Mohib Ahmed: India, Secularism, Whatever
t is easier now to understand the fallacy of Dr. Omar Khalidi’s argument, such as it is, in his essay Why India Is Not A Secular State.
He selectively picks and chooses dots to create an ugly picture and then presents it as reality. It is as if Dr. Khalidi has come up with a checklist of carefully drawn items that he keeps checking till he reaches the conclusion that India is not secular. It is the same methodology as is used by Islam-bashers to conclude that Islam equals terrorism. It is the same exercise as is undertaken by Hindutva extremists to prove that the Indian state appeases Muslims. It is, therefore, unfortunate that someone like Dr. Khalidi, who has in the past produced important works like Muslims In Indian Economy and Khaki And The Ethnic Violence In India would indulge in such sophistry.
It would have been too easy for Dr. Martin Luther King and other civil rights activists to conclude that United States was a racist country, wash their hands off and emigrate to Jamaica. In that case the world would have never seen Barack Obama. Indian Muslims, by any stretch of imagination, are not in the same discriminatory situation as blacks were in USA. The community would do well not to pay heed to Dr. Khalidi who, instead of encouraging them to strive for their rights, if and when denied, within a democratic set-up, is curiously bent on proving that they don’t have a chance anyway. Dr. Khalidi’s essay is an affront to all those Indians who are fighting for the rights of fellow Indians -- including those Indians who suffered in Delhi 1984 and Gujarat 2002 -- every day to make India a better country. It is an insult to millions and millions of Muslims -- like my grandfather -- who chose to stay in India because they believed in the idea of India.When the French writer Andre Malraux asked Jawaharlal Nehru in 1958 about his "greatest difficulty since Independence," Nehru had replied, "Creating a just state by just means". He then added: "Perhaps, too, creating a secular state in a religious country."Indian state is a work in progress but the foundations are right. The champions of modern Indian state fought hard to create a secular democratic state. India will remain secular as long as the people of India -- you, me, and everyone -- choose it to be. It doesn’t help a bit to start with a position that says India is not a secular country. It is the responsibility of all Indians to ensure it stays secular and Indian Muslims need to do their bit as equal stakeholders in the future of the country.
He selectively picks and chooses dots to create an ugly picture and then presents it as reality. It is as if Dr. Khalidi has come up with a checklist of carefully drawn items that he keeps checking till he reaches the conclusion that India is not secular. It is the same methodology as is used by Islam-bashers to conclude that Islam equals terrorism. It is the same exercise as is undertaken by Hindutva extremists to prove that the Indian state appeases Muslims. It is, therefore, unfortunate that someone like Dr. Khalidi, who has in the past produced important works like Muslims In Indian Economy and Khaki And The Ethnic Violence In India would indulge in such sophistry.
It would have been too easy for Dr. Martin Luther King and other civil rights activists to conclude that United States was a racist country, wash their hands off and emigrate to Jamaica. In that case the world would have never seen Barack Obama. Indian Muslims, by any stretch of imagination, are not in the same discriminatory situation as blacks were in USA. The community would do well not to pay heed to Dr. Khalidi who, instead of encouraging them to strive for their rights, if and when denied, within a democratic set-up, is curiously bent on proving that they don’t have a chance anyway. Dr. Khalidi’s essay is an affront to all those Indians who are fighting for the rights of fellow Indians -- including those Indians who suffered in Delhi 1984 and Gujarat 2002 -- every day to make India a better country. It is an insult to millions and millions of Muslims -- like my grandfather -- who chose to stay in India because they believed in the idea of India.When the French writer Andre Malraux asked Jawaharlal Nehru in 1958 about his "greatest difficulty since Independence," Nehru had replied, "Creating a just state by just means". He then added: "Perhaps, too, creating a secular state in a religious country."Indian state is a work in progress but the foundations are right. The champions of modern Indian state fought hard to create a secular democratic state. India will remain secular as long as the people of India -- you, me, and everyone -- choose it to be. It doesn’t help a bit to start with a position that says India is not a secular country. It is the responsibility of all Indians to ensure it stays secular and Indian Muslims need to do their bit as equal stakeholders in the future of the country.
posted by temporal at 2/11/2009
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