Omar Abdullah’s impassioned speech in Parliament last month supporting the nuclear deal with the US may have won him accolades — more than 3,000 hits on YouTube and coverage in the society press that has always liked to host him since he swapped his career in hotels for the hurly burly of Indian politics — but it is precisely this sentiment of “I don’t see why I, as a Muslim, should fear the deal” that is being echoed by young, upwardly-mobile Muslims all round.
Apart from random conversations with friends (and their friends), many of whom continue to aspire to all things Western — and American — in a stinging rebuke to not just Huntington but our own wielders of power, there is this interesting blog that I stumbled upon recently. Despite its rather unimaginative blanket of a title, Indianmuslimsblog is a vivacious amalgamation of diverse, contemporary views.
In an article on the website, “Nuke deal or no deal: Let Indian Muslims speak”, the authors Md Ali and Kashif-al-Huda have collated interviews with professionals ranging from a lecturer in Patna to a software professional in Bangalore to a (woman) filmmaker in Hyderabad.
The views, naturally, are not uniform —as is only expected of a vibrant democracy (and when you read this, do forget for a moment the farce in Parliament that can give programmes like the Great Indian Laughter Challlenge a run for their money).
Instead, what is interesting is that none of the people interviewed takes a stance on the basis of their religion. Being Muslim has nothing to do with their opposing the deal, even when they do so.
Also, contrary to what most of our political parties assume, no negative sentiments are necessarily associated with India’s “cosying up” to America.
Here are a few voices from the blog: Nasiruddin, a journalist from Lucknow , says “I am not in favour of this deal because this threatens the sovereignty of India. Nuclear energy is not a miracle energy…”
He goes on to say that “The US has never been a reliable friend to anyone except undemocratic governments like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, et cetera”, and adds that attempts to communalise the deal are wrong. “This is a secular issue that affects all Indians alike.”
On the other hand, there is Samina Khan, a lecturer in Patna, who says, “As an Indian Muslim I am in favour of the deal, because it has multiple benefits.”
She says, “The unique aspect of the deal is that it has given Indian Muslims an opportunity to defy the stereotype… By supporting the deal they can start a relationship with America... It is pointless to hate America blindly.”
For our own political parties, of course, everything is a function of vote banks. Even those who have supported the deal “in national interest” have run to cover political bases.
The Samajwadi Party, for instance, called upon former president Kalam, a Muslim and a scientist, to possibly appease voters. But such actions are both offensive and worrying. This tendency to not debate issues on merit but communalise them is what adds to the sense of insecurity many of us live with these days.
