By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: 26 year old Shehzad Poonawalla, social activist from Delhi, who has been pursuing anti- hate speech cases against former Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy, VHP firebrand leader Praveen Togadia and against the propagation of hate-inciting material on social media during the Muzaffarnagar riots recently will now be organising the first-of-its-kind and largest social media conference called the All India Muslim Agenda 2014.
The young law graduate from Indian Law Institute thinks out-of-the-box when it comes to Muslim issues. He hit national headlines last year when he dragged former Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy to police for his hateful article in DNA English daily two years ago. The man brimming with energy and fresh ideas has formed a virtual club of youths and is now planning a largest social media conference on what should be Muslims’ agenda for the Lok Sabha elections 2014.
“It will be the first-of-its-kind and largest social media conference called the All India Muslim Agenda 2014. It will kick off as a one day online twitter conference cum Google+ hangout on 6th December, followed by four regional conferences across South, west, east and north east India culminating into a national conference to be held in Delhi on 30th January 2014, which marks the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi,” says Shehzad.
The virtual campaign will kick off as a one day online Twitter conference cum Google+ hangout on 6th December, followed by four regional conferences across South, west, east and north east India culminating into a national conference to be held in Delhi on 30th January 2014, which marks the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
He hopes over one lakh participants will be joining the conferences for which his team is sending invites to all Muslim political parties, Muslim leaders from various political outfits, Muslim NGOs , news and online portals, Muslim bureaucrats, scholars, researchers, intellectuals, business organisations, universities and colleges, seminaries and mosques across India.
“Special invitations have been extended to Imams, journalists, artists and young women from the community to discuss a range of issues including the socio-economic condition and Human Development Index of Muslims in 66 years since Independence, greater political representation of Muslims in legislatures and bureaucracy, extending opportunities for development of skill, sporting talent and entrepreneurship amongst Indian Muslims, role of social media and digital media to promote Muslim issues, role of Muslims in nation building, etc.,” he informed.
Contentious issues including the persecution of innocent Muslims in false terror cases, affording equal rights and opportunities for education to Muslim women under personal laws, question of reservations for Muslims and Dalit Muslims, implementation of the Justice Sachar Committee Recommendations, justice for the victims of communal carnage and promotion of the peaceful message of Islam through a national inter-faith dialogue will also be discussed in these conferences.
Special Twitter and Facebook accounts have been created for those who are not conversant in the use of social media and #AIMA2014 will be tagged to the online conversation that ensues.
Affordable tabs, smart phones and desktops equipped with Internet facility will be made available on a provisional basis to select groups who may not be able to afford or access the same. “Many sponsors have already extended their support for this purpose” informs Shehzad who estimates that “over 7000 -10000 devices will be provided to identify groups of users by on-field volunteers.”
After ensuing discussions, a resolution highlighting the ‘All India Muslim Agenda 2014’ shall be drawn up in the final conference in Delhi and shall be circulated for inclusion in the manifestos of all political parties in the run up to the general elections of 2014.
The objective of this conference, according to Shehzad is “to promote a democratic, multi-layered, intra-community conversation that reflects an unfiltered view of the Ummah and to facilitate the seamless communication of this message into the national consciousness of India that helps in synchronising our combined efforts towards nation building.”
FaceBook Page of All India Muslim Agenda 2014
Twitter handle of All India Muslim Agenda 2014