I Don’t have Muslim friends!

 Last heard, we have had 7 blasts in the heart of our “Garden city”. Lately, Bangalore has become a prime target of some lunatics. As expected, initial reports suggest LeT and SIMI’s involvement. At times I wonder how can people commit such inhuman crimes? How can people plant a bomb knowing that it might kill an innocent child or a helpless woman? Where do such organizations get their people? I don’t have in-depth knowledge about these organizations nor am I an expert in religious outfits. But there is something which I’ve felt as an individual, growing up in a secular society -a social phenomenon which might be responsible for all these animal like killings by these religious outfits.

 

During my growing up years (and I’m talking about the time when I thought I was just an Indian – later I realized that I am an upper caste Brahmin, a Hindu and a Non Marathi North Indian), I had many friends from different sections of the society including the Muslims. Infact a couple of my best friends were Muslims.

 

At that point of time, I always thought that there was something fundamentally wrong with our system. This belief was based on my experience with my Muslim friends. They all were well educated young boys who would sit with me and watch India – Pakistan cricket match, and I never had any doubts which team they were supporting. I still remember watching an India Pakistan match at one of my Muslim friend’s house. We won (wins against Pakistan were rare those days) and we all (including his parents) were jumping with joy.

 

But with the passage of time, as I grew up, went to college, then to a B School and then I started working, I suddenly realized that I hardly know any Muslims. Its not that I don’t like them or I avoid them. The reason of me not having Muslim friends was very simple. I hardly met any at high school, or college, or B School or at work.

 

The point that I’m trying to make is (and it can be my assumption) that the total number of Muslims in high school and college reduced significantly as compared to the Basic school. And we are talking about a section which represents close to 15% of the total population of our country (compare this to around 2% of Christens and 1.8% Sikhs). So my chance of bumping into a Muslim is much more then that of meeting a Christen or a Sikh in a normal society (I would like to believe that I live in a normal society).

 

As mentioned earlier, it might be a personal observation but I very firmly believe that Muslims have been marginalized. They are no longer part of the mainstream life in India. And they are as responsible for this as anyone else. Is it a mere co incidence that I didn’t meet a single Muslim in my high school or in college? And if what I’m thinking is true (fewer number of Muslims attended high schools and colleges), then we know why I don’t have many Muslims working with me at my work place. Its a very simple equation – good education is directly proportional to good job which is directly proportional to your mainstream (read social) life.

 

I have nothing against religious faiths and beliefs. And to be very honest, I don’t have much idea what they teach at Madarsaas. But you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the Madarsaas have failed to keep up the pace with the this ever changing world.

 

No wonder young Muslim boys coming out of Madarsaa system have no basic knowledge required to stand on the same platform given to other young boys and girls who are the products of the modern education system in India.

 

No wonder the socio economic condition of Muslims in India is deteriorating. No wonder Muslims are suffering from social evils like unemployment, poverty and marginalization. No wonder, there is an alarming trend of increase in numbers of inhuman activities like the Mumbai and Bangalore serial blasts by Muslim terrorist organization like SIMI and Let.

 

Lets not forget that these organizations have stood up against the very foundation of our country and they do manage to carry out their inhuman activities against the whole Nation. And we all are responsible for it one way or the other. But something inside me says that the root cause of all this evil is the absence of Muslims around me – in colleges and at the work place. And nobody else but Muslims themselves are responsible for this because they themselves chose to marginalized themselves from the general education system.