(a) I don't believe that modern Muslim men and women care about what Deoband guys say about Vande Mataram. Or about anything, for that matter. Don't forget that in the recent times it was A. R. Rahman who set Vande Mataram to a new (and funky) tune (and sang it). Rahman is a devout Muslim. Deobad guys have once denounced the length of Sania Mirza's skirt. Does the good lady (no more single. sad.) care?
(b) Willingness to say Vande Mataram is too easy a test of patriotism. I am sure Madhu Koda sang it when he attended RSS shakhas as a teenager.
(c) Fatwa, as I understand, is not exactly a diktat. It's a ruling on a religion-related query/debate. If tomorrow somebody is to ask a Hindu scholar whether a Dalit can learn Sanskrit, answer has to be no; because that's what scriptures say. Does a Hindu commoner care nowadays about what scriptures say?
(d) There would be some Muslim nuts who would cite Deobad fatwa and refuse to sing Vande Mataram. Why bother about nuts? They are a source of humour.
(e) And if not for the nuts at Deoband, what would keep Uddhav Thackeray, VHP and assorted Hindu nationalists in business?
1 comments:
I'd like to comment about your point (b).
Mind you it's NOT the test of patriotism; but refusing to do it is a test of "unpatriotism".
Take the case of saluting our national flag.
If I salute it daily, and you don't find time to salute it even once a year, are you unpatriotic and I'm patriotic? NO.
But when you say you'd NEVER salute our national flag, will you be considered patriotic? NO.
That's it. Think over it.
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