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From: viji <viji123@yahoo.com> Date: Tue Aug 2, 2005 Subject: Why no Indian Muslin is in AlQaeda - Hindustan Times Why no Indian Muslim is in Al-Qaeda Amulya Ganguli (IANS) July 31, 2005 http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1447371,001301780001.htm Why are there no Indian Muslims in Al-Qaeda? There are no easy answers. But there are two probable reasons. One is the assurance of a level-playing field for all citizens in India because of the success of the democratic system. The other is the absence of American influence on Indian policy all through the Cold War years and, to a large extent, even now. To start with the second, it has been observed that a majority of the terrorists come from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and some of the North African countries. What is common about these countries is the lack of a genuine democracy, despite the adherence to form, and longstanding virtual patron-client links with the US. What is more, these two factors are interconnected. A basic reason why the military or feudal autocrats control these countries is that the US propped them up to serve its economic and diplomatic interests. It was either the presence of oil or their utility as frontline states against the Soviet Union that guided the Americans. As is known, Osama bin Laden, a Saudi millionaire, was an American ally when his band of fundamentalists fought the Soviets in Afghanistan. It is the cynical use of these countries by Washington that built up a reservoir of resentment among large sections of their people against the US. This anger may have become all the more intense because there were no democratic outlets ??” no Parliament, Opposition parties, a free press and a free judiciary ??” to let off steam. The difference between India and these countries is obvious. India's 'noisy democracy', as an American newspaper recently put it, ensures that all segments of public opinion ??” anti-US, pro-US, neutral ??” are routinely aired. Besides, during the Cold War, India was regarded by the US and the West as being in the anti-American camp despite its claims to be non-aligned. This perception gave India a certain dignified status in the eyes of its own people since the Western world was still seen as being engaged in a colonial enterprise. The pro-American countries seemingly lacked this sense of self-esteem, as was evident from the title of one of America's favourite dictator Ayub Khan's book, "Friends, Not Masters". The Pakistan president's grouse was that the US tended to behave like a viceroy. The result was that while the governments of these countries were pro-American, most of their people were not. But even more than India's neutrality in foreign affairs (which was resented by the US as the revelations of the recent Nixon-Kissinger transcripts show), what has saved the Indian Muslims from falling into Al-Qaeda's trap is its vibrant, multicultural democracy. Its value is now understood by the world even more than before because of the terrorist threat. During the 60th anniversary celebrations of the end of World War II in Moscow, President George W Bush introduced his wife Laura to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the words that he was the leader of the "most fascinating democracy in the world" and pointed out that Al-Qaeda hadn't been able to recruit a single Indian Muslim. A recent Washington Post editorial noted that India's "large and tolerant" Muslim population "may serve as an ally against Islamic militancy". The old habit of looking for a docile 'ally' is again evident. However, the point that can be made is that the tolerance and upward mobility of Indian Muslims can serve as an example to the rest of the world. And the example underlines how a successful democracy can draw the poison from terrorist propaganda. One of the reasons why the Al-Qaeda has gained ground among impressionable youth in the West Asia and elsewhere is that it portrays Muslims as an oppressed community. But this is far from being the truth in India, where the Muslims have done exceptionally well in several fields. For instance, Bollywood today is full of successful Muslim film stars, so much so that Pakistani artistes too are coming to Mumbai to try their luck in Indian cinema. The unquestioned king of Bollywood at present is Shah Rukh Khan or King Khan, as he is called, whose films are almost always a hit. The person he has succeeded as the matinee idol is Dilip Kumar or Yusuf Khan, who was the reigning monarch in his trademark roles of a tragic hero when Bollywood was replete with dazzling stars like Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar and Guru Dutt. Before Shah Rukh began his rise to the top, Naseeruddin Khan was regarded as the man at the top, although he acted more in the 'parallel' or art films than in commercial productions. Shah Rukh is not an isolated phenomenon. Following him closely in the popularity charts are Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Fardeen Khan and others, including the rising Zayed Khan. Among the heroines, Shabana Azmi and Tabu are the successors of a long line of Muslim glamour queens ??” Suraiya, Madhubala, Nargis, Waheeda Rahman, Meena Kumari and Mumtaz. The point is that when an average Indian Muslim sees Shah Rukh ruling over tinsel world, or the pace attack in the Indian cricket team being spearheaded by Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan, or Sania Mirza bringing glory to India in the international tennis circuit, or Azim Premji emerging as a business tycoon, he not only feels proud of his community but also hopes to emulate them. They are his role models. The fact that there is no glass ceiling in India and any talented individual is enabled to rise to the top irrespective of his background ??” poor or rich ??” and community ??” Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh or whatever ??” eliminates the sense of desperation and deprivation which drive people to embrace extremism. In the last one year, nothing has confirmed India's fairness as a society more than the fact that the country today has a Muslim as its president, a Sikh as prime minister and a Christian of Italian origin as president of the Grand Old Party of Indian independence ??” all belonging to minority communities. It is this unique tradition of social harmony that has kept Indian Muslims away from the path of insensate violence. |
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| << August03, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Sindhi,Ayodhya,IMDT,appeasement,Ahmedinajad,flood.... |
August04, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Joe,Sukla on floods,nukes etc >> |
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