While two groups are briming with anger and revenge, other senior Lucknow-based Shia clerics have curiously shut their doors and watching decline from their windows. Presently it seems to be battle of nerves for one-upmanship but the possibility of further violent derailment cannot be ruled out as Shia youths are being unsavorily provoked. It is high time to be vigilant. The vested interests of the leaders of the two camps could land the whole community into dire distress. The Shia youths need to constitute cooperation and coordination committees at the local level to ward off machinations of these volatile leaders writes M Hasan
Lucknow, November 12: Lucknow is on brink of Shia explosion. Two groups of Shia clerics are virulently challenging each other. Both groups are trying to poach each other’s territory. Voices are getting shrill and threatening. It is the fight for leadership of the rudderless community. Both group leaders owe their allegiance to ruling BJP and get oxygen from the saffron brigade. Desperate moves are afoot to mobilize youth force to target each other and if required “violently”. Since Lucknow sends message across the state, The surreptitious move is intended from Saharanpur-Muzaffarnagar to Varanasi- Jaunpur.
While two groups are briming with anger and revenge, other senior Lucknow-based Shia clerics have curiously shut their doors and watching decline from their windows. Presently it seems to be battle of nerves for one-upmanship but the possibility of further violent derailment cannot be ruled out as Shia youths are being unsavorily provoked. It is high time to be vigilant. The vested interests of the leaders of the two camps could land the whole community into dire distress. The Shia youths need to constitute cooperation and coordination committees at the local level to ward of machinations of these volatile leaders.
It is the battle between the forces of senior cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad and Yasoob Abbas son of late Maulana Mirza Mohd Athar. Both have young dedicated followers and on various occasions have demonstrated their might. If “Hussaini Tigers” owes allegiance to Maulana Jawad, “Haidari Task Force” has announced commitment to Yasoob Abass. Even though the two families have been at loggerheads for a long time for ideological reasons, the situation has now taken a disturbing shape. It is learnt that Maulana Jawad has now distanced himself from Hussaini Tigers.
Largely, Maulana Jawad’s interest lies in vast and rich waqf properties not only in UP but also in Delhi and elsewhere. He has been active in “protecting” these properties for more than three decades. However, it is not authentically known how far he has been successful in his endeavor. Time and again his group has succeeded in capturing control of Shia Waqf Board also all these years. Since Maulana Jawad dedicated himself to the “protection” of these properties, no other Shia cleric tried to poach in his territory. Some other even joined him in this “Qaumi service” (service to the community). There are wide-spread accusations of sale of waqf properties for housing, commercial purposes and sale of land for graves in Shia graveyard in Lucknow and other places. The situation has come to such a pass that a poor family cannot get land to bury his loved one because of high prices. Waqf Muttawwalis (those who manage these properties) under the official patronage are on “looting spree”. However, Maulana Jawad has time and again repeated that he had been fighting against these people.
On the other rival faction now led by Yasoob Abbas and his brothers have over the years strengthened their octopus like grip over the community’s prestigious property- Shia college, which was established in 1919 by prominent and highly respected Shia Ulema of Lucknow. Though the exercise to grab the college started during period of late Maulana Mirza Athar, the situation has now taken a serious turn as the Shia community institution has become a family institution. Those, including clerics, who have been benefitted from the institution are thick with Yasoob Abbas. In fact, the less said the better about the prevailing despicable conditions in the institution. According to sources the college is fast losing its “Shia identity”. In the meantime came much-publicized “All India Shia Personal Law Board”, launched by Maulana Mirza Athar in 2005. It was to counter Sunni-dominated All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). The Shia board was launched because Mirza Athar and some other clerics thought about inadequate representation of the community in Sunni-led board.
Thus, the story of Shia leadership started with the creation of the board in which large chunk of prominent clerics from Lucknow and other cities stayed aways as they clearly saw through the gameplan. Now as the board is virtually in cold storage and being run by Mirza family, the battle has turned between so-called defenders of Waqf properties and protectors of Shia college. The tussle is only for who will be Shia leader? (Kaun Banega Shia leader). Already Haideri Task Force has given slogan to declare Yasoob Abbas its “community’s leader”. Now Yasoob Abbas has announced to “poach” into “waqf territory” to save it from “marauders”. He has tasked “Haideri Task Force” for this purpose.
It appears the community is quietly watching the game to give its verdict. Politically the two leaders had never been effective. Successive elections have indicated that they could not sway Shia community’s vote for the BJP. In view of clear bent of the two leaders for the BJP, there is skepticism about them in the community. The BJP has also taken them for granted.
(M Hasan is former Chief of Bureau Hindustan Times, Lucknow).
