Mukhtar Ansari, a mafia don, convicted criminal, and politician, died of natural causes while serving a sentence in a jail in UP. You would, in normal circumstances, expect the public reaction to the death of a criminal to be of relief, disdain or plain indifference. But the death of Mukhtar Ansari evoked an aggressively defiant and sentimental reaction from the Muslim masses. So much so that educated Muslim journalist Arfa Sherwani, popular RJ Sayema and barrister-turned-politician Asaduddin Owaisi came out in open support of the dead don so let us examine why such a reaction has occurred from the Muslim community.
If you look at the Muslim masses, especially from the area from which Mukhtar Ansari hails, the support for him isn’t surprising. He was a politician, and quite obviously, he would have done some work for his constituency. So many politicians work for the masses, but hardly anyone is unanimously declared a messiah. The Muslims of that area praised him for listening to people’s complaints and promptly completing the work. So basically, the don Mukhtar Ansari was holding a darbar at his home and using his mafia credentials to finish the work. This way, he managed to make a good hold over his people.
His work and muscle power ensured he got elected MLA 5 times. The usual Muslims and a section of OBC Hindu voted to make sure he got elected multiple times. Why is it that Mukhtar was a messiah only for Muslims and a hated criminal for the Hindus of the same area? The truth lies in this fact. Frankly, for Muslims, anyone who takes on the might of the state, even for all sorts of criminal activities, becomes a hero. There is a clear religious angle to it. It’s also clear that most of Mukhtar Ansari’s victims were Hindus. So a pious momin was taking on the kafirs and showing them their place. Surprisingly, it didn’t occur to the Muslims that Ansari wasn’t framed and convicted by the perceived unfriendly BJP government; the independent judiciary declared him guilty after due process of law. So, by declaring a convicted criminal a messiah, the Muslims have shown utter disregard for the judiciary of the country of which they are citizens.
The herd mentality of the Muslim masses to stand behind even criminals can be attributed to blindly following their religious and political leadership. But why would English-educated, sophisticated, and successful Muslims support Mukhtat Ansari? Don’t Owaisi, Arfa, Sayema, etc., know that Ansari was a convicted criminal? Owaisi visited the home of Ansari and, while feasting on a sumptuous meal, declared in his characteristic irresponsible way that Ansari was slowly poisoned. The ideological hatred that most Muslims have for the BJP has blinded them to the extent that they are ready to support a mafia don just because he opposes the BJP politically. Their support for Ansari stems from the same reasons as the masses. A section of educated Muslims who are Islamised see Ansari as a hero who took on the powerful regimes in a predominantly Hindu India.
So basically, dons like Ansari defy the Kafir regime and fly the Islamic flag high. This fits in with the Islamic concept of defying the land of Dar ul Harb, where non-Muslims are rulers. For large sections of Muslims, these claims of belief in the constitution of India and the democratic system are only applicable when they have a Muslim-appeasing government and a judiciary, that gives favourable verdicts. The current Modi regime treats all citizens equally, and the elite class of Indian Muslims who were pampered for 75 years are feeling left out and useless. The hatred for the BJP-led regime, which is perceived as a regime of Hindus and, by extension, as anti-Muslims, has corrupted the minds of the elite Muslims, and they have nearly become anti-nationals. What else would you call people who support a criminal convicted for murder, abduction, extortion, and gun running?
Mukhtar Ansari was the enemy of the Indian state, and anyone supporting him became an enemy, too, by association. Mafia dons like Mukhtar Ansari act as the sword arm of Islamists in India; they bring in money, political clout, muscle power and control over the masses with the image of a macho Islamic hero twirling his moustache. The agenda of such types of Muslims is to Islamise India; in other words, bring a Sharia-compliant Dar ul Islam just like Pakistan.
Any support for a convicted criminal, irrespective of his religion, is nothing but non-belief in the Constitution of India. A section of Muslim support for Mukhtar Ansari reveals a sinister plot to destabilise India built on a constitution-based rule of law and replace it with a Sharia-compliant Dar ul Islam. So, what should the Government do to tackle this problem? For starters, the Government should shut down all madrasas. Islamic teaching to Muslim children can be done at home without the threat of systematic radicalisation, as done in the madrasas.
Moreover, the Government should stop funding minority institutions like AMU and Jamia. Islamic institutions shouldn’t be run with the taxpayer’s money, and if the Government grants money, then these institutions should be declared secular. Besides this, all those Islamic institutions running on zakat money should be monitored for their curriculum and adherence to state rules regarding education. Moreover, the UCC should be implemented as soon as possible. The special Sharia-based personal laws prevent Muslims from integrating into the mainstream. We have seen how the abrogation of Article 370 finished separatism in Kashmir. Muslims need to understand unequivocally that India will never have any Sharia-based regimes and will always remain a secular country with a Sanatan ethos.
