Kolkata debates Muslim citizens’ letter to CM

KOLKATA: The letter to CM Mamata Banerjee from a section of Muslims on Wednesday urging two things — strict action against members of the community who indulge in crime to help overcome the perception that they are being shielded or appeased and engage or encourage engagements with Muslim youths and their families across Kolkata in gender-sensitisation, civic consciousness and law-compliance — has triggered a debate with some lauding the initiative and others questioning it.
Shahenshah Mirza, the great-great grandson of Wajid Ali Shah, the last nawab of Awadh who settled in Kolkata in 1856, says the letter had gone down well with most of the people he knew. “There is an overwhelming feeling that whenever crime happens, demonstrative action should be taken irrespective of faith and political affiliation. There has been a growing perception in recent years that politicians in Bengal are trying to appease Muslims for their votes. That is not true. I believe it is propaganda. We don’t want anyone to appease the community. All we want is a level-playing field. But because of this perception, many from other communities are turning anti-Muslim. Hence, we have decided to speak out when any such incident happens so that we make our stand clear,” he said.
Communications professional Mudar Patherya, who had drafted the letter, said the response from the Muslim community had been largely encouraging. But social activist Shafkat Alam, who was also among the signatories, felt the letter could perhaps have been worded differently to avoid misinterpretation. Alam’s friend Shahab Kalim offered a compelling argument that he was unable to dismiss.
“No, I am not embarrassed because the accused (attack on doctors at NRS and cabby driving a model) are Muslims. I am appalled because my religion is being made to stand in the court of criminals. Why are these incidents being highlighted by the religion of the accused? It’s great if the attention of the CM is drawn towards the issue of lack of education amongst Muslim youths, especially ghetto areas. But bouncing the real issue on the springboard of stray incidents is pretentious. Those guys do not represent Muslim youth; they only represent the lawlessness of society,” wrote Kalim, pointing out that Kawariyas who harass many during their yatras are not viewed a religious problem but an administrative issue.
His voice found resonance in Anuradha Kapur, founder of women’s empowerment group Swayam. “I feel it is so unfair that they have to come up with a letter like this. When a Hindu commits a crime, we say a person has committed it. Then why should it be different when the person is Muslim? If one looks at the number of women who are raped or sexually harassed, I think the number of Hindu perpetrators will be representative of the Hindu population and likewise for Muslims” she pointed out.
Samantak Das, professor of Comparative Literature at Jadavpur University, felt likewise. While everyone ought to feel ashamed of being a part of the system or culture that breeds goons, the entire Muslims is tarnished when a criminal turns out to be Muslim. “When one belongs to a beleaguered minority that is singled out for abuse and widely perceived as essentially violent, perhaps one is left with no other option but to apologise for the actions of those with whom one has no other affiliation than religion.”