By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: In a bid to clear the air regarding Muslim’s perception towards Anna’s anti-graft agitation, the local unit of India Against Corruption (IAC) roped in Mufti Shamoon Qasmi. The cleric who is also core-committee member of Team Anna hailed the ongoing agitation terming it as a symbol of communal harmony. Qasmi is also general secretary of All India Imams Organisation – which claims to be the umbrella organisation of one million Imams in the country.
“The anti-graft agitation is not confined to one religion, it is the movement of all Indians. There should not be any apprehension among Muslims over the issue,” said Qasmi on Wednesday. The cleric who had also attended the rally by Arvind Kejriwal in Lucknow on Tuesday claimed that Muslims should not be led by Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari.
Mufti Shamoon Qasmi (third from left) along with Team Anna members including Arvind Kejriwal (extreme left) at a program in Lucknow on 19th Oct. 2011
“We offered namaz and there was elaborate arrangement for breaking our fast at Ramlila ground in Delhi. I had personally met Imam Bukhari and explained the situation to him. I also asked him not to be misguided and mislead the Muslims by his utterances,” he said.
Over the alleged RSS cadres being supporting Anna’s agitation, he stated that the movement is not confined to any religion and group. “I am sure on this point that Anna Hazare is not in any way linked to RSS. The movement is not confined to any religion and group. It is mentioned in every religion including Islam to respect and love one’s motherland,” he said.
Regarding raising Vande Mataram slogans at Ramlila ground, Qasmi urged not to communalise the issue and if anyone had apprehension he can praise his motherland in whatever language he prefers.
Qasmi also denied that Anna is soft on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi which is being raised by Muslims. “This is also not true. I was also present during the May 25 meeting at Ahmedabad and Anna had condemned Modi publically. He had mentioned that it is sad that milk is costlier than liquor in Gandhi’s land,” he added.
Over the attack on Arvind Kejriwal at Jhulelal Park on Tuesday he termed the incident as sponsored by some political parties. “It is sponsored by some political parties. Our youths are misled by them. They consider that we are opposing them but we are only for a cause,” he said. Responding to a query regarding Team Anna’s anti-Congress stance he claimed: “We are not against Congress but as the party is in power we will be placing our demand before them and building pressure on them only,” he said.
Mufti Shamoon Qasmi is from Bijnour in UP. He is the president of Rashtriya
Sarvadhram Ekta Parishad which promotes communal harmony. He is also Vice-President of
New Delhi-based Foundation for Religious Harmony and Universal Peace which is also
based in New Delhi. At Bijnour he is member of Polio Task Force, a district level organisation formed by WHO to include religious leaders of pulse polio drive.