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[dhruvdeepak]

http://blogs.cricinfo.com/different_strokes/archives/2006/05/abid_nabi_and_m.php#more

Abid Nabi and Muslims in Indian Cricket

Posted by Gaurav Sabnis 3 hours, 47 minutes ago in Socio-Cricket Issues

The optimistic buzz surrounding Abid Nabi, the young paceman from Jammu & Kashmir set me thinking about a topic not many are comfortable discussing - Indian Muslims and Indian cricket.

A few weeks back, when demands were made from certain quarters that a survey be carried out to ascertain the percentage of Muslims in the Indian Army, there was a lot of dust kicked up. Some said any such survey would be tantamount to colouring the Army communally. Others said such a survey would be very important in showing how well or poorly represented Muslims are in one of India's most respected institutions.

In general, it is observed that the representation of several underprivileged communities and castes in all walks of life in India is not even close to being proportional to their population. The reasons for this can be manifold, with the main one probably being a lack of access to resources. Another reason, a more sinister one, is stated to be discrimination. Some feel that Indian muslims are discriminated against, at least while being admitted to the army, because of the tumultous history India shares with Pakistan, the Muslim majority part of the former undivided India that broke away.

In a country like India where most institutions are seen as rickety and untrustworthy, very few command respect and admiration. The army is one. The film industry is another. And of course the Indian cricket team is the third. It would be interesting to see how Indian Muslims have been treated in the world of cricket.

Indian cricket seems to have been largely "secular", both the administration as well as the fans. The Nawab of Pataudi, Mansur Ali Khan, was the youngest Indian captain. It was under him that the Indian team is said to have gelled cohesively and played as a unit for the first time. He also led India to its first series win abroad. All through the 50s, 60s and 70s, there were muslim players who did well, and were also very popular. One of the first crowd favourites was Salim Durrani, whose non-inclusion in the team was protested by Mumbai fans with threats of "No Durrani, No Test".

The first casualty of his religion in Indian cricket, at least if whispers are to be believed, was Abbas Ali Baig. He scored a century on test debut in England, then played well against Australia at home, but failed badly in a series against Pakistan. There were murmurs about how he might have played badly on purpose. The partition was just over a decade old and the wounds were still fresh. Baig was dropped after the series, and was never given an extended run in the team. It is widely believed that it was his failure in the Pakistan series that ended his test career.

With the exception of Baig however, most deserving Muslims got their due in Indian cricket.

However it can be argued that most Muslims who played for India in those era were from the privileged classes, starting from Mansur Ali Khan, who was a bonafide 'Royal'. The privileged Muslims have always gotten their due in all walks of life. It is the poorer Muslims who are under-represented.

The first underprivileged Muslim player to hit the big league was Mohammad Azharuddin. He was a popular batsman, and even captained India for a decade. Though his captaincy coincided with an extended poor run against Pakistan in ODIs, his loyalties, at least in terms of his religion, were never questioned. Of course, his overall loyalties came under the scanner with the match-fixing scandal. But Azhar's religion was a non-issue, remarkably so in the 90s, when Hindu-Muslims problems came to a boil.

The last few years have seen the overall median of Indian cricket shift from the big-city-upper-middle-classes to the small-town-lower-to-middle-classes. We have also seen an influx of Muslims players, almost all of them from modest backgrounds. Zaheer Khan grew up in a small town called Srirampur in Maharashtra. Mohammad Kaif is from Allahabad in Eastern U.P. Irfan Pathan is the son of a mosque caretaker from Baroda. Wasim Jaffer is the son of a Mumbai bus driver. Munaf Patel is the son of a farmer from Gujarat. And the Indian cricket establishment as well as the Indian public have embraced them with open arms. Munaf and Pathan, two of the most "buzzing" players in the team, are from Gujarat, which has been the 'Ground Zero' of Hindu-Muslim trouble in the last few years. But their religion seems to be a complete non-issue.

How much of a non-issue religion is in cricket can, in a small way, be gauged from the Bollywood film Iqbal. Whenever Bollywood films show Muslims, there are some cliched platitudes thrown in about how they are very loyal to the country and all that. The compulsion to put in such a line elated to Muslim characters is felt even more severely when the movie is about the army. Even the "young and pathbreaking" director Farhan Akhtar, himself a Muslim, could not resist putting the cliched dialogues in his movie army-centric Lakshya and the latest potboiler Rang De Basanti could not resist the "message" either.

What makes Iqbal refreshingly different is that though the movie is about a young son of a Muslim farmer (almost mirroring Munaf's life story) who wants to become a fast bowler, there is absolutely no reference made to his religion. None at all.

So far all practical purposes, it seems like Indian cricket has been secular, and Abbas Ali Baig was the tragic exception to the rule.

Why then did the news about young Abid Nabi prompt me into writing this post? Because he is from Jammu & Kashmir, and more specifically, from the Kashmir valley. The Kashmir valley is almost unanimous in its desire to secede from the Indian union. Pakistan covets the kashmir valley too, and has its strongest supporters from the region.

All the other Muslim players are from the rest of India. Even if there have been riots, terror attacks, and other problems in places like Gujarat, Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh, there is a widespread consensus that these are internal and often largely localised problems, which are fuelled by local politicians. The bad eggs, be they the Hindu rioters or the Muslim rioters, are supposed to be a minicule but muscular minority. With relation to cricket, yes there have been allegations from the Shiv Sena about the celebrations in Muslim neighbourhoods when Pakistan beats India but these are again aberrations.

Kashmir Valley is a different matter altogether. One of the breakout moments for expression of the discontent in the Kashmir Valley was a one-dayer between India and West Indies at Srinagar in 1983 when the crowd jeered India, supported the West Indies, and several sections of the crowd waved Pakistani flags. It was probably the first time that the magnitude of sentiments in the Valley were thrust into national limelight.

When Abid Nabi plays for India(people who have seen him bowl assure me he will) against Pakistan, I can not begin to imagine the historical baggage he will be carrying. The pressure on him to perform well, especially in crunch situations, will be tremendous. The danger of his being Baig-ed would be very real. I hope the Indian public, the Pakistani public, the media and the cricket establishment are mature enough to not let it happen.

But a Kashmiri Muslim fast bowler from the Valley playing against Pakistan will be an occasion loaded with possibilities that I can't wait to watch unfold.

[keep-it-cool]

Good post, Dhruv. Hopefully, Sekhar and Sri would find us some great apples

[flute202020]

Reading this, an interesting thought occured to me. Say this Abid Nabi  makes it to Indian side, after a few good series, looses form and gets dropped with whole Kashmir Valley rooting for him and alleging bias or injustice. What will happen if he decides to shift base and go play for Pakistan? It can get very tricky.

Of course on the same breath, being from valley, his playing in the team might make the whole valley root for Indian team.

Please note that I am talking about only valley , not entire J&K.

[toney]

Maybe, if providence will allow it, a kid like Abid Nabi might be the best chance to bring back any disillusioned Kashmiris back with us. I know it is difficult but who knows.

I am not a big fan of the theme of this article. I am not a politically correct person. I usually dont stop myself from speaking my mind even if some may not approve it. But is it necessary to have a blog which focusses on Muslims (and underprivileged Muslims) in Inida? Doesnt it seem similar to the situation where an underprivileged black kid gets a place in the South African or Zimbabwean team? Or if a coloured guy like me gets a Lord's/MCC membership? Are Muslims really so alienated in my country? I am a minority in my belief. I have never felt that that went against me in any place in India. So, is it really necessary that there is a focus on every Muslim that does well, purely for the reason that he is a Muslim? I read an equally amusing article on Irfan Pathan and Kaif once. The general theme was that two Muslim kids from underprivileged families made it to the Indian team and that proves that we are secular. That is bull*. IMO, Muslims shouldnt feel encouraged by such articles and blogs. If I were a Muslim, i would feel a little alienated if such a big fuss is being made of such an occurence. Let everyone get the feeling that they are already part of the system.

[flute202020]

Maybe, if providence will allow it, a kid like Abid Nabi might be the best chance to bring back any disillusioned Kashmiris back with us. I know it is difficult but who knows.

I am not a big fan of the theme of this article. I am not a politically correct person. I usually dont stop myself from speaking my mind even if some may not approve it. But is it necessary to have a blog which focusses on Muslims (and underprivileged Muslims) in Inida? Doesnt it seem similar to the situation where an underprivileged black kid gets a place in the South African or Zimbabwean team? Or if a coloured guy like me gets a Lord's/MCC membership? Are Muslims really so alienated in my country? I am a minority in my belief. I have never felt that that went against me in any place in India. So, is it really necessary that there is a focus on every Muslim that does well, purely for the reason that he is a Muslim? I read an equally amusing article on Irfan Pathan and Kaif once. The general theme was that two Muslim kids from underprivileged families made it to the Indian team and that proves that we are secular. That is bull*. IMO, Muslims shouldnt feel encouraged by such articles and blogs. If I were a Muslim, i would feel a little alienated if such a big fuss is being made of such an occurence. Let everyone get the feeling that they are already part of the system.

Toney, good point. I went to college with many minorities , including muslims, and it is very hard to believe that they are discriminated against. They might have the same challenges that a economically under privileged guy might have, but based on religion , I don't think so, atleast based on my personal experiences.

[Vick]

Reading this, an interesting thought occured to me. Say this Abid Nabi  makes it to Indian side, after a few good series, looses form and gets dropped with whole Kashmir Valley rooting for him and alleging bias or injustice. What will happen if he decides to shift base and go play for Pakistan? It can get very tricky.

Of course on the same breath, being from valley, his playing in the team might make the whole valley root for Indian team.

Please note that I am talking about only valley , not entire J&K.

Its gonna be much difficult for him to break into Pak team. Afterall they always have better crop of fast bowlers.

[flute202020]

Reading this, an interesting thought occured to me. Say this Abid Nabi  makes it to Indian side, after a few good series, looses form and gets dropped with whole Kashmir Valley rooting for him and alleging bias or injustice. What will happen if he decides to shift base and go play for Pakistan? It can get very tricky.

Of course on the same breath, being from valley, his playing in the team might make the whole valley root for Indian team.

Please note that I am talking about only valley , not entire J&K.

Its gonna be much difficult for him to break into Pak team. Afterall they always have better crop of fast bowlers.

vick, he need not break into their team. He can be accomodated into their team just for the political fall out. Of course, it is unlikely because PCB will have much to loose in that scenario.

[toney]

I dont think Mushy will have the guts to get Nabi into the Pak team That will mean a failure of diplomacy

[Aloo Kashmiri Ul Haq]

Would Nabi want to get into the Pakistan team is something I would ponder over

[toney]

Going by his past interviews, I think his head is in the right place. I hope his heart is too.

[dhruvdeepak]

i am exasperated by these responses. I think we should do Abid Nabi justice and not question his loyalties. He and his family have undergone tremendous hardships for Abid to get to whatever level of cricket he is at now (his father is a mason earning Rs.2000 per month). Why in the world would he ever want to play for Pakistan? Why would he take his eyes off the Indian jersey for even one second, especially when he is getting close?
I understand flute posed the question just as a hypothetical, but I dont think this is fair to Abid Nabi at all.

[toney]

dhruv, I agree. Unless I hear something contradicting this, I wont raise the issue again. Actually, you have a very valid point.

[flute202020]

dhruv, I agree. Unless I hear something contradicting this, I wont raise the issue again. Actually, you have a very valid point.

True. My question is not specific to Abid. If SG evoke so much emotion from WB, just see what can happen to talent coming out of Kashmir Valley. To turn the question on its head, if SG were from Kashmir, don't you think it would have become next to impossible to drop him with even Center Govt. getting involved?

I am not trying to cast doubt on someone's loyalty, but just saying that we are in for some interesting times if Abid manages to make it big on the national stage. The immediate benefit is, valley rooting for Indian time and may be it will help in integrating J&K with rest of India lil better. The possible negative aspect is what I mentioned above.

[dextrous]

I must agree with Dhruv--he's Indian. That's it, no more arguments.

But coming back to Muslims -- the way some people talk it would appear as if when Arabs arrived in India first, they were brought here like slaves (akin to blacks in America) when the truth is quite opposite of that. They arrived as rulers, not serviles. Normally, things like affirmative action is given to a community to which historical injustice has been done -- that is clearly not the case with the Muslim community. There are quite a few reasons for the current problems of increased poverty among the Muslim community -- prime among them, which nobody wants to address, is the population problem.

Anyway, all these things merely serve to divide the country further, creating mistrust.

[toney]

Dex, completely agree with that. Actually, it is not the Muslims who keep saying they are alienated. That job is mainly for the Mulayam like politicians who think of nothing beyond votes and another term of power.

[flute202020]

I must agree with Dhruv--he's Indian. That's it, no more arguments.

But coming back to Muslims -- the way some people talk it would appear as if when Arabs arrived in India first, they were brought here like slaves (akin to blacks in America) when the truth is quite opposite of that. They arrived as rulers, not serviles. Normally, things like affirmative action is given to a community to which historical injustice has been done -- that is clearly not the case with the Muslim community. There are quite a few reasons for the current problems of increased poverty among the Muslim community -- prime among them, which nobody wants to address, is the population problem.

Anyway, all these things merely serve to divide the country further, creating mistrust.

one correction, it is a fallacy to assume that muslims arrived from somewhere. 90% of muslims are genetically Indians from Indian subcontinent, a lot of them again are from historically under privileged castes. They converted because they saw benefits in 2 aspects, change in social status, economic advantages of being the same religion as the rulers.

None of the above is to contradict or agree or disagree with the point you made.

[ruchir]

Guys:

This is an FYI for your spare time. Read this article on WIKIPEDIA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_invasion_of_India

It gives the chronology of Muslim invasions on India and also talks about conversion of hindus to muslims in those early days -- forced and otherwise.

Here is an excerpt:

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It took several centuries for Islam to spread to parts of India and is a topic of intense debate. Some quarters hold that Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam by laws favoring Muslims Citizens, and threat of naked force; the "Conversion by the Sword Theory." Others hold that this occurred by inter-marriage, conversions, economic integration, to escape caste structures or at the hand of Sufi preachers. The disputers of the "Conversion by the Sword Theory" point to the presence of the strong Muslim communities found in Southern India, modern day Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Western Burma, Indonesia and Philippines coupled with the distinctively lack of equivalent Muslim communities around the heartland of historical Muslim Empires in the Indian Sub-Continent as refutation to the Conversion by Sword Theory.

Historian Will Durant wrote in The Story of Civilization (1972) that the Muslim conquest of India was "probably the bloodiest story in history." The number of people killed is estimated based on the Muslim chronicles and demographic calculations. K.S. Lal estimated in his book The Growth of Muslim Population in India that between 1000 CE and 1500 CE, the population of Hindus decreased by 80 million. The legacy of Islamic conquest of South Asia is a hotly debated issue even today.

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