Muslim meet cancelled in Delhi: Why are they feeling guilty talking to Modi?

By Ehtasham Khan A meeting called by some Muslim leaders to discuss issues concerning minorities on January 18 at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi was abruptly cancelled in the last minute. The organizers had no valid explanation for cancelling the meeting which was aimed at discussing the apprehensions of common Muslims under Narender Modi government at the Centre. The meeting, as told to me by one of the organizers Maulana Mahmood Madani, was to “find a way ahead”. The colloquium “Country and Crossroads” was jointly organized by Jamiat Ulama- e-Hind, Jamat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ahle Hadees, Muslim Personal Law Board, Milli Council and the Delhi-based Institute of Objective Studies (IOS). The main reason, according to sources, behind cancellation of the meeting was “difference of opinion” among the participating members. The colloquium was the brainchild of former Rajya Sabha member Maulana Mahmood Madni of one faction of Jamat Ulama-e-Hind and former Samajwadi Party leader Kamal Farouqi. [caption id=“attachment_1780635” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational Image. AFP[/caption] Sources  said a section of the participants believed the real objective of the meeting was to finally “open the doors” to Prime Minister Narender Modi. The organizers – Madni and Farouqi – intended to have an audience with Modi so as to reclaim the vacuum of traditional Muslim leadership felt ever since Modi came to power in a historic victory last year. Some of the participants said the colloquium was to be “used” by the two Muslim leaders to come “politically close” to Modi. The critics of the colloquium later backed off leading to the cancellation of the event. When I asked Madni if there is an effort to start a dialogue with Modi, he said: “Dialogue cannot be one-way. Something has to come from the other side.” Madni is not averse to dialogue. He wants to establish a channel of communication with the government (read Modi) so that issues concerning Muslims are addressed. Or, atleast, there is someone to hear the community-specific anxiety. The recent spate of politics of intimidation created by Sangh outfits in the name of Love Jihad, Ghar Wapsi and several incidents of communal violence and communally charged statements have pushed the community into further isolation. Also, there are some left-over development schemes of the UPA government which needs to be revived and implemented. Rebutting Madni’s claim, one Muslim leader who was invited in the colloquium, said: “Madni has been having dialogue with Modi since long. He was treated like a state guest while visiting Gujarat. Then you have Kamal Farouqi who is looking for political rehabilitation after getting sacked from Samajwadi Party. AAP refused to take him in. This is basically opportunist politics.” Madni was earlier accused of giving statements which helped Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during assembly elections in Rajasthan. Farouqi appears to be a new entrant in this league. But the question remains. What is wrong in cozying up with Modi? Is Modi still untouchable for Muslims? Why are Muslim leaders feeling guilty talking to Modi? Mohammad Sajjad, a historian at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), says: “Muslims will have to open up with Modi who is the Prime Minister today. But the problem is with the so-called traditional Muslim leadership which is corrupt and self-centred.” “What we are seeing now is that these Muslim leaders have started hobnobbing with Modi for personal gains. They will do it no matter whoever comes to power. They are afraid of being discredited because they do not have the ability or intent to generate an honest consensus among ordinary Muslims vis-à-vis establishing a channel of communication with Modi who still carries the stain of being anti-Minority.” Sajjad feels today’s Muslim leadership is totally cut-off from the masses and lack credibility. To prove his point, he says there was little murmuring within the community when Zafar Sareshwala (considered close to Modi) was appointed as Chancellor of Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU). But there was  no outrage. “Without going into the merits of this argument, I must say there is a section which feels that Zafar Sareshwala may do something good for the university and the community. And if not Sareshwala, then who? There is total vacuum,” says Sajjad. Partly agreeing with Sajjad, Arshad Alam, assistant professor in Centre for Social Systems at Jawaharlal Nehru University, says: “Muslims are facing a complex situation today. Secular parties like Samajwadi Party and Congress have failed them. Muslim leaders on whom the community trusted sold themselves off repeatedly. So what do you do?” “I think Modi will have to make the first move. Congress apologized for anti-Sikh riots. If not apology then atleast Modi will have to show some indication that he is willing to join hands. This is clearly not there in the present situation.” There are three major milestones in post-Independence Muslim politics in India – the Shah Bano judgment, Babri demolition and Gujarat riots. Modi’s landslide victory in 2014 will be another point of reference. It will take some time to understand the community’s response to this new political reality. After the demolition of Babri masjid in 1992, there was a churning within Muslims to locate themselves in the highly polarized and changing political landscape. A year later, a meeting of Muslim intelligentsia was held in New Delhi. A feeling of distrust and anguish was expressed against the then Muslim leaders who were champions of Babri movement. The community then started focusing on education, employment and entrepreneurship. A small section of Muslim middle-class that we see today may be an outcome of that churning. Such shake-up seems to be absent today or invisible. Sajjad says: “There has been a change in leadership everywhere. Even in BJP. This should happen among Muslims too. But how this happens and when will define the future of India’s strong minority and also the national politics.” (The author is Special Correspondent with IBN 7 news channel)