MOHAMMAD SHAHID

L
ucknow: While the Bharatiya Janata Party says it is going
to bring a vision document to ameliorate the sufferings of
Muslims, Narendra Modi, the partys campaign in-
charge is spitting venom against the community and
using a language that even an illiterate street urchin would be
ashamed of. Modis aide Amit Shah, chargesheeted in killing of
Muslims in fake encounters in Gujarat and out on bail after
spending six months in jail, is sent to conquer UP for his boss.
Shah visits Ayodhya and makes wishes seeking banishment of
the Congress and coronation of his party, rather Modi, along
with a grand temple at the site where once Babri Masjid stood;
the party chief Rajnath Singh, who yearns for a Janata Party-
type coalition formed by the late Jaya Prakash Narain in the sev-
enties, says that temple was not on the partys election agenda.
In its desperation to grab power at Centre by any means,
fair or foul, BJP seems to be either in a state of confusion with
senior leaders giving contradictory statements or is indulging in
doublespeak that has been its character in the past.
Whatever the reason of the BJPs contradictory behaviour,
the nomination of Modi as partys campaign committee in-
charge and prime ministerial aspirant is a clear message of the
partys return to hardcore Hindutva. Modi may or may not be a
nationalist but Hindu he certainly is and that too of an extremist
kind. Blinded by Muslim hatred, his only trait for being selected
to lead his party at RSS behest, Modi naturally thinks that his
extremist Hindutva would ensure victory for his party and pre-
miership for him. Amit Shahs deputation to conquer UP and his
prayer at Ayodhya are part of this thinking. BJP chief Rajnath
Singhs assertion that being a Hindu he had gone for Lord
Rams blessings and expressed his desire for the temple just as
any Christian, Muslim or Sikh would want to have at his place
of worship, does not hold. Even if Rajnaths logic is accepted,
one wonders as to why Shah as a Hindu forgot to pray for
Kedarnath temple that was devastated in the Natures fury and
for the suffering humanity in Uttarakhand? Or being in-charge of
UP party affairs, he thought Uttarakhand was beyond his juris-
diction? The fact is that no amount of human sufferings or
destruction can move these leaders unless they affect their
political fortunes. Kedarnath or a natural calamity in Uttarakhand
did not come to Shahs mind because they are of no use in
boosting Modis electoral prospects while Ram temple is. His
boss Modi acted in a similar fashion when he visited the hill
state at the height of the sufferings of thousands but chose to
show concern only for Gujarati pilgrims. Like boss like servant.
Modis act prompted BSP chief Mayawati to warn people at
her partys Brahmin rally. She said, People must think before
voting because a person who aspires to become Prime Minister
but talks only about saving Gujaratis in a calamity like the one
that struck Uttarakhand will not be able to work honestly on a
post that requires nationalist and secular credentials.
Although the BJP chief Rajnath Singh has said that Ram
temple was not on the partys election agenda, Shahs visit to
Ayodhya and later his meeting with the Hindutva hardliners like
Yogi Adityanath at the Gorakhnath temple, which in the nineties
was the hub of Ram temple movement, seeking blessings of
Mahant Avaidyanath, three meetings with Kalyan Singh, one of
the architects of Babri Masjid demolition, and inclusion of Varun
Gandhi in Team Modi, all hint at Modis plan to revive the tem-
ple issue once again for electoral gains. In fact, the temple
issue has become synonymous with BJPs Hindutva in the state
although except once in 1991 when they came to power in the
state, it never clicked and the partys fortunes saw a gradual
decline. This time too it is unlikely that Ram would grant Shahs
illegal wish.
Shah would soon realise, which his party chief knows only
too well, that casteism, not communalism is ruling the roost in
the state at present. Congress and BJP, the two national parties,
are in a shambles in the state. Fed up with the hypocrisy of the
Congress, people had given power to the saffron party to rule
only to realise soon the folly of communalism and the partys
game plan in raising communal issues like Ram mandir, cow
slaughter and Article 370 shortly before each election.
This erosion of faith in the national parties saw the emer-
gence of regional outfits not only in UP but in other states also.
Today Mulayam and Mayawati are the undisputed masters of
their own castes and Modi with all his communal might may not
be able to penetrate their forts.
The declining Congress graph had provided an opportunity
for the BJP to gain the upper hand in 2014 elections. With ris-
ing prices, dwindling economy and corruption becoming the
way of life during the Congress regime at the Centre, BJP with
a little wisdom and a people-friendly development and welfare
scheme could have easily dislodged it from power at the Centre.
But the party lost initiative by bringing Modi as the party mas-
cot for the polls. The party and its mentor RSS, which silenced
all critics to see Modi as campaign committee chief, would soon
realise that they had made bet on the wrong horse and that the
people of this country are secular and reject religious fanati-
cism. Even the much hyped development in Modis Gujarat is a
myth. Goals like social equality, sustainable livelihoods, access
to education and health, justice and communal peace have been
abandoned in the race for growth in Modis state. Thus neither
the Gujarat models of communalism nor of development seem
to work for BJP in Uttar Pradesh.
24 pages ` 15 ISSN 0972-3366 Fortnightly Vol. 14 No. 15 Issue Serial # 325 facebook.com/milligazette www.milligazette.com 1-15 August 2013
Ishrat Jahan encounter 4,11
UPAs last window 7
Open letter to President 8
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
Ram may not bless Narendra Modi
THE
MILLI
GAZETTE
INDIAN MUSLIMS LEADING ENGLISH NEWSPAPER SINCE 2000
AZAM KHAN, POWERFUL BUT...12 KHURSHID ALAM NO MORE...12
M
G
/
Y
u
s
u
f
Modi naturally thinks that his extremist Hindutva would ensure victory for his party and premiership
for him. Amit Shahs deputation to conquer UP and his prayer at Ayodhya are part of this thinking.
BJP chief Rajnath Singhs assertion that being a Hindu he had gone for Lord Rams blessings and
expressed his desire for the temple just as any Christian, Muslim or Sikh would want to have at his
place of worship, does not hold... The fact is that no amount of human sufferings or destruction can
move these leaders unless they affect their political fortunes...
IM and the business of terror
Indian Mujahidin or IM, is again in the news. On 17 July, almost three
years after its ban by the Union home ministry on 4 June 2010, the
National Investigation Agency filed its first chargesheet under UAPA
against five persons claimed to be part of the IM team. But, surprising-
ly, the chargesheet is silent about the alleged outfits masterminds like
Iqbal Bhatkal, Riyaz Bhatkal, Yasin Bhatkal, Asadullah Akhtar Haddi, Ariz
Khan and Tahseen Akhtar. NIA said its probe against 12 absconding
accused including the Bhatkals is continuing.
IM, alleged to be an offshoot of SIMI, has been hitherto accused of
terrorism since the U.P. blasts of 2007, though it is know only through a
few mysterious emails. It came to light when it sent its first email to
media organisations. It sent another email shortly after the Jaipur blasts
of 13 May 2008. Then it sent yet another email five minutes before the
Ahmedabad blasts of 26 July 2008 which was claimed to be the handi-
work of Yasin Bhatkal. This email was traced to the American Kenneth
Haywoods WiFi IP address in Navi Mumbai. This shadowy character was
never charged or even interrogated and was allowed to leave the country.
IMs last email was sent on 13 September 2008 after the Delhi blasts
which was traced to a wi-fi connection in Chembur. The email sent on
13 May 2008, after the Jaipur blasts, was traced to a Ghaziabad cyber
caf owned by a Hindu belonging to the Congress Party. No action was
ever taken against this man since only Muslim can be terrorists according
to the RSS logic shared by both BJP and Congress. It remains a mystery
how the origins of these emails have not been traced using the power-
ful snooping and surveillance equipment worth thousands of crores which
have been acquired by various agencies using the terror scare.
The first chargesheet has created much fuss because it said that the
IM was created as a result of the anger felt by Muslim youths vis--vis
Gujarat riots of 2002 which is stupefying as this alleged anger took six
long years to burst out. Some Congress party leaders used this as a
handle to attack Modi with and a war of sorts erupted in the cyberspace
and on 24x7 news channels.
The Congress attack, in fact, did a great disservice to the Indian
Muslims as it implied that the IM was a creation of Indian Muslims who
forcefully dispute this claim and do not accept that the IM has anything to
do with the Indian Muslim community. Indian Muslims believe that IM is a
creation of some secret force like IB (or Pakistans ISI) and the creator is
using it in the phoney war being waged against the Indian Muslims to mar-
ginalise them and keep them in a state of perpetual terror so that they
would not demand their rightful share in the nations resources and oppor-
tunities. IM to this date remains an unknown entity. Even the NIA
chargesheet is extremely vague and does not pinpoint dates, places and
people related to the alleged outfit. Weeks before IMs ban in 2010,
Kolkatas Telegraph had quoted a Union home ministry official as saying
that they cannot ban IM because they do not know what it is. Recently
Tariq Anwar, a Union minister, publicly asked in a signed article, Where is
the Indian Mujahidins headquarter? (MG, 316, 16-31 March 2013, p.1).
We reject all these vague claims and demand a high-power judicial
commission to probe all blasts since the BJP-led NDA jumped on George
Bushs terror bandwagon. We have strong doubts that the terror scare is
being used as a tool against the Muslim community by the Congress
today just as it was used by the BJP yesterday.
ZAFARUL-ISLAM KHAN
2 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 ISSUES / OPINION
DISTRIBUTORS: (Alphabetical - statewise and then citywise ) Become an MG distributor Call/SMS: 09818120669 / 09868656614
A.P.: Cuddapah 9866927380 Adilabad 9849173988 Nellore 9885827745; ASSAM: Guwahati 9435541136; Silchar 9435207683;
BIHAR: Al-Kitab (Araria) 09934788628; A. Wadood Alam (Bhagalpur) 9939071026; Sayeedur Rahman, Vill. Abdullah Pur, Dt. Saheb Ganj; West
Champaran 9470438842, 9097197306; Patna Faiza News Agency 9835421193; DELHI Batla House - Choudhary Book Store GOA: Margao
0832-2734442; GUJARAT: Farooq A. Gaffar Bawani, Rajkot 9879188179 MADHYA PRADESH: Satna 09926587087
MAHARASHTRA: Aurangabad: Chaus Book Store: 8149757883; Maktaba Islami 9028938695; Dhule Maktaba Islami 241941, 9221392722;
Latur: Yousuf 9960749675 Malegaon: Faran Books, Md. Ali Rd; Nagpur: Muniba Book Agency 9373797681 Saleha Book Traders 2721069 Noor
Book Depot 9403083751 Nanded: Venkateshwara 9689078710 ; JHARKHAND: Hazaribagh 9955175039 Dhanbad 9507552862; JAMMU
& KASHMIR: Srinagar: Janta 2474755; Sikander 9419512762 KARNATAKA: Bangalore: Mahboob Book Depot 080-22867138 Bijapur
9916108194; Dandeli 9900834792; Dharwad 9342211155, Hubli Islamic Book Centre, Dharwad 09242527896, 2260273 Gulbarga 9731230430;
Mangalore: Moulana Book Stall 9901639856 Tumkur F. Ahamed 9342624304 KERALA: Calicut Other Books 2306808; PUNJAB:
Mohd. Naseer, Maler Kotla 9988236310; TAMIL NADU: Chennai Quality Book Centre 28527118; Vaniyambadi: Fizza 7418714117,
8825952559 Iqra 9952675123; UTTAR PRADESH: Aligarh: 9412562972; Educational Book House 2701068; Allahabad: Asad Book
Depot 9335153647, A2Z 9838460613; Azamgarh: Al-Bader Book Centre 9839591434; Kitab Mahal 9936704118; Bhadohi 9307572914 Ballia
Jamal Alam Taleemi Markaz 9839714567, 8543917808; Etawa: 09456412482; Gorakhpur: Maktaba Nasir 9451846364; Jhansi Ittehad Book Depot
9793049545; Kanpur: 9305255273; Lucknow Dr. SR. Khan, 9795515909; Mirzapur.: M Ali, 9450886580; Moradabad: 9897248111; Rampur
9675798490 Shahjahanpur: 9889989990; Varanasi: Akhalaqi Corner 0542-250069, 08423749505; WEST BENGAL: Murshidabad Md.
Asfaq Hussain 9733522436 Kolkata Islamic Bookstore 09331001823 Central News Agency, New Delhi
INDIAN MUSLIMS LEADING ENGLISH NEWSPAPER
THE MILLI GAZETTE
REGISTERED NEWSPAPER
CHIEF EDITOR: ZAFARUL-ISLAM KHAN
EDITORIAL TEAM: HABIBAAZIM,
NAANSARI, NADIM AHMAD, AALIYA KHAN
D-84 Abul Fazl Enclave-I, Jamia Nagar,
New Delhi 110025 India Tel.: 2694 7483, 26952825
Email: edit@milligazette.com
Website: milligazette.com; Group: pharosmedia.com
Media database support: Orient Press International
Subscription rates: p. 20
Advertisements rates: p. 22
JAVED JAMIL
T
he remarks by Congress MP and
spokesman Shakil Ahmad have started a
debate, which should have been over by
now. But that the debate never got going
in the past should not be any reason why the
subject cannot be debated now, in all its details.
When people discuss Terrorism, normally
they tend to argue as if it has come from some-
where for no reason at all. While terrorists are
condemned, and rightly so, there is never a
debate on the factors that are responsible for the
terrorist attacks. This is true for terrorism at the
international as well as national levels, and
applies to all kinds of terrorism: Muslim,
Tamil, Sikh, Maoist, Naxalite, etc.
While terrorism cannot be condoned, it must
be recognized that it is usually the product of the
suppression of certain people. It is the weapon
of the weak against the mighty, which have large
armies and resources at their disposal.
When innocents are killed in wars, big pow-
ers tend to dismiss it as collateral damage. But
when innocents are killed in terrorist attacks, it is
regarded as a ghastly crime against humanity.
If terrorism is to be successfully tackled, its
root causes have to be found. Justice is the only
answer to terrorism. Attempts to kill terrorists or
terrorize them may have a short-term impact.
But in the long term, it will breed bigger and more
dangerous forms of Terrorism.
Muslims in India face security issues at all
levels - ideological, physical and social. These
issues have been responsible for their continued
fear psychosis which is proving to be a big hin-
drance in their living in respectable, hygienic and
well-developed conditions. At
the ideological level, they have
been routinely branded as
ghaddar (often accused of
being pro-Pakistan), terrorists
in consonance with West-led
propaganda after 9/11 and some
local acts of terrorism and of
being obscurantists. When an
intelligence officer approached
me in connection with an inquiry
on my application for registra-
tion of a magazine, I was
amazed at the type of talk he
indulged in. He wanted to ask
me why Muslims are so much
involved in violence and why
violence is more in areas where Muslims live in
significant numbers? A similar question was
asked by a Hindu American on Internet. I gave
this reply to him: You are either a victim of the
incessant propaganda against Islam and
Muslims or a party to it. It is high time biased
non-Muslims like you stopped their malicious,
irresponsible and baseless propaganda against
Islam and Muslims. If this propaganda has been
gaining strength during last hundred years or so,
it is perhaps because during this period,
Muslims have been socio-politically least potent
and powerful to combat the designs of enemies.
It is common practice for the bad to call others
bad, especially if the others happen to be weak.
As far as India is concerned, though you accept
the fact that Muslims are the second largest
majority in the country, unfortunately people like
you are trying to use this very fact to unite the
rest against Muslims by propagating untruths.
You say, But why Muslims attack in India, a
docile community with no imperialist aspirations
and home to the second largest population of
Muslims? Can Muslims explain this?
History tells the facts otherwise. Since
Independence, which resulted in Hindus having
gained dominance in Indian polity, it is Muslims
who have suffered worst kinds of violence post-
Independence at the hands of Hindus. I searched
to find the data of communal riots in India.
Unfortunately, I could not find the data till this
date, but I found the data of communal riots
between 1968 and 1978. See this table:
The data show that 1598 Muslims were
killed against 530 Hindus, that is, the number of
Muslims killed was three times the number of
Hindus Killed. The data for other periods would
clearly prove the same trend throughout the his-
tory of Independent India.
Thousands of Muslims were butchered in
Nellie (Assam), around 2000
were massacred in Gujarat and a
similar number were killed in riots
following the demolition of Babri
Masjid. The number of Hindus
killed in all these riots has surely
been less than one third of
Muslims killed. The blasts in
Mumbai and other places attrib-
uted to Muslims, if the allegation
is correct, are an illegal response
on the part of some Muslims due
to genuine grievances shared by
the whole Muslim community and
many of the Hindus (except the
proponents of Hindutva). Such
illegal responses will continue to
occur till the grievances are given a serious con-
sideration. We wholeheartedly support punish-
ment for the perpetrators of these crimes but it
will be meaningless unless and until the perpe-
trators of riots and killings in Gujarat and other
riots (whoever they are-Hindus or Muslims) too
are brought to justice. Their condemnation and
punishment in isolation would only help further
alienate Muslims.
While terrorist networks should be attacked
with all the alacrity, there should be a concerted
effort to make sure that riots do not occur,
tragedies like Babri Masjid demolition are not
repeated, a few terrorist attacks are not used to
create an atmosphere of hatred for Muslims, and
all the necessary tools are employed to make
Muslims safer, healthier and stronger.
Dr Javed Jamil is India based thinker and writer with
over a dozen books including his latest, Muslims
Most Civilised, Yet Not Enough.
Terrorism: the Weapon of the Weak
www.milligazette.com
Indian Muslims on
election fences
ZAIGHAM MURTAZA
Amid mounting noises of election bells, hot debates surrounding
secularism and communalism have taken the centre stage, lead-
ing to speculations concerning the Muslim mandate. There are
also concerns of a bi-polar election which will surely damage the
prospects of the so-called third front and fourth front parties.
The question is: who may gain from a bi-polar election and what
is the role of Muslim electorate in this fight? Let me start with the
Muslims. There are many myths that are being circulated -- that
Muslims vote for this or that issue, they love or hate a particular
party or they are very communal.
In the current secularism versus communalism debate,
Muslims find themselves not more than a spectator. For Muslims,
there is no leadership and if some exists it doesnt have any men-
tionable effect. If Muslim voters may have voted on communal
lines, then the umpteen Muslim parties may have fared far better
than their present status.
For Muslims, both secularists or communal forces or even
communists are Hindus first. Muslims know that they have no say
in the policy-making or laying down the political priorities, so they
sit on the fence and watch from a distance the verbal wars being
fought over them. Muslim opinion is not sought even about this
verbal war!
A bi-polar election suits both the national parties, i.e., BJP and
Congress. Although, such a direct confrontation diminishes the
chances of elections based on policies and issues like market,
inflation, corruption and national security, the polarized election
reduces the say of regional actors in the parliament. If the BJP is
happy with Modi-mania, Congress has done its bit to push the
rightists to go ahead with their choice.
Congress is the real beneficiary of this game. All the anti-
incumbency, the failures of the last five years to deliver and false
commitments have been relegated to the background. Now it is all
about Modi vs. Opponent. BJP may be happy to polarise and gar-
ner some votes that in another scenario it might have failed to win,
but the weak organisation and lack of winnable candidates will
leave them far behind their goal. Had all the money and energies
they are wasting on campaigns, in-fights, corporatisation and
image-building be spent on strengthening the organisation, the
story may have been different for them.
BJP policies have left Muslims with very few choices, rather
with no choices at all. It is true that Muslims dont vote for BJP in
bulk but most of them remain aloof of the political process. Many
Muslims vote either to express their frustrations with the system
or just to meet some personal obligation. With polarisation, they
will be forced to come out and vote in bulk, most probably in a
negative way.
Although, generalisation is not a true journalistic approach,
but it is a human tendency. I am a strong believer that Muslims are
the only true secularists when it comes to vote. Muslims dont
vote for a Muslim candidate or a Muslim party. They vote for a
Brahmin, a Dalit, a Christian and even for a tribal if the candidate
has a chance to win against a communal candidate.
Muslims can be called communal because they always vote
against communal forces. But who is responsible? Muslims can
also go with BJP, but the saffron party has failed to meet their
expectations let alone hold a dialogue with them. Muslims dont
vote against BJP. Instead, they vote against communal agenda.
Maybe, Congress has harmed Muslim interests more than the BJP.
Justice Sachhar report suggests that BJP only shouts but
Congress implements. During its rule since Independence,
Congress has pushed the Muslims back to the times of 1857
when the British had decided to push Muslims to background for
their role in the freedom struggle. More Muslims have died in
communal riots in the Congress-ruled states. Muslims were
pushed out of all government services during the Congress
regime.
It is the attitude of BJP and Congress that makes the differ-
ence for Muslims. Irrespective of all the losses they accumulated
at the hands of Congress, Muslims still feel that they can stay safe
with the Congress. At least, Congress never stopped Muslims
from seeking remedy against the atrocities. On the other hand,
BJP not only committed crimes, it remains defiant and has forced
the community to live by its terms.
Muslims are human beings. They have many issues similar
with others. They need education, proper living conditions and
employment. The are neglected and after every election, feel
cheated. Once again election is round the corner and they are
again sitting on the fence with no stakes except to cast their votes
for this or that party.
Demons are back with new avatars, consolidating their rank
and file while secularists, instead of going for a kill, are looking
towards the hapless fence-sitters to do their task.
The author is a Reporter/Producer with RajyaSabha Television
Modis Race Termination Syndrome
Narendra Modi comparing riot victims with puppies shows that
the man has absolutely no respect and feelings for Muslims.
Calling him a fascist or a demagogue is not sufficient. Hes a sick
man and such pathological characters have no place in any
sphere. He should either be in a bedlam or under the constant
supervision of a psychiatrist. We all have prejudices. To be a
human being is to have certain leanings, priorities and prejudices.
But therere certain individuals who make a fetish of their idiosyn-
crasies and presuppositions. Such implacable hatred for a com-
munity doesnt bode well for the country. Theres a psychological
term coined by Adler and Grunth. Its known as race-termination
syndrome and is considered to be a deep-seated neurological
problem. Modi, like Adolf Hitler, is full of hatred for a community
and is determined to extirpate it. He actually suffers from
Islamophobia. By trying to project himself as a nationalist
Hindu, Modi is trying to prove himself as the self-styled saviour
of majority Hindus. Such rabid characters are morbid and
extreme seekers of self-aggrandizement. Modi must realise that
any country is a mosaic of discrete social and ethnic groups and
a country can progress only when therere different socio-reli-
gious communities living cheek-by-jowl.
SUMIT PAUL
DATA ON COMMUNAL RIOTS AND MINORITIES
Casualties in communal clashes during the period 1968-80 were as follows:
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 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, especially since 2001, is the
biggest challenge facing the community ever since. A grand
conspiracy hatched by the powers that be, IB, Police and
media, has sullied and defamed our community. This campaign
has affected our lives, peace of mind and has thwarted our
efforts to progress and educate our children to join the nation-
al mainstream.
Our efforts so far to present our case, to bring out our inno-
cence 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 thou-
sands are still languishing in jails on the basis of fake confes-
sions 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 write-
ups on various aspects of this issue, covering the history, gen-
esis, communalism, vested interests in various related fields,
analysis of various laws like TADA, POTA and UAPA, fake
encounters, narco tests, torture, acquittals, IB & Police role,
media attitude, case studies, statewise surveys, SIMI, Indian
Mujahidin, Hindutva terror, individual tragedies of victims,
Azamgarh, Bhatkal, Malegaon, Darbhanga modules, some
basic 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 organisa-
tions, and thereafter present this huge document of over 600
large format pages to politicians, media, human rights organi-
sations, 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 divid-
ed as follows: Rs 15 lakh cost of preparation 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 capitals also.
You can help this effort in four ways,
1. To buy copies of the White Paper on Terrorism in
advance to help defray part of the huge cost of research, print-
ing, publication and distribution of at least one thousand com-
plimentary copies. The estimated price of the white paper is Rs
2000 per copy in India. You may place an advance order by
paying Rs 1000 only per copy in India including postal
charges). Payments for the copies may be made to The Milli
Gazette, D-84 Abul Fazal Enclave-I, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi
110025. Email: edit@milligazette.com. Individuals and organi-
sations ordering a minimum of 100 copies in advance will be
included as Sponsors of the White Paper.
2. Contribute to the cost of the grand convention to be held
at Delhi towards the end of 2013. This should be payable to the
All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, D-250, Abul Fazal
Enclave, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025. Tel.: 011-26946780
Fax: 011-26947346. Email: mushawarat@mushawarat.com.
3. Donate your time: If you are a scholar, researcher,
journalist: join our team for a few months working in our
Delhi office or from your own home to complete this project
- write to the Editor, MG now at edit@milligazette.com.
4. Contact us if you have vital information/documents
about this issue.
www.milligazette.com
2006 Malegaon blast: Muslim
accused file discharge application
Malegaon: Five accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts case
on 19 July filed an application seeking discharge from the case
over contradictions in chargesheets filed by various probe agen-
cies.
Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra, an NGO providing them legal aid,
moved the application on behalf of the accused Noorulhuda
Samsodhoha, Shabbir Ahmad Masiullah, Raees Ahmad Rajjab Ali
Mansuri, Mohammad Zahid Abdul Majid and Abrar Ahmad Ghulam
Ahmad.
In the application before a designated Maharashtra Control of
Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) court, the accused pointed to vari-
ous contradictions in the chargesheets filed by the Maharashtra
Anti-Terrorist Squad, the Central Bureau of Investigation and later by
the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which took over the probe
in the case.
The applicants sought court note for directing police commis-
sioner or any competent authority to initiate departmental inquiry
against the erring police and ATS officers who had falsely implicat-
ed the nine Muslim youth in the case and also to direct the state
government to award compensation to the accused and their fam-
ily members who were put in trouble by the investigating agencies.
In their application, the accused also contended that they had
been implicated in the case and their alleged confessional state-
ments which were used as a vital piece of evidence against them
were discarded by the NIA.
The NIA had concluded that the confessional statements were
not voluntary and were obtained from the accused under duress,
said Adv. Sharif Shaikh, who is providing free legal aid to the
accused through the Jamiat-Ulama-e Maharashtra.
After this, we shall be filing similar discharge appeals for the
remaining two co-accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case who
are currently out on bail, he said.
The court had earlier granted bail to seven accused facing
charges in the Malegaon blasts after the NIA probed the case and
submitted its primary report in November 2011. (ummid.com)
THE MILLI GAZETTE
requires EXECUTIVE EDITOR,
JUNIOR JOURNALISTS
write with details in the first
instance to the Editor at
edit@milligazette.com
Basic requirements: good command
over English, interest in and
knowledge of Muslim community
issues, knowledge of Urdu
Indias counterterrorism
laws being widely misused:
Human Rights Watch
The New York-based Human Rights Watch demanded in a state-
ment issued on 26 June 2013 that India must stop misuse of
Counterterrorism Laws. Following is the full text of the statement:
The Indian authorities should not conflate shared sympathy for
concerns about oppression and social inequity expressed by the
Maoists, with criminal complicity in violence. The government
should ensure that peaceful activists can speak out without fear of
terrorism charges, said Meenakshi Ganguly, HRWs South Asia
director.
New York: Authorities in India should conduct an independent
review of apparent politically motivated terrorism charges filed
against performers in a Dalit cultural group, Human Rights Watch
said on 26 june, 2013.
Members of Kabir Kala Manch, charged in 2011 under Indias
draconian counterterrorism laws, remain subject to prosecution for
their alleged support of Maoist militants. One of them, eight months
pregnant, was denied bail and must wait until June 27 for an
appeals decision on her bail application.
Indian courts have repeatedly ruled that ideological sympathy
should not be interpreted as active membership in a banned organ-
ization.
The Indian authorities should not conflate shared sympathy
for concerns about oppression and social inequity expressed by
the Maoists, with criminal complicity in violence, said Meenakshi
Ganguly, South Asia director. The government should ensure that
peaceful activists can speak out without fear of terrorism charges.
Indias counterterrorism and sedition laws have been widely
misused to target political opponents, tribal groups, religious and
ethnic minorities, and Dalits. Amendments made to the Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act in 2008 and 2012 could result in further
misuse.
In 2011, authorities in the western Indian state of Maharashtra
charged 15 people with being members of the banned Communist
Party of India (Maoist) - also known as Naxalites. Eleven of them
have been arrested, six of whom are members of Kabir Kala
Manch, a Pune-based cultural group of singers, poets, and artists.
The group, largely consisting of Dalit youth, uses music, poetry,
and street plays to raise awareness about issues such as oppres-
sion of Dalits and tribal groups, social inequality, corruption, and
Hindu-Muslim relations.
The state counterterrorism squad arrested two Kabir Kala
Manch members, Dhavala K. Dhengale and Siddharth Bhosale, in
May 2011. Dhengales lawyers allege he was tortured in police
custody and was forced to make a confession, which he has
retracted. Police also brought cases against four other members of
the cultural group, who subsequently went into hiding.
The authorities accused the six of being members of a terror-
ist organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
1967. If convicted, they face sentences of up to life in prison. They
have also been charged under numerous penal provisions dealing
with extortion, cheating, and forgery.
In January 2013, the High Court in Mumbai granted bail to
Dhengale and Bhosale, noting that the charges filed indicated that
they were sympathetic to the Maoist philosophy but not active
members of the Maoist organization. The court said that drastic
provisions added to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in
2008 required that membership in an illegal organization be inter-
preted in the light of fundamental freedoms such as the rights to
free speech and expression, and thus passive membership was
insufficient for prosecution.
Following the court order, in April and May, the four other mem-
bers of Kabir Kala Manch -Sheetal Sathe, Sachin Mali, Sagar Gorke,
and Ramesh Gaichor - who had been named in the 2011 case,
turned themselves in. All four remain in judicial custody as they
wait for the police to file charges. A lower sessions court in
Mumbai denied bail to Sathe, who is eight months pregnant.
This is not the first time social activists have come under
attack or been arbitrarily arrested on unsubstantiated accusations
of Maoist links, Ganguly said. Wrongful arrests of peaceful
activists only hurt the governments image and provide a fertile
ground for Maoist propaganda.
Dr. Binayak Sen, a physician and human rights activist, was
convicted in December 2010 and sentenced to life in prison for
sedition, for allegedly acting as a courier for a Naxalite leader in jail,
even though he had visited the leader under the supervision of jail
authorities. After his arrest in 2007, Sen was awarded the presti-
gious Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights,
and rights groups and doctors organizations have campaigned for
his release. Sen has appealed against his conviction, and the
Supreme Court in April 2011 ordered his release on bail in the inter-
im saying: We are a democratic country. He may be a sympathiz-
er. That does not make him guilty of sedition.
Human Rights Watch has repeatedly called on the Indian gov-
ernment to revise the definition of terrorism, and ensure that
restrictions on organizations do not violate the rights to freedom of
association and expression under international law. Human Rights
Watch has also urged the repeal of provisions in the Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act, such as those authorizing pre-charge
detention for up to 180 days including 30 days in police custody,
limitations on bail, and presumption of guilt in certain circum-
stances.
Instead of arresting people who are using art to raise their
voices against poor governance and social malaise, the govern-
ment should focus on better safeguards for fundamental free-
doms, Ganguly said. Too often, police, frustrated by their inabili-
ty to stem criminal acts by various armed groups, have misused
the law to arrest critics, social activists, or ideological supporters
of these groups.
Lucknow: Irritated by the Rihai
Manchs indefinite dharna continu-
ing since two months, Uttar
Pradesh government removed the
tent at dharna site late night on
18 July, forcing the protestors to
brave open sun and rains. Human
rights activists have continued their
protest despite heavy rains these
past weeks.
Rihai Manch had started the
dharna on 20 May demanding the
arrest of the officers accused by
Khalid Mujahids family in the FIR
and action on the recommenda-
tions of the RD Nimesh
Commission on which the state government has been sitting since
August last year when it was presented to the state government.
Khalid Mujahid was killed in police custody on 18 May. He was
abducted by U.P. police in Dec. 2007 and later implicated in a ter-
ror case. The RD Nimesh Commission, appointed by the previous
state government of Mayawati, found Mujahid and his co-accused
Tariq Qasmis arrests as fake and illegal.
Addressing the demonstrators under the rain, social activist
Sandeep Pandey said next day that the Samajwadi Party govern-
ment should not be in illusion that by removing the tent they would
force the Rihai Manch from demanding justice for Khalid Mujahid.
It is a battle for justice and people will continue to fight until last
breath even if the government resorts to lathi or gun, said Pandey.
According to Rihai Manch, two days earlier, local police had
told them that they would not allow them to continue the dharna as
they were making communal speeches and accusing top police
officers for the custodial killing of Khalid Mujahid.
Meanwhile, Rihai Manch has started to hold mass Maghrib
prayer and dua at the dharna site from 21 July when the agitation
completed 60 days.
UP Govt. removes tent, Rihai Manch dharna continues
CPIM Gen. Sec. Prakash Karat speaking at the dharna on 15 July; to his left is Adv. Md Shoaib
4 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
The Central government is considering a propos-
al of giving compensation to Muslim youths
falsely implicated and jailed on terrorism charges
but subsequently freed by courts after being
found innocent. Though this step of the govern-
ment is perfectly justified, there is every possibil-
ity that opposition, particularly communal par-
ties, will blame government for appeasement of
Muslims in view of the next years general elec-
tions.
According to a senior officer of the ministry
of minorities affairs, during the past few years
many Muslim youths were falsely implicated by
security and investigating agencies in acts of ter-
rorism because of their biased attitude but were
subsequently freed by courts which strongly took
these agencies to task. He said that life and
career of these youths were destroyed and there
is no alternative arrangement for their rehabilita-
tion and earning their and their familys liveli-
hood. Under such circumstances, it is the gov-
ernments responsibility to help and rehabilitate
them.
In this connection, Union minority affairs
minister K. Rahman Khan disclosed that his min-
istry has decided to constitute a task force con-
sisting of bureaucrats to review all pending cases
of terrorism. He said that the ministry is also col-
lecting details of Muslim youths who were found
innocent in terror cases and freed by courts. One
of them is Muhammad Aamir Khan who was 18
years old when he was arrested by Delhi police
for being the mastermind of 19 bomb blasts in
Delhi, Rohtak, Sonipat and Ghaziabad between
December 1996 and October 1997. He was freed
from Tihar Jail after a long period of 14 years.
After acquitting him in one case after the other,
the judge had stated that even if the suspicion is
quite logical and strong, it cannot be a proof.
Similarly many innocent Muslim youths were
falsely implicated in cases of terrorism in UP,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, J&K, Hyderabad
and Maharashtra who were subsequently freed
by courts which found them innocent. Khan also
referred to the bomb blast in Malegaon mosque
in September 2006. Last year Chairman of
National Minorities Commission Wajahat
Habibullah had complained to the prime minister
against Muslim youths being falsely implicated in
terror cases and had demanded the trial of the
guilty police officers. The prime minister had
promised to consider the matter.
Different sections and organisations have
appreciated the intention of the government to set
up a task force. President of Jamia Teachers
Solidarity Association Manisha Sethi welcomed
the idea of government of giving compensation to
youths who were falsely implicated but subse-
quently freed after being found innocent.
(N. A. Ansari)
Government considering giving
compensations to Muslims found innocent
Banks Caught
Red Handed!
The RBI imposed fines totalling 49.5 crore
rupees on 22 private and public sector
banks including SBI, PNB and Yes Bank for
violating KYC (Know Your Customer) and
anti-money laundering norms. It all started
after the editor of the online magazine
Cobrapost.com, Aniruddha Bahal, exposed
on camera how 20 banks across the coun-
try were offering to launder money.
Over the years there are incidents
across many countries where banks have
been found to violate banking norms and
regulations. After the wake of the LIBOR
scandal in U.K., Changing Banking for
Good commission was established in July
2012 to perform an inquiry into professional
standards and culture in the U.K. banking
sector.
The Cobrapost expose purpor tedly
showed officials of the countrys top banks
offering services which violated the existing
money laundering and know your customer
norms. Following this, RBI imposed fines
totalling 49.5 crore rupees on 22 private and
public sector banks including SBI, PNB and
Yes Bank and many others on the list.
The banks had supposedly offered to
accept black money and turn into white
money by investing into insurance products
and other banking services. The fightbacks
and strong denial of the banks made the
issue spicier than it could ever get.
These anecdotes present that the unlaw-
ful use of branches to mis-sell financial
products for many years have been deeply
rooted. The sting just unveiled the muck that
lies profoundly within the ancestry of the
banking sector and went far beyond in a sys-
temic way across the industry.
UK Story: The British Government launched
the Parliamentary Commission on Banking
Standards named Changing Banking for
Good. The action was followed by the
LIBOR scandal expose in UK.
The Libor scandal was a series of fraudulent
actions connected to the Libor (London
Interbank Offered Rate) and also the result-
ing investigation and reaction. The scandal
arose when it was discovered that banks
were falsely inflating or deflating their rates
so as to profit from trades. Libor underpins
approximately $350 trillion in derivatives.
The commission came up with recommen-
dations that top banking officials should be
held responsible for their actions and strict
actions must be taken. The report highlight-
ed that many top officials tend to think that
they will not be punished as working in an
environment with insufficient personal
responsibility would not make any differ-
ence.
U.S. Story: Elizabeth Warren, the senior
United States Senator from Massachusetts
made financial consumer protection her key
election issue and launched the 21st
Century Glass-Steagall Act of 2013 by join-
ing hands with Republican John McCain,
Cantwell, and King. The bill was introduced
with a motive to reduce risks to the financial
system by limiting banks accessibility to
perform certain risky activities like invest-
ment banking etc. The objective of the act
was breaking down the too-big-to-fail
banks by cutting off the dull operations of the
banking system from the riskier functions of
investment banking, private equity and
hedge funds. The bill gave five years time
period to the financial institutions to trans-
form their operations. The banks were
unhappy with the fact that the big push back
by the powerful banking lobby had already
started.
There have been similar tales from all across
the globe. Banks and financial institutions
will not hesitate to use tricks in their books
to debate attempts that tries to make them
behave more dutifully and to get senior man-
agement to take accountability. (Siliconindia
base on story by Monika Halan, Mint Money)
Ishrats cold
blooded murder:
crowning glory
A. G. KHAN
More and more skeletons are tumbling out of the Gujarat police crime branch
cupboard. With the formal filing of chargesheet in the Ishrat fake encounter
case, the CBI has accused eight police officers of criminal conspiracy of
abduction, illegal detention, murder, disobeying law and forging documents.
The 1500-page chargesheet records the statements of 179 witnesses.
GL Singhal, who took part in the encounter, had conducted a sting opera-
tion. He had recorded the conversation during a meeting of officials, legal
advisors and others. This will prove to be an important piece of evidence
The CBI believes that Zeeshan was brought to Ahmedabad by Rajinder
Kumars aides, Owais and Asad, and kept at Gota on April 25 while Rana
was kept at Arham farm and brought to the scene of crime blind-folded.
Ishrats crime in the episode was that she had seen Ranas abduction,
hence it was necessary to eliminate her too. CBI narrates her story as fol-
lows:
11 June: Ishrat accompanies Javed on a visit to Ahmedabad. Javed had
received a call from Rana.
12 June: Blue Indica car intercepted near Vasad, 75 kms from
Ahmedbad, by NK Amin and Tarun Barot of crime branch and Rajiv
Vankhede and M. K Sinha of IB. Barot informs Vanzara about Ishrat who
tells him to bring her along.
12 Jue: P P Pande and Rajinder Kumar interrogate them.
14 June: Ishrat and Javed are taken to a spot where Amjad Rana and
Zeeshan Johar were also brought. Late in the night they are all sedated
and driven to Kotarpur in the Indica.
15 June: 3.30 a.m, they are asked to stand near a road divider and shot
by cops. Weapons collected from SIB are planted on the dead bodies of
the victims.
The chargesheet claims that the FIR was written by Vanzara prior to the
killings and certain spaces were left blank to be filled in later. Pandey was
also present there. Pandey, Vanzara and Kumar had hatched the conspiracy
on 14 June.
Eight senior officers are among the accused in four encounter cases
declared fake. Vanzara remains the common name in all -- he is the
encounter specialist.
GL Singhal got bail as the CBI could not file the chargesheet in the stip-
ulated period of 90 days, so did four others. Pandey is absconding while the
other accused are in jail on various charges including fake encounters of
Sohrabuddin, Tulsiram Prajapati and Sadiq Jamal.
Ahmedabad Metropolitan Magistrate S P Tamang was the first to pro-
nounce the encounter fake as early as September 2009. This led to the con-
stitution of Special Investigation Teams (SITs) on the specific instructions of
the Supreme Court. When Raghavan declined to head the SIT, Satish Verma
was inducted.
Rajinder Kumar, a 1979 batch officer of Manipur-Tripura cadre, provided
the false inputs. He was interrogated twice by the CBI in which he refused to
talk saying he does not remember the details. No further interrogation of
Rajinder Kumar could take place because the Union home ministry came to
his rescue. He may be interrogated when he retires on 31 July.
The CBI intends to include Rajinder Kumar and three other officers in a
supplementary chargesheet after the completion of Sadiq Jamals investiga-
tion next month. CBI maintains that Kumar went beyond generating inputs
and actively participated in the conspiracy. He was instrumental in arranging
weapons for planting on the slain persons.
In the beginning, IB comrades were confident that Kumar had nothing to
worry. The farewell dinner ended with much optimism. However, later devel-
opments stunned them and CBIs stubborn stance annoyed them too much.
Director Intelligence Bureau personally ran from pillar to post to shield
Rajinder Kumar in the name of safeguarding the morale of his people and the
honour of the 150-year old institution. CBI is confident that it can chase him
after his retirement on 31 July.
IB has placed the 2003 report under classified category which cannot be
shared with the accused. The court has asked IB to reconsider its decision.
The matter is being considered in the context of Sadiq Jamals encounter
case too which is also under investigation. Sadiqs brother had demanded a
probe investigating roles of Modi and Shah. I H Syed, advocate of Shabbir
Jamal, urged the court not to pass a verdict till a supplementary chargesheet
is filed. Conceding to Syeds request, the CBI magistrate V K Vyas fixed 6
August as the next date of hearing.
As expected, the report filed by the CBI has created a kurukshetra
between the Congress and the BJP which alleges the report to be politically
motivated. While the Congress wants the world to see the real face of Modi,
the P M aspirant, which he has been very successfully trying to hide behind
the development mask.
What is worth considering is the fact that the three persons shot along
with Ishrat might have had a criminal past. However, there has been no evi-
dence that they had come to Gujart to kill Modi or Togadia. This false input
was fed by the special director of I B in Gujarat to brighten the political image
of the two leaders and create a cry-wolf wave for political gains. While BJP
had no qualms in being the beneficiary of the false propaganda at the time,
it now accuses Congress of politicising the issue when it has boomeranged
on it, with the plea that this would demoralise security forces. Congress, on
the hand, is not buying the the LeT angle.
While Congress is optimist about the political fallout; BJP too is hopeful
that polarisation of votes will ultimately benefit the saffron brigade because
this will ensure that fence-sitters will jump into the BJP camp. Modis real
face which the Congress General Secretary, Madhusudan Mistry, wants to
expose may ensure him crowning glory instead.
It is worthwhile to take cognisance of an observation made by
R B Sreekumar, Gujarat DGP (retd), who reminds us that after Vanzaras
arrest, LeT terrorists stopped visiting Gujarat (Gujarat Today, 26 June, 2013)!
The CBI chargesheet establishes one concrete fact, that Ishrat was not
a terrorist. This brings immense relief and consolation to Shamima Kausar,
the deceased girls mother, and her other daughter who want the culprits to
be punished.
The David Headley Lies
Since the CBI filed its chargesheet,
clearly stating that its investigations
were uncovering a sordid plot involv-
ing high level officers in the IB and the
Gujarat Crime Branch who abducted
the college student Ishrat Jahan along
with her employer...there has been
deluge of stories flogging old, tired
and condemned angles in order to
revive the chances for the safe exit of
some senior officers in the IB...Forget
about the fact that the NIA Interrogation report did not include these
claims...the NIA had already dismissed these reports as baseless.
1) David Headley came to India first in 2006, two years after Ishrat had been
killed, and after her mother had moved the courts for an enquiry into the
fake encounter; 2) The so-called missing paragraph quotes Headley saying
that Lakhvi introduced him to Muzzamil in 2005 and told him that amongst
his many botched up operations was the Ishrat Jahan module. However,
elsewhere in the NIA report (the one that is available in the public domain,
not the secret, non existent one, leaked to journalists by IB) Headley says
that he knew Muzzamil from 2002 onwards; 3) How did the IB officers have
access to Headleys testimony to NIA recorded in 2010 to be used in an
operation in 2004?; 4) Further, some newspapers have even quoted
Headleys statement to FBI as quoted by IB, which refers Ishrat being
recruited as a potential bomber. Does IB have a special hotline with the FBI?
Most recently, just days ago in fact, US has turned down the possibility of
further interrogation of Headley by Indian investigators. The former Home
Minister, P. Chidambaram, had earlier rued that there was little cooperation
from the US agencies on Headley.
Time is running out for the guilty. And they know it well. Therefore, these
desperate measures to plant stories, which would, if nothing else, malign
Ishrats reputation. They hope that these manufactured stories would have
the effect of creating a counter opinion and ultimately vitiating the investiga-
tion. Just as those fake tapes of conversations, which were first aired and
then quietly buried because the High Court threw them out, these revelations
will too meet the same fate. It is for the media houses and journalists to
decide if they wish to be on the side of truth or if they want to become con-
duits for those wanting to silence the truth. (Justice for Ishrat Campaign,
6 July 2013)
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 5 www.milligazette.com
N. A. ANSARI
New Delhi: First it was in Meerut, followed by
Deoband, Baghpat, Panipat and Tonk, all within a
week. In Meeruts Lal Kurti Thana area a
mosque and temple are situated near each other.
On the eve of Ramadan, on 10 July, Traveeh
namaz was held in the mosque. Because of large
number of namazis and shortage of space in the
mosque, people began to spill over on the road
and gradually the number of namazis reached
the temple wall. When this news spread, some
BJP leaders reached the place and warned that if
next day also namaz was offered on the road and
near the temple, they would start ringing the
temple bells and hold bhandara in the temple for
which police would be responsible. They also
had a heated argument with the police. However,
in view of the tense situation, Traveeh namaz
was offered under police protection. There was a
scuffle between some BJP members and police.
Muslims also decided that from now onwards
Traveeh namaz will be offered in the nearby
graveyard and not on the road. In this way an
explosive situation was contained.
In Deoband, on the same day (10 July), riots
broke out not because of namaz but because of
a minor road accident. According to area
S P Anees Ahmad Ansari, one Arun of a neigh-
bouring village had come to Deoband market on
his motorcycle. His vehicle hit a lady of another
community. Seeing this some people who were
present on the scene thrashed him after an argu-
ment. Arun informed his people about this inci-
dent on his mobile phone. Shortly thereafter a
large number of people of his community, armed
with lathis etc, reached the place and started
attacking shops and mobile carts selling fruits
etc which belonged to Muslims. In this clash at
least six people were injured and at least a dozen
were taken into custody. Subsequently the com-
munal tiff took a serious turn and many shops
and vehicles etc belonging to Muslims were set
on fire. Police, as usual, played a passive role
which encouraged the rioters. The condition
became so bad that any Muslim, man or
women, whom the rioters came across was
beaten and ladies harassed. The situated was
controlled only when top police officers and
administration people arrived at the troubled spot
and police force from neighbouring areas was
summoned and posted in a number of areas of
the town. The injured persons were admitted to
government hospital and the condition of one
person, identified as Muhammad Reyaz, was
serious. He was later referred to a bigger hospi-
tal.
Muslim leaders including Maulana
Mahmood Madni of Jamiatul Ulama, Maulana
Haseeb Siddiqi of the All India Milli and
Economic Council and others strongly con-
demned the riots in the very beginning of the
holy month of Ramadan. They got in touch with
the state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and urged
him to sternly direct officials to take strong
measures to maintain law and order not only in
Deoband but in the whole state. Interestingly
people of both communities filed complaints
against each other and also against about four
dozen named persons. In spite of police patrol
and vigilance, tension continued for three days
and many shops in different localities remained
closed.
In Tonk Cantt. area of Rajasthan, while
Tarawih namaz was being performed in a
mosque, a marriage party happened to pass by
along with music bands playing at high pitch.
When Muslims asked the marriage procession-
ists to lower the volume of music, instead of
complying with their request they picked up a
quarrel with them and thrashed them. With the
intervention of senior people and police officials,
an uneasy peace was maintained but at certain
places clashes took place. Next day (Friday,
12 July) a large contingent of STF jawans was
posted around a big mosque in the town.
According to Muslims, after the end of Friday
namaz, without any reason or provocation,
police entered the mosque with their shoes on
and mercilessly beat up namazis and desecrated
the mosque. Police argue that people inside the
mosque resorted to stone-pelting because of
which police had to enter the mosque but local
Jamiatul Ulama leaders described the police ver-
sion as totally false. In this violence inside the
mosque, one person, identified as Nasir, died
and dozens of persons were injured. Some
Muslims described the police action inside the
mosque as reminiscent of Gopalgarh incident in
2011 and for a second time police entered a
mosque, desecrated it and resorted to murder-
ous attack inside the mosque. The district mag-
istrate imposed section 144. Both parties lodged
complaints against each other in which more
than a hundred persons were named. Muslims
complained that instead of protecting Muslims,
police helped the rioters who stoned the mosque
and people inside it and when Muslims retaliated
by stoning the rioters, police entered the
mosque, fired teargas shells, resorted to merci-
less lathi-charge in which at least 70 persons
were injured, many of them seriously. According
to some people, police beat up people in the
mosque so mercilessly that blood stains were
seen at many places in the mosque. The
deceased person, Nasir, was laid to rest on
13 July. The state government offered Rs 6 lakh
as compensation to his family members and a
government job to a member of his family.
Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) said that
so far 18 communal riots have taken place in
Rajasthan.
In Bahrampur village of Panipat (Haryana),
the Imam of the mosque was mercilessly
attacked by some mischievous persons on the
pretext of using a loud-speaker for giving the call
for prayer (Azaan) and announcement of Sehri,
Iftar etc. On 14 July, while the Imam (Hafiz Sajid)
was sitting in his room in the mosque, some
Hindu Gujjar youth barged in, abused him,
attacked him with sharp-edged weapons
because of which he fell unconscious for a long
time. He was first taken to a Panipat hospital and
thereafter to a Rohtak hospital for treatment. In
Bahrampur village, there are only 25-30 houses
of Muslims. After this attack, Muslims are
scared, fearing that they also may be attacked.
Panipat police superintendent has assured
Muslims that the attackers will be arrested soon.
In Baghpat (UP), some people from the
Tablighi Jamaat were harassed and beaten up in
the Hardwar local train. Days later, on 14 July, it
took a serious turn. Muslims of neighbouring
areas reached GRP Barot police station and
while strongly protesting against the attack on
the people of Tablighi Jamaat, demanded the
arrest of the guilty persons. Seeing their mood,
police arrested three persons and after register-
ing cases against them jailed them.
Subsequently, in order to protect them, police
described them as minors because of the
pressure of their supporters who had come to
the police station in their support. Supporters of
Tablighi Jamaat people, however, while con-
demning the behaviour of the mischievous per-
sons who harassed the innocent people of
Tablighi Jamaat urged the police to ensure that a
handful of mischievous people should not be
allowed to vitiate the communal and peaceful
atmosphere any where.
Series of communal riots within a week in Ramadan
Muslims in Tonk complained that instead of protecting Muslims, police
helped the rioters who stoned the mosque and people inside it and
when Muslims retaliated by stoning the rioters, police entered the
mosque, fired teargas shells, resorted to merciless lathi-charge in
which at least 70 persons were injured, many of them seriously.
According to some people, police beat up people in the mosque so
mercilessly that blood stains were seen at many places in the mosque.
ASHISH KHETAN
The sharp political reactions to Congress leader
Shakeel Ahmeds tweet are yet another proof of our
incapacity to have a soul-searching debate on the
subject of religious extremism and its offshoot, ter-
rorism. What is it that is so deeply rotten in our
social fabric that is driving so many of our youth
onto the path of wanton violence? Who was behind
the bombs that were designed to kill only the
Hindus - in Varanasi temples, in Jaipur market-
places, in the streets of Ahmedabad and on the
local trains in Mumbai? Who wanted to kill the
Muslims in Malegaon, in Mecca Masjid and on the
Samjahuta Express? What were these bombers
trying to achieve? What was their motivation? Are
these attacks just ordinary criminal acts that need
to be dealt within the realm of mere legalities?
We as a people like to deal in platitudes. A
terrorist has no religion. Terrorists are nothing
but criminals. All acts of terrorism are against
humanity. These are the standard explanations
we have been dealing in all along.
Its comforting for the Muslims to hear their
community leaders tell them that Atif Ameen
was innocent, that Indian Mujahideen is a cre-
ation of the IB. Its reassuring when their leaders
place the blame for every malaise afflicting the
Indian Muslims to a source outside their com-
munity. Its comforting for a majority of the
Hindus when their leaders tell them that no Hindu
could ever be a terrorist, that Sadhvi Pragya and
Asimanand are victims of minority appeasement
politics, that the RSS members arrested for
making and planting bombs are being persecut-
ed because of their religious ideology. Its com-
forting for most of us when after every terror
strike our politicians accuse Pakistan for spon-
soring carnage in our country.
If great nations are forged on the idea of
truth and justice, then its time to ask: are we a
great nation? Shakeel Ahmeds tweet may be
clumsily and inadequately worded but its not far
from the truth. One of the prime reasons behind
the coming together of a few extremely radical-
ized and alienated Muslim youth to form the
Indian Mujahideen was the Gujarat carnage. It
reinforced their own radical ideology and helped
them in recruiting other impressionable Muslims
for the cause of jihad.
It will be illuminating for both the Hindu and
Muslim communities to know what the arrested
Indian Mujahideen suspects have told their inter-
rogators about their motivations. It will be
enlightening for the Muslim community leaders
to know what these accused have to say about
Atif Ameen and his accomplices. What they have
revealed about the conspiracy behind a string of
blasts carried out between 2003 and 2008.
About the plot behind planting bombs in temples,
designed to go off at the time of aarti, bombs
that were made to kill innocent Gujaratis in
Mumbai local trains and in Zaveri Bazaar, about
bombs that were planted on Tuesday, an auspi-
cious day for many temple worshippers, Bombs
that were designed to go off during the time of
Friday namaaz so Muslims get killed.
It will be illuminating for the Hindu nationalists
to know what arrested RSS workers have said
about the conspiracy behind the blasts of Mecca
Masjid, Malegaon, Ajmer and Samjhauta Express.
It will be illuminating for the Hindus to know why
only followers of RSS and radical Hindutva groups
like Abhinav Bharat decided to bomb mosques and
Muslim neighbourhoods. It will be illuminating to
know the full truth of Gujarat 2002.
The quest for truth and justice cannot be left
to the police and the courts alone. It has to start
with each of us.
Shakeel Ahmed shouldnt backtrack as he
seems to be doing in the wake of all-round con-
demnation. He should instead say the following:
Acts of terrorism have no place in any civilized
society. Its against humanity, its against the
tenets of Islam and Hinduism. Religious extrem-
ism-whether of the majority community or of
minority-is against the idea of India. Both the
politics of Hindutava and the doctrine of militant
Islam militate against the founding values of our
nation. We chose to be a secular republic. We
chose to give equal rights and equal justice to
our minorities. While its true that there are ele-
ments in Pakistan who have been sponsoring
and funding terrorism in our country, its also
true that they have been finding willing allies in
a handful of Muslim youth of this country. While
it's true that riots had occurred before 2002 as
well, the Gujarat riots are a festering wound for
many of our fellow Indians. Its the organized
nature of the killings, the tacit state support and
the complete subversion of justice system that
sets the 2002 riots apart. Many of the Indian
Mujahideen suspects took to terrorism to avenge
the Gujarat killings. They targeted temples and
Hindu neighbourhoods. In retaliation, some RSS
workers decided to bomb mosques and kill inno-
cent Muslims. The police instead of finding the
real culprits, went after innocent followers of
SIMI and Ahle Hadith. Scores of innocent
Muslims were wrongly implicated in blast cases.
Many are still facing farcical trials. The preju-
diced and unjust state action is an attempt to
discredit and malign the whole community caus-
ing further alienation and resentment. We need
to break this vicious cycle of religious violence,
communal hatred and injustice. We need no
less than a truth and reconciliation commission.
Those who have blood on their hands need to
face the full might of justice. But lets also try
and eradicate the root causes of all religious vio-
lence. Lets work towards restoring the faith in
our democracy, in our criminal justice system
and in our capacity to dispense justice for all.
(gulail.com)
New Delhi: Congress general secretary Shakeel
Ahmeds tweet that the 2002 Gujarat riots led
to the formation of terror outfit Indian
Mujahideen (IM) seems to have backfired.
Muslim leaders said such an irresponsible
remark, made with an eye on the 2014 Lok
Sabha polls, would harm rather than help the
community.
Community leaders demanded the
Congress and the BJP stop the one-upmanship
to woo Muslims. This wont help any party in
getting votes. People can see through such
ploys, said Niaz Ahmed Farooqui, secretary,
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, the largest body of Sunni
clerics in India, adding, Political parties would
do well to remember that corruption and devel-
opment are the two main issues people are
concerned with.
Community leaders held the Congress and
the UPA government responsible when Muslims
were targeted after every blast.
All India Muslim Personal Law Board work-
ing committee member Dr S Q R Ilyas came out
strongly against Ahmeds assertion. If he
(Shakeel Ahmed) is trying to say Muslims
reacted to 2002 riots through terrorism, I refute
his claim. IM is a fabrication of the Intelligence
Bureau. In the name of terrorism, the UPA gov-
ernment and the NDA before them are targeting
a community and playing with our countrys
security, he said.
A responsible leader like Shakeel Ahmed
shouldnt have said this. Its become a global
phenomenon to link Muslims to terrorists, said
Maulana Yasoob Abbas, spokesperson of the
All India Shia Personal Law Board.
Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, president of the
All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat
(AIMMM), an umbrella body of Muslim
organizations, stressed the Muslims have
nothing to do with the IM. Its an outfit float-
ed either by the IB or Pakistans ISI. The NIA
chargesheet (to which Ahmed referred while
making his IM claim) is vague and uncon-
vincing, said Khan.
Muslim leaders demanded the Congress
and the UPA government come clean on this.
While Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan of the AIMMM
demanded the government come out with a
white paper on the IM, Maulana Yasoob Abbas
wondered why probe into any of the blasts have
reached no conclusion.
Sharique Ansar, national secretary of the
Students Islamic Organisation of India, said,
Whenever there is a blast, IM is named as the
perpetrator. But the continuous chain of blasts
proves the mastermind is still at large. Why?
Instead, innocent youth are being framed and
their lives destroyed. (Rakhi Chakrabarty,
Times of India, 23 Jul, 2013)
We need to talk about IM
Muslim leaders slam Shakeel Ahmeds
irresponsible remark
RAM PUNIYANI
ram.puniyani@gmail.com
The debate around Hindu
Nationalism and Indian
Nationalism is not a new
one. During colonial period,
when the rising freedom
movement was articulating
the concept and values of
Indian nationalism, a section
of Hindus, keeping aloof from the freedom
movement asser ted the concept of Hindu
Nationalism. The debate has resurfaced again
due to the one who is trying to project himself as
the Prime-Ministerial candidate of BJP-NDA,
Narendra Modi. In an interview recently last
month, Modi said very simply that he was born
a Hindu, he is a nationalist, so he is a Hindu
Nationalist! His party President Rajnath Singh
also buttressed the point and took it further to
say that Muslims are Muslim nationalists,
Christians are Christian Nationalists. So one has
a variety of nationalisms to choose from!
Modis putting 2+2 together and claiming to
be a Nationalist and a Hindu and so a Hindu
nationalist is like putting the wool in others
eyes. Hindu nationalism is a politics and a cate-
gory with a specific meaning and agenda. This is
the part of the ideology and practice of Modis
parent organizations, RSS-BJP. During the colo-
nial period the rising classes of industrialists,
businessmen, workers and educated people
came together and formed different organiza-
tions, Madras Mahajan Sabha, Pune Sarvajanik
Sabha, Bombay Association etc.. These organi-
zations felt the need for an over-arching political
organization so they went on to form the Indian
National Congress in 1885. The declining sec-
tions of society, Muslim and Hindu landlords,
rajas and nawabs too decided to come together
to oppose the all-inclusive politics of Congress,
which in due course became the major vehicle
of the values of the freedom movement. These
declining sections were feeling threatened due to
the social changes. To hide their social decline
they projected as if their religion is in danger.
They also did not like the standing up to the colo-
nial masters by Congress, which had started
putting forward the demands for different rising
social groups and thereby for India. Congress
saw this country as India is a Nation in the
making.
As per declining sections of landlords and
rulers of princely states, standing up instead of
bowing in front of the ruler is against the teach-
ings of our religion. So what was needed
according to them was to promote loyalty to the
British. They, Hindu and Muslim feudal elements,
came together and formed United India Patriotic
Association in 1888. The lead was taken by
Nawab of Dhaka and Raja of Kashi. Later, due to
British machinations, the Muslim elite separated
from this association and formed the Muslim
League in 1906, while in parallel the Hindu elite
first formed Punjab Hindu Sabha in 1909 and
then Hindu Mahasabha in 1915. These commu-
nal formations argued for separate Muslim
Nationalism and Hindu nationalism. Hindu
nationalists also developed the political ideology
of Hindutva, articulated particularly by Savarkar
in 1923 in his book Hindutva or Who is a
Hindu? This was a welcome situation for the
British as such groups would weaken the rising
national movement. On one side they quietly
supported the Muslim League and parallel to this
they handled Hindu Mahasabha with velvet
gloves.
Taking a cue from the ideology of Hindutva,
RSS came up in 1925 with the path of Hindu
Nationalism and goal of Hindu Nation as its
creed. The values of the rising classes embodied
in the persona of Bhagat Singh, Ambedkar,
Gandhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and many
others mainly revolved around Indian
Nationalism, built around the principles of
Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. The ideology of
Muslim League selectively drew from some
Muslim traditions to assert the caste and gender
hierarchy of a feudal society. While Hindu
Mahasabha and RSS had tomes like
Manusmriti to talk about similar graded hierar-
chies of caste and gender. Muslim and Hindu
communalists were not part of the freedom
movement as the freedom movement was all-
inclusive and aimed at secular democratic val-
ues. Muslim and Hindu communalists drew from
glories of respective kings of the past and kept
aloof from the anti-British struggle. Some excep-
tions are always there which show that some
sections of the feudal class too participated in
the freedom struggle.
Gandhis attempt to draw the masses into
the anti-British struggle was the major point due
to which the Constitutionalists like Jinnah, tradi-
tionalists of Muslim League and Hindu
Mahasabha further drifted away and consolidat-
ed themselves under communal banners after
1920s.
The trajectory of Hindu Nationalism from the
decade of 1920 becomes very clear, to be on the
side of the British to oppose the Muslim
Nationalists. Same applies to the Muslim
League, as it regarded Congress as a Hindu
party. The freedom of the country and the tragic
partition led to Muslim Leaguers going to
Pakistan while leaving sufficient backlog to sus-
tain Muslim communalism here. Hindu
Nationalists in the form of Hindu Mahasabha and
RSS gradually started asserting themselves,
beginning with the murder of Mahatma Gandhi,
who surely was amongst the best of the Hindus
of that century and probably of many a centuries
put together. Hindu Nationalists first formed the
Jan Sangh and later the present BJP.
The major issue taken up by these national-
ists was opposition to cooperative farming, pub-
lic sector and demand for the Indianization of
Muslims.
The identity related issues have been the
staple diet for religious nationalist tendencies.
Issues like Cow as our mother, Ram Temple,
Ram Setu, Abolition of article 370 and uniform
civil code have been the foundation around
which emotive hysterical movements were built.
While they keep bringing to our notice as to
under whose rule more riots have taken place,
one forgets that the root of communal violence
lies in the Hate-the-other ideology spread by
communal streams. And most of the communal
violence led to coming to power of communal
party. Its major offshoot is polarization of com-
munities along religious lines. Modis claim that
democracy leads to polarization is misplaced
and wrong as in democratic politics the polariza-
tion is along social and political issues, like
Republican-Democrat in America. Polarization
around social policies-political issues is part of
the process of democracy. The polarization
brought about by the politics of Hindu national-
ism or Muslim nationalism is around the identity
of religions. This is not comparable to the
processes in US or UK. The polarization along
religious lines is against the spirit of democracy,
against the Indian Constitution. The major pillar
of democracy is Fraternity, cutting across identi-
ties of religion, caste and region.
Modi, himself a dedicated RSS swayamse-
vak, has been steeped in the ideology of Hindu
nationalism. He glosses over the fact that the
large masses of Indian people never called and
do not call themselves Hindu nationalists.
Gandhi was not a Hindu nationalist despite being
a Hindu in the moral and social sense. Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad was not a Muslim nationalist
despite being a devout Muslim, being a Muslim
scholar of highest calibre. During the freedom
movement also most of the people of all reli-
gions identified with Indian Nationalism and not
with religious nationalism as being projected by
Modi and company. Even today, people of differ-
ent religions identify with Indian nationalism and
not with religious nationalism on the lines of
Modi and his ilk.
Hindu nationalism will require a Ram
Temple; Indian nationalism requires schools,
universities and factories for employing the
youth. Hindu nationalism is exclusive and divi-
sive, Indian Nationalism is inclusive, rooted in
the issues of this world, and not the identity-
related ones.
Unfortunately Hindu nationalists have been
raising the pitch around identity issues under-
mining the issues of the poor and the marginal-
ized. The Indian Nationalism, the product of our
freedom movement, is being challenged by the
Hindu nationalism in India, Buddhist Nationalism
in Myanmar and Sri Lanka and is a major threat
to the process of democratization in those coun-
tries. Muslim Nationalism has wrecked havoc in
Pakistan.
This is the dark tunnel of history, where such
invocations of religion in the arena of politics
take a semi-respectful place, as being witnessed
in many parts of the world and more so in India.
One hopes the distinction between religious
nationalism and Indian nationalism will not be
lost focus of!
Hindu nationalism does not subscribe to the
affirmative action, so the term appeasement of
minorities has been floated. For Hindu national-
ists, the proactive supportive action for vulnera-
ble religious minorities is a strict no, while for
democratic nationalism, this is the norm.
One has to see the clever ploy of the Prime
Minister aspirant, to call himself a Hindu nation-
alist. This is one more attempt to indulge in
dividing the Indian society along religious
lines.(pluralindia.com)
Hindu Nationalism versus Indian Nationalism
6 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
While Hindu Mahasabha and RSS had tomes like Manusmriti
to talk about similar graded hierarchies of caste and gender.
Muslim and Hindu communalists were not part of the freedom
movement as the freedom movement was all-inclusive and aimed
at secular democratic values. Muslim and Hindu communalists
drew from glories of respective kings of the past and kept aloof
from the anti-British struggle. Some exceptions are always there
which show that some sections of the feudal class too
participated in the freedom struggle.
Washisngton-based Indian Muslim activist KALEEM
KAWAJA recently had an opportunity to interview
renowned Indian social activist Prof Juzar Bandukwala
and ask him questions on the issue of the extent that the
Hindu society in India is secular.
Kaleem Kawaja: Prof Bandukwala, you are a very learned and dis-
tinguished social activist and fighter for secularism in India. Many
of us wonder as to what extent the Hindu society in India and
Gujarat is secular.
Prof Bandukwala: Janab Kaleem Kawaja is a distinguished writer
. I read his articles. Statistical figures on grave sociological issues
are never possible. It is like drawing lines on water. People change
their thinking, their views and even their prejudices from time to
time. But one angle about India can be stated clearly: Gujarat is
more communalised than other states in India. This confuses
scholars from abroad, because Gujarat was supposed to be the
land of Gandhi and Narsinh Mehta. But Gandhi had little impact on
Gujaratis. Oddly the man who reflected the Gujarati mind best
was Kanhaiyalal Munshi, popularly known as K. M. Munshi . His
work on Somnath, its destruction by Mahmood Ghaznawi and his
dream of rebuilding the same, touched Gujarat deeply. Today
Gujarati communalism is rooted in what happened at Somnath
about one thousand years ago.
In the aftermath of the partition of India and the awful Hindu-
Muslim violence what helped secularism survive in India?
We can never ignore that India is a secular democracy with equal
rights for all citizens, including Muslims. Note that this was
inspite of the horror of partition. This was possible because of
Gandhi and the nature of the freedom struggle. More important,
Gandhis assassination left a deep impact on Hindus all over the
country. The Indian constitution was drafted at that time. Further,
Nehru lived long enough to make secularism a reality.
So what caused the setback in Indias secular society?
But over time old prejudices returned. Kashmir and the wars with
Pakistan revived communalism. The RSS and L. K. Advani
realised the potency of Babri Masjid and used it to the hilt to turn
the clock back. Using religious symbolism, such as worshipping
of Rams slippers, and sending bricks from every village to
Ayodaya, tempers were raised high against Muslims. Yet the
impact was maximum in Gujarat. The RSS used this Ayodaya
movement to rope in all castes firmly within the saffron brigade.
It is no wonder the tragedy of Godhra occured, and again used to
the hilt by Modi for political supremacy.
The flip side is equally noteworthy. The male-female ratio is
frightening. News report daily about women committing suicide
because they could not beget a son. The treatment of Dalits with-
in Hindu society is still very poor. Dalits cannot enter most tem-
ples. Yet using the communal card, the RSS succeeded in turn-
ing them into foot soldiers. Most of the violence in 2002 was
caused by Patels, Tribals, OBC, and Dalits, though the maximum
hatred against Muslims comes from Gujaratis settled in the US.
That is painful. It is strange that those who abandoned India
accuse me of being anti-national, little realising that I gave away
my green card way back in 1972 to return and help my country
and my community.
Why in your opinion Muslims are near the bottom of the socio-
economic and educational ladder in India?
Our leadership should have used the post-partition period to
reform and transform our community. Instead, the focus was on
religious rights, as defined by the ulama. The vision was to pro-
tect poor Muslims from being lured into Hinduism. To give you an
example: the region between Vadodara and Surat had 23 Darul
ulooms, which are the equivalent of a University. Huge funds
flowed to raise posh centres that produced more and more
ulama, who sadly lacked the skills to operate in a modern India.
All they could do was to lead prayers. Most of them had to be
supported by an already poor community.
As against this fact, there was not a single engineering or
medical or even science college in this region. Bohras and Khojas
had financial, managerial and educational resources, but were
tragically cut off from the Muslim mainstream. Even so eminent a
man as Ahsan Jafri was not acceptable to the community as long
as he lived, because his views were not palatable to the ulama.
Note that after 2002 Muslim society has changed sharply and for
the better.
Will Muslim youth of today be able to break the stereotype and
emancipate the community?
There is a sharp rise in boys and girls wanting to go for higher
education. There is a greater trend towards business, influenced
by the fact that it is difficult for Muslims to get jobs outside. Most
Muslims have become politically more mature. Hopefully future
generations will play the political game in a way that we may have
an Obama like figure becoming the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Insha Allah.
Our leadership should have used the post-partition period to reform and transform our community.
Instead, the focus was on religious rights, as defined by the ulama. The vision was to protect poor
Muslims from being lured into Hinduism. To give you an example: the region between Vadodara and
Surat had 23 Darul ulooms, which are the equivalent of a University. Huge funds flowed to raise posh
centres that produced more and more ulama, who sadly lacked the skills to operate in a modern India.
All they could do was to lead prayers. Most of them had to be supported by an already poor
community: Bandukwala
Indias Hindus are secular: Prof Bandukwala
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 7 www.milligazette.com
SYED ZAFAR MAHMOOD
We, the Indian Muslims, are extremely
unhappy with the philosophy and agenda of
the Sangh Parivar and hence will surely not
vote for the BJP in the upcoming elections.
However, this does not lead to the pre-
sumption that we will vote, a third time, for
UPA. In 2004 the UPA came to power with
massive Muslim suppor t. It appointed
Sachar Committee and Mishra Commission
which submitted their reports which were accepted by the UPA
Government. Muslims were happy and they again supported the
UPA in 2009.
Problems of the Muslims have been documented in these two
reports and their solutions have been identified after detailed dis-
cussions in and out of the government. But, during the last four
years the UPA has been ignoring the implementation of major rec-
ommendations given in Sachar and Mishra reports despite sys-
tematic and frequent reminders given by the community and its
well-wishers through media, conferences, presentations, memo-
randa and meetings with the prime minister and ministers.
Now the UPA has its last window of opportunity, July to
December 2013, to pick up the threads, issue orders, give these
in the hands of Muslims and their well-wishers and get these
implemented at the ground level through intense follow up.
For UPAs ready recapitulation following are the actions that it
must take right now. Each of these actions have been pending for
several years. After every item, in brackets, the ministry which
has to take the action is mentioned. Muslims will take into account
the UPAs commissions & omissions at the hustings:
1. Create time-bound fast track courts to try terror allegations.
(Ministries of Law and Home)
2. Provide compensation of Rs 50 lakh to each person who is
judicially acquitted of terror allegations. Such amount elsewhere in
the civilized world is much higher. (Home Ministry)
3. Make Scheduled Caste definition religion-neutral. Amend
1950 Presidential Order through a simple parliamentary resolu-
tion. (Ministry of Law) or similar order by the President.
4. De-reserve constituencies with substantial Muslim population
as recommended by the Sachar Committee. Immediately appoint
the next Delimitation Commission with clear time-bound mandate
to remove these anomalies. (Ministry of Law)
5. Evolve procedure to nominate Muslims in public positions of
power. Mind you, post Sachar, Muslim representation in govern-
ment has come further down. (Sachar Committee Report: Cabinet
Secretariat & Ministry of Minority Affairs)
6. Earmark 67% for Muslims out of the Reservation to be made
for all minorities, as Muslims constitute 73% of all minorities.
(Mishra Commission: Ministry of Law)
7. Create Special Component Plan in the Budget for Muslims for
skill development programmes and other economic opportunities.
(Promises to Keep by Harsh Mandar & others: Planning
Commission & Ministry of Finance)
8. For the PMs 15 Point Programme for Minorities, enhance the
outlay to 19% of total plan allocation. (Promises to Keep by
Harsh Mandar & others: Planning Commission & Ministry of
Finance)
9. Make the village (in rural area) and ward (in urban area) [and
not the district or block] as units of planning for infrastructure
schemes (including Multi-sectoral Development Plan) and their
implementation. (Promises to Keep by Harsh Mandar & others:
Planning Commission & Ministry of Finance)
10. For special recruitment of 1400 additional IPS officers, scrap
the Limited Competitive Examination (LCE) as it preempts Muslim
intake. (Ministries of Personnel & Home)
11. Establish Indian Waqf Service on the pattern of several states
where senior officers are directly recruited, by state law, to man-
age Hindu temples & endowments. (Sachar Report: Ministries of
Personnel & Minority Affairs)
12. (a) In the Waqf Bill 2013, incorporate all the recommendations
of Sachar Committee + Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqfs.
(Sachar Committee Report & JPC on Waqfs: Ministry of Minority
Affairs) (b) Act on the then PM Indira Gandhis letter no. 71-
PMO/76 dated March 26, 1976 addressed to the chief ministers -
reproduced on page 223 of Sachar Committee Report. Vacate
Waqf properties occupied by governments in the Centre and
states and restore these to the state waqf boards. (Sachar
Committee Report & JPC on Waqfs: PMO, Ministry of Minority
Affairs, chief ministers)
13. Publicize Madrasa Scheme (SPQEM) in Urdu & other lan-
guages. Rs 50 lakh granted to the HRD Ministry every year for
such publicity has not been utilized. (HRD Ministry)
14. Establish equivalence between Madarsa and other education.
(Sachar Committee Report: Ministry of HRD, National Institute of
Open Schooling and University Grants Commission]
15. Give option for interest-free finance in the banking sector.
Implement the recommendations of the Planning Commissions
Raghuram Rajan Committee on financial sector reforms.
(Planning Commission)
16. Central Urdu Teachers Scheme: Follow up and get resolved its
non-implementation in most of the states. (Ministry of HRD)
17. Establish Equal Opportunity Commission. Modalities were
finalized by the Expert Committee four years ago. (Sachar
Committee Report: Ministry of Minority Affairs)
18. Institute the Schemes for Incentives based on Diversity Index.
Modalities were finalized by Expert Committee four years ago.
(Sachar Committee Report: Ministry of Minority Affairs)
19. Involve Muslim beneficiary groups in the planning & oversight
of the schemes & projects aimed at their welfare. (Cabinet
Secretariat & Ministry of Minority Affairs)
20. Concentrate on benefiting the whole Muslim community, not
only a few individuals.
Detailed documentation on these issues, often obtained under
Right to Information Act, is available with the Zakat Foundation of
India.
If the current UPA Government continues its mere lip-service pol-
icy towards Muslims even during its last six months, we need not
vote for it a third time. Instead, we should begin putting our heads
together for a non-UPA and non-BJP alternative.
A PowerPoint Presentation on this article can be seen at
www.syedzafarmahmood.in
20 ACTIONS EXPECTED BY MUSLIMS
UPAs last window of opportunity
Now the UPA has its last window of opportunity, July to December 2013, to pick up the threads,
issue orders, give these in the hands of Muslims and their well-wishers and get these
implemented at the ground level through intense follow up.
If the current UPA Government continues its mere lip-service policy towards Muslims even
during its last six months, we need not vote for it a third time. Instead, we should begin putting
our heads together for a non-UPA and non-BJP alternative.
Yet another Urdu
Editors
Conference
HAFEEZ NOMANI
I do not remember which, in the sequence, Urdu Editors
Conference was held on 23rd June in Delhi. It was chaired by vet-
eran journalist Kuldip Nayer. The anguish expressed by him with
regard to Urdu is not new.
First Urdu Editors Conference was organised in 1973 in
Baradari, Qaisar Bagh, Lucknow. Behind it was then Chief
Minister Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna; at the forefront was Abdi
Allahabadi and Chief Guest was Mrs Indira Gandhi. This
Conference was chaired by the editor of Al JamiatMaulana
Mohammad Usman Farqleet and conducted by Kuldip Nayer.
Even at that time Kuldip Nayer had to repeatedly remind the edi-
tors to, Write your questions in Urdu. No doubt I am Kuldip Nayer
but I started my career as an Urdu journalist.
Before this first ever conference of Urdu editors no Urdu
newspaper used to get any government advertisement. And this
was the reason why Urdu press was always up in arms against
the Government. But the fact is that whatever they used to write
was true reflection and representation of the feelings of the com-
munity and the writers were not inefficient and clumsy. In order to
soften this attitude and lessen the bitterness of Urdu press Mr
Bahuguna convinced Mrs Gandhi to announce in this conference
allocation of 10% of government advertisements to Urdu press.
On this occasion as well Kuldip Nayer talked of linking Urdu with
employment and job opportunities and from that day onwards
anyone who talks about Urdu repeats the suggestion of linking
this language to employment and job opportunities. But no one
ever explains who to do it and how to do it?
About 33 years ago Urdu was granted the status of second
official language in Bihar. This step was praised and rejoiced all
over the country in a manner as if Urdu had been granted Royal
Order. Following this, during V.P. Singhs tenure as Chief Minister,
pressure was mounted to take similar decision in UP. He did
promise to do so but failed to fulfil it. Later on Mulayam Singh
gave it the status of second official language. However, the
demand to link Urdu with jobs and employment did not cease
because mere elevation to the status of second language
achieved nothing.
After independence voices were raised in support of Urdu
and saying that this is not the language of Muslims. In order to
prove that it is everyones language an all India conference of
non-Muslim literary figures was organised and mushairas were
arranged that were attended by hundreds of non-Muslim writers
and poets who by their action did prove that it is everyones lan-
guage. But Choudhry Charan Singh kept insisting that this is the
language of Mongols. Until his last breath Sampurnanand kept
saying that Urdu is not a language at all. Yet whenever Prime
Minister or Sushma Swaraj (perhaps the author has confused
Sushma Swaraj with Lok Sabha speaker Ms Meira Kumar-UMM),
or some other person recites a verse of Urdu in the parliament,
the venue resounds with the beating of desks in appreciation. But
when it comes to the question of linking Urdu with jobs and
employment Urdu becomes the language of Muslims.
Be it the central government or state governments, they may
establish Urdu academies, build universities and may create
institutions for the promotion of Urdu but will not make arrange-
ments for the teaching of Urdu because at the time when the con-
stitution was being framed the issue of language came up for vot-
ing and whether the national language would be Hindi, Hindustani
or Urdu, equal number of votes were cast for both languages so
the then speaker Dr Rajindra Parsad gave his additional vote in
favour of Hindi and thus buried Urdu forever.
The only way Urdu can be linked to jobs and employment is
to make it compulsory for government jobs and seek those gov-
ernment officers and directors who do not respond in Urdu made
liable to explain why? Teaching of Urdu should be made compul-
sory in all government schools for 20 years. Proclamations have
been repeatedly made that Urdu applications will be responded in
Urdu but even the states where it has been granted the status of
second official language have failed in establishing such an
example.
Before each election when the Congress, because of its mis-
deeds, feels shaken, it is reminded of Urdu newspapers. It then
uses any Urdu journalist who is available to organise an All India
Urdu Editors Conference. Narasimha Rao, when going to elec-
tions over the rubble of Babri Mosque, brought speaker S.K. Patel
to the front who used Qari Mohammad Mian Mazhari and S. M
Asif to arrange an Urdu Editors Conference. Crores of rupees
were spent but it failed to win even a single vote. This conference
has also demanded increase in the quota of advertisements to
Urdu press and it was raised by those who are well aware that
these advertisements had done far more harm to Urdu newspa-
pers than all the enemies of Urdu in the country put together.
There are thousands of such editors who do not publish more
than 25 copies of their newspapers but in DAVP (Directorate of
Advertisements and Visual Publicity) their circulation is registered
as 25,000. Bigger culprits than these editors are those who issue
such certificates to them and even guiltier are those who are giv-
ing them government advertisements on demand of commis-
sions from 50% to 75%. In addition to extending begging bowl
before the Government if Urdu Editors Conference had also
demanded that all Urdu editors be tested in Urdu, their offices,
staff and printing presses be inspected and those who are found
guilty of not only resorting to fraudulent methods but robbing the
government, be sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and those
who are looting the government treasury and depriving deserving
editors of their rights be given such severe punishments that
would serve as a deterrence to others in future, then it would
have been a big service to Urdu journalism and a purposeful jour-
nalism. It is because if the quota of advertisements for Urdu press
is increased, 80% of it will be looted on the way by the kite
snatchers and the bowls of those who are making this demand
will be left empty. (Awadhnama, Lucknow, 26 June 2013 -
English translaiton by urdumediamonitor.com)
About 33 years ago Urdu was granted the status
of second official language in Bihar. This step
was praised and rejoiced all over the country in a
manner as if Urdu had been granted Royal Order.
Following this, during V.P. Singhs tenure as Chief
Minister, pressure was mounted to take similar
decision in UP. He did promise to do so but failed
to fulfil it. Later on Mulayam Singh gave it the
status of second official language. However, the
demand to link Urdu with jobs and employment
did not cease because mere elevation to the
status of second language achieved nothing.
8 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
Here is letter Dr Irfan Khan, an accused
detained in Naini Jail for alleged terror-
ism, wrote to the President of India on 30
June 2013. His crime is only that his
mobile phone was used by someone he
did not know and this unknown caller is
wanted in the Ayodhya terror attack of
2005. An abbreviated form of this letter
was originally published in Rashtriya
Sahara Urdu daily on 7 July 2013 and
later in Inquilab. Here is a translation of
the full text from the original Hindi docu-
ment:
Sir,
I, Mohammad Irfan, was born in a poor family in
the town of Titron in 1974. My parents with great
economic difficulties managed to get me a diplo-
ma. In 2004, I opened my clinic in Sangam Vihar,
Delhi, so that I could give some assistance to my
poor family. The clinic got some success.
Sangam Vihar is one such areas of Delhi
where people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and from
other parts of the country come and get involved
in small economic activities to earn their liveli-
hoods. Near my clinic there are many shops like
tea, sweetmeat, grocery, barber, washerman,
clinic and medical store etc. Not everyone in the
market had a mobile phone. Residents had given
mobile numbers of others to their family mem-
bers and relatives. Whenever someone had a
phone call he was called to take it. This was a
locality of well-behaved and gentle people who
used to help each other. If the battery of some-
ones mobile was down, he would put his sim in
someone elses phone and let the conversation
take place. And if mobile phone balance ran out,
someone elses set was used to complete the
conversation. Neither I was involved in any unde-
sirable activity nor, as far as I know, anyone else
was any wrongdoer. Anyway, I was a doctor and
my job by its very nature was to help others.
In Titron, my village, there was a PCO in my
name that used to be managed by my younger
brother named Suhail. He was 15 years old. My
father used to look after our little farmland. We
had a simple and peaceful life. Then suddenly
havoc overtook all of us. In the first week of July
2005 police picked up my brother who was man-
aging my PCO. My family contacted me on my
mobile phone which was switched off at that
time. They then contacted my aunt in whose
house I was staying. I was told that Suhail had
been taken away by the police and I was asked to
leave for Titron immediately. I left Delhi for Titron
straight away.
My family told me that the police was looking
for the person in whose name the PCO was reg-
istered. Along with my brother-in-law Ejaz Khan
and other relatives, I prepared to go to the CO
(Circle Officer) of my area (CO Nukur). We then
decided to see Samajwadi party leader Shagufta
Begum first. We all went to her. Shagufta is a
known social figure of the area. She knew police
officers well. She phoned CO Nukur and asked
why I was being called for. They talked about
some other issues too. After a while two consta-
bles arrived at Shaguftas residence. One of them
was Mustafa who was my acquaintance. They
took me to the CO. I asked the CO Nukur why the
police had held my brother. He said he had been
detained by the STF (Special Task Force) in
Ghaziabad and he would be released as soon as
I get there. The CO asked me about my mobile
phone. I had left it at my sisters home. CO made
me talk to my sister and asked for the mobile
phone to be brought in. It was soon brought in.
The CO then called for a photographer and had
me photographed. After this, CO Nukur took me
to Ghaziabad in his car. My brother was with the
STF Ghazibad. The CO handed me to them and
returned to Nukur along with my brother. I
remained with STF Ghaziabad for about one
week.
During this time, STF officials took me to my
Sangam Vihar clinic, made me open the clinic at
night and took out patients register, medical
equipment and money and brought me back to
Ghaziabad. There one Jawala Singh of Bihar was
also present whose maternal uncle had links or
hand in some terrorist attack. Upon his statement
that he had lost his mobile phone, he was given
two or four slaps and was let go. Then came my
turn. There was a policeman named Tyagi. He
started spitting at my face. I was stripped naked,
my pubic hair was plucked and a rod was insert-
ed in my bottom. I was hung upside down and
water was poured into my nostrils. Candle was lit
and melting wax was dropped on my penis. I
cried and wailed at which they laughed. Then
Tyagi brought four to five bodybuilder-type boys.
They might have been STF soldiers who started
sodomising me. I was there for about eight to ten
days during which I did not even see my clothes
and was kept naked.
High ranking police officials used to come
there in whose presence I used to be given this
treatment. Tyagi and these lads used to urinate in
my mouth and force me to drink it. If I spat it out
they would beat me mercilessly. Tyagi used to
say, You just keep on seeing what the STF com-
mandos are capable of.
Tyagi was tall and had chicken pox spots on
his face. The bodybuilder-type boys used to do
exercise in the morning and recite Hanuman
Chalisa and Durga Chalisa [Hindu prayers]. They
had AK47 rifles.
STF officers picked my neighbour shopkeep-
ers in Delhi and brought poet Ali and hairdresser
Aleem from there and made me face them. The
poor guys were crying in fear. Tyagi started
swearing at them and berating them. All three of
us were in a bad shape. Tyagi asked them to slap
me and when they refused, they were beaten up.
They were forced to slap me 10 times each with
full force. All three of us were then asked to uri-
nate on each others face. They preferred to die
rather than indulge in such an act. They were
beaten up and then allowed to go.
Tyagi used to say, We have to exterminate
the katwas [circumcised i.e., Muslims] or make
them flee to Pakistan. Swearing in my mothers
and sisters names were a routine. This was done
thousands of times during the day. I was
thrashed 25 times on my bald head with slippers
and pretending to forget the right count, Tyagi
would start beating me again. My buttocks used
to get red due to beating with slippers.
During this time, high-level officials used to
come or phone. Tyagi would tell them, Saheb hai
to kuch nahiN magar bakra hai, kaatlo. [Sir there
is nothing but we have a he-goat in our posses-
sion; lets slaughter it.]
This was the state I was in during the tenure
of Mulayam Singhs government considered to
be the greatest Muslim-friendly leadership.
After this, I was taken back to my tehseel,
Nukur, a fake medical certificate was obtained
from Saharanpur and I was taken to SP
[Superintendent of Police] where there was a
crowd of mediapersons. Here putting his pistol
on my chest, the highest-ranking officer warned
me, If you utter a word before the media, think
well about it because you are going to stay with
us. I was then presented before the court in
Saharanpur. Obviously they had shown it as a
new arrest. From Saharanpur I was taken to
Faizabad by jeep. During this journey two nights
were spent in a police station. During these
nights, I was kept naked. From constables to the
station-in-charge, everyone spat on me.
I was then presented in the Faizabad court
where media and lawyers beat me brutally. Amid
this ordeal, I reached Faizabad jail and was
locked in a solitary confinement. This was a tiny
cell with a toilet inside it. I was given a pitcher of
water to wash. They did not clean the toilet and
the stench was so strong that it made breathing
difficult. I had to eat in this environment.
During this time my police remand was taken
on the charge of providing arms [to terrorists]. I
was kept naked in a police station in Faizabad and
from there I was presented before the court. No
one felt any shame [at this behaviour]. I remained
there for three months.
Lawyers association boycotted pleading [for
me]. Amid continuous beatings and boycott, I
was put in the Anda barrack of Allhabads Naini
Central Jail.
From here started [our routine journeys] up
and down to Faizabad. After 12 months without
any lawyer, charges were framed against me. I
could not hire a lawyer and the lawyers my fam-
ily sent to plead for me were chased away and
beaten up by police lawyers of Faizabad inside
the court-room itself in the presence of the judge.
At last they surrendered and left me to face the
situation on my own.
Instead of becoming the parents support in
their old age, I had become a burden on them. A
patriot had been proven a traitor. Poor parents
wept and cried in helplessness. Poverty is the
worst sin. How could they hire a powerful advo-
cate? They accepted it as their fate. How they,
who could not have proper food, afford to pay the
fees of a lawyer like Jethmalani and Tulsi to plead
for me. Lawyers like them charge rupees 10 lakh
per hearing. That means in Hindustan to get jus-
tice it costs rupees 10 lakhs per court hearing.
How could a poor person afford such a big
amount? It is, therefore, sure that the poor will
never get justice. In Indian jails, 99% of the
inmates are such poor lot. All the laws [rules and
regulations] are applied on the poor. I have now
spent eight years in a terrifying place like Anda
barrack where there is neither air, nor any water
or sun - everything is dark. The food I get in here
is horrible even to see. But what can one do?
Outside the jail, poor parents beg and plead
with anyone there to help them and get their son
freed from incarceration. Who would do such a
thing? I myself want to know if there is any rule
of law and justice in any corner of India. If it is
there, then I want to see it myself. India is my
dear country. I have always been ready to sacri-
fice myself for the honour of my country but,
but, respected President, Sir, now I pray and
request you to put me to death and that will be an
act of mercy. It will be a great act of kindness.
What is my crime? The incident [Faizabad
court blast] occurred on 5 July 2005. Some
months before that someone had used my
mobile phone to put his own sim in it and make
a call for 2-3 minutes. Neither the [suspected]
terrorist has been identified nor have any docu-
ment relating to his sim card been found. [And
only for this] I have been kept in prison. What
does the law say? What do all the judgements of
the Supreme Court say? That for the sake of jus-
tice, one innocent person should not be punished
wrongly even if 100 perpetrators escape punish-
ment. What is all this then? Is it what is called
justice where a totally innocent person is caught
and his life is destroyed? All of them, from the
STF to the jails and the courts are the same. Was
there someone who could ask me what have I
done to go through like this?
Ten judges have changed so far and with the
exception of one or two all of them have treated
me inhumanely. They looked at me with hate and
contempt, insulted me and threatened the wit-
nesses. Our lawyer was an ordinary practitioner
(did not belong to the high profile group). He was
not allowed to cross-examine the witnesses who
were mostly from the CRPF or [intelligence]
agencies. They had been given previously written
statements and were made to read from them in
the court. The lawyer was stopped from ques-
tioning them and was told what to ask and what
not to ask. This is what Indian courts are!
I have been accused of hatching a conspira-
cy. I have nothing to do with the crime scene but
witnesses of the crime were kept being called. If
they did not attend, summons were issued. If
they failed to appear in the second hearing sum-
mons were issued again and it went on and on
and years have passed. It also happened that for
some six months one witness did not attend the
court but the summons used to get issued. The
aim is just to keep us rotting in the jail. The law
says that deciding a case quickly is the right of
the accused, but where is that law?
The High Court had ordered on 2 August,
2011 to finish my case within eight months. But
how could it be? So many eight months have
passed.
The dates being given are 15 to 20 days
apart. They say in order to inform the witnesses
so much time is necessary. What is wireless for,
then? What are the police stations in all villages
for? Why each step of the court is aimed at wast-
ing time. Eight years have passed but to date not
even a single witness has produced any evidence
against me. On the contrary, what appeared was
in our favour. What on earth is all this drama then
for?
At least in the name of humanity, the
Government can take the following steps and by
doing so at least the stigma of the ill-will would
somewhat be washed off:
1) Instead of sending summons [to the witness-
es] they should be informed through wireless and
local police station or chowki should be given the
responsibility of sending the witness [to attend
the court];
2) After one summon direct SBW be issued;
3) Wherever such cases are being tried, a team
should be formed at DJ level that should scruti-
nise witness lists and only those witnesses who
have anything to do with the allegations against
the accused be called. Time should not be wast-
ed by calling unrelated witnesses;
4) Government through a writ in the High Court
should make all such cases time-bound so that
they should be decided within 90 days.
5) Supreme Court provides the facility of long
parole being granted by the Government. This is
Governments jurisdiction. Why is Mulayam
Singh then making unnecessary noises? What is
the hindrance? Grant the parole now and look at
the rest of the issues later. Mulayam Singh
should see this ruling of the Supreme Court and
all the public see it too:
If the state takes up a flexible attitude it may be
possible to permit long spells of parole under
controlled conditions so that the suspicion that
full freedom if bailed out, might be abused, may
be eliminated. Humanising interludes of parole
are part of the compassionate constitutionalism
of our system. 1978.1 - Supreme Court cases
240 Before V. R. Krishna Iyer Judge
Criminal Miscellaneous Petition No: 1443/1977;
decided on December 6, 1977
Supreme Court is itself recommending that the
government give long parole. Whats the problem
then? Mulayam Singh is eyeing on the Hindu
votebank. This is the reason.
6) In such cases the government should appoint
an observer who should keep an eye on the pro-
ceedings and should make sure that the witness-
es attend the hearing at the date and time fixed;
7) The government should, at its own expense,
call Supreme Courts high level lawyers who
should prepare guidelines to finish such cases
speedily fulfilling all the demands of justice;
8) In each case, grounds on which charges have
been framed should be argued by these lawyers
afresh. If this is done, these cases will not reach
the trial stage and the accused could be released
at this stage;
9) Social activists like Ashish Khetan should be
supported by the government so that they can
uncover the truth of the arrests of innocent peo-
ple and thus can present before the court the
other side of the picture, the picture that is ugly,
disturbing, shameful and painful.
In the end I make a personal appeal to you. I
pray five times a day. I swear by God and on
Quran that I have never met any terrorist in my
life nor do I know anything about these problems.
I believe in humanity. I am a doctor and I know
how to stitch wounds not how to cause injuries.
Let those who have to contest elections deal
with the politics of mosque and temple. I believe
that all of the humans have been created by the
Almighty and He tells us that all humans are the
issues of one mother and one father. What the
dispute is all about then?
All humans have been created by Him.
Which book tells us to hate others? None of
them. Which religion talks of fighting each other?
None of them. This is meanness. Each religion
talks of love and humanity. Even after such inci-
dents, I do not hate anyone. Nor can religious
bias come into my heart. My duty is to serve
whoever comes to me. This is the Order of the
Creator. This is what I believe in.
Dr Irfan Khan
A-High Security Barrack
Naini Central Jail Allahabad
Ayodhya Attack Case, Faizabad
(English translation by urdumediamonitor.com)
An Open Letter to the President
I was stripped naked, my pubic hair was plucked and a rod was inserted in my
bottom. I was hung upside down and water was poured into my nostrils. Candle
was lit and melting wax was dropped on my penis. I cried and wailed at which
they laughed. Then Tyagi brought four to five bodybuilder-type boys. They might
have been STF soldiers who started sodomising me. I was there for about eight
to ten days during which I did not even see my clothes and was kept naked.
High ranking police officials used to come there in whose presence I used to be
given this treatment. Tyagi and these lads used to urinate in my mouth and
force me to drink it. If I spat it out they would beat me mercilessly. Tyagi used
to say, You just keep on seeing what the STF commandos are capable of. ...
Tyagi used to say, We have to exterminate the katwas [circumcised i.e.,
Muslims] or make them flee to Pakistan. Swearing in my mothers and sisters
names were a routine. This was done thousands of time during the day. I was
thrashed 25 times on my bald head with slippers and pretending to forget the
right count, Tyagi would start beating me again...
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 9 www.milligazette.com
MUSTAFA KHAN
Saturday 6 July, 2013: Narendra Modi in his dark ominous threat
that he would teach a lesson to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
for breaking the alliance with Hindu party BJP coincided with
Modis handpicked Amit Shahs visit to the site of the demolished
Babri Mosque in Ayodhya. The very next day, nine bombs went off
at Bodh Gaya, site of Buddhisms holiest shrine. This real time
avenging of what Modi perceived as betrayal by Nitish Kumar
should not surprise anyone unless he is a pretender or very cred-
ulous. It is Modis heart of darkness that is fore- grounded again.
He had told the police and administrative officers of his state in the
late night meeting of 27 February, 2002, that he wanted the Hindus
to take revenge for the fire on the Sabarmati Express train early that
day. Therefore, the police should not take action. From the next day,
there was a shutdown all over the state and he had joined it. He
extracted full revenge for three days and beyond. He also took
revenge upon the former member of Parliament, Ahsan Jafri, for
opposing him in the election he fought early that month whose
result gave him victory only a couple of days before the fire inci-
dent. His home minister Haren Pandya had refused to vacate his
Ellisbrigde constituency so Modi had to fight from Jamnager area.
He refused to give ticket to Pandya in the following state assembly
elections. When Pandya disclosed Modis ominous instructions to
the police to the peoples tribunal judges, he avenged it within
months of winning the assembly elections of December 2002.
Even more ominous is that Modi dares to teach lessons to
minorities at will and no one can stop him. Even his mentors
Advani and Vajpayee failed. The basic source of his hate ideology
based on Hindutva precedes Jan Sangh and BJP. Now that Muslims
of Gujarat and elsewhere in India have learnt some lessons, what
about the Buddhists?
Kishwar Jagtap of Bharat Bachao Andolan accused Modi of
trying to provoke riots between Muslims and Buddhists over Bodh
Gaya terrorist attack. He also said that on 9 August, they would
organize along with others Bharat Chodo Andolan or Quit India
movement in which they would protest against the RSS headquar-
ters at Nagpur and demand the RSS to leave India. There is a string
of organizations joining the move: Bodh Bachao Andolan, Marathi
Bharti Sanghatna, Phule Vahini, Ambedkar Vichar Manch, Yuva
Sarkar, Muslim
Panthers and
C h i r a n j e e v e .
These groups
resent how the
Brahamins have
appropriated the
Maha Vihara tem-
ple at
Bodhgaya.
1
The arrest of
Vinod Mistry
along with a
monk robe and
letter in Urdu is
the earliest sign
that it was
Nanded and
M a l e g a o n
replayed with the
target changed,
from Muslims to
Buddhists. This would mean that those who targeted the temple in
Gaya were from the Hindutva group.
2
Their motivation is very clear. They wanted to ignite the
Buddhists ire over the incident so that they engage in confronta-
tion with the Muslims. Right from day one, security agencies and
media blamed the Indian Mujahideen but without any proof. The
clearest hint of the Hindutva strategy comes from the editorial of
Saamna dated July 9, 2013. It described the central government as
namard sarkar or impotent government. And the attack was on
the impotent government rather than the monks - Namard sarkar
war halla. It also leaves no one in doubt as to the reason why Modi
wanted to teach a lesson to Nitish Kumar. It shows the evil nature
of Modi: Jawad cha mitr jeonwha dushman banto tehowha tey-
ache wair hey sagdeyat bheyankar asto (When the intimate friend
turns enemy then his enmity is the most dangerous). The threat of
Modi is the proof. The Hindutva ideology of the Saamna is unmis-
takably evident in inducing violence: Bodhgayet sphot ghadwun
musalmani atirekyani bodhyanchi mathi bhadkwanyachey kaam
keley aahe (By exploding bombs in Bodh Gaya the Muslim
extremists have tried to inflame the minds of the Buddhists). And
then the core of Hindutva article of faith that violence is and must
be used to tackle the Muslims: Khare ter ya deshat aahinsey cha
kewnha mudla padla aahey (In this country in fact the dead body
of violence has long been buried).
3
The logical conclusion is that
violence should be revived. In the present case, the Buddhists must
kill Muslims. This strategy of the Hindutva did not work in practice
as it did in Gujarat 2002 because it was well prepared in advance.
Bihar has had no chance for the Hindutva to mount such a concert-
ed attack on Muslims even under the Newtonian law as understood
by Modi. Bodh Gaya attack is a clear instance in the strategic study
of the Hindutva tactics in instigating violence.
Footnotes
1. Urdu Times, 8 July, 2013.
2. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/nia-ques-
tions-man-for-bodh-gaya-blasts/article4894131.ece
3. Saamna, 9 July, 2013
Who could be behind Bodhgaya?
The arrest of
Vinod Mistry along
with a monk robe
and letter in Urdu
is the earliest sign
that it was Nanded
and Malegaon
replayed with the
target changed,
from Muslims to
Buddhists. This
would mean that
those who
targeted the
temple in Gaya
were from the
Hindutva group.
MUSTAFA KAMAL SHERWANI
The Supreme Court must immediately take a suo moto cog-
nizance and appoint a high-level commission of inquiry into the
startling revelation made by Mr. RVS Mani, the former under-sec-
retary in the Union Home Ministry, that a high ranking police offi-
cer told him that incumbent governments were behind the terror
attacks on Parliament and Mumbai. If the allegation is found
baseless, then the accuser must be hanged because such wild
speculation or charge is more serious than even the most heinous
instances of terrorism, and if true, the persons concerned must
be immediately arrested and prosecuted.
It is the high time for the entire country to realize that we can-
not eliminate the menace of terror with the existing casual
approach and buffoonery. As usual, the instant reaction following
the Bodh Gaya blasts was Indian Mujahideen Suspected. Then
Mr. Digvijay Singh blamed it on Narendra Modi. Then Maoist
hand not ruled out, and then The Investigative Agencies Are Still
Clueless. The same pattern has been continuing since long.
As Muslims are the ultimate sufferers of this malicious prop-
aganda, the government, if it is sincere about terror, must consti-
tute a high-level Commission of Inquiry to investigate all the ter-
ror cases. I hold a firm opinion which, undoubtedly, is somewhat
different from the one haunting the minds of the general public,
especially Muslims, that Hindutwa forces alone are engaged in
maligning the Muslim community. I am not defending the BJPs
anti-Muslim tirade but it is my firm conviction that more than saf-
fron brigade, these so-called fictitious secularists, be it Congress,
Samajwadi Party, BSP or others, are interested in creating a deep
sense of insecurity in the minds of the Muslim community just in
order to perpetuate the legacy of enslaving them as a permanent
votebank, showing them the hallucination of the fascist forces. All
are complementary to each other and the incarceration of thou-
sands of Muslims on fake charges of terrorism is the part of the
same process. I condemn those who always blame Hindutwa
forces for everything against Muslims. This tendency is perma-
nently giving nourishment to the hypocrisy of secularists.
The writer is a teacher of law
and Chairman, All India Muslim Forum, Lucknow, U.P. India
A cruel or serious joke with terror?
Political opponents unite in targeting the Church
Christians suffer
as politicians
chase the Hindu
vote
JOHN DAYAL
New Delhi: Indias microscopic Christian community and its cler-
gy may become collateral damage in an unspoken but very pal-
pable competitive wooing of the majority Hindu community in the
run-up to the next years general election, as well as the preced-
ing elections to the state legislative assemblies.
The political trend can be seen in three states. Maharashtra is
understood to be planning a law to criminalize conversions, while
the Himachal Pradesh government is aiming to reverse a High
Court judgment that earlier deleted some of the more vicious
components of its anti-conversion law.
This notorious law forced citizens and their pastors to give a
months notice to the state authorities and then await their deci-
sion before they could formally profess the faith. Despite the High
Court ban, neighbouring Madhya Pradesh now wants to incorpo-
rate it into its existing, ironically named Freedom of Religion Act.
In fact it goes a step further and wants the police to launch
mandatory enquiries into why a person wants to change his faith
and leave the Hindu fold. Four-year jail terms and 100,000-rupee
(US$ 1,700) fines are in the offing for pastors who break the law.
In the 1960s, Madhya Pradesh was among the first Indian
states, with Orissa and Arunachal Pradesh, to seek a curb on con-
versions to Christianity. Ruled by the Hindu nationalist BJP, it has
now gone entirely overboard on the Hindu-centric agenda of its
ideological parent, the RSS. Their prime ministerial aspirant
Narendra Modi has made it clear where his priorities lie, wasting
no opportunity to stress his support for the Hindu heartland.
The mainstay of the ruling Congress Partys political platform
has always been a non-partisan ideology, with affirmative action
for the poor, the marginalized, religious minorities, tribals and dal-
its. But it is no secret that Congress also harbours majoritarian
elements which can surface any time the party has to seek the
Hindu vote.
What complicates the politics of these moves against conver-
sions - and the phrase is generally understood to mean conver-
sion to Christianity, and not to Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism and
Hinduism -- is the focus on Christian preachers and evangelists.
Since Indian independence, Islam has not really been involved
in proselytizing, with its numbers growing only through birth.
There have been many instances of Hindus converting to Sikhism,
while conversions to Buddhism take place on a mass scale from
the ranks of the dalits, who are then called Ambedkarites or neo-
Buddhists. As many as 50,000 have been converted in one single
event.
RSS supporters in the tribal areas routinely convert animistic
and Christian tribals to Hinduism, under what they call their Ghar
Wapsi programme, which translates as homecoming. There
has been no legal action ever against this.
In states where the police and the subordinate bureaucracy
are known to be bigoted and partisan, anti-conversion laws can
become extremely punitive. Human rights activists have often
pointed out that such laws encourage the persecution and victim-
ization of the Christian community, especially of the clergy.
The Church does not seem to have anticipated this. It has no
thesis for a united pre-emptive challenge to such laws. Individual
groups go to court, but it is not an easy process. Some sections
of the Church, in fact, are quick to blame Pentecostal groups for
inviting such laws by their provocative evangelization. Others
seem ready to sue for peace and are already making overtures to
the BJP: the YMCA feted Narendra Modi at a function in
Ahmedabad last June.
The last time the Church voiced its anger was when then
prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee called for a national debate
on conversions, and the Catholic Bishops Conference president
Archbishop Alan de Lastic challenged him, pointing out that such
talk encouraged violence against hapless Christians in the coun-
try. It remains to be seen how the Church will respond now.
(ucanindia.in)
John Dayal is the general-secretary of the All India Christian
Council and a member of the Indian governments National
Integration Council.
In states where the police and the subordinate
bureaucracy are known to be bigoted and
partisan, anti-conversion laws can become
extremely punitive. Human rights activists
have often pointed out that such laws
encourage the persecution and victimization
of the Christian community, especially of the
clergy...
The last time the Church voiced its anger was
when then prime minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee called for a national debate on
conversions, and the Catholic Bishops
Conference president Archbishop Alan de
Lastic challenged him, pointing out that such
talk encouraged violence against hapless
Christians in the country.
AFSANA RASHID, SRINAGAR
Life sentence has been awarded to two Kashmiri youth by
Sessions Court in Kolkata, July 15, for allegedly smuggling
ammunition for militants in Kashmir in September 2003. Denying
the charges, families of the youth have decided to appeal in the
High Court. Sheikh Imran and Sheikh Farhat, both residents of
Srinagar, have been awarded life imprisonment and a fine of two
lakh rupees, each. Police has alleged that ammunition found in a
false ceiling above the drivers cabin of a truck parked in port area
of Kolkata, was smuggled from China through Chittagong in
Bangladesh, Meghalaya and Assam and was meant for militants
in Kashmir. Pleading innocence of their wards, the families say
theyve been falsely implicated. They were arrested by police
from Kolkata in Srinagar in 2003. Both were working in Kolkata
with Kashmir Arts and had come home when they were arrested.
Carrying placards, their families staged a protest here, July
18, demanding their immediate release and appealed to the inter-
national community and human rights organizations to intervene.
Sheikh Ghulam Nabi, Farhats father, while recollecting said,
On December 16, 2003, some policemen arrived at our home
and said he is required for some questioning at Parimpora police
station and would be let off shortly. Later, he was handed over to
Kolkatta police on December 27, 2003. Nabi adds he was
shocked when the police in the charge-sheet mentioned that the
truck was seized on September 3, 2003 with some ammunition.
Jammu Kashmir police had communicated to Kolkata police that
there was nothing adverse against him in police records.
The verdict has evoked a sharp reaction, here. Leading a pro-
cession to Imrans family, Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar
Farooq, July 17, said the conglomerate would provide legal aid to
both youth and would also take up the issue with international
human rights organizations. Instead of winning the trust of
Kashmiris by real CBMs like releasing detainees languishing in
various jails, in and outside state, theyve been pushed to wall,
says JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, July 16.
Additional General Secretary of ruling National Conference
Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal, July 17, said, If we accept for a moment
that the duo was involved in an act of crime, they should have
been freed by now as famous Bollywood actor received only six
years imprisonment for the same crime. The duo is languishing in
jail since the past 10 years.
BSF kills Four at Gool
Four persons were killed and several injured, when Border
Security Force (BSF) personnel allegedly resorted to indiscrimi-
nate firing on a protest demonstration in Dharam-Gool in Ramban
district, Jammu, July 18. Entire matter started when there was
heated argument between some BSF personnel and a local cleric,
Abdul Lateef, July 17 evening. As the news spread, people staged
protest demonstrations against alleged desecration of the Holy
Quran. Higher authorities reached the spot and tried to pacify the
protesters. Eye-witnesses have been quoted as saying Deputy
Commissioner Ramban, Shyam Vinod Meena told villagers that
district administration will look into the matter after Eid, which fur-
ther infuriated them. Suddenly, some rounds were fired, killing
38-year old political science lecturer, Manzoor Ahmed Shan.
Villagers resorted to stone-pelting outside BSF camp and sev-
eral rounds were fired from within the camp leading to on the spot
death of cleric, Javeed Ahmad and a local, Farooq Ahmad Beg and
injured several others, reports added. Within no time, most parts
of Srinagar city witnessed spontaneous shutdown and protests.
Internet service was suspended, July 18 afternoon, which was
restored the next day. Curfew was imposed, July 19, to thwart any
protests. Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, July 18,
called for a three day strike. DGP Ashok Prasad, July 19, said
restrictions on movement of people would continue till July 21. It
is better to restrict movement of people than to put them in dan-
ger, as told by DGP to local news gathering agency, CNS.
Deputy Commissioner, Meena was shifted and BSF vacated
its Dharam camp, July 19, and handed it over to the police.
Describing it highly unacceptable to shoot at unarmed pro-
testers, just because they were reportedly protesting manhandling
of an Imam, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, July 18, said, This
shocking act warrants and demands severest of condemnation in
the strongest possible terms. Justice will be done and those
involved, will be brought to book. He also spoke with Union
Home Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde, who ordered a probe into
the incident. State government also ordered magisterial enquiry
into it.
Various political, social and religious organizations con-
demned the incident. Geelani advocates those involved in killing
should be punished in public, July 18, whereas Hurriyat (M) chair-
man Mirwaiz Umar Farooq describes it as unfortunate and said
security forces here kill people, whenever they wish.
JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik argued that atrocities
committed upon Kashmiris are a direct consequence of criminal
silence of the world community and civil society. Chairmen of
both factions of Hurriyat remained under house-arrest and no
prayers were offered at historic Jamia Masjid, July 19.
Meanwhile, three FIRs (FIR vide No 52 U/s 295/452 RPC, FIR
No 53 u/s 307 RPC and FIR No 54 u/s 302 of the RPC) were reg-
istered against BSF and police personnel in connection with Gool
incident, July 19. Global human rights watchdog, Amnesty
International, July 20, asked state authorities to avoid excessive
use of force while policing demonstrations. Eminent cardiologist
and former Director SKIMS, Dr Sheikh Jalaluddin, 64, was critical-
ly wounded and his security guards killed, July 18, in a suspect-
ed militant attack in Pampore. He was hit in the left eye and
abdomen. No militant outfit claimed responsibility.
Kashmiri killed in Mumbai
Scores of people staged a protest demonstration here demanding
that those responsible for the death of Parvez Ahmad Teli be
brought to justice. Shouting anti-Mumbai police slogans, protest-
ers here, July 17, alleged that Teli, a Kashmir handicraft salesman
and resident of Kalamdanpora-Nawab Bazar in the old city, was
murdered and his body bore visible marks of torture, cigarette-
burns, his legs were injuried and arms had marks of rope-tying.
As the news reached here, July 14, several parts of old-city
witnessed spontaneous shutdown and protest demonstrations.
Police said they will send a team led by Additional Superintendent
of Police to Mumbai to investigate Telis death.
Teli was found dead in Mumbai after he went missing on June
6. His family said Teli was working as salesman in Bangalore for
the past eight years. Mumbai and Railway police, in their state-
ments, have reportedly claimed that Teli died of injuries in a train
accident between Dadar and Elphinstone road stations, July 9.
They said Teli was hit by a train, while trying to cross the tracks.
In yet another incident, Abid Ahmad Ganaie, 21, who was
studying at Darul Uloom Faizani Madina in Gujarats Ahmedabad,
was found dead in Udaipur-Rajasthan, July 14. Abid, a resident of
Larsun village in Ganderbal district, had left the seminary, about a
fortnight ago, after he had informed his family that he was running
short of money and wanted to come home, reports say.
Reacting to these killings, Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali
Geelani, July 16, said, Since it is a serious matter, it is obligato-
ry for us to raise a voice against such brutal killings until facts are
brought to fore.
7 out of 10 subscriptions are through WORD OF MOUTH
You know we dont have the resources to advertise & promote ourselves, so
please ask your friends to get their copy now
THE MILLI GAZETTE
First English Newspaper of Indian Muslims. Telling the Muslim side of the story fortnight after fortnight since January 2000
Life sentence to two Kashmiris for arms smuggling
10 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
Z.G. MUHAMMAD
Some years back, a top executive at a seminar
organised by a group of mass communication
graduates jeered at me for pouring out my heart.
Living to my belief that he who writes his story,
inherits the land of that story, I had said there
was no Edward Said or Eqbal Ahmed or Franz
Fanon or Mahmoud Darwish amongst us to tell
the story of his land to the world outside. It was a
lament, an expression of disapproval of our
poets-laureate and men of letters who, in their
chase for honours and awards from the powers
that be, refused to see the bloodbath next door. It
was an attempt to stir the minds and hearts of our
historians feeling shy of narrating the contempo-
rary story of their land. It was to prick the con-
science of the cloaked monks in our university
campuses taking up sponsored projects for sat-
isfying their baser appetites instead of strengthen-
ing the narrative of their land.
I admit my failure, my nib failed to pierce
through the rhinoceros hides of the award-loving
crop of poets, writers and historians. You perhaps
need to master genetic engineering to change
them.
Nevertheless, what gives me a sense of grat-
ification is the birth of a whole crop of conscious
young writers with a high moral sense. Many of
our young writers, poets and artists with their
contributions have been strengthening the narra-
tive of their land. Through their writings and
works, they have been able to tell the woeful story
of their land to the world.
On seeing our young writers telling the story
of Kashmir through the opinion pages of Christian
Science Monitor, Washington Post, New Yorker,
the Guardian and many other important newspa-
pers has strengthened my faith that the day is not
far away when we will have our own Edward
Saids and Eqbal Ahmeds -
credible voices that would
be heard internationally.
True, many of our con-
scientious elders from Dr.
Altaf Hussain to Dr. Abdul
Ahad to Muhammad Sultan
Pampori have written books
that strengthen the Kashmir
narrative but what is heart-
ening to note is our young
writers authoring good
books telling lucidly the
Kashmir story. In just the
past two months good
number of books written by
our young writers have been
published and released.
These include Wadi-e
Khoon-aab by S. Ahmad
Pirzada which is a pioneer-
ing work documenting
briefly life sketches of youths killed during 2010.
This book needs to be rendered into English for a
wider readership. Another book is Graveyard
penned by teenager Tawfeeq Ahmed Wani about
the situation as it obtained during 2010. It was
released in the Transit Camp of the Central
University. A third book is Paining Voice, a poet-
ic collection by Irfan from Vasu, which was
released in Islamabad (Anantnag). Yet another
important book is Of Occupation and Resistance
- Writings from Kashmir. Edited by Fahad Shah, a
young journalist, it was released recently in a hotel
at Srinagar. The release function was distinct for its
huge attendance by students and youth. This
paperback spreading over 264 pages was pub-
lished by Tanquebar Press, an imprint of Westland
Ltd. Priced at Rs.395, it needs to be discussed in
detail. It is collection of articles by young writers
and by some internationally recognized authors
and Kashmir watchers. The
introduction to the book titled
Blood Will Be Avenged,
starts with a famous couplet
by Faiz Ahmed, Speak up,
for your lips are not sealed.
The introduction gives an
overview of the contempo-
rary Kashmir situation and
provides some insights into
the history of the 65-year-old
dispute which has emerged
as a nuclear flashpoint in
South Asia. Like many other
recently released books,
killings of students and youth
during 2010 provided the
warp and woof for this com-
pilation. Stating how revoca-
tion of the order of allotting
the forest land to Amarnath
Shrine Board in violation of
environmental laws after an agitation strengthened
peoples belief in peaceful protests and how alter-
native means of resistance were gaining populari-
ty in Jammu and Kashmir. In his introduction to the
book, the editor writes, It is a new wave of resist-
ance that has pierced through every wall of
oppression - protest through music, art, literature
and social networking sites. Such forms of dissent
have great reach, are viable, attract people and
make them curious about the cause. He illustrat-
ed his point of view by mentioning the success of
M.C. Kashs song I Protest during the 2010 agi-
tation. The song, that became Kashmirs new
movement anthem, had attracted international
attention.
The introduction to this book focuses on
how authorities have been denying space to dis-
sent by cracking down even on social media,
torturing and jailing the youth voicing views
through social media. Articulating the apprehen-
sions of youth about Government of India woo-
ing some resistance leaders for participation in
the coming elections with a view to harm the
Kashmir cause, the author writes, Many youth
have sensed this, and they are taking control of
the situation They are minute in number but
their presence is everywhere.
The book is different from many other col-
lections of articles published earlier. The author
has provided voice to the voiceless who have
stories to tell. I see the essay, I Live With The
Dead by Atta Mohammad Khan, a gravedigger
who has buried 235 bodies of unknown people,
as one of the most revealing and important in
this book. Why I Am A Stone Thrower, by
Hashim is another offbeat essay in the collec-
tion. It provides a deeper insight into a young
mind, how beating of his doctor on his way to
hospital for duty by armed forces made him a
stone thrower. Telling his story very candidly, he
tells us how this incident made him to under-
stand the greater cause. Tariq Bhajan, My
Hero by Saima Bhat, is a subtle comment on
the armed resistance in Kashmir and how the
intra-militant organization fighting turned to be
waterloo of this struggle.
In fact, every essay in the book by our
young writers, starting with Pain of Being
Haunted by Memories by Showkat Nanda fol-
lowed by many others like that of The Portrait
of Stone Thrower as a Blind Man by Samir
Yasir, and Mausoleum of Memory - a Portrait of
Resistance by Uzma Falalk provide sinews to
the greater Kashmir narrative. For both the writ-
ings by our young writers and contributions by
eminent scholars like Mridu Rai, David
Barasmian, Gautam Navlakha and many others,
the book is an important addition to the contem-
porary Kashmir literature. (jammu.greaterkash-
mir.com)
New generation writers are scripting Kashmirs story
Strangely, there is no denying that rival
national parties are indirectly helping each
other by indulging in the blame game
focused on issues such as secularism and
communalism. Were parliamentary elections
not round the corner, most probably the lead-
ers, apparently concerned about these
issues, would not have spared much time as
well as political energy for the same. Their blame game cannot
be held as symbolic of their concern for secularism, communal-
ism or for both but is simply a strong reflection of the nature of
politicking they are indulging in. Seriously speaking, if they
devoted the same energy towards issues related to the national
development, they would not have to fall back on indulging in
politics of this nature. At present, the difference in their actual
political motive for deliberately picking on these issues and their
concern for the same cannot be ignored.
Simply speaking, had Narendra Modi not blamed Congress
for its veil (burkha) of secularism, the latter would not have
found such an easy reason to counter-attack the former and
other BJP leaders for their naked communalism. And this battle
of accusations is likely to gain greater steam during these par-
ties electoral campaign. Considering the coverage that their
blame game is receiving in the media, they are not likely to
backtrack from this battle till elections are over. Isnt this a
strange political irony? By attacking each other on highly con-
troversial issues, the two parties have also assured each other
substantial media coverage. Of course, they are not operating
on the basis of any political understanding. But this is an unwrit-
ten rule of Indian politics, which is being almost totally exploit-
ed.
Would it be fair to assume that ordinary Indian voters,
including Muslims, Hindus and of other religious communities,
accord the same importance to the political frenzy over secular-
ism and communalism that the media is? Or would the politi-
cians loud claims, concern and charges remain confined to
their own political circle, that of rival parties and the media?
Howsoever, extensive media coverage is received by parties in
fray, politically the same would have practically no value till the
Indian voter is influenced by the same. Perhaps, some impor-
tance should be accorded to the secular orientation of an ordi-
nary Indian citizen.
If even fifty percent of this countrys population could be
labelled as extremely communal, the minority communities
would not have probably survived here. The fact that these
minorities, including Muslims, Sikhs and Christians, have
asserted their respective religious identities here stands out.
Equally significant is the fact that a considerable number of indi-
viduals from these communities are rated as highly successful
celebrities, without their religious identity serving as a barrier.
Similarly, during the medieval period, though considerable part
of India has been ruled by Muslim kings, they also practiced
secularism. If they had not, Muslims would not have remained
a minority community here. Muslims constitute less than 14
percent of Indias population. History and statistics are a strong
proof of deep-rooted foundations of secularism in India.
Yet, it cannot be missed that there still are certain extreme-
ly communally prejudiced elements that hold the belief that they
can sway the mentality of their entire community against
minorities and secular groups. There is no denying the fact that
India did witness nation-wide, anti-Muslim riots when a Hindu
groups communal frenzy was at its peak, which led to the dem-
olition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on 6 December, 1992. The
period did reflect the degree to which ordinary citizens religious
passion could be aroused to the stage of violence. Yet, the com-
munal activists did not succeed totally. The anti-Muslim commu-
nal phase carried little appeal for the entire Hindu population
and did not last for too long.
Similarly, the fact that anti-Muslim Gujarat-carnage did not
spread into other parts of the country cannot be missed. If the
Gujarat-carnage stands out as a dark chapter in Indias secular
history, the Indian secular credentials stand highlighted by the
fact that they did not allow their secular spirit to be tarnished by
what was happening in Gujarat. Secularism gained greater
height when Indian voters decided to push BJP out of power dur-
ing the 2004 parliamentary polls held after the Gujarat-carnage.
Today, even Modi gives the impression of being desperate to
gain Muslim votes to help his party gain power at the Centre. At
the same time, attempts are also being made to unite the
Hindu community by entrusting Modi with the primary responsi-
bility of electoral campaigning. Against this backdrop, how
much significance can ordinary voters really give to charges of
communalism and secularism being levied by rival parties
against each other? Seriously speaking, practically none. The
majority are least likely to even deliberate on such campaign
strategies till the voting day is close. However loudly Modi may
attack Congress for its secular veil and whatever be nature of
latters response about the formers naked communalism, the
political echo of their respective charges may be expected to
remain confined to their parties and of course to the media
world, at least for now!
Speaki ng Out
Political Rhetoric:
Secularism vs
Communalism
NI LOFAR SUHRAWARDY
Following is the full text of the letter R.B. SREEKUMAR, IPS
(Retd.), former DGP, Gujarat, sent to the President of India on 15
July 2013 asking him that law should be allowed to take its
course in the Ishrat encounter case in which a top IB officer is
involved and now efforts are being made to save him:
Respected Rashtrapatiji,
I am a former DGP of Gujarat State and I retired form service on 28
February 2007. I have submitted a lot of evidence (9 Affidavits - 663
pages and other documents) to judicial bodies probing into the 2002
anti-minority riots, on the genesis, course and aftermath of commu-
nal violence in Gujarat, subversion of Criminal Justice System (CJS)
to deny, delay and derail justice delivery to riot victim survivors and
fake encounters by Gujarat Police. Now I am engaged in assisting
the riot-affected and NGOs, as an Advocate, fighting for justice.
2. Recent investigation by CBI into extra-judicial killings of Ishrat
Jahan and three others, had reportedly brought out substantial evi-
dence on the culpable guilt of a few Central IB officials, in planning
and execution of this fake encounter, by teaming up with Gujarat
police.
The Sangh Parivar, Modi Government, self-appointed support-
ers and resource persons of IB have, of late, launched a vigorous
campaign to get the accused IB officials immunized from arrest and
prosecution. Media reported various grounds advanced by these
saviors of IB to pressurize and cajole the Union Executive - The
Prime Minister and MHA
- for restraining CBI from performing its duty of investigating
Ishrat Jahan case, as per the stipulations of the Criminal Procedure
Code (CRPC), without fear or favour. Reports also indicate that MHA
officials had summoned the CBI Director and asked him to take care
of sensibilities of IB in this matter.
3. A few former Directors of CBI, IB and Governor of Andhra
Pradesh, Shri ESL Narasimhan (former IB Director) had argued that
arrest of IB officials, irrespective of availability of sufficient evidence
against them, could jeopardize IB operations for internal security,
besides affecting morale of IB personnel. They emphatically assert-
ed that the Government should have filed an Affidavit in the Apex
Court stating that IB should not have been dragged into the matter.
The thrust of this argument is against the foundational principles of
the Constitution of India, the canons of the Rule of Law and invio-
lable universal human rights and does amount to insulate IB func-
tionaries from the discipline of legality, even though IB functions
without any legal empowerment through enacted law.
4. In the legal perspective, if any functionary from political and
administrative bureaucracy of the Union Executive - The Prime
Minister to Union Home Secretary - being pressurized by protago-
nists of IB, does influence or instruct the CBI to take a particular
direction in Ishrat Jahan case investigation, bypassing the truth and
substantial evidence emerging in the investigation, they would be
liable for an offence under section 186 IPC Obstructing public ser-
vant in discharge of public functions. The Central Government,
being part of the Executive has only administrative authority over CBI
and investigation of cases by CBI is done on behalf and under the
direction of relevant judicial authorities. As per section 36 of CRPC,
only hierarchically superior police officers of the Investigating Officer
(IO), viz. SHO has authority to supervise investigations.
5. Let us hope that nobody from the Central Govt. will venture to
do the misadventure of intervening and meddling with the CBI inves-
tigation in Ishrat Jahan encounter case. Moreover, on the basis of
evidence or reasonable suspicion or reliable information, or on a
petition u/s 319 CRPC, if Court brings IB officials under the clutch-
es of law, the authorities who influenced CBI investigation would be
put in an indefensible situation.
6. The argument that arrest of IB officials would demoralize IB
personnel and damage IB operations sounds like tail (IB) wagging
the head (Government) and IB leadership indulging in soft blackmail-
ing of its bosses. IBs charter is for collection of information,
through human and material resources, on threat to internal securi-
ty of India and any operation with this objective is acceptable and
laudatory. In the case of the premeditated murder of Ishrat Jahan and
four others and Sadik Jamal, in a different encounter, a few IB offi-
cials, particularly a Joint Director, in-charge of Gujarat State (posted
in Ahmedabad from 2001 - 2005) and his staff, had gone beyond
their call of duty and became abettors and collaborators, with a
mafia of Gujarat police officers, for carrying out the hidden agenda
of Modi Govt. to eliminate Muslim youth for enhancing the image of
the CM Narendra Modi.
7.These extra-judicial killings were carried out by a selected
group of Gujarat police officers (most of them are in jail since 2007
- four IPS officers - for their guilt in multiple fake encounters), who
had direct extra-hierarchical constant accessibility to the CM
Narendra Modi and Minister Amit Shah (arrested for the murder of
Sohrabuddin Sheikh and released on bail). It is relevant to note that
Joint Director IB, Ahmedabad who succeeded the controversial Joint
Director, Rajendra Kumar, is not facing any allegation for involvement
in any such crimes, though the encounter specialists of Gujarat
police continued to eliminate the so-called Muslim militants, plan-
ning to assassinate Narendra Modi till their arrest in February 2007.
Strangely, Jihadi groups did NOT send anybody to attack Narendra
Modi and other Hindu leaders after the imprisonment of policemen
accused of fake encounters!
8. Evidence before Justice Nanavati Commission (JNC) avail-
able in the public domain, revealed the professional lapses of IB unit
of Ahmedabad in failing to provide real time actionable, specific, pin-
pointed preventive advance intelligence about:
1) the timing of return of Gujarat contingent of Kar Sevaks from
Ayodhya on 27 Feb. 2002 (this would have facilitated Gujarat police
to keep special bandobast in
Godhra Railway station),
2) the actual causes and course of Godhra train fire incident
killing 59 Hindus - though IB agents reportedly
travelled with Gujarat Kar Sevaks on their onward and return
journey from Ayodhya,
3) location of extensive planned attack on Muslim settlements
after Godhra incident by armed Hindu mobs,
4) subversion of CJS by Modi Govt. against the riot victims and
witnesses resulting in the Apex Court ordering a) constitution of
Special Investigation Team
(SIT) to probe into 9 major carnage cases, b) transfer of trial of
cases to Maharashtra, c) re-investigation of 2000-odd riot cases
closed by Gujarat police, d) forming a special task force under
Justice Bedi to probe into 17 encounter cases, e) investigation of a
major mass rape case and encounter cases by CBI, observing that
Gujarat police acted like modern Neros during riots and so on.
Besides, Joint Director Rajendra Kumar persuaded DGP
K. Chakravarti on 27 Feb. 2002 forenoon to investigate Godhra train
fire incident as an outcome of international conspiracy, without any
valid evidence (to mobilise Hindu ire against Muslim community for
political advantage and electoral dividends for BJP). The conspira-
tors have been acquitted by the Court in this case, invalidating the
conspiracy theory. Further, this IB officer had also advised Gujarat
State Intelligence branch to fabricate false reports against a political
party.
9. It is widely felt that a set of officers close to CM Narendra
Modi in Gujarat police had carried out many fake encounters with the
objective to 1) Enhance the image of Narendra Modi, the self-pro-
claimed Hindu Hridaya Samrat, as a person constantly targeted by
the Jihadi groups, 2) Generate a sympathy wave among Hindus for
Narendra Modi, 3) Silence critics of Modi in BJP and Sangh Parivar,
4) Project Gujarat police as an extra vigilant force successful in pre-
empting any threat to VIP security and eliminating the cause of it in
time, and 5) Generate a fear psychosis among the minorities.
10. All these facts would establish that IB officials interrogated
by CBI for Ishrat Jahan case had certainly not confined themselves
to their ambit of duties and prescribed code of conduct. They had
absolutely no authority under law to arrest or detain any person, on
the pretext of interrogation also even if they were activists of
Lashkar-e-Toiba. Even if the people killed in encounters were con-
demned prisoners by the court, Gujarat police and IB had no legal
powers to eliminate them in cold blooded murders. After all, suc-
cess of Maharashtra police to arrest and secure Ajmal Kasab of
26/11 attacks on Mumbai, only had helped India to conclusively
prove Pakistans involvement in this devilish assault on our country.
11. Everybody knows that only armed forces are exempted from
arrest and prosecution for their operations in areas where special
laws are enforced, i.e., Jammu and Kashmir and North Eastern
states. Therefore, the deviant acts of IB officials in joining Gujarat
police in planning and execution of fake encounters should be
viewed seriously and any laxity would be exploited by enemies of
India, propagating that minorities are not getting proper justice. This
would help internationally organized Islamic Jihadis to get recruits
for anti-Indian nefarious activities. Should we create a favourable
ambience for such elements, within and outside India, for the mirage
of IB personnels morale? Is the morale of IB functionaries more
meritorious and valuable than the lives of Indian citizens?
12. The Governor of Andhra Pradesh, as a former Director of IB,
is an interested party in this matter and so he should not have inter-
vened with a letter to the Prime Minister, aiming at neutralization of
any action by lawful authority of CBI against IB officials. The
Governor had violated the constitutional constraints and legal frame-
work within which he had to function and particularly the letter and
spirit of Article 51(A) of the Constitution of India. In fact, anybody
including Director IB endeavouring to protect the accused IB offi-
cials, allegedly involved in extra-judicial killings, should approach
relevant judicial bodies instead of exerting pressure on Union
Government - an Executive Authority having no powers over CBI
under law, to guide and influence the course of any investigation. If
CBI buckles down under such pressure tactics and de-professional-
ize the investigation for helping the accused, this agency would be
committing an offence under Section 217 IPC - Public servant dis-
obeying direction of law with intent to save person from punish-
ment.
13. Repeated electoral victories had arrogated and energized
BJP and Narendra Modi to continue with blatant violation of struc-
tured scheme of Law and its due process. The latest instance is the
case of an IPS officer - ADGP Crime, P. P. Pandey, declared by the
Court as a proclaimed offender, in Ishrat Jahan case, remaining
untraced since 5th May, 2013, and not being suspended by Modi
Government, as per the legal requirements of Gujarat Police Manual
and All India Service Rules.
14. The IBs guilty role in fake encounters in Gujarat is, perhaps, the
only instance, in 125 years long history of this organization, of its mis-
use by a State Government, presumably with the consent of NDA
Government in the years 2002 - 2004. This is a dangerous trend, inju-
rious to federalism, unity and integrity of India. The role of IB headquar-
ters and MHA in this unholy affair should be probed deeper and remedi-
al measures ought to be streamlined.
15. The President of India is the senior-most servant, soldier,
protector and Dharma Yodha of the Constitution of India. Therefore,
I, humbly appeal to you to initiate appropriate steps to prevent and
neutralize any move from Government or non-governmental groups
or persons, from impeding CBI investigation in Ishrat Jahan
encounter case and other fake encounter cases in Gujarat. Any
action to anoint IB officials, accused of collaboration in fake encoun-
ters, with the oil of innocence, violating the procedure established by
law and through illegal extraneous pressure, would result in IB
degenerating into Indias Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
The pivotal scripture of Hinduism - The Bhagwat Gita - empha-
sizes the primacy of law (Shastras) in Chapter 16, Sloka 24:
Law alone determines what is to be done or not and so one
should become aware of what is prescribed in law and perform
duties accordingly.
asmac chastram pramanam te karyakarya-vyavasthitam |
Jnatva sastra-vidhanoktam karma kartum iharhasi ||
With profound regards,
Yours faithfully
R. B. Sreekumar
ANALYSIS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 11 www.milligazette.com
Mr President: allow law to take its course in Ishrat case
JAVED AKHTAR, a young
and popular poet of
Allahabad died of heart
attack on 13 July at the
age of 39 years. A resident
of Kolkata (he was born in
24 Pargana, West Bengal)
he had been living in
Allahabad for a long time
where he was employed. He was a representa-
tive poet of new age who gave a new direction
to Urdu ghazal. His first anthology of poems
Neend Shart Naheen (Sleep no condition)
appeared in 2010 for which he was honoured
with awards by UP and Bihar Urdu Academies.
HAJJIN AMEER JAHAN, mother of UPs cabinet
minister Azam Khan died in the early morning of
9 July after a prolonged illness at the age of 95
years at her home in Rampur. She was laid to
rest same day in the afternoon. Several thou-
sand people attended her funeral.
SHABNAM GORAKHPURI, popular poet of
Gorakhpur died in a local nursing home after a
brief illness. He leaves behind his only daughter
and two grand sons. Because of his deep study
of English literature, his poems and ghazals
also have some reflections of English romantic
poets. He also translated the poerty of English
poets John Keats and P. B. Shelley into Urdu
poetry under the titles Phool kaanton ki saij per
and Baad Maghrib. His anthologies of ghazals
are titled Phool aur Shabnam, Ashk-e
Shabnam, Bazm-e Shabnam etc. When he had
translated Keats poetry into Urdu poetry the
then prime minister of England Mrs Margret
Thatcher had invited him at her official resi-
dence at 10 Downing Street for a courtesy and
complimentary meeting.
SYED HASHIM RAZA ALLAMA QAMAR
SARASWI, author, poet, dramatist and writer of
many film stories and dramas died of heart
attack in Sri Sadaat, Sambhal on 17 July at the
age of 85 years. Among his dramas are Khoon
ka Khoon, Bachpan ki Jawani, Jawani ka bach-
pan etc.
MAULANA MAZAHIRULLAH KHAN WAJIHI,
popular and well-known figure of Rampur, reli-
gious scholar and Imam of this citys Jama
Masjid died of heart attack after a road accident
near Jaipur while coming back from Ajmer to
Rampur on 6 July. He was laid to rest in Rampur
same day.
KHURSHID ALAM
KHAN, former minister
in Indira Gandhi and
Rajiv Gandhi cabinets
and father of union for-
eign minister Salman
Khurshid and also for-
mer governor died of
hear t attack in Delhis
Escor ts Hospital in the early morning of 20
July at the age of 95 years. He held several
por tfolios in the union ministry in the 1980s.
He was governoer of Goa for two years
(1989-90) and thereafter of Karnataka from
1991 to 1999. Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh while paying tributes to him said that
his par ticipation and contribution in matters
of Indias foreign policy, educational system,
legislation and in the countrys modern dem-
ocratic politics was impor tant.
TAHA MAHBOOB, a 21-year-old blind student of
College of Tahfilul Quran which is a part of
Malikpurams Islamic Study Centre has memo-
rised the whole Quran with the help of Braille
script / system. According to some Ulama,
memorising Quran by blind students is nothing
new because they memorise it by listening from
others but memorising the entire Quran through
Braille system or script is really a strange and
unique event. It took Taha Mahboob 3 years to
memorise the whole Quran. He received educa-
tion in a blind school for seven years. He says
that now he can read the Quran like any other
person.
S. M. SAJID, the Pro-Vice
Chancellor of Jamia Millia
Islamia University has been
appointed interim Vice
Chancellor of this University in
place of Najeeb Jung who has
taken over as Lieut Governor
of Delhi. It is believed that S M Sajid will serve
as interim VC till September 2014, the period
upto which Najeeb Jungs 5-year term as VC of
JMI University would have completed had he
not been appointed Delhis LG, though search
for a full-time VC as successor of Najeeb Jung
will continue. The interim VC has made it clear
that the policies and reforms initiated by Mr
Jung in JMIs working will be continued by him.
Twenty-one year old SADIYA SAIFUDDIN, a
student of USAs California University has
been elected a member of Universitys
Governing Board. In spite of strong opposi-
tion by Jewish Lobby against her, 25 out of
26 Regents of the University Board cast their
votes in her favour for
Boards membership.
Opposition of Jewish
lobby to her membership
of the Board is because
she suppor ts the cause
of Palestine. Lobbyists
complaint is that she had
exposed matters relating
to Israeli army, Business companies and
Universitys funds. Their stand is that any one
except a Muslim should be made a member
of Universitys Board but she has been elect-
ed because of her activities for the welfare of
all students of the University. She wears a
scarf. She is the first Muslim member of the
Universitys Board.
M U H A M M A D
AZHARUDDIN, former
captain of Indian cricket
team and M P from
Muradabad was unani-
mously elected
President of Delhi
Badminton Club in place
of Vinod Dhawan who
had resigned in April.
Dr. F.R. SHARAR MISBAHI was unaminously
re-elected chairman of Central Unani Tibbi
Board and Dr. ISHTIAQ AHMAD SIDDIQI was
elected General secretary of the Board in the
Central Unani Tibbi Boards meeting held in
Delhi recently.
IMRAN AZIM QURESHI, social worker and
advocate has been elected secretary of All India
Jamiatul Quraishs central committee.
MEN & WOMEN IN NEWS
OBITUARIES
12 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 NEWSMAKERS www.milligazette.com
RAZIA SULTAN, a 15-year old girl of a village in
Meerut district of UP who passed 11th Grade
and Ashwini, 21-year old visually disabled girl
from a village in Karnataka were honoured by
United Nations with first Malala Day Award as
UN Special Envoy for Global Educations Youth
Courage Award for Education on the occasion of
Malala (Yusufzai) Day (12 July, her 16th birth-
day) celebrations at the UN HQ at New York.
Razia, daughter of poor parents (her father used
to supply bricks) who at the very young age of
5 years was a child labourer who used to stitch
small leather pieces for making football to sup-
plement her familys income was honoured with
the UN award for withdrawing small children
from work and promoting education among
them. Ashwini too being poor and handicapped
girl was honoured with UN award for promoting
education among the handicapped, poor girls. In
addition to Razia and Ashwini, 5 other girls from
Bangladesh, Nepal, Morocco and Sierra Leone
were also honoured with this UN Award.
CHAUDHARI MUNAWWAR SALEEM,
Samajwasdi Party M P was honoured with Best
Parliament Member at a function held at India
Islamic Cultural Centre on 4 July and jointly
sponsored by the organisation Maatam of
Amroha and Bibi Fatema Welfare Society in
recognition of his campaign and strong voice in
favour and support of the rights of poor and
oppressed people, of
Muslims and other minor-
ity communities, against
pollution of River Ganga,
against exploitation and
dishonour of women etc.
The Award was presented
to him jointly by union
home minister S. K.
Shinde, Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit and K.
Rahman Khan.
AWARDS
HAFEEZ NOMANI
I still remember when many years ago,
Hajj pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh before
leaving for Mumbai, used to camp at
Lucknow Railway station for several
days as almost all of them used to travel
by ship and the ships used to sail from
Mumbai. Outside the Railway station,
Hajj banners used to be put up and
dozens of religious and practicing
Muslims from Lucknow used to cater to
the needs of these pilgrims and help
them embark on the trains.
One Muslim philanthropist had built a
Musafirkhana in front of Aminabad pow-
erhouse. Hajj pilgrims were welcome
there and were not charged any rent.
This activity related to the Muslims
and therefore the government did not feel
any obligation to pay attention to it.
A Muslim secretary of the state gov-
ernment realised that Muslim women pil-
grims in particular faced great difficulties
as they had to keep their burqas on for days and nights and had
to do their chores while clad in burqas. He brought this to the
notice of Bahuguna Joshi and [her father and then Chief Minister]
Bahuguna ji helped in the construction of a Muslim musafirkhana
near Charbagh for which Waqf Board, Hajj Committee and the
government contributed equal amounts of money and the
musafirkhana was thus built. The purpose of the musafirkhana
was to provide facilities to Hajj pilgrims coming from districts
which had no direct trains to Mumbai, to come to Lucknow and
stay there free of cost for as many days as they needed to
arrange their journey.
What followed afterwards, I feel ashamed to describe it. Once
the musafirkhana was built all those benevolent and practicing
Muslims who used to set up camps at the Railway station and
used to serve the pilgrims day and night, were forced to keep
away and those who were bent upon making the musafirkhana a
source of income, through their contacts and influences, took it
into their control. The Muslim musafirkhana that was built with the
sole purpose of providing the facility of staying to Hajj pilgrims,
instead started to be used for acts that one feels ashamed even
to mention. A facility built solely with a religious spirit first
became the cause of a tussle between grabbers and occupiers
and was then used for all illegal acts that are committed in hotels
of bad repute. Then came a time
when it was being used by more
Hindu travellers who stayed there
with all sorts of indulgences and
nefarious activities while Muslims
with rustic and poor appearances
were told there was no room.
Worse still was the fact that Hajj
pilgrims were excused from being
given accommodation at all.
I have never kept any associa-
tion with this musafirkhana but
have always kept myself abreast
with its affairs thanks to some
friends who had been fighting its
case and were even willing to take
up physical fight for it. They were
even willing to sacrifice their lives
to save this place from remaining
in the wrong hands. They were not
prepared to tolerate to see a place
built for religious purposes being
defiled by debauch elements for
wining and womanising. Then
Almighty helped them and they won the case, a receiver was
appointed and one Allah-fearing person, with a religious zeal and
spirit, was appointed as its in-charge who refused to give a room
to any such person in whose bag he could see a wine bottle even
from a distance.
It pains me to write that those people because of whom the
musafirkhana was closed did not even bother to think for a while
that this was the only rest house of its kind where a mosque also
had been built for prayers. This was one such respectable place
where once a meeting of the consultative committee of Darul
Uloom Deoband had been organised and who knows how many
public meetings of the community and religious festivities had
also taken place there.
What I am trying to emphasise here is the fact that this build-
ing was built as a musafirkhana solely for Muslims. Many years
ago, a benevolent caring Muslim, Sarfaraz Ali, after serving it for
so many years, owing to his ill-health, excused himself from con-
tinuing to serve it. Then by the will of Almighty I became house-
bound too and for the last few years I have been unaware of the
situation there.
It was about a month ago when I read in a newspaper that on
the orders of Azam Khan Saheb, musafirkhana officer Saeed
Khan had been arrested. I have been in the field of journalism for
the last 50 years and have performed duties of various kinds in,
Allah knows, how many newspapers. During this period I have
never had to print a story of someone being arrested on some-
ones orders. Yes, we did carry the news of someone being
arrested for taking bribe, embezzlement, or for running a brothel.
I did not have to print that someone had been held on Guptajis
orders. After reading the news I felt as if Azam Khan was the Uttar
Pradeshs Raja or an absolute dictator. In fact, it gave the impres-
sion that it is him who is the real ruler while Akhilesh Yadav and
Shiv Pal are just showpieces.
I have known Saeed Khan since the days when he used to be
a clean-shaven man. Then he came close to a religious group and
grew a beard larger than mine. And then I continued to hear that
he was serving the Hajj pilgrims, Hajj Committee and the
musafirkhana day and night. If any of our acquaintances was
going for Hajj we used to send him to Saeed Khan to be looked
after so well that he would be all praise and well-wishing for him
all the way to his destination. It was only after his arrest that we
came to know that he was accused of embezzlement while as far
as we had heard the fact was that Saeed Khan had broken the
record of the musafirkhanas earning. How can we believe that
without having his beard shaved, he would have digested such a
huge sum illegally? And now today we have heard that in order to
save his skin he has left the city and has moved somewhere else.
Perhaps Azam Khan Saheb has ordered the police to enquire from
his neighbours and acquaintances about his character. And it has
also been reported that in compliance with this order police
inspectors have been busy in digging proofs of Saeed Khans bad
character.
Almighty has blessed Azam Khan Saheb with immense pow-
ers. If he is pleased with someone he favours the person by giv-
ing him, his wife and even his brother-in-law jobs in the Hajj
Committee. However, if he gets displeased, he would not hesitate
to bulldoze the sources of income of hundreds of poor Muslim
hawkers at Samarak Park. In his love for the shopkeepers in
Mohan Market he does not even look at the pavement and the
whole road being blocked by the illegal vendors. The shopkeep-
ers of this market challenge and dare anyone to have the road
cleared. But this challenge does not reach the ears of Khan
Saheb.
We would only like to tell the ruler of our time Mohammad
Azam Khan that if he is blessed with high post then it is incum-
bent on him to pray to the Almighty to grant him humility of
behaviour and a kind heart as well because a real ruler is the one
who is remembered for his good deeds even when he is out of
power. (Daily Avadhnama, Lucknow, 19 July 2013 -- English translation
by urdumediamonitor.com)
Great is the one who is regarded as great by others
Delhis Qaumi School on verge of closure
SPECIAL REPORT The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 13 www.milligazette.com
New Delhi: Its two months since the Jaunpur
youth Khalid Mujahid died mysteriously in police
custody in Uttar Pradesh. Now a Delhi-based
Muslim news portal, muslimmirror.com, has
released a documentary capturing the six years
of a painful saga, from Khalids abduction by
plainclothe policemen in December 2007 to his
custodial killing in May 2013. It is the first-ever
video on Khalid Mujahid whose abduction and
death have shaken two governments in Uttar
Pradesh and an indefinite dharna (sit-in)
demanding justice for Khalid Mujahid and others
being held in front of the assembly building in
Lucknow has now crossed two months.
Mujahid died on 18 May, 2013. After the
outcry, the Uttar Pradesh government
announced a CBI probe into his death a day later
but even two months later the probe has not
even started. Hours after his death, the family of
Mujahid filed an FIR naming top officials for his
illegal abduction and custodial killing, but the
state government has not even suspended the
accused officers, let alone arrest them.
The 25-minute documentary has interviews
with Mujahids uncle Maulana Zaheer Alam
Falahi and his three lawyers including Adv.
Mohammad Shoaib. Former Inspector General of
Police Uttar Pradesh, SR Darapuri, in an exclu-
sive interview, exposes the communal mindset
of the police and security agencies. The docu-
mentary has unseen footage and images of
Mujahids body before autopsy which clearly
show his death was not natural.
The documentary, produced by the Impact
Media Group, has been prepared in cooperation
with the Indian American Muslim Council
(IAMC), an advocacy group dedicated to safe-
guarding Indias pluralist and tolerant ethos. The
video may be wathed here:
http://youtu.be/4cegWbjkCi0
(For more information, visit: http://muslimmir-
ror.com/eng/a-hear trending-documentar y-
khalid-mujahid-from-abduction-to-custodial-
killing/)
MG/Yusuf
Old Delhis Qaumi School was established by the
Muslim community in 1948 in Sarai Khaleel.
Over the years it flourished and had a 5-storey
building with hundreds of students from the local
poor families. During Emergency, the area was
earmarked for Janata Flats and the school was
demolished on 30 June 1976 by the order of the
then Dy. Chairman of DDA Jagmohan, Sanjay
crony Rukhsana Singh and DDA commissioner
BR Tamta after giving express assurances that a
new school will be built within six months near
the Eidgah. As the school properties were lying
on the street and being vandalised and stolen,
Eidgah committee offered them to move to the
Eidgah land and start their school in tents. Thus
they moved to the new location while the Delhi
government forgot its assurances and the
school since then functions in tents on Eidgah
land. All these years people like Firoz Bakht
Ahmad of Friends for Education have tried to
wake up the Delhi administration and DDA but
with no results. Now the Eidgah committee has
issued a final notice to the school to move to
some other place. If the Eidgah committee
presses for its demand, the school will have no
option but to close down.
At present it has 715 stu-
dents belonging to poor
families. Most likely they
will become child labour
or take to petty crime if the
school closes down.
Firoz Bakht has written to
the President, Prime
Minister, the Minority
Minister and other impor-
tant dignitaries. Recently
K. Rehman Khan, the
Minister for Minority
affairs, wrote a letter to the
Delhi Lieutenant Governor
to help the school get
proper land to build the school. (For more infor-
mation, contact Firoz Bakht Ahmed, mobile:
09810933050, email: firozbakhtahmed08@
gmail.com)
Mohammed drops in for Zakir lecture
It was a pleasant sur-
prise on 19 July for
more than 5,000 peo-
ple attending an
Islamic lecture at the
Ramadan Forum when
Shaikh Mohammed
bin Rashid Al-
Maktoum, Vice-
President and Prime
Minister of the UAE
and Ruler of Dubai,
walked in unan-
nounced. Calm and
composed, he sur-
prised the shows
organisers by going
and sitting in the audi-
ence instead of walking up to the front row. Sitting comfortably in the fourth row, Shaikh Mohammed
paid keen attention to the lecture on Quran and Modern Science by Dr Zakir Naik. Later he walked
out of the hall from a side entrances without disturbing the lecture. Later, speaking to media, Naik
expressed his happiness over Shaikh Mohammeds surprise visit. It is an honour for me that he came
for the lecture. It really shows his generosity and simplicity. I could not see him but later I was told he
was among the audience. Naiks powerful lecture led three people to embrace Islam in public. Mikhail
Poll, a 28-year-old Russian who converted to Islam at the lecture, said Naiks talks had been an inspi-
ration. (Muaz Shabandri, Khaleej Times)
New Delhi: At the appeal of Save
Sharmila Campaign and Mission
Bhartiyam, a protest was organ-
ised here on July 21 against the
Ramban massacre by BSF that
claimed six lives and injured 44
others.
Save Sharmila Solidarity
Campaign is a nation-wide cam-
paign in support of Irom
Sharmila and for the repeal of the
draconian law of AFSPA. The
protest was joined and support-
ed by many groups namely
AISA, Campus Front of India,
Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association, NCHRO,
PUCL, J&K RTI and PUDR among several others.
The BSF had opened fired on 18 July at a
crowd that was protesting against the alleged
manhandling by BSF personnel of a local imam
and desecration of the Holy Quran the previous
night. The following morning, a group of protes-
tors had reached a BSF post in Gool in Ramban
district and they were welcome with hail of bul-
lets.
The Ramban incident is a prima facie case
of coercive methods adopted by the security per-
sonals. It highlights the highhanded attitude of the
security forces that they have acquired over a
period time due to their absolute powers and the
impunity granted to them, said Ravi Nitesh,
founder of Mission Bhartiyam, adding these inhu-
man incidents are quite frequent in Kashmir and in
states of North East because draconian laws like
AFSPA breed them.
Son, you
wont get a
job, so
why bother
about
school?
A Documentary on
Khalid Mujahid
Condolence Meeting For
Victims Of Uttarakhand
Mumbai: A condolence meeting was organised
here to condole the loss of life and property in
Uttrakhand. It was held jointly by Urdu Markaz
and Uttrakhand Literary and Cultural Forum. The
speakers condoled the death of a thousands of
people and expressed grief on the loss of proper-
ty wor th billions of rupees.
Speaking on this occasion
Convener of Urdu Marathi
Sahitya Forum Manohar
Rangpise said that each and
every Indian is with the people of
Uttarakhand in this hour of grief.
Social Activist Ansari Mahmood
Pervez said that the army has
done a commendable job and it
should be congratulated. He also
said that the hilly areas should
be protected, otherwise the eco-
logical balance will be disturbed.
Editor of Urdu Daily Hindustan, Sarfaraz Arzu
suggested that the government should construct
special roads for pilgrims like the roads con-
structed by Japan for Buddhist pilgrims in India.
President of Sir Syed Awareness Forum & Senior
Faculty at AMU, Dr. Shakeel Samdani said that the
main issue before the nation is the insensitive-
ness of the politicians, bureaucrats and big wigs
of society.
PROTEST AGAINST RAMBAN (J&K) KILLING AT
JANTAR MANTAR
M
G
/
Y
u
s
u
f
IBs trump card: Batla House Encounter
New Delhi: Ishrat fake encounter case has split the Salim-Javed
team of CBI and IB. With the filing of the chargesheet in the High
Court the CBI has not only given enough armament to BJP-
Congress war of words but it has also embarrassed the home
ministry as how to reconcile the fraternity of investigation agen-
cies. No doubt Rajinder Kumar played a significant role in
Gujarats fake encounters because he was called precisely for this
very purpose. He was transferred to Gujarat by Advani on Modis
request who had quite a few tricks up his sleeves after the Gujarat
genocide. A willing Advani obliged his disciple and the rest is his-
tory. However, why the CBI has not been able to include him in the
chargesheet calls for analysis of its dilemma. Not because the IB
team has come to the rescue of its officer but because Rajinder
Kumars role in the Batla House encounter may boomerang on the
congress. If he spills the beans than it will upset the Congress
applecart much to their (and CBIs) chagrin.
It is being contended that the chargesheet suffers from sever-
al short comings. In the absence of material evidence it relies
solely on circumstantial evidence as per statements of witnesses.
If any one of them turns hostile the entire case will be derailed. As
many as ten police mens names do not figure in the chargesheet
though their names had been included in the FIR.
While answering to IBs repeated harping on Ishrats contacts
with the two Paksitanis (R. K. Singhs query) the CBI has
expressed doubts over their nationality. While Zeeshan Jauhar is
being identified as a Kashmiri, nationality of Rana too is suspect.
Every one knows how fake documents and arsenals are planted
near a dead person. CBI is trying to establish the fact that none of
them had a terrorist tag. The programme organised in the consti-
tutional club under the auspices of ANHAD was disrupted by
goons who do not want the truth to emerge and are determined to
highjack the probe through such mobocracy, a tactic employed by
the saffron brigade in all probes. This is how Babri Masjid was
demolished; this is how the bar members in Allahabad / Lucknow
behave.
BJP is making much noise about David Headleys statement.
IB has reminded CBI of a letter of February 2013 in which
Headleys statement was cited. In an editorial in Shiv Senas
Samna by Uddhav Thackrey entitled Ishrat mev jayate attempts to
give Ishrat a clean chit are ridiculed. CBI director Ranjit Sinha said
that all aspects are being investigated and CBI is seeking the help
of other investigation agencies i.e. NIA. (A. G. Khan)
Mughal-e Azam voted the greatest Bollywood film in UK poll
London: Film Mughal-e Azam directed by Karim Asif and screened
in India during 1960s was voted greatest Bollywood film of all
time in a poll, according to a survey conducted by the British
Asian Weekly newspaper Eastern Eye in celebration of 100 years
of Indian cinema in UK. Initially this film was in black and white
with a coloured scene but subsequently in 2004 it was released in
coloured form. In 2006 the coloured version of this film was
released in Pakistan after a gap of about 4 decades. After Mughal-
e Azam, which was crowned the greatest Bollywood film of all
time in the poll, second position was bagged by Sholay. In
Mughal-e Azam the lead roles were played by Dilip Kumar and
Madhubala.
Bhagwad Gita prescribed in MP school syllabus
Bhopal: Despite protests of secularists, state government has
ordered, vide a gazette notification dated 4 July, the inclusion of
Bhagwad Gita in the school syllabus of classes IX - XII from this
academic session starting from July 2013. A chapter shall be
included in Special English syllabus of class 11 and 12.
Nine thousand persons in West UP planning to incite riots
New Delhi: UPs chief secretary of internal affairs, R M Shrivastava
made a startling revelation in a meeting to review the internal
affairs and law and order situation that about nine thousand per-
sons in Western UP which include cities like Meerut, Saharanpur,
Aligarh, Agra, Bareily, Muradabad etc may try to incite communal
riots in these cities in view of the approaching general elections
next year. In view of this possibility he said that mobile phones of
the suspected and identified people are being kept on surveillance.
It may be stated in this connection that Maulana Tauqeer Raza
Khan of Bareily (who now holds the position of a minister in SP
government) in a meeting with Mulayam Singh Yadav on 5 July
had demanded that a committee be set up to enquire into the riots
that had taken place in 33 places in the state. On Mulayam Singhs
instructions chief minister Akhilesh Singh had sought a detailed
report from secretary R. M. Srisvastava on the riots that had taken
place in the state, action taken against the persons found guilty in
these riots etc. After collecting such information and reviewing
them, he (Srisvastava) had come to the above conclusions (plans
for inciting riots in western UP).
According to RM Srivastava, states chief secretary Javed
Usmani in his letter of 16 March had directed Police
Commissioner, IG, DIG, SSP, DM etc to identify places prone to
communal riots, tension etc so that responsibility of strictly con-
trolling such riots etc should be placed on DM and SSP. Usmani
had also directed in this letter that in case communal riots take
place any where, DM and SSP should immediately visit these
places, identify communalists and unsocial elements, prepare lists
of such people and keep their phones etc on surveillance and if
necessary, electronic surveillance should also be resorted to. In
view of these instructions of the chief secretary (Usmani) 9000
persons in west UP were identified and vigil is being kept on their
mobiles. According to police sources, maximum action i.e. sur-
veillance on mobiles, has been taken in Meerut and Saharanpur
zones where a list of 4934 persons and their mobiles has been
prepared and vigil is being maintained. Licences of arms of 19
persons have been withheld.
It is worth mentioning here that because of the support of
Muslims to Samajwadi party it formed the government last year
and is doing some thing in their favour but the defeated parties like
BSP, BJP etc are not happy with Muslims and they are secretly try-
ing to incite anti-Muslim riots. It is well known that a number of
anti-Muslim riots have taken place in UP during the reign of the SP
government and more such riots may be on the cards. The reve-
lations made by R. M. Srivastava have confirmed the nefarious
plans of SPs rival parties and their agents and alerted the govern-
ment to take all possible steps to foil their mischievous plans.
Maharashtra first minority medical college recognised by MCI
Deoband: Maharashtras Muslim Medical College named Indian
Institute of Medical Science & College, Badnapur (District
Aurangabad) is now recognised by Medical Council of India, the
highest government institution which is authorised to recognise
and approve new medical colleges. This medical college is spon-
sored by Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom, Akalkua whose head is
Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Vastanvi who was once elected
Rector of Darul Uloom Deoband but removed thereafter. This med-
ical college is already functioning and patients are treated free of
charge but teaching has not yet started. Now that MCI has
inspected its buildings and other arrangements and given its final
approval, it is hoped that from next year medical education will
also start.
The building of this Institute was star ted in 2010 and was
completed by the end of June 2013. The Medical College is
spread over 40 acres of land and has 700 beds and more than
a hundred qualified and experienced doctors in which about
500 local patients and those from neighbouring areas are treat-
ed free of cost daily. In this college / hospital there are depar t-
ments of Medicines, Surgery, Biochemistry, Microbiolody,
Dentistry Physiology, Or thopedic, Paediatrics, Obstetric,
Gynaecology etc. It is equipped with a modern laboratory and
surgical and other instruments and facilities like Blood Bank,
Medical Store, Xray, OPD, Girls Hostel, Boys Hostel, Nurses
Hostel, staff quar ters, Pathology Lab, multi-speciality facilities
etc. The estimated expenditure of the medical college and hos-
pital is Rs 190 crores. There are also thousands of research
books, journals and magazines along with labs from which stu-
dents can benefit for educational and research activities.
It may also be stated that under Maulana Vastanvis and his
Ishaatal Ulooms sponsorship and patronage there are 83 Islamic
madrasas all over Maharashtra in which more than 25 thousand
students receive Islamic education and till date more than 1.5 lakh
students, after completing their education are rendering their serv-
ices in Maharashtra. There are also about 1700 maktabs and more
than 5000 mosques have been built in the length and breadth of
Maharashtra. With personal efforts of Maulana Vastanvi, 3 ITI col-
leges, 2 pharmacy colleges, 3 Unani medical colleges, one engi-
neering college and 2 polytechnics have been set up in which
lakhs of Muslim and non-Muslim students are receiving education
along with Islamic values. Maulana Vastanvi, in addition to head-
ing Ishaatul Uloom, is also associated with Darul Uloom
Deoband, AMU Court, hundreds of madrasas and modern educa-
tional institutions and is making valuable contribution in the reli-
gious and modern education of Muslim students.
Gujarats Muslim Trusts Sadbhavna
Vadodra: Kala Patel became a widow 8 years ago at the age of 40
when her husband died and she found it difficult to bring up her 3
children. Perforce she took up the job of a cook but even then her
meagre income made it difficult for her to make both ends meet.
It was at this juncture that Mufti Haroon Sindhi, President of
Hamdard Charitable Trust at Vadodra (Gujarat) came to her help
on 23 June. He provided food and other provisions to her which
were enough to last for 3 months. But she was not the only
widow; there were as many as 54 other widows of the majority
community like her (Kala Patel). Mufti Haroon Sindhis Trust
helped all the widows in the same way. This sadhbhavna of Muftis
Hamdard Charitable Trust was very different from Narendra Modis
greatly inflated and publicised sadhbhavnas of a couple of years
ago. At a function held at Sardar Nagar Hall of the city on 23 June
where leaders of both Hindu and Muslim communities shared the
stage, Mufti Haroon Sindhi said that women, especially widows,
are neglected in our society, so we felt the need to help them lead
a respectable life. We will continue supporting Hindu widows, he
said.
Medical College approved for Integral University
Shahjahanpur: Approval for a medical college in Integral
University, Lucknow was accorded by the government on 5 July.
A function sponsored by the Medical Faculty of this University was
held here in celebration of this good news. It may be stated that
Integral University at Lucknow was founded by Dr Syed Waseem
Akhtar about 20 years ago when a small school was developed
into a university with his untiring efforts in such a short period.
Today this University has departments of almost all modern arts
and science subjects (fields).
Stone pelting between communities in Gujarat
Verawal: Seven persons were injured including two government
employees when an incident of stone pelting took place. The
injured are undergoing treatment in civil hospital. When the local
police failed to contain the clashing groups police force from other
places was rushed in to control the situation. Soda water bottles
were hurled and the fire fighter was also attacked. The situation
was, later, controlled. Several vehicles, fire fighters, police vans
and SDMs car were damaged. Two wheelers were set ablaze. The
exact cause behind the eruption has not been ascertained. A dis-
pute between groups playing cricket in a field is believed to be the
trigger.
Rescue teams: Secular credentials
Dehradun: Armed forces demonstrated their secular credentials
when they launched rescue operations for disaster management
Uttarakhand. S. M. Yunus is the wing commander. He proudly
emphasised, In the Air Force we are taught only one religion - to
be Indian. The fact is further supported by the martyrdom of
Wing Commander Devel Kastelino. Also seen are hundreds of Sikh
army men. All rushed together to help thousands of Hindus
stranded here and there. It is time Hindutva icons stop caring for
only Hindus or only Gujartais! Will Varun Gandhi cut their
hands?
Ahmedabad school following apartheid policy
Ahmedabad: Sadhbhavna in Gujarat has been given a decent
burial after the assembly election. This was demonstrated by a
prestigious school of the capital where all the Muslim students
admitted to class IX have been dumped together in a separate sec-
tion D while students of other communities have been accommo-
dated in sections A, B and C. The segregation is not on the basis
of merit (or percentage of marks obtained in class VIII). In section
D Muslim students scoring 90% have been dumped with students
with a lower percentage.
Guardian of a girl student, who does not want to disclose his
identity, complained that such communal discrimination has
caused depression to his daughter who has stopped partaking
meals.
Principal Deven Rathod of M K School opposite Law Garden
has asked the guardian to apply for change of section, which will
be considered.
Schools, where seeds of national integration and good cit-
izenship should be sown, are supposed to believe in no dis-
crimination policy failing which they send wrong kinds of sig-
nals to society.
New Delhi: Union Minority affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan, while
talking to UNI Urdu Service, said that Special Task Forces (STFs)
in all states of the country must be set up in order to identify the
real terrorists and to protect innocent youths from being falsely
implicated in acts of terrorism and unnecessarily being tortured
and meted out inhuman treatment. He said that a feeling is
increasingly developing among Muslims that their innocent
youths are being falsely accused and arrested on the charge of
terrorism and are unnecessarily being tortured, kept in jails for
years together, their lives and careers being destroyed forever and
their family members being put to great mental and financial
strain and difficulties. He said that family members of the arrest-
ed youths complain to him again and again that their innocent
children are arrested simply on suspicion and kept in jails for
years together and by the time they are freed by courts after
being found innocent, it is so late that their entire future is com-
pletely ruined.
He said that no doubt incidents of terrorism do take place in
the country but it is essential that innocent youths could be saved
from being victims of illegal and unjustified cruelty and bar-
barism, real terrorists must be found and given exemplary pun-
ishment to deter future incidents. He said that it is no doubt the
responsibility of the government to expose terrorism but at the
same time it is equally the responsibility of society also to expose
it. Only then terrorism can be eliminated in the country. He said
that Muslims too should come forward to put an end to terrorism.
He further said that in a letter recently written to home minister
Sushil Kumar Shinde he has demanded that STFs in all states
should be set up. Minister Shinde replied positively to this letter
and has agreed that such an agency needs to be set up and that
fast track courts should also be set up in all states so that inno-
cent persons could be freed at the earliest and guilty persons
could be punished speedily.
The minister sent this proposal to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi also,
advising them that such a task force should be headed by the
PM and should include two or three senior ministers, senior
police officers, Ulama, intellectuals and social workers so that
with persons from different fields, transparency could be
maintained in deciding the cases of Muslims and justice could
be meted out to them.
It may also be stated that though such a proposal of
Rahman Khan is being appreciated by justice-loving people,
communal elements and par ties like BJP are opposed to such
a proposal and have star ted their usual anti-Muslim campaign
harping on Muslim appeasement claim. It is strange that they
are opposed to all such steps and policies which may be ben-
eficial to Muslims but at the same time they are trying to woo
them to garner their votes. (N. A. Ansari)
Rahman Khan pleads for STF for
identification of real terrorists
14 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 COMMUNITY NEWS www.milligazette.com
Gujarat home ministrys officials most
corrupt
Ahmedabad: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Gujarat Police has
registered the maximum cases of corruption against officials and
employees of states home ministry during the first 5 months of
the current year (2013). During the anti-corruption campaign
started by ACB, DG, Amitabh Pathak said that 27 cases of corrup-
tion against the officers and employees of the home ministry have
been registered till the end of May this year which are the most as
compared to any other government department / ministry of this
state. He further said that not a single case of corruption has been
registered against officers and employees of the ministries /
departments of sports, youth and cultural ministry, law and sci-
ence and Technology etc during the past 5 years. The Anti-
Corruption Bureau has now started a help-line where common
people can lodge any complaint of corruption etc against any offi-
cer / employee of government or private company or organisa-
tion.
Six months Arabic language course in IGNOU
New Delhi: IGNOU has started a special course for teaching and
learning Arabic language in six months only. A special feature of
this course, named Certificate in Arabic is that it is prepared in
such a way that students can learn it on their own with the help
of books. According to IGNOU sources, in this course special
care has been taken to see to it that books should not only be eas-
ily understandable but teaching method should be scientific. For
correct pronunciation of words, in addition to aids like audio,
video, CDs etc experienced teachers will take classes on Sundays
and guide students about correct pronunciation and there will be
question-answer session also. Students will also be guided in this
course with the help of mobiles.
Foundation stone of Keralas Knowledge City Centre laid
Kedapoel (Calicut): Keralas chief minister Oomen Chandi laid the
foundation stone of the master plan of Markaz Knowledge City
(Knowledge City Centre) here on 1 July. This Knowledge City
Centre is being built under the auspices of Jamia Markaz Al
Saqafatul Sunniya which will be South Indias largest educational
and medical campus in which there will be an Engineering
College, Law College, Business School, International School,
Unani Medical College, Multi-Speciality Hospital, IT Park, Institute
of School Centre, Global School, Taiyyaba Residential Garden,
Medical Students Hostel, Cyber Zone and Hotel & Convocation
Centre and many other important departments. The chief minister
said that with this Knowledge City Centre, Jamia Al Saqafatul
Sunniya has added a new chapter in the economic and education-
al progress of this state and the establishment of Knowledge City
will become a model for the whole world. While praising the Vice
Chancellor of Jamia Markaz Al Saqafatul Sunniya, Sheikh Abu
Bakar on this occasion he said what the government could not do
has been accomplished by Sheikh Abu Bakar by setting up this
Centre (Knowledge City) and assured the management of this
Centre that the state government will extend all cooperation to
this. He said that according to the master plan of Knowledge City,
this cradle of education and knowledge of South India spread over
125 acres of land will be open to people of all communities and
religions.
On this occasion many departments were also formally inau-
gurated in which different ministers and dignitaries took part.
Inaugural function was performed digitally. P. K. Kunyali Kutty,
minister for industries laid the foundation stone of Cyboland.
Similarly different ministers laid the foundation stones of different
institutions like Global School, Taiyyaba Residential Garden,
Institute of Management, Unani Medical College and so on. On
this occasion C M. Ibrahim of Karnataka said that today Kerala
enjoys a place of honour and pride as compared to other states in
the entire country but now it will enjoy a place of pride at the inter-
national level.
Vice Chancellor Sheikh Abu Bakar said in his keynote address
on this occasion that the Knowledge City Centre will turn out to be
the horizon of educational progress of the people of Kerala at an
international level. He said that students of India instead of going
to foreign countries for acquisition of higher and professional edu-
cation will now turn to Kerala. Another speaker Dr Abdul Hakeem
Azhari said that setting up Unani Medical College in the
Knowledge City will be a pioneering initiative because so for there
has been no Unani Medical College in the whole of Kerala. General
Manager of Jamia Markaz Al Saqafatul Sunniya said that with the
teaching of religious and modern arts and sciences education in
this Centre new opportunities of employment will be created on a
large scale. He said that the entire project of the Knowledge City
Centre will be complete by 2020.
At least two Muslim constables in each police station of UP
Lucknow: Chief minister of U P Akhilesh Singh Yadav has ordered
all police superintendents and district magistrates of the state that
at least two Muslim constables should be appointed in each thana
in the state. Needless to say that all such orders and steps are for
garnering Muslims votes in the general elections to be held next
year i.e. 2014 and there will be many more such steps and
announcements by other governments.
First Muslim educational institution in Kolhapur in a century
Kolhapur: For the first time after about a hundred years the foun-
dation stone of a Muslim educational institution was laid in
Kolhapur (Maharashtra) by Maharashtras minister for minorities
affairs Muhammad Arif Naseem Khan on 7 July. It may be stated
that more than a hundred years ago Sahu Maharaj had set up an
educational institution named Muslim Boarding in Kolhapur in
1906 which is now a High School and junior college. After this
institution no other Muslim educational institution was set up in
this city. However, on 7 July the minister laid the foundation stone
of a school named Muslim Education Society. On this occasion he
said that in this school religious education also, in addition to
modern education, will be provided which is essential in todays
disturbed and uneasy times. Justifying religious education, side
by side with modern education he said if we do not familiarise
our new generation with our religion, culture and civilization, our
future will become dark.
He also said that unless our new generation acquires higher
education and moves forward in academic, professional and edu-
cational field, their progress is not possible and for this they
should be given reservation not only in education but also in gov-
ernment services.
J&Ks Immaad Muzaffar becomes World Student Icon
New Delhi: Immad Muzaffar of Jammu, an 11th class student of
a school in Gurgaon won The World Student Icon Award in the
19th World Youth Leadership Congress held in Auckland (New
York). By virtue of this award or honour he has been appointed
Chief Judge of the Youth Business and Entrepreneurship Forum to
be held in Washington DC in January 2014. In this competition
1800 candidates from 60 countries had participated. In the final
round of competition students / candidates were required to
express their views on UNs Social & Economic Councils eco-
nomic planning and projects in which Immaad Muzaffar came out
with flying colours. For this feat he was given a 10-gram 24 carat
gold biscuit as award and a certificate. With this award he is now
entitled to participate in any youth festival or forum in any coun-
try of the world. Earlier also he has won many awards in interna-
tional competitive functions held in Delhi, Dubai and Germany. He
appears to be a jack of all trades seeing that he has achieved
many successes in golf, swimming, cricket and has been writing
articles and expressing views on important political, social and
economic issues.
Separate water connection on communal ground
Mumbai: Objecting to a common water tank for all the tenants and
house owners Chogmal Jain family, residing in building named
Aman for the past seventy years, applied for a separate water
connection pleading that sharing water with people of different
faiths hurt his religious sentiments. Interestingly, BMC obliged the
applicant and sanctioned a connection.
The fact came to house owner Ayub Khans knowledge when
he sought information through RTI. He had earlier applied for an
additional connection as the old connection did not supply suffi-
cient water. The two storeyed building was raised to four hence a
water tank (common for all) was constructed. When the BMC did
not sanction him a new connection, he sought the reason for
denial through RTI. He was apprised that the ground floor tenant
had applied for a new connection citing religious reasons hence it
was granted to him in 2003.
Interestingly Jains have been living in the building for the past
seventy years with a Christian family as neighbour on the ground
floor and Muslim family on the first floor. Ayub Khan was shocked
to learn about the feelings of Chogmal Jain who pretends igno-
rance over the matter.
Prior to partition, there used to be Hindu Paani / Muslim Paani
at railway stations and other places. Progressive India has
regressed into pre partition period.
3 year imprisonment for Modis minister
Ahmedabad: Babubhai Bokhiriya, minister for water resources in
the Modi cabinet, has been awarded three years of imprisonment
for limestone mining scam of Rs 54 crore in 2006. A lower court
sentenced Bokhiriya and three others. The case had been pending
in Porbander court.
Nirma company had sought limestone mining in 2006. An FIR
was lodged by the manager of the company and later on a charge
sheet was filed in the court. However, because of Babu bhais
political clout the matter remained in cold storage. The other three
include former BJP M P Bharat Odedara, APMC chairman
Lakshman Odedara and Bheema Kala. All the four have been
taken into police custody.
It may be recalled that Babu bhai had become a giant killer in
2012 assembly election by defeating Arjun Modhwadia, the state
congress chief.
Information obtained through RTI enlists Babubhais name on
the top with Rs 54 cores fraud out of a total scam of 554 crores.
He happens to be the second minister in the Modi cabinet to be
sentenced so far after Dr Maya Kodnani. The other two awaiting
court decision are Purushottam Solanki and Amit Shah.
Delhi Waqf Board to ensure annual raise in Imams pay
New Delhi: Delhi Waqf Board held a reception and thanks-giving
meeting on behalf of Delhi Masjid Imams in honour of chief min-
ister Shiela Dikshit at India Islamic Cultural Centre on 8 July after
an almost double increase in the salaries of Masjid Imams and
Muazzins. In this meeting she asked the chairman of Delhi Waqf
Board, Chaudhari Mateen Ahmad to work out a formula on scien-
tific basis so that salaries of Masjid Imams and Muazzins would
be automatically increased every year (like government and pri-
vate sector employees in the form of annual increments) instead
of their making demands frequently and resorting to agitations,
rallies and taking to streets. She said that after all these people
also are human beings and they also have necessities and
requirements of their own and their families. It may be stated in
this connection that recently, in response to their persistent
demands, monthly salaries of Imams of Masjids under Delhi Waqf
Board were increased from Rs 5200 to Rs 10,000 and those of
Muazzins were increased from Rs 4,800 to Rs 9000 with the
intervention of chief minister herself. She admitted that 10,000 a
month is not a very big amount but in any case a significant
progress in this direction has been made and this process will
continue in future also. At the same time she called upon the
Imams to promote peace, harmony and brotherhood from the pul-
pit in every home. By the way, she said that there have been no
communal riots in Delhi since 1998 because there is a secular
government in Delhi.
Waqf Board Chairman Chaudhari Mateen Ahmad said that
after the increase in the salaries of Imams and Muazzins at the
instance of chief minister Shiela Dikshit, they wanted to thank her
personally and hence this meeting was held. He said that though
the financial condition of the Waqf Board is not very good but as
the condition improves, their salaries will also be increased. It
may be stated in this connection that Waqf Board does not get
any financial help from government but its income is derived from
different private sources like renting out its properties, commer-
cial hoardings installed on its buildings etc.
New Delhi: An Arabic website prepared by Arabic teachers and
scholars of Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi University,
Jawaharlal Nehru University and some other universities and
working under All India Association of Arabic Teachers and
Scholars Association was inaugurated on 8 July by Khwaja
Ikramuddin, Director of NCPUL at a function held at Farogh-e
Urdu Bhavan. Speaking at the inaugural function, Khwaja
Ikramuddin said that Arabic and Persian are closely related to
Urdu and for the promotion of Urdu these languages are also
essential because roots of Urdu are deeply imbedded in these
languages and that is why the Indian government, by including
these languages in the category of classical languages, has
entrusted to NCPUL the responsibility of promoting these lan-
guages also along with Urdu. He said that in about a thousand
centres of NCPUL in the country for the promotion of Urdu, diplo-
ma courses in Arabic and Persian also are taught in which about
25000 boy and girl students are receiving education. He said that
on the pattern of Urdu an on-line Arabic learning website also
should be prepared.
Prof Akhtarul Wasey, Vice President of Delhi Urdu Academy
who chaired this function said in his presidential address that by
launching this website the Association (of Arabic teachers and
scholars) has made it universal. He suggested that one section
of this website should be devoted for familiarising capable and
promising students of Arabic, Persian and Urdu with opportuni-
ties of employment so as to enable them get jobs after getting
diplomas.
Earlier, Prof Noman Khan, President of this Association
while speaking about the aims and objectives of this website said
that this website has been launched for promoting and popular-
ising Arabic language at the organisational level. He said that
Arabic is among the most popular languages of the world
because it is spoken all over the world and at present Arabic lan-
guage and literature is taught in about 22 universities of the
country and in addition to these universities it is also taught in all
madrasas of the country. He said that this Association has decid-
ed to make arrangements for imparting free education of Arabic
in different cities of the country. About launching of this website
he said that this is the first step in the promotion of Arabic with
the help of modern technology. Another speaker Dr Rizwanur
Rahman said that this website is in the initial stage at present
which will be extended further in future. (N. A. Ansari)
Website of All India Association of Arabic
Teachers and Scholars inaugurated
COMMUNITY NEWS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 15 www.milligazette.com
Asghar Bhai
Though we met only thrice during the last
two decades we were in touch with each
other. On his first visit to Ujjain where he
conducted a workshop on secularism at
Gujarati Samaj building, I made a few
enquiries that bothered me as a devout
Muslim. On his second visit he came to my
house with our common friend, Jasbir
Chawla. He addressed a meeting at Bhar tiya Gyanpeeth
College while I presided at the function. In the night he passed
through the Kamari Marg (which was, at that time, a forbidden
territory). He recalled his fond association with places and
people.
Our third meeting at the India International Centre in 1996
was more cordial. I, as the academic co-ordinator of a semi-
nar, conducted the proceedings for three days. On the very
first day Daya Pawar, the prominent Dalit poet, had a massive
cardiac attack, and died on the spot. He, alongwith Gen.
(Retd) Sethna and Jasbir Chawla supervised the arrangements
of rushing his body to Maharashtra. He presided the condo-
lence meeting next day. Interestingly his wife and mine
became extremely fond of each other. As an Islamic scholar,
par excellence, he advocated moderation - a policy very dear
to the Prophet (pbuh). A. G. KHAN
ESAM AL-AMIN
Every coup dtat in history begins with a military General
announcing the overthrow and arrest of the countrys leader, the
suspension of the constitution, and the dissolution of the legisla-
ture. If people resist, it turns bloody. Egypt is no exception.
As the dust settles and the fog over the events unfolding
across Egypt dissipates, the political scene becomes much clear-
er. Regardless of how one dresses the situation on the ground, the
political and ideological battle that has been raging for over a year
between the Islamist parties and their liberal and secular counter-
parts was decided because of a single decisive factor: military
intervention by Egypts generals on behalf of the latter.
As I argued before in several of my articles (as have others),
there is no doubt that President Mohammad Morsi and the
Muslim Brotherhood (MB) committed political miscalculations
and made numerous mistakes, especially by ignoring the
demands of many of the revolutionary youth groups and aban-
doning their former opposition partners. They frequently behaved
in a nave and arrogant manner. But in any civilized and democrat-
ic society, the price of incompetence or narcissism is exacted
politically at the ballot box.
Elections and Obstructionism: Do Elections Matter?
To their frustration, the liberal and secular opposition failed time
and again to win the trust of the people as the Egyptian electorate
exercised its free will when tens of millions went to the polls six
times in two years. After overthrowing the Mubarak regime a
month earlier, they voted in March 2011 by seventy seven percent
for a referendum, favored by the Islamists that charted the future
political roadmap. Between November 2011 and January 2012,
they voted for the Islamist parties with overwhelming majorities in
the lower (seventy three percent) and upper (eighty percent)
houses of parliament. In June 2012, they elected, albeit narrowly,
for the first time in their history, the civilian Muslim Brotherhood
candidate as president in a free and fair election. Finally, last
December the Egyptian people ratified by a sixty four percent
majority the countrys new constitution. The next parliamentary
elections were scheduled for this summer had not the Mubarak-
appointed Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) intervened yet
again and invalidated the new election laws.
From the standpoint of the MB and its Islamist allies the SCC
played an obstructionist role throughout this process. To their
consternation, in June 2012 the court dissolved the lower house
of parliament within four months of its election on technical
grounds. It was also aiming to dissolve the upper house of parlia-
ment as well as the Constitutional Constituent Assembly (CCA) -
the body charged with writing the new constitution - days before
it was to finish its work. This forced Morsi to intervene and issue
his ill-fated constitutional decree on November 22, 2012, in order
to protect the CCA from judicial nullification. In an attempt to force
its collapse, all secular members of the CCA resigned en masse
even though its formation and the parameters of the process were
agreed upon in advance, as evidenced by an opposition member
who announced it in April 2012.
However, Morsis declaration proved to be a watershed
moment that galvanized the opposition, which predictably
accused him of an authoritarian power grab. In turn, Morsi argued
that his decree was necessary to build the democratic institutions
of the state that were being dismantled by the SCC one by one.
Under intense public pressure he backtracked and cancelled the
decree within three weeks, but only after he ensured that the new
constitution would be put to a referendum.
After a vigorous public campaign by the opposition to reject
the constitution, it was approved by the public by almost two to
one. The next constitutional step would have been parliamentary
elections within sixty days. But even though the election laws
were similar to the laws agreed upon by all parties in the 2012
elections, the opposition complained that the laws favored the
Islamist parties and threatened to boycott the elections. Within
four months, the SCC twice rejected and halted the elections on
technical grounds, thus further solidifying the perception in the
eyes of the Islamists that the Mubarak-appointed court continues
to thwart the countrys budding democratic institutions.
Strange Bedfellows: The Unholy Trinity of Gulf Sheikhdoms, the
Fulool, and Egypts Secular Opposition
On April 22, 2011, UAE Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed
brought his intelligence and security chiefs to meet with King
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and his security officials to discuss the
ramifications of the Arab Spring. Bin Zayed warned that unless the
GCC countries developed a proactive policy to preempt the wave
of popular uprisings sweeping the Arab World at the time, none of
the regions monarchs would survive. Three weeks later in an
emergency summit meeting in Riyadh he delivered the same
message to all the GCC heads of state. While Qatar remained
indifferent to his message, the other five countries were receptive.
Bin Zayed and Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, the Saudi intelligence
chief, were tasked with submitting an effective plan to counter the
Arab Spring phenomenon in the region. Subsequently, King
Abdullah solicited and received the help of King Abdullah II of
Jordan to join this effort while Qatar was excluded from all future
meetings.
For decades, the UAE had been very close to Mubarak and his
cronies. Billions of dollars of ill-gotten fortunes looted from the
country were deposited in banks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. After
the overthrow of Mubarak, dozens of security officials and cor-
rupt businessmen quietly left Egypt and relocated to the UAE.
When Mubaraks last Prime Minister, Ahmad Shafiq lost the pres-
idential elections to Morsi in June 2012, he also moved to the
UAE. By the fall of 2012, it became evident that the UAE hosted a
web of individuals who were plotting the overthrow of Morsi and
the MB.
Within a few weeks of the formation of the new government,
Shafiq suppor ter and spokesman for his political par ty
Mohammad Abu Hamid, announced on August 21, 2012, fifteen
demands culminating in the goal of toppling the Muslim
Brotherhood or Ikhwan Government. He warned against the
ikhwanization of the state, i.e. the appointments of MB mem-
bers in crucial state positions, and blamed them for the lack of
basic services to the public. Abu Hamid also called for subse-
quent mass protests in Tahrir Square as he accused Morsi of
power grab, dictatorship, and judicial interference, long before the
president issued his hapless constitutional decree three months
later. He further demanded the banning of the MB and its political
affiliate, as well as the arrest of its leaders, who he accused of
treason. All of his demands would subsequently become the talk-
ing points of every opposition party and anti-Morsi media outlet.
Even though Morsi took the reins of powers in the country
and was able to force the retirement of the most senior army gen-
erals in early August, his authority was thin. Instead of purging the
most entrenched elements of Mubaraks centers of power, name-
ly, the army, the intelligence services, the security apparatus, and
the police, he navely thought that he could appease them. He was
lulled into believing that he had earned their loyalty. In fact, these
agencies, along with the judiciary, the public and private secular
media outlets, as well as most of the bureaucracy, represented
the interests of the deep state, a decades-old web of corruption
and special interests entrenched within the states institutions.
One way corruption proliferated during the days of Mubarak
was by appeasing each critical segment in society, such as the
judiciary or the police, at times through the distribution of vast
parcels of land at hugely discounted prices to their constituents,
who in turn sold them to the public for millions of pounds. For
example, when Shafiq was in charge of the Military Pilots
Association in the 1990s, he sold Mubaraks sons over 40,000
acres of prime land in the Nile Delta for a dollar per acre, while the
actual value for each acre was in the tens of thousands. This sale
was subsequently called the Scandal of the Lands of the Pilots
after it was exposed last year, and where Shafiq was charged with
embezzlement and public corruption in connection with the scan-
dal. But despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the
corrupt judicial system earlier this year absolved Shafiq of any
wrongdoing.
Slowly but surely remnants of the Mubarak regime and relat-
ed corrupt businessmen, better known as the fulool, regrouped
and coalesced around the elements of the deep state. Meanwhile,
the secular opposition, which was in disarray, formed for the first
time a united movement called the National Salvation Front (NSF)
after Morsi issued his decree in late November. It included most
of the failed presidential candidates and several dozen secular
parties, which combined did not receive more than twenty five
percent in the parliamentary elections. Its leaders included Amr
Moussa, Hamdein Sabbahi, Elsayed AlBadawi, Mohammad Abul
Ghar, and billionaire Naguib Sawiris. The NSF chose former IAEA
head, Mohammed ElBaradei, to be its spokesperson.
In November 2012, Prince Bandar presented two detailed
plans to the Americans through the CIA. Plan A was a quick plot
to topple Morsi in early December while Plan B was a long term
plan that involved two tracks. One track was a series of destabi-
lizing protests that would culminate in Morsis ouster, while
another track included uniting the opposition to form one coalition
to defeat the MB at the polls if the first track failed. While the CIA
was fully aware of the plan it neither endorsed nor objected to it
because the Obama administration, playing both sides, was also
pursuing dialogue with the Morsi government.
The plan to topple the MB was built around a plot to assassi-
nate Morsi in his residence on December 5. However, it was
exposed by a loyal mid-level presidential guard hours before it
was to take place. With the help of the MB, Morsi was able to
thwart the plot, though he declined to expose it or discuss it pub-
licly.
In March 2013, NSF leader ElBaradei met with Shafiq and Bin
Zayed in the UAE. They all agreed that the only way to dislodge
Morsi and the MB from power was by undermining his rule and
the stability of the country internally and convincing Western gov-
ernments, particularly the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany, to
back a military takeover. According to a recent WSJ report, a
series of meetings took place in the Naval Officers Club between
senior military officers, fulool representatives including the attor-
ney of billionaire and Mubarak crony, Ahmed Ezz, the architect of
the 2010 fraudulent parliamentary elections, and opposition lead-
ers including ElBaradei. According to this report, which was not
refuted or denied by any side, the army generals told the opposi-
tion that they would not move to oust Morsi unless millions of
people take to the streets on their side.
The Plot Thickens
While the opposition was sending mixed messages about
whether or not it would participate in the upcoming parliamentary
elections, the MB and its Islamist allies were preparing for the
impending contests. Meanwhile, many of the youth and revolu-
tionary groups, which spearheaded the 2011 uprising, were frus-
trated with the political scene: A regime that ignored their
demands and an ineffective opposition bent on obstructionism.
Suddenly, a new youth movement came to the fore in late April
2013. Its previously obscure leaders called it Tamarrud or
Rebellion. Their stated reason for launching the movement was to
collect 15 million signatures from the public, a million more than
Morsi received in his presidential bid, to demand early presiden-
tial elections.
Opposition groups immediately embraced Tamarrud and
promised to help it reach its goal. Billionaire businessman and
severe MB critic Sawiris claimed in early July that he gave mil-
lions of dollars worth of publicity and support to the group.
Moreover, the machinery of the former National Democratic Party
(NDP), Mubaraks political party, was in full force, as many of its
former officials led the efforts in providing resources and collect-
ing signatures across Egypt. Meanwhile, private media outlets
started a vicious vilification campaign against Morsi and the MB.
For several months, over a dozen satellite channels were devoted
to the demonization of Morsi and his group. They were accused
of every crime and blamed for every problem the country faced.
At times even the public media, which is supposed to be neutral,
joined in this campaign. In addition, the pan-Arab, Saudi-
financed, and headquartered in the UAE, Al-Arabiyya satellite
channel, joined the campaign in earnest by repeatedly promoting
Tamarrud activities and featuring opposition figures. In one
instance a famous host was inadvertently taped while holding a
paper with the answers to his questions as he was interviewing a
Tamarrud spokesman.
Strikingly, not only was the MB ill-equipped to deal with this
propaganda warfare, but also to its detriment, it did not take it
seriously. Even when their Islamist allies warned the MB leader-
ship about the impending potential overthrow a week before
Morsi was toppled, they dismissively answered that, they (the
opposition) had previously held twenty-five feeble demonstra-
tions, and this one would just be their twenty-sixth.
There are two major reasons why Morsi and the MB were not
worried about the impending demonstrations. First, army chief
Gen. Abdel Fattah Sisi repeatedly assured Morsi that the army
would not topple the government and would stay loyal to the dem-
ocratic process. Even when Sisi issued a call for compromise a
week before the fateful day of June 30th, he told the president that
he had nothing to worry about and that he had to issue this warn-
ing in order to mollify some of his military generals. The second
reason was that Morsi and the MB were regularly assured by U.S.
Ambassador Anne Patterson that the U.S. would not support any
move by the military to depose a democratically elected presi-
dent.
Meanwhile, ElBaradei was fully engaged in contacting world
leaders to convince them that the only way out for Egypt was the
dismissal and overthrow of Morsi. In early July he proudly admit-
ted, I spoke with both of them (Obama and Kerry) extensively
and tried to convince them of the need to depose Morsi.
Furthermore, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait
pressed the U.S. to support the impending military intervention in
Egypt. Ironically, during May and June, Western leaders, including
Obama and Kerry, pressured Morsi and the MB leadership to
appoint ElBaradei as Prime Minister while the latter was arguing
for Morsis overthrow.
As part of the demonization campaign to convince the West
that the popularity of the MB was dwindling, the Arab American
Institute (AAI) in Washington D.C. was commissioned to conduct
a poll about the declining popularity of Morsi and the MB. AAI
president and UAE lackey, James Zogby, called for a press con-
ference on June 28 to announce that Morsi heads a minority
government whose public support is now limited to its own
party, and that, Egyptians have lost confidence in President
Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhoods ability to govern. He further
predicted that, millions of Egyptians would demonstrate in the
streets against Morsi and the MB government. No one in the
press conference bothered to ask who actually commissioned
and paid for the survey that claimed to poll more than five thou-
sand people across Egypt.
Weve got mail.....
for you!
The flow of news never ceases, so between our
fortnightly print issues we send out email newslet-
ter - MG e-Alerts. Get our eNewsletter FREE!
write to us at sales@milligazette.com
Become a fan of MG on Facebook
visit: facebook.com/milligazette
Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/milligazette
16 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 INTERNATIONAL www.milligazette.com
Exposing the hypocrisy of Egypts liberal elite
Instead of purging the most entrenched elements of Mubarak's centers of power, namely, the
army, the intelligence services, the security apparatus, and the police, Mursi navely thought
that he could appease them. He was lulled into believing that he had earned their loyalty. In
fact, these agencies, along with the judiciary, the public and private secular media outlets, as
well as most of the bureaucracy, represented the interests of the "deep state," a decades-old
web of corruption and special interests entrenched within the state's institutions.
Continued on the next page
CHARITY ALLIANCE, with the active support of MG and like-minded people, is helping the victims of starvation in Murshidabad since
April 2005. More tasks are being undertaken in some of the most deserving areas and most backward sections of our community. This
charitable trust is channelising this long-felt effort. Almost every paisa is reaching the deserving people as MG is providing office and
administrative facilities free of cost as well as free advertising space, and the trustees are barred by the trust deed from receiving any
remuneration for their work and time.
CHARITY ALLIANCE
D-84 Abul Fazl Enclave-I, Jamia Nagar,
New Delhi 110 025 India Tel.: (+91-11) 2694 7483, 2695 2825, 0-9868656614
How to make payments: We prefer cheques to bank drafts. Cheques/Drafts should be crossed / marked account payee and payable
to Charity Alliance. Individuals are welcome to pay cash in our office or send M.O. In some cities we may be able to arrange to col-
lect cash from your doorstep. If you want to contribute through credit card or internet-banking visit www.charityalliance.in for secure
online payment.
List of donors may be seen on Charilty Alliance website (www.charityalliance.in).
Zakat, Sadaqat and bank interest accepted
See www.charityalliance.in for detailed reports on our work.
CHARITY ALLIANCE
Registered trust
Donations to Charity Alliance are eligible for tax liability deduction in India under Section 80G
Invest
and save
tax!
INTERNATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 17 www.milligazette.com
All Democracies do it: America, France, Argentina, Brazil
By mid-June, the campaign was in full force. Many political sci-
ence professors and public intellectuals from the opposition
including Waheed Abdelmagid and Hasan Nafah, as well as con-
stitutional law professors such as Noor Farahat and Husam Issa,
were arguing across several television networks that the call for
early presidential elections was not only an acceptable mecha-
nism available in all democracies, but that it had been used many
times before. As examples, they cited Nixons resignation in 1974,
Frances Charles de Gaulle in 1969, Argentinas Ral Alfonsn in
1989, and Brazils Fernando Collor de Mello in 1992.
The intellectual dishonesty of these liberal elites is appalling, since
none of the examples they cited were actual calls for early pres-
idential elections, let alone the deposing of a democratically
elected president by a military coup. Nixon resigned the presiden-
cy on the eve of his impeachment by Congress. Gerald Ford, his
vice president was sworn in as president. No early elections. De
Gaulle voluntarily resigned the presi-
dency after more than 10 years in
power after promising that he would
do so if the public did not endorse his
reforms of the Senate and local gov-
ernments. When the public rejected
his referendum, he kept his promise
although he was not obligated to do
so constitutionally. After six years in
power, Alfonsn was not even on the
ballot for the 1989 presidential elections. However, both parlia-
mentary and presidential elections were held simultaneously in
the summer of 1989. The new president was supposed to be
inaugurated five months later, but when his partys candidate was
defeated by the opposition, Alfonsn stepped down early to allow
the new president from the opposition to assume power. No early
elections. After two years in power, De Mello was impeached by
the legislature for corruption in a constitutional proceeding and
resigned. The fact that no constitutional mechanism in the world
allows for a removal by popular protests did not bother these lib-
eral figures who were intent on removing a freely elected president
by the military regardless of the dangerous precedent it sets.
Noted author Alaa Al-Aswani not only cited some of the above
examples as valid precedents to depose and overthrow Morsi, but
he did not miss a beat or see the irony when he showered the mil-
itary with accolades before ending his weekly column with his
usual declaration Democracy is the Solution. It is a fact that
some democracies have a constitutional mechanism to recall a
head of state. Although there is no such mechanism for the U.S.
president, many state constitutions allow the recall of their gover-
nors. In 2003, the people of California recalled Gov. Gray Davis.
But that recall was not the result of street protests and the inter-
vention of the National Guard. Rather, it was a constitutional
process that involved the signing and authentication of millions of
petitions by the State Supreme Court that authorized the recall
process. Although the 2012 Egyptian constitution allows for the
impeachment of the president by parliament, it did not allow for a
recall.
Enough is Enough: End Electricity Cuts and Fuel Shortages
Throughout the month of June the media onslaught on Morsis
government not only continued to blame it for all the ills afflicting
Egyptian society, but also intensified as three particular problems
were highlighted: the deterioration in security, frequent power out-
ages that lasted hours and affected not only residential but also
industrial areas, and shortages of fuel, causing hours long lines at
gas stations.
Egypt has 2480 gas stations, with about 400 stations run by
the government. The other two thousand sations are owned pri-
vately by business tycoons who were given these licenses during
the Mubarak era because they were close to the regime and con-
sidered very loyal. Morsis government asserted that each station
received its share and that there was no reason for the shortages.
In fact, a few days before he was deposed Morsi warned gas sta-
tion owners hed revoke their licences if they refused to provide
their customers with fuel. Khalid Al-Shami, a youth activist who
was with the opposition until the military coup, exposed the plot
when he announced in public that the handful of owners of the pri-
vately-run gas stations conspired to create the manufactured fuel
shortage crisis in order to build public discontent against Morsi.
The best evidence that the problem of fuel shortage was manu-
factured is that it evaporated overnight. Since the moment Morsi
was deposed there has been no fuel shortage.
As for the security detrioration and electricity cuts, the conspira-
cy was deeper. The police which refused to protect entire neighbor-
hoods during Morsis rule has returned back in full force. Criminals
and thugs who terrorized people in the streets are back under control
by the same Mubarak-era security apparatus, except for the areas
where Morsis supporters demonstrate. Electricity outages that last-
ed for hours every day in almost every neighborhood have disap-
peared overnight. The mystery of solving these two intractable prob-
lems were uncovered this week. Out of the thirty-five member cabi-
net chosen by the military, eight were retained including the Interior
Minister in charge of the police and the Minister of Electricity. One
would assume that the first ministers to be sacked by the post-coup
government would be those whom the public complained about their
incompetence. The opposition who called for dismissing these min-
isters were now hailing them and cheering their retention. In short,
many public officials who professed loyalty to the hapless president
were actually undermining his rule all along, while the opposition
accused him of packing the government with MB loyalists.
Numbers Game: If you tell a lie loud and long enough, people
will eventually believe it
By the second week of June, Tamarrud announced that it had col-
lected more than 10 million signatures within six weeks. Just ten
days later, that number had risen to 22 million signatures. Shortly
thereafter, Tamarruds spokesman Mahmoud Badr announced
that the goal of the June 30 demonstration had shifted. It was no
longer calling for early presidential elections, but now demanded
the overthrow of Morsi, replacing him with the head of the SCC,
the annulment of the constitution, the banning of the MB and the
arrest and trial of its leaders. For the next few days the media kept
up the drumbeat until the fateful day arrived.
By June 30, every actor knew his part. By mid-afternoon
Tamarrud announced that the number on the streets were over 10
million. Soon the number became 14 then 17 then 22 million.
Eventually the media claimed that the June 30 demonstrations
across Egypt were the biggest in the history of mankind with as
many as 33 million people in the streets. Military planes flew in
formations entertaining the crowds in the skies above Tahrir
Square throwing Egyptian flags and bottled water, and drawing
hearts as a show of love and affection to the demonstrators. The
army even provided a military helicopter to Khalid Yousef, a
famous movie director known for his support of the opposition
and hostility to the MB. Yousef recorded the crowd and produced
a film that was immediately shown not only in every anti-Morsi TV
network across Egypt but also on state television. Within hours,
every media outlet claimed that the numbers were in the tens of
millions with people in Tahrir Square alone reaching between 5
and 8 million. On the day of the coup, fireworks, laser shows, and
festivities were on full display.
As I have argued before, there is no doubt that there was a
huge public outcry and anger against Morsi and the MB. But were
the numbers as high as claimed? In October 1995, hundreds of
thousands descended on the National Mall in Washington D.C. for
what was promoted as the Million Man March that filled the entire
area. The organizers claimed to have reached one million while
the DC Park Police estimated the crowd to be four hundred thou-
sand. The area of the national mall is about 146 acres. Thus, there
were between 2750 people (police estimate) to 6750 people per
acre (organizers estimate). In other words, there were 0.7-1.7
people per square meter.
In contrast, the area of Tahrir Square is 12.3 acres. As Amjad
Almonzer, a communication engineer and a Google Earth Expert,
conclusively proves: even if all side streets to Tahrir Square were
included, the area would not exceed 25 acres. Even if four people
were counted per square meter and dozens of surrounding build-
ings were removed, there would be no more than 400 thousand
people on that day. If the 5-6 million number promoted by the pro-
ponents of the military coup were to be believed, it means that there
were 50-60 people per square meter (5-6 per sq. ft.), clearly a
physical impossibility. Even if one
million were at every inch in
Tahrir Square and all the sur-
rounding streets, there would
have to be 10 people per square
meter, another impossibility. Even
BBC eventually questioned these
inflated numbers.
So at best there were less
than half a million people in Tahrir
Square at the peak of the demonstration and there were probably an
equal number across Egypt. Therefore, the will of the Egyptian elec-
torate was sacrificed when one or two million people protested for
a day or two.
Can You Keep A Secret? The Anti-Morsi Media spells it out
Even before a single demonstrator went to Tahrir, Okaz, a Saudi
daily newspaper preemptively published the details of the sce-
nario that unfolded three days later when the military took over.
The following day, Al-Ahram, an official newspaper and Egypts
largest circulated publication, had the headline Either Resign or
Be Overthrown. This report foretold in frightening details how the
events would unfold, including the military ultimatum, the over-
throw of Morsi, the arrest of the MB leaders, and the suspension
of the constitution. By July 3 nightfall, Gen. Sisi announced the
overthrow of Morsi, the suspension of the constitution, and the
beginning of a political roadmap. It was exactly the same roadmap
President Morsi announced earlier, and the opposition rejected.
The only difference was his ouster.
The Americans Fold their Hands
Throughout the crisis, U.S. Ambassador Patterson played the role
of defending the democratic process and the rule of law. When
Gen. Sisi issued his ultimatum to the president on July 1, the U.S.
adminstration showed its true colors as National Security Advisor
Susan Rice told Morsis foreign policy advisor, Essam al-Haddad,
that it was over: either Morsi should resign or he would be over-
thrown. She advised that he should resign which Morsi summar-
ily rejected. Once told by Rice of the impending coup Morsi video-
taped a 22 minute speech on a smart phone vowing not to resign
or submit to the impending coup. His aide quickly emailed the
impromtu speech to his supporters. Within the hour he was taken
into custody not to be seen or heard from again.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel spoke to the coup
leader Gen. Sisi at least five times during the crisis. He advised that they
announce the elections would be held as soon as possible. In addition,
he assured Sisi that the administration would maintain its military aid.
Within days, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns went to Egypt and
met with the coup leaders and their civilian enablers. While in Cairo he
ignored all the facts surrounding the overthrow of an elected president.
In essence, his message was to support the coup and its aftermath, as
he stated, The United States is firmly committed to helping Egypt suc-
ceed in this second chance to realize the promise of the revolution.
Slowly but surely remnants of the Mubarak regime and related corrupt businessmen, better known as the fulool,
regrouped and coalesced around the elements of the deep state. Meanwhile, the secular opposition, which was
in disarray, formed for the first time a united movement called the National Salvation Front (NSF) after Morsi
issued his decree in late November. It included most of the failed presidential candidates and several dozen
secular parties, which combined did not receive more than twenty five percent in the parliamentary elections.
Its leaders included Amr Moussa, Hamdein Sabbahi, Elsayed AlBadawi, Mohammad Abul Ghar, and billionaire
Naguib Sawiris. The NSF chose former IAEA head, Mohammed ElBaradei, to be its spokesperson.
Continued on the next page
TARIQ RAMADAN
For two years now I have often been asked why I have not visited
Egypt, where I had been forbidden entry for 18 years. Just as often I
repeated that on the basis of the information I was able to obtain con-
firmed by Swiss and European officials the Egyptian army remained
firmly in control and had never left the political arena.
I never shared the widespread "revolutionary" enthusiasm. Nor
did I believe that events in Egypt, any more than in Tunisia, were the
result of a sudden historical upheaval. The peoples of these two
countries suffered from dictatorship, from economic and social cri-
sis; they rose up in the name of dignity, social justice and freedom.
Their awakening, their "intellectual revolution," and their courage must
be saluted. But to accept or justify a simple-minded, linear explana-
tion of the political, geostrategic and economic issues would have
been totally unconscionable. Nearly three years ago, in a book and
then in a series of articles, I alerted my readers to a body of troubling
evidences, and to the underlying geopolitical and economic consid-
erations that were often missing from mainstream political and media
analyses, and that insisted on submitting the euphoria that accompa-
nied the "Arab spring" to critical analysis.
The Egyptian army has not returned to politics for the simple rea-
son that it has never left. The fall of Hosni Mubarak was a military
coup d'tat that allowed a new generation of officers to enter the polit-
ical scene in a new way, from behind the curtain of a civilian govern-
ment. In an article published on June 29 2012, I noted an Army high
command declaration that the presidential election was temporary,
for a six-month to one-year period (its title made the premonition
explicit: "An election for nothing?"). The American administration had
monitored the entire process: its objective ally in Egypt over the past
fifty years has been the army, not the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). The
latest revelations (see the International Herald Tribune , July 5, and Le
Monde, July 6) confirm what was already clear: the decision to over-
throw President Mohamed Morsi had been made well before June
30. A conversation between President Morsi and General al-Sisi indi-
cated that the head of the country's military had planned the over-
throw and imprisonment of the president weeks before the popular
upheaval that would justify the military coup "in the name of the peo-
ple's will." A clever strategy! Orchestrate demonstrations involving
millions of people in order to make believe that the army truly cares
about the people! Coup d'tat, second act.
How then to analyze the immediate reaction of the American
administration, which avoided using the term "coup d'tat" (which, if
accepted, would mean it could not provide financial support to the
new regime)? A curious position for a government that in its 'surprise'
uses exactly the right words to exert full political, economic and legal
leverage over the coup makers. European governments will follow
suit, of course: the army has responded "democratically" to the call
of the people. It's all too good to be true! Magically, chronic blackouts,
gasoline and natural gas shortages came to an abrupt end after the
fall of the president. It was as though people had been deprived of the
basic necessities in order to drive them into the streets. Amnesty
International observed the strange attitude of the armed forces, which
did not intervene in certain demonstrations (even though it was
closely monitoring them), allowing the violence to spiral out of con-
trol, as though by design. The armed forces then accompanied its
intervention with a saturation public relations campaign, providing the
international media with photographs taken from its helicopters,
depicting the Egyptian population as it cheered and celebrated their
military saviors, as confirmed in Le Monde.
Nothing, then, has really changed: the "Arab spring" and the
Egyptian "revolution" continue under the guiding hand of General
Abdul Fatah al-Sisi. Trained by the United States Army, the general
has kept close contact with his American counterparts. The New
International Herald Tribune (July 6-7) informs us that General al-Sisi
is well known to the Americans, as well as to the government of
Israel, with which he "and his office", we are told, continued to "com-
municate and to coordinate" even while Mohamed Morsi occupied
the presidential palace. Al-Sisi had earlier served in the Military
Intelligence Services in the North Sinai, acting as go-between for the
American and Israeli authorities. It would hardly be an understate-
ment to say that Israel, like the United States, could only look favor-
ably upon developments in Egypt.
What, after the fact, is surprising, is the simple-mindedness, the
lack of experience and the nature of the mistakes made by Mohamed
Morsi, by his allies, and by the Muslim Brotherhood as an organiza-
tion. For the last three years, I have been sharply critical of the think-
ing, action and strategies of the "Liberty and Justice" party, as well as
of the MB leadership (over the last twenty-five years, my analyses
and commentary have been and remain sharply critical). The trap
seemed glaringly obvious; my writings on the subject (book, and arti-
cles written between March and December 2012) pointed to grave
shortcomings.
President Morsi cannot be fairly criticized for not doing all he
could to establish relations with the opposition, either by inviting it to
join the government or to take part in a broad national dialogue. But
his approaches were rejected out of hand, with the opposition bitter-
ly opposing his every initiative. The fact remains, however, that his
management of the business of state, his failure to listen to the voice
of the people and even to some of his trusted advisors, his exclusivist
relationship with the highest echelons of the MB leadership, his hasty
and ill-considered decisions (some of which he later acknowledged
as errors) must be unsparingly criticized. But on a more fundamen-
tal level, his greatest fault has been the utter absence of a political
vision and the lack of clearly established political and economic pri-
orities, his failure to struggle against corruption and poverty, and his
egregious mismanagement of social and educational affairs. The
demands of the International Monetary Fund (and its deliberate pro-
crastination) placed the state in an untenable position: the Morsi gov-
ernment believed that the international institution would support it. It
is only today, now that President Morsi has fallen, that the IMF
appears prepared to remove what were previously insurmountable
obstacles. This, coming a mere three days after the overthrow of a
democratically elected government.
The naivety of the president, of his government and of the
Muslim Brotherhood has been stunning. After sixty years of opposi-
tion and military repression (with the direct and indirect benediction
of the US Administration and the West), how could they possibly
have imagined that their former adversaries would support their rise
to power, invoking democracy all the while? Did they learn nothing
from their own history, from Algeria in 1992, and, more recently, from
Palestine? I have been and remain critical, both of the (superficial)
content of their program and the ambiguous strategy of President
Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood (compromise with the armed
forces and the United States, surrender on the economy and the
Palestinian cause, etc.) but their lack of political awareness has been
quite simply stupefying. To hear President Morsi tell General al-Sisi, a
mere ten days before his overthrow, that he might well demote him
(after all, he had appointed him) and that the Americans would "never
permit a coup d'tat" was as mind-boggling as it was surrealistic.
Some observers were startled to see the salafis, in particular the
an-Nour party, join forces with the military alongside the "democrat-
ic" faction opposed to President Morsi. Were the outcome not so
tragic, it would be tempting to label it farce. The Western media were
quick to label the "Islamist" salafis as allies of the Muslim
Brotherhood while, in point of fact, they were and are allies of the
regimes of the Gulf States, who are in turn the regional allies of the
United States. The idea was to undermine the religious credibility of
the Muslim Brotherhood, and to force it into extreme positions. At the
moment of President Morsi's overthrow, they not only betrayed him
but revealed their strategy and their strategic alliances for the entire
world to see. It is hardly surprising to note that the first countries to
recognize the new coup d'tat regime were the United Arab Emirates,
Saudi Arabia and Qatar, whose powerful organizations provided, and
still provide, direct and indirect financial support to the Egyptian
salafis (as well as to their Tunisian counterparts). A superficial read-
ing might lead one to believe that Saudi Arabia and Qatar support the
Muslim Brotherhood; in reality they are the mainstays of American
power in the region. The strategy is to sow division among the vari-
ous political Islamic trends, to foment confrontation and to destabi-
lize. This same strategy focuses on contradictions between Sunni
political organizations and exacerbates divisions between Shia and
Sunni. The United States and Europe have no quarrel with the politi-
cal Islam of the salafi literalists of the Gulf States (and their denial of
democracy, their non-respect of minorities, their discrimination
against women, and the application of a strict "Islamic" penal code
described as "shari'a"); they protect their geostrategic and regional
economic interests while their repressive and retrograde domestic
policies, as long as they are applied domestically, could not matter
less to the West.
It's all about keeping up appearances. Millions of Egyptians ral-
lied in support of the "second revolution" and appealed to the armed
forces, which were quick to respond. They now promise to turn over
power to the civilians. The leader of the opposition, Mohamed al-
Baradei, has played a central role in the process, and his prominence
has been growing apace. He has been in close touch with the youth-
ful cyber-dissidents and the April 6 Movement since 2008; docu-
ments of the U.S. State Department, which I quote in my book, point
to his close connection with the American administration. His visibil-
ity has been promoted by a clever strategy, and even though he has
declined the position of Prime Minister (and announced that he will
not be a candidate for president, which has yet to be seen), he has
emerged as an important player on the Egyptian political scene. He
has notoriously and democratically defended the arrest of members
of the Muslim Brotherhood, the closing of their television stations and
the entire range of repressive measures imposed on citizens who
continue to support President Morsi, even though they may not be
MB members (some are supporting democratic legitimacy). The
weeks to come will provide us with more details about plans for
fleshing out the civilian character of this particular military state. It
must be remembered that for decades the Egyptian army has man-
aged close to 40% of the national economy as well as being the lead-
ing recipient of an annual American aid package of $1.5 billion.
An elected president has been toppled by a military coup d'tat.
There is no other word for it. The people, in their legitimate desire for
a better life and for survival, for justice and dignity, have been unwit-
ting participants in a media-military operation of the highest order.
The situation is grave; the silence of Western governments tells us all
we need to know. There has been no "Arab spring"; the perfume of
its revolutions burns the eyes like tear gas.
In our day, it is not unusual for a writer who does not accept the
official consensus to be dismissed as a "conspiracy theorist," for his
analysis to be rejected before studying the facts upon which it is
based. Are we to conclude that in our globalizing age, with its net-
works of national security policies and structures and its new means
of communication, political scheming, malicious stratagems, manip-
ulation of information and of peoples are a thing of the past?
"Conspiracy theorist" is a new insult devised for those who think the
wrong thoughts, who don't fit in; paranoids, people who ascribe
occult powers to certain states (the United States, the European
countries, Israel, the Arab and African dictatorships, etc.) that they
really do not possess. We must forget what we learned about the
conspiracies that have left their mark on the history of Latin America
and Africa (from the assassination of Salvador Allende to the elimina-
tion of Thomas Sankara); we must overlook the lies that led to the
invasion of Iraq and to the massacres in Gaza (both presented as
legitimate defense); we must say nothing about the West's alliance
with and support for the literalist salafis of the Gulf sheikhdoms; close
our eyes to the benefit for Israel of regional instability and of the most
recent coup d'tat in Egypt. We must remain nave and credulous if
we are not to notice that the United States and Europe on the one
hand, and Russia and China on the other, have agreed to disagree on
Syria, and that the 170 Syrians who die each day count for nothing
against the strategic and economic interests of the Great Powers.
Our obligation is to stick to the facts, to avoid oversimplification.
The polar opposite of an over-simplified reading of events is not "con-
spiracy theorizing" but that of intelligence informed by history, by hard
facts and by a detailed analysis of conflicting interests. The interpre-
tation presented here may well be wrong or inexact, but substantial
and verifiable evidence has repeatedly confirmed it. From those who
have criticized or challenged our analysis, we look forward to a fact-
based counter-analysis far from denigrations and facile slogans.
When people refuse to call a military coup d'tat by its real name, and
when most media avert their eyes, the hour for critical conscience
has struck. (tariqramadan.com)
Egypt: Coup d'tat - Act II
18 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 INTERNATIONAL www.milligazette.com
As far back as March 2012, Burns met with MB General Guide
Mohammad Badie and his deputy Khayrat Al-Shater. He offered
that if the MB maintains the peace treaty with Israel the U.S. would
help secure $20 Billion from the GCC countries to help Egypts
economy. But Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait declined to offer
any real help when Morsi was in power. However, within two days
of the military coup, Burnss promise was fulfilled, but to the coup
leaders. The leaders of the three countries congratulated Gen. Sisi
(not the puppet president installed by the military) for deposing
Morsi and pledged to send a $12 Billion aid package as a gift to
help stabilize the economy.
Furthermore, Burns promised the coup leader that the US mil-
itary aid will continue and that the stalled IMF loan that has been
languishing for over two years would be promptly approved. In
rejecting to call the overthrow of a freely elected president by the
military a coup, the U.S. administration demonstrated, yet again,
that lofty ideals and rhetoric are sacrificed at the alter of misplaced
short term national interests.
Perhaps one measure to assess the regional ramifications of
the latest events is the reaction by Israel and the Palestinians.
When Mubarak was deposed on February 11, 2011, the
Palestinians were jubilant and dancing in the streets, while Israel
was in mourning. But when Morsi was overthrown by the military
on July 3 the roles were reversed.
Remember Human Rights? Free Speech? Freedom of
Assembly?
By the time the assembled speakers behind Gen. Sisi led by
ElBaradei, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and the Coptic Pope fin-
ished their blessings of the military coup, the security forces were
in full force as hundreds of MB supporters including senior lead-
ers were rounded up on the flimsy charge of instigating violence.
Their assets were frozen and their buildings seized. Morsi was
detained as Mubarak-era prosecutors threatened to charge him
with escaping prison when he was illegally arrested by Mubarak
security officers on January 27, 2011 during the early days of the
2011 revolution. Astonishingly, the prosecutors also announced
that they would investigate the president for contacting and com-
municating with foreign elements, such as Western leaders dur-
ing his tenure. More than a dozen pro-Morsi media outlets includ-
ing TV channels, websites, and newspapers were raided and
closed. By July 8, the army killed over 80 pro-Morsi demonstra-
tors and injured over 1000 when they were praying and protesting
peacefully in front of the Presidential Guards Club, where Morsi is
believed to be detained. So far, more than 270 people have been
killed and thousands injured by the army and security forces
across Egypt.
With overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the military
claimed that its soldiers were attacked. Liberal elites and human
rights advocates as well as the media mouthpieces echoed the
militarys claims and blamed the protesters for being near a mili-
tary installation. But the Presidential Guards Club is no such thing.
Though owned by the Presidential Guards, it is a social and sports
club, where officers and their families go for recreational purpos-
es. Since the miltary coup, the Egyptian people have been subject-
ed to a military propaganda unseen since the Nasser era. While
Morsi did not shut down a single media outlet despite the demo-
nization campaign against him, all pro-Morsi channels and web-
sites have been shut down or severely curtailed.
Double Standards: No to Morsis Decree and Prosecutor. But
Yes to the Militarys
The liberal opposition was outraged and went into overdrive when
Morsi issued his Nov. 2012 constitutional declaration and sacked
the corrupt Mubarak-appointed general prosecutor, a major
demand by the revolutionary and youth groups. Despite his good
intentions of accelerating the establishment of the democratic
institutions that were dismantled by the SCC, Morsi was accused
of authoritarianism and heavyhandedness. Yet, most liberals and
secularists praised the constitutional decree of the puppet presi-
dent who was installed by the military shortly after the coup. I will
discuss the details of this decree in a subsequent article but suf-
fice it to say that it bestowed on a president chosen by the mili-
tary powers that Morsi, the democratically-elected president, did
not have, since much of his powers were transferred to the Prime
Minister in the 2012 constitiution. Moreover, the liberal opposition
was in an uproar when Morsi unilaterally appointed a general
prosecutor with unquestionable integrity, to the point that corrupt
judges and prosecutors harrassed him and surrounded his office
for days demanding his resignation. Yet, when a new prosecutor
was also unilaterally appointed by the new interim president, not a
single judge, prosecutor, or opposition leader objected. Upon
assuming office, the first order of business for this new general
prosecutor was to freeze the assets of Islamist leaders and order
their arrests.
If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, you shouldnt
call it a chicken. ElBaradei, who was elected to nothing, is now
Egypts Vice President, while Morsi, who was freely and demo-
cratically elected by the Egyptian electorate, is detained and his
whereabouts are unknown. Both of these outcomes were deter-
mined by the will of military generals and cheered on by their civil-
ian enablers. The deceit and lies demonstrated by the Egyptian lib-
eral and secular elites are astounding. For years, they taunted the
Islamists to respect democratic principles, the rule of law, and
submit to the will of the people. They warned against dictator-
ships, military rule, or sacrificing democractic principles, human
rights, personal freedoms, and minority protections. Believing in
democratic principles, human rights, and the rule of law is a life-
time commitment. One cannot say, I will only have these values
on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. But for the rest of the
week, I will look the other way. That is called hypocrisy. (counter-
punch.org)
Esam Al-Amin is the author of The Arab Awakening Unveiled:
Understanding Transformations and Revolutions in the Middle East.
Continued from the previous page
ENGLISH
K. P. Prakasam, Nuclear India: Illusion and Reality 155 pp., Rs 250/d15
Rizwan Ullah, My Reflections [Poetry in Urdu along with English
Translation] 184 pp., Rs 200/d15
Russian Military Intelligence (GRU) daily reports on the Iraq war (Compiled
by Zafarul-Islam Khan) 112pp, Rs 75/d 10
Shamsul Islam, Golwalkars We or our nationhood defined: A critique
with the full text of the book, 200pp, Rs 150/d 15
Islamic economics, banking and finance (Special issue of MAP),
200pp., Rs 175/d 15
Irfan, Punchline (cartoons), 112 pp., Rs 50/d4
Zafarul-Islam Khan (ed.), Palestine Documents 1897-1998
894 pp. (HB), (Out of print)
Ram Puniyani, Terrorism: Facts Vs Myths 96 pp (Out of print)
Zafarul-Islam Khan, At the threshold of a new millennium 32 pp., Rs 20/d3
Zafarul-Islam Khan, Hijrah in Islam 398 pp (Out of print)
ARABIC
Zafarul-Islam Khan, Waliullah al-Dihlawi 50 pp., Rs 20/d3
Iqbal Ahmad Khan Suhail, Ma Huwa al-Riba? 196 pp. (HB), Rs 180/d 9.5
Mustafa A.R.A. Roshash, Ahkam al-sharikat fil-fiqh al-Islami - dirasah
fiqhiyah muqaranah 312 pp., Rs 600/d20
URDU
Naseema Hurzuk, Sitaaron se Aagey [autobiography],
272 pp., Rs 150/d15
Malik Ben Nabi, Jadid Islami fikr par mustashriqin kay asarat,
50 pp., Rs 30
Zafarul-Islam Khan, Milli masael - chand aham sawalon ke jawabat
42 pp., Rs 20
Ahmad Muhammad Kani, Maghribi Afriqa ki tahrik-e jihad
(Sokoto Caliphate), 106 pp., Rs 40/d4
HINDI
S.M. Mushrif, Karkare ke Hatyare Kaun? - Bharat
mein aatankvaad ka asli chehra 368pp, Rs 250/d 20
Yugal Kishore Sharan Shastri, Ram Janmabhoomi banaam Babri Masjid
- Mithak ewam tathye 64pp, Rs 40/d 5
GUJARATI
S.M. Mushrif, Karkare na Qatilo Kaun?
Bharitya aatankvaad no asli chehro 352pp, Rs 200/d 20
BOOKS DISTRIBUTED
Syed Shahabuddin: Outstanding Voice of Muslim India
(112pp+8 color photo pages, Large format/HB), Rs 400/d20
Dr Javed Jamil, Muslims Most Civilised, Yet Not Enough
364 pp/PB, Rs 800/d25
Sachar Committee Report, Ministry of Minority Affairs, English Rs 1000/d50
Urdu Rs 1000/d50; Hindi Rs 1000/d50
T.M. Mani, End of Casteism (Ordeal of a Dalit leader
who finally accepted Islam) 134 pp.(PB), Rs 50/d8
Tahir Mahmood, Uniform Civil Code 208 pp.(PB), Rs 175/d20
Full text of the Misra Commission Report, National Commission for Religious &
Linguistic Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, 428 pp.(PB), Rs 500/d25
Imam Muslim, Sahih Muslim (Arabic/English) 8 Vols. Rs 1800
Colour Coded Quran (English Tajweed Rules) Rs 400
Colour Coded Juzu Amma (Part 30) (Eng Tajweed Rules) Rs 75
Colour Coded Ahsanul Qawaid (Arabic/English)
Laminated-Qaida with Namaz Rs 85
Noorani Qaidah (Arabic-English) Rs 30
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, The Prophetic Medicine Rs 200
Hifzur Rahman Seoharwi, Stories of The Prophets Rs 250
Stories of The Prophets - Ibne Kathir Rs 250
Dr. Aid Al-Qarni, You can be the Happiest Woman in the World Rs 150
Prof. S. A. Rahman, A Dictionary of Muslim Names Rs 100
I. A. Ibrahim, A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam Rs 120
A.Q. Zalloom, How the khilafah was destroyed Rs 450
Taqiuddin an-Nabhani, The Economic System In Islam Rs 490
Muhammad Abdul Haq Ansari, Sufism And Shariah Rs 240
PHAROS MEDIAPUBLISHING PVT LTD
D-84 Abul Fazl Enclave - I,
Jamia Nagar,
New Delhi 110 025
Tel.: 011-26947483, 26942883, 26952825
E-mail: books@pharosmedia.com
MO/Cheque/ payable to Pharos Media & Publishing Pvt Ltd
***Add Rs 20 postage on orders less than Rs 200
VPP/Cash on Delivery orders accepted.
To pay by credit/debit card, internet banking visit our website.
Visit us at www.pharosmedia.com
Meani ng l i ghthouse, Pharos of Al exandri a was one of the Seven
Wonders of the Worl d
Subhash Gatade
Godses Children:
Hindutva Terror in India
440 pages
Rs 360/d 15
Kamaluddin Ahmed
Assams Doubtful Citizens :
Fact or Fiction?
62 pages
Rs 60/d 5
Afsana Rashid
Widows and Half Widows:
Saga of extra-judicial arrests &
killings in Kashmir
192 pages
Rs 200/d 15
Farooque Ahmed
Manipuri Muslims:
Historical Perspectives
615-2000 CE
192 pages
Rs 200/d 15
Dr E Kazim
Scientific Commentary Of
Suratul Faatehah
562 pages (Large format),
Rs 250/d 20
S.M. Mushrif
Who Killed Karkare? -
The real face of terrorism in
India
336 pages
Rs 300/d 20
Iqbal Ahmad Khan Suhail
What is riba?
208 pages
Rs 200/d 13
M.A. Roshash
Islamic Company Law
(Rule of companies in Islamic fiqh - a
comparative fiqhi study
302 pages
Rs 600/d20
IK Shukla
Hindutva: Treason & Terrorism
184 pages
Rs 130/d10
Mustafa Kamal Sherwani
Secular Horror:
15 years ordeal with Indian sec-
ularism
96 pages
Rs 80/d10
Nur Ali Qabobe
Somalia:
From Nation-State To Tribal
Mutiny
152 pages (HB) ,
Rs 300/d20
Zafarul-Islam Khan
Usul-e tahqiq
[on methodology of modern research],
192 pages
Rs 120/d10
Feza Aazmi
Azab-e-Humsaigi
(The Agony Trail)
(with English Translation)
224 pages
Rs 120/d10
Iqbal A Khan Suhail
Riba kya hai?
230 pages (HB),
Rs 120/d10
Tahir Mahmood
Minorities Commission:
minor role in major affairs
viii+286pages
Rs 300/d 15
S.M. Mushrif
Karkare ke qatil kaun -
Hindustan mein dahshatgardi ka asl
chehra
312 pages
Rs 200/d 20
Allama Muhammad Iqbal
Islam & Ahmadism
48 pages
Rs 30/d5
Shamsul-Islam
RSS Primer:
Based on Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh documents
32 pages
Rs 30/d 4
Books from Pharos Media, publishers of MG The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 19 www.milligazette.com
1
Dont miss
an issue
DELIVERED AT YOUR DOORSTEP
MG
SUBSCRIPTION
RATES
24 pages per issue
24 issues per year
1 YEAR
(24 issues)
India
Individual Rs 320
Gift a friend @ Rs 250
Students
#
Rs 200
Foreign**
By Airmail : US$ 45
THE MILLI GAZETTE TELLING THE MUSLIM SIDE OF THE STORY SINCE JANUARY 2000
AEFX-325
MG SUBSCRI PTI ON FORM
I would like to subscribe to The Milli Gazette in the following ways:
SUBSCRIBE / Renew @ Rs 320 by paying one year subscription [24 issues]
I am a student (undergraduate or below), Subscribe / Renew @ Rs 200 a year (attach a copy of your School/College Identity Card)
GIFT a subscription to a friend by paying Rs 250
(first fill your address in the first part below and then fill gift subscription address below it, as indicated)
With your Rs 320 subscription (new or renewal) payment you can INTRODUCE MG to a friend for 3 months absolutely free.
(Give address in gift subscription part below)
Please complete the subscription order form and send it to:
THE MILLI GAZETTE, D-84 Abul Fazal EnclavePart-I, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025 Tel. 011-26947483
Mr/Dr/Mrs/Ms........................................................... .............................................................................Profession:................................................
Address: .................................................................. ..................................................................................................................... .........................
.............................................. ..............................................................................State.............................................Pin Code................................
Tel.(................).....................................Mobile ...............................................E-mail:..............................................................................................
Gift subscription or Free introduction recipients Name & address:.................................................................... ............................
................................................................................................................................................................................. ............................................
.............................................. .........................State...............................Pin Code.........................Tel.(................)..................................................
ENCLOSED Cheque/DD payable to Milli Gazette for Rs*......... ...................No............................................dated......................................
Or Cash on Delivery/VPP or M.O. No. .................dated......................Booked from P.O........................................... ..........................
* For Indian rupees cheques payable outside Delhi/Mum/Hyd/Bang/Chn/Kol please add bank charges of Rs 20
** For US$ / UK/Euro and other non-rupees cheques please add bank charges of US$ 5
*** Cash on Delivery only possible within India. The postman will come and collect the payment.
T
H
E
M
I
L
L
I
G
A
Z
E
T
T
E
I
n
d
i
a
n

M
u
s
l
i
m
s

L
e
a
d
i
n
g

E
n
g
l
i
s
h

N
e
w
s
p
a
p
e
r
A lot can happen with-
in the community and
beyond in a fortnight.
Riots erupt, wars blow
up, reputations are won
and lost, scandals
blow over and pretty
much everything in
between can take a dif-
ferent turn. Make sure
you get your hands on
the real picture
subscribe to
THE MILLI GAZETTE.
Well keep you
posted wherever
you are.
Visit
www.milligazette.com
to pay by
Credit / Debit
Itz Cash Cards
Net banking
PLEASE PHOTOCOPY OR CUT THIS FORM
OR SEND THE REQUIRED DETAILS
ON A PLAIN PAPER
ALONG WITH YOUR PAYMENT
20 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES www.milligazette.com
SHAHNAAZ BEMATH
We enrolled in a 30-day course called Ramadan to attain Taqwa
(Fear of Allah taala). It was a time of renewal and re-establish-
ment of our commitment to our Beloved Allah and His beautiful
Deen, Al-Islam. Al-Hamdulillah! Many have graduated with flying
colours - embracing positive deeni (Islamic) changes in their
lives. Now is a crucial time to put it into practice.
We fasted, gave charity, read the Quran Kareem and per-
formed the night prayers, especially the last ten nights, standing
in prayer before Allah taala. We avoided gossip, slander and
every evil that would invalidate our fasting. But now that Ramadan
has bid us farewell, many of us, regrettably, will put the Quran
Kareem back on the shelves, will suspend fasting until next year
and will abandon the night prayer. This is not the way it should be,
because all of these acts of worship carry rewards and are of ben-
efit to us throughout the year, in addition to the fact there is no
divine prescription limiting them to Ramadan.
What is it that happens in Ramadan to make you so motivat-
ed to change your life around and how can you get that spirit back
to make long lasting, sustainable changes in your life? What is it
that Allah taala puts into your life to enable you to make all those
changes during Ramadan? If we could examine that, maybe well
find clues to work out how we can make the Ramadan spirit last
for more than 30 days, so you can make major sustainable
changes in your life!
RAMADAN CHANGES
1. Purpose: Allah taala gave us an amazing purpose, a powerful
reason for fasting, He says it so beautifully in a hadith qudsi: All
the deeds of the son of Adam are for him: the good deeds will be
multiplied ten times to seven hundred times, except fasting, which
is for me and I will reward it accordingly. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Al-Hamdulillah! He gave us all hope of His reward for abandoning
food, drink and intimacy for His sake during Ramadan.
2. Long Term Vision: Allah also gave us a long-term vision of
what we will achieve if we follow His orders and avoid all that he
has forbidden. He will grant us, according to our intentions, the
highest place in Jannah.
3. Structure and organization: Allah gave us clear rules and a
daily structure for Ramadan to give us a specific rhythm through-
out the month - with a few exceptions and some flexibility such as
a change in the pattern of the days for the last 10 nights - but there
are definite targets that we have to reach throughout.
4. Challenging and Slightly Unrealistic Goals: Non-Muslims
often look at what we do in Ramadan and say that we are being
extreme, that we shouldnt be as harsh on ourselves as we are.
But we are able to rise above their criticism and not pay attention
to what they say, because we know that Allah taala never requires
us to do anything that would be harmful or beyond our capacity.
We are convinced of the value and benefits of our fasting and
qiyaam and this conviction enables us to stretch ourselves.
5. Balance: In Ramadan, its not only our bodies that are cleansed
through fasting, our spirituality too is improved through increased
Salaat and reading of the Quraan Kareem. Our finances are
cleansed through Zakat, our social relationships are improved
through coming together for Iftar, and our social contribution is
increased through extra Sadaqah. The Ramadan spirit is devel-
oped through a balanced increase in every area of life, with each
aspect having its own timing, amount, and purpose. In welcoming
Ramadan and bidding it farewell, there are some points of reflec-
tion for the faithful: Is there for us in fasting an abundant portion
of effort to reform ourselves and mend our ways? Yes! It is indeed
an excellent period of reflection over the sincerity of our intentions
and appropriateness of our deeds and acts of worship.
A whole new beautiful chapter in our lives opens- of peace,
happiness, blessings and mercy with an elated feeling of spiritu-
ality, connecting with Allah taala and being immersed in His love.
Fear Allah taala as He should be feared for, the fear of Allah taala
is the best treasure of our lives. Obey Allah taala and keep away
from His restrictions and prohibited boundaries. If you are able to
do this, you will achieve His pleasure and be saved from His tor-
ment. On tasting the sweetness that comes with obedience, there
is no desire to return to any form of disobedience.
A sinful desire is like a rose from afar. We get allured by its fra-
grance, become blinded by its beauty, and overlook the thorns. Dont
allow Shaitan to be an anchor and halt your spiritual journey. Raise
the sails of Iman to reach the beautiful shores of Jannah. Would you
rather invest for short term pleasures and benefits, or would it be
more sensible to invest for everlasting returns and eternal benefits?
Dont let the chains of desire (nafs and shaitan), bind you to dunya
whilst restraining your soul from pursuing Jannah. May Allah taala
make our hearts the throne upon which our Iman will sit, and let it
rule over our nafs and prevent it from trying to enslave us.
Ways to maintain the good habits you picked during Ramadan
* Make Dua: It was Allah taala who gave you the strength and
ability to keep the good habit in Ramadan, and only He can help
you maintain it afterwards. Make dua that Allah taala helps you
not only keep the habit, but that He accepts it and makes it a way
for you to grow closer to Him.
* Make it a habit: If you want to keep good habits, youve got to
make sure they remain part of your daily schedule. For instance,
fasting. Our beloved Messenger (pbuh) encouraged us to fastion
Mondays and Thursdays. He said: A mans deeds are reported
(to Allah taala) on Mondays and Thursdays and I prefer that I
should be fasting when my deeds are reported. (Tirmidhi)
* Evaluate yourself weekly: This will help you see the bigger pic-
ture. Youll be able to evaluate on a more long-term level how well
youve been keeping your habits in practice. You can do the same
thing on a monthly and yearly basis.
* Dont fall apart once you make one mistake: The beauty of
Taubah (repentance) in Islam is that Allah taala blesses us with
opportunity to always return back to Him after doing something
wrong. We should remember that we are humans and that we will
err. Only Allah taala is Perfect.
* Ask yourself why you kept the habit: Niyyah or intention is a
key to Allah taalas acceptance of our good deeds. If we devel-
oped a habit to impress others, for instance, we may be able to
keep the momentum for a while only, but most probably itll wear
out afterwards. But if we maintain a habit sincerely for the sake of
Allah taala, Insha Allah, not only will we be rewarded for it, but our
intention will help us maintain the necessary motivation to contin-
ue to do good.
* Work your way up slowly: Aaisha (may Allah be pleased with
her) reported that the Prophet of Allah said: Do good deeds prop-
erly, sincerely and moderately, and remember that you shall enter
Paradise only through Allah taalas Mercy, and also remember
that the most beloved deed to Allah taala is that which is regular
and constant even if it is little. (Al-Bukhari)
The wisdom in this Hadith is tremendous and it is one way of
keeping up good habits you have picked them up in Ramadan. For
example, lets say you were motivated to read Quran Kareem for
half-an-hour on a daily basis during Ramadan. But now that its over,
you feel sluggish, lazy and want to give it up. Yet, you had wanted to
maintain this habit after the blessed month was over. So, instead of
trying to read Quran Kareem for the same amount of time, reduce
the time period to as much as you are initially able to do, even if its
just ten or twenty minutes a day. If you keep up this ten minutes a
day habit, Insha Allah taala, you will see the amount of Quran
Kareem you read will increase slowly but gradually, perhaps even
surpassing your Ramadan maximum in the long-term, Insha Allah.
Be steadfast and upright upon the Deen of Allah taala at all
times, for you do not know when youll meet the Angel of Death.
Beware of him taking you while you are in a state of sin.
Forgiveness is always billowing around us, but we must raise the
sails of remorse and repentance to feel it. Now is the time to
reprogramme your life, rise up and get rid of the negativities,
develop your potential, plan and execute, change and get
changed, and you will become one of those who gain happiness
and blessings in this life and enjoy the bliss of the Hereafter, Insha
Allah taala. Be sure that reform is always possible, seek help from
our loving Allah taala, and do not feel unmotivated or lacking in
strength or lose hope in Allahs infinite Mercy.
May Allah taala accept our fasting, our Ibadah and all our
righteous deeds, that our condition after Ramadan be better, that
the state of our Ummah improves and that we are granted honour
and strength to submit to His obedience. Ameen.
Enjoy your Eid by remaining consistent on those good deeds
and by refraining from undesirable acts and things which are liable
to remove Allah taalas favours from you. One of our righteous
predecessors said: Each day in which no act of disobedience to
Allah taala is committed is Eid and each day a believer spent in
acts of obedience to his Lord is Eid.
Be steadfast and upright upon the Deen of Allah taala at all times, for you do not know when youll meet the Angel of Death.
Beware of him taking you while you are in a state of sin. Forgiveness is always billowing around us, but we must raise the sails
of remorse and repentance to feel it. Now is the time to reprogramme your life, rise up and get rid of the negativities, develop
your potential, plan and execute, change and get changed, and you will become one of those who gain happiness and blessings
in this life and enjoy the bliss of the Hereafter, Insha Allah taala...
How to retain our Spirituality after Ramadan
Assams
Doubtful Citizens
Fact or
Fiction?
Find out on page 19
BOOKS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 21 www.milligazette.com
Book: Re-Emerging Islamic Civilization
Author: Eric Walberg
Clarity Press, Inc.
http://www.claritypress.com
Available in the US from Clarity Press, amazon.com etc.
Year: 2013
Pages: 369 pp.
ISBN: 978-0-9853353-8-0
Price: $26.95
A Gateway To Understanding Islam
This work is a logical continuation of Walbergs earlier book,
Postmodern Imperialism, looking more closely at the Islamic proj-
ect since the founding of Islam in the seventh century. It address-
es the parallels with past crises in Islamic civilization, which gave
impetus to reforms and renewal from within, relying on the Quran
and hadiths, and interprets recent history from the viewpoint of
the Muslim world, how it sees the imposition on it of western sys-
tems and beliefs, and how it views the new shift in forces that the
Iranian revolution and Arab Spring portend.
The current Great Game being played in the world by the pow-
ers-that-be will come to an end, bang- or whimper-style. The
gathering banking crisis could lead to the collapse of the subjec-
tive acceptance of capitalist hierarchy. In the aftermath, we could
do with an appreciation of Islam as a viable system with robust
moral/ethical limits, grounded in community and nature, not
money and commoditization.
Islam, like communism and unlike capitalism, openly pro-
claims itself as an alternative socio-economic system which
strives to eliminate exploitation. Capitalism, on the contrary, hides
the surplus produced by society in order that it can be expropriat-
ed without causing protest by those who do the producing.
Understanding Islam as a basis of social organization requires
considering first methodology (how we see the world) and episte-
mology (the nature of knowledge and its limits). People in the
West or in the western tradition have a certain mindset which
inevitably colours the lenses through which we see the world, by
which they identify truth. To understand the world from the view-
point of re-emerging Islamic civilization requires taking off these
glasses and looking at the world through different lenses, using a
different map.
This book gives the reader a glimpse of the sweep of Islamic
civilization, permitting a vision of Islams re-emergence today as
a positive development, possibly the most important one for
realigning ourselves with Nature, and rediscovering humanitys
spiritual evolutionary path.
The Arab Spring is really an Islamic one and the logical result
of a century and a half of imperialist intrigues to incorporate the
Middle East and Central Asia into the imperial project.
How did this come about? What are the chances of the
Muslim world asserting an independent position in the face of
American empire and the rising non-imperial world bloc, BRICS?
The book critiques modernity and postmodernism from both
left and right, and Islam is seen as both an alternative worldview
and world order. As the West continues its decline, the insights
that Islamic civilization provides point to a new-old civilizational
alternative. Key actors and milestones in the struggle to free the
Muslim world from the imperial yoke are discussed.
All the monotheisms have a linear concept of time/history,
which in the case of Christianity/Judaism led logically to capital-
ism, Marx and the communist apocalypse. The Islamic project
contains its own socio-economic solution which prevented the
rise of capitalism/ imperialism, making it the loser in the technol-
ogy race of the 19th-20th centuries.
Walberg provides an overview of imperialism and colonialism
in the Muslim world, recapping his thesis in Postmodern
Imperialism of the historical movement in the Great Games (the
colonialism of the British and other empires, and the neocolonial-
ism of the US empire) through to the current Great Game confront-
ed by the revival of Islam.
The Islamic reform traditions from the 19th century on (deriv-
ing from Al-Afghani, Sayyid Qutb) incorporating the Islamic cri-
tique of the West are addressed as well as the Sunni/Shia, main-
stream/Sufi/ Salafi divisions. The 20th century experience of
Islamic states (Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran) is
reviewed, as well as the current dynamics of the Muslim world
(Saudi, Iran, Qatar, Turkey, and now Egypt/Tunisia/Libya).
Eric Walberg, a Canadian scholar, is known worldwide as a
journalist specializing in the Middle East, Central Asia and Russia.
A graduate of University of Toronto and Cambridge in economics,
he has been writing on East-West relations since the 1980s. He
has lived in both the Soviet Union and Russia, and then
Uzbekistan, as a UN adviser, writer, translator and lecturer.
Presently a writer for the foremost Cairo newspaper, Al Ahram, he
is also a regular contributor to Counterpunch, Dissident Voice,
Global Research, Al-Jazeerah and Turkish Weekly, and is a com-
mentator on Voice of the Cape radio. His articles appear in
Russian, German, Spanish and Arabic and are accessible at his
website ericwalberg.com. Walberg was a moderator and speaker
at the Leaders for Change Summit www.leadersofchangesum-
mit.org in Istanbul in 2011. His book, Postmodern Imperialism, is
also published in Chinese, Turkish and Russian.
We supply any
book published
from Delhi.*
*Contact details on page 19
From Postmodernism to Postsecularism
The current Great Game being played in the
world by the powers-that-be will come to an
end, bang- or whimper-style. The gathering
banking crisis could lead to the collapse of the
subjective acceptance of capitalist hierarchy.
In the aftermath, we could do with an
appreciation of Islam as a viable system with
robust moral/ethical limits, grounded in
community and nature, not money and
commoditization.
Islam, like communism and unlike
capitalism, openly proclaims itself as an
alternative socio-economic system which
strives to eliminate exploitation. Capitalism,
on the contrary, hides the surplus produced by
society in order that it can be expropriated
without causing protest by those who do the
producing.
Just Published
Shah Waliullah Dehlawi
ki Qurani khidmaat
The Urdu Book, Shah
Waliullah Dehlawi ki Qurani
khidmaat is the latest pub-
lication of the AMUs
Depar tment of Islamic
Studies. Edited by Prof.
Muhammad Yasin Mazhar
Siddiqi and Prof. Zafarul
Islam, the work is a collec-
tion of the articles presented
in the seminar organized by
the Department of Islamic
Studies on the Contribution
of Shah Waliullah to the
Quranic Studies. The vol-
ume contains 20 articles
which focus on Shah
Waliullahs contribution to the translation of the Holy Quran,
principles of Tafsir- writing and different aspects of Quranic
sciences including Asbab-i- Nuzul (causes of revelation),
Aqsam al-Quran (oaths in the Quran), Naskh fi al-Quran
(abrogation in the Quran), Huruf-i- Muqattaat (unjoined let-
ters) and Nazm-i- Quran (coherence in the Quran). Besides,
some of the contributors evaluated the Quranic discussions
available in the well-known works of Shah Waliullah on differ-
ent subjects, while some others highlighted the Quranic
bases of socio-economic and political ideas of Shah
Waliullah. The contributors to the volume included scholars
and researchers from the A.M.U. departments of Islamic
Studies, Theology, Arabic and Philosophy. Contributors from
outside belonged to the University of Allahabad, Jamia Millia
Islamia (New Delhi), Maulana Azad National Urdu University
(Hyderabad), Tasnifi Academy (New Delhi) and Jamiat Shah
Waliullah (Phulat, Muzaffarnagar). The work is useful for the
study and assessment of Shah Waliullahs contribution to the
Quranic sciences and thoughts.
Consisting of 291 pages, the book is available from the
Publications Division, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh at
price of Rs 200.
REACH YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
READERSHIP: International India, Gulf, North America and Western Europe, especially
among Indian Muslims and NRIs of Indian Muslim origin.Your ad will also appear on the
newspapers website www.milligazette.com until the next issue. Banners with links to your
websites may also be placed on MG website with prior arrangement.
ADVERTISEMENT RATES: THE MILLI GAZETTE
B/W Full page (24.4 x 37) cm Rs 31,000
B/W Half page (12 x 36.6 cm) Rs 18,000
B/W Half page (24.4 x 18.5 cm) Rs 16,000
B/W Qtr page (12.2 x 18.5 cm or 225 cm
2
area) Rs 8,500
B/W Custom size (per sq. cm space) (B/W) Rs 40
Colour Custom size (per sq. cm space) Rs 80
Classifieds (minimum 20 words) Rs 25 / word
Any right page: 20% extra; or details email to sales@milligazette.com
Learn the Language of
the Quran
www.understandquran.com
www.lqtoronto.com
www.zekr.org Free Quran
Study Software
Get a A verse a day, from the Quran,
in English in your inbox, send a
blank email to
quran.avad@ilmpedia.net
Advertisers alone are responsible for the claims and contents in their ads. The Milli Gazette doesnt vouch for any claims made
by advertisers. You are recommended to make appropriate enquiries and seek appropriate advice. MG shall not be held liable
for any consequences, in the event such claims are not honoured by the Advertisers.
CLIPPINGS SERVICE
O P I N E WS & F E AT U R E S S E R V I C E
Unique clippings, database and
documentation service
covering a vast range of subjects.
Over 5000 individual subject-files on almost any
aspect, especially India, Islamic issues, Palestine,
Kashmir, Muslim minorities etc. etc.
PHAROS MEDIA
D-84 Abul Fazl Enclave-I,
Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025
Email: opi@pharosmedia.com
http://www.pharosmedia.com/opi.htm
For Muslim Indias
2003 & 2004
volumes contact
PHAROS MEDIA &
PUBLISHING P LTD
D-84 Abul Fazal Enc-I, Jamia Nagar,
New Delhi 110025
Email: info@pharosmedia.com
Complete Set of Vol. 21 (2003) Rs
550 / Euro 70 (Including postage)
Complete Set of Vol. 22 (2004) Rs
550 / Euro 70
(Including postage)
a ` f Z ; y Q . > + 7 _ ] ; Z G G S ; G k Z k
G S Z n ; G k Z Z [ ; ^ ; Z G ] ^ + 7
] New Arrivals G ] a + 7
Index ; G . Z ; ; ` G ) G 5 7 ]
i > k G 7 , Obituaries Z >
96 > ; Z G
______
g ; S `
. . I G Z Y
G Z 100 G Z . X & 120
G Z 5000 G Z > 180 . Z ; k ; G ]
G Z . . 400 _ Y # k ^& W
; , 2 E ; . . . 25 G Z Z Y { . 10,000 >
; , 2 E ; . ; k Z . W 100 6 Z Y
; , 2 E ; . 500 >
URDU BOOK REVIEW
1739/3 (Basement) New Kohinoor Hotel,
Pataudi House, Darya Ganj, New Delhi-110002
Tel.: 011-23266347 / 09953630788
Email:urdubookreview@gmail.com
Website: www.urdubookreview.com
. g
| j a q a a , | | | , U a a a j a j m | I o
@ D h o

O
. G S ; ' W
_ ^ ` f G , 1995
MATRIMONIALS
GROOMS WANTED
SUNNI Muslim beautiful girl 26/5 / BUMS Aligarh hav-
ing own Nursing home in Lucknow. M: 7668898584 E-ml:
smhelpcentre@gmail.co m
ANSARI girl 29/54 M.Sc,Eleetr. B.Ed wkg&boy26/58
B.Tech Software Engr.Noida Lko bsd edu fmly.
09891940139 Em: falakl401@gmail.com
ANSARI parents seek alliance from UP/NCR for daugh-
ter MBA 27.5/5.1 Govt Officer Mob: 09167512972 ,
Email: city9901@gmaiI.com
SUNNI Pathan fair Bful gir! 29/57 PG Sap Professional
Del. Seeks Well stld Qlfd boy. #09886673612.
Email:humanit yismr@gmail.com
SUNNI 27/53 Educated homely girl. Nainital based
reputed fmly seek Wstld Qlfd boy.Mb:9917025786
Email: nadeemkhan_0786@yahoo.in
SM girl 25/156 fair bful,Con Edu,,M.sc gold
medalist girl Edu.fmly. Seeks alliance frm PQ
&wstld boy,edu fmly#97175943,
snsak87@gmail.com
SUNNI Farooqui bful grl 26/52 M.Pharma
frra well edu fmly seeks Govt Dr/Er/Offilcer.
Prf West UP & UK. Cast no bar. E: sunnifa-
rooqui@gmail.com
PARENTS of Syed Sunni Muslim Girl 29/53.
Ph.D Plant Science, fair, slim seek alliance from
similar grooms with professional degree & religious
Background Ph: 9839076251,
Em: kaifiuabbasi@gmail.com
BRIDES WANTED
SM4 Acsari, 29/58, MBA , Auditor in central university
(Delhi)seeks Religs,Edu.Slim
girl.E: fatima_saud@yahoo.in #8826883103,9999914611
PQM4 IIT, M.Tech (Delhi) Khan 28/511 Hsome boy
wkg at Gurgaon l2Lpa Caste no Bar # 08094942688 Em:
z.hussain56@yahoo.com
MBBS Muslim bride wntd for 28/6 hsome, Smini. Aero-
pace Engr.Singapore Airlines, origin east U.P. Fmly bsd in
KL. Fthr Univ. Prof. in Malaysia.E: vpalem@yahoo.com
SUNNI siddiqi UP based fmly seeks bful, edu girl for
their son B.Tech IIM MBA 28/510 wkg USMNC Pune
14Lpa # 08860007551 Email: khanasghar631@gmail.com
MD Medicine 30/510 Hsome boyfrmeduc.&reputefmly
seek Medico girl from reputed fmly. Mob: 8544035656
E: nawaz786@gmail.com
22 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 CLASSFIEDS / DISPLAY ADS www.milligazette.com
Classifieds: Rs 25 per word per insertion. Minimum charges Rs 500. Display (B/W): Rs 40 per sq. cm
Send your ad to by email to sales@milligazette.com or by post to The Milli Gazette D-84 Abul Fazal Encl-Part -I, New Delhi-110025 with cheque/DD/postal order/M.O. payable at Delhi
BACK
ISSUES
AVAILABLE
THE MILLI GAZETTE
D-84, Abul Fazl Enclave-I, Jamia Nagar,
New Delhi-110025 India
Tel.: (+91-11) 2694 7483
Email: sales@milligazette.com
Army Rule in AMU
This refers to the latest controversy surrounding Aligarh Muslim University.
In my opinion, there is no harm in running the University by armymen, if
they making rational decisions. When Lt Gen. Shah joined the AMU as its
Vice Chancellor, there was turmoil, uncertainty and lawlessness on the
campus. For a new VC, job was challenging. But Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Zameer
Uddin Shah displayed the great qualities. He has had the experience of
dealing with the tough situations. During last one year, VC Shah has
brought changes in the academic and administrative areas. Not issuing
hall tickets to students with less than 75% attendance was a good thing.
Most students live in the hostels. Why they are attending their classes? In
my opinion, the attendance bar should be raised to 90%. If the VC has
banned motorbikes from the campus to check crime, there is nothing
wrong in it. Lt. Gen. Shah being a disciplined and discipline lover person,
may sound autocratic to some people who dont like discipline. He is lay-
ing a lot of emphasis on improving the living conditions of students and
making all possible efforts to revive traditions of the University. We should
appreciate his efforts and support him to bring AMU on the top position.
M. Yunus Khan. University Polytechnic, AMU
khan_yunus123@rediffmail.com
MPs letter to Obama re. Modi
In reference to the recent letter to the President of the United States, it has
become imperative for me to respond to some members of Parliament
who deny having signed the letter to 2012. In this context, it may be noted:
1. The most serious charge is that of doing a cut and paste of signa-
tures. The fact that some signatures overlap adjoining signatures shows
that a cut and paste would simply not be possible. In any case, I am will-
ing to have the two letters submitted for signature authentication using
advanced digital technology that can easily detect if any of the signatures
were either forged or pasted from elsewhere.
2. Frivolous doubts about the authenticity of the letter appears to be dis-
tracting from the real and genuine issues of justice and human rights, and
Mr. Modis role in the 2002 pogrom that have been raised in the letter.
3. Two Lok Sabha MPs inadvertently signed on the letter that was sent on
behalf of Rajya Sabha MPs. The fact that this mistake could not be cor-
rected proves that the signatures are genuine.
4. The letters were signed and sent to President Obama in December
2012. As some MPs have said, they simply do not remember having
signed such a letter. Their failure to recollect is not an indication that the
letters lack authenticity.
5. Given that there has been criticism in some quarters about the wisdom
of writing this letter, it appears that MPs who are denying having signed the
letter are actually backtracking under pressure. Again, some MPs buckling
under duress does not take away from the genuineness of the letter and
the fact that all the MPs listed on the letter did actually sign it.
6. The letter should not be seen as asking a foreign power to interfere in
Indias internal affairs. It is only asking the US to continue the same poli-
cy it has had for almost the last decade with respect to a specific individ-
uals admissibility into the US under US law. The fact that he is an elected
Chief Minister only adds to the gravity of the situation, and the need for
other elected representatives to speak out.
7. I believe the letter to President Obama is actually rooted in a desire to
protect and uphold universal human rights, which are also enshrined in the
Constitution of India.
I would like to end on the note that I can understand if a MP given the time
lapse, forgot that he/she had signed the letter, I can also accept that he/she
may have read the letter but not understood the issue in its totality before
signing on the dotted line but I cannot and will not accept that the signa-
tures are forged. I reiterate that I am ready, indeed am asking for an
enquiry to be set up to prove the authenticity of the letter and the signa-
tures as this is a direct attack on my integrity, my honour and my reputa-
tion as a respectable Member of the Indian Parliament. I end by saying that
if I am found to have forged signatures (specially Members of Rajya Sabha
as I myself took the signatures), I will immediately resign as well as accept
any punishment levied on me but if proven innocent, I will file defamation
cases against those who tried to tarnish my reputation.
Muhammad Adeeb, MP (Rajya Sabha)
madeeb45@yahoo.co.in
Renaming of UGC
Nobody can deny the need of a controlling and supervisory body over
Indian Universities. On this account several decades ago such a body
known as the University Grants Commission had been set-up and his body
has been functioning. The very name of nomenclature of this august body
is really disgusting to be academic world and calls for a change to dispel
the impression that academic issues are to be decided from the monetary
point of view. It would be quite in accordance with the academic nature or
spirit, if this body is named as The University Commission.
Dr. M. Hashim Kidwai, ex-MP, Mayur Vihar Delhi - 110091
Indian Buddhists are different from Burmese
It is projected now-a-days that Indian Buddhist are under attack from
Indian Muslims in reaction of Muslim suffering in Burma & North East. I
think this conflict is deliberately designed to suit the need of Brahmin, so
that Indian Minorities can never be united to counter the forces of
Hindutva. The Buddhist religion was stated by a Kshtriya youth prince
Siddarth. The Brahminical religion has define the role of kshatriyas to fight
against each other. They declared it as there religion. So the Indian kings
always fought against each. Because of this whoever attacked our coun-
try, easily won. Otherwise kshtriyas if united were brave enough to count-
er any attack. So kshatriyas were in need of peace. Siddarth teaches
peace & non-violence. As many kshatraiya kings accepted this religion
specially Samrat Ashok, the religion spread from India to others foreign
countries including Burma. Later on Brahminical forces re-organized
themselves and banished this religion from the countries so the religion
was vanished from India. In 20th century Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar
(The father of constitution of India) under stood that the only way for the
libration of dalits is conversion so he converted to Buddhism. Many of his
followers also converted to Buddhism. In this manner Indian Buddhist are
very much like backward class Indian Muslims. As Muslims get liberty,
equality & peace in Islam, so is the core of Indian Buddhists.
Abdur Razzaque Ansari, Indore
A tale of two neighbours
If observed honestly and compare the to neighbours China and India
above the so-called patriotism as claimed every movement in India by
these who defied and defiled the soul of patriotism, China is emerged to
be the land more advanced, developed, progressed in all respects and
fields in comparison to our country which is quite inferior to that country
in various ways. But the people and their leaders never sing a carol in
China nor they claim to be most patriotic and faithful to their country as
we see in India where even traitors claim to be more patriotic and proud
of being Indians. The glaring example of social, political and above all judi-
cial honesty with remarkable discipline in China surpassed our country
gorgeously thus showing way to us. Chinas former Railway Minister Liu
Zhijun awarded a suspended death sentence by a court there for corrup-
tion and abuse of power. Liu, 65 year was found guilty of accepting bribe
to the tune of USD 10.53 million over 25 years by the Beijing Number Two
Intermediate Peoples Court which was conducting the trial announced the
stiff verdict coming with death penalty with a two years reprieve, deprival
of political rights for life and confiscation of all personal property. He was
also sentenced to under go 10 years imprisonment for abusing of power.
Coming home we know that we have two Law and Judiciary systems out
of which one is meant for VIPs and another for common citizens which
include less influential, middle class and lower category people whereas
VIP judicial system covers members of all political parties both National
and regional levels, their leaders from top to bottom, rich and influential
persons, their kin and kith as they are all treated above the Law and con-
stitution of the country. Mere majority of ministers, parliamentarians,
members of legislative assemblies, politicians are notorious in every
aspect, un-social, corrupt, gangsters, murderers, criminals, responsible
for genocide, accumulating wealth from all illegal sources, committing
offences against society and humanity, creating false, concocted and fab-
ricated stories and plans to down the weak and hapless persons either in
the name of religion or for other reasons, involved in number of scams,
scandal, pogroms, demolition of religious places, engineering riots, killing
of lacs, raping innocent and helpless women, involved in all illegal and law
breaking activities still they are not only shielded by law but awarded and
decorated with high ranking awards and positions. Here the fake encoun-
ters take place at regular interval at the behest of politicians with their open
involvement in the crimes but they are not found guilty for want of certain
reasons like not proved guilty, no sufficient evidence etc. The man
wholly responsible for 1992-93 pre and post Babri Masjid demolition com-
munal frenzy at Mumbai whose involvement was clearly confirmed by
Srikrishna report is not only paid rich tribute in Loksabha but called a great
patriot by non less than the India P. M. Mr. Manmohan Singh, what a irony
of Indian fate? and lastly after just a few months in jail, Suresh Kalmadi
returns to the Lok Sabha with his head held high and Kanimoshi gets elect-
ed to Rajya Sabha or Modi becomes the prime ministerial candidate or L.
K. Advani is the most respected and highly dignified leaders even after the
crime of rath-yatra and demolition of Babri Masjid. In China, a former min-
ister is sentenced to death for corruption and abuse of power but in our
great beloved motherland leaders, ministers and all those enjoy the status
of VIPs are treated as worthy of punishment even for most heinous, bar-
baric, un-social, illegal and inhuman crimes.
Faheemuddin, Nagpur - 13
On Aamir Raza Resignation From BJP
The reason of given by Aamir, BJP Vice President, for his resignation from
BJP that people like him want anti -Congress option which a Vajpayee or
an Advani led BJP provided but Modi mentality projected in his remarks on
Puppy deaths and Burqa of secularism has closed that option for us is
totally misleading. The reason giving by Aamir is not convincing. No self
respected Muslim can think of joining Communalist party with fascist ide-
ology like BJP even if he finds lot of faults with Congress How could BJP
led by Advani could be an option for any anti-Congress Muslim? Advani is
responsible for demolition of Babri Mosque and killing of thousands of
Muslims in the riots followed by his Rath Yatra in 1990 and after demoli-
tion of mosque in 1992. Even for Gujarat genocide of Feb, 2002 Advani is
equally responsible because being the home minister at that time he did
not take any step to stop the massacre of Muslims organized by Modi and
his government.
Prof. Shamim Ahmad, AMU
profshamim@gmail.com
We have become suicidal
More than 1400 years have passed. Hazrat Mohammed (pbuh) made
Islam systematic and he was the last Prophet. He also did not know any-
thing about the future of Islam after 1400 years. Allah only knew it. Today,
we are out to make Allah cry. He is love and pure love. We have betrayed
Him by fighting among ourselves and killing each other. We do not love
Him enough. Our Prophet brought Arabs from different cults under one
flag. He invited Jews and Christians also. It was a very difficult task but he
did it for us. He understood Allah and His message. According to his
teachings Allah is the heart of Islam. Unfortunately we have forgotten Allah
and we are fighting for trivial matters. We recite Quran but we do not
understand that Allah is love. He is the most benevolent and merciful. We
have failed in explaining the truth and beauty of Islam to the world because
we have not digested the truth. We are digging our own graveyard. We
have become suicidal. We have sealed our heart and we do not let love
flow from it. It is time to understand, it is time to rise.
Nazneen O. Saherwala, Surat
nazsita@yahoo.co.in
Modi a Hindu nationalist?
If Modi says he is a Hindu immediately the question arises. He belongs to
which caste, Is he a Brahman who are born from the head of God. Is he a
Sudra who are born from the feet of God? Or from some other caste? The
Hindus or progressive mined people ,So far material means ,for example
in olden days they were travelling in bullock cart, then they stared sitting
in motors, then rails ,then planes now they are able travel in helicopters.
They are using science and technology. They invented atomic bombs and
missiles to counter the hostile countries.. We have good progress in infor-
mation technology. But so for morality spirituality and religious practices
and rituals they follow 5000 old beliefs and sentiments. The fundamental
belief is erroneous. They revere. Serpents, animals, rivers, mountains,
trees etc, The latest view is God is only one. He is the Creator, Fosterer,
and Sustainer Therefore only He must be worshipped. Hindus believe in
polytheism which is irrational. So far worshipping mode is preliminary and
needs correction. They are lacking the sense of cleanliness they drink
cows urine thinking it sacred. They ignite their corps spreading lot of pol-
lution. Their mode of celebration of festivals is dangerous and objection-
able to the people of other religions. Dr Maqdoomi Hyderabad.
Is it Paak Sthaan?
Dancing day and night in todays Pakistan, Satan must be telling Bernard
Shaw that Muslims can sometimes be made much more mad than he
could have imagined. Only Muslims having longest beards and shortest
sights can bomb every place including Masjids, Madrasas, graveyards,
schools, markets and hospitals. They must have curd instead of brain in
their drain-like heads. Innaa Lillaah
Sultan A. Patel, Khanpur Deh - 392150
BJP, murder and terror activities
BJP is a party which believes in communal politics and wants to grab
power on dead bodies, Modi wants to become Prime Minister of India and
wants to erect his castle on the heads and bones of uncountable innocent
citizens. Involvement of BJP and its Parivar in anti-national criminal and
terror activities is very manifest like Babri Masjid Demolition, Bomb blasts
across India from Srinagar to Kerala, Uncountable Communal Violence
including Gujarat, Fake encounters, Defend the act of Terrorism and safe-
guard terrorists in jails, Spreading communal hatred amongst the people.
Bodhgaya is the new destination of BJP and Sanghi Terror, where they
wanted to achieve the goal of communal violence between Dalit (Bodh)
and Muslims now that Nitish Kumar has split from BJP on the issue of
Gujarat Violence and State sponsored Terrorism. Same trick Sanghi terror-
ists adopted in Hyderabad Mecca Masjid and Malegaon Blasts. They want-
ed to ignite communal violence after the blast and caused more casualties
in the form of one sided police firing.
Zuber Ahmed Khan, Navi Mumbai
mtalha2@gmail.com
Actor Pran
The nation has lost a great actor who enthralled the movie watchers for
almost six decades with some electrifying roles - Sher Khan in Zanjeer,
Malang Chacha in Upkaar, dacoit Raka in Jis desh mein Ganga Behti hai -
to quote a few. Pran had a philanthropic heart helping the needy silently.
But the thespian deserved a more respectful adieu by Hollywood actors
who preferred to condole on twitter rather than attending the funeral.
S. Sultan Mohiddin, Kapada (A. P)
sultan_awaz@yahoo.co.in
Casteism and High Court
The Allahabad high court on Thursday banned caste based rallies in Uttar
Pradesh with immediate effect. It also issued notices to four major parties
in the state-as well as the central and the Election commission to present
their points of view on how to curb the menace of caste politics that threat-
ens to rip apart the countrys social fabric. The next date of hearing is July
25. I applaud the feeling of the honourable judges that though late but they
found out the castes have divided the society. But the political parties, EC,
and state and central government are not competent to give their point of
view to curb the menace of caste politics. In my opinion the so far the
castes remain the caste politics will also remain. The other name of castes
is Hinduism. All Hindus are divided in 4 major castes, The superior most
is Brahmins and lowest caste is scheduled caste (SC).According to Hindu
mythology The Brahmins are superior as they have taken birth from the
Head of God. The sunders are lowest as they have taken birth from the feet
of God. All the highly educated Brahmins including the judges of Supreme
court and the SCs of educated cadre strongly believe this dogma, The
makers of constitution of India have also taken down as a fact. They have
recommended reservations in jobs for SCs. The caste politics has started
from then only To curb the caste politics is a Herculean task the Brahmins
who are the rulers of this country claiming to be the superior caste will
never agree to forgo caste system. They have captured all high profile
jobs. They are ministers party bosses, bureaucrats. Though they are 3%
but have gained 75% of all important assignments. All other communities
are their subordinates. The SCs who give importance to self respect
should take shelter in the fold of Islam Christianity or Buddhism.
Maqdoomi, Hyderabad.
Indian Mujahideen
Since the time taking over the charge as Union Home Minister, Mr. Sushil
Kumar Shinde started speaking in the tune and tone of Hindutva forces and
majority of anti-Muslim Congressmen, biased investigation police force of
different states security agencies which he himself has proved time and
again with the sole intention to receive blessing from RSS and congress-
men as well. Very recently while addressing members of the consultative
committee for home ministry at New Delhi he made a blurt statement that
a terrorist group by name Indian Mujahideen was set-up by Pakistan based
terrorist elements in order to retain deniability and most of the recruits in
the said organisation were drawn from India. According to him security
forces in the country have managed to identify and arrest the I. M. opera-
tives thus ably frustrated their objectives The statement is an attempt to kill
many birds with a single stone and that since the matter is related with
Indian Muslims it must have been applauded, appreciated and welcomed
not only by hindutva families but anti-Muslim lobby in congress too. On
one hand the statement may help congress to garner maximum votes from
all sections of hindus, pave way to the various security agencies and
police atleast in selected states like Maharashtra, U. P., Karnataka,
Andhra., M. P. etc gear up free and frank arrest of well educated Muslim
youths in the name of members of I. M., to bring down Indian Muslims to
the status of second grade citizens justified all illegal and unprecedented
actions against Muslim youths and to put them behind bars for years to
gather without any trial, arrange fake encounters, kill innocent Muslim
youths in the so- called safe custody of jails either by police or by inmates
who are specially brought and put up in lockups with Muslim youths to
assault and kill them under the drawn plans. It is quite surprising that
Honble Home Minister remained silent about the centre of activities and
placement of headquarter of I. M. in India.
Faheemuddin, Nagpur - 440013
Institutions betray people
Many people come to the defence of the accused cops & IB men in the
Ishrat case with the argument that their morale will be shattered by such
charges. This is a dangerous argument to encourage lawlessness among
law enforcers. There is no immunity for any security men who violate the
law of the land even while tackling terrorists and dangerous criminals. A
TV channel recently exposed a torture chamber operated by the Delhi
police at a private residential building in the nations capital. Cops abduct-
ed a few poor innocent youth below the age of 18 and tortured &
sodomised them in this private premise to extract confession on some
unsolved crimes. An ex-top cop called this crime an aberration! Tribal
schoolteacher Soni Sori and her relative & journalist Lingaram Kodopi
were arrested two years ago on the charge of arranging protection money
on behalf of Essar company to Maoists. The main accused, D. V. C. S
Verma, general manager at an Essar steel plant, and B. K. Lala, an Essar
contractor, were also arrested for disbursing the money. Police allegedly
seized Rs. 15 lakh from Lala. Rejecting the bail petition of Sori & Kodopi
on 8 July, Justice P K Mishra of CG HC said that on basis of the serious-
ness of the evidence, the bail petition had been rejected. Verma got bail
on grounds of ill-health within a few months. Police did not file a charge
sheet against the contractor Lala within 90 days, and thus facilitated his
bail. Are we to conclude that if one is with Essar, he can get bail, and rot
in jail if she or he is an Adivasi? Sori was tortured so brutally by the CG
police that foreign bodies were recovered from her private parts. She was
also given electric shock in the name of interrogation. All these were
reportedly executed on the orders of SP Ankit Garg. Instead of probing the
alleged misdeeds of this cop, he was decorated with a gallantry award.
NHRC probed several encounters. It found many hundreds of them as
staged. But the customary magisterial enquiry conducted on all these
encounters certified them as genuine. When the law enforcers have
become law breakers so brazenly, people care a hoot to respect the law
and its enforcers.
Sankara Narayanan, Bhubaneswar
psn.1946@gmail.com
REJOINDERS/OPINION/LETTERS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013 23 www.milligazette.com
The Milli Gazette, P.O. Box 9701, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025 Email: letters@milligazette.com Read more letters on MG website
RNI No. DELENG/2000/930 REGISTERED DL(S)-01/3215/2012-14
LICENCED TO POST WITHOUT PREPAYMENT U (SE)-57/2012-14
PUBLISHED ON 26 JULY 2013 POSTED ON 26-27 JULY 2013
ADV. FORTNIGHTLY AT NDPSO-110002
The Milli Gazette
D-84 Abul Fazl Enclave-I, Jamia Nagar,
New Delhi 110025 India Tel.: 011-26947483 Email: edit@milligazette.com
24 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 August 2013
Printed, published and owned by Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan and printed at Vibha Publication Pvt Ltd., D-160B, Sector-7, Noida, U.P. and published at D-84 Abul Fazal Enclave-I, New Delhi 110025.
Editor: Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan
With best compliments from
Kaleem Kawaja , Washington DC
Zakat Appeal
Before After
T
he genesis of Charity Alliance in early
2005 was out of the necessity to do
something urgently about the starvation
deaths in the Jalangi area of Murshidabad,
West Bengal. Since then our work in that partic-
ular area of Murshidabad continues without any
break with the support of people like you,
alhamdulillah. After having distributed ration
every week for years in the area and offering
medical aid to them as well now alhamdulillah
the people there are in a must better situation.
We continue to run a Vocational Training
Centre there teaching tailoring and zari embroi-
dery. And Alliance School near Jalangi in
Murshidabad was started in 2009. The school
currently has bamboo rooms and needs
pucca classrooms to pass recognition
requirements. Donations to building fund are
most welcome.
Apart from Murshidabad, which remains
our main focus, we also offer financial help on
a smaller scale to poor students and individuals
for education and medical help in Delhi.
Visit www.charityalliance.in for more details
or call 0-9818120669
In April 2013 when two Murshidabad villages (West Bengal) were gutted by fire, 214 families homeless,
we sought your help and asked for donations for distributing corrugated sheets to them.
And this is what your donations can achieve, alhamdulillah
To help
CHARITY ALLIANCE
please go to page 17 inside.
Donations, Zakat, Sadaqat, Charity and bank interest.
accepted by cheque / online Internet Banking transfers
or credit card payments / Money Order / By Cash*.
Food Aid
Vocational Centre
Alliance School Murshidabad
2013
CHARITY ALLIANCE
Registered trust