Book of Integration Council New - Ministry of Home Affairs

Home Minister : May I request Mr Moosa Raza to make his statement please.
Shri Moosa Raza
Hon’ble Prime Minister, Members of the National Integration Council, some of the
points which I am going to mention may appear repetitious but even at the risk of the
repetition, I believe that some facts have to be brought to the notice of the National
Integration Council and I would also like to make a few concrete suggestions which I
think Government should be able to undertake, as a result of the discussions that are
going to take place today in the NIC. Sir, the minorities in India are feeling beleagurd at
this moment. A strong sense of victimization, discrimination, injustice, inequity and
alienation is prevailing among large sections of the Muslim community of this country.
Many of the speakers have said that this could be real, some of them said that this could
even be perceived, but the fact remains that whether it is perceived grievance or genuine
grievance, it has to be addressed. If it is a perceived grievance, then we will have to
remove that wrong perception. If it is a genuine grievance, then we will have to remove
that grievance. The post-Gujarat scenario has seen strengthening of the communal
forces all over the country. This has one of, being one of the major reasons, which has
brought about this sence of alienation and grievance. Some fringe elements amongst the
Muslim community taking advantage of this sense of alienation have resorted to terrorism,
in the false belief that they are revenging the death of the innocent muslims. All that
they have to cheat, is not revenging the death of innocent muslims, but the killing of
innocent Hindus and Muslims, who had nothing to do with this pograms. However, it
is the vast majority of the peaceful Muslims of India, who are now being demonized or
who are now made to suffer. First of all is sense of, some of the electronic media and
some of the print media also, just for improving their TRP Ratings, go to town naming
muslim organizations even before the police has reached the scene. When the police
authorities come at the scene, instantly making announcements that this or that Muslim
organization is responsible for this blast or further mayhem, some arrests are made and
the accused are paraded on the TV, covered by red and white chequered cloth to
identify them as Muslim religionists. All religious Muslims are then linked to terrorism
by this visual image. Lawyers feel threatened to defend the accused, for fear that they
too will be labeled as terrorists. Some lawyers have actually been threatened and as a
result of such threats have refused to take up the cases of those who have just been
accused but not proved. Police then records, rounds up many young and some old
men also from the Muslim community. They are interviewed by the media and their
parents, their friends, their acquintences and all these people are brought on to the TV
and an image is created that the whole muslim community is involved in this Act of
terrorism. An atmosphere of fear and anxiety is thereby created in the minds of the
common citizen as well as the majority community. Everyone starts looking at
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