India Shining - Bharat Drowning

By Syed Ali Mujtaba


India celebrated its sixty third republic day on January 26, 2012. Like every year, this time too, a grand show was organized at the historic Rajpath in New Delhi to commemorate the occasion. The pomp and gaiety that marked the occasion showcased India’s laurels in many spheres of activities.


Almost all the TV channels gave a chronological description to this date, India’s progress from January 26, 1950 when India adopted its constitution and became a republic.
However, the positive blushes may pale into a big grin when we hear that our fifteen-year-old students who were put for the first time on a global stage and tested for their reading, math and science abilities, stood second to last, only beating Kyrgyzstan.

The results of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Secretariat's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), ranked India 72nd out of 73 countries.


The PISA results are based on data collected from some 500,000 students undergoing two hour tests conducted annually that evaluates the education systems worldwide. The tests are meant to conduct comparative analyses, across vast international contexts, of 15-year-old students for "reading, mathematical and scientific literacy.


The 2011 survey reports that China’s Shanghai province scored the highest in reading and also topped the charts in mathematics and science.


China has been on top for last several years and it seems the country's youngsters are unbeatable and are far ahead than their counterparts.


The survey noted that more than one-quarter of Shanghai's 15 year olds demonstrated advance mathematical thinking skills to solve complex problems, compared to an OECD average of just 3 per cent.


India’s participants came from Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh that showcased India’s education and development, but fared miserably at the PISA test.
According to the OECD report, the average 15-year-old Indian is over 200 points behind the global topper.


Comparing scores, it’s estimated that an Indian eighth grader is at the level of a South Korean third grader in math abilities or a second-year student from Shanghai when it comes to reading skills.


In case of scientific literacy levels Tamil Nadu students had very mean score that was below the means of all OECD countries, but better than Himachal Pradesh.


According to report, in Himachal Pradesh, 11 per cent of students are estimated to have a proficiency in reading literacy that is at or above the baseline level needed to participate effectively and productively in life. It follows that 89 per cent of students in Himachal are estimated to be below that baseline level.


Experts are unsure if selecting these two states was a good idea for India to participate at the PISA programme.

Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh rank high on human development indicators among Indian states. The India Human Development Report 2011, prepared by the Institute of Applied Manpower Research (IAMR), categorized them as “median” states, putting them significantly ahead of the national average.


The fact is that not the USA, UK, France or any other developed country from Europe or America that tops the PISA list in the consecutive years but it is the Asian countries that mostly on top this standard education test. China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and UAE are far better than India.


This shows that an image of a world divided neatly into rich and well-educated countries and poor and badly-educated countries is a myth. The fact is that economic development and education are not congruent to each other and the two has little in common.


There is another fallacy in this story. While national income and educational achievement are still related; the PISA result show that the two countries, India and China with similar levels of prosperity can produce very different results when it comes to the educational assessment of its school children.


This brings to another presupposition can India aspire to compete with China for Asian supremacy, when the stark reality is its educational standard is way below the expectation to meet Chinese standards.


According to the census 2011, India has 74.04 per cent total literacy (82.12 % males and 65.46 % females). It's a proud moment for a country which has started from 20 per cent national literacy rate in 1950 and now racing towards 100 per cent target.


However, when we put our proud achievement to the global test then the fact that comes to hunt us as bad dreams is the poor educational standard of the country.


Prior to this participation in 2003, students from Indian states of Orissa and Rajasthan took a similar test called “Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)” and produced similar results. TIMSS is another standardized international test.


The 2003 TIMSS study ranked India at 46 among 51 countries. Indian students' score was 392 versus average of 467 for the group. These results were contained in a Harvard University report titled "India Shining and Bharat Drowning".


In the second most populous nation on the planet, with the second biggest educational system in the world, it seems that the preferred way to bring clarity to a massive, murky educational landscape would be to let statistics paint the picture cleanly and efficiently.


However, to keep the subject in perspective the Indian context is so complex, so multi-dimensional, that trying to understand its depth merely through a numbered tale is not just silly, but detrimental to our ability to work on fixing what's wrong.


The two-hour tests cutting across vast socio-economic, linguistic, and ethnic divides tell us little of the context-specific literacy practices from those areas.


There are many discrepancies in the test itself that were disadvantaging for the Indian students. In many ways it actually did not really comprehend the actual knowledge of our students.
What we end up then are overbroad characterizations of how poorly Indian education is doing, on the basis of large-scale data collection that doesn't tell what's actually going on in the classrooms.


This isn't to say that PISA is useless and the data is sheer garbage. The statistics definitely tells us some hard facts about our own educational system. Clearly, India have to ramp up its efforts and get serious about what goes on in its schools as better educational outcomes are a strong predictor for future economic growth.


[Syed Ali Mujtaba is a Journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba@yahoo.com]

Read More...

Dissolve ethics panel of BMHRC, demands Ms Sadhna Karnik; Bhopal gas survivors term LOCOG CEO’s statement as shameful

By Pervez Bari


Bhopal: Ms Sadhna Karnik, convener of Bhopal Gas Peedit Sangharsh Sahyog Samiti, (BGPSSS), has demanded the Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research, (ICMR), to dissolve ethics committee of Bhopal Memorial Hospital & Research Centre, (BMHRC), which allegedly failed to curb drug trials, during his proposed visit to the hospital here on Sunday..


In a letter to Director General ICMR, Samiti convener Ms Sadhna, who is working among the survivors and victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the world’s worst industrial catastrophe, said that the ethical committee of BMHRC has allegedly failed to curb the unethical drug trials on gas victims, bungling of funds meant for their treatment and gross management at the hospital led to closure of some important departments at BMHRC. As such she said that the ethics committee should be dissolved for failing to meet its obligation. She has requested the Director General ICMR to grant her time to apprise him of the affairs in the hospital.

Meanwhile, the five Bhopal NGOs (Non-Government Organizations), working for the welfare of survivors and victims, have slammed the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, (LOCOG), Chief Executive Officer Mr. Paul Deighton’s statement as extremely shameful because it continues to spread the same lie which Dow Chemical wants everyone to believe that it faces no liability for Bhopal disaster.


In a press statement issued here NGOs said that through its purchase of Union Carbide in 2001, Dow Chemical has inherited the criminal, civil and environmental liabilities of Union Carbide in Bhopal. They said that by having this corporation as a sponsor the LOCOG was encouraging it to continue to evade its liabilities in Bhopal. It is absolutely incorrect to say that Dow Chemical has paid compensation to Bhopal gas victims.


The statement said that Dow Chemical has paid compensation to victims of Union Carbide in the USA after it took over the company, but in the Indian Supreme Court it is refusing to honour liabilities to pay additional compensation to Bhopal victims. Ms Rashida Bee of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karmchari Sangh said that Ms Meredith Alexander’s resignation is a clear indication that LOCOG has decided to shut his ears and eyes to Dow Chemical’s outstanding Bhopal liabilities. The least LOCOG could do is give a fair and patient hearing to Bhopal gas survivors organization who can present facts on Dow Chemical’s liability in Bhopal.
It may be pointed out here that Sustainability Commissioner to the London 2012 Olympics, Ms Meredith Alexander, had quit on Thursday (January 26, 2012) in protest of the sponsorship deal with the Dow Chemical Company for its connection to the Bhopal gas disaster. Ms Alexander was appointed by Mayor of London Boris Johnson to monitor the LOCOG. Ms Alexander, head of trade and corporate at the charity Action Aid told the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 that she could no longer remain in the unpaid post given LOCOG's refusal to end the association. She was one of 13 commissioners.


Meanwhile, Ms Safreen Khan of Children Against Dow-Carbide held Dow Chemical responsible for the contamination of ground water in her community. She pointed out that because of Dow Chemical’s refusal to clean up the hazardous waste left by Union Carbide factory, 40000 people are routinely exposed to cancer and birth defect causing chemicals. She said that by allowing Dow Chemical as a sponsor Mr. Deighton was encouraging Dow to continue to poison the unborn.


Sponsorship by a criminal corporation such as Dow Chemical is against the very spirit of Olympics. Mr. Deighton is not only doing a disservice to the Bhopal victims, he is betraying all who are part of the Olympic movement”, she added.


Bhopal survivors also lashed out at Indian government for protecting the interest of Dow Chemical. Ms Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information & Action said that Indian government needs to send a strong message to the International Olympic Committee and LOCOG that it will not take part in London Olympics if Dow Chemical’s sponsorship is not revoked. Government of India is also protecting Dow’s interest by not correcting figures of death and injury in the upcoming curative petition on additional compensation in the Supreme Court, she said.


Bhopal survivors again thanked Ms Meredith’s Alexander for her solidarity. They also hoped that after the Ms Alexander’s resignation Indian government will find its backbone and hopefully it will stand with the survivors of the world’s worst industrial disaster.


It may be recalled here that 40 tones of methyl isocyanate, (MIC – a highly volatile toxic chemical), gas spewed out from the pesticide plant – owned by Union Carbide India Limited, (UCIL), a subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), USA – in the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984. The gas leak killed 3,000 people instantly and more than 25,000 over the years and inflicting grievous injuries on countless others. Many were deformed for life and many children born with the toxic effect are sick and with congenital malformations. It also affected 100,000 people that night and estimates are that more than 500,000 continue to suffer till date.


[Pervez Bari is a senior Journalist based at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He is associated with IndianMuslimObserver.com as Bureau Chief (Madhya Pradesh). He can be contacted at pervezbari@eth.net]

Read More...

Islamic Finance doing well, up 20% in Gulf

But Sharia limits expansion in the world


Dubai: Islamic finance has increased exponentially in the last decade, with transactions worth more than one billion billion dollars in 2011, but is yet to pass the 1% mark in global financial movements, because of a series of internal issues that see the system trapped between Sharia law, upon which it is based, and economic laws governing international markets.


Islamic finance assets in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region increased by 416 billion dollars in 2010, a cumulative annual increase of 20% against growth of less than 9% for traditional banks, according to the Oxford Business Group's recently presented Abu Dhabi 2011 report.

The most solid markets are those in Arab gulf states and Malaysia but the Islamic model has at least 310 Islamic finance institutes operating in more than 75 countries. After making an appearance in such fabled centres of the western economy as the City of London, Islamic banking has also arrived in China, where the Beijing government has just approved the licence for the first Islamic finance institute.


"Growth is growing because of the emphasis on ethical principles, the constant commitment towards transparency and the application of the principles of mutual benefits for all sides in financial operations," says Tirad Mahmoud, the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), commenting the presentation of the report.


Yet despite international interest, a day of talks at the Emirati centre for strategic studies has shown that Islamic finance still faces a number of challenges, beginning with internal issues.
Fatwas, the Islamic rulings which govern the sector, vary from bank to bank and sometimes contradict one another and delay the process of growth, as some institutes adopt financial instruments that others consider illegal, the economist Mohammad Al Asoumi explains. From the outside, the Islamic principle of sharing profits and losses clashes with the practice of adjusting interest rates in line with those of London's Interbank Offered Rate. The problem is already being studied in the banks' various fatwa offices but, as analysts admit, a solution is difficult to find as the Islamic banking system cannot be set aside from the international sector.


(Courtesy: ANSAmed)

Read More...

Shariah in America: Not What You Think It Is

A Personal Inside-Out


By Abdul Malik Mujahid


When some American pundits call Shariah, "a growing threat to the United States," Muslim Americans wonder what in the world are they talking about.


You might have seen a government-required sign at a McDonald's restroom telling employees to wash their hands. Muslims do this as a part of living their faith, which is part of Shariah. The Prophet Muhammad also encouraged Muslims to wash their hands before and after eating. Muslim parents raise their children on many such manners. The first chapter in almost all books on Shariah is about morals and manners of cleanliness, which Prophet Muhammad said is half of the faith. God's peace and blessings be upon him.


When Muslims begin anything they say, "In the name of God," that is Shariah, too. When they greet each other, they smile and say, "Assalamu Alaikum" (peace be with you), and that is Shariah. Similarly, when Muslims take short breaks five times a day to pray, this is another example of practicing Shariah. Prayer is normally the second chapter in almost all books about Shariah.


Shariah does not present a comprehensive list of pure foods and drinks, although it prohibits ten or twelve things and declares everything else to be Halal or lawful to consume. If Muslims cannot find Halal food, they often eat vegetarian or kosher food. This is all Shariah.


When you see a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf and a loose dress, or a Muslim man with a head covering or beard, they are likely following Shariah manners of dress. When in a marriage sermon you hear the Qur’an recited about piety, loyalty to each other, and God's advice for clear communication between spouses, that is a Shariah wedding.


Muslims often avoid taking out mortgages due to the Shariah prohibition on Riba (usury/interest). This has led to the establishment of the worldwide Islamic financial industry and Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes. The latter selects companies that don't deal in weapons, pornography, gambling, tobacco, or alcohol, etc. These investments are similar to 30 other "faith-based" investment options, like the Catholic Values Index. These are examples of the practice of Shariah in the realm of business.


All of the above are real-life examples of the totality of Shariah as practiced by the observant among the close to six million Muslims in America and the 3,000 formal Muslim congregations in America.


Muslim Americans include doctors, entrepreneurs, professors, cab drivers, and the geek fixing your computer. Their service to their communities is also an example of practicing Shariah.


The Shariah that Muslim Americans Don't Practice


There are parts of Shariah that Muslim Americans don't implement in their daily lives.
Since Muslims ran a civilization for over a thousand years, they naturally developed a body of laws to deal with governing society. These laws deal with issues ranging from fighting neighborhood crime to international laws of war and peace. Muslim Americans don't practice these laws since they deal with the realm of government and state. Shariah emphasizes that the rule of law in a society must be implemented by the state. It considers vigilantism a major crime and a sin. Therefore, Shariah prohibits Muslims from practicing this part of Islam on an individual basis.

The Qur’an, like the Old Testament, is not limited to only the Ten Commandments, all of which except for the commandment to keep the Sabbath are to be found in parallel statements in the Qur’an. Like the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus and Deuteronomy), it ordains punishments for serious crimes. Unfortunately, it is this penal law that many people wrongly think is exclusively Shariah. This is incorrect.


It is true that Islamic criminal law has been at times implemented harshly, and even wrongly, by some Muslims. Such an application of Islamic criminal law is void of God's mercy, which is considered His primary attribute in Islam. However, those nations or groups that do this do not speak for all Muslims, nor do they speak for the prophet of mercy, Prophet Muhammad, who would turn his face away when a person confessed his or her crimes. This was to give them room for repentance and forgiveness.


About five countries among the 56 Muslim nations worldwide implement Islamic criminal laws. Virtually none of them implement Shariah in its totality in all spheres of life. Their laws are a combination of local custom and precedent in that particular country, as well as remnants of laws brought by European colonial powers that ruled those countries.


The primary purpose of Shariah is to preserve life and order in society, not to incarcerate and punish. However, many in the Muslim world who are sick and tired of corruption and injustice demand that the criminal laws of Islam be implemented in their countries. However, this is not what Muslims in America are demanding. Their practice of Shariah is limited to the personal sphere.


Shariah is Neither One nor Static


Shariah is not one monolithic body or a codified book of comprehensive law.
Shariah is based on the Qur’an and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, but not all of Shariah is God's word. A good part of Shariah is made up of human contributions.


There are literally hundreds and thousands of books written in the last 1,400 years, in multiple languages in places as diverse as Timbuktu in Africa to Bukhara in Central Asia, with millions of opinions, judicial reviews, etc. on various issues. Together, they form the body of Shariah.
Shariah Continues to Evolve


A recent development, for example, is a Shariah discipline called Islamic Economics and Finance. It now commands a trillion dollar market, thousands of scholarly works, graduate programs, and the establishment of Shariah boards at hundreds of Muslim and non-Muslim owned banks. This exercise in Shariah is essentially a human contribution of the last 50 years, aiming to offer Muslims guidance on how to invest and conduct their financial transactions in a modern economy in line with their principles as believers.


Throughout history, Islam has cherished debates. An important early Islamic debate that continues today was between traditionalists and rationalists over whether the universal principles of God's law were to be known by revelation or reason or both.


These debates have resulted in dozens of schools of thought in Islam.


Is Shariah a Threat to America?


When some American pundits call Shariah, "a growing threat to the United States," Muslim Americans wonder what in the world are they talking about. Shariah is overwhelmingly concerned with personal religious observance, not with constitutions and laws. All observant Muslims practice Shariah. Defining Shariah as a threat, therefore, is the same thing as saying that all observant Muslims are a threat.


To understand Shariah is to understand Islam. Criminalizing Shariah will criminalize the practice of Islam in America.


Shariah mandates that Muslims respect the law of the land. It is also against Shariah to impose it on anyone. Muslim Americans are subject to the same laws and constitution as any other American.


Shariah is in some ways similar to the Jewish Halacha law or Catholic canon law, with similar historic roots but far less complex. Unlike Jewish Halacha law, which is practiced in Jewish American courts called Beth Din, there is no Muslim court system in the United States, nor is the Muslim community demanding this.


[Abdul Malik Mujahid is the Chair of the Council for a Parliament of the World Religions.]


(Courtesy: OnIslam.net)

Read More...

Community-Government Partnership must for development: Madhya Pradesh CM

By Pervez Bari


Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has called upon citizens to efficiently discharge their duties for re-building and development of the state. He reportedly said that the state government's approach to development is founded on community-government partnership. The state government is committed to ensuring the prosperity and progress of common people.


Mr. Chouhan was addressing the Republic Day function at Jabalpur on Thursday. He unfurled the national flag and took salute of the Republic Day parade. He said that the state government is committed to maintaining an atmosphere of peace and communal harmony without compromising on law and order.


The Chief Minister said that the state will ably achieve more than 10 per cent growth rate in this five year plan owing to its efficient financial management and result- oriented policies.


Separate Agriculture Budget


Mr. Chouhan said that annual growth rate of agriculture will also touch about 10 percent. Referring to farmer friendly steps like one per cent interest rate on cooperative loans, depositing money direct into farmers' accounts, Rs. 100 per quintal bonus on wheat and Rs. 50 per quintal on paddy, Rs. 1400 crore relief to frost-affected farmers, he said that presentation of separate agriculture budget will be a historic step this year.

Underlining an unprecedented increase in utilization of irrigation capacity, Mr. Chouhan said that farmers have been provided water through 650 micro irrigation projects completed in last one and a half years. The Narmada Valley mega irrigation projects have created 6 lakh 90 thousand hectare irrigation capacity. Over seven lakh structures have been constructed with public-participation under Jalabhishek Abhiyan. So far 2 lakh 17 thousand wells have been constructed under Kapil Dhara Scheme. In addition, 8500 Balram Tal (tanks) have also been constructed.


Highlighting major steps in energy sector, Mr. Chouhan said that a target of increasing 4745 MW has been set in coming three years. Feeder separation works involving a cost of Rs. 5157 crore is going on. In order to save farmers from the burden of increased power tariff, the state government is providing a grant of Rs. 1470 crore. The hydel power projects of up to 25 MW capacity will get industry status and will have all facilities under the new Hydel Power Policy.


Giving details about ongoing road construction projects, the Chief Minister informed that construction of state highways and districts roads measuring 6,690 km. have been taken up involving a cost of Rs. 16000 crore. Besides, 3585 km roads are also under construction. For maintenance of roads, a provision of Rs. 537 crore has been made, He said that this year 1857 km. roads have been constructed and 1463 km. renewed connecting 311 villages under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana. Similarly, three thousand bridges - culverts have been constructed under Mukhya Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.


Referring to rural development initiatives, Mr. Chouhan said that Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country to have started rural transport service. He said that Gram Panchayats under the new Panch Parmeshwar Yojana will set from Rs. 5 to 15 lakh per year for building basic development infrastructure. Besides, housing facilities for one lakh families are being provided under the Mukhya Mantri Awas Mission. All habitations will have drinking water 55 litre per person per day instead of present 40 litre per person per day.


Urban Revenue and Finance Service


The Chief Minister in his address said that urban infrastructure projects worth Rs. 12 thousand crore in public-private partnership are underway. Detail project report for metro rail service in Bhopal and Indore is being prepared. He said that urban revenue and finance service is being introduced to further strengthen urban bodies. It is for the first time separate budget provision has been made in the state budget for strengthening drinking water supply systems in urban areas.


Integrated Social Security for Street Vendors


Mr. Chouhan said that Madhya Pradesh has stood first in the country to have enacted a legislation for protection of livelihoods of street vendors and introducing integrated social security scheme for them. Talking about youth welfare and educational facilities, he said that State Youth Commission has been set up and Rs. 50 crore Education Fund will be created. Education Guarantee Scheme will be simplified, he said.


Stressing the need for imparting moral education to new generation, Mr. Chouhan said that relevant portions from Bhagwat Gita will be included in the school syllabus. References from other religious texts will also be included. He said that Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hindi University has been set up. Expanding the technical education, eight new polytechnics and 50 ITIs have been opened.


MSP on Forest Produces


Mr. Chouhan said that Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country to have announced minimum support prices on minor forest produces like Achar kernel, lac, Mahua flower, Mahua seeds, Harra and Karanj. About 1.50 lakh forest dwellers holding titles for forest land are getting agriculture facilities. Giving details about the educational facilities to tribal students, the chief minister said that 5400 seats have been increased in hostels and residential schools for tribal students. A separate department has been created for effective implementation of welfare schemes meant for socio-economic amelioration of scheduled castes. Under the special recruitment drive, 8500 posts meant for scheduled castes, 17500 posts for scheduled tribes and 4750 posts for OBCs have been filled up. A separate department has been created for de-notified, nomadic, semi nomadic castes in order to give impetus to development schemes for them. Besides, a self employment scheme has been lunched for educated unemployed youths of minority community.


Ration through Food Coupon


Mr. Chouhan said that arrangement for distributing ration using bar coded ration card and food coupon will be implement across the state by next year. He said that Madhya Pradesh has carved out its an investment- friendly image. He said that Global Investors' Meet will be held at Indore in October this year. At present industrial projects worth Rs. 82 thousand 900 crore are being implemented. He informed that Industrial Areas Development Corporation is being created to accelerate industrial development of Bundelkhand region. It would be headquartered at Sagar. Besides, a separate department will be created for micro and small industries, he added.


Talking about the institutional reforms to have people-centric administration, the Chief Minster said that initiatives like e-tendering, e-payment and transparency in government recruitments meant for effective check on possible corruption have yielded good results. The use of Information Technology is increasing faster. As many as 52 services of 16 departments have been brought under the ambit of public service delivery guarantee Act. He hoped that the Centre would soon accord ascent to the legislation aiming at confiscating illegally earned properties.


[Pervez Bari is a senior Journalist based at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He is associated with IndianMuslimObserver.com as Bureau Chief (Madhya Pradesh). He can be contacted at pervezbari@eth.net]

Read More...

Madhya Pradesh government to hold global contest for Bhopal Hajj House design; award Rs. 100,000

By Pervez Bari


Bhopal: The rightist Bharatiya Janata Party ruled central Indian province Madhya Pradesh government will hold an international contest for designing Bhopal Hajj House. The architect whose design is selected as the best will be presented an award of Rs. 100,000 by the state government.


The above announcement was made by the Madhya Pradesh Backward Classes & Minority Welfare and Animal Husbandry Minister Ajay Vishnoi when a delegation of prominent Muslims of Bhopal led by social activist Mohammad Aslam Khan called on the minister to thank him for earmarking land for the Hajj House in the city. The delegation expressed gratitude to the minister for taking initiative to fulfill their long pending demand for Hajj pilgrims of the state.

Ajay Vishnoi said that after the earmarking of two acre of land at Singar Choli at the foothills near the Raja Bhoj Bhopal airport as the first step the Madhya Pradesh Government would invite designs from architects from all over the country and even abroad, to hold a competition for designing the Hajj House. The best designed Hajj House would be selected and approved for construction and the designer will be presented an award of Rs. 100,000 for his/her design.


He thanked the delegation for boosting his morale by their gesture. He said before taking up the project of Hajj Houses at Bhopal and Indore he visited the Hajj House at Lucknow to have firsthand knowledge about the requirements needed in any Hajj House and as such he now knows the entire details of the infrastructure necessary for it.


Mr. Vishnoi said Bhopal Hajj House which will be built would be equipped with all modern facilities and it would be much better as compared to Hajj Houses of other states. He informed that Rs. 5 crore has been sanctioned for the preliminary works before the start of actual construction of it. After the allocation of funds in the state budget of 2012-13 the construction would start likely in March this year. Next year again budget allocation would be made for the Hajj House which is expected to be completed within two years time, he added.


He revealed that an exclusive approach road would be constructed from the National Highway to the Hajj House. This would not disturb the tranquility of the residents residing in nearby colonies during the departure and arrival of hajjis in Hajj season, he added.


It seems now that the long awaited demand of Madhya Pradesh Muslims for Hajj Houses is most likely to be fulfilled with the earmarking of land at Bhopal and process underway on priority basis to locate land at Indore.


On the occasion, Mr. Vishnoi claimed that Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh in a conference of state chief ministers of the country appreciated the works being done in the state Madarsas conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Madarsa Board saying it as the best. He said that even the Union Government is lauding the welfare works undertaken in the state under the guidance of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. From time to time, the Union Government has praised the works being undertaken for minorities' welfare in Madhya Pradesh and has written to other states to emulate Madhya Pradesh.


The delegation comprised of Mohammad Aslam Khan, Mushahid Saeed, Syed Mahboob Hasan, Shahid Aleem, Mohammad Bashir Khan, Shahwar Mohammad Khan, Mohammad Humanyu Khan, Mohammad Aslam, Syed Tahir Ali, Syed Imran Ali, Rizwan Ansari and others.


[Pervez Bari is a senior Journalist based at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He is associated with IndianMuslimObserver.com as Bureau Chief (Madhya Pradesh). He can be contacted at pervezbari@eth.net]

Read More...

Modi and Co. directly and solely responsible for fake encounters: Ex Gujarat DGP

By Abdul Hafiz Lakhani


Ahmedabad: Close on the heels of SC order to probe all 22 fake encounters of Gujarat under Modi rule, former Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar, who has had first hand experience of the Modi run Gujarat government, claimed that Modi and Co. is directly and solely responsible for the fake encounters in Gujarat.


According to him, whenever the BJP faces an internal crisis Modi creates fake encounters. ” When Modi was facing a down turn in the elections, he created the Gujarat riots. After the riots he managed to divide the entire Gujarat population on religious lines.

The situation in Gujarat created a highly favorable condition for such a communal divide. Modi emerged into power through this self designed political and communal situation.


There is no sense in exclaiming in surprise as to how Modi is being re-elected every time by the Gujarat population. He has modeled Gujarat in such a way that he has ensured that he will be re- elected each time he contests in elections”, he said.


Mr Sreekumar recollected that the then Gujarat Chief Secretary had even asked him to conduct few fake encounters and it is only because he refused to bow down before their wishes that he was transferred.


It is after this incident that the fake encounters occurred. Deputy inspector general DG Vanzare was arrested in relation to this fake encounter. ” Vanzare had no special interest in conducting such fake encounters. He did all that for Modi. Modi and company is the one that pulls the strings.


If the legal system cannot even touch them, then what we see today is merely an act of hypocrisy.
"Modi has to create an image that he is the prime target of international Muslim terrorist organisations. This image is necessary for his mere existence and to receive the sympathy of the Hindu population. It is true that Modi was on the terrorists' hit list. However, the encounters that occurred in its name in Gujarat are all fake. Young Muslim boys from Mumbai were being kidnapped and killed in Gujarat. After which these innocent boys branded as LeT terrorists. All this has not yet been proved, ” he said.


[Abdul Hafiz Lakhani is a senior Journalist based at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He is associated with IndianMuslimObserver.com as Bureau Chief (Gujarat). He can be reached at lakhani63@yahoo.com or on his cell 09228746770]

Read More...

Burma’s blacklisting of Muslim babies reveals entrenched racism

By Francis Wade


Last week a small NGO took a report detailing state discrimination against Muslim babies in Burma to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The Muslim minority in question, the Rohingya, has suffered for decades as a result of an outwardly racist governmental policy toward non-Buddhists in Burma, which has also seen Christian communities in Karen, Kachin and Chin states suffer relentless persecution.


The report details how Rohingya children are subject to racial profiling immediately after birth – those born outside of wedlock are placed on blacklists, and denied travel permits and access to education. While none of 750,000-strong population in western Burma’s Arakan state are registered as citizens, those children blacklisted suffer heftier treatment from authorities, and are unlikely to be able to marry when they grow up.


A strict two-child policy for the Rohingya (and only the Rohingya) is also in place, and the same treatment detailed above applies to children born above that limit. The report says that families with unregistered children face constant threat of arrest, which is only avoided via “unending extortion” by government authorities.

“Despite signs of political reforms in the past five months, the [Burmese] government has reaffirmed specific deeply discriminatory policies against this minority group on national security grounds, using justifications of ‘illegal migration management’ and ‘control on population growth’,” said The Arakan Project, who submitted the report to the CRC. The organisation is one of the few that persistently attempts to spotlight the abuses against the Rohingya, and deserves huge commendation for its work.


As the recent furore over a BBC report that labels the Rohingya as Burmese shows, racism against the group is also widespread in Burmese society. Chat forums are filled with venomous attacks on the Muslim minority (some examples here), whom many Burmese claim are Bengali immigrants, with their dark skin often cited as proof that their origins lie outside of Burma. Advocacy groups counter this by arguing that in Arakan state Islam traces back to before the spread of the now dominant Theravada Buddhism.


Debating their origins however is somewhat extraneous to the inquiry we should be having – few ask why this deep-seated fear of the Rohingya exists among Burmese, and moreover how society there will reconcile the fact that current reforms are means to open up the country to the outside world, an inevitable by-product of which will be a greater foreign presence. Burma’s borders have historically been porous enough to allow huge migration of peoples into and out of the country, and while this has not always sat easily with Burmese (note the anti-Chinese riots in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and indeed current animosity at the huge presence of Chinese in places like Mandalay, many of whom, unlike the Rohingya, are granted legal status), its xenophobia needs to be addressed now more than ever as it attempts to join a globalised world.


In a country where persecution against ethnic minorities makes regular headlines, the plight of the Rohingya is woefully underreported. Moreover, very justifiable claims from Burmese across the spectrum of egregious abuses committed against them by the government do not stretch to the Rohingya, who are seen as foreign infiltrators and therefore not deserving of the world’s sympathy and assistance. That hypocrisy is publicly reinforced by the government – the head of The Arakan Project, Chris Lewa, told me that she came face to face with Burma’s representative at the UN upon submitting the report to the CRC:


“As the experts insisted on a reply, the Burmese [representative] Maung Wai took the floor and just claimed that he recognized that there was a problem in Northern [Arakan] state, which was illegal immigration. Not surprisingly, he said that there was no Rohingya in Myanmar and that Rohingya is not one of the 135 national races … Then a Committee member asked how he called them. He replied Bengali.”


Note also that current sitting ambassador to the UN, Ye Myint Aung, wrote in a letter to fellow diplomats during his prior tenure as Consul-General to Hong Kong that Rohingya were “ugly as ogres”.


Up to 400,000 are believed to be living in neighbouring Bangladesh, only 28,000 of whom can receive official assistance from the UN (Dhaka worries that additional assistance would act as a pull-factor for those Rohingya still in Burma). Each year hundreds make the perilous ocean voyage from Bangladesh to Thailand or Malaysia in search of work and safer refuge, often meeting grisly ends – in January 2009 Thai coastguards pushed a boat packed with around 190 refugees that had washed up on its southern coast back out to sea and left them to die.
Last year a boatload of Rohingya that only made it as far as southern Burma were brought ashore, and the 63 on board jailed on immigration charges.


The CRC is due to issue concluding observations on The Arakan Project’s report on February 3. How that will affect the fate of Rohingya, described by Medicins Sans Frontierés as one of the world minority groups “most in danger of extinction”, remains to be seen, but between the praise and condemnation of Burma’s government by the international community, their names are not uttered. Wisened Burma observers know that the country’s ills cannot be solved overnight, no matter how many ceasefires or reforms are enacted, and weeding out such entrenched and vitriolic discrimination from Burmese society will be a very long, very painful process.


(Courtesy: AsianCorrespondent.com)

Read More...

Bhopal survivors felicitate Ms Meredith for resigning from ethics panel of London Olympics

By Pervez Bari


Bhopal: The survivors and victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the world’s worst industrial catastrophe, led by five NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) here on Thursday felicitated Ms Meredith Alexandar, who resigned as Chairperson of the ethics committee of the London Olympics Committee over sponsorship of the London Olympic Games by Dow Chemical, current owner of Union Carbide.


Placing a bouquet of pink roses before a picture of Ms Alexandar, Ms Rashida Bee, President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Stationery Karmchari Sangh, said: “By speaking the truth so boldly Ms Meredith has nailed Dow Chemical’s lies that the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), and its Chairman, Lord Coe believed and propagated till recently. We hope this will make LOCOG dump Dow Chemical as a sponsor of the London Games.”

Ms Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action expressed the hope that Ms. Alexandar’s resignation will prompt the Indian government to express its opposition to Dow Chemical’s sponsorship more effectively. “To be taken seriously by the London Olympic Committee, the Indian Government has to do more than just send a protest note. It is time for LOCOG to be told that India will not take part in the London Olympics if it continues to be sponsored by a corporation responsible for continuing death and sufferings in Bhopal.”


It may be pointed out here that media reports emanating from London said that Sustainability Commissioner to the London 2012 Olympics, Ms Meredith Alexander, quit on Thursday in protest of the sponsorship deal with Dow Chemical Company for its connection to the Bhopal gas disaster. Ms Alexander was appointed by Mayor of London Boris Johnson to monitor the LOCOG.


Ms Alexander, head of trade and corporates at the charity Action Aid told the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 that she could no longer remain in the unpaid post given LOCOG's refusal to end the association. She was one of 13 commissioners.


She reportedly said: "I don't want to be party to a defence of Dow Chemicals, the company responsible for one of the worst corporate human rights violations in my generation. It is appalling that 27 years on, the site has still not been cleaned up and thousands upon thousands of people are still suffering. I believe people should be free to enjoy London 2012 without this toxic legacy on their conscience.


It may be stated here that Dow, a global Olympic sponsor since 2010, has stepped in to fund the hi-tech fabric wrap for the 2012 London Olympic Stadium which was ditched to save £7 million. Savings of £20 million had been called for.


Hundreds of survivors of Bhopal last month burned effigies of London 2012 chairman Lord Coe and Vijay Kumar Malhotra, the head of India's Olympic Committee, to protest against the Dow deal.


Dow has always maintained it did not own or operate the Bhopal plant and that legal claims regarding the gas leak were resolved when Union Carbide paid compensation for those killed or injured.


Welcoming Ms Alexander's resignation, Amnesty International said the London 2012 Olympic organisers must admit their mistake in awarding the lucrative seven million pound contract to the Dow Chemical Company.


The felicitation of Ms. Alexander was part of the day-long fast by Bhopal survivors seeking withdrawal of criminal cases on 2000 survivors and release of the 14 persons who are in jail for over six weeks in connection with the protest action on December 3 last, the 27th Anniversary of the disaster.


“We are demanding that the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister keep his promise of setting up an independent inquiry into the incidence of violence and withdraw the false cases on the protestors till that happens,” said Mr. Balkrishna Namdeo, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha.


Nawab Khan, President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, said: “The Madhya Pradesh state government has not filed a single criminal case against Dow Chemical or Union Carbide for their ongoing crime of poisoning the ground water of over 40,000 people and has charged 2000 gas victims with offences punishable by life imprisonment for peacefully demanding adequate compensation”.


Holding the Bhopal district administration and the police responsible for the violence on December 3, 2011, Ms Safreen Khan of Children against Dow Carbide said: “Despite reminders from the Madhya Pradesh State Human Rights Commission the district and police officials have failed to answer any one of the 13 questions on the violence during our peaceful protest. The officials hope to cover up their own misdeeds by putting people in jail and charging us under as many as 17 criminal sections of the Indian Penal Code, (IPC).”


Meanwhile, it may be mentioned here that on the eve of new year led by the five NGOs the survivors of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal had greeted the New Year 2012 with torch lights, music and dances by children. Holding flaming torches, survivors stood in a formation of the five Olympic Rings to demonstrate their resolve to continue with their campaign to oppose sponsorship of Olympic Games by Dow Chemical.


The organizations also had vowed to continue to pressure the government to present correct figures of death and injury in the curative petition before the Supreme Court to ensure adequate compensation for all gas victims.


It may be recalled here that 40 tones of methyl isocyanate, (MIC – a highly volatile toxic chemical), gas spewed out from the pesticide plant – owned by Union Carbide India Limited, (UCIL), a subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), USA – in the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984. The gas leak killed 3,000 people instantly and more than 25,000 over the years and inflicting grievous injuries on countless others. Many were deformed for life and many children born with the toxic effect are sick and with congenital malformations. It also affected 100,000 people that night and estimates are that more than 500,000 continue to suffer till date.


[Pervez Bari is a senior Journalist based at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He is associated with IndianMuslimObserver.com as Bureau Chief (Madhya Pradesh). He can be contacted at pervezbari@eth.net]

Read More...

Australia to get first Islamic Index

By Geoffrey Rogow


Thomson Reuters is on the brink of giving Australia its first Islamic index.


Starting in early February, Thomson Reuters and Australia’s Crescent Wealth are jointly launching Islamic Australia Index — a research-based index that will offer local and international investors a tool to help invest in accordance with Islamic investment principles in the local market.


The initiative comes ahead of an expected government proposal to change tax guidelines to help open up the local market for Islamic investment products, though there remains some concern about the market’s growth potential.


Called the Thomson Reuters Crescent Wealth Islamic Australia Index, the measure will cover 143 stocks with combined market capitalization of 160 billion Australian dollars (US$168 billion). The companies are screened to ensure they adhere to Sharia law. Islamic finance prohibits the earning of interest, choosing to focus instead on the buying and selling of tangible assets such as property under the principles outlined within Sharia law.


“Creation of the index is a key step toward positioning Australia as an attractive destination for global Islamic investment funds. It is estimated Islamic banking assets globally now exceed US$1 trillion, and that there is US$50 billion in managed funds investing in equities according to Islamic principles,” said the firms in a joint statement.


(Courtesy: The Wall Street Journal)

Read More...

Muslim studies program comes home

A joint SFU/Aga Khan University (AKU) summer program that ran in London UK last summer will be offered in Vancouver this summer, July 9–20, 2012. Expressions of Diversity: An Introduction to Muslim Cultures is designed to broaden understanding of Muslim cultures. The non-credit course is offered by SFU’s Centre for the Comparative Study of Muslim Societies and Cultures (CCSMSC) and AKU’s London-based Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations (AKU-ISMC).


“We bring in a wide range of academics internationally to help professionals and lay people worldwide gain insight into Muslim people’s diverse cultures and societies, past and present,” explains Derryl MacLean, CCSMSC director and an associate professor of history.


“Historically, most of the discussion between and among these groups focuses narrowly on contemporary issues of Muslim extremism,” says MacLean. “We want to increase understanding of how this major world civilization’s experiences and insights may bear upon universal questions that humanity faces today.”


Established in 2008, the program uses discussions, lectures, films and co-curricular activities to help participants appreciate the complexities, achievements and challenges of Muslim societies. Last summer’s program at AKU-ISMC attracted social workers, journalists, administrators and graduate students from Canada, the U.S., France, Britain, Italy, Kenya, Pakistan and India.


It “gave me a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which Muslims interpret and express their faith,” says Alexandra Holland, a curriculum leader at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya.


“The course helped me grasp issues and sensitivities that I encounter in working with Muslim communities,” says 2010 participant Robert Graham, an urban planner working in Amman, Jordan. “In a world that is polarized between the West and the East; the have and the have not; and the religious and the secular, programs like this help broaden the western media’s narrow depiction of Muslims.”


More: http://at.sfu.ca/ytTNVS.


(Courtesy: Simon Fraser University)

Read More...

Book Release "End of Casteism" held in Bangalore

IMO News Service


Bangalore: On the evening of Sunday, 22nd January, 2012, the book release event "End of Casteism" was organised by DIET, Discover Islam Education Trust in Daarussalaam, Queens Road, Bangalore, which was attended by hundreds of Muslims and non-Muslims.
The book "End of Casteism" has been authored by a revert to Islam, formerly known as Mr. T.M. Mani, who has currently changed his name to T.M. Umar Farook.


T.M. Umar Farook is a veteran Dalit rights activist who struggled for the rights of the Dalits for over 52 years, and finally learnt that the end of casteism is found in his conversion to Islam. In his book he writes about the concept of brotherhood in Islam that makes him feel the true peace that he has found in the religion Islam.

Many dignitaries participating at the event included Moodnakudu Chinnaswamy (A Poet), Umar Shariff (President, DIET), Gulam Muhammad (Chairman, Vergal Publications), Justice Gopalakrishnan (now Muhammad), Mohanraj (State Convenor, Dalit Sangharsha Samithi), Arvindraj Bodh (Neo Buddhist Priest) and Shaikh Ismail Oomari (Khateeb, Masjid Abu Raihaan).


Shaikh Ismail Oomari read the verse from Qur'an, where in Allah says that He created the whole of mankind from a single male and female; and that the best amongst mankind is he who is God conscious. He talked of Islam's mission of spreading peace to humanity.
Gulam Muhammad, Chairman of Vergal Publications, said that he was impressed by the book, and that he has already translated the book to Hindi, Tamil and English. Currently he is translating the book to Kannada language too.


Moodnakudu Chinnaswamy congratulated both the dignitaries who converted to Islam. He also expressed his views of the book. He said that when he read the book "End of Casteism", he felt that this book needs to be translated into all the languages. He even quoted Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who said that "I am born as a Hindu, but will not die as a Hindu". He reminded the mission of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, in encouraging the Dalits and backward classes to convert to Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. He himself a convert to Buddhism, was sharing his brotherly relationship with the Muslim community.


Justice Gopalakrishnan, currently known as Justice Gulam Muhammad, expressed his experiences, while he was serving as a Judge. He said that the judges who worked with him were racist, and even participated in laying foundation at the demolition of the Babri Masjid. He encouraged the Muslim community to invite the Dalits to embrace Islam. He said that the Dalits are oppressed people, who need education. He encouraged the Muslim community to start schools and give education to the Dalit community.


T.M. Umar Farook said that the thirst is there with the Dalits, while the water is with the Muslims, hinting that the Muslims must spread the religion of Islam. He even quoted the hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him), wherein the Prophet encourages the Muslims to free the slaves, and get rewarded by Allah.


T.M. Umar Farook said that the Dalits in India are living like slaves in India, and that they need the Muslims to work towards releasing the Dalits of India from slavery. He brought out incidents where the Dalit women were raped and tortured. He also provided information on how the Dalits are brainwashed by the politicians to use them for the votes and to hold the flags for their parties. He also quoted a historical event when Dr. B.R. Ambedkar burnt the law book of the Hindus, Manusmrithi. He said that many who have embraced Islam from the Dalit community, have also become scholars in Islam. He overjoyed by saying that Islam is the only hope for equality, fraternity and brotherhood.


Mr. Mohanraj said that he was shocked when he heard the name of the event, "End of Casteism". He mentioned that casteism has reached to such an extent that it is almost impossible to eliminate it from India. He mentioned about Gautham Buddha's revolution against his fight against casteism. He even mentioned a time in history, when a Buddhist was identified by the Hindu rulers, and killed in India. He said that the culture of Dalits are not too different from that of Muslims, when it comes to marrying many women, eating beef, and in having many children. He also said that his father had 9 children. He said that if the authority lies in the hands of the Brahmins, then the Dalits would be oppressed. He mentioned that the former Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. B.S. Yediyurappa donated 160 crores of money to the temples; the money that was collected as tax from the Muslims and Dalits. He even mentioned another occasion when the Chief Minister also gave 130 crore rupees to the construction of the temples. He reiterated that political power is a must to eradicate the upper caste supremacy in India.


Lastly, Arvind Raj Bodh spoke about Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's life and his mission. He mentioned that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar didn't leave any wealth to his wife, and that he lived for the upliftment of the Dalit community. Arvind Raj Bodh said that the "End of Casteism" is an error. He said that there are divisions even among Muslims, who are divided amongst themselves by making innovations in the religion of Islam. He said there is no division in Islam. Islam is a clear path, but the Muslims are divided by ignoring the true teachings of Islam. He encouraged the Muslims to unite by following Islam thoroughly.

Read More...

Reject vote bank politics, Vote for empowering: Popular Front asks Muslims

By Pervez Bari


Bhopal: Popular Front of India (PFI) discussed the prevailing socio-political scenario at the national level and in different states and chalked out plans to empower Muslims and other marginalised communities across the country.


A press release issued by the Public Relations Officer said the National General Assembly (NGA) of PFI was organized at Malabar House in Malappuram District of Kerala on January 21, 22 last wherein the discussion was held.

The release stated that the NGA expressed its anguish and concern at the failure of the Dalit and Backward Caste political parties to address the real issues that vex the Muslim minorities in the states they are either ruling or have ruled in the past. These parties have come into prominence or power using caste-based identity politics and pursuing Muslims. But unfortunately they have failed to reform the system. They have followed the same path of traditional political parties and tried to keep the Muslims disunited and neglected. They also did not tolerate the emergence of real political power from within the Muslim community.


The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh was no different in using the police or intelligence agencies to create fear and insecurity in the Muslim community by continuing police measures against Muslim activists and organizations. The NGA feels that only the newly emerged SDPI and like-minded parties can articulate the problems like poverty, illiteracy and unemployment among the Muslims and provide them freedom from hunger and fear. Hence, the meeting called upon the voters of UP and other states, not to act as mere vote banks of different parties, but to vote SDPI where the party has fielded candidates and support the candidate of the party which seems comparatively more favourable to Muslim issues in remaining constituencies, the release said.


In another resolution, the NGA demands the UPA Government to scrap all ties with Israel and avoid all sorts of internal and international coordination with Israel. The NGA observed that the growing friendship between India and Israel is a very alarming sign for the future of the country. Israel, the number one terrorist state in the world, which openly exhibits and justifies violence against Palestinians for the past six decades, is receiving red-carpet welcome in each front by the UPA Government. India has become the biggest customer of Israeli products whether it is defence, intelligence or agriculture. It is also a tragedy that the UPA government is continuously seeking Israel’s help for internal security in the name of war on terror. It is after establishing diplomatic ties with Israel that our country has witnessed a series of mysterious terror attacks. The recent decision to open Israel Consulate in Bangalore is another sign of growing impact of the Zionist state in our policy making, the release added.


The NGA demanded the UPA government to convert the words into action and to grant reservation to Muslims as recommended by Justice Ranganath Misra Commission. The recent Central Government decision to provide 4.5 per cent reservation to religious minorities is a positive step, but it has many discrepancies and lapses that need immediate corrections. This decision which did not cover all Muslims in the community and even ignores the minimum sub-quota of 6 per cent for OBC Muslims as recommended by the Mishra Commission is a mere political gimmick. The motive behind the series of statements issued by few ministers and leaders of different parties for granting reservation for Muslims seems to be just to attract Muslim votes in UP and other states. The government as well as different political parties should understand that mere sweet promises won’t be enough to lure the Muslims as they are becoming politically more aware, the release pointed out.


The NGA also demanded the Central Government to take immediate steps for handing over the Batla House encounter case to CBI and punish the culprits involved in this inhuman act. The Congress party itself seems to be divided on the issue of handing over the case to the CBI. The Batla house fake encounter case was a horrible instance where innocent Muslim youths were killed in cold blood by the Delhi Police. It was not just an encounter but also a serious attempt of stereotyping Muslims especially the students. None of the political parties seem to be serious in providing justice to the victims and are only competing with each other in lip service.


The NGA called upon the authorities to prosecute people who launched the vicious smear campaign against the Muslims alleging that there was a project called “Love Jihad” in Kerala and Karnataka to lure girls of Christian and Hindu communities for converting them to Islam. It is now proved that the “Love Jihad” itself was the brain child of Hindutva groups to create suspicion and hatred among the communities and to drive away Muslim youths from campuses. The meeting deplored the wide publicity given by certain newspapers and TV channels about the “Love Jihad” and called upon it to withdraw the fake stories and apologize to their readers.
It is heartening to note that the police have been able to arrest RSS elements in Bijapur, Karnataka who raised Pakistani flag to start communal riots in the city. Popular Front has repeatedly pointed out in the past that such incidents are the handiwork of RSS elements, the release emphasized.


The NGA also condemned the efforts of Kerala Police to hack into the e-mail communications of Muslim activists, political leaders and religious scholars. “We think that it is a part of racial profiling originally launched by the imperial powers to create enmity among different communities and to buttress racial and religious stereotypes. It is quite deplorable that this kind of illegal police intervention is taking place in a state which claims to have secular and pro-minority government”, the release noted.


In yet another resolution the NGA urged the Central Government to make appropriate amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure providing adequate and sufficient compensations to the individuals who were incarcerated for a long period without bail as remand prisoners and finally acquitted in frivolous cases.


Meanwhile, the NGA started with the introductory speech by the PFI chairman E. M. Abdul Rahiman. He pointed out that the recently held Social Justice Conference which witnessed a very large flow of masses from northern states in the Ramlila Maidan of New Delhi convinced us that the neglected lots of people are in search of a new movement honestly responding to their burning issues. He exhorted the delegates to take this opening as a challenge to reach out to the new lands and communities in our country. He also reminded them that mass mobilization is possible only through timely and effective intervention in national and local issues and by always remaining in the forefront of agitation for their rights and justice.


The PFI General Secretary K. M. Shareef presented the annual report of the organisation. The report showed that Popular Front has gained considerable expansion and growth, an improvement in the flow of member, associates and supporters during the past year in spite of the malicious propaganda carried out by communal fascist outfits and their agents in administration, police, intelligence and media. The report presentation was followed by in-depth discussions. The members of Central Secretariat and State Presidents Kaamran Ashraf Moulavi (Kerala), Elyas Muhammed Thumbe (Karnataka), A. S. Ismail (Tamil Nadu), Muhammad Arif Ahmed (Andhra Pradesh), Muhammad Kaleemullah Siddiqui (Delhi), Muhammad Shafi (Rajasthan), Muhammad Shahabuddin (West Bengal), Mufti Arshad Qasmi (Manipur) led the discussions.


On the second day of the NGA, there was an open forum on the contemporary political situation in India. The National Executive Council member Anis Ahmed delivered a power point presentation on Social Networking. A video Documentary of the Social Justice Conference in different languages was released on the occasion. Six resolutions were adopted after discussion. The two days programme concluded with the valedictory address by the Vice Chairman Muhammad Ali Jinnah.


[Pervez Bari is a senior Journalist based at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He is associated with IndianMuslimObserver.com as Bureau Chief (Madhya Pradesh). He can be contacted at pervezbari@eth.net]

Read More...