Why I won't live among Hindus

[A.Rahman]

Why I won't live among Hindus

April 11, 2006


As a rule I would not stay in a Hindu locality.
It is not that I dislike Hindus or anything like that -- some of my closest friends are Hindus -- but the Mumbai riots of 1993 made me realise for the first time that we Muslims in India are different from Hindus.

I have seen Hindu mobs looking for Muslims in the Hindu locality where I then lived, to kill them and burn down their homes. The mobs managed to lay their hands on some of my friends, but some lucky families, like mine, escaped.

That incident affected my psyche so much that I then decided I would never live in a Hindu locality again.

After the Mumbai riots, we shifted to a Muslim locality in 1994

Last month I met a Sikh friend in New Delhi and asked him how he felt living among Hindus post the 1984 riots.

Nothing," he said curtly and added that the anti-Sikh riots that followed Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination happened more than 21 years ago and everybody had forgotten it. "These things don't matter to Indians now," he said.

I was impressed by his statement. I got the feeling India has changed and moved on.
When my Sikh friend feels that way then I as a Muslim should also feel the same way in Mumbai, I told myself. After all, 13 years was a long time in Mumbai's history, Mumbaikars also must have changed and moved on, I felt.

So when I started looking for a new house I thought, should I look for a house in a Hindu area again?

My wife, who is also Muslim, was a little sceptical because she too had similar experiences in the Mumbai riots and been through identical hell.

So I said okay, let's move to an upscale Muslim locality with better facilities.
I didn't know then what I was heading for.

It seems I am house-hunting at a very wrong time. Real estate prices have skyrocketed and there are very few flats available in the market.

Even if they are, no one wants 100 percent cheque payment. Those who were okay with full cheque payment either did not own good homes or if they did, they were way too expensive.

Faced with this Catch-22 situation, I felt maybe I should move to a Hindu locality.
I duly visited a property exhibition in Mumbai and found some great homes.
Sadly, the prices were so high they were beyond the reach of a middle class person like me. The only way I could afford them was to scale down my expectations of a 2-bedroom apartment, since my budget was around Rs 25 lakh (Rs 2 million).

I zeroed in on a one-bedroom apartment in the Kandivli area in Mumbai's western suburbs. The exhibitors were happy at getting a customer. They explained the ins and outs of the housing complex and said I could come visit the site anytime.


All the bonhomie dried up when I handed over my visiting card to one of them, the shock all too visible on his face.
"Sorry sir, we cannot sell the house to you as Muslims are not wanted in this locality," he told me in so many words.


I couldn't believe what I had just heard.
When I asked him to give it in writing, the person in charge said he would not, and added that anyway this is the understood norm in the locality, so what was the fuss all about?

I wonder why people blame Muslims for not being part of the national mainstream. When there is no room for them in an ordinary housing complex, how can you expect them to join the mainstream? When they want to stay in a mainstream locality they are kept away.

My experience led me to find out more about other housing societies in Mumbai. I discovered discrimination existed against not just Muslims but towards other communities as well.

For example, a Maharashtrian will not find it easy to find a house in a Gujarati locality.
One of my Maharashtrian friends said although her aunt lives in a housing society comprising non-vegatarians she is not allowed to cook fish because the neighbours cannot stand its smell.

I find such discrimination shocking.

Why do we call ourselves Indians and want to take pride in our multi-cultural, multi-religious land when we cannot stand our neighbours who belong to different religions and cultures?

My Sikh friend in New Delhi may be right about the situation there but I think it will take a little longer to change mindsets in Mumbai.

 

[Awesome]

it's almost like there are two nationalities in one country.

 

[KashifAsrar]

What happened in DELHi after the Gujrat riots that many muslims who were living in non-muslim colonies started to pour in to the muslim colonies leaving the place where they used to live for years and in some cases generations.
What worries the muslim most is the direct hand of the state government in the anti-muslim riots in gujrat. It was like state sponsered terrorism.
And the number of these 'migrants' people are increasing every day. Wallah.
These people say that if any thing wrong happens to muslims in a muslim community then it would be faced collectively, to say least. They would not be outnumbered like in a hindu locality. This is pure fear pschosys. This clearly shows that the common man is loosing the confidence in the government fast.
Allah save all from aggressors. Ameen
Kashif

 

[Bull]

Ar Rahman dont belive those words.There might be one off examples of muslims or even hindus getting such treatment.But you cannot generalise them.

 

[Awesome]

few incidents or few localities?

heard this thing about hinu/muslim localities many times.

 

[Bull]

few incidents or few localities?

heard this thing about hinu/muslim localities many times.

India is huge.The many you have hard also doesnt make it big enough

 

[KashifAsrar]

It is from many localaties. All of them geographically from different locations in DELHI and adjoining areas. And it is not fiction. It is real. We live in muslim dominated locality and see these changes in social and political structure, first hand.
Kashif

 

[KashifAsrar]

There might be one off examples of muslims or even hindus getting such treatment.But you cannot generalise them.

I am not generalizing the things. I am talking about the distrust and fear among common man. By the way these incidents are by and far related to muslims only. There are not many hindus that live in muslim locality.
Kashif

 

[araz]

Kashif
AsSalam o Alaikum
We forget that Hidus and Muslims have lived together in harmony for a thousand years.What we have seen and heard is typical of what happens when you have severe competition over meagre resources( in short it is related to eocnomic condition of the community). All emotions are intentionally stirred to achieve an aim. We see a different form of it in the regional feelings in Pakistan. As Human beings it is our duty to fight against discrimination of any sort. Indians and Pakistanis hindus and muslims live together in harmony in US and UK, barring a few instances. why cant we do this in our own countries? If I remember, there have been instances of arson against churches and Temples in Pakistan as well. Iwould readily admit that this has not been as often as in India, but it is deplorable as well.
WaSalam
Araz

 

[Bull]

Kashif
AsSalam o Alaikum
We forget that Hidus and Muslims have lived together in harmony for a thousand years.What we have seen and heard is typical of what happens when you have severe competition over meagre resources( in short it is related to eocnomic condition of the community). All emotions are intentionally stirred to achieve an aim. We see a different form of it in the regional feelings in Pakistan. As Human beings it is our duty to fight against discrimination of any sort. Indians and Pakistanis hindus and muslims live together in harmony in US and UK, barring a few instances. why cant we do this in our own countries? If I remember, there have been instances of arson against churches and Temples in Pakistan as well. Iwould readily admit that this has not been as often as in India, but it is deplorable as well.
WaSalam
Araz

Araz that was a nice post!

 

[KashifAsrar]

I agree as well. ARZ is right. But then economic issue is not the only issue in India. Indioa has much more complex theatre of politics than many non-indian can think off.
Kashif

 

[Awesome]

I acknowledge that, but belittling a significant enough problem won't help either.

 

[Neo]

Kashif
AsSalam o Alaikum
We forget that Hidus and Muslims have lived together in harmony for a thousand years.What we have seen and heard is typical of what happens when you have severe competition over meagre resources( in short it is related to eocnomic condition of the community). All emotions are intentionally stirred to achieve an aim. We see a different form of it in the regional feelings in Pakistan. As Human beings it is our duty to fight against discrimination of any sort. Indians and Pakistanis hindus and muslims live together in harmony in US and UK, barring a few instances. why cant we do this in our own countries? If I remember, there have been instances of arson against churches and Temples in Pakistan as well. Iwould readily admit that this has not been as often as in India, but it is deplorable as well.
WaSalam
Araz

A very good and balanced analysis Araz, thanks!
Imho India was doing fine in the soclialist era, no major religious devide, no riots but the BJP has changed everything.
Muslims again have become a target and often regarded as a possible thread to national security.

I recall that Defence Ministry initiated a survey this year to count and analyse the number of muslims in the armed forces.
Many reasons were given to justify this act but no such survey was designed to count Christians, Sikhs or other minorities...

What on earth is that needed for in a country that portrays itself to be the rolemodel of secularism?

 

[Neo]

I acknowledge that, but belittling a significant enough problem won't help either.

Indeed!
India should have learnt from 1947, muslim population today is almost as large as back then and growing faster then other minorities.
Its a ticking time bomb that could explode if not dealt properly.

 

[KashifAsrar]

The problem is not the large population NEO and Asim. The problem is that since 1947, Muslims are delibrately kept out of the mainstream in India. When I say mainstream I mean in every walk of life. Education, Employment, Defence, Juduciary, Police, civil Services, Economic development. What they are used is as 'Vote Bank' only. After Babri Masjid episode, things started to change. Muslim, as their rest of the world counterparts, were living on mere 'Hope' and literally 'Day-dreaming' that things would change for better, 'AUTOMATICALLY'. That never happened. And Babri Masjid episode broke that shackle, for many Muslims (Not All, STILL). So the growing analysis of thier status in the growing and developing society, created the due concern. Government, irrespective of the party, still pursuing the old policies. Then the continous rise of Anti-Muslim, Anti-Islamic forces worldwide is playing its part as well.

These problems in INDIA would remain, untill a constructive and justifiable solution is applied for all the people of the country, including Muslims.
Kashif