New Decision

MAY 25 New Decision Moradabad, an industrial township of Western UP, has a sizeable Muslim population. Recently, during a two-day visit to the town, an incident was brought to my notice which has a great lesson for us when we compare it to a similar incident back in August 13, 1990. That day, the city became the scene of a communal riot. On August 13, the day of the Id festival, Muslims had gathered at the Idgah to say their prayer, for which purpose they had spread some sheets on the grounds. After the prayers were over, the sermon began. It was at that point that a pig entered the Idgah (since Moradabad’s Idgah is situated on the bank of a stream, pigs are to be found in the vicinity.) Thanks to this pig, some of the sheets were soiled, which, of course, enraged the Muslims. This incident subsequently assumed the proportions of a full-scale, Hindu-Muslim riot, resulting in great loss of lives and property. The city remained under curfew for a period of four months, as a result of which its export business was completely destroyed (the market was captured by countries like Taiwan). It took five years to reestablish it. Now sixteen years after this incident, the same city of Moradabad witnessed another such incident, but with an entirely different reaction. March 4, 1996, was the day of the Holi festival. In a market in a locality where there are shops of both communities, a Hindu threw a bucketful of coloured water into a Muslim shop. By the logic of the old Muslim mentality, this was a provocative act. But Muslim shopkeepers remained unprovoked. What they did was simply to down their shutters and go home. Then the floor of the shop which had been spoiled by the colour was reconstructed. Going by past happenings such an incident ought to have been enough to spark off a communal riot. Yet it passed off peacefully. No one was harmed, nor were the activities of the market disrupted. This is no solitary incident. Such incidents are taking place everywhere. They tell us the changed mood of the Muslims. The same incidents which used to be provocative to Muslims no longer agitate them. They have learned the art of avoidance on such occasions. And this is indeed an extremely beneficial sign for the country as a whole.