Ganeshotsav and Indian Muslims
By Irfan Engineer
Popular perception of Muslims in India, and perhaps internationally
also, is that Muslims are very religious and conservative. Media and
Muslim Ulema, both should be credited for such a perception about
Muslims. Recently, Bollywood actor Salman Khan hosted Lord Ganesha
in his house for a day during this festive season and the fatwa
issued by ulemas suggesting Salman Khan will have to reconvert to
Islam by reciting his kalma before he can offer his namaz
again or enter Mosque. Nobody has asked for opinion of Ulema. Salman
Khan or any of his family members didn't for any Ulema's opinion and
didn't want to be guided by them in their faith. Nor I believe, they
will heed the fatwa. Muslim Ulema have given suo moto fatwas
on many issues. Sania Mirza and Shabana Azmi were other Muslim
public figures who subject of Ulema's unsolicited fatwas. When South
African President - Nelson Mandela had pecked Shabana Azmi's cheeks,
and Sania Mirza on her attire while playing her game, were ordered
by the fatwa to cease or repent on their action. Like Salman Khan,
neither Shabana Azmi nor Sania Mirza cared for the fatwas. Media was
too eager to cover such fatwas as they manage to get better TRPs and
print media sells more copies. Though give impression that there is
unanimity in Muslims about the fatwas issued by ulema. Nobody else
seemed to care about these fatwas, except some conservative section
within the community who see it as an opportunity to come on TV
debates with their beards and skull caps. However, I will not be
surprised if the viewers and the readers carry home the view that
Muslims are very inflexible and uncompromising in religious matters.
Salman
Khan was not the only Khan who has participated in Ganeshotsav or
other Hindu festivals. My own investigations and filed surveys show
that a number of Muslims participate in Ganeshotsav Mandals and in
festivities and celebrations of all religions. In the year 1997,
there were communal riots in Pen Taluka in Alibaug District, about
150 K.Ms. from Mumbai. Shiv Sena BJP coalition was in power. Muslims
of Pen alleged that some of those in Ganesh Visarjan procession of a
particular mandal refused to budge from the spot where mosque was
located for over 45 minutes and were playing loud music deliberately
to provoke. Some threw vermillion on the mosque and evidence of that
was visible during our investigation at the height of about 20 feet
above on the mosque and in the water with which Namazis perform
their ablutions. Some Muslim youth got provoked despite the advice
of elders to the contrary and threw stones on the procession leading
to mayhem. There was lathi charge and the processionists had no
option but to leave Lord Ganesha there and to run for their lives.
Several people were injured in the lathi charge. Later, a Muslim
youth felt disturbed seeing idol of Lord Ganesha lying in open. He
mobilized his friends - both Hindus and Muslims and together they
completed the visarjan of Lord Ganesha with all the rituals. We
confirmed this from many Hindus, and even the local RSS pracharak.
We also found many Muslims in Pen taluka who were office bearers in
various Ganeshotsav Mandals.
In the
same year there were riots in Junnar Taluka near Pune. I and
Secretary of Bahujan Mahasangh Shantaram Pandhere proceeded
to Junnar to do fact finding of the riots, again over visarjan of
Lord Ganesha. On the way Pandhere asked me, why don't Muslims
welcome the visarjan procession while they are passing through the
mosque as that would root out any potential mischief by any communal
element. I thought yes the solution was not so difficult and Muslims
could be persuaded to do so. When we reached Junnar and talked to
the Muslims and Hindus from various parties, we found the Muslim
response to the procession was that on one hand they had covered the
mosque with tadpatri cloth so that while visarjan processions
are passing, vermilion wouldn't land on Mosques. In the Konkan belt,
Ganeshotsav is as enthusiastically celebrated by the Muslims as by
Hindus, if not with more enthusiasm. Even in Mumbai, several Muslim
Mumbaikars participate in celebrations of Ganeshotsav and other
Non-Muslim Festivals like Holi and Diwali. Likewise, Tazias as
worshipped by Hindu women in most of rural areas. Why then the
Ulemas chose to single out and react to only Salman Khan? Was it
because he is a Bollywood actor and issuing fatwa against him
ensures a good media controversy and therefore publicity? Is that
the reason why unsolicited fatwas were issued against Shabana Azmi
and Sania Mirza? If the answer to these questions is yes, and I
don't see any other reason for issuing suo moto and unsolicited
fatwas, the less said about personal ambitions of such religious
leaders, the better. Nizamuddin Awliya, while walking on the banks
of river Yamuna in the wee hours of morning, once told his disciple
Khusro pointing to a Hindu women performing surya namaskar: O
Khusro! Don't look at her with indifferent eye, she is also
worshipping Allah. For there are as many ways of worshipping (
ibadat) Allah as the sand particles on the bank of river Yamuna!
Sufi saints never gave importance any particular way of ibadat. What
was important was to raise oneself to be spiritual and have love of
Allah in his/her heart. Love of Allah means to love and serve all
his creation, including all human beings irrespective of their
religion and ways of worship, animals, plants and nature.
Thanks
to our lazy habits, our knowledge, outside our daily chores,
profession and carrier is almost entirely dependant on media. Rarely
do we feel motivated to re-examine what popular media doles out to
its viewers and readers and look at fact beyond. We want knowledge,
but only what is served to us easily. We become uncritical and
passive consumer of news. We let media shape our perceptions and
attitudes, particularly about minorities, and too willingly agree
that Muslims are inflexible in exercise of their religion. The
segregated and ghettoized lives that we live, facilitates these
perceptions. When the media covers the threats of Hindu moral police
objecting to Richard Gere kissing Shilpa Shetty, we do not conclude
that entire Hindu society is conservative, for we know from our
experience that it is not so. We are naturally more knowledgeable
about our own situation. Why do we, then, so naively conclude that
an isolated threat issued by conservative section of Muslim
community represents the views of entire community and there is no
diversity of opinion within the community?
