#NotInMyName: Take a Cue From How the Army Celebrates Eid

I had joined in the worship during mandir functions while commanding my regiment, writes Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah.

People participate in “Not In My Name” protests against the killing of Junaid Khan in Bengaluru on 28 June 2017.

(Photo: IANS)

I , Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah, PVSM, SM, VSM (Retd) have been watching with concern the violent incidents in the country. I was constrained from speaking out earlier because of limitations of being in the government service. I have no such restrictions now.

I support the movement, “Not in My Name”. It is heartening that the majority community, by this movement, have shown their support towards their minority brethren and have rightly protested against the systematic lynching of Indian citizens by self-serving, righteous criminals.

I have purposely mentioned my full name because in the army I am universally known as General “Zoom” Shah. Nobody talked about my religion. It was private business between me and my maker.

Pluralistic India

I would also like to recall how I attended an Eid function in one of my battalions. It comprised two companies – one Dogra and the other a Sikh company. The Eid namaz was performed in a large complex called the "house of worship".

The commanding officer, a non-Muslim, joined in the Namaz, a purely notional gesture, with immense impact on the morale of troops. I had done the same when presiding over mandir functions when I was commanding my regiment comprising the Rajputs.

After the namaz, the granthi gave a short speech followed by a kirtan by the pandit and a bhajan.

The speeches were about amity and service to the country, which all religions profess. All ranks then proceeded to enjoy a feast of sheer and sewian.

India: A Salad Bowl

Our home India is a “salad bowl”. I refer to it as a salad bowl because the minorities are integrated just like the constituents of a salad but not assimilated. In the salad you can still identify the carrot from the peas and cucumber.

Similarly, the minorities take pride in retaining their distinct religion, ethnicity, language and, very importantly, love for their country.

It is time for the government and the silent spectators to speak out against these atrocities and nip the evil in the bud. They should not allow it to spin out of control.

Also Read: #NotInMyName: Don’t Let the Rage Fade, This Fight Is Far From Over

(Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah is an Army veteran and a former Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. He can be reached @zoomshah. This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own.The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same. )