Education Vs Reality

Education Vs Reality

Students Conference

(A conference on the current issues faced by students and islamic solutions to them)

Date : 01-09-2013

Sunday 10 AM, Insha Allah

Venue : Makka Masjid Campus, Anna Salai, Chennai

Presided by

M. AbulHasan I.A.S (Retd)

Director, Azhagiya Kadan IAS Academy.

Speakers

Thiru V. IraiAnbu I.A.S

Thiru C. SylendraBabu I.P.S

Janab C.M.N. Saleem

Moulana Shamsudeen Qasimi M.A.

This program will be streamed live in Makkamasjid.com

Narendra Modi shall not be granted US visa, says American official

Washington: A top American official has opposed the grant of visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi because of the "very serious" doubts that remain over his role in the "horrific" 2002 riots in Gujarat.

"Modi shall not be granted the privilege of US visa because of the very serious doubts that remain and that hang over Modi relative to his role in the horrific events of 2002 in Gujarat," said Katrina Lantos Swett, vice chairwoman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The bipartisan government commission reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations and makes policy recommendations to the US President, the secretary of State and Congress.

"There are many, many unanswered questions that remain, there are at are many grave allegations, there are huge doubts," she was quoted as saying by the New York Times.

When asked about the possibility of Mr Modi's nomination as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate for the next Lok Sabha polls, she said, "It is no outside nation's or no individual's role to tell them who should be the next leader of India."

"For the people of India, I think it is important for them to consider very carefully who it is who they want to be their next prime minister," she added.

In 2005, the US denied Mr Modi a diplomatic visa and revoked his existing tourist/business visa under the Immigration and Nationality Act, which makes a foreign government official who is responsible for particularly severe violations of religious freedom ineligible for an American visa, the NYT said.

"Obviously what happened in 2002 in Gujarat was sectarian violence on a really massive scale. I don't think you can say that that wasn't a religious issue. It was a religious issue and the 2005 visa denial harks back to that," she said.

Mr Modi has been lobbying hard to get the decision reversed.

During a recent visit to the US, BJP president Rajnath Singh had said he would request for a review of visa ban on Mr Modi.

When pointed out that courts have not yet found any evidence of Mr Modi's involvement in the 2002 riots, Ms Swett said: "Certainly in our system of justice you can be found not guilty, which is not the same thing as found innocent."

"Under these circumstances we should follow our laws, which say that we should not give a visa. Of course Modi wants us to reverse our position because that would be part of his rehabilitation process," she said.

"One of the things that concern us is that Modi seems more concerned with rehabilitating his own reputation than with providing recompense and rehabilitation for the surviving victims of those terrible events," she added.

 http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/narendra-modi-shall-not-be-granted-us-visa-says-american-official-406670?pfrom=home-lateststories

Discrimination for Muslims in Narendra Modi's Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: A trip in the celebratory spirit of Eid turned out to be an experience in discrimination for many Muslims in Narendra Modi's Gujarat. The Himalaya Mall, among the five biggest malls in Ahmedabad, on Friday announced a fee of Rs 20 from visitors from the minority community, to be returned to them only if they bought anything from the mall, and retained if they didn't.

Many felt it was discrimination against a specific group on Eid when footfalls at the mall peaked.

"The security personnel were being selective. We saw people walking past without paying any fee. When we asked the security guards, they said that they have orders to follow and asked us to pay up. We're shocked," said Saiyad Shaikh, a resident of Delhi Chakla, who had come to the mall with his family.

Iliyas Ansari, who stays in Shahpur, said, "We're willing to pay entry fee provided the mall charges it from everybody. Why discriminate against just one community?"

Deepa Bhatnagar, manager (operations) of Himalaya Mall, told TOI that it was a routine move to check visitors on a busy day. "We had employed the same mechanism in the past to keep troublemakers out. We are planning to charge entry fee during the coming festive season including Diwali. The fee is being returned if any purchase is made, so the entry is practically free," she said.

Mall officials said that against a routine daily footfall of around 10,000, Friday saw a surge in the numbers to around 30,000. About the selective demand of entry fee, she said the administration had decided to exclude women and senior citizens only. "There was no attempt to exclude anybody or charge specific persons. And, Rs 20 is hardly a deterrent," she said.

However, this correspondent observed a distinct pattern in which entry was allowed. Youth from specific age groups of the minority community were being scrutinized and asked to pay the fee while whereas women and many others were allowed to walk in without being charged.

Mall officials said last year during Eid they saw two group clashes inside the mall and a glass wall was broken. On Friday, the number of security personnel was increased and a team of policemen was deployed inside as well as outside the mall as authorities did not want any "trouble".

Times View

Any discrimination on the basis of religion is unconstitutional and should not be tolerated. Such communal profiling shows that a deep divide persists in Gujarat, notwithstanding chief minister Narendra Modi's 'Sadbhavana' mission.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/On-Eid-Ahmedabad-mall-charges-entry-fee-from-Muslims/articleshow/21737568.cms