There has been a huge uproar about the speech by Akbaruddin Owaisi. The hatred-filled content by itself is shocking enough but what is alarming is the applause that he got from his audience. This shows the danger of isolation of a community in our ever-expanding society. These misinformed and misguided mindsets are there because they remain in their own community. When they live in isolation, they promote only one mindset and there is no open mindedness. They may not have friends from other communities or participate in other festivals. Such thoughts that have been expressed by Owaisi are poisonous to the idea of India even in a drawing room, let alone a public platform.
Therefore, religion based universities must be shut down. Universities are the only place where people work and grow up with people from other communities. But the government starts promoting religion based institutions for their vote banks. Such institutions will only create more Owaisis who remain in their own island. They will never get integrated with the rest of society and this is not good for the country.
Now who can change this mindset? It’s certainly not the law. If he is put in jail, he becomes a hero for his own people. Hindus cannot say anything to him because it will further polarize the two communities. So who can correct the mindset that he stands for? Such elements can only be changed or addressed by liberal and successful people of their own community. And it is time for those liberals who spend their time in their drawing rooms to reach out to people, address the youth, change their mindset and make an impact.
When I made efforts in the Ayodhya negotiations meeting VHP, the Muslim Personal Law Board and Babri Masjid Action Committee, what I saw there was more a vested interest than a genuine care for each other’s communities. It was more stubbornness than a willingness to come to a solution. Therefore, people who are mature and have the interest of a larger good at heart must step forward and educate others for sense to prevail. Otherwise, people like Owaisi end up becoming people’s representatives by evoking anger and hatred.
In stark contrast to the walled city of Hyderabad, Kadapa, also in Andhra Pradesh, is a pole apart. Every year thousands of Muslim devotees celebrate the new year by offering prayers to Lord Venkateshwara on Ugadi. This has been a 300 year old tradition at this temple. Similarly, many Hindus visit the Ameen Peer Dargah on Thursdays and Fridays.
Over the centuries, India has absorbed many different faiths in her culture. It is some people blinded by political ambition, greed or just plain ignorance who claim to be the voice of the people and seek to make gains out of creating chaos. They need to be drowned out by voices that make sense and personalities that display character. We owe it to both our glorious past and promising future to maintain our harmony as a nation.
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Wow! That sounds in Great Spirit…..
Dear Rajaque,
I was so encouraged by your post. I do get confused with Islam. It seems it is similar to Christianity…the fanatical minority evangelise division, the pure evangelise peace and love.
It is so difficult to understand, that even taking into account the sheer numbers who advocate for peace and love …why do we not rise up and overshadow the darkness that exists.
It’s almost like the good and caring people are impotent to do more than use rhetoric. We do have power, and we must stand united. I agree, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is someone with true pure intention, and so much more.
May we as individuals answer with YES as he calls us to physically be involved…not just on paper, not just in word…but in action.
With deep respect
Lee Patrick
Guruji’s comments on ‘Owaisi’s mindset’ is to those who are still like the frog in the well. Great !
Rajaque Rahman
You hv done yeoman service to the cause of Hindu Muslim Unity by being upright in your comments and recommending wholistic view of religion. No religion teaches hatred and enemosity with other human beings. Only people having vested interest distort the religion and preach hatred and exclusiveness. It is high time that both right thinking Hindus and Muslims should come under one Leader like SrI Sri to bring togetherness and understanding of each other. This way only we can move forward.
Good thought Rajaque ! It is time to unite and stand strong against all those who are trying to break our national unity for their personal and political gains. Here are my views : http://www.ameyapandit.com/2013/01/solution-or-part-of-the-problem/
As always Sri Sri has come up with a simple but fantastic solution to a complex problem of rising fanaticism among Indian Muslims. As a Muslim who is concerned for the community’s future, I totally agree that the government is making the younger generation play with fire through these regressive acts. Isolating them from the mainstream will only reinforce the victim consciousness and promote fanaticism.
The India of tomorrow must belong to all Indians irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. This can happen only when every Indian start taking pride in being a secular Indian. The shortsighted political class has missed this and is being driven by narrow vote-bank politics.
People like Owaisis have done nothing that will make them command the respect of the community. So they have to resort to rabble-rousing. Sadly, Akbaruddin isn’t an aberration. There is an organized network of self-serving leaders who are exploiting the masses for their personal gains. Their survival depends solely on polarization on the basis of religion. They will without a constituency the moment the larger Indian Muslim population gets integrated with the mainstream. Hence, they are playing all the dirty tricks to ignite polarization. This was apparently visible during the recent communal clashes in Assam. Instead of working to end the sufferings of the victims, they tried their best to escalate the conflict and turn it into a pan-India Hindu-Muslim conflict. The disastrous outcome of their plan is still fresh in the mind.
Their designs have assumed a worrying proportion as they have successfully tapped into the fast expanding network of Tablighis. In the name of preaching Islam, Tablighis travel across India and lure people into Wahabism, or orthodox brand of Islam copied from Saudi Arabia. In the last one decade or so, they have systematically destroyed the Indian brand of Islam which existed from the time of Khwaja Garib Nawaz of Ajmer.
It’s a known fact that theTablighi movement is no more confined to spreading awareness about Islam. They have become a pseudo-political movement patronized by leaders with a divisive agenda. Until this network is broken, fanaticism will continue to rise. As said by Sri Sri, liberal Muslims alone can deliver on this.
well said..
Thats great Rahman , really we all belong to one and only one. Right, we all have to come up to be one and for better India.
Dear Aamir
I hope your love is for the Truth and not of an ignorant evangelist! In Islam there is no room for people who use religion to foment hatred. I hope you love this principle of Islam more than your blind allegiance to Zakir Naik.
I can’t but pity Zakir Naik for the perverted head he carries on his shoulders. There can’t be a worst act than acquiring knowledge with the intent of putting someone down. Zakir Naik is good only in that. He wouldn’t qualify even as an evangelist as his understanding of Islam is too shallow. I am not even sure whether he is interested in preaching Islam. He just thrives in the Satanic act of belittling others. Jut by memorizing a few verses, one doesn’t become a scholar!
The biggest enemy of Islam today is the brand of faith that people like Zakir Naik represent and preach. In the true sense of the religion, we are out of Islam the moment we don’t stand by ideals of peace. By that yardstick, it’s debatable whether he is still part of the umma of Islam as Zakir Naik’s actions are aimed disturbing peace and fomenting hatred. Will you please enlighten me where in Islam this sort of hate-mongering is permitted?
Thankfully, many Muslim groups have finally come out against his mainipulation and distortions. The hope of Indian Muslims lies in our ability call the bluff of these self-proclaimed evangelists. We are duty-bound to the Creator to understand the essence of His words and live by that. Let’s not allow ourselves to be laid astray by perverted interpretations.
The very fact that you had to invoke an old and unconnected debate between Zakir Naik and Sri Sri to comment on the latter’s refreshingly fresh articulation to save Muslims from fanaticism and isolation shows the limited world majority of Indian Muslim youths live. It will be no arrogance to say that Sri Sri and Zakir Naik shouldn’t even be spoken on the same page, leave apart comparing the two. One represents the hope for humanity and other the peril. Sri Sri is one leader who has endeared himself to millions of people across countries, regions, religions with his unconditional love and concern. That’s why he has been revered in unlikely countries like Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, etc.
Even when he advocates shutting down of religion-based university he doing that out of love for Muslim population of this country. In these regressive acts of the government, he sees the danger of younger generation of Indian Muslims playing with fire. By isolating ourselves and reinforcing the victim consciousness, we will only harm the interest of the community. Only a farsighted visionary like Sri Sri can perceive that raise a voice against it.
It’s time younger generation of Indian Muslim junk the blinkered thinking of outdated and self-serving religious and political leaders. This is the only way to save the community.
Nice thoughts… Let us rise above petty issues and know that we all are part of one community… human community …
Ver well articulated thoughts Rahman.
Dear Rajaque
Very powerful and informative responses.
Thanks a lot.
Dear Rajaque,
Woderful views you have put in pen…very powerful & inspiring!
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