Mangalore, Nov 5: Although each religious community in the country has its own cultural identity, these identities are being politicized, where the conventions and beliefs of a religious community are portrayed as questionable and objectionable aspects, and members of that community are pegged as terrorists. This is an attempt of assault on the community and its beliefs and has to be seriously debated on, said well-known writer and social activist Banu Mushtaq.
Speaking at a seminar on'Literature and social change' organised by Shanthi Prakashana as part of its silver jubilee celebrations, at Town Hall in the city on Monday, she said that such dominating assaults on religious communities had to be seriously debated on.
“When we define ourselves through several aspects such as country, religion, caste, creed, gender and ethnicity, our'pehchaan' or identity becomes a multi-faceted one. However, when I am identified as an Indian Muslim woman, the question arises if I can be perceived as a multi-faceted and also as a secular person, since the country allows me the right and freedom to follow my desired religion,” she said.
Recounting her experience during Hajj in Makkah, she described the presence of several Indian flags during the religious pilgrimage, which identified the pilgrims as Indians. “Although we are treated with love and respect abroad, we are insusceptible to this mutual feeling of respect in our own country, where Muslims are asked to prove their nationalism or patriotism,” she lamented, adding that writers from the Muslim community were trying to disperse such notions from the society and propagate peace between other communities.
In his inaugural speech, scholar and well-known litterateur Dr Taltaje Vasant Kumar said that literature often reflected the prevalent times in the society. Literary works of great authors try to communicate the concepts of equality, modernity and spirituality. Literature also helped bring changes in the society in olden days and also taught the society to handle situations with humanity. Stories penned by authors such as Premchand in North India, Niranjana, T R Subba Rao and Shivaram Karanth reflected the reality of their times and were also instrumental in reforming the society, he said.
Senior journalist Chidambara Baikampady, litterateur Bhaskar Rai Kukkuvalli and Akbar Ali of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind also participated in the seminar.
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