Single Pages Jan 2009

Editorial

Tackling Terrorism: A Call to Hindu and Muslim Religious Leaders

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he recent assault on Mumbai is the most deadly terrorist attack that India has witnessed so far, and it has shaken every Indian. Every one of us is asking how it is that we have become so vulnerable and what it is that we must do to confront this situation. It has become a sort of fad to blame politicians for all our ills and problems. The threat posed by self-styled jihadist outfits to Pakistan itself is very real. In both Pakistan and India, despite the vocal or tacit opposition of the vast majority of people, extremists who have adopted the guise of religion have been able to strike very deep roots. Just as ardent supporters of Narendra Modi and his likes have millions of supporters in India, self-styled jihadist groups have a large number of backers in Pakistan. This fact alone should suffice to make us realize that both Islamist and Hindu extremists feed on each other and collectively pose the gravest danger to the people of South Asia as a whole. Terrorism and religious extremism have assumed the form of deeprooted social phenomenon in our part of the world, and so obviously cannot be countered simply through a law-and-order approach alone. Merely banning terrorist groups, sealing their bank accounts and arresting their activists is not enough. Such steps can only work in the short-term and that too not very effectively. We must realise that terrorism in South Asia is not an issue that concerns just one country or community, and that all forms of terrorism are inter-related. We must also seek to understand the factors other than just political that are also responsible for generating terrorism, such as illiteracy, poverty, social inequality, unemployment and violation of human rights and moral values. Hence, and obviously, to seriously tackle terrorism from its roots a mere political approach would be inadequate. We also need to address these other underlying causes as well. This points to the need for civil society groups, in both India and Pakistan, to take a leading role in social activism against the menace of terrorism. Terrorism must be viewed as a social phenomenon, and, accordingly, must be sought to be countered through a strong and effective social movement, besides at the level of the state. For this purpose, we need to chalk out a non-political programme that would bring together civil society groups as well as seriousminded religious leaders from the different communities in the region in a joint struggle against all forms of terrorism that are causing such havoc all across South Asia today. Perhaps this could take the form of a ‘South Asian Forum Against Terrorism’. Through such a forum it would be easier for us to appeal to Hindus and Muslims throughout our region with our message against terrorism. The most important role in this forum should be that of responsible and right-minded Muslim ulema and Hindu religious personages such as dharmacharyas. Some months ago, the Dar ul-Uloom Deband organized a massive rally, bringing together clerics from different Muslim sects to jointly issue a declaration or fatwa condemning all forms of terrorism and declaring these to be anti-Islamic. This was a very welcome step. Such mass rallies can be organized throughout South Asia by the Forum wherein Hindu and Muslim religious leaders can jointly denounce terrorism and call upon Hindu, Muslims and others to join them in the struggle against it. If the leading responsible Muslim ulema and muftis of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh can jointly directly address jihadist Muslims and explain to them the errors of their views, it can have a very big impact on their thinking. They can thereby underline the gross misuse of the concept of jihad, which is now causing such pain, destruction and strife not just for nonMuslims but for Muslims themselves. Likewise, if the Hindu religious leaders of the countries of South Asia get together and declare that the fiercely anti-Muslim activities of extremists in a Hindu garb constitute a grave violation of the Hindu religion, it can certainly impress many Hindus. This sort of effort can play a major role in bringing Hindus and Muslims closer and solving many of their problems and conflicts. It can help build confidence and trust between Hindus and Muslims and between Pakistanis and Indians and in marginalizing the religious extremists on both sides. ■

ISLAMIC VOICE, JANUARY 2009

LETTERS

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Bouquets and Brickbats

Denial of Burial I have learnt with concern about the decision of the Indian Muslim Council, not to allow the burial of the nine killed Mumbai attackers, on an Islamic graveyard. As a reason, the Council declares, that the attackers cannot be considered Muslims because they went against the teachings of Islam. Another Council-member said that the attackers had defamed the religion. Of course I agree that the Mumbai attacks are contrary to the teachings of Islam. However, viewed from a religious perspective, the decision of the Council is also a defamation of the teachings of the Islam which is based on respect for every human being, regardless of descent or committed crime The denial of a grave is not only one of the most extreme signs of disrespect, it is also a violation of the right of every human being on human dignity, confirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is evident, that the killed Mumbai attackers are guilty of very serious crimes, for which they would be held accountable on earth, in a fair and independent trial, according to international standards. However, now they are dead, no Council or other authority has the right to deny them eternal peace on a graveyard. Astrid Essed Florijn 444, Amsterdam The Netherlands [email protected]

Misguiding Muslims

Before I began to read the article, “Manual for Social Harmony for Muslims,” in the December 2008 issue of Islamic Voice, I found the writer’s name was a bit familiar. I am reading Islamic Voice for the first time. After reading this article, I have decided not to pick up Islamic Voice again. Though there are some good suggestions, I felt that this article advises us to be slaves of the oppressors in the name of democracy. The writer’s comments on Azan and Qurbani show that he is ashamed and fearful to be a Muslim. (Sorry for the harsh words). What a disgusting and disheartening solution about Azan. If you want to guide the Muslim community, guide them through the Quran and Hadith and not from you own thoughts and beliefs. Akhil Ahmed Chakwa [email protected]

Why is Antulay being Pilloried? What Mr A. R. Antulay said is being deliberately misinterpreted. He is being pilloried and pressured to resign. He did not absolve Pakistan nor deny that the terrorists were of Pakistani origin and that the attack was organized in and launched from Pakistan. What Antulay said does not in any way diminish our case on Pakistani responsibility for the terrorist attack. No doubt he has brought out the doubts in the public

Another Ship has Sunk I heard the sad news about another Muslim – run magazine closing down in Delhi last month. It is a reality that the Muslim media today is in a pathetic state. Muslims do not have a single news channel which can voice the opinion of the voiceless. Religious channels are too preachy. Muslims do not have a national newspaper again. There is no point in a magazine or newspaper if it is “by the Muslims, for the Muslims and of the Muslims”. Our voices should reach the nonMuslims and the people in the corridors of power. Muslims have lots of money, but they have no inclination to pump it into media. They will rather donate the money in building fancy mosques with the intention that they will be “rewarded”. For them, media is boring and not lucrative for them in this world or the hereafter. On failure of Muslim run media, a lot depends on the people who run it and the people managing it. Professionalism is the key. Even a small-time

mind about the circumstances of the killing of Hemant Karkare and his colleagues, which have arisen because of inconsistencies in the official and media reports. Ever since Karkare had successfully unveiled the face of Hindutva terrorism, he was a target of abuse and vilification. Senior political leaders like Advani and Thakre had even called him a traitor. Obviously the Hindutva groups were rattled by the exposure. He was an obvious candidate for elimination. What Antulay has hinted at, and which I endorse, is that there might have been a parallel conspiracy to silence Karkare and an elimination squad may have been following him. When they got an opportunity in the noise and dust generated by the terrorist attack, they killed him. In any case the suspicious circumstances must be looked into by high level inquiry and they should not be simply swept under the carpet. As Indians we owe this to Karkare. Syed Shahabuddin New Delhi

Resear ch Pr oject Research Project “Mudukulathur MuslimsToday and Tomorrow”, a research project has been initiated by www.mudukulathur .com. Those who have any information about Mudukulathur can send it to muduvaihidayath @gmail.com or to M. Shanmu-gham, 33 Maranayanar Street, Ilayangudi-630702

vegetable seller on the street today follows a method to sell his vegetables. He knows when his tomatoes will rot and when his cabbages will stay green. Travel to Kerala if you wish to see the marvels that the Muslim-run media in Malayalam is doing there. Its pure professionalism. Yes! From the same place a Muslim-run magazine closed down after it was kidnapped from Bangalore and later killed in Calicut. This happened due to severe marketing mismanagement which is again a weak point in Muslim-run media. A paper will not survive on goodwill of a few readers for a lifetime. How long can you hook readers with the parrot-like line:” Buy it for Allah’s Sake!” It’s people who can make or break a publication. Their intentions and dedication plays a mighty important role in the success. Nigar Ataulla Bangalore [email protected]

Community Round Up

People Kishanganj DM Firaque Ahmad to be honoured Patna: The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has decided to honor Firaque Ahmad, District Magistrate (DM) of Kishanganj for fair execution of the annual examination of class 10th in the district in March 2008. The Bihar School Examination Board conducts Secondary School Examination twice every year, the annual and supplementary examinations. The annual examination is normally conducted in the month of February/March. According to Anup Kumar Sinha, secretary of the Board, Kishanganj has been given grade ‘A’ for fair examinations. There were no report of irregularities and use of unfair means in the examination from Kishanganj. Since the DM of a district is the controller of examination for the whole district, the Board has decided to give Firaque Ahmad an award for his commitment to his duty. Before assuming office of the DM of Kishanganj, Firaque Ahmad was the chairman of Bihar Text Book Publishing Corporation. He is known for his honesty and punctuality. ■

Indian Shining in China Bangalore: Suraiya Tarannum, Head of the Telecommunication Engineering, AMC Engineering College Bangalore was the sole representative from India to participate in the 11th IEEE International Conference on Communication Systems (IEEE-ICCS 2008) held in Guangzhou, China between November 19-21, 2008. She presented her research paper entitled,” Dynamic Hierarchical Communication Paradigm for Wireless Sensor Networks: A Centralised Energy Efficient Approach. ■

Put this under People column DR SHOHAB IS AIUUTA GENERAL SECRETARY Jammu : Dr Shohab Inayat Malik, Professor of Urdu in Jammu University has been elected as the General Secretary of the All India University Teachers Association (AIUUTA). A decision to this effect was taken in an Urdu teachers conference held at Kashmir University in which over 150 Urdu teachers participated. Dr Malik took over charge of general secretary from Dr Ali Javed, Director, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL). All India University Teachers Association (AIUUTA) is a body of All India Urdu Teachers working on national level for the promotion of Urdu language. Dr. Malik is also the President of Rasa Javadani Memorial Literary Society (RJMLS), a NGO working for the cause of Urdu language in the state. ■

ISLAMIC VOICE, JANUARY 2009

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Poor are getting Poorer New Delhi: The All India Muslim Economic Council (AIMEC) organised a conference on December 2, 2008, of all Indian organisations working on interest-free basis in Deoband, Saharanpur. In his presidential address, Maulana Hasib Siddiqui, chairman of AIMEC, said: “Muslims dreamt for long to establish financial institutions conforming to Shari’ah, but most of their dreams remained confined to issues like worship, religious education, nikah and inheritance, so much progress could not be made in the field of financial aspects of life and interest-

free system of trade and commerce. Now we have to take some steps in the light of Islamic banking system based on Shari’ah.” Expressing concern over the increase in number of people living below the poverty line, economic expert Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood said: “It is the need of the hour to establish interest-free and cooperative institutions in order to eliminate economic backwardness among Muslims.” “The poor are getting poorer and capitalists are gaining in their capital. The Islamic economic system is the best means to prevent it,” he added. ■

Hari Masjid Police Firing: Victim files PIL BY A STAFF WRITER Mumbai: The Bombay High Court recently tightened the noose on the state and central governments while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Farooq Mapkar, a victim of firing at Hari Masjid on January 10, 1993. Justice B. N Srikrishna had indicted policeinspector Nikhil Kapse for firing on worshippers inside Hari Masjid, Wadala, which resulted in the death of six Muslims. Farooq Mapkar, injured in the firing, had filed a petition asking the CBI to look into the matter. Mapkar has urged the court to direct the police to book assistant police inspector Nikhil Kapse for murder and also hand over the probe to the CBI. Kapse, then a police sub-inspector attached to the RAK Marg police station had ordered the firing in the Masjid at Sewri. “The complaint (made by Mapkar) on its own, along with the (Srikrishna Commission) report, prima facie discloses a cognizable offence”, observed the judges. Public prosecutor Satish Borulkar told the court that a Special Task Force appointed by the state government to look into the commission’s report that probed the 1992-93 Mumbai riots had said that no offence was made out. Mapkar’s complaint about the incident mentions one Shamsuddin, who had been injured in the firing inside the mosque. As he came out of the mosque, Shamsuddin bent down to tend to his injured leg. Mapkar saw Kapse shoot him at that moment. Mapkar had also recounted this in his affidavit filed before the Srikrishna Commission. Justices F. I. Rebello and R. S Mohite of the

Bombay High Court rejected the reasons given by the CBI for declining to take up the Hari Masjid case of the 1992-93 riots. The CBI had cited delay as the first reason for refusing to take up the case. Justice F. Rebello pointed out that this reason did not hold. “A judicial commission of inquiry was set up that gave its findings in the victims’ favour in 1998. The government then set up the Special Task Force which exonerated the police officer without either examining the complainant (Mapkar), or those injured in the incident. Nobody is listening to the plea these citizens have been making since 1993. The CBI’s second reason was that this was “a simple matter” which could be investigated by the State government. Justice Mohite pointed out that the matter was far from simple. “There are undercurrents of communal bias,” Justice Rebello said, adding, “The complaint is not only about the general firing at the Masjid, but also a specific allegation that an injured man has been shot at point-blank range. Despite this, all these years the State apparatus has been saying nothing wrong has been done!” Finally, the CBI had opined that taking up this inquiry was not in “public interest”. “What is public interest for the CBI?” asked Justice Rebello. The court was appalled by the fact that the statements of the injured were not recorded even by the STF. Senior counsel Vijay Pradhan, who is appearing for Mapkar, submitted that the STF never visited the mosque or met any of the injured persons, including Mapkar. “This is not how a criminal investigation should be carried out,” Justice Mohite said.■

www.twocircles.net

Informative Indian Muslim Website The brainchild of Kashif ul-Huda, an engineer from Bihar, now working in America, www.twocircles .net is probably the most informative, useful and enlightening Indian Muslim site on the Internet. It covers a host of issues related to the Indian Muslims, including education, culture, politics, history and economics. Subscription is entirely free. All you need to do is fill in your email id in the relevant box in the main page of the website and you can get free daily updates.■

Community Round Up

Kerala Muslim Marriage Bill: Positive Reactions By Md. Ali Trivandrum: The Kerala Law Reform Commission (KLRC) has drafted a bill in order to regulate the practice of polygamy and check the misuse of talaq as an instrument of divorce among the Muslims in the state. The bill titled as the Kerala Muslim Marriage and Dissolution by Talaq (Regulation) Bill seeks to reform the Shariah laws. It proposes the creation of conciliation councils in each district which will take up the cases of indiscreet marriages and divorce among the Muslims of the state. The “conciliation councils” will be headed by a retired Muslim judge. It also considers the second marriage of either the husband or wife as punishable offence under the IPC. This bill has been sent to the Muslim legal luminaries for their opinion and will be submitted to the government soon. It has sought a variety of responses from the Muslim community be it the common masses or its intellectual class. Moreover it has created a debate in the community to ponder over the effects of polygamy and talaq on the community. The bill has sought positive responses almost from all the women’s activists across the religious, political and ideological divides. They have been pitching for the bill and mobilizing forces to pressurize the government to legislate the bill. Kerala Women’s Front (KWF) is an organization working for the empowerment of women in general and Muslim women in particular in the areas of socio-economic empowerment through education. TwoCircles.net talked to Febeena Seethi, the president of KWF. Her stand was somewhere between a complete ban and complete freedom of polygamy. She pointed out that KWF supports the Kerala Muslim Marriage and Dissolution by Talaq (Regulation) Bill. According to her polygamy is a double edged sword in the sense that it can be useful, but it can also be a way to exploit women. Usually it becomes a way of exploitation of women where their lives are made miserable because of it. But at the same time she pointed out that there are tens of cases which she knows personally where women who are in polygamous relationships and are happy. They are not being exploited and are rather very comfortable being a part of the relationship. So in some cases it is a blessing. “There should be a women and a religious scholar in the conciliation councils.” She explained that the representation of women and a religious scholar is very important. The religious scholar will help in avoiding any kind of controversy and the woman member will help the council in understanding the complex issues of women and thereby it will help the council achieve its purpose. But she had something more to say about the practice of polygamy in Kerala. First of all, she said, till now there has not been any proper study on the practice of polygamy among the Muslims of the state. Usually people say that polygamy is widely practised in Malabar but she has not come across any single case of polygamy in the region. So before bringing about any legislation it is very important for the government and the public to know to what extent polygamy is being practiced in the state, then only will one be able to analyze its effects and consequences on people. A big section of all the people who support the Bill feel that it is high time that reform must happen in the Muslim Shariah law or Muslim Personal Law. (Twocircles.net)■

Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Awards 2008 New Delhi: Charanjeet Singh Atwal, Deputy Speaker, Lok Sabha and Justice Mohammad Suhail Ejaz Siddiqui, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities Educational Institutions, are among those to be honoured this year with the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Award 2008. Others to be honoured with the award are Manorama Deevan, Chief Editor, Press Asia International, Shahid Ali Khan (IPS), Mohammad Ateeq Siddiqui, Editor, AlYaum, New Delhi, Dr. Haneef Tareen and Saulat Public Library, Rampur. The Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Academy has been giving away awards in the fields of politics, journalism and social service since 1989. ■

ISLAMIC VOICE, JANUARY 2009

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Muslims to play a leading role in war on Terror

BY MUMTAZ ALAM FALAHI New Delhi: Muslims took the lead in the freedom struggle of the country and played the most pivotal role in liberating it from the British Raj and now they are ready to play a similar role in liberating it from all sorts of terrorism and causes thereof, said Muslim MPs, intellectuals and leaders of religious organisations. At the “Muslims Initiative against Terrorism programme” last month at India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi the speakers strongly condemned all sorts of terrorism going on in the country and demanded the government to strengthen intelligence system and deal with all acts of terrorism with firmness and also ensure that the police and the agencies are not driven by communal colours. They also demanded that Muslims should be included in any counterterrorism set-up as has been done in the Rapid Action Force. A resolution adopted at the programme says: The root cause of terrorism – discrimination, suppression, inequality and injustice – also need to be addressed in any strategy to eradicate the terrorism. Kamal Farooqui, Chairman, Delhi State Minority Commission, and one of the organizers of the programme, said Muslims today are “with the government and security agencies in the fight against terrorism without any ifs and buts.” Newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Adeeb said that Muslims of this country have always been against violence and terrorism. He, however, admitted that when rights are suppressed

and criminals are not brought to book (referring to 1993 Bombay riots and Gujarat 2002 pogrom) terrorism finds its way. He, however, condemned those, if any, who are resorting to violence to get justice and their rights and said there are democratic and peaceful ways for these purposes. Rajya Sabha MP and Jamiat Ulama-i--Hind leader Maulana Mahmood Madani rejected the view that if Muslims are repeatedly condemning terrorism saying it has nothing to do with Islam they are in a way admitting that they are terrorists. He said the entire Muslim community is not terrorist, but admitted that a little part of the community might have gone astray. Former MP and social activist Shabana Azmi said that if Muslims in India were not seen with suspicion following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks it was because the community had taken lead to fight against terrorism in the country. They had denounced it and expressed their resolution to fight the menace along with the entire nation. Their initiative changed the perception about them. She also applauded the role of the media for this. Former BJP MP and now party’s national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said Muslims are loyal to the country and they need not give any certificate for this. Samajwadi Party MP Ilyas Azmi said that “to say time and again that we are against terrorism is proof of our inferiority complex.” Talking about Mumbai attacks, he expressed doubt over the circumstances in which three officers including ATS chief Hemant Karkare were killed. He rejected the government’s point that no locals were involved in the attack. ■

Taawun Trust to distribute blankets in flood affected states New Delhi: Months after the flood that affected lives of millions in Bihar, Assam, and West Bengal, their conditions continue to be fragile. Millions who have become homeless continue to live in camps in pathetic conditions. Established in 1998, Taawum Trust has been helping poor, helpless, orphans, and widows and those affected by natural calamities. Chairman of the Trust, Dr. Mohd. Manzoor Alam in an appeal sent to donors said that the Trust is planning to distribute 10,000 blankets to the flood affected people in Bihar, Assam, and West Bengal. The Trust has already distributed one thousand blankets in Bihar and now seeking donation to fund rest of the blankets. The appeal by Dr. Alam said that it cost Rs. 350 per

blanket which includes cost of taxes, transportation and documentation. All donations to the Trust are exempted under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act 1961, and it has a permanent registration under FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act). For more details and donations: Account Name: Ta’awun Trust, Banker: State Bank of India, Zakir Nagar Branch, New Delhi-110025, Account No.: 10177189422 (for Foreign Donors) 10177189603 (for Indian Donors), Address: 162, Jogabai Main Road , Jamia Nagar, New Delhi110025 (India) Ph: 26987467, 26981187, 26989253 Email: [email protected] Website: http:/ /www.taawuntrust.org/ ■

Community Round Up

ISLAMIC VOICE, JANUARY 2009

MIM launches campaign for Elections Hyderabad: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), the most influential Muslim political party in Andhra Pradesh, has launched its campaign for the forthcoming elections with a call to Muslims to unite under one political banner to take advantage of their strength and urged Hindus to join hands of friendship. MIM, which has set its eyes on doubling its strength in the state assembly from existing five to ten, chose Malakpet to launch the campaign. The MIM president and member of Lok Sabha, Asaduddin Owaisi said that the MIM was confident of wresting the Malakpet constituency and the target can be achieved only if Muslims remain united and demonstrate their strength in the next elections. What has boosted the confidence of the MIM to win more number of seats is that the delimitation of the assembly and

Lok Sabha constituencies in the state has changed the demographic map of many segments in Hyderabad in favor of Muslims. Earlier Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency had three rural assembly segments of Ranga Reddy district, but after the delimitation, Hyderabad has become a hundred percent urban Parliamentary constituency. As the ratio of Muslim electorate in this Lok Sabha constituency has gone up to 70%, MIM is confident that it has become an even more secure fortress. MIM has been winning the Hyderabad seat since 1984 without any break. Though the TDP-Left alliance is planning to field a Muslim candidate, the MIM is confident of retaining the seat. In all the elections it defeated the BJP in a direct fight. (Reported by Mohammed Siddique, TwoCircles.net).■

Mumbai first eco-friendly Mosque Mumbai: The Dawoodi Bohra community has decided to give Mumbai its first eco-friendly mosque. The construction of the mosque at the Tambawala compound in Mazgaon in south central Mumbai is expected to be completed in two years. Architect, Esmail Neemuchwala said the primary focus would on rainwater harvesting and using less electricity. “We want to give the best to the environment from which we take the most,” he said. “In a 120-sq ft room, one fan is sufficient because there are usually three people at a given time. But the number goes up to 30 during prayers.

And this calls for more fans,” Neemuchwala said. “We have planned to bring down the number of fans and reduce electricity usage by 20%.” “Fatimi architecture will be prominent. It has typical floral repetitive designs and conical shaped arches. It is inspired by Mughal, Indian, and British architecture,” he said. Green lawns will border the mosque. This would help in bringing down the air temperature as it moves towards the mosque, according to Neemuchwala. The mosque will not have solar panels and instead will use rainwater harvesting as much as possible. ■

Colony shuts out non-Hindus Surat: Getting a house in Surat’s Hindu neighbourhoods always remained a distant dream for Muslims. However, India’s diamond capital has gone a step further by formalizing the social ostracism, post Mumbai’s terror strike. The diamond hub of Varaccha always had ‘Hindus only’ and even ‘Patels only’ colonies. Now, many housing societies and real estate brokers in the city have decided not to sell or even rent out houses to non-Hindus, especially Muslims. Recently, a housing society in Rander area has disallowed its members from selling houses to people of other faiths. At Dhanlakshmi Row Houses, society president Rajesh Patel says, “Our society is exclusively for Hindus. We want to avoid any nuisance. All residents have unanimously decided that no one will sell their houses to those belonging to any other religion.” A resident of House No. 13 at Dhanlakshmi Row House was forced to leave by other residents because he belonged to the minority community, said Chirag Patel, resident of this society located in Rander. A notice board put outside the society reads, “As per a resolution passed by the society members, no one will sell the house to a person of any other religion and if done, action against the buyer and seller will be taken.” Property Dealers’ Association (PDA) in Adajan and Rander areas of the city had decided to refrain from selling or renting properties to Muslims. “We have decided not to provide our services to any Muslim customer,” says Manoj Gandhi, PDA president. Gandhi said brokers from posh areas such as City Light are also mulling similar move. The association also had staged a dharna at Jogani Nagar to condemn the Mumbai attack and make people aware of threats. Assistant commissioner of police, G division, J.S Kher, informed, “So far, we have not received any complaint from anyone directly affected by the decision. “ (Reported by Yagnesh Mehta | TNN) ■

First Quran in Nepali adds cheer to Bakrid Kathmandu: As Nepal celebrated Bakrid, for thousands of Muslims, there was an ad-ditional cause to rejoice with the gov-ernment for the first time announcing a public holiday on the occasion and the first Quran in Nepali language being offered to the faithful. “We thank the government for de-claring Bakrid a state holiday,” said Sheikh Ali Mirza, an Imam at Kathmandu’s Kashmiri Masjid, one of the two main mosques in the capital. “It is also a matter of joy that the holy Quran is now available in Nepali so that people who do not know Arabic can comprehend it.” Bookshops near the Kashmiri and Jama Masjids said there was a brisk sale of the Nepali Quran. The Kathmandu-based Islami Sangh Nepal took the initiative of getting

the entire Quran translated into Nepali. The five-year project was funded by Al-Quran Academy in London, an international organisation engaged in Islamic research and publication. About 2000 copies were printed in New Delhi and are meant to be circulated in Bhutan and Myanmar as well, which have a size-able Nepalispeaking population. Nepal’s first Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda issued a message saying Bakrid was a source of inspiration and hoped it would cement cultural and social har-mony in Nepal. The top leaders of the major parties also publicly greeted the Muslim community.■

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GULSHAN-ESAYEDD

Mayhem in Mumbai

ISLAMIC VOICE, JANUARY 2009

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Terrorism in India has many Faces BY MARTHA NUSSBAUM f, as seems likely, the terrible events in Mumbai in November 2008 were the work of terrorists, that’s more bad news for India’s minority Muslim population. Never mind that the perpetrators were probably funded from outside India, in connection with the ongoing conflict over Kashmir. The attacks will feed a powerful stereotype of the Muslim who can never be a g o o d democratic citizen. Such stereotypes shadow the lives of Indian Muslims, who compose 13.5 per cent of the population. But it’s important to consider Indian terrorism in a broader context. Terrorism in India is by no means peculiar to one community. A string of recent incidents has been linked to groups, most of these with foreign ties and pertaining to Kashmir. The bloodiest recent example of terrorism in India however was the slaughter of as many as 2,000 civilians by Hindu right-wing mobs in the state of Gujarat over several months in 2002. This horrendous violence was portrayed at the time as retaliation for an alleged torching of a train car carrying mostly Hindu passengers. Tw o independent inquiries since have concluded that the fire was instead, a tragic accident caused by passengers’ kerosene stoves. But even if that was not known at the time, most of the people killed or raped or

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beaten, lived far from the original incident and could have had no connection to it, moreover, there was copious evidence of pre-planning: Hindu right-wing groups had kept lists of Muslim dwellings and businesses. Evidence that Gujarat’s state government egged-on the perpetrators was also overwhelming and led to the US State Department in 2005 denying a visa to Narendra

The attacks in Mumbai will feed a powerful stereotype of the Muslim who can never be a good democratic citizen. Such stereotypes shadow the lives of Indian Muslims, who compose 13.5 per cent of the population.

embraced ethno-religious cleansing should amaze nobody. Since the 1930s, their movement has insisted that India is for Hindus, and that both Muslims and Christians are foreigners who should have second-class status in the nation. Last year (2008), in the eastern state of Orissa, members of the Bajrang Dal have murdered scores of Christians who refused to

Modi, Gujarat’s chief minister. R e c e n t l y, the Indian investigative journal Tehelka uncovered even more proof of government complicity in the murderous, anti-Muslim attacks. Gujarat Violence A Tehelka reporter using a hidden camera interviewed participants in the Gujarat violence who described how bombs were manufactured in factories owned by members of the Hindu right:

how arms were smuggled from other states; how the police were instructed to look the other way. One leader of the Bajrang Dal (a para-military right-wing group) described his own role with pride; “there was this pregnant woman, I killed her…..they shouldn’t even be allowed to breed. I say that even today. Whoever they are, women, children, whoever, nothing to be done with them, but cut them down. Thrash them, slash them, burn them, the idea is, don’t keep them alive at all; after that, everything is ours.” The revelation that members of the right have

reconvert to Hinduism, Peaceful villages have been reduced to ashes, a churchrun orphanage was torched, dozens of churches have been destroyed, missionaries and priests have been murdered in cold blood. Thousands have been forced to flee their homes, and at least 30,000 are homeless. The rallying cry: “Kill Christians and destroy their institutions.” In August, the Catholic bishops of India closed Catholic schools across the country as a protest against the atrocities on the Christian

community and other innocent people. Such actions, aimed at transforming India’s pluralistic democracy into an ethnocentric regime, pose a grave threat to India’s future. Complicity All of this is terrorism, but most of it doesn’t reach the world’s front pages, when it does make it into newspapers outside India, the word “terrorism” is rarely used, the result is a perception, in India and abroad, that Muslims are the bad guys in every incident of terrorist violence. Such stereotypes are so prevalent that many state Bar associations in India refuse to defend Muslims accused of complicity in terrorismdespite the fact that India’s Constitution guarantees all accused, a cost-free defence. Meanwhile, Muslim youth are often rounded up on suspicion of terrorism, an analogue to the current ugly phenomenon of racial profiling in the United States. Some are criminals, but this does not justify demonizing Muslims, any more than the violent acts of the Hindu right justify stereotyping all Hindus as rapists and murderers. Let’s go after criminals with determination, good evidence and fair trials, and let’s stop targeting people based on their religious affiliation. ( L o s Angeles TimesWashington Post News Service) (The writer is a professor of law and ethics at the University of Chicago). ■