Nadim Asrar

The Muslim Others of Indian Cinema: Questions of Nation and Narration Nadim Asrar

A medieval mosque in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya, and a modern set of twin towers dominating the New York skyline. One a modestly designed icon of centuries of Islamic rule in the Indian sub-continent; the other, an imposing landmark representing global capital and American empire. Two different edifices signifying two different architectures of society and culture. The demolition of the Babari Masjid on December 6, 1992 by Hindu extremists and the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 by Muslim 'terrorists' may have different contexts and geographies, not to mention almost a decade of temporal distance between them. Indeed the two incidents take place in their own geo-political spaces. Yet, at a fundamental level, the relation between the incidents is not arbitrary. The most important consequence that this study draws from the two incidents is the question of defining terror and terrorists. While the purpose is not to dwell on the specific details and interpretations of the two incidents, this book draws from the way these two incidents have influenced the representation of Muslims in contemporary Indian cinema.