1. Situation of Muslims
Why do others feel insulated against reaction ?
Minorities : Who are ? Who will be ? Threat perception.
Trend towards decadence, acceptance of aberrations.
Decadent societies self destruct : our survival at stake.
What now ? How ? Participative politics ?
“No lose” situation ? SWOT analysis ?

2. Assessment
• No leadership at present, Muslim or Hindu
• No innate qualities of leadership
• Hindu leaders products of politics of power-brokering
• England, Asians had no outstanding leader, no Martin Luther King
• Immigrants organised, became aggressive with strategic intent
• Didn't expend energy on fighting for their "difference"
• Seized, from opponents, the initiative on what defined 'Britishness'
• Demanded right of British citizen to live in own country in peace
• 'Britishness' thrown as challenge was redefined
• Indian citizenship, Constitutional rights a potent reply to racists

3. …assessment…
• This is what Muslims in India must learn to do
• Be aggressive not with hysteria of cornered, but strategic political intent
• Use 'Indianness' and citizenship as weapons, provided by the Constitution
• Right-wing Hindus remind Muslims of their duties as Indian citizens
• Muslims need to remind right-wing Hindus of their rights as Indian citizens
• These rights are subjugated in India, except in case of affluent few
• Time Muslims seized initiative, replied with the argument of 'Indianness'
• Time they used legitimate aggression—not fatwas, or explanations

4. …assessment…
• We share our living spaces with person who cooks food, drives car
• They often have radically different views from us
• The political choices these people make matter more than ours
• However, we believe they are politically insignificant or irrelevant
• So we never engage them in a dialogue : they are not our equals
• Social isolation confines liberalism to an island, takes away its power
• We grow used to living on our island, and confuse it with our country
• We can’t just write about and criticise the right wingers
• We have to become able to go to the streets and confront them
Source : Amit Chaudhuri vis. Prof. Columbia Univ., Sahitya Akademi award 2002

5. S W O T analysis : Strengths
• Unifying belief and religious text core
• Spread to even remote corners : same identity abroad
• Tableeghi Jamaath and Jamaath-e-Islami reach
• Common understanding of siege situation
• Intellectual and political willingness to try afresh
• Possibility of raising finances better than in the past
• Threat perception of non-Muslims for own survival and prosperity
• Non-Muslims’ willingness to speak up for Muslims
• Growth of judicial activism and responsiveness
• Constitutional guarantees and freedoms
• Enhanced power of the media and the press
• Possibility of tapping contributors world over

6. S W O T analysis : Weaknesses
• Cohesive unified ummah a dream; ego clashes; no unified command
• Religious leaders, holier-than-thou ego clashes; judgmental attitudes
• Political leaders, their ego clashes and differences
• Sub-denominations : I-am-right-you-are-wrong problems
• Intellectuals safer as group but generally dreamers, unrealistic, egoistic
armchair critics, too many leaders no soldiers
• No money, sources, implement-able plans, manpower
• Inability to organize funds, use coherently, except in sections
• Tendency to exclude different types, be judgmental of others
• Inability to carry along the masses, no mass-base/appeal
• Lack of sustained interest, absence of momentum in specific directions
• No agenda as a community, no projection of future needs

7. SWOT Analysis : Opportunities
• Political participation an absolute must : do or die : no options left
• Mere voting insufficient : become vote-able
• The ummah, especially youth, needs a change, seems ready for it
• Existing leaders seem stale, unable to deliver, undemocratic : “common
worker there will never rise to the top even if the most capable” mindset –
opportunity for emergence of a “by us from us for us” substitute : HH
• Others rate present Muslim leadership as uncertain, Muslims as vote-bank
• PR skills, media savvy approach now possible, can yield dividends
• Muslims-under-siege issue-based focus usable : who among you is next ?
• Increasing educated Muslim youth a fertile cadre-breeding ground
• Youth’s need for issues, to feel instrumental in creating their world the way
they want it : fire their imagination : “Its your life ! Shape it yourselves !!”
• There is a vacuum to be filled and we can, will do it – we have to do it

8. SWOT Analysis : Threats
• Vested political interests’ resistance to other emerging power centres
• Resistance in ummah : our non-orthodox appearance/approach
• Unwillingness to contribute + tendency to use money unwisely
• Absence of preset, organized channels for collection/use of money
• Inexperience and untested skills, no political lineage to build on
• Unwillingness to do dirty work, only “lead” : no cadre, no training
• Concerned with others’ image of us, apprehensive of being branded
• No time-bound thrust, sense of destiny, ideology, charismatic ideologues
• What issues face us ? Muddah-manufacturing factory yet un-built !
• This knee-jerk ends with this jerk (pun intended !)
• Personal needs that disable one from greater participation
• Seeing ourselves as different : from mullahs, disco-types, high-fliers…

9. Unifying present groups unlikely. Then what ?
• Alternatives : 1. create, 2. join-mould, 3. join-take over
• Possibilities of 2nd
and 3rd
options remote, lead to ideological suicide
• Become creators of our own organization based on a positive approach
• Plan for next ten years; after first five, re-evaluate, et seq in 10/5 steps
• Create an objective, scientific, equipped body of our good thinkers
• Equipping in terms of capability, commitment, quality is needed
• Material equipment can be achieved with money when available
• Present equipment of individuals can be utilized as a staggered office
• Manpower takes time, effort, screening : methods to be devised for it
• To attract talent it must be worthwhile for the targets who we want
• Anyone who is good will be busy, have to be induced to enlist
• The talented will have to be asked to work for us, and need to be paid
• It is OUR project and not their own : we are a corporate they will serve
• They will have to be paid well, at least of the level they are now making

10. Creating THE NEW ORDER
Hindustaan Hamaara ( a Political Initiative)
• India is ours too; a political presence a must, this is our initiative : H H P I
• Inclusive, covering all defined by term Minorities : c-p-m-s and also Hindus
• HH would be a coming together of a number of people of various faiths
including non minorities, in order to ensure that Constitutional safeguards
are secured through interventional legal process and political activism
• Political activism would be, step-wise, by 1. creation of such a body, 2. its
development into a political party, 3. its supporting candidates who
stand for similar values, 4. helping them actively in getting elected, 5.
using the hands-on experience to field HHPI’s own candidates, 6.
contesting elections, 7. forging alliances and winning seats and 8.
securing a voice in decision making in legislative assemblies and
parliament thus 9. ensuring we are no longer taken for granted, and have
a voice in any State response to any situation

11. The body plan of the organization

12. hhpi ~ main structure

13. sub-committees – indicative

14. functional areas of working - indicative

15. symbol, design, colour : illustrative : name obvious, hand writing destiny, identity
symbolized by flying standard, saffron-green-blue… representing various groups,
light-your-way symbol can be replaced with something more electorate-acceptable

16. SYMBOL : same considerations, an added focus on “coming
together as partners in progress” symbolized, name simplified and a
slant towards the rural or farming communities

17. same product, rearranged

18. Questions…
o tradition of throwing out foreign elements to be redefined ?
o form with only muslims initially ? include which other varieties now ?
o whom among muslim groups to include ? what varieties are there ?
o whom to exclude from muslim groups ? the “threats” to progress
o certain groups ought not to be excluded – acceptability benefits
o destructive groups need to be excluded – destructive work hurts
o if so draw the line – identification process – data availability
o are we in a position for exclusionary exercises – can we do without ?
o would we not need “toughs” also in the political games people play ?
o what in the context of exclusions would be our own acceptability ?
o what would be response of one already with political affiliations ?

19. Questions…
o would political groups see benefits to themselves ?
o would their followers/cadres accept the shift ?
o would they participate ? would they set terms ?
o how far can we go to accommodate such ? their eventual presence…
o should not ladies be in main body rather than separate “women’s wings” ?
o where would the money we will need come from ? crores of rupees..
o how do we select the first group to work as an ad hoc nucleus ?
o can we do something to filter out destruct-ons ?
o do we have or can we source the data on which to work from ?
o should we create a clearing house of information ?
o located where ? access to whom ? need-to-know ?
o generate other questions to ask ourselves ? such meetings help
o regularity of meetings, exchanges of views require formal structure
o data library in clearing house ? people ? timings ? access ?
o authentication of material from our database ?

20. Questions…
• role allocation to be worked out how ?
• do we secure some form of registration ?
• how do we regulate membership ?
• hierarchies, need-to-know basis of access, etc ?
• retention of funds after finding them ?
• are we naïve, idealistic… will this work ? how long will it take ?
• how do we crystallize the final documentation, structure, etc ?
• how do we set up state-wise or district-wise cells ?
• how long with the mechanics of that take ?
• yeh jahaan cheez kya hai, loh-va-qalam tere hain… write your destiny !
• jalwa e toor maujood : musa hi nahin… we benefit, others benefit !!
• on the path of truth, cosmic forces in step with you, can you at all fail ?
• can you have a better win-win situation ? for you now to take it ahead.