The Temptation

The commuters travelling in local trains immediately after the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai locals were a tensed lot. Suspicious eyes tried to scan each and every passenger boarding the locals. An imaginary tagging of luggage with their respective owner took place, the message was clear, no one was allowed to alight leaving behind their luggage.

All that has eased now. It’s all back to the good old days, unless, a bearded man with a skull cap boards the train. The friendly eyes are suddenly suspicious again.

It’s not the commuters who are to blame. It’s a mind-set which almost all of us have.

===

A young girl from a well-to-do non-Muslim family is waiting for her prince charming. Her parents are open-minded. She can find anyone she likes and loves. His religion won’t matter. But, ofcourse, all this is tossed out of the window if she chooses to find a Muslim Guy. She will not be accepted by her family.

She keeps away from Muslim guys.

===

The broker is not allowed to sell the flat in a posh building to a Muslim. Although the board reads ‘cosmopolitan’, all sects are accepted except Muslims. He is asked to not even show the flat to a Muslim – the building society would never agree.

===

This is what it has come down to. We are not terrorists, but what we are doing is much worse than what a terrorist can ever do. We are ISOLATING a certain sect of people.

And that can take a toll on anyone. It’s not easy to live with almost everyone ignoring you. The ones who don’t ignore them, call them terrorists.

What we manage to do is Isolate. Now such isolation can only lead to Factions’ which undoubtedly leads to Radicalization and then towards fanaticism.

It can’t be easy being a teenage Muslim in conditions like these. Especially from a poor background.

Someone had once quoted:
“IF I WERE A YOUNG MUSLIM IN CONDITIONS SUCH AS OURS, I WOULD BE TEMPTED TO PICK UP A GUN”