Sometimes.........we do things out of curiosity, sometimes out of self desires, sometimes out of need for our family, but, sometimes we do it for none of the above reasons. Sometimes, we just do it because we want to 'make a change'. Tarek Fatah is one who those people who want to make a change, a change in system, against system or against a brutal religious law or some other cult.
The idea that goads us from doing something right is not very rare in Indian subcontinent. We're the people who can deny Mahatma Gandhi and praise MA Jinnah , who can chant '#Bhagat Singh ki jai' and still deny #socialism, who can praise M. Iqbal , that's okay! but deny Gurudev RBN Tagore at the same time. And then we have #Tarek Fatah who is breaking all these stereotypes and fighting against hypocrisy, Islamic fundamentalists and other religious bigots at the same time.
Tarek has fought all his life. He advocates gay rights, a separation of religion and state, opposition to sharia law, and advocacy for a "liberal, progressive form" of Islam. Some of his activism and statements have been met with criticism from right-wing Muslim groups. He was a leftist student leader in the 1960s and 1970s. He was imprisoned twice by military regimes. Finally, 1977, he was charged with sedition by the General Zia-ul Haq regime and barred from journalism in Pakistan. He left Pakistan and settled in Saudi Arabia, before emigrating to Canada in 1987.
His own introduction to himself that has made a huge impact on me as well as many Marxists in India and Pak, says:
"I am an Indian born in Pakistan, a Punjabi born in Islam; an immigrant in Canada with a Muslim consciousness, grounded in a Marxist youth. I am one of Salman Rushdie’s many Midnight’s Children: we were snatched from the cradle of a great civilization and made permanent refugees, sent in search of an oasis that turned out to be a mirage."
In context of religion, he says:
"I write as a Muslim whose ancestors were Hindu. My religion, Islam, is rooted in Judaism, while my Punjabi culture is tied to that of the Sikhs. Yet I am told by Islamists that without shedding this multifaceted heritage, if not outrightly rejecting it, I cannot be considered a true Muslim."
Muslims Religious leaders think that he stereotypes Islam by extrapolating the behavior of a few extremists to represent the religion as a whole. Common Muslim men and women who have been brainwashed by Maulavi and Mullas hate him because they have never gotten a chance to open up their minds.
Indian secular leaders disagree with him because they think that he is there in India for creating chaos and spread hatred among Hindus and Muslims. Also, they blame Fatah for being some Intelligence Agency's agent from Israel. Now, Muslim clergies blame him for being an agent of ISI, and some people have called him an agent of RAW as well. SO, it's funny as well as complicated to define that what he actually is and for whom is he working :D
I'm concluding now, but before I do that I just want everyone reading this article to know that a 67 YO man is fighting all his life for others, for weak ones and for underprivileged. HE has suffered many injuries through all this struggle, faced hundreds of death threats, has been heckled many times, even in India at Jashn-E-Rekhta event. People who have been constantly abusing him have no remorse. He is an enemy for all these religious extremists, an enemy for all these corrupt politicians, an enemy for everyone who talks against unity and sovereignty of India. Shame on those who disrespect him or use derogatory words for him.
Well, he receives MORE LOVE THAN HATRED, more positivity than negativity, and more respect than disrespect. :)
People who have really understood unity and religious harmony over the time completely agree with him and support him whether in India or abroad.
Now, It's so disheartening for me to tell that Tarek is suffering from cancer. Our friend has began his first chemotherapy treatments to combat the resurgence of cancer. He is a fighter, a lion, and we believe he'll defeat this disease again.
🏵 GET WELL SOON dada................... Delhi is waiting for youuu!! 💐 :)
- Sunny Raj Vats ( fb.com/srv.storyteller)![trk.jpg]