Mumbai : Muslim leaders from across the country gathered in Mumbai to ponder upon the targeted violence against the community. After the meeting they issued a statement .

The recent incidents of targeted violence against the Muslim community is a sign of the planned efforts by the communal fascist forces to carry out a genocide of Muslims in India. The threat of genocide has been observed by international groups like the Genocide Watch which claims many similarities in the situation of India compared with other places in the world where similar genocide were committed.

Since past few months the Fascist forces have through their various agents and frontal groups made calls of attacks on Muslim lives, properties and dignity of Muslim women. The manner in which violence was created in multiple states during the Ram Navami indicates to a conspiracy to target Muslims and create fear among them. The impunity received by the Sanghi hate mongers have confirmed the concern of state complicity in such attacks in the BJP ruled states.

The recent trend of ruining Muslim properties with bulldozers is a new strategy to use the state machinery against Muslims. It is evident that Muslims in different states have demonstrated signs of resisting the violent designs of the Fascist forces. This resistance by the Muslims to protect their lives and properties was a setback to the Fascist forces. Hence, to break the confidence of the Muslims the Fascists have adopted the strategy to demonize Muslims as rioters through a fabricated media trail, then demolishing Muslim properties through illegal means and finally claim Muslims as the culprits and implicate them through fake cases and draconian laws. The objective of this recent strategy of the fascist forces is to give a message to the Muslims in general and local community leaders in particular that Muslims should not even try to protect themselves and just let the Fascist fanatics to execute the plan of genocide.

The meeting of the Muslim Community leadership appreciates the courage of local Muslim leaders for resisting the evil designs of Fascist forces and thwarting their plans of creating large scale violence against Muslims. It is observed that Muslims organizing themselves to defend their lives and properties is a positive sign. The meeting calls upon Muslim leadership to organize at local levels and continuously review the situation at your respective cities. An organized approach towards such planned attacks on Muslims will be the best possible way to thwart the plans of the Fascist forces in a situation where unfortunately the state declines to do its duty of protecting the Minorities.

Another important development is the role of the BJP government in different states that misuses the government machinery to target Muslims who were actually the victims whereas the culprits belonging to the fascist forces are let go free. The meeting believes that strong local legal support system must be developed to immediately provide legal support to the victims. The youths of the community must be given confidence that the community leadership will strive to protect themselves legally in case they are targeted with fake cases. Such an system will indeed create a sense of confidence within the community.

The meeting also calls upon the Muslim community to stand up for protecting Muslim properties when the fascist forces use the “Bulldozer” strategy to target Muslims. We need to clearly understand that this Bulldozer politics will not stop at any specific town, city or locality but will reach the houses of every Muslim who dares to resist the fascist onslaught. To defeat this strategy not just requires oral support but also physical presence to democratically confront this anti-Muslim demolition drive. The people of Shaheen Bagh have once again showed the country the importance of people’s democratic resistance and the results. It is indeed a fact that only due to the commitment of the people to come to streets and bravely confront the Bulldozer policy forced the agencies to backtrack. The community leaders meeting calls upon the Muslim local leadership to take lessons from the democratic resistance of Shaheen Bagh residents and strive to organize themselves their localities to enable the community to stand for the protection of fellow Muslims.
The meeting of community leaders also observes that a national movement to coordinate and guide the community to address the current scenario is missing. It is indeed a fact that many local initiatives are happening across the country but it lacks coordination and consistent efforts as part of a vision.

The situation demands that the Muslim leadership must unite and plan to form a national movement that strives for peace and justice. The community is looking for guidance and hope from it’s leadership. Hence, this conclave of community leaders unanimously resolves to form a platform and to launch a movement which will be agenda driven, and accommodates all the sections of the community and will work within the framework of the Indian Constitution utilizing the peaceful and democratic means.

The above statement was signed by:

1. Moulana Khaleel-ur-Rehman Sajjad Nomani, Prominent Islamic Scholar
2. Moulana Obaidullah Khan Azmi, Ex- Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
3. Syed Sarwar Chisti, Dargah Sharif Ajmer
4. Ahmed Wali Faisal Rehmani, Ameer-e-Shariat Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa
5. Mohammed Adeeb, ex-Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
6. Abu Asim Azmi, MLA, Maharashtra
7. Anis Ahmed, General Secretary, Popular Front of India
8. Sayed Zaheer Abbas Rizwi, Shia Personal Law Board, Mumbai
9. Hafiz Manzoor Ali Khan, Joint Action Forum, Jaipur
10. Dr. Asma Zehra, Member, Muslim Personal Law Board
11. M.K Faizy, National President, SDPI
12. Mujtaba Farooq, Jamath-e-Islami Hind
13. Mrs. Sumaiya Naseem Nomani, Director, Women and Children Wing, Rehman Foundation
14. Mufti Aqhlaqur Rehman Qasmi, Joint Action Forum, Jaipur
15. Fahad Rehmani, CEO, Rehmani 30
16. Moulana Mehdi Hassan Aini, Deoband
17. Mahmood A Khan Daryabadi, Mumbai
18. Muhammad Shafiullah Rashadi, Jamathul Ulama, Tamilnadu
19. Shahood Alam, Kolkata
20. Mohammed Shafiq Qasmi, Imam, Nakhida Masjid, Kolkatta
21. Syed Tauheed Alam, Imam, Jama Masjid, Lucknow
22. Mohammed Shafi, Vice President, SDPI
23. Adv. Mohammed Tasneem, Legal Activist and Advocate High Court, Lucknow
24. Abdul Wahid Sait, NEC Member, PFI,
25. Moulana Shuaibullah Khan, Jamia Masihul Uloom, Bangalore
26. Mufti Abdul Qayyum Mansuri, Ahmedabad Gujarat
27. M. Farid Shaik, Aman Committee, Mumbai
28. Dr. Arshin Khan, Dhule
29. Moulana Muhammed Isa, Surat, Gujarat
30. M. Sabir Salim Luni, Godhra, Gujarat
31. Ziauddin Siddiqui, Aurangabad
32. Mufti M Shakir Khan, Pune
33. Ali Inamdar, Social Activist, Pune
34. Dr. Azimuddin, Social Activist, Mumbai

This article first appeared on muslimmirror.com