RELIGIOUS CONVERSION FOR SURVIVAL(updated)

                                                                                                                 

By K P PASWAN.

TRUE STORY

 These days a small neighboring country of India has become a major place of tourist attractions for newly wedded celebrities from India.These celebrities enjoyed multiple marriages and are hungry for publicity. As roaring economy swells the rank of rich,  such wedding has become prime occasions for India’s elites to show off their fortunes.

This concept of multi marriage has come from Europe and USA where marriage followed by divorce is common.  Any way all those latest wedded couple, who go to this small island country( Maldives) for honey moon are related with Indian cinema. I read with interest in a leading national newspaper, that a recently wedded couple went to this tourist place for honeymoon, the wife called a press conference and announced amidst much fanfare her pregnancy, it was stated in the same news paper that the actor (the wife) was already married to a person for six years and was in live relationship with her latest husband for at least one year.                                                                                    

DAYS IN TURKEY. Nearly three years ago I went to modern Turkey for some important works. I stayed there for six days and realized the true meaning of the name of a popular Bond movie “World is not Enough”. I had been to Turkey, when I was in a position of strength, and when the country was widely known as the sick man of Europe. Poverty was seen everywhere and the chief source of revenue was tourists from Russia. Turkey is still a member of NATO with largest number of armies. It is not exaggeration to say that the Central Asia was prevented from falling into the trap of Stalin and the Middle East was prevented from Balkanization due to strategic position occupied by Turkey and the importance, given to it by US.

 Before I proceed further, an interesting story must be recalled, as this story has a link with Turkey.  A Muslim boy studied with me in India, till intermediate and got admitted in a polytechnic to study electrical engineering. After completing his study, he got a job in Hyderabad, he is a good-looking man and somehow married a girl related to the family of Nizam. I came to know this, when his uncle came to invite me to attend post wedding celebration. The girl was a graduate of an eminent university of undivided Andhra. Than one fine morning, I learned that my friend left for Egypt, as he got a well paid job in Egypt, and that his father in law left for Turkey and set up a shop somewhere in Accara in Turkey. My friend is a devout Muslim, but whether he is lunatic or communal, I do not know, but I am willing to testify that he is a fanatic Indian. In Cairo he participates, celebration like 26^th Jan or 15^th Aug. Once he was in trouble for beating pro Stone pelters demonstrators before Indian embassy, but the timely intervention from the embassy saved him from the clutch of anti-India police. He greets me on the occasion of Diwali and I exchanged greeting for his own festivals. He along with his Begum shares my agony, once in a year on a particular day, when I lost my life partner, when a French jumbo jet crashed  into the Atlantic, but that is a different story. He gave me an address of his father in law, settled in Turkey and promised to come to Accara, if I ever visit Turkey, as time taken by airplane between Cairo and Accara was nearly one  hour. I kept the address in a dictionary and almost forgot about it. When I planned to visit Turkey, I remembered the address and found it intact.                                                                                 

 When I arrived in Accara, I was not expecting any body to receive me at the airport. Outside the airport, I saw a person with a plate in his hand and my name was written. He informed that one senior officer called several times from other corner of the world. I did not say anything as I was more interested to see a new Turkey, which I failed to recognize. Skyscrapers, shopping malls and modern restaurants on either side of the roads were appalling. I reached a hotel and relaxed to overcome tiresome journey. Next day I visited the office of an MNC and what a luck? I finished my job in two hours, so I had plenty of time, nearly four days to see new Turkey, under a dictator like president Erdogan, who was in China at the time of my visit.   On the 4^th day of my stay in Acara, I decided to visit the shop owned and managed by my friend’s father in law. Accompanied by security man, who is a Brahmin from Garhwal and is retiring next year, I went to a travel agency, a car was hired, which wheeled me towards that shop, which was at a distance of nearly sixty kms from Accara. I entered the store, and found everything from garments to books being sold there. I was not certain whether this store still belongs to the man from India. There were at least twenty men and women searching articles of their choice.  None of the woman was wearing headscarf. In one corner of the shop, I saw a large desk displaying PAYMENT, both in English and Arabic language. A man in his early eighty was sitting. Another man in his early 30 with Turkish cap was busy furnishing receipts to the customers. I read a name displayed on his front pocket Mohiuddin. I wanted to purchase a British magazine, the book stall was  just opposite of the payment counter. I was more surprised than shocked to see the book The Satanic Verses, and Manu Smriti lying side by side for sale.

 I picked up the magazine. Next moment I received call from my home, as per a notice board, for talking over mobile there was a cabin in a corner, I spoke to my younger sister in our home dialogue, put the mobile on hold and proceeded to the cabin. Mohiuddin heard a few words spoken by me, spoke to the elder man and virtually run toward me, it was not a closed cabin, I started talking to my sister and saw Mohiuddin listening to me. I had been cautioned of the the spy system, but there was nothing to be worried, I was informing my sister of my experience in Turkey and nothing else. After three minutes I was out of the cabin and saw Mohiuddin talking to the owner of the shop, who nodded and Mohiuddin came to me, I sat in an empty chair and the man asked in chaste Hindi “Sir are you from this state and district from India? Surprised, I nodded, than he asked” have you heard a carnage of poor  Dalits which happened years ago”? I again nodded, then I realized he was going to weep. He told me that his original name was Mahindra and lone survivor along with his old uncle of that carnage. That he had studied up to class ninth, managed a job in the middle east as a labor and finally reached Turkey and this shop. He converted himself from Mahindra to Mohiuddin and was earning enough to send every month sufficient money to his uncle who was still Hindu and staying with his sister. He married a local poor girl of mixed origin and his wife was also an employee in the shop, then he started praising his employer and the Indian Embassy.

 I knew everything about carnage of more than one hundred poor Dalits, those who committed crimes were acquitted and mercifully a few Dalits who also bravely fought the oppressors and killed a few perpetrators, were also acquitted. It was a pathetic scene to see a lone survivor, converted for survival and taking care of his old uncle who lost every member of his family in that carnage. The man went to his employer and perhaps told him that a man from his district was in the shop. I returned to my hotel and started reading the British magazine, then my mobile started ringing, a man from Egypt shouted, "You visited my father in law's shop and did not inform me, you forgot that we studied together in college and so on” I told him that it was a casual visit and for not calling him I apologized,  He then asked about the date of my departure, which I, provided him.

On the day of departure, my security man visited me. I proceeded to the airport to board a Qatar air. Since there was nobody to see me off, I was relaxed, but it was a relaxation for a short period. As soon as I arrived at the airport, I saw my friend from Egypt along with his Begum without veil, his father in law, Mohiuddin, and a middle-aged woman, whom I saw in the shop. My friend embraced me and then blasted for not informing him. He told good news that he had become the Chief Supervisor of his glass manufacturing factory, which has a small manufacturing unit in Accara and that he visits the local unit for inspection every month along with his wife. His daughter is studying medicine in Lucknow and his one son was in a DPS in UP. There was announcement and time to say goodbye. His father in law told me, sir, my son in law, talks about  you and your family for helping my son in law to save his ancestral home from being encroached by a politician, the old man was sorry for not providing me a cup of famous Turkish coffee. Mohiuddin told me that the woman accompanying him was his wife, she greeted me with folding hand. While entering the airplane I once again turned my head and saw my well-wishers were waving their hands.     

Erdogan's Contributions to economic recovery of a sick nation cannot be overestimated,if it means destroying constitutional institutions. Erdogan befriended Saudi Arabia and most probably converted himself to an ardent follower of Salafi school of thought. Saudi Arabia poured money into Turkey and economy recovery begins. Treating sickness of Turkey, it was essential to enter into EU, but the attempt was foiled. Then there was constant threat from the Kurd nationalists, who dream of a sovereign land in Turkey, it is the fear of division of Turkey that forced willy Erdogan to move closer to a corrupt regime of Pakistan. Western system of jurisprudence has not been replaced, even though several ancient structures were turned into mosques There is violent uprising by his opponents and Erdogan has adopted latest technology to punish the rebels and reward the loyal.

Uighur DILEMMA. During my brief stay in Turkey, President Erdogan was in China enjoying the lavish hospitality of another dictator. The Turkish newspapers were filled with stories committed by  China against the Uighur, but Erdogan never dared to speak to Xi Jinping.

 Violence in certain parts of Turkey, is all the more horrible because, it felt so normal. Each new attack repeats the same sick liturgy. Some human right activists have accused Erdogan of forcing the opponents, long standing and hypothermia as the worst forms of torture. Erdogan has rewarded that loyalty, his sons and son in laws are holding important positions, enjoying extra constitutional authorities The Turkish capital is plastered with giant photographs of Kemal Pasha, but Erdogan enjoys more respect, he has created an efficient system of informer far better than the Saudi Intelligence service and by doing so he has certainly proved ruthlessly efficient at bringing his opponents to heel.

The current national debate over whether the Kurds need separate sovereign territory has only heightened sensitivities to question of race and identity. The Govt in Turkey seem unfazed by the possibility of Biden presidency leaning to the Kurds. Erdogan could face trouble from rivals, cheats and unsavory friends. Turkey has lost its strategic importance in a turbulent region. But he is unnerved. What is clear in Turkish politics is, that the so-called intellectuals and secularists who comprise of only 20 percentage of the votes are hated by Erdogan, while concentrating on the remaining 85% for support, moreover it is not the secularists, who will decide the history of former Ottoman empire. A nasty dictator, elected by democratic means, open sale of Satanic Verses makes it amply clear that his conversion to Wahhabi is not genuine, as he has emerged a potential rival of the desert kingdom( Saudi Arabia). He may have destroyed the western concept of secularism, but a genuine secularism is seen everywhere in Turkey.

AND FINAL WORDS.                                                                  

 Life is to be taken the way it is, Love marriage and Love Jihad are two different things. I read in a research paper that the girls from an upper caste, predominate in interfaith marriages, if these are simply love marriages, ignore it, these types of love marriages are happening all over the world, if these are love jihad,  than investigate it. A poor man like Mohiuddin converted for survival, I remember, when Mohiuddin was telling me, whether he should visit his old uncle and sister, the man from Garhwal, himself a Brahmin told him “You will be killed not for being a Dalit but for being a convert”. It is difficult to disagree with him.