Hindus constitute the majority in India, which became independent of the British rule and was subsequently constituted as a secular country. Many Muslim families migrated to West and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the partition of India and Hindus living in the Muslim regions came back to settle in India. A section of the Muslim community though chose not to migrate and stayed back in India. India has a mix of all sects of Islamic community like Sufi Islam, Dawoodi Bohra, Ahmaddiya Islam, Quaranists besides main sects of Shias and Sunnis.
Ever since, Hindus and Muslims had lived in harmony, with many Muslims reaching the pinnacle of the country’s as its presidents Zakir Hussain, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and APJ Abdul Kalam. Md. Hidayattula officiated as President on two occasions. The Supreme court has had Mohammad Hidayatullah, A. M. Ahmadi, Mirza Hameedullah Beg and Altamas Kabir as its Chief Justices. Scores of Governors, vice-chancellors were from the Muslim community. There are more than a dozen universities from Aligharh Muslim University to Aliah University catering to Muslims.
On the cultural field many exponents of music like Bismillah Khan (Bharat Ratna), Shamshad Begum, Zakir Hussain, AR Rahman, Rasool Pookutty, Painters like Reza, MF Hussain, and film artists like Yusuf Khan (Dilip Kumar), Mammooty, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Madhubala, Parveen Babi, Meena Kumari, Waheeda Rehman, Shahbana Azmi, sportspersons like Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Azaruddin, Sania Mirza, Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan were all Muslims.
Many successful business houses like Wipro, Wockhardt, Himalaya drugs, Cipla were all founded by Muslims.
Air Chief Marshal Idris Hasan Latif was the Dy. Chief of Airstaff during the Indo-Pak war 1971 and APJ Abdul Kalam headed the Defence Research Development Organisation.
Though Article 44 of the Indian constitution recommends a Uniform civil code, Muslims in India are governed by “The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 to Muslims in marriage, mahr (dower), divorce, maintenance, gifts, waqf, wills and inheritance.
All the political parties in India are vying with each other to woo the Muslim community, whose support is essential to win any election. However, a section of the political leaders have started deriding Hinduism and making fiery and confusing statements on Hinduism as communal, as a part of their allegiance to Muslims.
Hindus prefer to live in peace and harmony and expect all other communities to follow suit. Hinduism is not a rigid disciplinary and communal force and is merely a chosen path of harmonious way of living with nature and others.
Let us not allow crafty politicians to pervade our peace, divide us and make us continue to suffer. I am a Hindu and proud to be one, I am proud to be a secular Indian and I have many friends who include Muslims and have found them as patriotic and loving as any good human being could be. Let not the fabric of communal harmony is desecrated for petty political gains and let deriding one religion to gain favour with other be disapproved too!