Friday, May 10, 2013

(GIO SLUR) Who Issued ‘Internal Circular’ and On What Basis is Still the Question

On 31 March a newspaper headline said: “GIO brainwashing and training girls for Jihad.” Considering it a new chapter in the policy of Indian government to counter terrorism, this scribe started scanning the news with a mixed feeling of anguish and fear. Anguish, because the government is gearing up to torture the girls who are doing at least something for the betterment of their own section. Fear, because, as fallout to this issue some might feel threatened and be reluctant to join the organisation – a possibility that might hamper the work culture of the organisation in one way or another.
The report claimed that the Special Branch of Mumbai Police had issued an ‘internal circular’, which was leaked somehow to some media organisations, to the police stations asking them to keep an eye on  the activities of Girls Islamic Organisation, a wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, as it is suspected of nudging girls towards Jihad. The circular, issued to the Joint Police Commissioner, Sadanand Date, and to 18 other additional and deputy commissioners in the first week of March, reads, “The Girls Islamic Organisation of India solicits Muslim women to act in accordance with the instructions given by the Holy Quran and Hadith. Its prime objective is to inspire Muslim girls by extremist Islamic thoughts and to prepare them for Jihad.”
Explaining the issue to the media persons, the Deputy Commissioner at Special Branch of Mumbai Police, Sanjay Shintre, said, Time is changing. Now, people are attracted towards science. These women are trying to ask girls to wear Burqa... we have asked the police stations to monitor their activities.” Shintre further added, “Many members of Jamaat are already on our radar and so, they are now focusing to preach among girls.” On being asked if there was any case against GIO in the state and preaching a particular religion a crime, Shitre replied, “No. But we are monitoring them.”
Commenting on the news, Er. Taufique Aslam Khan, President JIH, Maharashtra and Chief Patron of GIO, Maharashtra, said the statement of the Deputy Commissioner was derogatory, irresponsible and unconstitutional. He further asked Shitre, who is known for his late night raids in Muslim pockets in the name of Bangladeshi and so, “Will you issue the same alerts for Sadhvis and Nuns who are practising Hinduism and Christianity in this modern world?”

GIO
Girls Islamic Organisation is a wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maharashtra. It was founded in early 1980s with the aim to promote Islamic values among girls, especially those studying in colleges and universities. “It (GIO) was instituted to provide them (girls) both Islamic and modern education,” reads a circular of the Jamaat. The organisation works under direct supervision of the State President of JIH.
GIO is a state level organisation, working in different states of the country and no two state units are inter-connected. For instance, the GIO Kerala has nothing to do with GIO Maharashtra and the GIO of Bihar is not supposed to adopt the same policy as is adopted by the GIO of Delhi. One should not confuse GIO with the women’s wing of JIH as the later is controlled by a national secretary of the Jamaat and has a national body of its own in contrast with GIO which does not have any central structure.
“GIO is founded to widen the Jamaat’s stretch into educational institutions. Each state unit of GIO is an independent organisation and works under the supervision of Ameer Halqa (State President),” explains a national secretary of the Jamaat. But contrary to the ground reality, some media reports suggested that the head office of the organisation exists in Kerala.
Illustrating the activities of GIO in the state, Mr. Taufique Aslam, says the organisation designs different programmes for the advancement of girls in the fields such as education, economy et al. The organisation strongly criticises the commodification and objectification of girls as, according to it, these are some of the factors which give way to violence and sadism against women. The organisation has recently organised a campaign “Meri Beti Meri Izzat” (My daughter; My Prestige) to underline the issue of female foeticide and segregation of girl child. He claimed that GIO has more than ten thousand members and associates in the state.

A LOOK AT MEDIA REPORTS
The Indian media, especially the local ones or the ones with low circulation, has always been partial and prejudiced while covering the issues of Muslims as it becomes obvious after each case of bomb blasts where the media does not hesitate at all to point finger towards a Muslim name or organisation even before the investigating agencies utter a single word. The ‘tradition’ was followed at some extent this time too. It was Samna, a local daily based in Maharashtra that published the news for the first time on 30 March with a headline, “Beware of female terrorists in the country.” The daily, which is actually the mouthpiece of Shiv Sena, published an image of some female soldiers of Iran with arms in their hands with a caption ”The Girls Islamic Organisation preparing Jihadis.” The image is supposed to have been taken some three decades earlier in Iraq during the time of war. On being contacted, the Samna officials said the image was symbolic and not of Girls Islamic Organisation.
Mr. Aslam elaborates, “The picture was motivating that a Burqa-clad woman can also be in the Army and fight for their nation but intentionally (the image was) used by them (the newspaper officials) to defame us.” Here are some other headlines. “Muslim girls being trained for Jihad; A Sensational Revelation of Mumbai Police.” “Muslim organisation preparing girls for Jihad.” “Terror Group or Social Reformer?” Similar headlines are not included. On the contrast, some national media houses, both electronic and print, for the first time covered “neutrally” the statement of Jamaat leaders as well.

MUSLIM LEADERS’ VIEWS
The ‘internal circular’ of Mumbai Police earned heavy uproar from Muslim side. In his statement, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, spokesperson of All India Muslim Personal Law Board expressed his anguish over the issue and urged every individual Muslim to raise his voice against the hypothetical and baseless allegation of Mumbai Police. The Jamiat Ulema Hind, in a statement, said it was a trick to terrify Muslim girls and prevent them from acquiring higher education.
Mufti Mukarram, the Shahi Imam of Masjid Fatehpuri, condemning the move of the Mumbai Police, said it cannot be tolerated at all. Kamal Farooqi, former Chairman Delhi State Minority Commission, said there should be a fair inquiry into who issued the circular and on which basis. In his article in Inquilab daily on 3 April, Shakeel Shamsi wrote that the leakage of the circular has exposed a bitter truth. Think how come if we did not know it and the police would have been searching AK47s in the Burqas of girls. This is a single circular; who knows how many such circulars are there in the drawers of security agencies. Among others who issued statements were All India Milli Council, Majlis Ulemaye Hind, All India Muslim Ekta Committe, Gharib Nawaz Foundation, Muslim Political Council of India, to name a few.

JAMAAT’S TAKE
However, the police have apologised for his mistake i.e. leaking of an internal circular but it has no regret over issuing such baseless instructions. Mr. Taufique Aslam, after meeting Naval Bajaj, Additional Commissioner at Special Branch, on 1 April said, “Our meeting with Mr. Bajaj was to express our anguish for which he apologises. He told us that around 165 similar pieces of information came to us last year and all were proved false in our investigations. Our work is to collect and disseminate the information.” Of course, the security agencies are free in asking the police to keep vigil at someone whenever it suspects of him. But it never means they got a licence to tarnish one’s character and harm his reputation.
Mr. Aslam Ghazi, the spokesman of JIH Maharashtra said, “The circular was leaked with vicious intention to tarnish the image of the socio-political organisation.” The press release of Jamaat issued on 31 March reads, “We would like to inspect if the intelligence agencies have any inputs against us and are ready for any kind of investigation and scanning at any point of time.” Mr. Aslam gave some Islamic books to Bajaj and offered to teach Islam in every police station as part of the Jamaat’s policy.
The Maharashtra zone of Jamaat has decided to lodge a defamatory suit against the Mumbai Police. Mr. Aslam, who was in the national capital to attend a meeting of Central Council of Representatives of JIH, said, “We are thinking to lodge a defamatory suit as the police are not giving information about who issued the circular and on what basis. This alert was a part of the internal conspiracy to malign and demonise Islam and Muslims.” Mr. Aslam also discussed the matter with renowned advocate of Supreme Court, Mahmood Paracha, to take further actions.
Now think how the news affected the overall functioning of the organisation? “Since the circular got leaked, the friends of the GIO activists have started behaving differently. Some of them have even separated,” says Atiya Siddiqua, former head of the GIO Maharashtra. She further added, “There is a good angle in every bad deed (conspiracy). The Jamaat’s reactions will certainly send a strong message to every parent as well as to the agencies that the girls are not alone.” In addition to that, “Islam is an ultimate way of life and the conspiracies against its followers are nothing new. What we are to do is to hold fast its teachings irrespective of consequences because it is Allah who looks after everyone.” And yes, the Jamaat’s quick and perfect reaction deserved some praise. It will surely ring a warning bell to the communal minds in administration and police.
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