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Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

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On the 19th anniversary of the destruction and demolition of Babri Masjid on 6th December 2011, members of the Indian Muslim Federation (UK) urged the government of India and particularly, the Supreme Court of India to take action and acknowledge the miscarriage of justice in the case of the Babri Masjid demolition and work towards a full and final resolution of the issue.

High Court Verdict

Mr Shamsuddin Agha, President of IMF (UK) said that “Justice delayed is justice denied. After 19 years since this crime against the nation was committed, it is unacceptable and reflects poorly on of India’s pluralist and secular character.

The Supreme Court’s stay on the October 2010 verdict of the Allahabad High Court is welcome, it is clear that the machinations of those involved in the demolition could result in further delay for the victims of one of the most egregious violations of religious freedom in our nation’s history

added Mr. Agha

IMF (UK) believes that it was Indian government’s inaction, coupled with fanatical mobs driven by the hate-filled discourse of the Sangh parivar that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.

In order to repair the secular foundations of India and to heal the wounds to our national pride caused by the demolition and its murderous aftermath, IMF (UK) has demanded the following:

  • Criminal prosecution of those responsible and held culpable by the Liberhan Commission for the Babri Masjid demolition;
  • A resolution of the title to the disputed land, based on facts and not on favouring the religious beliefs of one community over those of another;
  • A reaffirmation of the “The Place of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991”, that prohibits the conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on 15th August, 1947. Although this Act does not apply to the Babri Masjid, it would ensure that sectarian politics is not allowed leverage over other places of worship in order to advance a divisive agenda.

IMF(UK) has called upon people of all faiths to exercise restraint during the upcoming anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, and called upon the law enforcement agencies to provide adequate security to all citizens.

Dr Syed Aziz Pasha

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Dr Syed Aziz Pasha, OBE The members and trustees of Indian Muslim Federation (UK) were saddened by loss of Dr Syed Aziz Pasha, IMF Trustee who passed away on 23 November 2011 after a long illness. Dr Pasha was from India and became a distinguished leader of the British Muslim community in Britain for last five decades. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raajioon – to God we belong and to Him we return.

Dr Pasha, who was 81 years old, dedicated his life to public service following a promising career as an international lawyer. He served as President and then a Trustee of Indian Muslim Federation (UK) one of the oldest Muslim organisation in UK since its establishment in 1969. He later on established the Union of Muslim Organisations (UMO) – an umbrella association of many Muslim organisations to lead the causes of Muslims in Britain.

Dr Pasha was determined that Muslims should play their full part in mainstream life. He played major role in identifying policy issues that affected British Muslims as a faith community and championing issues such as provision of state funding for Muslim schools.

For his dedication to the community, he was honoured OBE in 2005 and was a recipient of many awards from different communities and government organisations.

Mr Irfan Mustafa, General Secretary of Indian Muslim Federation (UK) said “it is a sad day for all communities in Britain particularly for Muslims as Dr Pasha dedicated his life for betterment of Muslims and all communities in the country. We should learn from his good work, his commitment and dedication and should carry on the torch he lighted with his hard work for the community”.

Indian Muslim Federation (UK) was always close to Dr Pasha’s heart and he always kept in touch with the organisation as its trustee and well wisher. He would be missed by members of all communities in Britain.

Celebrating Faiz’s birth Centenary

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The President of the IMF, Shamsuddin Agha organised an elaborate event at the Federation to pay tribute to Faiz on the occasion of his centenary. The event was well attended by members and some very high profile guests. The Deputy Speaker of the Indian Parliament – the Raj Sabha Mr Khan, specially delayed his flight back to India by one day so he could take part in this event.

The event was compeered by the very mellow mannered Shahid Ali Syed, whose main strong point is that he is brief and to the point. The programme included speeches about Faiz, recital of his poetry and finally a live musical tribute whereby Seema Lodhi presented a selection of Faiz’s ghazals in her melodious voice. She was joined by the IMF’s own Adil Siddiqui who also displayed his reverence for Faiz in his singing.

Zikr uss parivash ka aur phir bayan apna – is the only way I can describe the reminiscent talks about Faiz by two of my favourite Speakers – Raza Ali Abidi and Asaf Jilani. Both of them managed to introduce us to aspects of Faiz’s life that were hitherto unknown to me at least. For example Faiz’s father started his work career as a Quli and ended up being Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the UK!

It must also be mentioned that Saba Shaikh, daughter of the very popular barrister and Counsellor Shuja Shaikh did a fantastic job of decorating the stage. Dr Syed Masroor, in addition to remembering with great fondness how Faiz gifted him a ten rupee note, which was framed and shown off to all friends and family by his father, also supported the event financially. Mr Sarwar of the Nation was put on the spot and invited on stage to say a few words. Being an articulate and sincere man, he was able to express his fondness for Faiz without great difficulty.

The most striking thing about this event was that it was organised by a group who have been founded on their religious values. The fact of their pride in their religion, their beards and Hijaabs, the constant breaks so people could say their prayers did not prevent them from paying their respects to the legendary Faiz, who has often been associated with Marxism and Socialism.

Not only that, his marriage to an English woman called Elys and it’s worth noting that Faiz never gave Elys a different name just to legitimise her existence within his own community and make her more acceptable, did not result in any bias towards him by the IMF. In fact Shamsuddin proudly declared that Faiz’s Sasuraal is in the area. Faiz loved and accepted Elys as she was and she remained devoted to him throughout his life and even after his death, she has continued to live in his beloved Pakistan.

This clearly goes to show that the IMF is a shining example of Muslims who embrace the values of multi-cultural Britain and respect and celebrate figures of history who may not even fit into their criteria of the perfect Muslim. The tolerance and pluralism of the IMF was made even more evident by the two special guests, Ms Sangeeta Bahadur (a Hindu) and Mr S.S Sidhu (a Sikh) who expressed their respect and admiration of Faiz again proving that Faiz was a poet for all the people of the entire sub-continent.

My experience of the IMF has always been that right from the President Shamsuddin to the Executive Committee to the ordinary members – they are all friendly, warm, generous and hospitable. Most notably Irfan Mustafa, Shamsuddins own daughter Huma, Shamsuddin’s stunning and talented granddaughter Qudsia as well as other members of the EC personally looked after the guests with great warmth and affection throughout the evening right up to the point of saying farewell at the end of the afternoon. The amazingly smooth and speedy manner in which the food was served at this event really goes to show that in this organisation, everyone works as part of a team.

My congratulations to Shamsuddin and his whole team for the wonderful afternoon it turned out to be!! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and left the event feeling totally fulfilled!

Article By Huma Price

Videography/Editing: A. Razaq
07956 143 099


Deputy High Commissioner for India Mr. Rajesh N Prasad

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The IMF – (Indian Muslim Federation) organised an Eid-ul-Fitr celebration for 2011 award high achieving students who scored outstanding marks. Chief guest Deputy High Commissioner for India Mr. Rajesh N. Prasad presented awards.

Honouring Lord Gulam Noon

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The IMF – (Indian Muslim Federation) organised a special dinner to celebrate and honour the successes of the philanthropist businessman Sir Ghulam Noon, who is now known as Lord Ghulam Noon.

Shamsuddin Agha and Councillor Masood Ahmed were the main organisers of this event which took place at the Walthamstow Assembley Hall – In Lord Noon’s words, a venue even more grand than Buckingham Palace itself.

The dinner was a private affair attended by a small number of people all of whom were invited to take part in this tribute to a great man who has set an example for many others about what is possible if one has the right attitude, the stamina to work hard and commitment to one’s goals.

Out of all the speeches paying tribute to Lord Noon, Stephen Timms MP’s brief tribute praised Lord Noon’s maiden speech at the House of Lords. The other most impressive speaker was undoubtedly Qudsia Bano, a very capable young lady of only 13, looking really pretty in pink.

She talked cheekily about how “Noon Nana” had always patted her on the head but now she is growing so tall that she can pat him on the head!! Despite all the chuckles at this comment by Qudsia, most notably the loudest from Lord Noon and his wife Mohini Kent themselves, it has to be said that Lord Noon does deserve a pat on his head not only for all the wealth he has generated for this country but also for all his work for charities.

Lord Noon’s elevation to the House of Lords is the latest feather in his cap and in his own words; he is totally content now and feels that he has attained every goal he ever set himself. Whilst I have always been aware of the work of the Noon Foundation, the first time I really started admiring Lord Noon was when I saw his interview on Venus TV.

He comes across as a humble person whose ideas about life and work reflect the same attitude as most ordinary people who want to get on in their lives and live in an environment of peace and security. I was particularly touched about the story about his mother who gave her 21 room house in India, just built by her husband to a group of refugees in the 1940s.

In the 80s or 90s, she feared that due to the price increase, her son may try to get the property back so she asked him to convert it into the names of the people who had occupied it for several generations. And the son obliged her regardless of the loss of millions of rupees! This story also indicated where Lord Noon gets his philanthropist tendencies from.

There are in fact a lot of Asians who have become millionaires in the UK. There are I believe 200 or so. What sets most of them and Lord Noon apart is that there is no shadow or black mark on Lord Noon. No extra-marital affairs, no criminal activities, no investigations.

Whilst it’s not that difficult to earn daulat (money) if one is not too bothered about following the right path, and it’s quite easy to gain shohrat (fame) too if one knows how to use the media, the most difficult thing to earn is in fact izzat (respect). That involves not taking short cuts. And of course only the blessed few have real mohabbat (love). It seems that Lord Noon is one of those rare individuals who is blessed with all of these!

That’s the sort of thing that shows the true character of people!

The IMF deserve a pat too for organising this event!

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