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Global Views
Vande Mataram — A Political Game
By Tanveer Jafri Contributing Writer
 | Vande Mataram is the national song of India. | In India, a few days back the master artist of shehnai of India, Bharat Ratna Bismillah Khan left for his heavenly abode. Not only in Delhi the capital of India, but all the places in India where his adorers many of them being the Hindus performed Havana , Yagyas for his speedy recovery. In the same way, a seven year old Muslim girl Praveen from Agra District in U.P. a state in India, observed a seven days fast to please a Hindu God 'Indra.' in India. We often come across such news as a Mohammedan takes care of a Hindu temple & prays there & at some places all the arrangements of a tomb of a Muslim Saint are done by Hindus.At many places the effigies of Ravana of Ramleela are being prepared by the Muslims. The Ganesh Pooja festivals are being organized by the Muslims. We also see the President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam making an obeisance in Temples & Gurudwaras. The hymns sung in praise of the Hindu gods & goddesses by the legend of Indian Film Industry, Mohammad Rafi leave remarkable impressions on our minds. Obviously the reason for it being the common culture & civilization of India, a country of Kabir, Rahim & Malik Mohammad Jaisee where it is not astonishing if any Muslims sing for & Mays to any Hindu God or Goddess or any Hindu pays homage to a shrine of a Muslim Saint. But if we see the above matters keeping in view the conservative, communal & fundamental ideas then these may be said to go against the so called Islamic law or the Hindu culture. In India, ' Vande Mataram' is such a song that is held at equal heights as are achieved by the 'National Anthem.' In it, there is a prayer to Mother India, in Sanskrit language. Some so said custodians of the Islam in India are telling that it is against the Islamic law. In India, This year, on September 7, when there is a proposal to hold a national wide function in commemoration of its having gone a century of its acceptance in the mean time, some opportunities have spread a rumor to oppose Vande Mataram & have given a chance to powers that do communal politics in the country. Perhaps, these custodians of Islamic law are not aware of the Ganga-Yamuna culture or as we call it the common culture of India.These few persons have made all the Muslims of India stand in a controversial or suspicious class by their baseless & meaningless statements. Lakhs of the Muslim children in India get education in English medium schools run by the Christian Missionaries. Here, the prayer taught in these schools is inspired by Christianity. How many Muslim children refuse to learn it by saying that it is against the Islamic religious laws ( Shariat)? Similarly, in the schools run by Jain sect, there is adoration of gain Gurus & there is a prayer associated with their sect. At last, how much can be abandoned only by saying that it is against the religious laws. Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak or Vande Mataram both are sung in adoration of Mother India, our Motherland. These are called National Songs. These are not songs of any religion or community but are inspiring song that gives us pride. Every Indian is proud of these & will remain so. In fact, it is the work of fundamentalists & religionists, who pollute the pleasant atmosphere by their controversial, useless & baseless statements. These few people have no right to try to stop all the Muslim children to read Vande Mataram. By doing so they affront the Indian Muslims as well as they give a chance to the traditional opponents of the Muslims to add one more issue in their Anti-Muslim mission. Secondly, giving reference of the Islamic law, it is being said that there are some issues in ' Vande Mataram' that are against the Islamic law. That Islamic law also needs to be seen according to Indian civilization & culture. Our Indian culture is rare & has a peculiar place in the world. It is the only country in the world where Hindu caretakers can be seen at the tombs of the Muslim Saints & here are the Muslim poets & the Muslim singers who sing in the praise of the Hindu Gods & Goddesses. If any imported law is attempted to thrust here, certainly it would be a great misfortune for the Muslims as well as for the country.Today Pro-Hindu powers try their best to stop the Hindu people from going to the Muslim shrines. They give so many arguments for it. One of the arguments is that we have 36 crores of Gods & Goddesses. What do you want to ask for? Ask them. The dead body which is now no more can't give anything. Ask your own Gods & Goddesses, whatever you want to ask for. In spite of the lakhs of arguments of these Pro-Hindutva powers, the number of devotees of the tombs of the Muslim Saints is increasing day by day. These so called custodians of Islamic law must learn a lesson from the Indian Hindus, who worship saints of the Muslim religions just like their own Gods & Goddesses & even somewhere they give more respect than those. Islamic law in India can't work as it has been adopted, in the Arab countries. It may be that those who obey the Islamic law in the Arab countries prefer Islam religion to their patriotism. But it can never be said of India. Here the people in majority, the Hindus don't take the religion above their country. Although the politicians have divided the Indian people in different classes for their vote bank but it can be seen that division among the Hindus, the Muslims, the Sikhs & the Christians had never reached polarization at the national level. It has been that powers that has been trying to polarize on the basis of religion & community, tried many a time but every time they failed badly in their motives. If we agree to these custodians of the religious law, then rule of the Emperor Akbar the great, was against these laws. President Kalam's going to temples & gurudwaras & paying homage to the Non-Muslim Saints is also against the Islamic law. Dilip Kumar, Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan & Aamir Khan's working & playing roles in the films & to have a place in the hearts of crores of youths of the country is also against these laws. The music of Naushad, the poems of Shakeel Badayuni & Janisar Akhtar are not according to these laws. The art of Meena Kumari, Madhubala & Wahida Rehman will be called against this law.To get our self insured by an insurance company will be counted in the same category. Millions of the Muslims have done it. To get interest of their money is against the Islamic law. In India, Bombay Mercantile Bank & so many other banks are being run by the Muslims & here are many shareholders, bank directors & account holders. Sania Mirza, a world fame tennis player's refused to play, on seeing the wrongly hoisted national flag, and showed her patriotism recently. She brought credit to India & the Muslim community in the field of tennis. Her achievement will be called against this law (shariat) by this orthodoxy. Giving of a new & attractive tune to Vande Mataram by A.R. Rahman will be considered as the greatest sin & crime by these so called custodians of the Islamic law. If these few self styled custodians of the Islamic law by their propaganda, are trying to prove that the Islamic laws accepted in India are impressed by the Islamic laws adopted in the Arab World, then they are totally mistaken. Indian Muslims have separate recognition in the world & are proud of Indian civilization & culture. They were proud of it & in future they will remain proud of it. It was in India that All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board in one of its meeting, in a statement gave full support in favour of singing of Vande Mataram.It would be better if these opponents of Vande Mataram instead of advising all the Muslim children of the country not to sing Vande Mataram should inspire even their own children to read the national songs- Vande Mataram & Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak. If these Muslims will inspire their children for patriotism & will try to give them patriotic feelings, undoubtedly their children, when grow up, will prefer patriotism & national songs to the so called Islamic laws. Such children, when grow up, will not need to get a certificate of patriotism from any Hindu organization, which is being felt just because of narrow mindedness of some self styled custodians of the Islamic law. Nobody will dare to see such children through suspicious glasses. Not only the Muslims but people of all the religions & communities in India should clearly learn this Mantra that they are only human beings, Indians & then the Hindu, the Muslims, the Sikh, the Christian or associated with any other community.
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Mr. Tanveer Jafri, who serves as contributing writer for The Seoul Times, is a noted columnist in India. He writes in a variety of issues including world peace, anti-terrorism, and national & international politics for numerous news dailies and portals in India. As a devoted social activist he is a member of Haryana Sahitya Academy & Haryana Urdu Academy.
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