Arrest of Kazmi 1

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Indian Muslims Leading English Newspaper, published since January 2000
www.milligazette.com
THE MILLI GAZETTE
www.milligazette.com
ISSN 0972-3366
Fort ni ght l y
Rs 10 Vol. 13 No. 7 Issue Serial # 293 1-15 April 2012 24 pages
JAVED USMANI...12 GAFOOR HASAN...12
Inside MG
New Delhi: The unusual 20-day police
remand of noted journalist Muhammad
Ahmad Kazmi ended abruptly on 24
March when Delhi Police approached a
court here saying that they no longer
need the journalist for questioning. Thus
Kazmi was sent to judicial remand, i.e.,
to jail, without intimation to his lawyer or
family members.
This volte face came after continuous
protests almost all over India and abroad
by media, civil society and Muslim organ-
isations, which held that Kazmi is being
made a scapegoat of a larger internation-
al conspiracy and immense pressure by
the US and Israel to somehow implicate
Iran in the terrorist attack on an Israeli
diplomatic car on 13 Feb., which saw no
fatality. World, including Israel's sugar
daddy, is silent over killing of scores of
Iranian scientists and dozens in Gaza by
Israel very recently.
Meetings, demos and press confer-
ences have been held in Delhi, Amroha,
Sambhal, Lucknow and Kolkata to press
for the release of Kazmi against whom
the police failed to offer any tangible
proof to date. All it had to offer are con-
flicting "leaks" to the media by unnamed
police officers on Kazmi's alleged role.
Candle marches were held in Delhi (13
March) and London (23 March). Delhi
Union of Journalists too is in the forefront
to defend Kazmi.
A high-level delegation of Indian
Muslim leaders met the Delhi Police
Commissioner BK Gupta on 21 March.
The delegation, led by Dr Zafarul-Islam
Khan, President of the All India Muslim
Majlis-e Mushawarat, told the Police
Commissioner that the long remand by
the police, permission to foreign agen-
cies to interrogate Mr Kazmi and his
reported torture are matters of grave
concern to the community.
The delegation asked the Police
Commissioner to rein in the Special Cell
of Delhi Police which is notorious for its
illegal activities like torture and fabrica-
tion of evidence. The delegation request-
ed the Police Commissioner to stop the
informal media briefings by police offi-
cers and reported by the media almost
every passing day since the arrest of Mr
Kazmi. The delegation also told the
Police Commissioner that Muslim youth
are being arrested on mere suspicion
and without tangible proofs while saffron
terrorists are roaming around and no one
dares to touch them despite the fact that
their names appear in official documents
like the Malegaon and Ajmer blasts
chargesheets.
The Police Commissioner denied that
Mr Kazmi is being tortured or ill-treated in
any way. He added that he is personally
following the case and officers have been
clearly instructed not to torture Mr Kazmi
or harm him in any way. He also said that
foreign agencies have not been allowed
so far to interrogate Mr Kazmi.
Earlier a delegation of Muslim MPs
led by Union State Minister for Tourism
Sultan Ahmad met Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on 14 March and
pressed on him to intervene in Kazmi's
case and ensure his release as there
seemed no case against him.
Meanwhile, the court on 21 March
ordered Delhi Police Special Cell not to
allow any other, including foreign,
agency to interrogate Kazmi who had
complained that foreign agents, seem-
ingly Mossad, are interrogating him and
that he is being harassed. He alleged
that he is being forced to confess to a
crime he din not commit.
The old-new tactic of Delhi Police in
action now is to cast aspersions on
Kazmi and his wife by claiming that they
received huge amounts of money from
abroad. Kazmi wife's businessman son
Ali Kazmi (from her earlier marriage to
Kazmi's elder brother Ali Nasser who
died in 1985) has arrived in Delhi from
Dubai with all the proofs that it is he who
remitted all the money to his mother's
account.
On the other hand, press reports
have exposed that all
Special Cell officers
involved in Kazmi's kidnap-
ping and subsequent arrest
on 7 March on totally
unproven charges are taint-
ed with plethora of charges
of murder and extortion
against them.
A massive demo will be
held by Muslim, secular and
leftist organisations in front
of Parliament in Delhi on 26
March (one day ahead of
MG deadline).
Meanwhile, Muhammad
Adeeb, M.P., has said that
communal peace, harmony
and brotherhood will never
return to India as long as
the Israeli embassy func-
tioned in Delhi.
MG STAFF
As protests mount, Police drops Kazmi like hot potato
MG/Yusuf
Who is getting
mesmerised by the
chime of shekels?
K
anchan Guptas piece, Indian arrested in Delhi attack visited
Iran, Syria in Jerusalem Post came as an utter surprise on the
day when Indian newspapers reported polices changing stand
on Kazmi (Police sing a different tune on Kazmi ran HTs headline,
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Police-sing-a-
different-tune-on-Kazmi/Article1-823601.aspx), when they are no
longer treating him as a suspect and are talking of chances that he
wasnt even aware of the bombers intentions, and his only involve-
ment now seems to have been that of a good pedestrian guiding
someone, when they are claiming he might have been an unwitting
accomplice.
Its Mr. Gupta who is singing a completely different tune. He seems
to be privy to information which the local newspapers here are not.
While no one here seems to be aware of Mr. Kazmis involvement with
the Bangkok incident, Mr. Gupta opens his piece with it, only mention-
ing in the fifth or sixth paragraph some indication of Kazmis alleged
role in the Delhi attack.
Its interesting, but not altogether surprising that Mr. Gupta uses
the facts in favour of Mr. Kazmi, against him. Being an Indian journal-
ist with decades of experience, who knew Persian and worked for the
IRNA, is definitely not a good reason for Iranian connections, he is
surely far more likely to be plotting bomb attacks, and of course he
always had his reputation to fall back on!
In his polemic, Mr. Gupta mentions Mr. Kazmis colleagues sur-
prise over the latters going so far (who are these people, we dont
know, nor have they been quoted in the Indian dailies), but Gupta fails
to mention the many who stood up for him, expressed anger and sur-
prise that a person of Mr. Kazmis experience and track record should
be picked upon, demanded proof, and even went on to ask Has he
been targeted because he is from the Urdu journalistic fraternity?
Mr. Gupta conveniently omits all of this, and suggests the government
isnt very careful to whom it issues the coveted press card.
In his earlier article on the same issue, Mr Gupta quoted
Ely Karmon of the Israeli Interdisciplinary Centre's Institute for
Counter-Terrorism as saying, What amazes me about all of these
attempts is the fact that one successful attack, one Israeli embassy
blown up, is a casus belli [an incident that justifies war] for a very
strong Israeli response. Now who would want to provoke Israel, who
would want to a present on a platter a pretext for war which Israel is
eager to wage. The nuclear power Israel has been getting increasing-
ly paranoid and talks of existential threat from the might-be-trying-to-
become-nuclear-though-denies Iran. It has been talking of preemptive
strikes and even went on to say it wont inform its staunchest ally, the
US, if it launches the attack. So who is desperate for an excuse?
Despite its 12 years of existence and his keen interest in it and its
editor, the journalist Mr. Gupta still doesnt know that The Milli Gazette
is a fortnightly newspaper, not a weekly journal, when quoting Dr. Khan
that the attack if carried on by Israels enemies was a tit for tat, he fails
to add that Dr. Khan gave examples of Israeli terrorism such as the
assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai, for
which fake European passports were used, and the murders of Iranian
scientists. That Milli Gazette promotes Islamism (whatever that means)
would come as a surprise not only to its readers but also to its publish-
ers.
Guptas guesswork of an article is interspersed with information
we havent come across in the Indian dailies. Where did he get this
information from, and what kind of card did he flash? May be the police
should keep a tab on Israeli phone calls as well. The police claimed
Kazmi was paid in dollars for the recce but it might be worthwhile to
find out who is getting all mesmerized by the chiming of the shekels?
A. KHAN
The Muslim leaders after meeting the Delhi Police Commissioner
From left to right: Jalal Haidar Naqvi, Mujtaba Farooq, Maulana Muhsin Taqawi,
Muhammad Ahmad, Maulana Ataur Rahman Qasmi and Zafarul-Islam Khan
Kazmi
ISSUES / OPINION
2 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012
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KALEEM KAWAJA
kaleemkawaja@gmail.com
I
n the ten long and miserable years since the horrible 2002
genocide of Muslims in Gujarat, Modis vast machinery, the
vast wealth and cunning of BJP and Modis Gujarati Hindu
fans have tried their level best to rehabilitate him in the public
arena. They have used all of their political and money connec-
tions in India, UK and USA in this effort. But nothing has really
worked. US refused him visitors visa six years ago; in UK he was
allowed to visit under very restrained conditions. Inside India he
can only visit a few states where BJP has its government. But he
cannot visit any state where Muslims or secular Hindus live in sig-
nificant numbers, that is Assam, Bengal, Bihar, UP, Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Kerala etc.
The mainstream Indian media, Supreme Court and Indian
human rights groups are regularly pulling him up for his role in the
2002 genocide and subsequent persecution of Muslims in
Gujarat. Unfortunately the Congress government in the Centre
has refused to hold a CBI enquiry in this regard and is going easy
on him. It even bargained with the BJP not to arrest Modi after the
arrest of Amit Shah in lieu of the saffron partys support to the
government in Parliament to pass the nuclear deal with the US.
The international media or the media in US and UK knows
hardly anything about Modis misdeeds. Also a majority of Hindus
and most of the Gujarati Hindus in US and UK are fans and sup-
porters of BJP. They are wealthy and well-connected with
American and British politicians. Through them they are constant-
ly trying to give importance to Modi. They also use their connec-
tions with the anti- Muslim Jewish politicians to further BJP and
Modi.
H
owever, Modis crimes in the 2002 genocide are so well-doc-
umented and so recent that it is very difficult for them to
whitewash it. If Muslims continue their campaign with force and
be media savvy, they can keep the pressure on Modi and confine
him to Gujarat. Now it becomes the responsibility of educated and
well-to-do Indian Muslims, no matter where they live, that they
continue a relentless and forceful campaign to bring Modi to jus-
tice for his crimes. No matter where we live, we should work on
this campaign.
Within BJP, a significant segment thinks of Modi as a political
liability, but another segment is his follower. BJPs top leaders
know that without Muslims and secular Hindus forgiving Modi he
cannot be rehabilitated.
They also know that this problem bedevils BJP in every elec-
tion and keeps them in second or third place. The recent elections
in UP, Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Kerala, where Muslim voters
were the kingmakers, was very bad news for BJP. None of the
major third front parties (SP, BSP, Trinamool, Telugu Desam,
Communists, DMK) will take the risk of hobnobbing with either
Modi or BJP until such time as Muslims forgive them, because
these parties have won elections with Muslim votes.
So if Muslims work out a smart strategy and maintain media
pressure against Modi, he can be confined to Gujarat, regardless
of Gujarats improved economy. Whenever Modis followers use
an international forum like TIME magazine or Brookings
Institution, as they recently did, we should lobby strong with them.
We should always include secular Hindus in our groups. Let us
have faith in Allahs help and continue resolutely on this path.
Until Muslims forgive him, Modi has no hope outside Gujarat
ARIF AZIZ
T
he world has stepped today into the twenty-
first century and people are living in the
electronic and computer age. Man has
made extraordinary progress because of his
vast knowledge but our Indian society remains a
victim of many outdated customs and traditions like
the caste system, narrow-mindedness and the
curse of violence against women and dowry. It has
now become common to burn daughters-in-law for
dowry or to compel them to commit suicide by sub-
jecting them to taunting, harassment and maltreat-
ment for not bringing enough dowry. Previously
such cases were rare and if at all such incidents
took place, people were surprised and condemned
such cases but now in almost every city such cases
take place frequently while our society tolerates
them calmly and indifferently.
This practice of bargaining openly for dowry or
making the life of daughters-in-law hell because of
bringing insufficient dowry is less in Muslims com-
pared to other communities, though this vice is
creeping fast among us also. Recently such a case
took place in Bhopal when the in-laws sprinkled
kerosene on their daughter-in-law and set her on
fire. Many more such cases have taken place
among Muslims at other places. If such cases in
Muslim society are not many, its main reason is the
Islamic concept of punishment in the Hereafter.
Another important reason of this is the family laws
which are termed as Muslim Personal Laws. Under
thesee laws, the facilities of divorce and khula given
to Muslims (men as well as women) have discour-
aged this evil and inhuman practice, however much
todays so-called modern society may make fun of
these laws. A former judge of the Supreme Court,
Justice H.R. Khanna while referring to this aspect of
the Muslim Personal Law had stated in a discus-
sion, though without supporting or justifying it, that if
conjugal relations become intolerable to the extent
of non-reconciliation under any circumstances, it
should be considered a (logical) reason for divorce
or separation of spouses, though under the existing
laws a state of extremely bad relationship between
husband and wife is not considered enough reason
for separation of husband and wife or divorce.
It is surprising that in the majority (Hindu) soci-
ety when a daughter-in-law is burnt alive for dowry
or is harassed in in-laws house to the extent of com-
pelling her to commit suicide, social reformers do
not pay much attention to this while in cases of
Muslim society, wide publicity is given even to minor
incidents though, except India, in every country of
the world Muslims are free from the curse of dowry.
Even in India this vice has crept into Muslim society
from Hindu society.
This practice is because in Hinduism daughters
do not get any share in the parents property and
therefore, at the time of their marriage, parents send
them out with big amounts of money and lots of
goods which is called kannya daan. With changed
times their nature and form has changed. Previously
this custom (sending out daughters as brides) was
considered an act of benevolence by the parents
but now it has degenerated into a sort of forced
recovery (extortion) by the in-laws and in case of
non-payment of the required dowry, the in-laws
resort to harassment, torture and even bride burn-
ing. Contrary to this, Islamic laws provide for patri-
mony under which daughters inherit a share of the
parental property. Therefore, at the time of a daugh-
ters marriage there is not much financial burden on
parents in the name of dowry but because of emu-
lating others, Muslims too are now becoming victims
of this vice, though it has nothing to do with Islamic
teachings and customs. Hence it can be said with-
out fear and contradiction that dowry demand and
harassment in case of non-fulfilment of thes
demands has made its inroad into the Muslim soci-
ety because of the non-Muslim custom. Every
Muslim family should avoid this evil custom.
(Translated from Urdu)
Why the custom of dowry is
increasing in our society?
DR SUMIT S PAUL
I
n the wake of government legalising
homosexuality and lesbianism, it must
be noted that prior to 1860, when the
Indian Penal Code was imposed by the
British, the Hindu India was very liberal
towards homosexuality and lesbianism.
Contrary to the general tenor that homosex-
uality came to India with the Muslims, espe-
cially with the Mughals, therere clinching
proofs of homosexuality being prevalent
among the sub-continental masses. Mark
Scadners essay, that was proscribed by the
then PM, Jawaharlal Nehru , Homosexual
India (The Illustrated Weekly of India,
1959) clearly stated that, homosexuality
was a way of life and was fully accepted in
the ancient India. The essay wasnt critical
of the ancient Indias attitude towards
homosexuality, rather it lauded Indias
broad-mindedness.
Therere references to homosexuality
and lesbianism in the Indian mythology.
South Indian deity Ayappas birth from the
union of Shiv and Vishnu was authentically
mentioned in Vanita, Ruth and Saleem
Kidwai (eds.) Same-Sex love in India
(2000). South East Asian travellers and
scholars studying at Nalanda, Vikramshila
and Takshshila (now in Pakistan and known
as Taxilla) universities were amazed to see
Hindu Indias nonchalance towards homo-
sexuality. The men and women of Kashmir
indulged in homosexuality and lesbianism.
Theres a Kashmiri poem written in the orig-
inal Sharda script by a Kashmiri Hindu poet-
ess which graphically described her experi-
ence of soixante neuf (69 or cunnilingus)
with another woman. The poem was
penned in the 11th century and was quoted
by Professor Basham, the great Indologist.
The zamindars of Bengal used to
sodomise young boys, especially kept for
sodomy. This reminds readers of the
Pathans of Pakistans NWFP, famous (or
infamous?) for sodomising young boys. In
the 14th century, a small-time king of
Gujarat, Narsingh Solanki, was so
obsessed with boys that he allowed his sol-
diers and ministers to have sex with his 26
sexually frustrated queens to satisfy them.
Ancient sexologist Ganikaputra (he
indeed was the son of a prostitute; Ganika
means a prostitute in Sanskrit) described
how some kings and wealthy people made
love to young men. The ancient India had a
thick connexion with Greece. Therere very
many similarities between the Hellenic and
Hindu cultures and even their pagan gods
and goddesses were similar. It was
Alexanders invasion in 327 BCE , when he
reached Jhelum along with his beleaguered
soldiers, that ushered in a long period of
Indo-Hellenic association. Greeks were
avowed homosexuals and considered
homosexuality to be recreational and het-
erosexuality as procreational.
From 2nd century to the 9th century,
homosexuality was rampant in the Hindu
India, so much so that even medical treatise
of that period like Sushrut and Charak
Samhita obliquely referred to it. Chandel
dynasty of central India had the freedom for
men to choose male prostitutes and women
to opt for female prostitutes and in that peri-
od, precisely 940 AD, the erotic carvings of
Khajuraho were sculpted and some of the
erotic sculptures depicting homosexual sex
were destroyed by the prude missionaries
and the Brits.
There wasnt any homophobia in the
ancient Hindu India and it viewed homosex-
uality as something normal and natural till
the missionaries came and the collective
thinking of the Indians underwent a change.
In short, homosexuality wasnt alien to
Hindu ethos.
Modis crimes in the 2002
genocide are so well-doc-
umented and so recent
that it is very difficult for
them to whitewash it. If
Muslims continue their
campaign with force and be media savy, they can
keep the pressure on Modi and confine him to
Gujarat. Now it becomes the rersponsibility of edu-
cated and well-to-do Indian Muslims, no matter
where they live, that they continue a relentless and
forceful campaign to bring Modi to justice for his
crimes. No matter where we live, we should work on
this campaign.
Homosexuality
not alien to Hindu ethos
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012 3
NATIONAL
Quote,
Unquote
If there is one country in the world which can
hopefully act as a moderator between
Christian West and Islamic Middle East, it is
India.
M. V. KAMATH, Free Press Journal
Bhatkal: India is the only country in the world
where people are united as one whole nation,
with a common cultural heritage and have a feel-
ing of unity in spite of belonging to various
castes, creeds and religions. However, the small
differences that have crept into every Indians
life have been the result of the Britishers con-
spiracy, said Maulana Syed Rabey Hasani
Nadwi, chairman of All India Muslim Personal
Law Board and the rector of Nadwatul Ulama,
Lucknow.
He was addressing the third day of the 50th
year celebration of the Jamia Islamia, Bhatkal.
The theme of the programme for Day 3 was
Message of Peace and Humanity where thou-
sands of participants thronged the Jamia Islamia
campus.
Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Rabey
Hasani Nadwi said that brothers in every house
should be united in order to save themselves
from outsiders but if any differences arise in
between brothers, it will be easy for the out-
siders to destroy the house. People in India
have learnt to have religious tolerance since
ancient times and every common man in the
country strives to have communal harmony.
He stressed that tolerance is the virtue of
extreme necessity in todays world to maintain
world peace. If tolerance among people is lost,
the destruction of the society is inevitable, he
added. He called on the people to unite and work
for the development of the country. He stated that
the concept of minority and majority should not
exist in our country as even the majority is made
up of many minority communities.
Shri Brahmanand Swami, while addressing
the occasion, congratulated the management of
Jamia Islamia for completing 50 years. He
applauded the efforts of Jamia Islamia in creat-
ing religious awareness among common peo-
ple. While quoting references from Quran and
Hadees, he stated that the Quran is the only
holy book that hasnt been altered since its rev-
elation. He said that Muhammed (pbuh) spread
the light amidst the darkness of ignorance. The
Swamy called upon the people to spread the
same words.
Shri Prasanna Swamiji, speaking on the
occasion, said that he was interested in knowing
what is actually taught in the Quran. He stated
that he got all his doubts cleared after he read
the Kannada translation of the Quran. He
averred that although the truth is one, it is
expressed in different ways. While stating that
every religion preaches the oneness of God, he
questioned why have so many conflicts erupted
among people. He asserted the need of clearing
these conflicts by rational thinking and finding
out the truth behind these circumstances.
Karnataka Minister for Primary and Higher
education, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, com-
mended the achievements of Jamia Islamia. He
congratulated the founder, management and
alumni of Jamia Islamia, who had gathered on
the occasion. While dismissing the allegation
that BJP was an anti-Muslim party, he extended
his support for any development required by the
Jamia Islamia. He also informed that Rs 40
crores had been sanctioned this year for building
the Hajj Bhavan in Bangalore, while this propos-
al remained on the cards for 16 years.
Kerala MP ET Muhammed Basheer cited
that three things that remain after a person dies
are Sadaqa-e Jaria (continuous charity), benefi-
cial knowledge and righteous children. He
affirmed that the founders of Jamia Islamia have
achieved all these three things. He stated that
the whole world is plagued now with a number of
problems and everybody is trying to find solu-
tions for them. However, the solutions dont lie
in man-made laws, ideologies and theories;
rather the solution can be found in spiritual edu-
cation. He maintained that Islam does not
address only Muslims. Instead, it addresses the
whole of humanity. He grieved that Hijab (veil)
and Jihad are the most misinterpreted and mis-
understood concepts of Islam that should be
cleared, as Islam is transparent and nothing is
hidden in it.
While presenting the aims and objectives
of the programme, Editor of Vartha Bharathi,
Abdus Salam Putthige addressed the queries
in relation to madrasa and said that a madrasa
is a place where students are educated.
Chairman of Anjuman Hami-e Muslimeen,
SM Syed Khalilur Rahman, while speaking on
the occasion, said that Bhatkal should be made
an example where all people live together in
peace and harmony irrespective of their reli-
gion. He stated that although people of all reli-
gion live harmoniously in the town, media is
hell-bent on tarnishing the image of this peace-
loving town.
On this occasion, Mr. Parvez Kashimi,
President of Majlise Islah wa Tanzeem; govern-
ment secretary IAS Mr. Zameer Pasha; Uttar
Kannada district SP Mr. Bala Krishna and other
dignitaries were present.
Tolerance is necessary to maintain
world peace: Maulana Rabey Nadwi
Low income deterrent for
Muslims in higher
education: survey
New Delhi: Income barrier is a major deterrent
for Muslims in higher education. Referring to a
sample survey of 2007-08 which shows gross
attendance ratio of Muslims at 8.7 percent as
opposed to 16.8 percent in case of non-Muslims
in higher education, a study done by the National
University of Educational Planning and
Administration advocated mainstreaming
madrasas on a par with secondary schools.
The important characteristics of Muslim par-
ticipation in higher education are that at higher
levels of education like postgraduation, atten-
dance of Muslims falls down considerably.
Besides, higher percentage of Muslims (as com-
pared to non-Muslims, 22.4 percent as com-
pared to 19.2 percent) ends up doing diploma
and certificate below graduate level, said the
study conducted on 402 Muslim students
enrolled in higher education.
Another factor that emerges in the study is
higher education is an investment for future
returns. The study said, Continuing traditional
profession compelling to join the job market
(income barrier) emerges as the main factor for
low participation in higher education. On the
other hand, expectation of social and economic
return from higher education (opportunity for
return) also emerges as the main motivating fac-
tor for the participation of Muslims in higher edu-
cation.
Masjid and mandir outnumber
schools in India
The development of our country in real terms can
be assessed from the facts that there are more
masjids and mandirs in India as compared to
schools and hospitals. As per estimate provided
from census there are 27.89 lakh schools and
hospitals and more than 30 lakh religious struc-
tures. C Chandramauli, census commissioner
has said that the margin of difference between
schools and religious places was more or less
the same during 2001 census. During this period
there has been a sharp increase in religious
structures as compared to schools and hospitals.
Educational Institutions have grown by 6.7 lakh
as compared to 7.16 lakh religious places.
Surprisingly over the same period only 80 thou-
sand hospitals were built. Chandramauli has said
that the figure itself speaks volumes about the
pace of the development. In the budget for 2012-
13 there has been 18 percent increase in the
budgetary allocation with a plan outlay of 61,427
crore in which 22 percent increase has been
announced for the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan.
Rs15458 crore has been earmarked for higher
education while school education has received
Rs45969 crore. But the need of the hour is not
the allocation of funds but the implementation of
the funds allocated. Right to Education (RTE)-
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) received Rs
25,555 crore and Rs 3,124 crore for Rashtriya
Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan. In his budget the
finance minister has proposed 6000 schools at
the block level as model schools and out of
which 2,500 will be set up under public-private
partnership.
MG NEWS DESK
New Delhi: Delhi government, which gave the
status of second official language to Urdu, did
not appoint even a single Urdu teacher in gov-
ernment schools during the past 16 years. Not
only this, out of about 1150 government
schools there are 330 schools where there are
more than 100 Muslim students in each class
but in these schools also there is not even one
Urdu teacher. Moreover, in schools where Urdu
teachers were appointed earlier are being sub-
jected to partisan attitude by the government
regarding their salaries because, in the first
place they were not given salaries equal to
what are given to teachers of government
schools and secondly, government had prom-
ised that salaries of Urdu teachers will be made
equal to what are given to migrant Kashmiri
teachers but even this promise has not been
fulfilled till date. Such is the discriminatory atti-
tude of the government towards Urdu which
has been made the second official language of
the state more than ten years ago. The same is
the condition in NDMC schools where Urdu
sections, instead of increasing are being grad-
ually closed down.
Last year the government had issued a
notification for the appointment of Urdu teach-
ers in these schools in response to which many
candidates had submitted applications but no
teacher has been appointed so far. Now that
Corporation elections are going to be held,
Delhis education minister Arvinder Singh
Lovely had declared that 200 Urdu teachers will
be appointed but in this case also no progress
has been made. Delhi government had issued
another notification to the effect that Urdu
teachers will be appointed in schools where
there will be at least six Urdu students but even
after this notification no serious effort was
made to appoint Urdu teachers and instead of
opening new Urdu sections, schools where
these i.e. Urdu sections were closed were not
be re-opened. Principals of schools also
showed their bias towards Urdu seeing that
schools where there were Muslim students who
wanted to read Urdu, principals of these
schools stated in writing that children of our
schools do not want to study Urdu.
General secretary of Islahi Foundation,
Naeem Siddiqi says that after conducting a sur-
vey of government schools we came to the con-
clusion that... (as mentioned in para 1 above, that
out of 1150 government schools, in 330 schools
there are more than 100 Muslim students in
every class who want to study Urdu but no Urdu
teachers are available). Contrary to this, Punjabi
and Hindi teachers are being regularly appoint-
ed. Naeem Siddiqi said that we talked to many
Muslim leaders regarding this but no one helped.
He said that since 1995 Delhi Urdu Academy has
appointed only 23 Urdu teachers.
Chargesheet filed by CBI
in Gopalgarh firing case
CBI has filed chargesheets against 15 people
from the Meo Muslim and Gujjar communities
for violence that killed 10 people in Gopalgarh
on 14 September last year. Ten persons
belonging to the Meo Muslim community were
killed in clashes and police firing at Gopalgarh
in a dispute over a piece of land. CBI has filed
chargesheets in the court of Additional Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate on 6 March. So far the
CBI has not implicated any police officer or any
public representative. According to the
chargesheet 15 people from Gopalgarh and its
adjoining area have been charged under
Section 302 (murder), 307(attempt to murder),
Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter
a public servant from discharging his duties).
However, an independent probe by civil rights
groups including ANHAD concluded in its find-
ings that the police deployed to control the vio-
lence joined other groups against Muslims. As
per the preliminary reports of the fact finding
team of the PUCL, there was no death before
the police intervened and most of the deaths
took place inside the mosque and on the basis
of it one can draw the conclusion that the police
targeted one community. Of the total 15
accused, arrested by the CBI, 10 are from
Hindu community and five from Meo Muslims.
Notably, charges under section 302 were not
slapped on the Meo accused. CBI has outlined
three possibilities that led to the violence
between the two communities and they are: 1.
Heated altercation between Gujjar and Meo
youths over the repairing of a mobile phone off
2. Dispute over a piece of land. 3. Alleged
assault on the Imam of the area.
MG NEWS DESK
Delhi govt. did not appoint even a single Urdu teacher in 16 years
NATIONAL
4 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012
SHAHNAWAZ ALAM
The outcome of elections in Uttar Pradesh has certainly added
one more chapter in Muslim politics in the state. 2012 elections
will be remembered for the emergence of Muslim political parties
in the state. It is also essential to note that for the first time 69
Muslim candidates have won from various political parties as
compared to 56 in 2007 and in more than 60 seats came second
which is remarkable. The final tally will validate the claim that
Muslims can be the real king makers in Uttar Pradesh if they so
chose.
Qaumi Ekta Dal has won two seats. Mukhtar Ansari has won
from Mau while his brother Sibgatullah has won from
Mohammadbad. Mukhtar Ansaris party has some influence
among Muslims or weaker sections because he enjoys the
Robinhood status. Earlier Ansari brothers used to fight elections
on SP or BSP tickets. The Peace Party has surprised many by
winning four seats and of them the biggest surprise is of Akhilesh
Kumar Singh in Rae Bareli. The partys chief Dr Mohammad Ayub
won from Khalilabad while Kamal Yusuf Mallik from
Doomariyaganj and Aneesurrahman from Kanth. The party gener-
ally works for backward Muslims and believes in social engineer-
ing. Shazil Islam of Ittehad-e-Millait Council formed by Maulana
Tauqeer Raza Khan has won from Bhojipura.
Smaller Muslim political parties this time preferred to be on
their own rather than making alliance with other existing secular
parties. These smaller Muslim political parties like Ulema Council,
Qaumi Ekta Dal, Peace Party and Ettehad Front were in the poll
fray this time in alliance with smaller parties. Now Muslim politics
which for so many decades remained invisible and reclusive has
tried to emerge out of political bonding and have created their own
independent identity. This election in the true sense will become
historical for Muslims if Samajwadi party fulfils what has promised
to the Muslim either in the election manifesto or by other means.
Ulema Council emerged after the Batla house encounter, and
it was able to tap the anger of the people of the area in that par-
ticular point of time. According to noted writer Sunil Dutta people
of Azamgarh are well off politically and economically and under
such condition anyone taking up the issue, would find equal sup-
port from the people of that place. PUCL member Masihuddin
Samjri believes that Ulema Council is know for protesting outside
police station and it appears that they are doing something but the
concern remains that this party has limited its role to the Batla
encounter issue. No matter in how small a number, these Muslim
political parties have been able to make their presence felt but the
outcome is likely to cast its impression on the minds of the
Muslims in the long run. (Translated from Hindi)
Muslims in Goa voted against
Congress for reneging on
cemetery promise
It is believed that the minority voted for the BJP because their
local requirements were not met. Not only Muslims but Christians
also this time supported and voted for the BJP. The Congress in
its manifesto during assembly elections in 2007 had promised that
a new cemetery for Muslim in Goa would be built. In the year 1999
the party had also passed a resolution for that purpose but the
party failed to keep up its promise so far. Abdul Matin Carol, gen-
eral secretary of Masjid Goasia has said that having no choice the
Muslims sought support from the BJP and Parikar who is the new
chief minister has promised for an alternative site and we expect
from him to fulfil what was promised to us by him. The present
burial ground was donated by a Muslim family nearly 120 years
ago and at that point of time it was considered sufficient for the
communitys needs but now it has become insufficient with
increased population over the years. Pajifond Hill Kabrastan
which is spread over 17000 square meters was donated to the
community by a Muslim family way back in 1887. The existing
14,000 sq feet cemetery for the population of about 2lakh Muslims
is not adequate and there is no proper road to access it thereby
making it impossible to carry dead body on shoulder. Sometimes
during heavy rain dead bodies float while emitting pungent smell.
The new one as proposed by the earlier Congress government is
adjacent to Goas biggest garbage dump. (Mohammad Naushad
Khan)
Dariyapur Muslims demonstrate
genuine sadbhavna
With no intention of gaining publicity nor without any pomp and
show Muslims of riot prone locality of Dariyapur demonstrated
what genuine sadbhavna means. Moved by the ordeal of people
because of the break down of water supply in the locality, the
trustees of Phooti Masjid threw open the gates of the mosque and
allowed all and sundry (irrespective of religion) to carry water from
the mosque well. Hundreds of Hindu and Muslim women rushed
to fetch water. It may be recalled that highly sensitive locality of
Dariyapur had demonstrated a similar sadbhavna gesture during
the recent ratha yatra in which Muslim mechanics had promptly
welded the chariot and allowed it to pass. Local leader Aziz
Gandhi and councillor Hasan Pathan took the initiative to help the
Hindu families in moments of crisis. (AG Khan)
Shining India?
India a superpower?
Unlikely, says LSE study
Despite impressive achievements in various sectors in recent
years, India is unlikely to be a superpower and in fact, should
not aspire to become one, a study by the London School of
Economics (LSE) has concluded.
The study, titled India: The Next Superpower?, recalls and
dismisses US Secretary of State Hillary Clintons statement
made during her visit to India in 2009 that I consider India not
just a regional power, but a global power.
The LSE study comprising essays by nine experts in the
areas of Indias economy, defence, government, culture, envi-
ronment and society advises caution in assessing Indias claim
to superpower status.
Ramachandra Guha, currently the Philippe Roman Chair in
History and International Affairs at the LSE, argues that it is
doubtful whether India should seek to become a superpower.
He cites seven reasons why India will not become a super-
power.
These are: The challenge of the Naxalites; the insidi-
ous presence of the Hindutvawadis; the degradation of the
once liberal and upright Centre; the increasing gap
between the rich and the poor; the trivialisation of the
media; the unsustainability, in an environmental sense, of
present patterns of resource consumption; the instability
and policy incoherence caused by multi-party coalition
governments, he writes.
Listing Indias several achievements that prompted predic-
tions and ambitions in some quarters about India being the next
superpower, the study goes on to discuss several challenges
that are likely to prevent India from realising such ambitions. It
says: Still, for all Indias success, its undoubted importance and
despite its undisputed potential, there is cause for caution in
assessing Indias claim to superpower status.
India still faces major developmental challenges. The still-
entrenched divisions of caste structure are being compounded
by the emergence of new inequalities of wealth stemming from
Indias economic success.
The study adds: Indias democracy may have thrived in a
manner that few ever expected, but its institutions face profound
challenges from embedded nepotism and corruption.
Indias economic success continues to come with an envi-
ronmental cost that is unsustainable. Moreover, the study says
that India has pressing security preoccupations, but sees the
country continuing to play a constructive international role in,
among other things, the financial diplomacy of the G20.
(It) certainly has a soft-power story to tell as a model of lib-
eral political and economic development Perhaps even more
significantly, the cultural impact of Indian cuisine, literature,
films, music and sporting events will increasingly be felt global-
ly through and beyond Indias vast diaspora, the study says.
It adds: Yet the hopes of those in the West who would build
up India as a democratic counterweight to Chinese superpower
are unlikely to be realised anytime soon. (moneycontrol.com)
Muslims have highest poverty
ratio in India
New Delhi: Despite governments claims of running a number of
programmes and policies for the uplift of Muslims, the commu-
nity continues to suffer from the highest ratio of poverty in the
country.
The official data released by the Planning Commission of
India on 19 March revealed that 33.9% of Muslims in the urban
area are poor which is highest in comparison of any other com-
munity in the country.
In urban areas the poverty ratio at all India level is highest
for Muslims at 33.9%, said Poverty Estimates for 2009-10
released by the Planning Commission.
The estimates also show that for urban areas, the poverty
ratio is high for Muslims in the states of Bihar (56.5%),
Rajasthan (29.5%), Uttar Pradesh (49.5%), Gujarat (42.4%),
and West Bengal (34.9%). The poverty estimate for rural India
is not yet available for Muslims.
The estimates note that the all-India Household Consumer
Expenditure Ratio (HCR) has declined by 7.3 percentage points
from 37.2% in 2004-05 to 29.8% in 2009-10, with rural poverty
declining by 8.0 percentage points from 41.8% to 33.8% and
urban poverty declining by 4.8 percentage points from 25.7% to
20.9%.
However in Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and
Nagaland, poverty in 2009-10 has increased. In rural areas,
Scheduled Tribes exhibit the highest level of poverty (47.4%),
followed by Scheduled Castes (SCs), (42.3%), and Other
Backward Castes (OBC), (31.9%), against 33.8% for all class-
es.
In rural Bihar and Chhattisgarh, nearly two-third of SCs and
STs are poor, whereas in states such as Manipur, Orissa and
Uttar Pradesh the poverty ratio for these groups is more than
half.
Sikhs have lowest HCR in rural areas (11.9%) whereas in
urban areas, Christians have the lowest proportion (12.9%) of
the poor. (Andalib Akhter - theindianawaaz.com)
Polls in UP mark the
emergence of Muslim polity
In a heart-warming gesture, Muslims donated money and super-
vised the construction of a temple in the communally-sensitive
Gaya district of Bihar. The temple dedicated to goddess Durga
was opened for worship last month. There was active help from
Muslims, all of whom are railway employees, to construct the
temple. It is a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity said Ashok
Kumar, a resident of Loco colony in the district, where the temple
is situated. Suresh Prasad,
another resident, said,
Muslims have not only donat-
ed money for the temples
construction but were also
involved in it like us. Tauhid
Alam, one of the Muslims who
helped in the building of the
temple, said, we have been
living here for years and taking
care of each other. It is a ges-
ture of communal harmony.
He said the foundation of the
temple was laid in 2010 and
after that Muslims and Hindus
of the locality worked together
to construct it.
We joined Hindus to collect
donations for the temple con-
struction and also supervised
construction work, said
Mohammad Rafiq, another
Muslim resident. The minority
community collected nearly
500,000 rupees towards the
temples construction.
Mohammad Shahab said
some of the community mem-
bers helped by way of funds
while others helped in the con-
struction work.
Muslims constitute 16 per cent
of the 105 million population of
the Bihar state with over a
dozen Muslim localities in the
Gaya district. Lalji Prasad, a social activist in the district, said this
move by the Muslims in the construction of the shrine would send
a strong message of harmony and peace. Earlier, Mohammad
Fakhrul Islam, a Muslim, had donated his land in Bachwara vil-
lage for constructing a temple in Begusarai district. Over three
decades ago, some Hindus had donated a piece of land for the
construction of a mazar in the same village.
Muslims help build temple in Bihar
Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
handed over on 20 March a grant-in-aid
cheque of 25 Lakh to Islamia Middle School
Sikar, a minority educational institute managed
by Islamia Educational, Cultural and Welfare
Society Sikar. The amount represents grant-in-
aid under Central Plan Scheme -
Implementation of the Scheme for
Infrastructure Development of Private
Aided/Unaided Minority Institutes (elemen-
tary/secondary/senior secondary schools)
[IDMI]. The scheme aims at facilitating educa-
tion of minorities by augmenting and strength-
ening school infrastructure in minority institu-
tions (elementary/secondary/senior secondary
schools) in order to expand facilities for formal
education to children of minority communities.
The CM also handed over the Minority Status
Certificates to Islamia College, Islamia B.Ed.
College and Islamia Senior Secondary School
run by the society at Sikar. The minority status
will facilitate these institutes a long way in
deriving varied benefits.
Shafi Mohammad Quereshi, Director,
Minority Affairs and Narayan Bareth, leading
journalist were present on the occasion. The
beneficiary society was represented by Haji
Abdul Ghaffar Panwar, Haji Allahddin Khan
Balji and Mohammad Ashafaque Kayamkhani.
MG NEWS DESK
Rajasthan CM hands over 25 lakh grant-in-aid
cheque to minority educational institute
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012 5
NATIONAL
SALMAN SULTAN
Azamgarh: After frantic rush to conquer politically the most important
state of Uttar Pradesh, there is relative calm. This may prove to be the
lull before the storm if unprecedented and unexpected victory of
Samajwadi Party is not carried forward in changing the dismal state of
U.P. Though Mr. Rahul Gandhi sincerely tried to understand the prob-
lems of common man and clearly refrained
from making tall promises, his mannerism at
the fag end of the campaign was intriguing.
He was doing well and there was no need for
histrionics or showing his anger over his
seemingly right perception of a sense of
deception of gullible masses through politi-
cal propaganda. It is to the credit of Mr.
Gandhi that after getting deeply influenced
by the appalling living standards of the rural
folk and urban proletariat, he threw caution
to the winds and took the plunge. It was
strange to find senior leaders of the party
defying authority and openly challenging the
exemplary steps taken by the Election
Commission. The grand old party has the
dubious distinction of doing too little too late. The chaos created by
bizarre statements intended for the much needed development of
Muslim minority boomeranged. Another very important factor was the
crisis of confidence vis--vis Muslim minority over the refusal to enquire
the fake Batla House encounter. When Batla House came up in the
NHRCs list of fake encounters, the deliberate rejection of vociferous
demands for a fair enquiry resulted in building up anger among even
those having a lukewarm attitude.
It is a great lesson for young Rahul who is expected to keep on his
effort to pull out U.P. from the quagmire. Generally, critical appraisal is
not entertained by charismatic leaders like Mr. Rahul Gandhi. Even if a
sincere person like Mr. Gandhi tries to be apprised of the ground reali-
ty, he is not allowed to do so by an impenetrable cordon of sycophants.
Obviously, it becomes difficult to get the real picture. It is hoped that Mr.
Gandhi will keep up the vigil and keep the ruling party on the right track.
The new leader, who is equipped with modern education on one
hand and is proud of his rural background on the other, has shown his
no-nonsense attitude by refusing to induct tainted politicians in the
Party. Much is expected from a gentle, witty and seemingly good
natured Akhilesh Yadav. However, the tall promises made to the Muslim
minority and educated youths may make him perspire sooner than later.
Employment allowance, laptops and tablets to educated youth, XII and
X passouts will drain off the coffer. Samajwadi
Party has promised all these goodies in its
manifesto but didnt even try to point out the
estimated budget and its source. At the
moment, long lines at employment exchange
necessitating use of Police force do not bode
well for the young C.M. and his associates.
The present overwhelming mandate is due in
large part to the arrogance and wasteful
expenditure incurred by Ms. Mayawati. It is
unbelievable that a Dalit leader like Ms.
Mayawati is in possession of over a hundred
crore property in addition to around a crore
worth of jewellery. She used to spend lavish-
ly on her birthdays while Dalit masses suf-
fered in poverty. Though she did built monu-
ments to let Dalit masses feel proud of but with the time lapse Dalit intel-
lectuals will realize her folly and the masses will become aware of the
futility of this hollow pride at the cost of their overall socio-economic
development.
Akhilesh Yadav will have to guard against unscrupulous elements
sneaking in the Party and will have to choose his team in such a way
that his attitude and strong stand against letting in persons of shady
character gets a confirmation. Mr. Yadav will also have to care for the
rapid development of regions so far neglected in order to quell the
demand for small states. Another very important thing associated with
Samajwadi Party is the campus hooliganism. The Party is for restoring
students unions but it should not be at the cost of indiscipline in educa-
tional institutions. Ms Mayawati is credited for taking a firm stand
against copying in examinations and one hopes that an invigorated
Samajwadi Party will also strive for standard educational system. Let us
wish well to the new leader of Uttar Pradesh.
HAIDER ABBAS
L
ucknow: Mayawatis term as chief minister, when she had
to face an anti-incumbency wave, came to an end on
6 March when she remarked that Muslims transferred 70
percent of their votes to the Samajwadi Party and thus
charted BSPs ouster from office. She is right. But why did
Muslims (as if Dalit and Brahmin vote has remained intact)
ditched Mayawati? This is the question of the day. Taking stock
of her stand vis--vis Muslims during her last five years is neces-
sary for an assessment as to where the script went wrong?
The first observation is that no sooner she attained power
she summoned Muslim ulama who, without exception, were
made to enter her room, all bare feet, while she remained in her
boots and she was vocally angry to find no representative from
Nadwatul Ulama. Nadwa is one of the prime seats of Islamic
leaning in the country. Later Maulana Saeedur Rahman Azmi,
principal of Nadwatul Ulama and Maulana Kalb-e Jawad, had to
comply too. None of the ulema of course felt the insult as they
have become quite immune, but Muslim masses noticed it and
felt insulted. Mayawati had done it in order to score a point over
Mulayam who had until then been seen as Muslims sole patron
in the state. The step went utterly wrong as ulama made their hay
under her rule and today have hopped back to Mulayam. U.P.
Muslims with a population of around 40 million officially make
19.8 percent of the UP voters which makes them a deciding fac-
tor in over 140 constituencies.
The first acid test for Mayawati came in 2009 as she was
previously hailed to be the next PM of the country but after the
Lok Sabha elections, in which BSP miserably won 20 seats,
there was quite an understandable scramble. In one of her
review-meetings, she was reminded by Ghayasuddin Qidwai,
chairman of the UP Minority Commission, that she had lost as
she had branded Azamgarh as Atankgarh. Qidwai was drubbed
the moment his speech ended. Even her own party affiliates
could not dare open their mouth. But the removal on such a pre-
text made Muslims suspicious of Mayawatis attitude and plans.
Later, Mayawati found it too merry to fill the Minority Commission
with nine Buddhists and one Jain, and Muslims were made to be
content to be a minority even in a minority commission consist-
ing of 15 members. The toothless Liyaqat Ali, its last chairman,
could not even muster courage to visit Nighasan, where a 14-
year-old Muslim girl was raped by policemen. Mayawati would
never have bugged to order a CBI inquiry into the same had SC
not ordered a CBI probe into another case which had involved
the rape of a Dalit girl by a BSP MLA.
Political dispensation necessitates scrutiny on every context.
Mukhtar Ansari, the mafia don who was once hailed as a messi-
ah of the poor by Mayawati, as her party candidate in 2009 was
soon expelled, but Dhananjay Singh, another mafia don and
BSP parliamentarian, enjoyed full political patronage until he was
finally arrested for his involvement in a double-murder case. He
has recently been out on bail while Ansari has remained in jail
throughout the BSP tenure. Dhananjays wife lost as an inde-
pendent candidate in 2012 while Ansari and his brother have
won after forming their own political party, Quami Ekta Dal. The
Ansaris were previously expelled from SP too.
Digvijay Singh, the UP Congress party in-charge and a fallen
star today, also needs a mention here. He had visited Azamgarh
on 3 Feb. 2010 to pave the way for Rahul Gandhis visit (which
was deferred then) but what did Muslims get? The arrest of a
young Muslim boy, Shahzad Ahmad, which was done at the
behest of the BSP government as claimed by Santosh Singh,
Azamgarhs former MP, and it was done primarily to blunt any
possible political prospects for the Congress. What else could be
better than to make a Muslim scapegoat. Today, SP has won nine
out of the 10 seats from Azamgarh. The two Muslim terrorists,
Khalid Mujahid and Tariq Qasmi, have also almost spent the
whole Mayawati term in jail. They were arrested by UP STF over
trumped up terrorism charges on 22 Dec. 2007 (they were actu-
ally kidnapped much earlier) and the probe which Mayawati had
ordered in this case for submission of the inquiry report within six
months is no where even near completion today four years later.
E
ven the symbolism of Mayawati lacked substance as the
Urdu Arabic Persian University, which she had opened was
named after Kanshi Ram. This did not go well with the Muslim
sentiment as owing to the centuries-old relationship of Arabic
and Persian with Lucknow, the move only earned her ridicule.
Moreover, another university established in the name of her
partys general secretary Satish Chandra Misras mother was
kicked-off on a Shia waqf land. Such was the writ of the govern-
ment that no one could dare organise even a small protest
against the usurpation of waqf land. Kalbe Jawad had to remain
a squeamish shadow of his own self.
The blue eyed boy of Mayawati, Naseemuddin Siddiqui,
remained too engrossed in stuffing his own personal coffers. He
was the proverbial revenue-collector of Mayawati. But he could
not qualify himself beyond the tag of a capable sycophant. He
and his wife, who is also legislative-council member, are facing
severe charges of accumulation of wealth disproportionate to
their known sources of income by the Lokayukta. Muslims are
yet to make out how and why he cried LK Advani zindabad on
the latters visit at the BSP government invitation in 2003 when it
was being touted that BSP-BJP were going to parliament polls
together in 2004. BSP had on all previous three occasions
formed its government courtesy of BJP.
The silent yet energetic voting pattern of Muslims baffled
political pundits. The increased voting was due to the increase in
Muslim votes. So why did Muslims vote in such large numbers?
The answer lies in the 30 Sept. 2010 judgement in the
Ramjanambhumi/Babri Masjid verdict which had ordered two-
thirds of the Babri Masjid to be given to the Hindu side and the
rest to the Muslim side. Muslims found themselves flabbergast-
ed and battered, as judiciary being the last vestige of hope failed
to come to their rescue, and even the continued possession of
over four-centuries had become immaterial in the eyes of law.
To add insult to the injury, Mayawati called for the immediate
implementation of the order irrespective of the fact that Muslims
had decided to go to the SC. Hence it was easily deducted by
Muslims that Mayawati was out of sync even with tokenism. On
the contrary, Mulayam said the judgement has made Muslims
feel cheated and for this he is facing a court contempt charge.
But Mulayam had scored the veritable point. This stand helped
cement his ties with the Muslim political stalwart Muhammed
Azam Khan, and the combination romped home with 224 seats.
It is now for SP to align with the Muslim aspirations. SP has
found 43 Muslim winners this time. Three have been made cab-
inet and seven state ministers. The story is going fine until now.
How would the SP government fare in all the next five years vis-
a-vis Muslims will be the story of 2017 but before that will come
the parliament polls in 2014.
Mayawatis Muslim Moment
U.P.: Promises To Keep
The arrest of a young Muslim boy, Shahzad Ahmad, which was done at
the behest of the BSP government as claimed by Santosh Singh,
Azamgarhs former MP, and it was done primarily to blunt any possible
political prospects for the Congress. What else could be better than to
make a Muslim scapegoat. Today, SP has won nine out of the 10 seats from
Azamgarh. The two Muslim terrorists, Khalid Mujahid and Tariq Qasmi,
have also almost spent the whole Mayawati term in jail. They were arrest-
ed by UP STF over trumped up terrorism charges on 22 Dec. 2007 (they
were actually kidnapped much earlier) and the probe which Mayawati had
ordered in this case for submission of the inquiry report within six months
is no where even near completion today four years later.
Hamid Ansari likely to be
Congress presidential candidate
In the prevailing political situation where no party
has the strength to get his candidate elected in the
upcoming presidential polls efforts are on to find a
candidate who enjoys acceptability within all politi-
cal circles. As a result, Congress may want to
favour Hamid Ansari as a consensus candidate
who was supported by most of the political parties
during his candidature as Vice president. Ansaris
name for vice president was proposed by Prakash
Karat to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in 2007.
Ansari was supported by several parties and
emerged as a consensual candidate of the secular
parties. A section within the Congress feels that
Ansari who was the vice chancellor of AMU may be
supported by parties across political circles.
Ansaris affiliation with the UPs Ghazipur may in a
way also help him to find support of Mulayam
Singh. (Mohammad Naushad Khan)
NATIONAL
6 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012
ALKA PANDE
On the eve of World Water Day, Indian government honoured
2,857 villages in 23 states with Nirmal Gram Puraskars [clean
village awards]. Nirmal Gram Puraskar is given by the Indian
government in acknowledgement of hundred per cent water,
sanitation and hygiene coverage in a village. President of
India Pratibha Patil, in a ceremony held in Delhi, awarded
these 2,857 villages for their cleanliness achievements. India
has more than 600,000 inhabited villages, of which less than
half a per cent have qualified to get the award for cleanliness.
The ironic fact is that none of the villages in the state of
Goa, which is known for its beaches and is popular among
foreign tourists, could qualify to get even a single Nirmal
Gram Award. Even in Kerala, which is another tourist site in
India, only seven villages could get the award. The top five
states to get maximum awards are Maharashtra, Gujarat,
Meghalaya, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, where more
than 300-400 villages received Nirmal Gram Puraskar. This
could have been possible due to awareness in these states.
Says 28-year-old Sushila Devi from Madhya Pradesh, I
went back to my parents house and told my mother-in-law that
I would come back only when they have got a toilet construct-
ed in the house, which was finally done and I am back now.
The smile on Sushilas face narrates more than what she says.
Madhya Pradesh is the fifth state from top in getting Nirmal
Gram Purskar.
While giving away the award, President Pratibha Patil
said that out of 2.5 million people lacking essential services,
the largest segement is in India. Despite the success made
so far, the challenge for sanitation is bigger. There is a need
to have an integrated approach with emphasis on school san-
itation, said Patil. She stressed further, The villages are the
base for the economic, social and political growth of India and
unless they are clean the nation cannot grow. She appreci-
ated the appointment of more than 24,000 community work-
ers at grassroots level, which took place during the NGP
award function last year.
On the occasion, the Union Minister for Drinking Water
and Sanitation, Jairam Ramesh admitted that with 60 percent
of the population defecating in the open, Nirmal Gram
Puraskar is just a function to pat our backs but the real work
is beyond receiving the award and also by sustaining the sta-
tus of being a Nirmal Gram Puraskar. Mr Ramesh hoped that
in next five years following the example of Sikkim state, which
boasts of hundred per cent sanitation coverage, Maharashtra
would also strive to be the second such state in the country.
So far 10 percent of panchayats have received Nirmal Gram
Purskar since the inception of NGP in 2003 but more impor-
tant is to sustain the status and the GP which will achieve in
doing so will be awarded separately at national level.
In order to ensure hundred per cent sanitation, the
Government of India started countrywide Total Sanitation
Campaign. The Total Sanitation Campaign is now operational in
607 rural areas of the country. The endeavour is that all villages
of India become open-
defecation free and turn
into Nirmal Grams [clean
and green villages]. To
recognise and encourage
the Panchayati Raj
Institution efforts under
Total Sanitation Campaign,
Nirmal Gram Puraskar
(NGP) was announced on
October 2, 2003. A Nirmal
Gram is an Open
Defecation Free village
with all houses, schools
and anganwadis having
sanitary toilets besides
awareness amongst com-
munities about the impor-
tance of maintaining per-
sonal and community
hygiene, good sanitation
and clean environment.
(CNS)
RAM PUNIYANI
ram.puniyani@gmail.com
Supreme Court slammed
the RSS Sarsanghchalak,
Dr. Mohan Bhagwat for stat-
ing that Karkare had told
him that he was under
tremendous pressure to nail
the RSS in unsolved cases
of terror acts like, Malegaon,
Ajmer, Samjhauta Express blast (Feb 28, 2012).
As per the Chief of RSS, he knew Karkare well
and Karkare had solicited his cooperation in
solving these cases, and in this context, had told
him about the pressures being put on him.
One knows that Karkare was under pres-
sure during that time. One also knows that the
investigations into the acts of terror were lead-
ing nowhere and after every blast, a number of
young Muslim boys were arrested, the blame
was put on some affiliate of Lashkar, Al Qaeda
etc. After Karkare took over as the chief of
Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad, things start-
ed moving. The turning point was the meticulous
investigation by Karkares team which led to the
unearthing of the motor cycle used in the
Malegaon blast, the motor cycle belonged to
Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, the ex ABVP
(RSS affiliate) activist, and the leads took the
ATS to the whole set of the terror group, which
were later called Saffron terrorism by the
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram.
These investigations led Karkare to Swami
Dayanand Pandey, Lt Col. Prasad Shrikant
Purohit, Swami Aseemanand, Indresh Kumar,
Sunil Joshi, Kasangra and number of those
close to the RSS or close to RSS affiliates. The
implication of this was very clear.
Once this Hindutva network got exposed the
acts of terror which were occurring at regular
intervals in front of mosques dargahs and other
places, where Muslims congregate for prayers
came to a halt. As such it was ironical that the
blasts were focussed to kill the Muslims and after
every act against them, Muslims were arrested.
With the Rajasthan ATS joining the process of
investigation the evidence against these
Hindutva elements became further clearer.
The confession of Swami Aseemanand in
presence of the magistrate gave the full details
of the modus operandi of these acts of terror.
The people involved in these acts believed that
they were doing these dastardly acts to avenge
Muslim terrorists and that these acts were
aimed to pave the way for Hindu Rashtra.
Swami Aseemanand, the VHP leader working in
Gujarat, who was the architect of Shabri Kumbh
Mela was the key figure in these blasts in many
ways. In the statement given by him in the pres-
ence of the magistrate he confessed that their
group was involved in these activities.
Since then, more and more beans have
been spilt from the Sangh bag, the latest one
being that of the involvement of Kamal Chauhan
in Samjhauta blast. Chauhan has been labelled
a disgruntled element by his parent organiza-
tion, RSS. This again is a standard ploy of the
RSS. Most of those who are caught doing these
acts of murders or blasts are claimed to have
left the organization some time ago or if possi-
ble their association with the RSS combine is
put under wraps.
One recalls that there was a time when
nobody believed that RSS associates can be
part of these acts of terror. RSS claims they do
not believe in violence. Their claims have been
exposed one after the other. Now they claim,
that they are being implicated by the ruling party
to appease the minorities; or that those being
charged for acts of terror are clean people and
are deliberately being implicated in terrorist
acts. Going by expose after expose, the RSS at
one level is trying to disassociate itself from
these terror accused, on the other is propagat-
ing that they are accused but not guilty and on
yet another level claiming that the investigating
authorities have been pressurized to nail the
RSS cohorts.
This defence is very weak. The statement of
RSS chief comes at a time when Karkare has
already become a martyr in the cause of
defending the country. There is no way he can
confirm or deny what the patriarch of Sangh
Combine is saying. But yes there are some
clues which can tell us, as to what the truth is.
Lets recall that Sadhvi Pragya Thakur was
caught for her alleged role in Malegaon blast,
none other than Lal Krishna Advani went to the
Prime Minister to complain about the torture of
Pragya Singh Thakur and demanded investiga-
tion into Thakurs torture. At the same time
another Hindutva leader Bal Thakeray con-
demned Karkare, calling him anti national and
wrote in his mouth piece Saamna that we spit
on his face! Another Hindutva warrior Narendra
Modi called Karkare Deshdrohi (anti national).
Incidentally both these, Thackeray and Modi,
are hailed as Emperors of Hindu hearts. Later
Modi called Karkare a great patriot after his
death. Modi went to the extent of offering one
crore Rupees to Karates widow, which she
gracefully refused.
On the contrary Congress leader Digvijay
Singh claimed that Karkare had called him on
the night of 26/11, the day Mumbai was attacked
by Kasab and gang, and said that there is
tremendous pressure on him from the Right
wing. Digvijay Singh also showed the press clip-
ping to that effect and pointed out that BSNL,
Bhopal cannot give the records of the conversa-
tion between him and Karkare as the matter was
more than a year old at that time, and BSNL
does not keep records beyond a year.
There is another source which tells us the
direction from which Karkare was being pressur-
ized. Julio Ribeiro, one amongst the police offi-
cer of highest integrity in the country, in his obit-
uary to Karkare (Times of India, Mumbai Edition
28th Nov 2010) pointed out that there was a
direct insinuation into the work of Karkare, who
was intimidated by Advani and other Hindutva
gang members. Karkare sought solace and
advice from his senior Ribeiro, Ribeiro con-
firmed that Karkare was being harassed and
intimidated by the associates of Advani-Modi
and company. Ribeiro advised his junior col-
league to carry on with his work irrespective of
the pressures. He came to me because he was
looking for someone to hold his hand, Ribeiro
told IANS on phone from Mumbai while stress-
ing that Karkare was not a man to be politically
influenced.
While this is what the truth is, one can see
the motive behind Bhagwats statement in the
face of so many of his cabal either charged or in
jail. In an earlier event Bhagwats predecessor
K. Sudarshan had also played a similar game.
During the investigation of Babri demolition,
when the role of RSS combine was coming
more and more to the surface, Sudarshan said
that he heard Gandhian Nirmala Didi saying
that there was a blast inside the mosque which
demolished the mosque. Fortunately Didi was
alive at that time to deny something being
claimed to be said by her. So there is some pat-
tern in the statements of RSS chiefs! Hindutva.
(Issues in Secular Politics)
Terror investigations and RSS
Less than half a percent Indian villages can be termed clean
There was a time when nobody believed that RSS associates can be part
of the acts of terror. Their claims have been exposed one after the other.
Loans denied because they are Muslims
Tanda (U.P.): Tanda, a town in Ambedkar Nagar (formerly Akbarpur) district
of U.P. which was at one time the assembly constituency of chief minister
Mayawati has a large Muslim majority and famous for handloom and power-
loom industries but the governments have been adopting discriminatory atti-
tude towards the people engaged in hand made cloth industry. This town is
probably the best example of poverty, backwardness and governments indif-
ference. There are about 50 thousand powerlooms in this town and almost
all those associated with this industry are Muslims. According to local people,
because of being a Muslim majority town, no government has opened either
any school or college during the past 30/40 years nor set up any government
institution nor taken any steps for the improvement of this towns textile
industry or its people.
According to Tariq Manzoor, an important personality of this town, gov-
ernment prepares plans and schemes for the whole country but those are not
implemented here. At the same time, so much complications are made for
the people of this place that their access to governments schemes and proj-
ects becomes extremely difficult. Because of changing economic policies,
the condition of bunkars of this place has always been very bad. During elec-
tion times political parties make so many promises. This time also the gov-
ernment announced a package of writing off of loans totalling of Rs. 3000
crores to get their votes; but according to Mazhar Inam of Tanda, when they
do not give loans to Muslims, why this drama of waiving loans? Muslims do
not get loans because all banks refuse to give loans to them.
Power looms almost entirely depend upon electricity and power. There is
of course a large, government power house with a capacity of 1000
megawatt but inspite of this, power looms do not get the required electricity.
According to Afaq Akhtar, a young industrialist, economic condition of this
place has become worse. He says that he has six power looms. The income
generated from these is just enough to keep us alive. Education of children
and meeting other requirements are not possible.
Akhtar Alam runs a public school in Tanda. He says that even the peo-
ple of this place are also themselves responsible for their (bad) conditions
because there has been no movement for creating awareness among the
people for their rights. But Mazhar Inam says that the problem is not of move-
ment and implementation of schemes. The real problem is that the govern-
ment does not want to do anything for improving the conditions of Muslims
or for their progress and development. The way the government has enact-
ed separate laws or special rules for the progress of harijans, why cant the
same type of laws or rules be framed for the progress and development of
Muslims? UPs population is 20 crores of which about 4 crores are Muslims
and the majority of them are bunkers or weavers. According to Inam Ilahi, an
active worker of Tanda, lakhs of people (Muslims) in this state earn their liv-
ing through this industry but inspite of this all governments have totally
ignored this sector. Bunkars think and argue that just as agriculture depends
on rains and water and if and when there is little or no rain, government pro-
vides help to them in different ways, in the same way when there is little or
no supply of electricity they also should be helped in different ways. Inam
Ilahi says that in the manifestos of political parties there are lots of hollow
promises for Muslims but they have no practical programmes for the poor
Muslim bunkers. (NAAnsari)
MG/Yusuf
Should I also
join in?
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012 7
NATIONAL
MUSTAFA KHAN
For almost a decade since Narendra Modi
assumed office as chief minister of Gujarat the
name of Vanzara started figuring in news about
violent deaths. The deaths of Muslims in the
genocide and fake encounters assumed a new
dimension, with the labelling of Muslims as anti
nationals and hence the justification to extermi-
nate them. The duo made it out that the Muslims
were in league with Pakistans Inter Services
Intelligence and Lashkar-e-Toiba. Vanzara was a
senior police officer in charge of the crime
branch located in Gaikwad Haveli in
Ahmadabad. He hosted sumptuous dinners for
fanatic Hindus who had killed more than 800
Muslims of Naroda Patia. He opened the larders
of the officers guesthouse to hide them.
Subsequently the chief minister told his police to
set them free.
Thereafter Vanzara staged fake encounters
and killed Muslims and called it deshbhakti, patri-
otism. Of course it would be a platitude to say that
he was his masters voice. The only difference
now is that the master is out and bragging about
the development he has brought to his state and
the cop is behind bars in the Sabarmati jail since
April 2007. There is no change in him as there is
no change in the state as far as the Muslims are
concerned, a long term effect of stagnation of jus-
tice where fair is foul and foul is fair. He is still car-
rying on as if he has not committed any crimes
against humanity and so hasnt his master who
reigns supreme. This is a continuation of the ide-
ology of the saffron groups, particularly the parent
body Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The often
repeated stance of the groups is to pay no heed
to the deaths of the Muslims and deny any
involvement. Thus RSS boss Mohan Bhagwat
was in Nasik on February 20, 2012. He held forth
on the internal threats to the countrys security as
if the deaths of the minorities in Malegaon,
Gujarat and Kadhamal or elsewhere is not a mat-
ter of concern. Still Bhagwat and his aides de
camp want more and more Central Hindu Military
Education Societys schools like the Bhonsla
Military School in Nasik and Nagpur opened in
Gujarat, Madhya Pardesh and elsewhere in India.
He spoke as if the role of Bhonsla Military School
in terrorism is a matter of the rights of the Hindus
in the country and Muslim deaths do not matter.
As recently as 2008 and 2009 it was established
by Hemant Karkares finding that BMS was used
for training terrorists in the use of bomb making
by Lt Col Shrikant Purohit and the former military
officers now as office holders of the BMS were
involved in it. However, the recent election
results of February 2012 belie the narrow chau-
vinistic vision as the other and hence renewed
relevance of what nationalism really should be.
Is hatred the cementing power of nationalism?
Some observers have pointed out that what
happened in Gujarat was the fault of education
and particularly rote learning. Martha Nussbaum
in her book The Clash Within says: Rote learn-
ing is a problem in most of public education in
India; nowhere is critical thinking given the
robust development that early Indian progressive
educators such as Rabindranath Tagore rightly
urged. But it is clear that the Gujarat system
relies even more than others on rote repetition-
its textbooks have been notorious for their failure
to encourage critical thinking-while a focus on
technical training promotes the states pro busi-
ness agenda. (Gujarat has outstanding schools
of management and rural management.) This
has convincingly been proved to be in the case
of Vanzara and the former Prime Minister of India
AB Vajpayee. In the case of the latter he blamed
the Muslims who do not live with their neighbours
in peace. This came from him in the midst of the
massive killings of Muslims in the Gujarat 2002
genocide. The Hindu fanatics carried out a well-
orchestrated genocide in letter and spirit and yet
Vajpayee blamed the Muslims! If not turning truth
on its head, what else it was?
Vanzara hails from Illol. This native of Illol vil-
lage was fortunate that the Muslims of the village
contributed money to support him for higher edu-
cation. Thinking him no different from them they
generously donated money to Vanzara to com-
plete his education. He never learnt that those
who educated him were Indian (incidentally,
Muslims). Even so without exercising critical
thinking he toed the line of Hindutva in carrying
out the genocide. After having killed Sohrabuddin
he and his men killed Kauserbi. Such was the
condition of his mind that he took her dead body
all the way to his village and cremated it. Even the
heavy rains in which his car got stranded did not
deter him from such a step or gave him a chance
to use critical thinking. He summoned the army
crane to haul the car out of the mud. He even
ordered wood from Ahmadabad for his heinous
crime. After cremating the body he paved it with a
concrete slab in his well. How strange, that lack of
critical thinking leads humans to err!
On March 10, 2012 two volumes of Vanzaras
poems were released at a function held in the
Sabarmati prison. The titles of his volumes are
significant. Sinh Garjana (Roar of the Lion) and
Ran Tankar (Battle Cry). The theme of patriotism
is a copy cat of the patriotism that he showed in
murdering innocent Muslims and calling it patriot-
ism. One of the poems is translated: Kill the chil-
dren of the Wahabis mercilessly and crush the
jihadis; Jinnah is a jihadi, dont sing his songs;
crush the antisocial elements and send them
across the Sindhu. The man who presided over
the function of the release of the books was
Shabbir Khandawawala the first Muslim Director
General of Police of the state. Modi had mixed
motives to have him in such a post. There was a
persistent hue and cry against the role of the
police in conducting the pogroms against the
minority and the subsequent subversion of the
judicial process. Modi made a belated effort to
change the situation which only enhances the
view of the anti-minority regime that he had
installed in and has continued to rule through it in
open defiance of world opinion. The presiding
officer and even the Director General of Police for
Prison present there violated the Indian Penal
Code on abetment to murder and discrimination
against a group on the basis of religion. When the
past and present government officers graced the
occasion of the release of the books and let him
sit with them despite the stricture of the Central
Bureau of Investigation. Who could bell the cat?
There is an amazing kind of rhapsody in
Vanzaras poetry. It shows even in his poetry (!)
how there was corroboration of the fact that the
pogroms and fake encounters were state spon-
sored. It further confirms the worst fears of many
including non Muslims that the Muslims like any
other under privileged minority are according to
the perception of Modi and his Hindutva groups
to be redundant for the productive life of Vibrant
Gujarat and indeed India. The release of
Vanzaras books with the kind of fanfare in the
prison smacks of the same brouhaha as that
over Vibrant Gujart. It implies that the genocide
was an aberration and not long term policy mat-
ter! Therefore it should be left behind in oblivion.
Thus Pankaj Mishra in the Guardian of March
14, 20012 draws a similar conclusion that much
like the anti minority violence in Chechnya and
Thailand Ten years later, the 2002 anti-Muslim
pogrom too seems to have been a necessary
blood rite-anointing not just Vibrant Gujarat but
also the New India. He quotes Arjun Appadurai
saying: against worldwide Malthusian correction,
which works through the idioms of minoritisation
and ethnicisation but is functionally geared to
preparing the world for winners of globalization,
minus the inconvenient noise of its losers. (The
Gujarat massacre: New Indias blood rite) This
worldview held today by some is devoid of the
moral values in which Vanzara has passed and
acquired the diploma from Annamalai University. In
his poem he exhorts the people to massacre all the
children of the wahabis and expel them to the other
side of the Sindhu river. This is putting the clock
back to the time when Mohammad Qasim and
other adventurers came to India and made it their
home. Hence this is the contamination of the races
and induction of a foreign born religion. This mer-
ciless crushing of the Muslims and wiping their
remains even from modern day India is as much
genocidal as was what Modi and Vanzara among
others let loose upon the minority in Gujarat in
2002.
Vanzaras leitmotif in his poetry is a copy of
his action. One such action is what, he being the
closest to the chief minister must have organ-
ized. This is also supported by his disposing off
the body of Sohrabuddin Shaikhs wife. The
description is penned by no other than the senior
police officer Geetha Johari who conducted an
inquiry into the fake encounter death of
Sohrabuddin Shaikh: On November 26 at 4 am,
... constable Ajay Parmar was asked to bring a
Hero Honda motorcycle lying in the backyard of
an ATS office here. Sohrabudin was also brought
here. A sub-inspector of Rajasthan police rode
the bike for a short distance and jumped off it. As
it fell, Sohrabuddin was pulled out of the car and
thrown on the road. Four police inspectors fired
eight rounds from their service pistols. Vanzara
then asked Parmar to take Sohrabuddin to the
civil hospital.
Vanzara was also instrumental in making
public the sex video of Modis arch rival in the
RSS, Sanjay Joshi. Being this close to the chief
minister made him a daunting figure. So when
the officers in the programme asked him to sit
with the audience he ignored it and went and sat
next to Khandawawala. Why shouldnt he be
buoyed by the popularity of his books? According
to one report the books flew away from the shelf
and readers avidly snatched the copies and the
publishers had to rush through editions and sec-
ond sequels. Rote learning and the kind of radi-
cal composition that Vanzara has produced sure-
ly pales into insignificance the ardour of Mary
Shelley and her husband PB Shelley over the
French Revolution and the guillotine. As the
reign of terror in France at the turn of the eigh-
teenth century produced horror so has the geno-
cide, and in addition produced a foul smelling
standing cesspool of injustice.
Even more worrisome and surely a warning
to those who are citizens of this country is that
the battle is not just a riot at the centre of a
debate but a well planned genocide well pack-
aged to rival and go beyond the one in 1984.
Even in the full glare of the camera and world
focus will Modi and Vajpayee be allowed to pull
wool over our eyes and get away? The signs are
that the brisk sale of the books of Vanzara and
their perusal will lead to taking in the content that
is radicalizing and widening the gulf between
groups of people. Lest it should turn into a guer-
rilla warfare and turn India into a fen like Ireland
was, the time has come to strengthen the laws
and bring the country back to the rule of law. The
ghettoization of the country bodes ill for the
future of the nation.
Vanzara built a palace for a luxurious life in
Illol-rivaling the palace of opulence built by Kubla
Khan in Xanadu while those who languish in the
ghettoes also know lebensraum because it is
their need also. Almost all the Muslim victims
have lost their homes and farms because they
cannot even think of returning to them thanks to
the reign of terror that Modi has sustained and
stoppage of justice his rule has ushered in. What
form their struggle will take to regain their land
and farms cannot be a mere academic issue and
will not remain so for long. It is also not sure if the
world would use economic sanction to get them
what is rightfully theirs. This down turn in their life
is the result of a carefully planned strategy of an
ideology of hate. There is also the Newtonian law
operating here. Against this natural action and
reaction there is the artificially generated one in
a poem of Vanzara. He speaks of the
Bangladesh migrants roaming everywhere
From Kutch to Kohima, Bangladeshi nationals
are roaming free; they commit all crimes in front
of the authorities. In another poem he speaks of
liberating Rawalpindi from the hands of the
Pakistanis and showing China its place vis--vis
India. Even more menacing is his warning to the
politicians within the country whom he calls
snakes. It is a sinister hint ala RSS that politi-
cians and politics do not count where ideology is
supreme. This is a matter of legitimate concern
for our democracy. Perhaps the establishment of
the Hindu Rashtra will involve the last battle that
Vanzara would fight when he refers to: Even
before my arrest, I was taken for a criminal. After
I was arrested, a one-sided war was started
against me and the co-accused. Today, people
refuse to meet me even in private, let alone in
public.
The publishers Kunal Shah and Jayesh
Shah claim that the books have been sold out so
fast on account of the patriotism in them: Jayesh
Shah says, These books contain poetry about
patriotism. People usually like poems that touch
the heart. This kind of writing gives inspiration to
them. Because of this, we support Vanzara by
publishing his books. All Indians would love to
be patriotic but if patriotism is viewed as the priv-
ilege reserved for the Hindutva, wont a large
section be deprived of their right to citizenship
itself as the victims of the genocide? Where will
Muslims be when Vanzara calls all the politicians
traitors?
It would be sorely tested, as to how long the
government at the Centre and in the state allows
the living space that Muslims lost to the Hindu
extremists. On the top of it the state government
has also passed bills into legislation which forbid
Muslims from getting their premises vacated if
they are rented to Hindus, neither can they buy
or sell them. This is a concerted effort of
Hindutva that the land belongs to Hindus and
Muslims must be dispossessed of the land.
RSSs cultural nationalism in Vanzaras patriotism
Fearless in her endeavour to secure jus-
tice for the minorities, Mumbai-based
civil rights activist, Teesta Setalvad has
devoted her life to social issues and com-
munal concerns. Sharmila Bhosale inter-
acts with the feisty founder of Citizens for
Peace and Justice.
You would not want to cross swords
with Teesta Setalvad, who has been called, among other things,
a one-woman army, a firebrand crusader and a woman with a
passion for the truth. Single-handedly responsible for ensuring
that justice is signed, sealed and delivered even for seemingly
lost causes, Setalvad has also been instrumental in notching up
a first for the Indian legal system - of having got a sensitive case
transferred from one state to another on the grounds that the
state machinery was not equipped to mete out justice fairly.
I always felt that the system needs to be accountable, to be
transparent, she says, at her bungalow-cum-office in Mumbais
suburban Juhu, which is guarded round the clock by a posse of
policemen. She means business and minces no words: Even as
a journalist, I felt that exposing the ugly truth wasnt enough. One
has to go beyond and follow up with a sus-
tained programme. In a democracy, the
fourth estate has such a valuable and pow-
erful role to play - that of a watchdog and
custodian.
Daughter of prominent lawyer and human rights activist, Atul
Setalvad, she felt strongly about social and political justice even
as a child, going on to take up issues in her student days at the
citys Elphinstone College. Giving up has never been an option
for the never-say-die individual who refuses to get cowed down
by the most powerful forces in the land and who has an absolute
conviction in what she does. Even when Zaheera Sheikh turned
hostile (in the Best Bakery case), I felt betrayed, hurt. It was a
battle worth fighting though, she states.
Physically attacked three times in Gujarat, Setalvad feels that
is a small price to pay for the fear that the victims whom she fights
for have to live with. Fear is a strange thing. If you get paralysed
by it, it leads to inaction. But it can also drive you to action. All
said and done, I am voicing the concerns of victims of rapes,
riots, bloody massacres - their fear is much greater. I am doing
the least one can do.
What she does best is take up cudgels on behalf of innocents
trapped in the crossfire of communal violence, political vendetta
and gender bias. After witnessing the Mumbai riots of 1992-93
and a decade later, Gujarat, I wanted to test the Indian system to
see whether it can ever deliver justice to victims of massacres
and riots. That was the inspiration behind Citizens for Peace and
Justice (CPJ). The courts dont want to deliver and take on the
bogey of communalism - it is still a taboo subject, Setalvad com-
ments.
Co-editor of Communalism Combat with husband, Javed
Anand, Setalvad started this magazine in 1986 after they were
both disturbed by the communal frenzy that was ripping the coun-
try apart: We saw a scenario reminiscent of pre-Partition - the
majority and minority community feeding off each other. The pub-
lication was thus a 24-hour effort to track the build-up of commu-
nal conflict, analyse its fallout so that it became a tool in the
hands of the activist.
She is the recipient of several awards, including the
Padmashri (2007), The Nuernberg Human Rights Award (2003)
and the Pax Christi international peace award (jointly with
Australian artist, Eddi Kneebone). The primary conflict that
plagues Indian society today, she feels, is a deep and absolute
divide between the past and present, the rich and poor. Today,
we have a shocking state where children in rural India are mal-
nourished, while the top 10 per cent are getting richer. We have
an entire urban middle class glorifying in consumerism, shopping,
pub hopping - a fallout of our globalisation policy. We need to
ask ourselves what wealth are we generating, what kind of India
is shining? Are there any values which are shining?
Who is Teesta Setalvad
NATIONAL
8 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012
SUBHASH GATADE
..to bring about military regeneration of the
Hindus and to make Hindu youths fit for under-
taking the entire responsibility for the defence of
their motherland. to educate them in the
Sanatan Dharma, and to train them in the sci-
ence and art of personal and national defence
(Aim of Central Hindu Military Education
Society, NMML, Munje Papers, subject files, n
24, 1932-36)
This training is meant for qualifying and fitting
our boys for the game of killing masses of men
with the ambition of winning victory with the best
possible causalities (sic) of dead and wounded
while causing the utmost possible causality to
the adversary.
(Preface to the Scheme of the Central Hindu
Military Society and Its Military School, NMML,
Munje Papers, subject files, n 25, 1935)
Nashik: Expressing concern over the domi-
nance of rich and powerful people in politics,
besides the soaring inflation rate, Rashtriya
Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan
Bhagwat said that Indias situation was better
during the British rule...Speaking at a function
organized by Bhonsala Military School (BMS) to
celebrate its platinum jubilee year in Nashik on
Monday, Bhagwat ...laid stress on the need for
imparting military education to students, citing
rising threat to the nation.
(India was better off under British rule: Mohan
Bhagwat, TNN, Feb 22, 2012 )
I.
Platinum Jubilee of an educational institution is
definitely a moment for celebration. For all those
people who are associated with it or have
played a role in its nascent emergence it is a
moment of triumph and also an occasion to
revisit the journey so far. For the rest of the soci-
ety also it is a moment to shower some words of
appreciation and praise.
Would it be possible to exhibit similar feel-
ings, show ones appreciation for an institution
which had its genesis in one of the darkest
chapters in human history - which humanity still
abhors and (if possible) would like to obliterate
from its memory - and which still carries imprints
of the era ? Definitely not.
The platinum jubilee of Bhonsala Military
School, which was founded in 1937 by the
Hindu Mahasabha leader Dr B S Moonje who
also happened to be founder member of RSS,
presents before us a similar occasion. Apart
from the fact that it has of late found itself on the
wrong side of the law, where its premises have
been used to hold training camps of Hindutva
terrorists or the likes of Lt Col Purohit, getting
initial exposure to the sectarian agenda here, or
its officials being taken to Bombay for interroga-
tion by the anti-terrorist squad, a close look at
the goings on in the institute, the work of indoc-
trination packaged as education, its vision of
regenerating India makes it amply clear that
the seven plus decadal journey of the institute,
has made no difference to its core weltanshau-
ung.
One is reminded of its founders yearning
for the military regeneration of Hindus : so that
the artificial distinction emphasised by the
British of marital and non-marital classes
amongst Hindus may disappear and his fasci-
nation for the goings on in Italy under the lead-
ership of Mussolini and its military and paramili-
tary organisations. It is now history, how
Dr Moonje, learnt his skills when he got a
chance to visit Mussolini and Italys Central
Military School of Physical Education, the fascist
academy of Physical Education and Balilla and
Avanguardisti, organisations which influenced
many a rightwing initiatives in India which he
used in, not only developing RSS but also laying
down the foundation of this military school.
Celebrations held on the occasion of plat-
inum jubilee rather reinforced its image as a
modern institution bearing a medieval mindset.
It was quite symptomatic that barring the real
claimants to this legacy not many people joined
the celebrations. Sangh Supremo Mohan
Bhagwat, who was recently chided by the
supreme court for his remarks on Malegaon
blast case.(ET Bureau Mar 1, 2012, 04.55AM
IST) happened to be the chief guest at the pro-
gramme. Stirring up a heated political debate,
Mr Bhagwat said India was in a much better sit-
uation under the British rule. Underlining the fact
that the School which was founded to protect
the nation and has been acting as a feeder
institute to fulfill backlog of military officials he
stressed the need for imparting military educa-
tion to kids citing rising threat to internal secu-
rity.
Senior RSS functionary Prakash Pathak -
who happens to be the General Secretary of the
management committee informed the gathering
that Bhonsala Military School plans to start a
similar facility exclusively for girls in Nashik. It is
also mulling the idea to set up a flying club and
a pilot training institute besides a centre for
service preparation and aeronautic engineering
course. Mr Pathak also reported that the The
BMS run by the Central Hindu Military
Education Society (CHMES) is also receiving
proposals from the states of Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat, Uttarakhand for setting up military
schools there and would soon take a call on
them.
One did not expect that either Mr Pathak
nor Mr Bhagwat would share with the audience
the key role played by the school in the meta-
morphosis of Lt Col Purohit into a terror master-
mind, especially of the infamous Malegaon
bomb blast 2008 or for that matter would reveal
how many key functionaries of the school facili-
tated holding of terror training camps inside the
school premises. The exploits of the school first
came to the limelight after the Nanded bomb
blast 2006.
II.
Picking up the splinters : the Nanded bomb
explosion !
The backdrop had never been so promising.
Timing chosen for the whole operation seemed
perfect. And the ambience was very conducive
for a riot to happen. Maps of mosques in
adjoining districts were ready, dresses had been
stocked, even caps and beards had been stored
in large numbers. The idea was to attack
mosques and Gurudwaras wearing those dress-
es and instigate a riot. The expectation was that
the community under attack would retaliate and
a full scale riot would ensue. The only thing left
was explosives in one form or other which could
cause maximum damage to the places hit. The
making of bombs in a house owned by an old
RSS hack who dealt in fircrackers also seemed
rather perfect.
Nanded, a city in Marathwada
(Maharashtra) inhabiting around a million peo-
ple ( 5 Lakh Hindus, 2 Lakh Muslims or one lakh
Sikhs) was already reeling under communal ten-
sion then. The alleged elopement of a Sikh girl
with a Muslim boy had put both the communities
at loggerheads. The preparations were so fool-
proof that nobody expected any mishap. But the
sudden bomb explosion in the very house,
which killed two ringleaders on the spot and
seriously injured the other four rather foiled all
their plans. All the grandiose ideas - which must
have been tested on earlier occasions- to start
a riot lay shattered.
It has been around six years that Nanded,
Maharashtra, a town described as being com-
munally sensitive witnessed a bomb explosion
(6 th April 2006) in a house belonging to Laxman
Rajkondwar, a retired employee of irrigation
department and an old activist of RSS.
Incidentally this man with his wife and few other
family members was on a religious excursion
when the explosion occurred. Of course his son
Naresh was among the two people who died on
the spot, the other being Himanshu Panse, a
Bajrang Dal leader and an active member of
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) .Four
others present that night included Maruthi
Keshav Wagh, Yogesh Vidulkar (Deshpande),
Gururaj Jairam Tuptewar and Rahul Manohar
Pande, who were grievously injured. Narco
analysis of Rahul Pande revealed that the same
terror module led by Himanshu had planned the
bomb blasts at masjids in Jalna, Purnia and
Parbhani in 2003 and 2004 and Rahul had even
accompanied Himanshu to Jalna. It needs to be
noted that the Marathwada region of
Maharashtra has had a history of such mysteri-
ous attacks on religious minorites. Only two
years prior to Nanded bomb blast miscreants on
motorcycles had fired at a crowd offering Friday
prayers in nearby Parbhani. The whole of
Marathwada went up in flames by evening. Till
the exposure in the Nanded case the police had
not been able to unearth the case and appre-
hend the criminals who fired at the religious con-
gregation.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad
(ATS) investigating the case found that
Himanshu had organised a training camp at the
Bhonsala Military School in Nagpur, apart from
other camps. The chargesheet filed by ATS in
the Nanded case underlined that Himanshu
Panse and Rahul Pande had started a gymnasi-
um called Power Zone to motivate youth and
rally them around for the war against Muslim ter-
ror. Apart from mentioning their training in mak-
ing pipe bombs near Pune it also talked about
the fact that Panse and Wagh attended a 40-day
training camp at Bhonsala Military School at
Nagpur. The charge sheet and narco analysis of
accused in the Nanded blast case made it very
clear that a training camp was held in the
Bhonsala Military School at Nagpur attended by
100 to 115 people in May 2000 from all over the
country. City of Nanded witnessed another blast
in February 2007, this time inside a bakery
shop. Two persons died in the incident, both
belonging to Hindutva organisations.
Despite ample proof that Bhonsala Military
School, was engaged in activities which are
nothing but terror related no action was taken
against it. preparing the ground for similar acts
in future.
III.
How Bhonsala Military School facilitated
emergence of terror masterminds
2001 : 40 days training camp of RSS-Bajrang
Dal activists was organised on the premises of
the Bhonsala military school, Nagpur. A total of
115 activists from all over the country, including
54 from Maharashtra, attended the camp. The
trainees were imparted training in handling of
weapons, making of bombs and exploding the
same. Retired and serving army officers and
retired senior IB officers were among the train-
ers (as disclosed in the investigation of Nanded
blast case of 2006 and Malegaon blast case of
2008.) (S.M. Mushrif, Who Killed Karkare)
Pune, which has been an epicentre of many
social reform movements in the past has been
in the news of late altogether for wrong reasons.
In fact the exposure in the Malegaon bomb blast
(Sep 2008) could be said to have brought out
this change. Many of the accused in the case
belong to or have been associated with this city
only, reminding the people that the legacy of
Nathuram Godse, the first terrorist of independ-
ent India, who was a resident of Pune only, still
survives. Not very many people outside the
state know that till date one finds a significant
section of the elite entertaining sympathies for
his exclusivist project. One such gentleman
happens to be Lt Col Jayant Chitale, a retired air
defence artillery officer who runs the
Maharashtra Military Foundation (MMF) and
functions from his bunglow only. Few years back
Maharashtra Military Foundation was in the
news for organising a camp to train youth on a
suicide mission to counter terrorism(Indian
Express, 16 th Nov 2002, PTI, Posted online:
Friday, November 15, 2002 at 1249 hours IST)
In an interview to the Outlook reporter (Godses
War, Nov 17, 2008), Jayant Chitale told him that
he had over 1,000 of my boys serving in the
three services today. Each one has been brain-
washed by me. They are motivated, determined
and will do anything for the nation. The visitors
book which Chitale has carefully preserved lists
the names of all the young men who were
trained under him. Entry on February 20, 1993
tells us that Shrikant Prasad Purohit, Law
College, Pune was also enrolled here.
There is no doubt that the metamorphosis of
this son of a bank officer, who had no particular
political leanings, into one of the masterminds of
a terror plot of the Malegaon bomb blast 2008
has baffled many. In the dominant media which
is always singing paens to the secular charac-
ter of the Indian army, the emergence of a
Lt Col as a key strategist of Hindutva terror plot,
the debate about his being an exception or not
still remains unsettled. If one were to browse his
biographical details one learns that Shrikant
Purohit had his brush with the Hindutva politics
in his late teens when he attended a special
coaching class for Short Service Commission
officer-aspirants at the Bhonsala Military School
in Nashik. His military career does not seem to
be very remarkable. His participation in the
counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and
Kashmir (2002) did not win him any special lau-
rels. His tenure in Jammu and Kashmir contin-
ued upto January 2005, where he was trans-
ferred to the counter intelligence unit of the
Military Intelligence Directorate. While his earli-
er stint in MMF or at Bhonsla Military School had
convinced him about the weltanshauung (world
view) of the Hindutva forces, his transfer to
Maharashtra in 2005 seemed to have accelerat-
ed his attempts to work towards building Hindu
Rashtra. His posting in the Military Intelligence
Cell , which is meant for developing and main-
taining links between the army as well as the
people , must have helped him a lot. It facilitat-
ed renewal of his contacts with the Hindutva
activists, where Col S S Raikar, school com-
mandant of Bhonsala Military School, played a
key role, which later germinated in the form of
Abhinav Bharat. He is reported to have even
organised training camps in which dozens of
people took part and were taught to handle
arms. He also took the initiative in organising
camps in Pune but most of these camps were in
the campus of Bhonsla Military School only
(Indian Express, 7 Nov 2008). Purohit said dur-
ing the Faridabad meeting: Whatever I have
said today is in fact taken care of by the officers
sitting there. The entire school is in my hands
(26 January Conversation: 25). There is no
doubt that he carefully used his position in the
military intelligence unit, to develop contacts
within the military and outside. In fact, he was
smart enough to give an impression to many of
his gullible colleagues that what he was doing
was part of 'some secret operations' on behalf of
some higherups only. The chargesheet filed in
the Malegaon case tells us a lot about it.
Militarising Minds, Hindutvaising Nation
75 Years of Bhonsala Military School
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad
(ATS) investigating the case found that
Himanshu had organised a training camp at
the Bhonsala Military School in Nagpur,
apart from other camps. The chargesheet
filed by ATS in the Nanded case underlined
that Himanshu Panse and Rahul Pande had
started a gymnasium called Power Zone to
motivate youth and rally them around for
the war against Muslim terror. Apart from
mentioning their training in making pipe
bombs near Pune it also talked about the
fact that Panse and Wagh attended a 40-day
training camp at Bhonsala Military School
at Nagpur. The charge sheet and narco
analysis of accused in the Nanded blast
case made it very clear that a training camp
was held in the Bhonsala Military School at
Nagpur attended by 100 to 115 people in
May 2000 from all over the country...
Continued on page 9
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012 9
NATIONAL
HAIDER ABBAS
Lucknow: Even before the UP government was sworn into office,
an imminent danger was lurking, as the chief minister-designate,
Akhilesh Yadav, was supposedly to attend the much hyped India
Today conclave in New Delhi on 16 March along with Salman
Rushdie. Rushdies presence was kept under warps till the eve
of the function when it was broken to the media. The CMs oath
ceremony was officially on 15 March. Akhilesh in his first press
conference as CM announced that he would not attend the con-
clave.
A day before he took oath, Muhammed Azam Khan not only
sensed the intended ridicule of the Congress government but
also the lurking damage which would have been enough to send
shock waves in Samajwadi Party circles and also across the
whole nation as SP had come to power on wings of the Muslim
votes.
Azam Khan had been one of the most vocal opponents of
Salman Rushdie since his notorious book Satanic Verses had
first hit the markets in 1988. For him, Salman Rushdies cardinal
sin could never be forgotten or pardoned. The proposed partic-
ipation of Salman Rushdie in the India Today Conclave was a
deliberate attempt by the Congress to denigrate and provoke
Muslims. The refusal at Jaipur Literary Festival and a ready invi-
tation at New Delhi was primarily due to concern for votes and
not for Muslim sentiments. The visit would prove suicidal for
Congress in 2014. Muslims are now fortunately aware of the
Congress attitude and its real policies in the last six decades,
said Azam Khan. He elaborated on the politics of this conclave
which has been in fact a platform to lampoon Islamic ideals in the
past too. He said that the conclave has been a platform for Islam-
bashing as Irshad Manjhi, a Zionist lesbian nonentity had previ-
ously been invited and she was made to specifically sit alongside
Mahmood Madni of Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind, an MP. The seating
arrangement made sure Muslims were doubly insulted he
added.
Irshad Manjhi, whose only claim to fame is her book,
The Trouble with Islam Today which is claimed to have been pub-
lished in more than 30 languages as part of a grand plan to
malign Islam and Muslims the world over, and this is now a new
phenomenon. In fact, the promotion of the likes of Salman
Rushdie, Taslima Nasreen and Irshad Manjhi are just a continu-
ation of an exercise which was kick-started at the behest of the
Roman Catholic Church a few centuries back, and the first of its
kind was Dante, who wrote the Divine Comedy. The problem lies
in the politicisation of such writings and the dissemination of
information when even a small event can make headlines all
over the world.
Britishers, who have tutored the whole world the theory of
freedom of expression, are the first to arrest anyone who dares
to write or speak anything ill against Jesus Christ (which of
course is good). And likewise, in Britain it would always be
extremely hard to swallow if any aspersion is to be cast on the
Holocaust. But for anyone to lampoon Prophet Muhammed,
British laws condone it, and is it not the same coward Rushdie
who was eager to do anything for an out of court settlement with
Indira Gandhi when she threatened to sue him over a passage in
Midnights Chidlren.
India, under the British, had its own experience with such
writers. Swami Shraddhanand of Arya Samaj, who was once wel-
comed to address Muslims from the ramparts of the Jama Masjid
Delhi, but after the failure of the Khilafat Movement had started
his Shuddi Movement (re-conversion) to invite Muslims back into
the Hindu fold, and as part of this movement, he became a writer
of many provocative treatises which were brazenly anti-Islam. He
was done to death by one Abdul Rashid who is buried in Delhi.
Lala Nanakchand of Arya Samaj also met the same fate.
Mahashay Rajpal, the writer of a blasphemous book against
Prophet Muhammad was killed by Ilmuddin, whose burial place
is in Lahore. Nathuramal Sharma was daringly killed in the pres-
ence of a Judicial Commissioner of Sind by Abdul Qaiyyoom for
writing a derogatory pamphlet on the history of Islam. But today
after an experience of 65 years of independent India, it can be
said that all such writings were in fact a part of the great British
game as all such efforts ceased after 1947 and also the manner
in which these persons met their destinies is history. It helped to
halt any such audacious steps in the future. Dr. Ambedkar in his
highly acclaimed book Pakistan or Partition of India discussed
all such killings though not in extensive detail but with particular
reference to the politics of MK Gandhi.
Rushdie poured out his banal ranting on Imran Khan of
Pakistan, who declined to attend the conclave like Akhilesh
Yadav and Omar Abdulla etc. But who can deny that he is always
running for security cover these past two decades. Some of his
publishers who fancied his books and published them in other
languages, have already tasted death or have faced threats to
their lives.
Azam prevailed, Akhilesh refused to oblige Rushdie
IV.
Nashik, Nov 12, 2008 (PTI) The Principal and a clerk of Bhonsala
Military School (BMS), where some of the arrested, accused in
Malegaon blast case held meetings, and resigned today after
both were questioned by Maharashtras Anti-Terrorism Squad.
Principal Shailesh Raikar and clerk Rajan Gaidhani tendered
their resignation to the city-based school management. Talking to
PTI, BMS divisional secretary Diwakar Kulkarni said the manage-
ment will discuss the resignation issue at a meeting to be held
tomorrow.
Both Raikar and Gaidhani have not given any reasons for
their resignation but said the management has not asked for it.
The duo were recently taken by ATS in Mumbai for question-
ing in connection with the meeting with the right wing group
Abhinav Bharat held in the School premises on September 16, 13
days before the Malegaon blast. The meeting was attended by
Lt Col P S Purohit and others.
Anyone who has had access to the chargesheet filed in the
Malegaon (Sept 2008) bomb blast case would tell you that it has
testimonies of a few military personnel also - who knew Lt Col
Purohit and whom he tried to rope in for his grand project of
Aryavarta Hindurashtra. The recordings of the meetings which
were done by Swami Dayanand Pandey also provide details
about the contacts, the team had tried to establish with Israel and
the king of Nepal who had promised them arms as well as train-
ing in arms. Another recording tells us about Delhi Hindu
Mahasabha chief Ayodhya Prasad Tripathis loud claims about
his links with an anti-Islamic group based in the UK headed by a
dreaded anti-communist and anti-Islamic David Gaus whose
units are growing rapidly in France, Germany, England and
America.
On these tapes Purohit is heard talking about starting a mili-
tary school in every state, where recruits would be given rifle
training during the summer. According to him these schools could
be used to hide people in case of any police action.
Interestingly, he emphasises that RSSs name should not be
linked in any way to the schools. We have to assume such a
name that is deceptive. We will work under the name Bastion
Guards.During the 2006 inquiry into the Nanded blast, a retired
navy officer hailing from Pune, S R Bhate, who was associated
with the RSS since 1996, declared to the police that as early as
March-April 2000 he had been asked by the local Bajrang Dal
leader to train his activists in the use of gelatine sticks at a camp
in the city (Indian Express, 2008) and then at a larger one in the
Bhonsala Military School (Nasik). Bhate told the Anti-Terror
Squad (ATS) investigators that the camp had been organised by
the RSS and about 115 activists from across the country were
trained in karate, ground obstacles and firing of revolvers. Two
retired ex-servicemen and a senior retired officer from the IB
[Intelligence Bureau] were also present, he stated (Indian
Express 2008).
The probe into Nanded blast (April 2006) further revealed
that an armyman called Mithun Chakrabarty had trained the
accused in the case to make IEDs for the blasts at the Sinhagad
Fort, near Pune.
Apart from the direct involvement of Ramesh Upadhyaya, a
retired army Major, in the operations, one also gets to know from
newspaper reports that the ATS under Mr Karkare had also inter-
rogated Mr Raikar, Commandant of the Bhosla Military School
because of his knowledge of the whole conspiracy and the man-
ner in which the premises of the School were freely given to oth-
ers. In fact, Purohit had served with the new commandant of the
school, Col S.S. Raikar, who also worked with military intelligence
earlier, and had even requested him to let Abhinav Bharat hold its
meeting in the school.
Perhaps one needs to be reminded that Bhosla Military
School was under the scanner when investigations in the Nanded
bomb blast were also on. Looking at the key role played by
Bhonsla Military School, which is run by a group of people whose
sympathies for the RSS is no secret, one fails to understand why
the chief bosses of the school were allowed to go scot free and
were not arrested for their dubious role in facilitating and support-
ing outfits committed to Hindutva terror. Very few people even
know that it is one of those rare schools which impart training on
service pattern to the students alongwith regular courses which is
aimed at encouraging and preparing them for entry into National
Defence Academy (NDA), Indian Military Academy (IMA) etc and
other defence services.
V
...Dr Moonje formed the Central Hindu Military Education Society
at Nasik in 1935 and started the school on 12th June 1937. The
school started functioning in the Surgana Palace in Nasik city
with 90 students on its roll. The Maharaja of erstwhile Gwalior
state, H H Shriman Jivajirao Scindia inaugurated the main build-
ing of the school. In his inaugural speech, he said, It is not a
mere coincidence that within a short period of the opening of a
first rate public school in India (he was referring to the Doon
School, Dehradun), we are here today to open a first rate Military
School. Such was the charishma, charm and aura of the founder,
that he got the then Governor of Bombay State, Sir Roger Lumley
to lay the foundation stone of the present main building of the
school. Over the years, the school has established itself as a pre-
mier residential school catering to the educational needs of stu-
dents from all over India and also as a focal point for military edu-
cation. In 1995, the school was granted affiliation by Indian Public
Schools Conference, an association of heads of leading public
schools of the country.
(From the official website of the Bhonsala Military School)
What is common between late Shri Vasant Sathe, former Union
Minister and a leader of the Congress Party, Shri Vinayakrao
Patil, former Minister Govt. of Maharashtra, Padma Bhushan
Lt. Gen (Rtd) M L Chhibber, PVSM, Lt. Gen (Rtd) Y D
Sahasrabuddhe, PVSM, Lt. Col (Rtd) Prakash Kitkule, VrC, Flt
(Rtd) S M Ghatate, V M, Maj. (TA) Pandit Rao, Shri V G Pagare,
DCP. All of them have been students of Bhonsala military school
and have been receipients of the Bhonsala Bhushan Award' insti-
tuted by the school for its ex-students. The school campus which
is on nearly 65 hectares is called Rambhoomi and the students
are called Ramdandees.
According to the guidelines issued by the management
admission is open for boys to class V every year. Admission to
higher classes are given only if vacancies exist and are filled up
as per the decision of the school management. Admission is open
for all eligible candidates irrespective of caste, creed or religion.
For admission to class V, the candidate should be between 9 to
10 yrs. of age as on 1st July and should have passed class IV,
preferably from an English medium school. "Interestingly a close
look at the students selected for admission in the present year
showed near absence of any non-Hindu names in the list.
Apart from the regular courses the school also runs
Personality Development Course (PDC) for boys for around a
fortnight during summer where boys aged 12 to 14 who are
studying in standard VII or above are selected on first come first
serve basis and the syllabus includes riding, swimming, shoot-
ing, self Defence, Yoga, drill, physical Training, group discussion
and public speaking. Participants are also taught basic skills of
horse riding and are also introduced to army training & weapon
training. There is also a demonstration of artillery firing. For stu-
dents above this age it runs Summer Military Training Course
(SMTC) during summer vacation for one month where students
studying in standard X and above and age group 15 plus are
admitted and has similar syllabus.
The Central Hindu Military Education Society which runs the
Bhonsala Military School established Bhonsala Adventure
Foundation on 28th January 1994 at Nashik supposedly to incul-
cate spirit of adventure in youth'. Multifarious activities of varying
duration are conducted throuhout the year. One Major General
Anant V. Natu PVSM (Retd) who had received Paramvishishta
Seva Medal and Mahavir Chakra for his performance in the Indo-
Pak war was initially the chief advisor and promoter of the foun-
dation. whereas one Brigadier A. M. Warty, VSM (Retd) was the
first chairman of the foundation.
It is claimed that Bhonsala Adventure Foundation is a pre-
mier Adventure training institute of Maharashtra. The youngsters
are getting involved in this institute in big way. This is a unique
Adventure Institute by itself. The foundation has most modern
equipment required for carrying out adventure courses and has
planned to procure more sophisticated equipment for aero sports
and water sports. The foundation also has sports from India
Armies Adventure sports organization.
V
It was the year 2008 when investigations into the Malegaon ter-
ror attack were going on there were news in a section of the press
that there are leads of some Hindu leaders from Bangladesh
having attended the training camps held at the Bhonsala Military
School, (outlook 23 Nov 2008)
It was the same time when in a statement, the CPI(M)
Politburo demanded firm action against extremist elements in
both communities. They will have to be dealt with firmly and their
networks dismantled irrespective of the community they belong
to. Asking the Centre to take the reports of Hindutva infiltration
in the Army seriously, it said the role of the Bhonsala Military
School in Maharashtra should be probed. No private education-
al institution can be allowed to provide military training. (PTI 07
Nov 2008)
One does not know whether any action was taken on the
demand of the CPM politbureau which was then supporting the
government at the Centre. But looking at the fact that status quo
vis--vis Bhonsala Military School remains, it is apparent that all
such demands have been put in the cold storage.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS)
investigating the case found that Himanshu had
organised a training camp at the Bhonsala Military
School in Nagpur, apart from other camps. The
chargesheet filed by ATS in the Nanded case
underlined that Himanshu Panse and Rahul Pande
had started a gymnasium called Power Zone to
motivate youth and rally them around for the war
against Muslim terror. Apart from mentioning their
training in making pipe bombs near Pune it also
talked about the fact that Panse and Wagh attend-
ed a 40-day training camp at Bhonsala Military
School at Nagpur.
Continued from page 8
NATIONAL
10 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012
AFSANA RASHID, SRINAGAR
The Jammu and Kashmir state government has said that it will
again approach the central government to pave the way for set-
ting up of Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the state. The
idea was mooted by chief minister Omar Abdullah in the
Legislative Assembly, last year.
In response to a query by CPI (M) MLA Mohammad Yusuf
Tarigami, Home department on March 9 informed the Legislative
Assembly that the constitution of such a commission would
require wider consultations and a broad consensus among all
stakeholders including the Government of India.
The Government however, says that it has no data about the
exact number of missing persons in the state and the number of
cases in which FIRs have been registered. But it promised to sub-
mit the details during more than a month-long Assembly session
that started towards the latter part of February at Jammu. It adds
that the conflict in the state has left behind about 36, 600 widows,
orphans and physically challenged persons.
As per a survey conducted by the Rehabilitation Council of
Social Welfare department in 2007-08, among the victims 6345
were civilian widows and 2266 were widows of militants. There
were 20707 orphans mostly from among civilians who died in mil-
itancy related incidents and 5379 orphans of militants in various
military operations and 1903 physically challenged persons.
The department further states that financial assistance is
being provided to victims in the form of pension, scholarship and
marriage assistance.
Meanwhile, the High Court on March 9 admitted a petition
seeking directions to the government to conduct DNA profiling of
all bodies in unmarked graves. A Bench of Justice Hasnain
Masoodi while admitting a petition filed by Zahoor Ahmad through
his counsel asked the government to file a counter within two
weeks.
Ahmads father, Ali Mohammad Mir, a resident of Braine
Nishat was allegedly killed by pro-government gunman Ghulam
Mohammad Lone alias Papa Kishtwari and his associates on
June 26, 1996 after he left his home to purchase medicines for
his ailing father. He didnt return home and the incident triggered
protests in the area. Later, in 2007 an FIR was lodged against the
accused.
Ahmads counsel has also sought directions for a compensa-
tion of Rs 5 crore for the victim family.
Pertinently, the High Court on October 12 last year issued a
notice to the government to file a reply within two weeks to a peti-
tion seeking directions to respondents regarding matter of DNA
profiling. The court issued another notice to the government on
February 8 to file a reply within two weeks to petition.
Scam in Cricket Association
A multi-crore rupee scam in Jammu and Kashmir Cricket
Association (JKCA) not only created furore within and outside the
state legislature, but fingers were allegedly raised towards
National Conference patron Dr Farooq Abdullah, who heads the
Association. Opposition PDP demands CBI probe into such finan-
cial irregularities.
Staging a walkout from the Assembly on March 12, PDP
demanded a CBI inquiry after an adjournment motion to discuss
the scam was dismissed by the speaker, Mohammad Akbar Lone.
Leader of opposition, Mehbooba Mufti claimed that her party
had documentary evidence suggesting that NC patron had given
consent before the money was withdrawn from the bank accounts
of the Association.
If Suresh Kalmadi could be booked for scam in the
Commonwealth Games, why cant action be taken against those
at the helm of affairs in JKCA, said Mufti while addressing the
media outside the legislature at Jammu, adding no one should
be allowed to go scott-free.
Senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig, addressing medi-
apersons, March 13 at Jammu, said We demanded a CBI inquiry
against Dr Abdullah but the state government has refused. Why
is he being treated as a holy cow?
The PDP on March 8 demanded registration of a criminal
case against Dr. Abdullah for his alleged role in the scam. The
matter surfaced when a PDP member, during question hour,
wanted to know the fate of a complaint lodged by him regarding
alleged misappropriation of funds in the Association.
Uproarious scenes amid verbal spats between treasury and
opposition benches marked the proceedings in the state legisla-
ture on March 12 and 13. National Conference members
demanded action against PDP members for accusing
Dr. Abdullah of corruption.
The Police on March 10 lodged an FIR in the case and con-
ducted several raids across the valley. NC patron also stated that
a probe has been ordered to find out how much money was
siphoned off the from Associations kitty through illegal means.
Reports say that crores of rupees have been reportedly
diverted to different accounts opened in the name of the
Association by its officials to siphon off money that comes as sub-
sidies in the Valley to promote cricket from BCCI. Officials of the
Association were reportedly running a number of parallel
accounts in Khanyar and Air Cargo branches of Jammu and
Kashmir bank along with the original account. Funds for promo-
tion of cricket were diverted to bogus accounts, reports added.
Chairman of the Association, Mohammad Aslam Goni said he
lodged a complaint with the police on the directions of JKCApres-
ident, following which an FIR number 27/2012 under section 406,
409 and 120B was registered.
Goni accused PDP of trying to draw political mileage out of it.
An inquiry has already been ordered into alleged financial irreg-
ularities by the then treasurer Ehsan Ahmad Mirza in connivance
with the then general secretary Salim Khan. Mirza has owned
responsibility for the shortfall of funds and has offered to deposit
the required amount with the Association. He added Mirza and
Khan opened these bogus accounts and illegally operated them
without showing these bank accounts in the balance sheet of the
Association.
Dr. Abdullah in a statement, March 12 said, When accounts
of JKCA were sealed by the court, no money was available to run
its daily activities. Mirza advanced interest-free loans from time-
to-time from his personal funds that had accumulated to Rs. 1.90
crores. On June 28, 2008 JKCA unanimously resolved to repay
the amount to Mirza. Meanwhile, JKCA on March 21 demanded
sacking of its chairman pleading that he cannot escape responsi-
bilities and called for an independent probe.
Passport hurdles in J&K
Questioning the issuance of passports to separatists, Kashmiri
Pandit Sangarsh Samiti has said that thousand of families over
the last two or more decades have been denied passports on the
pretext that they followed separatist leaders, directly or indirectly.
Sanjay Tikoo, president KPSS in a statement issued here on
March 14 said that while over 60,000 families in the state are
indexed not to receive CID clearance for passport, separatists
are freely travelling abroad.
Tikoo said that the apparent reason for denying passport
clearance to such a large number of people was their affiliation to
the separatist cause. These 60,000 families are those who in the
last 22 years have directly or indirectly followed separatists. If
these families have been deprived of passports, how come their
leaders are getting CID clearance for passports?
He shared that his organization had filed an RTI application
to the CID headquarters of the state seeking information about
cases pending against various separatist leaders. We received a
response from CID headquarters in which our request has been
rejected. It is being claimed that this information doesnt fall with-
in the ambit of section 8 (a) of Jammu and Kashmir Right to
Information (RTI) Act 2009, said Tikoo, adding for purpose of
transparency, accountability and protecting spirit and purpose of
RTI, this information should be provided.
Meanwhile, independent MLA from Langate Er Sheikh Abdul
Rashid raised the issue of delay in issuance of passports to
prospective Hajis and kin of those involved in militancy in the
Assembly on March 19 and said that the government should
explain why it has kept the CID out of the purview of RTI Act.
Later, Congress, NC and PDP legislators also demanded an
answer from the Home department.
7 out of 10 subscriptions are through WORD OF MOUTH
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please ask your friends to get their copy now
THE MILLI GAZETTE
First English Newspaper of Indian Muslims. Telling the Muslim side of the story fortnight after fortnight since January 2000
J&K Govt adamant on Truth Commission
Poor implementation of
welfare schemes for Muslims
Governments minority report card presents a grim picture. Lack
of funds and determination has already delayed the completion
of projects meant for helping Muslims based on the findings and
recommendation of the Sachar Committee report in 2006.
Government had announced a number of measures for
Muslim concentration districts after the Sachar Committee report
highlighted the stark reality of lack of education and employment
among Muslims more so even less than Dalits. The findings of
the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability(CBGA), a
Delhi based advocacy group presents a gloomy picture of initia-
tives taken by the government in ensuring effective implementa-
tion of the schemes for the welfare of the minorities. As per the
CBGA analysis the government has not only failed to allocate
enough resources but also the worst part is that even the money
earmarked has not been spent. In 2007, the government identi-
fied 90 Muslim concentration districts (MCDs). For the welfare of
the Muslims, the Multi-Sectoral Development Plan (MSDP) was
launched, to provide better housing, sanitation, education,
healthcare, credit facilities and employment opportunities to the
minority.
Surprisingly in between 2007-2011 the ministry of minority
affairs has spent only 64 percent of the Rs 8,690 crore allocated
to the ministry. Furthermore, under the multi sectoral develop-
ment programme only 33 percent of Rs 3,632 crore has been
spent so far. The percentage of fund utilization, is 51 percent in
(Bengal), in UP it is 33 percent, Bihar 31 percent while Assam
has spent just 20 percent of the allocated funds. As a result, in
these places setting up of anganwadis, schools, health services,
handpumps and low cost houses have not been completed so
far. In Uttar Pradesh only 64 percent low cost houses have been
built under the Indira Awas Yojna, health centres 45 percent,
Anganwadis 40 percent, Hand pumps 43 percent, class rooms
13 percent and no school buildings. The figure for West Bengal
is 48 percent, 38 percent, 50 percent 82 percent 38 percent and
34 percent respectively. While for Assam it is 29 percent, 9 per-
cent, 13 percent, 31 percent, 10 percent and 0 percent and in
Bihar it is 17 percent, 21 percent, 10 percent, 17 percent, 4 per-
cent and 2 percent respectively. In pre-matric scholarship the dis-
tribution of scholarships has even exceeded its target but in post
matric scholarship the number is only 37,000 students as against
the target of 2.55 lakh. Lack of awareness among students and
their parents of this facility can be said to be the main reasons for
its failure.
Prime Ministers 15 point programme was initiated to solve
the problems and for that some important corrective measures
are required including special central funds assistance to the
states in order to implement these schemes in an effective and
efficient manner.
Trust deficit between police
and minorities growing
New Delhi: The National Commission for Minorities (NCM)
organised its annual conference on Minorities and Police during
13-14 March in the national capital. The purpose of this confer-
ence was to analyse the relationship and the trust deficit
between minorities and police. West Bengal Governor and for-
mer National Security Advisor M K Narayanan while inaugurating
the Conference of State Minorities Commissions said that police
is seen to have failed in its duty towards an important segment
of society. He expressed the need for more recruitment of minori-
ties in the police to
address this problem.
Narayanan cautioned the
police against profiling of
Muslims but at the same
time also urged Muslims
to have a sympathetic
understanding of the
policemans job.
Minority Affairs
Minister Salman
Khurshid, however,
sought a more humane
approach from not just policemen but even judicial officers. Anti-
terror policing has seriously alienated Indias largest minority
community, especially because many Muslims have often been
found innocent, often after being held in prison for years. There
can be no justification for police over-zealousness but the minori-
ties commission should not be merely judgmental, Narayanan
said. Khurshid, however, said, Law requires proof beyond rea-
sonable doubt. Narayanan, however, cautioned the police
against stereotyping Muslims by equating them with criminals.
In order to bridge the trust deficit between minorities and
police, the National Commission has called for a training module
which could be sent to the central and state police forces, for
training after approval from the home ministry in order to train
police officers to win the confidence of the minorities. Social
activists pointed out that over the years anti terror policing have
alienated the Muslims because in many cases the terror accused
have been found completely innocent by the courts but in the
process the lives of those individuals are damaged beyond
repair.
MOHAMMAD NAUSHAD KHAN
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012 11
ANALYSIS
W
hat does the decision to form a National
Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) indicate?
Does this suggest that the government is not
at all satisfied with policies it has pursued so
far to check and counter terrorism? There has perhaps
been a major weakness in the stand taken to control ter-
rorism. Or does it imply that notwithstanding all the
attention that the government and concerned authorities
have taken to check terrorism, the country still remains
severely affected by this menace? In other words, due to
some communication lapse or perhaps deliberately, the
government has tacitly acknowledged and accepted its
failure as well as weakness in countering terrorism. Now,
the question arises, should the government be praised or
criticized for having frankly admitted its limitations in
checking terrorism?
Or this is not the actual reason that has prompted the
government to form NCTC. With the government already
facing criticism on too many fronts, it certainly doesnt
make sense for it to openly acknowledge its faulty
approach regarding a highly sensitive and also contro-
versial issue, that is terrorism. Nevertheless, if the gov-
ernment was fully satisfied with steps being taken to
check terrorism, the need to form NCTC would not have
probably been even considered. Yet, irrespective of num-
ber of laws, commissions, committees and other meas-
ures taken, neither guarantee the end of terrorism, till
substantial attention is paid to actually implement poli-
cies already laid out for the purpose.
It may be pointed out, just as terrorism remains a men-
ace for the country, so do faulty measures and lapses
indulged in, at times deliberately, in the name of counter-
ing the same. What do fake encounters really indicate?
When encounters are fake and innocent people fall vic-
tims to the same, from what angle can these be hailed as
effective steps for countering terrorism? Likewise, falsely
implicating innocent people in terror cases by fabricating
evidence and securing forced confessions through torture
is utterly counter-productive and leads to serious trust
deficit as people start looking at each terror case as fake.
Against this backdrop, if NCTC really starts function-
ing, it would be appropriate if the weaknesses in tackling
terrorism are paid considerable attention. After all, when
a fake encounter takes place, in addition to wasting
money, time, energy and often several lives of innocent
people, suspected as terrorists, this also leads to losing
trust of the people. Every time a fake encounter takes
place, it also leads to questions such as: Are the con-
cerned authorities really keen on countering terrorism or
are they enacting such dramas to fool the people and per-
haps win awards as well as promotions in their respective
services? The Batla House encounter is just one of the
many such incidents believed by many to have been
deliberately enacted.
When an encounter is deliberately enacted and is in
essence fake and when innocents are arrested on the
basis of planted evidence, how could real terrorism be
countered? This indicates that NCTC must take serious
note of fake encounters and fabricated cases. Strict
codes must be laid out referring to penalties, punish-
ments and other actions that persons responsible for
authorizing as well as taking charge of fake encounters
and evidence fabrications will face.
Sadly, minimal importance has been given to suffer-
ings faced by individuals and their family members, false-
ly accused and targeted as terrorists. It may be pointed
out that the unwritten rule guiding concerned authori-
ties whenever a terrorism-incident takes place is to
immediately accuse Muslims as suspects. The NCTC
must ensure that this discriminatory approach is done
away with. When investigating such incidents, the crucial
guideline must lead to actual terrorists and not to per-
sons whose only crime is that they happen to be Muslims.
Ironically, much time and effort have so far been
wasted in labelling hundreds of Muslims as terrorists, but
the same policy has not been pursued when they,
Muslims, have been targeted in similar incidents. From
this angle, the riots that engulfed the nation when Babri
Masjid was demolished, Muslims were targeted brutally.
The mosques demolition as well as riots targeting
Muslims were gruesome incidents of communal terrorists
striking at the secular fabric of the nation. The same can
be said about the Gujarat-carnage. Ironically, while polit-
ical pressure led the then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Kalyan Singh to admit his responsibility for the demoli-
tion of Babri Masjid, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi
has to date not taken any such step about what Muslims
have been through in his state.
It is hoped that NCTC will ensure steps are taken to
punish those responsible for having brutally targeted
Muslims over the Ayodhya-issue and in Gujarat. The
guilty cannot escape punishment only because the tar-
geted people were Muslims. Neither can these cases be
ignored by being defined as communal riots. They need
to be viewed as gruesome terrorism targeting Muslims.
The NCTC must also pay adequate attention to minimal
steps having been taken in ensuring adequate compensa-
tion for the aggrieved Muslims and their family members.
The aggrieved Muslims include the ones killed, injured
and/or arrested as suspected terrorists in fake encoun-
ters and those targeted in the Gujarat-carnage, Ayodhya-
case and similar terrorism designed by terrorists linked
with saffron-brigade. If the NCTC fails to take these meas-
ures, it is feared that this centres significance may
remain confined to paper and political rhetoric and may
target innocents as has been the case by and large until
now.
New York: Authorities in Indias Gujarat state are
subverting justice, protecting perpetrators, and
intimidating those promoting accountability 10
years after the anti-Muslim riots that killed nearly
2,000 people, Human Rights Watch said in a
report published ahead of the tenth anniversary of
the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The state government has resisted Supreme
Court orders to prosecute those responsible for
the carnage and has failed to provide most sur-
vivors with compensation, Human Rights Watch
said in its report published February 24, 2011.
The 2002 violence against Muslims in
Gujarat persists as a dark blot on Indias reputa-
tion for religious equality, said Meenakshi
Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights
Watch. Instead of prosecuting senior state and
police officials implicated in the atrocities, the
Gujarat authorities have engaged in denial and
obstruction of justice.
Efforts to investigate and prosecute cases
inside Gujarat were stalled and activists and
lawyers involved in the cases have been
harassed and intimidated, Human Rights Watch
found. It has taken repeated interventions by the
Supreme Court following appeals by activists and
victims families to order re-investigations, over-
see independent inquiries in some cases, or shift
trials out of Gujarat to ensure progress towards
justice.
In the past decade, increasing evidence has
emerged of the complicity of Gujarat state author-
ities in the anti-Muslim violence, Human Rights
Watch said. In 2002, Human Rights Watch, in its
report on the riots, quoted a police officer who
said that there were no orders to save Muslims.
Human Rights Watch also reported that the gov-
ernments political supporters had threatened and
intimidated activists campaigning for justice.
While investigations in the Godhra train
attack proceeded rapidly, investigations into
cases related to the anti-Muslim riots that followed
were deliberately slowed down or simply not pur-
sued, Human Rights Watch said. Officials of the
Gujarat state government, led by Chief Minister
Narendra Modi of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP), which is serving its third term
running the state government in Gujarat, failed to
conduct serious investigations and obstructed jus-
tice. State courts dismissed many cases for lack
of evidence after prosecutors effectively acted as
defense counsel or witnesses turned hostile after
receiving threats.
State police failed to investigate senior BJP
leaders despite telephone records proving their
presence at the scene of the riots in Naroda Patia
and Naroda Gaam, and witness testimony that
these senior leaders provided the mob with lethal
weapons and instigated attacks on Muslims.
It was only in March 2009, after the Supreme
Court-appointed Special Investigation Team took
over the inquiry, that two leaders, Mayaben
Surendrabhai Kodnani, a minister in the state
cabinet, and Jaideep Patel, a leader of the Hindu
militant group Vishwa Hindu Parishad, were
arrested for aiding and abetting a mob that killed
105 people, injured several others, destroyed
property, and sexually assaulted women. Both are
still on trial.
Strong evidence links the Modi administration
in Gujarat to the carefully orchestrated anti-
Muslim attacks, Human Rights Watch said.
Rioters had detailed lists of Muslim residents and
businesses, and violence occurred within view of
police stations. An independent media organiza-
tion, Tehelka, used hidden cameras to capture
some of the accused speaking openly of how the
attacks had Modis blessings.
In August 2011 the Gujarat state government
filed charges against a police officer, Rahul
Sharma, for passing on Kodnanis and Patels
telephone records to the judicial commission
inquiring into the violence.
In September, another senior police officer,
Sanjiv Bhatt, was arrested after his former driver
filed a complaint alleging that Bhatt had threat-
ened him into signing a false affidavit that on
February 27, 2002, after the Godhra attack, Chief
Minister Modi had, in Bhatts presence, instructed
the police to allow the Hindus to vent their anger.
Bhatt alleges that this showed that Modi gave
instructions to the police to allow the attacks on
Muslims. In 2005, a police officer, R. B.
Sreekumar, was denied a promotion because he
criticized the Modi government for its failure to
order prompt action that could have prevented the
riots.
The National Human Rights Commission and
the Indian Supreme Court have ordered investi-
gations in response to appeals from victims,
lawyers, and human rights activists. In 2004, the
Supreme Court called for a review of 2,000 cases
that had been dismissed due to lack of evidence.
After fresh inquiries, the police said they reexam-
ined 1,600 cases, arrested 640 accused, and
opened investigations against 40 police officers.
However, only a small number of these cases
have been brought to court and only a few of
these resulted in convictions.
In March 2008, the Supreme Court strongly
criticized the Gujarat administrations attempted
cover-up of its role in the massacres and ordered
a Special Investigation Team to investigate nine
crucial cases under its supervision. The Supreme
Court had earlier stayed trials in some of these
cases after victims and activists appealed, point-
ing out that the Gujarat police had failed to carry
out proper investigations, and that the accused
with connections to the political establishment
were granted bail or simply dropped from
inquiries.
Two of the Special Investigation Team cases
have resulted in convictions: a special court in
Gujarat in November 2011 sentenced 31 people
to life in prison for the killing of 33 Muslims in the
village of Sardarpura in Gujarats Mehsana district
in March 2002. The case against those who
attacked the train in Godhra resulted in 31 convic-
tions and 62 acquittals.
In a landmark case, the Supreme Court inter-
vened to ensure fair trials in what is known as the
Best Bakery case. In this case, a mob attacked
and burned down the Best Bakery in Vadodara,
killing 14 people, including 12 Muslims. In a trial
before a fast-track court, all 21 accused were
acquitted in June 2003 after several witnesses
turned hostile, later admitting that they had faced
intimidation. Following intervention by the
Supreme Court, a retrial in Maharashtra state
resulted in convictions in 2006 of nine of the
accused, each sentenced to life in prison.
In one major trial, of those accused of attack-
ing Bilkis Yakub Rasool Patel and her family, the
Supreme Court found that intimidation of witness-
es and the police bias in favour of the accused
were so strong it transferred the case from
Gujarat to Maharashtra. In 2008, a Mumbai lower
court convicted 12 people in the gang-rape of
Bilkis Bano and the murder of 14 members of her
family.
Another important case concerned the killing
of 69 people, including a former Congress Party
member of parliament, Ehsan Jafri, at the Gulbarg
Society, a Muslim neighbourhood. In a petition
against Modi and 62 other officials, Jafris widow,
Zakia Jafri, accused the Modi administration of
inaction to contain the riots and various acts of
omission and commission. She alleged that her
husband had continuously called and appealed to
top officials in the police and the government,
including the chief minister, but no one came to
the rescue of the people trapped inside the walled
residential compound. A local court in February
will start hearing a Special Investigation Team
report to the Supreme Court after questioning
several people, including Modi. The report has not
been made public, but Modis statement denying
any role in the violence has been leaked.
The Supreme Court has been indispensable
in compelling the government to do its job to hold
the people responsible for the Gujarat violence
accountable, Ganguly said. Successful prosecu-
tions of cases moved outside Gujarat show that
the government can provide adequate protection
to victims and witnesses when it wants to.
The Gujarat courts, in contrast, reacted slow-
ly to the riots, Human Rights Watch said.
However, in February 2012, the Gujarat High
Court issued a contempt notice to the Modi gov-
ernment for failing to compensate 56 people
whose shops were destroyed during the riots. The
High Court also ordered the government to fund
the repair of nearly 500 religious buildings that
were targeted during the riots, which the court
described as negligence of the state.
New instances of harassment, threats, and
intimidation against activists and lawyers involved
in 2002 riot cases are being reported, Human
Rights Watch said. In a January 27, 2012 affidavit
to the Supreme Court, Teesta Setalvad of the
Citizens for Justice and Peace alleged continuing
legal harassment in which she was accused of
manipulating evidence. She said that these
attempts were a sordid sub-text of the struggle
for justice that the petitioner and her organization,
who have stood by the struggle for ten long years,
have had to suffer this indignity of vicious and
mala fide allegations.
On February 21 the Supreme Court criticized
the Gujarat government for initiating a probe
against Setalvad for her alleged role in a case of
illegal exhumation of the bodies of the 2002 riot
victims. The court said it was a 100 percent spu-
rious case to victimize her and that bringing such
a case does no credit to the state of Gujarat in
any way.
In addition to ensuring that the top officials in
the Gujarat state government involved in the riots
are brought to justice, Indian courts need to expe-
dite remaining cases and protect activists,
Ganguly said. Ten years on, India owes it to the
victims of the Gujarat riots to end the culture of
impunity and prosecute those responsible for this
open wound on the countrys reputation.
Speaki ng Out
NCTC & aggrieved
Muslims
NI LOFAR SUHRAWARDY
Authorities in Gujarat protecting
perpetrators of 2002 riots: HRW
The state government has resisted Supreme Court
orders to prosecute those responsible for the carnage
and has failed to provide most survivors with
compensation
JAVED USMANI, who was appointed secretary in
the Planning Commission has been appointed
chief secretary of U.P. by the new government
even before he could take over as Planning
Commissions secretary. He is the second Muslim
to be appointed to the key bureaucratic post of
chief secretary of U.P. after Mahmood Butt in mid-
1970s. A retired I.A.S. officer of 1978 batch, he
was posted in World Bank also for about 3 years.
ZAHEER BIN SAGHIR (Alig), who was appointed
District Magistrate of Saharanpur about seven
months ago by the Mayawati government has
been shifted from there and appointed Special
Secretary of UPs new chief minister Akhilesh
Yadav at Lucknow. Even during his brief period as
D.M. of Saharanpur, he is credited with doing
many useful works for the benefit of people. It may
be stated that it is customary that with the change
of government changes at top level of bureaucrats
are generally made so that the new government
may run the government efficiently, as it deems fit.
Zaheers new appointment is the first in this series
and soon many more appointments and transfers
at bureaucratic level will take place.
Dr. NOOR MUHAMMAD an alumnus of Aligarh
Muslim University and retired IAS officer took over
the charge of new acting Vice Chancellor of this
University on 15 March. It may be stated that dur-
ing the period of two months after the retirement of
former Vice Chancellor Prof. P.K. Abdul Azis he is
the third acting Vice Chancellor, the previous two
being Prof. S.M. Abbas Rizvi and Prof.
Sibghatullah Farooqi. An M.Sc. in Physics from
this University who subsequently did PhD from
Lucknow University in Economics, he retired as
secretary of National Disaster Management,
Government of India. However, on 23 March, as
per the interim order of the Allahabad High Court,
Professor Qazi Afzal Husain, Dean, faculty of Arts
being the next senior most Dean amongst the
members of the executive Council in the category
of Deans of Faculties today assumed the duties of
the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University
under statute 2(7) of the Statutes of the University.
Prof. FAIZAN MUSTAFA, Vice Chancellor of
National Law University, Orissa has been appoint-
ed Vice Chancellor of Nalsa University of Law,
Hyderabad which enjoys top position in the field of
law in India. Earlier, he held many important posi-
tions in AMU such as Director of Law Facultys
Coaching & Guidance Centre, Director of Career
Planning Centre, Dean of Faculty of Law and
Registrar of AMU. He is an author of many books
on law and has been Visiting Professor of many
Indian and foreign universities.
Mrs. SARAH RIZVI is the first Muslim woman
I.P.S. officer in Gujarat Police. Born in Muradabad
and brought up in Mumbai, she belongs to 2008
IPS batch of Gujarat Cadre.
IMTEYAZ AHMAD KARIMI has been appointed
secretary of Bihar Urdu Academy. He held many
important posts in Bihar such as Chief Executive
Officer of Bihar Sunni Waqf Board and was a Gold
Medalist for securing a distinguished position in
Persian language and literature in Bihar University
at Muzaffarpur.
Dr. AZIZUDDIN SAMDANI, President of
Department of History and Dean of Jamia Millia
Islamia, New Delhi has been appointed Director of
Raza Library, Rampur by the Chairman of Raza
Library Board and Governor of U.P., Banwari Lal
Joshi. It may be stated that the post of Director of
this Library was lying vacant for a long time. Prof.
Shah Abdus Salam who was O.S.D. of this Library
was removed by Governor B.L. Joshi November
last year and ever since then the post of Director /
OSD was lying vacant.
JAMEEL MURTAZA, a former Special
Metropolitan Magistrate who had served as secre-
tary in Waqf Board two times has been appointed
Special Advisor in order to strengthen the working
of the Board.
KHAWAR PAHELWAN, who consecutively won
wrestling competitions nine times was honoured,
as per the tradition, with the title of Nausherwaan
at a function held at New Delhi on 6 March.
MAHMOODUL HASAN HAKIMI, a prominent
social personality of Mumbai has been re-appoint-
ed a member of Central Board of Film Certification
Advisory Board by union minister for information
and broadcasting Mrs. Ambika Soni. Before this
appointment also he was a member of this Board.
Ten-year old RASHID BAIG and his sister
HIFZA BAIG (9) are child prodigies who can cal-
culate and multiply large numbers, even with
decimals, in seconds without any mechanical
help. Their father, Qazzafi is a farmer in a small
and unknown village Kushalia in the neighbour-
ing Ghaziabad district. One day finding the
extraordinary talent of Rashid just by chance
when he was only three, he decided to put him
in a school rather than putting him on some job
to add something to familys income, as many
poor people do, thereby blunting their faculties.
Rashids general knowledge too is extraordinary
against which even educated and studious peo-
ple will fail. Same is the case with his younger
sister also who is a class 3 student in her
small village school. The brother-sister duo
aspire to be IAS officer and engineer respec-
tively. Rashid has been given a scholarship by
DPSG International School for his extraordi-
nary talent.
HAFIZ MUHAMMAD SIDDIQ, an
active member of Jamiatul Ulama-e
Hind, former Congress M.P. and a
former minster of U.P. died of heart
attack on 13 March at Muradabad.
Realising the importance of educa-
tion for Muslims he set up a number
of institutions for religious and mod-
ern education. He was also a mem-
ber of Darul Uloom Deobands
Majlis-e Shoora. He was 75 and is
survived by two sons and two daugh-
ters.
Hakeem ISHTIAQ HUSAIN, a senior
advocate of J&K High Court died at
New Delhi on 6 March. He was suf-
fering from liver cancer. He was
described as a pious and God-fear-
ing person. Kashmir Bar Association
organised a blood donation camp to
pay tribute to him.
Qari ABU HASAN, a noted religious
scholar and founder of many
madrasas, including Madrasa
Rashidia of Begu Sarai and Jamia
Rashidia died of heart attack on 10
March. He spent his whole life in the
promotion of religion and education.
Maulana ABDUR RAHMAN MILLI,
a senior religious scholar and Rector
of Darul Uloom of District Baid
(Maharashtra) died on 26 February
at the age of 90 years. He had been
teaching in Darul Uloom Baid for
about five decades. An important
feature of his life is that for about 40
years he never observed Ramzan
and Eid at his residence but travelled
to different places for promoting the
cause of his Darul Uloom Baid. He is
survived by his two sons and five
daughters.
Syed MASROOR ALI Naqvi
Amrohvi, noted dirge (mercia)
singer died of heart attack in Delhi
on 13 March. After morning prayer
he felt pain in chest and died very
shortly thereafter. He was 70 and
leaves behind his wife, two sons
one daughter. He used to be invit-
ed for reciting and singing of mer-
cia at different places.
NEWSMAKERS
12 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012
MEN & WOMEN IN NEWS
OBITUARIES
H
asan Gafoor, former Police Commissioner of Mumbai,
died of a heart attack in Mumbais Beach Candy
Hospital on 12 March. After complaining of chest pain
he was rushed to the Hospital but died before any
treatment could be administered. Belonging to a zamindar fam-
ily of Hyderabad, he had probably enough ancestral property
and money and that is why he accepted only one rupee as token
salary and deposited the rest of his salary in Police Welfare
Fund. He was reputed to be a sincere, honest, kind and devot-
ed officer, though subsequently he became controversial in the
aftermath of the terrorist attack on Mumbai on 26 November
2008 and citys police force took more or less three days to rid
the city of terrorists and killed all of them except one but at a
heavy price. The Pradhan Committee which probed the attack
and police role blamed him (Gafoor) of not providing the need-
ed leadership in a crisis like this. Gafoor, in a statement, said
that senior police officers had not responded effectively to deal
with such a crisis. This remark had displeased many senior offi-
cers. It is still a matter of controversy whether he had actually
failed to provide leadership role in such a crisis or the report sin-
gling him for this claim was itself influenced by some ulterior
motive seeing that many top officers including K.P. Raghuvanshi
who was Maharashtras ATS chief at that time greatly praised
him for handling the terrorists attack deftly. Top police officers
praised his sense of duty, honesty and kind behaviour towards
his subordinates. He initiated many welfare schemes for not only
the men on duty but for their families also. Inspite of being the
Police Commissioner, he preferred to lead a simple life. The fact
that even after the adverse report by the Pradhan Committee,
though he was transferred from his post but was promoted as
Director General of Anti-Corruption Bureau which is extraordi-
nary as in departments like the Police and Army an officer with
adverse remarks is generally not promoted to a higher post. In
the police department he was a role model of honesty, devotion
to duty, impartiality and excellent behaviour towards his subordi-
nates. Senior I.P.S. officers said that the credit for upgradation of
weapons and equipment by Mumbai police should largely be
given to him who was an IPS officer of 1974 batch. Media shy
and a reticent person, he was well-versed in Urdu, Hindi, English
and Marathi.
He was 61 and leaves behind a wife and a daughter. It is a
pity that on his retirement, the traditional protocol of farewell din-
ner and police parade, which is given to all top ranking retiring
IPS officers, was missing. (NAAnsari)
Hasan Gafoor
Prof. GOPI CHAND Narang, eminent Urdu critic, researcher
and scholar has been selected for being honoured by Bhartiya
Jnanapeeth with its prestigious 24th Moorti Devi Award 2010
(which is given for philosophical thoughts and civilisational
research) for his work Urdu Ghazal aur Hindustani Zehan wa
Tahzeeb. The 7-man jury which selected Prof. Narang for this
Award was headed by T.N. Chaturvedi former governor of
Karnataka. The Award carries a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh, memen-
to, shawl, certificate and an idol of Waag Devi.
Prof. (Dr.) ABDUR RAHIM Andre has been honoured with Best
Medical Teacher Award and selected for Scroll of Honour Award
by National Board of Examinations of union ministry of health
and family welfare. He was honoured with Berry Gold Medal in
Pharmachology and four Gold Medals in M.S. Presently he is
serving as Professor and Head of the Department of General
Surgery in Mumbais Saifi Hospital and in J.J. Hospital he per-
formed free operations of hundreds of poor people. He also set
up A.R. Andre English High School (I.C.S.E.) and Junior College
(I.S.C.). During Mumbai riots, Sunami and Gujarat riots in addi-
tion to relief works he also arranged proper care, education and
upbringing of many orphan children.
Dr. ANWAR Sayeed, general secretary of Deobands Jamia
Tibbia and a member of Central Council of Indian Medicine has
been honoured with an award by a literary, social and journalis-
tic organisation of Mumbai for his services in Tibbi field. The
Award was presented to him by Qadir Khan, film star of yester-
years who himself has started an organisation for Quranic and
Islamic Research and Studies. It may be stated that earlier also
Dr. Anwar Sayeed was honoured with Mother Teressa Award in
recognition of his services in Unani tibbi field.
AEJAZ ANSARI, poet and conductor of mashairas was hon-
oured with Best Poet Award at an All India Mushaira jointly spon-
sored by Punjab Association and Kamal Urdu Academy at
Chennai on 13 March. The Award was presented to him by
Prince of Arcot, Nawab Abdul Ali.
IRAM HASAN of Batla House, Jamia Nagar has become the
youngest student of this year to pass the Haryana Judicial
Services Examination. Daughter of a truck driver, she is present-
ly pursuing Masters course in Law from Jamia Millia Islamia.
Irams both parents are illiterate. A student of a government
school in Ghaziabad, her English was very poor but by dint of
sheer will power and hard work she acquired fluency in English
and topped in all the ten semesters of her course inspite of living
in a one-bedroom flat which she shared with her five brothers
and sisters and two parents. She will be awarded a Gold Medal
in October this year.
Dr. Anjum Jamali Award, instituted in the name of famous pro-
gressive poet, writer and journalist, was given to ASAD RAZA,
chief of Rashtriya Sahara (Urdu) daily in the field of journalism,
Ms. Munawwar Sultana of Mumbai for her valuable services to
Urdu, Dr. FAROOQ BAKSHI for Urdu poetry and to Dr. NITISH
GUPTA, famous heart specialist in the field of tibb (medicines).
The Awards were presented to the awardees by Prof. S.K. Kak,
Vice Chancellor of Mahamaya Technical University at a function
held in Meeruth on 12 March.
AWARDS
JAVED USMANI, Senior IAS officer of 1978 batch,
on 23 March took over as the new Chief Secretary
of Uttar Pradesh. He was earlier Secretary of the
Union Planning Commission. He earlier served as
Principal Secretary with Mulayam Singh Yadav
during his third tenure between 2003-07 and was
posted in the Prime Ministers Office before mov-
ing to a World Bank assignment in Washington. He
was said to have refused to take up the post and
was keen to join a position in the Prime Ministers
Office (PMO), the Yadav chieftain prevailed upon
him and asked him to return to the parent state.
Earlier in 1993, he served as secretary to the the
then chief minister Mulayam Singh till 1995 and
then became his principal secretary again in 2004.
Usmani is the second Muslim bureaucrat to occu-
py the chair of the U.P. chief secretary since
Independence. The first Muslim chief secretary of
UP was Mahmood Butt, who remained in office
between 1975 and 1976. Since November 2010
Usmani was on a sabbatical in New York, where
he was affiliated to the Center for the Advanced
Study of India (CASI) under the University of
Pennsylvania as a visiting scholar doing research
on climate change and India from February 2011.
Though his sabbatical was slated to end in July
2012, Usmani has cut short his study leave to take
over as the states top bureaucrat.
SPECIAL REPORTS
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012 13
BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
Kolkata: The All India Muslim Educational
Conference (AIMEC) organised its third annual
conference here during 17-18 March. The two-
day conference attracted participants from
across India as well as abroad. Held at the citys
Haj House, the conference deliberated on vari-
ous educational issues and problems faced by
the Indian Muslim community.
The conference started with a welcome
address by AIMEC chairman, Amanullah Khan,
who offered a quick overview of the organisa-
tions journey so far.
President of All India Muslim Majlis
Mushawarat Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan inaugurated
the conference. He stressed on the importance
of knowledge and education in Islam. He said
that Muslim scholars and scientists laid the
foundation of all sciences and technologies
found today. A whole volume is required just to
mention their names. He said it was a matter of
wrong judgment that in this country we equated
English and modern education with colonial rule
and refrained from them for a long time. He
advocated a single syllabus including religious
and modern education on the lines of Al-Azhar
schools.
Tariq Azam from Malaysia said Muslims in
the past triumphed due to their superior knowl-
edge and in future too they can succeed with
knowledge.
Abrar Ahmad Islahi of the Muslim World
League, Mecca, stressed the need for Muslims
to uplift themselves through education, organi-
sation and commerce.
Bengali Muslim leader Siddiqullah
Chaudhary said that Bengal has the highest
number of Muslims after U.P. but they are very
backward, neglected and disunited. He said
there are 126 government commissions and
committees but these include no Muslim.
Dr. Khurshid Mallick, chairman of Indian
Muslim Education Foundation of North America
(IMEFNA) stressed on complete education
and said that experience has shown that segre-
gated girls colleges perform better than co-ed
colleges. IMEFNA runs a number of Learning
Centres across India.
Akhtarul Iman, Bihar MLA, said that
madrasahs played their role in preserving and
safeguarding Islam during the colonial period
but change should have been introduced in
their curricula after independence. He said we
suffered on two fronts. First, the government
kept us backward and second, we hurt our-
selves through our ignorance.
Maulana Salman Nadwi of Nadwatul Ulama
Lucknow said in his presidential speech that
Islam and knowledge are two faces of a single
coin. The sphere of knowledge is very vast but
we have limited it to madrasahs. He said igno-
rance is an illness and cancer.
In the afternoon business session,
Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan presented a thorough
survey and critique of the Right to Education Act
of 2009. He said that the basic purpose of this
law is to corporatise education. As a result,
there will be only two kinds of educational sys-
tems in our country. One will be a very costly
system run by corporates and the other a very
deficient system run by municipalities. He elab-
orated that the stringent norms set for schools
will make it impossible for weaker sections and
minorities to continue their existing schools or
open new ones which is a negation of the rights
given to minorities by our Constitution.
Moreover, all existing schools will have a three-
year period during which they must conform to
the new norms and requirements. Failing to
meet them, these schools will be closed down
and slapped with fine of one lakh rupees for the
first day, and a daily fine of Rs. ten thousand for
each subsequent day. He said the law is silent
about madrasahs. It is not known if these insti-
tutions and their students will be treated as
schools and students under this act or not. If
not, parents of such students will be sent to
jails for failing to send their 6-14 year wards to
schools. He referred to various assurances
given to Muslim by the HRD Minister Kapil Sibal
and warned that unless these assurances are
incorporated in an amendment to the RTE act
passed by Parliament, they hold no water and
Muslims should be ready to see their schools
and madrasahs closed down in future by their
thousands.
During the second day, Vice Chancellor of
the Alia University, Dr. Shamsul Alam, spoke
about the predicament of the Bengali Muslims
who suffered twice - once during Partition in
1947 and again in 1964 when an exodus
occurred to East Pakistan as a result of the
spate of riots at the time. He lamented that
Muslim teachers teach in madrasahs but send
their own children to schools.
Dr. Tarannum Muhammadi, principal of Law
College, said that we are behind all others in
education though the first order of our religion is
to seek knowledge. She said our children
refrain from education saying that there is no
hope of getting employment. She advocated a
change in the Constitution to ensure reservation
for economically and culturally backward sec-
tions.
Qamruddin, secretary of Alia Madrasa
Alumni Associaiton, offered an overview of
Madrasah Alia which was established in 1780
much ahead of all madrasahs in the
Subcontinent, which today has evolved into a
university. He shed light on the madrasa system
in West Bengal and explained how madrasahs
were deprived of their spirit during the Left
regime in West Bengal, so much so that
madrasahs are made to close down on
Saraswati Puja day while ordinary schools func-
tion normally on that day.
During the concluding session, Abrar
Ahmad Islahi said that duality of syllabi (reli-
gious/modern) is haram and a crime. He
stressed that there should be one syllabus for
all and called for madrasahs to adopt modern
titles for their certificates and degrees.
Two-day educational conference in Kolkata
MG/Yusuf
AMU distributes awards and medals
Aligarh: The Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Dr. Noor Mohammad on
22 March felicitated Ms. Alishah Ibkar with Papa Mian Padma Bhushan Award (Best
Girl), Rubia Zulfiqar with Mrs. M. J. Haider Academic Memorial Award and
Ms. Rumisha Yousuf Sheikh with Dr. Zakir Husain Silver Medal for their outstand-
ing performance in academic and extracurricular activities. Addressing the felici-
tation function, Dr. Noor Mohammad said that the University administration would
provide a congenial atmosphere to the students to excel in their abilities for
greater success in life. He said that as compared to man, women have more
responsibilities and education should be promoted among women to provide them
with better job opportunities in the market. Dr. Noor Mohammad urged faculty
members to provide quality education and suggested that IT-based teaching aids
be provided to classrooms. He emphasized that teachers should keep updating
their knowledge as the world-class teaching aids are available on the Internet
which can be accessed with the help of a computer and Internet connection.
Earlier, Professor Bilquis Naseem Waris, Principal of AMU Womens College while
welcoming the Vice Chancellor, said that the college has nearly 2600 students
including 29 overseas students. Prof. Waris pointed out that the College received
more than ten thousand applications for admission out of which only nine hundred
candidates were selected due to the shortage of hostel facilities.
Look, look, they are
changing religion!
Editor gets
Wishwa
Aishwaria award
Mangalore: Editor of Kannada womens magazine
Anupama Ms M Shanaz has been selected for Wishwa
Aishwaria award given by Bharat Ratan Sarayam
Wishwariay Engineering Trust. The ward was presented
to her on 11 March at the trusts 21st annual function in
Bangalore. Ms Shahnaz is a known name in Kannada
journalism and has won awards in the past.
PHOTO: SK KHURSHID ALAM
Ghar Wapsi
(return home)
campaign
COMMUNITY NEWS
14 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012
Muslim faces ire for saving temple!
Bhopal: K.K. Muhammad, archaeologist, earned the chief minis-
ters ire for his over enthusiasm in saving a temple falling into ruins.
As a professional archaeologist, Muhammad felt that if mining in
the area continued 12 century old temple would collapse and a pre-
cious heritage would be lost. He took an unusual step. He wrote a
letter to then RSS chief K.M. Sudarshan urging him to take the nec-
essary initiative. M.P. chief minister complained to Union minister
for culture, Ambika Soni, to take action against Muhammad for writ-
ing a letter to Sudarshan. Though action against mine mafia was
taken promptly which resulted in an attack by the mafia which fired
on the collector and police officials, Muhammad, of course, did not
attract any departmental action as suggested by the C.M., and
instead found relief when Nirbhay Singh Gujjar, a dreaded bandit
ensured that the 108 temples in Bateshwar were properly main-
tained and restoration (repairs) was undertaken.
Albert Museum Curator on Arts under Jahangir
Aligarh: Dr. Susan Stronge, Senior Curator at Londons Asian
Department, Victoria and Albert Museum, said here that the
Moghul Emperor Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) traveled frequently
across his empire and when the court formally moved from one
imperial city to another, the ruler and the elite camped en route in
a vast, luxuriously appointed tented city with its own bazars and
workshops. Dr. Stronge was addressing an invited lecture on
Artistic Production at the Court of Jahangir at the Centre of
Advanced Study, Department of History, AMU on 27 February.
Dr. Stronge said that hunting expeditions or excursions to cities
such as Kabul, Ahmadabad and Srinagar were undertaken with
less complexity. At all times, however, the leading artists and at
least one master craftsman accompanied Jahangir wherever he
went. Dr. Stronge asserted that the extent and duration of the
emperors travels are firmly established by his memoirs, the
Jahangirnama, supplemented by the accounts of European and
other visitors. These sources also provide information about
Jahangirs artistic commissions. Dr. Susan Stronge in her paper
outlined a Leverhulme Research Project that investigated the
influence of Jahangirs peripatetic life on the production of art for
the Court. Preliminary research showed that this raised intriguing
questions about the production of famous paintings of his reign
and allowed some to be dated with greater precision. It also shed
light on relations between the royal patron and particular ateliers
such as the diamond cutters workshop in Agra, or specialist cen-
tres of production like the imperial manufactory for deluxe textiles
in Gujarat.
Muslim women of UP village vote for the first time
Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh registered a record turnout
but what was even more significant was that the women of
Sehrua village in Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) voted for the first time
since Independence. Women of Sehrua village were not allowed
to vote despite the fact that all the women of adjoining villages
had been voting on a regular basis. Sehrua is a Muslim dominat-
ed village and the elders of the village have no solid reasons as
to why women of the area were not permitted to cast their vote.
The only possible reason according to them is that after
Independence the elders had decided that there was no need for
women to vote. And from then onwards it became a tradition to
keep women away from exercising their votes. People of the vil-
lage believe that if the village head says something or issues an
order it is accepted by the people without any protest. But this
time the situation was entirely different because the village prad-
han Aslam Khan himself visited each and every home asking
women to vote. Village Pradhan, Aslam Khan has said that
although this time women voted in limited numbers, but what is
important, is that a new beginning has been made.
Gehlot urges farmers to be inspired by Israelis
Muslim groups in Rajasthan are surprised and dismayed over
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlots statement that farmers should draw
inspiration from Israel in the field of agriculture, irrigation and
water management. Gehlot while speaking on the occasion of the
inauguration of a new customer care centre of the power discom
in Jodhpur on 4 March asked the farmers to visit Israel in order to
learn its agricultural methods that require less water when one
adopts sprinklers and drip methods. Rajasthan Muslim Forum has
expressed its concern over Gehlots statements by saying that
providing legitimacy to Israel on the pretext of agricultural cooper-
ation will amount to an open licence to Israel to meddle in the
affairs of the state which is likely to disturb communal harmony. M
Salim Engineer, national secretary Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has said
that increased bilateral trade with Israel to boost relation would in
the long run be harmful and it might encourage the communal
forces to carry out a massacre like that in Gujarat.
31 acquitted in Kandhamal riots case
A fast track court in Orissa has acquitted 31 accused in the
Kandhamal riots case. These people were the accused for being
involved in communal violence that had erupted in the aftermath
of the killing of VHP leader Lakmanananda Saraswati in August
2008. B N Mishra, additional session judge while pronouncing
judgement in the arson and rioting case ordered the acquittal of
31 accused because of lack of proper evidence. The prosecution
had alleged that these accused had burnt the houses of the
minority community in Dakedi village. In February, a fast track
court sentenced seven people to rigorous imprisonment for three
years for involvement in the 2008 riots in Odishas Kandhamal
district. Additional Sessions Judge, Sobhan Kumar Dash, convict-
ed seven people for setting houses on fire and rioting with dead-
ly weapons at Biringia in Tumudibandha area.
NCSC demands action against arsonists of Dalit houses
Chairman of NCSC, PL Punia slammed the Orissa government
for having failed to arrest the culprits who are believed to have
burnt at least 45 houses at Lathore in Bolangir district on
22 January. The chief minister after the incident had announced
Rs 1 lakh per family from his relief fund but has as yet not paid
the compensation of Rs 60,000 to each victim as mandated by
the SC/ST Atrocities Act. The National Commission for SC
(NCSC) has recently summoned Chief Secretary, Home
Secretary, DGP and Secretary of SC and ST Development
Department of Orissa on 13 March to submit an action taken
report over the alleged rape of a Dalit girl in Puri. The National
Commission for Women had also criticised the local police over
its failure in filing the FIR. But surprisingly, the State Womens
Commissions report earlier said that the girl was not raped. Punia
has also said the way the doctors in Bhubneswar and then in
Cuttack treated the case was in violation of medical ethics and in
this regard he has said that he will soon write to the Medical
Council of India urging strict action to be taken against these doc-
tors. (NCSC) chairman PL Punia has asked the Orissa govern-
ment to book former agriculture minister Pradip Maharathy for
protecting the key accused in the Pipili Dalit gang rape case.
Punia has also demanded criminal proceedings against sacked
Pipili police inspector Amulya Champatiray for ignoring the com-
plaints of the victim.
Mumbai after 1992 riots is not safe: chief secy
Ratnakar Gaikwad, Maharashtra chief secretary while speaking
at the security summit on the theme, Mumbai Must be Secured
Now organised by citizens action group Mumbai First on
25 February in Mumbai said that after the 1992 riots and serial
bomb blast, Mumbai is truly not safe and a lot is required to be
done by the government to make the investors feel that Indias
financial capital is a secure place. Gaikwad emphasised the need
to work on infrastructure and security in order to boost the confi-
dence of the investors as well as the people at large. In this
regard second thought is required on how to make Mumbai the
financial capital of the country and a global financial centre.
According to him on the infrastructure issue the state has moved
forward a bit but a lot needs to be done to ensure security. On the
issue of terrorism Gaikwad said that it is hard to believe that out-
siders can come without any support from insiders. Gaikwad also
pointed out that the situation in the Naxal affected districts is so
precarious that even the district collector is required to prepare in
advance visits to Naxal affected region. Sukhwinder Singh,
Additional Commissioner of Police in the Maharashtra Anti-
Terrorism Squad while presenting his paper on Threat
Perception said that so far 129 people wanted in connection with
terrorism cases are still at large and Mumbai gives anonymity to
trained youths to strike. He further said that terrorists are working
on new methodologies and even after many Indian Mujahideen
suspects were arrested it took only a year for them to reorganise
and their cadres from Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are yet to be
neutralised.
Justice Bedi to probe Gujarat encounters during 2002-06
The Supreme Court while rejecting Gujarat governments plea to
allow some more time to appoint chairman of Monitoring Authority
to investigate the alleged encounters in the state has appointed
Justice HS Bedi, retired judge of the Supreme Court to probe all
cases of alleged fake encounters in the state during 2002-06. A
Bench comprising of Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Desai
passed the order on a petition filed by Jawed Akhtar, B.G.
Varghese in which they had asked for a CBI probe into 22 fake
encounters which took place between 2002-06. The Bench has
asked Justice Bedi to file an interim report within three months.
The Supreme Court has also directed the state government to
extend the requisite support and facilities to Justice Bedi. The
bench disapproved Gujarat governments decision to appoint for-
mer Bombay high courts Chief Justice K.R Vyas without taking
the apex court into confidence. The Bench in its order said,
Supervision and monitoring of the investigation in the cases
should be done by someone whose integrity is completely beyond
any question. Another PIL on fake encounters in all the states is
pending before another bench of the SC.
Sanjiv Bhatt deposes before N.C.M.
New Delhi: Despite Gujarat governments objections, the National
Commission for Minorities (NCM) heard I.P.S. officer Sanjiv Bhatt
who alleged that vital evidence had been destroyed. In response
to a petition by Nizay bibi, NCM had asked IPS officers Bhatt,
Rahul Sharma and R.B. Sreekumar to depose before it. Bhatt
reported, for recording his statement whereas the other two offi-
cers are likely to report on a future date.
Gulbarg Society massacre: creative mourning
New Delhi: Distressed by the brutality that caused havoc on
Muslims of Gujarat two constructive responses have surfaced
from Jalna (Maharashtra) and New Delhi. 34 year old Muhammad
Rafiq, who resigned his job as a clerk in a private office, estab-
lished a secondary school in Jalna to commemorate the memory
of the victim former M.P. Ehsan Jafri, Affiliated to Maharashtra
Board of School Education this school has 120 students pursuing
their studies in classes VIII-X. On Jafris death anniversary the
school begins with recitation of the Quran in addition to distribu-
tion of books and clothes to the needy. Rafiq is supported by local
donors in this venture. Azimur Rahman, a renowned dress design-
er of New Delhi, sent a khadi jubba to Narendra Modi to remind
him of his role in the Gujarat carnage with a dash of his own blood
splashed on the shirt. Rahman, born in Champaran district of
Bihar, has designed costumes of eminent persons including Barak
Obama. He is upset over the fact that inspite of ten years having
elapsed since then justice is still denied to the victims.
India looks towards Saudi Arabia for oil
India is looking forward to Saudi Arabia for its crude oil require-
ments in order to scale down the possibilities of any disruption
from Iran or for any kind of shortage as an alternative. In order to
meet its requirement India is looking for an additional 5 million
tonnes of crude oil supply from Saudi Arabia in 2012-13 to over-
come 10 percent of crude oil supply from Iran. Saudi Arabia hap-
pens to be the worlds biggest oil producer and also biggest oil
supplier to India as it supplies 27 millions tonnes of crude oils to
India. The government has sought to increase crude oil inflow
from Saudi Arabia by five million tonnes from 27.33 million tonnes
anticipating decrease in supply from Iran following US sanctions.
Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas R P N Singh after
holding meet with Abdul Aziz Bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Assistant
Minister for Petroleum Affairs, Saudi Arabia has said we have
asked for five million tonnes (mt) of more crude oil from Saudi
Arabia in 2012-13. India has also sought more LPG from Saudi
Arabia to meet growing energy needs.
3.5 lakh children in 5000 madrasas of Rajasthan
Jaipur: There are about five thousand five hundred madrasas in
different cities, towns and villages of Rajsathan in which about
three-and-a-half lakh children receive education. According to a
report of Rajasthans department of minority affairs, in addition to
religious education, modern education is also being imparted to
these 3.5 lakh children. Modern education includes subjects like
English, Hindi, Science, mathematics, social sciences. After
1999-2000 this work i.e. imparting of modern education is being
managed under Rajasthan Waqf Board.
Kapil Sibal to write book on 2002 Gujarat riots
It seems that in the days ahead a new phrase is likely to be
coined to describe politicians crave for writing poetry. After Atal
Bihari Vajpayee, M Karunanidhi, Girija Vyas, V P Singh and
Mamata Banerjee, the latest entrant to this club is Kapil Sibal.
Sibal has joined the poet-politicians club three years ago and
recently his collection of 67 poems titled, My World Within was
launched. Furthermore, this is not going to be an end in itself as
his next project is a book on the Gujarat riots which is much like
an investigation into the judicial response to the 2002 Gujarat
riots.
Rajapur Sikraur/Beenapara (Azamgarh):
Foundation-laying ceremony for a teachers train-
ing institute (BTC) took place here on March 18.
Prior to the ground-breaking by innocent children,
a meeting of seniors took place in Sir Syed
School, opposite to the proposed site for institute.
Dr. Aftab Ahmad, a medical practitioner in London,
who annually visits his home in Jairajpur,
Azamgarh, presided. The speakers included Mr.
Abul Kalam, retired teacher of Beenapara College,
Mr. Hawaldar Yadav, President of the District
Samajwadi Party, Maulana Umairus Siddiq Nadwi,
senior fellow at Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy,
Dr. Mohammad Anis Khan, Principal, Shibli
National College and Mr. Wasiuddin, a Samajwadi
Party leader. They congratulated Mr. Abu Sufiyan
and Mr. Abul Kalam, in particular, and all those associated with
this project in general for conceiving the idea and starting such
an important employment-oriented institution. Maulana Umairus
Siddiq called Mr. Abu Sufiyan, a modern Sir Syed for establish-
ing a chain of institutions in the rural area around Beenapara vil-
lage. The institutions established by Mr. Abu Sufiyan, who retired
as Principal of Beenapara College, include not only educational
institutions for boys and girls but also a (Unani) Tibbiya College.
In his presidential remarks, Dr. Aftab Ahmad emphasized quality
training of future teachers so that they may impart real knowl-
edge to their students. With due apology, he criticized the deteri-
orating standards of education in our institutions and held the
teacher basically responsible for failure or below average per-
formance of students. (Salman Sultan)
Teachers Training Institute in Azamgarh
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012 15
COMMUNITY NEWS
Programme on Islamic banking in BHU
Varanasi: A seminar on the topic of finance was held in Banaras
Hindu Universitys Uduppa Auditorium sponsored by its
Department of Management on 4 and 5 February in which dele-
gates from universities of Kenya, Sri Lanka, America, England
and India took part. In this seminar H. Abur Raqeeb, general sec-
retary of Indian Centre for Islamic Finance in his lecture shed
light on the need and importance of Islamic banking, emphasis-
ing the point that only Islamic banking can rid the world of the
problem of economic recession and at present extraordinary
interest in Islamic banking is being taken in almost all countries
of the world. He said that Islamic banks or Islamic banking coun-
ters have been opened in many developed countries of the world
like England, France, Singapore, Hong Kong etc. and govern-
ments of those countries have removed all kinds of legal difficul-
ties. Speaking about the salient features of Islamic banking he
said that if someone takes a loan from an Islamic bank and after
investing it in some business he incurs a loss, he alone will not
be responsible for the loss but the bank also will be an equal part-
ner in the loss. He made an appeal to the government to remove
legal hurdles in introducing Islamic banking in the country and
make the necessary amendments in the Banking Act. The semi-
nar was chaired by Prof. Lalji Singh, Vice Chancellor of Banaras
Hindu University. Keynote address was made by Prof. B.P.
Singh. Among the guests of honour were R.K. Singh, chairman of
Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Prof. Geoffery R. Alvas.
Ummul Qura-trained 11 students in CA exam
Pune: Eleven students trained by the milli institution Ummual
Qura, Pune were successful in the recently held Chartered
Accountants Intermediate Examination i.e. IPCC. The success
ratio of these students of Ummul Qura was 52% whereas the
average success ratio of students at the national level was 35%
in this examination which is considered among the most difficult
examinations. Before this, in the preliminary examination of CPT
six students were successful. This examinations success ratio
was 60% as against 35.5% at the national level. This institution
(Ummual Qura Education Foundation) was set up in 2007 to pro-
mote higher education particularly in accounting and commerce
and so far a total of 68 students in CPT and 23 students in IPCC
have been successful and at present about 50 students from dif-
ferent places in India are undergoing training in this institution
where there are arrangements for lodging, boarding, coaching,
providing guidelines and reading materials. Strict discipline is
maintained here and admission is given here on the basis of
national level tests. Five times prayers are compulsory for the
inmates of this institute and there are well qualified chartered
accountants, professors and high officials. This institution is
headed by Ejaz Akhtar who himself is a Haafiz and chartered
accountant. It is run on a no profit, no loss basis.
Israeli couple allowed honourable exit
The Kerala High Court ordered the Ernakulam District Collector
to allow Israeli couple an honourable exit after they were found to
have violated visa norms. Justice S Siri Jagan order came follow-
ing a petition filed by Shneor Zalman Bernstein and his wife Yaffa
Shendi Keing against the deportation order issued by the district
collector. The Jewish couple had reached Kochi on 3 March 2010
and were staying in a rented accommodation in Kochi. The dis-
trict collector had ordered their deportation on 30 January while
citing violation of visa norms and suspicious activities as report-
ed by the police. Their visas were to expire on April 1 but on
24 February the High Court asked the couple to leave the coun-
try on or by 13 March. However, the court has said that syna-
gogue service was not a violation of the visa but at the same time
had ordered them not to hold any meeting at their residence.
NCM comes to the rescue of Kashmiri youth
New Delhi: National Commission for Minorities (NCM)
Chairman, Wajahat Habibullah, while speaking on the demo-
cratic rights of Kashmiri youth at a function sponsored by the
Centre for Policy Analysis at Constitution Club here on 12
March assured them of NCM playing an important role in mat-
ters of their non-admission in educational institutions and
refusal of renting out houses and rooms to them in states other
than Kashmir because of bias. He said that if people of
Kashmir face any kind of difficulties in any state, the
Commission is ready to help them if a complaint is made to it.
D. Raja, communist leader while speaking on this occasion
demanded that AFSPA which gives special powers to the
armed forces should be abolished because as a result of this
Act Kashmiri people are living in a state of fear. He said that
unless the (Indian) government removes the sense of fear in
Kashmiri people and takes them into confidence, solution of
the Kashmir problem in the true sense will not be possible.
Another speaker (Ms.) Seema Mustafa, a well-known journal-
ist and the moving spirit of this programme said that people of
Kashmir are facing the brutalities of the army in their own state
and in other states of the country they are facing the problems
of police terrorism and fear of arrest, denial of admission in
educational institutions and refusal of rooms and houses on
rent by house owners but the central government is totally
insensitive to their difficulties and they continue to be discrimi-
nated against by the people and even by governments. Among
those who attended this function were LJPs Sanjay Sharad,
CPI leader A.B. Bardhan, members of J.N.U. Students Union,
President and members of All India Students Association and
a large number of Kashmiri students.
India makes first contact with Egypts Muslim Brotherhood
In view of Muslim Brotherhood gaining political strength in the
post Mubarak political landscape of the country Indias External
Affairs Minister S M Krishna during his recent visit to Egypt made
an attempt to establish contact with the Muslim Brotherhood
which is most likely to dominate Egyptian politics. The Freedom
Justice Party (FJP) which was registered in 2011 has won 235
seats out of 498 in the Egyptian parliament. Krishnas meeting
Mohammad Morsy, an important leader of the Muslim
Brotherhoods political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party is sig-
nificant, and is seen as an effort for smooth ties with Egypt.
During his three day visit after last years uprising Krishna met
the head of the current military-led government, Field Marshal
Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Prime Minister Kamal AI Ganzhoury
as well as his counterpart Mohamed Kamel Amr. During
Krishnas meeting with his counterpart several agreements were
signed which include environment protection, cultural exchange
programme and agricultural cooperation.
Two persons under ATS scanner
Ratlam: ATS is closely watching the movements of a city physi-
cian and a college student for their alleged association with SIMI.
Their mobiles are under scrutiny. Their visit by two different
routes to Ratlam on 16 February after a visit to Mehidpur set
alarm bells ringing. The frequency caught by mobile towers
showing the movement of the college girl after visiting Nagori
Bajar, Dildarpura, Jamat Khana locality, the place frequented by
Safdar Nagori, made the investigation agency suspect that they
are SIMI sympathisers. According to ATS the Idea SIM bought by
the girl is on forged documents.
Sub-committees to speed up education among minorities
New Delhi: Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal has approved the set-
ting up of five sub-committees to supervise the efficient imple-
mentation of schemes for the educational development of minori-
ties (Muslims). These committees will review the educational
requirements of minorities with particular attention on vocational
education and skill development among them. The minister took
this decision after taking into account the report of National
Minority Committee for Minorities Education which had
expressed dissatisfaction over the existing educational progress
of minorities because of factors like shortage or even absence of
teachers and no proper arrangements for creating awareness of
the need and importance of education among them. As per its
report, the attendance ratio of Muslims in higher education was
8.7% as compared to 16.8% of non-Muslims.. The Minority
Committee had also called for bringing the madrasas to the main-
stream which are to be made at par with secondary schools in the
country. Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia Najeeb Jung who
was present also in this meeting, voicing his concern over the
poor presence of Muslim students in higher education had sug-
gested that NCERT should prepare a special course for
madrasas as it was felt that madrasas have a crucial role in moti-
vating their students to join higher education. The five sub com-
mittees to be constituted by the ministry would work under the
National Monitoring Committee and would pay special attention
on vocational education and skill development of minorities,
implementation of schemes aimed at minorities, promotion of
Urdu learning and education with employment oriented opportu-
nities, education of girls and promotion and mapping of educa-
tional requirements of minorities. Next meeting of the Monitoring
Committee will be held in June.
Rioters burn houses and waqf property in Vibrant Gujarat
Anand: Rioters in Akbarpur locality of Khambhat city of Anand
district set six houses on fire in order to obstruct construction of
shops on waqf property. First they connived to provoke the
Muslims of the locality by resorting to stone pelting. The Muslims,
however, demonstrated exemplary restraint and remained calm.
They immediately reported the matter to the police which took
prompt action and rushed to the spot to control the situation by
lobbing tear gas shells. Additional police forces from adjoining
areas were also called in. District collector Avantika Singh and
S.P. Rajendra Asari also rushed to the spot and fire brigade was
called to douse the fire.
The incident sparked when trustees of the waqf property
obtained necessary permission to construct a few shops on the
land adjoining Chunarwadi mosque to augment their income. The
rioters tried to provoke Muslims by pelting stones and setting six
houses on fire. A peace committee meeting was convened by the
administration in which the rioters remained conspicuous by their
absence. Ten Muslims reported for the peace committee meet-
ing. The police has initiated action against the rioters. 12 persons
sustained injuries while three poor tenants suffered loss of their
household items.
Hamidullah Bhat replaced by Naseem Ahmad in NCPUL
New Delhi: Dr. Hamidullah Bhat, Director of National Council for
the Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) resigned on
23 February after Delhi High Courts directive to union HRD min-
istry to remove him with immediate effect. Dr. Bhat, after submit-
ting his resignation, handed over his charge to Naseem Ahmad,
Principal Publications Office who will now work as NCPULs
director till the appointment of a new Director. It may be recalled
that Dr. Bhat had attained the age of superannuation long back
but even after that he continued to hold the post of Director.
There were many allegations of irregularities against him in addi-
tion to completing the term of his appointment, requests were
made by some officers of the Council to the ministry to remove
him. The court had issued directions to the ministry earlier to
remove him also. When the ministry did not take any action to
remove him, those officers filed a PIL in the High Court for con-
tempt of court against the ministry for not acting on the order of
the court. When the PIL came up for hearing in the High Court on
21 February, after hearing the arguments of lawyers of the min-
istry and complainants Justice Vipin Sanghvi directed HRD min-
istry to remove Dr. Bhat with immediate effect. The PIL for con-
tempt of court against the ministry was filed by Prof. Lutfur
Rahman of Patna and Javed Rahmani of the NCPUL.
Illegal occupants evicted from Begumpur graveyard
New Delhi: Many Waqf lands in Begumpur village of South
Delhis Malviya Nagar assembly constituency are under illegal
occupation and because of widespread demands by Urdu media,
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) swung into action. With the
help of the police they evicted the illegal occupants but mere
eviction is not enough unless steps are taken to ensure that
these are not re-occupied. For this Muslim MPs and Muslim
organisations should join hands and demand the government to
ensure safety of Waqf lands and other properties and allow the
people in Muslim populated areas where there are no graveyards
to bury their dead in. It may be stated in this connection that
Muslims living in Begumpur, inspite of having their own graveyard
are not allowed to use it and are compelled to take their dead to
other graveyards situated at far off places for burial. With regular
campaigns by Urdu media over a long period, it is hoped that the
problem of graveyards in Muslim populated areas will be solved
soon. Some important people of Begumpur like Haji Muhammad
Hanif Saifi, Hafiz Muhammad Zakir, found that graves in this
graveyard are being desecrated and the place is being used as
an open latrine are determined to strengthen their campaign to
stop desecration of the graveyard. Inspite of the eviction of illegal
occupants of Begumpur's graveyard land, there are as many as
711 places which are being occupied by people belonging to the
majority community and there are 123 properties for which cases
are pending for about 25 years in courts. About 338 Waqf prop-
erties are out of reach of Muslims because of the governments
inaction and several bighas of Waqf lands are under illegal occu-
pation but no action is being taken by the government to get them
vacated.
Haj Committee denies making profit our of Haj
Mumbai: Haj Committee of India, Mumbai reacting to Rashtriya
Sahara (Urdu)s news in its 19 March issue that Haj Committee
of India earned a profit of Rs. 112 crores in 2011 from Hajis said
that this news is totally baseless, a false accusation and an
attempt to distort facts. It said that whatever amount was taken
from Hajis was for a purpose and was spent for the same pur-
pose and that the Haj Committee did not earn any income or prof-
it of Rs. 112 crores. In reply, Rashtriya Sahara said that it had
obtained this news from twocircles.net.
New Delhi: India has urged Saudi Arabia to increase by an addi-
tional 10,000, the quota for the Indian Hajj pilgrims. Both the
countries have finalised the annual Haj agreement for the com-
ing season of Haj in Jeddah on March 14. More than 1, 70,000
pilgrims would perform Hajj from India this year. In view of the
large number of Indians applying for Hajj, Minister of State for
External Affairs, Government of India, E. Ahamed made a special
request to the Saudi Minister for Hajj Dr. Bandar Bin Mohammed
Bin Hamzah Asad Hajjar for an additional 10,000 persons in the
quota. It is necessary to mention here that the additional quota is
usually released near the commencement of the Hajj season.
E Ahamed led a high level delegation to the Kingdom on
March13 and 14 for discussions on the bilateral agreement for
Haj 2012. He was accompanied by Mrs. Mohsina Kidwai,
Chairperson, Haj Committee of India, Hamid Ali Rao,
Ambassador of India, A. R. Ghanashyam,Joint Secretary (Gulf
and Haj) of the Ministry of External Affairs, Faiz Ahmad Kidwai,
Consul General of India and other officials.
The Annual Haj Agreement was finalised by E. Ahamed and
his Saudi counterpart Dr. Bandar Bin Mohammed Bin Hamzah
Asad Hajjar in Jeddah. The visiting Indian minister has also
made a formal request for providing Metro Train Facility for the
Indian pilgrims coming through Hajj Committee of India. The
Saudi minister for Hajj has assured to look into the request.
Ahamed also met with the Chairman of the South Asian
Moassasa and discussed various issues related to the Hajj
arrangements. (Abdul Bari Masoud)
India asks for additional 10,000 Hajj quota
INTERNATIONAL
16 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012
Wesley on the Neocon dream
GLENN GREENWALD
In October, 2007, Gen. Wesley Clark gave a speech to the
Commonwealth Club in San Francisco (seven-minute excerpt in
the video below) in which he denounced what he called "a policy
coup" engineered by neocons in the wake of 9/11. After recount-
ing how a Pentagon source had told him weeks after 9/11 of the
Pentagon's plan to attack Iraq notwithstanding its non-involve-
ment in 9/11, this is how Clark described the aspirations of the
"coup" being plotted by
Dick Cheney, Don
Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz
and what he called "a half
dozen other collaborators
from the Project for the
New American Century":
Six weeks later, I saw the
same officer, and asked:
"Why haven't we attacked
Iraq? Are we still going to
attack Iraq?"
He said: "Sir, it's
worse than that. He said -
he pulled up a piece of
paper off his desk - he
said: "I just got this memo
from the Secretary of
Defense's office. It says
we're going to attack and
destroy the governments
in 7 countries in five years
- we're going to start with Iraq, and then we're going to move to
Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Iran."
Clark said the aim of this plot was this: "They wanted us to
destabilize the Middle East, turn it upside down, make it under
our control." He then recounted a conversation he had had ten
years earlier with Paul Wolfowitz - back in 1991 - in which the
then-number-3-Pentagon-official, after criticizing Bush 41 for not
toppling Saddam, told Clark: "But one thing we did learn [from the
Persian Gulf War] is that we can use our military in the region -
in the Middle East - and the Soviets won't stop us. And we've got
about 5 or 10 years to clean up those old Soviet regimes - Syria,
Iran [sic], Iraq - before the next great superpower comes on to
challenge us." Clark said he was shocked by Wolfowitz's desires
because, as Clark put it: "the purpose of the military is to start
wars and change governments? It's not to deter conflicts?"
The current turmoil in the Middle East is driven largely by
popular revolts, not by neocon shenanigans. Still, in the after-
math of military-caused regime change in Iraq and Libya (the lat-
ter leading to this and this), with concerted regime change efforts
now underway aimed at Syria and Iran, with active and escalat-
ing proxy fighting in Somalia, with a modest military deployment
to South Sudan, and the active use of drones in six - count 'em:
six - different Muslim countries, it is worth asking whether the
neocon dream as laid out by Clark is dead or is being actively
pursued and fulfilled, albeit with means more subtle and multilat-
eral than full-on military invasions (it's worth remembering that
neocons specialized in dressing up their wars in humanitarian
packaging: Saddam's rape rooms!
Gassed his own people!). As
Jonathan Schwarz (or, as he would
be called by establishment newspa-
pers: "a person familiar with Jon
Schwarz's thinking on the subject
who asked not to be identified") put
it about the supposedly contentious
national security factions: As far as
I can tell, there's barely any differ-
ence in goals within the foreign poli-
cy establishment.
They just disagree on the best
methods to achieve the goals. My
guess is that everyone agrees we
have to continue defending the
mideast from outside interference (I
love that Hillary line), and the
[Democrats] just think that best path
is four overt wars and three covert
actions, while the neocons want to
jump straight to seven wars.
The difference between seven and four overt wars isn't non-
existent or unimportant, of course, but it's a question of means.
The neocon end as Clark reported them - regime change in those
seven countries - seems as vibrant as ever. It's just striking to lis-
ten to Clark describe those 7 countries in which the neocons plot-
ted to have regime change back in 2001, and then compare that
to what the U. S. Government did and continues to do since then
with regard to those precise countries.
Update: Those unreasonable, inscrutable Pakistanis are angry
just because the U. S. entered their country by air and killed 30
of their soldiers today. As a result, they have demanded that the
U. S. vacate its drone base on their soil. What an outrageous
over-reaction: I'm sure the U. S. would be extremely understand-
ing if a foreign nation came and killed 30 U. S. soldiers on
American soil from the air. (salon.com)
Watch full Video of this extraordinary event:
http://fora.tv/2007/10/03/Wesley_Clark_A_Time_to_Lead
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Israeli Postmen refuse to dis-
tribute New Testament
Dozens of Israel Postal Company employees in Ramat Gan
refused to distribute thousands of copies of the New Testament
to city residents. They claimed such distribution is forbidden
according to the halacha laws, and might even be illegal.
Both religious and secular postal workers were asked to
hand out mail and advertisements on Monday, along with thou-
sands of holy Christian booklets translated into Hebrew. The
workers informed their supervisors that they refuse to distribute
such materials. Postal officials discussed the issue with Knesset
Member Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi), who in turn talked it
over with Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon, who demand-
ed to halt the distribution until the matter is legally clarified. "We
always distribute business flyers and we have no problem with
that, whether we agree with them or not," one postal employee
told Ynet. "But this time it's different. This is missionary material,
and from our understanding there's a law against that. It's not a
religious issue."
However, one religious mailman explained that distributing
the New Testament goes against his word view. "The halacha for-
bids me from handing out such idolatry material, and when
there's a contradiction between my religious belief and what my
job requires of me, it's clear to me what I chose," he said. "It's like
if my manager were to come and tell me to work on Shabbat."
According to him this is not the first time the mailmen have
refused to distribute the booklets. He said his Gadera counter-
parts were successful in dodging such distribution, as opposed
to Petah Tikva mailmen who went along with it.
MK Orlev said: "It's unacceptable that the Israel Postal
Company should participate in distributing missionary materials
to the Jewish residents of Israel. We must clarify to the mission-
aries that the law forbids it."
Israel Postal Company officials responded: "The Israel
Postal Company is a governmental company operating in accor-
dance to the Postal Law, which obligates us to distribute any mail
it receives. The Israel Postal Company has no right or ability to
chose what it can or cannot distribute. Therefore, the mail will be
distributed according to the law." (ynetnews.com)
Israel ex-spymaster urges
caution on Iran strike
Jerusalem: Israel's recently retired spy chief says more time and
efforts are needed before considering a military strike on Iran.
Meir Dagan, who served as Mossad's head from 2002 to 2010,
told CBS's 60 Minutes that he believes Tehran is being "rational"
and "very careful" now, and is considering the consequences of
continuing the country's controversial nuclear program. Dagan
also says world powers should assist opposition groups in Iran to
foment regime change. He would not say if Israel supported
protest groups against the regime in the past.
Mossad is thought to have played a role in the assassina-
tions of Iranian nuclear scientists and computer viruses that dis-
rupted Iranian research facilities. (news.findlaw.com)
Russia to patrol oceans again
Moscow: After a gap of 26 years, Russia will resume patrolling
the world's oceans with its strategic nuclear submarines, the
country's navy said. The commander-in-chief of the Russian
Navy Admiral Vladimir Visodtski said that the global patrolling of
oceans will start around 1 July. It is an event they have been
waiting for a long time, he said during a meeting in northern San
Petersburg. The development of the navy is among the top prior-
ities of the current government, he said.
Ask why people are antisemitic: writer
Piers Paul Read, the writer of a new book about the 1894
Dreyfus Affair, was criticised this week after saying that the
French soldier's treatment could be linked to Jews being a "very
powerful influence in finance, in business", and that Jews should
ask why people were antisemitic. English literature Professor
Jacqueline Rose, author of Proust among the Nations: From
Dreyfus to the Middle East, said she was left "uncomfortable"
after Catholic writer Read, whose latest book is The Dreyfus
Affair, veered into an "antisemitic ways of talking".
The pair were discussing the case on BBC Radio 4's Front
Row, when Mr Read said that Dreyfus was "picked on" because
he was "a difficult character" and "wasn't the kind of person any-
one would want on the General Staff". He said: "They didn't pick
on Dreyfus because he was a Jew, but the fact that he was a Jew
made it much easier to believe that he was guilty." He added: "It's
so easy just to use the term antisemitism as a general catch-all
phrase." But an astonished Prof Rose noted that, as the case
unfolded, Dreyfus's Jewishness "became absolutely central",
with people shouting "Death to the Jews" outside the courtroom.
"The level of antisemitism unleashed by this affair was absolute-
ly monstrous," she said. She added that she "wasn't quite sure
why [Mr Read] went to such lengths to insist that it was not an
anti- Jewish plot". Mr Read denied that his argument amounted
to a justification, commenting: "If I was Jewish I would want to
know why people were antisemitic." (thejc.com)
Neocon plot for the Middle East
"They wanted us to destabilize the Middle East,
turn it upside down, make it under our control." He
then recounted a conversation he had had ten
years earlier with Paul Wolfowitz - back in 1991 - in
which the then-number-3-Pentagon-official, after
criticizing Bush 41 for not toppling Saddam, told
Clark: "But one thing we did learn [from the Persian
Gulf War] is that we can use our military in the
region - in the Middle East - and the Soviets won't
stop us. And we've got about 5 or 10 years to clean
up those old Soviet regimes - Syria, Iran [sic], Iraq -
before the next great superpower comes on to chal-
lenge us." Clark said he was shocked by
Wolfowitz's desires because, as Clark put it: "the
purpose of the military is to start wars and change
governments? It's not to deter conflicts?"
(Pentagon officer)
Egyptians sour on U.S., eye
closer ties with Turkey, Iran
Los Angeles: The majority of Egyptians (56%) now see closer
relations with the U. S. as a bad thing for their country, up sharply
from 40% in December 2011. Slightly more than one-quarter
(28%) say closer relations are a good thing, fewer than say the
same thing about Turkey (60% good, 19% bad) and Iran (41%
good 38% bad thing).
The surge in Egyptian negativity documented by Gallup sur-
veys coincides with a difficult period in U. S.-Egyptian relations.
At about the same time as the Jan. 31-Feb. 7, 2012, survey, the
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces closed a series of high-
profile American and Egyptian non-
governmental organizations (NGOs).
In a recent opinion column, former
Egyptian Ambassador to the U. S.
Nabil Fahmy chastised the U. S. and
Egyptian governments for their
actions in the crisis. Fahmy pointed
the finger at the U. S. for illegally oper-
ating NGOs after a 2005 agreement
that called for licenses and at the
Egyptian government for doing busi-
ness with these same NGOs since
2005. Despite a temporary and con-
troversial resolution, many analysts
see this flare-up as the most recent
source of tension in the U. S.-Egyptian relationship.
Egyptians are now more likely to see promise in closer ties
with Turkey and Iran than with the U. S. A solid majority of
Egyptians (60%) say closer relations with Turkey would be a
good thing for Egypt, while 19% say it would be a bad thing.
Forty-one percent of Egyptians say closer ties with Iran would be
a good thing. (gallup.com)
Egyptian Parliament
votes to expel Zionist envoy
Cairo: Egypt's Islamist-dominated parliament has unanimously
voted in support of the expulsion of Israel's ambassador in Cairo
and for a halt to gas exports to the Jewish state. The motion is
largely symbolic because only the ruling military council can
make such decisions, and it is
not likely to impact Egypt's
relations with Israel. But the
move signals the seismic
change in Egypt after the
ouster of longtime leader and
Israeli ally Hosni Mubarak a
year ago. The 12 March vote
was taken by a show of hands
on a report by the chamber's
Arab affairs committee that
declared that Egypt will
"never" be a friend, partner or
ally of Israel. The report
described the Jewish state as
the nation's "number one enemy." (news.yahoo.com)
Those were the days... Israeli Foreign
Minister Livny with Mubarak
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012 17
INTERNATIONAL
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deserving areas and most backward sections of our community. This charitable trust is channelising
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and administrative facilities free of cost as well as free advertising space, and the trustees are barred by the trust deed
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M. AZHAR ALI KHAN
Ottawa: Visiting American Jewish scholar Dr. Norman Finkelstein
brought a surprise message to Canadians on his recent tour
that there is now a real possibility of a just peace in the Middle
East. This differs from the message Canadians get from govern-
ment officials and most of the media that Israel is the innocent
victim of hostile forces bent on destroying the state.
The message also differs from what noted Israelis have told
Canadians: that most Israelis are comfortable -- courtesy partly of
massive U.S. military and economic aid -- and Israel's govern-
ment will continue its illegal settlements and land grabbing that
would turn the Palestinians into a permanently occupied and
oppressed people in their own homeland.
But Finkelstein explained that swift changes in the Middle
East, and the West, are thwarting Israel and the U.S. He said the
process will accelerate if people in the West pressured their gov-
ernments to push for a just settlement.
Canadians benefit from such discussions in that they present
a more balanced picture of the Middle East than the distorted one
they get from the government and most of the mainstream media.
Among the factors that Finkelstein feels will push the parties
towards a settlement is the changing attitude of American Jews,
particularly the youth. Where they used to vigorously defend
Israel they now find it increasingly difficult to reconcile their val-
ues with Israeli actions. They no longer see Israel as an embod-
iment of liberal, humanitarian values.
Israeli repression of Palestinians and illegal settlements
apart, Israels attack on Lebanon in 2006 when, in the last 72
hours of the war despite the proclamation of a ceasefire, Israel
dropped four million cluster bombs, killing and maiming on an
ongoing basis innocent men, women and children, and its drop-
ping white phosphorus on hospitals during its attack on Gaza in
2009, shocked American Jews. Finkelstein stated that some
American Jews still support Israel and attribute criticism of Israeli
brutality to anti-Semitism. But most avoid the subject because
such barbarity horrifies them.
He said other Americans and Westerners are also dramati-
cally changing their perceptions of the Middle East and believe
that Israel bears the major, but not full, responsibility for the
impasse. They are now speaking out more against the oppres-
sion. Finkelstein stated that a BBC poll suggests that Europeans
and North Americans see Israel as the biggest threat to peace,
even more so than Iran, Pakistan and North Korea. He said polls
show that 20 per cent of Canadians view Israeli policies
favourably compared to the 60 per cent who are critical. During
the Palestinian statehood bid, he continued, most people in every
country favoured the Palestinians. In the U.S., he added, two
polls suggested that 45 per cent supported the Palestinians while
25 to 35 per cent were opposed despite the false propaganda of
American politicians and the media.
In General Assembly votes every year, he stated, the entire
world favours a two-states solution and only Israel, the U.S., a
couple of American satellite states and now Canada oppose a
just agreement. Finkelstein declared that the Arab Spring has
toppled Israels strongest Arab ally and now all Arabs will likely
support a just peace. Israels traditional ally, Turkey, now strong-
ly opposes Israels illegal and inhumane siege of Gaza and
strongly champions human rights and justice.
He asserted that Iran backs the Organization of Islamic
Cooperations policy of favouring a two-state solution. Even Hamas
is willing to accept a two-state solution, even though in principle it
views the creation of Israel as unjust. The only obstacles to a just
settlement in the Middle East are Israel and the U.S. and now
Canada, he declared. Finkelstein said that most Israeli settlers
were lured to the occupied territories by government patronage
and will leave if they are refused subsidies and government protec-
tion and are assisted in moving to Israel. Another possibility is a
reasonable exchange of equivalent land, he declared.
This is the second time in recent months that Finkelstein has
spoken in Canada. His talks draw crowds, as do those of other
Jews or Israelis who seek to promote peace. Such lectures are
welcomed on campuses, underlining Finkelsteins statement that
youth, in particular, are repelled by the savagery in the Middle
East and they dont trust the government or the mainstream
media for truth about the Middle East. Canadians for Justice and
Peace in the Middle East is a grassroots organization that seeks
to promote justice and peace in the Middle East by presenting the
real picture. Finkelstein taught at American universities but was
ousted by Zionist pressure. He makes a living by writing and
speaking. His next book will be, Knowing Too Much: Why the
American Jewish Love Affair with Israel is Coming to an End.
Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan is a retired Canadian journalist,
civil servant and refugee judge
Changes in the Middle East to
force Israel to seek peace
Tehran: Tehran will retaliate against any attack by Israeli or
American forces "on the same level," Iran's top leader said on 20
March in an address just moments after U.S. President Barack
Obama appealed directly to the Iranian people with a message
of solidarity. The contrasting approaches highlighted the broad
range of political posturing and tactics as the standoff deepens
over Tehran's nuclear program.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaking on
state TV to mark the Iranian new year, repeated his claims that
the country does not seek atomic weapons, but said all of Iran's
conventional firepower was ready to respond to any attack.
"We do not have atomic weapons and we will not build one.
But against an attack by enemies - to defend ourselves either
against the U. S. or Zionist regime - we will attack them on the
same level that they attack us," he said, using the term Iranian
authorities often use for Israel.
Despite the hard-edged tone for most of the speech, there
were hints of overtures toward America before a possible
resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers. He
urged the U. S. to have a "respectful attitude" toward Iran - sug-
gesting it could bring dividends.
Earlier this month, Khamenei gave a rare nod of approval to
Washington after Obama said he favored diplomacy to resolve
the nuclear dispute.
In response to tougher sanctions, Iran had threatened to try
to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf -
the route for about a fifth of the world's oil. However, Iran's mili-
tary has made no actual moves to blockade the shipping lanes,
and Kuwait's ruler was quoted as saying Iran has assured its
Gulf neighbors that it will not attempt to disrupt tanker traffic.
Any attacks bring 'same level' reply: Iran
BENDIB
INTERNATIONAL
18 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012
KARAMATULLAH K. GHORI
It was cold-blooded to a
fault. The assassination
of 16 innocent Afghans
in the middle of the night
on March 11, in the vil-
lage of Panjwai, outside
a well-fortified US mili-
tary base in Afghanistan
was carried out with
methodical precision by a power-drunk US
army sergeant, a model representative of
Americas military outreach writing new chap-
ters of neo-imperialism in our age.
Staff sergeant Robert Bales-said to be a
veteran of 10 years in the army and having
served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan-
walked out of his fortress in the early hours of
the morning, entered the nearby village ,
barged into a house and emptied his bullets
into unsuspecting Afghans. By the time his
mayhem was over, 16 innocent Afghans were
dead, 11 of them from one family. The brave
veterans tally of victims included 9 children
and 3 women.
The sergeant, with his mission accom-
plished returned to his base and slept over it.
Two days later, while Afghanistan and much of
the civilized world was still in shock over the
barbaric massacre of innocent civilians, the
assassin was flown out of Afghanistan to the
safety of an American military base in Kuwait, a
bastion of US military adventurism in Iraq,
Afghanistan and other Gulf countries, including
a potential target, Iran. Aday later, he was flown
out to the sanctuary of his home base in US.
Not surprisingly, the administration of
Barak Obama took the mayhem in its stride,
expressing its regrets over the ghastly inci-
dent as if it wasnt anything unusual.
And it wasnt unusual, at all, to the head of
the military and defence establishment of US,
Defence Secretary Leon Panetta. Not bother-
ing to give an explanation why the blood-
thirsty veteran had spilled so much of inno-
cent Afghan blood in his wanton blood-lust,
Panetta just tentatively and dismissively said,
in response to the media questions: These
kinds of events and incidents are going to take
placeThis is not the first of those events,
and they probably wouldnt be the last.
In other words, Panetta, not remorseful in
the least, appeared to be expressing his elab-
orate military commands inability to rein in the
assassins in his forces masquerading as sol-
diers on whom so much praise and unde-
served glory is routinely showered in a mur-
der-friendly US military culture.
But Panetta was unwittingly, perhaps,
right in as far as this incident being not the
first of its kind is concerned. Seth Jones of
Rand Corporation-a think-tank unabashedly
hawking US militarism and penchant to domi-
nate the world-had a sharper focus on why
such massacres have been taking place in
Afghanistan with such regularity. Talking at
PBS News Hour on the day after the mas-
sacre he said, quite matter-of-factly, This is
not as out-of-the-norm as its appearing in the
mediaAfghans are used to being killed.
What Seth Jones should have also added
is that the people of Afghanistan are used to
being killed at the hands of sick-minded
American savages, in the words of the
Afghan Taliban, for whom massacres like this
are welcome opportunities to rope in more
and more angry and blood-soaked Afghans
into their ranks.
What is closer to reality is the fact that
while Afghans may not be getting used to get-
ting killed-no people with a glorious history of
resistance to foreign invaders and occupa-
tions like the Afghans can ever get used to
being killed like chattels or partridges-they are
being regularly provoked by a besotted and
blinded-by-power occupation force like the
one currently running berserk over the Afghan
terrain but still not knowing how to bring its ill-
advised occupation to an end.
Hardly a month before Robert Bales took
it upon himself to decimate a handful of unciv-
ilized Afghans by clinically mowing them
down-a feat that puts to shame the most
bizarre of Hollywood Rambos-some benight-
ed US soldiers at the infamous Bagram mili-
tary base outside Kabul had burnt copies of
the Holy Quran. That mischief of tawdry sol-
diers had led to violent demonstrations in
Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan, too,
and resulted in at least 35 casualties among
the demonstrating crowds.
A few months before the Quran burning
incident-an act of extreme provocation, given
the sanctity of the Holy Book in the heart of
every Muslim in the world-American soldiers
had been captured on video urinating on the
corpses of villagers killed in a blind fury of
rage and blood-lust by the same soldiers.
There have been incidents aplenty of
American soldiers stomping on corpses of
dead Afghans and collecting their body parts
as war trophies. This abominable practice
has gone on, unchecked apparently, despite
tall claims from US spokesmen, including
Obama, that American soldiers are steeped in
showing respect to the Afghans and be sen-
sitive to their religious and cultural moorings.
The practice of regarding the Afghans as
fair game and thus given to being shot down
at will by power-drunk American soldiers has
been going on since the early days of US
invasion and occupation of Afghanistan.
Writing an eye-opening piece under the
caption of Sick- Minded American Soldiers at
War in the March 16 issue of the widely popu-
lar, and non-establishment media website,
Common Dreams, John Laforge dilated on the
massacre that had taken place in November
2001-within days of US invasion of Afghanistan
in the wake of 9/11-of hundreds of Afghan com-
batants. They were ferried to the northern city
of Mazar-e-Sharif in sealed containers, result-
ing in the deaths of hundreds of them because
asphyxiation. Scores others were mowed down
when their containers were peppered with
machine-gun fire, while 30 to 40 members of
the elite Special Forces stood by as silent spec-
tators of the mayhem. Eye-witness accounts of
the Mazar mayhem subsequently furnished
authenticity to a documentary on the gory inci-
dent, called Massacre at Mazar.
Leon Panetta should, of course, have little
reason to be surprised as to why such gross
violations of the globally-sanctioned terms of
occupation of an invaded land are taking
place at regular frequency in Afghanistan. The
explanation is simple: American soldiers have
no fear of accountability or retribution. They
have the weird satisfaction, nay full assur-
ance, that they can get away with murder and
no harm will come to them. The actions of
their government, whisking them away from
the scene or scenes of their wanton crimes, is
proof of it that they arent wrong in regarding
themselves beyond the reach of the law of
their occupied land.
Veterans like Robert Bales have been
steeped in their belief of being above the law
of the occupied land through their exposure to
Iraq, before they repeated their criminal activ-
ities in Afghanistan.
The world needs no reminding of how
berserk the American servicemen and women
ran over Iraq. The wanton torture and massive
humiliations heaped on the poor Iraqis are still
fresh in the collective memory of the world,
although the civilized western part of it may
be reluctant to recall them. Abu Ghraib and
the savagery of US torture of its prisoners
have been engraved on the minds of the con-
scientious people of the world for good. So
have the memories of how the city of Falluja
was laid waste by American soldiers and mer-
cenaries in blind rage.
In his candid Common Dreams piece,
cited above, LaForge mentions some of the
crimes committed by besotted US soldiers
and mercenary contractors justified as
norms. As he writes, The literate population
of Afghanistan may be more aware of this
norm than U.S. readers. Pvt. Charles
Graner, of the Abu Ghraib torture cell in Iraq,
was released after 6- years of a 10-year
sentence. In 2009, charges were dropped
against four U.S. military contractors from
Blackwater Corp. who slaughtered 17 civilians
in Baghdad. This year, Marine Staff Sgt. Frank
Wuterich was allowed to plead guilty to dere-
liction of duty after overseeing the murders of
24 sleeping civilians in Haditha, Iraq in 2005.
Sgt. Wuterich had told his men Shoot first,
ask questions later. Six of them had their
charges dropped and one was acquitted, and
Wuterich walked free without jail time.
The people of Pakistan, right next-door to
Afghanistan, are also being made to bear the
burden of living in the shadow of a power for
which its own writ of military superiority is the
only valid law and must be honoured by all its
victims.
The frequency of drone attacks on unsus-
pecting civilians in the northern areas of
Pakistan is continually adding on to the num-
bers killed in these blind raids. On Obamas
watch in the White House, Pakistan has been
blasted by these ghastly visitations of
American drones with the rapidity of indiscrim-
inate gun-fire by trigger-happy Americans in
Afghanistan. Pakistans own estimates of civil-
ians killed in these raids runs to at least five
thousand in the past three years; the US, of
course, is not in the business of taking body
counts in targeted countries.
How is this revival of the archaic law of the
jungle by blinded Rambos like Bales going to
influence and affect President Obamas much-
touted claim that his soldiers are there, in
Afghanistan, to win its peoples hearts and
minds is no longer subject to any conjecture.
Laforge speaks with conviction on the lethal
fallout of such episodes on the war-weary
people of Afghanistan. He cites the words of
President Hamid Karzai-a veteran votary and
Quisling of Washington-on what radical
change such incidents have the capability to
imprint on the Afghans. Karzai was quoted by
the American media, on May 31, 2011, after
another dastardly crime by wild and insensi-
tive US soldiers, as warning them:
If they continue their attacks on our hous-
es, then their presence will change from a
force that is fighting terrorism to a force that is
fighting against the people of Afghanistan.
And in that case, history shows what Afghans
do with trespassers and with occupiers.
Karzai wasnt posturing when he served
this categorical alert to his mentors in
Washington. However, the question that aris-
es at this juncture is whether anyone there is
listening?
Logic and common sense says the
Americans should have their ears plugged to
the ground and listen not only to Karzai but
also to all others concerned with the future of
Afghanistan and worried over the direction in
which US war-mongers want to steer the war-
torn country.
But the Americans arent listening or, to be
more realistic, dont want to listen because
much against the conventional wisdom, that
they have a timetable to withdraw from
Afghanistan, completely, at the end of 2014,
there is no plan to get out of Afghanistan, lock,
stock and barrel. US is in Afghanistan for a
long haul-a very long haul-and that has been
their policy since the beginning of their inva-
sion of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is not an end in itself but the
means to an end for the dreamers of Pax
Americana and American Empire. Iraq was
thought to be the lynchpin of it in the begin-
ning and the whole logic of invading that coun-
try on the lam was precisely this. However,
Iraq didnt work out the way of the empire
dreamers; they abandoned it because of the
cost-benefit ratio wasnt favourable. Besides,
fortress Israel, with its own expansionist
designs in sync with those of US, is there to
ensure Americas proxy hegemony in the Gulf
region; not to mention, of course, the supine
wealthy Arab rulers and potentates perennial-
ly subservient to US interests and diktats.
Afghanistan is now seen as the new
beach-head of US Empire controlling the
region and casting its lengthy shadows over it.
Afghanistans geo-strategic value adds new
vistas to the dream of the empire; the treasure
trove of its potential minerals wealth adds the
icing to the cake. US is going to be in
Afghanistan for decades to come and must
engineer it accordingly.
Its not only history buffs that should know
of it but any serious student of history knows
that empire-building has been at the crux of
US from its very inception. The foundations of
it were laid by decimating natives of America
and then using the muscle-power of the
slaves brought from Africa to harness the con-
tinents usurped resources.
In the modern times its the people of tar-
geted countries-neo-colonies in todays lexi-
con-that must be subdued if they cant be dec-
imated or exterminated. The muscle-power of
erstwhile slaves is to be replaced by vast min-
eral resources of the quarry to keep hi-tech
industries churning. But what eludes the
empire dreamers is the historical reality of
Afghanistans unmatched reputation of being
the graveyard of empires. Obama should
know that with his perception of history.
Soldiers or Assassins? The Ugly Face of Neo-Imperialism
Logic and common sense says the Americans should have their ears plugged to the ground and listen not only to
Karzai but also to all others concerned with the future of Afghanistan and worried over the direction in which US war-
mongers want to steer the war-torn country.
Tehran: Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi
said despite Tel Aviv's escalating war rhetoric
against Iran, the Israeli regime is too small to
survive even one week of real war.
"First of all we take every little threat serious
even if it comes from the weakest country in the
world," he said in an interview with Danish tele-
vision channel TV2.
Salehi added that Iran does not consider
Israeli claims or threats as real threats. "What is
Israel? It is such a small entity that it cannot
withstand one week of real war; not one week,"
he emphasized. The Iranian foreign minister
further noted that if Israel really decided to
attack nuclear facilities in Iran, Tehran's
response will be one of full force.
"If Israel ever makes that mistake [attacking
Iran's nuclear sites], that will set the time for the
end of Israel. They know it very well. We don't
consider Israel a country. Israel is an entity, the
extension of the US influence in the Middle
East. So, the real threat is the US," he said.
The US and Israel have been escalating
their war rhetoric against Iran in recent months,
claiming that there is diversion in the country's
nuclear energy program towards a military pro-
gram.
Tehran refutes their claims saying that as a
member of International Atomic Energy Agency
and signatory to Non-Proliferation Treaty, it has
every right to peaceful uses of the nuclear energy.
Iranian officials have vowed a crushing
response to any act of aggression against the
country. (Press TV - 16 March, 2012)
Israel Too Small to Last Even One Week of Real War
Ali Akbar Salehi
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012 19
BOOKS
Book:The Unmaking of Israel
Author: Gershom Gorenberg
Publisher: Harper Collins, New York
Year: 2011
Pages: 325
ISBN-10: 0061985082
ISBN-13: 9780061985089
JIM MILES
Many recent works are reflecting an internal crisis within Israel,
part of which is the increased power of the ultra-Orthodox Jews
within the educational, military, and political systems of Israel.
Gershom Gorenbergs The Unmaking of Israel presents clear
and well argued points concerning this aspect of current Israeli
life and politics, and, as reflected in other works by Jewish writ-
ers, The ongoing occupation, the fostering of religious extrem-
ism, the undercutting of the law by the government itself all threat-
en Israels future.
Gorenbergs thesis is narrowly focussed on this aspect of
Israeli life, and while there are some arguable points of historical
interpretation, his general argument is well presented and well
thought out. It is not a work about the Palestinians per se, but
about the nature of the ongoing occupation and all the hazards
that it brings back to Israel. It is about the nature of the settle-
ments, and although this is not new territory (see Yakov M.
Rabkin, A Threat From Within, Fernwood Publishing, Canada,
2006; and Lords of the Land Eldar and Zertal, Nation Books,
New York, 2005)) his presentation is current with the ongoing
trends of the settlements and Israeli politics. He looks at the
effects on the military as the ultra-Orthodox constituency
becomes political - against its better wishes - but also effectively
so as a majority creator in the Knesset. His third thread is the
increasing power of the ultra-Orthodox community in the manner
in which the military is operated, and how that influences in turn
the settlements and the occupation.
Foundations for future problems
The second chapter provides a brief and generally accurate
description of events following the nakba. Gorenberg discusses
aspects of democracy within the new state and the fact that nei-
ther a constitution nor a Bill of Rights has ever been crafted.
Without a constitution to restrain political power (as opposed to
democratic power), Gorenberg argues that the deification of the
state was even more dangerous than the potential concentration
of power, yet the majority in parliament held nearly unlimited
power.
Compromises that were made then - the financial support of
the Orthodox haredi schools, the deferments given to men study-
ing at yeshivot - Talmudic studies - from military service, the cre-
ation of a Rabbinic bureaucracy to control marriage - were all
seeds for the future. No one imagined, for instance, that by fund-
ing haredi schools, the state would transform ultra-Orthodox soci-
ety and risk ending up in the palm of its hand.
As for the Palestinian Arabs, they were treated as ethnic
adversaries rather than citizens to be integrated. The creation of
new property laws, the exploitation of older laws from the
Ottoman empire and the British Mandate, and the ongoing
acceptance of the Jewish National Fund contributed to the dou-
ble standards of Israeli Arabs being colonized citizens of a theo-
retically democratic state.
Settlers and outposts
In The Capital of Lawlessness, Gorenberg discusses events
post 1967 in relation to the settlements in the occupied
Palestinian territories. After the war, settlements became a
means by which Israelis could reclaim the land, and at the same
time, At driving wedges between Palestinian towns and prevent-
ing the emergence of a continuous Palestinian state. Most of the
section presents information that in acquiring land for settlement,
the states misuse of law was particularly blatant, that the new
technique for acquiring land was to exploit local laws to establish
that the property belonged to the state in the first
place.Everything was done according to law. But the law exist-
ed to serve the cause of settlement, not the cause of justice. As
Gorenberg argues, the occupied territory became a realm
where, ultimately, there was no law. The end result of this law-
lessness he argues, is that Stone by stone, they were disman-
tling the state of Israel.
The next chapter examines the next generation of the set-
tler population. Supported by the state through large financial
incentives, the religious settlement movement is recasting
nationalism, at its most tribal, as religious doctrine. The newer
outpost settlements are the flagship project of the militant sec-
ond generation again violating Israeli law and international law.
The result of the support for the outposts, fomented the growth
of a theologically driven far-right movement that saw the state
and even the established settlement leadership as illegitimate.
Generally, Gorenberg gives examples of how settlements have
ignored/abrogated/transgressed laws in the occupied territories.
While the courts may at times uphold the law, generally the gov-
ernment, army and /or police involved take no action.
Religion, the military, and working life
The influence of the religious academies and their co-opting of
the military is the subject of the next chapter. A later development
augmenting the yeshivot studies of the Orthodox was the estab-
lishment of paramilitary academies. These academies present a
viewpoint in which there becomes a risk of future insubordination
or mutiny, and from the events surrounding the disengagement of
2005, the state and the army have allowed the threat to demo-
cratic control of the military to grow. Similarly, the governments
acquiescence to clerics in the military allows the theological
rightto politicize the military, and legitimizes the religious
rights antihumanistic attitudes and its claim to be the voice of
Judaism. Gorenberg concludes Israel evolves backward, return-
ing to the moment of a fragile state facing an armed faction [Irgun
- Menachim Begin] dedicated to fantasies of power and expan-
sion. Only this time, it comes from within the army.
The final argument on Israels unmaking concerns the haredi
role of civic society within Israel. Generally the haredi schools
provide scant preparation for earning a living and no preparation
at all for participation in a democratic society. By exempting the
haredi from basic education and allowing the ultra-Orthodox to
control the states religious bureaucracy, the state fostered a bur-
geoning sector of society that neither understand nor values
democracy. The descriptions provided of the schooling and
lifestyle of the haredi as fundamentalists is reminiscent of the crit-
icisms many on the right in the west attribute to the Muslim
madrassas, and indeed of the Christian fundamentalist right.
The influences of this sector are felt in politics, education, the
economy, the military, the courts, religious institutions, and in
arguments as to who is really Jewish.
Importing settler ideology
The final arguments concern the importation of the settlers ide-
ology into Israel proper, behind the Green Line. This has several
facets. One is the ongoing ethnic struggle for land, where set-
tlers are encouraged to live in areas that are predominantly Arab,
or in cultural boundary areas between Arabs and Jews. In a
sense Israel has created a burgeoning one state solution, as the
Green Line had truly been erased. Israeli cities and West Bank
hills were fronts in the same war.
Another facet was created when Avigdor Lieberman and
Israel is Our Home party joined a coalition with Netanyahus
Likud. This created an intense effort to use parliamentary power
against basic democratic principles. A declaration of allegiance
to Israel as a Jewish and Zionist state did not receive sufficient
support, but another bill introduced the same idea for civil ser-
vants and yet another for employees of the film industry, and a
third required it for immigrants other than those entitled under the
right of return law. Another bill allowed housing segregation in
community settlements.
Solutions
Gorenbergs solutions are obvious in consideration of his thesis
and supporting arguments. He sees three basic threads:
First, End the settlement enterprise, end the occupation, and
find a peaceful way to partition the land between the Jordan and
the Mediterranean.
Secondly, it must divorce state and synagogue - freeing the
state from clericism, and religion from the state.
Finally, Graduate from being an ethnic movement to being a
democratic state in which all citizens enjoy equality.
A discussion on how to repatriate the settlers indicates that
For Israel to move forward, most settlers must move
home.The point of evacuating settlements is to end the ethnic
conflict, not to import it. With the more recent activism by Jewish
and other supporters of Palestinian/Arab rights (the BDS move-
ment is not mentioned, but international pressure is) Gorenberg
concludes The settlements do not improve Israels bargaining
position: rather, they destroy Israeli credibility and chain Israel to
the occupied territories.
Realistic?
The solutions offered by Gorenberg make a great deal of sense,
and generally amount to unravelling the complicated web of mili-
tary, religious, and political structures that have developed over
the decades since Israel was formed and in particular since the
start of the post 1967 occupation. If Israel existed in an isolated
scenario these solutions would be difficult enough to enact.
There is a larger position to consider. Israels overall econo-
my now reflects the general trend of right wing governments, with
corporations and the military fully entwined in the political arena
(see Start-Up Nation - The Story of Israels Economic Miracle,
Senor and Singer McClelland & Stewart, Toronto, 2009. While
extolling Israels miracle economic growth, it also illustrates the
intertwined roles of the army, education, the government, and
corporations - free enterprise it isnt). The union of right wing
theocracy with right wing political ideology will be a difficult
arrangement to overcome, as the ability to control the population
becomes one of the main enterprises of the now corporate-mili-
tary state.
The U.S. is a prime example of this, while espousing the
virtues of freedom and democracy, it has in the past decade
enacted many laws that take away many citizens rights, and has
abrogated and ignored many other laws from their own
Constitution to international law. The U.S. is Gorenbergs biggest
miss in his discussion. Israel is either a U.S. outpost of militarized
corporations, or the U.S. is Israels puppet fighting for its empire
in the Middle East - perhaps a bit of both. With over 3 billion annu-
ally in aid, with much more in military ordinance and military, tech-
nological, and security information trading between the borders,
not only does Israel need to resolve its internal problems if it is to
survive as a democracy (already an arguable proposition), it will
also have to resolve its relationship with the U.S.
Israel tends to use or ignore the U.S. as it best sees fit for its
own purposes. With several hundred nuclear weapons and a
technologically advanced military, Israel will continue to exist in
one form or another for a long while. Whether it does so accord-
ing to Gorenbergs suggestions, all worthwhile and valid, will also
depend on how it deals with its ties to the U.S. empire.
The Unmaking of Israel is a well worthwhile study in current
political thought in Israel from the Jewish perspective looking for
a fair, equitable, and democratic state, alongside the same for the
Palestinians. I would like to see an addendum, or perhaps a
whole new volume with suggestions on how Israel will deal with
its U.S. ties, ties that will continue to limit its abilities to become
what Gorenberg suggests.
Jim Miles is a Canadian educator and a regular contribu-
tor/columnist of opinion pieces and book reviews for The
Palestine Chronicle. Miles work is also presented globally
through other alternative websites and news publications.
The Unmaking of Israel
Sachar Committee Report
English Rs 1000
Hindi Rs 1000
Urdu Rs 1000
Ordering details on page 20
Israels overall
economy now
reflects the
general trend of
right wing gov-
ernments, with
cor por at i ons
and the military
fully entwined
in the political
arena (see
Start-Up Nation
- The Story of
I s r a e l s
E c o n o m i c
Miracle, Senor
and Singer
McClelland &
S t e w a r t ,
Toronto, 2009.
While extolling
Israels miracle economic growth, it also illustrates the
intertwined roles of the army, education, the govern-
ment, and corporations - free enterprise it isnt). The
union of right wing theocracy with right wing political
ideology will be a difficult arrangement to overcome, as
the ability to control the population becomes one of the
main enterprises of the now corporate-military state.
The U.S. is a prime example of this, while espousing
the virtues of freedom and democracy, it has in the past
decade enacted many laws that take away many citizens
rights, and has abrogated and ignored many other laws
from their own Constitution to international law... Israel
is either a U.S. outpost of militarized corporations, or the
U.S. is Israels puppet fighting for its empire in the
Middle East - perhaps a bit of both.
20 The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012
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ASGHAR ALI ENGINEER
Today world is highly diverse. There is not a single country in the
world which is homogenous and without diversity. Though in the past
too, diversity existed but colonization, scientific progress and faster
means of transportation have increased diversity in the world and
globalization has further added to its intensity. In the past people
generally moved for better prospects within their respective coun-
tries, today people seek jobs, even education, in far off countries or
even across continents.
Also, it is Allahs will to create diversity among His creation. Allah
says in the Quran, "And if Allah had pleased He would have made
you a single people, but that He might try you in what He gave you.
So vie one with another in virtuous deeds" (5:48). Thus, diversity is
Allahs will and it is a trial for us if we can live in peace and harmo-
ny with each other despite this diversity. Also, Allah wants us not to
assert our superiority on the basis of our differences but to vie one
with another in good deeds.
Also, if there is diversity there are likely to be misunderstandings
and misconceptions about each other which often leads to conflict
and breach of peace. This applies to both: interfaith and intrafaith
communities. Intrafaith conflict is also widespread, like between
Shiahs and Sunnis, or Bohra or non-Bohra Muslims, or between
Barelvis and Deobandis. The only way to remove these misconcep-
tions is to have a dialogue with each other.
Thus, three ideas become quite important: democracy, diversity
and dialogue. Democracy and diversity is complimentary to each
other though many people think homogeneity is strength; the fact is:
it is not. Homogeneity can result in dictatorship whereas diversity
becomes the lifeline for democracy. Experience shows that greater
diversity results in a stronger democracy.
But diversity also poses a challenge which has to be met
through proper understanding of each other through dialogue.
Dialogue, it should be noted, is not a modern or contemporary con-
cept including inter-religious dialogue. In medieval ages, Sufis and
yogis often used to have dialogue in India. Also, Sufis on one hand,
and Christian mystics and Jewish saints on the other, engaged in
dialogue. Some of them spent years understanding others religious
traditions. Dara Shikoh or Mazhar Jan-i-Janan, for example, had
thorough knowledge of Hindu traditions. Dara Shikoh even translat-
ed the Upanishad from Sanskrit into Persian and named it "Sirr-e-
Akbar" (The greatest Mystery). I have seen its manuscript in Darul
Musannifin, Azamgarh. He also wrote a book called "Majmaul
Bahrayn" (Co-mingling of Two Oceans). It is a great book of dialogue
between Hinduism and Islam.
However, there are some rules to be observed for dialogue to
succeed and produce the required results. The very first requirement
is that no one participating in the dialogue should have an attitude of
superiority over the other. It goes against the very spirit of dialogue.
Secondly, dialogue should be on certain concrete issues like
womens rights or war or non-violence and so on. Today, there is
great misunderstanding about these issues. Most of the non-
Muslims, especially westerners, think that Islam gives no rights to
women and subjugates them thanks to certain practices among
Muslims like hijab or polygamy or honour killing and so on.
Similarly, there is widespread misunderstanding about the con-
cept of Jihad thanks to certain fatwas or statements of Osama bin
Laden justifying his attack on New York Towers as "Jihad". In fact,
there are great misconceptions among Muslims and Muslim Ulama
about issues like polygamy and Jihad. There is a great need for dia-
logue with them too. And we need much more to have a dialogue
with non-Muslims.
The dialogue process should include religious functionaries,
scholars who have in-depth knowledge of the issues, journalists
(who write and spread misconceptions) and lay people as well, as
these people are often victims of misconceptions. Secondly, one
should have humility to learn rather than argue on the basis of igno-
rance. But participants must have the right to raise questions to
remove doubts.
Thirdly, one must be firmly rooted in ones own faith, tradition and
should be able to explain the reasons for certain practices or rationale
of the teaching. Any doubt or ignorance may harm the spirit of dia-
logue. Also one should be able to remove all the doubts raised during
the discussion with ones thorough knowledge, conviction and clarity.
Fourthly, one should have tremendous patience and capacity to
listen and understand others situation and try to remove doubts
expressed and not try to silence the other party through debating
skills or try polemics. It will destroy the very purpose of having a dia-
logue. There is a fundamental difference between debate and dia-
logue.
Also while being firmly rooted in ones own faith and traditions,
one also has to accept the other with his/her otherness without being
critical of the otherness. Dialogue is to promote understanding and
not to reject others faith or finding fault in others faith. Dialogue
should never be directed at converting the other but only to under-
stand the other. Two or the multiple partners in dialogue should throw
light on the concerned issue in the light of ones own faith and tradi-
tion and handle the questions with the tact and delicacy they deserve.
Dialogue so conducted can really work wonders and promote
real understanding about ones own faith while understanding others
faiths as well. I have been a part of the dialogue process for more
than 40 years and can say with confidence that dialogue plays a very
important role in a diverse society. Knowledge, conviction, clarity and
appreciation of others points of view are very useful tools for dia-
logue.
On the need for inter-religious dialogue
MUHAMMAD ABDUS SAMAD
Muslims and Christians share many common
beliefs, morals, principles and injunctions for their
behaviour and conduct. But what is basically differ-
ent between the two faiths is the nature and role of
Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Trinity of God consists of God the Holy Father,
God the Holy Son and God the Holy Spirit and it is
taught as the basic Christian creed. Though Trinity is
considered to be the basic belief of Christianity, it is
not found in the Bible. Only some Christian literature
deal with this doctrine. Christians say that Trinity is a
mystery; man cannot fully comprehend it; it will
remain a mystery for eternity. Though it is a mystery,
yet Christian scholars try to describe Trinity as fol-
lows: "Trinity of God refers to the trinity in unity.
Therefore, the trinity is the unity of God. The three
"persons" of Godhead are three Intelligences.
These three Intelligences mean one God.
Therefore, the nature of God belongs to all the three
persons and is identical in each" (Basic Beliefs of
Christianity by Leonard W. Thompson, pp. 39-49).
Pope Shenuda III of the Coptic Church says
that the three persons in the Christian Trinity are
fully equal; the Father equals the Son, equals the
Holy Spirit. There is no difference of separation.
They are also co-eternal" (Trinity and Unity by
Pope Shenuda III, p. 10).
Thus God the Father, God the Son (Jesus)
and God the Holy Spirit are identical as equal to
each other. But actually it is not so. Because we
find that the Father is not the Son; the Son is not
the Father; and the Holy Spirit is neither the Father
nor the Son. Each person in the Trinity is a different
and distinct entity with a different nature and differ-
ent role.
However, the Holy Spirit is the third person in
the Trinity and Christians assume that the Holy Spirit
is one of the three Gods in the Trinity. Christians say
that the Holy Spirit is God - God as the Father, God
as the Son and now God as the Holly Spirit. God is
one; so the Holy Spirit having same attributes is God
too. The Holy Spirit being God is Omnipotent and
Omnipresent" (Basic Beliefs of Christianity by L.W.
Thompson, pp. 162-164).
Thus Godhood and divinity are ascribed to the
Holy Spirit by Christians. But the Holy Spirit was
never God nor does the Bible call him God. Rather,
it is found in the Bible that the Holy Spirit prayed to
another God: "The Holy Spirit himself pleads with
God for us in groan that the word cannot express"
(Roman 8:26). If the Holy Spirit is really God, why
did he pray to another God? Or if he is God, to
whom did he pray? One who prays to another God
cannot be called God.
Again, the Holy Spirit is called "Helper" in the
Bible (vide Todays English Version of Bible):
"Jesus said: The Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the
Father will send in my name, will teach you every-
thing" (John 14:26). It is to be noted here that the
Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity while the
Helper is not. Besides the arrival of the Holy Spirit
at a future period as told by Jesus signifies that the
Trinity consisting of God the Father, God the Son
and God the Holy Spirit was incomplete before the
arrival of the Holy Spirit as "Helper". So the three
persons in the Trinity did not co-exist at a single
time. Thus the Trinity doctrine is contradictory and
unconvincing.
Let us see what Islam has to say about the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Quran deals with the Holy
Spirit calling him a servant of Allah. The Holy Spirit
was not God but Archangel Gabriel (Jibril). The
Archangel Gabriel is conferred two important epi-
thets in the Holy Quran. They are: a. "Ruhul Quds"
meaning the Holy Spirit and b. "Al-Ruh al-Amin"
meaning the Truthful Spirit. The Holy Quran states:
"The holy spirit (Ruhul Quds) hath revealed it
(Quran) from thy Lord with truth" (16:102). Allah
also says in the Holy Quran: "I supported him
(Jesus) with the Holy Spirit (Ruhul Quds) (2:87).
Verily, this (Quran) is a Revelation from the Lord of
the Worlds; with it came down the Spirit of the Truth
(Al-Ruh al-Amin) to thy (Muhammad) heart and
mind (26:192-194).
Thus it appears that the Archangel Gabriel was
a servant of Allah and the basic task assigned to
him was to bring down the divine message to
Allahs prophets. The Holy Quran announces:
"The Gabriel brings down the revelation to thy
(Muhammad) heart by Allahs will" (2:97).
Archangel Gabriel is also conferred another
epithet "Ruh" meaning the Spirit as announced in
the Holy Quran: "On the Day when the Sprit (Ruh)
and other angels stand arrayed, they speak not
save him whom the Beneficent (Allah) alloweth"
(78:38, 97:4). The Holy Quran also speaks about
the illustrious position conferred to Archangel
Gabriel that "he is the most honourable messenger
endowed with power and rank before the Lord of
the Tremendous Throne. He is with authority there
and faithful to his trust" (81:19-21).
The basic task assigned to the Archangel
Gabriel is to bring the revelation to the Prophets of
Allah who subsequently preach it to the people
intended. But an exception is found that the
Archangel Gabriel also brought the divine message
to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the mother of
Moses relating to the birth of Prophet Jesus without
a father and Prophet Moses (see Quran 19:16-34,
20:38-40). It is to be noted here that the message
brought by Gabriel to these two ladies was meant
for their individual life only. But the message
brought to the prophets by Gabriel is meant for the
guidance of whole Mankind.
Thus we find a difference between Christianity
and Islam with regard to the nature and role of the
Holy Spirit. Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is
God, the third person in the Trinity, while Muslims
believe him as the most honourable angel respon-
sible to bring down the divine message to the
prophets of Allah.
The author teaches in P.B. College, Gauripur, Dhubri (Assam)
The Holy Spirit in Islam
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Essay Writing Competition 2012
Idarah Ulum Al-Quran invites students, intellectuals
and scholars to a National Level Essay Writing
Competition. Successful participants will be entitled
to cash awards and certificates.
Group A: Non-Muslim scholars and intellectuals.
Topic: Quran For All
Ist Prize: 20,000 II Prize: 15000
III Prize: 10,000
Group B: Students of Madaris, Colleges and
Universities.
Topic: Is it necessary to read Quran
100with understanding ?
Ist Prize: 10,000. II Prize: 8000. III Prize: 6000.
7 Consolation Prizes: 1000
Terms and Conditions:
Those interested must get themselves regis-
tered till April 30, 2012 by writing to the undersigned
through letter/email with full details including name, pro-
fession, address, e-mail ID and Phone Number.
Students need to mention their class and institution.
Last date for the submission of essays is
May 31, 2012
The essay may be written in Urdu, Arabic, English or
Hindi language.
The essay of Group A should be between 30 to 40
pages of A4 size and should not exceed 20000 words.
The essay of Group B should be between 20-30 pages
and should not contain more than 15000 words.
The name and address on the cover page should be
written in such a way that it could be easily detached.
No sign should not be left inside the essay which could
reveal the identity of the writer.
The essay should be supported with Quranic Verses
and necessary references from well researched books
and sources.
Ishtiyaq Ahmad Zilli Ashhad Jamal Nadwi
President Convener
IDARAH ULUM AL-QURAN
POST BOX NO 99, SHIBLI BAGH
ALIGARH, 202002
0571-2720311 alquran85@gmail.com /
ashhadjnadvi@rediffmail.com
MG
Hearty congrats for your equanimity and courage to keep publishing
the esteemed MG despite all odds. May God reward you.
Shameer, shameeersk@gmail.com
II
I heartily congratulate the editorial body for publishing such a valu-
able and informative magazine.
Ishaq R. Chiniwala, Vadodara - 390017
III
MG is a good newspaper, especially because of its coverage of the
Muslim World news. I wish you a bright future. Kindly publish more
about Muslim reservation.
Gagan Khan Mehar, Advocate Jaisalmer - 345001 Rajasthan
Big media house speaks saffron language
Outlook is a reputed name in print media but how shocking that
Outlook speaks Modi and saffron language. Outlook Hindi March
2012 published report Gujarat 2002 never again. In cover story
burning volcano written by Saba Naqvi and Smirti Koppikar. On
page 28-29 gave a graph of riot months vs deaths. But on page 29
on 25 February at Godhra, a bogie of Sabarmati Express torched.
(I column) the language used is same what Modi & saffron brigade
has been saying. Justice Banerjee report confirmed that fire broke
from inside even forensic department experimented and said from
outside bogie could not be burned. Same language used on page 32,
showing picture of bogie burning written below Sabarmati Ke Dabbe
Phunke Gaya (bogie of Sabarmati burned) and other picture of Babri
Masjid demolition with caption 6 December 1992 collapsing Babri
Masjid. Babri Masjid not collapse but it was demolished by Hindutva
Atankwadis Such big print house Outlook spoke Modi and saffron
voice. S. Haque, Patna
India is biggest arms importer
India has overtaken China as the biggest importer of weaponry in the
world. Is it not something to be proud of especially since India is one
of the poorest nations in the world on a per-capita income basis? Do
we have the right to throw away so much money and resources on
defence while we have the dubious distinction of being the world
leaders in starvation, malnutrition, diseases, illiteracy, bride-burning,
female infanticide.. etc? And whom are we defending ourselves
against? The main problem is Kashmir which necessitates in such a
huge defence budget. And since so much of our resources are divert-
ed to defence, development stagnates and this leads to Naxalism
and other violent movements which tear apart the fragile unity of
India. This will lead to the need for higher and higher budgetary allo-
cations for arms and ammunitions. Thanks to our intransigent and
unimaginative stand on the Kashmir issue and other Lilliputian board-
er disputes we are now caught in a vicious circle of higher budgetary
allocations for defence which in turn lead to more poverty, dissent
and violence which in their turn lead to more defence allocations and
poverty. We have painted ourselves into a corner with our meaning-
less insistence on patriotism at the expense of prosperity. It is high
time our leaders realized that patriotic slogans and rhetoric cannot
hold a country together, especially a country as diverse as India. On
the other hand if unity leads to prosperity for the people then alone
will India be rated as the greatest nation on earth, something we all
dream of. Xavier William varekatx@gmail.com
II
It has been mentioned in the print media that India is the worlds
largest recipient of arms and Pakistan is third. Pakistan is a small
country and to strengthen its defence it may collect arms. But why
India is no one in receiving arms from the advanced country. India is
a second largest country as per its population. If it had friendly rela-
tions with its neighbour it need not amass arms. Pakistan is a little
country it cannot dare to fight with India even if it dares to fight with
India it can never defeat India. China is stronger than India and India
cannot challenge China. In the war of 1962 China advanced in our
territory and captured 10 thousand sq Km land in Laddakh area. Our
forces cannot dare to attack Chinese forces and neck it out from our
territory. Now China is confident that the Indian forces are lacking
courage. In such circumstances Indian diplomats should learn diplo-
macy and strategic talent.
Dr Maqdoomi Hyderabad
drmaqdoomi@yahoo.com
Learn a lesson from Uttar Pradesh
Justice Rajinder Sachars report bears testimony to the fact that
Muslims are educationally and economically most backward. Their
plight is worse than Dalits and that is why it has recommended reser-
vation to Muslims in govt. jobs and educational institutions. Reports
of both these commissions should be fully implemented. Reservation
for Muslims is not a new idea. Muslims had reservation during British
rule. After independence reservation for Muslims was abolished by
Congress government. Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka state
governments have given some 4 percent to 5 percent reservation to
Muslims but the Congress-led Maharashtra government and con-
gress-led UPA central government have not given reservation to
Muslims on the deserved lines. The Congress-led UPA government
should honour the sentiments of Muslims in all walks of life. If neces-
sary Constitution be amended. It has been amended so many times
in the past. In recent Uttar Pradesh election Muslims have taught a
lesson to the Congress. If Congress goes on betraying Muslims it will
face similar consequences in the coming Lok Sabha election.
G. Hasnain Kaif
Bhandara,Maharashtra
II
There are many lessons that the political parties can learn from
assembly polls. 1) The Congress party should reform and remodel
itself for the election of 2014. 2) The importance of Muslim vote bank
has once again come to fore. The Muslims have voted tactfully. 3)
For the first time in history of India 70 Muslim MLAs have been elect-
ed. 4) Congress has lost in Punjab and Goa.Only Manipur result is
satisfactory. 5) The rampant corruption in the states is one of the
causes of its defeat 6) Mayawati also lost the power due to corrup-
tion only. 7) The public has rejected all the parties which were corrupt
gave no importance to the party. 8) The corruption of the ministers of
central government and condemnation of Anna Hazare played part 9)
The BJP could do well. Though it did not take help of Narendra Modi
who is hated by Muslims. 10) Even Varun Gandhi the son of Sanjay
and Manaka was not involved in the elections. 11) The BJP did not
brow beat the drum of Hindutva. 12) Not only Muslims but the non
Muslims also have rejected BJP. It lost even in Ayodhya. 13) The BJP
has lost its credibility in construction of Ram Mandir.
Dr Maqdoomi, Hyderabad
drmaqdoomi@yahoo.com
Arrest of Ahmad Kazmi
Arrest of senior journalist Ahmad Kazmi who always exposed
IsraelUSAexcesses and now police arrested him in Israeli car bomb
blast case. IndiaIran petro pipe line and treaty with France for
defence equipment of huge amount could not digest by Israel and
USA. This very fact might have created trouble in which Ahmad
Kazmi is being made scapegoat. Earlier, journalist Gilani was put
behind bar which exposed police conspiracy. Gilani wrote book, My
days in Tihar revealed the conspiracy of Police. Now Ahmad Kazmi
turns to write a book. S. Haque, Patna
Military action against Iran is not the final solution
Attack on Israel deployment in India and others parts is the dirty
game of Israel only. 1. Military action on Iran is not the last solution,
America; European Union should solve the dispute through diploma-
cy. On the instigation of terrorist Israel America and Allied Forces
should not attack on Iran. As America and NATO forces did in case
of Iraq in second spell of war. 2. On the instigation of Israel America
started war with Iraq in the name of mass destruction and Nuclear
weapon. What they achieved, in the Second Persian Gulf War, rather
Iraq invasion by America, in March April 2003, it was basically a US-
British invasion on Iraq on the instigation of Terrorist Israel.
Uncountable innocent civilians have been killed for no reason.
America and Allied forces attack on Iraq under the instigation of
Israel, on the false charges of having mass destruction weapon. After
a long 3 decade of Iraq war and invasion do Americans have find any
mass destruction weapon? What America achieved from Iraq War,
just suppress and destroyed a sovereign Muslim growing country
and send her thousand years back. 3. If Israel takes initiative and
starts war with Iran, neglect and isolate her in every pasture of war,
as she is very keen to attack on Iran keeping the gun on the shoul-
der of USA, European Union. America and European Union should
keep away themselves and should not involve in the war with Iran.
Why Zionist Israel is so much anxious in case of Iran, why Israel has
not made any hue and cry when North Korea procured the Nuclear
Technology and become the Nuclear State.
Zuber Ahmed Khan, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
Contact.z@rediffmail.com
Religion and Rationalism
Who makes religion look like irrational? May be selfish religious
preachers. Yet, it is advisable for the rationalists not to insist on refus-
ing belief in God because it is absolutely impossible. No atheist can
ever remove God / Ishwar / Allah form his / her heart as HIS Might in
manifest both all around and within us. ABMC colleague of mine from
Madanpura (Bbay) had visited Moscow at quite a young age.
Writhing in his fatal pain when he cried? Yaa Allah, his father had
reportedly asked him: O Red flag leader? Why do not you now cry:
O Stalin!? Sultan A. Patel, Khanpur Deh392150
JIH campaign against homosexuality is laudable
I congratulate Jamaat-e-Islami Hind for starting a campaign against
homosexuality. It is true that whatever is wrong and immoral will
always remain wrong whether committed openly or secretly. People
craving for homosexuality are disabled. Homosexuality is abnormal
and evil. Homosexuality may not be against the law of a society or
against the law of a constitution of a society, but it is against the law
of nature. Society which makes homosexuality permissible should
allow sexual intercourse with animals also. I am sorry to say this. The
thought is disgusting. People with such wrong habits should be given
counselling. Their mind should be diverted to the activities of charity,
social work, reading good books etc. Fear of Allah should be instilled
on their mind. They should be made religiously inclined persons.
They need sympathy. I humbly believe that early marriage is also a
solution to this problem. I have written articles on this topic in Gujarati
language also. Nazneen O. Saherwala (Surat)
nazsita@yahoo.co.in
Bhagat Singh remembered in Pakistan
It refers to welcome decision of Pakistan in remembering forgotten
heroes who martyred themselves for freedom of the sibling India and
Pakistan, when the country is going to name Shadman Chowk in
Lahore after Shaheed Bhagat Singh. It is also praiseworthy that
Shaheed Bhagat Singh Foundation in Pakistan this year devoted full
one week to commemorate martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh,
Sukhdev and Rajguru martyred on 23.03.1931, instead of usual one
day on 23rd March in earlier years. Bhagat Singhs forgotten com-
panions Rajguru and Sukhdev were also remembered in Pakistan
through maps put at the Lahore chowk. Unfortunately in India, erect-
ing statues of political rulers including even of living ones is given
prominence rather than remembering those who sacrificed their lives
for the freedom which in fact many political rulers and others in sys-
tem are enjoying by minting money through corrupt means. At least
India can take a lesson from Pakistan in remembering martyrs of
freedom struggle rather than worshipping new-age politicians.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal, Delhi-06
subhashmadhu@sify.com
Urdu journalism must retrospect
Chairman of the Press Council of India Justice Katju had said that
Press was not free in Bihar. He was certainly right but regarding Urdu
media he was more than 100 percent correct but for whole India.
Urdu media must retrospect. An example I must cite that in the pres-
ence of Rajya Sabha member Ahmad Saeed Mahihabadi (editor
Azad Hind) Bihar C.M. had announced to appoint an Urdu teacher in
each primary school (8 Oct. 2009). Till today more than 2.5 lakh
teachers appointed but Muslims are agitating to save Urdu. We have
not seen Urdu media or journalist supported Urdu teachers appoint-
ment demand and highlight the promise of Nitish Kumar. Now Urdu
journalist Md. Nadim ul Haque is ready to be nominated in RS from
TMC Is this easy method to gag the voice of people? Only with the
help from tenders and advertisement newspaper might lose the jour-
nalistic weight and ethos. S. Haque, Patna
Anger is like coal - it burns
Anger is like coal. Coal burns, and it burns others who come into con-
tact. Angry person burns himself also. Anger is a short madness.
Angry people can never make themselves understood. The more
they become angry the more misunderstandings occur. Anger and
wisdom cannot stay together. A man of knowledge may become
angry, but a man of wisdom does not become angry. Wise people go
into the roots of problems. They do not loose their temper. Anger is a
form of fear, and fear is mans worst enemy. Anger has reasons, but
seldom a good one. Unfortunately, angry people do not look like peo-
ple with reasons. To be angry is to revenge the fault of others upon
ourselves. Children should be taught to not to become angry. We
must explain it to them. A child who gets love, attention and under-
standing learns to keep his mind cool. Lack of love in childhood may
give suppressed anger to the person in his adulthood. Sweetness of
love helps a person to cool down.
Nazneen O. Saherwala, Surat
nazsita@yahoo.co.in
Unnatural follies
Fight against nature based on over-wisdom ends always in avoidable
losses. One of the recurring failed gestures is not allowing marriage
soon after puberty. Affairs occur and result in elopements among
even primary school students!
Sultan A. Patel, Khanpur Deh392150
Saffron-minded people occupying higher judiciary
Congress Gen. Secretary Digvijay Singh has said that in judiciary,
saffron minded people have occupied higher post. (New Delhi
Agency 4 February 12) We have print and electronic media and they
boast about themselves that they present facts and truth but out of
so many news channels only new express channel aired this fact on
4 February and almost newspaper did not publish this news. Then
how we can expect from the media that they would bring the truth
out? Mr. Digvijay Singh might have come across this fact now but we
experience just after independence. S. Haque, Patna
Coward Americans
Why the US soldier who bravely shot several Afghan women and
children was not suspended if he was mentally disturbed?! Afghan
people should overthrow Karzai if he does not deal sternly with the
power-intoxicated American government.
S. Akhtar, Khanpur Deh392150
Terrorist Israel strikes Palestine again
Again Terrorist Israel strike on Gaza has killed 15 innocent people
and left 20 injured. This is frustration of terrorist Israel which comes
out in the form of extreme step. She was very keen to strike on Iran
but could not, the Israel demand has not been fulfilled by the America
and European Union so she strikes on poor, dead Palestine and
wanted to destroy Gaza. This is real terrorism; if Israel could not
attack on Iran and could not kill uncountable civilians then she will
attack any neighbouring nation just to fulfil thrust of blood. Normally
word terrorism is reserved only for Muslims why international com-
munity cannot understand Muslims are not terrorists, but the situation
makes them to come out for jihad. Iraq was attack with a coalition of
32 nations including the United States, Britain, Egypt, France, and
Saudi Arabia in the year Jan.-Feb., 1991, for the Iraqs invasion of
Kuwait on 2 August,1990. Now why international community is silent.
Why international community did not strike on Terrorist Israel. It looks
that word war is only reserved for the Muslim countries. Indian Army
killed 200 Kashmiri in the year 2008, no response from international
community.
Zuber Ahmed Khan, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
Contact.z@rediffmail.com
Martyrdom in Islam
The IPS officer who was killed by mafia cannot be called as Martyr
has he had not registered his name in the faithful servants of
Almighty. He did not accept God as one and rejected His last Prophet
Mohammads message if he had done that. He would have been
treated as Martyr. A brilliant student cannot get the degree unless he
takes admission in the college and appear in the exam. The man who
is killed for the cause of nation or the well-being of the community or
for propagation of Islamic message is called a martyr. According to
the Islamic belief no sooner he dies a good number of heavenly
damsels come to welcome him. His soul is inserted into the heaven-
ly birds of green colour. They fly in heaven and eat the fruits of heav-
en till the Day of Judgment. The angels welcome him. His joys will
increase thousand times in heaven comparing the worldly joys. The
kin will not mourn on his death rather they will boast for his martyr-
dom. The other officers try to seek the death of martyrdom. The cul-
prit is not sent to jail but is punished in the same fashion as he killed
the diseased. Dr Maqdoomi, Hyderabad
drmaqdoomi@yahoo.com
Arrest of Muslim youths without proof
Jamia Millia Islamia teacher and students with residents of Jamia
Nagar recently protested outside Delhi Police H/Q in Delhi on 20
February against frequent raids and profiling of Muslims on concoct-
ed evidence. On 21st February opposition leader of Bihar legislative
council Ghulam Ghouse opposed the police taking Muslim into cus-
tody or arresting of Muslims without evidence and media branding
arrested Muslims a terrorists. Is police unbridled in India?
S. Haque, Patna
High caste and low caste
I was stunned to read the news of honour killing. How a brother who
loves more after the parents can kill mercilessly his own sister. Now
the incident occurred and a precious life was spent. What the parents
and other kin of deceased fell into the ocean of grief. But this inci-
dence is repeated in some other city or town. Everywhere there are
people of high caste and low caste are exciting. They do not have
strong faith in religion or its caste system. They are not convinced
with the caste distribution of the society they know only male and
female caste. They will marry and enjoy each other. Mahadevs are
also found in the society. They have just blind faith in religion and
casteism. They are deadly against the inter-caste marriages. They
take strong objection of such marriages and try to kill any of the
spouses and think that they have fulfil the obligation of their religion.
Though they will fail in explaining the justification of caste system. In
this age of science and technology. How our youths are so orthodox?
If they study other religions such as Islam and Christianity their belief
in casteism will shatter. This is the job of reformers to reform the
Hindu society, but India has produced only politicians not reformers.
All are busy in seeking ministries and other high profile assignments
to earn money.
Dr Maqdoomi, Hyderabad
drmaqdoomi@yahoo.com
Mayawatis Dalit Report Card
The above article in your previous issue is a very good analysis of
moving away of Mayawati's Dalit vote bank and resultant doom.
Sarwan Ram Darapuri
srdarapuri@gmail.com
The Milli Gazette, 1-15 April 2012 23
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