INDIAN MUSLIMS MUST REJECT THE ˜ISLAMIC EMIRATE IN AFGHANISTAN: IMSD

Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) rejects the very idea of a theocratic state anywhere in the world. It therefore questions the legitimacy of the Islamic Emirate the Taliban seek to impose on the war-torn, war-weary people of Afghanistan who are yearning for peace.

We are deeply disturbed by the euphoria evident among a section of Indian Muslims, including religious leaders such as the office bearers of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana Umrain Mahfuz Rahmani and Maulana Sajjad Nomani, and the Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind, over the Taliban’s capture of power.

It is nothing but sheer opportunism and hypocrisy to stand in support of a secular state in a country like India where Muslims are in a minority and applaud the imposition of Shariah rule wherever they are in a majority. Such rank double-standard gives legitimacy to the sangh parivar’s agenda for a Hindu Rashtra.

IMSD respects the views of the growing tribe of Islamic scholars, religious leaders and Muslim intellectuals across the globe who argue that the very notion of an Islamic state is antithetical to the core teachings of Islam. According to them, the core values of Islam are not in conflict with the basic principles of a secular-democratic state and religious pluralism.

IMSD stands in solidarity with the beleaguered millions of Afghan women and men who for too long have been trapped between the corrupt-to-the-core puppet governments propped up by the occupying American and Nato forces and the regressive Taliban who during their earlier rule had trampled over the most basic rights and freedoms of the people of Afghanistan.

It is one thing to welcome the ouster of the occupiers and the overthrow of their puppets, quite another to celebrate the return to power of those who with their barbaric version of Islam have contributed in no small measure to the demonization of Muslims and their faith across the globe.

Some leaders of the Taliban have been making appropriate noises about general amnesty, press freedom and women’s rights even as other leaders are asserting that it will be Shariah law and not democracy in Afghanistan. However, heart-wrenching images of panic-stricken women, men and children being broadcast across the world, and news reports of house-to-house hunt for journalists and dissenters tell their own story.

We call on the global community to launch a 24/7 Afghanistan Watch to mount decisive pressure on the Taliban to ensure and show to the world that, unlike their earlier brutal rule which had turned Afghanistan into a veritable hell on earth especially for the women, this time they will respect the liberties and rights of all its women, men and children.

Meanwhile, IMSD calls upon the democratic world in general and the US in particular to open its borders to Afghans who are forced to flee from their country. It calls upon the BJP-led Indian government to immediately sign the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol and act in consonance to that convention. India must open its doors to all Afghan refugees, irrespective of religion.

Signatories to the statement

(Includes IMSD members and others who support this statement)

1. Aarefa Johari, Journalist, Social Activist, Mumbai

2. Abdul Samad Shaikh, Editor, MVP News, Latur

3. Abdul Warshi, Businessperson, Nadiad

4. (Dr) Aditya Mukherjee, Academic, Delhi

5. Afaque Azad, Musician, Mumbai

6. (Prof) Ali Ahmad Fatimi, President Josh and Firaq Literary Society, Allahabad

7. Ajit Kumar Jha, Journalist, Delhi

8. Akbar Shaikh, Farmer, Social Activist, Solapur

9. (Justice) Amar Saran (ret.), Allahabad High Court

10. Anand Patwardhan, Documentary Film Maker, Mumbai

11. Anil Singh, Social activist, Delhi

12. Anjal Lele, Travel consultant, Delhi

13. Anurag Chaturvedi, Journalist, Mumbai

14. Amir Rizvi, Designer, Mumbai

15. Amjad Shaikh, Social Activist, Pune

16. Amjad Shaikh, Social Activist, Solapur

17. Anjum Mulani, Farmer, Indapur

18. Anjum Rajabali, Film writer, Mumbai

19. Anshu Malviya, Poet, Social activist, Allahabad

20. Anvar Rajan, Social Activist, Pune

21. Anwar Khan, Social activist, Vasai

22. Arif Kapadia, Business, Social activist, Mumbra

23. Arshad Alam, Academic, Commentator, Delhi

24. Ashley NP, Asst Professor, Delhi

25. Asif Shaikh, Business, Solapur

26. Askari Zaidi, Communications, Delhi

27. Dr Azeez Pasha, Academic, Delhi

28. Baaran Ijlal, Artist

29. Baba Azmi, Films, Mumbai

30. Babasaheb Pathan, Sangli

31. Bader Saeed, Lawyer, Political activist, Chennai

32. Bilal Khan, Social Activist, Mumbai

33. Bobby Naqvi, Senior Journalist

34. Chandrashekhar Tibriwal, USA

35. Danish Javed, Writer-Producer, Mumbai

36. (Prof) Dipak Malik, Varanasi

37. Faiyaz Inamdar, Social activist, Pune

38. Faraz Ansari, Film Maker

39. Farhana Parvin, Bhopal

40. Farhat Salim

41. Farman Naqvi, Senior Lawyer, Allahabad High Court

42. Fatima Ansari, Teacher, Gorakhpur

43. Fatima Shaikh, Aurangabad

44. Feroz Abbas Khan, Director, Playwright, Mumbai

45. Firoz Khan Pathan, Advocate, Latur

46. Ghulam Mohiyuddin

47. Hafiz Ali, Social Activist, Jalgaon

48. Hasan Pasha, Writer, Allahabad

49. Imran Punekar, Business, Sangli

50. Imteyaz Husein, Writer-Actor, Mumbai

51. Iqbal Painter, Social Activist, Beed

52. (Justice) Irshad Hussain (Ret.), Uttrakhand High Court

53. Ismayil Shaikh, Business, Kolhapur

54. Jami Rizwani, Academic, France

55. Javed Akhtar, Writer, Poet, Lyricist, ex-MP, Mumbai

56. Javed Anand, Convener, IMSD

57. Javed Ansari, Journalist, Delhi

58. Javed Jaffry, Actor

59. Javed Siddiqi, Writer, Mumbai

60. (Capt) Juned Ahmad, Marine Consultant

61. Dr Kanhaiya Lal Sharma, University of Rajasthan

62. Kasim Sait, Business, Philanthropist, Chennai

63. Khadija Faruqui, Social Activist, Delhi

64. Khalil Deshmukh, Political activist, Jalgaon

65. (Dr) Laiq Ahmed (ret HOD, History), Eving Christian college Allahabad

66. Lara Jasani, Advocate, Bombay High Court

67. (Dr) Madhu Rao, Academic, USA

68. Mansoor Sardar, Social activist, Bhiwandi

69. Masooma Ranalvi, Social activist, Delhi

70. (Prof) Mohd Aslam, Allahabad University (retd), Allahabad

71. Mehdi Bakht, Principal, Bal Bharti School, Varanasi

72. Mohammed Ali Muntazer, Purnea, Bihar

73. Mohammad Imran, Delhi/New York

74. Mohsin Khan, Social activist, Latur

75. (Dr) Mridula Mukherjee, Academic, Delhi

76. Munir Bagwan, Social activist, Sangola

77. Munir Mulla, Social activist, Sangli

78. Muniza Khan, Social activist, Varanasi

79. Nahida Asiya, Student, Satara

80. Najid Hussain, Scientist, USA.

81. Najma Jamadar, Teacher, Solapur

82. Najma Mulani, Solapur

83. Nandita Sehgal, IAS (resigned)

84. Naseeruddin Shah, Actor, Mumbai

85. Nasreen Contractor, Social Activist, Mumbai

86. Navaz Haider

87. Osama Manzar, Digital Empowerment Foundation, Delhi

88. Poonam Muttreja, Delhi

89. (Prof) Purushottam Agrawal, Author, Delhi

90. (Prof) Qamar Jahan, Lucknow

91. Qaisar Sultana, Home Maker, Allahabad

92. Qutb Jahan, Social activist, Mumbai

93. Rahman Abbas, Writer, Mira Road, Thane

94. Rajathi Salma (Rokkiah), Tamil Writer, Tamil Nadu

95. (Dr) Ram Puniyani, Author, Social activist, Mumbai

96. (Dr) Ramesh Dixit, Academic, Lucknow

97. Ranjit, Journalist, Delhi

98. Rashid Khan, Advocate, Supreme Court

99. Ratna Pathak Shah, Actor, Mumbai

100. Razia Patel, Academic, Social activist, Pune

101. Ravi Kiran Jain , President, PUCL, Senior Lawyer, Allahabad High Court

102. Ritambhara Shastri, Journalist, Delhi

103. Riyaz Choudhary, Business, Solapur

104. Rizwan Malik, Social Activist, Moradabad

105. Rochita Talukdar, Social sector, Kolkata

106. Sabah Khan, Social Activist, Mumbai

107. Sadik Shaikh, Solapur

108. Sadique Basha, Political activist, Mira Road, Thane

109. Sahir Khan, Student, Ichalkaranji

110. (Dr) Saif Mahmood, Advocate, Supreme Court, Delhi

111. Sajid Shaikh, Farmer, Solapur

112. Salim Mujawar, Solapur

113. Samina Naqvi , Academician, Social activist, Allahabad.

114. Samir Mulani, Farmer, Pandharpur

115. Samir Patel, Political activist, Latur

116. Sanjay Lodha, Jaipur

117. Satish Mishra, Journalist, Delhi

118. Satyajit Chavan, Social Activist, Nashik

119. Sayyed Bhai, Social activist, Pune

120. Selvyn Jussy, University of Calcutta, Kolkota

121. Shabana Azmi, Actor, ex-MP, Mumbai

122. Shabana Mashraki, Chartered Accountant, Mumbai

123. Shadab Rashid, Publisher, Naya Waraq

124. Shahajan Shaikh, Worker, Solapur

125. Shahnawaz Alam, Asst. Professor, Sultanpur

126. Shikha Sen, Editor

127. Sikandar Pathan, Baramati

128. Siraj Ayesha Sayani, Producer-Director, Mumbai

129. SMM Ausaja, Film Historian

130. S R Malik, retired IRS

131. Suhail Akbar, Associate Professor , Jamia Millia University, Delhi

132. Sultan Shahin, Editor-publisher, New Age Islam, Delhi

133. (Prof) Tahir Mahmood, Legal luminary, Delhi

134. Taizoon Khorakiwala, Business, Philathropist, Mumbai

135. Tanvir Akhtar, IPTA, Bihar

136. Teesta Setalvad, Social activist-journalist, Mumbai

137. Tofiq Ikbar, Student, Hapur

138. Utpala Shukla, Social activist, Allahabad

139. (Prof) Vasanthi Raman, Delhi

140. VVP Sharma, Journalist, Delhi

141. Yousuf Saeed, Documentary Film Maker, Delhi

142. Zafar Bakht, Educationist, Social activist, Allahabad

143. Zahir Maneri, Social Activist, Solapur

144. Zaman Habib, Writer-Producer, Mumbai

145. Zoya Akhtar, Film Director, Writer, Mumbai

For further details please contact: Javed Anand (Convener, IMSD)

http://www.sacw.net/article14727.html
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