Owaisi doesn’t represent Indian Muslims. ‘Jai Palestine’ shows his desperation, not conviction

Owaisi failed to polarise the Muslim vote bank in Uttar Pradesh and is trying again with this chant. Nupur Sharma has taken his bait and needs to introspect before pointing fingers.

Asaduddin Owaisi takes oath as a Member of the 18th Lok Sabha | ANI

Asaddudin Owaisi recently sparked controversy by chanting ‘Jai Palestine’ after taking oath in Parliament. Although the slogan has been expunged from the Lok Sabha record, questions have arisen about whether it could lead to Owaisi’s disqualification from Parliament for “demonstrating adherence to a foreign state”.

I don’t think anyone should be surprised by the slogan, as it aligns perfectly with the long-standing ideology of Owaisi’s party, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). However, the move seems to stem more from desperation than conviction.

Let’s go back to 7 October. That day, Hamas conducted a heinous terrorist attack against Israeli civilians, resulting in the gruesome deaths of about 1,200 individuals, including women and children. 251 civilians of all age groups were taken hostage, many of whom remain in Hamas’s captivity. This incident is the reason why the state of Israel has gone to war with Hamas-controlled Palestine.

Failure to condemn Hamas

While hailing Palestine, Owaisi failed to condemn the barbaric 7 October attack. Instead, he shared on X, “Praying that peace prevails in the occupied territories of #Palestine”. Even other AIMIM members, who have been on TV debates, have never condemned Hamas’s attack on civilians, always opting to deviate from the topic.

But when Israel responded with disproportionate violence in Gaza, Owaisi—like many of us—passionately condemned Israel’s war crimes in his social media posts and speeches. 

Most Indian civilians condemned both the 7 October terrorist attacks and Israel’s war crimes in response. We saw civilians dying on both sides and did not support Hamas’s goal to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. Nor did we want Palestinian children to die. To us, Israeli and Palestinian children are the same.

But not for Owaisi. His position on the Israel-Palestine conflict is shared by Pakistan and its citizens, who, like Hamas, want to eradicate the State of Israel. Antisemitism is a zealously held worldview among Pakistanis and their nation does not recognise Israel’s sovereignty. 

This is in direct opposition to the official position of New Delhi, which advocates for a two-state solution, recognising the right of both Palestine and Israel to exist. From Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, India has maintained this position in the UN and other global platforms. 

So, it is clear that Owaisi’s stance is more aligned with Pakistan’s position than any humanitarian concern. For Hamas and Islamic scholars aligned with them, the idea is that Israel needs to be wiped out because Jews are ‘wajib-ul-qatal’ and anyone not taking that position is their sworn enemy. Hence, the section of Hindus, the moderate Muslims, the Jews, and the Christians who support the two-state solution, become their enemies.

Owaisi’s stance identical to Pakistan’s

It’s not just the Hamas and Palestine issue where Owaisi’s worldview aligns with Pakistan’s. His stance on the Ahmadiyya Muslim community is another example. In Pakistan, Ahmadis cannot declare themselves as Muslims and Owaisi prefers it that way. He has expressed his displeasure at the central government for including the Ahmadiyya community as a sect of Islam.

The same goes for blasphemy. While Owaisi condemned the “sir tan se juda” (beheading) chant, his party members organised protests raising the slogan in 2022, calling for BJP MLA Raja Singh’s death because of his derogatory comments on Prophet Mohammed. Owaisi proceeded to share on social media how he provided the three members with legal aid, rendering his condemnation mere lip service. 

The MP also never misses an opportunity to take a dig at the ban on cow slaughter, disregarding respect for other religions, much like the general attitude in Pakistan.

So, Owaisi’s slogan of “Jai Palestine” has to be seen in the above context. Pakistan is more than just a state: it’s an idea and a state of mind. Owaisi’s stand—barring some exceptions out of compulsion—is identical to Pakistan’s stance. 

I have never shied away from accepting that among Indians, such ideas still persist, and Owaisi’s ideology reflects them. However, he doesn’t represent all Indian Muslims. 

In fact, AIMIM won only one seat in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 and the majority of Muslim votes went to INDIA. This may explain why Owaisi raised the “Jai Palestine” slogan. It was a desperate attempt to polarise the Muslim vote bank in his favour which is most likely to fail, much like Owaisi’s similar efforts in Uttar Pradesh during the elections.

Question for Sharma

All the same, this polarisation had some unwanted results. Taking Owaisi’s bait, right–wing Op-India Editor Nupur Sharma shared his video, questioning every Indian Muslim’s loyalty to the nation. For her, Owaisi alone represents Indian Muslims, out of 24 Muslim MPs elected. 

Since Nupur Sharma has questioned my patriotism, I have a question for her.

The idea of secularism has often been used by so-called secular parties in India to promote communalism among Muslims. The Hindu community keeps adopting more progressive values in accord with the Constitution, while political parties use secularism to safeguard Muslim personal laws in the name of minority rights. 

Political leaders like Owaisi have strong political allies and close friends in Hindus who claim to be votaries of secularism. My question is, why are your fellow Hindu intellectuals, journalists, and politicians allowing the likes of Owaisi to be part of their camp, promoting and defending Muslim communalism?

I refuse to believe that such a section of Hindus is insignificant in any way; in fact, they have been enjoying positions of authority. Why, then, has Sharma never questioned their loyalty?

Members of the Hindu community harbouring anti-Bharat interests and pro-Pakistan positions, all for the sake of power in the short run, need to introspect. And Sharma and her cohort need to stop pointing fingers at Indian Muslims when the real force behind Muslim identity politics are the powerful Hindus of academia, the film world, and politics.

Amana Begam Ansari is a columnist and TV news panellist. She runs a weekly YouTube show called ‘India This Week by Amana and Khalid’. She tweets @Amana_Ansari. Views are personal.

(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)