By Shaik Zakeer Hussain, TwoCircles.net,
Bangalore: “Mission Possible”, a collective initiative involving various Muslim organisations, held a conference here in Bangalore today on the topic ‘Muslims struggle in India – Based on historical and contemporary records.’ The two hour long event, focused mainly on how groups with vested interests, sections of the media, and laws such as UAPA, POTA etc are disrupting the social fabric of the nation, by causing disharmony and intolerance among sections of various communities.
Outlining the objectives behind the group, which is made up of organisations like, Discover Islam Education Trust (DIET), Huda Islamic Studies, Message of Peace, Wisdom Islamic Studies and Education, among others, event co-coordinator and Chairman of Al-Burooj International School, Mr. Rahmathulla Baig, said that the group’s vision is to create peace and communal harmony among Indians, despite the cultural, religious, and political differences. He said through “Mission Possible”, they want to build a common platform to unite the Muslim community in the country, and to protect its interests. “Mission Possible”, Mr. Baig said is also engaged in coordinating efforts with civil rights group like APCR to provide legal advice and actions to those who are harassed and implicated in false cases by authorities, he also said that the group wants to counter false propaganda raised by right wing organisations, and refute biased reporting in segments of media, by organizing events and debates on relevant issues.
Mr. Mohammad Noorullah, who spoke on the topic ‘Muslim youth under suspicion,’ said that suspicion arises out of rumors, and out of news reports, and the Quran, he said warns us to scrutinize every report before accepting it as a fact. Mr. Noorullah told the audience that to understand any religion, one has to get to its source, and said that to understand Islam and Muslims, one has to read the Quran and the Hadiths. He said that there is no verse in the Quran or the Hadiths, which urges its followers to indulge in terrorism, and he reasoned that, as followers of these scriptures, Muslims cannot indulge in such activities.
He further added that associating Islam with terrorism is a relatively new phenomenon, because in its fourteen centuries of existence, Islam and Muslims were never before associated as such, so he urged the audience to understand the conspiracy behind it, and to come together to counter it.
Taking on VHP’s Praveen Togadia for his anti-Muslim vitriolic, DIET’s president Mr. Umar Shariff, quipped why Mr. Togadia being a Jain by birth wants to propagate Hindutva. He said people like him want to create communal disharmony by promoting false image of Islam, and by spreading hatred among people. He also gibed at the way law is implemented in the country, where people like Mr. Togadia spews vengeance against Muslims and is still let scot-free, whereas people like Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi are booked for hate speech. He asked Muslims to remove the fear psychosis, they are living in, and to live lives by being their own selves.
The other topics discussed was on the agenda of RSS, and the impact of ‘draconian laws’ on the Muslim community. Mr. Syed Jameel Ahmed spoke on the history of RSS, and its role in instigating riots among communities to polarise the nation on communal lines. He said that Muslims should unite and speak out against such organisations, and there is no wisdom in being silent against oppression and injustice. Mr. Ashraf Ali Khan, briefed the audience about how laws such as TADA, POTA, UAPA, and AFSPA have been used in different parts of the country to harasses innocent people on flimsy grounds. He also urged Muslims to be aware of such laws, and voice out against the way it is used against them. He concluded his address by quoting Benjamin Franklin’s famous lines saying, “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”