MUSLIM POLITICS

Parwez Hafeez on Muslim Leadership

A very significant aspect of the 11th Lok Sabha elections that appears to have gone almost unnoticed is the marginalization of the Muslim leadership. Since the spoch-making 1977 general elections, when the multi- party, anti-Congress alliance shamelessly wooed and won Muslim support through the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Abdullah Bukhari, the Muslim leadership has been unfailingly dominating the political scene, on the eve of every parliamentary election.

Although the psephologists have now debunked the myth that the Indian Muslims constitute a monolithic vote-bank, the Muslim leadership has always tried to keep up this charade, for obvious reasons. It is, after all, during the run-up to any election that the Muslim leaders come into their own, by holding secret parleys with political parties, for the en bloc "sale" of the Muslim vote. The Muslim leaders do not wrangle for some lucrative deal, some attractive pre-poll commitments for the removal of social and economic backwardness of the community, during their closed-door hectic negotiations with various political parties. It is always a Lok Sabha ticket for their sons/brothers, chairmanship of some committees for their friends or a cooking-gas agency or other such "rewarding" returns that the Muslim leaders are, invariably always, interested in.

These so-called leaders who comprise small-time, small-town politicians, ulema or clergy men and even editors of some Urdu rags, go out of their way to convince the parties that it is they and not others who wield the maximum clout and influence among the Muslims of the country and, therefore, virtually hold Muslim votes in their pockets. But by using their own independent judgement in exercising their franchise the Muslim masses have, time and again, demonstrated that they cared two hoots for the "expert advice" of these leaders.

Thankfully this time, sensing the prevailing disillusionment and disgust for them in the Muslim community, these discredited and demoralized Muslim leaders have been keeping a low profile. However, they have not completely discontinued their activities. With the arrival of the elections, they have again slowly started crawling out of the woodworks. Mostly they have been trying to mobilize the Muslim support for Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's Congress party. But the contemptuous manner in which the ordinary Muslims have been rejecting their pleas for giving another chance to the Congress, amply demonstrates both the political maturity of the Muslim electorate and the eroding credibility of the Muslim leadership.

The demolition of the Babari Masjid has exposed these self-seeking, unscrupulous, hypocrite and opportunist Muslim leaders. They have been totally rejected by the community. Any other person with an iota of self-respect, would have beaten a discreet retreat and taken sanyas from politics. But obviously they find the attraction of pelf and privileges associated with power- brokering to resist.

(Source: The Asian Age, 10 April, 1996)

Views of C.M. Ibrahim on Taslimuddin

I saw a pattern in such attacks, and not merely now; they were either against members of the minority community or those who are committed to secularism. For instance, the press carried on a campaign against A.R. Antulay when he was chief minister of Maharashtra and hounded him out of office. He was finally exonerated by the Supreme Court... Similar was the case with (former Bihar chief minister) Abdul Ghafoor - eventually nothing was proved against him.

Recently, the press ran a similar campaign against Taslimuddin, so much so that he had to resign, even though nothing as yet has been proved against him. Now I am being targeted. Is it a coincidence that we are all Muslims?

 (Source: The Times of India, 5 August, 1996)

List of Muslim M.Ps (Rajya Sabha)