A religion in the dock
Syed Nooruzzaman

Muslims in India: Perceptions and Misperceptions
ed. Ishtiyaque Danish. Pages 168. Rs 400.

Islam in Pakistan’s Foreign Policy
by SAM Pasha. Global Media Publications, New Delhi. Pages 256. Rs 600.

Muslims and Islam have hardly attracted as much media attention as they do now, but mostly for wrong reasons. The community seems to be in a defensive position with regard to the various concepts and practices associated with its religion and institutions. Fortunately, in India, if there are people who have been working overtime for creating misunderstandings about the community and its way of life, there are persons who have been playing a positive role and doing everything possible to ensure that the divisive forces are not successful in implementing their unholy designs.

The book, Muslims in India: Perceptions and Misperceptions, is an interesting study of the problem, and can be helpful in removing the misunderstandings which may lead to various complications. It is a collection of articles by four respected scholars. The editor, Ishtiyaque Danish, accuses the Hindutva forces of launching a multi-dimensional campaign to distort the image of the Muslims and their religion, exploiting the people’s susceptibilities. In his opinion, the image that has come to be created is quite painful. If this propaganda is to be believed, then the Muslims have "failed to live as responsible citizens because their religion is intolerant; it abhors religio-cultural pluralism and encourages its followers to unleash violence or wage jihad against non-believers`85." The book explains that nothing can be farther from the truth.

Danish, who teaches Islamic studies at Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, discusses the issue of "objectionable" verses of the Quran, raised through a Hindu Mahasabha pamphlet, blaming the Quranic teachings for communal riots in India. The pamphlet has it that 24 verses of the Quran should be deleted for the cause of communal harmony. The book tries to explain that most of these verses have been "taken out of context, mistranslated and ‘explained’ to convey a message which is against the spirit of Islam."

Dr Mohammad Nejatullah Siddiqi in his article has exposed the terrorists and their masterminds who have been indulging in violence in the name of religion. It is good that a person of his standing, who has taught economics at various universities in India and abroad and is highly respected for his studies on Islam, has been chosen to falsify the terrorist logic. He clearly declares that terrorist violence is an inhuman act, having nothing to do with Islam. When he talks of 9/11, he says, "The violence committed by a few Muslims against America so far has done enough damage to Islam and Muslims."

One gets the impression after going through the book that the Muslims are not happy with the media coverage of the issues and events related to them. The media, in their opinion, prefers to present a distorted picture of the community and its institutions. The media may have its failings, but the Muslims too have a lot of explaining to do. Have they ever made any sincere and concerted effort to clear the misunderstandings about Islam and Muslim religious institutions? Indulging in a blame game does not help.

Most people forget that the use of Islam as an instrument of Pakistan’s foreign policy is, to a considerable extent, responsible for the uncomfortable questions being raised today. How can a religion not get a bad name if it is allowed to promote a culture of violence with a view to achieving a political objective? The whole world knows that Pakistan has been exploiting the Islamic concept of jihad for fomenting violence in Jammu and Kashmir. What has Islam to do with Kashmir?

How Pakistan has been using or misusing Islam for political purposes has been discussed in considerable detail by S. A. M. Pasha through his book, Islam in Pakistan’s Foreign Policy. The author, Reader in the Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, goes deeper into the problem to examine dispassionately how Pakistan has to share the blame for Islam finding itself in the dock. Exploiting the religious factor for winning friends and influencing people beyond borders is a latest development. But what has been happening in Pakistan is "fascinating and frightening". The book explains why it is so. It will be a rewarding reading for those interested in having a better understanding of the goings-on on the other side of the border vis-a-vis Islam.

HOME