Technology has brought tectonic shift in the way we consume news and views circa 2020! Every message reaches millions in the blink of the eye or the click of the mouse! Thus it’s increasingly difficult to ascertain the truth from the fake, and in all fairness, it would make more sense to declare all articles subject to correction upon further review!

It’s with that spirit I ask if Democratic Presidential candidate, Mr. Joe Biden made this statement quoted widely on Twitter : “ Schools should ramp up ‘Islamic faith” studies, Muslims must ‘mobilize’ against Trump. Look , one of the things that I think is important is I wish we taught more in our schools about the Islamic faith”.  

If the quote above is incorrect , wrongfully  communicated or has been advertised with malafide intent then it bears no merit! However if these are indeed Mr. Biden’s words and thoughts then they merit further review. Mr. Biden is an honorable politician and has successfully remained at the crease for a rather long time. His innings in Congress and the White House have spanned many administrations.

As such, he should have know of a program called  “Access Islam” which was introduced by Bush Administration’s Dept. of Education, in 2005, and then further refined under President Obama. The program provides public school teachers for grades 5-12 with resources to teach children about the tenets of the religion as well ask their customs and practices. Considering that Mr. Biden referenced the program recently in a speech for the Muslim community, his new statement belies one of two conclusions. Either he feels the afore mentioned program does not go far enough to “indoctrinate” students in the Islamic way of life, or he feels he can score a few deliberate political points by playing vote bank politics.

If the former is true, my enquiry to Mr. Biden why there should be more resources applied to teaching Islam in schools over other world religions like Hinduism? Should the Department of Education support the installation of “ Access Hinduism”?  After all, in a world struggling to find unity, Hinduism is one of the few religions that did not find its origins in the Abrahamic faith and offers scope to be inclusive as a way of life. Hinduism and  Sanatan Dharma are the only faiths that have not waged a war against any country to extend its territory or impose it on anyone behind the façade of “freedom of religion”! Isn’t that truth and reality worth knowing and learning for a country that called itself a ‘melting pot’?

If the latter, Mr. Biden,  I would remind you that appealing to Muslims in this manner is exactly the way India’s Congress party played and courted them in India to disastrous effects. Today’s voter is too cynical to accept vote bank politics of minority appeasement and pandering. After all, even Mr. Biden’s predecessor to the throne, Hillary Clinton played the antics of the “ Russia reset”, and while she did get back a dubious Russian dossier on Mr. Trump, it didn’t get her the White House! What are you planning to sell to the vote bank of Muslims this time to capture the Presidential desk? For the moment though it’s important to make sure this whole thing is not one of Mr. Biden’s many legendary gaffes which I confess offers great entertainment in these moments of voluntary quarantines and global pandemics brought on by WuhanVirus? 

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