“You must be really sad about Pakistan losing to India?” was the question snapped at his face. Perplexed to what just happened and moments later sad that it happened again, my Muslim Friend swallowed the question and moved on.

Like everyone else he was making merry that India had beat Pakistan the day before, but somehow it was unbelievable. No, it wasn’t that the campus hated Muslims or he was targeted specifically for his religion. Though we celebrated diversity and enjoyed varied cultures, some of us intentionally or unintentionally doubted his ‘Indian-ness’.

“I’ve been asked stupid questions since 9/11, I am used to such things. I don’t even feel angry anymore”, he would tell me and I would listen blankly with absolutely no idea what to say next. But all I understood at that point, if right from the beginning we weren’t repeatedly told about Gods and Goddesses, which God is greater than what God, whose God is higher and how to keep all of them happy, we would have had created a better, perhaps a more decent world.

My brain exhausted itself wondering about the sudden blankness on the issue. Often I have heard the elders speak ill of the religions, castes, and ethnicity they do not belong to, stereotype them into something bizarre. I had always let it go, but this time, it bothered me to the core.

All those Muslim hating comments that I have been exposed to and have let go pointed towards my Muslim friend. Had I stood up when some Sharma uncle thought it is appropriate to call the entire community terrorist or when that shaadi mein excited aunty (the over friendly family friend at a wedding) said “I told my son any girl is welcome in the family, no Muslim please”, I wouldn’t have been this ashamed of myself.

Despite what has happened in the country since 1947, he and I have managed to remain friends and in the process I realized, Sharma uncle(referring to ALL those who spew poison in the name of religion, we don’t discriminate) is an ignorant asshole and nothing more. Every Eid my Muslim friend would bring the most amazing biryani for us and we ate till we could eat no more. And most importantly, he would flirt with every girl, irrespective of her religion.

He criticizes communal politics, just like I do. I actively post against hate speeches and troll the extremists while he, thinks twice about it. “Mom keeps on warning me about the posts I share and the status I put up, she doesn’t want me to express my take on the present government”, this one did not make me blank, it just annoyed me to the core. The ideals of democracy as students we are so compassionate about, the arguments and discussions we keep on having smoking cigarettes, the intense criticism of closed minded people, held no value when he said those words. What is the point of hurting my throat when the guy just next to me is nervous sharing his opinion on social media? How do I change that, or at least begin? How do I make him believe that it is a free country?

“This community would cause the end of the world”, said a status the day after Paris was attacked. Several likes, many angry comments, and much attention were given to this. One of the college faculty members had put this up. My activist fingers were prepared to shut this man up and dig his grave, but then again this man is such, that even if a mosquito bites him, he would scream “the Muslims sent me mosquitoes!”

While I condemned the attack, he was thinking what to reply when someone would charge him of being a part of it. While I was flipping through the channels, he was reading comments and debates on facebook – why or why not Muslims are the only ones promoting terrorism?

Many of us have heard and believed several derogatory remarks about another community since childhood, some of us carry it with ourselves too. Have you ever wondered what if you’re wrong? What if you are missing out on something bigger while chasing a mindless God Vs God?

I have Muslim friends and one thing is for sure, if I ever dislike them, the reason would be anything but their religion. There would be many (including your parents) who would advise a safe distance from ‘them’, label your relationship as ‘love jihad’, make you feel like a traitor. But all this do not stand a chance the minute you make an opinion of your own. I desire the world without Donald Trump and a country that pays no attention to beef politics. And there is a way to achieve that; let go of the prejudices.

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