Section 5.4: I Salute a Muslim

Section 5.4: I Salute a Muslim

Following is based on a letter By Seema (Ghufran) Maheshwari titled “Loyalty and the Indian Muslims” that appeared in INDIA ABROAD on November 27, 2009.

Seema believes that Major Nidal Hasan’s murderous rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, was due to his divided loyalties between being an American soldier and a Muslim. Major Nidal Hasan felt that the two positions were mutually exclusive. Same dilemma is faced by Indian Muslims, some of whom consider themselves Indians first. On the other side of the divide are homegrown Muslim terrorists who speak for themselves.

Seema’s father’s family faced the loyalty dilemma in 1947. Her father, Brigadier Mohammed Ghufran, and her elder uncle, Brigadier Mohammed Usman, were in the Indian Army during Partition.

The newly formed Pakistani government wanted Brigadier Usman to move to Pakistan to become the chief of Pakistan’s army. Her uncle refused as her family considered themselves Indians first. He now had to fight his friends and fellow Muslims and a prize of Rs. 50,000 was put on his head. He was killed on July 3, 1948, while leading a battle in Naushera and is now known as Naushera Ka Sher (the tiger of Naushera) by many.

Even though her father and the rest of the family were devastated by Brigadier Usman’s death, no one ever questioned his decision. The pride and loyalty instilled in Seema as a child, for being Indian, with roots which can be traced back hundreds of years, are as strong now as they were 38 years ago when she migrated to USA. 

If her family had made the decision to move to Pakistan 62 years ago, she would not have written the letter to INDIA ABROAD about Indian pride and certainly would not be having the married surname of Maheshwari.

[Seema’s Muslim family had made immense contributions to India’s Independence and to Bollywood. Some of her relatives include Khwaja Gulam Abbas, who gave up his life in Panipat during 1857 independence movement, film director Padma Shri K. A. Abbas, Mahavir Chakra awardee Brigadier Mohammad Osman, father Brigadier Mohammed Ghufran, Neelima Azeem, and Shahid Kapoor]

Reply by author (Dilip Amin) 

As appeared in INDIA ABROAD, December 4, 2009.

Salute, Seema

I am really moved by a letter about loyalty and the Indian Muslim (November 27) from a proud Indian Muslim, Seema Maheshwari.

The sacrifice by her family for India should be well recognized. She has wonderfully articulated some of the issues, saying, some Muslims consider themselves Indians first, whereas homegrown Muslim terrorists speak for themselves. She also pointed out that if her family had migrated to Pakistan, she would not bear the married surname of Maheshwari.

Now we, Muslims and Hindus, having moved to America, are facing a different challenge, this time not due to communal divisions but due to interfaith marriages within our next generation. Our research shows that 38 percent of Hindus and 45 percent of Muslims marry outside their faiths, and these include many Hindu-Muslim marriages. It remains to be seen how loyalties to their religion and to their spouses are sorted out. Are these loyalties mutually exclusive?

Taking Seema Maheshwari as a role model, rather than Major Nidal Hasan, I hope interfaith couples and their families keep intolerance to each other’s faith and conversion practices out of their new relationships. —Dilip Amin

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