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Sun, Dec 12, 2010 | The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

The Ideology Behind the Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan

A convoy from India and other Asian countries left New Delhi to reach the Gaza Strip at the end of December. Among the participants are extreme leftist and Islamic activists who were joined by human rights activists. The convoy has links to FGM, which plays a central role in organizing flotillas.

Overview

A large Asian aid convoy called the Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan left India for the Gaza Strip with about 500 activists from 17 Asian countries, some of them Muslim. The convoy set out from India to Pakistan and from there to Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.^[1] It is expected to set sail for El-Arish from the Syrian port of Latakia and to enter the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing towards the end of December 2010 (close to the date of Operation Cast Lead, which began on December 28, 2008). The voyage by sea has not yet been referred to in the organization’s media reports and in our assessment that is because their arrival has not yet been arranged with Egypt.

An umbrella organization called the Asian People’s Solidarity for Palestine (APSP), hostile to Israel, is prominent among the convoy organizers. Most of the participants are from India, but en route more activists are expected to join, including some from Pakistan and Iran (the convoy can potentially be infiltrated by activists from other organizations, such as Al-Qaeda, although we have no information of such a possibility).

The convoy’s objectives, stated at a press conference held in Karachi (Pakistan) on November 29, 2010, are to “liberate Palestine,” “break the siege on the Gaza Strip,” “destroy the Israeli system of apartheid,” and unite Asian countries in the effort to realize those objectives (Fars News Agency, Iran, December 1, 2010).

The Participants

The following emerged from an analysis of the organizations and activists participating in the convoy:

A. Political and social composition: It is composed of organizations and activists affiliated with the extreme left (various types of Communists and Maoists) and Islamic organizations and activists. They were joined by human rights and social activists, separatists from various states in India, anti-establishment organizations and activists, and feminist activists (who have joined an effort to support the extreme Islamist Hamas administration, which systematically oppresses women and denies them their rights). There are also anti-globalists, activists who oppose the United States and “imperialism,” and others.

B. National composition: According to the organizers, there will be participants from 17 countries, but a large percentage of them are Indian. Like the previous convoys, they will be joined by activists and receive support from the countries through which they pass, including Pakistan, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey.

C. Attitude towards Israel: Asian People’s Solidarity for Palestine, the umbrella group organizing the convoy, is hostile to Israel, denies its legitimacy and supports the so-called “resistance” (Palestinian terrorism). It has stated its commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state within “historic Palestine” (i.e., a state from which Israel will disappear), and defines Zionism as a kind of colonialism and apartheid, and hostile to the United States and “imperialism.” Some of the convoy members represent other organizations with a record of hostility toward Israel. On the other hand, many of the organizations and activists in the convoy have no stated policy regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

D. Linkage to previous convoys and flotillas: The convoy’s organizers are linked to the Free Gaza Movement (FGM), a coalition headed by extreme leftist American activists which played a key role in previous flotillas. Huwaida Araf, a prominent figure in the FGM, visited Mumbai in September 2009 where she met with the head of the FGM’s Indian branch. She played a central role in organizing the Indian convoy (See below). The APSP’s website posts information about FGM and Viva Palestina flotillas and convoys, and calls for broad Asian participation in the international movement “to end the siege [sic] of the Gaza Strip” (www.countercurrents.org, August 20, 2010).

The convoy has many participants, some of them representing various organizations and groups, others participating on a personal basis. The most prominent organizer is Feroze Mithiborwala, a human rights and social activist from Mumbai, who is also head of the FGM branch in India. He was a leftist who worked to promote Muslims in Mumbai and founded an organization called the Muslim Intellectual Forum. He is also the president of Awami Bharat, an organization which calls for dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims (www.countercurrents.org). In July 2009 he was arrested in Mumbai during the American secretary of state’s visit. On November 29, 2010, the eve of his departure for the convoy, Feroze Mithiborwala held a press conference in Karachi where he defined its goals (See above). He called the convoy a step in forming a front against imperialism and “world Zionism.”

Feroze Mithiborwala was in Beirut during the Second Lebanon War and wrote a column about what he called Lebanon’s “victory” (www.aljazirah.info, August 26, 2010). He is the FGM’s liaison in India and even hosted Huwaida Araf when she visited Mumbai in September 2009 (www.intifada-palestine.com, September 2009). On “Jerusalem Day” in Mumbai in September 2010 he said that Indians had to increase their solidarity with the Palestinians and support their “resistance” [i.e., the terrorist organizations] to the so-called “Zionist Israeli occupation.” He said that the “Palestinian resistance” was “the international avant garde” in the joint struggle against imperialism and Zionism (www.twocircles.net).

Another activist who participated in organizing the convoy is Rakh Sehgal, from New Delhi, who is deals with collecting donations for it. It is unclear whether or not she will take part in the journey.

The organizers of the convoy and some of its participating organizations and activists are also active in the international campaign currently being waged to delegitimize the State of Israel (through boycotts and anti-Israeli propaganda). For example, the convoy’s Facebook page features a call to cancel the appearance of an Israeli music group which the government is sending to perform in India (apparently a reference to the performance of the Israeli group Rockfour in India on October 26, 2010).

This bulletin contains two appendices:

A. Appendix I: The organizations participating in the Asian convoy.

B. Appendix II: Prominent activists participating in the convoy.

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Appendix I

The organizations participating in the Asian convoy

Overview

Most of the Asian convoy’s many organizations and activists are from India. The organizations are for the most part from the radical left (some of them Leninist or Maoist) and Islamic organizations, some of them radical Islamic. They were joined by human rights organizations, trade unions and social welfare organizations with various objectives (such as revoking the caste system in India, improving the lot of the working class, etc.).

In addition, several of them share the following traits:

A. Many are local and some are separatist from various Indian states (particularly those in the periphery where there is ethnic and religious strife).

B. Some of the organizations (especially those which organized the convoy) are hostile to Israel and support the Palestinians (mainly Palestinian extremists), while some do not deal with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

C. Some of the organizations work outside the law, and several had their offices raided by the Indian police and/or their activists arrested.

D. Some of the organizations noted below may be short-lived or were established ad hoc to participate in the convoy.

The convoy’s organizations are the following:

Asian People’s Solidarity for Palestine (APSP)

The APSP is an umbrella organization, prominent among the convoy’s organizers, whose objective is to “break the siege on the Gaza Strip” using peaceful methods. It is based on NGOs and activists of different religions from different states in India and additional Asian countries. It has links with other pro-Palestinian organizations around the globe, including the FGM, Viva Palestina and the Turkish IHH, three pro-Hamas organizations which play leading roles in organizing convoys and flotillas to the Gaza Strip.

Like other organizations of its ilk, the APSP does not unequivocally state its support for Hamas, but its website (more clearly than other such organizations in the West) expresses views clearly hostile to Israel, denying its legitimacy and overtly sympathetic to Hamas. For example, it expresses solidarity with the “resistance” (i.e., terrorism) and the “intifada against the Zionist Israeli occupation.” It also affirms commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital “within historic Palestine” (i.e., the State of Israel). The organization also promises to support the Palestinian people (with resources and “volunteers to support the struggle of the people of Palestine”). It calls for “the right of return for the Palestinian refugees” and opposes the support various governments give the State of Israel. Like similar organizations in the West, the APSP frequently uses terms referring to promoting “peace, freedom and human dignity,” and opposing religious discrimination (www.countercurrents.org, October 5, 2010).

Lifeline to Gaza

Lifeline to Gaza is a pro-Palestinian network which is part of the APSP. At the beginning of November 2010 it held a three-day Palestinian film festival and invited the public to free showings. In our assessment, the festival’s objective was to raise consciousness in preparation for the convoy (a propaganda tactic used by IHH in the past).

All India Student Association (AISA)

The AISA is a radical, revolutionary leftist student organization with links to the Marxist-Leninist Party for the Liberation of India. It was established in Allahabad, a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India in August 1990. It united with other student organizations in various cities to create an umbrella organization for revolutionary students. It recently held a national congress in Calcutta.

Aman Bharat

We have no information about this organization.

Asha Parivar

Asha Parivar is a social organization established in 2008 whose objective is to strengthen democracy and reinforce the weak sectors of Indian society. It operates in Haryana, a state in the north of the country, and in parts of Kashmir and Delhi.

Awami Bharat

Awami Bharat is a political-social organization. Its blog posts anti-Zionist, anti-Israeli, anti-American propaganda. Its name was mentioned in connection with the terrorist attack on the Habad House in Mumbai (November 2008) but the organization denied involvement (www.countercurrents.org). Its president is Feroze Mithiborwala, a key figure among the Asian convoy’s organizers (www.countercurrents.org).

Ayodhya Ki Awaaj

The name of the organization means “the voice of Ayodhya.” The organization calls for peace between Hindus and Muslims in the Ayodhya region of northern India, where there were a number of violent confrontations between Hindus and Muslims. It is headed by Pandit Jugal Kishore Shastri, who is supposed to participate in the convoy.

Bahujan Sewak Sangh

We have no information about this organization.

Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha

MASUM is a human rights organization founded in Calcutta, Western Bengal, in 1998. Its objective is to raise public consciousness about basic human rights and to create a society free of human rights violations. For the most part the organization extends aid to victims of torture and works in cooperation with UN agencies. Its secretary is Kirity Roy, a human rights activist who was arrested on charges of conspiracy by the Indian authorities in April 2010. In the past the Indian police have raided the organization’s offices (http://www.masum.org.in).

Bharat Bachao Andolan

The name of the organization means “Save India Movement.” Its objective is “to protect India from the clutches of [i]mperialism, Zionism and Brahmanism [f]orces that have hijacked India.”^[2] On the Iranian-instigated “Jerusalem Day” in September 2010, the movement called on the countries of the world to defend “Palestine” from Israeli oppression, calling the issue humanitarian and not Muslim, Arab or Israeli. The organization’s president is Feroze Mithiborwala, one of the convoy’s key figures. Organization activist Aslam Ghazi is also in the convoy (www.twocircles.net). Bharat Bachao Andolan members recently demonstrated to protest American President Obama’s visit to India.

Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha

The organization is registered as a charity foundation and volunteer organization. (There is an organization of scientists with the same name, but apparently coincidentally.)

Campaign for Peace & Democracy Manipur (CPDM)

The organization operates to stop the brutality of the Indian government’s repression of Manipur, a state in northeastern India on the border with Myanmar (Burma). The site quotes Marx, Stalin and Mao.

Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha (Mazdoor Karyakarta Committee)

A leftist organization located in Chhattisgarh, a state in central India, it works to promote the status of the working class. It organizes protest demonstrations of workers and farmers against corporations and India’s economic policies.

CPI(ML)

The Indian Communist Party was established in 1969 at a congress in Calcutta and is headed by Charu Majumdar; its main offices are in Delhi. It is Marxist-Leninist and supports armed revolution. Its website has many postings about the Gaza Strip, Israel and the Palestinians, against imperialism and in favor the rule of the working class. Many of the political organizations in India today are offshoots of the Communist party.
1. הפועלים. קיימים היום בהודו מספר רב של ארגונים פוליטיים שמקורם במפלגה זאת.

CPI-ML (New Democracy)

The CPI-ML New Democracy is a Marxist-Leninist splinter group with Maoist leanings which broke away from the CPI (ML) in 1988. Its secretary general is Yatendra Kumar and most of its activity is in Andhra Pradesh, a state on the southeastern coast of India, but it has branches elsewhere. It operates through parliamentary channels and participates in elections, but also has a clandestine guerilla force which is armed. In recent years it has become more radical and begun focusing more of its activity on its clandestine guerilla operations.

Forum against Oppression of Women

The Forum is an volunteer women’s organization which belongs to the Indian feminist movement. Its main office is in Mumbai. The organization was established in 1979 in response to the extreme injustice in trying rape cases. It quickly became a forum for the war against the oppression of women in general. Its activists come from different backgrounds, from students to housewives to career women and university lecturers. Meetings are held once a week.

Free Gaza – India

Free Gaza – India is the Indian branch of the Free Gaza Movement (FGM), an umbrella organization founded by leftist activists in the United States to launch flotillas to the Gaza Strip, and which played a key role in the Mavi Marmara flotilla. The most prominent individuals are Huwaida Araf, Adam Shapiro and Greta Berlin. The FGM’s Indian branch is headed by Feroze Mithiborwala, a key figure in organizing the Asian convoy. In September 2009, Huwaida Araf, a key figure in the FGM, spent a week in India.

Global Gandhi Forum

We have no information about this organization.

Hard News

Hard News is an independent, alternative news site which, it claims, tries “to give expression to old-fashioned public-spirited journalism that is angry, adversarial and irreverent,” and deals with the “stuff no one wants to touch.”^[4] It is published in hard copy and also has a website. Its writers come from India, southern Asia and Western universities. Its editorial offices are in New Delhi.

Indian Isladhi Movement

We have no information about this organization.

India Palestine People’s Solidarity Forum

We have no information about this organization.

Indian Federation of Trade Unions

The Federation was founded in 1992 as a wing of the trade unions in the Indian Communist party (Janashaki). With the collapse of the Communist party the Federation’s power waned. It was reorganized under the leadership of B. Pradip, who was chosen by the founding committee in 1992. Today the Federation is not affiliated with any party. There are a number of splinter groups which use its name.

Insaaniyat

We have no information about this organization.

Intercultural Resources

Intercultural Resources is a political-social forum “for research and political intervention on issues related to the impacts and alternatives to destructive development.”^[5] It also works to further Palestinian “rights.” The forum is headed by Imtiaz Ahmad, a former professor of political sociology at Nehru University in New Delhi, who studies and writes about Islam in southern Asia.

Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Hind

The name means Organization of Indian Scholars. It is one of India’s leading Islamic organizations, and was founded in 1919. It has a network of activists throughout the country and publishes a daily Urdu newspaper called Al-Jamiyat. The organization promotes the message that Muslims and non-Muslims have entered upon a mutual contract in India since independence, to establish a secular state.^[6] The organization’s website appears in Arabic, English and Urdu.

Jamat-e-Islami-Hind

Jamat-e-Islamic-Hind is one of India’s most influential Islamic organizations. It was founded in Lahore (the provincial capital of Punjab, Pakistan) in August 1941 by Syed Abdullah Maududi along with 75 other activists. They included religious scholars, university graduates, workers, artists and professionals. Its objective was to adopt Islam in all areas of life and it declared itself open to all Indians regardless of caste. Once India gained independence the organization split and today has branches throughout India. It also has a women’s wing. It publishes an Arabic-language newspaper called Al-Nashra. The Indian government has banned its activities twice.

Le Monde Diplomatique

Le Monde Diplomatique is a newspaper published in French and English. According to its website, it “is a major international paper that is truly independent, that sees the world in fresh ways, that focuses on places no other publications reach. We offer a clear, considered view of the conflicting interests and complexities of a modern global world.”^[7] Its inclusion in the list of organizations participating in the convoy is unclear.

Loknaad

The name means the People’s Voice, and is dedicated to spreading awareness through music.

Mahatma Phule-Dr Ambedkar Vichar Manch

We have no information about this organization.

Mazdoor Ekta Manch

The name means the Society for Labor and Development. The organization’s objective is to restore the dignity of workers and to ensure their rights in face of the power of the corporations.

Muslim Intellectual Forum

The forum is composed of intellectuals who aspire to create awareness amongst Muslims to aid their “intellectual elevation.” The organization is headed by Abd al-Rashid Qarishi, a supreme court judge in New Delhi. The forum organizes protests against Israel.

Muslim Political Council of India

The Council is an Islamic organization based in Delhi, headed by Dr. Tislam Rahmani. It cooperates with other Indian Islamic organizations.

National Association [sic] of Peoples Movements (NAPM)

This is apparently the National Alliance of Peoples Movements, a social organization working against injustice and discrimination. It was established in 1992 and took on its final form in 1996. It is a union of a number of organizations and movements in India with social goals. They are against globalism, religious fundamentalism, the caste system and all forms of discrimination.

National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers (NFFPFW)

The Forum is an organization active in the forested areas of northern Bengal and promotes the rights of the forest workers. It organizes workers’ protests and agitates for the passage of laws protecting their rights.

New Socialist Initiative

The Initiative is an anti-capitalist social organization which promotes a society free of economic, social, gender, national, racial and ecological oppression.

New Trade Union Initiative

The Initiative is an association of several trade unions which joined forces in New Delhi in 2006. It “organises workers, wages issue-based struggles, campaigns for legislation on labour rights, education for the workplace and organisational democracy.” It is based in New Delhi.

Palestine Solidarity Movement

We have no information about this organization.

People’s Union for Civil Liberties

The Union is a civil rights organization founded in 1976 by Jaya Prakash Narayan, a rival of Indira Gandhi and an activist for social change and the defense of civil liberties and human rights. The organization is not funded by any body either in India or abroad and its expenses are covered by its members. Its has many branches throughout India and publishes a bulletin. Its president is Prabhakar Sinha.

Phule-Ambedkar Vichar Manch

We have no information about such an organization.

Programme against Custodial Torture and Impunity

The Programme is a human rights organization operating in western Bengal. Its main objective is to prevent torture in India. It is headed by Kirity Roy, a well-known human rights activist who is a member of Amnesty International and who has been arrested by the Indian authorities because of his activities.

Progressive Students Union

We have no information about this organization.

Republican Panther

We have no information about this organization.

Saheli Women’s Resource Centre

The Centre is a women’s organization based in New Delhi. It has been actively promoting women’s rights for the past 25 years, and is funded by contributions. Since 1984 it has published a quarterly journal which reports on its activities.

Sarva Seva Sangh

Sarva Seva Sangh is a social organization headed by Richard Vaz which has been in operation since 1976. Its objective is to provide welfare services in the Pune (Poona) district of Marharashtra in western India. It mounts projects mainly for women and children in the areas of health and teaching skills. In January 1979 it adopted its present name and was legally registered as a charitable society.

Solidarity Youth Movement

The Movement is a revolutionary Islamic youth movement which was founded in 2003. It is a faction of the Jamiat Islami in the state of Kerala in southern India. The movement’s president is Mujeeb Rahman and its secretary general is P.I. Nowshad.

South Asia Peace Alliance (SAPA)

The Alliance is a social organization, founded in 2006 to promote democracy and non-violence in south Asia. It supports non-violent groups and individuals, primarily in the rural areas of India, Pakistan, northeast India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Afghanistan. Its philosophy is based on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. It holds workshops to raise consciousness and develop understanding of the nature of democracy.

South Asian Network of Gender Activists and Trainers (SANGAT)

SANGAT is a feminist organization established in 1998 as part of a program to establish a network to change the status of women in south Asia. It is run by a core of women activists for peace and human rights. The organization is based in New Delhi.

Students Islamic Organisation of India

The SIOI is an Islamic Indian organization whose objective is to prepare a young generation which will promote an Islamic society. Its president is KK Suhail and its secretary general is Abdul Rafeeq. It organizes anti-Israeli demonstrations.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions

The Centre is India’s main national trade union. It was founded as the trade union wing of the Communist party and named The Red Flag, joining the Indian Communist party in 2005. It opposes imperialism and globalization, and represents workers of all sectors, including industry and services, and working women. It publishes a monthly bulletin in English.

Teesra Swadheenta Andolan

We have no information about this organization.

Vidyarthi Bharti

Vidyarthi Bharti is a students’ rights organization. It defines itself as independent and apolitical.

Yuva Koshish

Yuva Koshsish is a social organization, founded in 2009 and headed by Ali Akthar.

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Appendix II

Prominent activists participating in the Asian convoy

Overview

Alongside the activists in the various organizations mentioned above, individual activists have also joined the convoy. An examination of the names indicates that many of them are human rights activists in India, and many of the women are feminist activists. In most cases the connection between the activists and the Palestinian cause is unclear, except for the fact that some of them are Muslims. Some of the convoy participants either could not be indentified with certainty or at all.

The following is the information available about some of the participants, arranged alphabetically by first name:

• Amol Madame – In September 2009 participated in a FGM meeting in Mumbai. Also present as guest of honor was FGM leader Huwaida Araf. He was mentioned as representing an organization called the Republican People of India.
• Ambarish Rai – President of Lok Sangharsh Morcha (People’s Struggle Front), a faction of the (Marxist) Communist party in Punjab. The Front was established in 2000, splintered and reunited and with the Marxist Communist party of India.
• Achin Vanaik – Professor of international relations and world politics at the Delhi University. Also the name of one of India’s experts in globalization, democracy, defense and nuclear armaments. One of the founders of the Indian movement against nuclear arms. It is uncertain which Achin Vanaik is referred to.
• Anand Grover – Possibly a reference to a lawyer in private practice in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. He is a practicing lawyer in the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court of India, took up his functions as UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in August 2008.
• Anand Patwardhan – Social activist in Mumbai. Makes documentary films, some of which have been censored by the Indian authorities.
• Anand Swaroop Verma – Indian journalist and maker of documentary films. Close to the Maoist Communist party in Nepal.
• Aslam Ghazi – Social activist. Spokesman for Jamiat Islam Maharashtra. Arrested by the Mumbai police on the eve of Hilary Clinton’s visit in July 2009 as part of the effort of prevent protest demonstrations during her visit. He is a member of the India Palestine People’s Solidarity Forum.
• Brigadier Sudhir Sawant – Former military. Held important appointments as an instructor for the commando wing of the infantry school and served in the military intelligence directorate. Served in Jammu and Kashmir. Left the army in April 1991 and was elected to Parliament. Returned to the army in June 1993.
• Chetna Birje – Lawyer and human rights activist. Member of International Studies for Legal and Human Rights. Was one of the organizers of protests against President Obama’s visit to India, using the slogan “For national movement against imperialism and Zionism,” November 1, 2010.
• Dr. Sunilam – Sunil Mishra, born 1961. Doctor of medical electronics who became a political activist. Founded Kisan Sangharsh Samiti (committee for farmers’ struggle). Arrested by the authorities because of his political activity. Serves as secretary of the Indian Solidarity Committee for Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights.
• Gopal Rai – Founder of the Rashtriya Krantikari Samajwadi Party, a secular political organization whose objective is to facilitate the development of villages and farmers.
• Ihtishaam Ansari – We have no information about this individual.
• Jai Sen – Architect, research scholar and publisher from New Delhi. Has studied civil movements in India since the 1970s. Formerly worked in Calcutta with Unnayan, an organization which “enables the marginalized to aim for and achieve a life of quality.” Was involved in the national campaign for rights of habitation and other issues.
• Javed Naqvi – Journalist and author living in India. Contributes to many newspapers, including a weekly column in the Pakistani English-language paper
  Dawn. Holds opinions in favor of the Hinduism and against India. His books are popular in Pakistan.
• Kabir Arora – Geography student from New Delhi, ecological activist. Active in several groups.
• Kalyani Menon-Sen – Feminist activist from New Delhi, doctor, gender advisor, studies and writes about women’s rights. Belongs to Jagori (“Awaken, Women!”), founded in 1984 as a center for training, documentation, communications and resources to raise consciousness about the plight of women.
• Khalid Riaz – Pakistani, PhD in criminology. Chairman of the board of the Pakistani Human Development Foundation.
• Medha Patkar – Social activist and social worker in India, born in Mumbai in 1954. Leader of workers’ union and peace activist. Her father was active in the Indian independence movement and her mother was active in an organization to promote the status of women.
• Mehmood Madni – Muslim, his grandfather was an Islamic theologian. Politician, member of the Rashtriya Lok Dal party, and member of Indian Parliament. Third generation of activists for peace, social justice and human rights. Secretary general of the Jamiat Ulema Hind.
• Mukta Srivastava – Active in justice and human rights organizations. Coordinates tours for the National Alliance of People’s Movement, an umbrella organization of popular movements in India.
• Mukul Sinha – Muslim, PhD in physics and lawyer. Active for many years in human rights organizations in India. Currently a lawyer and human rights activist. One of the founders of a human rights organization called Jan Sangharsh Manch, which strives to change the Indian constitution. Works against accusations of Muslim terrorism.
• Pandit Jugal Kishore Shastri – Social activist, heads an organization called The Voice of Ayodhya (a city in northern India where there have been violent confrontations between Hindus and Muslims).
• Reshma Jagtap – Researcher, documenter and independent author. She is currently working in documentation with the India Center for Human Rights and Law.
• Ritu Menon – Publisher and author. Feminist activist in women’s movements in India and south Asia. Active in the fields of communications, confrontations, peace, violence and militarism. Founded the first women’s publishing house in India.
• Rohini Hensman – Researcher and writer, active in the fields of women’s liberation, trade unions, human rights and pacifist movements. Comes from Sri Lanka and lives in India.
• Sandeep Pandey – PhD in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley. Social activist, one of the founders of Asha for Education. His organization works to eradicate government corruption and improve efficiency. Heads the National Alliance for People’s Movement.
• Sayeed Khan – From Mumbai, formerly president of the Student Islamic Movement of India and a founder of Muslim Youth of India.
• Sayeeda Hameed – Former member of the National Commission for Women. Active in the Muslim women’s cause.
• Shabnam Hashmi – Leading social activist in India, works for the Muslim cause in India. Born in 1957 in a town 80 miles from Delhi, she has been active for more than 20 years in India’s social struggles. Founded an anti-Fascist human rights NGO called Anhad in 2003 to commemorate her bother who was killed while performing a street play in 1989. She became a one-woman pressure group.
• Shahid Siddiqui – Indian, former member of the Indian Parliament.
• Thomas Matthew – Deputy director general of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis in New Delhi from 2007 to 2010. Has held senior positions in the local and federal administrations. Uncertain whether the reference is to him.
• Tusha Mittal – Journalist for the Indian paper Tehelka. On November 19, 2010, she won a prize for her articles on humanitarian issues.
• Vasanthi Raman – PhD in sociology, works for the Center for Women’s Development Studies.

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Notes:

[1] The website published the convoy’s route and timetable. Several changes were introduced as a result of administrative , logistic and political exigencies. There may be further changes.

[2] http://adamraj.newsvine.com/_news/2010/01/27/3815349-bharat-bachao-andolan-save-india-movement

[3] This website no longer exists.

[4] http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/aboutus

[5] http://icrindia.org

[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamiat_Ulema-e-Hind

[7] http://mondediplo.com/about

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