18/07/2016

Owaisi’s vain bid to use Zakir Naik to revive AIMIM in Bihar


Patna,(BiharTimes): When a handful of people, mostly youths, marched from in front of the gate of Patna Science College to Kargil Chowk on Friday afternoon under the banner of a little-known organization, Popular Front of India, many watchers of Muslim politics were surprised by the posters, placards and photos they were carrying.

Though the PFI sources denied that anyone raised the pro-Pakistan slogan, a day later the police arrested Mohammad Taufiq, a worker of the Indian Momin Front, who took part in the march, and sent him to Beur Jail after the video footage of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ went viral.

The electronic media highlighted the clippings. The police have slapped a case  under different Sections of the IPC against Taufeeq and have sent the video footage for forensic investigation.

Politically, what is more surprising is why the Popular Front of India organized the march for televangelist Zakir Naik and the president of All India Muslim-Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen? How can they both be clubbed together and why were the marchers carrying the photos of both?

After all Popular Front of India is a Kerala-based organization trying to spread its influence in Bihar, particularly in the Seemanchal belt. On the other hand AIMIM is the family business of Hyderabad-based Owaisi brothers––Asaduddin and Akbaruddin. It contested election in six Assembly seats––all in Seemanchal––last year, but drew blank.

Then why PFI joined hands with AIMIM, and that too only days after the former Gujarat BJP MLA, Yatin Oza, claimed that younger brother, Akbaruddin, had on September 15, 2015 met the BJP chief Amit Shah.

Oza, who was once close to Amit Shah, alleged that the BJP leader had asked Akbaruddin to create atmosphere in favour of the saffron party in Bihar.

That was the reason why the AIMIM decided to contest election in Bihar.

What is more strange is the way the Zakir Naik issue was dragged? How come an organization like PFI come out in favour of both Asaduddin Owaisi and Zakir Naik?

As Kerala has a sizeable influence of Salafism it was natural for PFI to espouse the cause of Zakir Naik, who too is linked to this school of thought.

That is why he is not liked by Baraelvis, Shias, even some Deobandis and a large section of Muslims, who do not rigidly follow any particular school of thought.

Yet in spite of this dislike for or indifference towards Zakir Naik by a big section of Muslims there are many within the community who do not like the media trial carried out by some television channels. Their argument is that Zakir Naik has been running his channel for the last 25 years, then why did not any government––even of the NDA under Vajpayee and now under Modi––found any thing wrong in it. After all so many terror attacks took place in India in the last so many years. Then how come it is that after the attack in Bangladesh the media have suddenly woken up against Zakir Naik.

The PFI and AIMIM have both disastrously failed in Bihar. So, they thought, this was perhaps the best time to cash in on the sentiment of a section of people.

The truth is that Zakir Naik phenomenon is not as big as it is made out both in the media as well as his own supporters. Most of his speeches are in English, which hardly 10 per cent of Muslims understand. It is only in recent years that he has started addressing in Urdu too.

Besides,  his channel, Peace TV, is now not available. So Zakir is backed by some Salafis as well as college going youths. An overwhelming number of Muslims had never heard of him before this controversy started.

That is why the combined strength of PFI and AIMIM––along with the burning issue of Zakir Naik––brought just a handful of people to the streets of Patna.

It further exposed their weakness. The proxy did not work.

comments powered by Disqus



traffic analytics