Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Are Muslims really our blood and flesh? |
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| Ayesha |
| 09/12/00 at 11:20:09 |
| Are Muslims really our blood and flesh? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ram Puniyani, Free Press Journal 11 September, 2000 At the annual convention of BJP held in Nagpur, Bangaru Laxman (Aug. 26,2000) the new BJP president was at his chivalrous best when he proclaimed that 'Muslims are blood of our blood and flesh of our flesh'. Noble sentiments indeed! Ironically before he made this generous proclamation he visited the memorial of the second supremo (Sarsanghchalak) of RSS, Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, who in his book (Bunch of Thoughts) has elaborated how Muslims are enemies of Hindu nation and also given the tips of dealing with the internal enemies. Golwalkar is deeply appreciative of the Nazi methods of dealing with the threats to the 'Nation', example of Hitler's' tackling Jews (gas chambers and all that) is cited with great adoration. This major ideologue of RSS even currently is regarded as the guiding spirit of RSS ideology. Also while making public his pious intention vis-a-vis the biggest minority, Laxman forgot to mention that similar (blood of our blood) treatment should be meted to the other minority, the Christians. This omission may have been a conscious one as probably how can you call somebody as the flesh of your flesh at a time when your own real flesh (affiliates like VHP, Bajarang Dal etc.) are thrashing them through and through. BJP and Muslims: Laxman went on to say that with BJP rule anti-Muslim violence has come down. The unstated part of this sentence may have been that it has come down because the target for violence has shifted to another minority, which also finds a mention in the above said ideologues listing of inner enemies. The unstated part of the statement may also have been that Laxman and his associates cannot thrash two minorities at a time, so this respite for the followers of the teachings of Prophet Mohammed. One of the major campaigns of BJP's predecessor, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, was 'Indianisation of Muslims'. This intimidating assault on the minorities was premised on their assertion that in this 'Hindu Rashtra' Muslims are foreigners and so they need to be Indianised. The methods for this Baptism in Indianisation were very unique. The hatred was systematically spread against the Muslims by Gobbelsian techniques. Muslims are not loyal to India, they are ISI agents, they are polygamous, they produce more children, Muslim kings destroyed Hindu temples, and they spread Islam by force of sword. All these concoctions were in due course supplemented by more innovative one's like Muslims are a pampered minority. They could successfully project a poor, marginalised minority having high rate of illiteracy and unemployment, having a higher ratio amongst those living below the poverty line as the one's who have been appeased by successive govts. BJP was also successful in popularizing the weak secularism of Congress variety as pseudo-secularism and BJP's minority bashing variety as the real secularism. This communalisation of social space formed the base on which anti-Muslim violence stood for decades. With Advani taking over the reigns of BJP the matters were taken to the higher pitch and BJP led Ram Janmabhoomi campaign resulted in the worst ever communal violence. With Babri demolition the first circle of Hindu nation building came to fruition and BJP became a strong party to reckon with, thanks to its elite vote bank, basically built on the higher caste Hindus who became its fans, built through the anti-Muslim hate campaigns. The assault of BJP and its family members (fondly called Sangh Parivar (SP) by them) on the Muslims, ghettoized them physically, mentally and emotionally. With BJP manipulating to capture power at the Center the threat perception amongst Muslims started going up as BJP began to communalise education and other cultural institutions and practices in a insidious, subtle and blatant way. It also undertook the non-constitutional path of Constitution review with the aim of doing away the secular character of the state and the protective provisions for minorities and weaker sections of society. The sword of Kashi and Mathura controversies has been kept alive though temporarily relegating them to the backburner for tactical reasons. All this has given a clear message to the Muslim minority about the real nature of the long-term agenda of the BJP in unambiguous terms. Muslim response to BJP: In the face of the motivated and sustained violence the Muslim community started becoming more and more inward looking. Though the Congress and the state machinery also played quite a role in aiding and abetting the Sangh Parivar led hate politics, large sections of Muslim populace did realize that it is the BJP which is the prime mover of the anti Muslim tirade and anti-Christian hate campaign culminating in it being viewed as totally anti-minority. And over a period of time they started doing the tactical voting to defeat BJP with the hope that that is the best option for them. Despite initial vacillations it became very clear to the Muslim community as to what the real intentions of BJP vis a vis their community are! Their alienation from BJP went on increasing and by now barring some show pieces most of the Muslim community has realized the dangers of BJP to the social, economic and political survival of the minorities in general and Muslims in particular. Why this Olive branch now? It is not the first time that such pleasant sounding sentiments are being proffered from the stables of the BJP. Earlier, a couple of years after the Babri demolition, at their conclave held at Goa, BJP did make overtures to Muslims. But since their real intentions towards minorities are more than clear to the minorities such bouquets in which the thorns are hidden inside are unlikely to work. So why this show of bonhomie? Last three general elections have shown that BJP is stagnating at a particular electoral support. As a matter of fact in the last general elections their voting percentage has come down by close to two percent, and so BJP is out to think of new ways of winning over some more sections of populace. In this direction their affiliates have been unleashed in Adivasi areas to target the Christian missionaries to win Adivasis to the BJP fold. The second measure, which seems to be being initiated by Laxman, is to woo the section of conscientious, right-thinking and liberal Hindus, who are perturbed by the anti-Muslim stance of this Hindutva party. BJP knows that it is impossible for it to win over minorities after whatever treatment they and their parivar(?) is meting out to them. But it is likely that the mask of such noble sounding sentiments may win over a section of liberal Hindus. This is another deceptive mask, which BJP is desperate to acquire in its pursuit of the agenda of Hindu Rashtra. Will we let it succeed in its designs? (Source: Free Press Journal) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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