Dilemma Regarding ‘Allies’
While the crackdown from the state is the single biggest threat, there were other challenges also that the community has had to negotiate. One such challenge is the question of accommodating ‘allies’.
While several non-Muslim activists have selflessly supported Muslims in the anti-CAA movement and the broader struggle against discrimination, there have been moments where ‘allies’ fell prey to the ‘Good Muslim’ vs ‘Bad Muslim’ binary.
A recent example is the debate sparked by Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav’s article supporting Umar Khalid, who was arrested on 13 September in connection with the Delhi riots.
For instance, Yogendra Yadav wrote in his article:
“That’s what makes him an icon for the youth today. Especially for the new educated middle-class Indian Muslims, desperately seeking to move away from the clutches of clerics,…