Perceived Roles of Hinduism and Islam Reversed

On January 26, Republic Day, 2020, while protests simmered against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens throughout India, a dozen North American cities also witnessed historic protests. Indian Embassies have been witness to protests in the past. But this time it was different.

In Washington D.C., 800 Indian Americans, many of whom had driven hours from neighbouring states, assembled at the lawns on the south side of the White House. Marching towards the Embassy, they were supported by police who stopped traffic at junctions to let the kilometre-long march pass. When they reached the Embassy they were met by twenty to thirty supporters of the CAA/NRC. Protestors report that the pro-CAA/NRC rally appeared to be assembled by the Embassy as part of its duty towards the government. The disparity in numbers seemed to suggest that the Sangh Parivar’s juggernaut, on the roll since Narendra Modi came to power first time in 2014, might be losing steam in its most prosperous diaspora. In Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York and San Francisco, protests were held outside the Indian Consulates, with Chicago claiming the largest attendance of 3000-4000.

The spirit of the protests was remarkable. Creative placards and slogans were used by the protestors. They sang the national anthem and ‘Sare Jahan se Achcha..’ Dalit rights activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan said, ‘The CAA is an integral part of the Modi Government’s strategy of creating a stateless Muslim population, that can be profiled, treated as second class citizens, and imprisoned in massive detention centres already being built in India.’ She further added, ‘This project may start with Muslims but all caste oppressed communities are at risk as we are the communities in the crosshairs of Hindu nationalists,’ advocating, ‘The time to stop genocide is before it starts.’ If one were to ignore the location, one could imagine that the protests seemed to be taking place in India; the political speeches being made seemed grounded in Dalit and Muslim experience as well as authentically representing the angst of middle-class Hindus who felt that the Sangh Parivar does not speak for their understanding of Hinduism.

Back in India Shaheen Bagh is multiplying. There are more than two dozen ongoing protests in Delhi. In addition, small groups of Muslim women hold night-time candle light demons-trations between two protest sites and youth raise ‘Azadi’ slogans. The mood is celebratory. The atmosphere is remniscent of Durga Puja where every locality vies with the other in setting up their pandal. There are tents set up wherever a group of Muslim women have organised themselves to come out on streets. Photographs of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad can be seen in almost every protest site indicating that people treat this movement as a second freedom struggle to free this country from forces which are bent upon taking away their freedom. The Khureji site also has a portrait of Rohith Vemula, drawing inspiration from more recent icons who’ve sacrificed their lives fighting against forces which are a threat to democracy. The more elightened protests like the one at Chandbagh displays pictures of Fatima Shaikh and Savitribai Phule, two women who involved themselves in grassroots education of downtrodden communities for their empo-werment.

But the real force of the movement is women who stay put at protest sites until late in the night or early morning. They are determined to see the struggle through. Children can be seen sleeping covered by blankets and quilts next to their mothers. Reversing common practices, such as keeping women behind curtains in Jamat-e-Islami meetings, or not letting them speak when men are present, women are in the lead and men are playing the supporting role. Young, educated women are in control of conducting the proceedings and men are standing on the side. Nobody would have imagined that India would see such a dramatic empowerment of Muslim women so soon. And it is empowerment in the real sense as each of the women coming to the protest, unlike traditional political meetings where common citizens are there just to swell numbers, can explain why they are there. They are raising slogans, singing songs and sometimes also making speeches. Our democracy and Constituion, which at one point were under the danger of being eclipsed by the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo, now seem to be in safe hands. The difference is now people don’t expect the leaders to protect them; the people have come together to protect democracy and the Constituion from the leaders.

As the Bhartiya Janata Party or its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, become more desperate with a defeat staring them in the Delhi elections immeditely after being displaced from power in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the leaders, including a Central Minister, are raising slogans which have unleashed gun-wielding young men on streets who are trying to sabotage what has been a very disciplined struggle against the CAA-NRC so far or create a situation which can polarise the votes in the BJP’s favour at the last moment.

It is India’s misfortune that for the first time after independence an organisation has captured political power which ideologically believes in violence and is inciting people to promote itself politically. The irony is that the Hindutva line and the Western world constructs Islam as an agressive religion. Hindus like to perceive their religion as a messenger of peace to the world. But currently Hindutva is all fire and brimstone whereas Muslim women have become the country’s apostles of peace.

The non-violent anti-CAA-NRC movements are not going to disappear in spite of the best efforts, including that of dialogue, by the government. The ever-enlarging protests are going to go on until either the CAA-NRC go or the government itself goes.

Sandeep Pandey, a Magsaysay Awardee, is with the Socialist Party (India).