Muslim India

Thursday, December 04, 2008

The Times of India does it again –VIII

The city of Mumbai is barely recovering from one of the most unforgettable ordeal of siege and mass murder. The people of the city are in shock. A wave of intense feelings for fellow human being is sweeping over the city and a small beginning is made by people gathering around Gateway of India, in front of the Taj Palace Hotel, to register their defiance in the face of the terror attack. The mood is that of common bonds and the sense of one nation, one people. The time is to bond together and seek strength in unity of the people. However, India's foremost newspaper has ideas of its own. It has given full freedom to one of its correspondent to sow the seeds of dissention and hate. Under the pretext of confronting the hate brigade, Times of India's Muslim face is donned by Mohammed Wajihuddin and he is vigorously projecting and supporting a group of pseudo-Leftists with Muslim and Semi-Muslim names, that are out to spread hate and dissention in the society, with their most negative sloganeering that could only be the standard trade mark of the Hindutva Brigade, that thrives in demonising artificially invented enemies. The death of ATS Chief Karkare has virtually silenced the Saffron brigade and it seems now their mission has been taken over by a professional group of agitators that hardly care for the community that they profess to support or protect. Muslims organisations, especially the religious kind and their social groups, have organised huge Muslim congregations all over the country, and categorically declared that neither they nor their religion supports terrorists and killing of the innocents. However, both the Saffron and Leftists will not rest and keep insisting that like their 5-time prayers, Muslims should condemn those fictitious terror groups that are conjured by the West or our own Hindutva zealots when they were in power. If the saffron hooligans will collar lone Muslims and force them to say Vande Mataram, the pseudo-Leftists want Muslims to organise 'tabarrah' rituals to demonise all the villains that come handy for them to force a sense of guilt by association on mainstream Muslims. In these disturbed times, instead of building bridges and promoting human brotherhood, they are bent on shaping up their own version of 'Muslim leadership' that casts divisions in Muslim community in the name of religion, as they would like to perceive it. They have become so desperate that it is reported they have manhandled a known liberal and promoter of composite Hindu-Muslim culture, historian, writer and activist, the venerable Amaresh Misra, in the august presence of Swami Agnivesh, for appearing to be a threat to their brand of phony Muslim courtship, that hardly has any mainstream following.

And the medium to give shape to such divisive forces, is none other than the Grand Old Lady of Boribunder, which fortunately escaped disaster when the terrorists banged on its closed shutters, pulled down by their alert security guards. Or they would have made news rather than just managing news in a most cocky and arrogant manner, without a constructive thought for building a peaceful composite society.

It is time they understand and acquire a sense of responsibility in managing the media power that goes with their enterprise, or they may have to face widespread public rebuke, if they persist playing dirty politics in matters of sowing divisions in Muslim community, through the means of hired hands and mercenary social activist groups.

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai

ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com

www.ghulammuhammed.wordpress.com