I bring you a feel good story from India, which is a place that has not produced too many feel good stories recently. With the rise of the Hindu nationalists to power in India, Muslims (as the targeted “subversive” minority) have been steadily pushed to the fringes where they have to put up with reduced legal protections etc.
The intimidation comes in various forms. One of them is restrictions on who gets to use what words, and who is required to display what words. Muslims are sometimes asked (by goons associated with the ruling BJP; but with informal police consent) to display their names on their shops. The idea is that (some) Hindu customers would then prefer to shop elsewhere. And Muslins are sometimes asked (again, by goons associated with the ruling party) to avoid use of certain names. Names that can have anodyne meanings (I.e., they are not particularly offensive for being demeaning to any particular God or Goddess), but which some hotheads think should be reserved for HIndus only,
Baba, as an example.
Baba refers to a Grandfather, or a Father. It also refers to a mystic, oftentimes associated with the Sufi tradition (i.e. an amalgamation of faiths), but also with more traditional Hindu saints. It is this association of Baba with Hindu saints that the goons from the BJP would like to promote. But that means that no-one else can use that name.
That is what led to this. Watch the linked video below. An elderly Muslim shopkeeper runs a clothing store called “Baba tailoring and dress”. A group of goons are “respectfully” demanding that he change the name of his store, because “Baba” is a reserved word.
At the 1:50 mark, a man named Deepak Kumar enters the video. Apparently, he was visiting someone nearby and heard the commotion, and saw an elderly man surrounded by goons, and came over to help.
What would you do if you were in this situation ?
From: the Wire
There are two sets of Hindus who see these kinds of content or witness these kinds of incidents. First, those who agree with this. Second, those who feel bad seeing this but choose to stay silent because they think these vigilante groups have the power and they cannot do anything against them. Fear rings in and fingers move fast to scroll. If they are witnessing this in a market, maybe they will stop, see the harassment of the Muslim vendor/shopkeeper, feel bad, disgusted, angry, but move on.
And there is clearly a 3rd type; those with the courage to actually intervene. Deepak Kumar happened to be one of them. He has gone viral in India for this. In the video, he can be seen arguing with the goons about the use of the word Baba. At the 3:00 mark, one of the goons asks him: What is your name?
What is your name?
In India, people ask your name for two reasons. First, they may want to get to know you. Second, they may want to get to know your identity. Your first name will often reveal your religion. Your last name will sometimes reveal your caste. Or the place of your birth. It is similar to how Americans ask “where are you from”, or “no, where are you really from”. Those who ask such questions often do so without even considering the possibility of it being offensive or bigoted… it just rolls of the tongue. If you live with this, you become quite aware of the “what is your name” question and what is implies. Tell me your religion (or caste, or place of birth), so I can confirm my bias against whatever notion I have against you. You also learn how to deflect with the answer. My name is ___FIRST NAME ONLY. And just like Americans will sometimes follow up “where are you from?” with, “No, where are you really from”, that “My name is FIRST NAME ONLY” response will be followed up with “and what is your last name?”. To which, the deflection would be “FIRST NANE_Anodyne last name”.
My name is Mohammad Deepak
The “what is your name” question came about 1 minute into the argument with the goons, and was obviously meant to figure out if the heavyset man is a Muslim. After all, only a Muslim could possibly come to the aid of an elderly Muslim man...otherwise what is the meaning of your identity. Tell me your are a Muslim, so I can confirm my notion that this Hindu-Muslim identity division is paramount for all.
Deepak Kumar came back with a bold: My name is Muhammad Deepak.
He later explained that he chose those words to convey that he was Indian and that everyone is equal before the law— essentially using the name as a symbolic gesture of unity across religious communities.
Muhammad is obviously a Muslim name, as most people are expected to know. Deepak refers to a small lamp, or a light; and most people in India would know that Deepak is a Hindu name. So Muhammad Deepak would be a bi-religious identity that is not supposed to exist. You may as well call yourself Muhammad Christ. Or Joseph Beelzebub.
Anyhow, I hope this makes your day. May we all end up as John Lennon Imagined
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
