Daily Times

The issue of wearing a Hijab or Burqa has to be seen in a wider context when it comes to India. The ban by the school administration and the decision to not let students into their classes until the court decides on the legality of Hijab has made the debate even more pressing and important. Owing to the raging communal politics and brutalization of Muslim women for wearing Hijab, it is high time that Modi’s India is analysed, where not only lynching of Muslim men but even the attire of Muslim women have become heated issues.

As far as Hijab is concerned, it is a significant part of the attire of Muslim women across the world. Those who practice it cannot feel comfortable without it because they have been wearing it even before th age of going to school. The attachment with Hijab dates back centuries. It is not just a religious symbol but also an obligation for women according to Islam. The Hijab takes as much value to Muslims as a saffron scarf for Modi. If Modi’s India cannot tolerate Burqa, he should also stop wearing a saffron scarf while performing the activities of the state.

What happened to Muskan Khan for wearing Hijab is deplorable. She was refused entry to her college. She was not only abused by the saffron-clad goons but also at the hands of the administration of her college. It means the rot has gone quite deep in the polity of India. The project of Hinduization of India is happening at the level of society where jingoism has overtaken human values. On the contrary, they are enemies of one another representing a different religion and culture. If this situation continues for some more years, the idea of secular India will die at the hands of the Modi-led government.

Modi is a fascist backed by big fish in the business community, who are looting public exchequer and destroying state institutions.

Given the state-induced polarization in India, It is hard to prevent the bloody communication so far as Modi is at the helm of the state of India. He is doing this to consolidate his Hindu voter base and to hide the poor performance of his government by engaging people against people, community against community, and Islamists against seculars. He is, thus, a perfect example of post-colonialism in India in which the same jingoistic tendencies are at play but this time, under an elected government.

It is not that Muskan’s Burqa is problematic to the state of India, it is Modi’s politics that is problematic since it survives on divide and rule; on spilling the blood of Muslims, Christians and people of lower Castes, and politicising the politics of India to the extent that nobody may challenge Modi and his authoritarian rule. Therefore, one shouldn’t confuse the phenomenon of Burqa politics with the communal politics of Modi because he is doing all this in order to sustain his power as the most powerful man of India.

What’s more, Modi’s politics is not just limited to banning Burqa, deepening communal violence, and spreading mob lynching of Muslim men but also destroying the very essence of the constitution of India that places human security, liberty, and freedom on the top-most priority. This is happening to underlie the communal politics supported by Modi. That is why he is trying to not only morally police the people of India but also encroach upon the personal rights of people so that he can impact all of them, one way or another.

It is true that Modi is not doing politics to improve the lives of people. He is just ensuring his prolonged stay in power while trying to control everything. He is a fascist backed by big fish in the business community, who are running the whole country, looting public exchequer, and destroying the institutions of the state. It is for this reason that Modi had failed to deliver during the first waves of the pandemic where thousands of Indians died gasping for oxygen cylinders. Rather than delivering to his public, he looks out to activate his propaganda machine whenever he is hit by any calamity. He did the same during the pandemic as people were dying whereas he was busy campaigning for the local elections in West Bengal.

In sum, one should be wary of the fact that it is not the Burqa politics that is important in India right now, what is more important is the personal freedom of the people. Hence, people should resist Modi without becoming prey to his propaganda machine that is continuously spinning false narratives into people’s minds to deepen the polarization so as to engage people in petty disputes away from pressing issues of bad governance.

The writer is a freelance contributor.