Community Round-Up

For the first time in the history of India, Ulema and Muftis cutting across ‘maslak’ and sect agreed to make such a mechanism for moon sighting, that Muslims across the country could celebrate Eid on the same day and start Ramadan together.


At a conference on Ruyat-e-Hilal, (moon sighting) held at Jama Masjid here, Ulema and Muftis stressed the need for a ‘Central Ruyat-e-Hilal Committee’ or any other such body. By forming such a committee, they said, Muslims could be saved from the conflict on the issue. The conference was presided over by Sheikh-ul-Tafsir, Maulana Burhanuddin Sambhli of Nadwat-ul-Ulema, Lucknow. Noted astronomer from Aligarh Muslim University, Prof. Zafar Ahsan enlightened the participants on the scientific issues related to the rising and setting of sun and moon. He said that it is impossible that the rising of moon on the 29th of the month is predicted perfectly. Emphasising the need for volunteers to see the moon, he said that the process should go on for 12 months. He informed the audience that better way to see the moon on 29th of the month, is just after five to seven minutes of the sun set.


On an invitation from the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Ahmad Bukhari, the conference passed a resolution which said that moon sighting would be considered only when it is seen from naked eyes and not from the scientific way as astronomers do. It said that according to the Shariah, it is better to watch the moon with naked eyes. The resolution also said that astronomers too are not confident about predicting sighting of moon on 29th. of the month. It said that moon sighting committees of different states should exchange information with each other so that sighting of moon is unitedly accepted. It said that if moon sighting committee of any State announces about the moon, the entire State should follow it.

Criminal and communal elements disrupted communal harmony across the country on the night of December 18, 2006 when they desecrated the graves of noted Islamic scholar, Hakimul Ummat, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi, his wife and other relatives at Thana Bhavan area of Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, some 100 km from here. The criminals not only dug the graves, but also threw excreta across the graves. The news spread like wild fire in and around Muzaffarnagar district. People rushed to the spot in anger. Tension spread across the town and adjoining areas. The district administration promptly rushed with police force to the Thana Bhavan area and assured the people that the culprits will be arrested soon. Samajwadi Party MPs Choudhri Munawar Hussain and Amir Alam Khan along with hundreds of people met district officials. Reacting on the desecration of the graves, president of All India Milli Council, Maulana Abdullah Mughaisi said that it was the most shameful incident. The president of Tanzeem Ulama -e- Hind, Maulana Syed Anzer Shah Kashmiri said that it was a conspiracy of communal and criminal elements who want to disturb communal peace in the country. General secretary of Deeni Talimi Council, Maulana Riyaz Nadvi said that the manner in which the grave was desecrated is a conspiracy of communal groups. The head of Darul Uloom Deoband and vice -president of the Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana Muhammad Salim Qasmi termed it as the biggest conspiracy of criminal elements. Maulana Thanwi spent his entire life serving Islam in every field. It is for this reason that he was given the titles, “Hakimul Ummat” and “Mujaddid-e-Millat”. The Maulana has written books on Tafseer, Tasawwuf, Fiqh and Tajweed. His “Behisti Zewar” and Tafseer “Bayanul Quran” is found in every Muslim home.

The Rajinder Sachar Committee has identified scores of properties under adverse occupation of the government or its agencies. The Delhi government’s Archaeology Department itself occupies 172 wakf properties, while Delhi Development Authority has kept under its control 113 and the Delhi Municipal Corporation is using 18 wakf properties. Besides, the Defence department has six wakf properties under its use, Delhi Police has five under its unauthorised possession. The Meghalaya government has 11 wakf properties under its illegal use, Rajasthan 16, Uttar Pradesh government 164 premises, Karnataka government occupies 111, while Madhya Pradesh government has one wakf property.

The Government of Karnataka on December 5, 2006, appointed an Administrator for Amanath Cooperative Bank, the premier bank run by Muslims in Karnataka. It implies that the board of directors of the bank headed by the business tycoon, Mr. Ziaullah Sheriff has been replaced. The Administrator, Javed Akhtar, an Indian Administrative Service officer, took over the charge the same evening.


The Administrator will have to hold fresh elections of the board of directors following which he would hand over the charge to the new incumbents. Elections are customarily held within 45 to 60 days.


The Bank established in 1977, has emerged as the premier financial institution mobilising the savings of Muslims and helping a sizeable section of entrepreneurs among them through bank loans. The Bank had accumulated almost 28 per cent NPAs (non-performing assets). Tumult and popular disgust with the ways of the Bank led to business tycoon Ziaullah Sheriff, Chairman of the India Builders Corporation, taking over the chairmanship of the board of directors. Sheriff pledged his personal property worth Rs. 750 million to Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited and cleared off a lot of liabilities of the Amanath Bank. The Bank has recovered a lot of lost reputation during the last three years. It had also sizably cut down its NPAs. With 16 branches and nearly 500 employees, 90 per cent of them being Muslims, it has shown a drastic turnaround. Javed Akhtar also assured the depositors that interest of the community and depositors would be fully safeguarded.

The Vakil Housing Development Corporation (VHDC), a property developer launched its ‘Bangalore Food Bank’ project here in the first week of December 2006. Under the plan, they have supplied five kg capacity jars to some 200 households to take out a fistful of foodgrain out of the quantity cooked daily and expect to collect these jars at the end of the month. The grains thus collected would be then sorted, packed and supplied to needy people.


Mr. Mohammad Ali Vakil, Director, Marketing and Commun-ication, told the Press on December 7, that they were inspired by a similar scheme of Rajasthan Youth Association in Chennai. He said the household supplied with jars would be advised to fill the jars with either rice, pulses, wheat, sugar or flour. Referring to the Quranic verses, he said, Allah had instructed the faithful to spend in his way whatever they can spare out of their earnings and provisions. He said they plan to combat hunger in Bangalore through this initiative. VHDC is an ISO 9000 company which develops community housing projects. More details could be had from: 080-41193293, Ajith 98864-04895.