He That Has an Ill Name Is Half Hanged

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 3 August 2023 "Cases of communal clashes and simultaneous unrest in many states must be seen in association with the general elections that are not far away." A reader in his letter to the editor of a leading English daily published from the East How should we see the happenings in Manipur in the East and communal clashes in Nuh (Haryana) in the northern part of India? Isn't a definite pattern emerging when the general elections are less than a year away? Mewati Muslims of Nuh have always been non-communal and simple people. Now when they're being projected as hardcore Muslims attacking cops and Hindus, one is tempted to ask how and when have these simple Muslims become rabidly communal all of a sudden? It's obvious that something sinister is going on and riots and clashes are being engineered. There's a term in Political Science. It's called ' Political Immediacy ' (also called ' Concocted Immediacy'). Political outfits often resort to certain acts of unrest and confusion just before the elections. These clashes act as catalysts to achieving the objectives of political parties. Rabidly Hinduaised India is now a fertile ground for such clashes in which a particular community can easily be demonised. Why should I beat around the bush and hide the name of that cornered community? I'm talking about Muslims who are being cornered, chastised, castigated and demonised. Haven't you heard this famous saying, give a dog a bad name and hang him? Brits will say, he that has an ill name is half hanged. Muslims already have an ill name, thanks to this party's shenanigans and relentless negative projections of them (Muslims) since 2014. Now, just pulling the lever is remaining. Ill-fated Muslims are already standing on the scaffold with a noose around their necks. No wonder if more such gory and unpleasant happenings take place in the days to come. Politics is a field that's often devoid of ethics and politicians are perennially destitute of morals and values. We're at the crossroads of a volcanic outcome that will claim innumerable innocent lives. I don't want to sound like Cassandra. But I cannot overlook the ominous signs either. They're too obvious to be missed. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/ill-name-half-hanged/d/130364 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism