In response to a recent column I wrote titled “From Mohamed to Mohandas”, an Indian sent a credible reply that deserves publication. For lack of column space, some sentences and phrases were edited. Syed Ali Khizir Imam writes: “I am a Muslim first, a Muslim second and nothing but a Muslim. I am an Indian first, an Indian second and nothing but an Indian. Allah decided that I should be born in India. “In this world there are roughly 200 countries and out of those 57 are Muslim majority countries. In Muslim majority countries, Islamic rules and regulations are observed/followed, but the rest of the countries show little respect for Islam and its teachings (though some individuals do). “India is the only exception. This separates it from the rest of the non-Muslim world. India is the only country on the surface of this blue planet, which has a non-Muslim population in a clear majority but which has real respect for Islam and its followers. We must honor the farsightedness of our freedom fighters who after gaining independence from the British Raj declared India a secular state and separated Hindu Personal Law from that of Muslim Personal Law. “Muslims in India are free to observe their religion and its rituals and our Constitution guarantees it as well. This is the essence of secularism. There is no compulsion in religion. Numerous riots have taken place in India since 1947 and a few hundred thousand Muslims were killed and their property looted and burnt to ashes. No soul can dare to deny this. However, one more fact is that the culture of riot, hatred and discrimination is declining sharply. “The Gujarat riot is a gruesome scar on the face of India. (Narendra) Modi and his government failed miserably. In the eyes of humanity, Modi and his government are an accomplice to the crime because empowered by the people and having all the powers in hand, he and his government did not respond properly. The law is taking its own course, and 53 people are serving sentences of life imprisonment that include a minister and a billionaire. Apart from that, 32 police officers are behind bars (including an inspector general of police). More than 95 percent of those (judges, lawyers, policemen, administrators and common people) who are fighting tooth and nail to bring justice to the sufferers (Muslims) are Hindus. “Regarding the reports and findings of Al Jazeera, Sheikh Azizur Rahman and Ram Puniyani, I am really surprised by their negative approach. Alhamdulillah, I fear none but Allah. They are citing a few examples of the pathetic conditions of some Muslims. But I am sure their percentage is less than 0.1 percent. As all of us know, some Muslims drink alcohol, indulge in usury, gambling, adultery and other forbidden things. Their percentage is so low that even the staunchest anti-Muslim critics never mention it. “A Muslim changing his name and appearance and behaving like a non-Muslim to earn his bread and butter is either the result of ignorance or a shameful act and contrary to the basic teachings of Islam. If a person believes in Allah how can he/she behave like a Hindu to earn a livelihood. Allah says to pose and behave like a Muslim so that he/she will not be disturbed by others. “I fear none but Allah, my Creator, my Protector and my Sustainer. Allah helps those who help themselves. The world has changed and India is changing too. Those who think Indian Muslims are living in fear of death are either ill-informed or mistaken. You will find in India, Muslims who are well respected by the majority of Hindus. You will find in India very high ranking Muslim scientists, engineers, doctors, lawyers, administrators, researchers and leaders. “Although discrimination still exists, Muslims are benefiting from the policies of our government. For example, the literacy rate of Indian Muslims stands at 59 percent and that of non-Muslims at 65 percent. In my opinion, the standard of education of Indian Muslims is much better than that of rest of the Muslim world. Discrimination is everywhere on this planet. Before negating it just keep your hand on your heart and think for a moment. “I am sorry to say that the title of brother Tariq A. Al-Maeena's article “From Mohamed to Mohandas” which appeared in this newspaper on 25 Dec 2013 is contrary to the fact. Honestly speaking, the correct title for India should be “From Mohandas to Mohamed. “Towards the end of 16th century, Jalaluddin Akbar was the King of India. Muslims asked him to apply Shariah law in India and he replied to them that Muslims constituted only 5 percent of the total population so how could he apply Shariah rule in India. Today in Greater India (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan) Muslims number roughly 40 percent of the total population. During the last 450 years, the Muslim population jumped from 5 percent to roughly 40 percent. “In the end I would like to remind our readers that the total number of Muslims killed in India by non-Muslims is much less than the percentage of Muslims killed by Muslims in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Syria, Algeria, etc.
- Syed Ali Khizir Imam, Operations Supervisor.” Does anyone have anything to counter that?
— The author can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena
