“Protests at Kolkata airport distracted from the real inequities faced by the community”
Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen said here on Sunday that the Muslim groups who protested against author Salman Rushdie’s visit to the city were distracting attention from “the real disadvantages” that the community faced.
“A lot of people who are enormously disadvantaged have enormous reasons to complain about other things,” Professor Sen said in response to a question on the controversy at the Kolkata Literary Meet, one of the events in the 37 International Kolkata Book Fair.
Professor Sen said that communities such as the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Muslims in West Bengal were not as privileged as the rest “in terms of the even-handedness of progress.”
“To subvert that issue into a completely different kind of issue and getting offended about something else — that is distracting attention from the real disadvantages that they face,” Professor Sen said.
The author of The Argumentative Indian said the militancy seen in recent developments restricted the conversation: “Anything that makes the Indian constructive argumentative tradition more militant — that people have the right [to deem an act as offensive] and therefore you cannot say those things — becomes a limitation because it restricts the conversation,” Professor Sen said.
Mr. Rushdie was scheduled to visit the city on January 30, but cancelled his visit at the last minute. Two days later, he alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee “ordered the police to block my arrival.” Not aware of Mr. Rushdie’s change in plans, however, Muslim groups had gathered at the city airport to protest.
However, Professor Sen cautioned against comparisons being made between the recent developments in India and the limitations on free speech in countries like China. India, he pointed out, would always come out looking better in such a comparison.
I have muslim friends they are really good to me and everyone. One thing that everyone needs stand up against is violance using the name of religion be it Hinduism or Islam or Christianity or whatever. That must be discouraged from everybody even if it is from your religion. I would like to see a world with no relion. I would agree with the Shamim's comment made here and he is a great muslim and I appriciate him.
After so many years since 'The Satanic Verse' was published, Muslims still persists in protesting against Salman Rushdie. I have not personally read the book. And I'm certain the greater majority of my Muslim brethren have not read it either. Rushdie is a writer and whatever he has written is fiction and we must be matured enough to accept it as such. If we as a community were to take every comment, cartoon, or writings as defamatory against our professed faith, God, and including the Prophet, then it is obvious we have not been enlightened enough by those. We have more worrying things in our horizons. We need to work hard to educate ourselves, find decent jobs, and contribute towards the growth of the nation. IT is these kind of protests, and other archaic religious edicts and judgements that have fuelled the growing opposition against the Muslims. Peaceful co-existence is something we have to learn and tolerance is that great character we will all have to imbibe. Let us move forward.
Dear Mr Amartya Sen, is it possible that we (indian muslims) complain for both, the second class citizens treatment by majority community, the deliberate disadvantage that we are put in with education, jobs in both government and secular levels AND protest against those who vehemently, constantly again and again being brought upon our head by the 'secular' media on our head, the one who deliberately insulted Hindu Deities, English PM and the most praiseworthy human being ever walked the earth (Muhammad, literally means one who is constantly praised)?
I am sure, If we remain civil and not hurt others, we are allowed to work towards our educational, and economical upliftments, if opportunities provided. If not, if we are allowed to create our own opportunities but majority community use the voters list to come butcher us in orchestrated pogroms every 10 years now. 1992, 2002, 2012. We won't give up hope in God, in India and in ourselves. But is this the India we were promised???
Mr. Amartya Sen is absolutely right in his assessment. Today’s
scenario is something like this: (a) Terrorist organizations like LeT
and Taliban are openly supporting violence in the name of Islam. Saner
elements in Muslim nations over the world are not actively
contradicting this view of terrorists. (b) The extremists in Muslim
communities all over the world are not ready to accommodate a view
that is different from theirs and they (extremists) are often
proclaiming that non-Muslims have no right to live in this world. (c)
Unfortunately, the saner elements in Muslim communities in our country
and elsewhere are being weakened day by day.
Unfortunately, Muslim leaders not only in West Bengal but elsewhere in
India too have refused to see reason and are wasting their energy on
agitations of little relevance for achieving socio-economic progress
of their community. Further, they are not united and are not seen
fighting for a good cause.
Yes, Muslims have other problems along with the one associated with Rushdie, it doesn't mean they should surrender their democratic right to protest the slights to their religion.
Not only muslims,a large section of India,irrespective of the religion,
needs to understand this.Unfortunately,people are still entangled in
some silly matters.
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