'Muslims Are 2nd Class Citizens but Must Address Hindu Sense of Grievance For Sake Of India’s Unity': British-Indian Author Hasan Suroor
May 30, 2022
Muslim author, Hasan Suroor
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The Muslim
author, Hasan Suroor, in an interview to launch his new book ‘Unmasking Indian
Secularism: Why We Need A New Hindu-Muslim Deal’, has firmly said that India
should seek a solution to its Hindu-Muslim problem by officially declaring the
country an Hindu state but, simultaneously, guarantee full democratic rights
for all minorities. “A state can have an officially recognized religion – in
India’s case it will be Hinduism – and yet remain secular in practice by
treating all citizens as equals and making sure that their religious and civil
rights are protected by law – as in many western liberal democracies including
Britain where the state is Christian but government practices are secular.”
In a
26-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Hasan Suroor, a former
correspondent for The Hindu in Britain and a Press Fellow of Wolfson College,
Cambridge University, explained that there are two background conditions that
have determined his thinking. First, “Given how heavily the odds are stacked
against Muslims and how much they have at stake in resolving the crisis, they
must be prepared to make some hard choices.” Second, “The Hindu sense of
grievance – real or imaginary – will have to be addressed in the larger
interest of India’s unity.”
As he agreed
in the interview, the first background condition means Muslims must be prepared
to make sacrifices for a better relationship with their Hindu brothers and
sisters. The second background condition means grievances, whether real or
imaginary, of the majority cannot be left unaddressed and have to be in some
way met or appeased.
As Hasan
Suroor explained in the interview, as things stand, he said, Muslims are
treated as second class citizens in India. They are called appeased though they
are perhaps the poorest and least represented in public life. So, he asked,
what would be the difference between what I’m advocating and the present
situation except that the sense of grievance of Hindus will, hopefully, have
been met in return for a guarantee of full democratic rights and fair equal
treatment for Muslims. As he put it, things can’t get worse than they are
today.
In the
interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Hasan Suroor is questioned about two
specific conditions that apply in Britain, which make it possible for Britain
to be both constitutionally Christian and in practice secular, which may not
apply in India. Please see the interview for these details. Hasan Suroor in
response says his proposal is “a leap of faith” that Muslims must be prepared
to take.
In the
interview, Hasan Suroor is also questioned about the present day Kashi-Mathura
issues and makes clear that he, personally, would have no problem if both
mosques were taken over and converted into Hindu temples.
Hasan
Suroor is also questioned about the Muslim Personal Law-Universal Civil Code
debate and says that he believes a Universal Civil Code is necessary but one
that has allowances and can accommodate some of the specific requirements of
individual faiths. However, he says, we cannot continue with separate personal
laws for each religion.
Towards the
end of the interview, Hasan Suroor agrees that there is a real sense in which
two different senses of desperation also lie behind his thinking. First, he
says, “We (must) stop dreaming about a secular utopia … and, instead, try and
make the best of a bad situation … politically isolated and facing an uncertain
future Muslims have few options. The question is whether they want to prolong
the agony or try and find a dignified way out of it.” And then, he adds
“There’s no Godot coming to our rescue. Muslims are on their own and time is
running out.”
Finally,
Hasan Suroor is asked how he would respond to people, both Hindus and Muslims,
who might argue that he’s buckled under the pressure of Hindutva. He says he
has faced such criticism many times before and he doesn’t care.
URL: https://newageislam.com/multimedia/muslims-citizens-hindu-grievance-unity-hasan-suroor/d/127129
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