RISNA and Ramadan
ISNA and RIS conventions and Ramadan's Decision Not to Attend them!

To attend or not to attend the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and RIS conventions has become a scintillating debate between Tariq Ramadan, his supporters and the leadership of the two groups and their followers. Ramadan has declined to attend the ISNA for being politically timid and RIS for its apolitical stances. ISNA and RIS supporters have tried to defend their organizations by claiming that they were not isolationists and they have always spoken about political issues of the day. Ramadan is an intelligent thinker and he is entitled to decide the use of his time and knowledge as he deems fit. ISNA and RIS have had conventions before his arrival on the Muslim scene and would continue to be active regardless of the participation of him or anyone else..

Ramadan’s presence or absence would not bring down the number of participants in the ISNA convention and his decision to attend the convention would be forgotten by the people soon. His decision to decline the invitation is not the issue, rather the real issue is the relevance of these conventions to Islam and Muslims in the context of socio-political conditions the community faces at this time

Are they really relevant?  There is no doubt that these forums provide participants to be reminded of their Muslim heritage with an opportunity to network with fellow Muslims. But beyond, that they have not served much.

Ask any participants of these conventions to name the themes of the previous five conventions and you should not be surprised to find out that not many were able to offer accurately respond. Ask them to identify issues discussed in these conventions with an eye to bringing about changes in the conditions of people and you would be lucky if you find a few to articulate the proceedings clearly.

Conventions, by their nature, are meant to give a sense of identity, a sense of belonging and a sense of networking with individuals who otherwise remain immersed in their own work and the world. It is a good forum in making one feel better about one’s religion, community or ideology.

Conventions could be sources of change and could impact the thinking of the people provided the leadership makes them relevant. After all, people spend millions of dollars to attend this function and there should be a measurable return to the investment people make besides counting the reward.

ISNA and RIS have often refrained from raising relevant issues and avoided discussions on substance. These subjects are neither educational, nor motivational, nor political nor future-oriented. At best they are emotionally and psychologically feel good events without any substantial changes in the community affairs.

There are several serious issues that the Muslim community in the US and the Wes faces along with the countries from where the majority of the Muslims have migrated from.

Unless those issues are dealt with in a significant manner in such big gatherings of Muslims, the conventions would not reach their true potential.

The Muslim community suffers from serious internal as well as external challenges. Internally, the Muslim community is plagued by authoritarianism, racism, classicism, ethnocentrism, gender discrimination, sectarianism, male chauvinism, domestic abuse, child abuse, disrespect to labor, violence, and terror as a means to resolve one’s differences, personality cult, and arrogance of piety, etc. To say that Islam is opposed to all these vices is one thing while sensitizing the community about the prevalence of these issues is another. These conventions, by and large, have ignored these issues.  Not many speakers including Ramadan or ISNA leadership has seriously discussed them in greater details.

Racism as practiced in the Muslim world as well in the Masajid and Islamic centers is not hidden from anyone. Discrimination against women in our places of worship and Islamic organizations is also not unknown to most especially women. In the name of God and traditions, women are forced to take a second class citizens' role within the Muslim institutions.  Their presence in Islamic institutions is considered a source of deviation and their involvement in Islam related work is often looked down upon. Spousal abuse and its implications for Islam are totally absent from debate in general. The way they are forced to take a back seat in masajid speaks volumes of the secondary role they are given in religious matters.

The dignity of labor is hardly an issue discussed in these conventions. In fact, none of the organizations created in the name of Islam can claim to follow the labor laws internationally agreed upon. In Muslim societies, the dignity of labor does not simply exist as those who are actually involved in producing are often the most neglected ones. There are practically no labor laws to protect the dignity of workers in the Gulf countries and rarely anyone talks about that.

Sectarianism is overwhelmingly dominated. The conventions are not the forums of open discussion, but stages to promote a particular clique or group. The Shia-Sunni divide is visible and hardly anyone makes efforts to bridge the gap and seek reconciliation. The token presence of the various sects is often secured to avoid criticism, but by and large, the leadership is not convinced about the authenticity of others as a genuine religious community.

Violence against minorities and non-dominant sects are hardly the issue of these conventions. As if the murder and killings of minorities and people of other sects are inconsequential. Often, these conventions invited speakers who in their writing and speeches have promoted sectarianism. The conventions have become a source of fanning sectarian differences.

Issues pertaining to apostasy, blasphemy, second class, freedom of religions to minorities in Muslim countries are rarely talked about.

One hardly finds an inspiration to change in these conventions. One hardly hears about issues such as environment, poverty, ecological imbalance, pollution, diseases or an agenda or program for the participants to follow.

Externally, issues such as how to deal with modernity, how to interact with non-Muslims through existing Muslim institutions, how to be an integral part of the community Muslims live in and how to create institutions helpful for people are not on the agenda.

These conventions have the potential to be effective and relevant. But they are not, because they lack a democratic structure in their organization. They are run to promote an agenda created by a closed-door group selected on the basis of ethnic, cultural or ideological lines. They are not open. They are close to even new ideas. In this context, it is irrelevant whether Ramadan attends it does not.

If these conventions do not take place for a couple of years, the Muslim community and country, as well as Islam, would not miss them. No one would feel their absence as the majority of Muslims in America still do not know about these organizations.

Always blaming the West for our wrongs: Is that good Islam?

In Pakistan, an armed group claiming to represent Islam tried to capture the Karachi airport. In Iraq, a group claiming to be Islamic killed 1,700 members of the Iraqi army in the name of Islam. In Nigeria, an Islamic group abducted 300 women and called it part of their Islamic struggle. In Syria, with the help of Iran, Lebanon, and others, the regime caused millions to flee the country and the opposition did not show any mercy to those partnering the regime.
The typical response of Muslims is that the western powers are responsible for all that. Or the world media is involved in an anti-Islam campaign or the groups responsible for these acts are outside the pale of Islam.
Many suggest that these groups are sponsored by anti-Islam powers and are sustained by their money and arms. They even suggest that even suicide bombers are trained by anti-Islam powers.
Only an insane can believe such people. Regardless, whether they are sponsored by the anti-Islam forces or by fringe Islamic groups, the main responsibility to question their legitimacy, existence, and ideology belongs to Muslim leadership and intelligentsia as well as governments.
If they are sponsored by anti-Islamic forces, then it is the responsibility of Muslim media, and governments expose them and prosecute them for inciting violence or acting against the interests of their people. By simply making the assertion that foreign agents are involved in such acts, the problem will not go away. It will linger and create havoc.
Those who say that they are fringe groups of Islam also need to be more active in substantiating their claim. Why have they not spoken about such tendencies within their own communities? Why have they not taken a stand against groups that distort Islam and the divine message? Why do not they question their legitimacy in matters of deen?
The fact is that the house of Islam is divided vertically and horizontally and we are not willing to accept and admit it. The fact is that there is little tolerance among Muslims to accommodate a minority perspective  The reality is that we do not condone violence the way we should have done. We have scholars who constantly tell us that those who blaspheme our religion should be killed. We have learned people who tell us that apostates should be killed and we have the clergy that tells us that we are the only people who are sincere in our commitment to God.
We do not have one definition of Islam and one style of Islam. There are vast differences and in the mind of each of these different groups, the others are deviant or incomplete Muslims. Look at the differences that exist among shias and sunnis or among salafis, tablighi or ikhwanis and you will not be surprised to find the level of hatred they have towards each other.
The sectarian and factional divisions that exist and manifest themselves are self-evident. They have caused our people to live in perpetual fear of the other or in the perpetual idea of superiority, that is, in fact, a sense of inferiority. Many of us have brought this sectarian bias in our new homes in Europe, Australia and Americas. Thus, our masajid are divided on ideological lines. Anyone who questions the existing practices is discounted and often humiliated. There is hardly any dialogue on the real issues. Even among scholars, such discourse is non-existent. Our scholars are mostly used to monologue and if anyone questions their perspective, he or she is discarded. We have developed an authoritarian culture in our masajid and institutes.
How is it possible that we can serve the cause of the divine who describes Himself as the Lord of the universe. We act as lords of our own territories and then reject all those who do not identify our views.
Our extremism is evident towards women and others who do not subscribe to our views. Women are assigned the least pleasant space in the masjid. They are considered a fitna for men and their acts of worship in masajid are generally not approved favorable. Even in societies where equality has been constitutionally accepted, they do not find in Masajid equal and respectable space.
With those whom we have differences, we are quick to dismiss them as non-Muslims or deviants. We are quick to humiliate others and deprive him or her of his dignity and yet we claim that we consider everyone equal. We would not let a non-conformist to come to our masajid and give a talk. We have problems in seeing the people of other sects pray in our masajid.
There are no effective policies to run our masajid even in the US. We have by laws, but how many masajid follow the bylaws. Our masajid deal with cash and many of our religious teachers and scholars are offered cash incentives. None of them report this to the IRS and no one talks about tax evasion.
How long we will continue to live in this duplicity and apathy. If we want to reclaim our Islam, we have to empower ourselves with the true understanding of the Quran by relating ourselves to it without the intervention of any individual or group. We have to develop internal strength in our convictions and commitments to Allah. We have to realize that we are here in this world to lead a self-disciplined life to ensure that show our responsibility toward fellow humans and to God, Almighty.
It is easy to blame others for the wrongs that are prevalent in our community. It is tough to look at ourselves critically. But that is the only way to improve ourselves. The Quran and its message offer itself as a criterion and the character and Sunnah of the Prophet give an example to evaluate and make an educated decision about ourselves. Once we do that, we would reclaim our Islam. Otherwise, we would remain confused and would confuse others.

Shaban: A pragmatic approach to understanding some of the practices

Sha'ban is the eight-month of the Islamic lunar calendar. In the pre-Islamic era, the month following Rajab was regarded as a month of trade and warfare and other worldly affairs. Ibn Kathir explains that during this month the tribes would plan plunders and raids after the month of Rajab.

In Islamic traditions, the month came to be known as the month of supplementary fasting. Umma Salama explains that the Prophet used to observe supplementary fasting for almost the entire month of Sha'ban. (Abu Dawood: 2336)

Ummul Momineen (mother of the believer) Ayesha also reported that the Prophet liked the month of Sha'ban more than any other month as far as supplementary fasting is concerned. (Bukhari: 1969)

However, there are ahadith that suggest the prophet prohibited people from fasting after the 15 of Sha'ban. Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet said, “when half of the Sha'ban is over, do not fast.” (Nasai: 2351)

Some scholars argue that this recommendation is for those who are weak and who fear a decline in health for excessive pre-Ramadan fasting.

The Prophet is also reported to have said as narrated by Abu Huraira, None of you should fast during the last days of Sha'ban for one or two days except those who are habitual of fasting regularly. (Bukhari: Book of Fasting)

The month of Sha'ban is also known as a month of Laylatul Bara (Night of Salvation), Laylatul Rahmah (Night of Mercy), or Laylatul Mubaraka (Night of Blessings) or the Shabe Barat (Night of Salvation, Persian) in South Asian and Central Asian traditions The night of fifteenth of Sha'ban is observed as a blessed night in certain parts of the world and people make special prayers, or visit cemeteries and graveyard and spend the whole night offering supplementary prayers in a specific way. However, there are scholars who do not regard this night a blessed night and they say that none of the ahadith quoted to support the sanctity of the night are authentic. Among those scholars are Abu Bakr bin Al-Arabi and Shaikh Abdullah bin Baz.

They also refute the claim of many other scholars who say that verses three and four of Surah (chapter) Dukhan refers to the night of nisf Shaaban and describes it a blessed night.

Those who say that the fifteenth night of Sha'ban is a special night quote several ahadith that are found in the books of ahadith compiled by Tirmidhi and Ibn Maja. For instance, one such hadith says that Allah comes down on the heaven of the earth on this night and forgives people more than the hair of the goats of the tribe of Kalb. (Tirmidhi: 739) In another hadith, it is reported that Allah gives special favor to His servants on this night and forgives everyone except those who are polytheists and Muslims who have malice and animosity towards their fellow Muslims. (Ibn Maja, 1290). In another hadith, it is mentioned that when the 15th night of Sha'ban arrives, stay the whole night and fast during the following day. On this night Allah descends on the first heaven and stays there until the dawn and guarantees His servants forgiveness, sustenance and salvation from calamities. (Ibn Maja: 1388) Another hadith says that on the night of the 15th of Sha'ban Allah offers special mercy to His creation and with the exception of two people, He forgives all: the one who has malice towards others in his heart and the other who takes the life of fellow human being unjust. (Ahmad: 2:176)

In the book Fazail ul Auqat by Baihaqi, it is mentioned that on this night all the names of those who would be born and who would die in this year are presented to Allah and on this night, the decision about sustenance is made. The same book also suggests that there are five specific nights in which the prayers of people are never rejected, the night of Rajab, the night of Nisf Shaaban, the night of Juma, the night of Eid ul Fitr, the night of Eid ul Adha.

Scholars such as Hasan al-Basari and Albani consider all the above-mentioned ahadith fabricated or weak and deny the special status of this night.

During the night, people offer special prayers. There is a tradition of offering 100 raka's (unit of prayer) with Surah Ikhlas and Surah al-Hamd, 1000 times in each Raka. Some people offer 12 or 14 Rakas while reciting Surah Akhlas 30 times in each. Abdul Qayyim Aljauzi and Imam Nawawi describe these prayers as innovations that must be avoided.

In this night people spend their time and resources in fireworks in certain parts of the world. Some offer special food to their friends and relatives and the poor and the needy. Some people change their crockery on this night and others paint their dwellings as tokens of blessings. Many people also believe that the souls of the dead people visit the world on this night.

But, Ahmad bin Hajr and Mullah Ali Qari (Miratul Mafateeh: 4:243) describes all these practices as innovations and un-Islamic.

Finally, some people quote the hadith mentioned in Tirmidhi (663) that the prophet asked: which day of fasting is the best after the fasting of Ramadhan and then he replied: the fast of Shaaban that is observed in honor of Ramadan. Shaikh Albani describes this a fabricated hadith.

The above discussion clearly demonstrates that the house of Islam is divided on the issue of the significance of the nisf Sha'ban. There are three positions taken by people, scholars included.

1. Those who consider this night a blessed night and recommend that special prayers should be offered from evening to dawn.

(2) Those who consider this night as a night of socialization and display of special skills and talents besides considering it a night for visiting the cemeteries and graveyards.

(3) Those who reject any special significance of this night and describe every act of worship besides obligatory prayers as innovation.

Obviously, these are strong opinions and each side produces its own interpretation of the Quran and references from ahadith in support of its claim. The masses as usual either act in a partisan manner or remain confused.

So, how should we look at this whole debate? Should we observe or should we not observe this night? What would happen if we observe it or if we do not? What is authentic and inauthentic? Because those who are quoting ahadith in support of their argument claim that their references are authentic and those who are rejecting it are labeling others as unauthentic.

It is really a matter of serious concern that in the last 1100 years of our recorded history, we do not find much effort seeking a reconciliation of opposite views. Rather, our scholars have indulged in debates about the validity or non-validity of certain activities on the basis of their perspectives on halal and haram. We cannot change the past, but we can certainly impact the future.

Those who consider this night sacred should realize a few things.

1. Allah is not only the Rabb (Lord) of 15th Sha'ban or Ramadan, but the Rabb of the whole year and all the years.

2. He listens to each and every one of us whenever we call him.

3. The issues pertaining to our life and death and sustenance occur on the basis of the divine laws that we are not fully aware of.

4. Ibadat or acts of worship are serious matters and they should never be lost sight of.

Those who do not regard this night significant or different than other nights should also realize the following.

1: They are not qualified to declare things halal or haram. This decision belongs to Allah only. They can only express their likes and dislikes.

2. Future research may make us change the perspectives we have today. Hence, to claim that the ultimate truth has been discovered through a methodology adopted by our scholars is a contestable issue.

3. Those who observe this night as special are as sincere in their commitment to their deen as others are. 

Those who use this night to show their special skills or to have fireworks should also realize that the purpose of life is to remain committed to the divine guidance in all walks of life and there should never be experimenting with the act of worship.

Based on this understanding, we can have the following conclusion.

Those who want to offer special supplementary prayers on this night should do so believing that Allah would respond to the prayers and add to their reward as He never disappoints His servants.

Those who do not consider this night any different than other nights should at least stay away from passing judgment on the level of Iman of those who observe it.

Those who want to show their special skills and talents should direct them to serve the poor and the needy and helpless. Let them spend the night and day visiting the places where the poor dwell, feeding them and giving them a sense of dignity.

As far as those who want to fast, they should remember that the Prophet used to fast on this month more than any another month of the year except for the obligatory month of fasting of Ramadan.

We are the ones who can make anything ordinary and extraordinary through our actions. I would rather listen to Allah about determining the significance of my action than anyone else.

The Hidden Agenda of Modi: Not So Hidden

The BJP led alliance victory has at least assured one thing. No longer can Muslim Indians be accused of living off a policy of official favoritism and appeasement. The Hindu nationalists had always relied on this issue in their electoral strategy. Now they are in power and they can easily stop all such schemes and programs they felt were created to appease Muslims. Moreover, with a clear majority of its parliamentarians, the Modi government is in a position to do what it had always asked the Congress governments to do, i.e., implement universal civil code, amend article 370, and abolish special privileges given to minority institutions. Above all, the Hindu nationalist lawmakers have the ability to take care of anti-nationalists, non-patriotic foreign agents and traitors from places their leadership had described as bastions of terrorism. As the prime minister of the country, Modi now has the privilege to learn firsthand about those Muslims who he always thought believed in the division of the world into Darul Harb and Darul Aman with India being defined as the former.

No doubt development would be the priority. But behind this screen, there is a three-tier agenda that the Modi government would likely to implement as the whispers from RSS and hardcore BJP inner circles suggest.  Through social media forums, internal memos and literature distributed during and after the election as well as speeches delivered to homes and smaller gatherings away from the glamour of the media, one can easily figure out the social engineering that is likely to take place in the next five years under Modi, if the government survives its tenure.

RSS and BJP views of Hindus and India interchangeable. They are inclusive. Others that exist in India may be Indians, but their status is less than those who profess Hinduism as their dharma (way of life). Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism can be defined as part of Hindu society as they are indigenous. Islam and Christianity are imported religions and they cannot be considered part of Hindu civilization unless their adherents renounce their faith.

So when Modi government talks of national development or national policy, we must understand it as referring to Hindu development and policies favoring Hindus.  During the next five years, the BJP would ensure that such policies are formed and implemented in the name of Indian nationalism. India has always allowed a section of people living outside the periphery of mainstream culture as the plight of Dalits suggest and if Muslims replace them as neo-Dalits, no one is going to shed tears.

The real strength of the BJP is over 5 million RSS workers who are disciplined, and loyal. These workers would ensure that the Modi government policies are popularized in public and projected as the best in the interest of the nation.

Public Positions

The main task that the Modi government would start implementing from day one is the appointment of RSS and BJP supporters of non-competitive places in various departments of the public sector. This would mean appointments of individuals considered loyal to RSS and BJP in film censor board, higher, secondary and elementary education boards, bureaucracy, law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, research institutes, universities, courts, etc. In a span of five years, all those who may be considered liberal or secular or supportive of a plural society would find their way out, replaced by those who may still use the same clichés but serve the interests of their ideology. They may find their way in various echelons of government under the façade of secularism. Thus from textbook writings to film production to university and college curriculum, things would notice slow but steady changes.

Development

Through legislation and public funds, companies, and corporations supportive of BJP and RSS would have opportunities to maximize their financial gains. They would determine the labor laws, minimum wages, working conditions and the pace of development. They would develop policies of hiring and firing and decide who would move up from those sections of society who support RSS and BJP agenda. In states where non-BJP government rules, through economic incentives, their opposition would be minimized and climate for an economic alliance would be created.

Hindutva

The RSS and BJP would implement its Hindutva agenda very meticulously avoiding the publicity. Before touching the Rama Mandir issue, the party workers would focus on rural areas, especially in places where minorities are in insignificant numbers. With law enforcement agencies turning blind eyes, many of these communities would be lured back into Hinduism thus changing the demographics of these areas. After all, RSS and its supporters believe that Muslims and Christians were Hindus forcibly converted to their new religion and it is the duty of every Hindu to ensure that the lost sheep are returned to their flock. This would happen in a subtle and organized manner. None of these two communities are organized to even have data about their scattered folks in rural areas. Very few of these communities have actually been approached by Muslim groups in the past 66 years of independence. The majority of them are not even aware of the true dimensions of their faith. All they know is that they were born in Muslim families without realizing the meaning of being a Muslim.

How to combat the Modi Agenda

RSS and BJP are organizations created by people and strong leadership. Muslims can also create strong organizations and leadership. Their leadership must have a vision, a vision of the whole of India not of their party, or community or sect. This vision must be based on the concept of human dignity, of each and everyone and not on the notion of Muslim superiority or supremacy.

The vision must be backed by a grassroots organization, an organization that reaches to the last Muslim living even in the remotest area.

The vision must be popularized through education, an education that does not make a distinction between religious studies and social and natural sciences. An education that is value-based on preparing Muslims to serve humanity through improving their own living conditions. A vision that promotes peace and harmony and that inspires Muslims to forward-thinking.

The education should be imparted through improving existing educational institutions that can adopt a new curriculum based on objective analysis rather than historical claims to subjective negative thinking.

There should be grassroots education movement starting from angan wadi (pre KG schools) and elementary to institutions of higher learning.

Resources

Indian Muslims have tremendous human and material resources. The community runs over a million grassroots madrasas and other similar institutions through its own resources. It also has a strong ally in Muslims, of Indian origin who have settled overseas. Through the combined resources of indigenous and overseas Muslims of Indian origin, Muslims of India can certainly create a new path for them.  But they would need a leadership that is sincere and dedicated to India and the community and those values of Islam that promote peace, human progress, fellowship and human dignity. There is no point in trying to settle issues pertaining to factional and sectarian differences. They are worldwide issues and Muslim Indians alone cannot solve them overnight. What they can do is to ensure that even the weakest of their community is given an opportunity to live with dignity.

The time to act is now, otherwise, it would be too late to respond to the new challenges that would emerge in the next few years. There are many Muslim groups in India and each is busy doing something. But, in general, their program is not beneficial to either Muslims or the country. With the exception in southern and eastern India, especially in Assam, Muslim Indians, by and large, have not created a vision for themselves of India. All they have are some emotional slogans and historical clichés. But a nation does not rise on the basis of clichés and slogans. It rises on the strength of its own will to change it.

Boko Haramis! Who are they?

Boko Haram has created a humanitarian disaster by abducting over 200 girls with the intention to sell them as slaves. It is a group that claims to be Islamic, yet in the eyes of most Muslims, it has nothing to do with Islam. It claims to be a saved sect blessed by God and it believes in the supremacy of the Sharia under the domination of men only authority. Who are Boko Haramis? What are their ideas? Have a look at the article.

In the Northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, one year after the September 2001 al-Qaeda attack in the US, Mohammad Yusuf, who has been part of a group known as Shabaab since 1995 with Mallam Lawal as its leader formed what in the local Hausa language now is known Boko Haram, the Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad or Jamāʻat Ahl as-Sunnah lid-daʻwa wal-Jihād. Yusuf was later killed in a fight with the Nigerian army. Baku supporters accuse that he was captured alive, but tortured to death by the soldiers.

Since its establishment, the group has claimed responsibility for killing over 10,000 people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It now has three splinter groups that are active in Borno, Adamawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Yobe, and Kano.

The ideas of the leadership are influenced by a deceased Nigerian preacher Mohammed Marwa (died 1980), best known by his nickname Maitatsine, a Hausa word meaning "the one who damns" and refers to his curse-laden public speeches against the Nigerian state.

Maitatsine  was originally from Mawra in northeastern Nigeria at one time part of Cameroon. He moved to Kano, Nigeria in about 1945, where he became known for his controversial teachings on the Qur'an. He claimed to be a prophet and a Mujaddid in the image of Sheikh Usman dan Fodio.  He rejected the hadith and the Sunnah and regarded the reading of any other book but the Quran as kufr. He rejected Prophet Muhammad and projected himself as a prophet. He spoke again the use of modern electronic gadgets as well as means of transportation such as bicycle etc.

Boko Haramis want to establish a sharia state in Nigeria. It wants to eliminate the influence of the Western world in the country and the region. The group does not interact with other Muslims in general and are ready to kill anyone who is opposed to them.  The group believes that it is a saved sect. As a privileged group, it is prohibited to study western education. It is against the establishment of schools, especially girls’ schools. Even though the group is opposed to Saudi Arabia for its westernization, it accepts the edicts of scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah to promote their use of violence. Salafis are opposed to the group.

Little is known about the group’s finances. Who gives them resources to buy arms and ammunition? Who supports them financially? Why are able to use modern electronic gadgets to communicate with different groups in the world? What is the literature they circulate among them and who prints them?

What is clear is that their understanding of Islam is built on two notions: self-religious superiority and male chauvinism. Since they believe that they are already a saved sect, they can do whatever they want without being questioned by the divine either here or on the Day of Judgment. They believe that non-Muslims have no rights, and they deserve to be killed for preaching their faith. They believe that modernization is, in fact, westernization and both are bad for Muslims. They want to live in a world where they as men can dictate their terms upon all others and where women and children serve as their slaves. They describe all other Muslim sects as either kafir or murtad (apostates) whose murder is part of their religious duty. They believe in slavery, the subjugation of woman, destruction of places of worship belonging to non-Muslims as well as Muslim deviant sects. They believe in having multiple wives and concubines. In their view, such women can be obtained through armed jihad against deviant Muslim groups. They believe in marrying their daughters at an early age. They quote the verses of the Quran and ahadith to justify their position on slavery, the status of women, rejection of modern education and the use of violence.

Obviously, their understanding of Islam is based on an ideology that has tribal as well as juristic roots. It relies on an understanding of the Quran that calls for perpetual armed struggle against those who think differently from the group claiming to be a saved sect.

Even though the group does not admit to being ignorant of the message and meanings of the Quran, its ideas are not different than what was practiced in Arabia in pre-Islamic times. The group has revived all pre-Islamic ideas while using Islamic terminology.

Boko Haram is not the only Muslim group in the world that can be identified for having such ideas. There are many who view the Quran and Sunnah as a license to promote violence and terror to achieve their goals. How to convince such people that Islam does not promote violence and terror is where the real challenge lies in Muslim intellect.  Obviously, the existence of such groups demonstrates the failure of Muslim intellectuals to meet the challenge effectively, yet the efforts must continue at all levels, political, military, social and more importantly the theological.

Why are Hindus Voting for Modi?

Dinesh Narayanan writing in the May issue of http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/rss-30?page=0,7 Reveals the following.

“In January, I went to meet Shyam Pandharipande, a former journalist who grew up in an RSS family, at his sixth-floor apartment in Nagpur. “I joined the RSS before I joined the school and I completed my RSS training before I graduated from college,” Pandharipande told me. He recalled a revealing episode from his third year of the Sangh’s officer-training camp, in 1970, the last step in becoming a full-time RSS worker. During a question-and-answer session, a volunteer asked Yadavrao Joshi, then the head of Sangh workers across all of south India, “We say RSS is a Hindu organization. We say we are a Hindu nation, India belongs to Hindus. We also say in the same breath that Muslims and Christians are welcome to follow their faith, and that they are welcome to remain as they are so long as they love this country. Why do we have to give this concession? Why don’t we be very clear that they have no place if we are a Hindu country?” According to Pandharipande, Joshi replied: “As of now, RSS and Hindu society are not strong enough to say clearly to Muslims and Christians that if you want to live in India, convert to Hinduism. Either convert or perish. But when the Hindu society and RSS will become strong enough, we will tell them that if you want to live in India and if you love this country, you accept that some generations earlier you were Hindus and come back to the Hindu fold.”

The Hindutva candidate, Narendra Modi is confident of his victory. He is certain to cross the electoral finish line to bag more than 272 seats to form the next Indian government. There are still many unknown factors in the election and the victory is not as certain as Modi and the media wants everyone else to believe. However, one thing is certain. Modi's election as prime minister of the country may not have serious implications for India, but it certainly has serious implications for the minorities especially Muslims and Christians. The world does not care if India is a Hindu nationalist or secular state as long as the world and those who manipulate it get a piece in the development pie of India. To India's majority, secularism is not the issue as long as their national pride is in high spirit. The national pride, no matter what one may say, is built on Brahmanical ethos a culture presented in the name of Hinduism. There is a constituency of secular Indians who are concerned about the rise of Modi and they would speak loudly, but fascist forces have the ability to silence them one way or the other. India under Modi should be prepared to witness this.

But the brunt of Modi's presence in the national government would be borne by Muslims and Christians mainly. Probably, the Christian community might get some reprieve because of the growing influence of the American dollar. American Christian evangelists would play a part in standing up for the dignity of their Christian community. But Muslims would not find much support in the world for the ordeal they might go through. The strategy of Modi would be simple. Declare Muslims as terrorists and deal with them as terrorists and no one would come to their rescue. Amnesty and human rights watch might issue a few statements but who cares. It is the community at the grassroots level that would suffer from discrimination. Of course, everything would be done in a legal way. There would be poster Muslim men and women who would sing the praise of Modi, but the majority of the community would suffer because not only Modi but those who support him have a vision of an India where Muslims must be marginalized at all cost. 
Modi has mobilized his partisan crowd, more motivated than ever before to cast their votes for him or his party candidates. Why?

Is Modi charismatic? No, he does not possess the quality of a leader who can make people laugh or cry and make them change their perspectives.

Is he a great orator?  NO, he does not have the skills of an orator. His facts are wrong, his delivery is poor and his choice of words is lousy.

Is he a great scholar? No, he does not even know the basics of even Indian history. If he were contesting the election in any European or North American country, he would have already become a laughing stock among people.

Is he a development guru? No, The development he is talking is what any municipal corporations or city council can do.

Is hi anti-corruption? No, he is reeking in corruption as he is the poster boy of multinational corporations and big businesses who know how to legalize corruption.

Is he pro-people? No, it was in his state that the people belonging to a religion than his own faced the worst violence in independent India and the members of the Modi government were involved in the genocide.

Then, why he is pulling big crowds? Why does the media talk of a Modi wave and why a good number of people are voting for him?

1. He represents an ideology that on the basis of its hatred towards Muslims, Christians and other minorities want to create a nation that gives priority to those who believe in this ideology.

2. He represents an organization that is the most organized and the most disciplined in the world today and that has a cadre to bring out its supporter in the street at a short notice.

3. He presents the face of a leader who is willing to do anything to fulfill the ideological dreams of his supporters.

A substantial number of people are supporting him because they believe that

1. Modi is the only guy who can stop the so-called appeasement of Muslims. It is an irony that some 30 percent of India's jobs and political offices are reserved for people who are identified as scheduled castes and scheduled tribes who are listed by the Hindu religious hierarchy as Hindus. They do not talk about appeasing Hindus. Rather, they refer to Muslim appeasement on the basis of a myth that they themselves have created.

2. Modi is seen as the only one who can engineer the genocide of a people and can get away by manipulating evidence and coercing and suppressing witnesses.

3. Modi is seen as the only guy who has the capability to use violence in the name of maintaining law and order to teach minorities a lesson.

4. Modi is seen as the only politicians who can bring back the old Brahmanical domination by reintroducing Hindus laws in a secular way within the constitutional framework.

5. Modi is a religious fanatic and he wants to create a Hindu Rashtriya based on the notion of RSS and his supporters feel that India can only prosper when it asserts its Brahmin identity.

6. His supporters view Muslims as anti-India. They consider Muslims traitors and enemies of Hinduism politically and socially. They think they have the best chance to get even with Muslims if they elect Modi.

But one must also remember, that history is not often dictated by the known, but by the unknown. Modi and his supporters might have their plans, but the history is capable of unfolding many unknown factors that might pose new challenges to India.