‘Religious Identity has never been a barrier for acquiring knowledge in India’

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By Syed Muhammad Raghib and Abhay Kumar for TwoCircles.net,

New Delhi: Akhlaque Ahan is an associate professor of Persian at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Author of over twenty books mostly dealing with history, literature, culture and religion, Ahan has expressed concern about the rising incidents of intolerance in India. Syed Mohammad Raghib and Abhay Kumar sat with forty-year old scholar last week to grasp the complexities of situations, following aggressive campaigns to polarise society and saffronise Indian history and culture. Excerpts.

TCN: Artists, writers, filmmakers, intellectual and others have returned their awards in protest against what they say are the rising intolerance in India. What do you have to say?

AA: Those who kindle hatred in society are in the minority. Even media feel inclined to cover their activities, giving the impression that the hatemongers predominate. But the reality is quite different. Those who voted for the BJP in the last General Elections were just 31 per cent of total electorates. We should not forget that those who supported the BJP in the previous elections do not approve of all of BJP’s policies. But one possible explanation of perceived predominance of hatemongers is due to the fact that secular forces are neither vocal nor united. For example, writers make up for a minuscule percentage of our population, but once they have started asserting themselves against intolerance, their impact has been widely felt. In short, people of this country are peace-loving (aman pasand) and the politics of polarisation and fear is pursued by those who want to divert nation’s attention from basic issues like education, health and employment.

TCN: The politics of “holy” cow seems to have polarized the society.

AA: It is unfortunate that cow is deliberately being made an issue in India. There is a ban on cow- slaughter in most parts of India. For example, the issue of cow was never taken up in Kashmir even during the days of militancy, though there has been ban since Ranjit Singh and Dogra period. Thus cow issue is linked neither to Muslims, nor to Islam. Even ulama [Islamic scholars] have spoken in favour of a ban on cow slaughter. Long back in the 1950s, Maulana Azad spoken in Jamiat Ulama’s meeting that Muslims should not sacrifice cows and none of them has dissented Azad’s views. Even the current president of Jamiat Ulama Hind had said that cow should not be slaughtered.

TCN: The rulings of the court in favour of having a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) have recently created concern among a large section of Muslims, especially religious scholars and community leaders.

AA: Uniform Civil Code is also one of those issues which are raked up to fool people. A false impression is created that this [UCC] is a Muslim issue. Those who are supporting uniformity should also bear in mind that Hindu society itself is diverse. Hindus from north India and south India have a lot of differences. That is why I argue that the Uniform Civil Code is an issue of the Government and not that of any particular community. Moreover, ulama should sit together to complete the work of codification as done by ulama of other countries. Such a tradition is also found in our own country. For example, in 1915 Maulavi Karimuddin codified Hindu Personal Laws. In those times, a large number of Muslims were scholars of Hindu texts and vice versa. Religious identity has never been a barrier of acquiring knowledge, and texts of different religions too have always been considered as the part of knowledge tradition.

TCN: Do you suggest that religious identity separates us today more than in the past?

AA: Much of the discourse based on religious identity was created by the divide-and-rule policy of colonial rule, which classifies ancient India as “Hindu” period and medieval India as “Muslim” period. It was the colonial rulers who used to give religious identity to languages too. For example, Arabic and Persian was linked to Muslims and Sanskrit to Hindus. But unlike such assumption of the colonial rulers, we have Amir Khusro and others who were experts of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit. [Abd al-Qadir] Bada'uni, who is considered “conservative”, translated the Mahabharata and Ramayana from Sanskrit into Persian. In the 20th century, [Gandhian] Vinoba Bhave used to recite the Quran like a Qari of Egypt and wrote a tafsir [interpretation] of the Quran. Unlike our rich traditions, some narrow-minded people, under the influence of the British discourse, are causing damage to Indian civilisation.

TCN: In India, a considerable section of Muslims, their organisations perceive themselves to be backward. Do you share their concern?

AA: Education will spark off zehni bedari [intellectual awareness]. Thus, there is a need to initiate an educational movement. I always underscore the importance of education. All kinds of Muslim leadership; to say may be a mutawalli (trustee) of a dargah (shrine) and an imam of a masque as well as political leaders of the community--should give a call for acquiring education, which would be a great service to the community and nation-building.

TCN: Another issue linked to Muslim identity is Urdu. Government has been perceived to be discriminating it? Your take?

AA: Government’s support is not enough for the promotion of Urdu. The readers of Malayalam and Bengali are more sensitive towards their languages. A poet or a writer of Urdu gets his books printed and then feels contented to distribute them among his/her friends. The problem of Urdu lies much in readers than in writers. This is a challenge before Urdu speaking mass. It is a mere fallacy and historically wrong to associate Urdu or any other language with any religious community within or outside India. What about Tamil, Telgu, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Bangla etc?

TCN: How do you look at role of madrasa in the contemporary period?

AA: Grand Madrasas should prepare students to engage with intellectual and philosophical challenges, inter-faith debates and to counter ideological pandemonium. Today we do not have personality among ulama like Maulana Azad, Mahmood Hasan, Ali Mian Nadwi [Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi] and Maududi.

TCN: Opinions about madrasa modernisation are also divided.

AA: It is not true that changes have not been made in madrasa curriculum. In Nadwatul Uloom [Nadwa, Lucknow] a large part of old syllabus has been replaced and both Arabic and English are taught there. Similarly, in all madrasas attempts are made to incorporate modern educations too. As far as the standard of education is concerned, it varies from one madrasa to another.

TCN: As a teacher of Persian, how do you look at the recent move to remove Persian as a subject from service commissions’ exams?

AA: Separating a language from opportunities would certainly harm the prospects of the development of the language. Languages like Pali, Sanskrit and Persian which are sources of our modern languages, culture and history should be studied and safeguarded. No language should be linked to any religious identity. Both Sanskrit and Persian are sister languages. One should not forget that Persian has rich sources about any aspect of Indian history. For example, to write about the history of Sikhism and Hinduism, or Indian culture, art and any facet of our civilization, scholars have to consult Persian sources. The personal diary of Ranjit Singh [the founder of Sikh Empire] was written in Persian and so the whole history of the region. Persian was the medium through which Europeans came to know about Sanatam Dharma and Indian philosophy, thanks to translations done by Dara Shikoh. One cannot comprehend Tagore without knowing the Persian legacy that he inherited. Even the term “Hindu” has a Persian origin. That is why the act of not studying Persian will only cause damage to our own civilisation.

The interviewers—Syed Mohammad Raghib (raghib.jnu@gmail.com) and Abhay Kumar (debatingissues@gmail.com)—are both Ph.D scholars at the Centre for West Asian Studies, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, respectively.

http://twocircles.net/2015nov28/1448690190.html#.Vlnbp3YrKUn

‘Religious Identity has never been a barrier for acquiring knowledge in India’ | TwoCircles.net

‘Religious Identity has never been a barrier for acquiring knowledge in India’ | TwoCircles.net

THE PLIGHT OF THE WEAKEST

                                                                                                           

akhlaq ahan

We incessantly confront cases of the atrocities on the weakest, and thus the most vulnerable section of our society i.e. Dalit, women and minorities on almost daily basis; and it has become such a norm that we even have become habitual or more precisely indifferent and impervious to the atrocities meted to them. Killing, humiliation and dehumanization of Dalits is a norm of specifically rural India. Females are probably been killed in millions which begins since she is unborn till death, on different instances. Religious minorities have been facing segregation, degradation, murders and massacres time and again. When we observe this norm through data available and estimations; reveals the most harrowing and ugliest side of our civilization. There should not be any hesitation to confess that this tendency is the result of a mindset originating out of a conglomeration and cocktail of feudal-patriarchal-Brahminical set-up, which even after independence unfortunately though naturally, inherited the power exited by the colonial masters and virtually grabbed the whole system to monopolize for its dominance vis a vis further ostracism of the weaker sections; and in spite of the attempts of its neutralization through a democratic system based on an accommodative and weak-empowering constitution, is continuing and thriving. This is neither an allegation nor a revelation, which in fact is reflected through the posturing and saws of the ruling lot, and evident to all of us on regular basis. For centuries, Dalits and women have had always been at receiving end, but in a perplex post-independence-partition scenario, another addition to this was of minorities especially Muslims who now have virtually been turned into the weakest and the most marginalized 'Dalits' than the real one. Though, as a matter of fact, majority of Muslims, probably mostly are converts from the lower section of society comprising the Dalits, who though could shed the baggage of religious and social disgrace, but the plight of misery continues to linger on, as they have been caught between the indifference of the community's leadership and the biased system. Moreover, they have been constantly exploited and betrothed into trivial, non-productive and emotive issues, which too have been an obstacle in their way of progress. The Dalits though have confronted more a violent incidents in recent years, mostly on account of their assertion following the socio-economic uplift especially in the post-Mandal scenario, is indeed an indicative of their transient phase towards progress, similarly the women assertion of presence in the society through education etc. may be seen in the same context, which somehow challenges the patriarchy. However, the accelerated recent violence on Muslims is an attempt to push the community into a psychological collapse and gloom. As a matter of fact, the toiling mass happens to be the majority comprising more than eighty percent population and suffering in the hand of the 'marginal potentate', the callous exploiter. 

Sufi and Bhakti tradition

akhlaq ahan

In its inception, various religions and spiritual movements have had fostered the elements and idea of Universal Humanism i.e. a philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human being, individually and collectively, and generally prefers critical thinking over established doctrines. Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam specially to be mentioned here as on the rudiments of these religions sufi and bhakti trends developed in Asia and for centuries nurtured the values. Thus, in the messages of sufis and saints of bhakti movement, idea of humanism is traced; and they declare ‘eshq’ or love as the core of all these humanist traits. The famous sufi poet and the predecessor of Amir Khusraw, Maulana Rumi while eulogizing omniscience of love declares it as ‘tabib e jumla ellat’ha’ or ‘physician of all diseases’; and at the same time has also warned those rulers and administrators who have elapsed the pains and problems of the masses, saying:

Asp e himmat suye akhtar sakhti

Aadam e masjood ra na-shanakhti

(You have set your horses to conquer the sky, but you could not spot those people who look at you in need.)

Obviously, in such state, only the sense of love could only make all learn warmth and affection towards fellow beings; as he says:

Shad bash aye eshq e khush sauday e ma

Aye tabeeb e jumle ellat'hay e ma

(Hooray O the love! Who brings blessings always; the one who is the medic of all the ailments.)

Khusraw too, is the follower of the same school and believes in the worth of love and its distinction over ‘aql’ i.e. reason; moreover in his view ‘love’ is the only measure to distinguish between human being and ‘non-living’:

Dil e bi eshq ra man del naguyam

Tan e bisooz ra juz gil naguyam

Mago ba man ke aaqil nist aasiq

Ke man be eshq ra aaqil naguyam

(I do not call it a heart which is without love, and I call a body only mud, if it is devoid of burning. Do not tell me that a lover is not wise; as I do not call wise the one who lacks love.)

As a matter of fact, Indian civilization is the beautiful synthesis of diverse ideas, believes and philosophies. Here, the difference between modern western culture which is based on materialism and at many instances demonstrates insensitiveness while dealing with different traits may not be none to them. Some of the scholars believe that the Sufi trend, which progressed and matured in the sub-continent, is also imbedded on the Buddhism.

The fact should not be ignored that these two traditions of great philosophical and social movements provided the enormous opportunity of interfaith understanding, debate, dialogue and communication which is also evident in the writings of Amir Khusraw and Kabir; and has been a leading light for centuries for the people of this land. Therefore, both the traditions i.e. Sufi and bhakti have evidently inculcated elements of Islam, Zoroastrianism and Indian philosophy including Buddhism.

(This is taken from a paper by the author)

BAN THE BEEF

akhlaq ahan

Remember the second week of May 1857, a group of Brahmins from Meerut, among the first to reach the Red Fort shouting 'Deen' 'Deen' (Arabic word for religion) and seeking the attention of the Last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar to come forward for help to save the religion from the insensitive and atrocious British onslaught on their religion. The seething anger and enrage both among the followers of Sanatan religion and Muslims, was following the 'rumor' of beef-pork fat steeped cartridges forced upon the 'native' soldiers.

This apparently a sudden outburst, was in fact an outcome of many socio-political and economic reasons, and among these, the socio-religious reforms like Sati, child marriage etc supported by British government vis a vis state supported conversions were seen by many traditionalists or conservatives as the direct attack on their religion, was one of the potent reasons of the discontent among Indians. Such voices were raised time and again, and especially the issue of state-supported conversion was also documented in a Persian newspaper Agra Akhbar; maintained by Zamindars of both the communities of North India. However, today many of these reforms and reformers are hailed high, as the society has grown-up and even the most conservatives may be appreciating it. Nonetheless, considering the fact that even today, majority of Indian population contains either illiterates, just literates or degree-holder ignorants; besides, baring a tiny population of less than a percent, remaining is believer having and practising variety of religions and religious practices and emotionally attached to their respective faiths and beliefs. For such a socio-cultural scenario, to a certain extent pre-colonial arrangements of being compassionate and considerate to religious sensitivities, may be a more sane way of maintaining peace and harmony in the society; instead of assuming to implement the western liberal values, for which the poverty-illiteracy stricken Indian society may not be ready to comprehend, until we may realize education to all and intellectual enlightenment to a sizeable number of population.

It was therefore, the Colonial masters who first faced the brunt of their being insensitive to 'beef-pork' sensitive population, viciously began to use it as tool of 'divide and rule' and thus first time in history only during later part of the nineteenth century, 'save cows' voices were postured against Muslims, though still no any movement by Muslims to oppose it is recorded. The 'save cow' agenda was also voiced by many mainstream leaders like Gandhi, Vinobha Bhave etc and supported by others like Maulana Azad, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan probably considering the sensitivities of a large part of common masses and also to defuse the design of it being used by the divisive forces. Maulana Azad responding to the issue had stated in a meeting of Jamiat e Ulama e Hind, a representative body of Indian Muslim Ulama that whether the government was going to make law to ban it or not, or people were demanding for it or not, Muslims must themselves shun the practice; and there has been no dissenting view to this among the clerics, rather they and other similar groups and individual still support the same view. Even a Muslim majority state like Kashmir has ban on the beef since Dogra Ruler's days, and probably even in the most 'insane' period, this never became an issue. Unfortunately, in the post-partition scenario, again this has been misused time and again to linger on and breed the anger of ignorance, primarily to fetch vested interests. In such situation, the argument of right of food and personal choice may however be appearing progressive and enlightened, but would not be convincing to the people who hold cow as mother deity. It is therefore, the decision to implement the ban lies in the government's court, as demand of banning it has even been lauded from the other side too. Let the government decide to impose a complete ban on cow slaughter and beef besides its import, export, selling, buying, eating and serving; and let it be clear to all that:

1. Supposing that the sentiments of a large number of people in India is not hurt, is a fallacy,

2. Assuming that it is a religious practice in Islam; or Muslims would oppose the ban is equally fallacious.

3. The people of the country confronting fundamental issues of their survival i.e. Food, education, health etc than getting into such issues.

4. A menu should not be made a reason to breed hatred among people.

Though, we still wonder whether our government is indeed sincere to enforce the ban …???!!!