All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat delegation's Assam visit

All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat delegation's Assam visit

The Milli Gazette

All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat / The Milli Gazette Online

Published Online: Oct 06, 2012

New Delhi, 6 October 2012: The Central Working Committee of the All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat (AIMMM), the umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations, met here today. The meeting was chaired by the AIMMM National President Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan and attended by the following members: Attended byDr. Arshi Khan and Janab Mohammad Sulaiman (General Secretaries of AIMMM), Janab Nusrat Ali, Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman, Prof. Akhtarul Wasey, Prof. Shakil Ahmad, Prof. S.M. Yahya, Janab Zafar Jung, Grp.Capt.  (retd) M. Anwar, Janab Ahmad Rashid Shevani and Mrs. Nusrat Shervani.

The meeting offered condolences to the millat and families of prominent leaders of the community who passed away recently and prayed for their souls, especially DR ABDUL HAQ ANSARI, renowned Islamic scholar, former Amir, Jamaat-e Islami Hind, member, Markazi Majlis, AIMMM (died in Aligarh on 3 Oct. 2012), Dr. ABID HUSSAIN, economist, former bureaucrat, India’s ambassador to USA (died in London on 21 June), ALLAMA SYED SHAH NAEEM ASHRAF ASHRAFI JILANI, religious and Islamic scholar, Sajjada Nashin of Aastana Ashrafia, Jaes (died on 27 June at Lucknow), MUFTI MAULANA OBAIDUR RAHMAN MADNI, a noted religious scholar and former Mufti of Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees (died on 25 June), MAULANA SYED MUHAMMAD SHAKIR HUSAIN NAQVI, Shia religious scholar, author and teacher (died at Lucknow on 4 July), SYED ABDUL WAHAB ASHRAFI, prominent Urdu poet, fiction writer, critic and historian (died at Patna on 15 July), MAULANA ABDUL HAQ QASMI, noted religious scholar and former Ameer of Jamiat Ahle Hadees, Mumbai (died at Mumbai on 5 July), ASGHAR ANSARI, noted journalist of Delhi (died at Delhi on 30 July). He had founded Urdu Editors Guild. SIRAJ TIRMIZI, founder of Gujarat Today and the Lok Hit movement (died at Ahmedabad on 30 May), SHAKEEL AHMAD KHAN, a former minister of Bihar and national spokesman of Janta Dal (United) (died at Delhi on 17 August), PROF M.N. FARUQUI, former vice chancellor of AMU and a former professor of IIT Kharagpur (died at Kanpur on 24 August). He was VC of AMU from from 1 September 1990 to 15 December 1994. SYED MUSTAFA SIRAJ, Bengali fiction writer and novelist (died at Kolkata on 4 September), MUZAFFAR RAZMI KAIRANWI, Urdu poet (died on 19 September at Kairana), HAZRAT PEERJI SYED AHMAD SARMADI, Sajjada Nashin and Trustee of Dargah of Sufi Sarmad Shakeel and Dargah of Syed Badruddin Samarqandi (died at Delhi on 15 September). Wives of three important Muslim religious leaders and scholars died one after the other - BEGUM WAKILUNNESA MADNI, wife of (late) Shaikhul Islam Maulana Husain Ahmad Madni and mother of Maulana Asaad Madni and grandmother of Maulana Mahmood Madni (died on 5 July at Deoband) SHAFIQA KHATOON, wife of former Rector of Darul Uloom Deoband late Maulana Marghoobur Rahman died on 9th  at Bijnor on 9 July while SALMA KHATOON, wife of Maulana Asrarul Haque Qasmi, Lok Sabha M.P. from Kishanganj (Bihar) and President of All India Talimi wa Milli Foundation died on 10 July at Delhi.

The meeting discussed a number of organisational, milli, national and international issues like AIMMM’s finances and state units, Assam, recurrent riots, especially in U.P., terror-related arrests etc. and passed the following resolutions:

ASSAM

MMA is seriously pained and alarmed at the situation developing in the BTAD areas of Assam where at least two lakh Muslims still remain displaced as a direct result of the undemocratic Bodo Accord of 2003 signed by the NDA government under which 27% Bodos have been made overlords over 73% of the area’s population which includes over 30% Muslims. Moreover, Bodo militants were left with their illegal arms including an estimated 5000 automatic guns which they use to terrorise and kill their opponents. To overcome this undemocratic and unconstitutional situation, Bodos have been trying to drive away others from this area including tribals, Adivasis and Muslims in order to artificially become 50% of the area’s population. The state government is hand-in-gloves in this crime. After the current ethnic cleansing which started on 20 July, the state government first announced that all displaced persons will be settled again in their respective areas but, gradually, it conceded to the Bodo demands that only people with land holdings in the area will be allowed to return. MMA demands that all displaced people should be allowed to return to their homes and lands and any verification thereafter should be carried out only by competent judicial authorities. MMA condemns the Sangh Parivar attempts to brand all Muslims in Assam as “Bangladeshis” which is supported by chauvinist forces in Assam who use this false claim as a handle to disenfranchise Assam Muslim who constitute 31% of the state’s population and have been living in Assam since the middle ages. They are as Assamese as anyone else in that state.

TERRORISM

After a short respite in the wake of the exposure of the vast network of saffron terror outfits, the vicious campaign against Muslim youths is again seriously on. Innocent youth are being arrested, rather kidnapped, from various parts of the country on the basis of fabricated stories and mere suspicion. Police chiefs were recently told during their annual conference that the biggest threat faced by the country comes from the so-called “Indian Mujahidin” which the Muslim community thinks is a fictitious organization propped up by the IB to harass Muslims. Eighteen youths have been arrested recently in Bangalore and other places in a totally false and fabricated case which is clear from the changing stories dished out by Bangalore police about these youths.

MMA condemns this campaign which is part of a plan by saffron and communal elements in the IB and Police to retard Muslim progress. MMA demands transparency in the matter and establishment of fast-track courts to try such cases so that our youth are not pronounced “not guilty” after ten and fourteen years of incarceration which ruins their lives and careers. IB and Police officers responsible for fabricating cases and implicating innocents should be suitably punished and compensation to the victims should be deducted from the salaries and pensions of such officers. Further, MMA demands serious and tangible action against the saffron terror which is now being totally overlooked despite chilling details incorporated in Malegaon and Ajmer chargesheets and other sources in these agencies.

REPRESENTATION IN POLICE

AIMMM welcomes the current effort by the government to raise Muslim representation in the Police force which has gone down to as low as 2% in some states. Muslim representation should also be raised in the Army, IB and other security agencies to regain the lost confidence of the Muslim masses.

AMU KISHANGANJ CAMPUS

MMA is concerned that the Kishanganj campus of Aligarh Muslim University is being delayed on minor technical grounds. MMA urges the government to release the funds for the Kishanganj campus quickly so that building of the required infrastructure and fencing of the land starts in earnest while technical hurdles are removed.

GUJARAT VERDICT

MMA welcome the court verdict in Naroda Patiya case and hopes that criminals in other pogrom-related cases and umpteen fake encounters will soon be punished in the same manner. MMA lauds the efforts of human rights activist Teesta Setalvad, lawyer Mukul Sinha and many others who have selflessly fought the legal battle on behalf of the hapless victims.

REPORT ON SPECIAL CELL

MMA lauds Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association for its continuous struggle to raise the issues of the victims of the fake war on terror. MMA lauds in particular JTSA’s most recent publication on the Delhi Police Special Cell showing how it systematically fabricates cases against innocents and implicates them in fake terror cases. Such forces should be abolished forthwith as they are incorrigible breakers of law and despite umpteen court censures continue to inflict wanton injustice on the weak and defenceless people.

EDUCATION

MMA welcomes National University of Education Planning and Administration’s estimate that 33% of the enrolments in classes I to VII is Muslim girls’ and there has been an over-all increase of 31% from the previous academic session. It is a known and laudable fact that Muslim girls are taking more interest in education compared to Muslim boys. It is time the community realised that education, meaning quality education, is the only way to attain progress and prosperity in our society. In addition to the government’s plans, the community too has to play its active role in making this possible.

RIOTS

MMA is alarmed at the spurt in communal riots in various parts of the country, especially in Uttar Pradesh in the wake of the inauguration of the Samajwadi government in the state. It has been noted that the police force either remains passive during these instances of engineered murder, loot and arson or becomes an active participant opening fire at will at Muslims with the intent to kill as happened recently at Masuri town near Delhi. We caution the state and central governments to be more careful in tackling acts of violence, pay adequate compensation to the victims of police fire and take quick legal action against the killers. MMA also appeals to the Muslim masses to show no unnecessary and hasty violent reaction to inflammatory situations created on purpose by communal forces whose eyes are fixed on the general elections in 2014 for which communal polarization is required so that their political party may benefit.

J&K

MMA condemns the J&K state government’s attempts to scuttle further probe in the 2156 unmarked graves which were unearthed by the state human rights panel at 38 sites in north Kashmir. MMA notes that there are around ten thousand people in Kashmir who went “missing” during the militancy years and that there are 2683 FIRs lodged with J&K police about missing people in the state, mostly in the Valley. Unearthing the reality and punishing the culprits in uniform is an important requirement for peace and normalcy to return to the tormented state.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

MMA unreservedly condemns the makers, financiers and supporters of a sacriligous film about the beloved Prophet of Islam which is a reflection of their sick minds. MMA wishes to remind governments at home and abroad that all freedoms, including the freedom of expression, have their limits. In every such case the golden rule “your freedom ends where my nose begins” applies. No one, in India or abroad, should be allowed to insult religious beliefs and icons held in reverence by others. MMA appeals to the Indian government to take the initiative to urge the UNO to make a universal law protecting religions and religious icons from scorn and insult by insane elements who indulge in such crimes in the hope of accelerating the so-called “clash of civilizations”. MMA cites with satisfaction the example of Egypt which is tryig a Muslim for insulting the Bible.

WAQFS

MMA registers its protest against the continued exploitation of waqf properties by private individuals and government agencies. Of particular mention is the issue of graveyards (qabristans) which are being usurped or enchroached upon continuously in various parts of the country almost every single day. MMA appeals to the Muslim community to be vigilant about this common property and to not allow anyone to enchroach upon these lands as it will be increasingly difficult to bury our dead due to the high rise in property prices in both urban and rural areas. MMA appeals to the state authorities and especially to waqf boards to hasten to erect boundary walls around graveyards so that enchroachment could be checked and prevented.

MMA further notes that the return of 123 waqf properties in Delhi, which are under illegal occupation of various government departments, to the waqf board is pending since 1984. The Burney Committee had pinpointed 247 such properties in Delhi but the government of the day had accepted to transfer only 123 properties to the Waqf Board but even these still remain under adverse possession. It is high time this matter is settled so that these properties are used for the purposes for which they were earmarked for by their settlors.

REGISTRATION OF NIKAH

The government has of late suggested that all marriages should be properly registered to safeguard the rights of both parties. Some Muslim organisations and individuals have hastend to oppose this on the ground that it is against Shariat. MMA notes that there is no provision in the Shariat which says that marriages should not be registered. On the contrary, the Quran orders us to write down all contracts and it is known that marriage is a supreme form of contract in the eyes of Islam. MMA appeals to the concerned parties to have a dialogue on this issue in order to arrive at a common ground. One wayout may be to accept the existing qazis as registrars of marriages for the Muslim community. In this case, provision should be made for their registration with courts or other government agencies and their marriage certificates should be accepted for this purpose.

IRAN

Iran continues to reel under illegal American sanctions which have no UN backing and flout the very bases and foundations of the NPT which allows signatories to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and makes it mandatory for existing nuclear powers to help them. The most shrieking voice against Iran’s so-called nuclear programme comes from Israel which sits on a pile of around one thousand nuclear warheads and which has failed to sign the NPT and, unlike Iran, does not allow the IAEA to inspect its nuclear facilities. It is time Muslim countries came forward to end this charade and help end the unjust sanctions imposed on Iran.

SYRIA

MMA is deeply concerned about the ongoing killings and wholesale destruction in Syria by its government and opposition forces. MMA urges the Syrian government of President Bashar Al-Asad to hasten to arrive at an understanding with the opposition forces to save the country and to usher in a democratic, multi-party polity which serves not a family or a clan but the whole Syrian people. Failing to do so quickly will only push Syria in the same pit in which Qaddafi’s Libya fell earlier as a result of American and NATO military intervention which will not be in the interests of either the government or opposition in Syria.

EGYPT

MMA welcomes the outcome of the tussle between Egypt’s first democratically elected President and its armed forces. President Mursi should now hasten to unleash political and economic reforms to empower the Egyptian people and to bring in the prosperity which would make American aid redundant. Egypt should come forward to reclaim the leading role in the Muslim World it once occupied before falling in the trap of a fake peace with Israel.

BURMESE MUSLIMS

Burma’s Rohingya Muslims continue to suffer from state-sponsored terror, concentration camp-like life and political disenfranchment under the military junta. MMA hopes that the promised new civilian government will erase this blot on the face of Burma and allow a part of its citizens to live, prosper and contribute to Burma’s prosperity in peace and dignity.