MOHAMMAD SHAHID

Lucknow: As the Muslims await for the release of their inno-

cent youths arrested on fake charges of terrorism and ful-
fillment of other promises made by the Samajwadi Party
over a year back during UP assembly elections, the SP chief
Mulayam Singh Yadav has begun wooing community lead-
ers of all hue in view of the coming
parliamentary elections. Encouraged
by the overwhelming support of
Muslims his party got in the assem-
bly elections but also a bit afraid
about the failue to fulfill major prom-
ises even after a year of the party
rule in the state, the SP chief is trying
to rope in new leaders while at the
same time pacifying old supporters.
Among the new leaders whom
the SP chief is trying to bond with are
Jamiat Ulama-e Hind (JuH) chief
Maulana Arshad Madni and leader of
Barelvi sect and chief of Ittehad-e-
Millat Council, Maulana Tauqueer
Raza Khan and some other political leaders and outfits.
Reportedly, Mulayam is also in contact with the president of
the Muslim Personal Law Board and rector of Nadwatul
Ulama, Maulana Rabey Hasani Nadwi. Although Maulana
Rabey, following in the tradition of his predecessor late
Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, will never sully his feet in
electoral politics, Mulayam may be thinking of drawing
some benefit by demonstrating closeness with him. A sen-
ior JuH office bearer, while admitting that Mulayam was in
contact with them, told MG Mulayam has made some
promises to us and if he fulfills the same, he may gain sup-
port of Muslims. Maulana Tuqeer Raza Kahn is quoted to
have said, We were approached by the SP chief to discuss
a new alignment. I had listed some demands related to the
community and its well-being. Mulayam has agreed in prin-
ciple that the demands will be met. Once it is done, we can
talk about our political journey ahead, he said.
It is no secret that Mulayam, ever since he handed over
the reigns of power in UP to his son Akhilesh, has a dream
to become Prime Minister and to fulfill this dream he has
been trying to forge a third front of non-Congress and non-
BJP parties. His son and the UP Chief Minister Akhilesh
Yadavs recent meetings with the AIADMK chief Jayalalitha
can be seen in this context.
The present political situation, when neither the
Congress nor the BJP are very favourite with the electorate,
has boosted the morale of the SP chief. If he succeeds in
bringing some secular parties to forge a third front, he will
need enough parliamentary seats to claim its leadership.
But even if he fails in his efforts, he will try to get maximum
seats in order to have some bargaining power at the time of
the formation of the next Union government. In both the sit-
uations, Mulayam will try to repeat his performance of the
last Assembly elections. And that will not be possible with-
out the support of Muslims. Therefore, Mulayam may go to
any extent to get the support of the community.
But while bargaining with the Samajwadi Party, Muslim
leadership should be doubly cautious. Political parties in the
past have made promises to get the community votes but
forgotten them soon after the elec-
tions. More than one year has passed
now but the SP government has failed
to keep its promises to the communi-
ty. Another year or so remains before
the Parliament elections. Mulayam has
still enough time to fulfill his promises
and redress the grievances of the
community. Unless he does so, the
Muslim leaders should not commit
any support to the SP or any other
party on the basis of mere promises.
Besides, transparency should be
maintained in reaching any pact
because any backdoor dealing will
only arouse suspicion in the absence
of a united Muslim leadership.
It should also be borne in mind that the Lok Sabha elec-
tions are different from those of the states. Here Congress
and BJP are the two main contenders for power. Muslims
being the largest minority have the responsibility to bring the
secular forces to the front while at the same time ensure the
defeat of communal and divisive outfits. In the past, U.P.
Muslims voted for secular candidates, irrespective of their
party affiliations, who were in a position to defeat BJP nom-
inees in a particular constituency. While bargaining with the
SP chief, Muslim leadership should keep this factor in mind.
The deteriorating law and order in the state has eroded the
SP position from what it was a year back on the eve of the
elections to the state assembly. If the party and its govern-
ment fail to change their goonda image in the coming
months, which appears unlikely given the irresponsible
statements of some ministers recently, the party may not
be able to throw a big challenge to its rivals, especially the
BJP. Congress and BSP are other claimants of secular votes
in the state, especially the former which is trying to rope in
Muslims. But the community considers the Congress party
responsible for its pathetic condition after Independence.
Although the Congress has some sympathisers in the com-
munity, their numbers are not so high. It can succeed only
if the SP fails to fulfill its commitment to Muslims.
Religious leaders talking to Mulayam on behalf of the
community is a positive step and should be welcomed.
However, if these leaders instead of talking separately join
together and also bring leaders of Shia and other sects on
a single platform it would serve the community better. If the
aim of all the leaders is the same-to serve the Muslim com-
munity-petty differences should not come in the way.
MG/Yusuf
24 pages ` 15 ISSN 0972-3366 Fortnightly Vol. 14 No. 9 Issue Serial # 319 facebook.com/milligazette www.milligazette.com 1-15 May 2013
Narco tests 8-9
Terrorism 7
Demographic dividend 11
J&K 10 | Analysis 11 | Special Reports 3,13 | Issues 2,11,13
Books 21 | Speaking Out 11 | Newsmakers 12
Community News 14-15 | Islamic Perspectives 20
Our Publications 19 | Classifieds 22 | Letters 23
Inside
MG
Mulayam out to woo Muslim religious heads
THE
MILLI
GAZETTE
INDIAN MUSLIMS LEADING ENGLISH NEWSPAPER SINCE 2000
KASHMIRS MANDELA...5 SHAHABUDDIN FELICITATED...13
Muslims and Congress
Muslim disillusionment with the Congress is at unprecedented levels today - almost
at the same level which prevailed after the Emergency. The Congress has wasted
away during these past eight years all the goodwill it enjoyed and all the hopes it
had aroused after repealing POTA and constituting the Sachar panel.
While Sachar report has not gone beyond a scholarship programme of sorts
which is hardly reaching its targets (60 percent of the funds released returned to the
national exchequer unspent last year) and a development programme of Muslim-
dominated districts where allocations are being spent on non-Muslim areas of
those very districts (!). The Prime Ministers 15-point programme too is a show-
piece. Mere words, bereft of any substance and implementation/monitoring mech-
anism, it is good only for full-page sarkari advertisements in Urdu newspapers to
hoodwink Muslims.
Even this deprivation could be tolerated by the Muslim community but the
revival of POTA in the shape of UAPA and its periodic transformation into a real law
of terror and its indiscriminate usage against the community in entrapping and fak-
ing cases against Muslim youths, to keep the community in a state of perpetual awe
of the system, has killed whatever goodwill and benefit of doubt was nurtured by
the community. This was coupled with the tardy and sluggish probe and arrest of
Hindutva terrorists even where there is no iota of doubt about their involvement (the
community believes that almost all cases of terror blamed on the community are the
handiwork of the umpteen Hindutva terror outfits which enjoy the support of ele-
ments in the IB, Police and umpteen other agencies created to fight terror). Muslim
youth are being arrested with clockwork precision. No sooner one episode dies
down than a fresh one is made ready, rather cooked like that of Liaqat Ali Shah, the
latest prey of the man-eater Special Cell of the Delhi Police.
Home Minister Shindes apology to the BJP/RSS was seen as a slap in the face
of the Muslim community which is the victim of the Hindutva terror twice over - it
is the victim of the blast and the alleged perpetrators too belong to the same com-
munity!
The prospects are that Muslims will vote for other, regional, parties in the next
general elections moving away from the previous trend of voting for state and gen-
eral elections on different patterns. If the Congress continues its present policies
and style of functioning, things will only get worse and no amount of fake Muslim
agents and bearded intermediaries will secure the Muslim votes for the Congress.
If the Congress is serious to stem this worsening situation, it should at least
quickly take decisive action on two fronts - terrorism and reservation - by taking the
following steps:
(1) Set up high-power screening committee(s) to look into all the cases where
Muslim youth are languishing, at times blamed for 20-30 blasts (!), rotting in jails
with no hope of a future.
(2) Set up fast track courts for those where the screening committee(s) believe
that there is substance in the charges.
(3) Umpteen cases filed against one person should be collected and tried by a
single fast track court and where a number of cases are proved false, others should
be quashed as a matter of policy;
(4) Punishment of the Police, Intelligence and other agencies personnel who
framed and fabricated cases, as only this can stop this drama of the absurd.
(5) Adequate compensation to all terror-accused set free by courts in the past
or in future.
(6) Accept Ranganath Mishra commission report and offer reservation to the
Muslim community on the lines suggested by the commission.
Action on these two lines - arresting the persecution in the name of terror and
giving the long-promised reservation including reservation to the Muslim and
Christian SCs/STs - will help arrest the tide of the current disillusionment of the com-
munity vis--vis the Congress.
ZAFARUL-ISLAM KHAN
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INDIAN MUSLIMS LEADING ENGLISH NEWSPAPER
THE MILLI GAZETTE
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CHIEF EDITOR: ZAFARUL-ISLAM KHAN
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SEEMA SENGUPTA
While watching in disgust the gruesome television footage of the
Boston bombing that inflicted mass casualties and deriding those
cowards responsible for the needless waste of human life, I real-
ized that there is something more in American psyche than the
normal concern for loved ones. An incipient hatred against Islam
lay hidden, somewhere deep beneath the rich American cultural
edifice which propagated the philosophy of liberalism for cen-
turies.
But, is this paranoia confined to the American society only? I
questioned myself over and over again, only to find that nothing
but confusion is stewing in my mind. The mad rush to pin down
Muslims after every terror attack and castigate them in a manner
as if nobody else from other faiths can encourage such dastard-
ly acts is an attribute visible in Indian society too.
Hours after the bombings that transformed celebrations into
grief in Boston on Patriots Day, Bangalore, Indias cyber city was
rocked by a low intensity explosion.
The nation and its hyperactive media, on the prowl for break-
ing stories round the clock, wasted no time in apportioning
blame. Indian Mujahideen (IM), a locally bred anti-national
force, many of whose members are on the payroll of Indian intel-
ligence, was cherry picked and accused of criminal conspiracy
instantaneously.
If the Indian state is to approve of the theory of IM hand in
the Bangalore blast, questions need to be asked about the effica-
cy of the nations intelligence set-up. How is it that a radical
organization with well-entrenched Indian intelligence asset within
its top hierarchy and whose founder was successfully eliminated
in a targeted mission deep inside Pakistani territory, gets away
planting bombs here and there so frequently?
Credible intelligence sources, however, indicated a much
deeper conspiracy, that of a nasty political motive working over-
time to polarize the Indian society on the basis of caste, creed and
religion prior to the election season. Moreover, an undercurrent of
unity prevailing in the political spectrum ensures that none in the
investigative system is allowed to peep into the bitter factional
feud in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose leaders claim
that the bomb in Bangalore was meant for them. How can one
ignore the hard reality that influential Hindu terror module mem-
bers operating on Indian soil and responsible for several high pro-
file terror acts were found to be associated with some sister
organizations of the BJP?
Is it not intriguing that the major terror attacks with which the
IM was linked initially later turned out to be handiwork of those
professing the same invidious political ideology the BJP propa-
gates? The leadership of the party which used to take pride in
calling themselves different from the rest of the hoard might be
tempted to refute the facts by labelling them as insidious
rumours.
Perhaps, it is time for the BJP in particular and the political
class in India as a whole to do some honest introspection before
things go out of hand completely.
Exploiting the sensitivity of a pluralistic society endlessly for
electoral mileage will at the end of the day create irreparable fis-
sures within Indias unique multicultural democratic fabric and
weaken the plinth of this behemoth which has become a model
for the world. Let us for heavens sake not typify Indian Muslims
and force upon them a strong sense of guilt for abiding by a reli-
gious belief that in no way condones violence perpetrated against
innocent civilians.
Unlike their American counterparts, Muslims in India are yet
to face that xenophobic retribution but they have started experi-
encing a subtle wave of religious intolerance whereby their com-
munity is being looked upon with suspicion every time a bomb
blows up somewhere in the country. Aping the features of
American anti-terror policy selectively will only stimulate the
modus operandi of branding an entire community and tarnishing
the religious belief it adheres to. It will be a disaster for India and
the government will do well to keep itself away from aligning with
American vengeance as Washingtons favorite justice delivery
tools include torture, targeted killing, indiscriminate armed drone
strikes and the black hole of Guantanamo Bay.
Going by conservative figures, US has so far taken 30
Muslim lives for every American lost. None of these instruments
will help serve New Delhis purpose of reining in the multiple ter-
ror outfits operating in the region considering the fact that India
does not enjoy Americas locational advantage. Additionally, India
is home to 11 per cent of the global Muslim population, which is
the second largest after Indonesia. Since hate could instantly
devolve into violence, any racially directed anger needs to be con-
tained by vigorously espousing the cause of secularism that this
nation has preached over the years. The media has a gigantic role
in helping the society achieve a minimalist agenda of decent
human existence. Unfortunately, a sizable section of the Indian
press ends up demonizing Muslims after deviating from course.
The Indian government it seems has also been swayed by the
prejudice as the prime minister failed to mourn the loss of 55 pre-
cious lives from serial car bomb explosions in Iraq which coincided
with the demise of three sporting enthusiasts in Boston even though
he made it a point to express solidarity with President Barack Obama.
May be, the Indian foreign office is resigned to the fact that Iraq is the
kind of place where we can expect nothing apart from violence. On
the other hand being in Washingtons good book attracts a lot of
incentives - political, economic and strategic - even if it means but-
tressing the American way of delivering the full weight of justice.
Seema Sengupta is a Kolkata-based journalist and colum-
nist. The above article was first published by Saudia Arabias
leading English daily Arab News on 22 April, 2013.
Terrorism in India: Introspect before things go out of hand
www.milligazette.com
SUMIT PAUL
R
ecently I attended a seminar. The topic
of the seminar was Past and present
lyricists of Hindi films. One rabid Hindu
scholar read his paper and eulogised
Anand Bakhshi, Rajendra Krishna, Shailendra,
Gopaldas Saxena Neeraj, Sampooran Singh
Gulzaar, Kavi Pradeep, Pt. Narendra Sharma,
Yogesh and even Gulshan Bawra (!), but he per-
functorily mentioned the names of Majrooh
Sultanpuri and Shakeel Badayuni as also-rans
and completely, nay deliberately, forgot Sahir
Ludhianavi, Raza Mehdi Ali Khan, Hasrat Jaipuri,
Kaifi Azmi or Shamsul Hooda Bihari
(SH Bihari). How can one be so biased and anti-
Muslim? Even those who condemn Muslims will
have to hail the contributions of Muslim lyricists.
Agreed, Anand Bakhshi was a popular lyricist,
but he was more of a pen-pusher. He knew
Urdu, but barring a few gems like Hamein kya jo
har soo ujale hue hain, kay hum toh andheron ke
paale hue hain (Namaste ji, Rafi), Gham-e-hasti
say bas begana hota (Wallah kya baat hai, Rafi,
1962), Dhalti jaayay raat (Razia Sultan, Rafi-
Asha, composer-Lachhiraam) and Saari
khushiyaan hain (Rafi, Suhana Safar, 1970),
whatever he wrote can be dumped and discard-
ed as sheer trash. Neeraj was a good lyricist,
but he was heavily influenced by Sahir
Ludhiyanavi, the finest poet-lyricist Hindi film
music ever had. Apart from Nai umar ki nai
fasal, Cha-Cha-Cha, Sharmeeli and a few
others, Neeraj didnt write much to be counted
as one of the greats. Gulzaar is much-hyped and
hes for those, who dont understand poetry or
havent heard sublime Urdu poetry. What has
been his contribution? Besides, Khamoshi
(1969), Mere Apne (1972) and that everlasting
Jab bhi yay dil udaas hota hai (Rafi, Seema,
1970), all his songs are either for front-rowers
or for pseudo-intellectuals, who pretend to
understand poetry.
Hindi film music scenario is incomplete
without the contributions of Muslim poet-lyri-
cists like Sahir, Shakeel, Kaifi, Majrooh, Hasrat
and Raza Mehdi Ali Khan. It was Sahir, who gave
respectability to the particular genre of song-
writing and there was a time in the sixties that he
was charging a rupee more than Lata! How can
we forget the pearls and diamonds of Pyasa
(1960)? All the songs were musical adaptations
from his nazms and ghazals in Parchhaiyaan
and Talkhiyan (his two poetic compilations).
Ye duniya agar mil bhi jaaye (Rafi, Pyasa) is
still considered to be one of the best songs that
encapsulates the pain and pathos so beautifully.
Recall the song Man ray tu kaahe na dheer
dhare (Rafi, Chitralekha, 1964). Isnt it a quin-
tessence of melancholic poetry and philosophy?
Can anyone ever forget Shakeels Zindagi ke
safar mein akaylay thay hum (Nartaki, 1963) or
his metaphysical Aaj purani raahon se koi mujhe
aawaaz na de (Rafi, Aadmi); Hasrats Ehsaan
tera hoga mujh par (Rafi, Jangli, 1962) or
Mujhe tumse muhabbat hai (Bachpan, Rafi,
1965), Majroohs Hum hain mata-e-koocha-e-
baazar (Lata, Dastak, 1970), Meree aawaaz
suno and Tumhaari zulf ke saaye mein (Kaifi
Azmi, Naunihaal); Yahi woh jagah hai (S H
Bihari, Asha Bhonsle in Yay raat phir na aayegi)
or Kaise kategi zindagi teray baghair (unre-
leased film, Raza Mehdi Ali Khan and sung by
Muhammad Rafi). These are immortal songs,
penned by Muslim poet-lyricists who didnt
shelve the soul of poetry and compromise on its
essence. Moreover, in the sphere of art and cre-
ativity, why do we go by names and religions to
decide whos the best?
The music scenario has always been enriched
by Muslim artistes and not to mention their names
and contributions is akin to denying ones heritage.
Its indeed a pity that we live in the age of Prasoon
Joshi, Himesh Reshmiya and other lowly pen-
pushers and copywriters. What an irony, these
clowns songs are passed off as poetry.
No Muslim Lyricists Worth Mentioning?
Perhaps, it is time for the BJP in particular
and the political class in India as a whole to
do some honest introspection before things
go out of hand completely. Exploiting the
sensitivity of a pluralistic society endlessly
for electoral mileage will at the end of the
day create irreparable fissures within Indias
unique multicultural democratic fabric and
weaken the plinth of this behemoth which has
become a model for the world. Let us for
heavens sake not typify Indian Muslims and
force upon them a strong sense of guilt for
abiding by a religious belief that in no way
condone violence perpetrated against
innocent civilians.
Aping the features of American anti-terror
policy selectively will only stimulate the
modus operandi of branding an entire
community and tarnishing the religious belief
it adheres to. It will be a disaster for India
and the government will do well to keep itself
away from aligning with American vengeance
as Washingtons favorite justice delivery
tools include torture, targeted killing,
indiscriminate armed drone strikes and the
black hole of Guantanamo Bay.
Majrooh Sultanpuri, Shakeel Badayuni, Sahir Ludhianavi, Raza Mehdi Ali Khan, Hasrat Jaipuri, Kaifi Azmi, Shamshul Huda Bihari
Aligarh: According to a press release
issued by the PRO of the Aligarh
Muslim University on 20 April, the
Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim
University, Lt Gen (retd)
Zameeruddin Shah, has appointed
Major General G. G. Dwivedi, SM,
VSM and Bar (Retd.) as professor in
the Centre of West Asian Studies,
Faculty of Social Science for a peri-
od of three years or till he attains the age of 65
years, whichever is earlier, with effect from the
date he joins his duty.
The press release fur ther said, Major
General Dwivedi has remained associated with
Indian Army and held various important positions
from 1971 to 2009. Major General Dwivedi held
diplomatic assignments as Military Attach,
China from 1997 to 1999. He was Visiting Faculty
at Foreign Service Institute, Delhi, IIM, Kashipur,
Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, Lal
Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi,
Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi
and Punjab University, Chandigarh.
He obtained his M. Sc. and M. Phil. in
Defence and Strategic Studies from Madras
University and PhD in International Relations from
JNU. He also obtained Long Chinese Interpreter
Course from School of Foreign Languages, New
Delhi. Major General Dwivedi has also authored
two books on Military History/Strategy and pub-
lished over forty articles in Geo-Strategic Issues,
international relations and leadership in leading
professional journals.
MG Comment: AMU is now a mili-
tary institution run by retired offi-
cers on the pattern of an army for-
mation. All the top posts are held by
former army officers: the Pro-VC is
a retired brigadier and the Registrar
is a former group captain.
Reportedly, the new proctor too,
after the (forced?) resignation of a
professor, will be a former military
officer. Many university institutions including
the medical college are now teeming with for-
mer military officers running the show with an
iron fist. The VC, who loves to be called Lt.
General (retired), is running this central uni-
versity as an army commander. Smallest criti-
cism or indiscipline is rewarded with a severe
penalty and expulsion as seen in the cases of
the elected heads of the AMU students union.
The vice president of the union was pardoned
after he grovelled for pardon while the presi-
dent is still seen staging demos against the
decision. Why is it that only universities with a
Muslim character are chosen to be run like mil-
itary units. Earlier a retired general had headed
the Jamia Millia Islamia and now another
retired general is running roughshod over AMU.
Why hundreds of other universities in the coun-
try are not seen worthy of such leadership?
Another question related to the appointment of
the Maj. Gen.: he is appointed as a professor in
West Asian studies but seems to have no clue
about that area unless, of course, if China was
located in the Middle East. (Zafarul-Islam Khan)
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 3
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, espe-
cially 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 affected 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
governments 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 thousands 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 var-
ious 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 documents, etc., etc.
The target is to bring out this white paper during the next seven months and to release it in a big
convention 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 organ-
isations, especially 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 prepa-
ration and payments to contributors plus six months' salaries to researchers and experts; Rs 15 lakh
for designing 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 capi-
tals 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
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Rights activists
meet Mirwaiz
Srinagar: A 30-member human rights activists
group belonging to various Indian states called
upon APHC
Chairman Mirwaiz
Umar Farooq here
on 20 April. The
delegation was led
by noted rights
defender Gautam
Naulakha. The del-
egation included
the activists of
Andhra Pradesh
Civil Liberties Committee, Association for
Protection of Democratic Rights, West Bengal,
Association for Democratic Rights, Punjab, Budi
Mukti Committee, Bengal, Committee on Rights,
Manipur, Naga Peoples Movement for Human
Areas, Company for Peace and Democracy ,
Manipur, Peoples Union for Civil Liberties,
Jharkhand, Peoples Democratic Rights, and
Andhra Pradesh and Peoples Union for
Democratic Rights, Delhi.
Giving a detailed report over the widespread
abuse of human rights in Kashmir, Mirwaiz told
the delegation that their visit holds significance
since every Kashmiri wants that the Indian mass-
es should become aware and conscious about
the emotions and aspirations of Kashmiri mass-
es. He said human rights defenders after getting
acquainted with the ground zero can become
representatives and communicate to the masses
of their respective places about the real situation
prevailing in Kashmir.
APHC Chairman told the gathering that the
contribution of Indian Civil Society and human
rights group in bringing awareness to Indian
masses about the real situation in Kashmir would
prove to be more beneficial and effective since
they would be taken as credible voices.
Informing the delegation that APHC has a
clear policy on human rights abuse, Mirwaiz said
that the conglomerate vehemently condemns the
HR violations including torture, killings and mur-
der committed by the state as well as any killings
carried out by the unidentified gunmen. He said
the people have lost faith in state institutions in
defending the human rights in Kashmir, adding,
hundreds of probe committees and commission
called on to investigate abuse have failed to bear
any result, let alone punishing or indicting any-
body. He said the accused of HR violations were
roaming freely and enjoying the patronage of the
state.
He informed the delegation that execution of
martyr Afzal Guru was carried out by violating the
basic norms of humanity and law, adding, it has
badly hurt the collective conscience of
Kashmiris. APHC
C h a i r m a n
expressed con-
cern over the
arrest of
Kashmiris who
were falsely
booked in Lajpat
Nagar blast inci-
dent. He said
despite the court
ordering their release, they have been shifted to
Rajasthan Jail. He said that Kashmiri prisoners
lodged in outside jails were badly treated by the
jail authorities.
Mirwaiz stressed upon the delegation to
report the Kashmir happenings from ground zero
since there was no government policy on Jammu
and Kashmir except to occupy and rule it on gun-
point. He warned that there would be serious
repercussions which would be difficult to control
if government continues with its oppressive poli-
cies to suppress the aspirations of Kashmiris. He
said India was deliberately pushing the younger
generations towards picking up the arms by not
taking concrete steps to resolve the K issue
peacefully. He said GOI was making tall claims
about solving the daily issues of Kashmiris, but it
looked the other way when it comes to heed to
the political aspirations and emotions of the peo-
ple.
APHC Chairman said it was highly regretting
that at any given time government agencies can
paralyse the political and religious activities of
pro-freedom leadership by arresting them or
keeping them under house detention. He said
being the chief cleric of Kashmir, Mirwaiz said he
was kept under house detention for more than
fifty days in the aftermath of martyrdom of Afzal
guru. As a result, he said his religious activities
were restricted and state directly infringed into his
personal religious affairs.
Following a well orchestrated policy, he said,
Kashmiris were deliberately made dependent. He
said their water resources were being exploited
and in return they were not even receiving alms.
He said the government was promoting the trade
of spurious drugs in Kashmir and as a result
number of infants and grown ups have lost their
lives.
Quote, Unquote
Godhra did not happen because tourists were killed. This was a train load of VHP activists.
The chain is simple - No Godhra, no Modi. No Ayodhya - No Godhra. If Godhra had not
happened, BJP would have lost the assembly polls due in February 2003. And Modi would
have been part of history by now. NILANJAN MUKHOPADHYAY (firstpost.com)
UP govt is clueless on Nimesh report
Lucknow: More than seven months after the Nimesh commission report was handed over to chief
minister Akhilesh Yadav, the Uttar Pradesh government has now claimed it has no clue of the
reports present status and location. In a recent Right To Information (RTI) query, state home depart-
ment said the report of a probe into the arrest of two Muslim youths in 2007 on terror charges was
yet to reach the department.
Ever since the report was handed over to the CM by the secretary of the commission on August
31, 2012, Muslim organisations have been demanding its release and implementation by the SP
government. Former chief justice of the Allahabad high court retired Justice Rajendra Sachar too
had demanded the UP government to table the report at a press conference in Lucknow on
September 12, 2012. Recently, a social group Awami Council for Democracy and Peace had moved
an application under section 311 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) before the Barabanki court
where the trial of the two terror accused is underway, seeking directions from the court to summon
the report.
Social worker and Right to Information (RTI) activist Urvashi Sharma, who had approached the
state home department for the Nimesh report, has now questioned the very intention of the state
government with regard to the findings of the report. Sharma had first approached the office of the
chief secretary and the state home department for the specifics of the report through a written
request under the RTI Act on November 23, 2012 and December 26, 2012. After I failed to get any
response from the two offices, I moved an appeal on January 7, 2013 with the appeal officer of the
home department, Urvashi said talking to TOI.
On March 7, 2013 the state home department informed Urvashi that the department has not
received the Nimesh Commission report yet. I decided to get the home department communique
verified first-hand as I could not believe the reply had actually come from the government. I had
doubts that someone could have played mischief. But now it is confirmed beyond doubt that letter
(number 456 RI / CHA - Pu - 4 -20-13 dated March 7, 2013) signed by Indra Deo, Singh under sec-
retary and information officer of the state home department, was a genuine communique from the
government, said Urvashi.
The commission was constituted in 2007 by then chief minister Mayawati after aggressive
protests were held by the minorities in different parts of the state following the arrest of Khalid
Mujahid and Tariq Qasmi from Azamgarh and Jaunpur respectively, in connection with serial blasts
at district courts in Lucknow, Faizabad and Gorakhpur in 2007.
The report, which is over 1,000 pages, includes statements of 116 witnesses, and documentary
evidence. The police witnesses include officials from Lucknow police and UPs Special Task Force.
The commission also met the accused and their families to record their statements.
The commission was constituted to probe the police claims that Tariq Qasmi of Azamgarh and
Khalid Mujahid of Jaunpur were arrested on December 22, 2007 from near the Barabanki railway
station and that they were involved in the serial court blasts and were members of the Harkat-Ul-
Jehad-e-Islami (HuJI). The families of the two, however, challenged the police claims insisting that
Tariq was picked up by the police on December 12 from Azamgarh and Khalid on December 16 from
Jaunpur. They were kept in illegal detention for five days and forced to admit their involvement in the
blasts, the families alleged.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) had in its manifesto for the 2012 assembly polls, promised that on
coming to power, it would withdraw cases against innocent Muslim youths languishing in jail on false
terror charges. Both SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and partys state unit head Akhilesh Yadav had,
in their election campaign, repeatedly promised to implement the Nimesh Commission Report in let-
ter and spirit, if SP came to power in UP. But, more than a year after the SP government was formed,
the government in unable to trace the report. (Pervez Iqbal Siddiqui - timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Lt. Gen. appoints
Maj. Gen. in AMU
New Delhi: Khalid Ali, a 38-year old Mechanical
engineer who was arrested in the first week of
November last year (2012) a few months after
communal riots in Kosi Kalan (near Mathura)
was honourably released on 26 March from
Mathura Jail. It may be stated that after passing
B. Tech from Jamia Millia in 1997 he got employ-
ment in Saudi Arabia and every two years he
used to come to his home town, Kosi Klan
(where in communal riots four Muslims were
killed) In July last year (2012) he had come to
Kosi Kalan on leave. After about 5 months he
was arrested by UP police on 7 November for his
alleged complicity in riots but in the absence of
any proof he was released very soon on bail.
Shortly thereafter he was again arrested by UP
police on 10 December under NSA (National
Security Act) under a conspiracy. All sorts of
false and unfounded allegations, in complicity
with police, communal forces and equally com-
munal media also, were made by police, that he
was leading the rioters, that he is an agent of
Pakistan, that he is associated with D company,
that he was the master mind of communal riots
and that he had obtained Rs. 2 crores from a for-
eign country etc.
Jamiatul Ulamas Maulana Arshad Madni
who has been trying since long through his
organisations legal cell to free innocent Muslims
got in touch with Mulayam Singh, his brother
Prof Ram Gopal Yadav etc, strongly urging them
to lift NSA from him as it is totally unjustified.
Any how, with the intervention of Mulayam Singh
and in consultation with IG police and legal
experts not only NSA was lifted but he was
released also on 26 (or 25 March 2013). Fearing
arrest again if he goes to Kosi Kalan he (Khalid
Ali) came to Delhi and is now living along with
his family at the residence of his sister at Abul
Fazal Enclave.
Govt not interested in the edu-
cational progress of Muslims
New Delhi: Some steps taken or proposed to be
taken by the government for the progress of
Muslims in view of 2014 parliamentary elections
apparently appear to be sound and promising but
executors and bureaucrats with RSS mentality in
the government put such projects in the cold
storage even before their implementation. Former
HRD minister Kapil Sibal taking the minority edu-
cational plans seriously had constituted NMCME
(National Monitoring Committee for Minorities
Education) and some other sub-committees. It
was hoped that his scheme will open up better
avenues of government facilities and conces-
sions for the educational progress of Muslims
but in the meantime his (Sibals) ministry was
changed, after which the entire responsibilities
fell on the shoulders of those who were to imple-
ment those plans but whatever hope was there
for proper implementation of Sibals schemes
was dashed when Ameet Khare, joint secretary
in this ministry who was a sincere man and had
good experience in the implementation of such
schemes was also transferred to some other
department and he was replaced by one Mrs
Veena Aish, the adverse effect of this will be that
by the time she familiarises herself with these
schemes, the term of UPA-II will probably expire
or will be on the verge of expiry. It is considered
that some persons and officers with RSS mental-
ity in the government fix their eyes on such plans
which are on the road to being implemented but
at that very moment these are stopped in one
way or the other. One of the members of the
Monitoring Committee said that good progress
could have been made in this direction but it is
difficult to say what the fate of this scheme will
be now.
It may be stated in this connection that
NMCME was constituted on 23 December 2012.
Though no work was done practically on this
scheme, when minister Sibal expressed his seri-
ousness and keenness of its implementation and
constituted one standing committee and 5 other
sub-comittees with the idea that during the
remaining period of UPA-II government, maxi-
mum work in this field may be done. Monitoring
Committee members were sent to different parts
of the country to study and identify the districts
or blocks etc where not much work was done or
where difficulties, hurdles etc were being faced
in the implementation of academic and vocation-
al educational schemes. Under the recommen-
dations of these committees work had started on
several new projects and schemes and efforts
were also made for expeditious implementation
of older schemes. But the work on these
schemes had hardly started when Sibal was
given another ministry and Pallam Raju was
given HRD ministry. Even then the implementing
officers who become familiarised with the
schemes can very well implement them under
their heads but as stated above, people with RSS
mentality who do not want to implement
schemes for the good and progress of Muslims
try to put a brake on these schemes. NMCME
and its 5 other sub-committees had collected
quite a lot of material for the development of
mental and other faculties of Muslim children and
their normal and vocational education in accor-
dance with their natural inclination in particular
arts, crafts etc but transfer of key persons and
their replacement by new persons who take their
own time in getting familiarised with their new
jobs kills or at least delays such schemes.
According to knowledgeable sources, one
particular officer in HRD ministry who at one
time was PS to present BJP chief, Raj Nath Singh
and is a man with RSS mentality is very influen-
tial in this ministry, creates much hindrances in
implementation of schemes for the progress of
Muslims. On his wishes and orders such files are
kept in the cold storage where they gather dust,
with the result that the ministry works according
to his whims. As regards the new HRD minister
Pallam Raju, ever since he has taken over the
charge, HRD ministry has become rather static.
In particular, issues regarding Muslims are kept
on the back burner. He is not much interested in
living in Delhi. Very often he is on tour to foreign
countries or is in Andhra Pradesh, with the result
that ministry is at the mercy of bureaucrats who
are rather cold to progress of Muslims in any
field. According to some experienced sources,
transfer of Joint secretary Ameet Khare was
because he was making many plans for the bet-
terment of Muslims which were in the final
stages of implementation. An important member
of the committees on education of Muslims said
that now these schemes will be put in the cold
storage.
Is Modi responsible for the
death of farmers of Gujarat?
New Delhi: ANHADs Shabnam Hashmi and her
team members from Gujarat exposed the white
lies of Gujarats chief minister Modi who, by pre-
senting or rather propagating the model of
Gujarats development before the country is
dreaming to become the prime minister of India.
Gujarati members of her team Madan Trivedi,
Tanvi Soni and Dev Desai said while speaking to
media persons here on 14 April that during the
regime of Narendra Modi more than 5 thousand
farmers have committed suicide so far in
Gujarat, the record of which has come to light
through the information obtained by one Bharat
Jhala under RTI. Most of the cases of suicides
were because lands of farmers were grabbed
and given to corporate houses. They said that the
bill regarding agriculture introduced recently by
the Modi government is very dangerous, seeing
that this bill has virtually taken away almost all
rights of farmers of Gujarat, so much so that they
cannot even dig a well in their own fields, even if
they want to do so whereas industrialists or
those who want to set up industries enjoy full
freedom to get as much water as they want.
They said that they have worked among them
(farmers) in Saurashtra where conditions are
worse than before and they (farmers) are finding
it difficult to survive. Water and electricity are
lacking greatly and the condition of roads is very
bad. They further said that during Modis regime
the whole of Gujarat is in debt and at present
every Gujarati is in debt four times as much as
compared to earlier days.
They said that Modi is being invited to pres-
ent the model of Gujarats progress whereas the
fact is that he is misleading the people by telling
lies about the states progress. Giving an exam-
ple they said that he (Modi) claims that electrici-
ty is available in Gujarat for all the 24 hours
whereas the fact is that even these days people
spend their days in darkness for upto 12 hours.
As regards the promotion of tourism in Gujarat,
in this also his claim is false, they said, adding
that whatever amount is being spent on Amitabh
Bachchan (as the states brand ambassador),
the state has not received the corresponding
benefits.
Shabnam Hashmi said that it would not be
wrong if it is said that in (last years) Gujarat elec-
tions Narendra Modi has lost because the percent-
age of his (or rather his partys) votes has greatly
decreased which is not being mentioned in the
media and elsewhere. She said that if electronic
voting machines would not have been tampered,
his party (BJP) would have lost at least in 30
assembly constituencies. She said that it is being
repeatedly claimed by the BJP that there were no
communal riots in Gujarat during the past 10
years whereas the fact is that even today Gujarat
is burning in communal ritos. She said that there
have been many communal riots like Baroda
Dargah riot in 2006, Surat riots in 2007, Chhota
Udaipur riots in this year (2013) and many other
riots on a small or large scale. Hence it is wrong
to say that after 2002 there have been no commu-
nal riots in Gujarat. She said that when every thing
was destroyed in a single riot (in 2002) where is
the need for another riot?
She said that on ANHADs completion of 10
years of its life a national convention will be held
on 17 and 18 April in Delhis Mavlankar Hall in
which separate sessions will be held on the topic
of How to protect India against the clutches of
Fascist powers in which many important persons
will express their views. She said that there will
also be a separate session in which political lead-
ers like Congress general secretary Dig Vijay
Singh, LJPs head Ram Vilas Paswan, Mahesh
Bhat and other personalities will express their
views. She said that the most important session
will be on the RSS and its communal and terrorist
activities in which its hidden terrorist plans and
activities will be exposed.
Speaking before media persons from
ANHADs new office in Nizamuddin (earlier its
office was in the garage of Planning Commission
Member Mrs Sayeda Saiyyadain Hamids official
residence but probably because of BJPs objection
it shifted its office to Nizamuddin) she said that in
this convention ANHADs social and humanitarian
activities and achievements etc will be highlighted.
In this press conference ANHADs other members
Madan Trivedi, Tanvi Soni, Dev Desai etc were also
present. She said that her organisation has been
working for the common people and trying to raise
its voice against injustices and excesses against
helpless people and its struggle against such
injustices etc will continue. It may be added in this
connection that ANHAD was created in 2003,
almost a year after Gujarats anti-Muslim mas-
sacre to work for the oppressed and helpless peo-
ple and to expose the perpetrators of such crimes.
It also works in other fields also like strengthening
democracy and secularism, communal harmony,
struggle against sexual inequality, empowerment
of women, protection of human rights etc. Among
its founders, in addition to Shabnam Hashmi are
Mrs Shubha Mudgal, Harsh Mander, Ram
Punayani, Kamla Bhasin, Sayeed Akhtar Mirza etc.
Her husband Safdar Hashmi, a social worker with
progressive ideas was killed by some criminal ele-
ments about a decade ago while performing in a
road-side drama near Delhi.
Shamshad Begum falls silent
Mumbai: Shamshad
Begum, one of the earliest
and most versatile playback
singers from the golden age
of Bollywood music, died
here at her residence here
on 23 April after prolonged
illness. She was 94. Born in Amritsar in Punjab
in 1919, she made her debut on Peshawar Radio
in Lahore in December 1947. She then sang for
All India Radio as part of her music group, The
Crown Imperial Theatrical Company of
Performing Arts, set up in Delhi. In her nearly 35-
year tryst with the Hindi film music, Begum
recorded some of the finest and most popular
songs ever composed by crme de la crme of
the film music fraternity. Begum received a
Padma Bhushan in 2009. The same year, she
was also decorated with the O.P. Nayyar award
for her contribution to film music. Tributes flowed
in from all quarters. Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, in his message said, "Ms. Begum was
among the most popular singers of the country
for over three decades and captured the hearts of
music lovers with her enchanting voice and
unique tonal rendition."
N. A. ANSARI
Terror victim released honorably
4 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
Corruption rampant under BJP
Ahmedabad / Bhopal / Indore: The louder the
BJP pitch against corruption; deeper its own
states are caught in the mire of corruption.
Citing the CAG report the Congress alleged that
the Gujarat government had squandered money
to the tune of Rs. 1300 crores. Adani Power
Limited caused a revenue loss of Rs 160 crores.
Sardar Sarovar project caused a loss of Rs. 45
crores. In another five projects an additional
loss of Rs. 100 crore was incurred and a bene-
fit of Rs. 17 crore was given to other corporates.
Companies which had completed only 54% of
assignment were paid for the whole project. In
Madhya Pradesh also the files pertaining to
Devputra and Green Borad are lying with the
CM. The projects, brain children of education
minister Archana Chitnis, have been examined
by the Lokayukt and he is awaiting clearance
from the CM.
In yet another scam relating to pension
scheme a recovery worth Rs. 23 crores has
been traced from dead beneficiaries. The
scheme was under a cloud because of alleged
irregularities by Ramesh Mendola, a close asso-
ciate of Kailash Vijayvargiya. There were thou-
sands of bogus claimants among the beneficiar-
ies.
Swine flu in Gujarat irks HC
Ahmedabad: Taking cognisance of widespread
swine flue in the state the High Court passed
strong strictures against the state government.
Holding it responsible for deaths in adivasi dis-
tricts, because of poor disposal of garbage and
apathy towards hygiene it directed the govern-
ment to be vigilant.
Rejecting state health commissioners and
public prosecutors argument that the epidemic
is not as wide spread as in other states it
observed that the court has nothing to do with
statistics of other states.
No Rama in BJP state
Bhopal: One cannot believe that chanting
Rama can attract punishment in a BJP ruled
state! However, organising recitation of
Ramayan at the Vallabh Bhavan (State govern-
ment Secretariat) compelled the General
Administration Department to issue an order
objecting to such recitation with burning of
incense sticks and dhoop and chanting Jai Sri
Ram slogan. This is not because of any secu-
lar inclinations but because of an employee agi-
tation which resorted to Ramayan recitation to
instill some wisdom in top bureaucrats. Since
Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) was
not held, as usual, on 1 January the employees
resorted to such tactics which boomeranged on
them. This will give Togadia another excuse for
advocating Hindu Rashtra.
RSS to go to UN for Hindus
Mathura (Vrindavan): A global meet of Hidnu
organisations all over the world is being con-
vened in Mathura (Vrindavan) to plan a strategy
for the future. A week long convention (3-9
April) is to discuss the road map for Hindutva.
The first day of the convention was attended by
delegates from 17 countries. Sangha claims to
have 40 international members. The meet is to
be addressed by Mohan Bhagwat, the supreme,
and VHP secretary Dinesh, Shanta and Bhaiya
Joshi and others. The Sangh proposes to raise
the issue of the plight of Hindus in neighbouring
countries in the UNO. In fact, approaching the
UNO has been on Abhinav Bharats agenda too.
The Sangh is to give its approval Ravikumar, the
joint co-ordinator of the convention apprised
that opinions about Hindus is becoming more
and more favourable all over the world because
of globalisation. The convention is being attend-
ed by delegates from USA, Canada, Guyana,
UK, Germany, Srilanka, Nepal, Mynmar, Hong
Kong, Malaysia, Australia, Newzealand etc.
Arrested for spying for Pakistan
New Delhi: An officer of the union home ministry
was arrested for spying for Pakistan. According
to a newspaper report, Chandra Shekhar, a sec-
tion officer in the home ministry was arrested
last month (March) for passing on secret infor-
mation about Pokhran, a place in Rajasthan
where the first atomic experiment and subse-
quently explosion was carried out by India, in
mid-1970s and then again during the NDA
regime around late 1990s. He was accused of
supplying secret and strategic information to
Pakistani spies in return for money.
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 5 www.milligazette.com
New Delhi: Dr. Muhammad Qasim: The Victim of
Political Vendetta, a book on the Kashmiri
Mandela, Dr. Muhammad Qasim, was released
here on 23 April at the Constitution Club by Prof
Jagmohan (nephew of Shaheed Bhagat Singh)
and Jeetan Marandi (peoples balladeer who was
acquitted by the HC of Jharkhand in a framed up
case). The book is a compilation of the case doc-
uments of Dr. Muhammad Qasim and articles
written by various intellectuals and prominent cit-
izens demanding an end to his 20 year-long incar-
ceration.
Prof. Jagmohan talked about the spirit that
Jeetan had given to all of us after a prolonged
peoples movement all over the Subcontinent for
his release. Both the speakers said it is a great
victory for the people. Prof. Jagmohan pointed out
that Bhagat Singhs well-known slogan of anti-
imperialism and revolution, that he framed in
1917, correctly captured the dialectical relation
between the two. Only the correct synthesis of
this understanding can save us from these trying
times of the growing fangs of fascist assault on
the people on all fronts - socio-cultural and politi-
co-economic.
He also talked about the need to take a cue
from the arduous struggle for the release of
Jeetan Marandi that gives us strength and hope
towards making it possible the release of all polit-
ical prisoners including Dr. Muhammad Qasim.
While referring to the case of more than 40-odd
lifers in J&K, Prof. Jagmohan stressed the fact
that when it comes to a political prisoner, the sys-
tem always looks for a convenient option ensur-
ing that the notion of life imprisonment be for the
entire natural life of the political prisoner. Hence, it
becomes important that we demand for the
release of all Kashmiri Muslim lifers lodged in dif-
ferent jails who have served around ten years in
prison. It is important that such books document-
ing the case and struggle for the release of politi-
cal prisoners like Dr. Muhammad Qasim be taken
to the wider sections of the people.
Jeetan Marandi, while talking about his tortur-
ous experience on the death row, reminisced how
his life from childhood facing abject poverty had
forced him to discontinue his school after the 3rd
standard and he had to fight every moment to
make his life worth living as a human being.
Young Jeetan soon got attracted to the cultural
group which used to visit villages and sing songs
and act plays that depicted the everyday life of the
villagers and the problems they faced. Soon
Jeetans worldview transformed as he found pur-
pose in being part of the group and thus being
part of peoples initiatives to do away with their
miseries. Soon he started singing for the people
and their rights which naturally made him the tar-
get of State repression. In that context he identi-
fied himself with the incarceration of Dr. Qasim.
The emotional and moving narrative of Jeetan
proved beyond doubt how the struggle to keep
one alive in the dungeon is connected to the larg-
er struggle to do away with all forms of oppres-
sion. He spoke about the need to dream even in
adverse times and talk to oneself about the need
to never give up hope even for a moment. The
prisoner defines himself as well as the world
around him in these moments of struggle to stay
alive and that is what makes him and his convic-
tions cherishable -- a dream worth dreaming in
the isolated cell. In a dark (anda) cell, where there
is only some semblance of light at 12 noon, every
mosquito that sucks your blood, every lizard that
creeps across, the spider and its cobweb, every-
thing becomes your friend, as you
struggle to make sense out of such
senseless creatures, making a mean-
ing of life in isolation as you keep
watching the lizard eat the insect for
hours together. It is the desire to live
even in that lifeless world that makes
the political prisoner and his struggle
inside the confines of the prison a fight
to keep ones finest sensibilities alive
and it is the same that the mindless
and violent State wants him to lose for-
ever. Jeetan felt that in this struggle
always the news from outside of peo-
ple protesting for his release, rallies
and public meetings demanding his
unconditional release, gave him hope
and a strong faith in the strength of the
people. It is this united strength of the
people and their struggle that can
ensure that the terrible injustice of the
kind of incarceration that Dr. Qasim
and his co-accused are going through
can be done away with. The release of
all such political prisoners in the
Subcontinent becomes the need of the
hour as part of struggle to humanise
ourselves.
Zahid a Kashmiri, a scholar, talked
about the need for a united struggle of
the people of the Subcontinent to
defeat the designs of the State to sup-
press all forms of political dissent.
Prof. SAR Geelani, while presiding over the
programme, stressed the need for the struggle to
unite for the release of all political prisoners in the
Subcontinent. There are thousands of Kashmiri
political prisoners lodged in different jails in the
Subcontinent though in the present programme
we are raising only the case of life convicts in the
context of Kashmir with specific reference to the
continuing incarceration of Dr. Muhammad
Qasim. While pointing out that the rights of the
political prisoners have been recognised in the
international law, he stressed that it is our duty to
struggle to make the Indian State accept the cat-
egory of political prisoners and their rights.
Book on Kashmirs Mandela, Dr. Qasim Faktoo released
Statement issued
by the Committee
for The Release of
Political Prisoners
At the outset it is a case of gross injustice and political vendetta on
Dr. Muhammad Qasim Faktoo who has spent twenty years of his life
in prison.
The case of Dr. Muhammad Qasim epitomises how political
convictions, of being a Kashmiri Muslim sharing the political aspi-
rations of the Kashmiri people is enough to earn the ire of the polit-
ical establishment.
Dr. Muhammad Qasim was arrested on 5 February 1993 for his
political views. In order to prolong his incarceration, he was booked
under Sec.3 TADA, and Sec 302 read with 120-B CrPC. On 14 July,
2001 the TADA Court in Jammu had acquitted him saying that the
prosecution had miserably failed to prove the case against
Dr. Muhammad Qasim and the other accused. As the State of J&K
challenged the acquittal before the Supreme Court, Dr. Muhammad
Qasim was sentenced to life based solely on a confession state-
ment made under section 15 of TADA. Even when the SC sentenced
him to life it was mentioned that the accused shall be given bene-
fit of the period already undergone (undertrial period) by then.
After the completion of 14 years, the J&K High Court directed
the Jail authorities to place Dr. Qasims case before the Review
Board for consideration keeping in spirit with the observations of the
SC. The Review Board recommended his premature release on
3 June 2008. Contrary to the recommendations of the Review
Board, the J&K government brought in the interpretation that the
J&K Jail Manual Rule 54.1 debars TADA life convicts from release
on completion of two thirds (14 years) of 20 years. (Govt. order No.
Home-773(P) of 2009 dated 14.09.2009)
Amidst conflicting opinions in the High Court between a single-
bench judge, which initially quashed the government order, while a
double-bench upheld it. Taking refuge in the Rule 54.1 of the Jail
Manual, the long arm of political vendetta stood between a forth-
right consideration of the outstanding situation and the release of
Dr. Muhammad Qasim. On 31 May 2012, Dr. Muhammad Qasim
completed 20 years of incarceration. It has been held unequivocal-
ly that despite the correspondence of Sec. 401 and 402 of the State
Code of Criminal Procedure to Sections 432 and 433 of the Central
Code, the power of the executive is absolute and unfettered to remit
a sentence but this was elusive in the case of Dr. Qasim.
As Dr. Muhammad Qasim has been sentenced to life under the
J&K Manual, which made him ineligible to avail the provision of
release after 14 years of imprisonment, it logically followed that the
same manual provides for putting an end to his incarceration after
the completion of 20 years.
What makes matters worse in J&K is the overwhelming sense
of vendetta vis--vis political prisoners.
The Indian State, Jammu & Kashmir state in particular, have
deliberately evaded the challenging question of evolving
jurisprudence consistent with the question of political offences
or offences the state deems are against the will of the State. The
courts disquiet in developing jurisprudence dealing with politi-
cal offences that are not borne out of individual interest of the
alleged offender but of collective interest has resulted in adho-
cism and arbitrariness taking precedence over a possible judicial
remedy in the ordinary law consistent with the already estab-
lished precedence in international law.
Perhaps for the first time the Calcutta High Court (CRR 463 of
2012 With CRR 1312 of 2012 With CRR 4000 of 211 on 8 August
2012) while recognising the right of the Maoist prisoners to be
treated as political prisoners has brought in the question of the need
to develop jurisprudence dealing with political offences.
Notwithstanding the fact that the above said judgment was
based on the West Bengal Correctional Services Act 1992 and
though there is yet to be a statutory recognition to political prison-
ers in J&K, the Indian State has, to some extent, acknowledged the
difference between political prisoners and other offenders. Since
1995 India allowed International Committee of Red Cross to visit
these prisoners and ascertain their conditions within jails (though
the distinction, however, remained confined to recognized jails and
not umpteen detention centres like interrogation centres and police
stations where the brutalities are perpetrated).
The need of the hour is to expand the ambit of the distinction of
political prisoners from the domain of treatment of prisoners to the
jurisprudence of conviction and penology.
Only in such a scenario can there be some safeguards, if not
all, given the nature of the Indian State, to deal with such prolonged
incarceration of prisoners for their political beliefs.
Dr. Muhammad Qasim has undergone twenty years of incarcer-
ation. Many more will continue to face the same fate if the demo-
cratic and freedom-loving people of the Subcontinent fail to raise
their voice against such inhuman and beastly face of the so-called
democracy of the Indian State and its judiciary and executive.
As in the case of Dr. Muhammad Qasim, the 45-odd Kashmiri
political prisoners serving life sentence in various prisons should
also be released. Below is a list of some of these prisoners. Most
of the lifers in this list have already finished ten years or more of
their sentence.
Putting Dr. Muhammad Qasim further behind bars goes
against the very grain of all civil and political rights and freedoms
assured by the Constitution of India as well as the International
Law. The prolonged incarceration of Dr. Muhammad Qasim is a
testimony to the continuing repression and trampling of all free-
doms of the people of J&K for their political aspirations. As the
state uses every draconian law within its reach to the maximum
(in Dr. Muhammad Qasims case the J & K Jail Manual, read with
TADA), thousands of Kashmiri Muslims are kept behind bars in
various prisons while hundreds languish in undisclosed torture
and detention centres.
Following is an Incomplete list of Kashmiri
Muslims Serving Life Sentence in various jails
such as Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, Tihar,
Mumbai, Gujarat, Nagpur etc.:
1. AB Rashid, Udhampor was awarded Death but now changed into
Life, Jammu District Amphala Jail
2. Aashiq Hussain Faktoo alias Dr Muhammad Qasim Faktoo Srinager
Jail.
3. Ghulam Qadir Butt R/O Dooru Mir Maidan, Islamabad in Khutwa Jail
now in Srinagar Jail.
4. Muhammad Ayoub Mir, Sadrabal Kot Bulwal Jail Jammu
5. Muhammad Ayoub Dar, Rawal Pora, Srinagar presently in Srinagar
Jail, Life sentence by TADA court Jammu in 2009
6. Iqbal Jan, Bandipora Srinagar Jail
7. Mustaq Kaloo, Sopore co-accused with Iqbal Jan, Tihar jail, New
Delhi
8. Mohammad Amin Wani, Banihal
9. Mehmood Toopiwal, Kangan
10. Abdul Waheed Thachi, Banihal
11. Jafar Umar Khanto
12. Javeed Khan, Nowpora, Srinagar Tihar Jai s/o M Shafi Khan
Nowpora Srinagar 517-96 Lajpath Nagar Blast
13. M Shafi Khan @Prof Shafi Sharyati Hariwanun Khansahab in Sgr
Jail.
14. Noor Muhammad Tantry, Tral, earlier in Tihar, now in Srinagar
15. Feroz Ahmad, Budgam Beerwa
16. Sh Raeis Delhi Tihar
17. Ishaq Pala s/o GH Rasool Tariq Shiekh, Manihal Shopian
18. Shabir Ahmad s/o M Abdullah Butt, Handwara Maratham
19. Mustaq Malik s/o Gh Muhammad Shah, Gund Handwara
20. Gh Muhammad Butt s/o Noor Muhammad Butt Koker Bagh Khag
21. Ab Hamid Teeli s/o GH Hasan Kokerhama, Kulgam
22. Nazir A Shiekh s/o Ab Rashid Batamaloo
23. Showkat A Khan Chotabazar present Nishat
24. Zakir Hussain alias Umar Faoorq, son of Ali Mohd of Malhar,
25. Fayaz Ahmad Shah of Babnad Shopian and Muhammad Syed Bhat
of Dirhama Bijbehara.
26. Samiulla Sheikh R/O Patan Baramulla
27. Ghulam Nabi Soura, Srinagar, Kashmir Central Jail, Srinagar
28. Amin Dar Banihal, Jammu, Jammu Jail
29. Barkat Hussain S/O Neik Muhammad Pulwama, Kashmir Jammu
Jail
30. Farooq Ahmad, Central Jail, Nagpur
31. Farooq Chopan, Central Jail, Mumbai
32. G. MuhammadWani, Jammu Jail
33. G. Qadir Butt Kupwara, Kashmir, Sub Jail, Kathua
34. Lala Hussain, Jammu Jail
35. Muhammad Akram Butt
36. Muhammad Aslam S/O Kamal Din, Jammu Jail
37. Muhammad Latif S/O Wali Muhammad, Jammu Jail
38. Muhammad Shafi S/O Abdal Karim, Jammu Jail
39. Muhammad Hussain R/ O Hadmat, Jammu Jail
40. Muhammad Shafi S/O Mohammad Abdullah, Jammu Jail
41. Muhammad Yousuf S/O Fetha Muhammad, Jammu Jail
There are thousands of Kashmiri political prisoners
lodged in different jails in the Subcontinent though in the
present programme we are raising only the case of life
convicts in the context of Kashmir with specific refer-
ence to the continuing incarceration of Dr. Muhammad
Qasim.. the rights of the political prisoners have been
recognised in the international law...
RAM PUNIYANI
ram.puniyani@gmail.com
When on this 14th April
anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao
Babasaheb Ambedkar, we
pay tribute to his yeoman
services towards the cause
of social justice and bringing
to fore the values of democ-
racy; we also need to think
as to how his dream and vision of the annihila-
tion of caste can be taken further. Where do we
stand in this direction six decades after
Independence and after the formal implementa-
tion of the Constitution of India which gives us
the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity?
Caste has been the major marker of Indian,
particularly Hindu, society. While world over the
serfs were under the bondage of feudal lords,
we had religiously ordained the system of Varna-
Jati (Caste).
Many theories of caste prevail, the racial
theory, superior Aryans versus the natives, now
stands debunked. The hypothesis of Morton
Klass argues that it was a way of adjusting of
tribal to the system of production, which gener-
ated surplus. This understanding points towards
the understanding that caste evolved with a par-
ticular system of production in India. Kosambi
looks at the origin of caste as being due to the
continuous process of fusing of tribal into gener-
al society.
The major contribution to the understanding
of the genesis of caste comes from Ambedkar
as per whom Caste-Varna came into being due
to ideological-religious factors. According to
him, the caste system came into being as the
result of ideologies of Dharmshatras, which was
part of Brahmanism.
In the Indian society, the interesting point is
that caste is prevalent not only amongst Hindus,
it also prevails in other religious communities
also to some extent. The difference being that
amongst Hindus, the caste is prescribed in the
holy books, while in other religious communi-
ties, it is a social phenomenon, like Ashraf, Ajlaf
and Arzal amongst Muslims and different
denominations amongst Christians and Sikhs.
The first challenge to caste system came
from Lord Gautam Buddha, who talked of
Samta, equality. This concept of Samta became
very popular and was accepted by large num-
bers of people till Buddhism was attacked and
wiped out from India in the eighth century by
those who wanted to restore the Varna-Caste.
During the medieval period, the Bhakti saints
in particular talked against and questioned the
system of graded inequality, but their voice
though a powerful articulation of the plight of the
low castes, remained just an expression of pain
and sorrow of the poor, and was strongly
opposed by the dominant Brahmin clergy.
The rule of Muslim kings and the British did
not change the social structure of the
Subcontinent, though during the British rule due
to the industrialization and introduction of mod-
ern education, the caste system started being
questioned, opposed and socially challenged.
During the rule of Muslim kings, the social
structure had remained intact. With the British
rule the half way process of industrialization and
modern education came in. At the same time the
Caste-Varna continued on the side, though its
legitimacy started being questioned in a more
serious way. In the changed situation starting
from Jotirao Phule, the movements for caste
abolition found grounding in society, though they
were not able to uproot the phenomenon in full
measure as the feudal production system ran
side by side with the process of modernization.
The process of secularization, abolition of the
hold of the landlord and the clergy, remained
incomplete and so the process of caste transfor-
mation remained half way through.
The struggle started by Ambedkar aimed for
social justice, social equality and democratic
values. He led the movements like Chavdar
Talab, for the right to have access to public
drinking water, Kalaram Mandir, right to enter
temples and also the burning of Manusmriti, as
symbolic of the rejection of the religiously
ordained caste hierarchy. The resistance to this
struggle led him to conclude that he had no
option but to leave the Hindu fold, which is dom-
inated by the Brahmanical values of Varna. The
social political base of his movement was pro-
vided by the national movement which was
aspiring for throwing away the British colonial
power and also struggling for democratic val-
ues. But the national movement was not ade-
quate to give him total social justice as this
movement also had upper castes in good meas-
ure. So here we see the dilemma of Mahatma
Gandhi versus Ambedkar. Gandhi was not able
to go beyond the limits posed by the participa-
tion of all castes in the freedom movement. He
kept talking of the Varna system in a more
refined form while taking up cudgels against
untouchability.
Gandhi also opposed the separate elec-
torate provided by the communal award of
MacDonald in 1932. The Poona Pact between
Gandhi and Ambedkar led to the reserved
Constituency and the provisions of reservations
for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Ambedkars vision was that reservations and
inter-caste marriages will be steps towards the
annihilation of Caste. Today both these face seri-
ous obstacles on social ground. The rigidity of
caste is increasing and inter-caste marriage is
facing serious obstacles from conservative
forces. While the freedom movement led by
Gandhi was half way conceding to the needs of
Dalits, the other ideology, the one of religious
nationalism, was waiting in the wings with the
concept of Hindu Rashtra, Hindu nation.
Ambedkar did realize that acceptance of reli-
gious nationalism and formation of Pakistan on
that ground will be a disaster for Dalits as it will
pave the way for the Hindu Rashtra and the slav-
ery of Dalits.
Today, while most of the commentators are
attacking Gandhi, they need to focus more atten-
tion on the impact of the politics and ideology of
Hindu religious nationalism, which is a major
obstacle to caste abolition today.
The reservations for Dalits led to newer
caste equations. On one hand, the rising middle
class stood to oppose these reservations, tooth
and nail. The anti-reservation violence has been
witnessed in Gujarat in particular in 1980s. Also,
since the overall development process is not
accommodative of all, the inner competition for
reservation has led to a strange situation where
different communities are vying for status as a
particular reserved category. The overall future
for the youth is dismal and it gets reflected in the
form of movements for particular castes getting
recognized in this or that category.
The other major obstacle to caste transfor-
mation is the politics of Hindutva. On one hand it
talks of Samajik Samrasta (social harmony), that
all castes should have harmony amongst them.
On the other, the Hindutva concept of Integral
Humanism emphasizes on different castes con-
tinuing their professions for smooth social func-
tioning. The social engineering by religious polit-
ical forces is coopting the low castes through
various mechanisms, to the extent of using them
as foot soldiers of their anti-minority violence. A
section of Dalits also is influenced by the
process of Sanskritization, aping the upper
castes and imitating them for their future trajec-
tory. As a logical corollary; the cultural mecha-
nisms, the TV serials, the preachings of hoards
of Godmen are promoting the values of
Manusmiriti in a more sophisticated form.
At the same time a serious layer of progres-
sive and dalit intellectuals are trying to restore
the core values and principles of struggles
against Caste-Varna. The situation today is very
complex and caste as a social phenomenon is
far from extinct.
Todays political scenario is a conflict
between the values of democracy on one hand,
and the values of religious nationalism, the poli-
tics representing the defence of caste and gen-
der hierarchy, on the other.
The process of social equality, caste annihi-
lation and values of democracy need to be
brought in through a fresh series of multilayered
struggle for a truly democratic society. That
alone will be a tribute to the life and work of the
legend of this great visionary, Bhimrao Babsaheb
Ambedkar. (Issues in Secular Politics)
Whither Annihilation of Caste?
6 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
JAVED JAMIL
In the wake of the Delhi gang rape case, I had writ-
ten several articles stressing the need for uproot-
ing the real cause of the rise in all sex-related
threats including dangers to health and security of
human beings. But such is the hold of the mer-
chants on the system that they would not allow
any curb on commercialization of sex. The naked-
ness continues unabated. Pornography including
child pornography is easily available on the Net. All
forms of unhealthy sexual behaviour are being glo-
rified in films, serials and advertisements. Men
and women have been turned into commodities
rather than human beings. Let the people die of
AIDS! Let the people charged with sexual frenzies
rape the women and children! Let women in large
numbers become prostitutes! Let the families be
destroyed! But the merchants of sex will not stop
their business.
Verma Panel Commission was clearly an
attempt to further promote market-sponsored
feminism, which is based on the use of women as
objects of sex, worthy of being sold in the market.
Where are those who argued that death sentence
was unnecessary even for those who do not care
for others lives and honour? I had argued that
even if there are cases where death sentence is to
be condoned, it should be done not as their right
to live but as a case of special mercy. Further,
mercy in itself has no meaning if it does not take
into consideration the victim him/herself or his/her
heirs.
It is unfortunate that people are still talking
only of punishing the culprits. They cannot see the
need to develop a system that protects and safe-
guards people against vices. Organisations, most-
ly under the impact of internationally-promoted,
globalization-driven ideologies, refuse to realize
the need of an effective ban on the commercializa-
tion of sex and alcohol and other addictions, which
are directly or indirectly responsible for most of
the crimes, misdemeanours and societal prob-
lems.
It is high time when Muslims, Hindus,
Christians and Buddhists realized the threat to
humankind from global commercialization of
human weaknesses, and instead of promoting
hatred against one another, they must unite to dis-
mantle the system of evil.
Murderers and rapists need no mercy. But at
the same time, the system must ensure that noth-
ing that provokes baser human instincts will be
allowed to exist.
There is not just the need to campaign against
the governments; there is an equal need to cam-
paign against the media, which is nothing but
mere pawn in the hands of the merchants. The
media should be told in clear terms that in the
name of freedom of choice, media cannot be
allowed to defend and promote immoralities, inde-
cencies and unhealthy behaviours. What is more
condemnable is the fact that media attacks the
champions of morality as the Moral Police and
itself becomes the brigadier of immorality.
Dr Javed Jamil is thinker and writer based in Delhi
Kill merchants of Sex
before killing the rapists
On one hand, Hindutva talks of Samajik Samrasta (social har-
mony), that all castes should have harmony amongst them. On
the other, the Hindutva concept of Integral Humanism empha-
sizes on different castes continuing their professions for smooth
social functioning.
The media should be told in clear terms that in the name of freedom of
choice, media cannot be allowed to defend and promote immoralities,
indecencies and unhealthy behaviours. What is more condemnable is the
fact that media attacks the champions of morality as the Moral Police
and itself becomes the brigadier of immorality.
48,338 child rape cases
from 2001 to 2011
New Delhi: Asian Centre for Human Rights in its
report, Indias Hell Holes: Child Sexual Assault
in Juvenile Justice Homes
( h t t p : / / www. a c h r we b . o r g / r e p o r t s /
india/IndiasHellHoles2013.pdf) stated that sex-
ual offences against children in India have
reached an epidemic proportion and a large
number of them are being committed in the
juvenile justice homes run and aided by the
Government of India. The 56-page report, citing
National Crimes Record Bureau statistics, stat-
ed that a total of 48,338 child rape cases was
recorded from 2001 to 2011 and India saw an
increase of 336% of child rape cases from
2001 (2,113 cases) to 2011 (7,112 cases).
These are only the tip of the iceberg as the large
majority of child rape cases are not reported to
the police while children regularly become vic-
tims of other forms of sexual assault too.
Among the states, Madhya Pradesh
recorded the highest number of child rape
cases with 9,465 cases from 2001 to 2011;
followed by Maharashtra with 6,868 cases;
Uttar Pradesh with 5,949 cases; Andhra
Pradesh with 3,977 cases; Chhattisgarh with
3,688 cases; Delhi with 2,909 cases;
Rajasthan with 2,776 cases; Kerala with 2,101
cases; Tamil Nadu with 1,486 cases; Haryana
with 1,081 cases; Punjab with 1,068 cases;
Gujarat with 999 cases; West Bengal with 744
cases; Odisha with 736 cases; Karnataka with
719 cases; Himachal Pradesh with 571 cases;
Bihar with 519 cases; Tripura with 457 cases;
Meghalaya with 452 cases; Assam with 316
cases; Jharkhand with 218 cases; Mizoram
with 217 cases; Goa with 194 cases;
Uttarakhand with 152 cases; Chandigarh with
135 cases; Sikkim with 113 cases; Manipur
with 98 cases; Arunachal Pradesh with 93
cases; Jammu and Kashmir with 69 cases;
Andanam and Nicobar Island with 65 cases;
Puducherry with 41 cases; Nagaland with 38
cases; Dadra and Nagar Haveli with 15 cases;
and Daman and Diu with 9 cases.
The 56-page report also highlights 39
emblematic cases of systematic and often
repeated sexual assault on children in juvenile
justice homes. Out of the 39 cases, 11 cases
were reported from government-run juvenile
justice homes such as observation homes,
children homes, shelter homes and orphan-
ages, while in one case a CWC member was
accused of sexual harassment during coun-
selling sessions. The remaining 27 cases were
reported from privately/NGO run juvenile justice
homes such as shelter homes, orphanages,
children homes, destitute homes, etc.
The report highlighted four major failures
for the continuing sexual assaults in the gov-
ernment run and aided or unregistered juvenile
homes.
RSS Mission 2014
A determined RSS, enraged by Home Minister
Shindes remark on the saffron terror, has
decided to revive the Ayodhya issue for the
forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. As soon as the
Kumbh comes to conclusion and sadhus reach
their destinations, a massive campaign will be
launched from the new year of Hindu Calendar
(Varsha Pratipada star ting on 13 April).
Chanting of Rams name ram nam jap will be
started in 200 villages of each district. Saffron
pendants will be hoisted in at least one lakh
houses of the country. Mobilisation of students
and youth shall be undertaken by VHP - RSS
workers.
In order to ensure permanent and unfailing
loyalty towards their leader, all Gujarat BJP
MLAs shall have to have mobile application
(mobile app) installed in their smart phones.
The leaders have to download in their mobiles
and remain up-to-date with information about
the CM uploaded on an hourly basis. The MLAs
who attended a three-day workshop were
asked about such uploading by the state BJPs
IT team. 50 such MLAs were assisted in
uploading their phones. There is an IT desk to
assist them. They are required to file a profor-
ma about their e-mail accounts and Facebook
and Twitter etc. Modi conducted a one and a
half hour interactive session with them. So,
Big Brother is all tuned to watch his flock
with IT help. (AG Khan)
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 7 www.milligazette.com
MUSTAFA KHAN
T
here is logic of sorts among the Hindutva votaries for their
goal of the Hindu Nation. The accused in 2008 attack in
Malegaon had their conspiracy meeting recorded by Lt Col
Prasad Purohit and Sudhakar Dwedi aka Dyanand Pandey on
their laptops. Hemant Karkare and his team collected evidence from
these laptops to prove their complicity in many terror crimes. In one
such audio tape they discuss how to proceed with their goal. Their
ultimate aim is the Hindu Rashtra, to achieve that [there are] two
options. Option 1: we wait till we achieve -- we dont do anything;
Second: till we achieve the Government in Exile. .. we work within the
system. Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhya then elaborated that they
have the advantage of the BJP as it has the hidden agenda of the
same, Hindu Rashtra, camouflaged as cultural nationalism. At this
juncture in the meeting of the Abhinav Bharat, Lt Col Prasad inter-
venes to say that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has given the best prin-
ciples to achieve the same. No Hindu can be wrong. A Hindu is
Hindu. If he is a Hindu, he cannot be wrong ever. They hearken back
to Savarkar and Golwalkar that a fetus in the womb of a Hindu
woman is predestined to be a Hindu and after birth grows into a
Hindu.
Given this as base of Hindutva strategy, Hindus cannot be ter-
rorists but Muslims can. So an act of terror can be performed only
by non-Hindus like Muslims. Even if there is involvement in terror, it
is reaction of the Hindu but not a terror action because they are not
terrorists.
This strategy works at the sectarian level but at the political level
there is another strategy. The RSS is a cultural organization which
can decide political matters because politics is also an aspect of cul-
ture according to their sophistry. Therefore, if a member of RSS
commits an act of terror he cannot be a member but he is a sympa-
thizer who becomes a former pracharak. The archetypal figure was
Nathuram Godse. He never left RSS, asserted his brother and co-
accused Gopal Godse in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, but
LK Advani defended RSS saying that Godse had left the organization.
That archetypal pattern has been the standard ploy in all subse-
quent terror acts. On April 5, 2013 Dileep Kumar riding his motor bike
was killed and his friend injured at Maruthayil near Mattannur in
Kannur distirct of Kerala. He was identified as AV Dileep Kumar, 27,
son of Ambiloth Sankaran, a worker of RSS. Such powerful was the
explosion at the wee hour of 5.30 am that it not only destroyed the
vehicle but badly damaged three buildings within a radius of 50
metres. The bomb squad, Kannur Range IG Jose George and
Kannur SP Rahul Nair visited the spot. A member of the bomb squad
said Dileep was carrying 3 kg explosives. The leader of the RSS
Valsan Thillenkeri remarked that Dileep was a sympathizer and not a
member. The point to ponder in the reports is that it begins calling
Dileep as RSS worker and ends with the claim that he was member
of a family of traditional firecracker-makers and he was returning
from a temple after prayer.
Thus no sooner does an act of terror take place than the police
and the media whittle down the gravity of the crime because the per-
son involved is a Hindu. This has happened in the Nanded blasts of
6 April, 2006 and again in Nanded February 2007. First, they said it
was an accident, and then they said it was firecrackers in the first
incident and in the second a short circuit in a biscuit factory. In both
the incidents, Bajrang Dal, RSS and Shiv Sena activists were killed
because the bombs blew up accidentally. In the case of Dwender
Gupta, he not only was a pracharak who got the bomb assembled in
the RSS office in Mithijam, Jamtara (Jharkhand), but he also lived in
the same office. When caught, the RSS said he was no more a
pracharak.
On the other hand, even if an innocent Muslim is killed he is
glossed over as a terrorist or a member of Students Islamic
Movement of India (SIMI). On 26 March, 2012 the police in
Aurangabad killed Azhar Quershi as he was a terrorist and a mem-
ber of SIMI in the eyes of ATS (Inquilab, 30 March, 2012). They iden-
tified him as Khalil Qureshi, a member of a dreaded terrorist outfit
called Mal-e-Ghanimat of the Fazal group of now-defunct SIMI at
Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh. Their professed aim was to loot
kafirs. The police said that the group justified their acts as sanc-
tioned in Islam. This flies in the face of reason because Islam does
not have any such injunction. There has never been any such group
and if their aim was only looting, they must be bandits or dacoits.
Madhya Pradesh abounds in these characters. A bandit is a bandit.
Phoolan Devi was just Phoolan Devi.
A bandit would not enter a house and first check whether the
inmates read Quran or Gita. The ATS seems to be doing that. It did
so well in Malegaon 2006. But in Aurangabad, they chose to go
through some more macabre farce. First, the ATS called Azhar
Qureshi as Khalil Qureshi. But the MP police denied that the killed
person was Khalil Qureshi whom they wanted for terrorist acts. Next
the ATS took a somersault and began to say that the dead was Khalik
Khilji. Again the MP police gave away the lie when it published the
photo of Khalil Khilji which was quite different from Azhar Qureshis.
Now the ATS had a third act in the dark comedy. One of the two
injured in the encounter was Shakeel Ahmad who was wanted for the
murder of a BJP leader in UP. The second injured person, according
to ATS, was Mohammad Shakir. They said that Mohammad Shakir
had an alias and it was Mohammad Shakir alias Khalil and hence he
was Khalik Khilji.
The father of Azhar Qureshi went to Aurangabad and saw the
dead body of his son. He told mediapersons that his son was SSC
pass and had done a course in computer. As Azhar was selling
chocolates, biscuits and peppermints and wanted a job for his future,
he travelled to Aurangabad after he saw an ad in a newspaper. His
father Mohammad Wakil Qureshi says that his son had no record of
any criminal behavior in any police station of MP.
In the encounter, Azhar was killed but the head of the group
Abrar alias Asif alias Baba Khan was arrested. Till his arrest, there
was no charge against him and then suddenly the ATS charged him
for 35 offenses (Inquilab November 26, 2012).
Abrar was made an accused in the 2008 Ahmadabad serial
bomb blasts and Khalil Qureshi was shown as his accomplice.
Therefore, the question arose: how to frame them and to which
group they should be put in. The Commissioner of Police
Ahmadabad PC Pande had a very automatic answer because fram-
ing is the object irrespective of the bona fides of the accused as they
are invariably only Muslims to the Police. (This would remind you
of the senior police officer in Dhule who said during the 2008 riots all
the masterminds are generally Muslims. Pande smirked as he said,
You remove S and I from SIMI and it becomes IM, thats all. This
is a very cogent and eloquent illustration of what journalist Mathiur
Rehman Siddiqui calls institutional bias against the Muslims in the
police force.
The Khandwa police had accused Abrar and others as members
of SIMI. This organisation became defunct after the ban in
September 2001. How to give a bad name to a dog is that easy as
Pande says.
As the judge of the tribunal (inquiring whether the ban on SIMI
should be continued) Geeta Mittal said in 2008 that there was not a
single incident presented to her to show that SIMI was involved in
terror and, therefore, the ban should be withdrawn. In contrast to
this, Bajrang Dal members killed and wounded in the Nanded blast
Naresh Rajkondwar and Himanshu Panse, Maroti Keshav Wagh,
Yogesh Deshpande (alias Vidulkar), Gururaj Jairam Tuptewar and
Rahul Manohar Pande, were also behind the blasts in mosques of
Marathwada towns like the Mohammadiya Masjid in Parbhani
(November 2003), the Quadriya Masjid in Jalna (August 2004) and
the Merajul-Uloom Madrassa/Masjid in Purna in Parbhani district
(August 2004). But Bajrang Dal till today has not been banned. The
police did not bother to go after them and arrest or kill them as they
did in the Himayat Bag encounter where they killed Azhar Qureshi.
In the investigations of terror crimes we cannot afford to dismiss
what is in a name approach as adopted by PC Pande. There is
much in a name. In the Thane-Panvel-Vashi blasts of 2008, Hindu
Janajagruti Samiti, Dharmakranti Sena, Sanatan Sanstha and Guru
Kripa Pratisthan were suspected of involvement. But the police did
not stage any encounter like that of Himayat Bag in Aurangabad. The
government also continues to dilly-dally in banning Sanatan Sanstha.
The Sanatan Sanstha publishes its mouthpiece Sanatan Prabhat, a
daily newspaper, from Khandwa where the so-called terror module
Mal-e-Ghanimat of the Fazal group is claimed to be based. It is per-
tinent to note that the Madhya Pradesh police did not bring under its
scanner the Sanatan Sanstha contrary to what Karkare did in inquir-
ing Thane-Panvel-Vashi blasts. There are several staggered stages of
prevention of Hindus being named or caught in terror acts.
(1) The initial automatic response is blaming Muslims. In the lat-
est attack in Bangalore of April 17, 2013, within less than half an
hour the media (Zee News) said that Indian Mujahideen was behind
it. Then they churned out that Abdul Nasser Maudani supporters
were behind it. Next, they said it was IM and they had targetted
Chinaswamy stadium and not the BJP office. All this was propagat-
ed through the news coverage and the guilty were fixed. But some-
thing what was of significance was not highlighted. It was the first
vehicle-borne bomb attack in India. That was overshadowed by
blaming Muslims behind the attack. The disclosure of the ground-
breaking and innovative use of a bomb embedded in the motorcycle
chassis itself by any group signals a step-up effort at greater mass
atrocities without being caught or identified. So it begs the question:
who was behind the attack? In the Boston Marathon attack on
Monday 15 April, 2013, the Americans did not mention either Al
Qaeda or any Jihad group. They did well even by not considering
Sunil Tripathy who was still missing. They did not call him abscond-
ing. Nor did they go to the other extreme saying that the Hindus were
behind the blast. From the video and other sources, they went after
the two brothers Tamerlain and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The motive of
revenge is so vaunted in India. In the Boston attack it is skewed. The
US helped Chechens more than any other country except Saudi
Arabia.
(2) Another way of preventing the true identity of the bomber is
fudging the evidence. In 11/26 Mumbai attacks, the only person,
Anita, a fisherwoman, who saw the ten Pakistanis land at Cuff
Parade, was whisked away by the FBI to America but her testimony
was relegated to the limbo in India itself. It was also the case of the
Marathi-speaking gun-wielding terrorists in the hospital near VT/CST
during the 11/26 Mumbai attacks.
(3) Getting a vital witness killed right in police custody is crucial.
Such a murder can only be extra-judicial killing with a purpose. The
police fear that a fuller inquiry of the accused and what he knows
could be disastrous. On the other hand, other members of the group
can kill one of them outside the prison. Sunil Joshi is an example of
this latter scenario while Qateel Siddiqui and Nagaraj Jambagi of
Bajrang Dal killed by his fellow prisoners in the Hubli court room
attack of May 10 2008, offer an example of the former. Safdar Nagori
was to be presented in the court. Jambagi was also a bandit who
wanted to spill the beans.
(4) Eclipsing the potential bomber as insane or recluse is anoth-
er plot. In Malegon on 13 September, 2006 the Additional
Superintendent of Police Rajwardhan had shielded and then allowed
a Hindu to run away after he was alleged to have planted a live bomb
at the window of a tailors shop in the Mohammadiya shopping com-
plex. The cop said he was mental. Dyanand Bhaurao Patil, who was
carrying the bombs in Pune at Jangli Maharaj Road, was pro-
nounced a recluse so much so that his neighbours did not even
know his name and yet he was commuting to Pune daily and work-
ing in his own tailor shop.
On 1 August, 2012, four bomb blasts shook the area in Jangli
Mahraj Road and around in Pune. In the first blast at Balgandharve
Rangbhavan, Patil was injured when the bomb he was carrying in a
bag exploded. He claimed that he had picked the bag from the India
Against Corruption pandal put up there for protesters. But the IAC
volunteers present there denied that he picked it from there. People
saw two other objects in the bag as he tried to run away from there.
The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad seized them later. A theatre
artiste S Lokhande was on the spot and remarked: We saw the
injured man. He had cake splattered on his body. He suffered stom-
ach injuries. He had an empty fuel can in one hand and the bag in the
other. We are not completely sure... it was either cake or pastry or
some sticky substance. The man was also not sure what it wasHe
told us he picked up the bag containing cake in a box from near the
IAC pandal. Another artiste R Punekar with his fellow artistes
stopped Patil who was leaving the place although he was injured in
the face and in stomach and blood was oozing. Nobody had seen
him pick the bag or pinch it.
The police searching his house in Uruli Kanchan found his pass-
port that showed he had visited Middle Eastern countries like Jordan.
Sanjivkumar Singhal, joint commissioner of Pune police, refused to
give details of Patils interrogation. Patil was isolated from other
patients in Sassoon Hospital and tight security was maintained. The
police took two days to question his wife Satykala and then released
her. His wife wailed: I dont know why he picked up that bag. I will
ask him but they (Police) are not allowing me to speak to him or see
him once... Hes been injured in the blast. He is a victim and we are
very poor. The government should give us help instead of detaining
and interrogating us. She also claimed, They also seized my
mobile and havent returned it yet. They were not rude to me.
However, the stage manager of Balgandharve Shaikh Rashid had
a different story: He panicked when we asked him what had hap-
pened. He had a bag, an empty plastic can and another plastic bag
that had exploded. As he could not explain anything, we asked him if
he had stolen that plastic bag to which he told us that he had lifted
the bag by mistake.
(5) If a Muslim comes to know the Hindutva extremist planting
bombs, he risks elimination. Azhar Pervez had seen Rajendra
Chowdhary planting the bomb in 2006 Malegaon attack and there-
fore Chowdhary got him murdered on 27 Septermber, 2006. The
case of Qateel Siddiqui is nuanced as he came to know that the ones
who had planted the bomb at Dagduseth Halwai mandir were in jail
with him. But he was blamed for what they had actually done and he
knew more.
The murder of Qateel Siddiqui is also a grey case in the
annals of how the police, jail authorities and investigation agen-
cies are fighting terror. Two known gangsters, Sharad Mohol and
his aide Alok Bhalerao, had murdered him on 8 June, 2012 in the
top security Yerwada jail near Pune, Maharashtra. It had dis-
turbed the Home Minister P Chidambrum so much that he paid a
visit to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to show his concern
over the matter.
After nearly five months came the disclosure in a newspaper box
that He (Qateel) had taunted the gangsters Sharad Mohol and Alok
Bhalerao about planting bombs at Punes Dagdusheth Halwai Temple
on his release. At the time of the murder, it was rife in the media that
the duo were nationalists. This would make anyone from the right
wing groups to believe that they were staunch Hindus and ultra
nationalists. Such a description will also enhance the image that the
cultural nationalists be they members of RSS or otherwise are in the
mainstream nationalism. Hence, they are justified in their criminal
deeds, nay, it is not even criminal but a duty.
What makes the whole episode doubtful is the fact that
what/where the proof of Qateel having taunted them is. He was sup-
posed to have known many serious matters relating to terrorism,
anti-terror campaign and was a security risk from the point of view
of the Police and IB. Those who were real terrorists or their protec-
tor would not let him out or be taken to Delhi for the fear that he was
in the possession of such deadly truth. Finishing him off in the high
security jail was much easier than facing music when he would
come out with real facts.
Another disturbing aspect is the failure of Maharashtra police to
thoroughly investigate how could the murder take place in a top
security prison. Even more ominous is the timing. Qateel was about
to be flown to Delhi as he was not found to be involved in any crimes
except the ones which the police habitually frame Muslim youths in
with a view to keep them behind bars. Was he going to expose very
secretive matters in Delhi?
In the aftermath of this, the police have woven a web of obscu-
rity by arresting three to have been planning revenge for Qateels
daylight murder inside a jail. The three are said to have had two
accomplices whose names, as often, have not been released for rea-
sons best known to the police. The three arrested are Asad Khan,
Imran Khan and Sayyad Feroz. The Maharashtra police is wont to
include several Pakistanis or Kashmiris as accused in crimes who
are shown as absconding or having fled the country. This leaves the
trail of a hot story cold. Even in the serial local trains blasts of 11 July,
2006 this mind-boggling phenomenon resurfaces. Added to these
obscure and never-found are the ones who end up in prison like
Qateel or are bumped off outside as Rizwan Baig.
For years on end it was difficult to investigate suspected mem-
bers of the Hindutva outfits. Muslims had to pay and are still paying
for this unwillingness of the police and IB to name any Hindus in ter-
rorism. As the then Union Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai
acknowledged on 9 December, 2009: It took us a few years to con-
vince the system that we need to look out, and we were able to final-
ly lay our hands on the Colonel Purohit [of the Malegaon blasts] net-
work.
What is rueful is that the few years of Pillai have now been
extended into a decade and there seems no end. More than 20
Muslims were arrested in the three bomb blast cases of 2003 in
Mumbai. All except one, Muzammil son of Abdul Rahim of
Malegaon, were discharged. He obscurely continues to languish in
the dungeon for no reason but that he is a Muslim and innocent. Ten
long years have passed on his incarceration and his youth is fin-
ished. The career of the only breadwinner of his family, a bright soft-
ware engineer, was so easily smashed. Is there any hope for him?
For whom he was made a scapegoat?
Let 99 Muslims be hanged to death rather
than a Hindu be accused of terrorism
8 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
Here is the self-testimony of a victim
who was subjected to the maximum
number of illegal narco tests, for which
his statutory consent was not obtained,
which were carried long after the
chargesheet was already filed and in the
name of another incident for which ques-
tions were not asked...The notorious Dr
Malini offered full support in this illegal
activity. MG asks: when will Dr Malini
and the criminal police officers who
flouted law and ran roughshod over the
legal and human rights of the detainees
be punished?
ASIF KHAN BASHIR KHAN
An accused in Mumbai (7/11), Malegaon blasts
cases and Jalgaon conspiracy case
I, Asif Khan Bashir Khan, age 35 years, am a
diploma-holder in civil engineering and was last
employed as a civil billing engineer with
Lokhandwala Construction, Mumbai. I was
arrested on 03/10/06 by Police of Anti-Terror
Squad (ATS) Mumbai and falsely implicated in
the Mumbai Train Blast case of 11/07/06 (MCOC
case no. 21/06). I was in police custody in this
case from 03/10/06 to 01/11/06 during which
period I was taken twice to Bangalore for two
narco analysis tests on 20/10/06 and 28/10/06,
first of which was conducted at Bowring
Hospital, Shivaji Nagar, and the second at Sanjay
Gandhi Hospital, Bangalore.
After 12 days in jail/judicial custody, I was
taken from Arther Road Jail, Mumbai, by ATS
Mumbai and was falsely implicated in the
Malegaon blast case of 8 September 2006
(MCOC case No. 23/06).
I was in police custody from 13/11/06 to
06/12/06 during which period I was again taken
to Bangalore for a narco-analysis test on
04/12/06, conducted at Bowering Hospital.
After 24 days in jail/judicial custody, I was
taken from Arther Road Jail, Mumbai, by the
Local Crime Branch (LCB) Jalgaon (M.S.) and
falsely implicated in a case of conspiracy to
attack Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (R.S.S.)
headquarters in Nagpur dating back to July 2001
(case No. 173/06). I was in police custody from
30/12/06 to 12/01/07 during which period no
narco-analysis was conducted.
H
owever, after a period of 73 days while I was
in jail/judicial custody, I was handed over as
per court order from Arther Road jail to the
police of LCB, Jalgaon on 26/03/07 solely for
the purpose of conducting narco analysis and
other tests in relation to the above mentioned
case. The order was not for further police cus-
tody since the maximum period of 14 days
police custody had already been taken in the
said case. The order was for conducting narco
analysis and other tests while in judicial custody.
The charge-sheet in the said case had been filed
on 23/03/07 and the statutory period of 90 days
for completion of investigation too had ended on
29/03/07. Yet I was taken [out] and lodged in the
police lock-up of Central Crime Branch (CCB)
Bangalore and was taken from there for [the fol-
lowing] tests which were conducted on me:
1) Narco analysis at Spandana, a private hospi-
tal, Bangalore on 29/03/07;
2) Brain mapping at Forensic Science
Laboratory (FSL) Madiwada, Bangalore on
30/03/07;
3) Narco analysis at Spandana private hospital,
Bangalore, on 31/03/07;
4) Narco analysis at Bowring Hospital,
Bangalore, on 03/04/07;
5) Narco analysis test at Bowring Hospital,
Bangalore, on 05/04/07.
During the above period though I was supposed
to be in the custody of LCB, Jalgaon police, DCP
of ATS Mumbai, Nawal Bajaj, was present and
directing proceedings. After the above tests, I
was brought back to Ar ther Road jail on
08/04/07. I was out of jail for a period of 14
days.
All the above tests were conducted by
Dr. Malini, assisted by Dr. Pravin of FSL,
Bangalore. During narco analysis tests, opera-
tion theatre staff including anaesthetist would be
present. Video recording was done.
Legal Points:
1) Consent: Constitutional provisions give citi-
zens the right to refuse to give evidence against
self. Further, any medical procedure requiring
anaesthesia rendering a person unconscious
requires the consent of the patient or his near
relatives. No consent was taken from me by the
doctors involved in the initial three tests con-
ducted by ATS. Rather, no attempt to take con-
sent was even made. The LCB Jalgaon took my
signature on a sheet of paper saying medical
examination for investigation was needed. No
mention at all was made regarding a narco-
analysis, brain mapping or any such test.
2) Narco tests after the charge-sheet:
As per the Supreme Court decision, narco analy-
sis, brain mapping and other such tests have no
evidence value. In view of the police and investi-
gating agencies, such tests are supposed to aid
the investigations.
The last four narco and brain mapping tests
were done to me after the investigation was
completed and the Final Report (chargesheet)
had been filed. So how could these tests aid
investigations?
3) Questions unrelated to the case:
Though my custody was taken by LCB Jalgaon,
in the last four narcos and brain mapping tests
not a single question related to Jalgaon case
was asked. Rather, the questions were mostly
related to Mummbai blasts. Directions regarding
this were given directly by DCP Nawal Bajaj of
ATS who was present in Bangalore at the time of
the tests.
4) Lodged in Police lockup while in jail/judicial
custody
During the last four narco tests, I was supposed
to be in jail/judicial custody and therefore,
should have been lodged in a jail in Bangalore.
However, I was illegally kept in CCB, Bangalore
lockup so that the police would have full control
over me during that time. (There have even been
examples of narco-analysis test being conduct-
ed while a person is under illegal detention with-
out being produced in a court.)
5) Two narco analysis tests conducted in a pri-
vate hospital
Contrary to the procedure, two narco tests were
conducted on me in Spandana Hospital in
Bangalore which is a private hospital. The pur-
pose of conducting two tests each in two differ-
ent hospitals was probably to hide from govern-
ment hospital doctors the fact that four narco
tests were being consecutively conducted in the
short space of one week which would definitely
have serious and dangerous consequences on
my health. (There have been even more danger-
ous examples of the police themselves giving
me narco injections during interrogation without
the presence of an anaesthetist or any doctor).
Physical (medical) experiences during a narco
test:
All solid and liquid foods would be stopped 12
hours before the scheduled narco test. This
means that even water was removed from the
cell from the night before the test. Often the
narco test scheduled for morning would get
delayed upto 14.00 or 16.00 hours which would
mean that I was kept thirsty and starving for upto
twenty hours before the start of the test.
The test period itself would be for about half
an hour from the first injection. During this peri-
od, I would be constantly given slaps and pinch-
es with metal tweezers/pliers so as to keep me
conscious as well as to overawe and threaten me
and to cause pain to me. Sometimes Dr. Malini
would start slapping me even before administer-
ing the drugs, so as to put me in a submissive
mood before the questioning started.
The pinches were so severe that they
would invariably result in the earlobes getting
red, swollen and bleeding. Scars caused by
the metal tweezers/pliers were also all over
my stomach, arms and legs, par ticularly on
my thighs.
They forced me to take seven narco
tests and one brain mapping test
The last four narco and brain mapping tests were done to me after
the investigation was completed and the Final Report (chargesheet)
had been filed. So how could these tests aid investigations?
During the last four narco tests, I was supposed to be in jail/judicial
custody and therefore, should have been lodged in a jail in
Bangalore. However, I was illegally kept in CCB, Bangalore lockup
so that the police would have full control over me during that time.
Contrary to the procedure, two narco tests were conducted on me in
Spandana Hospital in Bangalore which is a private hospital. The
purpose of conducting two tests each in two different hospitals was
probably to hide from government hospital doctors the fact that four
narco tests were being consecutively conducted in the short space
of one week which would definitely have serious and dangerous
consequences on my health. (There have been even more
dangerous examples of the police themselves giving me narco
injections during interrogation without the presence of an
anaesthetist or any doctor).
All solid and liquid foods would be stopped 12 hours before the
scheduled narco test. This means that even water was removed
from the cell from the night before the test. Often the narco test
scheduled for morning would get delayed upto 14.00 or 16.00 hours
which would mean that I was kept thirsty and starving for upto
twenty hours before the start of the test.
Though I was lodged in Mumbai and facilities for these tests are
available nearby at FSL Mumbai, FSL Ahmedabad and FSL
Hyderabad, I was deliberately taken far away to Bangalore thrice by
air and once by train. The purpose of bearing such additional
expenditure of time and money is due to the close nexus between
the Police (particularly ATS Mumbai) and Dr. Malini for
manipulating and falsifying the test results to suit the requirements
of the Police. Dr. Malinis reputation for manipulation is wide.
Sometimes Dr. Malini would start slapping me even before
administering the drugs, so as to put me in a submissive mood
before the questioning started. The pinches were so severe that
they would invariably result in the earlobes getting red, swollen and
bleeding. Scars caused by the metal tweezers/pliers were also all
over my stomach, arms and legs, particularly on my thighs. No
portion of the body was safe from Dr. Malinis attention as I would
be completely naked under the hospital robes. These scars lasted
for several months.
Continued on the next page
Who cares about
your consent or
Supreme Courts
verdict on
Narco Tests
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 9 www.milligazette.com
No portion of the body was safe from
Dr. Malinis attention as I would be completely
naked under the hospital robes. These scars
lasted for several months.
The half-hour semi-conscious state was fol-
lowed by around six hours in complete uncon-
scious state. While recovering consciousness,
there would be severe nausea and sometimes
vomiting. Nausea would last for around two to
three hours. During this period, again, food was
not permitted and only small quantities of water
were allowed. Thus one narco test would mean
over 24 hours without water and upto 36 hours
without food. When four narco tests were con-
ducted on me in the space of a week, it meant
that I was thirsty and starving continuously over
a period of eight days.
These tests had several ill-effects on my
body and health which continued for months
during which my full face and head would be
severely swollen causing me considerable pain.
The torture administered to me by Dr. Malini
and Dr. Pravin caused scars on my hands, legs
and stomach which continued for several
months. For many days after each test I had
continuous severe headaches, repeated dizzy
spells. I even had difficulty in my vision during
this time. During the period in Bangalore, I also
suffered from continuous diarrhoea and vomit-
ing.
On return from Bangalore, I made a com-
plaint regarding all this when I was produced in
the MCOC court at Mumbai. However, MCOC
Judge Mridula Bhatkar refused to entertain my
complaint saying that the order of narco test was
given by the Jalgaon magistrate.
Since I had not been produced before any
Jalgaon court since 12 January 2007, I immedi-
ately sent a written complaint to the chief judicial
magistrate Jalgaon through the Arther Road Jail
authorities. The CJM called for the version of
LCB Jalgaon and merely marked the reply of LCB
Jalgaon as seen. No further orders of any sort
were passed either for my medical examination
or of any action against the concerned authori-
ties.
Though over a year has passed, the matter
still remains pending. When I was produced
before CJM Jalgaon on 5 December 2007, I
asked for information regarding the order passed
on my application but was told by the CJM that
information would be directly sent to me at
Arther Road Jail. Meanwhile, the case has been
committed to Sessions Court at Jalgaon. On an
RTI application requesting information about
action taken, I received a reply from the Registrar
and information officer at the Sessions Court
Jalgaon on 7 December 2007 that order passed
was seen and production warrants were sent
to Arther Road Jail for my production in court. I
have yet to be sent to that court though six
months have elapsed since then.
Actions of malafide and criminal nature by
Police and FSL Bangalore authorities
1) All tests conducted at FSL Bangalore
Though I was lodged in Mumbai and facilities for
these tests are available nearby at FSL Mumbai,
FSL Ahmedabad and FSL Hyderabad, I was
deliberately taken far away to Bangalore thrice
by air and once by train. The purpose of bearing
such additional expenditure of time and money is
due to the close nexus between the Police (par-
ticularly ATS Mumbai) and Dr. Malini for manip-
ulating and falsifying the test results to suit the
requirements of the Police. Dr. Malinis reputa-
tion for manipulation is wide. During my stay in
Bangalore, an accused was brought all the way
by train from Jammu despite closer facilities at
Delhi, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad.
2) Tests under Jalgaon court orders were done
by DCP Naval Bajaj of ATS Mumbai
The LCB Jalgaon made repeated applications
before CJM Jalgaon requesting my custody for
narco and other tests and in each application the
reason given was so as to complete the inves-
tigation and file the chargesheet. Thus, it is
obvious that once the chargesheet was filed on
23 March 2007, there was no bonafide reason
for conducting more tests. Yet, CJM Jalgaon
issued a letter to the jail authorities on the very
next day, 24 March 2007, ordering my custody
for narco and other tests.
The malafide intention of the police became
all the more clear after we reached Bangalore.
The investigation officer of LCB, Jalgaon,
Inspector Y.D. Patil left Bangalore and returned to
Jalgaon after two days and was not present in
Bangalore during all the tests. DCP Naval Bajaj of
ATS Mumbai was present in Bangalore through-
out and all directions for the tests were given by
him and all questions were related to the
Mumbai blasts.
Dr. Malini collaborated completely in this.
Though court orders were clearly with relation to
the Jalgaon case and DCP Bajaj had no locus
standi in this case, Dr. Malini coordinated with
him and took directions from him. She also
asked all the questions which had no relation at
all with the Jalgaon case of 2001.
Thus the Jalgaon case and Jalgaon court
orders were merely used by the ATS Mumbai
and Dr. Malini for torturing me and manipulating
and creating material related to Mumbai blast
case.
3) Manipulation and falsification of videos
Dr. Malini was in league with ATS and other
police authorities to obtain video materials that
can be edited and cut and pasted in such a way
as to suit the requirements of the interrogators.
Since all the blast-accused are in no way
involved in the blasts there is no way in which
information can be obtained through narco
analysis tests. The purpose of the narco was
merely to create information that suits the story
cooked up by the police. Thus, for example, if
the Police have made up a story that a conspir-
acy was hatched in a meeting held on 2 June, Dr.
Malini would ask an innocent sounding question
like Ek June kay baad kya aata hai? and she
would get the answer Do [2] June. Later, the
video would be edited and the question would be
changed to ask on which date the conspiracy
meeting took place. Similarly, questions like
who stays in your cell in jail or who stays in
the next cell? would be asked and if names of
other accused were given, the question in the
video would be changed to ask who gave the
RDX? or who attended the meeting? When I
refused to fall into her trap and kept silent, Dr.
Malini even threatened to inject me with poison
so as to scare me and force me to say what she
wanted, to repeat after her the words she
uttered.
The video files thus created and falsified
were then used by ATS to further torture the
accused. Where the video files had been manip-
ulated to show some accused being connected
in line with the Police story, the files were played
on computer to that and other accused. They
were told that during narco-analysis, they had
incriminated themselves or had been incriminat-
ed by others. Then they were further tortured
and forced to sign confessions. Lower level
police officers doing the torture, who would
probably not know about Dr. Malinis manipula-
tions, would be convinced by the narco-analysis
evidence and be motivated to inflict the most
horrible torture on their victims. The accused,
though convinced of their own innocence, would
be forced to give in under pressure.
Some accused were then even forced to
confess on video. These videos were released
to the media and were shown widely on TV
channels during the time of the Mumbai blasts
first anniversary. This was shown by media as
evidence during the trial, thus further strength-
ening the false case made by the police.
When there were protests, Maharashtra
Home Minister R. R. Patil announced that he had
ordered an inquiry into the leak. However, there
has been no report of the results of such an
inquiry. An RTI application has been made by the
accused asking for information regarding the
inquiry. Many months have passed but each
department is passing the buck without giving a
definite reply.
Why narco analysis and other tests?
As can be seen from the above, the purpose of
conducting narco analysis and other tests is not
to find the truth or do any serious investigation.
In fact, the purpose is basically the same as
other forms of torture - it is to force a person to
say things that will match the story cooked up by
the Police. It does not matter whether the story
is true or not. The approach of Dr. Malini and
Police teams was based on the assumption that
the accused is guilty and the results of the tests
should be doctored so as to support the case
already cooked up by the Police. Since the sci-
ence of narco-analysis, brain mapping and
polygraphy is yet very much undeveloped and
imperfect, it is easy to do such falsification in the
results.
Particularly in high-profile cases, there is
heavy pressure from politicians and the media on
the Police team to show results. In such a situa-
tion, when there is no headway in investigation,
unscrupulous Police officers take the easy way out
of arresting persons whom they know to be inno-
cent and then create a false case. Tortures and
forced confessions, bribes and threats are used to
create so-called approvers which, in return, are
used to support this false case and such cooked
up information is then selectively leaked to the
media to suit the interests of politicians and Police.
In recent years, the leaking of manipulated CDs to
the media has become an instrument of choice in
this trial by media and to create a public impression
that the Police have solved the case.
The media and unscrupulous doctors, like
Dr. Malini, become collaborators in this process
of trying and sentencing the accused even
before the court proceedings had started.
I was particularly targetted and forced to
undergo seven narco tests because despite
severe torture, I refused to give a false confes-
sion as required by the Police in the Mumbai
blasts case. Narco-analysis was then used as
another form of torture. And because Dr. Malini
and the ATS Police did not obtain the results they
wanted in the first phase of the narco tests, they
continued doing these tests to the maximum
extent possible.
Place: Mumbai
Date: 17 June 2008
Asif Khan Bashir Khan
U. T. No. 1180/07, 2/2 Anda Barrack, Arther
Road Jail, Byculla, Mumbai 400011
Dr. Malini was in league with ATS and other police authorities to
obtain video materials that can be edited and cut and pasted in
such a way as to suit the requirements of the interrogators.
Since all the blast-accused are in no way involved in the blasts
there is no way in which information can be obtained through
narco analysis tests. The purpose of the narco was merely to
create information that suits the story cooked up by the police.
Thus, for example, if the Police have made up a story that a con-
spiracy was hatched in a meeting held on 2 June, Dr. Malini
would ask an innocent sounding question like Ek June kay baad
kya aata hai? and she would get the answer Do [2] June.
Later, the video would be edited and the question would be
changed to ask on which date the conspiracy meeting took place.
Similarly, questions like who stays in your cell in jail or who
stays in the next cell? would be asked and if names of other
accused were given, the question in the video would be changed
to ask who gave the RDX? or who attended the meeting?
When I refused to fall into her trap and kept silent, Dr. Malini
even threatened to inject me with poison so as to scare me and
force me to say what she wanted, to repeat after her the words
she uttered.
...the purpose of conducting narco analysis and other tests is not
to find the truth or do any serious investigation. In fact, the pur-
pose is basically the same as other forms of torture - it is to
force a person to say things that will match the story cooked up
by the Police. It does not matter whether the story is true or not.
The approach of Dr. Malini and Police teams was based on the
assumption that the accused is guilty and the results of the tests
should be doctored so as to support the case already cooked up
by the Police. Since the science of narco-analysis, brain map-
ping and polygraphy is yet very much undeveloped and imper-
fect, it is easy to do such falsification in the results.
Tortures and forced confessions, bribes and threats are used to
create so-called approvers which, in return, are used to sup-
port this false case and such cooked up information is then
selectively leaked to the media to suit the interests of politicians
and Police. In recent years, the leaking of manipulated CDs to the
media has become an instrument of choice in this trial by media
and to create a public impression that the Police have solved
the case.
pix: Terrorism-narco analysis-the hindu-illustration
pix:Terrorism-narco analysis-Satish Acharya-cartoon of brain
mapping.
SATISH ACHARYA
AFSANA RASHID, SRINAGAR
Exposure of the fact of spurious drugs being available rocked the
valley. Apart from mainstream politicians; separatists, human
rights and civil society groups too voiced their concerns. Protest
demonstrations were witnessed and shutdown observed.
A day-long shutdown call against the supply of spurious-
drugs given by Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani was
supported by Jammu and Kashmir Chemists and Druggists
Association. Lawyers too suspended their work.
Demanding an impartial probe, Geelani, April 18 said innocent
people are being killed. On April 14, he said dubious drugs worth
50 crore of rupees are being supplied to valley-hospitals, every
year. Hurriyat (M) spokesperson, April 11 said government has
decided to kill people through spurious-medicines. The way
licenses have been issued to fake drug-companies is cause for
great concern. Sajad Lone, chairman Peoples Conference, April
12 alleged that the government is trying to shield people involved
in the scam. State Human Rights Commission, April 10 termed it
as grave human rights violation.
Demanding judicial probe, independent legislator Er Abdul
Rasheed, addressing media here April 20, threatened to cordon
Chief Minister Omar Abdullahs residence on opening day of
Durbar, here, if he failed to take action against the accused.
Raising slogans, Pharma Managers Welfare Club held protest
demonstrations, here, April 20, demanding CBI probe and resig-
nation of former health minister, Sham Lal Sharma. Protest was
also organized by Kashmir Center for Social and Development
Studies, April 18. Unless, there is an independent probe, nothing
will happen, says Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan, president Doctors
Association, April 19, adding, fate of government inquiries is
known to all. He alleged that the head of M/s Lifeline Pharmaco
Surgicals, Jammu, Ashok Kumar, who has reportedly supplied
spurious-drugs to hospitals, was Sharmas polling agent.
The Association, April 15, threatened to go on an indefinite
strike if independent probe isnt ordered and FIR isnt lodged
against former health minister and members of central purchase
committee. It also filed Public Interest Litigation, April 12, seeking
probe into spurious-drugs.
Dr. Saleem-ur-Rehman, Director Health Kashmir, addressing a
gathering at a function here, April 14 said spurious-drugs are sup-
plied everywhere, including America. In past, spurious-drugs
have surfaced, but that doesnt mean all drugs are spurious.
Linking proposed drug-policy with spurious-drug expose, he
said chemists have an interest in raising the issue. They are
against drug-policy and want people to buy medicines from their
shops instead of getting them free through hospital-supply.
Addressing media at Jammu, April 19, Sharma said as the
then health minister he had no role either in purchase or supply of
these drugs. Terming the scam as political conspiracy against
him, Sharma accused his predecessor, Taj Mohi-ud-Din of hatch-
ing conspiracy against him to sabotage an enquiry into Public
Health Engineering (PHE) scam. Rejecting it, Medical Education
Minister, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, April 16, said health department was
full of scams and documentary evidence suggests Sharmas
involvement. Currently, Sharma holds PHE portfolio.
Contrary to this, Mohiuddins relative, Mir Najibullah, execu-
tive director Communication and Capacity Development Unit
(CCDU), addressing media here, April 18, accused Sharma of
manufacturing biased inquiry report against him only to settle
personal scores with Mohiuddin. CCDU, implementing agency for
suppor ting activities like Information, Education and
Communication and Human Resources Development of National
Rural Drinking Water Programme, falls under PHEs administrative
control. A day earlier, probe ordered by Sharma had confirmed
large scale bungling in CCDU. Government, April 20, decided to
hand over that case to the Crime branch and Vigilance
Organization. Inquiry committee report didnt hint at any involve-
ment of former health minister in the supply of spurious-drugs,
said Shabir Ahmad Khan, Minister of State for Health, addressing
media at Jammu April 20, adding the firm M/s Lifeline Pharmaco
Surgicals, Jammu had obtained contract on basis of forged doc-
uments.
Crime branch, April 21 registered a case against members of
Purchase Committee of Health and Medical Education department
and Jammu based pharmaceutical supplier on charges of adul-
teration of drugs, committing forgery and cheating. It also took
into custody proprietor of Jammu-based firm responsible for sup-
plying spurious-drugs to hospitals. Police here has registered a
case of attempt to murder and has formed Special Investigation
Team to investigate the matter.
Concern over missionary activities
Voicing concern, Kashmir Ulema here have said that missionaries
were coming to Kashmir as tourists and luring innocent people,
especially orphans, to Christianity. A meeting was organized by
Majlis-e-Tahafuz-e-Iman, an amalgam of religious scholars and
Ulema, under the chairmanship of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, April 16.
Mirwaiz has been quoted as saying it seems missionaries have
spread their net, here under a well-planned conspiracy.
He added instead of closing down, after reports of converting
Muslim youth to Christianity that surfaced a few years ago, mis-
sionaries here have regrouped in a big way.
Expressing concern over activities of missionaries offering
money and other incentives to convert youth to Christianity,
Mirwaiz April 11 warned that any such effort would be resisted
tooth- and-nail.
Guru family to approach apex court
The family of 2001 Parliament attack convict, Mohammad Afzal
Guru plans to move the Apex Court so that no other family is
denied the right to meet their loved one before being hanged.
His elder brother, Aijaz Guru April 16 has been quoted as say-
ing Authorities were insensitive and didnt allow Guru to meet his
family one last time. Perhaps, we can ensure that no other family
undergoes the same trauma. Gurus family came to know about
his execution after the news became public and a letter shot by
Tihar jail authorities reached them, a full two days after his execu-
tion.
Three-member visiting Amnesty International team led by its
Director Programme for India, V K Shashi Kumar told local news
gathering agency, KNS, April 6 that Guru, who was hanged on
February 9, didnt get a fair trial and Amnesty favors return of
Gurus mortal remains. Opposition PDPs senior vice-president,
Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, addressing media April 20, said
they tried to raise their voice against Gurus secret execution, in
the Assembly but their space was choked by the government.
When we demanded Gurus body, chief minister Omar Abdullah
came up with a statement that Maqbool Bhats body should also
be returned. This sabotaged our move and forced us to boycott
proceedings.
Shah case: NIA team visits Valley
Continuing its investigations into former militant Syed Liyaqat
Shahs arrest, a six-member National Investigation Agency (NIA)
team landed in the valley, April 11 for further probe.
The team recorded statements of Shahs two wives, Amina
Begum and Akhter-u-Nisa, and some of his acquaintances, April
12. Police is learnt to have told the team, April 13 that Shah, a for-
mer Al-Baraq militant, was returning home under governments
rehabilitation policy when he was arrested by Delhi Police. Shah,
a resident of Dardpora- Lolab in border district Kupwara, was
arrested by Delhi Polices Special Cell from the India-Nepal border,
March 20. Later, Delhi Police claimed that Shah along with some
militants hatched a conspiracy to carry out militant attacks in New
Delhi during the Holi festival to avenge Gurus hanging. Refuting
this, police claimed that Shah was a militant living in Pakistan
occupied Kashmir for the past 15 years and had surrendered as
part of the states rehabilitation policy. Ministry of Home Affairs
later handed over the case to NIA.
UJC chief Syed Salahuddin, told KNS April 7 that Shahs
arrest has actually become war of credibility between various
intelligence and police agencies. He claimed Shah had not gone to
carry out any attack.
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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
Spurious drugs scandal rocks the Valley
10 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
New Delhi: All different factions of Momin
Conference have now agreed to merge them-
selves into one consolidated organisation of new
All India Momin Conference and to work jointly
and with renewed strength for the all round edu-
cational, social and economic progress of the
Ansari fraternity. This decision was taken in the
meeting of executive committee of All India
Momin Conference (AIMC) held in its new office
at Lakshmi Nagar, New Delhi on 14 April under
the chairmanship of AIMCs President Haji Abdul
Khaliq Ansari. Secretary of Maulana Azad
Education Foundation, Muhammad Wazir Ansari,
retired IPS officer was invited to this meeting as
a special guest and many other serving and
retired government officers and important lead-
ers and office bearers of AIMC attended this
meeting. President AIMC Haji Abdul Khaliq
Ansari, welcoming and expressing his happiness
over the merger of all different factions of the fra-
ternity said that now they could devotedly work
with combined and renewed strength for the all-
round progress of the community. Laying
emphasis on the importance of unity, he said
with unity of AIMC a positive message is being
given to the entire Muslim community and it will
be easier to pressurise government to implement
the recommendations of Sachar Committee and
Ranganath Commission, to declare Presidential
Order of 1950 null and void and to amend Art
341 of the Constitution regarding reservation to
Muslims. He said that for this purpose AIMC will
soon convene a big national convention. He fur-
ther said that AIMC will also open a coaching
centre for preparing Muslim youth for IAS, IPS
and other civil services examinations, setting up
a modern hospital, medical and educational wel-
fare Trust and schools.
Vice President of AMIC Imran Ansari said
that the works and projects that had been held
up will now be taken up for implementation and
completion. He also said that preparations will
also be made for celebrating hundred years of
Momin Conference.
It was also decided in this meeting that rep-
resentative committees of the Conference will be
constituted at state and district levels and strat-
egy for pressurising governments for granting
due rights of Muslims in general and of the
Momin fraternity in particular and their share in
government will also be devised. Important lead-
ers and office bearers of the conference from
different parts of the country attended this meet-
ing. Secretary of Maulana Azad Education
Foundation, Muhammad Wazir Ansari welcomed
the merger of different factions and decisions
taken in this meeting.
Legal cell in Pune
New Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-e Hinds general secre-
tary Maulana Mahmood Madni said while speak-
ing to media persons in Delhi on 4 April that in
spite of continued harassment and arrest of inno-
cent Muslims and Central governments insensi-
tivity and inaction in putting a stop to their unjust
arrests and harassment, JuH has directed its
legal cells in different states to be more active
and vigilant against the biased and inimical atti-
tude of police and security forces towards
Muslims. At the same time people of these legal
cells have also been told that if innocent persons
are being harassed, Jamiat people should do
every thing possible to help such people. He said
that another legal cell headed by senior advocate
A. Rahman has been set up in Pune which will
supervise the cases of innocent persons
(Muslims) falsely implicated and framed in ter-
rorism and other cases. He said that JuH has
been fighting right from the beginning against ter-
rorism as well as the cases of innocent Muslims
who have been falsely arrested in terrorism. He
said in recent months his organisation (JuH) has
very strongly raised cases of terrorism, implica-
tion of innocent Muslims in these cases and
injustices being meted out to them through more
than 500 meetings and conferences held in Delhi,
Kanpur and other cities of the country and battles
at legal level are also going on and more empha-
sis is now being laid on making these legal cells
more active and vigilant.
Enumerating some cases, he said that after
the bomb blast at Punes Jangi Maharaj Road, 8
innocent Muslims were arrested but our lawyer
later found that they were kidnapped by Special
Cell of Delhi Police. Jamiat is fighting their case
regularly, he said. Similarly, Jamiat is fighting the
bomb blast case of 2008 in Muhammadia Masjid
in Prabhni which is pending for hearing in Prabhni
session court, Paan Gaons communal riots case
in which 49 innocent Muslims were arrested,
demonstration at Azad Maidan (Mumbai) in
which Juniad Sheikh was involved and the recent
Dhule communal riot in which a case was filed on
behalf of three persons who were killed. In addi-
tion to these, murder charges against police offi-
cers and lady Dy SP who had ordered police fir-
ing in Dhule riot were also filed by Jamiatul
Ulama which has now been taken up for hearing
by the court. He said that now legal cells have
been set up to fight these cases in a more sys-
tematic and organised manner. He said that
Jamiatul Ulama, Maharashtras President
Maulana Nadeem Siddiqi is actively working on
these cases. He said that right after Gujarats
riots JuHs legal cell is working at many places
and that they have succeeded in many cases. He
said that Godhra train fire case is in High Court
and JuH is fighting this case also. He said that at
first this case was in special court where, with
efforts of Jamiat 63 persons were freed.
He said that after BODOs genocide case in
Assam, JIH had set up a legal cell there also
through which more than 20 thousand FIRs were
registered and CBI had arrested 23 innocent per-
sons against which they (JuH) were fighting the
case in High Court. He further said that at the
central level also under Supreme Court lawyers
Shakeel Ahmad and Neyaz Ahmad Farooqis
supervision cases are being fought by their legal
cell when Maharashtra government had sacked a
police constable for sporting a beard. Similarly,
he said, an appeal has been filed in Supreme
Court against question papers not being supplied
in Urdu for the net examinations to be held in the
middle of next month (May). He said that in future
also Jamiatul Ulama will continue its efforts as
before in cases where injustice is meted out to
Muslims or their cause.
N. A. ANSARI
Merger of all factions of the Momin Conference
Only three of the 40 legislators in Lok
Sabha from Bihar are Muslims, with one
each from Janata Dal-United (JD-U),
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the
Congress. Muslims form around 16.5 per-
cent of the population of Bihar. Only 19 of
the 243-member Bihar assembly are
Muslims. Ironically, representation of
Muslims in Lok Sabha and Bihar assembly is not close to what
it should be in keeping with their population in the state.
Despite their being under-represented, the importance of secu-
lar flag being waived by parties with a strong base in Bihar can-
not be sidelined. This refers particularly to JD-U having sent
strong signals to BJP that it is against Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi being projected as a prime ministerial candi-
date during the forthcoming parliamentary elections. Certainly,
JD-U does not want to risk losing support of Muslims in Bihar.
Undeniably, Bihar is one state where communal card
played by extremist elements has not been allowed to have its
way in targeting Muslims during the present or the previous
regime led by Lalu Prasad Yadav. Political history stands wit-
ness to Bihari leaders having prevented LK Advanis chariot
processions entry into the state during the phase of the com-
munal frenzy over the Ayodhya-issue. Besides, following
Gujarat-carnage, Modi has not been allowed to campaign for
BJP in Bihar.
The new importance assumed by political strategies being
worked out in Bihar conveys yet another message. The
Rs 12,000-crore package announced recently by the Centre for
Bihar state falls in this category. The Congress is apparently not
against entering into some political understanding with JD-U,
with an eye on increasing its strength in the next Lok Sabha.
It is as yet too early to expect JD-U to state that it may be
expected to give serious consideration to an alliance with
Congress. But the Congress can be expected to consider a
political handshake with JD-U. Of the 40 members from Bihar
in Lok Sabha, 20 are from JD-U. Only three are from the ally of
Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) led by Lalu Prasad
Yadav. The position of the Congress is worse in Bihar with it
having won only two seats in the last Lok Sabha elections. With
one of these legislators, Meira Kumar, having been appointed
as Speaker of Lok Sabha, the Congress is represented in this
House by only one legislator, Maulana Mohammed Asrarul
Haque who represents Kishanganj, a Muslim majority area.
The BJP, which won a quarter of the 40 seats from Bihar in
the previous Lok Sabha elections, may not have succeeded
without a strategic alliance with JD-U. The BJP cannot afford
to lose this alliance. JD-U has adopted a politically diplomatic
approach towards the package, with partys Bihar president BN
Singh stating that as it falls short of their expectation of
Rs 20,000 crore, there is nothing to welcome the approval of
Rs 12,000 crore under BRGF (Backward Regions Grant Fund).
The political message may be read as follows: if the Congress
expects to reach some political understanding with JD-U, it
needs to consider allocating more funds for Bihars develop-
ment.
The 12000-crore package and JD-Us response signals
tremendous increase in the political importance of Bihar, legis-
lators from Bihar and the Bihari voter. Now, politicians from
Bihar are asserting themselves with a new fervor, conveying
the message that they are proud to be Biharis. This message
bears its own significance as in several parts of the country,
while Bengalis are generally looked up as intellectuals, Biharis
are not given the same importance. If Bengalis are placed at
the upper edge of a pole, Biharis are near the bottom.
The revolutionary manner in which Bihari leaders and peo-
ple have asserted themselves in recent years has considerably
shattered this stereotype image held about them.
This image may be called stereotyped, based on miscon-
ceptions held about the Bihari identity for several reasons.
History stands witness to the state having had a rich and glori-
ous past. Indias first president, Dr. Rajnedra Prasad, who was
also a great freedom fighter, hailed from Bihar, so was Jay
Prakash Narayan, one of the greatest Indians in recent times.
It is indeed a strange irony that despite Bihar being histor-
ically known as an ancient centre of learning, such as Nalanda
University, where the famous Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang
spent 12 years as a student and a teacher in the seventh cen-
tury, till recently, Biharis identity seldom commanded much
respect. This trend is now taking a U-turn. Bihar and its role in
the political power-play at the centre and inside Bihar are now
being looked upto with a new vision.
The rally held recently in Delhi by Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar strongly asserted the political identity of JD-U and
that of the Bihari voter. Politically, Bihar cannot be ignored any
longer where national politics is concerned. Even the Congress
has understood this message. The Rs 12000-crore package
does not simply indicate the Congress attempt to woo JD-U to
its camp. Irrespective of whether more financial packages are
announced for Bihar or not, the recent developments certainly
suggest that the new importance gained by the Bihari identity
can no longer be ignored.
It is hoped that similar importance is accorded to the Bihari
Muslims. Their representation needs to be increased in Lok
Sabha as well as in the Bihar assembly!
Speaki ng Out
Bihari Identity
Assumes A New
Importance!
NI LOFAR SUHRAWARDY
AARIZ MOHAMMED
Director, Center for Social Justice, Hyderabad
Introduction: We have discussed the Muslim backwardness since
ages and post-Sachar, the passion is continuing. Some of us
contributed to get policies drafted to address this situation and
some are working on their implementation. Yet, the challenge
remains standstill as the share of the young Muslim population
continues to grow in the overall demographic dividend of India
with all its positive and negative results.
The objective here is to drive the community to face the chal-
lenges and prepare to capitalize on the dividend. It will be a divi-
dend if we accelerate our preparation, else it will be a curse. A
multi-dimensional approach with sustainable efforts at various
levels is needed to address the challenge.
The available studies on the Indian demographic dividend are
not much qualitative as the space for R&D in our policies is non-
cognizable. This limitation expands to all Social-Identities and the
Indian Muslim identity is not an exception. Human development
indications with SRC variables are also not available as no such
exercise is undertaken even though the statutory bodies were
demanding it for some time.
Here is an attempt, with all its limitations, to present a broad
picture on the subject.
India 2011 Census: The provisional Census 2011 data says the
total Indian population is 121,01,93,422 with 58,64,69,174
females and 62,37,24,248 males. The decadal growth rate is
17.64%.
Birth rate: 20.97 births/1,000 population growth rate: 1.344 %.
Death rate: 7.48 deaths/1,000 population.
Fertility rate: 2.62 children born/woman.
Infant mortality rate: Total: 47.57 deaths/1,000 live births. Female:
49.14 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 46.18 deaths/1, 000 live
births.
Life expectancy at birth: Total: 66.8 years -- female: 67.95 years;
male: 65.77 years.
Age structure: 65 years and over: 5.5 % (male: 30,831,190 and
female: 33,998,613).
15 years to 64 years: 64.9 % (male: 3,98,757,331 and female:
3,72,719,379);
0 years to 14 years: 29.7 % (male: 187,450,635 and female:
1,65, 415,758).
Median age: Total: 26.2 years -- female: 26.9 years; male: 25.6
years
Sex ratio: Total: 1 female/1.08 males 65 years and over: 1
female/0.91 male 15-64 years: 1 female/1.07 males; below 15
years: 1 female/1.13 males; at birth: 1 female/1.12 males.
Literacy: Total: 77,84,54,120 -- females: 33,42,50,358; males:
44,42,03,762.
Literacy rate: Total: 74.04 % -- females: 65.46 %; males: 82.14 %.
Net migration rate: -0.05 migrant/1,000 population
Working Age Population by 2026: Bihar, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are typical underperforming states.
Assam along with BIMARU states contributed 27% to Indian econ-
omy in 1997-98. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh will
together contain 31.2% of Indias youth in 2026. The backward
BIMARU states have
the greatest growth
rates of working age
ratio with only the
rich state of Haryana
as the non-BIMARU
state in the top five.
Between 2001
and 2026, in a period
of 25 years, working
age population will
grow by 19.8% in
Rajasthan, 17.3% in
Haryana and 16.8%
in Bihar. In 2001,
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh
and Madhya Pradesh
had a large chunk of
their populations liv-
ing below the pover-
ty line with Bihar touching 42.6%. In the HDI ranks, out of 15
states, Bihar ranks at number 15, Uttar Pradesh at 13 and Madhya
Pradesh at 12. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh also have very low labour
force participation rates, casting doubt on their ability to absorb
the increasing growth in their labour force.
The growth rate of employment is reasonable by Indian stan-
dards in the BIMARU states. However, given the large bulk of the
working age population on its way, this will have to increase.
The future of the Indian Demographic Dividend looks dim. To
reap the benefits of a favourable age structure, the states of Bihar,
Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh will need to undergo serious
reforms to improve the health and education conditions, create
meaningful employment much faster and tackle widespread
poverty immediately.
Looking at the future, the rich states of Haryana, Punjab,
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh will contain
the most favourable age structures in 2026. These states have
sound policies and can be predicted to create productive job
opportunities for its population.
Indian Muslims: The Indian Muslim population is around 170 mil-
lion, as per the estimated figure for the year 2011. It is estimated
to be 13.4% to the total population with a marginal increase of .2%
over the 2001 census. This is due to the higher fertility rate with
29.9% as per NFHS III though the fertility has gone down by
1.32% between NFHS II-III.
Projections for the future population growth in India show that
by the end of the 21st century, Indias total population will stabi-
lize in which the Muslim population would be less than 20% of
total, as noted by the Sachar Committee.
Given the trends of fertility rates by 2018, the total fertility rate
of Muslims and Hindus will be same. As the Muslim population is
much younger, it would continue to grow more rapidly than the
non-Muslim for some time, but eventually the growth rate of both
populations would be the same and the Muslim portion of the
Indias population would tend to stabilize.
The worlds Muslim population is expected to increase by
about 35 per cent in the next 20 years, rising from 1.6 billion in
2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030, according to new population projec-
tions by the Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion & Public
Life.
Muslims may maintain a population growth rate somewhat
higher than other groups and their percentage of Indias popula-
tion might slowly grow. It is because the use of modern methods
of contraceptive is very low among Muslims as compared to oth-
ers. Religious differences over the use of modern contraception,
based on the latest NFHS-3 (2005- 06) data, clearly indicate that
the prevalence of modern contraception is the highest among
Jains (69%) and lowest among Muslims (36%). Around 50% of
Hindus are protected by some modern method like sterilization,
pill, IUD and condom which are available in the official programme
(column 2). The prevalence of sterilization does not differ much
among most religious groups, except for the fact that it is very low
among Muslims (column 3). The proportion of women and men
who have been sterilized is twice as high for Hindus as for
Muslims.
Globally, the Muslim population is forecast to grow at about
twice the rate of the non-Muslim populations over the next two
decades - an average annual growth rate of 1.5 pc for Muslims,
compared with 0.7 pc for non-Muslims.
If the current trends continue, Muslims will make up 26.4 pc
of the worlds total projected population of 8.3 billion in 2030, up
from 23.4 pc of the estimated 2010 world population of 6.9 bil-
lion.
How does India stand in this? Not much of a change, it
seems. India is projected to remain as the third-largest Muslim
population (in absolute numbers) in the world by 2030, following
Indonesia and Pakistan. The Muslim population in India is project-
ed to increase from 177.3 million in 2010 to 236.2 million in
2030. The Muslim share of Indias population is expected to
increase from 14.6 pc in 2010 to 15.9 pc in 2030.
More than one-in-ten of the worlds Muslims (10.8 pc) will
live in India in 2030 -- about the same as in 2010.
Muslims in India continue to have more children on average
than non-Muslims. These are among the key findings of a com-
prehensive report on the size, distribution and growth of the glob-
al Muslim population.
ANALYSIS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 11 www.milligazette.com
Demographic Dividend and the Indian Muslims - i
Conatinued in the next issue
HAFIZ ABDUL
ALEEM SIDDIQI,
who was work-
ing as secretary
in Indian High
Commission at
London since
1965 died of heart attack in London
on 9 April at the age of 76 years.
After retirement he devoted himself
to religious work and set up first
Islamic school in London which he
named London Islamic Educational
& Welfare Centre. He was also a
member of Conservative Partys
Central Committee and Governor of
three schools. He left behind his
wife and one daughter. He was
buried in a London graveyard.
Prof ZIAUL HAQ NOMANI, for-
mer Principal of Darbhanga
College and Mithila Universitys
Controller of Examinations died of
hear t attack at his residence in
Laharya Sarai (Bihar) on 18 April.
He was also a law exper t and for-
mer Syndicate member of Jamia
Millia Islamia and Sanskrit
University. He had also set up
many milli institutions. He leaves
behind his widow, one son and
two daughters.
Dr TARIQ ZAFAR, a retired senior officer of
Barkatullah University. Bhopals minority cell has
been appointed Vice Chancellor of Bhopals Bhoj
Open University by Madhya Pradeshs Governor
Ram Naresh Yadav, who is also the Chancellor of
Bhoj University. His appointment is for 4 years from
the date he takes over charge of his new post or till
the age of 65, whichever is earlier.
Dr AUSAF SAYEED, presently Indias ambassador in
Yemen and formerly Indias ambassador to
Denmark, Saudi Arab, Egypt, Qatar etc has been
appointed Indias Consul General in Chicago (USA).
Author of many books he will take up his new post
in July.
NAJMI WAZIRI, Delhi governments Standing
Counsel along with four other practicing lawyers and
the two other junior judges and also the Registrar
General of Delhi High Court (a total of eight) have
been appointed new judges of Delhi High Court.
They were sworne in as judges of Delhi High Court
by Chief Justice D. Murugesan on 17 April. With the
appointment of these 8 new judges the total strength
of Delhi High Court has gone up to 43 which is still
short of 5 judges because the total sanctioned
strength of judges in Delhi High Court is 48.
Dr MASROOR AKHTAR KHAN, Associate Professor
in Department of Botany in AMU has been assigned
a research project in Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre, Mumbai for three years. Prof Masroor Khan
has been conducting researches on the new tech-
niques of increasing the production of medicinal
plants for 30 years and has written many books on
the results of researches and experiments.
RASOOLAN BIBI, wife of Hawaldar Abdul Hameed
of Grenadiers 4th Battalion who was posthumously
honoured with Param Veer Chakra, Indias highest
military Award in the 1965 war with Pakistan, was
given a cheque of Rs 5 lakh by Lt Gen. Anil Chait,
Army Commander of Central Command at a func-
tion held a Ghazipur (U.P.) on 4th April on the occa-
sion of Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Central
Command. Since she is very old and weak now, Lt
Gen Chait also promised to gift a wheel chair to her
within a month.
SHAMIM TARIQ, prominent Urdu poet, critic and
columnist of Mumbai has joined Jamia Millia Islamia
on deputation as Visiting Fellow for Jamia Millias
project on Tagore Research & Translation Scheme
which is being undertaken with financial cooperation
of union ministry of culture. Shamim Tariq has also
written many books including Ghalib aur Hamari
Tahreek-e Azadi and others which are very popular.
MAULANA JAVED ABBAS has been appointed
chairman of U.P. Pollution Control Board by U.P. gov-
ernment.
SHAMIM AKHTAR TAMANNA has taken over as the
new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Delhi Waqf
Board in place of outgoing CEO Muhammad Ahsan
Abid. The new incumbent Shamim Akhtar is an offi-
cer of Additional Secretary rank.
Dr ATIQUR RAHMAN of AMUs Department of
Geography has been awarded a 3-year project in
USAs National Aeronautics & Space Administration
or Agency (NASA) to work on Understanding
impacts of Desert urbanisation on climate and sur-
rounding environments to foster sustainable cities
using remote sensing and numerical modelling.
Principal investigator of NASA project is Dr Soe
Myint of Arizona State University. For this project
NASA has sanctioned an amount of 7,65,990
Dollars.
MAULANA (Dr) YASIN USMANI, Vice President of
All India Milli Council and a member of All India
Muslim Personal Law Board has been appointed
Vice Chairman of U.P. Urdu Academy and given the
rank of minister of state. He was Vice Chairman of
U.P. Urdu Academy on an earlier occasion also for
about 3 years.
MUHAMMAD ISRAEL, a blind research scholar in
AMUs Department of Hindi has been conferred Ph
D Degree by this University. The topic of his
research treatise was Bhishm Sahni ka Kahani
Adab which he completed under the supervision
and guidance of Prof Pradeep Saxena. For his viva
voce interview, Prof Virendra Mohan, Dean of Sagar
University had specially come from there.
Mrs SANIA MIRZA, tennis star has been selected as
Vice President of Indian Tennis Playres Association
(ITPA). She is thus the fourth Vice President of ITPA,
others being Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and
Somdev Devverman.
QAZI MUHAMMAD USMAN MANSOORPURI,
President of Jamiatul Ulama-e Hind was elected
President of Jamiatul Ulama-e Hind consecutively
for the third time in the Jamiats executive commit-
tee meeting held at New Delhi on 16 April.
MEN & WOMEN IN NEWS
OBITUARIES
JUSTICE SAMDANI
Pakistan lost one of its
great treasures on April
11, 2013. Justice
Khwaja Muhammad
Ahmad Samdani is no
more. He leaves behind
a legacy of honesty,
dignity and an absolute
adherence to princi-
ples. He did not merely possess a strong moral compass, he
served as its very definition.
Justice Samdani resigned his position in 1981 when Zia
demanded that the judiciary retake their oath on a document that
contained reprehensible and unconstitutional clauses.
Born in 1932 in Kareem Nagar, Hyderabad Deccan, Justice
Samdanis family opted to move to Pakistan after the partition.
After completing his education and then teaching at Peshawars
famed Islamia College, he joined the civil service. After a few
years he opted for the judicial branch. Justice Samdani main-
tained a spotless reputation. In 1972, he was appointed an addi-
tional judge of the Lahore High Court.
During the Bhutto era, when the anti-Ahmedi sentiment was
nearing a crescendo, Justice Samdani was asked to lead the
Rabwah Tribunal, charged with investigating the violence that
took place on May 29, 1974. While the full contents of the tri-
bunals report were not shared with the public, Sadia Saeed
reported in the book, Political Power and Social Theory that
Justice Samdani found the Second Constitutional
Amendment tantamount to persecution of a vul-
nerable minority. He expounded that while he
was in favour of a true Islamic state based on the
principles of justice and equality, due to the
impossibility of realising such a state he was in
favour of secularism. Justice Samdani was high-
lighting the impossibility of reconciling Islams
original message of equality and fairness with the
hatred and intolerance some were attempting to
inject into it.
Three years later General Ziaul Haq seized
power and Justice Samdani found himself caught
in the midst of the dictators witch-hunts. Zias
first instinct was to eliminate any credible opposi-
tion. To that end, he had former Prime Minister
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto arrested in connection with
murder charges. While this trial was in motion, Justice Samdanis
court received a bail application from Mr Bhuttos lawyers. The
trial was obviously very personal to Zia, as he wanted Bhutto and
his political party to be eliminated. He expected that all those in
government who wished to survive would readily comply. Justice
Samdani, however, was always ready to embrace hardship, but
never ready to compromise. He felt that approving Mr Bhuttos
bail application was the right thing to do and that, to him, was the
only consideration. Thus, he approved it. It was his firm belief that
regardless of the price he may pay, a judge must dispense jus-
tice.
Justice Samdani records another such incident in his autobi-
ography, Jaizaa (Observations). While serving as Federal
Secretary for Law, he came to know that Ziaul Haq had used abu-
sive language against the secretaries. Not one to cower in such
circumstances, he returned the favour and confronted army offi-
cers in the presence of General Zia. Despite being bullied and
pressed to seek an apology from the General, Justice Samdani
refused. He had done the right thing and there was no need to
apologise nor room for any regret when taking a principled stand.
Justice Samdani resigned his position in 1981 when Zia
demanded that the judiciary retake their oath on a document that
contained some reprehensible and unconstitutional clauses.
He might have been elevated to the Supreme Court had he
been supportive of a dictator, and would most certainly have
made tens of millions had he compromised on his values.
He became the judge of the High Court in 1971 at the age of
40. In the intervening years, he served as joint secretary in the
Law Ministry, and was later sent to Yale University on a scholar-
ship to do his LLM. On his return, he still served as the joint sec-
retary until he turned 40.
JUSTICE CHANDRU
Justice Chandru created a record of
sorts even on his last day as judge of
the Madras High Court. He came to
the High Court in the morning in his
official car to attend his last day of
work on 8 April. After reaching the
High Court, he handed over the keys
of the car to the Registry. He submit-
ted the statement of his assets, as of
March 8, to the Chief Justice of the
High Court. He was the first judge in the Madras High Court to
submit his statement of assets in 2009.
Breaking a century-old tradition, he had already requested the
chief justice that he wants no official farewell function. So after
completing his work that day, Justice Chandru went around the
court premises and met companion judges, staff members and
others, who bade farewell to him. A rousing farewell was accord-
ed to Justice Chandru, who was clad in a simple slack shirt and
dhoti. Later he walked straight to the Beach Station, where he
boarded an MRTS train to reach home.
Delivery of speedy justice is the need of the hour to strength-
en the belief of the people in the judiciary, said Justice Chandru
who had settled more than 96,000 cases in less than seven
years.
The first thing he did after becoming a judge was to do away
with the red-capped mace-bearer, who could be seen on the por-
tals accompanying judges to their courts and chambers.
He also found a sub-inspector-ranked personal security offi-
cer assigned to him redundant, and promptly discontinued that
practice as well.
His landmark judgments were the ones providing succour to
22,000 noon meal workers, upholding appointment of women
priests in temples and the one relating to abolition of separate
crematoriums on the basis of caste.
Unlike other retired judges, Justice Chandru will not practise
advocate profession either in the Supreme Court or other high
courts. He had already rejected offers to head certain tribunals
and would engage in social service.
Here was a Judge who did not want the red capped, silver
mace bearing Dawali to announce his arrival - which was seen
as a symbol of Power and Authority; he did not want red beacon
in his car; he surrendered a sub-inspector ranked personal secu-
rity guard; he did not want to be addressed as My Lord in
courts; he did not accept any post retirement jobs such as
membership of tribunals and commissions etc.; he was the first
judge to declare his assets to Chief Justice and on the day of
retirement once again declared his assets to the Chief Justice; at
the entrance of his official chamber, a notice was seen No deities
- No flowers, No one is hungry - No fruits, No one is shivering -
No shawls.
Some of his landmark judgements are:
- Women can become priests in temples
- there should be common Burial ground irrespective of caste
- For staging plays, police permission not required
- there should be community-based reservation in noon meal
centres.
JUSTICES SAMDANI AND CHANDRU: MAY YOUR TRIBE INCREASE
12 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 NEWSMAKERS www.milligazette.com
What we are getting in the name of education
is information whereas true education is all
about transformation.. transforming the
personality of the student. Do we teach our
children the following:
1. To say thank you when it is due;
2. When to greet? How and when it is due;
3. To be truthful and honest;
4. Always to keep promise;
5. To be punctual;
6. To be considerate to others (specific instances -
like road manners etc.);
7. That they should always strive for perfection and
shun casualness;
8. To respect the constitution and law;
9. That every body is entitled to his/her own
opinion and to express it;
10. To avoid unnecessary arguments;
11. The manners of Conversations;
12. That service to humankind is service to God;
13. The concept of Qanaat [to be content with what
you have];
14. To be courteous and firm;
15. The importance of austerity and that austerity is
more impressive than ostentation.
JUSTICE SAMDANI
Justice Chandru being greeted by court staff & lawyers on his last day in court
Book on Syed Shahabuddin released
SPECIAL REPORT The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 13 www.milligazette.com
MG/Yusuf
New Delhi: In a book release ceremony, attend-
ed by the cream of Delhi Muslims and civil soci-
ety, a book on the life and achievements of diplo-
mat, parliamentarian and Muslim leader Syed
Shahabuddin was released by Union ministers
Salman Khurshid and K Rahman Khan. The
book, Syed Shahabuddin: Outstanding Voice of
Muslim India, was compiled by the editor of
Usool (Pune), Mushtaq Madni and commis-
sioned by the famous educationist PA Inamdar.
He lit a light for the political discourses in
the country. His contribution in the field of poli-
tics will be felt by the future generationd, said
Salman Khurshid about the 78-year-old Syed
Shahabuddin who dominated the Indian Muslim
scene in the 1980s and early 1990s. Some nar-
row-minded people say he raised the issue of
Babri Masjid and Personal Law for petty politics.
This is wrong. The fact is that we could not take
full benefit of him as much as we should have,
Khurshid said.
Turning to Shahabuddin, who was sitting on
the dais, Khurshid said: You speak strongly and
clearly. If someone who did not know that you
were a diplomat, would never sense it from your
personality. You have ruled over the hearts of
many men and women. We got in you a leader,
an icon, a role model.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the publisher
of the book who is himself a stalwart in the field
of education, PA Inamdar said he was repaying a
debt. Publishing a book on his life was one way
to appreciate the work and life of Syed
Shahabuddin. I set up a B.Ed. college in 1992
without prior permission of the Maharashtra
government, using the benefit of Article 29 and
30. But it was objected by the government and
the matter. I saw an ar ticle in Syed
Shahabuddins Muslim India about Article 30 of
the constitution and decide to take the govern-
ment to the court. In those days, we got huge
support from the writings of Syed Shahabuddin
highlighting the constitutional guarantees and
judgments of courts. This book is a repayment
of my debt to him. Today my Azam Campus in
Pune has 92 institutions with 25000 students. I
wanted to repay that debt, said PA Inamdar,
president of Maharashtra Cosmopolitan
Education Society, Pune. Publishing a book on
the life of iconic personalities like Syed
Shahabuddin is one way to appreciate his works
and tireless struggle, he said adding, His
stand, however debatable, had the stamp of
complete honesty and total dedication for social,
educational and economic uplift of the Muslim
community. He became controversial because
he was a public figure fully armed with the con-
stitutional weapons to challenge his adver-
saries.
Speaking on the occasion, Syed
Shahabuddin recalled his diplomatic and political
days. It is said diplomats tell lies and politicians
mint money. But in 20 years of my diplomatic
career, I never told a lie. And despite three terms
in Parliament, one in Lok Sabha and two in Rajya
Sabha, I remained a darweesh. When I wanted
to resign in the 1970s, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was
the External Affairs Minister. He called me thrice
and asked me not to resign, said Mr.
Shahabuddin.
Talking about the controversy when he start-
ed Muslim India magazine in 1982, Shahabuddin
said: When I started Muslim India some people
said I wanted to become a second Jinnah. I said
if ever I wanted to become like someone, it
would be a second Nehru, not a second Jinnah.
He said if the Congress and
the Muslim League had tried to
understand each other, there
would not have a partition of
the homeland. Pakistan was
not inevitable, he said adding
that it was wrong on the part
of the League to demand one
third of the seats while
Muslims were only one-
fourth. Our leaders, he said,
were either in the pay of the
British or were appended to
the Congress. They did not
have their own standing. He
said, I can understand the
demand of the Muslim-domi-
nated provinces for Pakistan
but not the demand of
Muslims in U.P. and Bihar. The
leaders went to Pakistan after
the par tition and left us
orphans. He said it was only
after 1971 that both the gov-
ernment and the community
star ted thinking about the
Muslims of India. He said, on
the slogan of secularims is not enough. A lot has
to be done for the Muslim Indians, especially in
the field of education. He said Muslim Indians
still have a role waiting for them. I look upon it
as a historic role -- they must act as a bridge
with east, the west and the north. It is possible
that with such a positive role, a south Asian fed-
eration will emerge, he said. India will become
a great power one day. The Indian caravan is
marching ahead and if Muslims remain tuned,
they will have a big role to play, he said. He
ended his speech with a quote: People are not
always reasonable and logical but love the peo-
ple of India any day. Do good any day. Be hon-
est and frank any day. Think big any day. Think
of the future any day. You will get kicked. Give
the best any day.
In his presidential address, Union Minority
Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan said: Syed
Shahabuddin is an anjuman, an institution. He is
fearless, frank and honest. No one dares doubt
his commitment. He has a vision. His magazine
Muslim India has vast materials for future histo-
rians...He struggled for the Muslims to get a
place in India. He left a mark in every field he
worked whether it be diplomacy or politics or
journalism or social activism...He is indeed an
outstanding voice of the Muslims in India. His life
is a struggle for the Muslims to get a place in
India. No parliamentarian, Muslim or non-
Muslim, can match him. He demonstrated his
concern for every issue facing the country and
the community. He said, we are not getting our
constitutional rights in the country and the strug-
gle of Syed Shahabuddin was to win these
rights. He tried to empower us. Rahman Khan
said we have not defined our role and we have
not set our priorities.
The 112-page large format volume has 24
articles on Syed Shahabuddin's life and person-
ality, ideas and thoughts written by renowned
personalities including Vice President M. Hamid
Ansari, former Chief Justice AM Ahmadi, Justice
Rajindar Sachar, Justice Aftab Alam,
Dr. Subramanian Swamy, diplomats Muchkund
Dubey and Salman Haider, Asghar Ali Engineer,
Kaleem Kawaja and others.
In his foreword, Vice President Hamid Ansari
said, A passionate espousal of causes he
believed in, regardless of consequences, distin-
guishes Syed Shahabuddin from most of his
contemporaries. As a result, he is as much
understood as misunderstood. Mr. Ansari fur-
ther said that Syed Shahabuddin is A patriot to
the core of his being, wedded in letter and spirit
to the Constitution of India, motivated by the
belief that selective justice leads to injustice, and
propelled by an urge to rectify it meaningfully led
him in his public life to seek avenues for further-
ing his quest.
Mushtaq Madni, the compiler of the volume,
said that earlier with PA Inamdars help he has
compiled and published similar volumes on
Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, Saiyid Hamid and B
Sheik Ali and PA Inamdar. He said Syed
Shahabuddins name will appear on any list of
prominent Indians of modern times.
This book is available from Pharos Media,
see page 19 for ordering details.
Arabic spreading rapidly in non-Arab nations
Jeddah: Indian expatriate literary
groups here held a reception in hon-
our of Professor Shafiq Ahmed Khan
Nadwi, former head of the Arabic
department in Delhi's Jamia Millia
Islamia. Irshad Ahmad, the press and
culture consul at the Indian consulate,
attended the event. Stressing the
importance of brotherhood, respect
and adhering to the peaceful message
of Islam, Prof. Nadwi said, "Islam is a
beautiful gift from God. Citizens
around the world embrace Islam due
to its humane message. Those who
live their lives according to the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad's practices and teachings, will lead a
blessed life in this world and the afterlife."
He said parents have an obligation to provide their children with a better understanding and
knowledge of the holy Qur'an as well as the moral values prescribed by Islam. "Parents today strive
to give their children higher education and send them abroad to foreign universities, but they forget
to send them to mosques in the neighborhood to learn Qur'an. Unfortunately some homes are even
devoid of religious environment," he said, cautioning parents, "On the Day of Judgment you will be
questioned about the kind of education you provided to your children."
Nadwi emphasized the importance of providing children with an education that is accordance
with Islamic principles, asserting that Arabic is a beautiful language and is spreading fast in non-Arab
countries as well. "People are learning how to read Qur'an and its translation, which is consequently
inspiring them to convert to Islam in large numbers. In addition, in the past 40 years, Urdu has also
become a popular language especially in the Gulf countries. Major Indian universities claim that Urdu
is still very much alive in India," he added.
New Urdu daily from Delhi
New Delhi: A new Urdu daily newspaper, Qaumi
Salamti has been launched here on 17 April.
This newspaper was in fact registered in 2006
but has been launched only now. The printer and
publisher of this Urdu daily is Siraj Paracha, a
known figure of the capitals Muslim community,
while the editor is Syed Muhammad Kazmi, a
senior Urdu journalist who was arrested last year
by Delhi Polices Special Cell for his alleged
involvement in the bomb blast in the car of a
diplomat of Israeli embassy in Delhi. Since Kazmi
was writing mainly for Iran, because of strained
and inimical relations between Israel and Iran, it
is believed that he was arrested and implicated
falsely on the basis of the Israeli pressure on the
Indian government which maintains strong rela-
tions with the Israeli intelligence outfit, Mossad,
whose terrorist exploits and false flag operations
are well-known all over the world. Though Kazmi
had strongly denied any connection in any way
with the said blast, he was nonetheless arrested
and jailed but released on bail after a few
months. The new newspaper has been well-
received in the capital. It is believed that soon it
will have editions in some other cities.
Prof. Nadwi with guests and invitees at Jeddah reception
Seminar on education at Sikar
Sikar: BBC and Asian Age journalist Narayan Bareth called upon
religious minorities to broad-base their struggle for development
by taking together other deprived communities like Dalits of the
country. He was addressing a seminar on Importance of
Education organized by Bazm-e-ahbab which is run by the
Muslim community of Sikar city of Rajasthan. In an emotional
style amidst incessant applauds, he drew a difference between
Bharat, a country of poor and have-nots, and India, a country of
corporate, politicians and mafia. Outlining the importance of edu-
cation, he attributed the low level of education as a cause of
under-development in all spheres of life of Muslims. The seminar
was also addressed by Dr. Iqraz Nabi Khan, campus Director of
Balaji Group of Engineering Institutions, Jaipur. Dr. Khan elaborat-
ed various avenues of career matching with the level of education
of students. The seminar was attended by Muslims of entire
Shekhawati belt comprising of Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Churu and
Nagaur districts of Rajasthan which included students, parents
and social workers. (Ashafaque Kayamkhani)
Works of Qazi Abdus Sattar being translated
Aligarh: Literary creations of prominent man of letters Prof Qazi
Abdus Sattar are being rendered into Arabic and English from their
original Urdu. His famous novels Khalid bin Waleed and
Salahuddin Aiyyubi (whom European and English historians call
Saladeen) are being translated into Arabic at Cairos Al Azhar
University. According to Dr Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad, President
of Al Azhar Universitys Department of Urdu, these translations are
being done under a research project and are in the final stages of
completion and will soon be published. Another famous novel of
Qazi Sattar Dara Shikoh is being translated into English by the fic-
tion writer and journalist Manzar Husain Sayyad. A big publishing
house has already announced its plan to publish the English trans-
lation. Prof Qazi Abdus Sattar was honoured with the Padam Shri
about 40 years ago by the govt of India and in addition to this he
was honoured with many other prestigious awards. Some of his
other novels are Shab-e Gazida, Ghalib, Razia Sultana etc and are
important literary pieces of Urdu literature.
One year extension for VC of Chishti University
Dr Anees Ansari, Vice Chancellor of
Khwaja Moinudin Chishti Urdu, Arabic
and Persian University, whose term as VC
was to expire on 23 April but since many
important work like appointment of teach-
ing and non-teaching staff are going on
and some important jobs are still to be
completed at the earliest so that teaching
in this University could be started from
the next session (in July), he has been given a years extension
by the present U.P. government, seeing that if a new VC is
appointed, these urgent works will certainly be delayed and the
plan to start teaching in the 2013-14 academic session may not
be achieved.
NCMs legal cell deserted
New Delhi: Legal cell of National Commission on Minorities to pro-
vide legal assistance to members of the minority community
(Muslims) falsely implicated by police and security agencies in
terrorist and other such cases appears these days to be complete-
ly deserted because since long no one has approached it to seek
legal assistance. According to the Commission the main reason of
this is that there is lack of awareness and knowledge among the
people about the existence of such a cell and under such circum-
stances it is very essential that awareness among people about
the existence of such a cell should be created. Commission
authorities said that Chairman Wajahat Habibullah will soon write
letters to all states in this connection. Commission member Ajaib
Singh, while confirming about people not coming forward to avail
of the services and facilities of the legal cell and chairman
Habibullah writing letters to states said that it was decided in the
Commissions meeting that for creating and increasing awareness
about the legal cell, help and cooperation of Urdu, Punjabi and
local language newspapers will be sought and importance and
necessity of this will also be highlighted on social media. He fur-
ther said that every week two lawyers are invited on Wednesdays
and Fridays for this very purpose i.e. for familiarising people with
these cells so that legal assistance could be provided to people
who need such services. Sources in Minorities Commission also
say that since no persons come to seek legal assistance, these
lawyers have no work and hence they have stopped coming to the
Commissions office. He further said that it will also be made clear
that those people who find it difficult to personally come to the
Commissions office can seek legal assistance from lawyers over
the telephone.
More than 15 lakh people of Ansari fraternity in Delhi
New Delhil: A camp organised by All India Momin Conference was
held in Nabi Karim area of Delhi near Old Police Post for preparing
a directory of people belonging to the Ansari fraternity. This camp
/ meeting was chaired by Haji Muhammad Imran Ansari, vice
president of All India Momin Conference. He said that after hold-
ing a census of people belonging to this fraternity living in differ-
ent areas of Delhi their estimate was that the number of people
belonging to Ansari fraternity in Delhi is over 15 lakh. Many impor-
tant leaders and office bearers of Momin Conference were present
at this camp / conference which was held on 8 April.
Hindu temple: Muslim women as deity
Ahmedabad (Jhulasan): Sunita Williams, the American astronaut
of Indian origin, born of a Gujarati father, in Jhulasan (40 kms from
Ahmedabad), did not respond to frantic efforts of the state govern-
ment for a meeting with CM Narendra Modi. Jhulasan has a rare
distinction in the country where a Muslim woman is worshipped
in a temple by Hindus. An unknown Muslim woman died 250
years ago while fighting aggressors. A temple was erected by
grateful Hindus in her memory as Dola Mata Mandir. It has now
been renovated at a cost of Rs. 4 crores. There is neither an idol
nor any picture. An instrument is worshipped in her memory.
Progressive journalist embraces Islam
Mumbai: Senior journalist with progressive ideas and views, 81-
year old Lajpat Rai embraced Islam on 5 April in the Jama Masjid
of Mumbais Crawford Market at the hands of Qazi Muhammad
Saleh and adopted Dabeer Lajpat Rai as his new name. About his
new name he said that this was the name of one of his journalist
friends. Under this name he used to write, in earlier days, articles
against Muslims with fanatic ideas whereas he used to write arti-
cles against BJP etc under the name of Lajpat Rai. Because of
writing articles against fanatic Muslims, he chose his new name.
He said that there are 4 copies of English translations of the Quran
at his residence. He said that now he wants to go to Makka
Mukarrama and Madina Taiyyaba. He further said that he also
wants to go to Middle East countries to see and study the condi-
tions there closely. He also said that Middle East and Muslim
countries will play a key role in the world affairs in coming centu-
ry.
Maximum number of Muslims in U.P. jails
Lucknow: According to statistics available, maximum number of
Muslims are in U.P. jails and according to National Crime Record
Bureaus statistics till the end of 2011, as many as 5877 Muslims
are cooling their heels in U.P. jails who are 21 percent of the total
population of prisoners in U.P. jails. In addition to this, 14778
Muslims are under trial in different jails of U.P. which gives a per-
centage of 27.5. Again, besides these numbers, 98 Muslims have
been detained who form 46% of all prisoners who ar detained.
It may be stated that there are 64 jails in U.P. (?) in which
44708 prisoners can be accommodated but according to available
statistics, 82383 prisoners are locked up in different jails of U.P.
Leaving aside population (UPs population is highest in the coun-
try) in West Bengal where there is Mamta Bannerjis government
and whose population is much less than that of U.P., the percent-
age of Muslims in jails is highest in West Bengal, seeing that
according to National Crime Record Bureaus statistics till 2011
end, there were 2595 Muslims in different jails of this state. This
means that total population of Muslims in these jails is 46 percent.
In addition to these, 6174 Muslims are under trial in West Bengal
jails. This population is 45.5 percent of all undertrials. In addition,
3 Muslims are under detention who are 60 percent of the detained
persons. There are 55 jails in the state where 20672 persons can
be accommodated. However, total number of prisoners in this
state is 19508.
Legal notice to vacate Waqf properties from illegal occupants
Mumbai: Maharashtras minister for minorities affairs, Arif
Naseem Khan, in reply to questions asked by Shiv Sena leader
Neelam Gode and others, said in the Legislative Council on
15 March that in Maharashtra, 82 percent Auqaf properties are
illegally occupied by government and semi-government bodies
including Police Commissioners and many other offices and that
legal notices have been issued to the concerned offices to vacate
illegally occupied properties. He also said that he hopes govern-
ment sticks to its promise of getting illegal occupations removed
because many government and semi-government offices and
institutions exist on Waqf lands and properties. Enumerating such
cases he said that in Latur there are 30 Waqf properties, in
Usmanabad 7 properties, in Nanded 4 properties, in Prabhni 5
properties, in Jalna 8 and in Aurangabad 18 Waqf properties were
illegally occupied by such offices and institutions. He said that in
the same way 60 / 70 acres of land are illegally occupied by gov-
ernment departments and in order to get these illegal occupations
vacated, minorities affairs ministry through Waqf Board has
issued legal notices to these offices / organisations to get these
lands vacated and also warned them to shift / transfer their offices
to other places otherwise legal action would be taken against
them.
Eager to be crown witness: Ishrat encounter case
With more and more evidence surfacing, a certain suspended
police officer, who has already spent five years in jail and is under-
going treatment after his release on bail, has approached the CBI
to become crown witness. It may be recalled that in the past also
he had shown such keenness in Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake
encounter case. He has filed an application expressing his desire
to become crown witness. However, during hearing he decided to
withdraw the application. The CBI has shown no interest in the
matter having dug up a mountain of evidence. (A. G. Khan)
Award to Food Craft Institute for good services
Lucknow: Food Craft Institute situated in AMU Campus was hon-
oured with National Award 2012 for providing best services in
the field of education and training in the hospitality industry i.e.
hotel industry by Government of Indias tourism ministry. The
Award was given by Dr K. Chiranjivi, South Indias famous and
popular actor and Union minister of state for tourism to Prof Syed
Iqbal Ali, Principal of Food Craft Institute at a function held in Delhi
on 7 April. In addition to Prof Iqbal Ali, awards consisting of gold
medals, certificates and cash prizes were also given to promising
students of Food Craft Institute and other hotel management insti-
tutions. Speaking on this occasion the minister, Dr Chiranjivi said
that Indias progress in the field of international tourism is very
slow which is a matter of great concern under the present global
circumstances and for better performance and improving the
tourism industry, this Award has been introduced to induce these
institutions to excel in global competition. Prof Syed Iqbal Ali said
while speaking on this occasion that this Food Craft Institute is the
oldest and the only one in this state (UP) and has set many
records and has introduced many new training courses prescribed
by tourism ministry. He said that hundreds of students after get-
ting training from this Institute are very efficiently rendering their
services in famous hotels and tourism commissions.
Part of Mukesh Ambanis mansion demolished
Mumbai: A footpath, a public place, at Altamount Road, Mumbai
on which Reliance Industries (Ltd) chairman Mukesh Ambanis
27-storied grand mansion Antilia spread over 37,000 sq metres
is built was encroached on and illegally occupied to build this
mansion. The encroached part was used for building a sloping
bund wall and flower beds. When the encroachment of the foot-
path was brought to the notice of Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC) about a year ago, it sent a belated notice (after
about a year) to the concerned authorities of the mansion to
remove the illegally built parts and clear the footpath of the
encroachments. About two weeks ago the mansion staff, in com-
pliance of BMCs notice, themselves demolished portions of the
mansion illegally built on the footpath. This information was given
to one Anil Galgali, an RTI activist of Mumbai who had asked BMC
under RTI Act what action it had taken about the encroachment of
public place (footpath) by Ambani or his building contractors.
Galgali subsequently said that Ambanis mansion had encroached
on about 310 sq metres of public space and this action (vacation
of the illegally occupied land) sends a clear message that rules
cannot be changed at will to favour some one, no matter how
wealthy he or she may be.
Self immolation in Gujarat claims three lives
Ahmedabad: A slum clearance drive undertaken by Rajkot
Mahanagar Palika compelled 5 persons of a family (three women
and two men) to resort to self immolation. While three persons
succumbed to burn injuries two are battling for their life. Congress
gave a Rajkot bandh call following the incident which was
observed by educational institutions and business establishments.
The Mayor sanctioned ex-gratia of Rs. 5 lakh to kins of the
deceased.
New Delhi: About 2235 primary and middle schools of Delhi
which were to be closed down from 1 April this year have now
been given a new lease of life and under a new rule, can contin-
ue under certain conditions. It may be stated that about 2235
unrecognised schools were being run in Delhi since many years
but according to DDAs Master Plan, for any school to be recog-
nised it was compulsory that it should have an area of at least
800 sq metres and if total land of any school was less than this
it was to be closed down from 1 April, with the result that the
future of about 2235 schools and almost 5 lakh children / stu-
dents appeared to be bleak. On an appeal by Delhi State Public
School Management Association to Delhis chief minister to pro-
tect these schools and the future of their 4/5 lakh students, Delhi
government revised the old rules and after making some amend-
ments in the Master Plan in respect of these schools, it is now
decided that primary schools upto 5th class whose land area is
200 sq metres and have at least 5 class rooms and the area of
each class room is at least 30 sq metres with other normal facil-
ities (like drinking water, toilets etc) can apply for recognition.
Similarly, middle schools which have classes upto 8th stan-
dard, whose land area is at least 700 sq metres, have at least 8
class rooms and the area of each class room is at least 40 sq
metres together with other facilities (mentioned above) can apply
to the governments relevant department for recognition. Another
condition is that in both schools (primary and middle), the space
for each student to sit should be 10 sq ft (about one sq metre)
and for teachers (for teaching) the space should be at least 60 sq
ft.
According to the order of Directorate of Education, if there is
no play ground in a school, arrangements for playing of children
should be made in the nearest park of Municipal Corporation and
also transport from school-park-school for students will have to
be made by the schools concerned.
Under the new order or arrangement schools should apply
online for recognition and its print-out and other documents
should be submitted to the Directorate of Education within 7
days. It may also be stated in this connection that recognition of
each school will be for one year only and after two or three
months an inspection of schools will be made and if found satis-
factory, recognition will be given for 3 years.
It may also be noted that schools which are running classes
upto K G only will not be required to seek governments recogni-
tion under RTE Act. They will continue to hold these classes till a
new order in this respect is issued. (N. A. Ansari)
More than 2200 Delhi schools on the
verge of closure, get new lease of life
14 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 COMMUNITY NEWS www.milligazette.com
Saudi Uni to promote education in Muslim populated areas
New Delhi: Qaseem University of Saudi Arabia has decided to pro-
mote higher education, research and training in Muslim populated
areas in India so that Muslim students of these areas are able to
make progress and compete with their counterparts in other com-
munities in this age of competition and excellence. In the first
place this University has selected Kishan Ganj district of Bihar
which has 70 percent Muslim population, for its mission. A 4-
member delegation of this University lead by its Pro Vice
Chancellor, Dr. Abdur Rahman Saleh Raham Al Wasel had visited
this place in the first week of this month (April) and after studying
the situation had laid emphasis on promoting, along with basic
and primary education, higher education and research. Matuir
Rahman Madni, Chairman of Tauheed Educational Trust, an insti-
tution which is working to promote education, said that at the ini-
tiative of his Trust, Qaseem University has expressed its willing-
ness to render assistance to promote education and research in
backward Muslim populated areas. According to Matuir Rahman
Madni, this delegation had first visited Kishan Ganj and decided to
promote education, training etc in these areas. He said that after
Kishan Ganj, the delegation members of this University will visit
some other poor and Muslim populated areas of the country and
render help in promoting higher education, research etc in those
areas also. He further said that this University will also provide
scholarships to meritorious and promising students of these
areas.
Pilgrimage project under attack
Jabalpur: The much publicised free pilgrimage scheme for senior
citizens was strongly criticised by Congress leader of opposition.
Charges of nepotism in the selection procedure embolden benefi-
ciaries to produce fake documents for a second pilgrimage. Since
no details are divulged there is a lack of transparency. The
scheme is to keep the BJP and RSS cadres in good humour who
enjoy a bonanza on tax payers cost. During the past six months
82 special trains to various destinations were chartered for such
pilgrimage, benefiting (free to-and-fro-ride-) 82,000 passengers.
Unlike Modi, the beneficiaries include Muslims (Ajmer Sharif) as
well as Christians (Vellangani Church) in Tamil Nadu).
Pragya Thakur suffers brain stroke
Bhopal: Pragya Thakur, accused in the Sunil Joshi murder case,
is repor ted to have suffered a brainstroke. According to
Superintendent of Central Jail, M R Patel, she was sent to Bhopal
Memorial Hospital when she complained of headache. After treat-
ment for some time in the ICU she was shifted to a private hospi-
tal Vivekanand Spine Centre. Her condition is reported to be nor-
mal. Left side of her body is paralysed and she is unable to speak.
NIA team visits Bagli again
Bagli (Dewas): An NIA team visited Bagli again and interrogated
three persons. It made enquiries with Kamalsinh Yadav, Umesh
Shivhare and Pancham Sikarwar. While Yadav was grilled earlier
too and was asked the same questions; Shivhare and Sikarwar
were asked about their role in providing cassettes and VCR dur-
ing fire arms training. A Bhopal court rejected NIAs plea demand-
ing 90 day remand of Balbir Sinh for further enquiry (handwriting
verification). Rejecting the demand the court asked why the veri-
fication could not be done during last 90 days. The court fixed
12 April for arguments.
Love Jihad in reverse
Ujjain / Gwalior: A married Muslim woman Firoza (25) who eloped
from Gwalior with her beloved Mallavika Kukreja (25) was
arrested by Ujjain police when they arrived from Indore. The two
girls belonging to different faiths want to live together for which
Firoza is willing to forget her marriage! While Mallavika is an M
Com with diploma in software engineering, she prefers to dress
as a male. The duo have been handed over to Gwalior police
where family members had lodged complaints Each party is
accusing the other of kidnapping its kin. After much persuasion
they agreed to go back to their family homes.
Madrasa management complain of corruption
Indore: Anjuman Jamiatul madaris (Organisation of Madrasas
management) accused education officials of corruption in granti-
ng recognition. Arif Modi, Divisional Convenor, complained that a
clerk is demanding money for according recognition. Negative
inspection reports are being prepared to deny recognition.
Though complaints have been lodged with the District Education
officer, Minority Commission, Madrasa Board and the Collector;
these have not been taken cognisance of. Sanjay Goyal, the DEO,
said that the guidelines issued by the government necessitate
inspection. Grants will be released only after inspection. However,
Zafar Alam, manager of a madrasa, pointed out that even those
which have been recognised are not receiving official grants. 20
such madrasas did not receive sanctioned grant since 2008.
Mohammad Rafiq, another director complains that inspections
are being conducted for pressurising them, though RTE Act
exempts madrasas from inspection.
Water politics in Gujarat
Ahmedabad: While Maharashtra is engaged in a debate on Ajit
Pawars irrational, insensitive and irresponsible statement on
drought conditions; Gujarat too is witnessing a water loo!
Opposition congress launched its Jal Adhikar Yatra which began
from Dwarika and will conclude at Ambaji on 21 April. Accusing
the government of apathy and mismanagement the opposition
and several NGOs have exposed the tall claims of development.
Turning the guns against Congress, Narendra Modi holds
Congress government at the centre responsible for restraining it
from raising the height of Sardar Sarovar Dam. As a counter
action it also has launched an agitation against the central govern-
ment. Amidst allegations and counter allegation, is a report in
which dalits are deprived of drinking water from Narmada canals.
Dalits of Chitalia village lodged a complaint with district officers
alleging that the high caste dabangs are not allowing them to col-
lect drinking water. They insult dalit women whenever they try to
go to canal.
Lady magistrate ordered to pay Rs one lakh as compensation
Chennai: Madras High Court, in a unique verdict of its kind,
ordered a lady magistrate of Dharampuri to pay Rs one lakh as
compensation to a lady plaintiff for wrongly putting her into cus-
tody, thereby violating her fundamental rights. The High Court
ruled that the action of the lady magistrate was not right. This
Court also ordered a departmental enquiry against the lady mag-
istrate. Justice Vinod K. Sharma of the High Court also imposed
a fine of Rs one lakh on her for filing a false affidavit in which she
had stated that she had not ordered the (lady) plaintiff to be sent
to jail. Justice Sharma also said in his verdict that the action of
Dharampuri magistrate was unjust. The knowledge about her
carelessness and unjust verdict had come to light in October
2000 but instead of rectifying her mistake she (lady magistrate)
continued treating the plaintiff like an accused and subsequently
released her on bail. The H C judge further said that the (lady)
magistrate, because of her irresponsible action deprived the appli-
cant / plaintiff of her freedom, thus violating her fundamental
rights. The plaintiff Velin Kuny of Kola Patti village in Tamil Nadu
said that she was in love with one John Kennedy and he had
promised to marry her. When she became pregnant he (Kennedy)
refused to marry her and instead, advised abortion. She filed a
complaint against him at the police station after which the matter
came up before the magistrate. Kennedy was arrested and sent to
judicial custody on 16 October 2000. Next day both Kennedy and
Velin Kuny were medically examined, after which Kennedy was
remanded to custody but the plaintiff (Kuny) was presented
before the judicial magistrate who, without any enquiry, ordered
her to be sent to judicial custody. She (plaintiff) did not know on
what ground she was sent to custody. After keeping her in cus-
tody for three days, she was granted bail.
26/11 Mumbai Case : Call logs fudged?
The state information commission (SIC) has directed the addition-
al chief secretary, home, to conduct an inquiry into discrepancies
in call records of the Mumbai police during the fateful night. Vinita
Kamte may finally get the answers she has been looking for since
husband Ashoks death on November 26, 2008. The state infor-
mation commission (SIC) has directed the additional chief secre-
tary, home, to conduct an inquiry into discrepancies in call
records of the Mumbai police during the fateful night, which
Kamte received after much pursuance. Ashok, then additional
commissioner of police, Hemant Karkare, then anti-terrorism
squad chief, Vijay Salaskar, encounter specialist, were shot dead
behind the Cama and Albless Hospital when they tried to confront
the terrorists.In the months after the attacks, Kamte began enquir-
ing about the circumstances which led to her husbands death
based on reports that the lack of coordination among the police
had allegedly led to the three officers deaths. There was a delay
of over 40 minutes in taking the three to hospital. Although Kamte
succeeded in acquiring phone call records of the police control
room from the night of the attacks, she was given two sets of the
same call logs with several discrepancies. On April 18, state infor-
mation chief Ratnakar Gaikwad took up her complaint of certain
call logs being tampered with and ordered that the inquiry be
completed by May 20. The information sought by the com-
plainant (Kamte) is sensitive and important. The complainants
husband was martyred on the night of 26/11 terror strikes and if
there is any discrepancy in the information provided to her, it is an
extremely serious matter, stated Gaikwads order. The SIC clari-
fied that the RTI Act has provisions to allow it to order an inquiry
and action against officers who give misleading or incorrect infor-
mation. Kamte began looking for answers in 2009 through an RTI
application. However, the police refused to give the information
she sought. She then approached the SIC, after which she
received two sets of details of call records. But she found that
some call logs differed completely in both the sets. In 2011, she
filed a complaint on this before the Pune bench of the SIC, which
transferred it to the Mumbai bench. She approached the Mumbai
bench in February last year, asking it to look into the issue.
(Ashutosh Shukla - dnaindia.com, 23 Apr.,2013)
Bajrangi says he was used as a tool
Babu Patel alias Bajrangi, who was sentenced to imprisonment till
death in the 2002 Naroda Patiya massacre case, said on Saturday
he was used as a tool. He was talking to reporters as he
emerged from Sabarmati Central Jail on a two-day temporary bail
for his wifes surgery. Bajrangi, however, refused to take names.
He will be out of jail till April 21 with a police escort team. Before
going to see his wife Meena Patel at Kantaben Maternity Hospital,
Bajrangi visited Panchmukhi Hanuman temple in the city.
Recently, the state government gave its nod to file an appeal seek-
ing death penalty for Bajrangi and former BJP minister Maya
Kodnani, also an accused in the case relating to the massacre of
97 people at Naroda Patiya in Ahmedabad during the post-Godhra
riots in the state. (indianexpress.com - 21 April 2013)
Sohrabuddins brother wants CBI to probe CMO role
Accusing for the first time the Chief Minister Office (CMO) of pos-
sible involvement into the encounter killings of his brother
Sohrabuddin Sheikh, Kauser Bi and Tulsiram Prajapati,
Rubabuddin on Saturday wrote to CBI, urging it to probe into more
than six dozens of phone calls allegedly recorded between the
accused IPS officers and CMO officials. The telephone records
produced by CID (crime) in the Tulsi Prajapati case and the
chargesheet in the Sohrabuddin case reveal that at least two
accused, former minister of state for home Amit Shah and sus-
pended IPS officer Rajkumar Pandian, were in constant touch with
the CMO during the month of December 2006 and that the fre-
quency of their contacts increased after December 12, 2006,
Rubabuddin has stated in his letter. Prajapati, who was allegedly
a witness of Sohrabuddins kidnapping and killing in November
2005, was himself shot dead in a police encounter in Palanpur
district on December 28, 2006. Rubabuddins counsel Mukul
Sinha said at a press conference Saturday that Pandian was in
touch with the CMO. (indianexpress.com -- 21 Apr., 2013)
Over 61 Million Children Stunted in India
Bangalore: More than 61 million stunted children live in India, findings
by the United Nations Childrens Fund have revealed. These children
remain weak both intellectually and physically for the rest of their
lives, the reason for this being malnutrition. These children make up
for over a quarter of those coming under five years of age and this
will mean that the potentials of over a quarter of these five year old
kids have gone for a waste, which is more than unfair, reported
Shawn Pogatchnik for AP. According to UNICEFs executive director,
Anthony Lake, since 2010, lack of clean water, vitamins and a better
focus on breast feeding to these kids would have helped prevent this
sad fate of these children. These children will in fact remain increas-
ingly vulnerable to various illnesses and may even face an early
death, he said. Stunting is the least understood, least recognized and
least acted upon crisis. It is a hidden crisis for these children, said
Lake, as has been reported by the AP. These kids have been deprived
of folic acid, iron and vitamin which are so vital at the time of their
development in the womb. Stunted doesnt mean simply short,
Lake said. The childs brain never properly develops. Irrevocably.
Thats it. You cant fix it later. You can fix being underweight. You cant
fix being stunted after age 2. What this means is, for the remainder of
that childs life, irrevocably the child will learn less in school, will earn
less later, is more vulnerable to disease, he said. This is a tragic vio-
lation of that childs life, but its also a tremendous strain on that soci-
ety. (SiliconIndia)
Mumbai / Pune: As many as 36 or 37 police officers, constables
as well as employees and officers of BMC (Bombay Municipal
Corporation) were suspended for accepting bribes. When this
news appeared in local newspapers Maharashtras home minis-
ter RR Patil ordered their suspension in compliance of which
Mumbai Police Commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh suspended 37
police personnel including senior police inspector of Nehru
Nagar (Mumbai) police station Dhananjay Bhagyatkar, and two
Asstt Police sub-inspectors (ASIs). The minister also said that a
departmental enquiry would be made and if proved guilty, strict
action would be taken against all of them. According to another
newspaper, a day after their suspension, 7 other constables were
also suspended for helping groups of criminals who were looting
godowns along the Pune-Ahmad Nagar Highway. It is alleged
that these police constables, after taking commissions from
these criminals, used to allow their trucks which were transport-
ing red sandal wood to pass without checking.
According to one Muhammad Qasim Abdul Ghafoor Khan, a
social worker, after minister RR Patils order for suspension of
these police and BMC officials, he (Qasim) received many calls
on his mobile from unknown persons (threatening) him of killing
him or implicating him in different criminal cases by secretly put-
ting arms and intoxicants in his house. He said that he lodged
also complaints with / at police stations regarding these threat-
ening calls but they (policemen) did not apparently show any
interest in his complaints because no one contacted him after his
complaints.
Explaining things in detail he said that he is in house building
trade and also masonry. He said that in Chembur (Kurla East)s
Thakkar Baba Nagar a camp or colony was built for people of
Sindhi Samaj who had gone to Pakistan in the early days of par-
tition but shortly thereafter had come back to India (Mumbai) and
wanted to live here. Some camps or colonies were built for them
in Milind, Koli Wada, Chembur etc and small rooms of 10x10
were built for them in these colonies but after many years these
were felt to be much smaller than their present requirement and
hence work for their extension was going on illegally i.e. without
permission of BMC. He said that policemen and BMC authorities
knew about these illegal constructions. They used to come every
2 or 3 days and demanded money, ranging from 100 to 150
rupees for each person. Being fed up with their daily harassment
and demand for money he wanted to expose them and with the
help of his son, got a camera fitted in a wall which secretly
recorded them accepting bribes. In this way he said that he had
spent about Rs. 45000. Subsequently the video footage of bribe
taking was given to local police commissioner who started tak-
ing action against them on the basis of photos secretly recorded
in the camera and recommended that action be taken against all
of them and they may be suspended.
Another newspaper repor t said that a former Deputy IG of
Police A. K. Jain was caught by Anti-Corruption Bureau
accepting a bribe. The cour t had sentenced him to 5 years
imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 1.5 lakh. (N. A.
Ansari)
36 police, BMC officials suspended for graft
COMMUNITY NEWS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 15 www.milligazette.com
JUAN COLE
Contrary to what is alleged by bigots like Bill
Maher, Muslims are not more violent than peo-
ple of other religions. Murder rates in most of
the Muslim world are very low compared to
the United States.
As for political violence, people of
Christian heritage in the twentieth century pol-
ished off tens of millions of people in the two
world wars and colonial repression. This massive carnage did not
occur because European Christians are worse than or different
from other human beings, but because they were the first to indus-
trialize war and pursue a national model. Sometimes it is argued
that they did not act in the name of religion but of nationalism. But,
really, how naive. Religion and nationalism are closely intertwined.
The British monarch is the head of the Church of England, and that
still meant something in the first half of the twentieth century, at
least. The Swedish church is a national church. Spain? Was it real-
ly unconnected to Catholicism? Did the Church and Francisco
Franco's feelings toward it play no role in the Civil War? And what's
sauce for the goose: much Muslim violence is driven by forms of
modern nationalism, too.
I don't figure that Muslims killed more than a 2 million people
or so in political violence in the entire twentieth century, and that
mainly in the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988 and the Soviet and post-
Soviet wars in Afghanistan, for which Europeans bear some
blame. Compare that to the Christian European tally of, oh, lets say
100 million (16 million in WW I, 60 million in WW II- though some
of those were attributable to Buddhists in Asia- and millions more
in colonial wars.)
Belgium- yes, the Belgium of strawberry beer and quaint
Gravensteen castle- conquered the Congo and is estimated to
have killed off half of its inhabitants over time, some 8 million peo-
ple at least. Or, between 1916-1917 Tsarist Russian forces - fac-
ing the Basmachi revolt of Central Asians trying to throw off
Christian, European rule - Russian forces killed an estimated 1.5
million people. Two boys brought up in or born in one of those ter-
ritories (Kyrgyzstan) just killed 4 people and wounded others criti-
cally. That is horrible, but no one, whether in Russia or in Europe
or in North America has the slightest idea that Central Asians were
mass-murdered during WW I and looted of much of their wealth.
Russia at the time was an Eastern Orthodox, Christian empire (and
seems to be reemerging as one!).
Then, between half a million and a million Algerians died in that
country's war of independence from France, 1954-1962, at a time
when the population was only 11 million!
I could go on and on. Everywhere you dig in European colo-
nialism in Afro-Asia, there are bodies. Lots of bodies.
Now that I think of it, maybe 100 million people killed by peo-
ple of European Christian heritage in the twentieth century is an
underestimate. As for religious terrorism, that too is universal.
Admittedly, some groups deploy terrorism as a tactic more at
some times than others. Zionists in British Mandate Palestine were
active terrorists in the 1940s, from a British point of view, and in
the period 1965-1980, the FBI considered the Jewish Defense
League among the most active US terrorist groups. (Members at
one point plotted to assassinate Rep. Dareell Issa (R-CA) because
of his Lebanese heritage.) Now that Jewish nationalsts are largely
getting their way, terrorism has declined among them. But it would
likely reemerge if they stopped getting their way. In fact, one of the
arguments Israeli politicians give for allowing Israeli squatters to
keep the Palestinian land in the West Bank that they have usurped
is that attempting to move them back out would produce violence.
I.e., the settlers not only actually terrorize the Palestinians, but they
form a terrorism threat for Israel proper (as the late prime minister
Yitzhak Rabin discovered).
Even more recently, it is difficult for me to see much of a dif-
ference between Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Baruch Goldstein, perpe-
trator of the Hebron massacre. Or there was the cold-blooded
bombing of the Ajmer shrine in India by Bhavesh Patel and a gang
of Hindu nationalists. Chillingly, they were disturbed when a sec-
ond bomb they had set did not go off, so that they did not wreak
as much havoc as they would have liked. Ajmer is an ecumenical
Sufi shrine also visited by Hindus, and these bigots wanted to stop
such open-minded sharing of spiritual spaces because they hate
Muslims.
Buddhists have committed a lot of terrorism and other vio-
lence as well. Many in the Zen orders in Japan supported mili-
tarism in the first half of the twentieth century, for which their lead-
ers later apologized. And, you had Inoue Shiro's assassination
campaign in 1930s Japan. Nowadays militant Buddhist monks in
Burma/ Myanmar are urging on an ethnic cleansing campaign
against the Rohingya.
As for Christianity, the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda ini-
tiated hostilities that displaced two million people. Although it is an
African cult, it is Christian in origin and the
result of Western Christian missionaries
preaching in Africa. If Saudi Wahhabi
preachers can be in part blamed for the
Taliban, why do Christian missionaries
skate when we consider the blowback
from their pupils?
Despite the very large number of
European Muslims, in 2007-2009 less
than 1 percent of terrorist acts in that con-
tinent were committed by people from that
community. Terrorism is a tactic of extrem-
ists within each religion, and within secular
religions of Marxism or nationalism. No
religion, including Islam, preaches indis-
criminate violence against innocents.
It takes a peculiar sort of blindness to
see Christians of European heritage as
"nice" and Muslims and inherently violent,
given the twentieth century death toll I
mentioned above. Human beings are
human beings and the species is too
young and too interconnected to have dif-
ferentiated much from group to group.
People resort to violence out of ambition or
grievance, and the more powerful they are,
the more violence they seem to commit.
The good news is that the number of wars
is declining over time, and World War II,
the biggest charnel house in history, hasn't
been repeated. (Informed Comment)
2013 Juan Cole
Juan Cole teaches Middle Eastern and South Asian history at the
University of Michigan. His latest book, Engaging the Muslim World, is just
out in a revised paperback edition from Palgrave Macmillan.
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16 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 INTERNATIONAL www.milligazette.com
The Treason of
the Intellectuals
CHRIS HEDGES
The rewriting of history by the power elite was painfully evident as
the nation marked the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War.
Some claimed they had opposed the war when they had not.
Others among "Bush's useful idiots" argued that they had merely
acted in good faith on the information available; if they had known
then what they know now, they assured us, they would have acted
differently. This, of course, is false. The war boosters, especially
the "liberal hawks"-who included Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer,
Al Franken and John Kerry, along with academics, writers and jour-
nalists such as Bill Keller, Michael Ignatieff, Nicholas Kristof, David
Remnick, Fareed Zakaria, Michael Walzer, Paul Berman, Thomas
Friedman, George Packer, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Kanan Makiya
and the late Christopher Hitchens-did what they always have done:
engage in acts of self-preservation. To oppose the war would have
been a career killer. And they knew it.
These apologists, however, acted not only as cheerleaders for
war; in most cases they ridiculed and attempted to discredit any-
one who questioned the call to invade Iraq. Kristof, in The New York
Times, attacked the filmmaker Michael Moore as a conspiracy the-
orist and wrote that anti-war voices were only polarizing what he
termed "the political cesspool." Hitchens said that those who
opposed the attack on Iraq "do not think that Saddam Hussein is a
bad guy at all." He called the typical anti-war protester a "blithering
ex-flower child or ranting neo-Stalinist." The halfhearted mea cul-
pas by many of these courtiers a decade later always fail to men-
tion the most pernicious and fundamental role they played in the
buildup to the war-shutting down public debate. Those of us who
spoke out against the war, faced with the onslaught of right-wing
"patriots" and their liberal apologists, became pariahs. In my case
it did not matter that I was an Arabic speaker. It did not matter that
I had spent seven years in the Middle East, including months in
Iraq, as a foreign correspondent. It did not matter that I knew the
instrument of war. The critique that I and other opponents of war
delivered, no matter how well grounded in fact and experience,
turned us into objects of scorn by a liberal elite that cravenly want-
ed to demonstrate its own "patriotism" and "realism" about nation-
al security. The liberal class fueled a rabid, irrational hatred of all
war critics. Many of us received death threats and lost our jobs, for
me one at The New York Times. These liberal warmongers, 10
years later, remain both clueless about their moral bankruptcy and
cloyingly sanctimonious. They have the blood of hundreds of thou-
sands of innocents on their hands.
The power elite, especially the liberal elite, has always been
willing to sacrifice integrity and truth for power, personal advance-
ment, foundation grants, awards, tenured professorships,
columns, book contracts, television appearances, generous lecture
fees and social status. They know what they need to say. They
know which ideology they have to serve. They know what lies must
be told-the biggest being that they take moral stances on issues
that aren't safe and anodyne. They have been at this game a long
time. And they will, should their careers require it, happily sell us
out again.
Leslie Gelb, in the magazine Foreign Affairs, spelled it out after
the invasion of Iraq. "My initial support for the war was sympto-
matic of unfortunate tendencies within the foreign policy commu-
nity, namely the disposition and incentives to support wars to retain
political and professional credibility," he wrote. "We 'experts' have a
lot to fix about ourselves, even as we 'perfect' the media. We must
redouble our commitment to independent thought, and embrace,
rather than cast aside, opinions and facts that blow the common-
often wrong-wisdom apart. Our democracy requires nothing less."
The moral cowardice of the power elite is especially evident
when it comes to the plight of the Palestinians. The liberal class, in
fact, is used to marginalize and discredit those, such as Noam
Chomsky and Norman Finkelstein, who have the honesty, integrity
and courage to denounce Israeli war crimes. And the liberal class
is compensated for its dirty role in squelching debate.
"Nothing in my view is more reprehensible than those habits
of mind in the intellectual that induce avoidance, that characteristic
turning away from a difficult and principled position, which you
know to be the right one, but which you decide not to take," wrote
the late Edward Said. "You do not want to appear too political; you
are afraid of seeming controversial; you want to keep a reputation
for being balanced, objective, moderate; your hope is to be asked
back, to consult, to be on a board or prestigious committee, and so
to remain within the responsible mainstream; someday you hope
to get an honorary degree, a big prize, perhaps even an ambas-
sadorship."
"For an intellectual these habits of mind are corrupting par
excellence," Said went on. "If anything can denature, neutralize, and
finally kill a passionate intellectual life it is the internalization of such
habits. Personally I have encountered them in one of the toughest
of all contemporary issues, Palestine, where fear of speaking out
about one of the greatest injustices in modern history has hobbled,
blinkered, muzzled many who know the truth and are in a position
to serve it. For despite the abuse and vilification that any outspoken
supporter of Palestinian rights and self-determination earns for him
or herself, the truth deserves to be spoken, represented by an
unafraid and compassionate intellectual."
Julien Benda argued in his 1927 book "The Treason of
Intellectuals"-"La Trahison des Clercs"-that it is only when we are
not in pursuit of practical aims or material advantages that we can
serve as a conscience and a corrective. Those who transfer their
allegiance to the practical aims of power and material advantage
emasculate themselves intellectually and morally. Benda wrote that
intellectuals were once supposed to be indifferent to popular pas-
sions. They "set an example of attachment to the purely disinterest-
ed activity of the mind and created a belief in the supreme value of
this form of existence." They looked "as moralists upon the conflict
of human egotisms." They "preached, in the name of humanity or
justice, the adoption of an abstract principle superior to and direct-
ly opposed to these passions." These intellectuals were not, Benda
conceded, very often able to prevent the powerful from "filling all
history with the noise of their hatred and their slaughters." But they
did, at least, "prevent the laymen from setting up their actions as a
religion, they did prevent them from thinking themselves great men
as they carried out these activities." In short, Benda asserted,
"humanity did evil for two thousand years, but honored good. This
contradiction was an honor to the human species, and formed the
rift whereby civilization slipped into the world." But once the intel-
lectuals began to "play the game of political passions," those who
had "acted as a check on the realism of the people began to act as
its stimulators." And this is why Michael Moore is correct when he
blames The New York Times and the liberal establishment, even
more than George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, for the Iraq War.
"The desire to tell the truth," wrote Paul Baran, the brilliant
Marxist economist and author of "The Political Economy of
Growth," is "only one condition for being an intellectual. The other
is courage, readiness to carry on rational inquiry to wherever it may
lead to withstand comfortable and lucrative conformity."
Those who doggedly challenge the orthodoxy of belief, who
question the reigning political passions, who refuse to sacrifice
their integrity to serve the cult of power, are pushed to the margins.
They are denounced by the very people who, years later, will often
claim these moral battles as their own. It is only the outcasts and
the rebels who keep truth and intellectual inquiry alive. They alone
name the crimes of the state. They alone give a voice to the victims
of oppression. They alone ask the difficult questions. Most impor-
tant, they expose the powerful, along with their liberal apologists,
for what they are. (truthdig.com)
Terrorism and Other Religions
Killed by Muslims
Twentieth Century Deaths in War and
Political Violence by Religion
Total: 102 Million
Killed by Christians of
European Heritage
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INTERNATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 17 www.milligazette.com
COLEEN ROWLEY
I almost choked on my coffee listening to neoconservative Rudy
Giuliani pompously claim on national TV that he was surprised
about any Chechens being responsible for the Boston Marathon
bombings because he's never seen any indication that Chechen
extremists harbored animosity toward the U.S.; Guiliani thought
they were only focused on Russia.
Giuliani knows full well how the Chechen "terrorists" proved
useful to the U.S. in keeping pressure on the Russians, much as
the Afghan mujahedeen were used in the anti-Soviet war in
Afghanistan from 1980 to 1989. In fact, many neocons signed up
as Chechnya's "friends," including former CIA Director James
Woolsey.
For instance, see this 2004 article in the UK Guardian, enti-
tled, " The Chechens' American friends: The Washington neocons'
commitment to the war on terror evaporates in Chechnya, whose
cause they have made their own ."
Author John Laughland wrote: "The leading group which
pleads the Chechen cause is the American Committee for Peace
in Chechnya (ACPC). The list of the self-styled 'distinguished
Americans' who are its members is a roll call of the most promi-
nent neoconservatives who so enthusiastically support the 'war
on terror.'
"They include Richard Perle, the notorious Pentagon adviser;
Elliott Abrams of Iran-Contra fame; Kenneth Adelman, the former
US ambassador to the UN who egged on the invasion of Iraq by
predicting it would be 'a cakewalk'; Midge Decter, biographer of
Donald Rumsfeld and a director of the rightwing Heritage
Foundation; Frank Gaffney of the militarist Centre for Security
Policy; Bruce Jackson, former US military intelligence officer and
one-time vice-president of Lockheed Martin, now president of the
US Committee on Nato; Michael Ledeen of the American
Enterprise Institute, a former admirer of Italian fascism and now a
leading proponent of regime change in Iran; and R. James
Woolsey, the former CIA director who is one of the leading cheer-
leaders behind George Bush's plans to re-model the Muslim world
along pro-US lines.
"The ACPC later sanitized 'Chechnya' to 'Caucasus' so it's
rebranded itself as the 'American Committee for Peace in the
Caucasus.'"
Of course, Giuliani also just happens to be one of several neo-
cons and corrupt politicians who took hundreds of thousands of
dollars from MEK sources when that Iranian group was listed by
the U.S. State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization
(FTO). The money paid for these American politicians to lobby
(illegally under the Patriot Act) U.S. officials to get MEK off the
FTO list.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Alice in Wonderland is an understatement if you understand the
full reality of what's going on. But if you can handle going down
the rabbit hole even further, check out prominent former New York
Times journalist (and author of The Commission book) Phil
Shenon's discovery of the incredible "Terrible Missed Chance" a
couple of years ago.
Shenon's discovery involved key information that the FBI and
the entire "intelligence" community mishandled and covered up,
not only before 9/11 but for a decade afterward. And it also relat-
ed to the exact point of my 2002 "whistleblower memo" that led
to the post 9/11 DOJ-Inspector General investigation about FBI
failures and also partially helped launch the 9/11 Commission
investigation.
But still the full truth did not come out, even after Shenon's
blockbuster discovery in 2011 of the April 2001 memo linking the
main Chechen leader Ibn al Khattab to Osama bin Laden. The
buried April 2001 memo had been addressed to FBI Director Louis
Freeh (another illegal recipient of MEK money, by the way!) and
also to eight of the FBI's top counter-terrorism officials.
Similar memos must have been widely shared with all U.S.
intelligence in April 2001. Within days of terrorist suspect
Zaccarias Moussaoui's arrest in Minnesota on Aug. 16, 2001,
French intelligence confirmed that Moussaoui had been fighting
under and recruiting for Ibn al-Khattab, raising concerns about
Moussaoui's flight training.
Yet FBI Headquarters officials balked at allowing a search of
his laptop and other property, still refusing to recognize that: 1)
the Chechen separatists were themselves a "terrorist group" for
purposes of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act's (FISA) legal
requirement of acting "on behalf of a foreign power," and 2) that
Moussaoui's link to Ibn al Khattab inherently then linked him to bin
Laden's well-recognized Al Qaeda group for purposes of FISA (the
point in my memo).
This all occurred during the same time that CIA Director
George Tenet and other counter-terrorism officials -- and don't for-
get that Tenet was apprised of the information about Moussaoui's
arrest around Aug. 24, 2001 -- told us their "hair was on fire" over
the prospect of a major terrorist attack and "the system was blink-
ing red."
The post 9/11 investigations launched as a result of my 2002
"whistleblower memo" did conclude that a major mistake, which
could have prevented or reduced 9/11, was the lack of recogni-
tion of al Khattab's Chechen fighters as a "terrorist group" for pur-
poses of FISA.
As far as I know, the several top FBI officials, who were the
named recipients of the April 2001 intelligence memo entitled "Bin
Laden/Ibn Khattab Threat Reporting" establishing how the two
leaders were "heavily entwined," brushed it off by mostly denying
they had read the April 2001 memo (which explains why the
memo had to be covered up as they attempted to cover up other
embarrassing info).
There are other theories, of course, as to why U.S. officials
could not understand or grasp this "terrorist link." These involve
the U.S.'s constant operating of "friendly terrorists," perhaps even
al Khattab himself (and/or those around him), on and off, oppor-
tunistically, for periods of time to go against "enemy" nations, i.e.,
the Soviet Union, and regimes we don't like.
Shifting Lines
But officials can get confused when their former covert "assets"
turn into enemies themselves. That's what has happened with al-
Qaeda-linked jihadists in Libya and Syria, fighters who the U.S.
government favored in their efforts to topple the Qaddafi and
Assad regimes, respectively. These extremists are prone to turn
against their American arms suppliers and handlers once the
common enemy is defeated.
The same MO exists with the U.S. and Israel currently collab-
orating with the Iranian MEK terrorists who have committed
assassinations inside Iran. The U.S. government has recently
shifted the MEK terrorists from the ranks of "bad" to "good" terror-
ists as part of a broader campaign to undermine the Iranian gov-
ernment. For details, see "Our (New) Terrorists, the MEK: Have We
Seen This Movie Before?"
Giuliani and his ilk engage, behind the scenes, in all these
insidious operations but then blithely turn to the cameras to spew
their hypocritical propaganda fueling the counterproductive "war
on terror" for public consumption, when that serves their inter-
ests. Maybe this explains Giuliani's amazement (or feigned igno-
rance) on Friday morning after the discovery that the family of the
alleged Boston Marathon bombers was from Chechnya.
My observations are not meant to be a direct comment about
the motivations of the two Boston bombing suspects whose
thinking remains unclear. It's still very premature and counterpro-
ductive to speculate on their motives.
But the lies and disinformation that go into the confusing and
ever-morphing notion of "terrorism" result from the U.S. Military
Industrial Complex (and its little brother, the "National Security
Surveillance Complex") and their need to control the mainstream
media's framing of the story.
So, a simplistic narrative/myth is put forth to sustain U.S.
wars. From time to time, those details need to be reworked and
some of the facts "forgotten" to maintain the storyline about bad
terrorists "who hate the U.S." when, in reality, the U.S.
Government may have nurtured the same forces as "freedom
fighters" against various "enemies."
The bottom line is to never forget that "a poor man's war is
terrorism while a rich man's terrorism is war" -- and sometimes
those lines cross for the purposes of big-power politics. War and
terrorism seem to work in sync that way. (opednews.com)
Chechen Terrorists and the Neocons
...the lies and disinformation that go into the
confusing and ever-morphing notion of "terrorism"
result from the U.S. Military Industrial Complex
(and its little brother, the "National Security
Surveillance Complex") and their need to control
the mainstream media's framing of the story.
So, a simplistic narrative/myth is put forth to
sustain U.S. wars. From time to time, those details
need to be reworked and some of the facts "for-
gotten" to maintain the storyline about bad terror-
ists "who hate the U.S." when, in reality, the U.S.
Government may have nurtured the same forces
as "freedom fighters" against various "enemies."
The bottom line is to never forget that "a poor
man's war is terrorism while a rich man's terror-
ism is war" -- and sometimes those lines cross for
the purposes of big-power politics. War and terror-
ism seem to work in sync that way.
"Stopped at U.S. airports
because of my surname"
"It's humiliating. They don't even disclose the reason," says Irrfan
Khan, who is one of the most recognised actors from India in
Hollywood today having worked in the Oscar-wining Slumdog
Millionaire and Life of Pi , and The Amazing Spider-Man. "I don't
use my surname in films, but in passports, surname and religion
are required. I was stopped not once but several times at airports
in the U.S. Once I told the Immigration people why do you issue
visas if you don't want to give us entry, and the man scowled at
me saying 'Are you threatening me?'," said Irrfan on Rajat
Sharma's show Aap Ki Adalat. Irrfan was detained at Los Angeles
airport in 2008 and at New York airport in 2009. He is not the only
celebrity to face this problem. Actor Shah Rukh was stopped at
Newark airport in 2009. He faced a similar problem at New York
airport last year. Others who have gone through a similar ordeal
include former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, actor John Abraham
and director Kabir Khan.
BARRISTER NAZIR AHMED
I have divided my paper into three parts. Firstly, I aim to discuss
whether it is safe and conscionable to authorise normal Police
Constables to take public lives by open shooting/firing. Secondly,
I will briefly discuss on the 'yellow journalism' that has been wide-
ly practised by most of the media in Ba...ngladesh. Thirdly: I will
bring some facts and points in relation to Moulana Saydee for
conscious citizens to think and consider. Towards the end, I will
draw some conclusions.
Killing public by Police through direct shooting/firing Taking
life is the highest punishment [capital punishment] that one can be
given. Police in Bangladesh have been openly firing and killing
people indiscriminately and mercilessly. People have every right
to demonstrate. This is their fundamental and constitutional rights
[Article 37, 38 and 39 of the Constitution]. If they break any law,
they have to be dealt with in accordance with law, nothing but only
in accordance with law. How can a mere Police Constable get free
licence to kill mass people [equivalent to executing the 'death
penalty'] by direct firing/shooting? How can the Police Constables
be given approval to give the general public highest punishment -
taking their life, which even no Judges below Additional District
Judges rank/level are given, and again not without High Court's
approval and, of course, not before exhausting automatic appeal
right to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh
[Article 103(2)(c) of the Constitution]? This is a dangerous
precedent set by the current government. Is it the way and
method of controlling people's democratic rights? In the wide-
spread riots in London in 2010, not a single bullet came from the
Police's gun, let alone killing an individual. Yet they successfully
contained and then controlled the widespread riots. Legally, an
officer with Magistrate rank would have to authorise firing/shoot-
ing. There has been no such authorisation. Even if the Police are
attacked, they can act in self defence but that self defence would
have to be measured and proportionate. What we have seen on
last Thursday (28 February 2013) is unprecedented in the 42
years history of independent Bangladesh. More than 70 people
were brutally killed and more than 1000 were seriously injured by
the Police in a single day in open shooting/firing. Death tolls have
been rising. There has been not a single report that the Police
were attacked by any weapon or gun. The Police have been killing
mercilessly by direct shooting/firing for the last few weeks. Last
Thursday was unprecedented in terms of number of death. Not a
single inquiry has so far been set up for such barbaric killing and
atrocity. Human lives have appeared to be very cheap in
Bangladesh. The former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia right-
ly said in a press conference on 02 March 2013 that this was a
mass killing/genocide - crime against humanity. She has already
shown her firmness and boldness. She should come out and take
the lead by proving her uncompromising unique leadership that
she had shown in the 1980s. Concerned Police Officers with their
commanding officers, both civilian and uniformed, including the
Home Minister and Prime Minister must be held into account. A
list of the concerned Police Constables should be made and kept
so that specific murder charges can be brought against them in
appropriate time to secure exemplary punishment.
Yellow journalism Media is the reflective mirror of a
nation. In fact, it is the fourth pillar of the democracy. Through
true, honest and objective reporting, the media and journalists
play a greater role in a democratic country. Unfortunately, most
of the print and electronic media in Bangladesh are biased, partial
and keeping their blind eyes on what has exactly been happening.
Most of their reporting is either one sided or false or concocted.
These have made the matters worse. They appear to be over curi-
ous and over anxious to blame Jamaat-Shibir for all incidents,
attacks and provocations. Almost 95% people killed in the last
few days are of Jamat-Shibir and general public. They were
almost all killed by direct indiscriminate shooting/firing of the
Police. Most media have failed to report properly. As a result, true
pictures have not been coming from up and down the country.
The time of calling 'yellow journalism' has probably gone. In fact,
what the most of the media are doing in Bangladesh can now be
called 'media terrorism.' Moulana Delawar Hussain Saydee has
millions of supporters, sympathisers and well wishers around the
country beyond the party line. Those general public have been
showing their spontaneous outburst and reaction since last
Thursday. Most of the media have been reporting these as of
Jammat-Shibir's terrorism. These have escalated the current sit-
uation and put the country into the barge of civil war. The coun-
try's situation has been getting worse day by day. The media,
through their one sided and partial news/reporting instead of true
and objective ones, have been harming and misleading the nation
at this critical stage more than anything else. The nation should
be united against these yellow and syndicate journalism of most
of the print and electronic media.
Moulana Saydee: some points for conscious citizens to think
and consider Moulana Delawar Hussain Saydee is an exceptional
God gifted orator having a unique ability to convince the people
regardless of their education, class, profession and background.
He is the most living popular personality [legendary] in the Islamic
arena in Bangladesh - perhaps even more popular than Sheikh
Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia, both former and current Prime
Ministers. Sheikh Hasina has, no doubt, popularity in her own
party and so does Begum Khalida Zia. But, hardly Sheikh Hasina
has any popularity in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and
similarly Begum Khaleda Zia hardly has any popularity in the
Awwami League (AL). The true exception is Moulana Saydee. No
doubt, he is a Jammat leader. But this is not his one or only iden-
tity. Outside Jammat-Shibir arena, he has huge popularity and
supporters both in the AL and BNP. He has hundreds of thou-
sands of supporters and sympathisers in the armed forces, civil
service and private and voluntary sectors. Not only this, beyond
political boundaries, Moulana Sayedee has millions of supporters
and followers among the mass people in the rural and urban
areas. He has sympathisers and well wishers around the globe.
Arrange two meetings nearby, one with Moulana Saydee as the
Chief Guest and the other one with Sheikh Hasina as the Chief
Guest, and you can compare their respective popularity with pub-
lic attendance/turn out. It was proved in London around 20 years
ago. Public meetings of Moulana Saydee [not waj mahfil] and
eminent lawyer Dr Kamal Hossain were held nearby in the East
London at the same time: one in York Hall and the other one in
Osmani School. The writer had seen and compared the both
meetings. Dr Kamal's public meeting was attended by maximum
100 people, whereas more than 3000 people attended at Moulana
Saydee's meeting. Having a public meeting with more than 3000
expatriate Bangladeshis in London 20 years ago was really excep-
tional and uncommon.
Deep public reaction and giving/sacrificing lives in the last
few days in Bangladesh clearly show Moulana Saydee's unique
popularity. Unfortunately, this has been reported by most of the
media to have been done by the Jamaat-Shibir. We have lost our
two Presidents in the past in the most barbaric and cruel ways.
Have the mass public shown any reaction like this? More partic-
ularly, would the people of around 100 have been prepared to give
their lives with almost laughing face for their leaders? Would the
honourable Prime Minister find 100 people in her own party who
would be able to really give/sacrifice their life for her? The gov-
ernment must realise this. The government must understand peo-
ple's pulses, nerves and sensitivities before it is too late. The
country is heading towards an unimaginable dangerous destina-
tion.
Moulana Saydee said time and again that he was not a
razarak [a member of the auxiliary forces created by the Pakistan
government during the 1971] nor was he involved in any political
party in 1971. This was believed by the International Crimes
Tribunal (ICT). He also said that he was not known by any other
name. Now all the conscious people wonder whether he has been
made a sacrificial lamb due to his unique popularity and political
reason. Have all responsibilities and culpabilities of Diluwar
Sikdar also known as Dilu or Dailla, a known razakar who was
killed after the independence, been shifted and transferred to
Moulana Delawar Hussain Saydee's shoulder? This is a serious
question that needs to be answered fully and properly.
One injustice creates multiple injustices. Miscarriage of jus-
tice happened even in the developed country like the UK [for
example, Birmingham 6, Tottenham 3 and Guildford 4]. In a
volatile, politicised [of all sectors including the judiciary], divisive
[along political line] and hostile [for vengeance and retaliation]
country, injustice may easily be inflicted. If apparent injustice is
inflicted to a personality, through conspiracy and drama, who has
preached the message of Quran [Holy book of Allah Almighty] for
nearly five decades and if all human beings are failed to stop this
injustice, I fear that divine intervention from Almighty God may
come, the wrath from which no one can escape. The whole his-
tory of the mankind has seen many of such intervention in the
past.
Conclusion: Democratically elected leader can be a Monster.
Hitler is the best example: he was democratically elected and what
he then became the world knows it very well. Police brutality and
government's techniques for restraining public by killing through
direct shooting have crossed the boundary. Killing an innocent
person has been said to mean as if killing the entire humanity. A
well known great philosopher said "an injustice to an individual
threatens justice to entire humanity." Therefore, the expatriate
Bangladeshi, British Bangladeshi and international community
should come forward to raise their voice and put pressure on the
government of Bangladesh to behave with its citizens in accor-
dance with law and Constitution. The government should be pres-
sured to stop police brutality and respect mass people's constitu-
tional rights. Instability, civil unrest and possible civil war of a
nation with 160 million people must not be taken lightly, for civil
war in Bangladesh could destabilise the whole region which, in
turn, affect the entire world in one way or other.
Barrister Nazir Ahmed is a legal expert, analyst, writer and author.
This paper was presented as a keynote paper at an International
Seminar on "Bangladesh Towards A Civil War" organised by the
Association of Islamic Teachers (AIT), UK, in London on 05 March 2013.
Bangladesh is heading towards
a dangerous destination
Police in Bangladesh have been openly firing and
killing people indiscriminately and mercilessly.
Democratically elected leader can be a Monster.
Hitler is the best example: he was democratically
elected and what he then became the world
knows it very well. Police brutality and govern-
ment's techniques for restraining public by killing
through direct shooting have crossed the bound-
ary. Killing an innocent person has been said to
mean as if killing the entire humanity. A well
known great philosopher said "an injustice to an
individual threatens justice to entire humanity."
Moulana Saydee: some points for conscious
citizens to think and considerMoulana Delawar
Hussain Saydee is an exceptional God gifted ora-
tor having a unique ability to convince the people
regardless of their education, class, profession
and background. He is the most living popular
personality [legendary] in the Islamic arena in
Bangladesh - perhaps even more popular than
Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia, both for-
mer and current Prime Ministers.
Moulana Sayedee has millions of supporters
and followers among the mass people in the rural
and urban areas. He has sympathisers and well
wishers around the globe. Arrange two meetings
nearby, one with Moulana Saydee as the Chief
Guest and the other one with Sheikh Hasina as
the Chief Guest, and you can compare their
respective popularity with public attendance/turn
out.
Moulana Saydee said time and again that he
was not a razarak [a member of the auxiliary
forces created by the Pakistan government during
the 1971] nor was he involved in any political
party in 1971. This was believed by the
International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). He also said
that he was not known by any other name. Now
all the conscious people wonder whether he has
been made a sacrificial lamb due to his unique
popularity and political reason.
18 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 INTERNATIONAL www.milligazette.com
Stop harassing
Srilanka Muslims
Unless the harassment meted out to Muslims stops, Sri Lankan
employees in the Middle East could also face similar intimidation
by extremists groups in those countries, the UNP warned on 28
March.
Addressing the media, UNP Parliamentarian Mangala
Samaraweera said Muslims are being subject to many forms of
harassment by extremist groups with the support of the govern-
ment. He urged the government to lay down rules protecting the
freedom to practice one's religion so as to avert racial disharmo-
ny.
He pointed out that Sri Lanka, as a country that had signed the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is bound to
protect the freedom of all religions. He also charged that the
Ministry of Defence is behind the extremist groups which are
harassing the Muslim and Christian communities in the country.
"All the extremist groups are funded by the Ministry of Defence.
The police are also mute, in this regard," he alleged. (The min-
istry is headed by Gotabaya Rajapaksa, brother of president
Mahinda Rajapaksa)
He also said if the government is denying the allegations of their
connectivity to the extremist groups, they need to introduce anti-
harassment laws. "If I want to worship a coconut tree, I have
every right to do that as long as it does not harm others.
Likewise people should have the right to follow any religious
views," he claimed.
He also pointed out, 65 religious places were destroyed by var-
ious extremist groups after the end of war, but laws pertaining to
prevent such atrocities are not strong enough.
UMESH MORAMUDALI
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This is a transcript of part of an interview
conducted by Dr. Tariq Ramadan with sis-
ter Batool al-Toma, director of the New
Muslims project at the Islamic
Foundation, UK, in the weekly TV pro-
gram Islam and Life. In the interview,
sister Batool, herself a convert to Islam,
explains the different reasons that
encourage westerners to decide to
become Muslim.
Tariq Ramadan: This week we are going to dis-
cuss the challenges facing people who convert to
Islam. What do Westerners see in Islam that
makes them decide to become Muslims? Did the
wars in Afghanistan and Iraq or Western support
for Israel encourage westerners to convert? In
2009, approximately 40,000 Brits, 70,000
French nationals and 100,000 Americans
became Muslims. What reasons lie behind these
astonishing rates of conversion? ... So these are
the questions: Why are so many people coming
to Islam? What is attractive about Islam?
What we want to discuss today is really what
is happening, and in which way people could be
attracted to Islam. And still when they are within
the Muslim communities in the West which kind
of problems which kind of challenges they are
facing which is not always easy. When Im very
often asked by Muslim converts saying OK, you
have to say something about us because we are
like a minority within the Muslim community.
These are very critical and important questions.
So, people are attracted to Islam, towards its
simplicity, the very essence and principles of
Islam, and then when they come within the com-
munity these are the problems that they have to
face. So these are questions that we want to
tackle today. To answer these questions Im
joined by the director of the New Muslims project
at the Islamic Foundation, Batool al-Toma. Batool,
thank you for being with us today. You have
watched the clip. I think, yes, something is hap-
pening in the West which is quite clear from the
fact that people are getting attracted to Islam. You
have been involved in dealing with converted
people coming to Islam for the last 15 years. You
yourself are a convert. If you were to respond to
this very simple question: Why is this move
towards Islam so frequent in our societies in the
West?
Batool al-Toma: Well, its quite difficult really
because the attractions are wide and very varied,
and people come to Islam for all sorts of different
reasons. Obviously, one of the reasons since
time immemorial has been the fact that people
meet other Muslims, and there is an attraction
there. There is personal relationship, and so they
want to get married. This is one reason and this
will always be there. We should always sort of
look at these kinds of situations when somebody
converts to Islam for the sake of marriage. There
has always been the suggestion that they are not
quite good Muslims because they converted to
Islam for that specific reason. But you know, this
is not for us to decide. Allahs plan is much
greater than our plan. And so Allah may have
brought them to this situation for a reason.
Tariq Ramadan: Its a very important point. You
are saying that the reasons why you come to
Islam say nothing about the sincerity and the
depth of your faith. It could be a reason thats
apparent to all as marriage, but at the end of the
day your intention, your heart, could change over
the process of becoming a Muslim? They have
found something which is peace and harmony in
Islam, and it has drawn them further in.
Batool al-Toma: Indeed, very much so. And you
will often find that people who have converted to
Islam for marriage or have married a Muslim and
not had to convert in the situation of women, the
women often become Muslims and become
extremely sincere and practicing people. And
they actually become a lesson and an example to
other Muslims.
Tariq Ramadan: So, this is one dimension and it
could be the majority situation in fact when you
have people coming to know each other and its
for marriage. But we also have people like Cat
Stevens who became Yusuf Islam, it was some-
thing that was his relationship with the Qur'an. He
read the Qur'an, he got the Qur'an from his broth-
er, he read the Qur'an. And you have other people
like Cassius Clay for example coming to Islam
without anything which has to do with being in a
relationship with someone. Instead, it was
because of the very essence of the message
which is there: one God and that your life has a
meaning.
Batool al-Toma: And of course people come to
Islam for all sorts of different reasons as I said.
Because of all the dreadful situations that had
occurred around the world, and have happened
because Muslims have interpreted the Qur'an in
terms of wanting to carry out these catastrophies
for religious reasons. This has triggered many
non-Muslims to want to look into Islam to see
what does this religion say about terrorism,
peace, peaceful coexistence with other people
from other faiths and so on. They have been
shocked and surprised by what they found in the
Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet peace be
upon him.
And I have had people come to me saying I
want to convert to Islam but Im more shocked,
Im surprised that I have come this distance
because it is not a faith that I would ever wish to
look into. But somehow because they have read
into Islam in order to try to understand what goes
on in the mind of Muslims who use their faith in
order to carry out these terrible atrocities around
the world. And they have found something which
is peace and harmony in Islam, and it has drawn
them further in. They were unable to unhitch
themselves from what they are reading and even-
tually they become Muslims.
Again you could have students who are
doing a module in Art in a university, and they are
introduced to Islamic art as part of their universi-
ty degree course. And then they begin to realize
this connection between art and the Creator, and
you know how the artist and the Creator, the
artist manifests the Creators beauty and spiritu-
ality around the world. So, again it could be so
many different reasons.
Tariq Ramadan: Yes, and we had so many sto-
ries coming from Iraq, Afghanistan, soldiers
coming to know people and to learn more about
Islam. And what you said is quite important about
these different ways, but once again I think its
quite important not to judge the way but our sin-
cerity with a way because its something which
is quite important.
Batool al-Toma: Exactly, and to remember that
Allah opens the way, lights the way, removes the
veils for us to be guided. So its not for us to
judge others, which is quite important. (onis-
lam.net)
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Why Do Westerners Convert to Islam?
20 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES www.milligazette.com
I have always held the religion of Mohammed in high estimation
because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which
appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the chang-
ing phases of existence which can make itself appeal to every
age.
George Bernard Shaw
SOME FAMOUS WESTERN MUSLIMS
People in the Western world have been converting to Islam for some time.
CASSIUS CLAY [MUHAMMAD ALI], the three times World
Heavyweight boxing Champion, embraced Islam in 1965. He
said: The feelings I had while standing on Mount Arafat on the
day of the Hajj was the most unique. I felt exalted by the inde-
scribable spiritual atmosphere there as over one and a half
million pilgrims invoked God to forgive them for their sins. It
was an exhilarating experience to see people belonging to dif-
ferent colors, races and nationalities, kings, heads of state and ordinary men
from very poor countries all clad in two simple white sheets praying to God
without any sense of either pride or inferiority. It was a practical manifestation
of the concept of equality in Islam.
JEMIMA GOLDSMITH, daughter of the British billionaire Sir James Goldsmith,
converted to Islam when she was only 21 years old. She said:
It would seem that a Western womans happiness hinges
largely upon her access to nightclubs, alcohol and revealing
clothes; and the absence of such apparent freedom and luxu-
ries in Islamic societies is seen as an infringement of her basic
rights. However, as we all know, such superficialities have very
little to do with true happiness.
After a long search for meaning and a life of fame, drugs, and
rock n roll, CAT STEVENS embraced the Muslim faith. He said:
I realized that this was the true religion - religion not in the
sense the West understands it, not the type for only your old
age. We must follow the will of God (Allah). Then, we can rise
higher than the angels. The first thing I wanted to do now was
to be a Muslim.
Book: Jewish Terrorism in Israel
Authors: Ami Pedahzur and Arie Perliger
Publishers: Columbia University Press
Year: 2009
Pages: 243 pages/p/b
ISBN: 978-0-231-15447-5
Parice: US$14.75
MICHAEL RUBNER
Professor emeritus, James Madison College, Michigan State University
Throughout their history - from the rear-guard assaults by the
Amalekites during the exodus from Egypt to suicide-bombing
attacks by Palestinian militants in more recent times - Jews have
been victimized by varied and numerous acts of terror. But much
less is known about the flip side of the coin: Jews as instigators
and perpetrators of terrorism. In this brief yet compact volume,
Ami Pedahzur and Arie Perliger, two Israeli political scientists, test
through case studies several hypotheses about the causes under-
lying Jewish terrorism both before and especially since the estab-
lishment of Israel in 1948.
To avoid confusion, the authors explain at the outset what they
mean by terrorism: First, terrorism involves the use of violence.
Second, there is a political motive that activates the violence.
Third, there is an intention to strike fear among the victims and
their community. Finally, the victims of terrorism are civilians or
noncombatants.
The hypotheses being tested are embedded in a theoretical
framework in the preface to the volume. It posits that terrorism is
more likely to emerge in counterculture communities with dualis-
tic ideologies - worldviews that divide humanity into polarized cat-
egories, such as good and evil - whose members feel threatened
by external challenges to their values and way of life. Such com-
munities are usually led by charismatic leaders who frame the
external threat as catastrophic, thereby helping to justify violence
as a legitimate and necessary response. Members of such groups
become radicalized through socialization processes involving
intensive interactions with family members, close friends, co-
workers and neighbours. Within such social networks, members
are more likely to resort to terrorism when they identify them-
selves intensely with the counterculture community, have a high
level of biographical availability (young, single, unemployed),
and experience a personal crisis, such as the sudden and violent
loss of loved ones.
To test these propositions, the authors perused thousands of
court documents and interviewed 25 former terrorists, as well as
politicians, religious leaders and law-enforcement officials. They
also conducted six comprehensive surveys of communities where
terrorist groups had emerged, including more than 4,800 respon-
dents.
The study relied on three databases: details on each of 309
incidents of Jewish terror carried out in Mandatory Palestine and
Israel between 1932 and 2008, biographies of the 224 persons
who had taken part in these attacks, and analyses of the ties
among members of the Jewish terrorist networks.
Prior to the establishment of Israel, Jewish terror against the
British Mandatory authority and Palestinian Arabs was carried out
by two paramilitary organizations that espoused Revisionist
Zionist ideologies: Etzel
(Irgun) and Lehi (Stern Gang). Both groups reflected the view
of Zeev Jabotinsky that a sovereign Jewish state ought to be cre-
ated on both sides of the Jordan River, through violence. Between
1939 and 1942, Etzel carried out 60 terrorist attacks, killing more
than 120 Palestinians and maiming hundreds more. In order to
hasten British departure from Palestine, Lehi operatives assassi-
nated Lord Moyne, the minister resident in the Middle East, on
November 6, 1944, in Cairo. On July 26, 1946, explosives plant-
ed by Etzel agents levelled the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, the
administrative centre of the British Mandatory authority in
Palestine, killing 91 Britons, injuring close to 500 people and
destroying vital government records. Lehis last terrorist operation
ended the life of the Swedish Count Folke Bernadotte, the UN
mediator, on September 17, 1948, after he had worked out a plan
that significantly altered the terms of the 1947 UN partition reso-
lution. Other Jewish violence in that era preceding the emergence
of Israel aimed at driving away as much Arab population as pos-
sible from Palestine.
The motives behind the Jewish terrorism changed drastically
in the post-1948 era, as violence was increasingly driven by reli-
gious, political and nationalistic impulses. In early 1950, the ter-
rorist underground group named Brit Hakanaim (Covenant of the
Zealots) emerged in Jerusalem. Founded by rabbis determined to
oppose the increasing secularization of the Jewish people, the
group consisted of 35 yeshiva (religious school) students who set
fires to private cars, public buses and business establishments
that were open on the Sabbath. In the mid-1950s, another terror-
ist cell, the Kingdom of Israel, carried out a series of bombing
attacks against diplomatic institutions from Eastern European
countries, including the Soviet embassy in Tel
Aviv. Consisting of former Lehi members, the
group resorted to violence in response to increas-
ing oppression of Jews in Communist-bloc coun-
tries. On March 3, 1957, two members of this cell
assassinated Dr. Israel Kastner, a prominent leader
of Hungarian Jewry, who was alleged to have prevented the res-
cue of thousands of Jews during World War II.
During the last three decades, Jewish terror in Israel has been
aimed almost exclusively at Muslim holy places and Palestinian
civilians. From 1980 through 1984, a terrorist network known as
the Jewish Underground carried out a series of attacks against
Palestinian targets around Jerusalem and throughout the West
Bank. Consisting of cliques of settlers from the Gush Emunim
(Bloc of the Faithful) movement, the group emerged after the 1979
Camp David Accords and relied on terror in order to secure three
objectives: to drive a wedge between Israel and neighbouring Arab
states and thereby prevent further progress in the peace process;
stop the evacuation of Jewish settlements in the Sinai; and deter
Palestinian attacks on Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories.
The most notorious terrorist acts of the Jewish Underground
included the partially successful booby-trapping of the cars of the
mayors of Ramallah, Nablus, El-Bira, Bethlehem and Hebron in
June 1980; the eventually abandoned plans to explode the Dome
of the Rock mosques on Temple Mount; the attack on the Islamic
College in Hebron on July 26, 1983, in which three students were
killed and scores injured; and the foiled attempts to detonate
explosives on buses of the East Jerusalem Transportation
Company on April 26, 1984.
Opposition to the Camp David Accords spawned another net-
work of terrorist cells under the rubric of the Kach movement led
by Rabbi Meir Kahane. The Kahanist counterculture fostered the
emergence of religious Jewish terrorism. Its members, mostly
American immigrants who settled in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip, resorted to violence against Palestinian targets in order to
retain Israeli control over the territories occupied in June 1967 and
to establish a theocratic state based on Jewish religious law in
what they regarded as Greater Israel. The Kahanist vision includ-
ed the building of a Third Temple in East Jerusalem, an unrealized
dream that required and justified the destruction of the Temple
Mount mosques. Terror instigated by Kach included setting fires to
cars and buses owned by Palestinians in Jerusalem and Hebron,
killing and maiming Palestinians travelling in buses or private cars
on West Bank roads, and spreading fear in refugee camps near
Bethlehem. The most notorious act of terror associated with
Kahanism was carried out by Dr. Baruch Goldstein, a settler who
tossed a hand grenade and opened machine-gun fire in the
Hebron Mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hebron (Al-Khalil) on
February 25, 1994, killing 29 Muslim worshippers and injuring
125 more. (mepc.org)
Jewish Terrorism in Israel
BOOKS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 21 www.milligazette.com
How Babri was
occupied in 1949
Book: Ayodhya: The Dark Night
(The Secret History of Ramas
Appearance in Babri Masjid)
Publisher: HarperCollins
(2012)
Author: Krishna Jha, Dhirendra
K. Jha
Pages: 192. Price: Rs 499
AGA SYED SAMEER
This is one of the few books based on investiga-
tive journalism that grips the soul of the reader
right from the beginning. It is based on the much
debated controversy of medieval India, that has
engulfed whole of India in its pangs in modern
times, and is still shaping the politics on the reli-
gious front. It breaks all the myths woven around
the idea of Birthplace of Rama during the past
seven decades by Hindu religious bodies like -
VHP, RSS, Hindu Mahasabha and BJP, right from
the day when Mahatma Gandhi was murdered.
It was the single most influential issue that
catapulted BJP into the fore-front of politics soon
after it embraced Ayodhya as its main campaign
issue in the 1980s.
The book not only breaks the myths but also
enlightens its readers about the ideology and
working of various nefarious elements placed well
within the cog-wheels of politics and administra-
tion in modern India. It introduces the reader to
the little known world of sadhus and akharas. The
castes and creeds of the various akharas, the
temples they maintain, the competition with other
akharas, their intricate and well-guarded beliefs,
their subservience and their religio-political
motives.
The events that laid the foundation of the
myth of the miracle of Ramas appearance in
the Babri Mosque in December 1949, still propa-
gated by Hindutva elements all over India, are the
main plot of this book.
The book identifies the miracle of Ramas
Appearance to be the brain-child of the three
friends - Mahraja Pateshwari Prasad Singh (ruler
of the princely state of Balrampur), Mahant Divijay
Nath (head of the Gorakshapeeth in Gorakpur and
President of Hindu Mahasabha) and KKK Nair
(Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Magistrate
of Faizabad). The trio were united together by their
Hindu communal sentiments to hatch a conspira-
cy that would irreversibly mould the history of
modern India on the religio-political front. Each
one of them served as an important cog wheel in
theBabri
B idea of Hindutva Statehood cashing on
the sentiments of the Hindu majority of the newly
born State of India. The trio were the perfect pack
of finance, religion and administration against
which no one would have won.
The book identifies Mahant Digvijay Nath as
the main mastermind behind the whole conspira-
cy of Ramas appearance in the Masjid.
The authors write, Mahant Digvijay Nath -
the powerful president of the Hindu Mahasabha
unit in the United Provinces - who became the
partys national general secretary just two days
after the Babri Masjid incident. That the Mahant,
one of the prime accused in the Gandhi murder
case, could achieve this (planting of the idol) just
months after being acquitted on the grounds of
insufficient evidence is in itself indicative of the
state governments attitude towards the activities
of a communal organization like the Hindu
Mahasabha and its leaders.
The authors further describe the psyche of
Mahant Digvijay Nath as being ..politically the
most cunning sadhu of the twentieth century. The
game he played was carefully considered. Here
was a sadhu who understood politics sufficiently to
deal with the Congress on equal terms, but assert-
ed his Hindu identity strongly enough to never be
seen to grovel. His arrest in the aftermath of the
Gandhi murder was significant; so too was his
release in the absence of clinching evidence.
Talking about KKK Nair, the authors write
KKK Nair presided over Faizabad for nine
months and fourteen days, from 1 June 1949 till
14 March 1950 when he was relieved of his job,
and in that short period, he made a huge impres-
sion. The mutilation of the Mosque was just
one testimony of his conspiracies.
In another place the authors tell, Nair was an
outspoken Hindu communalist who, despite his
official position, was openly advocating that the
mosque be handed over to the Hindu communi-
ty.
The authors have painstakingly joined the
pieces of the puzzle that led to the notion of
Miracle inside the main dome of Babri Masjid
60 years ago in the darkest night of the Modern
India - 22nd December 1949. The book also iden-
tifies the villian who volunteered to realize this
conspiracy on the ground - Abhiram Das.
Abhiram Das was a Naga Vairagi living within the
confines of Hanumangarhi - the main seat of
power of the Nirvani Akhara. Abhiram Das, later
known as Ramjanmabhoomi Uddharak (liberator
of the Rama birthplace) or simply as Uddharak
Baba, died in 1981.
According to the extensive research by the
authors, Abhiram Das was born in village of Rarhi
of district Darbhanga in Bihar to a poor family of
farmers who had fled to Ayodhya to save himself
from the clutches of poverty. The authors have
described Abhiram Das as foul-mouthed, ill-tem-
pered and an almost completely illiterate sadhu.
He grabbed this opportunity of planting the idol of
Lord Rama (Rama Lalla) in the Babri Masjid on
the night of 22-23 December 1949 along with two
of his cousins - Yugal Kishore Jha and
Indushekhar Jha (both of whom were completely
clueless about the happenings of that night till that
happened).
The idol that was planted by Abhiram Das
under the main Dome of the Masjid was given to
him by another Vairagi - Vrindavan Das, who
according to the authors, lived in a thatched hut
near the gate of the Masjid. The authors write,
Abhiram Das took the idol from Vrindavan Das
and grasping it with both his hands, walked past
himtowards the wall that separated the inner
courtyard around the Babri Masjid from the outer
courtyard that contained Ramachabutra and
said, Follow me. With these words, he held the
idol firmly and began climbing the wall.
Writing about the night of 22nd of December
as the truly dark night in which the whole con-
spiracy was put to action on the ground by
Abhiram Das, the authors write, Abhiram Das
and others had taken the idol of Rama Lalla inside
the mosque well before twelve oclock that night
when the shift at the gate changed and Abdul
Barkat (guard on duty) resumed duty. And when
after midnight and before dawn, the beating of
ghanta-gharial began along with the aarti, he (the
guard) woke up and saw that scene (as told by
Acharya Satyendra Das).
This was the modus operandi. It was well
envisaged by the conspirators that the one who
would plant the idol had to lie low till the dawn, so
that it can be claimed that the idol had manifest-
ed itself under the main dome of the Masjid and
not by any human intervention. For that claim, the
statement of the guard on duty from the midnight
was later exploited to claim the miracle of the
event.
The authors write in another place, Abhiram
Das sat just beneath the central dome of Babri
Masjid firmly holding the idol in his hands and got
active then erased many Islamic carvings with
the help of a khurpifrom the inner and outer
walls of the mosque, and scribbled Sita and Rama
in saffron and yellow colours on them.
The book further tells us the plight of Abdul
Barkat when he saw the spectable inside the
mosque and the extent of desecration done under
the cloak of darkness during his duty hours. The
FIR which was lodged in the morning (lodged
only at nine in the morning though KKK Nair had
reached the spot at five am) of 23rd December
1949 implicates Abhiram Das and others for
intruding into the mosque and defiling it, while
naming Abdul Barkat as one of the nine witness-
es. It was indeed a strange night - full of surpris-
es for some like Muhammad Ismael - the muezzin
and Abdul Barkat - the guard.
KKK Nair was at the helm, as he was the sole
administrator vested with full powers to exploit the
situation and to deflect any of the Centres efforts
to prevent the conspiracy from getting out of
hand.
In an interview with Awadh Kishore (Abhiram
Dass cousin), the authors describe the events of
the following morning of December 23rd reflect-
ing the authoritative and the exploitative role of
KKK Nair in bloating the whole situation rather
than controlling it as an administrator.
At a little distance was Nair. When I moved
closer, I heard Nair Saheb telling Abhiram Das:
Maharaj, dont move from here. Dont leave
Rama Lalla alone. Tell everybody to raise the slo-
gan that Rama Lalla is hungry. I still remember
that scene. Nair Saheb looked firm and serious.
KKK Nair was the sole person who sought to
get the Land of the Babri Masjid
transferred/attached to the administration with the
help of his friend and confidante Guru Datt Singh.
He was the city magistrate of Faizabad and acted
as assistant to the deputy commissioner.
The book tells the story of how one man, a
Gandhian, tried to take an opposite stance on the
whole controversy of Ramas Appearance and
tried to tear the whole shroud of religiosity out of
it. This man was Akshay Brahmachari, the secre-
tary of Faizabad District Congress Committee in
1949. He was the sole person who risked his own
life by taking the stand against the communal
intentions of the Hindu Mahasabha and talked
forcefully against the mobilization of Hindus in the
Ayodhya. He continued on this line steadfastly
until his death in isolation in 2010.
Even after the planting of the Ramas idol in
the Babri Masjid, Akshay fought relentlessly in
the favour of Babri Masjid and its cause until his
death. Akshay Brahmachari believed that there
was no one called Bhai Lal (as reported by KKK
Nair in his official report to thwart any enquiry in
the delay of administrative action) and that this
man was a fictitious character invented by Nair
to carry out his agenda smoothly without getting
dragged into any controversy. There is a whole
chapter dedicated in the memory of this noble
soul in the book. (risingkashmir.in)
The author teaches in
the SKIMS Medical College, Bemina
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Very useful. Please continue.
Dr. M. P. Abubacker, Kozhikode, Kerala
II
Thanks for publishing Milli Gazette. May Allah bless you for this
great work.
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III
I liked the articles 1) "Communalism in South Asia" by Zafarul-
Islam Khan which provided a detail picture of the position of com-
munalism in india, pakistan, srilanka, bangladesh, etc and was
very informative; 2) "General's son says-Israel not interested in
peace" by Mohammad Azhar Ali Khan. It was an important article
showcasing the true image of israel to us. Got a great relief read-
ing this article. I humbly extend my well wishes to both the writ-
ers.
Rehana Shabbar Hussain Rangwala
rrrangwala@gmail.com
Who would solve the problem?
257 innocent people were killed and 700 injured in the Mumbai
blasts. Good that the 100 perpetrators were punished. One got
death sentence, 30 got life sentences while the remaining received
three to five yrs imprisonment. In 92-93, 900 innocents (official
record but unofficially more than 2000) were killed and 5000 crit-
ically injured in Mumbai riots but how many were punished? Even
those behind the vehicle loaded with arms were not punished. No
one is ready to solve this problem that killers are roaming free in
India but everyone is saying that justice is incomplete because the
mastermind of the bomb blast is still at large. Judiciary, constitu-
tion, administration and society -- who will solve this problem?
S. Haque, Patna
Qazi's Courts or Sharai Courts
A section of National Press is full of rage against the demand of
Muslim Personal Law Board for setting up Qazi's courts or Sharai
Courts to decide about cases pertaining to marriage and divorce
among Muslims through out the country. In their zeal for denunci-
ation and condemnation of the Board's move, the media man have
conveniently forgotten that Qazi's Courts have been functioning in
Bihar under the Imarat Sharia of Bihar from 1922 i. e. for about fur
decades and that and some important cities these courts are
functioning. It will not be out of place to remind the Press of a
great and memorable decision taken about these courts at
Allahabad Unity Conference in Nov. - Dec. 1932. This conference
had been convened to bring about Hindu-Muslim settlement or
communal settlement and Pandit Madan Mohan Malvia was the
moving sprit behind this conference. At its Dec. 24. 1932 sitting
of the conference the Muslim Proposal that provision should be
made in the settlement for the setting up of Qazi's courts and for
the appointment of Qazis for the disposal of cases regarding mar-
riage and divorce was brought up and it was agreed that the pro-
posals should be referred to a committee to consider and report
on it. Dr. K. N. Katju who later on became Defence and Home
Minister of India and Chief Minister of M. P. was the convener of
this committee and Dr. Munje - the Hindu Maharashtra leader who
always vehemently opposed Muslim demands alongwith Sir Hay
Singh Gaur, A. M. Khwaja - the vetern nationalist Muslim leader
Maulana Sajjad, a prominent leader of Jamiat Ulama, Mrs. Hamid
Ali, a prominent leader of All India Women's conference and
Sardar Harnam Singh were members of this committee. This is
most important and not worthy that not a single Hindu leader
including Pandit Malviya and Dr. Munje had opposed this propos-
al of setting up Qazi's courts. One whished that the Press did not
ignore this important historical event.
Dr. M. Hashim Kidwai, ex-M. P., New Delhi-91
False and baseless allegation about G. I. O.
Mumbai police has issued a circular which says the "Girls Islamic
organization" (G. I. O.), girls wing of Jamat-e-Islami hind has been
"brain washing and training girls for Jihar". This allegation is total-
ly false and mischivious. The aim of G. I. O. is to make girls aware
of their religion Islam, The Holy Qur'an and teachings of Hazrat
Muhammad (S. A. W.). The said circular also defames Jamaat-e-
Islami hind, the mother body of G. I. O. The Jamaat should be
judged by its vast literature in various languages, by its construc-
tive, humanitarian and peaceful policies and programmes and by
the character of its members and its 65 years record of national,
social, educational and humanitarian services. A delegation of the
Jamaat led by its president Taufiq Aslam Khan met Additional
police commissioner and special Branch Chief naval Bajaj. They
asked him to prove the false allegation or apologise for the error
in writing. Otherwise they would sue them for defamation in the
court of law. We ask Sharad pawar and the Home Minister R. R.
Patil to Punish the police officer behind this mischief failing which
the N. C. P. will pay heavy price in elections.
G. Hasnain Kaif, Bhandara - Maharashtra (441904)
How to relax and meditate
Lie down on your back on a mattress in a quiet room. Keep your
hands at the side of your body and open to the sky. Legs should
be kept apart. The distance between two legs should be about 30
c. m. Make your body loose. Try to make it very loose. Breathe
slowly but it should be deep breathing. Relax------ Concentrate
between your two eyes keeping your eyes closed. Try to see word
Allah between your two eyes. It may not happen but keep on try-
ing and do not worry. Please do not think about anything. Keep on
breathing slowly and deeply. No thoughts, no movement of the
body, no noise. Try to relax and meditate for about 10 to 30 min-
utes everyday. It will give you peace, Insha Allah. Say goodbye to
mental stress. Nazneen O. Saherwala (Surat)
nazsita@yahoo.co.in
Manmohan Singh fails to impress
It is quite obvious that our prime minister Mr. Manmohan Singh
looks awe-struck, browbeat, frightened, and terrified .figure. He
disappointed the media men of Germany. He was not ready to
reply the quarries posed to him in the press conference, This was
no doubt a pertinent question about the future prime minister of
India ,The congress stalwarts are dilemma ,They wanted to pro-
pose the name Rahul Gandhi but the lad is not so intelligent and
prompt .He cannot fulfill the hopes of the party bosses .Therefore
the party is unable to nominate Rahul Gandhi as the future prime
minister .The party has not yet rule out the fully the probable can-
didate as PM .In this situation Mr. Man Mohan sigh is in a fix
Position .He thought it better to avoid the press conference once
for all . The person who is in the clutches of senior congressmen
found unable to face the press conference. But introduce himself
as a puppet prime minister ,He did nothing but to sign the docu-
ments of treaties .The other ministers such as Salman Khurshid,
Farooq Abdullah, Anand Sharma are also not so bright as the lady
PM of Germany, The government should have burdened the
exchequer .The UPA government which has committed blunders
in foreign relations with the neighboring countries as China
Pakistan, Srilanka ,Bangla desh. It can never succeed in improv-
ing relations with far off countries like Germany ,France and Italy
etc. Dr A H Maqdoomi, Hyderabad 15/04/2013
Tipu Sultan
It is with reference to the news published in Milli Gazette dated
from 1st April to 15th April with Title "Christians to oppose univer-
sity after Tipu Sultan". Here I would like to ask Mr. T. J. Abraham
on what ground he said that Tipu Sultan destroyed many temples
and churches and forced people to embrace Islam? There is no
such event discussed/written in Mysore Gazette. Here I would
suggest him to read the book Tareekh par yeh Sitam (injustice to
history) written by Dr. B. N. Pandey and published by Madhur
Sandesh Sangam. Tipu Sultan was the first freedom fighter of
India who gave the slogan "India is for Indians". Most of the pop-
ulation in his kingdom was non-Muslim. If he was pro-Muslim,
how he ruled for nearly two decades? His finance minister was a
non-Muslim (Purnaiya, a Pandit) and many other generals were
also non-Muslims. There is a list of 156 mandirs in Mysore
Gazette to which Tipu Sultan gave monthly grants. As per cus-
toms of mMsore kings, Tipu Sultan visited the Mandir of Ranga
Nathji before breakfast. The very presence of some temples in the
premises of Tipu Sultans palace shows his respect and open
mindedness towards the religion of others. If we see his contribu-
tion to our nation with open eyes and mind, we will say that what
to speak of naming a university in his name, everything should be
named after Tipu Sultan in this country.
Abdul Shakoor, Punjab
abdul.shakoor641@yahoo.in
Lucknow and Urdu
Thank you for publishing my article. 'Muslims caught between
devil and deep sea 'in MG issue dated 16-30 April. However I
would like to draw your kind attention to a factual error in the blurb
portion and also in the body of the article. In the sentence '... to
give Urdu its due in its birth place' the mention of the birth place
(in its birth place)has been added perhaps by the sub-editor
which is not there in the original article( Pl. see the original copy.).
The statement is wrong because Deccan and Delhi not UP is the
birth place of Urdu.
Mohammad Shahid Khan, Lucknow
MG: You are correct that historically and factually but it is also
a historical fact that the area around Lucknow was one of the
most important centres of Urdu and without that area, which
may broadly be called U. P., there was and will be no Urdu. It is
in that sense that we inserted that little interpolation in your
report.
Muslims and Congress party
There are assembly elections in Karnataka in the next month .The
congress party has lost its Muslim vote bank ,therefore it is diffi-
cult for congress to come to power independently .Muslims are
worried and dismayed as thousands of Muslim youths are appre-
hended and sent to jails on the false charges of terrorism ,The
congress bosses in the UPA government wants to pose that they
can punish the Muslim youths according to their wish and will
.The BJP is not able to do this holy job .To put the Muslim youths
on false and fabricated allegations has become a religious obliga-
tion for the congress top bras .They are mostly caste Hindus
.They believe that Muslims are responsible for all evils drawbacks
. Mrs Sonia Gandhi is mute on this issue .The other parties have
protested on this issue .The Police takes years to give charge list
to the apprehended youths. After few years the charges could not
be proved in the court of law and the youths are set free .This is
nothing but state terrorism against a particular community .The
congress president should think that if her son Rahul Gandhi is
arrested and sent to jail what will be her plight .Will she sleeps
peacefully? There are thousands of mothers are restless .Their
young and blooming youths are in jails without any crime. The
only crime is they are Muslims .If the same policy is adapted
against Dalits and Sikh community lot of mayhem and chaos
could be done by those communities .But Muslims tolerate and
patiently face the brunt .But this will enrage the Almighty and the
country will suffer in number of ways .The congress will certain-
ly lose its Muslim vote bank. Dr AH Maqdoomi, Hyderabad
Gujarat riots victims
The ray of hope is still alive for the victims of the horrible Gujarat
communal violence in the year 2002. So far, not a single Hindu
Terrorists for the crime against humanity and Genocide of
Muslims had been awarded death sentence in the past. Gujarat
Government permitted SIT to file an appeal for death sentence to
terrorist lady Maya Kodnani and Terrorist master mind Babu
Bajrangi and nine others, for their role in the massacre and
butchered to the Muslims in Narora Patiya in the year 2002, and
permission is granted to challenge the lower court's order in the
Naroda Patia case, before the Hon'ble Gujarat high court. The mat-
ter has reached to the High Court Gujarat for the death penalty to
the terrorists its good indication, provided SIT file the appeal with
an intention to provide the justice to the victimized family. It would
be proper tribute to the innocent those have lost lives during action
of the terrorists in Gujarat, including teenaged children, pregnant
women and old men. It is a request with the Hon'ble High Court to
assign the death penalty to Maya Kodnani and ors. It will boost up
the confidence of the victimized family in Judiciary. Also, keep a
strict vigil during the tendency of the petition on the fundamental-
ist forces in the form of Bajrang Dal, VHP, RSS who can abstract
in court proceeding ask any unauthorized person to keep away
from the proceeding.
Zuber Ahmed Khan, Navi Mumbai Maharashtra
mtalha2@gmail.com
Obituary of a winner of three consecutive elections
In India these days a winner of three consecutive elections is very
much in news. By virtue of this hat trick his party is banking on
him to ensconce itself in Delhi once again. In the far west -in
England- another such hat trick winner is in news. England's only
woman prime minister in history and longest serving prime min-
ister of twentieth century Margaret Thatcher is lying in state await-
ing being laid to rest. One expects such popular leaders to be
paragons of virtues, epitomes of all political wisdom and states-
manship and the sovereign of the hearts of their subject. The obit-
uary of England's hat-trick politician is shockingly different. Many
cities of England saw people coming out in streets with cham-
pagne to rejoice at the death of Margaret Thatcher. They called
them death parties or Maggie's Good Riddance party. The wicked
witch is dead, one MP said, tamp the dirt down. A placard read
"Rejoice. Thatcher is dead." There were placards the language of
which is unprintable People protested against giving her the state
funeral. So she gets some sort of ceremonial funeral. Few thou-
sand protesters are arriving early to take vantage position en route
and as close to St Paul's church where she will be interred. They
are doing so, so that the world camera telecasts their images
when they turn their back to Margaret Thatcher's passing coffin.
She will be remembered for things like calling Nelson Mandela a
terrorist, having tea with the torturer and murderer Pinochet,
ordering sinking of Argentine warship Belgrano. The ship was
speeding away from the combat zone and was hit in the back. It
went down taking with it hundreds of Argentine's conscripts to
their watery grave. In 1990 she was uprooted by her own party.
She left 10, Downing Street in tears.
Dr AR Mookhi, Mumbai
drmookhi@hotmail.com
Hinduism is not a religion
I am an ardent fan of MG since its beginning and enjoying the
mind bolgging articles and thank the Editor for the noble task. This
refers to a wonderful article by our learned friend mr Ram
Puniyani '' Re-defining Hinduism 'is an eye opener to all non
Muslims mr Ram Puniyani elaborated the true meaning of HIN-
DUISM in a natural way which is acceptable to all. As per the great
scholar Dr Zakir Naik , Hinduism is not a Religion , it is a Misnoma.
The Goal is One ,but the methods are plenty.. I congratulate Shri
Ram Puniyani for presenting the wonderful article which I enjoyed
Heartfully. Mohammad Azam, Karimnager, AP
deomohdazam70@gail.com
US and terrorism
America's overreaction is glaring It will be a source of immense
surprise for rest of the world, as US, the mighty superpower with
arsenal to destroy the world several times over, could be so easi-
ly destabilized and shaken up, by mere explosion of two crude
bombs. The mighty nation has been so brainwashed by fear-mon-
gers of the Bush era Jewish Neo-cons who thrive on their obses-
sive Islamophobia, that common citizen is instantly gripped with
the mortal fear of say another 9/11 or even another holocaust.
There is so much panic among the security administration and so
much surfeit of agencies and media doing its part, that one is at
a loss to imagine, how US would fare if it had to face an attack sit-
uation like it inflicted on Iraq or Afghanistan. The Administration
should ponder over how it can get its entire population of 300 plus
millions to face such calamities with fortitude and deliberation,
rather panic and wide-spread fear. America's over reaction could
be laughing matter for even nations like Israel, which has been
suffering apparently from crude rockets from Gaza on a daily
basis. Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com
A cop is a cop ----
Union HM Shinde said on Sat that an inquiry was being conduct-
ed into allegations of police negligence. "We are waiting for the
report. Give us some time, we will take action," he said. Reports
on two other probes - one involving the intrusion into Shinde's
house by quota seekers and the other on the SFI attack on WB CM
Mamata and her Finance Minister - are also awaited. These
remarks fuelled speculation that pressure was mounting on the
government to effect changes at the top in Delhi Police. This only
exhibits the cruel mind set of an ex-cop. Can you compare the
brutal assaults on young women and girl children with the intru-
sion into Shinde's house by quota seekers and the SFI attack on
Mamata? Top Delhi Cop needs to be changed not because of his
failure to protect women and children but because he failed to pro-
tect the hapless Shinde and Mamata from the goons who inflicted
horrendous and unprintable brutalities on them. Yours etc,
Sankara Narayanan, Bhubaneswar.
psn.1946@gmail.com
Ego of Muslim leaders mortgaged to parties
In a T V programme comparing Rahul gandhi with Narendra Modi,
a BJP Muslim leader said Muslim forgot Mumbai riot, Bhagal Pur
Jamshedpur, Aligarh etc anti Muslim riots so Muslims must kick
these show boys leaders who sell Ummah interests.
S. Haque, Patna
Suspension of AMUSU President Shahzad Alam
Once again a shocking news has emerged from the AMU Campus
which is bound to add some explosive potential to the present tur-
bulent phase. While not doubting the credentials of the Vice-
Chancellor in enforcing the discipline, this distinct incident of sus-
pending the AMUSU President Mr. Shahzad Alam definitely stands
on a different plank, and considering the entirety of circum-
stances, the action of the Vice-Chancellor cannot be called any-
thing but totally arbitrary and dictatorial. Though not acquainted
with what actually did happen, but from the charges and count-
er charges what appears as a logical thread is that Mr. Shahzad
Alam wanted to raise the pending minority issue of the University
and everything untoward must have followed when he was not
allowed. The Vice-Chancellor, like everybody whose existence
depends on the pleasure of the people in power, must have had
his own constraints, while as a student leader Mr. Shahzad Alam
must have felt it his sacred obligation to use that platform to high-
light the issue. It is an open fact that the politicians of all hues have
now considered the Muslim community as the most slavish enti-
ty, and whenever they appear before Muslim gathering, they shed
crocodile tears over the communitys fate and predicament. If at
this stage these politicians are shown the mirror, of course in a
sophisticated manner, they may at least realize that there is some
life and a sense of vibration amongst Muslims. Considering all the
prevailing circumstances and keeping the future in sight, I sincere-
ly appeal to the Honourable Vice-Chancellor to immediately
rescind the suspension of Mr. Shahzad Alam.
Dr. Mustafa Kamal Sherwani, Lucknow, U.P.
sherwanimk@yahoo.com
REJOINDERS/OPINION/LETTERS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013 23 www.milligazette.com
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24 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 May 2013
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85 more families need urgent help
Report as published in 16-30 April 2013 issue:
Two Murshidabad villages gutted, 214 fami-
lies homeless, need your urgent help
Murshidabad: Two entire villages in Murshidabad (West
Bengal) have been gutted by fire and 981 members of
214 families, all Muslims, living in the two villages have
been rendered homeless. All their belongings, including
55 animals like cows and goats, have been burnt by the
fire on 5 and 6 April 2013. The affected villages are
Jhaudia and Hukahar near Jalangi town in Murshidabad
district.
A mysterious fire erupted in village Jhaudia on 5 April
gutting all 54 houses in the village and killing 55 domes-
tic animals. Two grocery shops too were turned into
ashes. Food grains, clothes and furniture as well as cash
and other materials were burnt into ashes. A total of 181
men of the village Jhaudia have become shelterless as a
result.
The nearby village Hukahar too witnessed a similar
fire the next day. As furious as the previous one, it affect-
ed 800 men, women and children of 160 families in the
village. Their homes were gutted alongwith all belongings,
113 domestic animals and seven shops. Like the other
village, here too everything was gutted while people could
save themselves by running away into the fields.
Charity Alliance team headed by its local representa-
tive Mr Golam Kibriya, visited the two villages and found
the helpless villagers sleeping under open sky with almost
nothing left. Even their clothes, grains and groceries have
been burnt by the fire. A few small shops operating in the
two villages too have been burnt. They need emergency
help to be able to bring a semblance of normalcy back
into their shattered lives.
Local authorities are providing cooked food to the vic-
tims but there is yet to be any announcement to compen-
sation to rebuild their houses. According to Mr Kibriya
each family urgently needs corrugated sheets to build a
simple shelter. Each family would need financial support
of Rs 5000 for this. To help 214 families, a sum of Rs
10,70,000 needs to raised.
Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, Chairman of Charity Alliance,
has appealed to all to come forward to help these hapless
people in their hour of need. Help may be sent through
local charities known to you or through Charity Alliance
which is active in the area since 2005 and runs Alliance
School and a vocational training centre in the adjacent vil-
lage, Uttar Ghoshpara. (For our contact details and how to
contribute, please see page 17 inside).
Following the fire in two villages on 5 and 6 April 2013 in Murshidabad
(West Bengal) as reported in the previous issue on this page, we at
Charity Alliance were only able to distribute tin corrugated sheets to
40 families out of the 214 families fire affected villages. There are a
minimum of 85 more families which need urgent help.
Since the appeal we have raised Rs 1,63,500 for this cause. We have
spent Rs 2,00,000 for the sheets already procured. We need to raise
Rs 4,25,000 more for the 85 families.
Please contribute. Turn to page 17 for details.
Photo: Distribution of Corrugated sheets on 22 April 2013
Publications of Dr. M.I.H. Farooqi
1. Plants of the Quran (Colour), Rs. 300/= (English)
Rs. 150/= (Hindi, Urdu)
2. Medicinal Plants of Prophetic Traditions,
(Colour - English, Urdu) Rs. 300/= (English). Rs.
150/= (Urdu)
3. Dictionary of Indian Gums & Resins, Rs. 800/=
(Colour)
4. Indian Plants of Commercial Value, (English,
Urdu), Rs. 300/= (English); Rs. 150/=(Urdu)
5. Muslim Societies - Rise and Fall; Rs. 200/=
(English); Rs. 100/ (Urdu).
6. Quranic Plants at a Glance, Rs. 30/= (English)
7. Medicine of the Prophet, Rs. 30/= (English
8. Plants in Ayurvedic and Unani Medicine
Rs. 150/= (English); Rs.100/= (Urdu).
SIDRAH PUBLISHERS
Shahid Apartments, Golaganj, Lucknow -226018,
Mob: 09839901066; Email: mihfarooqi@gmail.com
LETS FIGHT TERRORISM: TURN TO PAGE 3 INSIDE