Uploaded on June 30, 2021

VIEWPOINT

The modus operandi for future should be determined with great patience 

Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam

Life looks like an unpleasant passage from affliction and hardship. Every human being experiences rise and fall, destitution, prosperity, sorrow and joy as though these are the constituents of human life. To achieve success it is incumbent on human beings to be patient, firm, bold, daring and courageous in difficult, miserable and disastrous situations. In the present situation in India, patience and firmness are required utmost.  Conditions that prevail today demand that patience and firmness should guide the community; unshakable and firm attitude should be maintained at all cost. Allah, the Most High, has commanded the humans to seek help through patience. Lord of all the worlds has directed humans: “O you who believe! Seek help through patience and prayer.” (Al-Quran 2:153) 

Allah, the Most High, has entrusted moral obligations to the Muslim community. These basic obligations include reforms for humans – preventing them from going astray, bringing them out from ignorance, adorning them with knowledge, redressing their social issues, improving their economy, fighting against their poverty, delivering justice to them, ensuring equality to all, liberating the oppressed, and maintaining social harmony. These are the main points which ensure prosperity in society, bringing in peace and tranquility, promoting mutual understanding and brotherhood, thereby creating a healthy environment to live in prosperity, and the spirit of togetherness strengthening their social bonds. In such a social milieu, dissensions, quarrels and disorder are never seen since all of them love each other and show consideration to all. Such a society becomes a beautiful example resembling a bouquet the fragrance and aroma of which spreads across the country. Forming such a society is incumbent upon the community, but it requires a long struggle and diligence.

Conditions in our country are deteriorating. Every day, we feel and think that these miseries will get over and things will improve in future. However, conditions are worsening day by day; problems and troubles are on the rise. In all fields – political, social andeducational, we are facing difficulties. Anxieties are mounting. In politics Muslims have been rendered helpless, meek and irrelevant. Country has been poisoned and Muslims have been pushed to the periphery. Representation in parliament and state assemblies is reduced to less than 10 per cent. The value of the Muslim votes has been made meaningless. Muslims have their own political parties just nominally and not allowed to create their mass base and get acceptability among Muslims. Muslim society is reduced to the status of a highly backward community. Civilization and culture have taken a back seat. In urban centres, towns and rural areas, Muslims are victims of psychological pressure and terror. In economic sphere, condition of Muslims is very pathetic. In trade and commerce Muslims have been pushed back. In higher government services Muslim presence is reduced to only 2 per cent. Even in B and C group government jobs Muslims fail to secure any place. In private sector and multinationals, discrimination on the ground of religion is prevalent. Majority of Muslims are unemployed;they suffer from deprivation. In education too Muslims remain backward. Only 2 per cent Muslims are able to attain higher education.More than 60 per cent Muslim children remain illiterate. Muslim dominated areas don’t boast of schools and colleges. Due to economic deprivation, many parents, despite their strong desire, fail to help their children get education. Children are not able even to get basic education. At the tender age when they are required to study, Muslim children are forced by their parents’ circumstances to do menial jobs in hotels and factories to support their families. Sachar Committee Report has surveyed in detail the social, political and educational backwardness of Muslims, depicting the state of Muslims on ground level. The Sachar Committee Report appeared during the Congress regime. It is a long time since its appeared in public domain, but as yet no government has moved ahead to implement its recommendations. Congress also didn’t implement the recommendations nor do we expect that the present dispensation will ever pay heed to the need of implementing the Sachar Committee recommendations. Issues concerning the pathetic condition of Muslims need to be looked into in detail. However, all thesetasks can be undertaken over a long period of time.Nevertheless, these issues can be resolved with patience, persistence and determination.

Patience possesses potential energy; with the support of patience we can surmount all of our difficulties. Muslims are encountering harassment on several counts – arrests are a regular feature; Muslims are frequently put behind bar by invoking the stringent laws, like UAPA and NSA; Muslim economy is being targeted; trades in which Muslims do transaction are being blocked; opportunities of livelihood are being denied; media is spitting out venom day and night; teachings dear to Muslims are under attack; Muslim identity is being questioned;patriotism of Muslims has been made suspect. Services rendered by Muslims during freedom struggle and in post-independence era are not receiving acknowledgement despite Muslims making sacrifices ungrudgingly at all points of our history.Muslims have played important role in the nation building, but these days their positive role in the national development is being questioned. These are some of the matters which agitate Muslims and they find themselves under distress psychologically. Muslims get scared when they think about their future in India. Nonetheless, we have to overcome this adverse situation and seek resolution of all the issues agitating us. We shall have to work out our plans with a positive mindset. We shall have to frame a comprehensive strategy very wisely and the first pre-requisite for this is ‘patience’. We shall have to hold fast to the virtue of patience. Instead of planning in haste, we shall have the patience to prepare our plans with prudence. We shall have to comprehend the real meaning of patience. We shall have to determine our modus operandi for future with great patience. The time is ripe that Muslims assume their responsibilities and create collective leadership. The thread of this discourse will be picked up in the next column.  

(The writer is General Secretary, All India Milli Council)