As electioneering begins for Lok Sahba 2019, the BJP openly turns anti-minority and no one has the guts to rein-in the Yogi-turned-politician Adityanath who does not mince words in his pro-majority and anti-minority views. Clearly, difficult times ahead for Muslims as Noida bans Namaz in a public park and the next few weeks are likely to witness the Ram Mandir crescendo.

After its recent defeat in the state elections in three states –Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, the ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janta Party seems clear about abandoning the development agenda and replacing it with the Hindutva call to build the Ram Mandir, Supreme Court notwithstanding and to freely allow states like Uttar Pradesh to up the ante and make life difficult for the biggest minority –Muslims, in the country.

“Mullah Ko Jo Hai Hind Mein Sajde Ki Ijazat Nadan Ye Samajhta Hai Ke Islam Hai Azad!”

It seems that India’s progress towards secularism is through the police. The Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh asked its police to stop Muslims from offering their Friday prayers in the community park of Sector 58 of Noida, offering the classic reasoning that “Community parks must not be used for religious purposes.”

It is a different matter that the same park can be used for loitering, unabashed love-making and maybe an RSS drill exercise in the wee hours of the mornings, but a big No to Muslim prayers.

Less than 25 kilometres from India’s national capital, the upcoming town city of Noida, which is meant to showcase India’s progress in the telecom, education and internet sectors, is witnessing a paradigm shift to becoming a hub of political experimentation against minorities.

Since 2013, Muslims from around the locality, for want of a bigger public space have been using the park for Namaz. Now, the police has not only issued ban orders but has sent notices to 23 multi-national companies hiring Muslim employees that in case any of their employees is found using the community park in Sector 58 for religious purposes, the company employing them would be held responsible.  On 14 December, the police detained Mufti Noman Akhtar and his associate Aadil Rasheed, though they were later let off on bail. So much for democracy!

Allama Iqbal (Sir Mohammed Iqbal) when confronted with the state of minorities, especially Muslims in independent India post -1947, could not help but say,

“Mullah Ko Jo Hai Hind Mein Sajde Ki Ijazat
Nadan Ye Samajhta Hai Ke Islam Hai Azad!”

With due apologies to the great saintly poet, I wish to add,

“Ab toh sajde ki izzazat bhi nahi hai,
Khatre mein Musalman ki zindagi kaise hogi azaad!”