Terror charge: Muslim women surround cleric for his stoic silence

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Sept 3: About 50 women relatives of bomb blast suspects
now in police custody on Monday laid siege to the residence of senior
Islamic scholar Moulana Hameeduddin Aquil Hussami for over five
hours holding him responsible for their "fate".
Moulana Aquil, who is regarded as "Amir-e-Millat" (leader of the
community) by lakhs of Muslims down the Vindhyas, had actively
campaigned for Congress during the State Assembly elections held in
May 2004. He shared dais with senior Congress leaders including Chief
Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
As a thanksgiving to the Moulana, the Congress government appointed
his son-in-law Raheemuddin Ansari as the president of the AP State
Urdu Academy, which is a minister of State rank.
The women relatives demanded that Raheemuddin Ansari quit the Urdu
Academy as the Congress government had been "targeting" Muslims
and branding them as "terrorists and anti-nationals". They held the
Moulana responsible for their "fate" and the "sorry state of affairs"
because he had supported the Congress and openly appealed to
Muslims not to vote for the Telugu Desam.
The women came in black burqas at around 1.00 pm and continued
their agitation till 5.00 pm. They left the residence only after Moulana
Aquil agreed with them that "there was no difference between the
Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party".
The Moulana addressed the agitating women for about 30 minutes. He
said he himself had become a victim of the Congress government after
the police raided Darul Uloom Hyderabad, a madarasa run by him.
"We supported the Congress with the hope that it would bring a secular
government. But it is treading the path of the previous BJP-led NDA
government. We do not see any difference between the BJP and the
Congress," he said. The women dispersed only after the Moulana
assured them that he would lead a delegation of Muslim elders to the
chief minister and find out the whereabouts of the suspects arrested in
connection with the blasts in the city.
Moulana Aquil made several unsuccessful attempts to contact on
telephone Director-General of Police MA Basith and Hyderabad city
police commissioner Balwinder Singh. The Moulana was told by the
DGP and CP's offices that they were busy and would not come on line.
This had further irked him.
No sooner Moulana Aquil announced that he saw no difference
between the Congress and the BJP than Telugu Desam supremo N
Chandrababu Naidu deputed party politburo member and MP SM Lal
Jan Basha to the residence of the Moulana. Basha spent some time with
the Moulana and told him that the TD had never troubled Muslims
when it was in power for nine years.
"There were no communal violence. Law and order situation was well
under control. We looked after the welfare of minorities and ensured
that there was no trouble to them. The TD government did not pick up
innocent Muslim youths. No madarasa was raided during our rule,"
Basha said.
Meanwhile, the police continued with their raids on madarasas. On
Monday the police raided Al Mahadal Islami, a madarasa managed by
noted Islamic scholar Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani at
Shaheennagar.