Why I converted to Islam and buried my Hindu identity

[Gilljutt]

1) Religious discussions are not allowed.

2) Hindu is a geographical notation not a religious one.

Whole Article is aimed to promote Clash of Civilisation with Islam being an easy target. PDF should not take part in this cynicism.

Regards

Lol. The topic title is why I converted to Islam, so it's clearly a religious topic. To convert you have to leave some previous faith.

 

[HostileInsurgent]

Periyar had suggested Ambedkar convert to Islam. After years of research, I too found Islam to be the only religion in India that could annihilate the caste system.
Raees Mohammed

Raees Mohammed at a Dalit Camera event | Photo: Baidurya

I learned one thing in my eight years’ experience with the Dalit movement through Dalit Camera assignments, and my research on caste for the last 14 years. Babasaheb Ambedkar was right when he said that leaving Hinduism is the only way to fight caste.

Dalit Camera is a digital platform that documents voices of Dalits, Adivasis, Bahujans, and minorities through a website and a YouTube channel by the same name.


Following his footsteps, I chose to leave Hinduism and embrace Islam on 30 January 2020 in Kodungallur, a historical town in Kerala’s Thrissur district. Kodungallur is where the first Indian mosque was built. I am now Raees Mohammed.


The date is significant. It is the day when the first Hindutva terrorist Nathuram Godse assassinated Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. It is also the day when our beloved brother Rohith Vemula, who fought against caste discrimination in Hinduism, was born.

A religion for emancipation

In my childhood, as a devotee of Lord Ayyappa, I had been to Kodungallur six times. It is also where CPI-ML (undivided) Kerala state secretary Najmal Babu embraced Islam in 2015. Rationalist Thanthai Periyar (father) had said that if one wanted to annihilate caste in 15 minutes and live with self-respect, then Islam is the only solution. Periyar had also suggested to Babasaheb Ambedkar to choose Islam as a religion for emancipation.


In my years of research, I too found Islam to be the only religion in India with the strength to annihilate the caste system.



The anti-caste movement has been the longest ongoing socio-cultural movement in India. The main demand is to consider ‘untouchables’ as equal citizens in Hindu society, and to be located under the ambit of the Constitution rather than Hindu religion. But I was curious why this easy solution to annihilate caste via Islam has never been even a reference point in Dalit movement and Dalit literature.


Fight for equality

In January, I was invited to Kodungallur to address a gathering on the dangers of fascism, and against the proposed National Register of Citizens, the National Population Register, and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.


Muslims are battling for their citizenship rights in Narendra Modi’s India today. But theirs is a battle different from the struggle of Dalits. The former is for justice and citizenship. The latter is for something as basic as self-respect, to be treated as an equal human being. In that sense, Dalits have it much worse.


This is when I embraced Islam and buried my Hindu identity as Ravichandran Bathran. I do not want to refer to my Hindu name because if you dive deep, all Hindu names only indirectly refer to caste, and I don’t want this Raees Mohammed to carry the old baggage. The name is not the real problem. After all, my parents named me with so much love. But the problem comes when the Hindu society attaches that name to a caste and instils a stereotype of the hereditary occupation of scavenging. My father was treated badly because the Hindu society said he did a job that was considered filthy. This is hypocrisy of the highest order. First, you enforce a traditional occupation on some groups, treat their members badly, and then blame the people rather than the caste system.


My parents chose a Sanskrit name, an unusual practice among my relatives, who always chose names that are easily identified with Chakkiliyars or untouchables. But like my parents, I too experienced unequal treatment.


My education and earnings did not change my identity, and never will. But we are fed with this lie by none other than the Dalit movements.


My father worked as a sanitary worker and my mother was a sweeper in a local school. For the last 15 years, I worked to address the discrimination and untouchability faced by my parents and tens of thousands like them because of their work — sanitation workers/sweepers/scavengers.


We belong to Chakkiliyar/Arunthathiyar caste in Tamil Nadu, who are called, especially by fellow untouchables, as migrants or outsiders. The reason being that Arunthathiyars’ first language is close to Telugu. During my research in undivided Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, and Karnataka, I found that in all these states, the sanitation workers were addressed as outsiders. It doesn’t matter whether they had migrated from other states. Interestingly, in all south Indian states, except in undivided Andhra Pradesh, sanitation workers speak Telugu. In Andhra Pradesh, they speak Hindi and a dialect closer to Odiya.


Scavengers and sweepers are not allowed inside the homes of upper-caste Hindus. Even the toilets are constructed outside the homes. Indian sociologists and anthropologists have a problematic understanding of caste and Indian homes, where Dalits have a separate entrance (as is visible from most buildings). Things are changing slowly in rural areas.


On the contrary, mosques have toilets within their premises. A toilet is not considered unholy. This is where I fell in love with mosques. I do not find any good reason why Dalits should continue to carry Hinduism on their shoulders.


Who’s a Dalit?

Many people request me to drop the word ‘Dalit’ form Dalit Camera. Dalit is not a term to refer to the physical body of untouchables, it’s a revolutionary concept that Dalit Panthers conceived of. Now, I don’t have a caste. But being part of Dalit Camera is a sign of solidarity I show to Dalit Panthers, and to my beloved Muslim brothers and sisters.


For us, Babasaheb Ambedkar’s image itself is enough. It conveys his ideology and idea of justice.


So, Dalits and Muslims have a battle to fight. The fight of Muslims is constitutional in nature, but the fight of Dalits is social, which is more difficult. Many Dalits still do not know that they are being treated unequally because of Hinduism. It’s for this reason Dalits are not aware that they too might find themselves without citizenship one day.


Raees Mohammed, formerly known as Ravichandran Bathran, is the founder of Dalit Camera @dalitcamera. Views are personal.


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https://theprint.in/opinion/why-i-c...y-hindu-identity-dalit-camera-founder/359849/

Caste system among South Asian Muslims - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Bomboclaat.

 

[masterchief_mirza]

Caste system among South Asian Muslims - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Bomboclaat.

Bit of a twat aren't you?

Here's the FIRST paragraph of your reference.

"Although Islam does not recognize any castes, Muslim communities in South Asia, specifically India[1], apply a system of religious stratification. It developed as a result of ethnic segregation between the foreign conquerors (Ashraf) and the local converts (Ajlaf) as well as the continuation of the Indian caste system among local converts. "

India has fked up Islam beyond all recognition. How? Via Hindu influence.

Muslims and Islam unanimously condemn caste and we condemn brahminists, non-brahminists and "secular" Hindus who support caste or apologise for caste or even - through silence - sustain an environment for caste.

If brahminism is eradicated today, caste discrimination will vanish tomorrow.

 

[HostileInsurgent]

Bit of a twat aren't you?

Here's the FIRST paragraph of your reference.

"Although Islam does not recognize any castes, Muslim communities in South Asia, specifically India[1], apply a system of religious stratification. It developed as a result of ethnic segregation between the foreign conquerors (Ashraf) and the local converts (Ajlaf) as well as the continuation of the Indian caste system among local converts. "

India has fked up Islam beyond all recognition. How? Via Hindu influence.

Muslims and Islam unanimously condemn caste and we condemn brahminists, non-brahminists and "secular" Hindus who support caste or apologise for caste or even - through silence - sustain an environment for caste.

If brahminism is eradicated today, caste discrimination will vanish tomorrow.

Hinduism also have no Caste system it is just ill practices introduced by the British. Well you are divided into Shia Sunni and many other sects we’re not. There is a need for social reforms in India to curb this.

 

[masterchief_mirza]

Hinduism also have no Caste system it is just ill practices introduced by the British. Well you are divided into Shia Sunni and many other sects we’re not. There is a need for social reforms in India to curb this.

Hinduism hev no casthe syjjtem? Reeeeally? Voww!

 

[xeuss]

If brahminism is eradicated today, caste discrimination will vanish tomorrow.

This should be pasted on all billboards

Hinduism also have no Caste system it is just ill practices introduced by the British. Well you are divided into Shia Sunni and many other sects we’re not. There is a need for social reforms in India to curb this.

You're a few WhatsApp University courses behind. The latest edict from Nagpur is that caste system was introduced by the Mughals.

 

[HostileInsurgent]

Hinduism hev no casthe syjjtem? Reeeeally? Voww!

Yes, I have read Bhagwat Gita and in it Lord Krishna has said that your caste is decided by the work you do, not by birth. But unfortunately our society still practices birth based caste system.

 

[Hamza913]

it is just ill practices introduced by the British

They tampered with it but not to that degree.

Well you are divided into Shia Sunni

Literally irrelevant, those are religious denominations. Not castes lol.

Thought I will say that Muslims within the Indian sub-continent do indeed have a rather attenuated version of the caste system. You can find systems similar to it throughout the 3rd world really.

 

[masterchief_mirza]

Yes, I have read Bhagwat Gita and in it Lord Krishna has said that your caste is decided by the work you do, not by birth. But unfortunately our society still practices birth based caste system.

Strange isn't it. Depending on the narrative required, caste is the fault of anyone from the Aryans to the gangetic natives to the mughals to the British to David Reich. Where is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the list of blameworthy subjects?

 

[Sharma Ji]

Strange isn't it. Depending on the narrative required, caste is the fault of anyone from the Aryans to the gangetic natives to the mughals to the British to David Reich. Where is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the list of blameworthy subjects?

Pakistan isn't on that list, rejoice !

It's true though, traditionally through the ages one's line of work had defined caste but somewhere down the line it became a 'where you're born' thing.

India has been working to get rid of it, by law one can not discriminate based on caste but it is entrenched in a large part of society. Tam-Brams are the worst, maybe because they sit the highest up in the caste hierarchy.. the Iyers, Iyangars etc.. fuckin' sambar muncher southies, whoulda thought ? but I'm far from an expert and know very little about the whole system.

Wait till Gadkari serves out his ban for proper info.