Speech by Janab Maulana Aijaz Islamsaab, Khilafat House
Director: Shaina Anand
Duration: 00:24:48; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 28.296; Saturation: 0.108; Lightness: 0.349; Volume: 0.217; Cuts per Minute: 15.719; Words per Minute: 92.780
Summary: Footage from Tellavision Mumbai. Janab Maulana Aijaz Islamsaab delivers a speech in which he opines that our efforts to root out terrorism from the world need to start by focusing on similar issues within India. He says that the well meaning citizens of our country need to make whatever efforts they can to solve the problem of terrorism. He stresses on the sanctity of human life and says that any action that leads to the death of any innocent person is condemnable even in the eyes of god. MA speaks about many instances of America’s unjust policies and it’s manipulation of the Security Council. He bemoans the misuse of the term Jihad and clarifies it’s real meaning. MA also opines that India must examine it's own stand on the War in Afghanistan he says that we should stick to the principles on which our constitution has been based. He also asserts that the long term solution to the problem of terrorism lies in dialogue and discussion. He commends India for being able to sustain democracy despite many short comings and concludes by congratulating the participants of the symposium. The speech took place at a meeting called by the Students Islamic Organisation of India: Terrorism- Reality and Solutions.
A student invites Janab Maulana Aijaz Islamsaab to come and deliver his speech.
...And he's also the editor of Radiance Views Weekly, Janab Maulana Aijaz Islamsaab
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Khilafat House, Byculla, Mumbai
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Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim. in the name of God the beneficent, the merciful. Learned speakers who participated in this symposium and presented their very valuable thoughts, President of SIO of India my young brother S.S Husseini Saheb, and learned and very well meaning citizens of this cosmopolitan city of Bombay. May God's peace and blessings be upon you. It's a great honor for me that inspite of my experience I have been asked to preside over this symposium.
Video Cuts
MA addresses the audience at
Khilafat house.
Bombay
beneficent
bismillah ir-rahman ir-rahim.
blessings
cosmopolitan city
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honor
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MA says that finding a solution to terrorism is an important issue.
Terrorism it's reality and what is it's solution which we should attempt and try... to wipe out terrorism from the face of this earth so that human life may be full of peace and tranquility. It's a very big question.
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MA opines that our efforts to root out terrorism from the world need to start from dealing with it at a domestic level (India) first.
We have to answer this question and present the solution
on the basis of our own life... that is from our individual life terrorism or terror should be wiped out; in our family life, in our social life then in our country. This country which has a population of hundred and three
crore people, one sixth of humanity. And at the same time we have to think about wiping out terrorism from the whole earth.
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And a number of brothers more learned than me, they presented their reflections... and well thought of reflections before you. I do not want to repeat those things... I... just to comment on all those thoughts. You are the best judges, you are the representatives of the citizens... the well meaning citizens of this great cosmopolitan city of Bombay.
MA introduces his talk as a commentary on things that have already been discussed by the speakers who have gone before him.
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I'm sure that you have benefited from what they have spoken. And I'm also sure that
Insha Allah God willing you will try to make your contribution towards the solution of this big problem. I would like to presents some of my thoughts before you.
MA hopes that the members of the audience will also contribute towards solving the problem of terrorism in whichever way they can.
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First of all I started my speech with
Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim. this is what God himself has taught us ' in the name of God the beneficent, the merciful'. God is the source of all mercy, all beneficence, all love. God has created this earth for us human beings not to fight with each other but to lead a life which is free from any sort of fear or terror.
MA believes that God intended human beings to have a life of freedom and security.
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But unfortunately human history has been a witness to this unfortunate fact that our life... the human life has been full of ups and downs, full of wars, full of conflicts, full of...
Video Cuts
MA says that contrary to what
God had intended humans have faced many wars and conflicts.
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In the background, voiceover: ...What happened? About five thousand six hundred people are killed who are innocent, who are not combatants, who were not participating in any war . Their life was wiped out within a few seconds. First of all let us start our part by condemning it. I'm reminded of what God speaks referring to the earlier scripture which he had sent through Moses and Jesus Christ, God says in the Holy Quran that we have said it before that ' if a person kills an innocent person it is as if he has murdered the whole of humanity'.
The camera pans to the audience. Four men in the front row seem to be listening intently to the speech. In the second row a man is staring intently towards the stage. As the camera pans to the third row we see a man in a black shirt listening intently to the speech while the man on his right stares at the camera.
In a predominantly male gathering we also notice a woman sitting near the back rows. Close up shots of people sitting in the front row on the right. The third person from the right nods his head in agreement with what's being said.
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Close up shot of a bearded man in the front row, nodding his head. Camera pans to the first row.
...' and if a person saves the life of one innocent person it is equivalent to saving the whole of humanity'. Murder is a dishonest thing, most unfortunate thing, the most condemnable thing.
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Shot of the crowd as the camera pans from right to left, the audience listens intently while one man stares at the camera and another man sitting in the row before him sighs heavily with a weary expression on his face.
...__________ the murder that took place on 11 September, it is not to please anybody, but it is because our own conscience demands us to________. It is against humanity... one of the most inhuman acts. We are unreserved in this respect and without any condition we are condemning them.
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audience shot
Long shot of the audience on both sides of the aisle, shot of people gathered at the entrance of the hall.
The poorest country on this earth which suffered three consecutive years of drought, which was already devastated because of the Russian intervention, because of the international disputes and wars between the third world and so many other groups. Between________ Pashtuns, Uzbeks, and political groups and warlords. That already devastated country has been attacked by America and is that going to take...
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Extreme long shot of the speaker.
MA mentions Professor Robert Jameson and Michael Albert & Stephen R. Shalom in reference with articles written by them.
...I will not rally around the President Bush. This was an article by Professor Robert Jameson, who is the head of the department of journalism at Texas University. I also came to...read and article...' Five arguments against war' it has been penned by Michael Albert & Stephen R. Shalom...
articles
five arguments against war
michael albert
president bush
robert jameson
stephen r. shalom
Extreme long shot of the speaker.
Video cuts and then camera pans to cover profile shot of members of the audience sitting by the aisle.
... support of United States of America...
Video Cuts
...and American people are themselves writing it... High thinking American people ... that American bullets , American gunship...helicopters...American...
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...Palestinians...And if you take into consideration the history of the Security Council you will find that America has acted in a very criminal way... and has used for the maximum number the right of Veto to support Israel and
to suppress Palestinians. Robert Fisk a British journalist... very independent he has also written a number of articles about... I have seen two or three articles upto now...
Profile shot of audience, a man
dressed in white
kurta looks into the camera, near the back rows a man who has covered his face with his hand
continuously stares at the camera.
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In which he has enumerated and given all the details of American politics...
Video Cuts
Side shot of the audience.
politics
Side shot of the audience followed by long shot of the speaker.
...in 1910 and the first decade of the 20th century itself he has said that the Americans...that in the American flag we shall keep stripes and stars... it should be replaced with the human skull and bones because the American policies hadn't been very kind and inhuman even in the last century.
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Americans themselves accept that in 1492 Columbus had discovered America and within 108 years the number of indigenous people in Northern and Southern America...the two continents which was...
Video Cuts
Long shot of the speaker. Camera pans to the audience and then back to the speaker.
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Camera pans to the audience sitting outside the hall. A group of women sit outside in a group listening to the speech being given in the hall. Shot of audience inside the hall followed by shot of audience sitting outside.
...of human rights but at the same time we have to take into consideration this fact that American policies had been very very violent and inhuman. Whatever has been done in America we have to accept...
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Shot of audience sitting outside, long shot of a group of women sitting in the front.
...criticize and condemn because we have been asked. God says in the holy Quran ' all those people who believe'...whoever believes in God whether it is a Muslim or Christian or Hindu or Jain or whoever he may be... all those people who believe in God___________ of terror of justice__________.
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Background voice: Whoever believes in God he must stand for justice...which is against terror... we must all...
Sound of vehicles passing by.
Shot of people gathered in the courtyard outside the hall, a group of people sitting near the side entrance of the hall listening to the speech others stand in groups near the main entrance.
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Background noise
Piles of pamphlets titled
'Waves' stacked near a wall.
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Location shot of the entrance of the Khilafat House, Byculla. A yellow banner is mounted on the gate, and there are two boards on the wall left and right of the gate. There are a few people standing near the entrance reading the pamphlets being distributed inside. A lot of honking can be heard.
Sound of vehicles passing by and some people talking in the background.
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...And our attitude should be, we should join hands to fight against any act of injustice. As far as Islam is concerned, I would like to tell you that one meaning of Islam is submission, submission and surrender to the Will of God.
MA appeals that people should come together to fight against injustice.
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...And not submitting to any other power, not submitting to our own whims and fancies. Another meaning is
Salaam that is peace. When we meet each other we say
as-salaam alaikum may peace be upon you. Peace spread on earth, peace is the message of God. Peace is the messenger of God, peace is the purpose of God. God has created this earth for promoting peace for promoting justice. This is the second meaning of Islam.
MA says that Islam requires one to surrender to the Will of God not to one's own desires, and contrary to popular belief it aims to bring about peace in the world.
as-salaam alaikum
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As far as
Jihad is concerned unfortunately it is being translated as Holy War.
Jihad does not mean war
Jihad means utmost struggle to achieve some good purpose. That's why garbled always stresses and says thatgarbled do
Jihad do your utmost struggle in the way of God, to achieve the pleasure of God.
MA bemoans the fact that the meaning of
Jihad is being misrepresented in the current scenario. He says that
Jihad is mistakenly described as 'holy war' what it really means is doing one's utmost to realize a goal.
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MA opines that since
Jihad means ' struggle in the way of God' one has to abide by God's law in their endeavors. And hence violent
means cannot be used to achieve one's purpose no matter how just the cause.
...And how can we achieve pleasure of God? Of course we have to accept him as our overlord, we have to accept his sovereignty, we have to praise him, we have to bow our heads before him, we have to do all the rituals but at the same time it means that we must accept him as our law giver. We must submit to his law, his law doesn't discriminate between one person and another, between a group and another group
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God was above every language, every group, every country he is Rahman ir-Rahim most beneficent and most merciful. And Prophet Muhammad once he said that those who love the human beings God loves them.
MA emphasizes the message of love and peace propagated by Islam.
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And he said that...once he said that if one person has been murdered... innocent person...and if the whole humanity has conspired to murder one single person then God will punish every individual, every member of humanity; so great is the worth of human life.
MA stresses on the sanctity of human life as propounded by the Prophet Muhammad.
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MA says that because of the sanctity of human life whenever we come across instances of injustice and terrorism against anyone we must oppose it.
Therefore injustice, terrorism, wiping out the life of any person...Like what happens in an individual way or it happens in a collective way, it is a most condemnable thing we have to fight against it.
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MA is in agreement with Kumar Ketkar on the matter of the term terrorism being used in a 'loose sense' in the media.
Then what is the solution? How can we put an end to this problem of terrorism. As I told you...and especially our respected editor
saheb he had been very clear on this that this is a loose... It is a term terrorism which is being used in a very loose sense.
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MA quotes from the Quran emphasizing that God loves people who love and respect other human beings.
___________ O human beings we have created you from one man and one woman. Then we made you into nations and communities so that you may know each other. Who is the greater person, verily the greater person in the sight of God is one who is more God fearing more duty conscious and more loving towards other human beings, this is the criteria.
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In this way this deep rooted problem...just condemning America will not do anything. We must turn the searchlight towards our own country. I'm reminded of what
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore had said in prayer to God ' let my country, my India awake in a new morning which is full of love, cooperation and respect for human dignity'.
MA opines that India must examine it's own stand on the War in Afghanistan. He quotes from ' Geetanjali' by Tagore.
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Indian constitution also speaks in high terms about justice and explains social justice, economic justice, political justice. It presents before certain principles, they are religious principles, let me say they are Islamic principles, Christian principles, Hindu principles; principles which we find in the fundamentals of every religion. Indian constitution says that we have to stand for liberty, equality and human fraternity... giving utmost important to human dignity.
MA opines that India must stand up for the principles on which it's constitution is based.
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MA stresses that the issue of the war in Afghanistan is a human issue and should not be given a communal color.
We require these golden principles, we require...and the common people like you, you have to fight. As brother Husseini said we should not bring in communal terms and problems, Afghanistan problem is not only Muslim problem it is human problem.
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Any problem which takes place anywhere in India is not a Muslim or Hindu or Christian problem. Whoever is being unnecessarily suppressed, he may belong to any religion
he is our brother. And in this respect our human right activists, our journalist friends, our religious brothers and organisations like SIO they can play a very constructive role. They have to educate the people and our respected Bishop he was true that wars take place in the human minds therefore the defenses should also be built in the human mind. Mind is the most important thing, mind is the seat of God.
MA talks about the important role that human rights activists, journalists and people from different religious communities can play in educating people about the issues facing them.
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MA says that terrorism cannot be solved by resorting to short term violent means. He praises
India for having sustained democracy despite many shortcomings.
We cannot undo terrorism by suppressing it, by just wiping out some persons, or punishing unconnected people or fighting with unspecified enemies. We have to build those defenses in the human mind. In this respect our democratic country India inspite of many weaknesses, many failures in implementing the processes of democracy; credit can be given to our country that we have sustained the importance of democratic norms. Still we are a democratic country... see so many other countries...see our neighboring country of Pakistan you will not find democracy there. We can build our relations on this democracy.
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Dialogue... religious dialogue, social dialogue, dialogue to solve the economic problems. And in this respect every common man, citizens, especially concerned citizens, well meaning citizens like you, you have to play a very important role. Let us join hands, let us put our heads together and let us decide that we will fight injustice wherever it maybe in whichever form it may be. We will raise our voice, we will join hands to put and end to... to fight with thisgarbled
jihad utmost struggle to achieve something good; in the name of God, there cannot be anything greater than promotion of peace, goodwill, brotherhood, fellow feeling in this country.
MA says that the real solution to terrorism lies in dialogue and discussion to bring an end to the problems being faced by people. He implores people to come together and stand up against all forms of injustice.
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MA praises India for being a secular democracy.
This country is a great garden of democracy. Here you will find people of different religions, different political thoughts, you will even find atheists who do not believe in God, but they are also human beings they have also got their human rights. Let us respect eachother's human rights, this is garbled a religious thing an Islamic thing and as I told you all religions have the same basis.
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MA says that the fundamentals of all religions are essentially similar, humans
just interpret it in different ways.
Religions have come from God, of course we've made so
many interpolations, so many corruptions have come into religions, but if we...
Video Cuts
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MA says that Indians have a responsibility of speaking against terrorism while focusing on our domestic problems too.
... citizens of this great democratic country India have a responsibility, they have to speak out against terrorism against undemocratic things and inhuman things but at the same time we have to give more attention...and very deep attention to our own problems.
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He concludes by congratulating all the participants.
Towards the end I congratulate... all the participants, to the press, all of you
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Footage of man standing near the Khilafat house gate and distributing pamphlets to people leaving the premises after the speech.
Shot of the pamphlet titled 'Waves'. Camera pans to another person distributing the pamphlets. Shot of people exiting from the gate and people distributing the pamphlets outside the gate too. Shot of a distributor taken through the grills of the gate.
'Waves': Muslim Terror
SA: Hold it like that.
Background Sounds: You've got enough footage for a three hour film now...
SA (laughing)
Background Sounds: Do I have to pay for this...
No...it's free.
SA: Why are you giving it free, you should charge for it.
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Book Titles: Come let us change the world, Islamic Principles of family planning, Polygamy in Islamic Law, Islam at a glance, Christ Islam.
Poster Reads: Jehad against Terrorism
Is this not Terrorism?
By US in Afghanistan
By Israel in Palestine
By Russia in Chechnya
By Russia in Bosnia
By Pak in Kashmir against Kashmiri Pundits
By Security Forces against innocent people in Kashmir
By Sangh Parivar in Aydohya
By Mafia in Mumbai on 12th March
On WTC on Sept 11
ADV Zubair Azmi
Background Sounds: Which one?... this is an important point... this is the gist of the seminar... they should have mentioned 'terrorism of Bombay Police'.
SA: Absolutely.
Man: Against...Against everybody...
SA: Minorities and Women.
Man: They've told us that we can't put up any pamphlets.
Man: In Kashmir our Pundit brothers are also being exploited...
Man2: ...wherever it is taking place...whosoever commits it...Justice
Man: Which news channel are you from?
SA: I'm trying to make an independent documentary film.
Man: You're a freelancer.
SA: No I'm not a freelancer because I don't take money from somebody else...I'm an independent filmmaker
SA: We are trying...
Man: All the best.
SA:
Shukriya thanks.
Man: That's a real
jihad, struggle for a good cause.
Bosnia
Chechnya
Israel
Kashmir
Pakistan
Palestine
Russia
Shot of bookstall outside the Khilafat House building .Shot of a man giving money to the stall owner. Close up of a man reading 'Christ Islam', a group of boys looking at the books in the stall. Shot of two men holding up a poster and reading it. Camera focuses on the poster.
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