By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
UP close UP series: Part 3
Jama Masjid of Meerut is probably the oldest mosque of North India. Its foundation was laid in 588Hijri (1192CE) by Qutbuddin, a General of Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghori’s army. Famously known as Qutbuddin Aibak, he was later to become the first Sultan of India and started the slave dynasty. Sultan Iltumish finally completed the construction of the mosque 59 years later. The mosque that signaled the arrival of Muslims on the political scene of India is also a witness to a thousand year history of Muslims of North India.
After Sultan Iltumish’s construction of the Jama Masjid in 1251 CE, it was not until 1889 that Masjid was extended. The extension project was led by Deputy Abdul Rahim and Khwajo Khan Supervisor. Their titles suggest that they were under British employment, a sign of changed times. But a generation later, in 1912 further construction was done by money contributed by public and led by one Contractor Haji Azeemullah.
Today, Masjid is under siege from all sides by the Hindutva elements. Muslims of the area informed us that one of the shops that provide for the income of the Masjid is occupied by one such person who refuses to vacate the shop or pay rent. This feeling of Muslims under siege is visible not only in the Jama Masjid area but in the city itself.
Take a tour of Meerut and you will find statues of historical figures such as Maharana Pratap, Shivaji, but hardly any public monument to remind passers-by about Muslim contributions. Not only that Muslim history is being erased but their source of livelihood is also under threat. Qureshis of Meerut have become prosperous by becoming meat exporters. A signboard screaming “Ahinsa Maharally” or “Great Rally for Non-Violence” greeted us as soon we entered Meerut city. Upon closer examination, we found that it was not a message of peace but direct attack on the meat-industry of the city. Presence of former BJP president Rajnath Singh as the chief guest in this “Great Rally” gave away the clue as to who might be behind this initiative. Not far from this board we asked few youth about the Jama Masjid and we were told that it is in Delhi.
But Muslims have held on to their history, ancestors of Mohammad Ashraf of Mufti Wada first came to Meerut in 1034 and has been living here ever since. His family has produced many Sufi saints, elders of the family have participated in the war of 1857 and the freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi. Ashraf’s grandfather Muhammad Hashim established mohalla of Hashimpura which is now known as the site of the massacre of 1987 when members of UP’s notorious para-military Provincial Armed Constabularty (PAC) executed 42 Muslims. Twenty-five years later case has dragged on with no justice in sight.
When I probed Mohammad Ashraf why Muslims never get justice in these cases, he paused, then choosing his words carefully said, “Those who are doing injustice are the ones to dispense justice.”
Mohammad Ismail Merathi
Meerut is the city of Ismail Merathi(1844-1917), who wrote what continues to be the best-selling Urdu text books of all times. His sets of five Urdu readers titled from “Urdu zabaan ki pahli kitaab” to “Urdu zabaan ki paanchvin kitaab” is still easily available. A collection of small essays and poems including questions must be the most revolutionary way of teaching Urdu about a hundred years ago. Essays includes topics such as nature, science, agriculture, history not only help a person learn the language but also acquire knowledge and become a better person by learning social etiquette.
Influenced by Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali and Syed Ahmad Khan, Ismail not only wrote the Urdu readers but also started a school in 1909 which has now become Ismail National Post-Graduate Mahila College. Ismail Public School named after the famous writer and poet is an English medium school, students can chose Urdu as an additional language but none of Ismail Merathi’s popular readers are part of the curriculum.
Meerut slide-show:
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashimpura_massacre
http://www.inpgcollegemeerut.com