More than 800 Valmikis ‘convert’ to Islam in UP’s Rampur to save homes from demolition

[Paranoid Android]

RAMPUR: More than 800 Valmikis, fighting civic authorities to save their houses from demolition in Rampur, "converted" to Islam on Tuesday. Coming good on a threat they had issued a week ago when they said they have no option but to change their faith, they chose Ambedkar's 124th birth anniversary to embrace Islam.

Panic had gripped the Valmiki families here after civic authorities allegedly painted red marks on their houses a few days ago. According to them, demolition of their houses would pave the way for building a shopping mall which is said to have the backing of UP minister and Rampur strongman Azam Khan.

READ ALSO: 'Eerie calm, curfew-like situation in Rampur'

Rampur district magistrate Chandra Prakash Tripathi refused to comment on the "conversion". Azam Khan's media in charge Fasahat Ali Khan told TOI, "Those converting to Islam should clearly understand that this is not going to help them in any manner. Encroachment of public land in any form by any community is totally unacceptable. In Rampur, the majority of those evicted from government lands are Muslims."

There was high drama for most of the day as the Valmiki families went ahead with their self-announced conversion amid heavy police deployment in the area. Though a cleric from Amroha, who was set to assist in their conversion, didn't turn up, the Valmikis sported skull caps and declared that they were henceforth to be considered Muslim.

READ ALSO: 'If converting will save our houses, we're ready'

No special ritual, ceremony, or even presence of a religious leader is required for conversion to Islam. All one needs to have to convert is 'niyat' (true belief in Islam), recite the 'qalma' and have faith that Mohammed was the last prophet of God. Even circumcision, after a certain age, is not necessary.

Bhim Anarya, a resident of Valmiki Basti, who also embraced Islam along with the others, said, "A municipal employee had come to our locality a few days ago and asked us to vacate our houses. When we expressed our inability to do so, he advised us to convert to Islam in order to save our houses from being brought down. For us, it made sense because a few settlements belonging to the minority community in our vicinity have been spared the demolition."

READ ALSO: 'Admin can't displace Rampur dalits'

Another resident, Avinash Tapan, said, "Though the additional district magistrate (city) visited our locality earlier and assured that nothing would happen to our houses, we can't believe them. We need a written assurance. We have decided to become Muslims, come what may."
More than 800 Valmikis ‘convert’ to Islam in UP’s Rampur to save homes from demolition - The Times of India

 

[Paranoid Android]

Sadly news about this incident is nowhere in tv & most of the news websites are silent because media is only for minority..

 

[magudi]

Sadly news about this incident is nowhere in tv & most of the news websites are silent because media is only for minority..

media is secular Bro, they will never repot forced conversions.

what's shocking is how that municipality guy came and told people to convert to save their homes.

yadavs are digging their on graves siding with all these

 

[Paranoid Android]

media is secular Bro, they will never repot forced conversions.

what's shocking is how that municipality guy came and told people to convert to save their homes.

yadavs are digging their on graves siding with all these

Exactly..The thing is UP is Hindu majority state.Its good that they are showing their true colors & in next election its going to be a payback for sure..

 

[GodToons]

RAMPUR: More than 800 Valmikis, fighting civic authorities to save their houses from demolition in Rampur, "converted" to Islam on Tuesday. Coming good on a threat they had issued a week ago when they said they have no option but to change their faith, they chose Ambedkar's 124th birth anniversary to embrace Islam.

Panic had gripped the Valmiki families here after civic authorities allegedly painted red marks on their houses a few days ago. According to them, demolition of their houses would pave the way for building a shopping mall which is said to have the backing of UP minister and Rampur strongman Azam Khan.

READ ALSO: 'Eerie calm, curfew-like situation in Rampur'

Rampur district magistrate Chandra Prakash Tripathi refused to comment on the "conversion". Azam Khan's media in charge Fasahat Ali Khan told TOI, "Those converting to Islam should clearly understand that this is not going to help them in any manner. Encroachment of public land in any form by any community is totally unacceptable. In Rampur, the majority of those evicted from government lands are Muslims."

There was high drama for most of the day as the Valmiki families went ahead with their self-announced conversion amid heavy police deployment in the area. Though a cleric from Amroha, who was set to assist in their conversion, didn't turn up, the Valmikis sported skull caps and declared that they were henceforth to be considered Muslim.

READ ALSO: 'If converting will save our houses, we're ready'

No special ritual, ceremony, or even presence of a religious leader is required for conversion to Islam. All one needs to have to convert is 'niyat' (true belief in Islam), recite the 'qalma' and have faith that Mohammed was the last prophet of God. Even circumcision, after a certain age, is not necessary.

Bhim Anarya, a resident of Valmiki Basti, who also embraced Islam along with the others, said, "A municipal employee had come to our locality a few days ago and asked us to vacate our houses. When we expressed our inability to do so, he advised us to convert to Islam in order to save our houses from being brought down. For us, it made sense because a few settlements belonging to the minority community in our vicinity have been spared the demolition."

READ ALSO: 'Admin can't displace Rampur dalits'

Another resident, Avinash Tapan, said, "Though the additional district magistrate (city) visited our locality earlier and assured that nothing would happen to our houses, we can't believe them. We need a written assurance. We have decided to become Muslims, come what may."
More than 800 Valmikis ‘convert’ to Islam in UP’s Rampur to save homes from demolition - The Times of India

Hail! Secularism

 

[Tshering22]

This is why I say F*CK SECULARISM.

what's shocking is how that municipality guy came and told people to convert to save their homes.

The fact that these people didn't unite that moment and publicly lynch that municipality officer to death, showed their weakness.

If a Hindu or non-muslim did the same in a muslim locality, he won't make it out alive.

That should be the motto.

 

[Hindustani78]

Rampur Valmikis want to convert, clerics say "can’t blackmail" - The Hindu
Local Islamic scholars and clerics say their wish to convert to prevent a demolition drive is "blackmailing tactics" and "unIslamic".


The row over Dalits threatening conversion to Islam to save their houses against demolition drive by civic body has taken a curious turn.

When Dalit families approached local Islamic scholars and clerics to supervise their alleged conversion, they refused to oblige terming their wish to convert to Islam as “blackmailing tactics” and “unIslamic”.

Most of the clerics told the protesting Dalits that one should convert out of “pure” love for the religion and threats to become a Muslim cannot be used as a “blackmailing tactics” against official action of demolition drive by the civic body.

The Rampur civic body had, last week, identified 55 houses of Topkhana Valmiki basti, a Dalit settlement, as part of its demolition drive after which the residents had threatened conversion to Islam. What followed since then is high drama as the political parties and Hindutva groups jumped the fray to target Azam Khan, the Samajwadi Party leader from Rampur.

Dalit leaders told The Hindu that they were unable to convert after no Muslim cleric turned up at their area to facilitate their conversion. Kumar Eklavya said that as a symbolic protest they started sporting skull cap.

“We have not been converted yet, as some news papers have reported. No cleric accepted our invitation. Most of them told us that they didn’t approve of what we are doing and decision to convert to Islam should be taken out of sincere likeness of the religion and not to save houses against official action of demolition drive. But we have no option left,” Eklavya told The Hindu on phone from Rampur.

“It’s status quo for now. We will continue with our protest by sporting skull caps,” he added.

The issue became complicated when the dalits who were earlier threatening to convert at “any cost” came under pressure from the Hindutva groups after Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sadhvi Prachi threatened to mobilise people against the proposed conversion.

The Rampur District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Tripathi made several visits to the locality and assured them that the houses won’t be demolished. But the dalit families said they would postpone their plans to convert only if they get the assurance in writing.

"Those who are using threat to convert, lost their case in the court as well. In Rampur, the majority of those evicted from government lands are Muslims, so there is no point communalising the issue and vitiating the atmosphere of the city,” Azam Khan’s aide Fasahat Ali told The Hindu.

Interestingly, nobody knows the connection between their Dalit’s threats to convert to Islam and saving their houses from demolition. The Dalits claimed that somebody from the civic body told them that their house might be spared if they were to convert to Islam. But when The Hindu tried to verify the claim, civic body officials alleged the dalits were “just trying to blackmail as conversion to Islam will soon snowball into a huge controversy and will pose law and order problem for the administration.”

 

[MarkovChain]

Kudos to the clerics

Stupid people thinking congress is still in power to play minority vote pitch

 

[Paranoid Android]

Rampur Valmikis want to convert, clerics say "can’t blackmail" - The Hindu
Local Islamic scholars and clerics say their wish to convert to prevent a demolition drive is "blackmailing tactics" and "unIslamic".


The row over Dalits threatening conversion to Islam to save their houses against demolition drive by civic body has taken a curious turn.

When Dalit families approached local Islamic scholars and clerics to supervise their alleged conversion, they refused to oblige terming their wish to convert to Islam as “blackmailing tactics” and “unIslamic”.

Most of the clerics told the protesting Dalits that one should convert out of “pure” love for the religion and threats to become a Muslim cannot be used as a “blackmailing tactics” against official action of demolition drive by the civic body.

The Rampur civic body had, last week, identified 55 houses of Topkhana Valmiki basti, a Dalit settlement, as part of its demolition drive after which the residents had threatened conversion to Islam. What followed since then is high drama as the political parties and Hindutva groups jumped the fray to target Azam Khan, the Samajwadi Party leader from Rampur.

Dalit leaders told The Hindu that they were unable to convert after no Muslim cleric turned up at their area to facilitate their conversion. Kumar Eklavya said that as a symbolic protest they started sporting skull cap.

“We have not been converted yet, as some news papers have reported. No cleric accepted our invitation. Most of them told us that they didn’t approve of what we are doing and decision to convert to Islam should be taken out of sincere likeness of the religion and not to save houses against official action of demolition drive. But we have no option left,” Eklavya told The Hindu on phone from Rampur.

“It’s status quo for now. We will continue with our protest by sporting skull caps,” he added.

The issue became complicated when the dalits who were earlier threatening to convert at “any cost” came under pressure from the Hindutva groups after Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sadhvi Prachi threatened to mobilise people against the proposed conversion.

The Rampur District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Tripathi made several visits to the locality and assured them that the houses won’t be demolished. But the dalit families said they would postpone their plans to convert only if they get the assurance in writing.

"Those who are using threat to convert, lost their case in the court as well. In Rampur, the majority of those evicted from government lands are Muslims, so there is no point communalising the issue and vitiating the atmosphere of the city,” Azam Khan’s aide Fasahat Ali told The Hindu.

Interestingly, nobody knows the connection between their Dalit’s threats to convert to Islam and saving their houses from demolition. The Dalits claimed that somebody from the civic body told them that their house might be spared if they were to convert to Islam. But when The Hindu tried to verify the claim, civic body officials alleged the dalits were “just trying to blackmail as conversion to Islam will soon snowball into a huge controversy and will pose law and order problem for the administration.”

Then I salute to those clerics.These people are the only hope to purify a religion..

 

[Hindustani78]

Then I salute to those clerics.These people are the only hope to purify a religion..

Religion is accepted by heart and it should be not forced. God is there to judge deeds and humans cant judge it.

 

[ArsalanKhan21]

If a Hindu or non-muslim did the same in a muslim locality, he won't make it out alive.

I don't think Muslim would convert to another religion to save their homes in India. While in Pakistan, if any Muslim tried this tactic they will be charged with apostasy and will probably be lynched.

 

[IndoCarib]

The critics of Ghar wapsi are nowhere to be seen

 

[Cheetah786]

Sadly news about this incident is nowhere in tv & most of the news websites are silent because media is only for minority..

L O L how exactly is this a Minority issue ? who owns the land ? You think as a minority or majority, you have the right to set up shop anywhere you want ?

Before this is made into Hindu, Muslim bull taking a quote from your source ''the majority of those evicted from government lands are Muslims''

 

[Kinetic]

I don't think Muslim would convert to another religion to save their homes in India. While in Pakistan, if any Muslim tried this tactic they will be charged with apostasy and will probably be lynched.

Yes and in India a Hindu converts to Islam protesting against death of a fanatic Christian by other fanatic Hindus!!!

You know what happened? Hindus voted him to become a Member of parliament!!!

 

[Cheetah786]

Yes and in India a Hindu converts to Islam protesting against death of a fanatic Christian by other fanatic Hindus!!!

You know what happened? Hindus voted him to become a Member of parliament!!!

How is this a Hindu Muslim Issue?

Op the thread title is misleading.