Every terror attack in India throws up the same set of routine questions: Was this a failure of intelligence? Is the government doing enough to keep us secure? Is more co-ordination between the various agencies required to counter the violence of terror? But these are questions that address only the tip of the iceberg.
More important is another set of questions that remain unasked and unanswered that goes to the root of the problem. Why have we become the breeding ground for such terrorists? Are these individuals truly the victims of injustice perpetrated by our society, as our woke liberals would have us believe? Or is this a case of pure, partisan religious radicalization? And have we advertently or inadvertently created a milieu that facilitates radicalization and promotes terrorism?
Political correctness remains the bane of our times, muffling our ability to speak freely about terrorism and coercing our minds to conform to a socially acceptable thought process, regardless of the truth staring in one’s face. Looking at it another way, political correctness is a strategic ideology deftly utilized by some to avoid both responsibility and accountability. Therefore, it is time we set aside this cloak of political correctness and called a spade a spade if we earnestly desire to eradicate this scourge.
To begin with, let us examine the prevailing maxim of our modern times. We are compelled to utter ad nauseam the cliched mantra that terrorism has no religion, knowing fully well that this terrorism has a colour and that colour is not saffron. This has to change. The evidence is glaring and overwhelming. In the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year, Hindu men were specifically identified and shot dead in front of their wives while sparing Muslims. Although one local Muslim was killed, that this was an attack that targeted Hindus is irrefutable. The alleged cast of conspirators in the Red Fort bomb blast all belong to one community with a religious Imam playing a crucial role. An analysis of the innumerable terror attacks that have occurred in the country over the last 3-4 decades point in the same direction.
Why is it important to put a label on these terrorists? Not to stigmatize an entire community. The vast majority of India’s Muslims are law-abiding citizens and should not be suspected or blamed. It is to bring a degree of clarity among the Muslim community; a clarity that will help them identify and stop the radicalization that is occurring among young Muslims, even educated ones as this current incident indicates. The response of the Muslim community to the fight against terrorism must never be one of confusion and denial. Whenever there is a terror attack related to Kashmir, some Indian Muslims wash their hands off stating it is a Kashmir-centric issue. And when an attack occurs on the mainland, the finger is pointed towards Pakistan. True, Pakistan has a large role to play in these terrorist attacks. But Pakistan’s shenanigans cannot succeed without the help of a committed fifth column; a band of Quislings who will gladly aid Pakistan in their nefarious activities. Deflecting blame is nothing but an attempt to absolve oneself of responsibility and accountability.
Rather than introspection and self-reformation to rectify its inherent gargantuan deficiencies, there should not be an effort to change the narrative by training its guns on the RSS and BJP, accusing them of discrimination against Muslims. Intellectual leaders like S.Y. Quraishi and ex-Lt Governor Najeeb Jung are keen on engaging in a dialogue with the RSS. Nothing wrong in that. But richer dividends for the community can be reaped by starting a conversation within their own community as to how Muslim youth can be dissuaded from the path of violence. It is this leadership vacuum among Muslim moderates that needs to be promptly addressed.
Additionally, India’s woke liberals and Opposition parties like the Congress have created an environment and context that provide justification for these misdeeds. The Congress Party has been singularly responsible for creating an environment that feeds into the paranoia of the minority community and which stokes the radicalization among Muslim youth. For those of you who can remember, in 2010, then-Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram coined the term “saffron terror” to bring a false sense parity between the Hindu and Muslim communities with regards to terror. That these outlandish theories did not pan out is another story.
The Congress Party continues to carry out a strident illicit campaign against the RSS, which aims to paint it as an extremist organization along the lines of JEM. This dubious propaganda reinforces the perception of victimhood among Muslims and promotes radicalization. It is no surprise that the RSS headquarters was one of the targets chosen by the Red Fort bombers.
One can also recall that a prominent leader of the Congress party, Digvijaya Singh was at the forefront of the release of a book titled “26/11 RSS Ki Saazish? (26/11, An RSS Conspiracy?)” by Aziz Burney, editor-in-chief of the Urdu Sahara newspaper. This campaign against the RSS continues to this day, with Karnataka Congress minister Zameer Ahmed Khan questioning the timing of the current Delhi Red Fort blast a day ahead of Bihar polls—indirectly hinting that the BJP had a role in it. This is a blatant trivialization of a national tragedy for political gain at the larger cost of society.
It is easy to blame the government for a lapse post a terror attack. But we must remember that the government does not have a magic wand to wave off all terror attacks. Lasting true harmony bereft of terror cannot be achieved by mere policing techniques. While the government must be left to tackle the external factor—Pakistan—we as a society must do our part, in this case the Muslim leadership must step up to the plate and the Congress party and woke liberals must exhibit more maturity and prudence when dealing with issues that can compromise national security.
