By V.M. Khaleelur Rahman for TwoCircles.net
Chennai: Another party to join the DMK alliance is the Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamat (TNTJ) headed by Mr. P. Zainul Abideen, a religious scholar who is a translator of the holy Quran into the Tamil language and author of many books on different Islamic issues.
Though controversial on some religious issues, the reformation his Jamat wants to bring in to the Muslim community by eradicating evils such as dowry system, ostentatious marriage functions, dargah culture etc and inculcating in the minds of Muslims particularly youngsters the necessity for modern education along with religious one and demanding opportunities for Muslims in educational institutions and government offices through reservation has endeared it to the Muslim masses here. There are also instances of his followers returning the dowry received by them from their in-laws at the time of marriage years ago. His question and answer sessions are very popular among even non-Muslims. He has a band of dedicated youngsters. He has been observing December 6, the day of demolition of the Babari Masjid , as the Black Day for the past 18 years. We know that it was demolished on this day in 1992.
The TNTJ led by Mr. Zainul Abideen extended its support to the DMK alliance recently after getting assurance from the DMK chief Mr. M. Karunanidhi for increasing the existing 3.5% reservation for Muslims to 5% if the DMK retained power in the state after the assembly elections. Actually the Thowheed Jamat was to support the AIADMK alliance as according to Mr. Zainul Abideen its leaders were accepting the TNTJ’s demand for 5% reservation and were prepared to mention it in the AIADMK manifesto. But it did not happen and hence the switch over of his party’s support to the DMK alliance.
The TNTJ chief Mr. Zanul Abideen is sore that the AIADMK chief Ms. Jayalalithaa and other leaders betrayed his party by not including the minority importance reservation issue in the manifesto. He considered it as an insult to the minority Muslim community.
In an interview to the Kalaignar TV channel Mr. Zainul Abideen said that the 400+ trained speakers and thousands of activists the Jamat has would work for the success of the DMK alliance candidates in the elections. As a principle this Jamat is not contesting any election at present. Its aim is to work for the emancipation of the backward Muslim community. The fact that quite a large number of Muslims are road-side traders, petty shop keepers and even abroad most of them are engaged in unfavourable low category jobs due to lack of education and poverty saddens him. He said that this trend should change for the betterment of the community and country and so there is an urgent need for the increased reservation for Muslims in the state. Reservation for Muslims is his mantra.
There is also a section of Muslims in Chennai who are upset with the attitude of the AIADMK as an active practising advocate and activist for community causes Mrs. Bader Sayeed, AIADMK member, school mate of Ms. J. Jayalalithaa and Triplicane MLA who has been working for her constituency for the past 10 years was not given ticket this time. When I asked her what she felt about it, she magnanimously said that Amma knows better. The AIADMK chief Ms. J. Jayalalithaa is affectionately and respectfully called as Amma by all her party people – young and old. But she expressed her disappointment as all parties pay only lip sympathy to women’s representation. Even some people wanted to make it a issue and protest against the highhandedness of the AIADMK but she asked them not to do anything like that. Ms. Bader Sayeed is also doing great community service by helping widows, divorcees and other helpless people. She is the wife of Dr. Zaheer Ahmed Sayeed and closely connected with the South India Educational Trust which runs some educational institutions including the famous Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed College for Women (formerly SIET College) in Chennai.