FEBRUARY 29
The Problem of Riots
A regular reader of Al-Risala, Mr. M. Sajid of Delhi, once told me in the course of conversation that he agreed with all of the viewpoints expressed in al-Risala, except for one, and that was holding the Muslims responsible for riots that took place from time to time. He baulked at the idea that Muslims started riots. He felt that this ran counter to the facts.
I explained to him that he must have misconstrued my words. What I actually said was that Muslims were responsible for not preventing riots from taking place. In the context of dealing with opponents, the Quran says: “If you persevere and guard yourself against evil, their machinations will never harm you” (3:120).
That is, if you remain patient and adopt a God-fearing attitude, the plots of your opponents cannot harm you in any way. This verse tells us that the actual problem is not the existence of plots, but the absence of patience and piety: if riots occur, it is not because of hostile conspiracies, but because of our inability to adopt the path of patience and piety in countering them.
I further explained to him that whether these problems pertained to India or to any other country, there would always be people who indulged in activities, which injured others’ sentiments. The solution to this problem is not to stop others from indulging in such activities, but to control one’s own feelings. Wherever Muslims have fallen a prey to provocation, their reaction has caused matters to escalate into full-scale riots. But where they have adopted the path of patience and avoidance, rioting has been nipped in the bud.
We must fully grasp the fact that the administration is unable to prevent the outbreak of rioting. If riots are to be prevented, it will only be by right action on the part of the Muslims. The only viable strategy for Muslims to adopt is to remain unruffled in the face of provocation, and to exercise patience in the face of unpleasantness. And there is nothing to prevent their seeking police assistance whenever a situation is about to take an ugly turn. This is something, which needs to be done at the very outset. If Muslims can accept that this should be their role, the phenomenon of rioting could be banished, once and for all, from this country.
