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History
The
Indian Muslim
Relief Committee
(IMRC) was
established
by members
of the Muslim
Students
Association
of the United
States in
1981, following
the terrible
riots that
took place
the previous
year in Jamshidpur,
India. MSA
regional
representative
Manzoor Ghori
and others
were anguished
by this event
and decided
to act on
their growing
concern for
the plight
of Indian
Muslims since
the partition
of British
India in
1947.
In 1982, the devastating Assam massacre, one of the most horrendous crimes in modern history, gave further impetus to the formation of an organization permanently dedicated to providing assistance to minority Muslim communities living in India. It was particularly disheartening to note that little mention was made of this tragedy by any Muslim leaders at the Non-Aligned Nations Conference that took place at that time. In the aftermath of this event, Manzoor Ghori made his first visit to India for the purpose of assessing conditions on the ground and coordinating assistance from the Muslim community in the United States. What he saw there changed his entire life perspective: the Muslims of Assam lived the most humble lives, wishing only to be left to their fields and families, yet they were the victims of the most brutal politics.
It was clear
that in Assam
and elsewhere,
Muslims were
in dire need
of support
from their
brethren
abroad, most
of whom,
not having
seen with
their own
eyes the
injustices
being perpetrated,
were utterly
oblivious
to their
plight. IMRC
resolved
to focus
its energies
on developing
a multitiered
system of
relief and
development
for Indian
Muslims,
and educating
the Indian
Muslim and
American
Muslim communities
about the
needs of
Muslims in
India. Early
efforts included
preparing
a book on
the Assam
massacre,
providing
financial
support to
a small school
(which later
grew into
a major facility),
campaigning
against the
Terrorism
and Disruptive
Activities
Act (TADA)
which allowed
detention
of Indian
civilians
without due
process,
constructing
homes for
120 families
in Bombay,
and developing
a corps of
over 100
volunteers
in India
to conduct
relief work. |
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