Tehelka, Oct 11, 2008 *ALIENATED GENERATION*
Nobody dare question our commitment to education and the Indian Constitution *by Mushirul Hasan* THE EXTENT to which our society is getting polarised along religious lines is very disturbing. If this is the state of affairs almost seven decades after independence, what might happen a few decades later? This is not the time to attribute responsibility to different parties or communities. This is a moment of self-reflection; of trying to find out what gives rise to this mindless violence. The other very disquieting fact is how the electronic media and sections of the Hindi print media have taken upon themselves the responsibility of being the custodian of the nation's interest. The arrogance and intolerance in their coverage reflects a very ominous trend in the history of journalism. I have experienced this recently. The Jamia incident is not a big affair, it could have been easily sorted out, but it was turned into a campaign against a university. Our doors are open to non-Muslims; our teachers are drawn from all communities. Compare our record with that of other so-called secular universities where Muslims have limited access — Benaras Hindu University, Allahabad University, Delhi University itself — then what are we questioning? A student at the London School of Economic (LSE) was nabbed very recently by the police — does it mean that the LSE has become a hotbed of terrorism? This is senseless. I think we have to fight back. We have tolerated this nonsense for far too long. We should take on the media and demonstrate to the people that they are not trustworthy and are out to basically sensationalise events. Jamia Millia is being seen as the Muslim institution that it is not; it is a secular institution funded by the Central Government. The question of legal aid is not being looked at from the perspective of a teacher's responsibility to her students. As the head of the institution, I feel I have an obligation towards my students. And I am not using the taxpayer's money for it. But the real issue is of principle. If this had happened to a non-Muslim student, I would have done the same. I am also upholding the rule of law. Why have we forgotten the principle that says that an accused is innocent until proven guilty? In the ultimate analysis, our society, which has gone through the Khalistan movement and experienced terrorism in the Northeast, must look at these incidents in a more cool-headed manner. Because you can't fight it by reacting in a hysterical manner. Also, our police is becoming more politicised and communalised. We haven't reoriented them into becoming the custodians of the secular values enshrined in the Constitution. Over the past 10 years, there has been a systematic pattern — Deoband University, an institution with a glorious record, has been targeted. So has Nadvat-ul-Ulema in Lucknow. Aligarh University has always been targeted, despite its being a modern institution with its doors open to all. Is there a pattern in this madness? We need to reflect on these issues. The alienation is very deep, and has to stop. But instead of supporting us, which would also mean supporting an institution committed to secular values, there are attempts to undermine our secular foundations. And now we are dealing with a younger generation of Muslims. I believe in a liberal, eclectic and pluralist idea of Islam, but I suspect this vision will not be shared by those who are feeling insecure and excluded, socially and culturally. Why have the guilty in Gujarat not been punished? Why? Why? Why is the VHP and Bajrang Dal not banned for killing innocent Christians and desecrating their churches? I regard myself, as do millions of others, as part of the edifice that is called India. The idea of India is my idea. There is no India without me, and I will not let that change. We have already taken certain steps to counter subversive ideas that might fracture our secular society. I appeal to civil society and the media to let us live in peace, and get on with our simple and innocent job — pursuit of knowledge. There is a limit to what one can tolerate. Nobody dare question our commitment to education, and our loyalty to the Indian Constitution. (Hasan is Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi) >From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 40, Dated Oct 11, 2008 On Sat, Oct 4, 2008 at 8:41 AM, Shahina KK <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dear friends, > I know this is a belated post. Infact I was taking time to shrugg off the > bewilderment,anguish and scare through which I had been passing for the last > three weeks.The article I wrote in the hoot.org caused me trouble and > trouble only.I hope some of you might have been aware of that.In the > following article-*SHIVER… DOWN THE SPINE-* I am trying to summarise the > whole episode. > Hindustan Thimes on today has carried a trimmed version of this article > under the title 'Your Religion follows You'. > > http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=058115bf-d511-4308-9738-fb8c6e88843c&&Headline=%e2%80%98Your+religion+follows+you%e2%80%99 > > Shahina > > *SHIVER… DOWN THE SPINE* > > * **My tryst with the e-messengers of terror* > > * * > > *Shahina K K* > > > > Since14th September 2008, writing has become a laborious exercise for me. > It was all of a sudden that words turned heavy, staring at my own > convictions, political thinking and journalistic vigor. It was on a gloomy > Sunday (the day after the bloody Saturday on which the life of twenty odd > people had been taken away by some body called Indian Mujahideen)that things > turned upside down. It's difficult to describe my terrible sense of shock > when it came to my notice that a part of the email sent by perpetrators of > the Delhi blasts laying claim to the deadly bombs on the day, had been > written by me! It was lifted verbatim from a piece of mine (*Bombs defused > in News rooms*) which appeared in the media watch dog portal,* The Hoot*. > Newspapers had given extensive quotes wondering at the 'journalistic > character' and 'impeccable English' of those who prepared the mail. Even > when everybody calls it plagiarism I was not spared because my name carries > the identity of a community which is put in the dock for all that happens > dreadfully around us. I wrote about what the media does, how it deals with > the unending episodes of terror strikes juxtaposing with the violence by > Hindu extremists and how flagrantly they fail in the 'balancing' act! > > > > A published material is neither mine nor yours. Plagiarism in cyber space > is not a rare phenomenon. There are limited options to check it. I am not > very serious about plagiarism be cause I am skeptical about how far we are > the masters of our own words. I personally believe that what I wrote is not > only mine. It was reproduced by other websites and several bloggers .It is > exciting to watch the cyber movement challenging the dogmatization of > knowledge. I don't subscribe to the concept of copyright too. But I never > thought of being caught up in a deep sense of anguish, terror and shock by > some one else picking up my words for the manifestation of a heinous crime. > It came to my notice that Sunday evening, while I was perusing *Times of > India* looking for stories missed in the morning. One story on the terror > e-mail had extensively quoted the lifted portion from my article > analyzing how the extremist forces make a common cause with other victims > of 'Sangh terror' -- Christians and Dalits. '*The idea of a broad > coalition of all minorities and Dalits in a broad anti-Hindutva coalition is > not new, but its use amid clear signs of unease within Muslims about the > radicalisation of sections within it is immensely interesting."* says *The > Times of India.* > > > > The *Times'* story prompted me to go online in search of the full text of > the terror mail and shockingly I found more than a paragraph of my article > had been copied and pasted. It's beyond words how I survived those moments > of scare, insecurity and a deep sense of guilt. We were all 'alone' at home, > in that entire residential area, nobody knows us. We all are living in this > metro not knowing what kind of a life is there at the next door. I was in a > state of numbness incapable of picking up the phone and calling somebody. My > partner Rajeev did the same with a shivering heart. Our friends initially > responded as if it is nothing but rather a minor crime of plagiarism that we > need not worry about further. In fact as they explained later, they had been > trying to shrug off the acerbic realization that what we call terrorism is > some where very near our doorstep. > > > > However their arrival at my place was followed by a call from Sevanti > Ninan, the columnist who edits The Hoot. Even though it was not unexpected, > I had felt a tremor while being informed of the enquiry by the Maharashtra > Anti Terror Squad about me. They contacted Sevanti and she told me that it > was impossible to hold back whatever information they wanted about me. I too > never wanted her to keep me in hiding. Why should I be? The life I lived was > not a private affair at all. I had been constantly there in the public space > with my stories, television appearances and interventions in social > discourses. It was very much tangible when I was in Kerala, but living in a > metro stricken with terror, it was altogether a different ball game. Here > even my name matters. The heaviness of a Muslim name could make life > miserable in Delhi. No matter whether you follow religion, religion will > definitely follow you. > > > > After a night of tossing and turning, one of our journalist friends took it > on himself to unfold the tangle in which I had been caught up. Along with > him I contacted the Defence Minister, met the MoS for External affairs and > Home affairs. They, except the MoS for Home affairs, know me in person as I > had been active in Malayalam language journalism for over a decade. They > might be well aware that religious extremism will be the last thing I could > be booked on! Our attempt was not to avoid an enquiry, but to ensure that I > would not be targeted because of my name. > > > > Even after a couple of weeks passed, I think I am not out of woods. I > have been waiting for the boot steps at my door any time. My friends say the > investigators might have been monitoring my cyber activities and telephone > calls. It is hard to live knowing that you are under surveillance. For the > last two weeks we had been in touch with several of the authorities to > clarify my position on the whole episode. One of the top officials we met > during the course of this, a gentleman who amazed us with his extremely > polite manner, asked, So, you're a Muslim?" I wanted to respond with a > big *NO,* and to shout from the roof top that I am agnostic, kept away > from the clutches of religion even from my teens. But I couldn't. I gave him > no answer. I was skeptical about the political correctness of such an answer > through out my life. Am I doing wrong by turning my back on the millions of > innocent people who follow religion, bearing the brunt of what ever have > been done in the name of religion? My partner who is, by birth a Hindu had > been cajoled to claim the same in front of that officer, in order to prove > our secular credentials in a city where we are nothing more than names. It > was for the first time, religion intruded into our life together. We had not > hesitated even fraction of a second to leave the column for religion blank > in the birth registration form when our son, Anpu, was born. > > > > I was caught up again in another round of bewilderment, shock and grief > next day when I went to meet Brinda Karat MP at AKG Bhavan with one of our > journalist friends. While waiting in the reception, a heartbreaking cry fell > upon my ears. Four or five women appeared at the door shouting and crying > loudly. The whole scene rang no bell for me, but I saw Brinda rushing out, > hugging those women and listening to them. Somebody told me that they are > the remaining desperate souls from a family of which 9 people had been > killed in the blast. Those women were lamenting their plight in which they > had been forced to bribe even for a decent burial for their beloved ones. I > was scared. I wish they would not see me! I was again blanketed by a > terrible sense of distress. My vision was blurred off in tears; I couldn't > speak a word, my voice strangled in my throat. In such moments of emotional > turbulence the rationale of political thinking may not help. > > > > Many of my friends who shared the sleepless nights with me thought of > writing about the entire trauma of an identity and its subjectivity, but > they were skeptical about the ramifications of such an act in my life. One > of my friends sharing the deep anguish, posted in his blog, a single liner- > *Shiver, down the spine.* No comments have been posted yet, because the > readers of his blog are left with no other clue. Now I think it is high time > to speak up. I don't want to grow a censor within me. > > > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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