MINORITIES: MUSLIMS - 2015 January to December – 2015

Compiled By Fr. Paul G Documentation Centre∗

Gujarat Police make ‘dummy terrorists’ shout pro-Islamic slogan in mock drill (7)

Ahmedabad: A video of police mock drill showing dummy militants shouting pro-Islamic slogan emerged

on Thursday in Gujarat, a day after controversy erupted over men, playing the part of terrorists, being

made to wear skullcaps in a similar exercise in Surat. Reacting to the Surat episode that came to light on

Wednesday, Chief Minister Anandi Patel admitted it as a “mistake” to show people posing as terrorists in

the drill in skullcaps. The latest video is of another anti-terror mock drill at Narmada dam site in Kevadia

area of Narmada district. It shows policemen holding two dummy terrorists who were shouting “take our

lives, if you want. Islam Zindabad (long live Islam)”. When contacted by PTI, Narmada Superintendent of

Police Jaypalsinh Rathore said an inquiry will be conducted into the issue. “I came to know about this

incident (of projecting terrorists as Muslims) through media. If such an incident has happened, we will

conduct an inquiry and take necessary actions against those responsible,” he said. “The mock drill was a

routine police exercise which was conducted a week ago in Kevadia area,” Rathore added. As the Surat

episode generated controversy and invited criticism from several quarters, including from the chief of

Gujarat BJP Minority Cell, Patel told a TV channel it is wrong to link religion with terrorism. “It’s wrong to

link religion with terrorism. The issue has been resolved and the matter should be put to rest now. The

mistake has been rectified,” she said. The anti-terror drills were conducted ahead of the two high-profile

events being held in the state – Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (January 7 to 9) and Vibrant Gujarat Investors

Summit (January 11 to 13) – both in Gandhinagar. (Indian Express 1/1/15)

Muslims must stop demanding reservation: Najma Heptullah (7)

MUMBAI: Union minister for minority affairs Najma Heptullah said on Saturday that Muslims should stop

demanding reservation and should, instead, concentrate on empowering themselves with education and

skills. On her second trip to the city after she joined the Narendra Modi-led cabinet, she was speaking the

media and Muslim activists at Sahyadri Guest House, Malabar Hill, on Saturday, Heptullah said, "I have

always maintained that reservation is a crutch, which saps the energy to face challenges. Muslims will not

get reservation as the Constitution doesn't allow quota on religious ground. I am a Muslim and a woman.

Did I ever need reservation? The same applies to my fellow community members," said Heptullah,

claiming ignorance of the grounds on which the BJP government in the state has brought in a bill for

Maratha reservation (16%) while keeping mum on the 5% Muslim reservation in government jobs and

education declared by the Congress-NCP government. "I reiterate that Muslims should not waste time

and energy, demanding quota as it is mere tokenism," she said. She, however, promised to convey the

disappointment of Muslims to the Maharashtra CM and the PM . Heptuallh said that of 7 lakh Wakf

properties across the country, Maharashtra alone has 30,000. "If fully utilized, Wakf properties will

generate around Rs 20,000 crore annually which can make the community self-reliant," she said.

Heptuallh announced the regional offices of National Minorities Development Finance Corporation which

will undertake skill training of minorities. She said her department plans to set up a western regional office

in Mumbai to take centre's schemes to the beneficiaries in this part of the country. (Times of India 4/1/15)

∗ This is a collection of previously published news and views from the print as well as the electronic media, whose reference

marked at the end of each news items. Department of Documentation and Library (DDL) of the Indian Social Institute, New

Delhi neither claims to the veracity of the facts in the news nor subscribes to the views expressed.

After communal row, Hindus, Muslims join hands, demand justice for each other (7)

Agra: From the communal cauldron of UP, here's a heartwarming story of Hindu-Muslim amity. Nai ki

Mandi was the site of violence during the Barawafat procession on Sunday, to mark the birthday of

Prophet Mohammad. On Tuesday, however, Hindus and Muslims rallied together in the area. While

Muslim shopkeepers urged police to release the two Hindus arrested on Sunday, Hindus gathered at the

spot to demand proper security for Muslim shopkeepers. This show of solidarity even moved the cops

who decided to release the arrested shopkeepers late in the evening. Tension had prevailed in the area

on Sunday when a scuffle broke out between two groups after a dangling electricity wire allegedly

touched a vehicle in the Barawafat procession. While one group alleged that the wire was deliberately

kept loose with the intention of interrupting the procession, the other group claimed that it was because of

the procession that electricity wires in the city got disturbed. The situation worsened when a few

miscreants started pelting stones. Police had to intervene and FIRs were duly lodged against almost 500

persons for rioting and breach of peace. However, on Tuesday, the area presented a picture of communal

amity that would have moved even a die-hard skeptic. Over 300 people, both Hindus and Muslims, joined

hands to demand justice for each other. Muslim shopkeepers met senior police officials and requested

them to release the two Hindu businessmen, Haresh Singh, a cable TV operator and PD Gupta, a

jeweler, claiming they were innocent. "Those who started the violence were outsiders. They took their

procession inside our market and created a ruckus. As far as we are concerned, police have arrested our

innocent brothers and we will not rest till we get them released," said Shabbir Quadri, president of the Nai

ki Mandi market association. Endorsing his sentiments, Yamin Warsi, another shopkeeper, added, "We

have been working in the Nai ki Mandi area for several years but there has never been a fight between

Hindus and Muslims. There are some 300 shops in the market of which 70% are owned by Hindus and

30% by Muslims. Our president is a Muslim while other senior members are Hindus. We will continue to

fight for our brothers till they get bail." In reciprocation, Hindu shopkeepers organized a sit-in in the market

demanding better security for Muslim shopkeepers. "Police should ensure that Muslims in the area do not

feel threatened," said Manish Agarwal, a shop owner from the area. Added Navendu, another

shopkeeper, "Already their festival has been spoilt due to the ruckus and now their business is also

getting hit as shops have been closed for the past two days. We feel strongly for them." (Times of India

6/1/15)

Muslim clerics, activists slam Yakub Qureshi's 'Rs 51cr reward' statement (7)

NEW DELHI: Muslim clerics and activists have slammed ex-Uttar Pradesh minister Yakub Qureshi's

statement saying he would reward Rs 51 crore to terrorists who attacked Charlie Hebdo office. "We

condemn Qureshi's statement and people like him should be put behind the bars," said cleric Maulana

Mohammad Sajid Rashidi. Community leaders say such remarks are made for publicity and defame

Muslims. Some are planning to issue a memorandum against politicians who give such statements and

do 'disservice' to the community. Muslim clerics underlined Islam never allows anyone to kill and instead

talks about peace. "It's a very irresponsible statement and a crime in itself. There is no purpose for the

said sensational statement except to gain publicity,'' said All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat president

Zafarul-Islam Khan. "The government should take notice of this statement and ask Qureshi about the

source of such huge amount of money and how the same will be remitted outside the country.''He said

Qureshi should be punished as his offer is a crime and seeks to reward and promote another crime.

Activist Abdul Khaliq said Qureshi announced a reward for the killers rather than condemning the attack

on the French magazine and loss of lives. "Such statements are more atrocious than the attack," he said.

"People who give hate speeches, sensational statements must be boycotted by the community as these

are against the basic tenets of Islam.''All India Shia Personal Law Board spokesman Maulana Yasoob

Abbas called Qureshi's statement "childish" and sought strict action against him failing which such

elements would feel emboldened. (Times of India 10/1/15)

Centre urged to raise govt. quota for Haj (7)

Indi (Vijayapura district): Regretting that many poor Muslims were deprived of affordable Haj pilgrimage

owing to a strong lobby of private agencies, Minister for Haj, Infrastructure and Information R. Roshan

Baig said he has urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to reduce the private quota and increase

government quota for Haj pilgrims. Addressing presspersons after laying the foundation stone for the Post

Matriculation Hostel for Boys of Minorities at Indi town on Monday, he said private agents used their

influence to keep a major chunk of the Haj quota. “These private agents charge exorbitant fee which only

rich people can afford. The government should reduce the private quota to a minimum and add that to

government quota, which would enable more poor and middle class people to visit the holy place,” he

said. Mr. Baig said he has urged Home Minister and directed the top police officials to register cases of

cheating against any private agency found to be cheating innocent pilgrims. The Minister said the State

government was ready to share Rs. 50 crore as land-levelling charge for the long-pending development

of airport at Vijayapura city if the Airport Authority of India (AAI) started working on the project. He said

that during the recent meeting convened by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju in New Delhi,

the State government urged the Union government to expedite all airport projects in the State. (The Hindu

13/1/15)

Muslim population grows 24%, slower than previous decade (7)

NEW DELHI: The latest census data on the population of religious groups, set to be released shortly,

shows a 24% rise in the Muslim population between 2001 and 2011, with the community's share of total

population rising from 13.4% to 14.2% over the 10-year period. While the growth rate of the Muslim

population has slowed from around 29% between 1991 and 2001, it is still higher than the national

average of 18% for the decade. The data accessed by TOI showed that the most rapid rise in the share of

Muslims in the total population was witnessed in Assam. Muslims constituted 30.9% of the state's

population in 2001, but accounted for a 34.2% share a decade later. The state has had a persisting

problem of the illegal influx of Bangladeshi immigrants. West Bengal, another state where illegal

immigration from Bangladesh has been an old phenomenon, has also registered a rise in the share of

Muslims in total population from 25.2% in 2001 to 27% in 2011, a growth of 1.9 percentage points over

the 10 years, more than double the national average. Uttarakhand, significantly, has also reported a

sharp rise in the share of Muslim population from 11.9% to 13.9%, a growth of 2 percentage points

against the countrywide growth of 0.8 percentage points between 2001 and 2011. Other states with a

significant rise in the share of Muslims in the total population as per the 2011 census were Kerala (from

24.7% to 26.6%), Goa (6.8% to 8.4%), Jammu & Kashmir (67% to 68.3%), Haryana (5.8% to 7%) and

Delhi (11.7% to 12.9%)…. (Times of India 22/1/15)

‘Muslims are not terrorists but proud Indians’ (7)

HYDERABAD: "Muslims are proud Indians. They are neither terrorists nor from different country." This

was the message conveyed by the Telugu Muslim poets on the final day of the Hyderabad Literary

Festival on Monday. Taking a different take on what he said was a wrong portrayal of Muslims, Telugu

poet Khaja condemned the Centre's decision to invite American President Barack Obama for the

Republic Day. "To invite a man who has worked towards portraying Muslims as terrorists as a chief guest

on Republic Day is a matter of huge disappointment for Muslims across the country. We are not

terrorists," Khaja claimed. Khadar Mohiudeen, a poet who has been composing verses against Hindu

hegemony, further enhanced Khaja's point of view with his poem 'Birthmark'. "Cricket matches weigh and

measure my patriotism. Never mind my love for my motherland, what's important is how much I hate the

other land," he recited with a hint of irony. Representing over 200 Muslim Telugu poets from the city, the

bards brought up issues like identity crisis and caste divide amongst Muslims. Throwing light on the

struggle within the Telugu Muslim poets, renowned poet Yakoob explained their struggle for identity. "We

who call our mothers amma, never knew she was supposed to be called ammijaan. Abba, abbajaan,

Papa - that's how fathers are to be called, we're told. How would we know - our ayyas never taught us

that," recited Yakoob from his poem titled 'Awwal Kalima'. Yakoob, a dalit Muslim himself, expounded on

the state of lower Muslim castes of Laddafs, Dudekulas, Kasabs and Pinjaris through his poetry. (Times

of India 27/1/15)

Hyderabad's Muslim groups launch 'Eradication of evils' drive (7)

Hyderabad: Muslim leaders and organisations from various schools of thought came together on a

common platform to launch a campaign here to eradicate evils from the society. The eight-day

"Eradication of evils" campaign was launched with a public meeting here Sunday night. Addressing a

huge gathering of men and women at Khilwat Ground in the old city, the Islamic scholars voiced concern

over the fast spreading evils like alcohol, drug addiction, interest, dowry, and immorality. The speakers

called on all Muslims, especially the youth, to not only protect themselves from this "flood of evils" but

also save others by participating in such movements. Expressing concern over misuse of social

networking sites by youth to indulge in immoral activities, they felt that instead of using technology as a

tool for development, the new generation itself has become a tool in the hands of such sites. They

underlined the need to evolvr a mechanism with the participation of all to help poor Muslims and thus

save them from exploitation by financers. Renowned Islamic scholar Maulana Mufti Sadiq Mohiuddin

Faheem, who presided over the meeting, advised parents to ensure that their children are educated and

trained in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Quran. Khaja Arifuddin, president of Jamaat-e-Islami,

Andhra Pradesh and Odisha units, said that the Quran describes Muslim ummah as the best nation

produced for mankind, who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. He said it was high time that the

community realised its responsibility and worked to fulfil it. M.K.M. Zafar, president of Jamaat's Greater

Hyderabad unit, said they made the campaign a collective effort by involving all sects of the community.

During the campaign, Jamaat would organise various programmes for college students and youth and

create awareness against the evils.(Business Standard 2/2/15)

ISIS are murderers and rapists, have to be condemned: Owaisi (7)

HYDERABAD: Condemning the deadly deeds of ISIS, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday

said the activities of the terror group have nothing to do with the religion of Islam. "What they have done

so far, all the Islamic scholars of various schools of thought have condemned it. They have raped people,

killed people. Not only killed, in a bloody way, they have decapitated bodies, they have cut heads. They

have burnt a person. "These are nothing to do with Islam or teachings of Islam. They have to be

condemned. They are bloody murderers and rapists," the Hyderabad MP told reporters here. As for some

youth from Hyderabad reportedly trying to join ISIS, Owaisi said none can break law and that the youth

should speak to religious scholars. Owaisi was speaking at a press conference held here in connection

with the "centenary death anniversary" of Hazrat Anwarullah Farooqui, founder of Jamia Nizamia, a 144-

year-old institution of Islamic studies. As part of the events, a seminar would be held on February 14 and

15 and a public meeting on March 20, organisers said. (Times of India 5/2/15)

Kiran Bedi writes to Election Commission over ‘fatwa’ (7)

New Delhi: After a humiliating defeat in the Delhi Assembly polls, BJP CM candidate Kiran Bedi has

written to the Election Commission saying fatwas impact the freedom of choice to vote. On Wednesday,

Ms Bedi blamed the “fatwa” by Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari appealing to Muslims to

support AAP for her defeat in the BJP’s traditional stronghold of Krishna Nagar in East Delhi and sought a

probe into it by the poll panel. She said the Election Commission should inquire the issue to find out

whether the Shahi Imam’s appeal to Muslims a day before the polls had any impact on the electoral

outcome. Ms Bedi claimed that though she was leading in the vote count, her vote share started dropping

when counting of votes in a Muslim-dominated area of her constituency was taken up. “I was told that

during the vote count in Krishna Nagar I was leading, but when the counting of votes of the area where

the fatwa might have an impact was carried out, it started to drop,” Ms Bedi said, adding, “I lost by 2,000

votes when the counting reached that area.” A day ahead of the polls, Shahi Imam Bukhari appealed to

Muslims to vote for AAP but the party promptly rejected the offer. Though it was an appeal by Bukhari,

several BJP leaders called it a “fatwa”. “Fatwa means a diktat, a directive, it also means a hukumnama in

a way. EC should examine whether fatwas issued last minute before the elections are good for the

democratic process or not,” said Ms Bedi. However, the comments of the former IPS officer drew instant

criticism from the Congress camp. “BJP saw a downfall (sic) since the day Kiran Bedi was nominated,”

Congress leader J.P. Aggarwal said, dismissing her “fatwa” remark. Ms Bedi’s statements were noticed

on Tuesday after the results were announced, when she said, “I have not lost. I gave it all my best. Let

the BJP introspect. They will assess for themselves.” This after she took full responsibility for the poll

debacle. (Asian Age 12/2/5)

U.P. villagers reject communal politics (7)

Nayagaon Akbarpur Chhendri (Kanth), A loudspeaker was installed in a small temple at Kanth in

Moradabad last Friday. Muslim and Hindu villagers sat together with the local authorities and agreed to

install it for a few days on the occasion of Mahashivratri. What happened in just an hour of discussion

would have appeared “almost impossible” a few months ago, the villagers said. They spoke of the “mutual

distrust” between the two communities and attempts of political players to polarise the region over the

issue. Last June, the situation became tense after BJP workers violently protested against the removal of

the loudspeaker by the administration, which acted on complaints registered by a member of the minority

community. Tragically, during the protests, the then Moradabad District Magistrate Chandrakant lost

vision in one eye. Residents of Kanth, where Dalits and Muslims live in a closely knit society, told The

Hindu that political players in the region were trying to polarise the village by engaging in “competitive

communal politics” ahead of the by-polls in western Uttar Pradesh in September. Alok, a scrap seller on

the outskirts of the village, felt quite strongly about the peace of the village being a “casualty” in the

aftermath of the controversy. “The issue of loudspeaker over a temple or a mosque is a simple issue that

we could have sorted out had the political parties not jumped and made it a Hindu-Muslim issue,” he said.

Despite being a high-school dropout, Alok said he was “wise enough” to see that political parties tried to

cash in on the controversy. “You must notice the fact that no political leader visits the village once the by-

polls were over in September last year,” he added. Moradbad MP Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar Singh of the

BJP had promised the Dalit community, which worships in the temple, to ensure that the temple got a

permanent loudspeaker, Alok said. Mr. Singh along with other BJP MPs and Anisurrahman — the local

MLA from the Peace Party, a relatively new political outfit — were at the forefront of an agitation against

the decision to remove the loudspeaker. The BJP also planned to organise a Mahapanchayat over the

issue, but the local administration banned it, leading to the protests in which Mr. Chandrakant lost sight in

one of his eyes. (The Hindu 15/2/15)

Muslim clerics pose six questions to RSS (7)

KANPUR: A delegation of Muslim clerics led by the Sunni Ulema Council's general secretary met RSS

functionary Indresh and posed six questions to the Sangh including whether it has prepared a format to

turn India into a Hindu 'rashtra', which he claimed left the saffron outfit irritated. The Muslim delegation

claimed that Indresh refused to answer their questions and instead said that a conference of Muslim

organisations should be called where he would give the answers. "We had a meeting with senior RSS

functionary Indreshji last night during which we asked six questions, but he did not have any answer,"

Sunni Ulema Council general secretary Haji Mohammed Salees said on Tuesday. He alleged that

Indreshji, who is pracharak and looks after minority affairs in the organisation, got "irritated" with the

questions. "Our first question was whether RSS considers India a Hindu country. The second one was

whether RSS has prepared a format to turn India into a Hindu 'rashtra'. The third one was whether this

Hindu 'rashtra' will be according to Hindu religious texts or RSS has chalked out a new philosophy," he

said. Salees said, "The fourth question was what they want on religious conversion. The fifth one was

what type of 'rashtra prem' (patriotism) RSS wants from Muslims. The sixth one was how RSS views

Islam," he said. He said that these were the six questions which Indreshji "failed" to answer. "They (RSS)

did not have any format. They are shouting about 'Hindu rashtra' only on the basis of propaganda," he

alleged. Salees feared that if Hindu rashtra was built on Hindu texts, Dalits could once again not be

allowed to enter temples. "We asked whether a new philosophy has been chalked out by RSS. If a new

philosophy has been chalked out that means Hindu religion is not religious culture. In that case, anyone

can convert," he said. Salees said when the Constitution provides freedom of religion, why is the RSS

afraid of bringing a bill. "We are not afraid. If any Muslim does not like Islam and wants to leave, he can

go. We don't have any law to keep anyone Muslim by compulsion," he said. Salees said as far as love for

the country was concerned their ancestors rejected Jinnah and Pakistan. "In 1947, when the concept of

two countries was decided, our ancestors rejected Jinnah and Pakistan and accepted Gandhiji as our

leader, India as our country and expressed faith in the Constitution," he said. "What do they want from the

Muslims? They should sing Vande Matram and bow before the picture of Bharat Mata, which they have

visualized? We won't accept it. It is against Islam," he said. "The ultimate result of the 90-minute meeting

was they (RSS) asked us to call a 'sammelan' of Muslims and they will reply (to our posers)," Salees said.

"I said that when you cannot answer these questions in a room, then how will you do so in a conference.

We then asked as to why should we call a conference," he said. Salees said there was restlessness

among Muslims over these issues and "I came to take reply to these questions being raised in our

community." "I believe whatever be our religion, we should be honest towards the Constitution. Religion is

our personal thing. It is not an issue of the nation. We don't even support the statements of All India

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi. "Those flaring communal passion are not

loyal to the country. The country will run on the principles of Gandhiji, it will not run on the statements of

Owaisi or Sangh," he added. Meanwhile, a city cleric, who skipped a meeting between Indresh and a

delegation of Muslim leaders on Monday night, said there "was no point" in meeting a representative and

that he would only meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to highlight issues pertaining to their community.

"Salees had called me for the meeting but I have already met Indresh before and there was no point in

meeting him again. I will respond to the request of a meeting only if Bhagwat will call us," city cleric Alam

Raja Noori said. "If we had met Bhagwat, we would have put forth our issues with their agenda of a Hindu

nation. Talking with Indresh about our concerns will not affect organisation's perspective," he said. The

cleric further said he was out of town when the meeting took place but even if he were here he wouldn't

have met Indresh. Meanwhile, Salees said Noori's name was not included in the list of members who

were to meet the RSS functionary and was only added later. Elaborating on the meeting, Salees said, on

being questioned by Indresh on their alleged silence over remarks by AIMIM Asaduddin Owaisi, the

delegation told him that Owaisi does not represent the views of the community. Equating him with the

likes of BJP MPs Sakshi Maharaj and Sadhvi Nirajan Jyoti, Salees said, "Owaisi is "just a Member of

Parliament". (Times of India 17/2/15)

Muslim trusts want custody of campus (7)

Mumbai: The recent announcement by Ravindra Waikar, minister of state for higher and technical

education, of setting up an educational hub on the Ismail Yusuf College campus at Jogeshwari has

prompted activists and Muslim trusts to protest against the minister’s proposal by forming a group that will

not only stop the government from going ahead with their plans but also get custody of the campus.

Announcing the decision on Saturday, the group named Ismail Yusuf Campus Bachao Samiti said that

they were against an aggressive protest. The samiti consists of Dr Zaheer Kazi, president of Anjuman-i-

Islam Trust, social activists like Sudheendra Kulkarni, Anil Tyagi, Prabhakar Narkar and Kishore Jagtap

who work on issues related to students and people from the minorities and backward classes and MLA

Kapil Patil. “Our demand is that as the government has failed to fulfil the purpose of providing facilities to

encourage higher education amongst Muslim youth, it should hand over the custody and management of

the campus to a Muslim trust so that it can achieve the vision of Sir Mohammad Ismail Yusuf who had

donated Rs 30 lakh to the governor of Mumbai in 1914 to set up educational facilities for Muslim youth

and minorities,” said Dr Kazi. Activist Kulkarni said “We appeal to the government of Maharashtra to

immediately stop its plans to encroach upon land belonging to Ismail Yusuf College, which was donated

by a Muslim philanthropist for Muslim education,” said Mr Kulkarni. Speaking about the issue, MLC Patil

said that as both the Sachar Committee and Mehmood-ur-Rehman committee had pointed to lack of

education as the main reason for the backwardness of Muslims, the government should hand over the

custody of the college campus to a Muslim trust so that the land could be properly used for the intended

purpose. (Asian Age 22/2/15)

Over 180 million Muslims in India but they are not part of global terror groups: Govt (7)

New Delhi: The government might not have officially released the religious data of Census 2011, but in a

presentation before an international delegation in the United States it said that over 180 million Muslims

were living in India, constituting 14.88 per cent of the total population. It also asserted that despite a large

Muslim population in India, there was hardly any case of the community members joining violent pan-

Islamic groups. Representing India at the White House hosted Summit to Counter Violent Extremism last

week, Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) chief RN Ravi told a delegation, where representatives from 60

countries were present, that “the usual alienation of minorities is not valid in the Indian context. Going by

the usual definition of minority, their population is over 260 million i.e over 21 per cent of India’s

population. There are over 180 million Muslims in India.” The data given by the government at an

international platform assumes significance after US President Barack Obama, during his India visit, said:

“India will succeed so long as it is not splintered along the lines of religious faith, as long as it is not

splintered along any lines, and it is unified as one nation.” Due to various political considerations, the

religious data of Census 2011 were never released by the UPA government. When the NDA government

came to power, they decided to release the religious data, which still has not been done. The Indian

Express reported on January 24 that Hindus comprised 78.35 per cent of the total population of 121.05

crore, compared with 80.45 per cent of the total population in 2001. In absolute terms, Muslim population

increased 24.4 per cent to 17.18 crore from 13.8 crore during 2001-11. Muslims were 13.4 per cent of the

total population in 2001. Ravi also told the delegation: “The recently held elections in Jammu and Kashmir

– a Muslim majority state of the Indian Union – in which over 65 per cent electorate peacefully cast their

votes is a testimony of its success story.” He further said, “India’s response to violent extremism is

calibrated in a way that prevents disproportionate use of force by the state.” On the other hand, one of the

civil society representatives from Pakistan told the delegation: “At least 26 terrorist organisations

operating in Pakistan like Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Taliban, Haqqani network had

people in leadership roles who came from madrasa background. The government had to go into the root

cause of this and reform madrasa education.” (Indian Express 24/2/15)

Village tense after Adityanath’s outfit enters land row, ‘150 Muslim families leave homes’ (7)

Lucknow: Tension prevailed in Madhopur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district after 150 Muslim

families reportedly left their homes Monday, fearing a backlash from BJP MP Yogi Adityanath’s outfit

Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) over a land dispute. Heavy police force including PAC personnel have been

deployed in the village to prevent any disturbance. Kushinagar additional district magistrate Ram Kewal

Tiwari admitted that there is tension in the village. “It is a property dispute. There was a minor clash and

we deployed PAC. HYV is active in this region and they often hold meetings, but we handle the situation,”

Tiwari claimed. He, however, denied that Muslims have left the village. HYV held a meeting at Madhopur

on Monday to show solidarity with the village’s Hindus following a property dispute. The outfit has

reportedly given call for a Hindu mahapanchayat on March 3 if its demand of handing over possession of

a 1.5-acre disputed plot to a Hindu villager is not met. “We had gone there to show solidarity with our

worker Digvijay Kishore Shahi who was assaulted by a Muslim when he resisted their move to grab his

land. Since the Muslims have done wrong, they have fled. We are not responsible,” Sunil Singh, state

president of HYV said. He added: “Digvijay owns that land. The district administration admitted it but

refused to hand him the possession before Holi claiming that communal atmosphere will be vitiated. We

cannot wait for that long. On March 3, we will hold a Hindu mahapanchayat”. Locals said the issue

erupted following a land dispute between Digvijay Kishore Shahi and another villager Ameen. The 1.5

acre plot belonging to the gram panchayat is close to the village and both groups are staking claim to it.

On February 13, a clash broke out between the two groups. Muslims claimed that nearly 1,000 HYV

workers attacked them. The district administration deployed PAC and a case was registered on Shahi’s

complaint. Two Muslim men were arrested. “We continued to stay in our village after the incident. But,

HYV announced a big meeting on February 23. We sought help of local administration but no one came

forward,” Aurangzeb (22) said. Social worker Mohammad Anwar Siddiqui said: “Police told villagers told

to leave the village before the HYV.” Aurangzeb said Muslims left the village on February 22 to avoid

confrontations. He added that the HYV meeting was attended by nearly 1,500 workers, including state

president Sunil Singh. Provocative speeches were delivered during the meeting. The Muslims are yet to

return home, he claimed. (Indian Express 25/2/15)

Centre’s scheme for madrassas lost in translation (7)

NEW DELHI: The NDA government had allocated Rs 100 crore for modernization of madrassas in the

last budget while the erstwhile UPA government had earmarked Rs 182.5 crore for the same in 2013-14.

However, a lack of awareness about the scheme and language barrier seem to have prevented a majority

of madrassas from availing its benefits. According to an RTI application filed by NGO Zakat Foundation in

2013, only 2,800 madrassas benefitted from the central scheme. The reason for many not availing the

benefits was because information about the scheme had not been translated into Urdu from English. "The

scheme has been there since 1996 but the funds have been curtailed over the years. There is a lack of

awareness—not many know about the scheme as it's not properly advertized. Madrassas are going for an

image makeover and apart from the religious teaching, education is imparted there," said Zafar Mehmood

of Zakat Foundation. According to people associated with Madrassa committees, most of these institutes

are community-funded. Some of the community heads believe that Rs 100 crore is a mere tokenism and

is not sufficient even for all Madrassas in Delhi. "There are 33,000 madrassas in India, according to the

Sachar committee report and many more must have come up by now. And this amount is too small to

strengthen and modernize all the institutes. Madrassas are just like any other schools which need an

investment of at least Rs 1 crore," said Zafrul Islam Khan of All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat.

However, many argue that till the time these institutes aren't recognized and affiliated to any education

board, modernization will not help. (Times of India 27/2/15)

Shiv Sena to Muslims: For special treatment, go to Pakistan (7)

MUMBAI: Hitting out at AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for demanding reservation for Muslims in

Maharashtra, Shiv Sena on Tuesday said that if the minority leader wants his demands to be met on

religious grounds, then he should go to Pakistan and try his antics there. Terming Owaisi's speeches

"hateful", the Sena said that the Devendra Fadnavis government should file a case against him and start

legal proceedings. "(Asaduddin) Owaisi is insisting that Muslims should get reservation akin to the

Marathas. Such insistence had caused the separation of Pakistan from India. Hatred for Hindus

compelled a section of Muslims to take control over Pakistan. Hence Owaisi may try and get his demands

based on religious grounds fulfilled in Pakistan," said an edit piece in the Sena mouthpiece, 'Saamana'. It

added that the minority community will have to respect India as their motherland. "They (minority

community) will have to respect the Uniform Civil Code and stop demanding the continuation of Article

370 for Kashmir. Asking for reservations while continuing with religious rants will not work," it said.

"Owaisi says 'Muslims have suffered a lot and hence I speak up for them'. But will he give a count of the

sufferings of Hindus due to the terrorist activities of extremist Muslims? If extremists start communal

violence and terrorist activities after listening to his speeches... Owaisi's speeches should be termed as

hateful and action should be taken against him," the Sena said. Addressing a public gathering in Nagpur

on Saturday night, Owaisi, the 45-year-old Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad, had demanded reservation

for backward Muslims in government jobs and educational institutes in Maharashtra. Claiming that

"injustice" has been done to Muslims in Maharashtra, Owaisi had blamed the more than 50 years of

Congress rule at the Centre and the Congress-NCP and Shiv Sena -BJP governments in the state for the

prevailing backwardness of minority community members. (Times of India 3/3/15)

Muslim quota gone, Cong to stall session (7)

MUMBAI: The Congress has decided to stall proceedings in both houses of the legislature to protest

against the decision of the BJP-led government to scrap reservation for Muslims. "The budget session of

the state legislature is beginning from March 9. We feel that the BJP government is anti-Muslim, therefore

it allowed the ordinance to provide for reservation to Muslims to lapse. We will stall proceedings in both

the houses to press our demand for reservation to Muslims," newly appointed city Congress unit

president Sanjay Nirupam said recently. A former MP, Nirupam said the erstwhile Congress-NCP

government had provided reservation to Muslims in government jobs and educational institutions, but the

high court scrapped the reservation in jobs while upholding it in educational institutions. He said it was the

responsibility of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to issue a new ordinance to provide for the

reservations, but he allowed the previous reservation ordinance to lapse. On the controversy over the

development plan for the city, Nirupam said people from all walks of life had raised objections on certain

proposals, particularly development of the Aarey Milk Colony land. "We have made it clear to the

municipal commissioner and the chief minister that no decision should be taken in haste and that there

should be wider discussion on the proposals," Nirupam said. Nirupam said he had organized a daylong

workshop on the pros and cons of the proposed development plan on March 20. "We have invited leading

architects, engineers, city planners and nominees of NGOs for discussion on the development plan," he

said. (Times of India 8/3/15)

Maharashtra non-committal on Muslim reservation (25)

MUMBAI: A week after withdrawing 5 per cent reservation for Muslims in jobs and education in

Maharashtra, the State government has remained non-committal on reintroducing the ordinance providing

for the quota in the budget session of the Assembly which will begin from Monday. “The earlier ordinance

was lapsed and we didn’t cancel it. We are in discussion with experts about the issue. A decision will be

taken soon,” said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addressing a press conference on the eve of the

budget session. To a question whether the government was planning to reintroduce the ordinance, Mr.

Fadnavis said no such decision was taken yet. “There are conflicting orders from the High Court. At the

same time, we are studying a judgment of the Supreme Court on this issue. Any step will be taken only

after consultation,” he said. (The Hindu 10/3/15)

Why foreigners cant pray at Taj mosque, asks Muslim body (7)

AGRA: Taj Mahal Masjid Intezamiya Committee, which claims to make arrangements for namaz in the

monument's mosque, has sought revoking a seven-year-old ban on foreigners offering Friday prayers,

especially from SAARC countries, at the monument. At present, only locals can offer namaz in the

mosque on Friday. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is responsible for Taj Mahal's

maintenance, has refuted the committee's claim of making arrangements for prayers at the Taj's mosque.

It also said that according to rules, only locals who have been traditionally offering namaz at the mosque

could be allowed. The department also. The committee has been raising this issue for many years, and

recently sought information under an RTI query regarding who can offer prayers at Taj. The reply stated

that a 2008 gazette notification mentions Taj will be open on Friday only for those "offering customary

afternoon prayers". The committee contends that it was nowhere written that foreigners cannot offer

prayers. Committee's chairman Syed Munawwar Ali said, "The ASI is discriminating between Indian and

foreign Muslims. Till 2002, foreigners were offering prayers here, but then ASI stopped it citing security

reasons, which is unfair." ASI officials, however, said from the time the Taj Mahal came under its

protection, only those who have been offering namaz have been allowed entry during Friday prayers.

Earlier, Taj Mahal used to be closed on Mondays for tourists and the archaeological body allowed entry to

local Muslims to offer namaz on Fridays. In 2001, the weekly closing day was changed to Friday and

locals were allowed to offer Juma namaz between 12pm and 2 pm. When contacted, ASI superintending

archaeologist N K Pathak said, "No new changes have been made in the rules. As far as foreigners are

concerned, they can offer namaz at two mosques located outside the monument complex at east and

west gates." (Times of India 11/3/15)

Muslims protest to get back collegeMohammed Wajihuddin (7)

MUMBAI: Kicking off its campaign to get the Ismail Yusuf College in Jogeshwari back from government

control, members of the Ismail Yusuf College Campus Bachao Sangharsh Samiti held a demonstration

outside the college on Monday. "The government must remove all encroachments, declare Ismail Yusuf

College a minority institution and hand over the college and its nearly 54 acre land to a suitable Muslim

trust to develop it as a world-class university," said Sudheendra Kulkarni, chairman (Mumbai), Observer

Research Foundation. The protesters announced a massive morcha at Azad Maidan on March 25.

"Today is the formal beginning of our movement. Sir Ismail Yusuf gave Rs 8 lakh in 1914 to set up an

institution of higher learning for Muslims though its doors have been open to all since its inception in

1924," said M A Khalid of the All India Milli Council. Amir Idrisi of the Association of Muslim Professionals

said efforts were made to start a dialogue with the government, but the latter seems adamant to go ahead

with its plan to establish a law university and an educational hub on the college premises. "We are not

against the law university but it should be established elsewhere, not on a piece of land which was bought

with an endowment fund to establish a massive institute of higher learning for Muslims," said Idrisi. He

announced that on Thursday, former Congress MLA Yusuf Abrahni will lead a group of activists to forcibly

occupy the college. Activist Sajid Shaikh said that a series of corner meetings have been planned to

mobilize people for the protest rally at Azad Maidan. (Times of India 17/3/15)

'Ghar wapsi' issue to figure at Muslim Personal Law Board meet (7)

Lucknow: The issue of 'ghar wapsi' programme by some Hindu organisations is likely to figure

prominently in the three-day meet of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) scheduled to be

held in Jaipur from March 20. "The Jamaits and the Board have already clarified their stand on the issue.

It's only a propaganda," AIMLPB General Secretary Maulana Nizamuddin said. He said that though the

matter has not been included in the general agenda, it would be raised in the meeting. "Thought should

be given whether the country will progress or get destroyed. What does this 'ghar wapsi' programme

mean?" he asked. "Tomorrow you will tell Christians to become Hindus, the next day you will tell Muslims

to become Hindus. Is it a joke? It's like insulting the entire community," he said. He said the agenda of the

meeting was general in nature and such contentious issues were not included in it. "It is a secular state

where all communities exist since long," he said. He said a campaign was being carried out against

Muslims, but generally such issues are kept out of the agenda. "But, if some questions crop up, the board

give its reply," he said. To a question, he dismissed as "politics" the ban on beef by the Maharashtra

government. "It's all politics," he said. "Whether it is Maharashtra or Kolkata, not only Muslims, but other

persons also eat beef," he claimed. He said the issue did not pertain to Muslims alone. But, the business

of many persons and companies would be affected due to the ban. (DNA 17/3/15)

All India Muslim Personal Law Board Hits Out at Modi Government, Questions Silence on 'Ghar

Wapasi'

Jaipur: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board today had some strong words for the Narendra Modi

government, as it questioned the Prime Minister's silence on controversial issues, including 'ghar wapasi'

- the campaign to convert Muslims and Christians to Hinduism. "Ever since Modiji came to power, the

Hindutva forces have become stronger," Abdul Rahim Qureshi, the General Secretary, said at the Board's

24th meeting in Jaipur today. "The 'ghar wapasi' programme is gaining ground and the VHP is polarising

the atmosphere and spreading anti-Muslim feelings... Ever since the new government has taken over,

there is a conspiracy to convert the country into a fascist state," Mr Qureshi said. The Board said there

was a need for the government to make all citizens feel secure in an atmosphere where their best

interests were safeguarded. Mr Qureshi also strongly criticised the Rajasthan government's recent

decision to make Surya Namaskar compulsory in all schools, and demanded the withdrawal of the

controversial order. "This is anti-Islam and the government should immediately withdraw the decision.

Islam does not permit for such practice," he said, adding, "This is absolutely wrong to impose such things

on Muslims." "Internal stability is necessary for the peace and development in the country and the

governments, both Central and states, should work in this direction instead of announcing such decision

which affects our religious freedom," Mr Qureshi said. The Board also rejected calls for amendments to

the Muslim personal law, saying such changes struck at the roots of religion. (NDTV 23/3/15)

Muslim population no issue, conversion is, says home minister Rajnath Singh (7)

NEW DELHI: Home minister Rajnath Singh, in comments that would run counter to the line often used by

hardline Hindutva elements, said on Monday he had no issues with the pace of growth of the Muslim

population in the country, but railed against religious conversions and exhorted minorities to take the lead

in pressing for an anti-conversion law. "It does not matter how many Muslims are there. If their population

is increasing, let it increase. We have no issues. But the cycle of conversions must stop," Singh told a

conference of state minority commissions in Delhi. The comments come at a time some hardliners in the

Sangh Parivar have expressed their annoyance at what they allege is the fast pace of growth in the

country's Muslim population and have exhorted Hindus to procreate more to counter this. India's Muslim

population probably rose to 14.2% in 2011 from 13.4% in 2001, the government yet-to-be-released

census data is expected to show. While Singh appeared conciliatory to Muslims, he struck a hard line

against religious conversions — a topic that has of late been sought to be linked with the Christian

community. Members of the Sangh Parivar have in recent weeks sought to link service done by Christian

institutions with religious conversions. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat last month stirred up a controversy

when, referring to conversions, he said there was a "motive" behind the service rendered by Mother

Teresa. Singh appeared to echo similar sentiments. "Why do we do conversions? If we want to do

service, let us do service. But should service be done for the purpose of religious conversion? Cannot we

decide that we will go worldwide to do service but conversion will not be our target but only to serve

humanity?" he asked. "Can't we live without respecting each other's faith. What is the necessity of

conversion. Can't a religion survive without involving in conversion?... People say conversions are done

by people on their own accord...that there is freedom for conversions. Do not do this (conversions). Leave

it," he added. The home minister said he was posing three basic questions. "First, is conversion

necessary? Second, can a religion not survive without conversions? Thirdly, if anybody tries to change

the demographic character of any country, will anyone tolerate it? In US or Europe, if I go and try to

change their demographic character, isn't it a crime on my part? Why should I do this? Let that country's

identity remain. That country has a culture, let it be. Why do we want to change it?" he said. Singh also

blamed the Congress government for creating an "atmosphere of insecurity" among minorities and said

the Narendra Modi government was reversing this. He termed the controversy around 'Ghar Vapasi', or

reconversion of minorities back into the Hindu faith, as "misunderstandings and rumours" and said a

solution needed to be found. The home minister lamented that the majority community had to ask for an

anti-conversion law and not minorities. "In other countries, minorities demand that anti-conversion law

should be made. India is the only country where it is not so. In our country, the state of affairs is such that

we have to say and demand that there should be a debate over anti-conversion law. Why is there such a

state of affairs? It will be good if you think over this and debate it," he said… (Times of India 24/3/15)

Muslim bodies want UP govt to challenge Hashimpura court order (7)

LUCKNOW: Various Muslim organisations, including All India Muslim Personal Law Board, today asked

the Uttar Pradesh government to challenge the verdict of a Delhi court in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre

case in a higher court. Additional sessions judge Sanjay Jindal in his March 21 judgement acquitted 16

Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel of charges related to the killing 42 Muslims who were picked up

from a village in Meerut, giving them benefit of doubt for want of evidence. Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind would

decide their strategy in their upcoming meeting on March 28 while the Shia Personal Law Board will take

up the matter seriously at its meeting in the second week of April. AIMPLB general secretary Maulana

Nizamuddin alleged that the decision of the lower court, which came 28 years after the massacre, was a

result of failure on the part of the state government. He said the case should have been disposed of in

four- five months but due to "lackadaisical attitude" of the government the case was dragged for 28 years.

The ruling Samajwadi Party, however, said it would take a decision whether to challenge the lower court

order only after reading it thoroughly. "We will go through the order and then only take a view," said

Rajendra Choudhary, SP spokesperson. Nizamuddin said though the lower court had acquitted all the

accused, it had admitted there was a massacre in Hashimpura. "The government should challenge the

order in a higher court," he said. Echoing similar views, spokesman of Shia Personal Law Board Maulana

Yasoob Abbas said the court order has disappointed the family members of the victims. "We will strongly

take up the matter in our executive meeting likely to be held in the second week of next month," he said.

Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind state chief Ashhad Rashidi also demanded that the government challenge the lower

court order. He said the government which itself accepts that only because of Muslim votes it came to

power, it should strongly take up any matter pertaining to the community. "The matter would be discussed

in Jamiat's Ijlas-e-Aam (biennial conference) on March 28 in Lucknow," he added. (Times of India

26/3/15)

By 2050, India to surpass Indonesia, will have largest Muslim population: Study (7)

WASHINGTON: Hindus will become the world's third largest population by 2050, while India will overtake

Indonesia as the country with the largest Muslim population, according to a new study. According to the

Pew Research Center's religious profile predictions assessed data released on Thursday, the Hindu

population is projected to rise by 34 per cent worldwide, from a little over 1 billion to nearly 1.4 billion by

2050. By 2050, Hindus will be third, making up 14.9 per cent of the world's total population, followed by

people who do not affiliate with any religion, accounting for 13.2 per cent, the report said. The people with

no religious affiliation currently have the third largest share of the world's total population. Muslims are

projected to grow faster than the world's overall population and that Hindus and Christians are projected

to roughly keep pace with worldwide population growth, the report said. "India will retain a Hindu majority

but also will have the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, surpassing Indonesia," it said.

"Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster

than any other major religion," according to the report. The report predicted that by 2050 there will be

near parity between Muslims (2.8 billion, or 30 per cent of the population) and Christians (2.9 billion, or 31

per cent), possibly for the first time in history. There were 1.6 billion Muslims in 2010, compared to 2.17

billion Christians. "The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world," it

added. If the trend continues, Islam will be the most popular faith in the world after 2070, it said. By 2050,

Muslims will make up about 10 per cent of the Europe's population, up from 5.9 per cent in 2010. Over

the same period, the number of Hindus in Europe is expected to roughly double, from a little under 1.4

million (0.2 per cent of Europe's population) to nearly 2.7 million (0.4 per cent), mainly as a result of

immigration, it said. In North America, the Hindu share of the population is expected to nearly double in

the decades ahead, from 0.7 per cent in 2010 to 1.3 per cent in 2050, when migration is included in the

projection models. Without migration, the Hindu share of the region's population would remain the same.

Buddhism is the only faith that is not expected to increase its followers, due to an ageing population and

stable fertility rates in Buddhist countries, such as China, Japan and Thailand. The projections considered

fertility rates, trends in youth population growth and religious conversion statistics. (Times of India 3/4/15)

PM Modi meets Muslim leaders, vows support (7)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured full support to Muslim community to deal with their

grievances particularly related to improving its social condition and educational standing. The PM

expressed his views on Monday during a meeting with a delegation of Muslim leaders which discussed

various socio-economic and political issues related to the community. “The Prime Minister gave a patient

hearing to the delegation and assured them of his full support in meeting grievances of all sections of

Muslim society,” a PMO statement said. The Muslim leaders promised to strengthen communal harmony

and national unity. The PM emphasised the need for empowering Muslim youth to enable them to play a

larger role in the nation building, it added. Mr Modi specifically assured the leaders that he would look into

their grievances on shrines, mosques and madrasas. The PM’s assurance came in wake of the

community leaders bringing to his notice issues related to properties of Muslim shrines, mosques and

madarsas. They also sought the government’s support in providing better facilities to Muslim youth

particularly in the field of education. Mr Modi promised his “complete assistance in ameliorating their

social conditions and addressing their educational requirements”, the statement said. On their part, the

Muslim leaders committed full support of the community to Mr Modi in meeting his objectives of ensuring

speedy economic growth, promoting communal harmony and peace, and strengthening national security,

the statement added. While expressing apprehensions about the trend of increased radicalisation and

emerging threat of terrorism, the leaders underlined the need for greater unity and collective efforts to

meet the challenge. Meanwhile, parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said there was

a lot of misinformation over isolated incidents of attack on some religious places and dismissed the

perception that minorities have become insecure under the NDA government. While addressing a

conference of business leaders here, Mr Naidu said,”Modi aaya sabko insecurity aaya. Haan kuch

political logon ko insecurity aaya. Hum log kya karen? (Since Modi has come, insecurity has come. Yes,

insecurity has come for some political people. What can we do about it?)” Mr Naidu said. Referring to a

“very condemnable” gangrape of a nun in West Bengal, the minister and said there was a lot of “hue and

cry” over it with the incident being linked to “hindutva” froces. “At the end of the day, the police have

arrested the accused people. The number one accused is from Bangladesh and belonged to a particular

community,” he said, adding, “Since that fact came out, nobody is speaking now”. Even in Delhi, he said,

there were five incidents which were wrongly projected. “Even a small incident of pelting a stone on a

place of worship, Church or Gurudwara or Mosque or Temple, it should be condemned by one and all,”

Mr Naidu said. The delegation of Muslim leaders from across the country — including Syed Sultan-Ul-

Hasan Chishti Misbahi (Sajjada Nashin, Ajmer Sharif), Hazrat Ghulam Yasin Sahib (Shahar Kazi,

Varanasi), Sheikh Wasim Ashrafi (Imam Tanzeem, Mumbai), Muhammed Hamid (National President,

Imam Tanzeem, Nagpur) and Allama Tasleem Raaza Sahib (Dargah Barelvi Sharif, UP), Syed Abdul

Rashid Ali (Syed Shahid Dargah Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh), Maulana Abu Bakr Basani (Nagori Sharif

Dargah, Rajasthan), Syed Ali Akbar (Taajpura Sharif, Chennai) and Haji Abdul Hafiz Khan (Imam,

Tanzeem Balaghat, MP) — were part of the delegation. (Asian Age 7/4/15)

Ensure Muslim youth keep off terrorism: PM Modi (7)

New Delhi: Following his meeting with prominent leaders of the Muslim community a couple of days ago,

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed national security advisor Ajit Doval to prepare a detailed

roadmap to ensure that Muslim youth stay away from radical and terror groups. Sources said even

though the NSA was already working closely with intelligence and security agencies to ensure that the

Muslim youth were not attracted to terror outfits like ISIS and Al Qaeda, sources said the government will

put in place a foolproof mechanism to bring these youth from the minority community into the country’s

“political and social” mainstream. Incidentally, the NSA was part of the meeting that PM had with the

religious leaders to discuss various socio, economic and political issues related to the community. As part

of the plan the government will give greater to emphasis to education for the Muslim youth, with special

focus on educating girls.Sources said the focus will not merely be on providing basic education to these

youth, but skilled training which will help them in securing proper jobs. We will ensure that such youth get

professional training so that they get employment and don’t get lured by radical or terror groups,’’ a senior

government official said. Even though the government has already announced its intent to modernise the

madrasas, but now the Centre in association with some voluntary groups from the community will closely

monitor the working of such educational and cultural centres. Intelligence and security agencies suspect

that subversive and radical specifically target the madrasas making them “ideal breeding grounds” for

young recruits. As part of the plan the PMO will also focus early disposal of grievances on shrines,

mosques and madrasas. A core team within the office of the national security advisor will work in close

co-ordination with community leaders to prepare this detailed blueprint. At the meeting the Muslim leaders

had also expressed apprehensions about the trend of increased radicalisation and emerging threat of

terrorism and underlined the need for greater unity and collective efforts to meet the challenge. (Asian

Age 9/4/15)

Shiv Sena faces flak over 'Muslims' rights' remark, complaint filed with minorities panel (7)

Mumbai: A day after Shiv Sena MP and editor of party mouthpiece Saamna, Sanjay Raut, stirred

controversy for his remarks that voting rights of Muslims should be revoked as the community has often

been used to play vote bank politics, the party is now facing flak from various political parties on Monday.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain slammed Shiv Sena and said that the

Constitution of India has given everyone the right to vote. “The BJP believes in 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'.

No one can deprive anyone from casting votes. The Muslims in India consider the country their

motherland,” he said. Condemning the statement, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav told ANI, “It is a habitual

thing for Shiv Sena to do. They always make communal statements.” Congress leader Abhishek Manu

Singhvi also said that what Shiv Sena is demanding is against the Constitution. “Fortunately, it is not

possible to do things that Shiv Sena is suggesting,” he was quoted by ANI. Senior Congress leader Mani

Shankar Aiyar accused the Shiv Sena of trying to divide the nation. "India has second largest population

of Muslims in the world and in couple of decades we will have highest number of Muslims in the world.

We should be proud of it. Shiv Sena is trying to divide the nation, they want to break it into pieces," Aiyar

said. The NCP had also condemned Shiv Sena yesterday with spokesperson Nawab Malik alleging that

the Shiv Sena wants to end democracy and bring in the rule of German dictator Adolf Hitler. "To snatch

away the right of voting from the Muslims is a threat to the democracy. If voting rights of the special

sections are snatched away, it only indicates that they want to end the democracy and bring in the Hitler

rule and the people will not accept it," he told the media. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, has

justified his party`s stand and claimed that the condition of the community would never improve as long

as the vote bank politics continues in India. "If Muslims are only being used this way to play politics, then

they can never develop. Muslims will have no future till they are used to play vote bank politics and thus

Balasaheb had once said to withdraw Muslims voting rights. What he said is right," an editorial in Shiv

Sena mouthpiece `Saamana` said on Sunday. A complaint was on Sunday filed with the National

Commission for Minorities (NCM) against Shiv Sena MP and editor of party mouthpiece Saamna, Sanjay

Raut, for his remarks that voting rights of Muslims should be revoked as the community has often been

used to play vote bank politics. (Zee news 14/4/15)

Difficult days ahead for Muslims, Azam Khan says (7)

NEW DELHI: Stating that difficult days are ahead for the Muslim community, Samjawadi Party leader

Azam Khan on Wednesday said he is ready to leave India if any country offers him shelter. "The

circumstances being created suggest that difficult days are ahead for the Muslim community," Azam Khan

said adding, "I honestly say that if any country agrees to shelter me, I will leave India along with my

family." (Times of India 15/4/15)

Shiv Sena wants mandatory family planning for Muslims, Christians (7)

MUMBAI: After stoking controversy with its demand that Muslims be stripped of their voting rights, Shiv

Sena on Wednesday advocated compulsory family planning for Muslims and Christians to check their

"rising" population. "By only increasing population, one can try and convert the country into Pakistan, but

cannot give quality and healthy life to one's family," the BJP ally in Maharashtra said in an editorial in

party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. Sena backed the views of vice-president of All India Hindu Mahasabha

Sadhvi Deva Thakur on the issue though it did say that her choice of words may have been

wrong."Sadhvi Deva says that the increasing population of Muslims and Christians is dangerous for the

country and they should be, therefore, forcibly sterilized. She should have used the word family planning

instead sterilization," it said. Thakur had on Saturday said Muslims and Christians must undergo

sterilization to restrict their growing population which was posing a threat to Hindus. "The population of

Muslims and Christians is growing day by day. To rein in this, Centre will have to impose emergency, and

Muslims and Christians will have to be forced to undergo sterilization so that they can't increase their

numbers," Sadhvi had said. Sena today said, "Sadhvi is not as educated as the Owaisi brothers (of

AIMIM), thus may have chosen wrong words to convey her message. One can ignore her sterilization

words, but the fact is, their (Muslim, Christian) population and family planning remains a problem." Sena

said if All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi is truly concerned about

the community, he should support the call for family planning and the cease of burqa-wearing tradition for

Muslim women. "Family planning will ensure that one can look after his family properly and provide quality

education to children," it said. The saffron party said by advocating sterilization of Muslims, it wants

'quality living' for them. "When we say Muslims should undergo sterilization, our intention is that they

should live happily," Sena said. Sena had earlier courted controversy by demanding scrapping of voting

rights of Muslims, saying the community has often been used for vote bank politics, evoking sharp

reactions from several political parties which accused it of trying to inflame passions and divide people.

(Times of India 15/4/15)

Muslims have drifted from faith: Modi aide Sareshwala (7)

Lucknow: A Muslim male remembers Islamic shariah only when he wants to avoid maintenance

allowance to his divorcee wife or when he wants to give minimum share of parental property, Zafar

Sareshwala, the Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) said Friday in a

statement that is bound to invite sharp reactions from the minority community. “Musalman mard ko

shariah ki do baar yaad aati hai ? Ek jab talaq deney key baad aurat ko maintenance na dena padey aur

doosra baap key inteqal key baad behen ko kaisey kam hissa diya jaye. These are two grim realities of

Muslim community. Males remember shariah on these two occasions only,” Sareshwala said while talking

to The Indian Express from Aligarh. Sareshwala, who is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra

Modi, was in Aligarh to attend the 76th convocation of Jamia Urdu where he conferred with a honorary

doctorate. He also attended four other functions in Aligarh, including at AMU where he is President’s

nominee for selection committee of teachers. “The response during these meetings was overwhelming.

People here want to discuss the problems faced by the Muslim community,” he added. Sareshwala said

Muslims now a days do not “adhere to Islamic principles like giving rights to his neighbours or speaking

truth. Muslims have drifted from their faith and religion. A real Muslim is one who has pain for everyone in

his heart”. Sareshwala also lashed out at the “demanding nature” of Muslims whether it is for reservation

or various concessions. “We had come to give something to this country. We had come to give this

country the teachings of Islamic faith. We have left that task of giving and are now demanding things,”

Sareshwala – a member of the Tablighi Jamaat – said. (Indian Express 18/4/15)

Need law to ensure minimum interference in minorities’ affairs, says, AISPLB (7)

Lucknow: AISPLB, muslim personal law, Indian minorities, Rajiv Gandhi, Shamima Farooqui, Shahid

Khan case, lucknow news, city news, local news, lucknow newslineThe All India Shia Personal Law

Board (AISPLB) on Monday expressed its unhappiness over “repeated interference” by courts in Muslim

personal law and demanded that there should be “a law for minimum interference in the issues of Indian

minorities”. Speaking about the April 6 Supreme Court order in the Shamima Farooqui versus Shahid

Khan case, where the apex court had reiterated that a Muslim woman is entitled to maintenance by her

former husband till she remarries, AISPLB president Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar said while they

agree with the judgment, there should also be a law to ensure minimum interference in minorities’ issues.

In its judgment, the Supreme Court has reiterated that civil law will prevail over any personal laws, which

in essence, helps divorced Muslim women whose right to maintenance was curtailed by Muslim Women

(Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act-1986 passed by the Rajiv Gandhi government in the wake of the top

court’s Shah Bano ruling. While the SC had ruled in favour of granting maintenance to divorced Muslim

women in the Shah Bano case, Rajiv Gandhi — ostensibly under pressure from Muslim clerics — had

passed the Act that essentially diluted the SC ruling. However, over the years, the courts, in turn, ruled in

favour of women and sidestepped the Act. Mirza said AISPLB has found a middle ground on the issue, as

rulings like April 6 lead to “restlessness within the Muslim community”. “On one hand, there is Section 125

of CrPC and the insistence of the top court on its applicability to divorced Muslim women, which entitles

them to maintenance pay, during and after iddat period (of three months and 10 days), by her former

husband, till the day she remarries. On the other, Islamic shariah law says that a man is entitled to give

maintenance pay only for the iddat period… after that he is free of any responsibility… But time and again

this issue has been raised, hence, we decided to find a middle ground,” he added. “We had passed a

‘nikahnama’ at our 2007 meet in Mumbai where clause number 17 read that a husband will continue to

provide maintenance to his former wife, even after the iddat period, until she finds a means to support

herself. We have been careful in our wording, saying that that it should be implemented in view of

humanitarian grounds and not religious grounds,” said Mirza. “While our nikahnama itself isn’t

compulsory, the SC ruling effectively binds a Muslim man to pay maintenance to his former wife after

divorce, till she remarries,” he added… (Indian Express 21/4/15)

32% of undertrials jailed in Maharashtra are Muslims (7)

MUMBAI: A disproportionately high number of undertrial prisoners in Maharashtra are Muslims. Data

compiled by the Union home ministry reveals that while Muslims comprise about 12% of the state's total

population, they make up nearly 32% of the undertrial population in prisons. Similarly, scheduled castes

and scheduled tribes form 12% and 9% of Maharashtra's population, but they account for 18.15% and

18.34% of the undertrial population. NCP's Rajya Sabha member Vandana Chavan, a former mayor of

Pune, had sought information relating to undertrials: on whether the government proposed to free them,

how many were detained for more than half the prescribed period of imprisonment, the number who were

eligible for release under section 436-A of the Criminal Procedure Code, and the sectarian breakup of

undertrials languishing in Indian jails. Union minister of state for home Haribhai Chaudhary informed

Chavan that of the 27,400 inmates in Maharashtra jails (as of December 31, 2013), 19,331 were

undertrials. Nationally, of the 4,11,992 prisoners inmates, 2,78,503 were undertrials. As per the statement

submitted in Parliament, after Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, Maharashtra had the maximum number of

Muslim undertrials in prisons. The state had 6,182 Muslims, 3,509 from scheduled castes and 3,545 from

scheduled tribes among its overall undertrial population behind bars. In Uttar Pradesh, 15,477 of 58,100

undertrials were Muslims and in West Bengal, the figure was 7,730 out of 16,471. Chaudhary said the

Centre had initiated several steps in respect of undertrial prisoners to reduce overcrowding in prisons. An

advisory was issued on January 17, 2013 to state chief secretaries regarding use of Section 436A of the

Criminal Procedure Code to reduce overcrowding of prisons. The said section pertains to the maximum

period for which an undertrial prisoner can be detained. It provides that if an undertrial has been in jail for

a period which amounts to half of the maximum imprisonment specified for that offence, then he can be

released by the court on a personal bond with or without sureties. On September 3, 2014, Union home

minister Rajnath Singh wrote to all the chief ministers on the same issue. In addition, all the state

directors-general of prisons have been asked to take necessary action as per the apex court order. An

advisory was issued on September 27, 2014 to the state chief secretaries on determining half-life of time

spent in judicial custody by undertrial prisoners under law. (Times of India 23/4/15)

Islamic world should follow India Muslim for peace: Dargah Ajmer (7)

Dargah Dewan of Ajmer, Syed Abedin Ali Khan has urged the Islamic world to follow Indian Muslims for

living in peace and concord. While presenting his annual message during Urs in Ajmer, Dewan expressed

concern over the growing sectarian violence in many Islamic nations. "The manner in which Shia and

Sunni Muslims or Barelvis and Tablighis are living in peace in India has no match in the world," said

Dewan Sahab. He attributed the cohesiveness among different sects of Muslims to the Indian

constitution, which has granted every individual all possible right to practice its rituals and traditions

responsible for this unmatched harmony. He stated that at a time when Shias and Sunnis killing each

other in countries like Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Bangladesh and Afganistan, Indian Muslims which constitute

the second-largest Muslim community in the world bears no such trouble. "The level of hatred in these

nations is such that they are not sparing Sufi shrines, mosques and places. It always pained us read

stories on how during Muharram sectarian violence takes hundreds of lives in countries like Pakistan, Iraq

and Afghanistan. India is the only nation where both Sunni and Shia observe Muharram together," said

Dewan, while addressing to the heads of various Sufi Shrines. What could be more enthralling is that in

Ajmer both Sunni and Shia community are living in public security and harmony for last 800 years, said

Dewan. Does any of the Islamic have such a clean record? Asked Dewan. (Times of India 26/4/15)

Those who ‘stall’ housing for Muslims have real-estate links (7)

Vadodara: Leaders of both the BJP and Congress, including Vadodara Mayor Bharat Shah, are among

those with substantial real-estate stakes in the city’s two locations — Sayajipura and Kalali — which have

been seeing protests over a proposal to relocate Muslim slumdwellers there. Some of these leaders were

part of the negotiations to get Muslim families to opt out of the relocation. Muslim families of Kalyannagar

slums failed to get plots in Sayajipura during two draw of lots, held in March and April. On April 30, the

Standing Committee of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) cleared a proposal in principle to

construct homes for the Muslim evacuees of Kalyannagar in Muslim-dominated Tandalja neighbourhood.

VMC officials cited “law and order” as the reason, pointing to protests by residents. Around 320 Muslim

families from Kalyannagar slums were to be moved to Sayajipura into houses built for them under the

Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) scheme of JNNURM. The VMC had in October 2014 given a sworn

affidavit to the Gujarat High Court to relocate evacuees from Kalyannagar and Kamatipura slums to

Kalali. But the VMC retracted from the Kalali promise and, in March, Mayor Shah suspended a housing

draw at Sayajipura, thereby stalling the move to shift Muslim evacuees to the area from Kalyannagar

slums. On April 8, he skipped a second draw of lots, which selected 320 of the 481 Muslim families of

Kalyannagar slums to be moved to Sayajipura. None of them has got allotment letters till date. Kalpesh

Shah, the elder son of the BJP Mayor, is a partner in Earth Realty Group that has a high-end residential

project as well as flats and a commercial shopping complex coming up within 500 metres of both

Sayajipura and Kalali. Former mayor Shabdsharan Brahmbhatt of the BJP, who is a sitting corporator

from Tandalja, has real-estate interests in Kalali along with his brother. BJP MLAs Yogesh Patel

(Manjalpur) and Rajendra Trivedi (Raopura), who were involved in negotiations with representatives of

Muslim families, have real-estate interests close to the JNNURM BSUP projects. Another BJP MLA,

Manisha Vakil, in whose constituency Sayajipura falls, had approached Chief Minister Anandiben Patel at

the insistence of residents against Muslim relocation. Also with real-estate interests in the area is the

Congress’s Chandrakant Shrivastav, whose Yamuna Mills is located about 2 km from the relocation site

identified for Muslim families in Sayajipura. The son of BJP corporator Dadu Gadhvi, who first submitted a

memorandum to the VMC Standing Committee in March on behalf of Sayajipura residential colonies

against the Muslim families, has two residential projects under development within 2 km. The brother of

another BJP corporator, Ketan Brahmbhatt, is a partner with him in the projects… (Indian express 3/5/15)

Minorities panel to probe harassment of Muslim inmates’ in Bijnor jail (7)

Lucknow: Taking cognizance of reports about alleged assault on some Muslim prisoners inside Bijnor

district jail preventing them from offering Namaz, the Uttar Pradesh Minorities Commission has decided to

send a fact finding team to the district. Meanwhile, district administration claimed that Furqan, who is

lodged in jail on charges of helping six SIMI men who escaped after an explosion in Bijnor last year, is

fabricating such allegations and there is no truth behind it. On the other hand, the Commission claims that

it had sent a letter to the district administration seeking report into the allegations. “We had sent a letter to

District Magistrate of Bijnor seeking details of the incident within a week, but there has been no response

yet,” Shafi Azmi, member and spokesperson of the Commission, told The Indian Express. He said the

Commission is sending a fact finding team to Bijnor next week for probing into the matter. The

Commission took cognizance of reports in local newspapers carried last month, which alleged that

several Muslim prisoners had informed their relatives who further conveyed to some local clerics that they

were being harassed by the jail staff and some prisoners. They alleged that on April 9, there was an

attempt to stop them from offering namaz. They also claimed that they face objectionable comments on

their religion and go through physical assaults for being Muslims. The commission sent a letter to Bijnor

DM seeking report over the alleged incident by April 20. “As no reply came, we called up Bijnor DM and

apprised him about the matter. He assured us that the matter will be probed. Since then we are awaiting

for a reply,” Azmi claimed. A group of local clerics also met the DM and alleged that when Muslim inmates

offer namaz, the TV is switched on in full volume and they are harassed if they raise voice in this regard.

“We got a primary inquiry conducted into the allegations and it appeared true so we sent the notice to the

DM,” Azmi said. When inquired, Bijnor DM Bhupendra S Choudhary said, an inquiry has been conducted

by the ADM (administration). He denied about the harassment to Muslim prisoners on religious grounds.

“Only one particular prisoner has some problem, rest everything is normal,” he said. ADM (administration)

Vinod Kumar, who conducted the inquiry, too, said that only one prisoner is spoiling the atmosphere.

“Furqan, who is lodged in jail for allegedly providing shelter and logistic help to the SIMI men, spreads

rumours like this to vitiate the atmosphere. Other prisoners are afraid of him. There is no tension in jail

and no issue of stopping anyone from offering namaz,” he added. (Indian Express 5/5/15)

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut gets EC notice for his remarks on Muslims (7)

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to Shiv Sena MP

Sanjay Raut for his April 12 remark that Muslims should be stripped of voting rights. The poll panel said

his comment, made in an editorial published in Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamna, prima facie violated the

model code of conduct in force then for the by-poll in Vandre East and Tasgaon Kavathe Mahankali

assembly constituencies of Maharashtra. Raut has been asked to file his reply to the show-cause notice

by 1 pm on May 11. According to the commission, his remark suggesting that Muslims should be

disenfranchised prima facie violated sub para (1) of Para 1 of the poll code, which restrains party leaders

and candidates from making communal appeals and statements that can create mutual hatred, and sub-

para 4 of Para 1, which debars "corrupt practices" and offences under the election law. The EC notice

cited Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act, which recognises promoting enmity between

classes in connecting with an election as an electoral offence, as well as Section 153A of the IPC

(creating communal hatred). The EC action follows a complaint filed by Shakeel Qureshi of Pune on April

16, in which he demanded that the recognition of Shiv Sena as a state party be cancelled. According to a

report sent to the EC by the Maharashtra chief electoral officer on April 20, Raut, in the April 12 editorial,

had said: "The day Muslims' voting rights are taken away, the mask of all secularists will fall off. That will

reveal (Asaduddin) Owaisi's sensitivity towards Muslims destitution and Muslims themselves should take

lead in this. This decision should not be political but a national decision". (Times of India 8/5/14)

Gunmen on bikes attack bus in Karachi, kill 43 Shia Muslims (7)

KARACHI: Gunmen on motorcycles killed at least 43 people from minority Shia Ismaili community in an

attack on a bus in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi on Wednesday, police officials said. "Six armed

men on motorcycles opened fire on a bus at Safoora Chorangi, Gulistan-e-Johar area of Karachi, killing at

least 43 passengers," a police official said. Television channels carried pictures of a pink bus covered in

bullet holes and lines of waiting ambulances. The death toll could further rise as about 20 others are

seriously injured. The injured and dead were shifted to various hospitals by rescue workers. The gunmen

stopped the overloaded bus, entered inside it and open fire indiscriminately, the police said. Taliban have

claimed responsibility of the attack. Police and Rangers arrived at the scene and started manhunt. More

than 60 people were on the board the bus which was carrying the people of Ismaili community from Al-

Azhar Garden area of the city to their place of worship near Aysha Manzil, police said. Ismaili community

is a branch of Shia Muslims and they are considered very peaceful people. The attack came a day after

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited Kabul and declared that enemies of Afghanistan are also enemies of

Pakistan. Pakistan has seen a rise in sectarian violence in recent years particularly against minority Shias

who represent around 20 per cent of the country's Muslim population. Taliban splinter groups have

bombed several mosques belonging to religious minorities this year. In March, suicide bombings outside

two churches in Lahore killed 14 people and wounded nearly 80. Days later, a bomb after Friday prayers

wounded 12 people outside a minority Bohra mosque in Karachi. In February, 20 people were killed in an

attack on a Shia mosque in the northeastern city of Peshawar, and 60 were killed in a January attack on a

Shia mosque in the southern province of Sindh. (Times of India 13/5/15)

Road signs with Muslim names defaced in Delhi, Hindu outfit owns responsibility (7)

New Delhi: Signages of roads named after Muslim personalities such as Emperor Akbar and Firozshah,

among others, were found defaced late Wednesday. The names have been blackened and posters of

right-wing group — Shiv Sena Hindustan — were pasted on them. The posters read, ‘Bharat mein

Islamikaran manzoor nahi. Safar mein mushkilen aaye himmat aur badti hai. Koi agar raasta roke toh

zaroorat aur bhardti hai. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat! (Islamisation will not be tolerated in India. Our courage only

grows when our journey meets difficulties. Our need only grows when our path meets with obstacles)’.

The names of Rajinder Singh (national president), Charan Singh (national general secretary), Dinesh

Kumar (national secretary) and Vinay Sonkar (secretary) of Shiv Sena Hindu-stan were also on the

poster. Outfit president Rajinder Singh said around 17 members, in three teams, carried out the

“operation” between 11 pm and 1 am on the intervening night of May 13-14. Asked if the group feared

any police action for the defacement, Rajinder said, “Let them file a complaint. If the law of the land finds

us guilty, we are ready to face the punishment that violating the law entails. We have not caused any real

damage. It was a symbolic protest. We had written to former PM Manmohan Singh a couple of times,

protesting against the use of Muslim names for roads in a country called Hindustan. All Hindus look up to

a leader like our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are hopeful that he will pay some heed to our

concerns.’ Sonkar said his organisation was a splinter group of the Shiv Sena. “We parted ways with the

Shiv Sena because it was too limited to Maharashtra and its activities never ventured beyond the state.

We have built our base in around 12 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. Our Delhi unit has

around 1,300 members and we often meet to carry out our nationalist agenda,” he said. “Senior leaders

held a meeting on Wednesday and discussed several of our issues, including the plan to deface signages

of roads named after Muslims. Our group members carried out the task. We have a problem with roads in

the city not being named after our leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose and others who fought for

Independence. The names of unpatriotic people adorn our pathways,” Sonkar said. The area falls under

the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the civic body has lodged a police complaint. “We have

already filed a complaint and an FIR is being registered in the case. We are in the process of replacing

the vandalised boards,”NDMC spokesperson Jagjiwan Bakshi said…. (Indian Express 15/5/15)

Muslim body slams communal elements for instilling fear among minorities (7)

NEW DELHI: One of India's largest Muslim organizations on Saturday said the community would fight

efforts by communal forces to create fear among the minorities even as it urged the Centre and states to

firmly deal with such elements. Reading out the declaration of its general session held at Ramlila Maidan,

Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind chief Maulana Arshad Madani said, "The community that could fight against the

British who believed sun never sets in their empire, will not cow down in fear of something that small

groups are trying to create within the country." He, however, said the community won't overreact even

when provoked. Amid huge applause, Madani said lakhs of Muslims like him are Indians "by choice and

not by chance". He said there was a choice before Muslims to shift to Pakistan, but most of them stayed

back and fought for the country's independence. Madani said the communal elements, both in

government and outside, have carried out campaigns as if "our religion, culture, constitution and identity,

nothing is safe". The declaration said the government is fully aware of such anti-Muslim tirade, but has

maintained "studied silence"."It puts a question mark on the credibility of its popular slogan 'sabka saath

sabka vikas'. We want the government to respond in action and not in words," Madani said. Taking

potshots at Modi administration on issues of communal incidents, Madani said the government's failure is

being mocked upon and country's dignity is tarnished when foreign guests sermonize the government, a

reference to Barack Obama's address at a town hall meeting in Delhi. However, he was quick to add that

such foreign guests have no right to teach lesions of secularism to India as "they have killed thousands of

innocents" in other parts of the world. Setting the larger goal for thousands of volunteers who had

gathered at the outfit's 32nd general session, the Muslim leader said for the next 20 years each member

of the community must ensure that no child is deprived of education and training. (Times of India 17/5/15)

Bihar Muslims donate land for world's largest Hindu temple (7)

PATNA: Muslims in Bihar, in a stellar demonstration of communal harmony, have donated land to help

build the world's largest Hindu temple which will have the capacity to seat a staggering 20,000 people.

"Muslims have not only donated land, they have also provided land at a nominal rate for construction of

the world's largest Hindu temple. Without help of Muslims, it would have been difficult realise this dream

project," Acharya Kishore Kunal, secretary of the Patna-based cash-rich Mahavir Mandir Trust that is

undertaking the ambitious project, told IANS. Kunal, a former Indian Police Service officer, said that

Muslims have come forward to ensure that the temple comes up soon. The construction of the temple will

commence in June at Janki Nagar near Kesaria in East Champaran district, about 150 km from here. It

will cost over R.500 crore. "It is usual for Hindus to donate land for temple, but it is unusual for Muslims to

donate land for the construction of temple," he said and added that Muslims should be lauded for joining

hands with Hindus to donate land for a pious cause. Kunal said that more than three dozen Muslim

families have their land in the middle of the proposed location of the temple and some Muslims families

have land along the main road that connects to the project site. "Some Muslims donated lands and others

helped and supported us to purchase their land for the temple. If Muslims had not come forward, the

temple project was sure to have got delayed..." He said that Mahavir Mandir Trust has obtained 200 acres

of land. "Hindus and Muslims have donated about 50 acres of land and the remaining has been

purchased." Earlier, some Muslims had helped build a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Durga in Gaya

district, another temple was dedicated to God Shiva in Begusarai district and in Sitamarhi district.

Mumbai-based Valecha Construction Company will construct the temple, which will be 2,500 feet long,

1,296 feet wide and 379 feet high. "The temple will be earthquake proof (since it) is near the Nepal

border," Kunal said. Gurgaon based Radheyshyam Sharma, director of Indgenious Studio Pvt Ltd, will

look after the architectural aspects. He said the Virat Ramayan Mandir will be taller than the world famous

12th century Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia, which is 215 feet high. The complex will comprise

18 temples with high spires and its Shiv temple would have the largest Shivling in the world, another

distinction. He said the temple would have a seating capacity of 20,000 people in the hall facing the main

temple having the idols of Ram, Sita, Luv and Kush. According to him, no temple in the world has such a

huge seating capacity. He said the temple was to be named "Virat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir", but later its

name was changed following objections by people in Cambodia. Angkor Wat was built during king

Suryavarman's rule and is today a Unesco World Heritage site. (First Post 20/5/15)

Cops file case after Mumbai firm tells job-seeker 'we hire only non-Muslims (7)

MUMBAI: A Mumbai-based diamond jewellery export firm faces action for religious discrimination after it

declined to entertain the job application of a youth on the grounds that he was a Muslim. The job-seeker,

Zeshan Ali Khan, a business management graduate from Mumbai, had applied for a position in Hari

Krishna Exports Pvt Ltd, a leading exporter of diamond jewellery, as marketing executive but was

shocked when he received the response from the firm stating that it hires only "non-Muslim candidates."

Mumbai Police have lodged a case against the firm on the youth's complaint. "As per the law, there is

punishment of 3 years. After investigation it will be revealed who is actually related to offence," police

inspector Suryakant Jagdale said. After the rejection letter sparked a controversy, the firm said it was an

error on the part of one of its staff and it never practised religious discrimination. "I just completed my final

semester exams of MBA last week and like other classmates have been looking for a job. I came across

an update regarding a recruitment drive undertaken by leading diamond and jewellery exporter and

thought it would be a great start for my career," Khan said. "I along with my two classmates applied for

the job. I forwarded them my resume on 19th May, 2015 at 5.45pm and exactly 15 minutes later I got a

reply from the HR in charge of the firm that my application has been rejected because the company only

hires non-Muslims," Khan added. "At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting foreign

countries and inviting them for investment and pushing ahead the 'Make in India' campaign, the leading

export houses are rejecting candidates for their religion," he said. A Mumbai diamond jewellery export

firm rejection letter to a Muslim job applicant. (Photo: ANI/Twitter) In its reply to Khan, the company said,

"We regret to inform you that we hire only non-Muslim candidates." Khan later narrated his experience on

a social networking site, following which and received a 'regret' mail from the company after his post

generated sharp reactions. "As a company, we would like to reiterate that there is an error done by one of

the newly joined HR trainees. Company functions without being biased with any caste, religion and

gender," a company representative said in a posting on Facebook. "It was a blunder and personal mess

created by one of our trainees who has no decision making power. We have 61 employees in our office

here including one Muslim in the HR team," Hari Krishna Exports Private Ltd said in the mail. Taking note

of the incident, activist Shehzad Poonawalla wrote to the National Commission for Minorities urging it to

look into the issue. In response, Naseem Ahmed, Chairman of the NMC said, "We have received the

petition. If there is any truth in this, it is unfortunate. An inquiry shall be conducted," he said. (Times of

India 21/5/15)

'Indian Muslims are nationalists who oppose terror' (7)

LUCKNOW: Contending that terrorism should not be associated with any particular religion, home

minister Rajnath Singh today said Muslims in India are nationalists who have always opposed terrorist

elements. He lauded India's Muslims for not allowing fundamentalist groups like ISIS to influence them.

Responding to questions here after an event, he said terrorism should not be associated with a particular

religion. "Muslims in India are nationalists. They have always opposed such (terror) elements. They have

opposed and demoralised them," the Union home minister said. He said several countries in the world are

facing the menace of terrorism and they should fight unitedly against it. To a question regarding naxalism,

Singh said, "though I don't believe in the figures, if one focusses on last 10 to 15 years, then there has

been a decline of 20 per cent to 25 per cent in the last one year." With regard to questions being raised

by opposition over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign visits, Singh said all his predecessors have

travelled abroad but the "warm welcome" accorded to Modi showed that the country's goodwill and

prestige is rising. "The questions being raised over PM's foreign visits are unfortunate. All PMs including

Manmohan Singh have undertaken foreign visits. The warm welcome being accorded to PM Modi is

evidence that the country's goodwill and prestige is rising. The world has started taking India seriously,"

Singh said on the sidelines of a programme organised by Mahamana Madan Mohan Malviya Mission.

Earlier, addressing the function, he said great personalities should not be associated with any particular

party and Mahamana should have been conferred with Bharat Ratna long back for the contribution he

made. By establishing Banaras Hindu University, Mahamana made an important contribution in linking

traditional knowledge with modern science, he said. He also discussed about personality and contribution

of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In another programme when asked about Mumbai serial

blast mastermind Dawood Ibrahim, Singh said he had already made a statement in Parliament. (Times of

India 24/5/15)

No flat for her in Mumbai because she is Muslim (7)

MUMBAI: Growing up in Gujarat post-2002 riots exposed her to religious prejudice and forced

ghettoisation. So when Misbah Quadri moved to Mumbai, she hoped the city, known for its cosmopolitan

culture, would treat her better. However, the 25-year-old communications professional is today knocking

on the doors of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) after she was denied a flat in the city just

because she is a Muslim. After a hard search, Ms. Quadri found a tidy 3-BHK apartment at Sanghvi

Heights in Wadala. Her new flatmates — two working women, in their early twenties and Hindu — found

her on Facebook. However, a day before Ms. Quadri was to shift, the apartment’s broker warned that the

housing society did not accept Muslim tenants. Even if something worked out, the broker told her, she

would have to sign a “no-objection certificate” declaring that if she faced any harassment from her

neighbours because of her religion, the builder, the owner and the broker “would not be legally

responsible.” She was also asked to submit her resume. Though she disagreed with the terms, she

moved in because the notice period at her previous flat expired and her flatmates supported her and she

hoped for a compromise later. But within a week, the agent contacted her again. “He threatened to call

the cops and throw me out of the flat. It got very ugly.” When she approached the representative of the

builder, she was told that it was “a policy” of the company not to have Muslim tenants. She was then

served an ultimatum to vacate the house. Ultimately, she was forced to leave the flat. Incidentally, the

other women had to pay a price for sheltering a Muslim; they have vacated the house unwillingly. (The

Hindu 27/5/15)

Adani hires MBA grad who was denied job for being a Muslim (7)

AHMEDABAD: All's well that ends well. Zeeshan Khan, who made national headlines after he was denied

a job by a Mumbai-based diamond firm because of being a Muslim, has decided to join the Ahmedabad-

based Adani group. "I received about a dozen offers following the religious discrimination I had to face.

My mail box is flooded with solidarity messages," says Khan, 22, who was in Ahmedabad to complete

formalities at Adani's corporate office. "Among all the offers I got, this was the best," says Khan, who will

join the group's Mumbai office as an executive trainee. When asked why he chose to join Adani, he said it

was one of the biggest integrated infrastructure companies in the country. "We encourage talent

irrespective of caste, creed and religion. We found Zeeshan a competent candidate and hence a job was

offered," said an Adani spokesperson. In the third week of May, Khan had sent a email application to Hari

Krishna Exports Pvt Ltd for a marketing job. Within 15 minutes, he received the reply: "We regret to

inform you that we hire only non-Muslim candidates." Khan and his friends put out a screenshot of the

mail on social media and it went viral.Khan, who did his MBA in Mumbai, approached the Mumbai police

and a case was registered against the company under section 153B of the IPC, which deals with national

integration and provides for a jail term of up to three years for the guilty. Earlier this week, Khan received

a call from the HR department of Adani group. "I cleared the interview and was offered this job," he said.

(Times of India 1/6/15)

Restore reservation for Muslims: NCP (7)

Mumbai: Taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to task on his recent statement about the Muslim

community, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has demanded restoration of reservations to the

community in Maharashtra, which had been scrapped by the state government. The party has also

demanded free education for underprivileged sections of the community and its representation in the

government in all BJP-ruled states. Mr Modi on Tuesday appealed to Muslim leaders to judge him on the

basis of his actions and performance, not by what his opponents have been saying about him, after

meeting with a 30-member delegation of Muslim clergy and professionals. “I give you my word, I will

respond if you knock on my door at midnight,” said Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, chief imam of the All India Imam

Organisation, on behalf of Mr Modi, after the meet. Responding to his remarks, NCP spokesperson

Nawab Malik on Thursday said that if the PM is seriously thinking about the welfare of the community, he

should start taking action rather than depending on statements. “The Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP

government in Maharashtra has scrapped reservation for Muslims in government jobs and educational

institutions that was provided by the Congress-NCP government. We demand restoration of the facility

immediately,” Mr Malik said. “Similarly, the betterment of the community can be made possible by

involving it in the decision-making process. Thus, Mr Modi should start giving representation to the

community in the government in all BJP-ruled states, or the Prime Minister’s statements can be seen as a

mere damage-control exercise,” added NCP leader. NCP has made serious allegations about the Shiv

Sena over on its alleged changed stand on the Jaitapur nuclear power project. Party spokesperson

Nawab Malik said that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray was in London on the day that senior Sena

leader and environment minister Ramdas Kadam said they were not against Jaitapur nuclear power

project. “Mr Kadam has recently said that Shiv Sena is not opposing the project but the locals are. This

has created doubt among people as the Sena president was in London on the same day.” (Asian Age

5/6/15)

Suryanamaskar against Islam: Muslim law board (7)

Lucknow: "Surya namaskar should not be made mandatory in government schools," because Muslims

bowed only before ‘Allah.’ The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will launch a nationwide

campaign against making ‘surya namaskar’ and yoga compulsory in schools. The board’s executive

council took the decision when the Modi government’s plan to observe International Yoga Day on June 21

and related issues came up for discussion at its meeting on Sunday.At the executive council meeting of

the All India Muslim Personal Law Board here on Sunday, many members spoke up for a proactive role

by the board on issues concerning the community. Executive council member Maulana Khalid Rasheed

Firangi Mahali told The Hindu that the board decided to constitute a committee, headed by Maulana Wali

Rahmani for the purpose. “The board’s view on ‘surya namaskar’ and ‘yoga’ would be put forth by the

committee along with the explanation why they go against the beliefs of the Muslims, and why they

should not be imposed on their children,” the Maulana said. Another board member Kamaal Farooqui

said that it was against Islam to salute the sun. “Surya namaskar should not be made mandatory in

government schools,” because Muslims bowed only before ‘Allah.’ “The board has the option to move the

court and to launch a movement against the proposal,” he said. The meeting of the 51-member working

committee, held at Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulema here, deliberated on several other issues, including the

decision to install a Majlis-i-Amal (a committee to implement the board’s resolutions, its aims and

objectives). Taking the support of other organisations, not necessarily those of Muslims, and people

belonging to other faiths on issues related to the community was also brought up by some executive

council members. Sunday’s meeting which ratified the decisions taken at the board’s annual convention

held in Jaipur in December 2014 decided to name Maulana Rahmani as the acting general secretary and

constitute a team of spokespersons for presenting the board’s views. Maulana Syed Nizamuddin will

continue as general secretary. This was disclosed to journalists by board spokesman Maulana Abdul

Rehman Qureshi, though there was no official briefing. In fact, it was Maulana Rahmani who made a

forceful plea for setting up a panel of spokespersons for giving instant reactions because by the time the

official response (from the board’s spokesman) came, it was too late. The decision to name

spokespersons was taken after it was felt that there should be more interaction with the media. The issue

was raised at the meeting by Qasim Rasool Ilyas, who said the media played a pivotal role and hence

should be kept informed of the board’s activities. (The Hindu 8/6/15)

Muslims can take Allah's name in place of shlokas: Minister (7)

NEW DELHI: After dropping 'Surya Namaskar' from the official yoga programme to "avoid controversy",

the government on Thursday said chanting 'shlokas' during 'International Yoga Day' was not "compulsory"

and appealed to Muslims to participate in the event.Shripad Naik, minister for Ayush, the coordinating

ministry for the event at Rajpath on June 21, said Muslims can "take the name of Allah instead of reciting

'shlokas'" during the event. While some minority groups have objected to the holding of the event by

government, especially inclusion of Surya Namskar, representatives of some Muslim organizations who

met Naik today said those opposing yoga were "enemies of humanity" and yoga has nothing to do with

religion. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had said a committee which decided the common yoga

protocol had not included Surya Namaskar "because they wanted easy asanas (exercise) in it, which can

be performed by anyone."Naik on Thursday said, "We did not include Surya namaskar to avoid

controversy. And, moreover, it's difficult to do it. But Surya Namaskar is not religious. We want the whole

event to go smoothly." "Shlokas are not compulsory. Shlokas are merely prayers but it is not compulsory.

They can even take the name of Allah instead of chanting shlokas. I request the Muslims to participate

and unite the country," Naik told reporters after meeting a delegation of Muslim organizations. In the wake

of International Yoga Day on June 21st, prominent city socialites and Yoga practitioners performing Yoga

postures as a flash mob in Bengaluru on may 31, 2015. (TOI photo by K Sunil Prasad) Opposition has

been voiced by some organizations, including the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, against

performance of Surya Namaskar, saying it is against their faith. "We did not make anything compulsory.

Even the HRD ministry has merely appealed to the educational institutions.Noting that yoga is a matter of

pride and has "nothing" to do with religion, the minister said that yoga unites people and is done for

fitness. "If people aren't fit there won't be any development. The protests are misleading. Muslims would

be co-partners not just participants," he said. Meanwhile, Daudi Bohra community members who met the

minister welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative and said the event does not have any

religious connotations. "There's yoga in namaaz but namaaz isn't yoga. Those who oppose it are enemies

of humanity because yoga is for the well being of humans," Maulana Syed Kaukab Mujtaba Abidi,

president of Majlis Ulema e Hind (Uttar Pradesh), told reporters. (Times of India 11/6/15)

Study shows NCR homeowners turn away Dalits and Muslims (7)

A study on discrimination in urban housing rental preferences, to be published in a forthcoming issue of

Economic and Political Weekly, shows high levels of exclusion of Dalits and Muslims in the five

metropolitan areas of NCR. The team of researchers, led by Prof S K Thorat, chairman of the Indian

Council of Social Science Research, and comprising scholars such as Anuradha Banerjee, Vinod K

Mishra and Firdaus Rizvi, covered attempts to get houses on rent in Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad,

Gurgaon and Noida between January and March 2012. The methodologies included contacting the

“home-providers” via telephone or meeting them face to face. In both the methodologies, the home-

seekers had the same credentials but for their names that indicated their caste and religion.The

telephonic audit had a total of 1,469 home-seekers, 493 each bearing upper-caste Hindu, Dalits and

Muslim names. While not one of the 493 high-caste home-seekers received a negative response, about

18 per cent of Dalits and 31 per cent of Muslims faced outright rejection, found the study. Together those

receiving either a negative response or a positive one with conditions attached worked out to 41 per cent

in the case of Dalits, and around 66 per cent for Muslims. tenantsThe face-to-face audit covered 198

home-seekers, with 66 high-caste Hindus, Dalits and Muslims each. While 97 per cent of upper-caste

Hindus got a positive response, 44 per cent of Dalits and 61 per cent of Muslims faced rejection. Together

those receiving either a negative response or a positive one with conditions attached worked out to 51 per

cent in the case of Dalits, and 71 per cent for Muslims. In other words, the chances of Dalits and Muslims

finding a house fell in the case of face-to-face contact. It also means that a significant number of Dalits

and Muslims have to spend much more to stay in accommodations in NCR than their upper-caste

counterparts. “This indicates a clear case of market failure,” says Thorat, “where even prosperity does not

allow you to buy your way out of discrimination… The studies do reveal that Muslims are even worse off

than Dalits as far as the rental housing market goes.” “Non-monetary motive often prevails among

landlords renting out houses,” says the study, which chose Delhi for the research as it is often considered

amongst the most migrant-friendly and cosmopolitan cities in India…. (Indian Express 16/6/15)

Muslims to participate in SoBo event (7)

MUMBAI: Several Muslim activists have pledged support to the celebrations of International Yoga Day on

June 21 and they will participate in the event "Yoga by the Bay', organized by TOI-backed Equal Streets

Initiative. "Yoga has many health benefits and it should not be linked to any religion. We will take part in

the event on June 21 on Marine Drive to celebrate International Yoga Day," said M A Khalid, general

secretary of the All India Milli Council. Activist Firoz Mithiborewala said that 117 countries, including

several Muslim nations, would be celebrating it and it would send a wrong message if Muslims opposed

it. "This is a proud moment for India that the world has acknowledged yoga's importance. Even if it

originated in Hinduism, there is no harm in adopting something from other cultures as long as it doesn't

impinge on somebody else's religious rights," said Mithiborewala. Salim Alware of Indian Muslim

Intellectual Forum said that Muslims would do yoga minus surya namaskar and without uttering Om.

(Times of India 19/6/15)

On International Yoga Day, Muslims resist, embrace occasion (7)

NEW DELHI: Even as the nation set new records on the first International Yoga Day on Sunday, there

were mixed reports of participation by Muslims in yoga celebrations across India. Muslims mostly chose

to stay away from the events in West Bengal, Jabalpur and Ujjain. However in Kerala's Malappuram

district, Bhopal, Nagpur and Hyderabad, they enthusiastically participated in yoga programmes. Politically

volatile Hyderabad turned into a huge yoga ground with politicians joining hands with denizens to be part

of the world's first International Yoga Day celebrations. In the Old City, yoga enthusiasts also assembled

before the historic Charminar to perform Surya Namaskar before the break of dawn. The universal appeal

of yoga saw the participation of Urdu schools in Nagpur despite the longest Ramazan fasting period in

three decades. Zaffar Khan, president of Urdu Schools Headmasters Association, said, "We stopped

eating food at 4.05 am today and won't be having another morsel till 7 pm. Every day the fasting period is

almost 15 hours but that was no reason for skipping Yoga. My staff members too joined in and in our

school campus we did Yoga exercises." Defying stiff opposition from religious outfits, hundreds of

Muslims, especially youth joined yoga celebrations all over Malappuram district. Inaugurating the the

Pukayur yoga session, Muslim League MLA KNA Khader attacked yoga opponents in his inaugural

speech terming them ignorant about the relevance of yoga. Another Muslim League MLA P Ubaidulla

inaugurated the yoga session organised by Nehru Yuva Kendra with around 500 participants. At the

Aligarh Club, it was yoga with a difference - in place of the mats, participants just jumped into a pool!

"International Yoga Day was a good excuse to do something different. We picked 'water yoga' and we

intend to make it a regular part of our fitness regimen. Water yoga also has a special appeal for being so

novel," said Javed Mahmood, coach at Aligarh Club, who has been a state-level swimming champion. In

Mumbai, activist Firoz Mithiborewala said that he did yoga. "Instead of uttering Om, I took the name of

Allah. There was no surya namaskar and I did it comfortably. I saw a sense of bonding and solidarity

among the practitioners. It was a moment of pride when so many people did yoga, a form of exercise

which originated in India. I am glad I was part of the historic even," said Mithiborewala. In Bhopal, Syed

Rubab Fatima, 47, who has been practising yoga since 2000, led the international yoga day celebrations

at the sprawling Lal Parade Grounds, sharing the dais with chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. A

devout Muslim, she offers namaz five times a day and also does surya namaskar, breathing in with the

name of Allah…. (Times of India 22/6/15)

VHP, Muslim personal law board spar over Yoga Day (7)

NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: The hotheads of All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Vishwa

Hindu Parishad (VHP) got into a sharp altercation on Tuesday with Sadhvi Prachi reacting acerbically to

the Muslim body's charge that the Union government had selected June 21 for the International Yoga Day

as it is RSS founder Keshavram Baliram Hedgewar's death anniversary. "They should connect

themselves with the traditions of India, the culture of India... there's no need for any objection. If they are

objecting, then they should go to Pakistan. People who are objecting to it have no right to reside in India,"

the sadhvi said when asked to react to AIMPLB's opposition to Yoga Day.On Monday, AIMPLB's

executive member Maulana Ather Ali had called the Yoga Day a conspiracy to enforce "Brahmin dharma

and Vedic culture" all over the country, with the board writing to its members and asking all Muslim

organizations to close ranks against the "Hindutva forces".For the first time, the board asked its members

to engage clerics who deliver Friday sermons to object to 'Surya Namaskar' and yoga as these don't

comply with Muslim religious beliefs."India's pluralistic ethos is under assault from Hindutva forces. We'll

do everything required to save our religious beliefs," Maulana Ather Ali had said. His comments came

days after BJP MP Yogi Adityanath's said those opposed to 'Surya Namaskar' should go "drown in the

sea" amidst protests by Muslim groups over participation in the June 21 event. On Tuesday Prachi

intoned: "They (AIMPLB) have India's food and sing songs of Pakistan. Yoga works like a binding factor.

It's not related to a single religious belief. Democracy does not tell you to object India's traditions and

cultures.".. (Times of India 24/6/15)

UP to Take Muslims, Hindus Together for Pilgrimage (7)

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has chalked out a first-of-its-kind plan to take a group of

Hindus and Muslims on a joint pilgrimage. The 'dharmarth karya' department has issued a government

order (GO) in which 10 Muslim and Hindu devouts from each district will be taken on a pilgrimage in a

single trip, including a visit to Pushkar and Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan. Pushkar is holy for Hindus while

Ajmer Sharif is venerated by Muslims as well as people of other faiths. Principal Secretary (Religious

Works) Navneet Sehgal told IANS that the process of receiving applications and subsequently sorting

them out has begun in all the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. "The idea is not only to provide better travel

opprtunities to the residents of UP and the elderly but also to promote communal harmony," the official

said. The tour will be conducted by the state government, under the ongoing Samajwadi Shravan Yatra -

a state sponsored pilgrimage started a few months back, with help of the Indian Railway Catering and

Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).A special train with arrangement for 1,044 berths has been booked for the

pilgrimage. The proposed date for the pilgrimage is July 23 and the department is working to ensure that

the 'yatra' takes off on time, officials say. This time the state government has also made online

registration facilities available for people. The devout will have to submit documents required for availing

the trip along with an application. The applications are invited till July 10 after which these would be

sorted out and travel tickets issued. In the first round, 900 devotees were taken to Haridwar and

Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. In this trip to Ajmer Sharif and Pushkar Teerth Raj in Rajasthan, the pilgrims

would be getting air-conditioned luxury buses after the train journey to travel to their destinations. The

pilgrims would be provided budget lodging and given a travel kit. "Other than this, they would be given

morning tea, breakfast, lunch, evening tea - only on the train journey - and a nutritious dinner," said

Sehgal. (New Indiasn Express 26/6/15)

New proactive group within unsettles Muslim law board (7)

New Delhi: There is growing disquiet in the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) over the

emergence of a “proactive” group which wants to “act”, along with members of the majority community, to

“safeguard” Muslim interests. The announcement of the Majlis-e-Amal or implementation committee has

been described as routine but there are several in the board — it positions itself as a spokesperson of

Muslim opinion in India and the chief custodian of Muslim personal law and the Shariat — who believe it

is being formed to open a channel with the Prime Minister. At a meeting of its executive in Lucknow on

June 6-7, the Majlis-e-Amal, headed by Wali Rahmani, a cleric based in Munger in Bihar who is also the

board’s working general secretary, took a call to “act” with members of the majority community to

“safeguard” Muslim interests.The last time a committee was tasked with protecting the constitutional

rights of Muslims was in 2010 — it was asked to deal with specific grievances with the Waqf Act and

some judgments seen as intruding into Muslim personal law. Rahmani has emerged as the face of the

new “active” board — Rabey Nadwi, the board chairman, is in his 90s and age has also caught up with

Maulana Nizamuddin of Biharsharif, the general secretary. Earlier this month, Rahmani reached out

directly to Muslim organisations, institutions and imams of mosques, asking them to maintain vigil against

attacks on Islam’s teachings. He also alleged that the celebration of the International Day of Yoga by the

government on June 21 was part of a conspiracy to link the exercise to the RSS. Within the board, there

is suspicion about the agenda of the Majlis-e-Amal. Because in March, the usually sedate meeting of the

board was disrupted in Jaipur over the presence of “non-members” — Zafar Sareshwala, a businessman

who is also chancellor of the Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad National Urdu University and is considered

close to the Prime Minister, could not enter the meeting because several members protested. There are

some who believe the actions of the committee will find place in the run-up to the Bihar assembly

elections. Qasim Sayyed, editor-in-chief of Rozanama Khabrein, said: “By appearing to be very active

and pro-Muslim, the board actually wants to polarise the Bihar polls and is being used as fuel for that

purpose. What is the sense in raising these things? Is this the time to raise the temperature and be hot-

headed? They want to do this and also cosy up to Modi by demonstrating that they are the true Muslim

representatives.”… (Indian Express 29/6/15)

Maharashtra to de-recognise madrasas not teaching primary subjects (7)

Mumbai: Madrasas which do not teach primary subjects such as English, Maths and Science would be

considered as "non-schools" and children studying in them as "out of school" students, Maharashtra

government today said. "Madrasas are giving students education on religion and not giving them formal

education. Our constitution says every child has the right to take formal education, which madrasas do

not provide," State Minorities Affairs Minister Eknath Khadse told PTI. "If a Hindu or Christian child wants

to study in a madrasa, they will not be allowed to study there. Thus, madrasa is not a school but a source

of religious education. Thus we have asked them to teach students other subjects as well. Otherwise

these madrasas will be considered as non schools," Khadse said. He added that Principal Secretary of

Minority Affairs department Jayshree Mukherjee has written a letter to Principal Secretary of School

Education and Sports Nand Kumar in this regard. Khadse said the School Education department has

planned a survey of students that are not taking formal education on July 4. "Students who are studying in

madrasas that do not provide formal education will be treated as out of school students. Our only aim

behind doing this is to ensure that every child of the minority community gets a chance to learn and come

into the mainstream, get good paying jobs and have a prosperous future," Khadse said. The minister said

that out of a total 1,890 registered madrasas in the state, 550 have agreed to teach the four subjects to

students. "We are even ready to pay madrasas for giving students formal education and are ready to

provide them teaching staff as well," Khadse said. (Deccan Herald 2/7/17)

RSS shakha spooks NE Delhi Muslims (7)

NEW DELHI: Tension is simmering in northeast Delhi's Sriram Colony over holding of an RSS shakha in

a local park. Residents of the area, which is dominated by Muslims, claim that the shakha activities are

disrupting their prayers this Ramzan. They also fear further confrontation on the occasion of Eid. The

local RSS unit has allegedly planned a bigger congregation on the festival day, which is likely to be

observed on June 18-19. The locals gather in the park on Eid every year and offer prayers. But this year,

they fear, they may not be allowed to do so if the RSS shakha is underway. Brinda Karat, senior CPM

member, met Delhi Police commissioner B S Bassi, along with some members of the minority community,

to voice their concern. "The police commissioner said he will look into the matter and do the needful," she

said. The Delhi prachar pramukh of RSS, Rajeev Tuli, denied the claims of the minority community. He

said RSS shakhas are being held in the park for more than three decades. "Recently, some local people

threw stones when the shakha was on which left two participants injured," he said. Tuli claimed the

rumour of simmering communal tension is being spread by 'mischievous elements'. The park, which is at

the centre of controversy, is surrounded by houses of Muslims. Locals said the minority community

constitutes a majority of the population. "A lot of religious and community activities have been organized

in this park before. But we haven't witnessed such tension ever," said Zishan Mohamad, a college student

residing in the area. The residents have asked for police protection but they claim no action has been

taken. "We have been living in harmony for many years. It's only recently that a lot of people from outside

have started taking part in the RSS sessions," said Aijaz, another resident. (Times of India 4/7/15)

‘Educated Muslims do not need sermons from Shiv Sena on family planning’(7)

MUMBAI: Muslims, especially those who have small families, reacted sharply to Shiv Sena's remarks that

Prime Minister Narendra Modi should "ensure that Muslims accept the necessity of family planning".They

slammed the Sena's "slanderous and provocative" remarks in its mouthpiece Saamna on Monday which

asked the Sangh to pressure the government to strictly impose family planning. "Educated Muslims know

the benefits of small families; they don't need sermons from Shiv Sena on family planning. Educated

Muslims plan their families carefully and don't go for many children," said Noor Ahmed, owner of the

popular Colaba-based eatery Baghdadi who has two sons—Taufique (30) and Moiz (24). While Taufique

has graduated in hotel management, Moiz is an IT professional. "I studied till just SSC as I had to run my

father's business. But my wife and I decided to keep our family small and provide the best education that

we could afford to our children," said Ahmed. As education deepens among the community and economic

condition improves, Muslims have realized the importance of family planning. "When our son Asjad was

born five years ago, we felt blessed. My wife and I decided that he would be our only child. We didn't

need any lecturing to understand how a small family is financially and physically healthy. The emphasis

should be on creating awareness and improving people's educational and economic condition, not

making divisive statements," said real estate consultant Asad Shaikh from Mira Road. His wife

Kehkashan added: "As I have one child, I can tutor him myself. This was our own decision because of our

education and knowledge, and not due to politicians' pressure." Mechanical engineer from Bandra

Mahmood Khan (65)has two daughters—one is a brand manager in a pharmaceutical firm while the other

is employed with a multinational. "Why is the Sena targeting Muslims when population is a problem with

every section which is poor and illiterate? Sena should pull up mahants, yogis and sadhvis who exhort

Hindus to produce many children to 'counter' Muslim population. Muslims are not overtaking Hindus as

Sena would like us to believe," he said. Senior executive with an MNC Muzaffar Kalimullah, who has two

kids, said the Sena should desist from making inflammatory statements. "The Parivar has often accused

Muslims of practising polygamy. The accusation is wrong; the community prefers monogamy and and

most Muslims want to keep their families small." (Times of India 8/7/15)

25 per cent Muslim inmates have no lawyers (7)

Mumbai: It has emerged that more than 25 per cent of Muslim prisoners in Maharashtra do not have a

lawyer to represent their cases. This was revealed in a report published in 2011 by the Tata Institute of

Social Sciences (TISS). Four years on, the government has taken cognizance of the report and promised

to work on it. (The study was focussed on the inmates from the Muslim community and so the

comparative data is not available.) The study says the education level among them was also low with

26.8 per cent being illiterate and 48 per cent not having any employable skills. The low education

background may have forced them to become low earners as 42.7 per cent of them earn between `2,000

to `5,000 only per month, the study noted. A number of prisoners have reportedly pointed out that the

police were prejudiced against them, which made them vulnerable to the corrupt system. The report,

based on a survey conducted in 15 prisons across the state in the year 2010 on the request of the state

minorities commission, has thrown light on the socio-economic conditions of the prisoners and come up

with various statistical data of Muslim inmates in the state. It has cleared certain misconceptions about

Muslims and seeks to prove that they are vulnerable to crimes due to their poor economic and social

background. At the time of study, there were 3,086 Muslim prisoners in 15 jails across Maharashtra of

which 2,154 (69.7 per cent) were under trials and 932 (30.2 per cent) were convicts. Of the 3,086 Muslim

prisoners, 339 inmates were interviewed for the study. “At least 25.4 per cent of the respondents did not

have a lawyer to represent them in their case. Among 148 respondents, 70.2 per cent had financial

support from their family. This indicates that most respondents are receiving support from their families as

far as legal fees are concerned. This reinforces the finding that most respondents are not connected to

criminal gangs; otherwise they would most likely have had lawyers financed by these gangs,” the survey

said. Prof. Vijay Raghavan of the Centre for Criminology and Justice, School of Social Work at TISS, who

carried out the study along with his colleague Dr Roshni Nair, highlighted the need to increase the

honorarium paid to legal aid lawyers. “We have suggested to increase the honorarium for legal aid

lawyers in order to provide effective legal aid to under trial prisoners,” he said. It has emerged from the

study that 52.3 per cent of respondents’ bail applications were rejected and only 25.6 per cent were

granted bail. “Of the respondents whose bail was rejected, 48 per cent did not know the reasons behind

the rejection,” said the survey. In most of the cases, it was difficult for the inmates to find suitable sureties

to get released on bail. Judiciary is sometimes reluctant to release under trial prisoners on personal bond

and they end up stuck in prisons, Mr Raghavan said. Noting that the education levels were also low

among the Muslim inmates, it said, “26.8 per cent of them were illiterate, 38.3 per cent had education till

primary level and only 0.6 per cent could pursue post graduation. Also, 48 per cent of the inmates have

no skills.” The study further said, 31.9 per cent of the inmates have technical skills like carpentry,

mechanical skills, AC repair, refrigerator repair, fabrication, fitter skill, tailoring, computer or machine

operating skills, driving, electrical repair, interior designing skills, welding, plumbing, electronics repair,

painting, etc. Majority of the inmates who had technical skills were neither technical graduates nor

diploma-holders and had learnt the skills through on-the-job training, the study said. There are mainly two

categories under which Muslim inmates were charged: bodily offences and offences against property.

The study found that 52.8 per cent of the inmates were charged under sections relating to offences

against human body i.e. charges of murder, attempt to murder, assault, rape, kidnapping, etc. This

implies that majority of respondents are charged under violent offences. Analysis of case studies and the

interviews revealed that most of these violent offences were the result of inter-personal disputes arising

from relationship problems or property-related issues. “This trend matches with the reasons for violent

crimes committed by most people, especially in rural areas”, Mr Raghavan said. 26.3 per cent of the

inmates are arrested under the sections relating to offences against property i.e. theft, robbery and

dacoity, the study revealed. (Asian Age 11/7/15)

Campaign demanding 12% quota for Muslims takes off (7)

HYDERABAD: Let down by the promised 12% quota for Muslims in education and employment not

finding a mention at chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's Dawat-e-Iftar held on Sunday, a group of

activists launched a campaign on Monday asking for reservation. Stating that about 1.07 lakh vacancies

are expected to be created in the state in the near future, Aariz Mohammed of the Muslim Empowerment

Movement (MEM), noted that the Muslim community would stand to lose its 12 per cent share 12,929 jobs

across categories unless the Telangana government chalks out firm plans before issuing a notification. "It

was on July 16 last year that the chief minister had promised reservation. However, at the Iftar party at

Nizam College grounds on Sunday, the issue was conspicuously absent in the speech," Mohammed told

TOI on Monday. Explaining the process behind creating these reservations, he said that only a Backward

Class (BC) Commission could recommend them. "The BC Commission based on data takes a decision

on reservations. However, no new commission has been constituted thus far. Further, the 4 per cent

reservation issue is still with the Supreme Court. The Telangana government should ensure the

implementation of 12 per cent reservations," he said. For this, there is a need to establish beyond doubt

the backwardness of Muslims as this is being challenged in courts of law. Activists said that with different

groups, apart from Muslims, such as SCs and STs demanding a combined reservation of around 26 per

cent and the BCs asking for around 50 per cent, the government should work towards comprehensive

reservation policy. It should also provide empirical evidence pertaining to the backward socio-economic

conditions of these communities, especially the Muslims. Others like Ali Asghar said that apart from rolling

out a reservation policy, the government should also keep its promise of providing free education by

means of the KG to PG scheme. In addition to this, the government must ensure maximum utilization of

budgetary allocations. "While Rs1,030 crore was allocated to the MWD last year, rules for various welfare

and development schemes were not prepared even till the end of the financial year," he said. Though

there was a hike in the allocation of pre-matric scholarships in the scheme, it was not notified in FY 2014-

15 and the disbursement of scholarship amounts under the central government scheme for the same year

began only in May 2015, after the academic year ended, he claimed. The MEM is scheduled to embark

on the awareness campaign by organizing meetings, creating posters and representing the matter to the

government. (Times of India 14/7/15)

Odisha: Muslims take part in Rath Yatra festival in Kendrapara (7)

Kendrapara: For 67-year-old Shaukat Ali, it has become customary to catch a glimpse of the triad of

deities- Jagannath, Balabhadra and sister Subhadra- as they emerge out of their temple abode every

year. Ali says he is an ardent participant in the annual festivities because of tradition and mutual respect.

“I along with family members celebrated Eid festival on Saturday. Later in the day, I went to the grand

road to watch the car festival. Every year, we never miss the car festival,” quipped Ali. “When I was a

teenager, I first witnessed the event. Since then, it has become an annual ritual for my family. Hindus

appreciate our participation in the festival. The trend has passed on to the next generation. Now my grand

children watch the pulling of chariot every year,” remarked Ali. Like him, many from the Muslim

community play a part in chariot festival with melting of religious barrier. As the chariot slowly makes its

way through the streets, the grand event continues to evoke enthusiasm among Muslims. And this spirit

of amity is not restricted to the rath yatra alone. Hindus also participate in festivals observed by Muslims.

“Hindus join in our Eid and other festivals. The two communities also attend each other’s marriages and

other ceremonies,” said Mir Obeda, a local resident. “Kendrapara is enriched with legacy of communal

amity and brotherhood,” said Mohammad Akbar Ali, former chairman, Kendrapara municipality, Odisha.

Muslims comprise around one/third of population in urban areas here. Leaving aside stray cases of

disharmony, both the ommunities respect each other’s religious practice, he said. Though there is a strict

restriction on non-Hindus from entering the world famous temple in Puri, there is no bar on them from

participating in the car festival,” said Nrusingha Patri, a servitor. “I actively participate in rath yatra. I have

pulled the chariot. I derive immense pleasure in doing so,” said Shabir Khan from Jayipura locality

Kendrapara. (Indian Express 20/7/15)

Muslim professor denied accommodation (7)

New Delhi: A Delhi University professor, who teaches English, has appealed to the chief minister to help

her in finding an accommodation as she has been turned away for being a Muslim. Reem Shamsudeen is

a visually-impaired assistant professor at a college affiliated with Delhi University. After the summer

vacation got over in July, Ms Shamsudeen, along with her mother, was supposed to shift to a rented

house. “Despite paying the advance rent to the landlady, when we arrived with our packed bags, she

denied giving us the keys saying that she cannot rent out her flat to a Muslim,” the 30-year-old professor

alleged. Before moving to Delhi in February, she was in Hyderabad for eight years. “I did my MA, MPhil

and Ph.D from English and Foreign Languages University. Never for once have I experienced this level of

discrimination on the basis of my religion.” Hailing from Kerala, Ms Shamsudeen is presently on ad hoc

basis and has recently joined the Delhi University. “This issue isn’t just about me. It is the case of

hundreds of Muslims and people from other minority groups who undergo this kind of harassment and

discrimination.” Through a video, the professor has requested Mr. Kejriwal to look into the matter and help

her get justice. “I believe the State you administer and the Delhi you promised accommodates every other

citizen. I hope no students or other migrant in the city will have to go through this shameful and inhuman

experience in future.” However, this isn’t the first time that cases of Muslims denied accommodations in

the city have come to the fore. Surveys have pointed to various forms of bias, where residents display an

aversion to those belonging to other castes and religions being in their neighbourhood. Even the Rajinder

Sachar Committee in its recommendations in 2005 sought the setting up of an Equal Opportunity

Commission to provide a legal mechanism to address complaints related to discrimination in matters such

as housing. But the Commission was never set up. (The Hindu 24/7/15)

UP beautification plan near Babri site irks Muslims (7)

LUCKNOW/AYODHYA: The Akhilesh government has chalked out an elaborate plan to improve

amenities and beautify the areas around the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya. However,

even before the government can implement its plan, Muslims, particularly the litigants in the title suit,

have opposed the proposal saying any maintenance activity at and around the disputed site would violate

Supreme Court's order for maintaining status quo and also hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims. The

state government recently sanctioned funds for the repair and rebuilding of the barricades and some

temporary constructions around the site to give it a fresh look. Two separate orders to this effect (copies

are with TOI) were issued on July 8 for the police department to make necessary arrangements. A senior

state government official confirmed the proposed beautification plan and said it would not violate the

'status quo' order issued by the Supreme Court. The entire work has to be completed before March 2016.

Opposing the proposal, Khaliq Ahmad Khan, nominee of Maulana Fazlur Rahman, one of the main

litigants from the Muslim side in the Supreme Court, told TOI: "It is not a picnic spot. It is a disputed land

and the title suit is sub-judice before the Supreme Court. There was a mosque before December 6,1992,

which was pulled down unlawfully by a gathering of communal mob, so beautifying it will hurt the

sentiments of Muslims worldwide. The government should only ensure the security of the site and not try

to turn it into a tourist attraction." Senior lawyer and vice chairman of Babri Masjid Action Committee,

Mushtaq Ahmad Siddiqi, said, "The Supreme Court in its order of March 30, 2003, has made it very clear

that status quo would be maintained both on the disputed site and acquired land. So, why is the

government so keen on beautifying such a disputed place?" Apart from the repair and beautification, the

government has also sanctioned three noiseless generators of 124 KVA each to be installed at the site so

that proper lighting arrangements could be made. The government has sanctioned Rs 33 lakh for the

generator sets and Rs 76 lakh for the repair and maintenance and temporary constructions around the

disputed site. This is the first attempt by any government since the Supreme Court had asked to maintain

status quo at and around 2.75-km disputed site after the Babri Masjid demolition. So far, only soiled

tarpaulin covering the site has been changed from time to time for protecting Ram Lala idols kept inside.

(Time of India 25/7/15)

Muslim localities in city neglected: BJP (7)

MEERUT: The minority wing of BJP on Monday staged a protest at Commissionary Chowk here,

demanding that the city's civic bodies pay more attention to residential areas inhabited by Muslims. The

party said Muslim areas are forgotten after Eid is over. The sanitary condition in these localities is

deplorable, they said. "Muslims have become an economically backward community in this state and they

live in relatively backward areas. There is a basic cleanliness problem in these localities. The

administration takes token measures during the month of Ramzan and Eid but the situation goes back to

square one after festive occasions," said minority wing district president Dilshad Ahmed. "Muslim

localities in Meerut are rife with disease that emanate from the lack of cleanliness. Encroachment is a

major problem here and the administration has done nothing to address the problem. If something is

broken in these areas, it remains broken. Nobody bothers to fix it. The road from Pilokhadi Pull to Samar

Garden is broken and it hasn't been fixed. Even the drains in this area are choked. Morever, there are

heaps of garbage in the area that are a breeding ground for diseases. Since these problems will intensify

in the monsoon, the administration must take immediate steps," he added. When asked about the state of

Muslims in BJP-ruled states, Ahmed said, "Muslims in Gujarat are happier than Muslims in UP. However,

I am certain that things will improve for Muslims in the state since the BJP is going to come to power in

UP after the assembly elections of 2017." (Times of India 27/7/15)

Congress seeks ordinance on job quota for Muslims (7)

HYDERABAD: Welcoming the Telangana Government’s move to fill 15,000 vacancies, Leader of

Opposition in Legislative Council Md Ali Shabbir demanded that the Government immediately issue

ordinance to provide 12 p.c. quota each for Muslims and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in those jobs. At a press

conference here on Monday, Mr. Shabbir reminded that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, during

election campaign, promised to provide over one lakh jobs. He reduced the figure to 50,000 after he

came to power. A year later, he assured to fill 25,000 vacancies and finally, he signed files pertaining to

only 15,000 jobs. “We don’t know how many posts would actually be filled. But we welcome the move,” he

said while demanding that Mr. Rao should honour the promise of giving 12 p.c. quota for Muslims and

STs in jobs,” he said. He said once the vacancies are filled, Muslims and STs would be permanently

deprived of opportunity to get Government jobs. Therefore, Government should issue and ordinance

giving reservation to Muslims and STs , he said. (The Hindu 28/7/15)

India home to 180 million Muslims: Indian official (7)

Muslims account for 180 million of India’s 1.1 billion people, Indian Deputy National Security Advidor

Arvind Gupta announced on Saturday. The number was revealed in a meeting between Gupta and

Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Egyptian grand Imam of al-Azhar and a prominent figure in the Muslim world.

“Al-Azhar is an international institution, respected by the whole world, and we are interested to cooperate

with it and to learn about its vision to counter extremism and terrorism,” Gupta was quoted as saying by

the International Islamic News Agency. Similar figures for the number of Indian Muslims were revealed

during last year’s general elections, leaving India to stand as the world’s third-largest Muslim population

after Indonesia and Pakistan. Official figures indicate that Muslims, who make up around 13% of India’s

population, are lagging behind in literacy and have complained about job discrimination. They account for

less than 7% of public service employees, only 5% of railways workers, around 4% of banking

employees, and there are only 29,000 Muslims in India’s 1.3 million-strong military. Conditions of the

Muslim world and Al-Azhar’s role in dealing with the course of variable events in the Muslim world, came

under discussion during the meeting. Gupta was said to be all praise for Al-Azhar and his efforts in

fighting the Islamic State. (The Express Tribune 1/8/15)

Cong Muslim workers to run ‘Kanwar Sewa’ camps on highway (7)

MEERUT: In a confidence-building measure, the Youth Congress will post its Muslim workers at 'Kanwar

Sewa' camps on highways in western UP. The camps will provide services such as food, water and first

aid to devotees. Youth Congress national secretary Sitaram Lamba told TOI that the party is trying to

"repair the secular fabric" of western UP. "Right now, only a few small camps have been set up at some

locations but we are planning to set up many more camps along the highway. These will provide food,

water, rest and first aid to devotees who are undertaking the Kanwar Yatra. The workers who will run

these Kanwar Sewa camps will primarily be Muslims," Lamba said. Lamba said the aim of these camps is

to bridge the gap between the two communities that developed after the communal riots of 2013 in

Muzaffarnagar. "The secular fabric of the region was ruptured in 2013 and we are trying to repair it. We

know that communal forces will try to widen this gap for political gain considering the impending the state

assembly elections. We are trying to pre emptively counter any such move. ," he said. Speaking about the

other major issue that the Congress has on agenda for the region, he said that reservation for Jats and

communal harmony would be the two linchpins of our campaigns. "The way I see it, the two issues are

linked very closely to each other. Jats were never supporters of the BJP. It was only after the

Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013 that the saffron party started to gain some ground with the community. There

was a simple divide and rule policy at play. Jats and Muslims, two communities who had hitherto co-

existed in peace, were pitted against each other. This was an attempt by the BJP to make inroads with

the Jats. Seemingly, they were successful at first till the Jats started to see their betrayal. The NDA

government has completely forgotten about them but the Congress still stands with them." Lamba said

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit western UP soon. "We don't have a fixed schedule

or itinerary yet but he plans to visit west UP while campaigning for the panchayat polls. If we notice,

incidents of communal violence in the region rise as elections come closer. In a vulnerable time, a leader

of Rahul Gandhi's stature needs to go to the people and spread the message of communal peace. We

will carry out our two-fold campaign under his leadership," he said. (Times of India 5/8/15)

Modi govt giving 'roti' to minorities in place of 'topi': Najma Heptulla (7)

Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi might not be wearing skull cap and skipping 'Iftar' parties but his

government, unlike others in the past, was "sincerely" doing work to provide livelihood to minority

communities, Union minister Najma Heptulla on Saturday claimed. "Everybody in the past wore 'topi' but

Prime Minister Narendra Modi government is the first which in place of 'topi' is working sincerely to

provide 'roti' to minority communities," she told reporters. The Union Minority Affairs Minister launched

'Nai Manzil' scheme in poll-bound Bihar today in a bid to reach out to minority Muslims in the election.

She did not give much credence to the Prime Minister not attending an Iftar party recently hosted by

President Pranab Mukherjee. "In truth the 'Iftar' parties hosted by the rich are mostly photo-op events.

Does anybody organise such 'Iftar' parties in 'garibo ki basti' (areas of poor)", she asked. In an apparent

dig at the Congress, Heptulla said its leaders "wore" 'topi' and gave "Sachar committee report" but "none

of its recommendations were sincerely implemented" to improve the lot of the minorities. On the other

hand, Narendra Modi government had made seven promises to minorities on coming to power and six of

them which involves Minority Affairs ministry were "achieved", the senior BJP leader said. The Minority

Affairs minister said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD president Lalu Prasad claimed

themselves as champions of Muslim causes but in reality they "paid only lip service" to their upliftment.

"Truth is that Muslims in Bihar today are economically worse than dalits," she claimed. On the 'Nai Manzil'

scheme, one of the promises of the Prime Minister, and which was announced by Union Finance Minister

in his budgetary speech, she said, this scheme will help out-of-school or drop-out students of schools and

madrasas get formal class 12 and class 10 certificates so that they get jobs. Such students would be

offered bridge courses and the given certificates for class 12 and class 10 from distance education

system. At the same time, they will also be provided basic training in manufacturing, engineering,

services and soft skills. Heptulla said her ministry took pioneering initiative and helped a "large number" of

Muslims open bank account to avail the Prime Minister's ambitious 'Jan Dhan' yojna. The Union

government provided 86 lakh students of minority communities scholarship for pre-matric and matric

level, she said. (Zee news 8/8/15)

‘Just 4 of 26 hanged since ’91 Muslims’ (7)

NEW DELHI: Just four of the 26 persons executed in India since 1991 belonged to the Muslim

community, and yet a perception has been created by some media channels in the aftermath of the

hanging of Yakub Memon that members of the minority community are being targeted, said government

sources. An internal report by the I&B ministry has taken exception to the "tenor of discussion'' in the four

channels — Aaj Tak, ABP News, NDTV India and NDTV 24X7 — and argued it was a "serious threat to

national security'' and had "sown seeds of distrust between communities.'' The common thread in their

reporting was that Supreme Court had been unfair to Memon. The ministry feels that, at the very least, an

explanation should be demanded from these channels. "Repeated examples of the death sentence of

Beant Singh being commuted are being cited. Truth is both of them are on death row. Similarly in the

Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, it was the Congress government that delayed consideration of the

mercy petition that led to SC converting their death sentence to life imprisonment,'' said a source who had

reviewed the report.The channels have been charged with telecasting content that was denigrating to the

President, judiciary, could incite violence and against national security. The ministry has prepared

grounds for justifying their action against the channels pointing out that two Hindi channels broadcast

wanted gangster Chhota Shakeel's interview without editing out comments that clearly suggested

unleashing of communal violence and made disparaging comments on the judiciary."The world has seen

what you did with Yakub Memon... We don't believe in your judiciary. This was justice based on revenge.

You people took revenge from one person...'' Chhota Shakeel told Aaj Tak. And he told ABP News: "The

world has seen how you have executed an innocent man... After Babri Masjid people had taken action

and many things had happened. For every action, there is a reaction... there are many people besides us

(who can take action).''The anchor on NDTV India described the order to hang Memon as "unfortunate''

and said that the courts only found merit in the prosecution's case while NDTV 24X7 in an interview of

lawyer Majeed Memon broadcast remarks against the Indian judicial system. Memon was quoted

commenting on the pardon given to accused Usmann Jaan Khan saying, "If you show this pardon to any

person outside India, UK authorities or US authorities or the best brains in the world as far as criminal law

is concerned, they will laugh at you. They will laugh at you; they'll say is this justice? Usmaan Jaan Khan

has played a role in this whole operation 10 times more than Yakub.''The ministry has also pointed out

that former Congress minister Manish Tewari's claim that no notices were issued under UPA government

was incorrect.,,, (Times of India 11/8/15)

Attempts being made to impose vedic culture on Muslims: AIMPLB (7)

Lucknow: Charging that efforts were being made to impose Hindu culture on other religions through

introduction of yoga in schools, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board has sought support of other

community leaders to launch a campaign against such attempts. The Board would decide its strategy in

its convention to be held in Bhopal tomorrow. Working general secretary of AIMPLB Maulana Wali

Rahmani charged that as part of a conspiracy an effort was being made to "imprint Hindu culture in the

mindset of children of other religions, including Muslims".He alleged that this was being done by making

yoga mandatory in schools. Rahmani said AIMPLB would launch "Deen aur Dastoor Bachao Tahreek"

against this attempt to force "vedic culture" in which religious leaders and followers of different religions,

including Hindu, Sikh and Christian, would be associated. "We believe that by associating leaders of

different religious this campaign will become successful. Special deliberation will be made on this issue at

the AIMPLB meeting tomorrow," he told PTI. Charging that Brahmin religion was being implemented on

new generation, he said, this is a threat to both 'Deen-e-Islam' and the Constitution. "Under Article 28 of

the Constitution any religion and its tradition could not be forced on others," he said. Rehmani said that

the board was of the clear view that every person should follow his religion strongly, but it should not be

forced on others. He said Imams of different mosques, madrassas, teachers, students and those who

agree with the objections and apprehensions of the board have been invited in the convention. Earlier the

AIMPLB had accused the NDA government of violating the Constitution and implementing the RSS

agenda by introducing practices such as yoga. Reaching out directly to Muslim organisations and Imams,

the apex body representing Muslims in the country, had said that the community should remain "cautious"

as there are organisations that are "attacking" Islamic beliefs. The AIMPLB had slammed the

government's move to push for yoga, saying its a violation of the Constitution, which does not allow

promotion of religious activities by the government. "In the present scenario, the government and under

its garb several organisations and individuals are today violating the Constitution," Maulana Wali

Rehmani, the working general secretary of the AIMPLB, had said in a letter sent to various Muslim bodies

and individuals. He had alleged that the celebration of 'Yoga Day' and introduction of 'Surya namaskar'

and Vande Matram in the schools were aimed at implementing the RSS agenda. (eccan Herald 16/8/15)

Panel to study status of Muslims in Telangana (7)

HYDERABAD: The recently constituted Commission of Inquiry (CoI) will look into social, economic and

educational status of Muslims in Telangana, commission chairman G Sudhir said on Tuesday.

Addressing the media, Sudhir, a retired bureaucrat, said that the nine Terms of Reference (ToR) entailed

that the commission conduct a detailed study on the socio-economic status of Muslims. "We will have to

do a see what kind of problems there are and the level of attainment," he said. Explaining the

methodology of data collation, Sudhir explained that information from the both agencies of the state and

Centre would be taken. Relevant data with the Census of India, National Sample Survey Organisation,

Centre for Economic and Social Studies will also be used, he added. The CoI will also invite suggestions

from the public. The CoI will embark on a tour of the districts of the state in the first week of September to

understand the level of implementation of schemes and to interact with government officials and others.

Here, the commission will visit Muslim populated areas and study development vis-a-vis neighbourhoods

populated by members of other communities. The CoI has been given a timeframe of six month to

complete the study. Seeking to explain the need for carrying out the study by asking questions,

commission member and development economist Amirullah Khan said, "Data suggests that urban

facilities across the country have improved. But have they also improved in Muslim-dominated areas?

Every community in the last 10 years has seen an increase in enrolment in primary education. Muslim

beneficiaries are as good as any other community. But by the time they are 11 or 12 years old, there is a

70 percent dropout rate. Is this the case in Telangana? The drop out rate among boys is more than that in

girls in the Muslim community. It would be interesting to see find out why this is happening," he said. The

CoI will also study the trends in healthcare and political representation in the Muslim community. "All over

India, health is not good. But there has been meagre improvement. It is only in the health indicator that

Muslim children are better. But they join levels of other communities as they grow up. What is the reason

for this positive handicap and why is it lost," Khan, who was also a member of the Kundu Committee,

said. Taking questions from TOI on whether the commission's recommendations would stand in courts of

law as only a Backward Class Commission has the constitutional right to recommend reservations, Khan

said that CoI would ensure that it presents a strong report which will support welfare measures.

Commission members also cited the prevailing 69 percent reservations in education and employment for

backward classes in Tamil Nadu as a precedent. Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was

intent on providing reservations to Muslims, he added. Other members who spoke were Tata Institute of

Social Science professor Abdul Shaban, also a member of the Mahmood-ur-Rahman Committee in

Maharashtra, secretary, tribal welfare GD Aruna and MA Bari. (Times of India 19/8/15)

AIMPLB to hold all-India meet of Imams against 'imposition' of yoga, surya namaskar (7)

LUCKNOW: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will ask Imams of mosques to educate

Muslims about attacks on Islamic beliefs and how to counter them by taking up such issues in their

sermons before Friday prayers. The Board will take up the proposal at a clerics' meet scheduled to be

held in Amroha in UP in September. The AIMPLB considers yoga and surya namaskar as issues that are

against Islamic beliefs. "The idea behind the move is to inform the community about the attempts being

made to attack the Islamic beliefs, what is wrong about such attempts, and how a Muslim should resist

such moves in a peaceful, democratic and lawful manner," said Kamaal Farooqui, AIMPLB office-bearer

and head of the organising committee for the event. Farooqui, who is a native of Amroha, said, "The

event will be attended by Imams from all over India." The Amroha event will implement the agenda of the

AIMPLB working committee meeting held in Jaipur earlier this year, which called for an awareness

campaign among Muslims on issues related to Sharia and attempts to attack Islamic beliefs. "Muslims

should always remain cautious as there are organisations that are attacking Islamic beliefs and trying to

impose Brahmin dharma. All this yoga, surya namaskar and Vedic culture are part of Brahmin dharma

and totally against Islamic beliefs," AIMPLB working secretary Maulana Wali Rehmani had said in a letter

to the Board members after the Jaipur meet. Elaborating on some issues which are against Sharia,

AIMPLB executive committee member Zafaryab Jilani said, "Muslims should know why surya namaskar

and yoga are being opposed, what does Islam say about such issues and how one should counter

attempts to force Muslims to perform surya namaskar in a lawful and peaceful manner." "By incorporating

such issues in the khutba (sermons) that are delivered before the Friday afternoon prayers, common

Muslims will take them seriously," said Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, another member of the

Board's executive committee. (Times of India 21/8/15)

92% of Muslim women in India want oral triple talaq to go: Study (7)

NEW DELHI: Should unilateral, triple talaq be banned? An overwhelming number of Muslim women in the

country think so. In a first of its kind study, the women have unequivocally voiced their dissent against the

discriminatory practice of triple talaq with 92.1% seeking its ban. Oral talaq delivered through new media

platforms like Skype, text messages, email and Whatsapp have become an increasing cause of worry for

the community. A study conducted across 10 states by NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA)

— working for reforms in Muslim personal law — found that a majority of the women were economically

and socially disadvantaged, over half had been married before the age of 18 and had faced domestic

violence.The study, which interviewed 4,710 women between July and December 2013, reveals that

91.7% of the respondents opposed a second marriage by their husbands. About 73% women surveyed

were from families that earned less than Rs 50,000 annually and 55% were married before they reached

18. An overwhelming 82% had no property in their name and 78% were homemakers, indicating absence

of income. Over 53% reported having faced domestic violence in their lives while a majority was poorly

educated. In 2014, of the 235 cases that came to women Sharia adalats that we run, 80% were of oral

talaq,'' author of the study Zakia Soman said, adding that women were forced to bear the brunt of the

practice. Most women (93%) were in favour of an arbitration process before divorce and 83.3% believed

that codification of Muslim family law would help get justice. Codification of Muslim personal law has been

resisted by the community citing religious interference. Responding to this, Soman said, "Government has

molly-coddled and appeased those groups which have taken upon themselves to speak for the

community. It is our constitutional right. For groups that cite religious freedom as an argument, it is at the

expense of women's rights.''Co-author Noorjehan Safia Niaz said, "An overwhelming number of women

demands reforms in Muslim personal law. They want an elaborate codified law based on the Quranic

justice framework to cover matters such as age of marriage, divorce procedures, polygamy, maintenance

and custody of children.''BMMA plans to take the issue up with the government, Law Commission and the

National Commission for Women (NCW). (Times of India 21/8/15)

Bengal beats India in Muslim growth rate (7)

KOLKATA: In three districts of Bengal, Murshidabad, Malda and North Dinajpur, the Muslim population

has surpassed the Hindu population, the Census 2011 data on Population by Religious Communities

released on Tuesday, reveals. Moreover, if in India the Hindu population has dipped by 0.7 per cent, in

Bengal it is much higher at 1.94 per cent. Correspondingly, if the Muslim population has increased by 0.8

per cent, in Bengal the growth has a higher rate - 1.77 per cent. In Bengal's 9.12 crore population, Hindus

still comprise 6.4 crore people or 70.53 per cent of the population. Muslims comprise 2.4 crore population

or 27.01 per cent. Compared to the 2001 Census data, this is slightly higher. For a decade earlier, the

Hindu population in Bengal was 5.8 crore and Muslim population was 2 crore. Bengal's population then,

too was far lesser, at 8.01 crore. The only thing constant then and now is the asymmetrical spread of

Bengal's population by religion. Three districts which the Muslims have overshot the Hindus at

Murshidabad (47 lakh Muslims; 23 lakh Hindus), Malda (20 lakh Muslims; 19 lakh Hindus) and North

Dinajpur (15 lakh Muslims; 14 lakh Hindus). For Adhir Chowdhury, Berhampore's Congress MLA and

state Congress president, it doesn't pack a punch here. "If Anatanag district is highest in number of

Muslims by percentage; Murshidabad is the highest by headcount. Infact, history says in Murshidabad the

national tricolor was unfurled two days after August 15, 1947, for they had all but taken it that they would

cede to East Pakistan. So I am not much surprised by the outcome," he says. Trinamool Congress MP

Sultan Ahmed reasons, "I would like to interpret this due to the proximity of these districts to the Muslim-

dominated districts of Kishangunj, Purnia and Katihar in Bihar. The BJP may cry itself hoarse raising the

Bangladeshi immigrant bogey but had it been true, this would have been the picture in Nadia and North

24-Parganas, too." In North 24-Parganas, the country's most populous district with 10,009,781 people,

Hindus account for over 73-lakhs and Muslims over 25-lakhs. In Nadia, Hindus account for 37 lakhs while

Muslims 13 lakhs. "The incremental increase, which is in sync with the growth of population in Bengal

buries the illegal migration theory, once for all," Ahmed asserted… (Times of India 26/8/15)

Muslims grow 10% more than Hindus and Christians in Kerala (7)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Muslim population in Kerala has been growing at a faster rate compared

with the Hindu and the Christian population. A TOI analysis of the 2001 and 2011 religion-based census

data showed the state's Muslim population grew by 12.23% while the other two communities (Hindus up

by 2.23%, Christians by 1.38%) lagged far behind. The Muslim population rose from 78.63 lakh to 88.73

lakh. The Hindu population went up from 1.78 crore in 2001 to 1.82 crore in 2011. The Christians in the

state had a marginal rise, from 60.57 lakh to 61.41 lakh in the last decade. Experts attribute the Muslim

proclivity for a bigger family to a spectrum of factors, including affluence, early marriage, adherence to

joint-family system and strong religious belief. International population expert P Arokiasamy said the

corresponding fall in proportion of the Christians may be due to fall in fertility rate. "The fertility rate of the

Christians started falling much earlier than other religions and thus the population growth is minimal or

has declined in some parts of the country. The delayed marriage and adherence two-child norm are the

other reasons,'' he said. The largest Muslim population is in Malappuram district. Ernakulam district has

the largest number of Christians while the highest concentration of Hindus is in Thiruvananthapuram

district. (Times of India 27/8/15)

Muslims want education, jobs and development (7)

BHAGALPUR: The tone and tenor of minority community members present in good number at the PM

Narendra Modi's rally was different. They talked about education, enhancing technical skill, employment

opportunities and development in Bihar. At the same time, they didn't feel comfortable talking about

infamous 1989 Bhagalpur riots after nearly 26 years. They, instead, dismissed the riots as a non-issue

which the political parties should not raise to bully any community. Communal harmony and peaceful

coexistence with state's development was the buzz word for them, now. They were seen discussing

'vikas, vishwash, vichar aur pradesh mey kaisi sarkar (development, trust, understanding and what kind of

government in the state needed). TOI talked to a cross-section of the minorities to elicit their points of

view vis-a-vis assembly election in the state. Md Manjoor Ali, a Bhagalpur local, said "aman-chaain aur

vikas hi mudda hai aur hum log bacchon ko acchi shiksha dena chahte hain (communal harmony and

development are the issues and we want good education for our children)". MBA graduate Syed Zeejah

Hussain, who works in a private company and is a social activist, said development is very important for

every section of the society, including minorities. Communal feeling fades away with education and

development. It is a heartwarming situation that every politician now talks about development, he added.

Dr Imtiyazur Rehman, a leading neurosurgeon, said 1989 riots memories have faded away and new

generation has come up. "We all want development and education. We want quality education for our

children, he said. Md Arif said earlier people used to vote on different counts, but now the focus is on

development, employment, electricity, roads, law and order, etc. It is for sure that developmental issues

are on the forefront and other issues have taken a back seat, echoed Hasnain Ali. Md Jumman, an old

man sitting at the meeting ground, said, "Hum gareeb hain kya bolen, lekin tarakki hogi, aman chain hoga

toh sabka bhala hoga. Abhi tak toh sirf log bewakoof banatey aaye hain." (Times of India 1/9/15)

Ansari's words have weight, govt must plumb depths of Muslim exclusion (7)

Addressing a jubilee meeting of the All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat, the vice-president offered an eloquent

assessment of the condition of Indian Muslims. He referred to the “shadow of physical and psychological

insecurity” that they experienced at the time of Independence — and spelt out the deprivations they

endure today. Mr Ansari carefully referenced governmental assessments like the Sachar Committee

report which said that on most socio-economic indicators, Muslims were on the “margins of structures of

political, economic and social relevance” and, in many cases, their condition was worse than that of the

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.Mr Ansari said their principal problems related to identity and

security, education and empowerment, equitable share of the largesse of the state and a fair share in

decision-making. Reiterating social democratic principles, he said the default by the State in terms of

exclusion ought to be corrected by the State and argued that affirmative action is a prerequisite for

achieving the objective of sab ka saath sab ka vikas. This proposition may not materialise anytime soon,

particularly since the ongoing Patidar agitation intends on doing away with reservations altogether. That

said, the Centre must heed Mr Ansari and ensure that Muslims are accorded the full measure of their

rights as citizens. The Post Sachar Evaluation Committee noted in 2014 that Muslims continue to ‘live in

areas that are denied public services of any kind and have considerably lower incomes than their

counterparts among all socio-economic groups’. The State is regrettably yet to plumb the extent of

Muslim exclusion. There is, for instance, no religion-specific data about public service recruitment. All we

know is that the share of minorities as a whole in 37 central government ministries and departments

increased from 4.49% in 2006-07 to 7.74% in 2012-13, far lower than the share of the Muslim population,

which was close to 14% during the period. Mr Ansari spoke also about internal factors constraining

Muslim development and about the need to be anchored in modernity and yet critically engaging it. But

his primary point about State responsibility remains, which should take the first step by gathering and

publicising religion-based data in order to improve services. Most social sector programmes do not

identify beneficiaries by socio-religious categories. Schemes meant for minorities will not be effective

unless that changes. (Hindustan Times 3/9/15)

Muslim Board to campaign against imposition of Brahminical culture (7)

Hyderabad: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, the apex body of Indian Muslims, has decided to

launch a nationwide campaign against attempts by the government to impose Brahminical culture and

vedic dharam. Voicing concern over the threats posed to the religious and cultural identity of minorities

and other groups, the board announced the launch of the 'deen aur dastur bachao' (save religion and

constitution) campaign. The board has also involved other minority groups and organisations from the

depressed classes in the campaign. Stating that an "alarming" situation was prevailing in the country,

AIMPB general secretary Moulana Sajjad Naomani told a news conference here on Saturday that the

attempts to impose a Brahminical social order and rituals like yoga, surya namaskar and Vande Mataram

were against the Indian Constitution. "This is not bothering just Muslims but also all other social and

religious units. As the largest minority, the board took up the responsibility to take all along and launch a

movement to save our faith and constitution," he said. As part of the campaign public meetings, seminars

and symposiums would be organised to bring about public awareness and to demand implementation of

the constitution in letter and spirit. The board also plans to wage a legal battle by challenging the

imposition of Brahminical rituals. It will also challenge in the Supreme Court the orders of the Madhya

Pradesh and Rajasthan high courts, which ruled that rituals like surya namaskar should be optional.

"Even optional is against the constitution. Imposing culture of a particular community on all is not fair," he

said. When asked if the board would also make a representation to the prime minister or home minister,

he said this was not on their agenda for now. Naomani said it is shameful that Prime Minister Narendra

Modi says one thing and then does something else. "We have no objection to what he is saying. What all

he is saying is good but there is so much difference in what he says and what he is doing. Our movement

is against his actions not his statements," he said. The Muslim leader said minorities can't be deprived of

their religious and social identity in the same of development. "On one side you talk of development and

on the other you want to deprive minorities of religious and social identity and you take actions and make

legislations for this," he said. He also took strong exception to the prime minister's meetings with the RSS

leaders and said this was a government of India and not a government of Hindus and Brahmins. "Muslims

can never compromise on their faith come what may. The community is disturbed with the

developments," he said while pointing out that India is a secular democratic country and the constitution

guarantees religious freedom. Naomani said some forces were bent upon distracting the community from

its fundamental faith and way of life. He cited examples of large scale changes in the education system

and changes in the syllabus of schools and colleges. The board leaders claimed that efforts were being

made to amend the laws, which may affect Muslim personal laws. "The communal forces are upbeat with

the support of people at the helm of affairs. The growing communalism is not only a danger to the Muslim

community but also to other religious, cultural and social groups. This communalism will hamper the

growth and well being of the people," the board said. AIMPB secretary Moulana Vali Rehmani and other

key figures including AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, Abdul Raheem Qureshi and Moulana Khalid

Saifullah Rehmani were also present. (Business Standard 5/9/15)

Muslims criticize Saamna for 'go to Pak' remark, say they are part of India's ethos (7)

MUMBAI: Muslim leaders have termed the 'Muslims can go to Pakistan' remark in Sena mouthpiece

Saamna as provocative and derogatory."The Shiv Sena and all other Hindutva outfits who keep saying

that Muslims have an option to go to Pakistan need to re-read history. Muslims had an option in 1947 but

those who remained in India did so because they preferred pluralistic India over exclusivist Islamic

Pakistan. Our forefathers fought for the country's freedom and we have contributed to its progress.

Saamna should resist from raking up an outdated issue," said Jamiatul Ulema-e-Hind (Maharashtra)

president Maulana Mustaqeem Azmi. He added that calling Indian Muslims Pak sympathizers was

Hindutva's favourite pastime and sensible people laugh at this "idiocy" as Indian Muslims are completely

integrated to India's multicultural ethos. Community leaders also attacked the Sena for trying to turn a

dietary issue into a communal flashpoint. "Muslims rejected Jinnah's diabolical two-nation theory because

they loved and continue to love this country. We don't need certificate of patriotism from fascists. Instead

of pitting two minorities—Muslims and Jains—against each another, Saamna should raise the issue of

farmers whose distress has only accentuated due to the beef ban and will face more hardship if mutton is

also banned frequently," said MIM legislator Waris Pathan. Congress MLA Amin Patel said: "India is our

motherland and no one can question our patriotism. A party which has little regard for law and order has

no right to say that Muslims have Pakistan as an alternative country. Just as Hindus and Jains and others

who were born here have no other country, Muslims too believe that their destiny lies in India and not

Pakistan which became Islamic only in name but has nothing Islamic about it. Muslims will go nowhere

and continue to contribute to India's growth." (Times of India 11/9/15)

Quran copies found burnt in Panipat (7)

KARNAL: Tension prevailed in Panipat on Tuesday as around ten copies of holy book of Quran were

allegedly burnt by unidentified miscreants in the industrial city on Monday. A large number of Muslims

gathered at Panipat secretariat and demanded action against those responsible for the act. While

assuring a strict action against the culprits, deputy commissioner Sameer Pal Srow has appealed to all

sections of the society to maintain peace. Irfan Ali, a Muslim leader from Panipat, told Hindustan Times

over phone on Tuesday that 10 to12 copies of the holy book were found missing on Monday from a shop

hired by Muslims living near Kutani road for community recitation of the holy book. The set was allegedly

found burnt in a tandoor kept at an adjacent dhabha. He alleged that Ram Singh, a local resident,

quarrelled with some Muslims on last Thursday and had threatened them. However, he clarified that

Singh was in an inebriated condition and the community had not pointed a direct finger at anyone for

hurting its sentiments. "We had duly registered the incident of verbal duel and it is up to the police to

verify if Singh had any direct or indirect role behind the crime. But it is a matter of fact that Ram Singh

was providing free water service to the Muslim gathering before our prayers," said Ali.

He said that on Monday, it was found that holy books kept at the place of community prayers were

missing and later these were traced in a burnt condition at a nearby dhabha. Police sources said as the

dhabha owner came to his shop he found fire in the tandoor outside. On sifting through the ashes, he

found traces of the holy book. "The material used in the printing and binding the holy books does not get

burnt completely. The quality led us to trace the book remains from a heap of ash," said Ali. He said that

some people from various communities might try to give communal colour to the unfortunate incident, but

the local Muslims had made an appeal to everyone to maintain peace. Meanwhile, the Panipat DC met a

Muslim delegation and assured them administration's full support. In a statement, the DC said that a

police complaint had already been registered and nobody would be allowed to disturb communal

harmony in the district. "The administration urges various sections of the society to contact the district

authorities for any complaint. They should not allow anyone to take political mileage out of this

condemnable incident," said the DC. (Hindustan Times 15/9/15)

‘Ban-fatwa culture’ growing under Modi regime: Congress (7)

NEW DELHI: Congress on Wednesday warned that "ban-fatwa culture" was growing under the Modi

government and threats to icons Rajnikanth and A R Rahman were symptomatic of the trend over the last

15 months. AICC spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said over the past few months, Indians had been told

"what to wear, celebrate, eat, watch, who to walk with in the park, if they can hold hands, what religion

people should follow, how to pray and what to teach".He said there was an exponential rise in bans and

fatwas, pointing to unprecedented killings of rationalists like Dabholkar and Kalburgi, and asked if this

was the 21st century India that Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised countrymen. Singhvi said the

blame fell squarely on the "pseudo-religiosity of RSS which sees India, the most diverse place on earth,

through the prism of homogenous paradigm of religion and language".Congress said the actions of outfits

claiming to be the guardians of Islam were equally condemnable. "The threats to Rahman and Rajnikanth

are two sides of the same coin -- extreme intolerance which is the anti-thesis of the idea of India," he said.

Singhvi lamented that while ministers and members of the ruling BJP and shadowy outfits of the RSS had

repeatedly indulged in inflammatory statements, there was not even a pro-forma admonishment from the

PM, "forget about actions or punishment". (Times of India 17/9/15)

Education for All, Muslims Can't be Kept in the Dark (7)

Bihar invariably features in every discourse on education and it is usually not for the right reasons. With

its glorious history and traditions of knowledge quest, institutions of global repute, enlightened luminaries

like Lord Mahavira and Gautama Buddha, and rulers like Ashoka the Great, the current education

scenario in Bihar saddens practically everyone, except the politicians in power! Decline and degeneration

is apparent at every stage and aspect of education. On Teachers’ Day, around 600 citizens of Bihar met

in a seminar on Taleem Ki Taqat, the deliberations focusing on how the Muslim community could

extricate itself from backwardness, unemployment, poverty and, above all, a sense of desperation and an

oft-mentioned sense of victimhood. Speakers, achievers in their own field, rather uniformly emphasised

how essential it was to develop self-image and acquire self-assurance in being partners in the progress of

development. It emerged prominently that the Muslim community is keen to let their children get modern

education, along with the traditional Dini Taleem. Instances were cited how innovative efforts to reach

mosques with proposals to teach science and mathematics in addition to religious education were

accepted without any hesitation. An innovative imam from Chennai narrated how concerned he felt for the

community as for decades no youth qualified in the Civil Services Examinations from Tamil Nadu. He

began with a batch of 60 and every year, young Muslim boys and girls are doing well in examinations. He

exhorted the community to act, not complain or expect someone else to come and solve their issues. He

was greatly applauded when he exhorted the community to move out of the shackles of minority-ism and

reservations. Instead, they must rise to realise their full potential as dignified Indians. Another speaker

said the least they deserved from the state governments were ‘truly functional schools’! That alone could

have transformed the socio-economic profile of the community within 10 years. He felt that it would have

brought greater benefits to the community than what the Sachar Committee or Ranganath Misra reports

could do. A functional school means qualified teachers with half of them being women, necessary

infrastructure with computer education provisions in place, and working toilets for boys and girls, drinking

water, regularity and punctuality, and the mother tongue as the medium. Is India not resourceful enough

to provide even this much to its minorities and weaker sections? Those who shout hoarse to drive away

the communal forces from Bihar and thrive on casteism and communalism in the garb of secularism must

account for at least one factor: Why have they not provided even primary education of good quality to

Muslims in Bihar? Has this been a deliberate political ploy to perpetuate poverty amongst a large section

of Indian citizens? The audience response during the deliberations and also afterwards was indeed far

different from the prevailing perceptions. Several youths appeared convinced that the first priority is

universal elementary education that focuses on quality and skill orientation. It should also impart human

values, and basics of all religions indicating their commonalities. That would inculcate the spirit of working

together and develop respect for diversity. This is what India needs in these times of global turmoil and

terror created by religious fanatics. Which other country can match the record of India in people living

together and according equal respect to all religions? In Bihar, every classroom is a multi-religious

ensemble and this is the strength of Bihar. A young person told one of the speakers, “Sir, we shall now

ask for schools that are equipped to teach and impart skills. We feel ashamed that now we are known for

fake degrees, copying in examinations and the entire education system being in a shambles. Bihar shall

regain its glory and primacy in ideas, knowledge and wisdom through the doors of its primary schools!”

Let everyone wish him success. There can be no better way of celebrating Teachers’ Day. (New Indian

Express 19/9/15)

85% of rural landowners are Hindus; Muslims account for just over 11%: Report (7)

New Delhi: An overwhelming majority of rural, landowning households in the country are Hindus — with

their number growing between 2004-05 and 2011-12 — while Muslims constitute only a small minority, a

new government-endorsed study has found. According to the ‘India Rural Development Report 2013-14’

by IDFC, whose foreward has been written by Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh,

nearly 85 per cent of rural, landowning households in 2011-12 were Hindus, and this percentage

increased from 2004-05, while Muslim households constituted just over 11 per cent with the figure having

declined in the same period. In 2006, the Rural Development Ministry under then minister Jairam Ramesh

had inked an agreement for the publication of an annual India Rural Development Report by the IDFC

Rural Development Network. This is the second edition of the report. In 2011-12, while Hindus accounted

for 84.2 per cent of rural landowners, Muslims and other minorities constituted 11.2 per cent and 4.6 per

cent respectively. The figure rose for Hindus in the period between 2004-05 and 2011-12, with a

corresponding decline in the share of the other religious communities. In 2004-05, 81.8 per cent rural

landowners were Hindu households. While Muslims and other minorities accounted for 12.7 and 5.4 per

cent, respectively. Among social groups, data showed that over 40 per cent of rural, landowning

households belonged to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), with the percentage having increased

between 2004-05 and 2011-12. In 2004-05, 41.2 per cent of rural landowners were OBCs, 30.7 per cent

were ‘others’, 19.7 per cent were SCs and 8.4 per cent were from the Scheduled Tribes. The share of

both SCs, STs grew in 2011-12, but at a pace slower than than that of the OBCs. In 2011-12, OBCs held

44.2 per cent land in rural areas, and the figure for ‘Others’, SCs and STs was 23.7 per cent, 20.9 per

cent and 11.2 per cent respectively. In terms of employment status in the farm sector in rural India (above

15 years of age), 61.5 per cent of Muslims were self-employed in 2011-12, as against 65 per cent of

Hindus and 72.1 per cent of other minorities. The corresponding figures in 2004-05 were 62.7 per cent,

63.8 per cent and 68.5 per cent, respectively. The gender break-up for self employed rural people in the

farm sector, however, showed a slightly different picture. In 2011-12, 65 per cent of Muslim women were

self-employed, as against 63.6 per cent of Hindu women and 74.7 of those from other minorities. Among

men, 60.3 per cent of Muslims belonged to this category, as against 65.8 per cent Hindus and 70.5 per

cent from other minorities. In the non-farm sector, 50.8 per cent Muslims were self-employed in 2011-12

— 71.1 per cent women as against 45.8 per cent men. However, among Hindus, 37.6 per cent were self-

employed, with a less stark gender variation at 37 per cent for men and 39.6 per cent for women. The

high numbers for Muslim women in this category was attributed partly to their “restricted mobility” by this

report. It also showed that rural poverty remained “high” among STs and SCs. (Indian Express 23/9/15)

Indict Muslims who wed off minor girls: Gujarat high court (7)

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court has held that the special law - Prohibition of Child Marriage Act

(PCMA) - will prevail over the Muslim Personal Law in cases where Muslims marry off their minor

daughters. Promoters of such marriages will face legal proceedings. The question was whether action

can be taken against people who promote or permit marriage of a Muslim girl less than 18 years because

the Sharia laws permit a girl to take decision about her marriage when she attains the age of puberty, at

around 15. Justice J B Pardiwala on Wednesday ruled that all those who promote or permit such child

marriages are liable to be prosecuted under the central law that bans such early nuptials. The case in

question before the high court was from Gaekwad Haveli police station, where abduction and rape

charges were leveled against Yunush Shaikh (28) who had eloped with a 16-year old girl living in his

neighbourhood. Before elopement, they had also got married in December last year. The girl's father

lodged an FIR and sections 363, 366, 376 of the IPC, provisions of Prevention of Children from Sexual

Offences Act (POCSO) were invoked apart from the PCMA. Looking at the provisions of Personal Laws

and IPC, Justice Pardiwala dropped charges of abduction, luring and rape. However, the HC said that

even in cases of child marriage involving Muslims, the provisions of PCMA cannot be overlooked and

action must be taken against those responsible, said Shaikhs' counsel Soeb Bhoheria. In reaching this

conclusion, the judge spoke of numerous citations from other high courts, the Supreme Court as well as

from laws of other countries. He also extensively cited the Islamic texts besides relying on an article

written by former SC judge Markandey Katju. The HC observed about rigidity on part of Islamic authorities

in interpretation of ancient laws, "Those who have not allowed to change the Muslim Personal Law have

done a great disservice to the community. At the same time, it is also true that as the social condition in

the nation and throughout the world continues to change. The reality of life is that even without a code on

personal law of Muslim in so far as the marriage is concerned, the child marriage is going into oblivion.

Education, changing pattern of the family structure, the structure of the family in the context of reality of

the world, and economic necessities are on their own precipitating the situation. The members of the

community have realized the evil consequences of getting a Muslim girl married at a tendered age of 16

or 17 years." (Times of India 25/9/15)

Decoding the data: Bihar’s Muslim vote, oscillating between diversity and uniformity (7)

There are two features that politically distinguish the Muslims of Bihar. They participate in all kinds of

political processes while retaining their socio-religious identities. Although this form of political

participation is not exclusively Bihar-centric as Muslims in other parts of India, too, are actively involved in

various kinds of politics, the enthusiasm with which politics as a sanctified activity is imbibed in the

cultural universe of Muslim communities of Bihar is certainly unique. Secondly, the upsurge of Pasmanda

politics in the 1990s, which raised the question of internal power structures among Muslims, has

transformed the debate on affirmative action in the country. Thus, it is imperative to ask: do Muslims vote

as a political community in Bihar? A CSDS-Lokniti survey of 2014 offers some interesting trends. It shows

that over 60 per cent Muslims (including OBC Muslims) went with the Congress-RJD alliance, while 21

per cent went with the JD(U). Muslims, as was expected, overwhelmingly rejected the BJP. This is also

true about the Yadav votes. The RJD again emerged as their first choice. Is it thus appropriate to say that

the Yadav-Muslim alliance has resurfaced as an important configuration to counter the Modi-BJP? If that

is the case, can we say that “defeating” the BJP or securing “secularism” might provoke Muslims to act as

a political community in an electoral sense? bihar graphIn the 2010 assembly election, Muslim OBCs

simply went with the Congress. However, it did not affect the Muslim support of the RJD as both general

and OBC Muslims continued to support it. What is most interesting is the noticeable Muslim backing to

the BJP, which emerged a significant choice for both categories of Muslims. However, a very different

political picture comes up in 2014. Though Muslim OBCs did go with the JD(U) to a significant extent, the

RJD was the first choice for most Muslims. These figures lead us to a general inference that Muslims in

Bihar do act collectively as an electoral group. However, this general conclusion needs to be qualified.

Two possible interpretations can be drawn. It is true that the BJP’s aggressive politics and Modi-centric

campaign played a role in organising Muslims at the state level. But this reconfiguration was not

unidirectional. Muslims, it seems, did not follow any active agenda in trying to defeat the BJP. The Muslim

vote was divided among the political formations that offered various socially cohesive alternatives.

Secondly, we must note that the big electoral ideas — development, poverty eradication and even

protection of secular values — actually translate at a constituency level. Muslims voters, like other social

groups, perceive these slogans in their own locally constituted political universe and respond to them

accordingly. The fragmented Muslim vote share secured by various parties in 2014 demonstrates this

aspect well. Modi’s anti-Muslim image or BJP’s pro-Hindu politics, in this sense, is not necessarily

received by Muslims at constituency level in a homogenous way…. (Indian Express 29/9/15)

NCRB data: 21% undertrials lodged in jails are Muslims (7)

New Delhi: Muslims make up for over 21 per cent of all undertrials lodged in various jails in the country

even as their population is just over 14 per cent of the country’s total population, the latest data on

prisons by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showed. An analysis of NCRB’s prison data of

states with significant Muslim population also revealed that in some states the ratio of percentage of

Muslim undertrials in jails to that of the population is almost 2:1.In states such as West Bengal,

Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan, Muslims have almost double the share in undertrial population in

prisons than their actual share in population. In Bengal, where Muslims make up for 27 per cent of the

population as per to the 2011 Census, they account for 47 per cent of undertrials in jails. The figure is

shocking as it shows that almost half of all undertrials in Bengal are Muslims. The situation is worse in

Maharashtra. With a population share of just 12 per cent, Muslims make up 26 per cent of all undertrials

in jails. Gujarat fares just as poorly with Muslims making 23 per cent of all undertrials in the state against

a population share of just 10 per cent. In Rajasthan, percentage share of Muslim undertrials in jails (18

per cent) is double their share in the population (9 per cent). Jharkhand and UP, both with sizeable

Muslim population, have disproportionate Muslim representation in jails. While the minority political outfits

often blame police bias, sociologists cite poor socio-economic condition of Muslims as one of the

reasons. In north India, Bihar fared well. With a significant population of Muslims at 17 per cent, the state

had 18 per cent jail inmates from the community. Kerala was the only Hindu-majority state with a

significant Muslim population that bucked the trend. Against a Muslim population of 27 per cent, the state

had only 23 per cent undertrials coming from the community. In Karnataka, the representation of Muslim

undertrials in jails (13 per cent) was exactly proportional to their population. Andhra Pradesh (united) had

15 per cent Muslim undertrials in jail against 10 per cent share in the population. The data also showed

Delhi and Madhya Pradesh in poor light. With 13 per cent Muslims in Delhi, the community accounted for

22 per cent in jail. In MP, with a share of 7 per cent in population, Muslims made up for 13 per cent of all

undertrials in the state. (Indian Express 5/10/15)

Surge in attacks on Muslims in UP, say activists (7)

AGRA/MEERUT: In a three-part video that went viral in June this year, a group of Hindu men can be seen

beating and parading a Muslim youth in Shamli, announcing "this fate awaits all cow slaughterers".

Dozens of onlookers watched the man, later identified as Riyaz, being thrashed with a belt. In the video's

third part, police arrive on the scene and arrest the victim instead of his attackers. Thousands have

shared the video uploaded on June 27 — a topic of heated discussion on social media. On February 19,

in Saharanpur, Jahangir (24), died after a group of Hindu youths assaulted him. On June 15, one Haidar

Ali was severely beaten up, tied to a motorcycle and dragged for several metres in Pilibhit, allegedly after

a scuffle with Hindu youths. Mohammad Akhlaq's murder in Dadri has the country talking,butMuslim

groups say attacks againstthem have seen a steep rise in UP of late. According to Mashkoor Alam,

coordinator of NGO Action Aid thathas provided data to National Commission for Minority Rights, the

number of such attacks in the past year stands at 130. The home ministry, too, said UP saw over 100

"communal riots" last year. In December 2014, Union MoS for home Kiren Rijiju told Lok Sabha 90 people

were killed in 561 incidents of communal violence across India till October 2014. Of these, the maximum

— 25 — were killed in UP. The national crime records bureau report of 2014 has stated western UP had

the highest instances of riots in the state. Muslims across the restive belt have been saying trade in beef

or its consumption are increasingly being used as an excuse to assault the minority community. Or there

is the sensitive issue of 'love jihad' used as a ruse. On June 28, a 25-year-old man waskilled and about a

dozen injured in cross-fi ring after communal clashes in Rampur-Maniharan locality of Saharanpur that,

eyewitnesses said, were triggered by a "molestation" incident. Before that, on May 4, five members of

Tablighi Jamaat, a religious movement that started as an offshoot of the Deobandi movement in 1927 and

has now spread to millions across countries, were attacked in a Delhi-bound train in Shamli. Tension

erupted in the region after a mob clashed with police at the local Kandhla police station. Such attacks are

concentrated in west UP but not confi ned to the region. The Muslim community observed a peaceful

bandh in Faizabad on August 24 to protest a case of alleged arson in which unknown miscreants are said

to have hurled petrol bombs at a place of worship. Some unidentified persons tried to set a mosque, also

the local office of Jamiat Ulema Hind, on fi re on August 17. An FIR was lodged but no arrests followed.

Maulana Khalid Rashid, from Lucknow's Firangi Mahal, said fear among Muslims is apparent these days.

"PM Modi should discourage this kind of politics. Vitriolic comments of Yogi Adityanath and Sakshi

Maharaj affect the youth and we have 20-yearolds attacking us." The police partly blame social media for

the "mischief". State ADG Daljeet Singh Chaudhary told TOI, "Some groups constantly try to foment

communal tensions... Trouble mongers excessively use social media to disturb peace. To counter it, we

have set up a social media monitoring lab in Meerut." (Times of India 3/10/15)

Better-off Muslims targeted: Report (7)

NEW DELHI: A ground report prepared by a team of faculty and students of JNU and Hindu College has

raised questions over the temple priest who went missing after Akhlaq's lynching in Dadri. The report

terms the incident "an extension of the new genre of low intensity, high impact communal tension

targeting better-off Muslims and instilling fear of brute power of the majority community." The report also

raised concern over banning media from Bisada village. On October 2, a team of Janhastakshep, led by

academics Vikas Bajpai from JNU and professor Ish Mishra of Hindu College along with students, went to

Bisada to investigate the incident. Releasing the report, Rahul Jalali, president of Press Club of India,

slammed the political class for playing politics over the incident and banning media. "There has been a

pattern since the last few months of targeting media. This is an extension of the same intolerance." The

team found a prospering of dubious 'senas' in the area of which some are Rashtravadi Pratap Sena,

Samadhan Sena and Ram Sena. "It is our opinion that these organizations have been consistently laying

the preparatory ground for an event like the lynching," the report states. Bajpai said, "The village dates

back to around 500 years and there has been no overt communal tension. The appearance of a mob

amid all harmony is disturbing." (Times of India 7/10/15)

PM Modi skirting ‘real issue’: Congress (7)

New Delhi: The main Opposition Congress party on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has

“skirted the real issue” in the wake of the Dadri lynching incident while appealing to Hindus and Muslims

to work together to fight poverty. “The Prime Minister has skirted the real issue. He has appealed to

Hindus and Muslims to fight against poverty...By this statement, he has not condemned Dadri incident

and those in BJP playing the communal card on the issue,” AICC spokesperson R.P.N. Singh said. Asked

about his reaction on the Prime Minister’s statement, Mr Singh said, “Why can’t the PM ask Hindus and

Muslims to live in peace?” and deplore those MLAs, MPs, party (BJP) office bearers and Union ministers

who continue to spread communal venom. While the PM is not disapproving the Dadri lynching,

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav broke his silence on this issue saying it was a “pre-

planned” conspiracy hatched by three persons of a particular party and that they were also behind the

2013 riots in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district. While non-BJP chief ministers are maintaining

silence on this issue and a debate on cow slaughter, eating beef, the return of Sahitiya Akademi Award

by Ashok Vajpeyi and Nayantara Sahgal in the middle of the Bihar elections is not a good development

for the government. The Congress said hardliners in the BJP cannot be checked as they are backed by

the top. The non-BJP chief ministers, especially Mamata Banerjee, Naveen Patnaik and Jayalalithaa,

have not reacted strongly to the Dadri lynching yet. Although the CMs of the Congress and Left too are

not vocal on this issue, their parties have taken a clear position on it. Though Uttar Pradesh chief minister

Akhilesh Yadav has spoken about it, R.P.N. Singh views that the Samajwadi Party and the BJP are

working in tandem in Uttar Pradesh thinking that the communal polarisation would ultimately help them in

elections. He also asked why hardliners in the BJP, including ministers and MPs, continue to raise

polarising issues; is it not because they are backed by the top? Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti

Mohammad Sayeed on Wednesday asked the Centre to take steps for curbing such incidents. (Asian

Age 9/10/15)

22 Indians among world’s influential Muslims (7)

The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC), an international non-governmental institute based in

Amman, Jordan, has brought out "The Muslim 500: The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims" 2016

edition, which lists out these influential men in 13 distinct categories. Incidentally, this is the seventh

annual publication from the Centre, an affiliate of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought. The

RISSC points out that there are 1.7 billion Muslims across the world today, making up approximately 23

percent of the world's population. Being citizens of their respective countries, they also have a sense of

belonging to the 'Ummah', the worldwide Muslim community. The annual publication sets out to ascertain

the influence some Muslims have on this community, or on behalf of the community. It defines an

'influential person' as one who has cultural, ideological, financial and political power or otherwise make a

change that would have a significant impact on Muslims. Such an impact can either be positive or

negative, depending on one's perspective…. (Times of India 11/10/15)

“Don’t call buffalo meat beef, it confuses most”, says Muslim body (7)

Bhopal: A Muslim body in Bhopal has said that buffalo meat shouldn’t be termed as beef, because it

creates confusion among the minds of a large section of Hindu populace, gives a wrong impression to the

society and leads to communalism. The Bharatiya Muslim Sangh, a body of Muslim clerics, has decided

to launch a campaign and tell people that Muslims don’t eat beef because of Hindu sentiments and there

should be complete ban on cow slaughter and export of beef in India. “Indian Muslims don’t consume

beef. Even Mughal rulers prohibited cow slaughter and the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar had

said that anybody guilty of cow slaughter would be punished with death sentence”, said Noor Ullah

Yousufzai, the general secretary of the body. Yousufzai said that many people unknowingly use the term

‘beef’ for buffalo meat which is widely consumed in India, but use of the term beef for buffalo meat leads

to confusion. “In foreign countries, they might use the word beef for cow, buffalo and bullock’s mutton, but

in India, it affects sensibilities and people feel that beef is being served in hotels in Muslim dominated

localities, which is not the case. This is buffalo mutton. This is a very serious issue and so the word

buffalo meat should be used”, Yousufzai said. “We will print posters, send letters to politicians, approach

Hindu organisations and will use social media to clarify this”, he added. The Sangh, a non-political group,

said when ‘buffalo meat’ is consumed, it is termed beef, which is wrong. It said that even Darul Uloom,

Deoband has issued fatwa against cow slaughter. (Hindustan Times 13/10/15)

Beef row an ‘artificial crisis’, Indian Muslims don’t eat cow meat: Mark Tully (7)

Agra: Renowned veteran journalist Mark Tully today called the controversy over beef that has taken

centrestage in the country a "manufactured" issue and an "artificial crisis", adding that very few Indian

Muslims ate cow meat in any case. Tully, who has covered major landmarks in Indian history during his

stint with the BBC, from Indo-Pak conflicts to the Bhopal gas tragedy and Operation Blue Star, Indira

Gandhi's assassination and its aftermath, said, "I have been living in the Nizamuddin area in Delhi for

more than a decade, in what is the national capital's most densely populated Muslim area, but never

came across any Muslim who preferred to eat cow meat." Commenting on the peace-loving nature of

Indians, Tully said, "There are communities who eat the flesh of canines, but they respect the sentiments

of people like me, who are animal or dog lovers. Similarly, Muslims in India too respect the sentiments of

other communities and avoid food cultures which may hurt others." Condemning the Dadri lynching

incident, Tully said, "The entire incident was based on a rumour and the Indian government should bring

justice to the victims, while media should bring nothing more than truth." Tully was in Agra for the SAARC

Nations Summit organized by Folklore Research Academy (Amritsar) to give a lecture on challenges

before South Asia and the role of India and Pakistan. Speaking to the audience of nearly 600 in which

Steve Jacob, Pankaj Pachauri, Bangladeshi journalist Munni Shah, Suba Rao, Qamar Agha, Jatin Desai

and many more writers, journalists and activists from SAARC nations were present, Tully said, "Conflicts

between two nations can only be solved by public diplomacy, in which citizens are given the right to

decide." Responding to a question on the recent incident in Mumbai, in which members of the Shiv Sena

attacked Sudheendra Kulkarni and smeared his face with black ink, Tully said, "It was a disgraceful act

and brought shame to a country which is known for its tolerance and unity in diversity." He added that the

post-Emergency period, after the 1977 elections, was the best period for India and Morarji Desai was one

of the many good prime ministers he had come across. M(Times of India 17/10/15)

Mumbai Police thrashed two young Muslims, asked them to go to Pakistan (7)

Residents of Mahim, two 19-year-olds Asif Shaikh and Danish Shaikh were allegedly detained and

tortured by a few Bandra police officers on suspicion of being Pakistani terrorists or ISIS agents on

Saturday, a leading daily reported. Asif who works as a gym trainer was with Danish near Bandra

Reclamation on the way back home from Bhabha Hospital, when they were allegedly picked up by the

police. Victims' relatives and neighbours allege that both Asif and Danish were detained and grilled for

over three hours and were beaten badly. They were even asked to "leave India and go to Pakistan" by the

police, they said. Asif was hit with belts and batons and Danish slapped and punched, after which the

police finally made a call to their parents to take them back. It is not clear whether the detention of Asif

and Danish was made an official entry in police records. Asif's photo published in the news report shows

the brutality he was treated with, but the police is yet to make comment on the incident. (DNA 18/10/15)

No uniform civil code please: Muslim women's group (7)

New Delhi: A Muslim women's group on Tuesday opposed attempts to impose a uniform civil code but

said "a gender just reform" was needed in the Muslim personal law. Any move to introduce a uniform civil

code without taking into account the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion would be wrong, the

Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan said. "Article 25 the constitution gives the right to all, including

minorities, to have personal laws based on respective tenets of different religious communities," the group

said in a statement. "Under this provision, we demand a gender just reform in the Muslim personal law

based on the Quranic values of equality and justice, in line with article 25 of the constitution." The group

pointed out that the Supreme Court observation on the need to bring about a gender just legal framework

was not aimed at imposing anything on different communities. "As per the BJP manifesto, the NDA

government wants to impose a family law on all communities with the intention of national integration," it

said. "It is important to point out that national integration cannot happen by a common family law but by

treating all citizens equally. "There can be no imposition of any kind as this would impinge on the religious

freedom and secularism principles enshrined in the constitution. Nor would different socio-religious

communities accept this. "Like all religious majority and minority community in India, Muslims must also

have a codified Muslim personal law based on its religious text. "Just as there is a Hindu Marriage Act for

Hindus, just as there is a Indian Christian Marriage Act for Christians, just as there is a Parsi Marriage

and Divorce (Amendment) Act for the Parsis, Muslims too should have an amended Shariat Application

Act to ensure a law for the Muslim community which is in consonance with the Islamic and constitutional

values of justice and equality." The group said the recent targeted violence on minorites "have led to an

atmosphere of insecurity and deep sense of fear within the Muslim community and amongst all minorities.

"Any talk of a uniform civil code is only adding to the strongly felt sense of hurt and alienation. "This

atmosphere of intimidation does not help the cause of women's demand for justice at all. "It appears that

for the fringe right-wing groups, uniform civil code is another stick to beat the community with," the group

said. (Deccan Herald 21/10/15)

Muslims groups hit out at 'communal' acts (7)

GUWAHATI: Condemning the recent incidents of cow body parts being recovered from temple premises

in different parts of the state, three Assamese Muslim organizations cautioned that such incidents prove

how vested groups are trying to create communal clashes in the state for political gains. The three

organizations - Sadou Asom Garia Yuva Parishad (SAGYP), Asomiya Muslim Kalyan Parishad (AMKP)

and Ujoni Asom Muslim Kalyan Parishad - in a joint statement said the incidents were orchestrated as

part of a conspiracy ahead the 2016 assembly election. "We condemn the incidents of desecration of

temples by throwing cow body parts. People of the state have to maintain communal harmony at all cost,"

said AMKP president Rahamsa Ali. SAGYP president Abdul Hamid warned that unless these communal

forces are nipped in the bud, the situation in coming days may turn more violent. The three groups also

alleged that the AIUDF has failed to champion the causes of indigenous Assamese Muslims. (Times of

India 21/10/15)

Muslim body asks govt. to allot land for burial (7)

MANGALURU: The Muslim community residing in and around Jeppu in the city categorically stated that it

has sought allotment of about 26 cents of vacant government land at Attavar-Nandigudda for a burial

ground and not burial land being used by other communities, including the Hindus. J. Sadique, president

of Muhyideen Juma Masjid and Dars, Noorul Islam Madrasa, Jeppu, in a release here said that the

government may also allot any other suitable land other than the Nandigudda land as every human being

is entitled for an honourable burial. Recently residents of Jeppu, Attavar and surrounding areas under the

banner of Vishwa Hindu Parishad had held a demonstration protesting the decision of the government to

allot certain portion of the land in Nandigudda for Muslim burial ground. Following the protest, the

assistant commissioner of Mangaluru Revenue Sub Division heard both the parties and reserved his

order on the issue. Mr. Sadique said the government burial land in Nandigudda has been offered to

various communities, including 2.32 acres to Hindus, 59 cents to Brahmo Samaj, 2.28 acres to Christians,

1 acre to Mescom, 7 cents to Syrian Christians, 10 cents to Jehovah’s Witnesses and 43 cents for roads.

There remains another 26 cents of government land which has been vacant, which the Muslim

community has claimed, he said. Mr. Sadique said Jeppu area houses about 50,000 Muslims, while the

available burial ground is on just 21 cents of land, which is being used for over a century and the

community is facing a severe shortage of space. (The Hindu 29/10/15)

RSS seeks review of population policy to counter Muslim growth (7)

Ranchi: The RSS on Saturday sought a review of the population policy to counter “severe demographic

changes” in India, flagging what it considers a high rate of growth among Muslims in the country. The

Hindutva outfit – considered the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP at the Centre – passed a resolution

on the contentious issue at its three-day national executive in Jharkhand’s capital. The RSS and its

affiliated organisations have been citing the last census figures to claim that the Hindus are facing the

threat of being swamped by Muslims, though the minority community accounts for only 14.2% of the

country’s population while their population is growing at a slower rate. The Hindu population was pegged

at 79.8% of the population by the religion data of Census 2011. “The share of population of religions of

Bharatiya origin has slipped from 88% to 83.5% between 1951-2011 censuses while Muslim population

has increased from 9.8% to 14.23% in the intervening period,” said the resolution, a copy of which was

released to the media. The RSS considers the Hindus as Bharatiyas (Indians) to make a distinction with

Muslims and Christians whom the organisation claims arrived with “invaders” like the Mughals and British.

Expressing concern over the “demographic imbalances”, the RSS urged the Centre to reformulate the

national population policy keeping in view the availability of resources in the country and future needs, the

same idea floated by the outfit’s top leader Mohan Bhagwat in his Vijaya Dashami speech in Nagpur on

October 22. It also pointed out alleged abnormal rise in population of Muslims and Christians in some

Northeast states like Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. “The Muslim population growth rate has been

higher than the national average in border states of Assam, West Bengal and Bihar indicating unabated

infiltration from Bangladesh which is corroborated by the Upamanyu Hazarika commission report and

judicial pronouncements from time to time,” the resolution read, adding that the infiltrators were usurping

the rights of the natives and resulting in socio-cultural and economic tensions. The organisation said that

the “unnatural growth of Christian population in many districts of the country indicates targeted religious

conversion activity by some vested interests” and threatening the unity, integrity and cultural identity of

the country. RSS leader Krishna Gopal said though India was one of the early countries in the world to

announce as early as 1952 that it will have population planning measures, it was only in 2000 that a

comprehensive population policy was formulated and a population commission was formed. In January

this year, BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj had asked all Hindu women to bear four children to protect the

religion, which was slammed by women rights activists and minority organisations. (Hindustan Times

1/11/15

Rajasthan: Highest school dropout rates among Muslims, SCs/STs (7)

Jaipur: Children of scheduled caste/scheduled tribes and Muslim communities in Rajasthan are the worst

affected in cases of school dropouts, a report of a joint survey by district information system for education

(DISE) and independent bodies has revealed. The survey report was presented by educationalist Ganesh

Nigam at the two-day national consultation on right to education (RTE) organised jointly by United

Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)and Ajit foundation on Saturday. According to the report, the annual

average dropout rate at primary level for the state was at 8.39% in 2013-14 and 18.50% for the Muslim

community. Similarly, the dropout rate was higher in SC and ST communities with 9.57% and 10.04%

respectively. In the upper primary level, Muslim dropouts form the highest average with 20.59% as

compared to the state average of 6.03%. SC and ST communities mark steep averages of 7.51% and 7%

respectively. Muslim students have the lowest transition rate (from primary to upper primary level of

education) with 70.46% as compared to the state average of 88.23%. SC/ST kids have lower transition

rates of 87.70% and 81.60% respectively. “Children of SC/ST and Muslim communities have the lowest

attendance in schools. Unless education is inclusive to all communities, the RTE act is nothing but a

failure,” said Nigam. “Government schools provide free education. But disdain by teachers and an

inactive administration force parents to pull out their kids from schools. Economic disparity is the biggest

reason behind this trend,” said Sayyed Masood Akhtar, state president, Rajasthan Madarsa Education

Helpers’ Association (RMEHA). “Access to public schools is anyway very limited to this community due to

poverty but the dropouts can join madarsas,” said Saeed Ahmed, additional director, Madarsa Board.

Dalit activists, however, believe that social disparity is the reason behind the increasing dropouts among

the SC/ST and Muslim sections. “Teachers have a negative mindset against the deprived sections and

discourage children at the initial level. Children of Valmiki community have stopped going to school as

they were asked to be manual scavengers there,” said PL Minroth, chief functionary, center for Dalit

rights. The report adds that Muslim girls constitute 22.90 % of annual average dropout rate at the upper

primary level as compared to that of boys at 18.77%, citing lack of safety assurances from the

government and societal bodies as the reason for this trend. “Numerous reasons including patriarchy,

lack of safety and poverty are responsible for this trend. Parents are not usually willing to send their

daughters to distant schools. If more female staff are included in government schools, then we can

certainly improve this figure,” said Ameen Kayamkhani, patron, RMEHA. (Hindustan Times 3/11/15)

Clerics take on joblessness among Muslims (7)

BAREILLY: The clerics of Dargah Aala Hazrat have decided to launch a campaign on the last day of the

annual Urs-e-Razvi to combat unemployment in the community. In invitation posters to the annual Urs

next month, visitors have been told to give the total amount of zakat money (mandatory alms) to one

unemployed and poor person for setting up a business, rather than distributing it among scores of poor

people. The posters of invitation have been sent to followers of the Barelvi school of Islamic theology

across the world on behalf of Hazrat Subhan Raza Khan alias Subhani Miyan, chairperson of the shrine.

The poster mentions that the rate of unemployment among youth, and not just in the community, has

been rising. India is counted among poor and backward countries of the world because of the high

unemployment, the poster explains. "However, nothing could be a better service to the country than if our

community could come together to combat unemployment. Every person attending Urs should promise

that they will donate the zakat to an unemployed and needy person, to assist him in setting up a

business," Subhani Miyan told TOI. A mandatory donation in Islam, equal to 2.5% of a follower's wealth,

is collected from all those whose wealth and income exceed 52 tolas of silver a year. This is called zakat.

Maulana Mohammed Ehsan Raza Khan, the Sajjadanasheen (hereditary head) of the shrine said, "If an

unemployed person becomes employed, he would be able to help other poor people. However, if the

same amount is distributed among many poor people, it will not help in eradicating poverty." Besides the

invitation posters which have been printed in Urdu, pamphlets in English and Hindi are also being readied

for distribution among visitors to the Urs, set to begin from December 6. "On the last day of the Urs,

December 8, we will ask other clerics and followers to agree that they follow this advice for fighting

unemployment among Muslim youth. We will ask them to raise their hands to confirm that they would give

their zakat to an unemployed youth," said Mufti Mohammed Salim Noori, who will be among the speakers

at the event. Noori said that instead of waiting for the government to create job opportunities, the

community must begin to help itself. The clerics have also planned a special workshop for Muslim

women, to make them better aware of their rights on December 6. On the second day of the Urs,

December 7, a conference will be organized to counter proposed changes to Muslim Personal Law and

ensure better security for Indian Muslims. The 97th Urs-e-Razvi of Aala Hazrat Imam Ahmed Raza,

founder of the Barelvi movement, will be organized from December 6-8. Lakhs of followers routinely

converge at Bareilly for this annual event. Nearly 50,000 clerics from across the country are expected to

congregate at the Urs this year. (Times of India 8/11/15)

Bihar verdict: More Muslim MLAs, fewer women (7)

Samastipur MLA Akhtarul Islam Shaheen entered RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s home on Patna’s 10 Circular

Road Tuesday and casually checked the schedule for the grand alliance legislature party meeting.

Though he wore a relaxed look, he made it clear how much his victory meant to him. The high-profile seat

had pitched him against BJP heavyweight Renu Kushwaha, whom he defeated by 34,000 votes.

Shaheen said he should get credit for winning by that margin. In the previous election, Shaheen had

defeated Ramnath Thakur, Karpoori Thakur’s son and currently a JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP. Shaheen is

one of 24 Muslim MLAs freshly elected in Bihar, the highest since the bifurcation of the state. The 2010

assembly had 19 Muslims. The highest ever was 34 in the undivided Bihar of 1985, making up over 10½

per cent of the then assembly of 325 members. The current 24 Muslim MLAs represent just under 10 per

cent of the 243-member assembly. Eleven of them, or nearly half the 24, are from Shaheen’s RJD,

including Abdul Bari Siddiqui and Faraz Fatmi from the Mithilanchal belt where the grand alliance routed

the opposition on the strength of a Muslim-Yadav combination and an apparent shift from among the

upper-caste Brahmin vote, considered a BJP constituency. Put together, the grand alliance has 22

Muslim MLAs, which will give it flexibility of options while selecting Muslim ministers. The Congress has

six Muslims among its 27 MLAs. Its Muslim representation is higher than that of the JD(U), which has five

among its 71. The JD(U)’s five include Mujahid Alam who toppled sitting MLA Akhatarul Imam in a contest

of Muslims in Kocha Dhaman. Iman had won the seat as an RJD candidate in 2010 but has since moved

to Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM and is that party’s face in Bihar. Of the two Muslim MLAs outside of the

grand alliance, one is with the BJP and one with the CPI(ML) — Mahboob Alam from Balrampur. The

CPI(ML) won two other seats. The BJP’s MLA is Mohammed Javed, who retained his seat, Kishanganj.

Another sitting BJP MLA, Saba Zafar, failed to retain Amour, which went to Abdul Jalil of the Congress.

The BJP had fielded only these two Muslims, leaving it to its allies to represent that community. None of

the five MLAs elected from the BJP’s three partners is a Muslim. Prominent Muslim faces among the RJD

MLAs include Iliyas Hussain (former minister), Faisal Rahman, Shamim Ahmed and Faiyaz Ahmed, apart

from Siddiqui and Fatmi. The JD(U)’s Muslim MLAs include Sarfuddin who defeated HAM’s Lovely Anand

with a narrow margin, Sarfaraz Alam and Naushad Alam, besides Mujahid. Most of the JD(U)’s and the

Congress’s Muslim winners are from the Seemanchal region. “The Congress is happy about having

rediscovered its old cadre vote of Muslims, upper castes and Dalits,” said Prem Chandra Mishra, AICC

media panellist RJD national spokesperson Manoj Jha said his party maintained a very good social

combination in winning 80 of the 101 seats it contested. (Indian Express 11/11/15)

Education is most critical to uplift Muslims: Mufti Mohammed Sayeed (7)

CHENNAI: Armed with the previous UPA regime's Sachar committee findings on the socio, economic and

educational status of Muslims, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed on Saturday

said educational backwardness was the main reason for the community's inability to progress

economically. The CM was here to participate in the United Economic Forum's two-day trade summit. "I

have always believed that education is most critical to uplift our community," he said. "I do not find any

stark contradictions between the need for religious education and the importance of having a secular

modern outlook in today's world," he added, recalling that he had studied in a Madrassa and graduated in

law from Aligarh Muslim University. The decline in the socio-economic and educational status of Muslims

in the sub-continent began as early as in 18th century. It was pioneers and geniuses like Sir Syed Ahmed

Khan (the founder of Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College, which went on to become AMU), who

showed that education was the path to development, Sayeed said. Another visionary leader and one of

the greater scholars of the religion, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, understood the importance of education

and believed that Muslims could carve out a distinct niche for themselves in secular and diverse India.

Azad was chosen by Jawaharlal Nehru to be Independent India's first education minister and pioneered

modern education system by setting up institutions and bodies. The PDP leader recalled the

recommendations of the Sachar Committee, which pointed out 'clearly' that the status of Muslims is lower

than the status of SC/ST in many areas. The United Economic Forum's trade summit saw MoUs signed to

the tune of Rs 2,439.5 crore in sectors like power, infrastructure and industrial park, warehousing,

logistics, infrastructure, real estate, education and tourism. (Times of India 15/11/15)

Karnataka Muslim groups condemn Paris terror attacks (7)

Bengaluru: Muslim associations in Karnataka have come together to condemn the terror attack in Paris

by alleged Islamic State militants as “an attempt to destroy world peace and stability”. In a joint statement

representatives of eight Muslim organizations in Karnataka have stated that the Paris attacks “have

nothing to do with Islamic teachings”. The “religion of Islam does not tolerate any such violence against

human lives and property, let alone sanctioning it,” says the statement. “We express deep shock and

sense of grief at this loss of lives and convey our heartfelt condolences to the kin and the families of the

victims of this barbaric act,” the statement said. “It is time that we, the peace-loving citizens of society

stand shoulder to shoulder to root out the terrorists and the terrorism to save the world and ensure

continuance of peace and stability around the world,” the statement said. The statement has been signed

by Maulana Syed Mustafa Rifayi Jeelani, founder member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board;

Maulana Iftikhar Ahmed Qasmi the President of the Jamiatul Ulema Hind, Karnataka; Maulana

Muhammad Maqsood Imran Rashadi, Khateeb and Imam, Jama Masjid, Bangalore; Maulana Ejaz

Ahmed Nadwi, Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Karnataka; Masood Abdul Khader, convener, Federation of

Associations of Karnataka Muslims; Alhaj Ameer Jan, Charmin Jamia Hazrath Bilal, Karnataka; Alhaj

Atharullah Shariff, President, Jamaat e Islami Hind, Karnataka zone, and Alhaj Shahid Ahmed, General

Secretary, Milli Council, Karnataka. (Indian Express 16/11/15)

Muslims skip ‘namaz’ to attend Nitish show (7)

PATNA: A large number of Muslims from different parts of the state were present at Gandhi Maidan when

Nitish Kumar was sworn in as chief minister of Bihar for the fifth time on Friday. As Muslims offer "juma

namaz" every Friday, their presence in large numbers at the oath-taking ceremony came as a pleasant

surprise for the three Mahagathbandhan allies - RJD, JD(U) and Congress - which rode to power on

massive support from the minority community. "We are happy that Mahagathbandhan has won the

election. We supported this alliance to live in peace," said a Muslim present at the event. Tahir Mansoor,

who had come from Benipur in Vaishali district, appeared quite energetic. He reached the venue three

hours before the oath-taking ceremony began. "I have lots of expectation from the new government.

Ensuring quality education should be the top priority of the government," he said. Mohammad Mansoor, a

social worker from Kawa Chicknouta village in Vaishali district, echoed Tahir's tone. He said many Urdu

medium schools are running without teachers. "The new government should focus on recruiting Urdu

teachers," he said. Ali Raza, a septuagenarian from Patepur in Vaishali district, said Nitish government

should set up free coaching institutes in villages to help poor students prepare for competitive

examinations. Mohammad Tanvir Alam, 42, who had come from Sikkat panchayat in Katihar with seven

of his neighbours, said he supported the Mahagathbandhan for Nitish Kumar's clean image. Mohammad

Asim, 18, who is preparing for engineering entrance examination, said, "It is but natural that the new

government will work for the welfare of the minority community. As a young Indian, I want no

discrimination on the basis of religion or caste." Four Muslim legislators took oath as ministers on Friday.

They included Khurshid alias Feroz Ahmad from JD(U), Abdul Bari Siddiqui from RJD, Abdul Ghafoor

from RJD and Abdul Jalil Mastan from Congress. Altogether, 24 Muslim candidates had emerged

victorious in the recently concluded Bihar assembly election. (Times of India 21/11/15)

Inclusiveness keeps Indian Muslims from joining Islamic State: US envoy Richard Verma (7)

MUMBAI: The inclusive model of the country has kept Indian Muslims from joining terror outfit Islamic

State, US ambassador to India Richard Verma said here on Monday. "India has been a model of

inclusiveness," Verma told reporters when asked why have so few Indian Muslims joined the Islamic

State. To a query on his assessment of threat perception of the dreaded terror group to India, Verma said

it is for Indian officials to address that question. "But as President (Barack) Obama said, this is a serious

threat and we intend to intensify our strategies and it will require diligent efforts from all levels," Verma

said. For countering terrorism in mega-cities, governments must create an ecosystem of cohesion and

inclusivity, the US ambassador said. "We have to get to the root causes of unrest. As cities grow bigger

here is a potential that certain sections of population become disaffected and frustrated. So there is an

importance of good governance," he said. The US Ambassador also spoke of India-US cooperation on

terrorism front including "shutting of the terror outfits finances and networks" (Times of India 23/11/15)

Palwal clash 'classic example of intolerance': Riot victims (7)

CHANDIGARH: Members of the Muslim community have termed the violence at Tikri Brahman village in

Palwal in July, as a "classic example of the intolerance and intimidation meted out to people of minority

community in Haryana".In an affidavit filed before the Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday, they

have said that if the true genesis of the riot is not exposed, the consequences may be a multiplication of

similar planned attacks on minorities. A number of mostly Muslim houses were set on fire by an angry

mob on July 5 after some youths allegedly passed lewd remarks on a woman who had gone to fetch

water at a hand pump on the outskirts of the village. It all started with a minor scuffle between the youths

but soon blew up into a full-scale riot. Countering the status report of Haryana police, submitted before

the high court on November 5, the victims have claimed that the state police fabricated facts to show the

violence as an altercation when it was "actually a planned and sustained attack on the minority

community". "It is shocking to see that the investigating agency has termed it altercation," submitted the

victims on Thursday. The case is pending before the high court after Mohammad Haneef and four other

residents of Tikri Brahman filed a petition, seeking a CBI probe in the violence. In the status report, police

had termed the violence as an altercation between villagers, which was projected by some anti-social

elements as a communal riot. The report also claimed that the main intention of the incident was loot. A

document signed by the "peace committee" of the village on October 10 was also produced, claiming all

was well in the village. The cops claimed that the petition had been filed just to take undue benefit in

upcoming panchayat polls. Questioning the police investigation, the petitioners submitted that documents

of the Palwal fire brigade reveal that all 17 houses set on fire in the violence belonged to Muslims while

no property of other communities was touched. "Had there been any incident of setting ablaze the houses

of the majority community by the people of the minority community, the same would have been reflected

in the damage report of the Fire Department," the petitioners have told the court. "The failure of the

investigating agency to collect this document in their investigation is not inadvertent but deliberate, and

consistent with the partisan and tainted investigation." The petitioner also denied holding of meeting of the

peace committee and submitted that the signatories of the joint statement mostly belonged to the majority

community. (Times of India 27/11/15)

Centre awaiting UP Govt’s report on Dadri lynching: Naqvi (7)

New Delhi:The central government is awaiting a report it had sought from the Akhilesh Yadav

dispensation to ascertain factual position and action taken by the state in the Dadri lynching incident, the

Lok Sabha was told on Wednesday. “As law and order is a state subject, a report has been called for

ascertaining the factual position, comments and action taken by the state government, which is still

awaited,” nion Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said in a written reply to a

question. The minister was asked if the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) had, in its report on the

incident, stated whether the killing was “pre-mediated” and if the episode was a result of planning in which

a “sacred” place like temple was used for “exhorting” people of a community to attack a “hapless” family.

He was also asked about the Ministry’s reaction to the Commission findings and steps it took/proposes to

take on the panel’s recommendations. Naqvi did not give direct answers to the queries but confirmed the

Union government had received the NCM report with its observations on the episode. He said the Union

Home Ministry had on October 5 issued an advisory to the state government stating that there is “zero

tolerance” toward any attempt to “weaken the secular fabric and exploiting religious emotions or

sentiments”. “Also the MHA has called on the states to take strictest action as per law against such

elements without any exception whatsoever,” Naqvi added. A three-member team of the Commission led

by its chairman Naseem Ahmad had visited Bishada village near Dadri in Uttar Pradesh and interacted

with family members of Mohammed Ikhlaq, who was lynched following rumours of beef eating in

September this year, the authorities concerned and locals. In its report compiled in October this year and

put up on its website, the NCM had stated the lynching strongly appeared to be the result of “planning

under which people were incited using a temple”. The minority panel had also described in the report as

“disturbing” the “irresponsible comments” by politicians who paid visit to the village after the incident. The

NCM said it will be “quite an understatement” to say the killing was merely an “accident as has been

claimed even by some persons in authority”. (Hindustan Times 2/12/15)

Man arrested for ‘derogatory remark’ against Prophet (7)

Lucknow: THE Lucknow police Wednesday arrested a man who allegedly passed derogatory remarks

against Prophet Muhammad, after students of Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband and other

members of Muslim community staged a protest demanding action against the person, who claimed

himself to be associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha. SP, West, Ajay Kumar confirmed the

arrest of the person, identified as one Kamlesh Tiwari. The SP told mediapersons that Tiwari had

circulated a paper allegedly containing derogatory comments against Muslims. The officer, however,

denied Tiwari was associated with Hindu Mahasabha. At Deoband, hundreds of Muslims staged protest

against the alleged remarks. They were joined by students of Darul Uloom Deoband seminary. Chairman,

Municipal Board Deoband, Maviya Ali however controlled the situation keeping the protesters confined to

Darul Uloom Chowk. In the commotion, a loudspeaker fell on Ali’s head causing heavy bleeding. This

sparked rumours among the protesters that Ali got hurt in stone-pelting but the matter was brought under

control with prompt clarification. “There were young students and I got hurt by a loudspeaker, there was

no stone pelting. They were pacified after assurance that Tiwari has been arrested. Situation is normal

here,” Ali told The Indian Express. (Indian Express 3/12/15)

70,000 clerics issue fatwa against terrorism, 15 lakh Muslims support it (7)

BAREILLY: On the last day of Urs-e-Razvi of Dargah Aala Hazrat, nearly 70,000 clerics came together

and passed a fatwa against terrorist organizations, including IS, Taliban and al-Qaida. These are "not

Islamic organizations," the clerics said to a sea of followers, adding that the members of these outfits

were "not Muslims". Around 15 lakh followers who visited the Urs put their signatures to a document

circulated at the Urs, protesting terrorist strikes. Mufti Mohammed Saleem Noori, one of the clerics who

passed the fatwa told TOI on Tuesday, "From Sunday onwards, when the annual Urs began, members of

Dargah Aala Hazrat have been distributing forms among followers seeking signatures to show that those

signing stand against terrorism. Nearly 15 lakh Muslims have recorded their protest. Around 70,000

clerics from across the world, who were part of the event, passed the fatwa." Noori said he would like to

request the media to stop calling terrorist groups "Muslim organizations".Hazrat Subhan Raza Khan,

chairperson of the influential Dargah Aala Hazrat, said that following the Paris attacks, it was decided that

a fatwa should be passed at the Urs this year, so the message went out loud and clear that the Muslim

community condemns terrorism. "It is written in the Quran that killing one innocent person is equivalent to

killing all humanity," said Mohammed Ehsan Raza Khan, Sajjadanasheen (hereditary head) of this shrine.

Mohammad Farogh-ul Quadri, secretary-general, World Islamic Mission, UK, said, "I condemn the

barbaric terrorist attack in Paris on innocent civilians and call for an international ban on the radical

extremist IS and its counterparts with different names across the world." The 97th death anniversary (Urs)

of Mujadid Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Qadri, founder of the Barelvi school of Islamic theology, was

observed here between December 6 and 8. Clerics also opposed the move by France and other countries

to bomb Syria, saying innocent people, including women and children, have died in such strikes. They

said the powerful western nations should focus on stopping terrorists, but not at the cost of taking the

lives of innocent people. Dargah Aala Hazrat has been campaigning against terrorism for the last one

year. On Eid this year, clerics here announced that if a man involved in terrorism is killed, "namaz-e-

janaza" would not be read during his funeral services. This prayer is an important part of the last rites in

Islam. The madrassa run by this shrine recently introduced a specialization within the Hadith course, titled

'Islam and terrorism', for graduate students. As part of the coursework, students compare the original

Quran text with translations offered by terrorist groups, to understand how religious texts could be

misinterpreted… (Times of India 9/12/15)

Home minister urges Muslims in MP to exercise restraint (7)

Bhopal/Indore: Protests by Muslims across the state against Kamlesh Tiwari, a Hindu Mahasabha leader

from Uttar Pradesh who allegedly made derogatory comments about Prophet Mohammed, seems to have

alarmed the Madhya Pradesh government. However in Indore, a saffron brigade organised a

demonstration demanding sedition charges against the people who allegedly raised slogans in favour of

Pakistan. On Thursday, home minister Babulal Gaur in Bhopal appealed to the members of the

community to “exercise restraint.” The minister said the statement was made in Uttar Pradesh, not in

Madhya Pradesh. “They must understand that Madhya Pradesh has nothing to do with the reported

remarks against Prophet Mohammad. It all took place in Uttar Pradesh. Hence, I would like to make an

appeal to Muslim community members to maintain peace and order in the state,” Gaur said. His appeal

comes a day after a law and order review meeting with chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and several

senior officials. Gaur told Hindustan Times over the phone that there was “no propriety behind Muslims

protesting in Madhya Pradesh for something that took place in another state, especially when action had

been taken against the person who made the remark.” Kamlesh Tiwari was arrested by Lucknow police

on December 3 after his statement against Muslims and Prophet Mohammad led to widespread

spontaneous protests in UP and elsewhere in the country. The Hindu Mahasabha also distanced itself

from Tiwari, claiming that he was not a member of their organisation and that their name had been

misused by him. On December 8, hundreds of Muslims gathered at Iqbal Maidan in Bhopal demanding

action against the leader of a fringe Hindu outfit. Similar protests were organised by members of the

community in Indore, Dhar, Raisen, Harda and a few other parts of the state. In Indore, a section of

protestors pelted stones on shops and vehicles on Tuesday. Meanwhile in Indore, a saffron brigade on

Thursday organised a demonstration demanding sedition charges against the people who allegedly

raised slogans in favour of Pakistan. On Tuesday, thousands of Muslims gathered at Regal Square

demanding action against Kamlesh Tiwari leading to traffic jam and stone-pelting. In retaliation, the Akhil

Bharat Hindu Mahasabha took out a demonstration on Thursday, denouncing what they termed as the

Muslims’ efforts to vitiate the atmosphere of the city. However, this time round, the number of police was

more than the protestors. The Mahasabha members alleged that those protested at the Regal Square

had raised slogans in favour of Pakistan, and submitted a memorandum to senior police officers, claiming

that SIMI operatives were provocating the sentiments of the Muslims. A senior police official said local

intelligence was focusing on the radicals of community and a list had been made in this regard. The

police said they have lodged four cases against five people who had organised the demonstrations at

Regal Crossing on Tuesday. Police are also keeping a close eye on social media, including Facebook, to

find the people who can disturb peace of the city. Not more than five persons are allowed to present

memorandums to officials. (Hindustan Times 10/12/15)

Muslims stage silent protest march over Tiwari remark in Ajmer (7)

AJMER: Hundreds of Muslims staged a silent protest march against the derogatory remark on Islam

religion by Kamlesh Tiwari of Hindu mahasabha after the prayers at dargah on Friday afternoon. The

protesters also went to the district headquarters and gave memorandum in the name of Prime Minister

Narendra Modi demanding stern action against Tiwari. The protesters included khadims, maulanas and

also common Muslim devotees who had came to attend the special prayer on Friday. Showing concern

over the remark, they staged a protest. "Sufi Moinuddin Chishty gave the message of brotherhood and

harmony and to maintain these teachings we request people of India not to hurt sentiments of anyone

related to religion," said a maulana. The delegation while handing over the memorandum to the

administration also demanded a law in the country to put a brake on speeches made by religious leaders

of any community. They said that harmony is key to the nation and, therefore, teachings of Sufi Khwaja

Moinuddin are contemporary. The protest march started from Nizam gate of the dargah after the special

prayer. After passing through different roads of the city, it reached the district headquarters. Looking at

the march, HHigh security was deputed to control the situation. Devotees also joined the protest and said

that they wanted to give a message to the country in a peaceful way that hurting anyone is not a step

towards development. On this occasion, Maulana Mehandi Miyan said that the act of Tiwari of insulting

the apostle of peace and brotherhood has left the people deeply hurt. Tiwari had on Thursday remarked

about Islam in Varanasi. He added that they condemned the speech of Tiwari and demand the PM to ban

Hindu mahasabha. The protest was supported by hundreds of khadims and they also offered prayers

after the special namaz for peace and harmony in the country. One of the groups also appealed to the

youth not to get annoyed over the messages running on different social sites. Looking to the march, some

organizations also came out in support of the protest and condemned the hate speech atmosphere in the

country. Sources said that different meetings were held in khadims and also of maulanas on the

discussion on the hate speech and later they decided to have a protest march on Friday. Sources said

that the CID of state police noted the strength and numbers and sent the report to the state government.

(Times of India 12/12/15)

Muslim reservation: Oppn stages walkout (7)

Nagpur: MLCs belonging to Congress and NCP staged a walkout from legislative council on Tuesday

alleging that the BJP-Shiv Sena government was not intent on providing 5% reservation to Muslims.

Minority affairs minister Eknath Khadse hit back at them questioning why the two parties did not do so in

their 15 year rule. NCP MLC Khwaja Beg had raised the issue through a call attention motion. He pointed

that even though the Bombay High Court had allowed 5% reservation for Muslims in education, the

government allowed the ordinance to lapse thereby denying reservation to the community. Beg objected

to the written reply submitted to his motion saying that it was almost the same to that submitted in the

monsoon session. "This shows that the government is not at all serious about providing reservation to

Muslims," he said. The MLC further said that a large number of committees constituted by the British

government as well as that of independent India had favoured reservation for Muslims. Khadse, however,

maintained that the government was positive on providing reservation to Muslims but would take steps

only after the Supreme Court (SC) gave a ruling in this regard. "Several question marks have been raised

over Muslim reservation in the writ filed in the HC. They include that reservation could not be provided on

the basis of religion, the state backward classes commission had not given any report in this regard, 50

castes of Muslims were mentioned as backward in the ordinance but they were not named," he said.

Leader of opposition Dhananjay Munde intervened in the matter and pointed out that when the HC stayed

16% reservation for Marathas, the BJP-Shiv Sena government got a legislation passed in both Houses.

"Why didn't do the same for Muslims? It is clear that the government is not interested in welfare of

Muslims," he said slamming Khadse. The minister hit back at him pointing out that the reservation for

Muslims was provided in the fag end of Congress-NCP rule and without any homework. "The government

was well aware that it won't stand in the court," he said. The opposition members did not reply to his

charges and staged a walkout. (Times of India 16/12/15)

Muslims stage protest against Hindu Mahasabha (7)

Agra: Infuriated with working president of the All India Hindu Mahasabha Kamlesh Tiwari, who allegedly

gave blasphemous statement on the Prophet Muhammad, hundreds of Muslim men lead by religious

clerics took out massive protest march on Sunday. They also gave a memorandum to senior officials of

district administration Agra, asking them to take stern action against him. In the memorandum of whose

copy is with TOI, stated that, "People like Kamlesh Tiwari are openly flouting the law and are trying to

instigate riot like situation in the peaceful country." "Persistently, anti-social elements have being trying to

malice the image of Prophet Muhammad on various platforms especially on social networking website,

where the miscreants are using foul language and also sketching obnoxious image of prophet," stated the

memorandum. Speaking to TOI, chairman of Islamiya Local Agency of Shahi Jama masjid Agra, Haji

Aslam Qureshi said, "There is great amount of anger in the Muslim community across nation against the

blasphemous statement of Kamlesh Tiwari. Though I request all the muslims across nation to not take

law in their hands and do not indulge in anything which can trigger any conflict." He said, "We don't

understand why haven't government taken strong action Kamlesh Tiwari. Government must take stern

action against him. They should identify and mark such anti-social elements who are always in hope to

destroy peace in the society." The memorandum was handed over by Imam Irfan-ul-lah Khand of Shahi

Jama Masjid along with Haji Aslam Qureshi and several other clerics to Additional Magistrate of City

Rajesh Shrivastav in the presence of Superintendent of police for City, Rajesh Kumar Singh. Speaking to

TOI, ADM city Rajesh Shrivastav said, "We will forward the memorandum to state government." (Times of

India 20/12/15)

Random arrests of Muslim youths leading to radicalisation: Telangana Police chief (7)

New Delhi: Socio-economic exclusion of Muslims and random arrests of youths from the community in the

aftermath of a terror attack are leading to radicalisation among the minorities. This was the running theme

of a presentation and discussion on radicalisation at the conference of Director Generals of Police

(DGPs) in Bhuj, that concluded on Sunday. While there were 10 presentations on various aspects of

internal security at the annual meet organised by the Intelligence Bureau, the one on radicalisation,

presented by Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma, was the most critical in the context of threats from the

Islamic State. According to sources, Sharma said there was a sense of alienation among Muslims as

“expected social and economic benefits” had not reached them. He highlighted how areas inhabited by

minorities were generally bereft of civic amenities and dearth of economic opportunities. All this, he said,

made the community vulnerable to radicalisation. To illustrate how random arrests of Muslim youths has

led to radicalisation, Sharma cited the 2007 Mecca Masjid blasts in Hyderabad. He pointed out how,

immediately after the blasts, police arrested Muslim youths who were found to be innocent. The blasts

were found to have been executed by Hindu outfits. (Indian Express 22/12/15)

'Muslims lag behind in higher education'(7)

HYDERABAD: The enrollment of Muslim students in institutions of higher learning affiliated to both the

state and Centre is lower than Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward

Classes (OBCs), a provisional report of the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) indicates. The

report, which was released on the AISHE website, concludes that Muslims in the country constitute 4.4%

of students, who are study ing in various colleges, polytechnics and universities.The percentage is much

less than that of SCs, who constitute 13.4%, STs who constitu DISMAL FIGURES te 4.8% and the 32.9%

belonging to OBCs. In Telangana, the trend of Muslims lagging behind SCs, STs and OBCs continues

both in terms of students' enrollment and members of the community being employed as teachers. The

report records that of the 16.32 lakh enrollments in the state in the academic year 2014-15, Muslim

students constituted a mere 6.57 percent. While the OBC enrollment stood at 7.2 lakh, that of the SCs

was recorded as 2.63 lakh and the number of STs was recorded as 1.33 lakh. A gender-wise break up

put girl students belonging to SCs, STs and OBCs ahead of Muslim girls. Of the 1.07 lakh Muslim

students enrolled in academic year 2014 15, 57,170 are male and 50,233 are female. This is a margina

increase from the enrollments recorded last year. The representation of Muslim teachers too, remained

behind SCs, STs and OBCs in the state. Of the over 1.04 lakh posts in Te langana, teachers belonging to

the Muslim community occupied only 0.56% of the posts. (Times of India 26/12/15)

India only country where Muslims stop their youth from joining IS: Rajnath Singh (7)

Lucknow: isis india, muslims hate IS, india islamic state, islamic state news, isis rajnath singh, rajnath

islamic state, muslims and ISIS, ISIS, indian muslims File photo of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh

(Source: PTI) Union Home Minister Rajanth Singh Sunday said that while all countries face the Islamic

State (IS) threat, the organisation could not dominate in India due to the country’s “life values” and “family

values”. “Today the IS is being discussed a lot. But in the capacity of the Home Minister of India, I say

that India is the only country where Muslim families stop their children when they get deviated from the

right path. Only Indian Muslim families do this,” Rajnath said. He was speaking at a conference, Taleem ki

Taquat, organised by Maulana Azad National Urdu University of Hyderabad, in Lucknow. University

Chancellor Zafar Sareshwala, who said there was a lot of positivity in the country but people

“unnecessarily raised negativity”, claimed, “It was the first time in 65 years that a Union home minister

had directly addressed an event of Muslims.” Citing an example to show why the IS couldn’t flourish in

India, the Union minister said, “A Muslim youth got caught in radicalisation in Mumbai and his parents

came to me with the request to save him. Such are the values of our country. I have full faith that the IS

can never have supremacy in India.” Rajnath also pointed out that thousands of Indian imams had

recently taken out a procession against the IS. “If this culture of the country can be saved, no one can

stop India from becoming the most powerful nation with maximum knowledge in the world,” he said. The

minister said: “The education system and culture of India develop tolerance among us. I believe that such

education and culture should be kept alive.” (Indian Express 28/12/15)