By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: The Ahmadiyas (Qadiyanis) are now the most wanted and haunted people in Hyderabad. Every local Muslim organization and political party are demanding ban on their activities and community halls. Hyderabad has history of conflict between Muslims and Qadiyanis. Last month the A.P. wakf board had unlisted the properties of Ahmadiya community from the wakf list, and handed over those properties to endowments and even asked the Qazis not to perform their Nikah. This was seen by many as political decisions.
But the conflict now seems to be on its peak with the protests by the local Muslims objecting the celebration of Ahmadiya sect formation day. On 25th March a group of Qadiyanis was celebrating their sect’s formation day at their community center Masjid-ul- Hamd in Saidabad. But before the program, they distributed material in three different languages which was allegedly inflammatory in nature according to the locals. The material played with the modesty of Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and the holy Mosques in Mecca & Madina, it even used Quranic verses and kalima which were objected by many local Muslims as according to them they cannot use holy scripts as they are not Muslims.
MBT leaders submitting memo
After coming to know about Qadiyani celebrations and the literature distribution, At 2.30 pm more than 200 activists of anti-Qadiyani organization Majlis Tahaffuz-E-Khatm-E-Nabuwat under the leadership of its general secretary Mohammed Ali Arshad Khatim Qasmi assembled at the community center and raised anti-Qadiyani slogans. The organization blocked the Saidabad-Madannapet main road and created traffic chaos. Soon the news spread like wild fire and Muslims in huge numbers started gathering down. Even two commercial buildings belonging to Ahmadiya sect were damaged in stone pelting. Seeing the situation getting out of hand police came into action and the Rapid Action Force, Task force and other police forces dispersed the crowed and controlled the situation.
Police provided protection to those 500 Qadiyanis who were trapped in their community hall due to protest, to get out of the area immediately. After getting complaints from many Muslim groups police seized the alleged inflammatory material from their community hall and huge police personnel were deployed for the protection of those centers. The Additional Commissioner of Police (Co-ordination) Mr. Amit Garg, and Assistant Commissioner of Police Malakpet Division Mr. Iqbal Siddiqui visited the area and tried to pacify the agitated crowd.
The state wakf board’s recent decisions are seen as attempt to make Qadiyanis a scapegoat to divert the attention from maladministration in the wakf board and to winning the support of Muslims by making Ahmadiya sect a punching bag has provided a precedent for the political parties.
Sensing the mood of the crowd political parties thronged into action. At the night of the incident day, all the top brass leaders of Majlis Bachao Tahreek (MBT) visited the area, and with their supporters went to the Saidabad police station and submitted a memorandum to the inspector of police demanding ban on their community center and the activities of the Qadiyani community in that area. According to MBT, “Qadiyanis are not Muslims as they claimed some Ahamed Qadiyani to be their Prophet not Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), the last Prophet of Islam, Hence they don’t have any right to use Islamic Names, Quranic Verses and call their Community Halls as Mosques which is also against the Indian Constitution. By putting a Community Hall and claiming it to be a Mosque and distributing blasphemous material against Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is against Islamic Sharia. It was a conspiracy by Qadiyanis to create unrest in that area. Police should arrest Qadiyanis who were responsible for printing those blasphemous materials, and police should immediately close down their community center. If action is not taken by the police MBT will protest on the streets.”
Ahmadiya community center
The very next day Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) organized a huge rally to protest against the Ahmadiya sect and their activities in Hyderabad under the leadership of the local MLA of Malakpet constituency Mr. Ahmed Balala. Heavy security arrangements were made for the protest. The procession stopped at ACP Malakpet office and the MIM MLA with some of his supporters met the Assistant Commissioner of Police Malakpet Division Mr. Iqbal Siddiqui and demanded to close down the community center and to censor the activities of Qadiyanis in that area.
From the recent series of protest one thing is clear: In coming days, the confrontation between the two communities is going to be worse.