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Dr Kaukab Siddique | Editor-in-Chief

Jamada al-thani 14,1435/April 14, 2014 # 15

Pakistani elites thought the new ameer of Jamaate Islami, Sirajul Haq, would reverse the policies of Syed Munawar Hasan. They are shocked to notice that their wishes have not been fulfilled. Please scroll to end for Sirajul Haq's first juma khutba in Mansoora, Lahore.

Courtesy Jamaat al-Muslimeen, Virginia
Egypt: Shocking, rare video. 31,000 views till now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clkuc9zPFHo

[Copy the link and paste it in the upper window of your server.]

Video shows the unequalled sacrifices of the unarmed Egyptian people against the ruthless and murderous regime of General Sisi. Even with so much support, Morsi was not allowed to have a democratic government.

This video will make you cry with pride and sorrow at the great uprising of the unarmed masses. It also shows the slow but steady drift of the Egyptian people towards Jihad. Ikhwan are insisting on peaceful means but after thousands killed in cold blood and tens of thousands wounded and hundreds of thousands arrested, the Black Flags are emerging with the seal of Muhammad, pbuh, on them.

Breaking News: Syria

April 13: Mujahideen are advancing all over Syria. In Aleppo they are trying to take the forts Assad's forces retain in the vast sprawling city. Today al-Nusra captured the Rashideen neighborhood of Aleppo and part of Jamiat al-Zahra.

In Latakia, the slow but steady mujahideen advance continues across the countryside. Desperate Alawite attacks have failed to stop the advance.

In the suburbs around Damascus, Assad's air force is putting in a maximum number of strikes. However the civilian casualties have dropped as people move out of vulnerable areas. None of the mujahideen have retreated from the Damascus area, putting a noose around Assad's power center.

[Large Hizbullah formations have come in to defend Damascus in case Assad collapses.]

In Homs, where the population was starved into surrender by the Alawites, a bomb exploded in the Alawite center killing 25 shias.

The heaviest fighting is in Hama province where Assad's troops fell into an ambush and lost 50 killed. Assad then dropped chemical barrel bombs killing 3 civilians and traumatizing more than 100. Assad immediately blamed the Islamics.

Breaking News: Nigeria

US and Israeli backed Nigerian troops are rampaging through Muslim villages in the north east, killing civilians and blaming the Boko Haram. No journalists are allowed to check the regime's claims.

Troops have killed an estimated 130 civilians.

Breaking News: Central African Republic [CAR]

Christian lynch mobs are slaughtering unarmed Muslim civilians. The Muslim minority is facing genocide. Thousands have been killed. More than a hundred thousand are homeless. French troops are on patrol but simply watch the Muslims being killed. Muslim troops from Chad killed 24 of the attackers and rescued a few hundred families. However, under international criticism, the Chadian troops have withdrawn into Chad. Panicked Muslim refugees are asking for help.

Breaking News: Greater Kansas City, April 13.Looks lke Dr. Leon was right about "angry white men" in America. The latest is a shooting at two Jewish centers in Kansas. Please scroll way down.

Breaking News: Nevada: April 12
Armed American cattlemen Confront Government Agents
by Sis. Aisha [Jamaat al-Muslimeen, New York City

It took place, today, in Bunkerville, Nevada. A White cattle baron, Cliven Bundy, who, according to the courts, had his cattle grazing on public land was engaged in a standoff with Bureau of Land Management Agents sent there to remove his cattle (380 cattle were removed, so far). However, they were met by 1000 supporters, some of them armed with AK-47s and pistols! No shots were fired.

This past Wednesday, there was a confrontation between a son of Bundy's. An agent's German Shepherd attacked him and kicked the dog. He was then, tazed but other protestors moved forward to remove the tazer electrodes from his body. That video went viral on the Internet and garnered any angry response of White militia members who made reference to the incidents where people were murdered in Ruby Ridge, Idaho and Waco, Texas, some time ago. The 1000 supporters at today's stand-off were members of out of state militias and many of them brought guns over state lines! This is an arrestable offense for most of us.

There was a lot of criticism directed at the Bureau of Land Management, even by politicians, for how they've handled Wednesday's round up.

After a few hours, the federal agents were told to pull back out of fear for their safety! The legal battle is not over, however. The Bundy family has been involved in court battles with the federal government since 1993. Cliven Bundy, who is a Mormon, states that his family first settled the land in the late 19th century. It is always interesting when any of us New Americans proudly claim ownership of land previously inhabited by Native American murder victims. Bundy has since stopped paying any grazing fees and refuses to believe that the federal government has any jurisdiction over state land. The federal government's issue was based on its efforts to protect an endangered tortoise in that area.

The courts have also stated that Cliven Bundy owes over $1 Million dollars in unpaid grazing fees. Bundy is considered a lawbreaker by some and a hero by others.

Our America
Top Black Intellectuals uncover the oppression rife in America

On April 7, Prof. Solomon Comissiong from the University of Maryland spoke at Lincon Universdity, Pennsylvania. It was a 7 PM program via the Lectures & Recitals Committee and the Student Government. Prof. Comissiong is an expert on Hip Hop music and is incisive in in his criticism of music which evades the real issues in America and which insults and abuses women. Hip Hop, according to Be. Solomon as we call him, originally was and can be used to grapple with oppression which is prevalent in America and to help reform society.

On April 8, Dr. Wilmer Leon spoke at Lincoln University, was also invited by the Lectures & Recitals Committee. and addressed the advances made by the Black community which are being reversed by the violence directed at Black people, particulzarly males, by angry White men. The larger White community, he analyzed, is undergoing a loss of control on the US and lashing out at Black scapegoats. Poverty and a sense of disempowerment are widespread among American Whites, he noted.

Both visits were initiated by Dr. Kaukab Siddique who wants students to be connected to the non-corporate view of the world. The two visits were antidotes to Zionist attempts to infiltrate Black colleges. Very recently AIPAC sent a representative to Lincoln and before that the President of Lincoln University was taken to "Israel."

"Elections" US Style in Afghanistan

As New Trend had prognosticated, the "elections" in Afghanistan were a completely fake and a big fraud perpetrated on the Afghan people. American money and the US air force made this game possible.

Eric Margolis' analysis of these elections is right on target. Please scroll down. It's a delightful expose.

Sent by a reader in Chicago.

Yoir wife:
A Standard for Muslim males to live up to:

Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"The best among you is the best towards his wife, and I am the best of you to my wives." (Ibn Majah and authenticated by Al-Albani).

Sectarianism Buster
[Hadith selected by Br. Adam Mohomed Sait in India]
One Authentic Hadith Destroys the Entire Sectarian Propaganda Stream On Line

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, which of the people is most beloved to you?'
He answered: "'A'ishah."
He was asked, 'And among men?'
He said: 'Her father.' (Ibn Majah and authenticated by Al-Albani)

Latest Khutba
Homosexuality Imposed on Americans by Sophisticated Tyrant.
Three Miracles of the Qur'an.
Hadith and Qur'an are Linked together from Day one to Eternity.

On April 11, 2014 the khutba at Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen in Baltimore, Maryland was given by Dr. Kaukab Siddique. The masjid was well attended but as it is a small masjid, here are the main points for countrywide distribution on line.

[An appeal was made by Br. Abdur Rahman for funds to pay the gas bill which is too high owing to severe winter.]

text: And (We sent) Lut, when he said to his people: What! do you commit indecency while you see?

What! do you indeed approach men lustfully rather than women? Nay, you are a people who act ignorantly. But the answer of his people was no other except that they said: Turn out Lut's followers from your town; surely they are a people who would keep pure! But We delivered him and his followers except his wife; We ordained her to be of those who remained behind. And We rained on them a rain, and evil was the rainfor those who had been warned.
[The Qur'an 27:54-58.]

People in various religions believe in "God" but to be a Muslim, that is not enough. One must accept Muhammad, pbuh, as the entire ummah's Prophet, teacher, Guide, example and decisive interpreter of the Qur'an.
The Qur'an is the greatest miracle of Allah for all times to come. Miracles of past messengers are history. The Qur'an contains teachings which are revealed anew to new generations of human beings.
There are numerous miracles in the Qur'an. Here are three:
1. People believed that stars and heavenly bodies are stuck in the blue canopy of the sky. The Qur'an taught that they all MOVE in pre-determined orbits. It took science a thousand plus years to recognize this truth.
2. People in all human history believed that the female child was the "fault" of the mother. The Qur'an condemned this attitude and taught that the male sperm is responsible. A thousand plus years later, modern science takes it for granted.
3. The Qur'an teaches that the original humans were BLACK [see sura hijr where this is mentioned twice as well as indirectly in other chapters.] More than a thousand years later, scientists found that the original human emerged from Africa.
Other than the Qur'an, the books of hadith are superior to any other published material in history. They are superior for these 5 reasons:
1. Verifiable authenticity,
2. scholarship,
3. transmission both orally and in writing,
4. verification of the character of transmitters,
5. Cross referencing.
Hadith scholars were the greatest critics of hadith and have made it possible for us to know what is actually from the Prophet, pbuh, and what is not clearly verifiable. The level of authenticity is about 98%.
Even narratives about WUDU are the same from narrators who could not meet and were living in Makka, Damascus, Kufa and Egypt. All weak or fabricated narratives have been criticized and separated.
So any attack on authentic hadith is an attack on the foundations pf Islam.
Now look at America and the evil which is being spread here by the people in power. At the top of the list is the abomination of homosexuality.
However weak in their faith they may be, Muslims, Christians and Jews in America know that homosexuality is not acceptable in their religions.
However, owing to the lack of hadith or original authentic interpretation of the Bible, the Christians and the Jews are unable to stop the legitimization of homosexuality.
The Bible is open to interpretation by all and sundry. Priests and churchmen are being brought out to proclaim that homosexuality is legitimate.
The government and the people in power destroyed the moral base of America. After spreading the "glamor" of adultery and fornication and liquor and drugs and the break up of marriage bonds, it was not difficult to preach homosexuality to a nation which has been subjugated.
The man who is the ;president of this tormented nation is leading the homosexual movement.
With governmental power behind them, the homos are using the courts to legitimize homosexuality.
They have become so powerful, with the full support of the Zionist media, that now people can lose their jobs and businesses if they oppose these groups. It's almost like the time of the Prophet Lot, pbuh. They are ready to kick out people who want to be pure. [see the verse of the Qur'an quoted above].
Even democracy doesn't work. Where Christians have voted down the homos, the regime has used the courts to overturn democratic votes. Black churches have opposed the abomination but have been isolated.
The defeat of the US president's ideology is coming from Muslim Africa. Senegal has rejected his moves and Gambia has condemned it. Nigeria and Uganda have shocked Obama with their rejection. [In Bangladesh there has been a severe backlash].
Muslim imams have a duty to uphold the Qur'an and the authentic hadith. Any Muslim imam who leans towards the sophisticated propaganda being spread by the Zionists will have ZERO credibility inshallah.

AFGHAN ELECTIONS FOR ANOTHER FAKE REGIME
by Eric Margolis [Canada]
Email this

Afghanistan's national election held this week is a sham. A group of candidates, handpicked by the US, will pretend to compete in an election whose outcome has already been determined - by Washington.

The candidates include US groomed politicians, and drug-dealing warlords from the Tajik and Uzbek north. Chief among them, Rashid Dostam, a major war criminal and principal CIA ally who ordered the massacre of over 2,000 Taliban prisoners.

Such is the rotten foundation on which Washington is hoping to build a compliant Afghan "democracy" that will continue to offer bases to US troops and warplanes. Afghanistan's majority, the Pashtun tribes, have little voice in the election charade.

The largest, most popular party in Afghanistan, Taliban, and its smaller ally, Hisbi-Islami, have been excluded as "terrorists" from the current and past elections. They are boycotting the vote, rightly claiming it will be rigged and run by the western powers and their local collaborators. We see this same pattern of faux democracy across the Mideast.

If an open vote was held today, Taliban would probably win. Americans have no problem it seems working with Afghan Communists, war criminals, and drug kingpins. In fact, under American rule, opium, morphine and heroin production in Afghanistan has surged to all-time record highs. This is called "nation-building."

After 12 years of using everything in its arsenal short of nuclear weapons, the mighty US military has failed to defeat lightly-armed Taliban forces. The Pashtun tribes are almost certain to keep on fighting indefinitely. A favorite Taliban saying: "the Americans have watches; we have time." The Pashtun defeated four British attempts to colonize Afghanistan, the Soviet effort in the 1980's, and now the US occupation.

Afghanistan has proved the longest war in America's history. As US troops and heavy bombers attacked Taliban position, I wrote in the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers that invading Afghanistan was a terrible mistake, a war that would not be won. Not surprisingly, I was widely denounced.

My column of 26-years was blacklisted by a major newspaper chain after I dared to say the war was lost and a waste of blood and money.

I knew this having been in the field with the Afghan mujahidin during the 1980's Great Jihad (holy war) against Afghanistan's Soviet occupiers - recounted in my "War at the Top of the World."

A few years later, I was present at the birth of Taliban. The Pashtun movement arose during the early 1990's Afghan civil war to fight the mass rape of Afghan women, and combat foreign-backed Afghan Tajik and Uzbek Communists.

Washington's current plan is to install a new, post-Karzai Afghan client regime in Kabul, and keep control of the 400,000-man Afghan police and army who fight for US dollars. The tame Afghan regime will then "invite" some 16,000 US soldiers and airmen, plus large numbers of tribal mercenaries, to stay on and keep Taliban at bay.

The key to ongoing US control of Afghanistan is airbases at Bagram, Kandahar, Herat, and Shindand, supported by bases in Central Asia, Pakistan and the Gulf. The US and its allies could not retain their bases across Afghanistan without mounting hugely expensive 24-hour combat air patrols that respond within minutes to any Taliban attacks. Without constant resupply and support from the air, western forces would be quickly cut off and defeated.

This is one big reason why the war in Afghanistan has so far cost the US $1 trillion dollars. Billions have disappeared due to massive corruption. Without a steady stream of US dollars, the Afghan regime in Kabul would collapse. Pakistan has been paid over $18 billion since 2001 to fight its own Taliban and allow US military operations.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama's efforts to cut US occupation forces in Afghanistan are being openly and brazenly challenged by his own insubordinate military commanders who cannot face admitting defeat at the hands of Taliban - the ultimate humiliation for the high-tech US forces.

But now that China and Russia have challenged the US, the Pentagon has found a new foe and reasons for ever-bigger budgets. So it may reluctantly abandon the Afghan misadventure. After all, who remembers the Vietnam War and the disgraceful flight from Saigon?

copyright Eric S. Margolis 2014

For German translation of above article please go to
http://antikrieg.com/aktuell/2014_04_06_wahlen.htm

Our America
Shootings at two Jewish Centers in Kansas City leave Three Dead.

CNN) -- Three people were dead Sunday after a shooting at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City in Overland Park, Kansas, an official said.

Shootings occurred at two locations, and one person is in custody, said Jason Rhodes, a spokesman for the Overland Park Fire Department.

A building at the center is on lockdown, and police are at the scene, the center said in a Facebook post.

CNN affiliate KSHB reported that there were two separate shootings at Jewish centers in the area -- one at the community center and one at an assisted living facility.

An Overland Park police officer and Kansas State Trooper guard the entrance of the Jewish Community Center after a shooting in Overland Park, Kansas, on Sunday, April 13.

The FBI is at the scene working with local authorities investigating shootings that occurred at two locations, FBI spokesman Joel Sealer said.

At the time of the shooting, auditions for a dance competition and dance recitals were being held at the community center, KSHB said.

"This was a community center full of young teens, and they were on lockdown after the shots started. Some of these kids were taken into locker rooms and told to lay on the floor as the shots rang out," KSHB reporter Lisa Benson told CNN.

Kashmiri American Leader, Ghulam Nabi Fai Visits Northern California
Report by Ras H. Siddiqui, April 11, 2014

Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai or "Dr. Fai" as he is known by many people across the world visited Northern California recently and addressed gatherings in the San Francisco Bay Area, Monterey and Sacramento. This writer was able to hear his address to a get together at the Kabob and Chutney Restaurant in California's Capital on Wednesday, March 26, 2014, an event jointly put together by the American Muslim Alliance (AMA) and The Pakistan-American Democratic Forum (PADF) whose leader Dr. Agha Saeed was very much present here. Dr. Fai was recently released early from a minimum security facility after being sentenced for activities related to the Kashmiri-American Council (KAC). The details of the case are widely available on the internet and will not be discussed here, but the organizers of his visit had introduced him both as "The Most Distinguished Kashmiri-American Thinker" and "The Recently Released Political Prisoner", a voice of an oppressed people.

One is well aware that Post 9/11 America has had little patience for Muslims seeking political or even humanitarian justice worldwide. The damage that the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in 2001 have done to the Palestinian and Kashmiri cause still lingers. But neither of these issues has been resolved or gone away. Millions of people associated with them continue to suffer. And where there is continued suffering there cannot be peace, with a potential for violence is never far away.

Speakers at the Sacramento event included Hazem Kira, Talat Sattar and Muhammad Salim Akhtar. They presented words of welcome and introduced both Dr. Saeed and Dr. Fai. For the purpose of this report we will focus on Dr. Fai's speech and what he had to say. One knows that it is risky to even write about issues such as Kashmir these days but since Dr. Fai not only writes, talks and breathes Kashmir he lives it, and one can see that his passion for the cause of his people has not diminished.

After greeting everyone Dr. Fai explained the relevance of the Kashmir issue today. He went back at length into history and pointed out how American Presidents and other high officials starting from President Harry Truman to President Barack Obama (over 60 years of time has passed) have been both involved and concerned about a place 10,000 miles away from this country. The Kashmir issue has been brought up at the UN in a resolution co-sponsored by Britain, France and China. President Kennedy involved himself in the problem in 1962 and President Clinton called it the most dangerous place on earth. President Obama has been on record at least 5 times on a willingness to facilitate an understanding on the issue between India and Pakistan while keeping in mind the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

"You should not be apprehensive about talking of Kashmir," said Dr. Fai. He said that the issue of Kashmir was not terrorism. He added that even the judge that sent him to prison said that his work was about bringing peace (between India, Pakistan and in Kashmir). He added that the movement since 2008 has been non-violent and a more recent "Million Man March" in Srinagar brought out more than a million people with no guns in sight.

Earlier that week in Monterey, California Dr. Fai had presented 8 points to ponder over that would create the necessary harmony for peace:Dr. Fai elaborated on these eight points as: "(i) The rights of all members of minorities in Jammu and Kashmir should be protected at all costs; (ii) All those persons who have been displaced from Jammu and Kashmir since 1947 should be encouraged to return;( iii) The members of the Pandit community displaced in the recent past should be facilitated to return and their rehabilitation guaranteed; (iv) The 'Armed Forces Special Powers Act' (AFSPA) should be repealed as recommended by the leadership of civil society of India, like Justice Rajiner Sachar & Ambassador Kuldip Nayar; (v)The bunkers from villages and towns need to be dismantled; (vi) The release of political prisoners would go a long way to hasten the progress of peace and reconciliation in the region; (vii) The Kashmiris should be integral component of the ongoing peace process as they are the primary stake holders. They should be inclusive in the peace process with India & Pakistan as it will facilitate permanent, durable and honorable settlement of the Kashmir dispute and (viii) The leadership of both India Pakistan must recognize that there can be no settlement, negotiated or otherwise, without the active and full participation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir living on both sides of the Cease-fire Line, including the Kashmiri diaspora."

In Sacramento speaking on what should be done in America today, Dr. Fai said that young people in this country need to step forward, get involved and hold seminars on Kashmir especially on college campuses. He also called for increasing the awareness of the Kashmir issue within the strong Inter-Faith dialogue taking place in America. And last but not least he called on Muslims to raise their hands in prayer for people suffering in the region.

During the Question & Answer session that followed Dr. Fai's speech, one was reminded of a major event that once took place during the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in 1998, where the late Nelson Mandela surprised everyone including the Indian Premier by publicly calling for the need of resolving Kashmir (and offering NAM's help). On the great man's recent passing, the mainstream Indian media chose not to bring up that point as they waxed eloquent about his many achievements including the ending of Apartheid in South-Africa.

In conclusion one finds that Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai is as committed as ever to the cause of Kashmir in spite of his recent incarceration. He remains a man of integrity and sincerity in many eyes, one who has had to work in an environment akin to a cesspool where he was certainly not in the running for a popularity contest. His quest is and always has been for Kashmiri "Azadi" (Freedom) and for that he is up against many powerful forces. And we do know that there is no bigger irritant in the international diplomatic arena today than an unarmed man who keeps bringing up unpopular truths (unfortunately), and especially when everyone knows that he is right!

Pakistan:From Anwar Riazi
Newly Elected Ameer of Jamaate Islami Blasts Pakistani Ruling Class, Supports the Poor.

JI wants end to VIP culture JI wants end to VIP culture

LAHORE, Apr. 11 Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Sirajul Haq, has said that the Jamaat e Islami wanted to end the VIP culture in the country and bring the oppressed masses at par with the ruling elite.

Addressing the first Friday congregation at Mansoora mosque after assuming his high office, Sirajul Haq termed the tiny ruling elite as the greatest threat to the country's stability, and warned that if the rulers did not change their attitude, the oppressed masses could rise in revolt.

The JI Chief also counseled the Prime Minister to withdraw the Protection of Pakistan Ordinance (PPO) which was a clear violation of human rights and was bringing bad name to the country.

He said that besides armed terrorism, Pakistan was also facing political terrorism and economic terrorism as a tiny elite class was controlling 95 per cent of the country's rich resources and exploiting the masses. He said on one hand was the VP culture while on the other hand, there was the foot path culture as thousands of children were seen collecting food items on roads and living on foot paths. Nne of the feudal lords or capitalists had made any sacrifice for the sake of Pakistan, it was the poor who rendered sacrifices for the country. However, after Pakistan came into being, the feudal and capitalists managed to come to power. He said it was only because of the corruption and plunder of the elite that the masses were without basic necessities of life and the country was under the huge debt of the IMF and the World Bank.

Sirajul Haq, said that as Finance Minister, he had seen that whenever there was a move for raising the salaries of the class four, the bureaucracy would oppose it with full force, but on the other hand, every suggestion for raising the perks of the privileges was cleared in no time. This was because the privileged would not like the poor to stand equal to them. He said if the elite class did not mend its ways, time was not far when the deprived masses would rise in protest and topple the rulers.

He said that Islam bestowed equal rights to all the people and was the biggest advocate for a welfare society. He said all man made systems, capitalism socialism, communism could not stand in the face of Islam's everlasting teachings and the rulers would have to take shelter under Islam for building the country a truly peaceful and welfare state, wherein every citizen had the facilities of education, health and employment.

The JI Ameer said that Pakistan was destined to be a Islamic welfare state. He said that he wanted to see the day when the Chief Justice of Pakistan would have a copy of the Noble Quran in his hands, the Prime Minster would make the call for prayer (Azan) and the President would lead the prayers.

With thanks tp Shah Abdul Hannan.
What are the Options for India's Muslims as the month long Elections continue.
Muslims will consider supporting AAP, if it offers concrete programme for them: Ameer JIH
Posted on 10 April 2014

New Delhi, 10 April 2014: Amid the talk of communal forces emerging stronger, India is going to polls. The fear of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is perhaps more felt by the Muslim minority than anyone else. The "secular" Congress—charged with corruption and misrule—does not seem much energetic and confident at this moment. At this crucial juncture what strategy should the largest religious minority community of the country adopt in the upcoming General and assembly elections? What are the options available for them? To learn about this and more, Mishab Irikkur, Mohammad Raghib and Abhay Kumar interacted with Maulana Jalaluddin Omari, the Amir (national president) of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) last week at the New Delhi headquarter. The seventy-nine year old Amir-who is an Islamic scholar and author of dozens of books-spoke on a host of issues such as elections, politics, the social and economic problems of Muslims, reservation, framing of innocent Muslim youth on terror charges etc. The JIH—which came into existence soon after the Jamaat-e-Islami had split into two separate organisations during Partition — is one of the most influential Islamic organizations among Muslims that mainly does "intellectual" work and carries out welfare activities as well. The excerpts are as follows.
What are the major concerns of Muslims ahead of the upcoming elections?

Omari: Our Constitution does not discriminate any citizen on the basis of caste, colour, religion, region, sex etc. It has also given minorities some special rights related to their personal laws and culture. Muslims, therefore, should vote to power those forces, which are committed to upholding democracy, secularism and the principles of Indian Constitution. At the same time we should defeat the parties which are opposed to diversity. The very language of cultural assimilation is a threat to the spirit of our Constitution and interests of people.

Which party or coalition should Muslims support?

Omari: There are two main forces or coalitions which are competing with each other for power at centre. These are the so-called secular coalition [Congress-led UPA] and BJP-led NDA. There is also Left-supported Third Front, which projects itself as an alternative to both the UPA and the NDA but it does not look quite promising at this moment, for the Left itself is very weak. The Congress-led UPA government has not kept its promises to Muslims and even failed to enact Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill. The Samajwadi Party (SP)—which has often been one the favorite for Muslim voters in UP -was unable to check riots in Muzaffarnagar. Mulayam Singh today speaks with a forked-tong; while he does not miss any chance to take potshots at the Congress, it was his party that came to the rescue of UPA government at the centre a few years back. Ram Vilas Paswan and Udit Raj could support and join the BJP respectively but such options are not available for us. Muslims cannot support the BJP as it has been involved in riots and the saffron party stands for cultural assimilation. At this critical juncture, Muslims should support secular forces, which are committed to the Indian Constitution.

What about the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)? Could the AAP be a possible alternative for Muslims?

Omari: The primary focus of the AAP is corruption. I told Arvind Kejriwal that corruption is a major issue of India and it does not mean much to backward Muslims in this country. Most of rickshaw-pullers and cart-pullers are Muslims. Therefore, the real concerns of Muslims are security, education, health and employment etc. If the AAP offers a concrete programme for Muslims, Muslims will consider supporting it ( Musalman AAP ke bare men ghaur kar sakte hain). But nothing has been clearly spelt out so far. Besides, the AAP is yet to state its clear position on the illegal detention of Muslim youth on terror charges. But we are happy that the AAP has started taking up the issues of communalism as a key challenge before the country.

There is a strong view among a section of Muslims that they should float their own party rather than supporting secular one. What do you think about this?

Omari: There is no doubt that most of political parties appear before Muslims at the time of elections. They are desperate to get Muslims' votes and then forget their issues. Given this, we often come across such a view that Muslims should stop rallying behind 'secular' parties and they, instead, should form their own party. But this is an emotional claim. How could 14 per cent Muslim minority do this? But we all know that this is not going to be possible. In other words, Muslims are not in a position to come to power on their own in India. What Muslims can do is to support others in coming to power.

One often hears the talk of division among Muslims community on caste, region and sect lines. What do you have to say about this?

Omari: One wails that Muslim as a community is divided. It is true that Muslims are divided but other religions are more fragmented. Can anyone name the supreme Hindu leaderof India today? Is Modi the leader of all Hindus? He is not.

How do you respond to the opinion that Muslims and other marginalised sections, such as Dalits and OBCs, should get united to defeat dominant and oppressive upper castes and classes?

Omari: Muslims have tried to go along with Dalits. On the one hand, Dalits want Muslims to work under their leadership but on the other hand, one should not forget the basic difference between them and us. Dalits and OBCs are considered their own people ( apne log) and a part of Hinduism by the majority community. Dalits and OBCS—despite the fact that they are discriminated and placed lower at ritual hierarchy in Hinduism- worship the same gods and goddess, as done by the majority of Hindus. Though Dalits are not allowed to enter some temples but it is also a fact that they worship in their own temples. Moreover, the festivals such as Holi and Dipawali are celebrated by both Brahmins and non-Brahmins. In short, Dalits and OBCs share a lot with Hindu community in culture and religion, while Muslims, contrary to Hinduism, follow Islam and believe in monotheism. It is during a conversation some time back, a person told me that a Muslim in India could join higher position in army, and become ministers, governors and even presidents but she/he will never be trusted to become the prime minister of the country. Such discrimination is against the spirit of Indian constitution. Why is this discrimination? This is because of lack of trust in Muslims. During the freedom struggle, Muslims sacrificed much more than their proportion and their contribution was not less than that of Hindus. But soon after Partition, Muslims suddenly become the other. Let me give another example to drive home the point. The social base of the SP is mostly among Yadavas but Yadavas' votes alone are not sufficient to help it form government. How does then it reach the corridor of power? The SPcomes to power because it is supported by both Yadavas and a large section of the majority community. Such support cannot come to Muslims.

The Welfare Party of India (WPI) is considered JIH's political-wing, which is contesting as many as 34 seats in the 2014 General Election. Does the WPI look promising to you in the coming elections?

Omari: Unlike the Muslim League and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the WPI wants to bring all weaker sections together. The JIH supports the WPI because it is a values-based party. However, I do accept that WPI has no sufficient strength to contest as many as 34 seats but its strategy seems to aim at creating electoral space.

The ideology of the WPI does not aim at establishing the Islamic system, as advocated by the JIH. Does this mean that there is a contradiction between the perspective of the JIH and that of its political-wing WPI? Has the JIH deviated from its core ideology?

Omari: We support the WPI. But this does not mean that there is no difference between the JIH and the WPI. The JIH has also not deviated from our core ideology of iqamat-e-deen (establishment of Islam as thecomplete system). The JIH firmly holds that the Islamic system is an alternative to the present 'secular' system. But people are yet to be pursued with iqamat-e-deen in our country. We cannot impose the Islamic system on people until people generally agree to it. The JIH, therefore, has been working since its inception to prepare people in favour of Islamic system. Till then we will continue to support the present system because this is the system which allows freedom of expression and prorogation of one's views.

What has been the JIH doing for addressing the issues of Muslims, such as security, and education, social and economic problems? How far has 'Vision 2016', a programme also supported by the JIH, been successful in achieving its target of building schools, hospitals, houses etc.?

Omari: Let me first begin with the issue of security. Thousands of innocent Muslim youths are being framed in false terror cases. The media trail, which propagates police version, has done lots of damage to them. We, along with all other Muslims organisations, have been demanding that an inquiry, if there is strong evidence, may be done but this cannot go on and on for years. But it should be ensured that the enquiry must be completed in a time period. Moreover, Muslims are also facing social and economic problems. In the area of education, particularly in higher education, they are lagging behind. The communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, which broke out in small areas, proved severe because most of the Muslims—were poor and uneducated. One may point the figure at the Muslim community, for it has not taken adequate measures to help their own co-religionists as done by the Sikh community. But this is not entirely true and many Muslim organisations are working for the empowerment of the community. 'Vision 2016' programme is an example of this. Under this programme, welfare work has been done in Assam, Bengal and Bihar. 'Vision 2016' has mainly focused on the areas of north India as the Muslims of south India are relatively better off. But my experience says that no (community)organisation alone can solve the problems of Muslims unless the government takes responsibility. Unfortunately, it is yet to become sincere about addressing Muslims' issues.

What is your view on reservation for Muslims? What criteria should be followed to implement it?

Omari: Reservations are given to Muslims in some states such as Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. But there is no such provision at an all-India level. Mulayam Singh promised Muslims 18 per cent reservation but he no longer talks about this. Today Muslims as a community have become backward and therefore, reservation should be given to them on economic basis, not on the basis of caste ( samajik tabqat ke buniyad par nahin).

(Mishab Irikkur (mishabirikkur@gmail.com), Mohammad Raghib (raghib.jnu@gmail.com), and Abhay Kumar (debatingissues@gmail.com) are pursuing PhD at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.)
- Courtesy twocircles.net

2014-04-14 Mon 20:03:10 cdt
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