Zafarul Islam Khan

Zafar ul Islam Khan Ex. Chairman of Delhi Minority Commission, author and journalist based in New Delhi. He is currently editor and publisher of The Milli Gazette fortnightly focusing on issues concerning the Muslim community. He is also the founder and chairman of Charity Alliance,[1] an organisation involved in relief and welfare work in India.[2]

Zafar-ul-Islam Khan
Khan, February 2007
Born (1948-03-12) 12 March 1948
Azamgarh, United Provinces, India
NationalityIndian
EducationPhD (Islamic Studies), Manchester University, 1987
Occupation(s)Journalist, author, Islamic scholar
Known forTranslation of Al-Islam Yatahadda; Compilation of Palestine Documents; Contributions to The Encyclopaedia of Islam; and Encyclopaedia of Islamic History
TitleEditor
Parent(s)Sabea Khan, Wahiduddin Khan

Birth and Education

Khan was born in Badhariya Azamgarh, India, in March 1948. He is the son of Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, a Muslim thinker who ran the Al Risala/Islamic Center in New Delhi. His primary education was at Madrasa-tul-Islah, a madrasah in Azamgarh, and Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow. Later he studied at Al-Azhar and Cairo University during 1966–73. He obtained his PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Manchester in 1987.[3]

Career

In the 1970s he worked with the Libyan Foreign Ministry as translator-editor. In the 1980s he was with the London-based The Muslim Institute, running their MuslimMedia newsservice and other publications. The Muslim Institute went on to form the Muslim Parliament, an informal body of leading British Muslims. He is author and translator of over 50 books in Arabic, English and Urdu including "Hijrah in Islam" (Delhi, 1996) and Palestine Documents (New Delhi 1998). He has contributed eight articles to the Encyclopaedia of Islam (Leiden) on Indo-Muslim themes. He is a regular commentator on Islamic and South Asian issues on radio and TV channels, including Al Jazeera and BBC Arabic and his writings appear in Arabic newspapers and magazines. In 2000, Khan started Milli Gazette, an English Language fortnightly compact newspaper.[4] In December 2007, he was elected for a two-year term (2008–2009) as President of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, the umbrella body of Muslim organisations in India. He has also been elected as the President of AIMMM for 2012 and re-elected for a further two-year term (2014-2015). In an interview to rediff.com he claimed there is "no tangible proof of Muslims' involvement in terrorism" in India.[5] In July 2017, he was appointed as Chairman for a three-year term of Delhi Minorities Commission, a quasi-judicial body to take care of the welfare and interests of the designated minorities in the Indian capital region.[6] As chairman, Khan formed a fact-finding committee to report and suggest recommendations to Delhi Government about the 2020 Delhi riots.[7]

Sedition Case

On 28 April 2020, Khan made a Facebook post arguing that Muslims in India were facing "hate campaigns, lynching and riots" by what he called were "Hindutva bigots". Khan also thanked Kuwait for its support for Indian Muslims. Facing backlash, he later apologized for the post, calling it ill-timed.[8][9] However, based on a complaint, the Delhi Police charged Khan with sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code.[9] A public statement in solidarity with Khan was signed by various notable figures including Swami Agnivesh, Gopal Menon, Kavita Krishnan and Annie Namala.[10]

Two petitions filed in the Delhi High Court against him have been disposed on their first day of hearing, 5 May 2020 and 11 May 2020 respectively.[11]

References
  1. Charity Alliance
  2. "Charity Alliance". Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  3. International, Orient Press. "Brief Bio: Dr Zafar-ul-Islam Khan (India)". www.pharosmedia.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  4. Akbar, Irena (15 December 2011). "Should Milli Gazette be allowed to die? - Indian Express". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  5. "'No tangible proof of Muslims' involvement' - Rediff.com".
  6. "Zafar ul Islam Khan appointed chairperson of Delhi minorities commission". Hindustan Times. 14 July 2017.
  7. "Delhi riots: DMC fact-finding report names Kapil Mishra, calls out Delhi Police". The Tribune. 18 July 2020. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  8. Bedi, Aneesha (2 May 2020). "Delhi Minorities Commission chief charged with sedition for 'provocative' social media post". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020.
  9. "FIR against Delhi Minorities Commission chairman for inflammatory content on social media". India Today. 2 May 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020.
  10. "A public statement in solidarity with Dr Zafarul Islam Khan". The Caravan. 2 May 2020. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  11. https://www.indialegallive.com/constitutional-law-news/courts-news/lg-has-issued-show-cause-notice-to-zafarul-islam-khan-delhi-govt-tells-hc-99086
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