Daily Times

India is imploding fast and it will be exploded soon. The minorities are not safe there. The Muslims are facing the worst kind of persecution in today’s India at the hands of goons of RSS and BJP on the behest of the state because the Prime Minister is a fanatic who believes in Hindutva. Narendra Modi has made India the most dangerous country for minorities. No Muslim is safe in India today including cricketers, actors, and now the students. The fire that was started by the extremist goons of RSS will destroy India and it is just written on the wall.

After years of persecution and suffocation, there is now a Muslim uprising in India as evident from the daring act of chanting ‘All-O-Akbar’ slogans by Karnataka’s Muskan in front of RSS goons backed by Modi and his BJP. Muskan was heckled by the goons and fanatics as she was wearing a Burqa or Hijab. The episode has stirred an outrage within India itself and led to many protests when schools in Karnataka state-imposed ban on female students wearing Hijab. Muskan showed great courage just in front of the goons and she is still in high spirits. She said that she will continue wearing Hijab as it is part of being a Muslim. The friends of Muskan from other communities have also vowed to support her. Muskan narrates the story of that day when she went to college to submit an assignment. Those goons were not allowing her to go inside because she was in the Burqa. They started shouting the slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in front of Muskan and she started reciting ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ in response. Muskan says that it is her basic and fundamental right to wear Hijab or Burqa and she will continue exercising her due right.

The ban on Hijab in schools has invited severe outcry among Muslims in southern India as it led to large crowds to take to the streets to protest against the restrictions. It has developed a sense of fear among the minority Muslim community that thinks that it is sheer persecution under the Hindu nationalist government of Modi.

After years of persecution and suffocation, there is now a Muslim uprising in India.

Some members of the ruling party are giving statements while defending the decision of ban that is further threatening for the Muslims as it encourages the RSS goons.

The Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai failed to control the situation and announced to close all the schools and colleges in the state for three days. Some incidents of violence were also reported from several districts after the controversy over students wearing Hijab on campus got intensified. The Education Minister of the state BC Nagesh also refused to lift the ban. He asked the students to explore the other options if they are unwilling to follow the uniform dress code defined by the state.

The insane decision was criticized even within India as Bollywood celebrities, media professionals, intellectuals and politicians condemned the Modi government’s Hindutva-inspired policies. The opposition parties have also warned the Modi government that this continuous discrimination against Muslims will not go well with the country as it will be catastrophic in days to come. A student also went to the court for filing the petition in which she maintained that wearing the Hijab is a fundamental right to religion guaranteed by the constitution of India. The Karnataka High Court also appealed for peace and calm.

Growing extremism in India in Modi’s tenure is truly worrisome for all communities and it should be a wake-up call especially for Muslims to take a firm stand and fight for their rights. The Muslims are in continuous danger in India since Narendra Modi took over the reins. The minorities are being lynched. Their homes are put on fire while they are being labeled as traitors under the sedition charges. In today’s India, Bollywood stars hailing from the Muslim community aren’t safe anymore. The hatred has crossed all the limits as Muslim players in the Indian cricket team are also facing the worst bigotry by the goons of RSS and BJP. Just last year, Pakistan defeated India in a cricket match and then the goons of RSS started blaming Muhammad Shami-the only Muslim player in the Indian cricket team- for the defeat while also labelling him a ‘traitor’.

Modi is proving Jinnah right, who used to say that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations and they cannot live together. In Modi’s India, the two-nation theory by Muhammad Ali Jinnah proves to be right.

What happened with actor Shah Rukh Khan at the funeral of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar is very disturbing. The BJP started a campaign against him whether he ‘spat’ on Lata’s mortal remains or recited a prayer. It was a great moment when Shah Rukh walked to the coffin of the legendary singer to pay his last homage along with his manager who was a Hindu. Shah Rukh paid his last homage in his Muslim way while reciting some prayers while his manager did in her Hindu way but that great moment was polluted by the fanatics of RSS and BJP mindset. It is really unfortunate that instead of guarding the minorities, the state itself is involved in the persecution of Muslims at the behest of Modi. It is a matter of shame that those who bulldozed the Babri mosque are now sitting in the power corridors of India while tarnishing the image of their own country. The time isn’t far away when the Muslims in India will decide about their future because they are continuously facing the worst kind of persecution. They are beaten up for eating beef. They aren’t allowed to offer prayers in public places. Now, extremism has reached educational institutions, which is really unfortunate.

India has to decide whether it believes in democracy or Hindutva. It should be decided what will be the future of Muslims in India. The future scenario for minorities living in India looks extremely grim. The defiance of Muskan has exposed India badly in the public.

The writer is an old Aitchisonian who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist.