How is it possible to envision a harmonious society if people from the two communities do not get into romantic relationships or get married?
People like Pehlu Khan, Talim Hussain, Rakbar Khan and Ahmed Khan have been murdered by cow vigilantes who have built up quite a track record recently in persecuting innocent Muslim citizens over allegations of beef-eating and cow smuggling. Islamophobia among cow vigilantes is on the rise.
India was the largest exporter of beef in the global market a few years ago. Now, even buffalo meat export has faced its own fair share of troubles.
Was there any reason for the beef ban in most of the states in India? Many believe that the real reason was political and not religious. In a liberal democracy, the choice of one’s food and clothes is entirely personal and subjective. Those who consider cows holy will not consume beef, while those who don’t can continue to eat it. This is the most logical solution.
Just because there might be a larger number of vegetarians doesn’t mean meat and fish have to be removed from the market or vice versa. Why cannot those people who wish to eat beef be allowed to do so even if they are lesser in number? In a democracy, it is not just the interests of the majority but the minority that have to be taken into account as well.
Even as the beef business has taken a hit, cow urine is suddenly in demand, and is more expensive than cow milk. It shouldn’t surprise us, superstitions have always done good business. After the ban on cattle slaughter, farmers can no longer hope for that extra cash by selling their old cows under dire financial situations. A large number of cows are being abandoned instead.
Also read: Why is Congress helping BJP make 2019 a Hindu-Muslim election?
Just like Rakbar, it was the same state of Rajasthan where a Right-wing Hindu zealot had hacked and burned to death Afrazul, a Bengali labourer from West Bengal. What was Afrazul’s crime? That Muslim men like him were wooing Hindu women, coaxing them into marriage and then forcefully converting them to Islam. It is perfectly plausible that there are Muslim men who have chosen this as a new form of Jihad, but I cannot honestly believe that this is the aim with which most Muslim men get into relationships. Hindus and Muslims cohabit, study, work and socialise together. It would be highly unnatural if they aren’t attracted to each other at all.
Last week, a Muslim youth from Ghaziabad had gone to the court with his Hindu girlfriend to get married. When news spread, a group of Hindus beat the man up in the court premises. It’s as if Hindus and Muslims have decided to disallow inter-faith marriages. Forget marriage, even a simple romantic relationship is threatened with bloodshed and violence. Some time back a Rajasthani Dalit youth named Kshetram Bheem was beaten to death by Muslims for falling in love with a Muslim girl, just like Ankit Saxena in Delhi was murdered by his Muslim lover’s relatives.
Also read: Why did Ankit Saxena and Shehzadi have to pay for falling in love in a free India?
How is it possible to envision a society based on security, peace, harmony and happiness if people from the two communities do not get into romantic relationships or do not get married? Hate is not a solution to any problem. Ultimately, the only thing that works is love. But religious fundamentalists do not consider people as human beings, they consider them only as Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian or Jew. Of course, all these are issues primarily plaguing the lower and middle classes. The rich and famous like Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Salim Khan, Sunil Dutt, Hrithik Roshan, Kishore Kumar were not persecuted when they married women of other faiths. But it would be erroneous to conclude that it is the middle classes and the underprivileged who are uneducated and bigoted while the upper classes are all educated and secular.
In India, inter-community marriages are not common. In other civilised countries, the percentage of such marriages has gone up considerably in recent times. Catholics marry Jews, Jews marry Protestants, Mormons marry Episcopalians and atheists marry Jehovah’s Witnesses. None of them usually face any difficulty when they marry someone from another religious belief – the problem arises only when a Hindu and a Muslim marry. Either both communities or at least one of them explode in anger. If a Hindu marries into an affluent Muslim family then the force of opposition is a little less intense, just like the marriage between an influential Dalit and a destitute Brahmin can successfully fly under the radar.
The problem with Islam is that most Muslims do not want a partner from another religion to continue practising their original religion anymore – they insist on conversion. Consequently, people think twice before they marry a Muslim. Muslim men who do not insist on their partners’ conversion to Islam manage to sustain long and healthy relationships. Muslims must learn to be more open-minded, as must Hindus. Neither the tag of ‘love Jihad’ nor a missionary mode of increasing population can be good tags for a Muslim to bear in India. The more Hindus and Muslims fall in love and marry, the more religious identities become spurious, frail and fluid, the more peaceful society will become.
The harsh truth is that Hindus and Muslims must cohabit in India and there is no other way than that. Peaceful coexistence demands mutual respect. Indian Muslims are not outsiders; it’s only their religion that owes its origins to outsiders. And yet the Hindu Right-wing treats Indian Muslims as interlopers. Conservative Muslims, too, consider Muslims from elsewhere to be closer to them than Hindus. Sadly, the number of fundamentalists on both sides is steadily on the rise. A new and invisible Partition is taking shape in India now.
Taslima Nasreen is a celebrated author and commentator.
So how did Indian society manage all these decades until Modi’s BJP usurped power & have destroyed the harmony that prevailed before them. India is headed for ruins; Hello China; Welcome China – better of the 2 evils.
Comment: when Muslims are concerned about their religion all Muslims comes and each and every things what their religion says or compelled others to do so then why Hindus should not stick to their religion or follow what thinks is good or bad and who the hell are to judge Hindus and not Muslims. mind it!
Comment:dear rs 200 msg creater, pl advice the same to pakistan muslims, bangladesh muslim, Afghanistan muslim. i think u r froud intellectual to support muslim.pl inform ur name religion and which school u studied
If only religion didnt play such an important part in one’s life. Everything about you cant be centered around it. People need to build their own understanding rather than follow some book blindly. Be spiritual not religious. Otherwise you will end up with mere rituals and ceremonies and have nothing to do with God in the end. Hats off to the journalist from Kerala who refuses to introduce his son to any religion, saying “Let him choose himself whatever he finds peace in or not”
Hindus have no objection for marriage with sikhs, buddhists, jains etc i.e Indic religions which dont subscribe to exclusionist world view of abrahmic Christianity and Islam. How can you expect Hindus to support marriage of their daughters into communities which actively brand Hindus as satan worshippers and kaffirs. So please stop blaming Hindus for the rift Islam and Christianity are the root cause of all these tensions.
As usual Atheist bulshitters, perhaps recent pew study can help.
Ms Nasrin, you have mentioned some points. Wish you could have brought about other issues as well. Why there isn’t much an issue when marriage is between people following other religions. You haven’t considered to why there is negligible number of Muslim women in College and Work places where young people interact. That is no where near to the proportion of Muslim men at those places. Religions extremism and lack of human values are a cause of concern. What is also needed is an open discussion. Islam says only the one who gets married to a Muslim attains Jannat. We also have people who say we love you but don’t believe the way you pray or your Gods. Not courting a Muslim Women by men of other religion and nationally is a rule in Islamic Countries. But no one speaks about it. Probably someone will standup and provide an acceptable understanding. I don’t have much knowledge about Mission Romeos. But courting with false names is definitely a no. These cases maybe few but create a hysteria. My personal experience is when I accept others the way they are, they do accept me as well. But no book should deny otherwise. One of our states goes to the extent of denying property rights to a woman marrying men outside this state. The possible reason is the religious demographics of the state. You are and willing but when will other Muslim men and women stand up and discuss. These skewed laws and ratios don’t help.
Typical Muslim Mindset. Doesn’t matter how educated you are, you will always support your fellow people even if they are wrong. Because of us Hindus you people a still living a independent lifestyle in India. Y ok u have only highlighted the fake lynching stories where cow smugglers were killed and very smartly left those incidents where the Muslim mobs have forced Hindus to flee from their homes. Shame on you for maligning the majority.
Typical Hindus are bad and Muslims are persecuted narrative. What this lady is missing is the actual truth. How many hindu’s get killed my Muslim mobs. No. That doesn’t matter to her because this is all about showing how Muslims can’t eat what they want.
You know Muslims have many options for Muslim only countries. You are welcome to emulate to any one of them. No one should stop you. Please feel free.
Let’s see if this Muslim is strong enough to show my message