In the Shadow of Fear: Safeguarding Faith

Articles , Snippets , / Tuesday, May 20th, 2025

rki.news

By Amir Muaan
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There’s a famous English proverb: “To put yourself in someone else’s shoes.”
It means that before criticizing someone, try to imagine being in their place, facing the same conditions. On the surface, this seems like a simple idea, but truly answering it might leave you speechless. You may be wondering why such a long prelude is necessary. The reason is that many questions are currently being raised in Pakistan about Muslims living in India: Why do they constantly feel the need to prove their loyalty to India?
Despite living in a country they’ve called home for centuries, where their ancestors’ graves reinforce their connection to the land, where their forefathers shed blood rather than just sweat for India’s progress—they are still compelled to prove their patriotism. Even after contributing to India’s strength as a missile-capable nation, they must continue to seek certificates of loyalty.
Why do they live as second-class citizens? Why are they being deprived of their basic right to live? Amid these hardships, they keep trying, if not with their hearts, then with their words to show they’re patriotic, all in a desperate effort to escape the ever-present fear of persecution.
They constantly live with the fear: When, where, and how might a mob demand proof of their patriotism? In this age of social media, nothing stays hidden the way it once did. India once wore a secular mask and posed as a great nation to the world. Today, every image, video, and reel coming from every street corner has ripped that mask off.
For the sake of political power, today’s rulers have tainted the face of secularism with such ugly marks that even if they tried, they couldn’t clean them. Only fools expect love to grow after sowing seeds of hatred.
Why do prominent Indian media anchors show up with microphones demanding Muslims prove their loyalty? They want Muslims to utter words that can later be used as grounds to snatch even their last breath. The reason behind this aggression is the fear in the hearts of cowards that one day, the lion (the Muslim) might awaken again.
Well-known Indian Muslim figures openly express fear and make anti-Pakistan statements. Meanwhile, the average Muslim avoids engaging with violent, biased anchors and refrains from directly criticizing Pakistan. This self-restraint infuriates the Indian government.
A state that openly supports Hindus in Bangladesh wants to ensure that no Muslim supports another Muslim ,lest they be branded traitors. These rulers are so consumed by the fire they’ve kindled that they don’t even realize they are accusing their own system when they target someone. Colonel Sophia Qureshi, a spokesperson for the Indian army, was labeled a terrorist’s sister simply for being Muslim, without thinking this accusation implicates the entire military. Yet those making such claims have no fear of punishment.
Prime Minister Modi, who shows open hatred for Muslims at home, hugs Arab leaders abroad as if they’re long-lost brothers from a kumbh maila. This hypocrisy has become a defining trait of India’s ruling class.
New anti-Muslim policies are regularly crafted, and Indian Muslims are forced into silence. During times of India-Pakistan tension, Muslims in India are viewed with suspicion, as if they’re Pakistanis who mistakenly settled there. Every media anchor, influencer, and common person walks into Muslim neighborhoods with cameras, asking: Are you truly loyal to India? Even if someone says, “We’re just trying to focus live our lives , we want no part in wars,” they’re labeled traitors or agents.
Not just ordinary citizens ,even celebrated figures scream to prove their patriotism. Some in Pakistan, overlooking these individuals’ constraints, feel hurt by their words. But that’s when we must remember the English proverb: To put yourself in someone else’s shoes.”
Consider the gravity of the situation: even Javed Akhtar, who proudly calls himself an atheist, was compelled by ancestral ties to say, “I’d rather go to hell than go to Pakistan.”
One might ask, since when do atheists believe in hell? Maybe he has grown so accustomed to living in a hellish environment in India that he’s equating another life there to hell, or perhaps, by accepting Hindu beliefs in reincarnation, he meant being reborn in India is hellish.
But atheists don’t believe in rebirth either. The truth is, Javed Akhtar has been pushed to the point where even the language of peace comes out in flames. And that’s the reality now: no matter what the heart and mind feel, people believe it’s safer to say what’s expected.
The Indian government seems to forget that pressing people too hard leads to rebellion.
Beware the day Muslims awaken and begin to demand equal rights as citizens. Beware when they begin asking BJP to also prove their patriotism.When they question: How did the RSS, who supported the British and killed Gandhi, become “patriots” with the formation of the BJP? How can the dreamers of “Akhand Bharat” distribute patriotism certificates to Indian Muslims?
Therefore, Pakistan must understand the hardships faced by its Muslim brothers in India. Don’t judge them by the words they’re forced to speak, look into the tears flowing from their eyes. Raise your voice on international platforms for their justice.
Pray for ease in their lives.
Work towards unity and brotherhood in the Muslim Ummah.
ایک ہوں مسلم حرم کی پاسبانی کے لیے
نیل کے ساحل سے لے کر تابخاکِ کاشغر