Glimpses of ‘Gujarat Today’ & ‘Lok-hit Movement’

[Ai]	A daily in vernacular started and belonging to Muslims of Gujarat.
[Aii]	It is a non-partisan and neutral newspaper without indulging into 
	yellow journalism and indecent publicity. 
[Aiii]	It has sacrosanct policy based on Islamic principles.
[Aiv]	With advent of Gujarat Today significant check on mischivious 
	newspaper is brought about.
[Av]	Newspaper is the only industry in the world where increase in the 
	turnover widens the gap of losses unless such paper is supported by 
	its subsidiary or indulges in malpractices.
[A vi]	Gujarat Today wedded to the principles of fairness and decency resists 
	itself from such vices and as such obviously faces financial crunch.
[A vii]	Gujarat Today publishes grivences of victims.
[A viii] 	If this daily happens to be closed down, the community will not have a substitute 
	even for decades ahead.
[A ix]	Having regards to the potentiality of power that newspaper wields, it is the need 
	of Muslims to ensure its continuance.
[A x]	It pondered upon problem of communal divide and concluded that community 
	requires to be empowered in social, educational and economic fields.
[A xi]	To achieve this objective ‘Lok-hit Movement’ has been started and 
	Gujarat Today provides infrastructure.


[B i]	This Movement is based on Islamic principles of justice and equality without 
	sectarian discrimination.
[B ii]	The Movement extend legal aid to victimized people directly and or through NGO.
[B iii]	It aims to perform the duty of Huku-kul-Ibaad caste upon Muslims by Islam.
[B iv]	It offers a platform to work for the welfare of community irrespective of parochial 
	interest such as political ideology or firka or maslak.
[B v]	With such all-embracive approach, it helps to converge the community in spite 
	of its divergent agenda.
[B vi]	Movement is intended to provide infrastructure at grass root level beginning from 
	Taluka committees to District level committees and thereafter at the State level.
[B vii]	As on date 20 talukas have been visited and people are motivated to act in this
	direction. 
[B viii]	It is equally compulsive to encourage the Movement of awakening the 
	community to be at par with others in the fields of education and economy.

Factors that gave rise to ‘Gujarat Today’ & ‘Lok-hit Movement’
1. 	Vacuum of leadership since partition in the field of social and education. 
	People involved in social and political activities had largely migrated to the 
	new domain and those who stayed here had chosen to be in oblivion or felt 
	dejected. As a result the community was reduced to the status of  an 
	orphan in leadership. This vacuum of leadership still remains unfilled 
	except in religious field, encouraged divisive forces to go ahad with the 
	experiment to spread communalism.

2.  	Concerted efforts by divisive forces since 1984, inter alia by  harnessing 
	local media and perverting issue like Meenaxipuram conversion episode etc.
	Local newspapers, initiated a tacit movement to malign the Muslims 
	and generate hatred amongst the majority community against the Muslims. 
	This nefarious exercise did receive dividend by way of communal riots in 1985, 
	which intermittently are caused as and when desired by such divisive forces.

3.  	Newspapers continue spreading mis- information & perpetuating to poison 
	mind-set against Muslims.
	The vernaculars concocted stories to brand Muslims as anti-social and 
	anti-nationals. There was no channel or effective media to rebut such well 
	planned and concerted propaganda to defame the muslims. Letters addressed 
	to the editors were not published. Even paid advertisements to clarify truth 
	behind the false propaganda before public was not accepted. Such sordid 
	situation compelled a few right-thinking and conscious Muslims to realize 
	that if this trend is not contended or corrected it would  cause ever lasting 
	damage to the society and the nation at large.

4.  	Thus voice of the community to counter mischief and need to have its 
	own newspaper to rebut wrong propaganda & misinformation.
	Hence, birth of ‘Gujarat Today’. In combination with ‘Lok-hit Movement’ 
	efforts were made to do constructive work also in the field of education, 
	social awareness and economic upliftment.