Progressive Dawoodi Bohras

This time instead of narrating events and activities I feel I should make certain observations about our activities and above all our movement. Our movement has is its strengths and weaknesses. We must critically examine weaknesses while not being forgetful of our strength. A time comes when it is highly necessary to take stoke of our movement honestly and sincerely.

In this new phase our movement started from Udaipur in 1973. Before this reform movement had totally collapsed after Bagasra conference in 1956. Husseini Sanchawala was left alone after everyone withdrew from the movement. There was no one to fight the case in Supreme Court when the petition by Syedna Sahib against Ex-communication Act came for hearing and reformists lost the case. Though Nomanbhai Contractor continued to make efforts, specially in Tanzania, Kenya etc. he too withdrew at one stage due to threat to his life and because of irresistible family pressure. However, it was a temporary withdrawal.

The Udaipur events in the early Seventies again inspired him to jump into the fray when I also joined the movement. The Udaipur movement also went through ups and downs, many people deserting the reformist fold and reformists’ number dwindled from about 80 percent to about 40 percent today. Unfortunately even those who were considered stalwarts of this movement deserted us few years ago. I need not name them.

Our movement was at its height during seventies and eighties. When there was greater challenge, as famous British historian Toynbee put it, there is greater response. The challenge peaked when Nathwani Commission was announced and began its work. Then from the early Nineties the challenge began to diminish and so did our response.

When our movement was at its peak, we got support both from within as well as without. From within community not only sympathized with us, but many of them joined us as part of underground movement. I used to get tremendous response from our underground friends in Indore, Kolkata, Chennai etc. whenever I visited these cities. Up to a hundred people used to attend underground meetings. It was highly encouraging. However, as the challenge diminished, these underground groups began to melt away despite all possible efforts.

Today when I visit these cities not a single person comes and meets. I would be lucky if one person could come and meet. Many of them surrendered and apologized. With some we are still in contact but in some places like Chennai no one is in contact at all. It is indeed a sad situation. However, it would not be correct to say, as some critics do, that these friends became uninterested due to lack of efforts on our part.

In Udaipur too, our numbers dwindled, not due to anybody’s fault but due purely to selfish reasons on the part of deserters. Most of them went away for their own reasons, marriage, business, service or similar interests. Some leader left us perhaps for “greener pastures” on that side. Not that these people did not know what cause are we fighting for; they not only know but they used to argue in favour of the reformist movement until the day thye changed their mind. But when they saw their efforts would be served better on that side, they quietly left us. Let us remember interests play greater role in human behaviour than ideals and values.

But those who have remained with us have shown tremendous courage, patience and persistence. All such movements require sacrifice of interest and our colleagues today in the reform movement have never hesitated to sacrifice their interests. Those who came for convenience left us and those who joined us for conviction are very much with us today. They will always remain with us. The real strength of our movement is conviction.

As for support form outside, writers, intellectuals and human right activists always stood with us solidly. In the Seventies I toured whole of India to solicit their support and their support was forthcoming promptly and without much hesitation. National news papers also supported our cause persistently. Many writers, intellectuals and journalists, inquire even today as to what is happening on the reformist front. Our movement is not much in news these days as it used to be in the Seventies and Eighties because no such events are taking place. It was in news recently when violence took place in Udaipur and curfew was imposed.

We of course do not want violence at any cost, whether it remains in news or not. We stand for peace and reconciliation. We issued recently a statement for reconciliation just before the conference. We want our sisters and brothers on the other side to understand we are not fighting against da’i or Da’wat. We are as faithful to the institution of da’i and Da’wat.

We, in fact, are struggling to strengthen it by cleansing it of all corruption and authoritarianism. As we all know, corruption and authoritarianism in any institution are like white ants. We want our religious leader to be humble, honest and truthful to the cause of Da’wat. It is our proud heritage. We must strive to remove misunderstanding against us, if any, among some of our friends on that side.

It is for this reason that we have never deviated from any of tenets of our faith. Our faith in the institution of Da’wat is second to none. We had issued a declaration in Udaipur to this effect at the time of mass marriage in 1975. The old guard of the movement would recall this declaration.

If our staunch supporters have often deserted us, it is not because of our weakness, but at best because of their own problems. I do not want to names but many stalwarts of Bagasra, Godhra, Surat and other places left us, it hardly reflected our weakness. Rather it reflects on their own conveniences or problems. On what count can they blame the movement for their going back to the other side? It defies logic.

If it is really due to our weakness I would like our honourable delegates here to point it out. We would certainly like to discuss as objectively as possible. We do not want to run away from hard facts. We want to face them. A reform movement which challenges powerful establishments do not attract crowds. Only few who have strong conviction join them. There are many examples before us. Rajaram Mohan Roy, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Jyotiba Phule and others. Their movements remained confined to a few intellectuals.

We should not expect majority of community to flock to us. It will be a very unrealistic expectation. Many of our friends keep asking why others are not coming with us. Why movement is not expanding? They even start saying sincere efforts are not being made and that is why movement has slackened. We have seen number of times revolt takes place in some towns, latest example being Banswara. But people again cool down. It is often expression of anger, rather than reasoned critique of the system.

Reformers must have tremendous patience, strong conviction and strategic understanding, besides knowledge of history of such movement to sustain their faith. Our efforts should continue but without unrealistic expectations. Greater expectation brings greater frustration. Also, now greater efforts should be invested in not only sustaining our movement but enriching it and making it a model for others to follow. We must be open, democratic, tolerant and accountable.

I also would like to assure my friends, supporters and critics that I have not spared and will not spare any efforts to serve this cause. It is a life long mission I have tried to serve it as honestly and sincerely as I could, and I shall do so until I breathe my last. No one should have any doubt about it. We may differ on policy matters but never on the final goal. Honest differences must be tolerated as part of our democratic culture.

I have great hope in the future of our movement and great faith in the reformist youth of Udaipur. They have made great sacrifices and have sustained this movement with blood and tear. They have vindicated my faith and I would always look at them with gratitude. Udaipur is Mecca and Madina of our reform movement. I also salute our friends from Aurangabad, Hyderabad, Surat, Malegaon, the UK, Canada, USA, East Africa and other places who have fought for this movement. But for sacrifices of all these people we would not have achieved anything.

Let this conference lay down new blue print for future plan of action. Shabbir Bhai, our Chairman, has proposed “reaching out” as the theme of this conference. Let us deliberate in this conference how can we reach out to our Bohra friends in a concerted manner. And we should do this even if we do not “succeed”. I have succeed in inverted comma because success is not only fulfillment of our hopes and expectation but also honesty and sincerity of our efforts. We all know our great Imam, Imam Husain (S.A.) succeeded only through martyrdom, not by overthrowing Yazid.

Lastly I express my desire to elect my successor in this conference. I have served for 30 years and now someone else should take over in true democratic spirit. I would like go thank my colleagues in CEC for their cooperation but for which I would not have been able to do anything at all. I assure all of you that my efforts to achieve our goal will never slacken. Except holding the post I will continue to do all that I am doing today. My services will always be available without any problem. I will be as closely associated with the movement as I am today in my capacity as General Secretary. This is my commitment. Thank you all and let us look forward to a fruitful conference in next two days.