Thousands of Muslims across India took to the streets on Saturday, marked as the ‘Day of Resistance’, to voice their concerns against the growing discrimination and cruelty faced by the community. From mob attacks and lynching in the name of cow protection to fake encounters to illegal arrests and discrimination time and again, the list goes on and on.
According to the Morning Chronicle “Muslim professionals, academics, journalists and volunteers have collectively launched the campaign #Vote Hamara Baat Humari.” This campaign is bound to catch the attention of the opposition parties and fellow Indian citizens.
Aamir Edresy of Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) in an interview with the Caravan Daily said, “Indian Muslims made up about 20 per cent of India’s total population. Our demand is to protect our rights as equal citizens of India.” He voiced his concerns about lynching and fake encounters. “There is a systematic discrimination against Muslims in delivering justice”, he said.
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An online news portal TwoCircles.net quoted Edresy saying “the idea is to establish Muslim Agenda and make sure that everyone understands it and talks about it.”
Fahad Ahmad, a student activist said, their movement “#Vote Hamara Baat Humari is not an anti-BJP campaign. This is a pro-constitution campaign, we are talking about the rights given to us by Dr Ambedkar which talks about the social, economic and political equality; constitutional ethos cannot be denied whatever be the political situation in the country.”
Over the past couple of years, Muslims throughout the country have been living in fear and bore the brunt of mob attacks by Hindu far right gau rakshas.
The Lok Sabha elections are around the corner and political parties will be looking at wooing the Muslim community. Only time will tell whether their demands are heard?
