No Muslims please!
Is Mumbai really as cosmopolitan as it is commonly perceived?
“Nah…how can this happen in Mumbai, that too with a Bollywood star?” I heard many people say when Emraan Hashmi reported that he was having difficulty in finding an apartment due to his faith. Then it was Shabana Azmi. “I wanted to buy a flat in Bombay and it wasn’t given to me because I was a Muslim and I read the same about Saif (Ali Khan). Now, I mean, if Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi cannot get a flat in Bombay because they are Muslims, then what are we talking about?”
I’ve studied in Mumbai, stayed in a hostel and enjoyed the freedom to move about even in the late hours of night or wee hours of morning more or less safely. I come from the town of Udaipur, where everyone knows you and seems interested in your affairs. But, when need be, they would also go out of their way to help you. In Mumbai, I loved that people tended to mind their own business. Here, you could feel carefree and uncared for. But not discriminated. At least I thought so.
Years down the line, I’ve been sensitised towards professionals, students, families, strugglers and stars who have one tag in common — I am a Muslim. A couple of months back, my cousin, who is a pilot with Jet Airways, had his base assigned as Mumbai. He came, stayed at our place and I was sure he’d find a good flat on rent soon in the suburbs.
Daunting task
But it proved to be a much more trying task than we’d anticipated. Through various agents, he scanned Powai, Santacruz, Andheri Lokhandwala, Kandivali Lokhandwala, Thakur Complex (Kandivali), Thakur Village (Kandivali) and so on. The choice proved to be very limited for Muslims. Many more options were available in the same areas, through the same agents, for my sister-in-law (husband’s sister), who is a Bengali Brahmin. Most of the agents are gracious enough to inform you at the start about the limited options. The more discreet ones politely shake their heads about the unavailability.
Post many agents and many rejections, my cousin finalised a flat in Kandivali Lokhandwala and gave the token amount. After much delay, it was returned as the society had refused to let a Muslim in, although the owner was ready.
Last week, we went to see a flat in a building complex in Thakur Complex, adjoining the highway, where the society didn’t have a problem with a Muslim tenant. But the owner refused to lend it to a Muslim. Although my husband assured that he, a Marwadi, was his brother-in-law and our offices were located quite near that building, there was no convincing the owner.
More liberal place
I walked away from that building, thinking about my grandfather who was the only one to open his shop during the Partition riots in the majority-dominated locality. People from all communities loved him well enough to elect him the Vice Mayor and then Mayor of Udaipur. His wife, my grandma, was the one of the initiators of women’s education in Rajasthan and served as the Vice President of the Rajasthan Branch of All India Women’s Conference (AIWC), of which Maharani Gayatri Devi was the President, way back in 1952. Our family comprises Kayasth Hindus, Shia and Sunni Muslims, Punjabis, Marwadis Baniyas, Bohras…many of whom have considerable contribution in politics, social service, arts, wildlife, conservation, literature and education in India. We celebrate all festivals round the year. I was always told that the fabric of Indian society was rich with a profusion of languages, traditions and cultures woven over the ancient, medieval and modern ages. It was impossible to separate it thread by thread. Come to think of it, perhaps our little town of Udaipur is much more liberal at heart than many a cosmopolitan city. Perhaps the people of olden days were more liberal-minded than many a modern Indian.
Many societies in Mumbai, of which the majority flats are owned by business classes, have the unwritten rule of not allowing Muslims in. In the apartment complex where my in-laws live, one of the best in the Western Suburbs of Mumbai, there is not a single Muslim family. Even though initially the builders may sell flats to Muslims, once the society is formed, no more are allowed. This is not a general rule in all societies, of course, but a prevalent one.
Yes, there are Muslims, as well as other minority communities, who prefer to stay in ghettos. But I realise, with a heavy heart, that there are not many places for a liberal Muslim to go to. And aren’t the majority communities making ghettoes for themselves by not letting the others in?
In Gokuldham society of the popular comedy serial “Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma”, there are Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, but not a single Muslim family (except a token Muslim small store owner). Perhaps that reflects the reality of many other building complexes in Mumbai. No Muslims Please!
Arefa Tehsin 
Dear Arefa
I am a “fake desi” – i.e. one who lives abroad, but continues to profess “desi values”. I am aware of the discrimination against Muslims, when it comes to renting. Mind you, the same probably (in varying degrees) applies to “dalits”, “bachelors”, etc. Still, it is an absolute shame! In a country that professes such noble values, that we stand for this. I am not very up on the technology of “new media”, but I thought I saw Rajdeep Sardesai suggest that he felt this was okay. If so, I think he is a “cutlet” (in Bombay-speak) and I pity his future.
I wish you success in all your ventures.
Shyam
Hi Shyam. Thank you for reading the article and your comments. Yes, the problem is widespread and in varying intensity for different divisions of society.
Really sorry to hear about trauma that you received, Would you like anything else to make life comfortable to your community ?
Like special subsidies for religious travels, proposed reservations, special marriage laws which bypass Indian constitution, more rights to communal riots, banning of books which hurts religious sentiments(even after 20yrs), threatening and kicking out people who write those books, politicians licking your feet, no-one-dare associate islam with terrorism, legalizing love jihad, more distortion of history to ensure your righteousness on this country or may be time for a new country from these bigots baniyas ?
Oh wait, you already have all those. People must not believe in those conspiracy theories afterall islam has proved itself to be religion of peace.
Sorry for these comments, kindly excuse.
1) The contents of this article in newspaper were of no surprise, because it is a day-to-day occurrence for millions of ordinary Muslims of India.
2) And it further reinforced their viewpoint, that they are still looked upon with the other eye.
3) The author, though she claims to be a Muslims by name, really does not believe in Islam, since she is married to a Hindu Brahmin. So a Muslim Woman marrying to a non-Muslim man, let alone, a Hindu, is clearly against the will/commandments/ruling of Allah/Quran/Islam/Prophet.
3) The tragedy in the modern world, especially in third world countries, is that Western-type University-educated people are miles away from Islam, except carrying their Muslim-sounding names.
4) When so-called Muslim does every, thing “unislamic” but when it comes to discrimination, why do they display their “Muslimness”. If they really claim to be Muslims, can’t they really believe in Allah/Quran/Islam/Prophet.
5) Is it not an eye-opener an indication that no matter how much you try to act/friend/relate yourself to non-Muslims you are still considered “Muslim” due to your name & background, and automatically out of their fold. Can’t they atleast now after this tragedy, regain their intellect and come back to Allah/Quran/Islam/Prophet, ask and beg for forgiveness, reclaim their status and become practicing Muslims.
6) The very definition of Muslim, an Arabic word, is the one who total submits to the will of God, not to our desires & lust. So Islam means surrendering and obedience to Almighty God, with no second option. Just like a soldier has no way other to believe the orders of his officers.
7) In this manner, either a person is Muslim submits to God or not a Muslim, who does not accepts God as their Lord. So the one who claims Muslims has to be wither a wholesome Muslim or forfeit their right to be a Muslim, and say goodbye, destroying their this world and the hereafter. But for “cat on the wall”, surely in a dilemma and state of confusion who needs serious help.
Congratulations for a well-written article. This again proves my opinion that we all are not equal and many still live in caves (at least I their heart) even after a good education and exposure to liberalism. I sympathize with you, but you are not alone. Fish-loving Bengalies, Sardars or bachelors too have to face the music. Actually we all are building own ghettos and not ready to let any one in with whom we can feel uncomfortable.
Also amused reading the views of Yogesh (@Delhiwaasi) and biogenetics. Both are happy living in their own hells.
Heidi2008/10/06ISLAMIslam is not a religion, nor is it a cult.a0 In it’s fulelst form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.a0a0a0a0a0a0a0Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all ofa0 the other components. Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well. Here’s how it works.As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:United States Muslim 0.6%Australia Muslim 1.5%Canada Muslim 1.9%China Muslim 1.8%Italy Muslim 1.5%Norway Muslim 1.8%At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:Denmark Muslim 2%Germany Muslim 3.7%United Kingdom Muslim 2.7%Spain Muslim 4%Thailand Muslim 4.6%From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:France Muslim 8%Philippines Muslim 5%Sweden Muslim 5%Switzerland Muslim 4.3%Netherlands Muslim 5.5%Trinidad & Tobago Muslim 5.8%At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia Law over the entire world. When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris, we are already seeing car-burnings.Any non-Muslim action offends Islam, and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:a0Guyana Muslim 10%India Muslim 13.4%Israel Muslim 16%Kenya Muslim 10%Russia Muslim 15%After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:Ethiopia Muslim 32.8%a0At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror, attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:a0a0a0Bosnia Muslim 40%Chad Muslim 53.1%Lebanon Muslim 59.7%From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:Albania Muslim 70%Malaysia Muslim 60.4%Qatar Muslim 77.5%Sudan Muslim 70%After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some state-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:Bangladesh Muslim 83%Egypt Muslim 90%Gaza Muslim 98.7%Indonesia Muslim 86.1%Iran Muslim 98%Iraq Muslim 97%Jordan Muslim 92%Morocco Muslim 98.7%Pakistan Muslim 97%Palestine Muslim 99%Syria Muslim 90%Tajikistan Muslim 90%Turkey Muslim 99.8%United Arab Emirates Muslim 96%100% will usher in the peace of ‘Dar-es-Salaam’ the Islamic House of Peace. Here there’s supposed to be peace, because everybody is Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in: Afghanistan Muslim 100%Saudi Arabia Muslim 100%Somalia Muslim 100%Yemen Muslim 100%Unfor tunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.’Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab Life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel.Leon Uris, ‘The Haj’It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos.There are no national courts nor schools nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrases. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.Today’s 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world’s population.But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world’s population by the end of this century.Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond’s book:Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat