Rocky relationship rides 9/11 tide

A first ever exhibit called Islam in America being held at the Haji Ali Dargah in the city is a pictorial portrait of Muslims in the US in public and ordinary life It was a windswept Tuesday morning a day when the sky threatened rain but fortunately for numerous visitors walking towards the Haji Ali Dargah the great blue yonder did not make good its threatu00a0Amongst those visitors on the road cutting into the sea was a posse of policemen and security detail that evoked great curiousity Consul General of the US in Mumbai Peter Haas at the Haji Ali site yesterdayThey were there courtesy The Consul General CG of the US in Mumbai Peter Haas accompanied by personnel from the American center in Mumbai and Haji Ali Dargah trustee U S Vanjara camera crew and television and print journalists who walked in to inaugurate an exhibit called Islam in America being held at the Dargah The American Center Mumbai in collaboration with the Sayed Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhair Dargah Trust have hosted a poster and video exhibit which they say showcases the various aspects of Islam and Muslims in America and celebrates cultural diversity in AmericaThe exhibition a first ever for the Haji Ali Dargah comprises a posters and a video film which shows Muslims in America with thumbnail sketches about their background and how they have integrated into society The exhibition is open to the public and will be on till September 18u00a0Famous Muslim Americans like Muhammad Ali former heavyweight world champion boxer Ali was formerly Cassius Clay who converted to Islam and became Muhammad Ali Reports state that in 1964 he embraced the Nation of Islam and basketball superstar Kareem Abdul Jabbar are featured on postersu00a0There is also a picture of Keith Ellison Ellison is the first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congressu00a0 Poster boysBesides famous personalities the exhibit has posters of ordinary Americans in different facets of life with several of Muslim women shown wearing the hijab headscarf Incidentally the Islamic head covering hijab and face covering niqab have become a lightning rod for controversy off late especially in Europe A poster of one of the worlds most famous boxers Muhammad Ali at the exhibitAs Mumbais Muslims and visitors of other faiths looked on Haas cut the ribbon of the exhibition hall to a flurry of flashbulbs and then took time to scrutinise and comment on certain posters Haas who has just taken over as CG of the US in Mumbai on August 1 said I was drawn to this place on my very first visit to Mumbai which was in March this year At that time I had come to the Dargah as a visitor and I was mesmerised by its beauty What also struck me was that it is not just Muslims but people of all faiths who come hereWhat struck this reporter though was that the timing of this exhibition Islam in America is telling This Sunday on September 11 the US marks 10 years of the 911 terror attacks The media and American networks in particular have been marking the runup to the day with reporting on all aspects of 911 survivor stories heroic accounts and conflicts within the USMuslim community Haas though denied any link between the timing of this exhibition and the tenth anniversary of the attacks that changed USA the world and how we live in so many tangible and intangible ways There is absolutely no connection he said in response to a journalists query about the timing of the exhibitionu00a0The same line was taken by U S Vanjara who also said the exhibition has nothing to do with the 10 years to 911 when asked by this reporter Anne Grimes Public Relations Officer of the American Center was even more circumspect when asked what was the current climate in the USA I have not been to the US for nearly a year she said brushing off the question Anne Grimes Public Relations Officer of the American Center at the DargahWhat Haas repeatedly stressed was that this was an effort to celebrate diversity in the US and in India too both countries which offer parallels in the different ways in which people worship It also shows how well integrated Muslims are in America they are members of Congress athletes and Nobel Laureates Haas also added that he looks at this diversity and integration as a kind of weaving into society the warp and weft with the warp up and down weaving symbolic of the integration of governments while the weft with its sideways left to right weaving symbolic of the colour texture and strength of the ties of diverse people Unanswered questionsWhile Haas made his point about integration tougher questions were not answered in a shroud of diplomacy The still very mixed feelings of Muslims towards the US and the US towards Islam the wars in Iraq Afghanistan and its relationship with Pakistan of so much interest to India there were no answers about thatu00a0There was a feeling was given that this was not really the time or place to ask uncomfortable questions After Haas left it was the Haji Ali dargah trustees who had to answer queries Vanjara too trod with caution when asked questions about the broader USIslam relationship He refused to answer a question on the drone attacks terming it as too sensitiveu00a0He did say though The exhibition would we hope shatter stereotypes and show that Muslims are not badly treated in the US My family lives in the US and I travel there very often so I can say that with certainty Of course there has been some inquiry post 911 but that has to be done in the light of security reasons Pictures speak louder than words at this exhibitWhen asked about why if Muslims do not like the West they continue to immigrate and live there Vanjara said Who said they do not like the West Vanjara also pointed out that In the photos at the exhibition you saw women wearing the hijab headscarf while in certain countries it is bannedThe burqa and especially the fullface covering is banned in public places in France and in certain parts of Belgium and some other European countries because of security reasonsu00a0 France had even said that forcing a woman to wear a burqa goes against he countrys culture of freedom and equality While the CG and his entourage seemed understandably wary to dive into stormy waters the rumbling waves that crashed into the walls of the Dargah and the road leading to it mirrored some of the tumult in the USIslamic world Exhibition Islam in America exhibit at the Haji Ali Dargah hall is open to the public from 10 am to 7 pm every day till September 18Discrimination or TraditionEfforts to prove that women are equal to men in Islam and there is no discrimination suffered a backseat when a woman photographer was denied permission to enter a minaret and take pictures of Peter Haas at the event Photographer U Kadam of the Times of India TOI was not allowed to enter a minaret which was within the masjids premises to take pictures of Haas at the minaretu00a0The Times of Indias correspondent M Wajihuddin also argued vociferously with the Dargahs personnel who stood steadfast in their denial to allow Kadam to enter the minaret Wajihuddin argued with Vanjara who said that we do not allow women inside the premises simply because we do not know which woman is clean or unclean He also denied that this was discrimination It is not discrimination it is traditionu00a0 Another man supporting Vanjara said This is Sharia law An angry Wajihuddin though remained unconvinced