Way ahead for Muslims-1: Be a change maker, stop negativity, lead the society

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi

You can't change entire nation over night but you can do it differently--making a start from your region.

Understand how things are controlled, how media narrative is formed and become a change maker, a leader in your region.

States are run from their capitals. If you are able to manage things in capitals, [remember cities are power centres and also perceptions are created from big cities], you can do a lot but it needs a bit of planning and dedicated individuals with perseverance and passion.

It's easy to explain more in interactive sessions (than in FB posts) but let's give some examples. If Mr Siddiqui runs a school or even a coaching institute, he can do a lot along with the institute. What if he decides is that he will hold a small event--say Maths Olympiad or Science Olympiad for your city, at a small scale, annually, and give prizes.

It not only helps in branding but also establishes the person's image as someone connected with science, knowledge, technology and it helps in growth of his/her stature, also perception about person's community in the area.

Within a few years he/she is seen as an asset to the society. Remember, on one hand there is an effort to constantly blame you, link you with social evils, term your entire community backward and brand you, so that not just others consider you 'nobody', but you also feel guilty about it and believe that you are indeed backward.

Hence, all the more, there is need to do your bit, an extra effort to tackle this propaganda. Take for example any state capital, how many Muslims manage to present themselves as experts in diverse fields--history, urban planning, agriculture, arts, science, human rights, education, health, RTI, city heritage and a long list.

If you carefully see, in your town, when you start your day and pick the paper, you will find certain names, individuals. On police atrocities' case, the report will carry a person's quote, on another story about vision of city in 2050 you will find another expert's opinion, on and on.

They may be 25-50 names but they are seen as prominent individuals of the city without whom events are seen incomplete and they are seen and intellectuals, change makers or activists. Representation and view of your community--is through how you and your community are able to present yourself.

It is soft power, cultural power, intellectual power, your activism and leadership in different fields that makes you a force in a region. You may be 30-40% in a city but how much percent you are here on this plane? In fact, it is these people who come out to represent the city.

It doesn't help if you have a degree in history, you teach for years but in the ongoing debate on an issue in city, you never speak. You don't take lead and remain isolated, believing that someone should come to you to seek your opinion or because you are afraid of taking initiative.

Be active in your city, region. And, be expert in at least one field. There is a person who doesn't have a degree but whenever there is case of police brutality in the city, he notes it down, least keeps a record or writes a letter to DGP or Home Minister, demanding inquiry.

As he is doing it regularly, he becomes a 'go to' person for everyone including newsmen. Over a
period, he becomes important and with him, his community also becomes important, the voice is also there.

If you have knowledge or expertise, you need to display it. You must not be shy about it. If you don't have skills, acquire them, be leader in one field. The 'nothing will happen' attitude is extremely damaging and there is need to come out of this syndrome.

If you are interested in a subject, track it and keep noting down things. Recording, documenting, making databases and interacting with others, its the basic job. Once you do it over a period, you have a command, understanding & you can now position yourself as an expert.

Every written communication has some effect. Also, by being a social or community leader, you ensure that others, outsiders, feel that you people do have a presence somewhere in the town, you don't go invisible. If you live in a society, you must be seen as leaders in all fields, not just those who are in complaining or victimhood mode.

It is not population or power but how you present yourself in your region, make yourself appropriate as leaders, prominent people and in a way real inhabitant of the place, that you make your presence strong in the society.

You may have hundreds of experts, educationists, professors but this is an era when you need to come forward and not feel that others will come to you, you have to make yourself seen, heard, learn tricks of PR. There are multiple examples, city to city within India.

How this can help even in law-and-order and dealing with persecution too, where presence of prominent persons, proper activism and a psychological feel has helped tide over the worse situations due to your strength in the region.

[As it is subject that needs deep understanding, it's not easy to explain nuances on social media. Still there is an effort and this is just a part of series of such posts that were earlier shared in Urdu and Hindi in the past]

Photo courtesy: Snapwire, Pexels

End of Empathy: How deaths in lynchings evoke little reaction, response in India

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi

*Man lynched--hardly any reaction, neither celebrities nor ministers take note

*If he is Muslim, term him 'thief' or bring any other negative angle to make him appear a criminal, even before basic probe

*Once it is found that he is Bangladeshi, then predictable reactions

*However, latest report tells that the person's name was 'RANJIT'. So, now, blame WB govt! But sadness? No sadness, no tears because you are incapable of empathy.

*You are capable of just hate, if incident is in one district, find a nearby 'Muslim district' to create more confusion. *Not just loonies, papers too carry reports on these lines. Same pattern.

*There is never any genuine grief. Every incident, every death just part of the plan to target 'Muslims, seculars....' and whatever they've been fed for years now.

*This is the most unique species, its entire existence rests on falsehoods, hate and propaganda. They can always come up with something new--add a false name, bring up imaginary things. 

*With multiple portals, thousands of FB pages, Twitter handles, IT cell and top leaders ready to push it, they make people believe. Others can keep refuting, defending, explaining but how much!

[Photo is just for representational purpose]

LINK

Dirty secrets of Indian media: How newspapers cleverly mould public opinion that eventually hurts citizens, country

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi

People often wonder why citizens don't react to injustice or brutalities in India, the way people do in other countries.

One of the reasons is the extremely bad role played by media groups because of their power to create public opinion.

Especially, regional and the vernacular newspapers who have a great hold. It is nothing less than a miracle how they are able to do it, but this needs to be told.

They are able to make you cheer for policies that will eventually hurt and destroy you. But this is the power and the clever game that nobody talks about. They make us bigots, unjust and insensitive, they make us hateful and still preach about 'values'.

When Shambhu Regar burnt alive Afrazul, there was no public support for victim and no statements of celebrities or any shame-tears. In fact, people came out on streets for Shambhu and raised Saffron flag on court. That's a feature of our society. Apart from communalism, there are various factors.

Explained in a few points:

1. Local papers played major role for decades in shaping public opinion in states in India. Within states, a victim can be defamed and passed off as 'culprit', after all, many reporters (more than them paper owners) want good relations with officers. Why go against DM-SP, irk them?

2. A reporter generally associated with mass circulated papers in North or Central India, won't pursue with zeal a story about policemen who cane-charges a group or assaults a common man, though it affects everybody. In fact, he'd generally praise such cops as 'Singham', because it suits him and his 'Seth'.

3. Reporter supposed to get things done for owner, his other side businesses, take care of interests. If newspaper group wants to hold a Garba function, he has to ensure police arrangement, get VIPs to reach, avail special permissions, that are possible when officers are kept in good humour.

4. So if a man is really tortured and the story is too big to miss, then there'd be a spin-- 'police sources saying that this man was a gambler or was under influence of alcohol' to create a 'balance'. Either ways, people fed something that eventually hurts his rights as citizen.

5. This is such a cleverly crafted system that citizen walk on road towards policies that will eventually hurt him. But he cheers for it. He is made to believe that this is in his interest, though it is in the interest of a model that has 'seth', a few beneficiaries.

6. Those reporters who try hard, are defamed too, even within fraternity, 'Zyada krantikari ban rahe hain'. To keep job, many learn what to write, ignore. Imagine, when humans can be made to believe that human rights (our own) are bad, you just know what hope is there for change.

LINK: Role of Hindi media is spreading communalism, propagating right-wing narrative

7. When you don't have concept of justice and empathy towards own fellow citizens, you can't emerge as a great nation. If you don't speak for people in your own country who are oppressed and are victims, then there is no bonding and without bonding, no country can prosper.

All the existing fault lines in the society viz.caste, community, religion, region, class are exploited and media--newspapers and TV channels ensure that it 'anti-victim' opinion is formed, such a view is propagated.

8. Biased reporting makes citizens and the majority sympathetic towards goons, lynchers, the cow vigilantes just like they go on supporting economic policies or government steps that would hurt them.

Media has power to influence our mind, our perception. Courage is considered a virture because it is about taking on the powerful, raising voice against those who misuse power. But, imagine if in a society, armed men beat up unarmed citizen, torture them, beat them, feel it is 'bravery' & this is praised.

LINK: How to fight fake news, media propaganda and false communal narrative

9. However, this is not even taken seriously, neither recorded, nor documented. In states like MP, police often take detained persons in the form of a 'juloos' and this is hailed. No one objects to the practice because media has made it fashionable and it praised police for such acts.

Already, there were major issues and prejudices among sections of society. You can always judge character of society, people with the stand they take. Won't speak up against the 'power structure', will remain silent on atrocities on own poor and weak.

10. Also, not just within country, internationally too, see tge silence over big bullies' aggression-insult. But getting excited over petty things and minor offensives against small fries. Rather than becoming more sensitive towards each others' pain, society has been made more indifferent and selfish.

The newspapers and TV channels have created this situation where they pit people against each other, entire communities are branded and targeted. Hence, the need to understand the society, the system and deal with it.


LINK: Why people came out in India to support Shambhu Regar, not for the victim

Photo courtesy: Class Art/Pexels.org

Lessons from US to India: Countries that stop injustice, fight oppression become great nations

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi

After George Floyd's murder, USA erupted in anger.

Not just blacks, whites [the majority] too came out to protest and almost every celebrity was openly talking about the incident and speaking against racial discrimination.

Even the policemen seemed on back foot and made a gesture, apologised for their colleagues' horrible act. Does anyone here accept a mistake or says sorry for tortures?

Do we even have the moral character, this strength that is needed for it. Do we even care? This is the major difference between America and India.

When Shambhu Raigar had burnt alive a Muslim man Afrazul as if it was just a pastime & got it video recorded on his kin's phone 2-1/2 yrs ago, how many had protested. Just recall, who came out on streets?

Scores of Shambhu's supporters took to the streets in Rajasthan. They wanted him freed & had unfurled saffron flag at court. There was no feeling of guilt or shame expressed by right-wingers. As usual it was termed as a 'fringe person's action' and ignored.

Similarly, in most of the lynching incidents, from Akhlaq to Junaid, Pahlu Khan to Tabrez, there was never any solidarity, no apology. How many celebrities who otherwise speak in accordance with US' values, did the same in India?

Did you see them holding placards that 'we are sorry'? No. In fact, those involved in killings and lynchings get garlanded and feted. Even they are hailed as heroes and even asked to contest elections. We have a terror suspect win election by a margin of lakhs.

Nations that are strong have people who take stand, have empathy and 'hamdardi'--understand, feel each other' pain, stand with oppressed irrespective of their creed, at least, have some moral values, not selfish interests, majoritarianism or law applied as per whims.

This is what we must learn.

READ: Right-wing fanatics on rampage, attack police, hoist Saffron flag on court

Minneapolis Murder: George Floyd's death again shows racial bigotry, deep biases in police that lead to atrocities

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi

Once again a black life is lost to police brutality.

This happened in Minneapolis in America, yet another case of killing that is clearly due to racial discrimination.

George Floyd's murder shows that how section of police personnel, continue to use excessive force against citizens belonging to the marginalized communities and remain hostile towards them.

Biases, attitudes in society, racial bigotry lead to such killings. The same disease that ails police and authorities across countries--victims are targeted because of hate towards the race or community. 

Dominant groups create narrative that dehumanizes weaker section & targets-mistreats them. Law same on paper but applied differently. Violence is unfortunate but officers must face action.

We hope that there would be stern action against the guilty. It happens in India, where we see Muslims facing attacks, getting lynched and framed in cases. The lower castes, the poor also suffer and face violence.

In a recent incident, a lawyer was beaten and later policemen claimed that mistook him and beat him as they felt he was a Muslim. It happens in several other countries too. We stand with the victims and we must speak for the oppressed across the world, irrespective of their race or faith.

There is need for better representation for people of colour in USA, just like better representation of Muslims is needed in Indian police. Heart goes out to the family of the victim. We want Justice for George Floyd. In Solidarity From India.