Mobilizing public opinion the strongest way to curb mob-lynching: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind chief

New Delhi, 5 Aug, 2017: “The strongest way to put an end to mob-lynching is to mobilize public opinion against it as people’s power is paramount in a democracy and can pressurize the government, opined the President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari at the organization’s monthly press meet. Replying to a question from the media about the ways and means to curb mob-lynching Maulana Umari reiterated: "It is heartening to see the efforts of some justice and peace loving citizens in mobilizing public opinion against mob-lynching which continues unabated. We support such people initiatives against communalism and for putting an end to mob-lynching. No government can ignore popular and wide spread public opinion’’. The Secretary General of JIH, Muhammad Salim Engineer added: “We have identified certain states where these incidents are happening and are preparing a plan for the same. We will be meeting the heads of various religions in these states along with social organizations to promote communal harmony. Formation of ‘’Sadbhavna Manch’’ and activating our legal cells for aiding the victims and their families shall be part of that initiative’’.

Earlier, Salim Engineer while briefing the media on the recent political events said: “Jamaat-e-Islami Hind is deeply concerned with the recent developments on the political horizon which reflect a steep decline in standards of probity in politics. This is bound to damage the democratic credentials of our polity and pave the way for the ascendancy of ‘’money and muscle power’’ in the manner in which politics is conducted in our country. The political U-turn adopted by the Bihar Chief Minister in tying the coalition-knot with the BJP will go down in history as one of the most vivid examples of crass opportunism and complete contempt and disregard to democratic norms and the political mandate under which the Bihar electorate brought the JDU-RJD-Congress coalition to power.This murky affair is not only political betrayal at its worst but also a kind of ‘’political corruption’’ that will devour the vital entrails of our democracy. This episode is bound to damage the peoples’ ‘’faith in democracy’’ and will make the electorate even more skeptical of their decisive power in shaping the contours of the government that comes to power. Another development that is being reported by the media is the herding together of MLAs by a certain party and trooping them together to an undisclosed location in order to prevent them from being ‘’horse-traded’’ or purchased by the ruling party. This too is reflective of the deep malaise in the moral fabric of our society where ‘’peoples conscience’’ can be purchased like a commodity in the market. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind is a strong proponent of value based politics and feels that the ends can never justify the means. Noble objectives always demand a noble methodology to achieve those aims and goals.Jamaat espouses and adheres to the pristine teachings of Islam which expound trust, integrity and honesty, values that are in such short-supply in the contemporary politics of India.”