Discrimination in defining 'terrorism' fuels violence: AIMC

Panaji, July 16 (UNI) All India Milli Council (AMIC) has urged the Muslim community, particularly the gullible youth, not to be carried away by vested interests and disruptive forces and engage in acts of violence and terrorism but strive for preserving the secular fabric of the country.

Condemning the recent serial blasts in Mumbai and Kashmir and condoling the deaths of the innocent victims, the Council said there was no place for violence in ''true Islam'' and that the perpetrators of terrorism should be hauled up and tried.

Interacting with media persons after constituting the 11-member excecutive committee of the Council in Goa headed by its new president Mr Iqbal Mohidin here today, the AMIC leaders said the Council had been committed to striving for ''politico-socio-economic and educational development of the community in league with the other communities since its inception in 1992''.

At the same time, the Council was ready to assist the government and non-governmental bodies in apprehending the suspected terrorists and culprits or agent provocateurs of violence while bringing about awareness among the community to exercise their franchise to the right people to strengthen the secular fabric of the society.

The leaders who addressed the media included Dr Yaseen Ali Usmani, vice president of the Council and chairman of the UP Urdu Academy, Mr Yusuf Muchhala, executive member, Mr Iqbal Mohidin, president of the Goa unit and Mr Khlaleelulla, one of the members.

Earlier, they addressed the community leaders to impress upon the need for a united struggle against terrorism and forge unity with all other communities to establish cordial and brotherly relationship.

The Goa unit of the AIMC included 51 prominent members who include educationists, social activists, professionals and businessmen of repute.

It was constituted following the riots in Curchorem-Sanvordem in South Goa in March last in which the anti-social elements targetted the Muslim community following erection of an illegal structure for religious purpose.

The Council, which has constituted a fact-finding committee headed by noted advocate Nandita Haskar to probe into the riots and the role of the media, was however happy the state government had ordered a ''magisterial inquiry'' into the incidents instead of a judicial probe as demanded.

Asked about the cause of growing menace of terrorism world over, they said that the states' discriminatory attitude in defining ''terrorism'' world over had fuelled attacks further even as they were supposed to deal firmly with terrorism by striking at the root cause.

''Carpet-bombing of Afghanistan and attempts to decimate Iraqi population, partisan attitude of the states in defining terrorism while engaging the similar acts like in Gujarat, might have triggered anger against the perceived injustice in the form of counter-violence by misguided people which is again not justifiable,'' the Muslim leaders said.

''The states should not perpetuate a realm of injustice, but address the grievances of the communities with honesty immediately so that unseeming situation does not arise.'' they said.

The AIMC does not believe in the theory of ''action and reaction'' as reported by the media following incidents of terrorism but neither the state nor the terrorists had the right to kill the innocent, they observed.

Reacting to the alleged involvement of ''SIMI'' in the recent serial blasts in Mumbai, the AMIC leaders said, ''Punish the guilty always, but leave the innocent as the true believers of Islam do not engage in terrorism or violence.'' Asked about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's observations about terrorist camps operating in Pakistan against India, they said it was only a perception. Those camps were outfits directed against the West they added.

UNI BM MAZ PA RN1622