Be a HUMAN not a HINDU or a MUSLIM

Just watched a movie named  "Firaaq". A movie which chronicles the devastating impact on vulnerable Muslims in Gujarat after the riots of 2002. I am not going to give a critical review of the movie. I have been waiting for ages to write about my feelings on the HINDU - MUSLIM  topic.  

Wait a second ..  did I just call this a TOPIC? 

Yeah, this is the topic which has remained in our society since the time Muslims entered India.The topic which acts as a catalyst in riots, which is the main topic for vote bank, the topic behind hatred, 

the topic behind political games (much more complicated than Game Of Thrones), the topic which our celebrities use to show that they so cool and modern and what not.....

What surprises me is that this has remained mere a topic for people to spread terror, selfishness, and dispute on political levels or even for self-defense etc. 

On every Republic day, Independence day, birthday of a freedom fighter or even a war in any part of the world, most of us (mostly youth) share posts on social media and share what they feel and show how patriotic they are. Each and every news channel keeps a panel discussion where every political party show how much they care about these issues, how much they care for minorities.  Whenever there is a terrorist attack (no doubt mostly Jihadis are behind them) anywhere in the world, we start sharing condolence to the victims and hatred to all the Muslims we know. The latest example of this is the terrorist attack which took place in Paris in November 2015. Everyone was changing his/her profile picture on social media to support Paris. And within a few days, France took revenge through brutal bombings on innocent citizens of Syria, mostly children. I am not saying it was a wrong or right decision. But you gotta accept that there were very few, who came forward to support Syria. Why? Just because most of the Jihadis belong from Syria it doesn't mean that everyone living there is a terrorist. Did Ajmal Kasab (one of the Jihadis in Mumbai attack of 26/11) ask every person before killing whether he/she was a Muslim or a Hindu? 

As a citizen, we talk about social rights and humanity. But When it comes to individuality, why do we kill the humanity in us? Why becoming a two-faced person is the new fashion? 

Everyone keeps on sharing how Muslims hate Hindus and how Hindus hate Muslims. I would like to share incidents of my life where I have encountered paradigms of the so-called typical HINDU-MUSLIM topic in my life.

Incident 1:

I belong from a region where Casteism exists in its highest level. A place where being a Muslim is similar to being a criminal and no doubt many notorious criminals of the area are Muslims. But that's two different things, i.e being a Muslim and being a Criminal who is a Muslim. 

Whenever a Muslim or a person from lower cast visits a HINDU'S house, they are served food and water in utensils which are kept for that particular purpose. 

So, there was an occasion in a nearby village where my family was invited.  I belong from a so-called Upper cast. No doubt, me and my family were welcomed in such a good way which even 

I enjoyed. Later that day, on the same occasion there was a power failure. So an electrician was called to fix it. This guy(electrician)  named Ahmed was a 55-60-year-old Muslim with long white beard and was wearing a kufi( a cap which Muslims wear during Namaz ) and kurta (the proper Muslim dress ).  Children playing nearby started teasing him with the name "one may", they would go near him and touch him and would say mockingly " o term,  ab Kahana yoga, Mujhe my new choo Liya " (Oh, I would have to take a bath as I have been touched by a Muslim ). To my surprise, all Ahmed did was, pass a smile on them.  Many elders were there. They could have taught those children that this was wrong, but no one cared about this. This event could have traumatized anyone.

Incident 2:

 That time I was in class 12th  when I met my childhood friend Shahrukh( not the Bollywood king khan) after 6 years. I was living in P.G in Delhi. He has come to Delhi for medical check up. He had a problem in both his kidneys due to which he had to visit doctors once every month. He insisted on Me, visiting his uncle's home for lunch. To which I first said NO. I don't know why.

Maybe  I was afraid of him being a Muslim.  Next month he met me, again and again,  insisted me for visit to his uncle's home for lunch. This time I could do nothing but say yes. 

So here I was, with my friend in Metro, heading towards the Hauz Khas metro station. 

Finally, We were in the locality where his Uncle lived. The condition of the locality didn't seem good. After climbing the stairs of two floors we were in front of his uncle's home. His aunt opened the door for us. Shahrukh told her "Salaam wale Kum" to which she replied "Walikum salam". I was there standing confused about what to do. Shahrukh told her aunt "He is My friend, He lives and studies in Delhi".I was completely blank, so I just touched her feet as we do in Hindu religion to show respect to elders. To my surprise, she smilingly told me "Khus raho" as we say to the youngers in Hindu religion. I met with his Uncle and did the same thing and got the same lovely response from him as I got from aunt. So there I was sitting inside a Muslim's house. I was afraid as I hadn't told about this to any of my friend or family member. Uncle was asking me about my studies and my family. Aunt was preparing the lunch for us. Most of the time I was thinking what they would be thinking about me. Was it right for me to be there without telling my parents? And one of the stupid thought which was going inside my stupid mind was whether they would mix beef in my food? Was I going to lose my religion? I was thinking only those things which I had been listening since my childhood.

Finally, Lunch was served. And It wasn't served on a dining table. Carpets were properly laid in the room. The utensil used were so decorative and shining. Aunt had made Egg Curry for us. I and My Friend were served food on the same plate. And before having the meal we had to tell our prayers to God for giving us such a good life. Believe me, I have never eaten such a delicious Egg Curry in my whole life which I ate that day. I was almost full when I saw that none of them had left a single piece of rice as a waste. So I did the same. And finally, we drank water in the same type of glasses.

After leaving, there were many questions in my mind. Along the whole way to my P.G, I was thinking,  whether I lost my religion or my cheap mentality and false stereotypes regarding Muslims. All I remember is that this incident changed my way of thinking about Muslims. 

You can choose from both the incidents whichever you think suits your mentality. And it will answer your querries whether your views regarding the TOPIC HINDU - MUSLIM is correct or not.

There have been many such incidents which hightened the tension between HINDUS and MUSLIMS. Be it the JNU incident were a Muslim boy was declared as a Pakistani by our media and our politicians which helped them to get an edge over the HINDU votes. Be it the Babri masjid case where the misdeed of a well-known politician led to the occurrence of a such a shameful act which in turn led to the Mumbai riots leading to Mumbai bomb blasts in the 90s. Be it Gujrat Godhra riots of 2002. It doesn't matter who was killed by whom or who was responsible for it. All it matters that one human was killed by another human and that too regarding  a worthless issue whether a  Masjid or a Temple would be built. I mean who cares? If people were so religious and faithful to God, would there be rapes, theft, corruption? No one cares about what is right or wrong. All we care is to show that we are superior to others, to show that we are powerful than others, to believe that we can control others. How could we blindly follow those leaders who had done nothing but corruption? A politician comes and says on Live TV that killing MUSLIMS in riots was self-defense. There is an idiot MUSLIM who keeps on saying himself as a preacher and supports the works of Jihadis as a correct deed by QURAN. And people are so stupid to follow such type of people. And yet we call ourselves a literate citizen of the largest democratic country. There are parties supported by politicians which operate on the basis of religion/caste. The parties and leaders which can do  whatever they want and claim themselves as protector of the HINDU/MUSLIM religion are a threat to the democracy.  There was a recent case where a college girl claimed the death of his dad a result of war and within days this became a national issue. Famous personalities came forward and started showing their views on this issue. I mean citizens of this country are so jobless to give their attention on each and every such small issue? Corruption flows in each and every vein of every system of our country and we educated people rather than fixing it, are busy blaming each other for their deeds. We see only those things which our media wants to show us, we listen only that thing which they want us to hear. We are just like a herd of sheep. Newton has given us the basic simple solution to all the problems in his third law. If I am good to others, no matter what, good will happen to me. If I am bad, bad will happen to me.

"An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind" - Mahatma Gandhi

These two lines from a poem explain it all:
"Kya Bashar ki bisat , aaj hai kal nahin"
which means that a man's worth is never permanent.

So just be a HUMAN and not a HINDU or a MUSLIM.