In response to growing communalism, hatred and lynch mob terrorism, the Jamiatul Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) on Sunday organized simultaneous Peace Marches in “800 cities” across the country.
The marchers waved the national tricolor, carried slogans on placards such as “Nafrat Hatao, Desh Bachao!” (Banish hatred, Save India!), “Nafrat ki Aag Bujhao!” (Douse the Fire of Hatred!), “Mazhab ken naam par gunda gardi, nahin chalegi, nahin chalegi” (Say no to violence in the name of religion!), “Pyar, mohabbat zindabad, firqa parasti murdabad!” (Long Live Love and Amity; Down, down Communalism!)
Organised on Independence Day eve by the former MP, Mehmood Madni’s faction of the JUH, the rally was an impromptu response to the demands of the UP and MP government that all madrasas in the two states submit to the authorizes video proof of their having hoisted the national flag and sung the national anthem on Independence Day.
According to the organisers, the objective of the rallies across India was to send a message of love to the Hindu majority, to rebuff those who constantly question Indian Muslims’ love for the nation and to demand that stern action by taken by the authorities against those responsible for perpetrating violence and disturbing peace.
The cities where the ‘Aman March’ was held included Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkota, Pune, Lucknow, Guwahati and Imphal. In many places the rallyists were joined by leaders from other communities. In Gujarat, joint Hindu-Muslim rallies were organized to highlight the need for communal amity and national unity.
The backdrop of Sunday’s march is the growing atmosphere of intolerance, hatred and violence, the targeting of Muslims and Dalits by lynch mobs, all of which have created an atmosphere of insecurity among the country’s minorities and Dalits.
Addressing the rallyists at Jantar Mantar, the JUH President Maulana Qari Syed Usman Mansoorpuri said: “India is our Watan and every particle of this land is precious to Indian Muslims. India’s greatness lies in its celebration of unity in diversity. For centuries people with different religions and cultures have peacefully co-existed here. Even the mighty British were not able to severe these bonds. It’s unfortunate, however, that for a long time now certain forces within the country are bent on undermining the Constitution and Rule of Law and targeting a particular religious community”.
The JUH general secretary Maulana Mehmood Madni said while addressing a large gathering in Pune: “The idea behind our ‘Aman March’ is that love is the only antidote to hate. It is only through love and peace that we can dispel the darkness that is gathering around us today”.
Image Courtesy: Inquilab Daily