‘It seems some pork was thrown into the Mecca Masjid,’ reported Narasaiah, ‘and the Muslims suspect a Hindu hand behind the defilement.’
‘That might spell trouble after all,’ said a worried Aslam. ‘But why do they provoke the Muslim sentiment at all?’
‘The fact, that the mere presence of pork in a mosque or beef in a temple could trigger a communal riot in our country speaks for itself,’ articulated Raja Rao. ‘There’s no denying that either way it hurts the hyper-religious, and it’s precisely for that reason that the mischief mongers from both the communities resort to such acts. If we allow such symbolic hurt to trigger a communal riot, it’s like walking into the trap laid by the cunning con men or the religious zealots. Everyone knows that the silent majority is peace loving and law abiding; not that they are spiritually enlightened or religiously tolerant. It’s just that all realize that orderliness serves their self-interest the best. But, thanks to the machinations of the mischievous few, all get engulfed in the communal frenzy. Regrettably, the politicians too developed a proclivity to fan religious passions to create vote banks for themselves.’
‘What’s the way out then?’ asked Sandhya.
‘Oh, there seems to be none really,’ articulated Raja Rao. ‘But common sense might help one to reach out to others across the boundaries of religious biases. Let’s take the present incident. Even assuming that it’s the handiwork of a couple of Hindus, can one say that all the Hindus of the city are behind it? But for all that, it could as well be the handiwork of a demented Muslim. The Muslims might rightly be outraged by the sacrilege, but won’t the Hindus themselves be wary about the tasteless deed? Instead of getting at each other’s throats, won’t it make sense for all to collectively voice their common consternation? If only we could do that, the miscreants from both the communities would realize that there’s no ground left for them to foment trouble.’
‘But who’s to take the lead?’ asked Aslam.
‘Who else but the middle- class as the pigheaded religious heads have failed the masses,’ said Raja Rao, ‘Partly, the problem lies in the tendency of those that tend to give a public face to their private faith. And that makes the others suspicious about their religious intentions and personal inclinations.’
‘Is it to suggest that the Muslims should desert their mosques?’ asked Aslam.
‘Who says that, but all should downplay the manifestations of their faith in the public arena at least,’ said Raja Rao. ‘Maybe, more than the others, the Muslims need to do a lot more social re-engineering for their own good.’