By Imran Inamdar for TwoCircles.net
Maharashtra: Historical figures in India have often been painted with religious colours to suit vested interests. So, Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal emperor, is projected as a fanatic Muslim who hated Hindus, while Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is presented as a Maratha king who ‘saved’ Hindus from Muslims. In this regard, especially in the past few decades, Shivaji has been almost completely appropriated by Hindu right-wing, especially in Maharashtra, to spew communal hatred.
But for Sheikh Subhan Ali, a 32-year-old lecturer and activist, Shivaji remains an important figure for all citizens of Maharashtra irrespective of their religious beliefs, and he wants to claim Shivaji as one of “our own”.
To ensure that famous religious figures are not used by anti-social elements to fuel communal tensions, Ali, a resident of Basmat, Hingoli district, is organising a “Muslim Shivshahi sankalp Medava” on September 24 at Raigad under the banner of Chhatrapati Shivaji Muslim Brigade and the Tipu Sultan Brigade.
“Most of the riots take place during the Birth anniversaries of the great personalities or under the portraits of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj . Some anti social elements try to create unnecessary tension in the society….to stop these riots, Muslims should join hands with their Maratha and Dalits brothers in social movements for the sake of the safety and peace,” says Ali, adding, “When we look into the history of Shivaji Maharaj, it clearly appears that he was a secular Maratha king. He never hurt Muslims or tried to defamed Islam…in fact near about 30% of his soldiers were Muslims.
He informed that the organisation is planning to hold a rally of upto 50,000 people for the Muslim Shivshahi Sankalp Medava at raigad. “Till now, we have have visited nearly 25 districts of the state and have got an overwhelming response everywhere,” said Ali. He also thanked founder of the Maratha Seva Sangh Purshottam Khedekar and all the 33 units of Maratha Seva Sangh for extending all the possible support and promising to attend the meeting in the large number.
Subhan Ali appealed to Muslims to be well aware of social conditions, history of the state and great personalities of the concerned area and joining social movements. “Working with other communities and shouldering social responsibilities helps in creating communal harmony,” Ali added.
Founder president of Chhatrapati Shivaji Muslim Brigade Lt (Retd) Colonel Suresh Patil commented that these kind activities are need of the hour if want to spread awareness among society and make Maharashtra peaceful.
Shankar Rao Kadam, a companion of Subhan Ali and Hingoli District Maratha seva sangh member said that some power hungry people hamper the communal harmony as a part of dirty politics and that the common man is the main target and a victim of riots and dirty politics . “During the regime of Shivaji Maharaj, people from all castes and creed worked under one banner and used to stay peacefully. Our Mission Raigad is part of a peace movement intended to bring people of Maharashtra under one roof in the name the great Shivaji Maharaj,” he added.