Interviews/Quotes
2024
Mohammed Reyaz, an academic and media researcher based in Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal, believes that the proliferation of several hyperlocal media projects in the past decade has indeed tried to fill the information gap and helped in archiving rural stories.
“Though there is scope for more such spaces, what we generally lack is a sustainable model to support such initiatives, as they do not attract a viable pool of sponsors and investments. This poses a risk to the long–term viability of such community projects,” Reyaz told Al-Jazeera Journalism Review.
https://institute.aljazeera.net/en/ajr/article/2744
ভারতের নির্বাচনে মুসলিম প্রার্থী আর সংসদে মুসলিম এমপি'র সংখ্যা ক্রমশ কমছে
কলকাতার আলিয়া বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের অধ্যাপক ও রাজনীতি বিশ্লেষক মহম্মদ রিয়াজও মনে করেন প্রধান রাজনৈতিক দলগুলি মুসলিম প্রার্থীর সংখ্যা কমিয়ে দেওয়ার কারণেই লোকসভায় প্রতিনিধিত্ব আরো কমে গিয়েছে।
বিষয়টি আগামী দিনের ভারতের রাজনীতি সম্পর্কে কী ইঙ্গিত দেয় এই প্রশ্নের উত্তরে অধ্যাপক রিয়াজ বলেন, “ভারতের রাজ্য বিধানসভা বা জাতীয় পার্লামেন্টে মুসলিমদের আনুপাতিক হারে প্রতিনিধিত্ব (প্রপোরশনাল রিপ্রেজেন্টেশন) কখনোই ছিল না। এর উপরে জোরালো হিন্দুত্ববাদী হওয়ার জেরে তারা আরও প্রান্তিক হয়েছে বা বলা যায় লোকসভা থেকে কার্যত অদৃশ্য হয়ে গিয়েছে।”
এর প্রধান কারণ হিসেবে বিজেপি-বিরোধী ‘সেকুলার‘ দলগুলিকেই দায়ী করলেন অধ্যাপক রিয়াজ।
“আপনি দেখতে পাচ্ছেন যে তথাকথিত ধর্মনিরপেক্ষ দল গুলি ধরেই নিয়েছে যে মুসলিম ভোট তারাই পাবে, এই ধরে নেওয়ার রাজনীতি মুসলিম জনপ্রতিনিধির সংখ্যা ক্রমাগত কমাচ্ছে। যে সমস্ত আসনে মুসলিম সংখ্যাগরিষ্ঠতা নেই সেখানে তাদের জেতার সম্ভাবনাও ক্রমশই কমছে।”
https://www.voabangla.com/a/7651988.html
The New Arab (10 June 2024)
What Modi's third term means for India's Muslims
“Since the BJP has come to power, minorities in general, and Muslims in particular, have been on the receiving end. They were never like very prosperous communities, but their marginalisation has only further deepened,” says Dr Mohammad Reyaz, an academic and an expert on minority issues based in India’s West Bengal. “Muslims have literally been outcasted,” he added.
https://www.newarab.com/analysis/what-modis-third-term-means-indias-muslims
Al Jazeera (5 June 2024)
India election results: Did ‘secular’ parties let Muslims down too?
Analysts say the BJP’s Hindu majoritarian push has made Muslim issues disappear from public discourse.
Mohammad Reyaz, an assistant professor at Aliah University in the eastern city of Kolkata, said the silence of so-called secular parties on Muslims, while disappointing, is not surprising – in part because they knew the community would not vote for the BJP in any case.
“Muslims will still vote for secular parties despite their marginalization. They have little choice available,” Mohammad said.
Bengal: Mamata’s magic stuns poll pundits, as TMC wins 29 seats
“The result is not surprising to me or anyone from Bengal. The groundwork of those who did the exit polls was weak. I had told eNewsroom earlier that TMC would bag 27-28 seats and that has happened,” said Professor Mohammad Reyaz of Aliah University….
… Reyaz maintained that the Exit polls in general had a bias towards BJP.
“Even Pradeep Gupta claimed that there would be a close contest. But look at the winning or lead margins – they are wide. So, where is the close contest in Bengal?” he asked.
He maintained that Mamata’s popularity and TMC cadres played a key role in the party’s victory in Bengal. “TMC’s win has established the fact that social media presence won’t help. BJP’s two sitting MPs have lost, all credit to the good campaigning by TMC. Central-federal tussle was efficiently made into an issue by Abhishek Baneerjee. Also, IPAC’s -root level management has been good,” said Reyaz.
https://enewsroom.in/mamata-banerjee-bengal-lok-sabha-election-results-tmc/
TMC Poised for Major Gains: Second-Best Tally Since 2014 on the Horizon?
“There is no local leader in the BJP who can lead the party across Bengal. They were heavily dependent on central leadership, especially on PM Modi. When the party’s main leader could not make an impact among the voters, you can understand how difficult it would be for the party in a state like Bengal, where every single voter is politically aware,” stated Mohammed Reyaz, a journalist turned academician.
He added, “I will not give any numbers, as I am not active in the field now. However, I can see that the BJP will secure much fewer seats than in 2019. I even got information that the party’s state president, Sukanta Majumdar, may find it difficult to hold onto his seat.”
https://enewsroom.in/lok-sabha-elections-bengal-polls-tmc-cpm-bjp/
How Muslim (Girl) UPSC Aspirants Turned Setbacks into Stepping Stones
Mohammad Reyaz, Assistant Professor, at Aliah University, said, “It has become a norm for Muslims to celebrate the small victories of these youngsters. A rally was held in Khidderpore to celebrate Saima’s success. People see them as icons for the youngsters. However, the community needs to understand that the net percentage of Muslims cracking the UPSC remains approximately the same. So, there is a lot more that needs to be done. We need more academies like Jamia’s RCA to mentor the economically weaker aspirants.”
He also mentioned, “I am a bit sceptical about such success stories as many such civil servants end up as ‘Sarkari Musalmans’. Nevertheless, it is nice to see youngsters emerging successful in such exams. We need more such achievers in the community.”
https://enewsroom.in/muslim-women-cracking-upsc-results-muslims-girls/
AIMIM’s Foray in Bihar Continues to Face Challenges
Mohammed Reyaz, a faculty at Aliah University and former Journalist, also doesn’t see ground of accusing AIMIM of dividing votes because the parties which is part of INDIA alliance are also contesting elections separately. For example, TMC, which is part of INDIA alliance, is contesting the elections separately in West Bengal. It will divide the secular votes.
He pointed out that in a multi-party system, you cannot ask any party not to contest elections. AIMIM has right to contest election especially in the region they have been working for years.
“Their contest in Bihar is not surprising as they have been working in the state for years. They have launched a serious foray in Bihar among the northern states. They got a set of strong leaders which caused victory on some seats in the state. It is also not surprising that they want to expand in the state,” said Riyaz while talking to Clarion India.
However, the issue arises when AIMIM airdrop candidates in the states like West Bengal and Gujarat where they have not ground work. The party fails, he said.
Awaz: The Voice (29 March 2024)
کولکتہ : مذہبی قدروں کے تحفظ اور فرقہ وارانہ ہم آہنگی کے لیے دوستی کی افطار
اس پہل کے ایک اہم کرتا دھرتا صابر احمد کہتے ہیں کہ پچھلی ایک دہائی کے دوران جو مذہبی پولرائزیشن ہوا اس نے ہمیں چوکس کردیا، اس بات کو محسوس کیا گیا کہ اگر اقلیتوں کے خلاف پروپگنڈہ کا مقابلہ نہیں کیا گیا تو دیر ہو جائے گی_ سال2017 میں فرقہ وارانہ تشدد کے واقعات مغربی بنگال میں بھی سامنے آئے ۔اسی وقت...
کولکتہ کی عالیہ یونیورسٹی کے اسسٹنٹ پروفیسر اور' نو یور نیبر' کے جوائنٹ کنوینر محمد ریاض نے آواز سے بات کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ اس پہل کا بنیادی سبب مسلمانوں کے خلاف بڑھتا ہوا مذہبی پولرائزیشن اور تعصب تھا۔اس بار بھی"دوستی کی افطار" ایک بین المذاہب افطار اجتماع کے طور پر بہت منظم طریقہ سے ہوا۔ نفرت بھرے ماحول کا کس طرح سامنا کرنا ہوگا، اس ماحول کو کیسے ختم کیا جائے یا اسے مزید بڑھنے سے کیسے روکا جائے_ ان اہم سوالوں پر پہلے تبادلہ خیال ہوا،جس میں 150 سے زیادہ اسکالرز، مصنفین، ماہرین تعلیم، ماہرین تعلیم، محققین، سابق بیوروکریٹس، سماجی کارکنان اور سول سوسائٹی کے اراکین نے شرکت کی تھی۔...
حمد ریاض کہتے ہیں کہ یہ ایک مشترکہ پہل ہے جس میں ہم سب دل و جان سے جٹے ہوئے ہیں ،اس کا بہت مثبت اثر ہورہا ہے۔ جو لوگ دوستی کی افطار اور اپنے پڑوسی کو جانیں میں شرکت کررہے ہیں انہیں بہت خوشی ہوتی ہے ۔ وہ مسلمانوں کے رہن سہن اور تہذیب کے بارے میں سوال کرتے ہیں ۔ کوئی پہلی مرتبہ افطار کا تجربہ کرتا ہے تو کسی نے پہلی بار کسی مسجد میں قدم رکھا ہوتا ہے ۔اس پہل سے یہ فائدہ ہوا ہے کہ مسلمانوں کے تعلق سے غلط فہمیا ں دور ہوتی ہیں ۔ فاصلے مٹتے ہیں اور ایک رابطہ قائم ہوتا ہے جو اس وقت سب سے اہم ہے ۔یہی وجہ ہے کہ ہم اس کا بہتر سے بہتر طریقہ سے اہتمام کرنے کی کوشش کرتے ہیں۔
Iftars of ‘kinship’ revive Muslim-Hindu bonds in eastern India
Mohammad Reyaz, assistant professor at Aliah University in Kolkata and co-convener of KYN, told Arab News that growing religious polarization and prejudices against Muslims were the main reason they got together to address it.
“In the context of the rising communal polarization this initiative was important,” he told Arab News.
“I felt, as a citizen, that I should do something to bring understanding between Hindus and Muslims. I joined as a volunteer.”
KYN members have been curating meetings, discussions and heritage walks helping Hindus and Muslims meet each other. During the month of Ramadan, regular interfaith iftars take the center stage of their program.
“‘Dosti ki iftari’ is a gesture and initiative where Ramadan becomes a platform where all come together to assert their togetherness,” Reyaz said. “Ramadan becomes an occasion to assert the pluralistic traditions of India.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2481581/world
Al Jazeera Journalism Review (03 March 2024)
Breaking Barriers: The Rise of Citizen Journalists in India's Fight for Media Inclusion
Mohammad Reyaz, an academic who works on issues of minority marginalisation, believes digitization of newsrooms across the world has democratised the space, especially for those who have been at the margins of society.
“Journalists from marginalised communities may not have excellent training and great resources. But with just a $200 smartphone and a $10 microphone, they are documenting stories of their communities,” said Reyaz. “That has birthed many alternative digital media spaces.”
……
Reyaz credits alternative media outlets like Maktoob, Khabar Lahariya, and The Mooknayak in India for breaking hyperlocal stories and making them part of the news ecosystem. “This has created a sort of ‘voice infrastructure’ in the country. Now, anybody with an objectively and ethically right understanding of journalism can hold the mic and tell their stories,” Reyaz said.
https://institute.aljazeera.net/en/ajr/article/2573
2023
ENewsRoom (10 Dec 2023)
City With A Conscious: Kolkata’s Heart of Empathy
Kolkata has space for everyone
Mohammed Reyaz, a city-based assistant professor, said that it is because of the social and political values that Kolkata has stood for, adding that the respective governments too have largely allowed that space to common people here. According to him, this helps the common man hit the street or express their solidarity for any important or global cause.
“With all its faults, till date, whichever party has been in power in Bengal, Left or TMC, its governments have largely given space to people to protest or express themselves. We have witnessed this during the CAA-NRC protest time too. Unlike other places, there was no backlash against protesters nor were they forcibly stopped by the police in the state, except on few occasions when in some places it turned violent,” he said.
He reminded, how the Left Unions had protested against the Left government when the transport fare was hiked… Also, when the High Court had announced a ban on ‘protests on weekdays’ in 2003, Biman Basu, then chairman of the Left Front, had protested against the decision on the very first day, when the order was to be implemented.”
He recounted, “When I returned back to Kolkata in 2016, I was surprised to find out that even to date there are several theatre halls in the city, where people sit throughout the day, under the fans and often without cushions, on wooden chairs to protest meetings, discussions or watch resistance cinema.” In Delhi, I even protest meetings had first-class venues, with all kinds of comforts.
The Aliah University’s mass communication faculty also mentioned the city giving space to other cultures. “Even when there are talks of Bengali Nationalism, other cultures have their own niche spaces, including Marwari, Gujarati, Chinese, and Hindi-Urdu speaking people,” he said, adding, just in December, a grand event celebrating the centenary of Sahir Ludhianvi is being celebrated in the city by state Urdu Academy while earlier many programmes celebrating Nawab Wajid Ali Shah were organised by different groups.
He added that the hegemony of protests by certain classes has also been broken in the city, “The previous hegemony of political protests by certain classes have also gradually given way to more diverse articulations as demonstrations are now taking place in various locations across the city, and not just in certain pockets.”
https://enewsroom.in/kolkata-city-with-a-conscious-protest-solidarity-rally/
The Centrum Media (26 Nov 2023)
Understanding Yogi Adityanath's 'Halal Ban'
Yogi Adityanath's government in UP, India, is cracking down on edible items with halal certification labels. Dr. Mohammed Reyaz explains the details of the ban and why it comes at a crucial time.
YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df073cBnpeM
FB: https://www.facebook.com/thecentrummedia/videos/1065479657791241
2023 Nov 6 Kolom Palestine report
The Wire (18 July 2023)
No Country for Religious Converts
“These anti-conversion laws not only criminalise personal choices of choosing one’s religion – specifically if that religion happens to be either Islam or Christianity – but more worryingly targets religious leaders of Muslim and Christian minorities,” said Dr. Mohammad Reyaz, an academic who works on issues of minority marginalisation. “Simply put, the so-called anti-conversion laws are always one-step closer to making India a Hindu Rashtra [Hindu nation],”
“These laws are only applied if Hindus convert to Islam or Christianity. In contrast, Muslims or Christians converting to Hinduism are celebrated as ghar wapsi [homecoming],” he added.
https://m.thewire.in/article/communalism/islam-christianity-conversion-hindutva-violence/amp
Clarion India (7 February 2023)
RSS’s Muslim Outreach Program Goes International
Talking to Clarion India about the developments, Mohammad Reyaz, a faculty at Aliah University in West Bengal, said that these outreach programs by the RSS are aimed at showing the world and the common people that Muslims are with Modi government.
“The BJP has been reaching out to Muslims earlier too as it acknowledges the fact that there is a sizable Muslim population in the country. They have been trying to make their own Sanskari Muslims on the line of Sarkari Musalmaan (Muslims toeing the government of the day) as it was happening during the Congress regime. The Sansakari Muslims are a step ahead of Sarkari Muslims,” said Riyaz.
Diplomats, high commissioners, scholars and intellectuals from at least 12 Muslim countries participated in the international seminar at the JNU under the leadership of Indresh Kumar.
Those who attended the seminar included Iraj Elahi (Iran), Firat Sonal (Turkey), Lukmon Baba Kolajdeh (Tajikistan), Nurlan Zalgaisbaev and Habibullo Mirzozoda (Kazakhstan), Asin Isaev (Kyrgyzstan), Dilsod Akhmatov and Aziz Bartoun (Uzbekistan), Shalar Geldinjarov (Turkmenistan), Ganbold (Mongolia), Dambajav, Armen Martirosyan (Armenia), Farid Mamundzai (Afghanistan) and Ashraf Shikhaliyev (Azerbaijan).
Subhas Sarkar, Union Minister of State for Education; Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Chairman of National Commission for Minorities; Sachidanand Joshi, Secretary Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra; Golok Behari, General Secretary of Rashtriya Suraksha Jagran Manch, and Convener of International Seminar, Prof. M Mahtab Alam Rizvi from Jamia Millia Islamia also participated in the seminar.
Riyaz pointed out that the Hindutva group has taken these Muslims on board on its own terms.
On the other hand, Riyaz noted that there is a reality that the BJP was in power. And Muslims will have to engage with the people in power. People have been engaging with the government at some level at different points in time.
“Muslims will have to take their issues to the government. The big issue is how to take Muslim issues to the government and who will do it. The important thing is whether the government was ready to listen to Muslims,” he said.
Riyaz pointed out that in principle, nobody disagrees that there should not be discussions with the government but the problem is that “one can talk only when they are ready to listen.”
https://clarionindia.net/rsss-muslim-outreach-program-goes-international/
2022
TCN (23 Nov 22)
Shraddha Walkar murder case: Why are India’s Muslims feeling the heat?
“No Muslim supports this, and everyone has condemned this incident. Neither any group is protesting nor will do it in support of Aftab, nor will anyone go to garland him with flowers,” said Mohammad Reyaz, an Assistant Professor of journalism at Aliah University in Kolkata, in a reference to the garlanding of convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case after their release in August this year.
Reyaz noted that when “a Muslim has committed even a small crime, the whole community is said to be responsible for it.”
“But if this crime is committed by the people of the majority community, then the responsibility goes to the individual,” he added.
http://twocircles.net/2022nov23/447496.html
Prothom Alo (24 Nov 2022)
নির্বাচনের আগে মোদির ‘মুসলিম নীতির’ পুনর্লিখন
ভারতে বরাবরের বিতর্ক হিন্দু বর্ণব্যবস্থা, ইসলামকে প্রভাবিত করে কি না তা নিয়ে। এ প্রসঙ্গে কলকাতার আলিয়া বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের অধ্যাপক মহম্মদ রিয়াজের মত, হিন্দু বর্ণব্যবস্থা এত গভীর যে তা মুসলমান সমাজকে প্রভাবিত করে। তিনি প্রথম আলোকে বলেন, ‘বলা হয় ইসলামে সবাই সমান। কিন্তু রীতি-রেওয়াজ দেখলে বোঝা যায় সামাজিকভাবে স্বীকৃত উঁচু জাতি-শ্রেণির মানুষের সঙ্গে তথাকথিত নিচু জাতি-শ্রেণির মানুষের বিয়ে হয় না, মেলামেশাও সীমিত। অর্থাৎ, মুসলমান সমাজ হিন্দু বর্ণব্যবস্থা দ্বারা প্রভাবিত।’
…
রিয়াজ বলছেন, হিন্দু পশ্চাৎপদ জাতি-শ্রেণির পাশাপাশি তুলনামূলক অর্থনৈতিক ক্ষমতায়ন পসমন্দাদেরও এখন সচেতন করেছে। তাঁরা মনে করছেন, মুসলমান সমাজে অধিকাংশ সুযোগ–সুবিধা আশরাফই এত দিন ভোগ করেছে। সেই সুবিধায় এখন ভাগ বসাতে চাইছে পসমন্দারা। অন্যদিকে, কংগ্রেসসহ বিভিন্ন ধর্মনিরপেক্ষ রাজনৈতিক দল মুসলমানদের ভেতরে সংখ্যাগরিষ্ঠ পসমন্দাদের বিশেষ গুরুত্ব দেয়নি। কারণ, ওই দলগুলোতে মুসলমান সমাজের নেতৃত্ব সব সময়ই ছিল ১৫ শতাংশ আশরাফের হাতে।
https://www.prothomalo.com/world/india/x4wyhezbe7
TRT World (11 Nov 2022)
Is BJP courting disadvantaged Indian Muslims for electoral gain?
Mohammad Reyaz, an assistant professor at Aliah University, argues that the caste system is so “deeply entrenched in the South Asian psyche” that the Muslims have not managed to escape it, adding “there is a social hierarchy which stops a Muslim from marrying in another social group.”
“It is more of a caste-class divide,” Reyaz tells TRT World.
…
Reyaz suggested that “some economic empowerment” alongside Hindu backward caste-classes has “pushed Pasmandas to demand a share in the pie” long enjoyed by the Ashrafs.
“One of the [aims] is to control some of the mosques, especially in Bihar and UP with high Pasmanda concentration,” Reyaz adds.
…
“With Hindu oppressed castes gaining economic momentum, society also needs ‘new Dalits and untouchables’ to clean toilets and drains. The ‘Dalitisation’ of the poorest Muslims is necessary to integrate them under the new Hindu dispensation,” Reyaz claims.
DW Akademie ( 19 August 2022)
The challenges of reporting on migrants and refugees in South Asia
Scarce information or disinformation on displacement remains a problem, says Mohammad Reyaz, an assistant journalism professor at Aliah University, India. Muslims, he notes, who migrate within India for economic reasons or because they have been displaced due to natural disasters, are often falsely accused of being illegally in the country. The media can, and should, better explain their stories.
https://www.dw.com/en/the-challenges-of-reporting-on-migrants-and-refugees-in-south-asia/g-62836856
Aponzone (11 Aug 2022)
Aliah University: মার্কিন বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষা কর্মসূচিতে যোগ দিতে যাচ্ছেন আলিয়ার অধ্যাপক
The Caravan Magazine (31 July 2022 – August issue)
Faith Accomplice: Danish Ansari’s role in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Pasmanda politics
The patronage political parties have extended to Muslims, such as representation in legislatures and committees, has mostly gone to Ashrafs. The Congress and most regional parties “patronised a handful of leaders belonging to different communities and sects, and managed the community through them,” Mohammad Reyaz, an assistant professor of journalism at Kolkata’s Aliah University, told me. Most of these leaders, he said, “owed their success to the party, with very little grassroots support.”
….
Reyaz told me that the PMM began mobilising in favour of the Janata Dal (United), which came to power, in alliance with the BJP, in 2005. The following year, he said, Anwar “was sent to the Rajya Sabha, as a reward.” This was, he added, an attempt to “directly co-opt the Pasmanda movement.” In 2017, after the JD(U) broke away from a coalition that included the Congress and the RJD to once again ally with the BJP, Anwar criticised the decision and was suspended from the party—a decision that, Reyaz said, indicated the limitations of such co-option “amidst unabashed Hindutva targeting Muslims.”
Reyaz noted that there was no such outreach towards Pasmanda communities in Uttar Pradesh, “not even by the BSP, which otherwise talks of Bahujan rights.” The BSP and the Samajwadi Party, which alternated in power for over two decades, largely appealed to their core constituencies—Jatavs and Yadavs, respectively—triggering a sense of frustration among other groups.
…..
“But we do not have the data to buttress the argument that a section of Muslims, that too Pasmanda, voted for them,” Reyaz said. He also pointed out that the turnout in Azamgarh was less than fifty percent. “In any case, it is too early to reap the benefits of making a Pasmanda Muslim minister in the state cabinet.” With Hindutva politics gaining ground, he said, he does not “foresee a substantial vote shift among Pasmanda of UP or elsewhere in the immediate future.”
….
In some senses, the BJP is furthering the Congress’s legacy. Reyaz told me that the “Congress and other secular parties created their own nominal Muslim leaders, whom we derisively called sarkari musalman”— government Muslims. These individuals were “expected to maintain a secular face in public, whatever their private lives are.” The BJP, he said, has escalated this process “to turn them into adarsh and sanskari musalman”—ideal Muslims, conforming to Hindu traditions—“who will have to not just remain secular in public but go all out to please their patrons, in effectct accepting the subservient or second-class status.”
….
At best, Reyaz told me, such an appointment can be considered a reflection of the BJP’s carrot-and-stick approach for oppressed Muslims, who are “victims of bulldozers, pogroms and lynchings.”
https://caravanmagazine.in/politics/danish-ansaris-role-in-bjps-pasmanda-politics
BBC Urdu (7 July 2022)
مودی کابینہ کے آخری مسلمان وزیر بھی رخصت: کیا دنیا کی ’سب سے بڑی‘ جمہوریت فکرمند ہے؟
کولکتہ میں عالیہ یونیورسٹی کے پروفیسر محمد ریاض کا کہنا ہے کہ وہ اس صورتحال پر حیرت زدہ نہیں ہے کہ بی جے پی کی قیادت والی حکومت میں مسلمانوں کی نمائندگی نہیں بچی ہے۔ وہ کہتے ہیں کہ ’یہ محض ان کے پرانے نظریے کی ترقی ہے۔ لیکن اگر اس حکومت میں پہلے مسلم وزرا تھے بھی تو اس سے مسلمانوں کو کوئی خاص فائدہ ہوتا تھا؟ انھوں نے کبھی بھی مسلمانوں کے اہم مسئلوں پر پارلیمان کی موثر رہنمائی نہیں کی۔‘
https://www.bbc.com/urdu/regional-62083206
The New Arab (28 June 2022)
Indian government bulldozes scores of Muslim homes amid anger over Prophet remarks
“The majority-minority relation was never perfect in India, but the process of it becoming an ethnic democracy like Israel has accelerated since 2014,” says Dr. Mohammad Reyaz, an academic and a keen observer of minority rights in India.
“The demolitions of houses and shops belonging to Muslims or other marginalised groups following protests or riots are but another marker of how India is evolving into a majoritarian democracy where legality is being used to target Muslims who have de facto become the second-class citizens although de jure they have equal rights,” added Reyaz, who is also an assistant professor of communications at Aliah University in the eastern state of West Bengal.
…
Property ownership in India, Reyaz explains, is a complex maze, and on the basis of legality, a large number of houses and commercial properties could be termed illegal but continue to exist. “However, that has been weaponised to what popular media has dubbed as ‘bulldozer rule,’ and signify muscular and vindictive politics as practised by Israel in the present era or have been in past by Nazi forces against Jews,” Reyaz said.
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/features/india-bulldozes-muslim-homes-amid-prophet-furore
The Telegraph (Online) (01 May 2022)
Shun hatred, interfaith iftar gets momentum
Emphasising on the need for such meets was Mohammad Reyaz, assistant professor of Aliah University and a member of KYN. “The idea of this event is to foster brotherhood, build bridges and to counter misconceptions related to the Muslim community through such interfaith dialogues," he said.
On being asked about the uniqueness of such an event, he added, “We need such interactions. This year we invited around 40 migrant workers for iftar at the Niyamatullah Ghat Masjid. These individuals were regular visitors to the mosque. We also invited a number of people from different faiths, who had iftar with those observing the fast. We began our event at around 4:30 pm, where we briefed the invitees about Ramzan, its significance and other rituals associated with it. We even answered queries of certain invitees in connection with the festival.”
When asked about how unique these meets are, Reyaz said, “These iftar parties are strictly organized to counter hatred and foster friendship. Ours is an apolitical event.”
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/shun-hatred-interfaith-iftar-gets-momentum/cid/1863110
The Centrum Media (27 April 2022)
Has the RSS Weaponized Hindu Religious Processions? (Interview)
Rising communal violence in Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and other Indian States has drawn attention towards the use of religious processions to instigate riots. Here’s how far-right groups in India have built a system that runs on ‘anti-muslim’ rhetoric.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6xs1S3DiCQ
Times of India (24 April 2022)
‘Dosti Ki Iftar’ blurs divides as people from all walks of life break bread together
‘Dosti Ki Iftar’ attempts to bridge the gap between communities and uphold the pluralistic, inclusive and secular spirit of the country. Although Hindus and Muslims share the same geography, we live separately and that is why localities like Kidderpore, Metiabruz and Rajabazar are often classified as country within a country without national anthem and flag,” said Mohammad Reyaz, professor at Aliah University.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/91039966.cms
The New Arab (23 February, 2022)
India's bellwether election: A test for Modi's Hindu nationalist project
Experts say the hate-filled campaigns help to strengthen the BJP’s prospects.
"Raising anti-Muslim rhetoric or inciting communal sentiments consolidates the larger Hindu voter base and that is something the ruling party [BJP] has traditionally banked upon," says Dr Mohammad Reyaz, an election observer and Assistant Professor of Communications at Aliah University in India.
Reyaz believes that there will no respite in the obnoxious hate campaigns against minorities, at least in the short run. "There is talk of a larger Hindu state and Hindu pride where anti-Muslim sentiment plays a large role in wooing voters."
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/analysis/test-modis-hindu-nationalist-project
2021
BBC Urdu (25 October 2021)
انڈیا میں ہندو قدامت پسند اُردو سے اتنے نالاں کیوں؟
اگرچہ بہت سے لوگ مسلم مخالف بیانیہ اور کارروائیوں کو ملک کے بڑے مسائل کے طور پر دیکھتے ہیں، تاہم کولکتہ کی عالیہ یونیورسٹی میں میڈیا کے پروفیسر محمد ریاض اس سے اتفاق نہیں کرتے۔
وہ کہتے ہیں کہ ’یہ بالکل بھی خلفشار نہیں ہے۔ یہ یقینی طور پر لنچنگ کے برابر نہیں ہو سکتا ہے لیکن یہ ان کے بڑے منصوبے کا ایک بہت اہم حصہ ہے۔‘
ان کا کہنا ہے کہ اگرچہ یہ حالیہ برسوں میں زیادہ نمایاں ہو رہا ہے اور بے ضرر طریقوں سے ظاہر ہو رہا ہے۔ ’مثال کے طور پر بالی وڈ کو لے لیں۔ یہ ہمارے معاشرے کا مظہر ہے۔ بالی وڈ کی فلمیں ہندوستانی زبان میں ہوا کرتی تھیں اور اس میں اردو ایک اہم حصہ تھا، چاہے انھیں ہندی فلمیں ہی کیوں نہ کہا جائے۔‘
’لیکن 1990 کی دہائی میں نغمہ نگاروں اور گلوکاروں کی موجودہ فصل پچھلے پیشہ وروں کے برعکس، جو کہ اردو جانتے تھے، زبان کو بمشکل ہی جانتے ہیں اور یہ ان کے تلفظ سے صاف ظاہر ہوتا ہے۔ یہ زبان کی قدر میں کمی کی نشاندہی کرتا ہے۔‘
وہ یہ بھی بتاتے ہیں کہ یہ بات ہندی اخبارات کے لیے بھی حقیقت ہے جو کہ اب انگریزی الفاظ کا آزادانہ استعمال کرتے ہیں لیکن ہندوستانی زبان کا ایک جزو اردو ان میں بہت کم نظر آتا ہے۔
ہندو دایاں بازو اردو کو ایک غیر ملکی اور خصوصاً مسلمانوں کی زبان سمجھتا ہے اور اکثر مذہب اور روایت میں فرق نہیں کرتا۔ یہ فعل دانستہ ہے یا نادانستہ ہے، وہ بحث کا موضوع ہے لیکن اس سے ان کے مقصد میں ضرور مدد ملتی ہے۔
انھوں نے کہا کہ حالیہ واقعات بتاتے ہیں کہ ان کی مخالفت کرنے والے یا تو معافی مانگ لیتے ہیں یا خاموشی اختیار کرنا بہتر سمجھتے ہیں، جو کہ ماہرین کی نظر میں ہندو قدامت پسندوں کی جیت ہے۔
https://www.bbc.com/urdu/regional-59023881
ENewsRoom (24 October 2021)
The eerie silence of Mamata Banerjee on the arrest of Shahrukh Khan’s son
Mohammed Reyaz, assistant professor at Aliah University thinks, “It is a matter of choice for a politician whether to speak or not. But, the kind of bond Didi and SRK shares, even matter being sub-judice, she can at least stand with SRK as a sister, publicly.”
https://enewsroom.in/shahrukh-khan-son-aryan-mamata-banerjee/
TRT World (20 August 2021)
Afghan refugees in India face an uncertain future
According to India's Ministry of Home Affairs, those seeking citizenship will additionally have to prove that they have been in India on or before December 31, 2014.
"So there is no question of anyone obtaining Indian citizenship," Dr Mohammad Reyaz, Head of Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of Aliah University in India, told TRT World.
"India also doesn’t allow dual citizenship. Many western countries give Afghan nationals an opportunity to remain an Afghan citizen even if they resettle in that country," he added.
Reyaz believes that obtaining citizenship isn't the aim of most Afghan refugees living in India as they see India as a “transit place” before settling down in the west.
"The people fleeing Afghanistan (to India) are the educated middle class. They are mostly artists, filmmakers and government employees who are threatened by the Taliban. The life expenses are similar to Kabul in Delhi which isn’t the case in any European city. So they stay here in India until they figure out where to go or until they get their asylum in western countries," says Reyaz.
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/afghan-refugees-in-india-face-an-uncertain-future-49343
BBC Pashto (20 May 2021)
On second wave of Covid 19 Pandemic
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewspashto/videos/141696751279583/
The Print (4 May 2021)
Single seat in Bengal, dip in Kerala tally — why ‘Muslim parties’ didn’t do well this time
“The TMC, around the 2018 panchayat polls, began serious outreach programmes in the Malda and Murshidabad regions. It has worked consistently in these regions for the past couple of years to enable mobilisation of the community. That, combined with the vacuum in Congress leadership, aided the TMC’s growth in these regions. It would be simplistic to reduce Muslim support for TMC as being entirely due to the threat of BJP,” Mohammed Reyaz, political analyst and assistant professor of journalism at Kolkata’s Aliah University, told ThePrint.
The Indian Express (4 May 2021)
Bengal: Fewer Muslims elected, number of women MLAs same
“The likely reason for the drop is that while more Muslim candidates from TMC won, none did from the Congress or Left. In seats in Malda and Murshidabad districts, the BJP too won some seats by vote division where they gave Hindu candidates,” said Mohammed Reyaz, an assistant professor in the journalism department of Aliah University.
BBC Urdu (23 April 2021)
مولانا وحید الدین: وہ عالم جن کی علمی فضیلت سے ان کے نظریات سے اختلاف رکھنے والے بھی متاثر ہوئے
کلکتہ کی عالیہ یونیورسٹی کے پروفیسر محمد ریاض، مولانا وحید الدین کے سیاسی نظریے سے اختلاف رکھتے ہیں لیکن ان کا کہنا ہے کہ ’وہ ایک عالم تھے، بلاشبہ ایک عظیم عالم تھے۔‘
مولانا وحید الدین نے بابری مسجد تنازع پر مسلمانوں سے ایودھیا کی سرزمین پر اپنے دعوے کو ترک کرنے اور ہندو قدامت پسند تنظیموں سے اس کے عوض سماج میں امن و امان قائم کرنے لیے متھرا اور وارانسی کی متنازع مساجد سے اپنا دعویٰ ترک کرنے کی اپیل کی تھی۔
سنہ 2004 میں وہ سابق وزیر اعظم اٹل بہاری واجپائی کی حمایت کے لیے بنائی گئی ’واجپائی حمایت کمیٹی‘ کے ایک اہم رکن تھے اور مسلمانوں سے بی جے پی رہنما کو فتح یاب کرانے کی اپیل کی تھی۔
پروفیسر محمد ریاض کہتے ہیں کہ ’مولانا کی عمدہ علمی فضیلت کے باوجود میں اس تصویر کو نہیں بھلا پاتا۔ بابری مسجد کے انہدام کے بعد اور سنہ 2002 میں گجرات تشدد کے باوجود بھی وہ اس کے ذمہ دار افراد سے کیسے امن کے لیے پرامید ہو سکتے تھے۔‘
https://www.bbc.com/urdu/regional-56853989
India Ahead News (22 April 2021)
Four Years After The Baduria Riots, A Neighbourhood Once Loyal To The TMC Turns Saffron In Bengal
Political analyst and an assistant professor at the Kolkata-based Aliah University, Mohammad Reyaz, said the 2017 Baduria riots were part of a series of low-intensity communal flare-ups that West Bengal witnessed in past few years, starting with the Dhulagarh riots in 2016 to the most recent one in Telinipara in 2020.
“These low scale riots may not have caused severe casualties, but their impact on the Hindu vote consolidation cannot be undermined,” said Reyaz.
….
Reyaz argued that “the BJP’s IT cell spun these incidents as to how Hindus are in danger under the Mamata Banerjee government and accused her of pandering to Muslims.”
…
https://indiaaheadnews.com/politics/baduria-riots-bengal-election-17200/
News18 (2 April 2021)
Amid 'Insider-Outsider' Politics in Bengal, Parties Don’t Want To Miss Out on ‘Crucial’ Migrant Votes
“The non-Bengali Muslims, who are more exposed to the politics of UP and Bihar, they have consolidated with the TMC. In case of the Hindi speaking migrants, a consolidation was seen in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It is likely to stand behind the BJP in this election,” Dr Mohammad Reyaz Assistant Professor at Kolkata’s Aliah University said.
Reyaz says that in some seats the Hindi-speaking have some influence like in Asansol, Siliguri, Howrah and Kolkata. But that wouldn’t be enough to form the government. The parties are targeting similar significant groups to add up the number.
“If BJP comes to power, it will be largely because of Bengali speaking people. The party is also targeting Matua community, OBC, backward groups and middle-class Bengalis,” Reyaz added.
Al Jazeera (31 March 2021)
Why ex-communists are joining Modi’s BJP in India’s West Bengal
West Bengal opposition leaders and voters were often attacked or threatened by CPM workers during their long rule.
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“Mamata Banerjee was one of them,” said Mohammad Reyaz, a Kolkata-based academic and political commentator.
“Therefore, when she came to power, she did not allow any opposition to thrive. There are villages in Bengal where CPM offices were never allowed to open after 2011. The BJP provided an alternative to the CPM cadre and voters being pushed to the margins.”
Election data supports Reyaz’s claim. Between the state polls in 2016 and the national election in 2019, the CPM’s vote share in West Bengal dwindled from 26.6 percent to 7.5 percent. At the same time, the BJP’s vote share rose from 10.16 percent to 40.7 percent.
Dainik Bhaskar (26 March 2021)
बंगाल के बांकुड़ा से ग्राउंड रिपोर्ट:पिछले लोकसभा चुनाव का प्रदर्शन दोहराना BJP के लिए बड़ी चुनौती ; लोग ममता से खुश हैं, पर TMC कार्यकर्ताओं से नाराज
पॉलिटिकल एक्सपर्ट प्रो. रियाज बांकुड़ा के समीकरणों को कुछ यूं समझाते हैं, 'आदिवासी-पिछड़ी जातियों के वोट 2019 में बीजेपी के पास जा चुके हैं। TMC जंगलमहल में इसलिए इतनी मेहनत कर रही है कि वह उनके कुछ वोट वापस पाना चाहती है। तृणमूल कार्यकर्ताओं से यहां नाराजगी है, इसीलिए ममता को हर सभा में कहना पड़ रहा है कि चुनाव ये लोग नहीं मैं लड़ रही हूं। हालांकि जंगलमहल में अभी पलड़ा BJP का ही भारी दिखाई दे रहा है, लेकिन वह लोकसभा जैसा प्रदर्शन नहीं कर पाएगी।'
The Federal (14 March 2021)
Why a wheelchair may decide Mamata vs BJP battle in Bengal
“Given the injuries being reported, it’s definite she’ll use a wheelchair or some support for campaigning. That will definitely draw sympathy from the masses. Whether it was a planned attack or an accident is a different debate, but this will certainly give TMC an opportunity to up its election game,” said M Reyaz, political commentator and head of department, journalism and mass communication, Aliah University.
...
This is expected to play well to Mamata’s prized women voters, and much more when she actually hits the roads for campaigning. And the fallout of this sympathy game won’t just be restricted to Nandigram, but the entire state of West Bengal, asserted Reyaz. “Their initial reaction was that it was all a drama – since politicians are often known for drama. But that was a mistake. And now this will be used by the TMC leaders towards their benefit,” he said.
MoneyControl (13 March 2021)
West Bengal Election 2021|Can Mamata's fractured leg do for TMC what Sharad Pawar’s rain-soaked speech did for NCP in 2019?
The chief minister on a wheelchair with her leg in a plaster cast seeking votes is a powerful image,” said Dr Mohammad Reyaz, Head of the Mass Communication Department at Kolkata-based Aliah University. He concluded that “It will bring in some sympathy for sure.”
The Wire (22 January 2021)
Bengal: Can the Furfura Sharif Cleric's New Party Erode TMC's Support Base?
“There is no doubt that Abbas Siddiqui is quite popular in some districts owing to his lineage and also the political language he is speaking. But how much of that will be covert into votes would be difficult to say. As of now, I don’t see anyone other than Bhaijan (Abbas Siddiqui) as a winnable candidate if they can forge an alliance, but it seems certain that he may cut into a few thousand votes in some constituencies in this crucial election,” Mohammad Reyaz, head of the department of mass communications at Aliah University, Kolkata told The Wire.
https://thewire.in/politics/aimim-owaisi-furfura-sharif-abbas-siddiqui
ABP News (18 January 2021)
जानिए, उस नंदीग्राम को जहां से सीएम ममता बनर्जी देंगी शुभेंदु अधिकारी को उनके गढ़ में चुनौती
कोलकाता स्थित आलिया यूनिवर्सिटी के असिस्टेंट प्रोसेसर मोहम्मद रियाज का कहना है कि नंदीग्राम-1 विधानसभा तामलुक संसदीय क्षेत्र के अंतर्गत आता है और यह पूर्वी मेदिनीपुर जिले का हिस्सा है. हालांकि, पूर्वी मेदिनीपुर में कुल आबादी की तुलना में मुस्लिम आबादी करीब 14.59 फीसदी है जबकि नंदीग्रीम में मुसलमानों की आबादी करीब 34 फीसदी है. नंदीग्राम में अनुसूचित जाति की आबादी लगभग 14.59 फीसदी है.
मोहम्मद रियाज आगे कहते हैं कि पश्चिम बंगाल की मुख्यमंत्री की तरफ से नंदीग्राम से चुनाव लड़ने का ऐलान खुले दौर पर वहां के मौजूदा विधायक शुभेंदु अधिकारी को चुनौती देना है, जो नंदीग्राम आंदोलन के महत्वपूर्ण चेहरा थे लेकिन अब विधानसभा चुनाव से पहले वह टीएमसी से पाला बदलते हुए बीजेपी में जाकर मिल चुके हैं.
प्रोसेसर रियाज के मुताबिक ममता बनर्जी का यह बहुत बड़ा कदम है और इससे यह जाहिर होता है कि विधानसभा चुनाव में कई महीने बाकी रहने के बावजूद जिस तरह इसका अचानक ऐलान किया गया है इस रणनीति के पीछे प्रशांत किशोर का दिमाग हो सकता है. इसके जरिए जहां वह एक तरफ शुभेंदु अधिकारी को उनके घर में चुनौती देंगी वहीं दूसरी तरफ राज्यभर में इसका व्यापक संदेश जाएगा कि पार्टी मोर्चे पर खड़ी होकर लड़ाई लड़ रही है.
MoneyControl: West Bengal Assembly polls: How Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM may spell trouble for Mamata Banerjee's TMC (5 January 2021)
Owaisi was not a factor in Bengal until last week. However, his meeting with Abbas Siddiqui of Furfura Sharif and the announcement that they will come together is an interesting development. Together they can impact voting patterns in some of the constituencies in Southern districts of Bengal, in particular. They may win few seats, but damage the TMC in few others as well,” said Dr Mohammad Reyaz, Head of the Mass Communication Department at Kolkata-based Aliah University.
....
Dr Reyaz also said it would be too early to predict the actual impact since many other influential Muslim clerics such as Siddiqullah Chowdhury, state president of the Jamiat Ulema Hind, were still with the TMC.
“Other influential clerics too may urge to vote for secular forces in this election. The election is still months away, and there have been reports of Abbas Siddiqui also in negotiations with the TMC. So saying anything definitive at this moment would not be right, he said.
2020
BBC Urdu (22 December 2020)
بی جے پی کے سومترا خان کی بیوی سجاتا منڈل کو پارٹی چھوڑنے پر طلاق کی دھمکی، سوشل میڈیا پر دلچسپ تبصرے
کولکتہ کہ عالیہ یونیورسٹی میں شعبہ صحافت کے سربراہ محمد ریاض کا کہنا ہے کہ بنگال میں طویل عرصے سے نظریاتی بنیاد پر سیاست ہوتی رہی ہے لیکن اب ریاستی سیاست میں موقع پرستی غیر معمولی نہیں رہ گئی ہے۔
انھوں نے مزید وضاحت کرتے ہوئے بتایا کہ 1990 کی دہائی کے آخر سے کانگریس اور بائیں بازو کی جماعتوں کے بہت سے رہنما ٹی ایم سی میں شامل ہوئے ہیں لیکن آپ کو یہ بات ذہن میں رکھنی ہو گی کہ جو شخص آپ کی مخالف پارٹی کو ذاتی فائدے کے لیے چھوڑ سکتا ہے وہ آپ کو بھی ترک کرسکتا ہے اور اس طرح کی سرگرمیاں جاری رہیں گی۔‘
پروفیسر ریاض ایک اور ایسے رہنما کا حوالہ دیتے ہوئے کہتے ہیں جو اپنی بیوی سے لڑائی کے بعد بی جے پی میں شامل ہوئے کہ مغربی بنگال میں کل سے ایک لطیفہ چل رہا ہے کہ ’ان دونوں جماعتوں نے سیاسی جماعتوں کو باپر باری اور سسر باری میں تبدیل کر دیا ہے۔
Al Jazeera: In India, a vocal Muslim party expands its base (24 November 2020)
“His appearance, style and language are no match to any of his contemporaries and that has been a huge factor in the rise of AIMIM, ” said Mohammad Reyaz, an assistant professor of journalism at Aliah University in the eastern city of Kolkata.
Money Control: How Asaduddin Owaisi is emerging as the rising star of Muslim politics in India (19 November 2020)
“It is actually the rise of the Hindutva rhetoric, coupled with the failure of the secular forces, that has led to the increasing popularity of Owaisi, particularly among youth as he often touches a chord with them,” said Mohammad Reyaz, Head of the Mass Communication Department at Kolkata-based Aliah University.
….
Reyaz agreed. “Seemanchal was largely an aberration due to several local factors, most importantly being finding credible local leaders,” he said.
News Click (17 May 2020)
Is Lack of Leadership why Indian Muslims are Falling Behind?
Mohammad Reyaz, who teaches journalism at Kolkata’s Aliah University does not believe that the clergy has held back the community. “No leadership should be above criticism, but the religious leadership do much more for the community through charity and other related works than the so-called liberal Muslim leaders who appear disconnected from the masses,” he says. He, too, holds successive governments responsible for the community’s present conditions. “There is government apathy and yes, after Partition, no true leadership could emerge among Muslims. The anti-CAA protests had given hope of some new leaders, but the ruling dispensation appears hell-bent on crushing them,” says Reyaz.
https://www.newsclick.in/Lack-Leadership-Indian-Muslims-Falling-Behind-Secular
Clarion India: What Drives the Increase of Hatred Against Muslims Amid Outbreak of COVID-19? (24 April 2020)
Mohammad Reyaz , assistant professor at Aliah University in Kolkata, believes it to be part of persecution of Muslims in India which has been happening for long. For example, Hindutva activists have called for the economic boycott of Muslims many times before.
This boycott of Muslim vendors is part of Hindutva’s sinister agenda. All the hatred and the sinister design to push the minority community to the margin, he said have become a priority with the Hindutva lobby in the last six years.
Reyaz said, “Now, the situation is bound to be serious. The bias will come into the open. The economic boycott will increase. Where the Muslims are in small numbers and vulnerable, they will have to face the boycott. Targeting Muslim businesses is not new. It happened earlier too. Now, we fear that it is becoming a mainstream.”
How to deal with such a situation? Being a minority, can Muslim community whether the crisis single-handedly? His answer is a big ‘no’. But, he says they can still fight for their right peacefully remaining within the system.
Reyaz suggested that the Muslims need to empower themselves in every way possible to deal with such a scenario. They need to empower themselves politically, economically and educationally.
“The political empowerment is extremely necessary,” he said. “It cannot happen overnight.”
Citing the example of Aam Aadmi Party, he said, “You have seen what happened to the party despite having wholehearted Muslim support. Look at the Samajwadi party. They won’t take up Muslim issues. Political empowerment is possible only when we empower ourselves in other fields,” Reyaz concluded.
The Hindu: COVID-19 provides relief to Kolkata man (22 April 2020)
“Asgar Ali’s declaration as illegal foreigner underscores the loopholes in the NRC process,” says Mohammad Reyaz, assistant professor at Kolkata’s Aliah University, who followed the case. The Court’s order will help many to “come out of detention,” he said. “However, the rationale of keeping someone in jail and then releasing him after a few years as he cannot be sent to any country as he is an Indian citizen is in contravention of basic human rights.” Mr. Ali is asked to visit a police station to be intimated of the follow-up legal process, post lockdown.
2019
Radio Islam: Top Five Revenue Generating Monuments in India, Built by Muslim Rulers (22 Nov 2019)
On Friday morning, I was live on Radio Islam on how although right-wing Hindu groups and BJP leaders may seek to belittle the significance of monuments built by Muslim rulers, official data is clear about their attraction to tourists.
All of the top five (in terms of revenue) and several others among top-twenty monuments across the country are in fact those built by Muslim rulers, from the Taj Mahal to Qutub Minar and Red Fort.
You can listen to the whole podcast here:
The Hindu Center: The Ayodhya Verdict: When Fear-struck Muslims Prayed to Lose (22 Nov 2019)
Thirty-four year old Mohammad Reyaz, an Assistant Professor at Aliah University in New Town, West Bengal, was not worried for himself because Muslims in Bengal, in his own words, were relatively sheltered from the insecurities of their counterparts in the Hindi belt. However, his youngest brother was in Delhi which in the tension-filled hours before the verdict was a cause for worry. At 11.32 p.m on November 8, Reyaz uploaded this post: "As I was following the news of the (upcoming) Ayodhya verdict, it suddenly struck me that my youngest brother lives in one of those localities in Delhi where young students live with the dream of cracking civil services examinations and serving the country. I am worried for him now and frantically called my friends in Jamia Nagar (a Muslim majority enclave) to ask them if he can shift there for a few days, although my brother is assuring me he is fine and will stay there for now.
"Thank you India for bringing it to this level, and you ask why Muslims live in ghettos."
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As Mohammad Reyaz (mentioned earlier) remarked: "The case was about legal rights. What the SC has said in a way amounts to telling us we are a minority living in a majority country."
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Mohammad Reyaz (mentioned earlier) despaired that the Supreme Court verdict had become "a manifestation of the discrimination we face." But this was not reason to give up hope. "We are Indians first and last. This is our land as much as it is anybody else's. You can intimidate us, deny us justice but we will keep fighting. There is a strange sense of confidence we have in this country. There is a lot of anger but there is also assertion, a pride in our identities. I'm Muslim, I'm also Indian."
https://www.thehinducentre.com/the-arena/current-issues/article30024468.ece
Asian Age: ‘Ayodhya verdict: Neighbourhoods of exile’ (11 November 2019)
“When I saw the news of the Ayodhya verdict, the first thought that came to my mind was of my youngest brother who stays in one of those localities of Delhi (Mukherjee Nagar) where young students live with the dream of cracking civil services examinations and serving the country. Frantically I called my friends in Jamia Nagar to ask them if he could shift with them for a few days, although my brother assured me that he is fine there, and I should not worry. That in a nutshell explains the increasing ghettoisation of Muslims in particular in India,” Dr Mohammed Reyaz, a professor at Aliah University in Kolkata.
Dr Reyaz, who spent most of his adult life in Kolkata and Delhi, witnessed the ghettoisation of Muslims since his childhood.
He explains that this trend predates 1992 Babri Masjid demolition and the resultant communal violence unleashed throughout India, but feels that the events of 1992 gave it impetus and made it more visible. “The trend had begun quite early I would say, but, yes, after 1992 it became more visible. Take, for example, Kolkata areas like Ballygunge, Beliaghata, Selimpur and migrating to these places,” he said.
Hindustan Times: ‘Accept the ruling, say Muslims; some apprehensive about precedent it sets’ (10 November 2019)
Kolkata-based Mohammed Reyaz, 34, an assistant professor in journalism at Aliah University, said that everyone above the age of 30 has grown up with the spectre of the Babri Masjid demolition looming over the community.
“What worries me is whether people will be encouraged to commit other acts of vandalism, whether in Charminar (Hyderabad) or Taj Mahal (Agra) and justify it in the name of a historical religious claim. There are far bigger challenges before the Muslim community in India, such as hate speeches by politicians. This mosque was anyway gone. We can’t whine about this. We have to continue to fight for justice,” he said.
Scroll: ‘Judgment must be accepted’: Muslim leaders and scholars react to the Ayodhya verdict (9 November 2019)
To Mohammed Reyaz, who teaches at the department of journalism and mass communication in Aliah University in Kolkata, the judgment did not come as a surprise. “Muslims, in a way, knew that they were not going to get the land,” he said. “For some days, ministers and the government have been saying don’t celebrate or hold marches. Universities like Jamia Millia had been told not to protest.”
But he had mixed feelings about the judgment. “We relieved that we don’t have to face the ire of the [majority] community,” he said. “Muslims have far bigger worries.” He flagged discrimination in jobs, the National Register of Citizens in Assam that has left 19 lakh people facing statelessness, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s comments on so-called illegal immigrants, which signalled to him that all but Muslims would be accepted in the country.
But the judgment gave him some cause for disquiet. “What is worrying for me in the judgment is that this makes it a precedent for other places of worship,” he said. Decades later, makeshift temples at mosques in Hyderabad or Varanasi could be used to make claims to the land, he felt.
Hindustan Times (23 March 2019)
Love all: Meet the people building bridges between communities
“The idea is to break stereotypes, help communities see how much they have in common, and how interesting the differences are too,” says Mohammad Reyaz, an assistant professor at Aliah University and one of the organisers of KYN.
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Know Your Neighbour was launched in 2016 following incidents of communal violence in West Bengal. “The idea was to introduce communities to each other better. Among our walks, we conduct one in the Metiabruz area, which is often called a Muslim ghetto,” says Reyaz. “Awareness is the most effective tool against divisive forces.”
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For Reyaz, equally important is the element of dialogue. “Our numbers may be small, but we hope that our initiatives are encouraging people to admit how little we know about each other and find ways we can understand each other better.”
2017
The Telegraph (India): Required Now ‘GOOD’ MUSLIMS(19 March 2017)
Hatred against Muslims has grown manifold too, fuelled by social media Hindutva activism. M. Reyaz, assistant professor of Journalism at Calcutta's Aliah University, says, he chooses not to confront anything "obnoxious" against Muslims posted on social media: "Argument with them is futile."
https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170319/jsp/7days/story_141346.jsp
Al Jazeera: Zakir Naik: Why India wants to arrest the preacher(21 May 2017)
Mohammad Reyaz, who teaches communication at Aliah University in Kolkata, explains that Naik began preaching at a time when India was witnessing a rise in far-right Hindu groups….
…"In the 1990s, after the demolition of Babri masjid [mosque], Muslims felt betrayed and dejected. Traditional clerics in those times - and even now - totally appeared out of sync with [the] time," Reyaz explained.
"Naik filled the leadership vacuum and overnight turned into [a] messiah for young Muslim youth looking for some escape. He not only provided them [with] answers to all the Islamophobic questions Muslims had to face every day, but gave a new-found confidence in who they were."
Reyaz explains that part of his appeal to younger and educated Muslims comes from the fact that he is "articulate and speaks in English and wears a Western suit"…
…"Naik being the face of this brand of Islam in India [he] became the easy target," explained Reyaz.
"The Islamophobia has filtered down to a stage where all conservative Muslims are seen as possible terrorists; the distinction between conservatism and extremism has got blurred."
InUth:IPL Auction 2017: How Afghanistan players finally made the cut
Based on FB post:
(Feb 16, 2017)
2016
Anadolu Agency. (11 December 2016)
Indian teacher resigns after told to remove face veil
M Reyaz, assistant professor at Kolkata-based Aliah University, said though there is nothing new in such identity-based discrimination, more hardline communal elements had become emboldened since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government came to power in 2014.
“Take the example of the army or police where keeping a beard is considered normal for Sikh but there are instances where Muslims have to fight it out in courts of law. For women, it becomes even more difficult as in the media narrative the veil is seen as subjugating, never mind the fact that hijabi women are now winning medals in the Olympics,” Reyaz said.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/indian-teacher-resigns-after-told-to-remove-face-veil/704106
http://muslimnews.co.uk/news/south-asia/india-teacher-resigns-told-remove-face-veil/
Firstpost: JNU row spurs demand for revival of campus politics in Jamia Millia Islamia (Mar 7, 2016)
Students' union gives a common platform to students in colleges and universities to fight for common interests. But it has been a decade now and on the pretext that a case is pending in court, the university administration has stopped union election. Consequently, students here find themselves on weaker ground against the authorities,” Md Reyaz, a research scholar, told Firstpost.
Interestingly, Jamia has strong union of teachers and non-teaching staff.
"In the last decade, I hardly saw any real mobilisation of students for a common cause. Even when the Occupy UGC movement (launched in October last year in response to a recommendation for scrapping the non-NET fellowship) was going on, the collective participation of Jamia students was minimal,” he said, adding that the "argument that students should focus on studies and leave politics is hilarious and shows the ignorance at best and unyielding attitude of the authorities at worst”.
Universities have always been the cradle for future leaders and it is here that they sharpen their skills. From incumbent Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to former Bihar Chief Minister Laldu Prasad Yadav, they all had their training in politics in universities.
"If the current dispensation really believes that students should not indulge in politics, shouldn't they begin by suspending the students' wing - the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)?” he asked.
TCN: Aligarh Film: Muslim outfit headed by Modi supporter protests against the title of movie on AMU gay professor (26 February 2016)
However, when journalist M Reyaz of TwoCircles.net exposed Mr. Jasim and his gang through his incisive report titled, “New spring at Jamia Urdu: Changing colours as per political season”, Mr. Jasim tried to intimidate the reporter through his Facebook posts hinting legal action against the reporter and the publication. On this issue, TwoCircles published a rejoinder by Mr. Jasim, which can be read here.
http://twocircles.net/2016feb26/1456472649.html
2015
FirstPost: Maharashtra govt’s stand on madrasas reeks of ignorance, but seminaries need to modernise too (Jul 4, 2015)
M Reyaz, a research scholar at Jamia Millia Islamia, agrees that those madrasas catering to teenagers need to accommodate more of mainstream subjects, but the religious institutions are not homogenous.
“The tragedy is most people who speak against madrasas have never actually visited one. While I agree that those madrasas catering to teenagers – middle, high school level – need to accommodate more of mainstream subjects, it should be understood that madrasas are not a homogenous entity. There are many already doing it. Most madrasas cater to poorest people and if it were not for these they would have never got any education,” he told Firstpost. “It is nothing but prejudice to ask how many engineers have come out of madrasas. It is like asking a social science college, why you don’t produce science graduates. Moreover, there are indeed many madrasa graduates who later study in universities to become doctors, teachers and are even working in the IT sector”.
TCN: SIO-BHU Conference: Why I don’t need to apologise to SIO and its apologists (18 June 2015)
When contacted, the author of the report, M Reyaz said that he was informed by both the organisers that this Indresh Kumar was from Netherlands, and had hence incorporated their version. He said he also mentioning (in his report) that I had mocked publically about the event. I said to myself, fair enough. It was quite simple. I wrote what I was told and he wrote what he was told. However, he added that, “even I could not find a single information about this Indresh Kumar of Netherland fame.”So, all the claims that I had not contacted the SIO were nothing but plain falsehood.
http://twocircles.net/2015jun18/1434613726.html
FirstPost: Travel, movies, shopping get costlier: Budget 2015 finds no middle class takers (Mar 1, 2015)
Md Reyaz, a research scholar at Jamia Millia Islamia, finds “nothing significant” in the budget. “The country was expecting big bang reforms, but sadly there was nothing extraordinary in the budget. All the proposed reforms are painful for common people like us,” he added.
The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy: Interview with Yogendra Yadav cited in a researched paper by Vidya Subrahmaniam
Reaching for the Stars: The Incredible Rise of Arvind Kejriwal(Feb 25, 2015)
The same compelling need to be unique informs the approach of Kejriwal and the AAP to issues of communal identity. In an interview to the Muslim portal, TwoCircles.net, Yogendra Yadav argued that the AAP represented a third kind of politics which skirted both “pseudo-nationalism” and a “bankrupt form of secularism” that formed the other side of “pseudo-nationalism.” 13
Yadav said: “The politics of nationalism wants to homogenise the country and see any acknowledgement of specific problems of a community as a deviation from and betrayal of nationalism.” The so-called secular parties, on the other hand, reduced the concerns of Muslims to “questions of security and identity as if Muslims do not need water, as if they do not need electricity, as if they do not need education and health.” Yadav’s promise was that the AAP would uphold the Constitutional ideals of secularism, which meant “addressing the specific concerns of the Muslim community without appealing to the communal feeling.”
http://www.thehinducentre.com/the-arena/article6929534.ece
TCN: ‘Muslim Youth for India’ or for Modi? (8 February 2015)
My friend and journalist, M Reyaz puts it vividly in his report in TwoCircles.net. “Zafar Sareshwala, who was the Guest of Honour, appeared to be the star of the programme as none of the speakers forgot to mention his name and eulogised him several times, as he smiled and nodded every time his name was taken.”
http://twocircles.net/2015feb08/1423387369.html
2014
FirstPost: Honour killing in Delhi: What turns loving parents into cold-blooded murderers (Nov 23, 2014)
Putting incidents like that of Delhi in perspective, Mohammad Reyaz, a research scholar at Jamia Millia Islamia, says, "In traditional societies like ours, community and society have always superseded an individual, whether they are male or female. As the position of a woman is at a much weaker level in the social hierarchy of patriarchal setup, they often become the victims."
FirstPost: Who said you represent us? Angry Muslims ask Shahi Imam after he snubs Modi (Nov 3, 2014)
For Moh’d Reyaz, a research scholar at Jamia Millia Islamia, Syed Ahmed Bukhari is a “shrewd politician more than a cleric”. “By selectively inviting people, he has made sure that the debate is diverted form more pertinent issue of system of hereditary succession or for that matter mismanagement of the mosque. Moreover, Naib-Imam implies that in the absence of Imam Bukhari, his 19-year-old son will lead the prayer or give khutba (sermon) on Friday. Is he competent enough? What are his qualifications? Was internal family dispute the reason behind the hasty decision?”
“The grand mosque has sadly been reduced to the personal estate,” he says.
BBC Hindi: क्याकट्टरपंथरोकपाएंगेमोदी? (7 June 2014)
http://www.bbc.com/hindi/india/2014/06/140607_indiabol.shtml
The Hindu: Ahead of polls, Muslims warm up to AAP (March 12, 2014 )
Referring to Muslims’ disenchantment with the Congress and the AAP taking on BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Mohammad Reyaz, a doctoral candidate of International Relations at Jamia Millia Islamia, pointed out that a large section of the minority community believes that the AAP had managed to emerge as a “formidable and credible” challenge to Mr. Modi. Interestingly, the AAP’s list of 61 general election candidates has 11 Muslims. “The fact that the AAP has taken on Mr. Modi has enhanced its brand value among the community,” he said.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ahead-of-polls-muslims-warm-up-to-aap/article5774530.ece
Kafila: Homosexuality and Islam – Indian Muslims’ Responses: Abhay Kumar (03/01/2014)
How could a religious minority be against sexual minority, asks a Muslim journalist, M. Reyaz, who does not see any conflict with being a “believer” and a part of religious minority while at the same time being an empathizer with sexual minority. ‘Not that I was ever a champion of rights of LGBT, certainly my religious beliefs restrains me. But at the same time, I never suffered with homophobia.’ His suggestion for orthodox Muslims is not to impose one’s moral values on others. ‘No one is forcing Muslims to drink alcohol, no one is forcing us to have extra-marital affairs and no one is forcing Muslims to “turn” homosexual. So why this hue and cry? Simply because we do not believe in something, are we thence going to prevent others from practicing it too?’
The way Reyaz argued his case has some resonance with noted Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan. Ramadan, who is a professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University, has also been confronted with the question of homosexuality. Ramadan staunchly believes that it is not only Islam that opposes homosexuality but also that all the other religions of the world reject it.
http://kafila.org/2014/01/03/homosexuality-and-islam-indian-muslims-responses-abhay-kumar/
2011
Osama killing must end Islamophobia, say Muslim youths(3 May 2011)
'Now that Osama bin Laden has been killed, I, as a Muslim, hope that the fear psychosis created by the West (against Islam) will finally die in the minds of the people,' Mohammad Reyaz, an M. Phil. student in international studies at the Jamia Millia Islamia, said Tuesday.
News Agency IANS quoted. Re produced here: https://in.news.yahoo.com/osama-killing-must-end-islamophobia-muslim-youths-115916125.html