The massive controversy over the formation of the All Arunachal Pradesh Tribal Muslim Youths Forum is uncalled for. Ever since a notice about the formation of the forum started making the rounds on social media, virulent hatred has been unleashed on the forum’s executive members, which now stands disbanded. The relentless hateful drive forced the members of the forum to dissolve it. They had to come to the media to inform the people of the state about the dissolution and cause for forming the forum.
The people of Arunachal should understand that India is a democratic country and people have the right to profess the faith of their choice. So if any tribal person wants to follow Islam, the Constitution of India gives full right to the person to do so. Further, relentless abuse, even to the extent of threatening violence against them, is very unfortunate. This shows how intolerant our society is towards diversity. The concern over growing religious conversion is a matter of serious concern. Religious conversion is a threat to the unique indigenous faith of the state. But targetting followers of one particular religion will not end religious conversion. Today the tribes of Arunachal follow several other non-native religions like Hinduism, Christianity, etc. Faith is a personal choice and it should remain that way. Bullying and harassment of people just because he or she follows a faith different from yours is something to be proud of. In a secular society, every faith should be respected.