I am thankful to T Azeez Luthfullah for his compliments on and appreciation of the interview of Maulana Shafi Moonis by me (Radiance 27 Sept-3 Oct). It is agreed that more and more pearls should be dug from Maulana Shafi Moonis, the ‘mine of knowledge and information.’ I hope that my endeavour will encourage and guide other journalists and researchers to be benefited from this store-house of wisdom, experience, leadership traits and selfless commitment.
I am curbing my temptation to discuss the issue of the participation of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind in elections. Hoping that the write-up of Azeez Luthfullah will initiate a healthy discussion on the subject on the pages of Radiance Viewsweekly, I am taking this opportunity to clarify some points regarding the interview I had taken. The views of Maulana Shafi Moonis on the subject are well-known and I had consciously avoided a full-fledged discussion on the contentious issue. My approach was to collect information on all those events in which Maulana Shafi Moonis had played a remarkable role and to know his comments regarding the first line of leadership of the Jamaat. I did not ask nor did he discuss anything about north-south divide. Such things are not compatible with the Islamic movement led by leaders like Shafi Moonis. The time-scale of the discussion with him was past and not the present. A very interesting thing I noticed was that whenever he referred to the South, he meant either Andhra Pradesh, or may be only Hyderabad.
It is not correct that those persons who are against the participation of the Jamaat in the electoral politics have developed the ‘fear of failure,’ thinking that the ‘move could backfire’ and that ‘power would corrupt the organisation.’ They, including Maulana shafi Moonis, have their own reasoning and suggestions. A full-fledged discussion, as said above, may be done. Obviously the time scale of that discussion will be the present extending to the near future. Past may be a reference point.
One error had crept into the transcription the interview. At one stage Maulana Shafi Moonis described that Sait sahib, meaning Ibrahim Sulaiman Sait (1922-2005), called on him. It has been typed as Sheikh sahib. The error is regretted.
Dr. Waquar Anwar
New Delhi