Activities
09. September 2009
Participants of the SAVE meeting in Lucknow this August.
Open Minds to Accept the Other
SAVE India at Lucknow University
Lucknow University is a partner in SAVE (Sisters Against Violent Extremism) India, which was launched in January 2009. At the start of the new academic session, the Academic Staff College organised an Orientation Program for University teachers from different parts of the country. During the Program, the Academic Staff College hosted a workshop on SAVE and invited leading NGOs, academics and activists to attend. Archana Kapoor was invited to attend and to introduce SAVE, and to share with the teachers the role and objectives of SAVE as well as how the University teachers could get involved.
Lucknow, which has never faced Hindu-Muslim violence, provided a perfect environment in which to have a meaningful and rational debate on how to challenge ideas that breed hatred and extremism. Lucknow stands apart from the rest of India, and in particular Mumbai, which has a long history of religious strife and has seen a rise in communal antagonism due to terrorist attacks by Jihadis and Hindu extremists. These militant attacks have perpetuated stereotyping and struck a bodily blow to communal harmony.
Archana introduced SAVE to the group of 30 teachers from a range of departments at Lucknow University who attended the workshop. She spoke about the role that the teachers can play in providing an environment supportive of fighting hate-based ideologies as well as religious and caste stereotypes.
Moving on from the Mumbai terror attacks, the discussion slowly gravitated to the personal experiences of those who have come face to face with terror. Many workshop participants had borne witness to terror attacks and had been caught in the cross fire of the 1992/93 and the 2007 attacks. The participants were initially reluctant to air their views on such a sensitive matter in India’s multi-religious society. After receiving encouragement, the participants shed their initial hesitation and began to animatedly discuss the problems they faced, particularly in relation to their religious identities.
Muslim teachers claimed to be victims of discrimination on a variety of levels. They spoke of incidents during which the community majority had demonized them, branded them as terrorists, and even questioned their loyalty to the nation. These experiences were dismissed by others, however, who said that the minority community internalized a number of ‘non-issues.’ This latter group also felt that the minority communities needed to reflect more on their feelings, as they felt that the minority community suffered from persecution mania.
Dr. Thakur Prasad Rahi noted that the real cause of tension was the refusal to accommodate the other’s point of view, coupled with varying perceptions of the other. As the discussion became more intense, participants grew conscious of the fact that they were treading on thin ice when it came to pointing a finger at the other. The discussion provided a comforting environment to teachers of both communities in which to acknowledge how wrong they had been about each other on many issues.
Dr. Rakesh Chandra stressed that we have to accept each other in our diversity – there cannot be uniformity of thought, religion and beliefs. Humanity must take precedence over religion and caste. At this point, Dr. Fatima Rizvi, an English professor, admitted that during the 1993 communal riots in Mumbai, many of her Hindu neighbors mounted an all night vigil to protect them against violent extremists.
It was fascinating to observe how in a matter of four hours, differences, misgivings, and animosities began to melt away in the group. Understanding and the desire to know about and listen to the other increased.
"We have really enjoyed the session, for the first time in the last 3 days we have not taken a break in between," said Dr. Neerja Sinha, from the Commerce Department of Avadh Girls Degree College.
“The workshop prompted a very encouraging discussion, and has opened our minds. Actually we should have more such discussions," said Dr Qaman Iqbal, from the Arabic Department of Lucknow University.
While this session did not conclude with a definitive road map to address the complex issues of preventing radicalization, the discussion certainly provided food for thought.
By Archana Kapoor
