By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
New Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh assured a high level delegation of Muslim leaders on 15th April of coming out with mechanism to dispel misgivings about the Muslim community.
He told the delegation that the UPA government was working sincerely for Muslims. He expressed displeasure over targeting Muslim youths on pretext of terrorism and said he would talk to chief ministers of those states where such things were happening. He said for the integration of the country, it was government’s first priority to ensure progress of Muslim community as well as availability of equal opportunities. In the light of the Sachar Committee Report, he said, the government had launched several projects and schemes. He said the government was working for recruitment of Muslims in security agencies and armed forces also.
The delegation comprising leaders of various Muslim organizations met with the prime minister in the leadership of Maulana Qari Mohammad Usman, president, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, and deputy rector of Darul Uloom Deoband. The delegation included leaders from All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees Hind and All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat.
In a memorandum to the prime minister, concern was expressed on character assassination of Muslims in the name of terrorism and on associating Islam and Muslims with terrorism. The delegation urged the prime minister to intervene with the Home Ministry to see that the image of the community is not tarnished.
The delegation demanded reservation for Muslims by including them in OBC category. The delegation also demanded scrapping of reservation on religious ground. It asked the government to table Ranganath Mishra Commission Report in the Parliament and implement its recommendations. The leaders also demanded the implementation of Sri Krishna Commission report on the 1993 Mumbai riots. Regarding Wakf properties, the delegation demanded the government to hand over the Wakf properties under government’s control to concerned Wakf Boards or, alternatively, fix their rents according to market rates. The leaders also demanded opening of mosques under ASI for prayers.
Besides Maulana Qari Mohammad Usman, the delegation included Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umri, president, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Dr Zafrul Islam, president All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat, Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mahdi Salfi, general secretary, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees Hind, Maulana Mahmood Madani of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and Dr Qasim Rasool Ilyas of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.