India, Dec. 18 -- So, what should we make of the opposition against Vande Mataram, the song that the Constituent Assembly officially recognised as the National Song in 1950? Both the 'secular' camp - comprising left-liberals and parts of the Muslim leadership - have often claimed that singing it is 'un-Islamic'.

In reality, these objections seem less about genuine Islamic theological concerns and more about a deep-seated hatred among certain segments of the Muslim elite in the subcontinent towards India's non-Islamic civilisational roots. This inbuilt hostility, which contributed to the creation of Pakistan, continues to foster a divisive mindset that underpins the communal divide in the region.

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