Muslims & The Straight Path [Published 2010]
Part - 1-J
PROBLEM OF INTEGRATION AND ASSIMILATION
Integration and
assimilation is not a problem in India alone. Deep fissures and
divisions are visible among Muslims all across the Muslim world. Thankfully, India is better
placed because it is a democratic and secular country. Wherever one sect of
Muslims has gained enough power that it is in position to harass the members of
other sects, it has always failed to restrain itself from letting out its ire
against the minority sect. This is largely the case, with only a few exceptions
in modern times, say Iran.
History recounts that
Mughals have caused great plunder and bloodshed in Syria
and around the present Baitul Muqaddas in Israel. These regions chiefly
comprised Muslims and therefore majority of the thousands of people taken
captive must be Muslims. More so, the extent to which these Mughals followed
Islam can be seen from the several wine-houses that were closed and alcohol
containers were broken by the ruler, upon the insistence of Ibn Taimia, when
the Mughals left Damascus.
Hanbalis used to attack and beat Shafiites in mosques in Baghdad
whereas the Shafiites got severe laws enacted as per which it was not possible
for two Hanbalis, in particular those believing in the views of Ibn Taimia, to
stand together in Damascus.
As per a ruling, life and property of all Hanbalis was mubah (allowed).
In the sixth century A.H., the Saljuqi kings relentlessly killed Shias and
plundered their cities. Later, when Mohammad bin Wahab gained power in Arabia, a big number of those belonging to Shafii and
Shia thought were put to death.
During Umayyad period,
cities like Kufa became centers of torture and murder, a propaganda campaign
was unleashed from pulpits to tarnish the image of Imam Ali and if any person
objected to this malign campaign, he was called ‘rafzi’, taken to the ruler
where he was put to death. The word ‘rafz’ means to leave everything that has
come down through revelation, which was akin to being a kafir. This was inspite of the Prophet’s tradition, saying:
O
Ali! None will keep you as friend but that he is a Momin and none will keep you
as foe but that he is a Munafiq.
Sahih Muslim
Imagine somebody objecting to using bad
language against Imam Ali from the pulpit being labeled as ‘rafzi’, who was the
first to embrace Islam, the dearest to Prophet Mohammad and as we will see in
this compilation his relationship with Noor, the highest of the progenitors of
mankind.
Hanbali and Shafii ulemas
have been at loggerheads, calling each other Kafirs. Ibn Taimia, who propounded
what later became the Wahabi thought was labeled as Kafir by Maliki and Shafii
ulemas of Damascus
and sent to jail. Kashfuzzunun says that Ulema even went to the extent of
saying that any person who considers Ibn Taimia as Sheikh-ul-Islam too is a
Kafir. It was announced by the ruler that anybody adhering to the views of Ibn
Taimia will be killed and his property confiscated. All Hanbalis were brought
to a place and had to openly declare that they were followers of Shafii thought
and have nothing to do with Ibn Taimia. You have also seen how the Hanbalis, at
one point of time, were so powerful in Baghdad that they used to attack and
beat the followers of Shafii thought and even the famous historian Tabari was
not spared from their ire. Wherever, the Hanbalis gained strength enough to
carry forth their dictates, the Shias were not spared who were and still are
Kafirs, as per their view. Several sections of Muslims have become so used to
of hearing the term Kafir used for each other that they do not see the gravity
of the situation when the Hindus are labeled as Kafirs by the same people. The
Muslims label each other Kafirs despite the hadees (tradition) of Prophet
Mohammad in Sahih Bukhari as per which anybody who calls another Muslim a Kafir
when the other person is not so, becomes a Kafir.” Unaware of the common usage
of the term within the Muslim community, the Hindus have reasons to feel
offended.
Most blatant example seen
in recent times was the Taliban rule of Afghanistan. People adhering to
sects other than that of the Talibanis were persecuted and killed. Eyes
and ears were removed, hands chopped off and the womenfolk raped and killed. Nearer
home, we are witness to targeted killing of Shias in Pakistan almost on daily basis. No
Government, no institution has been able to curb the situation because those in
power too harness similar views in their hearts!
The fact that this problem
is deep-rooted can be seen from the fact that only few of the Muslim countries
voiced their opinion when Talibanis were killing the Muslims who didn’t
adhere to their version of Islam or when Shias are being targeted in Pakistan. Ulemas,
so prone to giving fatwas, remain in muted silence, as if speaking out is
a sin. This suggests that these Muslim countries and their ulemas too
would probably behave in the same manner, if they are given power like the Talibanis.
Did Mohammad preach such a Islam?
The fact remains that such
divisionary views are being propagated not only by the masses but also by the maulvis
and so-called ulemas. Even several supposedly moderate maulvis,
who talk of Muslim brotherhood in open, have been seen to blatantly criticize
the views of the members of the other sects in private, to the extent of
labeling all other sects as Kafirs.
Pakistani and Bangladeshi
Muslims are closest in thought to Indian Muslims, with merely about 6 decades
of separation. Several Indian Muslims still have close relatives on the other
side of the border and keep visiting each other frequently. The so-called elite
Punjabis and Muhajirs who emigrated from North India couldn’t assimilate
the Bangla speaking population of East Pakistan within themselves and this
resulted in the formation of Bangladesh.
The Muhajirs have become a different sect in Pakistan. The Pashtooni Pathans
still consider themselves independent and different from rest of Pakistanis.
Kashmiris, who are demanding freedom from India,
are looking forward to unite with the Kashmiris in Pakistan
but not with the Muslims in Pakistan.
Hindus who criticize Muslims for ghettoisation (living in segregated clusters)
should take cue from Pakistan
where there are specific Shia pockets and 100% Sunni areas. Wherever the
population of Muslims is large in Indian cities, say in Hyderabad
and Lucknow,
such ghettoisation between Shias and Sunnis can be seen. Fissures between Wahabis
and Barelvis are only growing wider, ever since the Barelvis
realized that Wahabis have been converting the age-old Barelvis
to their belief, and lot many people are accepting Wahabi thought, not
owing to the merit of teachings but because of their pro-active approach and
the new-found riches courtesy petro-dollar, that is easily available to the Wahabis
in comparison to the mostly-poor Barelvi Muslims. That this petro-dollar
is being used in India
and other countries to bring about inter-sect conversion is not hidden to
anybody.
This reveals that the Indian
Muslims have become incapable of integrating and assimilating within
themselves, leave alone with the other religions. This gives credence to our
belief that the change, if it has to come among the Muslims, will not come if
the present set of maulvis are given center stage, as the political
parties willingly or unwillingly do. The community will have to find new set of
leaders but more importantly this change will come only if the saner masses of
Hindu community show considerate sympathy towards the Muslims and acting as the
elder and advanced members of society, pull their brothers, who have fallen to
their knees, up towards path of development and modernization.
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