Ever since the fundamental questions concerning the character of our nationhood have been raised, the positive features of stirrings in the majority community seem to have been run down in the media.

What has alarmed the secularists today is the capability of Hindus as a group to have worldview and the willingness to adapt to the changing times. In any evaluation, the concept of nationalism embraces in its fold anyone born in this country and respects its cultural heritage. The idea as an integrative bond bids goodbye to exclusivity on grounds of religion. Thus Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Jews etc can all be within the ‘ Hindu’ or ‘national fold’ irrespective of their personal modes of worship. A new concept of cultural nationalism is sought to be evolved. These are the integrative and binding mechanisms available to us. It cannot be simply wished away that major traditions in our country is predominantly Hindu because it is the oldest and since the Hindus constitute overwhelming majority. The symbols, the idiom of life, practices and even elements of a composite culture cannot but be predominantly Hindu. The religious minorities will have to accept the implications of this reality, just like any other minority anywhere. This is indeed an inescapable fact of life. While there has to be no discrimination on the grounds of religion in this country in any future structure, the erratic reaction of anyone who would not abide by this arrangement is likely to make himself uncomfortable.

The greatest hindrance to any serious dialogue on this issue is the existence of a special Muslim psyche nurtured over decades in a special mould of history and recent isolationalist tradition. The Muslim press has been belching venom, even in post-independence period and it reveals the mind-set of a fairly large number of Muslim opinion makers. There is a renewal of demands, sometimes veiled for a further division of the country: calls for Islamisation, especially of backward classes: Islam pronounced as the universal religion: the Hindu deemed an inferior being: threats of violence: loyalty to India considered secondary to loyalty to world Muslim brotherhood: overflowing concern for Pakistan: stern refusal to accept the common civil code and family planning: choicest abuses heaped on progressive and nationalist Muslim; the world being told in international Muslim for a that Islam in India is in moral danger and that in this country Muslim life is unsafe. Any appraisal of Muslim mind cannot ignore this reality.

It is also ironic that the silent majority of Muslims, which is aware of emerging realities, has almost surrendered to bigotry in their own religion. The pressures of orthodox- elements in Muslim community surface in the forms of occasional demands to extend the elements of traditional Islamic law to the penal sections as well which can in fact take them to medieval methods. Unprincipled overturning of Shah Bano judgment also was an outcome of this bigotry. It is pathetic to observe that Indian Muslims have produced so few progressive leaders, preferring to repose their faith in some of the most back-ward-looking political and religious personalities.

The Iron law of the fundamentalists still has the community in its grip, preventing the articulation of any view with a hint of non-conformism. The possibility of their closer assimilation in Indian society is becoming remote day by day. This lack of initiative is due to growing universal phenomenon within the Muslims community where surrender to obscurantism is the order of the day. The return of the veil in countries like Egypt and Turkey makes the presence of the fantatics felt at their doorsteps. In a way, this regression is slowly becoming the accepted philosophy of the Muslim world, spreading from Iran, West Asia to regimes of North Africa, emphasising the women’s lowly position in society and “primacy of the bearded mullah”. It is a world isolated from scientific temper, hostile towards liberal arts and rooted in tents, which are obsolete today. It ignores the context of the changed social structure and economic realities. The stereotype of the Muslims, revelling in backwardness, has been reinforced by the kind of comments which Muslim papers indulged when Ms.Bhutto first became Prime Minister. It condemned the people who voted for westernised woman instead of supporting the Islamic Ittehad. The powerlessness of Muslim Intellectuals who are condemned the moment they open their mouth against this is further highlighted when they watch how others in the country could adapt their religious mornings to changing realities and collectively benefit themselves.

On the basis of what has been said in the forgoing it is very much clear that factors such as discrimination against Muslims or their economic plight about which our print media seems to be very much concerned are not the real issues. They are not the substantive explanatory factors behind Muslim psyche, their conduct or their isolationist stance. If their leaders continue saying that Muslims must not submit to non-Muslim political power and must defy its laws when they conflict with those of Islam or that in Islam there is no room for nationalism, then the community can never be saved and it is bound to go back inside their shell.

The solution lies in our search for nationhood, or the complexion of nationalism is interchangeable with the heritage and traditions of majority community. Let there be no guilt feeling while asserting this. And the next initiative in this direction has to come from within the Muslim Community.