Spirit of Islam, December 2019

KEEPING the future in your mind and forgetting the past: This is the secret of progress in this world. Every individual and a group suffers from untoward experiences here. These events often lead to a point of no return. Those who choose to remember them, remain frozen; and those who forget these negative experiences and find ways to start their life all over again are the ones who succeed. This principle of forgetting is a universal principle. There is no exception in it either for an individual or a group. Both the Muslims and the Hindus of India are now facing this test. Both these communities must now forget whatever happened in the past and endeavour their utmost to make their future bright. This is the sole option for them that will lead to accomplishment and development. They do not have another option which is even remotely possible. Indian Hindus must forget the Partition, and Indian Muslims must forget Babri Mosque. Both of them are carrying the burden of the past. For the Hindus, a symbolic title for the burden they carry is ‘Partition’, and for the Muslims, ‘Babri Mosque’ is the symbolic title that can be given to their burden. If both these communities wish to build for themselves a bright and developed future, they first need to throw out from their minds bad memories of the past, and start thinking about future. The progress of both communities will remain stalled if they fail to do so. This burden of the past, in the long run, will spell doom for the country. A section of the Hindu community holds the Muslims responsible for the Partition of the country. Precisely for this reason, they still continue to entertain grudge against the Muslims which finds expression through various unpleasant events. While holding the Muslims responsible for the Partition, Hindu brothers have now no option other that treating the Partition as a thing of the past. They should forget who was responsible for the division of the country, and who demanded it. The issue is no more related with Partition. In fact, it is more about the destruction the country is suffering in paying the price of Partition. Partition was an issue for the Muslims till 1947, but now it is posing as a problem for the Hindus as well. It is because the memory of it is not allowing them to develop a moderate and tolerant viewpoint. So long as a moderate viewpoint eludes them, they cannot play their part satisfactorily in the progress of the country. INDIAN MUSLIMS AT THE CROSSROADS Towards a Bright Future