[Reader-list] The Islamic Flag of Indian Muslims

[anupam chakravartty]

Dear Kshmendra,



I have just one problem when such issues are being raised. Why are we
discussing Indian Muslims as a whole because a relief camp in some corner of
this country facing an ethnic conflict? Do you think we, as a nation, are
ready to discuss religion when it is in such a fragile state having clowns
as leaders? Hardening of religious identities are taking precedence over the
basic amenities that a person, a human being, deserves in this country. My
sole objective is to dispel this hardening of our religious identities. And
obviously, keeping in mind the hardening of Hindu identity, which is
scattered worries me more. I feel in process of hardening Hindu identity it
would loose its very essence, its intangible, meditative nature, which one
can experience without even going to a temple. I am equally scared of the
hardening of Muslim identity in the country.



However, I am a Hindu by birth, so I shall only be criticizing, questioning
my faith. I do not have any right to express criticism about a religion,
which I do not belong to. In that way, I feel I can deride this majoritarian
tendency of some power hungry individuals to dominate the religion and mould
its identity in such a way that it can allow only chosen few things to grow.
When several studies are done to explore this religion, find out finer
aspects where this religion gets fused with local forms of worship, there
are another set of people trying to shape up a pan-Indian identity of this
religion by raising issues about an ancient mosque and grandiose plan to
make a temple and turn it into a tourist spot. Next thing I will know is
that Ram is tall muscular DC comic like warrior forgetting the effeminate
imagery of Ram the compassionate one, Tulsidas’ Ram, or Mahatma Gandhi’s
Ram. Ram, who would not have built a temple by destroying another’s place of
worship. Chanchal, don’t you think this is worse than the forced
conversions?



Ironically, a generalised statement: “we do not have food to eat” is
difficult to assert about a nation following the logical and statistical
problems that it may create, But I am surprised that we are comfortable in
the blame game of who caused the first religious strife and asserting
generalised opinions about specific community. Call me a communist,
sickular, whatever you want. The struggle is not about religion; it’s about
being territorial behaving like canines. Who gets to own more land
irrespective of what colour your flag is.


Anupam
On 5/6/09, Taha Mehmood <2tahamehmood at googlemail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear All, Dear Kshmendra
>
> In the first mail of this thread, there are following references to
> the so called 'Indian Muslims'
>
> -The green flag with the crescent and star on it which is used by
> Indian Muslims..
>
> -One recent example has been Simi Garewal talking about Pakistani
> Flags being flown by Indian Muslims.
>
> - If this is factual, then the question arises for the Indian Muslims
> that should they be thinking about using the Islamic Flag without the
> Crescent and Star so that it does not appear to be close to being the
> flag of Pakistan?
>
> Yet it is stated in your response above that- I was not talking about
> 'Indian Muslims' as a monolithic entity.
>
> I understand that you were trying to draw attention to the purported
> relationship between a flag and a religious entity. That point is
> taken. I have no problems with it. None what so ever. However my
> contention still stands.
>
> Could you please elaborate on the use of what seems like an explicit
> social category called 'Indian Muslims'?
>
> -On crescent and star
>
> We all know that crescent and star as a symbol was first developed
> during the reign of Zhou dynasty. And it has survived in various forms
> with Greeks, Persians and Mongols before Turks appropriated it much
> later.
>
> Therefore to ascribe chand-tara to an erstwhile corrupt despotic
> empire is still okay with me but to associate it with something that
> which is an unclear social category is problematic.
>
> I know that one can find many instances in popular culture of south
> asia where we can see an association between chand-tara and Islam,
> but, could we take this representation as given?
>
> Interestingly crescent and star is also the symbol of New Orleans
> Police department which to the best of my knowledge is neither Indian
> or Muslim.
>
> Regards
>
> Taha
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