Forbesganj and Anti Pasmanda Rhetorics

Forbesganj and Anti Pasmanda Rhetorics: Some Questions

By MOHAMMAD SAJJAD

How do we look at the Forbesganj Killings:

1. Pro-Corporate, anti-peasant killings by the state?,

2. Anti Muslim killings by the NDA regime of Bihar?,

3. Anti Pasmanda killings by the government led by a backward caste Nitish Kumar?

Some of the informed middle class of Muslims have reacted against the issue in a manner as if the upper caste Muslims don't need to speak against it because the third of the above questions has been given greatest possible attention. Probably because of this, those who demanded/ asked Ali Anwar Ansari of the JD-U and the Pasmanda Mahaz, to resign, they did not direct the same question to Parween Amanullah (Minister in Nitish Cabinet), daughter of Syed Shahbuddin of the Muslim Indiafame. They expressed no outrage against the silence (or at best ritualistic lip service) of the organizations like the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Imarat-e-Shariah, All India Muslim Majlis Mashaweraat, All India Milli Council, Jamiatul Ulema-e-Hind, Jamaat-e-Islami-e-Hind, Idara-e-Shariah....

They did not lament the ilks of Fatmi, Jabir Husain, Mehboob Ali Qaisar, Dr Shakil Ahmad, Maulana Asrraul Haq Qasmi. None of them have visited Forbesganj.

Is it because there is no election in Bihar in near future?

May be Ali Anwar Ansari is silent in order to get a personal favour from Nitish for the second term in the Rajya Sabha, but why are the people who will stand benefitted from speaking against the NDA regime of Bihar, are silent?

Most of the upper caste Muslims (including my close relatives and friends; such relatives and friends are using filthiest possible languages against one opportunist leader Ali Anwar Ansari and they are calling me on phone, flooding my mailbox,....) have started re-singing the eulogy of Laloo. They conveniently forget the fact that in 1996, at Bethani Tola (Bhojpur), Muslims of Churihar caste were killed and Laloo's govt remained as callous as Nitish in Forbesganj. But none of these admirers of Laloo condemned it. They don't even remember it now. Incidentally, the then DM of Bhojpur was Mr Amir Subhani. Incidentally again, one of the killed was a child named Amir; he was named so by his parents inspired with the IAS topper Amir Subhani. If I am not wrong, none of the Urdu dailies wrote against the Bethani Tola massacre with this perspective. None of these outspoken middle class of upper caste Muslims spoke against the silence. They were enjoying (or hoping to enjoy) various favours like VC-ship, Chairman-ship, besides the positions of MLA, MLC, MP, Ministership,....And the rest were deriving/ expecting vicarious pleasure from the good offices of more fortunate favourites of Laloo.

I think (and hope) the Forbesganj killings of 3 June 2011 have exposed and therefore should redefine the various facets of the "Muslim" politics.

Let some good come out of the evil of selective flogging of an opportunist Pasmanda leader.

And I keep my first of the above three question un-elaborated, quite purposefully.

(The Writer is Asstt. Professor at Centre of Advanced Study in History, Aligarh Muslim University, India)