Inviting trouble: 5 Muslim bodies condemn Nuclear-deal, helping vitiate and communalise politics

Islam and Politics

09 Jul 2008, NewAgeIslam.Com

Inviting trouble: 5 Muslim bodies condemn Nuclear-deal, helping vitiate and communalise politics

NEW DELHI, July 8: On a day when the Left withdrew its support to the UPA government, five Muslim organisations came together to roundly condemn the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.   The condemnation came at a symposium on "Indo-US nuclear deal and national interest" held in the capital on Tuesday.   Among those who condemned the nuke deal were the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, the Indian National League, the All-India Majlis-e-Mushawarat and the Markazi Jamiat Ulama e-Hind.   However, their condemnation came owing to the fact that the deal is "against the national interest" and not one that should be viewed only through the prism of the Muslim community. As Dr Zafarul Islam Khan, president of the All-India Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM), said, "This is not an issue merely to do with Muslims. It is an issue that concerns the entire nation."   Seeking that the deal be made nakamyaab (ineffective), Dr Islam said that the deal would bind India to US policies.   Indeed, many speakers sounded a note of displeasure at CPI-M politburo member M.K. Pandhe's remarks late last month cautioning Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav to "think twice" before supporting the nuclear deal as a large number of Muslims he claimed were against it.   While CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat did try and disown the remark by stating that Mr Pandhe's views were not those of the party, it clearly did not go down well with a section of the Muslim leadership who believes that the deal has nothing to do with their community per se. This was evident once again at the symposium.   Mujtaba Farooq, secretary of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hindi too stated that the deal should not be given a communal colour.   Remarking that the nuke deal isn't an issue that merely concerns Muslims, he said the real issue is that the existence of the entire mankind is at stake. Further, he alleged that the deal is an attempt by the US to ensnare India as a strategic partner. He also accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of trying to sell the country where the deal is concerned.   Yet another Muslim leader who felt that there were attempts being made to "communalise" the nuke deal was Indian National League president, Mohammed Sulaiman.   He rued the fact that an impression is being created that only the country's Muslims are opposed to the deal. Describing the PM as napunsak (impotent), Mr Sulaiman alleged that he had made the country's foreign policy impotent.   Former finance secretary S.P. Shukla who also spoke at the symposium warned that the nuclear deal implied a "strategic embrace" with a superpower like the US and this is "dangerous". By doing so, he said India would become a "co-imperialist" and called for a mass movement against the deal.