We Are Pluralists !

The recent controversy over the issue of stay of famous laureate Salman Rushdie at the residence of Godrej family in Mumbai can not be termed as a characteristic of a plural society like India. The world class writer is now facing a new controversy. Although controversy and Rushdie have a good relations always but this time it is not due to his writing or girlfriend but for staying at the house of his friend in Mumbai.

The All India Ulema Council has warned the Mumbai based top industrialist Adi Godrej to apologize for hosting the controversial writer. Maulana Mehmood Daryabadi, general secretary of Council has made a statement openly that Muslim community should boycott all the products of Godrej Company if Godrej fails to apologize on the issue. According to Daryabadi, the businessman has not cared about the sentiments of the Muslim community living in the country.

It is known to all that in the year of 1989 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the then supreme religious leader of Iran pronounced a fatwa (religious edict) against Rushdie, which called on Muslims to kill him for his novel “The Satanic Verses”.

It was the blessings of Queen Elizabeth and her government that the writer got a safe place to live in the United Kingdom. Again Rushdie became controversial, when he was awarded for a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth. This again angered the Iran and Pakistan.

Apart from Rushdie there is another controversial Muslim writer, who was also in the mainline media recently. This is none other that famous Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen. The presence of exiled writer in India has sparked riots by Muslims offended by her books and controversial statements. She has been forced to live in a secret security facility in New Delhi. Earlier, she was living in Kolkata. It is a fact that wherever she goes for her speeches or readings of her poems or novel, Muslims have protested. Be it Bhopal or Hyderabad.

The basic issue is how much we are tolerable? These happenings ask that is it the real characteristic of a plural Indian society?

We have a culture of “Atithi Devo Bhava” for a long time. The Indian society has always given due respect to its all guests. Why not in current time? Why people are going to issue such a warning against our own people.

More importantly, Rushdie was born in Mumbai and he has spent his earlier days in the city. Likewise, many Bangladeshi migrants are living in India with full citizenship status then why people think in some other ways for these intellectuals.

One point, which is worth to mention here is the issue of Muslims of different countries. The question is whether the Muslims of Britain different from the Muslims living in India, Pakistan or Iran are different. After all they all are Muslims and follow the similar teachings of Prophet Muhammad and also the same Allah and Quoran.

And if the Muslim community along with others in the United Kingdom can live together with such a controversial writer then why not the Muslims of India, Pakistan, Iran or any other nation. After all, we have a long culture of pluralistic society.


Published in
The Central Chronicle, Bhopal
January 21, 2008