The following interview was conducted with Uddin Tareen Zulfiqar, of Aligarh, India. Zulfi, as we call him, is a local Ventura County businessman. This is the sixth installment in Coming to America and is Zulfi’s story. Zulfi was born, through no fault or choice of his own or his parents into a clas in India called “the untouchables”. Though many may consider this an actual term of low class or just the poor, it is actual telling these people they do not exist. For many Americans, this is almost impossible to conceive. Though India, the government, is moving forward and eliminating these practices, the beliefs remain.
Kathleen S. Roos Ph.D.
Interview with Uddin Tareen Zulfiqar on April 9 and July 4, 2021
Q. Where are you from, Zulfi?
I was born in Aligarh India. I came from a very poor family. I was born in one of the most racist countries in the world. India gained its independence in 1947. Even so, India still practices the caste system. People are divided into 4 castes, brahmin, Rajput, middle business caste and lower castes based on parts of the god Brahma’s body. the untouchables don’t come in any class. They are Dravidians who were conquered by Aryans and turned into untouchables.
The Aryans came from north of Caspian Sea about 3,500 years ago or 1500 BC. these Aryan hordes came from north of Caspian Sea, Destroyed Davidians civilization, the first Indians who were the first migrants from Africa. Aryans conquered them and pushed them to the southern parts of India. Dravidians could not fight back because they had no weapons to fight with. Most of them were killed. The rest were turned into untouchables. Upper caste Hindus do not want to accept this history. They claim that upper caste has been living in India from the beginning of time.
There was just too much discrimination in India for me to establish a business or get work. The whole system is dependent on religion one way or another. I was Muslim but I have renounced Islam.
Q. I thought India had moved away from the caste system?
Yes, the government is working to eliminate the caste system, but it is too engrained into the people’s psyche. There are lots of discrimination especially towards Christians and Muslims. This is often misunderstood by others. Christians are treated the worse. Even as we speak their villages are being burned throughout India. India is a hell hole for the poor, the weak and to women not of the upper caste.
Q. What did you do for work in India?
I had nothing in India. there was no work for me because I was Muslim and in India, Muslims are worse than untouchables. There was no employment for minorities. Today unemployment in India is 70-90% for minorities depending on where you are.
I applied to over 400 companies in India for work. I have a degree in biology from Aligarh University. Aligarh is east of Delhi. I never heard back from even one company. The reasons I believe are; 1) there are no jobs due to overpopulation and congestion. You have to establish your own work to be employed. 2) hate is so intense that Muslim youths are being mob-lynched every day. No one relies on police because they are corrupt. Women are raped all over the country and no one cares and, in most cases, rapists don’t get arrested or punished. This happens all the time. A famous woman named Phoolan Devi from a poor family reported, went to police that she had been raped by upper-caste Hindus. The poor girl was then raped again in the police station by the police. She became famous outlaw and killed her rapists.
Minorities cannot fight back. They have no guns even to protect themselves from thieves, and home invaders. They have no political power either. Their poverty is their weakness. The whole society is brutal towards poor, women and minorities. Police are allowed to use ‘third degree torture’ on poor to extract confession or make them pay bribe to police. People pay local government officials to have their problems solved, if they have the money. Paying government officials and police is also used as a tool to settle scores with opponent. The government and police are enemies of poor.
Q. Is the military like the police or how are they different? The military is neutral most of the time, but not all the time. Military is committing crimes against Kashmiris who wants to be autonomous, and India does not want this. That is why Indian government is using army to brutalize Kashmiris. On the other hand, Muslims are doing exact same to non-Muslims in Middle East and other Muslim countries. Muslims have been killing Christians and other minorities in Islamic states. Muslims are as brutal as the Hindus are in India. Both are especially brutal towards Christians.
Why did you want to come to the U.S.?
I left India for fear of being killed. I felt I had no value and no human dignity. In India, people of my class have no security of job and no security of life. you just do not exist. This is hard for Americans to understand. On paper the government of India wants to change the discrimination but in real life it does not happen. It is extremely difficult to change thousands of years of hateful and discriminatory cultural and traditions.
How did you manage to come to the US?
Before partitioning of India after its independence from the British, some land was given to farmers. My family had this small portion of land which I inherited from my father. I sold it to get a ticket to go to Saudi Arabia to find a job.
There, I saved money to get a VISA to visit the United States. In 1997, I married an American citizen and got green card.
United States is the best place. Now it is being turned into hell by democrats. They want to turn USA into third world hellhole by letting millions to flood in. In LA, your car and your property are not safe because criminals roam around and take everything from people and nothing is done about it. Homeless fill parking lots and streets. I can’t believe this is happening here in USA.
I got robbed four times in my businesses here in U.S. by the same people who are calling all others racist. Who is promoting this you ask? The democrats who are hungry for power and money.
China continues to persecute Muslims as India does. Pakistan is persecuting Hindus and Christians. Pakistanis call Christians “choora” which means filth. Did you know Native Americas have no rights in Mexico?
With 70-90% unemployment of minorities, how do the people survive?
They do menial jobs, they sell fruits and crops off carts, they have turned their homes into stalls to sell textiles, make socks, and sell produce. Whatever they can. It is still very bad.
Christians are the worse off. They are gathered like cattle behind fences to get protection from Hindus. The government has been taken over by extremist national party called RSS. They are wreaking havoc on minorities in India. The poor are being crushed. Thousands of Hindus are converting to Christianity to be treated as equal in the society, which is very frightening to Hindu clergy because Hindu masses are the source of income for Brahmins. The more people convert to Christianity the less money for brahmins and temples. The temple money goes straight into the pockets of Brahmins. It all comes down to money and power. Christians are a threat to the Brahmins’ income, influence, and power.
Many Americans don’t realize that life outside of America is not easy. Americans are spoiled. What I see happening in America is that minorities committing crimes against the majority. Democrats using lawlessness created by minorities to their benefit. If a white man runs a red traffic light, he’s called white supremacist. If a minority person in the U.S. kills someone, he is considered a victim who is simply trying to feed his family and whites are accused of discriminating against him.
I find Congresswoman like AOC and Omar Ilhan extremely hateful of America and white people. Everything I have now, I owe to America. I am grateful to entire country and specifically white people for creating such a wonderful country. I see democrats as vengeful and wanting to support illegal immigration to exploit them and exploit the system. The democrats know that all these illegals will vote for them. The illegals still vote for democratic candidates even if they know they don’t have the right to vote. I support legal immigration. I carry the U.S. Constitution in my pocket everywhere I go. People get angry with me when I defend the U.S.
Non-whites control the vote in California, New Mexico, and parts of Texas. The wealthy don’t see it but the blue-collar working people do. The illegal gangs in Los Angeles now harass all communities.
In the U.S., I see whites becoming oppressed in this country. Everybody wants to come USA. You don’t see anyone wanting to go to China, India, or Russia. And they could not get into Australia because it has a point system to get into their country. If you come to USA, then contribute to the economy. Do not become a burden on the system, always looking for welfare. I feel I contribute to America. Canada is setting a bad example by letting masses in without checking their qualifications or background.
I experienced great fear and anxiety throughout my life in India and in Saudi Arabia. I was always under the threat that I would be killed. It was that bad. I kissed the ground when I got onto the tarmac in Los Angeles in August of 1981. With what is happening now in the U.S., I feel the same way I did in Saudi Arabia and India. Two of my friends have been killed here in downtown Oxnard by Mexican gangs. One was working at a 711. He was killed in 2008. The other a business owner who was coming out of a bank was shot in 2008.
It saddens me to say but I feel America is turning into the hellhole like any third world country, thanks to democrat’s policy of open borders and unrestricted immigration. I came here legally and am proud to become a US citizen. We learned the English language and adopted American values. You may remain connected to your past if we choose so. Nobody is against it.
I mentioned to Zulfi about Finland and Sweden and how many say their system of government is the answer.
Zulfi stated yes, Finland is a paradise for Finns and people of the European Union. The Finns pay up to 45% in taxes for that heaven. I know of a young Indian man in his early 20s who corresponded with a Swedish woman in her thirties. She said get to Sweden and she will marry him and then he will be a Swedish citizen. He bicycled his way from India through numerous countries stating he was just touring but his end goal was citizenship in Sweden.
You mentioned Finland and Sweden before and I said Finland was a paradise if you could live there. Not as easy as they say. Finland does not speak much English, most speak Finnish. Only Sweden is where many speak English as well as Swedish. Now things are changing in Europe and many, up to 98% are studying English. In India we have Computer Centers where people can go to use Internet. Many do not have computers or Internet in their homes.
I think this is one reason why America is so great. You have 50 states, and they all speak English. The method of communication and common language attributes much to America’s greatness. Different ideas are shared all 50 states work as on unit. No other Country could have produced the likes of Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram nor sharing of all the brain power from all these varying states. You don’t have to export to or from Texas, or Illinois you have a huge market that you share with each other. You have a universal postal system. China is our biggest threat. They are trying to close the gap through theft of Intellectual Property.
How do you feel about Britain and its past history with India?
When the British arrived, Indians were burning widows and killing female infants to avoid paying dowry. The British stopped both evil practices. Britain united India and gave India its military, justice system, Navy, police system, and a Parliamentary system of government. India owes much to the British. All government building like Parliament House and Prime Minister House were constructed by the British which provided jobs to all Indians from Kashmir to Kerala (throughout India).
How do energy companies function and water distribution in India?
In the larger cities there is electricity. In many cases the electricity is limited to only certain hours. Due to load shedding. Out in the country there are generators only. Many places in India do not have running water. One third of the houses in the country have no toilets. People go to jungle.
What are women’s rights in India?
Women can drive and they have equal rights, but women are not safe in the country. India is among the top 10 most dangerous countries for women to live. It ranks with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, and Yemen when it comes to safety and security of women.
What is major industry or basis of India’s economy?
Agriculture and farming are largest industry exporting beef, wheat, rice, fruits, cotton, and tea. Yes, we make cars but mainly for local market as few are exported. India is self-sufficient in oil, approximately 90% of energy is derived from petroleum. India gets some of its oil from Saudi Arabia and Iran. Also, India is not like China. Everything doe no come from China there. Most commodities that US impots from China are made in India. India is opening their markets to China. Remember 1% of 1.3 billion people are super rich in India. If that 1.3 billion about 10-15% are consider rich and the remaining 80% plus are dirt poor!
I feel if you want to come to America, then come here but do it legally. Don’t fake it and get here and want to keep your own customs and language. If you want that stay where you are. Adopting American lifestyle and the freedom and liberty it offers is what you came here for. You can maintain your own traditions and customs, just don’t try to change us because now you got here!
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