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Communalism Combat
November 1, 2005
PRESS RELEASE
Light more diyas this Diwali
Diwali is not a Hindu festival but a festival of all
Indians and the best way to frustrate the evil design of terrorists, the
forces of darkness, is to light a few more diyas this Diwali, said poet
and lyricist Javed Akhtar at a public meeting on Diwali eve.
“Diwali and Idd festivities have come close to each
other this year and those behind the massacre of innocents in Delhi are
enemies of a culture that celebrates such diversity, said the editor of
Apla Mahnagar, Nikhil Wagle, who also addressed the “Dahshat Virodhi,
Shanti Aman Samiti meeting organised by Sabrang Communications (Javed
Anand and Teesta Setalvad), Citizens for Justice and Peace and Muslims
for Secular Democracy at the Shivaji Nagar basti in Juhu on October 31.
The meeting was called to condemn those responsible for the series bomb
blasts in Delhi that killed 62 persons and injured many more and to
condole with the bereaved families in Delhi. Local activists from
Shivajinagar, Ashok Shingre and Pandudada Mangre and Lawrence helped
organise the meeting. Social activists from different groups and from
all over Mumbai participated in the meeting. These included Sumedh
Jadhav, People’s Union for Human Rights [PUHR], Dolphy D’Souza, Bombay
Catholic Sabha, Sadik Khan and Rajesh Singh[Human Rights Citizens
Option] and Adam Shaikh from Dharavi.
The meeting started with Acharya Randhir Shastri (Arya
Samaj), Bashir Bakaya (All India Bakia Committee), Fr. Navin (Holy Cross
Church, Juhu), Fr. Vincent Thomas (Sacred Heart Church, Santa Cruz),
Bhikshu Sadhananada and Bhikshu Bimlananda of the Buddhist faith
reciting prayers or citing quotations from holy texts to emphasise that
all religions preached peace and the universal brotherhood of man. To
commit acts of terror in the name of religion is the worst form of
blasphemy against any religion, said Islamic scholar Asghar Ali
Engineer. He also pointed out that various Muslim religious bodies such
as the Jamaat-e-ulema, Jamaat-e-Islami, the All India Muslim Personal
Law Board among others had condemned the bomb blasts as being inhuman
and un-Islamic.
Cinema artise,Shabana Azmi thanked the gathering for
participating in the protest despite it being the night before Diwali,
an auspicious occasion to be with the family.
All the speakers emphasised the fact that
inter-communal amity was the best way to defeat the diabolical plot of
the terrorists. The meeting ended with the lighting of diyas and a
two-minute silence to condole the innocent victims of violence in the
bomb blasts.
Teesta Setalvad, Javed Anand
Co-editors
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