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Chidambaram, Jihad and Congress politics:
By expressing his biased
or uninformed views on Jihad, India’s Home Minister P Chidambaram
seems to be deliberately....
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Bhopal:
The Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), has demanded
that Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram should clarify his position
forthwith and immediately tender a public apology to Muslims for
having hurt their feelings by reportedly equating Jihad with
terrorism.
The SDPI General Secretary A. Sayeed
in a Press statement deplored Chidambaram for his reported remarks
about Islam by equating Jihad with terrorism. The double-speak of
his now stands exposed and his outrageous comparison of the two has
hurt the feelings of Muslims to the core. His remarks show the
shallowness of his knowledge about Islam and its teachings, h said.
The statement said: "The SDPI wonders
how an erudite person like Chidambaram can stoop so low and indulge
into balancing act. A few months back he had praised Islam in high
terms while addressing the gathering of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind in
Deoband and said that terrorism has been wrongly attached with Islam
which preaches peace. However, now addressing police and
intelligence officials last week he has equated Jihad with
terrorism.
It was never expected of Chidambaram
to play such a dirty game when Muslims had propelled Congress to
retain power in the last Lok Sabha elections. This time round
Muslims having high hopes from the Congress to extricate the
community, which has been pushed down even below Dalits according to
Justice Sachchar Committee report, from the quagmire of fear and
hunger, the two worst hallmarks of any underprivileged class in any
society, the statement stated.
Sayeed said the tag of terrorism in
the name of Jihad is haunting Muslims since very long time. A number
of bomb blasts over last few years in the country was even before
any investigations was always branded the handiwork of Muslim youth
and they were targeted inside-out so vehemently so much that the
community was at its wits end as how to tackle the situation.
However, investigations by some upright officers of law enforcing
agencies stumbling over some concrete evidence found a link between
Hindutva forces and these blasts has given relief to one and all as
no more blasts are now occurring. The needle of suspicion moving 180
degrees from Muslims to the saffron brigade had given Muslim
community a sigh of relief and hoped truth would come out but the
calculated elimination of some of these upright officers has
dampened it all.
He said now Chidambaram equating Jihad
with terrorism has nullified all the gains of investigations which
the Muslims thought were working in their favour. For Chidambaram's
information Jihad actually is a pious war and it is mentioned in the
Holy Qur'an. Jihad is a struggle against evils and evil forces. It
starts from oneself and goes to the struggle with weapon. It does
not always mean war.
The statement pointed out that it is
incorrect to say Jihad began from a particular date. Jihad is part
of the teachings of Islam. Islam asks its followers to forgive their
enemy but also asks them to wage Jihad against them when required.
Prophet Muhammad has done both. He forgave his enemies – even those
who were his blood thirsty – but at times waged Jihad against them.
The Quran has given both instructions.”
Chidambaram's reported statement that
Jihad began after 1989, shows his ignorance about the issue. Jihad
is as older as the teachings of Islam. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did
Jihad so also his companions (Sahabis).
It seems Chidambaram could not
understand the meaning, conditions and limitations of Jihad when he
reportedly said Crusades were traditional wars but Jihad is
terrorism. Islam says that killing of a single person is like
killing of all human beings, the statement added.
(pervezbari@eth.net)
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