Indian Muslim Council-USA condemns Malegaon blasts and calls for transparent investigation

Indian Muslim Council-USA, an advocacy group working toward safeguarding Indian society's pluralist and tolerant ethos, condemned the multiple bomb blasts in Malegaon town, near Mumbai, on September 8, 2006. An estimated 75% of the population in Malegaon is Muslim. According to initial news reports these blasts were near a Mosque and graveyard immediately after the Friday congressional prayers were concluded and worshipers were returning, reports of dead are as high as 35 with scores of others seriously injured.

Rasheed Ahmed of IMC-USA said, "We condemn these gruesome crimes. This is yet another attempt to split the communities in India. Such senseless acts of violence must be seen in the context of the fascist agenda of militant organizations in India. We call on the Indian government to arrest the perpetrators of this terrorist act and bring these terrorists to justice and seek maximum penalty under the law. We are confident that Indian citizens of all religious and secular backgrounds will not let these bombings be exploited by those political parties and religious groups that do not believe in pluralism and secular democracy�. Ahmed also urged the government of India to conduct a transparent and thorough investigation.

IMC-USA called on all Indians to join together and condemn this violence against innocent civilians and urged the government of India to provide prompt and adequate compensation to the victims and their families.

Since its launch on the anniversary of India’s Independence Day, August 15th, 2002, IMC-USA has been actively promoting values of pluralism and tolerance amongst the Indian Diaspora in the United States.

British Indian Muslims Deplore Malegaon Bombing

Council of Indian Muslims � UK (CIM) has strongly deplored the bombing near a Mosque in Malegaon in which 38 Muslims were killed yesterday.

“This is an extremely cowardly and outrageous act. Like all previous acts of terrorism this is also the work of devilish forces aiming at destroying communal fabric of Indian society. They have cleverly chosen the time when Vande-Matram controversy is on so that the fire ignited by them in Malegaon spreads everywhere in India.� CIM’s Chairman Munaf Zeena said in a statement issued today.

“We have always maintained that Indian society is too mature to fall into the trap of these conspirators. Terrorists have failed in the past and God-willing they will fail again. They have failed to put the slightest dent on inter-communal relations after 7/7 in London or in Mumbai recently. These two experiences show that for diverse societies maturity, patience and wisdom is the most effective weapon to defeat terrorism.� Mr Zeena added.

“Our hearts go with the families of those who became the victims of this savagery. May Allah bless them with huge rewards and their families with the courage and perseverance to bear such a loss.

“This is very unfortunate that in none of the previous such incidents have the Indian Government set up a public inquiry. How can the Government cure the disease when it does not even know the nature of the ailment? Therefore, in order to curb the disease of terrorism we urge the Government to set up a public inquiry and punish those found responsible for the crimes.�

American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (USA & Canada)Condemns Malegaon Blasts

Farmington, Michigan:The American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (USA & Canada) has condemned the babrbaric attack that claimed atleast 38 lives near a mosque in the Malegaon city of Maharashtra. AFMI condemns this dastardly act of violence and urges the Indian government to act swiftly in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
"On behalf of AFMI, I want to extend our deepest sympathies to the victims of the attacks in Malegaon and their families. This was a cowardly act of violence clearly aimed at innocent civilians," said Mr.Akram Syed, President of AFMI.
"AFMI urges the Indian government to take prompt action in apprehending the perpetrators of these heinous crimes and in bringing them to justice. We also urge the people of India to maintain peace and not to fall prey to the machinations of those who promote hate and want to create disunity in the country, " he added.

The American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin, is a North American based grassroots organization, dedicated to socio-economic and educational development of Muslims and other underprivileged masses in India.