Mushawarat expresses its concern over socio-political issues and prevailing hate campaigns against minorities

Mushawarat passes resolutions on issues of community and country

New Delhi, 27th September, 2024 :  The All India Muslim Majlis e Mushawarat (AIMMM), the only federation of prominent Muslim organizations and individuals who meaningfully contributed to society, held its annual meeting in New Delhi. A good number of representatives from Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Karnataka, West Bengal, Talengana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Bihar participated the meet and took active participation on issues facing country and community.

Representatives of Muslim organizations, prominent leaders including Parliamentarians and intellectuals, clergymen and policy planners expressed concern over the political and social situation in the country and emphasized on the unity of minorities and the other oppressed classes and committed to fight together for justice.

Around 20 resolutions were passed on burning issues like mob lynching, politics of hatred, anti-minority economic policies of government and shrinking opportunities for Muslims in budgetary allocations, CBSE's anti-Urdu stance, working deterioration in the National Council of Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), delimitation of constituencies, Waqf Amendment Bill, caste census, Bulldozer Raj in various BJP ruled states, volatile situation in Assam and UP and denial of justice to victims unlawfully arrested in Delhi North East anti Muslim violence in 2020 were prominent issues discussed in the meeting. Discussion on the situation in neighboring countries and sufferings of Palestinians and Palestine and its impact on India and the world also came into discussions on which resolutions were passed.

The Mushawarat meeting was of the firm view that the government’s hostile attitude towards Muslims, the use of state agencies against minorities and Dalits, and the politics of hatred must be unitedly countered.

This commitment was reiterated by Feroz Ahmed Advocate, President AIMMM, in his inaugural remarks. Feroze Ahmad Adv emphasized that no one should be allowed to play "backward vs non-backward card" on work on the policy of dominance of one section over the other within the community. Commenting on organizational affairs Mr. Feroze Ahmad Adv committed that Mushawarat will strengthen its current state units and aims to activate and organise state units in another 20 states in the next year.

Shahid Siddiqui, a member of the Mushawarat and former Member of Parliament, said that the Mushawarat has been an impactful historical organization, but there is a need to further restore its credibility and emphasized that for further restoring Mushawarat's credibility there will be no shortage of sincere persons nor there will be shortage of funds. He also stressed the need for better coordination among Muslim MLAs and MPs, suggesting that Mushawarat work towards ensuring they meet before every session of the Assembly and Parliament. AIMMM constituted a sub-committee for parliamentary affairs with Mr. E.T. Muhammad Basheer MP, former Parliamentarians Mr. Shahid Siddiqui, Mr. Azeez Pasha, Mr. Kunwar Danish Ali and Mr. M. Afzal beside former president of AIMMM, Mr. Navaid Hamid, as its members. Similarly, Akhtar Hussain Akhtar, a prominent leader from Uttar Pradesh, suggested that Mushawarat should explore issuing guidelines for the community on important issues like Waqf and mob lynching.

Mr. Navaid Hamid, former President of Mushawarat, pointed out that members and delegates traveled hundreds of miles to attend this meeting, reflecting their seriousness about their commitment to work on issues facing the community. He reminded that governments of the day and other stakeholders, both in India and abroad, still take the Mushawarat seriously.

Earlier, Ahmad Jawed, AIMMM’s general secretary (Media) presented a detailed Action Taken Report. The report included plans to provide legal aid to journalists who risk their safety and careers to reveal the truth and the establishment of a Media Monitoring Cell and a Data Center.

The Mushawarat also announced a National Convention on the issues facing the nation and the community as well as an annual lecture in memory of Syed Shahabuddin, starting November 4 this year. The report also included progress on the reconstruction of the Mushawarat building and strengthening of Mushawarat Reference Library and a separate Reading & Preparation facility at AIMMM office for students preparing for competitive exams.

Finance Secretary Ahmad Raza presented the statement of account for the past year and the budget for 2024-25. A proposal from Haider Vali Khan of Bangalore to increase the budget for administrative and media purposes was approved unanimously.

Dr. Qaiser Shamim former secretary Central Waqf Council Govt of India presented a resolution on the Waqf Amendments Act 2024, which was discussed by members including inputs from former MP Aziz Pasha and others as well as discussions on mob lynching were participated in by Khurshid Hasan Roomi, Manzoor Ahmed, and Senior SC Advocate Ejaz Maqbool. Both resolutions reject the policies and functioning of the union government as well as NDA governments in the states on the issues.  AIMMM has been pointed out how the government has failed to notify survey under Waqf Act, 1995, new rules and regulations, appointment of full time CEO in the Boards and has violated other mandates of the Act even after almost three decades of the promulgation of the Act. It is not only the States that have failed to implement the Act, Centre has also failed to monitor. The term of the Central Waqf Council expired on 3.2.2023 and it has not been reconstituted. The Secretary of the Council was relieved on 11.4.2023. Since then, there is no full-time Secretary in the Council. AIMMM raised the question ‘If the union government fails to abide by the Act, how can they ask the States to appoint full-time CEOs in the Boards?”.

The confederation of Muslim organizations also demanded the judicial enquiry for the continuous and unabated incidents of hate violence and mob lynching and expressed the sincere concerns on the threats to social fabric of the country by the politics of hate and violence.

Recognizing the severe impact of the communal violence in Delhi Northeast in 2020, which resulted in the death of around 55 innocent individuals, and left thousands injured, causing widespread trauma and displacement among affected communities, the AIMMM acknowledged the urgent need for targeted support and justice for the victims of communal violence. It also draws attention to the disturbing trend of delayed justice and the continuous incarceration of activists such as Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, and others, who have been unjustly detained in connection for their peaceful activism. The resolution pointed that delay in justice intensifies the pain of the victims and casts a shadow over the integrity of the legal process.

Resolutions on mob violence and anti-Muslim politics were proposed by Manzoor Ahmed, Khurshid Hasan Romi, Akhtar Hussain Akhtar, and others. Separate resolutions were passed on the socio-political situation in Assam, Manipur, and Uttar Pradesh, all condemning the increasing violence and politics of hatred and expressing concern over threats to the social fabric.

The resolution adopted by AIMMM on Jammu & Kashmir affirmed a collaborative approach will pave the way for lasting peace, prosperity, and democratic integrity in Jammu and Kashmir and recommend: Restoration of Statehood, Empowerment of local institutions and facilitate better governance aligned with the unique needs of the region, Empowerment of the elected Government, Strengthen Democracy, Reduction of Surveillance, Promote Trust, Restoration of Political Freedom, Release of Detainees, Encouragement of Dialogue, Freedom of the Press, Lift Media Restrictions, Remove limitations imposed on local and national media in the region, Ensure Transparency, Socio-Economic Development, Investment in Infrastructure, Inclusive Growth, Community Engagement, Educational Programs. The AIMMM stand committed to the welfare of Jammu and Kashmir and believes that these steps are crucial for creating a harmonious and prosperous future.

The AIMMM affirmed that "Bulldozer Rule" represents a dangerous shift towards authoritarianism and arbitrary state power, and Mushawarat stand firmly with the victims of these demolitions and demand that justice be served, it is our collective responsibility to resist such actions that harm the fabric of Indian democracy. The confederation affirmed its commitment to advocating for the rights, dignity, and safety of Muslims in Assam and across India. The Mushawarat condemned Hemanta Biswa Sarma led BJP government’s discriminatory and divisive policies and anti-Muslim statements of the CM.  In solidarity with all marginalized communities, the session reaffirmed that we stand against oppression, discrimination, and injustice, striving for a nation where every citizen is treated with respect and fairness, in accordance with the principles of the Indian Constitution and demanded Legal aid to those affected by wrongful exclusions from the NRC and those facing detention or statelessness while humanitarian support, including food, shelter, and healthcare, should be extended to the victims of state repression and violence in Assam.

Mr. Navaid Hamid presented a resolution on CBSE’s anti-Urdu policies, expressing concern that more than 100,000 students’ future is at stake due to the arbitrary decision to discontinue issuing question papers in Urdu or allow answers in the urdu language while Dr. Javed Alam Khan presented a resolution on the government’s anti-minority economic policies noting that the budget for minority welfare has been reduced to just 0.6%.

Another resolution adopted on the cast census affirmed the AIMMM’s commitment to social justice, equality, and the upliftment of all marginalized communities and said “we believe that a comprehensive caste census is a necessary step toward achieving these goals. We call upon the government to conduct this census with integrity and use the resulting data to create a more equitable and just society.”

The AIMMM, in another detailed resolution on the delimitation of electoral constituencies, strongly feels that in the past the delimitation exercise was repeatedly used to negatively impact the representation of specific populations and communities, particularly the Muslim community. From the past delimitation exercises, AIMMM has reached to a firm conclusion that deliberately around 80 Lok Sabha seats with major Muslim electorates concentration have been reserved for the SC community whereas the constituencies with substantial SC population are carved is such manner that the same are categorized / put under the General category. Its concern is that the main purpose of putting a major chunk of SC population under the General category of Lok Sabha seats or that in the state legislatures seems to not only close doors for emergence of a self-reliant schedule caste leadership but also to ensure that major chunk of the SC community remains in the clutches of the caste Hindu leadership.

A resolution on the international situation, presented by former Ambassador to Palestine Zikrur Rahman, which prompted interventions from former MP Kunwar Danish Ali, Navaid Hamid, Dr. Tasleem Rahmani, Shahid Siddiqui, and others. The AIMMM condemned in its strongest terms the inhumane bombings, shelling and rocket attacks by the Israeli army, naval and air force on the civilian targets in the occupied Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank. The Majlis denounced the mass uprooting of civilian neighborhoods, destructions of hospitals, health infrastructure and deliberate targeting of schools, colleges and universities buildings being used by displaced Palestinians to take refuge from bombings. These Israeli actions are not only a flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights laws but also a grievous crime against humanity, while it noted the latest developments in the neighboring Bangladesh, wishes to see an early return of normalcy, safety and prosperity of its citizens, guarantees to the rights of minorities and their institutions and beginning of a genuine democratic process without any interference from the outside quarters or agencies to guarantee peace and security for the citizens of Bangladesh and stability in the entire region. All resolutions were passed unanimously.

The meeting began with a recitation of the Quran by senior executive member Syed Mansoor Agha. Maulana Azhar Madani presented a condolence resolution for prominent figures who passed away in last one year. Around 40 members and several delegates participated in discussions on the burning issues facing the country and the community. Other pominent persons who attended include Mohammad Ahmed Momin (Aurangabad), Dr. M. N. Haq (Kolkata), Dr. Idris Qureshi (Delhi), Akhtar Hussain Akhtar (Kanpur), Engineer Sikander Hayat, Mohammad Imran Ansari, Anwar Ahmed, Hafiz Mohammad Javed (Delhi), Manzar Jameel (Kolkata), Mr. Harunur Rasheed from Murshidabad, Mr.  Manzoor Ahmad Ranchi, Abrar Ahmed IRS (r), Maulana Mohammad Salim (Moradabad), Abdul Khaliq, and Asif Ansari - president Youth wing of Indian Union Muslim League, Mr. Akif Ahmad. Presidents of West Bengal, Delhi and Jharkhand also attended the meeting.

Released by

Ahmed Jawed

General Secretary (Media), AIMMM

ALL INDIA MUSLIM MAJLIS -E- MUSHAWARAT

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