M. Burhanuddin Qasmi Archives

Drama Dirilis Ertugrul: Fatwa of Ulama, Digital Media and contemporary challenges

by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Media, Muslim World

BY M. BURHANUDDIN QASMI

It is irrational to perceive that only a few among the ulama have studied Islamic theology thoroughly and that group only own proper understanding of religion and rest of the ulama who do not agree with their particular views or explanations, have no sense of Islam or religious understanding at all. Some ulama go to an extreme extent claiming that those of their counter parts who disagree with them did not learn the religion properly, lack in Islamic spirit and are derailed from mainstream teachings of Islam.

Such concept does not mean any worth in Islam and it is also not rational to expect from all ulama to follow the guidelines outlined by a certain group or institution without back and forth, and without using own intellect and wisdom. Islamic theology is open for all to understand and introspect, obviously being within the preset perimeters. There is no monopoly of any group or sect over Islam and its teachings. It is quite absurd to consider opposing opinions as irreligious, sinful and astray, on the basis that certain group or individual do not remain stick to a particular self-sketched lines drown by a particular set of ulama or religious scholars.

This sort of being hard-liner in views is obviously representative of extremism in thoughts and arguments, and this tendency has always yielded negative outcome for the common masses and also pushed the entire ummah to the edge of great losses in the past. The contemporary changes and challenges, both earnestly demand ulama to address and readdress the issues with all possible vigours, researches and by using modern technologies, if required, in order to guide the community in better and practical ways.

An Islamic ruling on any non-living subject or object is passed on the basis of contents in it, its possible impact on overall human society, and on the method and means of use or misuse by the owner or the users. Generally no tool is good or bad when it is invented, it is the use or misuse of that object, later, which invokes a verdict on a human only. A knife is an object which can be used for different purposes. It can be a tool to cut vegetable and fruits, it can be a self-defense weapon and also it can be a means to harm and kill an innocent person. Similarly, a mobile phone is a modern object which is originally invented to meet communication needs. It can also be used as a device for watching porn or doing sinful and immoral acts. The legal and Shariah verdict comes for the owner or the user of the knife or the mobile on their uses or misuses, not over the poor tools or means of any act.

TURKISH DRAMA DIRILIS ERTUGRUL

The drama Dirilis Ertugrul or Resurrection: Ertugrul is produced by and broadcasted in Turkey. It has completed its full five seasons on air in five years – between 2014 and 2019 and now its follow up TV serial – Kurulus Osman is being put on air by the TRT1 in Turkey. The producer himself claims that it is a drama based on history. It means, it is not complete history and entertaining components might have been scripted into the original stories. Similarly, the director, the actors and the telecasters are not claiming that the drama is completely Islamic. So it would be amateurish to peep into a piece of art and try to pin whether the characters in the drama have offered five daily prayers in congregation or not, and whether the pages of history are in full coherence or not with the storyline in the drama. The piece of art – Dirilis Ertugrul does not invite a verdict of Islamic jurisprudence or a legal order, neither on the contents nor on the ways of presentation.

However, the Drama Dirilis Ertugrul is indirectly a response to all the Western movies, dramas, serials, novels and literatures that deliberately tried to distort facts and present Islam and Muslims in bad lights to create dismay among Muslim youths and to disturb them mentally through nudity, obscenity and lies for their vested interests. This is an alternative to the prevailing contents that Muslim youths have been feeding on for almost hundred years. Feeding on false materials, with moral and spiritual degradation, the youths are finding solace in fallacies, leaving behind their sound and solid ancestral grounds – be it religious or cultural.

Those who already have been watching films, serials and TV shows online or offline are precisely the targeted audience of this drama. This is simply one more addition in the vast film and art industry in the world with an effort to uphold some Islamic values intact to attract the target audience. This is art versus art and nothing more.

In this drama classical Turkish poetry is played in place of music and avoided bold dance or loud contemporary song bites. War music or old tone-beats are played in the beginning or when needed. The costumes used for each character of Muslim man and woman, whether acting in negative or positive role, is filmed in appropriate attire.

Besides getting extraordinary popularity in the Muslim world, the drama Dirilis Ertugrul has widely been accepted in parts of the Western world too. It is being watched with same emotion and enthusiasm in the West as in Turkey, most Arabian countries and Muslim populous Asian ones. Its English, Arabic and Urdu subtitled versions are also among the immensely popular online serials in the world, viewed through Netflix, You Tube or Facebook platforms. An Urdu dubbed version under the title of ‘Ertugrul Ghazi’ is being re-telecasted by Pakistan’s official channel – PTV since the first Ramadhan 1441 AH (25 April 2020) is breaking records of viewership, both online and offline.

The drama has presented Islam as a religion of peace and justice and those who follow the teachings of Islam are portrayed as strong and brave characters. It offers lessons on how to stand firm against atrocities and at the time of crisis and hardships. It also beautifully depicts many Islamic values such as seeking help from Allah (swt) for own pleasure and for remaining steadfast in the right path, and availing guidance from the glorious Qur’an and Seerat of prophet Mohammad (saws) in sorrow and pleasing times. Moral aspects such as respecting women, elders, attaining spiritual insights from ulama and God-fearing figures and upbringing children are also given prime focus in the drama.

The actors and actress in this drama are common artists from Turkish film industry. Their personal lives are not like the characters, they played in this drama, and this is common sense. They have of course, worked or are working in other films and serials in the past and even now. Their roles and characters in other dramas, films or series are not like the roles they played in this drama. They were and are merely doing their professional jobs and acting according to the instructions from the director or as per the written scripts. They neither call themselves as Islamic preachers nor claim to be religious and followers of Islamic Shariah in letter and spirit. They neither can claim so nor does anybody expect the same from them. We do not know what their intentions are or what one does in his or her personal life. However, many of them were seen praying, fasting and performing Hajj in real life and were also warmly welcomed by the Arab youths during Hajj period.

WHY THE POLITICAL WEST AND THE ARABS ARE UPSET ABOUT DIRILIS ERTUGRUL?

This is a fact that the Drama Dirilis Ertugrul has influenced many in the West. It inspired some for deep study of Islam and ultimately embraced it as their new faith. It appealed some others for an unbiased study of Muslims’ geopolitical history and drew their own conclusions. This influence is continued till date and increasing each day which can be observed going by the feedbacks shared on social media by those who watched the drama Ertugrul. The political West, which had been in cross with Turks since the fall of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) in 1453 CE and following the defeat of Ottoman in the First Ward War in 1918 CE, is concerned because the drama is revealing a few truths about what they have been smartly hiding since long and falsely propagating against a particular culture and religion. In addition to this, modern Turkey began to establish its presence in the contemporary film industry, wherein hitherto was complete monopoly of the West, with decant alternatives and bangs. By watching this drama, Western youths are intellectually finding it uncomfortable to boast their cultural or civilization supremacy over other races of the world. Though it is a fiction and a drama only, yet it is able to successfully penetrate into some young minds, inviting them for introspections.

On the other hand, the Royal family of Al-Saud and its followers in the Arabian peninsula, who have been historically, the companions of the West and traitors for the Ottoman Caliphate, even the backstabbers for whole Muslim ummah since the First World War, who offered active support in the destruction of the Ottoman Caliphate as well as willingly handed over the land of Palestine in a platter to the Jews at the behest of Britain and the Western powers, are also in deep distressed because of the widespread popularity of the Dirilis Ertugrul and the Kurulus Osman dramas. The reason might be that the Arabs are getting little bit knowledge of history of past five-six centuries with an alternative narrative by help of these dramas. The dramas are gradually developing intimacy and shunning enmity between the Arabs and the Turks. Turkey and the Turkish film industry is financially gaining and earning popularity in the Muslim world. The Arab youths are also watching this serial via social media with full interest and loving it. They keep eagerly waiting for the next episode every week. They are also finding it uncomfortable and illogical to sustain enmity with Turks and boast supremacy of Arabs over non-Arabs. These assumptions, if real, would be obviously uninviting for the political classes in the Arabia.

To check the impact of Dirilis Ertugrul serial and its influence on society, a few Arab countries along with some Western countries first tried to link it with extremism and ban it completely, but they failed to do so because of social media availability in all households. Afterwards they filmed an Arabic serial to counter it, that attempt also went in vain. They are also propagating that this drama is historically wrong and is a conspiracy of Turkey against the Arabs. However, the Arabs and youths in the West and East are not taking this anti-art propaganda seriously and enjoying this new type of actions on their TV and mobile screens.

WHY FATWAS ARE PARTICULARLY SOUGHT ABOUT DIRILIS ERTUGRUL?

The drama Dirilis Ertugrul has been on air since 2014 but a new phenomenon is observed recently since the year 2020 begins. It seems that some influential political powers are trying to misuse Islamic scholars, muftis and well-known religious institutions afresh in their campaign against the drama Ertugrul while keeping them in dark. Their paid or unpaid trolls might be planted to ask fatwas from reputed muftis and institutions about watching this drama in line with general sort of films and dramas. Obviously, majority of the present-day Indian sub-continental ulama would opine that watching any kind of film or drama on television or mobile is haram (forbidden) in Islam. The serial Ertugrul is a movie where living images, graphics and video shooting are used, where adult male and females are frequently intermingling; indulging in such activities is also a waste of time (a’bus) thus against Islam and must be avoided. Therefore, those who would watch the drama Dirilis Ertugrul will be committing haram and a sinful act.

Such fatwas might be used as new weapons against that particular drama and make the campaign against it a religious issue among Muslims to stop new audiences. Fatwas of reputed institutions or popular scholars does have some impact among their followers and certain practicing class of Muslims in the world. Here some muftis are consciously or unconsciously might be made a party in the ugly campaign against a particular piece of art which politically does not fit to the taste of some powerful countries in the world. These powers have actually nothing to do with fatwas or Islamic practices, they simply wish to defuse the influence of Dirilis Ertugrul from people’s minds and stop all upcoming projects which might showcase Islam and Muslims in good lights and present friendly relation between Arabs and Turks in the centre stage.

However, the fatwa sought and delivered against the drama Dirilis Ertugrul will not have much impact on the popularity of it because it is already immensely popular cutting across languages and geographical borders and those who have already been watching films, dramas and TV serials, have not been doing it by asking mufties, or the ones watching this particular serial are aware what they are doing and why. Nevertheless, such fatwas are ardent invitations for Muslim scholars to introspect over their roles and draw future strategies and plan well in the light of past and present experiences. It is time to analyze how the modern media, which is the most powerful means of reaching-out to people and preaching one’s views, can be used in fruitful ways.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIRILIS ERTUGRUL AND OTHER TURKISH DRAMAS

In addition to Dirilis Ertugrul there are many other romantic, historic and action serials and films produced by Turkish film industry. Some of them are being played all over the world with multi lingual subtitles or dubbed in different languages. Kara Sevda or Endless Love, Layla and Mecnun – dubbed in Urdu/ Hindi as Layla Majnu and Muhteşem Yüzyıl, dubbed in English as Magnificent Century and in Urdu/Hindi as Mera Sultan are some of the popular dramas, to name a few, produced by Turkey and gained viewer acceptance across continents.

Magnificent Century or Mera Sultan is also based on a historical period during the Ottoman Caliphate, especially, it is about the life of Ottoman Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and his wife Hürrem Sultan, a slave girl who became a Sultana, but, neither the Arabs nor the Westerns objected on it or on many other such serials. The reasons they know better, but what we can understand is that there is a cosmic difference between the drama Dirilis Ertugrul and other dramas produced by the contemporary Turkish film industry. One prime difference is that this drama was influenced and perhaps instructed by the present ruling party of Turkey headed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan unlike all other dramas from the Turkish industry.

All other dramas including Mera Sultan were filmed and choreographed in absolute Western tunes and tastes, which contain the elements of nudity, illegitimate romance and exciting colors in the stories to thrill the audience, as common in all film industries. Islam or Islamic moralities were not depicted in those dramas with prime focus; or the bravery of any peasantry Muslim tribe was not exposed in any of them. Mera Sultan, for instance, tried to demonstrate the glory of Ottoman Empire while diminishing the moral or religious fine-tuning completely. It showcased the beauty of women in the Sultan’s harem and put heavy lights on disputes among Christian, Jews and Muslim harem members who killed their owns and plotted conspiracies against each other and even against the Sultanate.

Arguably there is no objection on those dramas, neither from the Arabs nor from the Western powers and no one is asking any mufti or an institution for a fatwa on their permissibility in the light of Islam and Shariah! The political West and the royal Arabs are only worried about the drama Dirilis Ertugrul and others on this sequence and a few naive people are asking fatwa only about this one which comparatively presents Islamic morals, traditions and practices of common Muslims in positive notes though dramatically!

AN ALIM IS ENTRUSTED TO APPLY HIS MIND BEFORE HE ACTS

Every alim (a Muslim scholar) who is bestowed with religious insights should and deserves to examine a fatwa with his knowledge and rational, being in line with the spirit of Islam and its wisdom, and keeping the conditions and contemporary challenges in mind; before he takes it into practice or an acceptable expert opinion for him. No matter how great a personality is or how famed an institution is, no individual and no institution should be beyond scholarly scrutiny. It is bizarre, ridiculous and would be a sign of utter arrogance and monopoly over Islamic theology if any mufti, religious scholar or institution degrades the one who tries to apply his wisdom and examines their delivered fatwas on merits or even disagrees with certain declared opinions.

Urdu books like Dastan Iman Faroshon Ki by Inayatullah Altamash and Tariq Bin Ziyad by Aslam Rahi etc. are only historical fictions, in which the writers presented drama, love and romance, emotion, action, and bravery of believers and farsighted stories of Muslim heroes along with exaggeration in real history. A reader knows it well, what he or she is reading is not Tafseer, Tasawwuf or pure Islamic texts; rather it is a fiction only with creative imaginations and spicy exaggerations. I do not say that after reading such books one may be more religious or pious but I can bet that reading such books will defiantly boost one’s academic insights. If a mufti or a scholar is not personally inclined towards literatures or not interested in drama or fictions and he considers these subjects as dissipate, he is free to do so. However, if he says that though it does not contain any material of morel degradation, still it is a waste of time and it ‘may’ take the reader from virtuous deeds thus reading such books is a sin, then he himself needs to open his mind and go further deep into Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh).

Every alim who is gifted with the power of intellect, knowledge and wisdom cannot deny the fact that arts – drama, plays, fiction, novel, poetry and storytelling are essential components of any culture and established civilization. Though arts and traditional cultures are not parts of Islamic faith, but of course these are distinct identities of thriving communities and living nations in the length and breadth of the earth. Thus, Islam prefers to remain silent about arts and culture unless there is something or certain practices which stand in clear contrast with defined Islamic teachings, its monotheistic belief or evidently against human interest and common sanity.

CONTEMPORARY MEDIA AND MUSLIMS

It is an undeniable truth that present-day electronic media – news channels, entertainment channels, films and serial – offline and online, are the most effective and influential means to set public opinions to right or wrong directions. Today, a vast majority of people are connected with mobile or 4G networks. Mobile is now an integral part of human life except for some who live in remote lands or beyond common human inhabitations. Video conferencing, video calling and sharing video clips on social media are just common. Social media, particularly YouTube and Facebook live are being used for Dawah work by a number of internationally acclaimed ulama. Live Dua seasons, religious gatherings and spirituals majalis (sittings) are being telecasted through social media platforms and modern gadgets by certain mainstream ulama.

Whosoever is using smart phones this day is indulge in watching movies or films. Whether you like it or not, some video clips keep flashing on your screen in some or the other ways. You can hardly avoid the commercials on your screen even if you are busy doing professional work online. All these are films or movies (moving pictures) – some are created professionally while others are recorded unprofessionally by individuals. However, every set of moving images we watch on WhatsApp or Telegram is a film. The moving or animated set of digital picture is called a movie or film. Film is also the name of the reel which preserves the animated or unanimated images. Can we ask ourselves, how many of us are not watching these categories of movies or films nowadays? Are the modern-day ulama not using smart phones?

In the near future, the animation technology will further develop drastically. The world is going to get a makeover very soon as far as information and broadcast technologies are concerned. When soft screen, laser technology, multi-dimensional image technology, mono technology and robotic use of living beings will be common, then present television, print media and radio technology will certainly be in different forms. Some of them are going to be permanently adorned in museums. In the upcoming days, digital images – motion or fix and videos – films and movies will be an integral part of human life. All transactions and communication, learning and teachings will integrate digital means as integral components of their systems, where both types of pictures – animated or non-animated, will be parts of the system. There will be no alternative to people without availing these technologies in full or part.

What should be the fatwa of religious scholars considering the imminent inventions? Farsighted ulama should be able to at least look at where the world will be after ten years from now in terms of technology, if not too far. It is imperative for the scholars, jurists and major religious institutions to review their past verdicts on digital photography and motion picture in view of the present and upcoming needs vis-à-vis challenges being within the Shariah principles only.

LET’S NOT COMMIT THE PAST MISTAKES AGAIN

It is noteworthy that for almost three hundred years, Muslims were confused in deciding whether today’s printing press is permissible for publishing books or not. In the Ottoman Caliphate period itself, some narrative goes as ulama had issued a fatwa declaring it impermissible and those who opposed the order were persecuted as criminals and sinners by the rulers. “In 1515 the Ottoman Sultan Selim I, persuaded by the influential clerics of the realm, issued a decree that imposed death penalty on anyone using a printing press, invented in Germany in 1455, to print books in Turkish or Arabic,” this and similar arguments are in prevalence in reference to printing press in Ottoman era. However, this historic narrative is contested by a few contemporary Muslim scholars leveling it as untrue and one more historic lie against the Ottoman.

Nevertheless, there are multiple other arguments to ascertain that there was a strong opposition from Muslim religious scholarship to welcome that technological invention then, obviously that was on religious grounds. Even the powerful Mughals were reluctant to use and welcome printing press technology in their reign in India. Portuguese ruled Goa got the first printing press in the year 1556 CE. In 1670 CE the first printing press was introduced to Mumbai (then Bombay). This was followed in Tamilnadu, probably in 1714 CE and Kerala saw a printing press in 1800 CE only.

Strikingly all those printing presses were brought and established either by The East India Company or by Christian missionaries to print Bible in different languages only. The first Qur’an printed was in Venice of Italy in 1537/1538 CE for merchandise purpose in the Ottoman market by Christian missionaries! These tow facts make it lucid to draw a conclusion as where the Muslim scholarship and ruling classes were standing then in the face of industrial advancement.

Due to lack of farsightedness in regards to then developing industrial and academic technologies and due to being failed to analyze the then challenges, an irreparable damage caused to Muslims as a whole which is still hunting. During the period between 15 and 18 centuries the West made the best use of its new invention – the printing press and produced printed books with previous works and researches or observations on science, technology and medicine in textual theories as well as in observatory diagram forms, which included all major works done by Muslims in these fields in their Golden Age earlier. The Muslim Golden Age was a period of cultural, economic, and scientific flourishing in the history of Islam, dated from the 8th century to the 14th century. The industrially developing west then published the researches and manuscripts of Muslim scholars and scientists along with its own ones either under the names of their own researchers only or under coating the Muslim names in English or French tunes only.

In the following centuries since the 18th century, extraordinary geopolitical changes had taken place in the world, especially when the Britain emerged as the dominant political power in the world at the cost of Muslims’ debacle in the field of economy, science and academy which altogether severely influenced all upcoming battle fields in the 18th and 19th centuries against Muslims. Consequently, Muslims are nowhere to be seen in the frontline in the fields of modern science and technology, except a few names that too discovered by scratching books published in the West. Muslims had fallen virtually three centuries behind in the field of modern science and discovery in the 18th century itself; and the gap is incessantly widening each passing days between the modern West and the Muslim world.

Let’s sneak a look at the recent past; just a hundred years from now, one of India’s most prestigious religious seats of learning had issued a fatwa that the use of loud speakers (mikes) during Salah (five daily prayers) for bigger sound was not in tune with Islamic teachings, thus impermissible to be used. Here, within a span of less than hundred years, all religious institutions, including the one issued the verdict in negative about use of modern sound system in Salah itself had to change the previous stand and are now practically using latest sound system in all their masjids. There are many such other examples to put forth; nonetheless, finding a list of faults in the past will not cause benefits to any; two examples are cited to draw a clear conclusion by the generous scholars of Islam.

The two instances make it clear that with the changes in times and following the realization of an object and its major functioning, ulama have also changed many of their previous fatwas. It is but Islamic to offer an opinion according to one’s knowledge and wisdom, however, when an alim finds a more inclusive and wise arguments within Islam, he does not shy away from it simply because it is coming from a lesser known or a small corner.

No one can refute this reality that muftis are among humans, they are mere interpreters of the Islamic laws in certain terms; they are neither Shariah nor its unchallenged authority. They can make mistake and go wrong in understanding a particular matter along with its positive and negative impacts; and may find it difficult to analyze various complicated issues in all perspectives. They can be incorrect in issuing fatwa on a particular subject matter and may backtrack from their position later but some wrong fatwas may cause irrevocable damages and great losses for the entire ummah forever. All errors are not simply mistakes, some are grave blunders with prolong negative impact.

Watching obscene movie, in general, is unlawful among all ulama without any exception. However, there would be and there must be clear lines now in reference to digital images, movie or film. All motion pictures cannot be haram now; else all those using smart phones will be committing haram and sins! The blanket fatwa on drama Dirilis Ertugrul from religious institutions or individuals was uncalled for, misplaced and needs a comprehensive case study for a review in the decision. Religion might be on play for a negative political campaign from behind the curtain and the muftis might be completely out of loop.

However, the contemporary challenges and needs call for serious introspections and retrospections by the crowd of ulama about digital imageography – motion or not, and modern communication technology – the electronic media. In Islam the balanced view is always considered to be appropriate. There are two extreme viewpoints about the use of multimedia mobile. On one hand, an alim asks his followers to not keep multimedia mobile in pocket when offering prayer even if it is in switched off mood, else the prayer will be invalid; he justifies saying that there are pictures of living beings in the phone and picture (tasweer) is uncompromisingly haram (forbidden) in Islam. While on the other hand, there is an ultra advanced alim who went on issuing fatwa in the light of his so-called intellect and unchecked rationalism in this Covid-19 lockdown period that Salah will be valid if one follows an imam online via video conferencing or social media.

Both these views are the examples of extremes – ‘ifrat wa tafreet’ (extremism from both ends). For the betterment of ummah it is the collective religious duty of scholars and responsible institutions to come up with practical, useful and better strategy for future, which must be outlined at right time and made executable at right places.

Present Turkey, without repeating its past mistake of Ottoman era, trying to use modern media technology in its strength for positive outcome. It is indubitably a wroth applauding and an important initiative that be followed by other Muslim countries in the world.

Electronic media – news channels, film, serial, drama, talk shows or reality shows etc and other advanced means of communication which will be available in the broadcast and telecast industry in the upcoming days will be louder and more effective means for mass communication. Earlier, in the long past, the blunder of denouncing some particular scientific, industrial and communication inventions had already been committed, now it is time to fill in some civilization gaps, partly caused by the lack of wisdom and because of failing to take right decisions at right times.

It is neither wise, nor in the interest of ummah to repeat the past mistakes of failing to do proper researches for finding appropriate results. Presenting rutted ideas in the glamorous attire of Islam will be nothing more than an effort to cripple the fluttering wings of ummah in the guise of religion. Let’s not commit the past mistakes ever in the history of ummah. Let’s make smart moves and take steps in advance.

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The author M. Burhanuddin Qasmi is alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband and Editor Eastern Crescent, Mumbai. This piece of article was originally written in Urdu which is translated by Muaz Muddassir Qasmi of MMERC, Mumbai on demand from a section of readers and edited with new imputes by the author afresh.

THE SC OF INDIA FAILED BY STATE APATHY

by admin | May 25, 2021 | Opinions

40 LAKH NAMES STRUCK OFF FROM ASSAM NRC:

Hajela’s team made an unpleasant joke with peasantry of Assam and a gigantic mockery of public resources

By M. Burhanuddin Qasmi

Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, AIUDF President and Dhubri MP, handing over memo to NRC Coordinator Pratik Hajela along AIUDF General Secretaries Hafiz Bashir Ahmad Qasmi and Advt. Aminul Islam

Nearly 33 years after the Assam Accord was signed in 1985 between then Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and All Assam Students Union (AASU), the Assam state Coordinator for National Register of Citizens (NRC), Parteek Hajela, released the complete draft of NRC. Following more than 4 years of meticulous work since May 2015, the final draft was published in response to Honourable Supreme Court’s strong worded orders on Monday, 30 July 2018. The first draft of this updated NRC for the State was published at midnight on December 31, 2017 which listed 1.90 crore names. Remaining all genuine and verified citizens’ names were published in the second and complete draft which included total 2.89 crore out of 3.29 crore applicants and more than 40 lakh people have been left out of the list.

Dilwar Hussain, 22, from Badarpur LAC, missed the list with his mother and youngest sister from the family of six.

A final list of NRC is yet to come after due claims and objections are fully processed. Nobody knows when that could possibly be done; a dateline has not yet been set by the SC. However, the SC has already signaled its seriousness once more and asked the governments in the Sate and the Centre to submit a Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) with follow up modalities towards the complete list of NRC before it on 16 August at 2 PM in its order dated 31^st July. The Apex Court has also clearly marked the status of the present complete draft in its 31^st July order and observed, “In this regard the Court would like to observe that what has been published is only the Complete Draft NRC which naturally being a draft cannot be the basis of any action by any authority.”

Shamim Uddin, 28, from Karimganj, Assam has some 20 extended family members, all are in but he alone is out of NRC, with his Passport issued in 2017

Looking at the anomalies done by the State government while preparing the complete draft, the chances of a correct and acceptable final list to come in near future is very law or the SC has to come down with its own mechanism and professional enumerators to work in Assam. The State apathy is in clear display when the list is out now. Those who wanted to spoil or drag the job until present BJP-led Central government’s Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 is passed in the Parliament might have succeeded to do so.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 15, 2016, seeks to amend the Citizenship Act 1955 to provide citizenship to illegal migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan on religious basis excluding only Muslims. This Bill has been strongly opposed by all Assamese – Muslim and Non-Muslims alike, including AASU, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) – the architects of Assam Accord, Congress and Maulana Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), except BJP which is in power in Assam since 2016.

According to the 2011 census, there were 1.06 crore Muslims in the Indian state of Assam, forming over 34.22% of its total population. Muslims are majority in almost 9 districts, living mainly in Barak valley region – Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, lower Assam – Dhubri, Goalpara and Barpeta, and in central Assam – Nagaon, Morigaon and Hojai districts, thus making them the second largest Muslim community, percentagewise, after the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Assam, a northeastern state of India, is divided into 33 units of districts with 126 legislative assembly constituencies (LACs) and 14 national parliament constituencies (NPCs).

Why an Updated NRC in Assam?

In an article in The Indian Express August 1, 2018, Adrija Roy Chowdhury writes: “The issue of immigration had rankled ethnic relations in Assam since the years preceding Independence. American political scientist Myron Weiner, carrying out a census study in Assam, had noted based on the projection of the 1891 census that immigrants and their descendants would then number 8.5 million as opposed to locals and their descendants at 6.5 million. After free India took birth, however, the issue was brushed under the carpet until 1979 when the Assam movement began. What kept the immigration issue at bay was the centrality of language issue (Bhasha Andolon or Language Movement) in defining the boundaries of ethnic conflicts for a long time.

“While the immigration issue did come up once in a while, it was only in 1979 that it shook the state, defining the contours of ethnic and religious relations for years to come. “It ruptured carefully nurtured ethnic coalitions that were at the foundation of political stability in the state, setting the stage for a prolonged period of political turmoil,” writes political scientist Sanjib Baruah in his article ‘Immigration, Ethnic Conflict and Political Turmoil- Assam 1979-1985’.”

In between 1979 and 1985, “The Nellie Massacre took place in central Assam during a six-hour period in the morning of 18 February 1983… The massacre claimed the lives of 2,191 people (unofficial figures run at more than 10,000) from 14 villages … in and around Nellie— of Nagaon district. The victims were East Bengal rooted Muslims whose ancestors had relocated in pre-partition British India. Three media personnel — Hemendra Narayan of Indian Express, Bedabrata Lahkar of Assam Tribune and Sharma of ABC — were witnesses to the massacre. The victims were descendants of Muslims who came to Assam on the direct patronage of the then Assam Government of British India in the first decade of the 20th century.” (Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia)

The violence that took place in Nellie was at the peak of the Assam Agitation; flung by so-called Assamese indigenous people, led by AASU against Bengalis living in the State. “It has been described as one of the worst pogroms since World War II.” (Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia)

Thereafter, the Assam Accord of 1985 began with the assurance that the “government has all along been most anxious to find a satisfactory resolution to the problem of foreigners in Assam.” Consequently, it put together a list of resolutions to be implemented in order to solve the immigration issue in Assam.

In the heart of Assam Accord 1985 there lays the issue of an updated NRC in Assam, from the first NRC, which was prepared following an all India census in 1951. “In a tripartite meeting of the Central Government, State Government and AASU chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) in May, 2005, it was agreed to update NRC 1951. The modalities were approved by the Government of India in consultation with the Government of Assam.” (Press Information Bureau Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, 04-April-2018)

For inclusion in the updated NRC in Assam, there are two main requirements – (a) existence of a person’s name in Legacy Data or (b) any one of the admissible documents issued up to midnight of 24 March 1971 and proving linkage with that person. “The documents namely 1951 NRC (National Register of Citizens) and Electoral Rolls up to midnight of 24th March, 1971 are collectively called as the Legacy Data” (http://nrcassam.nic.in).

Assam Chief Minister on NRC Final Draft

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal made crucial announcements for media following an all party meeting in the preceding evening of the 30 July NRC publication day in Guwahati. He said: “We had an all party meeting today with both ruling and opposition parties. NRC draft release is a crucial milestone for all of us in Assam. NRC updating has been completely done under the supervision and order of Honourable Supreme Court of India. No person should make it a source of religious or linguistic division in Assam. Those who might communalize or try to create rift within society will be dealt with strongly”.

He also clarified three very important issues which were discussed and finalized in all party meeting on 29 July 2018 in presence of all legislative assembly members of Assam. He pointed out:

This will be a complete NRC draft only, which is coming tomorrow, and not the final list. A final list is yet to come following all due process.
Those whose names do not find a place in this draft should not worry at all; they will have option to reclaim for inclusion in the list as per the guidelines provided by the NRC authority. They should do it and the State government, political parties and NGOs will provide them with adequate assistance.
Those whose names will be left out from this complete draft are not declared as foreigners; they will not be put in detention camps and will not be excluded from any rights of an Indian citizen.

AIUDF’s Stand on Draft NRC

Stalwart political and religious leader from Assam Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, president of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Dhubri MP and president of the apex Muslim body Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e Hind had also made an appeal to all citizens to check fake news and rumours in the evening on 29 July 2018. He said, “We have already activated AIUDF volunteers in all districts of Assam to legally help and guide genuine citizens whose name may not come in the complete draft. Our advocates and local committees are fully ready with a blue print to assist people in their need.”

Maulana Ajmal also expressed his confidence one day before the draft publication saying that things will be peaceful in Assam following 30 July release of NRC complete draft. He said: “We Assamese are peace loving people and our citizens are mature enough to maintain peace and unity among them even during hard times.”

However, Maulana Ajmal, who is a leader with 13 MLAs in Assam Assembly and 3 MPs in the national Parliament, including himself, expressed his disappointment just after a few hours following the publication of the complete NRC draft on 30 July. He said, “40 lakh people who are left out of the complete draft is a big big figure, and there might have been something wrong somewhere in the system”. He showed his concerns as how this big number of poor and people with less means would run again and again to claim or put objections to register their names in the final list. “There might be a conspiracy in deregistering this huge chunk of names from minority concentrated districts to reduce Muslim representations in politics,” Maulana Ajmal observed at a press conference in Guwahati on 30 July evening.

Concerns Raised in NRC Process

The concerns expressed by Maulana Ajmal are, nonetheless, worthy of attention. The issue roiled both the upper and lower houses of the Indian Parliament following this draft publication for days, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s cry of foul play in the process and Congress MP from Silchar – one of Assam’s Bengali dominated areas, Sushmita Dev’s objections, are all but recorded apprehensions about the conduct and process of this work. Prateek Hajela, the Assam NRC Coordinator, could not execute his task well.

There have been some serious questions in the past too as how the direct descendents of a recorded freedom fighter – Maulana Mohammad Amiruddin, and the first deputy speaker of Assam State Council as well as State Assembly between 1937 and 1946 are slapped with foreigner tags and they have been hanging at the courts of Foreigners Tribunal for years on? The Awaaz petition, launched online on 12 July 2018 and addressed to the UN Secretary General, gathered around 7.5 lakh signatures till 29 July before the draft publication and 816,500 signatures till 1st August, 2018, after the final draft released, which alleged that publication of the NRC “will lead to mass violence, ethnic cleansing and the transfer of minority Muslims to prison camps for life”.

The Assam Congress has alleged that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is interfering with the work of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) authority. “We have come to know that of late the NRC authority is facing problems in working as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court or its own. We believe the BJP is interfering with the works of the NRC update to reap political gain out of it,” said Ripun Bora, President of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, while talking to media in Guwahati. (www.ummid.com 17 July, 2018)

The Assam Tribune, popular English daily in northeast, carried a civil society meeting report in Guwahati in its 28 July 2018 publication, ‘Public meeting calls for preparation of correct NRC’. The news item reads: “It is also believed by many minority people that there is a conspiracy to exclude their names from the updated NRC by dubbing them as ‘D’ voters. Some people in power are also provoking the common people with irresponsible statements on the NRC update process.”

Giant media groups such as India Today, Outlook and Frontline magazines have carried public apprehensions in their successive cover stories about the process of NRC and aftermath implications. Apex NGOs such as Jamiat Ulama-e Hind (JUH), Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and All Assam Muslim Student Union (AAMSU) put repeated objections and met with delegations from NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, to Assam Governor and Central Home Minister Rajnath Singh expressing their anxiety that the process of NRC registrations was not going on as per the Supreme Court of Indi’s guidelines. It may create further confusion when the draft got published.

Following the publication of the NRC final draft on 30 July 2018 all apprehensions were proven right. We will analyze what a mess Mr. Hajela’s team made of a dream NRC of Assamese people in the next paragraphs and how the historic work has been spoiled by state apathy and official lethargy.

Credit game with NRC Draft

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) final draft is released on July 30, 2018 in Assam, in accordance with the Supreme Court order dated July 2, 2018. Thanks to the SC of India for its strong and decisive stand to bring out the draft list by all means. It is only because of SC that the NRC process, which formally resume in May 2015 when Tarun Gogoi led Congress government was ruling the Sate, could come out with roughly 50 percent of work done in four years under Sonowal led BJP government. The budget approved for the whole task up to 12 December 2018 was Rs. 1220.93 crores. Assam’s people are therefore, skeptical and are expressing views in so so or fifty – fifty moods.

Notably the NRC process in Assam was actually conceptualized in 2005 by Manmohan Singh led Congress government in Delhi and Tarun Gogoi led government in Assam following a tripartite meeting with AASU. It was officially launched and begun working in 2010. However, AAMSU and some other minority organizations were not convinced with its modalities. They resorted to protest against the process, as a result 4 Muslim students were shot dead and 50 plus people were seriously injured in Barpeta. The Assam government had to call back the NRC process temporarily. “Violence erupted in minority – dominated areas in lower Assam during a State-wide bandh called to protest the death of four students in police firing as the government temporarily suspended update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) which led to the tension.” (The Hindu, July 22, 2010)

While hearing on the Writ Petition (Civil) No. 274/2009 by Assam Public Works (APW) versus Union of India and others, the Supreme Court of India took a decisive stand and passed orders asking the Union and State governments to finish the NRC updating work within a limited time frame in 2013. It also observed that the Court itself would monitor the process then onward and directed the governments to prepare the detailed modalities of the work and submit it before the Court. “In pursuance of the Supreme Court’s direction, the exercise of NRC update in Assam commenced in December 2013 to be completed over a period of three years. The Supreme Court is continuously monitoring the progress of NRC update and has given various directions from time to time.” (Press Information Bureau Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, 04-April-2018). However, the government again failed to practically streamline the process from December 2013 which instead actually resume to work from May 2015 following repeated exhortations of the SC during Gogoi led Congress government.

The NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela deserves part of appreciation and applauds for his personal sincerity and hard work. His teamwork could have been better. He is failed by the state machinery. Apathy, interference and untrained BLOs (Block Level Officers) affected Hajela’s performance.

The draft list in hand is a mess today. Let alone 40 lakh names left out, how he will correct all errors in the existing draft is a major question too! This author has checked 100 names of family members and friends from one district – Karimganj, who are listed in the final draft but shockingly 86 of these enlisted ones are faulty? Spelling errors, glitch in gender, mess up in family relationship – wife, mother, daughter; husband and son are misplaced senselessly in the list. This is undoubtedly a serious issue about authenticity, accuracy and usability of such a list in future.

The sole objective of the NRC has been to prepare a list in which all genuine Indians up to March 1971 and their descendents are included and all foreigners are excluded, once and for all, and settle the foreigners or illegal Bangladeshi migrants issue forever from Assam. The draft list could achieve only part of the objective; it could have scored better if the state machinery would have performed more professionally.

In this backdrop, chest thumping by BJP president Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha on July 31, 2018 where he stated, “Congress government could not brave to bring NRC in Assam, we have courage and our governments did bring it,” sounds just one more misplaced joke to the nation. He also asked the opposition parties in the upper house of the Parliament, ‘whom do you want to protect, these 40 laks Bangladeshis, who are not listed in the NRC?’ This indicates either Mr. Shah is utterly naïve about Assam and NRC update process or he is simply twisting facts to polarize common people and gain political mileage somewhere out of Assam.

The names of Bharatiya Janata Party’s sitting MLA from Morigaon – Ramakanta Dewri and Ex Deputy Speaker, present BJP MLA from Silchar – Dilip Kumar Paul’s wife Archana Paul are also not listed, with other popular social, political and academic names, in the final NRC draft of Assam. Does it mean that the BJP’s national president Mr Shah is accepting that at least his one MLA is Bangladeshi and other one is a husband of a Bangladeshi wife! This is unwise politics and uncalled-for rhetoric.

BJP or any political party – national or regional, has least role in making of this yet to be completed NRC update in Assam. Politics rather kept dragging the issue to befool respective party electors. All credits, if any, are due to the Supreme Court of India for its long persuasions, especially Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman; and the original applicant behind Assam Public Works (APW) Writ Petition – Pradip Kumar Bhuyan, who has been following this issue since 2006.

How is the Final Draft NRC?

Striking off 40 lakh people’s names from the draft NRC is certainly a big issue. The NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela affirmed in the SC on July 31, 2018 that between 30 August and 28 September, 2018, in 30 days, he would “complete receipt of claims and/or objections”. It means he is going to process about 1.33 lakh forms in a day without even a Sunday break during this period! Mr. Hajela better knows how he is going to execute this mounting task in this short span of time. Or he is going to produce one more erroneous final list which will definitely be troublesome for the state of Assam and even for whole of India.

The prominent names missing from the final NRC draft, just to mention a few, are Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Morigaon – Ramakanta Dewri, former Deputy Speaker of Assam Assembly and present BJP MLA from Silchar – Dilip Kumar Paul’s wife Archana Paul, two times former MLA from Katigorah of Cachar district – Maulana Ataur Rahman Mazarbhuiya, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA from Abhayapuri South (SC) – Anata Kumar Malo, Retired Subedar, Indian Army – Ajmal Haque, India’s former President Dr. Fakaruddin Ali Ahmed’s nephew Ziyauddin Ali Ahmed et al.

There are a number of cases, rather lapses which make no sense. These typical set of clerical or official slips could surely be avoided to make the list a smooth step towards achieving the real objective of the NRC by reducing number of genuine citizen’s names from delisting. One of my students – Zuber Ahmad, 26, from Hojai district of Assam, is worried because his mother’s name was not found in the final draft of NRC.

The lady 48 year old – Fuljan Begum’s father, mother, brothers and sisters from parent’s side are listed. Similarly her husband, sons and daughters from in laws side are also in the final draft. Moreover, her name appeared many times as daughter, wife and mother, in linkage data, in this very NRC list, but her own name got struck off as citizen from the draft! It is quite peculiar, as if her 4 children – all sons, were directly dropped from the heaven without her being, or the lady has given birth to all these children, who all are adult now and citizens of India, being in abroad- both are impossible situations in common sense. However, this uncommon has already happened in July 30 complete NRC draft publication in Assam of India.

The Indian Expresses reported a case from Barpeta district of Assam in its July 30 online publication. The long article carries various anomalies, one of them reads: “Many like Farhad Bhuyan of Barpeta’s Bohori town was there to check his name early this morning at the NRC Seva Kendra (NSK). Bhuyan was shocked when he found that he was the only member in his family of four, whose name did not find a mention in the list. “When the first draft was published in January, none of us were there. Apparently, it was a problem with the way my father’s name had been spelt. I was then called for a re-verification process where I submitted all the necessary documents and even got three senior citizen witnesses to prove my father’s identity. Even the officials told me that I should not worry. And yet today, my name is not there,” he says. While Bhuyan is certain that it is a technical glitch that has prevented his name from appearing in the list, he is still worried. “My family came to Assam in the 1800s. I know I am an Indian citizen, but what if another ‘technical’ glitch happens. I won’t even know what to do,” he says.”

In my office there are five young men from Assam. Three of them are victims of the final NRC draft. Shamim Uddin, 28, from Karimganj, Assam has six brothers and 3 sisters from two mothers. Everyone from his family, including his cousins and uncles, all 20 members of the extended family, are listed in the final draft except he, whereas, he has an Indian passport, issued last year. Dilwar Hussain, 22, from Badarpur LAC, missed the list with his mother and younger sister from the family of six. His father, two brothers – one younger and one elder, however, are enlisted in the NRC draft. Anwar Hussain, 23, again from Badarpur LAC of Karimganj district in Assam has two brothers, two sisters and parents back home. From this family of seven, 6 are in the final draft, including Hussain, but his youngest sister – ten year old Sharmin Begum could not meet the criteria of local NRC authority, thus the young child is left out, which is a major cause of stress for young Hussain, who works with Eastern Crescent, Mumbai.

These were the incidences where certain family members’ names did not come in the NRC draft, obviously due to clerical sluggishness and official negligence, else how a 10 year old girl-child Sharmin, could be left out of the list, when her parents all siblings are included? The second set of cases, where names are enlisted in the draft NRC, are rather hilarious.

One Mohammad Azizur Rahman has four sons and a daughter. All 5 children are adult with separate families and their own children. As per the NRC guidelines the 4 sons applied for NRC registration with proper documents under different application registration numbers (ARNs). They have same father, obviously they all attached the same documents of their father as linkage as well as legacy data in all 4 applications having different ARNs. Their names including all family members are listed in the draft NRC, but Mohammad Azizur Rahman, their father’s name, appeared with four different ways in all four places. At one place it is Azizul Rehaman, at other Azizur Rahman, without Mohammad, in 3rd it is Mohamed Ajijul, without Rahman and part of name Azizur became Ajijul; and in the fourth place it appeared as Aijul Haq, the whole name is changed altogether! It looks that the typist has decided to innovate with this name and entered a new name in all four places. Now the sons will have to find a way out, since it may be troublesome for them in future. They submitted their father’s and grant parents’ documents which clearly mention their father’s name as Mohammad Azizur Rahman to the NRC officials at local NSK!

Samir with “Samyy Nan” nickname, on facebook from Assam comments: “In the final draft, the names of my mother and two brothers are included but my name could not make a place. So it seems I have been included in this family unnaturally. Moreover, there are mistakes in my elder brother’s name and in all the surnames. So in spite of being an real inhabitant of India, I have to knock the doors of legal process to prove myself as an Indian and it is only and only due to the incompetence and insincere work of NRC team.”

NDTV India’s political editor and the author of ‘Behind the Bar’ Sunetra Choudhury twitted:

“I heard @AmitShah says those not on #NRCAssam are ‘ghuspaith’ or infiltrators. My cousin a top Guwahati doctor, her mother, my uncle in Tezpur are all now branded that? This despite giving all papers! What mental torture (is this?)”

While many people have found their names on the list, there are spelling errors and other kinds of slips. “Sometimes a man’s photo has appeared against a woman’s name. Surnames, genders and family relations have been bungled up. At times, only the middle and last name have been published or a single name is only in the list. If someone is from Daulatpur village, it shows up as Dahrampur,” says one Salma from Assam to Indian Express journalist.

Such typo errors are uncalled for, professionally unacceptable and this has unnecessarily added troubles even for the people whose names are already in the draft list. A glance on the draft reveals that such typo-mistakes are uncountable. This indicates how serious the state machinery might have been while preparing a list of such a paramount importance. How come a blunder be repeated 4 times with a single name such as in the case of Mohammad Azizur Rahman?

These cases, as aforementioned, rightly indicate that among the 40 lakhs, a big number could have been left out simply because of clerical apathy. This is not done. It does not make sense at all. The honorable Supreme Court of India is failed by the system. May be due to such silly mistakes by BLOs, typists and clerks, the system might have put lakhs of people in trouble as well as in stress. They will have to run from pillar to post, for how many days, months and year they do not know yet, to register their names in the list once again.

Who is responsible for this mess? Who will pay for all these extra use of private and public resources? The whole process has been extremely painful and costly for the poor and less aware peasants. Maulana Mahmood Daryabadi, General Secretary of Mumbai based All India Ulama Council rightly demanded for a thorough enquiry in to the causes of this massively erroneous list and asked for punishment against the culprits. Maulana Daryabadi’s press statement was carried largely by national Urdu press on August 2, 2018 where he said. “…let the extra costs be borne by the Assam state government employees who carried out the process in the field or by the Wipro Company which manages the NRC website, as it was appointed as the system integrator to update it.” Wipro employs data entry executives who update the NRC.

Delhi based All India Majlis-e Mushawar president, Navaid Hamid, penned a piece of article following 30 July final NRC draft publication in Assam which was carried by online news portal millattimes.com in the same evening. Mr. Hamid titled his article as ‘NRC exercise in Assam is a fraudulent exercise to steal citizenship of genuine Indians’.

However, Assamese people want NRC update work be done properly and professionally. They want to move ahead of this Hindu – Muslim, Assamese – Bengali and; indigenous and non-indigenous politicking now and focus on real development issues. Assam witnessed enough bloodshed in the past; it may need peace and unity as priority, nonetheless, an accurate NRC is everyone’s dream. This half-done work by Prateek Hajela’s team created additional issues with some hope and some dismay.

The author M. Burhanuddin Qasmi is Assamese native and editor of Eastern Crescent, Mumbai

The media needs introspection, Nahid is used for TRP

by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World, Opinions

Facebook/Nahid Afreen

By M. Burhanuddin Qasmi

The local Assamese media with unprofessional people in the realm and so-called mainstream national media with TRP race in minds have cooked a bundle of lie and made a mess out of Nahid Afrin issue. The young singer is simply used for TRP by media and to provide some on air space to the unpopular BJP Chief Minister of Assam.

Nahid Afrin has been singing for years, she was a popular Indian Idol contestant. If there has to be any Fatwa against her singing in particular that must have been earlier when she was roaming across Assam begging for online votings. That did not happen then and a Fatwa is not issued now.

What happened is that local community elders and ulama from Hojai district of Assam, where at Udali a ‘musical night’ is scheduled on 25th March 2017, have issued a printed appeal in Assamese language. They requested the common Muslims, specially young ones to stay away from such events where singing, dancing and wine is common. They informed the local people that their area is known for piety and moral goodness. The place decided for the night long concert is surrounded by a masjid, a madrasa, an eidgah and a graveyard. “Thus we earnestly request our youths to stay away from such events where wine and vulgar dance is common which are sins and ways of moral degradation”, their pamphlet reads.

Notably, the printed document does not carry any name, whatsoever, from singing fraternity, nor it extends its requests to people working in the music industry. It simply appeals it’s Muslim readership to shun sin and stay away from events of wine and dance.

Is it wrong? The generally invisible chief minister of Assam Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal was so quick to react on the issue that he took to media and recorded a “strong” bite saying “Govt. will ensure safety and security for Nahid and she should go for singing without fear…” as if there was a threat to her life. Follow up was a prime time news with all possible BIG and Breaking tags all across the national media!

To me the elders and ulama have practiced the same freedom of expressions and their democratic rights which we all consider dear to ourselves. They appealed in favour of their youth’s moral upbringing and social betterment; and put up a campaign against an event – ‘musical night’ show where wine and vulgar dance are common, according to them, which are, of course immorality in Islam, in the same way as the event organizers have been using their rights to campaign for their event and sell tickets to meet their business ends.

Media both national and local has played up the story out of context without even reading and understanding the Assamese language document. It made it a national and prime time story for the reason it better knows. The story is till on air with extra spices and “expert views” from infamous Islam and Muslim bashers. This story is sailing on air like the anti Muslim show “Fatah Ka Fatwa” on Zee News and some anchors are crying to their limits. Imported TV bizs from neighbouring Muslim majority countries – ‘Tasleemas’ and ‘Tareks’ are like running after their much awaited prey to score as “extra liberal” before their handlers in India.

However, thanks to NDTV, it has boldly and publicly accepted its mistake. The channel has expressed on air, “We are sorry for wrong reporting, we accept that we did not verify the Assamese pamphlet which is an appeal and not an official Fatwa… against Nahid Afrin”.

NDTV has proven its professionalism and demonstrated its journalistic ethics. To err is human but to accept is humanity.

Will Mr. Chief Minister come forward and accept that he has gone miles extra to show that he “cares for Muslim” and in the process committed a blunder? Will other media houses follow the way NDTV has walked on bravely? Isn’t it a responsibility on Nahid’s father to step out and clear the mud from Assamese Muslims, thrown on us by his daughter’s name?

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Mr. M B.Qasmi is the Director of Markazul Maarif. He can be reached at mb.qasmi@gmail.com. He is fully responsible for the views expressed in the article.