Reviewed by ASIF ANWAR ALIG
At Home in India: The Muslim Saga, by Salman
Khurshid, Hay House Publishers (India) Pvt., Ltd., New Delhi-110 070, Year2015,
392pp, Indian Rupees 699, Hard.
hile intolerance, chauvinism and Hindutva totalitarianism reels India
through minority suppressions, especially of Muslims, with series of clampdowns
since Narendra Modi led Bhartiya Janata party (BJP) swept the poles should Muslims
feel at home in India? At Home in India: The Muslim Saga by Salman Khurshid illustrates
a ray of hope. Muslims mustn’t underestimate the prodigious contributions of
their forefathers. They indisputably contributed to build India’s cultural,
social and economic sanctity, he advocates.
Seasoned politician Salman Khurshid raises questions
in a context of Sachar Committee and Mishara Commission reports on social and
economic status of minorities especially Muslims. Issues of national interest
for them like ‘Reservations to Inclusion based Social Justice in India; Equal
Opportunity Commission and Communal Violence Bill of 2011’ have been thoroughly
discussed. Sections on Riots & Reactions; Global Islam and India’s Secular
Muslims to Leadership for New Century besides Notable Indian Muslims and Muslim
Renaissance in India perpetuate why they should feel proud of their past,
present and future.
Covering almost everything on Indian Muslims—from
concerns to contributions in country’s growth perspective—this book elaborates the
role of this community to entrust why they feel at home. A section entitled Education;
the Cradle of Capacity Building run over few chapters discuss the niche issues of
establishment and contributions of India’s renowned Muslim minority
institutions Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI). Both
brought educational renaissance in the community since their inception and still
shape destinies. This book overviews AMU and JMI foundation, growth and erratic
dawn falls.
India’s partition in 1947 was biggest setback for these
institutions while intellectual Muslims shifted to the newly created Pakistan
en masse. Former president Dr. Zakir Hussain alongside other Muslim
intellectuals initiated JMI nourishment to build and rebuild it. Intellectuals
associated with it nourished it to preserve the nationalistic traditions. ‘What
else could be best coincidence and slap on chauvinist forces to convey that in the
mid-1980s, a Muslim Professor Mujib Rizvi headed JMI’s Hindi Department whilst its
Urdu Department boasted due to the untiring efforts of scholar and Hindu
Professor Gopi Chand Narang to defy religious divisions.
AMU foundation as Mohammed Anglo Oriental College
in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan to it becoming a full-fledged university in 1920
and its struggle to retain minority character have been thoroughly discussed. Its
minority issue erupts regularly but solution is still bleak due to biasness. This
book summarizes chronology of events that brought manifold transformations in AMU.
From potential impact on Muslim think tanks to community rights in the light of
original motive of establishing the institution in AMU, this book equally raises
questions on those dissociating with it for vested interests.
Vision of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was to form a class
of masses amongst Muslims to emerge into ‘Mohammedan in religion, Indian in
blood and colour, but English in taste, through opinion and intellect.’ He dreamed
to inspire the students to develop self-respect, sense of superiority with
regard to social graces by firm belief that one could overcome hurdles with ability
to express the intelligent opinions. His vision and philosophy transformed
destinies of Indian Muslims with his opposition to a system of education that ‘left
inner spirit dead.’
He also believed that education talim (education) and tarbiyat (knowledge and training)
were mandatory for budding minds. One prepared for occupations while other designed
to bring out innate qualities of character needed for enlightenment.
AMU’s fortuitous contribution to India’s freedom movement
in early 1920s became brainchild for JMI’s inception. Dr. Zakir Hussain alongside
Kunwar Mohammad Ashraf and nearly 700 students responded to Mahatma Gandhi’s
call. They left MAO College and joined non-cooperation movement. Thus JMI was born
due to Gandhi’s exhortation, Ali Brothers and other Muslim intellectuals’ untiring
efforts.
Through discussing
general perceptions on Muslim minorities this book asserts that all sections are
important to be given equal importance. Muslims though deserved more attention due
to specific reasons. Being largest of all minorities with substantial presence they
seek respectable life in a country they were born or they chose to stay by
choice although separate land was carved out for them on religious grounds.
Their inherent contributions to make Indian history and to shape the ‘Idea of
India’ since first resistance against British rule in 1857—First War of
Independence—can’t be ruled out. They struggled to dream for democratic and
secular nation. Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, prominent leader Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad and other towering Muslim leaders dreamed for the modern India.
United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of India led by Indian National Congress set
up the committees to uplift minority communities. Sachar Committee focused on Muslim
minorities and collected data from all sources in and outside government to observe
exact scenario. Raghunath Mishra Commission with wider landscape and focus provided
recommendations to empower all minorities.
Pointing
out the doom of Indian Muslims ever since country was partitioned, Khurshid
exhorts to look on their sufferings in August 1947 riots and thereafter. Repeated
genocides from November 1984 riots in the wake of Indira Gandhi’s assassination
on 31st October 1984; 1993 Mumbai riots to recent killing in Gujarat
2002 pogrom shook the community. Unpleasant scenarios of riots in Muzaffarnagar
and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh in 2013 and 2014 respectively further shattered
them.
Indian Muslims encounter tough situations regularly but
equally do they excel in several professions. They boast of three Muslim Presidents,
three Muslim Vice Presidents, four Muslim Chief Justices, one Muslim Chief
Election Commissioner, a Muslim Cabinet Secretary and many Muslim Chief Ministers
in the post-independent India. List of towering contributions of Indian Muslims
is long. This book describes why they are at home in India and questions of ‘Muslims
First or Indian First is irrelevant.’
Enlisting
Muslim presence in India’s celluloid industry he discusses contribution of Bollywood
actors and actresses from Muslim community to shape world’s largest entertainment
industry, Bollywood. He also enlists successful Muslim cult figures from poetry,
music and painting et al. Khurshid insists that hurdles didn’t bring Muslims at
crossroads. They are successful individuals and proud Indians.
Few
names from the Muslim community with quintessential impact in the idea of India
to fulfill the country’s collective dream to name a few are father of Indian
missile technology and former president late Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam; software leader
Azim Premji of Wipro; food industry leader Irfan Allana; cosmetic queen Shahnaz
Hussain; educationalist P.A Inamdar, retail master M.A Yousuf Ali; institution builder
B.S Abdurrahman; medicine man at Cipla Yusuf Hamied; healthcare leader late Habil
Koraikiwala and musician A.R Rahman who made India proud. The list is too long
to mention.
While
raising questions that pertain to Indian Muslims, Khurshid insists that he doesn’t
propose for them to receive the best of everything sought. In all fairness they
must receive what they deserve. They willingly gave up their claims for national
integration since country’s partition. They are sensibly compromising on the matters
of ban on cow slaughter to rest issues to respect country’s secular fabric.
Good
chunk of Muslims made bold decision on 15 August 1947 to stay at home in India instead
of going into a newly carved out nation—Pakistan. As Indians and Muslims they are
Indian Muslims or Muslim Indians. They made a difficult choice through the rejection
of powerful claim for them to live together with their own community in a state
supposed to be perceived theirs. It was not easy decision for them encountering
scenes of divided families, loss of personal properties and shattered lives to
bear trauma of a transition. Scares of partition are unhealed yet. As Indian
Muslims made clear choice to stay at home they were silent and did not speak
traumas or insults encountered.
Muslims
are usual suspects in India, Khurshid exhorts. An example is how Indian Government
was forced to arrange special speech broadcast over the radio by the then Vice
President, Dr. Zakir Hussain during 1965 Indo-Pak War with an aim to dispel the
wild rumors that he was placed under house arrest due to being Muslim suspect. Similarly,
during 1980s matinee idol Dilip Kumar (actual name Yousuf Khan) faced desperate
situation to run from pillar to post to protect his reputation against the rancorous
intimations of him being a Pakistani spy. Of extreme suspicions were biasness
and demarcations to deliberately avoid Muslims in the sensitive posts in
government organizations.
Reflection
of Independent India brings grim facts what caused for Muslims to accomplish.
They rather faced nagging disappointments by failing to produce serious thinkers
after partition, which could be of the caliber of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Shibli
Naumani or Dr. Mohammad Iqbal except Maulana Abul Kalam Azad—whose ideas were shaped
before country’s partition. Perspectives on Muslim Personal Law Board and Indian
Muslims in the contexts of Mohammed Ahmed Khan vs. Shah Bano Begum case on
the issue of maintenance awarded to divorced Muslim woman under Section 125 of
Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) provide distinct facets of debate in a section spreading
over several chapters.
Raising
pertinent questions, this book points out why Indian Muslims are subject to gravitational
pulls of two extremes. At the crossroads between conservative religious leaders
wanting their subservience rigidity under Shariat Law to idealistic left-wing
intellectuals looking at the other end without assessing mass sentiments,
Muslims, particularly those as midstream liberals, are in catch22situation. Assessment
of India’s Uniform Civil Code on multiple perspectives makes this book a seminal
work.
On
Islam and its teachings, this book vividly describes idea of a religion—revealed
religion to make believers think. Islam was not revealed as a whole at one go.
It was rather revealed over certain period of time in response to actual human
situations. Focusing on Islamic revolution from the Arab world to spread worldwide,
this book mentions life of Prophet of Islam Hazrat Mohammad (May peace be upon
him) as portrayal of compelling intellectual, political and socio-economic
reform movement. The life prophet became sunnat—a normative path for every
believer to follow. Those willing to know respect for women bestowed by Islam must
study Prophet’s life instead.
Muslim
World didn’t have serious problems for welfare and security of divorced or
widowed women during Islam’s expansion. It gave equal status to women some 1400
years ago while other civilizations treated them like chattels. Women were
protected through emotional and economic safety with secured entitlements in
paternal properties to claims against deceased husbands under the Islamic Law. Male
relatives were under an obligation to provide support while all else failed to
help desperate womenfolk.
By
raising questions in the context of Muslims in India, Khurshid insists that it is
usually on only two occasions that legitimate expectations of Muslims come into
limelight. Their leaders see a wake-up call once ordinary Muslims are slaughtered
in communal riots to shame human civilization or while non-Muslims curiosity evokes
questions on Muslim Personal Laws.
Millions of them encounter problems but only
few leaders speak fearlessly on their concerns. He laments why it virtually became
impossible for them to produce leaders of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (11 November
1888 – 22 February 1958) and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai’s (18 February 1894 – 24 October
1954) caliber post-independence.
Raising
question whether it is still necessary for Indian Muslims to prove credentials
of loyalty this book recounts that though Indian Muslims face countless problems
it is their home dearest than other places in whole world. Pain and nostalgia of
Muslims from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar migrating to Pakistan by yearning for homeland
in India even after several decades of migration is vivid. Referred to as muhajirs
or tiliars they haven’t found true home in Sindh or Punjab yet in a country
they chose.
Khurshid
cursorily enlists recent uplifts of Indian Muslims as appreciable steps. Establishment
of Hamdard Education Trust and Institution in a splendid campus in national
capital Delhi growing into a Deemed University is notable post-independence
development. Educational and financial institutions founded by Bohra Muslims
including Bombay Mercantile Cooperative Bank happening to be largest and fast growing
Indian cooperative bank to Mumbai’s Memon Jama’t and followers of Agha Khan as country’s
best business groups match with the world’s entrepreneurship leaderships.
Besides having an eye on Indian Muslims’ plights this
book evaluates their past, present and future. It entrusts Muslims to look at potential
scopes to become touchstones. Let them make their own identities in a country they
decided to make their home.
This review first appeared in the Mosaic section of Ceylon Today [www.ceylontoday.lk]
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