The terror attacks in Belgium on 22nd March, horrifying though they are, do not come as a surprise or shock. Primarily because of the ease with which terror cells operate within Europe, the low quality anti-terrorism apparatus in a politically divided Belgium and Europe’s continued piggybacking of American war on Terror which has created the Monsters such as ISIS and al Qaeda. But the greatest facilitating environment for the growth of terror cells is well articulated by Sushant Sareen in dailyO.in in a comment article recently. According to him Europe’s “inexplicable liberal, white man guilt that informs policy-making in most of Europe and which pretty much translates into a combination of inveiglement, appeasement, benign neglect and abject surrender” have not only allowed the radicals to preach their hate mongering but also to build excellent networks and obtain arms. In some ways, European freedoms and social security have been misused by many of the “Islamic barbarians” whose Islamic supremacist world view has freed them from all qualms of conscience against terrorising and destroying innocent lives. Their instrumentalist attitude towards democracies of Europe and using the freedom offered under the multiculturalist policies in these countries to fortify their Islamic community identities at the expense of integration have been feeding into the xenophobic politics of White supremacist and racist groups in these countries. In the process, they have succeeded in rendering the life of minorities, immigrants and especially Muslims extremely precarious due to growing prejudices and suspiciousness in society.
Can Disaffection and Alienation Explain everything?
During terror attacks one reason is proffered as explanation. It is argued that in European counties Muslim youth are disaffected with Western culture and national ways. To some extent one does agree with this explanation as the ghettoised existence of many migrant communities, their lack of chance to be socially mobile and joblessness have allowed hate preachers to gain their allegiance. However, socio-economic disadvantage alone does not explain the ethical numbness of knowingly killing innocents. As Manuel Castell, (a renowned sociologist) has tried to explain, the neoliberal economic policies adopted by Western capitalist countries for the last three or so decades have resulted in moving industries to cheaper parts of the world where production and labour cost is low. For immigrants, minorities and working class people these ultra-capitalist policies have become deathly. The jobs of these groups have been outsourced to other countries rendering them helpless. This situation is not unique to Muslims alone. Many groups suffer from such deprivation and inequality of opportunity. But most affected groups do not resort to identity groups to take radical action against the nation or innocent citizens. Numbing of conscience or justification for killing innocent people is sought by Islamists in Islam and that makes every Muslim vulnerable to prejudice. Does Islam offer justification for terrorism?
Islam as Justification
Very often at the time of terror attacks the easy target is religion and innocent practitioners of it. Almost every incident of terror attack puts the ordinary practitioners of religion on the back foot and come up with defence for their religion and distance from the practitioners of terror in the name of religion. Every time there is a terror attack, rape, grooming of innocent girls by predators belonging to one identity group one hears that no religion preaches hatred, violence or immorality. But such statements do not tell the entire truth. We know as a historical fact and by personal experience that religions were and are instrumental in spreading supremacist attitudes, hatred of others, discrimination against others and even violence and destruction of those who do not belong. Hardly any religion is free from such historical abominations and death and destruction. Hence, religions are peaceful with peace loving people. But religions are instruments of terror in the hands of patriarchal power holders and capitalist property grabbers. We see religions used as ideologies by ISIS-Al Qaeda type groups, Ayatollahs of Iran, Muttawas and Tyrants of the Middle East, Buddhist Monks of Srilanka and Hindutva pseudo-nationalists of India. For these groups religions are neither for brotherhood or sisterhood nor for the love of humanity. For them religions are mere instruments for politicking, spreading hatred and graining or maintaining power. Hence, religions are peaceful only with peace-loving people. But with others they are potent instruments to hate, kill and divide.
Why India should count its blessings
The image and statistical table above shows the spread of Muslim population in Europe. According to the Pew Forum, in 2010 the total number of Muslims in Europe, excluding Turkey, was about 44 million (6%).In the European Union the total number of Muslims in 2010 was about 19 million (3.8%). Comparing to this mall number the proportion of people who had joined ISIS is very high as researched by Heritage Foundation. The table here explains the fact. Comparing to the list one would be heartened to see that India out of the 172 million Indian Muslims the number of those who joined or tried to join is less than three digits. According to a report in thewire.in their number is just 50. This should be viewed as a credit to the inclusive nature of Indian democracy and the syncretic character of South Asian Islam that had flourished over the centuries in its “give and take” relationship with Indian culture of inclusiveness and tolerance. The credit goes not only to Indian, Sufi variety of Islam which is targeted by the fundamentalist, Deobandi, Wahhabi version of Islam taking roots in the Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries with Saudi money. This version of Islam is at the root of most Islamic terrorist ideologies of today. This is Islamic supremacist version of religion that considers all others as infidels and hence they could be killed in the name of Islam. Most India Muslims practice a Sufi version of Islam which has grown and spread within the Indian soil and culture imbibing the spirit of tolerance and peaceful co-existence. That is the reason neither ISIS nor Al Qaeda find it difficult to penetrate Indian Muslim communities.
Hindutva creates the context
Despite Prime Minister Modi’s recent attendance at Sufi Conference and seemingly“inclusive” language under his leadership and government a number of exclusionary policies and practices have become evident. Non-inclusion of Muslims in his government, letting the Hindutva blabber-mouths to indulge in divisive and hate speech, employing cow and beef discourses to kill and hang poor Muslims, banal use of nationalist discourses and letting the Hindutva thugs to attack and kill minority symbols such as places of worship, all in the name of beef, cow and love jihad. These divisive practices will only alienate more and more Muslim youth in India preparing a fertile ground for radicalisation. An intelligent leader with Modi’s mandate would have employed the inclusive nature of Indian democracy and the 172 million strong Muslim community living peacefully in a plural, multicultural India to the great strength of furthering moral and economic clout all over the world. To Europe India could provide an example in multiculturalism, to the Islamic world India could provide a tolerant and nationalist face of Islam and showcase the strength of India with 172 million Muslims to interact and negotiate trade deals that would benefit 1.2 billion Indians; all in the name of a happy, developing and politically included Muslim community.
Alas, that were so! Our Hindutva ideologues appear, instead, to alienate more and more groups in the country from our democracy. Their belligerence in every sphere only bodes ill for Indian multiculturalism. With the current climate of intolerance, exclusion and blatant use of state machinery to suppress dissent one should not wonder, that by the time the present NDA government completes its term, India has prepared fertile ground for Al Qaeda, ISIS, Naxalite type groups, not to mention the gun-wielding Hindutva vigilante groups shooting people at sight and hinging them on trees on the pretext of cow, beef, Bharat Mata, love jihad and what not banalities that suit them win votes.
About the Author: Dr Samuel Sequeira is a Researcher, at the School of English, Communication and Philosophy at the Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom. He is currently researching on issues such as South Asian Immigrants in Wales, Immigration discourses in the UK and Identity and conflict.
