08 October 2008

What is wrong with Jamia?

Suhail K.K


This is in response to the article titled 'Look who hijacked Jamia' written by Arif Mohammed Khan, published in Indian Express on 1st October 2008 (www.indianexpress.com/news/look-who-hijacked-jamia/367985/). The article is full of disinformation and defamatory allegations against a National Organisation named Jamate Islami and two national bodies, Muslim personal law board and Muslim Majlise Mushawarat. Arif Mohammed Khan did not even bother to verify the facts. He was deliberately aiming at posing the above mentioned bodies of National repute in bad light. It was really shocking to see such a learned person with an esteemed news paper could commit such a devastating blunder.

Jamaate Islami was formed in 1941. The activities it has been doing since the last 67 years is as transparent as an open book kept in the middle of a street. Crores of rupees and tones of energy have been spent for the upliftment of marginalized sections of the society in India, especially Muslims.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board was established in 1973 at a time when then Government of India was trying to subvert shariah law applicable to Indian Muslims through parallel legislation. It is just a board which consists various Muslim scholars, aimed at adopting suitable strategies for protection and continued applicability of 'Muslim Personal Law' i.e; Shariat Application Act in India. It is not an Organisation with cadres, instead an institution with certain aims and objectives.

All India Muslim Majlis e Mushawarat (AIMM) which was formed in 1964 is an umbrella body of all Muslim Organistions and institutions of national eminence. It aims to protect the identity and dignity of the Muslim community and its constitutional and Human Rights, specially its Right to Equality, Justice and security.

Arif Mohd Khan writes in the article: "...attracted by large population, more than two dozen Muslim outfits have established themselves in this neighbourhood taking upon then the responsibility to lead and organise the religeous and social life of the community. They include organisations like Personal Law Board, Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat and Jamaat-e-Islami. None of these organisations is known for promoting social reform or education. Most of the time they are competing with each other in crying wolf and pressing the need to fight against imagined threats to the Muslim religeon and identity..."

The former union minister could have at least tried to collect the fact that personal law board and the AIMM had not been established for promoting education and social reforms! They have their own declared agendas as per their constitution. As mentioned earlier, since all the three endeavors had been formed for the fulfillment of different goals and objectives, there had not been a single instance in the history where these groups had to compete each other. He also was not able to quote even a single incidence from the history of these organizations 'fighting against imagined threats to the Muslim religion and identity'. This style of posing allegations reminds me of hunter shambu who used to shoot to the bushes closing his eyes to kill his prey!

The works of Jamaat-e-Islami since the last 67 years, in the field of social reforms, education, financial help to the needy & diseased, home for the homeless, various health programs, the massive works done at the occasion of disasters under IRW etc is known to the nation. All these are not being done for the Muslim community alone, but to the whole of humanity. Apart from all these, multi crore project known as 'Vision 2016' which is intended to uplift Muslims socially and educationally especially focusing North India is in its full swing. Vision 2016 is an ambitious plan to positively transform the social development landscape of the country. Taking up Education, Health, Employment Generation and Legal Help as the focus areas, the plan envisages the establishment of multiple institutions across the country, with a strong backup of committed volunteers and community leaders The projects are run under multiple NGOs under the supervision of umbrella body, the Human Welfare Foundation New Delhi.

The major problem that Arif Mohammed Khan observes in Jamaate Islami is that "..the students who had organized the blackout and attack belonged to the Jamaat-e-Islami. It is important to recall that the banned organization, SIMI, was mostly manned by young activists inspired by philosophies like that of the Jamaat-e-Islami."

Why didn't Asif Mohammed Khan file a suite or at least give a complaint against Jamaate Islami if he knows that the people who had bet him in the darkness were its workers, instead of revealing his confession years after the incident, in an article?! What wrong impression or confusion does the writer tries to create while saying "SIMI was inspired by philosophies like that of the Jamaat-e-Islami."! So was it SIMI or the workers of Jamaate Islami who had bet him? The writer must have had the least knowledge of the fact that SIMI has never in the history been the Student Organization of Jamaate Islami!

The ultimate aim of the article is to tarnish the image of Jamia Millia, Jamia Nagar and dozens of Muslim Organisations which has its office in the area, in the wake of the fake encounter of two students residing at Batla House. All the fact finding teams that has visited and tried to gather informations has seriously pointed out that what polic has stated are disinformations and against realities. And its not a secret that the Human Rights Commission has also sent a notice to the authorities. This massive propaganda being held by the chauvinists using authorities and media is part of demonizing the cultural identity of Muslim community. The defamatory campaign against Jamia Millia is the repetition of what has been done to Madrasa Darul-Uloom Daoband, since the last few months. Jamia Millia, as the whole country knows, has got a glorious and legendary history of being in the forefront of the National freedom movement. Through out the history, the campus has upheld the values of secularism and National commitment and had played impressive and valuable role in shaping the modern day education.

The people of Jamia Nagar and the students of Jamia Millia Islamiyya will resist the petty political tactics being played by politicaians including Asif Khan and days to come will indeed prove the truth. Indeed falsehood is bound to perish. We urge also the media to follow professional ethics and not to create and sensationalize issues for exclusive stories. Rather, practice a fair and balanced journalism.

1 comment:

Suhail KK said...
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