Anger simmers among Muslims

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, July 31

In death Yakub Memon’s co-religionists seem to have collectively forgiven if not forgotten his role in the March 1993 serial bomb blasts that rocked Mumbai.

Near the Mahim Dargah, close to the residences of the Memon family, men congregating on the road after Friday prayers huddle together to discuss the hanging. The mood is sombre and the anger among members of the minority community is palpable. “Narendra Modi wanted to teach a lesson to the Muslims, so he pushed for the hanging of Yakub Memon,” says middle-aged Sohail, a trader from the area. He refused to give his last name fearing trouble from the authorities.

Others nearby too feel that Yakub was a man more sinned against than sinning. “He may have helped his brother plant the bombs. But didn’t he surrender to the authorities and provide information on Pakistan’s role in training the bombers?,” asks Mohammad Aslam. The government could have spared Yakub the noose and let him stay in jail for the rest of his life, Aslam felt. While the emotions of older residents, who lived through the 1992-93 riots and the serial blasts are mixed, the response of the younger generation are a measure of the alienation of the minority community in Mumbai.

Many youths in the area feel that the hanging of Yakub should call for retribution. “How come nothing happened to those who massacred the Muslims in Gujarat?” asks a youth. He refused to believe that police cases have been filed against many of them and Maya Kodnani, a minister in CM Narendra Modi’s government, have been convicted. “If Kodnani has been convicted why is she not being hanged? Modi will ensure that she will go scot-free,” insists another youth.