Can Muslim Elites De-radicalize Extremist Islamist Muslims to restore Trust?

 

Can Muslim Elites De-radicalize Extremist Islamist Muslims to restore Trust?

 

                The key issue to squarely address is simple: " Can Muslim Elites De-radicalize Extremist Islamist Muslims? Even if they attempt to do so, "Will Radical Indian Muslims be trusted to allow communal harmony? Is it a never ending clash of civilizations?

 

                After all,  Islamophobia, that is, "the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism" is a grim reality world over with India being no exception.

 

                Let none suffer from illusions that Islamist radicalism is an existential threat for Hinduism as Indian History abundantly testifies. Ipso facto, Hinduism stands decimated in neighboring Pakistan and Bangladesh. Within India too, Hindus also feel threatened in the States like West Bengal, Assam and Kerala where the Muslims are a majority in quite a few districts.

 

                The latest communal clashes in Mominpore, West Bengal wherein the Hindu houses were ransacked and set ablaze and forced to flee, are bound to increase Islamophobia. Such incidents are not one off by exception, but quite the normal including the killing of Hindu leaders, love Jihad and conversions racket in other states.

 

                So, let none suffer from illusions over the rise of Islamist terrorism.  The lesson of the last three decades of fight against global terrorism is simple: Islamist extremism/terrorism can neither be marginalized or contained below the threshold of equilibrium or terminated. Under all such eventualities, it may adopt strategic retreat, but re-erupt later as history abundantly testifies.

 

                It is in such a background context, one needs to analyze the fallout of the meeting held in August 2022 between Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS Chief, and  the five Muslim community members -  former Election Commissioner Quraishi, former Delhi LG, Najeeb Jung, journalist Shahid Siddiqui, hotelier Saeed Shervani, and Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah. Bhagwat followed this up with a meeting with the Chief Imam of the All India Imam Organization(AIIO), Umer Ilyasi, at a mosque. Ilyasi hoped that the talks would create “communal harmony”.

 

                Undeniably, the group of Muslim elites represent barely 1 % of the Muslim community. Majority of Muslim community are helpless under the sustained propaganda (five times a day tremendous mobilization capabilities in Mosques) by Islamist radicals that may be around 10%.

 

                Instead of Muslim elites  exploring possibility of promoting "Top-Down" approach to promote "communal harmony", they should have attempted "Bottoms-Up Approach" by holding meetings with die-hard radical Islamist Organizations and their followers and sympathizers.

 

                On expected lines, Muslim organizations are split over the  meeting. Among the Muslim leaders who has been the most vocal against the recent RSS meeting is AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. He called the five who met Bhagwat “Muslim elites’’ out of touch with reality.

 

                Add to it, Qasim Rasool Ilyas, the executive member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), is also on record that if Bhagwat and the RSS really wanted to reach out to the Muslim community, they would get in touch with organizations that actually have influence and following — such as the AIMPLB or the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind or the Jamaat-e-Islami.

 

                Even other Muslim organizations  have pointed out that Chief Imam Umer Ilyas  has little standing within the Muslim community. One member said Ilyas was not even a recognized Islamic scholar. Another said he has always been “pro-government” so as to ensure perks and benefits for imams.

 

                Of course, Quraishi has justified his teams meeting stating that  " this was entirely an initiative of the five of us, a motley group of friends with common concerns about the insecurity of the Muslim community and a belief in the process of dialogue. Since the news broke, we have received innumerable messages of support from members of the Muslim community, and even non-Muslims, echoing our feeling that dialogue is the only way forward. We are not illiterate. We are equally aware of the ground realities: Incidents of lynching; calls for genocide; rapes; economic boycott; questioning of voting rights, and discrimination in getting houses or jobs.”

 

                On other issues like the Muslim population growth, Quraishi clarified that the fears are highly exaggerated. The difference between the Hindu and Muslim rates, which was 1.1 30 years ago, has come down to 0.3, since Muslims are adopting family planning much faster than the Hindus. Also contrary to the general perception, Muslims have the least incidence of polygamy as per the government of India’s own report and old Census figures. Finally, Muslims can never overtake the Hindus even in 1,000 years. We firmly believe that dialogue is the only way forward. Even Owaisi laid claims that Muslims use most condoms in India.

 

                However, ground realities are quite disturbing. Demographics are destiny. Can Quraishi and his group rebut that the Muslim population has surged from 8,89% post 1947-partition to over 14.5% as per 2011 Census and estimated to be over 22% in 2022, if unaccounted population is added as per demographic experts, and by Owaisi reiteration quite often. Nor can they deny that the Muslim population is most significant in the bordering districts of West Bengal and Assam - over 50%.

 

                Quite obviously, demographic changes are quite alarming.  Its fallout is religious polarization, which is threatening social harmony. Minority appeasement politics by political parties is viewed with alarm by the right wing elements of the majority community.

 

                In reality, both the major national parties have deployed religion to further their political ends. From the Shah Bano episode to the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, both Congress and BJP have politicized religion for narrow political gains.

 

                Not to be overlooked is the use of derogatory terms by Muslims against Hindus like “kafir”. Islam is monolithic religion - par excellence. Muslims do not believe in pluralism and tolerance. Muslims in general are swayed by the vitriolic rhetoric of Imams and political leaders.

 

                In the last decade, the BJP has gained political power under Modi-Shah and consolidated its presence throughout the nation. The PM has emerged as the most popular political leader. Can the RSS chief now get the BJP to change its politics of religious Hindu nationalism and embrace civic nationalism?

 

                 Of course, Indian Muslims suffer from a sense of being second or third-class citizens, of feeling invisible, unrepresented, unimportant, like one counts for nothing.  Naturally, they drive people toward extremism that offers them mercenary job opportunities, guns and extortion. And, they want to reclaim their past glory of ruling South Asia since the 10th century by Jihad.

 

                 Since Modi came to power, jihadists have bombed Burdwan and Bangalore and armed attacks were orchestrated in Gurdaspur and Pathankot. Add to it, the ongoing cross-border sponsored terror strikes not only J & K  and other porous borders including Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the High Seas.   A closer analysis of these incidents indicates a pattern and possible future strikes. All the attacks are the handiwork of foreign-linked militant organizations like the Student Islamic Movement in India, Indian Mujahideen, Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, Hizbul Mujahideen, Laskhar e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. These attacks confirm fears of both competition and cooperation among international terrorist groups in India.

 

                Add to it, the Muslim deprivation psyche syndrome - low representation and participation of the largest minority in the polity. Muslims suffer from  second-class citizen syndrome.  Emboldened by the "vote-bank clout", the Muslim political parties have started flexing their muscles.

               

                Let me also provide "Top-Down" perspective as a backdrop for a balanced perspective.

 

                FACT - Islamophobia is a global phenomenon.  Even quite a few of the Muslim nations suffer from Islamophobia.

 

                Post al Qaeda rise, September 11 attacks, Osama Bin Laden's death, between 2014 and 2018 the world witnessed the rise of the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). Despite ISIS reverses in Iraq and Syria, its remnants known also as Islamic State (IS) also known as ISIS or Daesh and its affiliates continue to initiate a new era of fear and violence to spread across the globe, particularly in Europe, USA and other nations and also the rise of numerous Islamic terrorist organizations and their sleeper cells, there is increasing Islamophobia. Firmly situated in the digital, globalized age, ISIS utilized cutting-edge technology to advance its techniques of recruitment and terror.

 

                The ideology of the IS, sometimes called Islamic Statism, has been described as being a hybrid of Salafism, Salafi jihadism, Sunni Islamist fundamentalism, Wahhabism, and Qutubism. IS follows an extremist interpretation of Islam: Wahhabism doctrine of Sunni Islam. The group believes it represents a pure form of Islam and holds its caliph to be the successor of the Prophet. Some have also seen it as part of a continuum of modern-day jihadism emanating from the Muslim Brotherhood. Viewed holistically, none can deny the  increasing sociological and political significance of Islamophobia.

 

                Now, the Muslim extremist elements are invoking the slogan of "Second Azadi". One analysis of social media data estimates that over 30,000 people in India are either in direct contact with ISIS or have been following the trajectory of the organization. Indian jihadists who have joined the ISIS have been spreading their tentacles at alarming speed. If the NIA raids are any indication, the reverse flow into India has begun in right earnest. Indian Muslims are not only sending foot soldiers but also host ISIS Twitter account handles and provides other technical expertise that can improve the capacity of the group.

 

                The southern state of Kerala has been found to have the highest number of pro-IS cases in all of India, with about 40 of the 180 to 200 cases. These are individuals who have either displayed an inclination to travel to West Asia to join the caliphate, or in fact did so; as well as a sizable number who are currently being prosecuted by law enforcement agencies and the courts. As per data in public domain, there are over 3,000 in Kerala attending "de-radicalization" programs. Add to it, the numbers that are required to attend de-radicalization programs in West Bengal, Assam, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra and other states!

 

                Importantly, a unified command is in the making with outfits like Ansar-ul-Tawhid and Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind acting as central processing units. The  Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind has over a short period of time  methodically build up a central unit, state units and city branches along with designated leaders. With its more than 9,000 registered madrasas and equal numbers or more unregistered Islamic seminaries, India is considered by the west as a model for de-radicalization. It is far from the truth. In fact, the government’s de-radicalization process is near non-existent. Although there is great debate on the subject, the process is bottom-to-top where affected families or community leaders approach the authority, not vice-versa.

 

                In the past, the charge-sheet filed in a special court in Delhi reiterated that ISIS sympathizers include “resident and non-resident Indians who have been indulging in identification, radicalization, recruitment, training and finally transfer of Indian youths to countries including but not limited to Syria, Libya and Iraq”. Members of ISIS are using different channels/services available on Internet, telephones and one-to-one meetings for indoctrinating and motivating Indian Muslim youth.

               

                Recently, the Indian government banned PFI for 5-years.  PFIs founding members were erstwhile leaders of SIMI with linkages to Jamat-Ul Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JUMB) and also remnants/returnees of the al Qaeda,  the IS or Daesh and the ISKP (Islamic State Khorasan Province), also Daesh Khorasan, whose end objective is to take control of Central Asia and South Asia under the Khorasan Province.

               

                No wonder, Hindus and other minorities have unfavorable views of Muslims, but also the people of other nations have unfavorable of views as per a poll in 2019 to include: Poland - 66%; Czech Republic - 64%; Hungary - 58%; Greece - 57%; Lithuania - 56%; Italy - 55%; Spain - 42%; Sweden - 28%; France - 22%; Russia - 19%; and UK - 18%.

 

                Therefore, Muslim elites - five men group that met Mohan Bhagwat - need to introspect about worsening Hindu-Muslim relations and think of what they can do to promote communal harmony, which is possible by simultaneously adopting "Bottoms-up" approach.  They must build and enlarge their constituency on an all-India basis. Unless they do so starting with all Masjids and Madrasas, their attempts at the highest level to promote communal harmony will not yield any positive results.

 

                In fact, the Muslim elitist group must start their initiatives from the boiling communal cordons of West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, Assam and others to restore peace. Unless they dramatically alter the mindset of "Radical Indian Islamist" elements by de-radicalization, its fallout of action-reaction cycle will be natural. And, Hindus will suffer from Islamophobia due to inherited cumulative distrust of Muslims. Naturally, its fallout will be right wing Hindu backlash - viewed as Hindu phobia.

 

                In sum, its end result is simple. India will remain the  "Communal Boiling Cauldron" in times to come.  A repeat of 1947 with disastrous consequences cannot be ruled out.

 

                In sum, it is a never ending clash of civilizations with radical Islamists pursuing their avowed end objective of establishing the "Global Caliphate"!

Article by Shri G B Reddy Sir