October 2, 2003
PRESS
RELEASE
We the
people of India gave ourselves, 52
years ago, a Constitution based on the
principles of
Secularism, Democracy and Pluralism.
Secularism,
which rejects the concepts
of a theocratic state and majoritarian rule, which separates
matters of faith and affairs of the State.
Democracy, which guarantees
Fundamental Rights to every Citizen of India and Equality before
the Law.
Pluralism, which celebrates the rich
cultural and social diversity of India, a unique
feature of our nation.
Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD)
affirms its commitment to the values enshrined in the
Constitution of India and is dedicated to reclaim it for the
Indian people. MSD is a response, on one hand to the sustained
hate propaganda and the celebration of violence by the Sangh
Parivar and its affiliates, and on the other to fanatics and
extremists among Muslims who claim to be the sole
representatives of the Muslim Community. MSD firmly opposes
their narrow-minded, reactionary and archaic mindsets.
The
first national meeting of MSD, held on October 1, 2003 at Mumbai
was attended by several prominent Muslims from Mumbai, Pune,
Kolhapur, Jalgaon, Malegaon, Bhopal, Delhi and Hyderabad. The
meeting decided to adopt a Declaration, which is the result of
several months of formal and informal deliberations across a
cross section of Muslims in Mumbai and Maharashtra. The
declaration addresses several issues which have been foisted on
the Muslim community by Muslim and Hindu communal forces and
which have been deliberately done to divert the attention of the
people from the real issues facing them. The meeting decided to
initiate a massive nationwide campaign to educate
people
on these issues.
The
meeting also adopted the following resolutions:
Resolution – I: Stop this violence!
India,
the land which has given to the world the apostle of
non-violence and peace has been trapped in a growing cycle of
religious intolerance, hatred and bestial violence in the last
15-20 years. On one hand, the Sangh Parivar and its affiliates
are engaged in relentless hate propaganda and the militarisation
of society to create the climate for violence against
minorities. On the other are a handful of Muslim extremists who
have no qualm in targeting innocents in the name of Islam. MSD
unequivocally rejects violence as a solution to social conflict
and strongly condemns the perpetrators of both MOB TERROR and
BOMB TERROR.
Resolution – II: Rule of Law
The
Constitution of India guarantees to every citizen equality
before law and equal
protection of law. But sadly, far from fulfilling its
constitutional obligation to protect the life and liberty of ALL
citizens, we have witnessed in recent years the disturbing fact
of an increasingly communalization of State institutions and
personnel. Muslims for Secular Democracy heartily welcomes the
recent observation of the Supreme Court that a government that
fails in its Rajdharma of protecting innocent citizens
and punishing the perpetrators of violence has no right to rule.
It also supports the petition in the Supreme Court of the
National Human Rights Commission, the Citizens for Justice and
Peace and Zahira Shaikh for a retrial of
the Best Bakery and other massacres in Gujarat last year outside
that state.
Resolution III: Uniform Civil Code
Muslims for Secular Democracy believes that all existing
personal laws in the country, the Hindu Code Bill included are
unfair to women and urgently need reform. The need for a uniform
civil code is raised time and again. We feel that in a country
like India, which has a multiplicity of religions, cultures,
customs and beliefs, a draft uniform civil code, based on gender
justice and which can be acceptable to all communities, should
be presented for discussion and debate.
It is
ironical that in the forefront of the demand for a uniform civil
code is the same
Sangh
Parivar which has never shown any commitment to uniform justice
and which had staunchly opposed the Hindu Code Bill in 1956
which was aimed at protecting the rights of women and granting
them a share in property. The ideologue of the Sangh Parivar,
Sri Golwalkar had deemed the idea of a
uniform civil code as mistaken and unwarranted.
Muslims for Secular Democracy feels that the Sangh Parivar is
not sincere in its
commitment to women’s rights. Without any draft to offer on the
issue, it keeps raising the banner of uniform civil code merely
to create anxiety and insecurity among Muslims. A few days back,
the deputy prime minister, Sri LK Advani declared that the
uniform civil code was a ‘national necessity’. We urge him, his
government, his party or his Parivar to
put before the nation a draft bill on the uniform civil code if
they have any.
And it
would be best if such a draft is put forward before the coming
Assembly elections. Otherwise, one would be forced to conclude
that Shri Advani’s statement is nothing but a political gimmick
with an eye on the polls.
Signed
Gulam Mohammed Peshimam, Convenor
Hasan Kamal, Spokesperson
Javed Akhtar, Spokesperson
Javed Anand, Spokesperson
