The Importance of Hindu-Muslim Dialogue
The
Mughal period, particularly the reign of Akbar (1556-1605), was perhaps a more
enlightened one in terms of state policies vis-à-vis the Hindus. This period saw
increasing interaction between Hindus and Muslims at various levels. Following
in the footsteps of the Abbasid Caliph al-Mamoon (786-833), Akbar arranged for
the translation of numerous books on the religion, culture and history of the
Hindus. This proved to be a major milestone in promoting a more objective
understanding of the Hindus among Muslims, and a significant step in
facilitating dialogue between the two.
The
Revolt of 1857 that marked the formal end of the Mughal Empire witnessed
impressive efforts to unite Hindus and Muslims to combat the encroaching
British. Were it not for the tragic Partition of India, it is possible that
major progress could have been made to improve Hindu-Muslim relations through
dialogue. It should have been among the topmost priorities of our leaders after
Independence to bring Hindus and Muslims closer together, but this did not
happen. On the contrary, the gulf between them only further widened and the
conflicts between them are becoming ever more deadly. -- Maulana
Waris Mazhari
By
Maulana Waris Mazhari
(Translated
from Urdu by Yoginder
Sikand/Noor Mohammad Sikand)
Hindus and Muslims have been living together in
India for over a thousand years. Yet, they are still plagued by
misunderstandings about each other and mutual hatred. A principal reason for
this is that they have not sought to understand each other sincerely.
Undoubtedly, there have been individuals among them who were deeply conscious
of, and strongly opposed to, the enormous gulf that divides them, and they
tried, in their own ways, to transform this hatred into dialogue and
reconciliation. However, in the face of stiff opposition, their efforts did not
yield much fruit.
The most salient factor for hatred and conflict
between Hindus and Muslims is historical memory—of the former being dominated by
the latter for centuries. The earliest Muslims came to India as traders and
enjoyed peaceful relations with the local Hindus, and, as in Kerala, spread
Islam using peaceful means. However, their place was rapidly taken over by
invading armies so that the relationship between Muslims and Hindus was rapidly
transformed into that of conquerors and the conquered. Obviously, the Hindus did
not take kindly to this. This is why they considered Muslims to be foreigners
and their inveterate foes.
This gulf between Hindus and Muslims was further
promoted by the biased and hardly impartial rule of Muslim Sultans, for which
they sought religious legitimacy. A striking instance of this was the imposition
by many Muslim rulers of jizyah on their Hindu subjects. No matter what
justification they sought for this, it was obvious that for the Hindus this
caused much opposition and ill-feeling.
It must be noted that, despite the claims of the
Delhi Sultans, and, after them, the Mughal Emperors, their rule was not,
strictly speaking, Islamic or in accordance with Islamic commandments and
principles. The political and social rules of Islam were applied, if at all,
only in name. Yet, in order to fill the royal coffers the Sultans
imposedjizyah on the Hindus in the name of Islam. They could have, had
they wanted to, followed the practice of the third Caliph, Umar, who levied a
general tax instead of jizyah on the Banu Taghlib, a Christian tribe who
felt that the jizyah was a sign of subjugation and degradation. However,
a complete lack of proper insight, a rigid adherence to the prescriptions of the
books of classical fiqh, and a distressing dependence on the
court ulemaand their fatwas prevented the Sultans from following a more
enlightened policy in this regard.
The Mughal period, particularly the reign of
Akbar (1556-1605), was perhaps a more enlightened one in terms of state policies
vis-à-vis the Hindus. This period saw increasing interaction between Hindus and
Muslims at various levels. Following in the footsteps of the Abbasid Caliph
al-Mamoon (786-833), Akbar arranged for the translation of numerous books on the
religion, culture and history of the Hindus. This proved to be a major milestone
in promoting a more objective understanding of the Hindus among Muslims, and a
significant step in facilitating dialogue between the
two.
The Revolt of 1857 that marked the formal end of
the Mughal Empire witnessed impressive efforts to unite Hindus and Muslims to
combat the encroaching British. Were it not for the tragic Partition of India,
it is possible that major progress could have been made to improve Hindu-Muslim
relations through dialogue. It should have been among the topmost priorities of
our leaders after Independence to bring Hindus and Muslims closer together, but
this did not happen. On the contrary, the gulf between them only further widened
and the conflicts between them are becoming ever more
deadly.
The
Relevance of Dialogue
Recent and ongoing political developments at the
regional and global level, particularly conflicts between Muslims and others and
the heinous actions of some radical groups in the name of Islam, have had a
major and enormously debilitating impact on Hindu-Muslim relations in India.
These developments have further emboldened anti-Muslim Hindutva forces in India,
which have enabled them to make even further inroads among those Hindus who
otherwise have nothing against Muslims. On the other hand, the existence of
extremist elements among the Indian Muslims cannot be denied. They cannot be
excused, legitimised or sought to be explained away as a reaction to virulently
anti-Muslim forces. One wrong action cannot legitimize another as a reaction to
it. But, at the same time, it must be admitted that such extremist elements are
only a very small, fringe minority among the Indian Muslims, an isolated
exception.
A major problem afflicting Muslims, particularly
in north India, where the bulk of the community is concentrated, is the
miniscule Muslim middle-class, which could have, if it were more numerically
strong and confident, played a key role in promoting Hindu-Muslim dialogue. The
existing Muslim middle-class is simply too cut off from the masses and immersed
in mindless pursuit of consumerist luxury to take the issue of Hindu-Muslim
dialogue and reconciliation seriously. On the other hand, the ulema, who
enjoy strong organic links with the Muslim masses, lack sufficient foresight and
an understanding of the complexity of many contemporary issues, which are
essential for serious and meaningful inter-religious and inter-community
dialogue. Despite this, it is crucial that the ulema, especially those
who work in the leading madrasas, play a leading role in promoting
inter-communal dialogue. These ulema have a large network of supporters
throughout the country, and if they get involved in serious dialogue with
Hindus, it can have a powerful multiplier effect that can reverberate across the
rest of India. Because the ulema enjoy the support and respect of a large
section of Muslims, if they were to take an active role in inter-community
dialogue, it can have a very positive impact on the Muslim masses as
well.
Hindu-Muslim dialogue is really the need of the
hour. Two leading Indian Muslim organizations, the All-India Muslim Personal Law
Board and the Jamiat ul-Ulema-i Hind, attempted some years ago to undertake
dialogue initiatives with Hindus, but, unfortunately, this was looked upon with
suspicion by many Muslims and so nothing came of it. Perhaps another reason for
the failure of this effort was that these organizations were seen as becoming
too politically involved.
Muslim groups need to reach out to, and dialogue
with, not just secular-minded Hindus, who are already convinced of the need for
inter-communal harmony, but also with other Hindu groups as well. They need to
address the concerns and misunderstandings of the latter, too. It is erroneous,
as some Muslims contend, that for Muslims to seek to dialogue with extremist
Hindu groups is tantamount to surrendering to them. It is with such groups, too,
that we need to dialogue. After all, the real need for dialogue is with such
groups, not with groups who are already convinced of the need for peaceful
inter-communal relations.
At the global level, most Muslim-sponsored
dialogue initiatives have sought to promote links with Christians and Jews, or
what are referred to as ‘People of the Book’, or adherents of what are called
the ‘Semitic religions’. Not much effort has been spent on dialoguing with
people of other faiths, including Buddhists and Hindus, who form a major
proportion of the world’s population. This lacuna urgently needs to be
addressed.
Hurdles
in Dialogue
Some of the major hurdles in the path of dialogue
between Hindus and Muslims relate to our traditional thought and practice. Till
these hurdles are addressed and overcome, a conducive environment for dialogue
cannot be created.
The biggest intellectual challenge facing
dialogue between Hindus and Muslims is the belief that the two are wholly
different, indeed contradictory, in terms of religion and culture. Obviously, as
long as this belief persists serious dialogue between them, based on their
commonalities, is impossible. Islam is based on pure monotheism, while most
Muslims think that Hinduism is based on undistilled polytheism. While Muslims
think that Islam is the only true religion, many Hindus believe that there exist
different, equally legitimate, paths to the Truth, all of which are worthy of
respect. Hindus thus believe that the Muslims’ understanding of divine truth is
narrow and confined. Muslims consider Hindus to be wallowing in polytheism and
to follow absurd superstitions and inhuman caste rules in the name of their
religion. On the other hand, Hindus think of Muslims as violent iconoclasts, as
obsessed with sex, and as intolerant fanatics. In short, they regard each other
as sub-humans.
These generalizations can be very misleading. The
fact of the matter is that not all Hindus are idol-worshippers and nor do all
Muslims consider breaking idols an integral part of their faith. Social
hierarchy, caste and superstitious beliefs and practices in the name of religion
are to be found among both Hindus and Muslims.
It is striking to note that these issues that set
Muslims and Hindus apart from each other and lead to such misunderstanding have
less to do with religion as such and much more to do with social practice and
historical events. As I mentioned earlier, anti-Muslim prejudices among Hindus
have much to do with the history of Muslim rulers in India and the tragic
Partition of the country. Likewise, anti-Hindu sentiments among many Indian
Muslims have much to do with the continuing anti-Muslim violence in India and
the virulent anti-Muslim propaganda of Hindutva forces. In reaction to Hindutva
aggression, extremist tendencies took root among a fringe section of the Indian
Muslims, and they began dreaming of establishing what they called the ‘Islamic
system’. They began to denounce secularism and democracy as allegedly against
Islam, and, using fiery and emotionally-driven slogans, sought to exploit the
simple-minded religiosity of the Muslim masses. Clearly, this is unacceptable
and must be denounced.
It is true that many Hindus and Muslims,
including some of their religious and political leaders, consider
inter-religious or inter-communal dialogue as meaningless and useless. They are
bound to stridently oppose such initiatives. While we must be constantly aware
of this possibility, it must be borne in mind that the number of Hindus and
Muslims who would support such efforts would greatly outnumber their opponents.
We must also remember that, despite their claims, rabble-rousing Hindutva
ideologues are not the accepted leaders of all, or even most, Hindus, and nor
are rabid Muslim characters the leaders of the majority of Muslims. Hindu-Muslim
dialogue must be promoted no matter what the opposition such efforts meet from
such elements.
Maulana
Waris Mazhari is the editor of the New Delhi-based monthly Tarjuman Dar
ul-Uloom, the official organ of the Graduates’ Association of the Deoband
madrasa. He can be contacted on w.mazhari@gmail.com
Yoginder Sikand works with the Centre for the
Study of Social Exclusion at the National Law School,
Bangalore.
11:04 PM
Sultan Shahin
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