Nimisha Priya case: Sheikh Habib has close ties with Kerala, visits Kanthapuram's institutions often
A prominent figure in the Ba Alawi Tariqa in the Sufi order, Habib Umar is the founder of Dar al-Mustafa, a religious institution in Tarim in Yemen. Many from Kerala had studied at the institution before the internal strife in the country. He figured in the list of 500 most influential Muslims prepared by Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan and George Town University in the USA.
His students say that Habib Umar commands respect among all sections in Yemen, barring a few extremist groups. It was his stature that helped him to depute his men to have a dialogue with the officials and the relatives of Talal, the person murdered by Nimisha.
Habib Umar was present for the inauguration of the mosque at Knowledge City and the Ma'din Sadath Academy in Malappuram. He created a platform called 'A Common Word Between US and You' in 2007 which works for coordination between Muslims and Christians.
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
As Martyrs' Day triggers a political row in Kashmir, why it remains a flashpoint nearly a century later
On July 13, the Jammu and Kashmir Police – which falls under Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha – placed political leaders, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, under house arrest to prevent them from observing 'Martyrs' Day', by paying tributes to the the 22 people killed by the then Dogra regime's forces in 1931. Before J&K's special status was revoked in 2019, July 13 was officially commemorated as Martyrs' Day with a state-wide public holiday. However, J&K's two regions – the Muslim-dominated Kashmir and the Hindu heartland in Jammu – have always viewed the day differently. So what happened on that day, nearly a century ago? Before 22 people were shot and killed outside the Srinagar Central Jail on July 13, 1931, anger had been building up in Kashmir against Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh's forces. On April 21, a police officer was accused of preventing a cleric from delivering the Khutbah – a customary sermon – after Eid prayers in Jammu. In another incident that day, the police and some upper-caste Hindus were reported to have prevented Muslims from using a ground and a water tank, which were in the 'joint possession' of the two communities, for Eid prayers. A few days later, a head constable allegedly desecrated a colleague's Quran. With tempers running high in Kashmir, Hari Singh's political affairs minister, G E C Wakefield, advised him to invite a delegation of Muslims to submit their grievances. Leaders in Kashmir organised a meeting at a shrine in Srinagar to choose their representatives. There, Abdul Qadeer Khan, who worked as a cook for a British military officer, delivered a fiery speech. In his book Kashmir: Exposing the Myth behind the Narrative, historian Khalid Bashir Ahmad writes, 'A protest meeting was held at Khanqah-i-Mualla on June 21, 1931, where tens of thousands of Muslims assembled. The meeting resulted in the formation of a collective leadership… As the meeting was about to close, Abdul Qadeer Khan appeared on the stage and made a speech.' In his autobiography Aatish-e-Chinar (Flames of Chinar), National Conference (NC) founder Sheikh Abdullah said Khan delivered his speech later, at another location. 'After the meeting, the organisers and elected representatives proceeded for tea to Hamdania Middle School. There, one Abdul Qadeer made sparks fly,' Abdullah writes. According to Ahmad's book, Khan said, 'Muslim brethren! The time has now come when we should meet force by greater force to put an end to tyrannies and brutalities to which you are subjected.' Pointing towards the Maharaja's palace, Khan said, 'Raze it to the ground.' Khan was arrested and charged with sedition. On the day his trial got underway at a sessions court, thousands gathered in solidarity. Sensing trouble, the Dogra regime decided to shift the trial to the Srinagar Central Jail, where Khan was lodged. On July 13, 1931, as the trial was about to start, thousands gathered outside the jail, with some forcing their way inside. Prem Nath Bazaz, in his book Inside Kashmir, says there was a confidential order to keep the trial closed to the public. 'But the matter did not remain a secret and within a few minutes it was well known that the trial would be held at the jail. Large crowds gathered before noon on July 13, and when the time of trial came, the crowd had swelled to about 7,000,' Bazaz writes. 'No one realised the significance of Abdul Qadeer's outspokenness. The incident that was to occur on July 13, 1931, had the same impact on our movement that the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre had on the Indian independence movement,' Abdullah writes. 'We pleaded with the people to keep away from the Central Jail… Despite our pleas, hordes of people tried to force their way into the jail.' There are different narratives about what happened before the police opened fire, killing 22 people. Bazaz says 'the mob became uncontrollable and some forced their way into the outer compound (of the jail)', with the District Magistrate ordering the arrest of the mob's 'ring leaders'. But no one tried to pacify or warn the protesters. Prof Ghulam Hassan Khan, in his book Freedom Movement In Kashmir 1931-1940, says around 200 people were peacefully sitting inside the jail premises. 'By 12.30 pm, the muezzin gave a call to prayer… A little later, the District Magistrate, City Munsiff, Superintendent of Police, and Assistant Superintendent of Police arrived. No sooner did they come out of their vehicles than the people began shouting slogans,' Khan writes. 'Of all the officials present… not even one went forward to the crowd to reason with it and pacify it. The official Enquiry Commission, which investigated the affair, deplored this attitude and recorded its opinion that the crowd ought at least to have been told by the District Magistrate that it was a criminal gathering and ran the great risk of a clash with authorities,' Bazaz writes. 'The arrests highly excited the crowd, who demanded the release of their leaders… (The crowd) became infuriated and threw stones. Telephone lines were shaken and subsequently cut. Attempts were made to set fire to the Police Lines… At this stage, the firing was ordered. According to the official report, 10 men were killed and several wounded. It was found on July 26 that 21 persons died as a result of the jail incident,' Bazaz writes. Khan writes: 'Finding that the people were resolute and determined, authorities suddenly stopped firing and the police disappeared. People rushed into the jail compound. They took out bedsteads from the quarters of the jail guards, placed on them the dead and injured, and carried them to the Jamia Masjid.' In his autobiography, Abdullah writes, 'I was sitting quietly when a terrified young man burst into my house and told me of the firing. He said the dead were being brought in a procession towards the city. I was mortified at what this may trigger… Rioting and plundering had started at Zainakadal and Bahorikadal… I learnt that some Muslims, who were taking a dead body to his home, had asked Hindu shopkeepers to pull down their shutters as a mark of respect. They refused. This provided the pretext for anti-social elements to go on a rampage. After the situation had limped back to normal, the police managed to recover property stolen from Hindu shops.' Bazaz, however, has another version. 'The jail firing created great resentment in the mob against Hindus. So when the procession reached Maharaj Gunj, a busy trade centre of the city, Hindu shops that had been closed after the jail incident were broken open and looted,' Bazaz writes. 'Serious rioting followed… Hundreds of Hindu houses and shops were denuded of their contents… Three Hindus were murdered and 163 wounded.' In his book, Ahmad argues that the findings of the Enquiry Commission, set up by the Maharaja, were biased. 'It (the Commission) appeared to be at pains to absolve the men and officers of the government responsible for the killing of unarmed people and throw mud of culpability on the victims. The bias against Muslims freely flowed through the report,' Ahmad writes. 'When Mrs Thakur Das, a Hindu lady, testified through a written statement that 'the sepoys fired without a cause' … her statement was dismissed as a possible outcome of a 'grudge against the government'.'
Scroll.in
4 hours ago
- Scroll.in
Civil society group submits memorandum to Vatican on ‘targeted violence' against Christians in India
Civil society group United Christian Forum has submitted a memorandum to the Vatican about the increase in 'targeted violence and hostility' against Christians in India, The Hindu reported on Saturday. The memorandum was handed over to Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, foreign minister of the Vatican, on Thursday during his week-long visit to the country to meet Indian officials and church functionaries. It urged Gallagher to talk about attacks on Christians while meeting Indian officials. On Thursday, the archbishop held a meeting with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. After the meeting, Jaishankar on social media said that he was pleased to meet the archbishop, adding that the two leaders had a 'good conversation about the importance of faith, and the need for dialogue and diplomacy to address conflicts'. Pleased to meet Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Holy See. A good conversation about the importance of faith, and the need for dialogue and diplomacy to address conflicts. 🇮🇳 🇻🇦 — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 17, 2025 The visit comes months after the United Christian Forum released a report on January 10, which said that the number of attacks against Christians had increased from 127 in 2014 to 834 in 2024. In its memorandum submitted to Gallagher, the civil society group referred to the report on the rise in 'incidents of violence and hostility towards Christians', adding that the 'primary reason for these attacks has been false allegations of fraudulent conversions', The Hindu reported. Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were the top two states where such allegations had led to 'either attacks on people at prayer or their illegal arrest by the police', the civil society group said citing its report. 'A large number of Catholic priests and nuns faced arrests, attacks, and legal actions in northern India,' the memorandum added, according to The Hindu. 'It is an alarming situation for missionaries.' Jose Vallikkatt, a Catholic priest based in Punjab's Bathinda city, told the newspaper that while the 'physical and mental torture is abominable, what is more alarming is the denial of religious rights of Christians. That's a constitutional violation'.
News18
4 hours ago
- News18
Women, girls unsafe under DMK rule in TN: AIADMK chief Palaniswami
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu), Jul 20 (PTI) AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has expressed concerns over the escalating crimes against women in Tamil Nadu, claiming that even young girls were not safe. He alleged that criminals were getting emboldened and flayed the ruling DMK for not ensuring safety for girls and women. Addressing a rally here on Saturday as part of his statewide campaign to 'protect people, and redeem Tamil Nadu", Palaniswami said, 'the culprit who allegedly raped a ten-year-old girl in Gummidipoondi is yet to be arrested. Young girls, women and even elderly persons are not safe in the DMK rule." 'Do you want such a government to continue?" the former CM asked, and the crowd replied with a thunderous 'no". Speaking at Vedaranyam, famous for the salt sathyagraha against the British, Palaniswami said people were 'disillusioned' on all fronts with the present DMK regime and 'they are ready for another Satyagraha – this time against the DMK to vote out that party in next year's Assembly election." Earlier, Palaniswami, accompanied by party seniors, visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Health, also known as the Velankanni church, lit a candle and offered prayers. While addressing a roadshow in Nagapattinam, he paused for a few minutes from his campaign vehicle till the Muslims in the neighbourhood completed their evening prayers. PTI JSP KH ROH First Published: July 20, 2025, 09:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
