India’s Haj goodwill delegations: Some chilling facts
Submitted by admin3 on 25 February 2010 - 9:05pm
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Even a pious journey of Haj has not been left clean. Corrupt practices, it seems, have permeated the official process for selection of members of government’s Haj goodwill delegation sent every year to Saudi Arabia. There is no criteria, or at least the government does not want to disclose, for selection of members for the delegation, and thus has crept in favoritism. Result: E Ahamed has performed Haj three times between 2000 and 2008 on government expenses. Syed Shahnawaz Hussain two times, and he is not alone.
There are many who have been sent on official Haj more than once. Currently Minister of Raliways for State, E Ahamed who is also president of Indian Union Muslim League is on top with three trips (2000, 2004, 2006 – since 2004 he has been in ruling coalition). Two-time official Hajis include Syed Shahnawaz Hussain (2000, 2003 – his party BJP was in power), Ahmed Sayeed Malihabadi, MP, Rajya Sabha (2001, 2007), Shafiqur Rahman Barq, MP, Lok Sabha (2005, 2007) and Lutfur Rahman Lashkar, IAS, Retd (2000, 2007).
E Ahamed has done hajj three times on government money
This and other facts are now in public domain, thanks to RTI activist Afroz Alam Sahil. Mass Communication student of Jamia Millia Islamia, Sahil had put three questions before the Ministry of External Affairs: List of members of last 10 delegations, criteria of selection and expenditure.
He has been provided information only about first and last question.
According to the data, the number of members from 2000 to 2008 has remained in 20s or 30s except 2006 when 51 people were sent on official Haj.
Interestingly, politicians and journalists are about one third of every delegation. In 2008, of 34 members of the Haj goodwill delegation, 11 are active or former politicians and one journalist. Similarly, in 2007, of 29 members, 9 are politicians and 4 journalists.
Another group of professionals, considered more sacred than the other two, also gets good space in the delegation. Clerics, Imams, Muftis and Sajjada Nasheens also make official holy trip.
If there were 11 politicians and one journalist in the 2008 delegation there were at least five religious heads including Imam of Parliament Street Masjid, Jaimat Ulema Nagpur president and Sajjadah Nasheen of Dargah Hazrat Saleem Chishti, Fatehpur Sikri.
Also in 2007, of 29 total members, five were clerics and leaders of religious organizations, including then president of Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind and Imam, Makkah Masjid, Hyderabad.
List of Members of the Indian Haj Goodwill delegation
2000—30
2001—17
2002—26
2003—16
2004—17
2005—34
2006—51
2007—29
2008—34
As for average expenditure per member, the data shows every year more than Rs 8 lakh was spent, that is four-five times more than Haj for a normal Haji costs. The expenditure data available (only from 2005-2008) says the government spent Rs eight to nine lakh per member between 2005 and 2007. But the average expenditure jumped to about Rs 13 lakh in 2008. This must have gone up in 2009.
TwoCircles.net will soon publish complete list of members of Haj goodwill delegations from 2000 to 2008.
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resources for hajj
when these hajj delegations on the taxpayer's money, a lot of consulate staff, doctors, cars and hotel rooms are available to these 'delegates' to help them go on shopping.
this is at the expense of the poor haji's who go to hajj.
such people go as hajj delegates!!!
Nafisa ali
Born to a Muslim father and Christian mother and married to a Sikh, she is a family person, a firm believer in the
philosophy of Vedanta and has maintained a fine balance between her personal and professional life.
She went on the HAJ PILGRIMAGE in the year 2008, to fulfill her dream to perform HAJ, at Mecca and Madina. She,
along with her father Mr. Ahmed Ali, was part of the Haj Goodwill Delegation of the Govt. of India.
http://nafisaali.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=13
Muslims reject these people, but are other able to listen?
All the Muslims agree that those who go on sarkari Haj are just travellers and to many it is sinful. The GoI would do better to send the delegation to serve people instead of sending then on Haj. The government must realise that it cant fool Indian Muslims by shameless tokenism the way it does the non-Muslims. The sham of spending Public Money on these trips is a sheer waste and this practice should stop forewith. May be this is one of the government's tactics of sof Hindutva where non-issues are promoted to keep the Hindu vote bank with the congress. This did it before 1947 as well and continue til this date. Our Hindu brethren must accept this contention of Muslims that we reject this shameful act of the Indian government and its show boys be them Ahmad or Abdullahs. We, the common citizens of India oppose this wasteful expenditure. Had it been to aid the common Hajis, it could have been accepted. The government would do better in allowing other operators to operate flgiths to KSA so that the Hajis get better services with newver aircraft. Factually, Air India's monopoly allows Muslims to be abused by criminal elements in the name of subsidy which in fact is not a subsidy but again a ploy to keep the Hindu-Muslim pot boiling. Please remember that till the time politicians were off the scene, there was no need of security either at Ajmer or Amarnath. May be the threat at different congrugations at places like Nasik, Allahabad or Hardwar are more of intimidating people using the 'agencies' without any threat from other elements.
Stop these politicians from playing with out sentiments. We are too poor to have wasteful expenditure. A normal Haj without so called subsidies is possible within 1L and with subsidy nor more than 1.1L. Jago India Jago!!
I agree with all the readers
I agree with all the readers who think that Haj-money is a shameless political tactic, that helps no one but tries to distance Indian Muslims and the others. If any one cared, they would sponsor one trip for the poorest of the poor muslims. What is the need for political fat cats to speand 13 lakhs for each trip! This goes to show that the enemy of the Indian public is the polity- be they hindu, christian, muslim or sikh. Muslims still suffer the backlash in our society. There is wide spread prejudice, with Muslims being under represented in government jobs and in Police. I commend this work by educated and smart journalists to out the corruption in every aspect of governance. I am alas, not shocked at all. Politicians have no religion or ethics. They'll consume from anyone, everyone. Remember Laloo eating from cattle troughs?
commercial Hajis
The disturbing part is the last para- 13 lakhs+ per official Haji! It shows that who are the real beneficiaries of government largesse to the minorities.
Such leaders should be ashamed of their conduct- either they should travel on their own expenses, or the common Muslims should declare them unfit to lead.
I think this is why Hajj does not have the desired effect on today's Muslims- there is a correlation between the INTENT with which you go and moral transformation (if any) after returning. The Prophet (Pbuh) has rightly said: "Inna ma Amaalu bin niyyah" - actions are (judged) by intentions.
I agree with "Anonymous" this time..... but I don't know
I fully agree to above comment from "Anonymous" @ 25th Feb. 2010 - 9:46 pm
But, I don't know this time, it is the same LGBT "Anonymous" who "degrades self", and other Hindus - by tainting Islam / Muslims; in almost every comment posted (RIGHTLY or WRONGLY), with only INTENT to Malign Islam / Muslims.
I wrote earlier, if one attempts to "spit" at MOON, SUN, STARS, outer-space, it returns back on self - no-one can defy NATURAL LAWS OF GRAVITY.
An Indian
P.S.:
------
Sachaai chup nahin sakti banaawat kay usoolon sey,
Khushboo aah nahin sakti kaaghaz kay phoolon sey.
English translation:
TRUTH cannot be HIDDEN by TWISTED PRINCIPLES,
PAPER FLOWERS cannot emit NATURAL FLOWER SMELL.
MUSLIMS are scrupless even in HAJ
All the above are Muslims and just goes to show that MUSLIMS are scrupless even in HAJ. E Ahmed, surely must have booked his JANNAT seat by his three visits to HAJ after fleecing MUSLIMS going on HAJ through private agency by forcing many to use his relatives travel agency.
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