Source/Credit: Ahmadiyya Times
By Imran Jattala | February 19, 2012
World’s largest democracy, India, was given a black eye yesterday when a Muslim controlled governmental entity, the State Wakf Board in Andhra Pradesh (AP) enacted hate based policies towards a religious minority in Hyderabad.
According to the steps taken on February 18 by the AP State Wakf Board, the administration has announced a complete boycott of the Ahmadi Muslims in India and instituted that no members of the Board will provide services to Ahmadīs for their faith-based needs such as Muslim matrimonial services, marriage licenses and performing of wedding ceremonies.
The State Wakf Boards operate under the Wakf Act of 1954 in India to administer Muslim religious institutions such as mosque, shrines, graveyards and various charitable religious entities donated for public use. The Board undertakes the work of issuing of marriage certificates, divorce certificates and many types of religiously required documents, etc.
The decision taken by the Board to boycott the Ahmadiyya community was celebrated by several extremist-led Muslim factions through various festivities including distribution of sweets on the street of Hyderabad.
Hundreds from the Muslim organizations gathered at the Wakf Board office to congratulate the Board members on this historic achievement and shouted anti-Ahmadiyya slogans.
A source familiar with the recent agitation against Ahmadis, but did not wish to be named, said the matrimonial boycott is “only symbolic.”
“Ahmadis never relied on Wakf for any religious services, much less to ask them to perform any of their weddings,” the source stated. “Actually that is what always irritated Wakf members because they weren’t making any money off of Ahmadis.”
Besides the suspension of matrimonial services for the Ahmadis, the Wakf Board has also announced “transfer of several Ahmadī building” to the state government - the properties that the Board claims were on its books.
The Board said it will request the state to manage the institutions under the endowments department.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim community has repeatedly stated that the Wakf Board had erroneously staked claims on Ahmadi-owned properties in order to confiscate the same.
The Ahmadiyya Times source claimed that these are the certain Ahmadiyya properties the Board tried to seize but realized they could not, and now they say those will be transferred to the state.
“It is just their face saving measure,” the source said. “If they were honest, why are they still trying to takeover certain other Ahmadi mosques – especially if they want to have nothing to do with the Ahmadis.”
According to the Ahmadiyya Times source, as reported earlier, the Ahmadiyya Community in Hyderabad has all the original documentation of the properties and they are fighting off the takeover attempts in the court of law.
The Wakf Board’s spat with Ahmadis escalated when the Board chairman Mullah Ghulam Afzal Biyabani made public accusation that he was getting phone calls threatening his life.
Biyabani alleged that the calls were made by Ahmadiyya community members.
“Biyabani is trying to create hysteria by alleging his life is being threatened by Ahmadis,” the source had reported earlier to Ahmadiyya Times.
“Biyabani’s allegations do not make sense,” the source said. “If someone is trying to scare him into taking anti-Ahmadī decisions, it would be his own extremist friends, and not Ahmadis.”
Under the guise of panic, said the source, Biabani created environment suitable for attacking and taking action against Ahmadis.
Mullah Biyabani was successful in politicizing the issue and received open support from many Muslim politicians and extremist religious leaders who asked him to take a ‘decisive action’ against the Ahmadiyya community.
The leadership of the Ahmadiyya community strongly denied the possibility that any of the threatening call originated from their community members.
According to the published reports, the missionary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Hyderabad, Muhammed Muslehud Din Sa’adi, told media that "no one from our community could do such a thing.”
“It is baseless propaganda against us,” Missionary Sa’adi has asserted.
The Amir of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community of Hyderabad, Muhammed Sohail Ronal, clarified that the threatening calls have no connection whatsoever with the Ahmadiyya Muslim community or its individual members, it was reported.
AP State Wakf Board is a money-making venture
The main sources of income for the AP State Wakf Board is collection of Wakf Fund at the rate of 7% from the income of the Wakf controlled institutions; and also collection of Haq-e-Intezam (management fee) at the rate of 25% from the Wakf institutions under its Direct Management. The Wakf Board also collects 75% on the income of the complexes constructed by the Board under its Direct Management. Further the Board undertakes the work of issuing of Marriage Certificates, Divorce certificates, Shiyazats etc., under Quazat and it collects an amount of Rs.50 to 200 on some cases and exuberant sums on other matters. [Source: Andhra Pradesh Online]
-- India: World's largest democracy allows Muslim-controlled State Wakf Board issue boycott orders for Ahmadis
-- Ahmadiyya Times
-- By Imran Jattala: Follow on Twitter - @IJattala
Jazakallah,Imran Jattala for the detailed account of what is happening for quite sometime in Hyderabad. It is all the more commendable since very few in the print media care to put up the views of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya. it appears the local print and electronic media have joined hands to underplay the systematic persecution of Ahmadees in a democratic country like India. Our replies and press releases are seldom published.
ReplyDeleteAs regards the incidents of alleged phone calls, the credibility of the allegation is questionable. Had the matter been quietly given over to the police, the culprit could have been nabbed in no time. With the caller's ID available, why has not the culprit brought to book? One can easily make his inferences.