Discussion with Narayan Desai--Hindu-Muslim Conflict Part 2

Discussions with ND continues....he is calm and composed. We are confused; not him.

3. Is there anyway that we can overcome this? What can we youth do?

Yes, you can. Keep your mind and heart open. Welcome Muslims into your life and homes. Invite them. They may not come the first time; call them. May not come. Call again. Keep at it. Keep the channels of communication open. You will see that there is so much misconceptions that we carry about each other.

The minute we start to see this, our fears dissolve. Get them together for your festivals. Play together....not necessarily competitive sport as it may lead to aggression in the beginning. But anything small....

Politicians play on fear---they use it to manipulate.

4. Why are all terrorists Muslims?

Indira Gandhi was killed by a Sikh. Rajiv Gandhi was killed by LTTE cadre. They were not muslims. We have witnessed several killings not done by the muslims. Yes, in Bombay, the killings were done by the Muslims. It is the act of the weak. This is how the weak responds to the strong.

Then there is this story that we have been fed for years. Hindus are weak and cannot fight but Muslims are strong and are fighters. We then tend to magnify this and say if this is what Hindus do, imagine what Muslims can do.

Forget everything...you don't have to like a mussalman; you may not relate to anything but you can surely look at him as a human being? As a person and relate to him like that? What stops us from seeing them as people?

5. But the system drives it one way. You cannot mention a muslim as a friend in a visa application as it will get rejected.

If you let the system muscle you, do you call it freedom? You are not free then. You must stand up as an individual. For yourself.

6. How do you look at the globalisation of Islam with Muslims from India aligning with the cause of Palestine? Where do you think all this is going?

Yes, that is happening. There are reasons for it. You cannot only blame the muslims for this. Christians are equally responsible. When words such as crusade is used by the American president to describe violence by a few individuals, it indicates the coming together of the Christian world against Islam. Such statements can only cause trouble.

FG