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Mumbai: Terming
the Apex Court’s, decision to axe Hajj subsidy as uncalled-for and
unwarranted, some of the top Muslim NGOs based in Mumbai have
demanded from the government to go for an immediate review
petition to uphold the subsidy on Hajj fair on the basis of
constitutional merits.
"We demand from the Union Government
of India to go for an immediate review petition to uphold the
subsidy on Hajj fair on the basis of constitutional merit", the
leaders belonging to half a dozen Muslim NGOs said in a press
conference held today afternoon at Mumbai's Press Club.
They also demanded that the Hajj
Committee of India be entrusted with whole Hajj operation from
India to Saudi Arabia.
Demanding transparency in the
distribution of Hajj quota and other public-interest matters, they
said, "Air-ferrying must be tendered in open market so that the
benefit of subsidy goes directly to the Hajjis."
Those who
addressed the press conference were Maulana Mahmood Ahmad Khan
Daryabadi (General Secretary, All India Ulama Council), Farid
Shaikh (President, Mumbai Aman Committee), Maulana Burhanuddin
Qasmi (Director, Markazul Ma’arif Education and Research Centre).
Prominent NGO heads like Haroon Muzawala of Khar-e Ummat Trust, Dr
Azimuddin of Movement for Human Welfare and Maulana Ejaz Kashmiri
were also present along with other religious and welfare
organization leaders.
They observed that the
Apex Court in its wisdom gone beyond the fight between
Private Tour Operators (PTOs) versus Government of India and brought about an order which
will undoubtedly adversely affect millions of Muslims in the days
to come.
The Muslim leaders argue that this very Court has upheld
the constitutional validity of the subsidy earlier last year while
hearing a Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1 of 2007 (Praful V. Union of
India).
Similarly, they observed, the Hon’ble Court has wisely stated in its
judgment: “We are also not obvious of the fact that in many other
purely religious events (other than Muslims) there are direct and
indirect deployment of state funds and state resources”.
The
judgment also states: “This Court has no claim to speak on behalf
of all Muslims of the country … what is for them a good or bad
religious practice”.
"Then why and how", they asked, "The Honorable Apex Court became a
Mufti (an Islamic jurist) which quotes and explains Qur’anic
verses to justify its decision of axing Hajj subsidy? Issuing
fatwa’s or explaining Qur’anic verses are the work of religious
scholars, and Indian Muslim are performing Hajj far last 19 years
on subsided Hajj arrangement, no authoritative Muslim institute
has ever objected to it."
They further observed that the cancellation of subsidy would mean unwanted
Private Tour Operators (PTOs) in the Hajj market.
"This will create innumerable
problems in future. Till date Indian Hajjis are respectable in the
overseas, because they are under reasonable government caretaking,
this amount of Indian proud and belonging must not be snatched
away by any means, whatsoever", the Muslim NGO leaders observed.
A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam
on May 8
directed the government to eliminate the subsidy for Haj pilgrims
in the next 10 years. The court also directed that the goodwill
delegation sent by the government every year to Makkah should now
be scaled down to two from its present strength of 30.
Interestingly, immediately after the
court direction, prominent Muslim clerics and leaders including Shahi Imam of Delh's
Fatehpuri Masjid Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari,
Vice-Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband
Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani and others had welcomed the Supreme Court
ruling directing the government to eliminate in the next 10 years
the subsidy given to Hajis.
They said that instead of providing subsidies,
the Haj committee, an autonomous body under the Indian government
responsible for making arrangement for Haj pilgrimage, should be
revamped.
The leaders demanded open tendering of tickets which would result
in Air India, which at present has the ticketing monopoly, having
to compete with other airlines to attract maximum travellers and
giving cheaper tickets.
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