I n d i a n M u s l i m s L e a d i n g E n g l i s h N e w s p a p e r , p u b l i s h e d s i n c e J a n u a r y 2 0 0 0

MG THE
Fortnightly
273 Vol. 12 No. 11

MILLI GAZETTE
1-15 June 2011 32 pages

www.milligazette.com www.milligazette.com

ISSN 0972-3366

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Inside
Terrorism 4,5,11,12,13 Waqfs 8 bin Laden 13,23,26 Riots 5 Urdu education 8 Israel/India 2 Books released 17 Bengal Muslims 14 Majlis-e Mushawarat 12 Babri 6,14 Gujarat 3,10 J&K 1,7,15 Analysis 9,14 Special Reports 3 Issues 2,12-13 Books 27 National 3-22 International 23-26 Speaking Out 14 Newsmakers 18 19-22 Community News Islamic Perspectives 28 Classifieds 29 Letters 30-31

BLIND MAN SHOWS THE WAY...P. 9

KASHMIRIYAT IS ALIVE... p. 18

VHP raring to burn Kashmir over Amarnath

ZAFAR CHOUDHARY
epilogue@epilogue.in Jammu: After a humiliating fiasco in the BJP ranks in Jammu, another Sangh Parivar organisation, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, seems to have taken charge of the saffron agenda in the region. The issue in hand is again Amarnath pilgrimage and the man in charge is none other than the firebrand Praveen Bhai Togadia. Offering a perfect reason for the season of protests in Kashmir, Togadias plan of action has started taking shape in Jammu. The Hindu residents of Jammu region have often come across allegations of being communal. Such a sweeping opinion about any community or religion is deeply hurting. There have been some unpleasant incidents in the past but Hindus, being the majority community in Jammu, can be largely credited for general prevalence of communal harmony in the region. Some recent developments have once again affirmed that it is perhaps the Sangh Parivar, particularly the BJP, which stirs communal passions in the region, polarising its Hindu votebank and making Muslims feel insecure. The government and other keen observers of recent developments feared major reaction in Jammu when the Revenue Department rescinded the

Despite head priest of Amarnath shrine Mahant Dipinder Giris clear cut opinion based on religious scriptures that the pilgrimage should last for 30 days only, the VHP has launched a movement for a 60-day pilgrimage. The Amarnath Shrine Board, headed of J&K Governor, has notified as 45-day long pilgrimage but VHP and its supporters have taken umbrage to this. In a clear threat to maintenance of peace, the VHP leader Praveen Togadia has threatened to start the pilgrimage 15 days ahead of schedule.
order on Dogra certificate following an amendment in the rules incorporated by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The manner in which the J&K Revenue Minister had issued orders on Dogra certificate, bracketing all residents of Jammu province as Dogras, and the kind of reaction that came from Kashmirs separatist and mainstream camps had already given a communal colour to the issue. After Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelanis blunt statement that the Dogra certificate was an organised attempt to divide Muslims by creating fake identities, there was grave apprehension of protests in Jammu when the order was rescinded. Interestingly, Jammu didnt react at all when the Government superseded the Dogra certificate order on April 28 with another order which made the concessions in recruitment in Central Paramilitary Forces available to all residents of Jammu & Kashmir. The earlier order, in view of a historical background, extended such concessions to Dogras only. Barring one customary statement by BJPs spokesman, there was no reaction at all. With Jammu accepting the government decision on Dogra certificate with calm and humility, it is safe to conclude that minus BJP, Jammu region has no communal agenda. BJP has historically propagated communal and divisive agenda in Jammu & Kashmir. Even as its senior leader and former national president Rajnath Singh recently admitted in Jammu that BJP has no understanding or vision for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, the party is always in the business of selling its self-appointed role of defender of India in Kashmir. With this unwarranted role, the BJP went on to stir communal passions around Amarnath land row in 2008 and then reaped the harvest with eleven seats in the assembly elections later that year. With eleven members in a House of 87 and controlling nearly 30 percent of assembly constituencies in Jammu region, the BJP has been at the height of its communal arrogance since 2008. Though a slur on democratic principles, it is a blessing in disguise that the BJP stands nearly wiped out from mainland Jammu where it called the shots. With seven of its eleven MLAs clearly exposed for selling their votes to the National Conference-Congress ruling combine in Legislative Council elections on April 13, the saffron party has been reduced to a laughing stock in the region. The seven MLAs, including the veteran Chaman Lal Gupta, were suspended from the party by its president Nitin Gadkari on April 20 on the nearly proven cash-for-vote allegations, the BJP is not left with any moral authority to represent the regional sentiments of the people of Jammu as the party would always claim. However, after BJPs Waterloo, another Sangh Parivar organisation has arrived in Jammu to occupy the saffron space and keep the fringe elements engaged in its communal project. The issue this time is about the duration of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, something which appeals to even with most moderate and

Gujarat fake encounter specialists visit dargahs

Divine justice boomeranged on several fake encounter specialists whose sins have forced them to seek solace at dargahs. A formerly happy and affluent police officer, responsible for Sadiq Jamals murder, is now suffering from a number of diseases. He has now realised that his sins had boomeranged on him. His relatives approached Sadiq Jamals mother apologising with folded hands and saying: Sahib is seriously ill. Please pray for his long life so that he becomes well soon. However, a mother who had lost her son at the hands of this officer could not pray for his welfare. She bluntly told his relatives: Mere bachche ko bemaut
MG/Yusuf

maar dala; iss liye aisa sab hoga hee. Mein aapke sahib ke liye kabhi dua nahin mangoogi (He killed my son before he had to die and this was bound to happen. I will never pray for him). The police inspector involved had a very painful end. It is clear that though justice in Sadiq Jamals case in the earthly court might be delayed (or even denied) but the Divine Court gave a quick verdict. The officer suffered one disease after another culminating in blood cancer. Other officers too are extremely disturbed and have begun visiting innumerable dargahs. (AG Khan)

Waqf property

, lost et s is G thi all ine m

secular Hindus across the country. Despite the head priest of Amarnath shrine Mahant Dipinder Giris clear-cut opinion based on religious scriptures that the pilgrimage should be for 30 days only, the VHP has launched a movement for a 60-day pilgrimage instead. The Amarnath Shrine Board, headed by J&K Governor, has notified a 45-day long pilgrimage but VHP and its supporters have taken umbrage to this. In a clear threat to peace, the VHP leader Praveen Togadia has threatened to start the pilgrimage 15 days ahead of the schedule. We will start the two-month long Amarnath yatra from June 15 as per the traditional calendar. We will not abide by the announcement of the state governor to start the yatra from June 29, International General Secretary Parveen Bhai Togdia said in Jammu on April 29. Togadia is in a confrontational mood and is apparently filling in the vacuum left by the collapse of the BJP. Who is the Governor (Chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board) to decide the date and the periodicity of the yatra. The date of the yatra should always be left to Hindu priests, Togadia said. Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) should only take care of the arrangements and other infrastructural needs of the pilgrimage and decision of commencement and periodicity of the yatra should be left to priests and religious leaders of Hinduism, he said. When asked that if the government does not allow them to go ahead with the yatra on June 15, he said, We will start the yatra on June 15 at all cost and in all circumstances. We, therefore, warn the Board and government to rectify the yatra curtailment decision immediately. If the government cannot provide the security to the yatra for fifteen days, we will bring one lakh Bajrang Dal activists from outside the state to provide security to the yatra, he said. The Governor will be responsible for the consequences if we are not allowed to go ahead with the yatra, Togadia warned.
The author is the editor of Epilogue magazine, published from Jammu

Goa Muslims fight

dumping ground politics
For more than a decade the problem of Muslim graveyard in Goa has not been resolved. Gokul Das Naik, Distt Collector (of Madgao South Goa) told Masjid-e Gausiya General Secretary that Chief Minister Digamber Kamat says "Musalmaanoon ko isse acchi jagah nahin mile gi, inko koodey mein daal do." Mr. Carol alledges that Naik is responsible for misplacing the 1994 Goa graveyard land acquistion papers. See page 22

2 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

ISSUES / OPINION

Beware of a Jewish invasion of India

GHULAM MUHAMMED
ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com It is time the world should recognize and acknowledge a Jew as a Jew, first and last. World should acknowledge the tremendous good Jews, individually and collectively, contributed to mankind in practically every facet of human existence, especially in modern societies. At the same time, the world should beware of the tremendous potential of damage they could inflict on the world and had been in the past in history. New York Times writer, Thomas L. Friedman is first and last Jewish. He carries all the positives and negatives that converge on his Jewish intellect. His analysis of the world around us has been singularly brilliant and eyepopping. In his latest article in The New York Times: Weve Only Got America A (Dec.14, 2010), he rightly expresses alarm over how his country, the USA, is slipping in world affairs. It is the remedy that he suggests shows that even a most liberal of Jew could only fall back on his own kinds existential propensities to find a solution for Americas survival. He wants America to go back to the American Jewish Neo-con model of War War rather than Jaw Jaw. He writes: it will be a lot easier with a healthier America committed to its core values, powerful enough to project them and successful enough that others want to follow our lead voluntarily. According to the American Jewish Neocon, to project Americas power, it has to pick an Iraq here, an Afghanistan there and the world will be struck with shock and awe, for America to subdue the recalcitrant and force them to come to it voluntarily. It is clear that even with America in decline like the Great Britain after the World War II, its Jewish thinkers who are determined to prove that since there is no more any other America to save the world, as they had jumped from Europe to America as their survival strategy, finding a dead end of further colonies, America itself should rearm itself and stand up to claim the title of the lone superpower of the world. It is not that the US does not have the military power to bomb the entire planet many times over. Its the fragility of the world in which Americans too have to make a living that forces them to compromise and resort to token war-

Entire Indian literature is a copy of the West

New Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamias Department of Hindi organised Devdas Gandhi Memorial Lecture on 21 December. Speaking on this occasion, Rajendra Yadav, noted Hindi author and editor of Hans, said that normally Urdu is called the younger sister of Hindi but the fact is otherwise as Urdu is the mother of Hindi, or at least, elder sister of Hindi. He said that if we study the earliest literary works of Hindi, these can be called neither Urdu nor Hindi. In support of this, he talked about the works of Insha Allah Khan Insha, Mulla Wajhi and Wali Dakkhini. He said that it would not be wrong to say that Urdu and Hindi are one and same language, with the difference that Hindi to a large extent has been influenced by local dialects whereas Urduwalas avoided this, adding that the history of Urdu literature is four or five centuries old. Speaking about the talk of change of Hindi script, he said that because of SMS, Hindi and Urdu today are being written on a large scale in Roman script, instead of Devnagri and Persian scripts. He said that because of modern techniques there exists the possibility of a great change in matters of script. He said that cinemas role has been very powerful in the propagation and popularisation of Hindi. He said one of the characteristics of West has been that there is no tradition of discouraging different ideologies and theories. Rather, effort is made to encourage them but this is not the case in India. Whether it is science, literature or any other field of knowledge, we are always indebted to West and that is why we have a very small number of original theorists, ideologues and thinkers and more of copycats because of which almost our entire Indian literature is a copy of the West. He said that Urdu and Hindi litterateurs should give up this habit of copying the West and only then the survival of any language can be guaranteed. Prof. Asghar Wajahat said that though Rajender Yadavs views are important we cannot agree to all what he has said. For example, he mentioned the concept of zero and many other Indian theories, inventions, thoughts, ancient literature etc. which were adopted and valued by West also. Dev Das Gandhi was the first Hindi teacher of Jamia Millia Islamia who was sent by Gandhiji to teach Hindi at the Jamia and hence the significance of this lecture in his memory. (NA Ansari) ilar basic needs and also educational and public health deficits. Such acts by a distant Trust out of humanitarianism and patriotism would have served as a model for the government and local NGO. An objection has been raised to the performance of the last rites of Satya Sai Baba with full state honours, with his dead body wrapped in the national flag. This was totally unprecedented. Many VVIPs including the President of the Republic and the P.M. also visited and paid their respect. A question arises whether such visits were a public duty, if it was a private visit, why the use of IAF aircrafts? Thus Satya Sai Baba was secular in his approach, but he was essentially a Hindu Sant, who claimed to be God. The media have stressed that followers of all religions participated in his funeral. In fact there were one or two Muslim clerics. One wonders what they did and whether they were brought in for a photo-op.

Jews who have a history of moving from countries to countries, for any number of reasons, will be the first to jump the ship and the two countries that they would like to descend on, are China and India. China is a difficult place to penetrate. India is a soft target and it is possible that America and its vanguard Jewish troopers will try to colonize India. Indias extremist fascism oriented Hindutva political partys President has recently visited Israel and openly asked it to help them in internal security of India. That is good enough entry point for Zionist Jews into India...
fare. They are now gearing up to take on North Korea. That will once again give them a chance to show the world that America is still alive and kicking. Friedman warns his countrymen, that if America goes weak, and cannot project its power the way it has, your kids wont just grow up in a different America. They would grow up in a different world. On the face of it, this means that the different world, if it is dominated by non-Caucasians, like China and India, would be a disaster for the Americans. Both China and India are not yet Zionist proxies. A constant theme in Science Fiction literature and childrens comic books in America conjures up how Aliens from different galaxies where their survival is threatened, invade earth and how we the earth people deal with them. The constant refrain shows how thinkers in literature and comics have been preparing the American children, for decades, when their survival on American soil will become difficult and they will have to invade other countries and find new colonies to settle. Jews who have a history of moving from countries to countries, for any number of reasons, will be the first to jump the ship and the two countries that they would like to descend on, are China and India. China is a difficult place to penetrate. India is a soft target and it is possible that America and its vanguard Jewish troopers will try to colonize India. Indias extremist fascism oriented Hindutva political partys President has recently visited Israel and openly asked it to help them in internal security of India. That is good enough entry point for Zionist Jews into India. Others will follow. India already has been propped up as the next superpower in the making and is being offered goodies of all spurious kind, like a seat at UN Security Council. However, the moment India is embroiled in any of harebrained scheme of joining the next war, say against its neighbour China, Indias own economy is bound to be ruined and the loss of Indian blood will blot the countrys future for all the time to come. India at best will be a reluctant imperialist power. Its mutinous millions will not easily succumb to American Neo-con manoeuvring to engage them in a Third World War on Asian soil. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabaos current visit with 400 Chinese business leaders offering doubling of mutual trade to US$100 billion by 2015, is a visionary approach to keep India engaged in its Asian neighbourhood, without getting entangled with Wests machinations. However, a jingoist Brahmin minority, on the same wave length as the Zionists, would do anything to perpetuate its stranglehold on India, even though their minority has organized a manufactured majority that is bound to disintegrate if the fruits of economic progress are monopolized by an easily identified oligarchic community and not available to the deprived rest. Unlike US, India is prone to internal violent strife. It, therefore, cannot unite to mount a foreign adventure, especially where nuclearly armed neighbours are involved. It is therefore difficult to figure out where Thomas Friedman would like the US to go to show its military might that could translate in rejuvenation of its economy. Friedman has identified two potent developments that are threatening the current world order. One: the emergence of China as an economic power. Second: the anarchy unleashed by whistleblower Wikileaks that is now a permanent threat to Americas secret war on its friends and foes. But emerging facts about Zionist connection, in censoring Wikileaks postings, challenge his pious lamentation on world anarchy. enormous donations he received from his disciples for funding big and small projects for the welfare of the common people and for establishing educational and service institutions of excellence. He formed a Trust to administer them. In this lay his greatness. The skeptics always wondered why he could not materialize enough gold or silver to finance national development and change the face of the Indian Society! One only wishes that instead of concentrating on the welfare or development of the people in his vicinity who needed drinking water and health service he spread his acts of philanthropy to all parts of the country which face sim-

A note on Satya Sai Baba

SYED SHAHABUDDIN, EX-MP
hri Satya Sai Baba rose into prominence as an incarnation of the great universally respected savant Sai Baba of Shirdi. Later he claimed to be God. But God is immortal and Satya Sai Baba was a mortal human being who died on 24 April, 2011 at the age of 84. His death created a wave of shock and sadness, among his followers in India and abroad who revered him for his spiritual powers, supernatural miracles like deposits of vibhuthi, materialization of miniature deities, and, later, even of various articles like rings or watches, which universally impressed

his disciples. Though miracles were challenged by his rationalist detractors as sleights of hand he did not agree to stand a scientific test. Apart from the common people, the high and mighty of the land, including Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ministers, MPs, senior bureaucrats and top industrialists regularly visited him and sought his blessings. Satya Sai Baba utilized

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The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011 3

NATIONAL

Civil service examination 2010 results

NA ANSARI
New Delhi: Results of civil services examination 2010 conducted by UPSC which were announced on 11 May saw the top two positions being bagged by girls. A total of 2,69,036 candidates had appeared for the preliminary examination held in May 2010. Whereas 12,491 candidates qualified for the main written examination, 2589 were selected for the personal test and interview in March-April 2011 and finally 920 candidates: 717 male and 203 female, were selected for appointments as IAS, IFS, IPS and other central services. As far as successful Muslim candidates are concerned, the result is again disappointing as only 30 odd candidates out of 920 have made it to the merit list which is slightly more than 3% which is by no means encouraging. Last year also 30 or 31 Muslim candidates were in the merit list out of about 800 which is only marginally better. This means that this years result is even worse than last years. In view of dismal performance of Muslim candidates year after year, some Muslim organisations like Zakat Foundation, Rahmani Foundation, Hamdard Study Centre, India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC) etc. came forward to prepare Muslim candidates for civil services and other all India competitive examinations through coaching and training, but for these the performance of Muslim candidates would have been even worse. It is worth mentioning that out of 28 students who got coaching and training in Hamdard Study Centre, 15 qualified in this examination. Among the 35 students who got coaching and training by Zakat Foundation, four were successful in this examination. They are Amin Khan Sheikh (Gujarat) Syed Abid Rasheed Shah (Kashmir) Mohd Ali Shibab (Kerala) Zafar Ajmal Kidwai (Uttar Pradesh). It is, however, a matter of great satisfaction that from Jammu & Kashmir for the first time a girl candidate, 25-year-old Ovessa Iqbal, daughter of a farmer from a village near Leh in Ladakh region has succeeded, alongwith six others from that state in this prestigious examination. It will not be out of place to state in this connection that whereas the number of Muslim candidates in this examination has been between 30 and 35/36 during the past few years, that of scheduled caste and other backward classes of the majority community ranges between 150 and 200 and even more. One of the reasons for this is that they enjoy the advantage of reservation.

SDPIs new national executive

Arab Leagues clarification on Kashmir...

New Delhi: Arab Leagues ambassador in India, Ahmad Salim Al Wahshi said while talking to media persons on the occasion of Peace Conference held in Srinagar on 16 May that the League of Arab States holds no position or views on the special question of Jammu & Kashmir because of which relations between India and Pakistan are strained. He further said that we want peaceful co-existence, mutual understanding and dialogue between different countries and civilizations. He declined to answer any question on this issue. It may be stated by the way that League of Arab States is a regional and representative organisation of 22 Arab states of North Africa and West Asia which was set up in 1945. Rejecting any role it could play in resolution of Kashmir issue, European Union (EU) delegation here on May 13 insisted that it has to be resolved by people living in the region. The delegation comprising of EU Ambassador to India Daniele Smadja, Irish Ambassador Kenneth Thompson, Belgian Ambassador Pierre Vaesan, EU delegations First Secretary Philipp Gross and delegation attache Anne Vaugier-Chatterjee called on JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik and chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, on May 13. Malik appealed to the EU to use its influence with India and Pakistan to take constructive measures to address the Kashmir issue. Kashmir is not only a political issue but a human issue also. Kashmiris had made transition from violence to non-violence since 2008 and the international community has a responsibility to play a role in resolving the issue. Mirwaiz urged EU to use its influence so that a solution could be found to the Kashmir issue through a meaningful and comprehensive dialogue process, in accordance with wishes and aspirations of Kashmiris and also acceptable to people of India and Pakistan, said a Hurriyat (M) spokesman. Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, a human rights group submitted a report on custodial killings, disappearances and killings during the last three consecutive years to a delegation. (Afsana Rashid)

Bangalore: Social Democratic Party of India, a party floated by the Popular Front of India last year, elected its new national executive during a meetinf of the National Representative Council held at Bangalore during 21-22 May which is as follows: President: E Aboobacker (Kerala) Vice Presidents: 1. Prof Nazneen (Karnataka) 2. Riyaz Azeemabadi (Bihar)

General Secretaries: 1. A.Sayeed (Kerala) 2. M.K.Faizy (Kerala) 3. Hafiz Manzoor Ali Khan (Rajasthan) Secretaries: 1. Dr. Mahboob Shariff Avad (Karnataka) 2. Abdul Rashid Agwan (Delhi) Treasurer: Mohammed Omer Khan (West Bengal) For more information contact: sdpikarnataka@gmail.com

...and the EUs

Committee to defend Setalvad & Justice in Gujarat

Mumbai: Eminent jurists, politicians and activists have PHOTO: TWOCIRCLES.NET formed a committee against an alleged subversion of law and intimidation of victims, witnesses, lawyers and activists especially Teesta Setalvad by the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government. Former Additional Solicitor General of India Adv. B.A. Desai, the convener of the Committee for the Defence of Teesta Setalvad and Justice in Gujarat, declared the formation of the committee here at the Mumbai Press Club on 24 May. Headed by the former justice of the Supreme Court of India P.B.Sawant, and with former Chief Minister of Gujarat Suresh Mehta and Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer as vice chairpersons, the committee will undertake appropriate actions and activities to see that neither Teesta Setalvad nor anybody else is victimized for working for the cause of justice. The committee would also defend the human rights of vulnerable sections, and would include, but not limited to, monitoring cases slapped on people pertaining to the Why the Home minister of Gujarat Amit Shah was jailed? Why selective victimization of Teesta Setalvad and those fighting for top bureaucrats and IPS officers are jailed?...In Gujarat, every the cause of justice in Gujarat. constitutional system is subverted, complained Suresh Mehta. Detailing the attack on Teesta Setalvad, Adv. B.A. Desai To prove his point he reminded what Naval Kishor Sharma, the explained, The attack on Teesta Setalvad is three-pronged, then Governor of Gujarat, had said that he was totally ignored by aimed at threatening her personal liberty through arrest, a wide- the Gujarat Government. spread disinformation and malicious campaign to affect the Mehta said that whoever spoke and acted against Narendra process of justice and distracting her from the demand of the Modi and his government, whether police officials or his political struggle. Pandharwada Mass Grave Case where 27 persons colleagues in the party or any bureaucrats, are falsely implicated were massacred and buried in 2005 and where Teesta has been in criminal cases or intimidated. falsely implicated and declared as absconding is the immediate Justice P.B. Sawant, the chairperson of the committee, said concern of the committee. that they came together for justice and to save the Constitution Complaining about the misinformation about Narendra Modi and law of the land in Gujarat. Justice Sawant, who headed the and his development promotion, former Chief Minister of Gujarat Peoples Tribunal reminded about its report of 2002 Gujarat Suresh Mehta said, Democracy is in danger when facts are not pogrom. He came down heavily on the Gujarat government and put before the public. Mr. Mehta raised many questions on the said, Rape of legal system is going on in Gujarat. He also development propaganda of the Modi Government. He asked,

expressed his fear that this lawlessness will be emulated in other states as well. In his capacity as the President of Press Council of India, Justice Sawant requested the media to pay attention to the violation of rule of law. Romila Thapar, Dr. Ram Puniyani, Juzer Bandukwala, Irfan Engineer and Sukla Sen are the other members of the committee which is going to meet on 25th May, 2011 to decide the future course of action. (Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net) For more information, contact Adv. B.A. Desai at balvant.desai@hotmail.com or sabrang@vsnl.com

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on 23 May met a Muslim delegation led by businessman Zafar Sareshwala. Modi said during the meeting that no society could progress without all round development and no family could progress without the spread of education. He called upon the Muslim community to participate in the progress of the state, which has adopted the policy of inclusive growth for all. He further said that the government was keen to provide equal opportunity to all. "Special attention is being given to the Juhapura locality in Ahmedabad for providing more facilities in education, as well as in other socio-economic parameters," he added. Meanwhile, for the third successive year an official US panel has sought probe against Narendra Modi for his role in the Gujarat riots of 2002. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has once again put India on its 'Watch List', the milder of the two lists it maintains, in its annual report for this year "because justice for past communal violence continues to be slow and ineffective". The Commission was instrumental in the denial of US visa to Modi in 2005. It has reiterated its recommendation that the US government needs to press India to "ensure that any efforts to bring a case against Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi are allowed to proceed in accordance with the law". It also wants India's Supreme Court to "look into allegations of its Special Investigative Team (on Gujarat riots) having disregarded evidence."

Muslim delegation meets Modi

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4 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

NATIONAL

Muslims themselves burn fake Quran and blame others for same: IG Police Moradabad
A Muslim delegation led by Mohibbe Ali Naeemi, president of Ahl- Rizwans beard by the police, false and baseless charges against e Sunnat Organisation, went to meet Moradabad Range him, his imprisonment and abusing and insulting the entire Inspector General (IG), Badri Prasad Singh on 18 May to com- Muslim community, to the U.P. chief minister Mayawati, National plain against the forcible shaving of the beard of one Rizwan son Minorities Commission, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh Minorities of Arshad Khairati (25 years) in Noorpur Thana of Bijnor district. Commission, and Human Rights Commission, demanding that if The delegation members told IG Badri Prasad that on 10 May Rizwan is really an accused, a high level enquiry against him Noorpur Thana police had should be made, and, secpicked up religious-minded ondly, irrespective of any Rizwan from his house withkind of accusation, no out any criminal charge and Indian law permits anyone put him in jail. Three days to shave off the beard of later his father sent a cable to any Muslim accused. By SP of Bijnor informing him of forcibly shaving off the arrest of his son without Rizwans beard, police has any apparent charge. After insulted Islam for which receipt of the cable, the drastic action should be Thana police charged him taken against the guilty under different sections of policemen. He said that IPC and put him in jail. with this complaint, they Delegation members, had gone to the IG but on while blaming the local the contrary he not only S.H.O., told the IG that when blamed and insulted them The delegation which met the IG; the police had picked up but also abused the whole Rizwan with beard in inset Rizwan he was sporting a Muslim community. He beard but when they went to said that they will strongly meet him in jail, they found him beardless. Rizwan told his father protest and demonstrate against this and also expose the IGs that while in custody, police had mercilessly beaten him and communal and biased mentality. The attitude of the I.G. and other shaved off his beard inspite of his beseeching not to do so. The police personnel was strongly condemned by Muslim leaders like delegation told the I.G. that shaving off the beard of any Muslim Maulana Ahmad Bukhari, Delhi Jama Masjid Imam, Maulana is an insult to Islam which cannot be tolerated and asked him to Arshad Madni, Jamiatul Ulama chief, Maulana Kalbe Jawad, Shia take action against the guilty police personnel, failing which they leader and others. will start a movement against police. This provoked the IG who Maulana Arshad Madni said that since the assembly elecangrily told them that this is the mentality of you salaas [abuse]. tions in U.P. are to take place next year, efforts are being made You yourselves burn fake Quran and blame others for it. You to create unrest and Muslims are being provoked under conspirpeople yourselves shave off your beards, commit thefts and rob- acy. He said that whether it is S.H.O. or I.G., they all want to creberies and when caught, you blame others for it. At the same ate conditions leading to communal riots. Maulana Kalbe Jawad, time, a darogha (inspector) who was present during the meeting, Shia religious scholar and AIMPL Board member, said that since said that these salaas should be kicked out from this place. Independence the attitude of the police towards Muslims, for Rizwans father, Arshad Warsi Khairati, who also was in the unknown reasons, has always been inimical and whatever has delegation, said that they all were stunned and also afraid to hear happened with Rizwan in Bijnor is because of this anti-Muslim these words from the IG and the darogha and out of fear could feeling. He said that if he is guilty, let his guilt be proved and then not say all that they wanted to tell the IG. After coming back to punish him under law but nowhere is the shaving off of the beard their place, Rizwans father told mediapersons that Rizwan is is allowed. He asked if a Sikh is found guilty, will his beard be cut innocent and he has been falsely implicated. Leader of the dele- off or his turban be torn? He said that the government should take gation Mohibbe Ali Naeemi, said that they have sent written com- stern action against the policemen for such a behaviour so that plaints by registered post against the forcible shaving off of such incidents do not recur in the future. (NA Ansari)

In a stern message to policemen specialising in encounters or involved in fake encounters the Supreme Court has said on 14 May that policemen who do so are cold blooded murderers and deserve only one punishment and that is the death penalty. A bench comprising of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Mishra said that if any case of fake encounter is proved against policemen in a trial then they must be subjected to the death sentence while treating it as the rarest of rare cases. The Bench said, The encounter philosophy is a criminal philosophy, and all policemen must know this. Trigger-happy policemen who think they can kill people in the name of encounter and get away with it should know that the gallows await them. The bench also observed that fake encounters are brutal murder by those who are supposed to uphold the law. Crime committed by an ordinary man deserves ordinary punishment but if it is committed by policemen then a stringent punishment should be given because their act can be said to be in contravention of their responsibility and duty. If a policeman is given an illegal order by any superior to do a fake encounter, it is his duty to refuse to carry out such an illegal order otherwise he will be charged for murder and if found guilty sentenced to death. The Supreme Court made this observation while rejecting the bail plea of Mumbai policemen involved in the fake encounter at Nana Nani Park at Versova which involved Pradip Sharma, encounter specialist and others. Encounter specialist Pradip Sharma, Inspector Pradip Suryawanshi, Kadam and about a dozen policemen had kidnapped a real estate operator Ramnaryan Gupta on 11 November 2006 and shot him dead in an encounter.

Death penalty for fake encounter cops:SC

Release womans passport: court

Srinagar: A bench of Kashmir High Court headed by Justice Mansoor Ahmad, while taking serious note of a Passport not being issued to a woman of Hindwara on the ground that her relative is engaged in militant activities issued orders to Union ministry of foreign affairs and Department of Passports to change their decisions and issue a Passport to the woman concerned within three months. Pleading on behalf of the woman, Mahmooda Begum, wife of Bashir Ahmad Hajjam, resident of Chontipura (Hindwara) vs ministry of foreign affairs and others whose case was taken up for hearing by Justice Mansoor Ahmads bench, Bashir Ahmad Tak informed the court that his client had applied to the concerned department for issuance of a Passport to her long ago but this department refused to issue the Passport to her on the ground that during verification by police and other agencies it was found that one of her relatives (husband) was complicit in militant activities. Advocate Bashir Ahmad Tak told the court that his client (Mahmooda Begum) is a respectable and peace-loving citizen and she cannot be deprived of a fundamental right like having a Passport merely on the ground that any of her relatives was or is engaged in militant activities. One the other side the prosecution also presented his own arguments but the court, agreeing to the reasoning of Bashir Tak ordered ministry of foreign affairs and its Passport department to release the Passport to her within three months. In its detailed verdict the court, while referring to some previous verdicts of the Supreme Court in similar cases, said that for the crime committed by A punishment cannot be given to B and on the basis of the same principle, Passport to the Hindwara woman cannot be refused on the ground that one of her relatives was complicit in illegal activities.

Historic win for Maha retd. police officer

A senior Police Inspector of Maharashtra police, Habib Ansari after putting in 35 years of service retired three years ago. When even more than three months after his retirement he did not get his pension, he went to his department to find out why he had not received his pension so far. He was told that his pension had been stopped because he had not passed the Marathi examination. Hence he should first pass 10th and 12th class examination of Maharashtra Board with Marathi language, produce Boards certificate to this effect and then only his pension would be released. It may be mentioned in this connection that there is of course such a condition but that is for non-Maharashtrians who do not know this language and who received education in a non-Marathi school; but Habib Ansari, a resident of Dhulia is a Maharashtrian and has passed B.A. with Marathi medium but the police department is not willing to accept his logical fact, probably because he is a Muslim. He also met two former Police Commissioners, Hasan Ghafoor and Shiva Nandan regarding his grievance and the attitude of the police department but he received no help from them also. Hasan Ghafoor advised him to pass the Marathi examination once again instead of running from pillar to post. Shiva Nandan told him plainly that he couldnt do anything and asked him to follow the rules. Habib approached home ministry officials also but, no one helped him. Finally he knocked at the door of Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) which enquired into this matter, made inquiries of administrative officer, high officials of Police Department, Home ministrys Desk Office etc. but every one told the MAT officer that without passing Marathi examination, pension would not be given to him. This matter remained a topic of discussion in MAT for more than a year and Habibs pension remained unpaid. He (Habib) then referred a circular of Police Department to MAT wherein it was stated that if the Commissioner gives, a written certificate that during the period of police service, an employee has done all official jobs in Marathi language and prepared all documents etc. in Marathi, on the basis of this certificate, the condition of passing Marathi examination is no longer required. MAT took this circular, as told by Habib, seriously and asked Police Department in which language, during his 35 years of service, police inspector Habib had done all the written work like notings in the file, preparing documents, writing letters etc.? In reply to this query police department replied in writing that during the entire period of his service he (Habib) did all the written work in Marathi language. On receipt of this reply MAT accepted Habibs arguments and ordered the police department that his (Habibs) entire pension should be paid to him without any delay. (NA Ansari)

Explosives smuggling continues

Neemuch: Police succeeded in arresting two persons in Jawad area on Keli-Gadola Road carrying illegally one quintal of ammonium nitrate. This explosive material was being smuggled from Rajasthans Bhilwara and was being transported to Nagda (Ujjain). M.P. Singh Parihar, the police officer of Naigaon police outpost checked a jeep near village Khor which was carrying one quintal of ammonium nitrate in two bags, 731 gelatin rods, 750 metres of wire (with gunpowder). Two persons, Sampath Singh and Nitu Singh residents of Udvan (Chittorgarh) were arrested while the third person Kahuram Jat managed to escape. They did not possess any license to carry explosive.

Ajmer bombs were made in Indore, transported by Joshi

NIA after taking over the Ajmer blast probe from Rajasthan ATS in its first supplementary chargesheet has said that the bombs used in the Ajmer blast were assembled in Indore and then these were taken to Godhra and Ajmer by slain RSS activists Sunil Joshi. According to NIA five people from Godhra took the bombs to Ajmer in the wee hours on 11 October 2007 where the explosion took place. The NIA claims that Swami Aseemaanand was the ideologue of the group who facilitated with logistic, financial and moral support to the terrorist. The main points of the Chargesheet filed by the NIA as per Indian Express on 9 May are: 1. Sunil Joshi used a Santro car (MP 43 C 0903) owned by one Anand Raj Kataria to carry the bombs from Dewas to Godhra. Kataria is currently under arrest for Sunil Joshis murder. The four pipe bombs were assembled by Ramji Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange at the formers residence in Indore. Two of them were used in Ajmer and the remaining in blasts at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad. 2. Sleuths say Gupta arranged the detonators and kept them at Mihijam. After obtaining the SIM cards and mobile phones, Dange, Kalsangra and Joshi prepared four pipe bombs fitted with the SIM cards and mobile phones. 3. Two bombs were sent from Godhra using several modes of transport. On October 10, 2007, Joshi, Mehul and one Sunny came to Godhra at the house of Vasani in a Santro car. They handed over two bags containing bombs to one Bhavesh Patel (absconding). Joshi left for Dewas in the car after delivery of the bombs while Mehul, Bhavesh, Vasani, Suresh Nayar and Sunny (both absconding) travelled in a private bus from Godhra to Baroda and then in a private bus from Baroda to Udaipur. 4. They went to Pushkar and came back at 5 pm to the Ajmer bus stand. An autoricksaw was hired from the bus stand to Ajmer Dargah from 16 Khamba Gate. The bomb at Aahat-e-noor was planted by Sunny and at Ebatat Khana, the bomb was planted by Mehul. After this, all five came out of the dargah and triggered the blasts.

2500 kids die daily due to malnutrition

At a time when millions of tonnes of foodgrains are rotting in our godowns and elsewhere in various parts of our country the fact that 2500 kids die every day due to malnutrition is horrible. Supreme Court has expressed its concern over the death of 2500 kids every day due to malnutrition. Such an appalling figure has been brought to the knowledge of the Apex Court for the first time. Colin Gonsalves, counsel for the petitioner Peoples Union for Civil Liberties said that every year approximately 8.8 lakh children die due to malnutrition as compared to 17.8 lakh total child deaths every year. A bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma said, There are said to be 3,000 malnourishment deaths in the country. It may not be 3000 but even if it is three deaths in a country like ours then it is a mattter of grave concern. Every year 2.4 crore children are born in India of which 17.8 lakh die due to various reasons before the age of five and of these the death due to malnutrition is 46 percent. Malnutrition is linked to poverty and poor public distribution system. The government has assured the court that in two weeks time around 50 lakh tonnes of additional foodgrains will be distributed to the poor.

MOHAMMAD NAUSHAD KHAN

MG NEWS DESK

The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

NATIONAL

Time to ease the life of Western Rajasthan people

An archaic order declaring the area north of the National Highway - 15 as restricted area is making life of local people and their visiting relatives hell. Its time to withdraw this order which serves no purpose as there is no smuggling or terrorism in the area, argues MURAD ALI ABRA, IPS (retd), a former inspector general of police.
Governments of India and Pakistan want to make their relations harmonious and sweet, encourage people-to-people contacts without tension. At the same time Government of India along with the state government of Rajasthan have not been helpful to the people of the area, especially to the Western Rajasthan border area. The Western Rajasthan has international border stretching from Ganganagar to Gujarat over almost 1000 kms. This area has numbered-pillars as landmarks along the international border. The border in the area is physically blocked as it has various defence lines and controls. It may be termed as most protected international border in India. Our western international border has a wall of strong barbedwires erected on strong iron poles and high voltage electric floodlights along the border. Very high observatory posts are manned by armed BSF jawans watching in all directions. A road runs all along the border inside India. Alert BSF jawans patrol the border using vehicles and camels day in and day out like a relay race. The border is almost entirely sealed. In addition to the BSF, there are outposts all along the international borders. There are several security agencies like BSF, IB, BI, Police intelligence, Central Excise and Customs, Narcotics Control Bureau and Border Home Guards etc. taking care of the security along these borders. Some times the personnel of these agencies outnumber the local population living in these areas. Moreover, there are CID posts all along the border which are manned by officers of the rank of Circle Inspector along with a team of cops attached to each post. Apart from this, all the police stations near the international borders are manned by the post of a CI along with his staff who constantly watch the activities in the area. One more security measure in this region is that along the borders, an area of 40 kms inside India is Protected Area where movement of foreigners is prohibited in accordance with a special order issued under the Foreigners Act. The territory of this area is desert and footprints are conspicuous and traceable. In addition to this, there is no terrorist activity on our side of the border. No smuggling takes place these days because borders are totally sealed. So there are sufficient safeguards in place. Our security agencies on the border are very alert. Not to

An order issued in 1988 is causing too much trouble, harassment and difficulties to the visiting foreigners specially from Pakistan who come to see their relatives. They are not allowed beyond NH-15. When they come to India, they stay in Jodhpur away from their relatives. They come for the purpose of marriages, condolences or other social obligations. Some of them are very old and want to see there birthplace before they die. Most of them are poor farmers who come only to meet social needs. They are restricted to Jodhpur. Their Indian relatives are in a fix. Meeting district magistrates is not easy for such people. The district magistrates say: when Government of India does not want, we dont take any risk for foreigner nationals... These relatives go back to their country not with happiness but with a lot of bitterness and sad memories.
speak of human beings, even birds of prey coming from Pakistan are caught for failure to know the division of land created by human beings. Due to the globalization and opening up of world markets, the whole world has changed in to a small village. Relations between India and Pakistan had a chequered history but after protracted discussions we did agree to normalise the relations, giving chance to people-to-people contact. With this aim in mind the Thar-Link-Express Train was started on 18 February 2006. A major problem in the way of this normalisation and peopleto-people contact is the order issued by the Government of India on the recommendations of Government of Rajasthan under Foreigners Act restricting the movements of foreigners. This order was issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on 7 March1988. It says that Government of India have decided that with effect from 1 April1988, areas lying on the western side of NH-15 from Ganganagar to Sanchore will be protected area under the Foreigners Protected Area Order 1958. This has been notified in the Gazette of India on 16 February 1988. No foreigner is allowed to enter or stay in this protected area without a special permit issued by the district magistrate of the concerned area as he has been delegated powers vide a notification issued on 16 February 1988. The permit is issued to a foreigner on application, by the concerned magistrate after usual local checks. The above mentioned notification was issued under the Foreigners Protected Area order 1958. It says: the following shall be added at the end: namely, Rajasthan Western side up to Indo-Pak NH15 running from Ganganagar to Sanchore via Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer up to Sanchore, along with some exceptions of cities and tourist purposes. It is to be pointed out that line of control is 200 to 300 kms away from NH-15. Now almost after a quarter of century, this order of the Government of India is still operative. It is causing too much trouble, harassment and difficulties to the the visiting foreigners specially from Pakistan who come to see their relatives. They are not allowed beyond NH-15. When they come to India, they stay in Jodhpur away from their relatives. As a result, they face many financial and physical difficulties and unnecessary harassment. They come for the purpose of marriages, condolences or other social obligations. Some of them are very old and want to see there birthplace before they die. Most of them are poor farmers who come only to meet social needs. These Pakistani people get visas with great difficulty and the visas are restricted to Jodhpur. Their Indian relatives are in a fix. Meeting district magistrates is not easy for such people. The district magistrates say: when Government of India does not want, we dont take any risk for foreigner nationals. Their Indian relatives try to help those who come from Pakistan but it is beyond the approach of these local relatives due the bureaucratic red tape. As a result, the image of India suffers a lot. These relatives go back to their country not with happiness but with a lot of bitterness and sad memories. It is also worth noting here that the new Mega Highway, double the width of NH-15, making the distance shorter by 200 to 300 kms has been constructed from Punjab to Ahmedabad, making the NH-15 redundant. It is also note-worthy that the political voice of this area is not strong. Public representatives do not raise this problem in Parliament or assembly. The voice of the people of this area is not given due considerations despite many representations. In comparison, business is taking place through land, sea and land routes on the coastal areas of more than 7000 kms, eastern border of Bangladesh, northern side of China, Kashmir and the Punjab border. Here in Western Rajasthan, only relatives of local people visit to keep relations alive. Therefore, the order of 16 February 1988, which has lost its use and worth, should be withdrawn in keeping with the spirit of the times and to ease the life of the Indians in Western Rajasthan. The author, a resident of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, may be contacted at ramzan.mohammed.jodhpur@gmail.com

The killing of a driver

MUSTAFA KHAN
n Ben Jonsons play Volpone there is a character who inspects the contents of a match box for clues to bits of intelligence and information it might contain of a foreign country. The Intelligence Bureau of India has fortuitously given out to the world that it is assiduously doing the same in its pursuit of the most dangerous terrorist, after Osama bin Laden, who is also hiding in Pakistan. The killing of the driver of Iqbal Kaskar was designed to locate where Dawood Ibrahim was hiding. The Intelligence Bureau used a middle man from Nagpada who gave a subcontract to a source outside Mumbai to kill the driver. As a fallout of Abbottabad assassination of Osma bin Laden this was quite expected. What was not expected was that the IB should be so foolhardy as to venture into such a tangle of terror in the heart of the underworld in Mumbai. The Mumbai edition of The Asian Age of May 19, 2011 made it a front page headline. It shows India in poor light. If IB outsourced Kaskar firing according to the paper, then IB could also have outsourced Karkare killing as well. Or, still better someone outsourced Karkare killing to IB among others. It also shows how much our agencies are obsessed with terror of one kind rather than terror of all kinds which beset us. We also fail to differentiate ourselves from the Americans. We are opportunists and wanted to piggy ride the Yankees. It revives the memory of the blunders of IB in regard to the security set up in Mumbai in November 2008, which precipitated the climax in the assassination of Hemant Karkare though the terrorist attack continued for two more days thereafter. Hindustan Times (January 10, 2009) says that the mobile phone numbers used by the terrorists during 26/11 were available with the IB five days before the attack started. On November 21 the naval headquarters wrote and also spoke to Prabhakar Alok for more information. The Joint Director of IB did not reply. Of the 35 phones 3 were actively used to communicate with the handlers in Pakistan. In the first place the IB was in the know of more than what is made known. It knew that 32 phones were bought from Kolkata and 3 from Delhi. It should have been very seriously concerned but did not show any alarm at awareness of the urgency of the request or just ignored it. Even if we cannot call it complicity, but, it can be inferred,

Prevention of Communal & Targeted violence finalised by NAC

New Delhi: The Centre will be able to intervene in cases of communal or targeted violence by invoking a provision in Article 355 of the Constitution if the Communal Violence Bill cleared by the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council on 20 May is adopted by Parliament. The bill, as cleared by the NAC, permits the central government to declare any case of communal violence as internal disturbance within the ambit of Article 355 of the Constitution and take actions in accordance with duties the nature and circumstances of the case require. Article 355 states, It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance and ensure the government of every state is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution. One of the most contentious issues in the proposed Communal Violence Bill has been how to respect the constitutional framework where law and order duties are the state governments responsibility and yet permit the central government to intervene when the state government fails to do so. The bill has been conceived keeping Gujarats post-Godhra riots in mind. The NAC has found a way around by using the provisions of Article 355 that have been sparingly used in the past. The bill provides for a powerful national authority and adjunct statelevel authorities to oversee the implementation of the legislation. The seven-member national authority would be a minority-dominated body with four members from minority groups, half of them women. The national and state authorities will be empowered to take suo motu action to quell communal violence. The bodies will have the powers to investigate, call for evidence, search and seize as well as monitor the actions of public servants as well as their postings or transfers in places where communal violence has occurred or is anticipated. Once it has completed its inquiries, the national authority will recommend prosecution against any official involved and go to the high courts or the Supreme Court to secure orders it deems fit. The government would have to respond to the report from the authority within a period of one month. The district collectors, police commissioners as well the home ministry at the Centre and state will have to share all advisories related to communal violence to the authority created under the bill. In case of involvement of armed forces personnel in communal violence, the authority would deal only with the central government and recommend action to the Centre and receive report on it in three months time. The bill will now be put out for comments by the NAC.

nevertheless, that this facilitated the movement of the terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008. As of now in the murder of the driver there is need for monitoring by a committee of the parliament as to the authenticity of the alleged involvement of the IB. Vice President Hamid Ansari also emphasized this in his Kao memorial lecture. The murder of Arif Abu Baker Sayyed is clearly an act of terrorism. Unless proved otherwise it stands to reason that it was an act of terror committed by the Indian intelligence agency. It is also quite known to the world that IB has set up training camps in which criminals are trained to kill those whom the agency wants to bump off. There is the recent history of 1993 bomb blasts witnesses who were killed in such a way. Scores of them met this fate. IB is back to its old hunt. But the moot question is whether it would serve the interest of the country when already judgment has been delivered and the guilty are sentenced varyingly. Even for the sake of argument suppose Dawood Ibrahim justifies flurry of activity, is India really going to execute a surgical strike? And, where is the don? It is quite sobering to remember that India had almost gone to war with Pakistan when the Parliament was attacked in December 2001. What kind of signal are we sending to our neighbouring countries and the world at large? Including in the list of names of the most wanted criminals like Dawood, Saeed we have also such names like Wazul Kamar Khan and Feroz Khan in the dossier we sent to Pakistan. Feroz is in a high security prison of Arthur road and Wazaul is out on bail and has been marking his presence at local police station in Mumbai.It is as absurd as the character in Samuel Beckettes play Waiting for Godot watching for a foreign body in his hat and hitting it on the palm of the other hand again and again to see whether it falls down. The underworld has a code of honouring each others family by not attacking a member of it. Therefore it was not Iqbal but the driver who was the target. So, it was not Chhota Rajan or Ravi Pujari who organized the attack. Then the others in the field are IB or middle men like Ubaid ur Rehman. Striking the hat again and again would end in reduction ad absurdum.

6 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

NATIONAL

SC stays HC verdict on Ayodhya, pronounces it a strange verdict

The Supreme Court on 9 May stayed Allahabad High Courts verdict on the disputed sites in Ayodhya by terming it as strange and surprising as none of the parties involved had asked for any kind of partition of the land. On 30 September 2010 the Allahabad high courts Lucknow Bench had ordered a three-way division of the disputed land between Ram Lalla, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Sunni Central Wakf Board. With the Supreme Courts stay, the Ayodhya issue is once again back to square one. SC bench was hearing petitions filed by various religious groups like Nirmohi Akhara, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, Jamait Ulama-IHind and Sunni Central Wakf Board, besides the one filed on behalf of Bhagwan Ram Virajman. By and large secular people in both the communities are opposed to bloodshed and hostility over this dispute at Ayodhya. But till date the country has not been able to find a single leader from either side who can speak on behalf of both for Hindus and Muslims over this issue. The possibility of reaching an amicable solution will only arise when faith and aastha of both the communities are equally respected and recognised. If people could not find any peaceful solution based on faith then they should rely on facts and let the Supreme Court to decide leaving aside any blame game or pointing fingers at each other. Political parties over the years have used this old dispute to gain political mileage. All parties concerned in the Ayodhya

PALOK BASU Ayodhya peacemaker

MANZAR MEHDI FAIZABADI
Ayodhya: Most of the people have now come to realise that the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi dispute can be solved only through mutual talks. After Allahabad High Courts verdict (of 30 Sept 10) many people had raised objections that it is not within the power of courts to decide cases of faith and belief. High Courts verdict had divided the disputed land into three parts in its efforts to please everybody but in fact, it could not please anybody. This is evident from the fact that all the contending parties, dissatisfied with the verdict, made appeals in the Supreme Court, which has now to decide whether the disputed place is Ramjanmabhoomi or Babri Masjid. If, keeping in mind the sentiments of Hindu majority, it declares it Ram janmabhoomi, it will be great injustice to the sentiments of Muslims because there was a Babri Masjid for 400 years which was demolished on 6 December 1992. And if it pronounces the verdict in favour of Muslims, Hindus would never like a Masjid to be built there because a large majority of them consider it Rams birthplace or janmabhoomi. Under such circumstances there appears to be no way to solve this problem except through mutual talks. Many such efforts have been made in the past and are still being made. Hashim Ansari, petitioner of Babri Masjid and Mahant Gyan Das of Akhada Parishad have been trying since long to solve this dispute through mutual talks but have not achieved any success so far. Gyan Das does not have the cooperation of Hindus and Hashim Ansari has no cooperation from Muslims. Another petitioner of Babri Masjid, Haji Mahboob is also not happy with Hashim Ansaris secret talks with Gyan Das. Meanwhile, Justice Palok Basu from Allahabad has appeared on the scene to solve this dispute with the help of the local people. He has been coming to Ayodhya from Allahabad and meeting both Hindus and Muslims. This has been going on for about a year. In the beginning people of both communities were suspicious of his intentions but when they were convinced that he has no personal axe to grind and that he has not been sent by any particular group or party and that he has been motivated by a sincere desire to solve this age old dispute with mutual agreement of both parties, people like Nirmohi Akhadas lawyer Ranjeet Lal Varma, Sadiq Ali Babu, Haji Mahboob, Hashim Ansari, Raj Gopal Mandirs Mahant Kaushal Kishore Phulhari Baba etc. began to meet and welcome him. He met Mahant Gyan Das also and invited him to assist him in such efforts. The position as of now is that inspite of Palok Basus sincere efforts, the number of people coming to meet him is very small but he is not disheartened and quite hopeful that a day will come soon when all, with mutual consent, will certainly solve the Ayodhya dispute because peace and mutual brotherhood is more important than any masjid or mandir.

Time line:
1528: Babri mosque was built in Ayodhya by Mir Baqi, a commander of the first Mughal emperor Babur. 1853: For the first time violence between two communities took place. Hindus claimed that Babri mosque was built on the demolished shrine dedicated to Ram 1859: British rulers built a fence that separated inner and outer courtyards. Separation was done to ensure that Hindus and Muslims worship separately. 1885: Legal battle started for the first time when Mahant Raghubar Das filed a suit in Faizabad court to get courts approval to build a Ram temple adjoining the Babri mosque. Dec 23, 1949: Idols of Lord Ram were placed in the mosque under the central dome. Hindus began to worship their deity here daily. Muslims were prevented from offering namaz. Jan 16, 1950: Gopal Singh Visharad filed suit in Faizabad court to get permission to perform prayers for Ram Lalla. Dec 5, 1950: Mahant Paramahans Ramchandra Das files suit in court asking to continue prayers and at the same time to let them keep the idol of lord Ram at the disputed site. Dec 17, 1959: Nirmohi Akhara jumped in and filed suit in order to get the disputed site transferred. Dec 18, 1961: Sunni Central Board of Waqf in Uttar Pradesh filed suit to take possession of the Babri mosque site. 1984: A campaign was launched by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to open the locks of the Babri mosque. Feb 1, 1986: Babri Mosque Action Committee was set up to protest Faizabad district judges ruling permitting to Hindus to worship at the disputed site. Locks were opened. June 1989: Bharatiya Janata Party joined the VHP to intensify their temple movement. Nov 9, 1989: Shilanyas was permitted by the Rajiv Gandhi government Sep 25, 1990: L.K. Advani began his Rath Yatra - from Somnath to Ayodhya which resulted in commu-

nal riots in many parts of the country. November 1990: Advani was arrested in Bihar. BJP withdraws support to Prime Minister V.P. Singh. October 1991: BJP government led by Kalyan Singh acquires 2.77 acres of land around Babri mosque. Dec 6, 1992: Babri mosque is demolished. Communal violence erupts across India. A makeshift Ram temple was built overnight. Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao vowed to rebuild the mosque. Dec 16, 1992: M.S. Liberhan Commission was set up to find what actually led to the demolition of the Babri mosque. January 2002: Atal Bihari Vajpayee sets up an Ayodhya Cell to talk to Hindu and Muslim leaders in order to reach a concensus on this issue. April 2002: High Court began hearings to ascertain who owns the Ayodhya site. March-August 2003: On the direction of the Allahabad High Court Archaeological Survey of India excavates in Ayodhya. ASI claimed to have found evidence that suggested a temple existed beneath the mosque. Muslims disagree with the findings. July 2005: Security forces thwart attack on the site by miltants. June 2009: The Liberhan Commission submits its report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. July 26, 2010: The bench reserves ruling, offers all parties a chance for amicable settlement. September 28, 2010: Supreme Court clears Allahabad High Court for verdict. September 30 2010: Allahabad High Court ordered that disputed site of 2.77 acres be divided equally among three parties: Muslims, Hindus and Nirmohi Akhara, virtually giving Hindus two thirds and Muslims only one third of the disputed land. May 9, 2011: Supreme Court stays High court verdict by terming it as strange, orders status quo at ground zero.

dispute in one way or the other have welcomed the Supreme Courts observation: How can a decree of partition be passed when none of the parties had prayed for it. Court has done something on its own. Its strange. Such kind of decrees cannot be allowed to be in operation. Zafaryab Jilani, Sunni Waqf Board counsel, said in his reaction to the the observation made by the SC, We are satisfied with the order of the Supreme Court. This will help in maintaining peace in the country. Jamiat Ulema-eHind chief Maulana Arshad Madni said that their objection to the High Court verdict has been justified by the Apex Court. Mohammad Hashim Ansari, the oldest litigant in the case, said, We will accept every verdict delivered by court, but we are trying hard to reach a settlement to solve this issue peacefully, I along with Mahant Gyan Das have reached the final stages of our draft of peaceful solution. As per the counsel representing Hindu Mahasabha they are firm on their stand that the entire Janmabhoomi premises belongs to the Hindu Mahasabha. VHP spokeperson Sharad Sharma said, We welcome the court agreeing on Ram Lalla mandir suit for entire possession and ownership and not for partition. Mahant Bhaskar Das, chief priest of Nirmohi Akhara said, We never wanted the land to be divided into pieces and we believe that there is still scope for peaceful negotiation.

MOHAMMAD NAUSHAD KHAN

Not so quiet on Babri Masjid front

HAIDER ABBAS
he newly formed full bench of Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court consisting of Justice SU Khan, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice VK Dixit, looking into the cases related to Ramjanambhumi/Babri Masjid, Ayodhya, Faizabad, UP, on April 28, passed an order for the upkeep and maintenance of the Ram Lalla idol, being kept, at the disputed site of Babri Masjid. It may be mentioned that Justice DV Sharma has been superannuated meanwhile and has been replaced by Justice VK Dixit. Justice DV Sharma was a part of the three-member bench which had given a judgment on Sep 30, 2010, ordering that the site of Babri Masjid be divided into three parts, two parts going to the Hindu side and one-third for the Muslim side. The full bench was made to consider an application from the Authorised Person/Commissioner of Faizabad, who had sought permission to change the tarpaulin, polythene sheets and ropes over the make-shift structure (temple), at the disputed site (Babri Masjid). This application had come after a sur-

vey report from an Executive Engineer, Construction Division-2, Public Works Department, Faizabad. It was said in the application, that the above items due to the passage of time have become old and weak. The tarpaulin and polythene sheets at some places were torn also, and therefore, needed a replacement. The Court observed that such replacements had been allowed in the past too, and as such on March 24, 2009, when this matter was taken up, the counsels of both the Hindu and Muslim side, had raised no objection, for carrying out the said work, provided the size, quality etc would not be substantially altered. Therefore, the full bench allowed the application and gave permission to the Authorised Person/Commissioner to replace the tarpaulin, polythene sheets and ropes over the make-shift structure by a new one of the same size and quality and in the same manner as they were already being used. The exercise shall be carried out without any further delay, said the order. It may be mentioned that the expenses for all such moves are to be borne by the government of India. In fact the government today pays

a salary of Rs 48,300 per month to head priest Satyendra Das for officiating the puja (worship) at the disputed makeshift temple. This had to happen after Jan 16, 1950, when worship was allowed by the Court as Lord Rama idols, had by then been smuggled, in surreptitiously and stealthily into the Babri Masjid compound on Dec 22/23 1949-by calling it a miraculous appearance of Lord Rama! he second order on the same day, April 28, came when the full bench allowed supply of two copies of the report of Archeological Survey of India (ASI), submitted after the excavation of the Ramjanambhumi/Babri Masjid site in 2003, to the Muslim side counsel Mushtaq Ahmed Siddiqui. The Court directed MA Siddiqui to be provided with two copies on the payment of the charges. The Registrar shall get the copies of report prepared from ASI for which he would inquire about the requisite expenses and shall inform the same to the applicant within 15 days. Thereafter, on payment of the said charges as also statutory charges by the applicant, the report shall be got prepared and issued to the applicant as soon as possible. The Court fur-

ther directed the Director General of ASI to take necessary steps for the preparation of copies of the report as and when requested by the Registrar for the compliance of the order. I have sought two copies from ASI, for the sake, as it has plates and maps and can be prepared only by the ASI, said MA Siddiqui. It would be necessary to mention, that as a part of legal norm, after an order from a Court is passed, a decree is also announced. Therefore, a draft of preliminary decree was circulated to the counsels of both parties on Nov 29, 2010, inviting objections, if any, against the order of Sep 30, 2010. The parties had filed their objections on Dec 10, 2010 and on the same day arguments were heard and the order was reserved. On April 28, the full bench passed the orders and the office was directed to prepare the format of the decree, to be signed by the judges. The full bench, while passing the order, observed that one of the counsels had stated that the stay matter, on the order of Sep 30, 2010, may be heard at the Supreme Court, on May 13, 2011, hence, the case would be listed on May 20, 2011 and the Order of status quo was extended until August 31, 2011 unless modified or vacated earlier, said the Court.

With best compliments from

Kaleem Kawaja Washington DC

The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

NATIONAL

Assamese reposed faith in AIUDF

Guwahati: Maulana Badruddin Ajmal Qasmi, president of the All India United Democratic Front ( A I U D F ) , expressed his satisfaction that the party had been able to spectacularly increase its tally from 9 to 18 in the recent Assam assembly elections. Maulana Ajmal expressed his gratitude to the voters whose support gave the AIUDF the second largest number of seats in the state assembly after the Congress. This will enable it to represent the interests of the minorities and backward sections of society in the state. The Assamese electors need to be praised for the way they showed political foresight and voted in large numbers for AIUDF, he said. AIUDF will continue to work for the welfare of Assam and its people cutting across religious and linguistic lines and would play a constructive opposition in the house as it had done in the past, the AIUDF president assured. AIUDF had contested 75 seats and managed to win 18, in a major improvement upon its earlier performance, with 16 Muslims, 2 non-Muslims from SC/ST and one female. In another 17 seats it had secured the second position. In his statement, the AIUDF president stated that it was owing to their efforts that Muslim representation in the state has increased for the first time to reach the high figure of 28. He clarified

Assam: New AIUDF MLAs

Sl. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Names (Hafiz) Rafiqul Islam (Qasmi) Aminul Islam (Mufti) Abdur Rahman Ajmal Sheikh Shah Alam Jahan Uddin Moin Uddin Ahmed Ali Hossain Abdur Rehman Khan Monowar Hussain (Maulana) Ataur Rahman Mazarbhuiya Hafiz Basir Ahmed Qasmi Gul Akhtara Begum Abul Kalam Azad Sherman Ali Ahmed Swapan Kar Mazibur Rahman Gopi Nath Das Mohammed Sirajuddin Ajmal Constituency Jania Dhing Salmara South Goalpara West Dhubri Jaleswar Sarukhetri Barpeta Goalpara East Katigora Bilasipara West Bilasipara Eest Bhabanipur Baghbar Lumding Rupohihat Boko Jamunamukh

Comment
The Muslim voting in strength for their own political choices, has shown a big confident streak in the recent Assembly elections. Besides the expected reactions from so-called secular political parties, there is a sense of alarm even in the ranks of so-called Progressive/Liberal/Secular Democrat Muslims. They would not like Muslims to enjoy the freedom of choice and would like Muslim voters to remain in perpetual bondage to other political parties. However, it is apparent that the change in the confidence of the Muslim voters is deeply entrenched in grass-root consensus and is not affected by media and secular tribes scare tactics. A clear trend is visible in Muslim political initiatives, that they have been opening up their doors to non-Muslims from the very outset of their political activity. There is no restrictive exclusivity among Muslim political entities compared to the characteristics and behaviour of Hindutva and/or Brahmin political parties who are duty-bound to ostracize Muslims and feel no qualms about such discrimination. Muslim political parties are more open and welcoming to a wide array of communities, both as candidates as well as voters. In Assam, Muslim candidates winning seats enjoy the distinct credential of being non-corrupt and non-criminal. That is not the criterion that is adhered to by Congress, BJP, Communists and other regional parties. Those progressive Muslims who are critical of Muslim candidates fielded by Muslim-led political parties, should at least acknowledge that the new Muslim faces are clean and untainted by the prevailing malaise of corruption. They should be the harbingers of a new moral force in Indian politics.

GHULAM MUHAMMED

that his party, though backed by Muslims, represents all sections of society and Indian National Congress will have a tough time ahead in Assam. Maulana Ajmal further said that the Congress had tried its best creating internal disputes within the Assam state Jamiat Ulama but Assamese Muslims have shown their maturity and offered the AIUDF double number of seats compared to the 2006 Assembly elections. Maulana Ajmal stressed the need to protect the interests of the deprived sections in the state and said that the false rumours spread about the AIUDF, that it was in cahoots with the BJP, were all proved wrong. BJP and AGP, despite their pre-poll understanding, were decimated at the hustings. He affirmed that the AIUDF will build upon its mass support base at the grassroots level. He said that it will continue to tackle the major issues confronting the Assamese such as educational backwardness, floods, unemployment, and the false tag on Muslims of being Bangladeshis. Maulana Badruddin Ajmal renewed his pledge to work meaningfully for the citizens of Assam and thanked all those who had co-operated to make his party improve its electoral standing. He said that the AIUDF will play the role of a responsible opposition in the Assam assembly and will try to fulfill the expectations of the voters who have reposed their faith in the party in such a significant way. (M. Burhanuddin Qasmi)

Note: 17 of AIUDF candidates stood second in their constituencies which means that there is much scope of improvement in the AIUDF tally in future. The total number of AIUDF candidates was 75 in these elections.

Amarnath Yatra nothing but a religious fraud: Agnivesh

Srinagar: Swamy Agnivesh, noted social worker, former Rajya Sabha MP and Arya Samaj leader during his recent visit to Jammu & Kashmir met Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Gilani and discussed the situation prevailing in the state. During the talks, he said that New Delhi is suppressing the voice of Kashmiri people who are demanding azadi. He said that persons and youths arrested for stone-pelting etc in Kashimir should be released. He also demanded that the Armed Forces Special Power Act should be withdrawn from the state. Moreover, the powers vested in the security forces under this Act should be taken away. He further demanded that the deaths of about 118 youths killed in stone-pelting and protest demonstrations during the summer of 2010 should be investigated by CBI. During the talks, which lasted for about an hour, the issue of Amarnath Yatra also came up. Commenting on this, he is reported to have said that the Amarnath Yatra is, truly speaking, a religious fraud (dharmic pakhand). He said that he could never understand and it was beyond his comprehension as to why people undertake the Amarnath Yatra every year which is a hoax in the name of religion, and he does not believe in a religion of this type. He criticised Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha, former governor of J&K who was also Chairman of Amarnath Shrine Board, and said that after the melting of the traditional Shiva lingam a few years ago because of global warming, Sinha had ordered the making of an artificial Shiva lingam using ice, which is regrettable. Swamy Agniveshs remarks were quite uncharitable to the lakhs of believers who undertake this yatra every year for the lings darshan and worship and hence, radical Hindu organisations like RSS, BJP, VHP, Shiv Sena etc. have strongly condemned him for making such a derogatory statement. It may be mentioned here that Amarnath cave is situated at a height of 1350 feet in the mountains of Kashmir, where Shiva lingam or Shivling is formed naturally from ice and it diminishes and increases with the changing weather conditions. increases accordingly. In Kerala, the performance of Indian Union Muslim League this time in the assembly election is very encouraging. The election results have placed the Muslim League where they can hold their head high not only in Kerala but also at the Centre. There can not be a better performance than this where the Muslim League won 20 seats out of 24 seats it contested. The IUML is the second biggest constituent of the alliance, after the Congress which won 38 seats of the 82 it contested. We are in the era of coalition politics and even a couple of seats some times can topple the apple cart. Politics these days is only a game of numbers and a matter of convenience. And now Muslim political parties are getting the numbers to exert pressure and have their say on issues that matter to them most. Lip service by political parties to the Muslim community over the years has pushed them to the brink in all spheres of life. Today the community even lags behind dalits and other backward castes socially, economically and politically because they chose to live in disillusionment. In politics it is better to be counted than to remain in isolation.

International conference on possibilities of Islamic venture capital funds in India

New Delhi: Institute of Objective Studies (IOS), a think tank of Delhi organised a 2day international conference on Chances of Islamic Venture Capital Funds in India at Parliament annexe. Speaking on the concluding day on 15 May, G. Ramaswamy, Chairman of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India said that because of the development of the Indian economy, of investment and research and innovations have increased greatly and hence special attention is needed to be given to Islamic venture capital funds and this is possible only when our attention is focused on education because in this way research and innovations will be possible. He assured IOS authorities that his Institute will render full cooperation to them in research and investigation. Another speaker, Rudy Yak Sake, CEO and founder of the American company Concord Capital Partners LLC said that the views of Islamic funds managers that venture capital funds cannot be launched on sharaee bases are not correct. In order to clarify his statement he shed light on constructive aspects of Islamic venture capital transactions. Research scholar of commerce in AMU, Faiyaz Ahmad Lone, speaking on the financial cooperation of entrepreneurs in India said that in some countries institutions providing financial cooperation participate in both profit as well as loss whereas in India and some other countries, those providing financial cooperation want to share profits only and hold entrepreneurs responsible for losses. The Founder of TASIS, Mumbai, M.H. Khatkhate in his presidential address said that venture capital funds are in conformity with Islamic ideology. Dr. Tahir Baig, chairman of Institute of Islamic Economics & Development Studies, Bareily, said that interest-based economic system or economy, truly speaking, is financial terrorism because under this system no one is allowed to do business independently and the entrepreneur is constantly haunted by a fear of loss whereas Islamic financial system provides equal opportunity to all. Other speakers like Dr. Shariq Nisar, director of TASIS, Bangalore, and Dr. Muhammad Ajmal, CEO of Wealth City, Chennai, said that Islamic venture capital funds are in every way practicable in India. Imteyazur Rahman of UTI Assets Management said that the experiment of Islamic Venture Capital funds in India will be truly beneficial to the country and the community.

Indian Muslims mature politically

he trends of the recently concluded assembly elections reveal that Muslim electorates are becoming politically wiser by the day. The performance of AIUDF in Assam and Muslim League in Kerala speaks volumes of the capacity of Muslim voters to influence election results and their strength to turn the tides in favour or against any political party. The win of 57 Muslim candidates from West Bengal is certainly an eye opener not only for Muslims but for others as well. The voting pattern of Muslims is a warning for all those who had developed a habit of taking Muslim votes for granted. The steep rise of AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) in a short span reveals new and welcome trend in Assam. The chief of AIUDF has successfully added some feathers to his cap while rising from a one time troubleshooter to a bargainer and now in terms of numbers head of the second largest party in Assam. AIUDF which joined the political fray in the 2006 assembly election won 10 seats and this time it has been able to increase its tally to

18 which is almost double. Muslims in Assam constitute 30 percent of the population and their political representation this time has reached about 22 percent. In 2006 assembly election 25 Muslim candidates won and this time the figure is 28. The outcome of assembly election in West Bengal is significant in many ways. The Left citadel has now crumbled after 34 long years which requires them to seriously introspect as to what went wrong. Among other factors Muslims, who have 25 percent share in the state population were disenchanted after utter neglect of their communities in the left fronts decade long rule and the miserable condition of Muslims as per Sachar Committee report on Muslims in Bengal. The Muslims and people of West Bengal this time have reposed their faith and aspiration in the Mamata Banerjee-ledTrinamool Congress. Left in this assembly elections was routed and managed only 62 seats and the worst was the defeat of the chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of CPIM who lost Jadavpur constituency which he had

been winning since 1987. Mamata while on the other hand joined the protest rally organised in favour of Muslim youth Rizwanur Rahmans murder and at times exploited the cover up of his murder by the CPM. Mamatas vociferous participation in anti-government protests in the Muslim-dominated areas in the past five years paid a rich political dividend ongress and Trinamool combine secured 227 seats. It was a historic victory for Mamata Banerjee. In the 2006 assembly elections 46 Muslim candidates were elected and the present West Bengal assembly will have 57 Muslims which is remarkable. Of the total Muslim MLAs, 15 have won from Murshidabad district alone. Will this outcome bring prosperity to one of the most backward Muslim dominated district of West Bengal? The expectation of the Muslim community in general will be high and it fairly depends on Mamata Banerjee as to how she lives up to their desired expectations in the days ahead. If anyone wins handsomely then the responsibility also

MOHAMMAD NAUSHAD KHAN

8 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

NATIONAL

ZFI holds workshop on waqfs

ZAFARUL-ISLAM KHAN
New Delhi: An extensive study by Dr Zafar Mahmood, chairman of Zakat Foundation of India (ZFI), has exposed that the Union government is not serious about safeguarding and preserving the Waqf properties in India, which, according to the study, are valued at Rs. 1200 billion (U$ 26 billion) and spread across India. The study thoroughly probed the current legislation, recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and Sachar Committee on Waqfs as well as the provisions of the Waqf Act 2010. The study was presented here at a workshop organised by ZFI on 24 May. Dr. Mahmood said that the government is concealing the facts about waqfs in the country. He offered a thorough comparison of the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee and Sachar Committee and the Waqf Act 2010 to show how the recommendations were ignored. For example, the Parliamentary Committee recommended a national survey of the waqf properties but the Act ignored it. It also recommended that the survey should take into account the waqfs position as in 1947 at the time of Independence but this too has been rejected. JPC had recommended the formation of a National Waqf Property Development Board with a corpus of Rs. 500 crore but this has been ignored. JPC had recommended that CEOs of state waqf boards should have magisterial powers to enable them to vacate encroached and usurped waqf properties but this has been ignored. Sachar had recommended that the lease of waqf lands to qualifying Muslim educational and healthcare organisations should be for 30 years instead of three years but this has been ignored. JPC had recommended that waqf properties be declared as public premises to facilitate the vacation of encroachments and illegal possessions but this has been rejected. Both JPC and Sachar had recommended that waqf properties be exempted from Rent Control Act and this recommendation was supported by the ministerial council and yet it was rejected. Sachar had recommended the formation of a committee to protect and promote properties under ASI and that this committee should meet every three months but this too has been rejected. Sachar had recommended that the chairman of the Central Waqf Council (CWC) should be someone other than a minister whose preoccupations do not permit him to concentrate on

Urdu medium schools show promise

Braving hostile circumstances, some girls have worked wonders! Some credit goes to one individual
From a paltry 20 percent to 80 percent, Urdu medium schools of Delhi have traveled a long way with both their travails and success stories. Farheen Naseem (9213969575), daughter of Mohammed Naseem, a person who carries glasses of tea to shopkeepers in the walled city of Delhi, has topped in Jama Masjid-2 Urdu medium school securing 84 per cent. Likewise from the same school, father of Atiya (9211328509) is a dhobi (washerman) at Minto Road and the girl got 83 per cent while Umra (9210218665) though third with 81 per cent, has a father who doesn't earn as he has been permanently a paraplegic. Ilma Ishaque (9278280491), also with 83 per cent tells that her father is a petty labourer at a furniture depot. Sadia Parveen (9873882437), who has got 97 per cent in history, has separated parents and lives with her mother and maternal uncle. Urdu has been a language of our composite cultural heritage. However, till date, Urdu medium schools have not been given their due and are still braving the storm with non-availability of Urdu medium textbooks, vast number of vacancies in all the streams, non-availability of state funds, disheveled managing committees, numb parents and lackadaisical attitude of principals and teachers of these beleaguered schools. Nevertheless, some schools have put up a good result and from a mere 20 per cent cumulative all Delhi result, these have gone up to 70-80 percent thanks to the efforts of the walled city Urdu education activist Firoz Bakht Ahmed of Friends for Education who has been tirelessly working since 1984 to improve the educational standards of these schools. The overall pass percentage of Delhi from a mere 20 in the 1980s has now risen to 79.15 per cent this year. Last year this was 81 per cent. Jamilur Rehman, principal of the Urdu medium SKV Pataudi House Darya Ganj School, states that Bakht singlehandedly has been working for the hapless Urdu medium schools of Delhi and that has brought a slow but sure progress in the overall performance of the Urdu schools. Anglo Arabic School has also shown some promise that from last year's 45 per cent result, they've managed to attain 63 per cent this year, while Fatehpuri Muslim School from Chandni Chowk has risen from last year's 68 per cent to 75 per cent. However, some schools have also gone down like SKV, Pataudi House, Darya Ganj, that has gone down to 86 per cent from 99 per cent last year and Hakim Ajmal Khan Girls' School that has got 90 per cent this year as compared to 94 per cent last year. Even SKV Jafarabad has come down from 98 per cent last time to 90 per cent this time round. Piques Bakht, "But Urdu medium schools have been working under tremendous pressures and problems. Urdu medium results will improve only if the NCERT translates the Urdu medium texts in time, umpteen vacancies are filled up, state funds are sufficient, parent community is on the guard and is not numb. Unless the managements, principals, teachers and parents work in harmony to uplift their schools' educational levels, nothing can be done." Bakht further added that no attention is paid to the extra-curriculars in the Urdu schools that actually make the child an achiever

waqf problems, but this recommendation has been rejected. The JPC had recommended the punishment of officers who cause adverse and illegal possession of waqf properties but this has not been accepted. Likewise, Sachar had recommended the creation of a waqf civil service cadre in the bureaucracy (consisting of Muslim officers) so that posts of waqf administrators in various states do not r e m a i n vacant or filled by nonMuslims who have no idea of waqfs, but this too has been rejected by the government.

Speaking on the occasion Jamiat Ulama general Secretary Mahmood Madni (MP) said that the material prepared by ZFI will be very useful in putting across our point of view to the authorities. He asked: why mosques under ASI are closed to Muslims wishing to offer prayer there but tourists with their shoes on can freely roam around in these mosques. He said that, if need be, a movement will be launched to protect waqfs. He added that attention should be paid to mosques and monuments controlled by the Archeological Survey of India which are decaying due to neglect and encroachments. Madni hoped that the amendments suggested to the waqf bill by the Minority Affairs Ministry will be useful to remove some of the lacunae and objectionable clauses in the bill passed last year. For more details visit: http://www.zakatindia.org/WakfBill.html

Mumbai's Christian population falls

Mumbai: The Christian community in the city recorded negative population growth as against Hindus and Muslims who are growing at a faster rate, birth and death figures from the civic health department showed. Last year, 3,763 infants were born to Christians while 3,887 members of the community died, indicating a fall in growth rate. In this period, there were 1.2 lakh Hindu births and 74,003 deaths; the Muslim community saw 50,353 children being born as against 16,898 deaths. The birth-death rate ratio of Muslims is almost double that of Hindus, showing a much more robust population growth. Demographers and community leaders said family planning and migration seemed to be the main reasons behind the shrinking of the Christian population. "The trend here is in tune with the national trend. The stress has been on providing quality life to one child than having more children," said Dolphy DSouza, former president of the Bombay Catholic Sabha. Wille Shirsat, a parishioner of the 400-year-old IC Church in Borivali, said the decrease in birth-death rate reflects the socioeconomic progress made by the community. "Though there has not been any conscious programme by the church, five years ago the church did suggest that it was the duty of every couple to provide quality life to their infants. Since most of us hail from the middle class working background, many couples on their own decided to have just one child," Shirsat said. A two-year comparison of birth-death figures show there has been an overall increase in births as compared to deaths. While there was an increase of 9,618 births, in the corresponding period there was an increase of 7,388 deaths. Social scientists and Islamic scholars who have been tracking demographic changes among Muslims attributed the higher population growth to lack of adequate family planning and poverty. "The belief that more pairs of hands can earn more seems to be holding sway in the lower middle class Muslim community. Many community members have more than four children though there has been a high incidence of infant mortality among the poorer sections,'' said Asghar Ali Engineer, director of the Institute of Islamic Studies. He said the increase in birth rate has nothing to do with Islam as a religion. "It is related to issues like poverty, illiteracy and lack of women's empowerment. In 1998, we did a survey which showed that the population in Malappuram, a predominantly Muslim district in Kerala, had lesser population growth as compared to such a district in Uttar Pradesh. This is because of high literacy rate there," Engineer said. He said a majority of the upper class Muslims today undertakes family planning measures. "As the socio- economic status of a community improves, the population comes down," he explained. (Viju B, TNN)

and a go-getter." A seething example of this attitude is Delhi's Qaumi School that has been running in tents pitched into the city's Eidgah since June 30, 1976, the day it was razed to the ground during the Emergency on the pretext that it was in a slum area under the Master Paln and that very soon, a building would be given to it. This year's credit for 100 per cent results goes to SKV Jama Masjid-2 and Zakir Hussain Memorial School, Jaffrabad. Jama Masjid School-2 under the able guidance of their principal and educationist, Shabana Nazir (9650330332), has managed 98.5 per cent result. According to Bakht, another problem of Urdu schools is that many Urdu medium schools have principals and teachers who are from English or Hindi background and there's a lacuna of understanding besides some language bias working into the day-to-day activities of the schools. Bakht also complained that recently in the Matia Mahal area, the Congress MLA Prahlad Singh Sahni has closed down one Urdu medium school and in another Urdu medium school, that is, Chashma Building Senior Secondary School, local politicians have arranged for a police chowki in six rooms as per the complaints of residents of Ballimaran area.

The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

NATIONAL

Mohammed Izharul Haq

A blind man spreading light of education

AN SHIBLI
anshibli@gmail.com In this world there are a lot of people with disabilities. If a person lacks something physically he makes it an excuse and becomes dependent on others. But there are some who dont just rely on others, they even help others. Mohammad Izharul Haq of Khairi Banka, village of Madhubani district of Bihar is one such man. He is totally blind. He doesnt only consider himself better than others; he even runs a successful school in his village. The life of Izhar Sahab is very inspiring. Due to chicken pox, he lost the sight of both his eyes at the age of only six. At a very young age he completed hifz. For a better life, he left Kolkata and went to Mumbai. In Mumbai, he got three-year technical training at a blind school. During the training period, he was popular among students and teachers. After completing the course he succeeded in getting a job in the famous company, Mahindra and Mahindra. Though he was good at his job and was earning a handsome salary, he was not satisfied. He always thought that he should do something for the children of his village. Whenever during vacation he returned to his village he got upset, finding the young boys of his village whiling away aimlessly doing nothing. It upset him very much that the boys who should be at school were wandering here and there all day. He decided to retire in 1991, 10 years before the actual date and came back to his village with a plan to open a school. In the beginning, he started teaching boys and girls of his own family. At the initial stage he started teaching students in his drawing room with only two teachers and a few students. After some time with the support of his family and villagers he opened a school and started teaching the students properly. The school, which was started with only two teachers and a few students, now has about 20 teachers and 500 students. The village which had only two to three high school pass girls now has about 100 girls with matric certificates. All because of this school which is now among the best schools in the area. Many girls of this school have passed intermediate examination. Vinay Kumar Mishra is the school principal now. After observing the dedication of Izhar Sahab, he left his higher paid job and joined this school with a lower salary. Praising Izhar Sahab he said, though he is blind but his views are clear and pure. He has decided to give the light of education to society. He has given his own land for the school building which shows his dedication towards education. Izhar Sahib said during a meeting that the students who have received education at this school are very interested in the school and many of them would like to run it after him. Here are excerpts from an interview with him: Tell me something about yourself. I was born on November 9, 1941. When I was only six months old my mother died. Then my grandmother looked after me. When I was only six years old, I lost both my eyes due to chicken pox. What is your educational qualification? I do not have any proper education. I completed hifz, and then completed a technical course from a blind school in Mumbai. What was your profession in Mumbai? After getting technical training, I got a job in Mahindra and Mahindra. While working, I was involved in many social activities. I was also a member of the National Association for the Blind. When did you realize that you should start a school? When on holiday, I used come to my village. I got frustrated after seeing that young boys of my village were wasting their time. They should be going to school instead. I discussed my feelings

could benefit. Surprisingly, there were a few people who said that I should not do so, because being blind it would not be possible for me to run a school. But my well-wishers, my children and family members supported me so I moved ahead. Tell me about your family? My spouse is a housewife. I have four children, two sons and two daughters. The girls live with their husbands. My elder son is working in Mahindra and Mahindra while my younger son is working in Dubai as an accountant. Both my sons fully support me in running this school. They insist that at this age I should reside with them rather than run the school here. I think that by running a school and spreading education I serve the community and through this I am pleasing my God, Allah, and this is more important for me. Do you face any problems in running the school? No. Thank God. The school is running smoothly and the number of students is increasing day by day. A few years ago my own relatives had disturbed me. They provoked our teachers against me. Many of our teachers left the school and started another school. Many people opened schools as our rivals but all failed. For a while, I wanted to leave all these things and settle down in Mumbai but after getting support from villagers I decided to shelve this move. Do you get help from the villagers in running the school? I never took any monetary help from the villagers. The only help I need from them is that they send their children to the school. Now Muslims know that in life there is nothing more important than education. I have complaints against the Government. When I went to the education department to get the school recognised the officers asked for a bribe. There is a scheme of scholarships for Muslim students who secure first division in matric examinations but my students do not avail of this facility. who believed that Americans were capable of studying any discipline. He travelled from Iran, Baluchistan to arrive in Delhi. His favourite spot was Lodhis tombs. He was a graduate in philosophy with interest in history. He was a volunteer in a peace corps at Taziz prior to the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Eton cites the fact that in 1769, Rana Raj Singh was the custodian of the temples. He was killed by Aurangzeb for his sympathy for his brother Dara Shikoh. He regards the recent verdict on Ayodhya (30 Sept 2010) as a Panchayat decision. Hindu extremists hail it as a landmark decision because it establishes Hindu Rashtra versus Muslim Rashtra theory of the sixteenth century. There was no pattern of persecuting Hindus under Muslim rule. There is no tradition (as in Chinese history) of seeking vengeance for several generations. Several Western historians are products of recent history. Elaborating why Indian history has been tailored to create divisions among people, Eton says that Partition necessitated the manufacture of a history of this kind so as to justify it. He points out that historians had in fact become paid employees of the establishment. Since Persian had been dethroned as the state language nobody bothered to explore Persian texts. What they could not find in Calcutta or Delhi they tried to locate in London. AG KHAN Hence, the tampering in historical records.

Mohammad Izharul Haq speaking to MG; above: speaking to his students

with my family members. After consultations with them I decided to retire early and spread the light of education. Initially, I started teaching the boys and girls of my relatives. A few people of my village came to me and said that if I was interested in teaching children, I should open a school so that other children of this village

R.M. Eton

Historian who refutes Sangh claims

Entons Essay on Islam and Indian History (2000) dismisses the onslaught on Islam. The charge of mass scale destruction of Hindu temples by Mughal rulers is refuted and in this context Ayodhyas history needs re-visit. According to Harbans Mukhia, Eton has changed the discourse of Medieval History. The Sangh Parivar claims that 60,000 temples had been razed to the ground. Eton brings this down to a mere eighty during 1190-1790. He also investigated related facts such as the motivation behind such destruction and their specific details. Eton regards himself a historian by chance. While studying during the sixties, he was assigned study of soil chemistry in agriculture college by the Iranian authorities

Eton regards himself a historian by chance. While studying during the sixties, he was assigned study of soil chemistry in agriculture college by the Iranian authorities who believed that Americans were capable of studying any discipline. He travelled from Iran, Baluchistan to arrive in Delhi.

10 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

NATIONAL

Gujarat political mercury rising over polls

ABDUL HAFIZ LAKHANI, Ahmedabad

he political mercury is getting hotter and hotter in Gujarat as Narendra Modi the Hindu poster boy has started to speak aggressively against state Congress and UPA leaders. He dares the centre to arrest him. He also alleges that Delhis bosses have taken Supari to destroy Gujarat. On the other hand Congress leaders Arjun Modhwadia and Shakinsh Gohil called this a gimmick and termed it, nothing but a crude attempt to whip the peoples sentiments. The Assembly elections scheduled for December 2012 will be fraught with challenges of delimitation, which are equally worrisome for both the Congress and the BJP. While the ruling party has started working on poll preparations, the Congress is making slow movements. The BJP has already held a meeting of its office-bearers and paid special attention to the Assembly constituencies whose electoral profile has changed drastically post delimitation. It has asked district in-charge leaders to reach territories and establish contacts with local party workers, organise tiffin meetings and make a discreet assessment of their organisational skills and capability. They have been asked to educate workers in the light of delimitations effect. State party vice-president Indravijaysinh Jadeja said the focus will be on the party symbol rather than a candidate while working on poll oriented campaigns. In no case will an individual be the focal point in the next two months by which time the district leaders will be required to submit their findings, said Jadeja. He added that there would be no discussion from electoral angle in these meetings but performance of active and other members would come under the scanner for future. The visits to the constituencies affected by delimitation will focus on getting the feel of the place, changes in its political and electoral ambiance among others, he said. The Congress, meanwhile, has started reorganising its structure at taluka and district levels. In a months time, we will reorganise all taluka and district party offices. As of now, 60% of taluka and 20% of the district offices do not have organisational setup in place, said Arjun Modhwadia, president, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee. The party will reach out to people in the Assembly constituencies with issues like commercialisation of education, unemployment, urban poverty and landless labourers in the coming days. He said the party would also continue its fight on Jantri rates. Leaders from both parties, like Kaushik Patel, Anandiben Patel, Nitin Patel, Shailesh Parmar, Girish Parmar, Himmatsinh Patel, Sabir Khedawala, Gitaben Patel, Gyasuddin Shaikh, and Badruddin Shaikh, are learnt to have intensified efforts to impress upon their respective leaderships that they were the only desirable candidates to run for, seats like Ghatlodia, Sabarmati, Jamalpur, Naranpura, Vatva and others. Meanwhile, there is one Muslim MLA of Congress who is inching nearer to Chief Minister Narendra Modi day by day - Sabir Kabliwala, two-time Congress MLA from Ahmedabads Muslims dominated Jamalpur constituency. Next year in December Gujarat will witness assembly election in which a major part of Jamalpur constituency will merge with Hindu dominated Khadia. However Muslims will still be majority voters. Thus BJP may need a Muslim candidate to secure this seat. However at this stage it is difficult to say whether Modi is luring Sabir Kabliwala or whether is it other way round! In the last one month, Kabliwala has visited Modi twice with delegations of Muslims. He came to meet Modi with Chhipa communitys workers involved in textile printing. Chhipa community

dominates Jamalpur area from where Kabliwala is elected. In recent past Modi attended Kabliwalas daughters wedding reception and spent a longer time there than expected. In the recently held Khadia assembly byelection, Kabliwala was responsible for securing Muslim votes of Raikhad area for Congress candidate, however party took note that the work was not done well. Kabliwalas superficial commitment was considered as one of the factors due to which Congress party lost Khadia byelection. It is interesting to note that soon after the byelection, Kabliwala was appointed in the prestigious Wakf board as a member, by Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Kabliwala is a rich Muslim and like many other rich Muslims he is inching near Narendra Modi. Though Kabliwala and his party deny any possibility of him joining BJP in future, everyone is watching his movements closely, particularly the Congress leadership in the state. Narendra Modi has also been trying for an image makeover in order to live down his post-Godhra image, which makes him persona non grata in large parts of the country and also with some Western governments, which have refused to allow him into their countries. That is why he has gone out of his way to focus on the bread and butter issues, zeroing in on the development agenda. He also gave Muslims, tickets in the Muslim-dominated areas in the recent civic polls. One of the first statements he made after the poll victory was to attribute it to the Muslim vote for the BJP, and went to the extent of saying that without it, the BJP would not have been so successful. Meanwhile, in a clever move Congress state leader Gohil said that Election results of five states show that people have rejected BJP and its policies as the party has managed to get only five of the 824 seats for which elections were held. The results have also exposed the hollowness of the star campaigner of BJP, Chief Minister of Gujarat. BJP candidates for whom Gujarat Chief Minister campaigned have been defeated. In his studied reactions to the results of elections in the five states, Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, Shaktisinh Gohil said that Gujarat Chief Minister who is trying to project himself as a national leader was shown a place by the electorate. Referring to Modis tendency of rhetoric, he said that it has even led to the defeat of state BJP president in Assam. People of these states have also realized the double speak of BJP on the issue of corruption. He said that Congress has promptly taken action against its leaders or associates involved in corruption. BJP, on the other hand, talks about campaign against corruption, but always defends its own leaders when they face corruption charges. Whether it be Karnataka Chief Minister or Chief Minister of Gujarat, Gohil said. People of these states have endorsed the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi and have welcomed the commitment of Rahul Gandhi for national development. Except Tamilnadu where people were against the associate party, people have reposed faith in Congress in all states by bringing the Congress and its coalition to power. Assam presents an interesting case study, he said. Gujarat Chief Minister had a vigorous campaign here and BJP had claimed to come to power. The results show that it has met with a humiliating defeat with only three seats to show its existence. Similarly, he said that much before the elections, Jaylalita who enjoyed a sweeping victory in Tamilnadu, had offered support of her party to Congress. It is obvious that Jaylalita has got vote for the peoples opposition to DMK.

Gujarat High Court appointed new chief of the Special Investigation Team in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. The officer is an IPS of Maharashtra cadre, Dr. Satyapal Singh. This follows quitting of Karnail Singh who has been transferred to Mizoram. The issue of a new chief had sparked off a controversy as High Court had given the charge of investigations to, Satish Verma, one of the two members of the SIT. This led to protest from 14 police officers associated with the encounter. They were against the charge being given to Verma and had expressed fears of vindictive action by him. These officers moved the Supreme Court after the Gujarat High Court refused to grant stay on a free hand to Satish Verma. The Supreme Court put a stay on action by Satish Verma. The High Court had pulled up Gujarat government for delay in the transfer of three police officers as the Court had to repeatedly instruct Gujarat government. It even sought the explanation of Additional Chief Secretary Home Balwant Singh. Consequently, Balwant Singh tendered unconditional apology to the High Court for the lapse. Ishrat Jahan, Pranesh Pillai, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were gunned down by Crime branch in June 2004 on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Police had claimed that they were operatives of Laskar-e-Taiba on a mission to kill Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Investigations were handed over to Special Investigation Team (SIT). However, The High Court appointed another SIT and these observations were made during the hearing of a case on the basis of proceedings of the second SIT. Teesta moved Guj. High court in riot case Teesta Setalvad, accused in the 2006 Pandarwada body-exhumation case, has moved the Gujarat High Court seeking quashing of the criminal case against her. The state government opposed Teestas petition, saying that the accused had sought quashing of complaint five years after it was filed. Government pleader P K Jani submitted that a chargesheet against Setalvad had already been filed and hence the FIR could not be revoked now. Jani further argued that Setalvad, despite summons, failed to appear before the police and did not cooperate with the investigation. The court observed that the matter was not urgent, and scheduled further hearing for May 24. Setalvad has already obtained anticipatory bail from the court, after she was implicated in the case by one of her former close aides, Rais Khan, who was then associated with her NGO Citizen for Justice and Peace (CJP). In 2002, the district administration had buried about 28 unidentified bodies of riot victims from Pandarwada and surrounding villages of Khanpur taluka in a graveyard near river Panam. After over four years, Rais Khan and 12 others exhumed these bodies without prior permission of the government, to prove that many more bodies had been buried there, and it was in fact a mass grave of post-Godhra riot victims. Following this a criminal complaint was registered for alleged destruction of evidence, but the investigation began only last year, as the accused had obtained stay to the probe from the Gujarat High Court.

New SIT chief for Ishrat case

Hindutva harmed BJP most in assembly polls

lienation of allies from the BJP because of its ideology has uprooted the party and pushed it to the periphery in various parts of India. In Assam, BJP exercised all its might and was very hopeful of bouncing back because of the anti-incumbency factor. Congress was on the edge and a bit nervous because of scams and corruption in and out of the state. The outcome of the polls in Assam suggests that people can tolerate everything except communal politics. Congress substantially gained from the ongoing peace talks with the ULFA. AGP and BJP combine could at least help them to be the opposition party in Assam. AGP deliberately chose to keep the BJP at a distance because of its anti minority policy. The BJP cannot ignore the reasons for the setback in Assam. An image makeover exercise for the BJP is the call of the day, but will it keep them relevant in the long run? One cannot say that the BJP did not make any sincere effort to make an alliance with the AGP. Arun Jaitely senior BJP leader in an interview said, I have no hesitation in saying that we tried our level best and made an honest attempt to ally with the AGP. The outcome of five assembly elections does

not provide the BJP any consolation prize even which the BJP could flaunt. For BJP there seems nothing to cheer or clap about. Instead of soul searching the party is busy pointing fingers at other parties and pin pointing their mistakes and grey areas. The Central Parliamentary Board of the party which was presided over by Nitin Gadkari to analyse the situation after assembly polls summarised the results as state specific. In totality the performance of the BJP in the recently concluded assembly elections was jeopardised from the inability to find new allies and by failing to understand their coalition partner. The political strategist and the election manager of the BJP miscalculated, while thinking of forming an alliance government in Assam and misread the political ramifications in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal. Attempts were made by the BJP to polarise the minds of the people of Assam and West Bengal. In Assam, BJP tried to fuel the anti immigrant feeling into a Hindu versus Muslim conflict. The party attempted to provoke people's sentiments with divisive and emotive issues. The decision of the BJP to appoint Varun Gandhi as in-charge of election of Assam was not only a mistake but also a disastrous

step. The local leaders and workers of BJP in Assam felt let down, by the fact that people from outside the state were sent by the RSS to look into the political affairs of the BJP in the state. And in the process these people ignored important suggestion made by the partys leader in Assam. In BJPs political camp in Assam there was a feeling that even Narendra Modi and Varun Gandhi may not be enough unless and until all those who campaign also speak the language of social inclusion . In West Bengal, BJPs Janata Yuva Morcha with the patronage of senior leaders organised Rashtriya Ekta Yatra from Kolkata to Kashmir to hoist the Indian Tricolour in Srinagars Lal Chowk on 26 January in an effort to stir up nationalistic emotions of people in the partys favour. The political space for the BJP to experiment particularly in south and east at least for some time remains a distant dream unless the party learns to entice more allies with the ability to keep them intact. Swapan Dasgupta has mentioned in Pioneer on 15 May that at present for many regional parties joining the NDA is not a realistic option because association with the BJP doesnt give them any incremental votes to compensate for minority desertion. However

BJP this time around may try to get away with the notion that in all states except Assam BJP had little presence and it cannot be equated with win or loss for the party. Amidst the loss BJP can pretend to cheer that it swept the byelections in Karnataka wresting two seats from the Congress and the third from the JD(S). BJP also retained the Bastar Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh. In Uttar Pradesh, assembly elections will be held in 2012 and the BJP in its three-day National Executive meeting in Lucknow during 3-5 June is likely to review its performance in the recently held assembly elections and also to chalk out a strategy for the coming assembly elections. Because of the numbers the state is important for all political parties. BJP in the year 1998 won the highest number of seats (182) of which 57 seats were from Uttar Pradesh alone. From being the number one party in the state it fell to the fourth position within a decade. In 2009 the BJP got only 10 seats from Uttar Pradesh. It is after six years that the BJP is going to hold its national executive committee meeting in Uttar Pradesh. Last time it was held in 2005 under the leadership of Rajnath Singh.

MOHAMMAD NAUSHAD KHAN

The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011 11

HUMAN RIGHTS/TERRORISM

India fumbles on war on terror

With the recent goof-up in the terror most wanted list given to Pakistan Indias sensitivity to terror sounds hollow and speaks of a systemic failure. The error in the terror list not only reveals a grievous lack of co-ordination among our security agencies but also a casual attitude in fighting the war on terror at all levels. The most wanted list moved from lowest to highest rung of our bureaucrats in charge of security and file and all should equally share the blame in their role in the blunder. G K Pillay, home secretary had handed over the most wanted list to his Pakistani counterpart Qamar Zaman Choudhary on 28 March this year. Feroz Rashid Khan named in Indias most wanted list has now been traced to the Arthur Road Jail facing trial for his role in the 1993 serial blasts case. He was listed as criminal No 24 absconding with Dawood Ibrahim.Wazhul Kamar Khan also mentioned in the most wanted list was arrested last year for his alleged role in the 2003 Mulund train blasts and was living at his Thane residence. One error after another in the same list has blown up in Indias face its commitment to the war on terror internationally. India itself has weakened its case against Pakistans aiding and sheltering terror accused. The perception of the people when P Chidambaram took over as home minister after Mumbai attack was that his tenure will bring a dedicated work ethics and professionalism in the functioning of the departments working under it which was lacking before he took up the onerous responsibility. But it appears from the error in the terror list that the termites have started to creep into Indias security mechanism which is certainly not a healthy sign. The problem lies in co-ordination specially when one task is carried out by different agencies with their own approach. This simply gives rise to the blame game and passing the responsibility to one another. This will not solve the problem ever. Responsibility and accountability has to be redefined so that in future nothing like this takes place to embarrass our agencies. The home minister in an interview to CNN-IBNs Karan Thapar said It is embarrassing, it is regrettable. Since the list was handed over formally by the home secretary, we have taken what I would call constructive responsibility. Maharashtra home minister R R Patil while reacting on the issue said that Central agencies usually do not consult with state agencies while preparing such lists. This does not seem to be the end as some more names which figured in the most wanted list but are either dead or in jails in India have come out. Mohammad Abdul Shahed Bangaladesh-based Huji commander in South India is dead but still on the most wanted list. Another person Shaikh Abdul Khaja is in a Hyderabad jail and still figures in the list. Noora, Dawood Ibrahims elder brother died last year in Karachi due to kidney failure yet he figures as an accused person wanted in the red corner notice. Ejaz Pathan, an aide of Chhota Rajan, died in 2008. The red corner notice against him showed him as wanted. Questions are also raised on Kerala born Mohammad Bashir who also figures in the list, he is not in Pakistan but was living in India The list of 49 Most Wanted handed over to Pakistan: 1. Hafiz Mohammed Saeed * 2. Sajjid Majid * 3. Syed Hashim Abdur Rehman Pasha* 4. Major Iqbal * 5. Illyas Kashmiri * 6. Rashid Abdullah * 7. Major Sameer Ali * 8. Dawood Ibrahim 9. Memon Ibrahim 10. Chota Shakeel 11. Memon Abdul Razak 12. Anis Ibrahim 13. Anwar Ahmed Haji Jamal 14. Mohammed Dosa 15. Javed Chikna 16. Salim Abdul Ghazi 17. Riyaz Khatri 18. Munaf Halari 19. Mohammed Salim Mujhahid 20. Khan Bashir Ahmed 21. Yakub Yeda Khan 22. Mohammed Memon 23. Irfan Chaugule 24. Feroz Rashid Khan 25. Ali Moosa 26. Sagir Ali Shaikh 27. Aftab Batki 28. Maulana Mohammed Masood Azhar * 29. Salauddin 30. Azam Cheema * 31. Syed Zabiuddin Jabi 32. Ibrahim Athar * 33. Azhar Yusuf * 34. Zahur Ibrahim Mistri * 35. Akhtar Sayeed * 36. Mohammed Shakir * 37. Rauf Abdul * 38. Amanullah Khan * 39. Sufiyan Mufti 40. Nachan Akmal 41. Pathan Yaqoob Khan 42. CAM Bashir 43. Lakhbir Singh Rode 44. Paramjit Singh Pamma 45. Ranjit Singh 46. Wadhawa Singh 47. Abu Hamza * 48. Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi * 49. Amir Raza Khan

Gujarat cops stunned by Satish Verma as SIT chief

Ahmadabad: There is a new twist in the enquiry episode of Ishrat Jahans encounter case. After Gujarat High Courts order to replace the SIT chairman Karnail Singh by Satish Verma Gujarat police seems to have been paralysed by shock. 14 officers have approached the court to either shunt Satish Verman or to hand over the probe to that very CBI which they had been strongly opposing in the past. It may be recalled that when the newly constituted SIT under Karnail Singh began the probe, Satish Verma I.P.S. one of its member on 27 May 2010 claimed that the probe was getting derailed inspite of sufficient evidence establishing the fact that it was a fake encounter. He made this allegation in an affidavit submitted to Gujarat High Court. The dispute between the members became public when Karnail Singhs demand on amicus curiae was opposed by Satish Verma. High Courts decision to relieve Karnail Singh and appoint Satish Verma as the new chief has sent shock waves among the police officers of the state. 14 officers involved in the encounter i.e. G.L. Singhal, Tarun Barot and others demanded, in a petition to the High Court, that the matter be handed over to CBI. Application filed on their behalf by advocate Mitesh Amin pointed out that Satish Vermas affidavit was based on false facts. Hence after assuming full control on proceedings Verma was likely to misuse his powers and would implicate them. They had no faith in Satish Vermas fairness. The applicants further argued that constable Moti Talji Desai had also approached the court in this case. The petitioners desired that their applications should be included in the hearing list and review its order which empowers Satish Verma to conduct the inquiry from 21 May 2011. They appealed to the High Court that the enquiry pertaining to the first FIR filed by DCB be transferred to the CBI and if that was not possible then a new SIT be constituted with IPS officers posted out of Gujarat. When the petition was brought before the Chief Justice he directed its senior Justice Jahant Patel Justice Patel did not consider the petition observing that as long as the chief justice did not issue an order and the petition is not properly listed for hearing there could be no consideration in the matter. These 14 officers are among the 21 persons listed in the DCB filed F.I.R. It is quite interesting to note that these officers are not afraid of the CBI but are scared by one single person Satish Verma Satish Vermas SIT issued summons to 12

officers which include DSP Tarun Barot, GL Singhal, PP Pande and KR Kaushik. It may be recalled that Barot and Singhal had reported in March before the SIT. It is learnt that after issue of summons the 12 summoned officers have proceeded on leave. They fear that Verma would pounce on them any moment and hence they have gone underground. (AG Khan)

Rajasthan Ex-IG held by CBI in fake encounter case

MOHAMMAD NAUSHAD KHAN

The CBI has arrested Ex-IG officer A Ponnnuchami on 16 May for his alleged involvement in connection with the fake encounter of Dara Singh on 23 October 2006 in Jaipur. The case was handed over to the CBI by the Supreme Court in April last year after family members of Dara Singh alleged that police was not taking action in the case. After Ponnnuchamis arrest a CBI special court also issued arrest warrants against an Additional Director General of Police, A K Jain, and Additional SP Arshad Ali. According to CBI, Both the officers have not turned up so far. The ADGs questioning is crucial to establish any links of a former BJP minister who is alleged to be behind the killing. It is alleged that 14 police officers including Rajendra Singh Rathore former minister in the Vasundhra Raje government were involved in this case. It is believed that Daras encounter allegedly took place due to rivalry between two groups of liquor contractor and Dara is believed to be associated with one group and the other group was close to Rathore. The CBI has already arrested four police officers of Rajasthan including inspector Nisar Khan and Naresh Sharma and sub-inspector Satyanarayan Godara and ASI Surendra Singh in this case. The case is being monitored by the Supreme Court and the CBI is to submit a status report within two months from the time they began investigating the case. (Mohammad Naushad Khan)

Fourth anniversary of Mecca Masjid blast

Did Hyderabad police protect Hindu Terrorists?

WAHAJ HASHMI
Hyderabad: May 18, 2011 marks four years since the blast at Hyderabads Mecca Masjid claimed 14 lives. However, there has been no breakthrough in the case with the investigation going on at a snails pace .It is an irony that even after four years no actual perpetrators were arrested while on the other hand scores of innocent Muslim youths were arrested within hours of the blast. In this connection Lateef Mohammad Khan, convenor of the Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee, said that the Hyderabad police protected Hindu radicals responsible for the bombing. He has been fighting the case of the Muslim youth who were falsely implicated in the blast. The 2007 Mecca Masjid blasts at Hyderabad were a turning point for terrorism in India. Four years have gone by and while the Muslim community in Hyderabad blames their representatives for not doing enough, the investigations continue to move on at a snails pace. Its a well-known fact that Police had initially blamed Harkatul Jihad-e-Islami and other terror groups operating from Pakistan and Bangladesh and arrested scores of local youth for their alleged involvement. Subsequent probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) revealed the involvement of Hindu terror outfits. What sealed matters was a confessional statement by rightwing activist Swami Aseemanand, who went on to claim that it was Hindu radicals who carried out the blasts The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which recently took up the investigations, has filed a supplementary chargesheet against Swami Aseemanand for his alleged role in the conspiracy behind the blast. Mecca Masjid blasts: Swami Aseemanand named in NIAs 2nd chargesheet Ahead of the fourth anniversary of the infamous Mecca Masjid blasts, the NIA filed a second chargesheet against prime accused Aseemanand for conspiring and financing the blasts. The chargesheet was filed at a Hyderabad court as the city police geared up to prevent any outbreak of violence on May 18, the fourth anniversary of the blasts that killed fourteen persons and left over 70 wounded. The NIA in its supplementary chargesheet filed before a special court has accused the 59-year-old Nabakumar Sarkar, alias Swamy Aseemanand, of murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy among other sections of the IPC, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Explosive Substances Act. Aseemanand is also an accused in the Samjhauta Express bomb blast case. He was arrested at Haridwar in Uttarkhand on November 19, 2010 where he was found hiding under the fictitious name of Swami Omkaranand. The investigations in the case were initially conducted by the Hussaini Alam police station, Hyderabad. Subsequently, the case was entrusted to the CBI, which filed a chargesheet against accused Devender Gupta and Lokesh Sharma, who were arrested and are in judicial custody. Later, the Centre transferred the case for further investigation by the NIA, which began in April 2011. Two other accused -Sandeep Dange and Ramji Kalsangara are absconding and the NIA has declared a reward of Rs 10 lakh each for their arrest. The NIA filed the second chargesheet since the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act demands that a chargesheet be filed within 180 days. The NIA has accused Aseemanand of providing the slain RSS functionary Sunil Joshi with Rs 65,000 for carrying out the blast at the Hyderabad mosque. There, a cell phone-controlled pipe bomb went off at the historic Mecca Masjid during Friday prayers on May 18, 2007, killing nine people while five protesters died in police firing after the blast. A one-man commission of Justice (retired) V Bhaskar Rao was set up to probe why the police opened fire on a crowd that had gathered at Shah Ali Banda to protest against the bomb explosion in Mecca Masjid. The commission had submitted its report to the AP Government in October last year. Demands were made for making Bhaskar Rao Commission report public. Two organisations The United Muslim Forum and Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) demanded that the Bhaskar Rao Commission report on police firing after the Mecca Masjid blast in 2007, in which five people were killed, be made public by the Andhra Pradesh government. The Bhaskar Rao panel has already submitted its report to the state government, which is yet to place it in the Assembly and make it public. The United Muslim Forum demands that the government immediately present the report before the Assembly, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board Assistant General Secretary Mohammed Abdul Rahim Quraishi told reporters here. He also demanded that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) should investigate the case seriously as it claimed the suspects were still at large. He added that a delegation would meet the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy to urge the government to take necessary action in this direction. Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) General Secretary Muhammad Lateef Khan also said that the commission report be made public soon and urged the government to make arrangements for paying homage to the victims of the bomb blast in Mecca Masjid.

12 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

ISSUES

AIMMM resolutions on national and international issues

The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, the umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations, held its central body (Markazi Majlis) meeting at its Delhi headquarters on 14 May, 2011. Headed by its president Syed Shahabuddin, the Markazi Majlis passed the following resolutions on the national and international situation: On Assembly Elections in April May, 2011 The Markazi Majlis-e-Mushawarat (MMM) of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat had taken note of the peaceful conduct of assembly elections with massive voting in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal during April May, 2011 as all these four States have Muslim concentration. The AIMMM had circulated Guidelines for the Muslim Community. Since in all these states Muslims have been consistently under -represented in the assemblies, their main objectives had to be not only to ensure the installation of secular governments but also to raise the level & quality of representation. Since more than one secular parties or alliances were in the arena, while continuing the basic policy of Muslims voting for the most winnable secular candidate, the MMM had proposed that in Muslim majority and Muslim concentration constituencies, the local Muslim community should form a Representative Election Committee which should examine the comparative credentials of the secular Muslim candidates and of their parties and select the candidate to be supported and take all possible steps to ensure that he or she receives united and massive support of all Muslim voters. In case no major party had fielded a Muslim candidate, the Committee may choose an effective and suitable independent. The MMM had also drafted a detailed Charter of Demands and Aspirations for West Bengal, which had been submitted to the major alliances and also sent copies of the Charter to the MMM chapters in Tamil Nadu, Assam and Kerala and advised them to formulate a similar Charter based on local problems and priorities and submit them to the major secular parties/ alliances in the field with the request that they field Muslim candidates in proportion to their population in the State, from constituencies which are Muslim-winnable and choose candidates who are acceptable to the Muslim community. The MMM is convinced that Muslim and other weaker sections will be equitably represented only under reservation or by changing to proportional electoral system. The MMM has taken note of the likely formation of secular governments in all these states but it doubts whether except in Assam, the Muslims shall be better represented in the Assemblies than in the past. The MMM expects, however, due representation of the community in state governments. On SCs Stay Order on Judgement of the Special Bench of the Allahabad High Court The MMM of the AIMMM welcomes the interim order of the Supreme Court not to proceed with the trifurcation of the disputed site & to maintain the status quo, until the appeals are disposed of. The MMM hopes that the strange & unwanted order of the Special Bench of the Allahabad High Court shall in due course be totally rejected by the Supreme Court and the case returned to Allahabad High Court for a fresh trial to determine the title to the disputed site, as desired by the Supreme Court in 1994. The MMM is also of the view that the Supreme Court should define the status quo as it existed before the Demolition & therefore review the 1993 judgment legitimizing the illegal construction of the makeshift mandir on the debris of the Babri Masjid which will present insurmountable difficulty for rebuilding the Babri Masjid, if the Muslim community wins the title, as well as, for implementing the road map drawn by the Supreme Court in respect of the Acquired Area. The MMM takes this opportunity to reiterate its suggestion to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board to intervene in the Appeal and ask other Muslim organizations of national eminence as well as sympathetic secular groups to follow its lead. On Budget for 2011-12 The MMM of the AIMMM regrets to note that the Budget for 2011 12 benefits the rich and not the poor, the corporate sector and not the common man, the elite and not the deprived and the marginalized groups like minorities, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections. The Budget reduces outlay on social development as well as on schemes designed for the uplift of the Muslim community, even per capita outlay on school education, public health and rural employment. However, the MMM welcomes the announcement by the Minister of Finance to introduce cash payments of social and economic subsidies, in order to minimize leakages and expedite delivery. The MMM also welcomes first ever consultation with a crosssection of Muslims by the Planning Commission for formulating the 12th Plan and possible introduction of a component Plan for the Muslims who constitute a Backward Classes, almost as backward as the SC/ST and more backward than the non-Muslim OBCs. On Minority Status of the Jamia Millia Islamia The MMM of the AIMMM felicitates the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions for its finding that the Jamia Millia Islamia was originally established by the Muslim community and enjoyed the status of a Deemed University before it was transformed into a Central University by the JMI Act, 1988 and, therefore, it continues to be a minority University. The MMM requests the Government to accept these findings of the Commission and urgently introduce requisite changes in the Act, particularly to declare it formally a minority institution within the meaning of Article 30(1) of the Constitution, to change the composition of its Court and its Executive Committee in order to make them more representative of the Muslim community, to introduce an appropriate procedure for selection of the Vice-Chancellor, and also the preamble to highlight the historical background of the foundation of the Jamia Millia Islamia. On Situation in Darul Uloom, Deoband The MMM of the AIMMM has taken note of the inquiry by the Majlis-e-Shoora of Darul Uloom, Deoband into the allegations against Maulana G.M. Vastanavi, the newly appointed Mohtamim and to decide on his continuance in three months. The MMM is of the view that the basic character of Darul Uloom, Deoband, as a seminary for theological studies must be maintained, while making necessary changes in the curriculum, syllabus and methodology of instruction. The MMM also considers that the Majlis-e-Shoora should be expanded into a more representative body including Old Boys, the faculty and the students, apart from eminent Ulema as well as sympathetic non-Ulema from within the community. The MMM also suggests that the Mohtamim should be appointed for a specified period and not for life and that the emoluments of the teaching and non-teaching staff should be revised. On the Strategy to introduce Gender-based Laws The MMM of the AIMMM has noted with concern that in response to the pressure of the Supreme Court for expediting introduction of Uniform Civil Code, the Central Government appears to have adopted the strategy of introducing gender-based laws, applicable to all communities. Indeed this began with the reintroduction of the Adoption Law. The MMM suggests to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board to take notice of this strategy and oppose such common laws, which are intended to assimilate the Muslim community in the long run and cautions the community against falling into the trap. The MMM feels that the only viable course for the Muslim community is the codification of Muslim Personal Law by a committee of eminent Muslim theologians & jurists in the light of similar codes in other Muslim countries & eventually enacted by the Parliament. On Delay in the Re-constitution of the Central Wakf Council The MMM of the AIMMM regrets to note that the Central Wakf Council has not been constituted for nearly one year despite the fact that proposed Wakf (Amendment) Bill 2010 proposes to strengthen the role and function of the Council and give it the power to supervise the working of the State Wakf Boards. The MMM feels that the Central Wakf Council should elect its own Chairman so that the Minister of Wakf may effectively supervise its working. The MMM proposes that the number of Wakf Boards must be reduced by forming more Inter -State Wakf Boards, each to cover atleast one thousand Wakf estates among contiguous states & UTs. All major State Wakf Boards should be continuously represented in the Council, with rotation of the minor Boards.As a matter of principle, the State Governments must bear the entire administrative expenditure of the Wakf Boards, must finalise Wakf surveys, make the Wakf Tribunals functional and active and restore the Wakf properties, which are in the hands of the State Government or its official & semi-official bodies to the Wakf Boards. The MMM rejects the ill-conceived idea of forming a separate Class I Service to administer wakfs but proposes that the State Governments concerned should take Muslim officers on deputation for the posts of Executive Officer etc not only from the Civil Services but also from other All India, Central and State Class I Services. The MMM is of the view that encroachment in Waqf properties should be defined more comprehensively to include unauthorized structural changes by the lessee in any Waqf property and all State Governments, which have not yet done so, should include public wakfs in the list of public premises for expeditious removal of encroachments, as well as to -exempt such properties from the application of land ceiling and rent control legislation. The MMM welcomes the idea of establishing a National Waqf Development Agency with statutory status and a corpus of atleast Rs 1000 crores & no linkage with the existing NMDFC. On Organization of Haj 2011 The MMM of the AIMMM, on the eve of preparations for Haj, 2011, emphasises that the entire Haj quota allowed by the Government of Saudi Arabia for the Indian pilgrims should be equitably distributed among all Muslim applicants from various States and UTs in accordance with their Muslim population with no allocation to private Haj operators, except for Haj staff on duty. The MMM also considers it essential that the responsibility for transporting the pilgrims should be transferred to the Haj Committee to which it statutorily belongs and that the Haj carrier should be selected by global tender, followed by firm negotiations in order to minimise the need for any Haj subsidy. The MMM reiterates its proposal that for effective service to the Haj pilgrims in Saudi Arbia, the Haj Committee should introduce District Batching System with relevant team of doctors, paramedical staff & Khadimul Hujjaj to travel by the same Haj flights. The MMM also feels that since the Government Haj Goodwill Delegation serves no helpful purpose & has become a matter of political patronage that it should be replaced by a small team of not more than three VIPs to convey Haj greetings on behalf of the Government & People of India to the Government of Saudi Arabia. On Democratic Upsurge in the Arab World The Markazi Majlis-e- Mushawarat of the AIMMM (MMM) welcomes the surge for democracy sweeping across the Arab world and regretfully notes military action by the rulers of Libya, Yemen, Bahrain & Syria to suppress the peoples movement by brute force. The MMM has noted that the uprising did not have immediate impact on the ground situation in Libya because it is a vast country with a small scattered population consisting largely of various tribes with mutual antagonism fanned by Gaddafi and because he has vast resources of money and arms in his hand which the democratic movement cannot. Therefore people need moral and material support from outside to defeat him. Hence the UN Security Council has passed a resolution imposing sanctions as well as a no-flight zone over the country. Since, the UN has no standing machinery to implement its Resolutions some western states have attacked Libyan military bases & are monitoring its marine & air space. The MMM hopes that the intervention does not become a prelude to another invasion by the West of an Arab country. The MMM has also noted that the elitist & authoritarian Assad government in Syria is also waging a war against the Syrian people. The MMM calls upon the rulers to desist from killing the people, who have largely rejected them, submit gracefully to the popular will and give the forces of democracy & constitutionalism a chance to build an alternative regime without much loss of life & resources. The MMM hopes that other Arab states facing turmoil like Yemen, Bahrain & Morocco shall read the writing on the wall and introduce democratic governments and guarantee fundamental freedoms and human rights of their people. On the Killing of Al-Qaida Leader Osama bin Laden by USA The MMM of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) has taken note of the fact that the Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, who was living in Abbotabad in Pakistan was killed by the US forces while sanctuary to Osama bin Laden was against the terms of UN-supported War on Terrorism, the deployment by the US of its special forces to attack it and kill Osama bin Laden amounted to violation of Pakistani sovereignty & international Law. The MMM has noted that though there has not been much expression of grief in Arab or the Muslim world, the demand that the USA should stop military operations in Pakistan and vacate Afghanistan & Iraq at the earliest possible has gained ground . On Accord between Hamas & PLO to Foreign Unity for Liberation of Palestinian Peoples The MMM of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) welcomes the accord of 4 May 2011 between the Hamas and the PLO for formulating a joint strategy and action plan for the liberation of the Palestinian people and for the withdrawal of Israel from the Arab Occupied Territories & the formation of the independent & sovereign State of Palestine and for a durable solution in keeping with the legitimate rights, of the Palestinian people. The MMM calls upon the international community to support the Palestinian initiative and to continue of its programme of financial aid to the Palestinian people and effectively press Israel to dismantle the Jewish settlements on the Occupied Territories including Jerusalem.

On direction from the Supreme Court the Central Bureau of Investigation began its probe into the Tulsi Prajapati alleged fake encounter case on 7 May. CBI officials in Mumbai P Kandaswamy and Amitabh Thakur who also investigated the Sohrabuddin and Kauserbi murder case visited the site in Banaskantha district near Gujarat and Rajasthan border where Prajapati was killed in an encounter in a joint operation by the Gujarat and Rajasthan police in 2006. The Supreme Court has handed over the Prajapati case to CBI, at its request. Earlier, the Supreme Court had handed over the Sohrabuddin and Kauserbi case to the CBI. The request was made by the CBI as both these encounters are closely linked. It is also believed that Prajapati could be the third person to be allegedly kidnapped by Gujarat police along with Sohrabuddin and Kauserbi from a bus in Andhra Pradesh and were brought to Gujarat in 2005. The Supreme Court on 8 April had ordered a CBI inquiry into the encounter of Tulsiram Prajapati, a close associate of Sohrabuddin while turning down Gujarat governments opposition to a CBI probe. A bench comprising Justice P Sathasivam and BS Chauhan while accepting the CBI argument that both these encounters are closely linked had directed the state police to hand over the case to the CBI within 14 days while fixing the time limit of six months for the CBI to complete its investigation. The CBI is likely to file the first chargesheet within 90 days.

CBI begins investigation into Prajapati encounter case

The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011 13

ISSUES

Death of Osama bin Laden and Changing World

RAM PUNIYANI
ram.puniyani@gmail.com The declaration of death (2nd May, 2011) of Osama bin Laden is mired in many mysteries. It is also full of blatant violations of International law. It does have a profound impact on the future of global politics. Osama and Al Qaeda had been dominating the global political scenario since a decade or so, and covertly through their activities since the last 2-3 decades. West Asia and Indian Subcontinent have been the biggest victim of their dreaded acts; still the death of this Frankensteins Monster has been accompanied by infinite questions and repercussions. To begin with, there had been various news items claiming that Osama is dead, times and time again. Pakistans ex Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who herself became a victim of an act of terror, had said that Osama is already dead. Any way, what matters is the popular perceptions and understanding. This understanding, manufactured or real, is propagated by the global bully and the world dominating US media. This seems to be more important than the truth. Truth shall ultimately prevail, but in the short run, propaganda and perceptions do dictate the global and local scenario. So in that sense now Osama is really dead for good. The manner of his killing, brings to the fore as to who is the biggest violator of International law. Here is a superpower, with its tentacles spread all over the World, itching to take proactive steps in the name of Democracy and World Peace, but in reality only to protect its interests of controlling oil wealth and maintaining global supremacy, the United States. Its armed forces blatantly violated Pakistans air space, ignored its sovereignty and killed an unarmed Osama. Noam Chomsky, the indefatigable Human Rights Conscience keeper poses an interesting question. What if Pakistani or some other army lands up in White House, kills someone there and dumps his body in the sea? Unthinkable, no! Osama could have been captured and tried in the International Court of law and punished accordingly. Why an unarmed man; a criminal, had to be killed is beyond imagination in a civilized world with so many laws and norms. It seems laws and conventions are for ordinary mortals and states, for some states (US) for the Medieval law Might is Right, We are the law, still prevails. This is a warning signal for the whole humanity, reminding us of the need for reviving international bodies like the United Nations not just formally but in reality, with real flesh and blood. Organizations like United Nations not only need to be

Osama could have been captured and tried in the International Court of law and punished accordingly. Why an unarmed man; a criminal, had to be killed is beyond imagination in a civilized world with so many laws and norms. It seems laws and conventions are for ordinary mortals and states, for some states (US) for the Medieval law Might is Right, We are the law, still prevail... This May 2011, the death of Osama, some claim is the 9th time that he has been declared dead, is a boon to the process of peace anyway. The demonization of Islam and Muslims will hopefully come to an end. Morality of all religions has contributed greatly to the development of human values of mankind. All religious communities have contributed to the progress of the Human race, and this needs to be the major slogan for coming decades.
revived and democratized they also have to be endowed with legal and moral authority to mediate in international affairs. The arbitrary cow boy norms need to be condemned and done away with. This death of Osama should open a new chapter in global and local politics. The previous decade had been dictated by the US policy of Oil hunt by creating the bogey of Clash of Civilizations, a slogan which is an insult to the humane values of mankind, a concept which deliberately overlooks the deeper alliance of people and civilizations. This clash of civilization thesis practiced by the US, projected Islam as the threat to democracy and freedom, irrespective of the fact that it is the same global power which overthrew democracies and promoted dictatorships in the area for its economic and political agenda. The overthrow of democratically elected Mossadeq regime of Iran, (1953) had set the tone for imposition of authoritarian regimes in this area. Again the processes which have begun in Tunisia, Egypt etc. are reminders that Arab World-Muslims aspire for democracy as much as any other people in the World and are trying to overthrow the yoke of dictatorial regimes. The US invasions of different countries in the region were justified by projecting Islam and Muslims as backward by the global super-cop, which projected the myth that it is playing the role of the saviour. With the death of Osama-bin-Laden this chapter of dark global politics should be over, and the region should be left to its own moral and political resources to develop the political systems, away from the interference by outsiders. Democracy is basically a grass roots process. It cannot be exported or imposed on others. The efforts should be to let the local alliances emerge, to let global democracy amongst nations emerge and let the local population choose their path for achieving a democratic system. It is on these issues that all the concerned peace movements assert the values of Peace and democracy through mass demonstrations. These voices and peace campaigns should put a brake on the hegemonic policies of the superpower. In India, the terrorism begun by local groups, Aseemanand, Pragya Singh Thakur and others derived its raison detre from the terror acts of Osama and company. Since Hemant Karkares landmark investigation in Malegaon blast case, series of operatives with saffron leanings have been caught and hopefully this dreaded process will also come to an end, it will not derive provocation form other terror groups. As far as India and Pakistan are concerned the whole talk of repeating Abottabad by a section in India, needs to be thrown in the dustbin. The Indian political leadership has shown political maturity and offered the dialogue table for achieving friendship with our neighbour. The same should be further promoted. On the one hand we must deal firmly with the criminal elements, by promoting trust and amity between nations and on the other co-operation in the area of culture, trade, commerce and education needs to be boosted. It should not only be restricted to Pakistan, we need to revive the spirit of SAARC at a deeper and broader level. This May 2011, the death of Osama, some claim is the 9th time that he has been declared dead, is a boon to the process of peace anyway. The demonization of Islam and Muslims will hopefully come to an end. Morality of all religions has contributed greatly to the development of human values of mankind. All religious communities have contributed to the progress of the Human race, and this needs to be the major slogan for coming decades. (Issues in Secular Politics)

Gwalior: AK-47, the latest weapon used by army and police, SLR and 9mm pistol, cartridges in large quantities and other types of half-a-dozen weapons were found in the house of a BJP leader when police raided it. Police has been interrogating the son of the absconding arms dealer. The crime branch was apprised that Gopendra Singh, son of BJP leader Jai Singh Bhadoria, had been making weapons. A team, headed by Sudesh Tiwari, raided the house in the Kashi Naresh Gali where it found tools for making arms, weapons and cartridges. Gopendras son has been arrested. Preliminary facts reveal that this has been going on for several years. Here is a detailed list of the arms recovered in the raid: Weapon Quantity AK-47 1 SLR 1 9 MM 1 315 bore 8 32 bore 5 303 9 12 bore 2 old weapons 2 Weapons recovered Weapon Quantity 315 bore double barrel 3 315 bore (Single) 2 315 bore Katta 1 (Source: Patrika Hindi daily, 9 May 2011)

Police raids BJP leaders house: arms factory found

Milli Information Network

Time to network the community
The Muslim communitys many ills and problems stem from the fact that there is a marked lack of informationsharing and dissemination. The leadership is limited to some big cities while the majority lives in thousands of towns and lakhs of villages across the country. ... This makes it difficult to manage the two-way circulation of information, from the leadership to the masses and from the masses to the leadership. To tackle this problem, a network of information centres should be established all over the country. There should be one at least in each district headquarter, and more in larger towns and cities. These information centres will function from the offices of community organisations or in libraries and reading rooms... Acting upon the above editorial published in MG 16-31 Dec. 2007 we registered a website www.millinetwork.com. We are in the process of developing a large network of milli NGOs. Kindly get yourself listed on the network. Each listed organisation will have its own webpage on the network. Fill in the below form and send it to us by email or post. Name of Organisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pin Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Phone (std code) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Name of Main Trustee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geographical Reach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brief note of Nature of Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................................................ ............................................................................................ ............................................................................................ Category of Work: [Please encircle] Charity / Child Guidance Clinic / Children / Communal Harmony / Community Development / Disabilities / Slum Children / Human Rights / Family Welfare / Literacy / Education (scholarships/coaching) / Media / Medical / Orphan children / Religious / Social care / Social Justice / Social Welfare / Vocational Training / Volunteer Mgmt / Widows / Women / Others [Masjids and Madarasahs will also be listed on the network] Any literature (brouchure, leaflets, audited accounts etc) may also be submitted. The Milli Gazette, D-84 Abul Fazl Enclave - I, New Delhi 110025 Tel.: 011-2694 7483 mg@milligazette.com Cut or photocopy

14 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

ANALYSIS
Speaking Out
N I L O FA R S U H R AWA R D Y

Assembly Elections: A Wake-Up Call!

he electoral verdict in five states assembly polls may be regarded as an extremely important wake-up call for Indian politics. The results reaffirm the importance held by regional parties, Muslim voters and the marginalization of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in these states: West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. In West Bengal, success of Trinamool Congress and defeat of the Left bloc cannot be delinked from the regional identity of Mamata Bannerjee as a Bengali leader for her supporters. The same may be said of the return of Jayalalitha as chief minister in Tamil Nadu. The Congress can be credited for success only in Assam. However, in Assam too, greater credit must be accorded to Tarun Gogoi for ensuring a strong campaign and asserting his regional affiliation with the voters. Undeniably, the BJP was devoid of any important regional leader in all the five states. With respect to Left blocs dismal performance in West Bengal, their failure to give adequate importance to reaching out to Bengali voters cannot be ignored. Besides, the regional identity of CPI-M chief Prakash Karat, who hails from Kerala, holds little importance for Bengali voters. Undeniably, Bannerjees success cannot be de-linked from her party and its key ally, the Congress, having shrewdly played their political cards. Had Congress committed the

mistake it did earlier in Bihar assembly polls, by being overconfident of winning the seats on its own strength, it may not have fared as well as it has in West Bengal. The clear-cut message is that in states where regional parties have assumed substantial importance, national parties including the Congress, carry little appeal for the voters unless they choose to align with a strong regional party. A similar strategy was exercised by the Congress in Kerala, where it has emerged as the winner, primarily because of its alliance with the states Muslim League party. The Congress may have remained in the opposition had it not fought the Kerala elections as a coalition, the United Democratic Front. The recent assembly elections also highlight the increase in importance of Muslim votes in states where their population is more than 20 percent. They constitute 31 percent of the states population in Assam. The recent elections have witnessed the emergence of Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) led by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal Qasmi as a leading opposition party. There are 28 Muslims in the new Assam assembly, 18 from AUDF alone as against 10 in the previous assembly. There were 25 Muslim members in the earlier Assam assembly. Nominally, even though the AUDF does not identify itself as a Muslim party and has not included any religious term in the partys name, it is known as a Muslim party. Regional as well as religious factors may be held as responsible for AUDFs success in Assam assembly elections. Of course, neither would have played any role if the Assamese voters did not trust the AUDF leaders substantially enough to display their support for them. This point is further proved by the dismal performance of Congress and its ally-DMK in Tamil Nadu. Losing their trust in them, the Tamil voters chose to support AIADMK.

The new West Bengal assembly has 59 Muslim members, 13 more than the last one. Muslims constitute 28 percent of the states population. The Muslim vote has carried substantial importance in Kerala, with 36 members in the new assembly, 11 more than the previous one. Muslims constitute 25 percent of the population in Kerala. Here, the Congress-led UDF has won 72 seats against the 68 secured by the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Without doubt, the 20 seats won by the Muslim League have played a major part in helping the UDF head the new Kerala government. Electoral successes of Muslims in West Bengal, Assam and Kerala clearly indicate that their political importance can no longer be sidelined, particularly where their population is over 20 percent. This is further proved by Muslims securing only six seats in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry. The population of Muslims is less than 13 percent in both these states. Besides, the religious card carried lesser appeal this time, as in the earlier assemblies, Tamil Nadu had seven Muslim members while Puducherry had only two. Had the Congress not counted on regional factors, it may have been denied of what it has gained in West Bengal, Assam and Kerala. The Congress has won only 170 of the 359 seats it fought for. The failure of the BJP to win more than six seats out of around 800 it contested in five states adds credence to importance of the regional factor and voters crucial decision of no longer trusting the BJP. This indeed is a major wake-up call for both Congress and BJP. They can no longer ignore the Muslim vote. Also, despite the two parties being recognized as national parties, where regional politics is concerned, the voters give priority to ones with whom they can identify with and place their trust in.

Supreme Court vindicates Muslim stand on Babri Masjid

HAIDER ABBAS

ucknow: It took over seven months to break the quiet over the issue of Ramjanambhumi/Babri Masjid, as the Apex Court on May 9 admitted the appeals before its two-judge bench consisting of Justice Aftab Alam and Justice RM Lodha. The case which was called Ramjanambhumi/Babri Masjid, Ayodhya, Faizabad, UP title suit, and which was changed to a partition-suit by the exercise of inherent powers vested in the High Court, was decided on Sept 30, 2010, favouring the Hindu side by giving them two-thirds of the Babri Masjid and allocating one-third of it to the Muslim side. Muslims had been waging a struggle for the Babri Masjid almost since Partition. The case today has become an acid test for the survival of secularism in the country. The Sept 30, 2010 verdict gave a blow to secularism by validating the demolition of Babri Masjid on Dec 6, 1992 by Hindu terrorists aided and abetted by the State. The High Court verdict conferred the site of Babri Masjid the status of a deity believed to have been a birthplace of Lord Rama 9,00,000 years ago, and something which cannot lose its right to possession, even though the Babri Masjid stood on it for four centuries and hence, Babri Masjid cannot benefit even the rights of adverse possession. But a question arises: could this judgement have come if Babri Masjid had not been demolished? And, does not the judgement give an official approval to the demolition? No sooner than the Sept 30 2010 verdict came, overt and covert exercises to dissuade Muslims from going to the Supreme Court began. Many Muslim midwives were resurrected by the state to somehow stop Muslims from going to the SC. Undeterred by the shameless onslaught, the Muslim side went to the SC to lay claim over the whole of Babri Masjid site and also the adjoining plots which cover the Ganj-e-Shaheedan (Martyrs Compound) as many of the Muslim martyrs lie buried in these graves after attaining martyrdom over the cause of Babri Masjid. Come May 9 and the two judges bench expressed surprise as to how the HC could divide the title among three litigants! This is very strange and surprising. Nobody has prayed for partition of the area. The Allahabad High Court has given a new relief which was not sought by anybody, observed the SC. Now, for the sake of record, it becomes necessary to state the status and the whos-who of the appeals, as they stand today in the SC: The first Civil Appeal No. 10866-10876 of 2010 is by Muhammed Siddiq of Jamaat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind vs. Mahant Suresh Das and others. The second is civil appeal No. 821 of 2011 by Sunni Central Waqf Board vs. Mahant Suresh Das. The third is civil appeal No. 2215 of 2011 by Misbahuddin vs. Mahant Suresh Das. The fourth is Special Leave Petition (C) No.7815-7818 of 2011 by Nirmohi Akhara vs. Rajender Singh. The fifth is Civil Appeal No.2636 by All India Hindu Mahasabha vs. Bhagwan Shri Ram Lala Virajman. The sixth is Civil Appeal No. 2894 by Muhammed Hashim vs. Mahant Suresh Das. The seventh is Civil Appeal No. D 38217 of 2010 by Bhagwan Shri Ram Lalla Virajman vs. Rajender Singh. The eighth is Civil Appeal No. 4192 of 2011 by Sunni Central Waqf Board vs. Bhagwan Shri Ram Lalla Virajman and the ninth is Civil Appeal No. D 3828 of 2011 by All India Hindu Mahasabha vs. Bhagwan Shri Ram Lalla Virajman. The Muslim side has already filed five appeals and is likely to go ahead with four more in the various suits. Thus primarily, all the suits which had gone to the High Court

have gone for a hearing in the SC. These suits too, therefore, require a mention: The Suit No. 1 is Regular Suit No. 2 of 1950 that is of Gopal Singh Visharad vs. Zahoor Ahmed. The Suit No. 3 is Regular Suit no. 26 of 1959 that is Nirmohi Akhara vs. Priya Dutt Ram. The Suit No. 4 is Regular Suit No. 12 of 1961 that is Sunni Central Waqf Board and others vs. Gopal Singh Visharad and others. The Suit No. 5 is Regular Suit No. 226 of 1989 that is Bhagwan Shri Ram Lala Virajman vs. Rajender Singh. The Suit No. 2 was Regular Suit No. 25 of 1950 filed by Ramchander Paramhans and was withdrawn. Rajender Singh is the son of the deceased Gopal Singh Visharad While admitting the appeals, the SC expressed its satisfaction by observing that SC is pleased to note that there is complete unanimity on maintaining status quo and all the parties are in agreement that order may be passed for maintaining the status quo at the disputed site and the adjoining land. During the pendency the parties shall maintain status quo in regard to land suit as directed by the earlier judgement and the order passed by SC in Dr. Ismail Farooqui vs. Union of India and Others 1994 case. The SC referred to paragraphs 86 and 87 of the same by citing the best solution in the circumstances on revival of suits is, therefore, to maintain status-quo as on Jan 7, 1993 when the law came into force modifying the interim orders in the suit to the extent by curtailing the practice of worship by Hindus in the disputed area to that extent it stands reduced under the Act instead of conferring on them the larger right available under the court orders till intervention was made by legislation. It may be known that on Jan 7, 1993, the Congress government had passed an act in Parliament called Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act, 1993 through which 67.703 acres of land was acquired around the Ramjanambhumi/Babri Masjid site. The act also guaranteed the right to puja (worship) by Hindus to go on unabated and the status-quo to be maintained as on Jan 7, 1993. The SC further observed that the Section 7(2) of the paragraph 87 of the same case, achieves the purpose by freezing the interim arrangement for worship by Hindu devotees reduced to this extent and curtails the larger right they enjoyed under the court orders, ensuring that it cannot be enlarged till final adjudication of the dispute and consequent transfer of the disputed area to the party found entitled to the same. This being the purpose and true effect of Section 7(2), it promotes and strengthens the commitment of the nation to secularism instead of negating it. To hold this provision as anti-secular and slanted in favour of the Hindu community would be to frustrate an attempt to thwart anti-secularism and unwittingly support the forces which were responsible for the events of 6-12-1992. Regarding the adjacent land, the SC further observed, The land adjacent to the suit land which was the subject matter of acquisition by the Central Government, the parties shall maintain status quo, as directed by the order of this Court in Mohd. Aslam Bhure vs. Union of India and Others (2003), through its paragraphs 4 and 5 read with paragraph 17. The SC further said, In this proceeding, which is initiated as public interest petition, several reliefs were claimed but after the interested parties were impleaded and their pleading were put forth what has crystallised is as to the manner in which the adjacent land should be (sic) final decision in the title-suit pending in the High Court of Allahabad. This Court, on 13-2-2002 while issuing the rule made the following order. In paragraph 17 of the same case, it was fairly given that, In the meantime we direct

that on the 67.703 acres of land located in revenue plot Nos. 159 and 160 in village Kot Ramchandar which is vested with the Central Government, no religious activity of any kind by anyone either symbolic or actual including bhumi puja or shila puja, shall be permitted or allowed to take place. Furthermore, no part of the aforesaid land shall be handed over by the government to anyone and the same shall be retained by the government till the disposal of this writ petition nor shall any part of this land be permitted to be occupied or used for any religious purpose or in connection therewith. Then, the SC took its order of March 14, 2002, into consideration by observing, that the aforesaid order was clarified by another order (March 14, 2002) by the same Court of some of the ambiguities, thus, it was referred anew. The SC on May 9, after admitting the appeals, also ordered that during the pendency of the appeals, the operation of the judgement and decree by the Allahabad High Court shall remain stayed. It also called for the records of Original Suits, for the digitized version of the judgement of Sept 30, 2010. This would further include all the scanned copies of the record in various cases and also called for the translation of High Court records. It is a very balanced and a reasonable order. And, this vindicates our stand that the judgement of the High Court was not based on correct notions of law. When the Court will meet again, after the summer vacations, it is likely that some future date may be fixed. It is possible that the case will be decided in two years in case there is a day-to-day hearing. But, the Muslim morale is now at an all time high and there is an upward trend, particularly after it was on a low after the Sept 30, 2010 judgement, said Zafaryab Jilani-the counsel of SCWB and convenor of Babri Masjid Action Committee.

Ayodhya Jama Masjids trustee seriously ill, hopeful of solution

MANZAR MEHDI FAIZABADI
Faizabad: Asghar Abbas Rizvi of Siddharth Nagar district of U.P. who appeared on the scene in 2002 to find a solution of Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute by mutual talks with the then Prime Minister Vajpayees blessings, is seriously ill these days. Being a sugar patient, both his kidneys have failed and because of dialysis twice a week, he is unable to travel anywhere. When he was employed in central governments Ayodhya cell, he was looking after the Ayodhya problem and after retirement, he constituted Ayodhya Jama Masjid Trust and for the solution of the Ayodhya problem through bilateral talks, he met important Hindu and Muslim members of the Ayodhya dispute alongwith Maulana Umair Ilyasi, President of All India Masjid Imams Organisation, Maulana Kalbe Rashid, Kartik Chopra, Capt Sikandar Rizvi etc. His talks with VHPs Ashok Singhal and Mahant Avaidyanath had reached an advanced stage but ultimately remained inconclusive. Inspite of his heart operation, failure of kidneys and being serious ill, his speech and memory are surprisingly quite normal. Equally at home in Urdu, Hindi, English, Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit, he has made an appeal to one and all who are associated with the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi problem to pray for his speedy recovery, so that he may be able to solve this problem before he dies.

The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011 15

JAMMU & KASHMIR

DATELINE SRINAGAR: AFSANA RASHID

Interlocuters to present their report soon

Interlocutors appointed by Centre on Kashmir have said that they would shortly submit a report to union home minister, P Chidambaram about their eighth visit to the state. We interacted with about 30 delegations representing political parties, RTI activists, civil rights groups, youth and women. Well submit the report to Union Home Minister, said the interlocutors in a joint statement issued here on May 20. The three-member team including noted journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, academician Prof Radha Kumar and former chief information commissioner M M Ansari arrived here on May 15 for a six-day visit to the state. The team would visit state again for interacting with newly elected panchs and sarpanchs, the statement said. We hope to cover remaining districts and areas in our forthcoming visits. During their stay here, they met Governor N N Vohra, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, president of National Conference Farooq Abdullah, senior political leaders and DGP Kuldeep Khoda and Chief State Information Commissioner, Ghulam Rasool Sofi. tion 307 RPC 7/27 Arms Act was registered against him. He was detained under PSA and released in May 2009. Azad is a released Pakistan trained militant arrested in 1994 and Arif is a driver by profession. Speaking during a two-day long human rights seminar Evolution of human rights in Kashmir and its relevance Lt Gen S A Hasnain, GOC Chinar Corps here on May 16 said power doesnt come from the barrel of the gun, but by upholding dignity of people and respecting their sentiments. Director General of Police (DGP), Kuldeep Khoda here on May 19 said with the chugging in of the train here, police has been entrusted additional responsibilities to ensure safety of railway tracks and commuters and deal with crime pertaining to railway premises. He laid the foundation stone of Kashmir Railway Police Office at Nowgam. Lauding the role of northern railways for resuming train services here that had been disrupted last year, the DGP said it is the responsibility of all sections of society to ensure safety of railway tracks and other railway properties. The train service was suspended here on July 31 last year following massive destruction of railway track and signal systems and looting and arson at Sopore railway station and Budgam railway yard. The service was restored earlier this year only. discipline is maintained. The amalgam had appealed to the people to observe shutdown and assemble at Eidgah, where a public meeting was scheduled to be held to commemorate the death anniversaries of Mirwaizs father, Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq and senior separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone, who were assassinated on this day in 1990 and 2002, respectively. Various separatist leaders were placed under house arrest. Barricades were placed at many places along the routes leading to the Eidgah. Concertina wires and armoured vehicles too were used to block the roads. Normal life across the valley was disrupted in the wake of a shutdown call. Educational institutions, shops and business establishments remained closed; public transport went off the roads. Private vehicles plied in uptown areas of the city. The police spokesman however said in view of recent assassination of Maulana Showkat and assassination of Abdul Gani Lone in 2002, authorities decided not to allow a rally scheduled to be organized by a separatist organization. There was apprehension that the rally could have created a law and order problems and threat to any other leader. The spokesman added that shutdown call evoked partial response with some towns ignoring it.

Omar speaks against female feticide

In a clarion call to civil society in general and religious, political and social leaders in particular, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has sought a coordinated and well-knit approach to address the grave issue of female feticide and girl child sex ratio decline in the state. Drastic decline in male-female ratio in 0-6 age group of children observed in census 2011 in the state has indicated districts of Kashmir division as badly hit. This demands urgency to properly deal with this most damaging phenomenon gripping society, said the Chief Minister here on May 16. Government alone cant make the necessary dent on this count. It is civil society as a whole, and religious, political and social activists, in particular who have to play their part, he said, adding Panchayat Raj system can be effectively utilized to address this concern. Director National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Dr. Yash Pal Sharma said as against national average ratio of 914 girls against 1000 boys, state shows 889 girl child against 1000 boys. He said as many as 24 unauthorized ultrasound clinics have been confiscated in Jammu division and 64 in Kashmir division, this year. The chief minister here on May 14 said that state faces setbacks due to unforeseen circumstances arising out of political uncertainty. While inaugurating the third international buyer-seller meet being organized by Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, here he termed the meet as a small but significant step. Such events open the Kashmir market to the outside world. It is the duty of both central and state governments to provide congenial atmosphere so that business activities flourish in Kashmir, said Jairam Ramesh, union minister of state for environment and forests, adding such meets should be organized at Dubai, Moscow and likewise.

Infiltration feared from LoC

The GOC 15 Corps Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain fears that infiltration might increase in coming days from across the Line of Control (LoC). After killing of Al-Qaeda chief, Osama Bin Laden, there are fears that Pakistan might try to infiltrate more militants, said the GOC while talking to a local news agency, KNS on the sidelines of a function organized by 140 Infantry Brigade in border area Karnah on May 15. The GOC claimed that the situation in the state is returning to normalcy. He alongwith General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Armys northern command Lt Gen K T Parnaik carried out a detailed tour of LoC in Karnah and Tanghdar. Lt Gen Parnaik said that the same people are destroying Pakistan today who had been given shelter by that country. A day earlier, he had said China-Pakistan nexus is worrying and Pakistan is the epicentre of terrorism. It is widely known that China is helping Pakistan in building a road from Khunjerab Pass to Gwadar Port besides, other infrastructure projects. About the situation in Pakistan post killing of Osama Bin Laden and its support of terrorism, he said to divert media and world attention after the killing, Pakistan may create mischief on borders by increasing number of infiltrators, for which we are wellprepared. Though Al Qaeda isnt known to exist in the state, its affiliate terrorist groups based in Pakistan like LeT and JuM are active here. He added There are now approximately 450 to 500 militants in the state. The number is fluctuating and giving an exact figure is difficult. With the late melting of snow, there are unverified reports of infiltration along traditional routes. Parnaik said as far as Armys stand on revocation of AFSPA is concerned, weve recommended its continuation in view of the situation here and special requirements it entails. In its response, chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani on May 15 said there was martial law prevailing in the state. Without permission from Army, no decision is taken. AFSPA is a certificate for security forces.

Malik lashes govt plea to dismiss PIL

Lashing out at the state government for asking High Court to dismiss a PIL filed by him in January this year over the killing of people during the summer unrest last year, JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik on May 4 termed governments response as criminal. It shows bankruptcy and criminal attitude of government, said Malik. The PIL asked for an investigation into killings of 117 people during summer unrest last year. It demanded FIR to be filed against security forces allegedly involved in the killings. The state government, in its reply through A. M Magrey, senior additional advocate general cited Maliks militant past as a reason for dismissing the PIL. A shutdown call by Hurriyat Conference (G) on May 14 evoked mixed response. It was called against alleged torture in jails and fresh wave of arrests. A police spokesman said that a strike call evoked feeble response. A police constable, Mohammad shafi Dar was shot dead by militants in Sopore on May 17. He was rushed to hospital where he was declared brought dead. The High Court on May 19 quashed detention order of Dukhtaran-e-Milat patron Aasiya Andrabi under Public Safety Act and directed state government to release her. She was arrested in August last year for allegedly fuelling protests during the summer unrest. Two militants of Hizbul Mujahideen and three of their sympathizers were arrested by the police, 45 BN CRPF and 29 RR from different parts of north Kashmir on May 2. FIR number 90/ 2011 under section 7/25 Arms Act has been registered.

Former militants running drugs racket

Police here claims that former militants are running drugs network in north Kashmir. Four persons have been arrested and more than 5000 bottles of Recodex seized. FIR number 104/2011 under section 8/21NDPS has been registered at police station Pattan. On specific information, police on May 17 seized 1200 bottles of Recodex from a vehicle bearing registration number JK05A-5559 at Mirgund, Pattan. Four people were held and questioned. It surfaced that all of them have been involved in drug peddling and had been illegally carrying procured Recodex, said a police spokesman, adding 3,900 more Recodex bottles were recovered. The accused have been identified as Muzaffar Ahmad Bhat, Irfan Ahmad Gazi alias Raju, Azad Ahmad Wani all residents of Sopore and Arif Ahmad Sheikh resident of Binner, Baramulla. Police claims that three out of four are ex-militants who have been affiliated with different militant outfits. After alluring and enticing innocent youth towards the hazards of terrorism, theyve now busied themselves towards ruining youth by the menace of drug abuse. Muzaffar, police says has been an active militant of Lashkare-Toiba who was arrested in 2008 and a FIR number 07/2008 under section 307 RPC, 4/5 Explosive Substances Act was registered against him. He was detained under PSA, released in April 2009 and rearrested and then released in January. Police adds that Irfan has been an active militant of Hizbul Mujahideen arrested in 2006. FIR number 347/2006 under sec-

Funeral prayer for Osama held

Funeral prayers in absentia were organized at some places here for Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden after Friday prayers here on May 6. The call for funeral prayers was given by chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Immediately after Friday prayers, people assembled at Ziyarat Batmaloo and offered funeral prayers for Al-Qaeda chief and termed the killing of Laden as an act of terror. US president and his associates claim that they are carrying out a war against terror across the globe. But the way they carried out the operation against Laden is highly condemnable. His body was thrown into the sea, which is nothing less than an attack on Islam, said Geelani. He was put under house arrest on May 5 but was allowed to lead funeral prayers at Batamaloo. Shabir Ahmad Shah president Democratic Freedom Party also took part in the funeral prayers in absentia. Some youth took to the streets and pelted stones on police and security forces. Deputy Inspector General of Police, Abdul Gani Mir said that call for funeral prayers in absentia for Osama evoked little response and people generally ignored the call Stating that Al-Qaeda chief achieved martyrdom while fighting against US oppression in Afghanistan, Geelani on May 3 has said Laden was a symbol of resistance against US. He has been martyred while defending Muslims. But his martyrdom wont end resistance against US in Afghanistan and Muslim world.

Attempt to lay Martyrs memorial thwarted

Authorities thwarted scheduled Eidgah rally of Hurriyat Conference (M) and placed its leaders under house arrest. Restrictions were imposed in nine police station areas of the old city here on May 21. Restrictions have been placed in Safa Kadal, Maharaj Gunj, Khanyar, Rainawari, Nowhatta, Nigeen, Soura, Lal Bazar and Kralkhud police station areas to maintain law and order in the city, said a police official. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of conglomerate had announced that he would lay the foundation stone of a Martyrs wall at Eidgah grounds. We had announced the construction of a martyrs memorial wall on July 13, 2007 to remember martyrs. But government didnt allow it, said Mirwaiz while delivering Friday sermon here, at the historic Jamia Masjid. He had said that after assembling at Mirwaiz Manzil-Rajouri Kadal, theyll march towards Eidgah. Well however, ensure that

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16 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

NEWSMAKERS
MEN & WOMEN IN NEWS
MUHAMMAD SALEEM a member of All India Congress Committee has been appointed Indian governments representative in the Board of Trustees of India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi for a period of two ears. He is also the President of All India Muslim Meo Vikas Parishad and is also associated with many social and welfare organisations. MUHAMMAD SALEH, a promising student of Keralas Markaz Garden Madinatun Noor College functioning under Jamia Markaz al Saqafatus Sunniya has been selected by Englands prestigious Extra University as representative from India in the international Conference named Gulf Studies to be held in England from 29 June to 2 July 2011. In this international Conference in which professors, directors etc. from prestigious universities like Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford etc. will be taking part, Muhammad Saleh will be delivering a lecture on cooperation of Gulf countries in Keralas educational and scientific progress. This also shows that Keralas Jamia Markaz Al Saqafatus Sunniya enjoys a good reputation in educational and scientific field at international level. Dr. GULHAM MOHIUDDIN Chishti has been appointed Trustee of Dargah Sheikhpura Qadeem by Sunni Central Waqf Board, Lucknow. Dr. Ghulam Mohiuddin Chishti is already the Sajjada Nashin of this Dargah. Al Haj DEWAN ZAMAN, general secretary of Teachers Association, Madaris-e Arabia, U.P., Al Haj MUHAMMAD ISRAEL QURESHI; state secretary and ARMAAN KHAN, member respectively of the Association have been appointed members of Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Talimi Board. Seven-year-old ASHARUR RAHMAN, who is a student of class IV has memorised the entire Quran by heart and thus has become a Hafiz at this young age. He had started memorising Quran from his father Hafiz Razaur Rahman Khan when he was only four and in three years he memorised the whole Quran. Prof NASHIR NAQVI, noted Urdu litterateur has been appointed by Punjabi Universitys Vice Chancellor Dr. Jaspal Singh as Director of the Universitys Soofi Centre. It is worth mentioning that Punjabi University at Patiala has become the countrys first and only University in which, in order to promote and highlight the importance of soofism and mysticism at academic level, Baba Fareed Centre for Soofi Studies has been set up in its campus with a separate building of its own. M. RAHMATULLAH, member of CPIs National Council, member of Kerala CPIs state secretariat, chairman of Kerala House Board and Director of CPIs mouthpiece newspaper announced his resignation from CPI and joined states Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). It may be recalled that it was he who, a few months back, had praised Narendra Modi governments administration in Gujarat, for which the CPI had called for his explanation. Very recently, after debacle of CPI in assembly elections, the Party was nagging him with many questions. Irked and fed up with the witch hunting by the party, he left the party in disgust and joined IUML. Haji ABDUL KHALIQ ANSARI has been elected national President of All India Momin Conference at a meeting of delegates held in Delhi on 18 April. Dr. RASHIDULLAH KHAN, secretary of All India Unani Tibbi Congress and Assistant Director of Central Council of Research in Unani Medicines (CCRUM) has been elected Member (Unani) of Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), NCT of Delhi and Dr. Karan Singh has been elected Member of CCIM (Ayurved) in the 2011 election held on 10 May. ABUL FAIZ USMAN, Lamhon ki Khushboo by TABASSUM RAHMANI, Rajasthan mein Urdu Nasr ki ek Sadi by Dr. QAMAR Dr. IDRIS AHMAD, retired Reader in Delhi Universitys Department of Persian has been honoured by President Pratibha Patil with Certificate of Honour for 2009 for his distinguished services in the field of Persian language and literature. Among his literary works in this field are Persian Literature in India, Dr Idris Ahmad Irans Cultural History and receiving his award collection of his writings on Allama Iqbals Persian poetry. The Award consists of a Certificate, one shawl and an annual scholarship of Rs. 50, 000 (for life). In addition to him, two other Persian scholars, namely Dr. Syeda Bilqees Fatema Husaini (Delhi University) and Prof. Marghoob Banihali (Kashmir University) were also honoured with this Award. Dr. Idris Ahmad was also recently honoured with Sheikh Sadi Award by Iran Culture House. Dr. MUHAMMAD SABIR, a well-known social worker of Aligarh, former AMU students leader and presently Director of Aligahs famous construction company DTC has been selected for being honoured with Asia-Pacific Excellence Award in recognition of his efforts in keeping the earth green and campaign for planting of trees and afforestation. The Award will be given to him on 21 May on the occasion of Indo-Nepal Friendship Conference to be held at Kathmandu (Nepal) on that date. Dr. ASAD U KHAN, Associate Professor in Inter-disciplinary Biotechnology Unit of AMU has been selected for being honoured with science worlds prestigious DBTCREST Award for his valuable research work in the field of Biotechnology. Under this Award he has already for Paris to do research work for three months. He has be working for different therapeutic systems for prevention of infection of drug resistance micro-organisms. He has been honoured with many awards like Most Active Teachers Award, Alembic Award, AMIs Young Scientist Award and DSTs Biocast Fellowship.

OBITUARIES
Prof. HAKIM QAYAMUDDIN, former principal of AMUs Ajmal Khan Tibbia College died in Aligarh. G.M. MIR Rajpuri, former speaker of J&K Assembly and also a former minister of Jammu & Kashmir died in Srinagar on 12 May. Educated in law at AMU, he later joined Indias Quit India movement. In 1997 he was elected an MLA and was also elected as secretary of National Conferences Parliamentary Party. He was 90 years old. ISHRAT QADIRI, a prominent Urdu poet of Madhya Pradesh died in Bhopals Hamidia Hospital on 17 May after a prolonged illness at the age of 86 years. During his 50 years literary life he was honoured with many awards by Madhya Pradeshs and countrys literary and cultural organisations. MPs Urdu Academy had honoured him with Siraj Meer Khan Sehr Award. His two anthologies of poems, Shahar Numan and Aasmaan Saebaan have been published. MIRZA ANWAAR HUSAIN, founder and president of Anjuman Hydri died in Delhi on 12 May at the age of 86 years. With his efforts about fifteen thousand people are members of this Anjuman. He is survived by his wife, four sons and five daughters. NAWAB ZAMAN KHAN, film editor and script writer who wrote scripts for films like Khoobsurat, Namak Haraam, Anand and others, in a tragic incident committed suicide by shooting himself in the temple with his licensed gun at his ancestral home, Qila Nawab Ganj in Saharanpur on 6 May. According to police, a brief suicide note in English was found near his dead body in which he had written that being fed up with excessive mental tension, depression and other problems of life I am committing suicide and no one else is responsible for my death. He was 80 and is survived by his wife and three sons. Dr. SYED MUHAMMAD TARIQ HASAN, an author of 8 books in Persian, more than 25 research treatises and a Gold Medalist has been honoured with Presidents Award in recognition of his valuable services to Persian language and literature. The Award was presented to him by President Pratibha Patil at a function held in Rashtrapati Bhavan on 19 May. Dr. ASAD ALI KHURSHID, a senior lecturer of Persian in AMUs Department of Persian was honoured with Presiedents Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution in promoting Persian language and literature at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavans Ashoka Hall on 6 May. He was given Young Scholars Award Badrayan Vyas Sammaan 2009 by President Pratibha Devising Patil. Dr. Khurshid is the first young teacher of AMUs Persian Department to have won this Award which consisted of a shawl and certificate. Shaheed Mutahhari Day was observed at Iran Culture House, embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran on 4 May. On this occasion Shaheed Mutahhari Award, named in the memory this great writer of Iran, was given by the Iranian Embassy to Maulana HASAN ABBAS Fitrat of Pune, Maulana MUHAMMAD RAFIQUE QASMI, secretary of Jamat Islami-e Hind, Delhi, Prof. (Maulana) FARMAN HUSAIN,Aligarh Muslim University and Dr. KHUSRO QASIM also of AMU. The last one i.e. Dr. Khusro is an author of 40 books of which more than 25 are on Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib. Leaves of Chinar, a book written in English by Kashmirs famous poet, author, researcher and journalist, GHULAM NABI Khayal has been selected by Jammu & Kashmir State Culture Academy for the Award of Best Book. An author of as many as 26 books written by Ghulam Nabi in Kashmiri, Urdu and English languages during the past 50 years he has been honoured with about a dozen awards and honours, including Sahitya Academy Award which was given to him in 1975. J&K Culture Academy Award consists of a cash prize of Rs. 51 thousand, a memento and a commendation certificate. The Awards for Best Books in Urdu and Kashmiri have been announced for KHALID BASHEER and (late) BASHEER AKHTAR respectively which were given to the authors by J&K Chief Minister and Academys chairman, Omar Abdullah. barred from operating. Our stories manage to shed some light on the reality of those who have no voice, said Boga, who was educated in India and Australia. Before working in Srinagar, Mumbai-based Boga earned a masters degree in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney with a dissertation on the psychological impact of human rights violations on children in Kashmir. India may be the worlds largest democracy but it still has a long way to go when it comes to respecting the civil liberties of its citizens and letting them exercise their right to life, education and free speech, she added. The prize is administered by the AFP Foundation, a non-profit organisation created to promote higher standards of journalism worldwide, and the Webb family. (Yahoo News)

AWARDS
GULZAR, famous Urdu poet, author, fiction writer and film personality has been selected by Majlis Farogh-e Urdu Adab (Council for the Promotion of Urdu Literature), Doha (Qatar) for its 15th annual Award 2011 in recognition of his valuable services and unique creativity to Urdu prose and fiction. The panel of judges which selected and recommended Gulzars name was headed by Prof. Gopi Chand Narang. This Award consists of a Gold Medal, a cheque of Rs. 1, 50,000, scroll of Honour etc. Gulzar has already been honoured with many awards and honours like Sahitya Academys Award, Padmabhushan etc. Chairman of Board of Trustees of Majlis Farogh-e Urdu Adab, Doha, Muhammad Atiq said that the Award for Pakistans litterateur also will be announced shortly. CHANDRABHAN Khayal, noted Urdu poet and Vice Chairman of NCPUL, alongwith seven other litterateurs of eight other Indian languages including Urdu i.e. Assamese, Dogri, Marathi, Oriya, Rajasthani, Santhali and Tamil was honoured with Tagore Literature Award jointly sponsored by Sahitya Academy and Samsung India. This Award consists of a shield, shawl, certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 91,000 each. Chandrabhan Khayal was honoured with this Award for his anthology of poems titled Subh Mashriq Ki Azaan. Prof. Shah ABDUS SALAM, Officer on Special Duty at Rampurs Raza Library was honoured with Presidents Award 2008-09 on 10 May in recognition of his outstanding knowledge and ability in Arabic language and literature. The Award was presented to him by President of India Mrs. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil. It may be stated that Prof. Shah Abdus Salam, a scholar of Arabic, Urdu, Persian and Hindi has authored about 25 books in these language including Reader of Classical Urdu Poetry, Dabistan-e Aatash, English translation of Asli Zehr-e Ishq (a poetical narration), was a teacher of Arabic language and literature in Lucknow University for about 30 years and also a professor of the same as well as of Islamic sciences at University of Minnesota (USA). His Hindi translation from Persian translation of Valmikis original Ramayan (in Sanskrit) by Sameer Chander is about to be published. He has already been honoured with a number of Awards including UNESCOs Award given to him in Paris in 2007. Rajasthan Urdu Academy has decided to give awards this year to authors of selected Urdu books. According to Navin Mahajan, administrator of Urdu Academy, selected books for Award and their authors are: Urdu drama: Avadh se Rajputana tak by Dr.

DILNAZ BOGA BAGS AFP PRIZE

Hong Kong: DILNAZ BOGA, an Indian photojournalist and reporter, has won the Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize for her courageous work in Indian Kashmir, the AFP Foundation has announced. Boga, 33, spent a year in Srinagar working for the respected news portal Kashmir Dispatch as well as a number of international publications and websites, the culmination of a decade covering the troubled region. The Kate Webb Prize was launched in 2008 in honour of the legendary AFP correspondent in Asia who blazed a trail for women in international journalism. The prize recognis-

es exceptional work produced by locally engaged Asian journalists operating in dangerous or difficult circumstances in the region. Boga will receive a certificate and 3,000 euros ($4,200) in cash at a ceremony in Hong Kong. Covering Kashmir is tough enough for any journalist, said Eric Wishart, AFPs regional director for the Asia-Pacific region. As a woman, Dilnaz endured difficult, male-dominated conditions in an extremely hostile environment to report on the human side of the Kashmir situation, particularly the impact on the youth, Wishart added. Boga said monitoring the extent of the violence in all its forms is often difficult, especially when international human rights groups are

The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011 17

SPECIAL REPORTS

MG publisher releases two important books

Book release at Srinagar: L/R: Fareeda Bano (victim), author Afsana Rashid, Dr Zafarul Islam Khan, Prof Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi and Mr Abdul Rashid Hanjoora

The book release at Imphal: L/R:Zafarul-Islam Khan, Halim Chowdhury and Riyaz Ahmed Shah

Pharos Media, publishers of The Milli Gazette, released two important books within a week. One, on the widows and half-widows of Kashmir was released at Srinagar on 12 May, while the other, on the history of the Manipuri Muslims, was released at Imphal, capital of Manipur, on 17 May. Srinagar: Widows and Half-Widows: Saga of extra-judicial arrests and killings in Kashmir, was released here on May 12. Written by Kashmiri journalist, Afsana Rashid, the 192-page book focuses on women who even after years of the disappearance of their husbands, sons and fathers are still on a daily search for their loved ones while trying to discover their own identity are they widows or not widows. Apart from economic hardships, theyve been alienated by their families, society and government. The book is a study of more than 40 cases of halfwidows and mothers of disappeared people during the last two decades since the eruption of militancy. It chronicles the sufferings of these victims and their dilemmas regarding their identity and status in society. It is the first book on the issue. The event was chaired by Abdul Rashid Hanjoora, prominent social worker, advocate and chairman, Islamic Relief and Research Trust, and attended by chairman of Pharos Media and chief editor of The Milli Gazette, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan and head of the department of Islamic Studies at University of Kashmir Prof Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. A select group of social and human rights activists, intellectuals and mediapersons attended the book release at Taj Hotel here. Describing the book as a wonderful beginning, A.R. Hanjoora called for practical solutions and policies for half-widows. If we cant mobilise our community, we have no right to blame the government. Journalists have a role to play in creating awareness about the issue, he said adding that about two-lakh children have been orphaned since the inception of militancy in the Valley, but only 1800 orphans are being looked after by the government. As such, there is a need to adopt orphans as well. The society should look after children who have been orphaned ever since the eruption of the militancy. Hanjoora further said that society should focus on the problems of women whose dear ones have been subjected to enforced disappearances. There are more than 3000 NGOs registered in Kashmir but unforMG/Yusuf

tunately only a few are working on the ground. There is an urgent need to pay attention to issues confronting widows, half-widows and orphans. We need to have documentation for posterity. Speaking at the occasion, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan said that The issue of widows and half-widows is of great significance in the Kashmiri society today and we decided to hold this function here in Srinagar in order to show to you that we care about you and share your sufferings. He stressed that there is a pressing need to document these cases because if these cases are not documented, how will they be accounted for tomorrow when everyone who caused these sufferings will be called to account? By documenting them, Afsana has done a great service to victims and their families, said Dr. Khan adding that the book will soon be translated into Urdu and Hindi and possibly also into other languages at a later stage so that a large section of our society knows about these sufferings. Afsana Rashid, the author, said that Women have been the worst hit in the Valley. Their stories, pain and trauma made me take up their issue and make a small contribution. She added that the Kashmiri society has failed to provide succour to its widows and half-widows. She said that the need of the hour is that the government, NGOs and society as a whole should come forward so that the problems being faced by these women are solved. Afsana said that most of these women belong to the middle class and have been going round in circles from pillar to post to trace the whereabouts of their missing dear ones. Some of them even moved out of the state to search their dear ones but to no use. In this entire process, there is great chance that they get exploited. The author said, Courts have failed them, successive governments have brushed aside this issue, society has adopted an indifferent attitude and there are others who earn out of the indigence of such families... Consensus is required over the matter especially the matter related to property rights of these women and their children. No courts or clerics have so far come forward on this issue. Ulama from all schools of thought need to evolve a consensus on property rights and remarraige protocol related to half widows. People generously offer donations, zakat and sadaqats (charity), but with no accountability. Creative, productive and peaceful mechanisms have to be found to assertively put an end to their sufferings.

Manipurs little known Muslim communities have a long and rich history, dating from the time of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). In this exhaustive historical account, Farooque Ahmed traces the arrival of Islam in the region in 615 CE through the Prophets uncle Sad ibn abi Waqqas, an uncle of the Prophet, who was also instrumental in spreading Islam in China. Around the same time, an Arab Muslim family settled in the Manipur region and over the centuries Muslim traders, settlers and preachers helped the nascent community expand, flourish and thrive. These waves of migrations and local conversions coalesced into a unique identity of Pangal Musalman reflecting the egalitarian and congregational ideals of Islam. (from the blurb of the book)
Imphal (Manipur): Manipuri Muslims: Historical Perspectives 615-2000 CE, authored by the Manipuri Muslim historian Farooque Ahmad and published by Pharos Media, was released here at Hotel Classic Regency on 17 May in a glittering release function attended by notables, intellectuals, scholars and journalists, especially from the Muslim community known here as Pangal or Meitei Pangal. Head of Pharos Media, Dr. ZafarulIslam Khan was present during the book release function which was chaired by Halim Chowdhury, IAS (Retd), Chairman of the Manipur State Minorities Commission, The guest of honour was Riyaz Ahmed Shah, a renowned Muslim scholar of Manipur. A. Hakim Shah, Senior Lecturer at Imphals G.P. Womens College, offered a critical review of the book and presented an overview of the multifaceted historical period covered by the book. Hakim Shah pointed out that new findings have been incorporated in the 192-page paperback volume which is priced modestly at Rs.200. The book attempts to distinguish folklore from historicity. The author Farooque Ahmed, currently a Project Director with the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) of New Delhi, who is currently undertaking an ICHR-sponsored research on the later part of the Pangal (Manipuri Muslims) history. The merit of the book is the analysis and rich bibliography and sources the author depended upon. Farooque Ahmed pointed out that Sad ibn abi Waqqas, an uncle of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), happened to arrive in Manipur in 615/6 CE from Abyssinia by sea-route, first landing at Chittogong port, now in Bangladesh and that after a couple of years preaching Islam in Manipur, Sad arrived in China in 617/8 CE with two other Sahabis and he went back to Arabia in around 622 CE. The book informs readers that two big immigrations of Muslims to Manipur occurred in 1606 CE and 1724 respectively, mainly as a result of political upheavals in the Mughal Empire caused by wars of succession among Mughal princes. A mega settlement of Muslims had taken place in Manipur in 1606 CE, says the author. The book offers diverse references that two Mughal princes, Mirza Baisangar and Shah Shuja, were compelled to take flight into the interior of Manipur and ultimately to settle there in 1679 CE becoming part and parcel of the Manipuri Muslims. The book offers innovative ways to perceive the past heritage of the Manipuri Muslims and explains how different clans (shaqzi) came into being among the Pangal community who are products of waves of immigrations into Manipur due to inevitable human expansion and geographical explorations in a multidirectional manner, especially from eastern Bengal and Barak-Brahmaputra valley. Halim Chowdhery, who formally declared the release of the book, acknowledged that it is a timely research outcome when the Pangal community have for long desired to understand their past history which Farooque Ahmed in Manipuri Muslims has tried to explain, filling a historical gap as past authors did not suceed in presenting these facts academically. He declared that copies of the book will be purchased by the library of Manipur State Minorities Commission and shared with other institutions. Riyaz Ahmed Shah spoke about the new aspects and approach of the book in the light of research methodology which distinguishes the book. He urged further inquiry into the history of the Pangals, especially the old epoch as a follow up to this remarkable work. Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, who himself is a historian and scholar of Islam and the Middle East, hailed the publication as a small start but a big step for the community in the far-flung Northeast India whose history and narratives will now be read and heard across the country and the world over, further encouraging writers and academicians among the Pangals to excel in the field of education, research and publication, and to serve the state with a progressive outlook and foster social harmony. The book has hit the bookstalls in Manipur and Delhi with curious buyers picking up the new publication with earnest interest in the history of a Muslim community in a farflung part of the country. Communities in the state of Manipur are interested in the historical narrative and wish to know their past better. Dr. Khan who arrived in Manipur on his first visit to the area, had an opportunity to interact with local Muslim leaders and common men in Imphal and Lilong regions and visit Muslim institutions like Jama Masjid and Darul Uloom in Lilong and saw a mosque under construction which on completion will be the largest in the North East.

r s fo grat ma Con a g Os killin

Anderson

Bhopal Gas scandal

18 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

COMMUNITY NEWS
Education only way to compete: VP
Vice President Hamid Ansari while speaking at the graduation day at Darul Uloom Sabeelur Rashad in Bangalore on 8 May said that it is the need of the hour that Muslims take up modern education in order to be on par with the changing trends in the educational scenario in addition to religious studies. Darul Uloom Sabeelur Rashad was founded in the year 1960 with the purpose of the advancement and upliftment of Muslims through teaching of the Qur'an and Hadees. And today this centre is considered as one of the most popular centres for Islamic education in the entire subcontinent. Apart from students from all across India this institution also draws students from many other countries like West Indies, Malaysia, Spain, New Zealand, the U.S. and the U.K. Speaking on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations of Darul Uloom Sabeelur Rashad, a premier Arabic college, V.P. Ansari said that the world is changing fast and if we desire to be in this world and be successful then we must be able to move with the times to compete with others. HR Bhardwaj, governor of Karnataka said certain aspects like Islamic marriage, maintenance; divorce and succession laws cannot be questioned as each religion has its own way to interpret this issue. He further said that Madarasas are an integral part of Indias history and our ancestors also learnt Arabic and Persian. Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, in a message delivered through Mumtaz Ali Khan, Minister for Haj, Wakf and Minority Welfare said that Karnataka was a good example of unity in diversity and his government had raised the budgetary allocation for minority welfare. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan also addressed the function. Threat to Dargah Najaf Aalia as revenge for Bahrain Najibabad: A letter written in Hindi has been received in the office of a Hindi daily and also by JNI Gupta, SDM of Najibabad with a threat not to allow the proposed meeting in Dargah Najaf Aalia Hind, Jogipura otherwise this Dargah would be bombed and thousands would be killed. It may be stated in this connection that a 4-day annual Majlis is to be held in this world famous Dargah starting from 19 May. Thousands of people belonging to the Shia sect from different parts of India as well as abroad participated in these majlises which are addressed by Shia Ulama and leaders. It was also written in this threat letter that this will be done to take revenge for what has happened in Bahrain. The threat letter is virtually anonymous because the name of the sender is not mentioned and only Maulana. is written at the end. The letter has created a sensation and fear and has been passed on by SDM to CO, Ashok Kumar with strict instructions to identify the mischievous element/s and make fool proof security arrangements for and around the Dargah and for the expected pilgrims / visitors. Secretary of Dargah Aalia Najab-e Hind, Jogipura Syed Misaal Mehdi said that responsible authorities of the Dargahs committees have been entrusted the tasks of making all arrangements for the facilities and other requirements of the pilgrims. He has also requested district and local police and administrative authorities to make all arrangements for complete security and safety of the expected pilgrims. Waqf properties for community development: Dholka: Gujarat Waqf has 20,000 bighas of land. Till now waqf properties have not been properly utilitised. Waqf properties shall be utilised for the communitys development. Such an assurance to utilise waqf income for hospitals, schools and the poor was given by A.I. Syed who was speaking at a programme held here to felicitate him on his appointment as the sate waqf board chairman. Dholka City BJP minority morcha organised the programme to felicitate A.I. Syed, Imtiyaz Khan Pathan, chairman Gujarat Minorities Finance Corporation and state Haj Committee member Nazir Khan Taluqdar (Raja Saheb). Office bearers of various organisations attended the programme in good numbers. The function was organised in honour of Peer-e Tariqat Janab Husnoddin Miya Bawa Husaini. Vice President of morcha Bhupendra Singh Chudasina urged the members to strengthen communal amity and maintain good will among communities. He urged the various sects to sink their differences (and disputes) and come together on a common platform under the leadership of A.I. Syed. Chairman of Minorities Finance Corporation apprised the gathering about the financial support extended to 36 such projects. OIC to set up special human rights commission on Kashmir The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) is in the process of setting up a special human rights commission on Kashmir in order to minimise the incidents of human rights violation in the state. Mirwaiz Umar Farook of Hurriyat Conference in an interview said that Abdul Aleem, OICs assistant secretary general and special envoy on Kashmir told him in Brussels that the effort was aimed at mounting diplomatic pressure on India, in order to resolve the issue of Kashmir amicably and at the same time to scale down human rights violation in the state. Mirwaiz is in Brussels to attend the 5th Global Discourse on Kashmir in the Europian Parliament. It is believed that OICs proposed human rights commission will soon resume its work and is expected to submit its first report very soon. The meet was jointly organised by Kashmir Centre, EU and the All Party Group for Kashmir in the Europian parliament under the chairmanship of James Elles MEP, and hosted by Jean Lambert. It was decided at the meet that the process of dialogue must include the main protagonists parties

Progress of Mewat Engineering College

Administrator of Haryana Waqf Board, Naseem Ahmad (IAS) who is also the chairman of Mewat Engineering Colleges (MEC) managing committee reiterated, while addressing the committees meeting, his earlier resolve that all efforts will be made to promote MEC and make it a world class institute, inspite of our limited resources. He said that today Haryana Waqf Board has become countrys first Waqf Board which has set up an engineering college for minorities (Muslims) in a backward region like Mewat without any financial help from the government. He said that though the College is not fully complete in all respects, B.Tech education is regularly going on in which departments of computer and science have been included and in the current academic year civil engineering has also been started. He said that in the beginning this College had only 13 acres of land which has now spread to 22 acres. He further said that a computer lab of international standard has been set up in this College which is equipped with all modern facilities. He said that when a separate Haryana Waqf Board was set up 7 years ago (it including Kashmiris, Indians and Pakistanis. It was also felt during the meet that the Valley must be demilitarised in order to make progress. Kuldip Sharma shunted to centre on deputation Gandhi Nagar: Kuldip Sharma who earned the ire of Gujarat government and recently embarrassed it by winning his case at the CAT has ultimately been allowed to proceed on deputation to the Centre to join the Police Research and Development Bureau. He is reported to have assumed office in New Delhi. I.P.S. officer of the 1976 batch is a strong contender for the post of D.G.P. in Gujarat among the present IPS officers. As a measure of revenge the state government had sidetracked him for the last few years. An aggrieved Sharma had to file his petition at the CAT pointing out that inspite of his seniority the state government had made him MD of a department. The CAT had recently decided the case in his favour. This prompted the government to grant him deputation in the state government. After his deputation the state government would be in a position to appoint the D.G. without any hurdle. The present officiating D.S.P. is Chita Ranjan Singh, director of anti-corruption bureau. The coveted post might be either offered to C.R. Singh or to Swarup Singh. Amkleshwar dargah plastered with obscene posters Ankleshwar: Communal harmony demonstrated by the two communities on Indias triumph at the world cup upset a few mischiefmongers. They tried to brew communal tension by plastering the walls of a dargah with anti-Islam obscene posters. Syed Akbar Shaheeds tomb is close to Jyoti Talkies. Some anti-social elements planted handwritten drawing-sheet with anti-Islam expressions, full of obscenities. When the care taker of the dargah saw them in the morning he felt extremely shocked and grieved. This caused the gathering of a Muslim mob which became highly tense and angry. Taking cognizance of the incident P.I. Parmar rushed to the place with a police party and tried to restore calm. There was a bit of stone pelting which damaged glass panels of a shopping centre Shiva Plaza. Meanwhile Ankleshwar Dy. S.P. MC Patel, Dy. S.P. Munia, Bharuch L.C.B. and S.O.G. Police alongwith black commandos arrived on the spot and controlled the situation. Gautam Parmar, Bharuch Police chief, also rushed to the spot. Muslim leaders demanded stern action against the miscreants. The police chief appealed to the Muslim community to remain calm and maintain communal harmony while promising a speedy probe and strong action. Kashmiri Pundit woman wins in Panchayat polls Srinagar: After the emergence of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir more than two decades ago non-Muslims, particularly the Pundit community became a rarity in the Valley, though there were still some brave people who, weathering inhospitable circumstances decided to stick to the land of their forefathers. One of them is Aasha Bhat who lives with her family of husband and two sons at Kunzar, a few kilometres away from Srinagar. On the insistence of her Muslim neighbours she contested and won the local Panchayat election in a Muslim dominated constituency on 9 May by defeating her lone rival, Sarwa Begum, the credit of which she gives to all her Muslim neighbours. She is in her fifties, is semi-literate and works as a peon in a local school, earning Rs. 75 per month. Her husband, Pundit Radha Krishn Bhat is a farmer and the elder son is in the police. She said that once in early 90s she had decided to migrate but her Muslim neighbours did not allow her family to do so. She says that ever since she and her family members always felt quite safe. Prayer meeting to celebrate recognition of Islahul Banat Mangalore (Uttrakhand): Jamia Islahul Banat, a religious educational institution of Mangalore town of Uttarakhand state has now been recognized by the government. In celebration and thanksgiving for this a prayer meeting was held in this institution on 13

may be stated that previously there was a combined Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board which was subsequently made separate for each state), people were wondering how it will become viable without Punjab but by the grace of God its annual income has increased from Rs. 3.5 crore to Rs. 15 crore today and for the welfare of Muslim minority Rs. 3 crore is spent annually. He said that for the current year an amount of Rs. 55 lakh has been allocated for giving scholarships to promising Muslim students and till date an amount of Rs. 47.5 lakh has been distributed among 740 Muslim students. He said that Haryana Waqf Board has set up two schools in Panipat and 15 industrial centres in the state at different places. He said that this Waqf Board aims at making every child/boy educated. He said that 43 rooms are being built for a hostel and official residence of the Director is also being built. It may be stated that building of Mewat Engineering College is to be constructed in 3 stages. For the first two stages Rs. 12.5 crore have been spent. Another amount of Rs. 4.5 crore for the building is proposed to be spent. A total amount of Rs. 37 crore has been allocated for this college. Other amounts have been, and will be, spent for machinery and equipment and other purposes, he said. (NA Ansari) May in which many important religious personalities participated. The meeting started with recitation from Quran by a girl student of this institution and a naat by Allama Mansoor Bijnori. After this, Maulana Muhammad Aslam Qasmi and Qari Muhammad Taiyyab in their speeches shed light on the importance and necessity of religious as well as modern education. Maulana Syed Abul Kalam Qasmi, preacher of Darul Uloom expressed satisfaction and happiness over the governments recognition of this institution and also spoke in detail about womens education and proper training, their rights and share in parental property. Many other religious leaders also expressed their views on the importance of religion in peoples daily life. The meeting finally ended with a prayer by Hafiz Muhammad Yameen. Mono acting by Tom Alter on the life Maulana Azad New Delhi: Tom Alter, the American actor who has played different roles in Indian feature and documentary films is said to be very impressed by Maulana Abul Kalam Azads personality and his role in Indias freedom movement so much so that he has decided to mono act for the Maulana in order to keep his memory alive and to promote his image among the people. In order to do justice to Maulanas role, he learnt Urdu, Persian and Arabic of which Maulana was scholar, though he already spoke Urdu flawlessly. It is worth noting that he monoacted on Maulanas life in about 250 shows within and outside India which was very much appreciated by the viewers. He monoacted in a play directed by Sayeed Alam and staged at Alliance Francaise, the French teaching and cultural centre in Delhi which too was very much appreciated by the people. Through his monoacting shows Tom Alter wants to propagate Maulana Azads efforts of Hindu-Muslim unity, opposition to twonation theory, sacrifices of Muslims for Indias independence from 1857 to 1947. Maulana Azad was very greatly aggrieved by the partition of India which he opposed till the last moment for which he partly held Pundit Nehru responsible because of his keenness to become the prime minister of independent India. British government in England also wanted partition of India in order to weaken it, for which it used Viceroy Lord Mounbatten as a tool. Tom Alters monoacting in the play staged at French Culture Centre was particularly meant for Muslims. Expressing his views on this, Firoz Bakht Ahmad, the moving spirit behind the NGO Friends for Education and who is also a distant relative of Maulana Azad, says that this is a laudable attempt to keep Maulana Azads memory alive. He opined that not only the play but a feature film or a full length documentary film should be made on Maulana Azad to keep his memory alive. Regarding Tom Alters initiative, he said that it is a matter of great pleasure that what Muslims themselves could not do to keep Maulana Azads memory alive, a non-Muslim and that too a foreigner is doing this. Militancy uprooted from south of Pir Panchal in J&K Major General Om Prakash, General Officer Commanding of Rajouri-based 25 Army Division has said that militancy is almost over and peace is likely to return in Jammu and Kashmir in one or two years from now. The Major General while talking to media persons in Jammu said that with the killing of most of the militants and their top commanders it is now believed that militancy has been almost wiped out from the areas south of Pir Panchal. Militancy has ended over here and within a year or two peace is likely to be restored in Jammu and Kashmir. He also claimed that efforts of the militant to find local recruits were getting no response. Local militants are now surrending in large numbers, in order to join the mainstream. Om Prakash also emphasised that even today 42 training camps exist across the boarder and an average of 200 to 400 militants are waiting to infiltrate into India.

The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011 19

COMMUNITY NEWS
Ulama against corruption in the Valley
Kashmir Revolutionary Group, an NGO organised a conference in order to motivate like minded people from various sections of society to eradicate corruption from the state. Religious scholars from different districts of the Valley were also present on this occasion. It was unanimously decided in the conference that the religious leaders and scholars must use their religious podium and khutba as an effective mechanism to make people aware of the evil consequences of corruption. It was also decided that sermons delivered during Friday prayers will also include on the ways and means to fight corruption in the state. The ulama cited various teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his followers approach to end this menace from society. Some RTI activist also emphasised the importance of this tool to root out corruption from society. All the delegates in the meet decided to form a People Vigilance Forum with members from all spheres of life in order to strengthen the fight against corruption. Registration of gifts not compulsory for Muslims: SC New Delhi: A Supreme Court Bench of Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice M.S. Nijjar while overruling a verdict of Andhra Pradesh High Court said that any immovable and non-transferable gifts given by anybody to a member of the Muslim community is permissible even if it is not registered under Transfer of Property Act or Stamp and Registration Act. The Courts ruling said that though registration of gift/s is compulsory under Transfer of Property Act, this Act or law will not apply to any Muslim who receives or offers a gift because Muslims enjoy exemption under this rule. With this ruling the Supreme Court Bench overruled the verdict of Andhra Pradesh High Court which had ruled that the gift given by (late) Sheikh Daud to his son Muhammad Yaqoob is not legal or permissible because it had not been registered under the law. The Court had stated that as regards gifts under Muslim Law, the announcement of giving of a gift, for the one who gives the gift and the one who accepts it etc. are compulsory. The High Court had further stated that if in case of verbal gift all the rules are fulfilled, the gift becomes legal. Yaqoob had challenged this verdict of the High Court in Supreme Court. 38 students of AMU suspended Aligarh: AMU Vice Chancellor Prof. P.K. Abdul Azis has suspended 38 students of the University with immediate effect till completion of enquiry against them. He also banned their entry in the campus or admission in any institution associated with the University, adding that action in accordance with the countrys law will be taken against those who are not students of the University but who were complicit in group clashes, firing, shooting etc. within or outside the University campus and because of whose illegal and unruly behaviour the University had to be closed indefinitely on 30 April 11. He said that this disciplinary action has been taken in the light of facts and indiscipline under AMU Students Conduct and Discipline Rules, 1985. Historic decisions of AMU Aligarh: AMUs Registrar, Prof. V.K. Abdul Jaleel, in a historic step, issued an order on 13 April under which the services of as many as 67 employees who had been working from the year 2000 on daily wages basis were made permanent. In addition to this, 65 employees who had been working as LDCs (Lower Division Clerks) were promoted to the next higher post of U (Upper) DCs and 14 UDCs were promoted as assistants. But his most important step in the interest of employees was when he revised the pensions of 4500 retired employees in accordance with the recommendations of Sixth Pay Commission appointed by Govt. of India. He did this without any request or representation by any retired employee/s. He said that earlier the procedure for revision of pensions was a bit difficult and many deserving persons were deprived of their revised pensions. He had issued the order for revised pension in December 2010 and got the revised or increased pensions paid to the retired employees by 31 March 2011. His yet another laudable work was the employment of a kin of the University employee who died during his service period. He said that during his tenure as Registrar he provided an employment to the sons or any kins of the employees who died during the period of their service. In reply to a question he said that most of the demands of non-teaching staff regarding recommendations of Sixth Pay Commission have been fulfilled and if something still remains, these will be fulfilled or solved by 31 May. About Masjid Imams he said that those who are performing the duties of Imams in Universitys mosques on contract basis, meeting will be held to consider their services being made permanent. Demolish all illegal religious structures on public land: SC The Supreme Court categorically said on 10 May that while dealing with illegal and unauthorised religious structures on public land there will be no differentiation or partiality between temple and mosque. On 29 September the Supreme Court had ordered a ban on construction of religious structures on roadsides and public land and had also asked state governments to locate old

Barely 1% Muslim representation in Delhi Police

New Delhi: Though the population of entire Delhi, according to 2011 Census, is not yet known, it is estimated that it is slightly less than 2 crores (20 million) but in this large population there is not a single Muslim Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). There are a total of 186 police stations (thanas) in Delhi and one SHO in every police station. Out of 186, there are only two Muslim SHOs. There are 181 Additional SHOs but there is not a single Muslim Addl SHO and out of 180 Inspector ATOs there are only two Muslim A.T.O. Inspectors On the basis of thanas, Delhi has been divided into 11 districts and 172 thanas. There are a total of 56 Asstt. Commissioners of Police (A.C.P.) of whom only two are Muslim i.e., ACP Aslam Khan who is posted in North Districts Model Town Police Station and ACP Muhammad Ali who is posted in South Districts Vasant Vihar police station. In North and North-West districts there are 14 police stations each but not a single Muslim SHO is posted in any of these police stations. In Central District (which includes the Jama Masjid area) there is a fairly large population of Muslims but there is not a single Muslim SHO or Addl SHO. In North-South district there are 17 police stations in one of which is Zaidpur police station, only one ATO (Inspector) Shahid Khan is posted. In North-East district which is considered to have the densest population and also considered most crime-prone area where shooting is resorted to on minor matters,

there are 16 police stations and Muslim population is about 38 percent, there is only one Muslim SHO. In brief, out of a total of 740 police officers comprising of DCPs, Addl DCPs, ACPs, SHOs, Investigation Inspectors, ATO Inspectors etc. there are only 9 Muslim police officers. Above all there is Police Commissioner. In a Muslim dominated locality like Seelampur, no Muslim SHO has so far been appointed. Similarly, in Jama Masjid area which too is a Muslim majority area one Muslim SHO was appointed long back but after that no other Muslim SHO has been appointed. In Jamia Nagar Okhla one Muslim SHO Muhammad Iqbal was appointed during whose tenure Batla House encounter had taken place in 2008 after which he was transferred. (NA Ansari)

ones in order to take action against them. The Karnataka Wakf Board sought an order to exempt historic mosques which is part of Wakf property from demolition before a bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari, VS Sirpurkar and Deepak Verma, which was turned down saying that we are not going to differentiate between temple or mosque if it is built on public land and is illegal and unauthorised. The Apex Court order was primarily based on two points: 1. No illegal or unauthorized construction shall be permitted for temple, church, mosque or gurudwara etc on public streets, public parks or other public places. 2. Unauthorised construction of religious structures that already exist are to be reviewed on a case-to-case basis and action shall be taken in every case as soon as possible. The response from the state government as per the bench is very slow in filing affidavits on the issue of illegal religious structures in their respective states. Uttar Pradesh government in its affidavit has said that altogether there were 45,152 unauthorized religious structures in the entire state, out of which action has neen taken against 47 and 26 of them have been relocated. The UP government is now planning to regularise most of these illegal religious structures. New courses in MANUU Hyderabad: Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) has issued a public notice to invite admissions in new courses of MCA, MSc (Maths), M Com, Business management, M Phil and PhD in Persian, PhD in Social Studies (inclusive as well as exclusive) and certificate courses in Unani Pharmacy, Proficiency in Persian, Urdu learning and instruction etc. Announcement to this effect for the academic session 2011-12 was made by Prof. H. Khadija Begum, Registrar Incharge of this University. In addition to traditional linguistic courses, programmes of professional and technical importance are also offered in Urdu medium in this University which was set up in Hyderabad in 1988 under an Act of Parliament. Courses already being taught in this University are: MA (Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Hindi, English, Translation Studies, Public Administration, Womens Studies, MCJ), Master of Social Work, MBA, M. Com, MCA, M Sc (Maths), M. Ed, B. Ed, M. Phil (Urdu, Arabic, Persian, English, Hindi, Public Admn, Womens Studies, Social Exclusive and Inclusive Policy Studies and Business Management), PhD (Urdu, Persian .etc., Education, Business Management), Polytechnic programmes (civil engineering, computer science engineering, electronic & communication engineering, information technology), ITI (draftsmen: civil, electronics, mechanics, electrician, refrigeration and air-conditioning, plumbing), PG (Diploma programmes (information technology, functional Urdu), Diploma programmes (Arabic, Arabic translation, ghazal and Persian) and certificate programmes / courses (calligraphy, Urdu instruction, proficiency in Persian tahseen-e ghazal, and Unani Pharmacy. Prospectus alongwith application forms will be available from 9 May 2011, in addition to Urdu University Campus, from its 9 regional centres, 7 sub-regional centres, 3 colleges of teachers education, 3 Polytechnic colleges and ITIs. Prospectus and application forms can be obtained personally on payment of Rs. 100 by Demand Draft or by post on payment of Rs. 150 by DD drawn on any nationalised Bank in favour of Maulana Azad National Urdu University and payable at Hyderabad. These (Prospectus, application form) can also be downloaded from Universitys website www.manuu.ac.in. Habibullahs order on SC overruled by CIC Information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi in a surprise move has overturned the decision of first chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibubullah who in an earlier instance had accepted the Apex Courts argument that a Right to Information application can be turned down if it has not been filed under the rules of the Supreme Court. In many earlier cases former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah had held that if there were any existing laws for acquiring information then the information seeker is required to use them and not the Right to Information Act. Sailesh Gandhi said, It is the citizens prerogative to decide under which mechanism i.e. under the method prescribed by the public authority or the RTI Act, he or she would like to obtain the information. Gandhi said in his order that the Supreme Court should inspire all public authorities to follow its lead in transparency. This would certainly enable better delivery of citizens fundamental right to information. The

Commission would like to highlight that just as the SC Rules put in place by the apex court are not abrogated, the RTI Act passed by Parliament also cannot be suspended, Gandhi said. Information Commissioner further said, An information seeker who has filed application under the RTI Act cannot be forced to obtain the information as per order XII of the SC Rules. Crescent Schools success in competitions New Delhi: Lions Club, Delhi organised the 23rd Delhi State competition in Talkatora Indoor Stadium in which about 700 boy and girl students of 21 Delhi schools, including English medium Crescent School, took part. Whereas students of G.D. Goenka School, on the basis of their overall performance won the FirstPrize, those of Crescent School (Maujpur Branch) under the guidance and supervision of their PT teacher Shah Nawaz were not much behind and won third position with one Trophy, 6 gold medals, 18 silver medals and 5 bronze medals among 21 schools. It may be stated that Crescent School under Delhi Education Society, was first opened with English medium quality education for Muslim children at Ghata Masjid compound at Darya Ganj but because of shortage of space there, its second branch was opened at Maujpur. Head Mistress of this School is Mrs. Naushaba Qidwai. Communal clash in Delhis slum area in Bindapur New Delhi: A minor clash between children of two communities led to bigger clash in which men of the two communities came face to face and indulged in stone pelting. According to police the incident took place on Sunday night of 15 May in JJ (jhuggi jhonpari) clusters in South-West Delhis Bindapur area. A group of youngsters, after purchasing some beer bottles from a wine shop were returning to their homes when another group of youngsters of a different community intercepted them and tried to snatch the beer bottles which obviously led to a clash. As the news spread, within minutes men of the two communities living in the jhuggijhonpari clusters joined the quarrel and there was stone pelting on a large scale from both sides. Police, on being informed rushed to the place and resorted to a mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd. It took them about two hours to restore peace. According to police about a dozen persons were injured in stone pelting all of whom were taken to Deen Dayal Upadhya Hospital. About ten of them were discharged after first aid and according to DCP (South-West) A.K. Ojha, fifteen persons from both sides were arrested. No loss of life was however reported. Trials under communal violence law to be videographed The National Advisory Council (NAC) has finalised a draft bill to tackle communal violence against religious and linguistic minorities including SC and ST. The draft Bill, has also a provision to hold public officials accountable for dereliction of duty, which has been made an offence. In the NAC meet, chaired by Sonia Gandhi it was decided to place the draft bill in public domain in order to get comments and opinions so that it can be put up in the next meet of the NAC on 25 May. As per statements issued by NAC The Bill provides that if such sanction is not granted by the state within a period of 30 days from the date of application to the state government, sanction to prosecute will be deemed to be granted. As per the Bill it becomes the legal duty of the state to provide relief, rehabilitation, and compensation to the victims so that it can heal their wounds. In order to bring transparency, trials under the communal violence law will be recorded and copies of it would be made available to all the parties concerned. It is seen as a deviation from earlier practices in which court trials were conducted. The communal violence bill has been finalised under guidance from Sonia Gandhi and is equipped with modern investigative apparatus with the purpose of probing organised violence against religious and linguistic minorities. Under this law it becomes mandatory for police chiefs of violence hit districts to notify all telecom service providers, public and private to keep the data in storage form as a mandatory function. All the documents related to the probe and court trial need to be protected and preserved like medial records of private hospitals, records of the police control room such as case diary, station diary and other concerned documents. Preserving of records has been done to ensure that none can make an excuse citing loss of police records or telecom records or health records during the probe and the trial.

20 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

COMMUNITY NEWS
Asad Manzil being built in Patna
Patna: Maulana Mahmood Madni, Rajya Sabha MP and Jamiatul Ulamas general secretary, during his recent tour of Bihar laid the foundation stone of Asad Manzil being constructed in the campus of Jamia Madnia, Sabalpur, about 15 kms from Patna city. It will be a 3 storeyed building with 18 rooms in which the Department of Tahfizul Quran of Jamia Madnia will be set up which is at present housed in some other building because of shortage of space. It may be stated that Jamia Madnia Sabalpur is a famous educational institution of Patna in which about 700 students are studying under the supervision of 32 teachers where Arabic, Persian, theology and modern sciences are taught. Because of good education, discipline and fame of this institution the number of admission seekers is increasing and hence the need for hostel and more educational facilities are being felt. In order to meet these requirements Asad Manzil named after Maulana Asad Madni is being built which is expected to be completed soon. Enquiry against Jamia Middle School for violation of RTE New Delhi: President of Nawai Haq, an NGO, Asad Ghazi in a complaint made to the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has stated that authorities of Jamia Middle School working under Jamia Millia Islamia have sold prospectus and admission forms to admission seekers in classes I to VIII for Rs. 250 which is in violation of different provisions of RTE Act 2009 and they conducted entrance test also for screening students. The NGO president demanded NCPCR to ask Jamia authorities to cancel the entrance test results and return the Rs. 250 alongwith TA, DA etc. to children or their parents who were asked to appear for the entrance test and not to declare results of entrance test till NCPCR gives its final decision. Acting on this complaint, NCPCRs member secretary directed East Zone, Geeta Colonys Dy. Commissioner to enquire into these allegations and submit the factual position within 5 days. Reacting to the complaint by the NGO, Mujtaba Khan, honorary Director of the schools, Jamia Millia Islamia, said that allegations by the NGO are baseless and he has complained without knowing the facts. He said that we have reserved seats for EWS (economically weaker sections) even in classes III and IV. As regards tests or screening he said that we had received more than 600 applications but we had only 45 seats. Hence some criteria have to be adopted to select students because we cannot admit all the 600 applicants. The informal process of interaction, as recommended by Ganguli Committee was adopted by us, he said. He clarified that no fee was charged from students of EWS category. Moreover, he said, we have admitted 27 street children for free education this year without asking anything of their parents etc. Filter developed for re-utilising oil after frying New Delhi: An organic chemistry scientist working at the I.I.T. Kanpur has developed a special filter which could be of immense benefit to housewives, restaurants and road side vendors of fried products. An Innovation Award was sponsored by Indian governments Department of Science and Technology and Aerospace company Lockhead Martin of America. This filter has been selected for the award and its commercial use for world wide circulation is also being explored. Padma Wankar at the I.I.T. Kanpur and her team of associates developed this filter and was included in the list of 30 other competing products. This filter is a kind of chemical absorbent material which destroys the unwanted chemicals produced during frying. It also removes the foul smell emanating from fried oil and retains it colour, taste and nutritional value. All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation recently organised a symposium in Mumbai on the topic Why RSS is opposed to census of OBCs." BAMCEF leader BD Borkar expressing his views on the caste system prevalent in Hindu society urged that the OBC communities should come forward and declare themselves as non-Hindu. He reminded the gathering that Dr Ambedkar in his Round Table Conference speech had said that we were not Hindus because in the name of Hindu we had been deprived of our social and cultural rights and aspirations. Jyotiba Phule is a glowing example the way he was humiliated at a marriage party by upper caste people (Sawarna). During the Peshwa regime in Maharashtra, Sudras were forced to hang a pot in their neck to spit and carry brooms dangling from their buttocks so that their footprints could be swept clean. In 10th chapter of Manusmriti all people except Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishy working as labourers were termed as Sudras and treated accordingly. And they were not allowed to participate in any social and cultural programme and were deprived of all religious, social and cultural rights. Even today, all OBCs are considered to be Sudras and do not, in any way, follow Hindu practices or Hindutva. During 1960s, Ram Swarup Verma who was very much active in those days used to say in all his speeches that we would not be called Hindu. But the irony is that in his region people practising OBC politics in large numbers have begun enrolling themselves as Hindus. These OBCs by joining and declaring themselves as Hindus may get some benefits and feel happy but will always be tims, the government informed that it did not have any scheme for such claims. A thousand page affidavit portrayed the plight of riot victims. It is significant to note that prior to this writ, the CJ made a very humane observation. He reminded that victims of Bhopal gas tragedy were still struggling to get justice but it was not binding that a similar plight should prevail every where. It may be recalled that 1163 dependents of 1169 deceased persons were paid compensation whereas only 35 cases of wounded persons (out of 2548) were settled. Compromise formula for Ayodhya issue Ayodhya: In order to find an out-of-court solution to the Ayodhya issue, two contenders have come forward with a formula to resolve the dispute. The formula proposes to build both - the Ram Mandir as well as the mosque-over the 70 acre plot. There would be a 100 feet wall of demarcation between the two places of worship. It may be recalled that Mahant Gyandas and Hashim Ansari, the two contenders, have been trying to evolve an amicable solution since 30 September 2010. Mahant Gyandas, the head priest of Hanumangarhi temple and President of the Akhada Parishad has convened a meeting of Akhadas where the formula will be discussed. Nirmohi Akhada of the Hindu side will also attend the meeting. In his interaction with the press, Mahant Gyandas apprised that he had discussed the formula with prominent Hindu organisations and spiritual leaders and they had shown their willingness to accept it. He, at the same, categorically said that this peace process would be without involving the VHP and the BJP, both of whom are not interested in the construction of the temple. These two are interested in prolonging the tension between the communities and getting political mileage out of it. Hashim Ansari is an appellant at the Supreme Court as a party. He said that he had not lost hope of an amicable solution.

OBCs are not Hindu: BAMCEF

denied their religious rights by the upper caste people no matter to what rank and position they rise. Ramswarup Verma worked hard to draw a dividing line between OBCs and Hindus because of discrimination by the upper castes. However, those who had declared them to be Hindu from the OBCs are believed to have been encouraged or rather provoked by fascist forces and exploited as and when required. And thereby various organisations cropped up with the help of these OBCs-turned-Hindus. Keeping Trishul and its distribution started due to this transition of the OBCs. Maha aarti started on the line of Friday prayers of Muslims. These people were provoked during riots to loot the victims and their belongings. They also became part of the aggressive Hindutva and at times tried to surpass them. They felt proud enough to project themselves as hardcore Hindutva forces. These OBC people negated the efforts of Jyotiba Phule, Periyar, Ramswarup Verma and Lalai Singh. These people were diverted from the path of what was preached by these leaders. Even many OBCs have started writing Pundit as their surname. In spite of all, these OBCs converted to Hinduism could not find their place equal to upper caste people and they could not even become part of these high caste people. Till date these people have not been able to find a respectable place in the upper caste society. OBCs to a greater extent moved along with Vishawa Hindu Parishad. Arya Sammaj earlier was against idol worship but it joined the Ramjanmbhoomi Andolan. From the platform of the BAMCEF, Borkar asked the OBCs to come out of the Hindutva fold and this will give a new hope and meaning to the preachings of Ram Swarup Verma. (Mohammad Naushad Khan) and composed poetry in Urdu, Persian, Arabic and Turkish. In Turkish cities these little ambassadors visited cultural and historical places and institutions and met political, religious social and educational personalities and exchanged views with them and their counterparts in different cultural programmes. Whereas Ramiz won the hearts of Turkish children and people by speaking Turkish and reciting masnavis of Maulana Jalaluddin Roomi, Faizan surprised and impressed them with his exhaustive knowledge about the father of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kamal Ataturk which literally means father of the Turks. The children are now back in India after a pleasant and memorable tour of Turkey. These children and those from other cities were also accompanied by a couple of teachers. Aamir Khan makes Sonia and Obama trail behind New Delhi: Aamir Khan, the Mister Perfectionist of Bollywood, scored a higher rank than the American President Obama and UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi in Times list of most influential persons. The survey, three days prior to its completion (14 April) shows. Aamir Khan has several celebrities trailing behind. While Aamir Khan was at the 41st position, Sonia Gandhi was at 89, writer Siddhartha Mukherjee 96, writer V.S. Ramchandran, and Reliance Industries Corporate giant were at 139. In the list of 203 persons Manmohan Singh did not find a place. Minority students in Kheda shall not be discriminated Nadiad: Minority students were governed so far by discriminatory rules and were deprived of scholarships. Students of district Kheda (Gujarat) had been protesting against such discrimination for the past 14 years. The sate government has decided to end such discrimination from the forthcoming academic session and has issued a circular that the minority students shall be treated at par in awarding various scholarships. In the past they were expected to score 50% marks (60% in case of private institutes) to become eligible for scholarship subject to a ceiling of Rs. 11,000 income. Students in the I.T.Is were governed by the income ceiling of Rs. 11,000 to claim Rs. 100 p.m. as scholarship. Now the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment vide its circular 1022011-352-N.A./A.1 has ended the disparity and a mere passing would suffice for eligibility thereby waiving the condition of 50% marks. Similarly the income limit has been raised to Rs. 20,000 in rural areas (and 25000 in urban areas). The circular would come into force from April 2011. Like other students they would be eligible for claiming scholarship, uniform etc. Many organisations bereaved: Ghaffar Sheth dead Ahmadabad: In this era of instant success and popularity there is a rare breed of people who shun fame. On such person was Abdul Ghaffar Fajlani popularly know as Ghaffar Sheth Sopariwala. With his demise several organisations are bereaved. Haji Abdul Ghaffar, a gem of a businessman, worked incessantly for educational institutions. He believed in the noble saying that left hand should not know what the right hand gives away in alms and vice versa. Without any consideration of sectarian leanings in an organisation he nursed and a liberal hand, he contributed significantly in establishing and developing Bavani Technical Institute of Vadodara. Inspite of his business commitments he worried consistently about the progress of all in need of charity, bearing no identification mark. In the earlier years of its establishment Gujarat Today used to suffer financial loss to which he used to donate generously for 12-13 years. His worthy son, who died four years ago, Yunus Bhai Fajalavi was also endowed with a similar philanthropic spirit. He was one of the trustees of Al Ameen Lokhit Charitable Trust. In the demise of Ghaffar Sheth charity organisations suffered an immense blow.

Little ambassadors of India impress people in Turkey New Delhi: A delegation of children from High Court orders setting compensation claims Hyderabad, Ahmedabad: The issue of compensation to riot victims who have Delhi, not yet been paid compensation so far was brought to the notice Kolkata and Mumbai on from of the Gujarat High Court by advocate M.M. Tirmizi. The bench invitation headed by Chief Justice S.J. Mukhopadhyaya directed the collec- Khidmat, a cultural and tors of Anand, Ahmadabad and Mehsana districts to take neces- educational organisasary action in the matter. However, those whose names did not tion of Turkey, had figure in the list of victims shall not benefit by this order. The vic- recently paid a visit to tims have been asked to approach the respective collectors with three cities of Turkey evidence. M.M. Tirmizi, advocate for Citizen for Justice and i.e., Istanbul, Ankara Peace, reminded that the victims had approached the collectors and Antalia to represent in the past but in vain as the collectors did not take any action. India in cultural, historiThe High Court once again directed the collectors to take appro- cal and other propriate action. The state government submitted that most of com- grammes there. From pensation claims had already been settled. 487 cases till March Delhi there were three children namely Ramiz Ramiz with Turkish teacher 2011 were settled while 269 to be settled remain. When M.M. Tirmidhi demanded compensation for rape vic- Abdul Wadood, Muhammad Faizan and Akal Sharma. Special mention may be made of 12-year old, 8th class student Ramiz because he was the centre of attraction of people there because of his polished, fluent and impressive HE ILLI AZETTE English and above all, knowlD-84, Abul Fazl Enclave-I, Jamia Nagar, edge of Turkish New Delhi-110025 India Tel.: (+91-11) 2694 7483 language. His Email: mg@milligazette.com grandfather was a great scholar

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The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011 21

COMMUNITY NEWS
Quran on DVD and mobile memory card
Ahmedabad: With the explosion of knowledge, the twenty first century marches ahead exploiting digital electronic medium to reach the masses for propagating faith. Quranic recitation and translations into regional languages (as well as English) has been in great demand. Divya Vani Prakashan of Ahmedabad took up the task of imparting religious knowledge through the electronic media. Recitation in voices of renowned qaris have been recorded for the DVD and mobile memory card listeners, translations in Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and English are also available for those who want to grasp the text in regional languages. In addition, the organisation has also prepared documentaries (video) for viewers for comprehending the message of the Holy Book. Nine Muslims get justice in 18 years! Mumbai: Gone are the days when people used to believe, justice delayed is justice denied. Nine Muslims of Mumbai heaved a sigh of relief when their innocence in the Sulayman Bakery Firing case was established after a long and patient wait of 18 years. Mumbai riots that followed Babri Masjid demolition saw how ruthless Mumbai police could be. After firing on a group of Muslims, it arrested nine Muslim youths implicating in the police firing! Advocate Saghir Khan said that Justice Sondur Baldota absolved Nurul Huda, Asfaque Ahmad and others of the alleged crime on 4 May. Though these had been granted bail in the past, yet they had been under a lot of mental torture because of the pending case. Nine persons had died on 9 January 1993 in a firing. A case was registered against former Mumbai Police Commissioner R.D. Tyagi and 19 others of Mumbai police. The former police commissioner joined Shiv Sena after his retirement. The police firing had claimed the lives of nine Muslims and even then it registered a case against 79 persons who had sought shelter in the Bakery. The STF had filed a chargesheet against R.D. Tyagi and other police officers following indictment by the Shikrishna Commission of Enquiry that had investigated the case. The Commission had found the police firing unjustified. Death in clashes between Dalit and minority people Azamgarh: A minor incident during a cricket game led to a communal clash between people belonging to the Dalit and minority communities, resulting in the death of a member of the Dalit community. According to available news, some boys belonging to the minority community were playing cricket in their field, adjacent to a Dalit basti (habitation) in the evening of Tuesday 10 May in a village under Kandhrapur Thana near Azamgarh city. While playing the cricket ball went inside the house of Ram Nagina who belonged to the Dalit community. When the boys went to get the ball back, a heated verbal exchange took place between the boys and Ram Nagina which took a serious turn and the boys thrashed him. It was not a bloody clash but unfortunately and tragically Ram Nagina died. Four others also were seriously injured in this clash. The death of Ram Nagina created great communal tension in the village. Fearing reprisal by Dalits and supported by the police, many Muslim families left their houses and went over to other villages for safety. Police took possession of Ram Naginas dead body and sent it to the District Hospital for post mortem. Because of great tension district authorities deployed large number of police and PAC. High police officers were making rounds of the affected and neighbouring villages. Further news about the conditions prevailing in the affected village or the number of arrests made etc. was not available. Haj House with a study circle at Shamshabad Airport Hyderabad: Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has given permission for construction of Haj House combined with a study circle for the Minority students on 10 acres of land at Shamshabad Airport for which initially Rs. 12.5 crores has been sanctioned.

Ishrat Jahan was not a terrorist: Home Ministry

The Union ministry of home affairs on 12 May told the Gujarat High Court that so far from the interrogation of David Headely by the National Investigation Agency there is not even of a shred evidence to suggest that Ishrat was a terrorist. Last year there were reports that the NIA claimed to have got some input on Ishrat during interrogation of David Headley after he was arrested by US. Surprisingly, the much talked of intelligence input on which Ishrat Jahan and others were killed in an encounter has now surfaced. The intelligence input given at that point of time is supposed to be of a general nature and was sent by Yashovardhan Azad, joint director of VIP security at IB Headquarters more than 50 days before the encounter took place on 15 June 2004. An anonymous sender has sent a copy of the intelligence input from Delhi and dated 22 April to Times of India on 18 May, which says, According to a recent and reliable intelligence input, the LeT has tasked its India-based cadres to monitor the movements of top BJP leaders like L K Advani and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, besides VHP leader Praveen Togadia and target them. But the FIR lodged in this connection claimed that Kaushik and Pandey received input a day before the arrival of the alleged terrorist. However, in the latest development in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case the Gujarat High Court on 12 May appointed Satyapal Singh who is a 1980 batch IPS officer of the Mahrashtra cadre to lead the Special Investigation Team probing the fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan. Recently, the bench rejected the Gujarat governments plea to hand over the case to the STF as there are differences among the SIT members regarding the investigation. On 28 January Satish Verma had filed an affidavit which says that the encounter in which Ishrat was killed was a Briefing newspersons after the review meeting with the Chief Minister at Secretariat , the Minister for Minorities Welfare Mohd Ahmedullah said that the new Haj House premises which is to be constructed will be utilised for the study circle for 10 months and the remaining two months to provide facilities for the Haj Pilgrims. He said that the Chief Minister had also sanctioned Rs. 20 crores for the maintenance charges of 1.50 lakh students from the Minority community, this will be on par with SC, ST and BC students. An additional Rs. 57 lakhs has been sanctioned to Dairatul Maarif for payment of salaries. Apart from this it has also been decided to construct Shadikhanas in all the district. He thanked the Chief Minister for extending 4 per cent reservation to Muslims for more than 10 years and said that the Chief Minister has assured him that he will do all that is needed for the upliftment of Minorities belonging to BPL families. He also sanctioned Rs 57 lakh for Dairatul Maarif, Osmania situated in Osmania University Campus. The Dairatul Maarif, Osmania is a more than 150-year-old institution for preservation and promotion of oriental literature like Persian and Arabic languages.Mr Reddy asked the officials to submit proposals to complete the incomplete Urdu Ghar-cumShadikanas by assessing the actual need and requirements. He also instructed the officials to submit comprehensive proposals for promotion of Urdu language through Urdu Academy. On the matter of the encroachment of the Wakf properties, Mr. Reddy had asked the officials concerned to examine the proposal for setting up an exclusive Commissionerate that would safeguard wakf lands and other properties. (Wahaj Hashmi) AIMC state convention held at Bhuj The Muslim Ummah is in a deep slumber. Without true Islamic teaching alongwith contemporary education, the dream of all round progress would only prove to be a wild goose chase, said Maulana Dr.Yasinsahib Usmani, Vice Preident of All India Milli Council, New Delhi. Taking a dig at the so-called vicious propaganda against Muslims in the country, he advocated youths to be torch bearer for the coming generations. All India Milli Council recently held a state convention under the banner of Nafrat Mitavo, Mulak Bachavo at Bhuj at Tagore Hall. After 63 years of independence, thousands of Muslims are still in jails without any valid reasons. Justice is being denied in the country particularly to Muslims. We, the Muslims have full rights to countrys resources, Maulana Yasinsahib thundered. AIMC Gujarat convenor Mufti Rizwan Tarapuri emphasised on the need to be vigilant against those who are trying to break the Ummah. He told a well-attended convention that Muslims are lagging behind at all fronts and confronting several challenges. It is very essential to be united, he said. Shia ulama Akhtar Rizwisahib, Maulana Khadim Lalpuri of North Gujarat, and senior journalist Abdul Hafiz Lakhani also spoke in this convention. Jamiat-e Islamis services praised New Delhi: Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah Al Khayal, a prominent businessman of Sharjah who visited Jamiat-e Islamis headquarters in Delhi said that the welfare and social services being rendered by Jamiat-e Islami in the sub-continent are praiseworthy but these are needed to be rendered on much larger scale. He visited and inspected Al Shifa Hospital which is under construction in Dawat Nagar, Abul Fazal Enclave of Delhis Jamia Nagar area. He also visited the central office of Human Welfare Foundation which is providing microfinance interest-free loans to weaker sections of society for their economic progress and welfare. As regards Al Shifa Hospital, it is a 300-bed hospital which will be equipped with all modern facilities and separate departments for the treatment of all kinds of diseases will be set up. fake one. He also charged the other members of not co-operating in the investigation process and of being done in an unbiased manner. The court has asked the newly appointed chief of the SIT to supervise the probe whereas Verma and Jha will take up the investigation. Balwant Singh, additional chief secretary of the Gujarat home department on 11 May apologised to the Gujarat high court in an affidavit he has submitted on the transfer of police officers in connection with the Ishrat Jahan case. (Mohammad Naushad Khan) BJP propaganda exposed: state police sought CBI probe Ahmadabad: The hue and cry raised by BJP that CBI was harassing the Gujarat government stands exposed. Police officers of the Gujarat government have demanded a CBI probe as they do not trust their own machinery. Police officers accused in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case sought CBI probe. Thus BJPs hysteria has received a serious setback. Addressing the media, Arjun Modwadia, the state Congress Committee chief, reminded that in order to win brownie points as heroes fighting terrorists the police used to shoot unknown people in fake encounters bringing them from remote places. Their own officers later on sent many of their colleagues behind bars. At the time of their arrests the chief minister made philosophical observations that law was supreme and everyone had to abide by it. When the CBI arrested Amit Shah and the enquiry trail reached CMs office the philosophical tone was replaced with the uproar that the central government was misusing CBI to harass Gujarat government These closest aides of the CMO now demand a CBI probe. In an affidavit they expressed their trust in the fairness of CBI trials! (AG Khan) This hospital is nearing completion and will soon become operational. BSF guilty of custodial disappearance of Badgams citizen Srinagar: J&Ks Human Rights Commisssion has recommended legal action against BSF personnel responsible for the disappearance of a citizen of Budgam from custody who was arrested by them in 1990. One Nazah Bano has, in a complaint filed with the Commission, stated that BSF had arrested her brother Muhammad Shafi Chopan, of Budgam in 1990 and ever since there is no information at all about him. Taking action on her complaint, the Commission demanded a factual report from the Director General of Police. The DG submitted the report to the Commission according to which, it was found after investigation that personnel of BSF camp at Waripura of Magam had raided the houses of Muhammad Shafi Chopan and Abdus Sattar Ganai, picked them up and taken them to Waripura Magam camp but no arms or explosives were found at both houses. It was further stated in the D.G.s report that Abdus Sattar was held in police custody for one night and released next day but Shafi Chopan could not be released and since that time he is neither traceable nor any information is available about him. According to the Commission, the complaint named 5 witnesses all of whom said that BSF after arresting Shafi Chopan had taken him alongwith them. States Human Rights Commission member Abdul Rashid Khan said in its verdict that on the basis of DG of Polices report and the statements of witnesses BSF is held responsible for the disappearance of a citizen from custody. The Commission in its recommendation has asked the states chief secretary to direct DG of Police to take legal action against BSF personnel responsible for the disappearance of Chopan from custody. The Commission has also recommended to the government to grant ex-gratia payments to the family members of the disappeared citizen. After Modi, visa refused to Raj Thakeray by US After Narendra Modi, MNS chief Raj Thakeray has also been denied visa by the United States. Party members have rejected, that the visa has been refused on grounds similarto those on which it was denied to Narendra Modi. They claimed that his visa was rejected only because he failed to submit the required documents in due time and there was no other consideration. One possible reason could be because of cases registered against him in Maharashtra and other parts of the country. Raj Thackeray, was to fly with MNS leaders Nitin Sardesai and Rajan Shirodkar to the US on May 12. MP govt decision to teach Gita in schools criticized Bhopal: Harmony Foundation, a local organisation formed by followers of different religious groups, strongly criticized Madhya Pradesh governments plan to teach Bhagwad Gita or its saar (summary or essence) in state governments schools and described it as an anti-secular act. Head of the Foundation L.S. Hardenia said in a press conference that under the Indian Constitution no religion will get precedence or priority as compared to other religions, adding that if the state government is determined to teach the essence of Gita in schools from the coming academic session, it should simultaneously ensure that the gist of other religions also should form part of the school curriculum. He said that MP government is acting against the Constitution and that the BJP government of the state has failed to project a secular image because it is being guided by RSS. Taking the state government to task, he said that under the present regime various government schemes are named which are inspired by Hindu mythology, gods and goddesses.

22 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

COMMUNITY NEWS

MG Editor lectures on the Arab Uprisings in Kashmir

fuelled the resentment which finally led to the change of regime there through a mass movement. He said that courts in the Arab world have no meaning as their verdicts are not enforced if governments do not like them. He discussed at length the current uprisings in Arab countries like Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of successful change of regime in Tunisia and Egypt. The lively lecture on the contemporary issue was followed by scores of questions by professors, research scholars and students which were satisfactorily answered by Dr Khan. Next day, on 12th May, Dr Khan delivered a lecture on the same subject at the department of Islamic studies in Kahsmir University. It was chaired by Prof. Noor Ahmad Bab, head of the department of political science. Prominent personalities included Professor Hamid Naseem Rafiabad, chairman of the Shah-i-Hamdad Institute of Islamic Studies. A similar question and answer session followed the lecture attended by teachers and students of the department.

Dr Khan speaking at the Deptt of Islamic Studies, Kashmir Uni.

MUSHTAQ UL HAQ AHMAD SIKANDAR

Srinagar: On 11 May, Milli Gazette Editor, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan delivered an extension lecture on Contemporary Developments in the Arab World at the department of political science, Kashmir University here. Dr Khan said that the present uprising has sent a befitting reply to those who claimed that dictatorships are the eternal fate of the Arab World and that Muslims do not like democracy. Dr Khan threw light in detail on the contemporary history of the Arab world as well as its past, especially from the nineteenth century when it started facing the colonial onslaught. To the awe of students, research scholars and teachers present at the lecture, Dr Khan delved deep regarding the deception by the allied powers to the Arab World during the First World War, especially in the shape of the SykesPicot agreement between France and Britain to divide Arab lands between themselves. at the

same time Britain promised Sharif of Makkah kingdom of Arab lands while it secretly told Jews that Palestine will be turned into a Jewish land after the war. After the Second World War, democracy was denied to the Arab world by the superpowers who held were more interested in the Arab worlds black gold and their strategic and geopolitical interests in a region very close to Europe. They imposed, recognized and patronised their stooges as the real rulers and made them indulge in internecine wars. Every Arab ruler was allowed to build huge internal security apparatus, more strong than regular armies, and was allowed to crush every kind of dissent. Dr Khan explained that Arab rulers cooperate to the minimum with each other on issues like economy, cultural and even tourism but they maintain total cooperation and coordination on security issues where they act like a monolith as their collective survival is at stake. Dr Khan said that Tunisia, which was presented by the West as a model state for all

Arabs to emulate, while corruption, unemployment and nepotism ate into its body politic. This

Dr Khan with teachers and students of the Deptt of Islamic Studies, Kashmir Uni.; to his right is Prof. Rafiabadi

Goa graveyard issue

Land next to this garbage dump is being offered for Muslim graveyard in Goa

New Delhi: National Commission for Minorities called Mr. Sanjay Kumar Shrivastava, chief secretary of the Govt. of Goa and Mr. Abdul Matin Daud Carol, General Secretary, Masjid-e Gousiya, for hearing on Goas Muslim Qabristan on 24 May 2011. The bench of NCM as well as Mr Carol were present for the hearing while the Goa chief secretary was absent offering silly reasons and had instead sent S. Kumarswamy, Secretary Revenue and Valsala Vijayan, Dy. Resident Commissioner, Govt. of Goa in Delhi. Mr. Sayed Iftiyaz, president of Popular Front of India Goa, was also present at the hearing. At the start of the hearing, NCM Chairman Wajahat Habibullah siad, We have not received any communication in the Muslim Qabristan matter as promised by the chief secretary and collector of South-Goa District, Mr. Gokuldas Naik. He added that two reminders were sent to the state government but there is no reply. He called upon the petitioner, Mr. Carol, to put up the case. Mr. Carol said that the land which was objected by the Muslim community in 1980 at Sonsodo (as per assembly resolution of 1999) is being forcibly dumped upon the Muslim community without it being consulted in the matter. Even Chief Minister Mr. Digambar Kamat has gone to the extent of sending his goons to Jama Masjid Margao to force its committee to accept the Sonsodo land. Also, Margao Municipality has passed a resolution regarding the said land by dividing it between three communities. He said that the chief minister has been and is still using Muslims for his political gains without considering any of their demands. Reacting on Abdul Matin comments, Mr. S. Kumarswamy said that the 1999 resolution speaks about available land for Muslim

Qabristan and that they located four sites and selected one at Sonsodo for it, which will be acquired very soon by the Goa government. At this, the NCM chairperson said that Mr. Abdul Matin has strongly objected to it and he is spearheading this campaign and he should have been consulted before making any decision. Sayeeda Imam, NCM member, said that I strongly object to Sonsodo land as we were told of four options to choose from in the last hearing and this has not been complied with. The chairperson said that the state government has not sent a competent authority to represent them and this is not acceptable to the commission. The meeting was adjourned as it is pointless speaking at the hearing. Iftiyaz said speaking at the hearing that Goa has the worst chief minister since liberation, who uses goondas to further his goal. Mr. Wajahat Habibullah said that Goa government is taking NCM lightly and we will not tolerate it anymore. He further said that Goa is a tourist spot known world-over and it is a shame that they cannot provide a burial place to its citizens. Sayeeda Imam said that Goa government is playing with the Minority and its not fair on its part to ignore this important issue.

have to undergo another surgery in abdomen after six weeks. Akbar Owaisi had about 190 stiches on his abdomen. "It would take some time for Akbar to fully recover and serve you again," he said while requesting people to continue to pray for Akbar Owaisi's complete recovery. The MIM president said although the assasination bid on Akbar Owaisi was aimed at finishing off MIM, but this has only boosted the morale of all party workers. "Now we will work with more vigour and take up public issues more fearlessly," he said.

Aftab ends hunger strike, 8-day-long 'battle of nerves' over

Malegaon: The battle of nerve against the police prejudice, which was on here in Malegaon for eight days amid high drama, anxiety and tension, was finally over after Aftab Alam ended his fast-unto-death on 22 May. Aftab ended the hunger strike after the Aftab on hunger strike local authorities conceded to his demands and gave written assurance to him. "Tahsildar Goibode and Police Inspector Magar of Azad Nagar police station came today at Mushawerat Chowk and gave written assurance that no cases would be filed against the peaceful protesters. About withdrawal of the cases against the 30 peaceful protesters, they promised that needful action would be taken after legal consultations", Aftab Alam said to ummid. com after ending the fast. Aaftab, an activist of Nidharmi Sangathna, was sitting on hunger strike since May 16 against what he called as the police prejudice against the peaceful protesters who were seeking justice for the innocent Muslim youths arrested in the 2006 blast case. The eight days of hunger strike marked high drama, anxiety and tension as Aftab Alam declined to take even water despite the soaring temperature in the town and his condition deteriorated on the third day of his fast. On May 19, Aftab Alam was shifted to hospital where doctors wanted to keep him till next day. He, however, declined to take the medical aid, ran from the hospital and sat on the strike in the pendal at Mushwerat Chowk once again. Finally, the local authorities conceded to his demands today, following which he ended his fast-unto-death. Nidharmi Sangathna, to which Aftab Alam belongs, is protesting since April 25 demanding release of the innocent local youths who were arrested in the 2006 Malegaon blast case and a ban on RSS and other Hindutva organisation after Swami Aseemanand reportedly confessed the role of these organisations in terrorist activities. (ummid.com)

MIM takes the battle against rowdism to streets

Hyderabad: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi on 21 May called upon the Hyderabadis to put an end to the activities of rowdies and un-social elements in the twin cities. Addressing a public meeting at Ahmed Nagar to protest against the attack on MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi here, the MIM president asked the citizens not to remain mute spectators to violence on streets by unsocial elements. "Hyderabad is a city of sufi saints and people have always been peace-loving here. We will not allow anyone to convert the same into Rayalaseema," he said demanding that the government set up special courts to try cases against rowdies. Reiterating his allegation that editors of two Urdu dailies were behind the attack on Akbar Owaisi, the MIM president asked people to teach the 'conspirators' a fitting lesson by "not buying their newspapers." Owaisi informed that Akbar Owaisis recovery was nothing short of a miracle and a proof that Allah answers all prayers. He said although Akbar Owaisi is back home, he would

The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011 23

INTERNATIONAL

Osama: there is much more to say

NOAM CHOMSKY
On May 1, 2011, Osama bin Laden was killed in his virtually unprotected compound by a raiding mission of 79 Navy Seals, who entered Pakistan by helicopter. After many lurid stories were provided by the government and withdrawn, official reports made it increasingly clear that the operation was a planned assassination, multiply violating elementary norms of international law, beginning with the invasion itself. There appears to have been no attempt to apprehend the unarmed victim, as presumably could have been done by 79 commandos facing no opposition - except, they report, from his wife, also unarmed, who they shot in self-defence when she "lunged" at them (according to the White House). A plausible reconstruction of the events is provided by veteran Middle East correspondent Yochi Dreazen and colleagues in the Atlantic (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/05 /goal-was-never-to-capture-bin-laden/238330/). Dreazen, formerly the military correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, is senior correspondent for the National Journal Group covering military affairs and national security. According to their investigation, White House planning appears not to have considered the option of capturing OBL alive: "The administration had made clear to the military's clandestine Joint Special Operations Command that it wanted bin Laden dead, according to a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the discussions. A high-ranking military officer briefed on the assault said the SEALs knew their mission was not to take him alive." The authors add: "For many at the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency who had spent nearly a decade hunting bin Laden, killing the militant was a necessary and justified act of vengeance." Furthermore, "Capturing bin Laden alive would have also presented the administration with an array of nettlesome legal and political challenges." Better, then, to assassinate him, dumping his body into the sea without the autopsy considered essential after a killing, whether considered justified or not - an act that predictably provoked both anger and scepticism in much of the Muslim world. As the Atlantic inquiry observes, "The decision to kill bin Laden outright was the clearest illustration to date of a little-noticed aspect of the Obama administration's counterterror policy. The Bush administration captured thousands of suspected militants and sent them to detention camps in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay. The Obama administration, by contrast, has focused on eliminating individual terrorists rather than attempting to take them alive." That is one significant difference between Bush and Obama. The authors quote former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who "told German TV that the U.S. raid was 'quite clearly a violation of international law' and that bin Laden should have been detained and put on trial," contrasting Schmidt with US Attorney General Eric Holder, who "defended the decision to kill bin Laden although he didn't pose an immediate threat to the Navy SEALs, telling a House panel on Tuesday that the assault had been 'lawful, legitimate and appropriate in every way'." The disposal of the body without autopsy was also criticized by allies. The highly regarded British barrister Geoffrey Robertson, who supported the intervention and opposed the execution largely on pragmatic grounds, nevertheless described Obama's claim that "justice was done" as an "absurdity" that should have been obvious to a former professor of constitutional law (http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-03/osama-bin-laden-death-why-heshould-have-been-captured-not-killed/). Pakistan law "requires a colonial inquest on violent death, and international human rights law insists that the 'right to life' mandates an inquiry whenever violent death occurs from government or police action. The U.S. is therefore under a duty to hold an inquiry that will satisfy the world as to the true circumstances of this killing." Robertson adds that "The law permits criminals to be shot in self-defence if they (or their accomplices) resist arrest in ways that endanger those striving to apprehend them. They should, if possible, be given the opportunity to surrender, but even if they do not come out with their hands up, they must be taken alive if that can be achieved without risk. Exactly how bin Laden came to be 'shot in the head' (especially if it was the back of his head, execution-style) therefore requires explanation. Why a hasty 'burial at sea' without a post mortem, as the law requires?" Robertson attributes the murder to "America's obsessive belief in capital punishment-alone among advanced nations-[which] is reflected in its rejoicing at the manner of bin Laden's demise." For example, Nation columnist Eric Alterman writes that "The killing of Osama bin Laden was a just and necessary undertaking." Robertson usefully reminds us that "It was not always thus. When the time came to consider the fate of men much more steeped in wickedness than Osama bin Laden -- namely the Nazi leadership -- the British government wanted them hanged within six hours of capture. President Truman demurred, citing the conclusion of Justice Robert Jackson that summary execution 'would not sit easily on the American conscience or be remembered by our children with pridethe only course is to determine the innocence or guilt of the accused after a hearing as dispassionate as the times will permit and upon a record that will leave our reasons and motives clear'." The editors of the Daily Beast comment that "The joy is understandable, but to many outsiders, unattractive. It endorses what looks increasingly like a cold-blooded assassination as the White House is now forced to admit that Osama bin Laden was unarmed when he was shot twice in the head." In societies that profess some respect for law, suspects are apprehended and brought to fair trial. I stress "suspects." In June 2002, FBI head Robert Mueller, in what the Washington Post described as "among his most detailed public comments on the origins of the attacks," could say only that "investigators believe the idea of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon came from al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan, the actual plotting was done in Germany, and the financing came through the United Arab Emirates from sources in Afghanistan. We think the masterminds of it were in Afghanistan, high in the al Qaeda leadership." What the FBI believed and thought in June 2002 they didn't know eight months earlier, when Washington dismissed tentative offers by the Taliban (how serious, we do not know) to extradite bin Laden if they were presented with evidence. Thus it is not true, as the President claimed in his White House statement, that "We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda." There has never been any reason to doubt what the FBI believed in mid-2002, but that leaves us far from the proof of guilt required in civilized societies - and whatever the evidence might be, it does not warrant murdering a suspect who could, it seems, have been easily apprehended and brought to trial. Much the same is true of evidence provided since. Thus the 9/11 Commission provided extensive circumstantial evidence of bin Laden's role in 9/11, based primarily on what it had been told about confessions by prisoners in Guantanamo. It is doubtful that much of that would hold up in an independent court, considering the ways confessions were elicited. But in any event, the conclusions of a congressionally authorized investigation, however convincing one finds them, plainly fall short of a sentence by a credible court, which is what shifts the category of the accused from suspect to convicted. There is much talk of bin Laden's "confession," but that was a boast, not a confession, with as much credibility as my "confession" that I won the Boston marathon. The boast tells us a lot about his character, but nothing about his responsibility for what he regarded as a great achievement, for which he wanted to take credit. Again, all of this is, transparently, quite independent of one's judgments about his responsibility, which seemed clear immediately, even before the FBI inquiry, and still does. It is worth adding that bin Laden's responsibility was recognized in much of the Muslim world, and condemned. One significant example is the distinguished Lebanese cleric Sheikh Fadlallah, greatly respected by Hizbollah and Shia groups generally, outside Lebanon as well. He too had been targeted for assassination: by a truck bomb outside a mosque, in a CIA-organized operation in 1985. He escaped, but 80 others were killed, mostly women and girls, as they left the mosque - one of those innumerable crimes that do not enter the annals of terror because of the fallacy of "wrong agency." Sheikh Fadlallah sharply condemned the 9/11 attacks, as did many other leading figures in the Muslim world, within the Jihadi movement as well. Among others, the head of Hizbollah, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, sharply condemned bin Laden and Jihadi ideology. One of the leading specialists on the Jihadi movement, Fawaz Gerges, suggests that the movement might have been split at that time had the US exploited the opportunity instead of mobilizing the movement, particularly by the attack on Iraq, a great boon to bin Laden, which led to a sharp increase in terror, as intelligence agencies had anticipated. That conclusion was confirmed by the former head of Britain's domestic intelligence agency MI5 at the Chilcot hearings investigating the background for the war. Confirming other analyses, she testified that both British and US intelligence were aware that Saddam posed no serious threat and that the invasion was likely to increase terror; and that the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan had radicalized parts of a generation of Muslims who saw the military actions as an "attack on Islam." As is often the case, security was not a high priority for state action. It might be instructive to ask ourselves how we would be reacting if Iraqi commandos landed at George W. Bush's compound, assassinated him, and dumped his body in the Atlantic (after proper burial rites, of course). Uncontroversially, he is not a "suspect" but the "decider" who gave the orders to invade Iraq -- that is, to commit the "supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole" (quoting the Nuremberg Tribunal) for which Nazi criminals were hanged: in Iraq, the hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of refugees, destruction of much of the country and the national heritage, and the murderous sectarian conflict that has now spread to the rest of the region. Equally uncontroversially, these crimes vastly exceed anything attributed to bin Laden. To say that all of this is uncontroversial, as it is, is not to imply that it is not denied. The existence of flat earthers does not change the fact that, uncontroversially, the earth is not flat. Similarly, it is uncontroversial that Stalin and Hitler were responsible for horrendous crimes, though loyalists deny it. All of this should, again, be too obvious for comment, and would be, except in an atmosphere of hysteria so extreme that it blocks rational thought. Similarly, it is uncontroversial that Bush and associates did commit the "supreme international crime," the crime of aggression, at least if we take the Nuremberg Tribunal seriously. The crime of aggression was defined clearly enough by Justice Robert Jackson, Chief of Counsel for the United States at Nuremberg, reiterated in an authoritative General Assembly resolution. An "aggressor," Jackson proposed to the Tribunal in his opening statement, is a state that is the first to commit such actions as "Invasion of its armed forces, with or without a declaration of war, of the territory of another State." No one, even the most extreme supporter of the aggression, denies that Bush and associates did just that. We might also do well to recall Jackson's eloquent words at Nuremberg on the principle of universality: "If certain acts of violation of treaties are crimes, they are crimes whether the United States does them or whether Germany does them, and we are not prepared to lay down a rule of criminal conduct against others which we would not be willing to have invoked against us." And elsewhere: "We must never forget that the record on which we judge these defendants is the record on which history will judge us tomorrow. To pass these defendants a poisoned chalice is to put it to our own lips as well." It is also clear that alleged intentions are irrelevant. Japanese fascists apparently did believe that by ravaging China they were labouring to turn it into an "earthly paradise." We don't know whether Hitler believed that he was defending Germany from the "wild terror" of the Poles, or was taking over Czechoslovakia to protect its population from ethnic conflict and provide them with the benefits of a superior culture, or was saving the glories of the civilization of the Greeks from barbarians of East and West, as his acolytes claimed (Martin Heidegger). And it's even conceivable that Bush and company believed that they were protecting the world from destruction by Saddam's nuclear weapons. All irrelevant, though ardent loyalists on all sides may try to convince themselves otherwise. We are left with two choices: either Bush and associates are guilty of the "supreme international crime" including all the evils that follow, crimes that go vastly beyond anything attributed to bin Laden; or else we declare that the Nuremberg proceedings were a farce and that the allies were guilty of judicial murder. Again, that is entirely independent of the question of the guilt of those charged: established by the Nuremberg Tribunal in the case of the Nazi criminals, plausibly surmised from the outset in the case of bin Laden. A few days before the bin Laden assassination, Orlando Bosch died peacefully in Florida, where he resided along with his terrorist accomplice Luis Posada Carilles, and many others. After he was accused of dozens of terrorist crimes by the FBI, Bosch was granted a presidential pardon by Bush I over the objections of the Justice Department, which found the conclusion "inescapable that it would be prejudicial to the public interest for the United States to provide a safe haven for Bosch. "The coincidence of deaths at once calls to mind the Bush II doctrine, which has "already become a de facto rule of international relations," according to the noted Harvard international relations specialist Graham Allison. The doctrine revokes "the sovereignty of states that provide sanctuary to terrorists," Allison writes, referring to the pronouncement of Bush II that "those who harbour terrorists are as guilty as the terrorists themselves," directed to the Taliban. Such states, therefore, have lost their sovereignty and are fit targets for bombing and terror; for example, the state that harboured Bosch and his associate -- not to mention some rather more significant candidates. When Bush issued this new "de facto rule of international relations," no one seemed to notice that he was calling for invasion and destruction of the US and murder of its criminal presidents. None of this is problematic, of course, if we reject Justice Jackson's principle of universality, and adopt instead the principle that the US is selfimmunized against international law and conventions -- as, in fact, the government has frequently made very clear, an important fact, much too little understood. It is also worth thinking about the name given to the operation: Operation Geronimo. The imperial mentality is so profound that few seem able to perceive that the White House is glorifying bin Laden by calling him "Geronimo" -- the leader of courageous resistance to the invaders who sought to consign his people to the fate of "that hapless race of native Americans, which we are exterminating with such merciless and perfidious cruelty, among the heinous sins of this nation, for which I believe God will one day bring [it] to judgement," in the words of the great grand strategist John Quincy Adams, the intellectual architect of manifest destiny, long after his own contributions to these sins had passed. Some did comprehend, not surprisingly. The remnants of that hapless race protested vigorously. Choice of the name is reminiscent of the ease with which we name our murder weapons after victims of our crimes: Apache, Blackhawk. Tomahawk, We might react differently if the Luftwaffe were to call its fighter planes "Jew" and "Gypsy". The examples mentioned would fall under the category "American exceptionalism," were it not for the fact that easy suppression of one's own crimes is virtually ubiquitous among powerful states, at least those that are not defeated and forced to acknowledge reality. Other current illustrations are too numerous to mention. To take just one, of great current significance, consider Obama's terror weapons (drones) in Pakistan. Suppose that during the 1980s, when they were occupying Afghanistan, the Russians had carried out targeted assassinations in Pakistan aimed at those who were financing, arming and training the insurgents - quite proudly and openly. For example, targeting the CIA station chief in Islamabad, who explained that he "loved" the "noble goal" of his mission: to "kill Soviet Soldiersnot to liberate Afghanistan." There is no need to imagine the reaction, but there is a crucial distinction: that was them, this is us. What are the likely consequences of the killing of bin Laden? For the Arab world, it will probably mean little. He had long been a fading presence, and in the past few months was eclipsed by the Arab Spring. His significance in the Arab world is captured by the headline in the New York Times for an op-ed by Middle East/al Qaeda specialist Gilles Kepel; "Bin Laden was Dead Already." Kepel writes that few in the Arab world are likely to care. That headline might have been dated far earlier, had the US not mobilized the Jihadi movement by the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq, as suggested by the intelligence agencies and scholarship. As for the Jihadi movement, within it bin Laden was doubtless a venerated symbol, but apparently did not play much more of a role for this "network of networks," as analysts call it, which undertake mostly independent operations. The most immediate and significant consequences are likely to be in Pakistan. There is much discussion of Washington's anger that Pakistan didn't turn over bin Laden. Less is said about the fury in Pakistan that the US invaded their territory to carry out a political assassination. Anti-American fervour had already reached a very high peak in Pakistan, and these events are likely to exacerbate it. Pakistan is the most dangerous country on earth, also the world's fastest growing nuclear power, with a huge arsenal. It is held together by one stable institution, the military. One of the leading specialists on Pakistan and its military, Anatol Lieven, writes that "if the US ever put Pakistani soldiers in a position where they felt that honour and patriotism required them to fight America, many would be very glad to do so." And if Pakistan collapsed, an "absolutely inevitable result would be the flow of large numbers of highly trained ex-soldiers, including explosive experts and engineers, to extremist groups." That is the primary threat he sees of leakage of fissile materials to Jihadi hands, a horrendous eventuality. The Pakistani military have already been pushed to the edge by US attacks on Pakistani sovereignty. One factor is the drone attacks in Pakistan that Obama escalated immediately after the killing of bin Laden, rubbing salt in the wounds. But there is much more, including the demand that the Pakistani military cooperate in the US war against the Afghan Taliban, whom the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis, the military included, see as fighting a just war of resistance against an invading army, according to Lieven. The bin Laden operation could have been the spark that set off a conflagration, with dire consequences, particularly if the invading force had been compelled to fight its way out, as was anticipated. Perhaps the assassination was perceived as an "act of vengeance," as Robertson concludes. Whatever the motive was, it could hardly have been security. As in the case of the "supreme international crime" in Iraq, the bin Laden assassination illustrates that security is often not a high priority for state action, contrary to received doctrine. There is much more to say, but even the most obvious and elementary facts should provide us with a good deal to think about. (zcommunications.org)

24 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

INTERNATIONAL
Orwell Wrote The Script

China: The New Bin Laden

PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
George Orwell, the pen name by which Eric Blair is known, had the gift of prophecy, or else blind luck. In 1949 in his novel, 1984, he described the Amerika of today and, I fear, also his native Great Britain, which is no longer great and follows Washington, licking the jackboot and submitting to Washington's hegemony over England and Europe and exhausting itself financially and morally in order to support Amerikan hegemony over the rest of the world. In Orwell's prophecy, Big Brother's government rules over unquestioning people, incapable of independent thought, who are constantly spied upon. In 1949 there was no Internet, Facebook, Twitter, GPS, etc. Big Brother's spying was done through cameras and microphones in public areas, as in England today, and through television equipped with surveillance devices in homes. As everyone thought what the government intended for them to think, it was easy to identify the few who had suspicions. Fear and war were used to keep everyone in line, but not even Orwell anticipated Homeland Security feeling up the genitals of air travelers and shopping center customers. Every day in people's lives, there came over the TV the Two Minutes of Hate. An image of Emmanuel Goldstein, a propaganda creation of the Ministry of Truth, who is designated as Oceania's Number One Enemy, appeared on the screen. Goldstein was the non-existent "enemy of the state" whose non-existent organization, "The Brotherhood," was Oceania's terrorist enemy. The Goldstein Threat justified the "Homeland Security" that violated all known Rights of Englishmen and kept Oceania's subjects "safe." Since 9/11, with some diversions into Sheik Mohammed and Mohamed Atta, the two rivals to bin Laden as the "Mastermind of 9/11," Osama bin Laden has played the 21st century roll of Emmanuel Goldstein. Now that the Obama Regime has announced the murder of the modern-day Goldstein, a new demon must be constructed before Oceania's wars run out of justifications. Hillary Clinton, the low-grade moron who is US Secretary of State, is busy at work making China the new enemy of Oceania. China is Amerika's largest creditor, but this did not inhibit the idiot Hillary this week in front of high Chinese officials from denouncing China for "human rights violations" and for the absence of
MG/Yusuf

democracy. While Hilary was enjoying her rant and displaying unspeakable Amerikan hypocrisy, Homeland Security thugs had organized local police and sheriffs in a small town that is the home of Western Illinois University and set upon peaceful students who were enjoying their annual street party. There was no rioting, no property damage, but the riot police or Homeland Security SWAT teams showed up with sound cannons, gassed the students and beat them. Indeed, if anyone pays any attention to what is happening in Amerika today, a militarized police and Homeland Security are destroying constitutional rights of peaceful assembly, protest, and free speech. For practical purposes, the U.S. Constitution no longer exists. The police can beat, taser, abuse, and falsely arrest American citizens and experience no adverse consequences. The executive branch of the federal government, to whom we used to look to protect us from abuses at the state and local level, acquired the right under the Bush regime to ignore both US and international law, along with the US Constitution and the constitutional powers of Congress and the judiciary. As long as there is a "state of war," such as the open-ended "war on terror," the executive branch is higher than the law and is unaccountable to law. Amerika is not a democracy, but a country ruled by an executive branch Caesar. Hillary, of course, like the rest of the U.S. Government, is scared by the recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report that China will be the most powerful economy in five years. Just as the military/security complex pressured President John F. Kennedy to start a war with the Soviet Union over the Cuban missile crisis while the US still had the nuclear advantage, Hillary is now moving China into the role of Emmanuel Goldstein. Hate has to be mobilized, before Washington can move the ignorant patriotic masses to war. How can Oceania continue if the declared enemy, Osama bin Laden, is dead. Big Brother must immediately invent another "enemy of the people." But Hillary, being a total idiot, has chosen a country that has other than military weapons. While the Amerikans support "dissidents" in China, who are sufficiently stupid to believe that democracy exists in Amerika, the insulted Chinese government sits on $2 trillion in US dollar-denominated assets that can be dumped, thus destroying the US dollar's exchange value and the dollar as reserve currency, the main source of US power. Hillary, in an unprecedented act of hypocrisy, denounced

knows it. The hubris and arrogance of US policymakers, and the lies that they inculcate in the American public, have exposed Washington to war with the most populous country on earth, a country that has a military alliance with Russia, which has sufficient nuclear weapons to wipe out all life on earth. The scared idiots in Washington are desperate to set up China as the new Osama bin Laden, the figure of two minutes of hate every news hour, so that the World's Only Superpower can take out the Chinese before they surpass the US as the Number One Power. No country on earth has a less responsible government and a less accountable government than the Americans. However, Americans will defend their own oppression, and that of the world, to the bitter end.(foreignpolicyjournal.com) Dr. Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury, associate editor of the Wall Street Journal, and held academic appointments at Stanford and otehr American universities

US reaches $14tn debt limit and cuts investments

US warned on lack of deficit plan US must tackle deficit, says IMF. The US has reached its debt limit of $14.3 trillion (8.6tn) and is taking measures to cut spending to avoid breaching it. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said that he will suspend investing into two large government pension funds. This delays any breaching of the limit to 2 August. Congress is currently negotiating an increase to the limit, without which the US risks defaulting on its debt. "I have written to Congress on previous occasions regarding the importance of timely action to increase the debt limit in order to protect the full faith and credit of the United States and avoid catastrophic economic consequences for citizens," Mr Geithner said in a letter to Congress. "I again urge Congress to act to increase the statutory debt limit as soon as possible." The full amount of the suspended payments into the two pension funds will be restored if Congress raises the debt ceiling. Approaching deadline: The US is cutting payments into the funds to allow it to keep borrowing while a deal on a higher debt ceiling is agreed. The US Congress has set a limit on the total level of national debt since 1917. The ceiling is periodically renegotiated but has become something of a political football as both Democrats and Republicans try to extract concessions in exchange for increasing the limit. Mr Geithner had previously set a deadline for a deal on increasing the debt ceiling to 8 July, but said that better tax receipts meant the deadline could be extended to 2 August. Republicans want to tie any agreement on the US budget to spending cuts, especially in the healthcare programme. The Obama administration has proposed a $4tn package of budget cuts, but the Republicans say they do not go far enough. In April, ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgraded its US credit rating outlook from stable to negative, increasing the likelihood that the rating could be cut within the next two years. (bbc.co.uk)

India-Pak nuclear faceoff

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China for "human rights violations." This from a country that has violated the human rights of millions of victims in our own time in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, secret CIA prisons dotted all over the planet, in US courts of law, and in the arrests and seizure of documents of American war protestors. There is no worst violator of human rights on the planet than the US government, and the world

Moscow: Russia has expelled the Israeli military attache to Moscow after accusing him of espionage, the Israeli military has confirmed. Col Vadim Leiderman was questioned 10 days ago, given 48 hours to leave and is back in Israel after claiming diplomatic immunity. The Russian government has not commented officially. However, the Israeli army said it had investigated the claims and believed them unfounded. Israeli media said Col Leiderman was taken from a cafe or restaurant and accused by Russian intelligence of passing sensitive information to Israel. A joint statement by Israel's defence ministry and the military spokesman's office said: "The [Israel Defence Forces] military attache and ministry of defence representative in Russia, an IDF colonel, was detained for investigation last week by Russian authorities, on suspicion of spying. "Security authorities in Israel completed a thorough investigation and concluded that these claims were unfounded." Israel's Haaretz daily said there had been a gagging order on reporting the matter until Wednesday evening. Israel has expressed concern recently at Russia's nuclear co-operation with Iran and arms sales to Syria, Agence France-Presse news agency reports. (bbc.co.uk)

Russia expels Israel military attache for spying

The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011 25

INTERNATIONAL

The Long Overdue Palestinian State

MAHMOUD ABBAS
President of Palestine SIXTY-THREE years ago, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy was forced to leave his home in the Galilean city of Safed and flee with his family to Syria. He took up shelter in a canvas tent provided to all the arriving refugees. Though he and his family wished for decades to return to their home and homeland, they were denied that most basic of human rights. That child's story, like that of so many other Palestinians, is mine. This month, however, as we commemorate another year of our expulsion - which we call the nakba, or catastrophe - the Palestinian people have cause for hope: this September, at the United Nations General Assembly, we will request international recognition of the State of Palestine on the 1967 border and that our state be admitted as a full member of the United Nations. Many are questioning what value there is to such recognition while the Israeli occupation continues. Others have accused us of imperiling the peace process. We believe, however, that there is tremendous value for all Palestinians - those living in the homeland, in exile and under occupation. It is important to note that the last time the question of Palestinian statehood took center stage at the General Assembly, the question posed to the international community was whether our homeland should be partitioned into two states. In November 1947, the General Assembly made its recommendation and answered in the affirmative. Shortly thereafter, Zionist forces expelled Palestinian Arabs to ensure a decisive Jewish majority in the future state of Israel, and Arab armies intervened. War and further expulsions ensued. Indeed, it was the descendants of these expelled Palestinians who were shot and wounded by Israeli forces on Sunday as they tried to symbolically exercise their right to return to their families' homes. Minutes after the State of Israel was established on May 14, 1948, the United States granted it recognition. Our Palestinian state, however, remains a promise unfulfilled. Palestine's admission to the United Nations would pave the way for the internationalization of the conflict as a legal matter, not only a political one. It would also pave the way for us to pursue claims against Israel at the United Nations, human rights treaty bodies and the International Court of Justice. Our quest for recognition as a state should not be seen as a stunt; too many of our men and women have been lost for us to engage in such political theater. We go to the United Nations now to secure the right to live free in the remaining 22 percent of our historic homeland because we have been negotiating with the State of Israel for 20 years without coming any closer to realizing a state of our own. We cannot wait indefinitely while Israel continues to send more settlers to the occupied West Bank and denies Palestinians access to most of our land and holy places, particularly in Jerusalem. Neither political pressure nor promises of rewards by the United States have stopped Israel's settlement program. Negotiations remain our first option, but due to their failure we are now compelled to turn to the international community to assist us in preserving the opportunity for a peaceful and just end to the conflict. Palestinian national unity is a key step in this regard. Contrary to what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel asserts, and can be expected to repeat this week during his visit to Washington, the choice is not between Palestinian unity or peace with Israel; it is between a two-state solution or settlementcolonies. Despite Israel's attempt to deny us our long-awaited membership in the community of nations, we have met all prerequisites to statehood listed in the Montevideo Convention, the 1933 treaty that sets out the rights and duties of states. The permanent population of our land is the Palestinian people, whose right to self-determination has been repeatedly recognized by the United Nations, and by the International Court of Justice in 2004. Our territory is recognized as the lands framed by the 1967 border, though it is occupied by Israel. We have the capacity to enter into relations with other states and have embassies and missions in more than 100 countries. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union have indicated that our institutions are developed to the level where we are now prepared for statehood. Only the occupation of our land hinders us from reaching our full national potential; it does not impede United Nations recognition. The State of Palestine intends to be a peace-loving nation, committed to human rights, democracy, the rule of law and the principles of the United Nations Charter. Once admitted to the United Nations, our state stands ready to negotiate all core issues of the conflict with Israel. A key focus of negotiations will be reaching a just solution for Palestinian refugees based on Resolution 194, which the General Assembly passed in 1948. Palestine would be negotiating from the position of one United Nations member whose territory is militarily occupied by another, however, and not as a vanquished people ready to accept whatever terms are put in front of us. We call on all friendly, peace-loving nations to join us in realizing our national aspirations by recognizing the State of Palestine on the 1967 border and by supporting its admission to the United Nations. Only if the international community keeps the promise it made to us six decades ago, and ensures that a just resolution for Palestinian refugees is put into effect, can there be a future of hope and dignity for our people. Mahmoud Abbas is the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the president of the Palestinian National Authority.

Iran's Majlis to lodge lawsuit against US human rights abuses

Khorramabad: Chairman of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on on 19 May that the Iranian Majlis is to lodge lawsuit against American officials responsible for violation of human rights in that country. The Islamic Revolution in the past two decades has successfully demonstrated its capabilities and its great success in various fields. Majlis National Security Commission is now preparing a bill to lodge a lawsuit against US officials who have violated human rights in a bid to introduce them to the world. On regional developments, he said it is a reality that wave of Islamic awareness has engulfed the entire region as seen in the revolutionary movements in Egypt, soemthing which would change global equations to the benefit of Islamic Ummah, he said. The Islamic Republic of Iran fully backs the Syrian government in its struggles with the Zionist regime. The US seeks to expand civil war in Libya by fanning the flames of sectarian violence in the country, he said. On current development in Bahrian, he said the world is now witnessing a crime being committed against humanity in Bahrain. (Irna) Katatni described the Freedom and Justice Party as a "civilian (movement) based on the principles of (Islamic) Sharia law." Its activities are to kick off on June 17 after the formation of a political bureau, he said. The formerly banned Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's best-organised movement, announced on April 30 the formation of a "nontheocratic party" to contest up to half of parliament's seats in a September election. In the wake of the February 11 ouster of longtime president Hosni Mubarak, the Brotherhood has also pledged not to field a candidate in a presidential poll to be held in November. Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 80-million population, complain of systematic discrimination and have been the target of several sectarian attacks. (AFP)

WikiLeaks cables show that it was all about the oil

Specifically at issue was an Eni deal that would have given Gazprom access to Libyan oil and would have had Eni help Gazprom build a pipeline across the Black Sea. This project would have competed with a similar project backed by the U.S. government that would have connected gas fields in the Caspian region directly to Europe, bypassing Russia and Gazprom. At the time, Silvio Berlusconi was about to become Italy's prime minister for a second time and the embassy urged headquarters to twist his arm as well. "Post would like to push the new Berlusconi government to force Eni to act less as a stalking horse for Gazprom interests," the confidential cable said. "Eni . . . seems to be working in support of Gazprom's efforts to dominate Europe's energy supply, and against U.S.-supported E.U. efforts to diversify energy supply." Eni has been in the news of late because it's the largest player in Libya's oil sector and Scaroni publicly voiced concern that U.S.led efforts to oust strongman Moammar Gadhafi weren't in Italy's interest. On April 20, Scaroni announced that Eni was temporarily shelving its deal in Libya that would have given Gazprom a big stake in Libyan oil, a move the leaked documents show the U.S. had been seeking since 2008. (Kevin G. Hall)

Muslim Brotherhood chooses Christian VP

Cairo: The Muslim Brotherhood said on Wednesday the party it formed to contest elections has chosen a Christian intellectual as vice president and numbers almost 100 Coptic Christians among its founding members. The Freedom and Justice Party also has close to 1,000 female members, party official Saad al-Katatni said on the Islamist group's website. "The number of founding members has reached 8,821 ..., including 978 women and 93 Copts. Coptic thinker Rafiq Habib has been chosen as the party's vice president," Katatni said. He said Habib was chosen "not just because he is Christian but because he is a great intellectual and adds value to the party." "The presence of Copts among the party's founders shows the Muslim Brotherhood does what it says it will do, and that our Coptic brothers are partners in the nation," said the party official.

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26 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

INTERNATIONAL

Obama challenges the Zionists on Palestine?

KARAMATULLAH K. GHORI
The way political speeches go it was a flawless performance. Obama was articulate to a fault and spoke with great aplomb and authority. The venue-the sanctum of US State Department-selected for the occasion was also befitting. The chief executive of the worlds only superpower was there, on May 19, to address a fresh batch of US Foreign Service officers trained, primed and ready to serve their country in the extension and application of its global policies. Two years ago, not too long after entering the Oval Office, Obama had addressed the Arab and Muslim worlds from Cairo Universitys hallowed precincts. That was an evocative speech that many thought conveyed his sense of what democratic progress was needed in the Arab world, in particular. Many have, perhaps unjustly and undeservedly, credited that speech for having inspired the Arab youth and presaged the current Arab Spring. But, curiously for many, Obama hadnt spoken at length on the great stirring in the Arab world, sweeping and igniting its panorama from one end to the other, and lighting trails in many an Arab country. Two formidable dictatorsHosni Mubarak of Egypt and Ben Ali of Tunisia, are already on the dump heap of history and quite a few seem deserving cases to join them there. So there was expectation in the building for Obama to speak up and let the world know-in particular the Arabs-of what he thinks of Arab uprisings and demonstrated yearning for a change in the status quo. In that broad context, therefore, Obama didnt, perhaps consciously, disappoint anyone in his 40-minute-long address punctuated with the rhetorical flourish for which Obama has already acquired a world-wide fame. He had something to say about every Arab country currently convulsed with popular agitation and ferment. In his broader message beamed at the Arab camp, Obama even likened the Arab upsurge for fundamental freedoms to the birth of United States as a free country that had thrown off the yoke of monarchic excesses. He, at last, even mentioned the Bahraini peoples hankering for their freedom, which is being brutally suppressed by the ruling AlKhalifas with a lot of overt assistance from Saudi Arabi. Obama and all other top leaders of US hadnt said a word of condemnation of the Bahraini elites brutality out of obvious concern for Saudi sensitivities on the subject, and also with an eye on the ground reality that Bahrain is home to the US 5th Fleet that lords over the Gulf. Obama still walked a tight rope on Bahrain in his discourse. He didnt, even once, mention Saudi Arabia by name or its military intrusion into the fray. Saudi Arabia is not only the largest supplier of oil to US and its western allies but also happens to be the number one client for American and other western military weapons and hardware. However, Obama did speak of respect for the legitimate democratic aspiration of the Bahraini people and hoped the rulers-representing the tiny islands minority-would honour these aspirations. He also insisted respect for the sanctity of Shiia mosques in Bahrain. Independent observers have been highlighting the fact that dozens of Shiia mosques have been destroyed and razed to ground in a deliberate policy of suppression and subjugation of the Shiia majority populace. But Obama still couldnt resist the temptation to accuse Iran-out of sheer cussedness-of taking advantage of the situation in Bahrain, without, of course, elaboration as to what was the nature of the Iranian advantage taking. His diatribe against Iran flies in the face of Saudi Arabias open and unbridled interference in the Bahraini uprising. For Syrias Bashar Al Assad, Obama had a clear message-his first since the Syrian Spring began seven weeks ago. He asked Assad to lead his country to democracy or get out of the way. Although he didnt ask for a regime change in Syria-at least not yet-in the manner that the call for regime change in Libya is being backed up with American fire-power, the message between the lines wasnt that vague either. However, theres still a fine line, akin to tight-rope-walking, that Obama has been treading with regard to Basher Al Assad, who has been credited in Washington for keeping the border with Israel quiet in the ten years that he has been in power in Syria. But it was on the Palestinian issue, no doubt, that Obama came closest to rekindling his original image of the 2008 presidential campaign and the hope he inspired-not just among the Americans with a clear and un-blinkered vision of the world but also among the international community in spades-for a meaningful change in the blatantly partisan American predilection on behalf of Israel. Obama seemed to be taking a huge gamble-and an equally tall risk for his political future-when he categorically called for the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state based on Israels pre-1967 borders. It wasnt simply the venue or the pulpit-of the US State Department and not the Pentagon or the US Congress where patronage and support for a belligerent and expansionist Israel has been rock-solid over the decades since it occupied the Palestinian land-that stood out as a deliberate choice. The timing of Barack Obamas clarion call for a sovereign, secure Palestinian peoples right to a state of their own has its fountainhead in the Arab Spring now holding the region in its thrall. And he articulated the need for rising up to the Palestinian expectations in a jargon that cant be refuted as he said: At a time when the people of the Middle East and North Africa are casting off the burdens of the past, the drive for a lasting peaceis more urgent than ever. Another Obama bombshell-for the Israelis arrogantly adamant to allow no Palestinian refugees to return to the ancestral homes from which they had been expelled by the Zionistswas Obamas inclusion of the right of return of the Palestinians in a peace settlement package. The thrust of Obamas speech registered instantly with the bellicose Netanyahu, as well as with Israeli sympathizers and unabashed partisans in the US political culture. Before even Netanyahu, Mitt Romney, a leading Republican hopeful to run against Obama in 2012 decried Obama for having thrown our ally Israel under the bus. But, of course, it was none other than a belligerent and insanely provocative Netanyahu who took the fight right to the Oval Office within 24 hours of Obama launching his salvo. The meeting in the Oval Office between Obama and Netanyahu, on May 20, was, to put it most diplomatically, frosty. Those who saw its photo-op live from the Oval Office couldnt have mistaken the combative and insulting posture and demeanour of the Israeli leader. He came at Obama with arrogance and hubris writ large thoroughly pathetic and brow-beaten-wagged his finger at him and said, in reference to the Palestinian right of return, that that was not going to happen and insisted, repeatedly, that everybody knows its not going to happen. Likewise, he made a mockery of Obamas suggestion for Israel pulling back from the Jordan River. This, to Netanyahu, was non-negotiable. Netanyahu brazenly heaped scorn, publicly, on Obama despite the fact that Obama in his address had pointedly repeated all those mantras in support of Israel that have been staple to every American President since Lyndon Johnson: Washingtons unshakable commitment to Israels security. To sweeten the pot even further for Netanyahu, Obama referred to Hamas as a body given to terrorism and demanded of it to recognize Israel. He also trashed the Palestinian plan to seek international recognition for their statehood at the forthcoming UN General Assembly session in September and dismissed the idea as unlikely to bring independence to the Palestinians. In other words, he was telling them that their best chance was to accept whatever crumbs the Americans and their Israeli cohorts and firm allies may be prepared to throw at them. Why Netanyahu behaved in the manner he did is obvious: hes dead certain of support for Israel being rock-solid in Congress, which is going to bestow on him the rare honour of addressing a joint sitting of the House and the Senate on May 24. he knows that his American friends in high places would pounce on Obama on their own and trim his sails to the winds of their choice. The sheet-anchor Israeli lobbies in US, as powerful and influential as ever, are also humming with confidence to call Obamas bluff and puncture the balloon he has tried to send up before it gains any traction or height. Obama is set to address the annual session of AIPAC-the most powerful of Jewish lobbies-on May 22, with Netanyahu following suit the next day. That speech may test Obamas resolve and commitment to his trial balloon long before anybody else in the pro-Israeli corridors of power gets down to the task. US presidents have a history of paying lip service to the Palestinian cause and then quietly and meekly reverting to the status quo, of standing four squares behind whatever Israel may choose to do, without further ado. Israel can do no wrong is a mantra that seems to have cast a permanent spell on the White House and its denizens. Obama has made an effort, howsoever effete, to look different. The sheer timing of his initiative breaks a new trend: he has come up with it a year and a half ahead of his bid for a second term in office, while his predecessors, like Clinton, for instance, embarked on this trail in the twilight days of his presidency. But Obama, no doubt, must be fully conscious of, and alive to, the trap doors ready to devour him if he breaks too far from the dotted lines dictated by the Zionists and their American partisans for everyone occupying the Oval Office. Obama may run out of steam long before the UN GA session-with the Palestinian statehood as its principal focus-gets convened. That will be a litmus test of how genuine, or just plain pretentious, he is about the Palestinians regaining their lost freedom from the clutches of the Zionists ruling the roost in Israel and US. Its a foregone thing that the UNGA will accord, by a thumping two-thirds majority, the right of statehood to the Palestinians. But its membership of the world body could run into the wall of a US veto in the Security Council If Obama chooses to veto the Palestinian membership of UN as a sovereign entity and thumbs his nose at the international community, it will prove to the world, for all times to come, of Washington being an enemy of the Palestinians as much as Israel under Netanyahu is and complicit in all the crimes committed against the Palestinian fundamental human rights. If that comes to pass, history may not treat Obama any differently than George W. Bush, the most implacable foe of the Arabs and Muslims in living memory.

In his broader message beamed at the Arab camp, Obama even likened the Arab upsurge for fundamental freedoms to the birth of United States as a free country that had thrown off the yoke of monarchic excesses. He, at last, even mentioned the Bahraini peoples hankering for their freedom, which is being brutally suppressed by the ruling Al-Khalifas with a lot of overt assistance from Saudi Arabi. Obama and all other top leaders of US hadnt said a word of condemnation of the Bahraini elites brutality out of obvious concern for Saudi sensitivities on the subject, and also with an eye on the ground reality that Bahrain is home to the US 5th Fleet that lords over the Gulf.
and contiguous State of Palestine was equally important and sensitive. It came just a day before Israels war-mongering PM Benjamin Netanyahu was due to meet him in the White House. Netanyahu is a known Zionist and his entire track-record as a war-monger is studded with the quest to create facts on ground, just the way the now-comatose Ariel Sharon did on his watch. If Sharon was the principal architect of the Israeli and Zionist policy of sizing as much Palestinian lands as possible and build illegal Israeli settlements on them, its Netanyahu that has been putting teeth into that policy with relentless exuberance. The result of this expansionism is that, today, nearly half-a-million Jewish settlers are living, and thriving because of Israeli governments patronage, in hundreds of illegal settlements provocatively created in defiance of UN and the international community. The UN Security Council Resolution 465 categorically demands the dismantling of all these illegal settlements, which are an affront to international law. Obamas logic for the recognition of the on his face. His body language exuded an almost incontinent urge to tear Obama to pieces with his bare hands. He glowered and stared down hard at Obama with eyes glowing with fury. It was the visage of an irate parent who had had enough of his errant child and was ready to spank him hard if he uttered one more errant word or made one more wrong move. So provocative and disgusting was Netanyahu in his meeting with Obama that an Israeli votary and friend Jeffrey Goldberg was forced to write a special piece in the Atlantic of which the posting proclaimed: Dear Mr. Netanyahu, please dont speak to My President That Way. He caustically denounced Netanyahu for having had something of a hissy fit. Netanyahu told Obama, to his face, that his call for Israels return to 1967 borders was indefensible because it didnt take into account the demographic facts he and other intransigent Israelis, such as Ariel Sharon, have created on the Palestinian land. Netanyahu, heaping insult over Obamas injury-who sat meekly beside him and looked

The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011 27

BOOKS

Studies on Muhammad Iqbal

Book: Jamia Kashmir aur Iqbaliyat (Kashmir University and Iqbaliyat - Urdu) Author: Dr Badruddin Bhat Publisher: Iqbal Institute of Culture and Philosophy, Kashmir University, Srinagar, J&K Year of Publication: 2009 Price: Rs 400 Pages: 529+ plates

Story of IQRA

Raising a you are a Muslim that grew upreaders generation of or moved to the If
United States in the last 25 years; chances are that you have read an IQRA book. Whether you attended weekend school, ISNA conventions or strolled down Devon Avenue, there is no way you could not have heard about bestsellers like Mercy to Mankind, Three Muslim Festivals and Our Prophet. There are many more textbooks and literature about Islam by Muslim Americans now. While we should enjoy the greater variety that we can afford, we should also remember the pioneers who set the ball rolling. The story behind IQRA books is not just pertinent to Chicago Muslims. It is an American story, a Muslim story, a story of love and dedication. At a time when you couldnt Google books and have them with a few clicks, IQRA founders Drs. Abidullah and Tasneema Ghazi, saw the need to develop curriculum for and by American Muslims. Literature written by well-intentioned scholars in South Asia or Egypt, for instance, was not going to gel with the new generation of baseball and pizza-loving children that were growing up in America. For twenty six long years, the IQRA team has consistently taken Islamic education. They didnt remain contented with their laurels, they continued to improve what was good to make it even better. They embraced technology with available online resources while still keeping timeless traditions like storytelling intact. However, like many nonprofit organizations, IQRA has had its share of financial constraints in the past decade with Islamophobia on the rise. Moreover, many think IQRA makes money by selling books. They do not consider the factor of years of research and development that it takes to produce one book. It is not a corporation, nor is it a business. IQRA International Education Foundation is a Waqf, a trust of the community that cannot sustain indefinitely without our support. As parents and as community members, we need to share the responsibility of ensuring that an organization as committed and as valuable as IQRA stays afloat for a very long time. We buy our kids Nike sneakers and Playstation 3 games, but when it comes to books, we think $14. 99 is a lot of money. We need to instil in our children the importance of reading balanced, informative and interesting literature to raise the next generation of readers. We spend time farming virtual soy beans on Facebook and tweeting our itinerary for the day. How much time do we spend sharing enrichment literature with our children? There are several ways you can support IQRA, the simplest being to commit to just $10 a month on a regular basis. I hope most people reading this will think that $10 is too little for such a cause, so dont limit yourself to just $10. Ask your family and friends to chip in the cost of a fraction of an XBOX game, a fraction of dinner at Red Lobster and a fraction of a GAP winter coat. We need to continue watering the plant for which the seeds were planted a quarter of a century ago so that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren also enjoy IQRA books with as much fervour as we have. Dont delay it any further. Starting a good deed in Ramadan will just multiply the barakah (blessings) many, many times. Go to www. iqrafoundation. com and click on the Ansar program to see the many convenient and secure ways to make a tax-deductible payment. Go ahead and do it now, so that the next time you see a dazzling IQRA book cover in the hands of your child or any child- you can smile knowing that you regularly contribute to this cause.

MUSHTAQ UL HAQ AHMAD SIKANDAR

Dr Sir Muhammad Iqbal occupies a special place in the hearts and minds of people of Kashmir. The vale of Kashmir has given birth to numerous legendary personalities and nurtured them in her bosom who later on left their imprint on the course of history, but it is also an irony of fate that only a few of these great souls could leave an imprint while residing, working and contributing in Kashmir, as most of them had left Kashmir since ages and contributed and made a mark outside Kashmir, but in their veins the Kashmiri blood used to run. Two such personalities were Allama Iqbal, the Poet of the East and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India. They both originally hailed from Kashmir and their ancestors had migrated to other provinces of India but they used to take pride in their Kashmiri origin. Allama Iqbal is remembered with love and reverence by Kashmiris as he deeply empathized with their sufferings and raised his voice against their exploitation thus shaking the corridors of power. He was concerned at the pathetic state of Kashmiris, and tried to change it for the better. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was at first revered by Kashmiris when he supported their leader Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah against the rule of Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh, but in the aftermath of partition, Nehru came to be hated in Kashmir due to his hostile political stance against Kashmiris which included caging their leader and a series of betrayals, broken and unfulfilled promises. The book under review isnt a political treatise deliberating the political stance of these two stalwarts viz Kashmir but is a study of the thirty year journey of Iqbal Chair which evolved to the present Iqbal Institute of Culture and Philosophy, a prestigious department of the Kashmir University which is included among the renowned centres of Iqbalian studies in the world. The Iqbal Chair was established in Kashmir University in the year 1977 under the chairmanship of the renowned critic and Urdu literary giant Prof Ale Ahmad Suroor and till date has been progressing with leaps and bounds. Three Directors including Prof Suroor, Prof Muhammad Amin Andrabi and now presently Prof Bashir Ahmad Nehvi have contributed towards making the Iqbal Institute scholarly, academic and vibrant. The author of the book Dr Badruddin Bhat himself a renowned Arabic and Iqbalian scholar was requested by Prof Nehvi to pen down the thirty year long journey of the insti-

tute, and Dr Bhat initiates the book with the Historical background of Kashmir. The life of Allama Iqbal, his visit to Kashmir and role he played in the freedom struggle of Kashmir, are dealt in individual scholarly chapters. Allamas Kashmiri roots are unveiled, the number of times he visited Kashmir is deliberated, the poems which Allama wrote after being inspired by Kashmir are discussed, Allamas tribute to Ghani Kashmiri is taken into account, his role in highlighting the atrocities committed by Dogra soldiers on Kashmiris in the aftermath of 1931 uprising at the Second Round table Conference are deliberated and for this role Allama Iqbal was debarred for life from entering the Vale of Kashmir by the Maharaja. After dealing with the life of Allama particularly his involvement with Kashmir, Dr Bhat forges to measure the progress of the Institute under the chairmanship of Prof Suroor, Prof Andrabi and now Prof Nehvi in separate chapters, which include the number of seminars held, journals published, MPhils and PhDs granted and the books on Iqbalian studies published. The research works undertaken by the Institute are separately discussed in a chapter, and we come to know that till date more than sixty two Mphils and PhDs have been conferred by the Institute on the research scholars of Iqbalian studies, particularly women which is in sharp contrast to other departments where women taking serious academic projects is rare. Iqbal Institute publishes its annual journal Iqbaliyat in which scholarly, academic research papers on Iqbal are contributed by the Iqbalian scholars, till date nineteen issues have been published, besides more than sixty books have been published by the Institute on varied topics related to Iqbalian studies, and Dr Bhat painstakingly reviews all these publications in a separate chapter, and one is amazed that the Institute has left no topic related to Iqbalian studies under the sun untouched. The faculty of the Institute is separately dealt, and their credentials are separately brought to the fore. The last chapter deals with the library of the Institute which we come to know has rich world class material available related to Iqbalian studies. Iqbal Institute of Culture and Philosophy, marks its presence as one of the prestigious departments of the Kashmir University, and the other departments must emulate and take inspiration from the feats achieved by this Institute against heavy odds and prevalent political instability in Kashmir which is an excuse for other departments to justify their being defunct and having low quality of research. Dr Badruddin Bhat deserves our kudos, appreciation and encouragement for penning down the journey in a quite lucid manner. We wish him success in his future endeavours too. The book is a welcome read for all, and the paper and printing quality is good. The book can be read as a scholarly treatise on various facets of Iqbal too, as it doesnt confine itself particularly to the journey of Iqbal Institute only. The reviewer is a writer-activist based in Srinagar, J&K

ABIDULLAH GHAZI

Books from the publishers of this newspaper

ENGLISH
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28 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES

What about a world without Islam - ii

ASGHAR ALI ENGINEER
csss@mtnl.net.in Though Persia had a rich civilization before Islam but once Islam entered Persia it enriched every walk of Persian life. It produced a syncretic culture much richer than it had before. It produced Hafiz and Sadi both from Shiraz. The ghazals (love poetry) of both these poets have survived for centuries and would continue to delight humanity for centuries to come. The ghazal poetry of Persia in post-Islamic era is without parallel in the world. These are just two names among hundreds who made great names for themselves. Also, the world would have been much poorer but for the grandeur of Islamic architecture like Asfahan. It is rightly said that Asfahan nisf jehan i.e. Asfahan is like half the world in grandeur. Its architecture is indeed without parallel. Who can ever forget the glory of Taj Mahal. Lovers of the whole world desire to at least, once come and see this jewel of architecture. This is not all. There are many more architectural wonders around the Islamic world in Central Asia, especially Tashkent, Bukhara and several other places. Muslims also developed the art of calligraphy to perfection and hundreds of thousands of books written are a delight to readers eyes. Also, calligraphy became part of Islamic architecture and several buildings have Quranic verses inscribed from Quran on these buildings which are as beautiful as on paper. It was Islam which even in medieval ages spread the light of knowledge. The Quran calls knowledge light and ignorance darkness. The Prophet (PBUH) said and this which is often quoted by Muslims is that a scholars ink is more sacred than a martyrs blood. The myth of jihad is exposed by this saying of the Prophet. Jihad never means, as popularized by vested interests a fight with weapons but, as its root meaning suggests, to strive for spreading goodness sincerely. And for Sufis the greatest jihad (jihad-i-akbar) is control of ones base instincts, to suppress ones desires, greed, anger and personal ambitions If these base sentiments are suppressed where is the need of fighting with sword? Why one fights with weapons? To realize personal ambitions and that is sin, not jihad. Jihad with weapons could be permitted at best for ones own defence as Quran strictly forbids Muslims from committing aggression as Allah does not love aggressors. If despite all this one commits aggression it can-

Islams contribution to the world civilization is so great that only very petty minded people can reduce it to Osamas misguided actions or it is only to serve ones powerful vested interests. No religion, let alone Islam, can be reduced to mere violence. Had it been so, how millions of people for centuries would follow it? Political ideologies based on violence may be followed in a period of crisis. The best examples are Nazism and Fascism. Such ideologies too are rejected during normal periods. Jihad can never be for revenge, that is for sure. Revenge is borne out of anger and anger and revenge both are mean and lowly sentiments. A perfect human being has no place for such lowly sentiments. Such a person is in full control of himself/herself. One who contributes to civilization is motivated only by higher values and creative instincts and Islam and Muslims have, as shown above, contributed so richly to world civilization. There is no doubt that the world without Islam would have been certainly a poorer place to live in.
not be the responsibility of Islam. If a person distorts the meaning of jihad to realize his personal ambitions no fair-minded person will hold Islamic teachings responsible for that. If someone does, as western media and a section of politicians have been doing, it is not only utter ignorance but also because of their vested interests. A serious scholar would never buy such cheap propaganda. But unfortunately the lay readers and watchers of media do fall victim to it and develop strong prejudices against Islam and Muslims. It is interesting to note here that western media changes its colour according to its interests. In the seventies of the last century when after war the between Egypt and Israel oil became a precious commodity and the West could not do without Arab oil, a month long Islamic festival was organized in London and Islams contribution to world civilization was projected in a very positive light and the media carried hundreds of articles praising Islam and its contribution. However, when Israel emerged stronger than the Arab states which were subdued thanks to unconditional support of USA to Israel, the whole attitude of the US rulers changed and especially so after the collapse of the Soviet Union, they needed another powerful enemy and so they began to project Islam as an evil force as earlier communism was an evil. First they used Osama bin Laden to bring about the collapse of Soviet Union and then targeted Osama to portray Islam as an evil. So it is all a function of ones interest and not any conviction. Now that political conditions are changing fast in West Asia, one has to see how the media portrays Islam. Now it would be difficult for US rulers to get away with supporting a few despots in that region and will have to deal with common peoples representatives. Their unconditional support to Israel may also have to be reviewed. Islams contribution to the world civilization is so great that only very petty minded people can reduce it to Osamas misguided actions or it is only to serve ones powerful vested interests. No religion, let alone Islam, can be reduced to mere violence. Had it been so, how millions of people for centuries would follow it? Political ideologies based on violence may be followed in a period of crisis. The best examples are Nazism and Fascism. Such ideologies too are rejected during normal periods. However, religion is based on spirituality and is meant for inner development. Its eternal basis can only be love and spiritual growth, not violence and destruction. State and violence could go together as state happens to be coercive agency of the ruling classes but religion and violence can never go together. Religion provides succour to discontented souls and helps people overcome their inner crisis. Its very basis is on faith in goodness and higher values and ultimate divine justice. The ultimate aim of religion is to produce what Sufis refer to as Insan-i-Kamil i.e. perfect human being. Muhammad (PBUH) is considered as such a human being and hence he has been referred to as Rahmatun lil Alamin i.e. Mercy for the worlds. It is mercy, compassion, not hatred which leads a person to perfection. The core values of Islam, like other religions, are truth, compassion, justice and wisdom which made it contribute so richly to world civilization. Violence has no place at all in this rich contribution. Violence, hatred and destruction go together. Hitler and Mussolini are embodiments of these characteristics. No great religious personality is as universally respected as Muhammad and others can ever display such characteristics. Osama bin Laden has a destructive personality and all he could ask Muslims was to take revenge from western powers. Islam on the other hand, advises believers to stick to Truth and Patience with wisdom. Quran describes wisdom as khayran kathira i.e. goodness in abundance. Can the two ever match? What politicians do, is always based on worldly interests and what prophets, saints and seers seek to achieve is human welfare and inner contentedness and this can be achieved only through sacrifice and giving to others, not by taking from others. A truly religious person is one who gives to others without any expectation and others are indebted to him not he to others. Jihad can never be for revenge, that is for sure. Revenge is borne out of anger and anger and revenge both are mean and lowly sentiments. A perfect human being has no place for such lowly sentiments. Such a person is in full control of himself/herself. One who contributes to civilization is motivated only by higher values and creative instincts and Islam and Muslims have, as shown above, contributed so richly to world civilization. There is no doubt that the world without Islam would have been certainly a poorer place to live in.

PEARLS OF WISDOM
The Prophet (pbuh) said:
* If you love your Creator, love your fellow-beings first. * The ink of the scholar is more noble than the blood of the martyr. * The most excellent Jihad is that for the conquest of self. * Be in the world like a traveller, or like a passer by, and reckon yourself as of the dead. * This world is a prison for the Believer, but a paradise for unbelievers. * The love of the world is the root of all evil.

Concluded

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30 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

REJOINDERS/OPINION/LETTERS
MG
By this time, I am a bit satisfied with the publications of articles in MG from learned writers and the scholarly chief editor and the editorial team of MG. The content in MG is the treasure of knowledge which helps the Muslims readers to add to their knowledge in particular and other readers in general. The frank, bold, authentic and impartial articles, letters etc. on national and international issues, enlighten and illuminate readers and it serves the readers further as a discovery to most of them. In MG issue no. 8 / 11 the article on, 'Was Qaid-e Azam Jinnah the only founder of Pakistan?' by Mr. S.M. Pasha, is a type of example. Y.R. Pathan (Kathore), Surat,Gujarat II You are indeed doing a great job for projecting and protecting interests of Indian Muslims. It is quite heartening to see you projecting Kashmir grievances too. Besides devoting a full page for Kashmir coverage, the book on missing persons is a great contribution. What we could not do in Kashmir you have done it from a far away place. May Allah Bless you and your team. Rashid Ahmad, Editor, Honour, Srinagar rashid609@gmail.com Welfare Party Pardon me for expressing my own intellectual anguish and astonishment over your highly unwise decision to take an active and leading office-bearing part in the establishment of a really Muslim-dominated but nominally "neutral" political outfit in the Hindi-Hindu hinterland of India's Gangetic Belt, called the "Welfare Party of India". And, it follows from your conduct that the Milli Gazette is bound to serve it, in effect, as the official, or at least the semi-official mouthpiece thereof. I wonder why it never occurred to you to invite the readers and subscribers of MG to express their views for and against the establishment of what you have established, without any such attempt to know what any of them have to say thereon. Given your evident indifference to the readers opinion on the matter concerned, I need not bother you any further thereon, in respect of my "pardonable" expression of anguish and astonishment, in connection with. A.S. Beg Retired Professor of Political Science, AMU, Aligarh Editor: I fail to find any indication that MG has become a mouthpiece of the Welfare Party. The new partys activities have been reported in MG just like any other milli organisation like Jamiat Ulama, Jamaat Islami, Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat etc. I was the president of Mushawarat for two years and am its current working president, but no one can say that I turned MG into a mouthpiece of Mushawarat. It is our duty to report on the good and bad news of the community while affiliation to this or that organisation should remain a matter of ones personal choice and should not be questioned unless a sin or evidently anti-Islamic behaviour is involved. Readers opinion is always valued and published but readers do not have any trusteeship over the paper which is published at great personal sacrifice and financial loss. Who is the Bigger Satan? Who is more condemnable, Osama or the devils who nourished the son of Laden to loot the Arab oil and to massacre Muslims?! Sultan A. Patel, Khanpur Deh 392150 Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat The article by Mr. S.M. Pasha on the birth of the MMM in 1964 says little but quotes at great length from contemporary reports of from Washington Post and the London Times. The account is incomplete without the names of its original members and office bearers and without explaining why the JUH did not formally join the AIMMM. Some idea of the original Dastoor of the Mushawarat should also be given. The text of the final resolution adopted in 1964 does not indicate that the objective was to create a Muslim political party. In fact, when one of the founders, Dr. A.J. Faridi, raised this question, it led to a split and U.P. Muslim Majlis was born. The fact remains that the Mushawarat was originally formed as an organization to provide relief to the victims of communal violence and perhaps the underlying intention was to remove the growing alienation in the community from the ruling Congress Party. Syed Shahabuddin, ex-MP, President, AIMMM syedshahabuddinexmp@gmail.com II The article by Janab S.M.Pasha, on 'The birth of Muslim Majlis e Mushawarat', brought back dark memories of what our community has gone through since Partition. After every riot our leaders have met to discuss how to stop these killings of Muslims. It was so after Jabalpur in 1961, after Jamshedpur in 1964. Yet the intensity of riots have increased. Ahmedabad in 1969 was worse , for it occurred in the period when the great Frontier Gandhi was visiting Gujarat. Sadly the blessings of JP, gave the RSS national acceptance and later power.

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This painful story goes on. The peak was the organised killings in 2002, in which the BJP and the Government machinery colluded to wreak as much damage as they could on the Muslims of Gujarat. Yet by the Grace of Allah we have survived. Our population has increased to over 170 million, from just 40 million in 1947. Muslim literacy rates have gone up, so have our representation in political office. Muslims have turned towards business. Yet we have a long way to go. In the ultimate , the only way to prevent communal killings is a sharp rise in our social and economic levels, combined with a wise use of political power and scientific / technological know how. What we need is an assertive affirmation that we are a part of this country, and as such demand justice for every communal killing, loss and unjust confinement suffered by Muslims. It must be eternal vigilance on the RSS and the likes of Narendra Modi . J.S.Bandukwala, Vadodara,Gujarat drbandukwala@yahoo.co.in III The birth of Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, by SM Pasha, in your issue of 16-31 May, is excellent. Afzal Ali Shah, Lucknow Age of liars! Most of misleaders of today are only spreading lies despite their cries of being truthful to make others fool. As a whole lie cannot be sold. They make a show of being bold. Instead of telling only untruth. They spread half truth. Agents of the devil. Can only extend evil. Long live supporters of truth. Down with advocates of untruth. S.A.U. Patel Khanpur Deh - 392150 Satya Sai Baba I read with intrest the opinion offered by Sanal Edamaruku, who is the President of the Indian Rationalist Association (MG-16-31 May 2011). It is an eye opener for all the people of India and abroad. In the name of God, SAI BABA performed many tricks like a magician and played with the sentiments of belivers... every word of this report by Mr. Sanal is true and believeble, without doubt. In fact, he is not a godman, but a fraud-man. He knows the art of mesmerism and victimised millions of believers.. I congratulate the editor for publishing this mind-opening article. Mohd.Azam, Karimnager, Telangana deomohazam70@gmail.com Mystery of 1947 partition riots Terrible communal riots had broken at the partition time of ancient India when the British rulers left after transferring power to the remaining India and newly created Pakistan. There were then sudden mass migrations involving heart-rending human tragedies. After 64 years now, the attitude of people appears to be altogether different. It tends to indicate that those stories were perhaps politicized. A group of three writers and journalists of Haryana who had gone to Pakistan to visit their ancestral homes have brought very warm accounts of decency and hospitality. The group included 84-years old Prof. Uday Bhan Hans, poet laureate Haryana who recently retired as Principal of Ramjas College, Hissar; 76year old Urdu writer of Ambala, Mr. Mohinder Pratap Chand and 55-year old Mr. S.K. Jain, a Hindi journalist of Hissar. Of them, the spokesman, Mr. M.P. Chand, told us that as the rioters were then roving in various streets, a Sikh neighbour, Sardar Gurmukh Singh, came forward to protect a friendly Muslim neighbour and facilitated him to lie in his sick wifes bed, shielded and protected, in her long blanket. During the present visit, his young son came to them and informed about his fathers death one year ago teaching them a firm advice that this family should always be kind to the Sikhs as their respected uncle Gurmukh Singh saved his life. Mr. M.P. Chand further informed that in 1947 riots, local Muslim (Police sub-Inspector) came to them and assured safe transit. G.D. Chandan, Sector-30, Gurgaon Redefine Terrorism Even after 24 years justice has not been delivered to the victims of Maliana, and 63 PAC men including Commandant of Batallion-42 R.D. Tripathi are still roaming free. The genocide is a documented fact but most shocking is the attitude of Mulayam Singh Yadav who is supposed as Muslim friendly. Yadav granted permission to prosecute only 19 PAC men and promoted 44 PAC men including Commandment Tripathi. None was suspended. This fact has exposed Mulayam Singh Yadavs double face. Jasim Mohammad, Forum for Muslim Studies & Analysis, Aligarh forumformuslimstudies@gmail.com Fake encounters The landmark judgement (death for fake encounter - May 14) by the Supreme Court should be hailed by every citizen of the country. Fake encounters occurred mainly in Gujarat and Maharashtra by the so called encounter specialists and even for that misdeeds they have been rewarded and promoted. According to the Amnesty international there are nearly 1224 fake encounters in India between 1993 and 2008, and by these encounters 2560 deaths are reported. But by the intervention of the Supreme Court, several cases of the Gujarat and Maharashtra Courts have been reopened and retried. Finally it proved that most of the encounters are fake. The custodial death of Khwaja Yunus and the alleged fake encounters (of Lakhan Bhaiya, Ishrat Jahan, Sohrabuddin, his wife Kauser Bi and witness Tulsiram Prajapati by encounter specialists and their teams are just some examples of human rights abuse by the police. After Supreme Courts verdict for fake encounters which is cold-blooded, brutal murders by people who are supposed to uphold the law. The guilty Policemen must be hanged without any further delay. So by taking a lesson, the Policemen should perform their duties well according to the law and norms of the land, and should not even think about killing any innocent life in the name of encounter. Atiq Khan, Mumbra atiqkhalil@gmail.com Femala foeticide a national epidemic Female foeticide is not the disease it is the symptom. The disease is faithlessness .which leads to materialism. In Arab this was the prac-

tice that all female children were buried alive after the delivery. The Arabs thought it expensive to nourish the female child till the time of her marriage therefore they used to bury her. There were no scientific advancement to determine the sex of the child in mothers womb. Therefore they had to wait till the delivery of the child. Mohammad (PBUH) the prophet of Islam propagated the message of Islam effectively .The Arabs accepted the Islamic faith en block and left all the sinful habits and also left the killing of female child even now Muslims are away form this inhuman practice. Muslims think that they are answerable before Allah. .The faith of accountability was so deeply affixed in the hearts Muslims never think of female foeticide .Now in India we are suffering the same epidemic that of Arabs .To eliminate this epidemic Islam is the only remedy. .No other treatment will be successful, Apart from this epidemic there are number of other serious maladies our Indian society such as atrocities on women are increasing day by day .No other religion is competent to curb all such epidemics Our Hindu brother leaving the prejudice should try to study Islam and the code of life which it presents .lest the women folk will vanish from the country Dr Maqdoomi, Gulbarga drmaqdoomi@yahoo.com Urdu and Indian Muslims With reference to the articles 'Urdu in India: victim of Hindu nationalism and Muslim separatism--'1&2'(1-15&16-30 April,2011) by Syed Shahabuddin, Hindi-Urdu controversy is meaningless for today's Indian Muslims. Bread-and-butter issue is of prime importance for them. Indian Muslims, the most marginalized, the most ghettoized and the worst victims of genocide, persecution and discrimination, are struggling alone to get rid of the vicious circle of abject poverty and illiteracy. They do not know who Mirza Ghalib was and who Prof. Shaharyar is. The so-called Urdu Tahzeeb is confined to elite Muslim homes. They should go ahead with any language---Hindi, English or Malayalam, which can fetch them good jobs and help them tide over the economic crisis. Moreover, Urdu has neither the potential of becoming a Pan-Islamic language nor it is associated with our faith, Islam. We would think about the fate of Urdu after our hunger is satiated. Globally, if Muslims from different parts of the world were to participate in The Holy War, they would not be able to even communicate with one another in the battle field in the absence of a lingua franca. What to talk of winning the war. Arabic, the language of divine communication, has the potential of becoming the lingua franca of the entire Muslim world. Maharjuddin, Mawana, Meerut meraj_100@yahoo.com Just 3 percent Muslims qualified UPSC Of the 920 candidates who cleared the 2010 Civil Services examination, the number of Muslims on the list is 31 or just 3 percent of the total number of candidates. In comparison, the community constitutes 13percent of the countrys population. [News item in the DNA of 15 May, 2011] The DNA reporter has mentioned the percentage of the successful Muslims in IAS examination [just 3%] with their percentage in the population of India [13%] implying that this is highly disproportionate and hence unjust to Muslims. The report is quick in mentioning how scheduled castes and scheduled tribes groups succeed in proportion to their percentage in the population; Indian Muslims who are 13percent of Indian population come up with only 3 percent among the successful candidates. The report fails to state the percentage of Muslims among the candidates who actually appeared in the examination. Therefore it is impossible to determine if the 3 percent successful Muslims is a good figure or bad. From what Qasam Imam of Burhani college states it seems that not sufficient Muslim candidates actually took the examination. Qasam, in fact, tries to explain that there is not awareness among Muslim youth about these examinations and there is a lack of understanding about the importance of the IAS and IPS services. The cabinet secretary Saifullah hints at certain favouritism which may be going against Muslim candidates. It is better for Muslims to rid themselves of this victim mentality and as the former Principal of the Anjuman-i-Islams Akbar Peerbhoy college Sam Hashmi suggests that Muslim candidates should be helped in overcoming their shortcomings. Better results will follow. Dr Mookhi Amir Ali, Mumbai drmookhi@hotmail.com Minorities of India Christopher Jaffrelot a Paris-based sociologist has rightly observed that India is becoming an ethnic democracy where minorities are regarded as second class citizens. As I understand, on paper constitutionally India is a Secular, Sovereign Republic. Nevertheless, the fact is different; Indian Government is working on the agenda of Saffron Forces, and unable to take action on RSS & Co or Sangh Parivar. Indian secular image is merely a phobia Muslims and minorities; it is good, just to show international community that we are secular; we are taking care of Minorities. In fact, Indian public as well as public servants are communally biased. Partition of India into several parts in 1947 is the biggest example of communal theory. Because Vallabh Patel who was the biggest supporter of Hindu Mahasabha and RSS wanted, first Prime Minister would be a Hindu rather than a Muslim. Other hardliners and Hindu groups supported that theory. It looks that Muslims have no contribution for independence of India. Principally British took charge from Mughals who were Muslims; they should handover the charge of the country to Muslims only. But Patel was adamant to his theory and issue cannot resolve amicably and India bifurcated into several parts. That communal theory got strength in the year 1984 of Sikh massacre, 1992 Babri Masjid demolition followed by countrywide communal violence and genocide of Muslims, 2002 Gujarat Muslim genocide, and 2008 Kandhmal Orissa Christian massacre. Minorities are not safe in India. For what we are claiming a secular nation. India must consider Muslims as equal citizens and not as second-class citizens as they do now and give them all benefits at par with Hindus. Zuber Ahmed Khan, Mumbai 410210 contact.z@rediffmail.com Mamatas victory in West Bengal Mamata Banerjee deserves praise for steering her party to a landslide

Syed Shahabuddins reaction on Yugal Shastri formula

My dear Shastriji, I have seen your article in the Milli Gazette on An Amicable Settlement of the Ayodhya Dispute. Just before the Demolition in 1992, I had gone to Kanchipeetham for an audience with then alive Paramacharaya. I proposed to him that the disputed site be divided along a north-south line separating the inner courtyard, which was an extension of the main hall of the Masjid, and the outer courtyard in which the Ram Chabutra stood. I suggested that the door which was opened in 1986 should be closed and the walls razed, to separate them. The Hindu community should take as much land as it needs likes outside the Masjid to build the Ram Mandir with Ram Chabutra as the base. The Paramacharaya asked me many questions and he appeared to be in agreement with my approach. He blessed me when I left and even asked me to visit the historic Masjid close to his Math before I left the town. However, the proposal was not acceptable to the VHP and it managed to kill it with the help of the present Shankaracharaya Jayendra Saraswati. I still believe that this is the only practicable solution. This is more or less in line with your suggestion for amicable solution at Sr. No. 2. With kind regards, etc Syed Shahabuddin, ex-MP President, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, (AIMMM ) New Delhi. - syedshahabuddinexmp@gmail.com

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The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011 31

REJOINDERS/OPINION/LETTERS
victory in West Bengal. But, there is a superfluous hype by the corporate media describing the Lefts poll debacle as an end to the socialist policies. Had the Left not given good governance, the people of West Bengal would not have voted it to power for a record 7 times. The Left Front rule has literally revolved a full political circle and it would have been impossible for any political party to withstand antiincumbency after 34 years. It is good that the Left has got a break to do a serious introspection over its mistakes and serve the state as a responsible opposition party. Especially the Left parties should understand that the Muslims who traditionally voted them for years have switched away their loyalty. Though the implementation of Ranganath Misra Commission recommendations was a welcome stepit was perceived by the community as too little and too late. Syed Sultan Mohiddin, Kadapa (A.P) sultan_awaz@yahoo.co.in Muslim personal laws The Indian Express in its editorial has advised the Indian government to codify Muslim personal laws. Before giving such advice to the government our journalists should have the basic knowledge of Islamic Laws. The history and their impact on the Indian society. The present moral conditions of the Indian society are worst. Before raising up the old issue which was dealt in detail by the Islamic scholars the learned editor has neglected and with out knowing the present stand of Ulamas tried to pen down the editorial and thinking it a service to the nation and Muslim community. The motives behind the move seem unhealthy and a bias to the Islamic laws is perceived. Presently thousands of Hindu brides are burnt alive for dowry. Only in Delhi every year 900 brides are burnt alive. Previously, there was no concept of divorce in Hindus. But Muslims are practicing since last 1400 years. Instead the Hindus were practicing Sati thousands of widows were burnt alive in the pyre of died husbands. In Muslims regime the cruel and criminal practice was stopped.The ladies could not get their share in the property of deceased father and husband Muslims are giving the share of ladies since the advent of Islam. The sister is able to get the share half of her brother and the widow1/8th of the property of her deceased husband. Any lawyer or knowledgeable person knows better the supremacy of the Islamic Laws. Earning of livelihood is the obligation of husband not the wife. She can remain in the house peacefully along with her young ones and take care of the house hold obligations. Islam has protected the family system Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism are not capable to curb materialism it has superseded their faith Dr AH Maqdoomi, Gulbarga drmaqdoomi@yahoo.com Minority coaching programme UPA government has announced free coaching programme for minority students under PMs new 15-point programme. It appears that minority especially Muslims are tired of PMs old 15-point programme and that is why new 15-point programme has been launched. Any coaching programme and institute displays its successful candidate in competitive exams but govt. minority coaching programme never published the successful candidates. Before Bihar assembly election, Bihar minority department launched minority coaching for Bihar police selection but how many minority got success and how much amount spent? These all are secrets? Rahmani-30, Hamdard Coaching, the coaching programme organised by Zakat Foundation etc. are best to watch and join. S. Haque, Patna Kashmir an economic issue This is in response to Army statement that Kashmir is an economic issue. Breaking all the promises again I am going to retort and retort inconsiderate of consequences. I can bear anything but cannot digest the statements, of so called intellectuals which are misleading and illogical. I was surprised to see the statement of General Officer Commanding Kilo Force, Maj Gen Ravi Thogde that appeared in local daily Rising Kashmir. There are many questions which are haunting my mind. Are Military officials so careless that they dont think before they speak? Are they unaware about the facts and figures? Dont they know nature of Kashmir dispute? Are they so ignorant that they dont know for what terms and terminology stands for? Or is it just to befool the public? That statement is not only far away from reality but contrary to international conventions which do consider Kashmir a political issue. If I remember correctly General Hasnain in very recent past advocated for political solution of the Kashmir issue. The statement of General Officer Commanding Kilo Force, Maj Gen Ravi Thogde has not only put Gen Hasnain upside down but depicts in co-ordination among army. His statement is not contradictory to other officials of army but to activities of army also which army does carry in Kashmir. Had Kashmir been an economic issues we would have not seen more than 7 lakh armed forces present in valley. In very polite way may I dare to ask, Maj Gen Ravi Thogde, what these 7 lakh armed forces are doing in Kashmir? Do they help Kashmiris in exploring economic resources? Or are they ruining the resources of the valley? If Kashmir is an economic issue why you and your forces need draconian laws like AFSPA? Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, New Delhi-25 fayaznk@gmail.com Hike in petrol price That the hike on petrol price has come just a day after the poll results, speaks volumes about the hypocrisy of the Congress-led UPA government. The economist Prime Minister has failed to understand that petrol is the prime transport fuel of the common man and any hike on its price will have cascading effect on other essential commodities. Assuming that petrol price hike was inevitable owing to its link to the international marketwhy cant the Union government reduce the burden on the common man by cutting central taxes on the product and advice the state governments also to follow the suit? Syed Sultan Mohiddin,Kadapa (A.P) sultan_awaz@yahoo.co.in Death due to starvation It is a shame that the Supreme Court of India, in response of a Public Interest Litigation, has to remind Manmohan Singh government that

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there are people dying of starvation in the country and they need governments urgent attention. The apex court has also expressed its anxiety over the likelihood of starvation deaths in as many as 150 districts of India out of 650. In other words in one fourth of India people will continue to die out of hunger unless more food is rushed to them. This is a disgraceful show of an act of omission on part of the government who is all out to make India an economic powerhouse. Like this PIL by the Peoples Union of Civil Liberty [PUCL] some more PILs are needed to show other sins of omission by the government of India. Our health care does not match that of China or even Bangladesh. While China spends 2% of their GDP on health we spend only 1%. Indians die of preventable ailments. Every third child in India does not get immunized with DPT, the basic triple vaccine against Diphtheria, Pertussis [whooping cough] and Tetanus, while Bangladesh immunizes 94% of their new-borns with this essential vaccine. This poor country is much ahead of India in a number of United Nations Human Development Index criteria. Life expectancy is higher in Bangladesh. Infant mortality rate and the mortality rate of children under the age of 5 is lower. Bangladeshis have succeeded in curtailing their fertility rate much better than Indians. Dr Mookhi Amir Ali, Santacruz West, Mumbai 400054 drmookhi@hotmail.com Jayalalita victory in Tamil Nadu The absolute majority the AIADMK headed by Ms. J. Jayalalithaa has received in the assembly elections to form a government of its own is mainly due to the 2G spectrum corruption charges against Mr. Raja and others and the mindset of the people to change the government from one Dravidian party to another after every term. This time it was the turn of the AIADMK to receive the support. Moreover the AIADMK is considered as a lesser evil in comparison with the DMK. The landslide victory the AIADMK has received is in the interest of not only this party but also Tamil Nadu and its people. There is no doubt that the change of the government will be smooth and bring progress and prosperity to the people of Tamil Nadu. The new government should also give importance to law and order, eradication of corruption, industrial development, improvement of educational institutions, minority rights etc. It should also make amendments in the samacheer syllabus and give opportunity to linguistic minorities to study their mother tongue which the DMK usurped from them. V.M. Khaleelur Rahman, Ambur, TN vmk1234@yahoo.com Human Right Commission, Karnataka Karnataka police caught Abdur Rahman and put him behind bar. J.C. Nagar police station caught innocent Abdur Rahman and beat him black and blue and forced him to say that he fell down from stair otherwise even more danger he would face. But Abdur Rahman wife approached Karnataka Human Right Commissions inspector general Muhammad Wazir Ahmad. Muhammad Wazir Ahmad visited the lock up of J.C. Nagar police station and whole police story exposed and released innocent Abdurrahman. All praise to I.G. Muhammad Wazir Ahmad and Human Right Commission of Karnataka. Minority Commission of other states must learn some lesson from it. S. Haque, Patna Bringing Mumbai attackers to justice I am unable to make out whether this is good or bad for India. The first question arises whether India being a super power of the sub continent is unable or incapable to bring the perpetrators to justice. Pakistan is not stronger than India. In such a condition India should not rely on US to nab the culprits. Pakistan had good friendship with China and even US had intimacy with Pakistan. In such circumstances will the US fulfil its promise done to India? The sympathy shown to India is genuine or just hoodwinking? The Americans know pretty well the enmity of India with Pakistan. It can conveniently misguide India with false promise. America is reeling under recession and badly needs monetary help from India. It will try to sell India some costly logistical weapons to sympathize India as per the need of the hour. Before giving the date of operation it will try to complete the deal and get some billions of dollars as the remuneration of the operation. Dr AH Maqdoomi,Gulbarga drmaqdoomi@yahoo.com Who knows Hinduism? Only Allah knows what Hinduism is. What we observe is that Hinduism is a mentality of obtaining material benefit in any way, either by crushing the ruled under feet or licking the rulers feet; by looting every honour of the ruled or submitting all self-respect to the ruler. They say God is one but worship everything under the sun including stars, trees, stones, humans, animals and insects. Everything giving benefit is their god and so also whoever and whatever that can harm is their deity. They say God is pure, sinless and colourless, formless. But they also believe that multi-colour gods and goddesses can indulge in every kind and have made their belief permanent by carving it on the walls of many big temples. Sultan A. Patel, Khanpur Deh 392150 Attack on Bhatta Parsaul farmer is condemnable The brutal crack down of farmers agitation by the Mayawati government at Bhatta-Parsaul is highly condemnable. But it is obvious, with assembly elections in U.P just a year away, the Congress and BJP are vying with one another to be seen as the supporters of farmers. These are the parties which were at the centre when farmers were committing suicides owing to neo-liberal policies. And strangely enough, the UPA government has recently introduced PFRDA bill in the parliament with the support of BJP. What prevented the two main political parties to collectively push the pending bill of 2007 which proposed amendment to the colonial Land Acquisition Bill of 1894-which is the root cause to the current crisis in Uttar Pradesh? Syed Sultan Mohiddin, Kadapa, AP sultan_awaz@yahoo.co.in IPL-4 is that interesting? As the IPL-4 reaches the playoff phase, the question remains still unanswered as to what extent it satisfy the basic idea of helping to establish the careers of younger Indian cricketing hopefuls. Is the IPL

still act on focusing on nurturing the local talents or has moved into a format of opting more foreign players? Ironically, the answer is still perplexing. The idea of clubbing commerce with sports seems to have spoiled the game. The IPL should not become a tournament for the foreign players or the big Indian stars or mere money making machine; rather it should remain the perfect ground for the young talents wherein they are being identified, nurtured and groomed by the best ones in the world of cricket. The governing body of the Indian T20 league should stick on with the four foreign players format so that more of our youngsters get their chance to exhibit their cricketing skills. Mohd Ziyaullah Khan, Nagpur 440013 writeziya@gmail.com Is Clash of civilization real? The British killing the Zionist terrorist (Abraham Stern) in 1942 was not the end of his grouprather the birth of Israel. Hamas did not die when the Israeli air force killed Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the paralyzed founder, ideologue and symbol of Hamas. As a martyr he was far more effective than as a living leader. His martyrdom attracted many new fighters to the cause. A real or imaginary enemy is a pre-requisite to keep the American Empire building to go on. There has to be a worldwide enemy, a sinister advocate of a new philosophy such as AlQaeda. Such were the Nazis and Imperial Japan, Communism and Catholic Religion in Latin America but they did not last long. The disappearance of the Communist threat left a huge gap which was filled conveniently by Osama Bin Laden who offered his services in 1979 to fight against the Russian infidels in Afghanistan. After all Bin Laden and the US helped each other. The 9/11 terrorist act produced many changes in the American way of life by providing a new global enemy. Overnight, medieval anti-Islamic prejudices are dusted-off for display. Soldiers, spies and Special Forces spread across the globe to fight terrorism. Bin Laden was everywhere. The war against terrorism is an apocalyptic struggle with Satan. The US military machine grows by leaps and bounds. Power-hungry intellectuals keep talking about the Clash of Civilizations and sell their stories for handsome royalties. Orientalists and the so called experts like Bernard Lewis throw all Islamic groups into the same simmering pot the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Ayatollahs in Iran, Hizbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Palestine, Indonesian separatists, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and elsewhere, whoever. All become al-Qaeda, despite the fact that each has a totally different agenda, focused on its own country. Kodimirpal (via email) Money spent on Osama After 1.3 trillion dollars expenditures, killing of thousands of people in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and near a decade search US finally got its target in Abbotabad in Pakistan. After killing of Bin Laden popularity of US president increased dramatically in United States. US president personally monitored Abbotabad operation with his senior advisers including secretary of state Hillary Clinton. After successful operation Obama said that now after death of Bin Laden world is safer place than before. Despite claim of US president ground realties are very different. US authorities made same claims after death of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and death of Baitullah Mehsood in Pakistan but condition are still going bad to worst in these countries and instead of peace and economic stability deaths, destructions and worst economic conditions have become routine in these countries. Now true reality is that Abbotabad operation and killing of Bin Laden can boost falling graph of US President Obama after worst economic conditions, unemployment in USA and huge war expenditures in US occupied countries but cant change ground realties in present world especially in US occupied countries. US illegal operations on Pakistani soil and announcement of sea burial of Bin Laden add further fuel on anger of the Muslim world. Al Azhar Egypt openly criticized US decision as inhuman. Sentiments are already high in Muslim world after killing of Gaddafi son in Libya by NATO bombing. Several western embassies and UNO office already attacked. After death of Bin Laden war of words are going on between US and Pakistani authorities. Khawaja Umer Farooq, Jeddah 21472 ofarooq@emailsrvc.com Enemy identification Perhaps Pakistan is the blindest country which fails to identify the bigger enemy, which is America, the founder of terrorism in the world. S. Akhtar, Khanpur Deh 392150 History's greatest terrorists Afghanistan is very rich in respect of minerals, gold etc. Greedy colonial countries have been invading Afghanistan in the past. Brave Afghans had always defeated and thrown them out. In 1980 Soviet Union had invaded and occupied Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden, Taliban etc with the help of American dollars and arms, had driven out the second super power from Afghanistan. After that Society Union had waging a war against the American imperialists. When Osama Bin Laden etc. were fighting with the soviets, fighting with American and NATO imperialists. Since last 10 years America and NATO have been staging dance of death and destruction in Afghanistan. Their air and land attacks have killed and wounded lakhs of innocent men, women and children. Thousands of invaders have also been killed. History bears testimony to the fact that America had killed and wounded millions of people in China, Philippine, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Vietnam, Indonesia, Columbia, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan etc. Beware of American imperialists my countrymen. G. Hasnain Kaif, Bhandara (M.S.) Advice Sachin a great cricketer was deeply grieved upon the sad demise of saint Shri Satya Sai Baba, as he has been his disciple and having hearty faith in late saint. As per report, Tasleema a writer from Bangladesh has advised Sachin not to be grief stricken for the saint. Such comment is unwanted and amounting to hurt, ones religious feelings especially when it is concerned with Indian people, where the constitution is embodied with secularism. The writer of any status must refrain from giving such statement, if at allthe statement is authentic. Y.R. Pathan, Kathor-Gujarat

32 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 June 2011

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Farooque Ahmed Manipuri Muslims: Historical Perspectives 615-2000 CE 192 pp, PB Ordering details on page 27 of this issue About the Book Manipurs little-known Muslim communities have a long and rich history, dating from the time of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). In this exhaustive historical account, Farooque Ahmed traces the arrival of Islam in the region in 615 CE through the Prophets companion Sad ibn abi Waqqas, an uncle of the Prophet, who also was instrumental in spreading Islam in China. Around the same time, an Arab Muslim family settled in the Manipur region and over the centuries Muslim traders, settlers and preachers helped the nascent community expand, flourish and thrive. These waves of migrations and local conversions coalesced into a unique identity of Pangal Musalman reflecting the egalitarian and congregational ideals of Islam. About the Author Farooque Ahmed was born in 1975 in Manipur state in north-east India, did his initial schooling at Imphal and higher studies from Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia (B.A.), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), (M. A. & M. Phil), is currently a Senior Researcher at the Manipur University and a Project Director with the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), New Delhi. His main area of interest is Historical and Inter-disciplinary research, writing and publication. He was involved in some major Seminars of State and National levels at the Manipur University. He is also a keen traveler

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