When even those praying become prey

The campaign of Hindutva violence is not only against Muslims and Christians, it is also a conspiracy to make Hindus parochial and culturally impoverished

Waziruddin, a Shiksha Mitra or temporary teacher from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, has been arrested after being fired from his job. He has been sent to judicial custody by a local court, which didn't even think about the rationale of this arrest. He has been accused of deliberately intending to cause a riot and hurt the religious sentiments of a community. The principal of the government school where he was teaching at Faridpur in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, has also been suspended. She faces the accusation for which Waziruddin has been jailed that they made the children sing Iqbal's 'Bachche ki Dua' in the school's morning assembly.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad came to know about this 'crime' and filed a complaint against both of them, alleging these teachers were conspiring to convert non-Muslim children through this 'Madrasa type' prayer. The Education Officer and the District Magistrate also concurred with them. What else explains their alacrity in filing an FIR against the teachers and arresting one of them?

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The ease with which administrative officials agree with Hindutva fanatics shows that the state ideology of India is Hindutva without amending the Constitution. Whether it is to punish Muslim teachers or to run bulldozers on the houses of Muslims at the first opportunity, the promptness of the administration and the police are amazing.

The crime of Waziruddin and Nahid Siddiqui is to ask children to sing Allama Iqbal's prayer. "Protect me from evil; guide me on the path of righteousness." Hindutvaists have a special objection to these lines of Iqbal's prayer. Do they consider the prayer to be saved from evil and follow the righteous path objectionable? Or why pray to Allah to save us from evil? Do they actually want to save their Hindu children from hearing the name of Allah?

In this prayer, there is Khuda as well as Allah and also Rab. The sweetness of Urdu composed from Arabic and Farsi melts in your ears as you listen to this dua. But for that, human ears are needed, which can appreciate the beauty of words as well as the music in them. The ears of Hindutva followers are not tuned to this. They are trained by abuse, threats and obscenity. So, any talk of protection from evil makes their ears perk up. What will happen to their business of hate and division if this happens? But all the ears in this country have not been like this, not even now. Humanity is left in some ears.

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I remembered scientist and educationist Vinod Raina. In one of the journeys, he recited this prayer in his characteristic style. Recalling his school prayer when he was reminiscing about his school in the sixth decade of his age, his name was still Vinod Raina. He had not become a Muslim. And what if he had changed his religion? The real thing was that he followed the prayer and remained the traveller of the righteous path!

We can find it absurd that the teachers were punished for reciting Iqbal's dua. Notwithstanding its absurdity, the punishment was real for them. It is social, administrative and judicial cruelty. And humiliation for those teachers. Not just theirs. This is a warning through them to the rest of the Muslims of India.

This is not happening for the first time. Last year, the headmaster of a school in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, was punished on the same charge. He was also a Muslim. He was also punished at the behest of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. To justify this step, the administration used the guise of alleging that the national anthem was not being sung in the school assembly. It was the lower-level education officials who said that it was a false allegation. 'Jana Mana Gana' was being sung there. Alongside, this prayer was also being sung.

The children of Faridpur did not do what the children of that school in Pilibhit did. They protested against the suspension of their headmaster and boycotted their classes. But we do not know whether the suspension was revoked due to this or not. Such resistance by schoolchildren is extraordinary. You cannot expect children to be brave and rebellious at this age. Then it is difficult for them not to be influenced by their society and family. It is quite possible to fill their minds with suspicion and hatred towards their Muslim teachers.

Earlier this year, we received two reports of similar incidents. A protest against the school principal for an all-religion prayer in a school in Jharkhand. And a complaint against a school in Gujarat because it wanted its students to visit a mosque.

In both these cases, neither the children nor their parents had any problems. But the Hindutva organisations found them objectionable and made an issue of it. And then the state officers joined them. The parents got scared, or most also agreed with the Hindutva goons. They must have felt that they were being cheated by the school authorities, being led on the wrong path.

Every such symbol, which is associated with Muslims or Christians, is being made suspicious. What was natural to date in India is being called not only unnatural but also a conspiracy.

People of different generations from different parts of India expressed surprise after this latest incident of hate propaganda against Iqbal by terming his prayer as Islamic. "I still get tears listening to it after years", wrote one. Another wrote that it was one of the most soothing prayers. Both the commentators were Hindus.

Whose feelings can be hurt by this prayer or dua? Among the prayers sung in Hindi or Urdu in school, this is perhaps the only one that tells what it takes to be a good human being! Let us read this short prayer:

My longing comes to my lips as supplication of mine
Oh God, may like the beauty of the candle be the life of mine

May the world's darkness disappear through the life of mine
May every place light up with the sparkling light of mine

May my homeland through me attain elegance
As the garden, through flowers, attains elegance

May my life be like that of the moth, Oh Lord
May my love be the lamp of knowledge, Oh Lord

May supportive of the poor, my way of life be
May loving the old, the suffering, my way be

My God, protect me from evil ways
Show me the path leading to the good ways

Is there an objection to this wish to be shown the path of goodness? Or are the objectors upset that the one from whom the demand is being made is Allah, Khuda or Rab? Have we reached a state in India where the ears of Hindus should neither hear Allah nor Khuda? Do they get polluted as soon as these words reach their ears? Or are these names so strong that they will leave Hinduism and become Muslims or Christians once these names of God fall on their ears?

Not only is this campaign of Hindutva violence against Muslims and Christians, but it is also a conspiracy to make Hindus parochial and culturally impoverished.

As I write these lines, a picture of the Ramakrishna Mission Math in Belur is in front of me in which the monks of the Mission are performing the Aarti of Lord Jesus. Will the Hindutva goons now attack Belur Math and the rest of the RK Mission Maths? Will the biography of Ramakrishna Paramahansa be edited to remove the episodes that show that the Swami found peace in praying in a mosque or a church?

So who are the ideals of Hindus? Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa or the hate-preaching Hindutva? But there is also a bigger question: will our administrators be governed by the Constitution or Hindutva prejudices and hatred?

(The writer teaches at Delhi University.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.