It is very unlikely that the Nobel Committee would confer the World Peace Prize on Abdul Nazar Madani, an Islamic preacher/politician from Kerala. He swears that he is a man of peace and many individuals from politics and civil society vouch for him. Listening to his early speeches could be very unsettling. If you are a Muslim youth, you could be inspired enough to go on and plant bombs in crowded markets and 2nd class railway compartments. If you are a Hindu youth, you could be outraged enough to join the radicals who brandish Trishuls, chant the name of warrior gods and cause general murder and mayhem. The evolution of Madani from religious preacher to credible, smart politician is interesting. He is presently under the custody of Karnataka police for acts of terrorism. His recent arrest was a mega media event, with a reluctant police camped outside the orphanage where he is based and media persons speculating on his prayer schedule and health status.
In the event of his getting nominated for the coveted prize, India may not take the trouble of writing to 180 odd world nations to boycott the investiture function. His chair won’t be empty and he might get there on a wheel chair (he was incapacitated many years ago in a bomb blast). Many Malayalis might even take pride that the award has gone to a fellow Malayali. When he was in jail for over nine years in the Coimbatore blasts, politicians of various hues visited him to seek his help in various elections. Seeing a hardliner Islamic preacher in jail looked good on their political CV. One wouldn’t fault them for trying to earn brownie points among Muslims for the symbolism contained in these visits. Everything is par for the course in competitive electoral politics. He was set free by the Courts since the evidence did not measure up to the rigorous standards of Indian (actually English) justice. Cynics say (meanly) that he deserved a dose of Medeival Justice which involved cutting off certain parts of his already incapacitated body as was done in the case of a Professor in Kerala. Some suggest that the book of Constitutional justice be junked and Police ought to just bump him off in custody. While in jail, his wife was implicated in a conspiracy to burn state buses as a form of protest.
In other words, Madani is always in the news and he hogs the limelight. He is watched closely by a slowly polarizing educated State which is known to have democratically elected the first communist Government in the world. One would expect the Left in Kerala to fight this slow slide to communalism. But the politics of the left in Kerala today is largely mired in rhetorical slogans, cynical arguments and impractical positions on serious issues of daily life.
I almost forgot what I was coming to say. This is about the disappearance of another religious preacher whose life took a different trajectory. Chekannur Maulvi’s body, it is believed, lie un-mourned deep inside the earth or a water body without the benefit of a last prayer or burial. He was a known contrarian in a world filled with conservative Islamists. He was known to be deeply knowledgeable in Islamic law and called for reforms in many aspects of prayer and conventions. He earned the ire of conservatives. He was sharp witted and brilliant in arguments. In public debates, he would outshine his adversaries while they would be frantically scanning many books for an effective retort. The learned Maulvi could even prompt them to look at a certain page without much ado. He was a clean shaven preacher, a failed businessman and a father of many kids from his two wives. If his arguments for reform of Muslim society were unpalatable to any, the least one would expect is that his adversaries would be try to defeat him intellectually in an informed debate. The brave voices of reform in Muslim community in the early 20th century managed to survive and live another day. No such luck for a latter day reformist like Maulvi.
Chekannur Maulvi was fetched from his home by a few young men on a dark night in July 1993. He never reappeared after that night. The civil society in Kerala protested feebly. Along with a few Muslims, despite the risk to their lives from conservatives, they fought for justice and called for an enquiry. A CBI enquiry was eventually ordered. Some men were arrested, some accused went abroad and some are yet to be apprehended. The needle of suspicion points to a certain hard line Islamic organization. For all practical purposes the wise ones who ordered the hit might never see a jail. They did what they did in their Lord’s service.
The Maulvi never fought an election. The Muslim League which has a strong presence in Northern Kerala, has participated in electoral politics, shared power with mainstream parties and reaped dividends for their community. If one has worked and travelled all over India, one could see the higher economic and social standards of a Kerala Muslim vis a vis his counterpart elsewhere in India. Some would say that it is an ideal example worthy of emulation: How democracy and electoral politics can slowly transform the fortunes of a community.
If reforms had to come from within, then the Maulvi had the right credentials to sound the bugle call and seek a debate. In a world of increasing intransigence and rigidity, the Maulvi stood alone, called for reforms and disappeared from the face of earth one evening. He didn’t get the justice that is enshrined in our constitution. He wasn’t called for TV debates with the bearded worthies ranged against him. Nowadays, he is written about more as a victim of a criminal case than as a scholar of Islamic studies. The mainstream society has almost forgotten him.
Therein lies the irony. Abdul Nazar Madani might yet win the prize for peace, with a few right noises and some deft political manoeuvring; while Chekannur Maulvi rests peacefully…unheard and unmourned.
