New Age Islam News Bureau
Moradabad: 17 Oct 2011
The
All-India Ulema & Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), a Sufi Islamic branch
claiming to represent 80 per cent of Indian Sunni Muslims, has come out
strongly against hard-line Wahhabism, holding the ideology responsible
for the radicalization of young Indian Muslims.
Addressing
the Muslim Mahapanchayat Maulana Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi, the
General Secretary of AIUMB said, "We clearly want to tell this to
everybody that, we won't allow the Deobandis and Wahhabis to grab the
Indian soil by terror and violence being fostered through
Petro-Dollars."
"Madrasas,
which are being run by Deoband school of thought, are radicalising and
poisoning the minds of innocent Muslim boys," he added.
AIUMB
is a Sufi group formed by more than seventy eight Sufi Dargahs,
including that of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer and Hazrat Nizamuddin
Aulia in Delhi besides several other Sufi shrines across the country.
“When
an extremist turns up at your door seeking your support, hand him over
to the nearest police station,” said Board general secretary Maulana
Syed Mohd Ashraf Kicchowchwi,, addressing the well-attended Maha
Panchayat of Sunni Muslims.
AIUMB
general secretary Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi added in his
address that parties and governments had been dominated by propagators
of Wahhabism, and the peace-loving Sufi Muslims sidelined. “Muslim
leadership in India is in the wrong hands and we want to tell this to
parties and governments,” he said.
Maulana
Kicchowchwi said he would support any party that endorses his demands
in its manifesto. “Peace-loving Sunni Sufi Muslims have been living in
India for ages and now Wahhabism is being imported from the Middle East
to India by some extremist organisations and persons. Government and
parties have started to see those hardliners as the Muslim leadership,
ignoring the majority of Muslims who belong to the Sufi Sunni sect.”
Several
representatives of Sufi Dargahs highlighted the fact that Sufism, which
accommodates people from every religion, is much more inclusive than
Wahhabi Islam which doesn't provide space for followers of other faiths.
Not
only that, the rally was an initiative by the Sufi groups, which claim
support of more than 80 percent population of Indian Muslims, in order
to reclaim the political influence which the group once had in the
country.
Vice president of the board Syed Zafar Masood raised the voice of Muslim reservation at the Mahapanchayat.
Representative from Ajmer Dargah Syed Mohammad Mehdi also addressed the gathering.
Representatives’
of Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Chishti Ajmeri, Hazrat Nizam Sabir
Kaliyari, Bareliy Sharif,Badayun, Pindwa, Bhagalpur and Moradabad were
among the distinguished participants.
Urdu Press on Muslim Mahapanchayat
The
AIUMB clearly raised its voice against Wahhabi extremism at the
mahapanchayat but Urdu Press, national as well as local completely
ignored it. With this new beginning one can say that the moderate voices
within the Muslim community are finally speaking out against the hard
line elements but the Muslim Press clearly is in the hands of
hardliners.
Roznama Rashtriya Sahara
mentioned in its report that it is the ignorance of the political party
that is responsible for the backwardness of Muslims. This report
focuses on the claim of a hundred thousand of participants made by
AIUMB, although perhaps no more than 50, 000 Muslims turned up.
Inquilab , quoted in its report Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhvi saying
that education only will give solution to all problems of Muslim. It
focused on representation in politics, reservation, encroachments on the
Waqf properties and support to Central Madarsa Board.
Akhbar e Mashriq also highlighted the demand of reservation to Muslims.
Jadid Mail focused on the marginalistaion of Muslim and quoted Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi that the government must not ignore it.
Hamara Samaj,
Delhi based Urdu daily highlighted the resolution proposed by AIUMB and
quoted AIMUB derailed from its agenda by state president of Kausar
Hayat Khan.
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamWarWithinIslam_1.aspx?ArticleID=5715