Dear Indian Media, stop scapegoating Muslims and Tableeghi Jamaat through scholars and journalists like Ayesha Siddiqua and Bismee Taskin Islam

By turning the global pandemic into a communal one, RSS inspired Indian state uses its media outlets to propagate hatred against Muslim community

From the desk of Editor-in-Chief

South Asia is expected to become a hotspot for COVID-19 as the region contains one fourth of the world’s population. India and Pakistan are the two historic arch rivals of the region with grave ideological and religious differences. Both the countries were established on religious lines as Muslims were treated as second class citizens in the British subcontinent and their status was expected to get worse in a Hindu dominated free India. Therefore, All India Muslim League propagated the idea of a free country Pakistan where Muslims will live their lives with full religious freedom. Nonetheless, after creation of two separate states, India introduced itself as a secular state and provided constitutional cover to every minority living in the country, safeguard and freedom to practice their religions. Muslims were the largest minority of the country as today, as many as 200 million Muslims reside in India which is more than of Pakistan.

Under the regime of RSS inspired and anti-muslim BJP’s Narendra Modi, who is also known as Butcher of Gujrat, India has completely lost its secular nature. Not only government but the Indian media is also fueling antimuslim sentiments and promoting Islamophobia among its public through print, electronic and digital media outlets.

An eminent digital media outlet The Print is pretty much vocal in igniting hatred towards Islam and Islamic missionary movement Tableeghi Jamaat amid Coronavirus outbreak in the region. The digital media platform is founded and headed by a famous journalist Shekhar Gupta known for his anti-Islamic views. In a recent series of hatred driven articles published in the said platform, two authors have openly exhibited their hatred and biasedness towards the Muslim identity and Islamic teachings by targeting a globally respected Islamic group.

The author of one such article, Bismee Taskin Islam is a young Muslim journalist based in New Delhi hailing from Assam. She seems to have a confused personality having identity crisis which depicts from her pattern of writing. A graduate of Delhi University in English Literature, Bismee writes an article over the Muslim identity fear in India. In her article titled as “From Ola to Zomato to social media, I now hide my Muslim identity everywhere”, she strongly maintains that Indian society is facing Islamophobia and becoming Anti-Muslim day by day to this extent that she hides her Muslim identity and omitted “Islam” from her surname. She also describes her experience of facing enormous difficulties in getting a rented place in New Delhi since majority of the landlords were not willing to rent the house to Muslims.

“Muslims and Hindus are not equals in India, and never will be. It is just an interesting idea in discussions and debates for liberals of the Hindu majority to conveniently overlook the increasing communal divide”, she maintains in her article.

Now, why I called her a confused Muslim with identity crisis, the same Bismee Taskin Islam, is now criticizing a well-known and highly respected Tableeghi Jamaat group in New Delhi. By using words like “outdated” and “orthodox” for a missionary movement like Tableeghi Jamaat, she has incited the sentiments of anger among millions of its followers worldwide. From being a rebel Muslim Indian who was against the fascist government acts and policies against the Muslims, suddenly, she became an apologetic Indian Muslim for those we use a term “Sarkari Musalman”. These apologetic Muslims have always preached the flawed argument of Indian secularism and believed that Indian Muslims are entitled to face all oppression and wrongdoings of the state in order to prove their loyalty to the Indian state.

Before criticizing one of the most respected religious groups among Muslims globally, she forgot the fact that it is the same India and government who is oppressing the Muslims under the fascist regime of RSS inspired Modi. With a label of a liberal Muslim, she is the same student who applied for admission in Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi in M.A Mass Communication program not on merit seats but on “Muslim women” quota. Wasn’t it contrary to her belief of secular and liberal identity to not secure any benefit which is reserved for Muslims and result of a quota system.

Now, we come on facts because facts dictate the impartial opinions and views;

When there was no government restriction towards large gatherings, the Tableeghi Jamaat congregation commenced in its center Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi from 11 to 13 March, 2020

In an interesting development, the Health Ministry declared that Coronavirus is not a medical emergency but with the announcement of Delhi CM afterwards to restrict all sorts of religion, social and political gatherings, the Markaz complied completely and didn’t hold any gathering or special prayers which were due to happen but cancelled due to government’s directives. It is also pertinent to know that the Markaz has a capacity of around 12,000 people while there were 2,500 participants in the Markaz.

With the announcement of nationwide lockdown by the central government, Jamaat postponed all its activities but due to the cancelation of all rail services and other means of transportation, a large group of visitors who were due to depart from Markaz were stuck. There was no transport on roads to transport them back to their homes and there was no option left for the Markaz to facilitate and accommodate their visitors by applying precautions and safety measures.

According to the administration of Markaz, they repeatedly approached the local government and also the divisional sub-magistrate to arrange transportation for these visitors but they received no response. At that point in time, the Delhi and Central government left the Markaz visitors stranded and offered no facilitation whatsoever.

Former Member of Indian parliament and a local resident of Nizamuddin, Shahid Siddiqui commented on giving communal color to the outbreak by adding that Media and political elites of India spread this negativity against Islam and Muslims. They are harming the whole nation by giving it a communal color and targeting the Muslim community.

Another MLA from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, criticized the police and other authorities for their failure in arranging transportation for the stranded visitors during the crisis.

It becomes crystal clear that the whole fiasco created by the Indian media and some of its pseudo liberal journalists like Bismee Taskin Islam is a botched up issue which is based on prejudice and hatred towards the Muslim community by targeting one of its most respected group.

Now, we come towards another category of intellectuals who think that criticizing and shaming their state’s policy and narratives make them a profound intellectual. Ayesha Siddiqua who is known for her anti-establishment stance, has wrote an opinion in the same digital media outlet of India by portraying a same message to the Indian public and supporting the Indian state narrative of hatred and biasedness against the Indian Muslim.

She needs to understand that India and Pakistan can never be on same page, all Pakistani clerics and religious groups announced full adherence to the federal and provincial government’s instructions which also included a painful yet pertinent decision to limit daily and Jummah prayers gatherings countrywide. All religious scholars and sects are on same page showing national and religious unity while in India, Muslims are constantly becoming a target of malicious and communal violence be it in the form of media propaganda or riots.

Scholars and journalists like Ayesha Siddiqua and Bismee Taskin Islam turn a blind eye on India’s constant efforts to marginalize the Muslim minority, promotion of RSS ideology of Hindutva and illegal occupation of Kashmir. They need to understand the fact that marginalization of Muslim population will have dreadful consequences, initially for the Indian Muslims and then for the whole population.