Launched as a peace initiative, the Jamaat e Islami Hind brought out three ‘caravans for peace and justice’ in Karnataka during the latter half of November. The third caravan that culminated in the Bangalore Palace Ground drew almost 12,000 people and an array of national leaders calling for impartial probe in the incidents of serial blasts in various parts of the country.
National peace activist Swami Agnivesh blamed the United States for atrocities around the world and questioned its so called war on terrorism.
Kannada litterateur U. R. Ananthamurthy said that every police encounter could be a “homicide” and underscored the need to probe them. He lauded the efforts of Muslims in different fields. He he called upon the community leaders to strive for the educational upliftment of the community. He condemned what he called “majoritarian politics” and exhorted the minorities to come out of fear.
Moulana Syed Jalaluddin Umeri, president JIH, in his presidential address at the public meeting, presented the Qur’anic teachings with regard to establishing peace and justice in the society. He stressed that it was incumbent upon every Muslim to not only refrain from being unjust but also never tolerate any injustice.
The three caravans in Karnataka traversed nearly 2,000 kilometres and touched 35 towns. The Bangalore conclave however was an impressive draw and saw participation of nearly 2,000 women.
Mr. Mohammed Atharullah Sharieff, state convener of the Caravan said the caravan was not a product of, or reaction to, the current situation but was in fact a peace initiative aimed at creating a strong civil society. He says striving for justice has been one of the obligations of the Muslim community on account of its being the khair-e-ummah (the most efficient community). The guidelines for this have been laid out in Qur’an where Allah makes it incumbent upon the community to stand up for justice.
The caravan was arguably the most bold and unapologetic voice against the wholesale demonisation of the entire Muslim community in the name of probe into terrorist activities. According to Mr. Shariff, it was a novel initiative in the sense that it not only questioned the approach of government agencies with respect to terrorism but also moved a step further by rubbishing the tendency to “defame” the good name of Islam. It vehemently defended the Islamic teachings by going on an offensive and taking the lead in underscoring the need to bring justice and peace in the whole country and providing the Islamic solutions to problems facing the country at large.
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December 2008 |
