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New online magazine launched to “combat extremism”

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Haqiqah

by 5Pillars

A new online magazine has been launched with the aim of “reclaiming the internet” from extremists, the BBC reports.

Haqiqah has been created by British Muslim scholars who say they want to do more to educate young people about the reality of extremist movements.

They say it is a direct response to the threat of radicalisation from groups such as Islamic State. ISIS supporters have widely used social media to spread their message.

More than 100 imams gathered in London for the launch of the magazine, which has been started by the website Imams Online.

As yet it is unclear if the initiative is government-funded or not.

“Someone has to reclaim that territory from ISIS, and that can only be imams: religious leaders who guide and nourish their community,” according to Qari Asim, senior editor at imamsonline.com.

“But now that we live in a digital mobile world, some young people are not coming to the mosque so we must reach out to them – and this is the Muslims’ contribution to combat radicalisation on the net,” he said.

“We’re turning the tide,” says Shaukat Warraich, the chief editor of Imamsonline.com.

“Though we still have a way to go, we know that by taking efforts to support and mobilise the huge online Muslim population, we will eventually drown out the violent voices.”

He said that the speed and volume of communications by IS has taken everyone by surprise, with more than 100,000 pieces of information, tweets and Facebook posts coming out of Syria and Iraq every day.

Warraich said that imams had to move from the real world to have a greater presence online, where young Muslims go for much of their information.

The summit was attended by imams, including Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, president of the Forum for Promoting Peace, and Hamza Yusuf, a leading US imam and co-founder of California-based Zaytuna College.

The organisers say it brought together every group within Islam, from Deobandi, Sufi, Sunni, Shia and cultural groups, and included Somalis, Arabs, Pakistanis and converts to Islam from many nations.

Survivors, families of 1987 massacre seek justice

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Hashimpura Massacre

New Delhi: Survivors and families of the 42 Muslim men massacred in 1987 at Hashimpura in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday voiced anguish after a court freed all the accused, calling it a “massacre of justice”.

On March 21, a Delhi court acquitted 16 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel of the charges of murder, attempt to murder and more over lack of evidence.

“This decision is like a massacre of justice. We are against such a verdict where all the accused are acquitted after 28 years. We cannot accept it and will move the higher court for justice,” said Zulfiqar Nasir, one of the five men who miraculously survived the massacre.

Nasir and others spoke at a panel discussion on “Justice for Hashimpura” where they expressed unhappiness over the judgement and narrated their anguish.

“As many as 42 people never returned. They were killed by the PAC and thrown into the canal. My brother Kamaruddien, who was 21 then, was among the 42,” said an emotional Riyajuddin.

Narrating his tale of woe, Nasir, who still lives in Hashimpura locality in Meerut, recalled how lucky he was to survive.

“I was in Class 10 then and at home when the army ordered us to open the doors. They then went to the rooftop and rounded up people on the roads,” he said.

“After that they shortlisted the healthy and young men from among women, children and the elderly. We were then handed over to the PAC.”

The PAC took them in a truck to a canal at Muradnagar.

“They shot a man, Yasin, and threw him into the canal. They did this to everyone in the truck. I was lucky to survive even after a gunshot hit me below my right armpit,” he said.

Nasir managed to reach a ‘dhaba’ and got help.

Another survivor, Babudeen, said they suffered for no fault of theirs and still justice had been denied to them.

“We want justice. How can a court let the criminals go scot free citing lack of evidence? People were killed… Evidence is there but it has been overlooked,” added a tearful Mohammad Naeem, another survivor.

The victims’ lawyer, Vrinda Grover, said: “At each stage a fair, rigorous and impartial investigation was systematically thwarted. The material pieces of evidence were either not collected or destroyed.”

According to Rajinder Sachar, the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties conducted an inquiry but the government didn’t take it seriously.

“The report was submitted to then Uttar Pradesh chief minister but it was not acknowledged,” said Sachar, adding the victims should appeal to the higher court for justice.

“Human right violation has certainly taken place. The victims and their family members should be given compensation,” he added.

(Agencies)

Pursue Hashimpura massacre case in higher court: CPI-M

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Hashimpura massacre

New Delhi: The CPI-M on Monday said the acquittal of all the 16 accused in the massacre of 42 Muslims at Hashimpura in Uttar Pradesh in 1987 should be pursued in the higher court.

“The acquittal by a Delhi court of all the 16 accused in the Hashimpura (Meerut) massacre has angered those who had wanted to see that justice is done in this police atrocity,” it said in a statement.

“The acquittal due to insufficient evidence highlights the callous manner in which the prosecution of those guilty for communal killings are being conducted,” the Communist Party of India-Marxist said.

The party demanded that the verdict be appealed and the case “strongly pursued” in the higher court.

Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel rounded up the 42 Muslims from Hashimpura locality in Meerut on May 22, 1987 during Hindu-Muslim riots, shot them dead and dumped their bodies in water canals.

This triggered a long legal battle in courts. On Saturday, a lower court in Delhi acquitted all the surviving accused for lack of evidence.

(IANS)

Will oppose anti-minority decisions: Muslim panel

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The-All-India-Muslim-Personal-Law-Board

Jaipur: Claiming Muslims were “feeling insecure and uncomfortable”, the c on Sunday it has decided to up a “Defend Constitutional Rights Committee” to fight “anti-minority decisions” taken by the central and certain state governments.

Addressing a press conference here after a two-day convention of the board here, the panel’s secretary Abdul Rahim Quresh said: “Muslims are feeling insecure and uncomfortable as there have been growing incidence of hate speeches by VHP and RSS leaders in the recent past.”

All the members attending the convention were of the opinion that in the last few months, efforts are being made to vitiate communal environment with issues like ‘ghar wapsi’ and venomous statements against Muslims which “is making both the communities feel insecure”.

He attacked the Rajasthan government’s decision to introduce compulsory ‘surya namaskar in schools.

“Through the Defend Constitutional Rights Committee. we shall run a campaign all over the country to build confidence among Muslims,” he said, adding it will be set up soon.

There was some drama at the event when Zafar Sareshwala, a confidante of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, turned up to participate but had to leave as various participants objected saying he was not a member and shouted slogans against him, said sources.

(IANS)

Delhi Court acquits 16 cops in 1987 Hashimpura Massacre of over 40 Muslims

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Hashimpura Massacre

New Delhi: More than a quarter century after the brutal massacre of 42 Muslims in Hashimpura area of Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh, 16 accused policemen of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were acquitted by a Delhi court today.

The Hashimpura massacre took place on 22 May 1987, during the Hindu-Muslim riots in Meerut. Some personnel of the PAC allegedly rounded up 42 Muslims from the Hashimpura locality, took them in a truck to the outskirts, near Murad Nagar in Ghaziabad district and shot them dead. Their bodies were dumped in water canals.

Sixteen policemen were acquitted by a court here on Saturday of the charges of murder and other crimes in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case in which 42 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut city.

Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Jindal acquitted 16 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel of the charges dealing with murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy.

Suresh Chand Sharma, Niranjan Lal, Kamal Singh, Rambir Singh, Sami Ullah, Mahesh Prasad, Jaipal Singh, Ram Dhayam, Sarwan Kumar, Leela Dhar, Hambir Singh, Kunwar Pazal Singh, Budha Singh, Budhi Singh, Mokham Singh and Basant Vallabh were facing trial in the case.

The court said all the accused are acquitted of all charges framed against them by giving them the benefit of doubt for want of sufficient evidence regarding their identity.

The court said although the accused persons have been acquitted in this case, it felt the victims and affected families should be rehabilitated.

A recommendation was made to the District Legal Service Authority to award compensation to victims, the court said.

There were 19 accused in the case. However, three of them died during the trial.

The killings had allegedly occurred during riots in Meerut city when the victims were picked up from the Hashimpura Mohalla of the city by personnel of the 41st Battalion of the PAC during a search operation.

The charge sheet in the case was filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Ghaziabad in 1996. The case was transferred to Delhi in September 2002 on the order of the Supreme Court following a petition by the families of the massacre victims and survivors.

A sessions court here in July 2006 framed charges of murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy against all the accused.

Timeline of 1987 Hashimpura massacre case

Sixteen policemen were acquitted by a court here on Saturday in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case in which 42 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut city. Here is the timeline of the case:

May 1987: 42 people killed in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

1996: Chargesheet filed before Chief Judicial Magistrate Ghaziabad.

September 2002: Case transferred to Delhi on the order of the Supreme Court following a petition by the families of the massacre victims and survivors.

July 2006: Court framed charges of murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy against all the accused.

January 21, 2015: Court reserved verdict in the case.

(With inputs from IANS)

 

Documenting hate and communal violence under the Modi regime

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Photos: Gufran Khan

Photos: Gufran Khan

by John Dayal

The rape of a 70 year old Nun in West Bengal in an attack on a convent and school in February 2015 sent shock waves throughout India, and the world. “Protect not just Cows, but human beings also,” said Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference. At least 43 deaths in over 600 cases of violence, 149 targeting Christians and the rest Muslims, have taken place in 2014 in India till March this year, marking 300 days of the National Development Alliance government of Mr. Narendra Modi. The number of dead is other than the 108 killed in Assam in attacks by armed tribal political groups on Muslims. Desecration and destruction of churches, assault on pastors, illegal police detention of church workers, and denial of Constitutional rights of Freedom of Faith aggravate the coercion and terror unleashed in campaigns of Ghar Wapsi and cries of Love Jihad. Since May 2014, there has been a marked shift in public discourse. There has been a relentless foregrounding of communal identities, a ceaseless attempt to create a divide between ‘us’ and ‘them’. The BJP leaders guaranteed to abuse, ridicule and threaten minorities. Hate statements by Union and state ministers, threats by Members of Parliament, state politicians, and cadres in saffron caps or Khaki shorts resonate through the landscape. But most cases go unreported, unrecorded by police.

The Prime Minister refuses to reprimand his Cabinet colleagues, restrain the members of his party members or silence the Sangh Parivar which claims to have propelled him to power in New Delhi. Mr. Modi calls for a ten-year moratorium on communal and caste violence. His government soon declares Christmas to be a “Good Governance Day” in honour of the BJP leader and former Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee. There are fears at a severe whittling down of the 15 Point Programme for Minorities, a lifeline for many severely economic backward communities, and specially their youth seeking higher education and professional training. Anyway, Mr. Modi’s “assurance” to religious minorities is challenged and countered by Mr. Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the powerful Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, who asserts, repeatedly, that every Indian is a Hindu, and minorities will have to learn their place in
the country.Speaking at the 50th Anniversary of foundation of its religious wing, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Mr. Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS Sarsanghchalak bluntly stated that “Hindutva is the identity of India and it has the capacity to swallow other identities. We just need to restore those capacities.” In Cuttack, he asserted that India is a Hindu state and “citizens of Hindustan should be known as Hindus”. Sadhvi Prachi, a central minister, Members of Parliament Sakshi Maharaj and Adityanath are among those urging measures to check Muslims, including encouraging Hindu women to have from four to ten children each. In Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and other states, the terror, physical violence and social ostracizing of Dalit and Tribal Christians, in particular, continues.

The 300 days have also seen an assault on democratic structures, the education and knowledge system, Human Rights organizations and Rights Defenders and coercive action using the Intelligence Bureau and the systems if the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act and the Passport laws to crack down on NGOs working in areas of empowerment of the marginalized sections of society, including Dalits, Tribals, Fishermen and women, and issues of environment, climate, forests, land and water rights. This report is focused on issues of communally targeted violence and the politics of hate and divisiveness that emanates from a thesis of religious nationalism.

PDF - 1.6 Mb300 DAYS Documenting Hate and Communal Violence under the Modi Regime
(With inputs from Kiren Shaheen, Liris Thomas, Mansi Sharma, Shabnam Hashmi, Shahnaz Husain, Tehmina Arora, and Vijayesh Lal)

US envoy: Almost every CAR mosque destroyed in war

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US ambassador to UN Samantha Power calls devastation in Central African Republic “kind of crazy, chilling” after visit.

Nearly one million of Central African Republic's 4.5 million residents have been displaced [Getty]

Nearly one million of Central African Republic’s 4.5 million residents have been displaced [Getty]

by Al Jazeera

Almost all of the 436 mosques in the Central African Republic have been destroyed by months of vicious fighting between Christians and Muslims, the US ambassador to the United Nations said.

Samantha Power spoke to reporters on Tuesday after a Security Council visit last week to the country, calling the devastation “kind of crazy, chilling”.

She expressed concern about an upcoming possible security vacuum as European Union and French forces pull out and a UN peacekeeping force is still not at full strength.

At least 5,000 people have been killed since Central African Republic exploded into unprecedented violence in December 2013.

Nearly one million of the country’s 4.5 million residents have been displaced. Many of those who have fled are Muslim.

Power said 417 of the country’s mosques have been destroyed. She visited the one remaining Muslim neighbourhood in the capital, Bangui, and described the residents as “a terrified population”.

Some Muslim women, afraid of leaving the community while wearing their veils, are choosing to give birth in their homes instead of hospitals, the ambassador said.

UN peacekeepers, French forces and a European Union military operation have tried to calm the violence.

But Power said the last of the EU force of about 750 troops left the Central African Republic over the weekend, shortly after the Security Council visit.

“That’s a big drop-off in capability,” she said. Meanwhile, the French forces have announced a “substantial drawdown” by the end of this year. France had sent 2,000 troops to its former colony.

The UN peacekeeping force remains at about 80 percent of its planned strength of about 10,000, Power said.

The UN secretary-general last month asked for more than 1,000 additional peacekeepers, and Power said the council is “very favorably disposed” to the request.

She said the combined forces have “averted a worst-case scenario,” but the country’s roving armed groups remain armed.

The ambassador called that a deep cause for concern and said disarmament is a “huge priority”.

What BJP did to hurt Muslims in Maharashtra

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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.

Muslims-in-India

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

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

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

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K-CHANDRASEKHAR-RAO

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)

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