The MF Husain controversy: Identity, intent and the rise of militant fascism

By Beena Sarwar

The campaign against the iconic Indian artist Maqbool Fida Husain, perhaps the most prominent living symbol of art under attack, is part of the political fight for India’s soul – secular democracy versus a ‘Hindu’ state.

Several interrelated issues arise from this situation, linked with intent, identity, politics, religion, the role of the state, and of course the nature of ‘art’ itself. The illogical controversy has unfortunately been allowed to overshadow the artist’s phenomenal, critically acclaimed work itself both in India and abroad.

The viciousness against Husain despite his public apology forced him out of his country in 2007 at age 92, fearing for his very life. The attacks on him go beyond to verbal abuse and the court cases for “obscenity in his paintings” and “causing offence to religious sensibilities”

This ties into the perceived injustice “in taking Hindus for granted while appeasing Muslim sensibilities,” observed by the London-based writer Salil Tripathi. Commenting on the “growing assertiveness of Hindu nationalists since the 1990s”, he adds, “Because of the amount of attention Muslims have commanded when they have been offended by images they consider blasphemous - a concept alien to Hinduism - Hindus want equal treatment. They want the right to be offended”1

1 ‘The right to be offended’, International Herald Tribune, May 29, 2006

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