|
|
|
|
Feedback
Editorial Special Report Update Tribute Newscan Observatory Essay Ethos Breaking Barriers Voices Home
Archives
Subscriptions
Advertising
Sabrang
Team
Our Activities
Letters to Editor
Contact
Us
|
Document
/ February 2001
'Keep religion away from
politics' Communalism Combat
gained access to an interesting correspondence between an Indian Muslim and the
Islamic Supreme Council that recently endorsed the Pakistan/Kashmir
Congressional Caucus in the USA. We are reproducing the same for the benefit of
our readers. — Editors. January 9, 2001 From: Mohammed Ayoob Dear Dr. Mirahmadi, I have been pained to notice that on the website of the ISCA,
which is supposed to represent all Muslims in the United States, you have
endorsed the Pakistan/Kashmir Congressional Caucus and that ISCA is advising
Muslims in the US to urge their Congressional representatives to join it. I
strongly object to this as a Muslim of Indian origin for several reasons. First, I do not think it proper for the ISCA to endorse any
partisan groupings, especially in this case one which acts as a lobby group for
Pakistan by encouraging anti–Indian sentiments. This is highly objectionable
from the perspective of Indian Muslims residing in this country who consider
anti–Indian propaganda as much directed against them as against other segments
of the Indian community and the government of India. Second, more Muslims reside in India than in Pakistan. There
is a substantial Indian Muslim community in this country as well. By supporting
Pakistani efforts to malign India on Kashmir and other issues, the ISCA hurts
the interests both of the Indian Muslim community in this country and in India.
Finally, organisations representing religious communities
should not get involved in international politics, especially since Muslims are
spread over a large number of states several of which have tense or adversarial
relations with each other. Would your organisation feel comfortable supporting Kurdish
positions against Iraq and/or Turkey or would it like to endorse Sudan’s
positions against Egypt or vice–versa? Did you at any point get involved in a
partisan way in the Iran–Iraq conflict by supporting one country against the
other over the issue of Shatt–al–Arab? If you did not do so, then the same logic
should apply to Kashmir and India–Pakistan disputes. Such an endorsement by ISCA is, therefore, not proper,
especially since there are more Muslims who are citizens of India than those who
are citizens of Pakistan. You should be acutely aware of the fact that you are
harming the interests of 130 million Indian Muslims when you endorse such
partisan anti–Indian activities. Kashmiri Muslims, incidentally, form no more
than two percent of the total Muslim population of India. We have our own battles to fight to preserve the secular and
non–sectarian character of the Indian Union and such stands taken by
organisations purporting to represent Muslims in this country make our task
immensely more difficult. Pakistan has never cared for the interests of Indian
Muslims since the division of India in 1947. But the larger Muslim community,
represented by organisations such as yours, has a religious duty to care about
the welfare of one of the largest Muslim populations on earth. More Muslims live in India than in the entire Arab world. You
should put such issues in their proper demographic and political perspective and
not be swayed by Pakistan’s self-serving propaganda. I believe that the least
you can do now is to issue a statement in the press and on your website
withdrawing your endorsement of the Pakistan/Kashmir Caucus as such endorsement
is an insult to the large and vibrant Muslim community in India and harms the
interests of Indian Muslims tremendously. Mohammed Ayoob University Distinguished Professor of International Relations
Response: Dear Dr. Ayoob, I read your comments about the Pakistan–Kashmir Caucus with
great consideration and thought. Most importantly, I want you to know firsthand
that we never would endorse a partisan effort to malign one Muslim community
against the other. It was never the intention of Congressman Owens or the ISCA
to benefit Kashmir at the expense of the Indian Muslims. We sought only to
endorse an effort by the US government to take an active role in regions of
distress within the Muslim world. Our vision of the Caucus was to seek resolution of the
Kashmir crisis that has caused such tremendous losses on all sides. We do not
favour, nor do we succumb to propaganda by any side — we seek only peace and
diplomatic resolutions to areas of conflict. We at ISCA respect your comments
about us being a "religious" organisation and therefore should remain out of
politics per se, which has in fact been a consistent policy of ours since our
inception. Quite frankly, it was not made aware to us that Indian
Muslims would construe support of the Caucus as support against Indian
Muslims; had we known that fact,our policy may have been different. Please,
however, be assured that we mean no disrespect or ill will for the millions of
Indian Muslims. We sought only peace and good will for all. Accept our humble
apologies for the misunderstanding and we will look into whether the
organisation will continue to endorse the Caucus in light of your explanation of
Indian Muslims’ sentiment on the issue. — Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi
|
|
|
|
|
© Copyright Sabrang Communication & Publishing Pvt. Ltd.