The Hindu : `Kalam's election will not solve Muslims' problems'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 15, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

`Kalam's election will not solve Muslims' problems'

By Our Staff Reporter

KOZHIKODE JUNE 14. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) general secretary, E.Ahmed, MP, said here on Friday that the Muslims were not fools to believe that all the problems of the minorities would be solved with the installation of the missile scientist, A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, as President of the country.

He expressed his apprehensions just after his party decided to back the candidature of Mr. Abdul Kalam and wholeheartedly welcomed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee even before its partner in the State, the Congress party, took a decision on the matter.

Mr. Ahmed was delivering a lecture on `The challenges faced by secularism in India' organised by the B.V. Abdulla Koya Foundation at the Calicut Press Club.

"Nothing has changed for the better of the community even after pragmatic and efficient persons like Zakir Hussian had occupied the top post. It is easy to place a Muslim in the Rashtrapati Bhavan but difficult to give a member of the community the job of a clerk,'' he said, quoting the late statesman, Zakir Hussain.

Mr. Ahmed said that the plight of the 12 per cent of Muslims in the country would not change just by installing Mr. Kalam to the presidential post, giving a national award to a Mammooty and making an Azharuddin the captain of the Indian cricket team.

"Can those who install Mr. Kalam guarantee that a carnage like that witnessed in Gujarat would not be repeated? Will they regret then?'' he asked.

Mr. Ahmed said that his community would make some social progress only with the subtle alteration in the power-structure of the country. Adequate representation should be given to the minorities in all decision-making bodies to practise true secularism. "There is not a single representation in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly although the population of the community is above six per cent in that State. The population of Muslims is 25 per cent in Kerala. But only three MPs are elected to the Parliament from here,'' he argued.

Pointing out that one of the main causes of the genocide in Gujarat was the hate-campaign unleashed by the fundamentalist elements over a period, Mr. Ahmed said that the Muslims were not going to believe that the brutal incidents were a natural fallout of the Godhra killings. "The hate-campaign had for some time been targeted against Christians and now continued against the Muslims,'' he added.

The propaganda was that Muslims in India were the supporters of Pakistan. This was sheer nonsense. "We don't have any relationship with Pakistan. It is only Saudi Arabia we have connections because of the places of worship there,'' he said, adding that, "Muslims have always stood with the Indian Government on the Kashmir issue. We will never allow Kashmir to be separated from India.''

He said true secularism could be practised with the majority understanding the problems of the minorities and allowing them to join the mainstream polity. "And not just tokenism on the part of the ruling class,'' Mr. Ahmed said.

The B.V.Abdulla Koya Foundation president, M.K.C.Abu Haji, presided over the function. The secretary, K.Moideen Koya, and T.P.M.Zaheer, MLA, participated in the function.

Top ranker holders in the SSLC examinations were also felicitated on the occasion.

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