Muslims can confront victimisation and vilification by politicians only by empowering themselves, writes Aijaz Zaka Syed* Paying a nuanced tribute to politicians of his time, Samuel Johnson once argued that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. I am sure the good doctor, celebrated more for his one liners than his formidable contribution to English literature, would have come to the same conclusion about the politicians of our time. For politicians are the same everywhere, be it in the land of the free or the world's largest democracy with more than 700 million voters, and even if they happen to be relatively new to their chosen calling, as Varun Gandhi is. This Gandhi is no Mahatma. He was until recently known as a "poor cousin" of Rahul Gandhi, the prime-minister-in-waiting and son of Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born chief of the Congress Party. Not anymore. This illustrious inheritor of the Nehru-Gandhi legacy has been hogging the limelight since he began exhorting the "Hindu brothers" to join hands to banish "Muslim traitors" to Pakistan. That too form the platform of a party that is associated with the people who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. Varun's grandmother, Indira Gandhi, and great grandfather, Nehru, must be turning in their graves. Nehru was a passionate champion of religious tolerance and pluralism. The first prime minister of the country is credited with building the secular, democratic India that we see today. Of course, it's not unusual for Indian politicians to play on voter insecurities and basic instincts by raising all sorts of bogies and spectres. Muslims and other religious minorities are routinely demonised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its many rabid avatars, like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal. In fact, the BJP grew from its once two-member strength in parliament to emerge as the biggest political party after the Congress Party thanks to its hysterical campaign against Muslims in the 1980s and 1990s. Who could ever forget the riots that broke out after the Babri Masjid demolition in December 1992 or the horror of Gujarat in 2002? But the BJP's long spell in power under poet- politician AB Vajpayee seemed to have mellowed the party making it more amenable to reason and the exigencies of ruling a large melting pot of a country. It's not a coincidence that despite his party's rhetoric against Pakistan, relations with the neighbour were at their best under Vajpayee. And after the BJP was driven out of power in 2004 -- punished by the perceptive voters for its smug, India Shining rhetoric -- it appeared as though the party had grown out of its Muslim-bashing days. Even in Narendra Modi's Gujarat, the BJP has been trying hard to woo Muslims. This is why Varun Gandhi's juvenile fantasy of driving Muslims into Pakistan and his vow to cut off the hands that "threaten the Hindus" appear to have come as a surprise even to the BJP. Even though the party is going to ridiculous lengths to both embrace Varun Gandhi as the new mascot of Hindutva as well as to disown his acidic attack on Muslims, it is ironic that the 29-year-old alumnus of the London School of Economics should end up on the BJP's platform. Even more ironically, Varun's mother is a Sikh by birth, a religious minority like the Muslims. Even from his father's side, he is more of a Parsi or Zoroastrian than a Hindu. Varun's paternal grandfather and Indira Gandhi's husband, Feroze Gandhi, was a Zoroastrian. Which is why it's such a tragic irony that the son of Sikh-Zoroastrian parents should be trying to cash in his electoral chips by bashing up another marginalised, religious minority. But then what's new? India's Muslims are used to being exploited either as a vote bank by secular parties or as a target board by extremist Hindu groups. It seems that when it comes to Muslims, anybody can get away with murder. And most politicians do, at least figuratively. No wonder Varun thought this is the shortest and surest route to power and glory. So even though the Election Commission has asked the BJP to take action against this renegade Gandhi, the party will do everything it can to cash in on the nuisance value of this controversy. In any case, who remembers these things once poll results are out? While there have been some protests across India, most Muslims have just dismissed the current episode as just another existential problem that the community faces. Meanwhile, the Congress Party, headed by Varun's aunt, is hoping to make the most of the issue presenting itself as the only party that can "protect the Muslims". But Muslims should know better. After all, it was during Congress rule that the Ayodhya tragedy took place. If Muslims, or for that matter other minorities, want to deal with the Varun Gandhi's of this world, they will have to come up with better and more constructive solutions. Protests and marches, although ideal in a democratic setup, only make heroes of desperate politicians. In this respect, India's Muslims could learn a lesson or two from the Jews. Their clout in the US is the stuff of legends, and rightly so. No politician from either of the two main US parties can challenge the Jewish narrative, let alone target the community. Indeed, Jewish control over the US establishment, the media and global institutions is complete. Imagine a Varun Gandhi trying these histrionics in the US against the Jews. He wouldn't know what hit him. I am not suggesting that Muslims manipulate world powers and institutions as the Jews do. But they will have to organise and empower themselves if they want to deal with the kind of witch-hunts they face from time to time. India's Muslims are often seen as king-makers and are supposed to play a decisive role in battleground states during India's elections. This is why come elections, politicians of all hues line up to woo minority voters. This hasn't protected India's Muslims, however, from being targeted by all sides. Even an upstart like Varun Gandhi finds them tempting prey. This situation can change only when the Muslims empower themselves --economically, educationally and politically -- just as the Jews have. While India is dreaming big, looking to be the next mass power, the country's second largest community is struggling on all fronts. It's behind even the Dalits, the low caste Hindus once considered "untouchables". Indeed, Muslims have little or no presence in the national media or institutions that play a role in opinion formation and decision-making in India. I was the only Muslim in the newspaper of nearly 200 journalists for which I worked back in India. This is not to suggest that yours truly is exceptionally talented, but is meant as a reflection on the state of affairs of my community. As long as this doesn't change, Muslims can do little to deal with people like Varun Gandhi, except pray to the Almighty for a change in their hearts. * The writer is opinion editor of Khaleej Times.
