January 31, 2006
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News Clippings on
MINORITIES - MUSLIMS - 2005
1. Poorest Biharis are Muslims (7)
2. Stormy affair: Muslim board to take up birth
control issue (7)
3. Muslims harassed by Congress: SP (7)
4. Bhopal youth kept away from Hindu wife even after
SDM order (7)
5. Bhopal youth, fighting for Hindu wife's custody,
murdered (7)
6. Call off tour if Pak won't play here: Gujarat
cricket body (7)
7. Madrasa board chief draws flak on cultural
nationalism (7)
8. Gujarat Muslims on US radar (7)
9. Muslim group favours uniform civil code (7)
10. Activists laud move on Modi (1)
11. Censure motion in US House over Modi visit (7)
12. National Commission for Backward Sections
constituted (7)
13. Fatwa fury on communists (7)
14. 60 years on, Govt tries to understand Muslim mind
(7)
15. BJP to focus on rise in Muslim numbers (7)
16. Muslim leaders protest demolition of mosque (7)
17. RSS conversion claim refuted (7)
18. High-level panel to prepare report on Muslims'
status (7)
19. Muslim growth rate is highest but falling: Panel
(7)
20. Muslim board adopts Nikah-nama (7)
21. AMU Muslim, quota: VHP will go to court (7)
22. Mob sets fire to 2 mosques after acid attack (7)
23. Burnt by kin, nursed by villagers (7)
24. To 'protect' Hindu girls, BJP govt orders 2
colleges to swap buildings (7)
25. Panel urges more credit access for Muslim youths
(7)
26. `Separate census an insult to Muslims' (7)
27. 5% quota for Muslims in Andhra (7)
28. Stay away from hardliners: RSS tells Muslims (7)
29. Quota for Muslims dangerous: Swamy (7)
30. Quota for Muslims politically motivated: Sharad
Yadav (7)
31. Muslims not a minority: RSS chief (7)
32. Muslims fear backlash after hate mail deluge (7)
33. Mosques, madrasas attacked in UK (7)
34. IUML, Bajrang in Mataram war (7)
35. Builders want to demolish mosque(7)
36. Curfew imposed on Dhar after 2 die in communal
violence (7)
37. Muslims angry over VHP plea to vacate houses near
mandir (7)
38. Jamiat asks Muslim ministers to quit (7)
39. Raje Govt plans to relocate madarsas out of
mosques (7)
40. Scared, Muslims flee workplaces (7)
41. 'UP Muslims insecure, deprived' (7)
42. Muslim bodies defensive on Shariat (7)
43. 'Muslims denied rights, feeling insecure' (7)
44. Urdu 'sidelined' in Jharkhand, allege Muslims (7)
45. Rajasthan lets Sangh target Muslims, says PM's
team (7)
46. Muslim Board disagrees with SC (7)
47. Indian Muslims say they don't feel safe post 9/11
(7)
48. BJP assails fatwa, vote-bank politics (7)
49. Muslim girls' fight against odds (7)
50. Muslim law board to seek PM aid (7)
51. Minority Commission urges madarsas to upgrade
syllabi to university standards (7)
52. RSS man Rajasthan Waqf chief (7)
53. AMU loses its minority status (7)
54. Respect minority character of AMU, says Congress
(7)
55. 'Govt tried to make madrasa in Aligarh' (7)
56. Girl convert appears in court with MIM MP (7)
57. Muslim bill dismissed (7)
58. Muslims enraged by order (7)
59. BJP renders cleric fatwa on divorce unlawful (7)
60. Muslims worst-hit by globalization (7)
61. Jaya: Survey of Wakf properties completed (7)
62. Arjun's latest: Muslim quota in IITs, IIMs (7)
63. Student shown door for burqa (7)
64. Hindu woman fights for Muslims' cause (7)
65. Bengal Muslims need our help: CM (7)
MINORITIES - MUSLIMS - 2005
1. Poorest Biharis are Muslims (7)
Patna, Jan. 2: With Assembly elections round the
"corner, Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi is delaying
the publication of a socio-economic survey that says
that Muslims are the least developed community in the
state. According to official sources, the government
is likely to make public the findings, which expose
the high rate of poverty and backwardness among
Muslims, only after the February elections. The
sources said the survey report was submitted to the
government recently. The ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal
fears that if the findings become public knowledge,
then it might lose out on traditional Muslim support
besides earning the wrath of the Opposition, and even
allies. Muslims form 16 per cent of the state's
population. But their socio-economic status in the
state, as revealed by the report, paints a sad
picture. The report says the Muslim population in the
state is poorer than others. "Close to 50 per cent of
the rural Muslims and 44.8 per cent of urban Muslims
live below the poverty line," the report says.Compared
to this, 44.3 per cent of Bihar's rural population
and 32.9 per cent of the urban population are poor. A
total of 28.4 per cent of rural Muslim workers are
landless labourers. (Asian Age 3.1.05)
2. Stormy affair: Muslim board to take up birth
control issue (7)
Lucknow: After triple talaq, the next contentious
issue on the agenda of All-India Muslim Personal Law
Board (AIMPLB) could well be birth control. Board's
general body meeting, slated for March in Bhopal, is
likely to be a stormy affair in the face of it's
vice-president Maulana Kalbe Sadiq's open advocacy of
"limiting the family size voluntarily" It is second
time since last September that the Shia cleric has
ruffled the feathers of hardliners by his radical
views on the touchy subject. Sadiq, sources close to
him claimed on Monday, had "initially planned to take
up the issue during last executive meeting of AIMPLB
on December 25, but held back because of dissenting
opinions among the majority of his peers." Sharing the
dais at the Bhopal meet, however, would be a much more
confident Sadiq. The maulana, one of his confidants
claimed, hasfatwas from 40 Shia mujtahids (qualified
interpreters of scriptures) from all over the Islamic
world favouring birth control in his possession. They
hope that he may win over many converts to his view in
the board during the intervening period. Sadiq is
learnt to have shown the mujtahid's decrees to members
during private meetings. "They all realise that
ground beneath their feet is shaking and like triple
talaq it could just be a matter of time before they
muster enough courage to come out in public," claimed
sources. (Times of India 4.1.05)
3. Muslims harassed by Congress: SP (7)
Lucknow, Jan. 5: The Samajwadi Party-Congress battle
in Uttar Pradesh has taken a turn for the worse with
the former now accusing the latter of "insulting
Muslims because they did not vote 'for the Congress."
Samajwadi minister Mohammed Azam Khan told reporters
on Wednesday that the Congress - which was
considerably irked over the Maulana Mohammed Ali
Jauhar University issue - had now resorted to
harassing Haj pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh. Mr Khan,
who is also the chairman of the state Haj committee,
was livid over being denied permission by the Centre
to visit Saudi Arabia to oversee arrangements for Haj
pilgrims. Releasing copies of a letter sent to him by
the ministry of external affairs on Tuesday in which
it has been stated that permission was being denied to
him "from a political angle," the Samajwadi minister
demanded to know what the political angle was. "I want
to know whether I am a spy, an anti-national agent or
a mafia. What is the political angle due to which
permission has been denied to me?" he asked. The
minister said that he was sending the letter for legal
examination and would not hesitate to seek legal
redressal on the issue. "Our MPs may, of course, raise
this issue in Parliament but I will fight this as my
own battle. What does the Centre mean by saying that I
cannot be allowed to go abroad from the 'political
angle.' (Asian Age 6.1.05)
4. Bhopal youth kept away from Hindu wife even after
SDM order (7)
BHOPAL, JANUARY 7: DOCUMENTS tucked inside a folder,
Shariq leaves for another day with his lawyer. For
more than a month now, this Muslim youth from Bhopal
has been frantically trying to get his Hindu wife
back. His conversion to Hinduism and even a
magistrate's order have failed to raze the wall
created by religious bigots, bringing the role of the
police under a scanner. Shariq married Anima Rai
Shrivastava on November 22 at the Arya Samaj temple in
Mahavir Nagar, after four years of courtship and stiff
resistance from parents. They had met when Shariq
joined a computer firm owned by Anima's brother, in
which she herself was the technical director. In
April, Shariq converted to Hinduism, and even changed
his name to Aditya Shrivastava. But troubles began
just four days after the marriage-a police team
intercepted Shariq near a shopping complex. "I was
picked up by the police and asked about the
whereabouts of my wife. Itook the team to my flat, and
after questioning Anima, they said we will have to
accompany them to the police station for some
formality," recalls Shariq. He did not realise that
the nightmare had just begun. While the youth was
detained under charges of disturbing peace, Anima was
forcibly sent to her Gwalior home. "I obtained a bail
next day and started looking for Anima," says Shariq.
On December 1, he approached the Sub-Divisional
Magistrate (SDM) of Bhopal, Kamal Nagar, and a search
warrant was issued through the Aishbaug police
station. Three days later, the police claimed they had
visited Gwalior but had not found the girl. ((Indian
Express 8.1.05)
5. Bhopal youth, fighting for Hindu wife's custody,
murdered (7)
BHOPAL, JANUARY 21: BARELY a fortnight after The
Indian Express reported Shariq's legal fight to take
home his Hindu wife, the Bhopal youth was found
murdered along with his brother and a friend in the
old city area here. Although police said the murder
was triggered by an 'eve.-teasing' incident involving
Shariq's friends at a shop, his relatives and friends
suspect foulplay in the way the assailants repeatedly
attacked him. Says Rashid Khan, a resident of Baug
Dilkhusha area, where the murder took place: "When I
rushed to the shop, I couldn't stand there, such was
the brutality of the murder. Shariq had been stabbed
repeatedly." Shariq's legal battle for his wife Anima
Shrivastava had grabbed the headlines after he failed
to secure her custody despite converting to Hinduism.
And though Anima submitted a statement before the Sub
Divisional Magistrate, expressing her desire to stay
with Shariq, she was forcibly taken away to Gwalior by
her parents. However, Bhopal SP Pawan Shrivastava
ruled out any link between the murder and the case.
"Shariq and his brother Sheru happened to arrive at
the wrong time and got caught in the brawl," he told
The Indian Express. (Indian Express 22.1.050)
6. Call off tour if Pak won't play here: Gujarat
cricket body (7)
New Delhi: Riled by reports that Pakistan do not want
to play a cricket Test match in Ahmedabad because of
post-Godhra riots, the Gujarat Cricket Association
(GCA) has urged the Indian cricket board (BCCI) to
call off their forthcoming tour to India. A fuming GCA
president, Narhari Amin, told TOI on Sunday, "Godhra
is 100 km away from Ahmedabad and in any case riots
took place three years back. The Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) has no right to take such a decision
regarding a match venue on these grounds." Although
GCA is yet to get official word on PCB's disinterest
in playing in Ahmedabad, Amin, a Congress leader and a
former deputy chief minister of Gujarat, has vowed to
take the matter up at all possible levels. Meanwhile,
PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told TOI that it was a
"private is sue between PCB and BCC and saying
anything may be misunderstood by many". (Times of
India 7.2.05)
7. Madrasa board chief draws flak on cultural
nationalism (7)
JAIPUR, FEBRUARY 10: WITH the "blessings" of the RSS,
the Rajasthan Madarsa Board chief is organising an
all-India conclave in Jaipur on Saturday to teach
Muslims the tenets of "cultural nationalism". While
Board chairman M.A. Ansari is gung-ho about the
two-day event, Islamic organisations are up in arms
calling the conclave an attempt by the RSS to
saffronise their institutions with help from their
puppets. Top RSS functionaries, including K.
Sudershan, and "Muslim intellectuals" are expected to
address the gathering. The event is being touted as an
attempt to stir an all-India movement of
"nationalistic" Muslims. Ansari said the agenda is
simple: Hindu-Muslim unity. "We want Muslims to give
up their current mindset and understand the realities
of a multicultural rural India." And his catchphrase?
"Agar Bharatiya hain to wafadaar to hona hi padega (If
we are Indians, we have to be loyal)." While his
critics are not too concerned about these shibboleths,
two other points on the agenda have ignited their
fury: Vande Mataram and cows. In an invitation
circulated throughout India, the organisers have
expressed their desire to ensure Vande Mataram echoes
throughout the country and that cows are protected
zealously. (Indian Exprfess 11.2.05)
8. Gujarat Muslims on US radar (7)
Washington, Feb. 10: President George W. Bush's pledge
last month to bring democracy to oppressed peoples
throughout the world will soon reach Muslims in
Gujarat if the US state department under its new
secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, has its way. The
department's bureau of democracy, human rights and
labour yesterday announced its support for projects in
Gujarat aimed at bringing legal redress to Muslims.
Describing Indian Muslims as "marginalised", it
announced support for building civil society for the
minority community nationwide and for programmes aimed
at promoting their inclusiveness. A total of $15
million has been set apart for such projects worldwide
during the financial year 2005. The state department
has invited organisations to submit proposals which
focus on promotion of human rights, political
participation, media freedom, rule of law, women's
rights and civil society among Muslims. The bureau for
democracy, human rights and labour, notorious for its
intrusion in countries that Washington is not
comfortable with, has been funding or helping similar
programmes since 1998.
But this is the first time that it is offering to
directly get involved in India either for promoting
human rights or civil society on behalf of the
country's minorities. Its only other programme which
had an Indian element was held five years ago, when it
spent $275,000 on a meeting in Delhi on global
democracy (Telegraph 11.2.05)
9. Muslim group favours uniform civil code (7)
JAIPUR, FEB. 13. The participants in the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh-sponsored "Nationalist Muslim
Conclave", which ended here today, announced their
plans to launch a nation-wide campaign for adoption of
the Uniform Civil Code and evolve a consensus in
favour of complete ban on the cow slaughter. The
campaign will lay a special emphasis on generating
awareness among Muslim women about their rights. The
two-day convention wound up with a public meeting held
at the open air theatre of Ravindra Manch here under
heavy security arrangements in view of continuing
protests by the Muslim organisations. Prohibitory
orders continued to be in force around the main venue
of the conclave, Muslim Musafirkhana, where police
staged a flag march and cordoned off nearby roads.
Three persons, including a woman activist, were
arrested on Saturday evening on charges of disturbing
peace when they waved black flags and led a crowd
raising slogans against the RSS. They were protesting
against the RSS chief, K.S. Su-darshan, arriving at
the Musa- firkhana to address the delegates in a
closed-door session. The valedictory session of the
conclave witnessed some tense moments this morning
with a number of participants taking exception to the
controversial issues being interpreted "to suit the
RSS ideology". Many of them reportedly left the venue
while alleging that they were not informed of the
subjects and nature of discussions scheduled to take
place. (The Hindu 14.7.05)
10. Activists laud move on Modi (1)
New Delhi, March 17: The Coalition Against Genocide, a
human rights watch group, has commended Congressmen
John Conyers and Joseph Pitts for introducing a joint
resolution condemning human rights abuses perpetrated
by Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. The
resolution comes ahead of Mr Modi's impending visit to
the US. Mr Modi has been accused by Amnesty
International and the Human Rights Watch of complicity
in the massacre of over 2,000 Muslims in 2002. He has
also been accused by the US commission on religious
freedom of inciting hatred and violence against
Christians and other vulnerable minorities in Gujarat.
The resolution introduced on March 16, 2005, condemns
Mr Modi for promoting attitudes of racial supremacy,
hatred and the legacy of Nazism through his
government' s support of schoolbooks in which Nazism
is glorified. The resolution has also been referred to
the House International Relations committee. (Asian
Age 18/3/05)
11. Censure motion in US House over Modi visit (7)
Ahmedabad: Troubles are growing for Gujarat chief
minister Narendra Modi with a prominent US Congressman
moving a resolution in the House of Representatives
condemning the conduct of Modi during the Gujarat
riots in early 2002, ahead of his proposed visit to
the US next week.
Though Modi was to leave for the US on Sunday, it was
still not clear if the US government had granted him
the diplomatic visa he was seeking. Lobbyists in the
US have already flooded secretary of state Condoleeza
Rice with emails to deny the Gujarat CM a visa. To add
to problems, a resolution was moved on Tuesday by John
Conyers Jr, an influential Democrat Congressman from
Michigan. It blames Modi for his actions to incite
religious persecution and urges the US to condemn all
violations of religious freedom in India. The
resolution, which has been referred to the Committee
on International Relations, says the US Commission on
International Religious Freedom has confirmed in its
May 2004 report that government in Gujarat led by Modi
has been widely accused of being reluctant to bring
the perpetrators of the killings of Muslims and
non-Hindus to justice. Congressman Conyers says "The
US state department has discussed the role of Modi and
his government in promoting attitudes of racial
supremacy, racial hatred, and the legacy of Nazism
through his government's support of school textbooks
in which Nazism is glorified." (Times of India
18/3/05)
12. National Commission for Backward Sections
constituted (7)
NEW DELHI, MARCH 17. The Centre has constituted a
National Commission for the Socially and the
Economically Backward Sections among the Religious and
Linguistic Minorities with the former Chief Justice,
Ranganath Misra, as its chairperson. The former
chairperson of the National Minorities Commission,
Tahir Mahmood, has been appointed as its member. The
Commission would suggest criteria for the
identification of the socially and economically
backward sections among religious and linguistic
minorities and recommend measures for the their
welfare , including reservation in education and
government employment, an official statement said here
today. It would also suggest the necessary
constitutional, legal and administrative modalities,
as required for the implementation of its
recommendations and present a report of its
deliberations.
The four-member Commission would also include Anil
Wilson, Principal of St. Stephen's College and
Mohinder Singh, director, National Institute of Punjab
Studies, as its members. (The Hindu 18/3/05)
13. Fatwa fury on communists (7)
Thiruvananthapuram, March 6: The moderate-minded
Indian Union Muslim League has latched on to an
Islamic scholar's decades-old fatwa against communist
Muslims in the party's fight for votes in Kerala.
Egypt-born Yusuf al Qaradawi's fatwa rules that a
communist, who is an atheist, has no place in Islam;
that Muslim women should not be married to communists,
and a communist Muslim has no right to Islamic burial
in a mosque cemetery and to ancestral property. The
Islamic Publishing House hi Kozhikode, which is
pro-Jamaat-e-Islami, had published the fatwa 18 years
ago. Qaradawi now lives in Qatar and has links with
the Muslim Brotherhood, which is outlawed in Egypt.
His edict came in handy for the League's Karuvarakundu
unit to call for a social boycott of communists within
the community. The League's state leadership, however,
sought to distance itself from the local unit's
efforts. "The League has (issued) no fatwas,"
Malappuram district secretary K.EA. Majeed said. The
party, he stressed, is a political entity and not a
religious one. The League has been in a war of nerves
with the CPM since last month when the latter held its
triennial state conference for the first time in the
League citadel of Malappuram. CPM leaders had claimed
that the huge Muslim turnout at a rally showed the
community's gravitation towards the party and its
increasing alienation from the League. (Telegraph
7/3/05)
14. 60 years on, Govt tries to understand Muslim mind
(7)
NEW DELHI, March 12. -Nearly 60 years after
Independence, the Centre has finally realised that it
does not know enough about Indian Muslims. So, it has
formed a committee to gather sufficient information
regarding the socio-economic and educational status
.of Muslims within the next year-and-a-half. The lack
of information about the community, about a sixth of
the country's population, is coming in the way of
providing them jobs, including through reservations,
and producing minority-specific programmes to improve
their social and economic position. The recently
appointed seven-member committee, headed by Mr Justice
Rajender Sachar, retired Chief Justice of Delhi High
Court, comprises academics and other experts. Among
the data being sought is how many Muslims work in the
public and private sectors. Clearly, .the government
is looking at some form of reservations. For, the
committee has to find out how many "Muslim OBCs" are
there in a state and what percentage it is to the
total OBC population. The other crucial issue is how
social sector programmes are helping Muslims. Do they
have sufficient access to schools, hospitals-and bank
loans available from government agencies? Are there
enough opportunities in Muslim majority areas? Also,
do they have these opportunities compared with members
of other communities? As one member of the committee
said: "If you take all religious communities as a
whole and look at them in terms of socio-economic
position, the Muslims are at the lowest position."
(Statesman 13/3/05)
15. BJP to focus on rise in Muslim numbers (7)
Lucknow, April 16: In a clear bid to sharpen its
"Hindutva" weapon, the BJP in Uttar Pradesh is now
planning to focus on the diminishing Hindu population.
The latest issue of the BJP mouthpiece Kamal Jyoti,
currently under print, raises the population
"imbalance" issue with renewed fervour. The issue will
be officially released at the party's state executive,
scheduled to be held in Moradabad next week. According
to sources, the special issue of Kamal Jyoti carries
articles that highlight the dangers of growing
minority population and the decline in Hindu
population and bases its arguments on recent census
figures. The magazine details the "dangers" of the
"developing situation" and also the threat that Hindus
will face in the future from the growing Muslim
population. "Our purpose is to give rise to a heated
debate in society on this issue and awaken Hindu
sentiments. The more the so- called secular forces
react on this issue, the more beneficial it will be
for the party, which is now determined to its original
Hindu agenda. Moreover, apart from political
considerations, the emerging imbalances in population
are a matter of serious concern. India has survived as
a multi-racial and multi-religious country only
because the majority comprised of Hindus who are known
for their immense tolerance. If this complexion is
changed, there is bound to be a major social upheaval
in the coming years," said a senior party leader.
(Asian Age 17/4/05)
16. Muslim leaders protest demolition of mosque (7)
Hyderabad: THE STATE Government's directive to the
officials to go ahead with the removal of the
religious places coming in the way of the road
widening seems to have run into rough weather. With
the demolition of three mosques in Medak districts to
make way for the widening of the National Highway No 5
creating serious trouble and angering the Muslim
community, Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy has
been forced to review his earlier order. A delegation
of Muslim leaders belonging to the various
organisations met the Chief Minister last night and
strongly protested over the incidents of Saturday
last. The delegation led by the MIM President
Salahuddin Owaisi including party MP and legislators
and several other prominent Muslim leaders of
different organisation wanted to know the reasons for
resorting to the demolition of the mosques all of a
sudden. Describing the action of the administration as
unwarranted and provocative, the Muslim leaders told
the Chief Minister that such action will not be
tolerated and will lead to serious consequences.
Member of Parliament from Hyderabad Asaduddin Owaisi
said that the delegation made it clear to the Chief
Minister that no body can allow the demolition of
mosques because they were the Waqf properties. He
demanded the immediate reconstruction of all the three
mosque from the Waqf Board funds. "All these community
leaders had played a key role in bringing the Congress
to power in the state and now the people are asking us
whether Congress is ruling the state or the BJP was in
power", Asad Owaisi asked the Chief Minister. (Pioneer
19/4/05)
17. RSS conversion claim refuted (7)
JAIPUR: The Rashtriya Swayam-sevak Sangh's claim that
it converted nearly 500 Muslim families to Hinduism at
a "Dharma Sabha" (religious assembly) recently in
Beawar town of Ra-jasthan was on Thursday refuted by
Muslims of the region, who stated that those who
attended the Sabha were the descendants of the people
who had embraced Hinduism long before Independence.
They said the purported conversion was an "eyewash"
aimed at deceiving none other than Hindus. The
office-bearers of Rajasthan Cheeta-Mehrat (Kathat)
Mahasabha - representing the local Muslims - denounced
at a Press conference here the attempts by the RSS to
create an impression that Muslims were coming to the
fold of Hinduism in large numbers and demanded action
against the Sangh leaders for disturbing communal
harmony in the region through their frequent
programmes. The RSS chief, K.S. Sudarshan, addressing
the Dharma Sabha organised in the Ashapura Mata temple
on the outskirts of Beawar on Monday, had called upon
Hindus to accept the people who had converted to other
religions "under coercion" and now wanted to come back
to the fold of the religion of their ancestors. He
said such families should be encouraged to revert to
Hinduism and given due respect. The general secretary
of the Mahasabha, Shaft Mohammed Kathat, pointed out
that the Cheeta-Mehrat clan of Rajputs in the
Ajmer-Merwara region had converted to Islam in the
14th and 15th centuries but was not acquainted fully
with the Islamic rites. The people of the clan
practised the rituals of both the religions till early
20th century when a section of them embraced Hinduism
and others added the 'Kathat' suffix to their caste to
express their Muslim identity. (The Hindu 22/4/05)
18. High-level panel to prepare report on Muslims'
status (7)
NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has set
up a high-level committee to prepare a comprehensive
report on the social, economic and educational status
of the Muslim community in India. The seven-member
committee - headed by the former Chief Justice of the
Delhi High Court, Rajindar Sachar - has been asked to
submit its report by June 2006. The committee has been
set up to address the absence of "authentic
information about the social, economic and educational
status of the community." The absence of such data,
according to the Government, came in the way of
planning, formulating and implementing specific
interventions, policies and programmes to address the
issues of socio-economic backwardness of the
community. Though there is no mention of it in the
terms of reference, the report will be used as an
input to help the Government take a view on whether
there should be reservation for Muslims in education
and employment. In its Common Minimum Programme, the
United Progressive Alliance said efforts would be made
to see how best the welfare of socially and
economically backward sections among religious and
linguistic minorities, including reservation in
education and employment, is enhanced. Besides looking
at the demographic spread of Muslims and the
community's record vis-a-vis various social indices
such as literacy, dropout, Maternal Mortality Rate and
Infant Mortality Rate, the committee has been asked to
dwell at length on their economic status. (The Hindu
27/4/05)
19. Muslim growth rate is highest but falling: Panel
(7)
New Delhi, April 30: AN EXPERT committee set up by the
National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has said that
though the growth rate of Muslims was more than that
of other communities, it has declined over the years.
The expert committee of demographers also found that
growth rate of Muslims in the border areas of Assam
and West Bengal was disproportionately high, probably
due to immigration from Bangladesh. Sharing its
findings with mediapersons on Saturday, committee
chief Ashish Bose said that on analysing the
religion-based data in the Census 2001 report, the
committee found that the growth rate of Muslims was
29.5 per cent between 1991 and 2001 as against 21.5
per cent for all communities. It was lower that the
growth rate during 1981-91 (32.9 per cent), 1971-81
(30.7 per cent), 1961-71 (30.8 per cent). Bose said
the average growth rate among Muslims was primarily
due to higher than average births and lower mortality
"It may still be high but it is not alarming and will
stabilise over the years as this is a transition
phase," he said. The Census report released last
September initially showed a high growth rate of 36
per cent among Muslims, leading to protests by the
Sangh Parivar. (Hindustan Times 1/5/05)
20. Muslim board adopts Nikah-nama (7)
BHOPAL: The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board on
Sunday issued the Bhopal declaration which reiterated
the Board's commitment to concerted initiatives to
bring about social reforms and root out social evils.
The declaration - issued at the end of the AIMPLB's
three-day conclave at the Taj-ul-Mas-jid here - laid
stress on the need for a strong social reform movement
with the focus on the present school and college-going
generation. At a press conference, AIMPLB secretary
Abdul Rahim Qureshi said the conclave also adopted the
model "Nikahnama" stipulating the rights of the wife
and that the man should not divorce his wife or
pronounce "triple-talaq" unless he felt there was no
way they could live together as husband and wife.. The
Nikahnama (marriage contract) has been approved
unanimously by members of the Muslim Personal Law
Board, he said. The Nikahnama declares dowry or even a
party for the marriage guests as a crime. To a
question on the issue of divorce, he said that AIMPLB
was bound by the Quran and was not supposed to follow
the example of any Muslim country. The new guidelines
for marriage under the model Nikah-nama lay special
stress on simplifying the wedding ceremony and making
it less expensive. (The Hindu 2/5/05)
21. AMU Muslim, quota: VHP will go to court (7)
Lucknow, May 23: The Vishwa "Hindu Parishad has
decided to go to court against the UPA government's
decision to grant 50 per cent reservation to Muslim
students in postgraduate courses at Aligarh Muslim
University. The VHP will also be launching an
agitation against human resources development minister
Arjun Singh, accusing him of pursuing "anti-Hindu"
policies. In an interview to a local Hindi daily, VHP
general secretary Praveen Togadia was quoted as having
said that the-decision to grant 50 per cent
reservation to Muslim students was against the
Constitution, apart from being "anti-Hindu," Mr
Togadia was quoted as having said: "The VHP will soon
go -to court and will launch an agitation against Mr
Arjun Singh, who has misused his office to appease a
particular community." VHP sources said that they were
preparing for a "massive Hindu awakening" over the
issue and had already started contacting a number of
students' unions. Though the form and time of the
agitation is still undecided, the VHP feels that this
issue could be used to awaken Hindu sentiments and
"expose" the pro-Muslim (rather anti-Hindu) character
of the United Progressive Alliance government. (Asian
Age 24/5/05)
22. Mob sets fire to 2 mosques after acid attack (7)
MANDI, MAY 27: AN angry crowd set two mosques in the
town on fire this evening after a man threw a bottle
of acid at passengers of a private bus, seriously
injuring at least 11 people, including a
five-year-old. Doctors attending to the injured said
four persons with more than 50 per cent burns may even
lose their eyesight due to the attack. Police later
arrested the culprit, Mohammad Mahboob, from
Muzzafarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. He has reportedly
confessed to the crime. According to the Mandi police,
the incident occurred outside a bus stand around 3 pm,
when Mohammad threw a bottle of acid at 22-year-old
Mamta from Drubal village. Mamta was sitting inside
the bus which was leaving for Koon. As news of the
acid attack spread, crowds began pour onto the
streets. They collected in city squares and marched to
the two mosques - Moti Masjid in Ramnagar Mandi and
Janta Masjid on Jail Road. Police sources said some of
them raised slogans and incited the mob to set fire to
the shrines in retaliation to the acid attack. Those
injured in the acid attack were identified < as Mushan
(5), his mother Sheela, Shalu (all from Koon village),
Mamta (Drubal village), Champa, Puran Chand (Kataula),
Bhoop Singh (Banau), Manohar Lal (Badoh), Yog Raj,
Shankar and Roop Singh. (Indian Express 28/5/05)
23. Burnt by kin, nursed by villagers (7)
Cuttack: An entire village of Muslims is praying for a
Hindu woman who, after converting to Islam, had to pay
for being too devout. Unable to digest Pravati Manik's
growing popularity in Jaipur's Kaina village, where
she settled after marrying Munna Khan in a Cuttack
family court four years ago, the 25-year-old woman was
on Tuesday tied to a tree in her own courtyard by her
mother-in-law and her husband, doused with kerosene
and then set on fire. It was villagers who, alerted by
her screams, rushed to her rescue. But by then she
already had 40% burn injuries. She is now battling for
life in the surgery ward of the SCB Medical College
here, even as an entire village gathered outside the
hospital is busy doing namaaz for her recovery. Such
is the love for her that the 1,000-odd Hindus from
neighbouring villages who came to Kaina, armed to the
teeth, to "punish" the guilty, turned away seeing
Pravati was safe in the hands of the 30 Muslim
families there. Led by elderly Asgar All, Kaina has
collected money for Pravati and taken the
responsibility of nursing back to health. The
villagers said it was now up to them to secure her
safety as she had married a boy from their community
after defying her parents who were dead against the
match. "It was her popularity in our village that did
her in," said Ali. "She would read the namaaz five
times in a day, putting to shame most of us. Her
family could not take it." Ironically, Munna and
Pravati had returned to their village from Delhi after
two years to fetch their three year-old daughter.
(Times of India 29/5/05)
24. To 'protect' Hindu girls, BJP govt orders 2
colleges to swap buildings (7)
BHOPAL, JUNE 27: This is a tale of two colleges which
threatens to divide one city right down the middle-on
communal lines. In an order that has no precedent, the
BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has ordered that two
prestigious colleges, both almost 50 years old,
''swap'' their premises. One is the MLB Girls College
in the old city, a neighbourhood with a significant
Muslim population. The other is the Hamidia Arts and
Commerce College, about 4 km away, in the New Market
area. Behind this bizarre idea is state higher
education minister Uma Shankar Gupta. His reason:
''The girl students (at MLB) were facing lots of
problems and a memorandum to this regard had also been
submitted. Since the student strength and
infrastructure in the two colleges are almost the
same, we decided to go for the swapping.'' The
''problems'' the Minister refers to are explained by
Aradhna Malakar, the Bhopal chief of the women's wing
of the BJP's Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad
(ABVP): ''The decision is welcome. The students of the
all-girls MLB (about half of the 300 students are
Muslim, the rest Hindu) were being lured by the youth
of the old city neighbourhood where the college is
situated and conversions had become rampant.'' Both
the minister and the ABVP's claims run contrary to
police records. A senior police official, who declined
to be named, said that there were hardly any
complaints of ''eve-teasing'' or harassment reported
from the college. ''There could be a few cases but
such cases are routine even in other colleges situated
in the New Bhopal areas or anywhere for that matter,''
the officer said. (Indian Express 28/6/05)
25. Panel urges more credit access for Muslim youths
(7)
Hyderabad: THE PRIME Minister's High Level Committee
on the problems of Muslims community of India has
called for promoting increased access of Muslim youth
to micro- credit, preferential credit from regular
banks and participation in marketing schemes. It also
took note of the low representation of the community
both in the public and private organised sector of
employment and urged the need to conceive innovative
strategies to improve Muslims representation at all
level of organise sector employment. Justice Rajendar
Sachar, chairman of HLC and other members, after four
days of interaction with Muslim intellectuals, leaders
and activists from various cross-sections of the
society told the media that the committee has
identified several socio-economic and educational
problems of the Muslims in Andhra Pradesh. Addressing
the news conference on the conclusion of the visit he
said the committee would complete its mandated work of
studying the problems of Muslim community all over the
country in a year's time and submit its report to the
Prime Minister in June next year. "The HLC has
recognised the competence, high spirit and the ability
of the Muslim Youth to succeed, especially in the
field of micro-entrepreneurship, craftsmanship and
development of the national and international market,"
Justice Sachar said. (Pioneer 7/6/05)
26. `Separate census an insult to Muslims' (7)
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party president,
Harsh Vardhan, has described the exercise of a
separate census of the Muslims of the Capital by the
Delhi Government on the directions of the Prime
Minister as "an insult for the Muslims'' and stated
that it "hurts their feelings''. Seeing the move as an
"attempt at appeasement'', Dr. Vardhan has stated that
the language of the letter sent by the Prime Minister
Office to the Delhi Government was very objectionable.
"It has been written that the Muslims are uneducated,
less earning and their employment is irregular,'' he
said, adding that the letter also describes these
aspects as their "characteristic''. Stating that the
President of India belongs to the Muslim community and
has been a top scientist of the country, Dr. Vardhan
said Indian Muslims have served the nation in various
important positions and so "the PMO has no right to
say that the Indian Muslims are uneducated, backward
and are living in filthy conditions''. The Delhi BJP
president also claimed that the Congress has always
believed in the divide and rule police and charged
that now the party wants to conduct a separate census
of the Muslims of India through the Prime Minister.
"This decision,'' he said, has the potential of
breaking the national unity and harmony of the
country. (The Hindu 15/6/05)
27. 5% quota for Muslims in Andhra (7)
Hyderabad : The path has been cleared for the
extension of five per cent reservation in educational
institutions and jobs to the Muslim minority with the
Backward Classes Commission submitting its report to
Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on Tuesday. The
commission headed by Justice D Subramanian met the
Chief Minister at his official residence and submitted
the report to him. The Chairman said that the
commission met the people from all walks of life and
visited several places in the State and received
recommendations. "After analyzing all the information
and collecting the details about the socio-economic
and educational status of Muslims we have prepared an
unanimous report," he said. Even though Justice
Subramanian refused to reveal the contents of the
report saying it was for the Government to make it
public, it is understood that the commission has
recommended five per cent reservations to the
community removing a major legal and technical
obstacle in the process. Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara
Reddy told newsmen that from the beginning it was the
intention of the Government to include the Muslims in
the list of backward classes to extend them the 5%
reservations. But he made it clear that it will not be
at the cost of any other backward community. "It is in
addition to the reservations already enjoyed by the
other backward classes in the State," he said.
(Pioneer 15/6/05)
28. Stay away from hardliners: RSS tells Muslims (7)
LUCKNOW, JUNE 19: Close on the heels of taking on BJP
chief Advani on his Jinnah remarks, the RSS chief K S
Sudarshan addressed the Muslims, bidding them to be
careful of those who advocate militant Islam and
dubbing India as Darul Islam (land of Islam). Speaking
at the closing function of the three-day RSS training
programme at the Lakshman Mela grounds, Sudarshan was
rebutting the claims of political leaders who
demonised the RSS in their bid to capture Muslim
votes. Exhorting the minority community to stay clear
of such leaders as well as the forces which propagated
the militant aspect of Islam, the RSS chief said:
''For Muslims, India is Darul Islam and it was high
time they understood that their interests were
protected only in this country''. But the RSS chief
had his own definition of Darul Islam. Though the
literal meaning of the term is the ''land of Islam'',
for Sudarshan, it meant ''shanti ka desh (a peaceful
land).'' In his 45-minute address, the RSS
sarsanghchalak touched upon a whole gamut of issues.
Even Jinnah was given a passing reference. Jinnah, he
said, was propped up by the British for making
Pakistan a reality and Mountbatten was sent to India
for this purpose. Sudarshan said the current problems
in the country - including the Kashmir issue - had
remained unsolved for want of strong leadership.
''Indira Gandhi was the only leader who showed her
firmness in solving burning issues, the rest have
shown no eagerness to find a solution to the
problems,'' he remarked. At the same time, the RSS
chief reminded her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was
responsible all the problems that beset India today.
The genesis of all problems - including the economic
crisis - can be traced to his rule and even after 57
years of Independence, they remain unsolved. (Indian
Express 20/6/05)
29. Quota for Muslims dangerous: Swamy (7)
CHENNAI: Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy has
criticised the Andhra Pradesh Government's decision to
provide five per cent reservation for Muslims in
employment and education. Describing the decision as a
"dangerous development," Dr. Swamy said it was against
national interest and would sow the seeds of "further
partition" like the separate electorate instituted by
British rulers in 1919. Talking to mediapersons here
on Tuesday, Dr. Swamy said that reservation was an
antidote for socially deprived or discriminated
classes such as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes of the Hindu community and not to those
(Muslims and Christians) who were the ruling class in
the country. Asked whether he concurred with the view
of Bharatiya Janata Party president L. K. Advani that
Jinnah was a secularist, Dr. Swamy said that he was
unaware of Mr. Advani's statement. "But I am of the
view that appreciating Jinnah's secularism is like
appreciating Hitler's vegetarianism. One cannot
appreciate Hitler just because he was a vegetarian."
However, he said that this was not a reaction to Mr.
Advani's statement. Charging that Union Finance
Minister P. Chidambaram had put the country's economy
in "reverse gear," Dr. Swamy urged Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to sack him in the interest of the
country. He said that according to a study conducted
by the Madras Institute of Development Studies,
Sivaganga was the poorest district in Tamil Nadu. (The
Hindu 22/6/05)
30. Quota for Muslims politically motivated: Sharad
Yadav (7)
NEW DELHI: The chairman of the Janata Dal (United)
Parliamentary Board, Sharad Yadav, on Wednesday said
the Andhra Pradesh Government's decision to make five
per cent reservation for Muslims in educational
institutions and government jobs was violative of the
Constitution and against the spirit of the reservation
policy. Mr. Yadav told reporters that the State
Government should have consulted all political parties
before taking such a decision that seemed to be in
pursuit of electoral politics. The Mandal Commission
had given reservation to Muslims on the basis of
social and educational backwardness and there was no
constitutional provision for reservation on grounds of
religion or community. "This politically motivated
move of the Andhra Pradesh Government, supported by
the UPA Government at the Centre, is violative of
Articles 14, 15, 16 and 340,'' he said. Mr. Yadav
said he favoured affirmative action for the socially
and educationally backward classes. "The general five
per cent reservation for Muslims dilutes affirmative
action for Dalit Muslims who are included in the 27
per cent reservation for backward communities. There
is a good chance that the five per cent would be
cornered by the elite among the Muslims while the
Dalit Muslims might face resentment by other
communities in the 27 per cent. This reservation on
the basis of religion smacks of divisive politics and
needs to be debated,'' he said. The Government should
try and help Muslims, not by politically appeasing
them but by genuinely looking at their educational and
social needs. If backward Muslims were left out of the
Mandal Commission list, the National Commission for
Backward Classes could go into that and include them.
(The Hindu 24/6/05)
31. Muslims not a minority: RSS chief (7)
LUCKNOW: Training his guns on India's first Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, RSS chief KS Sudarshan on
Sunday said the "English-minded" PM was responsible
for the ills facing the country but had a word of
praise for the "lady of firm determination" Indira
Gandhi. "If we go to the root of the problems being
faced by the country, we find that Nehru is
responsible," Sudarshan said while addressing the
concluding ceremony of 'Sangh Shiksha Varg' on the
banks of the river Gomti here. He said Nehru was
"English-minded" and the erstwhile British Raj wanted
their "own man" at the helm as Prime Minister so that
their interests were protected. But the RSS chief had
a word of praise for Pt Nehru's daughter former PM
Indira Gandhi, saying she was "a lady of firm
determination" unlike today's "central leadership"
(the UPA government) which lacked determination.
Contending that the RSS was being misprojected as
"anti-Muslim", Sudarshan said "the Muslims should not
be called a minority" for India was their home and
their roots were in this country. "Allah ne unko yahan
janam diya hai... Unka kartavya hai ki woh sajda karne
to Mecca-Madina jayen par jab sar kaatne ki bari aye
to Hindustan ke liye kaaten" (With Allah's grace, they
(Muslims) were born in this country... They should bow
their heads at Mecca-Madina but lay down their lives
for India when required)," Sudarshan said. (Times of
India 20/6/05 IN)
32. Muslims fear backlash after hate mail deluge (7)
London, July 8 (Reuters): Muslim leaders called on
worshippers to pray today for the victims of the
London bombings blamed on radical Islamists, as fears
of an anti-Muslim backlash were fuelled by a deluge of
abusive messages. The Muslim Council of Britain said
it had received 30,000 messages of hate via e-mail,
jamming its computers. The Islamic Human Rights
Commission warned London Muslims to stay at home to
avoid retaliation. London police chief Ian Blair said
the authorities were in touch with Muslim leaders and
those of other faiths to protect symbolic buildings.
"We are aware of one or two very minor incidents
across the country but so far, as I would expect,
Britain, with its liberal and welcoming approach to
people, is taking it in its stride," Blair said. Prime
Minister Tony Blair condemned bombers who "act in the
name of Islam" but said the majority of Muslims, both
in Britain and abroad, were decent people who hated
terrorism. Many in London's Edgware Road - close to
one of the underground stations that was attacked and
home to scores of Lebanese, Iraqi and Egyptian
businesses - condemned yesterday's attacks but feared
there would be a knee-jerk revenge reaction. "The
whole world now will point at me and say I am an Arab
and Muslim terrorist," said Zakaria Koubissi, a
29-year-old manager of a Lebanese restaurant. "We
expect to be harassed. It is a natural reaction, but
people should know that Islam does not tell or allow
us to kill innocent people," he added. (The telegraph
9/7/05)
33. Mosques, madrasas attacked in UK (7)
London, July 11: Backlash and reprisal attacks against
British Asians seem to be gaining momentum: three
further attacks were reported on mosques and Islamic
educational centres in east London and Bristol. In the
attack on the east London centre, a number of windows
were smashed. Residents from the Muslim-dominated
Brick Lane area there remained indoors for most of
Sunday following the stone-throwing incident. The
fresh attacks come after the police was called in to
investigate at least four arson attacks on mosques
across the UK over the weekend. The arson attacks were
reported from mosques in Leeds, Belvedere, Telford and
Birkenhead. In other areas of London, like Middlesex,
a South Asian woman reported attempted arson after she
noticed "liquid dripping down her door and smelt
petrol" on the day of the terrorist attacks. The same
day, five white men were arrested after bottles were
thrown at the windows of a gurdwara in south London.
In a separate incident, arson was reported at the home
of an Asian family in Southall. In a statement, the
Metropolitan police said the force was keeping an open
mind on the motive for the London attacks, but that
many of the allegations involved threatening phone
calls or racist abuse. A spokesman said "reassurance
patrols" were being carried out in areas considered
vulnerable. All major news channels here have been
receiving calls from Asians, mostly Muslims, who have
experienced either spitting or shoving incidents on
the roads of London. (Asian Age 12/7/05)
34. IUML, Bajrang in Mataram war (7)
Bhopal, July 12: The Ayodhya attack, the London bomb
blasts, and the ruling BJP's decision to encourage the
singing of Vande Mataram in government offices and
schools seems to have goaded communal organisations,
both Hindu and Muslim, in old Bhopal to settle scores
through a poster war. The first poster, printed in
the name of the Indian Union Muslim League, was seen
pasted on a few walls on Monday. It warned Muslims
against intoning Vande Mataram since it would be
deemed a direct affront to Allah. Co-religionists, in
fact, were told to even avoid being seen anywhere near
the anthem-singing site. Failure to comply would
invite instant retribution. The local Muslim clergy,
however, promptly took the initiative to cool off
tensions by assuring their brethren that there was
nothing to worry about since the singing of Vande
Mataram hadn't been made compulsory. The state
government circular on the subject had only requested
optimum participation in the singing on the first day
of every month. The Bajrang Dal responded with its
very own posters during an anti- terrorism rally the
same day. Responsibility for the poster was credited
to a Delhi-based body called Akhand Hindustan Morcha,
whose address and telephone numbers were imprinted.
The creators of the poster were contacted in Delhi and
they did not hesitate to admit that they were behind
its publication. Police sources, however, told this
newspaper that there was nothing overly objectionable
in the contents. It primarily sought to inform the
public of how some misguided Islamic fundamentalists
were bent on spreading violence in the name of jihad,
the London bomb blasts being the latest evidence of
it. (Asian Age 13/7/05)
35. Builders want to demolish mosque(7)
Mumbai: The residents of CST Road, near the Bandra
Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai, are up in arms against
Diwan Builders because the builders want to demolish
the Hafzul Imam Masjid, which comes in the way of
their construction of a huge building tower. To
placate the Muslim residents in the area, the
developers have promised to build another mosque in
close proximity to the current one. "The real estate
prices in and around BKC are anything between Rs
14,000 and Rs 16,000 per sq ft. The builders want to
earn big bucks. Though the builder has promised us
that he will construct a masjid in the area, it is a
sentimental issue. Any place of worship being brought
down becomes a controversy in Mumbai," said Taufeeq
Ahmed, a resident of Mohammed Estate where the mosque
stands. The mosque has been there for about 35 years.
This newspaper tried to contact Mr Bhupendra Mehta,
the manager of Diwan Builders, but could not get in
touch with him. Diwan Builders has many construction
projects in this area.The construction activity falls
under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) SRA
scheme. "Under SRA rules, no house of worship can be
brought down. Also, this structure is pre-1995 and
leaves no room for the builder to demolish it," said
Mr Sirish Upadhyay of the Students and Youth
Association. (Asian Age 15/7/05)
36. Curfew imposed on Dhar after 2 die in communal
violence (7)
Bhopal : Indefinite curfew was imposed in communally
sensitive Dhar city after a minor dispute among
children led to a murder and subsequent riots. As many
as 51 miscreants were arrested after two persons were
murdered in clashes that started on Tuesday, said DIG
Dhar Pramod Phalnikar. After a dispute among children,
a group of armed miscreants attacked the house of Raju
Bhairvi in Gandhi Colony on Tuesday night killing him
on the spot and injuring his two brothers, who tried
to intervene. While the body of Raju Bhairvi was being
taken to his house from the hospital, few among the
mourners forced closure of shops and indulged in
stone-throwing despite prohibitory orders under
section 144 CrPC enforced since this morning. On
Wednesday , 50-year-old Allah Noor, a shopkeeper, was
murdered by unidentified rioters that worsened the
situation. As the situation deteriorated, curfew was
clamped in this district town, District Collector D P
Ahuja said. Besides pecial Task Force jawans, two
companies of Special Armed Force were also deployed in
the town, which had earlier witnessed a series of
clashes. Police patrolling in sensitive areas was
being carried out. One of the injured, whose condition
was reported to be serious, had been shifted to
Indore, police said. The body of Raju Bhairvi had been
cremated under tight security, while senior police and
civilian officials were keeping a strict vigil. By
Wednesday evening the police arrested 31 people taking
the number of those arrested to 51 in the incident.
While two people were arrested in connection with
Tuesday murder the rest were apprehended for violating
the curfew. (Pioneer 21/7/05)
37. Muslims angry over VHP plea to vacate houses near
mandir (7)
Lucknow : Muslim residents of Ayodhya have reacted
with anger to the VHP's petition to the President and
Union Home Minister, asking that occupants of houses
on the periphery of the Ram Janmabhoomi complex be
made to leave on the plea that they are vulnerable to
jihadi pressure and hence a security threat. Nearly
all the occupants are Muslims. Haji Mehboob, a senior
leader of the Babri Masjid Movement and president of
the Anjuman Muhafiz Muazib Avadh, dismissing the move,
said, "the VHP demand is totally unjustified. We are
not going to tolerate this. We also plan to meet the
President and Union Home Minister to put forward our
side of the story. The VHP can't be allowed to whip up
a communal divide. They have already failed in their
designs and have been exposed before the people of
Ayodhya and Faizabad." Saying that most of the houses
were at least four generations old, he justified his
stand by adding, "the VHP is simply looking for an
issue since their efforts to encash on the terrorist
strike have failed miserably for lack of public
support." There are about 50 houses and shops
belonging to the minority community in the periphery
of the RJB complex mainly in Duari Kuan, Karziana,
Panji Tola, Katra and Tehri Bazar localities
accounting for a population of nearly 3,000 families.
Ironically, when the VHP was meeting the President,
the Nehru Yuva Kendra was taking out a sadbhavna yatra
in Ayodhya to promote communal amity. However few
seemed to notice the procession on Tuesday and many
dismissed it as an "official exercise." (Pioneer
21/7/05)
38. Jamiat asks Muslim ministers to quit (7)
Guwahati, July 22: The Assam unit of the Jamiat
Ulema-e-Hind said here on Friday that all the Muslim
ministers of the ruling Congress government should
resign from the government owning the moral
responsibility for their "complete failure in
protecting the rights of minorities in Assam".
Addressing a crowded press conference, Assam Jamiat
Ulema-e-Hind president Badruddin Ajamal said: "We are
requesting them to honour the sentiment of the
minority people of the state. If they fail to do so,
obviously, they will face the wrath of voters in the
forthcoming Assembly elections." After downsizing of
the Assam ministry, there are five Muslim ministers in
the Gogoi council of ministers. Most of them were
appointed at the recommendation of the Assam Jamiat
Ulema-e-Hind. Expressing deep anguish over the remark
of Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, widely reported
in the local media that he does not require the votes
of Muslims, Mr Ajamal, in an oblique remark, said: "He
is the chief minister of Assam, how can we dare to
challenge his authority?" However, Mr Gogoi has
already denied media reports and clarified that he had
never made such a remark. Indicating that Jamiat may
launch a new political platform to assert the presence
of minorities in the state, he said: "More than 13
minority organisations have requested us to launch a
separate political party. We have decided to organise
a convention of minorities on August 20 to take a
final decision in this regard."In an obvious reference
to the ruling Congress, he said: "Some senior
political leaders of the state have started playing
dirty games to divide minorities between Assamese and
Bengali-speaking Muslims. This is unfortunate." (Asian
Age 23/7/05)
39. Raje Govt plans to relocate madarsas out of
mosques (7)
Jaipur: THERE IS a move to relocate the madarsas,
which are currently fuctioning from the premises of
mosques in various parts in Rajasthan. Though the
proposal was mooted long ago, things started moving
recently, when the State Government carried out a
fresh survey of madarsas, in view of its plan to
modernise them. According to official sources over
seven hundred madarsas in the state are functioning
from the mosques premises and the Government is
preparing to plan to relocate them out of the mosque
at the earliest. The Madarsa Board, on its own, had
sent the proposal to the State Government to get new
premises for the madarsas, which have no building and
are functioning from the Mosques. The sources said
that Government has approached industrial houses and
charitable organisation to come forward to construct
schools building, including for madarsas and students
hostel as Government has not sufficient funds to take
this big project. As part of its plan to modernise the
madarsas, the Government has released Rs 4 cores to
the Madarsa Board. The Board has the plan to introduce
computer education in selective madarsas. This is the
fist time that Board has got enough funds from the
government to modernise the education in the madarsas.
(Pioneer 27/7/05)
40. Scared, Muslims flee workplaces (7)
Guwahati : Fear and panic have gripped Bengali
speaking Muslim daily wage labourers in Assam with
hundreds of them fleeing their workplaces, including
many from the State's main city of Guwahati,
apprehending a crackdown by authorities to deport them
to Bangladesh. A Government spokesman confirmed the
exodus and said it was a result of some 'mischievous
propaganda' by people with 'vested interests' to scare
away religious and linguistic minority people to leave
their workplaces. "There is no need for panic. We have
asked the police and civil authorities to maintain
strict vigil so that no genuine Indian citizens are
harassed by people with some political affiliations
trying to create communal tension," the spokesman
said. "We cannot say the people who have left for some
reason are all Muslims. There could be people from
other faiths as well," he added. Many of these Bengali
workers were engaged in construction works, brick
kilns, and pedal rickshaws in Assam, besides doing
menial jobs.The immediate provocation for the exodus
is the repealing of the controversial Illegal Migrants
(Determination by Tribunals) Act to identify illegal
Bangladeshis. The Supreme Court, last month, decided
to replace the 22-year-old IMDT Act with the
Foreigners Act in Assam saying the previous
legislation was a hindrance in identifying and
deporting illegal Bangladeshis from the State.Under
the IMDT Act, the onus of proving one's citizenship
rested on the complainant rather than the accused,
while it is just the reverse under the Foreigners Act.
(Pioneer 3/8/05)
41. 'UP Muslims insecure, deprived' (7)
Lucknow, Aug. 7: In Mulayam Singh Yadav's 'Uttam
Pradesh', Muslims are experiencing an "acute sense of
deprivation, a sense of insecurity and an
all-pervasive presence of inferiority complex." These
are observations made by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh's high-level committee for preparation of a
report on the social, economic and educational status
of Muslims in India. The committee, headed by Justice
Rajendra Sachar, met over 800 representatives from the
community from different walks of life and different
strata of society over three days here. Talking to
reporters on Sunday, Justice Sachar said that these
observations were made on the basis of statements made
by Muslim representatives before the committee.
Justice Sachar made it clear that the committee did
not have any intention of maligning any government and
nor did it have any political agenda. The committee
members said that there was an overriding concern
among Muslims over the lack of representation of the
community in various fields. "Reservation is an
instrument which can help the community achieve
representation in proportion to its population. As of
now, there is tremendous disparity among community
members in rural and urban areas and the situation is
gloomier in the rural areas where Muslims are no
better placed than Scheduled Castes and Tribes," said
Dr Abu Saleh Shariff, member-secretary of the
committee. The committee found that there was
increasing awareness among Muslims to raise their
educational standards. "Schools for Muslim girls are
not available in the immediate vicinity and paucity of
girls' hostels is another problem area. Besides,
Muslims feel that modernisation of education in
madrasas is required and many said that despite
various announcements, facilities in madrasas had not
improved. In fact, there are severe contradictions in
what the government has said and what the people have
said. Therefore, we will be sending our own teams to
verify the ground realities," the members said. (Asan
Age 8/8/05)
42. Muslim bodies defensive on Shariat (7)
Lucknow, Aug 17: With the Supreme Court questioning
the legality of Shariat courts, Muslim clerics are now
clearly on the defensive, while progressive leaders in
the community are in an upbeat mood. The Supreme Court
on Tuesday issued notices to the union government,
seven state governments and three Muslim bodies -
All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, Darul-Uloom and
Muslims for Secular Democracy - on a PIL filed by
advocate Vishwa Lochan Madan that questions the
legality and validity of Shariat courts and fatwas
issued by them. The PIL mentions the Imrana case, in
particular, to plead its case before the court. The
All-India Muslim Personal Law Board was clearly
defensive on the issue and its spokesman said that the
board was likely to convene a meeting soon to discuss
the reply to the Supreme Court notice. however, senior
high court advocate and member of the AIMPLB, Mr
Zafaryab Jilani, told reporters: "Much of the
misconception arises because of misinterpretation of
facts. Darul Qaza which means 'house of the Qazi'
merely gives its opinion on religious matters and
should not be termed as Shariat court. The Darul Qaza
does not run a parallel judicial system, but merely
deals with family disputes and affairs of Muslims. In
fact, this helps in reducing the burden on courts."
Mr Jilani further explained that Article 25 and 26 of
the Indian Constitution confers the freedom to
profess, practice and propagate a religion of one's
choice and the Shariat Application Act 1937 also came
into existence because Muslims are governed by Shariat
laws in matters related to family, inheritance,
marriage, among others. (Asian Age. 18/8/05)
43. 'Muslims denied rights, feeling insecure' (7)
JAIPUR: The crucial links between the issues relating
to poverty, backwardness, unemployment and low
literacy levels among Muslims in Rajasthan and the
"sense of insecurity and helplessness" prevailing in
the community were highlighted during the first
interactive session of a high- level committee,
appointed by the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, here
on Monday. The members of the committee are on a visit
to Jaipur till August 24 to study the social, economic
and educational status of the Muslim community in the
State for preparation of a report on these aspects for
facilitating the Government's intervention to address
the relevant issues. The committee is headed by the
former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Rajinder
Sachar. Academicians, intellectuals, social activists,
lawyers, entrepreneurs and youngsters participating in
the dialogue affirmed that the socio-economic
development of Muslims could not be ensured unless the
mindset of those in power was changed in favour of
treating the community on par with others and stop
discrimination against them. They said Muslims in the
State were feeling insecure in the wake of a series of
communal incidents during the past year-and-a-half.
The alleged role of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party
in heightening anxiety among Muslims through its
actions supporting the communal elements came in for
sharp criticism during the interaction. "It is an
irony that the Minister in charge of Social Welfare
Department, which has made arrangements for the
committee's visit, is himself facing charges of
encouraging anti-Muslim violence," said Mohammed
Salim, president of the State unit of Jamate-e-Islami
Hind. (The Hindu 23/8/05)
44. Urdu 'sidelined' in Jharkhand, allege Muslims (7)
Ranchi : Various Muslim organisations in Jharkhand
are unhappy over the State Cabinet's move to accord
Bangla and Santhali second language status and not
include Urdu in the list. Several Muslim organisations
have come down heavily on the State Government
following this move. "The State Government wants to
create trouble in the name of language. We have no
problem if Bangla and Santhali are given second
language status. But Muslims should get their due,"
said Professor Sidique Mujib, vice- president of
Jharkhand Tanjim. "Urdu is the second most popularly
spoken language in the State. The State Government
should give Urdu second language status," said
Professor Abujar Usmani, president of Anjuman Tarakki
A Urdu. Nine Muslim bodies held a meeting on Sunday in
Ranchi, and decided to launch a Statewide stir in this
regard. They will stage demonstrations in front of
offices of the district administration of all 22
districts.There are 20 per cent Bangla speaking people
in the State and Santhali language is widely spoken by
the tribal community which constitutes 27 per cent of
the total population here. The Muslim population
constitutes nearly 10 per cent. In undivided Bihar,
Urdu enjoyed second language status. "The Government's
move is to divert the attention of the people from a
contentious issue. We will go to any extent to oppose
such a move," said Professor Abu Talib of Milli
council. (Pioneer 23/8/05)
45. Rajasthan lets Sangh target Muslims, says PM's
team (7)
New Delhi: Is Rajasthan being turned by the RSS and
the ruling BJP government into another Gujarat?
Activists who have been speaking of growing
discrimination against Muslims, and the segregation of
Muslims in the state, found unexpected support from
the Prime Minister's high- level committee on the
social, economic and educational status of Muslims in
India, which also found a high level of insecurity
amongst Muslims and a "deepening distrust between
Muslims and Hindus" in Rajasthan.The state government,
according to sources, has "turned a blind eye to the
Muslims, as if the community simply does not exist".
Well-known activist Kavita Srivastava told this
newspaper from Jaipur that the situation has never
been as bad as it is now, and that Muslims are being
deliberately targeted by the RSS and BJP, which are
spearheading a social and economic boycott of the
community. The high-powered committee headed by
Justice Rajinder Sachar, which was in Rajasthan for
four days, received numerous complaints speaking of
discrimination against Muslims at all levels.
According to an assessment by sources, it is as if the
state has decided that Muslims simply do not exist and
they are being made to fade out of existence. Civil
rights activists working in the affected villages,
where tension has been simmering for months, point out
that Muslims have had to leave their houses and are
unable to return to their villages in Bhilwara
district, which is the worst affected. In the cities,
Muslims find they are unable to get loans to purchase
property from banks, and that landlords are
"discouraged" from selling them houses, or even giving
them out on rent. The result is that, like in
Ahmedabad, a segregation of communities is taking
place with Hindus and Muslims now living separately.
(Asian Age 26/8/05)
46. Muslim Board disagrees with SC (7)
New Delhi : 'Constitution grants us separate legal
framework'----- Unfazed by the recent Supreme Court's
directions, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board
(AIMPLB) on Sunday said it would contest the apex
court's contention that Islamic courts were
"challenging" the country's judicial system. As a
matter of fact, the Board perceives that the petition
will be an opportunity to legitimise Darul Qaza
(Islamic court), the Board said. "We are preparing our
response to the petition. The Darul Qaza operates
within the Constitution. The Muslim Personal Law
(Shariat) Application Act, 1937, gives power to the
Darul Qaza to decide on family matters when the
disputed parties are Muslims. We will submit a
detailed note on how proceedings are conducted in
Darul Qaza," said Rahim Quraishi, assistant general
secretary, AIMPLB. The Darul Qaza does not take up
criminal cases or matters pending in civil courts, he
added. "The Board is taking the petition in a
positive manner. This is our strength. We will convert
this into an opportunity to get recognised. We are
sure that the Supreme Court will give this to Darul
Qaza, which is working under Shariat Application Act,
1937," AIMPLB chairperson Rabe Hassan Nadvi said.
Justifying the several Darul Qaza in parts of the
country, the Board said it provided speedy justice and
"poor people need not hire lawyers". "The Shariat
courts help smooth differences and they are less
problematic. People in the villages do not have access
to lawyers and in these courts they can solve their
problems easily," the chairperson said. The AIMPLB
argued that Islamic courts are complimentary Muslim
Board disagrees with SC to India's judicial system and
not "parallel" to it. (Pioneer 29/8/05)
47. Indian Muslims say they don't feel safe post 9/11
(7)
New Delhi, September 10: FOUR YEARS ago on this day,
New York's twin towers fell to a terrorist attack. The
event sparked off two wars - in Afghanistan and in
Iraq - and global upheaval. But has the chain of
events after 9/11 affected the lives of Muslims in
India, as elsewhere? An HT survey of 883 Muslims in
seven cities shows the answers don't come as an
emphatic "yes" or "no". Whether 9/11 and America's War
against Terrorism has impacted the lives of Indian
Muslims depends on which Muslim you speak to - the
average man on the street or the globetrotter. For
instance, the survey finds that overall only 42 per
cent of the community sympathises with the 9/11
attackers. But when you go out of the metres, you get
a different picture: in Patna it was 61 per cent, in
Lucknow 56 per cent, and in Hyderabad 51 per cent.
As for whether their lives changed since 9/11, only 43
per cent overall says it has. At the same time,
however, nearly two-thirds - 63 per cent - says the
attacks made their community more vulnerable to
hatred. And if you thought our cities were more
cosmopolitan, then figure this - the feeling of
vulnerability was much higher in the metros (80 per
cent in Delhi, 71 per cent in Mum-bai). In both metros
and smaller cities, however, no one thinks the US is
winning its war against terrorism (88 per cent says no
in Kolkata, 91 per cent in Patna). And half of the
community, whether in Mumbai or in Lucknow, does not
think Islam is being practiced in its true spirit. A
lot of churning is still ahead. (Hindustan Times
111/9/05)
48. BJP assails fatwa, vote-bank politics (7)
CHENNAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party's political
resolution adopted here on Saturday charged the United
Progressive Alliance Government with practising
"minorityism" to the extent that it could once again
nurture the kind of Muslim separatism which led to the
creation of Pakistan. The party said the Government
was obsessed with vote-bank politics, that it revived
religion-based reservation in education and employment
- the reference was to the attempt to provide
reservation to Muslims in Andhra Pradesh and create a
50 per cent quota for Muslims in Aligarh Muslim
University - in violation of the criteria settled by
the Constitution. In the "atmosphere of minority
appeasement" resulting from the UPA Government's
vote-bank politics, Muslim clergy were emboldened to
indulge in the "politics of fatwas," issuing
directives aimed at intimidating women, it said.
During the discussion on the political resolution on
the second day of the national executive committee
meeting, senior delegate Pyarelal Khandelwal wanted a
few words added saying it was this kind of mentality
that led to the two-nation theory propounded by
Mohammad Ali Jinnah (Pakistan founder). (The Hindu
18/9/05)
49. Muslim girls' fight against odds (7)
JAIPUR: An interactive programme on the education of
Muslim girls organised here on Thursday highlighted
the adversities and hardships obstructing educational
advancement of the fair sex despite their desire to
join schools and colleges and excel in studies to
march ahead in their lives. Each of the 223 girls
participating in the programme had a story of fight
against the odds and struggle against poverty,
disadvantage and affliction. Though some of the girls
succeeded in getting a good level of education, the
majority of them have to drop out of schools due to a
number of factors, primarily the inability of their
parents to bear the cost of education. The Chairperson
of the Rajasthan Women's Commission, Pawan Surana, who
was specially invited to the programme, was left
aghast on hearing the narratives of deprivation of
Muslim girls. She expressed surprise over the gaping
hole in the implementation of the State Government's
schemes for promotion of education among weaker
sections. The half-day programme was organised by the
National Muslim Women's Welfare Society on the
premises of a Government Middle School in the
Muslim-dominated Baas Badanpura locality adjacent to
the Walled City here. A number of social activists
attended the event, to which the State Women's
Commission and the UNICEF also extended support. The
saga of destitution, distress, difficulties and
dilemma was common to all the girls, who were
anguished at their inability to compete with those
from other communities. The Society's president,
Nishat Hussain, pointed out that it was not just the
vicious circle of poverty which had blocked
educational advancement of Muslim girls, but the
social structure heavily loaded against the poor and
victimised Muslims the most. ( The Hindu 23/9/05)
50. Muslim law board to seek PM aid (7)
New Delhi, Oct. 2: The Muslim Personal Law Board will
meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union law
minister H.R. Bharadwaj on the issue of Shariat
courts. The move assumes importance in the backdrop of
Supreme Court notices to the Centre, Dar-ul-Uloom of
Deoband and All-India Muslim Personal Law Board,
besides several states on August 16, on a petition
accusing the two most important Muslim bodies of
trying to interfere with the country's legal system
and introducing parallel Islamic laws in violation of
the Constitution. The Hyderabad-based Muslim Personal
Law Board assistant general secretary A.R. Qureshi
told this correspondent, "The Muslim Personal Law
Board delegation would meet Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and Union law minister H.R. Bharadwaj only next
month, since it is Maah-e-Ramzan now." Mr Qureshi
said, "The Centre is the first respondent in this case
and this why we wish to represent to both the Prime
Minister and Mr Bharadwaj on the issues relating to
the Dar-ul-Qaza, so that when they file their reply to
the notice before the Supreme Court, the issue would
be put in a perspective. In fact, the Dar-ul-Qaza is
not a parallel judiciary, but an alternative dispute
resolution (ADR) "mechanism". No criminal cases are
taken up. Similarly, cases pending in the courts are
also not taken up in Dar-ul- Qaza, which has been in
existence since the 1920s. Besides, the Dar-ul-Qaza is
recognised by the Shariat Application Act, 1937, and
the Act is in force even today. So, the Dar-ul-Qaza is
part of the Indian law and not something that is being
foisted on the legal system." (Asian Age 3/10/05)
51. Minority Commission urges madarsas to upgrade
syllabi to university standards (7)
New Delhi : The chairman of the National Commission
for Minorities (NCM) Sardar Tarlochan Singh has
underlined the need for educating students about other
religions in lakhs of madarsas scattered all across
the country. Referring to the meeting of the
Commission held on September 28, Mr Singh said: "The
meeting has succeeded in clearing various doubts about
madarsa education." According to Mr Singh, a number
of issues related to madarsa education, including
their academic advancement, were discussed in the
meeting. The panelists agreed that religious education
was a valuable and useful tool for improving the
personality of students. The discussion was attended
by eminent educationists like the director of
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, JV Raghavan, former Union
education secretary MK Kaw, the director of DAV
College Managing Committee, HR Gandhar, and the former
vice-chancellor of Punjab University, Dr Amrik Singh.
"So far 27,600 madarsas have been registered in
various states and 1,600 madarsas are annually
availing the Government grant for modernisation," said
Union education ministry's joint secretary Sunil
Kumar. Dr Amrik Singh stressed the need for proper
education to Muslim students during the discussions.
The Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) is
likely to talk to the Association of Indian
Universities (AIU) to recognise degrees awarded by
madarsas in order to admit them to undergraduate and
postgraduate courses. (Pioneer 3/10/05)
52. RSS man Rajasthan Waqf chief (7)
Jaipur, Oct. 15: RSS supporter Slawad Khan has been
elected unopposed as chairman of the Rajasthan Waqf
Board on Friday while the Opposition Congress failed
to counter the move. The Jamaat-e-Islami said it was a
dangerous thing and the Waqf body would be used by
communal elements. Mr Khan, who heads the state unit
of My Hindustan, a body floated by the Sangh Parivar,
said he was delighted at being elected unopposed with
the blessings of nationalist forces. He said, "I will
not hesitate in giving credit to the RSS for my
victory. I believe in nationalism. The newly-elected
chairman of the board is known as the protege of RSS
senior functionary Indresh Kumar, who is incharge of
Muslim affairs in RSS. Mr Khan was instrumental in
organising four big conventions of My Hindustan in
Rajasthan. One such programme was organised in Jaipur
and it was opposed by the minority community.
According to sources, transport minister Yunus Khan
was not in favour of Mr Slawad Khan and tried to
support another person. However, the RSS vetoed it. Mr
Yunus Khan is the lone Muslim face in the Raje
government. The Opposition Congress could not
challenge it. Even the Congress has five votes while
the total number of voters was 11. Senior Congress
MLAs Mahir Azad and Atmadudin Khan are members of the
board but they could not formulate a strategy to
counter the RSS move. The Jamaat-e-Islami's state
chief Salim Engineer expressed his concern over the
election of an RSS supporter. "The RSS would implement
its communal agenda in the Waqf body. Unfortunately,
this lime they have found a Muslim face to carry out
their agenda," Mr Engineer said. (Asian Age 16/10/05)
53. AMU loses its minority status (7)
Lucknow: The Allahabad high court stripped the Aligarh
Muslim University (AMU) of its minority status on
Tuesday by quashing an 1981 amendment to the AMU Act.
The court also struck down as illegal, reservation of
seats for Muslims in its post-graduate medical
courses. The decision on the AMU, a premier
educational institution held in high esteem for its
standards, could evoke resentment, particularly among
minorities. In his judgment, Justice Arun Tandon
observed that the AMU (Amendment) Act, 1981 was
unconstitutional and that the AMU could not be termed
as a minority institution. In 1981, Parliament had
overruled a 1968 judgment of the Supreme Court in the
Ajeez Pasha case. The apex court in 1968 had ruled
that AMU was not an institution established by
minorities and had been set up under the Act passed by
the Central legislature. Justice Tandon observed that
Parliament had no power to overrule a judgment given
by the court and it could only remove defects in the
law. According to the court, the 1981 amendment to the
Act was an attempt to overrule the Supreme Court's
judgment and therefore, was unconstitutional. The
court also declared as illegal, the notification
issued by the Union human resources development
ministry on February 25 that permitted AMU to reserve
seats for Muslims in post-graduate medical courses.
(Asian Age 5/10/05)
54. Respect minority character of AMU, says Congress
(7)
NEW DELHI: A day after the Allahabad High Court
quashed the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Amendment
Act 1981 providing minority institution status to the
university, the Congress on Wednesday said its
minority character should be maintained and respected.
The Bharatiya Janata Party welcomed the verdict, which
also declared illegal the recent decision of the AMU
to reserve seats in post-graduate medical courses for
Muslims. While taking a firm stand on the status of
the AMU, Congress spokesman Anand Sharma sought to
sidestep questions on the reservation issue, stating
that it was a decision of the university. "It is
within the jurisdiction and domain of AMU to respond
to the court verdict on the reservation and decide on
a future course of action," he said to questions on
the issue at the party's routine briefing here. BJP
vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi cautioned the
Government that any reservation based on religion
would endanger unity and tear apart the social fabric
of the country. In a statement, he said the party had
already disapproved of the decision of the Human
Resource Development Ministry to declare reservation
for Muslims in the AMU. As long back as 1968 the
Supreme Court had declared that the AMU was not a
minority institution, he said. He said: "The BJP
believes that the cultural and educational advancement
of Muslims crucially hinges on giving them access to
institutions of high quality." The National Commission
for Minorities has urged the Government to ensure that
students admitted to various educational and
professional courses in the AMU are not disturbed.
(The Hindu 6/10/05)
55. 'Govt tried to make madrasa in Aligarh' (7)
NEW DELHI, Oct. 5. - Allahabad High Court's verdict
stripping Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) of its
status as a minority institution and quashing of the
Union human resource development (HRD) ministry's 25
February notification stipulating 50 per cent
reservation for Muslims in Aligarh Muslim University's
post-graduate professional courses, sparked off
sharply-divided reactions from the BJP and the
Congress today. The BJP, predictably, welcomed the
High Court's decision, demanding "cancellation of the
reservation order by the government" without going for
an appeal against the court verdict. "The government
has committed a sin as it tried to convert the Aligarh
Muslim University into an Aligarh Muslim Madrasa," BJP
vice-president Mr Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. "The UPA
government should rather cancel its reservation order
that aimed to damage the original equal-opportunity
foundations of the AMU. It should desist from going
for a Shah Bano-type solution to nullify the
judgemeent, Mr. Naqvi said. The BJP leader cautioned
the Muslim community against the Congress-led
government's "conspiracy" "to create a religious
divide in the field of education just to gain
political mileage by playing the minority card",
alleging, the Centre's niyat (motive)" had been to
deny Muslims quality education. The Congress said the
AMU was granted the status of a minority institution
through an amendment to the Central Act in 1981. "It
is now the AMU's jurisdiction to respond to the
current situation arising out of the High Court
verdict," said the AICC spokesman, Mr Anand Sharma.
The Congress made it clear that the party "respects
the AMU's minority character", saying the varsity
made a remarkable contribution to national education.
(Statesman 6/10/05)
56. Girl convert appears in court with MIM MP (7)
Hyderabad, Oct. 24: Pallavi, who calls herself Sana
Fathima after she converted to Islam, surfaced after
two months in the AP high court on Monday along with
Asaduddin Owaisi, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP from
Hyderabad. She had gone missing on July 26, 2004. Her
parents had alleged that she had been kidnapped. Her
neighbour Khadar Ali was later found murdered in
Anantapur district's Kadiri town, amidst reports that
she had eloped with him. Pallavi's parents and
relatives are accused in the case. Her mother, Ms K.
Yadamma had filed a petition in the AP high court
asking for directions to the police to present her in
court as they suspected that Pallavi was kept in
custody, in an illegal manner. On Monday, Pallavi
presented herself before the court and said that she
had converted to Islam, and that she feared a threat
from her parents. A division bench, comprising acting
Chief Justice Bilal Nazki and Justice R. Subash Reddy
closed Ms Yadamma's Habeas Corpus petition. The bench,
after hearing Pallavi In Camera permitted her to go
whereever she wanted as she complained of threat to
her life from her parents. Earlier, Pallavi arrived at
the high court in a burkha and tried to submit a
petition before the bench at 10.30 am. When the judges
asked who had brought her to the court, she replied
that she had come on her own. When the judges asked
her how could the court identify her as Pallavi, she
said that she was brought by Mr Asaduddin Owaisi, and
he would identify her. The court enquired after Mr
Asaduddin Owaisi, who presented himself before the
judges. The bench recorded the statement given by
Pallavi. She stated that there was no pressure on her
to appear before the court and that she had embraced
Islam and since there was threat to her life from her
parents as she was not willing to give her address.
The bench, after recording her statement and
satisfying itself that she was indeed Pallavi,
permitted her to stay as per her will and wish as she
is an adult. (Asian Age 25/10/05)
57. Muslim bill dismissed (7)
Hyderabad, Nov. 7: A five-member Constitutional Bench
of the Andhra Pradesh high court on Monday struck down
the law providing five per cent reservation for
Muslims in public employment and educational
institutions. The Constitutional Bench comprising
acting Chief Justice Bilal Nazki, Justice G. Raghuram,
Justice V.V.S. Rao, Justice N.V. Ramana and Justice R.
Subash Reddy unanimously declared that the action of
the state government in providing quotas for Muslims
as a community was unconstitutional, ultra vires and
nsustainable. The bench said the report of the
Backward Classes Commission, based on which the state
government had provided the quota, was unscientific
and unsustainable. The court gave three weeks for the
government to move the Supreme Court and chief
minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy said the government
would appeal the judgment. The judgment could badly
hit thousands of students who had secured admission to
professional courses through the five per cent quota.
The court ordered a one-month status quo on their
admissions. By the time the period ends, the students
would be halfway through the academic year and
awaiting the Supreme Court's decision. The Telugu
Desam criticised the Congress government for pushing
through the reservation with an eye on Muslim votes
ahead of municipal elections in September. The CPI
said the court should have taken socio- economic
aspects into consideration without going by the
technicalities. This is the second time that the court
has struck down quotas for Muslims. On September 21,
2004 the high court had struck down government order
(GO) 33 of July 12, 2004 that provided five per cent
reservation for Muslims. The court had held that the
GO was ultra vires and that the state government had
not consulted the Backward Classes Commission before
providing reservation. The state government duly set
up a Backward Classes Commission headed by retired
high court judge Dalva Subramaniyam. Based on its
report, the government promulgated two ordinances, No.
8 and No. 13, providing reservation for Muslims while
excluding the creamy layer. The AP Assembly later
enacted the AP Reservation of Seats Act, or Act 21, of
2005, replacing Ordinance 8. (Asian Age 8/11/05)
58. Muslims enraged by order (7)
Hyderabad, Nov. 8: Muslim religious leaders on Tuesday
held the bureaucracy responsible for the "half-baked"
data in the Backward Class Commission's report, based
on which the state passed a "weak legislation", which
gave five per cent reservations for Muslims in
government jobs and educational institutions. "The
Telugu Desam government had conducted a survey as part
of the Velugu (poverty alleviation) programme. It
found that 80 per cent of Muslims in the state were
living below the poverty line. Officials did not
submit the report to the Backward Class Commission,
Tameer-e-Millat president Abdul Rahim Qureshi told
this correspondent. "Had all the heads of department
sent their reports on the number of Muslims in their
sections, the BC Commission would have got vital data
on employment," Mr Qureshi said. A group of the ulema
and representatives of Muslim religious organisations
met at Darussalam, headquarters of the
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), to discuss their
course of action in the wake of the judgement of the
AP high court that reservation to Muslims was against
the Constitution. MIM supremo Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi
and the party's Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi,
Millat-e-Islamia president Moulana Hameeduddin Aquil
Hussami, Jamat-e-Islami Hind leaders Abu Nasr Aber and
Azharuddin and Tameer-e-Millat president Abdul Rahim
Qureshi and vice-president Moulana Sulaiman Sikandar
participated in the meeting. (Asian Age 9/11/05)
59. BJP renders cleric fatwa on divorce unlawful (7)
Bhopal : The BJP has criticised the fatwa issued by
Dar-ul-Uloom Khargone, seeking to annul a civil
court's divorce decree, saying such a religious fiat
pose a challenge to the law of the land and openly
question the power of the judiciary to adjudicate the
affairs of the Muslim community. Reacting to the fatwa
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rameshwar Sharma said
that the law cannot be hijacked by seminaries and
clerics. "The law is the same for a pundit and a
maulvi, when a pundit does not interfere in divorce
proceedings, why should a mufti/maulvi allowed to do
so," Mr Sharma said. The Congress, however, said that
the BJP is being irresponsible and is trying to
disrupt communal peace and harmony in the state.
Congress MLA Arif Aqueel said that political parties
should not interfere in religious proceedings. "As per
Islam, matrimonial disputes are settled by the
seminaries. Political parties are making a big deal of
this by seeing it as contempt of court. The
Dar-ul-Uloom is not challenging the law of the land.
We should be allowed to follow what is prescribed by
Islam without being misinterpreted as rebels," said
Aqueel. Meanwhile, Qazi Abdul Latif elucidated that
only the husband has the right to divorce his wife and
the court could not adjudicate the matter. "As per
Islam, no court can force a husband to divorce his
wife. The girl should have solicited advice from
Dar-ul-Uloom before re-marrying. Mulk ka kanoon alag
hai aur Shari'ah ka alag. Islam gives full right to
the husband, though the girl can tell her side of the
story and seek for annulment too," said the Qazi.
(Pioneer 11/11/055)
60. Muslims worst-hit by globalization (7)
KOCHI: Muslims are the worst victims of globalisation
in India, according to Rajindar Sachar, jurist,
human-rights campaigner and head of Prime Minister's
high-level committee on the conditions of Muslims. "A
large number of Muslims are artisans and craftsmen,"
he said in an interview. "Their products are
threatened by cheap imports from abroad." The Chinese
silk or imported carpets and leather products tend to
throw silk weavers in Karnataka or leather-goods
makers in Uttar Pradesh and carpet-makers in Kashmir
out of job. Also, the foreign direct investment
(FDI), facilitated by globalisation, helps to boost
mechanisation and automation, which edge human labour
out and drastically cut jobs. Since Muslims' number is
very low in the service sector, particularly in
Government jobs, they cannot duck the harsh blows of
globalisation. They face open competition. He suggests
that Muslims be helped to upgrade their skills to
meet the onslaughts. "Globalisation is certainly not
good for the country," he said. It is bad for the
economy, increases unemployment and hits the poor
most. Public-sector companies are thrown out of
existence. Globalisation is against a just and
equitable society; it thrives on inequities in income
and opportunities. r. Sachar, a former chief justice
of Delhi High Court and former head of the People's
Union for Civil Liberties, feels that there has been a
de-escalation of communal tension in the country
after the UFA Government came to power. However, the
human rights situation continues to be grim. The
record of most States on this count is very poor.
Police atrocities and custodial torture have not
ebbed; slum-dwellers are kicked out of their hutments
and tribal people are displaced. (The Hindu 13/7/05)
61. Jaya: Survey of Wakf properties completed (7)
Chennai, Nov. 15: Tamil Nadu chief minister J
Jayalalithaa on Tuesday announced that a survey of
Wakf properties has been undertaken by the state
government, to identify the original extent of the
board's properties, in order to restore them to the
individual Wakf institutions. Inaugurating a national
conference of chairpersons and CEOs of state Wakf
boards, here, she said that hundreds of thousands of
acres and properties had been lost by the Wakfs,
either by way of encroachments or in other ways. Such
loss of the Wakf's property was an issue of concern to
the Muslim community all over the country. "A duty is
enjoined on the state government to assist the Wakf
boards in reclaiming these properties," she said
adding that her government would provide all necessary
assistance to protect such properties in the state and
render all support to retrieve the encroached Wakf
lands. Laying stress on women's empowerment, the chief
minister called for an increased focus by all state
Wakf boards on the expansion of literacy, education
and imparting of life skills, particularly to Muslim
women. "It is my firm belief that real progress for
the Muslim community and particularly for Muslim women
can be achieved only through education," she said.
Organised under the auspices of the Tamil Nadu State
Wakf Board, the day-long conference would discuss
issues like strengthening the state Wakf boards,
improving their functioning, exploring ways and means
to secure repossession of encroached Wakf properties
and deliberate over the need to bring in legislative
amendments to the Wakf Act, to enable the Wakf Boards
to have more powers. Declaring that her government had
always pursued a proactive policy in implementing
schemes for the welfare of the minorities, Ms
Jayalalithaa said that Tamil Nadu was the only state
in the country which provided a pension to 1,804
retired ulemas, spending Rs 1.20 crores for this
purpose. (Asian Age 16/11/05)
62. Arjun's latest: Muslim quota in IITs, IIMs (7)
New Delhi: The standing committee of the high-profile
National Monitoring Committee for Minorities'
Education (NMCME), a high-profile body under the HRD
ministry, has recommended reservation for minorities
in institutions like IIMs, IITs and the Indian
Institute of Foreign Trade. NMCME is headed by HRD
minister Arjun Singh, while former UP minister Zafar
All Naqvi is the chairman of the standing committee.
The report, to be discussed at NMCME meeting on
Thursday, also says: "De-recognition of AMU from
minority status is an unfortunate development and not
in the best interests of the minority community." "It
is necessary to appeal against the court decision, so
that many other minority institutions with similar
history are not deprived of their minority status,"
the report says. The committee has also felt the need
for an "overarching legislation encompassing the
entire range of educational rights, enshrined in
Article 30(i) of the Constitution. Such a legislation
can spell out the details of the right to establish
and administer educational institutions of their
choice". But there is criticism of the ministry's
programmes and affiliates. For instance, it clearly
says that minority communities are not benefiting
from the high-profile Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in states
like UP and Bihar. The funds earmarked for this
campaign are not being utilised properly or they are
delayed at the state government level. However, the
worst criticism is reserved for All India Council
for Technical Education (AICTE) for its "insensitivity
to the needs of minority institutions, unfair
practices by certain staff members etc". The committee
has asked the ministry to institute a "thorough
enquiry into the functioning of the AICTE". (Times of
India 17/11/05)
63. Student shown door for burqa (7)
Behrampore, Nov. 18: A first-year student of
Behrampore Girls' College had been asked by her
teachers not to come to college if she continued to
wear a burqa until the institution's governing body
decided her fate. Nineteen-year-old Shah Banu, a
philosophy honours student, was also allegedly turned
out of the class by the head of her department. Citing
the college prospectus - that asks girls to attend
classes either in a sari or salwar kameez - Mamata
Samaddar told her to complain to the principal if she
wanted to. Shah Banu said: "I have been going out in a
burqa since I was in Class X. I'm so used to it that I
can't go out in a sari or salwar kameez." At
Hariharpara, 220 km from Calcutta, Shah Banu lives
with her husband of 11 months, Yunus Sheikh, a motor
spares dealer. Like her, Sushmita Mondal, a high
school teacher in Naoda, also in Murshidabad, was
pulled up by the authorities this April for attending
school in a burqa.
On her first day in Amtala Annadamani Girls' High
School, Sushmita, who converted to Islam at the time
of her marriage, wore a burqa and was told by senior
colleagues and the school administration to "follow
tradition" by sticking to a sari. But finally the
school had to relent.
School education minister Kanti Biswas had clarified
earlier that no code could be imposed on teachers
dressed decently. When Shah Banu met principal
Srilata Chowdhury, she was told to fetch her father.
Abul Hossain, an affluent farmer, was told not to send
his daughter to college until the issue was discussed
at the governing body meeting. "The principal told me
to submit a written application seeking permission so
that my daughter could attend college in a burqa. I
did that, but have not received her response to my
application yet," said Hossain. (Telegraph 19/11/05)
64. Hindu woman fights for Muslims' cause (7)
New Delhi, Dec. 6: Shobha, a Hindu woman, is the voice
of around 700 hapless Muslims whose jhuggies were
uprooted by the DDA near Mohan Cooperatives in
Badarpur area of South Delhi, early last year. Her
sole focus is to get back shelter for her Muslim
brethren. In her fifties, Sobha has been running
pillar to post from one office to another at the DDA
headquarters with a group of five elderly Muslims, to
get a piece of land for the rehabilitation of about 72
displaced families. "We were not even served the
notice and the DDA bulldozers razed our jhuggies at
the Muslim Camp II comprising of about 72 jhuggies
calling it as an encroachment. Though the DDA
officials and politicians at that time had promised
us to allot some alternative site, no survey has been
carried out so far," said 65-year-old Nasur Ulla and
Id Mohmmed, victims of the displacement. The group has
complete faith on Sobha who was made a pradhan years
back. "She has been a perfect leader by helping us
many times. And we are fully sure that this time too
she will help us sail through the present crisis,"
said Nasur Ulla, a balloon seller. "Humanity is above
all religion, Whether Hindu or Muslim we are facing
similar problems and are in dire need of shelter,"
said Sobha, a native of Gorakhpur and speaks of the
problems presently faced by her people. (Asian Age
7/12/05)
65. Bengal Muslims need our help: CM (7)
Kolkata, Dec. 16: Acknowledging that the Muslims in
the state were economically backward, chief minister
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Friday said that there was
an urgent need for their upliftment. "But the states
like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh which tried to give
reservations to the Muslims had to face legal road
blocks. We are, therefore, exploring some alternative
mechanism to give the backward Muslims of the state
the necessary leg up," he added. Mr Bhattacharjee was
speaking at the inauguration of Milan Mela at Park
Circus Maidan. The annual event was organised by the
West Bengal Minorities Development and Finance
Corporation (WBMDFC). Pointing out that the Muslims
constituted 27 per cent of the state's population, Mr
Bhattacharjee expressed his anguish over their abysmal
representation in government employment. "It is a pity
that only three per cent Muslims are in government
jobs," he added. The chief minister agreed that
housing was another major problem of the Muslims and
said that the state government was trying to solve it.
"We are trying to provide accommodation to them in
Rajarhat. Even in the proposed housing colonies in
West Howrah and Dankuni, Muslims will get adequate
residential quarters," he added. Mr Bhattacharjee
reiterated the need for the modernisation of madrasas
in the state. Citing the recommendations of the Kidwai
Commission, he stressed the need for the introduction
of modern subjects in madrasas. "The madrasas should
also introduce the teaching of English, science and
computers in their curriculum otherwise the Muslim
children will remain backward," he cautioned. Echoing
his opinion, the editor-in-chief of The Asian Age,
M.J. Akbar who was invited as the chief guest at the
Mela, emphasised the need for the learning other
subjects. "Learning Arabic is not enough. The Muslim
children should also learn English, science and other
subjects," he added. Mr Akbar lauded Mr
Bhattacharjee's efforts for the upliftment of the
minorities. "People ask how could the CPI(M) rule the
state for nearly three decades. Well, at least one
reason is clear: the minorities are safe and happy
here," he added. (Asian Age 17/12/05)
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