MOHAMMAD SHAHID

L
ucknow: His death is as tragic and mysterious as his arrest
was cruel and controversial. He waited for justice for five
long years from a corrupt and biased system but got death
in the bargain. Even the Nimesh Commission report that
absolved him (and his colleague Tariq Qasmi) of all charges lev-
elled against him failed to bring relief to him and his co-accused
because the Samajwadi Party Government was more concerned
to save the guilty STF personnel than to deliver justice.
Khalid Mujahid, accused of serial court blasts in the state died
in mysterious circumstances in Barabanki district on 19 May
while being taken to Lucknow after appearing before a trial court
in Faizabad in police custody. While police say he died following a
heart attack, his lawyers cry foul. The victims uncle Zaheer Alam
Falahi has lodged an FIR accusing 42 persons, including a num-
ber of senior police officers of conspiring and killing his nephew.
The senior superintendent of police, Lucknow, suspended nine
policemen including a sub-inspector after a departmental inquiry
found them guilty of negligence that resulted in the death of Khalid
Mujahid.
Earlier, to cool down the tempers, an embarrassed Chief
Minister ordered a CBI probe into the incident. But will the CBI
probe or any amount of compensation bring Khalid Mujahid back
to life?
Looking at the CBI track record, much cannot be hoped from
the probe. Whatever be the outcome of the CBI probe, the UP gov-
ernment cannot escape the responsibility of the incident and its
failure in taking timely action on the Nimesh Commission report.
The circumstances that led to the death of Khalid raise sever-
al questions about his death. According to his lawyers, he was in
normal health with no signs of illness when he appeared at the
court and left it about 3.20 pm on the fateful day. He talked to his
lawyers and sent greetings (salam) to his uncle through his lawyer
Mohammad Shoaib. Then, within ten minutes of leaving the court
according to the police version, he fainted and died on way to
Lucknow.
Even if we believe the victims co-accused Tariq Qasmis
statement that he had been ill for the last four days, the question
arises: why was he brought to the court and not allowed to take
rest or admitted to a hospital?
Advocate Shoaib says the police never presented the victim or
his co-accused before the press ever since their arrests in
December 2007, then how suddenly they brought Tariq Qasmi
before the press to give a statement about Khalids illness?
Advocate Shoaib, who met the other accused in jail a day
after Khalids death, said they were too terrorized to speak any-
thing on the issue. Although the postmortem report does not draw
any conclusive opinion on the cause of his death and says that the
cause of death could not be ascertained, a cut on the victims
face, mark of black spots on his face and neck, nails turning black
and bleeding from the nose point not to a natural death but to mur-
der.
And motive for murder was there. The Nimesh Commission
has indicted police personnel, including some senior officials of
illegally arresting and torturing the victim and recommended for a
probe into the matter. The victim would have been a witness if the
commissions report was implemented.
In the past the victim through his lawyer had complained to
the court of abuse and threat to life by policemen escorting him
to courts. All these and many more such circumstantial evidences
point to some high level conspiracy behind Khalid Mujahids
death.
Not only Muslims but all those who believe in truth and jus-
tice, including human rights organizations, are outraged. Muslims
are in a state of utter disbelief that the young and healthy man
whose release they were demanding on the basis of the Nimesh
Commission report will be eliminated like this under a regime they
considered was their saviour. Several outfits condemned the
killing and organized protest marches in the state capital and other
towns and some ulama and other intellectuals marched in
Faizabad to demand the dismissal of the state government which
they termed was anti-Muslim.
It is, however, intriguing that the Muslim representatives in
Assembly, Parliament and governments and those ulama who
presented themselves before Akhilesh Yadav to praise him for
boycotting the US conference in protest against that countrys
misbehaviour with Azam Khan, have kept silent on the issue.
These political leaders and ulama who claim to be representatives
of the community did not have even moral courage to express
condolences and sympathies to the victims family.
Even if the ten Muslim ministers in the Akhilesh government
and SP MLAs had a little concern about the plight, hopes and
aspirations of their community on whose strength they enjoy
power and wealth, they would have forced the Akhilesh govern-
ment to accept the Nimesh Commission report and Khalid
Mujahid and others would have been released long ago.
Being part of the government and keeping silent on the injus-
tices meted out to the Muslim youths they become part of the
government decision. These leaders, be they in SP, BSP or
Congress, are parasites on the community which they use for
their own selfish interests. While they have divided the communi-
ty on party lines, our ulama with a few exceptions have created
hatred in the name of Deobandis, Barelvis and Shia sects. With
such divisive leaders and ulama in our ranks, when unity is the
need of the hour, how can Muslims expect to make their voice
heard in the din of communal frenzy.
But all is not lost. It is heartening to see that Muslim mass-
es, though demoralized with the attitude of their leaders have still
the energy and enthusiasm to fight for their rights and change
the situation in their favour only if some selfless and honest
leaders with an aim to serve the community come forward to
channelize their energy. Time is difficult for the community but
its leaders are in deep slumber. If the death of Khalid Mujahid is
able to awaken them from this slumber his martyrdom will not
go in vain.
24 pages ` 15 ISSN 0972-3366 Fortnightly Vol. 14 No. 11 Issue Serial # 321 facebook.com/milligazette www.milligazette.com 1-15 June 2013
Death of Superman 1,5,13
Gulail.com 4
Islamic relics 2
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
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Waiting for justice, he got death!
THE
MILLI
GAZETTE
INDIAN MUSLIMS LEADING ENGLISH NEWSPAPER SINCE 2000
DEATH OF A COLOSSUS...6-7 EXCELLENCE IN ADVERSITY...12
Govt to seek
faster trial of
Muslims held on
terror charges
M
G
/
Y
u
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Lawyers attacked in Faizabad
Lucknow: The saffronite lawyers are
at it again. A group of about 50
lawyers raising communal slogans
attacked the advocates defending
the 2007court blast accused in
Faizabad court on 21 May. They
marched to the chambers of advo-
cates Jamal Ahmad, Mohammad
Nadeem and Shakilur Rahman, the
defence lawyers in the court prem-
ises. They damaged furniture and
other articles and beat up the lawyers in which Mohammad
Saleem, another defence lawyer in the case, was seriously
injured.
Earlier, Advocate
Mohammed Shoaib
was beaten up by his
colleagues in 2008.
His fault was that his
client Naushad, an
alleged HuJI terror
suspect, is an
accused in the
November 2007
Lucknow court blasts. Other lawyers in UP, had also been
assaulted in the past for taking up cases of the terror-accused.
Some of them have even given up the cases due to these
threats. In fact, it is not just the lawyers who have been assault-
ed; even terror suspects were not spared.
The lawyers, by not allowing a suspect to defend himself in
the court of law, are seriously hampering the criminal justice
system which clearly believes in the legal maxim that a person
is innocent until proven guilty. Their act also violates Article 22
(1) of the Constitution which gives every accused a right to be
defended by a lawyer. (Mohammad Shahid)
2 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 ISSUES / OPINION
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INDIAN MUSLIMS LEADING ENGLISH NEWSPAPER
THE MILLI GAZETTE
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A. G. KHAN
McMecca by Zvika Kriegermar (MG, 318, 16-
30 April) revives the issue of how far business
has made inroads in destroying Islamic her-
itage. The wish cherished by Shaikh
Muhammad ibn Uthaymeen, the late Wahhabi
cleric, we hope one day well be able to destroy
the green dome of the Prophet Muhammad
does not stop merely at destroying the dome but
also foresees levelling the three graves. This has
as its argument the Fatwa of 1994 by Sheikh
Abdul Aziz bin Baz who considered the venera-
tion of historical sites to be a form of idolatory.
They confuse admiration for veneration.
However, let us remember that the recent
craze for demolition of heritage sites is not
motivated solely by anti-idolatory zeal of
Wahhabism but more by the business inter-
ests of multinationals who are hell-bent on
conver ting the pilgrimage to Mecca into a pic-
nic or a business trip. In this context it is
wor thwhile to remind ourselves the respect
and love that had governed the souls of the
builders and ar tisans.
In an interesting article (Gujarat Today, 10-
17 April, 2013) Musa Maru narrates his visit to
Topkapi Museum in Istanbul where several relics
of the Prophet (pbuh) and Sahaba (rah) are pre-
served in silver caskets, golden frames and dia-
mond studded cases. These include a footprint
of the Prophet (pbuh), his mortal remains such
as hair, tooth and the stone in his ring. He nar-
rates the adoration and veneration the people of
Turkey attach to these relics by pointing out that
even the dust collected from these chambers is
separately treasured and is buried when a
faithful dies in his grave.
Another interesting fact is recalled by Mufti
Ashraf of Darul Uloom Ratanpur (distt. Kheda),
Gujarat. The rulers of Turkey who got the holy
Prophets Mosque built during their rule did not
merely assign it to a renowned contractor but
prior to that ensured that each artisan was a
Hafiz-e Quran. Lest the chiselling of stones
should disturb the calmness of the place and
peace of the entombed, the job was undertaken
at a place 8-10 kilometres away from the city.
During the entire period of chiselling and stone
laying, the artisans used to recite verses from
the Quran.
The Istanbul museum has, among several
relics, the footprint of the Prophet (pbuh) on a
stone. Though the stone is damaged, it has
been meticulously framed in a golden frame. A
diamond studded casket treasures the soil
where the Prophet (pbuh) was laid to rest. In a
silver box are preserved his nails and hair. A few
hair can be seen with the help of magnifying
glasses in which these are preserved. In a green
velvet case is the Yemeni Aqiq which used to
adorn the Prophets (pbuh) ring. Musa Meer
recalls that he visited several shops in Mecca
and Madina to find a stone of this kind but in
vain. In an another box are treasured the
Prophets teeth.
In the third instalment of his article (Gujarat
Today, 24 April, 2013), Musa Maru narrates
about a beautiful dome in which is preserved the
letter that the Prophet (pbuh) had dispatched to
the ruler of Egypt. The letter is in a golden frame.
Since it is in Kufi script, a copy in the modern
script has also been kept by its side. The same
hall has the old covering frame of the Black
Stone weighing 35 kgs. It has now been
replaced by a new one sent by the Saudi gov-
ernment. On a table is kept the cup from which
the Prophet (pbuh) used to drink. Two red
coloured arrows which he had used are pre-
served in a wooden frame. Two swords that he
had used are also encased in sheaths whose
handles are studded with gems. In a silver box
are kept objects of day to day use. In a golden
box are preserved a few pieces of clothes used
by him. These cotton clothes resemble the bark
of a tree.
Needless to say that thousands of such
relics have been treasured in various Islamic
cities and continue to command respect and
love. Even India has a shrine in Kashmir where
the hair of the Prophet (pbuh) is preserved.
These relics revive nostalgia and help bring a
sense of the glory and grandeur of the past -
specially the immense trust the Sahaba (rah)
had in the Prophet (pbuh) and the sacrifices
they had together made for preserving Islam. It
would be unwise to dismiss this as mere senti-
ments. Faith, without sentiment, is like a body
without soul.
One does not visit these places for seeking
blessings nor for gaining virtues but to have a
peep into the past which helps in assessing our
own strength of faith an occasion for self-
introspection. As long as we seek inspiration
from the history of Islam we cannot ignore the
immense contribution of those warriors of faith
who nursed the sapling with their blood. The
modern iconoclasts are trying to justify their
love for the gold of the multinationals in a dis-
course of shirk.
Islamic Relics: sentiments vs. idolatory vs. business
www.milligazette.com
Dear Mrs. Sonia Gandhi
Chairperson, UPA
Respected Madam,
There is alarming concern across the country about the large-
scale arrests and harassment of Muslim youths by the intelligence
agencies and security forces of the country and there is very deep
concern among the Muslim community that the so-called secular
party (Congress) is largely responsible for this and that the real
work of BJP is being done by Congress through various intelli-
gence agencies and of course the communalised media. The
electronic media, in particular, is helping in this through its
provocative and inflammatory statements. They have left no stone
unturned in maligning the image of the whole Muslim community
in India and inflicting serious trauma and damage to the social,
educational and moral status of the community.
It is wonderful that a blast takes place at some place and
within five minutes the security agencies with the help of commu-
nalised media declare the name of IM, then Azamgarh, then cer-
tain families.
We are fully concerned about the security of our country,
about the boundaries of the country, about better inter-communi-
ty relation and about abiding the law of the land.
We demand:
1. Release innocent Muslims throughout the country, rehabilitate
them and punish those responsible for fabricating stories.
2. Stop defaming of the Muslim community. If there is any con-
crete evidence, please take action, otherwise stop the security
agencies and media people from giving defamatory and inflam-
matory statements.
3. Ensure that the whole system should not work in such a way
as it is done nowadays that a persons name is Khan and
hence he is a terrorist.
If these feelings are reasonable, please consider them.
Otherwise, it is apparent that the whole scenario is going from bad
to worse.
Thank you,
Dr. Javed Akhtar
President, Association For Welfare Medical, Educational & Legal
Assistance, Azamgarh, U.P. - awmela09@yahoo.in
Open Letter to Sonia Gandhi
The Istanbul museum has, among several relics, the
footprint of the Prophet (pbuh) on a stone. Though the stone
is damaged, it has been meticulously framed in a golden
frame. A diamond studded casket treasures the soil where
the Prophet (pbuh) was laid to rest. In a silver box are
preserved his nails and hair. A few hair can be seen with the
help of magnifying glasses in which these are preserved. In
a green velvet case is the Yemeni Aqiq which used to adorn
the Prophets (pbuh) ring. Musa Meer recalls that he visited
several shops in Mecca and Madina to find a stone of this
kind but in vain. In an another box are treasured the
Prophets teeth.
I read in newspapers that one Kanchan Singh, a
freelance photographer, fed his family poisoned
sweets with the promise of meeting Lord Shiva,
at his home in Rajasthans Sawai Madhopur dis-
trict, after a ritual in which they expected the
deity to appear didnt work.
Im appalled at the level of ignorance and the
superstitious mindset people still have in the
21st century. That they werent rank uneducated
makes the mishap all the more deplorable.
How deeply people are steeped in supersti-
tious beliefs is beyond comprehension. The will-
ingness to see or meet god/s (Freudian god-
motivated death-wish) has driven people of all
faiths to commit mass suicides. Therere such
secret death-cults in Christianity and Judaism.
This incident at Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan
has once again proven that obscurantism has
benighted our religiously susceptible minds and
collective psyche.
Here, Id like to draw the attention of the
readers to the polytheistic image conception
(yet another Freudian term used in religious
behaviour of polytheistic people) in all religions,
barring Islam.
Why these foolish incidents of wanting to
see and meet god are few and far between in
Islam? The reason is that the Almighty hasnt
been conceived to have a form, whereas in all
other faiths, especially in Hinduism, god is given
a form and when theres a form, theres a decep-
tive and delusional sense of tangibility as well as
a false assurance that a deity can be accessed,
seen or even touched! Formlessness (as its in
Islam) nullifies all (human) possibilities to meet
and see god. Thats why, images are prohibited
in Islam.
Just imagine, more than 1400 years ago,
Islam comprehended the psychological implica-
tions of image-worship and the far-reaching
negative ramifications of it as manifest in the
abovementioned disastrous incident in
Rajasthan.
SUMIT PAUL
Polytheistic Image Conception
New Delhi: One hundred and thirty couples tied
the knot in Assam on 12 May in the first mass
wedding in the riot-hit areas of Assam. The event
was organised by Jamiat Ulama-e Hind (JUH). In
a rare show of harmony between Muslims and
Bodos, 130 differently-dressed couples belong-
ing to Muslim, Bodo and Adivasi communities -
who suffered in the communal violence last year
and are since living in unhygienic camps. The
event was organised at a madrasa in Lakhigunj,
Dhubri district.
After a long time, it was a moment of happi-
ness for parents who saw a lot of pain and hard-
ship since they were driven away from their
homes. As the nikah ceremony began, parents
could not stop tears of happiness rolling down
their eyes after a long spell of suffering. All cost
of the event was borne by JUH. The organizers
also gifted each couple a set consisting things
like kitchen and bedroom provisions. JUH has
also decided that the couples will be provided
apar tments in colonies constructed by the
organization in various areas of Dhubri and
Gossiagaon. Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, presi-
dent of JUH Assam, who solemnized the mar-
riage rites, blessed the newly-wed couples.
Speaking on the occasion he said, Organizing
such ceremony which includes Bodo couples
also will boost communal harmony in the area.
Marriage is not only sunnat but also a gift from
Allah. Allah gifts men daughters. It is a responsi-
bility of men to protect and love their daughters.
On that occasion, Maulana Siddiqullah
Chawdhry, Secretary of JUH West Bangal, Hafiz
Bashir, Secretary of JUH Assam Unit and
Maulana Hakeemuddin Qasmi, national secretary
of JUH addressed the participants.
Gujarats Muslims most
backward: Mujaddidi
Surat: Muslims dont enjoy much social status
in Gujarat. At least 50 percent of the Muslim pop-
ulation here is backward and lives below poverty
line (BPL). Here Muslims are denied pre-matric
scholarships which is their right, said Strive for
Eminence and Empowerment (SEE) chairman
Maulana Mohammed Fazlurrahim Mujaddidi at
the first-ever national conference to discuss the
21st centurys socio-economic challenges
before the community on 12 May.
Maulana Mujaddidi, a member of the steer-
ing committee of Planning Commission, was
addressing a mammoth gathering of Muslims
from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and
Maharashtra at the Pandit Deendayal
Upadhyay Indoor Stadium here. He asked
community members to become educated and
adopt positive thinking so as to catch up with
members of other communities in the growth
char t.
He said the Central Government has accept-
ed the Sachar Committees report on social, eco-
nomical and educational status of Indian
Muslims. The 12th Plan has documented the
socio-economic backwardness of the communi-
ty, he added.
Coming down heavily on the Narendra Modi
government, Mujaddidi said, If he (Modi) talks
about six crore Gujaratis then why is it that he
ignores the Muslim community? Every state pro-
vides pre-matric scholarships to Muslims, except
Gujarat. Implementation of welfare schemes in
Gujarat, compared to other states is very poor. If
Gujarat has to become a vibrant state, it has to
focus on inclusive growth and include Muslims
too in its plans. Muslims in Gujarat still dream
about roti, kapda aur makaan, he said.
The 12th Plan document envisions one resi-
dential school similar on the pattern of the
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and Kasturba
Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in minority-concentra-
tion blocks of cities and towns. At least 50 per
cent student intake in these schools would be
that of children belonging to the minority com-
munities, he said.
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 3
Respond now if you care about your community
White Paper on Terrorism
The issue of fake terrorism charges and the unjust arrests and defamation of our community, espe-
cially since 2001, is the biggest challenge facing the community ever since. A grand conspiracy
hatched by the powers that be, IB, Police and media, has sullied and defamed our community. This
campaign has affected our lives, peace of mind and has thwarted our efforts to progress and educate
our children to join the national mainstream.
Our efforts so far to present our case, to bring out our innocence and force the national and state
governments to listen to our grievances have mostly failed. All we have received are a few words of
solace which have no real meaning and have not changed the situation on the ground. Our children by
their thousands are still languishing in jails on the basis of fake confessions obtained through torture
and blackmail.
As a long-term solution and a serious response to this problem thrust upon us, AIMMM decided
last year to bring out a white paper on the Muslim-related terrorism in the country. The work is going
on with all seriousness and many researchers, scholars and journalists are busy preparing writeups
on various aspects of this issue, covering the history, genesis, communalism, vested interests in var-
ious related fields, analysis of various laws like TADA, POTA and UAPA, fake encounters, narco tests,
torture, acquittals, IB & Police role, media attitude, case studies, statewise surveys, SIMI, Indian
Mujahidin, Hindutva terror, individual tragedies of victims, Azamgarh, Bhatkal, Malegaon, Darbhanga
modules, some basic documents, etc., etc.
The target is to bring out this white paper during the next seven months and to release it in a big
convention at Delhi as a combined effort of major Muslim and civil rights organisations, and thereafter
present this huge document of over 600 large format pages to politicians, media, human rights organ-
isations, especially outside the country, in order to enlighten public opinion at home and abroad as well
as to build pressure on our blind and deaf government.
The estimated cost of this white paper is Rs 35 lakh divided as follows: Rs 15 lakh cost of prepa-
ration and payments to contributors plus six months salaries to researchers and experts; Rs 15 lakh
for designing and printing the document in a world-class format; while the grand convention at Delhi
will cost at least 5 lakh. Effort will be made to release the White Paper in some state and world capi-
tals also.
You can help this effort in four ways,
1. To buy copies of the White Paper on Terrorism in advance to help defray part of the huge cost
of research, printing, publication and distribution of at least one thousand complimentary 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 organisations ordering a minimum of 100 copies in advance
will be included as Sponsors of the White Paper.
2. Contribute to the cost of the grand convention to be held 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
RSS worker with
explosives dies in blast
Kannur: A worker of the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh was killed when the bike
on which he was travelling, with explosive mate-
rial, exploded at Maruthayil near Mattannur on
6 April. The deceased has been identified as AV
Dileep Kumar (27), son of Ambiloth Sankaran,
police said. The incident occurred at 5.30 am as
Dileep was coming towards Mattannur. The bike
was completely destroyed in the explosion.
Three houses within a 50 metre radius also suf-
fered minor damage, police added. Although
Dileep was rushed to a hospital in Kannur, doc-
tors said he was brought dead.
The actual cause of the explosion will be
known only after a thorough probe, police said.
According to initial indication, Dileep was carry-
ing around 3 kg of explosive, said a member of
the bomb squad who examined the spot.
CPI-M Kannu district secretary P Jayarajan
said the incident was more proof that the RSS
was trying to vitiate peace in the district. The
police had failed in effectively countering RSS
violence, he said.
RSS Kannur district leader Valsan
Thillenkeri said Dileep was not a member of the
RSS. He was only a sympathizer of the organi-
zation. Police sources said that Dileep did not
have a licence to manufacture firecrackers. A
case was registered under the Explosives Act.
Delhi cops tried to kill me in
fake encounter: Liaqat Shah
After getting bail from
a special NIA court in
Delhi on May 17,
Syed Liyaqat
Hussain Shah on
19 May returned to
his home in
Dardopora village in
Kupwara after two
decades. After reach-
ing here, he said the
Delhi Police Special Cell had tried to kill him in a
fake encounter during the custody.
At 11.30 pm, they (Delhi Police Special
Cell) drove me to an unknown place and
stopped their vehicles. They loaded their guns
and I was sure that I would be killed, Shah said.
I was fortunate that some media vans passed
by the area. After that they quickly put me back
into the vehicle. He also named the Delhi
Police officials who were with him that night.
They dragged me and forced me into a police
vehicle. I was kicked and forced under a seat.
Some officers, Inspector Sanjay Dutt, Inspector
Rahul and Dharmindar sat over me, he said.
Shah, however, was all praise for the NIAfor
exposing the Delhi Police. They (NIA) played
an important role and brought reality to the fore.
They exposed the Delhi Police, he said.
Shah said he was unarmed when the Delhi
Police took him into custody on March 20. He
said he doesnt know why the police falsely
implicated him and claimed that they recovered
weapons. When I reached Gorakhpur (UP)
along with my family and other persons, the offi-
cials present there treated us well. The Delhi
Police officials then took me along promising that
I will be handed over to J&K Police, he said
Back home, Liaqat was taken to his native
village in the vehicle of the local MLA. A large
number of Shahs relatives welcomed him.
Shahs mother, with teary eyes, rushed to him
and gave him a tight hug.
Shah said he decided to return from PoK
after police nod. The sarpanch of my village
Abdul Gafoor had submitted my form under the
rehabilitation policy. He had been instructed by
the MLA (Abdul Haq Khan). The police had
given a nod, said Shah who had crossed over
to PoK in 1993. However, the Delhi Police, after
his arrest, had claimed to have foiled a terror
plot and said that Shah had planned to target
the capital on Holi. But the J&K state govern-
ment said he was coming back to the valley
under rehabilitation policy. (Bashaarat Masood,
indianexpress.com, 20 May 2013)
Mass wedding of
130 couples in Assam
THE MILLI GAZETTE
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EXECUTIVE EDITOR
JUNIOR JOURNALISTS
write with details in the first instance to the Editor at
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Basic requirements: good command over English, interest in and
knowledge of Muslim community issues, knowledge of Urdu
A police official examines the wreckage of the motorbike driven by Dileep Kumar (inset) who
was killed in an explosion at Maruthayil near Mattannur
New Delhi: A new website named, Gulail.com
was launched during a discussion on Terror
Investigations and the Criminal Justice System
at India International Centre here on 19 May by
noted journalist Ashish Khetan who, in his dedi-
cated research and investigation, has laid bare
the true facts about Mumbai ATSs three cases,
viz., the July 11, 2006, Mumbai local train
blasts, the 2006 Malegaon blasts and the Pune
German Bakery case of February 2010. Khetan
said Maharashtra ATS had deliberately created
bogus evidence, extracted false confessions by
the most inhuman torture, planted explosives in
the houses, to implicate innocent Muslim youth.
On this occasion, chairman of the National
Commission for Minorities Wajahat Habibullah,
well-known social worker Teesta Seetalvad,
advocates Raju Rama Chanderan, Gopal,
Prashant Bhushan, Shanti Bhushan, political
activist Kamal Farooqi, journalists Zafar Agha,
Jawed Naqvi and many others were present. On
this website, a video has been placed about
Muslim youths who were framed and falsely
implicated by security and investigating agen-
cies but subsequently found innocent, and their
heart rending statements which shook the con-
science of those present.
Teesta Setalvad, speaking on this occasion,
said that there was a time when Muslims in this
country were killed in communal riots. Today too
they are being harassed, arrested and killed but
in the name of terrorism. Their lives are being
destroyed. Police officers and investigating
agencies adopt communal and biased attitude
towards Muslims, particularly against their youth
and after framing cases against them and impli-
cating them in false cases send them to jails
where they are subjected to barbarous and inhu-
man treatment. She said that framing and impli-
cating innocent people in false cases is a danger
for democracy which must be stopped. She fur-
ther said that whether it is Congress, BJP or any
other par tys government or whether it is
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi or U P, the mindset
of the security agencies and police officers is the
same, i.e., to implicate innocent Muslim youth in
some case or the other and they are actually
doing so even now. She said that creating public
awareness in such cases is very essential. She
further said that monitoring of police or agen-
cies reports is also very essential so that facts
could come out to light. In addition, hearings in
cases of terrorism should be at the proper time
and at an early date so that innocent persons
implicated should not be made to rot in jails for
10 years or more. Those found guilty should be
punished but those found innocent should be
released at the earliest.
Shanti Bhushan, Supreme Court advocate,
said that the only way of putting a stop to false
cases by police is to make them answerable. He
said that in Malegaon, Makka Masjid, Samjhauta
Express bomb blasts innocent Muslims were
arrested at first though the real culprits were oth-
ers, who were found and arrested later, but no
action was taken against the police officers who
had framed these Muslim youth falsely. He said
that media and our courts also are not playing
their role properly in such cases and if both of
them play their role honestly, fake cases made
up by police may be exposed in the beginning
itself. Shanti Bhushan said: If an innocent per-
son is languishing in prison for seven or eight
years on account of various techniques
deployed by the anti-terror agencies to support
false cases then nothing can be more dangerous
in the Indian Republic. Life of each one of us is
in the hands of the police. The police fabricates
evidence, resorts to fake encounters, tortures
people in police custody, gets police confes-
sions and relies upon them.
Wajahat Habibullah said that it is not the
responsibility of Minorities Commission alone to
raise a voice against falsehood and injustice but
people also should raise their voice strongly
against it. He said that when Sarabjeet was killed
in Pakistan, the entire country raised its voice,
which was quite justifiable but people should
also have raised their voice when Qateel Siddiqi
was killed in Pune jail.
Raju Ramachandran said that the entire
country has been communalised, which influ-
enced the police also. He said that the day when
we free ourselves of communalism, our police
also will become professional and just.
Former Solicitor General Gopal
Subramaniam questioned why people of certain
denominations become easy prey for the anti-
terror agencies which frames them as members
of SIMI or LeT. They also belong to the weaker
sections of the community who cannot engage
lawyers... This strengthens ones suspicion the
way police is ordered to conduct an inquiry.
However, Mr. Subramaniam said: If police
sets its mind they can discover the evidence.
Even though they know the people behind the
blasts they put up a smokescreen This is tell-
tale evidence that confessions are not being
conducted in a transparent way. Mr. Khetan has
put his life at risk to get these facts before us.
Speakers made an appeal for giving com-
pensations to the innocent persons who were
released and also provide for their rehabilitation.
To prove his point, Mr. Khetan screened a
film in which the accused of the minority com-
munity related to the three terror cases have nar-
rated their woes. The accused were interviewed
while waiting to appear in courts. The video
documentary reveals that torture, which includ-
ed water-boarding, narcotic injections and illegal
detention, was used as means of extracting false
confessions and forcing innocents to turn
approvers.
The interview was conducted in the court
premises with a spy camera. Accused Ehtasham
Siddiqui, Majid Mohammed, Kamal Ansari and
Naved Khan have alleged that they were lured by
ATS officials to become approvers. They were
offered Rs 25 lakh, said Khetan.
In the interview, the accused claimed that
the cops offered them jobs but they declined.
Khetan was also informed that the then ATS
chief K P Raghuvanshi asked the accused to
help police convict others. The accused signed
the confession when they were threatened of
dire consequences, he said. On the website, he
has also categorically pointed out various loop-
holes in the investigation.
Waiting for legal proceedings to begin under
police watch inside what looks like a busy court
building, Tanveer Ahamed, a skullcap-wearing
former doctor at Fauzia Nursing Home at
Mumbais Nagpada, says in a videotaped inter-
view that police interrogators chided him for his
Muslim faith.
They said I had a bad mentality. I was edu-
cated, and yet read the Quran, kept a
beardwhy couldnt I be a liberal? Ahamed
says his interrogators told him. Ahamed is
among 13 individuals, all Muslims, being tried
for their alleged involvement in several terror
bombings between 2006 and 2010.
In the video, one Dr Tariq Ansari from Kurla,
who was detained in the 7/11 blast case, is
shown saying, They picked me up from my
Kurla residence and took me to Nagpada office
of the ATS. There, A N Roy started beating me
with his shoes and later offered me Rs.25 lakh to
confess. Later, some ATS officers asked me to
confess if I wanted to see my family members
including my brothers alive.
Another victim, who is an IT professional, is
seen in the video saying, We were taken to
Bangalore Forensic Laboratory were one Mrs.
Malini, who was the Director of the laboratory
started torturing us physically and asked me to
confess because she was under pressure from
ATS, and if I did not do so then she would kill me
with some medicine.
Incidentally, one of the accused, Qateel
Siddiqui, died inside a high security prison.
Questioning his mysterious death, Mr. Khetan
asked: How do two inmates confess to his
murder without leaving any evidence. How does
the facile explanation, that the rope by which he
was strangulated was flushed away, pass with-
out question?
Khetans investigative journalism portal,
Gulail (or slingshot in English) has unearthed
internal documents from more than half a dozen
anti-terror agencies that show that the State has
been knowingly prosecuting innocent Muslims
for terror cases and keeping the evidence of their
innocence from the courts.
Based on the evidence he has collected,
Ashish Khetan has sent a petition in around 400
pages to the Mumbai High Court and National
Human Rights Commission to take sou moto
action in these cases.
A part of the petition read: My recent inves-
tigative efforts as a journalist have led to a clear
and compelling picture of the deliberate framing
of Muslims (most of them very young and very
poor) in terror cases by the Anti Terrorism Squad
of Maharashtra...My research has shown that at
least in three cases prosecuted by ATS
Maharashtra, namely the July 11, 2006, Mumbai
local train blasts, the 2006 Malegaon blasts and
the Pune German Bakery case of February 2010,
the ATS has deliberately created bogus evi-
dence, extracted false confessions by the most
inhuman torture, planted explosives in the hous-
es of the accused and thus implicated Muslim
youth.
Khetan has cited access to hundreds of
classified documents, including detailed investi-
gation reports and police records, to back his
claims. In the tapes, many of the accused nar-
rate tales of threats and torture, including water-
boarding.
In the letter to the CJI, Khetan has stated
that in the 7/11 case, a chargesheet was filed
against 13 suspects belonging to Students
Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). As many as
15 others were named as absconding on
December 1, 2006. The accused included vari-
ous professionals.
In 2008, however, fresh arrests were made
and Indian Mujahideen (IM) claimed responsibil-
ity for all attacks between 2005 and 2008. It led
to the arrest of Sadiq Sheikh by Crime Branch,
the letter stated. The confessions by Sheikh and
others clearly show that the people earlier pros-
ecuted by the ATS had no connection with the
local train bombings of 2006.
These confessions contain a meticulously
detailed description of more than eight terror
strikes that Sheikh and his accomplices had
allegedly plotted and executed since 2003. But
curiously, Sheikh and his accomplices were
chargesheeted in only those blast cases in
which the investigation was still not completed.
Hyderabad blasts of 2007, Ahmedabad and
Surat blasts of 2008 and Delhi blasts of 2008
were some of the cases in which the IM mem-
bers were chargesheeted, said Khetan in his
letter to the Mumbai High Court. Revelations
regarding any blast before 2007 were ignored
because those cases were claimed to have been
solved. Sheikh and a few others were dis-
charged in 2009, as ATS claimed they did not
have enough evidence against them, said
Khetan.
Activist Teesta Setalvad said in a mail to
many including MG on 23 May, Quite apart from
the rank un-professionalism and bias that this
Expose by Khetan/Gulail.com reveals, the sense
of despair and alienation that such relentless
treatment must ensure is also something that
should concern us all. I do recall doing a similar
expose of the 1993 Blast investigations when
the Crime Branch office and the Mahim Police
station were locales for the most unspeakable
torture and treatment of family members of
some accused and other alleged accused
Even women and children had not been spared...
Twenty years down the line, little has changed; if
at all things have gotten much much worse.
Ashish Khetan presented his website and
film to a select audience and mediapersons in
Mumbai on 22 May where he said, in the name
of internal security, the ATS and other agencies
were misleading the courts. Senior police offi-
cials have been named by the young men in their
interviews, where they speak of torture and
abuse and pressure to turn approver for large
sums of money. A senior police officer even
expressed his helplessness and said it was
important for them to find some accused since
they were unable to crack the case.
Khetan also alleged that three IPS officers,
including two former city police commissioners,
A.N. Roy and K.P. Raghuvanshi, had tortured
many youth and forced them into confessing to
crimes by threatening their parents and family
members.
Khetan said he wasnt out to prove anyones
guilt but expose the farcical criminal investiga-
tion which also reflected deepset anti-Muslim
prejudice. What is serious is that one of these
men Himayat Baig has been given the death sen-
tence for the Pune German Bakery blasts when
clearly police had found evidence of another
mans involvement. The case of Qateel Siddiqi
who died in a high security Pune prison just
before he was to testify in a Delhi court is no
longer a mystery going by what Khetans docu-
ments show. The ATS arrested Himayat Baig
from Udgir and claimed he had carried out the
German Bakery blast. However, a year later the
Delhi police arrested Qatil Siddiqui and
Interrogation Reports obtained by Khetan show
he is linked to the Pune blast. These reports
were not produced in the court which finally
gave Baig the death sentence. Police then
tweaked reports to show Sheikhs involvement
in another case.
Presenting all the facts, Khetan has asked
the high court to order an independent commis-
sion of inquiry into the conduct of the investigat-
ing officers, action against officers guilty of vio-
lations and relief for the victims of such opera-
tions.
Maharashtra Police and ATS are yet to com-
ment on Khetans revelations. (For more infor-
mation, visit www.gulail.com where the heart-
rending video will move even beasts though not
the ATS)
NA ANSARI
Ashish Khetan launches website to highlight
injustices to Muslim youth in terror cases
4 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
Maharashtra ATS had deliberately created bogus evidence, extracted false confessions by the most
inhuman torture, planted explosives in the houses, to implicate innocent Muslim youth.
Ashish Khetan
Police officers and investigating agencies adopt communal and biased attitude towards Muslims,
particularly against their youth and after framing cases against them and implicating them in false
cases send them to jails where they are subjected to barbarous and inhuman treatment.
Teesta Setalvad
They said I had a bad mentality. I was educated, and yet read the Quran, kept a beardwhy
couldnt I be a liberal?
Dr Tanveer Ahamed, terror-accused
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 5 www.milligazette.com
MUSTAFA KHAN
A
ll kinds of politicians play politics with
events that come up in daily life. But in the
case of terrorism the most excruciatingly
painful and most entrenched in the minds
of the victims and family members is when gov-
ernment systems are so infected by majority
communalism that leaves no hope for either the
victims or their relatives. Case upon case piles up
in the annals of court history and reams of news-
paper reports are printed daily and yet the govern-
ment and people do not show the moral outrage
recently seen in the case of rape and murder in
the capital of India.
The death in custody of police of Khalid
Mujahid is the latest saga of suffering. He was
arrested from a crowded railway station in the
daylight along with Qasmi on December 16, 2007
for the serial blasts of November 22, 2007 in
Faizabad and Lucknow courts. The police had
threatened to kill him each time they took him to
court. These threats were a recurring feature of
his appearance in court. On the day he was killed
he was again threatened. His lawyers reported
this to the court. But the court disregarded this as
it failed to provide him any enhanced security and
treated the matter casually.
The defence lawyers appraised the court
of the threat to Mujahid every time they appeared
in the courts. On the day he was killed they again
told the judge of the danger as he was threatened
earlier on May 18, 2013. Till 3 pm he was with
his lawyer Mohammad Shoaib at the Brabanki
court and then the police took him for Lucknow
prison. He was normal, wearing his tunic and
trousers, both white. The DIG of Faizabad,
Dharmendra Singh Yadav announced his death
due to heat wave and suddenly changed it to
heart attack. Eye witnesses said that his body
was marred with wounds including bleeding from
mouth and nose. Shoaib pointed out that the dead
body had lowers and tea shirt and therefore this
made it suspicious that he was murdered and the
new dress was put on him to hide the blood
stains. Not only was the inquest made in unseem-
ly hurry without the members of his family pres-
ent, they were going to perform autopsy too but
people struck just then and demanded an inquiry.
There had been many discrepancies since his
arrest. He was picked up at Barabanki railway sta-
tion on December 16, 2007 along with Tariq
Qasmi. There was protest against the arrest there
and then; the local newspapers also carried the
news of it the next day. But the police recorded
what the court accepted later that he was arrest-
ed on December 22, 2007.
The protest against his arrest continued. The
UP government appointed a commission of
inquiry under Justice RD Nimesh who found that
Khalid and his colleague were innocent as the
police fudged the date of their arrest. However, the
state government is still sitting on the report. The
new chief minister Akhilesh Yadav elected on the
promise to do justice to the innocent framed in
fake cases of terror sought to quash the case
through a request to the court but the court reject-
ed this move. It was in this context that the police
finished him off. Forty two of policemen including
top officers are accused of the crime by his uncle.
This tit for tat indicates that the police and court
in cohort played politics with his being accused of
terrorism, the bomb explosions at the Faizabad
and Lucknow courts. He was cleared of one case
but he and many others refused acquittal because
he and supporters wanted that he should also be
acquitted in the other case and the third of
Gorakhpur which was subsequently slapped
against him.
Who was going to lose points if he were
cleared of the two other cases?
As is the wont of the Hindutva groups, there
was a meeting of the association of lawyers at
Faizabad which removed the Muslim lawyers who
had defended Mujahid and participated in the
protest march. On 21 May there was a meeting of
the group after which suddenly Hindutva lawyers
attacked Advocate Saleem with iron rods. Other
lawyers escaped. The lawyer who defended
Mujahid in Barabanki, Randhir Singh Suman, was
away.
Even such combined efforts as of Prakash
Karat of the CPIM, AB Bardhan of the CPI, former
Chief Minister of Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav and
Ram Vilas Paswan, and Congress Rajya Sabha
MP Mani Shankar Aiyar could not dent the steely
resistance of the police to desist from arrest of the
innocent or sensitize the courts to be more judi-
cious.
At the end of the day the RSS tainted lawyers
and judges and police prevailed.
A recurring atrocity on Muslims daring to
defend Muslim accused.
Official explanation Khalid Mujahid was taken
ill at 3.40 pm and died says district magistrate of
Barabanki, S Minisati.
But the unofficial explanation is that Mujahid
left court at 3.30 pm, so how could he have died
65 kilometers away within ten minutes, i.e., at
3.40 as officially claimed. According to Advocate
Shoaib, We were together in the court until 3.20
pm. Ten minutes later, I saw the police van carry-
ing him leave the court premises.
Said Randhir Singh Suman, Mujahid left that
courtroom at 3.30 pm. How did he cover 65 kms
in 10 minutes?
Two months ago Advocate Mohammad
Shoaib had told the U.P. minister in charge of pris-
ons that along with Mujahid numerous other pris-
oners charged with terrorism were facing real
threat to their lives behind bars. Mujahid was
ranged against the awesome power of the state
(then under Mayawati rule), the courts which
refused him bail though there was no proof
against him except the arms that the police had
planted, the police who tortured him and ultimate-
ly saw him come to a very sorry end of his life
under their power and supervision.
All these owe an explanation to India. Why did
each behave so brazenly prejudicial to the Muslim
youth. In his life, he braved them and did not let
them break his spirit and in his death he looms
larger as a superman who gave the last and best
fight for the right.
Death of a Superman
Many Muslim youth
who have been missing
from their districts and
even their families do
not know about them
because the investiga-
tive agencies have
abducted them and
kept them at a secret
place so as to implicate
them in bomb blast
some time in future,
said SR Darapuri, the
former I.G.Police Uttar
Pradesh. He further
said:
* These youth are forced to eat pig meat and drink urine. It is at
the connivance of police officials that these innocents are put
behind bars showing that they had an unlicensed pistol.
* When Khalid Mujahid and Tariq Qasmi were arrested nothing
was found on them but Vikram Singh told them that if they paid
him Five lac rupees they would be set free and someone else
would be implicated instead.
* Through investigative agencies innocent Muslim youth are being
kept at a secret place and are subjected to inhuman treatment
that only becomes known to the Human Rights Commission
when the detained is found dead.
Disclosing this state of affairs in a press conference Ex Inspector
General of Police (IG) S R Darapuri said that the case of Khalid
Mujahid is not the first case of its kind because Muslim youth are
a target. He said that in his 32 years of service he has seen these
kinds of cases and because he did not stand with other officers in
such cases, he was denied any promotion. He retired from the
position where he was then.
Police claims that Khalid Mujahid died of heart attack but
signs of torture are visible on his face
He said Khalid Mujahid is not the only one, there are many
Muslim youth who have been missing from their districts and even
their families do not know about them because the investigative
agencies have abducted them and kept them at a secret place so
as to implicate them in a bomb blast some time in future. Also
blaming the media he said that when ever any Muslim is detained
and alleged as a terrorist by the agencies then the media also does
not feel any restraint from claiming him as a terrorist because they
do not even try to ascertain whether whatever the agencies are
claiming is true or false. He said in this scenario the state govern-
ment and high police officials are not any less responsible
because the agencies work under their instructions only. Stating
an example he said that it is with the connivance of police officers
that an innocent person is put behind bars alleging that he had an
unlicensed pistol. This is a case of terrorism about which high
officials were fully aware and it was acted upon their own instruc-
tions. Blaming Vikram Singh, he said that at the time of the blast
when the alleged terrorists Khalid Mujahid and Tariq Qasmi were
arrested, nothing was found upon them but Vikram Singh asked
these persons to pay Rs 5 lakh, telling them that if they paid, they
will be set free and the amount will be used to lift someone else
and he will be implicated instead. He said, the Nimesh
Commission report contains concrete evidence that these alleged
terrorists are innocent but the state government has not released
that report. Advocate Randheer Singh Suman, who is defending
these alleged terrorists in the Barabanki court, said that the alleged
terrorists told him that during detention they used to be forced to
sit with hands tied in an iron frame and electric current was
applied to force them to accept that they were part of the blasts.
Not only this, when they asked for water, they were given urine to
drink and were forced to eat pork. Pankaj Panday and Avinash
Mishra of the STF were very active in this. They accused another
high officer who sprinkled petrol on their private parts to force
them to accept the crime. Advocate Suman said that the alleged
terrorists had mentioned the names of these officers in their state-
ment. He demanded that the CBI should start its investigations
from 2007 in order to uncover the misdeeds of these officers.
Jail Superintendant Mr Mauria told a delegation which visited
Lucknow district jail on Sunday to meet Tariq Qasmi that he is a
truthful person and the allegations against him are baseless.
(Translation by urdumediamonitor.com of a report in Urdu Rashtriya
Sahara daily, 21 May 2013).
Many Muslim youth in the custody of investigative
agencies: former I.G. Police U.P.
Mushawarat condemns
the custodial murder of
Khalid Mujahid
New Delhi: All India Muslim Majlis-e
Mushawarat (AIMMM), the umbrella body of
Indian Muslim organisations and eminent per-
sonalities, condemned here on 19 May the
custodial murder of the terror-accused Khalid
Mujahid who had been exonerated by the
Nimesh Commission but Uttar Pradesh govern-
ment was playing politics about the release of
the falsely accused in the case of the U.P.
courts blasts. Nimesh Commission, constitut-
ed by the previous BSP government, had pre-
sented its report to the state government on 31
August last year. But instead of tabling it in the
state assembly with an action taken report, the
SP government resorted to gimmicks to show
its false concern. The Nimesh report, since
leaked, clearly exonerated Khalid Mujahid and
Tariq Qasmi and recommended action against
named police officers who framed them and
fabricated evidence to implicate them.
President of the AIMMM, Dr Zafarul-Islam
Khan said that the police story about Khalid
Mujahids death is doubtful as it is not plausi-
ble that a young and healthy person would die
of heart attack. He demanded the immediate
suspension of all officers and policemen
involved in this custodial murder, adequate
compensation to the family of the murdered
detainee and the immediate release of the
Nimesh Commission report with an action
taken report.
Dr Khan said it is an appropriate time for
both the state and Union governments to relook
at the cases of thousands of Muslim youths
languishing in jails for years and to constitute
review committees and fast track courts to do
justice to them. Dr Khan said Union Home
Minister Shindes intention to send circulars to
state governments is a political gimmick which
will not deceive anyone and will not make any
difference. If Mr Shinde is serious and sincere,
let him transfer all terror cases to the NIA, insti-
tute reviewing committees like the ones insti-
tuted to review TADA cases and form fast track
courts to try those recommended by the
review committees, said Dr Khan.
Mujahid was ranged
against the awesome
power of the state (then
under Mayawati rule),
the courts which refused
him bail though there
was no proof against him
except the arms that the
police had planted, the
police who tortured him
and ultimately saw him
come to a very sorry end
of his life under their
power and supervision.
All these owe an
explanation to India. Why
did each behave so
brazenly prejudicial to
the Muslim youth. In his
life, he braved them and
did not let them break
his spirit and in his death
he looms larger as a
superman who gave the
last and best fight for the
right.
RAM PUNIYANI
ram.puniyani@gmail.com
The events of last over two
decades have shown us,
more than before, that the
efforts of dividing the nation
by communal forces have
been a major obstacle to
social peace and process of
development. In India, while
communal violence began with the Jabalpur riot
of 1961, it is from last couple of decades, espe-
cially from 1980s, that the divisive politics has
tried to drive a wedge between different commu-
nities along religious lines. The regret is that
there are only a few social workers and scholars
who took this issue in all its seriousness.
Asghar Ali Engineer can be counted
amongst these few. He spent major part of his
social efforts to fight against the ideology and
machinations which led to communal divide and
the victimization of minorities, time and over
again, year after year.
Engineer was a student when Jabalpore riots
took place. It clearly left a deep mark on him.
The imprint of this tragedy got reflected in his
social engagement with issues related to com-
munal violence and communal politics all
through. His talks and articles reflect the impact
of Jabalpur violence, its impact on nation and its
influence on the conscience-keeper of the
nation, Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru.
Engineers work on the issue of communal
violence, communal ideology and communaliza-
tion of society spans on a vast canvass and will
easily fill volumes.
His work, to be referred below, shows that
he took a serious interest in understanding the
dynamics of communal violence. He must have
spent days in and days out, investigating com-
munal riots, their aftermath and their impact on
the social and political life. He can easily be
credited with being a major scholar-activist who
pioneered this area of investigation. He spent
enormous energy to investigate and analyze the
communal violence in India. He can also be
regarded as the foremost scholar-activist who
not only commented on the issues related to
communalism, but also gave his forthright opin-
ion on the range of those, against heavy odds.
He has been criticized by the communalists of
both the religions for his opposition to the poli-
tics of violence in the name of religion.
This article takes an overview of his work in
the area of communal violence investigation and
his contribution to campaigns for promotion of
secular values. It is based on understanding his
work from a close working relationship with him
as a friend and associate. I have also tried to
take the overview of his massive contribution
from the point of someone who not only wit-
nessed his work from close quarters, with awe
and admiration and some criticism, but also tried
to learn from him to give direction to my own
work.
Communal Violence
The communal violence of Jablapur (1961)
shook Engineer very deeply. The very concept of
violence in the name of religion was anathema to
him as he was steeped in the spirituality of Islam
right from his childhood. He was taught that
Islam does not preach violence, and no religion
teaches violence, so why this violence in the
name of religion. This is the point when he
decided to devote his life to promote communal
harmony. It was an event which was to shape
the course of his life and work. He not only inter-
vened after the events of communal violence to
douse the fire of the violence but made it a cen-
tral part of his initial life as an activist to investi-
gate the acts of violence in depth. Starting from
Biharsharif riots to the Gujarat carnage, he spent
time unraveling the truth of the violence mostly
by field studies. His reports on these events are
a landmark in the area of riot investigation, in
understanding the underlying machinations of
this phenomenon. Biharsharif was a stronghold
of CPI due to its following amongst the Bidi
workers. Dr Engineer could unravel that RSS in
order to spread its hold in the area, used the dis-
pute between Yadavs and Muslims over a land
for cemetery, to instigate the violence in 1981.
Godhra witnessed riots on and off during
1980-81. Engineer investigated these riots as
part of a team. The conflict here was mainly
between Sindhis and Ghanchi Muslims. While
Sindhi immigrants were looked down upon by
other Hindus for various reasons but those very
Hindu groups supported them against Muslims.
The material reasons of poverty of Ghanchi
Muslims and growing demands of Sindhis for
facilities was the root cause of the trouble which
assumed religious colour. The report pointed out
that rumours played a big role in this violence.
Engineer also studied the Ahmedabad vio-
lence of 1982. Extensive field investigation was
done for this purpose. In this case, the poor
Muslim locality of Kalupur and Daryaganj faced
the brunt of the violence. An incident over kite
flying turned into stone throwing and violence.
Just prior to this, VHP had started its work in
these areas and prepared the ground for the skir-
mishes. VHP virulently talked against the con-
version of Harijans to Islam. The communal
forces resorted to heavy propaganda, especially
through distribution of leaflets in the area. These
leaflets used a communal version of history,
demonization of Muslim kings, and emphasis on
singing Vande Matram, and opposing those who
kill cows. Some people drew the attention of the
Gujarat government to this virulent propaganda,
but there was no response to those appeals.
Pune and Sholapur were in the grip of vio-
lence in 1981-82. These were precipitated in the
aftermath of Ahmedabad violence and VHP, as
usual, had been at the forefront of spreading the
communal venom. It was a period when VHP
had launched a Jan Jagaran (Peoples
Awakening) campaign all over India. This cam-
paign was based on demonization of Muslims as
foreigners, beef-eaters, etc. This was also a riot
which took place in the aftermath of
Meenkshipuram conversion of dalits to Islam in
1981.
Dr. Engineer made a very pertinent point
while relating the communal violence to the core
issue of atrocities on dalits. He pointed out,
VHP is raising the hue and cry of conversions
of Harijans in Meenakshipuram so that people do
not pay attention to the screams of dalits burn-
ing on the pyre of discrimination. (Communal
Riots in Post Independence India, p. 265)
The aggressive campaign of the VHP intim-
idated the Muslims. VHP took out a procession
with portraits of Golwalkar and Manusmiriti,
along with those of Gandhi and Ambedkar. The
procession tore down the hoardings with Muslim
names, including the one of Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad and shouted anti-Muslim slogans. The pro-
cession changed its permitted route and entered
a Muslim locality, attacked Muslim eateries and
stoned shops.
In Sholapur also, the situation was similar.
Here, they propagated the myth of the rising
Muslim population to provoke the people. Here
also trouble began with the VHP procession on
15th Feb., 1982. When the procession came
near Punjab Talim Mosque, it started raising
anti-Muslim slogans. There was attack on small
shops owned by Muslims after which Muslims
were attacked.
Meerut riots have also been a big sore on
our polity. Meerut, a city with great syncretic tra-
ditions, suffered from repeated bouts of vio-
lence. Here the main goal was to co-opt the dal-
its, to give them liquor etc and to use them for
violence against Muslims. Here the riot had more
political reasons than economic ones. The riot
was instigated on the issue of some piau (where
one gets water to drink). One Muslim advocate
and another trust were involved. Tension mount-
ed in April 1982 and the provocative propagan-
da was stepped up. The biased attitude of police
and the communal slant of newspapers added
fuel to the fire. Similarly Vadodara, Hyderabad
and Assam riots were also studied by him.
His major observations have been that a
small incident is taken advantage of by commu-
nal forces, the rumours add havoc to the situa-
tion and the communalized state apparatus,
police in particular, plays a partisan role, wors-
ening the plight of minorities.
Apart form the riots of Mumbai 1992-93
(Report of EKTA Samiti, 1993), Gujarat carnage
has also been studied by him (Sowing Hate and
Reaping Violence, CSSS 2003).
His studies have been used as a base by
many a scholars to make interpretations and
conclusions about the phenomenon of commu-
nal violence. He does interpret every riot on its
ground and the specificities of the particular vio-
lence are well reflected in his studies and
reports.
Another aspect which emerges from his
studies and reports is that gradually the intensi-
ty of communal violence is increasing, and it did
peak in Gujarat violence. He has vividly present-
ed the failure and complicity of police machinery
in this violence. It seems that the deeper process
of communalization has been going up during
the last three decades. And now even the other
minority, Christians, have been placed on the
chopping block of the communal forces.
He also draws our attention to the fact that
these episodes are not sporadic or spontaneous.
There is a deep motive behind them. There is a
good deal of planning behind these episodes.
His other studies-reports show that popular
perceptions about minorities lay at the base for
violence. Propagation of myths and biases
against Muslims and Christians make the job of
the communal group easier. What is undeniable
is that communal forces take advantage of every
conceivable opportunity to strengthen them, first
by instigating violence, then perpetuating it and
in the process they increase their political power.
Apart from his own books and reports on
the violence, he edited several volumes on com-
munal violence in post-Independence India,
communal violence after Independence,
Bhivandi Riots, and Communalism and
Communal violence, to name the few. He contin-
ued to chronicle communal riots on a regular
basis and these were published as Issues in
Secular Perspective. Even the January issue of
this periodical carried his compilation and analy-
sis of communal riots of the previous past.
Communalism-Secularism
Activist-scholars in India have faced a challeng-
ing task of understanding, defining and interven-
ing in situations related to communal violence.
How does one understand the phenomenon of
communalism in Indian society? Why India is
plagued with this problem? These must have
been issues dogging his mind when he began
his parallel study of the Indian history and analy-
sis of contemporary issues.
While unravelling the Indian history, the
communal interpretation of which is a major
component of communalization of social think-
ing, he focused on overcoming the communal
interpretation of history and presented the view
of looking at the history of kings as battles for
power and wealth.
He understands lives of people as an ongo-
ing journey of interaction, some frictions and
major synthesizing tendencies resulting in syn-
cretic traditions. His major book on this,
Communalism in India (Vikas, 1995) gives a
good reflection of his thinking on the issue. He
tried to evolve his workshops with different sec-
tions of society on these lines. Later he came out
with many articles and books on this issue.
In his work, medieval history is presented
not as a battle between Hindu and Muslim kings
but as battles between kings for power and
wealth. He draws heavily from original sources
and from the works of national historians. The
issues of temple destructions, Jizia, policies of
Muslim kings, spread of Islam and other aspects
of social life during that period give a good
reflection of those times and are an effective tool
in breaking the myths and misconceptions in
peoples mind about it. The traditions of Sufis,
Bhakti saints and their emphasis on values of
love and amity are brought out effectively. The
mixed traditions of society do convey that
Hindus and Muslims were good companions
and religion was not the cause of discord, the
social interests were, and sometime surely these
interests did appear in the garb of religion. But
communalism as a political phenomenon was
introduced here after the advent of the British
rule.
He takes up the vexed issue of the role of
Muslim leadership in the freedom movement and
the role of communalists, both Muslims and
Hindus, in aggravating communal violence even
in pre-independence India. He handles the issue
of partition of the country very delicately to
focus that the main responsibility of partition lies
on the head of British, while Congress leadership
and Jinnahs obstinate nature added to the issue.
He seems to agree more with Maulana Abul
Kalam Azad on this point that partition could
have been prevented had Maulanas suggestion
of sticking to Cripps Mission proposals been
accepted.
As a part of dispelling myths about Muslim
minorities, Engineer has written on the Role of
Muslims in Freedom struggle. Fascinated by the
approach of Gandhi in politically uniting different
communities and emphasizing on non-violence
and peace, he has also compiled a volume on
Gandhi and communal harmony. His fascination
for the Gandhian approach to communal prob-
lems is seen in his work all through.
His sense of gender justice is very strong
and he has shown how Islam gives equality to
women, and highlights how women are the
worst victims of communal violence.
The list of his contributions and articles on
websites offer an ample insight into his con-
cerns and how he has handled them in a
humane manner. His regular publication, Secular
Perspective, has a good circulation and is repro-
duced in many websites and newspapers across
the globe.
Secular Intervention:
It is difficult to decide as to which aspect of
Engineers work is more important than the
other. There is a deep integration in different
facets of the work and one can see the deeper
connection between different facets of his work.
His interventions in social issues began with
his concern for communal harmony. His urge to
study and understand the communal problem
began with the tragedy of Jabalpur violence, later
his study led him to intervene and undertake the
campaigns and awareness work to promote
communal harmony. In Mumbai, from late six-
ties he brought together like-minded friends into
Awaz-e-Biradaran group. This group started
talking about the communal problem and raising
awareness about the need for harmony through
talks in schools and colleges.
As Engineer had deep interest in Urdu litera-
ture also, he did come in contact with prominent
writers who also got involved in helping in the
harmony mission.
With outbreak of Bhiwandi riots, 1970, he
camped in Bhiwandi, along with Balraj Sahni the
renowned actor, for two weeks, going to villages
and talking to the victims and helping them. His
group also involved prominent writers to issue
the message of peace through All India Radio.
In Mumbai, he also became part of the Indo-
Pak friendship movement. At the same time he
came in contact with the Sampradayikta Virodhi
Committee (Committee against Communalism)
to which doyens like Subhadra Joshi and D.R.
Goyal were associated, and Engineer started
contributing to their work.
Asghar Ali Engineers Struggle for Plural Ethos
6 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
As a part of dispelling
myths about Muslim
minorities, Engineer has
written on the Role of
Muslims in Freedom
struggle. Fascinated by
the approach of Gandhi
in politically uniting
different communities
and emphasizing on non-
violence and peace, he
has also compiled a
volume on Gandhi and
communal harmony. His
fascination for the
Gandhian approach to
communal problems is
seen in his work all
through.
Continued on the next page
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 7 www.milligazette.com
M. RAJIBUR RAHMAN
Madhaypura (Bihar): Hindus and Muslims of Bhatni village in
Madhaypura district of Bihar had been living peacefully for ages
but communal elements, with their evil design of promoting com-
munalism and harming Muslims killed a piglet and threw it in the
mosque of Jungle Tola, a Muslim locality of this village, in the
night of 9 April. When one Muhammad Ghafoor went to the
mosque in early morning to give the call for prayers (Azan), he
found blood stains and the dead piglet in the mosque. He prompt-
ly called Muslims of the locality to see what happened.
As the news of this unprecedented incident spread, people
from neighbouring villages also began to assemble at this place.
Most of these people were Hindus because there are only some
20 Muslim households in this locality (Jungletola). Madhaypura
SP Saurabh Kumar Shah and DM Upendra Nath along with police
teams also reached the place on hearing this news. They handled
the matter tactfully, took possession of the dead body of the piglet
and assured the people that those behind the mischief would not
be spared. Four persons were arrested on that day.
Local Muslims said that though this particular incident had
never happened earlier, three or four untoward incidents had taken
place earlier also, particularly after the devastating floods of 2008
in River Kosi.
After the floods of 2008, one baba from Gaya district came
to that village and set up a relief camp but he made it clear that
only those people who say Jai Shri Ram can stay in the camp.
Because of this, Muslims did not want to stay in this camp though
they too were greatly affected by the floods and did not get any
food for many days. Only when some people from other villages
brought food, they had something to eat. This baba, who was very
communal-minded, used to be called Jai Shri Ram Baba. The
number of his supporters began to grow and included many crim-
inals of the neighbouring villages which were notorious for their
criminal activities. Baba was himself a crook and asked his men
to steal government properties. Many of his boys and men were
caught stealing solar lights from the roads and jailed. The Baba,
whose communal and criminal activities became known to police,
had to pay about Rs. 170,000 as fine as sponsor of such thefts
but he was never arrested because he had become very influen-
tial and police officers could not lay their hands on him nor any
one else could dare complain against him. His stay in that place
became a bane for Muslims because he kept on harassing them
on some pretext or the other. Harassing and beating of Muslim
women also became common. On one occasion he himself
thrashed Muslim women in the presence of Thana incharge Lal
Muhammad. Both he (Thana incharge) and the village mukhia
Sudhir tried to stop him but he did not relent. Yet the Baba was not
arrested even then, in spite of
his indecent behaviour. On
another occasion, on 15 August
last year he floated the rumour
that Muslims are opposing his
effort to hoist the national flag
and hence he would not allow
them to offer Eid prayers.
However, the village mukhia
Sudhir and some other people
made arrangements for their
protection and then only
Muslims were able to offer Eid
prayers.
Though police helped to
constitute a peace committee of
22 persons, it did not prove to
be a success because many of
its members were found to be
aligning with mischievous and
communal elements. Even the
local MLA Ramesh Rishi was not of much help to Muslims.
This fake Baba indulged in goondaism and with his criminal
supporters, harassment of Muslims became more and more fre-
quent. On the occasion of Dussehra, he organised a function in his
ashram when, surprisingly 400 to 500 youths mounted on horses
and with religious flags and spears in hand came there. On this
occasion, the Baba openly declared on mike that any Hindu boy
who marries a Muslim girl by force will be awarded Rs. 50,000.
This created much fear and terror among Muslims of the village.
Next day some people came to the Muslim area along with the
Thana incharge Lal Muhammad and assured Muslims that after
Dussehra the baba will be turned away from this place but this did
not happen.
All this had been happening before the dead pig was found in
the mosque. In view of the babas communal mentality and
harassment of Muslims, they suspect that the baba or his cronies
may be behind the unprecedented incident of throwing the slaugh-
tered piglet in the mosque.
Meanwhile, a new development took place, that after the
arrest of four persons in connection with the discovery of the dead
piglet in the mosque, Muslims began to get threats to force them
to withdraw the case. Family members of the arrested persons
started threatening that if Muslims do not withdraw the case they
will slaughter a cow and throw it in a temple and incite communal
riots. This again frightened Muslims. After these developments,
the district authorities posted 10 police jawans in the village to
ensure security and safety but all the expenses of meals etc for
this force were to be borne by Muslims. This way, about 1000
rupees are spent daily by Muslims. On the other hand family
members of the arrested persons are also threatening that if
Muslims do not withdraw the case and if their relatives are not
released, they will not only dishonour all Muslim girls but they will
also set their houses on fire. This naturally is causing a great
sense of fear among them. Though S P and other civil and police
authorities believe the baba is behind these criminal activities,
they are not throwing him away from this place. The police author-
ities suspect that not the baba but one Pradeep Yadav is the mas-
termind behind the incident of slaughtered piglet but they are wait-
ing for solid proof and hence he is not being arrested.
In short, poor and helpless Muslims of this village are victims
of constant harassment, dishonour and violence from the fake and
criminal baba and his equally criminal supporters and the relatives
of the arrested persons. They and many influential persons includ-
ing the MLA of this area and other neighbouring villages appear to
be sympathisers of Muslims, but their activities and silence make
them suspect in the eyes of Muslims who say that if the baba is
not turned away from this place, they may be compelled to leave
this village and migrate to some other place. In fact, some Muslim
families because of constant fear and harassment have already
left the village while the remaining ones are living in constant fear.
This is the sad story of the unfortunate people of Jungletola local-
ity of Bhatni village which is not different from what Muslims in vil-
lages across many states are facing these days. (Translated from
Urdu)
A Muslim village of Bihar on the hit list of Hindutva
The response of Muslim leadership
to the issue of Ramjanmbhumi disturbed
him immensely. He held that the Muslim
leadership should be in the background,
and the issue should primarily be tackled
by secular activists and scholars. He also
brought to the notice of the Muslim lead-
ership that it is more important to agitate
on the issues of Muslim poverty and
backwardness. The Gopal Singh
Committee report, which was lying in the
cold storage, needed to be implemented.
He himself involved many secular
activists to issue appeals for peace.
He took the initiative to form EKTA
Committee in the wake of Meerut riots in
1987. This became the platform for trade
unions and other progressive people of
Mumbai to campaign for peace and to
oppose the rising tide of communalism.
I witnessed his work directly since
1992-93. During the Mumbai riots, he
undertook many a peace march in trou-
bled areas. The lasting impression in my
mind about him is that of a sincere, hon-
est and committed scholar activist.
During the Mumbai violence, his office
became a natural place for all the
activists to meet and during those meet-
ings over a hundred activists used to
throng his office, standing in different
corners of the small office, even the bal-
cony of the office used to be full to the
brim. He used to sit in the middle, on the
floor and used to conduct the meetings
and make plans for action. Most of the
planning was peace marches and com-
munity work. Behrampada, an area near
Bandra, was given special attention for
work and peace marches. Peace march-
es were also organized in different parts
of the city.
These marches had an important
effect on the psyche of society and gave
a lot of hope to the victims. As a peak of
these efforts on 26th January 1993, in
the thick of the communal violence loom-
ing on the horizon, he organized a peace
march in the main areas of Mumbai.
These activities were supplemented by
the investigation into the Mumbai riots
and the report brought out by EKTA
Committee was remarkable for its in-
depth work. This brought him face to face
with the reality that police, the arm of the
state to control violence, itself is much
communalized. He decided to approach
the police authorities for conducting
workshops for communal harmony. It will
be impossible to count the number of
these workshops scattered in different
parts of Mumbai, Mahrashtra and all over
the country. He was faced with the chal-
lenging questions based on the biases
against Muslims, their food habits, vio-
lent nature, Muslim kings destroying tem-
ples, polygamy and what not. To his
credit he has been conducting this diffi-
cult workshop with dignity and modesty
coupled with deep scholarship of the
issues.
Centre for Study of Society and
Secularism
Meanwhile, he took up the task of for-
malizing awareness programmes and
was instrumental in laying the foundation
of the Centre for Study of Society and
Secularism, which has emerged as the
premier centre for spreading awareness
about secular issues. The CSSS has also
undertaken research on contemporary
issues relating to national integration. On
awareness front, CSSS began experi-
menting with various modules for differ-
ent sections of community. Its work-
shops ranged from half-a-day affair to
seven-day in-depth workshops for seri-
ous activists and teachers. These work-
shops covered the theme starting from
history to contemporary issues, terror-
ism, Islam and peace, values of freedom
movement. I can guess that thousands of
activists and others must have benefited
from these workshops. CSSS has also
set up Institute of Peace Studies and
Conflict Resolution to formalize the train-
ing of activists into secular values. Plans
are also foot to initiate longer training for
activists, teachers and students.
His own engagement with multiple
lectures and accepting infinite invitations
from all over the country and globe are
another facet of his work. What needs a
mention here is that his membership of
the National Integration Council during
the UPA regime (2004-2009). He forth-
rightly raised the issues related to
harassment of minorities in the name of
terrorism amongst other issues. His
interventions, along with similar ones
from other important members and the
efforts of the tribunal on the issue, did
affect the government policy. With these
interventions the routine pursued by
Police authorities to arrest large number
of innocent Muslim youths in the wake of
blasts anywhere, was somehow weak-
ened.
He has also been a major part of the
process to bring together all the activists
working for the cause of secularism.
Groups working for communal harmony
all over the country have come together
as a platform since the last few years
under All India Secular Forum.
Touching Moments
While one is talking on the social contribu-
tion of a person of high stature, there are
some anecdotes which have been very
touching at personal levels. I have shared
lot of meetings and travels together along
the course of our work. The interaction dur-
ing these periods has been another learning
and sharing experience for me. One is privy
to sharing his thoughts and ideas on most
of the issues.
I cannot help but recount an anec-
dote which has left a deep impression on
me. One of the mornings we were stand-
ing in the Mumbai University campus
hall. The seminar was to begin in another
10-15 minutes or so. As we were wait-
ing, one of the speakers came in a taxi
and we welcomed him. As we were talk-
ing to the speaker, the taxi driver got
down, did a respectful namaste (greet-
ing) to Engineer and said, Sir please
continue your work, your writing, it is a
source of peace for the society. I am
sure there must be innumerable persons
around the globe with similar sentiments.
(Issues in Secular Politics)
Continued from the previous page
A Homage To
Asghar Ali Engineer
The demise of Asghar Ali Engineer will be felt by all those who think
rationally and are latitudinarians. A crusader, especially one who mili-
tates against religious practices tooth and nail, receives more brick-
bats than bouquets.
Throughout his life, Engineer kept questioning the rationality of
many a belief that became almost oracular truths and none dared to
defy. He was assaulted by the cohorts of Syedna, whose despotic and
totalitarian hold on Bohra community (a Shia sub-sect) was never
questioned by any Bohra Muslim.
Engineer belonged to Dawoodi Bohra community and he justifi-
ably argued as to how Syedna could be the unimpeachable authority
when Islam didnt believe in the concept of a mediator between Allah
and banda (worshipper). The secret practice of female circumcision
among Bohra women was vehemently opposed by Engineer, who
called it an unscientific as well as un-Islamic practice.
Though a devout Muslim, he wasnt a zealot and never claimed
Islam to be the only true religion and all others were secondary to it.
His famous article on the commonalities between the Vedic Gayatri
Mantra and the Surah Al Fatiha, the opening chapter of the Qur'an, is
path-breaking.
He was a man whose analytical temperament helped people
understand Islam in all its manifestations. He founded the Institute of
Islamic Studies in 1980 and the Centre for Study of Society and
Secularism in 1993, and also authored around 50 books on various
topics and believed in treating all religions with respect. He believed in
Al hubbu deeni wa imaani (Love is my faith, and my imaan).
I once met Engineer in Indore and liked his vision and broadness
of mind. What I liked most was his straightforward readiness to
accept that he didnt know certain theological implications integral to
all faiths. He never thought and claimed that he was a polymath or
omniscient. Many years ago, he wrote in The Illustrated Weekly that
to be a good and pious human being was much more important than
being an exegete who lacked the soul of piety and was too matter-of-
fact in his approach to religious subjects and issues.
Engineer was open to debates, discourses and discussions and
never did he lose his temper. He was a level-headed person, who
believed that anger was a brief madness and a truly evolved and
enlightened individual must never lose his marbles.
Those, who saw him from close quarters, were impressed by the
vastness of his knowledge and depth of his erudition. His analyses of
Qur'anic verses were very apt and amenable to logic. Such wonder-
fully liberal human beings seldom walk on earth. Au revoir, Engineer.
SUMIT PAUL
Muslim villagers of Bhatni
8 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
MUSTAFA KHAN
The court in Philibet, UP, acquitted Varun Gandhi
of charges of hate speech, rioting, inducement
to violence, attempt to kill and causing disaffec-
tion and enmity between two groups.
The acquittal came on 4 May, 2013. Till
then the unknown unknowns remained intact.
The judge Abdul Qayyum and the Superintendent
of Police in Pilibit Amit Verma had succeeded in
their cover up so well that there was little chance
ever of truth coming to light. Varuns own role
model in Gujarat, Narendra Modi, has succeed-
ed in many respects to keep the unknown
unknowns.
No court in India has found Modi involved
in the genocide of Muslims in 2002 Gujarat.
Despite hundreds of incidents of pogrom there,
the chief minister reigns supreme as if the geno-
cide is sub rosa. He still pretends ignorance that
such a horrible thing ever happened in his state.
His mentor the then home minister of India
LK Advani also acted in the same way or else
why should he rush to issue clean chit to his
protg so officiously. Even today most of the
mainstream newspapers report Gujarat 2002 not
as genocide.
This huge edifice of lies is founded on the
principle: if you ignore, what you want to sup-
press will disappear in the thin air without leav-
ing any trace.
Even the sadhbhavna or meetings of har-
mony all over Gujarat in 2012 showed that there
was no genocide in the state. Even the then
Prime Minister Vajpayee dismissed the pogrom
as Muslims casual inability to live with their
neighbours in peace.
So Narendra Modi and Varun Gandhi suc-
ceeded keeping everything under the rose as the
French put it referring to the ancient custom of
hanging a rose over the council table to indicate
that all present were sworn to secrecy. Judge
Abdul Qayyum and SP Amit Verma saw to it as
far as Varun is concerned. In the case of Modi
the list is too long.
There were four cases registered against
Varun. The third case registered against him is of
7 June, 2009 at Dalchand mohalla and he was
charged under sections 153(A), 295(A), 505(2)
IPC and 125 of Representation of People Act.
What he had said was the standard method of
exterminating Muslims which the unidentified
man in the conspiracy meeting of 26 January,
2008 at Faridabad also had told to Lt Col Prasad
Purohit, Dr RP Singh, Sudhakar Diwedi and oth-
ers: We have such a community/race that can
confront [eradicate] the Muslims. We call them
Valmik. The Abhinav Bharat thought of having a
unit of ten such Valmiks in every district and
their hideout. They would successfully do the
job. For 1500 to 2000 rupees, the Valmiks
would kill all the Muslims in the districts They
would also destroy the meat sale monopolized
by the Muslims. They could be given jobs as
security agents on paper as cover.
In the Dalchand meeting, Varun called the
Muslims a disease to be eradicated. When the
time is right this disease will be eradicated. Im
not a general, Im a politician, but a Valmiki
would become a general and eradicate this dis-
ease.
There were 15 witnesses in the Dalchand
case. All of them turned hostile by accepting a
bribe of five lakh, 10 lakh or a brand new car. The
testimonies of the witnesses were recorded by
the court clerk. It was a serious matter and still
the judicial magistrate Abdul Qayyum chose to
remain absent. In his absence the prime witness
no. 1, Vijay Pal, deposed: There was no election
meeting of Varun Gandhi in Mohalla Dalchand on
7 March 2009. I did not step out of my house. I
did not hear Varun Gandhis speech. Neither did
he give any speech against the Muslims. Pal did
not have to say it himself; it was already put on
the paper he and the rest were told to bring their
photos and paste, sign and go!
This is reminiscent of how the Sangh
Parivar has been rewriting history.
What Noam Chomsky found to be wrong
that led to the Boston Marathon bombing, name-
ly inducement to violence, Tehelka reporters car-
rying out the sting operation discovered the
same in Pilibhit. Varun used to tell in his election
speeches that the Muslims were kidnapping and
raping Hindu women. The immediate effect was
palpable as Varun also sent batches of youths
on motorbikes as vigilantes making the Hindus
believe the rumour to be true: Like Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi, Varuns inflammatory
speeches could have proved disastrous.
Parmeshwari Gangwar, a close associate of
Varun, said on Tehelkas hidden camera, The
vendors would not go to Muslim-dominated
areas in Pilibhit, they were so afraid. Ramveer
Singh, the reporter who recorded Varuns com-
munal speech, said, The things he said in
Barkhera were very dangerous. There is a
Muslim locality close by with at least a 1,000-
1,500 Muslims. If they [Hindus] had thrown
stones from their rooftops, a 100-200 people in
the market could have died. Ram Avtar told
Tehelka that the villagers had even begun making
preparations to kill Muslims. The intelligent peo-
ple of the village did not agree with this, but
many illiterate people said this politician is good.
We are Hindus; he is saying the right thing. So,
the villagers started making preparations to kill
Muslims.
The demagogues of the Hindutva (be it
Modi or Varun) believe in causing such violence
that results in good dividends at the polls. In fact,
the Hindu party BJP owes its strength to pre-
cisely this factor. Varun Gandhi also won his
election due to this and what is more the diehard
Hindutva leaders controlling the party and the
RSS made young Varun general secretary of
BJP because of his demagoguery and his
espousal of the ultimate goal of the Hindu
Nation. In his words and deeds Varun was stark-
ly a communalist devoted to Hindu Nation.
During the 2009 general elections, Varuns
refrain when he started his poll meetings was
swearing on the Gita and saying he would cut
off the hands and necks of Muslims. Sample
another diatribe against the Muslims uttered at
the Deshnagar rally: If you want to save the
Hindu religion, vote for me. If a Hindu doesnt
vote for me, he would be betraying his religion.
He also warned, See! These Muslims may say
anything every vote of theirs would go for that
katua (a derogatory term for Muslims), under-
stand? Therefore, every vote of yours should go
for Hindustan
Giving his notorious speech at Dalchand,
he came out with the ultimate goal of the
Hindutva rightists in India and abroad. He asked
the people to vote for him to establish the Hindu
Nation. What for? The immediate reason he spelt
out was the familiar excuse of all Hindu extrem-
ists to arouse violence of the Hindus through
rumour to create the atmosphere that would
result in attacks on Muslims. He said 13 Hindu
women were kidnapped and raped and the
rapists were roaming around freely
Such is the deadly virus of Hindutva hate
ideology that the public prosecutor in Pilibhit, MP
Verma is another avatar of the public prosecutor
in Gujarat circa 2002.
As the bribe given by BJP leaders in the
case of Best Bakery in Gujarat, the witnesses
were also bought over here. Indeed all the 88
witnesses of the four cases turned hostile. This
surely entitles them for an entry in Guinness
Book of World Record. Where money could not
buy, threat did the work as the SP proved in
Pilibhit. The SP (Superintendent of Police) used
to call them over. There was one witness the
SP called him over and said, are you literate? He
said he had done his PhD. He was a literate per-
son. The SP asked him what his pay was. He
said 25,000. The SP said, you must have got a
good bride. He said, yes. The SP asked him if he
loved his wife; he said yes. The SP said: do you
want to continue loving her or stop loving her?
Then go and think about what you have to say in
the court. You want to go back home or not?
Varuns threat was even more existential.
He spoke of Bisalpur where one Phool Babu, a
Muslim, had stolen a buffalo and butchered it.
Bisalpur has the biggest disease [referring to its
Muslim residents]. So first I would buy a factory
over there, a petrol pump, then I would get it
sprayed by a helicopter, and then I would get the
basti [Muslim locality] vacated after setting fire
to the place.
This enormity of the conception of commit-
ting mass terror atrocities on the Muslims for the
sake of the Hindu Nation is truly frightening. It is
also real there and elsewhere. Like Modi, Varun
subverted the law and silenced an entire system.
The public prosecutor of Pilibit, PM Verma
and the state government of Gujarat counsel
Arvind Pandya and the public prosecutor of
Sabarkantha Bharat Bhatt are the common
denominators of the subversion of judicial
process.
Varun Gandhis unknown unknowns
Bisalpur has the biggest
disease [referring to its
Muslims]. So first I would
buy a factory over there, a
petrol pump, then I would
get it sprayed by a
helicopter, and then I
would get the basti
[Muslim locality] vacated
after setting fire to the
place.
VARUN GANDHI during his
election campaign in Pilibhit,
June 2009
As the bribe given by BJP leaders in the case of Best Bakery in Gujarat,
the witnesses were also bought over here. Indeed all the 88 witnesses
of the four cases turned hostile. This surely entitles them for an entry
in Guinness Book of World Record. Where money could not buy, threat
did the work as the SP proved in Pilibhit. The SP (Superintendent of
Police) used to call them over. There was one witness the SP called
him over and said, are you literate? He said he had done his PhD. He
was a literate person. The SP asked him what his pay was. He said
25,000. The SP said, you must have got a good bride. He said, yes. The
SP asked him if he loved his wife; he said yes. The SP said: do you
want to continue loving her or stop loving her? Then go and think about
what you have to say in the court. You want to go back home or not?
Former U.P. DGP boasts of
arresting Khalid Mujahid
L
ucknow: Literally mocking the state government, Nimesh
Commission, the Muslim community and a host of
activists and NGOs who questioned the arrest of Khalid
Mujahid, former U.P. Director General of Police Vikram
Singh on 21 May said that he was proud of arresting him in the
2007 serial blast case.
I am proud of the fact that under my directions Khalid was
arrested. Evidence is there that he was a terrorist, news agency
IANS quoted Vikram Singh as saying.
Vikram Singh was responding on the state governments deci-
sion to withdraw cases against Khalid Mujahid and other accused,
and filing of FIR against the officers who made the arrests.
In the line of duty, even if one faces 10 such cases to save
the country from the scourge of terror, so be it, he said stating
that such cases would have an adverse effect on the morale of the
state police.
Following the death of Khalid Mujahid, a first information
report (FIR) was lodged against 42 police officers, including for-
mer DGP Vikram Singh, for conspiring to kill Khalid Mujahid, an
accused in the serial blasts of 2007.
The Justice RD Nimesh Commission appointed by the
Mayawati Government had termed the Police version as doubtful.
Based on this the Akhilesh government had initiated a procedure
to withdraw the case.
The investigating agencies are under attack for the shoddy
arrest after various terror attacks. The recent cases cited are the
2006 Malegaon Blast and Makkah Masjid blast for which the
Muslims youths were blamed and arrested. It, however, turned out
later that terrorists associated to right wing Hindu terror outfits
were involved in these attacks.
Rihai Manch statement
On the other hand, the Lucknow-based Forum for the Release of
Innocent Muslims imprisoned in the name of Terrorismm popular-
ly known as RIHAI MANCH, said in a statement that the attack
on Advocates in Faizabad is conspiracy hatched by SP and com-
munal forces. Following is the text of the statement:
Rihai Manch condemns the attack on Faizabad Advocate Salim
and damaging chambers of Advocate Shakilur Rehman, Jamal
Ahmed and Nadeem Ahmed. Rihai Manch demands the arrests of
hooligans of SP, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Yuva Vahini and BJP who are
responsible for the attack. The spokesperson of the Rihai Manch
blames Samajwadi Party for encouraging the communal elements
in order to stop the rising opposition and demonstrations in sup-
port of martyr Khalid Mujahid. But SP must understand that its
countdown has begun, warns Rihai Manch. These communal ele-
ments are those who are named as accused in many FIRs related
to the recent communal riot which occurred in October 2012. But
the local administration on the direction of the high level political
bosses not made any effort to arrest them.
(Issued by Shahnawaz Alam and Rajeev Yadav, Spokespersons,
Rihai Manch 09415254919, 09452800752; Office: 110/60,
Harinath Banerjee Street, Naya Gaaon Poorv, Laatoosh Road,
Lucknow - Email: rihaimanchindia@gmail.com)
Former DGP Vikram Singh, a main accused in the kidnapping
and framing of Khalid Mujahid and his colleague Tariq Qasmi,
defiantly mocks at UP govt and Nimesh Commission saying
Khalid was a terrorist yesterday, he is a terrorist today.
NATIONAL The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 9 www.milligazette.com
AMU VC rusticates
suspended AMUSU
President
Aligarh: On the recommen-
dations of the Discipline
Committee, the Vice
Chancellor of the Aligarh
Muslim University on
21 May ordered that the
admission of Mr. Shahzad
Alam, a PhD student, be
cancelled with immediate effect from
the rolls of the University.
A statement issued by the AMU PRO on
21 May said that Mr. Shahzad has been debarred
from seeking admission in AMU for the next five
academic sessions from 2013-14 onwards and
the University has been placed out of bounds for
him for the above five years period. Mr. Shahzad
will also be issued a migration certificate and he
will have to pay a sum of Rs. 35,940 to the
University Guest House, failing which legal
action will be initiated against him for its recov-
ery.
The PRO statement added that Mr. Shahzad
Alam was found involved in activities unbecom-
ing of a University student and also of an office
bearer of the AMU Students Union. Further, as
President of the AMU Students Union, Mr.
Shahzad Alam was found lavish in expenditure of
money from students funds. He withdrew a sum
of Rs. 14,90,000 as an advance and spent a
huge sum improperly within a period of two
months.
The PRO statement added that the expulsion
order states that in just two months he has spent
Rs. 77,800 on tea and snacks and Rs. 74,130
on photocopies. He also spent a sum of
Rs. 33,350 on account of travel which is exorbi-
tant for a student. He took multiple advances of
funds but failed to produce convincing and rea-
sonable account of the same.
The PRO statement added that the AMU VC
order further said that no assets, except one
printer costing Rs. 6000 has been created out of
the funds given to him. The PRO statement
failed to explain what action has been taken
against the AMUSU treasurer, a lecturer, without
whose signature no funds may be withdrawn
from the AMUSU account.
Rusticated student leader
fights back
Shahzad Alam Barni, the expelled AMUSU presi-
dent, said in a press statement issued on
22 May: In the press release issued from the
side of Mr. Vice-Chancellor, he blamed me for
the misuse of 14.9 lakh rupees of Union funds,
and so on.
I just want to let you all know that this tac-
tic is basically used to malign my image as the
facts are totally different. Basically, I was sus-
pended for opposing Minister of State, HRD,
Mr. Jitin Prasad on April 6, 2013 in Kennedy Hall
just for raising the issue of AMUs Minority
Character but Mr. Vice-Chancellor does not want
to raise this issue as Congress Party cannot
answer this question
As far as the charges of misuse of funds
are concerned, I did not misuse the funds. I used
8.3 lakh during my tenure in organising different
programmes, i.e., All India Mushaira, Media
Meet, Athletics Meet, Old Boys Convention,
Sidons Debate, Cultural Programme for Foreign
Students, All India Sir Syed Memorial Debate,
Muslim Youth and Leadership etc. for which I
have submitted the whole adjustment of 8.3
lakhs and the remaining funds are used after my
suspensionAm I responsible for the adjust-
ment of those programmes which were organ-
ised after my suspension in the supervision of
Vice-President, Secretary and Mr. Vice-
Chancellor?
These programmes are M.P. symposium in
which only one MP came to AMU for the sym-
posium, seminar on Muslim Madarsas,
Seminar on Human Rights Violations and oth-
ers (Shahzad Alam Barni -- Cell: 09219146875;
zadalamamu@yahoo.com)
Modis police state
According to a repor t in Hindustan Times
(21 May, 2013), during the last six months, the
Gujarat police obtained call detail records
(CDRs) of as many as 93,000 mobile phone
numbers. The state director general of police
Amitabh Pathak has now issued a circular stat-
ing that only superin-
tendent of police-level
officers and above
could obtain CDRs
from mobile service
providers.
Earlier, any police
inspector could seek
CDRs of any person
from private mobile
service providers
without stating the
reason or providing
mandatory docu-
ments such as the
first information
report (FIR) against
the person.
The number (93,000) is certainly high,
considering that our crime rate is relatively less
than in other states, Pathak said. Hindustan
Times quoted insiders as saying that DGP
Pathak himself had suffered prying into his call
records two years ago when he was commis-
sioner of police of Ahmedabad. Hindustan Times
further said that the rampant electronic snooping
in Gujarat is due to political masters. The
newspaper quoted a police official privy to the
practice as saying, CDRs of politicians, top
bureaucrats, police officials and corporate exec-
utives were accessed along with those of alleged
criminalsIt is an open secret leaders from
the ruling as well as opposition parties are put
under electronic surveillance in Gujarat.
Political opponents of the ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party led by chief minister Narendra Modi
have long alleged their mobile phones are rou-
tinely tapped by certain agencies of the state
police.
Some handle the prying with dry wit. My
phone is under surveillance so be careful while
talking, is what a former minister of the Modi
government says these days when he receives a
call.
The Supreme Court-appointed SIT, which
probed cases of massacre of Muslims, had stat-
ed in a report that the state intelligence bureau
had put Haren
Pandyas mobile num-
ber under surveillance
after the 2002 riots.
Pandya, former Gujarat
minister of state for
home, had accused the
Modi administration of
allowing the 2002 anti-
minority riots. He was
murdered on March
26, 2003. In 2004, for-
mer junior home minis-
ter Gordhan Zadaphia
had said in the assem-
bly his mobile was put
under surveillance at
the behest of the chief
ministers office.
Employees of private mobile service
providers admitted on condition of anonymity
that they obliged police officials seeking CDRs,
without asking for documents. Normally, if the
CDR of any person is sought, the police must
state the reasons and also provide a copy of the
case or FIR against the person. But this is hard-
ly in practice, an executive of a private mobile
service provider said. We have to cooperate
with the police.
Such ready cooperation by private compa-
nies, many suspect, is the reason why the Modi
administration replaced Bharat Sanchar Nigam
Limited (BSNL) in 2006-07 as the official serv-
ice provider for the states bureaucracy.
We never provide CDRs without a letter
from a police official, not below the rank of SP,
and a copy of the FIR, a senior BSNL official
said, adding police officials often sought CDRs
without following procedure.
In AMUs musical chairs, accusations fly fast and thick
DR. MANSOOR AHMAD AJAZI
On the demand of minorities and minority organisations, succes-
sive governments in Bihar issued a number of circulars for the
welfare and development of minorities with much hue and cry. But
the governments official machinery dumped the same quietly jus-
tifying the popular slogan of a motorbike company: Fil(l)e it, Shut
it and Forget it.
Unfortunately, general public is ignorant about these circulars
and the community leadership is busy in its own business. For
example, let me mention here only a few circulars issued by vari-
ous Bihar government over the years:
(1) Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms of
Bihar Govt. vide its letter no. 6725 dated 22 May, 1989 issued a
circular addressed to all departments, commissioners and district
magistrates directing them that: As reservation for minorities in
Govt. jobs is not constitutional so after thoughtful consideration
Govt. has decided that an officer of minority community (i.e.,
Muslim, Christian and Sikh) be nominated in every recruitment
body. Govt. is of opinion that a member of the minority communi-
ty shall be helpful for their adequate representation in Govt./Public
undertakings jobs.
One can see that the above circular remains beneficial for
minorities till the Constitution is amended, which does not seem
possible in the near future. But the said circular is not applied
though it still decorates the Govt. compendium.
(2) Programme Implementation Department of Bihar Govt.
issued a circular vide letter no. 451 dated 19 March, 1988 to all
departments of the state govt. to ensure that minorities are bene-
fitted in proportion to their population in various schemes under
the 20-Point Programme and also to ensure that in all monitoring
committees including the 20-Point implementation committee,
proper representation is given to minorities. Department-wise list
of schemes was given which may be summarised as follows:
Membership: In all monitoring committees including the 20-Point
committees, IRDP, NREP & RLEGP (since converted into other
schemes), minorities ought to be provided loan/employment;
Small Scale Industries: Minorities should be encouraged.
Land Distribution: The landless in minority community be provid-
ed land.
Problem Villages: Drinking water be supplied in minority villages.
Primary Education: Children of minority community be admitted
and they may be provided opportunities of education.
Health Facilities: CHC/PHC & HSC be opened in minority villages.
Adult Education: Adults of minority community be admitted &
opportunities provided for education.
Housing Facilities: Minorities should be provided houses and
house sites and be helped in constructing houses.
Slums: Minority dwelling slums environment should be improved.
Public Distribution System (PDS): Licence be granted to people
belonging to the minority community and PDS shops should
be opened in minority concentrated areas.
Electrification: Minority villages selected by minority community
should be electrified. Unnat Chulhas and Biogas plants be
installed there.
Sympathetic Officers: Officers should be specifically instructed to
treat minorities sympathetically during day-to-day working
and let them provide facilities.
The Department revived this letter again at the persuasion of
the then Chairman of Bihar State Minorities Commission, Prof.
Sohail Ahmad Khan vide its letter no. 562 dated 28 August 1997
whereby it instructed all departments to implement this circular in
letter and spirit. But all was in vain. Such an important circular
was consigned to the dust bins in each department of the govern-
ment.
(3) The Home Department of Govt. of Bihar vide its letter no.
204 dated 17 June, 1978 communicated Govt.s decision to con-
stitute a 7-member committee in every district under the chair-
manship of the District Magistrate for the redressal of grievances
of linguistic minorities. The District Education Officer was to be ex-
officio secretary of this committee while it had to include the dis-
trict superintendent of education/District School Inspector along
with four other nominated members. This committee was to meet
once every month to advise on local problems, with the provision
that if it was not possible to solve the problem at the local level, it
was to be referred to the Govt.
This was a very useful circular for the redressal of the linguis-
tic minorities problems locally. But this circular was buried soon
after it was received.
(4) On the recommendation of the then Chairman of the State
Minorities Commission, Prof. Sohail Ahmad Khan, Chief Secretary
of Bihar issued a circular directing all district magistrates and
commissioners of state to follow the Govt. decision and to send
monthly reports similar to the report on the SC/ST in respect of
the provision of benefits to the minorities in various schemes
under 20-Point programme and other welfare schemes of the
Govt. Also, a similar system was to be adopted for the implemen-
tation and monitoring of the schemes for minorities at block level
on the lines followed by the Rural Development Department in
respect of SC/ST.
This was a landmark circular for the welfare of the minorities.
But, unfortunately, this circular too remained on paper and was
never implemented in the true sense.
From the above-cited examples, it is clear that Govt. issued a
number of circulars in the past but all of them were forgotten
soon. Some circulars cant even be found in the concerned
departments. A famous slogan of a detergent fits this situation
amply though with a slight modification: Daagh dhoodtay rah jao
gay may be read as Circular dhoondtay rah jao gay.
It is time political leaders and clergy should take up the mat-
ter at Govt. level to enforce rigorously the existing circulars issued
for the welfare and development of minorities instead of issuing
fresh circulars otherwise these circulars too shall be only orna-
mental and showpieces of no value.
In the light of my personal experience, I can say that if the
matter is brought to the knowledge of the present Chief Minister
Mr Nitish Kumar, he will give attention to it and will direct the
authorities to enforce the existing circulars.
The writer is a former senior officer of Bihar Administrative Service
Circulars for Welfare of Minorities:
Fil(l)e it, Shut It and Forget it
Over the years, the Bihar government
issued a number of circulars to its
departments and district authorities to
take care of the welfare of minorities..
If the same were implemented in letter
and spirit, at least Bihar would not have
waited for Sachar. But the reality is that
all those circulars were simply filed
and forgotten, says a former senior
bureaucrat of the Bihar government...
AFSANA RASHID, SRINAGAR
The High court here has said that it is not inclined to entertain
Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Kunanposhpora mass rape inci-
dent, at this stage. Announcing its judgment, the High Court, May
14, said on account of pendency of statutory process for imple-
mentation of recommendations made by State Human Rights
Commission and pendency of proceedings before Kupwara mag-
istrate, it isnt inclined to entertain PIL.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice M M Kumar and
Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey had earlier reserved a decision on
PIL by civil society group comprising students, teachers and other
professionals, seeking re-investigation into the incident. The peti-
tioners had also sought directions for implementation of 2011
Commissions recommendations for reinvestigating the case.
The Court said a high level committee is seized of the matter
to take a decision on Commissions recommendations on com-
pensation to victims. The bench closed the PIL leaving it open to
petitioners to approach the High Court, as and when, any final
decision in the matter is taken. The petitioners counsel, Parvez
Imroz had argued that contents of Commissions decision cant be
ignored, saying it substantiates pre-existing position on occur-
rence of mass-rape and lack of fair investigations. He pleaded the
case has never been fairly investigated. Defending the state,
Advocate General, M I Qadri said PIL wasnt maintainable and
submitted that only the Commission under Section 19 of its Act
has authority to file writ-petition before the Court.
Kunanposhpora in north Kashmirs Kupwara district has wit-
nessed one of the worst incidents of mass-rape during the inter-
vening night of February 23/24 in 1991 allegedly by soldiers of 4-
Rajputana Rifles of 68 Brigade. On October 19, 2011 a division
bench of SHRC asked the government to constitute a Special
Investigation Team for re-opening the case and also recommend-
ed the prosecution of the then Director Prosecution, who had
sought closure of the case on the grounds that the perpetrators
were untraced. High Court had, May 8, reserved its decision on
maintainability of the PIL seeking reinvestigation into the incident.
It had, May 7, asked Advocate General to produce records per-
taining to the PIL. The division bench also directed Advocate
General to assist the court and produce records before it.
Syed Liaqat Shah returns home
The granting of bail to suspected Hizbul militant Syed Liyaqat
Shah was hailed by his family as well as mainstream politicians.
Separatists lashed out at the Delhi police for their callous
approach towards Kashmiris.
Shah, 45, was granted bail by Delhi court, May 17, stating no
substantial linkage regarding his alleged involvement in conspira-
cy to carry out terror attacks in New Delhi was found by National
Investigation Agency. Bail was granted on a surety of Rs. 20,000
and a condition that he would not leave India. He was also asked
to report to a local police station every month and not to change
his residence. Shah was arrested, March 20, by the special cell of
Delhi Police, shortly after he crossed Indo-Nepal border in
Gorakhpur along with his family. Jammu and Kashmir police
insisted that he was one of those who had ex-filtrated in 1990s
and returned to India to surrender under the states rehabilitation
policy. The Home Ministry, March 28, issued notification facilitat-
ing NIA to take over the case.
It was an emotional moment for Shah when he alighted from
member legislative assembly (MLA) Lolab, Abdul Haq Khans
vehicle in his native village, Dardpora-Kupwara and reunited with
his family after 20 years. Shah was 34 when he had crossed the
Line of Control in 1993. Shah claimed that sleuths of Delhi Police
Special Cell (DPSC) tried to kill him in a fake-encounter during the
dead of night when he was in their custody, on eve of Holi. He,
however, hailed the role of NIA.
He further shared that the state police was aware about his
arrival and the sarpanch of the area, Abdul Gafoor on instructions
of MLA Lolab had submitted a form on his behalf under the
Rehabilitation Policy and the police had also given the nod.
Expressing happiness over the decision, Shahs wife, Akhter-u-
Nisa has been quoted as saying, Finally, truth prevailed.
Welcoming Shahs release, chief minister Omar Abdullah,
May 17, expressed hope that NIA would soon complete its probe.
State Congress chief Prof Saifudin Soz has however, questioned
why Shah was granted bail only; he should have been completely
released. Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, May 17,
said it is unfortunate that Shah was put behind bars without any
evidence. Hurriyat (G) spokesperson, Ayaz Akbar, on the same
day, accused Delhi Police of a callous approach towards Kashmir
and said entire rehabilitation policy is a deception.
Use of pellet guns opposed
Use of pellet guns by security forces is a threat to life, observes
State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) here, while issuing
notices to the state government and Director General of Police
asking them to submit their response. The Commission further
observes, that use of pellet guns causes more serious injuries
apparently and law enforcement agencies dont achieve the
desired goals. It further says law enforcing agencies were bound
to strictly follow Standard Operating Procedure and adhere to use
of non-lethal methods of mob control in order to prevent casual-
ties.
A petition regarding excessive use of pellet guns by security
forces was filed by local non-governmental organization,
International Forum for Justice, in the Commission. It had sought
investigation, registration of First Information Reports against
police and security forces and compensation to victims. The peti-
tion had referred to incidents wherein 10 persons allegedly lost
either their eyesight or received serious bodily injuries; rendering
them disabled. The petition states Rafiqa Bano, resident of
Howura-Mishpora village in south Kashmirs Kulgam district suf-
fered grievous injuries on the head after teargas shell hit her, and
Tariq Ahmad Gojri, resident of Khanpor-Baramulla lost his eye
after a teargas shell hit him during protests on February 9, when
Afzal Guru was hanged. It referred to a few other incidents of pel-
let injuries following Gurus execution and sought compensation
for rehabilitation of victims.
Pertinently, the High Court here May 22 granted two more
weeks to the state and Union governments to file their response to
PILs seeking ban on use of pepper gas in quelling demonstration.
A division bench of High Court in March this year asked the gov-
ernment to file its response to a petition within two weeks. The
petitioners have underlined susceptibility of humans to its toxic
action.
Protest for missing child
Amidst government apathy and unending dilemma of his being dead
or alive, Mehran Latief Mirs family took to the streets demanding his
whereabouts and handing over the case to Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI). Mehran was three-years-old when he went out to
buy candies from a nearby shop in the old citys Habba Kadal area,
May 13, 2008. Till date nothing is known about him. Holding placards
and life-size pictures of Mehran, his mother, Dilruba, a cancer-patient,
accompanied by some family members and relatives, while staging a
protest, says they are willing to sell their house to keep their promise
of reward to the one who gives any clue about him.
The family had earlier offered a reward of two-and-a-half lakh
rupees to anyone providing any clue. They requested chief minis-
ter, Omar Abdullah to hand over the case to CBI. If Aarushi mur-
der case that took place in the same month in 2008 was handed
over to CBI within days, why wasnt the case of this poor boy?,
says his uncle, Rouf Ahmed Mir. A year back, the then Director
General of Police, Kuldeep Khuda, during a function in the old city,
admitted there was no breakthrough in the case. Lashing out at
the government, Hurriyat (M), May 30, 2008 took to the streets
seeking Mehrans whereabouts. Even the government announced
a cash reward of 5000 rupees for anyone giving a clue in the case.
Five years down the line, police remains clueless, government
unmoved and civil society watches as mute-spectators.
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THE MILLI GAZETTE
First English Newspaper of Indian Muslims. Telling the Muslim side of the story fortnight after fortnight since January 2000
J&K high court refuses to reopen Konan Poshpora
10 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 NATIONAL www.milligazette.com
JASIM MOHAMMAD
The new Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim
University Lt. General (retd) Zameer Uddin Shah
has completed one year in office. He joined the
AMU on 18 May, 2012. When Shah joined the
AMU, it was in trouble. The law and order situa-
tion on the campus was at a low and the
University was passing through bad times.
After joining the University, the new Vice-
Chancellor began efforts to put it back on rails.
He imposed strict discipline on the campus and
in the days to come he took strict action against
those who violated rules or broke discipline. This
action sent a strong message to all on the cam-
pus and one can see the state of discipline
among the students as well as faculty today.
The dinning halls of the residential halls
affected a lot of students. Health and energy of
students were dependant on the quality of food.
Zameeruddin Shah paid his attention to the halls
kitchens and decided to provide good quality food
to the students. He embarked upon modernizing
kitchens and began a process of contracting
modern technological meat factories for the sup-
ply of meat to the dinning halls. He installed Bain
Marie Roti Maker and stopped the archaic manu-
al bread-making and also took a decision to intro-
duce steam cookers. Zameeruddin Shah used his
military experience to modernise the mess sys-
tem in the AMU.
Shah made efforts to regain the minority sta-
tus of AMU. He went on to modernize the syllabi
according to the needs of the industry today. A
new faculty of International Studies has been
decided to establish. The proposed faculty will
encompass International Relations, Geo-Strategy,
Security, key foreign languages and high quality
research work. The basic courses will be BA
(Hons.), MA, PG diploma(s) and M.Phil./PhD
programmes. The faculty of International Studies
will have eight major departments of studies
including the Department of Foreign Languages
focusing on the teaching of Chinese, French,
German, Portuguese and Spanish.
The Vice-Chancellor also succeeded in getting
sanction of 213 crore rupees for the AMU centres
at Murshidabad and Mallappuram. He intends to
start school-level education at the two centres.
Initially, teaching for Class IX will be commenced
with an intake of 90 students at both the centres.
Further, a B.Ed. course will also be introduced at
these centres with an intake of 60 students. Efforts
are being made to upgrade AMU centres to func-
tion as full-fledged minority universities.
Foremost among the reforms, is that Zameer
Uddin Shah tried to re-establish culture and tradi-
tions of Aligarh once again. There was a demand
for restoration of the tradition of Introduction so
that seniors could teach Tahzeeb to freshers.
He intends having orientation get-togethers to
encourage camaraderie amongst students under
strict control of teachers and wardens.
Academically, Lt. General Shah began
streamlining the academic activities on the cam-
pus. His first priority was upgradation of the facil-
ities at the J.N. Medical College that had earned a
bad name due to poor sanitation and patient care.
He tried to bring a positive change in the overall
image of the J.N. Medical College and secured an
increase in the annual grant of the College. He
looks forward to upgrading it to the status of
AIIMS.
The University has decided to upgrade all the
Uni versi t y-mai n-
tained schools to
the level of Senior
Secondary School
and Class XI teaching will be started in these
schools from the forthcoming session. The
MHRD has approved the upgradation of ABK
Union High School to Kendriya Vidyalaya stan-
dards and the necessary grant has been released
for it.
Zameer Uddin Shah plans to establish a
Central Museum in the University for advanced
research and studies in Musicology and conserv-
ing the artifacts scattered in different locations.
All the materials of archaeological importance
scattered in the University including the
Archaeological section, will be provided better
space and importance and will be preserved with
a professional approach. Researchers working in
the University and also those from outside institu-
tions will benefit from the proposed change. The
Department of Musicology and History will joint-
ly work towards professional conservation of the
artifacts and developing a state-of-the-art Central
Museum of AMU.
The Advance Diploma in Environmental
Engineering (ADEE) course has also been re-
launched from the session 2013-14 at the
University Polytechnic while the Centre of
Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research has
been upgraded to a full-fledged Department of
Cardiology. A DM (Cardiology) course will be
started in this department.
Zameer Uddin Shah also extended his con-
cerns to the faculty. He addressed problems of
Faculty members. He is committed to conduct-
ing selection committee meetings for filling all
vacant positions in due course of time. Three
dozen teaching positions lying vacant in JN
Medical College and Dental College have been
filled through marathon selection committees
held recently. A total of 28 selection committees
have been held in the Medical and Dental colleges
last month.
Presently the Vice-Chancellor is available to
ordinary students and that has increased their
trust and confidence level. Students air their
views after Friday prayers and there is time
reserved for them to meet him in the office
between 3-4 pm, where University dress is com-
pulsory according to AMU culture.
He did not neglect sports too. Sports facili-
ties were on his top priority. These facilities are
not being fully utilized. Basket Ball and Volleyball
courts have been constructed in every hall of res-
idence. An Indoor Badminton Court had been
inaugurated and soon the university will have an
Olympic-size open air swimming pool of interna-
tional standards for boys. The present swimming
pool will be reserved for girls.
He plans to establish a Hockey Academy in
the University to prepare students for national and
international level games and bring back to the
University its past glory and pride in hockey. He
discussed the proposition with the Olympian and
former Indian Hockey Captain Mr. Zafar Iqbal. The
Hockey Astro Turf of international standard had
been constructed in the University and now
national and international level matches could be
organized at AMU.
Old boys of the AMU have always played a
vital role in the development of the University.
Shah urged AMU alumni to come forward to help
their alma mater as it was time to pay back.
A visit to the campus reveals that presently
the campus is academically on the move. This is
the time when every section of the University and
saner elements of the society should come for-
ward to cooperate with the Vice-Chancellor in
retrieving the Aligarian culture and pushing AMU
on top.
The author is editor, The Aligarh Movement
Reforming AMU on war-footing
If Muslims were actually appeased in India,
politically, socially and of course, economi-
cally, the respected politicians would be left
without any political-card to woo votes of
countrys largest minority community. There
would not have been any bias against them.
They would not have been considered as
second class citizens by extremist as well
as conservative sections of the majority community. Doubts
and speculations would not have been entertained over their
constitutional rights, including that of equality, the freedom of
speech and that of pursuing their religious duties freely.
But this is grim side of grievances still afflicting a consid-
erable section of Muslims in the country. Of course, it would be
incorrect to assume that each and every Indian Muslim is a vic-
tim of such prejudices and biases. It would be equally wrong to
blame each and every non-Muslim, hailing from the majority
community, as responsible for entertaining a biased approach
towards Muslims.
Yet, had BJP leaders not started objecting to what they
have described as Muslim appeasement policy of the
Congress-led UPA government, the issue may not have been
deliberated upon. True, during its nine-year tenure, the
Congress-led UPA government has during its first and second
terms addressed certain grievances faced by Muslims. Now,
the big question is whether actions have been taken to remove
and/or at least reduce the same? If some effort has genuinely
been made, why should it be viewed as a part of some Muslim
appeasement policy? There would not have arisen a need of
drawing attention to their grievances if Muslims had not been
targeted by anti-Muslim extremist and communal elements. In
essence, it is surprising that several political leaders have
raised objections to even considering and proposing actions
regarding sufferings of Indian Muslims. What does this indi-
cate?
Does this imply that they do not want communal prob-
lems of which Muslims have been victims to be removed?
Besides, equally relevant is the fact of viewing the same as
a policy of appeasing Muslims. It is indeed stunning that
suggestions and proposals made to address communal
problems targeting Muslims in secular India be viewed as a
means of appeasing them. Well, if these problems are not
seriously taken care of, it would be an indicator of a very
dangerous, anti-secular approach of the ruling central and
state governments. Ignoring them, turning a blind eye
towards the same and/or maintaining rigid silence about
required action would imply that politicians in power are
more concerned about appeasing anti-Muslim extremist and
communal elements. They are more concerned about not
annoying these factions than addressing grievances affect-
ing Muslims targeted by similar elements.
Please note, the Congress-led UPA government has, till
date, primarily proposed the need to address problems being
faced by Muslims. These include imprisonment of innocent
Muslims wrongly labelled as terrorists. So, if the government
is considering setting up fast-track courts to look into cases of
Muslims incarcerated for years for alleged involvement in ter-
rorist activities, why is BJP agitated about it? Why have sever-
al BJP leaders labelled this as a Muslim appeasement?
Would the BJP prefer continuance of communal harassment of
Muslims along these lines, that is imprisoning them as terror-
ists without their being judicially declared as guilty? Would
the BJP prefer allowing the so-called custodians of Indian law
and order to continue imprisoning Muslims without any sub-
stantial proof of their being terrorists? This amounts to allow-
ing severe errors being committed by Indian personnel literal-
ly go unnoticed. Ignoring this lapse has in recent past proved
very damaging for the countrys secular ethics. It cannot be for-
gotten that Gujarat-carnage may not have assumed the serious
stage it did, if all keepers of law and order in the state had
given greater importance to their uniform, their duty and their
official responsibilities. If the lapse continues to remain
unchecked, there is no guarantee that officers would start pay-
ing serious attention to playing a responsible role, rather than
letting the same be affected by their own anti-Muslim commu-
nal prejudice and/or that of certain political elements.
From this angle, when and if fast-track courts are set up to
look into cases of Muslims arrested for their alleged involve-
ment in terror activities, they would also play a crucial role in
cautioning concerned authorities for labelling Muslims as ter-
rorists, simply because of their religious identity. This policy
cannot be described as that of appeasing Muslims. It aims to
secure them justice, which as Indian citizens they are constitu-
tionally entitled to. It aims to prevent arrest of Muslims as sus-
pect terrorists, without their being any substantial proof against
them.
But if the BJP has chosen to attack Congress-led UPA gov-
ernment for its Muslim appeasement policy, the nature of its
political design cannot be missed. The BJP is apparently bent
on using this communal card with the hope of winning support
of the majority Hindu community. If the next parliamentary
elections were not round the corner, the BJP may not have been
probably tempted to go overboard in lashing against the so-
called Muslim appeasement policy of the central govern-
ment, which really does not exist!
Speaki ng Out
Illusory
Muslim
Appeasement
NI LOFAR SUHRAWARDY
DR MOHAMMAD MANZOOR ALAM
Mohammad Khalid Mujahid, an accused in
a blast case of 2007, died mysteriously on
May 19 while being taken to Lucknow jail
from Faizabad court. The man had no his-
tory of heart disease or any symptom
related to any disease that could lead to
sudden death.
The police, in whose custody the
death occurred, said he felt uneasy on
way to Lucknow and was taken to
Barabanki hospital where doctors declared
him brought-dead. Mujahids lawyer
alleged foul play, as did his family. Death in
police custody or jail is a serious issue
attracting public condemnation and fixing
of accountability.
Medias silence on the issue has been
deafening. The moral outrage shown by TV
anchors on recent events of similar custo-
dial deaths was completely absent. The
Indian Express put a small news item on
the front page and, to its credit, mentioned
that superintendents of both Lucknow and
Faizabad jails said he was hale and hearty
when he left Lucknow and Faizabad jails
respectively. Foul play in police custody
seems to be only a natural conclusion.
Recently, the Nimesh Commission,
formed by the UP government, had con-
cluded that Khalid Mujahid and his fellow
accused were wrongly implicated in the
case. The government, following the com-
mission report, had asked the Barabanki
court to drop the case. However, the court
rejected the plea. Meanwhile, he has been
removed from the scene extrajudicially.
The moral crusader, The Times of India,
buried the two-paragraph news item in
page 11.
So, where is the outrage and six-col-
umn to eight-column headlines and the
constant, noisy chatter on TV 24x7?
The UP government has announced
a CBI enquiry. But what happened to all
those enquiries into all those anti-
Muslim riots under Akhilesh raj? We
wonder whether this custodial death too
is going to be whitewashed away in a
conducive environment of conspiratorial
silence.
Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh
must be knowing what it is going to mean
in terms of Muslim votes. As a measure of
appeasement, the UP government nomi-
nated a Muslim minister of state within
hours, which reminded people of the lol-
lipop Narasimha Rao offered Muslims after
presiding over the demolition of Babri
Masjid and mass murder of Muslims. Rao
made Zafar Saifullah the Cabinet Secretary
to Government of India. Saifullah was
heartless enough to accept it.
Medias conspiracy of silence is com-
pounded by the unprofessional, communal
and loutish attitude of some lawyers who
physically assaulted Mujahids lawyer. The
local police, too, do not seem to be per-
turbed over the decline in standards of the
bars behaviour. The police said they could
not do anything against the culprits as the
FIR contained only their surnames like
Verma and Sharma.
Amazingly, the thanedar sahib did not
bother to know their first names. So, how
do we describe this state of affairs?
ANALYSIS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 11 www.milligazette.com
Conspiracy of Silence
Why the vociferous TV anchors and wordy editorialisers are quiet on the mysterious death of a
Muslim youth in police custody in Uttar Pradesh...
Medias conspiracy of silence is compounded by the unprofessional, communal and loutish attitude
of some lawyers who physically assaulted Mujahids lawyer. The local police, too, do not seem to be
perturbed over the decline in standards of the bars behaviour. The police said they could not do any-
thing against the culprits as the FIR contained only their surnames like Verma and Sharma.
Jamaat-e Islami
Central Shuras
resolutions
New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind held its Central Advisory Council
(CAC) four-day session at its headquarters here in mid-May. The
session demanded:
CBI:
It is not possible to restore confidence in this agency unless and
until necessary amendments are made to pronounce its inde-
pendent status.
Quality of politicians:
Evils like corruption cannot be rooted out with mere legislation
unless and until the persons holding responsible posts do have
in their hearts the fear of God, believe that their Creator and
Master is watching them and that they have to be accountable to
Him for each and every act of theirs. It is this sense of accounta-
bility before God which in fact prohibits individuals from wrong-
doing and treading the wrong path. What is needed is that along
with stringent legislation, appointment of men of sterling charac-
ter to responsible posts and binding politics with values, the
attention of the ranks and files of the country is drawn towards the
shaping of their morals and character.
Bangladesh:
The process of wreaking violence and atrocities against political
rivals especially the leaders and supporters of Bangladesh
Jamaat-e-Islami by the Awami League government in Bangladesh
has been on for long. Now this process has been extended to the
common Muslims as well, the biggest proof of which is the inflic-
tion of uncalled for atrocities by government security agencies on
the activists of a mass movement called Hefazat-e-Islam in Dhaka
on 5-6 May. These people had gathered there in thousands to
demand stern laws against blasphemy and to stringently punish
the blasphemers of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
to him). But the government used excessive power to disperse
them. The leaders of Hefazat-e-Islam were forcefully thrown out
of Dhaka and newspapers and TV channels supporting Hefazat-
e-Islam were banned According to the news reports by authen-
tic national and international media, violence, destructive activi-
ties, arson, attacks on masses and desecration of the Holy Quran
are in fact being perpetrated by state agents and the blame for
these acts is levelled against Hefazat-e-Islam movement. The fact
is that after seeing the protests of 5-6 May the Awami League
government has lost its senses and wants to crush the mass
movement rising against it at any cost.
Syria:
The situation in Syria is getting complicated day by day; incidents
of violence and blood-letting are on the increase; civil-war-like
condition is prevailing. Israel is benefitting from this situation
The Bashar al-Asad government of Syria is responsible for this
entire situation; for it, having used undue force against its own cit-
izens, is killing them. The news of desecration of the graves of
Hajr bin Adi and other revered personalities in Syria is also a mat-
ter of concern for the Ummah.
Controversial AFSPA
completes 55 years despite
protests for its removal
Imphal: It has been 55 years since the contro-
versial Armed Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA) was first introduced. The longest
demonstration against it has been on in
Manipur with Irom Sharmila on a fast for over
12 years now.
This April, Rashida Manjoo, the United
Nations envoy on Violence Against Women listened to a group of
40 women, including the mother of Manorama Devi.
In 2004, Manorama, a 32-year-old was picked up from her
home, brutally raped and murdered allegedly by Assam Rifles per-
sonnel. In July that year, Manipur erupted in protest and some
women stood naked in front of the Indian paramilitary headquar-
ters in Imphal. Outside Kangla Fort, 12 women disrobed them-
selves protesting the rape and murder of Manorama Devi.
After nine years, many have forgotten that protest and it
seems that even now no one is listening to the protestors main
demand: the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.
Manorama Devis mother, barely willing to engage with ques-
tions, is yet hopeful for justice. I am hopeful after the UN repre-
sentatives visit. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Manipur
must go. Only then peace will come, she said. Her brother, how-
ever, is pessimistic. This wont help us. There was even the
Jeevan Reddy report. The government will do what it wants to
do, he said.
The root cause of this violence many believe is the Armed
Forces Special Powers Act introduced on May 22, 1958 by an act
of Parliament to stop the Naga insurgency. It gives sweeping pow-
ers to the security forces. They can arrest without a warrant and
kill someone on suspicion without the fear of prosecution.
Former Apunba Lup President, Lokendra Arambam said, I
dont find any instances of liberal democracy when you live in a
world of violence, the world of repression and obsession with a
particular act.
The Justice Verma Commission had suggested the imminent
need to look into the continuance of the AFSPA. Yet the act con-
tinues in the name of counter-insurgency, throttling normal life -
more than 55 years after it first came into existence (Arijit Sen,
ibnlive.in.com, May 23, 2013).
ASGHAR ALI ENGINEER,
distinguished Islamic
scholar, reformist and
progressive Bohra leader,
social reformer and intel-
lectual died in Mumbai
after a prolonged illness
on 14 May at the age of
74 years. He was known
all over the world as a
moderate Muslim intel-
lectual who responded to all sober and wild criticisms
about Muslims and Islam in a moderate and convincing
manner. An author of more than 50 books and thou-
sands of thought provoking articles of academic, reli-
gious, political and historical interests, he was hon-
oured with many national and international awards and
honours. Himself born in an orthodox Bohra family, he
strongly opposed dictatorial and orthodox views and
acts of Bohra spiritual head Sayyadna Burhanuddin for
his undisputed authority and self-aggrandisement. For
his opposition to Bohra Head and steps to reform Bohra
community, he was removed from Bohra fold. He set
up organisations like Centre for the Study of Society of
Secularism for the promotion of secularism and com-
munal harmony and the Institute of Islamic Studies in
1980 for promoting Islams universal message of liber-
alism, equality and harmony. He leaves behind one son
and one daughter.
MAULANA ASEERUDDIN SALFI, head of Haryana
states Ahl-e Hadees and a member of Markazi Jamiat
Ahl-e Hadees-e Hinds Majlis-e Shoora and its execu-
tive committee died on 11 May after a prolonged illness
at the age of 75 years. In addition to being a religious
scholar he was a hakeem also.
Dr KHWAJIA
M. SHAHID, a
former Registrar
of Jamia Millia
Islamia and for-
mer Cour t
Member of AMU
and Jamia Millia
I s l a m i a .
University, has
been appointed Pro Vice Chancellor of
Maulana Azad National Urdu University,
Hyderabad. In addition to the posts men-
tioned above, he also held many other impor-
tant government posts like Director, Institute
of Secretarial Training, Joint Secretary of
UPSC etc. He is also the compiler of 3 Urdu
and one English books as well as member of
many important professional and educational
institutions.
NAJEEB JUNG, Vice Chancellor of Jamia
Millia Islamia University has been appointed a
member of Finance ministrys Exper ts
Committee which has been assigned with the
task of finding out the difference between col-
lective per capita income at national level and
individual per capita income at state level. For
doing so the experts committee will have to
consider the reason/s of backwardness in
different states and submit its report to the
government within two months.
Prof JAVED ALI KHAN of AMUs Physical
and Sports Education Department has been
honoured with Emeritus Fellowship by
University Grants Commission for two years
in recognition of his valuable researches and
contributions in the science of physical and
sports education. Author of six books and
more than 50 specialised and researched
articles which have been published in nation-
al and international journals, he has also been
appointed coordinator for 5 years in recogni-
tion of his research in sports psychology and
sports bio mechanics. He is the first profes-
sor of physical education in the country who
has been honoured with Emeritus Fellowship.
SHAH FAISAL, former Assistant Secretary of
Delhi State Haj Committee has been appoint-
ed new Director of Delhi State Minorities
Financial Corporation. He took over the
charge of his new post on 17/05/13
CHAUDHARI MATEEN AHMAD, Chairman of
Delhi Waqf Board has been appointed Chairman
of Delhi Development Committee of North-East
district of Delhi by Delhi governments General
Administration Department. Similarly, chairmen
of Delhi Development Committees of all the 11
districts of Delhi have been appointed.
HAKIM MUHAMMAD ASLAM, a teacher in
Jamia Hamdards Faculty of Unani Medicines
was conferred Ph D Degree for his research
works on Process and effects of some Unani
medicines in kidney diseases. He completed
his research treatise under the supervision of
Prof Rameshwar Dayal and Dr Kaleem Javed.
He is the first unani Hakeem who holds a
PhD Degree also.
Ms NAWAZISH KALEEM of Mangalore town
of Uttarkhand not only qualified the PCS
(Provincial Civic Service) (J) examination but
also topped in the entire state. After doing
graduation and LLB from AMU she appeared
in PCS (J) examination. Out of more than 800
candidates who appeared for this examina-
tion, 87 candidates were called by the
Commission for interview for 8 vacancies in
which she topped and secured No 1 posiiton
in the entire state.
Ms AASMA ASLAM, director of Muslim Girls
Degree College, Muradabad has been appoint-
ed Vice President of All India Muslim Federation.
Haji Naseem Ahmad Khan, advocate and
President of All India Muslim Federation said
that the objectives of this Federation are to try to
solve the problems of Muslims, to take concrete
steps for promoting higher education among
Muslims and to sincerely and strongly try for 20
percent reservation for them.
QAISAR SHAMEEM, a retired I R S officer
was unanimously elected chairman of Haj
Committee of India in the meeting held at
India Islamic Cultural Centre on 22 May. In
addition to him, Marghoobur Rahman
(Karnataka) and Noorul Islam, M P from West
Bengal were elected Vice Chairmen of the Haj
Committee of India. This meeting was
chaired by its senior member Raja Ameer
Ahmad and was attended among others by
CEO Dr Shakir Husain and government repre-
sentatives A R Ghanshyam (Jt Secretary,
external affairs ministry), A K Kaushik
(Director), Vivek, Under Secretary any many
others. It may be stated that other members
of the Haj committee of India were already
selected earlier.
MEN & WOMEN IN NEWS
OBITUARIES
12 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 NEWSMAKERS www.milligazette.com
Urdu poet WASEEM BAREILVI, Hindi poet
GOPAL DAS NEERAJ, Ms SHALINI JOSHI were
honoured with Kaifi Azmi Award at Sangeet
Natak Academy premises at a function held in
connection with (late) poet Kaifi Azmis death
anniversary on 2 May. The Award consisted of a
shawl, a souvenir and certificate. On this occa-
sion poet, lyricist and film script writer Javed
Akhtar (Kaifi Azmis son-in-law) presented his
drama Kaifi aur Main (Kaifi and I) in which he
himself played the role of Kaifi and his wife
Shabana Azmi played the role of her mother Mrs
Shaukat Azmi.
JAWED TARIQ, a sixth class student of AMUs
STS High School, Minto Circle who topped in the
whole state of U P in state level Talent Search
Parakh 2013, was given a cash prize of
Rs 15,000 and commendation certificate by
Dr Ahmad Hasan, UPs minister for health and
welfare.
MUHAMMAD AHMAD SANABALI, a product of
Jamia Islamia Sanabil which is a part of Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad Islamic Awakening Centre and
presently a student of M. Phil in JNU who had
topped in graduation in the entire University was
honoured with President of India Gold Medal for
excellence in education, literary services and
extra curricular activities. Earlier also he has
been honoured with many other awards includ-
ing Madras Universitys Award for linguistics
which was given to him in the beginning of the
current year.
SHAH RUKH KHAN, Bollywood film actor has
been honoured with Shivaji Ganesan Award by
Vijay TV in recognition of his good roles and per-
formances in 2012 films. This Award was insti-
tuted in the memory of South India (Tamil
Nadu)s super film star Shivaji Ganesan. The
Award was given to him by Kamal Hasan, anoth-
er super star of Tamil Nadu.
NAZEER FATEHPURIS new anthology of poems
titled Titliyon bhara Aasmaan has been selected
by Rajasthan Urdu Academy for being honoured
with a cash prize of Rs 12000. In addition to this
he has also been honoured with different nation-
al and international awards in recognition of his
literary services.
SHARAFAT YAAR KHAN Hosh Nomani,
Rampurs senior poet and authors anthologies
of poems Bayan Apna and Itmaam have been
selected by Bihar Urdu Academy for being hon-
oured with Fazal Haq Azad Award consisting of a
cheque of Rs 7500 and commendation certifi-
cate. His another anthology of poems titled
Itmam has also been selected for an Award of
Rs 5000. In addition to many anthologies of
poems in Urdu, he has also written some books
in prose and at least two books of poetry in Hindi
like Indra Dhanush and Ghao Shabdon ke
(injuries of words).
Kashmiri student gets scholarship
A Kashmiri student studying Political Science at
Jamia Millia Islamia University Delhi was on
Friday awarded Irom Sharmila Scholarship.
IYMON MAJEED, a third semester student,
received the scholarship for his in-depth analy-
sis on Armed Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA) in Kashmir. The scholarship, worth Rs
50,000, was chosen by a jury comprised of fac-
ulty members of various universities in Delhi.
Pertinently, the scholarship was instituted by a
Delhi University professor in the name of Irom
Sharmila, who has been on a fast unto death for
repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers)
Act, 1958.
DR. M.I.H. FAROOQI, a prominent retired
Scientist of NBRI was conferred Hindi Urdu
Sahitya Committee Award, by Uttar Pradesh
Governor B.L. Joshi, for his contribution
towards propagation of Science and scientific
temper through his writings in Urdu and English.
His works on the Plants of Quran and Prophetic
Traditions (both in English and Urdu) as well as
books and articles on Indian Herbal products like
the Dictionary of Indian Gums, Indian Plants of
Commercial value, have been acclaimed interna-
tionally as authentic works on the subject.
Fakhre Maharashtra award to Feroz Rashid
Feroz Rashid, a renowned
and popular Urdu poet
and dramatist of Nanded
has been awarded with
Fakhre Maharashtra by
Jai Hind Sewabhavi
Sanstha Parbhani at the
hands of the Vice
Chancellor of
Marathwada Agriculture University on 1 May. He
is a famous poet of South India and has to his
credit two collections of poems, viz., Aineki
Ankh and Aadhi raat ke ansoo and a collection of
Urdu drama, Ummid. His poem on Urdu is
included in the syllabus of std ix of Board of
Studuies of Maharashtra. (Naseem Deshmukh,
Jalgaon)
TCN journo gets Simmi award
Chandigarh: Assistant Editor of twocircles.net,
Mohammad Reyaz, has got the tenth Young
Outstanding Web-Journalist Award at a felicita-
tion programme organized at the Chandigarh
Press Club on April 3. Simmi Marwaha was a
journalist who died very young in March 2003 in
a road accident at Chandigarh. Her family and
well wishers together star ted the Simmi
Marwaha Memorial Charitable Trust, which for
last one decade felicitates young journalists
every year.
Mother of Simmi Marwaha and Managing
Trustee Rajinder Rosy said, My daughter, who
was not only a journalist but also used to write
poems, was active in NCC, and was an upright
citizen and honest person, died very young and
all her potentials were crushed. Through this
felicitation each year, the Trust wants to
acknowledge and promote other young journal-
ists.
This year three young journalists were felic-
itated in print, electronic and web category.
Besides Reyaz, Gurpreet Singh Talwandi (print)
and Manoj Nagar (Television) were also felicitat-
ed.
Reyaz was given the award for his post riot
series on Assam, Bodoland violence 2012,
published in December 2012-January 2013.
Baljit Marwah, while announcing the award,
appreciated the focused reporting and writing
on the community, while elaborating on the
advantages of internet media.
AWARDS
Meo girl on Rajasthan merit list
The first Meo Muslim Girl Ravina Khan achieved the 8th Merit in Rajsthan Board examination of 12th in
arts stream at State level. Since independence, not a single Muslim girl or boy has figured in the state
merit list. Ravina belongs to a very poor family. Her mother, Sayra, works in Aganwadi as Sahyogini and
receives 1100 rupees per month. Ravina received 91.40% marks in her examination. She helps her
mother in household work. Her mother was the first girl in her village who passed matric. She may be
congratulated on her mothers mobile number 08003385627. (Noor Mohammad)
Twocircles.net reporter Mohammad Reyaz receiving Simmi Marwaha award
Khalid Mujahids death galvanises Muslims
SPECIAL REPORT The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 13 www.milligazette.com
MG/Yusuf
Maya Kodnani, Babu
Bajrangi should get death
in Naroda Patiya case
When did I say so?
I dont remember.
Modi government takes a U-turn on Kodnani,
withholds decision on death penalty
New Delhi: Once again the Indian Muslim com-
munity is outraged to a level never seen since the
Batla House murders, called "encounter" by the
Delhi Police. Once again the community has
taken to streets in all big and small towns and
major organisations have unequivocally con-
demned Khalid Mujahid's murder in custody on
18 May while he was being transported from
Faizabad court to Lucknow jail.
Various protest demonstrations have been
organised since in various places but the biggest
one is the on-going sit-in-protest of Rihai Manch
in front of the U.P. assembly at Lucknow since
22 May. The sit-in is demanding the arrest of the
police officers who are involved in the murder of
Khalid, release of the Nimesh Commission
report and other demands (see box).
Addressing the protesters, secretary of the
National Loktantrik Party Chaudhery Chandra Pal
Singh, said that the Samajwadi Party has gone
into the lap of Sangh Privar so as to reap the
crops of Hindu communal votes. He said Khalid
Mujahid has been murdered by branding him as
a terrorist just like Ishrat Jahan in Gujarat. It is to
be remembered that the UP STF had hurriedly
produced Khalid Mujahid before the court after
Chandra Pal Sigh had threatened to immolate
himself at Azamgarh on 22 December 2007 if
the adducted Khalid Mujahid and Tariq Qasmi
were not produced.
Advocate Randhir Singh Suman, counsel of
Khalid Mujahid at Barabanki said that rather than
Khalid and Tariq the actual terrorists are the
policemen who unlawfully arrest and implicate
innocent people in terror cases.
Rihai Manch protesters put 16 questions
(see box) before the Muslim MLAs of Samajwadi
Party threatening that if they fail to answer, Rihai
Manch will organise sit-ins in front of such MLAs
and MPs' houses.
The protesters demanded the immediate
arrest of the retired Inspector General Vikram
Sigh who had hatched the conspiracy to get
Khalid Mujahid killed. Chairman of the Rihai
Manch Advocate Mohammad Shoaib and others
addressed the on-going sit-in.
In Delhi, Police did not allow protesters on
23 May to proceed from Jantar Mantar to the UP
Resident Commissioners' office in the city to
register their protest.
The protestors at Jantar Mantar were also
condemning the clean chit given to BJP leader
Varun Gandhi in a hate speech case.
On the complaint of his uncle Zaheer Alam
Falahi, a case was registered on 19 May against
42 police officers including former DGP Vikram
Singh, ADG Brijlal and others who were on duty
during the time of Khalid's arrest for murder and
conspiracy.
In a sudden move, Akhilesh Yadav-led UP
government on 21 May suspended nine police-
men who accompanied Khalid Mujahid while
escorting him from Faizabad to Lucknow Jail on
18 May. These suspended nine police officers
are different from these 42 policemen. Earlier UP
government has ordered for a CBI enquiry into
the causes of death as even the autopsy report
was inconclusive in finding out the exact cause
of death. But the CBI has reportedly refused to
accept the U.P. government request.
Earlier about 50 thousand people took part
in the janaza (funeral) prayers of Khalid Mujahid
in his village of Madhiyahu in Azamgarh on 19
May.
ZAFARUL-ISLAM KHAN
Questions put forth by Rihai
Manch before the Muslim MLAs
and ministers of Samajwadi Party
1. Zaheer Alam Falahi, uncle of Khalid Mujahid, has registered a
named FIR against the policemen involved for his murder.
Nothing has been done so far as no arrests and no dismissals
have been made. What are your views with regard to this? Why
there is no action on your part? Will you resign? If yes, when?
2. Did you raise the issue of the release of the innocents in the
Assembly? What was the reply of the government? If not raised,
why?
3. Did you put the issue in any of the committees of the
Assembly? What was the reply of the government? If did not,
why?
4. Did you raise any question in the state assembly regarding the
terror-related arrests during the SP government in UP. What was
it? What was the reply? If not, why?
5. Did you raise the demand to make public the RD Nimesh
Commission report? If you did, how and when. If not, why?
6. If your government does not release innocent Muslim youths,
would you resign from your membership of the Assembly? If
yes, when? If no, why not?
7. Are you satisfied with your party's view of not raising the Batla
House fake encounter in Parliament? Yes, or no, and why?
8. Do you consider that the working style of Intelligence
Agencies and ATS is communal? Yes or no? And why?
9. Do you consider that it is proper for the US and Israel to train
Indian officers of the Intelligence Agencies and ATS? Yes or no?
And why?
10. Do you think Shivpal Singh Yadav's recent visit to Israel was
proper? Yes or no? And why?
11. Do you agree to the views of social organisations and
human right organisations that the Indian Mujahideen (IM) is a
fake terror outfit operated by the Indian Intelligence Bureau, and
do you support their demand of a white paper on this issue by
the Central government? Yes or no? And why?
12. The alleged mid-night terror attack of 31 December
2007/2008 on the Rampur CRPF Camp is reported by media and
human rights organisations as exchange of fire between consta-
bles/recruits resulting out of liquor consuming. Did you raise any
question regarding this incident in the Assembly? If yes, what
was the answer? If not, why?
13. Two Bajrang Dal activists died in a blast in 2008 in Kanpur,
while they were making bombs, and a large amount of explo-
sives was also recovered. The demand for the inquiry of this
incident is being made for a long time. Did you raise any ques-
tion regarding this incident in the Assembly? If yes, what was the
answer? If not, why?
14. An inquiry commission was constituted under the chairman-
ship of Justice IS Mathur, a sitting judge of the Lucknow bench
of Allahabad High Court, to inquire into the communal conduct
of the then SSP AC Sharma in 1992. It submitted its report to the
state government in 1998. Did you raise the demand in the
Assembly to make the report public? If yes, what was the
answer? If not, why?
15. Regarding the riots during the current Samajwadi govern-
ment in UP, questions have been raised about the conduct of the
office-bearers of the party, cabinet ministers and parliamentari-
ans of the party. Did you raise any question regarding this issue
in the Assembly? If yes, what was the answer? If not, why?
16. News has been coming out regularly regarding the exploita-
tion of innocent Muslim youths imprisoned in the name of terror.
Did you raise any question regarding this issue in the Assembly?
If yes, what was the answer? If not, why?
Issued by Mohammad Shoaib, Rajiv Yadav, Shahnawaz Alam,
Hare Ram Mishra, Raghvendra Pratap Singh, Tariq Shafeeq, Anil
Azmi, Mohammad Arif, Chaudhery Meharban Ali, Tipu Sultan,
Syed Moid Ahmad, Mohammad Asif, Shane Elahi, Aftab Khan,
Haji Mohammad Faheem, Bhaskar Chand Upadhyay and
Yogendra Yadav (Allahbad Uni.) 24 May 2013.
(Translated from Hindi by Nadim Ahmad)
Demo in Lucknow on 22 May
Demo in Lucknow on 25 May
Demo in Azamgarh on 25 May
Demo in Delhi on 24 May
Demo in Lucknow: Indian National League President Muhammad Sulaiman raising slogans
Govt to distribute scholarships directly
New Delhi: Union minister for minorities affairs K. Rahman Khan
said that his ministry has decided not to depend on state govern-
ments for distribution of pre-matric scholarships to students
belonging to minority communities but will itself give these schol-
arships to the students directly. He said that this problem has been
discussed with officials and his ministry will now take full respon-
sibility for distributing these scholarships, so that maximum num-
ber of such students could benefit from this scheme. The decision
not to depend on state governments is mainly because of
Gujarats Modi governments refusal to implement this scheme on
the ground, claiming that this scheme is biased in favour of cer-
tain religious communities which is in violation of constitutional
provisions. He also said that there are already such schemes in
Gujarat for the benefit of poor students belonging to all communi-
ties without any religious discrimination and because of this, there
is no need of central governments scheme which, according to
him, is discriminatory (implying that it does not cover poor Hindu
students, though he has not said this openly). However, when this
scheme was brought to the notice of Gujarat High Court through
a petition, its verdict was that central governments scheme is not
in violation of the Constitution. Modi government challenged this
verdict of the High Court in the Supreme Court, requesting it to
stay the High Courts verdict. The Supreme Court refused to stay
the Gujarat High Courts verdict but reserved its verdict till a fur-
ther date.
It may be stated that Pre-matric scholarship scheme was
introduced by central government (minorities affairs ministry) in
2008 under which students belonging to 5 minority communities
i.e. Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis whose par-
ents annual income was Rs. one lakh or less were given these
scholarships, 75 percent of which was to be given by the central
government and the remaining 25 percent by state governments.
In addition to Gujarat government which flatly refused to imple-
ment this scheme, it was found that some other states also,
though not refusing to implement, were implementing it very slow-
ly and half heartedly by laying down many conditions for getting
these scholarships. Hence minority students in many states were
either deprived of these scholarships or were facing too many dif-
ficulties in obtaining them. This prompted K. Rahman Khan and his
ministry not to depend on states at all but to distribute these
amounts directly among the minority students. Rahman Khan said
that every body knows Modis thinking and views but since this
matter is still pending in the Supreme Court, he would not like to
say any thing about it (legality or illegality of this scheme) but in
any case a suitable mechanism for implementing this scheme
directly by the central government will be devised soon.
Justice Palok Basu Committees solution of Ayodhya dispute
Ayodhya: A 7-member sub-committee constituted under the con-
venership of Allahabad High Courts retired judge, Justice Palok
Basu has finalised its proposals for the solution of the Ayodhya
dispute (Babri Masjid - Ram Mandir). It may be stated that retired
judge Palok Basu has been trying, with his own initiative, for many
years to find an amicable solution to this problem. The proposal
contains 4 points and was read out in a meeting held at Tulsi
Smarak Bhavan and chaired by Mahant Janmay Jiye Shran,
President of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Seva Committee held at the
end of April, though leaders of All India Hindu Mahasabha had
strongly opposed it. According to this proposal, Ram Mandir
should be built at the place where Ram Lalla or rather his idol is
presently placed, the land allotted by High Court to Muslims
should be enclosed but left untouched, another piece of land
should be acquired near Yusufs aara machine (saw) in the occu-
pied compound, for building of the mosque, and the dispute
should be settled by mutual talks by the people of Ayodhya and
Faizabad.
Three technical colleges and seven IITs to be set up in Mewat
Nuh (Mewat): Chairman of Haryana Haj Committee and MLA
Aftab Ahmad said here that the state government has taken many
steps to provide technical education and employment to Muslim
youth. He said that the biggest industrial training institute (IIT) of
the state is being built in Nuh (Mewat) at a cost of several crores
of rupees. Another IIT, named Nagina IIT is being built at Firozpur
Jharoka. He said that building work on both these IITs is complete.
He said that in addition to these, work will soon start for building.
7 new IITs and 3 technical colleges on which hundred crore
rupees will be spent. The three technical colleges or polytechnics
will be set up at Andry, Malab and Rewason of Nuh area. Each of
these colleges will be set up on 10 acres land and will cost more
than Rs 13 crores each. Lands for these colleges have been reg-
ularised from the concerned Panchayets and details sent to
Vocational Department. Separate IITs for boys and girls at Pinhana
and Pangwaan and another new IIT will be set up in Jhamwas
SC asks government to frame 5-year Haj policy
New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench consisting of Justice Aftab
Alam and Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai directed the government
to frame a 5-year Haj policy to replace of the existing annual plan,
which it called ad hoc and unsatisfactory, while paying due atten-
tion to special needs of women pilgrims. The Bench said this pol-
icy should be framed in this year itself and should be called Haj
Policy 2013-17. In addition to paying attention to special needs of
lady pilgrims it should also aim at making their travel and other
requirements as smooth and trouble-free as possible. The Bench
accepted most of the recommendations of senior advocate (Ms)
Huzefa Ahmadi who was appointed by the court as amicus curiae
and said that the Haj process must be completed within a time-
bound period and no authority should interfere in the process of
submission of applications, scrutiny and allotment of seats by the
Haj Committees, adding at the same time that this policy may be
altered only when there are changes in the arrangements with the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Bench also approved governments policy of allowing
those who have already performed Haj earlier to accompany eld-
erly pilgrims ladies as mehrams i.e. close relatives of women pil-
grims with whom marriage is not allowed under Shariat (real
brothers, father sons etc). The Bench also directed that schedule
for applying, scrutiny of applications etc should be published suf-
ficiently in advance with firm cut-off dates in this policy itself so
that the general public is informed well in advance about these
dates which should be firm or final and should not be extended
at any cost.
Popular Fronts School Chalo campaign
New Delhi: Popular Front of India (PFI), NGO which has been car-
rying on a national campaign for the education of children all over
the country under the slogan of School Chalo, started its cam-
paign in Delhi on 25 April from Red Fort ground in the morning.
Small school children with banners and placards with writings like
School Chalo, Taalim hamara buniyadi haq hai etc took part in this
campaign. Coordinator of National Commission for Backward
Classes, Dr Tajuddin Ansari speaking on this occasion shed light
on the importance of education and said that for the progress of
our society our first preference should be providing education to
all, with special emphasis on the education of girls. Fronts secre-
tary OMA Salam, who chaired this function said that ensuring pro-
vision of education to every child is the responsibility of all parents
so that education should be imparted to all children without any
discrimination on grounds of economic condition, sex or religion.
It may be stated that the Front has made short term and long
term plans for the empowerment of weaker sections of society.
The first part of this campaign was started by the Front in January
& February 2013 under which it had distributed 26000 school kits
(consisting of reading and writing materials etc) to students in
West Bengal and Manipur. Under the present campaign which
started from 25 April from Delhis Red Fort and will continue till
June, PFI will distribute one lakh school kits to small boys and
girls, students in villages all over the country. In this campaign
emphasis will be laid on creating awareness about the importance
and necessity of education, propagating the governments
scheme of education for all and right to education to as many
households as possible. Fronts activities in this mission also
include carrying out educational surveys, (free) distribution of
school kits to children, incentives to and encouragement of stu-
dents who secure good marks, awareness creating programmes
among parents and children, arranging re-admission in schools of
drop out students etc.
554 girls schools sanctioned in Muslim majority districts
New Delhi: Union minister of state for HRD Shashi Tharoor told the
Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question by Chowdhary
Munnawwar Saleem on 26 April that government has given its
sanction for opening of 554 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Schools in 71
Muslim majority districts of the country, of which the maximum
i.e. 219 schools are in UP. He further said that in West Bengal there
are 51 Kasturba Gandhi Balika school, in Uttarakhand there are 9
such schools, in Madhya Pradesh 2, in Rajasthan 3, in Manipur 1,
in Jharkhand 40, in J&K 69, in Haryana 6, in Gujarat 8, in Bihar
102 and in Assam 34 such schools have been opened. He said
that Kasturba Gandhi Balika Schools are opened in those selected
and educationally backward blocks where rural female literacy is
less than the national average.
Demand to declare Tipu Sultan the inventor of the missile
Bareilli: Office bearers of Shaheed Nawab Khan Bahadur Society in
a letter to the prime minister sent through the district magistrate,
have demanded that Tipu Sultan be declared worlds first Indian
inventor of missiles. They have written in this letter that the Sultan
in his war against the British in May 1799 the Indian army had
used missiles / rockets. It is also written that after properly exam-
ining and investigating his historic invention he should be declared
the worlds first Indian inventor of missile or rocket. It is further
written in this letter that the Indian scientist and missile man, for-
mer President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam has written in his book
NASA Space, New York that a large photo of Tipu Sultan is put up
in NASA Space Centre in which Tipu Sultans Indian army has
been shown fighting against the army of British rulers of India and
Tipus army has been shown using missiles / rockets in this war.
The letter further says that former President Abdul Kalam being
inspired by Tipu Sultan had developed the missile with a firing
range of 2,500 kilometres for the defence of the country and he
has described Tipu Sultan as the first inventor of the rocket.
Famous researcher R. K. Ramakrishnan after his researches has
come to the conclusion that Tipu Sultan had invented the missile /
rocket in Karnataks Srirangapatnams Fort. He (Ramakrishnan)
has also claimed about the 200 years old missiles found in the
ruins of Srirangapatnams Fort that the missiles or rockets that are
being used in the world today are a result of the missile invented
by Tipu Sultan which prove the technical capabilities and advance-
ment of India. It is a matter of great honour and pride for we
Indians.
It may be stated in this connection that Tipu Sultan achieved
martyrdom on 4 May 1799 while fighting the British armies, after
which the British occupied Mysore. On that day the British had
declared that today India is theirs. In this letter it has been strong-
ly stressed that Tipu Sultan should be declared the inventor of the
missile (or rockets). Among the signatories of this letter are Azhar
Yar Khan, Subhashwadi, Tanweer Ahmad Khan, Ram Kumar
Sharma, Aqeel Ahmad etc.
Rs 175 crore allocated for Madrasa education in 2013-14
New Delhi: Union HRD minister of state Shashi Tharoor said in
written reply to a question by Muhammad Adeeb and Sabir Ali
in the Rajya Sabha that a budget of Rs 175 crores has been
allocated in the financial year 2013-14 under the scheme to
provide standard education in madrasas. According to the
information given by him, during the last three years Rs. 104
crores, Rs. 150 crores and Rs. 195 crores were provided
under this scheme during the (financial) years 2010-11, 2011-
12 and 2012-13 respectively. He fur ther said that the expens-
es in these three years were Rs. 101.47 crores, Rs. 139.53
and Rs. 182.49 crores respectively. In a written reply to anoth-
er question he said that in the 12th 5-Year Plan more emphasis
has been laid on the implementation of higher education
scheme. In reply to yet another question if there is some gov-
ernment scheme of opening of IITs in Muslim populated
regions for the educational progress of minorities he said that
there is no plan or proposal to open new or additional IITs in
places where they (minorities / Muslims) are in a fair majority.
Masjid Bhoori Bhatiari is not the samadhi of sati: court
New Delhi: A Tees Hazari court of Delhi while rejecting a petition
filed by Saweet Sangh Keertan Durga Bhajan Mandali way back in
1980 had claimed that this is not a Masjid but in fact the samad-
hi of a sativarta woman (that is a woman who had committed sati
on the death of her husband) said in its verdict on 9 May that
Masjid Bhoori Bhatiyari (also called Bhooli Bhatiyari by some peo-
ple) is not the samadhi of sati (probably meaning the samadhi of
some woman who had committed sati). They had claimed that it
was destroyed (by Muslims) and a Masjid built in its place. This
petition had been pending in this court ever since i.e. for about 33
years but the court had not been in a position to pronounce its ver-
dict until now. During this period the Bhajan Mandali had filed
another petition also saying that when the case was pending in the
court, construction of minarets in the mosque was therefore ille-
gal and hence this place should be handed over to the mandali.
The Bhajan Mandali however had not presented any concrete and
reliable proofs in support of its claim and on the day of judgement
it was not present also. The court therefore rejected Bhajan
Mandalis claim.
Masjid Committees patron Ameenuddin, expressing satisfac-
tion at the courts verdict, said that they had been fighting this
case for the past 33 years and now have succeeded. It is said that
this mosque is about 200 years old and ruins of some old monu-
ments are found around this mosque. It is not known what step
will be taken next by the mandali but the Masjid Committee is pre-
pared to take all steps to counter mandalis stand if any. The court
will pronounce its written verdict soon.
Saharanpur: Former Vice Chancellor of AMU and presently the
Administrator of Haryana Waqf Board, Naseem Ahmad said here
in reply to a question about the Universitys minority character by
mediapersons that the universitys own people have caused max-
imum harm to its minority character. He said that because of
strong demand by Muslims, the government through amendment
in 1980 had restored its minority character. If the then V.C. would
have allowed 50 percent reservation of admission of Muslim stu-
dents, it would have been beneficial for the Millat and the
Universitys minority character also would have become safe and
secure. He further said that none of the VCs upto the year 2005
tried to protect and promote Universitys minority character,
adding that if during this period arrangements for 50 percent
reservation of Muslim students would have been made, it would
have had long term efforts.
He said that in 2005 when he took over as VC of AMU, con-
ditions had changed very much and the political scenario also
had changed but in spite of all this he had made arrangements for
50 percent reservation for Muslims in all subjects and in all
departments but the opponents of the University did not tolerate
this and challenged it in the High Court. Since then the matter is
pending in the court. He said that as Administrator of Haryana
Waqf Board he has set up an Engineering University in Noh in
which 50 percent reservation for Muslim students has been pro-
vided. In addition to this, Muslim students from all over the coun-
try are being admitted in the general quota also and at present
their number is 82 percent of the total students. He further said
that he has succeeded in getting this University recognised as a
minority institution by the government.
Regarding (Haryana) Waqf Boards annual income he said
that when he took over as Administrator, the Boards (annual)
income was only Rs. 5 lakh and now it is Rs. 22.5 lakh. About
the division of united Punjab Waqf Board he said that it has
resulted in losses to Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.
Regarding illegal occupations of Haryana mosques he said
that so far the Board (i.e. Haryana Waqf Board) has got illegal
occupations removed from 85 unused or abandoned
mosques. Regarding a mosque of Haryana which was demol-
ished by goondas and mafia he said that they had approached
the government as well as the Minorities Commission in this
connection. About Waqf proper ties he said that there are
12400 Waqf proper ties in Haryana whose Trustee he himself
is and as compared to UP Waqf Board, Haryana Waqf Board
is much better and ahead of it also. (N. A. Ansari)
Efforts for minority status harmed by AMUs own people
14 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 COMMUNITY NEWS www.milligazette.com
Abu Fazl confesses to killing cop
Khandwa: SIMI chief Abu Fazl in an affidavit confessed that he
alone is solely responsible for the murder of ATS cop Sitaram and
none has any role in the crime. The court has fixed 18 May as the
date for next hearing. Five SIMI activists were produced before the
court on 9 May under tight security in which charges were framed
against the accused. He was produced in the court along with
Aslam, Zakir, Mehboob alias Guddu, Ezazuddin alias Riyaz
Shahids arrest sparks protests
Ujjain: Shahid Nagoris arrest by the Gujarat ATS triggered
protests by people. Police had to deploy a large number of cops
to control the mob which had blocked traffic. Senior Ulama and
elderly people joined in to lodge protest against the arbitrary arrest
of the poor man. A petition to the President of India was also sent.
Abdul Hamid Nagori ekes out a meagre livelihood as a tailor while
the accused Shahid works as a fabricator. His father says that
Shahid has been pointed out in the arrest. First, the address of the
person is shown as Topkhana whereas Shahid lives in Nagori
Muhalla. Second, the warrant does not show the name of the
father which simply names the accused as Shahid alias Usman.
Third, the age shown in the warrant is 40 years while the arrest-
ed man is of 28 years. ATS had claimed that they had kept a
watch over 16 persons having this name. The clues, according to
the ATS were provided by Safdar Nagori, Kamruddin, Aamin
Pervez and Ayaz. The mobile number was also in Gujarat police
records hence there is no scope for mistaken identity. (A. G.
Khan)
Shabnam Parveen to be IB officer
Ujjain: Shabnam Parveen having passed the combined Defence
Service examination of the UPSC is to be appointed as IB officer.
She is to report on 8 August 2013 at New Delhi for duty. Shabnam
had secured first position in the 2011 examination of MP PSC.
She gives credit to her selection to her parents.
Six arrested for encroaching Waqf property
Burhanpur: A mob attacked the police party which was taking six
persons to jail for encroaching on Waqf property. The persons
were developing / selling plots on the graveyard land. On receiv-
ing complaints from the district Waqf board against seven per-
sons the police registered cases against seven persons. When the
administration tried to demolish the encroachment a huge mob
compelled the police to withdraw. Later on six persons were taken
into custody. An angry mob attacked Ganapati Naka police station
to get them released and pelted stones. Yet the police managed to
take the arrested persons to jail. Colector Ashutosh Awasthi and
SP Avinash Sharma rushed to the scene of incident and ordered
to disperse the mob. An encroachment on the graveyard was
demolished with a JCB machine.
Plan to provide justice to victims of violence and injustice
New Delhi: A group of lawyers, social workers, journalists and
intellectuals led by former judge of the Supreme Court and
presently chairman of Press Council of India, Justice Markandey
Katju has decided to set up an organisation for providing justice
to victims of oppression, violence and injustice. The organisation
is to be named The Court of Last Resort, and it will have justice
Katju, Majeed Memon, famous lawyer of Mumbai, Mahesh Bhat
film director, Asif Azmi and others as preliminary members which
will be set up in Delhi and will have its branches in all states. State
branches of this organisation will set up district units. Among the
objectives of this Court of Last Resort will be to collect details in
respect of jail prisoners whose cases are pending in courts, to
argue cases of prisoners who are implicated in different cases, to
approach the President or Governors of states regarding their par-
don or commutation of sentences of persons who are falsely
implicated and taking other steps towards these objectives.
The organisation has also made an appeal to like-minded
people, particularly lawyers, retired judges, educationists, profes-
sionals, media persons etc to come forward and take part in this
campaign. The organisation has not yet been established but will
soon be established and formally inaugurated in the near future. It
has also been made clear that this movement is not being under-
taken for the personal benefit of any particular person but on the
basis of general moral and ethical principles that justice should be
provided to those people who are victims of oppression and injus-
tice so that no one could think that injustice or discrimination is
unnecessarily being meted out to him / her.
More than 3 lakh expected to sit for Madrasa Board exam
Firozabad: Annual examinations of UP Madrasa Educational Board
are expected to be held towards the end of May. Computerisation
of examination forms has been completed on the basis of which
it appears that as compared to last year, this year there will be
about 60 / 70 thousand more applicants and according to the
Boards sources, this year approximately more than 3 and a quar-
ter lakh students have submitted their examination forms.
Madrasa Board examinations will be in 12 different categories,
maximum number of which will be of the students of high school
and inter level.
In reply to a question Maulana Alam Mustafa Mazahiri said the
number of forms submitted for Munshi (equivalent to High
School) examination is 1,16,000, for Molvi examination the num-
ber of forms submitted is 95,000, for Aalim (Arabic) (Inter level)
31,000 forms, Aalim (Persian) 26,000, Kamil (Arabic (graduation
level) 36,000, Kamil (Persian 1st year) 11,000, Faazil (1st year)
8,000 and (2nd year) 6000 forms have been submitted. He said
that the reason for the larger number of forms submitted is that
both the central government and state government (U.P.) recog-
nise the certificates of Madrasa Board and treat all Boards equal-
ly. He further said that under the state governments Meri Beti,
uskal kal scheme, girl students of these madrasas were given
cheques of Rs 30,000 each. He said that it is because of all these
reasons that the number of prospective students has increased so
much this year, adding that opportunities of employment for prod-
ucts of these madrasas have also increased now.
92 percent teachers of MANUU do not know Urdu
New Delhi: There are many irregularities in the appointment of
Urdu teachers in Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU
or Urdu University) which was set up in Hyderabad in 1998 for the
promotion of Urdu and making Urdu the medium of education.
About one and a half 1.5 years ago 225 teachers were appointed
in this University of whom about 200 are ignorant of Urdu. This
claim was made before media persons in Delhi on 9 May by the
office bearers of the Action Committee which was constituted
against the irregularities made in this University. They had held a
meeting with many leaders earlier and with the prime minister on
8 May and after explaining to him the objectives of the Urdu
University, had demanded an enquiry by CBI into these irregulari-
ties and to bring to book the people involved in these irregularities.
Sponsor of the Action Committee, S M Lolly John Basha who is
also the chairman of Bombay Mercantile Bank, President of the
Action Committee Muhammad Abdul Hakeem (advocate),
Dr. Abdul Haq etc. told media persons in a joint statement that
Urdu University was set up in cooperation with the then chief min-
ister of Andhra Pradesh Chandra Baba Naidu for teaching of pro-
fessional courses in Urdu but it now appears that Urdu itself will
vanish from the Urdu University. He said that among the condi-
tions laid down for the teaching staff of this University one is that,
they should know and should have studied Urdu and Urdu should
have been one of the subjects in their 10th, 12th or graduation
studies but in this University people not knowing Urdu at all have
been appointed. They said that these irregularities have been
brought to the notice of people like the present HRD minister
Pallam Raju, former HRD minister Kapil Sibal, UGC Chairman Ved
Prakash, NCM Chairman Wajahat Habibullah, NCMEI Chairman
Justice Suhail Ejaz Siddiqi and Chairman of Human Rights
Commission Justice Balakrishnan in personal meetings and
through letters. They said that union minister Tariq Anwar also
raised this matter in the Rajya Sabha and yesterday (8 May) this
matter was raised in the meeting with the prime minister and
demand was made to take immediate action on this. These peo-
ple want an inquiry into this matter by CBI or an existing judge of
Supreme Court and action be taken against them and also the
existing as well as past Vice Chancellors of this University should
be held directly responsible for all this. Meanwhile, it came to be
known from some University authorities that qualified teachers
who could teach modern subjects like commerce, economics,
science etc in Urdu were not easily available or their number was
limited and hence some non-Urdu knowing but qualified teachers
for teaching these subjects were appointed, though for such
teachers the university has made it compulsory to obtain at least
a Diploma in Urdu within one year so that they could produce a
proof of knowing Urdu and should teach the students in Urdu.
They said that efforts were made many times to get in touch with
Vice Chancellor Muhammad Mian and Registrar Prof Rahmatullah
but without success. Regional Director of MANUU, Shahid Parvez,
when contacted, said that people who are levelling such accusa-
tions have started a campaign against the Vice Chancellor but
there is no weight in their complaints. In any case the University
authorities as well as the government must be told that Urdu
lovers who want promotion of Urdu are not happy and are very
disappointed to know that teachers of the only Urdu University in
the country are ignorant of Urdu.
Bihars speedy trial model to be adopted all over India
Patna: Bihars model of speedy trials which resulted in about
79,000 convictions during the past 7 years in the state has been
approved by the government Police Department for adoption all
over the country. A resolution to this effect was passed at the
43rd All India Police Science Congress 2013 organised by Bihar
Police and Bureau of Police Research and Development which
was held in Patna in the month of March this year. It was felt by
the participants that the high rate of conviction in Bihar had
served as a deterrent for criminals and this had improved the law
and order situation. Another initiative of the Bihar Police that was
found suitable for adoption in other states for control of crimes
was confiscation of properties of persons or criminals involved in
organised crimes as well as in money laundering. Speaking on
this occasion Supreme Courts Justice Aftab Alam who was invit-
ed to this Congress as the chief guest, strongly supported scien-
tific investigation of crimes.
Award for writing a researched book on Imam Ahmad Raza
New Delhi: Aala Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Qadiri was a
great religious personality who, in his life of 68 years left behind
the treasure of the Quranic and Hadees knowledge, jurispru-
dence, exegesis, Prophet (pbuh)s character, biography, history,
science, technology, poetry and literature along with his writings
and compilations on various arts and sciences which are invalu-
able assets and brilliant chapters of history, knowledge and
research. Raza Academy, Mumbai and Imam Ahmad Raza
Academy of Bareilli have jointly decided to make his centenary
celebrations a historical and memorable event from the academ-
ic and research point of view. Giving this information Haji
Muhammad Sayeed Noori, founder and general secretary of Raza
Academy, Mumbai said that preparations for this (centenary cel-
ebrations) have started. He said that on this occasion three prizes
have been instituted for writing a book of approximately 400
pages highlighting his academic and researched achievements in
different fields and shedding light on his personality. He said that
awards for first, second and third prizes will be Rs. 1,12,011,
Rs. 51000 and Rs. 25000 respectively. In addition to these, con-
solation prizes will also be given on other academic books. He
further said that on this occasion the Academy also plans to pub-
lish an Ahmad Raza Encyclopaedia in 25 volumes and 500 other
books and writings. At the same time all researched treatises and
books etc. written on him for PhD and M. Phil Degrees in differ-
ent universities of the world will also be published.
Refusal to wear uniform propagating liquor
Mumbai: Parvez Rasool of Jammu & Kashmir who is a cricket all
rounder and a member of Pune Warriors team has refused to wear
this companys uniform which has the companys logo. It may be
stated that Pune Warriors which sponsors IPL (Indian Premier
League) is a Pune-based company which is in the liquor business.
Parvez Rasool did not know that Pune Warriors, the company which
sponsors IPL and whose logo is printed on the uniform worn by its
team members is in the liquor business but when he came to know
about it, he informed the team management of his unwillingness to
wear this uniform as liquor is prohibited in Islam and by wearing this
uniform his religious sentiments will be violated. Team management,
in deference to his wishes, allowed him to wear the uniform without
the companys logo. Since the logo is printed on the uniform, it could
not be removed also. So he covered the logo with tapes so that no
body may be able to see it and consider Rasool as a promoter of
liquor. It may be mentioned in this connection the South Africas
famous batsman Hashim Amla had also refused to wear the jersey
with a logo of the company in the liquor business. He had laid the
condition that unless the logo of the liquor company is removed from
its jersey he would not play for the company.
A stately mosque being built in Jamia Millia
New Delhi: A grand mosque, modelled on mosques in Islamic
countries is being built since several months for hostel students
of Jamia Millia Islamia. After completion of preliminary work the
Hall is now under construction. This mosque has a lower ground
floor (first storey) and upper ground floor (2nd storey). The esti-
mated expenditure on the construction of this mosque is about
Rs. 2,00,60,600) and after completion it will be the first mosque
of its kind in Delhi. To contribute call: 011-26985869
Salaries of Waqf Boards Imams and Muazzins increased
New Delhi: Delhi Waqf Boards proposal to increase the salaries
of Imams and Muazzins performing their duties in Waqf Boards
Masjids in Delhi has been approved by Delhi chief minister Shiela
Dikshit according to which salaries of Imams have been increased
from the present Rs. 6022 to Rs. 10,000 pm and those of
Muazzins have also been increased from the present Rs. 5022 to
Rs. 9000 pm. This announcement was made by Mrs. Shiela
Dikshit on the occasion of Dastaar Bandi function (convocation)
at Madrasa Talimul Quran, R. K. Puram on 17 May.
Jaipur: Rajasthans chief minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the
Haj House Building at Karbala in Jaipur on 5 May. Speaking on
this occasion the chief minister said that the state government
was committed to the welfare of minority (Muslim) community
and had created a Rs 200 crore Minority Development Fund. It
may be stated incidentally that statements like the state govern-
ment is committed to the welfare of minorities (Muslims) etc are
common platitudes of seasonal politicians on special occasions,
seeing that assembly elections in Rajasthan are going to be held
soon, otherwise his government is not very popular among
Muslims because of a series of anti-Muslim communal riots that
have taken place in recent months, particularly the Gopalgarh
communal riots in which at least 10 Muslims were brutally killed
inside a mosque.
Any way, the Haj House was finally opened after years of
waiting and finally because of the High Courts order last year
(2012). Plan for the Haj House was in fact cleared way back in
2003 when he (Gehlot) was Rajasthans chief minister for the
first time but because of opposition by VHP and other RSS out-
fits during BJP government headed by Mrs Vasundhara Raje as
chief minister it was held up. She however had overruled all
oppositions from these organisations, including from one of her
own ministers, and had laid the foundation of the Haj House in
September 2006 amid violent protests. These RSS outfits had
even filed a petition in the High Court pleading for cancellation of
land allotted by her government for the Haj House on the ground
that the government was showing favour to a particular religious
community. The High Court however had rejected this petition
last year, thereby paving the way for the building of the Haj
House.
The chief minister while speaking on this occasion called
upon Muslims to spread education among themselves fast
because no community can progress without education. He also
said that his government has declared a new rent policy for Waqf
properties and that an amount of Rs 3 crores has been provided
to the Waqf Board. He further said that survey of more than 3000
Waqf properties has been made and in the current year a grant
of Rs 10 crores will be given to this Board. Further, a provision
of Rs 25 crores has also been made for modernisation of
madrasas in the state, he said. (N. A. Ansari)
Haj House building inaugurated in Jaipur
COMMUNITY NEWS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 15 www.milligazette.com
STEPHEN LENDMAN
Waging war at home or abroad requires enemies. America creates
them when none exist. Imperial strategy demands them. Post-
9/11, Muslims were targeted for political advantage. Post-Boston
bombings, Americas war on Islam continues.
Muslims are war on terror scapegoats. Washingtons Middle
East, North Africa and Central Asia wars rage.
Its the wrong time to be Muslims in America. Theyre perse-
cuted for their faith and ethnicity. At times its for their activism,
prominence, and/or charity. Theyre dehumanized, spied on, set up
as patsies, hunted down, rounded up, held in detention, kept in
isolation, denied bail, restricted in their right to counsel, tried on
secret evidence, convicted on bogus charges, given long sen-
tences, and treated harshly as political prisoners.
The term Islamofascism was popularized. Some call it
Islamic radicalism or jihadism. The New Oxford American
Dictionary calls it a controversial term equating some modern
Islamic movements with the European fascist movements of the
early twentieth century.
The Urban Dictionary says it refers to the notion that Islam is
not so much a religion as it is a political ideology that in many
ways resembles fascism.
An Islamofascist can either be an Islamic fundamentalist, or
someone who uses violence or bullying tactics to impose Islamic
principles on others.
Its used to describe groups like Al Qaeda. In 2008, Fairness
& Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) headlined The Dirty Dozen -
Whos who among Americas leading Islamophobes. (PDF)
FAIR called David Horowitz its premier promoter. His 2007
Islamofascism Awareness Week attracted leading Muslim
haters.
Author Robert Spencer was called a prominent Islam-basher.
He publishes the notoriously Islamophobic website Jihad
Watch. Daniel Pipes founded the Middle East Forum think tank.
Media scoundrels mischaracterize him as an Islamic scholar. He
defends racially profiling Arab Americans. He calls their presence
a true danger for Jews.
Michael Savage hosts The Savage Nation. Its a nationally
syndicated radio talk show. He relentlessly uses hateful language.
He once endorsed killing a hundred million Muslims. He did so on
air. Pat Robertson calls Islam violent and irrational. Its not a reli-
gion, he says. Its a worldwide political movement. Its meant
to subjugate all people under Islamic law. Its a bloody, brutal
type of religion.
Others on FAIRs list included Fox News Sean Hannity and Bill
OReilly, conservative political commentator Mark Steyn, self-
styled Islamic terrorist expert Steven Emerson, conservative blog-
ger/commentator Michelle Malkin, former Fox News host Glenn
Beck, and political commentator Debbie Schlussel.
Connect the dots. The Boston bombings connect eerily to
9/11. Muslims were blamed both times. Americas war on terror
targets them. It continues at home and abroad.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaevs a naturalized US citizen. Senators
Lindsey Graham (R. SC), John McCain (R. AZ) and Kelly Ayotte (R.
NH), as well as Rep. Peter King (R. NY) want him held as an
enemy combatant. They want him denied fundamental rights.
King chairs the House Homeland Security Committee. Hes
also an Intelligence Committee member. He wants more surveil-
lance. It keeps us ahead of the terrorists who are constantly try-
ing to kill us, he said.
Big Brother no longer is fiction. Total surveillance is possible.
New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, Boston, and other
cities use growing numbers of video cameras.
They monitor streets, commercial areas, airports, highways,
public and private transportation, shopping malls, government and
business buildings, as well as other places where people congre-
gate, work, reside, recreate, or inhabit for any reason.
King and others want more. Drone surveillance may be expe-
dited. Legislation authorized eye in the sky spying. Civil libertarians
call all forms of surveillance an unregulated privacy threat.
In his April 20 weekly address, Obama suggested perhaps
whats coming. He called Mondays incident an act of
terror.But in the days since.Americans refuse to be terror-
ized.
.Bostons spirit remains undaunted. Americas spirit
remains undimmed.Thats what makes us strong. Thats why
we endure.
In the days to come, we will remain vigilant as a nation.
Expect the worst to follow.
Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are called Islamic terrorists.
Media scoundrels characterize them that way.
Round-the-clock coverage pronounced guilt by accusation.
Whats most important to know is suppressed. Managed news
misinformation substitutes.
Both brothers were set up as patsies. Ones dead. The others
seriously wounded. He remains hospitalized. Hes at Bostons
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Hes under heavy guard.
Hell be interrogated when able to respond. He wont be read
his Miranda rights. On April 20, the ACLU headlined a Statement
on Miranda Rights of Boston Bombings Suspect, saying:
The American Civil Liberties Union reacted to the apprehen-
sion of the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing and state-
ments from federal officials that he would be questioned without
being read his Miranda rights.
Every criminal defendant is entitled to be read Miranda rights.
The public safety exception should be read narrowly. It applies only
when there is a continued threat to public safety and is not an
open-ended exception to the Miranda rule.
Additionally, every criminal defendant has a right to be
brought before a judge and to have access to counsel. We must
not waver from our tried-and-true justice system, even in the most
difficult of times. Denial of rights is un-American and will only
make it harder to obtain fair convictions.
The Center for Constitutional Rights headlined CCR
Condemns Miranda Exception in Boston Marathon Suspect Case,
saying: The Miranda warnings were put in place because police
officers were beating and torturing confessions out of people
who hadnt even been formally accused of a crime.
We cannot afford to repeat our mistakes. If officials require
suspects to incriminate themselves, they are making fair trials and
due process merely option and not a requirement. To venture down
that road again will make law enforcement accountable to no one.
Like Obamas expanded killing program and his perpetuation
of indefinite detention without trial at Guantanamo, this is yet
another erosion of the Constitution to lay directly at the Presidents
feet.
Obamas Justice Department unilaterally expanded the pub-
lic safety exception to Miranda in 2010 beyond anything the
Supreme Court ever authorized.
Each time the administration use this exception, it stretches
wider and longer. However horrific the crime, continuing to erode
constitutional rights invites continued abuse by law enforcement,
and walks us down a dangerous path that becomes nearly impos-
sible to reverse.
Media scoundrels straightaway convicted both brothers. They
did so in the court of public opinion. Misreporting continues.
FAIRs Peter Hart calls it a rush to misjudgment, saying:
Weve seen reporting and commentary that talked about the
Muslim or jihadist character of the bombs themselves: pressure
cookers, ball bearings or nails used.
These are things that are not unique to al-Qaeda or al-Qaeda-
inspired terror attacks.
We saw references to the Times Square bombing, trying to
put this in the context of Islamic terror or previous instances of
what the media like to refer to as Islamic terror.
We even saw references to the fact that two bombs were
there. It must have been a follow-up attack trying to hit the rescue
workers when they show up - again, a Middle Eastern trait, were
told.
This is actually what the United States government has done
in places like Iraq and in drone strikes in Pakistan.
So we have seen this rush to characterize this bombing,
without necessarily saying precisely that we know who the perpe-
trators are, but to put it in this context.
And I think that creates a climate of fear and suspicion, par-
ticularly directed toward certain communities.
We read headlines, you know, block letters across the front
page of the USA Today, the day afterwards, Terror Has Returned.
This idea that the United States has not seen a terrorist attack
since 9/11. This is a unique event right now.
On April 19, Media Matters headlined Boston And The Right-
Wing Medias Collapse, saying:
Glenn Becks web site (The Blaze) got it wrong saying a Saudi
national student was absolutely involved. He called him a dirt
bag, possibly the ringleader.
Fox News host Sean Hannity claimed he previously was
involved with a terrorist or terror activity.
Media Matters said too many players opted to just make stuff
up. Prompting witch hunts, they cast innocents as would-be killers
and then couldnt be bothered with apologies.
Murdochs New York Post seemed committed to getting as
many stories wrong about the Boston attack as possible.
Before an arrest was made, CNNs breaking news headlined
Sources: Arrest made in bombings case. Reporter John King
erroneously called him dark-skinned.
NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous responded, saying:
Our concern is that CNN used an overly broad, unhelpful and
potentially racially inflammatory categorization to describe the
potential suspect. History teaches us that too often people of color
are unfairly targeted in the aftermath of acts of terrorism.
Post-Boston bombings, media misreporting was deplorable. It
didnt surprise. Rush to misjudgment is commonplace.
Washington Post editors headlined In pursuit of terrorists.
Official reports were accepted as fact. The Tsarnaev brothers
were blamed. A Chechen extremist, Al Qaeda or other foreign
group connection was suggested.
Much as some in Washington might wish it, the war against
terrorism is not over.The Tszrnaevs.may have intended more
mayhem: They were reportedly carrying more bombs when they
were cornered Thursday.
Note: Media misreporting said at least older brother Tamerlan
wore an explosives vest. Photos of his body showed him riddled
with bullets and shrapnel head to toe. All limbs were intact. He
wasnt blown to pieces.
New York Post editors headlined The unfinished war, say-
ing:
.These have been scary days. (It was) chilling to see how
successfully the suspects, Chechen Muslim immigrants, were -
not just in allegedly killing people, but in instilling widespread fear,
especially in the Northeast.
The week served as a painful reminder that this nation
remains in an ongoing fight against terror - and that the homeland
is still vulnerable.
The war on terror isnt over. Alas, far from it.
Boston Globe editors headlined Boston after the bombings:
a show of character, saying:
(L)aw-enforcement officials and political leaders.put aside
turf wars and expressions of egotism to focus on the killers.
.Bostons character needs no further validation. The city
is strong, and getting stronger.
Chicago Tribune editors headlined Accomplishing.noth-
ing, saying:
.Boston bombing suspects (may) have had no motivation
more complex than joyful cruelty.
This level of preparation, though, suggests that they had
some motive more sophisticated than merely marauding through
the lives of innocents.
The Boston massacre no doubt will help authorities world-
wide rethink security preparations for mass events.
Numerous print and broadcast reports highlighted a Chechen
Muslim connection. The New York Times was typical headlining
Boston Attacks Turn Spotlight on Troubled Region of Chechnya,
saying: Possible motivations of both brothers arent yet known.
Yet, with at least one brother talking of Chechen nationalism on
the Internet, their reported involvement in the marathon attack
throws a spotlight on one of the darkest corners of nationalist and
Islamic militancy.
Whether the Boston bombing was tied to it is still unclear, but
a generation of young Chechen men have never known a peaceful
homeland (and have had) difficulties finding a place abroad.
Americas war on terror continues. Perhaps last weeks
Boston bombings advanced it. Muslims remain Americas enemy
of choice. Expect Obama and Congress to take full advantage.
Expect the worst of times to follow. (dailycensored.com)
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at
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16 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 INTERNATIONAL www.milligazette.com
Its the wrong time to be Muslims in
America. Theyre persecuted for their
faith and ethnicity. At times its for their
activism, prominence, and/or charity.
Theyre dehumanized, spied on, set up as
patsies, hunted down, rounded up, held in
detention, kept in isolation, denied bail,
restricted in their right to counsel, tried
on secret evidence, convicted on bogus
charges, given long sentences, and treat-
ed harshly as political prisoners....
Muslims remain Americas enemy of
choice. Expect Obama and Congress to
take full advantage. Expect the worst of
times to follow.
Americas War on Islam 2.0
Lets not Forget Deir
Yassin Massacre
The first major massacre in the 1948 War was the massacre of
Deir Yassin on April 9-11, 1948. It was designed to spread terror
and panic among the Palestinian population in every city and vil-
lage of Palestine in order to frighten them into fleeing, so that their
homes and land could be confiscated for the use of Jewish colo-
nialist settlers.
Two hundred and fifty people were slaughtered. Mutilating the
bodies, even before death, the culprits cut off parts and opened
the bellies of others. Nursing babies were butchered on the bos-
oms of helpless mothers. The marauders were not satisfied with
the crimes they had committed in the village. They gathered
together the women and girls who were still alive, and after
removing all their clothes, put them in open cars, driving them
naked through the streets of the Jewish section of Jerusalem,
where they were subjected to the mockery and insult of the
onlookers. Many took photographs of those women.
The crime of Deir Yassin shocked the world, which called
upon the International Red Cross Society to establish the truth.
The representative of the Red Cross, Mr. Jacques Reynier, asked
the Jewish Agency for permission to visit the site of the massacre.
The granting of this permission was delayed twenty four hours
while the Jews tried to erase the traces of their crimes. They gath-
ered together to the extent it was possible the parts of the mutilat-
ed bodies of their victims, dumped them in the cistern of the vil-
lage and locked it up. On visiting the site of the crime, however,
the representative of the Red Cross discovered the cistern, and
found one hundred and fifty maimed bodies of women and chil-
dren. (Adapted from : Encyclopedia of the Palestine Problem,
Intercontinental Books By Issa Nakhla Issa Nakhleh, 1991)
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
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 June 2013 17 www.milligazette.com
DR. DAUD ABDULLAH
Under Israeli law, the IDPs are present in so far as they are obliged
to pay taxes but absent in terms of their rights to employment,
health care, water and education.
Under Israeli law, the IDPs are present in so far as they are
obliged to pay taxes but absent in terms of their rights to employ-
ment, health care, water and education.
Inevitably, the 65th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba -
Catastrophe - was overshadowed by calls to exercise refugees'
right of return. Although the vast majority of Palestinians live in
forced exile and the focus tends to dwell on their plight, there is
now an estimated 370,000 'internally displaced persons' (IDPs)
within the Israeli state. They are also denied the right to return to
their homes and villages. No Nakba anniversary can pass without
remembering them.
Unlike their compatriots in the wider Diaspora, the displaced
Palestinians in Israel enjoy little international assistance and far
less protection. Ever since the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency (UNRWA) stopped providing services for them in 1952,
they have remained refugees in their own land and second-class
citizens in the state established around them.
From the very first, Israel never intended to accord equal
rights to the 150,000 Palestinians who remained on their land as
750,000 of their compatriots were being driven into exile, despite
an undertaking given in its 'declaration of independence' to 'uphold
the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without dis-
tinction of religion, race or sex'. The Palestinians have always
been regarded as a 'fifth column' and a threat to the security of the
state. As such, they were subjected to military rule from 1948
until 1966.
Under Israeli law, the IDPs are present in so far as they are
obliged to pay taxes but absent in terms of their rights to employ-
ment, health care, water and education. They were assigned the
absurd legal designation, unique to Israel, of 'present-absentees'.
With no regard for their rights to ownership, the state has
used its Absentee Property Law of 1950 to confiscate some 97
per cent of Palestinian land, leaving 1.5 million Palestinian 'citi-
zens' access to the remaining three per cent. These are either
administered by the state or allocated to Zionist institutions such
as the Jewish National Fund (JNF) for the exclusive use of Jews.
Priority is given routinely to American Jews, followed by
Europeans, Russians and others in that order.
While Palestinian villages which pre-date the state of Israel
are denied basic services, newly-established Jewish settlements
are granted them unconditionally. In 1992, the International Court
of Justice in The Hague ruled that the Palestinian villages should
be connected to the Israeli national water system. That has still
not been done.
On another level, the Regulation and Construction Law pro-
hibits Palestinians from repairing let alone building their homes on
land which Israel classifies as 'agricultural land' or 'closed military
zones'. Their villages, mostly in the Negev and the Galilee, are
'unrecognised' by the state and, therefore, by definition 'illegal'.
The underlying purpose of all these classifications by Israel is to
force its Palestinians citizens to leave; it is, in other words, ethnic
cleansing by stealth.
If Palestinian homes in the West Bank, including Ramallah,
are destroyed with impunity on the pretext that they have no prop-
er licence, one can only imagine what is done to the 'unrecog-
nised villages' in what Israel regards as its sovereign territory.
Using the Emergency Laws inherited from the British Mandatory
government, officials often post notices on homes earmarked for
demolition, which are thereafter destroyed within forty-eight
hours.
In the Negev, the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in
Israel - Adalah - reported the destruction of 2,200 homes and the
forced displacement of more than 14,000 people between 2008
and 2011. In these villages women and children die in childbirth
because they have no access to basic medical care of a kind
accessible by Jewish immigrants the moment they land at Tel Aviv
airport.
Nevertheless, the fact that Palestinians in Israel marked this
year's Nakba anniversary across the country demonstrates that
after 65 years Israel has failed to erase their sense of identity and
link to their land. Nor has it succeeded with its discriminatory laws
to break the bonds between them and the rest of the Palestinian
people; in fact, this has grown
stronger. They all, to this day,
share the common aspiration to
return to their homes. After all
the sacrifices they have made
over the past 65 years it is
inconceivable that the displaced
Palestinians in Israel will submit
to further ethnic cleansing.
The problem of the IDPs in
Israel differs only marginally
from that of the refugees in the
Diaspora. Without doubt, they all
share the common experience of
dispossession and dislocation
but because the IDPs didn't
cross international borders they
have no access to humanitarian
aid from the UNHCR or UNRWA.
Though initially recognised and
served by UNRWA, that came to
an abrupt end in 1952 when
Israel assumed responsibility for
them not, it transpired, in order to provide for all of its citizens.
Quite simply, and very cynically, the Israeli government wanted to
divert attention from their officially-sanctioned maltreatment of its
Palestinian citizens and prevent them from having access to inter-
national legal protection.
The full story of the IDPs in Israel is yet to be told. After 65
years their dream of return remains unfulfilled. Like the generation
who were forcibly evicted in 1948 they also have a right to return
to their homes. Their living, striving and dying over the past six
decades were all with this objective in mind. Israel may delay it for
some time but cannot prevent it in the long-term, because no peo-
ple in history have ever accepted completely the loss of their
homeland. The Palestinians' day will come, with or without the
approval of the Israeli government. (middleeastmonitor)
Israels dirty little secret: the internally displaced
persons it continues to deny basic rights
Iran Stole Secrets of US Drone
An Iranian military commander claimed that the country has
stolen all the secrets held by a high-tech American surveillance
drone that crashed in Iran in 2011. "All the intelligence in this
drone has been completely decoded and extracted and we know
each and every step it has taken," said Brig. Gen. Amir Ali
Hajizadeh, Commander of the Aerospace Division for the elite
Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
The RQ-170 Sentinel drone, a classified unmanned surveil-
lance craft produced by defense contracting giant Lockheed
Martin, was on a CIA mission when it mysteriously crashed
in Iranian territory last December, according to U.S. officials
at the time. Days after the crash, Press TV broadcast video of
what appeared to be the drone propped up but in good con-
dition. Iranian officials said then they were going to set about
analyzing the advanced aircraft.
At the time of the crash, American officials said that the
drone had been operating over Afghanistan when its opera-
tors lost control, after which it floated into Iranian airspace.
Iranian officials said their country's electronic warfare
experts had been able to take control of the drone and bring
it down -- a claim disputed by Pentagon spokesperson John
Kirby, who said the drone was not taken down by "hostile
activity of any kind."
The bat-wing shaped craft is designed to dodge enemy radar and
slip unnoticed into hostile territory to gather information or sup-
port operations on the ground. It was reportedly used to keep
tabs on the man believed to be Osama bin Laden during the Navy
SEAL mission that took out the terror leader in Pakistan in May.
Hajizadeh also reportedly said today that a surveillance drone
sent by Hezbollah to spy in Israel in October was "an old product
of Iran" and featured none of the technology allegedly gleaned
from the RQ-170. (abcnews.go.com)
Internally displaced Arabs of al-Araqeeb village after it was bulldozed
by the Israelis for the 37th time on 22 April 2012
Photo shows US RQ-170 Sentinel drone which Tehran says its
forces downed
KARAMATULLAH K. GHORI
The people of Pakistan have spoken with
a resolution and determination not seen
before. Their participation at the May 11
nation-wide polls has set a new record of
enthusiasm and participation in their
countrys off-again, on-again experiment
with democracy. More than 60 % of the
82 million registered voters of Pakistan
turned up at polling stations to answer
the call of democracys most fundamen-
tal aspect. In doing so they braved the
severity of peak summer as well as the threat of terrorism from the
anti-democratic Taliban of Pakistan.
The results of the peoples wholesome indulgence in democ-
racys basic attribute are both expected and astounding.
The Pakistan Muslim League (N) led by the veteran, two-term
PM, Mian Nawaz Sharif, has won the largest numbe,125, of the
272 openly contested National Assembly seats. That outcome is
no surprise given most national and international public opinion
polls preceding the elections.
The element of surprise is the strong showing of Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) or the Pakistan Justice Party led by the for-
mer Cricket legend and icon, Imran Khan. His charisma and pop-
ular appeal with the countrys intelligentsia, and particularly its
youths, has resulted in PTI emerging as the second-most popular
party, with a strong promise to make it into a credible opposition
with a strong backbone and resilience.
Now that Mina Nawaz Sharif has won the right to lead
Pakistan as its Prime Minister in what will be an unprecedented
third- term, his task could only be getting heavier and more
demanding than ever before. The odds facing his new term in
office are, simply, daunting.
The Pakistan that Nawaz will be inheriting for an unusual third
innings at the helm of power is a world-apart from the one stolen
from him in October1999, by a Bonapartist General Pervez
Musharraf.
That Pakistan-of the twilight days of the 20th century-was a
country at peace with itself, though still riddled with complexities
and angularities inherent to its birth.
The Pakistan that awaits Nawaz Sharif now is a country at war
with itself, with its national fabric torn at its seams. Terrorism
stalks the land, in more ways than one, and that, in itself, poses
the biggest challenge to the man who should be thankful to his
stars that he has been amply rewarded for all those years that he
was forced to spend in political wilderness as a pariah and an out-
cast consigned into exile-no matter how plush, courtesy of the
Saudi Royalty. Pakistan is not known to be a land doing justice to
its disenfranchised children. But in Nawaz case the clock has
turned back, full circle, in his favour. Whats it, if not divine justice-
the sage would argue-that Nawaz, the tormented is back in the
saddle of power while his then haughty tormentor, the ignoble
Pervez Musharraf, is confined to the four-walls of his plush
hacienda-the farm-house outside Islamabad.
The PM-in-waiting, Nawaz Sharif, has already served broad
hints to all and sundry as to how he intends to tackle the monster
of the Pakistani Taliban-inspired terrorism. He has come out
swinging in favour of a dialogue with the terrorists.
None could find fault with his option to hold a dialogue with
the enemy. Thats an inevitability that even the high and mighty
cant afford to shun in the teeth of adversity. Pakistan is but only
a foot-soldier in the neo-imperialist war in Afghanistan. So theres
no earthly justification for it not to avail itself of the option of dia-
logue, as step-one to peace, when the leaders of war are them-
selves suing for peace with the Taliban across the Durand Line.
With Pakistans fate closely tied, at this stage, with the US
strategy to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014-with some
face-saving and some kind of a fig-leaf to shroud its ignominious
inability to defeat the Taliban on the battle-field after 12 years of a
full military presence on the Afghan soil-there were indications
aplenty, in the run up to the Pakistani elections that both
Washington and Riyadh wanted Nawaz Sharif to come on top in
the elections.
Nawaz, on this account, is the Pakistani leader most qualified
and experienced to bail out the Americans from the tight corner
where they have painted themselves.
Of all the Pakistani politicians, Nawaz Sharif is, perhaps, on
top of the Taliban as far as credibility is concerned. He has not
burned his bridges with them, which has often invited pungent
accusations from his adversaries that hes a closet-buddy of the
hated Taliban.
Another powerful element working in his favour is his close
chemistry with the Saudis. After all, they were the ones who saved
his skin from a rapacious Pervez Musharraf, and then kept him
comfortably ensconced in their lap during his long exile of 8 years.
Nawaz had meetings in Saudi Arabia with American policy makers
and his royal Saudi patrons before getting involved into the thick
of his election campaign.
The Saudis and the Americans were the earliest well-wishers
of Nawaz,
in the outside world, to hail his electoral victory-for obvious-
ly good reason. With him at the helm of Pakistan, once again, they
can count on a dependable pair of hands to steer their withdraw-
al from Afghanistan, with the assurance of a safe and secure pas-
sage across Pakistan for billions of dollars of war machinery.
Interestingly, Nawaz may have the fullest approbation to seek
his peace with the Pakistani Taliban from Imran Khan-whose
vision of a New Pakistan may be radically different from Nawaz
blue-print.
Imran, on his part, has already stolen a march over Nawaz in
his out-reach to the Taliban. Playing on the front-foot, his Chief-
Minister-designate for Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (KP), along with the
man named to become Speaker of the KP Assembly, has had a
meeting in Peshawar with Maulana Samiul Haq, the cleric known
to be closest to the Pakistani Taliban.
All the road signs thus point to a concerted effort by the new
teams in Islamabad and Peshawar to reach out to the Taliban and
engage them in a serious dialogue to seek an honourable way out
of the dead-end where the Taliban-inspired terrorism has led
Pakistan to.
While it may be too early to say which way the ball would drop
on the putative peace initiative with the deadly sponsors of terror-
ism and bloody violence in Pakistan, theres an equally urgent cri-
sis of terrorism in politics crying out for Nawaz earliest focus of
attention. Thats a priority Nawaz would be terribly ill-advised to
ignore or consign to the backburner.
Terrorism-in-politics is a phenomenon that has been there, in
Pakistans body politic, for a long time. Its a different story that
both Pervez Musharraf and his successor, Asif Ali Zardari, turned
a blind eye to this scourge in order to give themselves more
elbow-room in power.
The callous, cold-blooded, murder of ZehraShahidHussain, a
prominent member of Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
in Karachi, on the eve of re-polling in parts of NA (250) should be
a stark reminder-if any were at all needed-that the past practition-
ers of terror as their main tool in politics are back to their bloody
sport. The heinous murder of a noble soul belonging to PTI has,
rightly, incensed all those who believe, as gospel-truth, that poli-
tics should be as much a gentlemens sport as cricket. Zohra
Yusuf, chairperson of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission
(PHRC) has spoken not only for herself and her august agency but
for every peace-loving Pakistani by denouncing terrorism in poli-
tics and demanding an earliest end to it.
Imran Khan, the PTI leader, has minced no words in pointing
the finger for this dastardly murder of an acknowledged luminary
of his party at MQM, the Karachi-based party of the Pakistani
Mohajirs that has routinely deployed terrorism as its weapon of
first choice in settling political scores.
Those aware of the history of MQM have nary a doubt that its
more a mafia than a political outfit. Its a fascist organisation
which has developed a taste for being trigger-happy at the drop of
a hat. Its exploits with deadly weapons to silence its critics and
detractors-real or perceived-are staple stories to the political pun-
dits of Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharifs task to combat the demons of terrorism in pol-
itics is cut out. He must tackle the menace, nay the scourge, of
MQM, if he is serious about closing the book for good on the dark-
est chapter in Pakistans history authored by a thieving Zardari and
his gang of robber-barons.
MQM was complicit with Zardari till the very end of his reign
of plunder-and-loot. The monster had earlier been fed with
excessive patronage under Pervez Musharraf, the megalomaniac
obsessed with power. He turned a blind eye to MQMs plunder and
rape of Karachi because he regarded it as his natural allies.
Zardari saw the same merit in cultivating MQM as his partners-in-
crime, and paved the way for this mafia to hold Karachi to ransom
and sap all strength out of it as the key to Pakistans economy.
Nawaz has been a thorn in the side of MQM for a fairly long
time. The mafia, for sure, will not be shy to obstruct him at every
step of the way and try sabotage his programme to turn the mori-
bund economy of Pakistan around as his priority number one.
Peace is a fundamental pre-requisite to any rebuilding of
Pakistan economy, with Karachi as its pivot. And peace and nor-
malcy will not inhabit Karachi as long as politics of murder and
violence isnt snuffed out, warts- and -all, root-and-branch.
Nawaz Sharifs Saudi friends have already announced their
readiness to extend him a generous hand of help in rebuilding
Pakistans vital energy sector and power generation. A munificent
Saudi package is in the works under which Pakistan would be
given, for at least the next three years, Saudi crude oil and furnace
oil on deferred-payment, to revive its moribund power generation
capacity. The Saudi package is said to be worth at least 12 to 15
billion dollars. They obviously want to impress Pakistan as its true
friends-in-need now that they are going to have a government of
their liking in Islamabad.
Nawaz Sharif also seems intent to inject a new dynamism in
relations with India, now that hes back in power.
Hailing from a family of businessmen and entrepreneurs,
Nawaz fully understands the potential benefits good relations with
arch-rival India could garner for Pakistans economy. His first
interview, in the flash of electoral victory, was granted to Indias
NDTV, in which he let not only India but the whole world know that
he intended to pick up the thread of relations with India where it
was seized out of his hands in October, 1999.
Students of current India-Pakistan relations must know that
Nawaz was the architect of that bus diplomacy with India that saw
the then Indian PM, AtalBihari Vajpayee, alighting from a bus in
Lahore, where he was effusively welcomed by Nawaz Sharif.
That out-of-the-box initiative of Nawaz Sharif hadnt gone
down well with General Pervez Musharraf, then Chief of Army
Staff. The Bonaparte Musharraf sabotaged that bold diplomatic
thrust by launching his ill-advised military adventure in Kargil.
What followed Musharrafs Himalayan blunder is history
familiar to all. His surprise thrust into Kargil was ultimately
checked by India and bled Pakistan heavily. But the venal
Musharraf, blaming Nawaz for his ignominious failure, staged a
military coup, in October, 1999, to seize political power for him-
self. That venality of his also snuffed all life out of Nawaz Sharifs
daring and imaginative initiative on the diplomatic front.
Nawaz intent to pick up the thread with India where it was lost
14 years ago augurs well for peace between the two neighbours,
and for South Asia as a whole. As per his announced intent,
Nawaz may invite PM Manmohan Singh, officially, to witness his
inauguration for a third term in office in Islamabad. Signals out of
Delhi are optimistic and promising.
The ground realities in Islamabad, too, have vastly improved
in favour of a quantum leap in relations with India. Pakistans all-
powerful military brass has learned its lesson in the years since
the debacle of Kargil, and the subsequent downfall of Pervez
Musharraf. Its a much-chastened military brass that has come to
recognise its limitations and seems to have conceded the argu-
ment-won, already, in Turkey by its reformist political leaders-that
soldiers make poor and incompetent leaders.
Manmohan Singhs visit to Pakistan-whenever it comes,
hopefully in the near-future-should infuse a breath of fresh air in
the roller-coaster nature of relations between India and Pakistan.
With Nawaz running the show in Islamabad, Manmohan Singh
should not only expect a very warm reception in Pakistan but also
genuine trust building up on both sides of the Divide.
Students of India-Pakistan relations would be keeping their
fingers crossed for Nawaz Sharifs sanguine initiative to impart a
positive new thrust to relations with Pakistans most important
and most sensitive neighbour bearing equally promising rewards
for both countries. Thats what all peace-loving Pakistanis expect
as a healthy prelude to a New Pakistan on Nawaz Sharifs watch
in his third stint in power. They arent asking for too much.
Can Nawaz Sharif Lead to a
New Pakistan?
Nawaz intent to pick up the thread with India
where it was lost 14 years ago augurs well for
peace between the two neighbours, and for South
Asia as a whole. As per his announced intent,
Nawaz may invite PM Manmohan Singh, officially,
to witness his inauguration for a third term in
office in Islamabad. Signals out of Delhi are
optimistic and promising.
The ground realities in Islamabad, too, have vastly
improved in favour of a quantum leap in relations
with India. Pakistans all-powerful military brass
has learned its lesson in the years since the
debacle of Kargil, and the subsequent downfall of
Pervez Musharraf...
18 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 INTERNATIONAL www.milligazette.com
Obama Urges Myanmar To Bring
Halt To Violence Against Rohingya
Washington: President Barack Obama urged the president of
Myanmar on May 20 to take steps to halt violence against
Muslims in his country and move ahead with economic and
political reforms. Thein Sein became the first head of Myanmar
to visit the White House in 47 years, and he and Obama sat
down for talks in the Oval Office.
Obama said the Myanmar leader had assured him that he
intends to move forward on releasing more political prisoners
and institutionalizing political reforms that have already taken
place. Thein Sein also vowed to resolve ethnic conflicts by incor-
porating all communities into the political process, Obama said.
"I also shared with President Sein our deep concern about
communal violence that has been directed at Muslim communi-
ties inside Myanmar. The displacement of people, the violence
directed towards them needs to stop," Obama said.
Sein, speaking through a translator, said his country faces a
"daunting task" in carrying out reforms but said for democracy
to flourish in Myanmar the reforms must be carried out in the
years ahead. Myanmar will need the "assistance and under-
standing" of the international community, including the United
States, as it goes through the process, he said.
Rights groups and some U.S. lawmakers fear Obama has
moved too quickly since forging a dramatic breakthrough in rela-
tions in 2011 after half a century of military rule in Myanmar,
also known as Burma.
U.S. officials argue that reforms by Myanmar's quasi-mili-
tary government - freeing democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi
and hundreds of political prisoners, scrapping censorship, legal-
izing trade unions and protests - are transformative and deserve
support from Obama, who confirmed the end of Myanmar's pari-
ah status with the West with a landmark visit last November.
ENGLISH
K. P. Prakasam, Nuclear India: Illusion and Reality 155 pp., Rs 250/d15
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(Continued from the previous issue)
KHAFAYAH ABDULSALAM
8. Discipline and boundaries
Discipline and self-restraint are important char-
acteristics of a Muslim. We learn this through
fasting and refraining from things Allah (glorified
and exalted be He) has told us to stay away from,
like eating pork or drinking wine for instance. Set
clear and positive messages: make sure your
boundaries and corresponding consequences
are very clear. Identify what you want your child
to do instead of what you dont what them to do.
For example, the consequence of not coming to
the dinner table when food is served, will be to
eat it as it is! When you are setting boundaries be
clear, specific and remain positive:
Dont write:
I want to stop Jasmine from watching TV.
I want to stop my mom from giving Faisal
too many sweets.
I want Kulthum to memorize a portion of the
Quran daily.
Instead, write:
Jasmine can watch TV for 30 minutes on a
Saturday.
I want Faisal to start eating more fruit and
vegetables.
I will arrange for Kulthum to stay awake
after Fajr and memorize the Qur'an for 30 min-
utes.
Keeping to your boundaries is where the real
challenge lies. Its important to stand your
ground: when you catch your children doing
something good - praise them. Always be con-
sistent and stick to your promises, otherwise you
will not be trusted! And learn to negotiate: chil-
dren are the best negotiators I have come across
- so be sensible! As you are leading by example,
you will be teaching your little gems these skills
too! Boundaries show that you care about your
child and what they are doing. It also helps them
know where they stand and makes them feel
secure and valued.
9. Routines
We have many routines for our children including
morning, school, homework and bedtime rou-
tines. How much emphasis do we put on Islamic
routines? What should our primary focus be?
Take some time out to draw up an Islamic routine
for your children that looks like the following:
Teach your children to stay awake after fajr
(depending on the salah times during the year):
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) stayed back after fajr and had benefi-
cial discussions with the sahabah (Companions).
Get them to read/memorize a portion of the
Quran in the morning and/or evening.
Prioritize that they perform their salah on
time.
Get them to reflect on a verse of the Quran
or a hadith everyday.
Get them in the habit of reading the duas
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) read before going to bed, waking up
from sleep, eating, etc. Get your children to
choose a hadith or dua once a week and stick it
up on the wall with its meaning for the whole
family to learn. Dont forget the rewards!
Teach them to be charitable by smiling as
stated by the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) and helping their neighbours
too.
With routines, children learn to be independ-
ent and consistent. We need to teach them to
learn to wait, help and be patient, thereby devel-
oping solid tolerance levels for patience.
10. Role models
Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) is the best of all role models.
Read stories about him to your children so they
follow his sunnah (path) with love. Read stories
about the Prophets and the sahabah. Teach them
from an early age about the sahabah and other
great heroes of Islam. If we develop in them a
love for Islam and provide them with righteous
examples for their heroes, they are less likely to
go astray. As we see nowadays, children want to
be like their heroes: if they admire the sahabah
and sahabiyaat like Abu Bakr (may Allah be
pleased with him), Umar (may Allah be pleased
with him), Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with
him) and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her),
they are more than likely to emulate them and
remain steadfast upon their religion, Insha Allah.
11. Plan family fun trips
Visit the local Masjid to teach children the eti-
quettes of the Masjid - this will help them
acquaint and familiarize themselves with the
masjid, especially the boys. Visit historical
Muslim cities such as Makkah, Madinah,
Timbuktu etc. to give your children an under-
standing of their heritage as Muslims.
12. Make dua for them
As parents, it goes without saying that we need
to constantly make dua for our children. It was
the practice of the Prophets like Ibrahim [a.s.]
and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) as well as pious men like
Luqman (may Allah be pleased with him).
One of the goals of Muslim parents is to have
pious children that will pray for them once they
have left this world - can you say your child will
remember to make dua for you when you have
gone?
We have to walk our talk and lead by exam-
ple. Practice what you preach: after the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the
children see you as their next role model. They
watch and mirror most of what you do - you have
a direct impact on their lives. You hold your
childs hand for a short while and their hearts for-
ever. You are your childs most powerful role
model.
Ultimately, ask yourself: are you the mom
you want to be? Reflect on the bigger picture. Do
not treat your children like an item on your to-do
list - when they need you, give them your full
attention. Dont wait to complete your daily
chores before tending to the children. You can be
a productive mom and make it happen - by the
will of Allah (glorified and exalted be He). No mat-
ter where you are, start now and carry on - be the
change you want to see. It takes a strong ener-
getic mom to nurture and nourish their children
to grow with confidence and self-esteem.
Start NOW with this exercise:
What would you like your children to see in
you?
What would you like to contribute to their
lives?
What is one key life lesson that you really
want your children to learn from you and carry in
their heart always? (productivemuslim.com)
The author is a proud mom of four children aged
between 10-21 years old. She shares the empathy of
moms especially on family management and juggling
the joys of motherhood. Over the last few years, she
has successfully coached moms using Islamic princi-
ples to take moms through the journey of motherhood.
She works full-time as an Expatriate Payroll Specialist.
(Completed)
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Raising Confident Muslim Kids - ii
20 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES www.milligazette.com
Discipline and self-restraint are important characteristics of a Muslim. We
learn this through fasting and refraining from things Allah (glorified and
exalted be He) has told us to stay away from, like eating pork or drinking
wine for instance. Set clear and positive messages: make sure your bound-
aries and corresponding consequences are very clear. Identify what you want
your child to do instead of what you dont what them to do...
Always be consistent and stick to your promises, otherwise you will not be
trusted! And learn to negotiate: children are the best negotiators I have come
across - so be sensible! As you are leading by example, you will be teaching
your little gems these skills too! Boundaries show that you care about your
child and what they are doing.
Shaqeeq al-Balkhi (rahimahullah) is reported to
have said to Hatim:
You have accompanied me for a while so what
have you learnt from me? He replied: I have
learnt from you eight things:
Firstly: I looked at the creation and found that
every person has something which is beloved
to him and when he reaches his grave this
beloved thing is cut off from him. So I have
made good deeds my beloved so that it will
remain with me in the grave.
Secondly: I looked at the saying of Allah (sub-
haanahu wa taala): And as for him who feared
standing before his Lord, and restrained himself
from impure evil desires and lusts. So I strove
against my soul defending it from desires until
it settled upon obedience to Allah.
Thirdly: I saw that everyone who has something
precious, safeguards it (with much care), so I
looked at the saying of Allah (subhaanahu wa
taala): And that which you have will perish and
that which is with Allah will remain. So when-
ever I came across something which I found to
be precious, I directed it to Him so that it will
remain with Him for me.
Fourthly: I saw that people were depending
upon their wealth, nobility and dignity, which
are all nothing (in reality) so I looked at the say-
ing of Allah (subhaanahu wa taala): Indeed the
most honourable of you in the sight of Allah are
those who are most pious amongst you. So I
proceeded upon taqwa in order to gain an hon-
ourable standing with Him (subhaanahu wa
taala) .
Fifthly: I saw people being jealous of each other
so I looked at the saying of Allah (subhaanahu
wa taala): We have divided between them
their livelihood.
So I abandoned jealousy because it is in
opposition to the destiny set by Allah.
Sixthly: I saw them having enmity among them-
selves so I looked at the saying of Allah (sub-
haanahu wa taala): Indeed the Satan is an
enemy for you so take him as your enemy.
So I abandoned this enmity and took the
shaytan as my sole enemy.
Seventhly: I saw them resorting to shameful
measures in search for provision, so I looked at
the saying of Allah (subhaanahu wa taala):
And there is not a creature on the Earth except
that Allah provides for it. So I engaged myself
(in establishing) His rights that He (subhaanahu
wa taala) has over me and entrusted what is
mine, with him, in assurance of his promise.
Eighthly: I saw people relying (solely) upon their
trade and products and strong healthy bodies
but I put my trust in Allah the lord of the worlds.
(Translated by AbuObeid, Sahab.Net)
A Muslims code of life
BOOKS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013 21 www.milligazette.com
(Continued from the previous issue)
KAVNEET SINGH
Chapter 5: Nationalism and the RSS
Even those who call themselves scientists are irrational. In
1991, the Indian Science Congress established an award for the
contribution of a scientist to spiritual pursuits and in 1992 gave
the award to someone who maintained that astrology is part sci-
ence, part intuition(p. 82). When a scientific institution does
something like this it becomes a joke.
The process assimilates the cultural features that threaten
the Hindus [by] claiming that they belong to the Vedic golden
age. It is strategic, because it underlies an ideology that aims to
dominate the others in terms of prestige as well as on a concrete
socio-political plane.(p. 84).
Assimilation of anything that threatens Hinduism by being
superior in thought and ideas is automatic and what it cannot
assimilate is the bad -- Malecha or the other.
Golwalkars most strident denunciations of Muslims were as
a rape of the motherland(p. 99)
The ramblings of a demented mind are obvious for those who
have actually read his writings, A Bunch of Thoughts with an
open mind. For lack of a better and stronger word, Nazism comes
to mind when one is trying to describe the RSS. In 1991 a group
calling itself the Overseas Friends of the BJP was established in
New York by Dr. Mukund Mody. At about the same time a rival
group calling itself Concerned NRIs was formed in
California(p. 112)
These groups are known to have collected several million dol-
lars since then and channeled the money into BJP/RSS coffers to
carry out pogroms and genocides against various ethno-religious
minorities time and time again.
Chapter 6: A Perspective on Hindu-Muslim Conflict
In 1981, conversion of a few hundred Dalits to Islam in
Meenakshipuram in Tamil Nadu was exploited by communal
Hindusthey felt threatened from many sides(p. 117)
Any conversion of the lower castes to especially a Semetic is
a threat to the Brahminic hegemony. The real fear being their
power base gets eroded and the upper castes will very quickly be
a minority which is an overwhelming fear and the best kept secret.
A committee set up by the Press Council of India censored
four Hindi DailiesA minority report of the investigating commit-
tee criticized what it called editorial activism. Some editors took
part in VHP rallies Some correspondents were alleged to have
acted as VHP messengers(pp. 122f)
In India, even the media is heavily biased and actively connive
against minorities, especially against Muslims, Sikhs, Christians,
Dalits, etc.
Although it is difficult to estimate the total loss, a rough esti-
mate - including the loss in goods and services, trading, tax rev-
enues and compensation for victims - amounts to above
Rs. 10,000 crore ($3.3 billion), no insignificant loss for a poor
country like India(p. 138)
This is just a sample of a typical economic loss after a
pogrom generated by the Brahminic powerbrokers which is
always termed as a riot in the Indian media. Pogroms and eth-
nic cleansing happen very often in India but are cleverly disguised
as riots which happen on impulse, when the truth is that they
are always planned, financed and armed. In Surat, some women
were cut to pieces after being raped. When will our conscience be
shocked?...(p. 142)
I have come to the conclusion that the average Indian is a
timid follower with no moral backbone; therefore, he has no con-
science; and when led by racist thugs the sheep like Indians sud-
denly are transformed into a horde of blood thirsty Devils. This has
not changed in the last 60 years of Indias independence, in fact
is getting bad to worse.
Chapter 7: Shiv Sena and National Hindusim
Members of the Sena are discouraged persons who think they
deserve a better lot is a young man from a poor and dignified
background, full of goodwill but rejected, who feels superfluous in
existing society, he is an arrogant petty bourgeois (with a landlord
mentality) who does not wish to soil his hands and is ready to go
to worst extremes to avoid demeaning himself(p. 147)
Shiv Sena members are basically lazy bigots something akin
to Skinheads in Germany or the KKK in the US who are good at
nothing except being organized criminals in the clever guise of
social activists. This terrorist organization has the full unofficial
support by all the ever-changing regimes in India.
The Sena has a permanent propaganda directed towards
young Sikhs, particularly the munis (Sikhs who trim their beard
and hair). Munis are often young, from well-off or quite wealthy
families, who wish to escape the strict religious rules of their com-
munity. They are not drawn to Hinduism as a doctrine and are gen-
erally not religious, but seek to rid themselves of their sectarian
image and integrate themselves a way to rid themselves of the
anti-national image, of which Sikhs are readily accused in India
today (p. 152)
Gerard Heuze has made a loaded statement here. No doubt
the Sena does have a permanent propaganda to assimilate, direct-
ed towards Sikhs and their Faith since the late 1970s. The Sikhs
he is referring to are a very small minority and these typically
belonging to the trader class in cities who are under tremendous
peer pressure to join these groups since those Sikhs who join live
away from Punjab where as a Faith group they are in fear of
reprisals living as micro-minority. The anti-national label is some-
thing that the Brahminic hegemony loves putting on anyone that
has not been mainstreamed yet and anyone who will speak out
for civil liberties and justice.
Hindus are not a nation, despite efforts towards national
Hinduism. Among Indian youth, discipline is an indifferently held
quality, while war has for long been a remote prospective(p.
168)
The Hindus of the Central and Northern India are the primary
power pushers of the Hinduvata agenda regardless of the large
underclass who could care less about it. The contradictory and
very divergent thought processes within so-called Hinduism is
exactly the agenda of the Brahminic forces which are to coalesce
everything into one single whole.
Chapter 8: Sowing Dragons Teeth
Pyraelal wrote that it was common knowledge that the RSS had
been behind the bulk of the killings in Delhi and other parts of
India during the ethnic cleansing of 1946-47. He called the RSS
a communalist, para-military fascist organization that had infil-
trated the Hindu middle class and even the government servic-
es(p. 171)
Gandhis staunchest supporter, secretary and biographer
Pyarelal has described the RSS very candidly, rather surprising
coming from a Hindu. This descriptionhas today become a
major force to reckon with and is beyond anyones control.
A Muslim who abjured his religion would be assimilated only
on Hinduisms bottom floor(p. 174)
Hindus make a huge fuss if an untouchable converts to Islam
or whatever else but refuse to accept [him] on equal terms as a
Hindu. Let no one be surprised if sowing of the dragons teeth
shall someday germinate...(p. 176)
This statement by Rudolf Rocker was meant for Hitlers
Germany but this is very apt for India where those dragon teeth
are not only germinating but this is now the most deadly virus
which will ultimately bring about the countrys ruin.
No one familiar with India can deny that there is little pan-
Indian sentiment except among the small minority of English-
speaking, wealthy upper castes who benefit from a continental
market for their skills, products and political ambitions(p. 179)
The famous divide and rule policies which the British have
always been accused of, is really straight out of the Arthashastra
Veda of the Brahmins. India was never one and never will be one.
The British coined the word India and glued over 550 countries
together and put them on a platter and handed the whole over to
a permanent Brahminic minority; who is rewriting history
Hinduvata style at a feverish pitch.
Chapter 9: Two Documents on the Fragility of India
Beating, punching, kickingHanging or other forms of tor-
tureWet submarine; a person is made to lie on the
groundbeaten kicked for hours, even days Frame Treatment,
A person bound spread eagle to a vertical rectangular wooden
frame shocks given to head, eyes, cheeks, ears, neck, shoul-
ders, armpits, back and even private partsVarious tortures,
using pincers to pull even pubic hairapplying chilli powder in
the anus sticking pins all over the bodyAttacks on women,
stripping them nakedgang rape (pp. 182f)
The brutal methods of torture are all commonly called the
third degree in Indian terms. Every law on the books is thwarted
with the full knowledge and permission of the top brass in the
Centre.
Frightened, Sarat ran to a paddy field, but the armymen
chased and rounded him up in the paddy field and shot him at
point blank range(p. 184)
Encounter Killings, literally staged murders by the police and
army is a daily occurrence and hundreds of thousands of boun-
ties have been paid by the federal and state governments for this
ongoing gruesome task especially in Panjab, Kashmir, Assam,
Nagaland and states looking for autonomy or outright secession
from India.
Chapter 10: Women and Sisterhood
Uma Chakravarti writes in a study of patriarchy in early India,
castes hierarchy and gender hierarchy are the organizing princi-
ples of the brahminical Social Order Women are regarded as
gateways-literally points of entrance into the caste system. The
lower caste male whose sexuality is a threat to upper caste purity
has to be institutionally prevented from having sexual access to
women of the higher castes so women must be carefully guard-
ed(p. 193)
Whether it is Nazi Aryan philosophy or the (hate) pure blood
philosophies of the various white races the world over, this is no
different but in-fact much worse than that as it has (Hinduisms)
religious sanction to carry on their ominous agenda in perpetuity.
If he is forced to enter the public sphere where she is not 'hon-
oured' or respected, and if her purity is violated, she had to kill
herself through sheer will force(p. 200)
M. K. Gandhis statement, clearly lopsided and contradictory,
but Brahminic view shows what upper castes think of women!
The most crucial segment for family planning is the most neg-
lected: adolescent girls in rural surroundings Nayars study
found that 40 percent of rural girls in the six-to-eleven age group
were out of school(p. 202)
Rural women have borne the brunt of missing out on educa-
tion due to lack of concentrated initiative by the central authorities
since the vast majority fall in the lower castes. Any positive work
is largely by NGOs and all else is a sham.
Chapter 11: The End of Illusions
Slowly, imperceptibly, almost, it seems, as it were the inevitable
course of destiny, caste has grown and spread and seized every
aspect of Indian life in its strangling grip(p. 218)
Instead of losing its grip, the caste system is like the simple
Chinese finger tightner toy. On all college campuses in India, col-
lege elections primarily are fought based on caste loyalty even
today. These are bastions of education to free the mind of all kinds
of fritters, but the opposite is true. The more the education the
more bigoted Indians [Hindus] seem to get.
During the Babri Masjid issue, thousands of otherwise edu-
cated and sane doctors, engineers, businessmen from USA,
Canada, UK, etc, sent gold bricks to rebuild the Ayodhya Temple
after its demolition. Caste is a deadly virus and at the very mini-
mum is perpetuated through marriage even though the well-mean-
ing Hindu may not agree with it.
The argument that Dalits are survivors of Indias original
inhabitants - preached since the time of Phule more than 150
years ago - is too much against the grain of scholarly opinion to
find support, except among those who are already persuaded. An
attempt to get UN sub-commission to recognize Dalits as indige-
nous people is vigorously opposed by the government of India.
For the rest of the world, caste is an internal issue and, hence,
deserving no external intervention(p. 230)
It is explicitly clear that India wants to keep the caste system
intact, albeit carry on a charade of change extremely slowly while
the Brahminic hegemony continues to make blood money on the
backs of the Dalits for the last three thousand years and carries on
unabated till today.
[In] the sanitized historywith which Indians are most com-
fortableviolence, suffering and many of the scars left by their
history, are suppressed. infamous role of the local administra-
tion in encouraging the attacks and suppressing evidence, includ-
ing the destruction of crucial log books from police
stationsthe chopping off of the breasts of women; the spearing
of infants and children, the spears with the victims impaled on
them being twirled around in the air to accompaniment of laugh-
ter ...(pp. 238f)
These acts can only be attributed to mentally deranged
humans, but the hard fact is that they are all perfectly normal, men
of all ages and women too, in the minority though, who like an
annual Halloween festival lust for blood as roving Draculas doing
their best to fill the bottomless bowl of the goddess Kali.
An organization, calling itself the Brahmin Mahasangh, felt
Brahmins were in particular danger. Anguished at the growing
caste contradiction in society, it appealed to Brahmins to pro-
duce at least six sons each and send them to join the army,
police, administrative services and trade (Hindustan - in Hindi,
Oct 3, 1991p. 251)
Brahminic hegemony for thousands of years is slowly eroding
and that scares the heck out of them. Brahmins constitute no
more than 3.5% of the entire 1.2 billion Indians but fill and control
between 40-75% of all civil service jobs from the bottom to the
very top.
The judiciary consists of over 75% Brahmins with little chance
of justice for anyone not belonging to the three upper castes of the
Brahminic Social Order. They do not want this lopsided highly
unjust and greedy status quo upset in anyway whatsoever.
Unfortunately most Indians do not read such books as the
truth is too depressing and they are faced with too many embar-
rassing questions. Fortunately, academics like the ones who have
written this book need to be applauded for writing on such a vast
subject in a very cogent manner and making their point.
Anyone with a conscience interested in truth, justice, equality
and the rule of law in South Asia must read this book.
(Completed)
We supply any book
published from
Delhi.*
Contact details on page 19
Democracy in India - ii
The brutal methods of torture are all commonly
called the third degree in Indian terms. Every
law on the books is thwarted with the full
knowledge and permission of the top brass in the
Centre.
Frightened, Sarat ran to a paddy field, but the
armymen chased and rounded him up in the
paddy field and shot him at point blank
range(p. 184)
Encounter Killings, literally staged murders by the
police and army is a daily occurrence and
hundreds of thousands of bounties have been
paid by the federal and state governments for this
ongoing gruesome task especially in Panjab,
Kashmir, Assam, Nagaland and states looking for
autonomy or outright secession from India.
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MG
You are really doing great service to Indian Muslims by providing them
correct information through Milli Gazette. May Allah give you more
strength. I have been trying my best to enhance its circulation.
Syed Khurshid Anwar, Advocate High Court Allahabad
anwarkhurshid7@gmail.com
II
MG 16-31, May 2013 issue was excellent. Read the report saying that
there were 1336 Rape cases in Kashmir. Kashmir is in India but its
people are still being treated as equals. The article Karnataka: Sonia
Succeeds, Modi Fails! was excellent.
Nellai Saleem, erusaleem@gmail.com
Woeful neighbours
I say woeful. But, perhaps, only Kuldip Nayyar can say what India
and Pakistan Distant around 1971. But now even prisoners in these
countries have extended retaliation to skull for skull
Sultan A. Patel, Khanpur Deh - 392150
Terrorist attack in London
The shocking and barbaric attack on a Britisher on a street in London
yesterday and the terrible bomb blasts on a street in Boston targeting
Americans a few weeks ago, are absolutely horrible instances of
insanity, What is very awful is that in both instances the perpetrators
were Muslims who never knew the victims whom they targetted; they
implied that their actions were protests against injustice to Muslims.
At a time when Muslims should be and are in the forefront of advocat-
ing interfaith peaceful coexistence among diverse religious communi-
ties, a handful of insane and evil people who claim to be Muslim, are
causing so much harm to the very basic image of Islam, by such vis-
cous and barbaric violent acts. There are not enough words in any
language, nor enough hours in the day to condemn such gory and
barbaric violence. Kaleem Kawaja, Washington, USA
kaleemkawaja@gmail.com
Presss silence on corrupt bureaucrats
Today corruption is all - pervasive in the country and has very deeply
affected all walks of life. It can be effectively checked and eliminated
when not only highly effective and strict laws are passed and deter-
rent exemplary punishment is given to the guilty and very strong pub-
lic opinion is mobilised against this cancer. Surely, press can do a lot
in this matter. But it is really distressing that the press has miserably
failed to perform is duty in so far as corrupt bureaucrats are con-
cerned. It has done a real national service by exposing corrupt politi-
cians and political leaders by condemning their highly deplorable mis-
deeds and has correctly corruption without the active assistance of
bureaucrats. Infact, bureaucrats have beaten the politicians in this
nasty and sordid game of amassing wealth. Hardly, any day passes
when we do not read reports of CBI raids at the residences of bureau-
crats both serving or retired and come to know the details of their
amassing wealth amounting to several millions and about their highly
disproportionate assets. The most glaring example of this is that of a
former chief secretary of U P who had been appointed by Mulayam
Singh Govt. who had amassed wealth amounting to crores. Silence of
the Press over the corruption of bureaucrats on such a vast scale can-
not be condones.
Dr. M. Hashim Kidwai, Ex-MP (Rajya Sabha), New Delhi - 91
Let 99 Muslims be hanged to death rather than...
To the author, unfortunately the ratio is very true. 99 Muslims are
hanged in terrorism charges, but hardly a Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jew,
Buddhist or any other people are even accused of terrorism. Islam Vs
Other religion: 99:1. Sir, what a ratio? Why do Muslims score so high
in field of terrorism. Anyways I do have answer, would love to share
it if you say. It is verses of Quran, for ex:- 9:5. And when the sacred
months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them
and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every
place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give
zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and
Merciful. I do have much more verses than this, hope you liked it.
Rahul Raj [to MG website]
MG: This is mastery of manipulation and quoting out of context.
This verse relates to pre-Makkah Conquest Arabia when Arab poly-
theists were waging an active war against Muslims. It came to an
end with the conquest of Makkah during the Prophets own life-
time. This rule was only for the Arabian polytheists who were all
related to the Prophet through his father or mother. This rule does
not apply anywhere outside Hijaz in the Arabian peninsula. If it was
indeed applied in countries like India and Spain you would not find
a single non-Muslim there when the Muslim rule ended after 7-8
centuries. The ground reality is different. It is dangerous for a lay-
man to start reading a text without knowledge about the context
and the historical realities.
Bhagwa Ideologue In Secular UPA
The basic Ideology of congress party (and its allies) is based on
Socialism and Secular Democracy so it is expected that Ministers in
UPA Govt shall be secular in their approach and sensitive to the aspi-
rations of the weakest section of the Society ,that is, Muslims. If one
goes through the working of Central Minister Kapil Sibba during last 7
yearsl then it could be observed that he had been worst than any com-
munalist in the Bhgwa group whether his action is related to Minority
Character of JMI which was forcefully opposed by him, Establishment
of Schools for Minorities(The MUSLIMS),he ensured that schools to
be opened to provide education to the Muslim children are established
in the places far away from Muslims dominated localities or the
appointments of Urdu Teachers in Central Schools. Not only this, as a
minister of HRD , he has made irreparable damage to the cause of
education especially higher and technical education .On fight against
corruption he was in forefront to resist any strong law against it..
Therefore all secularists specilly Muslim Community should appeal to
the PM and Smt Sonia Gandhi, who is certainly honest and secular, to
get rid of him before 2014 Elections. The electorate of Chandni Chowk
shall be advised not to vote for him in case he is given ticket from that
constituency. Prof. Shamim Ahmad
profshamim@gmail.com
Khalid Mujahid
The manner in which the lawyers bar association in Faizabad court
has expelled three of its colleagues and brutally assaulted one of
them, for the simple reason that they participated in a protest demon-
stration demanding justice in the suspicious death of Khalid Mujahid,
a bomb blast suspect - speaks volumes about the heights of commu-
nalism in the so-called intellectual circles. What is more reprehensible
is the refusal of the police to lodge an FIR in the murderous attack. The
apex court should take cognizance of the incident and take urgent
remedial steps by initiating a stringent action against the errant bar
association. Otherwise, a day may not be far off when advocates
would bluntly refuse to represent the accused if they happen to be
Muslims. Syed Sultan Mohiddin, Kadapa
sultan_awaz@yahoo.co.in
II
We shall truly be a lawless land if lawyers are permitted to prevent
their fellows from defending those accused of terrorism. These peo-
ple appear not to know the meaning of accused and the necessity
of defence lawyers if those accused of crimes are to get justice.
Mukul Dube, Delhi 110091
Extreme Savagery
I unreservedly condemn two Nigerian neo-Muslims butchering a
British soldier on the street of London in broad daylight. This is unmit-
igated savagery. Such flagrant acts of naked violence besmirch the
name of Islam and vindicate the universal misconception about Islam
being a violent and militant faith. Therere so many decent and peace-
ful ways to express grievances individually as well as collectively.
Hacking and beheading an innocent person in public can never get
any sane individuals approval and acceptance. We all must disap-
prove of this barbaric spectacle, the Londoners witnessed recently.
Sumit Paul, Pune
Muslims' Demand Of Justice To Community
The congress win in Karnataka is mainly due to the unconditional sup-
port of Muslims of the state .Muslims are the worst affected commu-
nity of the country by the central congress regime .Unmindful of all
oppressions done by the congress Muslims have voted to the con-
gress party .Though there is much deference between the regional
and central congress .The congress in centre has lost its credibility
.as it is involved in number of scandals and scams .It has to take sup-
port from SP and BSP to continue in the power .It means it is linger-
ing with the support of two BYSAKHIS .The congress has done great
injustice to Muslim community. Thousands of Muslim youths have
been apprehended on the fake charges of terrorism .number of youths
have been shot dead in encounters .The Babri Mosque was demol-
ished in the day light in the gaze of the then promise of Late Prime
minister Narasimha Rao. No culprit was punished or arrested .Modi
who managed to kill 2000 innocent Muslims in Gujarat but he was
given clean chit. Dr AH Maqdoomi, Hyderabad
AMU
This refers to news item (MG 1-15 May) regarding military ambience
prevailing now-a-days in AMU. Your comment appended to news item
is apt and candid. AMU had been for long a nursery producing Muslim
leaders. Shafi Qureshi, Mohd. Adeeb, Arif Mohd. Khan, Rasheed
Masood, are only few to name here. This role of AMU was thorn in the
eye of govt. Indira Gandhi with the help of the then VC Saiyid Hamid
ensured that university did not remain attaining ground for Muslim
leaders. Had Indira Gandhi not been assassinated before the expiry of
the term of Hamid sahib as VC, he would have been awarded suitably
for his service. The trend set by Saiyid Hamid has been adopted by
almost every VC after him. Present VC has adopted the same
approach. He is really doing great disservice to AMU. All well wishers
of the AMU particularly Old Boys should take up the issue of expul-
sion of AMUSU president. Being an old boy of AMU. I appeal to the Lt.
Gen.(retired) to recall the expulsion of student leader forthwith in ther
largest interest of great seat of learning.
Syed Khurshid Anwar, Allahabad
anwarkhurshid7@gmail.com
II
I agree with you and the fallout of army rule is already visible but as
per unique Muslim character most of the people in campus are silent.
The VC has embarked upon finishing everything which is known as
Aligarianism. He is taking arbitrary decisions under his Special
Powers like merging Centre of Indian Languages & Cultures ( A dream
project of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi ) into department of Indian
Languages and withdrawing urdu from admission tests of class ist,
6th & 9th. I have not seen such an autocratic Vice Chancellor in my
44 years life in AMU except Mahmudur Rahman who was a BJP man.
NJ Ansari, Aligarh [on mg website]
III
AMU We should congratulate Vice-chancellor of AMU, Lt. Gen. (Retd.)
Zameer Uddin Shah, for completing one year in office on May 17,
2013. He has brought changes in the academic and administrative
areas and laying a lot of stress in improving the living conditions of
students. In his own words, he is on mission to take the University to
number one position among the institutions of higher studies in the
country and restore its past glory by reviving traditional values. He is
working really hard to achieve his goals. Insha Allah, the positive
mindset will take Aligarh Muslim University to number one position.
M. Yunus Khan, AMU, Aligarh.
khan_yunus123@rediffmail.com
Indian First, Indian Second And Indian Last
Let Indian Muslims reinforce their Iman and patriotism as was exem-
plified by one of India's greatest Freedom Fighters. A great Muslim
freedom fighter in India in 1930s ( Name: Maulana Mohamed Ali
Jauhar) At the Round Table Conference in London in 1930, he said I
have a culture, a polity, an outlook on life-a complete synthesis which
is Islam', 'Where God commands', he added, 'I am a Muslim first, a
Muslim second, a Muslim last, and nothing but a Muslim. If you ask
me to enter into your Empire ( British) or into your nation by leaving
that synthesis, that polity, that culture, that ethics, I will not do it.' He
did not believe that by being a Muslim he was any less an Indian. His
religious beliefs and nationality never appeared to him to be incompat-
ible. He could--and must--be true to both Islam and India. He
explained thus: 'Where India is concerned, where India's freedom is
concerned, where the welfare of India is concerned, I am an Indian
first, and Indian second, [Page 28 My Life: A Fragment] an Indian last,
and nothing but an Indian.' As a Muslim, I must be free and subject to
no autocrat who demands from me obedience to his orders in defence
of those of God.... Faith is my motive of conduct in every act ... and
my faith demands freedom. That Swaraj will give me, but it does not
demand the subjugation of the Hindu or any one else differing from
me in faith.... My own freedom and not the enslavement of any other
is my creed. . Pamohamedameen (via email)
Is brutal America pampered by UNO?
The global terrorists America and Israel are unleashing unlawful,
unjustifiable and unkind wars on innocent citizens of Kuwait,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria etc; making fictitious sto-
ries of terrorism only in the aim of looting wealth of that countries;
several lakhs of citizens were killed by these disastrous and the coun-
tries in question are remains as modern crematoriums. The chaotic
wars made rich the attackers and the victims are following the ago-
nized life and pulling on dread full life. The so-called UNO is not tak-
ing any fruitful measures to prevent the unwarranted and unkind
attacks on other countries. The dhrone (pilotless) planes bombing in
Pakistan and Afghanistan kills hundreds of citizens as well as
destroyed the dwellings and business centres of the country. Once
Iran was targeted by the attackers on silly grounds, but totally failed
and withdrawn their forces, since the citizens were stood rigidly
against the attackers. Though the country was in turmoil the then cun-
ning ruler of Iran. "Shah pahalavi" flew to America with loaded planes
of wealth of Iran and settled there. Leaving all the wealth of Iran in
America he was vanished. Still America is threatening Iran on silly
grounds and not allowing the needy countries to import fuel products
and other commodities from Iran. The autocratic and Zionist atrocities
on innocent peace loving countries should be dispensed with and the
UNO should do the needful against the atrocities in the countries from
any corner or at any level so as to maintain global peace.
Rajmohan, Kochi, Kerala
Education
Muslims need to correct their path for education The performance of
Indian Muslim in UPSC will always hover around 3 per cent of the total
lot as in 2012 exams. In addition to this they will also remain behind
in different educational fronts unless they change their directions. It is
not because of some hidden policy of the government to prevent them
becoming the part of its machinery. But because of the myopic vision
of the Indian Muslim community especially the so called educated
class among them. All of them frame their opinions based on the per-
ception of the general perceived beliefs in the society. They fail to see
the grand scheme of affairs for the upliftment of Indian Muslims.
These so called Muslim scholars run and suggest others about organ-
isations which provide coaching to the Muslims aspirants for UPSC
civil services examination such as Jamia Millia Islamia, Hamdard
Study Centre, Zakat Foundation and various other government helps.
However, there is not much improvement in the passing rates because
they are hitting on the wrong side of the nail. Their effort is like award-
ing the persons who will cross the river which in any case will follow
the Gaussian curve rule. Help is needed by those who are to be taught
to swim at the other end of the river. Even if they dont provide coach-
ing, this much percentage will routinely clear the UPSC exams.
Dr. Mohammed Imran, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi -110062
drimran@aol.in
Match fixing
Considering the recent match fixing issue leading to several arrest of
RR team , its time to take things seriously. Perhaps its the time that
IPL should take a temporary break to resolve the matter rather than
following relentless playing schedule. At the moment the atmospher-
ics seems pretty hostile for playing cricket since things like suspicion,
anger and cynicism are the over-riding emotions. However, looking at
the BCCI, its seems that it simply want to continue to be an opaque
body, which is interested in handing huge amount of money that
comes in through this tournament. The fact is, the top brass at the
BCCI now needs to engage with law enforcement agencies simply to
understand how deep rooted is this menace. If other players and
teams are under the scanner and what more could be public soon.
Surely, no right thinking person will believe this begins and ends with
Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan? Indeed, its quite logical to assume
that a good amount of players have been compromised? Surely other
passages of play in other games have been similarly scripted over the
last few weeks?
Mohd Ziyauallah Khan, Jafar Nagar, Nagpur - 440013
Muslim kings cared and loved Indians
The last night of Indians rule overpowered by British invaders the king
Bahadur Shah Zafar called his daughter Kulsumm and son-in-law and
asked them to leave Lal Qila under darkness of night, then he prayed
to Allah and made Dua I leave these uncared children to your will.
They are dwellers of palace, are going in jungles no one is heir sup-
porter Khandan-e-Taimurs name save the prestige,. and all Indians
Hindu and Muslims are my sons now a day they are in trouble.
kindly help al Indians and save them from problems. This statement
is sufficient to show how Muslim kings loved and cared Indian.
S. Haque, Patna
Are we great?
Can a country consider herself great in which tiny babies are being
wildly raped and killed continuously almost every where? Does such
a heinous thing happen anywhere else in the world? Is this greatness
or meanness? S. A. U. Patel, Khanpur Deh - 392150
Unite to face Chinese dragon
China had invaded north India in 1963, and had occupied our large
areas. It had also invaded and occupied Tibet. It says Arunachal
Pradesh is Chinas province. Kailash and Mansarvar are in Chinas
possession. Now Chinese troops have entered Indian territory in
Laddakh. China is worlds second military and economic power on the
contrary rampant corruption, capitalism, casteism, regionalism, lin-
guism, terrorism and wide spread poverty etc have weakened India.
Naxalism is infact Chinese Maoism, which is spreading in 79 districts
of seven states of India. Naxalities are trained and well armed. The
believe in violence. They have killed hundreds of police men. In some
areas they have been running parallel Govt. Poortribals and villagers
are their sympathisors and supporters.
G. Hasnain Kaif, Bhandara, Maharashtra (441904)
Apropos of President Hamid Karzais visit to India, one cannot help to
note from a CNN Farid Zakaria interview of Daryl Dalrymple on the last
British involvement in Afghanistan, back in 1860s when out of about
18000 British troops, only one survived the retreat, and in that expe-
dition with the British were about 5000 Indians too - helpless coolies
recruited to die, apparently not for the sake of their own country, India.
Another episode blurs up the confusion on Afghanistan, when a
British soldier, Joe Geldon, on Steven Suckers BBC Hardtalk program
accuses that UK was merely hanging over the coattails of US and it
has no business to be in Afghanistan. With so much world experience
being articulated day in and day out even in current media programs,
one hopes our Prime Minister will take heed and not drag us Indians
into Afghanistan imbroglio, either hanging from the coattails of the US
or Hamid Karzai - the later-day Shah Shuja --- whatever promise of
gold at the end of the rainbow will be shown to him and his advisers.
India should opt for a war-less future for the sub-continent and even
with China, it should finalize a neighbourly relations just like US has
with Canada - open borders, open hearts.
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com
REJOINDERS/OPINION/LETTERS The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 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 MAY 2013 POSTED ON 27 MAY 2013
ADV. FORTNIGHTLY AT NDPSO-110002
The genesis of Charity Alliance in early 2005 was
out of the necessity to do something about the
starvation deaths in Murshidabad area of West
Bengal. Since then our work in Murshidabad in
continues without any break because of the sup-
port of people like you, alhamdulillah. We have
been distributing food every week to about 150
families and offering medical aid as well. Each
year we have been paying the fees and buying
books for about 100 students there. Since last year
we have also started a Vocational Training Centre
there teaching tailoring and embroidery to begin
with. This year, Alhamdulillah, we have been able
to setup Alliance School in Murshidabad and the
current student strength is more than 400.
Charity Alliance is very conscious to use every
penny of your donation to help some of those
who are really poor in our society and cannot rise
without the help of an extended hand. Thanks to
the administrative and media support by The
Milli Gazette, almost every paisa of your support
reaches the beneficiaries.
Please visit www.charityalliance.in to see our
audited annual reports.
Your donations to Charity Alliance are Tax
exempted u/s 80G.
To help CHARITY ALLIANCE go to page 17 in this issue
Donations, Zakat, Sadaqat, Charity and bank interest
accepted by cheque / online Internet Banking transfers or credit card payments / Money Order / By Cash*.
ZAKAT
It is paid on Total Net Assets of the Individual/
business calculated according to the rules of Zakat.
To know how to calculate visit:
http://tinyurl.com/yesnz2a
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24 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2013
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