The Comments of 6 December

On the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid, channels presented debates and newspapers comments on 6 December this year. One such analysis was presented by Mazher Hussain in The Hindu: The demolition that rebuilt a community. Its gist is that by demolishing the mosque Hindutva forces were in loss from political angle while this act of theirs got the Muslim community in the country united, enthused and awakened with regard to its identity, and a lot of non-practising members of the community turned practising. The educated and prosperous section (of the community) that used to keep from common Muslims, be pleased with the admiration of their attitude and condemnation of backwardness and ignorance of common Muslims by their non-Muslim friends, joined the Muslim mainstream and started exhibiting this identity of theirs. Even those individuals who did not follow the fundamental Islamic beliefs of oneness of God and Day of Judgement, and were atheists, became part of the Muslim mainstream from social point of view. Sectorial gaps in the Muslim society lessened, political awareness started emerging and the Muslims joined the activities related to education, employment and participation in general national society. New awareness prevailed upon Muslim women.

The analysis is correct to a great extent

The analyst is of the view that if the domes of Babri Masjid remained intact, Bharatiya Janata Party would have kept on getting public support by continuing its political propaganda against the mosque. On the other hand Muslims would have remained involved in the issue of their security and salvation as usual. The commentator has questioned whether the goondaism of 6 December 1992 just demolished a mosque or have spoiled the aspirations of Hindutva forces for ever. To deal with this question of the commentator is naturally the task of Hindutva circles but the analysis is correct to a great extent as far as the awakening among the Muslims in the country after this incident is concerned. It is a fact that after this incident the Indian Muslims got accelerated with regard to their religious and social identity. Here it can be said that this is a community that gets awakened only after it is beaten. Some instances can be cited in this regard. For example, when the Shah Bano case came to the fore in the 1980s, the entire community got united on one platform for the protection of their Shari’ah family laws. Such a sort of unity does not behove an outstanding community with Iman; it should display this character in every condition, in every circumstance.

Even this is not something ordinary

But in the particular circumstances prevailing in this country getting awakened thus is not something ordinary. Is it not a fact that besides this weakness and many other weaknesses like this, the community has presented a distinguished character? The series of riots started just after the partition of India. To weaken the community financially and socially besides giving it loss of lives was an important part of the strategy of anti-Muslim forces so that the community might give up its faith and values. Had it been any other community, it must have happened so. But this community, besides having lakhs of weaknesses, is a community of the faithful; a community of the followers of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) and nurtured on a particular anvil. The sheen of Iman is there in the veins and flesh of its members. On such occasions only this quality works. That is why it is live. After the Independence even when the trials and tribulations of sorts crossed the limits the Muslims of any city, town or village did not decide en masse to give up their Iman and their social identity; of course they accepted migration. Now it can be imagined that if this community enters into Islam totally and fulfils the requirements of the Qur’ān and Sunnah, what is there that it cannot do. May Allah protect it and bless it with consolidation and advancement.

13/ 12/12 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf