Muslimspeak: Barabari and Bhagidari or Babri?

For the first time in several years, I became conscious of my Hindu identity. Their uneasiness was palpable, so was their unwillingness to avoid a direct answer.

The much-awaited Babri Masjid verdict is out. But instead of resolving the controversy that has been raging for 60 years, the Allahabad High Court’s verdict has given birth to fresh controversies. I approached some Muslim friends for their reactions to the verdict. The atmosphere was charged but the people subdued; the ice had to be broken first. There were reserved views and measured opinions, some revelations and a few obscurities – there were no visible cracks in the solidarity but that the seed of suspicion in the justice system had been sown was apparent.

The Babri controversy – first the demolition and then the verdict – has left a deep mark on the Muslim psyche. They have not only become acutely conscious of their Muslim minority identities but have also started feeling the need for a proper Muslim body to represent them in Indian politics. “No political party gives our demands and welfare any thought, it’s only the votes they need,” is the general opinion. “So even if we hate the Congress, we have to vote for it to stop the BJP from coming to power.”

Everybody agreed on one point – that the Babri verdict was disappointing. That the court could turn a supposed-to-be-a-myth into a fact of history without proper evidence – the evidence provided by the Archaeological Survey of India has been contested by other prominent historians like Romila Thapar – deeply perturbs them.

Disappointed though with the court’s ‘appease all’ verdict, many students supported it. They feel the court has done a wise thing by dividing the disputed plot. The situation was very tense in many parts of the country before the verdict came out. Had the court ruled in favour of the Muslims, there could have been riots at several places. The verdict, coupled with the repeated appeals by the State for peace and the option of approaching the Supreme Court, helped cool down tempers.

“What we don’t want now is bloodshed. Several lives would have been endangered if the court had ruled in our favour,” said a north Indian student.

A minority of the students chose to look at Justice S.U. Khan as one of them first before considering him as a judge. And if he, a Muslim, had agreed to the fact that the mosque was built on the ruins of a temple, they believe that there is some truth in it. And if it’s built on the ruins of a temple, the entire plot should be given to the Hindus for the construction of a temple and the mosque should be rebuilt somewhere else, they added. Apparently, Justice Khan has ruled that Babri was built on the ruins of a temple, but added that nothing was destroyed.

The first reaction on Babri, when I had first approached the students, was a cautious “Let’s approach the Supreme Court and wait for the judgment.” But as time went by and the students got more involved, they did a volte-face. “Going to the SC is a sheer waste of time and money. By the time the judgment comes out, another 60 years would have passed.”
Reconciliation, to them, seemed a better proposition. But nobody agreed on how to divide the plot where once the Babri Masjid stood. The parties involved, however, would have to approach the settlement very carefully, for they would have to work on a tightrope, and any slip might flare up religious passions.

“In our village nobody knows about Babri and the Ram temple issue.” This comment, coming from a Muslim from a BJP ruled state struck me as something different. “We are more concerned about the exploitation by mine owners than a dispute over a masjid and a temple. I came to hear of the whole issue when I went to Dharwad for my higher studies,” added the student from Bellary district in Karnataka. And he came up with a novel idea – “Why not build a university at the disputed site?”

There were no takers for Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s claim that the post-Babri demolition generation was not concerned about the issue. On the contrary, the students said they were concerned about the matter, though it may not leave any direct affect on their daily lives.

Many people are cautioning against the rise in militancy following the verdict, as in the Godhra case, but it seems that they have categorised and equated the whole Muslim community with insurgents. Students acknowledged the problem but distanced the community from it. There are several illiterate people in India, and hardliners may somehow brainwash them into militancy. But the same could be the case with Hindus.

What was apparent from talking to the students was the failure of the country to be and act as a nation for all its citizens. While some enjoy first class amenities, others are still being treated as second class citizens. Secularism has taken a backseat. The Muslims have been neglected for a long time, and now they are raising their voices for better education and jobs. What they want now is barabari (equality) and bhagidari (equal distribution) in national life. This should come through socio-economic development, but justice on the Babri Masjid issue will return their lost confidence on the concept of equality and sovereignty promised to them by the Indian Constitution.

The Supreme Court or an out of the court settlement, it will take months, or even years, for us to know the final outcome of the issue. For now, it’s a long long wait. Why not try our hands at developing the poorer sections during this time?