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--- Begin Message ---
Ganeshotsav and Indian Muslims
By Irfan Engineer
Popular perception of Muslims in India, and perhaps internationally also, is
that Muslims are very religious and conservative. Media and Muslim Ulema, both
should be credited for such a perception about Muslims. Recently, Bollywood
actor Salman Khan hosted Lord Ganesha in his house for a day during this
festive season and the fatwa issued by ulemas suggesting Salman Khan will have
to reconvert to Islam by reciting his kalma before he can offer his namaz again
or enter Mosque. Nobody has asked for opinion of Ulema. Salman Khan or any of
his family members didn't for any Ulema's opinion and didn't want to be guided
by them in their faith. Nor I believe, they will heed the fatwa. Muslim Ulema
have given suo moto fatwas on many issues. Sania Mirza and Shabana Azmi were
other Muslim public figures who subject of Ulema's unsolicited fatwas. When
South African President - Nelson Mandela had pecked Shabana Azmi's cheeks, and
Sania Mirza on her attire while playing her game, were ordered by the fatwa to
cease or repent on their action. Like Salman Khan, neither Shabana Azmi nor
Sania Mirza cared for the fatwas. Media was too eager to cover such fatwas as
they manage to get better TRPs and print media sells more copies. Though give
impression that there is unanimity in Muslims about the fatwas issued by ulema.
Nobody else seemed to care about these fatwas, except some conservative section
within the community who see it as an opportunity to come on TV debates with
their beards and skull caps. However, I will not be surprised if the viewers
and the readers carry home the view that Muslims are very inflexible and
uncompromising in religious matters.
Salman Khan was not the only Khan who has participated in Ganeshotsav or other
Hindu festivals. My own investigations and filed surveys show that a number of
Muslims participate in Ganeshotsav Mandals and in festivities and celebrations
of all religions. In the year 1997, there were communal riots in Pen Taluka in
Alibaug District, about 150 K.Ms. from Mumbai. Shiv Sena BJP coalition was in
power. Muslims of Pen alleged that some of those in Ganesh Visarjan procession
of a particular mandal refused to budge from the spot where mosque was located
for over 45 minutes and were playing loud music deliberately to provoke. Some
threw vermillion on the mosque and evidence of that was visible during our
investigation at the height of about 20 feet above on the mosque and in the
water with which Namazis perform their ablutions. Some Muslim youth got
provoked despite the advice of elders to the contrary and threw stones on the
procession leading to mayhem. There was lathi charge and the processionists
had no option but to leave Lord Ganesha there and to run for their lives.
Several people were injured in the lathi charge. Later, a Muslim youth felt
disturbed seeing idol of Lord Ganesha lying in open. He mobilized his friends -
both Hindus and Muslims and together they completed the visarjan of Lord
Ganesha with all the rituals. We confirmed this from many Hindus, and even the
local RSS pracharak. We also found many Muslims in Pen taluka who were office
bearers in various Ganeshotsav Mandals.
In the same year there were riots in Junnar Taluka near Pune. I and Secretary
of Bahujan Mahasangh Shantaram Pandhere proceeded to Junnar to do fact finding
of the riots, again over visarjan of Lord Ganesha. On the way Pandhere asked
me, why don't Muslims welcome the visarjan procession while they are passing
through the mosque as that would root out any potential mischief by any
communal element. I thought yes the solution was not so difficult and Muslims
could be persuaded to do so. When we reached Junnar and talked to the Muslims
and Hindus from various parties, we found the Muslim response to the procession
was that on one hand they had covered the mosque with tadpatri cloth so that
while visarjan processions are passing, vermilion wouldn't land on Mosques. In
the Konkan belt, Ganeshotsav is as enthusiastically celebrated by the Muslims
as by Hindus, if not with more enthusiasm. Even in Mumbai, several Muslim
Mumbaikars participate in celebrations of Ganeshotsav and other Non-Muslim
Festivals like Holi and Diwali. Likewise, Tazias as worshipped by Hindu women
in most of rural areas. Why then the Ulemas chose to single out and react to
only Salman Khan? Was it because he is a Bollywood actor and issuing fatwa
against him ensures a good media controversy and therefore publicity? Is that
the reason why unsolicited fatwas were issued against Shabana Azmi and Sania
Mirza? If the answer to these questions is yes, and I don't see any other
reason for issuing suo moto and unsolicited fatwas, the less said about
personal ambitions of such religious leaders, the better. Nizamuddin Awliya,
while walking on the banks of river Yamuna in the wee hours of morning, once
told his disciple Khusro pointing to a Hindu women performing surya namaskar: O
Khusro! Don't look at her with indifferent eye, she is also worshipping Allah.
For there are as many ways of worshipping (ibadat) Allah as the sand particles
on the bank of river Yamuna! Sufi saints never gave importance any particular
way of ibadat. What was important was to raise oneself to be spiritual and have
love of Allah in his/her heart. Love of Allah means to love and serve all his
creation, including all human beings irrespective of their religion and ways of
worship, animals, plants and nature.
Thanks to our lazy habits, our knowledge, outside our daily chores, profession
and carrier is almost entirely dependant on media. Rarely do we feel motivated
to re-examine what popular media doles out to its viewers and readers and look
at fact beyond. We want knowledge, but only what is served to us easily. We
become uncritical and passive consumer of news. We let media shape our
perceptions and attitudes, particularly about minorities, and too willingly
agree that Muslims are inflexible in exercise of their religion. The segregated
and ghettoized lives that we live, facilitates these perceptions. When the
media covers the threats of Hindu moral police objecting to Richard Gere
kissing Shilpa Shetty, we do not conclude that entire Hindu society is
conservative, for we know from our experience that it is not so. We are
naturally more knowledgeable about our own situation. Why do we, then, so
naively conclude that an isolated threat issued by conservative section of
Muslim community represents the views of entire community and there is no
diversity of opinion within the community?
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