Follow but do not Worship. Allah alone is to be worshipped.
Narrated by Aisha (Radhiallaho anho):
Abu Bakr came riding his horse from his dwelling place in
As-Sunh. He got down from it, entered the Mosque and did not
speak with anybody till he came to me and went direct to the
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam), who was covered with
a marked blanket. Abu Bakr uncovered his face. He knelt down
and kissed him and then started weeping and said, "My father
and my mother be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Prophet!
Allah will not combine two deaths on you. You have died the
death which was written for you." Narrated Abu Salama from
Ibn Abbas: Abu Bakr came out and 'Umar was addressing the
people, and Abu Bakr told him to sit down but 'Umar refused.
Abu Bakr again told him to sit down but 'Umar again refused.
Then Abu Bakr recited the Tashah-hud (i.e. none has the
right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's
Messenger) and the people attended to Abu Bakr and left
'Umar. Abu Bakr said, "Amma ba'du (to proceed), whoever
amongst you worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but
whoever worshipped Allah, Allah is alive and will never die.
Allah said: 'Muhammad is no more than an Prophet and indeed
(many) Prophets have passed away before him ..(up to the)
grateful.' " (Sura Al-e-Imran : Ver. 144) (The narrator
added, "By Allah, it was as if the people never knew that
Allah had revealed this verse before till Abu Bakr recited
it and then whoever heard it, started reciting it.")
Bukhari Vol. 2 : No. 333
[Comment by Kaukab Siddique: As the month of Rabi al-Awwal
begins, we Muslims must remember that we do not worship
Muhammad, pbuh, though he was the best of men and the last
of Prophets and Messengers. He was a human being. Follow his
example but do not come near trying to turn him into God.
Sunnah is doable because he, pbuh, was human. Christians
cannot follow Jesus, pbuh, because for them his life is a
list of miracles.]
LATEST NEWS
from Aiken, SC
A First For a Muslim: Protest at Big Trump Rally.
December 12: Br. Jibril Hough got up in a big Trump rally
and protested against Trump's anti-Muslim remarks. Trump
supporters tried to grab him but he evaded them. Finally
police escorted him out but did not mistreat him.
NBC showed Trump speaking at a big rally in Aiken, near the
Georgia border. Then Br. Jibril got up and protested. The
crowd tried to shout him down. As a result of
all the shouting, the rally was disrupted.
Photo shows Br. Jibril after he
was escorted out by police.
A Selection of Articles by our new Contributor from Texas:
Br. Kris.
Trump says to take out ISIS family members...
NBCnews.com/politics/2016-election/trump-isis-terrorists-you-have-take-out-their-families-n472711
In my opinion, Daesh is trying to convince all Muslims that
this is a war between the superpowers of the world,
including but not limited to 'the West', and Trump is a
figure that reinforces propaganda that is helpful to Daesh
and detrimental to peace efforts, domestically and
internationally speaking. Personally, I denounce Trump and
everything that he stands for. Kaukab, you told me nothing
unites two entities like a common enemy, and the 31
Governors trying to stifle the flow of Syrian refugees fall
into the same category as Trump in this instance, because
what they are doing is alienating the Muslim population of
America (6 Million) and the world (another 1.5
billion)...
This is sad.... Refugees detained in Australia say they
want to die...Australia was founded by immigrants just like
America, and is therefore that more paranoid that someone
will come to the same continent and commit genocide the way
that the English did in Australia and the
Pilgrims/Conquistadors did in the Americas. The American
Gov't is keenly aware of outside influence by immigrants and
Ellis Island is no longer the safe haven of old, as our
government has no immediate use of the immigrants, which in
the past they have used mainly as cannon fodder in global
warfare.
TelesurTV.net/english/news/Refugees-Detained-by-Australia-Say-They-Want-to-Die-20151203-0001.html
Major Political Parties have Failed to Discipline and Raise
Value Levels of their Workers.
Munir Khalili writes in chaste Urdu. He criticizes
Pakistan's political parties. He is polite but severe in his
criticism of MQM which recently won the local elections in
Karachi, and Tehreeke Insaf led by Imran Khan [who seems to
have fallen into the pit of indirection] [Recently he had a
friendly meeting with India's racist leader Modi.]
Shiites Hit in Bombing Attack by Lashkare Jhangvi, accusing
them of Supporting Assad of Syria
December 13. A crowd of shoppers in Parachinar, a border
town home to Shiites near the Afghan border was hot by a
bomb blast which killed 22 people and injured more than
50.
A sectarian organization, Lashkare Jhangvi, has claimed
responsibility and claimed that the Shi'ites were sending
fighters to Syria to fight for Assad.
There is a big Pakistani military operation going on in
adjacent districts which is supported by Shi'ites
RESEARCH & REVIEW
Trump & Hitler
Prof. Akbar Ahmed, Pakistani American, makes a False
Comparison, Propagating the Zionist Narrative. A review of
Ahmed's "Countdown to Kristallnacht."
[Intro. by Dr. Kaukab Siddique: Akbar Ahmed, a professor at
the American University in Washington DC, is a close friend
of Zionists and their Rabbis. In response to Trump's ranting
against Muslims, Akbar Ahmed propagated the Zionist
narrative. He could have shown how America was insulated by
a series of American presidents against three massive
Israeli attacks on Gaza. Israel has undermined America's
conscience and sense of right and wrong. Instead he trotted
out the Zionist narrative comparing Trump with Hitler. The
fact is that Hitler was not involved in the attacks on Jews
during Kristallnacht. Here I present Ahmed's thesis followed
by David Irving's in depth research on Kristallnacht
[published by IHR.]
Akbar Ahmed writes:
"It was a cold night in November 1938. Hard men with hatred
in their hearts and bats in their hands set about smashing
shops belonging to Jews. At the end of the night, some 267
synagogues were destroyed, the windows of 7,500 Jewish-owned
businesses were shattered and several Jewish cemeteries were
desecrated. At least 91 Jews were killed in the mayhem. Up
to 30,000 Jewish men were rounded up and sent to
concentration camps. Glass from smashed storefront windows
lay strewn across the streets. That night of infamy is
notorious in history as Kristallnacht -- the "Night of
Broken Glass."
Kristallnacht was a turning point on the path to the
concentration camps and the Holocaust, at the end of which 6
million Jews would be killed, creating what has been
acknowledged as one of the most murderous episodes in
history.
Today, we appear to be heading that way again -- this time
with Muslims instead of Jews.
Kristallnacht was justified by the Nazis as a response to
the assassination of a German diplomat in Paris by a young
Jewish man."
Here is the research by David Irving published by IHR
[Institute of Historical Review]
'Crystal Night'
The key event in this whole story was, of course, the
"Crystal Night" ("Kristallnacht"), or "Night of Broken
Glass" in 1938. Here the Goebbels diary must be treated with
the utmost caution. It began on November 7, 1938, with the
assassination of a German diplomat in Paris by a Polish Jew,
Herschel Grynszpan. News of the shooting triggered a number
of small scale anti-Jewish outbreaks all over Germany, which
Goebbels noted in his diary without at first paying any
special attention to them. However, when news reached him of
the young diplomat's death, two days later, it truly
outraged him. It came while he was with Hitler at a meeting
in Munich, commemorating the annual Nazi party anniversary
of the failed "Beer Hall Putsch" of November 9, 1923.
After Hitler had left the meeting, Goebbels came to the
podium to announce the death of the German diplomat. He also
reported to the assembled Gauleiters on the anti-Jewish
incidents that had already broken out, describing them as
manifestations of a "spontaneous" public outrage. Goebbels
said, in effect: "A Jew has fired a shot. A German has died.
Obviously our people will be outraged about this. This is
not the time to rein in that outrage." We have two or three
independent sources for what he said that evening, including
the report by the British consul in Munich, who very quickly
learned of the speech and reported it to London. This report
is now in the British archives.
Describing the evening's events, Goebbels writes in his
diary that, after his brief speech: "Everyone makes a
beeline for the telephones." He adds: "Now the public will
take action." An interesting turn of phrase, he creates an
image of men in brown uniforms and swastika arm bands
reaching out to telephones to relay orders all over
Germany.
The orders were that the Aktion (operation) was to be
carried out by SA men in plain clothes, and the police were
not to intervene. There was to be no bloodshed and no harm
done to anyone unless, of course, Jews offered armed
resistance, in which case they should expect short shrift.
"There is to be no looting," stormtroopers in Kiel were
told. "Nobody is to be roughed up. Foreign Jews are not to
be touched. Meet any resistance with firearms. The Aktion is
to be carried out in plain clothes and must be finished by
five a.m."
The result was the Night of Broken Glass, one of Germany's
darkest nights. Hundreds if not thousands of Jewish shops
were destroyed. About 150 synagogues were burned to the
ground, including six or seven in Berlin. The following
morning the news was that 38 Jews had been murdered. On
Hitler's orders, 20,000 Jews were rounded up and temporarily
held in concentration camps.
After the overnight reports had come in, Goebbels sums up
the object of the exercise in a heartless, unrepentant diary
entry: "As was to be expected, the entire nation is in
uproar. This is one dead man who is costing the Jews dear.
Our darling Jews will think twice in future before simply
gunning down German diplomats."
In the archives I found a document dated the next day,
November 10, which shows quite clearly that some kind of
order had actually been issued. That morning Goebbels sent
the following message to all 42 Nazi party propaganda
officials (Gaupropagandaleiter) at the provincial level:
"The anti-Jewish Aktionen [operations] must now be called
off with the same rapidity with which they were launched.
They have served their desired and anticipated purpose."
These are the key lines in this document, I think, because
they do imply that an order had been issued the day before.
We don't have that earlier document, but references to it
were made during the postwar interrogation of one or two of
the Gauleiters, and there's also a hint in his diary that he
had given certain orders the previous day.
Goebbels had to issue this second order calling off the
Aktionen because, as we now know (a member of Hitler's
private staff confirmed it to me), Hitler was furious when
he heard, during the night, about the anti-Jewish outbreaks.
Throughout the night, telephone calls came in reporting
synagogues blazing across Germany. Hitler sent for Himmler
and asked: "What the hell is going on here, Reichsführer?"
Himmler replied: "Send for Goebbels, he knows." Hitler
summoned Goebbels and raked him over the coals. The
following morning Goebbels wrote in his diary: "I went to
see the Führer at 11 o'clock, and we discussed what to do
next." You can just imagine what kind of conversation took
place between Hitler and Goebbels. Of course, Goebbels isn't
going to write in his diary "the Führer called me a bloody
idiot for having started what I did last night" - that's not
the kind of diary he kept. Instead, he wrote a one-line
entry to remind himself that he did have to go to see the
Führer. What he did next was to issue the November 10 order
calling for an immediate stop to all the anti-Jewish
Aktionen.
Here, I'm afraid, I have to disagree with our colleague
Ingrid Weckert; but if a revisionist can't revise another
revisionist, I don't know what a revisionist is. Weckert
rather exonerates Dr. Goebbels from any blame for the
"Crystal Night." [See Weckert's book, Flashpoint, published
by the IHR, and her article, Crystal Night 1938 in the
Summer 1985 Journal.]
However, there is no doubt in my mind that on that night,
having gotten the news that the German diplomat died,
Goebbels - incautiously, imprudently, and out of a sheer
sense of mischief - ordered the Gauleiters to go out and
start raising hell against the Jews. And, of course, it got
out of hand.
Even then, Goebbels didn't realize the extent to which the
world's press would seize on this incident. Few of the top
Nazis had ever traveled outside of Germany. They didn't
realize what the foreign press was like. They didn't realize
that outside Germany, then as now, there are societies that
look on German actions with a certain degree of wonderment
and bafflement. The foreign press seized on this
extraordinary incident, which in the over-heated political
climate of 1938 Germany might have seemed little more than
an extension of a street fight. But in peaceful democracies
this kind of thing just didn't go on. From Berlin, reporters
sent back horrific accounts to England, to the United States
and to the other free countries.
Ribbentrop, the German Foreign Minister, was one of those
most scandalized by what Goebbels had done. Himmler was
furious. Göring went to Hitler and demanded that Goebbels be
dismissed for this outrage. Goebbels had an appalling time
trying to repair the damage that he had done. It is baffling
why Hitler tolerated what Goebbels had done. Hitler told
Ribbentrop, "I need this man because I have other things in
mind, and I am going to need a propaganda minister of the
caliber of Dr. Goebbels." This can be the only explanation
why he turned a blind eye to Goebbels' blooper, and it
doesn't speak very highly of Hitler.
Years later, in July 1944, when he was pleading to be put in
charge of Germany's "total war" mobilization effort,
Goebbels wrote this mea culpa to Hitler: "I know that I've
caused you many a private worry in the 20 years I've been
with you, particularly in 1938 and 1939." Although Hitler
does appoint him commissioner of total war, this is a very
important admission. Obviously between Hitler and Goebbels
at that time there was colossal personal strain. It wasn't
just because of his affair in 1936-1938 with Lida Baarova,
the Czech actress. (She is now 80 years old, still a lady of
great beauty, and living in Salzburg. I went to interview
her a few months ago.) Rather, it was undoubtedly the grief
that Goebbels had caused Hitler by Kristallnacht.
ANALYSIS
Obama's Policies are Most Dangerous for the Muslim World.
Republicans are no match for him.
What is Israel's role? Can ISIS win?
by Kaukab Siddique
President Obama does not want to send troops to Iraq or
Syria on any impressive scale. Iraq was collapsing rapidly
when the Islamic State surged, so he sent about 3500 troops
mostly specialists and trainers. And that's about it, except
for 50 here and there.
The Islamic State tried to lure Obama by the provocative
beheading of a couple of Americans. He refused to be
drawn.
The Paris attacks showed him how aggressive ISIS was
becoming but other than issuing a statement against
terrorism he did nothing.
The Republicans have been insulting him almost daily on Fox
TV, accusing him of being a coward and a feckless
leader.
Then came the attack in San Barnadino. The media and the
public went into national shock, urging immediate action
against ISIS. Obama was not impressed. He tossed it off
almost as an issue about gun control.
So what is the President up to? Remember he has the best
Israeli advisers. Anyone who studies his moves knows that he
is moving with great deliberation.
He has sent in the sir force to bomb ISIS, both in Iraq and
in Syria. This is hardly noticed in America. The bombing has
killed more than 5,000 Islamic fighters as well as several
hundred civilians. He is going after the oil resources of
ISIS and is carefully killing its financiers and trying to
kill Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his immediate entourage.
The bombs dropped by the US air force EVERY DAY on the
Islamic State make no noise in the US media. Its a quiet war
for America and deadly for ISIS.
But air strikes, though deadly, are not Obama's main
strategy. The air war is tactical. The strategy could be
fatal for the Muslim world.
Obama wants to get Muslims to fight Muslims. He is very
systematic and has an entire program for this strategy.
My readers might remember the time when Obama supported the
building of a mosque near the Twin Towers. He wanted to
create the impression that the 9.11 attacks were aimed not
only at America but at Islam. American right wingers did not
understand the depth of Obama's move and made a big stink
about it.
America's relations with Iran have been secretive for many
years. Israel resented the competition. With the emergence
of ISIS, Obama decided to carry out the nuclear deal with
Iran and to use Iran big time against ISIS. For the first an
American president came head to head with Israel's arrogant
Netanyahoo and won. Obama quietly assured Israel that
American support for it would remain hundred percent intact
but would in fact increase.
America would no longer make its pouting comments about the
settlements and the increasing takeover of Jerusalem.
Muslims should realize that Israel is America's forward
military base in the Middle East. The idea that Israel
controls America is true only in bits and pieces. Overall
Israel would not exist without American funds, military
support and media.
In exchange, sanctions on Iran will be relaxed and then
removed, releasing billions of dollars for Iran to use in
its sectarian, divisive, policies in the Muslim world.
Iran and its subsidiary Hizbullah are now busy fighting ISIS
in Iraq and both ISIS and other mujahideen in Syria. They
have sacrificed hundreds of their fighters, including
several generals. Who gains? Assad and Israel. Instead of
fighting Israel, Hizbullah has lost all sense of direction
and is fighting the mujahideen with all its might.
Obama's second Muslim force are the Kurds. ISIS was forced
to leave Kobani to the Kurds after months of bombing by the
US air force which killed more than a thousand Islamic
activists, including Quran reciters, preachers and
teachers.
American-Kurdish joint venture has been successful and has
hurt ISIS.
In the wider Muslim world, Obama is supporting General Sissi
in Egypt, the Saudi King and the Jordanian King. This is the
triplicate safety ring around Israel. Unless ISIS overthrows
at least one of them, its success story will not
continue.
Obama is bombing Somalia, aiding Nigerian military moves
against Boko Haram and carrying out carefully planned air
raids on Libya.
In South Asia, Obama has Pakistan's General Raheel Sharif on
a string and Hasna Wajed at his beck and call in
Bangladesh.
Pakistani media are so strongly pro-American, though very
indirectly, that even Islamic groups like Jamaate Islami are
strongly against the mujahideen and consider them terrorists
[not very differently from America.]
Will Muslims ever understand this situation?
SAUDI ARABIA
Sharia can Only be Implemented by an Islamic Caliphate which
is Based on Equality and Justice.
Note from Editor: Many Years back Dr. Kaukab Siddique wrote
that Kingship is HARAM in Islam and Saudi Arabia is not an
Islamic State. He came into conflict with Jamaate Islami on
this issue and was mistreated by ISNA and other groups
linked to the Saudis.. He was jobless for a while and with
poverty level jobs for more years. Much later, Shaykh Osama
bin Laden rose against the Saudis when they invited American
troops to enter Arabia and mobilize against Iraq. Later
still Osama tried to topple the Saudi monarchy. The Iranians
provided oil to Israel for 30 years but after the revolution
they too turned against the Saudis on sectarian basis, not
owing to Saudi oppression. Today criticism of Saudi Arabia
is commonplace. Saudi monarchy has no right to implement
Sharia when it has not done anything to implement equality
and justice. Some of the points in this article may be
incorrect but most of it is correct.
No Life For Sri Lankan Woman To Be Stoned To Death
by Latheef Farook
As the birthplace of Islam and the site of Islam's two
holiest cities, Makka and Madina, Saudi Arabia have been
dear to the hearts of a billion and half Muslims worldwide.
However the autocratic tribal racist family regime there was
installed by Britain, France and Zionist Jews, in the
aftermath of World War 1. The concept of tribalism, monarch,
royal family and family rule are contrary to Islamic
teachings which
uphold equality of men and women and the entire humanity
without any barrier such as caste, race or colour.
Thus the question whether a regime which is not based on the
teachings of Holy Quran and has become a proven threat to
Islam and Muslims can selectively enforce Islamic laws.
Commenting on this Sri Lankan Islamic scholar M Mifly had
this to state;
"This punishment is not in accordance with Shariah law even
though it is mentioned in the sayings of the Prophet which
is the integral part of Shariah. On the contrary it is the
domestic law of Saudi Arabia (KSA) which is binding on every
person entering that country to follow it as per the
international law. Any country has freedom to call its law
in any name be it Shariah, Western or anything else. However
Shariah is not a brand name or monopoly of any person. It is
a principle and code of life.
Any punishment purportedly given under the Shariah law needs
to be in complete compliance with not only letters of
Shariah but with spirit of it also.
Shariah is a divine law of which primary objectives are
protection of one's life, wealth, dignity and gene. The
distinctive feature of Shariah is that it takes the side of
the victim not of the perpetrator.
The Shariah does not impose its law blindly on anyone for
the sake of law. The basic prerequisite principle of
imposition of any Shariah law especially criminal law is the
creation of conducive environment so that all the avenues to
possible commission of such crime would have been blocked.
(This is called in Shariah as "Sadduz Zareeah").
When we analyze the Sri Lankan maid's case, the conducive
environment of blocking the avenues to such crimes (Sadduz
Zareeah) were not created by several stakeholders including
Governments of KSA, Sri Lanka, her family and her
community.
Allowing a young lady without being accompanied by her
husband or close relative to enter KSA and creation of an
atmosphere that prevented her from fulfilling her sexual
needs are few crimes committed by KSA in terms of
Shariah.
The Government of Sri Lanka, her family including her
husband and her community are too accountable to this
remorseful plight that this innocent lady fallen in. We
compelled her to go there away from her loved ones by not
discharging our social responsibilities towards these poor
and destitute ones.
Under these similar circumstances, Shariah does not impose
its law on the offenders of the law, simply because the
offender is not one and only guilty the others too directly
or indirectly become accomplice in the commission of the
crime. Under these circumstances, Shariah imposes the lesser
punishment (which is called in Shariah as "Tha'zeer").
The classic example is that during the rule of Great Caliph
Umar, there was unexpected widespread poverty. Therefore,
the Ruler Caliph Umar suspended the sentences for theft as
the people would be compelled to steal the goods under these
compelling circumstances.
Therefore, I am of the firm belief that this poor housemaid
can be saved from capital punishment in terms of Shariah
provided Saudi Arabia strictly follows the Shariah law.Thus
concluded Mifly.
Saudi regime was created by European colonial powers to
serve their interests.
For example the founder of Saudi regime Abdul Aziz Ibn Al
Saud, a tribal leader who established his control over Nejd
with the capture of Riyadh early in the last century,
supported Britain, France and Zionist Jews to defeat
Turkey's Ottoman Empire. In return British and the Zionist
Jews plotting to destroy the Muslim Ottoman Empire, its
caliphate and to weaken Muslim world, concluded a Treaty of
Friendship with Al Saud in 1916.
During World War I, the Ottomans lost Makka, Jeddah and
Madina in 1919. Ottoman governor Shareef Hussein declared
himself the Caliph of Makka on 7 March 1924, four days after
the abolition of the caliphate on 3 March 1924.
Britain and the Zionists provided weapons, bribed with money
and got Al Saud to attack Shareef Hussein. Shareef was
defeated and Al Saud established his rule over Makka and
Madina and introduced the Wahhabi rule, which was hostile to
the system of caliphate.
Thus the caliphate system, which has been the rallying point
for Muslims all over the world, was wiped out and the
British and Jewish control over the region was strengthened
with Abdel Aziz in the helm. This situation continues to
date.
The Al Saudi family's relations with the United States began
as early as 1930 when the US began manoeuvring to exploit
the Arabs to promote Jewish interests. President Roosevelt
offered a bribe of US$50 million to Ibn Saud in 1943 to use
his influence to get other Arab leaders to support the plan
to create a Jewish state of Israel.
In the subsequent years the Saudi regime's role in the
military conflicts triggered by the Zionists which
destabilised the Middle East was shameful treachery.
For example, alarmed at the Islamic revolution in Iran in
1979 ,Saudi regime, with Israel and its western masters, got
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to declare war on Iran causing
the eight year Iran-Iraq war which killed more than a
million Muslims besides destroying oil rich Iraq and
Iran.
The war ended and Israel felt threatened by battle hardened
Iraqi armed forces. US tricked Saddam Hussein to invade
Kuwait and precipitated the Kuwaiti crisis .Under the
pretext of liberating Kuwait, US led coalition destroyed
Iraq besides killings hundreds of thousands innocent Iraqis.
Saudi regime spent an unbudgeted US$62 billion in 1990 and
1991 to finance this US led war to destabilise the Middle
East to the benefit of the West and Israel.
Many Saudis openly defied and criticised their regime. As
expected, a number of imams, preachers and Muslim scholars
were arrested for expressing their views during the Gulf
crisis. Perhaps they are still in underground prisons.
Then came the 2003 US led invasion of Iraq, an almost
developed country, turned into a killing field. Saudis
provided all assistance for US and British aircrafts which
bombed destroyed and killed Iraqis.
Saudi regime sided with Israel every time Israel invaded
Gaza causing death and destruction to suffering
Palestinians.
Saudi regime also crushed all democracy movements in the
Middle East.
Saudi regime played a decisive role in toppling democratic
governments in Algeria and in the occupied West Bank and
Gaza following the free and fair elections there in 2006
.Saudi, together with UAE and Kuwait, spent eleven billion
dollars to topple the first ever elected Egypt's democratic
government of Mohamed Morsi and kill more than 2500 innocent
Muslims.
The list of Saudi war crimes continues and now Saudi is busy
slaughtering poverty stricken Yemenis since March this
year.
Meanwhile the lifestyle of the Saudi's ruling family members
has been in total contradiction to Islamic teachings and
shameful to Muslims worldwide. For example in Islam rulers
were entitled to a salary as it happened during the rule of
great Caliph Omar and others unlike in Saudi Arabia where
the nation's entire wealth is in the hands of the ruler and
the ruling family.
Few have penetrated the closed world of Saudi Arabia's
ruling family, with its enormous wealth, the lavish
lifestyles of its princes and their private passions. Those
who do know the truth are usually well rewarded to hold
their tongues. And it certainly is a big family. So today a
legion of 8,000 Saudi princes occupies the most important
and high-paying jobs and keep the economy in a chokehold of
nepotism.
Ill-treatment of people of Middle Eastern, Asian and African
origins has been a common topic of discussions.
They allow no freedom of speech or press. Every non-Saudi
knows that if he gets caught saying something unflattering
about a member of the royal family, he could even vanish.
Political parties are not permitted. Activists are arrested
and tortured, including electric shock and flogging. Judges
are influenced by the royal family and they can be overruled
by the king.
Human Rights Records
Saudi Arabia has also been under severe criticism from
several rights organisations over its human rights
records.
Condemning the Saudi criminal justice system and the strict
punishments, many accused the regime of following one law
for the Westerners and another for poor Asian and African
workers, who were outraged when two British nurses convicted
of murder in 1997, were allowed to go home following a visit
to the country by British war criminal Tony Blair
Unfortunately for the poor and the oppressed, Saudi Arabia,
the most oppressive regime in the planet, is big business
for so called champions of human rights in the West as it is
the largest oil producer in the world and a huge buyer of
arms and other equipment besides providing jobs for tens of
thousands of Western expatriates. As long as that equation
continues, calls for any probe into the Saudi justice
system, supposed to be reflecting Islamic Sharia, are likely
to remain muted from Western governments.
For all its wealth and desperate double-dealing to stay in
power Saudi Arabia is an extremely vulnerable nation. The
Saudi monarchs live in constant fear of their own
disgruntled people. They fear an implosion from within their
family, army and National Guard. They live in apprehension
that the US or even Israel might seize their oil fields. And
they dread that time may be running out for their kingdom
built on sand, that may be expunged by the tide of a
people's uprising.
Over the years today Saudi Arabia and Israel have become two
sides of the same anti Muslim coin. Under the circumstance
it is highly unlikely that the Sri Lankan Muslim woman who
is due to be stoned to death will be spared of her life.
BANGLADESH
Break Down of Law and Order Leading People to Resort to
Vigilante Justice. Appeals from Mosque Loudspeakers put an
End to an Organized Gang of Robbers of Rice Supplies.
[Courtesy Notun Bangla from theDaily Star]
A mob, brought together by a call over loudspeakers from
mosques, beat eight robbers to death when they were taking
away rice sacks at Araihazar of Narayanganj early yesterday,
police and locals said. The locals also wounded four robbers
when they broke into a shop in Purindabazar market on
Dhaka-Sylhet Highway and were loading the rice sacks on
their truck.
Police recovered seven bodies from the spot while another
died at the Araihazar Upazila Health Complex hours later.
Ghotok Rony alias Gothon, 30, Rubel Hossain, 52, Jewell
Titu, 30, and Shawkat, 30, were identified by police as four
of the eight deceased. Their bodies were sent to Narayanganj
General Hospital for autopsies.
Mob killings continue unabated in the country with more than
100 people getting killed every year. The offenders seldom
face trial in a society that seems to be plagued by a
culture of impunity, said rights activists.
According to rights body Ain O Salish Kendra, 104 people
were killed in mob beating between January and September
this year alone. At least 127 were killed in 2014, at least
128 in 2013, and 126 in 2012. People's lack of respect for
the law and their growing distrust in law enforcement
agencies were also major reasons behind extra-judicial
killings, the rights activists said.
THE ROBBERY
Zaman, a security guard of the market, was tied up along
with his co-worker Motalib by the robbers. He said at least
25 robbers stopped their truck near the market around 4:15am
and four to five of them got down and told him that there
were rice in the truck for Gafur Bhuiyan's shop. "At one
stage of our conversation, they tied me and Motalib up,
gagged us and pushed us to the ground," he said, adding that
the robbers then broke into Gafur Bhuiyan's shop named "Bhai
Bhai Store". Several robbers were on guard while others
loaded the rice onto their truck, he said.
Around 20 minutes later, Zaman was able to get loose and he
went straight to Purindabazar Jame Mosque, which was about
20 metres away from the market. Zaman said he told the
people at the mosque about the incident and an announcement
was made from the mosque's horn speakers. He later heard
similar announcements from nearby mosques as well. This
prompted villagers, many of whom were up for or on Fazr
prayers, to attack the alleged robbers with iron rods and
sticks. The mob chased the robbers and beat them up
mercilessly, police and locals said.
Additional Superintendent of Narayanganj Police Mohibul
Islam Khan's account of what had happened was very close to
Zaman's. He said the victims were members of a gang. A case
for murder and another for robbery were filed with Araihazar
Police Station. Police seized the truck loaded with 118
sacks of rice, some local weapons, and four mobile phones.
Of the injured, Sabbir, Manik, and Sajib Mia received
treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and were later
taken to Araihazar Police Station. Lokman was taken into
police custody after first aid.
Most of the victims hail from Mymensingh. According to
Lokman, one Mizan employed him "for a rice loading" job. He
also told police that they set off from Tejgaon with 10-15
men on the truck in the wee hours and more people joined
them in Jatrabari, reports our Narayanganj correspondent.
Identifying the body of Ghotok Rony at Araihazar Police
Station yesterday afternoon, his wife Nazma Begum and
seven-year-old daughter Sadia Moni broke down in tears.
Nazma told The Daily Star that Rony was a trucker and that
she did not know anything about his involvement in any
robbery. "My husband went out for work from our Shanir Akhra
home around 10:00am on Wednesday and I could not reach him
since Wednesday evening," she said.
Talking to this paper, a good number of locals said they
were fuming as at least 10 major robberies were carried out
at businesses and homes in Purindabazar in this year alone.
They claimed that police had done nothing after those
robberies. They also said police was late in coming to the
scene yesterday even though they had a check post just a
kilometre away.
Only a month ago, robbers made away with 196 sacks of rice
from a shop at Bagbari market around two kilometres away.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at a
programme in the capital said there was no conspiracy behind
the deaths of the eight people. It had happened following a
robbery.
War News
Syria
Islamic State Advancing Across Syria. Non-Militant Groups
Willing to talk Peace. Mujahideen Enter eastern
Damascus.
Russian-US Air strikes Intense. Homs Evacuated, hit by
IS.
[From Syrian Observatory and Wire Services.]
December 12: Three massive IS bomb attacks in Tal Tamer
[north east Syria] near the Turkish border have wiped out
the center of the town. More than 50 supporters of YPG
Kurdish Communist group were killed and more than 80
injured. YPG advance towards IS territory supported by US
air strikes has come to an end.
December 12-13. Mujahideen of Islamic factions have
entered Damascus from the east. Considering it an emergency
situation, Russian bombers hit Damascus' eastern sector.
Russia also fired big LONG RANGE MISSILES into Islamic
strongholds. Assad's air force bombed the Douma suburb of
Damascus, hitting a clinic, killing 22 civilians including
children. In response, the mujahideen of salafi groups hit
the center of Damascus with 16 mortar shells.
December 11-13. Standoff at Homs ended with withdrawal of
Muslim population. Assad was not able to capture the al-Waer
section of the city, nor could the defenders, including
al-Nusra and IS force Assad's forces to leave. Finally the
fighters and the population withdrew from the city under an
arrangement with the Red Crescent and UN. After the
withdrawal, IS bombed the Shiite sector of the city, killing
16 supporters of the regime and injuring more than 50.
IS forces are approaching Homs.
December 11-13. Russian bombers are hitting the IS held city
of Palmyra round the clock, trying to stop the IS advance on
Homs. Assad's forces also hit Palmyra with long range
missiles.
December 10 - 13. US air force has been hitting oil wells in
the Deir ez Zour area owned by IS. reports of civilians
killed in the bombing. One source says 32 civilians
killed.
December 10-13: Al-Nusra and IS are advancing into various
areas of the Alawite heartland of Latakkia. Assad's forces
are putting up stiff resistance but suffering steady losses.
Russian bombing activity has slowed down the Islamic
advance. Turkistan Islamic Movement has captured more areas
near Turkey where the Russian jet was shot down.
December 10-13. The only hopeful news for Assad has been the
advance by Hizbullah south of Aleppo which has captured two
villages in an effort to link up with Alawite garrison in a
part of Aleppo. However Hizbullah attempts to break through
to Kweris air base have been repulsed by IS.
Nigeria
Genocidal Action by Nigerian Military Against Defenseless
Muslim Group which Opposes Regime Policies.
[In part this horrible tragedy is taking place because Iran
is doing nothing to support this group which was depending
on Iran. They opposed Boko Haram, the main fighting group in
Nigeria, and the army saw them as a soft corner, strong
verbal opponents with no means to fight back. Iran is hooked
up with US imperialism. Why would it oppose Nigerian army
which is supported by USA?. ... Editor New Trend.]
Background
Mu'allim Ibraheem Al-Zakzaky (el-Zakzaky) is the leader of
the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. His movement has been
highly critical of political corruption, the
Nigerian-Israeli governmental relationships and intelligence
sharing, Boko Haram and the relationship it has with facets
of the Nigerian army, as well as other issues. The movement
itself is heavily involved in educational and social
programmes across Nigeria.
Last year at the annual pro-Palestine demonstrations some 40
people were shot and killed by an army unit, including 3
sons of Zakzaky. This is not the first time the movement has
experienced violent suppression and abuses.
This week activists from the movement were killed in
separate attacks. Today at the funeral of some of these in
the Hussainiyah Baqiyatullah (Islamic Centre) in Zaria, an
army unit approached and opened fire on unarmed mourners.
Eyewitnesses report some 30 were killed.
At the time of writing there are reports that soldiers are
advancing on the house of Al-Zakzaky, and that supporters
have been forming a human shield to proetct the household.
Reports state that 20 people from the human shield have been
shot and killed by the military.
Latest information
Updated at 12.31 GMT, 13 December 2015. Communication has
been lost with the house of el-Zakzaky, all those who were
sending information appear to be killed. ÂÂ Footage received
in the last hour can be found here.
Mallam Turi, one of the most senior members of the Islamic
Movement, has been killed by the Nigerian military during
the invasion of el-Zakzaky's house. The invasion is ongoing
and eyewitness state that the military have been firing and
throwing explosive devices.
Updated at 06.39 GMT, 13 December 2015 - Army attacking Dar
ul-Rahma (just outside Zaria), at least one person reported
killed. Dar ul-Rahma is a centre in construction, as well as
the burial place of the martyrs of last year's al-Quds
Day.
Updated 05.00 GMT, 13 December 2015 - A full scale attack on
the house of el-Zakzaky has been resumed. The front of the
ISlamic Centre has been destroyed and troops have gone
in.
Updated at 01.31 GMT, 13 December 2015 - Military storm
Hussainiyyah Baqiyatullah
Updated at 01.18 MT, 13 December 2015 - Military threaeaning
to raid Islamic Centre; still advancing on Zakzaky home;
scores killed ; demonstrations continuing across Nigeria, as
well as London, UK, more scheduled for South East Asia
today
Suggested action
Call a flash protest outside the Nigerian High Commission /
Embassy in your country.
protest has already taken place outside the Nigerian High
Commission in London, UK.
Email / call the Foreign Office / Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in your country demanding their immediate
intervention to prevent these massacres and the attack on
the house of al-Zakzaky.UK campaigners can email
fcocorrespondence@fco.gov.uk and call 020 7008 1500.
Call your major news stations (in the UK call the BBC)
and ask them to send a reporter now. You can WhatsApp the
BBC on this number +447525900971
Please spread the word via email, social media etc.
Please call the Nigerian Embassy / High Commission in
your country and email them, demanding they halt this
operation: call them now.
Flash protest called at Nigerian High Commission in London
from 5pm GMT.
Our America
She Wanted to Avenge the Honor of the Prophet, pbuh, but was
tricked by an Agent.
Interview with Fatima LaRose [Jihad Jane]
by Sis. Karin Friedemann [Boston]
Fatima LaRose, the woman who was arrested for conspiring to
kill the Swedish cartoonist who drew a picture of Mohammed
with a dog's body, has allowed New Trend to interview her.
She pled guilty in 2010 to "Conspiracy to provide material
support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign
country, false statement to a government official, and
attempted identity theft."
She had posted online as Jihad Jane: "When our brothers
defend our faith their homes, they are terrorist. Fine, then
I am a terrorist and proud to be this."
The plot began in January 2009, when someone online called
Eagle Eye claiming to be a Pakistani from al Qaida asked the
recent White American Muslim convert to become a martyr. He
claimed to have participated in the 2008 Mumbai attacks,
according to NBC News. She pledged to use her blonde hair,
green eyes and white skin to "to achieve what is in my
heart." After she agreed to meet him in Amsterdam for
marriage, the online man then instructed her to go to Sweden
and shoot the cartoonist six times in the chest. She vowed
to do it or die trying. U.S. authorities won't admit the
whereabouts of Eagle Eye, or Abdullah, another man who had
promised to train her in the use of firearms in Amsterdam. I
am suspicious because I never heard of any Pakistanis
calling themselves "al Qaeda." Al-Qaeda are Arabs. She had
no idea.
On December 4, 2015, Fatima wrote: "When my Brother (in
Islam) told me to get out of America, my boyfriend had no
idea all that or really any of what I was involved in. It
was like I was living a double life. In my home I was one
person but online I was someone else. I finally gave into my
online life and went for broke. No one in my life knew what
I was into. I just always was online talking to my Ummah and
all I thought about was jihad. If you wonder if I regret my
actions - I only regret hurting my loved ones but I don't
regret agreeing to do what ultimately got me put in
prison.
"I feel the Brother that gave me the assignment gave me an
honour because Sisters never get assignments like that. I
tell you my dear Sister I Love my Brother and I will always
love him. People tell me he used me to do what he wanted
done and people blame him for my predicament. But I say NO
he did not use me and he is not to blame for me being in
prison. I am responsible for my actions and I knew what I
was doing when I agreed to do what he asked me to do. My
Brother never wanted me to come to any harm. I don't know if
he is even still alive. My lawyer thinks he is either dead
or he was an agent for the FBI. I know for certain my
brother was not any kind of agent for the FBI or any other
American agency. I will always love my Brother no matter
what anyone says about him." All we know is that he was
never arrested, despite being the "mastermind" behind the
conspiracy to assassinate the vile cartoonist.
LaRose never made it to Amsterdam, though she did spend some
time in Ireland staying with Ali Damache, an Algerian
calling himself Black Flag, who also lured another white
American woman Jamie Ramirez and her son to come live with
him. Both women thought they were going there to be trained
for jihad, but once they got there, they realized the Muslim
man had just been boasting. He used Ramirez, whom he married
the day she arrived, to cook and clean and would not even
give her a key to the house, although LaRose was allowed to
go in and out as she pleased. It was weird, but not
terrorism. Damache successfully contested the illegal police
search of his Waterford apartment. Irish authorities have
refused to extradite him to the U.S.
"Jihad Jane is a perfect figure in some ways because it's
like a soap opera," says her intended victim, cartoonist
Vilks. "This is today's most interesting part of terrorism
-- the amateurs."
Vilks says he believes LaRose has served enough time
already. "They should let her go."
The cartoonist's calm attitude towards a woman that intended
to kill him creates an awareness of the moral complexities
of any given situation. He considers her as a victim of her
past.
"I survived a lot of things that should have rightfully
killed me," LaRose said of the terrible things she lived
through, including being repeatedly raped by her father,
running away and becoming a teenage prostitute, growing up
White in Detroit.
"I also thought there was a purpose for me to be alive and
then when I found Islam, I thought... 'This is why I have
lived so long.'"
LaRose always has a patient attitude in all of her letters.
In June, 2010, she wrote to me from the SHU in Philadelphia
as she awaited sentencing.
"Mashallah ukhti (my co-defendent) is in G.P. (General
Population) so we have a separation and I rather be the one
to be in the SHU." She signed her letter "Fatima LaRose AKA
Jihad Jane."
By July 2015 she had become more introspective, talking
about her new life in General Population, after she got
moved out of SHU, where she spent four years in
solitary.
"I guess my kindness is my weakness. I am always trying to
be a people pleaser. I just like to see people happy so when
people ask me for something I usually try to get them what
they ask for. But when I want something I am ignored. Also I
am quiet and I observe people and I see so much that I can't
believe others don't see what I do."
She turned 52 this year. No longer living in isolation she
shares a cell with a "goth girl" who she describes as a
fantastic artist. "My friends give me a birthday party.
That's the first birthday party I've had since I was a
child. I was happy and felt like I am loved. The girls
decorated my bed in flowers and butterflies they made."
Working on her GED, she struggles with math. "I was taken
out of school when I was a kid by the 7th grade. But I had
quit going to school by grade 5. I believe that's the last
grade I completed. I sure never did any geometry or algebra
so the math is all new to me. I did a lot of drugs while I
was growing up and I believe that all those drugs did a lot
to mess up my mind. My memory is shot. I get confused real
easily when I'm trying to concentrate on math. Anyways by
the time I get out of prison I will be 55 years old and I
intend to be a housewife. I'm not going to get a job. Who
would want to hire a 55-year-old ex-con over a younger kid
with no record."
New York
CAIR Does not Oppose Government Oppression: Anti-Islamic
Behavior of Regime's Favorite Group+.
Feminists Turning Modesty into a Matter of Shame+
Police Officer Guilty of Raping 16 African American
Women.
by Sis. Aisha [Jamaat al-Muslimeen]
New York City - This evening (12/7/2015), I saw a CBS
Evening News report about a growing hatred for Muslims in
America since 9/11, according to CAIR. There was a Hijabi
recounting an incident when a female driver spit on her car
while she was driving somewhere. There were other Muslim
detailing their stories of unfair treatment in America,
since 9/11.
CAIR has always been there to document and announce these
increasing attacks against Muslims in America by other
civilians. CAIR does not mention that most of the oppression
of Muslims in America is from the American government itself
and it certainly does not mention its role in helping make
this government oppression possible!
What CAIR wants to do is mimic the Zionists and create a
pity party for Muslims. They want us Muslims to fear the
oppressor and to pity ourselves. CAIR wants to make
Americans feel ashamed of their misdeeds toward the helpless
Muslim but, there are Americans who revel in the pain they
cause us! This is why Allah (swt) tells us in Holy Qur'an
not to let the unbelievers distress us.
We Muslims are supposed to be self-empowered. This
empowerment comes from the Qur'an and Authentic Hadith, not
news reports rooted in conspiracy theories. In such a tense
climate, fueled by the racist and Zionist media, we Muslims
must take the necessary steps to protect ourselves and our
communities. We do not need to rely on the police, whose
purpose is to monitor us, not protect us anyway.
We are supposed to turn to Allah: "Say "It is Allah that
delivereth you from these and all (other)
distresses..."(6:64).
I am not minimizing the terrible, idiotic hate crimes
committed against some of us. I just want Muslims to
understand that seeking pity from those very people is not
the Islamic way to handle these savages. Fighting back is!
We are within our rights, Allah-given and Constitutional, to
defend ourselves against any physical and verbal attack.
Wife Who Says Her Body is For Her Husband's Eyes Only Is
Accused of Slut-Shaming!
Ayesha Curry, a professional chef, and wife of NBA superstar
Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) has been accused of
slut-shaming. This is when women berate another woman for
wearing very revealing clothes. Supposedly feminists are on
her case because she stated that her body was for her
husband's eyes only and she chooses to dress more
modestly.
Feminism has changed to the point where someone like
Beyonce, who started revealing her body after untrue rumors
of an extramarital affair between her husband, Jay-Z, and
r&b singer Rihanna hit the papers, over ten years ago.
Originally, feminism, which does not hold a candle to Islam,
was about not allowing your body to be objectified. Feminism
was against women posing for Playboy, now they are all for
it?! Feminism has been hijacked by male chauvinist thinking
women!
Of course, Ayesha Curry has her supporters, which most
importantly includes her husband. This is the new low that
women have sunk to in this society. A woman like Madonna can
be seen as a feminist simply because she makes and controls
a lot of her money but, her fortune was built on her
objectifying her body. She is even in a fight with Father
Time to keep her money-maker going!
Ayesha Curry's quote: @AyeshaCurry: "Everyone's into barely
wearing clothes these days huh? Not my style. I like to keep
the good stuff covered up for the one who matters."
People have even started speculating about Ayesha Curry's
beliefs. The Curry Family are a well-put-together Christian
family.
(Source webpronews.com)
Quick Note: Ex-Cop from Oklahoma Convicted on 18 Out of 36
Counts for Rape
A very sickening case and unfortunately it happens more
often than we want to believe. But, ex-cop Daniel Hotzclaw,
who is part White and Japanese, was convicted by an
all-White jury for raping 13 African-American females. I am
awaiting the sentencing phase because this is when justice
is supposed to be served. The jury deliberated for over 40
hours and recommended a 263 year sentence for Holtzclaw. He
is scheduled to be sentenced, in January 2016. Black leaders
led protests and chants, which could be heard in the
courtroom during the trial.
Many serial rapists and murderers get off lightly by the
justice system simply by choosing victims society does not
value as human beings. Traditionally, they have victimized
prostitutes. In this instance, many of Holtzclaw's victims
were drug addicts. Some of his victims testified in
handcuffs and prison uniforms, as they were doing prison
time for drug possession. America is one of a few countries
that puts drug users in jail, whereas elsewhere in the world
they are put in the hospital or treatment program. This is
also one of a few countries that puts children as young as 6
years old behind bars.
The one wrinkle to this case is that "shifty-eyed" Benjamin
Crump is now representing some of the rape victims in a
civil suit against ex-Officer Holtzclaw and Oklahoma City.
He has stated that these women actually reported Holtzclaw's
actions to the police department but, were ignored. Crump
"represented" the families of shooting victims, Trayvon
Martin and Michael Brown. It is sad but, there are Black
attorneys who see nothing but, dollar signs and justice be
damned! He is one of Rev. Sharpton's (The Charlatan)
cronies, too. Birds of the same feather do flock together.
The unbelievers do seek each other out and work together to
hinder progress.
Los Angeles
Fatal Shooting by Deputies in Lynwood Caught on Video
[From Sis. Hamdiyyah] [Jamaat al-Muslimeen]
Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting by Los
Angeles County sheriff's deputies of a man in Lynwood on
Saturday. The incident was caught on video and appears to
show the man hit with a barrage of gunfire as he was walking
away from deputies.
Touch.LATimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-85311271
New York
Terrified USA Muslims rally for Peace, scared they might be
Blamed for IS attacks.Muslim peace rally in New York
includes Long Islanders
More than 200 American Muslims - many from Long Island
- rallied in Times Square on Saturday to condemn
terrorism in the name of religion, chanting "Islam means
peace."
Those at the rally, including a couple of doctors and a
firefighter, spoke out against the San Bernardino,
California, shooting massacre and recent inflammatory
statements about Muslims by some Republican presidential
candidates....
INDIA
The Complex Way in Which Secularism is Subverted by Agents
of Hindu Extremists who Manipulate India.
Via Sukla Sen in Issues on Line.by Ajaz Ashraf [Author of an
important book about Babri masjid.]
[A long read which, with patience, will help readers to
understand How it Works... Editor]
INTERVIEW
First person: A police officer's account of being harassed
for stopping a riot in Rajasthan
Superintendent of Police Pankaj Choudhary stopped a riot,
but got a call from the Inspector General in the Chief
Minister's Office to release Sangh activists arrested for
triggering it.
Ajaz Ashraf · Yesterday · 06:30 pm
From all accounts, Superintendent of Police Pankaj Choudhary
played a stellar role in ensuring that three deliberately
crafted incidents of violence in Nainwa and Khanpur in Bundi
district, Rajasthan, didn't turn into a bloody communal
riot. Among the measures he took was to arrest 11 activists
of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal.
Then a call from the Inspector General of Police in Chief
Minister's office of Rajasthan came to Choudhary. "Release
the 11 or prepare to get posted out". The Indian Police
Service officer says he refused to relent, and has been
chargesheeted since then, besides being transferred three
times in 15 months. In this interview to Scroll, the
indomitable IPS officer narrates a fascinating story of how
he has taken on the system, which is rotten to its very
core.
You were the Superintendent of Police of Bundi district,
Rajasthan, in September last year, when on the 12th of that
month a communal riot too place. What sparked the
rioting?
There was an election for the nagar panchayat due in Nainwa.
Those who had interest in the election wanted to polarise
voters. A rumour was spread that an idol of Hanuman had been
damaged in a temple at Khanpur, which is a qasba five
kilometre from Nainwa. On Sept 12, a few people came to
Nainwa thana [police station] with a complaint that the idol
of Hanuman had been damaged at Khanpur.
Who were these people?
They were from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vishwa Hindu
Parishad, the Bajrang Dal and others who had a vested
interest in the nagar panchayat election. They submitted a
list of people to the Station House Officer and demanded
their immediate arrest. The SHO told them that he would go
to Khanpur, close as it is to Nainwa, to verify whether the
idol had indeed been damaged.
Meanwhile, the number of those who had come to complain
started to increase. There were 10 people initially. In no
time it grew to 20, then 100, and soon there was a mob of
300 people.
Where were you?
I was in Bundi, holding a crime meeting. The distance
between Bundi and Nainwa is about 80 km, and it takes four
hours to reach from one place to the other. They (the
complainants) knew I would be in a meeting, for the schedule
of it is prepared and announced in advance. The time they
chose to lodge the complaint shows their attempt at
triggering communal rioting was pre-planned. Their idea was
that since I would be involved in the meeting, it would give
them four to five hours to execute their plan.
When the SHO contacted me, I told him he should verify
whether the idol at the Khanpur temple had been damaged.
Who were the people whom the complainants wanted to be
arrested?
Most of the people were Muslim. There is a background to it.
In 2012, a few Hindus were arrested for desecrating and
damaging a mazaar (mausoleum) in Nainwa. They were
"challaned" and court procedure was initiated. This led them
to harbour sentiments of revenge against the Muslim
community.
Their planning was based on three overlapping factors. One,
they wanted to take revenge for the 2012 incident. Two,
there was the upcoming nagar panchayat election. Three, they
chose September 12 because they knew I would be involved in
a crime meeting and couldn't, therefore, immediately leave
Bundi for Nainwa with security force.
How many people did the complainants want the police to
arrest?
Initially, they gave the SHO five names and then added 16
more to it. Most were Muslims.
When did the RSS-VHP-Bajrang Dal guys come to the Nainwa
police station with their complaint?
They met the SHO around 6.30 pm.
Oh, so it was in the evening?
Yes, the crime meeting was scheduled between 6pm to 8pm. As
I told you, I had already asked the SHO to verify the
complaint. On verification, the SHO found that no mala fide
incident, as was alleged, had taken place at the temple in
Khanpur. It is not even a proper temple. It is a ruin in
which there is the idol of Hanuman - it doesn't even have a
door. Since the ruin is located on a hilly terrain, people
don't go there to do puja. You have goats grazing there.
Who was the SHO then?
Badan Singh. Once they realised that the events weren't
unfolding as they had planned, the mob took to pelting
stones at the police station. At the same time, a mazaar in
Khanpur was damaged and a bus at Nainwa was torched.
They couldn't have fanned out to Khanpur so quickly, could
they?
They had their people everywhere. Different groups owing
allegiance to them had been assigned separate tasks. One
group stoned the police station, another damaged the mazaar
at Khanpur, a third group burnt a bus.
How many constables are there at a police station?
Nainwa police station has a strength of 25. When there is a
spontaneous outburst, it is easy to control it. But when it
is
planned, and different incidents happen simultaneously, then
it becomes difficult for an SHO to handle it. This is
because you can't know in advance what the plan of rioters
is.
When did you get the news about these three violent
incidents?
I got the news at 7 pm. I dispatched the Deputy
Superintendent of Police (DSP), then sent the Additional SP
at 7.30 pm, and I left for Nainwa with security force at 8
pm. I also augmented the strength at three-four police
stations near Nainwa. When we reached Nainwa, our top
priority was to ensure that Hindus and Muslims didn't clash.
Since a religious place had been desecrated, it was
inevitable for emotions to run high. Mind you, it was the
religious place of Muslims which had been damaged. It was
also bound to revive the memories of 2012, about which I
have already told you. Also, Nainwa is communally sensitive.
In 1990 and 2004, Nainwa had witnessed riots. My first
priority, therefore, was to assure Muslims that those
responsible for desecrating the mausoleum would be rounded
up. I asked them to give me four or five hours.
You mean all this was happening so late at night - you left
Bundi at 8 pm and would have therefore reached Nainwa at
around 12?
I was there in Nainwa at 11 pm. People were watching and
waiting to see what the police would do. Nainwa knew the SP
had arrived. Whether or not the Muslims would retaliate, or
express their anger in some way, depended on what action we
took. The first thing I did was to convene a meeting of
eminent people from both communities, you know, people who
are respected and have a good image. In the coordination
meeting both groups agreed that there had been a deliberate
attempt to create a communal discord.
Nainwa must have been on tenterhooks through the night?
Yes, we picked up six people around 2-3 am.
Who were they?
They were members of the VHP and the Bajrang Dal. Nainwa
understood that we meant business. Around that time we also
took the decision to impose curfew from the morning of
September 13. This was because we feared people might come
out in daylight and clash.
Nainwa couldn't have slept through the night?
Absolutely. The curfew was imposed at 5 am. It was then that
we picked up another five - they were the main culprits.
Did these five also belong to the VHP and Bajrang Dal?
Yes, or to other related organisations (in other words,
belonged to the Sangh Parivar). Through the night we had
identified the people who had provoked the incident at the
police station, to which organisations they belonged, what
was their modus operandi - we had their entire profile.
Subsequently, the curfew was relaxed gradually.
This means the curfew continued for at least three-four
days. Were you stationed in Nainwa during this period?
I was camped at the police station for eight days. We
interrogated the 11 we had picked up, filed challans against
them, and initiated court proceedings against them. The
lower court rejected their bail application. Our
investigation was solid.
You keep saying the communal incidents were planned. How did
your team come to this conclusion?
The main accused, Sita Ram Mali, who was an accused in the
2012 mazaar incident, was one who came to the Nainwa police
station to file the complaint about the Hanuman idol being
damaged. Revelations came during the interrogation. The
Additional SP interrogated Radhe Shyam Mali, who has a
criminal background and is also a member of VHP-Bajrang Dal.
It is he who told us that the events of September 12 were
all planned. We have the recording of the interrogation. He
confessed and identified which team indulged in
stone-throwing, which burnt the bus, and which damaged the
mazaar at Khanpur. The tasks had been assigned beforehand.
He also said the plan was hatched to polarise the voters
before the election. By the way, our interrogation also
revealed that the Hanuman idol was damaged a little after 8
pm on Sept 12, that is, a good 90 minutes after they had
come to the police station to complain about it.
Did you pick up any Muslim on that night?
Yes, we did, and it was to convey that we were acting
impartially. Since they didn't have a role in the incidents,
we released them.
The experience must have been very satisfying to you?
(Smiles) On September 21, I was put on APO - Awaiting
Posting Order. People were dismayed. Let us face it, the
communal incidents could have turned into a full-blown riot
had I and my team not taken strict and immediate action.
People also thought we had been transparent in our conduct,
and that our aim was to see that justice was meted out.
As soon as I was put on APO, people visited me and said I
had been mistreated even though I had worked round-the-clock
to stop the riot.
Where were you posted?
I was posted to Jaipur, where I was attached to the office
of Director-General of Police. There was no work. I was told
I had to come and sign (the attendance register) every
morning and evening. So that was what I did. (Laughs)
Your laughter suggests your transfer was no simple
matter?
On the night of September 20, I received a call from Sanjay
Agrawal, Inspector General of Police in the Chief Minister's
Office. He said, "SP [Superintendent of Police] saheb, you
have to anyhow release the 11 whom you have arrested."
I was taken aback. I said, "Please sir, I can't release
them. They are criminals. Our filings are complete, and even
the lower court has refused them bail. Now the matter can
only be taken to the High Court. How can I release them
anyhow? I don't think we would be doing justice by releasing
criminals. My conscience doesn't allow that."
Agrawal got very angry. He said, "Either you will do it or
the next SP will." His remark was a clear-cut indication
that I would be posted out in case I wasn't willing to
please them. I was put on APO the very next day. It was
extremely shocking for me.
Was it only Agrawal who called you or were there others who
did too?
There were others too who called. But I think I was able to
convince a lot of them about the case I had against those 11
criminals. But there were some among them, those who had
vested interests, who were not convinced. I don't know to
which lobby they belonged. But I told them, "No, I won't
release them."
Didn't you take any counter-measure once you received the
call from Inspector General in the chief minister's
office?
I did. On the night I received the call from Agrawal, I sent
a fax to the Director General of Police telling him how I
had been threatened that I would be transferred out unless I
release the 11 criminals.
What's the Director General's name?
Omendra Bhardwaj. He has since retired. I also sent a fax to
the then Inspector General of my range, Ravi Prakash Mehra,
saying it was unjustified to release the 11 who were
criminals and whom the police had apprehended after much
difficulty. In my fax to the DG, I also said that since
Agrawal had threatened me with a transfer, suitable
proceedings should be initiated against him. What
proceedings against him? They transferred me to Jaipur. A
month later, they posted me to Delhi as commanding officer
of the 11th battalion of the Rajasthan Armed
Constabulary.
The media reported that the Rajasthan government has
chargesheeted you. Has it?
Yes, on September 21 this year, the government provided me
the chargesheet, which is issued against officials for
misconduct, say, for being careless while discharging duty.
I have been chargesheeted under Rule 10 of the All-India
Service Rules, 1969. The charge against me is that there was
a delay on my part to reach Nainwa and Khanpur because of
which the incidents of rioting took place. So if the charge
is proved against me, minor penalty under Rule 10 would be
imposed on me. This means I would be either censured or an
increment due to me would be stopped. I was given 15 days to
explain my conduct. I did the "receiving" of the chargesheet
on Sept 28 and asked for documents pertaining to the charge.
The interesting aspect of the case is that I am the only
officer among all those who were posted in Bundi who has
been charged.
What documents did you ask for?
I asked for all call details, such as when did I receive the
call telling me about the incidents in Nainwa, for the call
details of Additional SP, IG etc, which would show who
called whom. I demanded the logbook of the vehicle I took to
reach Nainwa, the distance between Nainwa and Bundi, and the
time generally taken to cover the distance. Isn't it obvious
that it would take me time to reach Nainwa? I couldn't
possibly have flown on my own wings there. I also asked for
the reports filed by the IG and District Magistrate, as also
those I wrote and filed. I have sent four reminders to them,
but I haven't yet heard from them. I haven't got a single
document from them yet.
Why did they take a year to chargesheet you?
It is an attempt to harass me, victimise me. First, they
posted me out of Bundi to Jaipur, then I was sent to Delhi.
A year later, not only have I been charged, but I have been
transferred now to State Crime Records Bureau in Jaipur. I
go there tomorrow (Dec 10). In the one year I have been in
Delhi, I did a lot of constructive work, undertook several
welfare measures for the jawans. But suddenly, without
intimation, they have, again, transferred me out. After all,
I had been sent to Delhi only a year ago. What else is this
but harassment?
I have applied under the RTI [Right to Information] for the
documents which I told you about. Once I receive the
documents, I will send my reply to the chargesheet. In that
reply, I will say that what is being done against me is
unjustified, and that I should have been awarded for
ensuring that communal rioting did not take place. Instead
of awarding me, they are harassing me. The people in Bundi
still say that had I not acted with resolve, rioting would
have happened.
Yes, but why did they take a year to chargesheet you? They
could have done this a year earlier, at the time they
transferred you to Jaipur?
It is because I have named officers - Agrawal, Bhardwaj and
Bundi's district magistrate. The district magistrate was
then a lady officer. She was on leave. On the night of Sept
12, I spoke to her for good 30 minutes. She didn't care to
come to Bundi for the next three days. She availed of her
leave. In fact, I wrote to the seniors saying that while I
have been chargesheeted for delay in reaching Nainwa, no
action has been taken against the DM who was absent from the
district for three days. Today, in India, you can reach
anywhere in a few hours. After all, DM and SP are the
mai-baap [lord and master; literally, mother and father] of
districts. In not taking action against the DM, they have
shown their mala fide intent. Is this what you call
justice?
All this constitutes my letter to the chief secretary and
the DG. I also wrote to them asking whether they were
contemplating any action against Agrawal who threatened me
and mounted pressure on me to release 11 criminals. I
haven't heard from them.
But isn't it a case of your word against Agrawal's? You
don't have proof against him, do you?
Oh, I recorded him when he called me on the night of Sept
20. But this is not all - within three or four days of
another SP taking over from me, all the 11 criminals were
released.
Don't tell me. Did the court release them?
I don't know what procedure was adopted to release them. But
they were released. So in the letters to my seniors I have
asked why, and under which procedure, the 11 criminals were
released. No reply from them yet. In fact, I wrote to the DG
asking whether it was our way of acting justly, of
demonstrating to people that this was our idea of dispensing
justice. How could they release the 11 criminals? Either I
was right in arresting them or my successor was in releasing
them. Both of us couldn't be right simultaneously.
You have written all this to the DG?
Yes. If I don't get hear to from them, or their answers are
not satisfactory, then I plan to go to court. If they don't
care to reply to an IPS officer after four reminders, you
can very well imagine the treatment meted out to a common
man.
Are other officers supporting you? Do you feel isolated?
Those who are honest and dedicated to their service, they
are supporting me. Not others. Frankly speaking, the latter
are in majority. They have a very negative attitude towards
me.
Have they told you anything?
No, they haven't said anything to my face. But I can sense
their negative attitude towards me. It is like they are
communicating to me that I have stepped out of the
system.
You didn't try to petition the chief minister?
I have written to the Chief Secretary, the DG, and the IG,
but I haven't yet got a reply. On top of it, I had a
threatening call from the Inspector General in the Chief
Minister's Office. The mindset (of those in power) is clear.
Well, my mind too is made up as to what I have to do. I have
two demands: one, criminals who have been released should be
sent back to jail and, two, those involved in releasing them
should be suspended - and action should be taken against
them. Otherwise I plan to take this issue to court.
Do you think officers are committed to the party in
power?
Unfortunately, it is true. This is what has hurt and harmed
our society the most. As police officers, we take the oath
to uphold the Constitution of India, not of any party. But
to nurture their career, to remain, say, an SP of a
particular district, they become amenable to being managed
(by their political masters). You have to treat criminals as
criminal, but officers forget this rule in order to protect
their own interests. It is clear to me that 90% of officers
can be managed.
- Ajaz Ashraf is a journalist in Delhi. His novel, The Hour
Before Dawn, has as its backdrop the demolition of the Babri
Masjid. It is available in bookstores.
