Muslim groups hail Bombay HC judgment on Tablighi Jamaat, demand apology from media and compensation from govt.

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By Abdul Bari Masoud

New Delhi: Hailing the Bombay High Court verdict on Tablighi Jamaat as “historic’ and ‘fresh air’, leading Muslim groups on Sunday strongly demanded withdrawal of all cases against Tablighi members. They also demanded unqualified apology and due compensation to the foreign Tablighi victims who had suffered a lot due the malice of the administration and reining in the Islamophobic media for demonizing the Muslim community.

All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, an umbrella body of a host of community organizations, welcomed the judgement. Mushawarat , president , Navid Hamid said the judgement has exposed the bias and malice of both the government as well its pliant media.

The judgement  also unmasked the Muslim- phobic media and its connivance with the anti -Muslim politics of right wing forces besides vindicating Tablighi Jamaat’s innocence which was targeted with an ulterior motive and agenda to divert country’s attention from the failiure of the government to contain COVID-19, said Navaid Hamid.

Both the factions of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, All India Milli Council, Popular Front of India, Social Democratic Party of India and others saidthe judgment of the Division Bench of Justice TV Nalawade and Justice MG Sewlikar of Bombay High Court is “historic” and a big slap on the face of lapdog media, communal forces and political executive of the country who used the Tablighi congregation issue as a tool to spread hatred against the community.  The bench has rightly said foreign Tablighis were made “scapegoats” while quashing the FIRs against them.

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind led by its General Secretary Maualna Mahmood Madani said the Bombay High Court‘s verdict on Tablighi Jamaat is  a lesson for  a government which disregards  national interests and indulges in communal politics.

“The verdict is a clear mirror in which central and state governments could see their stained faces and it has also defeated nefarious designs of the communal forces and brought justice to the innocent victims, “he added.

While demanding withdrawal of all cases against Tabilighi members across the country, Maulana Madani said  the government should repent about this action taken against the foreigners and take some positive steps to repair the damage done by this act.

The UP Government under the BJP must take a lesson from this judgment as it has treated Tablighi foreign members very badly and even now many of them are still languishing in Allahabad’s Naini Jail , he said.

Smell of malice” in action

Before quashing the FIRs, Justice Nalawade noted, “This action indirectly gave warning to Indian Muslims that action in any form and for anything can be taken against Muslims. It was indicated that even for keeping contact with Muslims of other countries, action will be taken against them. Thus, there is smell of malice to the action taken against these foreigners and Muslim for their alleged activities. The circumstances like malice are important considerations when relief is claimed from quashing of F.I.R. and the case itself.”

It is worth mentioning that the Bench while referring to the old Indian saying ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ meaning ‘Our Guest Is Our God’, sought to know from the government whether we are really acting as per our great tradition and culture. During the situation created by covid-19 pandemic, we need to show more tolerance and we need to be more sensitive towards our guests particularly like the present petitioners. The allegations made show that instead of helping them we lodged them in jails by making allegations that they are responsible for violation of travel documents, they are responsible for spreading of virus etc.”

The hate-mongering lobby, with the patronage of authorities, achieved their goal and managed successfully to lynch and accuse Muslims.

Maulana Arshad Madani, President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (A), said the verdict has vindicated Jamiat’s stand regarding the bias-attitude of administration and media’s negative propaganda towards Tablighi Jamaat.

Referring to Tablighi congregation at the Markaz Nizamuddin, Maulana Madani said a section of the media deliberately conspired to defame Muslims under the pretext of Coronavirus, and spread hatred  against them.

If the government has any ethical values left, it should compensate the innocent victims, he said.

Popular Front of India, Chairman O M A Salam said “At time when independence of Indian judiciary has come under serious question, judgment such these are fresh air of hope”.

It upholds uncompromising commitment to justice, truth and equality before law, the foundational values Indian constitution has been built upon, he added.

As the Bench rightly pointed out, the entire Muslims community found themselves in a situation that anything and everything that goes wrong in the country is their fault. Only this time they were alienated and demonized in the country as ‘disease spreaders’.

He said observations of the bench are a blow to communal politics which damaged India’s image internationally.

“The judgment also underlined the role played by a section of media which undoubtedly created fear, suspicion, and xenophobia. The hate thus manufactured even provoked mobs to attack innocents. Across India innocent Muslim passers-by and street vendors were targeted”. He said the judgment will help restore their faith in justice.

The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has welcomed the judgment saying it was a big slap on the hate-peddlers who should bow their head in shame.

Party, general secretary, Mohammed Shafi said “The Islamophobic central government, remote-controlled by the RSS was exploiting the helplessness of these foreign visitors to vilify Muslims who were accused of spreading  Covid19 in the country.”

“The pro-Modi, pro-RSS media has since taken over the duty of spreading false news and maligning a community to serve their vicious agenda,” he added and asking the government to end discrimination and to treat citizens all equally as envisaged in the Constitution of India.

All India Milli Council said the bench aptly observed ‘that a political political government tries to find the scapegoat when there is pandemic or calamity and the circumstances show that there is probability that these foreigners were chosen to make them scapegoats”.

Council general secretary, Dr Manzoor Alam said in the light of this judgment, the government should take corrective actions in order to salvage its image. He said the authorities failed to realize the adverse impact of their action on  these foreign tablighi members who were supposed to be  the ambassadors of India. Now what a bad experience and feeling about our country they would take along with them when they return to their respective countries, he said.

Even the 58-page judgment noted this aspect that “The record of this matter and the submissions made show that action of central government was taken mainly against Muslim persons who had come to Markaz Delhi for Tablighi Jamaat. Similar action was not taken against other foreigners belonging to other religions.”

 

11 COMMENTS

  1. Good step. File Compensation case for 3000 crores against all mainstream Media channels to serve them some serious warning.

    Representative Ulema of Indian Muslims AIMPLB needs to file this case from our BAITUL MAAL of Indian Muslims.

    Indian Muslims can request Adv Dhavan to fight this case.

  2. What the main stream media has been doing. A nonsense work dividing India again. This is a shameful act. some main stream media thinks what they think is right. what they say is right. They are suffering from some type of hysteria.

  3. The court decision regarding Tableegh jamaat is a gush of fresh air. I am delighted for the foreign TJ members, now they will be free. But the Impression they got about us has dented our relationship with these countries.

  4. Court may free Tablighi Jamaat people but the main question still remains open. Why Tablighi Jamaat run program in India? Why don’t they to go an Islamic country? Muslims deliberately go to non-islamic countries & promote terrorism, force conversion, hate speeches etc. I think government should ban such Islamic group to run such controversial programs.

    • Biggest terrorism has been spread by Hindu inventing Varna System. Varna system is man made system which humiliate the lower caste. Thus Hindu Varna system is blot to human civilization of the world and thousand time worst than terrorism. Terrorism is not associated with Islam. You can see what LTTE done with Sri Lanka. They are not Hindu are they not.

    • Secular Hindu aka RSS Hindu gutter rat,

      Your desperate lying just reveals why Hindus are uncivilized dirty liars. Tabligh Jamaat was founded in India in 1926. It is primarily an Indian Muslim group. It is active in ALL countries. You are dirty worthless Hindu liar. Muslims wont promote terrorism or hate speech. Your religion Hinduism is a slave based caste system based on hatred, lies, superstition which is why it spread no where outside India. Hindus are backward jealous loooosers, your pathetic hatred of Islam proves it.

      All Hindu groups, especially the terrorist RSS, BJP, VHP etc should be banned, and its members arrested and executed. All Hindus should be deported from Muslim countries. Ghar wapsi for cow and monkey worshipping Hindu terrorists.

  5. Biggest terrorist are Hindu. The invented Varna system which is a horrible system which humiliate lower caste. It is blot to human civilization. Varna system is 10000 time worst than terrorism. Terrorism is not associated with Islam. It is also associated with Hindu. What LTTE done with Sri Lanka

    • Hindus have caste system but now new generations are rejecting it & you will find many inter caste marriages happening. However, saying hindu caste system is worst than terrorism is foolishness. Caste system is hindu’s internal problem & it does not affect the outside world. However, Islamic terrorism affects entire world & hence world is fed up with muslims involved in terrorist activities.
      India had taken strict action against LTTE during Rajiv Gandhi’s era. We never supported any terrorist group & LTTE is seen as Tamil group & nothing to do with Hindu as religion. On the other side, your beloved Pakistan supports Islamic terrorists all over the world.

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