Muharram arrived too soon

The Gujarati Muslims — a mix of Khoja, Bohra and Memon communities — are markedly different from Muslims in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Follow their social habits and cultural traits, and the depth of their integration with local society may surprise you. They neither spearheaded nor actively supported the Pakistan movement. They speak Gujarati, not Urdu. They are religious without being swayed by Muslim orthodoxies. Their cultural symbols, mostly secular, lie in Gujarat, not in the volatile Indo-Gangetic belt. In short, they are the quintessential Indian. This makes the story of their genocide so much more poignant.

The Muslims observe Muharram (month of mourning) with usual solemnity. Processions are underway mourning the martyrdom of Imam Husain, the grandson of the Prophet of Islam, and his family. For the Muslims of Gujarat, though, Muharram arrived a bit too soon. Their lives are shattered by the orgy of violence. Burnt houses and commercial establishments and the debris of shrines and mosques, including one built in the 16th century, stand mute witness to the horrors perpetrated in the land of Gandhi.

Survivors mourn their dead, the hapless victims of unprecedented hate and aggression. The dead cannot tell their tale, but the living do. The tragedy of Karbala took place in 680 AD on the bank of the Euphrates in Iraq; it was re-enacted on the Sabarmati River a few weeks ago. For the Gujarati Muslim, every evening is sham-i ghariban (the night of the mournful). The dawn brings little hope of a safe future. Darkness envelops the lives of the rich and poor, the urban dweller and the rural folk. Raat aur subah bahut der gale milte-rahe (daybreak and night lay long in each other’s arms).

True, Hindu-Muslim violence has rocked Gujarat before. But this carnage has turned its major cities into a graveyard of secular nationalism. M.A. Jinnah talked of two nations in the 1940s. Presumably, he erred in his judgement. Yet, those of us who harp on composite culture as the principal feature of Indian society need to leave Gujarat out of our frame. Those of us who celebrate secular nationalism, as opposed to the two-nation theory, need to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of the past. The ‘Unity in Diversity’ claptrap will not do.

As in Tel Aviv, where the UN Charter lies in tatters, Gujarat has become a live testimony to the utter contempt that the Indian Constitution and the rule of law have been reduced to by the BJP’s elected representatives and their VHP and RSS allies. Yet, the chief minister remains in office despite the country-wide demand for his resignation and ,receives, from the country’s home minister, a testimonial of good conduct. Long live the sangh parivar’s solidarity! The police commissioner’s appalling conduct and indiscreet statements must be comforting to scores of senior police officers prone to wielding the big stick against the minorities, Dalits included, and trade union leaders. Even if indicted by a commission, he will go scot-free. The government-appointed commission is itself an alibi for inaction and a massive cover-up operation.

A few months ago, SIMI, an organisation of a couple of hundred misguided youth, was banned to please George W. Bush. But has Uncle Sam directed this government not to ban the VHP and the Bajrang Dal? Many of their members, masquerading as karsevaks or Rambhakts, adopt terrorist methods to kill, loot and intimidate the Muslim and Christian minorities. More than anything else, the stormtroopers of the BJP-RSS have tarnished Hinduism’s tolerant and eclectic image. In an ugly display of violence, they have now attacked the citadel of democracy in Orissa. All in the name of the benign Lord Rama! Somebody has to call their bluff; else, they may cause incalculable damage to our polity and society.

Provisions of TADA and now Poto have been pressed into service to nab ‘terrorists’, though the perpetrators of the worst possible crimes against innocent civilians are still at large. Their knives are still out in the open. Only the Muslims — already battered and bruised — find themselves at the receiving end. They continue to suffer, their agony prolonged by the apathy and criminal neglect of the Gujarat administration. ‘‘Bury me, oh my country, under your pavement/ Where no man now dare walk with head held high/ Where your true lovers bringing you their homage/ Must go in furtive fear of life or limb/ For new-style law and order are in use/ Good men learn, ‘stones locked up, and dogs turned loose’’’. Written in Lahore jail in the 1950s by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, these lines sum up the sense of loss, tragedy and humiliation of India’s Muslims in 2002.

Violence continues sporadically, spreading to the tribal belt. People flee their villages to become refugees in their own place of birth. Relief camps are inadequately equipped; yet the practitioners of modern hate, having performed their brutal operations with meticulous care and planning, prevent food and medicines from reaching the victims. Reminiscent of what happened during the dark days preceding the transfer of power, they have called for the social and economic boycott of the Muslims.

Scores of politicians, having heard and seen it all, do precious little to mount pressure on the central government to provide relief. Why don’t they observe a symbolic fast, the traditional but effective Gandhian method, as an act of penance? Previous prime ministers visited sites of violence and brought some comfort to affected families; the present one has not moved out of 7, Race Course Road.

The NDA allies produce the familiar noises without rocking this government’s boat. Kashmir’s chief minister growls but to no avail. Self-proclaimed disciples of Rammanohar Lohia and Acharya Narendra Dev do the same. The socialists in the NDA, too, will make their peace with the establishment and remain firmly ensconced in the ministerial benches.

Love of power, in various limited forms, is almost universal. There is, however, a great difference between power desired as a means and power desired as an end in itself. Only in myth does Shiva drive a straight path through the opposition with his trident. In politics, the NDA partners, free India’s gold-diggers, will bow before political exigencies.

In Gujarat’s bloody landscape, the Muslims cannot be expected
to pay heed to liberal and secular exhortations. Yet, they must eschew any form of retaliation. The nation’s glory lies in our hands, in fostering reconciliation and promoting camaraderie between the religious communities. This is a moment of trial not just for the Muslims, but for the Indian nation. Freedom is in peril; let’s defend it with all our might.

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