A New Year Wish!

Variety is the spice of life. As long as I can remember, I have delighted in the diversity of human beliefs, values and opinions. The uniqueness of every individual is precious. Man’s ability to perceive reality in a multitude of ways touches my heart. I believe in the basic goodness of human beings.

My heart rejoices every time I think of the divine spark that resides in all of us. Sometimes this shines through in people with such beauty. In others its expression may be dulled by the travails of life, yet each person manifests their energy upon this world in their own way. With this deep connection in mind, I have interacted with people whose behaviour spans all shades, with equal respect and love in my heart. I have hated many a behaviour at times but loved the individual. This did not mean that I took hurtful behaviour passively. I spoke out as much as it was effective.

Now too, in this climate of fear and uncertainty, I feel I must speak out some hard facts. Today, I went to the mosque and in light of the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) being passed, the Imam spoke of patience and peaceful action. Being a Muslim, I have interacted with 100s if not 1000s of Muslims over my lifetime and listened to many a sermon at mosques. It gives me great pleasure to assure you that always the message was to uphold peace. In my personal life, I have never heard any Muslim speaking to me of harming the nation or its people. In fact, I have heard many profess of their deep love and pride for our country. This ground reality is quite different from the image of Islam and Muslims that is projected in the media. Sometimes it is made to look like each one is a savage ready with the right amount of provocation to break out into terrorism. This could not be farther from the facts.

I do not profess to represent Islam or gauge the pulse of all Muslims, but at least the many Indian Muslims I have met have never expressed any desire to become terrorists. I write this unabashedly not because I want to clear the name of Islam or because my identity lies with being a Muslim. I don’t believe in constraining myself into boxes like that. I see only beautiful divine sparks but that is another matter. Anyway, I speak out only because I fear that because of the misunderstanding that is now prevailing about Muslims, great mischief could break out and violence may be perpetrated against them.

If Muslims are seen as less than human and as a threat to the nation and as outsiders, ordinary people would not hesitate to use violence against them. I came to this conclusion rightly or wrongly after the blood lust and chest thumping that was exhibited in the wake of the Hyderabad rape accused killings. Our society now seems to be at the brink of applauding cruelty if the right justifications can be made. With the systematic othering of the Muslims perpetrated endlessly by the social media through crude jokes about their attires and supposedly multiple wives, we are now I fear reaching a dangerous tipping point.

I hope I am completely wrong and such things would never occur. I have hordes of friends of all religions and belief systems in whom I have faith. But some voices sadden me, even when I can appreciate the diversity of it. I hope Savarkar’s India never comes to pass. I hope our unity in diversity does not disintegrate into uniformity. I hope love triumphs over fear and hate. It may be that my misunderstanding of the Hindu right is equally grave. That they too are the victims of an overenthusiastic media. I hope to hear their voices too expressing their facts. That they never mean to take away rights and citizenship of Muslims like Savarkar wanted. That they too just want to live in an India where people of all religions co-exist with mutual respect and peace. This is my prayer for the New Year.

Thank you for your patience and great understanding by which you have let me stay in your life. I feel extremely blessed to have you in mine. Wishing you a wonderful year ahead full of love, prosperity, good health, joy and peace!!

With love,

Thehseen Zakir