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THE MILLI GAZETTE
www.milligazette.com
ISSN 0972-3366
Fort ni ght l y
Rs 10 Vol. 13 No. 13 Issue Serial # 299 1-15 July 2012 24 pages
Inside MG
SHAHNAWAZ ALAM, & RAJIV YADAV
Lucknow: People from across Uttar Pradesh,
who assembled here on 20 June at the Peoples
Court organized by U.P. PUCL on the issue of
intelligence agencies and terrorism, expressed
their views and bitter experience. People who
were harassed and tortured in the name of terror
narrated their experience as to how women and
children have been mentally tortured or suffer
from mental trauma. Apart from this representa-
tives and activists of human rights organizations
discussed the issue in detail.
Shaukat Ali of Pratapgarh narrated his side of
the story. He said that from 15 August 2008 the
ATS and other intelligence agencies are continu-
ously trying to frame him. Intelligence agencies
are trying to fabricate evidence against him.
Shaukat spoke about the letter he received in the
name of Lashkare-e-Toiba wherein it was written
that he has been made area commander of
Lashkar. I informed the DM and SP about this
fake letter and asked them to enquire about it but
so far no inquiry has been made. Instead, people
from the ATS threatened me as to why I reported
this letter to the district administration, said
Shaukat adding that he apprehends that ATS and
intelligence agencies may frame him on false
charges in the days to come.
Mohammad Shadab alias Mr Bhai from
Azamgarh, one of whose sons (Dr Shahnawaz) is
missing and another (Sajid) is in jail, said that
both ATS and intelligence agencies framed his
sons. ATS and intelligence agencies have
claimed that his son got arms training abroad but
the fact is that they never went abroad, he
stressed. For so many years I have been asking
the government to probe the claims made by
these intelligence agencies but so far nothing has
happened. Intelligence agencies are creating
trouble for me in one way or the other and the
whole of Azamgarh has been named as
Atankgarh [terror town], he said.
Zainab, wife of Basheer, started crying, while
narrating the story of her husband who
was picked up recently from
Bangermau as a terrorist linked to
Indian Mujahiddin. She said that her
husband was in hospital at the time of
the blast for which he was arrested.
She herself was pregnant at the time
but she lost her child due to miscar-
riage as a result of torture by intelli-
gence agencies. How can she accept
that her husband is facing terror
charges when he was by her side in
hospital at that point of time. Ishaq,
brother-in-law of Basheer, said that his
brother Shakeel was also picked up on
false terror charges. These agencies in the
name of investigation are harassing me too, men-
tally and physically, he said.
Anwar, brother of Kausar, narrated how his
brother who lived in Kunda Pratapgarh was held
by STF on 9 February 2008 and lodged in
Lucknow jail. They asked for Rs one lakh as bribe
to let him off but when he failed to pay the bribe,
his brother was sent to jail.
Saima, sister of Farhan, who lived in
Lucknow and was sentenced for life term on weak
evidence, said that they claimed that his brother
was to leave shortly for Pakistan to get training
there. She said that one day STF people in plain-
clothes, without informing them, picked up her
brother. Later on when LIU [local intelligence unit]
came to our house, we came to know that he has
been picked up by the STF. She said that her fam-
ily was fighting a case based on an unknown
crime.
Speakers, who had come from various
places, questioned the very existence of Indian
Mujahideen. They said it is a creation of the intel-
ligence agencies and on its pretext innocent
Muslim youth are being arrested on false and fab-
ricated terror charges. Activists demanded a
white paper on Indian Mujaheedin by the gov-
ernment because at times the government said
that Indian Mujaheedin is an organisation of SIMI,
at others it claimed that it is linked to Lashkar or
ISI. SR Darapuri (IPS retd), a former inspector
general of Police and vice president of PUCL,
said that the way intelligence agency operate
shows that it is not answerable to the government
but to Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Prof. Rooprekha Verma, former vice chancel-
lor of Lucknow University, said that the intelli-
gence agencies are engaged in projecting a bad
image of the Muslims for quite long and this gets
further magnified through the media.
Advocate Shoaib raised the issue of torture
and harassment of innocent Muslims in jails.
Another activist, Tahira Hasan, asked the people
to protest against the communal mindset of our
intelligence agencies.
President of Shramjiwi Journalist Union,
Siddarth Kalhans, criticised the role of the media
by saying that the media without verifying the
police version rushes to publish news. As a result,
over the years the credibility of the fourth pillar of
our democracy has suffered.
IBs communal mindset exposed
S
haukat Ali of Shrinathpur
village in Pratapgarh dis-
trict is a vagabond these
days. Fearing arrest by U.P. ATS
any time, he is roaming around,
changing his address frequently.
Shaukat has been at the
receiving end of the ATS for
the last four years. Ateacher at
a primary school at Rampur
Karmian in Pratapgarh district
for the last 17 years, he came
on the U.P. ATS radar because
a person called Aamir Mahfooz, arrested in
August 2008 on charges of dealing in fake
currency, allegedly named him as a supplier.
Ever since men in plainclothes started visit-
ing him at home and school asking awkward
questions, telling him to meet them at vari-
ous places but he was never arrested all this
while. ATS people asked his principal about
his economic condition and he told them that
Shaukat commutes daily from his far-away
village riding a bicycle and this shows his
economic condition.
Recently, Shaukat received a letter by
post which announced that he has been
appointed as the "area commander of LeT"
and that he should start working in right
earnest. The letter was written at Allahabad
in Urdu but was posted in Barabanki.
Shaukat at once informed the District
Magistrate and the Police head of his area.
Thereafter, he informed Hemant Bhushan,
an ATS officer who was dealing with him.
Bhushan got angry and ordered him to give
any such information to him only and not to
the district or police authorities.
Shaukat wrote a letter to the chief minister
of U. P. on 15 June telling him that Hemant
Bhushan first contacted him last February and
asked him about one "Talha Abdali". Shaukat
told Bhushan that he had met this person
(Abdali) once at a function and that he does not
know much about him beyond his assumption
that he belongs to Pratapgarh or Barabanki but
Bhushan corrected him that Abdali belongs to
Sitapur. Now Shaukat was
required to somehow find
this "Abdali" and was fre-
quently asked to meet ATS
people at Allahabad and
Lucknow. It was during this
ordeal that Shaukat received
the above-mentioned letter
by post. Bhushan took it
away on the pretext of get-
ting it examined.
On 12 May this year,
ATS officers told Shaukat
that they have visited Talha Abdali's home in
Raniganj and that Abdali has been arrested.
They also enquired about a number of
alleged "LeT operatives" including Riyaz
Bhatkal. They took Shaukat 's photograph
through their mobile phones and enquired
about his family members. They parted
company saying that if need be he will be
called to the ATS office in Lucknow. Ever
since, fearing arrest, Shaukat is not staying
at a fixed address.
Shaukat's original sin is that he was a
member of SIMI. Shortly after its ban in
2001, he was questioned but let off. His
problems started in 2008 when every few
days police and ATS people started visiting
him at home and school.
Shaukat has now contacted Muhammad
Shoaib, a Lucknow-based advocate who is
famous for fighting such cases. Says
Advocate Shoaib, "After the ban on SIMI, its
offices in various places like Indore and
Lucknow were raided by Police and
Intelligence people. They recovered lists of
SIMI members during those raids. The
Intelligence agencies are slowly working on
these lists. No one knows when and which
name of an old SIMI member will crop up
and he will be whisked away to an unknown
destination as a "terrorist" and a few days
later will be sent to jail as a member of
Lashkar or Indian Mujahidin or Hizbul
Mujahidin."
ZAFARUL-ISLAM KHAN
AU REVOIR, MEHDI HASSAN...13 MASHRIQI: FORGOTTEN HERO..21
ATS trying to implicate poor teacher
MG/Yusuf
Shaukat Ali
Had we joined BJP,
we would be bigger
leaders than Modi...
ISSUES / OPINION
2 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
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HABIB SIDDIQUI
I
t is difficult to untangle this historical mess without scrutinizing
the accusations against Aurangzeb rationally. Fortunately, in
recent years quite a few Hindu historians have come out in
the open disputing those allegations.
In a polarized world that we live in and which is getting ever
more polarized by every passing day, we have often assumed
that what is good for "our" people had to be bad for "other" peo-
ple. A glaring example is the personality of Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb, who ruled India for 50 years.
Of all the Muslim rulers who ruled vast territories of India from
712 to 1857 CE, probably no one generates as much controver-
sy as Aurangzeb. He has been hailed as many things, from a
"Saintly or Pauper Emperor" to one who "tried hard to convert
Hindus into Muslims."
Depending on ones religious rearing, one will favour one
view over the other. For example, most Hindus castigate
Aurangzeb as a religious bigot who was anti-Hindu, who taxed
them unjustly, who tried to convert them, who discriminated
against them, did not appoint them in high administrative posi-
tions, who interfered in their religious matters. On the other hand,
Muslims consider him to be one of the best rulers who was a
pious, scholarly, saintly, unbiased, liberal, magnanimous, toler-
ant, competent and far-sighted. To prove the view of the former
group, a close scrutiny of the Government -approved text books
in schools and colleges in post-partition India is sufficient.[1]
The second group depends mostly on pre-colonial (and some
pre-partition) history, land-grant deeds and other available
records. It is difficult to untangle this historical mess without scru-
tinizing the accusations against Aurangzeb rationally. Fortunately,
in recent years quite a few Hindu historians have come out in the
open disputing those allegations. For example, historian Babu
Nagendranath Banerjee [2] rejected the accusation of forced con-
version of Hindus by Muslim rulers by stating that if that was their
intention then in India today there would not be nearly four times
as many Hindus compared to Muslims, despite the fact that
Muslims had ruled for nearly a thousand years.
Banerjee challenged the Hindu hypothesis that Aurangzeb
was anti- Hindu by reasoning that if the latter were truly guilty of
such bigotry, how could he appoint a Hindu as his military com-
mander-in-chief? Surely, he could have afforded to appoint a
competent Muslim general in that position. Banerjee further stat-
ed: "No one should accuse Aurangzeb of being communal-mind-
ed. In his administration, the state policy was formulated by
Hindus. Two Hindus held the highest position in the State
Treasury. Some prejudiced Muslims even questioned the merit of
his decisions to appoint non-Muslims to such high offices. The
Emperor refuted that by stating that he had been following the
dictates of the Shariah (Islamic Law) which demands appointing
right persons in right positions."
During Aurangzebs long reign of 50 years, many Hindus,
notably Jaswant Singh, Raja Rajrup, Kabir Singh, Arghanath
Singh, Prem Dev Singh, Dilip Roy, and Rasik Lal Crory, held very
high administrative positions. Two of the highest ranked generals in
Aurangzebs administration, Jaswant Singh and Jaya Singh, were
Hindus. Other notable Hindu generals who commanded a garrison
of two to five thousand soldiers were Raja Vim Singh of Udaypur,
Indra Singh, Achalaji and Arjuji. One wonders if Aurangzeb was
hostile to Hindus, why would he position all these Hindus in high
positions of authority, especially, in the military, who could have
mutinied against him and removed him from his throne?
Most Hindus like Akbar over Aurangzeb for his multi-ethnic
court where Hindus were favoured. Historian Shri Sharma states
that while Emperor Akbar had 14 Hindu Mansabdars (high offi-
cials) in his court, Aurangzeb actually had 148 Hindu high officials
in his court (Ref: Mughal Government). But this fact is somewhat
less known. It does not require much intelligence to understand
the difference between 14 and 148. But when truth is hostage to
bigotry, facts are substituted for fiction. 148 may appear to be
smaller than 14 to disingenuous historians, and that is an unfor-
tunate reality we face.
Some of the Hindu historians have accused Aurangzeb of
demolishing Hindu temples. How factual is this accusation
against a man who has been known to be a saintly man, a strict
adherent of Islam? The Quran prohibits any Muslim to impose
his will on a non-Muslim by stating that "There is no compulsion
in religion." (Quran: Surah al-Baqarah). The Surah al-Kafiroon
(The Rejecters) clearly states: "To you is your religion and to me
is mine." It would be totally unbecoming of a learned scholar of
Islam of his stature, as Aurangzeb was known to be, to do things
which are contrary to the dictates of the Quran.
Interestingly, the 1946 edition of history textbook, Etihash
Parichaya (Introduction to History), used in Bengal and published
by the Hindustan Press, 10 Ramesh Dutta Street, Calcutta, for
the 5th and 6th graders states: "If Aurangzeb had the intention of
demolishing temples to make way for mosques, there would not
have been a single temple standing erect in India. On the con-
trary, Aurangzeb donated huge estates for use as temple sites
and support thereof in Benares, Kashmir and elsewhere. The offi-
cial documentations for these land grants are still extant."
A stone inscription in the historic Balaji or Vishnu Temple,
located north of Chitrakut Balaghat, still shows that it was com-
missioned by the Emperor himself. The proof of Aurangzebs land
grant for famous Hindu religious sites in Kashi (Varanasi) can
easily be verified from the deed records extant at those sites. The
same textbook reads: "During the 50-year reign of Aurangzeb,
not a single Hindu was forced to embrace Islam. He did not inter-
fere with any Hindu religious activities." (p. 138)
Alexander Hamilton, a British historian, toured India towards
the end of Aurangzebs 50-year reign and observed that every-
one was free to serve and worship God in his own way.
These references clearly show that accusations of forced
conversion and religious intolerance are false. It is also evident
that since the independence of India in 1947, there has been an
overt attempt by revisionist, bigoted Hindu historians in India to
malign the Muslim history.
Now let us deal with Aurangzebs imposition of Jizya tax
which had drawn severe criticism from many Hindu historians. It
is true that Jizya was lifted during the reign of Akbar and Jahangir
and that Aurangzeb later reinstated it.
Before I delve into the subject of Aurangzebs Jizya tax, or
taxing the non-Muslims, it is worthwhile to note that Jizya is noth-
ing more than a war exemption tax which was collected only from
able-bodied non-Muslim young male citizens who did not want to
volunteer for the defence of the country. There was no Jizya if
they volunteered to fight for the country. No such tax was collect-
ed from non-Muslims who joined to defend the country. This tax
was not collected from women, nor from young males or from dis-
abled or elderly non-Muslim male citizens. Muslims who paid
zakat were not exempt from war duty and a similar form of war
tax was also collected from able-bodied Muslim adult males who
refused to join war efforts to defend the country. There was,
therefore, no discrimination between able-bodied Muslim males
and able-bodied non-Muslim males when it came to the payment
of war-tax, as long as the person in question would not volunteer
in war- efforts for defense of the Muslim- administered state.
Against payment of Jizya tax, it became incumbent upon the
Muslim government to protect the life, honour, property and
wealth of its non-Muslim citizens. If for any reason the govern-
ment failed to protect its citizens, especially during a war, the tax-
able amount was refunded.
Zakat (2.5% of savings) and Ushr (10% of agricultural pro-
duce) were collected from all Muslims, who owned some wealth
(beyond a certain minimum, called Nisab). They also had to pay
sadaqah, fitrah and Khums. None of these taxes were collected
from any non-Muslim. As a matter of fact, the per capita tax col-
lection from Muslims was many folds higher than that of non-
Muslims.
Rajputs living in western India used to collect a similar form
of Jizya or war tax which they called "Fix" tax. (Ref: Early History
of India by Vincent Smith). War tax was not a sole monopoly
among the Indian or Muslim rulers.
Historian Dr. Tripathy mentions a number of countries in
Europe where war-tax was practiced. (Ref: Some Aspects of
Muslim Administration by Sri Tripathy) Let us now return to
Aurangzeb. In his book "Mughal Administration, Sir Jadunath
Sarkar [3] foremost historian on the Mughal dynasty, mentions
that during Aurangzebs reign, nearly 65 types of taxes were abol-
ished, which resulted in a yearly revenue loss of 50 million rupees
to the state treasury. It is also worth mentioning here that
Aurangzeb did not impose Jizya in the beginning of his reign but
introduced it after 16 years during which 80 types of taxes were
abolished. Other historians stated that when Aurangzeb abol-
ished eighty taxes no one thanked him for his generosity. But
when he imposed only one, and not a heavy one at that, people
began to show their displeasure. (Ref: Vindication of Aurangzeb).
Notes:
(1) For example, see Shri Binoy Ghoshs Bharatjaner Etihash
(Bengali for: History of Indian People), Kolkata, West Bengal,
India.
(2) Quoted in Chepe Rakha Itihash (The History - Hushed Up) by
G. A. Murtaza, Barddhaman, India.
(#) He demonstrated his vast knowledge of Persian-language
(the official language during the Mughal period) sources.
However, he was a Euro-centric historian and thus, not flawless
in historical accounts. He served as the Vice Chancellor of the
University of Calcutta (1926-28).
Aurangzeb did not
impose Jizya in the
beginning of his reign
but introduced it after
16 years during which
80 types of taxes were
abolished. Other histo-
rians stated that when
Aurangzeb abolished
eighty taxes no one
thanked him for his
generosity. But when
he imposed only one,
and not a heavy one at
that, people began to
show their displeasure.
Mughal Emperor Aurangzebs Reign
Swamy on Chidambarams role
in Hashimpura & Maliana
Subramanian Swamy, President of Janata Party, is a well-known
Muslim baiter. He dutifully follows extremist Hindutva organisa-
tion RSS's agenda; at times exceeding RSS zeal and dogged-
ness in pursuing Anti-Muslim projects. His latest case involved a
judicial challenge to Kerala State's participation in an Islamic
Non- Banking Financial project in Kerala. He lost on technicali-
ties. It is therefore quite a surprise that the news has broken out
in several media simultaneously, the Swamy has taken up the
cause of Musilm victims of Hashimpura murder spree by PAC.
Muslims have by and large castigated the Congress government
for the blatant massacre of innocent Muslims. Swamy has
focused on the role of current Home Minister, P. Chidambaram,
who was a minister of state in Home Ministry at that time and had
gone on for an aeriel survey of the area one week before the
massacre. Congress Party is widely believed to have been
involved at some level with thousands of communal riots in which
predominantly Muslims were targeted by both the mobs and
police too. This is the first time, a single Congressman, with
administrative responsibility has come under scrutiny. Swamy is
thorough in his home work. If he has proof of the involvement of
the present Home Minister in the 25 year old massacre of 41
innocent Muslims by Provincial Armed Constabulary, in the man-
ner of Hitlerian executions, Swamy may get his ardent wish to
see P. Chidambaram lose his ministry and pay for any acts of
commission or omission during his long career at the top of
Congress government. That would be a big blow to Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh government and 2014 prospects of
Sonia Congress, that heavily depends on Muslim vote bank
endorsement to tide over its marginal electoral shortfalls.
Swamy's hint to approach International Court of Justice under rel-
evant Roman Statutes, should alert Muslim groups to study the
same approach in the case of Gujarat massacre.
GHULAM MUHAMMED
ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com
s
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012 3
NATIONAL
New Delhi: Close on the
heels of Hindutva terror
outfits' open conference in
Goa which has sounded no
alarm bells in Goa or Delhi,
the Hindutva terror organi-
sation Bajrang Dal, whose
workers have been
responsible for a number
of blasts and bomb-making
incidents, organised a 10-
day-long arms training
camp inside the Lalit
Mohan Saraswati
Vidyamandir School at
Vasant Vihar in the heart of
the national capital.
Leaders of VHP and
other extremist outfits
delivered fiery speeches
during the camp abusing
secular forces. VHP
spokesman at this training
camp Prakash Sharma,
according to a report in Urdu daily Inquilab
(19 June), said that "flourishing secular forces
are a danger and secular politics is responsible
for destroying the country."
AIMMM demands action
AIMMM President sent the following letter to Mr
P Chidambaram, Union Home Minister as well
as to the The Police Commissioner, Delhi,
on 21 June 2012:
An alarming news item has appeared in
Inquilab, a leading Urdu newspaper published
from Delhi, in its 19 June 2012 issue. The news
item says that the Hindutva extremist organisa-
tion Bajrang Dal, whose workers have been
responsible for a number of blasts and bomb-
making incidents as well as umpteen criminal
activities across the country, have just organ-
ised a 10-day-long arms training camp inside a
temple in the heart of the national capital.
According to the
news item, leaders of VHP and other extremist
outfits delivered fiery speeches during the camp
abusing secular forces. VHP spokesman at this
training camp, Prakash Sharma, according to
the report, said that "flourishing secular forces
are a danger and that secular politics is respon-
sible for destroying the country." A photocopy of
the said report is attached herewith.
According to our information, the said tem-
ple is Lalit Saraswati temple at Vasant Vihar.
Moreover, according to our information, this is
the second such arms training camp being held
in the national capital within the last few
months.
We would like to know how this arms train-
ing camp was allowed and what action has
been taken against those who organised it, par-
ticipated in it and imparted arms training in it
and what action has been taken against the
persons and/or the organisation(s) controlling
the said temple.
While Home Ministry & Delhi Police chase innocent Muslim youths
Bajrang Dal organises arms training camp in Delhi
P
une: Kul Jamaati
Tanzim (Joint Muslim
Body) held a mammoth
protest here on 22 June
against the murder of terror-
accused Qateel Siddiqui in
Pune Jail. The protesters
demanded a CBI enquiry into
the murder believed to be at the
behest of Police and intelli-
gence agencies. Thousands of
people from all walks of life
thronged before the Pune
Collector's office. Speakers at
the dharna included Brigadier
(retd) Sudhir Savant of Maratha
Seva Sangh, Akhlak Ahmad of
the Association for Protection of
Civil Rights, Ulama Council
head Maulana Aamir Rashadi,
Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari
of Malegaon.
Human rights activist Anjum
Inamdar said in his inaugural address that
Qateel Siddiqui's murder in the high security
Yerwada jail is a mystery. There seems a con-
spiracy behind it. Therefore, a CBI probe must
be ordered to investigate this and severe penal
action must be taken against all who are behind
it.
Brigadier Sudhir Savant stressed that the
life and honour of a common man face a great
threat today. Many innocent Muslim youth are
being arrested, tortured and even brutally mur-
dered under Police custody in the name of fight-
ing terrorism. He said that the functioning of
ATS should be strictly checked as it is posing a
great danger to the law and order of the coun-
try. In the name of curbing terrorism, ATS is out
promoting it.
Akhlak Ahmad said that his contacts with
Qateel's family revealed that he was innocent,
belonged to a poor family and had left his native
place in search of employment. He said that
APCR will strive hard to give justice to Qateel's
family.
Maulana Aamir Rashadi said that Police
custody has now become greatly insecure.
Prof. Aziz Moinuddin of Jamat-e Islami Hind
argued that Qateel's murder is an attack on
humanity. It reveals that a common man is not
safe even when at home or inside high security
jail. It is the need of the hour to extend a help-
ing hand to each victim of such injustice, cruel-
ty and suppression be he a Muslim, Hindu, Dalit
or a Maratha. It is a legal battle now and we
need lawyers, journalists youth activists to let
peace and justice prevail in our society.
Prof. Shahid Khot of the All India Imams
Council said that all human beings are the prog-
eny of a common father Adam irrespective of
caste and religion. If one is harassed and sub-
jected to injustice, all should rise against it.
Sadiq Qureshi of the Popular Front of India said
that we should come out to get our rights and
for this we need to start a mass movement. If
the government fails, a nationwide movement
will be launched soon for the sake of justice.
Maulana Shaikh Zahid of Jamiat Ulama-e
Hind said that if the security agencies have any
kind of evidence regarding the arrested inno-
cents, let them present it and we will punish
them.
Afroz Siddiqui, cousin of late Qateel
Siddiqui, thanked the protesters for their whole-
hearted support and standing by the family in its
time of crisis.
Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari said that
Saffronism is the real enemy of our nation. He
expressed a dedicated commitment to fight
against this real source of terrorism.
The dharna continued for two hours.
People carried placards demanding justice to
Qateel and compensation to his family. At the
end, a memorandum was sent to the Prime
Minister of India through the District Collector of
Pune. The Memorandum raised a number of
questions on the functioning of Police, how
Qateel was murdered in the high security of
Anda Cell and why his shouts were not heard
while he was being murdered? The protesters
demanded a CBI enquiry and brain mapping of
the murderers in addition to an adequate com-
pensation to the family of Qateel.
Pune Muslims Demand probe in Qateels Murder
Quote,
Unquote
Vast parts of the country today are in a much
more severe Emergency-like situation. But
this contemporary Emergency has gone into
the workshop for denting-painting. It's come
out smarter, more streamlined. I've said this
before: look at the wars the Indian govern-
ment has waged since India became a sover-
eign nation; look at the instances when the
army has been called out against its 'own'
people-Nagaland, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur,
Kashmir, Telangana, Goa, Bengal, Punjab
and (soon to come) Chhattisgarh-it is a State
that is constantly at war. And always against
minorities-tribal people, Christians, Muslims,
Sikhs, never against the middle class, upper-
caste Hindus.
ARUNDHATI ROY, Outlook
Srinagar: "You are a criminal donning non-
sense Muslim dress. With your overgrown ani-
mal-like beard, you look like an extremist
Muslim" -- this is how J&K Health Minister Sham
Lal Sharma reacted when the Valley's known
surgeon Dr. Muhammad Ashraf Butt of Govt.
Medical College Srinagar approached him for a
matter pertaining to his employment. Dr. Butt
was taken aback as this was the first of its kind
reaction for a person like him who has travelled
to many countries and never faced a problem
due to his beard or "Islamic" attire. Valley's lead-
ers have condemned this outburst and demon-
strations have come out decrying such behav-
iour by a politician in the Muslim-
majority J&K. Dr. Butt has written in
this respect to many in the J&K and
outside including Congress President
Sonia Gandhi (the minister belongs
to her party) but none has so far even
acknowledged his letters while the
minister denies having said such
things though eye-witnesses includ-
ing Congress Party workers were
present when the minister made
these outrageous comments in his
office.
J&K minister abuses surgeon,
makes fun of his beard and dress
Arms training in the national capital... while parents and others approvingly look on
A Muslim boy (terrorist?) is being dragged [he is wearing
green headgear while others are wearing saffron headgears]
Dr M Ashraf Butt
NATIONAL
4 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
7,563 rapes in ten years in Jharkhand
A report titled Jharkhand Human Rights Report 2001-
2010, compiled by the Jharkhand Human Rights
Movement, revealed 7,563 reported rapes, 3,398
dowry atrocities, 576 custody deaths and over 100
hunger deaths in Jharkhand in ten years after the con-
stitution of the new Jharkhand state on November 15,
2000. The report also cited 174 rapes of tribal women
and 194 cases of atrocities against tribals.
Rights activist Gladson Dundung, a member of the
Jharkhand Human Rights Movement, said that during
compilation of the report they felt that human rights vio-
lations had been rampant in Jharkhand and it could be
controlled only if the state government was active.
The rights activist said of the 100 hunger deaths,
40 are from primitive tribe groups. Most of the deaths
are reported from Palamau, Chatra, Ranchi, Koderma,
Hazaribagh, Godda, Dumka and Giridih.
The report highlighted the plight of dalits where 60
murders, 106 rapes of dalit women and 1,437 cases of
atrocities against dalit and 19 cases of untouchability
were mentioned. The report also mentioned 249 cases
of child atrocities including six cases of sale and pur-
chase of children for prostitution
4,611 custodial deaths within 3 years
New Delhi: More than 4,600 custodial deaths have
been registered by the National Human Rights
Commission (NHRC) during the last three years.
According to the apex human rights body in the coun-
try, shockingly 4,611 people were killed in the custody
of police and para-military forces across the country
during the period. According to the figures available
with the NHRC, Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 956
deaths being reported. The record number of 348 cus-
todial deaths were reported in Uttar Pradesh during
2009-10 followed by 331 in 2010-11 and 227 during
2011-12, official data said. The other states where
more than 100 custodial deaths were reported are:
Bihar (380), Punjab (328), Andhra Pradesh (310), and
West Bengal (242), it said, adding the national capital
reported 61 custodial deaths.
Moreover, as against the trends of other states,
where the custodial death cases have increased and
decreased, in the case study of the national capital it
continued to increase every year as 10 people died
here in custody during 2009-10, it increased to 22 dur-
ing 2010-11 and 29 in 2011-12, which is a matter of
concern. Despite the provision of habeas corpus, a
writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be
released from unlawful detention, that is, detention
lacking sufficient cause or evidence or legal procedure,
and the fact that the law mandates that the arrested
person cannot be detained for more than 24 hours
without being produced before a magistrate, a suspect
is kept in the lock-up before being produced in court
and does not have the legal protection accorded to
those under judicial custody or jail as the period before
the police record, the time of arrest is not counted.
187,000 suicides in 2010
New Delhi: Young Indians are more likely to commit
suicide than previously thought, especially those living
in wealthier and more educated regions, according to
a study on Friday that experts say suggests Indias
rapid development is driving many youths to despair.
India has some of the worlds highest suicide rates,
with many believing the biggest risk group to be rural
farmers facing debt after poor harvests.
However, the study - published in the Lancet med-
ical journal - says suicide rates are highest in the 15-
29 age group, peaking in southern regions that are
considered richer and more developed with better edu-
cation, social welfare and health care. That puts the
young at high risk - a new phenomenon experts said
has happened recently as more middle-class youths
strive to meet achievement expectations, and new
technologies like cell phones and social networking
sites help break down traditional family units once
relied on for support.
Overall, the report uses a national government sur-
vey of deaths in 2001-03 to estimate 187,000 suicides
took place in 2010, making it the cause of 3 per cent of
deaths that year. The WHO reports about 1 million sui-
cides a year, which would be a rate of about 14 per
100,000 in a global population of 7 billion. By compari-
son, the U. S. had 37,790 suicides in 2010, or a rate of
12.2 per 100,000, while Indias rate under the Lancets
projected suicide tally of 187,000 would be near 16 - far
higher than earlier reports and estimates of around 10.
There has been little scientific examination of sui-
cide motives in India. While The Lancet study does not
address the question of motivation, the reports
authors, as well as experts not associated with the
study, saw few likely reasons for the rise in suicide
among young people beyond the increased pressure
that has come with new economic opportunity and
social fragmentation.
SHAHNAWAZ ALAM
& RAJIV YADAV
Lucknow: Intelligence agencies and ATS are
profiling innocent Muslim youths in the name
of terror. And because of this the entire
Muslim community is compelled to live in con-
stant fear and anxiety. It is the need of the
hour to stand up and register protest against
the anti-Muslim state machinery. These
views were expressed by activists at a joint
meeting of civil and human rights organisa-
tions like PUCL, NAPM, Loksangarsh, JUCM
and TARAI on 12 June at Qutubpur in Sitapur
district. Notably, Qutubpur is the same place
from where the ATS arrested two Muslim
youths, Basheer Hasan and Mohammad
Shakeel, claiming them to be terrorists
belonging to the Indian Mujahideen. ATS
was also about to arrest other family members
of these two youths but failed to do so
because of the alertness of human rights
organizations.
SR Darapuri (IPS - retd), a former inspec-
tor general of Police and the vice president of
PUCL, while addressing more than 2000 peo-
ple who assembled despite scorching heat,
said that intelligence agencies are the biggest
communal institution which is engaged to
incite anti-Muslim sentiments in the society in
coordination with the local police and media.
He added that in all arrests so far in the name
of terror, ATS and police do not stand true to
law and have not followed the rule book. They
arrested without wearing proper uniforms and
nameplates which is illegal. Darapuri urged
the people to form village security committees
against illegal police atrocities in order to pre-
vent policemen and ATS from entering vil-
lages and mohallas without proper uniforms.
Any illegal detention or arrest of innocent on
false terror charges is not only a human rights
violation but it also highlights the rising state
terrorism which is dangerous to our democra-
cy.
Well-known lawyer Mohammad Shoaib,
speaking on the occasion, said that while
Samajwadi Party had stated in its election
manifesto that if it won, it will release all inno-
cent Muslims held under terror charges but
after coming to power the same party has not
only forgotten its promise, under its own rule
new arrests of innocent Muslims are being
made. Shoaib, while echoing a warning sig-
nal, said that if arrest of innocent Muslims is
not immediately stopped and innocents are
not released, Muslims would teach a lesson to
Samajwadi party in 2014 general elections.
CPIM leader, Tahira Hasan, lauding the pres-
ence of women said that their participation will
provide more strength to this movement.
Human Rights activist Mahatab Alam said
that in spite of differences among various
political parties, they are united and compete
with each other to prove Muslims as terrorists.
And that is why we can see the condition of
Muslims is similar in Modis Gujarat, Sheila
Dikshits Delhi or Nitish Kumars Bihar.
Senior journalist Siddarth Kalhans, while
questioning the role of the media in terror pro-
filing of Muslims, said media these days acts
like loudspeaker of Hindutwadis. The media
while citing sources fabricates false stories
to malign Muslims. He said that in the media
there are large number of people who feel that
they are answerable not to their readers but to
the intelligence agencies.
PUCL activist Masihuddin Sanjari, who
came from Azamgarh, said that ATS and intel-
ligence agencies are trying to defame Sitapur
like Azamgarh and we would protest it at all
levels. Randhir Singh Suman, editor of
Loksangarsh, raising a question mark on the
very existence of Indian Mujahideen, said
that it is an organisation created on paper by
intelligence agencies and in that name the
ATS implicates and arrests innocent Muslims.
Maulana Tahir Madani, national secretary
of Ulama Council, said that the state and
Central governments are carrying forward the
agenda of CIA and Mossad in the name of
fighting terror. He said these governments
instead of being answerable to their people,
are accountable to Obama.
Rajiv Yadav, secretary PUCL, said that
intelligence agencies and ATS floated the
name of Yasin Bhatkal who never gets
arrested while police targets all those visited
by Bhatkal or anyone who has got Bhatkals
mobile phone number in his mobile phone.
Such people are now hunted and arrested.
Yadav said that sometimes the government
claims that IM is SIMIS frontal organisation
while at other times it says that it is linked to
Lashkar or ISI. So, it becomes essential that
the government issues a white paper on IM.
While putting the blame of Qateels murder in
Yardava jail on the intelligence agencies,
Rajiv Yadav said that Qateel was in regular
touch with his family members and in the
process had informed his wife about the dan-
ger to his life at the hands of ATS. Yadav
added that the real culprit can be discovered
if the telephonic conversations of the Mumbai
ATS in this respect comes to light.
Dr Umesh Chandra, Zaid Farooqui and
Rishi Kumar also addressed the gathering.
The programme was coordinated by
Shahnawaz Alam of PUCL. Towards the end a
seven-point resolution was passed which is
as follows:
1. Mumbai High Court after assessing
Qateels murder should set up a judicial
inquiry;
2. Muslim youth arrested in the name of terror
must be guaranteed security while in custody;
3. Government should produce Fasih
Mehmood before the Supreme Court;
4. The Samajwadi party government should
fulfil its commitment to release innocent
Muslims arrested in the name of terror;
5. Government should set up an inquiry
against those ATS officials who have framed
Basheer and Shakeel.
6. Report of R D Commissions enquiry on
Tariq Qasmi and Khalid Mujahid should be
made public soon;
7. Government should take strong steps to
ensure the release of PUCL leader and jour-
nalist Seema Azad and her husband
Viswavijay.
Intelligence agencies and ATS are real terrorists
Ahmedabad: The myth of development was exploded by recent sur-
veys carried out by two organizations to establish the fact that the
moon promised to Muslims - the Sachar Committee report implemen-
tation, is a mere pipe-dream, a typical election carrot to keep the
community ever hopeful woh subah kabhi to aayegi.
A survey conducted in Gujarat where Modi claims that the benefits
of development have been enjoyed by Muslims proved that Muslims
lag far behind the Hindus of the state. New Delhi-based National
Council for Applied Economic Research, under noted economist
Abusaleh Shariff found that compared to high caste Hindus, Muslims
lag behind eight times, whereas in comparison to OBCs and SC/ST,
they are twice as deprived. This is in total contrast to what the Modi
government in its tall claims shouts from the roof tops. In contrast to
government statistics about Muslim literacy of 73.5 percent, which is
higher than the national figure of 59.1%, Muslims lag far behind.
Official figures claim that Muslims in the rural areas have an income of
Rs. 688 against the national average of Rs. 553. Similarly, official fig-
ures claim that urban Muslims earn Rs. 875 as against the national
average of Rs. 805.
Abusaleh Shariff points out that the dropout rate among Muslim
children after std. V is extremely high and alarming. While students of
other communities have 75% enrolment, Muslims have only 26% at
the high school stage.
In a shocking report produced by Tata Institute of Social Sciences
(TISS) alongwith the Centre for Criminology and Justice, the fact
emerges that in Maharashtra 36% Muslims are in jails, a figure much
higher in proportion to their 10.6% ratio in the state population. It is
feared that soon every prison shall have to build an Eidgah! Based
on interviews of 339 Muslim inmates in 15 prisons, 75.5% of respon-
dents said they were arrested for the first time for very minor offences
whereas 25.4% were repeat offenders. 30% of them were not allowed
to talk to their relatives at the time of their arrest.
Although Dr. Raghavan declines to discuss in detail the alleged
police discrimination against Muslims, a few confessions are perti-
nent. Human rights activist Shabnam Hashmi cites the recent
example of Kalyan resident Bilal Shaikh who was slapped with non-
bailable section 333 for jumping a traffic signal. Assaulted brutally
for arguing with the cops, he suffered a fracture to his right arm and
spent eight days in prison while the four cops got bail the same day.
(AG Khan)
The carrot of Sachar Report vis--vis two surveys
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012 5
NATIONAL
New Delhi: India has failed on the human
development index and in human rights viola-
tion record. India over the years and particu-
larly during the last decade emerged as the
second fastest growing economy in the world
but in terms of human development index and
human rights record India has registered a
declining trend.
On 24 May, the United Nations Human
Rights Council reviewed the human rights sit-
uation of India in Geneva. Attorney General of
India Goolam Vahanvati, while defending
Indias position at the 13th session of the
Universal Periodic Review, said that over the
years India has taken many significant steps
in order to ensure better human rights record.
Civil society present during the UN
Human Rights meet said that those repre-
senting the Indian government at the UN meet
failed to come out with convincing replies to
questions that were raised and in most cases
the representatives either chose to ignore or
were reluctant to answer questions based on
caste and communal conflicts. What was
indeed surprising is that despite India having
made an international commitment to enact a
law against torture, it failed to do so even after
four years. Failure to enact a law to deal with
illegal detention and dubious response to
other human rights issues reveals our pathet-
ic human rights situation.
Questions that were raised during the UN
meet are: 1. Steps taken in prosecution of
security forces responsible for violating
human rights; 2. Protection of religious minori-
ties; 3. Progress made on the Communal and
Targeted Violence Bill; 4. Making armed
forces more sensitive towards human rights;
5. Human rights in school textbooks; 6. Steps
taken to reform law enforcement bodies.
Questions were also asked on restriction
on Internet freedom, poverty alleviation, food
security, health, sanitation, nutrition and drink-
ing water, maternal and child mortality, repeal
of anti-conversion laws and status of
refugees. In most of the queries the respons-
es of the Indian representatives were ambigu-
ous and wishy washy. India also made some
dubious claims on the human rights situation
in order to scale down its failure to meet com-
mitments it had earlier made during the last
convention at Geneva four years ago.
If we make a comparison of Indias eco-
nomic growth in the last decade with the
human development index the picture
appears to be grim and the comparison puts
them poles apart. On the Human
Development Index, India ranks at 134 out of
187 countries and on gender equality it ranks
129 out of 147 countries. According to Harsh
Mander, member of the National Advisory
Council, India in its wider comparison is the
richest and the poorest of the countries. It is
true that the overall wealth of India has
increased but the commitment or the willing-
ness to invest for the betterment of the down-
trodden has not increased in proportion to the
increase in wealth. In another estimate
released by the Working Group on Human
Rights in India, around 60-65 million people
were displaced in India since Independence
because of development projects. On an
average one million people in India are dis-
placed every year. The draconian AFSPA law
was also discussed at the second round of
Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human
Rights Council. Countries like Switzerland
and France pressed India to gradually reduce
this draconian laws application based on self-
assessment and annual review. Those in
favour of repealing the law want the interna-
tional support to be utilized in a meaningful
way to get the law repealed sooner or later.
(Mohammad Naushad Khan)
India failed on its commitments to UN on human rights
Babri Masjid Demolition Case (Crime No. 198/1992)
HAIDER ABBAS
L
ucknow: In the previous article, we dis-
cussed as to how Crime No. 197/1992
has as yet fared in during the last two
decades. Here we will discuss as to what
has been the status of the other Babri demoli-
tion case known as Crime No. 198/1992. Both
these criminal cases had been going on since
6 December 1992 -- the day when Babri Masjid
was demolished.
The Crime No. 198/1992 pertains to high-
profile persons who all are primarily the movers
and shakers of the Ram Temple movement.
Ironically, not any of them is not even within the
close periphery of the remotest possibility of
ever being brought to justice!
To put the tit-bits in a nutshell, it would be
worthy to mention that the second First
Information Report (FIR) was lodged on Dec 6,
1992, by Ganga Prasad Tiwari-U/S 153-A, 153-
B (imputations prejudicial to national integration)
and 505 (statements conducing to public mis-
chief). This case was filed against eight high-
profile BJP/VHP leaders: LK Advani, MM Joshi,
Vinay Katiyar, Uma Bharti, Ashok Singhal,
Giriraj Kishor, Sadhvi Rithambra and Vishnu
Hari Dalmia. The above sections of the Indian
Penal Code are cited by police when rabidly
communal speeches are delivered. The FIR
was in context to the speeches delivered in the
morning of Dec 6 prior to the demolition.
It took just four days for the state govern-
ment, on Dec 10, 1992, to entrust the crime for
investigation to Crime-Bureau Chief
Investigation Department, UP (CB-CID). Six
days later, on Dec 16, 1992, the state govern-
ment, in consultation with the High Court,
Lucknow, set up a Special Court of Judicial
Magistrate at Lalitpur, UP. On Feb 27, 1993, the
chargesheet was filed U/S 153-A, 153-B, 505,
147 (punishment for rioting), 149 (membership
of unlawful assembly, guilty of offence commit-
ted in prosecution of common object) of IPC.
This chargesheet was later enhanced by CB-
CID at Lalitpur, UP. On March 1, 1993 the
Magistrate at Lalitpur, UP took cognizance of
the same. Later, on July 8, 1993, the same case
was shifted to Rae Bareli, UP.
This was followed by state government
requesting the central government, on Aug 25,
1993 to refer Crime No. 198/1992 to the Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Finally, the case
was handed over to CBI, on Aug 26, 1993. The
next move came in the form of state government,
in consultation of the HC, creating a Special Court
at Lucknow on Sept 8, 1993. On the next day,
Sept 9, 1993, in consultation with HC, the state
government referred Crime No. 197/1992 as well
as 47 other related cases (which stemmed from
the same event) to the Special Court headed by
the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM
Ayodhya Prakaran) at Lucknow, UP. This was
also called as CBI Court.
Next month, on Oct 5, 1993, the CBI filed a
consolidated chargesheet against all the eight
high profile accused in the Crime No. 198/1992
and the Crime No. 197/1992. On Oct 8, 1993
the state government referred to it Crime No.
198/1992. Here, what might have then looked to
be as an inadvertent error, now looks like a well-
planned, deliberate step, as the state govern-
ment then failed to consult the HC before this
move. It may be reiterated that the state was
then under the Congress-created Presidents
rule, which served two terms in order to contain
the Muslim anger over the demolition of the
Babri Masjid.
No one then realised as to what was in
store, as things were soon going to be derailed
shielding the guilty. The prosecution process
took a further step when on Oct 11, 1993, as the
ACJM took cognizance of both the cases at
Lucknow, and further on Jan 24, 1994, the
record which was lying at Rae Bareli, UP was
brought to Lucknow. The cases were, thereafter,
committed to ACJM, Lucknow, and the case
continued until Sept 9, 1997, when the ACJM,
Lucknow charged the accused U/S 147, 153-A,
153-B, 295, 295-A, 505 read with 120-B (con-
spiracy) of IPC. Here for the first time the con-
spiracy charge was levelled.
The moment the conspiracy charge came
into play, the order was challenged by the
accused at the Lucknow bench of Allahabad HC
which, finally, led Justice Jagdish Bhalla to order
on Feb 12, 2001 that since the reference of
Crime No. 198/1992 was not done in consulta-
tion with the HC, the Sessions Court was in no
position to try the accused. The lacunae was
curable as the state government was in a posi-
tion to issue a fresh notification but this was not
done as the BJP was then in power in UP.
The irony is that, later, when BSP-BJP gov-
ernment was rounded-up for the issuance of a
fresh notification, and the case reached even
the Supreme Court, the then CM Mayawati
informed that there was no such need for a fresh
notification as the case was already running at
Rae Bareli; hence, all the prosecution-exercise
of 1994-2001 came to a naught. A further irony
was that the same Mulayam Singh Yadav who,
had cornered Mayawati on this issue, took over
as CM in 2003, but he too sat on the file
throughout his tenure until 2007.

The worst part is that CBI later filed a further

chargesheet dropping the conspiracy
charge. All at the behest of BJP while
Advani is presiding over the home ministry
at the Centre. CBI has never been an independ-
ent organisation. It has always held brief for the
ruling government. The same compliance car-
ried on even when the UPA took over in 2004
and today there is no possibility of the culprits to
be ever brought to justice, said Muhammed
Azam Khan. He had been associated with Babri
Masjid campaign from the very beginning.
CBI in its desperation to please its NDA
masters, deleted the conspiracy charge in its
supplementary chargesheet against
LK Advani filed at Rae Bareli Court on March
30, 2003, and thus paved the way for his dis-
charge order from the Babri Masjid demolition
case. This happened on Sept 19, 2003 by the
First Class Magistrate. Later, all the other
high-profile accused got the criminal proceed-
ings stayed on the same grounds, on Sept
30, 2003 from the HC. It became more than
obvious that the CBI was being remote-con-
trolled by the NDA when the CBI did not file a
revision against the discharge order of
Advani. Rather, it went to the extent of
opposing the revision filed by the Muslim
side in the case. The CBI made the NDA to
call solicitor general RN Trivedi to oppose the
Muslim side revision petition, which ultimately
had led Justice YR Tripathi at the Lucknow
bench of Allahabad High Court, on July 5,
2005, to order that prima facie the charge
against all the eight accused, including
Advani was maintainable, informed Zafaryab
Jilani, the co-convenor of Babri Masjid Action
Committee. The case got a fresh lease of life
at Rae Bareli albeit without the conspiracy
charge.
Seven years have gone past since
Tripathis order, and it may be put on record
that in the last 19 years, only 14 witnesses
could be produced, out of the 148 expected
from the CBI list! CBI, meanwhile, desired
that the proceedings may be fixed for 10 days
a month, and a subsequent order was passed
by the District Session Judge, Rae Bareli, on
July 22, 2011 directing Special Judicial
Magistrate for the same. Obviously that rang
a bell amongst the accused, and one of them,
VH Dalmia, went to the HC against the order,
but the courts held it otherwise, as on Dec 8,
2011 Justice SN Shukla and Justice SVS
Rathore quashed that order, and directed that
from now onwards a day-to-day hearing
would be held.
This is a reasonable order as it has clar-
ified the urgency of the matter and directed
the court to proceed with the case in accor-
dance with the requirements of law by rectify-
ing the error committed by the District Judge,
said Zafaryab Jilani adding that according to
Civil Procedural Code, the case should pro-
ceed on a day-to-day basis.
The efficacy of CBI into its prosecution is
now all exposed. The courts have given a fil-
lip to the clay-feet CBI and we may expect
some result or else all the accused will sit
pretty. CBI is already contesting half of what it
stood for. The conspiracy charge is gone. We
have just 153 (A) and 153(B) and lets see as
to how long will this suffice to take its own
legal shape. All thanks to Congress party,
said Muhammed Azam Khan.
Lack of action root
cause of injustice:
Harshikaa Udasi
Mumbai: It took me
four years to chroni-
cle the entire car-
nage, said Meena
Menon while launch-
ing her book Riots
and After.
Disturbing mem-
ories of the riots that
rocked the city in
1992-93 came back
as Meena Menon,
Deputy Editor and Deputy Chief of Bureau of The
Hindu in Mumbai, launched her book Riots and
After in Mumbai: Chronicles of Truth and
Reconciliation.
Mediapersons, riot victims and activists
turned up in full strength at the Press Club as the
former Supreme Court of India judge, Justice B.N.
Srikrishna released the book. Actor-activist and
Firaaq director Nandita Das and senior journalist
Firoz Ashraf held a discussion on the handling of
the riots, the aftermath and possible action to curb
rioting. Senior journalist Kalpana Sharma was the
moderator.
Ms. Menon, who was a beat reporter then,
has not just factually chronicled the riots but also
painstakingly revealed the human stories behind
them, said Ms. Sharma. One must read the book
from the perspective of someone who has wit-
nessed the riots from close quarters, she said.
Dedicating her book to all the people who had
guided her to chronicle the riots and their after-
math, the author spoke about her inspiration to
write the book and the challenges she faced.
I wasnt thinking of writing a book even
through the six months of the Sarai Fellowship.
But after I got it, people prodded me to think about
writing a book and I thought why not. I later
realised it was more than I could chew, she said.
It took her four years to chronicle the entire car-
nage. She said: When I began to write, the urge
to tell stories became unstoppable.
Justice Srikrishna, who headed the Inquiry
Committee set up to probe the riots and whose
report has not yet been acted upon, said: No riot
can continue for 15 days in one phase and yet
another 15 days in the second phase without the
State being in cahoots with the perpetrators.
Saying this would be stating the obvious. Many
people have labelled me anti-Hindu for what I
did.
Congratulating the author for her effort, he
said: Documentation of an event of this magni-
tude is of importance for we learn only from our
mistakes.
Talking about her experience while filming
Firaaq (a film based on the Gujarat riots), Nandita
Das said: The heinous crimes associated with
rioting are only one aspect of the riots. I am trou-
bled by what lingers on - the fear, the anger, the
prejudice, the guilt. Thats what I like about in this
book; it talks about the after part. People think
we are still holding on to the 1992-93 riots. They
can hold on to the Partition and to Aurangzeb [but]
if we talk about something so serious that hap-
pened in 1992 it is not done.
Firoz Ashraf talked about his personal experi-
ence through the riots and his disillusionment. He
asked whether there could be any suggestions to
curb rioters and to ensure that justice prevails.
While Justice Srikrishna maintained that jus-
tice did not mean revenge and that we should still
give democracy a fair chance, Ms. Menon said
that lack of action was the root cause for injustice.
FIRs have not been lodged at times. Victims
have not got a hearing. We have local committees
and manuals but nobody is acting on them.
NATIONAL
6 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
RAM PUNIYANI
ram.puniyani@gmail.com
In Kalyan, a Muslim youth
Bilal Shaikh was slapped
with a non-bailable cogniz-
able offense (May 2012)
under section 333, after he
jumped the traffic signal.
He was assaulted brutally
by the police for arguing
with them, suffered a frac-
ture in the right arm and was in jail for eight
days. The policemen who beat him up were
released with a non-cognizable warrant.
Another Muslim youth Mohammad Amir
Khan, age 18, preparing for his school exam,
was abducted by the police, charged with being
the mastermind of serial blasts in Delhi, under
all the possible sections, tortured in jail for
14 years and finally released in 2012 when no
evidence was produced in the courts.
In the series of blasts, for which
Aseemanand-Pragyasingh Thakur and compa-
ny are now cooling their heels in jail, many a
Muslim youth were arrested after every blast in
Malegaon, Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad), Ajmer
and Samjhauta express. In all the cases the
Muslim youth had to be released as police had
no credible evidence of any sort. In the mean-
while many of them had to drop their studies
and their careers were ruined.
In the recently released (June 2012) report
by Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the obser-
vation is that 36% of the jail inmates in
Maharashtra are Muslims while the population
of Muslims in the state is close to 10.6%. The
report was sponsored by the Maharashtra
States Minorities Panel. The findings of the
report are in conformity with the Sachar
Committee report and general observation of
Human rights activists.
Most of the arrests of Muslim youth are
prompted by the prevalent stereotype of
Muslims are criminals, terrorists. These stereo-
types are highly prevalent not only in society but
also amongst the bureaucracy, particularly the
police and amongst intelligence agencies. Many
in the police force are totally in the grip of com-
munal thinking and with their infinite power they
unleash themselves against Muslim youth at
every conceivable opportunity. The rise of com-
munalization of society and more particularly
after the coming up of the terrorism of Al Qaeda
variety, the stereotypes about Muslims have
worsened. One recalls that this type of terrorism
was subtly nurtured by the United States for
pursuing its goal of controlling oil wealth. The
attitude of authorities has become more anti
minority and this in turn has undermined their
professionalism and they are guided more by
their biases than by the rules of law.
There are multiple reasons for Muslim youth
being targeted by the state authorities. True,
that some Muslim youth have fallen prey to ille-
gal activities due to the abject poverty which
they have to suffer. Still the major reason for
their being indiscriminately arrested by the
police relates to the misconception regarding
acts of terrorism and communal violence.
In communal violence, the major culprit,
instigating the violence is majoritiarian commu-
nal forces. The study of different inquiry commit-
tee reports by Teesta Setalvad (Communalism
Combat, March 1998) shows that in most of the
cases of violence it is the RSS related organiza-
tion, already prevalent or floated specially for
the occasion, which is in the lead. Even in
Mumbai violence, Shrikrishna Commission held
Shiv Sena as the major factor leading the vio-
lence. As such Muslims are 13.4% of the Indian
population according to 2001 census, but
amongst the violence victims 90% are Muslims.
Police and many a times it is the attitude of the
political leadership which increases the insecu-
rity of the community.
The worst part of this phenomenon is that in
popular perception it is alleged that it is
Muslims, who start the riots. Dr. V.N. Rai, who
has done a major study on communal violence
points out that generally a situation is created
where the minority community is forced to throw
the first stone on many occasions. To worsen
the matter, after the violence the majority of
those who are arrested for communal violence
are Muslims again.
The recent acts of terror and attitude of the
police are very reflective of the whole process.
In most of these acts of terror, Malegaon, Ajmer,
Jaipur and Samjhauta express blast, many a
Muslim youth were arrested as the ones who
have done the act. Police machinery produced
evidence of their involvement with some
Pakistan based terror group; SIMI was always
blamed for many of these acts. Even at that time
there were enough pointers, therefore police
investigations and action defies common sense.
Police had the standard formula for arresting
Muslim youth after every blast. They made it a
practice to implicate the Muslim youth and put
on their head the charge of blast and their link to
Lashkar-E-Tayyaba, Indian Mujahideen, SIMI or
some such group. Social activists kept pointing
to the authorities about the leads pointing in a
totally different direction from where the acts of
terror were emerging. Police totally biased and
with a prejudiced mind set kept on repeating the
same pattern over and over again.
Once Hemant Karkars immaculate investi-
gation showed the link of Malegaon blast to
Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakurs motor cycle and
her links with many Hindutva groups the matters
came to a halt. Sadhvis links with Swami
Dayanand Pandey, Lt Col Prasad Shrikant
Purohit, retired Major Upadhaya, Swami
Aseemanand and many others of Hindutva ide-
ology revealed that the police till then was act-
ing in a totally wrong manner. In this light
Human Rights organization ANHAD (Act Now
for Harmony And Democracy), organized a tri-
bunal in Hyderabad, Scapegoats and Holy
Cows. The report of this tribunal was very
damning of the actions of the investigation
authorities and the state. Logically with the
arrest of Saffron terror gangs the acts of terror
seem to have come to a halt.
Despite this, the attitude of the police
remains as biased as before and in the day to
day life they display this partisan behaviour.
This biased attitude of the state machinery,
police and intelligence authorities in the main,
has been ruining the life and careers of many a
Muslim youth. The feeling of insecurity amongst
the community as a whole is on the rise. This
feeling of insecurity is crippling the possible
growth of the community. Those implicated in
such acts are also boycotted by the community
and have faced immense personal, social and
economic losses. It is time that the Human
rights groups intensify their campaign to protect
the innocent Muslim youth, the legal measures
need to be strengthened whereby the police
cannot exercise its biased attitude in arresting
any Muslim youth. Measures are needed to
ensure that police-intelligence agencies take up
a more professional attitude overall and particu-
larly in matters related to minority youth. The
Government needs to wake up and apply the
corrective measures.
Apart from preventive legal steps we also
need to work against the prevalent social bias-
es against Muslims in particular. The myths
against the community, which are on historical
and contemporary issues, which are related to
the causes of acts of terrorism, and need to be
countered by the spread of truth about these
myths. It is the duty of the state and social
organizations to undertake and promote such
awareness programs through lectures, work-
shops, popular booklets and through mecha-
nisms like T.V. and media in particular. (Issues in
Secular Politics)
Targeting innocents: State and human rights of minorities
Most of the arrests of Muslim youth are prompted by the
prevalent stereotype of Muslims are criminals, terrorists.
These stereotypes are highly prevalent not only in society
but also amongst the bureaucracy, particularly the police
and amongst intelligence agencies. Many in the police
force are totally in the grip of communal thinking and with
their infinite power they unleash themselves against
Muslim youth at every conceivable opportunity.
New Delhi: President of Welfare Party of India, Mujtaba
Farooq, after touring Darbhanga and Madhubani, the
affected areas of Bihar, demanded that the chain of ille-
gal arrests and imprisonment of innocent Muslim youth
by Delhi and Karnataka police forces on the pretext of ter-
rorism must be stopped. While praising the stand taken
by Bihars chief minister Nitish Kumar, he said that Nitish
strongly criticised the steps taken by the Karnataka gov-
ernment in arresting Bihars youth without informing Bihar
police in violation of law. He asked the chief minister of
Bihar to take all necessary steps for the release of the
innocent youths. He praised other political parties of
Bihar for not only raising their voice against these arrests
but also demanding their release. He asked these parties
to continue their struggle as long as requirements of jus-
tice are not met. Mujtaba Farooq also visited family mem-
bers of the arrested people including Muhammad
Luqman, father of engineering student Gauhar Aziz Khomaini and
promised all political and moral help to them.
It may be stated Gauhar Aziz was arrested from Delhi where
he was employed. His father Muhammad Luqman in his old age
was in great need of help and support but at this age he had to
run from pillar to post for the release of his son. Mujtaba Farooq
also went to Kafeel Akhtars house in Barsmela and met his father
Abdus Salam. Kafeel Akhtar was arrested by Karnataka Police
from Darbhanga but they have shown his arrest from Ranchi
which Kafeels father strongly challenged, saying that he never
went out of Darbhanga.
Mujtaba Farooq also met Qateel Ahmad Siddiqis father
Zafeer Siddiqi and his family members and consoled them.
Qateel Siddiqi, a civil engineer, was arrested by Delhi Police and
handed over to Maharashtra police and was shortly thereafter
killed in Pune high security prison. Zafeer Siddiqi and his family
members are living in a dilapidated house. He had a small piece
of land which he was forced to sell in order to meet the expens-
es of his sons education. Now it has become very difficult for him
to meet the expenses of the legal battle for his son and also to
run his family.
Mujtaba Farooq also met family members of Fasih Muhmood
who was arrested by Saudi police in Jubail where he was
employed as an engineer and was handed him over to the Indian
police who had especially gone to Saudi Arabia to get him extra-
dited. His whereabouts are still not known. His wife is unable to
get any information about him from the police and central and
state governments about his whereabouts. Mujtaba Farooq
warned the central and state governments, police and other offi-
cials that their practice of targeting a particular community was
state terrorism which will never be in the interests of the country
and humanity at large and if this process is not brought to an end,
Welfare Party will launch a movement against this across the
country. (NAAnsari)
Govt should stop arrests of innocents: WPI
New Delhi: Stepping up the move to strengthen security-related
infrastructure in the country, the government on Thursday
approved Rs 1,100 crore for purchase of sophisticated equip-
ment to kick start the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) and
also extended by three years the duration of a project to set up a
system to track crime and criminals across India.
While the NATGRID is aimed at linking 21 categories of data-
bases for ready access by intelligence and investigation agen-
cies, the Crime and Criminal Tracking & Network Systems
(CCTNS) project is being implemented to connect about 15,000
police stations and over 5,000 higher police offices across the
country to ensure smooth sharing of crime-related information
among various law enforcement agencies. The Cabinet
Committee on Security, at a meeting chaired by PM Manmohan
Singh, gave its nod to the proposal of NATGRID for acquisition of
certain technological items mentioned in the Detailed Project
Report, home minister P Chidambaram told reporters.
He said the proposal was for purchase of technological items
for Horizon-I and some elements of Horizon-II of the NATGRID.
The NATGRID is conceptualized as a constantly evolving tool
that will mature over several horizons with additional functionali-
ties and enhancements over a period of time. It will have access
of database like railway and air travel, income tax, bank account
details, credit card transactions, visa and immigration records.
The project was conceived after the 26/11 Mumbai terror
attack. Many feel that had NATGRID existed, the Lashkar-e-Taiba
operative David Coleman Headley would not have had a free run
before and after the 2008 strikes. The CCTNS project was
planned before the Mumbai terror attack. It had, however, got the
Cabinets nod in June, 2009. The project was scheduled to end on
March 31, 2012. He said the extension did not mean that the bulk
of the project would not be completed before March, 2015.
More teeth to security forces
Galloping to a Police State
Mujtaba Farooq meeting family members of terror-accused
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012 7
NATIONAL
PREETI CHAUHAN, PARAMJEET SINGH
Secretaries, PUDR, www.pudr.org
The Terror of Law is a CDRO (Coordination of
Democratic Rights Organization) report. It
shows how and why the UAPA curbs the free-
doms provided by Article 19 (Protection of
Freedoms) for expression, assembly and asso-
ciation against one section of political opinion.
Like its predecessors TADA & POTA did, UAPA
virtually disenfranchises a section of the people.
The freedom of expression is not an individual
right but a collective right of groups, unions and
political parties to disseminate their views and
mobilize people. This is particularly important,
as the report argues, since six decades of con-
stitutional democracy have failed to implement
the Directive Principles of State Policy.
The connection between the failure of prom-
ises and curbing of political freedoms guaran-
teed under the Constitution (Articles 19, 21) is
brought out through a study of how the first
amendment (1951) and the sixteenth amend-
ment (1963) to the Constitution played a catalyt-
ic role in marginalizing the importance of the
Directive Principles and in attacking freedoms.
Terror of Law demonstrates that the pur-
pose of the UAPA is not to curb heinous behav-
iour or crime but to outlaw ideologies and
groups which threaten the status quo while
exonerating other ideologies from its purview
despite their record of heinous crimes. A brief
summary of the main points are given below:
1.Reasonable Restrictions: Enacted first in
1967, the UAPAenables the Central government
to impose reasonable restrictions on the right
to association. The law targets those organiza-
tions which are seen as posing a threat, or
potential threat, to the countrys sovereignty and
integrity. Accordingly, the law includes seces-
sion within the definition of unlawful activity [S.
2 (f)], adds S.153 A and B, IPC, within unlawful
association [S. 2 (g)] and offers wide and
sweeping provision of banning terrorist organi-
zations (S. 35) to the Central government.
Since what constitutes a terrorist act has
been construed in such a way that it covers any
act with intent to threaten or likely to threaten
the unity, integrity, security or sovereignty of
India or with intent to strike terror or likely to
strike terror in the people or any section of the
people, its wide scope allows ample opportuni-
ty to the Executive to act arbitrarily and/or with
bias. The original UAPA did not contain the
clause to ban organizations either because they
promoted enmity between different groups or
for imputations prejudicial to national integra-
tion. This was added through an amendment in
1972. The original UAPA gave powers to the
Centre to impose an all-India ban on associa-
tions. The powers of the state governments to
ban organizations were not affected because
maintenance of public order had been read by
the apex court to represent the lower end of
threat to security of state.
With amendments in 1972 and the incorpo-
ration of POTA provisions in 2004 and the
amendments introduced in 2008, the grounds
under which an organization can be banned
expanded in the UAPA.
2. Imposing of Bans: The bans imposed in
such a cavalier manner, however, have huge
ramifications for the life and liberty of citizens
and for their political rights and for democracy.
For the ban makes it an offence to have any
kind of association with the proscribed organiza-
tion (s. 10). In the case of an organization
banned as terrorist, the provisions are still
wider and harsher (S. 38). Since the section
does not even make the distinction between
criminal association and legitimate association
or activity, a wide section of people are brought
in who can be punished with a sentence of
10 years imprisonment without having been
part of a single violent act. Activities become
crimes as support to such organization is
deemed as such (S. 39).
What is sought to be curbed is not the
banned organization but the issues championed
by the banned organization. Thus, the opposi-
tion to the government policy of creating organ-
izations like the Salwa Judum, of creating
armed groups through hiring of SPOs, can con-
veniently be labelled as one which furthers the
activity of the banned organization.
What is particularly pernicious is that while
the procedure for banning an association is
wide and arbitrary, the procedure for un-banning
is a byzantine maze which denies any possibili-
ty for the ban to get lifted unless the government
itself decides to do so.
If the proposed amendments to extend the
period of ban from 2 to 5 years for a new cate-
gory of crime under the ambit of economic
security are brought in, which will target trade
unions and working class struggles, then the
footprint of the UAPA will bring everyone other
than Hindu right wing and parochial organiza-
tions under its baleful purview.
3. Arbitrary Procedures: Instead of enforcing
procedures that check the arbitrariness and
subjectivity written into its provisions, the UAPA
does the opposite. It increases the police pow-
ers of arrest, search and seizure [S.43A, 43B],
makes all offences cognizable [S.14, 43D(1)],
enhances the period of detention [S.43D(2)],
overturns the established norms for grant of
police custody [S.43D(2)], undermines the
power of the court to require attendance of pris-
oners [S.43D(3)], denies the provision for antic-
ipatory bail [S.43D(4)], enhances the restrictions
on bail [S.43D(5)], presumes guilt of the
accused [S.43E], permits in-camera trial and
withholding the identity of the witness [S.44] and
allows intercepted communications to be used
as evidence [S.46]. Each of these measures
promotes greater laxity on the part of the law
enforcers. Arrest without a warrant is permitted
for any offence under this Act.
Since a large number of offences defined in
the UAPA have little to do with what a person
does, and more to do with how the government
interprets or what it wishes to believe, this blan-
ket power to arrest is an invitation for misuse. By
permitting police custody at any stage during
the investigation, the UAPA attempts to gag the
accused and prevent him from stating anything
that may be inconvenient for the police or the
government. To make matters worse in this
regard, the UAPA stipulates that S. 268 of the
Cr.P.C. shall apply to every offence under the
Act. This means that the court loses the power
to direct the officer in charge of a prison to pro-
duce a detained person in court for answering to
a charge, or for examination as a witness.
4. Preventive Detention: Every liberal and dem-
ocratic judicial system declares an accused guilty
only after the judge declares so after the comple-
tion of the trial. Therefore, it fixes a reasonable
amount of maximum time that an accused may
be kept in jail or till the police completes its inves-
tigation and submits its findings before the court.
Till the completion of the investigation the deten-
tion of the accused is only preventive. And pre-
ventive detention is prohibited by Article 22 of the
Constitution. Hence, the duration of this detention
is a matter of serious concern. The Cr.P.C. allows
a maximum period of 90 days in case of an
offence carrying a punishment of 10 years or
above, and 60 days in other cases. But, under
the UAPA, all offences, including the most minor
ones, carry a 90 day detention. Add to this the
provision [S.43D(2)(b)] that it can be extended by
another 90 days, and we have a full-blown law for
preventive detention, that puts to shame even the
draconian National Security Act, in having no
checks at all.
By so doing the UAPA overturns the basic
principle of division of power between the
Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. It
confers such extraordinary authority on the
Executive that they can at their whim, as BJP-led
NDA government did in 2001 to ban SIMI, pro-
scribe organizations which in their subjective
understanding are anathema to them. Indeed, the
illegitimacy of the UAPA, under the principles of
natural justice, is available in the fact that where-
as SIMI was banned in 2001 when there was not
a single instance of SIMI being implicated in terror
crimes, abundance of evidence of involvement of
Hindutva groups in mass crimes, crimes against
humanity, etc., for over six decades, did not result
in any action against them!
5. Heinous Crimes: There are two ways in
which the Executive fights against heinous
crimes such as bomb blasts which target civil-
ians. The normal law or IPC and other Acts are
used for Hindutva terror groups which allow
even conspirators, against whom there is prima
facie evidence, to escape because they occupy
positions of power in Hindutvas mother organi-
zation, the RSS. The extraordinary way is
reserved for non-Hindutva groups whose mem-
bers, or the kith and kin of members/support-
ers/sympathizers, face the brunt of the govern-
ments hostility and witch-hunt. The best illustra-
tion of this is found in the kid glove treatment
meted out to RSS Pracharak, Indervesh, who
escaped interrogation and incarceration for
being linked to Hindutva terror which carried out
a series of bomb attacks which resulted in
scores of killings, simply because Hindutva
organization/s are not banned.
It is worth pointing out that the UNSC did
ban some of the groups primarily because they
caused large-scale civilian deaths, an act of
heinous crime in itself. But they failed to curb
such crimes because they did not declare that
many agencies belonging to permanent mem-
bers of the UNSC ought to be covered under
this. It also failed to note that those whose
hands are already bloodied by heinous crimes
against humanity are prime advocates for pro-
scribing those entities disliked by them.
6. V.G. Row Judgment: It is important to cite
here a judgment which was given in 1952, a
year after the passage of the First amendment
in 1951. In the VG Row versus the State of
Madras (1952) case, a five-member bench of
the Supreme Court expressed concern at the
unbridled powers vested with the government to
ban organizations. The significance of the judg-
ment lay in the manner in which the apex court
read down the 1908 Act which permits the
provincial governments to impose ban on organ-
izations. In paragraph 17, the Supreme Court
held that The right to form associations or
unions has such wide and varied scope for its
exercise, and its curtailment is fraught with such
potential reactions in the religious, political and
economic fields, that the vesting of authority in
the executive government to impose restriction
on such right without allowing the grounds of
such imposition both in their factual and legal
aspect to be duly tested in a judicial inquiry, is
strong element which, in our opinion, must be
taken into account in judging the reasonable-
ness of the restriction imposed. It further held
that The formula of subjective satisfaction of
the Government or of its officers, with an
Advisory Board thrown in to review the materials
on which the Government seeks to override a
basic freedom guaranteed to the citizen, may be
viewed as reasonable only in very exceptional
circumstances and within the narrowest limits,
and cannot receive judicial approval as a gener-
al pattern of reasonable restriction on funda-
mentals rights.
Conclusion: The politics of ban, the use of dra-
conian laws to silence dissent, restrictions
imposed on freedom of expression, assembly
and association under one or another excuse,
all of which flows out of the gun of the rulers,
raised in favour of foreign and Indian capital,
and trained against people who question or
oppose them - are deplorable. CL-DR groups
are of the firm conviction that if the government
has a case backed by evidence to declare an
ideology as criminal or proscribe an organiza-
tion, it should be able to prosecute the organiza-
tion and allow the courts to decide rather than
preventing the organization from carrying on
with their political mobilisation and propagation
on the mere whim of the authorities.
The manner in which political and ideologi-
cal differences are made unlawful which erase
the specific contexts which cause and prolong
conflict are equally deplorable. A separation is
required between crime and expression as it
allows for dialogue, which can go a long way in
resolving such conflicts saving tens of thou-
sands of lives. In all conflicts there was an orig-
inal moment, such as in the Naga peoples
struggle among others, where peaceful resolu-
tion was available. Instead, by taking recourse
to military suppression and criminalizing dis-
sent, the State effectively throttled this possibili-
ty. An immediate and unconditional repeal of the
UAPA is need of the hour.
To read the full report, visit:
http://www.pudr.org/sites/default/files/UAPA.pdf
The Terror of Law: UAPAand the Myth of National Security
There are two ways in which the Executive fights against heinous
crimes such as bomb blasts which target civilians. The normal law or
IPC and other Acts are used for Hindutva terror groups which allow
even conspirators, against whom there is prima facie evidence, to
escape because they occupy positions of power in Hindutvas mother
organization, the RSS. The extraordinary way is reserved for non-
Hindutva groups whose members, or the kith and kin of members/sup-
porters/sympathizers, face the brunt of the governments hostility and
witch-hunt. The best illustration of this is found in the kid glove treat-
ment meted out to RSS Pracharak, Indervesh, who escaped interroga-
tion and incarceration for being linked to Hindutva terror which carried
out a series of bomb attacks which resulted in scores of killings, simply
because Hindutva organization/s are not banned.
PARTISAN MISUSE
UAPA going the TADA, POTA way?
A RIPPLE of resentment it might be at present, but the union home ministry cannot afford to ignore
objections raised by the All India Milli Council to what it claims is selective abuse of the Unlawful
Activities Prevention Act. As communally-coloured protest has the potential to swell to tidal-wave
dimensions, North Block should set about either enlightening the minority community or actively
address its concerns. Since a number of post-26/11 initiatives have been taken under the UAPA
umbrella ~ including the still-stymied National Counter Terrorism Centre ~ the internal security appa-
ratus could come unstuck if the objections acquire political impetus. With the UPA itself taking a
series of measures, some controversial, to ensure Muslim support and its allies hardly bashful about
retaining such popularity, a fresh controversy would be least desirable. Vivid in public memory are
the harsh realities that forced the repeal of TADA and POTA, and while the initial UAPA predates
those draconian pieces of legislation, it would not be difficult to whip up hostile sentiments. The
UAPA is a black law. We have been demanding its repeal as it has been massively abused for tar-
geting innocent Muslim youths, the general secretary of the Council asserted at a recent press con-
ference in the Capital. Talking about a climate of fear and suspicion created by UAPA,
Dr Mohammed Manzoor Alam maintained that the Act seems to have paralysed even statutory
bodies which are supposed to protect the rights of citizens, and he cited the National Human Rights
Commission as one among them. Though not everybody would accept that thesis, acknowledge-
ment would certainly be accorded to his complaint that the governments, both union and states,
have failed to ensure accountability of the guilty police and intelligence officials. It remains one of
those classic examples of inept governance down the ages and regardless of the political compo-
sition of governments, that every special law to deal with extraordinary circumstances is misused.
The rot is initiated by the exploitation of such legislation for political vengeance, and that gives
unprincipled police (often communally biased) opportunity to run riot. Effective police reform
remains as illusionary as upright politicians. Yet all that is no excuse for the home ministry to look
the other way. Out of character though it might be for the culture of the present Congress leader-
ship, but it must shed its arrogance and step down to explain things to an aggrieved section of
society.
Editorial - The Statesman 19 June 2012
NATIONAL
8 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
PROF. SHAMSUL ISLAM
To,
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarsanghchalak, Shri Mohan
Bhagwatji,
Namaskar.
I was not surprised to read your comments in newspapers that it
was not necessary to be a secular person to occupy the office of
the Prime Minister in Democratic-Secular India. As per the press
reports, you wondered why a Hinduwadi could not become PM of
India? I am sure you understand better than me that being a
Hinduwadi is not the same as professing Hindu religion. Our
national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal
Nehru, Subhashchandra Bose, Ram Manohar Lohia, Rajguru,
Sukhdev and many, many more were Hindu by faith but not
Hinduwadi. In fact, Mahatma Gandhi, a great practitioner of Hindu
religion, was brutally assassinated for not being a Hinduwadi by
a gang having allegiance to Hindu Mahasabha and RSS.
Surely, by Hinduwadi you mean a believer in Hindutva, a
kind of political Hinduism, outlined by Vinayak Damodar
Savarkarji in his book Hindutva and later developed by RSS ide-
ologues like MS Golwalkar. You will agree with me that RSS,
under your command currently, has been a prominent flag-bear-
er of Hindutva since its inception in 1925. I feel before arriving at
the conclusion that there is no harm in allowing person/s who
believe/s in Hindutva to become PM of India we will have to
understand what Hindutva is.
You will agree with me that we need to understand whether
Hindutva is compatible with principles of Democracy, Justice,
Egalitarianism & Secularism. In this connection, please, allow me
to scrutinize some of the original documents and sources which
legitimately belong to the RSS or its sister organizations like
Hindu Mahasabha. If you find that I am dishonest in referring to
these or misrepresenting facts, you will be at liberty to initiate
defamation process against me.
Does Hindutva Stand For A Two-Nation Theory?
Bhagwatji! I would like to refresh your memory that both the orig-
inator of Hindutva, VD Savarkarji and its flag-bearer, RSS earlier
and under your command too, had and have unequivocal faith in
in Two-Nation Theory, that Hindus and Muslims are two different
nations. While Muslim League under the leadership of
Mohammed Ali Jinnah resolved to have a separate homeland for
Muslims of India in the form of Pakistan in 1940, Savarkar prop-
agated as early as 1937 that Hindus and Muslims were two dif-
ferent nations. While delivering presidential address to the 19th
Hindu Mahasabha session at Ahmedabad, Savarkarji unequivo-
cally declared,
"As it is, there are two antagonistic nations living side by side in
India, several infantile politicians commit the serious mistake in
supposing that India is already welded into a harmonious nation,
or that it could be welded thus for the mere wish to do so. These
were well-meaning but unthinking friends take their dreams for
realities. That is why they are impatient of communal tangles and
attribute them to communal organizations. But the solid fact is
that the so-called communal questions are but a legacy handed
down to us by centuries of cultural, religious and national antag-
onism between the Hindus and Moslems... Let us bravely face
unpleasant facts as they are. India cannot be assumed today to
be a unitarian and homogenous nation, but on the contrary there
are two nations in the main: the Hindus and the Moslems, in
India."
Sir! Has it not been the cardinal principle of your organiza-
tion also? The RSS following into the foot-steps of Savarkarji,
always rejected the idea that Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and
Christians together constituted a nation. Your English organ,
Organiser, on the very eve of Independence (August 14, 1947)
editorially (titled Whither) underlined its belief in the Two-Nation
theory once again in the following words:
Let us no longer allow ourselves to be influenced by false
notions of nationhood. Much of the mental confusion and the
present and future troubles can be removed by the ready
recognition of the simple fact that in Hindusthan only the
Hindus form the nation and the national structure must be
built on that safe and sound foundationthe nation itself
must be built up of Hindus, on Hindu traditions, culture, ideas
and aspirations.
Bhagwatji! Please, help our country to understand how the
believers in Hindutva are different from pre-Partition Muslim
Leaguers who once played prominent role in dismembering India.
Does Hindutva Respect National Flag And Democracy?
Sir, it may not be out of context to know your attitude towards the
National Flag which represents the Democratic-Secular India. It is
important to know it from the head of the organization which
swears by Hindutva. I would like to draw your attention to the fol-
lowing statement which appeared in the English organ Organiser,
again on the eve of Independence:
The people who have come to power by the kick of fate may
give in our hands the Tricolour but it never [sic] be respected
and owned by Hindus. The word three is in itself an evil, and
a flag having three colours will certainly produce a very bad
psychological effect and is injurious to a country.
Can those who denigrate the National Flag in such foul lan-
guage be allowed to rule this country?
Sarsanghchalakji! Lay persons like me need to know from
practitioners of Hindutva like you what you think of Democracy. I
would like to draw your attention to a statement made by the sec-
ond Sarsanghchalak of the RSS and its most prominent ideo-
logue till date, MS Golwalkar. As per the RSS archives,
Golwalkarji while addressing a group of 1350 top level cadres of
the RSS in 1940 declared: RSS inspired by one flag, one leader
and one ideology is lighting the flame of Hindutva in each and
every corner of this great land.
Learned Bhagwatji! This slogan of one flag, one leader and
one ideology was also the battle cry of Fascist and Nazi parties
of Europe in the first half of the 20th century. What they did to
democracy is well-known to this world. Can those who believe in
such totalitarian designs be allowed to rule our country?
Does Hindutva Stand For Casteism?
Sarsanghchalakji! You will agree with me that RSS and its sister
organisations, which want to have a Hindutva rule in India, hated
the Constitution of India which was drafted under the guidance of
Dr BR Ambedkar. When the Constituent Assembly of India had
finalized the Constitution of India, RSS was not happy. Its organ,
Organiser in an editorial on November 30, 1949, complained:
But in our constitution there is no mention of the unique con-
stitutional development in ancient Bharat. Manu's Laws were
written long before Lycurgus of Sparta or Solon of Persia. To
this day his laws as enunciated in the Manusmriti excite the
admiration of the world and elicit spontaneous obedience and
conformity. But to our constitutional pundits that means noth-
ing.
Bhagwatji! It may not be a secret to you that Savarkarji
remained a great protagonist of Casteism and worshipper of
Manusmriti throughout his life. The institutions of Casteism and
Untouchability were the outcome of Manu's thought about which
Savarkar said the following:
Manusmriti is that scripture which is most worshipable after
Vedas for our Hindu Nation and which from ancient times has
become the basis of our culture-customs, thought and prac-
tice. This book for centuries has codified the spiritual and
divine march of our nation. Even today the rules which are
followed by crores of Hindus in their lives and practice are
based on Manusmriti. Today Manusmriti is Hindu Law.
Sir! What kind of civilisation the RSS under your command
and under Hindutva ideology wants to build by enforcing the laws
of Manu, can be known by having a glimpse of the laws pre-
scribed by Manu for the Dalits/Untouchables and women. Some
of these dehumanizing and degenerate laws, which are present-
ed here, are self-explanatory.
Laws Of Manu Concerning Dalits/Untouchables
1 For the sake of the prosperity of the worlds (the Divine One)
caused the Brahmana, the Kshatriya, the Vaisya, and the
Sudra to proceed from his mouth, his arm, his thighs and his
feet.
2 One occupation only the Lord prescribed to the Sudras, to
serve meekly even these (other) three castes.
3 Once-born man (a Sudra), who insults a twice-born man with
gross invective, shall have his tongue cut out; for he is of low
origin.
4 If he mentions the names and castes (gati) of the (twice-born)
with contumely, an iron nail, ten fingers long, shall be thrust
red-hot into his mouth.
5 If he arrogantly teaches Brahmanas their duty, the king shall
cause hot oil to be poured into his mouth and into his ears.
6 With whatever limb a man of a low caste does hurt to (a man
of the three) highest (castes), even that limb shall be cut off;
that is the teaching of Manu.
7 He who raises his hand or a stick, shall have his hand cut off;
he who in anger kicks with his foot, shall have his foot cut off.
8 A low-caste man who tries to place himself on the same seat
with a man of a high caste, shall be branded on his hip and be
banished or (the king) shall cause his buttock to be gashed.
9 Let him never slay a Brahmana, though he have committed all
(possible) crimes; let him banish such an (offender), leaving all
his property (to him) and (his body) unhurt.
Laws Of Manu Concerning Women
1.Day and night, woman must be kept in dependence by the
males (of) their (families), and, if they attach themselves to sen-
sual enjoyments, they must be kept under one's control.
2.Her father protects (her) in childhood, her husband protects
(her) in youth, and her sons protect (her) in old age; a woman
is never fit for independence.
3.Women must particularly be guarded against evil inclinations,
however trifling (they may appear); for, if they are not guarded,
they will bring sorrow on two families.
4.Considering that the highest duty of all castes, even weak hus-
bands (must) strive to guard their wives.
5.No man can completely guard women by force; but they can be
guarded by the employment of the (following) expedients:
6.Let the (husband) employ his (wife) in the collection and expen-
diture of his wealth, in keeping (everything) clean, in (the fulfill-
ment of) religious duties, in the preparation of his food, and in
looking after the household utensils.
7.Women, confined in the house under trustworthy and obedient
servants, are not (well) guarded; but those who of their own
accord keep guard over themselves, are well guarded.
8.Women do not care for beauty, nor is their attention fixed on
age; (thinking), '(It is enough that) he is a man,' they give them-
selves to the handsome and to the ugly.
9.Through their passion for men, through their mutable temper,
through their natural heartlessness, they become disloyal
towards their husbands, however carefully they may be guard-
ed in this (world).
10. (When creating them) Manu allotted to women (a love of
their) bed, (of their) seat and (of) ornament, impure desires,
wrath, dishonesty, malice, and bad conduct.
11. For women no (sacramental) rite (is performed) with sacred
texts, thus the law is settled; women (who are) destitute of
strength and destitute of (the knowledge of) Vedic texts (are as
impure as) falsehood (itself), that is a fixed rule.
I
would like to remind you that a copy of Manusmriti was burnt as
a protest in the presence of Dr. BR Ambedkar during historic
Mahad agitation in December, 1927.
Sir! You will agree with me that Golwalkarji was the most
prominent theorist of the RSS and he, like Savarkarji, believed
that Casteism was a natural integral part of Hinduism. In fact,
Golwalkar went to the extent of declaring that Casteism was syn-
onymous with the Hindu nation. According to him, the Hindu peo-
ple are none else but The Virat Purusha, the Almighty manifest-
ing himself [according to purusha sukta] sun and moon are his
eyes, the stars and the skies are created from his nabhi [navel]
and Brahmin is the head, Kshatriya the hands, Vaishya the thighs
and Shudra the feet. This means that the people who have this
fourfold arrangement, i.e., the Hindu People, is [sic] our God. This
supreme vision of Godhead is the very core of our concept of
'nation' and has permeated our thinking and given rise to various
unique concepts of our cultural heritage.
Sarsanghchalakji! The truth is that Hindutva is nothing but
an ideology which stands for totalitarianism, Casteism and injus-
tice. I would conclude with the words of Dr BR Ambedkar who
said: "If Hindu Raj does become a fact, it will, no doubt, be the
greatest calamity for this countryit is a menace to liberty, equal-
ity and fraternity. On that account it is incompatible with democ-
racy. Hindu Raj must be prevented at any cost."
I would be eagerly looking forward to receive your kind
response to issues raised in this letter.
Thanking you.
Yours,
Shamsul Islam
Delhi, 25-06-2012
notoinjustice@gmail.com
An open letter to RSS Sarsanghchalak
Sir! You will agree
with me that
Golwalkarji was the
most prominent the-
orist of the RSS and
he, like Savarkarji,
believed that
Casteism was a nat-
ural integral part of
Hinduism. In fact,
Golwalkar went to
the extent of declar-
ing that Casteism
was synonymous with the Hindu nation.
According to him, the Hindu people are none else
but The Virat Purusha, the Almighty manifesting
himself [according to purusha sukta] sun and
moon are his eyes, the stars and the skies are cre-
ated from his nabhi [navel] and Brahmin is the
head, Kshatriya the hands, Vaishya the thighs and
Shudra the feet. This means that the people who
have this fourfold arrangement, i.e., the Hindu
People, is [sic] our God. This supreme vision of
Godhead is the very core of our concept of
'nation' and has permeated our thinking and given
rise to various unique concepts of our cultural
heritage.
Sarsanghchalakji! The truth is that Hindutva
is nothing but an ideology which stands for total-
itarianism, Casteism and injustice. I would con-
clude with the words of Dr BR Ambedkar who
said: "If Hindu Raj does become a fact, it will, no
doubt, be the greatest calamity for this countryit
is a menace to liberty, equality and fraternity. On
that account it is incompatible with democracy.
Hindu Raj must be prevented at any cost."
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012 9
NATIONAL
The following is a case study of discrimination and
torture in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh
AMIT SINGH
Police brutality on me, my father and brother makes my spine
shiver and fear overpowers me. I am still terrified by the police
thinking that as I raise voice against them, they might implicate
me in any false case. Earlier police used to stop me and used to
threaten that they would implicate me in a false case. The entire
incident has pained me and it would be in my mind for years
together. Suffering emanating out of police torture cannot be
compensated. (Voice of voiceless, 2011).
India is indeed incredible[1] in the way it treats its vulnera-
ble citizens, particularly lower caste and poor people.
Discrimination, torture, enforced disappearance, police injustice,
impunity, cases of arbitrary detention are rampant and enough to
substantiate Indias failure to its human rights compliances.
Signatory of various human right instruments, Indian govern-
ment failed to protect and fulfill its obligations not only to its citi-
zen but also it breached many international human rights laws.
Against this background, this article will argue that India has
failed to keep its human rights obligations, particularly the right to
freedom, ban torture and arbitrary arrest. In addition, various
case studies have been discussed to support the argument.
Background
Systemic discrimination of lower castes and minorities has
always been a part of the caste structure in the Indian society.
Due to discrimination, disadvantaged groups failed to enjoy their
basic human rights such as access to education, health services,
safe drinking water and housing rights. These situations are fur-
ther aggravated when the following human rights violations are
committed, namely:
- Rights against subjection to torture or to cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment;
- Right to have effective remedy;
- Right against arbitrary arrest, detention or exile;
- Right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty;
- Right to have a fair public hearing in civil or criminal matters.
There have been many documented cases of police atrocities
and the states inability to protect the victims. Rather, noticeable
in various cases[2], state machinery has been complicit in such
violations and was found guilty of aiding and abetting the crimi-
nals. In this connection, documentation has been made by
Varanasi-based NGO, PVCHR (People Vigilance Commission on
Human Rights)[3] in collaboration with the National Alliance on
Testimonial Therapy between 2002 to 2010. For the purpose of
gathering concrete evidence, testimonial method[4] has been
adopted.
Further section provides a brief overview about the interna-
tional human rights instruments India has signed and ratified.
Indias human rights obligations
India has either acceded or has ratified the following human
rights treaties[5]:
1. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
2. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights,
3. International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination,
4. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women
5. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (India has only signed, i.e.,
not ratified).
In addition, India is one of the founding signatories of Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Notable is the fact that states
which have signed UN conventions have legal obligations to pro-
tect, promote and fulfill concerned human rights treaties[6].
For the purpose of this study, it will be worthwhile to have a
brief overview of the concerned rights enshrined in international
human rights instruments. Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(1948) in article 5 stresses on No one shall be subjected to tor-
ture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
This element of rights further solidifies in the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976) article 7 which says:
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment. However, the Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment clearly elaborates that Each State
party shall take effective legislative, administrative, judicial or
other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its
jurisdiction (art. 2(1)). This Convention forbids the practice of tor-
ture in every circumstance including emergency (art. 2 (2)) and
says that no public authority can justify torture (art. 2(3))[7]. On
discrimination, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
says All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and
rights (art. 1). Further, the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Racial Discrimination in its various articles (art. 1 (2),
art. 2(1(a). art. 4) condemns the practice of discrimination.
Moreover, article 15 of the Indian constitution prohibits dis-
crimination on grounds of religions, race, caste, sex or place of
birth. The Indian Constitution outlaws caste-based discrimination
as well as the practice of untouchability[8]. In addition, under
article 21, no one shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty.
Case Studies
Case 1[9]: In this case, a powerful local politician has used polit-
ical connection through local police in order to settle a personal
land dispute. Victim S. (district Chandoli, Uttar Pradesh, 2008)
has been targeted and tortured by district police. In addition, his
elder brother was killed in a fake police encounter; his father was
illegally imprisoned and tortured. However, due to poor financial
condition, the victim was unable to access the judicial system
which is notoriously slow in delivering justice. Nonetheless, victim
failed to get his grievances redressed by police or concerned
authority. This case represents police-politician nexus in torment-
ing poor people for their personal gains. Interestingly, local police
in addition to dereliction of their duties become a tool of oppres-
sion and commit gross violations of human rights by taking an
innocent persons life in fake encounter. Along with it, the victim
due to his inability (financial hindrance, mental hardship) could
not access the justice system, let alone get fair trail.
Human rights violated in the case:
- Right to life (I. C. C. P. R. art 6(1) [10]
- Rights against subjection to torture or to cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment; (I. C. C. P. R. art. 7)
- Right to have effective remedy; (I. C. C. P. R. art. 2 (3. a)
- Right against arbitrary arrest, detention or exile; (I. C. C. P. R. art.
9 (1))
- Right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty (I. C. C. P. R art.
14. (2)
- Right to have a fair public hearing in civil or criminal matters (I. C.
C. P. R art. 14, 16)
- Right to be treated humanely while in detention (I. C. C. P. R. art.
10(1)
- Right to privacy (I. C. C. P. R art 17(1) (2)
- Right to equality and non-discrimination (I. C. C. P. R. art. 2(1), 26)
Case 2[11]: This case presents a classic example of police atroc-
ities where Varanasi district police has fabricated a case of burgla-
ry against a lower caste (Mus-har) man Mr. A, 40. He spent four
years behind the bars without ever committing any crime. The vic-
tim belonged to the socially and economically disadvantaged
group (Mus-har). He was arbitrarily arrested many times. Along
with his father and uncles, he was often harassed by local police.
Interestingly, local police did not follow any due procedure of law
while arresting, tormenting and searching victims home abruptly.
This horrible incident left victims family shattered. His health wors-
ened and he could not get any job due the social stigma. Till date
(April 2012), the victims failed to get any justice. However,
Varanasi police arrested the victim on the basis of the social
stereotyping of Mus-har community (victims sub-caste) as being
involved in illegal activities. As such, this case is a symbolic repre-
sentation of the deeply entrenched social biases prevailing in the
Indian society and it shows that the government machinery is not
immune to these biases. Rather, at many occasions, the govern-
ment machinery is responsible for adding and abetting the crimes.
Human rights violated in the case:
- Rights against subjection to torture or to cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment (I. C. C. P. R. art. 7)
- Right to have effective remedy (I. C. C. P. R. art. 2 (3. a)
- Right against arbitrary arrest, detention or exile (I. C. C. P. R. art.
9)
- Right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty (I. C. C. P. R art.
14.(2)
- Right to have a fair public hearing in civil or criminal matters (I. C.
C. P. R art. 14,16)
- Right to privacy (I. C. C. P. R art 17(1)(2)
- Right of person to be treated humanely while in detention (I. C. C.
P. R. art. 10(1)
- Right to equality and non-discrimination (I. C. C. P. R. art. 2(1), 26)
Along with the above-mentioned violated rights, United Nations
Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial
Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) [12],
Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners[13] and
United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of
their Liberty[14] were also disregarded by the officials. In addition,
Indian government failed to take effective legislative, administra-
tive and judicial measures to prevent acts of torture. Therefore, it
is in breach of its human rights obligations.
Has India failed to keep its human rights obligations, i.e.,
Right to Life, liberty and security?
The growing number of extra judicial killings, rampant dis-
crimination against vulnerable groups including minorities and the
legal immunity raise the question: whether government of India
has honest intention to fulfill its human rights obligations.
Custodial torture, inherent in daily police practice, still remains a
serious concern. Police practices include assaults, physical abus-
es, custodial rape, psychological humiliations, as well as depriva-
tion of food/water/sleep and medical attention. Study shows that
every year in India, 1.8 million people are victims of police tor-
ture[15]. According to National Human Rights Commission
Annual report, during 2001-2010, 14,231 people have died in
police custody, as a consequence of torture[16]. As per Universal
Periodic Review recommendation by WGHCR, Indian govern-
ment needs to expedite ratification of the Convention against
Torture (CAT) preceded by the enactment of a domestic law[17].
Obstacles to justice: The Police Act, 1861 and the Prison Act,
1894 are two of the oldest statutes in effect. Despite countless
recommendations for their repeal and replacement with laws in
sync with the international human rights standards, they are still
operational[18]. Proper implementation of the many progressive
laws and regulations have been demanded in order to remove the
many structural and functional problems in the Indian justice sys-
tem. Rights violations by police continued to rise in 2008-9[19].
Police were regularly accused of torturing, beating, abduction,
deaths in custody and extra-judicial killings in fake encounters.
Police departments do not usually register cases, conduct arbi-
trary arrests and disregard procedural safeguards[20]. On the
other hand, there is a serious lack of awareness amongst litigants
on free legal aid services which often doesnt reach the needy.
Discrimination against disadvantage groups (Scheduled
Tribes, Scheduled Caste, and Women): Indias tribal popula-
tion, known as Dailts, have long been discriminated in every
aspect of life. The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 seeks to provide such
protection. However, weak implementation and low conviction
rates (29.32%) are disturbing as is the fact that Police often
refuse to register Dalits cases[21]. Despite the overarching man-
date of equality and non-discrimination contained in the Indian
Constitution and regardless of the enactment of women-specific
laws, discrimination against women is systemic and shapes all
structures of the state and society[22]. Cases of domestic and
sexual violence, harassment at workplace, physical threats are
on rise.
Conclusion and recommendations: The right to equality and
freedom from discrimination, torture and cruel, degrading treat-
ment and inhumane punishment is protected by various provi-
sions of the various international human rights instruments
including International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Based on International law, states are accountable on their failure
to protect their citizens against human rights violations particular-
ly custodial deaths, torture in custody and discrimination on the
basis of ones caste. This clearly manifests the gap between pre-
vailing international human rights law and its implementation at
domestic level.
Discussed cases established the fact that Indian bureaucra-
cy is not sensitive enough towards human rights issues. In addi-
tion, deeply-rooted social customs have continuously sustained
and supported social biases against vulnerable groups including
highly compartmentalized and stigmatized lower classes.
Though Indian government is the signatory of many
International human rights instruments, in practice blatant viola-
tion of human rights is apparent. Rotten police system, slow and
inaccessible justice system is just a symbolic representation of
the current scenario. In conclusion, police system needs to be
revamped. In addition, promotion of human rights education
should be a compulsory training for government officials regard-
less of their rank and status. Justice should be speedy and must
be accessible to disadvantaged groups. To achieve this goal, a
human rights awareness campaign could be launched in rural
areas. People can be empowered only if they know their rights.
The prevailing situation of persistent human rights violations
presents manifold challenges to Indian government to fulfill its
human rights obligations. A number of progressive legal and pol-
icy initiatives have been taken by the government. Nonetheless,
the lack of implementation continues to hinder the realization of
human rights for Indias most vulnerable.
Footnotes
[1] Incredible India, Indian tourism promotion statement
[2] Documented cases available on www. detenionwatch. blogpot. com. om
[3] www. pvchr. asia
[4] Testimonial includes detailed information about the victims experience.
Such testimonies confirm torture as actual reality and as lived experiences to
the sufferer and to the public: Eastmond, M. (2007) Stories as Lived
Experience: Narratives in Forced Migration Research, Journal of Refugee
Studies, Vol. 20, No. 2, p. 258 (Oxford University Press).
[5] http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/research/ratification-india.html
[6] http://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/Pages/InternationalLaw.aspx
[7] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cat.htm#part1
[8] Working group on human rights in Indian and the UN
[9] Voice of voiceless, Sept. 2011, No. 2.
[10] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm
[11] Voice of voiceless, Sept 2011, No. 2
[12] Available at http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/45/a45r113.htm
[13] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/treatmentprisoners.htm
[14] Available at http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/docs/2010/res%202010-16.pdf
[15] Human rights in India- Joint Stakeholders report by Working Group on
Human Rights in India and the UN (WGHCR)
[16] National human right commission report annual report, 2001-2012 , India
[17] Human rights in India- Joint Stakeholders report by Working Group on
Human Rights in India and the UN (WGHCR
[18] Ibid
19] National human right commission report annual report, 2001-2012 , India,
p. 86
[20] Human rights in India- Joint Stakeholders report by Working Group on
Human Rights in India and the UN (WGHCR) p. 14
[21] Ibid, p. 18
[22] Working Group on Human Rights in India and the UN (WGHCR), under
title Discrimination By Amit Singh, Institute of Human Rights and Peace
Mahidol Univesity, Thailand
Indias human rights obligation a case study
NATIONAL
10 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
AFSANA RASHID, SRINAGAR
Police has declined to divulge information about encounters that
took place in Jammu and Kashmir between 1989 and 2012. In
reply to a query under RTI Act filed by human rights activist
Khurram Parvez, Public Information Officer of the police, June 6
said, Information cannot be supplied as it falls under section 8(1)
a of RTI Act, 2009.
Parvez had sought details about the total number of encoun-
ters that had taken place across state between 1989 and 2012. The
RTI plea submitted by Parvez, May 5 asked for the total number of
encounters that had taken place in state since 1989; date-wise list
of all encounters and FIRs registered since 1989 till date.
It also sought information about the name of security forces or
police unit that carried out the encounters; name of militant organ-
ization and militants who were ambushed in encounters; list of local
and foreign militants, civilians and security forces killed in each
encounter since 1989 till date. It also asked for a list of encounters
where police investigations later proved encounters fake. Parvez
had claimed that information sought doesnt fall within restrictions
contained in section 8 and 9 of RTI Act.
Meanwhile, police has registered about 450 cases against law
enforcing agencies for offences including stone-pelting, eve-teas-
ing and killings, according to information acquired under another
RTI filed by Parvez.
Police has registered cases against some of its own men for
their involvement in robbery, rioting, timber smuggling, cheating,
eve-teasing, burglary and criminal conspiracy, said the RTI.
A case was registered against CRPF in 2009 for stone-pelting
under FIR No 62/2009, it said, adding the present status of the
case has been shown untraced. Four more cases of stone-pelting
were filed against CRPF and a constable in Safakadal police sta-
tion in 2010 (FIR No 127/10). Four FIRs of rioting and robbery
were filed against CRPF in 2010 in Saddar police station wherein
police is yet to file the charge sheet, it added. Nine FIRs have been
registered against different units of CRPF and army during 2009
and 2010 for opening fire on protestors in Sopore and all cases are
under investigation, added the reply to the RTI.
AFPSA to stay
Armed Forces Special Powers (AFSPA) Act wont go as the situa-
tion in Kashmir is unpredictable and dynamic, said outgoing GOC
15 Corps, Lt General S A Hasnain.
Around 300 militants are active in the valley. The ground situ-
ation doesnt allow removal of AFSPA, said Gen Hasnain, while
addressing media here, June 8, adding infiltration is going on.
Militant activities during summers are up whereas during winters it
goes down. He added since 2004 infiltration has been on the
decline. Though this year weve been successful in tracking down
one group of militants, but some infiltration has taken place. It cant
be zero. He hoped that the Army and political leadership will take
a decision on it after assessing the ground situation and interest of
the nation.
In response to a query, he said that there was no plan to
reduce armed forces from areas where militancy is at the lowest
ebb. It wasnt possible till militancy here is fully controlled.
Flanked by his successor, Lt General Om Prakash, Gen Hasnain
hailed the process of bunker removal from Srinagar. Though Army
isnt controlling Srinagar, but removal of bunkers is a good effort.
Lt General Om Prakash took over as GOC 15 Corps on June 9. An
infantry officer belonging to Kumaon regiment, he has commanded
the Siachen brigade in Ladakh and an army division at Rajouri in
Jammu.
Confirm Andarabi killers death: court
A local court hearing the custodial killing of noted human rights
activist, advocate Jaleel Andrabi has granted a time period of one
month to the state to confirm the death of accused, Major Avtar
Singh, former Indian Army officer. Singh, 47, wanted for Andrabis
killing, reportedly killed himself along with his family in California on
June 9. He had fled to the United States after he was accused of
killing Andrabi. Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar, Rajeev Gupta on
June 21 granted one months more time to the state government
after prosecuting officer submitted that nodal agency has been asked
to get confirmation of the death but no report has been received, so
far. The prosecution informed the court that US authorities have to be
approached and it may take at least a fortnight to get a report attest-
ing Singhs death. The court listed the case for July 21. Andrabis
family is expected to move revision application before the Court to
make the other accused with Singh as party in the case. The coun-
sel representing Andrabis family has said that police charge sheet
mentions five other accused with Singh.
Andrabi was allegedly detained by Rashtriya Rifles unit led by
Singh in March 1996 and his body was found floating in the river
Jehlum, a day later. A murder case was registered against Singh
and others and the case is pending trial for over a decade. The
court had even directed Singhs extradition from US.
Demanding an impartial investigation, Jammu Kashmir
Coalition of Civil Society June 11 said that circumstances under
which Singh was allowed to leave the country, persons or institu-
tions that may have supported him to escape the legal process and
delay in extraditing him ought to be probed. It urged US to investi-
gate why despite and Interpol warrant he wasnt arrested.
It added Singhs fair and impartial trial could have led to
unearthing of the truth. Investigations regarding killing of Andrabi
and others shouldnt end with Singhs death as he couldnt have
carried out these crimes alone. The Society said, Despite evi-
dence to suggest Singhs integral role the manner in which he has
been able to evade justice for 16 years suggest a larger institution-
al impunity at work. It added, Singh had spoken of the impossibil-
ity of him being taken to India alive as he knew too much and
wouldnt keep quiet. Besides, Justice Bilal Nazki responsible for
setting up of Special Investigation Team (SIT) to enquire into
Andrabis killing has spoken of being immediately transferred from
the High Court after issuing orders on SIT. It further added until
Singhs death, he was running a trucking company in California. It
was only a phone call from his wife to Californian police in February
2011 alleging domestic violence that brought to light his presence
in US.
Panchayat members resign en masse
Many panchayat members including women tendered their resig-
nation and publicized their non-affiliation with mainstream political
parties through local newspapers. This development followed
repeated threats being dished out by militant outfit Jaish-e-
Mohammad warning panchs to resign within a weeks time. Threats
reportedly appeared on posters of the outfit pasted on electricity
poles, walls of mosques and shops in various villages in south
Kashmirs Pulwama and Shopian districts.
A local news agency, CNS said around 50 panchs and
sarpanchs resigned. It has also been reported that 123 panchs and
sarpanchs have resigned from February 1 till date due to delay by
government in devolution of powers following militant threats. State
has around 4128 panchayats with 4130 sarpanchs and 29719
panchs. An emergency meeting was held here by DGP K Rajendra,
June 7 to discuss the security of panchayat members. Matter is
under investigation. We are looking into the threat perception that
forces elected members to resign. We are mapping vulnerable
areas and measures will be taken accordingly. Minister for Rural
Development and Panchayati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar, June 9
said that chief minister Omar Abdullah has asked state security
agencies to investigate threats to panchayat members. Describing
it as handiwork of mischievous elements Sagar said, Weve not
received resignation from any panchayat member. Government has
asked the police to take necessary measures to find out the truth
behind these threats and ensure Panchs safety and security.
7 out of 10 subscriptions are through WORD OF MOUTH
You know we dont have the resources to advertise & promote ourselves, so
please ask your friends to get their copy now
THE MILLI GAZETTE
First English Newspaper of Indian Muslims. Telling the Muslim side of the story fortnight after fortnight since January 2000
Police declines to give info on encounters
Srinagar: The outgoing J&K Police Chief Kuldip Khada said here
that only 200 militants are active now in J&K. Out of them 170 are
active in the Valley while 30 are active in Jammu region. He said
that there was a time when thousands of militancy-related inci-
dents took place every year but last year only 195 such incidents
took place and this year only 45 incidents have taken place until
now. If this continues, this year less than 100 incidents will be
recorded, and many of them are not serious, he said adding that
forces have killed the higher leadership of the militants and those
remaining too will be dealt with likewise.
MG comment: Yet, India keeps 700,000 soldiers in Kashmir
and insists on the terrorist law called AFSPA to subdue
and humiliate Kashmiris (Zafarul-Islam Khan)
Nimesh Commission in its last stages
Aligarh: Justice RD Nimesh, head of the one-man commission
probing charges that Muslim youths have been wrongly implicat-
ed in terror cases, said here that the probe into Tariq Qasmi of
Azamgarh is almost complete while Khalid Mujahids case contin-
ues. A total of 116 witnesses have appeared in Khalid Mujahids
case and one, the then DIG Akhil Kumar remains and will appear
in early July after his return from the US. Both of them were kid-
napped by U. P. STF from Azamgarh and Jaunpur respectively in
December 2007 and later shown as arrested from Barabanki and
implicated in the Lucknow, Faizabad and Varanasi courts blasts
of 23 November that year. Mayawati government appointed
Nimesh Commission in March 2008 to probe the case and pres-
ent its report within six months. But despite the passage of eight
years, there is no sign of a report. Now it is active again after the
installation of the SP government in U.P. which has promised to
release innocents jailed on fake terror charges.
No jail to innocent Muslim youths: Home Secy
Madhubani: Rajkumar Singh, Union home secretary, said here
after receiving a memorandum from Dr. Fayyaz Ahmad (MLA),
that he will make sure that no innocent Muslim youth goes to jails.
He told Dr. Ahmad to awaken people about their rights so that
they do not let any raiding party arrest people in the absence of
the local police. He said that in cases of terrorism, the local police
has to be informed and the arrested person must be produced
before a local court and only after this such a person may be
taken away to an outside location. He said a circular has been
issued in this respect to all concerned.
Ahle Hadees leaders re-elected
New Delhi: During the annual meeting of the Shura Council of the
Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e Hadees here on 27 May, Hafiz Muhammad
Yahya Dehlawi and Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mahdi Salafi were
re-elected as president and general secretary, respectively, for a
third consecutive term, while Al-Haj Wakeel Parvez of Nagpur
was elected as treasurer. The meeting adopted a number of res-
olutions including one deploring the drive against Muslim youth in
the name of fighting terror. It demanded a fast track trial of the
accused, compensation for those acquitted and punishment for
the police officers who implicated them.
Hindutva terrorist surrenders
Mumbai: A Hindutva terrorist surrendered here to the ATS after
realising that he was brainwashed to commit anti-national activi-
ties. Sitaram Yadav (name changed) was brainwashed by the
leaders of a saffron organisation. A commerce graduate, he did
not realise then that in the name of working for Hindu Rashtra, he
was being prepared for anti-national activities. He was part of a
group of youth who were imparted training over two stages in use
of arms and making bombs. The ATS has helped this youth in
getting a job of Rs 18,000 per month. According to the ATS, ear-
lier a few Muslim youth also approached it after having taken
arms training in Pakistan. They surrendered saying that they did
not commit any anti-national or terrorist activity. ATS rehabilitated
them and helped them get decent jobs.
Over a hundred political prisoners in U.P. jails
New Delhi: Over a hundred poor political prisoners, including
women, are hopelessly languishing in various U.P. jails. They are
eligible for bail but cannot offer the monetary or personal sureties
needed for their release. Only in Mirzapur jail, there are over 50
such prisoners who are detained since years as Naxalities. A
survey found that there are over 100 such prisoners in Varanasi
and Mirzaur jails who have committed no serious crime and were
only connected to some political activity. Most of them are tribals
who are charged with sedition. They are still in jails although
there is no Naxalite movement in the area. Some people of this
area are also detained in Bihars Rohtas and Jahanabad jails.
Some are absconding as they fear encounter at police hands.
During Mayawati raj, Muslim boys were liberally arrested on
charges of terrorism while tribals were arrested on charges of
belonging to the Naxal movement.
744 Kashmiris under arrest
Srinagar: Hurriyat (G) chairman
Syed Ali Geelani said here on 23
May that 744 Kashmiris are
incarcerated in jails within and
without J&K. Two have been
awarded death sentences, 30
are in jails under various sen-
tences while 88 persons are detained under the notorious Public
Safety Act (PSA). He said courts have failed the Kashmiri people
as many detainees spend long years in jails and are finally
released as innocents. Geelani was speaking while inaugurating
www.releasedrqasim.org, an Internet campaign to set free Dr.
Ashiq Husain Faktoo alias Dr. Muhammad Qasim, a leader of the
Muslim League. Geelani said Dr. Qasim is a frontline leader of
the Kashmiri movement, whose sacrifices are guiding light for the
Kashmiri people. Dr. Qasim has completed 20 years of detention.
A campaign has been launched through the above website,
Facebook and online petition to draw attention to his case. Dr.
Qasim is the husband of Dukhtaran-e Millat chairperson Asiya
Andrabi who too has undergone detention for various periods.
Dr Qasim & his wife
Only 200 militants active: J&K Police chief
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012 11
ANALYSIS
Has Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) ful-
filled the promises it made several years ago to help in
the progress of Indian Muslims? The importance of an
answer to this question is certainly linked with parliamen-
tary elections scheduled for 2014. When the present gov-
ernment assumed power, the initial phase was marked by
great assurances being dished out to Indias largest
minority community. One wonders whether the same
rhetoric is ready to be replayed again as a part of the
electoral campaign for 2014. As respected leaders delib-
erate on their electoral strategy, it is imperative to ques-
tion the degree to which they have really implemented
their commitment towards the Indian Muslims. Or did the
importance of their promises and the so-called commit-
ment remain confined to paper, rhetoric and advertise-
ments in Urdu press?
Not too long ago, the government displayed a lot of
enthusiasm while taking note of the report submitted by
Sachar Committee. It seemed then that Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh was seriously considering some major
moves to help Muslims who, according to Sachar, had
touched the bottom of the Indian society. Undeniably, the
Sachar report still retains its importance as an official
document, but it is difficult to say the same about the
government having really taken any serious action to
address the situation discovered by Sachar.
There is no doubt that the report played a major role
in making people aware about the kind of problems
Indian Muslims were/are suffering from. The report also
shed some light on Muslims languishing in jails for no
fault of theirs. It may be noted that Indian Muslims them-
selves were fairly well-versed about these hard realities.
The report was thus an eye-opener for the government
and others who were not aware of the hardships faced by
Muslims in the country.
Surely, hype was not raised regarding the report only
on ground of it being an eye-opener. Initially, the impres-
sion was created about the report having generated a
wake-up call on the need to pay serious attention towards
the development of Indian Muslims. The question is: what
steps have really been taken in this direction? For
instance, how many innocent Muslims have actually been
released from prisons following this report?
Ironically, illiteracy of Muslims has in general always
been blamed for their being a backward community. It is
difficult to accept this view. The situation would have
been different if Muslims were the only community in
India who could be viewed as illiterate and backward. If
an area suffers from lack of basic educational facilities,
such as schools and colleges, because of which resi-
dents of the area cannot acquire education, why should
Muslims living here be blamed? A similar illiteracy rate
prevails among non-Muslims too living in the same area.
The fact that several Muslim organizations are seri-
ously involved in establishing and supporting madarsas
in even remote rural areas cannot be sidelined. At least,
these people are making the effort to ensure that their
community progresses. Nowadays, increasing impor-
tance is being paid to imparting education in basic sub-
jects, apart from Islamic, in these madarsas. In quite a
few places, even non-Muslims turn to these madarsas, to
learn a little. Despite the Muslims making efforts, if they
still top illiteracy charts, who is at fault?
There is no denying the fact that Sachar committee
report prompted the central government to commit
itself to release funds for programmes dedicated towards
the development of minorities. Strangely, to this day
there has been no significant pronouncement which may
indicate the degree to which Muslims have benefitted
from these programmes. One is compelled to deliberate
on this strange silence. Has the government deliberately
decided to maintain a silence or in essence, nothing
much has really been achieved?
Sadly, the government has practically nothing to
boast of regarding its efforts towards progress of Muslim
women. They hit headlines usually only when a fatwa is
issued or a court judgment delivered concerning their
rights, etc. It may be noted that Sachar committee did not
have any female member.
There is no denying that decision of Muslim women to
exercise their electoral rights to vote can play a major
role in turning the political tide in todays India. This has
been displayed in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
Had Muslim women decided not to cast their votes, the
results may have been different. Despite their being com-
mitted to play a responsible role as Indian citizens, it is a
tragic irony that the needed steps have not been taken for
their progress. There have been phases when National
Commission for Women has not had any Muslim member.
Undeniably, when hype is raised about reservation for
women in politics, special attention is paid to quota for
Muslim women. It is a well-known fact, prospect of such
a reservation issue being ever finalized remains a remote
possibility. Greater importance needs to be given for tak-
ing constructive steps to help Muslim women.
Six years have passed since submission of Sachar
committee report. How many Muslims have benefitted fol-
lowing steps taken by government for their progress, a
lakh, 10, 20, 50 lakhs, how many? If the government does-
nt have any answer to this question then it must answer,
why?
Speaki ng Out
Has UPA Really
Helped Muslims?
NI LOFAR SUHRAWARDY
Easing the burden of Hajis is a
noble goal, but a lot of caution is
required for endorsing the new
move, writes MOHAMMAD
ZEYAUL HAQUE
H
aj has been difficult for pilgrims visiting
the Holy Land from distant countries in
all ages. As recently as the first quarter
of the 20th century, pilgrims from India
were warned of pirates on the high seas and
wandering bands of bedouin marauders on the
land route via Iraq. Added to that constant dan-
ger were the issues of frequent sea sickness for
Hajis going by the sea route (most of them did
that only) and uncertainties plaguing the cara-
vans on the land route. Before the advent of
antibiotics during the World War II, a large num-
ber of pilgrim died from easily treatable infec-
tions like cholera, gastroenteritis, typhoid and
assorted health issues.
Making it easier, safer and affordable for an
ever larger number of Muslims has always been
the desire and effort of community leaders and
Muslim governments everywhere in every age.
Keeping that in view a one-day conference on
the issue on June 19 in New Delhi seems an
idea worthy of a hearty welcome. It is with
efforts like this (although made generally by
governments) that most of the difficulties have
been overcome over the decades and centuries.
From the perspective of four generations,
Yours Truly can vouch for the tremendous
progress that has been made over the last eight
to nine decades. Going on Haj pilgrimage in
1968 as a chaperon for grandma, I was told
about how my great-grandfather and great-
grandmother were written off as potentially dead
when they were going for Haj as quite a few
people routinely died while on pilgrimage.
Leaving for my Haj, I did not understand
why we were being given tearful send-offs.
When I was down with sea sickness, I had some
idea of the difficulties. It took a pilgrim ship ten
days to reach from Mumbai to Jeddah and
another ten to get to Mumbai from Jeddah. Then
you had to wait for weeks for your turn to board
the ship which plied between the two port cities.
Even the stay in the Holy Land seemed comfort-
able, the food agreeable and the climate like our
own Rajasthans, except Medina Munawwarah
which had been pretty mellow all the time.
Our passports did not carry the warning
about prospects of being attacked and looted
that my great grandfathers and great grand-
mothers did so vividly. Within four generations
things had eased considerably. The last time I
went to the Holy Land (two years ago), it took
only five hours of flight from Delhi to Jeddah (via
Riyadh), which was an immense relief.
The Haj itself consists of some hardships
which have been mitigated over the decades
considerably. Such hardships cannot be
removed completely even with the best efforts of
the Saudis, Indian government, or its state or
central Haj Committees. Some imperfection is
inevitable, which does not mean that attempts at
perfection should be dropped.
However, when it comes to supporting the
line adopted under the leadership of Member of
Parliament K Rahman Khan, I am for the cau-
tious approach taken by Law Minister Salman
Khursheed and Minister of State for External
Affairs E Ahmad. There is no need to go over-
board on every issue where the name of Islam
is taken by people with mixed motives.
There are people, including reporters of
some Urdu newspapers, who have reported the
event with a pro-Tabong Haji slant and ill-dis-
guised disapproval of the cautious attitude of
the two ministers. We have got this old habit of
hastily following every Pied Piper to our doom
and regretting it when it is too late. We jump
wildly on every new bandwagon that comes our
way. We have to keep in mind that everybody in
it is not there for the Love of Allah only. There
are quite a few who are angling for worldly
gains.
There are people who are coveting a Rajya
Sabha seat, a peripheral position like chairman-
ship of some Minority Commission or Haj
Committee, or a ministerial birth in the next
Union Cabinet reshuffle. We cannot go by every
word that they utter, every promise that they
make, every castle they make in the air. Tabong
Haji, an organisation with which Indians are
hardly familiar, is being touted as a new idea.
We also have to keep in mind that a good
share of such gestures are made to keep the
state and central governments under the
impression that people hungry for positions of
power are the trusted representatives of
Muslims of India. It is We, the Common Indian
Muslims, who are used as saleable commodi-
ties without our consent, or, even knowledge.
This is a great political bazaar where people
are being bought and sold without their knowl-
edge or approval. We have to resist being sold.
Nobody should be allowed to cash in on our
sacred symbols. Nobody should be allowed to
appoint himself our representative in govern-
ment just because he has hosted one of the
imams of the Kabah or dined with the chairman
of Islamic Development Bank.
Of late, religious politics has grown among
us as everyday, new players are joining it with
new paper organisations and mischievous
agendas. They are under the impression that it
is the easiest route to influence, affluence and
power.
The worst point of all this is that even
upright, mainstream politicians have started
copying the religious language and posturings
of this class. A famous politician, not ready to be
left behind in the religious one-upmanship of
people deficient in Islamic character but with
Islam written on their sleeves, chose to speak at
the above-mentioned conference in a religious
language. He should not have done that.
If respected ulama like Maulana Asghar Ali
Imam Mahdi Salafi or Maulana Mahmood Madni
use that language people take it as a marker of
their piety because they use the same language
in their drawing rooms, in class rooms, in public
meetings and in their solitude. But if somebody
who uses it only in public gatherings of an
Islamic nature, he is a charlatan. Islam cannot
be used as a special-effect device.
There is another, more serious dimension to
it: it has people in it whose financial integrity is
under a cloud. This is particularly ominous in
view of the fact that the Forum for Haj
Pilgrimage Management India wants Haj affairs
under private control. It sends shivers down
your spine if you consider the fearsome implica-
tions.
Think of the huge funds siphoned away by
people who launched Al Falah, Al Meezan, Al
Barkah and Amanat, all in the name of Islam.
Putting Haj affairs under private control of per-
sons with dubious integrity would be a lethal
mistake. I reiterate: this is a trap to be avoided
at all cost.
Everybody in the FHMRI does not have the
financial background, integrity and wherewithal
of Siraj Qureishi. Sadly, even he cannot control
habitual financial offenders. My sincere advice:
dont give the control of such a big affair as Haj
to people who are not capable of running small-
er operations like those mentioned above.
Finally, dont condemn the ministers, what-
ever their language or motive. They are right in
advising caution. In any case, the Indian state is
not easily going to abdicate its responsibility in
favour of unproven private players.
A Nice Idea Fraught With Deadly Risks
There is a more serious
dimension to it: FHMRI
has people in it whose
financial integrity is
under a cloud. This is
particularly ominous in
view of the fact that the
Forum for Haj Pilgrimage
Management India wants
Haj affairs under private
control. It sends shivers
down your spine if you consider the fearsome implications.
Think of the huge funds siphoned away by people who launched
Al-Falah, Al-Meezan, Al-Barkah and Amanat, all in the name of Islam.
Putting Haj affairs under private control of persons with dubious
integrity would be a lethal mistake. This is a trap to be avoided at all
cost.
Six years have passed since submis-
sion of Sachar committee report. How
many Muslims have benefitted following
steps taken by government for their
progress, a lakh, 10, 20, 50 lakhs, how
many? If the government doesnt have
any answer to this question then it
must answer, why?
Signpost
Maulana MUHAMMAD HANIF Gangohi, great religious
scholar, author of many books on Dars-e Nizami which are
taught in madrasas of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh,
commentator on the Quran and translator died in his home
town Gangoh in the early morning of 10 June at the age of
80 years. Educated at Gangoh, Miftahul Uloom, Jalalabad
and Darul Uloom Deoband, he used to teach Arabic and
Hadees in different madrasas.
Justice M.A. Khan, former judge of Lucknow bench of
Allahabad High Court and first Chief Information
Commissioner of U.P. died on 14 June by committing sui-
cide when he jumped from his flat on 4th floor in Lucknows
Gomti Nagar locality. According to his wife, he was mental-
ly depressed for quite some time. He was 70. On chief min-
ister Akhiesh Yadavs instruction his body was taken by air
ambulance from Lucknow to Saraswa airport from where it
was taken to his ancestral home in Saharanpur for burial.
Maulana MUHAMMAD YUSUF QASMI, great religious
scholar and calligrapher who took the art of calligraphy to
soaring heights died in Delhi on 10 June at the age of 83
years. A native of Bihars Lakhi Sarai district, he came to
Delhi and settled down here after completing his education
at Darul Uloom Deoband. He completed six copies of the
Quran in excellent calligraphy but his greatest achieve-
ment is the calligraphy of alfi (in which every line starts with
alif, first letter of Arabic, Persian and Urdu alphabets) and
warqi (in which the whole para is written on a single page).
In this style the entire Quran consists of 30 pages only).
He leaves behind his wife, six sons and four daughters. It
is a pity that he was not honoured with any awards for his
excellent art of calligraphy by any Urdu or milli organisation
or government.
CHARAN SHARAN Naaz Manakpuri, a teacher and
noted Urdu poet of Jaunpur (U.P.) died at his residence on
16 June at the age of 92 years. An author of more than a
dozen books, three of his books including Rahbar-e Azam
and two other books were selected for awards. At the time
of his retirement more than 35 years ago i.e. in 1975, he
was Principal of an intermediate college in Jaunpur dis-
tricts Ranipur.
ALTAF HUSAIN Faridi, well-known columnist and journal-
ist died in Aligarh on 9 June after a brief illnesss at the age
of 72 years. He had started his journalistic career in 1960
with Aligarh-based weeklies Aligarh Observer, Inheraaf
and Naag Phani. In addition to these he also used to write
regularly in different Urdu newspapers and magazines of
the country. He was laid to rest in his home town Sambhal
on 10 June.
MANSOOR ALI Khan, Urdu journalist died at Ghaziabad
on 18 June after a prolonged illness at the age of about 80
years. He started his journalistic career from former Urdu
daily Al Jamiat. Subsequently he was associated with var-
ious dailies and weeklies like dailies Nai Duniya and
Qaumi Awaz, Calcuttas Asr-e Jadeed and Azad Hind,
weekly Payam-e Watan etc. He was equally well-versed in
Urdu and English and was proficient in English-Urdu trans-
lation in simple and easy language. He remained unmar-
ried all his life.
Maulana AMINUDDIN SHUJAUDDIN, writer, journalist
and teacher of English at Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow died
in a private hospital in Lucknow on 7 June. He suffered a
paralytic attack and was ill for about a month. Born in
Bhiwandi near Mumbai in 1955, he was educated at Pune
and Mumbai universities. After receiving modern educa-
tion he joined Nadwatul Ulama and Darul Uloom Deoband
to acquire religious education. He taught English in
Nadwa for about 15 years, was also incharge of the
department of journalism and editor of Baang-e Dara
monthly and Tamir-e Hayat fortnightly magazines. He
also used to regularly write in Urdu dailies and magazines
and was also member of Lucknow Journalists Association.
He was unmarried.
Dr. WASI AHMAD ZAIDI, Technical Assistant in AMUs Department of
Geologys Remote Sensing Centre has been selected by University
Grants Commission for being appointed as Visiting Indian Scholar in
Mauritius University under Higher Education Programme 2011-12. Earlier
also he worked in Geology, Geomorphology, Natural Disaster
Management, Sustainable Development & Environmental Impact in
Coastal Island of Mauritius in G.I.S. Laboratory of Science, University of
Mauritius.
Qari MUHAMMAD SAJID Meeruthi, first year Arabic student of Darul
Uloom (Waqf) Deoband, who had stood first in last years All India Qirat
competition sponsored by Irans Culture House in New Delhi, set out for
Iran on 18 June to participate in the 3-day International Qirat competition
sponsored by the government of Iran. Sajids brother Molvi Maroof said
that he (Sajid) is the lone person from India to represent his country in this
world competition.
RAUF QURAISHI, Vice President of Maharashtras United Jamiatul
Quraish and also Vice President of Nationalist Congress Party has been
appointed President of All India Muslim Backward Classes Federation,
Maharashtra Branch.
NASEEM AHMAD Zilli has been appointed as Principal of Shibli National
College, Azamgarh on the instructions of Veer Bahadur Singh
Poorvanchal University, Jaunpurs Vice Chancellor following Allahabad
High Courts order to this effect. It may be stated that High Court came
into the picture in this case because after the retirement of former
Principal of this College, Iftekhar Ahmad, Naseem Ahmad Zilli by virtue of
his seniority should have been appointed Principal but the College man-
agement had bypassed him against which he (Mr. Zilli) went to High
Court. A 2-judge Bench of the High Court pronounced its verdict on 31
May in favour of Naseem Ahmad Zilli. He took over as Prinicpal on 9 June.
Earlier he was President of the Colleges Department of Zoology.
KHALID BASHEER, noted poet and author of many books has been
selected by J&Ks Cultural Academys President (C.M. Omar Abdullah) for
being appointed new Secretary of State Cultural Academy for two years
after the retirement of former Secretary Zafar Iqbal Minhas. He (Khalid
Basheer) had recently retired as Director of Libraries, Archives and
Museums, government of Jammu & Kashmir.
NEWSMAKERS
12 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
MEN & WOMEN IN NEWS
OBITUARIES
SAMIULLA ABBASI
Born on September 18, 1867, he served C.M.A
for 36 years as president. His father Mr. Jaffer
Hussain Kalami was from Thiruchenapalli.
Mysore Maharaja decorated him with the title of
Quaid-ul-Mulk in 1941.
He was a contractor in Kolar Gold Fields.
Like Abbas Khan, he was elected President of
C.M.A. from 1909 to 1943, without opposition. A
close follower of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, he lived
every moment in the service of the community.
He not only gave
time but spent lavishly on community proj-
ects. A sincere and dedicated servant of the
community, he was an active member of All
India Mohemmadan Education Conference and
Mohammedan Education Association of South
India. Along with Yakob Sait Hasan of Madras,
he was responsible for spreading the message
of Sir Syed in South India. For 35 years, as
President of C.M.A., he kept the community
close to his heart. He was an elected trustee of
Aligarh Muslim University in 1912, member of
Mysore
Representative Assembly in 1909 and a
member of Legislative Council during 1914-
1936. He served the community as a member
of Mysore University and its Council.
He donated 17,000 rupees and hundreds
of books to the C.M.A library. An unfortunate
incident at Aligarh Muslim University also divid-
ed Bangalore Muslims into two groups. Those
who opposed the learning of English left A.M.U
and founded Jamia Millia Islamia. The
Bangalore Muslims saw the division of C.M.A.
Nawab Gulam Ahmed Kalami resigned from the
Presidentship of C.M.A. to join the council of the
Jamia Millia Islamia with Abdur Rahim, a mer-
chant, Ahmed Ullah Khan and others in 1943
leaving all responsibilities on the shoulders of
Abbas Khan. He served CMA for 36 years as
president. (karnatakamuslims.com)
Haryanas chief minister BHUPENDER SINGH Hooda who is
also the chairman of Haryana Urdu Academy has announced the
names of 18 Urdu litterateurs who rendered valuable service to
Urdu who will be honoured with awards. They are: Dr. NARESH
of Panchkola will be honoured with Fakhr-e Haryana Award and
a cash prize of Rs. 1.5 lakh. Dr. SHAKILUR RAHMAN of
Gurgaon will be honoured with Hali Award alongwith a cash
prize of Rs. 1.21 lakh (1,21,000), one shawl a memento and
commendation certificate. AMAR SINGH Sahni of Faridabad will
be honoured with a special award of Rs. 51,000 in recognition of
his valuable services to Urdu. Dr. KUMAR Panipati will be hon-
oured with Kunwar Singh Bedi Award alongwith Rs. 25,000 in
cash, one shawl, a memento and a certificate for his famous
books: Ahad Saaz Adabi Shakhsiatian, Yeh Galian hain Maulana
Hali ki Galian etc. Dr. RAUNAQ Zaidi will be honoured with Sabir
Dutt Award and a cash prize of Rs. 25,000 in recognition of his
efforts to create awareness and awakening in women and his
efforts in raising their living standard. Dr. K.K. RISHI will be hon-
oured with Syed Muzaffar Husain Burney Award alongwith Rs.
21,000 in cash, one shawl memento and a certificate. Dr. QAM-
RUDDIN ZAKIR will be honoured with Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
Award alongwith Rs. 21,000 in cash for his books Tahzeebul
Muslimeen and Tablighi kaam ki Ibtida Mewat se. Dr. NAZIMA
ZABIH of Noh will be honoured with Munshi Gamani Lal Award,
Rs. 21,000 in cash, shawl etc. for her books Dil hi to hai na Sang-
o Khisht, Zameenkha gayee Aasmaan kaise kaise etc. She will
be the first woman fiction writer of Mewat to win this Award. Other
award winners are MAIKASH Ambalvi who will be honoured
with Surendra Pundit Soz Award with Rs. 21,000 in cash, Dr.
NARAIN DAS Khushdil of Yamunanagar and Dr. SULTAN
ANJUM of Chandigarh (both) will be awarded with Rs. 21,000
each, shawl etc. in recognition of their services in the field of jour-
nalism in 2010-11. Dr. (Mrs.) RAJWANTI Mann will be honoured
with Rs. 21,000 in cash, shawl, memento etc. for her Urdu trans-
lation of the book Sir Chhotoo Ram: fun aur Shakhsiat (Art and
Personality). Running into 300 pages, this is a translated biogra-
phy of Sir Chhotoo Ram. Dr. T.N. Raj will be honoured with Zafar
Jetley Award in recognition of his humerous and sarcastic writ-
ings in Urdu, in addition to Rs. 21,000 in cash. Among his six
humerous and sarcastic books in verses, Durgat is very famous
and popular. Prof. CHANDRASHEKHAR will be honoured with
Rs. 21,000 in cash for his valuable services to Persian and
Arabic. VINOD SEHGAL of Ambala will be honoured with
Ghazal-Qawwali Gyan Award and PRAVIN SETHI of Chandigarh
will be honoured with Theatre Award. Prof. S.R. QIDWAI will be
honoured for promoting and rendering services to Haryanvi Adab
(literature) while living outside Haryana. He will be given Rs.
21,000 in cash, shawl etc. Dr. ANISUL Hasan Siddiqi will be
honoured for his efforts in promoting scientific and environmen-
tal knowledge and awakening among people in easy and simple
language. In this connection his four books written separately
and titled What is: (1) Eclipse (2) Sun (3) Earth (4) Moon are pop-
ular and informative.
Chief minister Hooda however did not announce the date on
which the awards will be given to the awardees.
Book released
Srinagar: Noted journalist and chief editor of local daily, Asian
Mail, Rashid Rahils book Kahan Gaye Woh Din (Where Have
Those Days Gone) was released here on May 17. The book was
released during a seminar Yaad-e- Maazi (Remembering the
Past) organized by daily Asian Mail in collaboration with Meezan
Publishers. People from different walks of life participated.
Noted spiritual leader, Mian Bashir Larwi, who presided over
the function said, Humanity has died a slow death. I wonder
where has our past gone and what are we searching for?
Together we can promote and preserve our identity and culture.
Truth has a special place in our lives. We must recognize it.
Minister for Forests and Environment, Mian Altaf was also pres-
ent. (Afsana Rashid)
AWARDS
NAWAB GULAM AHAMED KALAMI
State terrorists on
the prowl
MG editors two email accounts are currently under attack.
Not by ordinary attackers or hackers but by state-sponsored
attackers. He received this warning about two of his email
accounts directly from Google (one of them is reproduced
above minus the email ID) on 16 June. He commented,
Welcome! We have nothing to hide! Over the years, MG
editor has received many grave threats including threats to
murder him by phone, email and even in comments on popu-
lar websites. Earlier, he used to inform the police, especially
the cyber crimes cell of Delhi Police, but they did not even
acknowledge the complaints. This same police swings into
action if Modi or Advani receive a fake email.
SPECIAL REPORTS
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012 13
Lonavala (Maharashtra): Association of Muslim
Professionals (AMP) organised a two-day con-
vention here for key members from across the
country to interact, network and have a better
understanding of the organization and its objec-
tives. Dignitaries from different fields such as
education, bureaucracy, welfare and politics
were invited as guest speakers to motivate and
guide the members to get a deep insight as to
how each one can work better towards the uplift
of the community and society. The Convention
was organized at the picturesque location of
Lonavala near Mumbai. More than 100 key AMP
members, all professionals from different fields,
participated in the convention.
Delivering his keynote address, M. M.
Ansari, former Information Commissioner and a
member of the team of Interlocutors for J&K,
said that two basic problems need to be
addressed. One is poverty and the other is illiter-
acy. He said that the focus should be on educa-
tion through effective utilization of Government
plans for the underprivileged. He said that we
need to have a pool of trained skilled workers
and there should be a paradigm shift of societal
change through intensive implementation of
technology. He said that as responsible citizens
of the country, we should have great respect for
our constitution and need to be careful in all our
initiatives undertaken so that a seemingly harm-
less action may not jeopardize us.
Khaleeq-ur-Rahman, senior leader of a
leading political organization and member of the
Central Wakf Board said that there should be
more emphasis on political empowerment. He
said that the current misgivings of the youth
towards politics
should be cleared
so that they
emerge as effec-
tive leaders of
tomorrow. He
added that positiv-
ity towards the
nation is very
i m p o r t a n t .
Emphasis should
be not only on
making people
aware of their
rights but also
about their duties
towards the nation and the
society.
P. A. Inamdar, leading
educationist and industrialist,
spoke on Educational
Empowerment of Muslims..
The Road Ahead. He took
the participants through his
own brief history and struggle
from a humble beginning to
how he reached the zenith of
success. In his detailed
speech, he elaborated that
there are ample opportunities
for progress in a democratic
setup as compared to an autocratic rule where
concentration of wealth is only with a few and
there are lesser opportunities for eco-
nomic or financial growth. He said that
opportunities are equally available for
a person irrespective of his creed or
religion and it is up to him how he
utilises those opportunities.
Regarding the underprivileged, he
said that focus should be on employ-
ment-oriented courses like ITI for stu-
dents so that even if they are unable
to continue further studies, they are
still employable. He said that there is
no shortage of traditional skills in the
community but the need is to enhance
their managerial skills in order to
move up the economic ladder.
On the second day, Maulana
Mohammad Wali Rahmani spoke on the need of
Political Empowerment of Muslims and how to
achieve it. His speech was simple, direct and
addressed the actual concerns. He said that the
present system of education restricts the devel-
opment of a child; it imparts knowledge only in
the literal sense but does not give him the power
to think. He said that political empowerment is
important in a democracy where we need to be
heard and have to be in a position to prove our
point and make others realise our worth and for
that we first need to recognize our own worth. He
continued that political empowerment does not
mean establishing our own political party but to
identify our rights and make our presence felt in
all circles. He reiterated that we need to critical-
ly analyse government policies, planning and
programmes and keep a check on the same.
Earlier during the day, Aamir Idrisi, president
of AMP warmly welcomed the guests and partic-
ipants and gave them a brief introduction about
AMP. Mohammad Shahanshah Ansari
explained the the mission, vision and objectives
of AMP. Syed Najeeb-Ur-Rahman took the par-
ticipants through the detailed history of AMP and
its various milestones.Sessions included brain-
storming and group discussions on various activ-
ities of AMP. Two awards were given for the year
2010-11, one was Award for Excellence to Mr.
Irfan Shaikh from Mumbai for his continuous
support to AMP in research work for scholar-
ships and job information and the other for Mr.
Abrar Sayed as AMP Face of The Year for his
tireless efforts in coordination of the establish-
ment of AMP chapters across the country.
The convention passed 10-point resolutions
on the following: 1) E d u c a t i o n a l
Empowerment; 2) Economic Empowerment;
3) Monitoring, Recommendation and advocacy
on policy matters related to the community;
4) Focusing on Establishments; 5) Striving For
Peace & Harmony; 6) Increasing our National
Footprint; 7) Being Vocal on matters of National
Importance; 8) Nurturing Leadership qualities
within The Community; 9) Eradicating Social
Vices from The Society and 10) Women
Empowerment.
AMP is a platform for Muslim professionals,
and volunteers to share their knowledge, intel-
lect, experience and skills for the overall devel-
opment of not just the Muslim community but
also for the whole society at large. For more
information, contact Syed Najeeb-Ur-Rahman at
info@ampindia.org.
MG/Yusuf
Au Revoir, Mehdi Hassan
When someone unthinkably great passes away, all obituaries sound
cliches and condolences grate on ears, wrote Louis Fisher when MK
Gandhi died. Now the same words can be applied to Mehdi Hassan,
the greatest ghazal singer of the subcontinent, who shuffled off the mor-
tal coil on June 13. Some voices are to remember and some to perish
/ But a few voices are so memorable that one cannot but cherish.
Mehdis voice was like that. Soft voices, when music dies, vibrate
in memory. Hassans voice was so great and immortal that even if
music comes to an end, it will continue to enthral the collective con-
sciousness of the connoisseurs and cognoscenti. Ghazal, a form of light classical music,
was elevated to a sublime art by Mehdi Hassan. Who can ever forget Ranjish hi sahi, dil hi
dukhane ke liye aa by Ahmad Faraz and sung by Hassan or Faiz Ahmad Faizs ghazal in
Mehdis deathless voice, Gulon mein rang bhare baad-e-naubhar chale?
The sub-continent has seen a number of ghazal singers like Iqbal Bano, Farida
Khanam, Malika Pukhraj, Ghulam Ali, Colonel S B John (Pakistan), Ghulam Abbas, to name
but a few. But the enduring fame and aura of Mehdi Hassan is unsurpassed. Every ghazal
was a sana (hymn) for him and every line was his hamd (panegyric). What he sang was
not a mere ghazal. It was a perfect symphony played, orchestrated and synchronized by the
divine Master. Every ghazal sung by him perfectly depicted the passion and pathos of life
and love. Even simple ghazals penned by lesser known poets like Ganesh Bihari Tarz
assumed significance when he lent his golden voice to them.
Such was the mystical quality and Midas touch of his voice that whatever he sang
became a gem. Teri har ek ghazal qaabil-e-daad hai/ Par meri aawaaz mein bhi kuchh baat
hai (Your every ghazal is praiseworthy/ But my voice is also remarkable; Afsar Merathis
ghazal, sung by Mehdi Hassan, 1957, no record available). It seems that Mehdi sang it
prophetically, knowing that one day his voice would sweep the listeners off their feet.
Ghazal is an Arabic word that connotes conversation between two lovers. Hassan aug-
mented its ambit and enriched its landscape. Despite Rajasthani being his mother-tongue
(he was born at Luna village in Jhunjhunu district of western Rajasthan), his Urdu diction
was impeccable and rendition was immaculate.
Hassan was a trained classical singer and all the ghazals he sang, reek of his profound
classical background and are redolent of his mastery over gayki. Hes regarded as the
greatest exponent of ahmaaz (Arabic for the repetition of a specific line for greater effect)
and no other ghazal singer could master this particular style of presenting a ghazal.
In spite of his greatness, he was humble to the core and would often quote Urdu poet
Bashir Badrs pithy couplet, Shuhrat ki bulandi bhi ek pal ka tamasha hai/ Jis shaakh pe
baithe ho woh toot bhi sakti hai (The peak of popularity is but a passing phase/ The branch
youre perched on, might break any time). Such was his humility. The likes of Mehdi Hassan
are seldom to be found and impossible to be emulated. DR. SUMIT S. PAUL
Dakshina Kannada police betrays
their saffron colour
A collage of pictures glorifying RSS volunteers had been on display on the home page of Dakshin Kannada
(South Karnataka) Police website for some time. But within minutes of Bangalore Mirror calling up the area
SP on 26 May, it was pulled down and an under construction image greeted the website visitors.
The police in Karnataka had on various occasions showed their saffron colours. But never before had they
so openly flaunted their saffron side. The official website of the Dakshina Kannada district police (www. dkpo-
lice. org) displayed a collage of pictures which appeared to extol the virtues of the RSS on its home page. The
collage showed RSS volunteers in their trademark khaki shorts marching in order and engaging in social activ-
ities. Administrative arms of the government are supposed to be secular, but the pictures suggested other-
wise and caused alarm; especially since Mangalore, the district headquarters, has time and again been rav-
aged by communal strifes. Hindu activists here are prone to attacking pubs and churches. Much abused
Bhatkal falls within this region. This official website was launched in 2009, and is being revamped by Abhishek
Goyal, the current SP. The collage had been on the website for more than a year and saw more than two lakh
visitors. But when contacted, Goyal said, I am unaware of this. Its a bad mistake. The website is still in the
process of being revamped. Within minutes, the entire site was pulled down and replaced by a single page
which bore the message: This site is under construction.
AMP holds two-day convention
Q
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Ishrat Jahan encounter
Khwaja Yunus encounter
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Batla House encounter
Dying
Democracy...
MM Ansari speaking
Irfan Shaikh receivng excellence award
COMMUNITY NEWS
14 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
Muslims share in govt jobs growing
There has been a marginal increase in the percentage of Muslims
in various government jobs after the government began imple-
menting the recommendation of the Sachar Committee report.
The initiative taken by the UPA-1 to implement Sachars recom-
mendation has yielded some positive results but not on the
desired scale. There has been a sharp increase in the percentage
of Muslims in government jobs like security agencies, Railways,
Bank, and in the PSU sector. According to government figures
available at least 4539 Muslims were recruited in the police force
during 2010-11 which is approximately 9.21 percent of the total
recruitment in the police. The Congress led government came to
power at least seven years ago and then attempted to win over
Muslim votes by appointing a committee under Justice Rajinder
Sachar to assess the socio-economic condition of Muslims across
India. The committee in its report pointed to the poor representa-
tion of Muslims in government jobs and recommended that it be
increased. After taking note of Sachars report the government of
India in 2007 sent letters to various government departments to
increase the number of Muslims in government jobs. In 2006-07,
Muslims in the Railways were 2.67 percent which has now gone
up to 8.72 percentages in 2010-11.
There has been a significant rise in the percentage of Muslim
in government jobs if we compare the percentage of Muslims in
government jobs as shown by Sachar committee with the figures
available for 2010-11. According to the Sachar report 4.5 percent
Muslims were recruited in Railways which is now 8.72 percent in
2010-11. In the banking sector Sachars figure was 2.2 percent
which has gone up to 7.86 percent in 2010-11. In security agen-
cies, it was 3.2 percent which has increased to 9.21 percent. In
PSUs Sachar gave a figure of 3.3 percent which now has
increased to 8.9 percent in 2010-11. However, if we compare the
figures available in these sectors from 2006-07 to 2010-11 the
percentage of Muslims in government jobs has remained more or
less the same except in the railways. In security agencies the per-
centage of Muslims was 9.49 percent in 2006-07, while in 2007-
08 it was 9.09, in 2008-09 it was 10.22 and in 2010-11 it was 9.21
percent. In the railways it was 2.67 percent in 2006-07, in 2007-
08 it was 6.31 percent, in 2008-09 it was 7.56, in 2009-10 it was
6.65 and in 2010-11 it was 8.72 percent. In the banking sector, it
was 6.93 percent in 2006-07, in 2007-08 it was 10.20 percent, in
2008-09 it was 8.87 percent, in 2009-10 it was 7.18 percent, in
2010-11 it was 7.86 percent. Surprisingly it has come down in
PSUs. In PSUs it was 11.88 percent in 2006-07, in 2007-08 it
was 5.52 percent, in 2008-09 it was 7.8 percent, in 2009-10 it was
5.92 percent and in 2010-11 it was 8.9 percent.
Archiving practiced in India since the Mughal era
Collection of 1.36 lakh Mughal era official documents in the
National Archives of India acquired from Abbas Hussain reveals
that archiving was practised in India from the era of the Mughals.
Is also proves the age old notion wrong that archiving was gifted
to India by the British. From the accession register of the National
Archives of India it becomes clear that about 1, 35,931 docu-
ments and official records were acquired from Abbas Hussain
who found it in one of the old forts in Hyderabad. This collection
was named Inayat Jang collection on a request by Hussain to be
named after one of his ancestors and that is why the totality of
documents received are compiled as Inayat Jang collection.
According to Prof Mushirul Hasan, Director General of National
Archives, the documents received are mainly in Persian and were
acquired in bundles without any proper arrangement. Its impor-
tance and historical significance came to be known only after the
staff of the Archives started working on them. What is really sur-
prising is that these documents proved the notion wrong that
archiving was gifted to India by the British. Rather it was preva-
lent in the country even in the Mughal era. Furthermore, all impor-
tant documents related to revenue records, grants, rituals, judicial
and administrative from 1658 to 1774 were preserved. After work-
ing on it for nearly three decades the National Archives of India is
now going to display and put it in the public domain. The entire
collection has been digitised and would be made available to
scholars in the form of compact disks. Some of its copies would
also be made available in most of the libraries across the country.
Mohammad Irfan who is associated with this project for more than
two decades has said that The Indian Historical Records
Commission in 1996 decided to publish the descriptive lists of the
entire collections. But since the collection was so huge, it took
nearly 35 years to list the entire documents. The documents have
been arranged in chronological order till Muhammad Shah (1719-
48) and the remaining work is still in progress.
18 percent Muslim police officers to be appointed in U.P.
Lucknow: One of the many recommendations of Justice Sachar
Committee was that in areas where there is sizeable Muslims
population, in order to create confidence in them at least one
Muslim police officer, either an inspector or sub-inspector, should
be appointed in police stations. In pursuance of this recommen-
dation, Samajwadi Party in its election manifesto in the recent
assembly elections had promised to give 18% reservation to
Muslims. Now the S.P. government has started fulfilling its prom-
ise, at least in this respect. It would be recalled in this connection
that union home secretary R.K. Singh in his recent circular to
chief secretaries of all states had requested, reminding them of
letters sent to them about four years ago to this effect, that Muslim
police officers should be appointed in police stations in Muslim-
dominated areas. He had also requested them to send progress
reports, or action taken report by the end of this month (June).
This circular to chief secretaries of states was necessitated
because it was found by the union home ministry that its earlier
request for appointment of Muslim police officers was not being
followed by most states. In reply to a question by BSPs Abdul
Mannan in the state assembly on 8 June, UPs health minister
Ahmad Hasan, who is also leader of the House, said that 18
police inspectors and 81 sub-inspectors have been made thana
incharge. He also said that under the orders issued by the gov-
ernment, quota of minorities in the state is completed. He said
that no separate quota is fixed for people belonging to the minor-
ity community and hence Muslims are given representation out of
the 27% quota for other backward classes.
Orphans stage colourful cultural show
Ahmedabad: Inmates of Sultan Ahmad Muslim orphanage staged
a colourful cultural show to demonstrate their excellence and hid-
den talent. For the first time in the history of the orphanage the
children performed without any kind of stage fear to prove that
they are at par with the children of any prestigious school. A
qawwali in Egyptian form was rendered in which boys sang
Khwaja mere Khwaja. Girls sang a qawwali Maan baap ka dil
na dukhana A patriotic song in a sportive spirit Chak de India
was also presented to express their feelings for the motherland.
Bhupendra bhai Patel, chairman Municipal Corporation Standing
Committee, Rizwanbhai Qadri chairman of the trust applauded
the performance of the children. Several prizes were awarded to
children for their excellence.
Muslim girl triumphs over hurdles
Nagda (Ujjain): Ayesha Khan who scored 93.83% marks in the
High School examination and topped the district merit list proved
that one can win overcoming all hurdles. Just a few days prior to
the exams her mother suffered brain haemorrhage. However,
Ayesha continued her studies during the crisis. She not only
nursed her ailing mother but also attended to the daily household
chores. Her father, Samiullah, is a labourer in Grasim Industries.
Rs. 25 crore budget for the Urdu, Arabic & Persian Uni
Lucknow: U.P. government has approved a budget of Rs. 25
crores for the Urdu, Arabic, Persian University, Lucknow to speed
up building and construction work. It is unfortunate that inspite of
many tall claims academic session has not yet started in this
University. If this amount is released it is hoped that building work
will be speeded up. Former I.A.S. officer of UP Anees Ansari was
appointed Vice Chancellor of this university by the previous
Mayawati government. An amount of Rs. 5 crores has been set
apart for salaries and other expenses.
Swamy wants PC role probed in massacre
New Delhi: Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy has
accused Home Minister P. Chidambaram of having a hand in the
shooting of 41 Muslim youths by the Provincial Armed
Constabulary(PAC) personnel during the communal riots in
Meeruts Hashimpura in 1987. Swamy said he was going to file an
application in the court to expand the scope of the inquiry to inter-
rogate Chidambaram, who was then Minister of State for Internal
Security. Not as an accused at the moment, but I am entering the
matter with new material. Chidambaram will definitely be made an
accused. If you ask me, personally, I will say he is an accused,
said Swamy. However, he said he would file the application on a
later date. Twenty-five years after the incident took place on 22
May 1987, the case is still going on at the Tees Hazari and the
Ghaziabad Sessions Courts and the next date of hearing is 4
June. The Muslim youth, aged between 15-35 years, were
picked up from Hashimpura by UP PAC (Provincial Armed
Constabulary) personnel and taken by truck to Ganga Canal near
Muradnagar, 20 km away, ordered to get off the truck one by one
and shot. The bodies were thrown into the canal. But obviously
some were not shot, but they feigned death, said Swamy. Some
of these youth later turned witnesses to the cold-blooded killing.
Swamy said Chidambaram had visited Meerut during the commu-
nal tensions and even conducted an aerial survey of the area on
14 May 1987: Chidambaram admitted to this (aerial survey) in
Parliament. On 20 May 1987, he held a meeting with the PAC
people and the Chief Minister. He never admitted to this meeting.
The then MP from the area, Mohsina Kidwai, was never called for
the meeting. Swamy said he has written to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh that a special probe should be instituted to
investigate Chidambarams role in the incident that became infa-
mous as the Hashimpura massacre, failing which he would
approach the International Court of Justice under Article 17 of the
Rome Statutes. Earlier, Swamy had fasted unto death in August
1987, demanding an inquiry into the massacre by a Central
agency. A year later, he took out a padayatra from Meerut to
Lucknow demanding a probe in the killing.
Missionaries destroying Kashmiri culture in J&K: Geelani
Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Gilani
alleged that some of the agencies and missionaries are doing
forceful conversion by offering money. The Hurriyat along with
other Muslim organizations has accused the Christian missionar-
ies of harming the youth and culture of Jammu and Kashmir.
The statement was made after a delegation from Khudai
Khidmatgar and National Alliance for People's Movement (NAPM)
met Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Gilani during his
house arrest in Srinagar. In a statement issued by Khudai
Khidmatgar here on 20 JUne, the Hurriyat leader said NGOs and
agencies which are here in the name of voluntary services are
destroying the traditional and cultural values of Kashmir. He also
alleged that some of the agencies and missionaries are doing
forceful conversion by offering money and rewards to people as
well as making the youth addicted to liquor and drugs. Gilani
urged the NGOs coming from several parts of India to Kashmir to
first concentrate on their own places since various issues of
minorities, Scheduled Caste and tribal there are unsolved. He
also said that his organization has no interest in supporting non-
Kashmir organizations.
During the meeting, Gilani also highlighted the violence being
committed by security agencies in the state. He alleged that
according to government statistics, 2011 was peaceful because
there was less violence, but in the same year 300 to 350 Kashmiri
youths were shot dead by Armed Forces.
Gurgaon: An old mosque in Gurgaon districts Fazilpur village
was demolished last month (on 22 May midnight) after which an
atmosphere of fear prevails among local Muslims who are most-
ly poor labourers. Most important proof of prevailing fear and ter-
ror is that no body wants to speak up about the demolition of the
mosque. Efforts are being made to rebuild the mosque and peo-
ple appear to be happy on the rebuilding of the mosque.
However, secular minded Hindu brethren told mediapersons on
the condition of anonymity that some toughies and unsocial ele-
ments of the village have been illegally occupying Waqf property
and the biggest handicap for them in illegally occupying the prop-
erty was the existence of this mosque and that is why they
demolished it. They also said that some responsible people of
the village also are behind the demolition of the mosque includ-
ing the village Sarpanch and his right hand man named Dadoo
who alongwith about 200 youths demolished the mosque with
the help of JCB machine. However, some Muslims are in regular
contact with secular minded Hindu brethren as well as the
administration for rebuilding the mosque and construction work
in fact has already started. Deputy Commissioner P.C. Meena
and Commissioner T.K. Sharma are keeping a close watch. MLA
of Noh, Chaudhary Aftab Ahmad is in regular contact with
Haryana chief minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda in connection
with the demolition and rebuilding of the mosque. People of the
majority community are, on the whole not against the rebuilding
of the mosque.
According to an officer of Haryana Waqf Board Jamaluddin,
this mosque was built even before the partition of the country but
Waqf Board has no record of the name and year of its construc-
tion. He said that before the formation of Punjab-Haryana Waqf
Board some land was illegally occupied and declared custodian
property. He further said that he has some important information
about this mosque and its land but does not want to make it pub-
lic because it may lead to tension and law and order problem.
Haryana Waqf Boards project officer Imteyaz Khizr said that as
soon as the Waqf Board came to know about the mosques dem-
olition, it got in touch with Auqaf affairs minister Chaudhary
Jaleeb Khan, chief secretry and chief minister of Haryana and
authorities of Gurgaon with the result that the next morning itself
rebuilding of the demolished mosque started. Haryana Waqf
Boards Administrator Naseem Ahmad is in regular contact with
Estate Officer Jamaluddin and administration officials and con-
struction work of the mosque in going on smoothly.
Auqaf affairs minister Chaudhary Jaleeb Khan said that he
has directed Deputy Commissioner P.C. Meena, Commissioner
of Gurgaon Division T.K. Sharma and Commissioner of Police
K.K. Sandhu that strict action be taken against the unsocial and
mischievous elements who, by demolishing the mosque, tried to
vitiate communal peace and harmony and that the mosque
should be rebuilt and handed over to Muslims. Dy. Commissioner
P.C. Meena said that the case has been registered against those
who had demolished the mosque and they will soon be arrested.
However, this has now become an old story as it stood by the
end of May. Subsequent events show that Haryana government
and its officers, who had given all assurances for rebuilding of
the mosque, are now adopting a cold attitude. Even chief minis-
ter Hooda of Haryanas attitude has changed. According to a
news item of 22 June, when a group of local people wanted to
meet C.M. Hooda in Delhi in connection with the mosque, he not
only refused to meet them but sent a message to them that the
boundary wall of the mosque has been built, and that is enough.
Officials who had assured that the mosque will be allowed to be
rebuilt are now indifferent to this problem. It is felt that the gov-
ernments attitude has changed because of the pressure of the
majority community people. With the change in the Haryana gov-
ernment attitude, Waqf Board also is trying to find excuses for its
inability to undertake reconstruction work. Those who were
active in rebuilding the mosque were indirectly given the mes-
sage that reconstruction of the mosque can lead to dangerous
consequences. Some members of Muslim Ekta Committee like
Maulana Haroon Rashid, Saheb Khan Patwari etc. who were
actively working for the rebuilding of the mosque, now say, see-
ing the attitude of government and luke warm response of Waqf
Board officials, that the truth is that the Haryana government
does not want to rebuild the mosque because during the initial 3
or 4 days after the demolition the attitude of the police and
administration officials was positive but suddenly after 27 May,
their attitude changed. ZAFARUDDIN ILYASI
Fear prevails in Fazilpur village after
demolition of mosque
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012 15
COMMUNITY NEWS
Demand to probe arrest of Abul Bashar
Lucknow: In view of the promise given by UPs Samajwadi
Partys government to investigate the arrests of innocent Muslim
youths in the name of fighting terrorism, a demand has been
made to enquire into the arrest of Mufti Abul Bashar from
Azamgarh for his alleged complicity in the Ahmedabad bomb
blasts in 2008. This demand was made by his brother Abu Zafar
and others. Human rights activist Masihuddin Sanjari said that
the time has come for the Samajwadi government to fulfill its
promise. Mufti Abul Bashar was picked up by the police on
14 August 2008 from Binapara town which was reported to the
local police station and published in newspapers of 15 August but
U.P. police had claimed his arrest from Lucknow on 16 August.
He was described by police as an active member of SIMI and
mastermind of the Ahmedabad bomb blasts. On the third day of
his arrest, Abul Bashars father Maulana Abu Bakar had stated
that policemen are threatening him and they had obtained his
(Abu Bakars) signature by force on a blank sheet of paper.
According to the people of Binapara town, about one and a half
years before Abul Bashars arrest, his father had suffered brain
haemorrhage after which the entire responsibility had fallen on
Abul Bashar. Hence in January 2008, he joined a madrasa but
the salary being very low, he left it the very next month and came
back to Azamgarh in February and started teaching children pri-
vately to earn a living. According to Abul Bashars uncle, Raees,
on 14 August 2008 two persons on a motorcycle came to his
house and started talking about his brother, Abu Zafars marriage
and took Bashar to a nearby place where five or six persons
came out of a parked Maruti car and forced him into the vehicle.
This car as well as the motorcycle on which the two persons had
come to his house had no number plates. This incident was
reported in writing at the Sarai Meer police station. According to
the people of the town, on 13 May 2008 when bomb blasts had
taken place in Jaipur and also on 25-26 July when bomb blasts
had taken place in Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, Abul Bashar was
in his town taking care of his sick father. His arrest had led to
large scale protests in Azamgarh. The question being asked in
Azamgarh is: when Abul Bashar was being kept under surveil-
lance for several months, how could he have done such an act?
Khalid Mujahid who was picked up from Mariyahu in Jaunpur too
was being kept under surveillance for many months. Same thing
had happened with Muhammad Shakeel who was picked up form
Dobagga near Lucknow on 12 May who was being kept under
watch by ATS and STF men for at least three months on the
instructions of I.B. and a person named Tanveer was in contact
with Shakeels family. Advocate Muhammad Shoaib says that in
case of arrests made on the pretext of terrorism, one similarity
that has been seen is that some Muslim youths are identified in
advance and in case of any incident of terrorism, some of these
youths are held and described as the mastermind of that incident
of terrorism.
Mushawarat starts a public lecture series
New Delhi: All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat has decided to
hold monthly public lectures on important issues facing the
Muslim community and country. The lectures will be held at the
Mushawarat central office in Delhi after Maghrib of the last Friday
of each month. The first such lecture will be delivered by noted
social scientist Dr Javed Jamil on Muslim Vision of India:
Destination & Roadmap. Dr Javed Jamil is the author of a docu-
ment which pinpoints the areas of concern and concerted work in
order to uplift the country and empower the Muslim community.
The lecture will be held at Mushawarat central office at D-250
Abul Fazal Enclave, part 1, New Delhi, at 7:30 pm on Friday,
29 June 2012.
Haj management discussed, govt rejects proposals
New Delhi: Forum for Haj Pilgrimage Management in India
(FHMI), floated by the former deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha
and Congress leader K Rahman Khan, organized a one-day con-
ference that deliberated on the issues and problems related to
Haj management in India and suggested options for a subsidy-
free Haj management in India on 19 June. The primary objective
of the conference was to understand the functioning of Tabung
Haji, a successful Haj Management Institution in Malaysia, and to
create a consensus among the Indian Muslims on the possibility
to establish an institution in India on the lines of Tabung Haji. The
Conference focused on the need to devise a sustainable institu-
tional mechanism to minimize the impact of gradual withdrawal of
Haj subsidy on the majority of poor Indian Haj pilgrims, in the
event of the recent judgement of the Supreme Court to phase out
subsidy in the next 10 years.
Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali, president of the Jeddah-based
Islamic Development Bank, and senior officials from Tabung Haji
participated in the conference and made their presentations on
Haj Management. Tabung Haji, an institution established in the
year 1960 with a meagre capital of US$ 15,400 with the aim of
mobilizing savings of individuals and prospective Hajis and suc-
cessfully managing an investment fund on Shariah principles.
The depositors are able to save their money and obtain Halal
returns which can be used either to perform Haj or for any other
purpose. Today, Tabung Haji, is considered as the best Haj
Management organization in the world having seven subsidiaries
and fund base of over USD 11 billion. Rahman Khan said, India
being the second largest Muslim populated country in the world
and with more than 180,000 pilgrims from India performing Haj
every year, there is need for a reform in the entire Haj
Management for a long sustainable institutional system. Under
the circumstances, the example of Tabung Haji, as practiced in
Malaysia, seems to be the most viable answer to the problems of
Indian Hajis.
The chief guest, Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali appreciated FHMIs
initiatives and said that they would like to extend all help to cre-
ate such an institution. Tabung Haji also assured to share their
experience if a Tabung Haji like institution comes into existence
in India.
But two important ministers rejected the idea of importing
Tabung Hajj model into the country. Union minister for law and
minority affairs Salman Khurshid and minister of state for exter-
nal affairs and HRD, E Ahmed said that such a model is not
viable in a country like India where diverse sects of Muslims
reside. Salman Khurshid said that we should not do anything that
confront the law and tradition of the country. While emphasisng
on better management for Hajis, Khurshid said: Any model for
hajj management is possible only under the constitution of India.
E Ahamed, on the other hand, almost rejected the Malaysian
model saying it is not feasible in the Indian context. Since the
Indian Muslims are of diverse sects and groups and Indias pil-
grims are more than six times to the Malaysian pilgrims, a restric-
tive choice cannot be imposed on them, he said. Defending the
functioning of the central Hajj committee, he said it needs to deal
with more than two dozen state-level Hajj committees. Invoking
the federal structure of the country, he said the idea of Haj
Corporation is not feasible.
Samajwadi leaders in Shibli Academy Azamgarh
Azamgarh: Aprogramme organized to felicitate elected represen-
tatives and leaders of Samajwadi Party in Darul Musannefin
Shibli Academy, was held here on 16 June. Professor Ishtiaq
Ahmad Zilli, Director, in his welcome address apprised the audi-
ence about the importance of Shibli Academy which not only sus-
tained its existence but churned out remarkable literature by ded-
icated scholars. He said Allama Shibli Nomani had a vision
regarding role of quality literature in societys development and
therefore, he established this unique academy almost a century
ago. He mentioned a one-time grant to this institution by the
Central government due to the combined efforts of Jawaharlal
Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He stressed the changed
circumstances which made it incumbent upon state government
to appreciate the role of Shibli Academy in promoting communal
harmony through well-researched literature, its vital role in the
freedom movement, the exalted position it held and continues to
hold in the eyes of political stalwarts irrespective of political affil-
iation and periodic limitation. Mr. Waseem Ahmad, Minister of
State for Basic Education, who is the grandson of Allama Shibli
Nomani, was present. Mr. Durga Prasad Yadav, Minister for
urban safety, mentioned the role of his alma mater (Shibli
National College) in building up his career and his association
with the Academy. Mr. Hawaldar Yadav, District President of
Samajwadi Party, appreciated the role of the internationally
renowned Shibli Academy and described it as the pride of
Azamgarh.
In his presidential remarks, Mr. Balram Yadav mentioned his
earlier visits to the Academy to seek guidance from Late Maulana
Ziauddin Islahi, former Director, and gave the title of Tapaswi
(ascetic) to the scholars who produced remarkable literature
from the sweat of their brow. He underscored the duty of govern-
ment as well as all right-minded people to help this unique acad-
emy which actually is Azamgarhs introduction to the world.
(Salman Sultan)
Police arrest protesters outside Home Minister home
New Delhi: Delhi Police intervened within minutes to disperse a
popular protest outside the Delhi house of the Union Home
Minister Mr P Chidamdram on 14 June. They were protesting
against the picking and kidnapping of innocent Muslim boys
across the country in recent months. The police detained scores
of civil rights activists and eminent citizens within 15 minutes as
they gathered outside the official residence of the minister at
Safdarjang Road here.
About two dozens civil and human rights organizations had
planned this dharna (sit-in) at the residence of the minister direct-
ly responsible for the arrests in the name of fighting terror. To
thwart the protest, the Delhi Police had since morning blocked
several roads leading to the residence of the minister. Scores of
activists including Shabnam Hashmi, Mahtab Alam and
Amanatullah Khan, gathered at Jorbagh Metro Station and
marched towards the ministers official residence. They sat on
dharna in front of the residence but within minutes police
detained them, put into vans and took them to Chanakyapuri
Police Station. Soon a group of other civil rights activists gath-
ered there and they too were detained. In all, 51 people were
detained.
Within half an hour, many other eminent personalities includ-
ing Advocate N D Pancholi and Abdul Khaliq, General Secretary
of Lok Janshakti Party reached the Chanakyapuri Police Station.
First, the policemen didnt allow them by claiming that the
activists are not detained there. They even misguided Advocate
Pancholi saying that the activists are at Tughlaq Road Police sta-
tion. But as the police were misguiding them, Shabnam Hashmi,
Mahtab Alam, Amanatullah Khan and others emerged from inside
the police station, exposing the lie of the police.
Prominent among those detained were Abdul Khaliq,
General Secretary of Lok Janshakti Party, Shabnam Hashmi,
Harsh Dhobal, Himanshu Kumar, N. D. Pancholi, Amanatullah
Khan, Mahtab Alam and others.
The activists had planned to protest against the latest wave
of illegal arrests of Muslim youths. Only a week earlier a terror-
accused Qateel Siddiqui, who was not chargesheeted even
seven months after his arrest, was murdered in Pune Jail. In the
last week of May two students of Jamiatul Falah were kidnapped
from Kaifiyat Express at Aligarh. On May 13, a Bihar engineer
Fasih Mahmood was picked up from his home in Jubail in Saudi
Arabia at Indias request, and his whereabouts are still unknown.
Modi magic
Gujarat Day Festival proved a fiasco among the Gujaratis settled
in U.S. and Canada. Not a single person in New York turned up
to attend the state-sponsored function! In New Jersey, the invita-
tion brought only 350. The address through satellite technology
failed to attract Gujaratis in U.S.A. New York programme had to
be cancelled. (AG Khan)
Mumbai: On 18 May at about 1.30 p.m. when all the authorities
Jamat-e Islami, Mumbai had gone for Friday namaz and only the
office secretary Abdul Moqeet was in the office and was prepar-
ing to leave for prayers, senior police inspector of Agripada,
Rajinder Mohte arrived at the office. After speaking nonsense
rudely without any rhyme and reason, he removed the banner
which was put up at the office on 15 May on Nakba Day and
which contained the slogan Drive away Israel, Save India. Israel
is danger for our national security and independence. While
going back Inspector Mohte grabbed Abdul Moqeets identity
card. Thereafter, Jamat-e Islamis Aslam Ghazi and
Rehaan Ansari (secretary, media cell) went to Agripada Police
Station and registered their complaint and protest.
On 24 May Jamat-e Islami (Maharashtra)s secretary (Deptt.
of national and international problems) Muhammad Aslam Ghazi
and Abdul Hafeez Farooqi, P.R.O. secretary met Maharashtras
home minister RR Patil and handed over a memorandum to him
demanding that Israel should be warned to confine itself to its
limits and not to interfere in national affairs and laws. Israeli
ambassador should consider himself only as an ambassador
and not to directly order police officers to take action against any
body or organisation. It was also stated in the memorandum that
there are solid proofs that Israels secret agency Mossad is
actively working in India. This agency is also found complicit in
the smuggling of arms, intoxicants and drugs, but inspite of all
this, U.P.A. government is blind to its activities. In this memoran-
dum demand had also been made that strict action be taken
against Agripadas senior inspector for misusing his post and in
acting as Israels agent.
According to Muhammad Aslam Ghazi, after their meet-
ing with the home minister R.R. Patil in connection with
Inspector Mohtes raid and rude behaviour the minister
entrusted the responsibility of enquiring into the police raid to
Zone 3s Joint Commissioner (Law and Order), Rajneesh
Seth. Rajneesh Seth said separately that we have not come
across any objectionable matter against Jamat-e Islami to
suspect it. This is totally wrong and there is no law under
which the ambassador of any country should direct us to do
this or that nor are we bound to do it. We are bound to follow
the Indian constitution and laws only. These observations
were made by Joint Commissioner Rajneesh Seth during our
talks with the home minister, said Aslam Ghazi. The other
person in this meeting was Vidyarthi Bhartis (Ms.) Jyoti
Bedekar also. She also submitted a memorandum (to the
minister) and demanded strong action against the guilty
police officers. (NAAnsari)
Jamaat-e Islami Mumbai office raided, enquiry ordered
Shabnam Hashmi being dragged
INTERNATIONAL
16 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
Freedom for the Syrians - is it inevitable?
YAMIN ZAKARIA
yamin@radicalviews.org
London: Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya fell;
however, Syria and Bahrain seem to be defying
that trend, where signs of regime change look
remote; both nations are governed by the minor-
ity sect. Bahrain is dominated by the minority
Sunni regime over the Shi'ite masses, and the
situation is the reverse in Syria. In the case of
Bahrain, the momentum for the protests is
receding, whereas in Syria, the violence is esca-
lating; to date it is estimated 15,000 people are
dead.
With the systematic murder of 108 civilians
including 49 children in Houla and subsequently
78 killed in the town of al-Qubair in a similar
manner, the cycle of violence has escalated to
new heights - naturally the peace negotiated
earlier by Kofi Anan has been nullified. The har-
rowing pictures of children soaked in blood have
been published in some of the Arabic newspa-
pers; according to the UN the victims were sum-
marily executed. In response, many countries
have expelled Syrian diplomats. Note the con-
trast of response to the Israelis committing mas-
sacre of civilians in Gaza, and despite the over-
whelming evidence, it was as usual, 'defence-
less' Israel 'defending' itself with much greater
firepower.
It's unlikely that the Syrian regime was
directly involved in the massacres which would
be an own goal, but the government has the ulti-
mate responsibility to maintain security, and so
far, nobody has been brought to account. Like
the old Gaddafi regime, the Syrian regime dis-
missed it as the works of foreign terrorists, the
ubiquitous Al-Qaeda, designed to tarnish the
Syrian regime; everyone is playing the Al-Qaeda
card. The numerous reports from witnesses sug-
gested the culprits were the infamous Shabiha
militiamen; they are pro- Assad Alawites and the
victims of Houla and al-Qubair were predomi-
nantly Sunnis. This adds further fuel to the ten-
sion of Shia-Sunni conflict escalating into a full
scale civil war. Across the border, Lebanon has
already started to get dragged into the conflict,
as skirmishes have broken out between the pro
and anti Assad factions that also reflect Shia-
Sunni schism to some extent.
This potential conflagration of Shia-Sunni
conflict breaking out in the region has been the
main reason cited by the West against military
intervention. The former UN General Secretary,
Kofi Anan, echoed this, unlike Libya, Syria will
not implode but explode he stated at a confer-
ence. Surely, this argument was more applicable
to Iraq, where the Shia and Sunni identity is far
more pronounced and the population is almost
evenly split. Yet, such a conflict that has been
lingering on at a low level has not escalated to a
full scale civil war, despite numerous attempts
by outsiders to induce this, coupled with the
actions of certain sectarian zealots.
Others have pointed to political uncertainty
as the reason for the reluctance to engage mili-
tarily; the rebels are fragmented and Assad
could be replaced by a more hostile Sunni dom-
inated regime. Hence, the Americans (and their
key ally Israel) may see the Alawite based Assad
regime as the best option to continue with.
Some have suggested arming the resist-
ance and only the French have called for direct
military action, and without the backing of other
major nations, that is unlikely to materialise.
Especially as the Russians and the Chinese are
still resisting calls to isolate Syria further and
endorse additional UN action.
Hence, the question is who will win, the
rebels or the regime or will there be a compro-
mise solution?
Given that the pro and anti government
groups, along with the neutral faction, are almost
evenly split; the final outcome is unlikely to be
determined by these groups. In the absence of
international players getting involved militarily, it
is the regional powers like Turkey and Iran that
have the ability to influence the outcome of this
uprising in Syria.
Turkey, a predominantly Sunni country could
intervene, but it would need some sort of man-
date from the Arab and Islamic countries, this
would help Turkey to gain leadership of the
Islamic world. Concurrently, Turkey would also
settle its score with Kurdish resistance groups
operating from within Syria itself. If Turkey could
achieve peace and stability it would also
enhance its position within NATO and Europe.
Iran too has been vying for that position of
acquiring leadership of the Islamic world particu-
larly with its anti-Israeli and anti-US rhetoric;
however it has continued to support the Syrian
regime to its own detriment in the long term and
exposing its underlying sectarian nature. Iran
has shown no signs of taking an objective
approach to the issue unlike its stance towards
Libya and Egypt, where it correctly advised the
leadership to stand down and give the people a
voice.
Despite the Arab spring, the uprising in Syria
is not surprising, when you cross the Syrian bor-
der into Jordan or go further into Saudi and the
Gulf states, it seems like a trip through a time
machine, going from a country that looks like
something from Eastern Europe in the 50/60s
living under a dictatorship, to a modern western
like nation of Jordan, where you get the shop-
ping malls, KFCs, McDonalds, free access to
Internet, the youths wearing the latest clothes
and driving cars that were manufactured in the
last 10 years, and most important where free-
dom to voice your opinion exists to some
degree. I recall being approached and ques-
tioned (interrogated) by the secret police, when I
was merely waiting for a Bus in the Damascus
town of Muhajirin, on a Saturday night.
With the information age, the masses and
especially the youths of Syria, desire the same
things: jobs, political freedom, material wealth,
political stability and the rule of law instead of
nepotism. Hence, even if the current regime
manages to quell this rebellion, it will not end the
inevitable push towards freedom and democra-
cy that manifests within the religious and cultur-
al paradigm of the Syrian nation. The question
remains - what will be the final price paid in
Syrian blood?
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Toddler on no-fly list
hauled off plane in US
The 18-month-old daughter of a US couple of
Middle Eastern descent was ordered off a
JetBlue flight in Florida as her shocked par-
ents were told that she figured on a govern-
ment no-fly list! The parents and their infant,
identified only as Riyanna, had boarded
JetBlue Flight 510 from Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, to Newark, New Jersey when they
say an airline employee asked them to get off
the plane. "I said, 'For what?'" Riyanna's
mother said. "He said, 'It is not you or your
husband. Your daughter was flagged as no
fly.'" The family is of Middle Eastern descent
and the mother wears a headscarf, but they
say they are US citizens and have lived in
New Jersey all of their lives. The family
declined to continue on the flight, saying they
felt humiliated. "We were put on display like a
circus act because my wife wears a hijab,"
Riyanna's father said.
Israel stripped nearly 250,000
Palestinians of residency
Jerusalem: Israel revoked the residency of
nearly 250,000 Palestinians between 1967
and 1994, according to Israeli military figures
obtained by a human rights group and shown
to AFP on 12 June. Aletter sent to Israeli NGO
HaMoked shows Israel stripped the residency
of more than 100,000 people living in Gaza
and about 140,000 people living in the West
Bank after it occupied the Palestinian territo-
ries in 1967. Palestinians lost their residency
for various reasons, including tens of thou-
sands for failing to respond to a census.
Others saw their residency revoked after trav-
elling overseas for a number of years and fail-
ing to periodically renew their permits. But
rights groups say the renewal process was
never explained to many Palestinians who
travelled abroad to study or work only to dis-
cover they had missed the renewal deadline
and therefore lost their residency. And the total
number affected by the revocations is believed
to be higher than the official figure because
entire families were sometimes forced to leave
their homes after one member had their resi-
dency revoked. Ido Blum, head of HaMoked's
legal team, said the policy, which was in force
for 27 years until the signing of the Oslo
Accords in 1994, was a violation of internation-
al law. While the policy of revoking residency
no longer applies to the West Bank and Gaza,
it is still implemented in east Jerusalem.
Palestinians unable to provide documents
including utility bills or school enrolment forms
indicating Jerusalem is their "centre of life" risk
losing their permit to stay in the Holy City.
Jamaat-e-Islami Congratulates
Muslim Brotherhood on
Success in Egypt Election
New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on 25
June termed the success of Muslim
Brotherhood candidate Mohammad Morsi in
the presidential election in Egypt as the
expression of Ultimate Power of Allah the
Exalted in changing the situation and as an
important political event in the present times.
It has also extended very warm congratula-
tions to the new elected president as well as
Muslim Brotherhood (MB). In a statement
released here, JIH Amir (President) Maulana
Syed Jalaluddin Umari said the success of
MB in the presidential election is the fruition of
the matchless sacrifices of Imam Hasan al-
Banna, Syed Qutb, Abdul Qadir Oudah and
thousands of MB men and women and their
extraordinary steadfastness in Islam in a dan-
gerous Pharaonical environment of oppres-
sion and coercion spread over half a century -
for which each and every MB men and
Egyptian deserves congratulations. On this
occasion, JIH Amir reminded, brotherly and
sincerely, the MB functionaries that anti-Islam
and anti-Muslim forces and the Jewish state
Israel, established in their patronage at the
borders of Egypt and in the heart of the
Islamic world, would not bear it wholehearted-
ly; hence the new government of Egypt, with
its home and foreign policies, should prove
that Islam is the sources of success and sal-
vation for the whole world and for this it has a
complete system.
M
G
/
Y
u
s
u
f
Muslim Brotherhood's
Mursi declared Egypt
president
The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi has
been declared the winner of Egypt's presidential
election run- off. He won 51.73% of the vote, beat-
ing former PM Ahmed Shafiq, the Higher
Presidential Election Commission said.
The head of the panel of judges, Farouq
Sultan, said it had upheld some of the 466 com-
plaints by the candidates, but that the election
result still stood. The announcement prompted
scenes of jubilation in Cairo's Tahrir Square, where
Mr Mursi's supporters gathered.
They have been maintaining a vigil there in
protest at the series of decrees and appointments
by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed
Forces (Scaf) designed to reduce or constrain the
power of the president, and entrench the power of
the military. On 13 June, the military-controlled
government gave soldiers the right to arrest civil-
ians for trial in military courts until the ratification of
a new constitution.
Four days later, just as the polls were closing
in the presidential run-off, the generals issued an
interim constitutional declaration that granted them
all legislative powers and reinforced their role in
the drafting of a permanent constitution. The doc-
ument also exempted the military from civilian
oversight.
Then on Monday, the head of the Scaf, Field
Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, announced
the re-establishment of a National Defence
Council, putting the generals in charge of Egypt's
national security policy.
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012 17
INTERNATIONAL
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JAMES O'NEILL
Recent announcements by the leaders of several of the
nations forming the international assistance force in
Afghanistan regarding their involvement post 2014 and
their reasons for staying at least until then make it
appropriate to consider the ostensible reasons for the
invasion and occupation of this strategically located
country. In considering recent history and those stated
reasons there are at least ten major lies that recur in the
mainstream media.
# 1. That the West's involvement in Afghanistan was initiated by the
events of 11 September 2001. Afghanistan has been the subject of
unwelcome attention from imperial powers over much of its long his-
tory. The British invaded three times in the 19th century, being
soundly beaten each time. British motives were mixed but not the
least of them was control of the lucrative poppy fields, a source
then, as now, of much of the world's heroin supply. Opium was one
of the means by which Britain exercised colonial control, notably in
China.
During the Carter administration the US began a program of
undermining the secular nationalist government then in control of
Afghanistan. The primary purpose, as its principal architect
Zbigniew Brzezinski candidly admitted, was to give the USSR its
"own Vietnam" by creating the conditions that would lure the USSR
into Afghanistan. That duly happened in December 1979.
Throughout the 1980s the US, with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,
financed, trained and armed guerilla fighters in Pakistan for infiltra-
tion into Afghanistan and the Muslim majority regions of the USSR
and China. These mujahedeen or "freedom fighters" as Ronald
Reagan described them included a young Saudi named Osama bin
Laden. The Americans developed a data base of available muja-
hedeen willing to fight. That data base is better known by its Arabic
name of Al Qaeda, then as now used by Western intelligence for
fomenting trouble as and when required.
# 2. That Al Qaeda planned and carried out the attacks of 11
September 2001 ("9/11"). This lie has had tremendous importance
as it has formed the basis of at least two major wars, continuing
attacks upon a number of countries, and a relentless assault on the
legal rights of anyone deemed a potential threat and millions who
have committed no crime nor are likely to ever do so. It is the font
of the so-called war on terror which by definition is incapable of ever
ending and is thus a perfect excuse for everything from suspension
of the rule of law to ever increasing military and intelligence budg-
ets.
There is now overwhelming evidence that the official conspira-
cy theory outlined in the 9/11 Commission Report and assiduously
promoted by the mainstream media has almost no semblance to
the real events of that seminal day. Kean and Hamilton, the co-
chairs of that Commission have published a book casting doubt on
their own Commission's findings, saying they were "set up to fail" by
the systematic obstruction of their inquiry by US government agen-
cies.
A raft of peer reviewed articles have appeared in reputable sci-
entific journals demonstrating the literal impossibilities of the official
story, but they are ignored by the mainstream media whose
favourite put down is that they are 'conspiracy theories', ignoring the
fact that the official version is itself a conspiracy theory. Books have
been published demonstrating the absurdities of the official story,
but are never reviewed by the mainstream press, including one that
was Publishers Weekly's Book of the Week in November 2009. The
FBI has given sworn evidence to a Court contradicting one of the
most important planks of the official conspiracy theory, the alleged
cell phone calls from the "hijacked" planes, but again not a word of
this was reported.
# 3. That the allegedly hijacked planes killed nearly 3000 people on
9/11. Even if one took at face value the official story of Flights 11,
77, 93 and 176 being hijacked by Atta and his colleagues and either
flown into WTC1, 2 and the Pentagon or crashed in a field in
Pennsylvania, the total deaths numbered fewer than 500. Three
quarters of the deaths occurred when WTC1 and 2 were demol-
ished 1 to 1&1/2 hours after the planes crashed into them.
The destruction of the three WTC buildings, 1, 2 and 7 (the lat-
ter never shown on US mainstream television after 9/11) have been
the subject of intense scientific analysis. In April 2010 a team of sci-
entists headed by Niels Harrit of the University of Copenhagen
reported in a peer reviewed scientific journal that nano- thermite had
been found in the residue of all three buildings. This finding has not
been reported in the mainstream press. The use of nano-thermite
explains how the three buildings were brought down in the manner
they were. The official explanation of fire induced collapses ignores
some fundamental laws of physics, another factor ignored by the
mainstream media notwithstanding an admission by NIST that
Building 7 fell in freefall for approximately one-third of its collapse
time. This is literally impossible without the use of explosives.
The use of explosives has huge implications for the official
story, which is probably why the mainstream media refuses to touch
it in any systematic manner. Not the least of those implications is the
oft repeated claim, most recently by President Obama in December
2011 that the US (and others) is in Afghanistan because of the
attacks of 9/11 and the deaths they caused.
# 4. That the Taliban Government refused to hand over Bin Laden
in 2001. The Bush government demanded that bin Laden by hand-
ed over to them citing his alleged role as the mastermind of the 9/11
attacks. The Taliban government agreed to hand him over to an
independent third country for trial, subject to one condition. They
asked, not unreasonably, for evidence that bin Laden was in fact
responsible. The Bush government refused to proffer that evidence.
It has not, to this day, provided any such evidence. The FBI did not
even have bin Laden on their 'most wanted' list for 9/11 although he
was on that list for other alleged atrocities. When asked why not an
FBI spokesman said it was because the "FBI had no hard evidence"
of bin Laden's involvement in 9/11.
# 5. That the US (and its allies) were entitled to attack Afghanistan
because of the 9/11 attacks. The UN Charter and international law
provide very limited exceptions to the general ban on military force
as a means of resolving disputes between member states. What is
required is either a UN Security Council resolution authorizing such
a response, or that it must be in self-defence, itself a tightly defined
concept. On two separate occasions the UN Security Council
refused to accede to the US demand for such a resolution. The pre-
requisites for self-defence are entirely absent. Australia's involve-
ment has no greater basis. In short, the invasion and occupation are
illegal.
# 6. That the Reason for the Attack on Afghanistan was the Events
of 9/11. This is perhaps the most persistent lie. Prior to 9/11 the US
and Afghan governments had been negotiating the building of a
pipeline to carry natural gas from the enormously rich Caspian
Basin to a warm water port on the Arabian Sea. For various political
and geographic reasons the only feasible route was through
Afghanistan. In June 2001 those negotiations collapsed. The
Afghan government awarded the contract to an Argentinean com-
pany, Bridas Corp rather than to a US oil company with close links
to the Bush family.
Bush then authorized an attack on Afghanistan which had to be
commenced before the snows of October posed insuperable logis-
tical problems. They lacked a plausible excuse however until 9/11 a
few weeks later provided that. The plans for the invasion, drawn up
long before 9/11, had a number of strategic objectives. These
included control of the pipeline, military bases in yet another coun-
try abutting China and Russia, access to and control of
Afghanistan's rare earth minerals discovered by Russian surveyors
in the 1980s, and reactivating the heroin trade which had effective-
ly been closed down by the Taliban government. Heroin was and is
an important part of US intelligence operations.
# 7. That the Occupation Lead to Improvements in Social Areas
such as Women's Rights. Despite an 11 year occupation and bil-
lions of dollars the position of women, according to a recently
released Save the Children report Afghanistan ranks second worst
in the world, ahead only of Niger. While the occupation govern-
ments are quick to trumpet individual examples of improvements
the fact is that on most social indicators the position of women is
worse now than it was under the Tariki government that the US did
so much to undermine.
# 8. That the Occupation Makes us Safer from Terrorism. In fact the
opposite is true. As a direct consequence of western attacks on
Muslim countries (the US is currently bombing at least six and inter-
fering in a dozen more) terrorist groups, some but not all claiming
affiliation with al Qaeda, have proliferated. Insofar as there is any
commonality of interest among these groups it is a hatred of despot-
ic governments armed and supported by the west. As numerous
studies have shown when people are denied legitimate redress for
their grievances they resort to violent means. The picture is enor-
mously complicated by a well established pattern of western gov-
ernments arming and supporting terrorist groups for their own
geopolitical reasons. There are numerous contemporary examples.
# 9. That the Occupation Will End in 2014. It may well do so, but not
voluntarily. The recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
signed by Presidents Obama and Karzai envisage three major US
bases in Afghanistan and the continued presence of US special
forces until 2024. The Australian government has made similar
announcements about its Special Forces remaining after 2014. It
takes a major suspension of disbelief to accept such notions as con-
stituting withdrawal. The mainstream media have utterly failed to
analyze the MOU and such reporting as there has been has been
woefully misleading.
# 10. That the Afghan Government Will Survive Beyond 2014.
Karzai, his government allies, and all others with a reason to fear
the collapse of the regime have been preparing their bolt holes in
Dubai and elsewhere, using a significant proportion of the billions
expended in foreign aid and the profits from the drug trade to ease
their transition into inevitable exile. While there might not be a
rooftops of Saigon spectacle the inevitable consequence of signifi-
cant western troop withdrawal, now accelerating, will see the rapid
collapse of the Karzai puppet regime. The ensuing resolution,
although likely to be decidedly unpleasant, will at least be an Afghan
one. (Information Clearing House)
James O'Neill is a barrister at law practicing in Brisbane. He has
written extensively on international human rights issues.
The Top Ten Lies that Recur in the Mainstream Media
INTERNATIONAL
18 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
KARAMATULLAH K. GHORI
The Egyptian people were jubilant when
they got rid of their last pharaoh, Hosni
Mubarak, last year in February. It was
deemed a crowning achievement for mil-
lions of those whod launched a costly
struggle, in blood and toil, to overthrow a
tyrant whod ruled with an iron hand for 30
years and cheated them of their funda-
mental rights of liberty and justice. The
general feeling then animating the common Egyptians perception
was that the long night of military rule under hectoring generals
who thought of themselves as lord of the land had, finally, come
to an end.
Alas, there seems no vestige left of that perception 16
months later. Instead, a new reality has quickly caught up with the
people of Egypt: that the cabal of generals-all of them minions
and cohorts of Mubarak-is still determined to hold on to its privi-
leged status of untouchables and pursuing a course calculated to
put a virtual end to the Egyptian spring. There are unmistakable
and irrefutable signposts confirming the fears of the Egyptian
people that their struggle has been in vain and that autocratic rule
by the men in uniform is refusing to go away, or fade out.
The most dismaying proof of how callously the power-addict-
ed Egyptian generals have hijacked the peoples movement for
freedom from oppression and tyranny is the drama surrounding
the yet-inconclusive presidential election.
As these lines are being written, the date stipulated by the
Election Commission of Egypt for the declaration of the final
result of the second-round of presidential election, June 19, has
already passed. But there has been no result yet. The election
commission has only come up with a cryptic announcement that
it would still take an unspecified length of time for it to sort out all
the complaints filed against irregularities on the polling before
unveiling the name of the winner.
Its obvious that the election commission is waiting for its cue
from SCAF, or the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. SCAF is
proving to be the bane of the Egyptian people and the tormentor
of their hankering for freedom from the oppression, of their rights
and liberties that has been in force in Egypt since 1952, when the
army had toppled the monarchy to hog political power in the
name of the people.
SCAF, headed by Field Marshal Hussain Tantawi, an old
crony of Mubarak, has 24 high ranking military officers sitting
under its canopy. All of these are men whod been appointed by
Mubarak at the peak of his power, enjoyed his trust and are still,
obviously, loyal to him. Even if they are no longer loyal to
Mubarak, for arguments sake, they are irredeemably committed
to the essence of Mubarakism, which was, in a nutshell, wedded
to absolute power wielded by the armed forces at the expense of
the peoples aspirations and their demand of democratic free-
doms.
SCAF had stepped into the void left by Mubaraks ignomin-
ious fall from power, under intense popular agitation, as a refer-
ee. It feigned of honouring the peoples will and assist the revolu-
tion to a smooth passage to a democratic dispensation. However,
SCAFs actions, since then, have been just the opposite of its
avowed intent to stand as a guardian of the peoples will.
In the original scheme of things announced by SCAF in
March 2011, parliamentary elections came first, followed by a
constituent assembly, chosen from within the parliament, and
tasked with the drafting of a new constitution. The election of a
new president was to come at the end of the process capping the
peoples struggle.
However, SCAF, never inclined to give up its power, appar-
ently started having second thoughts about transition to demo-
cratic rule after the election of the new parliament last winter. The
peoples will had spoken, unambiguously, in favour of the
Egyptian Brotherhood, the Ikhwanul-Muslimeen, which dominat-
ed the election outcome. A snide propaganda campaign was trig-
gered, with the so-called liberals and secularists in its vanguard,
thumping their chests that the Brotherhood was out to smother
the democratic aspirations and stamp their brand of orthodoxy on
it. Obviously, abetted by friends in Israel and U.S., who
expressed their own fear of Egypt becoming another Iran under
the Ikhwan, SCAF devised a clever scheme to thwart the drafting
of a new constitution. The so-called liberals and secularists were
prompted to walk out of the constituent assembly on the excuse
that it was dominated by the Ikhwan and couldnt be trusted to
come up with a document reflecting the will of the people.
SCAF, then, mangled the sequence of transition elements by
bringing the presidential election ahead of the writing of a new
constitution. It clearly manifested mal-intent on part of the gener-
als to manipulate the election and subvert the peoples will.
Mohammad al-Baradei, the erstwhile head of IAEA, who was
expected to enter the presidential fray as a strong candidate of
the moderates pulled out of the race by remonstrating the
absence of a constitution to oversee the election. He was the first
to express reservations about the fairness of the election with
SCAF sitting over the process as both the monitor and arbiter. He
could foresee and smell SCAF generals malfeasance and pro-
clivity to throw spanners in the countrys transition to a democrat-
ic order.
SCAF left no doubt in anybodys mind about its palpable
intent to cheat the people of Egypt out of their dreams of a dem-
ocratic country when, on the eve of last months first round of
presidential contest, it unleashed the hand-maiden Constitutional
Court to declare that the parliament had become dysfunctional
and lost its moorings because of some irregularities in its election,
which only belatedly came to the notice of the court.
Sending an entire parliament, freely elected by the people in
an election monitored by outside observers and declared free and
fair by them, packing was a blatant and high-handed move which
left no shred of doubt that the hectoring generals sitting under
SCAFs canopy were determined to subvert the democratic
process and keep their choke-hold over the country intact and
unchallenged.
The cheating generals claws were further bared on the eve
of the final round of the presidential race, between the two lead-
ing contenders from the first round, on June 17, when SCAF
announced a sweeping package of rules aimed at consolidating
the power base of its 24 denizens, and of the armed forces as a
whole.
It was decreed that the new president, elected by the free will
of the people and representing Egypts 80 million masses, will not
be commander-in-chief of the armed forces; that privilege would
stay with SCAF, which will have none sitting over its head. SCAF
will also be the last word on the budget of the country, over its
defence policy as well as its foreign affairs. Rubbing more salt
into the wounds of the people, SCAF, if necessary, will also write
a new constitution of the country, thus arrogating to it the privilege
of a constituent assembly.
SCAFs legerdemain smack, unabashedly, of a total power
grab by the blighted generals to perpetuate hegemonic military
rule in direct contravention of the long and costly struggle the
Egyptian people have waged over the past 18 months.
U.S., which has loomed so large and preponderant over
Egypts policies over the last three decades-and whose largesse
keeps the Egyptian generals so well-equipped, in arms and
money-has, for the sake of form, if nothing else, expressed its
reservations over the SCAF power-grab. However, to all those
aware of the close co-operation and regular consultations
between the Egyptian power barons-in-uniforms and U.S. dont
attach much significance to Washingtons murmurs of protest in
defence of democracy, or the democratic rights of the Egyptian
people now under a massive threat from the arrogant generals.
SCAF and its American mentors must have felt very per-
turbed and anguished by the outcome of the first round of the
presidential race, with its front runner, Muhammad Morsi, belong-
ing to the much-derided Brotherhood. The runner-up in that
round-to the surprise of the Egyptian electorate as well as to inter-
ested observers-surprisingly turned out to be General Ahmed
Shafiq, a former chief of the Air Force and the last prime minister
nominated by Mubarak to save his sinking ship.
There are no shades of grey about the loyalties and political
platforms of the two candidates. Morsi represents the majority
wishes of the people of Egypt who have apparently had enough
of the deceitful generals and the minuscule class of fortune-seek-
ers and gold-diggers spawned by successive military regimes.
The Ikhwan, to their credit, arent a political group in the conven-
tional sense; theyre more a social force, cohesive, well-organ-
ised and fully attuned, at their grass roots, to the daily bread-and-
butter issues of millions of Egyptians condemned to the punish-
ing grind of a life of misery and penury. The Brotherhood has
earned a place in the hearts of the wretched of the earth by
working to alleviate their suffering and making life a little bit toler-
ant for them.
General Ahmed Shafiq, in contrast, represents the well-
heeled establishment that has been responsible for much of the
peoples suffering. The Egyptian intelligentsia--comprising self-
styled moderates and secularists-has long peddled to the west,
with eminent success, the opium that they alone stand between
the civilised west and hordes of radical Muslims and, therefore,
must be supported to ensure that the centre of political power in
the Arab world must remain their fief and property.
The second round of voting in the presidential contest has led
to the triumph of Morsi, as was widely expected by all and sundry.
The Brotherhood has come up with a complete tally of more than
16,000 polling stations, reflecting a clear cut victory for Morsi.
However, Shafiq, clearly emboldened by the establishments
covert support, is also claiming victory of his own. The tussle
obviously focuses the spotlight on the election commission to set
the record straight and announce the name of the winner, official-
ly.
It doesnt take a genius to understand why the election com-
mission is dragging its feet on the election result. Its buying time
for SCAFs power-hungry generals (vultures to the Egyptian peo-
ple) to twist arms all around and blackmail the Brotherhood into
signing on the dotted lines.
There are rumours, aplenty, that SCAF is negotiating, behind
the scene, with Morsi to agree to the power-sharing formula cur-
rently on the table. This will not, at all, be a division on equal
terms but an unequal distribution anointed by the age-old maxim
of might being right. In other words, Morsi will have to be content
with only a sham presidency, with only trappings of power on dis-
play in his court while real power would still belong to the gener-
als and wielded by them at their own sweet will.
Partisans and apologists of SCAF are predicting that the
Brotherhood would agree to the power-sharing offered to them by
the generals because they-the traditional wielders of power over
the past six decades-have the interests of the Egyptian people
close to their hearts and have the capacity to still ensure a
smooth transition to meaningful democracy.
Whether the Ikhwan falls to the bait and bites it is still debat-
able. They may agree to this doctored outcome of the peoples
painful struggle for emancipation in the hope that time, eventual-
ly, would favour them. They could be right, but they could also be
wrong; only the time will tell whether they were right or wrong in
agreeing to cut a deal with avaricious generals.
Its, however, certain, at this juncture that the dream of the
Egyptian people for a democratic dawn in their lives has clearly
been robbed and turned into a nightmare by undemocratic and
rapacious forces bearing a distinct hallmark of the tyrannical
Mubarak era. Throngs of protesting masses turning up at Cairos
Tahrir Square, once again, to voice their frustration and anger at
the hijacking of their revolution by the jackals ensconced in SCAF
is a categorical proof that the Egyptian people arent prepared to
allow their hard-won spring to wither because of the power lust
of Mubaraks cohorts. It isnt Mubarak or his vestiges entitled to
have the last laugh but the people of Egypt and their valiant bat-
tle for salvation from oppression and tyranny.
The Egyptian Spring is wilting under greedy Generals?
Rabbi Yisrael Dovid Weiss explains why he
believes that Israel as a state is not legitimate.
When Binyamin Netanyahu, Israels prime min-
ister, visited Washington last week on the eve of
the Purim holiday, he gave Barack Obama, the
US president, what he considered a symbolic
gift - a copy of the old testament book of Esther.
Netanyahu called it background reading on
Iran, since its story concerns relations with
Jews in the Persian empire some 2,500 years
ago. It is considered by scholars to be mostly
fiction, but for Netanyahu Esther represented
justification for his stance against modern Iran.
Netanyahus controversial reading of histo-
ry, even his fight to preserve the state of Israel,
are questioned by many of Judaisms own reli-
gious authorities.
This is against the will of the Almighty and
this is not what it means to be a Jew, says
Jewish religious scholar Rabbi Yisroel Dovid
Weiss, a spokesman for Jews against
Zionism, who believes that Israel as a state is
not legitimate. He says that Zionism has created
rivers of blood and he opposes the occupation
of Palestine.
On the threat from Iran and President
Ahmadinejad he says: He gives charity to
Jewish communities and he says one thing: he
has a problem with the oppression of the
Palestinian people. And the words wipe out he
constantly says that Iran doesnt have a history
and he is not talking about harming anybody he
says that God will not allow this crime to hap-
pen. We concur with him that Jews are in dan-
ger because there is Zionism because it says in
the Tora if you rebel against God, it will not be
successful and there will be catastrophic results
and Zionism has brought catastrophic results
and it could be much worse. (Al Jazeera)
In Norway, 38% believe
Israel treats Palestinians
like how Nazis treated Jews
More than a third of Norwegians believe that
Israels treatment of the Palestinians is similar to
how Nazis treated Jews, according to a survey
of attitudes toward Jews in Norway.
The recent survey found that 38 percent of
Norwegians feel that way about Israels treat-
ment of the Palestinians. It also indicates that 25
percent of Norwegians believe Jews exploit the
memory of the Holocaust to their own advan-
tage and 26 percent think Jews consider them-
selves better than others.
Some 12 percent of the Norwegian popula-
tion can be considered significantly prejudiced
against Jews, according to the survey, which
was published last month by the Oslo-based
Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious
Minorities. The survey said the prevalence of
anti-Semitic notions in Norway is limited and
comparable to that of Britain, the Netherlands,
Denmark and Sweden.
Seventy-six percent of those who demon-
strated anti-Jewish attitudes in the survey dis-
played similar attitudes toward Muslims.
Meanwhile, the Simon Wiesenthal Center
on Wednesday urged the Norwegian Justice
Ministry to protect threatened children in
Norways school system following an uncon-
firmed report about alleged schoolyard abuse
against a Jewish teenager in Oslo. The report,
which appeared on the blog Norway Israel and
the Jews, said a classmate of the 16-year-old
Jewish boy branded him by placing a hot coin
on his neck. The blog said the boys father was
Israeli. The head of Oslos Jewish community,
Ervin Kohn, told JTA that he had not heard
about the incident prior to the blog posting.
(haaretz.com)
Weiss: Zionism has created rivers of blood
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The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012 19
ASGHAR ALI ENGINEER
T
his month Muslims celebrated the birth
day of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). with
great devotion and reverence. But often it
has been seen that devotees do not reflect
on the message of the person whom they so
venerate. It just becomes a tradition rather
than an occasion for deep reflection. Muslims
also refer to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
as Muhsin-e-Insaniyyat i.e. the benefactor of
humanity but hardly care to know in what
respect he became benefactor?
In this limited space I would try to throw
some light on revolutionary aspects of
Muhammads (PBUH) teachings and how
Muslims should benefit from his teachings.
Muhammad, all Muslims agree, was ummi
i.e. did not know how to read and write and
yet he ushered in great social and economic
revolution that is as much useful today as it
was then.
We can call him a liberator of humanity if
we follow his teachings not so much from
tangled web of hadith but from Quran.
Quran indeed was his real miracle. Firstly,
he emphasized importance of knowledge
called ilm. This word occurs in the Quran
more than 800 times along with its various
derivatives (word jihad, so controversial
today occurs only 41 times).
Knowledge was so important to him that
he required Muslims (both men and women)
to seek it even if it is available in China, a dis-
tant land from Arabian Peninsula. Arabs who
were quite averse to knowledge, especially in
written form (there were only 17 people in
Mecca during the Prophets time who could
read and write), became great precursors of
various sciences and even the West
immensely benefited from it. West discov-
ered treasures of Greek knowledge through
Arabs.
Secondly, he brought about liberation of
women from bondage and gave her equal
rights and recognized her individuality as a
human being. He gave her equal right in mar-
riage and made marriage a contract. He
made it obligatory for her too, to seek knowl-
edge. Seeking knowledge is obligatory for
Muslim men and Muslim women, he said.
The cause of her bondage to men was main-
ly her ignorance and now seeking knowledge
became her right along with obligation.
Knowledge, all thinkers agree, is real libera-
tor.
Thirdly, Muhammad (PBUH) was greatly
concerned with justice. Justice is so funda-
mental to Islam that it is one of the names of
Allah (Adil). For him justice for weaker sec-
tions of society was of utmost importance.
Allah, according to Quran, is on the side of
the weak. And it is weak (mustadifin) who
shall inherit the earth and who shall be the
leaders. The powerful and arrogant (mustak-
birun) shall be doomed.
Fourthly, for all the actions he made
human individual responsible, not the collec-
tive unit, be it tribe or community, as respon-
sible. Quran also declared that each individ-
ual carried his burden and no one else can
carry it for others. For that time it was very
revolutionary declaration. It was collectivity,
like tribe, which was everything and individ-
ual did not count for anything. Quran made
reward or punishment individual-centred, not
tribe centred. This freed the individual from
the burden of tribal customs and supersti-
tions. Collectivity is important but not at the
cost of individual.
Fifthly, Muhammad also gave human
individual rights and dignity along with
responsibility. And human dignity was not
circumscribed by any religion, tribe or ethnic-
ity but included all children of Adam (karram-
na bani Adam). It indeed was a revolutionary
declaration of human rights which preceded
UN Charter of Human rights by more than
1400 years. Also, the Prophet said entire
creation is family of Allah.
Sixthly, he gave concept of Bayt al-maal
i.e. treasury to which all Muslims will con-
tribute according to ones income. We can
describe it as concept of welfare state in
modern terms. Zakat was not a tax for the
luxury of the rulers, as used to happen in
those days. It was strictly meant for welfare
of weaker sections, orphans, widows, poor,
travellers and liberation of prisoners and
slaves. It was unprecedented levy in those
days.
He even declared land is only for tillers,
thus bringing down the oppressive and
exploitative feudal system. Unfortunately
within few decades of his death Muslim
rulers established great empire based on
exploitative system again. However, all this
would appear unbelievable for many non-
Muslims. Why? Muslims often paid verbal
tributes to the Prophet (PBUH) but did just
the opposite.
What is the condition of women in
Muslim countries? Are Muslim states welfare
states at all? Do their rulers live simple life
like the Prophet did? Do they respect individ-
ual rights and human dignity? Do they prac-
tice justice at all costs? Do they respect
human life as sacred creation of Allah?
Answers may not be in affirmative. Muslims
have to reflect seriously on their failure and
recommit themselves to the Quranic value
system.
ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES
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Time to rededicate to Quranic values
20 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
WAJAHAT HUSAIN
As two of the largest religions in the world,
Christianity and Islam are at the forefront of many
events taking place around the world. Collectively,
according to estimates in Encyclopedia Britannica,
Muslims and Christians make up 55% of the worlds
population. This is a major reason why it is essen-
tial for Muslims and Christians around the world to
better understand and be aware of each others
beliefs and practices. The best way for this is to find
out what the two religions have in common, rather
than concentrate on the differences.
The first thing that these two great religions
have in common is that they are both monotheistic
faiths, believing in One God. After this, the most
important unifying factor is the great reverence both
faiths have for Jesus (peace be upon him). While
there is the obvious difference of Christians believ-
ing in Jesus as God/son of God and Muslims believ-
ing Jesus (Isa in Arabic) as a Prophet, the morals
and values that Jesus brought forth are similar in
both faiths, and form the foundation of both reli-
gions. It is this common thread that can help bridge
the gap between Islam and Christianity.
"Verily, I am a servant of Allah. He has given me
the Book, and has made me a prophet, and has
made me blessed wherever I may be. And He has
enjoined on me prayer and charity as long as I live."
(Quran, 19:30-31) This is one of many verses in
the Quran which clarifies the exalted status of
Jesus in Islam and the values he espoused.
Despite the differences that exist between
Christians and Muslims as far as the theological dif-
ferences about Jesus, there are a number of simi-
larities that exist as well. In general, the source of
information where Muslims obtain Islamic knowl-
edge is the Quran. Words from the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) and examples of his life are also
used as a source of Islamic faith. For Christians,
their main source of information about Jesus life is
from the New Testament, specifically from the
gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Using
only these sources of information, it can be seen
that there are a number of similarities between the
Christian and Muslim views of Jesus. In addition to
this, there are a number of traditions from the
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his Holy family
about Jesus himself and his virtues.
Another key aspect of the life of Jesus is that
Muslims and Christians are in agreement about the
performance of certain miracles by him. Miracles
play a big role in both religions. According to Islam,
nearly all Prophets came with a miracle from God as
a tool and a proof to show to their people the verac-
ity of their mission, and Jesus was no exception.
The Bible says, "And now, Lord, look upon their
threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word
with all boldness, while thou stretches out thy hand
to heal, and sign and wonders are performed
through the name of thy Holy servant Jesus (Acts
4:30).
In the same vein, the Quran mentions the per-
formance of miracles by Jesus. It says, "And
behold: you make out of clay, as it were, the figure
of a bird, by My leave, and you breathe into it, and
it becomes a bird by My leave, and you heal those
born blind, and the lepers by My leave. And behold!
you bring forth the dead alive by My leave. And
behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from
(hurting you) when you did show them the Clear
Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: This
is nothing but evident magic." (5:110). This shows
how both the Quran and Bible agree that Jesus did
perform miracles.
The aforementioned similarities are just a sam-
pling, as a complete list would be enough to fill an
entire book. Perhaps, of greater significance is to
find out what Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his
companions have said about Jesus and the words
they have attributed to him. There are numerous
reports of this kind, but listing a few of them will suf-
fice to show the high respect Islam and its Prophet
(pbuh) show to Jesus. There are also many sayings
and words of wisdom that Islam attributes to Jesus.
Imam Ali (as), who was the nephew of the
Prophet and the fourth Caliph after him, had this to
say about Jesus in one of his sermons to the peo-
ple, "If you like, I will tell you about Jesus the son of
Mary. He used a stone as his pillow, wore coarse
clothing and ate rough food. His stew was hunger
and his lamp in the night was the moon. His shade
in the winter was the east of the earth and its west.
His fruit and his basil were what grows from the
earth for the cattle. He had no wife to try him, and
no son to grieve him. He had no wealth to distract
him, nor greed to abase him. He had no mount to
ride but his feet, and none were his servants but his
own two hands." (Nahjul Balagah)
Imam Ali also said, "Jesus the son of Mary said,
Blessed is he whose silence is contemplation, the
sight of whom is an admonition, whose house suf-
fices him, who cries over his mistakes, and from
whose hand and tongue people are safe.
There is a story about Jesus in Muslim tradi-
tions: a man asked Jesus, Which people is the
best? Jesus took two handfuls of earth and said,
Which of these is the best? The people are created
from earth, so the most honourable of them is the
most God-fearing.
This is just some out of the many examples of
the vast knowledge and wisdom attributed to Jesus
in Muslim traditions.
If anything will bring Muslims and Christians
together, it is the common bond that exists through
this great man. You can call him Jesus or Isa, revere
him as God or as a Prophet of God, but no one can
deny the fact that Jesus was a gift of God to
Mankind and can be used as a unifying factor for all
Christians and Muslims.
Importance of Jesus in Islam
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012 21
BOOKS
NASIM YOUSAF
The last remedy under the present circumstances is that one
and all rise against this conspiracy [partition of India] as one
man. Let there be a common Hindu-Muslim Revolutionit is
time that we should sacrificein order to uphold Truth, Honour
and Justice.
- Allama Mashriqi, 1947.
Repeated justification and endorsement of the partition of the
Indian sub-continent within the Pakistani and Indian education-
al syllabi and general books are in fact breeding hatred and ter-
rorism. This is not only damaging peace in South Asia but has
obvious implications for the rest of the world.
The way history has been currently written, it endorses par-
tition and highlights those who ratified it. This is because in
August 1947, power was handed over by the British to the All-
India Muslim League and Indian National Congress for
Pakistan and India respectively. Therefore, the educational syl-
labi and books have been written from their perspective, glori-
fying their leaders roles and eliminating key facts from history.
What most people do not know or comprehend is that par-
tition was avoidable and that the confrontational politics of the
Muslim League and the Congress leaders in the 1930s and
1940s not only delayed freedom, but served to spread hatred
between Muslims and Hindus, as the two parties and their lead-
ers could not resolve their differences. This hatred led to dead-
ly riots in August 1946 and thereafter these riots spread into
other parts of India.
Allama Mashriqi watched the political events and develop-
ments very closely. He could foresee India breaking up and
hostility taking hold in the region forever. In an effort to free the
nation from the British and to keep the nation from breaking up,
he took steps to bring about unity and a revolution.
In his statements, he warned the public, calling for a revo-
lution, and said: after the advent of Lord Mountbatten, India
will be a heap of slaughter and tyranny henceforththe only
way to get out of this calamity was that the Hindus and the
Musalmans should unite for a common revolution against the
dirty politics of the present day. - Allama Mashriqi, May 10,
1947
The last remedy under the present circumstances is that
one and all rise against this conspiracy [partition of India] as
one man. Let there be a common Hindu-Muslim Revolution in
which not hundreds but millions will lose their lives by the bul-
lets of Birla and the British. Millions will die, no doubt, in this
way but hundreds of millions will be saved forever. If man has
decided to kill man for sheer lust of power and with nothing to
show to the world except tyranny and loot, it is time that we
should sacrifice men in millions now in order to uphold Truth,
Honour and Justice. - Allama Mashriqi, May 14, 1947
In addition, under his direction, Khaksar Tehrik movement
(a private militia of the masses) undertook intense activities,
such as publishing of revolt material, mock wars, parades and
meetings with defence personnel. He also presented The
Constitution of Free India 1946 AC, which sought the freedom
and protected the interests of all communities, and called
300,000 Khaksars to Delhi on June 30, 1947. He also alerted
Khaksar leaders to get ready for the dawn of freedom. All of
these actions speak loudly that a well-planned coup by
Mashriqi was forthcoming.
Mashriqis actions did not go unnoticed; brisk activity and
an unusual rush within the circles of the Viceroy of India and
non-Khaksar leaders became visible. As a result, within an
unusually short time (when there was no other compelling rea-
son), the partition plan was announced. Jinnah and Gandhi
accepted the plan instantly and then pleaded to their respective
parties, i. e., the All India Muslim League and the Indian
National Congress, to endorse it, which they did. This approval
was given prior to the assembly of the Khaksars in Delhi. It is
to be noted that when the Muslim League was holding a meet-
ing on 9 June, 1947 at Imperial Hotel to approve this plan, fires
were shot on Khaksars and many who came to the hotel were
seriously injured. To ensure that Mashriqi did not stand in the
way, a fatal attack was made on Mashriqis life on the same day
and he was arrested. Announcement and acceptance of the
partition plan in this unusual hurry, especially prior to the
assembly of Khaksars on June 30, confirms that these steps
were taken in fear of Mashriqi taking over India, which was nei-
ther in the interest of the British (as they did not want to leave
behind a united India which could become a superpower and
for other reasons) nor the other parties leaders (who had obvi-
ous vested interests).
Thus, in August 1947, power was handed over to Muslim
League and Congress and the region was divided into Pakistan
and India. From there onwards, the educational syllabi and
general writers began re-writing history from these two parties
perspectives only, glorifying their leaders roles and eliminating
Mashriqis pivotal role in bringing about freedom. Instead, he
was portrayed as a villain, as were other nationalists who had
sought to maintain unity of the sub-continent.
In fact, partition was avertable, had the leaders not played
in the hands of the rulers and come to agreement for the sake
of the regions long- term future. The general people would
have followed suit and focused on commonalities rather than
differences. Time and ground realities have also proven that
partition has only produced harsh suffering and dangerous ani-
mosities including the proliferation of deadly weapons in the
region.
Today, the reality is that the countries are divided. But what
is shocking is that there seems to be no realization by educa-
tionists, speakers, writers, media etc. that by distorting history
and by justifying partition, hatred is being taught to our children
in their most prime and impressionable ages. There is no real-
ization of the obvious that under these circumstances - in which
partition is explained, justified, and internalized by the coun-
tries youth - peace between the two countries cannot be
achieved and Aman Ki Asha cannot be successful.
Justifying and endorsing partition goes beyond unsuccess-
ful talks to broader consequences of automatically breeding
hate and terrorism. For the sake of peace in South Asia and for
subsequent implications for the world, the history of the region
needs to be corrected and the ongoing brainwashing since
1947 needs to come to an end. To this end, the hidden facts
surrounding partition and why and how India was divided need
to be unburied and made public, the idea that partition was
inevitable must be rectified in both countries, and personalities
when highlighted should also be held accountable for their mis-
takes.
The human devastation at the time of partition, a rare
episode in human history, and its consequences should provide
a lesson for the world to learn from. Going forward, the educa-
tional syllabi need to be overhauled and books must be written
from the perspective of the future of South Asia.
Nasim Yousaf is a scholar and historian who has presented
papers at U.S. conferences and written many articles and books.
He has also contributed articles to the Harvard Asia Quarterly,
Pakistaniaat and the World History Encyclopedia (USA). His
forthcoming book entitled Mahatma Gandhi & My Grandfather,
Allama Mashriqi uncovers many hidden realities behind the
freedom of British India. E mail: infomashriqi@yahoo.com
Justification of Partition in Books & Educational
Syllabi Breeds Hatred and Terrorism
Sachar
Committee
Report
English Rs 1000
Hindi Rs 1000
Urdu Rs 1000
Ordering details on page 19
The last remedy under the present cir-
cumstances is that one and all rise
against this conspiracy [partition of India]
as one man. Let there be a common
Hindu-Muslim Revolution in which not
hundreds but millions will lose their lives
by the bullets of Birla and the British.
Millions will die, no doubt, in this way but
hundreds of millions will be saved forev-
er. If man has decided to kill man for
sheer lust of power and with nothing to
show to the world except tyranny and
loot, it is time that we should sacrifice
men in millions now in order to uphold
Truth, Honour and Justice.
ALLAMA MASHRIQI
May 14, 1947
An insight into the malaise
prevalent in Church system
Church leaders are always cautious to allega-
tions of conversion, especially when it involves
fraud, deceit and greed. They outrightly reject
such allegations. People who make such alle-
gations are told to present proof.
Budhiya-ek Satyakatha (Budhiya: a true
story) has been authored by P. B Lomeo of
Jhansi, a noted Christian thinker. The novel
exposes Christian priests. This is not a fiction
but a reality and the message encrypted on the
grounds of truth. It offers Church to adopt some
reform measures to change the situation. The
novel asks Church to take a positive view of
the issues raised in the novel.
This is perhaps the first novel of its kind in north India written on
the heated issue of conversion and imperialistic mindset of Church.
There are scores of books, novels and stories on the pathetic status of
Dalits within the Brahminical framework but nobody has tried to gauge
the class discrimination and torture under the fore walls of Church sys-
tem.
This short novel is in fact the story of millions of converted
Christians who adopted Christianity and rejected their original Hindu
faith in the hope of a better life and respect. But, their conditions have
worsened and priests are exploiting them even more.
This is the story of Budhiya who are Pandavani actors. They reach
Padlikpur Mission station and here they come in contact with priests.
In order to help these deprived souls, these priests open their doors.
They offer Budhiya and her people oil, milk, powder, imported
American soap, paneer, butter, rice and wheat.
And, precisely from here the bad luck of Pandavani actors starts.
Christian priests convert them into their faith and settle them in Judpur-
Jhansi. This is the agriculture farm village of Catholics. It is situated
seven kilometers north-east of Jhansi. Pandavani playing family
becomes slaves from actor and their fall starts.
Pandavani was more a local form of singing and dancing culture.
But, times changed and Tijanbai popularized this art at international
level. Everybody knows Tijanbai but hardly anyone is aware of
Budhiya who is from the same land. She was as much skilled in
Pandavani art form as Tijanbai. Had they not converted to Christianity,
their fate would have been different. The author is himself a character
in the novel. He has been tormented by the church system. His friends
show cowardice and dont support him in his battle.
The author has tried to reveal the truth in interesting plots of the
story. He has barely hit the class discrimination in Church. He has not
spared nuns and fathers who are using every trick of the trade.
Religion never teaches to practice evil. But, both good and bad things
have entered into the religious system over time and people ignore
these evils. Budhiya-ek Satyakatha will give you the insight to see
those evils.
R L FRANCIS
Poor Christian Liberation Movement
The book is available from Jaykay Enterprises
WB-27, G/F, Shakarpur, Delhi - 110 092, India
E-mail: publication.jaykayenterprises@gmail.com
Pages: 112; Price: 80/-
Year: 2012; Language: Hindi
ISBN- 978-81-910020-7-2
MG CLASSIFIEDS
22 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
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What troubles politicians?
The main problem haunting power-seeking politicians is how to fool
voters by showing lollypops to the communities which they them-
selves have made deadly against one - another selfishly!!
S. A. Akhtar, Khanpur Deh - 392150
Fasih Mahmood
The engineer Fasih Mehmood was caused to disappear by security
agencies and nothing is known of his whereabouts. It is encourag-
ing that the Supreme Court has ordered that he be produced by 1
June. In my view that Court should also see to it that the people
behind this man's disappearance and detention are identified and
punished.
Mukul Dube, Delhi 110091
uthappam@gmail.com
II
Saudi authorities mum on Fasih Mahmood, SC told
The government Monday told the Supreme Court that Fasih
Mahmood, a Bihar engineer who went missing in Saudi Arabia last
month, was not in police custody in India and the Saudi authorities
were not co-operating in tracing him. Additional Solicitor General
(ASG) Gourab Banerji told the apex court bench of Justice K.S.
Radhakrishnan and Justice J.S. Khehar that "they (Saudi authori-
ties) are not saying anything. They are really not telling us anything".
"Now it is a question of diplomacy. How much pressure we can bring
on...(Saudi authorities)," Banerji told the court adding that he was
personally pursuing the matter with the external affairs ministry.
Mahmood, 35, employed in Saudi Arabia, was allegedly picked up
by intelligence agencies from Al Jubal May 13. He told the court that
the affidavits of the Delhi Police and that of the Karnataka Police
were before the court and he was making a statement that
Mahmood was not in police custody in India. Banerji offered to put
his statement on affidavit. He also told the court that as things stand
today it would take time before Mahmood's whereabouts were actu-
ally known. Counsel Naushad Ahmed Khan appearing for
Mahmood's wife Nikhat Parveen told the court that there were spe-
cific allegations that Indian police picked up Mahmood. "I am an
Indian national. I need to know where is he (Fasih Mahmood),"
Naushad Khan told the court. He told the court that the Karnataka
Police had mentioned certain details in the Interpol red corner notice
which were not in public domain and were only available to
Mahmood's employer in Saudi Arabia. He wondered how could
Karnataka Police have those details. The court directed the listing of
the matter in the second week of July. Mahmood hails from Barh
Saaila village in Darbhanga district of Bihar, about 200 km from
Patna. His father, Firoz Ahmad, is in-charge of the Benipatti primary
health centre in Madhubani district. His mother is a school teacher
in Darbhanga.
Rafiuddin Farooqui - rafiuddinfarooqui@yahoo.co.in
The New GOC 15 Corps in Kashmir
Lieutenant General Om Prakash, the new GOC of Army's 15 Corps
in Kashmir has taken over. However, it can be safely argued that
succeeding Lt Gen Hasnain, the tough super soldier but with a
human heart, is really is a test for the new man's credibility for he
has to live up to the expectations of all observers and Kashmiri
Awaam and simultaneously carryout his own course of action with
new innovations, ideas and interventions. Also Gen Hasnain's 19
month long stay as Corps leader besides being an able social work-
er with extensive outreach to public, his philanthropist approach, his
being scholarly and an able defense expert has left a deep imprint
thus indirectly made the new man's job a little more challenging and
also General Om Prakash's no prior services in the valley has made
his leadership more observable among the media and intellectual
circles. What difference the new man makes in Kashmir for peace
building and what different good he does for the bruised mass psy-
che of Kashmiri awaam, who were brutally tortured, killed in fake
encounters, forcibly disappeared and even women folk and innocent
children not spared remains to be seen. Military in any way should
not act as an instrument of oppression and should not act as the
operating agency of the repressive state apparatus, which actually
has shaped up the geography of anger in this part of the world. Will
he go Hasnain way or not is a great quest to watch.
Syed Adfar Rashid Shah, Jamia Millia Islamia,New Delhi
adfer.syed@gmail.com
Muslim fall prey of politics
Differences of opinion among parties exist and political wranglings
are also common. It gives benefit to people but at the Muslim cause
politics make Muslim prey. In case cub in Bihar NDA and UPA had
fight over opening it either in Motihari or in Gaya. But lastly it is
decided to start cub at both places. On the other hand, starting AMU
campus at Kishanganj after a series of agitation Bihar government
gave land after three years and it is going to be one year congress
led U.P.A. at centre has not moved to allocate fund for construction
of AMU campus in Kishanganj. Kishanganj has highest illetracy rate.
On 5th June ICC result published, Kishanganj is at bottom where
only 66.19% student got success when average passing district %
is above 90% Muslims are made prey of politics due to timid Muslim
leadership S. Haque, Patna
Equal sharers in struggle
Muslims are equal sharers in India's freedom. The world knows that
the Muslims, the Hindus, the Sikhs and the Christians fought for
India's freedom, and they died gallantly to attain freedom for India;
and at last India became free from the shackles, chains of slavery. If
it is so, why do some narrow minded people of our country call us
Pakistani minded and terrorists? Such people should change their
dirty mentality, and they should stop calling the Muslims terrorists.
The Muslims are not so, but they are true patriots. History bears wit-
ness to it. I strongly disagree with such people who are doubtful
about the fidelity of the Muslims, and I also condemn such people
who are prejudiced against the Muslims. Islam is the religion of
peace, love, unity and humanity, not of terrorism.
Shakeel Ahmad Frank, Gorakhpur
Muslims and the media
A section of media gives an impression that the Jamaat-e Islami of
Bangladesh, Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir and India are one and
the same hence responsible for each other's activities. Infact just
after partition of India, like communist Party, Muslim League, Jamiat-
ul-Ulama etc., Jamaat-e-Islami was also partitioned. Jamaat-e-
Islami Jammu and had become independent. Like other divided par-
ties there had been no link between these four Jamaats. Their lead-
ership, constitutions, policies, programmes, were and are independ-
ent and separate. Is it justified to blame Indian Jamaat for the acts
of Bangladeshi Jamaat or the acts of Pakistani Jamaat or Kashmiri
Jamaat? The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind should be judged by its vast lit-
erature in varias Indian languages, by its constitution, by its con-
structive, humanitarian and peaceful policies and programmes and
by the character and activities of its members and its 64 years bril-
liant record of national social and humanitarian services. The Indian
Jamaat should not be judged by the professions and practices of
Bangladeshi or Pakistani or Kashmiri Jamaat. This is true in case of
other parties also.
G. Hasnain Kaif, Bhandara, Maharashtra
III
Modus operandi of security agencies
Two Madrasa students, Wasim and Sajjad, were kidnapped from
Aligarh Railway junction on 24 May and their whereabouts were not
declared. Fasih Mahmood, an engineer working in Gulf, was picked
up by security agencies with K.S.A. police. For tracing out Fasih
Mahmood, his wife filed petition in court but government denied his
abduction. Now Qateel Siddiqui was killed in high profilqe Yarwada
jail, Pune. Qateel Siddiqui was arrested by security agencies on the
charge of German Bakery blast case. Police only accused Qateel
Siddiqui but after his death, media branded him terrorist. Is media
acting as judiciary? Judiciary must take cognisance of security
modus operandi to silence accused persons.
S. Haque, Patna
Female inferiority complex regrettable
One wonders why the right honourable women whose role of provid-
ing leadership through their lap training is very much greater that of
men should, despite being highly educated, lower their dignity by try-
ing to look like men in dress and hair etc. styles?! Islam says that
paradise is under the feet of mother - not father.
S.A.U. Patel, Khanpur Deh - 392150
Muslims endeavour in wanton things
Intermediate certificate result 2012 of Bihar announced on 5 June
Kishanganj Muslim dominated district stood last portion out of 34
total districts. In the light of inter result Muslims must speculate what
sort of community endeavour is required. Newspaper published 19
toppers list. No Muslim name appeared in the list when Muslim con-
stitute 18% of Bihar population. According to population 3-4 Muslim
student name should have been appeared. Ummah must speculate
where its energy is wasting? Muslims must redefine their agenda
instead of Mushaira, political use or filmy leanage to education.
Then only Muslim can achieve the lost glory.
S. Haque, Patna
Where is Islam?
Who represents Muhammadi Islam which orders us to recognise
ONLY ONE GOD as the Super power? There are many Muslim
names. But totally deviated are their games and fames! They bow
before the killers of the displaced Palestinian, sitting in the laps of
the coward kings who are pulled by American strings!! Some bomb
even holy Masjids and Madrasas and still claim to be the followers
of Islam!!! Where is the original Islam?
S. Akhtar U. Patel, Khanpur Deh - 392150
Article 370
"Why only article 370? by Mansoor Ahmad Ajazi (MG, 16-30 June)
is a unique article on the subject,I have had ever read. It is an eye-
opener for antagonists of article 370 and uniform civil code. Since
the inception of Jharkhand state protagonists of uniform civil code
and antagonists of article 370 are in power here. Why not they dare
to repeal Kolhan act, CNT & SPT acts? What is their moral right to
demand removal of article 370 and introduction of a uniform civil
code? This article should be sent to saffron brigade for their brain-
washing.
Nasim Ahmad, Rranchi, Jharkhand
jayant.dev2012@gmail.com
Indian bureaucracy
Today it is bureaucracy which is ruling over the country. It reminds
us of an anecdote of Stuart England when an English satirist asked,
"who rules England" and he got the reply from a political scientist
"The King". Who rules the king was the next question and came the
reply "The Duke", and who rules the Duke the reply was the "The
devil". In the present Indian context if the question is asked who
rules the India, the reply will be "Parliament" as under our democrat-
ic constitution Indian Parliament is Supreme and the reply to the
next question, who rules the Parliament, the reply, "the
Bureaucracy" will reveal the reality. Indian bureaucracy has become
the greatest stumbling block and greatest hurdle in the smooth work-
ing of Indian democracy. In fact it is quite in compatible with demo-
cratic setup. The two cannot go together. In a democratic setup the
government is for the people must serve them and do things for their
welfare. Bureaucracy on the other hand is blind, deaf and dumb to
the aspirations, feelings and sentiments of the people. It has
become a far more potent and vital part in our administrative system.
It has indeed become the most powerful and the most effective part
of our system and has been lampooned for this obsession with files
and out of date rules which are not in tune with times. Very many
sufferings of the common man are due to cumbersome and time
consuming procedures followed by bureaucracy. There is rightly a
hue and cry on the corruption of ministers and politicians but how
strange it is that there is little hue and cry on the corruption of
bureaucracy although reports raids at the houses of bureaucracy
are published daily in papers about their fabulous wealth and jewel-
ry. Time has come when the bureaucratic setup is done away and is
replaced by a civil service whose members considered themselves
as servants of the people are in view of the spirit of public service.
Decidedly this will be a great step towards strengthening democra-
cy and confer immense benefits on the Indian masses and India will
become a welfare state.
Dr. M. Hashim Kidwai, ex MP, Mayur Vihar, Delhi - 91
Beware of American imperialism
Indian sub continent was of British imperialism for 200 years. India
won freedom by great sacrifices. Now American imperialism wants
to enslave the world including India. America had supplied modern
arms and millions of dollars to Usama Bin Laden and Taleban for
driving out Soviet Union from Afghanistan. After the exit of U.S.S.R.,
America had invaded and occupied Afghanistan killing thousands of
innocent people. America's allies Taliban had now became "terror-
ists". Brave Afghans have been fighting the Americaled NATO
invaders since last 10 years.
On the basis of false propaganda of weapons of mass detruction
America had attacked Iraq killing thousands of men, women, chil-
dren and hanged Saddam Husain. America captured Iraq, its oil
wells and oil fields. Now America wants to invade Iran to loot its vast
reserves of oil and gas. After Iran, Pakistan and India are its targets.
America was always against India. It had been giving arms and doll
arsto its ally Pakistan. When China attacked India in 1962, America
did not help India. On the contrary during Indo - Pak - Bangladesh
war in 1971, America's seventh fleet had come in Bay of Bengal for
helping Pakistan. America has been opposing India's entry in secu-
rity council. India must adopt non - aligned policy of Jawahar lal
Nehru.
G. Hasnain Kaif, Bhandara, Maharashtra
Muslims in jails
The recent report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) that
the number of Muslims incarcerated in jails is nearly three times to
their population, and that over a quarter of them are not having
lawyers to represent them is shocking. Ironically, in a great democ-
racy like India, Muslims are caught in the vicious circle of being used
as vote bank by one mainstream political party while getting blamed
as being appeased by the other. The community however has great
expectations from the highest judiciary. One hopes, the apex court
will take cognizance of the TISS report and appoints fast track courts
to dispose of the multitude cases. The police officials who are found
with slapping false cases with communal bias should be punished
for this iniquity to be curtailed.
Syed Sultan Mohiddin, Kadapa.
II
Indian jails are not safe for security reasons. On 8th of June 2012,
the alleged I.M. operative has been murdered in a very inhuman way
by Hindu hardliners in Punes Yarvada Jail. The Yarvada jail is con-
sidered one of the safest jails amongst all in India. It is serious neg-
ligence and delinquency of duty at the part of jail authorities, jailor
and the home ministry of Maharashtra. In fact in almost every cases
Maharashtra ATS arresting Muslim youths in the charges of terror-
ism. This time ATS arrested Qateel Siddique but could not keep him
safe. Previously ATS used to killed an innocent in cold blooded in the
form of fake encounters, when the act of ATS and police has come
to the public, and public become aware about fake encounters which
is nothing but a kind of legal terrorism of police. Now Maharashtra
government in terror related charges with the hands of gangsters.
Certainly this has been done by Chota Rajan or Hindu terrorists on
the instigation of government. Maharashtra ATS took the custody of
Qateel Siddique from a Delhi court in the month of May this year
only. It would be the responsibility of Maharashtra government and
ATS to keep so-called culprit safe and returned back to the Delhi
Police. It is the negligence at the part of Maharashtra ATS and jail
authorities. Adetail CBI inquiry should be carried out to find the truth.
Inquiry for the murder of Muhammad Qateel Siddique should be car-
ried out by any central body or international body. Terror related
cases should be handled by international body and cases be tried in
international court The Hague. Sack and terminate the jailor and
other related jail staff with immediate effect.
Zuber Ahmed Khan, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
contact.z@rediffmail.com
Materialism and spirituality
There are some people who believe in only materialism and reject
spiritualism. There are some people who believe only in spiritualism
and reject materialism. There some people who believe both in spir-
itualism as well as in materialism. I believe in both the philosophies.
The powers which are related to God are spiritual and the powers
which are related to man are material. I shall give one example .Mr
Qateel Siddiqui was murdered in the high security cell of Yardava jail
by the government agency. He was yet to be presented before the
court. An innocent young boy was murdered by the high powered
government agency. It is a hidden power who can make bomb blast
and blame the Muslim youths. They killed or encountered or sent to
jail, hundreds of such youths were killed. The high powered hidden
agency think that they did a pious job for killing Muslim youths as it
was the obligation of their religion. It is the material power used by
men. Then comes the hidden power of God. He killed 32 pilgrims
near Osmanabad who were proceeding towards Shirdi on the very
next day. The driver of the luxury bus lost control the bus plunged
into a river passing through bridge. Again after two days the yatris
were proceeding to the temple of Punderpur. They were busy in tak-
ing tiffin A bus driver coming from opposite side did notice the pil-
grims sitting beside the road lost control of the Bus and ran over the
victim crushing them to death 7 men died on the spot. These two
mishaps are among the hundreds of such accident occurring of the
Hindu pilgrims going to self made gods not the real God. Those who
kill the innocent Muslim youths should learn that the real God is
much more powerful than them. They should stop their Devilish
designs and should fear Almighty. He is far stronger than them. They
must believe that there is also a hidden hand of God. Which plays
its part whenever the need arises
Dr. A. H. Maqdoomi, Hyderabad
drmaqdoomi@yahoo.com
Malnourished children
An investigation disclosed by NDTV showcased some pathetic thing
wherein the nutrition supplements meant for malnourished children
in Anganwadis are being taken away by middlemen and are sold to
poultry and dairy farms as feed for livestock. Ironically, it is also
alleged that this horrible malpractice came into being only due to the
involvement of government officials. This shameful incident was
reported in Vikramgadh taluka in Thane district of Maharashtra
though a hidden camera investigation. There are 95,380 functioning
anganwadis in Maharashtra alone. Every year Rs. 1280 crore are
being invested on rendering nutrition to children via these angan-
wadis by the State with the help of central government. However,
despite putting a thundering amount for this domain, 80,586 severe-
ly underweight children are still found in Maharashtra. Thane district
is one of the worst performing districts when malnutrition is consid-
ered. There are 6224 severely underweight children from the 4865
anganwadis in the Thane district. However, this malpractice is not
just confined to this district as it can be found all across the state.
The Governments fights are futile when the middlemen, allegedly
with the collusion of some government authorities, ensure that the
children go hungry. Unless these evil malpractices are properly con-
trolled the districts like Thane will always remain at the bottom and
the country fights against poverty and malnutrition will become futile.
Mohd Ziyaullah Khan, Nagpur44013
writeziya@gmail.com
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012 23
REJOINDERS/OPINION/LETTERS P.O. Box 9701, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025 Email: letters@milligazette.com
Read more letters on MG website
RNI No. DELENG/2000/930 REGISTERED DL(S)-01/3215/2012-14
LICENCED TO POST WITHOUT PREPAYMENT U (SE)-57/2012-14
PUBLISHED ON 26 JUNE 2012 POSTED ON 26-27 JUNE 2012
ADV. FORTNIGHTLY AT NDPSO-110002
The Milli Gazette
D-84 Abul Fazl Enclave-I, Jamia Nagar,
New Delhi 110025 India Tel.: 011-2694 7483 Email: edit@milligazette.com
24 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 July 2012
Space donated by The Milli Gazette

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DNA Replication within wombs revealed in Quran
With best compliments from
Kaleem Kawaja , Washington DC
ISLAMIC BOOKS IN
ENGLISH
Battlefields of the Prophet, Dr.M. Muhammad
Hamidullah, Rs 200
Sirat-un-Nabi : The Life of the Prophet (5 Vols. Set)
by Shibli Numani, Rs 1200
Sahih Muslim (Set of 4 Vols.), Imam Muslim, Rs 900
Criminal Law of Islam (Set of 4 Vols), AQ Oudha, Rs
950
Foreign Policy of Hadrat Muhammad (SAW), Prof.
M.S. Qureshi, Rs 300
History of Caliphs,Tr. Major H.S. Jarreet Rs 600
Introduction to Islam, Dr. M. Hamidullah Rs 220
Muhammadan Law (Set of 2 vols.), S. Ameer Ali, Rs
900
Teach Yourself Arabic, Prof. S.A. Rahman, Rs 225
Allahs Miracle in the Quran, Harun Yahya, Rs 450
Muslim Prayer Encyclopaedia, Ruqaiyyah Waris
Maqsood, Rs 200
Hajj Made Simple, Saniyasnain Khan, Rs 100
Easy Arabic for All, Amanulla Vadakkangara, Rs 250
Ramadan and
Eid Stories for Kids
Welcome Ramadan!, Lila Assiff-Tarabain, Rs 80
Ramadan& the Quran (HB), Saniyasnain Khan, Rs
70
My Ramadan Fun Book, Tahera Kassamali, Rs 70
My Ramadhan Activity Book, Siddiqa Juma, Rs 80
Aminah and Aishas Eid Gifts (PB), Fawzia Gillani-
Williams, Rs 70
Celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr with Ama Fatima (PB),
Fawzia Gillani-Williams, Rs 70
Eid and Ramadan Songs (HB), Fawzia Gillani-
Williams, Rs 100
Eid Karim Amir Sahab! (PB), Fawzia Gillani-
Williams, Rs 70
Eid Songs (PB), Fawzia Gillani-Williams, Rs 70
The Blessings of Ramadan (HB), Javed Ali, Rs 180
Beavers: Skilful Dam Constructors (PB), Harun
Yahya, Rs 60
Camels Journey: Garden of Islam (HB), Khalina
Khalili, Rs 70
Honeybees that Build Perfect Combs (HB), Harun
Yahya, Rs 70
Parents Love and Other Islamic Stories (PB), Ishrat
J. Rumy, Rs 120
Pizza in His Pocket: Learning to be Thankful to
Allah (PB), J.Abdul Rahman, Rs 60
The World of Our Little Friends, the Ants (HB)
Harun Yahya, Rs 70
Im Learning About Eid-ul-Fitr (PB), Rs 70
See page 20 for ordering details.
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Students Assembly at Alliance School - Murshidabad A Tailoring class at our Vocational Training Centre
Food packets distribution in Murshidabad Construction Work at Alliance School this June