By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: Muslims took the lead in the freedom struggle of the country and played most pivotal role in liberating it from the British Raj and now they are ready to play a similar role in liberating it from all sorts of terrorism and causes thereof, said Muslim MPs, intellectuals and leaders of religious organizations.
At Muslims Initiative against Terrorism programme today at India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi the speakers strongly condemned all sorts of terrorism going on in the country and demanded the government to strengthen intelligence system and deal with all acts of terrorism with firmness and also ensure that the police and the agencies are not driven by communal colours. They also demanded that Muslims should be included in any counter-terrorism set-up as has been done in Rapid Action Force.
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A resolution adopted at the programme says: The root cause of terrorism – discrimination, suppression, inequality and injustice – also need to be addressed in any strategy to eradicate the terrorism.
Starting the programme, Kamal Farooqui, Chairman, Delhi State Minority Commission, and who was one of the organizers of the programme, said Muslims today are “with the government and security agencies in the fight against terrorism without any ifs and buts.”
Newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Adeeb said that Muslims of this country have always been against violence and terrorism. He, however, admitted that when rights are suppressed and criminals are not brought to book (referring to 1993 Bombay riots and Gujarat 2002 pogrom) terrorism finds its way. He, however, condemned those, if any, who are resorting to violence to get justice and their rights and said there are democratic and peaceful ways for these purposes.
Rajya Sabha MP and Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind leader Maualana Mahmood Madani rejected the view that if Muslims are repeatedly condemning terrorism saying it has nothing to do with Islam they are in a way admitting that they are terrorists. He said the entire Muslim community is not terrorist but admitted that a little part of the community might have gone astray. He called upon the elders of the Muslim community to check the wrong within the community.
Former MP and social activist Shabana Azmi said that if Muslims in India were not seen with suspicion following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks it was because the community had taken lead to fight against terrorism in the country. They had denounced it and expressed their resolution to fight the menace along with the entire nation. Their initiative changed the perception about them. She also applauded the role of the media for this.
Former BJP MP and now party’s national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said Muslims are loyal to the country and they need not give any certificate for this. When India Muslims decided to remain in Inida in 1947 when they had option to go to Pakistan they proved they love the motherland more, he said.
Samajwadi Party MP Ilyas Azmi said that “to say time and again that we are against terrorism is proof of our inferiority complex.” Talking about Mumbai attacks, he expressed doubt over the circumstances in which three officers including ATS chief Hemant Karkare were killed. He rejected the government’s point that no locals were involved in the attack.
Among those attended the programme included MPs Shafiqur Rahman Burq, Anwar Hussain besides Mujtaba Farooque, political affairs secretary, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Siraj Qureshi, President India Islamic Centre, Kokab Hamid, former UP minister and senior journalist Sayeed Naqvi.
