By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
10 June
2022
1. Daste-Khizaan Ne Uss Ko Wahin Badh Ke Chun Liya
2. Jo Phool Gir
Pada Nigahe-Andaleeb Se
3. Ahle-Sukoon
Se Khel Na Ae' Mauje-Imbisaat
4. Ik Din Ulajh
Ke Dekh Kisi Badnaseeb Se
5. -Shakeel
Badayuni
(The hands
of autumn picked up the flower that fell from the sight of the nightingale/Oh,
the waves of delight, don't play with peace-loving people, rather play with
someone who has witnessed the turmoil of life).
Photo: The Times of India
----
Shakeel's
aforementioned quatrain is germane to the current goings-on. Here, I'm not
gloating over Nupur Sharma or Jindal's ' misfortune.' I'm not one to gloat over
the ill-fate of even my sworn enemies, let alone those I never even had a word
with. My point is different. The whole murky episode has many takeaways and a
moral lesson for all. That you cannot corner a person or community for a long
time. General Jagjit Singh Arora, the Eastern Commander and main architect of
India's overwhelming triumph over Pakistan in 1971 War, told BBC that he was
sure that the plight of the Bengalis of the East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
wouldn't go abegging and the way Pakistanis ill-treated the Bengalis (though
they were also Muslims but spoke Bangla; ethnicity is often stronger than
religious bonds and ethos) for an inordinately long time, will eventually
backfire on them (Pakistani Army, mostly comprising Punjabis). The haughtily
supercilious Lt. General A A K Niazi (later stripped of his rank) finally
surrendered with 93, 000 Pakistani soldiers and Bengalis got a country,
Bangladesh, for themselves.
To cut the
matter short, “Inn Allah M'a As-Saabireen” (إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ
الصَّابِرِينَ)-Allah
is with those who keep patience. Sooner or later table is turned. Milton said
the same in his poem, ' On His Blindness,'
"They also serve who only stand and wait." There's a Yiddish
proverb, “Belne’z Asi Ken Mizaaf “(Wait and watch how the oppressor
falls eventually).
There's no
denying the fact that Muslims were at the receiving end for quite a long time.
They were reduced to Gentiles and Heathens in recent times. My innocent Muslim
newspaper vendor, who comes from Camp area, 6 km from my place, just to deliver
an Urdu paper was stopped and beaten by the society members and they also
questioned me: Padhe-Likhe Aadmi Hokar Bhi Aap Urdu Akhbaar Kyon Padhte
Hain? (Why do you read an Urdu daily despite being an educated person?) As
if Urdu is the language of uneducated people!
People chant anti-India slogans to condemn the derogatory references to
Prophet Muhammad in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday. (Photo | AP)
----
Muslims
were being harassed at the drop of a hat. In other words, it wasn't a dichotomy
between Hindus and Muslims, but a Draconian Droctomy (Dutch for one sect or
section being too oppressed).
When
audacity is not thwarted at the initial stage/s, it degenerates into open
affront, opined the French General Charles D Gaulle. Exactly the same happened,
when the lady in question went on to insult Muhammad, Prophet for the Muslims.
That was the last straw on the camel's back and also the final nail in the
coffin.
Things
wouldn't have been so bad, had such loudmouths been stopped long ago. What was
the use of waiting for the volcano to erupt like the Mount Vesuvius and engulf
the whole nation just like the Vesuvius swallowed Pompeii and Herculaneum in
the 79 CE? India could have avoided the international backlash had these
characters been caged in and not unleashed. We all learn the hard way. Persian
mystic-poet Jami articulated it so well, “Before abusing someone, remember you
can be slapped along with the return abuses." So, whatever happens,
happens for a reason.
An angry activist stomps on a poster of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)
official in Mumbai, India, on June 6, 2022, during a protest against her
blasphemous comments on Prophet Mohammed. (REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas)
-----
It's time
for both the communities to introspect and live amicably. You cannot live
abusing and humiliating the other one all the time. Tang Aamad, Ba' Jang
Aamad (English equivalent: Even a worm will turn at last). Remember, what
Jigar Moradabadi said, “Un Kā Jo Farz Hai Vo Ahl-E-Siyāsat Jāneñ /Merā
Paiġhām Mohabbat Hai Jahāñ Tak Pahuñche."
Disseminate love. It'll come back manifold. We've had enough of
these Hindu-Muslim sqabbles and skirmishes.
----
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit
Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam.
He has contributed articles to world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-politics/moral-lessons-nupur-sharma-episode/d/127213
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