05-18-2008, 08:44 AM
Weekly had warned of threat to Jaipur
18 May 2008, 0013 hrs IST,Soumittra S Bose,TNN
NAGPUR: In what now appears to be a forewarning, a weekly Hindi newspaper published from Mominpura in the heart of the Orange City had claimed in its March 28 edition that Jaipur had become "a hub of terrorist activities after being infested by the Wahabi group who believe in violence in the name of religion".
The article had also warned that the presence of this group may trigger a major operation in the Walled City soon.
The newspaper â Iman Ki Awaaz â is published by the Indian Muslim Association-Noori (IMAN) which claims to be the unofficial mouthpiece of a moderate group among the minority community. Itâs registered in Nagpur and claims to have a circulation of around 15,000 across the country.
The editor of the newspaper, Mohammed Hameed, told TOI that copies of the newspaper were circulated to all important personalities of Jaipur, including the chief minister, state director general of police and the city police chief. "Our local IMAN cadre had personally handed over the edition to the Jaipur CP," said Hameed.
"We had also sent the copies to all the police stations of Jaipur city and most of the SP offices in Maharashtra. The central agencies were also intimated and so were the offices of several vital ministries," he added.
However, TOI could not confirm if the copies of the newspaper had reached these offices and if they were read by the persons concerned.
The report also pointed to the growing factionalism among the two groups of the local Muslim community in Jaipur.
"Some of the terrorist outfits are trying to wrest control of religious institutions and educational bodies by using pressure tactics. They are not infiltrators but are local groups that are carrying out sabotage activities in the country under various banners. This is what my newspaper learned," said Hameed.
Significantly, Indian Mujahideen, the hitherto obscure group that has claimed the responsibility for Jaipur blasts, has attacked those Muslims who call Islam a religion of peace and argue for peaceful ties and accommodation with Hindus and other "infidels".
In the email that the group sent to media a day after the blasts, the Indian Mujahideen lists several events â from demolition of Babri Masjid and Gujarat riots to cooperation with US in the international arena â as instances of how Muslims in India have been "tortured for the past 60 years".
In its "Declaration of Open War Against India", the outfit vowed revenge, mentioning "Islamic rulings on when and how to kill the polytheists and when to spare them", using the idiom that is associated with the fanatics among the Wahabi sect that the Nagpur paper talked of.
Rejecting the interpretations that diverge from their script, the Indian Mujahideen invoked Quran and Hadiths to assert that Muslims have the "right to take full revenge on infidels in spite of condemnation from the Ulema who say that âIslam is a peace loving religion and there is no place for terrorism in it"â.
The declaration cites Mujahideenâs interpretation of Quran to further say, "compromise is only between Muslims if they quarrel among themselves. Otherwise, there is no existence of compromise between believers and non-believers".
According to Mohammed Hameed, the Wahabis are also spreading their wings in other parts of India, trying to assume leadership at various places of worship and religious institutions to propagate their idealism of terrorism. Besides, the movement is not restricted to metros; small towns are being targeted too, he said.
"The terror groups are trying to use the Indian coastline to their advantage. Receiving money from outside the country and sending men for training to foreign locations are easier for them using the international seaways where they manage to evade the enforcement agencies," said Hameed.
18 May 2008, 0013 hrs IST,Soumittra S Bose,TNN
NAGPUR: In what now appears to be a forewarning, a weekly Hindi newspaper published from Mominpura in the heart of the Orange City had claimed in its March 28 edition that Jaipur had become "a hub of terrorist activities after being infested by the Wahabi group who believe in violence in the name of religion".
The article had also warned that the presence of this group may trigger a major operation in the Walled City soon.
The newspaper â Iman Ki Awaaz â is published by the Indian Muslim Association-Noori (IMAN) which claims to be the unofficial mouthpiece of a moderate group among the minority community. Itâs registered in Nagpur and claims to have a circulation of around 15,000 across the country.
The editor of the newspaper, Mohammed Hameed, told TOI that copies of the newspaper were circulated to all important personalities of Jaipur, including the chief minister, state director general of police and the city police chief. "Our local IMAN cadre had personally handed over the edition to the Jaipur CP," said Hameed.
"We had also sent the copies to all the police stations of Jaipur city and most of the SP offices in Maharashtra. The central agencies were also intimated and so were the offices of several vital ministries," he added.
However, TOI could not confirm if the copies of the newspaper had reached these offices and if they were read by the persons concerned.
The report also pointed to the growing factionalism among the two groups of the local Muslim community in Jaipur.
"Some of the terrorist outfits are trying to wrest control of religious institutions and educational bodies by using pressure tactics. They are not infiltrators but are local groups that are carrying out sabotage activities in the country under various banners. This is what my newspaper learned," said Hameed.
Significantly, Indian Mujahideen, the hitherto obscure group that has claimed the responsibility for Jaipur blasts, has attacked those Muslims who call Islam a religion of peace and argue for peaceful ties and accommodation with Hindus and other "infidels".
In the email that the group sent to media a day after the blasts, the Indian Mujahideen lists several events â from demolition of Babri Masjid and Gujarat riots to cooperation with US in the international arena â as instances of how Muslims in India have been "tortured for the past 60 years".
In its "Declaration of Open War Against India", the outfit vowed revenge, mentioning "Islamic rulings on when and how to kill the polytheists and when to spare them", using the idiom that is associated with the fanatics among the Wahabi sect that the Nagpur paper talked of.
Rejecting the interpretations that diverge from their script, the Indian Mujahideen invoked Quran and Hadiths to assert that Muslims have the "right to take full revenge on infidels in spite of condemnation from the Ulema who say that âIslam is a peace loving religion and there is no place for terrorism in it"â.
The declaration cites Mujahideenâs interpretation of Quran to further say, "compromise is only between Muslims if they quarrel among themselves. Otherwise, there is no existence of compromise between believers and non-believers".
According to Mohammed Hameed, the Wahabis are also spreading their wings in other parts of India, trying to assume leadership at various places of worship and religious institutions to propagate their idealism of terrorism. Besides, the movement is not restricted to metros; small towns are being targeted too, he said.
"The terror groups are trying to use the Indian coastline to their advantage. Receiving money from outside the country and sending men for training to foreign locations are easier for them using the international seaways where they manage to evade the enforcement agencies," said Hameed.