By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: All India Secretary of Jamiat-E-Ulama-e Hind Maulana Mahmud Asad Madani deplored the ongoing propaganda by a section of media – not just in West Bengal but across the country – which equated ‘Jihad’ with ‘Terrorism’.
“Jihad and Terrorism are not the same, these are far different. Jihad means doing some constructive work, but terrorism means destructive. By explaining the wrong meanings of Jihad in West Bengal, a larger section of the media insists that communal forces mean the Muslim community. This is very pathetic and painful,” Maulana Madani said at the West Bengal State Jamiat-e-Ulama Anti Terrorism Conference here on Wednesday at Youth Centre, Kolkata.
All India Secretary of Jamiat-E-Ulama-e Hind Maulana Mahmud Asad Madani in the West Bengal State Jamiat-e-Ulama Anti Terrorism Conference on Wednesday, 5th November, 2014 at Maulali Youth Centre, Kolkata.
Besides the hatred in wake of the Khagragarh bomb blast, Maulana Madani demanded to immediately stop the misinterpretation about the whole Madrasas in West Bengal. He welcomed the investigation of Simulia Madrasa of Burdwan and Mukimnagar Madarsa of Murshidabad by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). “In the interest of investigation, Jamiat is always ready to help the investigating agency, but NIA never sought any help from the managing committees of the respective Madrasas. They went on their own. When they said a single word, the media coloured the Madrasas and made a fiction, which is not expected,” he said.
Madani asked how the investigation related information was leaked to the media? “No anti-national or militant activities were found from any Madrasa of the country, nothing was found even from West Bengal Madrasa. But media continues to mention Madrasas as a terrorist hub. This should be stopped,” the Maulana said, adding, “Muslims in West Bengal are now scared of the media.”
The Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Hind West Bengal is running more than 800 madrasas, he said and dared the West Bengal and the Central government: “If any allegation is proved or any illegal activities found, we will shut down these madrasas. But if someone is trying to malign the madrasas faking it as hub of terrorist activities, it will not be tolerated. Jamiat is committed to destroy any kind of terrorism in the country by its heart.”
To the central investigation agency and the state government, Madani said, “Islam is a religion of peace and harmony. Islam is always against the terrorist activities. We also want to destroy all terrorist activities. Muslims in India are very much patriotic. However, trying to malign their image as terrorist is very unfortunate. If anyone is engaged with terrorism, what are the Centre’s Home Ministry or the state’s Home department doing?”
Auditorium of West Bengal State Jamiat-e-Ulama Anti Terrorism Conference on Wednesday, 5th November, 2014 at Maulali Youth Centre, Kolkata.
State secretary of Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Hind Maulana Siddiqullah Chowdhury said, after continuous propaganda by a large section of media against the Madrasa and trying to establish links with terrorism, there was still peace in the state as “the state Government is maintaining the law and order to keep the communal harmony and integrity. But all the Muslims are scared about the allegation of terrorism.”
Siddiqullah condemned the role of the media in West Bengal as “very unfortunate” and claimed several of the media persons are “biased and influenced” by the radical forces of anti-Muslims mentalities.
Imam of the Nakhoda Mosque Maulana Muhammad Shafique Qasmi, Mufti Abdus Salam, Mufti Rafiqul Islam, Advocate Ashraf Ali Ansari and many Muslim clerics were present during the ant-terrorism conference. Jamiat supporters from different districts of West Bengal and even common people participated in the event.
The event saw tight security at the auditorium. Central security forces were seen around the Maulana too, who got security escort from the airport to the venue.