Azamgarh Connection

I was attending a dinner last night at a friend's friend house when an interesting conversation happen. The host is from Tamilnadu for the sake of the information of readers.

Host: where do you originally belong from ?
Me: Azamgarh.
Host:I have heard the name of this small town in some context. (not remembering)
(After 10 seconds of pause...)
Me:You may have heard this name in the wrong cause.
Host:Yaa, Terrorist origin or something like this..

I was ashamed by the image projected of my native place in so wrong perspective.But the image is not completely false, a bit of truth is in it.If you want to know about this god forsaken place read these articles. Azamgarh Connection-1, The Battle Of Azamgarh and Azamgarh: the gulf connection.

No one knows about Ayodhya Prasad Singh “Hariaudh” a national fame Hindi poet or Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi. These names are no longer an example to emulate for the new generation of Azamgarh specially the youths of Muslim community. Deprived of higher education, the young and the restless of the village have no option but to take up jobs in West Asia or Mumbai. Few of them are ill guided in the name of religion by fanatics.

There is a general feeling in the Muslim community, and not only in Azamgarh, that after every terrorist act the police pick up innocent Muslim youth at random and even if they let them go after interrogation, their lives are already destroyed. They lose their jobs, marriages break down, their Muslim relatives and friends too start avoiding them, not to speak of their Hindu friends or employers. This has already happened to several Muslim youths in different parts of the country.

Injustice to Muslims is the foundation of terrorism.It gives them a chance to spread the propaganda of segregate and orthodox Muslim community. Hindus are not only bystander and victims of the violence. The hatred and intolerance to mix with the people of other caste and religion is most widespread in them.

Any authentic, well-meaning leadership would have guided them towards deep introspection as to why educated Muslim youth, particularly from Azamgarh, are getting involved into terrorist acts. Instead they are being led into total denial of the very existence of the militant fundamentalism virus imported from Saudi Arabia - Pakistan - Afghanistan region that is gradually infecting Indian Muslim youth too. There is enough evidence to suggest that this is happening, but our leaders, both political and theological, are leading the community into total denial. This does not bode well for the Indian Muslim community. The genuine worries of the Azamgarh Muslims are being channelised into wrong directions.

It is easy to blame the police and the government. Not that they do not deserve that blame sometimes. But while we have to try and keep them on their toes, through peaceful protests, through political mobilisation, and so on, that is not going to solve our problems in the long run. We need to introspect deeply and awareness should be our main function for bringing peace.

I have compiled this article just randomly and adapting some paragraphs from here and there. But the incident is true one. Just randomly found links for those who wants to know about problems of our country and voice of minority.

1-You could find a distinct voice on Islam here in this article.
2-Gul Panag clarifies her views on Terrorists and Terrorism. It is not any commanding article from a politician but it is very honest opinion .
3-At last about my native place, Azamgarh: Where guns have replaced roses!