Maulvi Kalbe Jawad– A Saga of Vested Self Interest

Maulvi Kalbe Jawad– A Saga of Vested Self Interest

Summary

The stand of the self styled and self proclaimed Shia Muslim religious leader Maulvi Kalbe Jawad on women is only one part of his nefarious designs to exploit the Shias in particular and Muslims in general for his personal gains. Since his return from Iran, he is pursuing his one point mission of extorting money from the Shia in the name of Khums, thick fee packets for reciting Majlis, heavy charges running into Rs.60-70 k by selling space for graves in the Imambara Ghufranmaab, and by bargaining with political parties for Muslim votes, and earning the favors of land sharks and builders by pushing their names through the corridors of power in the State for positions in the Shia Waqf Board and other offices with good opportunity for plunder. He has no known/declared source of income, yet he lives lavishly - Traveling heavily in the country and overseas mostly by air. To maintain all this he has to spread ignorance and confusion, exploit his position of the Pesh Namaz of Asafi Masjid and the holy pulpit for spreading serious lies, rumors, and for character assassination of any one who dares oppose him or even ask a question, and threatening and bullying any one he perceives as a threat to his activities, through his goons .

Unfortunately, the governments, political parties and the media looking at the crowd behind him in the Friday prayer and in the Majlises recited by him think that he is a popular unquestioned leader of Shias, which he is not. The crowd behind him in the prayer or in the Majlis has not gone there to listen to him. It is a crowd of devotees which regularly visits these places and will do so whether Kalbe or someone else leads the prayer.
People, who opposed his ways openly, have recently died in quick succession under mysterious circumstances.
A saga of some of his activities reported by the Urdu press in Lucknow is presented here. The national media will do a great service in investigating what is reported and bringing it to the public at large, before it is too late!

If you watched him on IBN 7 minutely on March 14, after noon, you must be able to recall that the self styled leader of the Shia Muslim community in India Maulvi Mr. Kalbe Jawad, claimed that he believed in mixing religion (read – clergy) with politics. Well, I am sure no one in a democratic country could have an objection to that, provided Mr. Kalbe meant a healthy politics or statesmanship, which he does not. What he meant from politics was exploitation of brute force of power – power to bargain with the political parties for Muslim votes, not for the, economic, political or educational empowerment of that community but for his own personal vested interests.
He announced this great idea of permissibility of the ulema meddling with earthly politics in a very dramatic manner from the pulpit in a Friday Prayer a few years after his return from Iran. He told the people that he had miraculously found a writing of his late father Maulan Mr. Kalbe Abid, which read that he must enter politics. After being assured that the public was not going to object to the meddling of a holy man in these affairs, he slowly became close to Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav and for this purpose in order to prove his might, and to claim and own the crowds, he actively participated in and addressed to big Muslim protest processions. It will not be out of place to remind here that in all those procession which all had his very timely blessings, thousands of Muslim girls and women had marched shouting slogans side by side their brethren but the holy man of ours never urged them to go back and sit at home waiting for their husbands to come back, and engage in their sacred duty of baby making, as (his version of) Islam did not permit women to take leadership roles or to make speeches/shout slogans standing on the side of a man.
He started inventing miracles and narrating dreams to prove himself to be the chosen leader of the Shias, people objected[i] to his tricks the main among them was led by late Mr. Jawed Murtaza, Senior Advocate of Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench), in the name of Ali Congress[ii], working as an ideological non-political organization of Shia Muslims dedicated to a three point formula viz, Promoting Unity Amongst Different Sections of Muslims, Promoting Unity and Trust between Muslims and Non-Muslims and Supporting Monotheism and Opposing Polytheism.
After elections, as happens in a democracy, the power dynamics in the State changed! The self styled sacred man demonstrated a high level of Machiavellian Intelligence. One fine morning the news papers carried a report of a great meeting of Mr. Kalbe with the new chief minister Bahan Kumari Mayawati ji.
The Maulvi was accompanied by his confidante Wasim Rizvi, a land shark and builder, who was, on recommendations of Mr. Kalbe made the Chairman of Shia Waqf Board[iii] that governs property worth billions of rupees throughout the State in Shia Waqfs. The said Rizvi, became very controversial in the local Urdu Press later on, but always backed and was backed by Mr. Kalbe, They remain good trusted friends so far.
In the ensuing parliamentary elections the Maulvi, gave a call to the Muslims to support the BSP candidate Mr. Akhilesh Das. However since he had no public following Mr. Das lost the elections[iv]. In the said elections, the Ali Congress as usual had maintained its non-political character and requested the Muslims to vote on the voice of their own conscience and not on the dictates of any particular Maulvi[v].
To save his face Mr. Kalbe announced an unauthorized decree, of dissolving Ali Congress and forming a so called All India Ali Congress with a few office bearers of his own chosing[vi]. Ali congress clarified that Mr. Kalbe had no authority to intervene in its affairs and the organization continues and will continue functioning with its three point agenda[vii]. Mr. Kalbe, enraged with the defiance concocted very serious allegations against Ali Congress of being agents of Nadwa and Saudi Arabia against Shias. He recalled two anecdotes from out of the thin air according to one Mr. Shamim Kazim, “Ex- President of BCCI” had informed him that someone had brought Rs. 40,00,000/= to him given by the Saudi Embassy to be used against Azadari (the Moharram Mourning of the Martyrdom of Hazarat Imam Husain PBOH, by the Shias) and according to the other one a student of Nadwa met him at Allahabad and informed him that members of Ali Congress used to come to Nadwa and talked against Shias[viii] .
On enquiry it was known that Mr. Shamim Kazim refered by Mr. Kalbe was in fact ex-Chairman of the Bombay Mercantile Cooperative Bank Ltd., and lived at, Noida (Mobile No. 09818454747). Little wonder that Mr. Kalbe did not know any thing about BCCI or BMC and thus confused between the two while concocting the story right from the holy pulpit. Any how if it was true it was an allegation of a very serious crime not only against Ali Congress but also a foreign embassy and Mr. Shamim Kazim, and the reporting Maulvi too as they did not report such a serious matter of foreign conspiracy to the law enforcing authorities of India. Further, this utterance was seriously hate-provoking and had the potential to instigate the Shias against Sunnis, and thus had law and order implications. In another sermon the Maulvi said that one Mr. Mushtaq Aamir, who is working with the media, had informed him about the above alleged nexus of Nadawa and Ali Congress[ix].
When Mr. Shamim Kazim was contacted, he plainly refused telling any such thing to Mr. Kalbe and called the anecdote a plain lie. Similarly, through his letter to the Maulvi a copy of which was released to the press to Mr. Mushtaq Aamir of Allahabad plainly denied having ever told any such thing and asked the Maulvi to tender an apology for publicly assigning a false blame to him[x]. Ali Congress issued a press note and demanded Mr. Kalbe to either prove the allegations or to tender an apology[xi].
On 13th June Ali Congress called an open meeting of Muslims in the Historical Chota Imambara, Lucknow and detailed about its ideology and message. The meeting was attended by many hundred people was a grand show of peaceful expression of ideology and opinions it got a wide coverage in the Urdu press[xii].
It was later known that while the peaceful meeting was under progress Mr. Kalbe’s armed goons had encircled the venue to disrupt the function but because of alert police presence, were unable to make any such misadventure. They made themselves content with shouting abuses against the organizers when every one had left[xiii]. On 19th June Mr. Kalbe again resorted to brute force by abusing Ali Congress and its organ Pyam-e-nau from the Friday Pulpit and getting copies of Pyam-e-nau trampled torn and thrown into the pond of Asafi Masjid, Lucknow[xiv].
Since despite repeated demands the Maulvi neither produced any proof in support of his allegations nor tendered an apology, Ali Congress pressed a demand with the administration of the Husainabad trust to change the Pesh Namaz of Juma as according to the Shia theology a Shia was not allowed to recite prayer behind an unjust person and Mr. Kalbe had proved himself to be unjust by his malafide and false public utterances that too from the holy pulpit. The Memorandum was handed over to Mr. A. K Pathak ADM[xv]
This was followed by a tirade of abusive press releases by the goons of the Maulvi we are quoting a few:
They abused Mr. Jawed Murtaza for asking the help of “non-Muslims (the ADM)” against Mr. Kalbe[xvi] .Thus trying to stoke Hindu-Muslim hatred. They threatened Jawed Murtaza of crushing his bones[xvii]. Their goons manhandled Mr. Zameer Naqvi, a free lance journalist because he had sympathized with Ali Congress[xviii] . They created a so called Shariah Court and threatened Mr. Jawed Murtaza of being condemned by it [xix]. In addition to these there were innumerous slanderous pamphlets which were distributed by Mr. Kalbe Mr. Jawed Murtaza fell sick and ultimately died in November. In March another strong member of the group and a known journalist Mr. Alyasa Rizvi died after a very short illness. He was also made a target of slanderous pamphlets. These very quick deaths of the members of the group make the circumstances under which they died doubtful. Or at least, indicate to the extreme mental torture that these brave men faced[xx].
It is clear from the way Mr.Kalbe behaved on the TV Channel that he is an arrogant fascist a misogynist and a pathological liar. There are not many who dare to oppose his nefarious designs in the Muslim Community, though no reasonable or educated Muslim likes him. It is his nexus with the land mafia which is his strength. It is expedient that before he becomes an incurable cancer, he must be corrected, contained, or at least properly identified by the public at large. We request the media to kindly step in and investigate the following:

1. The truth of his allegations with respect to Mr. Shamim Kazim and Mr. Mushtaq Aamir.
2. The sources of his income. Whether the trusts and waqfs managed by him are being properly audited.
3. His nexus with builders and land sharks specially Mr. Wasim Rizvi.
4. The circumstances under which Mr. Jawed Murtaza and Mr. Alyasa Rizvi died. Incidentally these are the two people Mr. Kalbe mentioned by name in his sermon[xxi]
Further the media may please stop calling him a Shia Dharm Guru. He has nothing to do with Dharm and does not represent the Shia community.


[i] Pyam-e-Nau,Lucknow 01-02-2008
[ii] http://www.deenfahmi.org, http://www.alicongress.in or search youtube for “alicongress’
[iii] http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Aspirants+gear+up+as+Waqf+Board+polls+draw+near.-a0220698274
[iv] http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/times-of-india-the/mi_8012/is_20090512/ulema-condemn-jazia-sikhs-taliban/ai_n39570951/
[v] Awadhnama, Lucknow 29-04-2009
[vi] Awadhnama, Lucknow and Sahafat, Lucknow 19.05.2009
[vii] Sahafat and Awadhnama 21.05.2009
[viii] Clip of the said sermon is available at youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ_oV2NYt2I
[ix] Sahafat , Lucknow 04.07.2009
[x] Sahafat, Lucknow 12.07.2009, Awadhnama, Lucknow 12.07.2009
[xi] Sahafat, Lucknow 08.06.2009,
[xii] Sahafat, Lucknow 14.06.2009, and Awadhnama, Faizabad 15.06.2009
[xiii] Awadhnama, Lucknow 16.06.2009
[xiv] Sahafat, Lucknow 20.06.2009
[xv] Sahafat, Lucknow 12.07.2009
[xvi] Awadhnama, Lucknow 15.07.2009
[xvii] Awadhnama, Lucknow 18.07.2009
[xviii] Awadhnama, Lucknow 21.07.2009
[xix] Awadhnama,Lucknow 17.07.2009, 20.07.2009, 21.07.2009, 22.07.2009, 24.07.2009, 25.07.20
[xx] Awadhnama, Lucknow and Sahafat, Lucknow 15.03.2010
[xxi] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ_oV2NYt2I