Diktat creates wedge between two communities

His doctor-wife, Sharmila Vali, who has been staying in Canada for the last four years, and came all the way to Godhra to participate in the garba events, but is crestfallen to see the way discrimination is being meted out to Muslims in the city. She has offered to leave Godhra for Pune where her parents live, says Vali, who was only last year asked by the organisers of the Adhya Shakti garba to share stage with orchestra players for two hours.

Godhra, with over 40 per cent Muslim population, is witnessing tense moments as nine-day festival starts as the members of a right-wing organisation, Hindu Asmita Hitrakshak Samiti (HAHS), formed just a month ago and enjoying ideological support from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), gave a call to keep Muslims away from the event on the pretext that they indulge in “love jihad.”

Banners have come up in Muslim-dominated areas such as Kadi Fadia, Signal Fadia, Polan Bazar, Ghuiya Mohalla and Rani Masjid, asking members of the community to not visit any garba event. One such banner reads: “This is to bring to your notice that in the event of some organisations spreading false messages regarding Muslim youths, we ask you to stay away from the garba venue.”

“This is an effort to portray Muslim community as anti-social, and for a garba enthusiast like me and my wife, this is the most obnoxious thing to come across this year. I am drawn to garba events because of my interest in dance and music, but this year, I have lost interest in visiting any garba venue due to the false issue of ‘love jihad’ being propagated by some groups of vested interest,” says Vali, a Dawoodi Bohra.

The issue became a matter of concern for the district administration and the Muslims  after the organisers of major garba events in the city decided not to offer passes to Muslims or take donations from them for the event. The situation has wedged a rift between the members of the two communities, with Muslim clerics and leaders having asked youngsters to voluntarily keep away from the event to avoid any ruckus with members of right-wing organisation.

Interestingly, a majority of decorators of garba venues who hail from Muslim community express their confusion over the diktat, saying they will be needed by the organisers even during the festival and they do not like being denied an entry.

“We respect the sentiments expressed by our Hindu brothers and have asked Muslim youths to stay away from garba venue as this may unnecessarily create tension. I believe they should not go where they do not belong. They’d better stay back home or visit mosque,” Godhra’s main cleric Mufti Ismael Godharvi said.