The Jaipur Police on Thursday registered a criminal case after the social activists and Muslim groups in Rajasthan expressed outrage over some contents of a school textbook and a guidebook on political science, which seek to link religion with terrorism. The textbook is published by the Rajasthan State Textbook Board.
In a chapter on “Terrorism, criminalisation of politics and corruption”, the Class XII textbook asks a question, “What do you understand by Islamic terrorism?” A multiple choice question, “Which one of the following is not the main objective of Islamic terrorism?” gives the options of establishing a Muslim nation, implementing Islamic laws and principles, establishing peace, and resisting Western non-Muslim powers with violence.
The contents in the book, published for the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education, were reportedly introduced during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime. Bhanwar Singh Rathore, Associate Professor at Department of Political Science, Government College, Jodhpur, has been listed in the textbook as the convenor, author and translator.
The answer key given in the students’ guidebook, published by Jaipur-based Sanjiv Prakashan, states that Islamic terrorism is a “form of Islam” and goes on to elaborate on the subject. It says Islamic terrorism became “very powerful during the last 20 to 30 years” and had brought havoc to the world by “suicide attacks, unlimited barbarity, blackmail, demand for ransom and heinous killings”.
“Islamic terrorists dedicate themselves to their community and commit the heinous crimes in the name of their religion and Allah,” the answer states, adding that terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir was “purely religious” and could be put in the category of separatism.
A First Information Report was registered at Lal Kothi Police Station in Jaipur under Sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code on a complaint lodged by Mohsin Rasheed, general secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee’s minority cell.
Mr. Rasheed said the books directly associate the religion with terrorism by repeatedly using “Islamic terrorism” and promoted hatred for Islam and Muslims. “Besides provoking and humiliating Muslim students, teachers and the community, it is also an attempt to destroy the unity and integrity of the country,” he said in his complaint, while demanding action against those responsible for writing and approving the textbook.
Rajasthan Muslim Forum member Naim Rabbani held the Congress government responsible for not removing the “objectionable contents” in the last two years. He said while the BJP had inserted the reading material matching with its ideology during its rule, it was strange that the Congress had not dropped it during its exercise on revision of textbooks.
The Muslim Parishad Sansthan, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) and Popular Front of India have also demanded that the textbook and guidebook be withdrawn and the syllabus of political science revised. JIH State president Mohammed Nazimuddin said the State Board must ensure that the objectionable questions were not asked in the upcoming examinations.
A group of youths allegedly attacked the publisher Sanjiv Prakashan’s office situated in the Walled City here on Wednesday evening, and ransacked the furniture and bookshelves. Police have arrested three persons in connection with the incident.
