Muslim Women Personal Law Board backs Anna, slams Imam Bukhari

A day after Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari came down heavily on Anna Hazare's campaign for the use of slogans like 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat mata ki Jai', All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) president Shaista Amber on Tuesday criticised him and said that nobody forced Muslims to raise these slogans in the anti-corruption movement.

Shaista Amber said people of all communities had participated in the freedom struggle and then slogans were raised without any hesitation. On Tuesday, she staged a dharna with 35 other Muslim women at Jhulelal Park where eight persons are sitting on an indefinite hunger strike since August 15. They also offered special prayers for the well-being of Anna Hazare and the success of his movement.

Originally, 15 persons had started an indefinite hunger strike at Jhulelal Park since August 16. But seven of them ended their fast on Tuesday on doctors' advice. Shaista Amber said, "In the holy Quran, Muslims have been asked to protest atrocity and corruption. Therefore, every Muslim should support Anna Hazare's anti-graft campaign.''

She also said that Anna Hazare had not stopped any community from joining his campaign and so Muslims should openly support his movement.

Activists of India Against Corruption (IAC) have planned a roza iftar at Jhulelal park on Wednesday.

Various traders organisations took out a torchlight procession in old city areas. The staff of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) took out a rally from Faizabad Road to Jhulelal Park. Supporting Anna's anti-corruption movement, activists of Rashtriya Lok Dal, Communist Party of India (CPI), CPI-M and All India Forward Block and Janata Dal (Secular) took out a joint march from Hazratganj to Jhulelal Park.

Meanwhile, IAC activists held a dharna at the residence of Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal in Kanpur. "We had staged a dharna and met Jaiswal on Monday. But he generally supported the fight against corruption. We will continue the dharna until he assures that he will support the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament," said Ashok Jain, IAC coordinator in Kanpur. Over 1,000 students of various schools took out a march and gave a memorandum to the district administration, requesting it to convey their demand for a Jan Lokpal Bill to the Centre.

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