With the Intention to Avoid Neo-Communalism…
By Madihah Akhter
Irvine, CA
The events that transpired in Yorba Linda on March 3rd unfortunately reminded me of the so-called ‘communal violence’ of the Partition. Communal, usually not such a negative word, was used in the subcontinent to inadequately describe the Muslim League’s demands in the 1930s and 40s, as the reason for large-scale Partition violence and the 1992/93 Bombay riots, to name just a few instances. Yet communalism fails to explain anything. Instead, it blurs the line between individual and community and serves to further divide communities along ostensibly religious lines. While individuals (or a handful of individuals) perpetrated unimaginable violence, including murder, rape, abduction and other terrible acts during Partition, they were allowed to hide behind the imagined religious community defined by communal hatred. While some violence could have indeed been credited to unadulterated bigotry, most violence was spurred by material factors. Communalism is still perceived to be the threat to ‘unity’ within India’s communities, especially where poor Muslim minorities abound.
The problem with communalism and its relevance to the situation in Yorba Linda is the essentialized view of religious communities. While I would prefer to abolish the world ‘communal’ along with its connotations, it has unfortunately spread to define misunderstandings between communities at every level. It seems that the screams of “go back home!” or “we don’t want your Shari’a!” represent deep-seated misunderstandings. The question of who, or what, defines a Muslim is a perpetual misunderstanding in America today and was only exacerbated by the post-9/11 silence of moderate Muslims. Muslims are not one community united by a set of ideas. We are a community united by God, but the details are different for everyone. Islam has a history of being a dynamic religion and this dynamism, since the age of nation-states, has spread far and wide. Shari’a is no longer defined by the antiquated idea of “steal something and your hand is chopped off” nor is it a static reality. Muslims were given the principle of ijtihad in order to think, adapt and change Islam to fit with such changing times. Nor is Islam at odds, as Samuel Huntington would suggest, with the ‘Western world’ (whatever that is) and ‘modernity.’
Ten years after I watched the two towers fall in my high school biology class, it seems we, as a nation, have learned nothing. I felt relieved and even protected when, as a high school student in the post- 9/11 world, I was not attacked. As the old idiom preaches, time will heal. Yet threats of Qur’an burning, mass protests against masjid-building, and local politicians wishing us speedy paths towards the grave (at least she wished us to heaven) furthers my fear that subcontinental communalism is coming back to haunt us. Misunderstandings have simmered in people’s minds long enough. The time for silence from moderate Muslims (wherever and however ambiguously defined we may be) has expired.
While it may seem safe and easy to build walls against the outside world by restricting one’s network to those within the Muslim community, one is in actuality reinforcing the idea that the Muslim community is ‘other.’ We cannot restrict ourselves to meetings with other Muslims exclusively. Clearly, we also can’t force the entire Orange County branch of the Tea Party to read the Qur’an, or even watch something other than Fox News. But we can take advantage of those members of our community, neighbors, co-workers, fellow soccer moms, etc who are interested and willing to see that you, as a Muslim, are clearly not a terrorist. In requesting that we “go home,” many of us will invariably end up in close proximity to their homes. The problem is not going to hop on a plane and fly away.
This is not to suggest that Muslims are not doing this type of outreach work already. It is happening, even (or perhaps especially) in Orange County. What I’m really saying is to not let communalism take over the mind. While I may not be able to change Deborah Pauly’s mind, I can most assuredly not let her perceived ‘community’ change me. Republicans, tea party members, social conservatives, Orange Country residents and non-Muslims are clearly not all Muslim haters and I refuse to essentialize a community that is not my own simply by the actions of a few. I will not start this new round on the defensive.
In the same vein, I refuse to hide behind just the veil of the so-called Muslim community. By admitting membership to a monolithic Muslim community, I am allowing it to be defined as well as inevitably misinterpreted and branded as ‘other.’ This ‘otherness’ is some of the sentiment behind the “go home” chants. I am not trying to denigrate the idea of the Ummah, nor am I suggesting we disband Muslim communities. There is nothing wrong with a community as it stands. Instead, individuals should actively and continuously redefine the borders of the community and make it inclusive of non-Muslims. If we’ve learned anything from Partition violence, we know we cannot let the actions of a few serve to define the thoughts and sentiments of their community. Speak up against communal essentialization. Don’t force your views on others, especially those who are not ready and/or willing to listen, but please do write to Council Member Deborah Pauly, Congressman Gary Miller, and Congressman Ed Royce and let them know we do not support extremists, fundamentalists, etc. In fact, please be sure to mention those terms do not homogenously refer to Muslims exclusively. Muslims are not out to ruin the fabric of their country. We cannot partition the United States of America based on the needs of communities, imagined or not. We must make it obvious that we’re out to sew up some holes in our country, not create new holes by building rigid, perceived cultural and religious borders between communities.
On a very pessimistic note, be prepared for a long struggle. After all, it did take about one hundred years for civil rights issues to be adequately addressed and they are still not resolved today. We must equip ourselves to redefine communities for what might be the rest of our lifetimes. The dialectic between the individual and the community is dynamic, just as Islam is. We must begin to chip away at the us versus them paradigm and work towards changing it into the us and them system. One day, hopefully not too far from now, time just may heal all.
Please send comments to madihah.akhter@tufts.edu
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