Letters

In the speech that Pramod Muthalik delivered at Udupi on17 January, 2009, he referred to the Malegaon blasts as just a curtain raiser. He notoriously called out to Hindus to become militants, he brazenly urged Hindu women to give up the cooking ladle in favour of a bomb. The speech reminded me of the article of Bal Thackeray that urged Hindus to become suicide bombers. If stringent actions are not taken even this time, such demagogues will continue to lead ingenuous masses astray. If terrorism has to be exterminated root and branch, such Rawan Senas who are carrying out their agendas in the name of Rama, need to be identified. Rawans like Muthalik and Bal Thackeray and others must be put behind bars because no cost is dearer than the peace and security of the nation itself.

This is with reference to the article, ‘Manual for social harmony for Muslims’, in the December 2008 issue of Islamic Voice. There are few good points in this. But the advise given on Azan and Qurbani is pathetic, How can Mr Siraj even think of these things? Has the writer turned a deaf ear to the religious hymns of Hindus and the church bells which go on in the morning? Azan is a call for prayer and by no means, it is a disturbance or nuisance. If Muslims begin to do this, the day will come when the mosques will shut down because of our careless attitude and ideas to please other people. About cows, the price of beef has gone up because of consumption from all other communities and the leather export by which the government gets good revenue generated from this skin. Without killing the animal you cannot make leather . I request the writer to gain knowledge about all things before writing about them.

It is heartening to note, from your Feb 2009 issue, that Madrasas in West Bengal are catering to the educational requirements of even non Muslims. It is well known that madrasas are the most impoverished of all educational institutions in India. They offer low cost education, the beneficiaries of which will therefore be the under privileged of the society. In the current scenario wherein Indian Muslims try to thrive on pleading, be it for subsidies, reservations or dole outs, the broadmindedness and the generosity of the Bengal Madrasas is indeed exemplary. They have shown that generosity need not be a prerogative of rich alone. This bigheartedness is akin to “Sakhawat-e-nafs” in Sufi parlance. A little deeper analysis will show that such harmony between majority and the minority communities has been possible because of the common medium of instructions, since in West Bengal the Lingua Franca of all religious groups is Bengali. Perhaps Kerala is another state from where we can hear of such enlightened Madrasas. In the rest of country where the Madrasas are Urdu-centric we will perpetually remain isolated. An easy way forward will be if the Urdu based madrasas start English medium sections at least to cater to 10-20% of their students. It is not difficult to setup English version of “dars-enizami” and its related modules as long as we have scholarly linguists like Yogender Sikand amongst us.

This refers to your report on Hindus outnumbering Muslim pupils in West Bengal madrassas (Islamic Voice, February 23, 2009). Not much secularism should be attributed to the madrassas. West Bengal and Assam have a tradition of High Madrassas (like High Schools elsewhere) which were part of the Government Education Department and included a government syllabus with provision of some theology. The government of West Bengal has merely continued these institutions and due to the availability of instructions in all subjects, even Hindu children avail of this facility. Merely because of the nomenclature of ‘madrassa’, they need not be confused with the Arabic theological seminaries in UP and Bihar. Since these madrassas receive Government aid, the beneficiaries too are drawn from all quarters. And even Hindu teachers are appointed on their staff. There should be no element of surprise and any unnecessary claims of secularism. Much of these High Madrassas are in advanced state of decay. Of course, all are enrolled here. But they teach almost next to nothing. In districts like Murshidabad, Berhampore, Jangipura one could find 700 students crammed in tiny rooms and only two or three teachers controlling the kids. One could imagine the state of coaching in such circumstances. Their plight is not unique. All Government schools catering to OBC, SC, ST and minorities in this unfortunate State reflect the same features. The Marxist Governance in West Bengal has led to extreme deterioration of the situation of disadvantaged communities. Their only hallmark is that they have kept the communal forces under check. But they have kept the people of the state under penury, illiteracy and squalor as well.

This is with reference to the article published in December 2008 issue of Islamic Voice. It is very wrong perhaps my brother does not know that there are also some Muslims in our country who can’t afford mobiles.