By Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani,
Power and freedom are a two-edge sword. If it lands in the hand of people of low moral ground, consequences cannot be but worse. This is exactly what is happening in our country India.
Here freedom means freedom unlimited, unrestricted: freedom for burying truth and freedom for telling a lie repeatedly until it is accepted as truth; freedom to keep one from noble deed and freedom for evils. Using that kind of freedom, Muslims are now being labeled as terrorist.
What is it that one who founded terrorism in India becomes country’s defence minister and innocents are called terrorists and thrown into jails?
Socio-political situation in the country has been created as such that every act of terror is linked to Muslims and within hours of occurrence, the act is associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahedeen or other such organizations and a whole story is telecast on channels. Why don’t the intelligence agencies act before the occurrence of terrorist acts so that innocent lives could be saved?
As far as religion of extremists and terrorists is concerned, television channels are biased in reporting and covering violence and terror. When Superintendent of Police (SP) was killed in Munger, why weren’t the killer’s name and face highlighted? On 14th February 2008, 16 policemen were killed and their arms were looted in Narayangarh (Orissa). The killers were not Muslims, and so their names were not publicized. In Dantewada (Chhattisgarh), 1.25 lakh people have fled their homes and 65,000 of them are living in refugee camps. Whose terror wrecks havoc there? Definitely not Muslims. So the culprits have never been brought to public view.
The situation has taken such an ugly turn that it is feared that the oppressed will now be treated as terrorists and oppressors as patriots.
(Translation of the speech in Urdu delivered by Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani, chief of Khanqah Rahmani Munger and secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, at an anti-terrorism conference in Patna)