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