Mosques in Srinagar ask Muslims to protect Pandits

Killing of Kashmiri Pandit a conspiracy to target Hindu Muslim Unity

Srinagar: The brutal killing of three Kashmiri Pandits in Srinagar last week has once again put a question mark over the existence of non-Muslim Kashmiris in the valley who in spite of all the danger to their lives have not left their homes so far.

After the brutal killing of famous Chemist Makhanlal last Wednesday, the extremists have killed school principal Supender Kaur and a teacher Deepak Chand.

It was said that the Supender Kaur was a kind-hearted woman who had devoted half her salary to the education of poor and destitute children. She had also adopted a Muslim girl.

The Chairman of all Parties Sikh Coordination Committee Jagmohan Singh Raina said, “This attack on minorities is part of a conspiracy to create a gulf between majority and minority communities in the valley. There is no denying that the Hindu Muslim brotherhood is the biggest casualty of the Kashmiri separatist movement.”

Muslims serves Hindu devotees during Amarnath Yatra

The Hindus and Muslims have been living in the valley for hundreds of years with Peace and Amity. They have a common language, culture and traditions. In spite of all the efforts to vitiate the communal harmony in the valley Muslims are still serving the Hindu devotees during their Amarnath Yatra.

Similarly, all tourists take the help of local Muslims during their sightseeing of Gulmarg, Dal Lake and other tourist places in the valley. In fact tourism is the biggest source of income for the local Muslims.

But unfortunately, due to the deteriorating law and order situation in the valley, not only the Hindu Muslim Brotherhood but the tourism has also been severely impacted.

Muslims do not want Kashmiri Pandits to migrate from valley

The local Muslim regard Kashmiri Pandits as an integral part of their society and they do not want them to migrate from the valley.

The recent Muslim protest against the non-Muslim’s killing in the valley is an indication of the Hindu Muslim harmony and co-existence. Everywhere in the valley, Muslims are coming forward to assure their Hindus neighbours of safety and protection and appealing them not to leave their homes.

Muslims are reaching out to the grieving non-Muslim families to condole their departed souls and share their grief.

Mosques appeal Muslims to protect Hindu neighbours

It is pertinent to note that the mosques in the valley are appealing to the Muslims to protect their Hindu neighbours.  The Imams of these mosques, in their Friday sermons, are exhorting the non-Muslims not to migrate from the valley.

The biggest protest march was held against the killings of the non-Muslims at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk in which Many prominent citizens of the valley, Government employees, sportspersons and others participated. All of them strongly condemn the killings of innocent persons.

A delegation of Kashmir government servants’ organization committee visited the Kashmiri Pandits’ homes in solidarity to express their support.

The committee’s President Rafiq Rathore said “The killing incidents are an attack on our social fabric. Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims have been living together in harmony for hundreds of years. We will not allow the extremists to destroy our mutual cultural values. All the Kashmiri Muslims are with the Kashmiri Pandits in this critical hour.”

Courtesy: Siasat

Cabinet meeting to take decision on renaming Aligarh airport after Kalyan Singh: Adityanath

Aligarh: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid his last respects to the mortal remains of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh here on Sunday and said people were paying tributes to him from the airport to the city.

Speaking to reporters in Aligarh, Adityanath said, “Today, we have brought the mortal remains of Kalyan Singh ji to Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar Stadium in his hometown Aligarh. We decided to bring the mortal remains here so that Singh ji’s followers can see him for the last time. He has been associated with the people of Aligarh for years.”

“He is known as the Ram Bhakt of the nation. From the airport to Aligarh, the people of Uttar Pradesh have huge respect for Kalyan ji. I pray to God Ram to provide us strength to fulfill his dreams,” said Adityanath.

Upon being questioned by reporters whether Aligarh airport will be named after Kalyan Singh, Adityanath said, “We will hold a meeting with the Cabinet soon and discuss it.” Recently, according to reports, after the demise of Kalyan Singh, BJP leaders in Aligarh reiterated their demand to name the newly-constructed mini airport in Aligarh after Kalyan Singh.

Applauding the developmental works under Singh’s tenure, Yogi said, “Prior to Kalyan ji’s resignation in 1992, he undertook developmental works for the poor and downtrodden. He was not just a leader promoting a particular caste or community but worked for the welfare of all people. He believed in Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya ji’s teachings. He was a RSS leader in its truest form.”

“Unlike his opposition parties who, in the name of occupying the Chief Minister’s post, slammed the Ram Mandir movement, he was a leader of the masses,” he added.

The defining moment in Kalyan Singh’s life was the fall of Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. Just hours after mobs of kar sevaks demolished it, Singh quit as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh owning moral responsibility.

Senior BJP leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh passed away on Saturday at a hospital here following illness. Kalyan Singh was admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences on July 4 following deterioration in his health condition.

“Former Chief Minister of UP and and ex-Governor of Rajasthan Kalyan Singh Ji breathed his last today. He was admitted in SGPGI on July 4 in Intensive Care Unit in critical condition. He died due to sepsis and multi-organ failure,” said a statement by the hospital.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had met Kalyan Singh earlier yesterday and had prayed for his speedy recovery. Kalyan Singh had been put on dialysis and was on the ventilator. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had enquired about Kalyan Singh’s health and several BJP leaders had visited him in the hospital.

Courtesy: Siasat

Now proposal to rename Aligarh as Harigarh

Earlier this month, the Firozabad district panchayat had passed a resolution demanding that Firozabad be renamed as Chandra Nagar.

Aligarh (UP):  After Firozabad, it is now the zila panchayat of Aligarh that has passed a resolution seeking to rename Aligarh as Harigarh.

The resolution was passed on Monday and the members claimed that it was a long pending demand.

The proposal was passed in the first meeting of the panchayat without any opposition with 50 out of 72 members in attendance.

Vijay Singh, zila panchayat chairman for Aligarh, said, “It was a long pending demand to rename Aligarh as Harigarh.

The zila panchayat approved the proposal unopposed. It would now be forwarded to the state government for approval.”

Earlier, the local BJP leaders had passed a proposal to name the Aligarh airport after BJP leader Kalyan Singh.

Kalyan Singh is a resident of Aligarh and was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh during the Ram Janambhoomi movement.

In Mainpuri on Monday, the zila panchayat passed a resolution, seeking to rename Mainpuri as Mayan Nagar after sage Mayan who founded the present day Mainpuri.

“One of the zila panchayat members had moved the proposal for renaming Mainpuri as Mayan Nagar and the proposal was passed on Monday with 23 members supporting the motion and two opposing it,” said Archana Bhadoria, zila panchayat chairperson of Mainpuri.

Mainpuri is the stronghold of Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, who won five elections from the constituency.

Earlier this month, the Firozabad district panchayat had passed a resolution demanding that Firozabad be renamed as Chandra Nagar.

Locals believed that King Chandrasen lived in Firozabad and because of this it was earlier known as Chandravar Nagar till about 1560 AD.

“Later, a representative of emperor Akbar, Firoz Shah, visited the area and the place was named after him as Firozabad. The demand to rename Firozabad as Chandra Nagar has been raised time and again,” said a local BJP leader.

The Yogi Adityanath government has already changed the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj, Faizabad to Ayodhya and Mughalsarai to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar.

Courtesy: Siasat

Furore over Waseem Rizvi’s ‘New Quran’

Waseem Rizvi, the former chairman of Shia Central Waqf Board in Uttar Pradesh, has kicked up a major controversy.

He claims to have created a ‘new Quran’ by removing 26 verses that allegedly promote violence and arranged the remaining verses in proper sequence.

Rizvi has also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to authorize the use of his ‘new Quran’ in all madrasas and Muslim institutes in the country.

“I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to include this new Quran in the education curriculum of various madrasas and Muslim education institutes across the country. This redacted version of the Quran is the right Quran and it will soon be available in the market for people to buy,” Rizvi said.

Earlier this year, Waseem Rizvi had filed a PIL in the Supreme Court to remove 26 verses of the Quran saying that they promote terrorism and jihad.

In his PIL, Rizvi had stated that these verses are allegedly used by Islamist Terrorist Groups as justification for attacks on non-believers and civilians.

However, the court termed the petition to be “absolutely frivolous” and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Waseem Rizvi for filing the PIL.

According to his PIL, he said that Islam is based on the concept of equality, forgiveness, equity and tolerance. However, people have been drifting away from these basics.

He added, due to the extreme interpretations of the 26 verses of the Holy book, Islam is getting identified with militancy, fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism.

Shortly after filing the PIL, several FIRs were filed against Rizvi who also claimed to have received death threats.

Both Shia and Sunni communities, have alleged that Waseem Rizvi had been ‘deliberately’ trying to drive a wedge between the two communities.

Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad said that Rizvi was ‘an enemy of Islam’ and had nothing to do with the Quran.

Maulana Yasoob Abbas said that the All-India Shia Personal Law Board has strongly condemned Rizvi’s move.

courtesy: NH

Ayodhya Mosque construction begins with tricolour hosting

The mosque will be built in two phases on the five acres land allotted by SC in Janmabhoomi case in 2019

Lucknow: The construction of the mosque at Ayodhya’s Dhanipur village kick-started today with hoisting the Indian flag around 8:45 am.

Zafar Ahmed Farooqui, the chief of the Indian Islamic culture foundation (IICF), all 12 members of the IICF trust, and local villagers attended the event and planted a sapling each.

The mosque will be built in two phases on the five acres land allotted by the Supreme Court in Janmabhoomi case in 2019. The chief of the trust appealed for the donations and the contributions from people have already started for the project.

In the first phase, the mosque will be built along with the proposed hospital and the trust will expand the hospital in the second phase, which will house a community kitchen to serve 1000 meals each day. The greenfield area will have plants from all over the world.

The earlier statements by the trust stated that the project includes a museum, a library, Indo-Islamic research centre, a community kitchen, a hospital, and a publication house.

Earlier in 2020, the government said it will not allow the construction of any other building but just a masjid. After the release of the blueprint for the project, the All India Muslim law board member Zafaryab Jeelani opposed the construction of the mosque saying that it will violate the waqf land which is based on the Shariat law.

According to Waqf Act, the lands of mosques cannot be bartered while on the other hand, the Sunni law board, which is allegedly acting under the pressure from the government rejected the contention and said that there is nothing illegal in the construction of the mosque and the Shariat can be interpreted in any way.

“From the minority Perspective residing in Ayodhya, we can say that it is a good start to bring back communal harmony in the district. The start of such construction on the Republic Day will send the message of integrity,” said Mohammed Ghori, a local resident.

Courtesy: Siasat

सीतामढ़ी दंगा: लाश पर सियासी मसीहा खड़ा करने की कोशिश

 लगभग एक महीने और 40 दिन बाद भी सीतामढ़ी में मारे गए ज़ैनुल अंसारी के हत्यारों की गिरफ्तारी न होना अपने आप में समाजसेवियों से लेकर प्रशासन और विशेषकर राजनीतिक दलों के नेताओं के सारे दावों को झूठा साबित कर देता है। वैसे भी सीतामढ़ी दंगे पर हफ्तों हफ्ते तक राजनीतिक कार्यकर्ताओं, दलों के पदाधिकारियों और स्वघोषित क़ौम के नेताओं का कोई अता पता नही था। यहां तक कि उर्दू अखबारों ने खबर तक नहीं लगाई। खैर, मुसलमानों की सबसे हितैषी कही जाने वाली पार्टी के मुखिया और नेता प्रतिपक्ष का पहला ट्वीट, मैं फिर दोहरा रहा हूँ ट्वीट 25 दिन बाद याद 14 नवंबर को आता है। जो नेता अपने पिता के धुर विरोधी पूर्व भाजपा नेता और पूर्व प्रधानंत्री के प्राकृतिक मौत की खबर पर ट्वीट करने में मिनट नही लगाता और लिखता है कि ‘वो हमलोगों के पिता समान थे’ वही नेता एक 80 साल के वृद्ध की हत्या पर 25 दिन लगाता है। और उनकी पार्टी के तथाकथित बुद्धिजीवी सांसद जो लेक्चरर/प्रोफेसर हैं उन्हें भी समझ नही आता कि इस मुद्दे पर बोलना चाहिए।

27 नवंबर को बिहार विधानसभा में विपक्ष ने सीतामढ़ी के दंगे पर सवाल किये, अच्छा किया। लेफ्ट के तीनों नेताओं ने भी सवाल उठाए। तेजस्वी यादव का सवाल उठाना उतना महत्व नही रखता जितना सीतामढ़ी के कुछ लोगों द्वारा तेजस्वी के सवाल उठाने को मसीहाई अंदाज़ में पेश करना। उसपर बात करना महत्वपूर्ण है।

Continue reading “सीतामढ़ी दंगा: लाश पर सियासी मसीहा खड़ा करने की कोशिश”

An Open Letter to Indian Muslims

DEAR Muslims,

I am writing this with full responsibility and knowledge of the situation on the ground. I live thousands of miles away from Indian shores but visit thrice in a year and closely follow events and remain in touch with friends and acquaintances.

Please do not get me wrong, this shouldn’t be interpreted as a patronising lecture. I understand the sentiments you express on social media and share the anger and frustration over events taking place in several states. However, please understand that nothing is permanent and what goes up is bound to come down. The prevailing climate will change very soon. I can see that happening. Things that happened six months ago are no longer happening. There are signs of change in every sphere of Indian society. Issues of bread and butter are a great leveler and hurt indiscriminately, regardless of your caste and religion. It has started to hurt people — businesses are suffering, jobs are vanishing, sources of livelihood are shrinking. In a short span of time, these issues will consume all the sections of the society. Religion or ideology can’t fill tummies, create jobs or propel growth. People will understand this very soon, they have begun to understand — protests by farmers in Maharashtra and anger of Patels in Gujarat are good examples. Continue reading “An Open Letter to Indian Muslims”

Time for the broader Hindu community to speak up

DEAR Hindus,

The brutal murder of a poor Muslim labourer recently is not intended to terrorise Muslims, a community that is becoming immune to such threats after a series of targeted killings. In the last three odd years, they have seen many such killings by mobs and individuals in the name of Hinduism.

The real motive behind these killings is to terrorise you, Dear Hindus. Yes, don’t be surprised, Muslims are just a pawn — to add muscle and momentum to a specific political narrative.

For those who propagate the ideology of hate, their real enemy is the moderate, well-meaning Hindu who believes in the idea of India, an India that is home to 1.25 billion plus people of diverse faith, race, languages and appearance. Continue reading “Time for the broader Hindu community to speak up”

भारतीय मुसलमान: डर के साये में?

http://images.indianexpress.com/2016/06/vp-ansari-759.jpg

पूर्व उपराष्ट्रपति श्री हामिद अंसारी के एक हालिया बयान से जिस प्रकार मीडिया ट्रायल हुआ और उसको राजनितिक मोड़ दिया गया वो गिरते वैचारिक मानसिकता और मुद्दों को संवेदनशील बनाकर राजनीति करने के नए तरीके का परिणाम है। हामिद अंसारी के कथन को समझने के लिए सिर्फ बीजेपी के इस तीन साल का ही विश्लेषण नहीं होना चाहिए वरना ये राजनितिक विश्लेषण होकर रह जाएगा। इसको समझने के लिए हमें कम से कम एक सदी और उसके बाद के मुसलमानो के हालत को नज़र में रखना होगा।

स्वतंत्रता संग्राम में हिंदुस्तानी मुसलमानो की भागीदारी और बलिदान को किसी के सनद की आवश्यकता नहीं। मुसलमानो ने अपनी आबादी और हिस्सेदारी से अधिक बढ़-चढ़ कर इस लड़ाई को लड़ा और जीता। लेकिन पाकिस्तान के बंटवारे ने जिस प्रकार भारतीय मुसलमानो को मानसिक, सामाजिक, आर्थिक और राजनितिक रूप से तोड़ा उससे हम दशकों निकल नहीं पाये। शिक्षित, आर्थिक रूप से संपन्न, सरकारी नौकरियों के बड़े ओहदेदार भारत छोड़कर एक नए देश में अपना सुख तलाशने जा चुके थे। बचा था दबा, कुचला , पिछड़ा और अशिक्षित मुसलमान जिसको अपने पुरखों की विरासत को छोड़ना किसी हाल में गवारा नहीं था।

पकिस्तान बनने की आत्मग्लानि, जातीय राजनीति के बढ़ते ज़ोर में बिना नेतृत्व के खौफ के माहौल से मुसलमानो को उबरने में एक लंबा समय लगा। जब उबरने लगे तो पाकिस्तान की भाँती ‘धर्मांधता’ की राजनीति भारत में भी शुरू हो चुकी थी। हमें इस बात को महसूस करना होगा की पाकिस्तान में बचे अल्पसंख्यक भी इसी पीड़ा से गुज़रे होंगे। फ़र्क़ इतना ज़रूर है की भारतीय मुसलमानो के अधिकार की बड़ी बड़ी लड़ाई यहाँ के बहुसंख्यक समाज ने लड़ा और आज भी वो लड़ते हैं।

मुझे हामिद अंसारी साहेब की बातों को समर्थन करने में कोई हिचक नहीं। आज भारतीय मुसलमान डर में है। वो पाकिस्तान बंटवारे के बाद भी डर में थे और आज भी डर के माहौल में जी रहे।

इन सब चीजों में जो एक चीज़ छूटी वो है मुसलमानो की समाज निर्माण में हिस्सेदारी की कमी। उसके कई कारण हैं जिसपर एक लंबी चर्चा की आवश्यकता है। 70 साल का अंतराल किसी समाज को सम्भलने और अपने हालात को सुधारने के लिए कम नहीं होता। आप सिर्फ दूसरों पर इलज़ाम लगाकर अपनी ज़िम्मेदारी से नहीं बच सकते। मुसलमानो में शिक्षा के प्रति रुझान बढ़ा है। ज़रुरत है अपनी सामाजिक ज़िम्मेदारियों के प्रति सोचने, इसपर निरंतर चर्चा कर एक दिशा देने की। मैं आओ सबको आमंत्रित करता हूँ इसपर एक बहस शुरू हो और मुख्यधारा से जुड़कर काम आगे बढे।

 

Continue reading “भारतीय मुसलमान: डर के साये में?”

Babri case: a golden chance for muslims

Babri Masjid prior to its destructionThe Supreme Court’s advice to settle Babri Masjid-Ram Janmbhoomi case outside the court is a golden opportunity for Muslims to demand their rights.

The SC’s advice is a clear indication that the highest court of the land is unlikely to decide on this case. That is why, it has suggested consultations between Hindus and Muslims and offered to arbitrate a settlement.

Two, the timing of the SC advice is also a clear indication that Modi Govt is not keen to build a Ram Temple by amending the Constitution despite the legislative muscle it has acquired after winning Uttar Pradesh.

Modi Government’s first choice would be to somehow bring Muslim community — by coercion or persuasion — to the table and negotiate a settlement.

Why the government would wants to consult Muslims?  Continue reading “Babri case: a golden chance for muslims”