#dnaEdit: The twain can meet

When Zeeshan Khan, a resident of Kurla, Mumbai, applied for a marketing job with Hari Krishna Exports Pvt Limited, he didn’t have the faintest clue that his religion would queer his employment prospects. Khan’s candidature was rejected because the firm didn’t want to hire a Muslim in its 6,000-strong workforce operating from Mumbai and Surat in Gujarat. The incident — a gross violation of the Constitution that prohibits discrimination on the basis of caste, religion and gender — has led to an outrage, with the Mumbai police registering a criminal complaint against the company. 

Khan’s plight has brought to light the many forms of discrimination, the minorities, especially Muslims, face in the country. The deep-seated fear and suspicion of the ‘other’, the sweeping generalisation of a religion and its followers, find expressions in the everyday acts of discrimination and are constantly fuelled and nurtured by the radical Right elements in both the religions. However, there is also the counter-narrative offered  by Hindu nationalists showcasing efforts at integrating Muslims into the mainstream. The much-coveted posts of the President of India, Vice President, Chief Justice of India, captain of the Indian cricket team, have at some point being occupied by members of the minority community. Though Khan’s humiliation deserves unequivocal condemnation, there are also many heart-warming stories of peaceful coexistence and symbiotic relationships between the two communities in rural and urban India. The proponents of Hindutva also allege that Muslims by and large are opposed to the idea of being part of India’s growth story, and that a communal agenda dictates their politics and choice of leaders. The rabid politics of the Muslim Right has furthered vitiated the atmosphere, driving the fault lines deeper between the two communities. 

The mutual suspicion between the followers of the two religions date back centuries. Over the years, they have struck deeper roots in the minds of both Hindus and Muslims. The consequences have been detrimental to the growth and prosperity of the nation. Where meritocracy should have been the deciding factor in educational institutions and the job sector, religion and caste-based reservations have come to play crucial roles. The differences among Hinduism, Islam and Christianity — instead of being respected and celebrated — have become easy tools in the hands of politicians and religious leaders to foment anger and hatred among communities. It is an unfortunate reality that for a Muslim, it is virtually impossible to rent a house in a Hindu neighbourhood. It is not without reason that Muslims prefer to live in ghettos, seeking safety in numbers. The ‘minority-appeasement’ policy of the Congress and other so-called secular parties, which has consistently drawn flak from the Hindu Right, has actually done little to serve the true causes of Muslims. It has always been a vote-catching ploy — cynical manipulation of the fear and insecurities of a community in the face of majoritarian aggression. The Sachar committee report chronicles the plight of the Muslims who have been systematically excluded from the development agenda. As poverty levels of Muslims continue to be higher than the national average, their poor representation in government jobs and schools and unequal access to health care testify to the fact that the community has fallen off the radar of government initiatives towards financial inclusion. 

It is in the best interests of the BJP-led NDA government to break the barriers between the two communities and work towards improving the conditions of Muslims. This would mean abandoning ghar-wapsi and love-jihad programmes to restore the confidence of minorities. 

There are thousands of Khans who are eager to join the mainstream and be part of the growth story. Their success will help India forge ahead.