New Delhi: Muslim groups are treating Census 2011 with the utmost seriousness, hoping it will shield community members from harassment by police who often falsely brand them Pakistani agents or illegal immigrants.
From the conservative Jamaat Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind to the “modernist’’ Association of Muslim Professionals, they have all appealed to Muslims to participate in the exercise that will lead to every Indian being handed a unique identity card — “an indirect proof of citizenship”.
The Association of Muslim Professionals has issued guidelines urging Muslim families to carefully provide every detail to the census officials and double-check them. The guidelines are being pasted in mohallas and marketplaces, and are even being read out after the Friday prayers in some areas.
“Muslims have to be extra careful since every Muslim is being looked upon as a potential terrorist,” Farookh Ahmed of Jamiat Ulema said. “If a Muslim fails to get the unique ID, it can make his life really miserable. So we are requesting every Muslim to get themselves registered.”
The guidelines mention the dates on which the census is to be carried out in the various states and Union territories and give detailed advice on how Muslims should go about getting themselves registered by the enumerators.
“A responsible person from every family should write the names of the family members with correct spelling, address and dates of birth on a piece of paper and tell the census officials to register all these details according to it,” the guidelines say.
Explaining the procedure of getting the I-cards, they say: “Each and every household will be given an acknowledgement slip at the time of enumeration which has to be saved carefully for further use.”
The Muslim organisations have also formed volunteer groups that will accompany the enumerators and help the Muslim families provide all the census details, especially the uneducated households. “The important fields to check include spellings, nationality and dates of birth, etc,” the guidelines say.
The guidelines ask families to give clear answers to all the listed questions: “Do not understate or overstate things.”
Households should complain to the district collector if they are overlooked during the census, the guidelines say, adding that backward Muslims should choose the OBC option in the OBC/SC/ST column.
From the conservative Jamaat Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind to the “modernist’’ Association of Muslim Professionals, they have all appealed to Muslims to participate in the exercise that will lead to every Indian being handed a unique identity card — “an indirect proof of citizenship”.
The Association of Muslim Professionals has issued guidelines urging Muslim families to carefully provide every detail to the census officials and double-check them. The guidelines are being pasted in mohallas and marketplaces, and are even being read out after the Friday prayers in some areas.
“Muslims have to be extra careful since every Muslim is being looked upon as a potential terrorist,” Farookh Ahmed of Jamiat Ulema said. “If a Muslim fails to get the unique ID, it can make his life really miserable. So we are requesting every Muslim to get themselves registered.”
The guidelines mention the dates on which the census is to be carried out in the various states and Union territories and give detailed advice on how Muslims should go about getting themselves registered by the enumerators.
“A responsible person from every family should write the names of the family members with correct spelling, address and dates of birth on a piece of paper and tell the census officials to register all these details according to it,” the guidelines say.
Explaining the procedure of getting the I-cards, they say: “Each and every household will be given an acknowledgement slip at the time of enumeration which has to be saved carefully for further use.”
The Muslim organisations have also formed volunteer groups that will accompany the enumerators and help the Muslim families provide all the census details, especially the uneducated households. “The important fields to check include spellings, nationality and dates of birth, etc,” the guidelines say.
The guidelines ask families to give clear answers to all the listed questions: “Do not understate or overstate things.”
Households should complain to the district collector if they are overlooked during the census, the guidelines say, adding that backward Muslims should choose the OBC option in the OBC/SC/ST column.
