Al-Risala (English), March 1990

Change Yourself

1990 3 March 2 Change Yourself (314) Violette Graff of France, a specialist on India’s religious minorities, was recently interviewed by Vaiju Naravne in Paris. The interview was published under the heading of “Religious Pluralism is India’s Wealth” in the Times of India of November 24, 1989. The Interrelated problems of the Muslim minorities and communal riots inevitably cropped up. When asked, “Do you think the Muslim community has failed to produce a viable leader ship – the root cause of most of the problems of the community,” she opined that, in the present situation, it was almost impossible to produce a “viable leadership” from amongst India’s Muslims, it being both dangerous and impracticable. If any single leader of the like of Jinnah were to appear on the scene, the government would immediately dub him an obscurantist or a separatist. A new Jinnah! On the other hand, if a leader carried favour with the government, Muslims would regard him as a mere showman, a lightweight political stooge and one, therefore, who could not be considered a genuine spokesman of their community. Not to mince words, he would be looked upon, ultimately, as an agent of the government or of the Hindus.

The present-day Muslims of India are faced with an extremely complex situation. This is the prime reason for no effective leader ship having emerged from the Muslim community. Jinnah-style leadership is suspect in the eyes of the Muslims. What is possible not useful. And vice versa.

The situation has but one solution. As the old adage puts it: “When it is impossible to change others, you must change your self.”

Muslims cannot reverse the thinking either of the government or for that matter of the majority community. So let them change their own thinking to ensure the emergence of a sound leadership and to make the task of consolidating the community – at present in a shambles – a distinct and immediate possibility.