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Malegaon:
If not impossible, it is uncommon indeed to see a Muslim cleric
from one sect leading prayers and delivering religious discourses
in a mosque belonging to other sect. However, this rare but
pleasant happening is witnessed in a Mumbai mosque where Muslims
from Malegaon are camping while in the metropolis to seek bail for
the local youths who are holed up in jail for the last five years
after being arrested in the 2006 Malegaon blast case.
A group of about 30 Muslims from
Malegaon comprising relatives, close friends, guarantors and
lawyers of the seven accused are staying at Jama Masjid Ahle
Hadees in Central Mumbai since Monday. Led by the Kul Jamaati
Tanzeem leaders, they are in Mumbai waiting for the release of the accused
from jail. The accused were granted bail by the Special MCOCA
Court on November 05 and are expected to be released any moment. As the procedure for checking and
verifying the bail documents is taking time longer than expected,
the trustees of the Jama Masjid Ahl-e-Hadees are leaving no stone
unturned to provide them relief and comfort. At the same time,
their extended stay in the mosque has given birth to some
extraordinary and rare scenes.
"While people from other Muslim
sects find it comfortable to offer prayers in different mosques
belonging to different sects, it is normally a tradition that
prayers are led and religious discourses are delivered by the
clerics from the same sect to which the mosque belongs. However,
it is heartening to see the way the trustees of the Jama Masjid
Ahl-e-Hadees are offering their services to the fellow brothers from
Malegaon", Imtiyaz Khaleel, a Mumbai-based documentary film producer says
while speaking to ummid.com.
"They are not only extending
remarkable hospitality to provide them utmost comfort, but going
beyond the prevalent traditions are also requesting the Kul
Jamaati Tanzeem leaders to deliver the religious discourses in the
mosque", he adds.
Kul Jamaat Tanzeem which comprises
clerics from all Muslim sects was formed immediately after the
2006 Malegaon blast. Their campaign which began in 2006 to seek
justice for the local youth arrested in the case and arrest of the
actual perpetrators is perhaps one of the longest in the history
of Malegaon.
Interestingly, the immediate motive
behind the formation of the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem was to reject the
investigation theory floated after the 2006 Malegaon
blast suggesting that the sectarian differences among the Muslims
could be the reason behind the blast.
The series of blasts that had rocked
Malegaon on September 08, 2006 was conspired ahead of Shab-e-Barat, a
Muslim festival when thousands of people were busy offering Friday
prayers at the Hamidia Masjid in Malegaon Qabristan. Another blast had occurred at nearby Mushawerat
Chowk few minutes later. 37 people were killed and more
than 300 were injured in the blasts, most of them being children -
all Muslims. Investigations were of the view that the Muslims who
are against celebrating Shab-e-Barat were behind the
attack.
"It was a deliberate and cleverly
hatched theory to nab the Muslim youth and save the real
perpetrators of a clear attack on a Muslim mosque", Maulana Abdul
Hameed Azhari, one of the founders and front leader of the Kul
Jamaati Tanzeem says.
The leaders by forming the Kul
Jamaati Tanzeem not only shattered to pieces the investigation
theory but also provided the country a model to fight and stand
against injustice. Incidentally, efforts were also on ever since
the formation of this unique group to crumble its extraordinary
unity. But the group not only kept its rank and file intact but also
became stronger with every passing day.
"Ittehad zindagi hai aur Inteshar
maut", another Kul Jamaati Tanzeem leader Sufi Ghulam Rasool
Qadri would exhort his colleagues to make them realise the
importance of unity. He adds that what is seen in the Mumbai
mosque in the last three days is a glimpse and result of their
efforts taken in last five years.
"Differences among Muslims are a
fact. But it does not mean that we bomb each other. No way. This
is what we wanted to show to the world. And, also to show very
clearly that when time demands we are one and united despite our
differences and can pray under one roof and in same mosque", he
says.
Interestingly, impressed by the
strong show of unity by the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem leaders of
Malegaon, community leaders from Mumbai are contemplating the idea
of experiencing the same in other parts of the state and the
country.
"Today, the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem
leaders, their unity and struggle for justice have become a model
for the entire country. We would definitely like to see this
experience emulated in other parts", Ameer Jamat-e-Islami Hind
Maharashtra Nazar Mohammad Mud'oo says after meeting the Muslim
leaders of Malegaon yesterday at Jama Masjid Ahl-e-Hadees,
Mominpura in Mumbai.
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