Dilemma of Tolerance

Dilemma of Tolerance

First published on 01 August 2017

Why the society demands tolerance from one dimension only, it is an all-pervasive factor and needs to be practiced by all sectors, of Society, of the nation, of family.

There had been a lot of discussions on the increasing levels of intolerance on the part of one group in India, mainly the ruling party or its affiliated organizations. While I am not defending or otherwise on those issues, my concern is why the country, its intelligentsia keeps silent unless they consider the issue as one having news value, the question of logic or reasonableness does not carry any weight of letters.

Two current incidents, a Muslim leader of JD(U) in Bihar participated in saying 'Jai Shree Ram', maybe or may not be in the way at times I meet my Muslim friends and say 'Salam Wale Kum' or 'Wale Kum Salam' to them, or even Adab or Khuda Hafiz. When I say these words, neither my friends nor I blink an eyelid, but a section of Maulvis and Muslim Political leaders were enraged, some issued Fatwa, and ultimately the politician who said 'Jai Shree Ram' said sorry if he had hurt someone.

Another incident, Tasleema Nasreen, staying in India for quite long, deported not only from Bangladesh but also from West Bengal, went to Aurangabad but had to come back from Airport. The police there did not allow her to enter the city as it would have created a law and order problem. So, the hooligans were not the problem, the problem was Tasleema Nasreen because she had written a book decades ago which none of the agitating public had access, none had an idea what it contained, but all knew that it was easy to protest against her.

And THESE GROUPS ARE TOLERANT but tolerant towards what, whom and how much is surprising