ALL INDIA MUSLIM MAJLIS-E-MUSHAWARAT
D-250, Abul Fazal Enclave, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025
Tel.: 011-26946780 Fax: 011-26947346 Email: mushawarat@mushawarat.com
23 February 2011
Statement
Special Court in the Godhra Trial Case has Acquitted 63 Accused and Convicted 31.
AIMMM is Convinced that there was a Conspiracy by the VHP to Find Excuse for Gujarat Genocide already Planned.
AIMMM Urges those Convicted to Challenge Judgment & Bring out all Facts Omitted by the Court.
New Delhi, 23 February 2011, Mr. Syed Shahabuddin, President of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, has issued the following statement;
The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat has noted the judgment of the Special Court on the Godhra Train Burning case, which has acquitted 63 accused and convicted 31. While the AIMMM welcomes the acquittals, particularly that of Maulvi Hussain Ibrahim Umarji, a recognized leader of the Muslim Community in Godhra & felicitates them, it urges those convicted to appeal to the High Court against their conviction, because many of them who were not even in Godhra on the date were falsely implicated by the Gujarat police and many confessions were obtained by torture.
The AIMMM notes serious omissions by the Special Court of not taking notice of CM Narendra Modi’s immediate dash to Godhra and his instruction to the district authorities to transfer the dead bodies to Ahmedabad forthwith, where they were paraded to incite communal passions and to launch the infamous Gujarat Genocide, while the fact is that the CM did not visit even the localities in Ahmedabad itself which were scenes of large scale killing & destruction.
The Special Court has also taken no notice of the CM’s direction to the state level civil and police administration on 26 February 2002 evening to permit free hand to the Hindus seeking revenge for the Godhra killing.
The AIMMM feels that the appeals should revisit the question whether there was a conspiracy behind the tragedy of Godhra. It is convinced that there was a conspiracy but not by the Muslims of Godhra but by the VHP and its associates to put into effect their plan for massive attacks on the Muslims of Gujarat and thus to find an excuse for the Genocide.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM: Graham E Fuller : Book Reveiw by SHAIKH MUJIBUR REHMAN
A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM: Graham E Fuller; Little Brown, New York. Hachette India, 612-614, 6th Floor, Time Tower, M.G. Road, Sector 28, Gurgaon-122001. Rs. 595.
To those who are convinced that such titles are suggestive of Islamophobia, A world without Islam could be misleadingly provocative. Those who believe that there can never be a world without Islam or Muslims and that such a thought could be nurtured only at the cost of humanity will find it highly deceptive. The book vigorously argues that Islam has nothing to do with whatever violence, war, or ill-feeling is happening in its name.
What is surprising is that this robust pro-Islamic argument and fascinating pro-Muslim narrative comes from a very unlikely quarter. Graham Fuller, now in the academic field, has served as the vice-chairman of the CIA's National Intelligence Council. That one with such a background will have so many nice things to say about Islam and Muslims is rather difficult to believe.
Graham Fuller attempts to make a convincing case for the innocence of Islam. A substantial part of the narrative is devoted to explaining the evolution of Islam, its relationship with other faiths, and how state power has its own dynamics that often makes Islam a convenient excuse for its wrongdoings and excesses. He argues that “[the] present crisis of East-West relations, or between the West and Islam, has really very little to do with religion and everything to do with political and cultural frictions, interests, rivalries, and clashes.” He goes on to add that three great Abrahamanic faiths — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — share more than they dispute, and it is the states that dispute.
Blame on evangelists
The author, in a very interesting chapter, titled ‘Muslims in the West', blames the evangelists for spreading the misconception about Muslims and Islam. By way of corroboration, he quotes how American evangelist Franklin Graham said things about Islam that are not just disrespectful, but factually incorrect. He observes that some Muslims, who seek to lead an Islamic life in the West, sincerely try to accommodate the western order and in the process make some compromises. He sounds quite convincing when he argues that some high-profile evangelists have been at the forefront in spreading canards about Muslims and Islam. The Islam-bashers are quick to blame Islam for whatever Osama bin Laden did. But, in the case of Adolf Hitler, they have little to blame in Christianity for his dark deeds. It is necessary that all peace-loving people do not fall for such easy unsubstantiated generalisations but seek to find out why such pernicious conflicts should persist for so long. In a multi-cultural world, the objective should be to build bridges across divides. Apparently, it is not just the evangelists, many among the western elite also subscribe to such sweeping generalisations about the Islamic community. British Prime Minister David Cameron's recent statement at a Munich conference calling for a rethink of the concept of multi-culturalism — in effect echoing what German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy had said earlier — is a measure of the deep prejudices and stereotypes the political elite of the West has about Islam and its adherents. Muslims in the West are indeed a global community drawn from diverse backgrounds and have contributed enormously to the enrichment of the western society.
In the chapter on Indian Muslims, the author argues that Hindus and Muslims have demonstrated how by peaceful co-existence they have enriched each other's life. He analyses not just the impact of colonialism, but also Partition, the Bangladesh war, the Kashmir issue, and the Rajinder Sachar report. Some of these issues are extremely complex, and justice cannot be done to them in a single chapter. Yet his conclusion seems to be on right lines. In South Asia, the efforts of ethnic minorities towards faith-based societies have been counter-productive. However, it will be naïve to argue that multi-culturalism is free from danger in India. Fuller seems to be convinced that the war on terrorism is wrong and that its intellectual and moral bases need to be diligently scrutinised.
Clash of civilisations
This book has effectively articulated the challenge to what is popularly known in academic discourse as the “clash of civilisations” thesis. It is an excellent read for those who are interested in understanding the wide range of issues associated with the so-called ‘war on terror'. Moreover, to the extent that the book exposes how some Western regimes are manipulating Islam to advance their own interests, it will go a long way in removing the misconception about that religion and the Muslims as a community. The purpose would be best served if the book is recommended for study at the undergraduate level.
To those who are convinced that such titles are suggestive of Islamophobia, A world without Islam could be misleadingly provocative. Those who believe that there can never be a world without Islam or Muslims and that such a thought could be nurtured only at the cost of humanity will find it highly deceptive. The book vigorously argues that Islam has nothing to do with whatever violence, war, or ill-feeling is happening in its name.
What is surprising is that this robust pro-Islamic argument and fascinating pro-Muslim narrative comes from a very unlikely quarter. Graham Fuller, now in the academic field, has served as the vice-chairman of the CIA's National Intelligence Council. That one with such a background will have so many nice things to say about Islam and Muslims is rather difficult to believe.
Graham Fuller attempts to make a convincing case for the innocence of Islam. A substantial part of the narrative is devoted to explaining the evolution of Islam, its relationship with other faiths, and how state power has its own dynamics that often makes Islam a convenient excuse for its wrongdoings and excesses. He argues that “[the] present crisis of East-West relations, or between the West and Islam, has really very little to do with religion and everything to do with political and cultural frictions, interests, rivalries, and clashes.” He goes on to add that three great Abrahamanic faiths — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — share more than they dispute, and it is the states that dispute.
Blame on evangelists
The author, in a very interesting chapter, titled ‘Muslims in the West', blames the evangelists for spreading the misconception about Muslims and Islam. By way of corroboration, he quotes how American evangelist Franklin Graham said things about Islam that are not just disrespectful, but factually incorrect. He observes that some Muslims, who seek to lead an Islamic life in the West, sincerely try to accommodate the western order and in the process make some compromises. He sounds quite convincing when he argues that some high-profile evangelists have been at the forefront in spreading canards about Muslims and Islam. The Islam-bashers are quick to blame Islam for whatever Osama bin Laden did. But, in the case of Adolf Hitler, they have little to blame in Christianity for his dark deeds. It is necessary that all peace-loving people do not fall for such easy unsubstantiated generalisations but seek to find out why such pernicious conflicts should persist for so long. In a multi-cultural world, the objective should be to build bridges across divides. Apparently, it is not just the evangelists, many among the western elite also subscribe to such sweeping generalisations about the Islamic community. British Prime Minister David Cameron's recent statement at a Munich conference calling for a rethink of the concept of multi-culturalism — in effect echoing what German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy had said earlier — is a measure of the deep prejudices and stereotypes the political elite of the West has about Islam and its adherents. Muslims in the West are indeed a global community drawn from diverse backgrounds and have contributed enormously to the enrichment of the western society.
In the chapter on Indian Muslims, the author argues that Hindus and Muslims have demonstrated how by peaceful co-existence they have enriched each other's life. He analyses not just the impact of colonialism, but also Partition, the Bangladesh war, the Kashmir issue, and the Rajinder Sachar report. Some of these issues are extremely complex, and justice cannot be done to them in a single chapter. Yet his conclusion seems to be on right lines. In South Asia, the efforts of ethnic minorities towards faith-based societies have been counter-productive. However, it will be naïve to argue that multi-culturalism is free from danger in India. Fuller seems to be convinced that the war on terrorism is wrong and that its intellectual and moral bases need to be diligently scrutinised.
Clash of civilisations
This book has effectively articulated the challenge to what is popularly known in academic discourse as the “clash of civilisations” thesis. It is an excellent read for those who are interested in understanding the wide range of issues associated with the so-called ‘war on terror'. Moreover, to the extent that the book exposes how some Western regimes are manipulating Islam to advance their own interests, it will go a long way in removing the misconception about that religion and the Muslims as a community. The purpose would be best served if the book is recommended for study at the undergraduate level.
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