By MuslimMirror
By Syed Ali Mujtaba
Muslims in India find themselves in an intellectual trap. They are caught between being branded as communal or secular in this tug-of-war of ideological pulls. The moderates and the communists among Muslims have long vanished from the face of India. Even the secular lot is becoming extinct and those more visible are on the communal side of the divide. Thanks to the persecution of the Muslim community under the BJP Raj, this is a picture-perfect of the Muslims in India.
Muslims have always found their feet in the secular camp. They are at home adjusting to an inclusive society maintaining their exclusive identity. This was the Nehruvian idea of secularism. Muslims under its umbrella flourished in the first three decades of the Indian political scene.
The Congress started the politics to keep Muslims insecure. This was done with the deliberate purpose of pocketing the Muslim votes en bloc. This understanding made Muslims gravitate to the communal camp.
It was a forced choice for the Muslims because the secular political parties wanted their votes on communal lines though they preached the ideology of secularism. So the secular political parties made a great deal of contribution in pushing the Muslims on the communal path.
This story was originally published in muslimmirror.com. Read the full story here.