logo
Punjab Shahi Imam, Muslims wear black bands during Friday namaz: ‘Time to give strong response to enemy'

Punjab Shahi Imam, Muslims wear black bands during Friday namaz: ‘Time to give strong response to enemy'

Indian Express25-04-2025

Muslims, under the leadership of Punjab's Shahi Imam and national president of Majlis Ahrar Islam Hind Maulana Muhammad Usman Rahmani Ludhianvi, offered Jumma Namaz at the historic Jama Masjid of Ludhiana on Friday, wearing black bands, in condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
On this occasion, the Shahi Imam said that no amount of condemnation is enough for such a heinous attack, as it has wounded millions of hearts. He further stated that even after 75 years, it is increasingly felt that the Partition of the country was a grave mistake, and the consequences of that mistake are still being borne by the nation. He added that the neighboring country has become a festering wound that must be dealt with.
'This is not a time to be passive—it is a time to unite and give a strong response to the enemy,' he said.
The Shahi Imam also pointed out that while the entire country is standing united against terrorism and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, it is unfortunate that some mischievous elements in the country are targeting minorities.
He said, 'It is wrong to condemn or oppress anyone on the basis of religion by members of the majority community.'
He called for a strict stance against those who are trying to create unrest within the country during these difficult times, so that the nation can present a united front against the enemy.
Shahi Imam thanks Punjab Police for protection of Kashmiri students
Following the Pahalgam attack, Shahi Imam Maulana Muhammad Usman Rahmani Ludhianvi expressed his gratitude to Punjab Police for ensuring the safety of Kashmiri students studying in various colleges and universities across the state.
'It is worth mentioning that there were some reports of mischievous elements trying to harass a few students in Kharar and Dera Bassi. Upon receiving these complaints, I contacted Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, ADGP A S Rai, and ADGP Praveen Kumar Sinha.The officers promptly increased police vigilance across Punjab, reassuring that students from outside the state are safe and secure in Punjab,' he added.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

158 smugglers held; over 5kg drugs, Rs 36K seized
158 smugglers held; over 5kg drugs, Rs 36K seized

Time of India

time5 hours ago

  • Time of India

158 smugglers held; over 5kg drugs, Rs 36K seized

Chandigarh: Under the ongoing 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign, the Punjab Police on Friday claimed to have arrested 158 drug smugglers and recovered 1.9 kg of heroin, 1 kg of opium, 2.8 kg of ganja, and Rs 36,340 in drug money from their possession. These arrests and seizures were made on Thursday. With this, the total number of drug smugglers arrested in the last 105 days has reached 17,484. Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said over 250 police teams, comprising over 1,700 police personnel, under the supervision of 112 gazetted officers, on Thursday conducted raids at as many as 531 locations across the state, leading to the registration of 116 FIRs across. Police teams also checked as many as 582 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he added. Shukla also said with the state govt adopting a three-pronged strategy — enforcement, de-addiction, and prevention (EDP) — to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police convinced 65 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment. MSID:: 121851072 413 | Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .

Community-targeted killings need to be probed by NIA, says forum
Community-targeted killings need to be probed by NIA, says forum

Time of India

time6 hours ago

  • Time of India

Community-targeted killings need to be probed by NIA, says forum

Mangaluru: All India Practising Lawyers Council president and high court advocate S Balan demanded that the murders of Ashraf and Abdul Rahiman be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Balan told reporters here on Saturday that the murders of Ashraf and Abdul Rahiman are 'community-targeted killings', which is a scheduled crime. He demanded an NIA probe into it, besides invoking the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused in both cases. Balan, who led a fact-finding delegation of the council, said that Rahiman of Kolthamajalu was a victim of community-targeted murder. "The accused in the Rahiman murder case were very close to the family of the deceased. We visited Rahiman's house and interacted with the family and relatives. Those accused participated in the protest meeting held in Bajpe, where leaders made provocative speeches. The police should not have allowed the VHP to hold a public rally in Bajpe after the murder of Suhas Shetty," he said. Further, Balan said that Ashraf, who was mob lynched in Kudupu, did not have any connection to the communal crimes reported in the district. He said that Ashraf was killed only because of his religious identity. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Le Bitcoin Passe la Barre des 90 000$ – Un Marché Haussier est-il en train de Naître ? eToro Market Updates Click Here Undo He accused the central govt of demonstrating a discriminatory attitude towards Muslims by not referring the two murder cases to the NIA, despite their qualification for the same. He said that the murder case of rowdy-sheeter and Hindutva activist Suhas Shetty was referred to the NIA, even though it was an 'individual targeted revenge killing', a non-scheduled crime. "Handing over Shetty's murder to the NIA is a misuse of constitutional provisions and political power," he said. On the involvement of PFI members in the murder of Shetty, which was considered a ground for an NIA probe, Balan said PFI is not a declared terrorist organisation, but only an unlawful association. Balan stressed the need for the state govt to amend the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act, stating that existing laws cannot curb hate speech. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .

The 'Joy Bangla' Deception: Don't Judge By The Cover, 'Study' It
The 'Joy Bangla' Deception: Don't Judge By The Cover, 'Study' It

News18

time8 hours ago

  • News18

The 'Joy Bangla' Deception: Don't Judge By The Cover, 'Study' It

Last Updated: The 'Joy Bangla' Deception is divided into four clearly defined sections, with a logically progressive narrative that unfolds before you, presenting a highly disturbing picture The complete title of the book under consideration is The 'Joy Bangla' Deception—Bangladeshi Islamism Under the Façade of Bengali Nationalism. I generally do not begin a book review with criticism. But this time I make an exception. The cover does not do justice to the book and its content. It does not capture the intensity of the work done by the two authors, Kausik Gangopadhyay and Devavrata. So, my first request to the readers is not to go by the dull, uninspiring cover; just grab a copy and study it, not just read it. The book shook me up, like none other in recent times. I must confess that I, too, was going by the generally accepted narrative of Bangladeshi nationalism, the secular nature of Mujibur Rehman's politics. I was not so much aware of the bloody trail of the history of Bengal, divided into East Pakistan and West Bengal, and the new avatar of the Muslim League's two-nation theory—Bangladesh. Abdul Mansur Ahmad, a Muslim Bengali leader, notes, after Bangladesh was created, 'Neither Pakistan is broken by the liberation or Bangladesh, nor 'Two Nation Theory' was proven false. Instead of one Pakistan, two Pakistans have happened as per Lahore Resolution. The GOI has assisted us to realise the Lahore Resolution and we are grateful to them. The Lahore Resolution does not mention the word Pakistan, only 'Muslim Majority state'." If a person like me, who has done research on the northeast region of Bharat, which means I also had to study West Bengal and a little about East Pakistan (later Bangladesh), had only a limited idea about the ideology behind Awami League and the level of violent persecution of Hindus, I can imagine what an ordinary Indian knows. I was aware of Bouddh Chakmas but not to the extent that this book exposes. Hindu Bengalis of West Bengal may be aware, but they have chosen to gulp down the tablet called Amnesia to sleep well and forget about what their own families went through and what their unfortunate brethren are facing in Bangladesh even today. Tathagata Roy explains this mentality in his book. The dedication of the book gives you a hint that you are getting into uncharted territories. It is dedicated to the Bengali humanist bloggers, writers, and activists, of whom 11 are dead; of these, only one is Hindu. And survivors, all of whom are Muslims, have been exiled from their country. You also realise that there are still some Muslims out there who believe in humanity, coexistence, and truth. The introduction of the book makes you uneasy. You feel lost because you have no clue of the context, about which you are ignorant. Ideally, read the introduction after reading a few chapters; it will make more sense. The 'Joy Bangla' Deception is divided into four clearly defined sections, with a logically progressive narrative that unfolds before you, presenting a highly disturbing picture. There are 14 chapters and a very elaborate section of endnotes, not found in many books. As a critic, I can only say that it is too academic because it is written by academicians. But on the positive side, this academic approach saves the book from falling into the trap of emotional storytelling or raising tempers. It is a harsh story, told calmly, as it is. The first section, The Propaganda of 'Joy Bangla', destroys many images of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman that we hold dear, and opens your mind with evidence based on the true political character of Mujib and his friends. One is surprised that our people never went beyond the disappointment of Jogendra Nath Mandal, who returned to Bharat and died an unsung, unhappy soul. Even this story was seen as a footnote in the history of partition, about which hardly anyone talked until recently. Maulana Bhashani, the guiding light of the Muslim Awami League, later renamed as Awami League, time and again asserts that he may be called a socialist or a communist, but he remains a Muslim to the core. He says, 'Indians are the greatest enemy of Bengali Muslims." He notes that Mujib once assured him, 'I remained a lifelong Muslim Leaguer." He proved it when he did not give permission for the rebuilding of the huge Ramna Kali temple, destroyed by the Pakistani army in 1971 after the liberation of Bangladesh. He, in fact, bulldozed the remaining temple and built a garden, naming it in memory of Suhrawardy, the butcher of Bengal. Leaders of Bangladesh were and are clear all through that Bangladesh may not be an Islamic state, but it is a Muslim state nonetheless. Bengali nationalism was invented to overcome the Hindu resistance against the Muslim Awami League. The oft-repeated theory that neglect of the Bengali language was the cause of the rise of Bengali nationalist sentiment is also stripped of its validity by the writers with evidence that Bengali had become the second national language in 1956 and was given equal space in the government. The fact is, the bold voice that called for the Bengali language was not a Muslim but a Hindu leader, Dhirendranath Datta. Once a powerful elected leader from East Pakistan days, he died a lonely man, and his property has since been taken over by the Muslims, like so many other properties of Hindus. The real issue was the exploitation of East Pakistan's economy by West Pakistan and the division of political power between the two wings. Since a separate Hindu electorate with a sizable number of seats was dissolved, Hindus were left with a choice between a radical Muslim party or the Awami League, which succeeded in projecting a moderate face. The book discloses that right after partition, isolation and weakening of Hindus had begun. There was sustained economic deprivation that impoverished most of the Hindus. Their properties were taken away under the Enemy Properties Act. This Act was never removed by Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, only renamed. The desecration of Hindu homes of great Bengali leaders of the current West Bengal and Bangladeshi Hindus is a who's who list. Academic research papers have been written on this topic by independent Bangladeshi scholars, most of whom are Muslims. So, the news of the desecration of Rabindranath Tagore's home is not a surprise for the observers of Bangladesh's history. It is a continuity of the same process. Do not be surprised if, under Muhammad Yunus, you find Amar Sonar Bangla removed as the national anthem. Islamists are waiting for the right time. The churn in Bengali society and its Islamist element is brought out well by Humayun Azad, a noted intellectual, in 1990: 'Muslims of this country after some time, became Muslim Bengali, then Bengali Muslims, and then Bengali. Now again, they are reverting, from Bengali to Bengali Muslim, from Bengali Muslim to Muslim Bengali and from Muslim Bengali to Muslim." This intriguing line explains the tragedy of Bangladesh succinctly, and more particularly of Bangladeshi Hindus. The current designs of Bangladesh Islamists were laid before the world by Maulana Bhashani in 1972: 'Assam is mine, West Bengal is mine, and Tripura is mine too. Until those regions are liberated back from India, neither the liberation of Bangladesh nor its map is complete." The book is full of such surprising and disturbing quotes that you may not have read so far in any book on Bengal or Bangladesh. They answer many of the questions that one faces while reading or hearing about disturbances in Bangladesh and the misfortune of Bengali Hindus. The writers assert that the only solution is to reclaim Bengaliness from the Islamic appropriation. As you move through the book, you are taken through the brutal persecution of Hindus, sustained killing and deprivation of Hindus, the fake history of Bengali nationalism of Bangladesh Muslim leaders, and the ambitious Islamist dreams of Bangladesh leaders. I can only say that sedatives are not a cure for a sickness. One needs to take a strong dose of bitter medicines or maybe undergo an operation to get cured of the cancer that is eating away at the core of the sacred land of Bharat, which inspired countless people to struggle for the renaissance of Hindu dharma and fight for freedom. The reviewer is a well-known author and political commentator. He has written several books on RSS, like RSS 360, Sangh & Swaraj, RSS: Evolution from an Organisation to a Movement, Conflict Resolution: The RSS Way, and done a PhD on RSS. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. tags : bangladesh bengali Muslim pakistan West Bengal Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 14, 2025, 19:39 IST News opinion Book Review | The 'Joy Bangla' Deception: Don't Judge By The Cover, 'Study' It

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store