WEB DESK
Thousands of Muslims on Monday congregated at “Shahidon ki Yaadgaar” (martyrs’ memorial) to protest aganist the ongoing lynching incident across the country and gave a call for a law against the menace.
The first rally by the community to protest mob lynching, the organisers said the killing of Tabrez Ansari, 24, from Jharkhand, was the final trigger. Clerics of Jamiat Ulema, umbrella NGO which called for the silent protest, urged Govts to take note that on a “weak call” the entire textile town had “come out to safeguard the Constitution”. They said, “We do not seek revenge, and don’t believe in violence. We believe in the rule of law.”
The rally had people merging at Malegaon fort before making their way to the martyrs’ monument. The speeches were fiery, and often emotional, with appeals made to police administration and state and Central govts to pay heed to the Constitution. The crowd was also asked to spread the message among Muslims that the “victims of lynchings should not show helplessness in chanting Jai Shri Ram; instead, they should die by taking the Sahadat”.
Secretary, All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana Umrain Mahfouz Rahmani, while addressing crowd said : “The issue (lynching) has pierced our hearts; there seems to be no end. Now it’s unbearable…Muslims are unlike other communities. If any other community was the target, they would have responded by now. Largely, the entire faith responds to the elders and clerics.” He said, “We are doing our best and holding them together, convincing them, asking them to show restraint, praying with them. But now even we are being tested. In Pehlu Khan’s case, the way the Govt machinery behaved was heart-breaking —- in most cases there are no FIRs and then our community has to watch photographs and videos of the lynching; then see the accused being garlanded by ministers..”
“ Muslims will not tolerate oppression for long. We say it clearly: mob lynching is a mobilised murder and is being spread according to a well-devised plan. This is the state and non-state terrorism, and it is obligatory on all citizens to stop terrorism” he said.