Ban on Muslim traders by temples violates right to livelihood, say community leaders

Mangaluru: Even as ban on Muslim vendors in Hindu temple fairs is showing signs of going viral in Karnataka, leaders from the minority community decry the move as violation of their right to livelihood under article 19 of the Indian Constitution.

But going by the firm stand taken by Hindutva leaders, it is more likely that the ban will spread to all 40,000 and odd temples. Of these over 14,000 temples have their annual festivals featuring fairs. Officials in the State Muzrai department say that there are over 3,500 temples under the A, B and C categories that hold their annual festivals. Food stalls, amusement parks, shops selling religious souvenirs, dresses, organic goods, medicinal plants, nutrients, agricultural machinery and implements, etc. are set up at temple fairs that draw huge crowds.

The fairs begin sometime in December and go on till the onset of South Westerly Monsoons. "In the recent days, there has been an increase in cases of obstructing the Muslim vendors to do business in temple fairs. Our people prefer to do business with their Hindu brothers as they are gracious customers and do not drive a hard bargain," says Ijaz Ahmad, district president of the Popular Front of India.

It is political and communal- PFI

Under pressure from BJP-Sangh Parivar leaders, a rule denying Muslim traders and vendors to carry out business in the Kapu jatra festival was formulated recently. Then it has spread slowly to the other parts of Dakshina Kannada district. This is now an attempt to spread such evil conspiracies that the Sangh Parivar has planned earlier somewhere. Hindu-Muslims have been living in harmony for generations in the undivided Dakshina Kannada. They have been conducting business at each other's fairs and events, Ijaz Ahmed said.

Many lower-class families from both Hindu and Muslim communities are dependent on the same means of business for survival. The Sangh Parivar is now trying to sow its communal agenda and intolerance towards Muslim traders. Both communities depend on each other not just during fairs but also all through the year.

There is an unbreakable tie between them. As part of communal polarization, the forces of Sangh Parivar have conspired to divide the communities by boycotting Muslim traders, said Aslam Khan, a contractor for temple fairs in Gangenahally in Bengaluru.

The Maramma temple in Nelamangala, about 25 km from Yeshwanthpur Railway station, had been a living testimony to all-faith harmony. "Suddenly, on last Tuesday, we saw a banner stating that Muslim vendors are not allowed to set up shops.

This was when I and a few of my friends from the Muslim community were helping the temple workers in preparing the premises for the jathra, We continued unmindful of the banner. But confused also about the future of our involvement in the temple festival," rued Mohammad Basheer, a local Muslim youth leader in Nelamangala.

How does the ban affect Muslims?

According to a rough estimation of the Muzrai department officials, the temple authorities all over the State allot 25-30 per cent of the space to Muslims. In many districts bordering with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Maharashtra vendors do come from other States to take part in the temple fairs. Vendors belonging to the Hindu community did not raise any problems so far, only that there should not be any food stalls that sell non-veg items. There are places in North Karnataka temple fairs even specialised burkha and hijab shops are set up, say the officials.

Elders in the community say, "Hindu brothers gave our youth a chance to live with honest means of life. In Chennapatna, Chennarayapatna, Ramanagaram, Sullia, Puttur, Belthangady, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan our youth are in fact invited by the Hindu temples to set up shops there as they are a well-behaved lot and follow rules of the temples, says Akbar Hasan of Sakleshpura town in Hassan district. If not for the temple festivals and the fine people there, many of our youth would have ended up working at odd jobs, Hasan said.

The monetary loss the Muslim community suffers due to the ban is huge. "My sons who have learnt the art of making tasty mirchi bonda and churumuri from their Hindu friend used to set up stalls. My brothers who have amusement park equipment move from place to place and earn handsomely during the three-day fairs. I have similar stories to tell about a few community people who put up shamiyanas and prepare the ground for the fair. But now everything is gone," said Mohiuddin Basha of Uppinangady in Puttur taluk.

The official take:

The Endowment Act of Karnataka has got nothing on bans, but there are elaborate rules about the conduct of the temple administration. The fairs and festivals are organised by the community under the watchful eyes of the trust committee. When it comes to the organisation of the fairs and festivals it is the community that decides under advice from the trust committee of the temple. After all the committee is voted to the office by the community or appointed by consensus of a group of elders of the community. Under the Act, the government has only regulatory powers. The funds, finances and savings of the temple are under government control, the officials say.

Will the ban widen the chasm between Hindus and Muslims?

It is a form of self-destruction, it is creating an enemy next door, because we do not know what is an economic boycott and social boycott of Muslims, these two things are overlapping and the effect of such social movements are very destructive. Such bans are creating new divisions and destroying cultural fibres. It definitely will widen the chasm between the two communities, according to Prof. Muzzaffar Assadi, political scientist from the University of Mysuru.

The genesis of this divide can be traced to two important incidents. Firstly, the Muslim bulk fish traders had given a call to boycott the Hindu fish vendors in Gangolli in Udupi district in early January after the Hindu fringe group called for a beef ban. But alarming developments had taken place in Gangolli, a small fishing town on the side of the National Highway 66 in Udupi district that a call was given by the Muslim leaders that they will boycott buying fish from Mogaveeras (fishermen) fish vending women folk in retaliation against the call by the Hindutva groups to stop cow slaughter and sell beef openly in the meat market. The call had stopped Muslims from buying fish at the local market for own consumption as well as to sell them in the interior parts of Udupi and neighbouring Bhaktal taluk.

Secondly, the Muslim community had called for a Karnataka bandh on March 19 after the High Court gave a verdict upholding the ban on hijab in educational institutions.

"If the Muslims do not respect our courts and our temples and our deities and people why should they have any part in our temple fairs and festivals?" asked Ravikumar, a leader of Bajrang Dal.

Muslim MLAs from the Congress U T Khader, Zameer Ahmed Khan and four others, had met the clerics of the Muslim community after the hijab ban verdict by the High Court and the next day they had joined those who called for State bandh. This is why we want Muslims away from our temples, claimed minister CT Ravi.

"Yes, such movements widen the chasm between the two communities but there has to be some way that we must try to approach this problem in different ways.

We must walk the talk and both communities must understand what is going wrong here and try to close the gap from both sides. This is why will not adhere to the ban call given by the Hindutva activists in our temple," said Harikrishna Punaroor, who is the head trustee of the Bappanadu Durgaparameshwari temple in Mulky in Mangaluru taluk. The temple fair begins on 26 March. This is the first temple to refuse to implement the ban.