Political Net Worth of 15% population, in a democracy, is never more than ZERO! So, what’s the way forward?

better light a candle than curse the darkness

Net Worth of Indian Muslims is ZERO
Political Net Worth of 15% population, in a democracy, is never more than ZERO! So, what’s the way forward?

--- Shakeel Ahmad <shakeeluae@gmail.com>

For India to become a super power, the muslim population must also become developed. In a democratic set-up, why should the political parties care for 15% votes? Why not focus for the 85%? And, when the environment is communally charged, the Islamization fear-factor or the boogey of media-created Jihadi agenda is the perfect tool to consolidate the 85% vote. Should muslims wait for the self-serving politicians to do something for them as well? Democratic system proclaims loud-and-clear that the net worth of 15% is no more than zero!

Does it need to be explained why our Indian brother Bal Thakre spews venom against Muslims! Ideology? If one thinks this is due to his anti-Islamic ideology, nothing could be farther from truth. By cursing the 15% Muslims if he can get all the 85% votes together, as their masiha, the political ideology dictates that he should abuse the muslims and whatever muslims stand for. If Modi cares for 7% muslims in Gujrat, he would be accused of appeasement of muslims and neglecting the Hindus (his political opponents would make it appear so), as if the state resources were so limited that it was a zero-sum game! The easiest route to winning the confidence, and vote, of the 93% Hindus is to create an atmosphere of hatred against muslims so that their killing establishes a permanent constituency for him within the 93% Hindus. Can one cite a single political reason for Modi to seek the votes of Muslims? The best strategy is to alienate the 7% population if this helps win the adulation or permanent affiliation of the rest.

Once we are able to believe in the above political expediency, it would be easier for us to understand why in order to be of some value to this system, muslims would need to raise their economic networth to a level at which they become indispensable for the country, like the American Jews. And, that is also the only way to see India at the top, if we care. Our worth, after all, would only be as much as that of India. Political parties don’t need to care, because if they do, their opponents would snatch the all-important power pegs from them. How can we become indispensable, then? We need to become indispensable in one or more of the following aspects, with our own efforts:
1.    Education
2.    Technological knowledge
3.    Skills of prime importance
4.    Economy

1. Education: Education is at the root of all the four, and the foundation for becoming indispensable in all these areas. Article 30 of the constitution, which permits minorities to establish their own educational institutions, could have acted as a catalyst for us to strive towards educational empowerment, as a first step towards becoming indispensable for the country, and its march towards the top. But, as long as the muslims kept themselves engaged in seeking some share in the corridors of power rather than utilizing their resources in establishing educational institutions, it would be foolish to believe that this article would be of any use. This situation would prevail as long as we run behind the mirage of hope created by the political masters who form the government. Why waste time on begging for 5% reservation from the government when we can gain control of 50% of the resources!

2. Technological knowledge: Technological development is dependent on education and comes as a natural next step for a society “on the move”. It is obvious that the world is a puppet in the hands of those who hold technological prowess and are an indispensable element of the global polity. So, for Muslims to become indispensable, they must speed up acquisition of latest technology. Why should a competitor sell the latest technology to us? This means we would need to develop our own technology, all by ourselves, and be ahead of “others”, a distant dream today, but a dream worth carrying and working hard to fulfill.
3. Skills of prime importance: Skills help increase the effectiveness of efforts, and raise the efficiency levels leading to speedy realization of goals. Muslims are better endowed with skillfulness than any other community, thus every attempt to gain the skills would be rewarded better. If this divine gift could be deployed optimally, this competitive advantage could easily turn our graph upwards in areas we try to become indispensable. Rather than basking in the glory of what we have already had, and let our skill-sets rust, sharpening them and trying to gain more and more are the only means to remain ahead, and please the Almighty.
4. Economy: By spending on the children of our society, we encourage spending rather than hoarding - an important constituent of National Income. Our spending enhances the educational level of the society, increases the skill-sets availability, thus adding to the factors of production, raising the GDP. More we spend more indispensable we become for the economy.
Here is another reason why muslims must take their growth in their own hands, if not that of the nation as a whole? Muslims, as Allah’s khalifa on earth, have to lead the country (and the world) towards peace, prosperity, and happiness. Who listens to the beggar’s voice? A religious dawah machine is just as worthy as the hands that hold it. In the hands of beggars, the machine’s call towards Islam gets a response, “Yeah! You are a beggar because of it, and you want me to transform me into the same, huh!” Let’s build a culture of giving among muslims, and bring about a paradigm shift from the culture of begging, asking, demanding, or waiting for someone to give on his own.
We know that beggars cannot be choosers, so all our demands from the government or the political parties that form the government (demands are just another form of begging by a zero networth community) must not carry any worth, while the constant begging (nagging) would drag networth into the negative territory. Negative networth would invite the muslim-bashers into proclaiming us a drag on the country’s socio-economic structure, and rightly so. And, the best solution may be to get rid of this drag tag coming from the agenda we accuse some of them as carrying against us. After all, they have proper justifications, right?
If we belong to this community, we must join hands in this mission to become indispensable for the society we live in, and raise our networth in the positive territory.

Editor’s note: Visit www.biharanjuman.org to explore the areas of your interest so that you could add some value to this mission.