Indian Muslims

What BJP did to hurt Muslims in Maharashtra

March 10, 2015 by Nasheman

The state decided not to convert the ordinance, allowing five per cent reservation in government jobs and education for Muslim backward classes, into a law.

by Sanjay Nirupam

The Maharashtra government’s decision not to convert the ordinance passed by the previous Congress government, allowing five per cent reservation in government jobs and education for Muslim backward classes, into a law can best be described as obnoxious. The ordinance was promulgated towards the fag end of the previous government. The BJP-Shiv Sena government has allowed it to lapse.

Contrary to popular perception, the reservation was not for all Muslims in the state. It was meant only for the backward classes practising Islam. If backward classes in the Hindu religion can claim reservation, what is wrong if the same logic is applied to other religions?

It was not a political decision by the Congress government to offer such reservation just before the elections. The decision was taken after a fact-finding committee, on the lines of the Sachar Committee, submitted its report to the state government. The committee worked for almost eight years and after exhaustive consultations and discussion, it submitted a report on the plight of the most backward communities among Muslims. The government simply acted on the recommendations of the committee. Many have questioned why the government chose the ordinance way and promulgated it on the eve of elections. The fact remains that the study took several years and the government was running out of time.

The Indian Constitution doesn’t allow reservation on the basis of religion and the previous Maharashtra government did not violate the provisions of the Constitution. The five per cent quota was offered on the basis of caste, not on the basis of religion. The same ordinance also offered 16 per cent reservation for Marathas. Within days of it being promulgated, it was challenged in Mumbai High Court. The court rejected the Maratha reservation but upheld quota for Muslim backward classes. Interestingly, the BJP-Shiv Sena government went against that High court order and continued with reservation for Marathas.

The new government of Maharashtra has expressed helplessness saying that the ordinance died a natural death. But it is the responsibility of the government to re-enact an ordinance or convert it into a law. It was a deliberate failure on the part of the government. However, this is expected of the BJP which believes in communal and vindictive politics. The decision was taken only to hurt Muslims.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect our official policy or position. This article first appeared on DailyO.in.

After beef ban, Maharashtra government scraps quota for Muslims

March 5, 2015 by Nasheman

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis with PM Narendra Modi. Photo: PTI

Mumbai: Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government in Maharashtra has scrapped an ordinance providing reservation for Muslims, despite the Bombay High Court allowing quota for the community in educational institutions.

“An ordinance to this effect (providing a five per cent job quota) lapsed on December 23 last year,” a Maharashtra government resolution said.

“Considering this fact, the concerned government resolution issued on July 24 last year is being scrapped,” the government resolution said. In June last year, Maharashtra’s earlier Congress-NCP government had approved a 16 per cent reservation for Marathas and a five per cent for Muslims just ahead of the October 15 Assembly polls, after the Congress was routed in the general elections.

The quota was given through two separate categories,namely the Educationally and Socially Backward Category (ESBC) for Marathas as well as a Special Backward Class (Muslims) segment for the Muslims.

On November 14, 2014, the Bombay High Court had stayed implementation of the decision of the erstwhile Congress-NCP government to provide 16 per cent reservations for Marathas in jobs and education, which was announced just ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls.

The court had also stayed the Maharashtra state’s decision to provide a five per cent job reservation to Muslims in government service, but it allowed quotas for them in educational institutions. The Maharashtra state government had challenged the Bombay High Court order in the Supreme Court, which refused to interfere with the interim decision of the High Court but asked the Maharashtra state government to go back to the Bombay High Court on the issue.

On January 5, this year, the Bombay High Court gave three weeks to the Maharashtra state government to file an affidavit submitting data to justify its decision to provide reservations to Marathas and Muslims in jobs as well as educational institutions.

Earlier, the Bombay High Court had said that the Supreme Court had already laid down the law for reservation as per which it cannot exceed 50 per cent of the total seats. In fact, 52 per cent of seats in government jobs and educational institutions are already reserved for targeted groups.

However, in the run up to the Maharashtra Assembly poll,the erstwhile Congress-NCP government had raised reservations to 73 per cent by announcing a 16 per cent quota for Marathas and a five per cent quota for Muslims.

(Agencies)

Telangana government forms panel to provide quota for Muslims

March 4, 2015 by Nasheman

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has constituted a Commission of Inquiry to prepare a comprehensive report on social, educational and economic status of Muslims in the state and give its recommendation on providing reservation to needy members of the community.

The panel has been asked to recommend steps to remove impediments in improvement of the overall social, educational and economic conditions of the Muslim community and to provide reservation in education and employment to the deserving poor among them, wherever necessary.

As per the terms of reference, the committee, chaired by retired IAS officer G Sudhir, would collate data, conduct intensive study/survey to report on the income and educational levels and percentage of Muslims in employment in government/ quasi government/private sector, according to a government order. The panel, which has been asked to submit report within six months, would also report on literacy rate, health indicators, availability of government welfare infrastructure and institutional mechanism in Muslim-dominated areas.

Meanwhile, the government has also constituted a Commission of Inquiry to study and prepare a comprehensive report on the relative increase in population of scheduled tribes in the state and their social and economic backwardness. This panel has also been tasked to examine the representations of ‘Valmiki Boya’ and ‘Khaithi Lambada’ communities for their inclusion in ST category. Chaired by retired IAS officer S Chellappa, the committee would report within six months on the social, educational and economic conditions of STs, their income, educational levels and health indicators.

(PTI)

For special treatment, go to Pakistan: Shiv Sena tells Muslims

March 3, 2015 by Nasheman

Mumbai: “If the Muslim community in India want any special treatment as Muslims, they should go to Pakistan,” the Shiv Sena warned here Tuesday.

“If they (Muslims) want anything from this country, they must first accept India as their motherland and proclaim ‘Vande Mataram’. They cannot demand freedom and yet continue to cling to their religion,” the party said in a sharp edit in ‘Saamana’ on Tuesday.

The edit was said to be in reaction to All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s speech in Nagpur March 1, where among other things, he demanded reservations for the Muslim community on the lines of Marathas in Maharashtra.

Taking umbrage at Owaisi’s tone and tenor, the Shiv Sena reiterated its stance that reservations policy must be based on social criteria and not religious lines.

“The poorest of poor Muslim should be given reservation, not because he is a Muslim, but because he is a citizen of India,” the party declared.

It urged all people – especially Muslims and Hindus – to accept this philosophy, which could eradicate politics of vote-banks and reservations, and help the country’s progress.

“Now, Owaisi is insisting that since reservations have been given to Marathas, even Muslims must be granted the same. It was exactly such a stubborn attitude of anti-Hindu hardliner Muslims which resulted in the partition of India and they had created Pakistan,” the Sena said.

But, not anymore, the Sena warned.

Listing the requirements, ‘Saamana’ said Muslims must accept the uniform civil code, embrace family planning and give up the demand for Article 370 pertaining to the special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Blasting Owaisi, it said the day when such leaders stop brainwashing the Muslims with their hate politics, it would spell a new era for the country.

“Owaisi claims that Muslims have suffered a lot in India. Has he bothered to calculate how much Hindus have suffered with the Muslim fundamentalism, terror activities, bomb blasts and communal riots,” it pointed out.

Demanding that such a speech by Owaisi should be treated as ‘anti-national’, the Sena demanded an investigation to ascertain whether he has taken a ‘contract’ to create communal disturbances in Maharashtra, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis must take action in the matter.

Indian-American Muslims demand justice for Gujarat victims on 13th anniversary

February 26, 2015 by Nasheman

by Kaleem Kawaja

On the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the massacre of over one-thousand Muslims in Gujarat on February 27, 2002, the Washington DC based Indian-American Muslim NGO, Association of Indian Muslims of America (AIMA) has issued an appeal to India’s President and Prime Minister to help expedite criminal cases against the culprits responsible for the massacre.

AIMA reminded the two top political heads of the Indian government that 13 long years after the well organized brutal attack by some sectarian organizations on a large number of innocent Muslim men, women and children in Ahmedabad and other cities in central Gujarat, only very few of the hundreds of culprits have been sentenced to jail. The Gujarat state government legal authorities are continuing to delay criminal proceedings in courts of law against the many culprits despite clear instructions by the Supreme Court of India.

In the years since the violence, in several instances the Gujarat state government legal authorities have destroyed critical evidence against the culprits, who in various instances were ministers, senior police officials and officials of the Gujarat government. The enquiries conducted by the enquiry commissions appointed by Gujarat government were a sham and committed many irregularities.

Several reputed Indian and International human rights organizations including the United Nations Human Rights body have made categorical statements asking the Indian government and courts to speed up the cases against the culprits. Yet the courts in Gujarat state are either dropping the cases claiming that there is not sufficient evidence, or are causing extreme delays.

Speaking on behalf of the many families of the victims of the February 2002 Gujarat massacre, AIMA also made an appeal to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India to take steps to correct the malafides and corruption in the lower level justice system in Gujarat that is continuing to prevent bringing the many culprits to justice in the above sectarian violence.

Kaleem Kawaja is the Executive Director of Association of Indian Muslims of America.

Muslim clerics pose six questions to RSS

February 17, 2015 by Nasheman

Kanpur: A delegation of Muslim clerics led by the Sunni Ulema Council’s General Secretary met RSS functionary Indresh and posed six questions to the Sangh including whether it has prepared a format to turn India into a Hindu ‘rashtra’, which he claimed left the saffron outfit irritated.

The Muslim delegation claimed that Indresh refused to answer their questions and instead said that a conference of Muslim organisations should be called where he would give the answers.

“We had a meeting with senior RSS functionary Indreshji last night during which we asked six questions, but he did not have any answer,” Sunni Ulema Council General Secretary Haji Mohammed Salees told PTI today.

He alleged that Indreshji, who is pracharak and looks after minority affairs in the organisation, got “irritated” with the questions.

“Our first question was whether RSS considers India a Hindu country. The second one was whether RSS has prepared a format to turn India into a Hindu ‘rashtra’. The third one was whether this Hindu ‘rashtra’ will be according to Hindu religious texts or RSS has chalked out a new philosophy,” he said.

Salees said, “The fourth question was what they want on religious conversion. The fifth one was what type of ‘rashtra prem’ (patriotism) RSS wants from Muslims. The sixth one was how RSS views Islam,” he said.

He said that these were the six questions which Indreshji “failed” to answer.

“They (RSS) did not have any format. They are shouting about ‘Hindu rashtra’ only on the basis of propaganda,” he alleged.

Salees feared that if Hindu Rashtra was built on Hindu texts, Dalits could once again not be allowed to enter temples.

“We asked whether a new philosophy has been chalked out by RSS. If a new philosophy has been chalked out that means Hindu religion is not religious culture. In that case, anyone can convert,” he said.

Salees said when the Constitution provides freedom of religion, why is the RSS afraid of bringing a bill.

“We are not afraid. If any Muslim does not like Islam and wants to leave, he can go. We don’t have any law to keep anyone Muslim by compulsion,” he said.

Salees said as far as love for the country was concerned their ancestors rejected Jinnah and Pakistan.

“In 1947, when the concept of two countries was decided, our ancestors rejected Jinnah and Pakistan and accepted Gandhiji as our leader, India as our country and expressed faith in the Constitution,” he said.

“What do they want from the Muslims? They should sing Vande Matram and bow before the picture of Bharat Mata, which they have visualized? We won’t accept it. It is against Islam,” he said.

“The ultimate result of the 90-minute meeting was they (RSS) asked us to call a ‘sammelan’ of Muslims and they will reply (to our posers),” Salees said.

“I said that when you cannot answer these questions in a room, then how will you do so in a conference. We then asked as to why should we call a conference,” he said.

Salees said there was restlessness among Muslims over these issues and “I came to take reply to these questions being raised in our community.”

“I believe whatever be our religion, we should be honest towards the Constitution. Religion is our personal thing. It is not an issue of the nation. We don’t even support the statements of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi.

“Those flaring communal passion are not loyal to the country. The country will run on the principles of Gandhiji, it will not run on the statements of Owaisi or Sangh,” he added.

Meanwhile, a city cleric, who skipped a meeting between Indresh and a delegation of Muslim leaders last night, said there “was no point” in meeting a representative and that he would only meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to highlight issues pertaining to their community.

“Salees had called me for the meeting but I have already met Indresh before and there was no point in meeting him again. I will respond to the request of a meeting only if Bhagwat will call us,” city cleric Alam Raja Noori told PTI.

“If we had met Bhagwat, we would have put forth our issues with their agenda of a Hindu nation. Talking with Indresh about our concerns will not affect organisation’s perspective,” he said.

The cleric further said he was out of town when the meeting took place but even if he were here he wouldn’t have met Indresh.

Meanwhile, Salees said Noori’s name was not included in the list of members who were to meet the RSS functionary and was only added later.

Elaborating on the meeting, Salees said, on being questioned by Indresh on their alleged silence over remarks by AIMIM Asaduddin Owaisi, the delegation told him that Owaisi does not represent the views of the community.

Equating him with the likes of BJP MPs Sakshi Maharaj and Sadhvi Nirajan Jyoti, Salees said, “Owaisi is “just a Member of Parliament”.

(PTI)

Bukhari's new diktat to Muslims: Vote for AAP in Delhi. Party rejects support

February 6, 2015 by Nasheman

A file photo of Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Imam of the Jama Masjid.

New Delhi: With less than a day left for Delhi to go to polls, Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari of Jama Masjid has asked Muslims to support the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party in the Delhi Assembly elections.

He appealed Muslims to vote for AAP candidates and help in forming a secular government in Delhi.

AAP however, has rejected Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari’s support for the Delhi polls. AAP says, “We don’t agree with his ideology, people of all religions support us.”

The imam catapults himself in the news during each election by offering support to parties which are either in power or who have popular support.

In 2004, Bukhari had launched a surrogate campaign for the then BJP leader and PM A B Vajpayee. During the Lok Sabha polls, AICC president Sonia Gandhi met Bukhari, triggering a political row. The religious leader then announced his support to the Congress, the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar.

Hindu widow saved 10 Muslims in Bihar riots

January 21, 2015 by Nasheman

Four people were killed in the riots that broke out in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur.

Azizpur: A Hindu woman who saved lives of 10 Muslims in this village in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district during the recent clashes in which five people died is being hailed as a hero, officials said.

Shail Devi, a frail widow in her early 50s, risking her own life, gave shelter to her Muslim neighbours when a mob of more than 5,000 people attacked Azizpur Bahilwara village after a 20-year-old Hindu boy’s body was found Sunday.

He was allegedly abducted and killed over his love affair with a Muslim girl.

“I provided shelter to my Muslim neighbours to save their lives because the mob could have killed them,” Shail said Wednesday morning.

Shail, a poor woman fighting for her survival like many others in this village, told IANS that she along with her two daughters stood guard outside her house when a mob was targeting Muslims in the village. She told them that it was a house of a ‘Mallah’ (fisherman).

“I lied to rioters that I had not given shelter to Muslims in my house. Though some people tried to enter my house but I stopped them and they returned,” she said.

Shail, widow of late Jaglal Sahni, has become a household name in the village and neighbouring villages for her rare example of communal harmony.

“She has proved again that humanity is still alive, we are proud of her,” Arvind Kumar, a villager, said.

Ash Mohammad, a man in his 60s, who was one of the ten Muslims whose lives were saved by Shail, told IANS that she is like ‘farishta’ (angel) to them.

“Shail was like god-sent angel to us…,” Mohammad said.

Mohammad admitted that all of them could have been killed if Shail had not given shelter to them.

A day after she saved lives of her Muslim neighbours, some Hindu villagers warned her that she may be targeted by some people of the mob for doing it, Shail said.

“I was so frightened that I along with my two daughters and a son Monday took shelter in Mohammad’s house but after district administration persuaded, I returned to my home,” she said.

Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who visited the village Wednesday, met Shail. He lauded her role and compared her with legendary Rani Lakshmibai.

Manjhi also announced a cash reward of Rs.51,000 for her.

“She is an example of communal harmony. People should take lesson from her and she would inspire others to follow her,” Manjhi praised her.

Manjhi also announced assistance of Rs.20,000 each to her two unmarried daughters under a welfare scheme.

Earlier, Bihar Information Technology Minister Shahid Ali Khan also praised Shail for saving the lives of her Muslim neighbours.

“I promised her help by the state government, and a reward for her soon,” said Khan, who visited the village Tuesday.

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered Monday against 2,000 unidentified people and 12 named accused who were part of the mob that attacked the villagers from a particular community, the official added.

Police have already arrested 14 people in this connection.

Additional Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey submitted an inquiry report on the incident Tuesday to the state government.

Soon after the incident, Manjhi asked Pandey and state Home Secretary Sudhir Kumar to conduct a probe and report to him.

The BJP Tuesday demanded a judicial probe into the killing of four people and arson in a village that later turned into a communal clash in Bihar.

(IANS)

3 burned to death in Hindu-Muslim clash in Muzaffarpur, Bihar

January 19, 2015 by Nasheman

Representational image: Photo: Rahi Gaikwad, The Hindu

Patna: At least three Muslim villagers were burned to death Sunday when their thatched huts were set on fire during a clash between Hindu and Muslim groups in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, a government official said.

Atul Prasad, a Bihar state administrator, said the violence erupted after the body of a young Hindu boy was found in Sarayian village more than a week after he went missing.

Prasad said Hindu fishermen blamed Muslims for killing the boy who was friendly with a Muslim girl from the village, 105 kilometers (65 miles) north of Patna, the capital of Bihar state.

The charred bodies of three Muslims were found in the burned huts in the poor community, he said.

Police arrested eight Hindu men, and Prasad said the situation remains tense but under control in the village.

As many as 400 policemen, including 40 police officers, were camping in the village to monitor the law and order situation which was tense, but under control, the SSP said. Kumar had gone missing from the village on January 9.

(With inputs from AP)

At Home in India highlights role of Muslims in modern India

January 5, 2015 by Nasheman

Salman Khurshid. Photo: Priyanka Parashar/Mint

by K Natwar Singh

Even his critics concede that is difficult to dislike Salman Khurshid. I would go along with that assessment. His pedigree is impeccable. His grandfather, Dr Zakir Hussain; father, Khurshid Alam Khan, MP, Minister of State, Governor of Goa and Karnataka. Salman himself has not done badly, ending up as an External Affairs Minister. A secular Muslim liberal, he is endowed with an effervescent personality. An intellectual, who often strikes the right note. This embarrassment of riches can become a peril unless one is also level headed.

I have read this absorbing book with great interest. Also with disquiet. Islam is passing through a difficult time. The Peshawar killings tore into the psyche of Muslims. The Taliban discredit a great religion and get away with it. The terrible Sunni-Shia differences are responsible for the bloodletting in Iraq. I could go on, but that would give no comfort.

The author has addressed devilishly complex issues with candour and clarity. The disturbing upheavals in the Aligarh Muslim University (some decades ago, the hot heads all but killed the Vice-Chancellor, Ali Yavar Jung) and the Jamia Milia Islamia from where they hounded historian Mushirul Hassan mishandling the Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, the never ending arguments over the Uniform Civil Code, and much else.

The author raises fundamental issues such as Islam and modernity. He maintains that even after ten centuries, Muslims are not getting a fair deal. This could be disputed because a majority of the community has to jettison its inferiority complex and ghetto mentality. In this book, Salman Khurshid tackles this hot potato head-on. “The theme of helplessness, poverty and insecurity is writ large upon the leaderless community. And by their nature, the Muslims cannot do without a leader…… the complete leadership vacuum, is a very serious matter.” The last great Indian Muslim leader was Dr. Zakir Hussain. He died on 3rd May 1969. We do not see the likes of Maulana Azad, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Sheikh Abdullah, Humayun or Kabir.

At Home in India: The Muslim Saga/ Salman Khurshid/ Hay House India 426, PP392

Strangely, the author writes about a “very promising new leadership in Karnataka, Delhi, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. What are their names? Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, Mohsina Kidwai, Saifuddin, Farooq Abdullah are all in their late sixties and early seventies. All very worthy and immensely likeable individuals, but their best is behind them. Even Mufti sahib is not young!

Salman Khurshid has no time for the Baigs, the Shahbuddins, Arif Khans, MJ Akbars, Arun Shouries, the Mullahs and the Maulvis. He does refer to the positive role played by the Deobandis in the freedom movement though.

One area in which Muslims are the heroes is Bollywood. The three (or is it four?) Khans have won the hearts of hundreds of millions of their compatriots. That is secularism for you.

The melancholy fact is that after a thousand years, no genuine assimilation between Hindus and Muslims has occurred. How many Hindus marry Muslim girls? How many Muslims marry Hindu girls? How many Hindus have read the Koran? How many Muslims have read the Gita? Not one in a million.

Salman Khurshid quotes a few lines MA Jinnah’s August 11, 1947 speech at the Constitutional Assembly of Pakistan, Karachi, but not from the memorable and brilliant speech of Maulana Azad at the AICC (All India Congress Committee) session at Ramgarh in 1940.

Here is a gem from the speech: “I feel proud that I am an Indian. I am a part of the indivisible united nationality of India. I am an important element in this united nationality. Without me, the temple of its greatness remains incomplete. I am an essential factor in the structure, a calm which I can under no circumstances abandon.”

This timely book needs to be read by all those who wish to keep India a secular democracy.

K Natwar Singh is a senior politician and former union minister. He is the author of One Life is Not Enough (2014). This book review originally appeared in Hindustan Times.