By V.A. Mohamad Ashrof for TwoCircles.net,
Thiruvananthapuram: The Civil Rights Protection Group and Minority Rights Watch has organized “anti-letter hunt” against the arrest of P.K. Abdul Rahiman Pallarimangalam (director of Nanma Books), book-hunting of non-proscribed books, as well as threat against the publication of Tejas newspaper at 5 pm to 9 pm at YMCA Hall, Thiruvananthapuram. The meeting was intended as a cultural fortification against “anti-letter hunt.”
The program was chaired by Advocate S. Shanavas, chairman of Minority Rights Watch. “By communalizing the intelligence agencies and by depicting Islam and Muslims as miscreants, the global imperialism and Indian fascists along with the support of a section of the mainstream media are threatening the secular fabric of the nation,” argued the P.T. A. Rahim, MLA who inaugurated the function.
P.K. Abdul Rahiman was given gift by P.T. A. Rahim MLA in recognition of his tortures encounter for freedom of expression and belief.
Advocate S. Shanavas said, “Islamophobia is escalating. People are denied the reality of the events. The legitimate democratic rights of Muslims are denied. Communities are fighting each other with ignorance and prejudice. This type of cashing of communal polarization is very short sighted. UPA government will be the real losers in this venture. The soft Hindutva card is playing everywhere. Ultimately this will help NDA. The short sighted Congress people are misreading things.
Reny Eilin (NCHRO) argued that “this type of anti-Muslimophobia should be controlled by real patriots. Otherwise the nation will plunge into cataclysmic disaster. Muslims are being denied their democratic rights as well as social justice. When people are viewing things in communitarian outlook events will be obscured to them. Communalists are beautifully utilizing this opportunity.”
Sadiq Uliyil (Solidarity) said: “When Medias like Janmabhumi and Kesari are vituperating non-real fabricated things and are freely circulating, minority’s newspaper (Tejas) is being intimidated.”
Advocate Rafeeq Kuttikkattor expressed happiness, “it is very heartening to see the increased realization of the events by all communities and they are supporting the marginalized.”
V. Prabhakaran (Kerala Dalit Sahitya Academy) explained the content of the book, “Islam as the better alternative before non-upper castes.” The authors are luminaries like Sahodaran K. Ayyappan, K. Sukumaran, B.A (founding editor of Kerala Kaumudi). He lamented that even Kerala Kaumudi was reluctant to expose the communal motivation of this anti-secular approach of the police.
P.Y. Balan recited a poem.
K. Sajid (Welfare Party), Kuttikkada Ashraff (Minority Front), A.S. Ajithkumar (Dalit activist), Shamnad Ali (ISA), Shamsudeen Mannani (KMYF) also spoke on the occasion. Abdul Majeed Nadwi (Minority Rights Watch) welcomed the gathering and Nizam Moosa expressed vote of thanks.
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V.A. Mohamad Ashrof receives his mail at: [email protected]