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- INDIA
Haranguing speeches have been made, huge marches have been held, volumes have been written on the attack on Charlie Hebdos office; but in the midst of the din created by proponents and opponents of the incident, the voice of the Indian Muslim lies muffled.
Every time there is an incident involving ‘un-Islamic’ extremists, the common Indian Muslim faces a battle on two fronts. On the one hand, one has to face international criticism and attack while on the other, especially after the surge of communalism in the country, the Indian Muslim is expected to either be apologetic or give an explanation for what some violent radical does in one or the other part of the world.
Why on earth do I or any other Muslim has to apologise or explain the action of extremists who constitute less than one per cent of the total Muslim population of the world?
While I fervently condemn the attack on the magazine’s office, I vehemently oppose the provocative mockery of Charlie Hebdo in the name of freedom of speech and expression.
Being an Indian Muslim, I expect the very same people who forced M.F. Hussain to die in exile for the ‘objectionable’ paintings of Gods and Goddesses, to come out in the open and condemn the cartoons as well.
Indeed, the extremists within the Muslim world have done more harm to Islam than the cartoons, and I as a young Indian Muslim stand up against these people--of all colours and shades--- who use religion for violence and hate.But starting with 9/11, if anyone has suffered the most from the terrorist attacks, it is the common Muslim.
As a result, I have witnessed the emergence of two eccentric factions of Muslims. One who in order to escape the humiliation and mental trauma, join the bandwagon of those who point fingers at Islam and are ensconced on the chair of a ‘liberal Muslim’; and on the other hand there is a section who becomes defensive to such an extent that they condemn everything that is western and become bigoted and intolerant of other beliefs.
This leaves me and a majority of Muslims in a fix, who offer their prayers but also love watching movies with friends. We are facing a battle on two fronts again. While excusing oneself from a public gather for namaz makes us a “fanatic”, going out with friends to watch a movie make us a ‘bad’ Muslim in the eyes of self-proclaimed custodians of Islam.
Have we become so myopic and prejudiced? Is there no place for a balance? Have we created a world where everything is either black or white? These are the questions that haunt me every day. Any answers?
