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Interview with Hyderabad Member of Parliament Assaduddin Owaisi Majlis-Ittahadul-Muslimeen

Hyderabad, September 04, 2007
First Published: 05:32 IST(4/9/2007)
Last Updated: 05:36 IST(4/9/2007)

EVERY MUSLIM house in Old Hyderabad is a virtual party office, said Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi when asked about the strength of his party’s volunteers. Owaisi represents the ENTIRE city of Hyderabad in India's National Parliament.

Owaisi’s party, the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM, Council of United Muslims), grabbed headlines recently when some MIM legislators attacked controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen. It has also been frequently accused of being involved in communal incidents.

“There is no place for terrorism in Hyderabad where Muslims enjoy one of the best socio-economic conditions in the country. A handful of misguided youths like Mohammed Shahid “Bilal” and some mischief-making outfits are pushing Hyderabad down the road of destruction” said Owaisi.

Owaisi believes “Bilal”, the India chief of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) is behind terror incidents in the city.

“There is something really wrong with Bilal and his family…his brother Zahid who is in Vishakhapatnam jail is even more dangerous and radical than Bilal. Bilal is behind the twin blasts and the Mecca mosque blast, I believe,” the MP said.

Owaisi apparently used background channels to send “several messages to Bilal’s father Abdul Wahad asking him to request Bilal to surrender and own up.”

“Bilal’s family stays away from me, Wahad is just not ready to accept his sons are involved in terror,” the MIM leader said. “These misguided youths call me kaafir (a non-believer), I am on their hit-list,” he added, softly.