Hyderabad: Call for law against violence on minorities

Hyderabad: Grand Mufti of India Sheikh Aboobacker Ahmed asked the Centre to enact a law  on par with the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to prevent violence against religious minorities.

“Our experience in the last 70 years seems to suggest that the Protection of Civil Rights Act and the Indian Penal Code are proved inadequate to check crimes against religious minorities in the country.

Sheikh Ahmed, proctor of Jamia Markaz Saqafat us Sunnia, Kerala, was delivering a keynote address at a peace conference organised by the Jamia Nizamia.
He said it was alarming that the laws don't even recognise many of the new forms of violence against minorities. “As political situations change violence takes new forms and manifestations. The growing violence against minorities, especially Muslims, and the low rate of conviction make the situation worse,” he said.

He said religiously and politically inspired attacks against minorities required to be handled in a comprehensive, systematic and structural manner. “The nature of violence against minorities and its impact forced us to insist on dealing with this as a special case. This is how we overcame the anti-Semitic violences against Jews in Europe after the Holocaust. We have done the same in the case of Dalits, adivasis and women. Why can’t we have it for religious minorities as well,” he asked.

He urged political parties to consider this call and show their commitment towards the minorities. The Grand Mufti also opined that the attacks on two mosques in New Zealand and their government’s response to it would definitely change the course of terrorism-related activities across the globe.

Jamia Nizamia chancellor Maulana Mufti Khaleel Ahmad presided. Moulana Mufti Azeem-udheen, Prof. Muhammad Khalid Azhari, Said Vahid Ali Nizami,
All India Muslim Educational Board secretary N. Ali Abdulla and Dr Abubacker Nizami spoke.