The question I asked earlier is: "Is his funds coming from internal accruals (meaning his business) or else where? Also specifically is he getting money into his business for other activities such as developing a political party?"
And if so, from where? The Oracle spoke earlier on this but I could not make head or tail of it. --- Bartta Bistar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > LEADER ARTICLE: Minority Report > <javascript:clippopup(1600666);> > Sanjib Baruah > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1600666.cms > > > > It is a myth that Muslims vote for the Congress > because of its secular > credentials. 'Minority prudence' has always been a > factor. Muslims have > often voted strategically for the most likely > winner. > > The phenomenon hides a dark side of our democracy. > Security of life and > property should be a universal public good. It has > become a private good > that political parties provide selectively in > exchange for political > support. > > Voting to ensure one's physical security erodes the > meaning of citizenship. > Security is a major reason why Muslims of East > Bengali descent have > traditionally voted for the Congress in Assam. > > The emergence of the Assam United Democratic Front > (AUDF) signals the desire > to reject that dependency. Liberal democrats should > welcome the assertion of > a confident political voice by a minority. > > It is not surprising that such a party should come > up in Assam. Nearly 31 > per cent of Assam's population of 26.6 million is > Muslim, according to the > 2001 census. > > This is second only to Jammu and Kashmir's and is > about the same as the > proportion of Muslims in undivided India. The AUDF, > however, is not > conceived as Muslim party. > > It put up a number of non-Muslim candidates. But > central to the success of > all AUDF candidates was Badruddin Ajmal's resources > and support among > Muslims. > > For instance, Dimasa candidate Aditya Langthasa is a > doctor at Hojai's > impressive Ajmal Majid Memorial Charitable Hospital > funded by Ajmal. It used > to be said that all politics is local. > > In these times, all politics may also be global. > Ajmal is a small-town boy > with a global business empire. He is extremely well > connected to Islamic > circles in India and abroad. > > This explains why the imam of Jama Masjid campaigned > so actively in this > election. While dissatisfaction with the Congress > following the court's > invalidation of the IMDT law may have precipitated > Ajmal's decision to > launch AUDF, his political optic and track record > have never been local. > > The foundation of Ajmal's global business empire is > the aromatic bark that > the Assamese call agaru or agar. For much longer > than oil and tea, demand > for agar has shaped Assam's economic and political > fortunes. > > Agarbatti is made from it and oil extracted from > agar is the base for many > attars and perfumes. It is said that Mughals invaded > Assam for the lure of > agar. > > The Rs 30 crore of his reported wealth that made > Ajmal the richest candidate > in Assam is only a small part of his global worth. > The oil boom in the > Middle East raised the demand for agar enormously. > > Ajmal's once sleepy little hometown Hojai the agar > capital of the world > shows the impact of that boom. His Dubai-based Ajmal > Group of Companies > boasts of a network of shops and distribution > outlets in Bahrain, Kuwait, > Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. > > Ajmal Perfumes produces attars and fragrances that > sell not only in India > and Middle Eastern countries, it has different lines > of perfumes for African > and East European markets as well. > > The House of Ajmal has showrooms and production > units in Mumbai. > Businessman-politician Ajmal is also Maulana > Badruddin Ajmal Al-Qasmi. He is > a member of the Majlis-e-Shura of his alma mater > Darul Uloom, Deoband, and a > major benefactor of the institution. > > He has been on the frontline of the defence of the > embattled Deobandi > madrassas in the post-9/11 environment. Deoband has > now opened a department > of English language and literature on Ajmal's > initiative. > > Ajmal is founder-chairman of the Markazul Ma'arif > (centre for knowledge). It > has introduced a highly competitive two-year > training programme in English > language and computers for top madrassa graduates. > > According to a report by a sympathetic observer, > "With flowing beards and > traditional madrassa dress of kurta and pyjama not > lower than ankles, these > young people flaunt fluent English and etiquette > believed to be prerogative > of only people with a public school background". > > Countering the 'turbaned and bearded hordes' image > of the madrassa-educated > men is clearly a goal of this ambitious programme. > Markazul Ma'arif is also > a publishing house. > > Among its publications is a short history of > Deoband. In Ajmal's > introduction he talks about Islam being "the most > misunderstood religion" > and rejects the fashionable distinction between > fundamentalist and Sufi > Islam, one being bad and the other good. > > To readers of Barbara Metcalf's classic study > Islamic Revival in British > India: Deoband, 1860-1900 this would be a familiar > theme. The original > Deobandis, according to Metcalf, offered a composite > form of religious > leadership and were simultaneously ulama and Sufis. > > Ajmal heads the Assam unit of the > Jamait-Ulema-e-Hind hardly surprising > considering his ties with Deoband. The organisation > played a key role in > protests against the Bush visit to India in March. > > Can one separate Ajmal's political moves in Assam > from everything else he > does? His disenchantment with the Congress may be > deeper than what divides > him and Tarun Gogoi. > > Organisations in which he is a key player are > unhappy with the UPA > government's embrace of the US at a time when > anti-Americanism is widespread > among Muslims worldwide. > > Even if Gogoi eventually gives in to pressures from > New Delhi and accepts > Ajmal as an ally, it will not bridge the deepening > gulf between Congress and > Indian Muslims. > > *The writer is at Centre for Policy Research, New > Delhi, and Bard College, > New York.* > > * * > > _______________________________________________ > assam mailing list > [email protected] > http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! 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