat members were no
longer stranded rather, they were said to be in ‘hiding’. This association of
criminality was amplified by dedicated anti-Muslim social media platforms which
started circulating videos of corona-jihad and how it was being orchestrated by
Muslims. Only in India, did corona acquire a religion.
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Also
Read: The Holy Quran: ‘With Difficulty There Is Ease’; Fight the
Pandemic with Faith
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We are told
that the Kumbh is different. It is different primarily because of its
non-association with Muslims. Anything to do with Muslims is suspicious, criminal
and potentially jihadist. Anything to do with Hinduism is an expression of
benign faith. The Uttarakhand CM made this amply clear when he said that the
Tablighi Jamaat event and the Kumbh cannot be compared. He argued that the
Tabligh event was held ‘inside’ a building while the Kumbh is happening in the
‘open’. The insinuation was very clear: the Tablighi Jamaat activity was
suspicious and that’s why it was inside (in hiding) whereas the grand faith of
Hindus is transparent. Not to be left behind, the VHP joint secretary, Surendra
Jain gleefully told reporters that comparing the Kumbh with the Tablighi Jamaat
event is like comparing Ganga water with the dirty water of a drain. Clearly
then, for some powerful Hindus, only their version of religion in this country
has the status of faith, other religious traditions just exist to scheme
against Hindus.
Thankfully,
saner minds have prevailed upon such ludicrous champions of Hindus. The prime
minister’s appeal to suspend the Kumbh has put an end to such religiously
polarizing comparisons but not before much damage had already been done.
Whereas the pandemic has flattened all distinctions of religion, there are some
who still want to identify corpses through their clothes. Clearly, the holy
Ganga water did not come to their aid. Hundreds eventually did get COVID
despite taking the dip in the sacred river. Hundreds of others must have gone
undetected. Ultimately, it was political pressure from above which made them
see sense and rationality. These politicians have essentially made Hinduism
into a negative faith which can only be understood through the denigration of
Islam, rather than on its own merit. For a civilization which claims to be
Sanatan (perennial), this is very sad indeed.
Devotees gather to offer
prayers during the third 'Shahi Snan' of the Kumbh Mela 2021, at Har Ki Pauri
ghat in Haridwar on Wednesday. (Photo: PTI)
-----
One can
certainly have the highest of regard for the faith of millions of Hindus who
consider it auspicious to attend the Kumbh. But this high regard for a faith
should not blind anyone to call out the blatant double standards of this
government and sections of the media. Whereas members of the Tablighi Jamaat
were stigmatized and criminalized, no such alacrity was seen with regard to the
Kumbh whose scale was much larger than the Tablighi Jamaat event. Moreover, the
government was already aware that the new variant of the virus was far more
dangerous as compared to what we had witnessed during the first phase of the
pandemic. What we have seen is the complete failure of the government and the
authorities to ensure that such events do not put the lives of thousands in
danger.
Kumbh Mela. Photo courtesy
Quartz India
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Amidst such
deep anti-Muslim rhetoric and hatred, something remarkably positive is
happening at the ground. And much of that positivity is coming from the
selfless activities of Muslims themselves. Many have volunteered to help COVID
patients by arranging for hospital beds, medicines, oxygen and food. These
Muslims are making India proud as they are not looking at anyone’s religion
before serving them. In Vadodra, Muslims are even helping in cremating the
dead. In any other country, these efforts would have been lauded. Let us only
hope that in India, it leads to some shame in those who make a living by
creating hatred between Hindus and Muslims.
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Arshad Alam is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-politics/despite-pandemic,-religious-bigotry-rise/d/124711
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