Indian Islamic Affairs

Muslims let down by 'secular' media

2007-12-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

The other voice: M Burhanuddin Qasmi (Pioneer, Dec. 22, 2007)

They riled Modi, practically demonised him for his 'communalism' , but ended up sharpening the division between Hindus and Muslims. It would have been better if they questioned his claims on development and exposed the suffering of the common Gujarati

I am afraid this time our national media has unwittingly helped Mr Narendra Modi consolidate Hindu majority votes on issues not in the interest of nation. Hordes of journalists and byte-reporters descended on Gujarat to batter Mr Modi as a "communal leader". But the campaign backfired. Today, the Muslims of Gujarat are wondering whether they need these so-called secularists after all.

A simple question should strike our minds, especially those in media: How did the Gujarat election campaign derail from issues of the common man and degenerate into a Modi versus Sonia affair? The so-called political analysts in their long columns and 24X7 'direct to home' channels did gross injustice to their professional responsibilities. They portrayed a common politician as either a filmy villain or as a hero- "Gujarat ka gaurav". In the process, they ended up helping that particular individual politically

It is notable that in the present globalised world, fame of any kind, good or bad, helps people. For instance, both American President George W Bush and American invention, Osama bin Laden, (let's not forget that he was "discovered" by the Americans as quite useful in the Afghan theatre against the Soviets) are enjoying the fruits of the fame game. Our Bollywood filmmakers are well aware of the prospects of getting free publicity by weaving one or two spicy scenes (or objectionable lines) into the script. Once the requisite hype has been generated (and enough cars burnt), they excise these scenes and laugh their way to the bank.

The 174-page State Government publication, Gujarat: Beyond the Obvious -- A Report on Initiatives for Inclusive Growth never became a serious issue for the national media. The hired agency, Ernst & Young, prepared the report to showcase the "successes" of the State Government over the past five years. The Gujarat Government published it two months ahead of the election. Very few of the national newspapers questioned the morality of hiring an expensive multinational consultant that eventually produced nothing more than a colourful compilation of daily press notes sent out by the state information department. But, none of the 'busy' channels, to my knowledge, organised a debate putting the report on the table.

Ernst & Young protected its reputation by putting a 'disclaimer' that it neither recommended nor endorsed any specific initiatives, projects or programmes mentioned in the publication. It also declined to assume "liability or responsibility for the outcome or decisions taken as a result of any reliance placed on this publication. " This caveat from the 'author' itself put a big question mark on the Modi regime's tall claims of development. The national media, with all its intelligent people, could easily have put Mr Modi on the dock over this. But, instead of alleviating the level of the discourse, they pandered to the lowest common denominator. Then, by supreme irony, the media started accusing Mr Modi of raising "emotive issues"!

The lives of ordinary people in Gujarat are plagued by environmental degradation. The Modi Government's reckless industrialisation based on chemicals and petrochemicals has ruined the environment. Thousands of people have been forced to migrate because of these polluting industries. While the rich are making billions, the common Gujarati is suffering. The Gujarat Government acts as if the environment is a central subject. The national media could have focussed on this issue given its importance in the present time when there is much talk of global warming and climate change. But they did not bother. They were content with sharpening communal divisions.

Mr Modi is undoubtedly popular. But, it is time to ask - who is responsible for this popularity? I would suggest that his popularity is rooted in his communal and emotional slogans. The media is so obsessed with this aspect that it allows him to get away with all the half-truths and untruths he produces. He goes to meetings of industry associations and claims things like "Gujarat leads the country in power generation". The State purportedly has more than 18,000 villages with uninterrupted power supply. When asked about in education, he claims that the dropout rate among children is down to three per cent. Water is supposed to have reached every village.

To my surprise, the national media does not find the time to make a serious examination of these claims of the Modi Government. The Gujarat media, meanwhile, acts like an extension of the State Information Department.

The mandate of the Gujarat election is now lying sealed in the EVMs. All exit poll surveys conducted by various media suggest that the BJP improved its performance towards the end of the campaign and is likely to return with an impressive performance in the second phase of polling.

Mr Modi is a formidable icon for Hindutva politics in India. His defeat or victory would have implications on national politics. This fact is known in the country's intellectual forums. It is the media that originally helped construct this fact. In 2007, we saw the media becoming part and parcel of Mr Modi's message for the country.

-- The writer is a Director of Markazul Ma'arif Education & Research Centre, Mumbai

http://tinyurl. com/3azltv

IntelliBriefs: Muslim in India : Quick Snapshot

2007-11-30T09:35:00.000-08:00

Muslim in India

IntelliBriefs: Muslim in India : Quick Snapshot

Where is the moral outrage for Mossamat Akhera Bibi

2007-11-13T18:25:00.001-08:00

Rakeeb Hussain for The Hindustan Times reports:

Shiekh Motaleb, who anyhow managed to rescue his sister Mossamat Akhera Bibi and admit her to the Tamluk sub-divisional hospital in East Midnapore on Saturday, said: “My sister was pregnant and couldn’t run away when the armed CPM cadres stormed inside Satengabari village. She was severally beaten up and then raped by the cadres. Her two teenage daughters Soma Khatoon and Anwara Khatoon too have been raped and then taken away.”

Nirmalya Bannerjee for the Times News Network has these quotes

”It was about 8 pm last Tuesday (a day after the final onslaught from Khejuri was launched). My husband was not at home. I was in bed with two teenage daughters when five men barged in.

About 25 others stood guard outside. They pulled me by the hair and one of them raped me. Our two daughters were also pulled out and raped by four people. They hit me with rifle butts.” She lay dazed in her house for a day before her nephew brought her to the Nandigram block hospital. Later, she was shifted to Tamluk. “I still don’t know what has happened to my two daughters,” she said.

Police recorded her statement on Sunday. “There is no visible sign of rape but she is a mother of a number of children. In such cases, rape is difficult to confirm by physical verification, often circumstantial evidence is crucial,” said Dr Sudip Gole who carried out the medical examination on Saturday night.

Where is the moral outrage for the rape of pregnant Muslim women by Communist cadre in West Bengal ?

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen – Thriving on the ideology of its pre-Independence parent body

2007-09-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen – Thriving on the ideology of its pre-Independence parent body

Source: SAAG.ORG
by R. Upadhyay

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (All India Council of the Muslims), an incarnation of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) of pre-Independent India claims to be the sole representative body of the Muslim society of Andhra Pradesh. With one Lok Sabha seat, which the party has retained since 1984 till 2004 election, five MLAs in Andhra Prdesh Assembly, forty Corporators in Hyderabad city and about one hundred members elected to various municipal bodies, its claim is perhaps justified.

While taking over the command of the pre-Independence MIM in 1957 by prefixing All India to this name, Abdul Wahed Owaisi declared the party’s commitment to Indian constitution but three MLAs led violent assault on Taslima Nasreen, a Muslim woman writer of Bangladesh on August 9 this year proved its tunneled mindset, which is hardly in time negotiates with the spirit of secular democracy in the country. A trusted ally of the ruling Congress, it is known as “an Islamic, fundamentalist, secessionist, communal and political party in India that was founded by radicals among the Muslim population of Hyderabad and Muslim dominated areas of Andhra Pradesh though it has units in some parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra”(Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia).

To know further about the Islamist character of the party, we may look into the historical background of its parent body as well as its own contribution towards radicalization of the Muslim society. Like August 9 incident this year, the pre-Independence MIM also came in hot news on this eventful day of Indian History sixty five years back in 1942, when it had opposed ‘Quit India’ movement against the colonial British power and mobilized the Muslims of then Hyderabad State for defending the Islamic rule of Nizam. Founded in 1927 by a group of Islamists of Hyderabad initially as a socio-religious organization, its successive presidents particularly Nawab Bahadur Yar Jung, a religio-political activist and Qasim Rizvi, a militant Islamist gradually turned it into an Islamic fundamentalist, secessionist, communal and a pro-Nizam political party.

For MIM “the ruler throne (Nizam) is the symbol of the political and cultural rights of the Muslim community …. (and) this status must continue for ever”. (Party Politics in Andhra Pradesh by Vadakattu Hanumantha Rao, 1983, Page 163). Under the leadership of Bahadur Yar Jung, the party “proclaimed Muslims as the monarchs of Deccan with Nizam as only the symbolic expression of their political sovereignty. It demanded the creation of an independent Hyderabad to synchronise with the lapse of British paramountcy” (State Government and Politics – Andhra Pradesh by Reddy & Sharma, 1979, page392).

After the death of Bahadur Yar Jung in early forties of the last century, the command of the MIM was taken over by Kasim Razvi, who enrolled a large number of Muslim youths as Razakars to fight against the freedom fighters of Congress, Arya Samaj and Hindu Mahasabha and emerged as “champion of Muslims and protector of a Muslim State”. The militancy of the party however reached to its peak on the eve of independence, when Nizam was virtually put on hold by the MIM and was not allowed to sign the instrument of accession of Hyderabad State with Indian Union. In fact about 150,000 Razakars led by Razvi created a reign of terror against the non-Muslims and forced the Nizam to buy time under the cover of negotiation. The militant mindset of Razvi could be judged from his threat to Government of India during one of his talks with V.P.Menon, the then Secretary in Ministry of States in Delhi. He said, “if Government of India insisted on a plebiscite, the final arbiter could only be the sword”(Integration of the Indian States by V.P.Menon, page334). Similarly in one of his jehadi speeches as published in press, he asserted: “The day is not far off when the waves of the Bay of Bengal will be washing the feet of our sovereign”. He further declared that “he would plant the Asaf Jahi flag on the Red Fort in Delhi” (Ibid. page 352). Such statements of Razvi suggested that the latter was virtually the ruler of Hyderabad State. However, the sword of Rizvi failed to protect the end of the autocratic rule of Nizam, who surrendered at 1700 hour on September 17, 1948 and integration of Hyderabad State with Indian Union became a reality. MIM was proscribed and Razvi was jailed. He was released only in 1957, when he gave an undertaking to migrate to Pakistan within forty-eight hours of his release.

The story of the over one year delay in the integration of Hyderabad suggests that dependence of Nizam on an Islamist like Razvi was the main reason behind not only for his humiliating surrender before Indian army but also for demoralisation of the Muslim society of Hyderabad. His radio speech on September 23 was in fact a confession of being a prisoner of a group of MIM activists led by Razvi. He said, “In November last, a small group which had organized a quasi-military organization surrounded the homes of my Prime Minister, the Nawab of Chhatari, in whose wisdom I had complete confidence, and of Sir Walter Monkton, my constitutional Adviser, by duress compelled the Nawab and other trusted ministers to resign and forced the Laik Ali Ministry on me. This group headed by Kasim Razvi had no stake in the country or any record of service behind it. By methods reminiscent of Hitelerite Germany it took possession of the State, spread terror … and rendered me completely helpless.” (From Autocracy to Integration by Lucien D Benichou, Orient Longman 2000, Page 237).

Before his migration to Pakistan Rizvi handed over the command of the MIM to Abdul Wahed Owaisi an advocate and one of the richest Muslims of Hyderabad, who was known for his strong relations with Nizam. Owaisi revived the MIM with a new name of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. He re-wrote its constitution and accepted Hyderabad as a part of Indian Union. Re-naming the party just by prefixing All India in it and re-writing its constitution was however, an eye wash as its subsequent behaviour showed.

Although Owaisi was an eye witness to all the misdeeds of Razvi, the Islamist element in him did not allow him to be reconciled with the loss of an independent Islamic State. “In 1957 the MIM was revived in Hyderabad and a decade later was petitioning the Government of India for the foundation of a purely Muslim State on India’s eastern coast” (Encyclopaedia of Islam – Lieden E.J.Brill, Vol. V, Page 1081). For over a decade the MIM maintained a low profile and remained a marginal player in the politics of Hyderabad but gradually Owaisi cashed on the hidden anger of Muslim society against the loss of Islamic power in the state. “Majlis played passion politics by trading on hate-Hindu sentiments and cashed on the angry Muslim electorates” (Party Politics in Andhra Pradesh – Hanumantha Rao, 1983, Page 164).

In 1976 Salahuddin Owaisi, a widely traveled barrister son of Abdul Wahed Owaisi took over the presidentship of the party after the death of his father and launched an aggressive campaign for the cause of his community members. Increasingly aligning the party with the fundamentalist ideology of its parent body the Owaisis carried forward the legacy of parent organization, which was “regarded as remarkably aggressive and a violent face of Muslim militancy as it organized the Razakars to defend the independence of this Muslim State with Indian Union”.

Popularly known as ‘Salar-e-Millat’ (Commander of the community), he criticized the Indian state for allegedly abandoning the Muslims to their fate and replayed the communal and militant politics of Razvi. He reminded his community members of their past glory and “compared the Majlis to the Black Power Movement of America” (www.nowpublic.com). Since 1984 he retained the Communal politics of Nizam days and never made any effort to transform the communalized Muslim masses of Hyderabad into secular and democratic Indians. Instead Owaisi family used this organization only as a platform for serving the communal interest of the Islamists in general and its vested political interest in particular. One fails to understand as to why he retained the name of the party, which had led the Razakars against Indian army? The answer lies with the Nizam-days mindset of Owaisis.

The MIM legislators opposed the motion which AP Assembly had placed for condemning the 9/11 attack on America. This was a reflection of the Islamist mindset of the AIMIM. Just on the eve of 2004 election Salahuddin stepped down in favour of his eldest son Asaduddin, who won this seat with a very big margin. His second son Akbaruddin became the leader of the five-member legislative group of AIMIM in Andhra Assembly. Taking over the presidentship of the party from his father, stepping down from his Lok Sabha seat for his eldest son and making his second son as leader of legislative party in Andhra Pradesh Assembly, the respective three generations of Owaisis have not only converted the AIMIM into a family trust but have also kept the Muslims of Hyderabad under siege. It is a fact that Owaisis have established some educational institutions for the benefit of the Muslim society of Hyderabad but its communal politics on which it is thriving has done more harm to the Muslims.

How does one deal with Owaisi types? What is the remedy? The Remedy lies with the Muslims of Andhra Pradesh themselves. If they want to live a peaceful and dignified life they will have to guard themselves from fundamentalists among them under the patronage of the parties, which are still obsessed to the pre-Independence mindset of All India Muslim League, Nizam of Hyderabad and Razvi, the leader of Razakars, who were opposed to integration of Hyderabad with Indian Union.

(The author can be reached e-mail ramashray60@rediffmail.com)

I have never come face to face with death like this: Taslima

2007-08-11T12:23:00.001-07:00

Source: SAAG.ORG

Guest Column- By Swati Parashar

The secular credentials of India were questioned yet again when Bangladeshi writer, Tasleema Nasreen was attacked in Hyderabad, by none other than those who are considered as the law makers of the country. In a deplorable act of vandalism, three MLAs of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) hurled abuses at Tasleema and even threw pieces of furniture at her while she was attending the launch of the Telugu version of her new novel, Shodh, in Hyderabad on August 9, 2007. The three MLAs of MIM and four other party activists were arrested by the police but later released on bail. Far from any repentance, even more alarming are their proclamations that Tasleema got what she deserved and that it could be worse next time. In a television debate, the unrepentant MIM MLA, Akbaruddin Owaisi said that, “She has hurt the sentiments of 20 crore Muslims. We are bothered so much about one person who is not even an Indian but we don't seem to care about the lot of Muslims in this country who are disgusted with her.”

Among the reasons attributed to this outrageous behaviour of the MLAs is the claim that this is a publicity ploy to strengthen their vote bank and their dwindling political fortunes in Hyderabad. Whatever may have been the real or perceived intentions behind this attack, it goes without saying that it completely makes a mockery of the secularism and tolerance that India has proudly been preaching to the rest of the world. It is in the same genre of attacks against intellectual freedom which we have witnessed plenty in the recent times and which most of us who believe in tolerance and freedom of expression have condemned and rejected. However, this particular attack on Tasleema Nasreen raises a number of uncomfortable questions which have been bothering liberal individuals like me. Having signed a number of online petitions usually initiated by left leaning intellectuals who have vociferously defended intellectual freedom for people like M. F. Hussain, I cannot help wonder whether our leftist comrades will take up cudgels against the guilty this time. One has not heard anything from them as yet, and one is not very hopeful that comrades Karats and their colleagues who are busy debating the nuclear deal will stand in solidarity with Tasleema. One is not even hopeful of any official statement by the government in her defence. The government and the Indian intellectual community, which raised a hue and cry (justifiably so in my opinion), over the human rights violation of Dr. Mohammed Haneef in Australia, will have nothing to say about this gross violation of freedom of speech and expression of a foreigner and above all an asylum seeker, on Indian soil. Reasons? Call it anything – pseudo secularism, vote bank politics, minority appeasement. In blatant words hypocrisy backed by ‘fanatic secularism’!

Our present UPA government, with its left allies has constantly shoved ‘secularism’ down our throats. Dr. Singh and his colleagues have repeatedly reminded us about how the Congress has been the biggest and perhaps the only bulwark against majority communalism and Hindu fundamentalism. It is time to remind them that MIM as their trusted ally abstained from Presidential elections 2007 to protest against UPA’s nominee Pratibha Patil's reported remarks that the 'purdah' system came into India because of Muslims. The MIM has a long history of communal politics in Hyderbad which includes violence against the Hindus as well as the communists who opposed the Nizam’s decision to form an independent Muslim state. It is also well known that the MIM members participated in the communal riots that hit Hyderabad in 1979. Violence, thus, has been their mode of politics even in the past, the attack on Tasleema being no exception. There is also a need to refresh our memories of the great escapades of the Congress Party and its left allies who have in their over zealous efforts to promote secularism often sought support from fundamentalist and communal elements within the minority communities. They perhaps agree with what Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of the MIM’s legislature party has said in the past, "How can an independent articulation of minority interests and aspirations be termed communal?”

Even as I write this article, the predictable political responses to the Tasleema episode have started pouring in. While the UPA Government has still not issued statements or strong condemnation of the attack, here is a glimpse of the responses that have come from the secular political leadership of this country. The Delhi Minorities Commission Chairperson Kamal Farooqui while condemning the attack reminds us that the “government should also ensure that Nasreen is not allowed to do or write anything, which hurts the sentiments of Muslims. The government should immediately cancel her visa and make her go out of the country. She should realise that this is not Bangladesh or Pakistan, but India where the sentiments of all communities are respected.” Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, and a veteran secular Congress leader reportedly responded to the Tasleema issue by stating that “Writers have other subjects to write. Why just religion?'” Samajwadi Party which harps on its secular credentials more than the Congress had its leader Shahid Aqla responding that, “I will ask the government to get her (Tasleema’s) visa revoked. She should be thrown out of the country.” Please contrast these responses to the ones that have been issued against the cancellation of the work visa of Dr. Mohammed Haneef in Australia. Isn’t there blatant double standard here even if the two cases are different in their content and issues?

When painter M. F. Hussain was subjected to acts of vandalism by the Hindu right wing, for his painting of Hindu Goddesses in the nude, did Ghulam Nabi Azad still say the same thing then that painters have other subjects to paint, why only religion? Thankfully, for the democratic traditions of this country, there was no dearth of support for M. F. Hussain. Not long ago a fine arts student in Baroda was jailed and his works vandalised by the Sangh Parivar activists for painting what they saw as blasphemous images of Hindu deities. Once again the liberal and secular minded citizens and human rights activists came together in support of the student. I also participated in the initiatives against moral policing by the Hindu fundamentalists and in support of freedom of artistic expressions. Clearly, this will not apply to Tasleema’s case because the moral policing this time comes from a minority community. The MIM MLA’s statements that they are Muslims first and then MLAs have been vindicated by the silence of those in constitutional positions and upholding the secular credentials of India.

It is deeply disheartening to note how the labels of communal, fundamentalist and secular are being assumed to serve political interests. I am aware that after this article I will also be branded as a right wing supporter. Only, it ceases to bother me, as I witness the hypocrisy that is rampant in Indian political and intellectual life. Noted scholar Ramachandra Guha says Hindu fundamentalism is the biggest threat to India today. I believe it is not religious fanaticism of either the Hindus or Muslims that threatens the country today but the “fanatic secularism” upheld by the large mass of our political leadership and intellectual community that will foment communal passions and threaten the unity and integrity of India . Between these two extremes of ‘religious fanaticism’ and ‘fanatic secularism’, freedom of speech and expression will continue to be sacrificed at the alter of political correctness, and in the name of community sentiments. However, it might not be such a good idea to end on this pessimistic note. Once again, truly secular Muslim intellectuals like Shabana Aazmi, Javed Akhtar, Nafisa Ali and even our Vice President elect Hamid Ansari have condemned the attack on Tasleema Nasreen and the use of violence as a method of protest. Perhaps true Indian secular and liberal ethos may survive the onslaught of religious fundamentalism and even ‘fanatic secularism’. We shall wait and watch.

* Swati Parashar is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Sydney, Australia, and a PhD Candidate at the Department of Politics and International Relations, Lancaster University, United Kingdom. She can be contacted at swatiparashar@hotmail.com

I have never come face to face with death like this: Taslima
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Sujoy Dhar, Indo-Asian News Service
Kolkata, August 10, 2007
First Published: 14:00 IST(10/8/2007)
Last Updated: 16:38 IST(10/8/2007)

"For half an hour death stared at me from close as I locked myself in a room and those men tried to break in and kill me," a traumatised Taslima Nasreen said on Friday, a day after the controversial Bengali author was attacked in Hyderabad during a book release.

Nasreen is not new to either controversy or attacks by fundamentalists for her writings against Islam. But Thursday's vicious attack by members of the Hyderabad-based Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) was different.

"I was attacked earlier too but it was never like Thursday's attack. There was no police for help because the organisers had not foreseen anything of this kind. If I have returned alive to Kolkata it is because of mediapersons who fought those men for half an hour and got injured to save me," Nasreen told IANS in her first interview after the incident at the Hyderabad Press Club on Thursday.

A shaken Nasreen arrived in Kolkata on late Thursday from Hyderabad where she had gone to release a Telugu translation of her novel Shodh.

"I was wondering how they would kill me. Would it be with a knife or a gun! Or would they simply beat me to death. They had encircled us. After I escaped from a back door and took shelter in a room, they even broke down one of the doors. I thought I would be dead," said the 45-year-old writer.

"I have never come face to face with death like this."

Though Nasreen managed to escape unhurt, many others were injured.

"They were hurling chairs, bags and thick books at us. What you have seen on television was nothing compared to what happened on Thursday," said the writer at her Rawdon Street apartment in an upmarket Kolkata locality.

"The organisers were a small group and so they had not arranged for police. They hardly expected this to happen, I don't blame them. They were surprised but I knew who these people were and so I asked to call the police. But before police came, journalists fought them off and saved me," said Nasreen.

Nasreen, who has penned several volumes of her seven-part autobiography, had attracted the ire of fundamentalists in Bangladesh for stance against Islam, its treatment of women and atrocities on the Hindu minorities in that country in her novel Lajja (The Shame). She first went into hiding in 1994 and then fled Bangladesh with support from international human rights organisations like PEN and Amnesty International.

She was given asylum in Sweden. Since then she has lived in Germany, France, the US and later Kolkata in India, where she got a tourist visa though her requests for citizenship have been repeatedly turned down by the Indian government.

The attack on Nasreen came on a day when her visa, scheduled to expire this month, was extended by six months till February next year.

She is living in Kolkata following a fatwa issued against her by some Islamic groups in Bangladesh for her book Lajja.

"If I were a citizen of India perhaps people would not have thought that I could be killed just like that. The truth is that I cannot return to Bangladesh while returning to Europe is like courting death too. I can only live here in Kolkata," said Nasreen.

"I am happy that the people who attacked were actually a minority while there are so many people who supported me. The photographers could have just clicked as they killed me but they chose to save me."

"A similar incident had occurred in a book fair in Bangladesh but then thankfully police was near. In fact, the release of the book on Thursday had nothing to do with Islam. This is the translation of an old book of mine," said the hunted author, who is now penning a sequel to Lajja.

The new book continues on the fate of the Hindu family, who was the focus in Lajja, and their life in Kolkata. A book on her columns is also awaiting release.

Though the Left Front government in West Bengal condemned the attack on Nasreen on Thursday, it had banned her book Dwikhandito (Split in Two), the third volume of her seven-part autobiography, till a court order lifted it.

Saudi Arabia : Four Pakis beheaded for rape and Murder

2007-05-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

This Law should be applied to all criminals in India.

Thursday, 03 May 2007

FOUR Pakistani men convicted of murder and rape were beheaded Wednesday in Madina, the Interior Ministry said. Shah Mohammed, Mazhar Hussein Fadl Elahy, Ijaz Ali and Mohammed Khan beat a Saudi citizen to death while he was asleep, then started beating his wife and tied her to bed.

The woman was raped by one of the four, identified as Mazhar Hussein Fadl Elahy.

The Pakistanis then stole the pair's money and jewelry from the house, the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
The latest beheadings bring to 52 the number of executions announced by authorities so far this year. For the whole of 2006, at least 37 people were executed, while 83 were put to death in 2005 and 35 the year before, according to AFP tallies based on official statements.

UN Human rights commission has condemned Saudi Arabia and its uncivilised Islamic laws dating back to stone age. They will mobilise world opinion to condemn Islam and seek to re-write Quran omitting Satanic verses.

Muslim rapes Dalit woman (wife of a patient at hospital)

2007-05-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.indianexpress.com/ sunday/ story/ 29578.html

Muslim rapes Dalit woman (wife of a patient at hospital)
-- WHAT IS MAOISTS RESPONSE ? Had it been an upper caste man raped this dalit women, by now media and Maoists whould have made mountain of mole hill . Why Maoists are so dumb and silent ?

Patient’s wife raped in Vidisha hospital
Milind Ghatwai

Posted online: Sunday, April 29, 2007 at 0000 hrs Print Email

BHOPAL, APRIL 28:A wardboy at a government hospital in Vidisha allegedly raped the wife of a patient, who was undergoing treatment for a long time. The incident occurred in a surgical ward used as storeroom on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.

Gulab Khan, 36, who had won the trust of the 19-year-old woman, told the victim that the staff nurse was looking for her. The woman had been attending to her sick husband for more than two months. “I did not suspect anything because he used to call me beta and had never misbehaved with me in the past,” the victim told the Vidisha Kotwali Police. She left her infant next to her husband Hargovind, who was operated upon early this week, and went with the wardboy, who first took her to a nurse's room and then to the storeroom where he raped her.

Hargovind, woke up to find his child but his wife missing. Despite being weak and with stitches, he went looking for his wife and heard her scream. Gulab managed to escape. Neither any security guard nor any staffer was around when the incident took place.

The victim lodged a complaint around 3 am on Saturday in the Kotwali Police Station, which was later transferred to the SC/ST Police Station because the victim belongs to a Scheduled Caste.

City SP Surendra Kumar Jain told The Indian Express that teams were sent to different locations to nab Gulab, who has two wives. One of the teams arrested him from the Pathankot Express at Bhopal’s Habibganj Station. He was on way to his native Manmad in Maharashtra.

In-charge Civil Surgeon R K Jain said the wardboy and nurse had been immediately suspended. DSP of SC/ST Station B P Samadhiya said the police subjected the wardboy and the victim to medical examinations. “The wardboy denied the allegation but there was sufficient proof to nail him,” said the DSP

Muslims spend more than Hindu peers

2007-04-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

-The Economic Times
- SHAILESH DOBHAL & BHANU PANDE

NEW DELHI: Forget all half-baked opinions you may have heard on the economic state of religious communities in India. Truth be told, at the national level, Hindus and Muslims are closer than you thought as far as average household income, expenditure, savings and even ownership of select consumer goods go.

In fact, in rural India, the gap between the two communities' narrows appreciably and even reverses in some cases in favour of Muslims. Not surprisingly, the Sikhs are the most prosperous lot in India, with highest household income, expenditure and ownership of cars, two-wheelers, TV sets and refrigerators. Christians and other smaller communities don't lag too far behind either.

Hindu 61,423
Muslim 58,420
Christian 70,644
Sikh 91,153
Others 101,105

Average annual household income (Rs At 2004-05 prices)

In the first ever exercise mapping the economic contours of different religious communities in India, ET presents an exclusive peek into the National Council of Applied Economic Research's (NCAER) data analysis from its National Survey of Household Income and Expenditure (2004-05), which was led by senior fellow Rajesh Shukla.

Hindu Muslim Christian Sikh Others
Car 5.1 4.3 10.9 17.3 13.1
Two Wheelers 35.3 31.3 41.7 54.7 57.0
TVs 62.8 54.0 77.6 86.6 85.2
Radio 49.5 51.3 56.0 36.3 47.2
Fridge 17.9 15.9 28.0 45.7 37.0

Ownership of selected consumer goods (% of households owning)

The survey collected primary data from a sample of approximately 63,000 households out of preliminary listed sample of 4,40,000 households spread over 1,976 villages (250 districts) and 2,255 urban wards (342 towns) covering 64 National Sample Survey (NSS) regions in 24 states/UTs.

If you thought Muslims alone were steeped in poverty, read on. Hindus and Muslims, at a national level, run neck-and-neck on average annual household income (AHI) of Rs 61, 423 and Rs 58,420, respectively.

Or, to put it differently, an average Hindu household has an income of Rs 168 per day, while an average Muslim household earns Rs 160 a day. In rural India, an average Hindu AHI is Rs 49,077 with Muslim close behind with AHI of Rs 47,805. On income parameters, at least, Hindus and Muslims are, indeed, bhai-bhai.

Marketers planning an ethnographic pitch to grab mindshare or policy makers preparing ground for affirmative action may do good to remember that an average Muslim household, at the national level, spends more than a Hindu one, with annual household routine expenditure (AHRE) at Rs 40,327 compared to Rs 40,009 for the latter.

Sikh household AHRE is highest at Rs 60,475 with Christians at Rs 45,291. In rural India, Muslim AHRE (Rs 33,711) is higher than Hindu (Rs 32,555) and compares well with Christian (Rs 38,068).

Interestingly, Muslims who are the bottom as far as income is concerned—top the list when AHRE is measured as a percentage of AHI. They spend over 69% of their income on routine household expenditure followed by Sikhs (66%) and Hindus (64%).

While the average national AHI for all religious groups at 2004-05 prices, stood at Rs 62,066, the patterns across specific groups reflect stark differential. The smaller religious communities (excluding Christians and Sikhs) taken as the whole are an affluent lot with AHI of over Rs 1 lakh. Sikhs and Christians leave larger communities way behind with AHI of Rs 91,153 and Rs 70,644 respectively.

And this has a clear impact on their expenditure and ownership patterns for a select consumer goods. Ownership patterns may tell their own story if the industry chooses to dig further. Penetration of cars is highest among Sikhs (17.3% households), followed by Christians (10.95%).

At the national level, Hindu and Muslim households virtually mirror each other on ownership of a host of products—cars ( 5.1% and 4.3%), two-wheeler (35.3% and 31.3%), refrigerator (17.9% and 15.9%) and radio (49.5% and 51.3%). Turn to rural India and Muslim households have an edge on not just AHRE, but even car ownership (2.6% versus 2.4% of Hindu households).

The only oddity in ownership between Hindus and Muslims is on television, with national penetration at 62.8 % and 54%, respectively. Even rural Muslim household lag here with penetration of just 39.1% compared to 52% for the majority community.

Saudi Arabia police razes makeshift Hindu temple

2007-03-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

RIYADH: Saudi religious police have destroyed a clandestine makeshift Hindu temple in an old district of Riyadh and deported three worshippers found there, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

Members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, or the religious police, Thursday stumbled across a room converted into a temple while raiding a number of flats suspected of being used to manufacture alcohol and distribute pornographic videos, pan-Arab Al-Hayat said.

“They were surprised to find that one room had been converted into a Hindu temple,” it said.

A caretaker who was found in the worshipping area ignored the religious police orders to stop performing his religious rituals, the paper added. He was deported along with two other men who arrived on the scene to worship.

All forms of non-Muslim worship are banned in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia, which is home to Islam’s holiest shrines.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an advisory panel, last month urged the US government to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia, as well as Vietnam and Eritrea, for violating religious rights.

Last year, the US State Department for the first time named ally Saudi Arabia, as well as Eritrea and Vietnam, “countries of particular concern” in its annual report on religious freedom. A list previously included China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Sudan.

Saudi police have for the past couple of weeks been conducting a security operation in an old part of Riyadh inhabited by mainly Asian labour on suspicion that the area has turned into a haven for illicit trade of pornographic material and forgery of documents. afp

Muslims accused of blackmail to make student girls convert

2007-03-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

Muslims accused of blackmail to make student girls convert
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/
- Nicola Woolcock

Radical Muslims are being accused of blackmailing young Hindu and Sikh women into changing religion in “groomed conversions” on campuses.
The men aggressively target vulnerable university students by using the fear of being dishonoured to force them to convert, community leaders have told The Times. Many befriend their victims, then threaten to tell their families that they are in a sexual relationship with a Muslim. Some teenagers are said to have been drugged and photographed in compromising positions.
Many comply because they are so afraid of shaming their parents or being rejected by their communities.
Police are aware of the problem. Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, recently attended a Hindu conference where the issue was raised. But police are powerless to act unless incidents are reported. This rarely happens because the stigma of a child converting to Islam often silences Sikh and Hindu parents.
Community elders say that the practice is widespread but their estimates vary from 100 annual incidents nationwide to 120 in the past few months in the South East alone.
Ranjeet Singh, of the British Organisation of Sikh Students, said: “There are cases of aggressive techniques, of drugging and of rape, of the man taking photos and blackmailing the girls into converting.
“They know that by dishonouring the girls, they will make their families disown them. In the past few months there have been about 120 cases in Luton and the South East. It’s a problem that has been going on for a while, but a lot of people are reluctant to come forward and there’s not much being done.
“It’s not the whole Muslim community, it’s extremist individuals. Some girls are very innocent and vulnerable when they go to university. Then they are befriended by these men. We know of some whose lives have been ruined.”
Some of the young women have suffered physical violence. Others have said that the men claimed to have been paid to convert their victims.
Ramesh Kallidai, secretary-general of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said: “The main problem is these girls feel very vulnerable and intimidated by these men. They talk about it to their friends, who tell us what is happening, but don’t want to speak to the police. Some families are completely broken apart by it. It becomes difficult to admit in public.

“One girl was beaten up when she refused to convert. She is petrified. She only spoke to one other girl about it, who contacted us.”

One Sikh organisation sets up telephone helplines and arranges visits to temples to raise awareness of the problem. Its leader, who wishes his identity and the group’s to remain anonymous, said: “This is very much taboo. These issues have been going on for many years and come to the boil at university.

“I deal with many very serious cases. There are horrific examples of abuse and blackmail, with men saying they’re going to tell the girl’s parents. Then they’re pretty much trapped. We call it groomed conversions. Some of the girls go through with it because they feel they have no choice.

“The men start a relationship with them, with the agenda of conversion down the line. Sometimes they take a picture of her in a compromising position. It’s so easy with camera phones. An 18-year-old girl ends up in a situation that she can’t control.”

He said that the extremists were exploiting the Sikh community’s tendency to treat conversion as a grave dishonour, adding: “That’s a cultural mindset we need to tackle. It’s the worst thing you could face — worse than bankruptcy or losing your job.”

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman confirmed that officers had attended a Hindu security conference last month. She said: “We are aware of it as an issue that concerns the Hindu community but are not aware, without further research, of any specific incidents reported to police. We would encourage anyone who has been targeted in this way to seek help.”

UK Muslims converting our girls: Hindus
http://www.rediff.com/

Hindu and Sikh leaders in the United Kingdom have accused radical Muslims of blackmailing young women from their communities into changing religion in groomed conversions on university campuses.

"It's not the whole Muslim community, it's extremist individuals. Some girls are very innocent and vulnerable when they go to university. Then these men befriend them. We know of some whose lives have been ruined," said Ranjeet Singh of the British Organisation of Sikh Students.

"It's a problem that has been going on for a while, but a lot of people are reluctant to come forward and there's not much being done," he said.
Ramesh Kallidai, secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said: "One girl was beaten up when she refused to convert. She is petrified. She only spoke to one other girl about it, who contacted us.
"The main problem is these girls feel very vulnerable and intimidated by these men. They talk about it to their friends, who tell us what is happening but don't want to speak to the police."

The police are aware of the problem and Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police, recently attended a Hindu conference where the issue was raised.
Kallidai said some families were completely broken apart by the incidents, which were difficult to admit in public. Singh also alleged there were cases of aggressive techniques, of drugging and of rape, of the man taking photos and blackmailing the girls into converting.
"They know that by dishonouring the girls, they will make their families disown them. In the past few months there have been about 120 cases in Luton and the South East," Singh said.
Community leaders alleged some young women had suffered physical violence. Others have said that the men claimed to have been paid to convert their victims.
One Sikh organisation has set up telephone helplines and arranged visits to temples to raise awareness of the problem.
The police are powerless to act unless incidents are reported. This rarely happens because the stigma of a child converting to Islam often silences Sikh and Hindu parents, said community leaders.

Hindus feel the heat in Pakistan

2007-03-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

Riaz Sohail
BBC News, Karachi

Published: 2007/03/02 15:24:02 GMT

The kidnap and murder of a Hindu engineer in Pakistan's southern
province of Sindh has increased the insecurity among fellow Hindus.
Garish Kumar disappeared last month near Hyderabad city, 250 km (160
miles) from the port city of Karachi in Sindh.

His dismembered body parts were later found near a madrassa (Islamic
religious school).

Police initially said the crime was committed by an outlawed Muslim
militant group. Five people were arrested.

However, Hyderabad's police chief, Shaukat Shah, the incident now seems
to be a simple kidnapping for ransom case.

Minority report

Kumar's father, Saspal Das, is a trader from Kunri town in Sindh's
central district of Umerkot.

"No one listens to the Hindu minority," he complains. ""We have no
security.

"We are targeted because we are Hindu. There is no other reason for
kidnapping Garish."

Pakistan is home to some 2.5 million Hindus, 95% of them living in the
southern Sindh province.

Most are poor, low-caste peasants.

However there are also some successful upper caste businessmen. In
Sindh, they are a hot commodity for bandits.

They lack the protection afforded to local tribal Muslims.

Whole tribes often go to war with one another in rural Sindh over any
slight to their members.

That cushion is not available to the Hindu minority.

Protection money

In recent years kidnapping for ransom and armed robberies have
multiplied in the area and Hindus have increasingly been the focus of
attacks.

Many pay protection money regularly to local gangs or influential
figures. But in spite of this they are still targeted.

Santosh Kumar, a rice trader from Larkana town in upper Sindh, and his
two brothers were kidnapped in separate incidents in 2006. They were
later released after paying a huge ransom.

Another wealthy trader from the nearby city of Sukkur in Sindh, Sundeep
Kumar, was kidnapped in 2005.

He was released after paying a ransom of over a million rupees
($16,000), according to local sources.

The ransom can sometimes go up to five times that amount.

But not all Hindus are as rich as Sundeep Kumar.

Last August, a youth, Ramesh Lal, was kidnapped. His relatives could not
afford the ransom, and his body was later found at a police check post.

In the last three years at least five Hindu traders have been killed
after being kidnapped or offering resistance.

"Powerful oppress the weak"

Ramesh Lal, a Hindu MP in Pakistan's parliament says, "The Hindus are
not as rich as portrayed."

"Often the kidnappers ask a huge amount that the families cannot pay. As
a result the hostages are killed."

The President of the Hindu council in Sukkur district, Mukhi Aishwar Lal
says, "the powerful always oppress weaker communities. .. Hindus are weak
so they are targeted."

He relates how a few years back a Hindu family travelling by local bus
were kidnapped by local bandits, while rest of the passengers were
allowed to go.

Around that time some foreigners were also kidnapped in the same area.
The police secured their release without any payment, but the Hindus
were released after a huge ransom was doled out.

Such incidents increase the feeling among Hindus that they have no say
in power and authority in the country.

Political apartheid

In Pakistan's political system, the minorities, such as Hindus,
Christians and Sikhs, remain outcasts despite represented in every major
political party.

After Gen Pervez Musharraf seized power in 1999, he scrapped the
controversial separate electorate system introduced former dictator Gen
Zia-ul-Haq in 1980s.

Under the separate electorate system, non-Muslims could only vote for
candidates of their own religion. Seats were reserved for minorities in
the national and provincial assemblies.

Critics said Muslim candidates no longer had any incentive to pay
attention to the aspirations of the minorities.

Gen Musharraf hoped to reverse that by the simple step of abolishing the
system. But that appears to have failed.

Sudham Chand, a Hindu community leader who led a local campaign to scrap
the separate electorate system was killed in broad daylight. His murder
conveyed many a message.

The killers were not arrested. His brother later migrated to India.

Ramesh Lal, a member of the National Assembly, says that the restoration
of the conventional electoral system is of little use if the minorities
have no security.

And still, he complains, no one asks the minorities what problems they
are suffering.

Losing faith

Mukhi Aishwar Lal agrees that Hindus in Sindh are still afraid.

They are frightened to move outside freely. Some even put themselves
under a self-imposed curfew after 2000 hours a few months ago.

"No-one is targeting the minorities," argues Kishanchand Parwani,
Advisor for Minorities' Affairs to the Sindh Government.

But he admits that, although the minorities are supposed to be equal
citizens according to the constitution, the reality is different. He
accepts that they feel like second class citizens.

Garish Kumar's father, Saspal Das, still retains faith in the system: "I
will fight till I get justice for my son."

But many Hindu families who stayed in Pakistan after partition have
already lost faith and migrated to India

India, I Salute Thee

2007-03-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

Tariq A. Al-Maeena, close_encounters@ gawab.com

Arab News

3, February, 2007

http://www.arabnews .com/

Over the Haj holidays, I surprised my kids with an announcement that I
would be taking them to India for a short holiday. My distinct memories
from having visited the country with my parents when I was a child had
left me with impressions of cultures and civilizations that one reads in
history books. And then there was the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven
Wonders of the World.

And wanting to repeat that experience for my children, I decided to give
them a taste of India by planning our trip to encompass different
regions of the country - Chennai in the south, Delhi and Agra somewhere
in the central, and Mumbai in the western part of the Indian
Subcontinent. In the days preceding our trip, friends and acquaintances
of both my children and myself were somewhat alarmed and bemused and
quizzed us with the same question: "But why India?" And why not, I would
ask them. Their answers were somewhat patronizing and sympathetic.
India, they would say, is dirty, crowded, and backward and we'd be sure
to catch one of many diseases.

I would be exposing my children to viruses and bacteria of gargantuan
proportions. Malaria, diarrhea, cholera and the plague were commonplace,
and were I that insensitive or naïve to expose my children to such
deadly threats, all for the sake of seeing some old monuments?

I would patiently explain to these naysayers that I wanted my children
to see India firsthand, and not to take in the impression that
unfortunately a lot of us Saudis and others have of that country. And I
wanted to expose them to a diverse culture that they had not experienced
before. And I thanked them for our health concerns, but assured them
that we would be taking all necessary precautions.

But their concerns began to create some unsettling feelings within
myself. Was I being rash expecting to get through India without some
debilitating medical condition?

And what about my children? Was I foolishly exposing them to
transmissible diseases and possible harm? With a population of over a
billion people, was I being immature in not giving worth to my friends'
concerns?

I was adamant on this adventure though, but to be on the safe side I
must confess that I did call upon the Indian Consulate in Jeddah and
inquired about any specific medical precautions that we would have to
take. "Drink only bottled water, and eat only in the hotels you would be
staying in" was their soothing reply.

Armed with that knowledge, we began our trip. But to be on the safe
side, we popped in malaria pills as an added precaution. As we spun
through Chennai, Delhi, Agra and Mumbai, my kids were amazed. And they
loved it. The hustle and bustle of Chennai with its serene shorelines
dotted with resorts and retreats offering world-class service, the
grandeur of the Presidential Palace in Delhi, the beauty of Marine Drive
in Mumbai, topped with our visit to the majestic Taj Mahal had my
children chirping in unison that it was the trip of a lifetime.

The preservation of historic monuments, unlike our own, were some of the
things they marveled at.

And from our observations, we were pleasantly surprised to find parts of
India cleaner than our own city. Their roads, although crowded, were not
run down as ours, and the Indians seemed more prosperous than imagined.

In a conversation with the vice president of marketing in the chain of
hotels we were staying at, I remarked that I was amazed that five star
hotels, once known to be the haven for only Westerners and rich Gulf
tourists were primarily being occupied by Indians today.

"Yes, my friend," was her reply. "India today is booming in heavy
industry and technology. IT, pharmaceuticals, steel and medicine are the
backbone of our economy. Education is a top priority and some of our
universities are among the leading ones in the world. People are more
affluent and spend freely. Over thirty percent of our population is now
middle class..."

"Thirty percent, that's good," I interrupted.

"Yes, my friend, that translates to over 300 million", she said with a
bemused look at me as the force of that staggering number dawned on me.
Three hundred million! And here we are, not even twenty million Saudis,
and many not anywhere near middle-class.

What right do we have to thumb up our noses on India, a country on the
move upward? Yes, we drank only bottled water, but also ate in local
restaurants. We witnessed wealth and we saw poverty. We learned about
their great history and we observed massive new projects in the works,
designed to make life easier on the Indian.

In spite of their diverse cultures and religions, India is tolerant and
moving forward, and not bogged down by what we witness
here...intolerance and rigidity on the part of a few who seek to impose
their views on the rest of us.

Indeed, India...I have to salute thee. And thanks for making my
children's'
visit a memorable one.

Hindu women gang raped in Pakistan

2007-03-04T06:04:00.000-08:00

Mohtarma Bhutto condemns gang rape of Hindu women
Condemns growing lawlessness in Sindh; demands arrest of culprits
http://www.ppp.org.pk/

Islamabad February 28, 2007: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has condemned the gang rape of Hindu women in village Ghulam Ali Khawar in Larkana tehsil and demanded arrest of the culprits and punishment to them according to the law.

The gang rape of Hindu women has brought into focus once again the miseries heaped on the minorities and will only bring a bad name to the country the world over, Mohtarma Bhutto said in a statement today.

On Sunday eight armed people attacked the residence of a Hindu family in village Ghulam Ali Khawar in Larkana Tehsil, held the family at gunpoint, gang raped three women and decamped with loot. Earlier during this month Nasimah Labano in Ghotki was gang raped by criminals followed by another gang rape of another woman Nasima Girgej in the same locality.

“The lawlessness and anarchy marked by gang rapes, dacoities, murder and robberies in Sindh is growing every day as the regime has abdicated its responsibility due to obsession with getting General Musharraf re-elected from the same assemblies”.

Mohtarma Bhutto said that it seemed that the regime had hired the criminals and dacoits to carry out its victimization campaign against the people to strike a terror in their hearts during election year.

She said that gangs of dacoits were roaming free in the province, street crimes had increased manifold and the life and property of citizens was not safe. “The worst thing is that no action is taken even when the victims summon courage to lodge complaints and even identify the extortionists and criminals to the police”.

She demanded the arrest of the culprits who vandalised the members of the Hindu minority community as well as Nasimah Labano and Nasimah Girgej. She said the Party will raise the issue of deteriorating law and situation in the province and the indifference of the regime at all available forums.

It may be mentioned that ever since General Musharraf publicly exonerated the rapist of Dr Shazia Khalid and accused Pakistani women of getting themselves raped for dollars and visas the incidents of rape and violence against a women had increased.

Islamic terrorists warned Modi not to enter in Kerala

2007-01-22T18:56:00.000-08:00

1/15/2007 1:45:47 AM HK Correspondent

KOZHIKODE : Kerala based Islamic terrorist organization, NDF warned Gurajat Chief Minister Narendra Modi not to attend the Virad Hindu Sammelan at Thiruvananthapuram on 29th of this month.

The top leaders of the NDF held a meeting on last week and said that Hindu organizations in Kerala are trying to use Modi to encourage 'communal violence' in the state.

They have asked the State Government not to allow Narendra Modi to visit the state and demand to ban his entry in Kerala.

Meanwhile, massive preparations are underway in Thiruvananthapuram for the success of the big event. Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Virad Hindu Sammelan being organised as part of the Birth centenary celebrations of Guruji Golwalkar at Putharikandam Maidan on January 29.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------
LDF govt under pressure to keep Modi off Kerala

By IE
Friday January 19, 02:00 AM
An invitation to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi by the Kerala state unit of the RSS to participate in the Vishala Hindu Mahasammelan in Thiruvananthapuram on January 29 is threatening to snowball into a controversy with some Muslim organisations and a section in the Left pressurising the LDF government to deny Modi entry into Kerala.

Modi is understood to have given his consent to participate in the programme, although the Kerala government has not got any formal intimation from the Gujarat government on his visit yet.

Officials from the Gujarat CM's office on Thursday asserted that he would be visiting Kerala this monthend. A senior RSS functionary in Thiruvananthapuram also asserted that Modi was participating. "The function is part of the ongoing Guru Jayanti celebrations. Modi has agreed to attend," he said.

The LDF regime led by Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan is in a wait-and-watch mode, even as posters have started appearing in the state decrying Modi's impending visit and asking the government to block his entry in Kerala "for what he did during Gujarat genocide".

Islamic Republic of Kerala
10/29/2006 12:48:45 AM Dr. TS Girishkumar
(The author of this article is a Reader, School of Social Sciences Mahatma Gandhi University. Kottayam, Kerala, 686041)

When I was shifting to Kerala, some of my friends joked; my God, you are planning to go to Kerala, and beware, that place is full of Malayalees! But let me confess; it never occurred to me that things could be so bad, and I shall have to live in a sick society such as this.

There is this unholy trio, running the Kerala society for all Malayalees. The Unholy trio consists of Communists+Christia ns+Muslims. The unholy trio has their secret agenda, which is indeed no more a secret, of keeping the Keralites in continued alienation from Hindutva. Apparently, the unholy trio do not have much in common, but what they have in common in Indian context is strictly anti national agenda, since their very existence depends on anti Hindutva.

For the Communists, anti Hindutva shall be meaningful in the following manner:-

1.Communism keeps internationalism as its end object, through their theory of dictatorship of Proletariats, Classlessness to mean one Class immediately after Revolution, the Class of Proletariats, State, the communist State until it all withers away towards what they claim to be communism for Classlessness, statelessness and anarchy. 2. Communism through Marx, depends on the theory of Contradiction and Contradictions, and Hindutva stands for Unity and Unification. Hindutva understands plurality and multiplicity of nature through the concept of varieties of momentariness, for Hindutva, the differences are only periforical and apparent, and in actuality, everything is ultimately one on a final analysis, as Sankaracharya himself set out to demonstrate. With the influence of Hindutva, Communism shall at once wither away from any Hindu society, and this, the Communists simply can not afford. In a word, Hindutva shall be the Communists' suicide and mass grave. Thus, it is indeed an imperative for the Communists to stop Hindutva from operating and functioning in any form, and they struggle towards this. As a matter of fact, they had not succeeded anywhere in India except in Kerala, and in the society of Kerala, they naturally find allies with the Muslims and the Christians. Communism in Bengal shall be a question altogether different, it has nothing at all to do with any theory of poor man Marx, and in Bengal, communism is just a local and regional party, that they had once juxtaposed to the Congress party of Jawaharlal and Company. For Bengal, Communism finds root through this juxtaposition, and their survival is simply based on the planted anti Delhi feelings in the minds of Bengalese, which shall not last for longer time.

For the Christians, Hindutva is anti Christian, since the Christians of Kerala look for a distinct identity. They do not want to identify much with other Christians, as they are aware of the rich cultural heritage of Indianans, but desperately want to reduce that to a Kerala Identity, or into what is known as "Malayanma". I do not know who coined the concept of "Malayanma" to stand for an archetype Kerala culture, and to my mind, it must be some cunning Christian. (I borrow the expression "Cunning Christian" from a criticism levelled against Immanuel Kant, as Kant is criticised by the statement "Kant's distinction of noumena and phenomena is that of a Cunning Christian"). This is a typical Kerala Christian dilemma. On the one hand, they are desperately aware of the height and richness of Hindutva, and want to be a party to it, but on the other hand, they do not have any justification in continuing to be Christians. Their only alternative shall be simply what they had been doing and following, of making attempts to create a separate identity for the Kerala people, distinct from Hindutva, in name only, but an identity that shall contain all Hindutva in the name of Malayanma. And for this, the Christens could champion themselves! Indeed they would miserably adulterate this Malayanma to suit Christianity and their concepts, practices and so on, but through these, they shall find great comfort in creating a space for themselves, which is their existential question, as a matter of fact. Hindutva operating in Kerala shall be against all these, and the Christian distinctiveness shall instantly get exposed. Naturally it becomes their desperation to conceal Hindutva and create an anti north Indian feeling, since they shall not be anti nationals explicitly. They shall not make a single statement against India, but they shall continue to make statements against Hindi, against the North Indians, and so on. Thus the Christians also get clubbed with the Communists, for a common cause.

Now to the Muslims, our great patriots. It is the wish of many Muslims to work for "Din". Din shall not be interpreted as religion; it is in actuality, Muslim rule, and Islamic state. They want an Islamic rule all over, and especially in India. I need not speak much upon these; it is all history, both of India and of the unholy state of "na-pak" Pakistan. The Communist Christian Combination becomes a shelter at once for the Muslims, and upon which, they simply thrive and flourish in the southern Indian State of Kerala. The Indian Union Muslim League could continue to be in power through shifting coalition governments, and run an ongoing programme of anti nationalism through helping different terrorist out fits being in government. Of late, they had also put one of their men as the external affairs minister in this very nation!

The unholy trio had been so successful in Kerala through out, and they had effectively kept the Hindus against the wall pressed and well pressed. They succeeded in doing so through a very tactful operation, well thought out and managed indeed. The Hindus are still marginally a majority in the state of Kerala, roughly 56% of the population. The Muslims come to something like 35% and the rest Christians. Communism had affected only the Hindus, and the Communist virus could not affect both Christians and the Muslims. To this purpose, the Communists used the Kerala Hindu caste structure, to create proletariats out of the low castes and bourgeoisie out of the upper castes, to divide them into two 'classes' and make them enemies to fight against one another. The poor fools thought that they are autochthones of Communism to engage in "Class War" but ended up as alienated Hindus. The unholy trio strengthened the caste structure among the Hindus, and politicised the caste structure, and today, the casts are simply political pressure groups as the American David Eastern theorises. The unholy trio shall never let the two major Hindu caste organisations, the NSS and the SNDP to ever come together or work together; they shall do everything to keep these two organisations poles apart, and the timid leadership of both fall victims constantly. In addition, the unholy trio is so successful to keep all Hindu organisations in many different camps, fighting one another on any petty issue.

This makes the Hindus a desperate and unorganised minority in the state of Kerala, and the unholy trio thrives. Muslim fundamentalism thrives with the help of the unholy trio, and they had long made Kerala their centre of activities. All kinds of Islamic outfits shall thrive in this society, since there are many to help and abet them. The growth and spread of Muslim terrorist organisations in Kerala is nothing to the unholy trio, since none of them is actually interested in nationalism or nation building. Muslim League party, continues to be in ruling power, continues to abet terrorist out fits, and they use the state machinery to this end. Naturally, Kerala becomes the nerve centre of Muslim fundamentalist and terrorist activities in a way, which shall be beyond imagination. The unholy trio abets this, in spite of their knowing all these, as they have nothing to loose and only things to gain. The unholy trio keeps their anti Hindutva propaganda using the state machinery itself, and the Education system which had been under the control of the Muslim League party on a continuous basis. There are seminars on terrorism in the Universities and Colleges, and they desperately continue to justify terrorism by way of appealing to human rights, psychology, illiteracy, poverty, and such things. Recently, when Dr.Babu Suseelan from Pennsylvania came and spoke about terrorism in my department, (I invited him to speak), the students put out posters saying that "we shall not allow School of Social Sciences to become an instrument for Hindutva and Fascist propaganda". What Dr.Babu Suseelan spoke against terrorism like any common American intellectual was instantly interpreted as Hindutva and Fascism. Whatever does not fit into the programme of the unholy trio, or whatever shall turn against the unholy trio gets interpreted as Hindutva and fascism. The unholy trio is constantly on the attack on Gujarat state and Shri Narendra Modi, who looks like the "Kalki Avtar" to my mind. The unholy trio takes great pride in condemning the state of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi, and anything in the name of Hindutva. In the national anthem which was printed in the text books distributed to the school by the government of Kerala, the name of "Gujarat' was deliberately avoided. Shri Harikrishnan of Chengannur, who is an NTU activist, had to go to the court to replace all those texts, and he had to make several appeals to the Sangh Parivar to bring this to lime light, but none of these got publicity in Kerala society, since all media are under the control of the unholy trio. They keep showing motion pictures against Gujarat, Shri Modi in all possible venues like Universities, and keep speaking so, given any opportunity.

No wonder that the E Mail threat to both the Prime Minister of India and the President himself originated from Kerala. One must take a good look at the Email message. I shall give the full text below:

Dee

Subject:NOV 1 PM'S'S LAST DAY

Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:30:02 +0530

Mime – Version:1,0

Content Type Text/plain format flowed

X-Original Arrival Time 26 Oct 2006 10:00:02,0962 (UTC)

FILETIME (8172C720:01C6F8E5)

The Hon'ble Prime Minister of INDIA Mr. Manmohan Singh will be killed on

NOVEMBER 1ST 2006-10-28 IN Kerala. He deserves it on account of MOHAMMED AFSAL GURU's judgement & Cruel fate of ABDUL NASSAR MADINI

Added to that Mr APJ ABDULKALAM, Hon. President of India too will be killed In due course, Positively before his 76th birth day next year, and all these to happen in KERALA, the Allah's own Country only. No where else.

Save them, if you dare !!!

In Shah Allah !!! So start the count down from PM; targeted on NOV 1st 2006.

Good luck!

(The full Email message as appeared in Malayala Mnorama Daily, as a front page item on 28. October.2006)

When the Jihadi terrorist calls Kerala as Allah's own country, the unholy trio has nothing to loose or worry. The alienated Hindu, who suffers from self negation is too timid to even react. He is torn apart through cast organisations, and for him the identity of caste is imposed on him instead of Hindutva. When the Kerala assembly went to the extent of passing a "unanimous" resolution to release the terrorist Abdul Nasser Madini from Coimbatore jail, the Kerala Hindu remained senile, in his usual fool's paradise that nothing shall happen to him personally. The caste autochthones behaved as though it is just not their affair at all. They all leave all that is concerned with Hindutva for the RSS to look after, as it is none of their business.

One ought to be aware of the impending danger from the Muslim terrorism. The unholy trio are making the way good for them to take over the state of Kerala, as the Email claims Kerala to be Allah's own country. Look at their bargaining power, just with something like a 35% of population! And think. Who caused it all? Of course, the unholy trio thrives, but on whose account? It is all finally the fault of the Hindus themselves, of getting alienated, of permitting casteriddenness, of remaining fearful and dejected, and finally of not finding Hindutva within each one as a Hindu.

Common Hindus ought not to leave the burden of propagating Hindutva to the RSS alone. It ought to be the look out and responsibility of every Hindu, first to find Hindutva within, and then to propagate. If this shall not be done immediately, the time is very near for the Muslim jihadis to claim Kerala as "Allah's Own Country" as it becomes clear from the Email threat to Dr. Manmohan Singh and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Let me repeat what Swami Vivekananda repeatedly asked, Uttishtata Jagrata and Prapyavarannibodhit a. Rise and awake o! Hindus, rise and awake from your dogmatic and lethargic slumbers, you are to act now for your own survival and the survival of this very great nation.

(The author of this article is a Reader, School of Social Sciences Mahatma Gandhi University. Kottayam, Kerala, 686041)

Muslims ransack shops during a protest rally against the execution of Saddam Hussain

2007-01-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

Bangalore locality tense after clash Bangalore: Shops were ransacked during a clash in Bangalore’s Shivaji Nagar that began during a protest rally against the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.No casualties have been reported but the place is tense and police have rushed reinforcements. The rally was organised by former railway minister C K Jakhar Sharief and other politicians. Anti-US effigies were burnt during the rally and initial reports say the clash may have began when protesters tried to shut shops. Shivaji Nagar is a busy commercial area of the city and has an important bus terminal.In March 2006, seven persons were injured in communal clashes in Shivaji Nagar and four persons were arrested for the violence.
Source : CNN IBN

WHAT HINDUS HAVE TO DO WITH THE EXECUTION ?

‘You Marry My Daughter and I’ll Marry Yours!' -- Saudi Way

2007-01-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

‘You Marry My Daughter and I’ll Marry Yours!

With Imrana's will India see this also in near future !

RIYADH, 7 January 2007 — With the aim of strengthening business ties, two Riyadh business partners in their 70s have married their teenage daughters (17-19) to each other, reported Sayidaty magazine, a sister publication of Arab News.

“A man has the right to marry. When it comes to marriage, there is no stopping point,” said Al-Dossary, a man in his 70s with silver hair, a gray beard and gray eyebrows. “We have followed Islamic principles in the way we conducted our marriages and we are both happy with our wives,” he added.

Al-Dossary married his teenage daughter to his business partner and in turn married his partner’s teenage daughter. His partner, Saif Al-Qahtani, said: “It is true that our arranged marriages are strange, yet this does not mean that we are the only people to have married in this way, either in the past or the present. Anyhow, the main purpose of marriage is to protect men and women and we have both achieved this through our marriages.”

He added: “It took us only two months to decide and then arrange our marriages. It all began when my friend, Al-Dossary, continuously expressed the desire to marry.”

Al-Dossary added: “It is true that I wanted to marry. I proposed to several girls but all refused. One day I decided to ask Al-Qahtani to give me one of his daughters. He agreed immediately, but in return he asked me for my daughter. I was surprised because he already had three wives; however, I agreed since I had a young daughter who was of marriageable age.”

Al-Qahtani commented: “Yes, I asked him to give me his daughter in return. When he asked for one of my daughters, I thought I couldn’t refuse him because of our friendship. I knew that if I did refuse his request, our business would be affected. I didn’t have any other choice. I agreed to give him my daughter and take his daughter in return. At the time, I remember telling him to give me his daughter and that I would give him mine.” ...

When asked if they had consulted their daughters, Al-Qahtani said: “I did not ask my daughter. I don’t have to. I know what is beneficial for her. When I told her what I had planned, she was happy. If she hadn’t been, she would have told her mother.”

Al-Dossary said: “In bedouin culture, a girl does not have the right to express her opinion about marriage, especially if her father and brothers have decided on a particular man. In both our cases, we have been married for a long time and have had no problems with our wives. Although we are much older than our wives, the fact that we are together proves that we are right for each other.”

He added: “Saudi girls, especially bedouins, prefer to marry old men. This is what my third and fourth wives have both told me. They keep telling me they are glad that they did not marry young men.”

Kidnap Hindu girls, Force Marriage to Muslim

2007-01-06T12:17:00.001-08:00

January 04, 2007 12:00 PM EST

Sanao Menghwar has had three of his daughters kidnapped, then forced to marry Muslim men. That means that the young women were coerced into becoming Islamics.
This happens daily, particularly in the Pakistani Sindh province, according to Hasan Mansoor, reporter, Midday.com.

Other Hindus in the province worry when their daughters will disappear. Therefore, there are entire Hindu families leaving Pakistan for Canada, India or other nations.Menghewar and his wife left their house on errands. When they returned to their residence, their daughters were missing. They reported the missing young women to the police department, filing the necessary papers. Neighbors helped them on a search party to locate the daughters, but to no avail.

Menghwar's daughters have yet to be found. However, authorities have arrested three Islamic young men assumed to be connected with the girls' kidnapping. The men have been released on bail by a court due to the men being minors.

"'Kidnapping Hindu girls like this has become a normal practice. The girls are then forced to sign stamp papers stating that they've become Muslims,' says Laljee Menghwar, a member of the Hindu Panchayat in Karachi."

Because of extremist Muslim threats, Hindus have had to turn to what those in the Netherlands are resorting to. Both areas have been under extreme pressure from maiming and killing Islamics so that the local citizens have put into action what one person refers to as "self-censorship."

There is no talk. There is no public utterance. There is nothing said negatively about the Muslims in the area for fear of being slain.

So it is that extremist Islamic killers international could overtake country after country, area after area. Instill such fear in the people that no one speaks the facts concerning local extremist Islamics kidnapping and killing; therefore, they have open skies to do just that — more so.

"'Hindus here are too frightened to vent their anger — they fear victimization,' said one local."

Nevertheless, Pakistani Christian community members have come to their aid. The Christians have organized support for the Hindus persecuted by extremist Muslims. The Christians have "carried out a demonstration with them in Karachi, protesting against this crime.

"Similarly startling incidents have occurred in several districts of Sindh and evoked identical responses. At least six Hindu girls met this fate a few months ago in Jacobabad (a tribal area heavily inhabited by Hindus) and Larkana districts.

"Sapna, the daughter of one Seth Giyanchand, was recently taken to a shrine (Amrote in Shikarpur district) by Shamsuddin Dasti. Dasti, a Muslim friend of Sapna's brother, is a married man and father of two.

"Nevertheless, the custodian of the shrine, Maulvi Abdul Aziz lost no time in converting Sapna to Islam (her name was changed to 'Mehek') and marrying her to Dasti. The case came to light only when Sapna's parents stated that their daughter hadn't eloped but had been abducted."

Islamic fanaticism is increasing alarmingly, according to Nuzzhat Shirin of the Aurat Foundation. The extremist fanatics erect shrines that are used in coercing "conversions." When a Hindu is forced to become a Muslim, zealot extremist Islamics gather at the shrines, chanting and singing and marching in the streets.

Such a ruckus is made that if the young kidnapped girl appears in court, the fanatic Muslims yell, scream, throw rose petals into the air and follow the youth into the building so that she is so intimidated that she can hardly speak.

It is extremist Muslim winning by intimidation. It is extremist Muslim overcoming a culture by threatening. It is by extremist Islamics abducting young girls that an entire community is snuffed out by moving away or succumbing to the extremist Muslim murderers global.

"The threat of victimization by Muslims is palpable; Shirin says when forced conversion cases make it to court, lawyers themselves avoid taking them up, fearing a backlash from maulvis."

It is the same with so-called "honor killing." When extremist Muslim males slay a Hindu female whom they have accused of dishonoring the clan in some way, usually police and media say nothing, looking the other way. Therefore, the slaughtering of innocent females continues daily.

"And forced conversions are not the only problem that the Hindu minority (there are 2.7 million Hindus in Pakistan; Pakistan's total population is 140 million) is facing in the country.

"A powerful syndicate of bandits and patrons in the northern districts of Sindh regularly kidnap rich Hindus for ransom. They not only kill hostages if the ransom doesn't arrive on time, they even kill some despite their ransom being paid.

"Sadham Chand Chawla, the former president of the Hindu Panchayat, Jacobabad, was abducted and murdered. His killers remain at large despite enormous protests. Following his murder, his family had received several threats until they secretly migrated to India."

Kidnap Hindu girls, Force Marriage to Muslim

2007-01-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

Minister for Wakf Board and Haj Affairs quits as CM skips Eid

2007-01-03T08:05:00.000-08:00

K'taka minister quits as CM skips Eid

CNN-IBN

MINORITY REPORT: Ahmed has quit because he says the CM lacks concern for Muslims.

New Delhi: Karnataka's Minister for Wakf Board and Haj Affairs, Zameer Ahmed, has submitted his resignation to the Governor, T N Chaturvedi, saying that the Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had no concern for Muslims.

He said that the party has been neglecting the minorities and that the Chief Minister failed to attend Bakr-Eid prayers on Monday.

Ahmed said that the wanted the Chief Minister to apologise publicly.

Khan, a one-time close associate of the Chief Minister whose relations with him had turned sour in recent months, said he would not resign from his Assembly membership.

I am resigning because H D Kumaraswamy has been neglecting our community. How can I be with him if he does so? However, I am not resigning from party or from the MLA post. I am simply giving up my ministership," he said.

Despite the protest registered by Ahmed, Kumaraswamy did not seem overtly concerned about the move and the resignation itself comes amidst reports that the Chief Minister was considering of dropping Khan from the ministry.

Earlier, speaking to reporters after meeting the Governor, Kumaraswamy said attending Eid prayers was not on his official programme on Monday.

Asked if he would try to persuade Khan to withdraw the resignation, he said, "I have not committed any blunder that warrants it" but added "hasty decision (on Khan's part) would not be appropriate."

Dismissing Khan's accusation that he lacked concern for Muslims, Kumaraswamy said his announcement about granting five acres for "Haj Bhavan," which was hanging fire for long, itself showed the thinking of the JDS-BJP government which had also initiated several welfare measures for minorities.

(With inputs from PTI)

Muslim Woman accuses her father-in-law of rape

2006-12-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

Woman accuses her father-in-law of rape
ANI
RAPE CHARGE: Rehana's father-in-law, Aniz, has denied the rape charge.

Meerut: A resident of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Rehana Begum, has filed a First Information Report (FIR) with the local police, charging her father-in-law and two of his friends with rape.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Meerut, K Ejilearassane, said the complaint has been registered and an enquiry is in progress.

"A lady named Rehana filed an FIR with us, and we have also registered the same. According to the FIR, she has been raped by her father-in-law. We will start an enquiry now after which only we will know exactly what the case is," said Ejilearassane.

Rehana, in her mid-twenties and married for the past ten years, is the mother of three children. She has been the sole bread earner of her family since her husband has been staying in Saudi Arabia for the past six years.

Her husband's attitude towards his wife and children and repeated misdemeanours of her father-in-law forced Rehana to move back to her parental home.

"I had gone to the jungle with my father. He had gone in search of wood while I sat down to cut the wood. Three people, riding a motor-cycle, came from behind and dragged me to a secluded area. There, they raped me. I recognised two of them, one of whom was my father-in-law. I pleaded with them to stop molesting me but to no avail," said Rehana.

Rehana's father-in-law, Aniz, has denied the rape charge, and says that his daughter-in-law is trying to trap him into giving away some of his property to her.

"I do not know anything. I had gone to the masjid for prayers. She is charging me with wrong allegations. I never did anything like this," said Aniz.

Naxal Terror Watch: CPI-M leader arrested for raping his daughter-in-law

2006-12-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

KOLKATA, Dec. 10: A CPI-M leader from North 24-Parganas in West Bengal was arrested last night on charges of raping his 21-year-old daughter-in-law on 8 November this year.

www.thestatesman.net/

The accused person, Mr Mortaza Ali, a resident of Dakshinbena village near Baduria in North 24-Parganas and a member of the CPI-M Chandipur II branch, has been remanded in judicial custody for two weeks after being produced before the Basirhat sub-divisional magistrate's court today.

CLICK BELOW :

Naxal Terror Watch: CPI-M leader arrested for raping his daughter-in-law

BJP Man murdered over affair with muslim girl

2006-12-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

Jammu BJP functionary murdered over affair: Police

Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
Sunday, December 03, 2006 22:23 IST

SRINAGAR: A “love affair” with a Muslim girl proved fatal for local BJP leader Ramesh Kumar who was allegedly strangled to death by the girl’s brother in Kashtiwar area of Jammu region.

Ramesh Kumar, BJP Mandal (block) president and a former SPO (Special Police Official), went missing on the night of November 28 while returning home at Kewa village in Bonzwa block in Kashtiwar area. Police recovered his body from a nearby nullah (stream) the next day.

S P Vaid, Inspector General of police, Jammu range, said Kumar was reportedly having an affair with a local Muslim girl which was possibly not liked by her brother Mohammad Ramzan.

“This is possibly the motive of the murder. Ramzan, perhaps, didn’t like his sister’s relationship with someone not from the same religion. And that led to the murder. This has nothing to do with militancy,” he said. Ramzan is absconding and efforts are on to track him down, Vaid said. “We have held one of his family members for interrogation,” he added.

Monohar Singh, senior superintendent of police, Doda, said the police is looking into different angles of the crime and have got some leads in the case.

“The body didn’t have any torture marks. The jugular vain was pressed and that probably caused his death. There were injury marks on the right side of his head. The body has been sent for post-mortem. We are waiting for the reports”, he said.

What has added a new twist to the story are the claims made by the BJP that Kumar was killed by militants because of his association with security agencies in combating militancy.

“There is no truth in the claims that he was killed because of his affair with a Muslim girl. He was our Mandal president and helped security forces in combating militancy. He had no security. And militants have precisely taken the advantage. We demand a compensation of rupees five lakh for Kumar’s family and employment for his kin,” said Ashok Khajuria, J&K state BJP president.

Muslims in India: Facts and Figures

2006-11-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

Muslims in India: Facts and Figures

Following compilation is based on the recent study on education and socio-economic condition of Muslims In India, conducted by India's Prime Minister's high level committee, headed by a retired Justice Rajinder Sachar.

Google Sachar Report on the Net for more details.

Total Muslim Population in India: 13.4% (Population of India is little over 1 Billion)

* 94.9% of Muslims in Below Poverty Line (BPL)
* Muslims in Jails 35%, out of total number of inmates at state and federal prisons.
* Muslims high school passed: 7.2%
* Muslims enrolled in colleges: 6.5%
* Muslims Graduate in Rural areas is between 0.8% to 1.3%, Muslims Graduate in Urban areas is 6.1%, just 1.2 per cent are post-graduates.
* 54.6% Muslims in villages and 60 per cent in urban areas, have never attended schools
* Government Staff 6.4%, Police Services 3.3%, Administration services 2.2%, Foreign services 1.6% & Total labour force 10%.
* Muslims in Judiciary 8% & Judges 2.7%.
* 60.2% Muslims who lives in rural areas do not have any land.
* Just 2.1% of Muslim farmers have tractors. With 15,25,000 tractors, India ranks No.4 after US, Japan and Italy.
* A mere 1% own handpumps for safe/clean drinking water...
* While only 3.2 per cent of Muslims get subsidized loans, just 1.9 per cent of the community benefit from the Antyodaya Anna Yojana Scheme, a program meant to prevent starvation among the poorest of poor by providing food grains at a subsidized rate.

Some of the important observations made by the Rajinder Sachar committee:

The committee found shocking instances of discrimination against the community. These include cases of Muslims not getting loans from even nationalized banks and finding it difficult to sell or buy property.

“There is an implicit diktat that loans should not be given in specific areas dominated by Muslims because of the high probability of default”, the committee observed after its visit to Rajasthan between August 22 and 24 last year.

The committee also found inadequate number of government schools in the Muslim-dominated areas contributing to the low number of Muslim boys and girls attending the schools.

Should the Muslims of India need special benefits? 91% said NO and 9% YES - as per the national survey.

Gang rape, bail denied to Muslim barbarian

2006-11-19T17:53:00.000-08:00

Bail denied to Jehadi Rapist
11/18/2006 4:47:41 AM

Gang rape: Accused denied bail

Source:www.newindpress.com

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday denied bail to Azeez, proprietor of Vesta Enterprises of Panayappilly, who had been arrested in connection with the alleged gang rape of two women, who had been sent to Sharja, through the agency.

The two women who had been sent to Sharja offering job in hospitals were rescued from a sex racket by the members of the Indian Association of Sharja and sent back to India.

India Muslims 'have lowest rank'

2006-11-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

BBC

There are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan, Delhi says

Muslims in India are even more disadvantaged than low-caste Hindus, a report commissioned by the government in Delhi suggests.

The report says India's 138m Muslims are poorer and less educated and suffer from higher unemployment and greater mortality than other religious groups.

Details of the report - yet to be published - have been leaked to the local media.

Some ministers are already calling for affirmative action for Muslims.

The Hindu-nationalist BJP party has said it will oppose any system of quotas for Muslims.

Religious riots

BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley said the Indian constitution does not allow for reservation on the basis of religion and the government should not use the report as a launch pad for religion-based reservation.

India currently implements reservations for disadvantaged castes, but not for religious groups.

Correspondents say India prides itself on being a pluralistic secular democracy. It is often pointed out that India is home to the world's biggest minority, and that there are more Muslims in India than in all of Pakistan, the BBC's Anu Anand in Delhi reports.

But our correspondent says it is unclear how far the government can go to improve Muslims' status in a country that has been torn apart by Hindu-Muslim riots, and has witnessed acts of terror widely blamed on Muslims.

Madarsa students hoist Pakistani flag

2006-11-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

www.dailypioneer.com/

Madarsa students hoist Pakistani flag
Guwahati

Over a thousand madarsa students, annoyed over a Congress street play depicting the beard of a Muslim political leader being pulled off, had held a protest rally with the Pakistani flag in Assam's Nagaon district.

The Madarsa Students Union members at Hojai sub-division in the district took out the rally with the Pakistani flag at Doboka town on November 4, on the last day of campaigning for the Jamuna- mukh assembly constituency, official sources said today. Local dailies have published photographs of the students with the Pakistani flag.

10-yr-old drags tyrant dad to court

2006-11-16T10:26:00.001-08:00

Mumbai: As he walks with his mother to their lawyer's office, 10-year-old Junaid Razak Mehtar is a young man on a mission.

Armed with his aim to get justice for his mother Yasmin, Mehtar has taken his father to court charging him with harassing his mother for dowry.

Yasmin’s story dates back to 10 years, just after Junaid was born.

Immediately after his birth, Yasmin's in-laws started demanding money, failing which, she was subjected to merciless beatings.

“They regularly asked me to get money, and when I couldn't they'd beat me mercilessly, with anything they could get their hands on,” says a teary-eyed Yasmin.

Yasmin’s battle continued for a decade and she filed four complaints with the police, but could never follow them up.

That's when the young Junaid stepped in. After witnessing the continuous harassment of his mother, the child decided to act like an adult and forced his mother to get legal help.

“My father and grandparents regularly beat my mother and they wouldn't give her food and now I just want justice,” says Junaid.

The complaint filed in the Andheri courts, forced the Police to register an FIR and take action.

"We have arrested her husband and another family member and are investigating further," says Senior Police Inspector of Andheri Police Station, Arvind Mahabadi.

10-yr-old drags tyrant dad to court

2006-11-16T10:26:00.000-08:00

Muslim Cabbies Refuse Fares Carrying Alcohol : MAY HAPPEN IN INDIA

2006-10-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

Muslim Cabbies Refuse Fares Carrying Alcohol

By Kari Lydersen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 26, 2006; Page A02

MINNEAPOLIS -- The ban on carrying liquids on commercial airliners has had an unintended consequence in Minneapolis: It has made catching a cab easier.

Over the past few years, a growing number of Somali taxi drivers in the Twin Cities have been interpreting Koranic prohibitions on carrying alcohol to include ferrying passengers with alcohol in their bags.

"If you are a cabdriver and a practicing Muslim, you can't carry alcohol," said Idris Mohamed, an adjunct professor of strategic management at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul. "It would be the same for a practicing Christian trying to honor their beliefs."

When flight attendant Eva Buzek returned to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport from France in March and told a cabdriver to be careful with her bag because there was wine in it, she was shocked at the response she got from the Somali Muslim driver.

"He said, 'I don't take alcohol,' " Buzek said in an interview this month. She said she was refused service by three more drivers. Then in August, Buzek told cabdrivers that she had wine in her bag even though she did not, just to test responses. She said four drivers refused her service that time as well.

"Some people have been refused by driver after driver after driver," said Pat Hogan, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

Last month, the airports commission proposed putting colored lights on top of cabs to indicate which ones will carry alcohol, a compromise worked out in discussions ongoing since May with the Muslim American Society of Minnesota. But the commission got about 2,000 e-mails opposing the idea and announced this month that it had scuttled the plan.

"Opposition came from both sides politically," Hogan said. "There are people who say, 'If they don't like the job, they should go back to Somalia.' And on the other side people are saying, 'We support diversity, but the Christian right is trying to tell us what to do, and now we're getting it from Muslims, too.' People were saying they wouldn't take a cab at all. . . . There was concern the industry as a whole would suffer."

About three-quarters of the 900 taxi drivers who serve the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport are Somali Muslims. The Twin Cities have the country's largest Somali population and are home to most of the state's about 11,200 Somalis.

"This is a Somali issue more than a Muslim issue," said Hogan, noting that Muslim drivers from other countries tend not to interpret the Koran the same way.

Younes, a Muslim cabdriver from Iran who asked that his last name not be used, has no problem transporting passengers with alcohol. "People are tired; they want to get home. You should just give them service no matter what," he said.

Drivers have to go to the end of the line if they refuse a passenger, which can mean a three-hour wait for another fare. "So if you turn down two passengers, you're waiting six hours," said airport taxi driver Abbsilan Hassa, 36.

Some residents are concerned that making accommodations for the drivers' stance against alcohol will open the door to further limitations, such as refusing service to women in revealing clothing or to unmarried couples. In England and Australia, there have been reports that Muslim cabdrivers have refused to take passengers with service dogs; many conservative Muslims consider dogs unclean.

"What's next? Will I have to cover my head or travel with a male companion?" asked Buzek, who immigrated here from Poland 37 years ago and said she expected to have to adapt to U.S. culture.

Somalis interviewed at several late-night coffee shops on a strip of Somali grocery stores, cafes and money-transfer outlets in downtown Minneapolis all thought Muslim drivers should have the right to refuse passengers visibly carrying alcohol.

"If the passengers don't show what they're carrying, it's not a problem," said Abdi Ahmed, 20, working in a lively, no-frills basement coffee shop where young Somali men crowded around a TV set watching soccer. "But if you're openly carrying it, Muslims don't accept that."

Most airline passengers interviewed on a busy Wednesday evening opposed any accommodations for Muslim drivers. "They should just worry about doing their job and getting paid like everyone else," said Perry McGahan, 49, a software engineer from the Minneapolis suburbs.

The controversy comes at a time of growing debate, in Minnesota and nationally, over what happens when the boundaries of religious freedom and job responsibility collide. Minneapolis air traveler Jack Tuomie, 63, compared the taxi drivers' position to that of Christian pharmacists who have refused to dispense the "morning-after" contraceptive.

The Minneapolis transit authority recently decided that a Christian bus driver would not have to drive a bus with an ad for a local gay magazine on it. She had complained that it was against her religious beliefs.

At workplaces nationwide, Muslims have demanded the opportunity to pray five times a day, as their faith dictates. Nine Somali workers at a Cold Spring, Minn., poultry plant filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 6 alleging that they were not allowed to pray during work hours and that supervisors followed them into the bathroom on breaks to make sure they did not pray.

But the situation has improved at the Minneapolis airport since the Transportation Security Administration's ban on carrying liquids on flights. Hogan said that before the ban there were an average of 77 reports of service refusal a month; since Aug. 10 there have been only four a month. "Now it's mainly just people with packages from duty-free," he said. "But we'll continue working toward a goal of no service refusals."

Saudi youth bored in model Islamic state

2006-10-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:22 AM BST
Email This Article | Print This Article | RSS [-] Text [+] By Andrew Hammond

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi youth are chronically bored in a country that can't provide them with jobs and restricts their personal freedoms, one of Saudi Arabia's most well-known Internet bloggers says.

Ahmed al-Omran, aka "Saudi Jeans", says Saudi Arabia may be a model state for powerful clerics who oversee the strict application of sharia, or Islamic law, in society but for young people life can offer bleak choices.

"We are watching movies and serials from outside, and we are saying 'why are we different, why can't we live the way they do?'," he told Reuters in an interview.

"OK, we are a little different, we have our traditions and lifestyles, but we also don't see the big difference, especially compared to neighbouring countries, like Bahrain or Kuwait."

In Saudi Arabia, strict gender segregation means there are no cinemas, women are not allowed to drive, single men are often banned from shopping malls, and trendy coffee shops -- which have become hugely popular in big cities -- are men-only zones.

None of those restrictions are in place in Saudi Arabia's Gulf Arab neighbours, which are culturally similar to Saudi. In the relatively liberal Saudi city of Jeddah, there are some mixed cafes and easy access to the malls.

If he wants to experience the cinema, Omran says he drives to neighbouring Bahrain, which many Saudis head to on the weekends to escape the stifling social mores of the clerics' Islamic state where religious law rules supreme.

"Single guys are not allowed to enter the shopping malls, that's just for families or women. For young people (men) it's just frustrating. What do we do? Maybe we go to the coffee shop. You just get bored," said Omran, sitting in one of the flash coffee shops that line many of Riyadh's main streets. Continued

Muslim Daughter kills his father for sexual harassment

2006-10-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

Woman kills father for sexual harassment

Friday October 27 2006 00:00 IST
IANS

BHOPAL: A woman in Indore killed her father for sexually harassing her, said a police official on Thursday.

According to the police, Hussaini, 50, often extorted money from his daughter Mehajabin to buy alcohol and sexually harassed her ever since his wife died six years ago. He also had scuffles with his son-in-law over the matter on several occasions.

When Hussaini reached 25-year-old Mehajabin's residence on Wednesday, she refused to open the door at first, but let him in when he created a scene outside the house in an inebriated condition.

Mehajbin stabbed her father with a vegetable knife when he made sexual advances at her. On seeing Hussaini fall unconscious, she called her husband Sajid. They got a doctor to check Hussaini immediately but he had died by that time.

The couple then went to the police station and narrated the entire incident. Mehajabeen has been arrested and a case was registered against her. Hussaini's body has been sent for post-mortem.

"I have no regrets about killing my father because he has been trying to sexually harass me for quite some time", Mehajabin told the police.

1 Hindu killed, 3 injured in Diwali violence at Muzaffarnagar

2006-10-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

Censored

1 killed, 3 injured in Diwali violence at Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar: A 27-year-old young man was killed and three others were seriously injured when two groups clashed in Muzaffarnagar district on Saturday night over the issue of burning crackers. According to reports reaching here, the victim Pankaj and his friends were bursting crackers in Khalapar locality under the Kotwali police station when some persons belonging to another community asked them not to burst crackers. Pankaj and his friends refused to stop bursting crackers and this led to a clash between the two groups.

Un-Censored

1 Hindu killed, 3 injured in Diwali violence at Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar: A 27-year-old young hindu man was killed and three others were seriously injured when hindu and muslims groups clashed in Muzaffarnagar district on Saturday night over the issue of burning crackers. According to reports reaching here, the victim Pankaj and his friends were bursting crackers in Khalapar locality under the Kotwali police station when some muslims asked them not to burst crackers. Pankaj and his friends refused to stop bursting crackers and this led to a clash between the two groups.

Pregnant cow slaughtered in Kerala

2006-10-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

10/15/2006 11:25:18 AM HK

MALAPPURAM: One of the most sinful activities in the society, a pregnant cow was slaughtered in Malappuram district of Kerala yesterday. The slaughtering of a pregnant cow had caused widespread protest among the residents of the district and they had disposed the dead calf in public to protest against the action of the slaughterhouse.

When the matter became a major issue in that area the owner of the slaughtering shop Saifudeen came up with an excuse that he was cheated by the owner of the cow and that he was not informed that the cow was pregnant.

The authorities had cancelled the licence of the stall near Hajiar Palli following the massive public protest.

Ritual Muslim killing

2006-10-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

He kills wife in rage over Daughter'r conversion to Xtianity
www.gcbulletin.com.au/art..._news.html
Ritual Muslim killing
11Oct, 06

A PLANNED conversion to Christianity from Islam is
understood to have triggered a frenzied domestic
dispute that led to the death of a Muslim mother on
Monday night.

Bangladeshi-born Dr Muh-ammad Hussain, 49, remains
under police guard in a critical condition in the Gold
Coast Hospital as police piece together the
circumstances leading to the death of his 41-year-old
wife, Yasmine.

Mrs Hussain, who had arrived on the Gold Coast with
her 17-year-old daughter at the weekend from Adelaide,
died at her upmarket Southport apartment after
receiving stab wounds to the chest.

A Muslim source told The Gold Coast Bulletin last
night that Dr Hussain arrived a month ago to take up a
position as a GP and prepare for his family to join
him.

"From what we understand the daughter decided to tell
her father of her radical plan to convert to
Christianity which, in the eyes of most Muslims, is
totally unacceptable and to be honest, sadly, many
would react as he has done," said the source.
"It is the Islamic way that if a son or daughter does
or plans to do something that is unacceptable or wrong
for a Muslim then it is the mother who is
automatically at fault and will bear the brunt of the
blame."

Gold Coast police last night refused to deny or
support the religious conversion motive, but are
understood to be investigating it.

They said they had spent more than eight hours
speaking to the traumatised 17-year-old daughter and
because of her distressed state they still do not have
a full picture of what happened.

"It has ended up in the death of a person so it has
been a violent argument and a very tragic set of
circumstances," said Surfers Paradise CIB Detective
Inspector John Hartwell.

Residents of the Smith Street, Albatross Park, complex
where the family lived told The Bulletin yesterday
they heard screams for half an hour.

"It was very quiet then there was a blood-curdling
scream. It was terrible," said Colin Currie.

Neighbour Caitlin Dalton was taking out the rubbish
when she heard terrifying screams.

"She (the teenager) was yelling 'help me, help me,
they're trying to kill me'," said Ms Dalton.

"Everybody heard the screams but we couldn't work out
which unit they were coming from.

"Then this girl emerged in the stairwell hysterical
and crying.

"Her clothes had been ripped off, she was just in her
underwear, and she had quite severe scratches down her
arm and across her back."

Ms Dalton said as residents tried to comfort the girl,
she told how she had wanted to 'convert from the Islam
religion ... and obviously her father didn't handle it
very well'.

"She said her parents were really strict."

Photographs taken by The Bulletin yesterday showed
blood splattered throughout the three-bedroom luxury
apartment which had a turkish carpet on the floor and
leather upholstered chairs.

Clothing could be seen through the doorway, scattered
across the floor near what appeared to be bloodstains.
A large amount of blood had dried on the wall and on
the carpet inside the front door, and there was blood
on and around the doorknob.

"We saw one stretcher come out, then another one and
another one," said resident Rory Williams.

Det-Insp Hartwell said the Hussains had no family
members living on the Gold Coast and police were
looking after their daughter, who had turned 17 only a
week ago.

"She is assisting police with our inquiries. She is
not a suspect, merely a witness to what has
transpired," he said.

"Arrangements are being made through Crisis Care for
accommodation for her at this stage, pending the
contact of the next of kin and relatives.

"At this stage we've been unable to locate the
relatives, they're all overseas."

Det-Insp Hartwell said it was too early to say if any
charges would be laid against Dr Hussain.

"This matter may end up in a criminal trial or may end
up in a coroners court. Before we know the full facts
I'm not willing to speculate," he said.

"The outcome of the investigation will determine
whether any charges are laid or a report is forwarded
to the coroner."

Dr Hussain completed his medical training at the
Chittagong Medical College in Bangladesh in 1982.

In 2001, he completed a masters in family medicine in
Australia and four years later was granted a
fellowship by the Royal Australian College of General
Practitioners.

But in the country with a population of more than 130
million, there are less than one million Christians.

It is understood Dr Hussain is a Sunni Muslim.

Married and divorced within 24 hours

2006-09-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Rumu Banerjee
[ 29 Sep, 2006 0110hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates

NEW DELHI: When Reshma Haq got married she had little idea that within 24 hours she would be back home, divorced and shattered. The 23-year-old recalls that one of the happiest days of her life turned into a nightmare.

Reshma's nikah with Waqar Ahmed took place on September 23, and within a few hours she was at her husband…s house in neighbouring Shakti Mandir area in the Walled City.

That is when the torture began, says the Bazar Chitli Kabar resident. "When I reached their home, Waqar…s mother and sister wanted to know where the money was. I thought my mehr hadn…t been sent yet; so I told them it would be coming. But then Waqar said he wanted Rs 2 lakh more as well as a Pulsar bike," she says.

As the night progressed, Reshma alleges, she was forced to tolerate Waqar…s unnatural sexual demands which were against the tenets of Islam.

The torture continued in the morning when Waqar…s family, she claims, refused to feed her, saying that her parents should send the food.

"When I returned home in the afternoon as per tradition, I told my father about the demands," says Reshma.

Matters, however, came to a head in the evening of September 24 when Reshma's family tried to persuade Waqar and his father that the dowry demand was difficult to meet.

"Waqar in a fit of rage said 'talaq, talaq, talaq' and then told us that now there was no need to discuss the matter," says Reshma…s father Abdul Haq.

This reporter found Waqar…s house locked and the family unavailable for comment.

According to reports, his family has claimed that the talaq happened because the bride was "switched".

Haj subsidy is a fact and must go eventually

2006-09-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

Mr. Masoom Moradabadi's article "Haj Subsidy - Fact or Fiction" (MG, 1-15 September, 2002) suffers from a number of ill-founded presumptions and evident inaccuracies.

Firstly, Haj subsidy is the difference between the Haj charter fare charged by the carriers under the agreement with the Haj Committee and the fare collected by the Haj Committee from the pilgrims. If the difference is, say, Rs.32,000 minus Rs.12,000 i.e. Rs.20,000 per pilgrim, for 72,000 pilgrims traveling by the Haj charter managed by the Haj Committee, the total subsidy will come to Rs.20,000 x 72,000 i.e. 144 crores. So it is neither fictitious nor imaginary. Nor does it amount to the Government of India or the Haj Committee hoodwinking the pilgrims. Neither is it an eyewash. Neither it is theologically desirable. However, I deliberately keep off the theological argument for its abolition as Pakistan has done. To the best of my knowledge, there is no Muslim country which subsidizes Haj.

Secondly, Haj subsidy is not at all comparable to the cost of bandobast made in India by the Central/State Governments or local administration at the time of fairs like the Kumbh Mela or pilgrimages like the Amarnath Yatra or, for that matter, the annual Urs of Muslim saints like Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Gharibnawaz at Ajmer. Bandobast is comparable to the massive arrangements made by the Government of Saudi Arabia for the Haj for all pilgrims and the supportive arrangements made by the Government of India like the opening of a permanent Haj Office in the Consulate General of India, Jeddah, the deputation of the Haj Mission during the Haj to expand the Haj Office, the posting of a Medical Mission with the opening of several Haj dispensaries in Mecca and Medina, free distribution of medicines, provision of ambulance services and limited hospitalization facilities; deputation of Khuddamul Hujjaj by the various State Haj Committees and of its own members by the Haj Committee, not to mention the costly, wasteful and purposeless exercise of sending an Official Haj Goodwill Mission. The bandobast includes also the facilities provided by the State and Central Haj Committee for collecting and training pilgrims, arranging internal transportation, monitoring their arrival at and departure from various collecting and exit points in India.

Thirdly, there is no such thing as 'Haj quota'. It was introduced at the time when the country faced a foreign exchange problem and the quota was fixed keeping in view the foreign exchange outlay set aside for Haj pilgrims. The reality is that for several years practically all those who apply to the Haj Committee have been accepted to proceed for Haj. Perhaps many applied to the Haj Committee because of the subsidy. There is no foreign exchange shortage now and any citizen going abroad, whatever his purpose, is eligible to draw foreign exchange, much more than the maximum allowed to a Haj pilgrim by the Haj Committee in its wisdom.

Fourthly, it is historically wrong to assert that the question of reducing Haj subsidy and ultimately eliminating it has arisen only after the NDA/BJP came to power though the Sangh Parivar's criticism has become more shrill and sharp. The question of Haj Subsidy was formally raised in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs in the early '90's during Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao's Government year after year. All parties are represented in the Standing Committee and the recommendation to reduce it and eventually to abolish it was unanimous. What is important for us is to realize that for the benefit of a few, we have served the Sangh Parivar with a 'cause' on a platter, given them a stick to beat the Muslims with and an argument to their theory that secularism in the Indian context means appeasement or preferential treatment to the minorities! Is this in the long-term interest of the Muslim community?

Fifthly, Haj subsidy indeed began in the early 70's after the oil crisis which caused recurring losses to the Moghul Line, a subsidiary of the Shipping Corporation of India, which operated a Haj service initially with 4 ships. I recall vividly that the Board of Directors of the Moghul Line toyed with the idea of raising the First Class fare while maintaining the deck class fare more or less, so as to break the cost of the service even on a no-profit, no loss basis. In the meantime, a worldwide trend arose to reduce passenger shipping because of the non-availability of new passenger ships.

Ship building yards were constructing few ships, that too of the luxury class for tourists. Thus the Moghul Line was not in a position to replace its aging vessels. More and more Haj traffic from all over the world, except from the Sudan or Somalia across the Red Sea, for the same reason has shifted to air. Today almost entire Haj traffic is by air. Therefore, those who argue that the Government of India or the Haj Committee should acquire passenger ships are obviously ignorant of the world shipping situation or that the sea fare would exceed the air fare, apart from adding to the overall cost of the Haj due to longer travel time and longer stay in Saudi Arabia. Haj transportation from India by air had begun in the 60's itself. But as it grew, it faced the oil crisis in the early 70's when the carriers raised airfare due to inordinate rise in the cost of aviation fuel.

Haj subsidy was introduced so as to provide a temporary cushion against sudden increase in the Haj fare. The Haj charter fare was fixed first, to the best of my recollection, at Rs.6,000, then raised to Rs.8,000, then to Rs.12,000, where it has remained static for the last two decades or more.

To the extent the Haj fare increases because of rise in the IATA return fare, say, Delhi-Jeddah- Delhi, in US Dollars and the change in the rate of exchange between the Dollar and the Rupee, there is nothing that the Government of India or the Haj Committee can do. For example, if the IATA fare increases from $400 to $600 and the exchange rate from Rs.10 to Rs.50 per dollar, it will mean a natural increase of $200 X 40 = Rs.8,000. This the Haj pilgrim should pay in good conscience, just as he pays higher accommodation charges in Mecca and Medina and Mina-Arafat, the higher cost of bread and other essentials he buys in Saudi Arabia and even higher fixed charges for Haj movement payable to the Saudi Arabian authorities because of the corresponding rise in the exchange rate of the Saudi Riyals which is linked to dollar at $1.00 = SR 3.75. However, Mr. Moradabadi has a point - which I have myself been arguing for years upon the Government of India, both the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of External Affairs: there is no reason for the Haj charterfare, whosoever be the carrier, to exceed 2/3 of the normal IATA fare. I say 2/3, not ½ because one has to make allowance of 2 vacant runs of the aircraft from Jeddah to Delhi during the outward movement and from Delhi to Jeddah during the inward movement. Indeed, during my time as Joint Secretary (Haj) in the Ministry of External Affairs and as

Member/Vice- Chairman of the Haj Committee, I had endeavoured to keep it more or less at that level. Unfortunately it went totally out of control during the late 90's and the charter fare as a proportion of the IATA fare began rising. Now the Charter fare exceeds the IATA fare by 10%. The inability or the unwillingness of the Haj Committee, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to lower the Charter fare is the real problem.

I do not understand why the Government is unwilling to examine closely the cause of the inordinate rise in the charter fare as a proportion of the current IATA fare. This is a mystery I cannot unravel. But I have my doubts about the integrity and the efficiency of the negotiating team and the decision makers. This doubt is further enhanced because of adhoc procedures being adopted for selecting the carrier and fixing the Charter fare. Surely some people are profiting at the expense of the Government and the pilgrims and the Muslims are serving as the scapegoat.

Assuming Rs.32,000 to be the Haj Charter fare and 72,000 pilgrims, the total transaction comes to Rs.230.4 crores. We know that in our country every transaction generates a Commission, an under-the-table payment. 5% will amount to more than 11.5 crores! That there is corruption goes without saying but one does not know how far up the money travels. If the Government wish to convince the Muslim community about the need to pay higher Haj charter fare, the process of charter arrangement must become transparent. The statutory responsibility for making arrangement for the transportation of the pilgrims vests in the Haj Committee. It is for the Haj Committee to float the international tender and to enter into negotiations with the interested carriers (including Air India or India Airlines) which respond and make a bid. The Haj Committee has the necessary expertise by now, to work out its essential requirements for the tender. To examine the bids and to negotiate with the shortlisted bidders, It should form a 5-man Negotiating Team with the Chairman and one more member, preferably one of the Vice-Chairmen, a representative each of the Ministries of External Affairs, Civil Aviation and Finance at the level of Joint Secretary. Air India which has an obvious conflict of interest should not, repeat NOT, be represented on the Team. The Ministry of Civil Aviation should, however, direct the Airport Authority of India to offer best possible terms for ground facilities for the outward and inward flights and the Directorate of Civil Aviation to check and certify the airworthiness of the aircrafts offered by the carrier. It goes without saying that the terms of the Charter will be subject to final approval by the Government.

The Haj Committee should, through the Embassy of India, Riyadh and the Consulate General of India, Jeddah, find out in advance from the Saudi Arabian Airlines whether it wishes to participate in the transportation arrangement and if so, whether it will accept the terms offered by the Haj Committee to which the other carrier agrees. In case the Haj Committee selects a carrier other than Air India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation should issue a directive to Air India to comply with the requisite formalities as the national carrier. Presently, even the formation of the Negotiating Team is kept secret; its composition is a top secret; the final terms agreed to are never released for public scrutiny.

The mode of payment of the subsidy, to the Haj Committee or directly to the carrier, by the Ministry of External Affairs or by the Ministry of Civil Aviation or through Air India is also not in the public domain. Why all this secrecy? What is urgently needed is a White Paper on Haj Subsidy giving year-wise IATA fare, the prevailing exchange rate, the name of the carrier, Haj charter fare payable to the carrier, the fare collected from the pilgrim, the subsidy per pilgrim and the total amount. The White Paper should also give the names of the then Chairman, Haj Committee, the then Minister of Civil Aviation and the then Chairman/Managing Director of Air India. If the Haj charter fare is brought down to 2/3 of the IATA fare and the pilgrim is asked to pay the natural increase on Rs.12,000 since it was first fixed, the Government can well pay the difference, without much political repercussion. Or the pilgrim may well refuse the subsidy because it shall be an insignificant amount as compared to the total cost of Haj! More pilgrims may then take to normal commercial flights and perform Haj through the Haj Tour Operators, if indeed they offer better terms than the Haj Committee as Mr. Moradabadi has stated. The Government, however, need to regulate the Haj Tour Operators in the interest of the pilgrims.

¯ Syed Shahabuddin

Must Listen : Pakistani Islamic fundamentalist's visit to India and his experiences

2006-09-10T05:53:00.001-07:00

Click to listen the speech

Muslims attack Hindus in Hyderabad

2006-09-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

This is the attitude of muslims. All muslims in India are goondas and rowdys. This is the gratitude they are paying for hindus in allowing muslims to stay in India. They behave like rowdys and goondas due to the appeasement and pampering of muslims by pseudo-secular Congress and Left etc. Hindus should have caught them and killed them there itself. No going to police stations and courts etc. Justice should be served immediately.

www.deccan.com/City/CityN...206%20held

Hyderabad, Sept. 9: The Madhapur police on Saturday chased a seven member-member gang who were fleeing in a Gypsy after attacking three persons with rods and injuring them seriously. Six of them were arrested and two iron rods, one licenced revolver, three boulders along with the vehicle (Gypsy-AP 9 5367) were seized from them.

Madhapur Inspector S. Jairam told this correspondent that a copy of a land document in litigation at Miyapur was also found under the gang’s possession. “We cannot rule out at this point of time whether this gang is connected to land mafia in Ranga Reddy district,” Mr Jairam said. Giving the details of the incident, the inspector said the issue started near a public tap at Madhapur when two residents, Devender and Naveen, were collecting water from the tap. The seven-member gang who were on their way to a farm house in Hitec City stopped their vehicle at the public tap and removed the vessels of the two men placed under the tap.

This resulted in heated argument between the two parties which soon turned violent. Two of the gang members took out iron rods from their vehicle and hit Devender and Naveen, both students, on their heads. Passers by who saw this, alerted the residents who rushed to the spot with boulders, sticks and iron rods. Seeing them, the seven-member gang started to flee but the mob broke the windshield of their vehicle.

However, the gang managed to speed away but not before injuring another person, Anjaneyulu. However, the locals who ran after them came across Mr Jairam, who chased the vehicle and arrested the gang. The arrested were identified as S.K. Zaheer, Mohammed Jaleel, Hameed, Abdul Majeed, Syed Ghouse and Shammeullah, while Laiq Hussain is absconding.

COMMUNALISATION OF 'VANDE MATARAM'

2006-09-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

An Avoidable Controversy
by R.Upadhyay

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay composed Vande Mataram
(Salute to Motherland) song in 1870 for his historic
novel Anandmath. Later, this song became a vibrant
chorus of the freedom movement and also a battle cry
against the British power. The thundering slogan of
'Vande Mataram' thrilled the students and youth of the
country irrespective of their religious faith till the
Muslim League linked it with idolatry and called it an
insult to Islam.

After independence despite objections raised by some
Muslim leaders the constituent Assembly settled the
issue and adopted Vande Nataram and Jana gana mana
Adhinayak jaya he Bharat Bhagya Vidhata as National
Song and National Anthem of India respectively on
January 24, 1950. National leaders like Dr. Rajendra
Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru and others had fully endorsed
this decision and since then both the songs got
constitutional status. Any controversy over these two
symbols of national unity and integrity is therefore
an insult to the constitution.

Unfortunately the All India Muslim Personal Board
(AIMPLB) raised a controversy over singing this song
by the Muslim students on September 7, the concluding
day of its centenary functions on the plea that it is
un-Islamic. Its advice to the Muslim parents not to
send their children to schools on that day and to
abstain from singing it encouraged some of the Muslim
clerics, who raised their voice against this song on
the plea that Islam 'does not permit 'Sajda' (bowing
down during Nawaz) to any one except Allah. Those who
are equating singing of Vande Mataram with 'Sazda' are
still carrying forward the legacy of Khalifa Shaikh
Ahmad Sarhindi, (1564-1624), a sufi mystic saint of
Naqshbandi order and a fanatical espouser of hard-line
Islam, who had equated 'Sazda' with 'Kornis".

Historically, Sarhindi is known for rejecting the
‘heterodoxies’ of Akbar and turning it to orthodoxies.
Being a fanatic interpreter of Islam he did not even
offer ' Kornis' (respectful salute by bowing down) to
the Mogul Emperor Jahangir on the plea that Sajda to
any one except Allah was un-Islamic. Jahangir took
such discourteous behaviour of Sarhindi as a challenge
to his authority and accordingly ordered for his
immediate arrest. Sarhindi was imprisoned in Gwalior
jail and could be released after thirteen months,
after much persuasion by the courtiers. However, the
successive Mogul Emperors carried out the hardline
Islam of by Sarhindi to nullify Akbar's ‘liberalism’.

Since the fall of Mogul Empire, Sarhindi's philosophy
remained a major source of inspiration for all the
movements for Islamic revivalism. His tomb at Sarhind
in Patiala district of Punjab is still an object of
veneration (Islamic Encyclopaedia, Vol. I, Page 297).
It is sad that the present Government instead of
taking action against the fanatics showing disrespect
to the National Song succumbed to the pressure of the
latter and made the singing of national song optional.

History of opposition to Vande Mataram song by
Islamists dates back to late thirties of the last
century, when the 'coalition talks' between All India
Muslim League and the Indian National Congress failed
after the massive victory of the latter. After forming
its government the Congress in its various schemes of
mass contact programmes and to accelerate the spirit
of nationalist feelings as well as Hindu-Muslim unity
issued instruction to all the educational institutions
in the country for singing of Vande Mataram song.
However, the Muslim League linked this song with
idolatry and called its singing by Muslims as an
insult to Islam. Jinnah strongly opposed the move of
the Congress and criticised it as an attempt to
Hinduise the Muslims. He made the issue of Vande
Mataram another point of attack on Congress and
accused it as a party for Hindus only. Since then the
Muslim League took it as a point to wean away the
Muslims from the Congress. Simultaneously, a group of
Muslim students came out of All India Students
Federation, met Jinnah and formed All India Muslim
Students Federation (AIMSF) in 1937 with Mohammad
Nauman as President and Mohammad Waseeque as
Organising Secretary. AIMSF under the patronage of
Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Mohammed Iqbal worked as an
appendage of Muslim League. It launched an aggressive
campaign against the alleged non-Islamic crests of
Calcutta and Nagpur universities, the Vidya Mandir
scheme in Central Province, the vibrant slogan of
'Vande Mataram' and the veneration shown to tri-colour
flag of Congress. It criticised them as an insult to
Islam.

The Working Committee of the AIMSF in its meeting on
May 6, 1938 in Islamia College Lahore resolved among
other resolutions: " This session strongly condemns
the song of Vande Mataram which contradicts the
philosophy of Muslim nationalism and further expresses
its hate over the part played by the Lahore Students
Union who made a lead show by writing Vande Mataram
on the tickets during its meetings" ('The Punjab
Muslim Students Fedration 1937-47 by Sarfaraz Hussain
Mirza, 1991, page 7 . The Meeting also resolved to
read out the Iqbal's poem by replacing the word
'Hindi' with Muslim and 'Hindostan' with 'Sara Jahan'
- "Muslim Hain Ham Watan Hain Sara Jahan Hamara"
(Ibid.).

Criticising the Congress policy of alleged imposition
of singing Vande Mataram on Muslim students Jinnah
said, "What did the Congress do when it got power?
With all its pretensions it straightway started with
Vande Mataram. It is admitted that Vande Mataram is
not a national song. Yet it is sung as such and thrust
upon others. It is not only sung in their own
gatherings, but Muslim children in government schools
and Muslim schools are compelled to sing it" (Patna
session of the League in 1938 - Quote from 'The Role
of Muslim League in National Politics' by Deepak
Pandey, 1991, page 63).

Khan Saheb Abdul Rehman Khan, MLA from Central
Province in a rejoinder to the Government communiqué
said, "it is not a single educational institution in
the province where it is not sung as a prayer and a
national song. It is difficult for the Muslim pupils
to defy the wishes of their teachers and the majority
of the pupils unless they wished to lead the life of
discomfiture". Similarly, Tajuddin, the president of
the Muslim League Jabalpur "asked the government if it
were prepared to issue a circular to prevent
compulsion of the singing of Vande Mataram"? (Times of
India, July 6, 193

The Union Minister Arjun Singh initially issued a
circular for singing of Vande Mataram in educational
institutions as his party had issued in pre-partition
days but changed his stand on being challenged. The
Congress Government in 1938 did not succumb to the
pressure of Muslim League but Arjun Singh’s favourable
response to Tajuddin after sixty-eight years could not
be for any reason other than for enhancing his own
popularity.

In the backdrop of the separatist demand of
pre-partition Muslim League, the present controversy
over the national song as created by AIMPLB and other
Islamic clergies is not only an affront to the
constitution but also a danger signal for national
unity and its integrity. Although a few Muslim leaders
and clergies like Arif Beigh, Mukhtar Abbas Naqbi,
Matin Ahmad, Maulana Wahiduddin and others have
commendably raised their voices against this divisive
design of the Islamists, in the absence of any
aggressive and collective movement by the Muslim
masses against the forces opposed to the singing of
patriotic national song, their feeble voice remains
only a wild cry. Unfortunately, most of the Muslim
political leaders and intellectuals are found silent
over the issue, which indirectly justifies the
opposition to the national song.

The soft if not servile attitude of the UPA
Government, Marxist dominated media, left-minded
social activists and 'liberal' Muslim scholars towards
the on going controversy has only strengthened the
Muslim communalists. Insult to National Song is not
only an insult to the nation but it is the replay of
the same pre-partition divisive politics of All India
Muslim League. It is high time for the members of
parliament, State assemblies and other legislative
institutions to rise above party politics and mobolise
mass participation of the Muslim masses in the
centenary celebration of this National Song in their
respective constituencies. Similarly, the Muslim
intellectuals should avail this opportunity for a
collective movement to free their misguided
co-religionists from the fanatic interpretation of
Islam by their priestly class.

Sharia in Action : A Muslim locks up wife for 3 years for opposing 2nd marriage

2006-09-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

Reuters
Posted online: Thursday, August 31, 2006 at 1837 hours IST

Hyderabad, August 31: Authorities have arrested a man who locked his wife in a room for three years and made her drink her own urine, after she opposed him taking a second wife, police said on Thursday.

Asha Begum, wife of construction foreman Mohammed Shadulla, was chained and held captive in a windowless room in their home in a suburb of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

Local police inspector Subbarami Reddy told Reuters that Shadulla had brought home a new wife in February 2003 but when Begum protested he had locked her up.

Shabdulla had told neighbours that his wife had become mentally ill after their daughter had died in a road accident and that he had sent her away to get cured, Reddy added.

"But I was locked up in a room without windows and toilet for three years," said a pale and thin Begum, who had managed to escape when Shadulla accidentally left the door open after cleaning the room.

Police said Shadulla had confessed to holding his wife in captivity and said he was being charged with assault.
www.expressindia.com/

Deoband's latest fatwa: Muslims can't insure

2006-08-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

Deoband's latest fatwa: Muslims can't insure

LUCKNOW, AUGUST 29: The Darul Uloom of Deoband, the supreme body of the majority Sunnis, has declared life insurance as illegal but prominent Shia leaders have opposed the decree.

The Darul Ifta of Deoband, the body authorised to issue fatwas, issued a fatwa saying that interest earned on bank deposits as well as insurance of life is illegal as per the Shariat, the supreme law for Muslims. And that Muslims should not go in for insurance or assurance of life which has been given to them by Allah.

The fatwa, issued by Mohammad Zafeeruddin non August 7, in consultation with the two muftis of Darul Uloom, Deoband says: “Life insurance is not permissible because there is interest income in it as well as gambling, which are illegal under Shariat.”

The fatwa was issued in response to a question from one Saleem Chisti from Lucknow who was approached by an insurance company to buy a policy and become an agent.

It is najayaz as per the Shariat,” said vice-president of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Maulana Khaleed Rashid. It amounts to not believing in the supreme status of Allah, he said. But his colleague and noted Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Sadiq disagreed: “There is nothing wrong in taking an insurance policy. I can say it in the light of the laws followed by the Shia sect. But if another sect has views against it, one should respect that too.”

The chairman of the All India Shia Personal Law Board, Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar, too, said such fatwas are not binding on Shias.

Support for the fatwa among Sunnis, however, was strong. Said Rukhsana Lari, a member of AIMPLB: “Insurance is illegal as per the Shariat. Those who are covered under group insurance in their jobs should donate the interest and the maturity benefits. Mufti of Nadwa College too has said that if under certain circumstances one has to take life insurance policy, the interest should not be accepted.”

IE

Bukhari's men beat up cop in Jama Masjid

2006-08-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

Staff Reporter | New Delhi

In yet another display of his arrogance, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari on Friday declared the masjid a 'no-go area' for the police and prevented officers from carrying out a search operation after they had reached there on a tip-off suggesting possibility of a paper bomb in the premises.

Bukhari and his men reportedly stopped the policemen, including the SHO of the area from carrying out the search and shouted at them.

According to some eyewitnesses, the Imam and his supporters even beat up sub inspector Abdul Kalim when he opposed him. Shahi Imam had also abused and manhandled a TV reporter Yusuf Ansari on April 18 this year.

According to police sources, Jama Masjid SHO Davender Kumar had gone to the masjid with SI Abdul Kalim and an ASI of special staff Abrar Ahmad at 1.45 pm.

He had reportedly informed the supporters of Imam before going for the check but they did not in turn inform the Imam.

When the SHO with other police officers went to the main tomb of the mosque, the Imam stopped them and asked for the reason for checking without his permission. The SHO told him that he had received information about a paper bomb in the mosque and had informed his men to call him to cooperate.

But the Imam reportedly fell in argument with the officers. According to some sources, the Imam even pushed sub-inspector Abdul Kalim.

However, the Imam alleged that cops did not inform them and entered the mosque without permission.

Strangely, Imam's brother Yahyah Bukhari said, "The SHO and two others, when asked, told us that they had come to the mosque for hanging around which is not allowed for a cop in uniform."

He alleged that the SHO met two tourists before going to the tomb and was unnecessarily bothering them. "We have doubts that the SHO and two other cops were sent by the Government following some conspiracy against us and it should be inquired into properly and action should be taken against them," alleged Khan. He also asked the police to register an FIR against the cops.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Neeraj Thakur, however said, "We have not received any complaint from anybody and we are carrying out an inquiry into the incident". According to police sources, if the SHO and two others are found guilty in the incident, there could be an inquiry against them for impropriety but they were on duty and the Imam has harassed them while performing duty.

Meanwhile, the call was declared hoax as no paper bomb was found in the mosque.

www.daily pioneer.com

Most educationally backward are the Muslims of West Bengal

2006-08-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

The most educationally backward are the Muslims of West Bengal, who form 27% of the State population. I told the Chief Minister of West Bengal who complained of Muslim parents inclination to send the children to Maktabs and Madrasas , that if his government opened primary schools in Muslim areas, the same children would make a bee line for the schools.
--SYED SHAHABUDDIN

-- Source : www.mushawarat.com/

Indian Islamic Affairs: Most educationally backward are the Muslims of West Bengal

Most educationally backward are the Muslims of West Bengal

2006-08-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

The most educationally backward are the Muslims of West Bengal, who form 27% of the State population. I told the Chief Minister of West Bengal who complained of Muslim parents inclination to send the children to Maktabs and Madrasas , that if his government opened primary schools in Muslim areas, the same children would make a bee line for the schools.

--SYED SHAHABUDDIN

-- Source : www.mushawarat.com/

When I feel ashamed to be a Muslim!

2006-08-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

By Firoz Bakht Ahmed
www.newindpress.com/

As a Muslim, my head goes down in shame each time I find a Muslim name attached to insane acts of terror. I feel let down by such Muslims. It agonises me when I hear that Muslim tenants are refused accommodation in many cities. Recently, in London, a Muslim of Indian origin was arrested for suspected links to the terror plot aimed at blowing up planes flying from Britain to the US.

Sane Muslim voices aren't loudly heard. Even British Muslims condemning the July 7 London bombings added a "but" (root cause) to their denunciation. Killings of innocents cannot be justified for any reason. Many Muslims are guilty of not speaking out against what happened in Darfur while many are guilty of being sympathetic to Saddam Hussein who was responsible for the deaths of thousands. Many Muslims are guilty of not speaking out against the unjust acts of fellow Muslims against non-Muslims.

O terrorists! Whatever you do, however many of us you kill will not stop life where freedom is strong and people can live in harmony. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail. Extremist attacks anywhere are acts depravity and wickedness - planned to take innocent lives. It is not the weapon of the weak against the strong but one of the angry against the defenceless and innocent.

The terror attacks on the makeshift Ram temple at Ayodhya was aimed at derailing the India-Pakistan peace process besides damaging the country's secular fabric. Muslims must openly condemn terror attacks so that they do not get clubbed with the terrorists on account of their silence.

Note that 'jehad' is the most misunderstood and misconstrued concept by non-Muslims, and even Muslims. The true concept of jehad is not to be against other communities, groups or religions but against one's selfish nature, vices and shortcomings. First an individual wages jehad against himself to get cleansed. He then continues the efforts with his wife, family, locality and the entire community. This is Jehad-e-Akbar, the right meaning of jehad.

Muslims must come out openly on the streets against terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Al Qaeda, Harkat-ul-Ansar, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Sipah-e-Sahaba and such others.

Today Islam is under scanner because many people have come to believe that the religion advocates violence. Not all of them can be wrong as people judge by what they see. Today terrorists speak and act violently in the name of Islam.

The terrorists who struck on Mumbai's trains in July sought to drive a wedge between Hindus and Muslims. Militants have no religion except death and destruction of the innocent.

At the same time, the government must find out if these tragedies take place because of security lapses or whether the fight against terrorism has slackened. It is perplexing how terrorists repeatedly gain entry into sensitive areas despite heavy security.

Indian Hindus and Muslims are to be congratulated for acting with restraint following the Mumbai disaster. Given the fluid communal situation in India, the saner elements in the communities should take adequate steps to thwart attempts by communalists to play up such incidents.

(Firoz Bakht Ahmed, writer of this article, is a commentator on social, educational and political issues. He can be reached at firozbakht@rediffmail.com)

Who says Indian Muslims are afraid

2006-08-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

Few days back just before Mumbai blasts I get a chance to see a
recording of interview of C.M.Ibrahim chair person of supreme
council of newly formed United democatic front led by Shahi Imam of
Jama Masjid, this interview was done by renowned TV journalist Manoj
Raghuvanshi for his programme 'Bebak' in S1 channel.

During interview Mr Raghuvanshi tried to read the mind and psyche
behind formation of new Muslim political party, which in spite of
its claim of inclusive nature is exclusive Muslim party. Mr Ibrahim
former cabinet minister in union cabinet described the need for new
Muslim political party to uplift Muslim society, which has developed
inferiority complex, and are afraid. According to Mr Ibrahim this
phenomenon is result of partition after which Muslims in India did
not get equal share in development and lag behind in society. If Mr
Ibrahim would be believed he want to undo this imbalance and create
harmony in both Hindu and Muslims by initiating more dialogue and
understanding between them.

After listening this interview I tried to analyse whether Mr
Ibrahim was honest in his approach or he was also acting like
Islamic apologists to cover up the role of Islam and its teachings
in on going terrorism.

Mr Ibrahim is not a first Muslim elite to float the theory of
impoverishment of Muslim society and fear psychosis as an excuse of
violent reaction of this society. It reminds old medieval days when
Muslim invaders were followed by Sufis to make sure that Hindu
society forget the atrocities of invaders with theories of
commonalities between practices of Sufis and Hindu saints. In
medieval period we witnessed these so called intellectual Islamic
scholars always played the role of reserve army of Muslim invaders,
now again Hindus are being deceived with some self made hypothetical
theories to deviate the whole debate of Islamic imperialistic
ambitions.

On 11th of July when India was attacked by Islamic terrorists
our political establishment and media tried its best to downplay the
gravity of situation and paid more attention to make sure real
motive of this attack should not come in debate. Indian governments
haste act to blame Pakistan instead of looking within was not taken
seriously in international community.

Our political establishment and media did not hesitate to
compromise with its duty to come out clean with facts in its
obsession for correctness. But this correctness was not enough to
stop the role of home grown Jihadis to come under scrutiny.

After two weeks of gruesome killing of more than 200 people
whatever probe has revealed contradicts C.M.Ibrahim's theory that
Muslim in India are afraid.

Couple of days after blasts Mumbai police detained one leader of
Samajwadi party in connection to overstaying of some Kashmiri
youngsters in his house. One leading English news paper published
this story and very next day another samajwadi leader Abu Azmi hold
a press conference and threatened Government of India and
Maharashtra not to blame Muslims in the grab of terrorism otherwise
20 lakh Muslims will come out on streets and no government will be
able to stop them. This pre partition syndrome in itself tells
story how Muslims are afraid in this nation.

This threat was followed by another fundamentalist Muslim
leader who is also patron of UDF the same party whose leader Mr
Ibrahim claim Muslim in India are afraid. In first Friday prayer in
Jam Masjid after Mumbai blasts Shahi Imam said "we have ruled this
country for 800 years Insallah we will rule it again.'' He did not
stop there he blamed RSS, VHP, SHIV SENA and Hindu organisations for
Mumbai blasts and criticized government for falsely implicating
Lashker-E-Toiba in this attack. He dared to challenge Indian
government to provide evidence against so called organisation then
he himself will go to Pakistan to meet the members of this
organisation. Addressing the gathering of 200 people after Friday
prayer Shahi Imam threatened government not to paint all Muslims as
terrorist.

In the meantime leader of Babri Masjid action committee Sayed
Shahabuddin met with Mrs Sonia Gandhi with a delegation of Muslims
to request her to stop the government and Media from portraying all
Muslims as terrorists. It is surprising to note how Shahabuddin did
not see the correctness of media and government to not mention the
real motive and perpetrators of this attack and blamed media and
government for portraying Muslims as terrorists. It seems he does
not want truth to be come out and perpetrators of this incident will
bring to justice. Time is not too far when we will hear about
meeting of Shahbuddin like peolpe wih natioanl security advisor to
argue him not to mention in his report how jehadis spreading their
tentacles in all over India.

Anyway Congress president obliged them immediately
and Home minister of India in an extraordinary speech gives clean
chit to madrassas and termed them as seat of social service and
propagator of human values. Home minister denied any involvement of
madrassas in any terrorist activity.

This statement in haste from an authority responsible for
internal security not only disappointing but irresponsible also. Not
only Home minister but also whole world knows what is being taught
in madrassas even in ongoing probe in Mumbai blasts madrassas and
Muslim seminaries from Mumbai, Bihar , Assam to Tripura are under
scanner of security agencies . In this volatile Situation Home
ministers' statements matters more and could influence investigation
also. Is he trying to demoralise counter terrorist agencies?

These three incidents indicate towards a clever aggressive Muslim
policy to keep government institutions on back foot in their probe
as well as in their counter terrorism policies.

This policy has worked well for them. They were able to get some
allies in political parties who pleaded openly for terrorists. Chief
minister of Uttar pradesh and president of Samajwadi party Mulayam
singh Yadav took no time in giving clean chit to Students Islamic
union of India SIMI main culprit organisation for Mumbai blasts. Mr
Mulayam singh whose Hindi meaning is soft has translated it in its
true spirit with his softness on SIMI. His government
provided all facilities to make sure the surrender of chief of Uttar
pradesh of SIMI Md Amir with state head of Kanpur. Government of UP
has issued the direction to Baharaich court a district of adjacent
to Nepal border to withdraw all the cases of treason or else from
president of SIMI Shahid Badra.

Mulayam singh Yadav who is pushing the Islamic agenda
of Dar-ul-Islam since long time was clearly visible when one member
of his cabinet Haji Yakub Qureshi openly declared prize of 51 crore
for anyone who kills Danish cartoonist responsible for drawing
Mohammed cartoon. One other senior minister of his cabinet Md Azam
Khan few days back demanded separate Muslim state in Uttar Prdesh.
But Muslim love of this party of the most populated state does not
end here only; senior leader of Samajwadi Party Mr Beni Prased verma
floated the idea of reservation for Muslims in Parliament and
legislatures.

Along with Samajwadi party communist party of India Marxists
jumped in rhetoric's and did not lose chance to appease Muslims and
demanded the enquiry on the role of Hindu organisations in Mumbai
blasts, reminiscent to Islamist-leftist-liberal conspiracy theory of
involvement of FBI and Israeli agencies in 9\11 attacks on New York
as well as theory of Karsevaks burning themselves in Godhra carnge.

In light of these instances it is quite difficult to believe on Mr
Ibrahim that Muslims are afraid in this country. It is up to Hindus
to decide who is afraid in this country those who have privilege to
keep their personal law out of purview of Indian constitution, those
who have license to kill Hindus in name of faith or those who are
not allowed to chant Bharat Mata ki Jai even in their own
country.

ISI ‘agent’ in BFS ,Abdul Razak

2006-08-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

ISI ‘agent’

Faridabad (PTI): Abdul Razak, who has retired from the BSF, has been arrested from Faridabad district of Haryana for his alleged links with the ISI.

Razak was arrested on information provided by agents of Pakistan’s intelligence agency who were arrested recently. No other details were available.

SIMI vision for shari'ah, khilafah, jihad against all kafirs

2006-08-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

SIMI's vision is to establish the rule of Allah.
Political power is central to this mission of Islam. Man-made legal
systems are Satanic. Muslims' duty is to struggle for shari'ah and a
single khilafah, a pan-Islamic polity, to which all Muslims belong.
Nationalism is a false idol, devised by non-Muslim enemies of Islam,
to divide and weaken Muslims. Muslims of India, even in minority, go
to Hell if they are 'comfortable living under an un-Islamic order.'
Islam is a complete programme, with detailed instructions on all
matters, including most intimately personal. Secularism is
anti-Islamic; to not to be ruled by Allah's laws is to rebel against
Him and is an unforgivable sin. Violent jihad is required against all
kafirs.

In the rest of this piece, the author tries to find excuses for such
shariah to be imposed on all of India.

TheFridayTimes.com, Lahore
July 28-3, 2006 - Vol. XVIII, No. 23

Radicalisation bodes ill for India

Yoginder Sikand

Hindu and Muslim radical groups speak the language of hate; India
needs to reverse the trend

... (This authors usual 'Hindu extremists carried out 7-11' is
deleted.)

In the wake of the Mumbai blasts and the allegations of SIMI
involvement, many Indian Muslims are now waking up to the need to
denounce ... Muslim groups, such as SIMI, that speak the language of
conflict, hatred, violence and revenge.

Established in 1977 and banned by the Indian government in 2001,
SIMI's vision of Islam derives from the voluminous writings of the
Islamist ideologue, Sayyed Abul 'Ala Maududi, founder of the Jama'at-e
Islami. For Maududi, as for SIMI, the mission of Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) is seen principally as the struggle to establish true
monotheism or tauhid . This is taken to mean not just the worship of
Allah but also, and equally importantly, the rule of Allah. Political
power is thus seen as central to the Islamic mission. All man-made
legal systems are condemned as 'false', even Satanic, and Muslims are
reminded that unless they actively struggle to be ruled in accordance
with the shari'ah their commitment to and faith in Islam is not
complete and remains suspect. Struggling to establish the Islamic
state, the Caliphate or khilafah , is seen as a duty binding on all
Muslims, and one that the Muslims of India, despite being a minority,
must abide by. Muslims who are 'comfortable living under an un-Islamic
order' are warned that they shall be consigned, rather uncharitably,
to Hell.

In the absence of the khilafah , SIMI believes that Muslims cannot
lead their lives fully in accordance with Islam. The khilafah is seen
as a divinely ordained order and also as the only solution to the many
problems of not just the Muslims alone but of all humankind. It is
envisaged as a pan-Islamic polity, for all Muslims are said to belong
to the same nation ( qaum , millat ). Islam, in SIMI's interpretation,
does not recognise any national differences, and all Muslims are
brothers to each other. Hence, they must be ruled by a single khalifa
. Nationalism is seen as a false 'idol', and one devised by the
non-Muslim 'enemies of the faith' to divide Muslims and thereby weaken
them. National, as well as racial, regional, linguistic and sectarian
identities are seen as signs of 'ignorance' ( jahiliya ), which are
vehemently opposed to Islam, and represent major hurdles in the path
of establishing the rule of a single khalifa over all Muslims.

In line with the general Islamist understanding, SIMI sees Islam as a
'complete programme', providing detailed instructions on all matters,
from the most intimately personal to collective affairs such as
statecraft and international relations. Thus, secularism – even in the
form of state neutrality vis-à-vis religion or the separation of
religion and state – is seen as inherently anti-Islamic, for to choose
not to be ruled by Allah's laws is a sign of rebellion against Him.

Likewise, democracy is also condemned, for to be ruled by man-made
laws instead of the shari'ah amounts to the unforgivable sin of shirk
or associating partners with Allah. All ideologies and religions other
than Islam are condemned as false and sinful (taghuti) and their
adherents as 'rebels against God'. All non-Muslims are branded
together as kafirs , and no distinction is made among them. Muslims
are exhorted to give up the ways of the 'unbelievers' and to inculcate
an unrelenting hostility to 'un-Islamic' cultures and to fully abide
by the path of the Prophet (pbuh). Because the 'enemies of God' are
expected to show stiff resistance to Islam, violent jihad is to be
waged, if need be, against those who resist the struggle for
establishing the khilafah. Islam thus comes to be seen as a
politico-militaristic programme.

This understanding of Islam and SIMI's methods of realising its vision
of the Islamic polity makes no room for the particular context in
which SIMI operates, where Muslims are a relatively small and insecure
minority. It is almost as if contextualising the faith and the demands
the context puts upon the faithful would amount to cowardice,
hypocrisy or deviation from Islam, even apostasy. The fact that to
actively and openly struggle for the establishment of an Islamic
polity in the Indian context would certainly invite stiff opposition
from other communities is recognised, but the trials and tribulations
such struggle would mean for the Muslims are, it is insisted, to be
welcomed as a true test of their faith and commitment. This, SIMI
thinks, has always been the lot of the true believers since the
Prophet's (pbuh) times.

Shahid Badr Falahi, President of SIMI, once put it like this: "The
Qur'an itself says that the kafirs will naturally oppose the Muslims.
If through any of our actions the kafirs are agitated this itself is a
proof that what we are doing is right […] We have deliberately adopted
the policy of the Prophet [pbuh] in this regard. If this drives the
enemies of Islam to anger we cannot help it." An unflagging commitment
to a combative and extreme understanding of the faith is thus seen as
a sign of faithfulness to the Prophet (pbuh). For SIMI activists, this
is indeed a major source of the movement's appeal, faced as they are
with a sense of being completely besieged.

SIMI was floated by the Jama'at-e Islami Hind. Although it was
intended to crate among Muslim students 'Islamic consciousness' and to
engage in peaceful missionary work among non-Muslim students, a
succession of events immediately after the founding of the
organisation forced it to take an increasingly hard-line position. The
young SIMI activists seem to have relished controversy and
sensationalism, seeing it as an opportunity to present their vision of
Islam as the ideal 'solution'. Being free of the control of the more
moderate and experienced older leaders of the Jama'at, whom they saw
as effete and too moderate, the young leaders of SIMI drifted in the
direction of growing radicalism.

In 1979, less than two years after SIMI was set up, the Soviet Union
invaded Afghanistan, Ayatollah Khomeini toppled the Shah of Iran and
in Pakistan, the military dictator Ziaul Haq set about imposing
Islamic criminal laws by force. SIMI voiced its opposition to the
Soviet invasion, welcomed the Iranian revolution, seeing it as the
first step in the eventual global revival of Islam, and wholeheartedly
supported Zia's 'Islamisation' policy. Gradually, as a result of
events abroad and the consciousness of Muslims being an increasingly
threatened community in India, SIMI's rhetoric grew combative and
vitriolic. It insisted that Islam alone was the 'solution' to the
problems of not just the Muslims of India but of all Indians as such
and, indeed, of the whole world.

This growing radicalisation of SIMI was not looked upon favourably by
top leaders of the Jama'at, who had been working to present a moderate
image of their organisation, seeking to dialogue with people of other
faiths and promote democracy and secularism in the face of the rapid
growth of militantly anti-Muslim Hindu organisations. Jama'at leaders
demanded that SIMI work under the Jama'at's over-all command. SIMI
refused to do so. Accordingly, in 1982, SIMI separated from the
Jama'at, which then revived its own students' wing, the Students
Islamic Organisation. Yet, both the Jama'at as well as SIMI continued
to share a commitment to a common vision, as developed by Syed
Maududi, differing only on the question of the precise tactics and
strategy needed in the Indian context to bring his vision to fruition.

Following its separation from the Jama'at, SIMI expanded considerably,
setting up branches in various parts of India. It published several
periodicals in different languages and formed its own publishing
company to propagate its message of 'Islamic Revolution'. By 2000,
SIMI had some 400 full-time workers or Ansaars and 20,000 sympathisers
or Ikhwans, in addition to a cell for young children aged between 7
and 11, called the Shaheen Force. It also established a special wing
to work among madrasah students and ulama , the Tahrik Tulaba-i
Arabia. Most of its activists and members belonged to lower-middle and
middle-class families living in towns and cities. It appealed to a
class of Muslim students that saw themselves as, in some sense,
deprived, for whom its message of the 'superiority' of Islam over the
'decadent' and 'immoral' West and 'polytheist' Hindus struck a welcome
chord.

SIMI's evolution from the 1980s onwards was dictated almost entirely
by events taking place in India and in the wider world, these being
interpreted as attacks directed against Islam and Muslims by the
'enemies' of the faith. Inevitably, then, SIMI was driven to an
increasing radicalism that won it support among a small number of
Muslims in India who saw themselves as increasingly beleaguered,
victims of both Hindu chauvinism and the Indian state that was seen as
representing essentially 'upper'-caste Hindu interests. SIMI organised
protest demonstrations against attacks on Muslims, both in India and
elsewhere, which provided it publicity as well as possibilities for
new recruits. It sought to intervene in and generate public support
for its stand on other issues of major concern to the Indian Muslims,
such as efforts to do away with the separate Muslim Personal Law,
moves to dilute the Muslim character of the Aligarh Muslim University,
and the Hinduisation of textbooks in government-run schools. Its
activists were also involved in relief work among Muslims affected in
anti-Muslim violence, which helped bolster the image of the
organisation as being seriously committed to the rights of the
Muslims. It also provided other services such as libraries and free
coaching classes for Muslim students from poor families.

SIMI sought to propagate its message through mass contact programmes,
lectures, seminars and rallies, as well as through its literature,
mainly the writings of Syed Maududi himself. A regular feature was its
special weeklong campaigns aimed at creating an awareness of the
Islamic 'solution'. Inevitably, the intention was to 'prove' that
Islam alone had the solution to all problems afflicting humankind.
Thus, for instance, in 1982, SIMI organised an 'Anti-Immorality' week,
in the course of which 'social evils and general immorality' were
condemned and 'immoral' literature was publicly burned. In 1983 the
Kerala unit of the organisation held a special 'Anti-Capitalism' week,
in which it sought to stress that the 'Islamic economic system' alone
could provide genuine social justice. In 1994, in an effort to win the
support of 'low'-caste Dalits in its attacks on Hinduism, SIMI
organised the 'Anti-Varna Vyavastha' week all over India. During the
week, through public lectures and the distribution of leaflets and
posters, SIMI stressed that the salvation of the Dalits lay in
converting to Islam, demanding, rather simplistically, for an
'immediate end to the caste system'.

Although a forceful champion of 'Islamic Revolution' since its
inception, SIMI witnessed a further radicalisation of its rhetoric
from the 1990s, until, by 2000, the organisation was proclaiming the
need for Muslims to engage in armed jihad in India. This development
must be seen in the context of, and as a response to, the growth of
Hindu militancy, particularly in the north Indian states of Bihar and
Uttar Pradesh where SIMI also had a noticeable presence. The
destruction of the Babri Mosque in 1992 and the subsequent massacres
of Muslims in various parts of India proved a major watershed in the
history of Hindu-Muslim relations in India. While some Muslims now
insisted that the only way forward for them was to work together with
Hindus to isolate both Hindu as well as Muslim militant groups, some
fringe elements, such as SIMI, stressed that the time had now come for
the Muslims to wage jihad against the Indian state or the Hindus. As
Falahi asserted, Hindu militants are now targeting Muslims and Islam
in league with the agencies of the state. He declared that 'It is high
time that Muslims organise themselves and stand up to defend the
community'.

By early 1991, SIMI had begun to mobilise the Muslims to struggle
against Hindu militants, censuring Muslim leaders who advised
restraint or dialogue. In February 1991 SIMI organised the 'Babri
Masjid' day all over India, holding demonstrations against the efforts
of Hindu militants to destroy the disputed mosque in Ayodhya. SIMI
leaders issued appeals to the Muslims to 'stop thinking in defensive
terms' on the question of the mosque and the growing wave of attacks
on Muslims. Its rhetorical opposition to the campaign led by Hindu
groups to destroy the mosque increased SIMI's popularity. Indeed, it
was only after SIMI took up the issue of the mosque, organising
meetings in various parts of the country to oppose the Hindu
militants' campaign that it really emerged as a significant force to
be reckoned with, albeit in small pockets, having hitherto been
restricted largely to a few towns of Uttar Pradesh.

Carrying on with its campaign to generate mass support for its
position on the mosque, in September 2001 it organised a large
conference at Mumbai, attended by some 25,000 students from various
parts of India. At the conference it stressed that the time had now
come for the Muslims to 'turn to Allah', to engage in 'missionary
work' (da'wat) and to launch jihad.

Following the destruction of the Babri mosque and the subsequent
massacre of Muslims in large parts of India, SIMI concluded that there
was no hope for the Muslims in seeking to dialogue with the Hindus or
the government because, in its view, both had turned irrevocably
hostile against the Muslims. In a letter sent to various Muslim
leaders and ' ulama , a top SIMI leader, 'Abdul 'Aziz Salafi, insisted
that the Muslims should make it clear to the government of India as
well as to Hindu militants that the Muslims 'would now refuse to sit
low'. He insisted that the Muslims could no longer trust various
'secular' parties to guarantee their rights and that they should now
'establish their own political identity'.

Four years later, SIMI spelled out precisely what it had in mind. In a
statement issued in 1996 it declared that since democracy and
secularism had failed to protect the rights of the Muslims, there was
no alternative left for the Muslims but to struggle for the
establishment of the khilafah. It appealed to non-Muslims to recognise
that nationalism and westernisation were not the solution to the
manifold problems facing India. The only solution was the
establishment of an Islamic political order. It insisted that with the
establishment of the khilafah , all racial, linguistic, caste and
communal antagonisms would automatically be resolved and true equality
and justice established. The break from the Jama'at's policy of
gradualism was thus made irrevocable and complete.

As Hindu militancy increased in stridency, taking an ever-increasing
toll of Muslim lives, SIMI adopted an even more hard-line position,
calling for the Muslims to avenge the death of their co-religionists
by following in the footsteps of the eleventh century Mahmud Ghaznavi,
who led several attacks into India and is said to have destroyed many
Hindu temples. SIMI activists put up posters in several towns
appealing to Allah to send down another Mahmud to take revenge for
attacks on the Muslims and their places of worship.

In 1993, the arrest of a Sikh militant, Indian sources claimed,
revealed a 'Pakistani conspiracy' to unite Sikh and Kashmiri Muslim
activists along with SIMI members to allegedly 'create disorder in
India'. By this time SIMI was alleged to have developed links with
Islamist militants in Kashmir. In 2000 the arrest of a Chinese Muslim
from Xinjiang and his SIMI accomplice at the border between West
Bengal and Bangladesh provided the Indian police vital information on
SIMI's contacts with Islamist groups in western China struggling for
independence. Indian authorities also alleged that SIMI had
established links with Osama bin Laden. In the wake of the attack on
the World Trade Centre in New York in September, 2001, SIMI activists
organised demonstrations at several places in India, castigating
America as an 'enemy of Islam' and lionising Osama as a 'true mujahid'
fighting the non-believers'. Posters hailing Bin Laden and supporting
the Taliban, including extolling the Taliban's destruction of the
Bamiyan Buddhas, were put up in several towns.

Shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Centre, on 27 September
2001 the Indian government banned SIMI under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act 1967. The government then arrested most of the top
leaders of SIMI, along with scores of its activists, closed all its
offices, froze its banks accounts and seized all its assets. The
two-year ban was notified by the Union Home Ministry.

The ban was justified on four counts: SIMI's alleged links with
militant Islamist groups in Jammu and Kashmir and the Pakistani
Inter-Services Intelligence; its alleged links with pan-Islamist
militant organisations and its agenda of working for the establishment
of a 'global Islamic order'; its role in promoting inter-communal
rivalry, hurting the religious sentiments of people of other faiths
and allegations of its involvement in violent incidents; finally, its
involvement in allegedly working to destabilise the country, promoting
secessionism and denying the basis of the Indian Constitution through
its virulent opposition to nationalism, democracy and secularism.

SIMI leaders rebutted all these charges, insisting that they had
always abided by peaceful and democratic methods and that their work
had all along been limited only to 'character building'. Its
president, Falahi, insisted that SIMI was totally opposed to 'any
violent or terrorist activities'. Muslim and even some secular and
leftist organisations were quick to protest the government decision,
branding it as partisan and blatantly anti-Muslim. It was pointed out
that the government had no firm evidence of SIMI's involvement in
violent incidents. The ban was said to further confirm the
government's anti-Muslim policy and it was argued that if the
government was really serious about tackling terrorism it should have
also banned Hindu terrorist groups, which have a long history of
involvement in anti-Muslim and anti-Christian violence.

Secular groups alleged that the government's move was motivated by the
political compulsion to present itself as defender of the Hindus. That
the government chose to ignore these criticisms was a clear indication
that in the war against terrorism a consistent policy of double
standards would be adopted. The message that was conveyed was that the
government had different yardsticks to deal with Hindu and Muslim
militants: the former were treated as nationalists' and ardent
patriots while the latter as 'enemies of the nation.

Whether or not SIMI is behind the recent Mumbai blasts is too early to
say. Yet, what is obvious is that the radicalism of Islamist and
Hindutva groups feeds on each other. Both speak the language of
hatred. This trend needs to be reversed since it bodes ill for India.

The writer is the author of a book on the Tablighi Jama'at and edits a
webzine, Qalandar.

The URL is: http://www.thefridaytimes.com/page7.shtml
But, direct
access to TFT is prohibited and is by subscription.

Muslim mother of eleven elopes,marries a 20 yr old

2006-08-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

By ANI
Monday July 31, 05:43 PM

Bansi (Uttar Pradesh), July 31 (ANI): A Muslim mother of eleven children has created a furor within the community by eloping with her twenty-year-old lover and later marrying him.

Muslim clerics now say that 50-year-old Tarabun Begum has the right to remarry only if she is a divorcee.

A resident of the Bansi hamlet in Uttar Pradesh's Siddarthpur
District, Tarabun Begum eloped with 20-year-old Akthar Ali, moved to Mumbai and tied the nuptial knot with him there.

Tarabun's family and the entire village is shocked by the incident.

Akthar Ali claims that Tarabun's first husband, Ruab Ali, used to send her to Akthar's house of his own free will. When a relationship developed between the two, Ruab Ali began abusing Tarabun both mentally and physically, and attempted to prevent her from visiting Akhtar's home. This led the two to elope.

"For two to three months he sent his wife to my house. Then when he started abusing her for coming to my house, she asked me to take her elsewhere. I have to love her," said Akthar Ali.

Corroborating this, Tarabun said that her husband abused her and beat her often. So, she decided to take the bold step of living with the man she loved.

Muslim clerics in the village say that what Tarabun has done is
wrong under the Sharia.

"Islam has no bar for ages. A young boy can marry a woman older to him. But then he can marry her only if she is a divorcee. Otherwise, it is deemed illegal," said Mohammed Ahmed, a Muslim cleric.

The villagers have now told Tarabun to divorce Ruab Ali and then marry Akhtar Ali in their presence. (ANI)

Muslim Mob Burns Aged, Mentally Ill Woman

2006-07-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

Muslim Mob Burns Aged, Mentally Ill Woman

Pakistani village “youths” burn a woman (suffering from what, in the enlightened world, would be called Alzheimers) because she tore some pages from what they say they thought was a “Holy Koran” (it wasn’t a Koran).

This article is about a month old. The incident described is older. But, it could have been yesterday, it could be tomorrow. When discussing the timeless savagery of Islam, dates are not important.

An old woman is burned - for heresy

..(In the) town of Rahim Yar Khan…her son, a landless labourer who told me, supplementing language with gestures, that his mother’s troubles had begun when, two years earlier, she had started behaving “stupidly”. Her moods swung rapidly from ranting anger to utter passivity, and she began disappearing for weeks at a time. A local doctor had apparently diagnosed “paranoid schizophrenia” and referred his mother to a hospital in Lahore, 300 miles north. The family could not even afford the bus fare, let alone medication, and her wanderings worsened.

At 8am one morning, Muradam Mai was found sitting in Chak 100P’s village shrine surrounded by burnt paper, which the villagers said were pages from the shrine’s Koran. A group of men dragged her to the village square, where they cut off her fingers, gouged out her eyes, poured petrol over her and lit it. Other villagers stoked the flames with wood and by dropping tyres filled with kerosene on her. By the time the police arrived, at around noon, Muradam Mai was dead and 70 gloating men were standing around her corpse.

“She burned the Koran, so we burned her,” they told the officers.

Chak 100P’s headman, Ishfaq, said the woman had died because the villagers “love Islam”. “It was the younger ones who did it mainly,” Ishfaq said. “Their religion is angrier than ours was at that age. But to burn the Koran is a terrible thing. I’m not saying what happened was good, but such anger is difficult to contain.”

…a teacher in a local town who had driven out to the village when he heard what had happened and picked up some of the paper that Muradam Mai had burned in the shrine. It was not from the Koran at all, he told me, but was the charred remains of paper charms given to her by a “living saint” whom she had approached to cure her mental illness.

…the villagers…asked “Why does the west want to humiliate Islam?”
SOURCE:

JOKE : Madrassas aren't centres of terror: Shivraj Patil

2006-07-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

"95% people of the country want peace," says the Union's home minister. So 50,000,000 (5 crore) people don't want peace.

Can Bharatiya government funding for madrassas be far in future? So there can be peace?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
articleshow/msid-1797877,curpg-2.cms

Madrassas aren't centres of terror: Patil

NEW DELHI: Trying to dispel doubts about madrassas, often accused of being breeding ground of militancy, Union home minister Shivraj Patil on Sunday said these religious seminaries were not centres of terrorism.

"We believe that madrassas are seats of social service. They are not the centre of terrorism," Patil was quoted by a news agency.

"Some violent incidents have taken place in the recent past. Someone must have done that. They will definitely get punishment. But for that it is wrong to blame the entire community. It is wrong and we will not allow that to happen," said Patil.

Participating as the chief guest at the symposium on "Are madrassas viable seats of social service or breeding ground of terrorism", the agency quoted the home minister as saying that madrassas, where knowledge of humanism is being imparted and where human values are being taught, could only be termed as "servants of humanity".

"We are not ready to accept that they are the breeding ground of terrorism. "We don't accept that. And keeping this in mind our government will go ahead and work," he said.

Lauding the key role played by madrassas in imparting education to a vast section of people, the home minister said the government appreciated the significant contribution being made by Islamic seminaries in eradicating illiteracy and spreading the message of human values and unity in society.

Patil, however, appealed to the authorities of the seminaries to keep a vigil on their wards to find out if they "strayed away" from the path of religious education.

"Those who can understand the meaning of religion can never go to fight with anyone, whatever be the reason. But those who cannot understand the true meaning of religion can stray.

Teachers should keep a vigil on that and bring them back on the right path," he said. Appealing to the students and teachers to spread the message of peace and unity "wherever they go", Patil said it was "easy to break the unity of people".

"Unfortunately some people are trying to do that, trying to bring differences among people. We should not allow that to happen. Some people may talk about the conflict of culture but we should talk about the alliance of culture," he said.

The fact that 95% people of the country want peace and communal harmony provides "strength" to the government.

Bodhi tree `chopping' shocks envoy

2006-07-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

Press Trust of India

The Statesman

BODH GAYA, July 22. — A day after a Bihar government probe team led
by home secretary Mr Afzal Amanullah de nied that the Mahabodhi tree
was vandalised, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to India Mr RC Singhe today
expressed shock at the alleged lopping off a branch of the sacred
tree.
"We are shocked at the alleged vandalising of the sacred tree under
which Prince Siddhartha meditated and became the Buddha or the
enlightened one," Mr Singhe told reporters after inspecting the
tree.
Mr Singhe was sent to Bodh Gaya for an inquiry into the alleged
vandalising of the peepul tree said to be a sixth generation one of
the original tree.
He, however, thanked the state administration for sending the
samples of the stub to a laboratory in Pune to ascertain how old the
cut was.
A five-member delegation from Sri Lanka, a predominantly Buddhist
country, headed by former Prime Minister and present Leader of the
Opposition Mr Ranil Wickremesingh, arrived here to inquire about the
incident.
The delegation visited the office of the Mahabodhi Temple Management
Committee, Sri Lanka-funded Mahabodhi Society and the Mahabodhi
Temple, a world heritage site and the most sacred of Buddhist
shrines and made enquiries from the people and monks about the
incident.
A team of the Bihar government officials headed by Mr Amanullah and
comprising an eminent agricultural scientist Dr AK Singh had
yesterday said that the cut in the Mahabodhi tree was ``very old in
origin''.

Apologists of Islamist terror

2006-07-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let us put this "blame-it-on-the-victim" apology to litmus test. In Jammu & Kashmir, seven lakh Hindus have been ethnically cleansed. Out of those, four lakh face deprivation, poverty and deaths in refugee camps. How many Kashmiri Hindus have become terrorists? Tibetan Buddhists have been expelled from their country. Their spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, lives as a refugee in India. How many of them have become terrorists?
Millions of Hindus and Buddhists have been raped, butchered and ethnically cleansed from Bangladesh. They live in abject poverty in refugee camps in India. How many of them have become terrorists? So, the reason has to be something other than poverty. Could it be the alleged alienation of Muslims?

Full text:

Explanation that frustration and alienation breed Islamist terrorism is too glib; the secularists must do better than this, says Kalavai Venkat

Every time Islamist terrorists bomb a train or a civic building, apologists quickly offer two explanations: First, poverty is forcing some Muslims to take to terrorism. Second, Hindus have alienated the minority Muslims, some of whom have taken to terrorism out of frustration.

Let us put this "blame-it-on-the-victim" apology to litmus test. In Jammu & Kashmir, seven lakh Hindus have been ethnically cleansed. Out of those, four lakh face deprivation, poverty and deaths in refugee camps. How many Kashmiri Hindus have become terrorists? Tibetan Buddhists have been expelled from their country. Their spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, lives as a refugee in India. How many of them have become terrorists?

Millions of Hindus and Buddhists have been raped, butchered and ethnically cleansed from Bangladesh. They live in abject poverty in refugee camps in India. How many of them have become terrorists? So, the reason has to be something other than poverty. Could it be the alleged alienation of Muslims?

Jews came as refugees to India 2,000 years ago, Orthodox Christians 1,500 years ago and Parsis 1,100 years ago. Instead of alienating them, Hindus encouraged them to retain their uniqueness and flourish. These groups produced some of India's renowned industrialists, generals, educationists and lawyers.

In every society - France, Spain, the UK or the US - Muslims complain of alienation. There are numerous immigrant and minority groups - Jews, Chinese, Indians, Filipinos - that live in these societies but never complain about alienation. They are content educating their children and enjoying a good life. It seems that every society singles out Muslims for alienation. It must be a global conspiracy against the "religion of peace".

How about some introspection? Muslims ruled most of India for nearly a millennium and imposed the jiziya on the majority Hindus. If the Muslims are still educationally backward, they have only themselves to blame. They did not value education. They opted to put their daughters behind a burqa, instead of sending them to schools. They preferred the madarsa education to modern scientific education. Whose fault is this?

Neither poverty nor imagined alienation causes terrorism. Many terrorists are well educated and affluent. They have not personally faced deprivations in life. They do not know their victims personally. They select their victims in a cold and calculated manner so as to inflict maximum damage.

The jihadis are influenced by Islamic fundamentalism that teaches Muslims to alienate themselves from "infidels". Islam sanctifies the killing of those it has arbitrarily branded "infidels." Even Prophet Mohammad is said to have persecuted the pagans, Jews and Christians.

Millions of madarsas across the country brainwash gullible Muslim children into emulating the Islamic fundamentalism. These madarsas impart obscure ideas in the name of education, and inculcate anger and imagined notions of persecution in the minds of Muslim children. Islamic mosques complement this paranoia with weekly doses of impassioned appeals.

Is it a wonder that some adolescents exposed to this heady mix of intolerance end up as terrorists? Nearly 200 people have been bombed to death in Mumbai. Hundreds more have been maimed. They have left behind orphans, widows and aging parents. The jihadi fire has torched their hopes and dreams.

Let us sympathise with the innocent victims of Islamist terrorism, not with the terrorists. It is time to call a spade a spade.
www.sulekhanews.com

Shahi Imam ''absolves'' LeT, blames RSS for Mumbai blasts

2006-07-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

''We were rulers here for 800 years. Inshaallah, we shall return to power here once again'', he said to loud approval by the nearly 200 assembled men.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Jerry Falwell of Bharat! His fellow mullahs Arjun Singh, Mulayam etc are joining him in his jihad!

Shahi Imam ''absolves'' LeT, blames RSS for Mumbai blasts
New Delhi | July 18, 2006 12:44:10 AM IST

Using a rostrum overlooking the majestic Red Fort, the Shahi Imam of Delhi's grand old Jama Masjid today hit out at the principal political rivals of the United Democratic Front (UDF) he has floated ahead of Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh while challenging the charge that Islam breeds terrorists.

''I can say with authority that it is not any Muslim but the Shiv Sena, the RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad who are responsible for the serial blasts in Mumbai,'' Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari told a gathering inside the historic mosque.

He cited the recent Sena backlash against the defilement of a statue of the late wife of the party chief as evidence that the Saffron forces were desperate to politically revive themselves in Maharashtra.

The Imam was of the opinion that Muslim men were being blamed for ''every'' terrorist outrage as part of a deep rooted conspiracy.

Community members were being harassed by law enforcing agencies in Mumbai in the wake of the serial blasts even though they had ''no role in the anti-Islamic outrages'', he said, slamming the Congress Governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre.

''Why is it that security forces blame the Lashkar-e-Toiba within ten minutes of a blast. If they already know who did it, why don't they go ahead and arrest the culprits well before the crime is done,'' he asked.

He said he was willing to visit Pakistan and ''talk'' to the LeT commanders if he was given proof of its involvement in terrorist incidents in India. ''If they are responsible then we will talk to them, tell them that they do more harm to the cause of Islam and to Muslims in India through their actions''.

Imam Bukhari said he was worried that while real culprits went scot free and trigerred more blasts, ordinary Muslims were becoming terror suspects in the eyes of the people and the police. ''Every bearded man becomes a suspect'', he said.

Charging the security forces with perpetrating excesses on Muslims, he said terrorism could not be wiped out in such a manner.

''If you want to end terrorism, then you would also have to end State terrorism''.

''The Government should handle the issue of terrorism tactfully.

We want equality before the law'', he said, alleging that the ''yardstick'' was different when it concerned violence perpetrated by Maoists and insurgent groups in the North-East.

He hit out at the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, saying these ''so-called secular parties'' were to blame for all the ills afflicting Muslims today.

''When Muslims get targeted under these so called secular parties, it is time we teach them a lesson. It is time Shias, Sunnis, Ansaris, Saifis, Barelvis, Qureshis and all else stand up as one -- as Muslims -- and snatch back our collective rights and dignity,'' the Imam said, asking the community to stand up to the political challenge.

''We were rulers here for 800 years. Inshaallah, we shall return to power here once again'', he said to loud approval by the nearly 200 assembled men.

UNI VN YA HT2157

Two held for raping nurse. Guess the rapists belief?

2006-07-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?
clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=123142

Two held for raping nurse

KOLKATA, July 13: Jubbar Khan and Shyamsuddin alias Sonu ~ accused
of raping a nurse after sneaking into her house in Duttapara,
Baruipur on the night of 9 July ~ were arrested last night. The
third person accused of the crime is still at large. All three are
residents of Duttapara.
The 22-year-old victim, a resident of Raidighi, used to share
accommodation with two women at a rented house. Her roommates had
been driven out of the house by the trio before they gangraped her.
Jubbar, Sonu and their accomplice were watching the World Cup soccer
final at a club right next to the victim's home.
When the other members of the club were busy watching the match, the
three youths gained entry into the victim's house and raped her.
A senior police officer said that Jubbar and Sonu were picked up
from their homes last night where they had crept back after eluding
police for three days. SNS

Islamic Militant held, 2.5 kg RDX seized in Delhi

2006-07-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

Press Trust of India
Posted online: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 at 2018 hours IST
Updated: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 at 2115 hours IST

New Delhi, July 11: A militant was on Tuesday arrested in south Delhi and 2.5 kg RDX seized from his possession, police said. Aijaz Hussain, hailing from Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested from Lodhi road area after police received a tip-off about his movement, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Alok Kumar said.

Police was interrogating him to find out if he has any links with the serial blasts in Srinagar and Mumbai and to find which terrorist outfit he belonged to, he said.
An amount of Rs 49 lakh was also seized from his possession, police said, adding according to their information, Hussain was working for one Pakistan-based militant Mukhtar Ahmed.
Hussian, who has been living in Jangpura locality of south Delhi, was arrested when he reached the Lodhi road area in a car to apparently hand over the cash and explosives to someone.

Mumbai Blast a tragedy foretold

2006-07-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Praveen Swami

It could take months to identify the perpetrators of the Mumbai bombings, but the recent past holds some clues.

TUESDAY'S MURDEROUS terror bombing in Mumbai was a tragedy foretold. A least half-a-dozen Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat ul-Jihad Islami cells planning major operations in western India had been interdicted since January: one, sooner or later, was certain to penetrate India's police and intelligence defences.

Investigators have already begun work that could led them to the perpetrators of the single worst terrorist outrage since the Mumbai serial bombings of 1993. Dozens of shards of forensic evidence, hundreds of phone calls in and out of Mumbai, the testimonies of thousands of witnesses will have to be carefully studied before even preliminary suggestions about just who might have been responsible can be arrived at.

What evidence is available, though, suggests that the tactics and techniques used in the Mumbai bombings are similar to those deployed in the wave of strikes that have taken place across India since the end of 2005. Fabricated from easily-available chemicals such as potassium permanganate or aluminium chlorate, with small amounts of RDX to accelerate the detonation, the kinds of explosives that seem to have been used in Mumbai are easy to manufacture — and lethal when used in crowded locations.

If recent experience is a guide, investigators are likely to find that the real architects of the bombing are outside its reach: the Lashkar is headquartered at Muridke, near Lahore, while the HuJI operates out of bases in Dhaka and Chittagong. More likely than not, though, the operation will have been facilitated by local operatives of these terror groups — part of a subterranean but still enormously dangerous movement of small numbers of recruits into the ranks of Islamist terror groups.

Whichever terror group executed Tuesday's bombing is likely to have drawn at least some of its operatives from the large pool of former Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) members in Maharashtra — an organisation that has survived a ban imposed in 2001 by operating under a variety of cover names. Several of the 11 Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives arrested from the Aurangabad area in May, while attempting to move a shipment of explosives, assault rifles, and grenades into Gujarat, had worked for SIMI before it was proscribed.

Zainuddin Ansari, the still-untraced head of the cell, had also worked as a SIMI ansar, or full-time activist, for several years. Another member of the cell, Shakeel Ahmad Shaikh, had been known to Indian intelligence since at least 1999, when he delivered an incendiary speech at a SIMI convention in Aurangabad. The Lashkar's then commander for its operations in Hyderabad, Azam Ghauri, was among those present at the convention, where the institutional links between SIMI and the terror group became evident for the first time.

Lashkar operatives seemed to have used contacts built from that convention onwards to recruit cadre in recent years. Interestingly, several of the members of the Aurangabad cell were well-educated. Sharif Ahmad, who was detained in Aurangabad on May 15, was a doctor, while Sayyed Jafaruddin was in the second year of a Bachelor of Science programme. Bilal Ansari, another member of the cell, was a professional calligrapher, while one of the men still wanted for questioning, Zahibuddin Ansari, worked as an electrician.

However, the Lashkar has also attempted to tap the estimated 3,000 seminaries in Maharashtra, where an estimated 200,000 students study. Irfan Moinuddin Attar, a Lashkar operative who was killed on May 30, 2006, while training with a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen unit in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, had studied at seminaries at Shirol and Udgam in Kolhapur. Investigators believe he also attempted to recruit for the Lashkar from amongst seminary students in Gujarat — but with little success.

A wide canvas

SIMI's network, though, extends across much of India — a fact that has made it the principal ally of almost all major Islamist terrorist groups. Former SIMI ansars have played a key role in several major terror strikes in northern India, as investigations into the July 28, 2005, bombing of the Shramjeevi Express at Jaunpur, and the Varanasi serial bombings of March 7, 2006, demonstrated. In both cases, the links of SIMI cadre with the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami were instrumental in the action of the strikes.

Mohammad Walliullah, the 32-year-old cleric from the village of Phulpur who is now facing trial for having organised the Varanasi bombings, was a SIMI ansar who had served time in jail for harbouring Jaish-e-Mohammad cadre. Among his closest associates in SIMI was Mohammad Zubair, the HuJI terrorist from Bharaich in Uttar Pradesh who was killed in a recent encounter with the Jammu and Kashmir police at Handwara, along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Intelligence sources told The Hindu that SIMI's Bangladesh links had been forged during its dealings with the Islami Chattra Shibir, the students wing of Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami — contacts that were entirely legal before the Islamist group was proscribed. Both Waliullah and Zubair were recruited by one-time activists of the Islamic Chattra Shabir who had gone on to join the HuJI. HuJI cadre from Bangladesh executed the bombings — but Waliullah and Zubair provided the safehouses and guides necessary for a successful strike.

SIMI cadre, interestingly, also appear to have attempted to expand their presence in southern India. According to an official declaration before the tribunal that examined the legality of the ban on SIMI, its one-time cadre in the State had begun to develop links with the Lashkar.

SIMI, the Kerala Government believes, operates through 12 front organisations engaged in charitable work, two of which are based in the State capital, Thiruvananthapuram, and a third in Kochi.

In West Bengal, too, former SIMI cadre have attempted to draw new recruits from seminaries, religious associations, libraries and other community bodies — all legitimate enterprises. In the summer of 2003, for example, Islami Chattra Shibir activist Jamaluddin Chowdhury is believed to have taken seven men from an education camp organised by former SIMI operatives for training at a HuJI-linked seminary. Islamist mobilisation in Bangladesh is a source of considerable concern for the West Bengal Government.

Uttar Pradesh authorities, though, remain curiously reluctant to act against key SIMI figures. In May, an Uttar Pradesh Home Department spokesperson asserted that the State Government would not support an extension of the proscription of SIMI, claiming that it was not involved in "any [terrorist] activities" — a proposition undermined by the State police's own investigation into the Varanasi bombing. Local politics has long complicated counter-terrorism work in the state, a problem that needs to be addressed.

Policing and intelligence work helped prevent at least a dozen major terrorist strikes just this year. What the Mumbai strikes have made clear, though, is that India must prepare itself for a long and brutal war ahead.

Intelligence agencies say he recruited over a thousand people from

2006-07-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

UP in the past six months

www.mumbaimirror.com/nmir...
paper.asp?
sectid=2&articleid=
712200605138656712200605036343

Mumbai Mirror Bureau

The central intelligence agencies and the Anti-Terrorist Squad of
the Mumbai police believe a politician with considerable following
among the minorities in Mumbai may have played a crucial role in
Tuesday's serial blasts.

The blasts, a senior ATS officer said, seemed to be a reprisal for
the death of two members of a minority community in police firing in
Bhiwandi last week.

The politician, whom the ATS sleuths are likely to call for
questioning soon, had played a key role in fomenting trouble in the
aftermath of the Bhiwandi firing incident.

According to the information available with ATS, this politician
recruited over a thousand people from Uttar Pradesh in the past six
months. The recruits, an ATS officer said, are now part of several
well-knit terrorist sleeper cells in Mumbai. The ATS had held two
back-to-back meetings with the state and central intelligence
agencies after the trouble in Bhiwandi. The ATS for the past several
months has also been tracking the flow of funds to this Mumbai
politician from mysterious sources in the Gulf.

"A sleeper cell can be activated in as short a notice as 24 hours.
As per the intelligence collected so far, the serial blasts of
Tuesday might be a reaction to what happened in Bhiwandi last week,"
said a senior IB official in Mumbai.

Just last month, the ATS had busted a couple of sleeper cells and
arrested 13 men from Malegaon and Aurangabad with RDX and guns.

According to an officer of the Inspector General rank, Tuesday's
blasts could be the handiwork of some local groups who knew about
the important role the Western line plays in keeping the city on the
move.

The officer added that the people who executed the blasts appeared
to have good understanding of the functioning of the local train
network and the train time tables. "The fact they picked the evening
rush hour also indicates local knowledge," he said.

Arab Teacher gets seven-year RI for raping student

2006-07-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

timesofindia.indiatimes.c...725471.cms

Teacher gets seven-year RI for raping student
[ 11 Jul, 2006 0219hrs IS TTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

MUMBAI: A sessions court on Monday sentenced an Arabic teacher to
seven years' rigorous imprisonment for raping his seven-year-old girl
student in 2002.

The victim lived with her mother at Sai Baba Nagar in Sion and had
started going to Zulfiqar Shaikh for Arabic classes only a few months
prior to the incident. She was also studying in the third standard of
a primary school.

The incident took place within the premises of a mosque in Sion, where
she attended classes from nine to eleven in the morning before going
to school. On July 24, 2002, the victim reached the mosque some time
earlier than usual.Shaikh took advantage of this and took her to a
room on the terrace and raped her.

The victim went back home crying and told her mother what had
happened. But the latter was discouraged from registering a complaint
with the police.

She, however, refused to give in to the pressure and lodged an FIR
with Dharavi police station. Medical examination of the victim was
conducted at Nagpada Police Hospital; it confirmed that she was
sexually assaulted.

Shaikh fled the area but was arrested three days later and sent to
custody.

The prosecution examined eight witnesses to build up its case in
court. The victim's testimony-identifying Shaikh as the culprit-proved
crucial as there were two Arabic teachers at the mosque and evidence
was required to convince the court that it was Shaikh who had raped
the girl.

Illegal Jihadi money pouring ino Kerala

2006-07-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Source : www.haindavakeralam.org

Kochi : It is reported that cores of illegal money is pouring into Kerala to buy real estate and to invest in businesses. Underworld, unaccounted, illegal money is being used to buy real estate in sensitive areas of Kerala. For several years, under the naked eye of Congress/Muslim League governments, Jihadi smugglers from the Middle East have laundered millions of illegal money into Kerala to buy real estate in and around Guruvayoorappan Temple, Sri Padmanabha Swami Temple, Kadmpuzha Temple and Chettanikara temple. it was a "low Tech" world of money laundering, the process of cleaning "dirty money" through Hawala. Platoons of couriers were used to carry and distribute money to Jihadi agents in Kerala. The illegal money was used to corner real estate property in and around famous Hindu temples.

Now Middle East based jihadi terrorist organizations use electronic transfers to avoid detection. Wire transfer systems allow criminal Jihadi organizations as well as underworld Mafia to enjoy a swift and nearly risk free conduit into Kerala. Banking and government officials, as well as police collude with money launderers for a hefty fee. Once the illegal cash is transferred or wired in to an account in Kerala, digital funds are withdrawn overnight. Cores of rupees are withdrawn overnight and the illegal money is used to buy real estate in sensitive areas of the state. Recently Middle East based Jihadis have bought sensitive, prime real estate in Cherai, Kochi, Vizinjam, Bepur, kannoor, Kozhikode, Koilandi, Mallappuram, Trichur and Alwaye. Even agricultural lands and paddy fields are bought to construct convention halls and hotels with illegal money with active collusion with political leaders and government officials.

One of the rulers of Middle East who visited Kerala and Goa recently has invested heavily in real estate in Cherai, Kochi and Goa through agents of terrorist gang leader Dawood Ibrahim. It is reported that one of the Sheik also has invested heavily in real estate through Binami agents. With the active assistance and guidance from Pakistani ISI agents, Dawood Ibrahim's Binami agents have invested heavily into real estate in and around Kochi, Vizinjam, Ezhimala, and Trivandrum.

The Marxist government who cohorts with Jihadi terrorist gangs has no interest in identifying or inquiring the Jihadi organizations or persons who buy real estate or invest in businesses. Therefore, the combination of anonymous cash and the political support give Jihadi mafia unrestricted opportunity to invest illegal money in businesses, hotels or to purchase real estate in highly sensitive areas of Kerala. Obviously, transferring money illegally, and then spending the cash is an appealing opportunity for Jihadis, criminal gangs and money mafia. Police or journalists are not interested in investigating the source of investment or the agents behind it for obvious reasons.

Several Muslim businessmen including Sheiks in the Missle East sub-contract the task of money laundering to organized criminals like Dawood Ibrahim and Muslim businessmen from Kerala because of their connection to political leaders.

If unchecked or thwarted, in the long run, saturation of dirty Jihadi money into Kerala will corrupt our government, inflate real estate business, ruin our economy, and threaten our political system. It will also place innocent, law abiding, tax paying citizens at a great economic disadvantage. It is time for Kerala government and the Reserve Bank to enforce currency reporting requirements, taxation of real estate investment and currency transaction filing requirements.

Is Uniform Civil Code anti-Islam?

2006-07-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

By N. Kunju

After 55 years of the Constitution coming into force, nothing has been done towards securing a Uniform Civil Code. What we have today are Hindu code, Christian code and of course the Muslim religious code based on the Shariat.

It is a myth to claim that the Muslim communal leaders represent the Indian Muslims as a whole. But this myth has been taken as the gospel truth by politicians in general. As a result, the very party that had been instrumental to the Partition of the country, the Muslim League, was made a partner for sharing power by the so-called secular parties.

When the NDA Government was formed in 1998 with the help of smaller so-called secular parties, the BJP had to omit three items from its agenda as desired by its partners. These were (1) the removal of Article 370 of the Constitution regarding special status to J&K State, (2) building of Ram temple in Ayodhya and (3) legislation of a Uniform Civil Code for all Indian citizens.

Out of the above three, there could be two opinions on the first two items. Constitutional purists could argue that the special status to Jammu and Kashmir was allowed as a concession for the accession of the Muslim majority state on the border to India. Especially the Congress and its offshoot parties could say that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had made solemn assurances in Parliament not to change the status of the state as long as the people wanted it.

However, after 55 years of the Constitution coming into force, nothing has been done towards securing a Uniform Civil Code. What we have today are Hindu code, Christian code and of course the Muslim religious code based on the Shariat.

The Hindu code is not at all Hindu; it is based on modern jurisprudence of the western democracies. The Christian code is essentially British in character, and there is not much of a difference between the laws for the Hindus and the Christians. As such, there is no general opposition from the Hindus and the Christians for a Uniform Civil Code. The radical differences are between the Muslim Personal Law and the laws for the rest.

What are the salient features of the Muslim Personal Law that differ from the envisaged Uniform Civil Code, which the religio-political Muslim leaders want to have retained? Freedom for man to have four wives and summarily divorce them by pronouncing Talaq thrice. Then Muslim couples are not allowed legally to adopt children and bequeath their property to them. These provisions are meant to pamper the permissiveness of men and are obviously anti-women.

As for Muslim males, only a small segment of feudal remnants and mullahs indulge in polygamy and instant Talaq. The social behaviour of a community should be judged by the life-style of the educated middle class. Hardly any Muslim male from that segment normally take advantage of these religious laws. Then why should they oppose a Uniform Civil Code that would do away with these social evils?

The problem is that even the so-called secular political parties across the Indian political spectrum—the Congress, the Janata splinters and regional ones—recognise the Muslim parties and communal Muslim leaders as the real representatives of the Muslim population as a whole. No Kamal Ataturk has come up in free India. Unfortunately, the man with real potential to that role who openly declared that he would modernise Indian Muslims, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, chose the separatist path to create a Muslim state for him to rule. And his dream of establishing a secular Pakistan was dashed when the horse he was riding, Muslim communalism, ditched him. He died a sad man regretting the fathering of Pakistan that became a spoilt child—an Islamic state.

However, that historic catastrophe did not register in the minds of our so-called secular leaders of post-Independence era. They continue to look on the Muslim separatist leaders as the representatives of the whole Muslim community. And these leaders did everything to prevent the Indian Muslims from joining the national mainstream, so much so, they insisted calling Indian Muslims as Muslim Indians, giving preponderance to religion over nationality.

As mentioned earlier, it is a myth to claim that the Muslim communal leaders represent the Indian Muslims as a whole. But this myth has been taken as the gospel truth by politicians in general. As a result, the very party that had been instrumental to the Partition of the country, the Muslim League, was made a partner for sharing power by the so-called secular parties.

Ironically, the communists, who claim to be against God and religion, were the first to woo the Muslim League to be a partner in the E.M.S. Namboodiripad Government as far back as 1967. This enabled the Muslim League to arm-twist the government to form the Muslim-majority district of Malappuram, a mini-Pakistan in the State. (The people of Pakistan lost their political clout when they surrendered their democratic rights to communalism and are now perpetually under military jackboot or mullah-dominant political outfits. Fortunately for the Muslims of the little Pakistan of Malappuram in Kerala, they are a part of India and could ditch the Muslim League when they were disillusioned of the party that claimed to be the sole spokesman of all Muslims. In the last Assembly elections, Malappuram Muslims defeated all the Muslim League candidates.)

Now reverting to the subject of Uniform Civil Code, it is the only issue against which the Muslim leaders of all hues are united. They say that the Muslim personal law is the symbol of their identity. And the so-called secular parties accept the contention unquestioningly.

How many Muslim men take advantage of their personnel law to marry more than one woman and to summarily divorce their wives? One in a thousand. The educated middle class finds polygamy and instant divorce reprehensible to civilised human behaviour and economically unrewarding. The poor too can’t indulge in such permissive “luxuries”.

Then who wants the Muslim personnel privileges? The mullahs and the men of Muslim orthodoxy. They want to assert their male superiority and indulge in perverse sexual pleasures. They want to have young women howsoever old they themselves may be by dumping their previous wives. Also there are the Kazis (priests) who solemnise marriages of the old oil-rich Arabs for a night with poor young virgins and bear witness to the bridegroom pronouncing Talaq in the morning. The pimps legitimise their trade in the name of their religious personnel law.

There is not a single reason for the common Muslims to retain such an unjust personnel law and oppose a Uniform Civil Code. But the question asked by the mullahs and Muslim communal leader is, why should they ditch their own personnel law to adopt the Hindu code?

This question is mischievous to mislead the Muslim masses. First, the Uniform Civil Code is not going to be a Hindu code, but a new code encompassing all good features of all personnel laws to have a civil code fit for the modern Indian society irrespective of their respective religions. Second, it will not be against the tenets or scriptures of any religion.

The impression that a Uniform Civil Code is against the wishes of the Prophet or the Koran is false, meant to mislead the Muslim masses. There was opposition from Hindu orthodoxy when the Hindu code was being enacted on the plea that it was against the tradition of Hindus. And there are people who say even now why Hindus should have laws restricting their personal life when Muslims (males) are allowed the luxury of their medieval indulgences.

The Muslim masses, especially women, cannot enjoy the fruits of freedom and democracy guaranteed by the Indian Constitution as long as the constitutional directive principle of the Uniform Civil Code is not enacted into a law. This can’t happen as long as the political parties accept the Mullahs and Muslim communal leaders as the exclusive spokesmen of the Muslims in general. It is time the young modern-minded Muslim leadership asserted its right to represent their community and showed that the place of the mullah is the masjid and not the political arena.

(The writer, a veteran journalist, can be contacted at 42-B, Pocket 1, Mayur Vihar Ph.1. Delhi 110091, Email: janunkunju@sify.com)
www.organiser.org

Muslim mob lynches innocent cops in revenge

2006-07-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

Angry mob lynches innocent cops in revenge for two civilians killed in police firing on Wednesday

Nilesh Nikade

Balasaheb Gangurde, police constable of Bhiwandi Bhoiwada police station and Ramesh Jagtap, head constable of Narpoli police station, were burnt alive by an enraged mob in Bhiwandi while out looking for a restaurant on Wednesday. The crowd was angry about the deaths of two civilians in a police firing during a clash over the construction of a police station on what people claimed was graveyard land.

The two cops were part of Thane Police’s Quick Response Team and were on their motorbike that night when the angry mob stopped them near Bag-E-Firdos mosque in Bhiwandi’s Wanjarpatti area. As the cops were in uniform they became easy targets.

Gangurde was stoned to death while Jagtap was killed with a sword. Both bodies were stripped and left near a burning bus. Their motorbike was burned as well.

At first, police officers could not recognise their men, but were later shocked to learn the bodies were of their two colleagues. The bodies were taken to Thane Civil Hospital and subsequently to J J Hospital for a post mortem.

The dispute over acquisition of land near Quadra Gate mosque by the police department for the construction of a police station and residential quarters had lead to the riots. Raza Akadami and Bhiwandi Public Action Committee had claimed that the land was to be used for building a cemetery.

However, these organisations have condemned the lynching. Sohail Raza, secretary of Raza Akadami said, “Violence is no solution for any dispute. We have requested people to stay calm and are also making announcements in mosques to maintain peace.”

Meanwhile, the funeral of two residents, who had died in the police firing, Ramjan Khan and Abdul Malik went off without incident. Raza said, “The police had allowed us to bury the bodies on their occupied land, but we decided not to touch the controversial land again and buried their bodies in the original crematory.”

Rapid action force and eight platoons of state reserve police were deployed in the troubled city.

4 killed in communal violence in Bhiwandi

Bhiwandi (Maharashtra), July 6: Two policemen and two ordinary citizens were killed and 39 policemen injured on Wednesday evening in a clash between the police and the residents of Nijampura area of Bhiwandi, about 65 km from Mumbai in Thane district. The trouble erupted over the construction of a police station on land adjacent to a graveyard and the biggest mosque in the city. This has now been stopped for the time being.
Among the injured are two deputy commissioners of police.

Thane police commissioner D. Shivanandan said that no arrests had been made in connection with the clashes as yet, and that investigations were still on. “Arrests will be made only after the investigations are over,” he said.
Angry residents forced the closure of all shops in the area on Thursday.

Mr Nazir Ahmed, a local resident, said the trouble erupted at around 9 pm on Wednesday when two police constables deployed near the Rajiv Gandhi flyover in Bhiwandi were stoned and their skulls broken open by an angry mob, which also burnt seven State transport buses. The crowd was retaliatingagainst the police firing which had taken place on Wednesday afternoon, during which two people had been killed.

Trouble had been brewing in this Muslim-dominated area over the construction of a police station and offices for two assistant commissioners of police in the 2,500 square metre area, which has been owned by the police since 1920. It is adjacent to the Paanch Peer Kabrastan near Quarter Gate Masjid. This reporter walked nearly 1.5 km from Dhamankar Naka in Bhiwandi to reach the Quarter Gate Masjid, as autorickshaws, which are a key mode of travel in Bhiwandi, were not willing to go there. However, people could be seen moving around the locality in their private vehicles.

“The police had started construction work in March. Since then we were having our silent protests against the issue to stop the construction work. On Monday we had protested by sitting in dharna at the Azad Maidan. On Wednesday too we had a silent protest in front of the construction work, and the policemen went berserk and started lathicharging us. They had also lathicharged those people who were performing their prayers on the road,” alleged Mr Ghulam Ansari, convenor of the Bhiwandi Public Action Committee.

Mr Ansari added: “The police should have held a public meeting and notified people before undertaking such major construction work. We would not allow any sort of construction near the graveyard as it is a religious place for us.”

www.deccan.com/home/homed...20poachers

Mofo muslims do it once again and we secular hindus keep quite...

--------------------

Bhiwandi cop killers won't be spared-Hijda Congress
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two policemen in plainclothes who met with a minor motorcycle accident in the area, were spotted by the crowd and beaten up and bludgeoned to death without any provocation. Their bodies were then tossed into a bus which was then set afire.

''This attack was not an attack on two individuals, but on this system... this government. My men are not on the streets to get killed. We also have weapons.''

That was Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil doing some plainspeak in the State Legislature on Wednesday night's violence at Bhiwandi that saw two policemen being lynched by a mob protesting against the construction of police station.

While the mob, mostly members of the Raza Academy - a Muslim religious Academy - alleged that the land on which the police station was coming up did not belong to the police, the police were forced to open fire when the violent crowd tried to demolish the partially constructed police station.

Two persons were killed in the police firing and several policemen were injured. But later at night, two policemen in plainclothes who met with a minor motorcycle accident in the area, were spotted by the crowd and beaten up and bludgeoned to death without any provocation. Their bodies were then tossed into a bus which was then set afire.

In the House, as MLAs called for strict action against the killers of the policemen and leaders of the Raza Academy who incited the mob, Patil announced a compensation of Rs 7.5 lakh and a job for each of the families of the deceased constables.

''The fact that the killers attacked two motorcycle-borne constables who were in civil clothes and did not target any other motorbike, indicates they knew them. We have clues about the killers. Not only are we going to arrest them within two days, we will also teach them a lesson they won't forget for the rest of their lives,'' he said.

Patil rejected the demand for a judicial inquiry on the grounds that it would be time consuming. ''We will also find out whether the killers had been instigated by someone and if so we will not spare them. No political pressure would work.''

On allegations that the Bhiwandi land was disputed, Patil said he has asked for proof of ownership within a week, after which the government would take a decision. ''I have given them eight days to prove that the land belongs to them. The documents will be examined by the revenue secretary and the chief secretary in another week and final decision will be taken within 15 days,'' he said.

Patil said the situation in Bhiwandi was under control. Rapid Action Force and six SRP units have been posted to prevent any untoward incident. Section 144 is also in force.

in.news.yahoo.com/060706/48/65onl.html
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2 killed, 35 hurt as cops fire at mob in Bhiwandi

Nilesh Nikade

A disagreement between residents of Bhiwandi and the local police
culminated on Wednesday in violence in which two people died and 35
policemen were injured.

The controversy centred upon a plot of land proposed for the
construction of Nizampura Bhiwandi police station, which the residents
said, was reserved for a cemetery.

The site in question lies near Quadra Gate Masjid in Bhiwandi and is
being developed by the PWD for Nizampura police station, Bhiwandi City
police station, offices of Zonal ACP and Traffic ACP.

Thane CP, D Sivandandan said, "The land was allotted to the police
department in 1920. In 1965, permission was given to build a police
colony. But we've decided to build police station, as the rains
submerge Nizampura police station ever year."

On June 23, members of the Bhiwandi Public Action Committee and Raza
Akadami had led a morcha to Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation to demand a
stay order on the construction in the State Assembly's monsoon session.

But when their plea was rejected on July 4, the mob decided to take
matters into their own hands.

The residents, however, say that the matter didn't concern the
cemetery land at all.

THE INCIDENT

At about 1.30 pm, about 1,000 people gathered for afternoon prayers at
Quadra Gate Masjid.

According to the police, they were instigated against the government
and were asked to march towards the construction site. They were
equipped with iron rods and sticks, and they began demolishing the
only plinth on the site.

Officers from Nizampura and Bhiwandi police stations rushed to the
spot. The discussions between leaders and senior officials failed, and
some people began pelting the officers with stones.

This soon turned into a fight, and DCP R D Shinde lost his teeth and
suffered severe injuries on his face.

ASI B B Borane said, "They were carrying chains, swords and knives. It
looked like a planned attack, and we were trapped in between."

DCP Ashok Deshbratar adds, "We were surrounded and pelted from all
directions. We had to open fire and start lathi-charge for our
protection."

The firing claimed two lives — 23-year-old Rehman Qureshi was hit on
his head and 55-year-old Abdul Malik was shot in the neck.

RESIDENTS' VERSION

The residents tell a different story. Salim Mohammed Kazi, an
eye-witness, says, "A boy named Shakil Khan was beaten up by the
police for no reason. To protest against this, we marched to the site
of the intended police station. The police could have fired in the air
to disperse mob, but they fired directly at us. What the police faced
was reaction to their own deeds."

Thirty policemen and four locals have been taken to Bhiwandi's Indira
Gandhi Hospital. A curfew has been launched in all parts of Bhiwandi,
and police patrolling has increased.

LeT ties up with Naxalites to earn sympathy

2006-07-06T06:28:00.000-07:00

“This is a master strategy adopted by the LeT to build sympathy among the Naxal supporters who are well versed with day-to-day developments in the region. The LeT hopes it will enable them to plan their activities accordingly and change strategies as and when required. Most Naxal sympathisers mingle easily with the weaker sections and downtrodden and the LeT hopes to make use of this to gain their sympathy. This nexus could pose a serious problem to internal security in future,” an intelligence officer told this newspaper

Naxal Terror Watch: LeT ties up with Naxalites to earn sympathy

Naxal Terror Watch: Two Muslim youth held for supplying 14 pistols to Naxalites

2006-07-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

Two Muslim youth held for supplying 14 pistols to Naxalites -- THIS SHOULD BE THE HEADING instead of "Two held in Delhi with 14 pistols" , it is understood that PTI under UPA government is under pressure from some quarters , it is time to expose the links between Radical Muslims and Naxalites .

Naxal Terror Watch: Two Muslim youth held for supplying 14 pistols to Naxalites

Jihadi IT worker loots bank accounts

2006-06-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

HSBC UK e-Looted in Bangalore

CORPORATE BUREAU
Posted online: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 at 0042 hours IST

BANGALORE, MUMBAI, JUNE 27: The cyber crime police in Bangalore is hot on the heels of Nadeem Kashmiri, an employee of HSBC Electronic Data Processing Pvt Ltd (HDPL), a captive BPO outfit in Bangalore, for allegedly siphoning off an estimated 2,33,000 pounds (Rs 1.96 crore) from the accounts of 20 HSBC customers in the UK. Kashmiri has been suspended and is on the lam.

An FIR filed by the bank on June 22 with the cyber crime police station said Kashmiri had accessed personal information, security information and debit card information of some customers and passed them on to co-fraudsters, who held fraudulent transactions through ATMs, debit cards and telephone banking services at his behest. The identity of Kashmiris accomplices was not revealed.

The event gives yet another opportunity to BPO-bashers to intensify lobbying against outsourcing to India. The backlash had reached a peak in April 2005 when Pune-based MphasiS BFLs call centre staff had fraudulently transferred $425,000 from its client Citibanks customer accounts. According to Raghu Raman, CEO of IT security firm Mahindra Special Services Group, Instances of fraud in BPOs are fairly frequent. BPOs just suppress it.

Research firm Forrester has already predicted that the rapid growth of the Indian BPO industry will slow down as much as 30% due to incidences of fraud.
According to a top official in the Cyber Crime station here, nearly 20 customers in the UK complained that between March and May 2006, money was transferred from their accounts.

During the investigation, HSBC found that Kashmiri, who joined HDPL in December 2005, had furnished false records. He omitted details of his earlier employment with Accenture and had given false references, HSBC vice-president for the UK customer telephone service Puneet Dar said in the FIR.HSBCs internal security team discovered one of the HSBC staff caused customer data to be leaked, which resulted in a small number of accounts in the UK being compromised. It is not appropriate for us to comment further as the matter is being investigated, HSBC told FE.

Kashmiri has been charged under Sections 66 and 72 of the IT Act and under IPC 408, 468 and 420. Cyber crime experts, however, said data theft regulation in the Indian IT Act was not potent enough to deal with such cases. Punishment could be for a less serious offencehacking.

Muslim Cyber Cafe owner makes porn stars of students

2006-06-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Press Trust of India

Tiruchirappalli, June 27, 2006

Police have arrested an internet cafe owner at Palakarai for allegedly drugging some college girls, who visited the centre for browsing, and taking pornographic pictures and videos.

According to police, Liyakat Ali, an engineering graduate, used to offer beverages, mixed with drugs, to the customers and take obscene pictures when they became unconscious.

A large number of obscene CDs and pictures were seized from the centre.

The equipment, including a camera worth Rs 14 lakh, was also seized. After a complaint from a caller, Central Zone IG Jaffer Sait ordered raid in the Internet centre from where the CDs and video were seized.

Police said that it would give fresh guidelines to the internet kiosks to prevent such incidents in future.

Sharia at work : Mualim Rape victim ostracised in Bihar

2006-06-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

[ Friday, June 23, 2006 10:30:07 am IANS ]

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MUZAFFARPUR: Forced by a religious leader, a Muslim-dominated village in Bihar has asked a rape victim to leave the place after calling her 'napak' (impure) for giving birth to a child.

The husband has also deserted Sabia, a mute woman in her 20s and mother of two, following pressures from the leaders, the woman's distraught father Samsher Ali said.

The woman, who was raped last year by a neighbour, Mustafa, now lives with her parents in their thatched hut in the same village, Chandkiwari, in Muzaffarpur district, about 70 km from here. Mustafa is on the run.

Sabia's parents are facing the ire of the villagers for giving shelter to their "impure" daughter.

"No one talks to us; we have no social life. We are treated like animals for no fault of ours," Samsher Ali lamented.

Says Sabia's mother: "I fail to understand why my mute daughter was punished when she did not commit any crime. She was rather a victim of the heinous crime of rape. But these people do not realise it."

Maulana Abdul Haleem, a Muslim leader of the village, however said that as per Islamic law Sabia had become impure due to the rape and the "illegitimate" child.

"We have instructed the villagers to boycott her," he said without mincing words.

The villagers are following his instruction. "We are bound by the decision to boycott her," said Pir Mohammad, a villager.

He added: "This is not an individual decision. It was taken by the community."

Lalan Pandey, in-charge of the local police station, said Sabia or her parents had not filed a police complaint. "If they lodge a complaint, we will try to end the social boycott," he said.
Sabia's desperate parents are planning to seek the help of an NGO.

Dubai based Hindu girl brought to Mumbai,raped

2006-06-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 21 June , 2006, 12:41

Mumbai: A 15-year-old Dubai-based girl was kidnapped and raped by a person at Martin Pareira Chawl, Kurla Jarimari Road, in the city's eastern suburbs.

Ashok Kumar Manshi (56), grandfather of the victim, said his granddaughter was kidnapped from the custody of her parents from Dubai on June 15, this year at 0130 hrs, by Mohammed Sadiq Jahid Ahmed Sheikh (22), who has been arrested. He had brought her to Mumbai and raped her, the police said here on Wednesday.
Mr Manshi said his grand daughter was stuying in Dubai and the accused, who was working as a salesman in Dubai, had kidnapped, brought her to Mumbai and raped her.

Kurla police have registered kidnapping and rape cases against the accused and further investigations are on.

www.sify.com

J&K's powerful are not above the law : Shameful Scandal

2006-06-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

The Pioneer Edit Desk

---- By rapidly unravelling the crime of forcing 43 young Kashmiri women, some of them teenaged girls, into prostitution for the perverse pleasure of senior politicians, bureaucrats and police officers, the Central Bureau of Investigation has given a fitting reply to pro-Pakistan separatists like Syed Ali Gilani and the burqa-clad Islamists of Dukhtaran-e-Millat who have been claiming that the sex-for-cash-and-favour scandal was an "Indian conspiracy" against the people of Jammu & Kashmir. It merits reiteration that the Jammu & Kashmir Police, which reports to the State Government, not only dismally failed in its task of bringing those accused of sexually exploiting women to book but made a concerted effort to cover up the crime. Lurid details that have emerged from the statements of the victims of the scandal, put together by the CBI, paint a shocking picture of how men who held positions of influence in the Congress-PDP Government abused their power to indulge their perversity. Rather than crack down on them, the police pretended no crime had been committed. In retrospect, it appears that the lack of action had the blessings of the State Government. It's only when people took to the streets that the CBI was brought in; partly because of constant monitoring by the Jammu & Kashmir High Court and largely due to the CBI's diligent investigation, 12 of those accused of allegedly patronising the racket have been arrested. Those in the CBI's custody include two former Ministers, Mr Ghulam Ahmed Mir and Mr Raman Mattoo, a senior BSF officer, Mr KS Padhi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, and a former Additional Advocate General, Mr Anil Sethi. Given the long list of names provided by the victims, these arrests could prove to be the tip of the proverbial ice berg. The CBI deserves to be lauded for taking swift action and disproving the outrageous allegation that the racket was a devious conspiracy hatched in New Delhi, an allegation that has found resonance in Pakistani media and provided an opportunity to anti-India elements to portray, absurdly so, a crime as state policy.

For, irrespective of the large number of women and teenaged girls who have suffered on account of those who believe that power and wealth allows them to flout the law of the land with impunity, the racket that was run by a woman called Sabeena from her house in Srinagar is neither unique nor the first of its kind to come to light. Elsewhere in India, as also in other countries, similar sex rackets, patronised by politicians, bureaucrats and policemen, have been exposed by conscientious individuals or by mediapersons. They have been subsequently treated as a criminal offence. There is no reason why the racket in Jammu & Kashmir should be treated any differently. Yes, those accused of using the services of Sabeena to exploit women, including a 15-year-old girl, are powerful people. But that only highlights the amorality of a corrupt system and the alarming erosion of probity in public life, which is true across the country. The CBI will render signal service to the nation if it is able to take its investigations into this scandal to its logical conclusion. That could act as a deterrent for those easily tempted to abuse their power.
www.dailypioneer.com

Stepfather convicted for raping minor

2006-06-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

Thursday June 22 2006 00:00 IST
UNI

MUMBAI: A local court here Wednesday convicted a stepfather to seven years rigorous imprisonment on charges of raping his minor daughter during 2004 in Trombay.

Additional Sessions Judge Mrs S S Joshi on Wednesday found Abdul Latif Abdul Shakur Shaikh (33) guilty of the offence, which is punishable under section 376 of IPC, and sentenced him to seven years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 2000. In default of the fine, he shall further under go RI for six months.

According to public prosecutor Mrs Usha Kiran Makasare, the victim and her mother were staying with the accused when she was eight years old. After a few years she lost her mother and continued to stay with her stepfather.

When she reached the age of 13, the stepfather raped her and threatened not to disclose the incident to anyone.

The accused continued the relationship with the minor, which resulted in her pregnancy. When she got pregnant, she told about the incident to her aunt who, along with some neighbours took her to police station and registered a complaint against him.

The accused sheikh has been in the judicial custody since his arrest during 2004.
Source

Man beheads sister, parades head around village, any doubts about the religion ?

2006-06-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

BANGALORE: The villagers of S Bingipura began the day with a blood-curdling sight on Monday: a man walking through the village carrying the severed head of his sister.

The ghastly incident took place around 25 km from Bangalore city near Bannerghatta. Police said that Syed Hyder Sab alias Iqbal (55) and his sister Noorjahan (60) had a dispute over sharing an acre and 28 guntas of family property and they had filed civil suits in this connection.

According to the police, the rains had brought down an eucalyptus tree on the property which was under dispute. On Monday morning, Hyder Sab went there and began chopping the tree into pieces.

Noorjahan rushed there on learning about it and did not allow him to take away the tree, claiming that it belonged to her. Apparently, Hyder Sab argued that the court's ruling was in his favour.

“She began shouting for her children and threatened to kill him. At that time, Hyder Sab pushed her down near a tree and chopped off her head,” a police officer said.

Then he paraded the head for a little distance and returned to the property where he sat, chopper in hand, till the Bannerghatta police arrived there and took him into their custody. Shocked and frightened, the villagers had dared not approach him, police said.

Police said that Hyder Sab was working as a private driver and he had two children. Noorjahan, a widow, had a son and daughter. The dispute had begun when their parents died, police said.

“It was strange because they were both elderly people,” a senior police officer said. Police said that the Hyder Sab committed the murder in a fit of rage.

Source

RJD MP Shahabuddin threatens jail superintendent

2006-06-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

Siwan, June 17: Landing into fresh trouble, controversial RJD MP Mohd Shahabuddin today allegedly abused and threatened to kill the superintendent of Siwan jail, where he is lodged, and refused to appear before a special court in the jail premises for the third consecutive day.

"The MP used expletives against the jail superintendent Lalan Kumar Sinha and threatened to kill him when he read out the production warrant against him in his cell," superintendent of police Sunil Kumar told mediapersons.

He said a case for obstructing a public servant in performing his duty and issuing threats has been registered with the town police station against Shahabuddin.

Jail sources told mediapersons that when Sinha approached the MP, who is suffering from a spinal problem, to take him in a wheel chair before the court, Shahabuddin refused to go.

He demanded that a stretcher be brought. When it was brought he again refused and demanded one with an iron sheet because of his spinal problem. By the time that one arrived, the court had risen for the day.

A special building has been designated as court in the divisional jail premises for the last three days to start trial proceedings against Shahabuddin in connection with six of the 40 cases against him, including that of sedition.

The cases relate to seizure of firearms, ammunition with Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings and attempt on the life of former CPI(ML) MLA from Mairwa Satyadev Ram.

Shahabuddin was transferred from Bhagalpur Central Jail to Siwan on May eight.

Bureau Report

Bukhari's plans to grab Bharat by polls

2006-06-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

12 June, 2006 by pravakta

If we ignore this, Islamic Rules shall soon be implemented in Bharat. All Hindutva people need to unite against this. - Editor
Bukhari launches Islamist front

New Delhi: Enthused by the electoral performance of Maulana Badruddin Ajmal's Assam United Democratic Front and in a renewed attempt to make a determined entry into politics, Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari of Delhi's Jama Masjid on Saturday launched the Uttar Pradesh United Democratic Front (UPUDF), a conglomerate of Muslim and 'secular' organisations.

Speaking to newspersons at Jama Masjid, Bukhari said the UPUDF, whose first electoral foray will be in the coming Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, was necessitated as "the so-called secular parties have deeply disappointed Muslims in the 57 years of independence, merely treating them as a vote-bank."

Regretting "Muslims supported with heart and soul all those political parties who raised the slogan of secularism," Bukhari said, "when the time came to fulfil the promises made to them, mode of functioning of all parties remained similar... even after passing of 57 years, Muslims are deprived of their rights."

Heaping criticism on "secular" parties, he said they had hatched a "well-planned conspiracy and compelled Muslims to vote for them by raising the bogey of the BJP." He added: "Whenever Muslims have tried to unite politically, difference and dissension has been created among them by raising the bogey of the BJP."

At present, UPUDF comprises, besides AUDF, organisations and leaders like National Loktantrik Party and former Union Minister CM Ibrahim, who is the leader of the All-India Progressive Janata Dal. Leaders of these organisations were also present at the press conference.

Bukhari said the doors of the Front would be open to all parties and invited "all Muslim organisations and persons related to backward classes, Dalits, Scheduled Tribes, Brahmins and other castes" to join it.

Bukhari was supposed to be the patron of another Islamist political platform, the PDF, launched by Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad in Lucknow a month ago. But later he declined the post and advised Jawwad to disband the PDF.

Asked for his comment on the Bukhari's UPUDF launched on Saturday, Jawwad refused to say anything. "I am right now in Madhya Pradesh and not aware of the details of the Front launched by Bukhari," he told The Pioneer. All-India Muslim Personal Law Board member Zafaryab Jilani, who claims to have been consulted by Bukhari, said the UPUDF "is the need of the hour as Muslims are disillusioned with all political parties".

However, his fellow AIMPLB member Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangimahali criticised Bukhari's Front, saying he is "opposed to Muslims forming their own party such efforts only lead to religious polarisation and strengthen communal forces."

Gujarat: Hindu girl abducted, Forcibly married

2006-06-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

Wedding woes: Row over nikah

CNN-IBN

Posted Monday , June 12, 2006 at 16:23
Updated Monday , June 12, 2006 at 19:26 Email Print
Ahmedabad: Controversies and Gujarat seem to go hand in hand. It started with the Godhra riots, then it was the Vadodara riots and then it was the ban of Aamir Khan's film Fanaa over his comments on the Sardar Sarovar Project.

This time around, a storm is brewing up over an alleged case of conversion.

Twenty-three-year old Hetal Dave, a college student, went missing from Harsol village in Ahmedabad on April 22.

Also reported missing from the same village was a 25-year-old man, Allauddin, who works in a courier company.

Hetal used to study at the Gujarat Vidyapeeth where she was completing her MA. Both she and Allauddin used to take the same bus to college and work respectively.

On the last day of Hetal's exams, April 22, Alllauddin reportedly approached her and asked her to accompany him.

He took her to the Navtal masjid in Gheelkanta, Ahmedabad, where she and Allauddin were married in a nikah ceremony.

The ceremony was apparently conducted in the presence of an advocate, Naseer Ajmeri and the maulvi of the masjid Yusuf Mohammad Mossiddihiqi.

Hetal was also made to sign an affidavit after which she was whisked to Anand.

News soon reached Hetal's home about the marriage and the fact that she had reportedly converted to Islam.

However, Hetal's father, Praveen Dave, refused to believe that she had run away and got married.

He approached the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and with their help filed a police complaint saying that his daughter was robbed of all her jewellery, abducted by Allauddin and forcibly married.

A case was filed in the court but the girl could not be produced in court on both the dates that had been given for the case - May 7 and 14.

The VHP and the girl's parents then tried for an out of court settlement. allauddin's advocate demanded Rs 1 lakh to arrange a meeting between Hetal and her parents.

The amount was finally settled at Rs 5000 and Allauddin's advocate asked Praveen Dave to come to the Sarkhej Roza masjid is he wanted to meet his daughter.

Dave, alongwith the police and the VHP, reached the masjid. He says that the moment his daughter saw him, she shouted for help and asked him to rescue her from those who had abducted her.

Hetal spoke to the media later and said that she was forcibly married off to Allauddin and converted.

The President of the Dharam Prasar Division of the VHP, Babu Bajrangi, has said that he will approach Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, to come up with a law to prevent love marriages unless the girl's parents are not present.

Fatwa against singing Vande Mataram

2006-06-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Md A Basith
[ Thursday, June 08, 2006 01:59:57 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

HYDERABAD: With the new academic year set to start next week and the admission process at its peak, several city--based muftis issued a fatwa on Tuesday asking Muslims not to admit their children in schools where Vande Mataram is sung every morning. Children who are already studying in such institutions must be immediately shifted to other schools, the fatwa ordered.

Muftis, including All--India Sunni Ulema Board president Moulana Syed Shah Badruddin Qadri Aljeelani, Moulana Mohammed Hasnuddin, Moulana Mohammed Mastan Ali, Nazima Aziz and Rizwana Zarreen of Jamiat--ul--Mominath, jointly issued the fatwa when some parents approached them seeking a shariah ruling on Vande Mataram. Several schools in the city start their day with a recital of the national song. “Vande Mataram was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.

It emphasises that Indians treat their land as God. Ours is a secular country. Asking Muslims to do something like this cannot be advocated,” Moulana Badruddin Qadri Aljeelani told TOI after issuing the fatwa.

Even if these institutions offer quality education, they cannot force students to violate the shariah norms. Muslims cannot compromise on Kalma--e--Tayyaba, the basic pillar of Islam which says there is only one God and Mohammed is the Prophet, he added.

Parents sending their children to such schools are committing the 'Gunaah--e--Kabira'. Hence, stay away from schools which are not secular, advised Mastan Ali. According to Islam, there is only one God.

The moment one starts believing in more than one God, it is treated as Shirk (anti--Islam), said Moulana Mufti Hasnuddin. School authorities should not force Muslim children to either recite Vande Mataram or any other rendition which is prohibited in Islam, Mastan Ali added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
articleshow/1629373.cms?
headline=Fatwa~against
~singing~Vande~Mataram

9 minor girls kidnapped & sold - Ludhiana by a Muslim

2006-05-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

Chandigarh, May 29: Claiming that the Punjab government had failed to contain law and order in the state, the BJP today said at least nine girls were allegedly kidnapped in Ludhiana in the last four months while the police has declined to register some of these cases.

Two such Ludhiana-based poor families, whose minor daughters were allegedly kidnapped, were presented at a press conference held here by the BJP leaders. The aggrieved families stated that the policemen of Vardhman Police Station in Ludhiana had refused to lodge their respective complaints.

Punjab BJP general secretary Vijay Sampla and the party's youth wing national executive member Vineet Joshi said the party cadre here were investigating these cases of kidnapping of the minor girls and then further selling them to influential people.

One of these two girls, Nirma Kumari alias Nimmi, was reportedly kidnapped on February 4.

The 13-year-old Nimmi's mother, Sunaina Devi told reporters that when she and her husband went to the Vardhman Police Station, the police gave a deaf ear to them.

''We even met the DSP of the area and the Ludhiana SSP several times, but till now neither they have registered an FIR nor our daughter has come back,'' she said.

She added that her daughter was kidnapped by an autio-rickshaw driver, one Usman Mian, who was still at large. She alleged that he, along with other three people, had kidnapped her daughter and sold her for Rs 35,000.

''They all are influential people and, thus, the police is not listening to us,'' she added.

In the second case, a 14-year-old Deepika Sharma was allegedly kidnapped on March 14. Her mother Sudesh Sharma, a widow, also told reporters that her daughter was understood to have been sold to some influential criminals.

She also alleged that the policemen at Vardhman Police Station did not pay any attention to her when she went to lodge a complaint.

The BJP leaders said they would move the Punjab State Human Rights Commission to seek justice for these poor families.

Hrithik Roshan:"I am ashamed to live in India"

2006-05-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

www.mumbaimirror.com/

After Shabana Azmi spoke in favour of Aamir Khan, who has been at the receiving end of the BJP's antagonism following his stand on the Narmada issue, it is Hrithik Roshan who has stood up for the actor. Hrithik, who has always kept away from controversy says in his defence of Aamir, “I am ashamed to live in a country where one political party can use the power given to them ‘by the people’ to try and punish and rob a person of his own democratic rights just because he believes in a righteous cause that goes against their own interests.”

Hrithik has been reading about the on-going controversy, about Aamir’s refusal to apologise to the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat, and the subsequent ban on his film Fanaa in the state. Responding to Modi's decision, Hrithik reasons, “The concerned party has shown the highest level of immaturity by trying to use muscle by stopping the screening of Fanaa.” A large part of the industry feels that this is a political move to discourage actors and people related to entertainment from voicing their opinions in public. They also believe that by banning Aamir's Fanaa the film will suffer a financial loss. “Of course, it is an attempt to scare Aamir off, and also threaten the film fraternity against similar attempts in future. What is ridiculous is that they have not even understood what he is standing up for,” says Hrithik.

Aamir Khan, champions the cause of rehabilitation of those to be displaced by the Narmada dam, has been targeted, according to Hrithik. “Aamir is not against the dam,” Hrithik explains. “He has placed a very simple and human demand. He wants the rehabilitation of the concerned people. It's preposterous… I mean what kind of IQ do these gentlemen have?” he questions.

Currently busy with the promotion of his film Krissh, Hrithik Roshan has little time for anything else. But he feels deeply for Aamir's cause He fears that if Aamir is subjected to this discrimination, any film can be victim to similar political dramas. “These politicians are behaving like bullies!” Hrithik says. “It seems that they are still in school… what else can I say? I guess they need to grow up. I am with Aamir all the way,” he concludes.

Aamir on Narmada: I won't apologise

2006-05-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Aamir on Narmada: I won't apologise

rediff Entertainment Bureau | May 25, 2006 17:39 IST

Aamir Khan addressed a press conference outside his home in Khar, north Mumbai, saying he will not apologise about his comments on the Narmada issue.

"I am saying exactly what the Supreme Court has said. I only asked for rehabilitation of poor farmers. I never spoke against the construction of the dam. I will not apologise for my comments on the issue," he says.

Aamir's remarks against the Gujarat government and Chief Minister Narendra Modi evoked violent protests in Gujarat.

The state has even decided not to screen his new film, Fanaa, which releases worldwide on Friday.

Meanwhile, when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was asked to comment on the Gujarat protests against Aamir and his film Fanaa, he said, 'I do not believe in violent means of protests. Everyone has the freedom of expression. If someone says something on a particular subject, that doesn't mean you should start protesting.'

Here is a quick take on what Aamir said at the press conference:

The Bharatiya Janata Party is opposing the release of Fanaa in Gujarat because you participated in pro-Narmada dam rally. Is that correct?

Let BJP do their karam (work). I will do my karam. Every man has a right to do what he or she wants.

I will be unhappy because the people of Gujarat will be unable to see Fanaa. BJP has leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley. I hope they understand my viewpoint.

Don't you think Fanaa will lose money because of your statements?

People are losing their homes, temples and schools because of the Narmada dam and they are not getting an alternative replacement. I don't think Rs 5 to 7 crores (Rs 50 milllion to Rs 70 million) will matter when it comes to their lives and livelihood.

Are you opposed to the construction of the Narmada dam?

Let me specify that I am not opposed to Narmada dam construction. All I want is that the people, who have been ousted by the construction of dam, should get alternative accommodation.

The BJP wants you to apologise. Will you?

I will not apologise. Why should I apologise? I am not saying anything wrong. Even the Supreme Court of India says the same. So will the BJP tell the Supreme Court of India to apologise as well? The BJP is a strong and big party and I am a very small man compared to them. If I am speaking for the poor, why should I apologise? If someone explains to me that I am wrong, then I will surely apologise.

The people of Gujarat will not get water if the dam is not constructed. Are you aware of that?

I want the people of Gujarat to get water. I love the people of Gujarat. I want them to have a good quantity of water but there should be justice for the displaced people too. Half of my friends are Gujarati and they, too, are supporting me.

You have also talked against the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his role in post Godhra riots of 2002.

I said that during the Gujarat riots. I feel it is sad that innocent people are getting killed in riots.

I strongly feel no innocent Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christians should get killed in riots. I am also against [US President] George Bush who is killing innocent people in Iraq. I feel all human beings should oppose such people. Those who instigate others in the name of religion are wrong. Period.

Do you think you you being targeted because you are a Muslim?

I am an Indian first. Some people call god Allah and some call him Bhagwan. If anyone kills a person in the name of religion, it is wrong. This issue is not about religion. It is about poor people who need rehabilitation. I have got the right to my opinion. The BJP is taking a stance and everyone in India can see that what kind of party they are. They cannot tell me to shut my mouth.

Why don't you support the Kashmiri Hindu Pandits who have been displaced from Jammu and Kashmir because of terrorism?

Of course, I support the Kashmiri Pandits. I will voice (my feelings) against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. It is unfair to target Kashmiri Pandits just because they are Hindus. I am also against the ways terrorists, of attack by bomb blasts as only innocent people get killed.

Will you donate money to Narmada dam oustees?

Yes. I will give them money to relocate.

Does Fanaa's producer Yash Chopra agree with your cause?

Everyone in the film industry is with me. In fact, everyone is with me, except the BJP.

Will you take back your statement if your film suffers losses?

I will stand by my words.

Are you interested in politics?

No. I am an ordinary citizen of India. We have a democracy and I feel I have a right to express my opinion.

What do you think is the solution to this?

I can fight legally. I can also go to the producers' association. Our film talks of heroes fighting against injustice but now I am doing it in real life.

Why don't you phone Narendra Modi and tell him to sort out the issue?

Why should I phone him? Why should I interfere in his work? Let the people decide who is right and who is wrong.

Isn't it true that your relationship with Gujarat has been spoilt?

That's not the right way to say it. My relations with the people of Gujarat will be forever. My relations with the political parties of Gujarat has been spoilt. I remember I did the first screening of Lagaan at Bhuj. I participated in the rehabilitation process after the Gujarat earthquake.

Even Gujarat's Congress leaders are opposing your stance?

I don't know about this. But if it is true, then let them oppose (my stance). Let the people decide who is right and who is wrong. I stand by my words.

You are the brand ambassador of American companies like Coca Cola. Author Arundhati Roy, who is part of the Narmada protest, has claimed they are anti-national?

I have said this earlier. I am investigating this issue and will give you a definite answer in one or two months.

Do you have any comments on the deadlock between Yashraj Films and the multiplexes.

The multiplexes are charging very high rates. They should reduce their prices. I don't believe that Yash Raj is using arm-twisting methods to deal with multiplexes. But this is my personal view.

Any message to the country?

I want the people of India to see that here is a political party (BJP) that does not believe in democracy. Here is a party that does not believe in the rights of poor people. I believe in democracy and if I believe in a cause. I will support it. Nobody can tell me to keep quiet.

'Sexologist' killed by frustrated Ali

2006-05-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

Tuesday May 30 2006 00:00 IST
IANS

NEW DELHI: Javed Ali, who killed a "sexologist" out of frustration Sunday, was remanded in police custody for two days by a metropolitan magistrate here Monday.

Following a police request, the court allowed Ali's police custody for further interrogation and to find out more about the weapon used in the crime.

According to police, Ali, 22, was being treated by Rajesh Abbot, a self-proclaimed doctor, for impotence but he found his condition worsening rather than improving because of the treatment.

"Ali thought that his condition had worsened after receiving the treatment," said Deputy Commissioner Of Police Anand Mohan.

Mohan said they were investigating how Ali had managed to get hold of the weapon.

www.newindpress.com/

BJP leader shot, Aligarh on the boil

2006-05-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

www.ibnlive.com/videos/

BJP leader shot, Aligarh on the boil

Aligarh: Three people were killed and several injured when communal clashes broke out in the some areas of Aligarh late on Sunday night.

Indefinite curfew clamped on Sunday after the assassination of a local BJP leader continued in five areas on Monday where the situation remained tense.

"The situation is tense but under control and no fresh violence has been reported," Additional Director General of Police Padman Singh said in Lucknow before rushing to the town to assess the situation.

The tension started after unidentified gunmen shot at and critically wounded a local BJP leader on Sunday night.

Two persons, riding on a motorcycle, fired at one O P Gupta, a trader and a local BJP leader, in Kanwariganj area wounding him seriously, police said.

As the news of the attack spread, Gupta's supporters went on a rampage and pelted stones on members of the other community.

The situation spiralled out of control and police had to resort to firing teargas shells to bring the agitating mob under control.

A curfew was immediately clamped in Delhi Gate, Sansi Gate, Kotwali, Gandhi Park and Banno Devi localities and the injured were rushed to the District Hospital and Medical College.

Several contingents of police personnel were rushed and deployed in the trouble-torn areas and police officials were monitoring the situation.

Interpol alert to arrest Godhra prime accused

2006-05-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

Interpol alert to arrest Godhra prime accused
Pramod Kr Singh | New Delhi
The Pioneer
May 26, 2006

Interpol has issued a red corner notice for the arrest of Salim Haji Ibrahim alias Salim Paanwala, the main accused in the Godhra train tragedy, in which 59 passengers were burnt alive on February 27, 2002.

Sources said that the red corner notice was issued after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) vetted material evidence furnished by the Gujarat Government and moved the Interpol to issue an alert for Paanwala's arrest.

Intelligence sources said Salim Paanwala is in Pakistan, which indicates that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) may have a hand in the Godhra carnage.

The notice issued on April 11is a slap on the face of Justice UC Banerjee Committee. The committee - appointed by Union Railways Minister Lalu Prasad - had said in its report that the Godhra incident was an accident.

In sharp contrast to Justice Banerjee Report, the fact sheet ascribed in Interpol's notice reads, "On February, 2002, an attack occurred on Sabarmati Express which was travelling between Muzaffarpur to Ahmedabad. The attack on the coach no S-6 of the train was pre- meditated and resulted in serious injury to 46 passengers and death to 59 passengers. As the train pulled away from Godhra station where it had a scheduled stop, four chains were pulled in four different carriages, causing the train to stop.

"Investigations have revealed that during the time the train was stopped, the offenders, collected eight canisters of petrol from the nearby co-conspirator. Shortly afterwards, the four emergency chains were pulled again and the train halted. Investigations have revealed that pulling of the emergency chains was part of a plan. As soon as the train stopped, it was attacked by mobs outside, who pelted it with rods and broke windows and attacked it with arms and inflammable material."

The Bannerji Committee had hit the headlines for its accidental theory but the police . investigation found that Razak Kurkur and Salim Paanwala, residents of Godhra, had hatched a conspiracy to torch the compartment. They took the help of six young boys to cut the vestibule that joins S-6 and S-7, to pour the petrol into S-6. Two other boys helped them pull the chain near the A cabin, a little distance away from the Godhra platform. Maulvi Umerji, a resident of Signal Falia, was charge-sheeted for masterminding the offence by Gujarat Police.

West Bengal muslim driver abducts hindu woman teacher

2006-05-24T01:20:00.000-07:00

Spurned driver in MMS revenge Teacher drugged and filmed nude

www.telegraphindia.com/

Spurned driver in MMS revenge Teacher drugged and filmed nude
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Barasat, May 22: A driver hired to ferry a teacher to her school drugged her, took pictures of her in the nude on a cellphone and sent them to her prospective groom’s family because she had spurned his proposal.

Nurul Islam, 32, the driver, and his alleged associate Riyajul Haque, who co-owns a car dealership, were arrested yes-terday in Madhyamgram, North 24-Parganas.

Police had tracked down the phone from which the photographs had been MMSed.

The 27-year-old woman’s wedding, scheduled next month, has been called off by the groom’s family.

“We arrested Nurul and Riyajul on the basis of a complaint lodged by the woman. The mobile phone with which the photographs were taken has been seized,” said Praveen Kumar, the North 24-Parganas superintendent of police.

Piyali Ghosh (name changed), the daughter of a district intelligence branch inspector posted in South 24-Parganas, teaches in an English-medium school at Madhyamgram and had been travelling to and from it in the hired car since February.

“The car was hired from an agency belonging to one Bablu Ghosh, who engaged Nurul. He developed a crush on Piyali and wanted to marry her. Nurul was rudely refused when he proposed marriage in early April. But Piyali continued to go to school in cars driven by Nurul,” said a Barasat police station officer.

Piyali had reported Nurul’s proposal to her father, who warned him against making any further move and told him that her marriage had been fixed.

An investigating officer said: “Nurul carefully planned his revenge and roped in friend Riyajul, the co-owner of a two-wheeler and car shop in Madhyamgram.”

On May 13, Nurul arrived with Riyajul to drive Piyali to her school.

Piyali was drugged in the car, but she cannot recall how.

The district police chief said: “We will have to grill the duo for details, but they have confessed to their crime.”

The two took an unconscious Piyali to a house in Madhyamgram and even “applied make-up and lipstick to deck her up like a fashion model”.

When she regained consciousness about an hour later, she was fully clothed, but a little dizzy. “Nurul told her that she had lost consciousness all of a sudden and that they had to sprinkle water on her face to help her regain her senses,” an officer said.

Neither Piyali nor her family suspected any foul play until her future father-in-law, a retired government employee, received the pictures on his mobile phone.

Piyali’s father Sudhin (name changed) took her to the police station immediately.

An investigating officer, wiser after the crime, said Sudhin should not have allowed Nurul to continue in the job after the marriage proposal.

AMU's Zakir Hussain college recommended for IIT-level status

2006-05-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: The Aligarh Muslim University's Zakir Hussain college and the Institute of Technology of the Banaras Hindu University have been recommended for upgradation to IIT level, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

A committee appointed to identify engineering institutes for IIT status also named Osmania's College of Engineering and College of Technology, Bengal Engineering College of Howrah, Jadavpur University's Engineering and Technology Departments, Andhra University College of Engineering and Cochin University of Science and Technology for the uprgadation, Minister of State for HRD M A A Fatmi said.

"The identified institutes were asked to submit their vision documents and another committee consisting of Prof M Anandakrishnan as convenor was set up to examine these vision documents and suggest a plan of action for upgrading the identified institutions," he said in a written reply.

The Anadakrishnan committee has also recently submitted its report, the Minister added.

IITs: The government "encourages" IITs to increase their annual student intake, Fatmi said in a separate reply to a question that whether the elite institutes were likely to increase student vacancies substantially from the academic year. "The government, for the purpose, also provides the required financial support," he added.

Textbooks: History textbooks "Ancient India" by R S Sharma and "Medieval India" by Satish Chandra, both for class XI, have been replaced by new textbooks in the current academic session after objections by religious scholars over some of their passages, Fatmi said.

AMU prof suspended for sexual assault of US scholar

2006-05-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday May 16 2006 10:50 IST

ALIGARH: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has suspended Mohammad Shabbir, a senior professor of law, for alleged sexual harassment of a research scholar from the US. The suspension comes more than a year after the complaint was lodged.

The victim, aged 30, had been working last year on a research project on university-going women and their views on the Muslim Personal Law when the alleged incident took place in the professor’s chamber. The Vice-Chancellor had placed the professor under suspension, said university spokesperson Rahat Abrar.

The victim’s complaint was taken up by the Women’s Grievances Cell and a five-member committee headed by Shamim Zahan Rizwi looked into the matter. According to Amina Kishore, principal, Women’s College, and a member of the probe panel, there was prima facie evidence to suggest that the professor had indulged in sexual misconduct. ‘‘The recommendation of suspension has been made with the proviso that it is subject to the final disposal of the case,’’ said Kishore.

Shabbir, who has been teaching in the university since 1978 with a seven- year stint in International Islamic University in Malaysia, says he was not given a chance to explain. ‘‘I was sent a copy of the complaint demanding my response last year in March to which I had given a detailed reply. Now after 14 months, I am told that I am being suspended on recommendation of the committee,’’ he said. Kishore said the committee did not feel the need to call him in person as the written reply was sufficient to act upon. ‘‘There were no grey areas.’’

AMU panel victimising girl for outfits: NGO

2006-05-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

AMU panel victimising girl for outfits: NGO

PTI

New Delhi: Unhappy with the probe by the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) into the alleged harassment of a female student for wearing Western clothes, a leading NGO on Monday alleged that the varsity was trying to ‘character assassinate’ the victim.

Farah Aziz had allegedly drawn the ire of fellow students for wearing ‘Western outfits’ to college. On February 2, two motor-cycle borne students reportedly snatched a shawl she was wearing as a dupatta and sped away.

NGO Sahmat alleges that ‘the women cell set up by the AMU to investigate, has not booked the culprits, but implicated the victim’.

Islamic Terror: Minor Hindu Girl Raped and burnt by Muslims

2006-05-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

On 2nd May 2006, a group of Four Islamic Fundamentalists raped and brutally killed a 13 year old Minor Hindu girl. The incident took place in Loni Village of Ghaziabad District of Uttar Pradesh. The girl named Pooja d/o veer chand POOJA from a S.C. community and from poor background. Her parents are labourers and used to do labour work for living. On that day Pooja was playing with her friends when four Muslims youths residing in the nearby colony took her to a nearby village on some pretex.
The accused
1. VILANE @ KALLU s/o HASHRAT ALI,
2. NAZIM s/o NASEEM
3. SHARBAT s/o SHAUKAT
4. HASHMAT @ BAHADUR s/o Unkown(N/A)
kept her in a isolated room and continuously raped her for three days. After which the Girl was brutally killed and was burned down by the Islamic Miscreants. Her parents had no trace about their daughter and finally they made a complaint at the Loni Police Station. During investigation the police learnt that Pooja was last seen with 4 accused as they were escortin her to the next village.
After its investigation, the police learnt that the 4 youths had Raped and brutally killed Pooja. Without even making any arrest the police department closed the case as there was pressure from the Local Congress and Samajwadi leaders. The Girls parents were paid Rs.60,000 from the
Accussed Parents. The parents refused to accept the money and said that they are being threathend by the Local Muslim Politicians to remain quite or threathened
to get implicated in some case. Pooja's father Veer Chand said that all these accused are from Criminal background and have terrorised all the Villages in the nearby area.These people have strong links with Politicians and Noted criminals from Pakistan. Even local Police & Leaders of CONGRESS AND SAMAJWADI PARTY are favouring these four accused and their family.

When this incident was bought to the notice of Rashtriya Hindu Sena workers In Delhi all the leaders and workers left to Loni village immediately to avenge the death of Poooja, As soon as the news spread, Village Criminals came out in huge numbers and pelted stones and bottles at Rashtriya Hindu Sena workers. Around 22 Wokers have been injured and the Police refused to book any case against the Miscreants.

Till today no FIR has been lodged in this village against the four Accused and no action is taken against Miscreats who supported the Accussed.

Where are the HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, MINORITY COMMISSION, CHILD WELFARE COMMISSION WOMENS COMMSSION.

I AM SURE THEY WILL NOT INTERFERE IN THIS CASE, BECAUSE HERE THE VICTIM IS A DALIT HINDU AND THE ACCUSED ARE MUSLIM TERRORISTS. WE UNDERSTAND
THE COMPULSIONS OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA. AS PER SECULARISM RULES THIS IS PERMITTED

CONSTITUION OF INDIA: JUSTICE FOR ALL : HAA HAA HAA HAAA HAA HAA HAA HAA HAA

MERA BHARATH MAHAAN : RAPING AND KILLING A DALIT HINDU IS TRUE NEHRU SECULARISM

DANCE OF DEMOCRACY : NAANGA NAACH
(TIMES OF INDIA)

THE BIG QUESTION IS ? : WHERE ARE RSS WALAS, BJP WALAS ? MUST BE BUSY IN BAITAKAS

Muslim Doctor held for helping Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist

2006-05-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

Press Trust of India
Posted online: Monday, May 15, 2006 at 1231 hours IST
Updated: Monday, May 15, 2006 at 1714 hours IST

Nashik, May 15: A 28-year-old doctor was arrested in Malegaon early Monday morning for allegedly assisting the Lashkar-e-Taiba from whose possession a huge cache of arms was seized recently, police said.

The accused, identified as Sharif Mohmed Shabbir Ahmed, is said to be an activist of the banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
Police are likely to interrogate Ahmed, a resident of Sapana Sizing in Malegaon, in connection with the car that was used by the terrorists on May 9 at Aurangabad. The militants escaped in the car when they were intercepted by police.
A diary and a mobile phone have also been seized from his possession, police said.

The car was found abandoned in Sayne-Shivar at Malegaon on Friday and had police arrested four persons - Riyaj Ahmed Mohmed Ramjan (36), Mushtaq Ahmed Mohmed Issac (25), Javid Ahmed Abdul Maji (2 and Afjal Khan Nabi Khan (26) - in this connection.

Father refuses to bring back body of slain terrorist son

2006-05-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

BAGHPAT (UP), MAY 10 (PTI)

The father of slain HuJI militant Zubair, who was one of the main conspirators behind the March 7 Varanasi blasts, has refused to bring back the body of his son and described him as a "traitor".

"He is no longer my son as he has proved to be a traitor ... He has also brought dishonour to our religion," said Mohammad Yusuf when asked if he would go to Srinagar to collect the body of his son who was killed in an encounter in Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday.

Zubair, an operative of the Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islamia based in Bangladesh was wanted in connection with the Sankat Mochan temple and Varanasi Cantonment railway station blasts that left 20 dead and nearly 100 injured.

Regretting that his son's action had brought notoriety to his village and district, Yusuf said, "I never knew about his links with the terrorists. Had I any information earlier, I would have personally handed him to the police".

Zubair, who is survived by his wife and six children, spent a year in the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom in Deoband and also worked as a teacher in a Jaipur 'madarsa', Yusuf said.

After an accident, he returned to Taleem-ul-Quran 'madarsa' in Baraut district of Uttar Pradesh where he stayed for 16 years, he said.

Remembering Zubair, the village headman Shakeel Ahmad said, "he had a good image but after what he has done, no one regrets his death.

My son was killed, declared Muslim, buried" - BJP MLA

2006-05-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

Dhimmiwatch.org

"My son was killed, declared Muslim, buried"
Outraging the dead for the political purposes of the living. "MLA: My son was killed, declared Muslim, buried," from The Asian Age, with thanks to Twostellas:

Lucknow, May 12: "They dragged my son Triloki out of the house and stabbed him to death. Then they ignored the ‘Om’ tattoo on his hand, declared he was a Muslim and buried him. To substantiate their claim, they even circumcised his dead body. All this was done because the officials wanted to prove that only Muslims had been killed in the Aligarh riots. One man even tried to claim my son’s body so that he could get the compensation," said BJP MLA Devki Nandan Kori, and then broke down in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Friday.

The legislator’s son, Triloki, had been killed in Aligarh riots and it was only when the family saw his body’s photograph in a newspaper that they realised he was dead....

"The intentions are more than clear. This is not an oversight but a deliberate attempt to insult people of a particular religion. The role of IG Kanpur zone in the Aligarh riots is suspicious and why was no action taken against one Banney Khan who made a futile attempt to claim the compensation for the boy’s death?" he asked....

Senior BJP leader Kesri Nath Tripathi finally lost his patience and accused the government of indulging in minority appeasement. "If a Hindu is killed in Mau riots he gets Rs 1 lakh as compensation but if a Muslim is killed in Aligarh, he gets Rs 5 lakhs as compensation.

HC orders probe into wedlocks linked to conversions

2006-04-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

Lucknow, Apr 27: Taking a serious view of the marriage of a Pune girl in Uttar Pradesh after she was allegedly converted into Islam, the Allahabad High Court today ordered an inquiry into all such cases by the Intelligence Bureau.

Justice Rakesh Sharma of the Lucknow Bench of the Court passed the order on a petition filed by the family of the girl.

The girl was allegedly converted into Islam and then married to one Mohammad Mausam Shah in Balrampur district.

The Court directed the SP (Balrampur) to investigate the matter and submit a report to it on May 11.

It observed that it was necessary to ascertain whether the consent of the girl or her parents was obtained or not before her marriage.

It was also essential to know whether the girl was minor or adult, the Judge said.

He directed that a copy of the order be sent to the state police chief and the Union Home Ministry.

Earlier, the High Court had in a similar case issued a notice to the SP Rajkot (Gujarat).

Hyderbadi muslim rapes son’s wife, 12

2006-04-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

A 55-year-old cook and his son were arrested by the Chandrayangutta police on Friday for raping a 12-year-old girl. According to Uday Bhaskar Reddy, inspector of Chandrayangutta police station, Shaik Ahmed, a resident of Hashimabad, confessed that he had raped his daughter in-law thrice after she was married to his son, Shaik Yaseen, 21, in January 2006.

Both father and son have been arrested and a case under section 376 IPC has been registered against them. The minor girl has been sent for medical test. Yaseen and the minor girl, who used to reside in Talabkatta, were in love and got married on January 14. Ten days after the marriage Ahmed threatened to kill his daughter-in-law and raped her at his house in Hashimabad.

“Yaseen works in a scrap shop. When my husband had gone out, my father-in-law threatened me at knife point and raped me,” the victim said. “I did not inform my husband as I was scared that Ahmed would murder us,” she said. Even her mother-in-law knew about this but she kept quiet, police said.

The case came to light when the girl went to her parents’ house five days back and narrated the story to her mother, Nasreen, who, at first, did not believe her. The victim on Friday returned to her husband’s house. Thirty minutes later, Nasreen entered the house to return her daughter’s clothes she had forgotten at their house.
“I can’t forget what I saw. I was shocked to see the old man forcing my daughter to sleep with him,” Nasreen said.

But Ahmed had told Nasreen that he was just pampering his daughter-in-law. Nasreen rescued her daughter and lodged a complaint with Chandrayangutta police.
Nasreen’s husband, Babu Miya, recently suffered a paralytic attack and is bed ridden.

http://www.deccan.com/City/CityNews.asp?
#Congress%20shouting%20brigade%20rapped

Hindu boy beaten for marrying Muslim in Punjab

2006-04-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

www.tribuneindia.com

Marriage brings misery for Dalit’s family
Tribune News Service

Batala, April 26
Marrying a Muslim girl from Srinagar against the wishes of her family has brought misery to the family of Vikramjit Singh, a Dalit youth belonging to the city. His teenaged brother, Kuljinder Singh, was allegedly tortured in illegal police custody, his other brother Ranjeet Singh, who lives in the Srinagar, is missing. The couple has gone underground.

Facing the brunt of cops and the girl’s family is Kamlesh, the mother of Vikramjit Singh. The hapless mother is attending to her youngest son, Kuljinder Singh, at the civil hospital here. Kuljinder had to be admitted to the hospital after being tortured by Srinagar police.

Talking to The Tribune she said after the death of her husband her two sons— Vikramjit Singh and Ranjeet Singh—had moved to Srinagar. They were working there as carpenters.

Vikramjit Singh fell in love with a Muslim girl, Abhita Rehman Sheikh, who lived in his neighbourhood. The girl’s father is a constable. On March 26 this year the couple came to Batala. As the girl was pregnant the boy’s family solemnised their marriage. Apprehending a threat to their lives from the girl’s family the couple moved an application in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking protection later they moved to an undisclosed place.

Later, the girl’s mother, father and a cousin came to Vikramjit’s house and asked his family to hand over the girl to them. Kamlesh told the girl’s family that they were not aware of the whereabouts of the couple. However, late in the evening cops from Srinagar barged into their house and assaulted Kamlesh and Kuljinder Singh.

Later, they took 16-year- old, Kuljinder Singh, to Batala City Police Station and kept him in illegal custody. Kuljinder Singh, said he was tortured by the Srinagar police while Punjab police cops present at the station remained mute spectators.

Kuljinder has bruises all over his body. He was released from the police station after the intervention of some local BSP leaders.

However, Kuljinder’s mother is apprehensive about the fate of her other son, Ranjeet Singh, who is working in Srinagar. She alleged that after the cops raided their house they have been trying to contact Ranjeet Singh but have not succeeded so far. She feared that Ranjeet might have been ‘‘eliminated’’ by the Srinagar police ‘‘the Punjab police should try to locate him in Jammu and Kashmir’’, she demanded.

The SSP, Batala, Mr L.K Yadav, said the Srinagar police was looking for Vikramjeet Singh as it had procured an arrest warrant against him from a court in Srinagar. A case under Section 366 of the IPC has been registered against Vikramjit by the Srinagar police.

However, the Srinagar cops did not inform the Punjab Police about the arrest of Vikramjeet’s younger brother and his alleged torture at Batala city police station, he added. A DSP level officer has been directed to inquire into the role of cops who had tortured Kuljinder Singh. A case would be registered against J&K and Punjab police cops if they were found guilty in the inquiry report, he said.

Scuffle between media, Imam's supporters

2006-04-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

Will the Editor's Guild of India hold a demonstration outside Jamma
Masjid? They had a demonstration outside the residence of Balasaheb
Thackarey when Shiv Sainiks in Mumbai assaulted a journalists.

Namaste.
Ashok Chowgule

Scuffle between media, Imam's supporters
http://us.rediff.com/
news/2006/apr/18pm1.htm?q=np&file=.htm?
headline=Government~
will~address~Muslims'
~concerns:~Dr~Singh

Onkar Singh in New Delhi | April 18, 2006 13:51 IST

Journalists waiting outside the prime minister's residence on Race
Course road were attacked by the supporters of Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed
Bukhari of Jama Masjid, when they tried to stop him for some
questions.

The Imam had visited Dr Singh with a memorandum, listing demands to
improve the area around Jama Masjid. There were two explosions in
the Jama Masjid last week, which left 13 persons injured.

Journalists claimed that the attack was totally unprovoked. "The
PM's special protection group made no effort to stop the unruly
supporters of the Imam," a senior journalist said, in a report to
his television network.

Triple talaq issue : SC warns: India is secular, behave

2006-04-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Triple talaq issue
SC warns: India is secular, behave

Press Trust of India
Posted online: Friday, April 21, 2006 at 1513 hours IST
Updated: Friday, April 21, 2006 at 1604 hours IST

New Delhi, April 21: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Orissa government to provide police protection to a Muslim couple who were forced to separate after local clerics issued a fatwa that they were divorced even though they wanted to live together.

The husband of petitioner Nazma Biwi had pronounced triple talaq in an inebriated condition in 2004 but later realizing his mistake, he decided to live with his wife and three children.
However, local clerics at Bhadrak issued a fatwa that they were divorced and hence could not live together. Thereafter the couple was forced to live separately by the community. "No one can force them to live separately. This is a secular country. All communities---Hindus or Muslims should behave in civilised manner", a bench of Justice Ruma Pal, Justice C K Thakker and Justice Markandey Katju observed.

The observation came after the petioner's counsel complained that the couple continue to be ostracised by the Muslim community at Bhadrak in Orissa.
Orissa government counsel Shibo Shanker Mishra sought two weeks to file reply to Nazma's petition and the court obliged.
Earlier Nazma had approached the High Court against the fatwa and had sought police protection from her community men who were allegedly harassing the couple.
The incident had created a nation-wide controversy with various women organisations and civil society groups taking up cudgels on behalf of the harassed couple.
The clerics had said that if Nazma wanted to live with her husband, she must perform 'halala' (she must marry another man and the marriage must be consummated, after which she can get a divorce and then re-marry her first husband).
However, Nazma refused to do so, and instead knocked at the doors of the court.

Mom 'helped' dad rape daughters

2006-04-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

SINGAPORE: A Muslim father who enlisted the help of his multiple wives to rape five teenage daughters pleaded guilty in one of the most heinous cases of sexual abuse in Singapore, news reports said on Friday.

The 45-year-old man, whose identity was withheld to protect his victims, subverted parts of the Koran to justify incest, Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Lee told the High Court.

While conducting religious lessons, he convinced his wives that he had ownership over his children, which included having sex with them, reports said.
Forty-three charges were levelled against the father, who preyed on his daughters when they were between 12 and 15 years old, from December 2003 to June 2005. The charges included rape, attempted rape and aggravated rape.

Two of the girls became pregnant and had abortions.

Justice Tay Yong Kwang on Thursday set Tuesday for sentencing.

The girls, now in the care of the ministry of community development, could not recollect the exact number of instances of abuse.

The incidents "were so numerous that they were hard-pressed to keep count, much less remember the exact specifics of each incident", Lee was quoted as saying.

The man would send one of his wives to tell a daughter to go to their father's bedroom, Lee said. He had sex with them even though the girls cried out in pain.

The eldest of the abused daughters reported her father to the police on June 24, 2005. He was arrested the next day.

The bespectacled defendant with greying hair pleaded guilty to nine of the charges. Tay said he will take the remaining counts into consideration in sentencing.

The prosecution asked the judge for a substantial prison sentence. The penalty for rape is a maximum of 20 years in jail and caning. The penalty for aggravated rape is at least eight years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane.

"Instead of providing paternal love and support to the victims, he chose to systematically abuse them to satisfy his sexual desires," Lee said.

The prosecution declined to say whether charges would be brought against the wives who helped him.

While such "contractual marriages" are permitted in some Islamic countries, they are invalid in Singapore.

April 10, 2006
Islam: Muslim Laws Encourage Family Abuse
We described yesterday how a Congressional forum concluded that in many Islamic countries, Sharia law is used to deny basic freedoms. Two stories today show that Islamic laws also can encourage abuse within families. The first comes from Singapore, via Monsters and Critics, and the other comes from Saudi Arabia, and is described in Arab News, with a hat-tip to Marc at USS Neverdock.

The case in Singapore, which originally appeared in Malaysia's New Straits Times, relates to parental abuse of children, but also describes the possible consequences of the practise of Mut'ah, a form of contractual marriage. This is where a man agrees to have a wife for a short period, and is practised mainly by Shi'ites. We described in December how Bahraini feminist Ghada Jamshir dismissed Mut'ah marriage as a form of abuse, during an interview on al-Arabiya TV. She said of this practice, where a man's needs for "pleasure" are catered for, that it encouraged child abuse:

"This is a violation of children's rights! This constitutes sexual assault of the girl. What does 'pleasure from sexual contact with her thighs' mean? It means deriving sexual pleasure from an infant. How old is an infant? One year, a year and a half, a few months?

"Is it conceivable for a grown man to have sex with an infant girl? And you people tell me that the Islamic Shari'a authorizes this? Forget about the mut'ah. Let's talk about misyar. What do misyar marriages mean? You said that I'm a Sunni and that's why I'm attacking the Shiites. No!"

In Singapore, a 45-year old Muslim man has been accused of raping six of his teenage daughters, and is on trial at Singapore's High Court. He had fathered several children by various "wives", and had been abusing six of his offspring over a period of six months, before his arrest in June 2005.

More than 12 years ago, he had fathered more than two dozen children and since then, that number has more than doubled. He had managed to father so many children because he had engaged in Mut'ah with several "contractual wives" in Singapore. Though recognised in Iran as legal, it is illegal in Singapore.

Even Ameerali Abdeali, secretary general of the Islamic Fellowship Association of Singapore, admitted that Mut'ah marriages can be "the subject of abuse". If one has no relationship with the mother other than for one's own sexual gratification, then it seems that this man has not even begun to appreciate the true values of parenthood. But his abuse of his own daughters is inexcusable by any standards.

The case in Mecca, Saudi Arabia is equally disturbing, and highlights just how little the values of parenthood are valued by Islamic Law. A man and his wife are being held in custody in Mecca for the fatal stabbing of the man's nine-year old daughter.

The man's wife, who was the girl's stepmother, is believed to have helped in physically abusing the girl over a long period. The man had physically abused the child's biological mother and that marriage had ended in divorce. In accordance with Islamic law, the biological mother retained custody of her daughter until the child reached the age of seven.

But after the age of seven, the father demanded his Islamic rights as a father, and petitioned the courts to gain possession of his daughter. He was awarded custody last year. The mother appealed and lost, and though granted rights of visitation, the man regularly refused her access to her own daughter. When she did get to see her child, she could see she had been assaulted. The woman's complaints to the Saudi authorities went unheeded.

When the father had finally stabbed his daughter to death, hospital staff discovered multiple fractures and prior stab wounds. They called police, who arrested the man and his wife.

As Arab News states:

Reports of child abuse cases have been increasing in the media during the past few years, revealing the shortage or even outright lack of laws and procedures that protect children from their abusers.

Some steps have been taken to establish shelters for abused women and children and discussions have been organized on the issue at high official levels. Basic necessary measures, such as police intervention and punitive laws, have yet to be implemented.

A major problem is that the rights of the parents are granted priority over the rights of the child. The father, who is more often the perpetrator of domestic abuse, is also favored under the current system in accordance with social norms.

The irony here is that Saudi Arabia is a country in which criminals are publicly beheaded. Frequently maids from the Philippines, who try to prevent themselves from being raped by their employers by killing them, are executed.

And yet in this wealthy yet backwards nation, Islamic Law is accepted as a basis of legal jurisdiction. And according to Islamic Law, a father who kills his child is not eligible for the death penalty. Occasionally, the state will make exceptions to this rule concerning certain particularly brutal cases, but here the man will be expected to serve a jail sentence.

Islamic Law is unjust and sexist. In cases of marriage, a man can have four wives, and a woman cannot have more than one husband. In cases of divorce, a man has the ability to divorce a woman, merely by saying the words "Talaq! Talaq! Talaq!" (I divorce you). But a woman is prevented from divorcing a man.

We described the case of Pakistan, where so-called "hudud" ordinances or Sharia Laws, introduced in 1979, mean that a woman who is guilty of adultery can be jailed. A victim of rape must produce four witnesses to the event to prove she has been raped. When a woman is raped and tells the authorities, she is often charged with adultery and sentenced to jail.

In some cases of Islamic jurisprudence, a victim of rape can be punished with flogging, as happened recently in Bangladesh.

Islamic Law has no place in a modern society. It is sexist, barbaric and backward. Like the founder of the faith, who married and had sex with his 12th wife Aisha when she was only 9.

Following this example, in Iranian law, a girl is classed as an adult when she reaches the age of nine, and can therefore be legally hanged for a capital offence or married, but a male is not considered an adult, and thus eligible to hang (or marry), until he reaches the age of fifteen.

http://www.westernresistance.com/
blog/archives/001902.html

Muslims riot in aligarh as Hindus celebrate Ram-Navami

2006-04-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

Indefinite curfew in Aligarh after clashes

Press Trust of India

Aligarh, April 6: Three persons were killed and nine injured, six of them seriously, when members of two communities indulged in firing and pelting stones, prompting the authorities to impose indefinite curfew in three police station areas in this communally sensitive city today.

State paramilitary forces along with a large number of police personnel have been deployed and patrolling intensified to maintain law and order, district magistrate R K Singh told PTI here.

Indefinite curfew has been imposed in Kotwali, Delhi Gate and Sasni Gate police stations areas in the old city following the clash during which the two sides hurled stones at each other and fired from rooftops following a dispute over a place of worship last night, Singh said.

The AMU medical college sources said 12 people were admitted to the hospital with gun shot injuries and three of them succumbed to injuries. The condition of six of the injured persons was critical, they said.

Mukund Goel, DIG, Agra Range said two people were killed and six injured. "Two persons were brought dead to hospital," he said. The members of a particular community last evening removed the decorative lights put up at a temple in view of the 'navratri' festival, leading to a clash with members of the other side in Sabzi Mandi and Dahi Wali Gali areas.

A phoney brand of secularism

2006-03-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

www.dnaindia.com/
By - Minhaz Merchant

Haven't we all heard it before? India has 150 million Muslims and not one has been recruited by al-Qaeda. The conclusion: Indian Muslims are shining examples of moderation in a seething ocean of Islamic terrorists drawn from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Well, the bad news is that the conclusion is flawed. The vast majority of India's 150 million Muslims are reasonable, peace-loving people who appreciate—though they do not articulate it (and they should)—how fortunate they are to live in such a tolerant, generous, liberal and gentle society as India's. But it is the Muslim leadership in India, political and religious, that has failed them.
Indian Muslim leaders have ruthlessly exploited the uneducated mass of Indian Muslims. They have played to their basest instincts, and deepened cleavages between them and Hindus rather than bridging them. Last week's first-ever "Muslim" leaders conference saw an attempt by Shahi Imam Bukhari to increase his political influence by suggesting the formation of a new Muslim political party rather than focus on purely—as his job requires—theological matters.
The poor quality of Muslim leaders means that they have a huge vested interest in keeping their followers even more backward than themselves: the classical case of the one-eyed king in a blind kingdom. The moment the subjects in the kingdom are educated, Indian Muslim leaders will lose the hold they have over them. To break this vicious cycle of the semi-ignorant leading the ignorant, education is obviously the key. That is why madrassas are deliberately restricted to providing largely religious instruction rather than real education—science, the arts, history, mathematics. Muslim leaders simply cannot afford their flock to see the light lest they flee.
Reforms though are mandatory. The first reform concerns Muslim Personal Law. Clerics in the community oppose replacing Muslim Personal Law with a uniform civil code because that will cut another fount of their power —ecclesiastical.
Without the power Muslim Personal Law gives Islamic leaders, the whole structure of Muslim leadership would shift dramatically. Mullahs and their ability to issue fatwas would collapse. Ordinary Indian Muslims would benefit enormously. That alas is the last thing the mullahs really want. What is good for them—untrammelled power—is not good for the ordinary, hardworking, impoverished Muslim.
When parties like the BJP sensibly suggest a uniform civil code, they are accused of communalism. They have therefore stopped doing so except sporadically. The Congress, that magnificent appeaser of minorities, has played into the mullahs' hands for decades by using its phoney brand of secularism as a cover for getting mullah-backed vote banks.
I am no admirer of the BJP. I regard many of its policies on social and cultural issues as regressive. Its mindset is simply not modern and liberal enough for today's India and that, despite a booming economy, is really why it got less than 140 seats in the last Lok Sabha elections. People do see through backward parties.
But will ordinary Indian Muslims see through their leaders' perfidy? Will they demand a uniform civil code and give up their Personal Law? Of course they won't. They don't—yet—know better. Their leaders have ensured that by limiting their education. But a uniform civil code is in India's national interest. An enlightened Indian parliament must at some early stage put aside politics and implement the civil code. It will be the finest long-term gift the Lok Sabha could give India's Muslims.
A major issue that has divided Hindus and Muslims since especially the early-1990s is Ayodhya. I believe that the Muslim leadership must put this issue to rest permanently by voluntarily giving up the Muslims' legal claim on the masjid at Ayodhya. The issue has been misused by every Indian political party. It has driven a deep wedge between Indian Muslims and Hindus.
Indian Muslims must recognise that they live in an extraordinarily secular nation. Despite extreme poverty and at times extreme provocation, Hindus largely treat their Muslim brethren and their customs and ceremonies with great respect and humility. Incredibly, though India has 100 times as many Muslims as, say, Britain, fewer Indian Muslims are victims of hate crimes by the majority community than in Britain.

Email: minhazmerchant@ business-leaders.com

India withdraws book with Prophet Mohammad sketch

2006-03-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

By Bappa Majumdar

KOLKATA (Reuters) - West Bengal government and one of the country's leading bookstore chains have withdrawn a U.S.-published book from stores because it included a sketch of the Prophet Mohammad.

Muslims consider sketches and cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad blasphemous and at least 50 people have been killed in protests in Asia and the Middle East since newspapers in Denmark carried such cartoons last October.

India, home to more than 140 million Muslims out of a population of more than one billion, witnessed widespread and sometimes violent protests over the Danish cartoons but there were no deaths in the country.

The 900-page "History of the World: Earliest Times to the Present Day" was imported from a Massachusetts-based publishing house and sold in India for the past few weeks until Muslims in West Bengal state in the east of the country protested.

"We were completely in the dark about the presence of a sketch of Prophet Mohammed in the book," Anniyan Nair, the central manager of Crossword, which has 28 stores across India, told Reuters from Mumbai by phone late on Wednesday.

"As soon as this issue was brought to our notice, we decided to take them off the shelves and stop selling it in India. We respect religious sentiments," Nair said, adding the books were removed on Wednesday from Crossword stores.

The book has a black and white sketch of the Prophet Mohammed in a chapter on the Islamic world.

On page 171, a short and bearded Prophet, clad in a robe, is seen holding the venerated Black Stone and placing it in a cloth in the Kaaba in Mecca after Islam's central shrine had been cleared of idols and sanctified in the seventh century.

Thousands of copies of the book have already been sold around India, book sellers say.

In communist-ruled West Bengal state, the local administration bought a consignment from Crossword and distributed the books in some school libraries for reference.

But the state government stopped further distribution after protests by Muslim groups.

"The books will not be used in any of the schools of Bengal and all of them will be taken off the shelves of libraries," West Bengal School Education Minister Kanti Biswas told Reuters.

Muslim leaders were angry.

"The sketch is in extremely bad taste and is blasphemous. The book should be immediately withdrawn from everywhere in the world and the guilty people must apologise," said Hasan Ahmed Imran, general secretary of the Muslim Council of Bengal.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen put off his state visit to India last week amid fears that the trip could provoke further protests.
in.news.yahoo.com/060323/137/634bt.html

Pakistani pamphlets link militants to Hindus, Jews

2006-03-26T04:54:00.000-08:00

(Reuters)

24 March 2006

TANK, Pakistan - Pakistan’s military airdropped pamphlets this week over towns in restive tribal regions near the Afghan border urging tribesmen to shun ”foreign terrorists”, saying they were part of a Hindu and Jewish plot.

The pamphlets were dropped over Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, and Miranshah in North Waziristan as part of a campaign to win support among tribesmen who have shown sympathy for both Taleban and remnants of Al Qaeda living among them.

A Reuters reporter in Tank, a town close to the boundary with the semi-autonomous tribal agency of South Waziristan, obtained one of the pamphlets, bearing the sign-off “Well Wishers, Pakistan’s Armed Forces”.

Titled “Warning”, the pamphlets said the foreign militants were fighting against Pakistan in connivance with “Jews and Hindus”, a term that would play on traditional prejudices among the region’s Muslim conservatives.

“They (foreign militants) not only pose a danger to our sovereignty, but are also creating troubles for our people,” read the pamphlet, which appeared in both Urdu and Pashto language versions.

“You should stay clear of these terrorists. Don’t let them come close to your areas and houses and protect your land against them.”

“This war is against foreign terrorists and their harbourers who are fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with Jews and Hindus against the state of Pakistan,” it added.

Military spokesman Major-General Shaukat Sultan said he could not confirm that pamphlets were sponsored by the military, although residents say they saw military aircraft scattering the pamphlets over their neighbourhoods.

The allusion to Hindus and Jews, otherwise, appears at odds with the trend in Pakistani foreign policy.

President Pervez Musharraf has been seeking peace with India for the past two years and last year opened diplomatic channels, though not full relations, with Israel.

Remnants of Al Qaeda and the Taleban -- including Arabs, Central Asians, Chechens and Afghans -- settled in Waziristan and other border areas after being ousted from Afghanistan by U.S.-led forces in late 2001.

Pakistan’s army has deployed in South and North Waziristan since late 2003 in an effort to root out foreign militants, but ran into fierce resistance from tribesmen who resent the army’s intrusion into their lands.

Up to 20 militants were killed in clashes early on Friday in the North Waziristan tribal region after a rocket attack on a military post killed one soldier and wounded two others.

Earlier this month around 200 tribesmen were killed in clashes with the army in North Waziristan after a call to arms by militant clerics.

Pakistan has captured or killed hundreds of Al Qaeda members since Musharraf joined a US-led war on terrorism after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is widely believed to be hiding somewhere in Pakistan along with his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri.

Triple ‘talaq’ in sleep lands couple in soup

2006-03-26T04:49:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 26 March , 2006, 14:41

Siliguri: A happy couple with three children at Jalpaiguri has been asked to separate by leaders of the local Muslim community — all because the husband had uttered talaq three times in his sleep.

While the couple refused to obey the order since there was no discord between them as they claimed, the Muslim community is adamant that the spouses must separate or face a social boycott.

Aftab Ansari and Sohela were married 11 years ago and although poor they were understanding enough till one night on December 20, 2005 when Aftab after returning from work at a brick kiln had a tiff with Sohela and went to sleep.

He uttered the word talaq three times during his sleep which his wife heard. She later discussed the matter innocently with her close friends and soon it reached the ears of the conservative Muslim leaders.

The leaders quoting Shariat (Islamic law) ruled that the talaq has to be implemented and if it is not acceptable, the only alternative is temporary separation for 100 days during which the wife will live at her father’s house and spend one night with another male. She can remarry her husband only after the man has given her talaq.

As the couple was unwilling to accept the verdict, the matter went to the family counselling centre at Falakata police station in Jalpaiguri district. The counselling centre, attended by judges of the Alipurduar sub-divisional court, discussed the problem in detail on Saturday, but failed to find an acceptable solution.

The additional district session judge (second track), Muhammad Abdul Jalil, then directed the general secretary of the Anjuman Commitee, Muhammad Abul, to settle the issue, sources in the counselling centre said.

sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14170497