Two nation theory of M.A. Jinnah
Introduction
The two-nation
theory is an ideology of religious nationalism which
significantly influenced the Indian subcontinent following
its independence from the British Empire. According to this
theory, Indian Muslims and Indian Hindus are two separate
nations, with their own customs, religion, and traditions; therefore, from
social and moral points of view, Muslims should be able to have their own
separate homeland outside of Hindu-majority India, one in which Islam is the
dominant religion, and be segregated from Hindus and other
non-Muslims.
The
two-nation theory advocated by the All India Muslim League is the
founding principle of the Pakistan Movement (i.e. the ideology
of Pakistan as a Muslim nation-state in the northwestern
and eastern regions of India) through the partition of India in 1947.
The ideology
that religion is the determining factor in defining the nationality of Indian
Muslims was undertaken by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Hindus
by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who termed it as the awakening of Muslims
for the creation of Pakistan.
Two nation theory of M.A. Jinnah
It is also a
source of inspiration to several Hindu nationalist organisations,
with causes as varied as the redefinition of Indian Muslims as non-Indian
foreigners and second-class citizens in India, the expulsion of all
Muslims from India, the establishment of a legally Hindu state in
India (which is currently secular), prohibition of conversions to Islam,
and the promotion of conversions or reconversions of Indian Muslims
to Hinduism.
There are varying interpretations of the
two-nation theory, based on whether the two postulated nationalities can
coexist in one territory or not, with radically different implications. One
interpretation argued for the secession of the Muslim-majority areas
of British India and saw differences between Hindus and Muslims as
irreconcilable; this interpretation nevertheless promised a democratic state
where Muslims and non-Muslims would be treated equally.
Two nation theory of M.A. Jinnah
A different
interpretation holds that a transfer of populations (i.e. the total removal of
Hindus from Muslim-majority areas and the total removal of Muslims from
Hindu-majority areas) is a desirable step towards a complete separation of two
incompatible nations that "cannot coexist in a harmonious relationship".
Opposition
to the two-nation theory came from both nationalist Muslims and Hindus,
being based on two concepts. The first is the concept of a single
Indian nation, of which Hindus and Muslims are two intertwined
communities.
The second
source of opposition is the concept that while Indians are not one nation,
neither are the Muslims or Hindus of India, and it is instead the relatively
homogeneous provincial units of the Indian subcontinent which are true nations
and deserving of sovereignty; this view has been presented by
the Baloch, Sindhi,Bengali, and Pashtun sub-nationalities
of Pakistan, with Bengalis seceding from Pakistan after the Bangladesh
Liberation War in 1971 and other separatist movements in
Pakistan are currently in-place.
Two nation theory of M.A. Jinnah
The Bhakti
movement, Deen-e-Ilahi and other similar ideologies, which tried to absorb
Islam into Hinduism, prompted Muslim scholars to attempt to preserve the purity
of Islam. After the British occupation of the subcontinent, the domination by
Hindus, backwardness of Muslims and the threat for their survival, coupled with
sporadic clashes between Hindus and Muslims led to the two-nation theory.
The theory
describes Muslims as a nation, with different culture, heritage, values and
civilisation. The Congress party wanted India to remain united as a secular
state with equality for followers of all religions. But the two-nation theory
resulted in the partition of British India and the emergence of two separate
nations: Pakistan and India.
After more
than 70 years, the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed in
the Indian parliament later last year, which triggered widespread protests all
over the country. The bill was passed to provide a pathway to citizenship for
refugees who came to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan with one
specific caveat: these refugees cannot be Muslims.
The approval
of the law — widely interpreted by the more than 200 million Indian Muslims as
anti-Muslim — proved beyond a doubt that the RSS ideal of Hindutva is becoming
a reality in India, with the objective of suppressing — and worse — evicting
Muslims from India. It clearly depicts the foresight of Mohammad Ali Jinnah
when he stated: “‘When you [the Congress] talk of democracy, you are thoroughly
dishonest. When you talk of democracy you mean Hindu Raj, to dominate over the
Muslims, a totally different nation, different in culture, different in everything.
You yourself are working for Hindu nationalism and Hindu Raj.” The current
situation of India, especially the recent anti-Muslim riots in Delhi, proved
that the steps taken by Jinnah which were born out of the two-nation theory
were essentially accurate.
The BJP
government under the leadership of Narendra Modi is closely working with the
Hindu extremists to transform India into complete ‘Hindu Rashtra (a Hindu
State)’. This shows that they are trying to dismantle secular India and
transform it into an entity based on Hindutva that believes that entire Indian
subcontinent is the homeland for only Hindus.
Since 2014,
under the BJP government, several movements have started to oppose the Muslim
community. A cow ‘protection’ movement has led to several incidents of lynching
of Muslims for slaughtering cows. The Babri Masjid verdict in favour of Hindus
further emboldened the Hindu fanatics as mosques were ransacked in Delhi by
Hindu mobs in the recent violence.
The
political support encouraged the Hindu extremists to commit more crimes against
Muslims. The “Ghar Wapisi (Return Home)” movement led by the RSS to convert
Muslims to Hindu is on the rise in India. It clearly reflects the agenda of
Hindutva which shows that other than Hinduism, there is no place for any other
religion in today’s India.
Two nation theory of M.A. Jinnah
This
behaviour of Hindu rioters could be a hint at their future plans for a
fundamentalist Hindu Raj. But the issue in this design is what will they do
after the Muslims are dealt with, who are 14 per cent of the total population
of India? If they will continue their fascist movement, who is going to be
their next target? If we look at history, then after Muslims, the next target
of this fascism could be the Sikh community. The Sikh community has been victim
to pogroms from Hindu fanatics in the past. If this madness continues, it could
continue until only Hindus remain in India. The process of systematically
eliminating the minorities from the country will result in the ruin of secular
India. As the Hindutva believes in the supremacy of Hindus and there are no
equal rights for minorities, it gives room to Hindu fanatics to kill others.
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