The Malignancy Called Muslim

If Islam vanished from the world tomorrow,

if mosques turned to ash,

if the azaan were buried in the graveyard of history,

the Muslim would still survive in this country.

Because here,

the Muslim was never about faith.

It is a necessity.

A state-sponsored villain.

A scarecrow soaked in petrol

every starving empire drags through the streets

to distract from the smell of its own decay.

Whenever power needs fresh blood,

it simply manufactures a new Muslim.

Sometimes a Christian. Sometimes a Sikh.

Sometimes a Dalit. Sometimes an Adivasi.

Sometimes just a spine reckless enough to ask:

“If the nation is truly this great, why is it so terrified?”