Readers’ Forum

Irritants to regional peace

The incumbent government of India has been pursuing some dangerous steps, which may endanger regional and international peace. Its mass religion conversion campaign, rewriting of history against fact and evidence, stealing right to vote from the members of the Muslim community, imposing of forced family planning on the Muslims and the Christians, and creation of Hindu pundit palli in occupied Kashmir are signs of intensifying cloud in this part of the world.
 I do not like to compare Islam with any other religion, but I shall ask the Hindu pundits and Indian leaders to study the Holy Quran, the Hadith-e-Qudsi and Bukhari Sharif at least. If they do it, they will realise it that Islam is not the sum-total of few worships but a complete philosophy that no man shall exploit another and that justice for all will prevail everywhere. I shall also ask them to know it that in Islam religious rituals and duty towards mankind have been tagged. As for example, Allah accepts Namaj (Prayers) of him only who feeds the hungry, clothes the clotheless, shelters the homeless, shows kindness to the poor and refrains from committing sins and crimes.
There are about 20 crore Muslims in India. Any venture to make them second class voter less citizens will have lasting adverse impact, endangering the country’s own existence. The demand is not sign of intelligence. It is not only India, some other countries like China, Myanmar, Germany, France and the USA have targeted the Muslims.
Sheldon Pollock, General Secretary of the Harvard University, Idols Classical Library Project, said had the Muslim emperors in India forcefully converted members of the other communities to Islam, there would not have a single Hindu there. It proves that the Muslims do not impose their religious belief on others.
Rewriting of history against facts and evidences will have very adverse impact on the inter-religious relationship in India and beyond. It is an effort to send their present and future generations into pit of ignorance. Consequently, more Hindus will become more dogmatists and fanatics and will refuse to accept Muslims in India.
Plan to create Pandit palli in Kashmir, which India forcibly occupied in 1948, will also affect inter-religious harmony. More Indian Muslims will feel insecure, whereas it is the responsibility of every government through out the world to protect its citizens irrespective of their religious faith and caste and their properties.
We hope that the Indian leaders will realise what they are going to do is a threat to the international peace, and will, therefore, refrain from resorting to adventure before it is too late.
Abdul Malek Khan
Dhaka