Syed Maaz Razvi
NINETEEN years after a pipe bomb exploded inside the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad — killing nine Muslims and triggering police firing that killed five more — the question of “whodunit” remains unanswered. All individuals who stood trial were acquitted by a special court for the National Investigation Agency (NIA), with authorities attributing the lack of convictions to insufficient evidence and hostile witnesses.
Immediately after the blast, Hyderabad Police and the state intelligence suspected the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami. Over 100 Muslim youths were rounded up and detained. This initial probe resulted in scores of youths enduring severe torture and wrongful imprisonment, which was later detailed in a fact-finding report by the state’s minority commission. All 21 individuals initially charge-sheeted were acquitted in 2009 due to an absolute lack of evidence.
May 18, 2007, was one of the darkest days in the history of the city. During the sacred Friday prayers, a bomb blast tore through the historic mosque, turning a place of worship into a scene of bloodshed and grief. Innocent worshippers were martyred, while many others were severely injured. The blood of Muslims was spilled inside the sacred house, and the pain of that tragedy still echoes in the hearts of countless families.
But the tragedy did not end with the blast itself.
In the aftermath of the explosion, police opened indiscriminate fire on the crowd outside the mosque. More innocent Muslims lost their lives, while many others were wounded. What should have been a moment of protection and justice instead became another chapter of suffering, fear, and state excess.
What followed in the years after was equally heartbreaking. Innocent Muslim youth were arrested without credible evidence, falsely accused in terror cases, subjected to media trials, and imprisoned for years. Families were shattered, futures were destroyed, and lives were permanently scarred.
Even more disturbing was the way investigations later shifted, with names linked to Hindutva ideology emerging in investigative and media discussions. Yet despite years passing, many questions remain unanswered, many victims remain unheard, and justice still feels distant.
Sadly, this was not an isolated case. In several incidents, the same pattern has been witnessed — innocent Muslims being arrested first, harassed, harangued and humiliated publicly, and later proven innocent after their lives had already been ruined. By the time investigations changed direction, the damage had already been done.
Nineteen years later, the same painful questions remain:
* Who were the real perpetrators?
* Why has justice still not been delivered?
* And who will be accountable for the loss of innocent lives?
Another painful reality is the silence surrounding such oppression. Where are the strong voices of leadership? Why do so many scholars, political figures, influential people, and organisations remain silent? Do we not understand that remaining silent against oppression is itself a form of support for the oppressor?
History reminds us of the famous incident of Caliph Mu’tasim Billah. When a Muslim woman cried out, “Wa Mu’tasima!” — “O Mu’tasim, come to my aid!” — after facing oppression, the Caliph responded by mobilising an army in her defence. That incident became a symbol of the dignity, unity, and protective leadership of the Muslim Ummah.
Today, however, even the cries of thousands of oppressed people fail to awaken us.
One major reason for this weakness is that the Ummah no longer possesses the shield behind which it once felt secure — sincere and courageous leadership that protects the oppressed and establishes justice.
The Prophet said: “The Imam (leader) is a shield; people fight behind him and seek protection through him.”
As long as Islamic governance remained established in the world, history witnessed remarkable examples of justice. Courts treated rulers and ordinary citizens equally. Muslims and non-Muslims alike were granted fairness under the law.
The case of Caliph Hadrat Ali appearing in court alongside a Jewish man, the justice and mercy shown by Salahuddin Ayyubi even toward his enemies, and the extraordinary accountability of Hadrat Umar Farooq all stand out as timeless examples of Islamic justice.
Hazrat Umar famously said: “If even a dog dies hungry by the banks of the Euphrates, Umar will be questioned about it.”
This was the level of responsibility expected from leadership in Islam — a system where not only human beings, but even animals were protected through justice and accountability.
Allah says in the Qur’an (Surah 5, Verse 8): “O you who believe! Stand firmly for Allah as witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is closer to righteousness.”
And Allah also says in Surah 16, Verse 90: “Indeed, Allah commands justice and excellence.”
The Prophet also warned: “The nations before you were destroyed because when a noble person among them stole, they let him go, but when a weak person stole, they punished him.”
Justice in Islam is not reserved for Muslims alone; it is a right for all humanity. True justice cannot be selective, influenced by politics, power, or public narratives.
These all remind us that when systems of politics and leadership become disconnected from divine guidance and justice, oppression, power, and injustice begin to dominate societies.
Today, more than ever, there is a need for the Ummah to unite and strive for a system founded upon justice, accountability, and moral leadership — a system in which not only Muslims, but every oppressed human being can find protection and fairness.
May Allah grant mercy to the martyrs, grant justice to the innocent, punish the perpetrators of the Mecca Masjid blast in this world and the Hereafter, and give us the courage and sincerity to stand firmly against oppression and work for the establishment of true justice.
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Syed Maaz Razvi is a recruitment professional based in Hyderabad. He writes on issues impacting society. The views expressed here are the writer’s own and Clarion India does not necessarily subscribe to them. He can be reached at maaz.razvi@gmail.com
