Author: Amita Verma
Publication: The Asian Age
Date: March 29, 2001
The controversial Students Islamic
Movement of India, on Wednesday, said that the prevailing circumstances
in India urgently needed "a character like Mahmud Ghaznavi to end the suppression
of minorities and dalits."
Admitting for the first time that
Simi, last year, had published and distributed posters titled "Waiting
for Ghaznavi?" - a report of which was published in The Asian Age earlier
- the Simi national president, Dr Shahid Badr Falahi said that prior to
the "arrival of Mahmud Ghaznavi in India." oppression of weaker sections
was at its peak.
"Girls were being turned into 'devdasis',
money was being taken away from the poor to fill the coffers in temples
and dalits were being discriminated against. It was at this time that Mahmud
Ghaznavi arrived in India and removed these ills. We pray to Allah to send
us a character like Ghaznavi once again to save this country from these
evils." he said.
Dr Falahi, while addressing a press
conference in Lucknow, said that the BJP-led government would never ban
an organisation like Simi. "The government is only creating a noise about
SIMI because this talk will get it some political gains," he said. Instead,
the Simi chief demanded a ban on Bajrang Dal and the VHP "who are responsible
for the burning of the Holy Quran in Delhi." Terming the incident as the
"most serious and shameful incident in global history," the Simi president
said that this was a planned conspiracy on the part of the BJP and other
constituents of the Sangh Parivar to divert attention from the administrative
failures of the Centre. "The RSS has always shown a penchant for communal
tension. Bajrang Dal leader and BJP MP, Vinay Katiyar, has Insulted the
Quran, Bangaru Laxman called for Indianisation of Islam and the VHP has
announced the construction date of Ram temple to disturb communal harmony.
It is sad that our Prime Minister's soul rests in the RSS," the SIMI chief
said. Denying that Simi had any role to play in the recent Kanpur riots,
Dr Falahi said that what happened in Kanpur was a planned one-sided attack
on Muslims by the PAC. "The protesters wanted to burn an effigy which is
a democratic right in this country. The police action was totally unprovoked
and arbitrary." he said. Dr Falahi demanded a high-level judicial inquiry
into the Kanpur incidents, the killing of ADM C.P. Pathak, burning of mosques
and killing of innocent persons. Dr Falahi said that the bullet recovered
from the ADM's body was one used by the police therefore a thorough inquiry
was needed into the incident. He also demanded the immediate release of
persons arrested during the riots. The Simi chief expressed anguish over
the Prime Minister's refusal to replace the PAC with the Army in Kanpur
even though a delegation of Muslim MPs had requested him to do so. Replying
to a question, Dr Falahi denied that Slid activists were preparing for
an armed struggle and sought to know what action had been taken against
RSS leaders who were imparting military training in their "shakhas." The
Simi chief blamed a section of the media for attempting to malign the image
of Simi activists "Who were involved in character-building activities."
