Muslim bodies condemn attack

mumbai: leaders of several muslim organisations have condemned the attack on passengers aboard the sabarmati express at godhra and appealed to all communities to maintain peace and harmony in their localities. mohammed saeed noori, general secretary of the raza academy, said his organisation deeply regretted the killings of kar sevaks at godhra railway station and asked the government to ensure that there was no backlash by communal forces on either side.similar sentiments have been expressed by the all india sunni jamaitul ulema, tanzeem-e-aiemma-e-masajid, tehreeqe-sunni aiemma-e-masajid and all india sunni tabhligi jamat. abu asim azmi, city unit president of the samajwadi party, also condemned the attack on kar sevaks and appealed to mumbaikars not to be influenced by hearsay and rumours. “killing innocent men, women and children is inhuman and the government must take the strictest possible action against the perpetrators of such a dastardly crime,’’ said maulana khalil-ur-rahman sajjad normani, spokesperson of the all india muslim personal law board. the board has also appealed to the gujarat government and the media not to hold an entire community responsible for the killings and not to harass innocents even before the identity of the criminals is established. however, the raza academy has also criticised the vishwa hindu parishad (vhp) for their fundamentalist stance. “it is high time that kar sevaks of the vhp realise that the harm caused to the indian society would have to be borne by hindus and muslims alike,’’ mr noori said. chief minister vilasrao deshmukh said he has asked all district collectors to convene peace committee meetings to enhance the spirit of communal harmony and appealed to people not to believe in rumours.