This terror attack in Brussels was inevitable. It was as clear as day light soon after investigations into the November, 2015 terror attacks in Paris led to "ghettos" in the "capital" of the European Union. Equally inevitable is the fact that more terror attacks will follow and that the ISIS will claim credit. Even more inevitable, pundits will come up with fancy theories to suit their ideological leanings. But it would help to take a realistic look at the myths surrounding this macabre exposition of terror in recent times.
Myth 1: Muslims Support Religion Over Nation: In this era of beef jihad, this myth is the most popular one among the deluded and the bigoted. Let's look at India to see how stupid and dangerous this myth is. Imagine if even 1% of Indian Muslims actually supported Jihad of the variety practiced by outfits like LeT, Al-Qaeda and ISIS. We would have more than 2 million citizens openly-and secretly- trying to undermine the state. When we as a nation state find it difficult to handle even 10,000 odd Maoists, imagine the civil war India would actually face if there was even a hint of truth behind this pernicious myth.
Myth 2: Muslims Oppress Minorities: The gory tales that we have heard about how the ISIS has treated the Yazidis and the Kurds seem to reinforce this myth. The continued exile of Kashmiri Pandits adds a poignant value in the Indian context. But tone down your prejudice and think objectively: which society or nation has ever treated minorities in a way that JNU students would be proud of it? Does America still treat African Americans in a fair and just manner? Some Muslim countries, like countries dominated by other religions treat minorities badly. Some treat them well. Period.
Myth 3: Muslims Have More Children: This again is a favorite subject for the bigoted in India. We are told that Muslims are breeding so fast that Hindus will soon become a minority. The fact is that birth rates have almost nothing to do with religion. Education and particularly education of the fairer sex leads to dramatic drops in birth rates irrespective of religion. In the United States, Texas and California will soon have Hispanic majorities if they don't already. Most Hispanics are Catholics. Where does Islam come into this demographic change happening in the Land of Freedom?
Myth 4: Muslims Have A Reason To Rage: Now we come to territory that will begin to offend "liberals" and "intellectuals" in India. Every time there is a terror attack, we are swarmed and swamped by liberals and Leftists seeking out "root causes". All terror attack in India, according to these liberals, are because of Babri Masjid or the 2002 Gujarat riots. This myth is as pernicious as the one about Muslims being traitors. Injustice is a global phenomenon. Imagine if the Japanese - and they have the resources and the technology - decided that they must avenge the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Victimhood is never an excuse.
Myth 5: Islam is a Religion of Peace: This slogan is parroted so routinely after every terror attack that it is sickening. Of course Islam is a religion of peace. As is Christianity, or Hinduism or Buddhism or Marxism. All religions preach peace and brotherhood. But it is what adherents practice that matters. Did Buddha sanction monks in Sri Lanka and Myanmar to behave as they did? Did Jesus encourage the crusades? Did the Vedas ask for routine torture and murder of Dalits? Did Marx instruct Stalin and Mao to butcher tens of millions of fellow citizens? So to keep parroting about the peaceful nature of Islam is hypocritical bunkum.
Will the so-called pundits accept all five myths as dangerous? Or will they be selective as always?
