July 27,2008
Press Statement on the Bangalore, Ahmedabad blasts
Not in our name
Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD) joins the
Jamiatul-ulema-e-Hind (JUHI, an organization with 10 million
Indian Muslim clerics as its members), in strongly denouncing
all those responsible for the serial bomb blasts in Bangalore
(Karnataka state) on Friday and Ahmedabad (Gujarat state) on
Saturday. It extends condolence and expresses its solidarity
with the innocent victims of this cowardly and inhuman violence
in both cities.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blasts in
Bangalore, which apparently were deliberately timed for soon
after Friday prayers. Meanwhile, through an e-mail sent out
minutes before the first blast in Ahmedabad, an as yet unknown
entity calling itself the “Indian Mujahideen” has claimed it
committed the dastardly deed “in the name of Allah” and in
retaliation, among other things, for the killing of Muslims
during the Gujarat genocide in 2002.
Intelligence agencies have yet to establish whether the
self-styled Indian Mujihideen is a real entity or a mere cover
for the heinous crimes of some terrorists, Muslim or otherwise.
For MSD, all forms of terrorism -- committed anywhere in the
world and irrespective of the cause, ideology or religion used
to justify it -- are to be unequivocally condemned. However, it
applauds the Jamiat’s view that for a Muslim such nasty deeds
are doubly reprehensible if committed by any Muslim since Islam
categorically prohibits the targeting of innocents under any
circumstance, not even in self-defence. The Quran clearly states
that the targeting of even a single innocent person as
equivalent to the massacre of all humankind. It may be recalled
that less than two months ago, the Jamiat had organised a
massive rally of half-a-million Muslims in New Delhi to swear
allegiance to a fatwa against terrorism issued by the
Darul-uloom Deoband.
Javed Anand Sajid
Rashid Teesta Setalvad
