ALL INDIA MUSLIM MAJLIS-E-MUSHAWARAT

[Umbrella body of the Indian Muslim organisations]

D-250, Abul Fazal Enclave, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025  India

Tel.: 011-26946780  Fax: 011-26947346

Email: mushawarat@mushawarat.com   Web: www.mushawarat.com

AIMMM condemns the kidnapping of Maulana Aamir Rashadi’s son

New Delhi, Sunday, 21 December 2008: The All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat (AIMMM) took a strong view of the kidnapping, allegedly by the Nagpur ATS, of Mr Mohammad Talha, 23-year son of Maulana Aamir Rashadi, Principal of the famous Jamiatur Rashad Islamic educational institution in Azamgarh town and a well-known Muslim scholar and human rights activist active in Uttar Pradesh. Mohammad Talha is a financial analyst in a multinational IT company in Hyderabad. He was returning to Hyderabad after spending his holidays in Azamgarh, by the Patna-Sikandarabad Express. He alighted at Nagpur at 11.30 pm alongwith a colleague to fetch water. Persons claiming to be from the ATS grabbed him, pushed his colleague to the floor and spirited Talha away. This morning he was allowed to speak to his father for a few minutes during which he pleaded with his father not to make any noises about his arrest, otherwise he will be in greater trouble. The same threat was later repeated by a person who claimed to be a police officer. Talha’s whereabouts are not known and it not certain who have kidnapped him.

Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, President of the AIMMM, said that the arrest of a techie who is the son of a well-known Muslim scholar and leader who has been in the forefront of the protest against the criminalisation of Azamgarh in the wake of the Batla House encounter, is a warning to all Muslims who are raising their voices against the injustices perpetrated by security agencies in the name of fighting terror. Prima facie it is a case of exerting pressure on an active human rights defender by kidnapping his son.

The AIMMM looks at such kidnappings as an attempt to dissuade Muslim youths from pursuing higher and technical education. The AIMMM warns the central and state governments against this lawless behaviour which flies in the face of the assurances offered by the new Union Home Minister against misuse of the anti-terror measures being adopted by the government.

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