24 pages ` 15 ISSN 0972-3366 FORTNIGHTLY Vol. 15 No.13 Issue Serial # 347 facebook.com/milligazette www.milligazette.

com 1-15 July 2014

Hashimpura: still no justice 3
Hindutva terror 5,7,8
Persian treasures 8
J&K 10 Analysis 11 Special Reports 3,13 Issues 2,11,13
Speaking Out 11 Books 21 Newsmakers 12 International 16-20
Community News 14-15 Islamic Perspectives 20
Our Publications 19 Classifieds 22 Letters 23
Inside
MG
For Good days sacrifices
have to be made
Inflation
MG/Yusuf
The Mahmoodur Rahman Committee
report on the socio-economic condi-
tions of the states Muslims is yet to
be officially released, but it reveals
that the community has very poor
social indices, says AAREFA JOHARI
Maharashtras urban Muslims are poorer than
even members of the scheduled castes and
tribes. They tend to live in ghettos because they
cant find homes anywhere else, and banks are
wary of giving them loans.
These are among the findings of a report
prepared by a five-member committee headed
by retired bureaucrat Dr Mahmoodur Rahman,
which was appointed in 2008 by the
Maharashtra government to study the social,
economic and educational condition of Muslims
in the state. However, though the report was
submitted to the states Congress-led govern-
ment in October 2013, it has not yet been offi-
cially released or tabled in the state assembly.
Since the Maharashtra government showed
no signs of releasing the Mahmoodur Rahman
report, which is Maharashtras version of the
pioneering Sachar Committee report on the sta-
tus of Muslims across India, community organi-
sations filed RTI queries to find out the causes
for the delay.
Last month, the Movement for Peace and
Justice, a non-profit organisation, finally man-
aged to obtain a copy of the report, seven
months after applying for it. The contents reveal
that Maharashtras 10.2 million Muslims strug-
gle with the debilitating consequences of pover-
ty, prejudice and discrimination on almost every
aspect of their lives.
The state of Maharashtra has witnessed
the highest number of Hindu-Muslim riots post-
Independence, the report says. Displacement
and subsequent ghettoisation has been a result
of communal riots. Ghettoisation has made it
easier for state authorities to neglect Muslim
concentration areas and not provide them with
adequate services.
The report says that one-fifth of Muslims in
the state do not have a ration card, making it dif-
ficult for them to access government schemes
for health, education or employment.
Here are some of the findings of the
Mahmoodur Rahman report, which is based
largely on data from the 2001 census.
Poverty: Maharashtra performs worse than
the rest of India when it comes to urban poverty
rates among Muslims. Urban Muslims in the
state are also much poorer than members of
scheduled castes and tribes:
About 45% of Muslim households have a
per capita income of less than Rs 500 a month,
and only 10% of Maharashtrian Muslims own
land. Only one-third of Muslim households in
the state have a bank account, and just 6.8%
are able to obtain credit from banks or coopera-
tives.
According to studies commissioned by the
Minorities Commission, banks tend to be reluctant
about granting loans to Muslims, on the assump-
tion that that they will not pay back their loans.
Housing: Most Muslims tend to live in ghettos
because of the fear of riots and discrimination in
the housing market. In urban Maharashtra, 90%
of them live in Muslim areas, 8% live in mixed
areas and 2% in areas that have just a few
Muslim families. Banks are reluctant to give
members of the minority community housing
loans, because they tend to declare Muslim
localities as negative areas. In fact, 58% of
urban Muslims live in slums. Meanwhile, only
18.5% of rural Muslims live in pucca homes.
Education: Maharashtrian Muslims have a total lit-
eracy rate of 78.1%, which is higher than the state
average of
76.9%. But the
Sachar report
points out that
these numbers
are not a true
measure of a
communi t y s
educational sta-
tus, because
most of these lit-
erates are not
able to apply
their reading and
writing skills in
real life and slip
back into illitera-
cy in a few years
of leaving
school. In addi-
tion, barely 3% of literate Muslims manage to
obtain graduate degrees.
The performance of women here is even
worse: only 19% of urban Muslim women, and
10.9% of rural ones, are enrolled in secondary
and higher secondary schools. Only 1% of rural
Muslim women in the state get college degrees.
Employment: While 32.2% of Maharashtras
Hindus are farmers, only 8.1% Muslims cultivate
land, because land ownership is low among
Muslims. In fact, 44.4% of rural Muslims land up
working as agricultural labourers, compared
with 36.1% of Hindus. Because of a severe
dearth of formal employment opportunities in
Muslim areas, most of them work in the infor-
mal, unorganised sector.
Muslims also have very poor representation
in government and semi-government jobs. Their
share in government services is just 4.4%. In
2012, there was not a single Muslim in the entire
Maharashtra cadre of the Indian Administrative
Services.
Health: One of the few positives that emerge
from the report is that the fertility rate among
Maharashtra Muslims has been steadily declin-
ing, even though it is above the state average.
The use of contraception has also been
increasing, although Muslim women commonly
report being mocked about the number of chil-
dren members of the community have. While
trying to access public healthcare services,
Muslim women often report facing stereotypical
attitudes, like being called dirty or being con-
stantly asked to remove the veil.
Discrimination: Muslims form 10.6% of
Maharashtras population, but form 27% of its
prison population. The report found that over-
whelmingly, Muslims feel that Muslim youth are
wrongfully targeted.
Infrastructure: On an average, in urban areas,
bus stops are located at a 1.3 km distance from
Muslim areas. Discussions with transpor t
authorities revealed that they avoid planning bus
routes in those areas because Muslims are con-
sidered socially problematic. In addition, fre-
quency of buses in these areas is low. (scroll.in)
Shocking facts about Maharashtra Muslims
THE
MILLI
GAZETTE
INDIAN MUSLIMS LEADING ENGLISH NEWSPAPER SINCE 2000
ALLAMA MASHRIQI...12 OUR PERSIAN TREASURES...8
About 45% of Maharashtra Muslim households have a per
capita income of less than Rs 500 a month, and only 10% of
Maharashtrian Muslims own land. Only one-third of Muslim
households in the state have a bank account, and just 6.8%
are able to obtain credit from banks or cooperatives.
Ishrat Jahan Case to be the
first casualty of Modi Regime
New Delhi: With the reinstatement of a main
accused (GL Singhal) and CBIs refusal to
share its investigation document with the Union
home ministry, the prosecution sanction for
former Intelligence Bureau special director
Rajinder Kumar and three other officers in the
Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case is unlikely to
materialise. CBI sources were quoted as saying
that the agency will not give its case diary to
the home ministry at any cost abiding by the
procedures of CrPC which allow them to share
it only with the court. In any case, no other out-
come was awaited from a government headed
by Modi who is known to shield officers loyal to
him. CBI also feels giving case dairy to the gov-
ernment would set a bad precedent as the
Gujarat encounter cases are being monitored
by courts. To consider prosecution sanction for
IB officers Rajinder Kumar, P Mittal, M K Sinha
and Rajiv Wankhede, home ministry has asked
CBI to provide the case dairy which it must
know is not possible under law. CBI has main-
tained that the Ishrat Jahan encounter was false
and has already filed two charge- sheets in the
case but trial is pending in the absence of pros-
ecution sanction which now will not come.
There is no hope that the cases against anoth-
er star accused in the encounter cases, Amit
Shah, will be allowed to proceed further. This is
the Gujarat Model.
2 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 ISSUES / OPINION
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www.milligazette.com
Shia-Sunni Conflict
An
American
Conspiracy
I personally feel that it
was a very conscious deci-
sion on the part of the
Americans to rekindle the
Shia-Sunni tensions in the
region. It was one of their
main aims. The Americans
have succeeded beyond
their expectations in Iraq.
What we are seeing now is
a culmination of what the
US started in 2003.
- Former ambassador
Chinmaya Gharekhan
(Rediff News, 19 June, 14)
Americans indeed created
the sharp sectarian divide
(Shia-Sunni conflict) in Iraq
and beyond. Agreed, this
sectarian conflict has been
Islams bete-noire right from
the beginning, but it became
acute because of the tacit
involvement of the US as a
strategy to defeat resistance
to their occupation of Iraq.
If we dispassionately study
the unrest in the Islamic
world in the last half century,
the dubious role of America
cannot be condoned
because its too blatant to be
brushed aside. America suf-
fers from Islamophobia and
wants Islams obliteration
from the face of the earth so
that gods chosen faith
(Judaism) can reestablish
itself.
Entire America is very much
pro-Semitic. It can accom-
modate Judaism, but cant
accept Islam. The US is con-
trolled by the Jewish lobby
and the world knows that
Islam and Judaism have
been at loggerheads with
each other, especially since
the emergence of Israel, so
much so that reconciliation
or rapprochement seems
well-nigh impossible.
The US has an axe to grind
and a hidden agenda to per-
petuate the sectarian blood-
shed in Iraq and neighbour-
ing countries. US believes
that Muslims will be deci-
mated in the internecine
conflicts that are escalating
rapidly to engulf the Islamic
world.
SUMIT PAUL
sumitmaclean@hotmail.com
Ramadan
Mubarak

MODERN EDUCATIONAL SOCIAL & CULTURAL ORGANIZATION
(1968 2014) 45 YEARS
ZAKAT A SOURCE TO ALLEVIATE POVERTY AND HUMAN SUFFERINGS

A Registered Charitable Public Trust since last 45 years submits its humble appeal & solicits your generous
donations of Zakat in the cause of service to humanity under relentless and sustained efforts in pursuit of
its mission statement HELPING PEOPLE LIVE A BETTER TOMORROW under three basic and
meaningful objectives EDUCATIONAL AID, MEDICAL AID & RELIEF OF POVERTY , and you will have
accomplished the third obligatory tenets of Islam as ordained by ALLAH (S.W.T) through the revelations in
the Holy Quran more than 80 times in combination with SALAH (NAMAAZ). Zakat signifies in
abundance our basic and moral obligation to be delivered by the rich to the underprivileged poor
Muslim brethren as just and equi table distribution of wealth to alleviate poverty and human
sufferings.

MESCO utilizes Zakat Funds in compliance with Shariah Laws, by maintaining separate Zakat Accounts
and spends Zakat on well defined budgetary allocations. The budget for 2014 2015 provides for the
following beneficiaries:


EDUCATION AID:
Students from School, College & Technical Education to be assisted through Zakat Funds - 3263
Students to be assisted for their Education under Non Zakat Funds - 662
Total Number of Students to be Assisted - 3925


MEDICAL: To be Assisted Through Zakat Funds
Patients under HCMA for Major Surgeries - 72
Patients under GMA for Minor Surgeries - 156
Patients under Dialysis Treatment - 59
Total Number of Patients - 287

To be Assisted through Non - Zakat Funds
Patients under HCMA for Major Surgeries - 48
Patients under GMA for Minor Surgeries - 48
Patients under Dialysis Treatment - 19
Total Number of Patients - 115

RELIEF OF POVERTY:
Families to be supported under Monthly Ration Scheme - 300
Families to be provided for Iftaar Packets before Ramzan - 250
Disaster Relief provision of Rs. 2,00,000/- .

Zakat and General Donations are used to service above stated objectives which benefit a large
number of Zakat and Non Zakat deserving families.

We submit this humble appeal to send your Zakat, Fitra, Sadqa or General Donations to
serve the cause of Humanity and seek blessi ngs for eternal happiness in Jannah.

Your Zakat / Donations are exempted from income tax u/s. 80-G.
We accept overseas Zakat / Donations in foreign currency under FCRA Registration.
Overseas donors are requested to send details of their remittance with identity.


CONTACT US
MESCO MODERN EDUCATIONAL SOCIAL & CULTURAL ORGANIZATION ,
Regd. Office : Natalwala Building, 110, V.S. Marg, Mahim (W), Mumbai 400 016. OR
Admin Office : G 2, Ground Floor, New Udyog Mandir 2, Mogul Lane, Behind Johnson & Johnson,
Mahim (W), Mumbai, India 400 016. Tel: (+9122) 24441442 / 24466218 / 24474356.
E- Mail : mescotrust@mescotrust.org OR mescotrust@yahoo.co.in Website : www.mescotrust.org
ZAKAT APPEAL
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 3 www.milligazette.com
New Delhi: Hashimpura (Meerut) communal riot was one of the worst communal riots in India
which took place 27 years ago but this case is still pending in a lower court for hearing. This
case was taken up for hearing in Tees Hazari court, New Delhi on 23 May and statements of
the accused persons of PAC were recorded but all of them, in questions put to them, replied
in the negative. The judge himself, under Cr PC (Criminal Procedure Code) 33 put as many as
101 questions to the accused persons from different aspects but replies of the accused per-
sons to all these questions were in the negative such as I do not know, I am not aware of it,
I am innocent or I am/was wrongly implicated in this case etc, whereas all the 97 witness-
es had deposed against all these accused persons and had identified them also. When all the
accused persons replied in the negative, the judge told the accused persons that if they want-
ed to present some one as witness in their favour, they could do so within two weeks. On this
occasion, L. D. Mawaal, the lawyer of the accused persons also was present. Since under sec-
tion 313 of Cr PC (under which the judge himself had questioned the accused persons) no
cross examination is allowed, Additional Special Public Prosecutor Akbar Aabdi said to the
court / judge today this case has become 27 years old and on the occasion of previous hear-
ing also the accused persons, on the excuse of elections had sought distant date (i.e. after
several months) this case is being delayed very much, it would be better if next date of hear-
ing is fixed for the near future. Accepting this plea of Akbar Aabdi, the judge fixed next date of
hearing after two weeks. If on this date the accused persons present some witness in their
favour, he can depose otherwise cross
examination will begin.
History of the case: It may be recalled
that on 22 May 1987 on the night of
Jumatul Vida (in the month of Ramzan)
communal riots had erupted in
Hashimpura mohallah of Meeruts
Malyana town in which Muslims on a
large scale were killed and their proper-
ties were also destroyed on a large
scale. PAC jawans, on the pretext of
search and combing operation had
dragged Muslims from their houses,
dumped them in a truck, taken them to
a place near Hindon River and shot at
least 42 of them one by one and had
thrown their dead bodies in the river in
order to conceal their crime. In this bru-
tal massacre, by chance 5 Muslims
had escaped, among whom were
Habibur Rahman, Usman, Zulfiqar etc
who narrated the brutal acts of PAC
personnel and had filed a case against
PAC personnel and had also identified
them. At that time Naseem Zaidi (the
present Election Commisisoner) was
Meeruts District Magistrate. When he
came to know this blood curdling
news, he visited the place of the mas-
sacre for inspection and got many dead
bodies recovered from the river. There
were as many as 97 witnesses in this
case, including the DM, Naseem Zaidi.
He was among those who had deposed
against the PAC men.
It needs serious consideration that
if so much time (27 years) is taken in a
lower court, how much more time will
be taken when this case is taken to
High Court and, if necessary, to the
Supreme Court, seeing the slow pace
with which cases are handled in
courts. Without the least intention of
casting aspersion or doubt on the hon-
ourable judges verdicts, but taking into
account the slow legal process, it can
rightly be concluded that by the time
this case is finally decided and justice
rendered to the affected families and
people, hardly any one of them may be
alive to know that justice has finally
been done to him / her / them. Many of
them must have already died during
these 27 years. The saying justice
delayed is justice denied is not irrele-
vant. (N. A. Ansari)
Respond now if you care about your community
White Paper on Terrorism
The issue of fake terrorism charges and the unjust arrests and defamation of our community, especially
since 2001, is the biggest challenge facing the community ever since. A grand conspiracy hatched by the
powers that be, IB, Police and media, has sullied and defamed our community. This campaign has affect-
ed our lives, peace of mind and has thwarted our efforts to progress and educate our children to join the
national mainstream.
Our efforts so far to present our case, to bring out our innocence and force the national and state gov-
ernments to listen to our grievances have mostly failed. All we have received are a few words of solace
which have no real meaning and have not changed the situation on the ground. Our children by their thou-
sands are still languishing in jails on the basis of fake confessions obtained through torture and blackmail.
As a long-term solution and a serious response to this problem thrust upon us, AIMMM decided last
year to bring out a white paper on the Muslim-related terrorism in the country. The work is going on with
all seriousness and many researchers, scholars and journalists are busy preparing writeups on various
aspects of this issue, covering the history, genesis, communalism, vested interests in various related fields,
analysis of various laws like TADA, POTA and UAPA, fake encounters, narco tests, torture, acquittals, IB
& Police role, media attitude, case studies, statewise surveys, SIMI, Indian Mujahidin, Hindutva terror,
individual tragedies of victims, Azamgarh, Bhatkal, Malegaon, Darbhanga modules, some basic docu-
ments, etc., etc.
The target is to bring out this white paper during the next few months and to release it in a big conven-
tion at Delhi as a combined effort of major Muslim and civil rights organisations, and thereafter present this
huge document of over 600 large format pages to politicians, media, human rights organisations, especial-
ly outside the country, in order to enlighten public opinion at home and abroad as well as to build pressure
on our blind and deaf government.
The estimated cost of this white paper is Rs 35 lakh divided as follows: Rs 15 lakh cost of preparation
and payments to contributors plus six months salaries to researchers and experts; Rs 15 lakh for design-
ing and printing the document in a world-class format; while the grand convention at Delhi will cost at least
5 lakh. Effort will be made to release the White Paper in some state and world capitals also.
You can help this effort in four ways,
1. To buy copies of the White Paper on Terrorism in advance to help defray part of the huge cost of
research, printing, publication and distribution of at least one thousand complimentary copies. The esti-
mated price of the white paper is Rs 2000 per copy in India. You may place an advance order by pay-
ing Rs 1000 only per copy in India including postal charges). Payments for the copies may be made to
The Milli Gazette, D-84 Abul Fazal Enclave-I, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025. Email:
edit@milligazette.com. Individuals and organisations ordering a minimum of 100 copies in advance will
be included as Sponsors of the White Paper.
2. Contribute to the cost of the grand convention to be held in Delhi. This should be payable to the All India
Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, D-250, Abul Fazal Enclave, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025. Tel.: 011-
26946780 Fax: 011-26947346. Email: mushawarat@mushawarat.com.
3. Donate your time: If you are a scholar, researcher, journalist: join our team for a few months work-
ing in our Delhi office or from your own home to complete this project - write to the Editor, MG now
at edit@milligazette.com.
4. Contact us if you have vital information/documents about this issue.
Case still pending,
27 years after
Hashimpura massacre
Islamic Centre Vellore
19/4, Madar Sahib Street, R. N. Palayam, Vellore - 632001 (Tamil Nadu India)
Ph: 0416-2223825, 2221825
At Vellore
Regular Deeniyat Course for Brothers & Sisters with Hostel
facilities- Tailoring Section- Kulliyathul Maarif with Hostel
facilities- Yearly once outdoor Dawah- Summer Islamic
Camps for Girls- Postal Library-Administrative office.
At Madurai
Maintains Students Hostel- Higher Education- Arrange
Marriage for reverts- Summer Islamic Camps for Boys-
Village Mosques- Field Workers.
Mosques at Villages Kandai, Kuraiyur, Chokkanathan-
patti, Anaikaraipatti, Kottur, Kodangipatti, Ooranpatti,
Muhammadiyapuram Deen Nagar, Vannivayal, Madhina
Nagar, Maravaikudi, Odaikulam, Ramalan Nagar,
Melamadai, Pooseri Kottaiyendhal. Imams have been
appointed in all the villages. They take care of Mosques,
Maktabs, all the Social Needs and guide them of the soci-
ety at every steps. Since 1986 Students of these villages
are encouraged and motivated to pursue Higher and
Technical Education - so far 175 Students have
Graduated.
Regular Deeniyat Course (3 Months Orientation Course)
Since 1978 Islamic Centre Vellore imparts education on
basic teachings of belief, Ibadah, Taharah, Duas,
Memorisation of small Suras etc., to Neo-Muslims. Till 2013
number of beneficiaries are 4961 Gents, 2968 Ladies
totalling 7929 who have completed our prescribed syl-
labus. Every Year Friends from neighbouring States visit
ICV to observe the methodology of teaching and to inter-
act with Students & Teachers.
Kulliyatul Maarif (Three years Aalima Course)
Since 2001 Kulliyatul Maarif produced 43 Aalima in 12
batches These young Aalimas serve as Dayiah & Teachers
in different parts of the State.The Syllabus of Aalima
Course include Tafseer, Hadees, Seerah, Fiqh & Language
of the Quran.
Summer Islamic Camps & Marriages Every year in summer
holidays seperate camps for girls at Vellore and for boys at
Madurai are conducted for the second and third genera-
tion of reverts. In Madurai & Vellore marriages are
arranged for the revert couples.
Premier centre for Islamic Dawah and for the education of neo-Muslims in Tamil Nadu
A Shabbir Ahmed
President
C Tufail Ahmed
General Secretary
Aid may also be sent online through
Union Bank of India - A/c No. 333001010019006
IFSC Code: UBIN0533301, Vellore Branch
All the above services are being carried out with the active co-operation of brothers and sisters with golden heart. It is
hereby appealed to all to send their donations and zakah for this mission. Money Orders and drafts may please be
drawn in favour of the ISLAMIC CENTRE VELLORE and may please be sent to the address given above.
Send detail of remittance thro email:icvellore@gmail.com or SMS : 09500190520
Likewise, each amount they spend, be it small or large, and each journey they undertake, shall be recorded
in their favour so that Allah may bestow upon them reward for their good deeds.It was not necessary for the
believers to go forth all together (to receive religious education) but why did not a party of them go forth that
they may grow in religious understanding, and that they may warn their people when they return to them, so
that they may avoid (erroneous attitudes)? (The Holy Quran 9:121-122)
Highlights of Activities at Vellore & Madurai
Hashimpura victims being taken away to be shot
4 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
560 farmers committed suicide in
Maharashtra this year
Mumbai: Unseasonal rains and hailstorms in Marathwada
and Vidarbh regions of Maharashtra early this year, partic-
ularly in February took a heavy toll on human life and agri-
cultural crops, this drove about 560 farmers to commit
suicide during 5 months of this year. This information was
given by Maharashtras relief and rehabilitation minister
Patangrao Kadam in the state assembly on 10 June. News
had in fact been circulating unofficially for some time that
hundreds of suicides by farmers have taken place but the
government had been denying it. One MLA got the infor-
mation through RTI that as many as 562 farmers commit-
ted suicide in the aftermath of unseasonal rains and
worse, because of hailstorms in February. After this reve-
lation the government had perforce to admit it. The minis-
ter at the same time said that 232 families of the deceased
farmers who had taken loans have been given financial
help. He further said that they have sanctioned a total
amount of rs 4980 crores this year towards relief for vic-
tims of natural calamity, the state governments share in
this amount is about Rs 2800 crores whereas the central
governments share in this relief is to the tune of about Rs
1860 crores. These regions (Marathwada and Vidarbh)
may be considered problem areas because generally
these areas face drought but this year the opposite hap-
pened i.e. excess of unseasonal rains and to top it, hail-
storms that affected more than 8 lakh hectares of land.
The political fall-out of this natural calamity is considered
to be the big defeat of Congress-NCP Coalition in the
recent Lok Sabha elections
Ancient Hindu texts to be made part of
academic syllabus under new govt
New Delhi: The new BJP-led NDA government at the centre
has taken initial steps towards introducing the RSS educa-
tional revamp agenda. It is understood that union HRD min-
ister (Ms) Smriti Irani has asked HRD top officials to evolve
and develop educational materials that include contribu-
tions of Indians of ancient times in different fields like sci-
ence, mathematics, social sciences, philosophy, grammar,
language etc. Once evolved and finalised, these material
will be incorporated in the syllabus and curricula of
schools. HRD ministry is planning to set up a committee to
study ancient Hindu texts, Vedas, Upanishads and other
scriptures and select relevant material for including them in
school text books. In order to avoid the possibility of criti-
cism and opposition to, this policy, the new government will
hold consultations with academicians and educationists,
with RSS leanings and its ideology, of course, before going
ahead with this plan. It may be recalled that during the pre-
vious BJP-led NDA government headed by Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee the then HRD minister Murli Manohar
Joshi had initiated similar moves to saffronise education
which meant distortion of history and injection of ideas and
views in educational system to promote RSS ideology.
N. A. ANSARI
Points to ponder
Achchhe Din!
Last month saw a major transition in the Central
Government. For the first time in Independent India,
the Government of BJP, which is the progeny of
RSS, got a simple majority in the Lok Sabha. Modi
Sarkar, while overtly played the development rheto-
ric, also subtly kept polarizing the electorate along
religious and caste lines. With this government
coming to power, Hindutva elements have become
more aggressive, and many are gripped by a kind of
fear. This aggression of Hindutva groups got mani-
fested in the violence in the victory rallies of BJP, the
violence seen in Karnataka and Ahmadabad. The
morphed pictures of Shivaji and Bal Thackeray by
some mischievous elements led to mob violence by
Hindu Rashtra Sena. In this violence, the public
lynching of Mohsin Sheikh, a techie, shook many in
society. In Goa, already a person was interrogated
for a facebook post critical of Modi. In Kerala, a col-
lege student and his associates were booked for
putting Modis picture along with Hitler and Osama
bin Laden. In all these violations of the freedom of
expression, and the brutal hate crime by Hindu
Rashtra Sena, the silence of the Prime Minister
speaks volumes about the shape of things to come.
Even before elections, the Book Police of RSS, in
the form of Dinanath Batra, succeeded in getting
pulped the scholarly work of Wendy Doniger by
Penguin. Now Orient Blackswan on its own has
decided to withdraw Megha Kumars book
Communalism and Sexual Violence: Ahmadabad
Since 1969, and the history classic, From
Plassey to Partition: History of India by Sekhar
Bandopadhyay. It is time that such repressive
atmosphere created by the electoral victory of BJP
is combated against by all social movements and
elements committed to plural, democratic, liberal
India.
RAM PUNIYANI
MG CORRESPONDENT
Lucknow: An august gathering, which constituted of more
than a hundred lawyers and many RTI activists, assembled
at Ameerudaula Islamia Degree College here for a seminar
on RTI and Aspirations of People. It was organised by
Secular Lawyers Association.
Despite the sweltering heat, on May 23, this three-
hours seminar went underway with Sandeep Pandey
presiding. Pandey is a recipient of the Asian Nobel prize
Ramon Magsaysay award 2002. S. Haider Abbas Rizvi, UP
State Information Commissioner, was the chief guest. UP
State Additional Advocate General Zafaryab Jilani spoke at
length as to how RTI can be made more effective. He said
that RTI Act 2005 should undergo certain amendments so
as to find an answer pertaining to the reason for seeking
any information. He said that certain people are frivolously
using RTI which to an extent has belittled the effect of RTI. Zafaryab
Jilani said that the post of Information Commissioner was bestowed
upon Rizvi not for an iota of sycophancy, which has become a
necessary qualification in the political hues these days. Jilani said Rizvi
had been a pursuant of the issue of Babri Masjid and has contributed
very assiduously to make the world know about the whole issue.
Mushtaq Ahmed Siddiqui, another speaker, threw light on the efforts of
Rizvi and said that he achieved the post by his sheer rigour and grit. He
said that Rizvi had been active for long in investigative journalism and
he never showed any sign of fatigue in making notes on law and
reporting. He said it is high time to make the Central Information
Commission a constitutional body instead of it remaining a statutory
body. He said this would enable to make CIC a very powerful and a
potent force as only then it would do real justice to the aspirations of
the people.
IP Singh, the UP Chief Standing Counsel, said that it is only due to
RTI Act 2005 that the number of Public Interest Litigations has
increased manifold. He, however, cautioned that it also ought to be
checked that such litigations do not become private-centric, and
thereby, dilute the entire purpose and spirit of the RTI Act.
Haider Abbas, overwhelmed by emotion as he spoke about his
long association with the issues of human rights and judicial activism,
said that he has always been a freelance contributor and a journalist
who had no support of any kind except for his own convictions and his
zeal for the upkeep of human values. He said that he freelanced for
Times of India, HindustanTimes and the Asian Age, for Himal and
Biblio-India and for The Milli Gazette for over a decade but never sought
accreditation as a freelance-journalist despite having more than 200
articles and news stories under his name, as he never wanted to enjoy
even a single rupee benefit from the state. He said that it was 30 July,
2005 when he was given an unconditional offer by Royal Holloway
College, University of London, to join in M.Phil but could not make it as
he had no money to pay the fee. He was quite emotional when he did
say that his application for the scholarship was shortlisted but on
7 July, 2005, something happened in London and in the ensuing
xenophobia his application was doomed. Rizvi added that until 2009,
he along with a writer from Oxford University, were jointly writing a
book on the issue of Babri Masjid for Routledge, and its first chapter
had been selected but on 30 Sept, 2010 the judgement came and thus
the occasion was lost due to the new situation. He also spoke as to
how both Jilani and Siddiqui had always been helpful in helping him
understand the nuances of law and Constitution. He reminisced as to
how he would sit for hours at the back bench in HC, during 1996-99
and listen to the hearings in the Court in the Ramjanambhumi-Babri
Masjid case.
Rizvi elaborated on the usage of RTI Act 2005. He exhorted the
applicants to shun hand-written applications (though these are
acceptable) as sometime the writing is incomprehensible and mostly
with the effect of time, the alphabets get worn-out, and this ultimately,
helps officials sitting on the other side of the table. He said that RTI
seekers should never write RTI activist under their names as RTI
should be sought only by an ordinary person and never on any
letterhead of an organisation. It should always be on plain paper or else
such an application will be liable to be rejected. He said that an RTI
application is like an examination paper where the questions known are
answered first, hence, the information sought should be given in the
first earnest and the application should be immediately forwarded
within 5 days to the concerned department for further redressal. He
took a jibe at the state of affairs when he said that if there is no RTI in
any department, it shows that there is either 100% transparency or
corruption! He lauded the presence of Professor Sandeep Pandey, who
had refused the USD 50,000 accompanying the award as he had called
US attack on Afghanistan an imperialist agenda.
Sandeep Pandey said that the effectiveness of the RTI Act is only
because the bureaucracy did not make it, instead activists like Aruna
Roy and Arvind Kejrival had drafted its contents. He showed concern
that despite the penalties being imposed, there are fewer reports on
their realisation by the state treasury. He referred to the martyrs of RTI
who had been murdered for seeking information, the highest of them
being from Maharashtra, followed by Gujarat. He expressed his
displeasure that RTI is now slowly causing dread in the official
machinery.
RTI and Aspirations of People
End Caste-Based Rape,
Violence: UN Rights Council
Geneva: Senior UN human rights officials at a UN Human Rights
Council side-event on 17 June called for immediate efforts to end
caste-based rape and violence against women.
The event, co-sponsored by Human Rights Watch, followed
urgent global calls for action from numerous human rights organiza-
tions, Indias UN representative, and policymakers from around the
world in response to the gang-rape and hanging of two girls in India
on 27 May.
At the side-event, speakers urged UN member countries to speak
up about the escalating caste-based violence against women. UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said, I urge govern-
ments to fully implement all the recommendations made by interna-
tional human rights mechanisms, as well as those arising from nation-
al processes. Our outrage is not enough. We must take real and
focused action to mend our societies dramatic failure to support the
rights of people of discriminated castes, particularly women and girls.
The UN Women Policy director, Saraswathi Menon said Words
and legislation are not enough. We need concrete action. Legislation
alone does not address structural discrimination. The UN has an
important role to play and must step up to the plate to help stop caste-
based violence against women.
Dalit women leaders from South Asia, representing castes that
traditionally have been marginalized, and other speakers urged con-
crete support for the victims of caste-based violence in their fight
against injustice and the need to strengthen the UNs role.
Asha Kowtal, who was leading a delegation of Dalit women to the
Human Rights Council, said, Caste-based rape and violence against
Dalit women and girls is escalating as we fight for justice. The number
of cases is growing and the brutality of the crimes becoming increas-
ingly severe. Systems of justice meant to protect Dalit women at the
national level are completely failing us. We are asking for immediate
loud and clear global support in our struggle.
Manjula Pradeep, a leading Dalit rights activist, added that caste-
based violence and discrimination not only affects women in India but
millions of other women across the world in Nepal, Bangladesh,
Pakistan, Yemen and other caste-affected countries. Pradeep stated:
The discussion on how to end this inhuman system needs to take
place on both national and a global level with UN engagement.
Women suffering from caste-based violence in one of the worlds
most brutal systems of oppression are asking for global solidarity in
their struggle, said Rikke Nhrlind, director at the International
Solidarity Network (IDSN). The world that so strongly supported the
fight against apartheid must now tackle caste discrimination with the
same commitment, she said.
Juliette De Rivero, Geneva advocacy director at Human Rights
Watch, cited institutional barriers to ensuring justice and support for
survivors of sexual violence: Dalit communities have long suffered
serious abuses, but the state response has fallen short. The govern-
ment should undertake systemic changes for proper enforcement of
laws, and ensure that public officials, including the police, are held
accountable when they fail in their duty.
The June 17 event in Geneva was sponsored by Human Rights
Watch, the International Movement Against All Forms of
Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), Minority Rights Group,
Franciscan International, and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and
Development. It was organized in association with International Dalit
Solidarity Network (IDSN) and co-sponsored by Norway and
Denmark.
Azamgarh tops UP districts
in high school results
Lucknow: Some important and well-known districts of UP like
Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi etc where there are better schools and
arrangements for education, are lagging behind in the results of High
School or matriculation examinations of UP Boards Secondary
Educational Council and smaller districts have shown better results in
this examination. Azamgarh district, with a 95.42 pass percentage
result, has surpassed all other districts from this point of view. Other
districts of the state are Maharaj Ganj and Mathura which stand sec-
ond and third with pass percentages of 94.71 and 93.93 respectively.
As many as 41 districts have shown better results than that of the state
capital Lucknow which, with 84.10 pass percentage occupies 42nd
position. Another important city i.e. Varanasi with 89.73 pass percent-
age occupies 21st position. However, Allahabad (or Prayag) which
was once famous for its high educational standard among the cities of
UP, occupies 66th position from the point of view of pass percentage
of students. Among the districts at the lowest rung of the ladder are
Kheri (pass percentage 68.87), Baanda (67.57) and Hardoi (64.02
pass percentage).
Rizvi is in the middle holding a Memento
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 5 www.milligazette.com
Mumbai: After the murder of IT engineer Mohsin
Sadiq Sheikh, another student of Maharashtra
named Mohsin Muhammad Sheikh had gone to
Baldhana from Pune to appear in an examination
when two motorcycle borne persons forced him
to get on to their motor cycle, took him to a dis-
tant lonely place where a jeep with about a
dozen persons inside was already there. They
asked Mohsin his name, address etc and then
began to thrash him. Mohsin further said that the
driver of the auto in which he had travelled had
asked his name and address again and again
and had also told him about the ritos in which
Mohsin Sadiq Sheikh was killed because of
objectionable matters uploaded on the contro-
versial facebook for which Hindu Rashtra Sena
was held responsible.
Meanwhile, in the earlier murder case of
software engineer Mohsin Sadiq Sheikh Pune
police registered 13 cases on 10 June in which
23 persons (belonging to Hindu Rashra Sena)
were arrested. In the riots that had erupted
because objectionable matters about Shivaji,
Maratha ruler of Auranzebs period and Shiv
Sena leader (late Bal Thackeray), as many as 30
state government buses and other vehicles and
public properties were damaged. Hindu Rashtra
Sena leader Dhananjay Desai was among those
arrested for delivering provocative speeches and
distribution of hate mongering booklets and
pamphlets.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minorities
Commissions Chairman Munaf Hakeem, after
touring riot-affected areas has prepared a report
which will be sent to the chief minister, home
minister and other concerned departments. In
this report Minorities Commissions chairman
has stated that these riots were planned in an
organised manner and has not only recom-
mended strict action against Hindu Rashtra Sena
leaders, particularly Sambhaji Bede and other
RSS and Hindu Rashtra Sena leaders all of
whom were complicit in engineering communal
riots and spreading hatred. He (Munaf Hakeen)
has also directed police to take strong action
against mischief and hate mongering elements.
Meanwhile, the governemt is said to have
announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the
family of murdered software engineer Mohsin
Sadiq Sheikh. It is also reported that the state
government will hire the services of noted
lawyer Ujjawal Nikam. This assurance was given
by Maharashtra chief minister Prithvi Raj
Chauhan to a delegation led by Maulana Azad
Minorities Financial Corporations chairman and
MLA Amin Patel. He (chief minister) also said, at
the request of delegation members, that the case
regarding the murder of Mohsin Sadiq Sheikh
will be entrusted to a fast track court for hearing.
It is also worth mentioning here that the
government and police have not taken any
action against Sambhaji Bede who preaches
RSS ideology in order to unite Hindus. In spite of
the fact that he makes hate mongering speech-
es against Muslims in order to unite Hindus,
police believe that he may be indirectly respon-
sible for the murder of Mohsin Sadiq Sheikh, but
police is not taking any action against him
because he has high political connection and
also on the lame excuse that being very popular
among extremist Hindus, his arrest may create a
law and order problem.
Muslims held after Pune violence
say excess in Yerwada jail
Pune: Sattar and Kamruddin allege that the jail
wardens forced them to shave their beards
despite their protests. Two Muslim men who
were arrested after violence over derogatory
Facebook posts hit Pune earlier this month,
which resulted in a young techie, Mohsin
Sheikh, being bludgeoned to death reportedly for
his Muslim appearance, have alleged that they
were forced to shave off their beards while they
were lodged at the Yerwada Jail in the city. Adbul
Sattar Sheikh (33), a general store employee,
and Kamruddin Sheikh (31), a driver, were
arrested on 2 June as tempers flared in the city.
Sattar and Kamruddin, along with two others,
Muddasir Gaffar (26) and Yakub Bashir Sheikh
(35), were booked under Section 326 of the IPC
which deals with causing grievous hurt by dan-
gerous weapon.
While the four accused were lodged in jail,
Sattar and Kamruddin allege that the jail war-
dens forced them to shave their beards
despite their protests. The duo was spor ting
skull caps, a give-away of their Muslim identi-
ty.
Alleging bias, Abdul Sattar said he burst
into tears while pleading with the jail wardens
but to no avail. We requested them to not
force us to shave our beards. We need it for
namaz. But they were adamant. We asked
them to direct us to the right officials with
whom we could discuss our case but we were
mockingly made to run from pillar to post for
no use, said Sattar.
When Sattar pointed out to the wardens that
the jail manual did not compel him to shave his
beard, the wardens told them Your rules will not
apply here (jail).
Four persons were released on bail on
4 June. But they have also been booked under
Section 111 of the CrPC. However, the accused
said they will challenge this in court. Four per-
sons were not even served a notice but directly
booked under the Act despite being first timers,
he said. (thehindu.com)
Another person attacked in Maharashtra after Mohsin Shaikhs murder
Muslim Personal Board Conf.
Misinterpretation of
Constitution not
acceptable
Jalgaon: A 2-day conference of All India Muslim Personal Law
Board was held in Jalgaon (Maharashtra) on 31 May and 1 June.
Bearing in mind the existing mood prevailing in some sections of
the population after the formation of BJP-led NDA government at
the centre, and the minds of some ministers and the statements
made by them about changes to be made in Constitutional frame
work, President of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana
Syed Rabey Hasani Nadwi made it clear that any attempt made or
to be made by the BJP-led NDA government to misinterpret and
misuse the Constituion so as to make it fall in line with RSS ide-
ology will not be tolerated by Millat-e Islamia. It was stated that in
view of the way statements are being made by some ministers
and other concerned persons of the Modi government about abo-
lition of Art 370 of the Constitution (which guarantees special sta-
tus to Jammu & Kashmir), introduction of uniform civil code and
to put into practice building of Ram Mandir etc from the very first
day, Muslim Personal Law Board (briefly, the Board) has prepared
a plan to broaden on national scale and strengthen the movement
for protection of constitutional rights and guarantees so that all
steps of the Modi government, after careful consideration, could
be suitably replied to and those that are considered unacceptable
by us could be opposed. In this conference about 7 important
problems, including communal and targeted violence bill (com-
monly known as communal violence bill), amendment in the exist-
ing Waqf laws etc were discussed and reports of different com-
mittees constituted by the Board were submitted.
In a resolution passed, in this 2-day conference it was stated
that this conference considers it necessary to emphasise the point
to the present Indian government, that a government does not rep-
resent a particular religion or section / community and hence its
responsibility is to protect the rights and interests of all citizens of
this country, following their personal laws by different groups or
communities, is among the fundamental rights guaranteed by the
Constitution and if government tries to enforce uniform civil code,
it would be in violation of the countrys constitution because this
is not the problem of Muslims alone, but the problem of different
minorities as well as different castes, tribes and sections of the
majority community itself also, who have been practicing their
own personal laws. Hence any effort to enforce a uniform civil
code may lead to disunity, instead of unity because our country is
noted all over the world for its different cultures and the beauty
and distinguishing feature of our country is unity in diversity.
Hence the main responsibility of the government is that instead of
engaging in non issues and unnecessary problems it should pay
attention to important issues like war on poverty, illiteracy, unem-
ployment, corruption, justice to all and the like. It was also stated
in the resolution that the Constitution of this country gives equal
rights to all, on the basis of secularism and democracy and hence
as citizens of this country it is our duty to protect and promote
secular and democratic values in our country so the country could
function in accordance with the Constitution and if any steps are
taken by the government or any section of the country against
constitutional provisions, all of us should oppose it so that
nobodys rights could be denied.
AIMPL Boards President Maulana Syed Rabey Hasani Nadwi,
after hearing the views of Board members said in his presidential
address that one thing should be clearly kept in mind that in view
of the existing international situation RSS and its outfits in spite of
coming to power will not be able to enforce its agenda. Hence,
instead of getting disappointed we should work with courage,
determination and a well planned strategy. He said with the
change in the political set-up in the country there will be no
change in the rights and position of Muslims. He called upon
Muslims to remember that they have been gifted by God with such
a Shariat wherein lies the solutions to all problems of mans life
and in which there is guidance for every kind of situation and
hence they should adopt Islamic principles and frame-work and
lead their life according to Shariat irrespective of political ups and
downs. Our share and contribution in the building of this country
is no less than that of other countrymen. He said that this is a fact
that a large section of the dominant majority community of this
country likes communal peace, brotherhood religious tolerance
and justice to all groups and respects others religious beliefs and
hence we should also reciprocate these feelings of our country-
men. We neither want to interfere in our countrymens religious
affairs and beliefs nor do we want interference in our religious
beliefs and personal laws by others. He also called upon Muslims
to respect own sectarian difference and practice of all Muslims
and limit these to academic extent only and avoid promoting bad
blood among Muslims of different sects in our daily life.
Among those who participated in this conference were
Maulana Wali Rahmani, secretary of the Board, Maulana Abdul
Wahab Khilji, Kamal Farooqi, Dr Manzoor Alam, advocate Zafaryab
Jilani, Maulana Asrarul Haque Qasmi (MP), Muhammad Adeeb
(MP, Rajya Sabha) and some ladies who also expressed their
views. (N. A. Ansari)
AIMPL Boards President Maulana Syed Rabey
Hasani Nadwi said that one thing should be clearly
kept in mind that in view of the existing
international situation, RSS and its outfits in spite
of coming to power will not be able to enforce its
agenda. Hence, instead of getting disappointed we
should work with courage, determination and a well
planned strategy.
Mushawarat appeals for
the release of Indians
abducted in Iraq
New Delhi: All India Muslim Majlis-e
Mushawarat, the apex body of Indian Muslim
organisations, appealed on 19 June to the com-
batants in northern Iraq to release the Indian
workers said to have been taken hostage there.
President of AIMMM, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan said
here that these ordinary workers have nothing to
do with the conflict in Iraq and that they had
gone there only for seeking livelihood in a legal
and honourable way. Dr Khan appealed to the
forces keeping these Indians in their custody to
allow them to leave Iraq at the earliest. Dr Khan
added that India has been traditionally a friend
of the Iraqi people and it is not taking sides in
the current strife in that country. Dr Khan said
releasing these Indians at the earliest will send
a good message to the whole world about Iraq
and its people, and will create goodwill for them.
Dr Khan said that all Indian Islamic organi-
sations support this appeal and hope that it will
be favourably received at the earliest.
Sending Indian Muslim youth to
Iraq improper: Mushawarat
New Delhi: All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat
on 18 June expressed its unease at the reports
in newspapers that some Muslim organizations
are registering Muslim youths to send them to
the strife-stricken Iraq. Mushawarat President,
Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan said in a press statement
here that we all are sad at the blood-letting in
Iraq and pray for an early return of peace in that
country but we believe it is an inappropriate and
ill-thought-out step to send our youths to Iraq to
fight alongside a party to the conflict in the name
of safeguarding sacred shrines. He said, we
value the sentiments of our Muslim brothers but
we would like to advise them that in the current
serious situation in Iraq, it is not appropriate to
send our youths there to certain death. Islam
does not allow us to expose ourselves knowing-
ly to death. Moreover, this is also against the
laws and policies of our country to go and fight
in a foreign land.
Dr Khan added that Indian Muslims are fac-
ing a complicated situation at home and as such
sending our youths to die in a strife-stricken for-
eign country is against wisdom and sagacity. He
added that safeguarding the sacred shrines of
Iraq is a responsibility of its government and
people. We should not be swept away by senti-
ments to take a step injurious to our community.
Dr Khan expressed apprehension that after their
return to India, such youths will be implicated in
the anti-Muslim campaign in the name of fight-
ing terror. Therefore, extra caution is needed in
such sensitive matters.
MIM wants Saudi
Consulate in Hyderabad
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen
has made a strong pitch for
opening of a Saudi consulate
in Hyderabad for the benefit
of the large number of
Hyderabadis working in
Saudi Arabia. About 0.5 mil-
lion persons from the city are
working in Saudi Arabia, another 0.3 million are
working in other GCC countries.
Majlis president and Hyderabad MP,
Asaduddin Owaisi made this plea during the
recent meeting of Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh MPs convened by the External Affairs
Minister, Sushma Swaraj, at Delhi.
Hyderabad already has the US, British and
Iranian consulates and it is in the fitness of
things that it should also have the Saudi
Consulate, Mr. Owaisi said.
The meeting, which was attended by 17
MPs, focused on the problems faced by the
NRIs in Gulf countries which are home to near-
ly seven million Indians. Ms. Swaraj took the
views of the peoples representatives and prom-
ised to create a mechanism to address the
issues, including the difficulties relating to job
and travel documents.
During the SAARC summit scheduled in
November, Mr. Owaisi, wanted the eight member
countries to agree on a uniform wage policy for
the low income migrants working in the six Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. He
urged the Ministry of External Affairs to renego-
tiate a minimum wage with the GCC as it would
effectively put an end to exploitation of workers.
He also suggested introduction of pension
scheme for the Gulf returnees on the lines of the
Kerala model. An immigration fee of Rs.1,950 is
collected from the expatriates and this corpus
fund should be utilised for the pension scheme.
When the Indians working in Gulf countries are
contributing foreign exchange of Rs. 200 crore
every month, government should take care of
them when they come back, Mr. Owaisi said.
He also raised the difficulties faced by the
children of the Gulf migrants when they seek
admission in colleges back home. They are
forced to pay a higher fee under the NRI catego-
ry. The AICTE rules should be suitably amend-
ed so that the migrant children are not treated
as NRIs, Mr. Owaisi suggested.
He further asked the MEA to empower
Indian embassies to take action against domes-
tic violence by Indian workers and to ensure visit
of diplomats to prisons, deportation centres and
hospitals where migrants languish for years
after their arrest.
RAM PUNIYANI
ram.puniyani@gmail.com
India-Pakistan relations have
always been mired in various
controversies which have
prevented friendly relations
with our neighbour, who in
popular perception is seen as
an enemy. It is due to this that
while all members of SAARC
countries were invited, the one to draw maximum
popular attention was Nawaz Sharif, the Prime
Minister of Pakistan. In a deft move, the then
Prime Minister-designate sent an invite to all the
heads of SAARC countries for his swearing in cer-
emony which was held with great pomp and show
on 26 May.
Nawaz Sharif faced lots of obstacles in
accepting this invitation. His family, including his
daughter, tweeted and called for acceptance of the
invite, she argued as to why India and Pakistan are
living in a hostile situation like North and South
Korea, why cant they live like the countries of
European Union. She was actually echoing the
sentiments of most of the Pakistanis who want the
strengthening of democracy in Pakistan and good
relations with India. She articulated the aspirations
of Pakistans majority for whom peace with India is
synonymous with the path of democracy and
development.
During my own visit to Pakistan a couple of
years ago I was overwhelmed with expressions of
longing of Pakistanis for friendship with India. This
also gets reflected in their warm gestures in wel-
coming you, and showering the best of hospitality
on you. The major obstacles in Pakistan to the
peace with India come from the strong army and
the Mulla alliance.
This time also, as the Modi invite was in the
pipeline, a terrorist attack took place on the Indian
consulate in Herat, Afghanistan. The Hafiz
Sayeeds of Pakistan raised their eyebrows and
dished out the usual threats.
One recalls that the horrific terrorist attack on
Mumbai on 26/11, 2008 took place when the
process of peace between India and Pakistan was
picking up. The correlation between the steps of
Indo-Pak peace process and attacks of terror, in
which the hand of terrorist groups who have their
support from some army quarters, is unmistak-
able.
One also recalls that during the previous NDA
regime when Atal Bihari Vajpayee wanted to initi-
ate peace with Pakistan and took the friendship
bus to Lahore, Pakistan army generals did not
welcome it and expressed their reaction by occu-
pying Kargil. Pervez Musharraf was the army chief
at that time. The Kargil occupation by Pakistan
army had to be fought by the Indian army support-
ed by Clintons demand to Pakistan to withdraw
from Kargil.
During my trip, I happened to meet civil
activists who are committed to friendship with
India. They, along with their counterparts in India,
have been promoting forums like Pak-India
Peoples Forum. They are also promoting peace
and are campaigning, amongst other issues, for
the release of innocent fishermen who get arrest-
ed here and there. Nawaz Sharifs releasing of the
fishermen before his visit to India was a positive
gesture towards better relations with India and in
turn peaceful South Asia.
One also had a chance meeting with those
working for and identifying with the work of Aman
Ki Asha, (Hope for Peace), a joint platform of a
major Indian daily with a Pakistan daily.
Here in India major rhetoric against Pakistan
is indulged in mainly by BJP when it is not in
power. BJP has a contradictory attitude vis--vis
Pakistan. When not in power, BJP has been using
Pakistan bashing to polarize the Indian society
along religious lines. When in power, it offers an
olive branch and releases pigeons of peace.
One recalls that our current Prime Minister
had engineered polarization in Gujarat after the
Godhra tragedy and Gujarat carnage by primarily
attacking Pakistan and its President Pervez
Musharraf. In the Assembly elections of 2002, BJP
hoardings had Modi on one side and Musharraf on
the other as if Modi was fighting elections against
Pervez Musharraf.
Even during the election campaign of 2014,
Modi did employ menacing gestures towards
Pakistan. His party colleague Giriraj Singh was
very abusive to Pakistan. Here the social-commu-
nal common sense is so constructed as if the
Indian Muslim is loyal to Pakistan. Indo-Pak crick-
et matches are seen more as India-Pakistan war
than a sport which should act as a bridge between
countries.
Irrespective of the fact that it was Madhu
Gupta who was caught spying for Pakistan, the
major feeling is to suspect every Muslim as a
potential Pakistan spy. Our legendary film star,
Peshawar-born Dilip Kumar (Yusuf Khan) was
humiliated time and again for accepting Pakistans
highest civilian Award Nishan-e-Pakistan. Rumors
against Dilip Kumar were circulating on regular
basis.
Every skirmish on the border is used to deni-
grate Pakistan and at the same time to criticize
Congress for its soft approach to the issue. The
anti-Pakistan rhetoric is one of the major tools in
the hands of BJP, when it is not in power.
BJPs ally, Shiv Sena, goes one step forward.
It has regularly created ruckus on every occasion
of Pakistan-India interaction. It dug up the pitch on
the cricket ground to prevent the match, pro-
grammess of Pakistan artists are disrupted and
when Nawaz Sharif decided to come, Shiv sena
threatened to boycott the oath taking ceremony.
Fortunately wiser counsels prevailed and Shiv
Sena chief decided to participate in the oath taking
programme.
Unfortunately, today across South Asia reli-
gious minorities are going through rough weather,
Christians and Hindus in Pakistan, Christians and
Muslims in India, Hindus and Buddhists in
Bangladesh, Muslims in Burma and Srilanka, are
facing constant violence and intimidations.
Violation of the rights of minorities needs to be
halted through mutual talks and cooperation. The
atrocities on minorities in one country cannot be
undone by doing same on the others in another
country.
Every innocent person irrespective of his faith
has a full right to follow his faith. This can be a
major agenda to be taken up by SAARC countries
in the times to come. Peace and reconciliation
amongst communities have to be achieved as this
is the pre-requisite for growth and development.
As far as Pakistan is concerned, the more
democracy becomes strong there, the more hold
of army may weakens and peace process gets
stronger there. The strength of the stranglehold of
army in Pakistan is inversely proportional to the
health of democracy and friendship with India. In
Indias case, a positive attitude to the democratic
Government of Pakistan will empower it vis--vis
the feudal-army-mulla forces there, in turn
strengthening peace and making us focus more on
the basic needs of the people like health, nutrition,
education, employment instead of increasing the
defense budget. It will help us to focus more on
bread and butter rather than on guns and ammu-
nition. (pluralindia.com)
Love Thy Neighbor: Nawaz Sharifs Visit to India
6 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
M R SHAMSHAD
According to Wikipedia, out
of the worlds 193 countries,
178 have at least one official
language. Many countries
recognize more than one
language. In India, we hear in
a very predominant tone that
Hindi is the "national language of the country".
This terminology is completely incorrect as
it does not find a place in the Constitution. The
Constitution of India has used the terminology,
"Official Language of the Union". Both make a lot
of difference -- not only in its application and
perception but also in understanding of the
status of Hindi as a language.
The Indian Constitution (Article 343) says that
the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in
Devanagari script. It also states that "the form of
numerals to be used for the official purposes of the
Union shall be the international form of Indian
numerals". At the same time, the Constitution has
made a separate provision (Article 348) for English
as language when it comes to the language to be
used by the Supreme Court, High Courts, language
of Bills to be introduced in Parliament and state
legislatures, promulgation of Ordinances, Rules,
and Regulations etc.
Articles 345 to 347 have the provisions of
regional languages granting liberty to the state
legislatures to adopt the official language in the
state.
The provision of the official language of the
Union, being Hindi, was created in the
Constitution by the Constituent Assembly.
It would be interesting to see few parts of
the debate that took place in the Constituent
Assembly while discussing as to what should be
the official language/national language of the
country.
On 13th September 1949, the Constituent
Assembly started the debate and it went on for
two days and passed in the form as we see
them today. Mr R.V. Dhule, a member and a
lawyer practicing mainly in Jhansi cour ts,
started his speech in favour of Hindi to declare it
as "official language" though he personally felt
that Hindi was already "National Language". He
opposed the views of other members that
"Hindustani" (a mixure of Hindi-Urdu) could be
declared as the "Official Language" and also
opposed the provision to continue English for a
period of 15 years from the commencement of
the Constitution (Article 343(2). Some other
members, like Pandit Laxmi Kanta Mitra, came
out in support of Sanskrit to be declared as
"official language". Mr Frank Anthony raised the
concern of understanding Hindi by Hindi-
speaking Hindus. He argued that "Even if you
take the Constitution in Hindi, how many of your
Hindi-speaking Hindus can understand it." After
citing cer tain examples of difficulty of
understanding Hindi language by them, he
stated, "If it is operating so harshly against the
Hindi-speaking Hindus, what is the position of
linguistic minorities in Central Provinces".
Ultimately, his argument was to have Hindi in
"Roman Script" as official language. I fail to
comprehend how Hindi language with the
Roman script would have helped in
"understanding" the language better.
Mr N V Gadgil wanted unanimous resolution
on the issue but he expressed his concerns by
stating, "After all, Hindi is a provincial language.
There are languages in which literature is far
more rich, and yet we have accepted Hindi as
national language. That itself is a great
achievement for Hindi people, and if you want to
persuade others, the best way is not with the
strength of your voting members but by
persuasion, by tactfully handling the situation; if
in the course of next 10-15 years Hindi people
were to approach the non-Hindi people through
the various means of propaganda, I have no
slightest doubt that those people who have taken
to English in the course of last century and half,
will not take to Hindi."
Another member, Qazi Karimuddin, mooted
two ideas. First, either that the matter should be left
at that stage and done through "adult franchise" six
months after the election of the members of
Parliament and if that not be acceptable, then
"Hindustani Language" be declared as "National
language". He also pressed that, like in other
languages being given the flexibility of continuance
of 5-10 years, Urdu should also be given the same
treatment for transformation of huge number of
Muslims who were getting their education in UP,
Bihar and Berar in Urdu language.
It is very clear that the medium of official
language of the government has to be specified,
like in our Constitution, and Hindi became official
language of the Union to be enforced after five
years. English remained across the board for 15
years and for all the time in the areas as stated
in Article 348. Contemplating the expiry period
of 15 years for English in 1965, in 1963,
Parliament passed the Official Languages Act to
be effective from 1965 in terms whereof the use
of English as the Official language of the Union
was extended (in addition to Hindi) without
prescribing the next expiry period. The Central
Government made Rules in 1976 (amended in
1987, 2007 & 2011) whereby the Hindi medium
was encouraged but English was not disturbed.
If one has a close look at the existing
provisions of the Constitution, the Act of 1963
and Rules of 1976, effectively English has been
made the other "official language".
In the last over 60 years, a close look
reveals that those Hindi-speaking people, if they
can conveniently use English, feel more
comfortable, elitist and enlightened. The same
Hindi-speaking people have the first choice of
English-medium school for their children. The
guardians of the children from Kashmir,
Maharashtra, Noth-East and the states below
Madhya Pradesh, may have certainly different
reasons to go to English medium or the
language of their choice.
Despite there being no compulsion on the
officials of the Union to use English and despite
making so much effort in favour of Hindi to
comply with the provisions of the Constitution of
India, even today, the Prime Minister is facing
difficulty to have the Hindi-medium in place. This
fact speaks aloud.
As such, is this the time when the
proponents of the official language should think
to have more than one official language for the
working of the Union Government? The answer
could be yes! If not, why the 1963 Act and
Rules should continue English side by side?
The author is Advocate-on-Record,
Supreme Court of India
...after the Godhra tragedy and Gujarat carnage by primarily attacking
Pakistan and its President Pervez Musharraf. In the Assembly elections
of 2002, BJP hoardings had Modi on one side and Musharraf on the
other as if Modi was fighting elections against Pervez Musharrf...
The anti-Pakistan rhetoric is one of the major tools in the hands of BJP,
when it is not in power.
The Official Language of the Union Govt
LEGAL NOTES
Tthe Hindi-speaking people, if they can conveniently use English,
feel more comfortable, elitist and enlightened. The same Hindi-
speaking people have the first choice of English-medium school
for their children.
Christian brutally
murdered in Odisha
Odisha: A Christian named Nimmaka Laxmaya,
aged about 50, attended prayer meeting in vil-
lage Vandidi, which is just 3 kms from
Dherubada village in Odissa. On his way back
home he was murdered on 25 May. The fanatic
perpetrators planned it cleverly with a plan to kill
someone to spread among Christian prayer
groups of that area. They prepared some fanat-
ic young people and fed them with enough
chicken, mutton and alcohol as much as they
can drink and gave them all directions on
where, how and when to murder and then what
to do with the dead body etc. While Nimmaka
Laxmaya was alone on his way heading to his
house, they followed him and when they found
him alone, they caught him on the road itself
and tied his neck with his cloth and dragged him
like an animal and smashed his head with a big
stone on the roadside and killed him. Then they
carried his body to the nearby forest. His son
while going back home, saw his clothes
drenched with blood. He found traces of some-
one dragged towards the forest. He found the
killers who told him "if you come near us we will
do the same to you. Later people reported the
crime to the local police who arrested the mur-
derers and sent them to court. Now the fanatics
are threatening Christians in the area of dire
consequences if they pursue the case.
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 7 www.milligazette.com
New Delhi: A few years back Jamia Nagar Police
station set up a library where common people
could read books and magazines etc. This was
indeed a unique step because in no other police
staion libraries are to be found. Now Shikhar, a
voluntary organisation which is also working for
the empowerment of poor and ordinary people,
boys and particularly girls through education,
training in different trades and arts like stitching,
knitting, embroidery, computer education etc, is
also organising education and training for com-
petitive examinations for youths in this library
(with the permission of police station authorities,
of course). Joint Commissioner of Income-tax in
far away Ahmadabad, R K Gupta happened to
learn about this through newspapers after which
he decided to visit this police station to see
things for himself. He came and was impressed
by what he saw. He decided to start education
and training for judicial services, on the pattern
of training for civil services in this police station
library for 30 students and also to make other
arrangements himself. He also gifted about 200
books to this library and also gave these books
to ten promising boy and girl students.
R. K. Gupta was accompanied by his wife,
who has written a book for competitive examina-
tions titled Entrance Exam Book which is helpful
to students who want to prepare and appear for
competitive examinations. She also addressed
the students who were studying in the library
and advised them to work hard and honestly in
life because Allahs help is available to such peo-
ple. To encourage them, she said that they were
fortunate to get such help and facilities in a
police library because in her time it was unthink-
able to get such facilities in a police station. She
also said that she herself used to sell tea at a
railway station to meet her educational expens-
es. Joint Commissioner of Income-tax
R. K. Gupta while addressing the students said
that after reading about this library and its activ-
ities in newspaper he developed a desire to visit
and visit it because this was very rare. He told
the students that this was indeed a unique exper-
iment, the desire to see which brought me face
to face with you
Shikhars general secretary Muhammad
Nadeem Akhtar said while thanking R. K. Gupta
that his gift (of books) and offer (to sponsor judi-
cial service course) is a matter of pride for them
and acknowledgment of the efforts being made
by them. He said that from next month Insha
Allah these classes will start and Guptajee (Joint
IT Commissioner) will also come who is pre-
pared to take these classes which is a matter of
pride and pleasure for them.
SHO Jamia Nagar, Pankaj Singh, Plazma
Coaching Centres teacher Rizwan Ahmad,
Programme Director Muhammad Nadeem,
Programme Coordinator Samreen Shahid,
Incharge of Police Public Library Ms Sonia and a
large number of boy and girl students were pres-
ent on this occasion. (N. A. Ansari)
Jamia Nagar Police station sets an example
New Delhi: The Eighth Memorial Lecture in the
memory of noted deceased journalist
Mahfoozur Rahman was held in Delhi on
1 June, the topic was: Minorities Action
Programme under the present circumstances.
Speaking on this occasion, Sheesh Narayan
Singh, himself a journalist said that under the
changed circumstances when the BJP-led
NDA government which is not welcome to
Muslims, has come to power we need to tell
the government in all seriousness that just as
our countrymen have a right on this country, in
the same way Muslims too have an equal right
and share on this country and its wealth and
resources. He said that Muslims should take
advantage of all government's welfare and
other schemes and go ahead in educational
fields. If there is educational awareness among
Muslims, they will face and accept all chal-
lenges and build a bright future for themselves.
He said that the way the present government
has expressed its views and plans to adopt
policies on problems and affairs concerning
Muslims has disappointed them but they need
not lose heart and continue to work and pursue
their dreams with determination and hope.
Justice Suhail Aejaz Siddiqi Chairman of
NCMEI in his presidential address said that if
Muslims in this country want to survive and
progress they must work hard to achieve
excellence in educational fields. They should
put an end to their mutual differences and dis-
cords and work hard for their own and their
communitys progress. He said that the major-
ity community of this country is peace and jus-
tice loving by and large, and does not like to
see cruelty and injustice being meted out to
any body unnecessarily. Hence Muslims
instead of being haunted by non-existent and
imaginary fears should pay full attention to
make their future bright. In this connection he
spoke about those of his friends and col-
leagues who are striving hard to bring justice
to Muslims and to safeguard their rights. Syed
Mansoor Agha said while speaking on this
occasion that along with our own problems we
should also consider and raise the common
problems of our community and nation so that
we could walk side by side with all our coun-
trymen on the road to progress.
Dr Syed Farooq said that we must also
work for the development of our language, cul-
ture, civilization, educational and economic
condition and instead of being satisfied and
contented at our fate, we should put in hard
work to fashion our destiny. (N. A. Ansari)
H
yderabad: The new state of Telangana
came into existence on 1 June and
became the 29th state of Indian union.
The new policy of Telangana state was
spelt out by the state governor E. S. Narasimhan
in his address to the joint session of the states
Assembly and Council on 11 June in which he
said that families of people who worked hard
and laid down their lives for the cause of
Telangana and for its formation will be given
financial help to the tune of Rs 10 lakh, govern-
ment job to at least one member of the family
and free education for their children. The govern-
er said in his address that special attention will
be paid to the welfare and progress of people
belonging to SC, ST, BC (backward classes) and
minority communities and a total amount (or
budget) or Rs one lakh crore will be spent dur-
ing the next 5 years for their welfare and
progress. He also said in his speech that 12 per-
cent reservation will be given to Muslims (in
government jobs etc) and a large amount will be
allocated for their (minorities) all-round
progress. He further said that his government
i.e. Telangana state government will bring politi-
cal corruption to an end and Hyderabad city will
be developed to a city of international standard,
free from slums and jhuggis. He also said that in
addition to people belonging to SC, ST and BC
categories, special efforts will be made to
improve the condition of minorities.
He said that tribal, hor ticultural and agri-
cultural universities will be set up in
Telangana. For the progress of people belong-
ing to BC section, Rs 25000 crores will be
spent in 5 years. He described Hyderabad as
the standard bearer of Ganga-Jamuni civiliza-
tion. As regards journalists, he said that a
welfare fund of Rs 10 crores will be created
for the welfare of journalists and Rs 100
crores will be allocated for the welfare of peo-
ple of the legal fraternity. He said the govern-
ment will lay greater emphasis on the devel-
opment of agriculture and agricultural loans
taken by farmers upto Rs one lakh will be writ-
ten off and free education form KG to PG will
be provided to the children belonging to poor
sections.
12 percent reservation for Muslims in Telangana
Opinion
Bitter harvest of a
poisonous campaign
DR MOHAMMAD MANZOOR ALAM
The last few weeks have wit-
nessed a steady rise in differ-
ent kinds of violence, rape and
murder of women (Dalit,
Muslim, OBC), attacks on and
murders of Muslim youth and
others suspected to be
Muslims, sundry violence in Bihar, UP and
Maharashtra.
A n
exasperated
S h a r a d
Pawar said
last month
that the
spurt in
hooliganism
and murder-
ous behav-
iour of some
y o u t h
groups was
a direct
result of
BJPs win in
the parlia-
m e n t a r y
elections.
To be
fair to BJP,
the violence
is going on
in states ruled by non-BJP parties: Congress in
Maharashtra, SP in UP, JDU in Bihar. However,
all this is going on in the poisoned environment
created by the highly polarising BJP election
campaign. The society is still charged and vulner-
able to eruption of violence.
However, the states where these violent
eruptions are taking place are not working hard to
contain them. Possibly the best managed state in
this regard is Bihar where things have not been
allowed to go beyond scuffles. In parts of Bihar,
some sections of deprived people were told
before the elections that if they voted for a partic-
ular party they would be allowed to stage anti-
Muslim riots and drive Muslims out. Thus these
deprived people would be allowed to capture
Muslim lands and properties. This idea is too tan-
talising for them to resist.
The less said about UP the better. The
administration is doing everything possible to
dilute the case of rape and murder of two teenage
Maurya girls in Badayun district. Two Yadav
young men, accused of the crime, against whom
there is an eyewitness, are sought to be protect-
ed by the police with new-fangled theories.
Here out of 21 police stations, 11 are being
headed by Yadav officers and the constabulary
also signifi-
cantly consists
of Yadav peo-
ple. A Yadav
station head
and a Yadav
head consta-
ble were sus-
pended for
refusing to
lodge an FIR
on the rape-
murder case.
Yet in UP,
the Yadav
hand is too
long and every
effort is being
made to sabo-
tage the case.
The most
worrisome is
the current sta-
tus of
Maharashtra where Muslims are being attacked
without rhyme or reason. Miscreants are posting
mischievous comments on Facebook. Some
Hindu groups, professing to be hurt by them, are
attacking innocent Muslims thinking, erroneously,
that it must have been done by "some Muslim".
The administration, as usual, is a mute spectator.
This is the bitter harvest of a poisonous election
campaign. (iosworld.org)
8th Mahfoozur Rahman
Memorial lecture
Gujarat, Bodo and Muzaffarnagar model...
In parts of Bihar, some sections of deprived people
were told before the elections that if they voted for a
particular party they would be allowed to stage anti-
Muslim riots and drive Muslims out. Thus these deprived
people would be allowed to capture Muslim lands and
properties. This idea is too tantalising for them to resist.
P
H
O
T
O
:

K
A
U
S
E
R
U
S
M
A
N
ARIF AZIZ (BHOPAL)
The progress of Persian language and literature in India was pos-
sible because of the special patronage and encouragement by
Moghuls in consequence of which Persian became not only the
official language but also the literary and cultural language of
India. Kings, princes and officers made this language the medium
of their writings, speeches and compilations so much so that
because of their efforts and encouragement books on different
arts and sciences in Sanskrit were rendered into Persian.
Translations of Mahabharat, Gita, Upanishads, Yog and Shishta
etc helped in promoting and bringing Indias composite culture,
civilization and Indian languages closer to Persian.
Persian writings and incriptions on buildings of this period
and those built earlier throughout the length and breadth of the
country are a clear proof of the widespread domination of Persian
language. In those days, Persian was so dominant that not only
in government offices, courts and aristocratic circles but also in
fairs and markets this language was in vogue. People who did not
know Persian were considered uneducated. Because of the
sweetness, beauty, euphony, charm and universality of Persian,
other languages of the country had in a way surrendered them-
selves to it. Educational, religious and cultural institutions of those
days which were set up in every nook and corner of the country,
in temples, mosques and in havelis of influential and aristocratic
families, books in educational institutions etc where Hindu and
Muslim children were reading were all in Persian, particularly
books like Karima or Moqima, Gulistan, Bustan, Pandnama,
Anwaar-e Suheli etc were compulsory for all students. In higher
courses, poems, ghazals, masnavis of Persian poets like Hafiz
Shirazi, Urfi, Naziri, Maulana Room (Jalaluddin Rumi) and
Firdausis Shahnama were taught.
The result of teaching and study of these books was not only
that the new generations acquired proficiency in Persian lan-
guage but they were so much influenced by the moral teachings
and purity of thoughts of those books that their minds were free
from moral degradation, mental vices, nudity, bad habits and
manners. It was because of such moral and cultural superiority
that people of India were not influenced by cultural and ideologi-
cal aggression of the British and the glamour of western civiliza-
tion for a long time. Even after military defeat, Indians were not
prepared to submit to the new rulers culture and civilization.
Instead, they considered British civilization hateful and their pres-
ence so inimical that they did not like to even shake hands with
Englishmen. And if under some compulsion they had to shake
hands with an Englishman, they considered it necessary to wash
their hands afterwards. This culture and civilization made Indians
so lofty mentally that in spite of being conquered, they considered
the Englishmen inferior to them and declared Britisih or western
civilization as satanic.
Under such circumstances it had become essential for the
Britishers to first try to learn the language which was the fountain-
head of Indians mental purity and cultural superiority. In addition to
this necessity and unavoidable reason, another important reason
for Persian abolition, or at least marginalisatoin, was to cut off
Indias cultural relations with the rest of the world. Because of the
usage and prevalence of Persian, Indias direct relationship was
not only with Afghanistan and Iran but also with Bukhara,
Samarqand, Tashkent, Armenia and upto Azerbaijan. Till that time
these places or regions were not under the rule of China or Russia.
Englishmen were aware of Indias history and deep influence
of Afghanisatn and Iran on its destiny, and also the dangers that
India could face from these countries. Though this may be con-
sidered strange and beyond imagination today but during the
British period till 1920 or even 1930, the Afghan government was
considered the biggest danger for the British rule in India. An
example of this is the government-of-India-in-exile set up in
Afghanistan which is a forgotten history now, and that is why the
Britishers were continuously busy in hatching conspiracies and
warding off possible Afghan attack on India which they consid-
ered the most precious jewel of the British Crown.
It was for weakening the dominance of Persian over India
and for eliminating Persians cultural and civilizational impact on
Indias social and life-style that Fort Willian College was set up in
Calcutta to promote local languages as a bulwark against Persian
influence. Towards this end, they worked so actively and strug-
gled so hard that before the fall of the Moghul empire, Urdu and
English languages stood on solid ground from an academic and
linguistic point of view. During this period, on one hand, they pro-
moted English education and associated economic benefits with
it and, on the other hand, by increasing the popularity of local lan-
guages they adopted a strategy of making them official lan-
guages under their patronage so that Persian language was
gradually but steadily eliminated from Indias educational, social,
sociological and official institutions and in the course of time mat-
ters came to such a head that it began to be considered a strange
and foreign language.
Among the famous Indian personalities, Grami Chishti was the
last Persian poet and Indias first President Dr Rajendra Prasad was
the last person who acquired elementary Persian education from a
mosque-attached madrasa which commonly existed till the begin-
ning of the 20th country. The loss because of the elimination of
Persian language and education was not only that our cultural and
linguistic relations with neighbouring countries, like Afghanistan, Iran,
Russia, China and Turkistan, came to an end but Indias civilization
also became devoid of Sadis erudition and philosophy, Hafizs mys-
tical and philosophical poetry, Maulana Rooms mystical mind, his
search for spiritual peace and flight of imagination, Attars moral edu-
cation full of advices and teachings, Firdausis glorious description of
epics, Urfi and Naziris magnificent and eternal gems of poetry and
lofty thoughts.
In the same way the fountainhead of moral teachings and
high thinking also dried up after nurturing Indian culture and civi-
lization for centuries. Till recently, say about 75 years ago,
nobody could think that a time would come when the existence
and prevalence of Persian would
come to an end in India and a search
for a Persian-knowing person would
be a difficult task. Until partition of the
country, the greatness and grandeur
of the composite culture, in the growth
and nurture of which Persian language
and culture had played the most
important role, was prevalent to such
an extent that even in Hindu-dominat-
ed states, education and knowledge of
Persian was considered essential for
kings, princes and officers.
Arrangements for Persian education
were made officially not only in non-
Muslim states like Jaipur, Jodhpur,
Gwalior, Kapurthala and Patiala but
even for members of Nepals royal
family, education of Persian and Urdu
was considered essential and was also
considered a proof of being cultured
and civilized. But after partition this sit-
uation could not be maintained. In the words of (late) Raja of
Mahmoodabad: After the end of Mughal empire, except the cul-
ture, Indian Muslims were left with nothing of the wealth, rule,
sovereignty, commerce and political power. They were left with
no other asset on the basis of which they could prove their supe-
riority. After partition even this distinction came to an end.
Today the moral degradation, concern over which is being
expressed all over the country and the growing trend of lawless-
ness, debauchery, moral bankruptcy among the new generaion
and the intense desire that is being felt for resumption of moral
education in schools and other educational institutions is in fact
because of this lacuna which has been created because of the
abolition of Persian education and decline of Persian culture.
The children of a community and nation whose minds are
influenced by the wisdom and moral teachings of Gulistan and
Bustan, philosophy and moral lessons of Attaars Pandnama,
Hafizs depth of vision, universality of Maulana Rooms thoughts
and spiritualism, odes of Urfi and Naziri, Shahnamas colourful
and enchanting description of epics cant easily accept the
immorality, perverted mentality and lowliness of the imp[orted
cheap western culture. These books which had been casting their
spell on the minds and characters of our forefathers for centuries
are now unavailable and untraceable and people of India are
deprived of their priceless treasures and benefits.
One disadvantage of this deprivation that we are observing
and experiencing is the moral degeneration and bad mannerism
that has gripped our new generation and the other loss because
of this is purely in the linguistic and cultural domain, that is lack of
of broadness of vision, variety and diversity of thoughts and style.
Together with the loss of lofty thoughts, teachings and education
of Naziri, Maulana Room and others, our cultural relations have
also come to an end which irrigated and nurtured not only Indias
composite culture and lifestyle but also immeasurably influenced
the worlds literature. This is undoubtedly such a big loss that
efforts for their retrieval and renaissance cannot be compared
with any other effort. Therefore, the colleges, universities and other
educational institutions which are managing the affairs of Persian
language, education, literature and research, as well as the govern-
ments, should also think about it seriously and take necessary steps
for its revival and promotion. (Translated from Urdu by N. A. Ansari)
Rise and fall of Indias civilisational, cultural and moral assets in Persian
8 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
MUSTAFA KHAN
After winning the parliamentary elections on
May 16, 2014 Amit Shah and Narendra Modi
viewed coming assembly elections in
Maharashtra in the light of their strategy for
western UP which they had experimented with
great success.
To repeat Muzaffarnagar in Maharashtra,
they activated Hindu Rashtra Sena as they had
done in starting Narendra Modi Sena in western
UP. Gopal Meneons video In the Killing fields of
Muzaffarnagar is a vivid proof of it.
This assumption is based on the fact that
Amit Shah had decisively argued for hard-line
approach to winning election in UP in a crucial
meeting held on 7 March, 2014. It brought the
desired effect of polarization as a rich source of
turning the voters in BJPs favour. As he relied
on RSS in UP so he would in Maharashtra.
RSS ideology of intolerance of the minorities
and showing them no consideration would also
be used in Maharashtra. That ideology has lost
no time to take effect.
Mohsin Shaikh from the Nai Zindagi neigh-
bourhood of Sholapur was working as an IT
engineer in Pune when Hindu Rashtra Sena
activists attacked him in the city and killed him.
The main reason was that he sported a beard
and looked a devout Muslim.
Paralleling the murder is the tension and dis-
pute over the Facebook pictures. In the mean-
time it is evident that the picture post on
Facebook was uploaded from 4 IP addresses
located in France, Romania, Holland and Saudi
Arabia. Even when Maharashtra home minister
RR Patil had predicted the immediate arrest of
the guilty, he changed his statement and
remarked that the government would like foreign
experts to find out the source of the facebook
post.
There was protest in Sholapur originating in
the Nai Zindagi area where Mohsin lived. There
was intense pelting of stones which resulted in
the injuries to three. This must have been the
work of the Hindu Rashtra Sena (HRS) which is
responsible for the murder of Mohsin.
Abu Asim Azmi of Samajwadi Party has
demanded rupees 50 lakh compensation for
those who lost their properties in the attacks as
well as rupees 25 lakh for the death of Mohsin
to be given to his family.
The minority community suffered heavy
material losses in the attacks as well as casual-
ties.
The resurgence of violence in Sholapur is
ominous because it is linked to Mohsin of Nai
Zindagi mohalla there. This is despite the fact
that Mohsin had no role to play in the facebook
post issue. He was a computer engineer and his
apparel and appearance provoked the extremists
of HRS.
The events in two cities of western
Maharashtra seem to be well coordinated. It is
also disturbing that the media ignored the mur-
der of Mohsin for 24 hours while focussing on
the picture posts on the Facebook.
In another development, Bino Bhatnagar
has written on Facebook that the Modi govern-
ments studied silence on the issue shows a
biased mind. He demanded that Modi must
express regret over the incident of the murder
and if it is the handiwork of HRS, he must
express his shame that extremist Hindus are
behind it.
Extremist elements were also active in
Nanded. They attacked Sohail Ahmad Farooqui
and Zeeshan at 8.30 pm on June 3 when the two
were walking from Shivajinagar to Maulana Azad
chowk in the Gurdwara area. When the two went
to Wazirabad police station to lodge a complaint,
the attackers also reached there and continued
attacking the two who were later taken to hospi-
tal for treatment (Inquilab, 7 June, 2014).
These incidents of terrorism portend ill for
the country. More than 20 youths were deter-
mined to kill Muslims and dj vu realization of it
in Mohsin in his skull cap and beard and ditto his
friend, Riyaz. Without having ever met him or his
friend before, the mob exhibited a strange killing
instinct. They encircled the two and attacked
them. The friend managed to escape but Mohsin
was not so fortunate as hockey sticks and rods
rained on him. He had neither provoked nor had
given them any cause to attack. His outward
identity was enough for the murderous attack
like the smell of blood to the shark when it
attacks any hapless caught in the water.
The first 13 arrested had a distinct identity of
their own. They were goons from Hindu Rashtra
Sena on the move on their vehicles.
Incidents like these constitute the fault lines
of civilization as Samuel Huntington thesis goes
and it is in this connection that Amit Shah
evolves his strategy of planting violence to reap
a bloody harvest: Shahs acumen lies primarily
in identifying fault lines and working at them tire-
lessly to turn them into advantages.[2] Shah
himself argued in favour of Modis treatment of
minority vis--vis 2002 in the March 7 meeting:
Modis machoism is his USP. We cant lose
that.[3]
That machoism is now showing signs of
upturn as Sharad Pawar observed that Modis
rise to power as PM emboldened the Hindutva
forces who are responsible for the violence
against minority Muslims and attacks on their
houses, shops and mosques. In one such inci-
dent in Bhosri, Pune, the extremists set fire to a
madrasa, yet the fire station next to it refused to
put it out (Asian Age, 12 June, 2014).
That the resurgent Hindutva is in no mood to
listen is clear when Udhav Thackeray dubbed
Pawars criticism as ranting of Hafiz Saeed
(Saamna, 11 June, 2014).
Notes
[1] http://www.rediff.com/news/repor t/ls-election-
wh a t s - i n - s t o r e - f o r - mo d i s - r i g h t - h a n d -
man/20140515.htm?pos=4&src=NL20140516&isnl
p=0&isnlsp=0
[2] http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ar ti-
cleshow/35222861.cms?utm_source=contentofin-
terest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
Operation Polarization on in Maharashtra: Pune, Sholapur and Nanded
The Persian culture and civilization made Indians so lofty mentally that in spite of being
conquered, they considered the Englishmen inferior to them and declared Britisih or west-
ern civilization as satanic.
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 9 www.milligazette.com
New Delhi: The Central Working Committee (Majlis-e Amla) of the All
India Muslim Majlis-e Musahwarat, the umbrella body of Indian
Muslim organisations, met here on 14 June under the chairmanship
of the national President Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan and attended by the
following members: Janab Mohammad Jafar, Vice-president, Janab
Ahmad Rashid Shervani, Secretary General, Prof. Mohammad
Sulaiman and Mufti Atur Rahman Qasmi, General Secretaries, Janab
SMY Nadeem, Janab Nusrat Ali, Janab Abdul Khaliq, Janab Shees
Idrees Taimi and Janab Amanullah Khan. This was the second meet-
ing of the Working Committee this year.
The AIMMM Working Committee deliberated on organisational,
milli, national and international issues. The meeting remembered
important personalities of the community who departed after the last
meeting of AIMMM, offered condolences to their families and the mil-
lat and prayed for them, especially MAULANA MUHAMMAD
ABDUL QAIYYUM, former secretary of Jamaat-e Islami Hindi and
former general secretary of AIM Majlis Mushawarat during 2000-
2004, died in Aurangabad on 3 June; HAKEEM IQBAL AHMAD,
founder and owner of Delhis Hamdam Dawakhana, a famous unani
physician, who died in Delhi on 15 April; A. R. KARDAR, noted
dramatist and playwright died in Delhi after a prolonged illness on 18
April at the age of 74 years; MAULANAABDUL QADIR ZIANUDDIN
ALFAROOQI, noted religious scholar, author of dozens of books,
head of Nadwatul Mujahideen, state unit (Kerala) of Markazi Jamiat
Ahl-e Hadees died on 3 May at the age of 82 years; IQBALAHMAD
ADVOCATE of Lucknow died on 1 May. He was chairman of F.I.
Hospitals group. He was associated with Lucknows Anjuman Islahul
Muslimeen; SYED ZAMEER HASAN DEHLVI, Urdu writer and com-
piler died in Delhi on 16 May at the age of 74 years. He was a chron-
icler of Delhis old life style, language, history etc. and BEGUM
FARZANA AHMAD died in a New Delhi hospital on 18 April, at the
age of 97 years. She was the widow of late Islam Ahmad, IG Police
of Uttar Pradesh and daughter-in-law of Allahabad High Court Chief
Justice Iqbal Ahmad and daughter of Deputy Abdul Ghani Ansari
who was Dy. Commissioner of Lucknow in pre-Partition days. Among
her sons is former MP Akbar Ahmad Dumpy and Maulana Abdus
Salam Rahmani, former general secretary of Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e
Hadees.
The meeting also remembered and prayed for the soul of
MUKUL SINHA, a plasma physicist turned human rights activist,
lawyer and messiah of victims of Gujarats 2002 massacre, died of
cancer in Ahmadabad on 12 May.
T
he meeting deliberated on milli, national and international issues.
It discussed Mushawarats response to the post-election political
scenario as well as the preparations for the AIMMMs golden jubilee
next August. The meeting passed the following resolutions:
BJP-NDA government
While respecting the mandate BJP-NDA have received from the Indian
voters, AIMMM wishes to remind the new government that it will be
judged by fulfilling its promises of inclusive development and good
governance, that it will treat all Indians equally and take care of the
minorities and weaker sections. AIMMM and Muslims of India will
contribute and cooperate with this government in the implementation
of the inclusive and equitable agenda. At the same time, AIMMM cau-
tions this government to refrain from raking up non-productive and
divisive issues like uniform civil code, Art. 370 or the Ram Mandir
issue which will lead to civil unrest and violence which in turn will
retard progress and development of India.
Muslim issues
Welcoming the BJP-NDA governments declaration to take care of the
minorities, AIMMM wishes to remind the government that as per
Sachar Report, the Muslim community suffers from acute backward-
ness which requires special attention so that the 200-million-strong
community is enabled to play its positive role in the development and
progress of the country. We take this opportunity to place before the
government the current basic concerns of the Muslim community as
under:
1. Holistic implementation of the Sachar recommendations;
2. Implementation of the Misra Commission report recommending
reservation for minorities;
3. Enactment of the Prevention of Communal & Targeted Violence
(Access to Justice & Reparations) Bill because without such a law the
governments declared determination of checking communal riots will
not see fruition.
4. Inclusion of the Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians in the ambit of
reservation for SCs under Art. 341.
5. Repeal of UAPA which has proved to be as cruel and unjust as the
previous POTA and TADA terror laws. The acquittal of hundreds of ter-
ror-accused Muslim youth proves the utter misuse of this law.
6. (a) Release on bail of all terror-accused youth against whom
chargesheets are not filed within the stipulated 180 days;
(b) Provision of fast-track courts chaired by judges, who are not bur-
dened by other cases, to try the accused who are languishing in jails
for years;
(c) Establish a screening committee to look into all terror cases as
done earlier in TADA cases;
(d) payment of uniform and equitable compensation to all persons
acquitted in terror cases;
(e) dismissal and prosecution of all officers who are proved to have
implicated innocent persons by falsifying evidence and securing con-
fession through torture.
7. De-reserve Muslim-dominated constituencies which are unjustly
reserved for SCs.
8. Ensure a sub-plan for the Muslim minority at par with the sub-plan
for the SCs/STs in the budget.
9. Return all Waqf properties occupied by government or non-govern-
ment organisations or persons;
10. Promote Urdu language which belongs to the common Indian her-
itage and allow Urdu-medium schools wherever a sizeable proportion
of local population demands it;
11. Allow ethical, or Islamic, banking and finance facilities in line with
the recommendation of the Ragahuram Rajan Committee on Financial
Reforms.
Corruption
Corruption and communalism are the two big challenges facing our
country. As a result of civil society agitation, now there is a consen-
sus at last about the need to fight and root out corruption. AIMMM
feels that BJP-NDA, which have benefited from the popular aversion
of corruption and scams that marred UPA-II, should learn the lesson
and make an all-out effort to stamp out this scourge. Lokpal Bill
should be implemented in letter and spirit without any tinkering by the
new rulers. Public and media too should keep an eye on the new
regime which in its previous incarnation was infamous for scams and
corruption. Massive use of black money, supplied by the corporates
to a particular party during the election, should make civil society
extra cautious about the behaviour of the new rulers.
Election reforms
The results of the just concluded general elections have exposed the
inherent inequity of the first-past-the-pole system adopted in our
country in which the voice of the majority of voters in any constituen-
cy is wasted and goes unheard. It is time the country adopts the equi-
table Proportional Representation system under which every vote
counts and every party is allotted seats in proportion to the votes
polled by it nationally. A new revised Election Law should also clear-
ly bar candidates using money, muscle and hate to polarise voters
and win elections.
Fresh Bodo violence
While many of the half million Muslims displaced by the Bodo vio-
lence of August 2012 are yet to return to their homes and lands along-
with many Muslims displaced in earlier bouts of violence in Assam,
fresh violence by armed Bodo militants in early May this year has dis-
placed around 50,000 Muslims from the Bodo (BTAD) areas with at
least 50 Muslims murdered by the armed Bodo extremists who want
to attain majority in BTAD areas by expelling others. While reiterating
its demand for the early repatriation of
all displaced Muslims of BTAD areas
to their homes and lands, AIMMM
reiterates its rejection of the Bodo
Accord of 2003 which has given the
29 percent Bodos superiority over all
others living in that area. This accord
is against the spirit of the Indian con-
stitution and democracy and, there-
fore, should be repealed so that every
inhabitant of the area enjoys equal
democratic and political rights.
Rehabilitation of uprooted and dis-
placed persons
AIMMM welcomes and supports the
rehabilitation of the displaced
Kashmiri Pandits but cautions that
they should be returned to their origi-
nal places in the Valley instead of being housed in special new town-
ships which will limit their interaction with the Valleys population.
AIMMM demands a uniform policy in this regard which must include
repatriation of all uprooted people, especially in Gujarat and Assam,
to their original homes and lands. Moreover, the compensation pack-
age in all such cases must be uniform.
Akshardham acquittals
On 16 May, Supreme Court acquitted seven persons convicted in the
2002 Akshardham attack case including four who were given death
sentences by lower courts. While doing so the Supreme Court two-
judge bench passed strictures on Gujarat police and administration
and observed that the then Gujarat Home Minister did not apply his
mind while permitting the prosecution of the accused. Later, on 6
June, Gujarat POTA court acquitted another two persons accused in
the same case. All of these innocent persons have spent over a
decade in prisons for no reason except inaptitude and/or communal
bias of the police and concerned authorities. While AIMMM reiterates
its demand for a high-level commission to probe all incidents of ter-
ror since 2001, it also demands payment of adequate compensation
to all such acquitted victims of the sham war on terror started by
the previous BJP-NDA regime. The formula for payment of compen-
sation must be uniform in all such cases.
Waqfs
Preservation of the Waqf properties across India and putting them to
best use according to the wishes of those who made these endow-
ments remains a basic duty of the Waqf boards. In a follow-up of the
Waqf Act of 2013, Government of India should carry out a compre-
hensive survey of all Waqf properties and place it in the public
domain. As a next step, the Central and state governments should
return all Waqf properties encroached upon by them and also take
steps to free all Waqf properties occupied by private persons. In this
context, AIMMM wishes to remind the Union and Delhi state govern-
ments to honour their commitment at the earliest and return the 123
Waqf properties to the Delhi Waqf Board as per the notification of
3 March, 2014.
Communal riots
The country is witnessing a spate of riots since the advent of the BJP-
NDA rule which seems to have emboldened communal elements so
much so that one such outfit lynched a Muslim techie in Pune on
2 June only because he sported a beard and skull-cap. Failure to curb
such lawless forces will only doom the new dispensation.
Fake encounters
Attempts to close the Ishrat Jahan case and rehabilitation of a tainted
officer like G. L. Singhal are sending a wrong message about the
intentions of the new government. AIMMM demands that no attempt
should be made to thwart justice and rule of law. If a wrong message
is sent, rogue officers may re-start their fake encounter killings.
Boko Haram / ISIS
AIMMM condemns outfits like Boko Haram in Western Africa and ISIS
(Daish) in Iraq/Syria which are extremist neo-Kharijite movements.
Their insane acts of violence not only alienate people from Islam, they
also provide an excuse to foreign powers to meddle and intervene in
the affairs of Muslim counties and societies. Indian Muslims should
be alert to any such message being spread in our midst and nip it in
the bud.
Mushawarat Working Committee
deliberates on milli, national and international issues
No job is greater
than the next
There is an old Persian fable of a hen, a mouse,
and a rabbit that lived together in a little house in
the woods. They shared all the work and lived in
harmony. The chicken found the firewood, the
mouse brought the water from a nearby brook, and
the rabbit cooked the meals. All the three did their
own work faithfully and contentedly.
One day, while the hen was out in the forest
looking for wood, a nosy crow approached her,
and asked what she was doing.
When he heard, the crow
began caw, telling the hen that she
did the hardest part of the work,
and that rabbit and mouse were
taking advantage of her.
The chicken continued to do
her work, but she couldnt stop
thinking about what the crow said.
These feelings festered and
festered, and by the time she got
home, she was so upset that she
burst out in tears, screaming, Its
not fair! I do the hardest work of
the three of us! Thats it! Im
not going to gather this heavy fire-
wood anymore!
Immediately the rabbit and
mouse also continued to argue
that they had been doing the hard-
est work until they were tired, and
finally decided to switch jobs.
From now on the rabbit would
gather the firewood, the hen would
bring the water, and the mouse
would cook.
As the rabbit hopped into the
forest for wood, a fox trailed him,
caught him, and ate him.
The hen put the pail into the
creek, but current pulled the pail
down under, and the hen with it.
The mouse, while sitting on
the edge of the big pot of soup, lost his balance
and fell in. Discontentment not only destroyed their
happiness, but even their lives.
Different gifts
We all have a job to do here. No job is greater
than the next - no person is greater than the next,
no matter what those crows might tell you.
We are all working for the same King, and we
can worship Him even while gathering firewood, if
thats what Hes called us to do!
Let your conduct be without covetousness;
and be content with such things as you have: for
He has said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee (Hebrews 13:5). (Received from Valliamannil
Mathews)
AFSANA RASHID, SRINAGAR
Centre is ready for dialogue with anyone, but within the ambit of
the countrys constitution, said the Defence Minister Arun Jaitley,
here.
We are ready for a dialogue with anyone who is ready to talk
to us within the framework of the countrys constitution and sov-
ereignty. There can be no compromise on these two issues, said
the Defence Minister, addressing media, here, June 15, at the con-
clusion of his two-day visit to the state. He was accompanied by
the Army chief General Bikram Singh. This was his maiden visit to
the state after he took over as Defence Minister.
Ruling out revocation of AFSPA, he said dialogue and
aggression cannot go side by side. In response to a query about
resumption of dialogue with Pakistan and Confidence Building
Measures (CBMs) between the two countries, Jaitley said,
Stopping ceasefire violations would be a big CBM for a dialogue
process to begin with.
In response to another query, the minister said that the Centre
will soon announce policy measures for return and rehabilitation
of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.
Earlier, the minister had, June 14, said that the Army is strong
enough and well-equipped to deal with ceasefire violations by
Pakistan in the state. Jaitley said that he had come over to review
the security situation and there was no political objective of the
visit.
The minister and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, June 15, took
stock of the prevailing security scenario in the state. The minister
was also briefed about the security situation at Badami Bagh
headquarters of the Armys 15 Corps by GOC-in-C Northern
Command, Lt. General D S Hooda.
Parties get ready for assembly elections
In the run up to State Assembly elections slated later this year,
mainstream political parties here are busy making preparations for
the forthcoming polls. Both National Conference and Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) summoned their respective Working
Committees to discuss an overall poll strategy for the upcoming
elections.
Though PDP announced some of its candidates for the forth-
coming elections, both National Conference and Congress are yet
to declare their cards.
National Conference, during a meeting of its Central Working
Committee here, June 18, asked its district presidents to submit a
panel of three candidates from each constituency of the district
within a week. Then after holding threadbare discussions, the
party will finalize the candidates.
The partys working president and Chief Minister Omar
Abdullah, while addressing the meeting, said that a final decision
on the issue of electoral alliance would be taken up by the party
president, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, after due consultations with party
leaders and grassroots workers.
Announcing its first list of 25 candidates for different
Assembly constituencies across the state, PDP has introduced
many new faces, but in south Kashmir, considered the partys
stronghold, PDP has reposed faith in the sitting legislators.
Party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is the partys Chief
Ministerial candidate and would be contesting election from
Anantnag in south Kashmir. The par tys Political Affairs
Committee met here, June 15, under his chairmanship and dis-
cussed the electoral strategy for the upcoming polls.
Mufti, according to the partys spokesperson, said that
absence of negativity in the partys poll discourse, a clear agenda
and ability to identify actual issues had brought the party to cen-
tre-stage of the states political scenario. Peace and development
along with a special focus on issues facing youth, especially
employment generation should continue to guide partys policies
and agenda, added the spokesperson, while quoting Mufti.
There are strong indicators that PDP is headed for victory in
the Assembly elections, but the Lok Sabha election results
shouldnt lead to complacency, said Mufti, in a press statement
here.
Congress, on the other hand, has decided to delay the
announcement of its candidates. Some media reports say that the
party has almost finalized its candidates for most of the con-
stituencies and is likely to contest on its own, without alliance with
National Conference. National Conference has already ruled out
any pre-poll alliance with Congress.
Congress offered its support in forging a pre-poll alliance with
PDP. Even senior Congress leader and leader of Opposition in
Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, called on Mufti, June 21, to
explore the possibility of a pre-poll alliance. This was the first one-
on-one meeting between Azad and Mufti after they parted ways in
2008 in the wake of Amarnath land row that led to a premature
end to Congress-PDP coalition.
Media reports further said that PDP is exploring possibilities
of forging a pre-poll alliance with Panthers Party and Bahujan
Samaj Party in Jammu.
Meanwhile, Election Commission of India, June 17, asked all
political parties, here, to submit their manifesto so that they are
examined and analyzed in the light of part VIII of Model Code of
Conduct.
Restrictions on Quit Kashmir agitation
Restrictions were imposed here to curb marches announced by
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and Awami Action
Committee (AAC), here. In view of Quit Kashmir announced by
JKLF here, June 23, the party had asked people to march towards
city-centre, Lal Chowk, to join the rally and observe a shutdown.
Authorities imposed restrictions in and around Lal Chowk to
foil any such attempt. Heavy deployment of police and CRPF was
made in the area. All roads leading to Lal Chowk and the adjoin-
ing areas were sealed. Police had also sealed Maisuma locality
adjacent to Lal Chowk where the Fronts headquarter and resi-
dence are located.
Markets were closed and traffic went off the roads, though
private transport plied, in view of the shutdown observed here.
Police raided Maliks residence, June 20, to foil the launch of
Quit Kashmir and raided its office, the other day. Malik had gone
into hiding to evade arrest. After remaining in hiding for two
days, Malik along with his associates surfaced in Maisuma, June
23, and were detained by police.
After being re-elected as party chairman for the next three
years, Malik, June 14, said, RSS and BJP will observe this day
(June 23) under the plan for complete integration of Jammu and
Kashmir with the Union of India. Our response will be Quit
Kashmir. I appeal to people across Kashmir to assemble at Lal
Chowk.
Even, the partys senior vice-chairman, Abdul Hamid Bhat,
June 16, said that Malik announced the programme in reply to
RSS and BJPs plan to celebrate June 23, Shyama Prasad
Mukherjees death anniversary, as the day of integration of Jammu
and Kashmir with India. He added that BJP has already
announced to give refugees the State Subject status. Well resist
their anti-Kashmir approach.
The Municipal Park march announced by AAC headed by
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, June 20, to mark its 50th foundation day
met almost with a similar fate. Restrictions were imposed in the
old city area and the Municipal Park too was cordoned off. Mirwaiz
was scheduled to host a convention in the Park to celebrate AACs
golden jubilee. Mirwaiz, who also heads Hurriyat (M) was placed
under house arrest.
Flags and buntings of AAC fluttered along all the roads lead-
ing to the historic Jamia Masjid, in the old city, here. The proces-
sion was scheduled to start from Jamia Masjid to Municipal Park
and AAC expected it to be a mega historical event.
Mirwaiz, during his visit to Jamia Masjid, June 18, said that
since the formation of Muslim Conference in Kashmir by Mirwaiz
Yousuf Shah in 1931 and its transformation into Awami Action
Committee in 1964 by Molvi Mohammad Farooq, the party lead-
ership and activists have always stood firm on their basic princi-
ples.
Later, he led scores of bikers and other vehicle-borne youth
for a brief tour of the area. The amalgam held a road-show in the
heart of city, June 19.
After the assassination of Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq
on May 21, 1990, his son, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was sworn in as
AACs patron, at the age of 17.
7 out of 10 subscriptions are through WORD OF MOUTH
You know we dont have the resources to advertise & promote ourselves, so
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THE MILLI GAZETTE
First English Newspaper of Indian Muslims. Telling the Muslim side of the story fortnight after fortnight since January 2000
10 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
SANJIV BHATT, IPS
One abiding 21st century
myth is the Gujarat Model.
What is this chimera and
who has seen it? It is sup-
posed to be the thing which
has delivered Gujarat high
growth and efficient, cor-
ruption-free government.
But what does this new and improved model
look and smell like?
The boring fact is that the laws governing
Gujarat are no different from those governing
other Indian states. So if it is a model, it is a
strange sort into which one is supposed to read
differences where none exist. If one probes fur-
ther, one is told the model lies in unmeasurables:
Good governance! Decisiveness! All arrant non-
sense.
Even so, the Gujarat Model has been
bandied about for so long and so loudly that it
has become real. Tens of millions of people
voted for it on the assumption or hope that it is
coming soon to their own state.
The truth, sorry to disappoint, is that there is
no Gujarat Model. There is a Gujarati Model, and
there has always been.
Where on earth do Gujaratis need Narendra
Modis Model to make them successful?
Do the Patels of America, who run their
empire of motels, need Modis genius? Do the
Memons of South Africa? The Gujaratis of East
Africa, who dominate the economies of Kenya
and Tanzania? The Palanpuri Jains who compete
with Hasidic Jews in controlling the diamond
bourse of Israel and have made Brussels and
Antwerp Gujarati outposts, do they need the
Gujarat Model?
What about Azim Premji in Bangalore? Does
he need Modi? Did the Tatas? Mumbais stock
market is preponderantly Gujarati, and has been
since the 19th century. The best shops in the
spice markets of Kochi have boards saying
GUJARATI OWNER, because that is a byword
for competence, and a reputation acquired over
centuries, not since 2001.
Dhirubhai Ambani did not need Modi to
make his fortune. The only Gujarati I can think of
who has made his billions in the reign of Modi is
Gautam Adani, in whose plane Modi cut across
the country delivering sermons.
So forget the Gujarat Model. So far as the
Gujarati Model goes, it cannot be replicated in
West Bengal, Odisha or Bihar. Not unless enor-
mous numbers of Gujaratis are produced and
sent forth to colonise these parts, armed with
their business chops, their vegetarianism and
their hypocritical abstinence from alcohol (a
most unappealing thought) to acculturate the
natives.
And it is embarrassing for many Gujaratis-I
am one-to be told that all of the success of their
great state is attendant on the sublime genius of
one man. Now I have always liked the rogue who
grabs what he can. Some cultures are always in
need of saving. Modi can hardly be faulted for his
behaviour in claiming to be a self-referential and
angry prophet of the Hebrew kind. I have a prob-
lem with the gullibility of those who fall for this,
and who thrust their insistence upon others.
When the economy was opened up by the
change in laws starting in 1991, Gujarats econ-
omy picked up. It would have done so no matter
which government had written these laws open-
ing up the world to Gujarati businessmen. It
would have done so no matter who was running
the state in Gujarat. And mind you, it isnt as if
Gujarat is clubbing the world into submission
with its economic growth. It cannot even grow at
10% on a small base.
There are problems Gujaratis have that are
inherent to the Gujarati Model. We have no
English and therefore no stake in the new serv-
ices businesses that have created Indias new
urban middle class (something for Modis
Internet enthusiasts to think about). Even the
brilliance of the great man could bring Gujarat no
share in this.
Gujaratis have always been, and even today
are, focused on a few industries. In these we do
not innovate and our contribution to the science
and technology aspects of even these industries
is not much. Efficient raisers and managers of
capital, yes. World-beaters in all industry, no.
We should not fault Modi for this, just as it
is wrong to credit him for everything. Gujaratis
are as disinterested in, and as poor at, science
and invention as other Indians.
The romance with Modi as saviour is based
on ignorance of how Gujarat works. It is not a
state whose economy Modi has invented since
2001. It is not a replicable model and it will not
be replicated no matter what Modis table-
thumpers say.
The unromantic reality is that no one man
(even if I accept the assertion of Modis devo-
tees that the Gujarati male is a manifestly supe-
rior species) is going to come bearing deliver-
ance for your state. Youre going to have to build
your model yourself, as Gujaratis have theirs.
Good luck with that.
J&K: Modi govt ready for dialogue with conditions
The Gujarat Model
The truth, sorry to disappoint, is that there is no Gujarat Model.
There is a Gujarati Model, and there has always been... Where on earth
do Gujaratis need Narendra Modis Model to make them successful?...
The romance with Modi as saviour is based on ignorance of how
Gujarat works. It is not a state whose economy Modi has invented since
2001. It is not a replicable model and it will not be replicated no matter
what Modis table-thumpers say.
Ironically, the very skill which was appar-
ently put to its best use during electoral
campaigning and which helped Narendra
Modi lead India as prime minister appears
to have faltered even before his government
has completed its 100 days in office. The
time-period, 100 days is being specifical-
ly mentioned as while taking reins of power
Modi had assured Indians that they would
see a changed country during this period.
Modi and his colleagues are not gifted with magic wands
to suddenly change the country, address problems affecting
common Indians and bring them good days promised to them.
There is a major difference between making claims and
actually achieving goals. Even before Modi government com-
pleted its 25 days in office, it was clear that it had back-
tracked on its 100-day promise. Its primary focus was the
budget. Yet, even this move has not started on what can be
spelt as a positive note. Nobody can be expected to be satis-
fied with a hike in railway fares.
Even though Modi government has tried escaping criti-
cism by blaming the preceding government for this hike, peo-
ple are not oblivious of the fact that it was not binding on his
government to go ahead with this move. After all, troubled by
inflation, voters decided to give Modi a chance to help them
counter this problem.
Soon after Modi assumed power, most agreed that it was
impossible to expect him to lower prices but at least they
were hopeful that his government would prevent them from
rising further. The rail-hike has punctured these expectations.
Clearly, if Modi could still concentrate only on his commu-
nication skills, in reaching out to people, addressing them and
so forth, the situation would have been different. Now, his pri-
mary job is to act on promises and claims he made to voters.
There is a possibility that in the final budget, rail hike may be
lowered a little in an effort to convince people that Modi gov-
ernment is trying its best. Perhaps, Modi and his team may
succeed in convincing voters that they have had no option but
to come out with a budget which can hardly be described as
rosy for the people.
It is not without reason that ahead of the budget-presen-
tation, Modi started talking about the need for people to be
prepared for bitter pill. If Modi succeeds, it would be equiv-
alent to his proving to be a good leader at the Centre.
So far, Modi has paid greater attention to Indian diplo-
macy than to its domestic issues. Diplomatically, he may
be credited for changing notions held about his govern-
ments approach towards Pakistan and regional countries.
However, it is possible that Modi deliberately went a little
overboard on this front to prevent people from expecting
action from him immediately on the domestic front. He
probably used diplomatic strategy to distract people and
other observers from deliberating on his possible moves
regarding domestic problems, particularly economic
issues. Herein is where his true leadership will be put to a
strong test.
Ahead of the budget session, another issue where Modis
leadership appears to have faltered significantly is the lan-
guage issue. It is Modis political right to converse in Hindi, if
he so desires. Yet, the apparent importance that his govern-
ment has tried giving to Hindi cannot be overlooked. Just a
day after he assumed power, a note was issued from the
Union home ministry stating, It is ordered that government
employees and officials of all ministries, departments, corpo-
rations or banks, who have made official accounts on Twitter,
Facebook, Google, YouTube or blogs, should use Hindi, or both
Hindi and English, but give priority to Hindi.
Undeniably, most government websites have been using
Hindi and English for quite some time. However, the dictate on
giving priority to Hindi is disturbing. It is well known that
Hindi is not spoken throughout the country.
The South Indian states have always been opposed to the
imposition of Hindi. They prefer using English or their local
languages and are totally against Hindi being imposed upon
them.
Of course, the storm raised against this note prompted the
government to quickly clarify that this note was applicable
only for Hindi-speaking states. Why should such a note have
been issued in the first place? It raises doubts about Modi
carrying with himself the image of a national leader. It con-
firms speculations held about Modis political prominence
being confined to the Hindi belt. His primary agenda appears
to be the promotion of Hindi-belt. This certainly is not expect-
ed of a person now viewed as a national leader.
Even before Modi has settled down comfortably in his
office as the countrys new prime minister, he has been com-
pelled to reflect on the negative impact of his governments
initial moves. A strong leaders primary agenda is to delve on
issues, people expect him to take action on, and not trying
imposing his dictates, including that of giving priority to Hindi
language, upon them. What an irony, his own communication
skills have faltered him here!
Speaki ng Out
Modis Communication
Skills Falter!
NI LOFAR SUHRAWARDY
ANALYSIS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 11 www.milligazette.com
DR JAVED JAMIL
Shirdis Sai Baba has undoubt-
edly outdone all other Hindu
saints in terms of popularity
among Hindus in the last centu-
ry. While there is little doubt that
he was a Muslim Sufi saint with
unadulterated devotion to one Maalik (Lord),
his Hindu devotees outnumber Muslims by a
huge margin. This is of course due to the fact
that Baba loved the local Hindu population and
helped them in getting rid of their distresses.
From Muslim point of view, it is indeed
unfortunate that people started worshipping a
saint whose slogan was Sab ka Maalik Ek (The
Lord of All is One), which is almost exactly what
La Ilaha Illallah (There is no god except One
God) implies. The man who wanted everybody
to worship one Maalik, even if through the help
of a Murshid (Teacher) could not have liked tem-
ples being built in his name, his statues erected
and worshipped by millions. He might have
wished instead that all these disciples of him
would have recognized the God, the Lord of the
Worlds, who is also the Lord of all those who do
not believe in Him and do not recognize His Last
Scripture as the Final source of guidance. But
they chose to worship him instead. This would
surely be paining the Soul of The Baba.
But if the Shankaracharya of Dwarka has
chosen to publicly denounce the devotion of
Babas devotees, it smacks of a feeling of aver-
sion towards Islam and Muslims and a sense of
growing insecurity in theological terms. In all
probability, the Shankaracharya does not know
that Islam does not claim its origin in Quran and
Muhammad (pbuh) which were only the Last
Scripture and Last Prophet in a series of a large
number of scriptures (Suhuf and Kutub) and
God-sent prophets. Quran says that God sent
His Messengers to every region of the world
and to every people. Many Islamic scholars talk
fondly of Hindu and Buddhist figures like Ram,
Krishna and Buddha because they think they
might well have been part of the series of
prophets sent by God and thus part of the early
history of Islam though nothing can be said with
certainty.
When after studying Bible, I read Valmikis
Ramayana about 20 years back, I was struck
with amazement finding that the story of Ram,
as described by Valmiki, has close similarities
with the history of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham)
as described in Old Testament. Abram was the
original name of Abraham in Bible, meaning
Father of the Nation which later became
Abraham meaning the Father of Nations.
When he left Ur, his native place in present-
day Iraq, and moved to the desert of Egypt, His
wife Sara (like Sita) was kidnapped by the
Firaun (Pharoah) of that time (Ravan) who later
released her, as he got convinced about her
extraordinary character. Abram later married
Hegira and banished her like Sita was banished.
While Valmiki Ramayana describes only one
wife of Rama and ascribes apharan and
nishkaasan to her unlike in Bible where these
two events are related to Abrahamss two wives.
But several other Ram Kathas describe more
than one wife of Ram. Abraham too had two
sons, Ishmael and Isaac, like Luv and Kush, and
they also were master archers.
Bharat Jhunjhunwala, well-known colum-
nist, is now busy compiling a full book on the
similarities between Ibrahim (may Allah be
pleased with him) and Ram. Valmiki Ramyana
talks of one single God and speaks about Pralay
(Qayamat). In one of the Hindu scriptures, I also
found a story almost similar to Prophet Lut (Lot)
whose people had become sexually corrupt and
were destroyed through raining of stones from
the sky. It is also amazing that no group of
Indians traces their ancestry to Rama, and noth-
ing is known in Hindu scriptures about the later
life of Luv and Kush and their progeny.
The Shankaracharya is perhaps not aware
of the fact that Islam literally means Shanti
(Peace), and is defined as Submission to
God (Samarpan to Parmeshwar). Under these
circumstances it would have been better if the
Shankaracharya had asked both Hindus and
Muslims to study each others scriptures and
ultimately decide to worship One God. No other
figure, Devtaa, Avataar or Paighambar deserves
worship because God alone created the universe
and He alone controls it. The paighambars,
avatars and gurus are only to be revered as they
taught us about God.
It will be better if the devotees of Shirdis Sai
Baba take the controversy in a positive way, and
instead of worshipping the Baba, learn to wor-
ship the Eik Maalik, the Baba himself wor-
shipped. This would please the soul of Baba and
the devotees will surely move higher towards the
right destination. Hopefully the controversy will
give boost to the aikeshwarvaad in India.
The Shankaracharya interestingly made a
highly relevant point in a debate on a TV channel
in the evening of 23 June, which supports my
efforts of bringing all religions together including
Hinduism and Islam against the social vices and
the forces that are promoting them. He spoke
with considerable hatred about alcohol and it
being responsible for crimes including crimes
against women. Let Shankaracharyas and
Ulama (scholars of Islam) unite to make India a
cleaner, purer and healthier place and present
their unity as a model to the whole world, which
needs resuscitation of religion, morality and
family values that all religions prescribe. This will
also be a big step towards communal amity in
India. If Hinduism and Islam can work together
for the common benefit of mankind, Buddhism,
Christianity and other religions will also not
remain behind in joining them.
The author is a thinker and writer with over a dozen
books including his latest, Muslims Most Civilised,
Yet Not Enough and Muslim Vision of Secular India:
Destination & Road-map. He may be contacted at:
doctorforu123@yahoo.com
Let Sai Baba controversy initiate Worship of God alone!
The Shankaracharya is perhaps not aware of the fact
that Islam literally means Shanti (Peace), and is
defined as Submission to God (Samarpan to
Parmeshwar). Under these circumstances it would
have been better if the Shankaracharya had asked both
Hindus and Muslims to study each others scriptures
and ultimately decide to worship One God. No other fig-
ure, Devtaa, Avataar or Paighambar deserves worship
because God alone created the universe and He alone
controls it. The paighambars, avatars and gurus are
only to be revered as they taught us about God.
SUMIT PAUL
sumitmaclean@hotmail.com
One thing Ive not yet been able to figure out about the elite and
chauvinistic Indians, esp. the South Indians, regarding their atavis-
tic dislike for Hindi but correspondingly grovellinglove for English. If
BJPs promotion of Hindi is being seen by many as a forceful impo-
sition and an assault on ethnicity, why do we allow English to have
a clear sway over other languages that are spoken in India?
English is not an Indian tongue. In fact, its never been. But the
South Indian elites, especially the Tamils, have never considered
English to be an attack on their incestuous ethnic set-up. They took
to English like a fish to water. This intrigues me no end. Hindi is
after all a sub-continental language, originated from this soil and
got its present form from the Khari Boli Hindi of the 17th and 18th
centuries. But how many of us really care for it (Hindi)? And please
dont be under the impression that the new government is serious
about the promotion of Hindi. Its not. Language has always been
a political tool. Its a latent weapon to divide when therere many
languages in existence. Years ago, the world renowned philologist
Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee observed this.
Modi is promoting Hindi because hes not good at English. Its
not because hes genuinely in love with Hindi. We tend to become
very sensitive about languages and guard them steadfastly the
way we cling on to our respective religions and sectarian beliefs.
This is not linguistic chauvinism. This is linguistic troglodytism
(primitive tribalism). Why are people so much fussy about their lan-
guages?
Ive spent a considerable period in Maharashtra, but I still cant
express myself in this language. I feel amused when some
Maharashtrians tell me pointedly that I must learn Marathi if Im in
Maharashtra. When almost all Marathi-speaking people under-
stand Hindi, why should I learn a language thats a variant of Hindi?
Mind you, Ive no disregard for any language, whether Marathi,
Bengali or Kannada. But I dislike this attitude that you must learn a
particular language if youre in that state.
I remember, a few years ago in Madras (no Chennai for me;
this is yet another naming chauvinism of Indians), I deliberately
asked a gentleman about the direction to Spencer Plaza, one of
the earliest malls in India. Believe me, that man had the gall to tell
me curtly, Ask me in English or Tamil. I hate Hindi. Stunned, I just
said, Gentleman, is English your mother tongue?
Indians are misdirected, misguided and misplaced nationalists.
They dont know what actually belongs to them. The indologist A L
Basham said the same thing about the Indians. Twelve hundred
years of slavery (beginning from Muhammad Bin Qasims invasion
of Sindh in 712 AD to the independence of India in 1947) broke the
collective spine of the Indians. Were baffled as to what can be
called as our own. Nothing. A slave has no choice.
Weve not yet got rid of mental enslavement and thats the
reason, those whore eulogising Hindi in public, send their
wards to the best public schools in India and abroad and love to
see their children behave like brown sahibs. Bollywood actors,
who survive on Hindi cinema, feel embarrassed to talk in Hindi
on TV shows and even while promoting their films! Were like
that only.
Our Linguistic Troglodytism
12 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 NEWSMAKERS www.milligazette.com
MAULANA QARI MUHAMMAD
IDREES, noted religious scholar,
exegesist and Imam of Aligarhs
Jama Masjid died in Aligarh on
11 June at the age of 85 years.
He served as Imam of this his-
torical Masjid for 57 long years.
MUSHTAQ PARDESI, noted
Urdu, Hindi and English journalist, thinker, poet and lit-
terateur and former editorial advisor of Urdu daily
Rashtriya Sahara died on 11
June after a prolonged illness at
the age of 84 years. His jour-
nalistic career spreads over 40
years during which he worked
in Qaumi Awaz, National
Herald, Doordarshan and
Akashwani. He was honoured
with more than a dozen literary,
journalistic and other awards. His anthology of poems
titled Deewan-e Khas has been published. Writer of dia-
logues and TV serial scripts he was also associated
with UNICEF. He leaves behind four sons and one
daughter.
PUNDIT BHUSHAN BAZAZ bereaved
Srinagar: Senior Kashmiri leader, Pundit Premnath
Bazazs daughter, and elder sister of J&K Democratic
Front leader, Pundit Bhushan Bazaz, Dr Gauri Bazaz
Malik died in Maryland (USA) at her residence on 21
May at age 88 years. She was Professor of Pathology
in New Delhis Lady Harding Medical College and was
also associated with Patel Chest Institute, Delhi
University for a long time. She was also an activist of
womens and human rights movement. Many Kashmiri
leaders like Hurriyat leader Mir Waiz Molvi Farooq, Syed
Ali Shah Gilani and others condoled her death and also
shared their condolence and sorrows with her brother
Pundit Bhushan Bazaz.
MAQSOOD ALAM, chairman of Bachchon ka Ghar
(at Darya Ganj), Delhi and former chairman of Haj
Committee of Delhi, who was also a Char tered
Accountant, died of hear t attack on 13 June after a
prolonged illness at the age of 81 years. Hailing from
Gorakhpur (UP), he rendered useful services to peo-
ple even while holding different government posts.
He played an impor tant role in setting up Jamia
Cooperative Bank and was a founder members of
this Bank. He leaves behind five daughters.
NASIM YOUSAF
Allama Inayatullah Khan Al-Mashriqi was born on 25 August,
1888. He obtained his initial education at home and then attended
school in Amritsar, prior to joining Foreman Christian College in
Lahore. He obtained his masters degree in Mathematics in first
class from the University of Punjab and later went on to study at
the University of Cambridge. Throughout his academic life,
Mashriqi made history; it is believed that his academic records at
the University of Cambridge - where he completed four Triposes
within five years with distinction - are yet to be broken.
Upon completion of his studies, Mashriqi joined Islamia
College (Peshawar) as Vice Principal, and was later appointed
Under Secretary at the Education Department of the British
Government of India.
As a result of emerging differences with the British, he was
demoted to the post of the head-master of Government High
School in Peshawar. During his tenure in Government Service, he
was offered Knighthood and Ambassadorship to Afghanistan, but
declined both offers, as he considered them a means for the
British authorities to use him for their own political purposes.
While in Government service, Mashriqi wrote "Tazkirah", a sci-
entific commentary on the Holy Quran, which was nominated for
the Nobel Prize. When the Nobel Prize Committee asked him to
translate the book into any major European language, he declined
to do so; he considered this to be an insult to the millions who
spoke Urdu.
Admiring Mashriqi and "Tazkirah", Air Marshal (Retd.) Qazi
Javed Ahmed wrote (in a message to me), "I am an admirer of
Allama sahib and have read some of his booksI have also read
his two volumes of TazkiraHe is so relevant even today and we
can all draw inspiration and guidance from what he has written."
In 1930, Mashriqi founded the Khaksar Tehreek (Khaksar
Movement) to revive the glory of the nation. However, the British
became wary of the movements ultimate goal, which was predi-
cated on ending British rule in order to bring freedom to India.
Thus, the Tehrik was banned in Punjab in
1940 and Mashriqi was imprisoned. In 1941, the ban on the
movement was expanded to include entire India. The British
Government of India demanded that Mashriqi disband his move-
ment, or continue to remain behind bars. However, Mashriqi
refused to succumb to any threat and replied that the Khaksar
Movement was not his personal property which he could dispose
off. The British, therefore, continued to imprison him for an
extended period of time. He faced all atrocities with extraordinary
courage and remained steadfast. In fact, Mashriqi fasted for 80
days in jail to protest his unjust imprisonment. He was ultimately
released, but his movement was restricted.
Following Mashriqis release from prison, he vigorously began
working for an end to British rule. He was warned many times by
the British authorities to halt his activities, but he did not waver in
his resolve. In 1945, he presented "The Constitution of Free India"
which provided protection for the rights of all communities,
Muslims and non-Muslims, and served as a precursor to jointly
seeking independence. Unfortunately, the document was not
adopted for political reasons.
On March 19, 1940, the Khaksars marched through the
streets of Lahore in protest of the ban, heading towards Badshahi
mosque to offer prayers. The police attempted to stop the
Khaksars, but the Khaksars continued marching. The police then
open-fired on hundreds of innocent Khaksars, injuring and brutal-
ly killing many. On March 19, the day of the massacre, the
Khaksar Tehrik was banned and Mashriqi was arrested.
Mashriqi continued his efforts until British rule in India came
to an end in 1947. Despite achieving independence, Mashriqi was
saddened by the division of India. To him, partition was not the
solution to the countrys problems.
Allama Mashriqi died at Albert Victor Hospital (Mayo Hospital)
in Lahore on 27 August, 1963. A pall of gloom prevailed across
the country following his tragic death; condolence messages from
followers and admirers came from all over the world. Mashriqis
funeral prayers were led by Maulana Abdus Sattar Khan Niazi at
Badshahi Mosque in Lahore. All along the funeral procession,
people gathered to pay tributes to their great leader and showered
his body with flowers.
Mashriqi left behind a lasting legacy of combating injustice,
communalism, and sectarianism. He worked all his life for unity,
discipline, and fostering a peaceful co-existence among all people
of India, regardless of religion, class, colour or creed.
As a result of his unrelenting fight, he forever changed the his-
tory of the Indian subcontinent. Mashriqis vision of co-existence
needs to be followed in order to bring peace to the world today.
Nasim Yousaf is an independent scholar and historian whose research
primarily focuses on the role of Allama Mashriqi and the Khaksar Tehrik
in the freedom movement.
For more information, see www.allamamashriqi.com,
www.facebook.com/allamamashraqi
ALLAMA MASHRIQI
Prof KHAN MASOOD AHMAD, Dean of the Faculty of Social
Sciencs and and professor of Economics in Jamia Millia Islamia
University has been appointed by central government as Vice
Chancellor of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisthti Urdu, Arabic & Persian
University, Lucknow for 3 years. He did PhD from Delhi School of
Economics and was professor of Economics at International
Islamic University, Malaysia also for two years in early 21st century.
Twenty-seven-year old SADDAM HUSAIN, a jock-
ey from Kolkata with 11 victories to his credit
recently, equalled the record held by another
famous jockey Mudassar Nazar, one of Indias
best ever jockeys. He says that he was jeered on
numerous occasions because of his name
Saddam Husain, the late dictator of Iraq who had
become very unpopular because of his dictatorial
attitude but without bothering about peoples
jeers and taunts he continued working hard and
finally won name and fame. It may be recalled
that the same Saddam Husain of Iraq had at one time become so popular among
Muslims because of his bold defiance of American President Bush (Jr)s threat
of war over false accusation of possessing weapons of mass destruction. that
many Muslim parents had star ted naming their new born males after him.
However, the situation changed soon thereafter and he had become unpopular
after his defeat by American forces and subsequent arrest and execution.
MEN & WOMEN IN NEWS
OBITUARIES
(Ms) SHAHANA SABRI, fiction writer was hon-
oured with Qurratulain Haidar Award at a func-
tion held in Gorakhpur under the sponsorship of
UP Welfare Association.
KAMAL DEOBANDI, Urdu, Hindi man of letters
of Deoband was honoured with a Special
Award in recognition of his services and literary
contributions to Urdu, Hindi literature and jour-
nalism on the occasion of Hindi Journalism
Day at Deoband on 31 May.
HAIDAR FARAZ AMROHVI, Joint Secretary of
Hasan Ara Trust has been honoured with
Excellence Award 2014 for this years best
services in ICICIs Lambard Insurance Company
at the very young age of 23 years only.
Prof. (HAKEEM) SYED
KHALIFATULLAH, well-
known Unani doctor and
physician (Hakeem) was
honoured with Padma
Shri Award by the
President of India Pranab
Mukherjee, along with
many others on 26 April. Though his name for
this national award was announced on the eve
of Indias Republic Day 2014 along with the
names of many others for other national
awards, they were actually honoured along with
recitations on a subsequent date. Though born
and brought up in Chennai, from the point of
view of his speech, way of life, manners, life
style etc he is every inch a representative of
Indias composite culture and civilization in true
sense. Though his mother tongue is Tamil,
when he speaks Urdu, nobody can say or
believe that Urdu is not his mother tongue. A
widely travelled person both within and outside
the country, he travelled to many countries and
cities like Saudi Arabia, Amsterdam, Hamburg,
London, Rome, Paris, Geneva, Beirute, Kuwait,
USA, Canada, again Saudi Arabia Kuwait, UAE,
London, Italy, Mauritius, Pakistan etc. etc. All
these foreign travels made him see and under-
stand different cultures, civilizations, thinking,
life style etc of different peoples of the world.
Within the country also he travelled to all parts
of the country. Travelling by morning flight to
Delhi and to Chennai by evening or nigh-flight
was almost his routine. These visits, within and
outside the country were his compulsions
because of his holding many official and non-
official posts in government, social, religious
and milli organisations. As Vice President of
Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine
(CCRUM) he gave new identity and exalted
position to the department of Unani medicines
through his professional capabilities.
Born in 1939, he graduated wit Unani med-
icine from College of Integrated Medicine,
Madras and higher degrees from Govt
Vidyapeeth Hospital, Madras in surgery and
modern medicine and surgery from Lapak
Medical College, Madras. His services in Unani
Tibb are so great that he came to be known as
Baba-e Tibb and honoured with Physician of the
Year Award with a Gold Medal in 1989. Earlier,
in 1987 he was honoured with Meruthuva
Mamamani title. This year he was conferred
Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science by MGR
Medical University, Chennai, the only other
Unani physician being honoured with this
Honoris Causa was (late) Hakeem Abdul
Hameed. A devout Muslim who does not miss
Namaz even while travelling by air or by train, he
is closely associated with dozens of Tibbi and
medical associations, social and religious
organisations etc. His private matab (clinic) in
Chennai is always crowded with patients suffer-
ing from different ailments.
ZEESHAN SHEIKH, a cor-
respondent of the English
daily Indian Express,
along with his colleague
of the same English daily,
won the top Award in the
crime (News) category
for his reporting of the
Dhule (or Dhulia) communal riots that had
erupted in January this year (2014). His report-
ing exposed the biased attitude of Maharashtra
police towards Muslims as they (police) were
seen participating in the violence and brutality
against Muslims in these riots. The awards were
presented to them by the union information and
broadcasting minister Prakash Javdekar at a
function held at National Centre for Performing
Arts, Mumbai which was chaired by state gov-
ernor K. Sankaranarayanan on 7 June.
FAIZUL ISLAM FAIZI, a journalist and chief
artist associated with Urdu daily Azizul Hind
was honoured with Maqbool Fida Husain
Award for his Best Urdu Graphics Art on the
occasion of Baitul Maqdis Conference spon-
sored by All India Tanzeem Ulama-e Haq and
held at India Islamic Cultural Centres auditori-
um on 13 June.
MAULANA MUHAMMAD SAMIUR RAHMAN,
general secretary of Islamic Mediation and
Reconciliation Centre, Faridabads Department
of Sharaiyya was honoured with Maulana Abul
Hasan Ali Nadwi Award in recognition of his
valuable services in the field of education. The
Award was given to him by Maulana
Muhammad Ejaz Urfi, President of All India
Tanzeem Ulama-e Haq at a function held at India
Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi on 16 June.
Dr. TABISH MEHDI, noted
Urdu poet, author and crit-
ic was honoured with
Abdul Jabbar Frivayee
Award in recognition of his
services to Urdu literature
at a function held at Jamia
Abu Huraira Islamia, Lal
Gopal Ganj near Allahabad
on 13 June.
AWARDS
Bahut der kee
mehrbaan aatay
aatay...
President Ayub Khan
visiting Allama
Mashraqi on the last
day of the latters life -
Lahore, 27 August,
1963
Development of minorities under the new Central govt
SPECIAL REPORT The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 13 www.milligazette.com
New Delhi: Universal Knowledge Trust, All India
Educational Movement and Islamic Relief India
jointly organized a consultation here on 19 June.
The topic was Development of Minorities:
Policies, Priorities and Future Needs - An Agenda
for the New Government for preparing a mem-
orandum to be presented to the new government
for the development of minorities.
Around 50 leading activists and represen-
tatives of NGOs and community leaders came
together to discuss policies, priorities and
future needs of Muslims and other minorities.
They agreed on recommendations based on
five broad areas of development, namely con-
fidence-building, education, economic
advancement, health & sanitation and justice &
security.
While speaking on the occasion, the famous
peace activist and director of the Centre for
Equality Studies, Harsh Mandar, contended that
where there is change there is challenge as well
as opportunity and the recent political change in
the country should be addressed in this spirit. He
hoped that the civil society will become more
active for meeting the future challenges and har-
nessing the arising opportunities.
Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, President of All India
Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, remarked that in a
democracy, political change cannot always be of
ones own liking but people should not build up
negative or reactive feelings on such unexpected
outcomes and they should better think and act
for facing a situation in the best possible way. He
commented that all government measures are
subjected to the scrutiny of public, media, judi-
ciary and international community and things
cannot be pushed at someones will. He
appealed that objectives of minorities should be
perused without taking recourse to any con-
frontational approach.
Distinguished human rights activist and
director of National Foundation of India, Amitabh
Behr, said in his presidential remarks that in the
changed situation peoples aspirations should be
redrawn on the basis of constitutional obliga-
tions, citizenship rights and cross-sectional sol-
idarity on issues affecting public life. He
remarked that the civil society has failed in tak-
ing note of Muslims aspirations and needs in
their overall activities and also in coming closer
to the NGSs working for the uplift and welfare of
the community. He said time has come to
address this lapse.
Key speaker of the consultation, Suhas
Chako, director of Asian Centre for Human
Rights, said that the present world has a
greater international connectivity for par ticipa-
tion on issues affecting humanity at large. He
lamented that there is a dear th of representa-
tion of Indian minorities in international
forums. He appealed to the Muslim civil soci-
ety to come forward and express itself in the
national, regional and international forums in
an effective way.
The vice-president of All India Educational
Movement, Syed Mansoor Agha stressed on the
need for unified efforts in achieving targets of the
prevailing affirmative action in the country and
the civil society organizations targeting the bet-
terment of Muslims and other minorities should
try to avail the maximum out of what the present
system offers.
In his introductory remarks Akmal Shareef,
the mission head of Islamic Relief India, said that
in spite of some apprehensions, the mandate on
development and good governance opens
many windows of opportunity for the civil soci-
ety and marginalized people to demand their
rights, build pressure and remain watchful on the
performance of the government. It also gives the
ruling party an opportunity to allay some long
drawn fears of a few sections of the country
including Muslims.
At the beginning of the consultation Jawed
Ahmad Khan of the Centre for Budget
Accountability and Governance explained the
Policies and Development Deficit of the pre-
vious governments and pointed out gaps in
the design, resources needs and performance
as regards various central schemes. He said
that the affirmative action for alleviating diffi-
culties of minorities, particularly Muslims,
should be updated to make it at par with the
schemes undertaken for ameliorating the
backwardness of Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes in terms of design,
resources and accountability.
A presentation by Abdul Rashid Agwan, the
president of Universal Knowledge Trust, on
Priorities and Future Needs categorized future
needs of minorities under five heads and pin-
pointed desired measures under each category.
His presentation was taken up again in the con-
cluding session for a discussion led by Aftab
Mohammad, the national manager of child pro-
tection of Save the Children, for finalization of
recommendations to the government. It was
agreed by the participants that the final daft
based on the agreed suggestions will be circulat-
ed among them and after revising it in the light of
their comments the document will be submitted
to the concerning authorities.
Other key contributors included Dr
Shabistan Ghaffar, the chairperson of All India
Confederation for Womens Empowerment
through Education (AICWETE), Abdul Rashid
former officer of Justice Rangnath Misra
Commission, Dr S.Q.R. Ilyas, general secre-
tary of Welfare Par ty of India, Advocate Aslam
Ahmad, the state president of SDPI,
Mamdooha Majid, member of All India Muslim
Personal Law Board, Salimullah Khan, nation-
al coordinator of Human Welfare Foundation
and others.
34 Muslims clear UPSC exams
The Union Public Service Commission on 12 June declared the results of the
Civil Service Examination 2013, naming 1,122 successful candidates including
34 Muslims who had cleared the prestigious examination to join premier civil
services including the Indian Administrative Service. Out of the 34, 13 ZFI fel-
lows have been selected in the UPSC civil services results. Among the top hun-
dred successful candidates are four Muslims. They are Faiz AQ Ahmed Mumta
(rank 17), Abid Husaain Sadique (rank 27), Md Musharraf Ali Farooqui (rank 80)
and Sana Akhter (rank 90).
Other Muslims who had cleared the prestigious examination to join pre-
mier civil services are Basheer A Bhatt (rank 189), Sheraz Danish Yar (rank
237), Shafeeq S (rank 250, Raja Yakoob Farooque (rank 274), Afshana
Perveen (rank 332), Danish Abdullah (rank 335), Mudassir Shafee (rank
418), Asim Anwer (rank 486), Mohammad Sujitha MS (rank 511), Raees
Akhter (rank 564), Mohammad Iqbal (rank 568), Fareha Ejaz (rank 574),
Aafaque Ahmed Giri (rank 585), Shakeel Maqbool (rank 633), Mohd Moeen
Aafaq (rank 649), Etesham Wakarib (rank 710), Sharif Rasheed (rank 715),
Owais Ahmed (rank 741), Qamruzzama Choudhary (rank 751), Raunak
Jameel (rank 763), Mohammad Saem (rank 775), Razique Fareed (rank
781), S. Fahad Ahmed Khan (rank 810), Nahas Ali (rank 851), Mohammad
Shahid Kamal Ansari (857), Babu Abdul Khadeer (rank 929), Anees C (rank
935), Mehtab Ahmed (rank 1003), Mohd Sarfaraz Aalam (rank 1016) and
Mohammad Ashraf JS (rank 1032). Religion of two successful candidates
Ruhi Dugg and Tarannum Verma could not be verified. Last year, 30
Muslims were among the successful candidates, four of them were among
top 100. The performance of successful Muslim candidates is almost same
in numbers if compared with the results of last few years. In 2009, a total
of 31 Muslims were in the list of 791 successful candidates. Though per-
centage wise it shows a marginal decline.
Mohammed Ashraf JS was student of Azhagiya Kadan IAS Academy
run by Chennai's Makkah Masjid in Anna Salai. Chief Imam Maulana S.
Shamsudeen Qasimi of the Makka Masjid, where the academy is housed on
3rd floor, said the idea for the institute stemmed from a realisation that polit-
ical mobilisation alone will not help the Muslim community forge ahead in
the society. The academy provides coaching, food, accommodation, books
and study materials to students free of cost. It spends more than Rs 40 lakh
per year to run the academy, and all funding comes from members of the
community.
Ten youth from Jammu and Kashmir figure in the list of successful can-
didates following the footsteps of Shah Faesal.
An Enchanting Shaam-e-Ghazal
with Radhika Chopra
Hamri attariya pe
aao sanvariya,
dekha dekhi balam
hoee jaae, Dr.
Radhika Chopra
started the pro-
gramme by singing
the famous Dadra
in Bhairvi style
paying tribute to
ghazal and thumri
queen, Begum
Akhtar on her
100th birth anniver-
sary. Music lovers
from Metropolitan
Washington came in large numbers to listen to the mesmerizing performance by famous Indian
ghazal singer Dr. Radhika Chopra at a Shaam-e-Ghazal programme organized by the Aligarh
Alumni Association (AAA) Washington DC on 30 May in Rockville, MD. A large number of dig-
nitaries and officials representing various Pakistani and Indian American community organiza-
tions in Metropolitan Washington area were in attendance.
Welcoming the artists and guests, the AAA president Dr. FazlurRahman Khan said that the
Associations mission has been to bring people of South Asia together and develop a sense of
community by organizing quality educational, cultural and literary programmes. This pro-
gramme is a series of events planned to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Association, he
added. He also apprised the audience about the scholarship programme of the Association
that provides financial support to deserving students.
Dr. Chopra was accompanied by artists Humayun Khan on harmonium, Haroon Alam Khan
on Tabla.
Radhika Chopra, with a golden voice, showed surprising level of stamina and endurance
during her three-hour-long performance and she showed no signs of fatigue or exhaustion or
even slowing down. She had specially chosen some new compositions for this performance.
The ones that stand out were composition by Ameer Khusrau, two ghazals of Faiz, and a clas-
sical ghazal of Qadeer Lackhnawi, originally sung by Begum Akhtar.
Chopra took the audience through the memory lane of yesteryears by singing Thumri,
Dadra, or songs sung by the golden voices of past including Surraiya, Geeta Dutt, Noor Jahan,
Jagjit Kaur, Mubarak Begum, Kundanlal Sehgal, Master Madan, and of course Begum Akhtar.
She displayed mastery over the audience, keeping them engaged and involved not only by the
magic of her singing, but also by her witty remarks and funny comments, displaying an unpre-
tentious sense of humor. She described how much admiration she had for Noor Jahan while
growing up in Jammu. In a very chaste Urdu, she traced transformation of Akhtari Bai Faizabadi
to Begum Akhtar--her real idol in classical style of ghazal singing. It is not very often that one
comes across a voice with soul and emotion with meticulous selection and flawless rendition of
the poetic words. She was at ease, whether singing classical poetry of Ghalib, Seemab, and
Momin, or of modern poets-- Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Sahir Ludhianvi. (Zafar Iqbal)
Y
u
s
u
f
/
M
G
AR Agwan speaking at the brain-storming meeting
ZFI fellows
s e l e c t e d
t h i s
year
Hope no one asks
us to climb these
steps
Truthfulness
Hardwork
Justice
Community service
Centre for information on admission in
Arjun Singh Learning Centre in JMI
New Delhi: An Information Centre for providing information about
admission in Arjun Singh Centre for Distance and Open Learning
and different courses to be taught was opened in Jamia Millia
Islamia. According to the Director of this Centre, Prof Mirza Tariq
Baig, it is planned to open its branches in different states of the
country. Dr Abid Husain, Assistant Director of this Centre further
said that 22 different programmes under this centre are already
going on and announcement for admission in these programmes
will be made in June. He said that most of the courses of arts,
science, commerce at graduation and post graduation level are
taught here and admission in all these courses is given to stu-
dents without any test. Among professional courses are B.Ed,
diploma in electronic engineering and electric power generation
but for admission in these courses, tests are conducted by
Jamia Millia Islamia University. He further said that study centres
have also been opened in all states and also in many districts
and hence it has now become very easy for students to take
admission in Arjun Singh Centre and information can be obtained
by interested students from their own states and districts.
Loan distribution through Maulana Azad Minority Corporation
Mumbai: Chairman of Maulana Azad Minority Financial
Corporation and Maharashtra MLA, Amin Patel said here on 29
May that under Direct Loan Scheme, in response to invitation for
applications about 60 thousand applications (60029 to be exact)
were received. Since last date for submission (or receipt) of
applications was 20 February but because of Lok Sabha elec-
tions, processing of these applications was delayed but now the
work of processing these application has been completed. He
said that in Maharashtra, provision of loans to youth or people
belonging to minority communities by Maulana Azad Minority
Financial Corporation on easy terms will start after a gap of three
years from 30 May and draw of lots from different districts will
be made on 30 May at Mumbais Zakaria Hall in Anjuman-e
Islam.
Muzaffarnagar riots: UPs refugee brides in the lurch
A large number of marriages were solemnised in refugee relief
camps between September and December last year. Intended to
bring relief to the riot-affected families, the Uttar Pradesh govern-
ments scheme providing Rs.1 lakh as financial assistance to the
women refugees getting married has turned into a bitter story for
many of them. A large number of marriages were solemnised in
over 20 refugee relief camps of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts
between September and December last year. If one goes by unof-
ficial estimates, out of the more than 400 marriages which took
place in the refugee camps in the presence of local government
officials, who handed over the amount to the newly-wed couples,
200 women have been divorced in less than one year.
Disillusioned, these women, who mostly come from extremely
poor families, have returned to their maternal homes. Chhoti Bano,
19, who was living in a relief camp of Shahpur, was forced by her
parents to marry another riot victim Mohammad Imran because
the government had announced the financial assistance scheme.
My husband was extremely sick at the time of marriage and his
family needed the money. My parents couldnt understand this at
that time. Then they began demanding more cash from my par-
ents. They said Rs.1 lakh was given by the government and my
parents should also give them an equal amount. When I resisted,
my husband divorced me. There is a large number of girls in my
locality who met the same fate. But they are silent to protect the
honour of their families, she said. I had refused to get married
just because the government was giving money to us. But our eld-
ers started saying that I was turning rebellious against my parents.
So, I agreed (to get married). The result is before us, she added.
Same is the story of Sonia Bano of Shahpur, who was sent back
to her maternal home by her husband in February. They (her in-
laws) have got the money and so they dont need me now. May be
my husband will marry some other woman after taking dowry,
she said. Afsana Begum, whose marriage was solemnised with
one Shah Alam at the Fugana relief camp, was ill-treated and then
forced to leave by her in-laws. But this is not the only appease-
ment programme of CM Akhilesh Yadav that failed in Uttar
Pradesh. It is a widely known fact that the financial assistance of
Rs.5 lakh, which was meant for riot victims whose houses were
destroyed also did not benefit several of the targeted beneficiaries.
More than 2,000 riot refugees have claimed that the government
assistance was fraudulently received by others. (indiatoday.into-
day.in)
Bengali language courses popular in New York college
New York: Courses in Bengali language in New Yorks City
College are becoming popular where students are keenly reading
Rabindra Nath Tagores novels, short stories, poems etc. Bengali
language courses were started in this college recently. Head of
Foreign Languages and Literature of this College Carlos Rabobo
says that though there are a large number of Bengali speaking
people in this college but their needs were not met but now that
Bengali language courses have been started, fairly good enthu-
siasm is being seen in Bengali language courses. He said that
crores of people speak Bengali language in the world, adding that
after English, Spanish and Chinese, Bengali is the fourth most
important basic language. He said that students of graduation
can do a one-year Bengali language course in this college.
Representation of Muslims in police force worse than
SCs/STs
New Delhi: Many accusations were levelled against the
Congres-led UPA government, one of which is that during the
past 10 years it adopted a policy of appeasement of Muslims
because of which it had to pay a heavy price and was voted out
but the statistics and other facts given in 12th report of home
ministrys National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) tells a differ-
ent story. According to NCRBs repor t, whereas the representa-
tion of Muslims in the countrys total police force was 8.39 per-
cent in 2001, against 13.39% representation of SC and 8.05%
ST) ten years later i.e. in 2011 it was reduced to 6.52 percent.
Number or figures wise, according to NCRB, total number of
police force in 2001 was 12,33,157 in which the number of
Muslims was 1,03,545 (8.39%), number of scheduled caste
people was 1,65,187 (13.39%) and the number of scheduled
tribes people was 99,377 (8.05%). According to the same
source i.e. NCRB, 10 years later i.e. in the year 2011, the total
number of police force in the country increased to 16,60,151 of
which the number of Muslims (in 2011) was 1,08,389 (an
increase of about 5000 only), that of scheduled caste people
increased to 2,27,057 (i.e. an increase of 61,870) and that of
scheduled tribes people increased to 1,66,114 (an increase of
66,737 from 2001). Percentage wise, whereas the representa-
tion of SC people increased from 13.39 percent in 2001 to
13.67 per cent in 2011, that of ST people increased from 8.05
percent in 2001 to 10 percent in 2011, but the representation of
Muslims declined from 8.39 percent in 2001 to 6.52 percent in
2011.
Scholarships to Muslims on the model of SCs demanded
New Delhi: A meeting of educationists was held in the office of
Institute of Objective Studies (IOS), a Delhi-based think tank on
5 June in the background of union HRD minister Smriti Iranis
plan to review educational syllabus and to bring about reforms in
the workings of UGC and higher educational institutions in which
a demand was unanimously made that educational scholarships
to Muslims on the model of scheduled castes should be given so
that education could be promoted among them. It was also
decided in this meeting that keeping in mind educational prob-
lems of Muslims, emphasis should be laid on drawing up their
own agenda so that discussions could be held with HRD minis-
ter and the prime minister as to how the educational backward-
ness of Muslims could be removed. IOS chairmen, Dr Manzoor
Alam said that earlier when the NDA government was in power,
efforts were made to saffronise education. Initiating the discus-
sion, Prof Rafaqat Ali, noted historian and vice chairman of IOS
informed the audience how the NDA government had falsified
and distorted historical facts on different occasions, adding that
there is a group in the Congress also which was in favour of
Hindu orthodox views. Former AMU Vice Chancellor Prof PK
Abdul Azis suggested that our leaders and organisations should
devise a system under which students education in schools
could be ensured because these children no doubt get admitted
in schools but subsequently they become absentees and the
drop-out rate among them increases which must be discouraged
or stopped. He said the government cannot do us any harm
because protection is ensured to us through different laws.
Those who expressed their views in this meeting included Prof
Manzoor Ahmad, Vice Chancellor of Subharti University, Faizan
Mustafa, VC of National Law University; Prof Shamim Ansari,
Director of Centre for Promotion of Education and Cultural
Advancement of Muslims of India; Prof Afzal Wani of Guru
Gobind Singh Indraprastha Universitys Department of Law; Prof
Mohsin Usmani, former Dean of English and Foreign Languages
University, Hyderabad, scientist Dr Anjum Zahoor, P. A. Inamdar
and others.
Quran being inscribed on wood to be the biggest in the world
Amman (Jordan): A resident of Syria had started inscribing The
Holy Quran on wood and planned to make the biggest and heav-
iest Quran in the world, is estimated to cost 1.12 million Dollar
and its weight is estimated to be 33 tonnes. The Syrian, named
Raeef Nawad Madni started this work in 2005 but because of
the internal war raging there he faced difficulties in carrying out
his work, so he fled his country and went to Jordan. There he
had planned to give up his idea of inscribing the Quran on wood
but after meeting a local carpenter there who encouraged him to
continue and complete his work, he resumed his work in the car-
penters workshop. Madni says that he is inscribing the words of
the Quran on wood and it takes him a week to prepare one page
of this Quran.
Hate speeches triggered Assam violence: report
A fact-finding report on the recent violence in Baksa in Assam,
released by the Centre for Policy Analysis on Wednesday, has
blamed hate speeches by leaders for igniting up ethnic tensions
in the State. On April 30, six days after the polling, Pramila Rani
Brahma, an MLA from the ruling Bodoland Political Front party,
made a statement that the BPF would find it hard to win these Lok
Sabha elections as Muslims of the Bodoland Territorial
Autonomous Districts (BTAD) had not voted for its candidate. She
has, however, denied this, says the report.
It also points out an election speech by BJP prime ministerial
candidate Narendra Modi in Dhemaji, alleging a conspiracy to
eliminate the endangered rhinoceros in Assam to make way for
Bangladeshi settlers.
Based on the report, the CPA has recommended a series of
measures, including the appointment of a judicial commission for
a time-bound probe, to ensure security and rehabilitation of the
victims. The report quotes the victims as saying that among the
attackers were surrendered militants who had been appointed by
the BTAD as local forest guards. The local security personnel also
confirmed that some of the bullets on the victims bodies were
from official forest rifles and others from automatic weapons, the
report says, alleging that the names of the accused had not been
included in the FIRs.
The report recounts previous instances of violence fuelled by eth-
nic and religious hostilities since the 1979 anti-foreigners agitation
in Assam in February 1983 and 1987. The situation changed drasti-
cally in 1993 when the government signed the Bodo accord. In 1993,
Bengali Muslims were killed and their homes looted and burnt, says
the report, adding that similar attacks happened in 2000 and in 2012.
Revisit Bodo accord: Citing the continual violence, the organisa-
tion has recommended that the Bodoland Accord be re-visited as
it has become a divisive instrument. It also wants statements of
the victims recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure
Code and all persons named arrested. There must be a time-
bound programme to confiscate all illegal weapons in the area,
says the report. (thehindu.com)
New Delhi: More than 180 mosques of Delhi, which is the capital
of a county known for its multi religious, multi-cultural, multilin-
gual and composite Ganga-Jamuni civilization, which are under
the control of ASI are closed for their main objectives i.e. Namaz
but strangely enough, open for vagabonds, unsocial elements
and their criminal and immoral activities like gambling, debauch-
ery, drinking, taking drugs, adultery etc. These mosques are also
for yoga lessons and practices, tourism etc. All these mosques
are under the control of ASI but since most of them are unlocked,
these serve as refuge for stray animals also. Some of the impor-
tant mosques among these are the one at Safdarjung Tomb,
Begumpur mosque of Malviya Nagar, Masjid Dholian at
Panchkunyyan Road, those in Hauz Khas Village and inside the
adjacent Dear Park, at Khirki village (which at one time had 15 or
16 domes), the mosque inside Purana Qila, those at the main
road in front of Delhi Zoological Park (Chidya Ghar) known as
Khairul Manazil Mosque, inside Lodhi Garden, Siri Fort, Golf
Course, Kotla Mubarakpur, Dhaula Kuan mosque, Firoz Shah
Tughlaq Masjid etc.
When these things were brought to the notice of an ASI offi-
cial, he said on the condition of anonymity that ASI is fully aware
of all these things and what activities are going on in these
mosques but requested not to talk of these things and better keep
silent on these. He also said that Namaz in these mosques are not
allowed because these (Namaz) will endanger these mosques,
though he did not say any thing about the criminal and unsocial
elements who haunt these mosques and indulge in criminal and
immoral activities, as if these will not endanger these mosques.
This is something beyond comprehension.
Maulana Arshad Madni, President of Jamiatul Ulama-e Hind is
said to be trying since long for these mosques, which are under the
control of ASI, to be opened for Namaz. After meeting many con-
cerned officials in different ministries he had also succeeded in get-
ting the ban on offering Namaz in these mosques removed and these
mosques to be opened for Namaz. He had also filed an affidavit
which stated that the responsibility of maintaining all these 182
mosques will be of Jamiatul Ulama and salaries of Imams and
Muazzins etc will also be payable by Jamiatul Ulama. The concerned
authorities and departments like the former prime minister, home
ministry, ASI, ministry of tourism, National Minorities Commisison
etc had also agreed to it but because of the recent Parliamentary
elections and callous attitude of bureaucrats, noting could be done.
Now that the elections are over, Jamiatul Ulama chief should renew
his efforts with the new government. (N. A. Ansari)
Delhis 182 mosques banned for Namaz but open for
vagabonds and immoral activities
14 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 COMMUNITY NEWS www.milligazette.com
PHOTO: NAEEM ANSARI
Relatives going to meet their displaced relatives
Two non-Muslims selling cow meat arrested
Moradabad (UP): Two persons who used to slaughter cows
secretly and sell its meat, who absconded when the police was
alerted, were arrested by police and sent to jail. Surprisingly these
two persons were found to be non-Muslims but they used to sell
the meat illegally disguised as Muslims but when they were
arrested and their true identity known, those who had been in the
fore front in the campaign against cow slaughter and sale of its
meat were stunned because they and others like them were con-
vinced that only Muslims slaughter cows and sell and consume
their meat secretly. In any case, after their arrest it is hoped that
the communal tension prevailing in this town will be reduced at
least to some extent. It may be stated that in Jagatpuri mohallah
of this town illegal sale of cow meat was going on secretly. One
night Hindu organisations who had been campaigning against this
lost their patience and thinking that this must be going on with the
connivance and complicity of police, raided the local police sta-
tion and demonstrated against it. After coming to know about this,
the two concerned persons, named Rajpal of Murad Nagar and
Akal Kumar of Hapud who was also a contractor, fled. They were
however arrested soon and sent to jail. According to Kotwali
Incahrge of Murad Nagar, Deepak Sharma both these persons dis-
guised themselves as Muslims used to slaughter cows in the for-
est and used to sell its meat in different mohallas. The meat
recovered from them has been sent by the police for testing.
Bachelor of Vocation approved for Hamidia Girls College
Allahabad: University Grants Commission, in appreciation of the
good performance of Hamidia Girls Degree College, Allahabad
has approved Bachelor of Vocation course to it, with effect from
the next academic year 2014-15. Under this course, approval
has been given for teaching of two trades, one journalism and
mass communication, two fashion designing and embroidery
course. Though many professional courses are already being
taught, this course is in itself a complete 3-year degree course
for which, under Government of Indias order UGC has sent
communication under Plan X-II. It is worth mentioning in this
connection that for this course UGCs letter was received in the
college on 9 April, though last date for submission of form was
15 April. Hence in such a short period the College Principal Dr
Rehana Tariq and teaching staff working on war footing sent the
draft proposal on 15 April 2014 under speed post to UGC
experts. There were 338 proposals of which 92 were approved.
UPs 3 colleges were given this facility which included Hamidia
Girls Degree College, Allahabad, and two other colleges of
Lucknow and Varanasi. College Principal Dr Rehana Tariq who is
always keen to make girl students self dependent and also for
providing them with service opportunities for better careers,
works hard towards these objectives. Finally her efforts bore
fruit and UGC approved Bachelor of Vocation course for this
College. It may be stated in this connection that Bachelor of
Vocation course is not only for associating Indias educational
standard with employment but is also a plan of the Indian gov-
ernment to prepare an efficient team of Indian youth which may
bring Indian economy up to world standards by 2022 so that
necessary skilled persons could be made available to meet the
demands of skilled persons for Indian industries and at the same
time employments could be provided to the increasing number
of youths. A special feature of this programme is that there is
provision of multi exit in it i.e. if a student wants to leave this
course after only one year (the course being of 3 years), he will
be given a diploma, advance diploma on completion of two
years and Bachelor of Vocation Degree on completion of 3
years. This will ensure a bright future and make students, not
only belonging to minority community but to all students, self
dependent.
Muzaffarnagar riot victims told to leave camps within 3 days
Muzaffarnagar/Shamli: Muzaffarnagar riot victims were told in
the evening of 14 June to vacate their camps within three
days. District officials told them that they cannot be allowed to
stay on government land. Shamlis sub-divisional magistrate
Suresh Kumar Mishra appealed to the refugees to return to
their native villages. An estimated 15,000 uprooted people are
still living in camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts
since early September last year. Originally there were about
one lakh refugees who had taken shelter on forest land in these
two districts after fleeing from violence of Hindutva goons.
Later about half of them returned to their villages while some
went to live with their relatives or bought land or rented hous-
es in the area. Those who still live in the camps are the most
disadvantaged and poor. Some refugees have been accommo-
dated in small housing projects built by Muslim organisations
on private land in the area. Most of these refugee camps are
located at Malakpura, Narpur Khurgan, Akbarpur and Sunethi
villages in Shamli district. Upset, the victims who lost most of
their possessions during the riots, said they have nowhere to
go. Said Usman Miyan of Bibipur camp, We cannot go back
to the village as there is no security for us. The government
cannot do this to us. Where will we go now? Shabbir of the
same camp added, Hundreds of families are living in these
camps. They have lost their homes and fields. There is noth-
ing left for them to go back to. Some like Dilshad, president
of the committee at Malakpura camp where around 300 fami-
lies are residing, accepted that we cannot stay in the camps
forever. I have around 25 bighas of land which I am willing to
donate and there are lots of organizations which are willing to
erect homes for the displaced. We have plans to allocate 50 sq
yard of land to each family. Allahs willing, the work will star t
soon. The authorities are since gradually uprooting camps
star ting with the Rotan camp which was destroyed on
15 June.
Akal Takht chief releases book on Prophet Muhammad
Malerkotla (Punjab): Giving a strong message to communal ele-
ments, head priest of the highest seat of Sikh religion, Akal Takht
Sahib, Giani Gurbachan Singh said here that a true religious per-
son never believes in hurting the religious sentiments of other
individuals or groups. The head priest, who is known as Singh
Saheb, was speaking at the release of a book on the life of
Prophet Muhammad in Punjabi language here.
Giving various examples of significant Sikh-Muslim relations
and unity, he stated that selfless service to humanity is the right
way to get the blessing of the Almighty.
The book, Hazrat Muhammad (s) - Itihas Nirmata, is written
by the Punjabi writer Noor Mohammad Noor.
Noted Muslim scholar Mufti Fuzailur Rahman Hilal Usmani,
while speaking on the occasion, stressed on the availability of reli-
gious literature in different languages and said that it is a basic
right of human beings to access these literatures in their mother
tongues. He said that the Punjabi community has a shortage of
Islamic books in Punjabi language. Usmani, who is also a found-
ing member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, explained the
basic concept of Islam and prophethood. The function was
organized by Punjabi Sahitak Parivar, a literary forum. (indiatomor-
row.net)
First welfare scheme for minority students in Modi government
New Delhi: The new government at the centre headed by Modi,
like the governments in previous years, has invited applications
from students belonging to minority communities for educational
scholarships. These schemes by previous governments were not
only for Muslims but for all minority communities but whereas
other minority communities derived advantages from these
schemes, Muslims could not derive much benefit from these
schemes because of their ignorance about these schemes. This
year, these schemes for different types of scholarships were pub-
lished in different newspapers on 31 May. Muslim students and
their parents should take the opportunity early, of taking advan-
tages of these schemes. According to Delhi government, this year
also applications have been invited under scholarship scheme,
tuition fee scheme and stationery scheme. Last date for receipt of
applications is 31 August 2014. According to Manzar Ali Khan,
Coordinator of NCMEI (National Commission for Minorities
Educational Institutions) these schemes are for students of private
schools which are approved or recognised by government where-
as students of government schools already enjoy these benefits.
Last year this scheme was advertised in only one Urdu newspa-
per. Those who took advantage of this schemes after going
through the advertisement in this newspaper and filled up and
submitted forms, got their tuition fees back. Students should
know that these schemes are for students from 1st to 12th class.
Second scheme is a merit scholarship, under which students get
scholarships ranging from Rs 1000 to 3000. For this, attendance
(in class) has to be 70 percent and aggregate marks should be 50
percent. Income certificate of parents should also be submitted
along with the applications. Third scheme is for stationery, under
which students get Rs 1000 to 2000. Conditions for this scheme
also are the same as for other scholarship schemes. For all these
three schemes (scholarship, tuition fee and stationery) students
must have their own bank accounts. If, however, the student /
child is too small, joint account (i.e. his own as well as of his
guardian or parent) will do.
First Urdu IAS Study Centre to be set up by UP govt
Deoband: UP Urdu Academys Chairman Dr. Nawaz Deobandi
said while talking to media persons here on 7 June that we do
not want Urdu Academy to be confined to poets, litterateurs
and literary activities only but students and younger genera-
tions should also be associated with it to make it broad based
and more useful to meet the demands of modern times. For
this purpose UP government has decided to set up in cooper-
ation with UP Urdu Academy, countrys first Urdu IAS Study
Centre so that Urdu knowing people and promising students
from any par t of the country could get an oppor tunity to be
trained and become IAS and IPS officers. He said that the
jurisdiction of this Study Centre will not be confined to UP only
but will spread to the whole country so that students and aspi-
rants from other states could come and seek admission in this
Centre for coaching and training. He said that so far Urdu was
being treated and considered an unnecessary subject for com-
petitive examinations but the fact is that students can do all
courses through Urdu which are being done in other lan-
guages. He urged Urdu knowing boy and girl students to come
out of the feeling of inferiority complex and demonstrate their
capabilities and faculties in practical life and then only the right
of this language can be given to it. He fur ther said that stu-
dents passing out from madrasas will also be associated with
this Study Centre and those who are graduates can very well
benefit from this. He said that our effor ts will be to provide all
facilities, which are till now being denied, to students and peo-
ple who are working for promoting Urdu. In reply to a question
about job oppor tunities through Urdu he said that through this
Study Centre Urdu knowing people will get oppor tunities of
employment and set examples for others who are having a
sense of despondency over employment through Urdu.
Lucknow: Rihai Manch, the forum to seek
release of innocent terror-accused in jails, held
a press conference here at the UP Press Club
on 18 June to protest against the continued
harassment of the acquitted youth by intelli-
gence and security agencies. One such acquit-
ted youth, Ziauddin of Cikmandi said that two
days ago two motorcycle riders accosted him
in his locality and told him you have escaped
prison but you will not escape us. They told
him showing him their pistol, tell your friends
not to try to get released and tell your dad
[Advocate] Shoaib how long and how many he
can get released.
He said, he approached Wazirganj police
station but the in-charge there refused to register
his complaint. Thereafter he sent complaints to
the Chief Minister and DGP but there is not
acknowledgment of his complaint.
Chairman of Rihai Manch, Adv. Mohammad
Shoaib said that the communal, religious and regional chauvinism
created by the Superintendent of the Lucknow Jail, Keshav Yadav,
points to a serious conspiracy. He uses the name of I.G. Jagmohan
Yadav to spread his terror. He said government is not taking this
seriously and the result is that secret agencies got Khalid Mujahid
killed on 18 May last year.
He said the jail authorities are trying to create tension between
Indian and Pakistani detainees which could lead to some untoward
incidents inside the jail. Speaking at the press conference, former
VC of Lucknow University Rooprekha Varma said that while Mohsin
Shaikh was murdered in Pune amid communal tension, secret
agencies are trying to pressurize social organizations raising their
voice against communal and so-called economic reform policies but
no one should think that the masses will stop raising these issues.
Former IG Police S.Darapuri said that innocents are rotting in jails
because of the weak government which is unable to withstand the
pressure of secret agencies. He said terror-accused are denied jus-
tice because of the dishonest probe by the investigative agencies.
He said these agencies working in tandem with communal forces
keep the terror politics alive and thereby they want to keep the
masses busy away from their basic issues. Citing the example of
Pune, Mewat and Muzaffarnagar, senior social activist Rakesh said
that after the formation of the new government, communal tension
is spreading all over the country. He said, this is the Gujarat model
of Modi. He said it is possible only under this model that we see the
photographs of blasts accused with those who are ruling today and
these photographs have been published by the media. It will not be
surprising if such people are released and attempts made to show
that they are actually defenders of the country.
Professor Muhammad Sulaiman, national president of the
Indian National League said that had the state government taken
action against the officers named by Nimesh commission, security
and intelligence agencies would have stopped their games and this
is why Khalid Mujahid was murdered last year.
Citizens Council leader, Ramakrishna said Adv. Shoaib has
been threatened earlier and four years ago another lawyer defend-
ing the innocents, Shahid Azmi, was murdered in Mumbai. Yet the
fight for justice did not stop. He said security and intelligence agen-
cies should know that dozens of IPS rank. Gujarat officers are
behind bars by the efforts of late Mukul Sinha who raised the flag of
justice high in the country.
Protest by Rihai Manch in Lucknow
COMMUNITY NEWS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 15 www.milligazette.com
Akal Takht cheif Giani Gurbachan Singh - 5th from the left-
releasing the book on Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
Prof. Roop Rekha speaking at the Rihai Manch press conference
Nearly 95 per cent of terrorist arrests have been the result of FBI
foiling its own entrapment plots as a part of the so-called post-
9/11 War on Terror, a new study revealed.
According to thereport entitled 'Inventing Terrorists: The
Lawfare of Preemptive Prosecution', the majority of arrests
involved the unjust prosecution of targeted Muslim Americans.
The 175-page study by Muslim advocacy group SALAM ana-
lyzes 399 individuals in cases included on the list of the US
Department of Justice from 2001 to 2010.
"According to this study's classification, the number of pre-
emptive prosecution cases is 289 out of 399, or 72.4 percent.
The number of elements of preemptive prosecution cases is 87
out of 399, or 21.8 percent. Combining preemptive prosecution
cases and elements of preemptive prosecution cases, the total
number of such cases on the DOJ list is 376, or 94.2 percent,"
the report concluded.
The authors define 'preemptive prosecution' as "a law
enforcement strategy adopted after 9/11, to target and prosecute
individuals or organizations whose beliefs, ideology, or religious
affiliations raise security concerns for the government."
Nearly 25 percent of cases (99 of 399) contained material
support charges. Another almost 30 per cent of cases consisted
of conspiracy charges. More than 17 per cent of the analyzed
cases (71 of 399 cases) involved sting operations. Over 16 per-
cent of cases (65 of 399 cases) included false statement or per-
jury charges, and around six percent of cases involved immigra-
tion-related charges.
According to the report, since 9/11 only 11 cases posed
"potentially significant" threat to the United States. "Only three
were successful (the [Tamerlan and Dzhokhar] Tsarnaev brothers
and Major Nidal Hasan), accounting for 17 deaths and several
hundred injuries," the paper says.
One of the FBI's strategies involved "using agents provocateur
to actively entrap targets in criminal plots manufactured and con-
trolled by the government."
"The government uses agents provocateur to target individu-
als who express dissident ideologies and then provides those
provocateurs 25 with fake (harmless) missiles, bombs, guns,
money, encouragement, friendship, and the technical and strate-
gic planning necessary to see if the targeted individual can be
manipulated into planning violent or criminal action," the report
concluded.
The government could also choose to use "minor 'technical'
crimes," such as errors on immigration forms, an alleged false
statement to a government official, gun possession, tax or finan-
cial issues, etc., to go after someone for their "ideology."
"What they were trying to
do is to convince the American
public that there is this large
army of potential terrorists that
they should all be very-very
scared about. They are very
much engaged in world-wide
surveillance and this surveil-
lance is very valuable to them.
They can learn a lot about all
sorts of things and in a sense
control issues to their advan-
tage," Steven Downs, an attorney for Project SALAM, which
issued the report, told RT. "And the entire legal justification for that
depends on there being a war on terror. Without a war on terror
they have no right to do this. So they have to keep this war on ter-
ror going, they have to keep finding people and arresting them and
locking them up and scarring everybody."
In the conclusion, authors of the report offered the US gov-
ernment several recommendations that the DOJ "should employ"
to change the present unfair terrorism laws. A total seven recom-
mendations call on the US government to accurately identify peo-
ple who offer material support for terrorism, strengthening the
"entrapment" defense in the courts; abolish "terror-enhanced sen-
tencing" that triples or quadruples jail time in cases linked to ter-
rorist acts; disallow secret court proceedings, and immediately
notifying defendants if any evidence in their case is derived from
secret surveillance. (rt.com)
16 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 INTERNATIONAL www.milligazette.com
Inventing terrorists: new study
"The government uses agents provocateur to target individuals who
express dissident ideologies and then provides those provocateurs 25
with fake (harmless) missiles, bombs, guns, money, encouragement,
friendship, and the technical and strategic planning necessary to see if
the targeted individual can be manipulated into planning violent or crimi-
nal action," the report concluded...The government could also choose to
use "minor 'technical' crimes," such as errors on immigration forms, an
alleged false statement to a government official, gun possession, tax or
financial issues, etc., to go after someone for their "ideology."
Israel-Palestine talks
were set up to fail
ALAIN GRESH
"The negotiations had to start with a decision to freeze settlement
construction. We thought that we couldn't achieve that because of
the current makeup of the Israeli government, so we gave up," a
senior official in the Obama administration told Nahum Barnea of
the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot about the failure of the Israeli-
Palestinian negotiations. (He asked to remain anonymous.) "We
didn't realise Netanyahu was using the announcements of tenders
for settlement construction as a way to ensure the survival of his
own government. We didn't realise continuing construction
allowed ministers in his government to very effectively sabotage
the success of the talks. ... Only now, after talks blew up, did we
learn that this [the building of 14,000 dwellings] is also about
expropriating land on a large scale."
When asked if he was surprised to discover the Israelis didn't
really care what happened in the negotiations, he replied: "It sur-
prised us all along the way. When [Moshe] Yaalon, your defence
minister, said that the only thing [US Secretary of State John]
Kerry wants is to win a Nobel Prize, the insult was great. We were
doing this for you and for the Palestinians."
Though all Barnea's sources are anonymous, he had access
to all US officials, and especially to Martin Indyk, President Barack
Obama's special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The
main argument can be summed up as "we [the US] did not know".
They didn't know what settlement meant; they didn't know that the
Israeli government was not interested in negotiating.
Is that credible? How, after being involved in the "peace
process" for four decades, could the US, Israel's main ally, not
know? Is it possible that Kerry can have devoted so much energy
to resolving this conflict - flying to the Middle East so many times,
holding hundreds of hours of talks, telephone conversations and
video conferences, and meeting most of the region's leaders one-
to-one - and have discovered only at this stage that the Israelis
were not interested in the negotiations? The Oslo process has
been dead and buried for more than a decade. More than 350,000
Israelis have settled in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since
1993. And Washington still hasn't understood?
'You just don't see us': What is going on in John Kerry's mind?
Why does he keep persevering in the face of failure? Did he real-
ly not know? The reality is that Kerry and Obama, and all their
predecessors, have espoused Israel's views so closely they are
unable to see the truth, and cannot understand the Palestinians'
point of view. Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, told the
Israelis: "You just don't see us; we are like ghosts to you". His
remark applies equally well to the Americans. The US and Israel
alike are working to an old principle: "What's mine is mine; what's
yours is negotiable." Israel sees the territories it conquered in
1967 as "contested territories", and all the Palestinians' rights as
negotiable, whether they relate to East Jerusalem, the settled ter-
ritories, security, refugees or water. It's the occupied nation that
has to make concessions, not the occupier. So when Israel agrees
to give back 40% of the West Bank, it is able to declare it is mak-
ing a painful concession that undermines its security and the
rights of the "Jewish people" to Eretz Israel, the land of Israel.
This stance allows the Israelis to pile up obstacles. They
demand one concession after another, and none of them is ever
enough. If the Palestinians recognise the state of Israel (though
Israel does not recognise Palestine), they must also recognise its
Jewish character - something Israel has never asked Egypt or
Jordan to do, or the Palestinians during Binyamin Netanyahu's first
term as prime minister (1996-99).
This time, Israel's arrogant intransigence has drawn an irrita-
ble response from the Americans. Obama, among others, has said
that the only alternative to the two-state solution is a single state
in historical Palestine. Kerry warned of the danger of creating an
"apartheid" system - though he has now retracted his words.
Abbas's advances: The US was initially pleased with the progress
of the negotiations, which started in July 2013 and were sched-
uled to last nine months. The Palestinian Authority made a num-
ber of concessions on international legality: the demilitarisation of
the future Palestinian state; an Israeli military presence on the
Jordan for a period of five years, to be replaced by a US one; the
transfer of the Jerusalem settlements to Israeli sovereignty; an
exchange of territories that would allow 80% of the West Bank set-
tlers to be integrated into the Israeli state; and, finally, the return of
the Palestinian refugees being conditional on Israel's agreement.
No Palestinian leader has ever made as many concessions as
Abbas, and it's unlikely that any Palestinian leader will in the
future.
Israel's response to all these advances (or steps backward)
was a resounding "No!" As one of Nahum Barnea's US sources
explained, "Israel presented its security needs in the West Bank: it
demanded complete control over the territories. [The US never
says 'occupied territories', in spite of UN Security Council resolu-
tion 242 of November 1967.] This told the Palestinians that ...
[Israel's] control of the West Bank would continue for ever." Yet
security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority
has never been so close, Israel's security never so assured - at the
expense of the Palestinians, who are caged in by the division of
territories, humiliated by incessant checks and regularly shot in
the West Bank and Gaza; 36 Palestinians were killed in 2013, three
times more than the previous year, according to human rights
organisation Btselem.
A few weeks before the 29 April deadline, it became clear that
Netanyahu was only playing for time. He began by going back on
his promise to free a fourth group of Palestinians who had been in
prison since before 1993. The Palestinian Authority responded by
ratifying a number of international treaties - notably the Geneva
conventions governing the obligations on occupying powers,
which the Israeli government has flouted since 1967. But the PA
has, for the moment, refrained from ratifying the treaty establish-
ing the International Criminal Court (ICC), which would make it
possible to try Israeli leaders for war crimes and crimes against
humanity. The ICC regards settlement in an occupied territory as
a war crime.
When the Israeli government confirmed its intention of pro-
longing its control of the West Bank "for ever and ever" (Book of
Daniel, 7:18), President Mahmoud Abbas, unpopular and facing
strong opposition from within Fatah, decided it was time to end
the division that has been weakening the Palestinian cause since
2007. The conditions were ripe on both sides. Hamas rallied to the
idea, weakened by the joint blockade by Israel and the new
Egyptian government; by the violent anti-Palestinian campaign
orchestrated by Cairo; and facing opposition from more radical
organisations within Palestine, notably Islamic Jihad and groups
claiming affiliation with Al-Qaida.
Palestinian unity?: On 23 April an agreement was signed for the
establishment of a government of "technocrats", to be headed by
Abbas, and the holding of legislative and presidential elections
within six months. The Palestine Liberation Organisation is also
due to hold internal elections and admit Hamas, which has never
been a member. The agreement conforms to the one signed in
Cairo in 2011 and confirmed at Doha in 2012 but never imple-
mented. It raised no strong objections in Washington and was
hailed by the EU, but Israel used it as a pretext to break off nego-
tiations that had, in any case, reached an impasse. "[Abbas] must
choose. Does he want reconciliation with Hamas, or peace with
Israel?" declared Netanyahu, who, over the preceding months had
questioned Abbas's "representativeness", on the grounds that he
did not control Gaza. Abbas replied that the future government
would be made up of technocrats and independents: "[The
Israelis] said: Does the government recognise Israel? I said: Of
course. Does it renounce terrorism? Of course. Does it recognise
international legitimacy? Of course".
One could ask the same questions of Netanyahu and his gov-
ernment coalition, and of the fascist parties it includes, such as
Naftali Bennett's Jewish Home, which has 12 members in the
Knesset (out of 120). Do they recognise an independent
Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, or the UN resolutions?
Of course not. But the prolonged suspension of the negotiations
puts both the US and Israel at a disadvantage: "There's a bigger
problem threatening Israel in the immediate future. This is a very
concrete threat. If Israel tries to impose economic sanctions on
the Palestinians, it could boomerang," a senior US official told
Nahum Barnea. "There's great potential for deterioration here,
which could end with the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli soldiers will have to administer the lives of 2.5 million
Palestinians, to their mothers' chagrin. The donating countries will
stop paying up, and the bill of $3bn a year will have to be paid by
your finance ministry".
Moreover, as long as the "peace process" continues, calls for
boycotts and sanctions against Israel are less credible (see The
power to shun). It's no accident that the German government
decided, after the talks were suspended, not to subsidise Israel's
purchase of German nuclear submarines, which will cost Israeli
taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars (7). And the EU, after so
much procrastination and so much pandering to Israel, could
impose sanctions.
One thing will never change: no matter how many violations
of international law it commits, the US will stand firm behind
Israel. As Martin Indyk said recently, "The US-Israel relationship
has also changed in quite dramatic ways [since the October 1973
war]. Only those who know it from the inside - as I have had the
privilege to do - can testify to how deep and strong are the ties that
now bind our two nations. When President Obama speaks with
justifiable pride about those bonds as 'unbreakable', he means
what he says. And he knows of what he speaks" (8). Indyk
explained that, unlike after the October 1973 war, when US
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger negotiated an agreement
between Israel, and Syria and Egypt, Obama would never suspend
military relations with Tel Aviv as Richard Nixon did.
The US position still boils down to "A Palestinian state tomor-
row, but not today" (9). We must accept that Washington will not
bring about peace in the Middle East alone and without pressure.
There will have to be strong measures and sanctions against
Israel by states, and boycotts by civil society, before the
Palestinians are finally able to celebrate their own "next year in
Jerusalem". (Le Monde diplomatique)
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INTERNATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 17 www.milligazette.com
WILHELM LANGTHALER
ISIL's success is evident. In less than one week
they could conquer half of northern Iraq nearly
without combat. Large parts of the Sunni popula-
tion regard Baghdad's Shia government as their
prime foe. Actually it was a Sunni coalition which
pushed back the pro-Iranian regime, largely con-
gruent with the Iraqi resistance against the US
occupation ten years back.
1) Not only ISIL: Mosul and Tikrit could fall with-
out struggle a) because the Iraqi army was not
ready to fight and b) because the local population
did not mount any resistance or even supported
the insurgency. Otherwise it would be impossible
to take such large swaths of land with only sever-
al thousands of fighters without heavy equipment.
2) Old resistance and new popular uprising:
Which forces are involved? Beside the Jihadis
there is on one hand the old army and the Baath
party. Izzat al Duri, the highest ranking officer of
Saddam carrying on, serves as its symbolic fig-
ure. He is leading the Naqshbandiya order which
serves as an ideological shield bridging the gap
between Arab nationalism and Islamism. On the
other hand there are tribal structures which have
been regaining influence across some western
regions. Very important is Sheikh Harith al Dari,
chairman of the Ulama, who is strongly and mili-
tantly opposed to the Shiite regime. Within the
Sunni milieu there will be very few people not sup-
porting the uprising.
In a phone call on June 15, 2014, Awni al Kalemji,
the leader of the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance (IPA),
which at the time of the Iraqi resistance tried to
provide its political representation, called the cur-
rent events a "popular revolution". "Certainly there
are Islamists, but they are only one force among
many others. At the core stands the old Iraqi
army."
3) Maliki's responsibility: Maliki had been given
power by Washington in order to subdue the Iraqi
resistance - in connivance with Tehran. He built a
Shia sectarian system. He even liquidated the
Sahwa (Awakening) movement raised by the US
in order to integrate a section of the Sunnis (tribes,
militias, social elites) into the new regime or at
least pull them away from the resistance. The
recent protests of this very same milieu in the
Sunni cities of Ramadi and Falluja were repressed
by brute military force thus re-creating the coali-
tion of them with the Jihadis who largely took over
these places already before the northern advance.
The sectarian tensions cannot be blamed on one
side only. Both sides strongly contributed to drive
the communalist spiral, let alone the US.
4) Sectarian partition and the end of Sykes-
Picot: ISIL will not be able to advance further to
the South into areas populated by Shiite people.
Samarra, with its important Shia shrine, will
remain on the front line. Conversely, without mas-
sive foreign support the Shia regime will hardly be
able to re-conquer lost Sunni territories. The US,
however, will not dare to repeat its failed interven-
tion. Only Iran would be able to do so (maybe with
Washington's aerial support). But this would
prompt the response of the Arab Sunni regimes
which are already backing the Syrian insurgency.
In the context of the Syrian civil war and the con-
solidation of Kurdish power the borders carved out
by European imperialism after WWI are de facto
nullified, even if they might remain de jure in place.
Baghdad and the South will stay under control of
the Shia regime as it enjoys sufficient popular sup-
port within its constituencies. While the Maliki
government could change soon, the sectarian
political system as such seems to be more stable.
A continued sectarian mobilisation and confronta-
tion is to be expected which will lead to mas-
sacres, retaliation and displacements as had to be
experience in the civil war of 2006/7. Most impor-
tant will be the struggle for the control of the neu-
ralgic capital Baghdad, where Sunnis and Shias
have been living separated from one another
already since the last sectarian confrontation.
5) Inner-Sunni civil war: Like in Syria ISIL will try
to enforce its exclusive claim on power and cultur-
al rigidity, even if not immediately. Heavy
internecine conflicts are to be expected. Despite
the fact that the support for Jihadism has grown
within the population, Jihadis are structurally
unable to construct hegemony. And for state-
building they lack international support. Their "nat-
ural ally" Turkey does neither want to change bor-
ders and thus encourage Kurdish claims, nor will
the AKP dare to confront the US which fears ISIL's
further consolidation.
6) Impact on Syria: The Sunni uprising does not
only highlight the failure of Maliki's sectarian strat-
egy but also should be read as a further warning
by Assad. His regime happens to celebrate mili-
tary victories against the Jihadis fighting each
other and loosing ground also within their popular
constituencies. Assad's group in power believes
to be able to win with its hard-line military sectar-
ian approach. The Iraqi example proves then
wrong although it took half a decade to come to
the fore so clearly.
The Iraqi events also show the limits of the Iranian
strategy. Though they claim to lead the "axis of
resistance" against imperialism, they actually have
been building a Shiite axis. Here and there they
come into conflict with the west. But in other
places like Iraq they co-operate with imperialism.
Actually the Baghdad regime has been developed
based on an Iranian-American condominium
despite the global conflict between Washington
and Tehran also over Syria. (antiimperialista.org)
The Iraqi Resistances revenge
Iraq: Peoples
Revolution or Terrorist
Takeover?
Media propaganda and Maliki government claims
would like the world to believe that it is an ISIS
invasion of Iraq. The fact is that the rebellion is
indigenous spearheaded by over a dozen outfits of
which ISIS is only one and even ISIS is an Iraqi
organisation which later included Syria too in its
plans (Editor).
Below is a translation from almoslim.com [1] summarising some
guidelines that the Association of Muslim Scholars of Iraq [2] has
given to the rebels involved in liberating some northern areas of
Iraq. It is sad to see such a profound difference between the way
recent events have been reported in the western media com-
pared to those on the ground in Iraq. Just as we saw in Libya,
Syria, Egypt and Tunisia, the despotic regimes on their way out
always try and paint the average citizens that have been driven to
the point of overthrowing their oppressors, as terrorists.
This game-plan has been exacerbated by the fact that known
fanatic, heretical groups, such as ISIS (apparently created and
aided by Bashar al-Assad's regime to aid it against the Syrian
people [3]), have tried to hijack the revolution on the ground. As
a result, those with a taste for blood and warfare (or trying to grab
provocative headlines) have hastened to paint the initial revolution
of the common Iraqi people from all backgrounds [4], into some
kind of sectarian conflict between ISIS and Shi'ites.
These types of desperate propaganda tactics suggest that
these despotic regimes and their friends in western media and
political circles realise the importance of public opinion in the
21st century, where the Internet has somewhat democratised
news. Therefore, we hope that translating and spreading news
from independent sources on the ground will throw a spanner in
the gears of the unhinged warmongers [5] and those trying to
undermine or squash the people's resistance.
The Iraqi Association of Muslim Scholars' statement on the
Developments of the Iraqi Revolution.
The Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq has issued a
number of important guidelines to the Iraqi rebels in the Northern
provinces of Iraq, describing them as "heroes." These guidelines
seek to ensure the success of their revolution and to ensure its
protection against the continual malicious scheme that is being
plotted against them since early this year.
In the letter, the Association furthermore confirmed to the
Iraqi rebels that a successful revolution will indeed infuriate the
leaders of certain schemes that have caused Iraq to suffer during
recent years and who will conspire against the revolution by any
means necessary. Many media outlets have already shown com-
plicity in the propaganda campaign against revolution, distorting
its image since the very beginning.
The letter highlighted that gaining popular support is one of
the most important steps required to ensure the success of the
revolution. It should emphasise to Iraqis that it started for their
sake in order to end their subjugation. Neighbouring towns should
follow the example set by the liberated towns and understand that
people revolted against people they previously suppor ted
because of the latters' mistakes and due to the cunning of the
occupier.
It further stressed the need for the rebels to receive people
with open arms, to address their concerns, not to react to the
smallest of provocations, not to meddle in people's livelihood as
much as possible and avoid all matters that will reflect negatively
on the revolution and its support base.
The association also called on the rebels to provide security
and assurance to the people of Nineveh and Salahuddin, two
areas that have so far been liberated from the forces of the dog-
matic regime. The rebels must be careful how to deal with minori-
ties, ensuring that they do not interfere with their beliefs so that
the whole world remembers that the Iraqis were and are people of
civilisation, nourished and refined by Islam.
The statement further said that all the rebels should at this
stage be completely selfless and not give the devil an opportuni-
ty to cause discord amongst themselves. It is not the right of any
single group to take a strategic decision in isolation of the others.
The rebels are now the custodians over 30 million Iraqis, not to
mention the interests of the entire Ummah, much of which
depends on the Iraqi situation. It is not permissible for the rebels
to overlook the needs of those they are responsible for and should
not to take positions outside of the realm of Sh?r?.
The Association of Muslims Scholars concluded that the stat-
ed objective, according to the rebels, is to reach the city of
Baghdad. This is their right since Baghdad is the stronghold from
where the regime which is the source of injustice and crime rules
the country. If this regime does not desist from its transgression,
there remains no other option for the rebels. It must be noted that
calls that encourage the revolutionaries to march onto Najaf and
Karbala are completely rejected, unacceptable and totally irre-
sponsible wherever these calls stem from. This will provoke many
against the revolution and potentially transform it from an attempt
to bring an end to oppression to an endless Fitnah between mem-
bers of the same nation. All rhetoric that seeks to inflame civil
conflict, such as that adopted by various countries for destructive
interests, should be avoided.
Notes
[1] http://almoslim.com/node/212103
[2] The Association of Muslim Scholars of Iraq is the largest council of
scholars that represent the Sunni Muslims of Iraq.
[3] http://english.alarabiya.net/en/webtv/reports/2014/02/12/Syria-oppo-
sition-reveals-Assad-ISIS-work-together.html
[4] http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/12106-iraqi-
sunni-scholars-iraqi-rebels-not-isis-who-face-the-iraqi-army
[5] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27864603
http://www.islam21c.com/politics/iraq-peoples-revolution-or-terrorist-
takeover/
Source: www.islam21c.com
Construction of homes for Muzaffarnagar Riot Victims by
Charity Alliance
Work in Progress, boring for water is going on as shown in
this picture dated 24th June 2014
We appeal to to you come forward to make this project possi-
ble. We plan to build some 60 self-contained small houses but
our funds after buying the land scarcely suffice for 20 houses.
KARAMATULLAH K. GHORI
k_k_ghori@yahoo.com
While contemporary international affairs dont
cease to spring up surprises some times of the
most unexpected kind, history doesnt stand
idly by. You may always count on it to come up
with parallels to inspire you into making the right
decisions to deal with the unexpected.
The scourge currently sweeping across
Syria and Iraq-more in the latter than in the
aforementioned-in the guise of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) is something that hadnt been anticipated, or expected, until
recently but is undoubtedly taking the Arab world and, in fact, the
whole world by storm.
The barbarity and savagery of ISIS is of such a vicious kind
that even Al-Qaeda has renounced any affiliation or connection
with what was earlier a rag tag band of marauders raising the ban-
ner of an Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and the Levant. Such is the
ferocity of these 21st century vandals that Al-Qaeda has been
forced to denounce their tactics.
While this latest phase of blood-thirsty vandalism-in which
chopping of heads of the vanquished is being routinely practised-
may have taken the western world by some surprise, the Islamic
history offers a parallel from its very early period to match with the
self-proclaimed holy warriors of ISIS.
It was in the period of the 4th Caliphate of the Guided Caliphs-
as Islamic history has recorded it-that the scourge of Khwarij or
the Kharajites had raised its ugly head in the ranks of the Muslim
Ummah. The caliph of the period, Ali-e-Murtaza, ignored and left
the rebels alone as long as their tirades were focused only against
him, his policies and his persona. However, Ali drew a line in the
sand as soon as the scourge of the Khwarij spilled into what hed
decreed as the sanctified domain of the unity and cohesion of the
Ummah. No sooner had the rebels-who also chopped heads and
raised them on their lances in a practice reminiscent of the pre-
Islamic period of Jahiliya-crossed the red line than Ali dealt with
them by deploying the full strength of the state at his command.
The Khwarij soon scattered like sand across the expanding
Islamic polity.
The murderous bands of ISIS seem a reincarnation of the
Khwarij to any student of Islamic history because of the bestiality
of their warfare and the utter vandalism of their tactics. The slay-
ing of 1700 soldiers of the Iraqi army in Tikrit-the Iraqi city known
by its connection to Saddam Hussain-on camera is evidence
enough that ISIS murderers are as rapacious and barbaric as the
Khwarij recorded in early history of Islam.
ISIS is also known by another acronym, ISIL (Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant) which became famous largely in the context
of the ongoing turbulence in Syria. ISIL became involved in the
conflict to advance its own goal of taking over Syria in order to
convert it into the bedrock of its avowed Caliphate. Eventually its
net was sought to be cast wider to also include Iraq.
The choice of Syria, in the jaws of its convulsion and massive
upheaval made sense, if any sense could at all be made out of the
agenda of madness advanced by this rapacious and marauding
group. Syria was deemed ripe for plucking because of the mas-
sive popular backlash against its minority Shiite ruling clique.
ISIL was bankrolled-according to numerous reports in the
international news media-by wealthy donors from the oil-rich Gulf
States who were propelled onto this course by their dislike of the
Shiite minority monopolising political power in Syria. ISIL did
score some successes in its confrontation against the regime of
Bashar Al Assad. However, their combat tactics were so brutal
and ruthless that most of the mainstream factions fighting the
Syrian regime broke up with them and, subsequently, fought
against them to dislodge them from large swathes of territory in
Syria.
Is the targeting of Iraq, next door to Syria, out of frustration
because ISIS couldnt make much headway in Syria? Or is it that
Iraq seems to offer better prospects of success to the ISIS lead-
ership and their Shiite-hating, fat cat, sponsors in the Gulf states?
The answer to this is that both factors have come together in
the strategy to pounce upon Iraq.
Under Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki-who has been in power
since 2006 when he was installed in office by George W. Bush-
Iraq hasnt been a model of good governance, or any governance,
for that matter. A weak and vacillating man, Maliki has added on
to the fissures that had always been there in the multi-ethnic and
multi-sectarian Iraq from its birth as a modern state in 1920.
However, those deep fissures and fault lines had been kept in
check under Saddam Hussain who had, apparently, mastered the
art of keeping Iraqs tribal mosaic intact through tact and strong-
arm tactics.
So poor has been Malikis performance as Iraqs leader that
even his western sponsors and admirers now concede that his
only achievement has been to preside over a corrupt-to-the-core
regime which has accentuated Iraqs deep divides and rendered it
nearly impossible to keep the country united and cohesive.
Virtually paying tribute to a universally despised man like
Saddam Hussain a western commentator in Canadas largest
newspaper, The Toronto Star, recently recalled what could only be
described as prophetic last words, fore-shadowing what is tran-
spiring now in Iraq under assault from ISIS, by Saddam Hussain
during the last stages of his trial in Baghdad for treason in 2006.
Saddam, challenging his prosecutors and tormentors on the
requirements of governance, taunted them on the perversity and
chaos rampant in Iraq under U.S. occupation and the client state
installed by the invaders. He was quoted to have said: Our state
and regime was a real one. What is not a real state is one in which
peoples heads are being chopped off and dumped in the streets
every day.
So Malikis inability to put together a real state and govern it
like a leader of all Iraqis spawned near anarchy in the country. He
failed to convince the restive Kurds-long pampered by their west-
ern sponsors and mentors to go their separate way free of
Baghdads control-that their future could be guaranteed better
through unity with the other ethnic and sectarian groups of Iraq.
Malikis incontinent urge to settle scores with the minority
Sunnis of Iraq-for the injustices done by them under Saddam and
rulers before him to the rights and interests of the majority Shiites-
fueled the sectarian divide and encouraged the Sunnis to look for
sponsors abroad-in Iraqs neighbourhood, too-to underpin their
demands for a better share and representation in the ruling of the
country.
The Gulf donors of ISIS have latched on to this disaffection of
the Sunnis ignited by Malikis politics of vengeance. Added on to
this is a western-inspired propaganda that the only beneficiary of
a Shiite-led Iraq is Iran which has been expanding its influence
throughout the region since Iraqs falling into the Iranian sphere of
influence.
The confluence of Gulfs increasingly strident Salafi culture of
governance and western animus against Iran has propelled a vir-
tual atmosphere of sectarian confrontation in the region around
Iraq and Syria-something greatly welcomed in Israel and among
its western allies who have long been hawking an anti-Iran agen-
da that seeks to undermine any and every thing that could be
linked to Iran and its alleged thrust for regional power. Some of the
Gulf States have fallen for it and are apparently lapping it up with-
out any regard for its fallout on their own countries.
It could only be attributed to sheer sectarian cussedness that
ISIS thrust into north-western Iraq-which has already netted for it
gains in Mosul and Tikrit-has been welcomed by the Sunnis of
these cities and provinces where ISIS has chalked up gains. So
intense is the sectarian divide that some ex-military commanders
of the Saddam-era Iraqi army have openly joined hands with the
vandals and have been guiding their thrust deeper into the Iraqi
heartland.
The Kurds, vir tually independent and autonomous off
Baghdad, have quickly moved into the oil-rich Kirkuk-long covet-
ed by them for its potential-and taken control of it. One shouldnt
blame them for their quick thinking and manoeuvring. In the anar-
chy spawned by the ISIS incursion, they see their best chance to
wrest independence for their people in Iraq and the establishment
of a state of their own-something they have been fighting and
struggling for generations.
The western powers, apparently stunned by the success of
the ISIS blitz, have no answers as to what could best halt the
advance into the heartland of Iraq by a band of marauders that
seeks to found a state that could only be unpalatable to them. US,
leader of the western world, has been caught on a wrong footing
as much as any of its allies. President Obama finds himself tasked
with the onerous responsibility to come up with a quick answer to
the gauntlet thrown at him by ISIS. Its a matter of deep humilia-
tion to US that the Iraqi army trained by it with so much fanfare
has proved to have feet of clay when confronted with the chal-
lenge of ISIS. Iraqi soldiers saw nothing more noble, or practica-
ble, than doffing their uniforms, abandoning their arms for the
invaders, and flee in utter shambles. US must now worry of this
tradition repeating itself in Afghanistan once the US army pulls out
of there.
But while Obama may be mulling over a range of options to
come up with a credible answer to the ISIS onslaught, western
pundits and policy advisers now seem inclined to admit that keep-
ing Iraq as a unitary state-despite all its obvious disparities and
contradictions-has become almost impossible.
In other words, what these western gurus are now promoting
is a plan to abandon what was conceived a century earlier by the
then imperialist powers-Britain and France, in particular-and
which spawned the artificial state of Iraq on the ruins of the
Ottoman suzerainty because the same powers had conspired
against it. Iraq, as every student of Arab history of early 20th cen-
tury would recall, was an accidental off-shoot of the ignoble
Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 between Britain and France. It
was held together as a unitary state because that served the impe-
rialist interests well.
However, now that the targets and goals of the neo-imperial-
ist power that took the first brick out of the faade of Iraqi unity by
invading the country, in 2003, on trumped up and spurious
grounds, have changed its policy gurus and analysts have been
harping on Iraq being an artificial construct.
What is now being bandied around, vigorously, is the new
argument and logic that Iraq is no longer fixable. So, the argument
goes, why fix the unfixable.
The Atlantic Journal has enjoyed a ring of authenticity and
authority in the American academic and intellectual circles for a
long time. Its therefore noteworthy what its editor, Jeffrey
Goldberg, wrote on June 19 in the wake of Obamas decision to
rush 300 US military advisers to Iraq to shore up its crumbling
defences. Goldberg noted: Ive believed for a while that no glue
could possibly hold this place (Iraq) together. He argued that
Iraqs three-way division-Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite states-would
benefit the Kurds, in particular, and do away what he alluded to as
a century of injustice to the worlds largest stateless people.
Coming from a friend of Israel, any student of history would
detect a familiar ring of sympathy and concern evocative of the
very same sentiment -a century ago-among the western power for
the then largest stateless people, the Jews of Diaspora. It was
that sympathy and concern that soon led to the birth of Israel and
the planting of a western flag with a sharp lance in the heart of the
Arab world.
Whats not being said, in so many words, but has always
been lurking underneath is that any truncation of Iraq would be a
welcome gift for Israel and make its regional domination an
absolute certainty. And, of course, if the Iraqi Shiites could be cut
to size, it would dampen the alleged Iranian ambition to spread its
revolution around and cause dismay to US and Israeli allies in the
neighbourhood.
So, the writing is on the wall. The Iraqi lamb is being readied
for slaughter. That act would gladden many hearts around Iraq and
offer multiple, achievable, targets to western ambitions in the
region-a proverbial killing of many a bird with one stone. The mur-
derous ISIS marauders may not know it but their blood lust is also
whetting many another appetites around Iraq.
Is Iraq Expendable?
18 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 INTERNATIONAL www.milligazette.com
So poor has been Malikis performance as Iraqs leader that even his western sponsors and
admirers now concede that his only achievement has been to preside over a corrupt-to-the-core
regime which has accentuated Iraqs deep divides and rendered it nearly impossible to keep the
country united and cohesive...
Malikis inability to put together a real state and govern it like a leader of all Iraqis spawned
near anarchy in the country. He failed to convince the restive Kurds-long pampered by their west-
ern sponsors and mentors to go their separate way free of Baghdads control-that their future
could be guaranteed better through unity with the other ethnic and sectarian groups of Iraq.
Amos Oz Condemns Israels
Right-Wing Extremists
One of Israels best-known writers, Amos Oz,
came out forcefully Friday against the recent
wave of price tag hate crimes throughout the
country, calling the perpetrators Hebrew neo-
Nazis. Quoted by the Israeli newspaper
Haaretz, Oz stated that the term Price-tag
used to describe attacks against Palestinians
and Arab-Israelis by Jewish extremists, is a
euphemism.
There are sugary nicknames to describe
this monster and the time has come to call it
by its name: Hebrew neo-Nazis, said Oz to
Haaretz on the occasion of his 75th bir thday
Our neo-Nazi groups enjoy the backing of
numerous nationalist lawmakers - maybe even
racist - and also rabbis who give them a foun-
dation that is, in my opinion, pseudo-reli-
gious, Oz added. New anti-Christian and
racist graffiti were discovered in Jerusalem on
Friday where police have stepped up security
at religious sites in expectation of Pope
Francis visit to the Holy land at the end of
May.
Price tag King David for the Jews
Jesus is garbage was spray-painted in
Hebrew on the wall of St Georges, a
Romanian Or thodox church near an ultra-
Or thodox Jewish neighborhood.
The inscription Death to Arabs was
spray-painted on a house in the Old City of
Jerusalem and swastikas were drawn on the
walls of an apar tment building in West
Jerusalem.
Under the epithet of Price-tag, extremist
settlers and extreme right-wing activists have
intensified attacks over recent months against
Palestinians, Arab-Israelis and against the
Israeli army in reaction to government deci-
sions and actions on the par t of Palestinians
that the extremists consider hostile to their
own interests. Daily attacks on Arab and
Christian proper ty have spiked in recent
weeks. (fr.timesofisrael.com)
Attacks on Sri Lankan
Muslims condemned
New Delhi: All India Muslim Majlis-e-
Mushawarat, the apex body of Indian Muslim
organisations, on 18 June condemned the
continuing attacks on the Muslim minority in
Sri Lanka since last Sunday. President of
AIMMM, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan said the con-
tinuing attacks, murders and burning of
Muslim localities and uprooting of thousands
of Muslims by armed Sinhala extremists is a
blot on the face of Sri Lanka and proves that
the Sri Lankan government has not learnt any
lesson from the Tamil revolt which was extin-
guished at great cost over three decades of
blood-letting.
The Sri Lankan government and Sinhala
chauvinists have forgotten that Sri Lankan
Muslims, including the Tamil-speaking ones,
firmly stood with the government in that con-
flict and bore the brunt of LTTE attacks,
killings and mass uprootings. Now the Sinhala
chauvinists, with tacit government suppor t,
are forcing a peaceful and patriotic communi-
ty to take up arms to defend itself. Such a
development will not help anyone in Srilanka
which has already paid a heavy price as a
result of the Tamil insurgency which too was
a result of similar Sinhala chauvinist attacks
on Tamils in the 1980s. Dr Khan appealed to
the Sri Lankan government to check Sinhala
extremists before the violence snowballs into
a major conflict.
ENGLISH
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20 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES www.milligazette.com
UTHMAN KHAN
Through His infinite mercy, Allah blessed mankind with selected
times and seasons in which best deeds are made obligatory and
the reward for good deeds is multiplied.
Allah, the Most Wise, prescribed the third pillar of Islam, fast-
ing, in the second year after the hijrah of the Final Messenger
(pbuh). Fasting is obligatory upon every sane Muslim adult. Allah
the Most High says, O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the
fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before
you, that you may attain taqwa.
[1]
Taqwa is the consciousness
of the soul to fulfil what Allah the Most High has commanded and
to abstain from what He has prohibited.
[2]
Fasting is therefore a means towards achieving a level of self-
restraint. The scholars of tafsir (exegesis) mention various behav-
iours that are restrained by fasting including eating, drinking, ful-
filling ones desires, being angry and disobeying Allah the Most
High. Sufyan al-Thawri said, The reason for the title muttaqin
(those who have taqwa) is that they leave that which is not left.
Ibn al-Qayyim said, The objective behind fasting is to restrain the
soul from desires (for food, drink, and sexual relations), divert it
from its normal circumstances, tame the strong desires, prepare
it to attain the happiness and benefits (from fasting), and purify it
from its untamed state. By experiencing the intensity of hunger
and thirst, one is reminded of the condition of the hungry stom-
achs of needy people.
[3]
The Prophet (pbuh) said, On the first night of Ramadan, the
devils and rebellious jinn are bound in chains; the gates of
Paradise are opened until not a single gate remains closed. The
gates of Hell are bound shut until not a single gate remains open.
Then a caller calls out, O desirer of good, go forth! O desirer of
evil, restrain yourself! Allah is emancipating people from the Fire
every night.
[4]
On the last day of Shaban, the Prophet (pbuh) gave a sermon
and said, O people! A great and blessed month has approached
you, a month containing a night better than a thousand months.
Allah has made fasting in its days an obligation and prayer in its
nights a (recommended) voluntary act. Anyone who seeks near-
ness to Allah in this month through any virtuous act will be like
one who carried out an obligatory act at another time (outside of
Ramadan), and whoever performs an obligatory act in this month
will be like one who performed seventy such acts at another time.
It is the month of patience, and the reward for patience is
Paradise. It is the month of equality, the month in which the wealth
of the believer is increased
[5]
With the reward for obligatory acts multiplied, one must exert
oneself to perform them in the best of manners, and with the
reward for voluntary acts multiplied one must hasten to perform
good deeds. Ramadan is without doubt a golden opportunity for
the one who seeks to be absolved from the Hell fire and the one
who yearns to dwell in Paradise, wherein they will have all that
they desire.
Many Muslims assume that when Ramadan comes they will
endeavour to become obedient Muslims and do the maximum
possible good deeds for the whole month. If you imagine the real-
ity as a graph, what happens is that you start off with a peak and
then the influx of deeds becomes difficult for so many reasons, so
you trough or lull for much of this precious month. You then try a
bit harder at the end to try to catch Laylatul-Qadr (the night of des-
tiny), but even then you may sleep some nights and miss even
some obligatory prayers! This approach to Ramadan is not cor-
rect and will repeatedly fail. The Messenger (pbuh) and his com-
panions would pray, fast, and be obedient to Allah all year round.
In Ramadan, like other special times in the year, they would max-
imise their efforts to excel in good deeds.
Ramadan should be used as a platform to change lives, every
day should get increasingly better, the case being even more so
each and every year.
Allah the Most High loves those deeds that are done with con-
sistency, because they represent a Muslims personality, and they
are the deeds that will pave the path to Jannah (Paradise).
Prior to Ramadan, Muslims must perform the obligatory acts,
otherwise they may be punished for their negligence after this life.
The obligatory acts should be supplemented with voluntary acts
that are part of ones daily routine. Once Ramadan arrives then
that is the time to exceed beyond your normal deeds with more
voluntary acts and increase them in a gradual manner. Then who-
ever can perform Itikaf (confinement of oneself to the mosque
during the last ten days of Ramadan) they spend all of their time
in good deeds until the end of Ramadan, while those who cannot,
exert themselves to spend their days performing good deeds and
their nights in prayer.
After celebrating Id al-Fitr, the six fasts of Shawwal should be
performed and good deeds should remain part of our routine until
the next Ramadan.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and his Companions (may
Allah be pleased with them) would perform various good deeds in
Ramadan. Some of the deeds that have been mentioned in asso-
ciation with fasting and Ramadan are as follows. All are highly
recommended acts of worship.
Allah the Most High combined fasting with eight other deeds
when He described the successful believers:
(The believers whose lives Allah has purchased are) those
who repent to Allah (from sins and hypocrisy, etc.), who worship
Him alone, who praise Him, who fast, who bow down (in prayer),
who prostrate themselves (in prayer), who enjoin (people) for al-
Maruf (all good that Islam has ordained) and forbid (people) from
al-Munkar (all that Islam has forbidden), and who observe the lim-
its set by Allah (do all that Allah has ordained and abstain from all
kinds of sins and evil deeds which Allah has forbidden). And give
glad tidings to the believers.
[6]
Ramadan is also the month of Quran as Allah the Most High
said, The month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed,
as a guidance for mankind, clear proof for the guidance and the
criterion (between right and wrong)
[7]
.
Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported
that the Messenger of Allah said, Fasting and the Quran will
intercede for a slave on the day of judgement, the fasts will say,
my Lord I prevented him (or her) from food and desires so let me
intercede, and the Quran will say, I prevented him (or her) from
sleeping at night so let me intercede, then they will intercede
[8]
.
It was said that the salaf would spend the days of Ramadan read-
ing the Quran
[9]
, and the importance of studying the Quran can-
not be emphasised enough. A single ayah (verse) recited with
contemplation (tadabbur) may be better than reciting many ayats
(verses) of the Quran without contemplation.
Abu Jamrah once said to Abdullah ibn Masud, I am fast in
my recitation and perhaps I would recite the Quran once or even
twice in a single night,, Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him)
replied For me to recite one surah is more pleasing to me than if
I did that which you do, if you do so then make sure that you recite
so that your ears hear what you recite and your heart pays atten-
tion.
[10]
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, Allahs
Messenger (pbuh) was the most generous of people and he was
the most generous in the month of Ramadan, when Jibril would
meet him. Jibril used to meet him every night of Ramadan to teach
him the Quran.
[11]
This hadith emphasises the need to be gen-
erous in giving all kinds of charity in Ramadan, in addition to
studying the Quran. It is also important to feed others, especially
the disadvantaged. The Prophet (pbuh) said, whoever gives a
fasting person (food or drink to break their fast), they will have
similar reward as the one who fasted, without any decrease for the
one who fasted.
[12]
It is upon us all to fear Allah, and direct our best efforts in and
out of the month of Ramadan towards obeying Him. Allah the
Most High commanded us, So keep your duty to Allah and fear
Him as much as you can; listen and obey; and spend in charity
that is better for yourselves. And whosoever is saved from his
own covetousness, then they are the successful ones.
[13]
No one is burdened with more than they can bear. However, it
is through the performance of good deeds and the attainment of
taqwa that we will earn the reward prepared for the muttaqin.
Notes:
[1] Al-Quran 2:183.
[2] Mujam Lughatul-fuqahaa, Dar An-Nafaes.
[3] Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah, Zad al-Maad,
Maktabah Al-Risalah, 2:27-29.
[4] Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 618, and Ibn Majah, 1632.
[5] Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, 1887.
[6] Al-Quran, 9:112.
[7] Al-Quran 2:185.
[8] Ahmed 6337.
[9] Muhammad Arif, Siyaam As-Saaliheen, pp. 30-32.
[10] Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah, op. cit., 1:327-329.
[11] Sahih al-Bukhari, 1716, 3290, Muslim, 4268.
[12] Ahmad ibn Hanbal, 16419; Tirmidhi, 735; Ibn Majah, 1736;
Al-Darimi, 1755.
[13] Al-Quran 64:16.
Ramadan: The Month of Deeds
Many Muslims assume that when Ramadan
comes they will endeavour to become obedient
Muslims and do the maximum possible good
deeds for the whole month. If you imagine the
reality as a graph, what happens is that you start
off with a peak and then the influx of deeds
becomes difficult for so many reasons, so you
trough or lull for much of this precious month.
You then try a bit harder at the end to try to catch
Laylatul-Qadr (the night of destiny), but even then
you may sleep some nights and miss even some
obligatory prayers! This approach to Ramadan is
not correct and will repeatedly fail. The
Messenger (pbuh) and his companions would
pray, fast, and be obedient to Allah all year round.
In Ramadan, like other special times in the year,
they would maximise their efforts to excel in good
deeds.
BOOKS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 21 www.milligazette.com
Book: Shadows Beyond the Ghost Town
Author: Shafi Ahmad
Pages: 306
Publisher: Partridge India, New Delhi
ISBN: 9781482820010
S h a d o w s
Beyond the
Ghost Town is a
novel about the
real difficulties
faced by the
loved ones of
the people who
disappeared in
the conflict
zone of
Kashmir. Faced
by jarring
uncertainty and
hel pl essness,
they seek clo-
sure and some
measure of
consolation by
trying to trace
the impor tant
people in their
lives victimized
by a ruthless
system, time and place in history.
Lieutenant Arti is a strong-willed woman who fights her own
institution to trace her missing lover. The young lady army officer,
on duty in the conflict zone, falls in love with a Kashmiri boy who,
subsequently, is subjected to enforced disappearance.
Surrounded by an eruption of hostilities between the youth
and the rigid Armed Forces, she must find her own way through
despite countless dangers. Major Salvan, a brutal army officer, is
an ever real threat, while Ama Ganaie, the local businessman, is a
venal character lurking in the edges but never far enough.
While the air is filled by the merciless sounds of reality - the
harsh pound of bullets and the relentless whistle of rocket-pro-
pelled ammunition - the civilian populace must struggle to live on
or perish in the act.
Featuring an in-depth look at a society crumbling under the
weight of violence and politics, Shadows Beyond the Ghost
Town reminds the world that the greatest price in any conflict is
the price paid by the innocent caught on the verge of human bru-
tality.
Author Shafi Ahmad writes from experience, having waded
through the list of incalculable unknown dead while living in the
actual conflict zone in Kashmir. He writes in a gripping and
poignant narrative, proving that even in the darkest of times with-
in the viselike grip of humanitys dark deeds, the glimmer of hope
is never far behind.
Shafi Ahmad, the author, is a civil engineer with a post-
graduate diploma in journalism and mass communications. He
has written for local dailies, mostly in Urdu, since his student
days. He has also written some radio and TV plays. His other
publications are Lo Aaj Hum Bhi Sahib-e-Kitab Ho Gaye in Urdu
and The Half Widow in English. He presently works as a sub-
editor for the bilingual daily Wadi Ki Awaz. Shadows Beyond
the Ghost Town is his second English novel.
A novel on Kashmirs unidentified graves
Know the RSS with this
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What Sangh Parivar Stands for?
Pages: 46 / Rs 30
To order please see page 19 of this issue
Lucknow: Dr Kalbe Sadiq, the vice-president of All India
Muslim Personal Law Board, released here the book Islam in
21st Century: The Dynamics of Change and Future-making by
known social activist Abdul Rashid Agwan. The function was
attended by a select gathering of leading Muslim intellectuals
of Lucknow. Dr Sadiq remarked that the book is based on orig-
inal research and fresh ideas useful in making the Muslim
community vibrant and vir tuous. He said the book would be
effective for the motivation of Muslim youths. Dr Sadiq said
that the Muslim world is passing through an unprecedented
sectarian divide which cannot be checked unless Muslims
rever t to the teachings of the
Quran and reconstruct society
on its basic tenets. This book
will be helpful in this regard.
Former advocate general
and ex-chairman of UP state
Minority Commission, SMA
Kazim appreciated the work
done by the author as a great
effort which has presented a
pragmatic plan for making the
Muslim community play an
active role in fulfilling its respon-
sibilities towards the mankind,
apart from making itself a strong
and creative minority amidst
ongoing changes in the world.
He said the book gives a future
idea of Islam which can be use-
ful in the emergence of universal
mankind.
On this occasion, the
author of the book Mr Agwan introduced the theme and high-
lights of his composition and emphasized future visioning,
knowledge creation, universalization of the Muslim communi-
ty, co-development etc as key concepts of a future roadmap of
the Muslim world. He tried to prove through latest data and
information that the Muslim countries are fast improving on
the fronts of education, scientific research, economic
advancement and social development and anticipated that
some of these nations will play a crucial role in the future lead-
ership of the world which appears now to be more east-orient-
ed than being western.
Maulana Zaheer Ahmad Siddiqui, the chairman of
Knowledge Academy, welcomed the guests at the beginning of
the program and introduced the author and his book and led
the discussion.
A galaxy of intellectuals like Dr Iqtidar Husain Farooqui,
Maulana Shamim Salfi, Dr Sabiha Anjum, Dr Qamar Rahman,
Dr Rukhsana Nikhat Lari, Dr Masoodul Hasan Usmani, Anis
Ansari, Athar Husain, Advocate Zafaryab Jilani, Masood Khan,
Mohammad Suleman, Hilal Naqvi took par t in the discussion
on the book.
In his presidential remarks, Dr Zaki Kiramani, chairman of the
Aligarh-based Centre for Studies on Science spoke of the need for
creation of new knowledge in the Muslim world, particularly in the
fields of science and technology as the western science has
turned today into an enterprise and it does not fulfill the require-
ments of a balanced human development.
A platform (islamin21stcentury.com) to discuss the issues
raised in the book has been especially created to discuss the
issues raised by the book. The book is available from Pharos
Media, see page 19.
Book on Future Islam released
Who are the
Marwaris
Book: The Marwaris - From Jagat Seth to the
Birlas
Author: Thomas A. Timberg
Series Editor: Gurcharan Das
Publisher: Allen Lane
Pages: 184
Price: Rs.499
MV Subbiah, the patriarch of the Murugappa
group, once pointed out to me that India has
had great trading communities through the
ages, such as Sindhis, Kutchchis, Chettiars
and Marwaris, but none of them came to dom-
inate the Indian business and economy in the
post- independence era as the Marwaris did.
The reason for this, according to Mr Subbiah,
was that many Kutchchis went away to Africa
and Chettiars went to the East (from Burma to
Malaysia) and Sindhis went all over the world
in search of better prospects. For some rea-
son, Marwaris stayed in India. So, they were
ready to pick up the businesses left behind by
the British- from newspapers to tea gardens to
jute and cotton mills-and then work through the
increasingly bureaucratic system, to expand
their empires.
This is probably why, at one time, practical-
ly all the top Indian companies were controlled
by Marwaris, leaving a smattering in the hands
of Parsis and Punjabis. Between them, the
Birlas, Goenkas, Modis and Singhanias,
owned virtually all the major companies listed
in the stock market. The past two decades,
though, have been tough for the biggest
Marwari business houses, to maintain their
pre-eminence. The Modis and Singhanias
have messed up some of the businesses. More
importantly, Marwaris have failed to capitalise
on the new opportunities in telecom, software
and pharmaceuticals.
This book is part of a series edited by
Gurcharan Das about Indian businesses. The
previous ones were on Arthashastra, East India
Company, Money in Ancient India, etc. This is
the sixth in the series. The author, Thomas A
Timberg, did his doctoral dissertation at
Harvard on the Marwaris and claims to have
continued to follow the affairs of the members
of this community.
Timberg takes us through the early history
of Marwari traders, from the Mughals right up
to the British period, and their ascendancy as
partners to the British business houses such as
Burmah Oil. Initially, their job was to act as a
bridge to the Indian market, but later they acted
as guaranteed brokers, so called because
they guaranteed the soundness of various
under-brokers. Sir Badridas Goenka men-
tioned that under-brokers would visit his broker
Sir Hari Ram Goenka at his suburban garden
home on Saturdays to secure their allocation of
imported cloth. Sir Hari Ram was the sole bro-
ker to Rallis Brothers, writes Timberg.
Interestingly, an exhaustive list of such brokers
(called bania) of 1863 shows that all, but one,
were Bengalis. Later, khatris, another strong
trading community from Punjab, displaced
some of the Bengalis; but, eventually, all
banias were Marwaris.
While continuing as banias they also start-
ed speculating on Indian stocks and commodi-
ties and, finally, emerging as industrialists. This
has been the trajectory of almost all leading
Marwari houses. Speculative trading involved
government notes, shares, wheat, Rangoon
rice, opium, gunny-bags, gold and silver.
Timberg writes that he has seen entries in
Marwari ledgers, as early as 1791, entering
speculative transactions or fatka. These were
bets on the arrival date of the monsoon.
How did the Marwaris succeed in control-
ling such large swathes of businesses? Money
begets money. Thanks to the first two phases
(partners to the British and speculation), they
were already rich. So, when the opportunity to
enter industry arose, they, like the Parsis in
Bombay, were ready with accumulated capital.
What also helped was the fact that GD Birla
and Jamnalal Bajaj were early and major
donors to and fund-raisers for the Indian
National Congress Party.
Unfortunately, while Timberg gives a
detailed account of the Marwaris until the pre-
independence period, he largely skips the busi-
ness story of the post-independence period
and jumps into discussing topics such as
Marwaris and Social Change and The
Marwaris and Literature. The second half of
this small 155-page (main text) book is a damp
squib. (moneylife.in)
Book release function;
inset: Maulana Kalb-e Sadiq speaking
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Religious politics on Sai Baba
Swami Swaroopanands statement that Sai Baba is not a god has deeper
ramifications. Its an attempt to dissuade Hindus from Sai baba, who was
a Muslim fakir, a darvesh. Its a divisive statement with a latent religious
motive. Muslims revere Sai as a spiritual mendicant but Hindus consider
him to be a god incarnate. Why should a Muslim be revered to the extent
of getting elevated to godhood? This is something which Swaroopanand
and other religious leaders just cant digest. Sumit Paul, Pune
sumitmaclean@hotmail.com
Mohammad Rafi
Very nice article... you must have done so much research for writing this...
it does not suits lata ji to say such fake things about the human being woh
never ever said anything against anyone... Rafi saab was so humble but
still could not do such things as these were against his principles..
K Kant, krikant92@gmail.com (on MG website)
Shazi Ilmi/AAP
This refers to the Two Letters published in MG (16-30 June 2014) are
worth reading by Prof.Shamim Ahmed and Mr Rasheed khan needs
attention of public openion about the game plan of Shazia who shot to
fame by joining AAP and now resining and joining Modi for a post .Which
shows Shazia.s vested interested in a selfish manner. I congratulate Prof
.Shamim Ahmed for the fantastic letter which is an eye opener not only
muslims but to the non-muslims for character assacination of a dignified
person. Shazia will reap the consequences very soon by Modi who is
changing Colors very often. Mohammad Azam
deomohdazam70@gmail.com
Madrasas
Madrasas got a bad name world-wide when Americans in Afghanistan
suffered military defeat at the hands of Taliban, who came out of refugee
camps on the other side of Afghanistan border in Pakistan. A million
Afghans crossed over and had to remain in Pakistan based refugee camps
where their children joined Madarsas for basic Islamic learning. Arbitrarily
accusing these Madarsas to be breeding grounds of terrorism, US and
allies started a world-wide campaign against Madarsas. India too picked
up its terrorism lexicon from the US, and started viewing Madarsas as
enemy territory. Little did they had time and inclination to go back to its
own past to observe what great services Madrasa have provided to this
diversified nation. The writer of following article had some amount of
justice to bring back the flavour Madrasa movement that thrived in India
for over centuries. Now the new rulers, once again reviving their campaign
against Madarsas are adopting flank action, by offering bogus and ill-
intentioned facilities, mainly with the objective of dividing Madarsa
movement and getting their own lackeys to start of at a tangent, to a made
to order Madarsa education, that they think will lose their sting as far as
their fundamental basics stand firm against any encroachment on their
constitutional rights to freedom of religion.
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com
Black money
They should arrest 100 persons on doubt for stashing money in Swiss
Banks as it arrests Muslim youth son Bomd blast on doubt take the
example o Akshar Dham temple out of 100 at least 20 to 30 will be they
should under go brain mapping and Narco test. The defaulters have close
links with political leaders. Therefore no chances of getting back the Black
Money. The people will watch like the fox watching the lump of flesh below
the jaw of camel it walks miles hiking that it fill and the fox will easy but it
never falls the effort of fox becomes futile. AH Maqdoomi, Hyderabad
Conflict of interest
Where is the concept of conflict of interest in public life? Nitin Gadkari, our
transport minister participated in a meeting convened to take important
decisions on sugar industry. Gadkari is heavily into the sugar industry,
being the Chairman of the Purti Sugar Mills Ltd. Any decisions taken in
such a meeting will be of great interest to him. Needless to say that all the
decisions taken at this meeting are loaded in favor of [sakhar karkhanas]
sugar mills. The effect of these decisions on aam aadmi will be 3 rupees
more for a kilogram of sugar. Dr Mookhi Amir Ali, Mumbai 400054
drmookhi@hotmail.com
Muslims must vow against dowry
Ramadan is fast approaching, and you all will not only observe month long
fasts, but will also intensify your worship (Ibaadaat). However, that apart,
we must also use this sacred month to eliminate those social evils which
have spoiled the very face of Islam, and which lead our brothers from
other religions to form an opinion about us. As you all know that dowry
( Jahez system), in its prevalent form is totally prohibited in Islam, but has
become one of the worst social evils afflicting the Muslim society. It is the
creation of our own greed, and to dispense with it is exclusively within our
power. During this month, everywhere you will be hearing references to
Hadith and Sunna of Prophet (SAW), as what was his practice and
routine during Ramadhan, but do we ever discuss as how he solemnized
the marriage of his daughter Janabe Syeda Fatima Zahra (R. A.) and must
make it a fundamental norm for our marriages. Let us now wake up! Let,
during the entire month, there must be unequivocal messages from the
pulpits of every mosque. Islam mein jahez (dowry) kaa lenaa aur
denaaa donon haraam hein. (In Islam, both the giving and taking of
dowry are prohibited) Let us now make a beginning to eliminate such
social vices, and enhance the image of Islam. Let us also vow that we will
totally boycott the marriages where dowry is given or taken, and will also
boycott the person about whom we come to know that he has taken the
dowry. Dr. Mustafa Kamal Sherwani, Lucknow
sherwanimk@yahoo.com
Opportunist politicians without ideology
It refers to media-reports about some former Congressmen deciding
joining BJP. Politicians in general have to be opportunist because of their
professional requirements with every one attached to a sinking ship
eager to join the rising sun at any available excuse or opportunity. It is for
the rising sun BJP to be vigilant and careful enough for not admitting any
undesirable person in its fold! Madhu Agrawal, Delhi 110006
madhuguinness@gmail.com
How to put an end to horrendous rapes
Horrendous rapes in Delhi are really a shame to India. The need of the hour
is to undertake effective and stern measures to protect women. This is
possible when the following stern measures are undertaken: 1. Police
should register complaints of rapes without any delay and the number of
women cops should be increased to 20% of the police force. 2. Fast track
courts should be set-up to deal with rape cases and other sexual offences
speedingly. Preferably there should be daily trial hearings. 3. There should
be increase in the number of police patrolling vans. 4. There should be
comprehensive verification of drivers who take students to schools can
colleges. 5. Finally harsher and deterrent punishment should be given to
the rapists. Such a harsher and deterrent punishment as suggested by The
Times of India is chemical castration of the rapist.
Dr. M. Hashim Kidwai, ex-MP, Delhi - 110091
Facebook tragedy
I was aggrieved and concerned to read the news of gruesome murder of
an IT engineer, Mohsin Sheikh Sadique for allegedly posting derogatory
pictures on Facebook is grim reminder of barbaric act. It does not augur
well for the secular country like India where a diverse faiths of
communities co exist. Whether we condemn the social media or the
persons, who committed this grisly act, our hanky panky government too
partly liable for such heinous act. With crime having grown due to
facebook world wide, it is incumbent upon IT minister to tighten its noose
on gross irregularities of social media, spoiling social fabric and
communal amity in the country. Apart from this, some people concealing
their real identity with wrong photo in an apparent bid to carry out wrong
design or ulterior motive have only added to its woes Not only this,
children have become so addicted to it that most of time they could be
seen putting their fingers on Facebook for ostensibly enjoying or sheer
useless updates Bereft of classics and gradual deterioration of their
intellect or literary taste, there is fear of great dearth of litterateur among
new generation because of wastage of time on it.
Wakeel Ahmad, Gaya, Bihar
wakeeldel@gmail.com
559 farmers suicides in four months in Maharashtra
There are two main causes of deaths one is interest secondly wrong faith
in God.Ignorance of Islam.they think if they finish there lives all worries and
tension will also end This the wrong belief they are carrying in their
hearts.But actually their worries and miseries increase they have to face
Hell Allah their creator will become angry.. The owner of life is God. Man
cannt kill himself.A man faces any trouble he should pray to God. God will
solve his problem but he must be patient and tolerate the brunt of the
intricacy and try his level best to come out from the trouble God relieve
him from distress It will take some time The farmer should seek help from
God This the correct way to tackle the problem not make suicide.
AH Madoomi, Hyderabad
Mohsin Shaikhs case
Seeing the faith of Pune murder victim Mohsin Shaikhs father in him
advocate Ujjwal Nikam agreed to the CMs request to be the public
prosecutor in the Pune techies murder case. No one would know better
than Nikam himself that the case as it stands is half baked. Dhananjay
Desai the leader of the Hindu Rashtra Sena is arrested for the murder of
the Muslim young man Mohsin. To prove Dhananjay Desais involvement
in the murder when he was nowhere near the site of the crime is not within
the ability of a lesser prosecutor. Also the conspiracy charge hinges on the
statements of Desais own men who are in police custody. Ujjwal Nikam
will have to keep in mind the almost certain possibility of these witnesses
turning hostile. The eyes of Mohsin Shaikhs parents -and those of the
society at large- will be on the skill and devotion of their chosen prosecutor
watching him build a sufficiently strong case to bring about a conviction.
Dr Mookhi Amir Ali, Mumbai 400054 130614
Electoral debacle
Dr.Ayyub of Peace Party ne Urdu Daily Rshtryia Sahara dated 13.6.2014
ke front page per eik Advertisement me Qaum se kuch sawalat kiye haen.
According to him Peace Party led by him might have won atleast 15 seats
out of the constituencies in which Muslim voters percentage is 25 or more.
in case Muslim Organizations and Ulmas had not misled Muslim voters to
vote for Congress, SAPA and BSP. He further adds that because of this
Hindu vote got consolidated in favour of Modi. If this is the feeling of
Person like Ayyub who is dreaming to be the community leader then what
will be the future of Muslims in Indian Politics. When Muslim votes were
divided then where was the need for Hindu votes consolidation He is also
blaming the community for not projecting any body as Muslim Qaid to lead
30 crores Indian Muslims. So indirectly he is appealing the community to
accept him as our undisputed Leader. Initially when he launched the party
he gave an impression that this will represent all sections of the
community. But late on when he did not see its much acceptability he filled
it with members of particulars caste and added Ansari in his name. Every
body knows the credentials of Ayyub sb,he is considered B- Team of BJP
and now stand exposed. Most of Peace Party founder members like MJ
Khan have already joined BJP. Now Modi has won on his own and does
not need support of Peace Party any more so Mr. Ayyub is a big loser.
Prof. Shamim Ahmad, AMU
profshamim@gmail.com
Injustice against handicapped leader only because he is a Muslim
Do we have two sets of laws in India? One favouring the antinationals and
another for torturing the innocent victims who are the prey of saffron
terrorists. Abdul Nazer Madhani a philanthropist and an Islamic scholar,
Director of an orphanage in Karunagappalli, Kerala as well as the chairman
of P. D. P (people democratic party) is being tortured in Karnataka jail for
the last four years without any specific crime or charge sheet. He was
attacked by hindu terrorists throwing a bomb while he was coming to his
home after evening Prayer. By the grace of Allah he was not killed, but
severely wounded and he lost his one leg. With the duplicate leg and all
ailments while he was pulling on life to set aside the case against the
attackers a false charge was levelled against. Madhani, arrested him and
tortured in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) for more than 9.1/2 years. As the
judiciary could not prove any crime against Madhani logically was
released without any charges. Even after 22 years none of the attackers
were punished or charge sheeted. Abdul Nazar Madhani is already half
dead with no sight, still with fake charges he is being tortured. Neither he
have killed any body nor he tempted to demolish anybodys worshiping
structures. He is not being treated for his ailments and loss of sight. It is
a wonderful order that allowing homely food to the notorious God man
Asaram Bapu the rapist who hs been jailed last few months. Any how
Abdul Nazar Madhani is reported nearing to death. Do not release him
After his death share his flesh among the traitors and blood thirsty
criminals. Is this the code of Justice and mankind in this so called Secular
Country. M. A. Khan, Trivandrum
South Asians Protest in London
I must bow my head to you on such truthful reporting on vaious attrocities
have been perpituated in India. It is a matter of shame and indifferent
attitude of a caste ridden society in India. The dominant castes in real
sense the authority in power every where to take their course of action
what they want? The government in power become insenstive towards
these castes and some time get immunity and protection from the police.
The millions of people have no lands, wealth, and employment to live due
to that they are the victims to them. Unless, government will provide
necessary ways and means for their safety and security of these people,
they will not be protected at all, from such incidents. The government in
power must take of notte of it to protect their people, otherwise, the
attrocites will be part of their life to perish them all. This is age old practice
must be end one day! Prof Mohan Lal
mlal_47@yahoo.co.in (on MG website)
Saifuddin Soz on Modi
The address was in-line with RSS ideology. What Modi said during election
and after election is mere a political stunt. BJP will adopt secterian policy
of religious discrimination. M Akhtar
mak71b@gmail.com (on MG website)
Madrasa
K. Mohi is very right. Madrasa meaning school should become quality
school to produce Aaleems who are also best lawyers, Businessman, IT
expert, IAS officer and so on. Empowerment through education is only
way forward for prosperity and co-existence with fellow human beings.
Ibrahim (on MG website)
Iraq
Saddam's days were much peaceful. There had been soke atrocities on
shias n kurds during his days but those were not as severe as those tht
hav been committed in the last decade. Moreover, US made a war cry with
the slogan of "freedom n democracy". N we hav seen wat kond of freedom
was brought to Iraq. Any sane person wud agree tht compared to these 10
yrs... Saddam's days were a golden period for Iraq. Osama
meetobr@yahoo.com (on MG website)
Zionists
The Zionists are part of the Crusade the Crusaders are waging in the name
of Human Rights, Democracy etc. As their misdeeds come full circle, they
would not be able to 'clean up' their own backyard which is gathering junk
socially. M Naqqaad, naqqaad@gmail.com (on MG website)
Western support to Israel
As long as the US and European countries look the other way by excusing
Israel for all its criminal actions this unfortunate scenario of hate violence
will continue forever. These politically powerful countries have an
obligation to help the Palestinians. This is simply shameful and
unforgiving. Razdanraz
razdanraz@aol.com (on MG website)
Owaisi in Parliament
Mr Owaisi's questions are valid and genuine, but of least use. In polity of
India there is none to judge. The result of 2014 general elections
substantiate my view. Most of the people of India are innocent and can be
fooled by nautanki walas. We need to rise to the occasion and say no to
all wrongs. Therefore my humble suggestion is, instead of asking
question, all right thinking people need to search solutions of problems,
India and other part of the world facing. SM Farhad
sm_farhad@yahoo.com (on MG website)
Mushawarat
Mushawarat need to create network at grass root level along with
movement to institutionalize the system of Baitulmal. Shura and Baitulmal
are two important components missing in modern Muslims. Without
Shura and Baitulmal Indian Muslims cannot achieve socio - political
leadership and economic welfare. Syed Zahid Ahmad
economicinitiatives@gmail.com (on MG website)
Praying for peace
I pray to almighty God that there should be peace between the
communities in India. The current ISI-trained Pakistani Taliban will ruin
both India and Pakistan. The Islamic terrorists already organised to gether
and sending warnings to damage the Indian establishments in whole world
to paralyse India. This should be condemed by all secular minded people
of India. Dr. R. K. D. Goel
drrkdgoel@hotmail.com (on MG website)
Rahman Khan
I know K Rahman Khan in 1990 when he entered politics. He was sincere
and honest. Later I feel he changed his colour as politics does affect most
of the people. M Akhtar
mak71b@gmail.com (on MG website)
BJP's development plank
Wait and watch! Let the manifesto and tall claim of BJP manifesto of
development, removal of poverty, un-employment, zeroing inflation comes
to reality. Slogans and reality on the ground are 180 degree apart. Lets
wait and watch for 180 days (6 months) and you will be able to see what
direction govet is heading and what they have achieved by then.
M Akhtar
mak71b@gmail.com (on MG website)
Maulana Azad Edu Foundation
Correct steps taken by all India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat. President and
the entire team deserve congratulations for highlighting the injustice done
to Mr Ansari. Ayesha
(on MG website)
II
K Rehman khan has done a dis service to Muslim community by removing
an upright officer. Dr Shakeel Samdani
drshakeelsamdani@gmail.com (on MG website)
Rashid Shaz's appeal to Indian Muslims
There is no doubt that the Muslims in India are far behind in all the fields.
Prof Shaz is right to blame the mullahs & Congress and the Muslim leaders
in Congress party for the bad condition of Muslims. For example still one
can see in any mosque in India mullahs are running madrasas and
teaching only Quran recitation to children. These children are never
encouraged to go to any schools by the mullahs. Don't you agree these
children after coming out cannot even earn their own livelihood how can
they be helpful to the society. In fact these mullahs are enemies of their
own community. I agree Islamic teaching is necessary but that can be
adjusted with time without disturbing the mainstream education. Both
Congress in India and Communist in WB have exploited the sentimen ts of
Muslims. They only spoke or pretended to be Muslim sympathizers but in
reality they did just the opposite. In fact both Nehru and Indira Gandhi
seemed communal to the core. At least we know BJP. Their face is not
hidden. We have to adjust and take full advantage of trend of development.
Good quality education for all is the only way-out for Muslim community.
Mohiuddin K
mohiuddink2001@yahoo.com (on MG website)
REJOINDERS/OPINION/LETTERS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2014 23 www.milligazette.com
The Milli Gazette, P.O. Box 9701, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025 Email: letters@milligazette.com Read more letters on MG website
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Hereafter.
Quran 27:1-3
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We appeal to you to come forward to make this project possible. We plan to build some 60 self-contained small houses on a piece of land which has already been
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continuous help in various ways to Burmese refugees
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