Opinion

A question for Mr. Owaisi

It would be interesting to ask him: do you support religious freedom of Muslims?

August 22, 2017

Muslim fundamentalists demand all rights for their coreligionists except this one! Read on

In a recent television debate with senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy, All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi continuously harped on the theme of religious freedom. He mentioned Article 25 of the Constitution in which the “freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion” is enshrined. He faked as being the champion of liberty, as we shall see.

The debate was carried out in the context of love jihad, specifically the alleged conversion of the Kerala woman Akhila to Islam

Let’s first see what Owaisi and his goons do when it comes to liberty. PTI reported on August 9, 2007, how the noted Bangladeshi novelist Taslima Nasreen was roughed up by activists of the AIMIM at a book release in Hyderabad. “A group of 20 MIM workers, led by MLAs Afsar Khan, Ahmed Pasha and Mozum Khan, stormed the Press Club premises and raised slogans against the author.” They “attacked the press photographers, damaged the furniture and glass panes and some of them reached the dais, and roughed up the novelist.”

A couple of days after the assault on Nasreen, Owaisi threatened to implement a “fatwa” of a death sentence against her. “There is a fatwa against her and the fatwa is one and all for the entire Muslim world, whether it is Salman Rushdie or Taslima Nasreen,” he said. “If Taslima makes another visit to Hyderabad, yes we will try to implement the fatwa on her.”

Owaisi’s followers indulge in violent protests, assault a writer, that too a lady, threatens to get her murdered—and yet has the cheek to feign as a votary of freedom!

“Most conversions to Islam are not voluntary; blackmail, inducement, and other immoral methods are used in the process.”

He also supports the deeply misogynist Muslim personal law. When asked by an interviewer as to why he was against the implementation of Uniform Civil Code, he said, “My question is there are 16 Directive Principles in the Indian Constitution. Why don’t we have a debate on how to implement the 16 principles, why only one? Secondly, one of the Directive Principles says impose prohibition. Will you do it? Do you understand that a country like Sri Lanka has a different personal law for Muslims? Also, Scotland and England have two different criminal legal systems. Diversity is the strength of this country…” (The Hindu, July 13, 2013).

Notice the typical red herrings—prohibition, Sri Lanka, Scotland, England. Also, notice the sanctimoniousness—diversity.

In the debate, Swamy said the girl in question was to be taken to Syria as a comfort woman for jihadists of the Islamic State. Further, he pointed out a pattern: most conversions to Islam are not voluntary; blackmail, inducement, and other immoral methods are used in the process. Islam has no problems in using these methods, the BJP leader said, but the Indian Constitution has.

“He supports religious freedom of non-Muslims, but does he also support the religious freedom of Muslims? “

It is a well-known fact that ignorant, unsuspecting, and often vulnerable people are brought into the fold of Islam. Owaisi would have us believe that they exercise their right to freedom of religion. But what about the obverse side of the coin, about the Muslims embracing some other faith? It would be interesting to know his views on the subject.

For the punishment for apostasy in Islam is death. Like the fatwa which “is one and all for the entire Muslim world,” we would like to know what Owaisi says about the punishment for apostasy. He supports religious freedom of non-Muslims, but does he also support the religious freedom of Muslims? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander—does he believe in this adage?

Generally, Muslim fundamentalists demand all rights for their coreligionists except this one! And are invariably in standing for this right of non-Muslims!Therefore, a dyed-in-the-wool Islamist like Owaisi is unlikely to answer in the affirmative. Or he can take recourse to Taqiya, a legitimate Muslim practice that allows the faithful to practice dissimulation and deception. Still, it would be interesting to ask him a simple question: Mr Owaisi, do you support religious freedom of Muslims?

Note:
1.The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.