It is unfortunate that someone like <a href="http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20090129&fname=omar&sid=1"> Dr Omar Khalidi</a> would indulge in suchsophistry, selectively pick and choose dots to create an ugly picture and
One could go on and on in similar vein.
All the statements listed above are true. Therefore, I conclude that India is not a secular country -- rather it is, in fact, a defender of monotheistic religions, particularly Islam.
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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.
Dr. Khalidi quotes Hindu Marriage Act (1955) to buttress his claim for legislative preference shown to Hinduism. In reality, some of the biggest critics of the Act were conservative Hindus, including Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), leaders. If the Act was just an attempt to co-opt Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists into the fold of Hinduism, as Dr Khalidi suggests, wouldn’t Hindu leaders have welcomed it with open arms? Dr. BR Ambedkar in fact resigned from the union cabinet in October 1951 apparently because of the stringent opposition to Hindu Code Bill (the precursor to Hindu Marriage Act). It was not until after the 1952 elections that Nehru became strong enough to push through the Bill again.
It is not by accident that all "Indic religions" have been slotted together under Hindi Marriage Act and those originating outside India were left out from its purview. It was a common-sense approach to take at that time and, if anything, it did not go far enough. If Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains think that they have been co-opted within the larger fold of Hinduism then its evidence is certainly hard to find. In an ideal situation, there would be one civil law for all religions as laws should be the same for all citizens. However the nation that had then recently seen, at the time of Partition, thousands die on the question of religion, did not want to push through a Uniform Civil Code on to a vulnerable Muslim community lest it were seen as an example of Hindu domination. Unfortunately, the issue has been communalised so much since then that it is difficult to even have a debate on it now. Eventually India will move towards a Uniform Civil Code and it will then have to thank the Hindu Marriage Act for paving the way.
Dr. Khalidi talks about the anti-conversion measures passed by various state governments. I have my concerns about such legislations, as do many other Indians. It is absolutely right that such laws infringe upon the freedom of religion. But the question of infringement on the right of an individual to choose a religion arises only because that individual right is enshrined in the constitution. These battles can be fought and will be won in courts.
Dr Khalidi also brings up the subject of reservations in jobs and educational institutions for Schedule Castes (SCs). It is another contentious issue -- those who convert to Christianity or Islam are denied benefits which were previously available to them. Personally, I am against reservations and I think India should be moving away from a reservation based system. However it is important to note that a similar clause for Scheduled Tribes (STs) does not exist and let's not forget that there are Scheduled Tribe Muslims as well in India.
Dr. Khalidi also makes much of General JJ Singh sporting a beard whereas Muslims servicemen are not allowed to do the same. It is interesting that Dr. Khalidi quotes the example of General Singh, a Sikh, and not any Hindu General to support his argument. Simply because there cannot be any Hindu General sporting a beard either, just as there won’t be a Muslim General with beard. Actually, by default, no one can sport a beard in Indian Armed Forces except for Sikhs. One could argue about the merits of this policy and whether it is biased in favour of Sikhs but it is hardly a case of the Indian state favouring Hindus and discriminating against Muslims, the basic premise of Dr. Khalidi’s essay. In Indian Navy, for example, anyone can sport a beard after taking permission from senior officers.
Cultural discrimination is a complex issue and not simply an issue of one religion being given preference over others as Dr. Khalidi presumes it to be. Does he cry foul when government-sponsored iftars are hosted? Or when Eid Milad-un-Nabi gets declared a national holiday by VP Singh? What about the Indo-Islamic Culture course that is a requirement at 10+2 level at Aligarh Muslim University?
His assertion that Door Darshan does not broadcast any serial of Muslim or Christian characters is blatantly incorrect. What about Alif Laila, Mullah Naseeruddin and Bibli Ki Kahaniyan? And to dismiss Tipu Sultan and Mirza Ghalib as stock characters! Oh please. Kaifi Azmi must be turning in his grave and Gulzar has a good case for litigation.
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Mohib Ahmad is the founder of Indian Muslims Blog, a group blog dedicated to discussing issues concerning Indian Muslims.