April 16, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 9, 1429

NEW DELHI, April 15: A delegation of Indian Muslims on Tuesday apprised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of what it called assault by government agencies on members of the community.

A delegation led by Maulana Qari Mohammad Usman, president of Jamiat-ul-Ulema, called on Indian prime minister and presented a memorandum about hardships being faced by Muslims in India.

Members of the delegation included Kamal Farooqi, chairman of the Delhi Minority Commission; Syed Aqil Al-Gharavi, Principal of the Saqalain Islamic Seminary; and Zafarul Islam, president of the All India Muslim Majlis-i-Mushawarat.

The memorandum said that innocent Muslims were being picked up on flimsy grounds and even initial investigations were being leaked to the press in a way that tarnished the image of the entire Muslim community.

“The Muslims are facing the onslaught at the hands of communal forces and perverted bureaucracy. Various government agencies are hesitant to take bold steps,” it said.The delegation expressed concerns over community profiling by security agencies and the media and non-implementation of the Srikrishna Commission report on 1993 Mumbai riots by the Maharashtra government.

They demanded an alternative banking system for Muslims. They also demanded that the home ministry should stop the witch-hunt.—APP