Muslim Youth and ISIS

While the disappearance of four Muslim youths from Kalyan, Thane and the subsequent reports of them joining ISIS fighters in Iraq has alarmed the nation, the Muslim community continues to be skeptical about the turn of events. Much of the apprehension emanates from the fact that law enforcement agencies themselves appear clueless as far as the case is concerned. "The disappearance of boys coincides with the emergence of ISIS. So I am doubtful if the youths have indeed gone there for fighting", suggests Sarfaraz Arzoo, editor of Urdu daily Hindustan.

            The murky reports about the happenings in Iraqi and Syrian countries have not really helped. "All of us saw the horrible images from Gaza. One is yet to see such images of Yazidis of Iraq", offers Maulana Mehmood Daryabadi. However, the families have confirmed that calls are being made by these youths from Iraq. One of them is reported to have died last week.

            This incidence appears to be an isolated one as opposed to the representative of a general trend. "Muslims in India are bothered about their own problems and are bound by their daily routine. The idea of joining foreign fighters is not even practical", feels Irfan Engineer, Director of Centre for Study of Secularism and Society. Human rights activist Javed Anand agrees that the case cannot be generalised.

            Neverthless, many people agree that there exists a tiny section of society which has extreme approach. These are youths who have lost faith in democracy and think violence to be the only way ahead. Javed Anand says, "Some Muslim organisations propagating the idea of an Islamic state for countries where Muslims are in majority could be the beginning of problem". However, he adds, "In a democracy, everybody is entitled to his view, so long as he doesn't resort to violence."

            Others believe that chances of somebody actually taking the extreme step, on his own, are highly unlikely. Rather they suspect the handiwork of agents belonging to country's intelligence agencies in it. "These people are termed 'instigators'. They identify and recruit the youths who have a feeling of being wronged and then arrest them", opines Aslam Ghazi of Jamat-e-Islami. Former ACP of Mumbai and leader of Awami Vikas Party Shamsher Khan Pathan says, "The sophistication with which all the possible evidence was wiped off, points out to the involvement of agencies." The sentiments are echoed by Sarfaraz Arzoo, who justifies by asking, "Why is it so that main culprits and alleged masterminds are never caught in these cases?"

            The youths from Kalyan are said to have been influenced by propaganda material available online. Unlike traditional media, it is neither easy nor practical to control the content uploaded on the web. In such a scenario, the responsibility of keeping a check on the propagation of extremist thought lies with community. "One should immediately report to police, should he come across any libelous material online", advises Gulag Zama of Jamiat-e Ulema. According to Irfan Engineer, "While things are much exaggerated online, a lot of it depicts reality... Attack on Gaza did happen, riots in India did occur; situation in Iraq is a reality...  Nothing happens in a vacuum... Web is just a medium".

            The situation in Middle East holds the key to understanding fascination of Muslim youths to the causes such as one espoused by ISIS. A decade after US' invasion of Iraq, the country appears on the brink of a full fledged civil war. Having neglected Sunni population of Iraq for a long time, the puppet government of Noori Al Maliki now faces a brutal insurgency. In the neighbouring Syria, cities have been plundered by Bashar Al Asad regime. Many feel that the US has actually allowed the situation to escalate. It didn't even impose a no-fly zone over Syria. "Given the Islamic history, when such a situation does occur, there are going to be people who would take up the arms", asserts Adv. FN Kazi from Kalyan.

            There is a feeling that Muslims should have been more vocal in their opposition of ISIS. Javed Anand, while acknowledging that current crisis is a fallout of US' misadventures in the region, puts onus on Muslims for being too gullible and tolerant of extremism. "What kind of Jihad is this, where two sections of Muslims are fighting each other?", quips Shamsher Khan. So, could there be a sectarian angle behind boys' joining of ISIS? Scholars are not so sure. Even Shia Cleric Kalbe Jawwad's campaign to recruit Shias for fighting in Iraq has been dismissed as a drama and political posturing.

'LIVING IN GAVTEWADI IS NOT A CURSE, IT'S A SIN'

Gavtevadi is one of the the most backward places in Navi mumbai. The conditions here make it feel like a jail instead of ward, where thousands of people are forced to live in sub-human conditions. It remains a shamefully neglected area of the city.

This place a population of thousands, but there is only one toilet. As a result people have to wait in line for hours. The water pipe lines run through gutters. The mixing of two waters can put people's lives danger. In a population of thousands only one water tab is there but in that also the water comes in such a low force , people have to wait for hours. Debris and garbage is everywhere. 

In today's 21st century, the people of Navi Mumbai city have to walk in the light of mobile phones because there is no electricityin this area. Girls and women fear for their safety. The ward is surrounded by the walls of a company making people feel like they are living in jail. The roads are too small for people for even walk.

It must be noted that, Dhurubai Bijle has worked as corprator in this ward for 5 years, but when I asked people if they have seen their corprators, they gave some shocking replies. They angrily that when elections were their Dhurubai Bijle came to ask for their votes, but after the election she never came here.

The constituents also complain that when somebody dies and we go and ask them to give the death certificate they would always have same answer: Madam has gone to her native place We don’t have any.

The condition and the problems of the people of this area are so severe that the NCP rebel Mukhtaar Ansari compaired Gavtevadi to jail.

It must also be noted that the corprator ward Dhurubai Bijle is the same person who had beaten former corporator Bharat Nakhate with her sandal. After looking at the problems of gavtevadi people are saying, that living here is not a curse it’s a sin.

Congress' Waghmare a failure for Turbhe - Indira Nagar

Turbhe - Indira Nagar is one of the most populated areas of Navi Mumbai. Most of the people living here belong to economically weaker section of the society. Congress’s Ramasheth Waghmare was elected as the counselor for Turbhe – Indira Nagar’s Ward No. 61 in 2010. The constituency is now designated as Ward No. 73.

Talk to residents here and they will give you a long list of grievances: Overflowing open gutters, streetlights not working properly, hard-to-get drinking water, mountains of filth, sorry state of public toilets, poorly maintained community centre, corporation school in urgent need for repair, naked overhead wires posing a threat to people’s lives, lack of dust-bins, gardens converted to plain grounds. Residents are tired of filing complaint after complaint. They all are genuinely disappointed.

Ramasheth Waghmare’s five year tenure in corporation house was completely lackluster. He never was aggressive in house even on the issues of his ward. The constituency largely consists of slum areas of Ambedkar Nagar, Ganesh Nagar and Indira Nagar. Ramasheth got an opportunity to represent this ward when it was reserved for Shedule Castes in 2010. Despite lacking any experience in politics, Waghmare became a candidate, thanks to the local leadership of Congress.

Waghmare struck a chord with slum-dwellers and eventually won the poll. He made huge promises during elections, but now residents fault him for not acting on them.
The biggest problem for the women living in this area is toilets. They complain that there aren’t enough public toilets in the ward.

Lack of cleanliness is another major problem here. Residents complained of overflowing gutters, unhygienic environment and health issues arising out of it.

The most severe problem here is of overhead wires. None of them are insulated. The electric poles are required to be supported by wood and bamboos. All this is a recipe for a great disaster.

The residents are putting the blame of all these issues squarely on Ramasheth Waghmare. They allege that, once elected, he didn’t take any efforts to know the problems of his constituents.

Waghmare has now switched to Shiv Sena from Congress and the ward has been reserved for women. He is planning to make her daughter contest elections. But he doesn’t have anything to show but a survey wall and a flyover bridge at Turbhe Naka. The outlook is discouraging for Ramasheth Waghmare.

UNDER SUN AND SHADOW: In the memory of late Nani

It was a long day yesterday. My mother woke me up a bit earlier with the words, "Nani ka inteqal ho gaya (Grandma passed away)".

Her demise was anything but sudden. She was bed ridden since last year and a half. Before that she had slowly but steadily lost her memory. In the twilight of life, her words stopped making sense and she had to be fed through a tube.

This isn't exactly the image of the woman under whose shade I grew up. I have always known her to be smart, feisty and above all a thoroughly caring lady.

I had spent better part of my childhood at her place. And, being the first of her grandchildren, I was apple of the eye of entire maternal household. There was much to be loved about 'Nani ka ghar': caring folks, a sense of freedom, calm surroundings, food and even TV (We didn't have cable connection at our place) !

As the sunlight turned softer after an unforgivingly hot day, I stood in the family graveyard opposite her home, thinking how quickly I lost it all. How fast the wheel of time has turned. It almost feels like yesterday, that I was haggling with her to watch my favourite show on TV or she was combing my hairs.

"Man is steadily approaching his God" (Qur'an)

I now feel sad, for not returning her love. For neglecting her when she became frail. I hadn't seen her for almost a month, cocooned as I was in my 'busy life. I kept running under the Sun, only to get tired and heavy at the end of the day.

 And it wasn't just me. Everyone who gathered yesterday seemed focussed on their individual worldly lives,  perhaps forgetting that one day we all have to lie on a bed of soil and stand before our lord. There will hardly be any shadow available on that day.

"Hafeez ho gaya aakhir ajal se hum-aagosh / Tamam shab ka sataya hua sahar se ja mila (Hafeez eventually embraced the death / Pestered for the entire night, he has now united with dawn)"

How Right makes a mockery of anti-Valentines effort

As i was walking around platform no 1 of kalyan railway station a peculiar sticker caught my eye. It had a picture of a Muslim family (in a true bolywood sense, complete with pathanis and skull caps) at home. The sticker also had a photo of tainted guru Asaram Bapu asking youngsters to celebrate 14th Feb as 'Ammi Abba Ibadat Din'. I had a hearty laugh!

Let me explain. A few days ago, i read a story in newspaper that right-wing organisations affiliated to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have planned a number of activities to dissuade youngsters from Public Display of Affection (PDA) on Valentines Day. The Valentines Day celebrations are against 'our' culture they say.

Asaram Bapu and his disciples, on the other hand came up with a novel idea to promote 'Indian culture'. They called on youth to celebrate the day as 'matru-pitru pujan divas'. The idea being that more than any 'lover', it's your parents who deserve your 'love'. Hell, they deserve to be bowed before in a true Hindu tradition of worshipping anything/anybody that benifits/harms you.

For a wider appeal, they translated it simplistically as 'Abba Ammi ibadat din'. The name not just lacked any particular resonance with monotheistic Muslims but, when coupled with dressed-for-Eid family, seemed absolutely absurd. And above all, it was a blow to our anti-Valentines effort. I mean, those who indulge in illicit relations don't really deny platonic love to their parents. It's an issue of morality and moral decay, and should be treated as such!

Navi Mumbai civic polls: MIM set to throw its hat in the ring

A new entrant is ready to join political bandwagon in Navi Mumabai. With only a couple of months left for NMMC elections, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen has all but decided to contest civic polls. 

The Hyderabad-based party made its Maharashtra debut in Vidhan sabha elections last year, as two of its candidates got elected to the state legislative assembly. MIM legislator from Byculla Waris Pathan has now been appointed to look after party’s poll prospects in Navi Mumbai. He says that the decision will be made in 3-4 days after consultation with party chief.

MIM’s main poll plank will be the uplifment of large swathes of minority population living in the city. Pathan asserts that minorities have become fed up with the so-called secular parties. He added that Congress, NCP and Samajwadi Party has been using minorities as mere votebanks

Sensing NCP’s loosening grip on power, MIM has reportedly started the ground work in city. Handful of party activists are said to be identifying local issues and evaluating party’s prospects here.

MIM ‘s entry in Navi Mumbai is sure to alter political equations especially in Muslim-dominated areas. Pathan is confident of winning at least 2 to 3 seats in upcoming elections.

Perhaps, it is too early to say if MIM will have any real impact on Navi Mumbai politics. It might even end up dividing Muslim votes and strengthen BJP and Shiv Sena. Nevertheless, minorities of city will have an additional option when they go to polling booth after 2 months.

How Sena, BJP conqured Bhiwandi

Bhiwandi : It may come as surprise to some that Muslim majority Bhiwandi East and Bhiwandi West constituencies in Thane would elect BJP and Shiv Sena candidates to state legislative assembly. But many in the minority community, who were observing the political landscape of the city, saw it coming.

The surprising results can be attributed to the low turnout combined with division of minority votes, growing disillusionment with 'secular' parties and cash-for-vote practice.

In Bhiwandi West constituency, BJP's Mahesh Choughule won with a margin of 3326 votes. His immediate opponent, Congress's Shoeb Khan got 39157 votes, followed by Shiv Sena's Manoj Katekar with 20106 votes. The strong anti-incumbency ensured that two-time MLA Abdul Rashid Momin, who recently migrated from SP to NCP, was relegated to fourth place with mere 16131 votes. New entrant MIM's Jaki Shaikh managed to get 4686 votes.

In the East Shiv Sena's Rupesh Mhatre kept his seat with 33541 votes. BJP's Santosh Shetty trailed by 3393 votes. Abu Farhan Azmi was a distant third with 17541 votes followed by MIM's Akram Khan who got 14572 votes.

The votes are usually polled along communal lines in Bhiwandi. Most of the Hindus voted Shiv Sena and BJP. Muslim votes got divided between Congress, NCP, SP and MIM. Most of these votes too were polled along caste lines. The Momin Julaha vote bank remained with Abdul Rashid Momin whereas most of the SP voters hail from Azamgadh in UP.

But the decisive factor was the facy that, Choughule reportedly recieved around two to three thousand votes from Nizampur, Khajoorpur and Gouri Pada areas populated by Konkani Muslims. According to Editor of 'Bhiwandi Samachar' Farooq Memon, "While many of these votes were polled in exchange of money, it was a quid-pro-quo for others. As the president of a local co-operative credit society, Mahesh Chougle had swiftly approved loans for many of these people."

On the other hand, Rupesh Mhatre, with his clean image, seem to have benifited by the work he did in the constituency. He drew many votes from poor Muslims of Shanti Nagar area.

"The MIM here is the main culprit. They shouldn't have put up their candidates here", said Shaheen Kalokhe, a techie from Bhiwandi. He added that there should be a local pressure group for Muslims to get their act together and to keep communal forces from coming to power.

MIM on its part claimed that they merely responded to Muslim disenchantment with parties like Congress, NCP and SP. "There's no point of us not contesting the elections. I have managed to get around 14000 votes in first attempt. Other parties should heed that", said Akram Khan of MIM.

Many blame the city's Muslim population itself for this scenario. According to Abdul Rashid Momin, "The turnout here was very low. And the fact that many actually sought money in the exchange of their votes is really disturbing".

However, one thing is clear: the 'secular' parties can no longer take minority votes for granted. There were reports of Muslims voting for BJP in Bhiwandi Rural constituency also. With the entry of MIM, there's no way these parties can claim their hold on the minorities now.

BJP dents Sena's Thane Fort, MNS looses foothold

Kalyan: BJP made a dent into Shiv Sena’s Thane bastion, as the later fought hard to hold its fort and MNS lost its foothold in Kalyan.

Meanwhile, former Thane Guardian Minister and NCP’s strongman in the region Ganesh Naik ended up losing his Belapur seat to BJP’s Manda Mhatre by 1,491 votes in a closely fought battle. His son managed to hold onto his Airoli seat.

BJP gained ground at Shiv Sena’s expense, especially in Ambernath, Thane and Kalyan seats. In Thane, BJP’s Mukund Kelkar beat Shiv Sena’s Ravindra Pathak by a margin of 12,588 votes. Shiv Sena’s Balaji Kinikar managed to retain his Ambernath seat, but not without losing most of his voter base to BJP’s Rajesh Wankhede.

MNS incumbents Prakash Bhoir and Ramesh Patil lost their seats to Shiv Sena and BJP in Kalyan West and Kalyan Rural constituencies respectively. The strong anti-incumbency wave is thought to be responsible for that.

Muslim dominated Bhiwandi East and West seats fell into BJP’s lap mainly due to division of Muslim votes, caused by the presence of parties like All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Samajwadi Party.

At 50.61 per cent, Thane district had witnessed one of the lowest voter turnout in the entire state, with constituencies like Ulhasnagar polling as low as 38.22 per cent. The low turnout seems to have benefited the BJP, whose committed voter base of Brahmins, Gujratis and South Indians voted anyway.

Ravindra Chavan of BJP won by a comfortable margin of 46,225 in its Dombivli stronghold. NCP’s Jitendra Awhad also won easily in Mumbra-Kalwa constituency despite a resurgent AIMIM. Shiv Sena’s Thane district chief Eknath Shinde retained his Kopri-Pachpakhdi seat, as he defeated his immediate opponent by 51,869 votes.

Low Voter turnout in Thane district

Kalyan : Increasing disillusion with the electoral process, lack of better candidates and relative prosperity seem to be the reasons behind low voter turnout in Thane district on Wednesday.
The district witnessed an overall turnout of 50.61 per cent, a marginal rise from 49.2 per cent of Lok Sabha Polls, despite a high octane campaign season and money distribution on poll day. The turnout was higher in Rural areas.
"There was no excitement in people on polling day, as they have become disillusioned with all the political parties", observed Farooq Memon, editor of Bhiwandi Samachar. Breaking of decades old political alliances was also a major factor. "Political parties had to bring in weak candidates who lacked mass appeal at eleventh hour", said a businessman from Mumbra.
Candidates ran a very visible campaign. Everybody from Uddhav Thackrey and Raj Thackrey to Nitin Gadkari and Prithviraj Chouhan had addressed rallies in the district. But that proved insufficient in bringing voters to polling station.
Bhiwandi Rural, considered as  Shiv Sena's bastion, saw the highest turnout of 66.24 per cent. Whereas industrial hub Ulhasnagar had the lowest turnout of 38.22 per cent. The fact that large labour population living there didn't have a day off was cited as possible reason for that.
Cities like Kalyan, Dombivli, Bhiwandi and Mira-Bhayander had around 44-45 percent turnout. Here most of the booths in posh areas wore a deserted look. In poorer parts supporters of candidates were seen distributing money in exchange of votes.
The four constituencies of Thane city namely Ovala-Majiwada, Kopri-Pachpakhdi, Thane and Mumbra-Kalwa registered 50.31, 53.1, 56.56 and 47.48 percentage of voting respectively. Residents reportedly preferred spending the holiday shopping with family instead of voting. In Mumbra-Kalwa region, voters' list required updating, as many of the residents had relocated to new addresses.
Airoli and Belapur constituencies in New Mumbai saw 51.47 and 49.61 per cent turnout respectively.

Shiv Sena leader Sabir Shaikh dead

Kon Village, Kalyan : Maharashtra's former labour minister and Shiv Sena's most prominent Muslim Face Sabir Shaikh died today after a prolonged illness.
The 71-year-old leader from Thane breathed his last around 5:30 in the evening at Ved Hospital in Kon Village, near Kalyan, where he lived. He was suffering from Parkinson's disease since last four years.
Sabir Shaikh's nephew and Shiv Sena leader Altaf Shaikh informed that he was suffering from various ailments such as TB and Diabetes and was bed-ridden since a year or so. He is survived by his wife Ayesha and a daughter.
Being a Muslim, Sabir Shaikh was a rarity in Shiv Sena. The loyal Shiv Sainik is said to had been attracted by Bal Thackrey's writings. "We are proud of the fact that he was filled with Shiv Sena founder's ideals... I miss a fatherly figure", Said Altaf Shaikh.
Various Shiv Sena leaders, including Sena chief Uddhav Thackrey, reportedly called in to convey their condolonces. He will buried tomorrow at 11:00 am at Kalyan's Tekri Kabrastan.