Community leaders to discuss ‘Muslims unity’ in ‘closed-door’ meeting in Delhi

New Delhi, 08 Aug 2021 [Fik/News Sources]: In a bid to explore the common ground for Ittehad-e-Millat or ‘unity among the community’ leaders of different hues are going to hold a closed-door meeting on Sunday at a hotel in Muslim-dominated locality of Jamia Nagar here.

According to sources, the purpose of the meeting is to infuse new energy and confidence in the community whose youth are caught in the whirl of despondency due to emergence of right wing in the national horizon and “unwise” response of the Muslim organizations to the situation.

Since the meeting is not publicized, one is free to cast aspersions as per his/her reading of the track records of the individuals involved in the day-long deliberation. It is, however, expected that the ‘stalwarts’ will discuss ways of forging unity among the Muslim community, albeit past efforts in this regard did not yield any result prompting critics to term such deliberation as “favourite pastime for some leaders”.

The invite was extended on behalf of the 16 prominent religious and community leaders who head their respective organizations. Among those likely to attend the meeting are  Maulana Sayed Rabe Hasani Nadvi, President All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind’s both factions presidents  Maulana Arshad Madani, and  Maulana Mahmood Madani, Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Engineer Saadatullah Hussaini,  rector of Darul Uloom Deoband Mufti Abul Qasim, Navid Hamid, President All India Muslim  Majlis Mushawart, Maulana kalbe Jawad, President  All India Milli Council Maulana Abdullah Maghisi,  and President Ulema and Mashaikh Board Maulana Ashraf Kachhochuvi.

Among the major Muslim organizations that are not going to be the part of the meeting include Popular Front of India,  the largest cadre based organization of Muslim community, All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama of Kerala, Raza Academy of Mumbai and Salafi groups.

However, it is also seen in the light of upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh which has a sizable Muslim population. “Muslim leaders get out of their slumbers ahead of elections to devise a political strategy unaware of the fact that the timing could be of help to the communal forces,” said a septuagenarian journalist who wished not to be named. However, the sources said the meeting was being planned for the last one year but was extended many times due to the pandemic. Therefore, attributing it to the upcoming UP elections holds no ground.

There could be various reasons for keeping it off press or public, but it is said that “some of the participants” cannot face public other than their “ghettos” as “some endorsed CAA, some remained reluctant and nonchalant” in the nationwide protest against citizenship regime. Only a small number of community leaders came forward to support the activists who were beaten up  and arrested by the police. What these leaders were doing when innocent Muslims were being lynched by cow militia? In this context, the Muslim community no more pins hope in such leaders.

Ittehad-e-Millat is a complex issue which cannot be solved in a few hours meeting. It needs, apart from religious leaders, involvement of intelligentsia from different extreme of social sciences and media.

Interestingly  three such meetings had been organized by AIMMM (All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat)  in last four years to find the solutions of the problems being faced by the community but nothing concrete happened so far.