We (Muslims) have always asserted that we will abide by the court verdict

Just because the people of India have remained cool after the court verdict does not mean that the verdict is justified and correct. When mythology and "faith" of the majority take precedence over legal propriety and hard evidence, then how much conviction can the judgement carry? And if the Hindu claims were correct, why give one-third land to the Waqf Board - consolation prize?

Over the years we (Muslims) have always asserted that we will abide by the court verdict. What about the other side? Again and again we have heard that either the Court decides in favour of Ram Janmasthan otherwise they will assert that the Court can't decide on matters of faith. No wonder the judges have kept in mind the intransigent approach of the saffron brigade while delivering their verdict.

It is very unfortunate and I feel it's equally a black day as December 6, 1992. They demolished a structure on that fateful day and these Judges broke my faith in capabilities of our Judiciary on September 30, 2010.

Despite provocation at many places, such as distributing sweets, sounding fire crakers and Even showing disrespect to holy book Quran by tearing and inscripting it with Jai Shri Ram, Muslims all over India has kept quite as we fear that a decision based on reason, law and hard evidence might have led to communal riots and ultimately muslims would have faced the blunt again!!!

Minority Muslims have got caught in a real dilemma over which party they would vote for this time.

The Alliance between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the All India National Congress (Cong I) is now through in west Bengal with TMC contesting about 228 seats while congress will fight on 65 constituencies. But it must be noted that the performance of the Congress at the centre has so far proved impotent in controlling skyrocketing prices of essential commodities. It has also been found that many heavyweights either from the congress or the ruling alliance of UPA were on headlines for all the wrong reasons, denting the image of the party.

Many find the price rise and numerous scams as the biggest negative achievements of the Congress-led UPA in recent months. It is in this Congress era that India have witnessed increased cases of harassment of dynamic and qualified Muslim young citizens by country's security agencies. There is huge number of cases in which young Muslims were falsely framed as terrorists or their accomplices. Congress boasts as a secular party. But history shows that under the rule of the Congress the country witnessed more communal riots than under the government of any other party.

On 22nd February 1949 midnight when idols were placed inside the Babri Masjid Congress was in power in centre and also in Uttar Pradesh. in 1986, when gates of the mosque were unlocked and puja was performed by the Hindu zealots, Congress headed the central as well as the local state governments. Yet again, it was the Congress party at the helm in Delhi when the Babri Masjid was demolished. Muslims were hurt again when they were asked to remain calm before the delivery of Babri Masjid judgment. We saw how joyous non-Muslims were at liberty to celebrate the ‘victory’ after the judgment came through. Congress often refutes to help Muslims improve their standard of living. The Congress did not throw its weight behind Digvijay Singh nor tried to rescue him from the verbal attacks from opposition parties, when he tried to raise questions about Hemant Karkare's unfortunate death in suspicious condition. Mr Singh also did not get enough support from his party when he hinted that some Hinduist groups had been involved in terror attacks against Muslims and many terror attacks which were being blamed on Muslims could have been engineered by the Hinduists.

Hence, with Congress as a dishonest party, Trinamool as an opportunist, and a strong anti incumbency wave sweeping against the Leftist coalition, minority Muslims have got caught in a real dilemma over which party they would vote for this time.

The law enforcing agencies are somewhat incapable to protect the vulnerable which was very much evident in case of Gujarat riots.

We as a country are passing through a transition phase both politically and economically and we need to be glued to our basic dictates as laid down in our constitution. Apathy to the Commonwealth Games (or should I rephrase it as Conmen Wealth Making-games) scams , the 2G spectrum scam and so on could encourage more massive misappropriation of public funds, with major implications for the economy. And there is a definite need to pressurize the investigating agencies so that the guilty are brought to book.

It is unfortunate that the whistle blowers are demoralized into silence or actually liquidated at times. Attacks on witnesses and accused persons lodged in jails have become too common to provoke public annoyance or media consideration. The law enforcing agencies are somewhat incapable to protect the vulnerable which was very much evident in case of Gujarat riots. Even The Rights guaranteed by the constitution and which are supposed to be inherited free of cost are bought and sold like a virtual commodity, it is a common knowledge that to register a complaint at any police station ,it will have to be backed by an illegal payments, leave aside the follow up action which further entails expenses at times beyond a victims reach making the whole process affordable only to the rich and elite class. Hence monetary constraint of victims turns the entire law awarding process “tipsy turvy” with victims as accused, and the oppressors as aggrieved and by all means and standards this is shameful state of affairs after six decades of self rule.

My greatest regret is that we have not been able to build a popular opinion in favour implementing police reforms, that is a well trained, handsomely paid, unbiased & autonomous police force which will be an an ideal towards which every democracy should work. But unfortunately even after years this merely remains an impractical and unachievable theory limited to books, which is a tragedy that continues to bedevil us all.

Although the Supreme Court has ordered reforms from time to time but they are either delayed or partially implemented, but then giving up the fight against the oligarchy of the political class is again an easy option I desist and deny…

I wonder if our civil society is also divided on the opinion or is religiously biased as well.

Swami Asemanand’s confession has opened Pandora’s Box, and the bees of the box have stung so many men in authority, it has further demolished the credibility of countless men in uniform who are on oath to be un-biased and neutral.

It is heart quenching to know as, how the police built cases against innocent men, accusing and implicating them of terrorist attacks be it on Malegaon, the Samjhauta Express, Ajmer Sharif and Mecca Masjid. Those in political power kept quietly approving this biased investigations and any doubts raised by social activists, while victims of police atrocities were brushed aside.

Unfortunately large section of Media also kept quiet and underplayed the involvement of any other (non Islamic) elements, and so most of the incidents did find space on front pages were about the involvements of Muslims, whereas the voices of victims, social activists and rational men were purposely tucked in the back pages in a subdued manner.

Whatever the reasons for the trap that was set by the police, this is a chilling story of malafide intent and elaborately cynical charades that shames the criminal justice system of our country and the lofty ideals of justice that it is meant to champion.

In our country we need to have a mechanism in place whose job should be to keep watch that no innocents are falsely accused and wrongly booked, as years of incarceration ruins them and their families completely. It also remains to be seen as how the Indian Government is going to right the wrongs done by some communal law enforcing men. Will the offending officers be booked under the same stringent laws which were abused by them?

Another important precedent deserves attention here is that the liberal & intelligentsia flocks around commenting on the issues if a non Muslim is booked in some criminal or sedition charges, which is very much evident in the cases of Dr.Binayak Sen, journalist Azaad or even an Arudhuti Roy .But then, the protest by the same broadminded & liberals are either limited or negligible, if a Muslim goes through the same agony, which is unfair in any Laissez-faire multicultural society. This regrettably forces me to wonder if our civil society is also divided on the opinion or is religiously biased as well.

While it is to be seen if the government of India just likes their counterpart in Australia apologies and compensates (as in case of Dr. Mohammed Haneef) to the innocents who were wrongly detained, charged and imprisoned. As all those who stands for the Democratic society with the concept of human rights expects the above as this will be the first step of reparation owed to the innocents, accused and their devastated families.

Therefore it is yet to be seen if India can defend its record of multicultural & multireligious tolerance…

MUSLIMS, A MISUNDERSTOOD COMMUNITY IN INDIA

The Indian media published many colorful stories reporting that Madrassas are breeding grounds for Islamic terrorism and that many of them are funded by Pakistan's ISI. But the media never bothered to investigate the charges seriously. In fact we have never heard such charge against any Islamic institution having ever been proved to be true in any court of law.

India’s Muslim population, which is estimated to be as large as 150 million (the second largest in the world after Indonesia), is largely poor, illiterate, and has been victims of communal discrimination in almost all walks of life. Government-appointed inquiry commissions highlighted these miseries of Indian Muslims at least twice in recent years. Yet, India’s Muslims have remained committed to the Indian state and seek to participate in country’s mainstream political and economic life.
Living in ghettoes and backward villages Muslims often have no access to quality government, private or missionary schools. The poorer Muslim parents are left with no choice but to send their small children to madrassas where education is almost free. They send their children to madrassas to help them get at least religious education when they do not have easy access to mainstream general education.

Muslims face discrimination in education, job, housing and other fields. This discrimination has given rise to sense of alienation among many Muslims. If this discrimination is removed from the country, Muslims can positively contribute to India’s growth in all terms. But minority Muslims cannot join the mainstream unless they get help from the majority Hindu community. This open-hearted welcome gesture of mutual trust and respect must come from the Hindus first. I am sure that the gesture will surely be spontaneously reciprocated by the Muslims.

This has to be understood that there are number of Islamic religious and political organisations across the country. But these organisations are not that popular among Muslims who traditionally prefer to support secular groups. For this reason no Islamist group has in fact been able to be involved in terrorist activities with popular Muslim support.

In fact, India's secular education system is yet to do to something substantial on its part to help integrate Muslims into the mainstream society. I am sure that if Muslims are offered opportunity, like other Indians, they would surely prefer modern academic education over what poorer madrassas are offering. Like all others, India’s Muslims too want to improve their standard of living and they know that modern or English education can help them reach that goal comfortably.

However, although at a low pace, traditional hurdles to Muslims’ cultural integration to the mainstream society are falling apart. For all Indians many young and dynamic Muslims have turned culture icons in recent years- be it in sports, movies and other fields. As Muslims have always maintained that they are Indians first and Muslims second, they are making serious efforts to integrate themselves into the mainstream society and win the adulation and respect of other Indians. Unless the authorities guarantee unbiased opportunities for these Muslims, they will never be able to improve their lots and participate in nation’s development.

Separatism and religious extremism hold no appeal to Indian Muslims, and the overwhelming majority of them espouse moderate doctrines. But, it’s unfortunate that mainstream Indian Media have always incorrectly portrayed minority Muslims as one obscurantist community, resorting to violence and terrorism. Bent only on how they can push up their TRP, the media never bothered to unveil the TRUTH, sadly...

DONT JUDGE ISLAM BY WHAT FEW TERRORISTS ARE DOING

Terrorism should be seen as an international menace. No religious identity should be attached to it as no religion on earth justifies the killings of the innocent. Islam strongly forbids violence against innocents. The unenlightened people who say they are acting in the name of religion may have either misinterpreted Islam or are practising it erroneously. And so, you will make a big mistake if you try get an idea of Islam on the basis of the activities of these terrorists.

Yet the fact is, since the 9/11 World Trade Center attack, the entire Muslim community has been living in despair of being misunderstood by the rest of the world. The attack by few criminals was condemned by global Muslim leadership that identified the attackers as the black sheep in the community. But the entire Muslim community is still being viewed as terrorist today.

Very few non-Muslims have bothered to consider the facts that tens of thousands of local Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan have been involved in anti-terrorism operations, helping the Allied Forces and local governments. Could the US led military action against Iraq ever succeed if it did not get key support of the Islamic country of Saudi Arabia?

If you want to know about Islam, read the Quran- the only authentic source to know the widely misunderstood religion. The Quran is based on the concepts of morality, love, compassion, mercy, modesty, self-sacrifice, tolerance, and peace. One who truly lives according to these moral precepts is considered the best Muslim. However, today Islam is mostly being identified on the basis of what its morality-less section is doing.
If you read the Quran you can understand how Allah instructs His followers to be nice to his neighbours around, and shun cruelty and violence. Allah says, He does not like his followers who resort to violence against innocent people. Those who do not obey this divine command are walking in the footsteps of Satan and moving away from Allah.

Even the political doctrine in Islam is extremely peaceful, moderate and accommodating. The concept that badly needs clarification in this context is that of "jihad". The exact meaning of "Jihad" is "effort". That is, "to carry out jihad" is "to show efforts, to struggle". To be very precise, Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) explained that "the greatest jihad is the one a person carries out against his lower soul". Here the “lower soul" is one’s selfish desire, unhealthy ambitions and immoral intentions. The use of the concept of "jihad" for acts of aggression against innocent people, is indeed “TERRORISM”, and is not only unjustified but amounts to a serious distortion of tenets of Islam. These misguided lots- "the terrorists", ignore what their conscience says and listen to their earthly desire for violence by resorting to wickedness, which is indeed un-Islamic. They become loveless, aggressive people who do not hesitate to hurt others without the slightest pang of conscience. Having no fear of Allah or god, they do not abide by the morality of their religion, nor do they practice it. Nothing can stop them from committing crimes and hurting the innocents. Hence these misguided men should not be considered followers of any religion at all.

Compassion, peace and tolerance constitute the very basis of Islam, and the commands of the Quran leave no room for dispute and contradictions. The moral teaching offered to humanity by Islam is one that aims to bring peace, happiness and justice to the world. The barbarism that is happening in the world today under the name of "Islamic Terrorism" has no connection with the Quran. Such terrorism-related activities are the work of a section of ignorant, bigoted criminals who have nothing to do with religion and its tenets. A strong action should be taken against these individuals, groups and organisations who take to savagery under the guise of Islam.

This further leaves every Muslim with a duty to represent, through his attitudes and behavior, the religion of Allah in all finest possible manners. Muslims must display kindness, humility, forgiveness, as our Prophet (PBUH) possessed. And they must be compassionate and affectionate as he was.

With no other better option around, Muslims have decided to support Trinamool Congress....

West Bengal appears like a heaven to the rest of the country. In fact it is in a shape more dilapidated than one outside the state can imagine. Minorities here face more hostile a government than their counterparts have faced in Gujarat. Compared to Gujarat more people have been killed in Bengal, but unlike Narendra Modi’s government it has not been caught. The law and order situation in Bengal has taken a beating and administrative machinery has been politically and religiously biased.

I am sure you all remember the popular 2002 Gujarat Riots picture of a weeping man with folded hands- appealing to Hindu activists to spare him. The Left Front widely used this picture of the Gujarat-based Bengalee Muslim tailor Qutubuddin Ansari during the 2005 campaign for Assembly elections. Ansari and his picture were used by the Front to seek Muslim votes in Bengal. Then the Front promised to arrange to rehabilitate and help Ansari in the most humane way possible. But as soon as the election was over and Muslims were found to have overwhelmingly voted the Communist coalition to power, the Front literally kicked Ansari out of the state. The poor tailor felt he had been cheated by the Left Front and chose to move back to Gujarat.

Before the last assembly and 2009 general elections, this Left Front government made lots of promises to help the backward Muslim community reintegrate into the mainstream. But as soon as the elections were over it backtracked on its promises.

Some months ago the Left Front government announced reservations for backward sections of the Muslim community. The government took good care so that the news could spread all across the country to boost the image of the “minority caring” government. But few in the country know what happened to the implementation part of the scheme. The government identified some groups among Muslims as backward [OBC] and placed them in the reserved categories. But I can cite at least few thousands of cases in which young students of those OBC Muslim groups in the state have been actually denied the reservation facilities by the communally-biased administrative machineries when they queued up for the certificates. Communally biased bureaucrats and their officers have routinely been rejecting the applications of the poor Muslim students in the districts.

The scheme in fact has turned into a public scam now. It’s like they sold show tickets to public with behind-the-door instructions to gate-keepers to keep the gates closed when the public turned up for the show.

The government should understand that this reservation is an acknowledgement of the plight of a backward community and that it provides a remedial measure to uplift the down-trodden Muslims.

As I pick holes in the functioning of the Left Front government I should not be misconstrued that I appreciate the style of politics or policies adopted by Mamata Banerjee’s party. She is already a powerful union minister and appears set to take power in West Bengal soon. Yet, she has done nothing or hinted to do anything to improve the standard of life of Muslims, apart from resorting to some meaningless or hollow gestures.

She could have done something at least to make people realise that her rule, if she came to power, would be different from that of the present Stalinists. But as she closely follows Brahmanisation of her party, mislead people and indulges in the politicians’ well-known habits of making false promises only with an eye to grab power as quickly as possible, we become sure her rule would not be different from the one by the Front. In fact I am sceptical if she or her party members would even bother to listen to grievances of the Muslims, once she comes to power.

However, Bengal’s Muslims, who repeatedly kept electing the Front to power sees a bigger evil in the Communists, and have for now, decided to stand by Mamata’s TMC. It must be noted that Muslims are being forced to choose Mamata Banerjee as their new leader only because they do not have any other viable option before them at the moment.