All-India Majlis-i-Ittihad-ul-Muslimin (AIMIM) MLA Waris Pathan (in pic) has apologized to the Muslim community for committing an ‘error’ of ‘worshipping Ganapati’. In a video that went viral, he says, “A few days ago I did something which was wrong. I, in the name of Prophet Muhammad, seek Allah’s forgiveness for this and promise that I will never do this again.” It shows the utter disregard for Hindu customs, traditions and belief systems. Secular parties and Left-liberal media chose to ignore it.
Even if Waris wanted, he cannot depart from the toxic ideology of the AIMIM which is rooted in Islamic fundamentalism. Right from its inception in 1920s, Majlis-i-Ittihad-ul-Muslimin (Council of the Union of Muslims) was a highly communal organisation which worked for establishing Muslim hegemony in the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad. Dick Kooiman writes in Communalism and Indian Princely States: “It (MIM) became increasingly militant under the leadership of Bahadur Yar Jung, a small jagidar whose ancestors had come from Jaipur. Though an ardent supporter of the Nizam, Bahadur Yar Jung widely propagated the view that power resided not in the person of the ruler but in the community of Muslim believers who allowed him to rule.”
The goons of Majlis-i-Ittihad-ul-Muslimin used to indulge in communal violence. In 1924, a riot broke out in Gulbarga in which hundreds of Hindus were killed. In 1937, the concurrence of Moharram processions with the Holi festival resulted in clash which claimed many lives. When the frequency of riots increased, Hindus started uniting under the banner of Arya Samaj. MIM cadres started targeting deprived sections of Hindu society for conversion. Arya Samaj launched Shudhi movement to reconvert neo-converts. This led to more violence.
The Hyderabad administration under Nizam prohibited Hindu leaders from outside to visit the state. The Nizam rule was biased against Hindus and almost all top posts were occupied by members of the Muslim elite. MIM always voiced their concerns and campaigned against giving any concession to the Hindu majority.
After the death of Jung in 1944, Qasim Razvi became the MIM chief. He led the Razakars, the dreaded Muslim militia which was constituted to oppose Hyderabad’s merger with India, and launched violence against Hindus and the police and liberal Muslims. The Communists provided moral and logistical support to the Razakars, who fought pitched battles with the Indian security forces in what is called the Police Action of 1948. Razvi once said, “We Muslims rule because we are more fit to rule… We rule and they [Hindus] own! It is a good arrangement and they know it!” In another occasion, Razvi said, “India is a geographic notion. Hyderabad is a political reality. Are we prepared to sacrifice the reality of Hyderabad for the idea of India?”
After the Police Action, Razvi was arrested and was allowed to migrate to Pakistan. The baton of the MIM fell on Abdul Wahed Owaisi (Asaduddin’s grandfather). The Owaisis continued the communal agenda, despite Hyderabad being part of India. Akbarduddin, younger brother of Asaduddin Owaisi, threatened massacre of Hindus if Muslims were given a freehand. AIMIM goons assaulted Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin.
Discussion about this post