Explained | Why was Miya Museum closed in Assam? | Media Pyro

The story so far: The opening of a museum to showcase the culture of Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam was closed on October 25 after sparking controversy. Officials said the move was taken as a house allocated under the Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana-Gramin scheme was turned into a museum in violation of the rules. Leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have said they are opening up to appropriate Assamese culture and intimidation of indigenous communities.

What happened?

A private center showcasing the culture and heritage of Bengali or Bengali speaking Muslims was first opened by members of All Assam Miya Parishad at Dapkarbhita in Lakhipur circle of Goalpara district on October 23. They named it Miya Museum. The Parishad informed the district head on October 17 about the opening of the museum. Some former BJP legislators and dignitaries have interpreted the museum as cultural aggression and requested the government to remove it. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the museum is in search of proper Assamese culture and asked the local authorities to take necessary action. The local authorities closed the museum after the BJP’s minority leader, Abdur Rahim Gibran filed a complaint against it. According to an official notice, the museum was closed because Mohar Ali, the chairman of the Parishad, established the museum, in violation of the rules, in his house allocated in 2018 by the Prime Minister Awas Yojana-Gramin. Ali was later arrested along with Parishad member Abdul Baten and a non-Muslim man named Tanu Dhadumia, but in connection with a terror case registered in the remote Nalbari district of Ghograpar.

Why the controversy?

The consequences of the conflict are in the political polarization of Assam fueled by the fear of population invasion by so-called “illegal immigrants” or “Bangladeshis”. Despite the respectful manner in which the rings are spoken in Hindi and Urdu, ‘Miya’ is used falsely against Bengali-speaking Muslims and also to filter out the Assamese Muslims whom the BJP is interested in. Immigrant Muslims constitute the largest number of Muslims in Assam at over 34% of the State’s 3.3 crore population. The BJP has been accused of pitting Assamese Muslims, considered ‘khilonjia’ (indigenous), against Bengali-speaking Muslims and in July approved special awards for five indigenous Muslim groups. This is in line with the BJP’s vow to protect the ‘bhumiputras’ (sons of the soil) from illegal immigration. The museum was therefore seen as a bid to confirm the identity of the ‘Miya’ and, in general, to intimidate the present.

Has this happened before?

The Muslim community of Bengal origin has started promoting the practice of ‘Miya’ as a campaign against the exercise of updating the National Register of Citizens in Assam. This is found in Miya’s literature which underlines the plight of Muslim immigrants. A section of the indigenous communities found this objectionable.

The matter took a turn for the worse when suspended Congress MP, Sherman Ali Ahmed sought Miya Museum in Guwahati Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, which showcases the cultural heritage of various ethnic groups of Assam. Md. Surprisingly, Mr. Ahmed quoted the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Arts and Culture (consisting of 16 members out of which six were BJP legislators) before the 126-member Assembly on March 24, 2020. proposed a museum at Kalakshetra “reflecting the culture and heritage of the people living on the char-chaporis (sandbars or river islands) of Assam”. Most of the char-chaporis are inhabited by the so-called Miyas.

How did other teams react?

While distancing himself from the museum, MP and general secretary of minority organization All India United Democratic Front, Aminul Islam said it is the humiliation faced by the community which may have led to the museum. However, the All Assam Minority Students Union saw the museum as a bid to change the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. There is no such thing as a Miya community and most of the people behind the museum are not Muslim migrants. Ali, who has made the museum his home, is a Julha and Rafiqul Islam of Bagh Sena, a member of the Miya Parishad, is a Deshi. So, there you are there,” said Rejaul Karim Sarkar, a union leader. Julha and Deshi are two of the five Assamese Muslim groups that the BJP government has decided to recognize.

Outline:

• Officials said the move to close the museum on October 25 was taken as a house earmarked under the Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana-Gramin scheme was converted into a museum in violation of the rules.

• The consequences of the conflict are in the political polarization of Assam fueled by the fear of population invasion by so-called “illegal immigrants” or “Bangladeshis”.

• The All Assam Minority Students Union saw the museum as a bid to change the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. “This was a pre-planned drama to stir up sentiments on both sides of religion.”