It is now fairly well understood after about 50 years of experience in public life that neither Dalit’s nor Muslims are able to influence the country’s politics HUT to speak of defending Whom solves single-handedly without seeking the support of others. So, the conscious sections of them are convinced that the Dalits surest allies are Muslims and to) Muslims also their best bet is Dalits.
Both are powerless communities though numerically they become a for Midable 35% of the population if they “Come together. And the moment they come together, the Backward Castes (35%) will automatically join the united “front of the Bahujan Sama.
Conscious sections of Dalits know .They are not Hindus, They are not Hindus because they are not Aryans They are outside the Brahminical Social Order, (BSO), But the problem is not with Dalits but Muslims particularly the elite Muslims, who refuse to be convinced about this fact. This lapse on the part of the elite Muslims is delaying the formation of the Bahujan Samaj.
Both Muslims and Dalits are made powerless and hated by the Hindus. They play different game at different periods and places and sharpen the social contradictions.
As a culturally rich community, the ‘Muslims should have understood the machinations of the BSO but we are sorry to note that the elite Muslims are not able to understand, much less appreciate, the gravity of the situation.
We are often confronted with a set of questions from elite Muslims wherever we go and also in the their “Letters” to Dalit Voice, And we thought it is necessary to tackle these questions as such questions are being repeatedly put and we are tired of answering them again and again.
Urdu forgotten: These questions do not come from oppressed Muslin masses. They live with Dalits in urbatt slums and hence share every (hinge with Dalits. They pet no such coulis. These doubts come only to elite Muslims who are cut off not only from Dalits bat even from their own poor Muslims. They don’t live in “Muslim localities” but in posh Hindu areas.
They have no Muslim identity. They have forgotten Urdu and their children go to Christian convents and speak English ever at home. They sing English songs and listen to western music. As property-holders these rich Muslims have their business dealings only with Hindus and hence they don’t want to incur the displeasure of Hindus. They don’t grow beard and hardly observe any Muslim customs or manners. Except having a Muslim name (which too may shortly change), they have no trace of Muslim in them.
Though they constitute less than 5% of the total Muslim population. they form the elite class and speak and act on behalf of Muslims as a whole.
This these people who are a bundle of all sorts of confusion and raise all sorts of questions. In the name of Muslims, they comer all the benefits. 15-year old crusade: Their questions pertain to our 15-year old crusade to unite the country’s two most oppressed com~ munities, namely Dalits and Muslims’, Though Dalit-Muslim unity has become a fact of life and a movement, these elite Muslims continue to have All sorts of doubts. Their questions are on the following lines:
Question: You have been advocating Dalit-Muslim unity but how can we joint with Dalits because in all major “communal riots” it is the Dalits who lead the attack on Muslims, The Person who struck the first blow to demolish the Babri Masjid on Dec. 6 1992 was also a Dalit. How then can we join with Dalits?
Answers; it is true that Dalits took the lead in the attack on Muslims in many cities. But does it mean they have done it out of any hatred against Muslims? Did they attack Muslims consciously? ‘They were hired by some upper castes (Hindu) for some petty cash or drink, It is a contract job, Will nota Muslim goonda undertake such a contract job?
Muslims are Dalit converts: When the upper castes who don’t live in Dalit localities: go to Dalit slums, befriend them, start an RSS shaka, build a toad side temple, cultivate them for years by supplying them money and drink and slowly poison their minds, instigate them against Muslims to indulge in violence and thereby destroy the peace of the society, why the Muslims: who are mostly converts from Dalits should not approach Dalits not to destroy peace but to establish peace and thereby reconstruct the society?
Gandhi opposed Dr.Ambedkar:
Dalits are the born enemies of the Upper castes because every Dalit knows that he is oppressed by the Aryan. They hardly face any problem from Muslims, Babasaheb throughout his life was opposed by these Hindus and M.K. Gandhi, and Muslims never opposed him. Every Dalit knows it As both Muslims and Dalits re beef-cavers only oppressed by the same enemy, if right approach ix made by the Muslims, the Dalits would surely respond. In all places where Muslims took the initiative to approach the Dalits and established a united forum, anti-Muslim riots have become a thing of the past. We are telling this from our 15 year old experience, We are currently tying this same formula at Bhatkal, North Kanara, where Hindu Nazi forces destroyed Muslim houses and properties in a big way resulting in many deaths in the past one year.
Question: Why Muslims should take the initiative to approach Dalits? This work should be done by Dalit leaders only. If we Muslims seek unity with Dalits, Hindus may resent and cause us further troubles.
Answer: We are doing this job of Dalit-Muslim unity and our life itself is dedicated to such a mission. But why we are telling elite Muslims to take the initiative because Muslims are like our elder brothers. They have a wonderful, liberating, revolutionary religion of Islam which has given them all the directions to fight for the sake of Mustadafeen and in India Mustadafeens are none but Dalits. But your fear that if you initiate Dalit Muslim unity, the Hindus may resent it shows that the “educated” Muslims lack knowledge of Indian society and history.
Upper caste Hindus hates Muslims even if you sit silently at home. This is because your religion of Islam is the exact opposite of Hinduism. This is the cause of Hindu hatred against you not your move to seek Dalit Muslim alliance.
Anti-national work: When the upper caste Aryans, who are our oppressors, are coming to Dalit colonies daily and befriending our people, building tiny temples and offering all sons of inducements to deceive the non-Hindu Dalits, why Muslims, who stand to gain by the Dalit-Muslim unity, should not take the initiative? The Aryan upper castes are wooing the Dalits fo divide the society and the country by instigating Dalits against Muslims.
In other words, the Hindus are wooing Dalits neither in our interest nor in your interest. If the Pejawara Swami is 80 much in Jove with Dalits, why he did not adopt a Dalit as his successor? But Muslims approach the Dalits not 40 instigates them against anybody, not even against the upper caste oppressors.
Dalit-Muslim unity is intended to strengthen the country’s unity and integrity. Dalits form 20% of the country’s population and Muslims Form another 15%. Together we make up 35%. When 38% ‘of the ¢country comes together the other oppressed sections tike Backward Castes, Tribals, Christians will also join us Dalit Muslim unity will be the stepping stone towards the country’s unity and as healthily reconstruction.
Islam as liberator: Muslims of India did not come from Saudi Arabia or Turkey, ‘They are all converts from Dalit or Backward Castes. Because of the brahiminical oppression about 15% of the population went over to Islam and got liberated, But after getting liberated through Islam, they have for~ gotten their oppressed blood brothers though Islam has specifically directed them to help fight on behalf of the oppressed. Here, we Dalits are not only the worst oppressed but even the blood Brothers of Muslims.
So from both these angles Muslims have a duty to support our liberation struggle.
Question: So what do you expect from us?
Answer: We want nothing. First and foremost please don’t be under the wrong impression that we Dalits are Hindus. Some of us may be having Hindu names. Some of us may observe Hindu customs and manner. Some may be idol worshipers. Some may g0 to Hindu temples. But all these things do not make Dalits Hindus. Ahmediyas also have the same Koran, same Muslim name, observe all Muslim customs: 4nd manners but do the Muslims consider Ahmediyas as Muslims? No.
Similarly, the Dalits may have many things in common with Hindus but Still Hindus do not consider us as Hindus, Because, we are not part of their Aryan four-fold caste system. So, a. very fundamental division exists between Hindus and Dalits: Dalits and Hindus are like mongoose and serpent.
Today, our SC/ST reservation are ‘opposed not by Muslims, Christians or anybody else but by Hindus only, it is they who opposed the renaming of “Marat Dr. Ambedkar, Everywhere it is these Hindus who are kicking, killing, burning Our property and raping our women, If we are Hindus, why the Hindus are: persecuting us?
Dalits not Hindus: So, please, note that like you we too are not Hindus. This fact has to be brought to the notice of “uneducated” Dalits because in the past 50 years the Hindus have injected 50 much of poison into other blood, Calling us Harijans and brain washing that we are Hindus.
Muslims too need to be educated that we Dalits are not Hindus. Such an education of 35% of the Indian population is a gigantic task. This is possible only if we set up our own media in all Indian languages and bring out pamphlets, arrange small meeting. Set up Dalit Muslim brotherhood forum at all Mohall as and villages. A systematic effort must begin and we need dedicated field will workers. This work will not be undertaken by political parties. . So, only we nonpolitical can do this. In this task the Muslims moulvis have a very important role. Every masjid in India must be converted into a Dalit-Muslim unity forum.
This needs a planned effort and hence” at different levels and different parts of India. Dalit Muslim unity forum must be set up and this forum must start educating both Dalits and Muslims.
You can take to from us that within three to five years we can produce miracles, The RSS arid all other Hindu Nazi organizations and their antinational activities will die on its own, there will be no mare anti-Muslim riots. Dalit-Muslim unity will strengthen the country’s unity and integrity. Only the Bahujan Sama; can restore peace and put the Aryans in their place. Are the Muslim elites listening?
Anti-Muslim riots planned in UP–RAM LAKHAN RAM, VARANASI
Close on the heels of the BSP”s antiGandhi campaign has come the threat to the Kashi Vishwanath temples Gyanvapi mosque here where the recently concluded Dharma Sansad has demanded handing over of the adjoining mosque to the “Hindus”. Hindu Nazi Leaders feel that they cannot re(um (o power in UP in the near future, Hence are play of the temple card. Any ‘attempt to forcibly grab the mosque here will lead 10’a major anti-Muslim violence in the State and they hope Dalits can be then managed to side with” Hindus” through bribe and drink, Major anti-Muslim riots would “divide” the society and Dalits would be forced to the on the Site of “Hindus” thereby assuring “Hindu unity”. (DV Edits” Hindu unity will divide Indian “Society “Jan16, 1991),
Mass conversions to Buddhism
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Buddha Gaya Mahabodhi All-India
Action Committee on March 30 decided to hold mass conversions to Buddhism here on May 14, Briefing newsmen Bhante Pragyas gheel of Nagpur and Bhante Dharampal of Patna, who represented national president Bhadant Arya Nagarjun Surai Sasai, here said nearly 20.000 Dalits, Adivas is and members of backward classes will take the pledge to follow the Buddhist idealso and convert themselves to Buddhism.
COURTESY: DALIT VOICE
Article extracted from this publication >> April 29, 1994
