Sangh’s ‘Ghar Wapsi’ event in full swing in Gujarat

New Dehli : The standoff in Parliament earlier this week may have forced Dharam Jagran Manch, an RSS affiliate, to postpone its ‘ghar wapsi’, or homecoming, programme in UP, but the project appears to be on in full earnest in Gujarat. Leaders of the Sangh offshoot VHP are focusing on Dawoodi Bohra Muslims, claiming the community, a sub-sect of Shias, was originally Brahmin that had converted under the force of the Islamic sword.

“Bohras were originally Brahmins and follow Hindu rituals and, in their homes, keep Lord Ganesha’s idol,” said one of the RSS functionaries who did not wish to be named. “Bohra Muslims are keen (to reconvert), it is their own attempt at ghar wapsi.” According to VHP, thousands of Muslims in Gujarat embrace Hinduism every year without any coercion or allurement. “Every year 25,000-30,000 Muslims are returning home to Hinduism in Gujarat,” said Ranchod Bharwad, VHP’s general secretary in Gujarat.

“Patel, Desai, Bhat are all Hindu surnames, but some Muslims suffix it since their ancestors were Hindus. It is only in Gujarat that we have Noor Mohammed Desai, Ahmed Patel, MaqboolBhat. It is Christianity and Islam that forces or offer allurements to convert; for us, it is gharwapsi.”

However, RSS pracharak in Gujarat, CB Upadhyaya, refused to comment on the matter. Mahipal Thakur of Dharam Jagran Manch said there was no immediate programme for the state, even as he added, “We will offer moral support to ghar wapsi. Bohra Muslims are enthusiastic about embracing Hinduism.” Gujarat has 45-50 lakh Muslims out of a total population of around 6 crore, of which Dawoodi Bohra Muslims number about 10-12 lakh, and around 2-3 lakh live in Gujarat.

And Sunni Bohras, another sect of Bohras, number around 12-15 lakh. There are, however, serious differences between Bohras and other Islamic sects.

A senior RSS paracharak said “our programme is on and we are focussing on Bohras”. Professor Zainab Bano, a Bohra Muslim, questioned the claims of RSS and its offshoots, even as she conceded that Bohra Muslims were originally Nagar Brahmins. “Why would they convert?” she asks. “The community is rich, well-to-do. Dawoodi Bohras are out of the Muslim mainstream, but part of the national mainstream. There is gender equality and women’s empowerment.”

Source : Economic Times