MUSLIM INTELLECTUALS IN INDIA ARE AWARE OF THE
DEFICIENCY OF LEADERSHIP AMONG THEM
Dr K Prabhakar Rao
Key words: Ashraf, Ajlaf, Jihad, Khilafat, Razakar, Moghalistan, Police action, Mandal commission, Babri Maszid,
Muslims in Subcontinent had many leaders among them
before partition. There were many intellectuals, Maulvis, statesmen,
political leaders, poets, Nobles and eminent lawyers among them.
Muhammed Ali Jinnah ( Later Qaid E Azam of Pakistan), Poet Iqbal,
Shaukat Ali, Mohammed Ali ( Called Ali brothers), Maulana Abul Kalam
azad, Chaudhri Khaliqzzaman( Bengal), Nawab Ismail Khan, Sheikh
Abdullah, Aga Khan, Muzaffar Ahmed, Nawab Vikar ul mulk, Nawab
Salimullah,Khan, Sultan Mohammed Shah and Bahadur Yarjung of Hyderabad
were the prominent ones among them (1). Formation of Muslim league and
subsequent development like Khilafat Movement after WW I finally
resulted in partition of greater India in 1947.Facts leading to
Partition are still under debate and many skeletons are stored in
cupboards and they would roll out if the matter is investigated.
Therefore it is not touched and present generation is in dark and
blindly believe what has been written in the govt approved text books
and nod their heads like faithful asses. Most of the Muslim prominent
leadership went away to Pakistan while Maulana Azad stayed with India
having fought all the years for an united India. Leaders from Hyderabad
like Vikar ul mulk and few more including Bahuduryar jung left for
heavenly abode in course of time before partition having done their
duty for their brethren in dividing India after sowing and nurturing the
seed of separation. Bahduryar Jung of Hyderabad had meteoric rise in
Hyderabad state of Nizam before 1947 and the ruler Osman Ali Khan at
one point of time had to put him under restrictions at the suggestion of
Resident of British Govt in India. He was emerging as a very strong
political leader with the masses and it is believed that he was
poisoned at a function. Had he lived, surely the affairs of Hyderabad
state would have been different (2).
After partition, there was surely all India leadership
deficiency in India among Muslims. Maulana Azad was with Congress
party. He was kept away by the non congress party Muslims. Partition
has resulted in great mistrust between the two communities and Muslims
mostly withdrew themselves from the main stream. Hyderabad was annexed
after Police action in 1948. Kasim Razvi the Razakar leader was jailed
for 10 years convicted in Bibinagar dacoity case while the king Mir
Osman Ali Khan Nizam 7 was pardoned and made Raj pramukh by Indian
government to appease Muslims. Laik Ali the PM of Hyderabad escaped from
House arrest in 1950 and escaped to Pakistan. ( 3) Former Nizam 7
later became MP also and finally withdrew from public life and passed
away at his King Kothi palace in oblivion. A chapter ended with his
passing away and former Hyderabad state vanished after formation of
Andhra Pradesh.. Other Muslim leaders in Hyderabad withdrew from
active politics soon.
Majlis Ittehad ul Mulsimeen ( MIM) the party of ill famed
criminal and rapist Razakars was handed over to Wahab Owaissi by
Kasim Razvi before he left for Pakistan after serving 10 jail term. MIM
was banned for some years after police action in 1948 and later was
allowed to function. After Wahab Owaissi, his son Sultan Saluddin
Owaissi nurtured the party for many years before he handed over it to
his sons Asaduddin Owaissi and Akbaruddin Owaissi. Sultan saluddin
Owaissi made attempts and dreamt of emerging as all India Muslim
leader after Babri Mazid incident. But he failed although he stoked
passions. There were other stalwarts from North like Syed Bukhari etc
to counter him. Sultan Saluddin’s sons are leading the party as
MP and MLA respectively. MIM was changed to AIMIM during the times of
Saluddin Owaissi. Although in name it looks like an All India outfit,
it has only local influence in Hyderabad old city and in districts of
Telangana. It is purely a local and provincial outfit. Although AIMIM
is locally strong, it is not free of problems. Lack of democratic
functioning in the party and family dominance resulted in fissures
within and Majlis Bacho Tehrik (MBT) a breakaway faction was formed by
late Amanullah Khan, a dynamic leader of Hyderabad and MIM. But after
his death, MBT has been cut to size in Hyderabad area. ( 4) Asaduddin
Owaissi the MP has recently confronted the govt after Assam riots and
has been trying to become an all India leader. It is very unlikely that
he would emerge as one. His utterances in Parliament of likely
terrorist threat by Muslim youth in India in view of Assam problem was
condemned by all. He is unable to come out of his narrow religious
views (5).
Uttar Pradesh Muslims and Aligarh Muslim University
played very great part in Freedom movement and creation of Pakistan.
.The net result of partition and independence in 1947, was the division
of the Urdu speaking Uttar Pradesh Muslims. It also led to major social,
political and cultural changes, for example Urdu lost its status. The
abolishment of the zamindari system also had a profound impact, as these
large landowners provided patronage to local artisans. This was
especially true of the Awadh region. But Muslim artisan communities have
held their own, with the growth of specialized industries such as lock
manufacturing in Aligarh. The Muslim peasantry in western Uttar Pradesh
benefited from the Green Revolution, while those in eastern Uttar
Pradesh did poorly. Another important event was the demise of the Muslim
League, with most Muslims initially supporting the Indian National
Congress.Muslims in general are categorized into Ashraf and Ajlaf
groups. Ashraf community belongs to higher strata of Muslim society from
nobility, landed nawab class and convertees from upper caste Hindus.
To be precise, groups that claimed actual or putative foreign ancestry
were referred to as Ashrafs. Over time, a fourfold division arose among
the Ashraf, with the Sayyids, the actual or claimed descendent of the
Prophet Mohammad ( PBUH), the Shaikh, communities signifies Arab descent
and comes under high Baradari of society, however majority are the
native Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya clans who used the title of Sheikh
after conversion to Islam, the Mughals, descendents of Central Asian
Turks and Mongols and the Pathans, descendents of Pashtun tribesmen from
Pakistan and Afghanistan were among Ashrafs. Occasionally, important
convert communities such as the Kayastha Muslim of eastern Uttar
Pradesh, were also granted Ashraf status. The post partition period
also saw a reduction in communal violence between Hindus and Muslims.
This was also a period where Muslim leadership was still in the hands of
Ashraf leaders such as Abdul Majeed Khwaja in Aligarh and Rafi Ahmed
Kidwai in Barabanki. However, from the late 1960s onwards, there has
been an increase in the number of communal riots, culminating in the
destruction of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in December 1992. This period
has also seen the decline of Muslim support for the Congress Party. (6)
The last three decades have seen two issues confronting
the Muslim community, often referred to as Mandir and Mandal. Mandir
refers to the building of a Hindu temple in the town of Ayodhya in
eastern Uttar Pradesh, on the site of Babri Mosque. This cause has been
championed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, and as a consequence, there
has been an increase in communal violence. The other issue is commonly
referred to as Mandal, a reference to the Mandal Commission, which was
set up to consider the question of seat reservations and quotas for
people to redress caste discrimination. Among the groups identified for
reservation included a number of ajlaf communities. This has led to
greater assertion of Ajlaf political power, and a decline in the Ashraf
leadership. A major controversy is a demand for the Muslim community to
receive reservation as a whole, which is being opposed by many Ajlaf
communities. There are also demands to extend the scheduled caste
status, which the Indian Constitution restricts to Hindu castes only, to
Muslim Ajlaf groups like the Halalkhor and Lal Begi Famous Muslims from
Uttar Pradesh include the famous writer and poet Javed Akhtar, actress
Shabana Azami, Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Maolana
Dr. Kalbe Sadiq Vice President of Muslim Personal Law Board, actor and
director Muzaffar Ali, Journalist Saeed Naqvi, Persian Scholar Dr.
Naiyyar Masud Rizvi, Governor Saiyed Sibte Razi, historian Irfan Habib,
politician Salman Khursheed and cricketer Mohammad Kaif (7).
There is no real All India Muslim party in India with a
strong leader that could muster support of all Muslims in India like
Muslim league of pre partition days. Situation has changed. The
erstwhile leadership worked on the two nation theory and it became very
attractive for Muslims as religion binds them all. Muslims in India are
now divided. Many of them involved in state politics tow the line of
various local parties or of national parties to share the power. They
know that they can not capture political power in India through ballot
by virtue of the numbers. Therefore they play religious politics
whenever opportunity arises. Other political parties throw bait towards
them to corner votes in state and at national level. No Muslim leader
is able to articulate All Indian Muslims Most of them want to stay in
India peacefully. It is an open secret that caste system has very
greatly influenced Muslims society too and they are engaged in struggle
within themselves for gaining superiority. All the shortcomings found in
Hindu caste system are equally prevalent in Muslims. The attempts of
Backwards classes, Scheduled castes and tribes among Hindus to throw
out Upper caste Hindus from political power have made inroads into
Muslim society too. Ajlafs are struggling to throw out Ashrafs
supremacy in political field among Muslims. Thus there is great vaccum
of leadership among Muslims at national level.
A misguided section among Muslims has taken up to
militancy by establishing unlawful outfits like SIMI, Dargah E
shahdat, Deendar Anjuman, Indian Mujahideen, Bangla based HUJI ( Harkat
ul Jihadi Islami) apart from many Kashmiri militant outfits and
Assam based terrorist outfits ( see Appx). These misguided elements
work on sedition and they get ample support from the nations across our
borders. Each outfit has its own leadership and operate independently
and also I in collusion with each other. Pakistan failed to control
anti Indian terrorist outfits from their soil and infact has been
abetting them right from the days of President Zia ul Haq. Youth are
misguided based on the assumption of superiority of Islam and the
wahabi cult (8) ( 9) (10). It is also known that certain elements in
India work hand in glove with Pak ( ISI) and Bangla planners of
Jehangir University to achieve Moghalistan by destroying unity of India
(11). Systematic crossing of border takes place by the Bangla Muslims
and they enter Assam and other Eastern states clandestinely. This has
been a constant problem and vested interests in the political setups in
India have encouraged for gaining votes. This has recently resulted in
riots and clashed in Assam and scores were affected. Although Hindutwa
parties had been agitating against this clandestine immigration from
Bangladesh, the rulers apparently turned Nelsons eye and crisis is
deepening day by day. There is no sane Muslim leader in India to advise
the community on amalgamating with the society in general and free them
from the mutual hatred and conflicts. Men like Syed Bukhari fish in
troubled water and in the past made anti national statements too. The
Muslim leadership in general has been keeping religion in the forefront
than the national issues and solving them. They apply religious color
to all problems. This is a major shortcoming among them in the larger
interests of the nation.
.
Some of the Mulsim intellectuals felt the
shortcoming and expressed it too. The visionary leadership quality of
Dr.Hedgewar was highlighted by Sri Aaloor Shah Nawaz, Director of
Documentary Films, in a seminar on the topic ‘Muslims – Yesterday, Today
and Tomorrow’ held at Pallaptti in Karur District of Tamilnadu on 20th
November 2010, organized by Uswa Library. In his special address Sri
Aaloor Shah Nawaz on ‘Foundation 2010, Goal 2050’ blamed the Muslims,
particularly the Muslim leadership for having failed to notice the
continuous struggle carried out by RSS to get a judgment in 2010 in
respect of the Ayodhya dispute. He pointed out that Muslim leaders have
failed to formulate action plans to counter the strategy of RSS. RSS
has sown the seeds way back in 1942 itself by opening up Hindu schools
and incorporating the epic of Rama in the curriculum and produced
leaders to carry out their plans out of those who have internalized
them. He questioned, ‘Do we have any one such leader like Hedgewar who
could effectively plan and teach his followers of next generation to
win? Is Hedgewar a real leader or are our leaders real?” (12)
One has to appreciate the compliments given by the
Muslim leaders at the seminar stated above regarding Dr Hedgewar. It
is correct up to that point. It is not out of love for him. There are
certain aspects that have to be considered and these are :-
a. The leader appreciated the vision and organizational ability of Dr Hedgewar.
b. He did not compliment the Dr for RSS manifesto and its contents. He complimented him for the way he planned the action.
c. He cried that such person did not come up within Muslim community who
could organize Muslims to produce more leaders. He did not mention
whether such leaders should have been Progressive minded and not
Community oriented with religious phobia.
d. Dr Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was highly educated and established Aligarh
Muslim university in UP. He was also knighted by the English emperor.
But this gentleman was the first person to sow the seed of partition in
India when he stated that in a free India where govt is formed based on
counting of heads, Muslims would never be able to come to power. This
was the first step towards creation of Pakistan. He was not progressive.
He was well aware that Muslims were minorities .At a later stage Poet
Iqbal too coined partition idea. Then Mohd Ali Zinnah exloited to the
core and realized Pakistan. Thus Muslims never tried to project
nationalistic leaders except few who were ready to sail with Hindu
majority community. Most of them in past were separatists and wanted
Pakistan. In contrast, Dr Hedgewar never wanted Muslims to go away from
India and foresaw equal oppertunities for all. However he did not
succeed in his mission.
e. Unfortunately for most of the Muslims, religion came first and nation
came later and it continues even today. Thanks to the fundamentalist
Mullahs and Jihadis with in and outside this nation. The community has
not woken up even now and clear division exists. Unless the community
sheds religious frenzy they will never be able to throw suitable leaders
in the country. Staunch Islamists consider the existing accomodating
Muslim leaders such as Ghulam nabi Azad of congress and others who are
members of Congress , BJP and other parties towing the line of congress
as out castes and this happened with past President Abdul Kalam too w
ho appreciated Bhagawadgita and read it too.In fact many considered as a
non Muslim.
Thus it is seen that Muslim leader has lamented that his community
failed to produce leaders in the community while Dr Hegdewar could do.
The appreciation is not out of love towards Dr Hegdewarji but out of
frustration to create such leader among Muslims. (13).
Bibliography
1 Partition of India , wikipedia
2. Dr K Prabhakar Rao, Helpless govt of AP watches as perpetrators of
partition and Razakars are glorified, sanghparivar.org, Sept 01, 2012,
23:30
3 Dr K Prabhakar Rao, Laik Ali the former PM of Nizam 7 and abettor of
Razakar escaped to Pakistan from house arrest, sanghparivar.org,
August 24, 2012, 01:05
4 Dr K Prabhakar Rao, Escape of Laik Ali from confinement reveals weak
India in action and commitment, sanghparivar.org, August 27, 2012,
00:57
5 Dr K Prabhakar Rao, Nip the bud in time before it becomes a weed like congrsss grass, September 09, 2012, 00:29
6 Muslims of Utter Pradesh, Wikepedia
7 Ibid
8 Dr K Prabhakar Rao, Is SIMI regrouping in India, sanghparivar.org, June 27, 2011
9 Dr K Prabhakar Rao, Hyderabad, a casino of terror and mischief in India, faithcommons.org, May 26, 2007
10 Dr K Prabhakar Rao, Indian Mujahidden the terrorist group is a great threat to India, sanghparivar.org, Sept 06, 2011
11. Dr K Prabhakar Rao, Wake up guys and unite.. It is high time, sanghparivar.org, June 28, 2011
12 Praful.nigam, Rich tributes paid to Hedgewar from unexpected quarters, sanghparivar.org, Dec 07, 11, 15:08
13 Dr K Prabhakar Rao, on comments column of article at serial 12 as given above
APPX .. Terrorist outfits
• Muslim United Liberation Front of Assam (MULFA)
• Muslim Security Council of Assam (MSCA)
• United Liberation Militia of Assam (ULMA)
• Islamic Liberation Army of Assam (ILAA)
• Muslim Volunteer Force (MVF)
• Muslim Liberation Army (MLA)
• Muslim Security Force (MSF)
• Islamic Sevak Sangh (ISS)
• Islamic United Reformation Protest of India (IURPI)
• United Muslim Liberation Front of Assam (UMLFA)
• Revolutionary Muslim Commandos (RMC)
• Muslim Tiger Force (MTF)
• People’s United Liberation Front (PULF)
• Adam Sena (AS)
• Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
Terrorist Outfits in Kashmir
1. Lashkar-e-Omar (LeO)
2. Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM)
3. Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA, presently known as Harkat-ul Mujahideen)
4. Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)
5. Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)
6. Harkat-ul Mujahideen (HuM, previously known as Harkat-ul-Ansar)
7. Al Badr
8. Jamait-ul-Mujahideen (JuM)
9. Lashkar-e-Jabbar (LeJ)
10. Harkat-ul-Jehad-i-Islami
11. Al Barq
12. Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen
13. Al Jehad
14. Jammu & Kashir National Liberation Army
15. People’s League
16. Muslim Janbaz Force
17. Kashmir Jehad Force
18. Al Jehad Force (combines Muslim Janbaz Force and Kashmir Jehad Force)
19. Al Umar Mujahideen
20. Mahaz-e-Azadi
21. Islami Jamaat-e-Tulba
22. Jammu & Kashmir Students Liberation Front
23. Ikhwan-ul-Mujahideen
24. Islamic Students League
25. Tehrik-e-Hurriat-e-Kashmir
26. Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqar Jafaria
27. Al Mustafa Liberation Fighters
28. Tehrik-e-Jehad-e-Islami
29. Muslim Mujahideen
30. Al Mujahid Force
31. Tehrik-e-Jehad
Other Extremist and Secessionist Groups
1. Mutahida Jehad Council (MJC) -- A Pakistan based coordination body of terrorist outfits active in Jammu and Kashmir
2. Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF)-- The dominant faction of
this outfit declared a ceasefire in 1994 which still holds and the
outfit restricts itself to a political struggle.
3. All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) -- an alliance engineered by
Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of 26 diverse political and
socio-religious outfits amalgamated to provide a political face for the
terrorists in the State.
4. Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) -- an outfit run by women which uses
community pressure to further the social norms dictated by Islamic
fundamental groups.
(Dil hi bujhahua ho tofasl- e- bahaar kya)
( MD...Ashok Ghoshji Lyrics by.. Neelkanth Tiwariji )
Dr K Prabhakar Rao
dil hii bujhaa huaa ho to fasl-e-bahaar kyaa
saaqii nachaa, sharaab ha.Nsaa, ab ??? kyaa
duniyaa chale chalaa hai jab hasarato.n kaa bojh
saathii nahii.n hai, sar pe gunaaho.n kaa bojh kyaa
dil hii bujhaa huaa ...
baad-e-panaa quzuun ? hai naam-o-nishaa.n kisiike
jab ham nahii.n rahe to rahegaa mazaar kyaa
dil hii bujhaa huaa ...