Is Shiv Sena a Threat to India?
In an editorial on Saamana (Shiv Sena party mouthpiece) Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray has mentioned that “fundamentalist Muslims are the biggest threat to the country and that we need to fight against it”. He added that “Except some like Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar, Mukhtar Abbas and Farooq Abdullah, the rest are trying to destroy our country”. These amazing statements show the amount of hatred that Bal Thackeray and the Shiv Sena have towards Muslims. It also highlights some of the inner contradictions that exist within the organization. On one hand Thackeray is indicating that a fundamentalist Muslim is the problem and immediately following that he mentions that every Muslim (except Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar, Mukhtar Abbas and Farooq Abdullah) are out to destroy the country. So every Muslim except the four mentioned are fundamentalist Muslims?
Shiv Sena is an organization that has thrived by spreading the culture of hatred. My parents like many Malayalees moved to Mumbai in the 60’s in search of a better life. The 60’s was when Thackeray came into prominence. His hatred was then targeted at the South Indians (particularly those from Kerala) and there was a lot of violence and intimidation on the streets (my parents along with many of my fathers cousins resigned from their jobs and decided to go back to Kerala in the early 70’s). I know now that Mumbai is probably one of the most dynamic cities in the country today. But unfortunately scars like these will not heal easily. Mumbai is one of those cities where I cannot imagine myself living even if it the last place on earth.
The Shiv Sena still continues to play the Marathi card (now it is focused on poor people from Bihar and other North Indians). But in recent decades it has added the Muslim card to its portfolio also. One of the default assumptions that the Shiv Sena and Thackeray make is that when they speak they think that they speak on behalf of all Hindu Indians. They did not expect a high profile celebrity like Tendulkar would actually disagree with them and therefore their anger toward him. But it is important for the rest of us (particularly if you are a non-Muslim) to make sure that our voices are heard also. Thackeray does not speak for all Hindus. His opinion is his and his fundamentalist Marathi Hindu party called Shiv Sena alone.
I am not sure how he convinces himself that he speaks on behalf of the Hindus when he runs a campaign that is intimidating poor people from all over India (many of whom are Hindus) who are coming to Mumbai in search of a better life. I am also wondering how an educated person like him cannot come to terms with the fact that the Muslims who live in India are Indian citizens and have right to enjoy the privileges that come with an Indian citizenship including freedom to practice their own religion.
The definition of fundamentalism is nothing but “a strict belief in a group of basic principles”. The problem is not religion itself or a fundamentalist religious person (although as a non-believer I would argue that religion can skew your thought process to some extent). The real problem is trying to impose your religions thoughts and opinions on others and committing violent acts against those who disagree with you. I think that the Shiv Sena is as much a security threat to India as any other organization. They have a pro-Marathi and anti-Muslim agenda. They are willing to impose their views using violence and intimidation when necessary (today they ambushed the CNN-IBN office in Mumbai).
The disappointing part of this equation is that there are a lot of people who support the Shiv Sena, particular in Maharastra and in some parts of North India. India for the most part has treated these organizations as “trouble makers” and is yet to realize the potential threat to national unity that they can present. Indian economy is moving along nicely. Our nation is as united as anytime in our history. All the terrorist attacks in recent years have not made a dent in our social fabric making these terrorist acts irrelevant. The last thing we need now is another organization that wants to bring to the forefront the tired old issue of Hindu-Muslim problems. As they say in New York “enough already”.
Related posts:
- Shiv Sena is Hurting Marathi Interests
- Should I Relocate to Pakistan?
- Bollywood Item Girls Should be Indians?
- And The Violence Caused Such Silence
- Conspiracy in India to Diminish Muslims Economically?
Category: Culture & Religion