The MMM expresses its deep sense of grief at the demise of some eminent members of the community during the period’s December 2006- 9 Feb 2007 and prays to the Almighty for their Maghferat and offers its sincere condolence to the bereaved families.

1. Abdul Rashid Azhari, 72, Islamic Scholar, Delhi, 7 Dec. 2006

2. Abdul Quddos Kashmiri, 70, Secretary,Ulema Council, Mumbai,Delhi, 8 Dec. 2006

3. Wajid Sehri, Urdu Poet, Delhi, 11 Dec. 2006

4. Shaukat Siddiqui, 83, Urdu Novelist, Karachi, 19 Dec. 2006

5. Syed Nazre Ahsan 72, Former Vice Chancellor, Patna University, 20 Dec. 2006

6. Hakeem Moh. Manzoor, 69, Kashmiri, Urdu Poet, Gurgaon, 22 December 2007.

7. Choudhary Moh. Arif, 70, Trustee, India Islamic Cultural Centre,Delhi, 5 Jan. 2007.

8. Ahmed Raza, Economist and Banker, Washington DC, 11 January, 2007

*The MMM also expresses its deep grief and joins the nation in mourning the demise of the eminent Hindi writer Kamleshwar and prays for eternal peace to the departed soul and offers condolence to the bereaved family and admirer.

The Markazi Majalis-e-Mushawart(MMM) of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawart(AIMMM) has regretfully noted that the Ministry of Minority Affairs which has just completed one year of its existence is yet to settle down in its permanent office and to take full charge of all matters relating to the Muslim community, for example; Haj, Minority Education and National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions. The three institutions in its hand – the Central Wakf Council, Maulana Azad Foundation and the National Minority Development and Finance Corporation have also shown little progress. Though empowered to monitor the implementation of the PM’s New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of the Minorities and to prioritise and co-ordinate the implementation of the recommendation of the Sachar Committee, it has little or no involvement in the distribution of due benefits of general welfare and development schemes to the Muslims. Indeed, it is yet to develop a purposeful modality for interaction with the Muslim community, on one hand, and with the government institutions, on its behalf, on the other. There has been so far no parliamentary discussion on the annual reports of the National Commission for Minorities or the Linguistic Commissioner or the Central Wakf Council. Neither had the parliament discussed Haj or communal violence or status of Muslim in higher education and in government employment or flow of bank credit to the deprived communities. For all these reason the Ministry is yet to make an impact on national scene or on the Muslim community.

The AIMMM requests the government to strengthen the Ministry and the institutions in its charge and lay down modalities for its regular interaction with other ministries and departments.

The MMM also suggests to the Ministry to have regular interaction with the minorities.

The MMM also reiterates its proposal for the formation of a Standing Parliamentary Committee as well as a Join Parliamentary Committee on Minorities.

The MMM has noted the wide range of discussions on the Sachar Report by the intelligentsia and the Muslim community and in the media to distill practicable and useful recommendation.

The MMM reiterates its view that the Sachar Report provides adequate data for the recognition of the Muslim community as a Backward Class and its inclusion, as such, within the National List of Backward Classes and consequent provision of a suitable sub-quota, within the OBC quota, which should apply not only to public employment at all levels but in access to higher education, to benefits of development and welfare schemes and to bank credit to the eligible persons within the community.

The MMM is also of the view that the reservation for the Backward Classes should exclude the Creamy Layer in order to benefit the really backward in each beneficiary group.

Alternatively, the MMM proposes the principle of proportional distribution of benefits and facilities among the eligible in various Backward Classes within the zone of distribution or selection relative to their population in the zone. The MMM finds that the limited districts or ‘across- the- board’ approach will leave the major part of Muslim community in the cold.

The MMM suggests to the government to build a national consensus in favour of giving the long deprived Muslims their due not only though a discussion on the Report in the Parliament but though dialogue with the political parties and the civil society in order to educate the common people, who are basically secular and believe in equality and social justice, to counteract the hostile propaganda by the communal forces.

The MMM has reviewed the communal situation in the county and attributes frequent incidence of anti-Muslim violence to the penetration of soft Hindutva in the mind-set of the educated and the well off due to Hinduisation of school education, ceaseless hostile propaganda by the RSS and other Hindutva organisations like VHP, BJP, Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal which wish to consolidate their vote banks and to the inefficiency and partisanship of the law and order machinery. The MMM is thus not surprised by increasing number of low intensity violence in various corners of the country caused by minor incidents.

On the recent disturbance in eastern UP with Gorakhpur as its epicentre, the MMM has come to the conclusion that the BJP leader Yogi Aditya Nath, MP, and his Hindu Yuva Vahini and its longtime propaganda through out the region are wholly responsible.

The MMM demands ban on all religious militias such the Bajrang Dal and the Yuva Vahini and also demands the prosecution of their leaders who incite followers for taking law in their own hands, intimidating citizens and burning public and private property.

In the case of Karnataka, the MMM demands CBI inquiry in the Bangalore incident which was more a case of police atrocity than a case of inter community violence as well as a review of the overall communal situation in the state since the present government took office.

The MMM welcomes the visit of the APHC delegation led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to Pakistan, his contacts with the leadership of Pakistan at various levels and as well as with militant groups. The MMM particularly appreciates Mirwaiz’s statement on the futility of militancy to solve Kashmir problem.

The MMM also welcomes the Musharraf proposal and the positive reaction of the Prime Minister expressing his vision of a peaceful subcontinent.

The MMM also finds it heartening that the National Conference has decided to join peace talk and the state government has taken full cognizance of recent cases of fake encounters. The MMM looks forward to the intensification of political dialogue at both levels in order to heal the wounds in the Kashmiri psyche.

The MMM proposes the formation of a Commission of Eminent Persons to enquire into all prima facie allegations of enforced disappearance, custodial killing and false encounters since 1990 and the immediate withdrawal from the state of the units of the security forces which have been found guilty of violation of Human Rights and have thus brought dishonour to themselves and to the country.

The MMM also calls upon the government and people of other states to treat Kashmiris in a manner that they feel at home.

5. On Hinduisation of School Education

The MMM expresses its deep concern at the on-going Hinduisation of school culture and text books particularly in BJP-ruled states, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh which constitutes a deviation from the principles of secularism and the basic structure of the Constitution. The recent examples are – the textbook on social studies for class X introduced in Gujarat, which propagates the Ideology of the RSS and the tenets of Hinduism and the imposition of Hindu rituals on all schools in Gujarat and MP, in the name of Yoga.

The MMM demands that the Central government should subject funding to states for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to their adherence to secular education so that the school system remains open to all and does not repel non-Hindu parents, and thus fulfill its basic mission of universalisation.

6- On Extention of Visa to Tasleema Nasreen and Hate Legislation

The MMM expresses its regret that the Government has decided to extend the residence visa for Tasleema Nasreen, ignoring the protest of the Community at her public statements which hurt their religious feelings and which see this indifference in the same light as the ignoring of the inflammatory outpourings of Thakre and Aditya Nath, despite penal provisions in the law.

The MMM considers that the state is the custodian of the honour and dignity of all Communities, including the minorities, and should constantly monitor such vicious utterances and take sue-motto action against the perpetrators.

The MMM also demands that the existing legal provisions should be reinforced by legislature with hate legislation and by instructions to the police to videotape or audiotape public speeches and to take action on public complaints.

7- On Scandals in Performance of Haj and Qurbani

The MMM expresses its shock at the scandals which have come to light in the management of two basic rites of Islam namely, Haj and Qurbani.

The MMM is of the view that the continuance of Haj subsidy is at the root of the Haj scandal and reiterates that it must be abolished forthwith and the Haj Committee, authorities to fix Haj charter fare through international tender for both groups of pilgrims namely those who perform Haj through the Haj Committee and through Haj Tour operators.

As for Qurbani, the MMM calls upon the All India Muslim Personal Board to look into the bonafides of the institutions and individuals who offer to perform Qurbani at cheap rates, blacklist them and warn the community against dealing with them.

8- On Revision of Foreign Contribution Regulation

The MMM has taken note of the draft bill on regulation of foreign contributions. The Bill is excessively restrictive and therefore violative of the basic purpose which is to encourage flow of foreign contribution for educational and welfare activities to genuine NGOs.

The Bill in its present form is also too bureaucratic and impossible to follow for small NGO’s. It will not only choke the flow but also encourage nepotism and corruption.

The MMM requests the government to give careful thought to the suggestions of the former RBI Governor Shri Bimal Jalan MP and those submitted by other organisations for Improving the Bill in the larger interest of the country.

9- On Reform of Police Raj

The MMM welcomes the recent directives of the Supreme Court on reforming the police administration, removing total impunity for public servants, mandatory recording of public complaints as FIRS and on prosecution for custodial killings.

The MMM supports the proposal of the National Human Right Commission for establishing a Federal Police for investigating specified Federal Crimes. The MMM suggests that incidents of social violence which are prolonged and take a heavy toll of life and property should be included in the purview of Federal Crimes and Federal Police.

The MMM deplores the killing of Bihari migrants by the ULFA and the inability of the Government of Assam to protect life and livelihood of migrants from other parts of the country. The MMM suggests that in such cases, the state or origin and the host state should through effective co-ordination maintain records of migrants and of ethnic violence against them as well as their exploitation by local employers.

The MMM is of the view that such xenophobia in any part of the country cannot be controlled only by use of force but through social education and political dialogue.

The MMM has taken note of the inefficacy of the Atrocities Act for stopping persecution and humiliation of the Dalits and destruction of their icons and proposes that the Act be given more teeth and the machinery for enforcement be strengthened.

The MMM also proposes that the Act should apply inclusively to all cases of atrocities and humiliations against any social group.

The MMM expresses its deep grief at the serial killing of scores of girls in Nithari area of Noida which has exposed the access of the moneyed class to the power structure and the indifference of the police to the people. The MMM demands that the investigation and prosecution of the culprits be expedited

The MMM suggests that the government should place local police under social control and seriously consider implementing recommendations of the Police Commission.

The MMM welcomes the visit by the Foreign Minister to Iran at the critical juncture when Iran is facing a threat of invasion by the USA, to ‘punish’ it for alleged intervention in Iraq. The MMM considers that the USA’s the real objective is destroying Iran’s missile capacity and Securing Israel and to slowing down the uranium enrichment programme undertaken by Iran. The MMM realizes that Iran will not be a cakewalk for the USA but any such military adventure will sow seeds for long-term hostility and tension in the region. The MMM urges the government to exert all its influence on the USA to keep it from enacting another ‘Iraq’ and suggests to the PM to visit Iraq to revive relations of friendship and cooperation.

The MMM also urges the Iranian leadership to persuade the Maliki regime in Iraq to ban private militias and set up composite Iraqi forces to control Shia-Sunni conflict.

The MMM strongly protests against continued excavation by Israel under or close to Masjid Al Aqsa and demands an absolute stop until the final settlement of the Palestinian Question. The MMM also calls upon Palestine’s immediate neighbours namely, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Egypt to deliver a joint warning to Israel against any damage to Masjid Al Aqsa.

Pending final settlement, the MMM demands the immediate vacation of East Jerusalem by Israel and its transfer to the State of Palestine.

The MMM reiterates its plea to the Hamas and Al Fatah to bury the hatchet and form a national government for dialogue with Israel and welcome Saudia Arabia’s efforts in this regard.

The MMM has noted with sorrow that, as anticipated, the Shia-Sunni conflict has flared up after the illegal execution of former president Saddam Husain and has reached the proportion of a civil war which is taking a heavy toll of human life every day and giving rise to mass displacement of people from one part of the country to another as well as to foreign countries. .

The MMM is convinced that the occupying power is fanning the flames in order to accelerate Iraq’s descent into chaos and thus its disintegration. In this context, the MMM re-affirms its conviction that until and unless the USA and other foreign powers quit Iraq, the people of Iraq will know no peace.

The MMM calls upon Iraq’s leadership not to agree to any change in the oil production and export regime to the benefit of multi-nationals, until Iraq regains its full sovereignty.

The MMM appreciates the continuous endevour by Saudi Arabia to bring about Shia-Sunni understanding and to contain the civil war.