Syed Hurairah
Hyderabad: The controversy and concern generated due to the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Indian Citizens has brought about a churning within the country, especially the Muslim community. While students of the Jamia Millia Islamia in the National Capital sparked off the movement against these two executive actions, closer home, in Hyderabad, there is growing concern among the youth about the role of, and to some extent, the silence of the Ulama (religious scholars) in connection with protests.
This was first seen at the Jamia Masjid Darusshifa on December 16. Deliberations were called for between the Ulama – young and old – on how to deal with the CAA and the NRC. But no sooner than the meeting began, heated arguments ensued between participants which included a phalanx of Ulama.
While Maulana Jafar Pasha urged participants to be patient, a section of the audience was restive and in no mood to cow down. There were assurances of a grand protest meeting at Hockey Grounds near Masab Tank, but plans were soon scrapped.
All this, even as a gathering of protesters, including women, mostly professionals from the IT sector, arrived at the mosque.
Last Friday, the scene at the same mosque was similar. Soon after prayers, congregants gathered outside to protest the CAA and NRC. However, Maulana Jafar Pasha sought to pacify them. Speaking from inside the mosque moments after slogans were raised, and addressing the gathering, he said, “You have shown your protest. Now go to your homes.” Eyewitnesses said that after listening to this announcement, protesters had no choice but to go home.
“What is happening here is unfortunate. We were expecting the Ulama to speak out. But do we do? On one side, there are young Ulama who want to protest peacefully on the streets, and on the other are the akabireen (the elders) who seem to be asking us to be patient, and wait. This is the time to lead,” said a young Alim, an eyewitness at the Jama Masjid Darusshifa.
The feeling among other sections of the Muslim community is more or less similar. “The Ulama should be leading the protest. They should use the masjid to spread awareness about NR(I)C and the NPR. But their silence is frustrating. Yes, they did speak at the massive jalsa in Darus Salaam. But they should be protesting on the roads,” said Syed Saleem, a resident of Vidya Nagar and a doctor.
Others believe that while the Jamiat Ulama Telangana and Andhra Pradesh did protest across the two Telugu States, more is needed.
“Look at the intensity in other cities. The number of those protesting in Bangalore – which is a BJP controlled state – is far more than what we are seeing here in Hyderabad. Protests are not just public meetings. There should be demonstrations and people, from all sections of society should be vocal,” said Faheem.