HYDERABAD, 29 December 2002 — Muslims in India were yesterday urged to put the horrors of Gujarat behind them and join hands with peace-loving people of other communities to protect the country’s secular values.
“A country is powerful when its people are powerful and feel dignified,” said A.R. Nakadar, secretary-general of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI), which opened a two-day annual convention here.
AFMI is a US-based group engaged in advancing the cause of Muslims in India.
“We will not be intimidated by the recent carnage in Gujarat nor by the results of the assembly elections. On the contrary, they have steeled our resolve,” Nakadar said, reiterating AFMI’s goal of fighting illiteracy, poverty and social ills.
This was a theme echoed by other speakers at the inaugural function, who said AFMI was determined to achieve its goal of 100 percent literacy among Indian Muslims as education alone could brighten their future.
Nakadar warned that any country that lived in fear and hatred could never progress or become powerful.
He said India, which had been invaded by outsiders for centuries, was now facing an invasion from within — the invasion of “Hindutva”, a terminology for Hindu supremacy.
“The soul of India is seriously injured and the heart of India is hurt. The notion of a nation based on pluralistic values is fast disappearing,” Nakadar maintained.
He said it was Mahatma Gandhi who made Gujarat and India famous worldwide with his concept of “ahimsa” (non-violence) that brought the British Raj to its knees.
“Recently, (Chief Minister) Narendra Modi and its cohorts made Gujarat and India infamous worldwide with his weapon of “himsa” (violence),” he said.
Former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, the chief guest, urged Muslims to unite with the weaker sections of society to fight communal forces.
He alleged that the Hindu communalists were pitting Dalits, or the socially underprivileged, against Muslims.
TV anchor Rajdeep Sardesai of STAR News channel was among three people honored on the occasion. Sardesai was cited for his coverage of the Gujarat violence.
Eminent religious scholar Moulana Abdul Kareem Parekh received the Ali Mian award for his contributions in the field of theology while Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, founder of Al-Ameen Education Society, Bangalore, received the Sir Syed Ahmed Khan award for his contribution to education. Five meritorious Muslim students from different states were given awards.
Twenty delegates from Britain, Canada and the US are also participating in the convention.
Three hurt in new clashes: Three Muslims were injured in fresh religious violence in Gujarat, a police official said yesterday. He said groups of Hindus and Muslims clashed and pelted stones at each other after a Hindu religious ceremony near the town of Baroda late on Friday.
“Now the situation is totally quiet and peaceful after the state reserve police was deployed,” the police officer said. He was speaking by telephone from Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat.
