NEW DELHI: Journalist, Independent columnist and an author Rana Ayyub on Thursday said that Indian Muslims have been silent after the Supreme Court’s verdict on the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janam Bhoomi case.
This silence is of fear, not happiness
The Mumbai-based journalist in a long phone interview with HuffPost India told that people in the minority community can’t even say how unhappy and angry they are and if “anything they say or do will only make things worse for them.”
“This silence is of fear, not happiness. It’s only when you are intimidated that you are silent. We have been asked to shut up. Muslims are numb right now. The community has gone into a cocoon. People are just going about their routines because they don’t want to think anymore. They don’t know what is going to happen next.”
‘Unsatisfied’ is the strongest word
Other Muslim leaders and activists, HuffPost India spoke to also shared Ayyub’s opinion.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a young Muslim leader in Delhi, said, “Do you know what would have happened if we had condemned the judgement? ‘Unsatisfied’ is the strongest word we could use.”
“Of course, we are deeply unhappy about the verdict but no one can say it openly because we fear the consequences would be worse for us, Muslims,” he said. “We don’t have any other choice but to keep quiet.”
Face hatred earlier
The prominent journalist, recently warned by Amethi police for making a “political comment,” when she tweeted ahead of the final judgement on the disputed 16th century mosque in Ayodhya.
Known for writing against the Indian government’s policies, Ayyub has often faced hatred and vicious abuse on social media platforms from Hindutva activists.