Editorial

The poll and the post-poll outcome in Bihar and Jharkhand have sufficiently highlighted the inadequacies that characterize the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Congress party. But for the Congress’ misplaced overconfidence, the UPA could have averted the current discomfiture in the two states.


It seems, contrary to the media inspired perception that Muslim-Yadav alliance is cracking up, the RJD retained support from the Muslims and other minorities in the state where the party’s government had been able to ensure a riot-free reign during the last 15 years. The very absence of Muslim representation in the LJP serves to indicate that Paswan and company could neither muster Muslim support nor could build a viable Muslim-Dalit vote base to launch the party into a position of a crucial claimant for power. With his opportunist and jumping jack image, Paswan is far from being a replacement for Laloo-Rabri duo. Notwithstanding their rustic image, the duo still catches the imagination of minorities and the Dalits. The most that Paswan could do, and indeed did, was successful blotting of prospect of secular rule returning to Bihar.


The Congress which refused to ally itself fully with the RJD led combine, emerged poorer, with only 10 seats. Apparently, the Congress High Command was misled by uppercaste lobby, mainly led by Brahmin and Bhumihar advisors, into deciding against hitching its bandwagon with the RJD whose secular credentials were undoubtedly shining, though same could not be said about the governance aspect.


However, the emergence of Janata Dal (United) as the major partner with as many as 54 seats, provides a silver lining as the party despite its alliance with BJP, could still be counted as a secular outfit and could be viewed as the axis of a future third front with a secular agenda. With its Kurmi-Koeri base, the party could still look for potential community vote banks from Dalits and minorities in order to emerge out of the shadow of the BJP and stake its claim for ruling Bihar. The BJP despite moving the earth and heavens, could increase its tally in the State only by two seats. Evidently, the State primarily remains a battleground for the rival OBC power mongers. There seems to be no gainsaying that with Congress and the BJP on the fringes, the State still continues to be in the Mandal mode.


However, the man to watch in Bihar would be Ram Vilas Paswan who currently faces the dilemma of being an UPA partner in the Centre but refuses to do business with RJD at the state level. The dilemma gets more and more curious because the Congress-led UPA would not mind jettisoning him in the Centre in case he refuses to mend his ways in Bihar. And having left the NDA only two years ago, he could hardly afford to get back to it with a squeamish face. And in that eventuality he would also lose the credibility as the new self-styled though, champion of the minorities.


Bihar is an interesting state from the minorities point of view. With nearly 14 per cent Muslim votes remaining committed to secular parties, there still seems to be no viable secular alternative away from the Laloo-Rabri bandwagon. The duo could still hope to expand their appeal, if they could only develop an economic vision for the subaltern sections they claim to represent. In South Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the OBC parties could retain their grip on power for decades together not merely by mouthing platitudes or on the strength of celluloid image or by whipping regional sentiments. Be it the two Kazhgams in Tamil Nadu, or Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh or the OBC dominated Congress in Karnataka, they have made solid contribution in the field of agrarian reforms, reservation for OBCs as well as minorities or the primacy for the regional language in education and administration. This economic vision seems to be missing in the scheme of things of two Yadavs ruling the state of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Mere confrontation with BJP will not bring about any positive results for the OBC multitutdes. Moral of the lesson is that secularism is good for attracting minority votes, but pro-poor and pro-OBC agenda is the only guarantee that could add a permanent glue to minority-OBC-Dalit vote base. Are the Lohiawadis listening?

It is with great trepidation and alarm and not a little grief that I read the article that you published in your magazine written by Dr. Zakir Naik declaring that Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala may be called by any name that a person finds to his liking. I am not surprised to see his statement as this is his well known misguided philosophy which many people including myself have tried to persuade him to leave, in vain. So he continues to spread this misguidance, allowing people to do what the Prophet (Pbuh), His Sahaba and every well known scholar of Islam in the last 1400 years disallowed and prohibited. It is not surprising since it is well known that Dr. Zakir Naik has no formal education in Islamic sciences and neither does he know the language of the Qur’an, both of which are essential if one truly wants to understand the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (Pbuh). Be that as it may, it is very sad to see that you are facilitating this spread of false information. Why?


I have advised you before to please check the information that Dr. Zakir Naik writes and if you like, get it vetted by some respected A’alim from an Islamic University before printing it. This will ensure that false information does not get to the public through Islamic Voice.
leadtrain@yahoo.com

While waiting for a local as usual, I was casually glancing through the variety of magazines and journals strategically hanging on the newspaper stall. The sheer range of themes, starting from news, sports, science, finance, films to palmistry (not to forget 2 monthlies on ‘Osho’) was amazing, but what struck me most, that not a single magazine worth its name on ‘World Religions’.


In today’s ‘demand & supply’ driven world, I am sure there are many who are in search of ‘peace’/ ‘spirituality’ /’religion’ - whatever may be their concept or idea about the same. Just to think of the dawah potential, such a venture would have, in terms of ‘comparative religion’ without making it obvious to the readers. Imagine an issue carrying “Concept of God in Major World Religions”, for example There can be interesting features like Scriptures, Religious figures, Religious places, Ideologies, Rituals and Creeds, Interviews with Religious heads and Religion and Science. The only condition one needs to bear in mind, is for achieving success in this project, a thoroughly professional approach. Any takers?


Mumbai, moindon@gawab.com

Your Editorial, “Fakery and Gimmickry” (March 2005 issue) was excellent. You are right in saying that the Muslim Personal Law Board is the only viable joint platform of Indian Muslims, despite its omissions and commissions. No other organisation has emerged stronger than this. While as Muslims, we have the right to point its mistakes or appreciate its right decisions, it is not ethical to harm its existence by defaming it. So the different Boards that are cropping up have tried to lower the status of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. This is not in Islamic spirit at all.

Twenty years after the Delhi massacre, ,many Sikhs reacted very strongly to those tragic developments. Time and the fact that the Congress party placed an eminent Sikh as a Prime Minister, may have dimmed those memories. The same is true of Muslims vis a vis Gujarat.I am deeply influenced by the Prophet (Pbuh), by Christ and by Gandhi. I always make a conscious effort to distinguish the sin and the sinner. Yet even after three years, I find it tough to forgive the BJP for the brutality against my family and my house. The terror stricken face of my daughter, and the fact that the hysterical mob was led by a BJP leader, immediately comes to mind. It would have been wise if the BJP had removed Modi and appologised to the Muslims.

The March 2005 issue of Islamic Voice carried many articles on the contemporary problems of the Muslims like education, poverty, women’s issues. This is good. Also I wonder why only one writer from Mumbai writes on contemporary issues. What about the others?


Editor Replies:

We receive many articles on Islam from across the world. Most of them have a very preaching tone which after a point of time gets monotonous for readers. This is one section. Next we get recycled stuff from the Net again on Islam. Very rarely have we received practical, articles focusing on the contemporary issues of the community. The reason is writers expect hefty monetary returns and Islamic Voice is not a commercial venture. It is hard to get writers who will consider Islamic Voice as “my paper”, Unless the sense of ownership develops among Muslims, it is difficult to expect writers of calibre to contribute on contemporary issues. By Allah’s grace, our regular writers from Mumbai and other places who have this sense of ownership, sacrifice and commitment for the community. Over the years, we have seen many freelancers who write few articles with great enthusiasm and then suddenly disappear and there is no sign of them. The publication has been brought out for the sake of Allah and this cause requires “commitment for life.” Are we asking too much?

Editor