“Our boys want to keep beard and women want to be in Burqa but these things have become symbol of terrorism.” Several Muslims were in tears when Fathima from Chennai was saying this at the Guru Nanak Bhavan on Saturday.
Fathima, an Indian Union Muslim League activist, was talking about hatred and fear for Muslims that has developed in India and other parts of the world. She was addressing at the national level conference of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
There were several other issues to discuss during the IUML’s national convention but the alleged connection of Bangalore with Glasgow terror strike cast its shadow on the IUML’s national level conference in the city where the issue of terrorism and the fall-out of the atmosphere of hatred for Muslims emerged prominently.
Fathima lamented that the education and IT revolution taking place in Bangalore and Chennai hasn’t touched Muslim, who are not making benefit of it. She believed that the illiteracy among Muslim women is the primary reason.
“Islam advocates education for Muslim women but it is not followed. It should be known to all that mother is the first Madrasa for a child so the education revolution should begin from home,” said Fathima.
Terror act
The national president of IUML and former MP G M Banatwalla questioned why people relate terrorism with Islam. “Did anyone call LTTE, Naxalites or ULFA as Hindu terrorism? Why the terror act of a Muslim is branded as Islamic terrorism? Islam preaches peace but not terror,” an apparently moved Banatwala said. He blamed the western world for giving birth to terrorism across the globe.
The secretary of Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity viewed that there is need to inculcate right education on Islam. Measures at home should be taken to check youths from being carried away with the adverse elements.
Parents have the responsibility to give a healthy member to the society. She also viewed that mosques should also play vital role in preventing youths from slipping into the hands of terrorist elements.
Imran Qureshi, the joint secretary of the Maharashtra unit of IUML blamed politics as the primary reason behind the backwardness of Muslims. Pointing towards the discrimination Qureshi said, “During Mumbai bomb blast each victim got a compensation of Rs 5 lakh.
A similar incident had occurred with Dalits and they were given Rs 2 lakh as compensation but when Muslims died at Malegaon, merely Rs 1 lakh was given. Why there is partiality?” questioned Qureshi. He also flayed the union budget which gave a very small chunk to the Muslims in particular.
The Karnataka state president of IUML Mirza Mohammed Mehdi gave a call to unite so that Muslims can become politically strong in the country.
“We are divided so we are facing discrimination. If we show faith on a political party like IUML, the scene would change and we will have the bargaining capacity,” said Mr Mehdi.
