Islamic Voice October 2014 Issue

Transkript

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
32 Pages
Rs. 20
October 2014 Vol. 27-10
Depositors Mount Pressure to
Avert Takeover
Depositors will lose nearly a third of their money if the
Canara Bank takes over the Amanath Bank.
September 18, office bearers
of the Amanath Bank Shareholders and Depositors Protection
Committee demanded that the
1
Bangalore
English Monthly
No. 334 Zee Haj/Muharram 1435/36 H
Amanath Cooperative Bank
By A Staff Writer
ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014
restored to persons of integrity
within the community. It indicated
Bangalore: Pressure is being
that resourceful people from the
mounted by depositors and wellcommunity have come forward
wishers of Amanath
to pump in some
Bank
against
its
money and fulfil the
takeover by Canara
RBI’s conditions to
Bank which has notified
allow the Bank to
that it would deduct 32%
get back to normal
of the depositors money
transactions.
The
in the event of takeover
Committee President
materialising. This is
Syed
Rahmathulla
besides the takeover of
alleged
that
the
the entire assets of the
present management
Bank whose value runs
headed by Mr. Naseer
into crores. Currently
Ahmed—a Congress
money
deposited
MLC and a relative
by several mosques
of
Mr.
Rahman
managing committees,
Khan—instead
of
Several mosque committee, orphanages filing criminal cases
wakf institutions and
orphanages is locked
and community charity organizations
for the recovery of
up in deposits with
will lose charitable funds if the Amanath fraudulently siphoned
Amanath Bank which
off amount, is seeking
Bank is takenover by another bank.
is under instructions
merger of the Bank
from the Reserve Bank
Bank’s former President K.
with Canara Bank.
of India not to allow
Rahman Khan, other directors
Mr. Rahmathulla said
depositors to withdraw
and defaulters be prosecuted for that if the takeover or merger was
amount exceeding Rs. 1,000 in six
alleged misappropriation of funds allowed the Canara Bank would
months.
of the bank and new directors be deduct funds of several religious
inducted for generating resources organizations which were already
Prosecute Rahman Khan
In a press conference on and the control of the bank be
Page 5
World's Religious Leaders
Speak out against Extremism
Astana: Religious leaders from
around the world congregated for
a meeting in the Kazakh capital
Astana, last fortnight, showing
unity to make themselves heard
by politicians, in a world torn
apart by conflicts between
civilisations.
The leaders met to prepare for
the 5th triennial Congress of
Leaders of World and Traditional
Religions.
"It is very necessary that this
Congress transcends the dialogue
among religious leaders to
promote
another
dialogue,
between the religious leaders
and the politicians. And it must
be a dialogue between people
who listen," Kazakhstan Senate
President Kasim Zhomart Tokaev
said in an interview with Efe
news agency.
Distinguished
representatives
from
Islam,
Christianity,
Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism,
Taoism and Shintoism met in
Astana for the 13th meeting of the
Congress's Secretariat.
The 5th Congress, to be held in
Astana in June 2015 under the
title, "Dialogue among Religious
and Political Leaders in the Name
of Peace and Development",
seeks to open new avenues of
communication and cooperation.
"We will invite politicians
who are really capable of
contributing to the dialogue
between different religions.
Among them, of course, will be
presidents and prime ministers,"
Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister
Yerzhan Ashikbaev told a press
conference.
Only that way, many of the leaders
say, can the initiative move from
words to action, which is vital
to finding a definitive solution
for a series of conflicts falsely
characterised as having a religious
purpose by the people who start
them.
With Islamist extremism at the
centre of world attention due to
the rise of the Islamic State (IS)
terrorist group, all the leaders
meeting in Astana wished to
make it clear that in no way could
terrorism be related to one of the
faiths on the planet.
"All the leaders meeting here
today have emphasised that Islam
has nothing to do with terrorism.
That has even been underscored
by representatives of Christian
religions," Yerzhan Mayamerov,
Kazakhstan's grand mufti, told
Efe.
"Conflicts around the world
affect more and more places, and
millions of people suffer. And
not for their political stances, but
Page 22
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2
Hajj Ghars at
Gulbarga, M.lore too
Bangalore: The Hajj Ghar is
likely to be commissioned soon
and the pilgrims for Hajj are
likely to depart from there next
year. Assurance to this effect was
given here by Chief Minister Mr.
Siddramaiah on September 12
on the eve of the commencement
of Hajj flights to Jeddah from
Bangalore. The Quddoos Sab
Eidgah in the City may be hosting
its last Hajj camp this year.
The Chief Minister said an
additional Rs. 17 crore was
allocated for the construction of
Hajj Ghar in this year’s budget.
He said Hajj Ghars will also come
up in Mangalore and Gulbarga
which have become embarkation
points for Hajj pilgrims from the
State in recent years. He said a
five-acre plot in
Gulbarga and a
two-acre plot
in Mangalore
have
been
identified for
the purpose.
Minister
for
Information
Infrastructure and Hajj Mr.
R. Roshan Baig pleaded for
enhancement of official Hajj
quota for Karnataka pilgrims. He
urged that the quota for private
operators needs to be curtailed.
He informed that the Hajj Ghar
under construction in the northern
outskirts of Bangalore will have
an international sized auditorium
and will host several community
related events and activities.
Incidentally, it is the 20th year
that Hajj pilgrims from Karnataka
are departing from the improvised
Hajj camp even while all states in
the country have set up permanent
Hajj Ghars in their capitals.
BGRT wins the “Emerson Cup
Excellence Award-2014”
Bearys Global Research Triangle
(BGRT), Whitefield, Bangalore,
has won the “Emerson Cup
2014 -Excellence Award”. BGRT
is India’s first Platinum LEED
certified R & D Park, globally
recognized by both industry and
academia as a benchmark project.
Emerson Cup Excellence Award
is an annual competition initiated
by Emerson Climate Technologies
USA, recognizing innovation
and outstanding energy efficient
designs in the HVACR industry.
3
Teachers Day Celebrated at Asian Kids School
Bangalore: The Asian Kids
School celebrated Teachers
Day on September 5.
Chief guests Mrs and Mr
M P Shivakumar, retired
director of
MESCOM,
were present along with the
presiding guest, Mr. Radha
Krishna. According to the
President of the school, Mr.
Mohamed Hashim, the
children enjoyed the day
as they listened to the
guests sharing their life
experiences. The children
gained moral support
by knowing about their
lives. Currently, Asian
Kids have branches at
Page 12
Analysis
4
By-election Outcome
Mesmerizing Spell is Wearing Thin
By A Staff Analyst
The reverses suffered by the
Bhartiya Janata Party in the two
rounds of by-elections indicate
that the Party’s votebase is much
like a sand dune and would
crumble over time if the party’s
government does not deliver on
the promises of growth, good
governance and inflation. Within
less than four months of swearingin of the BJP government at the
Centre, the party seems to have lost
favour with the electorate in most
populous states of Uttar Pradesh
and Bihar. In Rajasthan which
had returned it in every alternate
Assembly polls, the party’s rival
has still much fire in it.
In Uttar Pradesh the BJP has ceded
the ground to the Samajwadi Party
in a big way. In Rajasthan the
Congress is clearly recovering its
ground. And surprisingly, even
in Gujarat, the bastion of the BJP
since long, Congress has begun
to cut ground from beneath the
party’s feet. Though in Bihar an
alliance between Laloo Yadav and
Nitish Kumar could translate the
joint might into seat for the two
secular parties, the victories were
less than convincing ones. It was
only last month that the Congress
registered impressive wins in
Uttarkhand and Karnataka, the
two states where it rules. As for
other states like Andhra Pradesh,
Tripura and Assam, the outcome
of by-elections largely reflects the
existing ratio between Congress
vis-à-vis other parties. Only
surprise comes from West Bengal
where the saffron party could
manage to win a seat and open its
account in the state legislature.
The kind of campaign the BJP
ran in Uttar Pradesh reflects the
mindset of the party. It seems
the party is all for promoting
communal divide and strife and
shows no sign of power at the
Centre sobering down its leaders.
It imported the nasty oxymoron
‘Love Jihad’ theory from Kerala/
Karnataka despite the fact that it
had failed to come up with any
conclusive evidence to prove its
veracity. Union Minister Maneka
Gandhi invented the canard of
cattle smuggling across the border
of Bangladesh being used to fund
from Gorakhpur MP Swami
Avaidyanath and Sakshi Maharaj.
One feels like saluting
People are realizing that no one has the
magic wand to alleviate the economic
suffering of the masses.
terrorism. Earlier reports from the
Border Security Force had denied
any such trafficking. And there
was usual fiery communal rhetoric
the secular minded Hindu
majority who saw through
the game of deception by the BJP
and refused to fall for its partisan
appeal a second time.
That a party should lose the popular
favour so soon after its meteoric
rise on the national level, is worth
taking note. All that it conveys is
that the people were momentarily
swayed by the concerted and
well-oiled campaign during the
April-May elections, sick as they
were of the decade long United
Progressive Alliance reign. With
Page 5
Scholarships Disbursed
By A Staff Writer
Bangalore: Women’s NGO,
Tanzeemul Mohsinath distributed
scholarships
among
160
students from
underprivileged
background on
September 16.
A battery of
women activists
handed over the
cheques to the
students at the
Shadab Shadimahal on Tannery
Road. Tanzeem Secretary Sajida
Begum said a sum of Rs. 2.50
lakh was disbursed by way of
Page 1
scholarships among students
ranging from first to 10th
standard.
Speaking at the occasion,
journalist Maqbool Ahmed Siraj
exhorted the Muslim women to
avoid early marriage of girls and
engaging the boys into earning of
‘Walk for Harmony and Love’
livelihood. He asked the parents
to see that every child attains
education up to degree stage or
takes a diploma and turns out to
be a disciplined citizen.
Mrs. Ayesha Wajid of Meher
Care Foundation asked the
mothers to impart good moral
training to the kids. Others
who spoke and distributed
the cheques at the occasion
included Dr. Asifa; Aasra Home
for Women general secretary
Mrs. Fazlunnisa; Aasra Home
president and founder Mrs.
Sajida Begum and Rizwana Taj,
vice president. Mrs. Naseem
Sajad of Zain Designers presided
over the function. n
New Delhi: Khudai Khidmatgar
and Sadhbhav Mission organized
a ‘Walk for Harmony and love’ on
21 September, the International
Peace Day in New Delhi. The
walk started from the Sacred Heart
Church, reached the Gurudwara
Bangla Sahib and then to Moti
Masjid and finally ended at the
Hanuman Mandir.
Various Social Activist and
Gandhians like Veena Behan,
Khudai Khidmatgar leader Faisal
Khan, Prof VK Tripathi from
Sadhbhav Mission, Prof Sanat
Mohantee from IIT Delhi, Ram
Mohan Rai from Gandhi Global
Family ,Faizan Arish from Jamia
Millia Islamia, Praveen Kumar,
Standoff
Meanwhile, current President,
Mr. Naseer Ahmed who in a
meeting with several NGOs
belonging to the community
in the first week of September,
promised to induct new members
into the board of directors on
the promise of committing some
funds necessary to bale out the
Amanath Bank, had changed the
tune around the end of
the month insisting on
commitment of funds
prior to induction.
As we go to the press
around September 25,
the standoff continues
and it appears as if
Mr. Naseer is under
tremendous
pressure
not to allow the revival
or restoration of Bank to the
community’s control.
The press conference was also
address by Mr. Sardar Ahmed
Quershi, President, Tippu Sultan
United Front; B. L. Shankar,
President,
Dalit
Sangharsh
Samiti; Syed Md. Iqbal of the
Muslim Muttahida Mahaz and
Mr. K. L. Ashok, secretary,
Komu Souharda Vedike. n
Amanath Cooperative Bank ...
under financial stress. It cited the
case of the 120-year old Muslim
Orphanage which had huge
amount deposited in Amanath
Bank which at no cost be allowed
to be punished for merger of a
bank plundered by the Muslim
bigwigs of the community in
Bangalore. “Should the orphanage
inmates be punished for the
crimes committed by the rich and
the powerful”, he questioned.
According to Mr. Rahmathulla, as
of now the Bank’s position was
sound and a takeover could well
be averted. He said the Bank has
Rs. 300 crores in liquid fund, gold
convertible into Rs. 35 crores in
deposits against loans and a further
Rs. 165 crores of secured loans.
He said some resourceful persons
within the community were
willing to pump in Rs. 35 crores
to fulfill the RBI’s moratorium
on the Bank’s functioning but
wouldn’t do so unless they were
taken in as directors first. “But the
present management was insisting
deposits prior to nominating
them directors, something not
agreeable to the management”, he
commented.
Bank can Still be revived
The Committee referred to
the reasons given by the RBI
for placing moratorium, i.e.,
sanctioning of loans while
Mr. K. Rahman Khan
was the President of the
Bank, to the tune of Rs. 63
crore. The amount of the
defaulted loans has now
gone up to Rs. 102 crores
by gathering interest.
Secondly, it pointed out,
Mr. Khan’s successor, Mr.
Ziaulla Sheriff waived
off Rs. 30 crores from the
outstanding loan (principal +
interest) amount during his tenure
against the norms of the banking
regulations.
Govt Protecting the Defaulting
Directors
They said the Government of
Karnataka attached the personal
properties of the above stated
persons but they were able to
secure stay from the higher
courts in order to remain in
possession of the property. He
told news persons that the RBI in
its letter dated June 24 UBD(BL)
N04732/09-01-001/2013-14 this
year has asked the Government
to file criminal cases against ex
president, ex directors and the
official who connived with them
in issue of loans. But the current
Congress
government
was
protecting the defaulters, they
asserted.
Page 4
By-election Outcome ...
prices keeping their rise upward,
the mesmerizing spell cast by the
media is clearly wearing thin.
People are coming out of the
stupor and finding that there is no
wishing away of harsh economic
realities and no one has the magic
wand to address the larger question
of economic inequality, corruption
and inflation. Over and above that,
the BJP’s communal politics is
all likely to add a layer of social
schisms, friction and conflict to
the mess and make the life even
more nightmarish.
The Congress and the regional
parties too have to realize that their
major test lies in addressing the
basic issues of removing poverty,
ensuring affording education,
health and housing for all.
Replacing communal propaganda
with secular rhetoric would not
win them the lost ground. n
5
Hemant Sharma from Asha
Parivar, Rizwan Ahmed, Tabish
Bhatti from Khudai Khidmatgar,
Poonam Kaushik and others
participated in the walk.
Ram Mohan Rai of Gandhi
Global Family said that the need
of the hour is that we all should
come forward and fight against
communalism.
Khudai Khidmatgar leader Faisal
Khan said that unfortunately
most religious places have been
captured by communal people
and we need to expose them and
propagate the real messages of
peace, harmony and love, taught
by all faiths.
(Twocircles.net)
Spiritual Leaders
call for Panel to
stop Riots
New Delhi: Spiritual leaders from
various faiths have decided to
set up a formal group to suggest
measures to stop communal
riots in India. A two-day event
- "Meeting of Diverse Spiritual
Traditions of India" - was called
by Tibetan spiritual leader the
Dalai Lama here. Around 100
religious leaders and scholars
decided to set up an action
committee. "The committee will
recommend preventive measures
or remedial action in response
to any unfortunate occurrence of
conflicts within and between our
communities, especially when
it takes place in the name of
religion.” n
Britain to curb Muslim
Brotherhood operations in London
London: Britain is set to curtail
Muslim Brotherhood activities
and block activists coming to
London after report finds ties
with armed groups and extremists
in Middle East and elsewhere.
Critics of the movement accuse it
of links to jihadist groups
and of pursuing divisive
sectarian politics that
infringe the freedom of
other religions and Islamic
interpretations. Officials
privy to the drafting of
Sir John's report said it
had been handed over to
Downing Street and a statement
on its findings would be published
before the end of the year. While
it stops short of proposing a ban
on the Brotherhood, it accepts
thet some of the movement's
activity amounts to complicity
with armed groups and extremists
in the Middle East and elsewhere.
A senior British official involved
in the process said parts of the
report are too sensitive to publish.
"It's a very comprehensive look
at the activities of the Muslim
Brotherhood in many countries.
There have been submissions
that have been given to us that
are very sensitive. One of the
main areas of concern raised with
Sir John’s report was that the
Muslim Brotherhood charities
that now face renewed scrutiny
by the Charity Commission”.
Egyptian
officials
believe
much of its ongoing political
activities have shifted to
London, where the Brotherhood
maintains
an
international
office in Cricklewood. Other
predominantly Muslim countries
allow
Muslim
Brotherhood
operations, including Tunisia,
Libya and Kuwait. n
Muslims fare better in
America than in Europe
A recent Pew Study revealed that
Muslims in America fare better
than Muslims in Europe. The
results of the study
illustrate
American
Islam as diverse, integrated, well-educated
and economically successful. Additionally,
American
Muslims
are more tolerant of
other sects within
Islam. Their experience and situation in
America is in stark
contrast to the experiences of Muslims in Europe like
the Turks in Germany and North
African immigrants in France.
As a community, they overwhelmingly reject terrorism and
identify first as Americans and
then as Muslims. n
6
ISNA Condemns ISIS Killing of
Journalist Steven Sotloff
The Islamic Society of North
America (ISNA) has condemned
the vicious murder of American
journalist Steven Sotloff at the
hands of the
terrorist group that
calls themselves
"Islamic State of
Iraq and Syria"
or ISIS. In a
statement, ISNA
President Azhar
Azeez said: "We
condemn
the
continued
unIslamic behavior
of ISIS. We will continue to
reiterate that their actions have
no basis in the teachings of Islam.
Their barbaric actions represent
terrorism and murder, both of
which are antithetical to what
mainstream Muslims believe and
practice. Our condolences go out
to the family and loved ones of
Steven Sotloff. We hope that those
responsible for his murder will be
brought to justice for their crimes."
ISNA had condemned the ISIS
killing of journalist James Foley
and denounced ISIS attack on
religious minorities near Northern
Iraq and the Kurdish region. In
2005, ISNA was also a signatory
to the Fatwa Against Terrorism
issued by the Fiqh Council of North
America. This expert
legal opinion (fatwa)
clearly stated that it is
forbidden to commit
terrorism and violence
against civilians. Those
who take part in acts
of terror are criminals.
The Islamic Society of
North America (ISNA)
is the largest and oldest
Islamic
umbrella
organization in North
America. Its mission is to foster
the development of the Muslim
community, interfaith relations,
civic engagement, and better
understanding of Islam. n
Ningxia Chinese to perform
Haj for the first time
This year, an estimated
14,000 Chinese pilgrims
will be performing the Haj
pilgrimage. For the first
time, Chinese pilgrims from
Ningxia, an autonomous
region will be performing
the Haj this year. The first
flight with 297 pilgrims
from Ningxia arrived in
Jeddah last fortnight. A
total of 2,833 pilgrims
are scheduled to arrive from this
part of China. Some pilgrims
expressed joy at being able to
perform the pilgrimage noting
that their parents had been unable
to do so owing to the restrictions
in the past, Chinese media said.
Around half of China’s 20 million
Muslims live in Ningxia, where the
people identify their ethnic group
as Hui, a recognized minority
in China. Unlike the Uighur
Muslims in the autonomous
region of Xinjiang,
otherwise known as
East Turkestan, where
the Muslims are largely
of a Turkic ethnic
background, the Hui
population is a Sinitic
race that has accepted
Islam. n
(Reported by Irfan
Mohammed)
Society
Tirana: Pope Francis has said that
Albania’s inter-religious harmony
was an “inspiring example” for
the world, showing that ChristianMuslim coexistence was not only
possible, but beneficial for a
country’s development.
“The climate of respect and
mutual trust between
Catholics, Orthodox and
Muslims is a precious gift
to the country,” Francis
said in his opening speech
on his arrival in the Balkan
nation, where Christians
and Muslims endured brutal
religious oppression under
communism, but today
live and work together peacefully.
“This is especially the case in
these times in which authentic
religious spirit is being perverted
by extremist groups, and where
religious differences are being
distorted and instrumentalized,”
he told an audience that included
Albanian President Bujar Nishani
and the diplomatic corps.
It was Francis’ first visit to a
majority Muslim nation since
the Islamic State crackdown on
Christians in Iraq, where members
of religious minorities are being
killed, persecuted or forced to
flee their homes. The Vatican has
voiced mounting concern about
the exodus of faithful from lands
where Christian communities
have existed for 2,000 years. “Let
no one consider themselves to be
the ‘armor’ of God while planning
and carrying out acts of violence
and oppression!” Francis said in
the wood-paneled reception room
of Tirana’s presidential palace.
Muslims make up about 59
percent of Albania’s population,
with Catholics amounting to 10
percent and Orthodox Christians
just under that, according to the
country’s official figures. Francis’
decision to visit tiny Albania
before any major European capital
is in keeping with his desire for
the Catholic Church to go to the
“periphery.” n
7
This Trio stood steadfast when
ATM Rained Cash
By Asif Yar Khan
Hyderabad: Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) V.
Satyanarayana felicitated Shaik
Lateef, Prasad and Hari for their
honesty. The trio, who went to
collect cash from an ATM, found
the door open and
Rs. 24.50 lakh inside
the machine. They
immediately informed
the police who came
and collected the cash.
They went to an ATM
centre to withdraw Rs.
200 for their friend’s
birthday party. But,
what they got in return
tested their honesty,
upbringing and even
their friendship.
For the three friends Shaik Lateef,
Durga Prasad and Hari Prasad, the
sight of nearly Rs. 25 lakh lying
open in the ATM machine was a
big shock of their lives.
“Never did we see such a huge
amount at one place. Thanks to the
Almighty we did not get influenced
at that point of time,” recalls
Lateef. The trio unanimously
decided to immediately alert
the police control room on 100.
Within minutes, a police team
from S.R. Nagar police station
rushed and took possession of the
cash.
While Lateef, hails from West
Godavari of Andhra Pradesh, his
open and there were piles of
cash inside,” says Lateef, who
completed his B. Tech (electrical)
last year. His father works as a
teacher at a government school.
Durga Prasad, who completed his
B. Tech (EEE), last year is also
son of a school teacher, while
Hari Prasad’s parents run a tiffin centre in Mahabubnagar.
Prasad is pursuing
Chartered
Accountancy
and
working as a parttime accountant at
a private firm on a
monthly salary of
Rs. 10,000.
“Every month I save
about Rs. 3,000
for my studies. We
are grateful for our upbringing
because our parents taught us a
lot on the virtues of honesty. We
owe it to them,” he says. The
three friends were felicitated by
the West Zone police and by the
State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH)
authorities.
(www.thehindu.com/news/cities/
Hyderabad)
(Photo: Nagara Gopal)
Pope lauds Albania’s
Christian-Muslim Harmony
friends, Hari and Durga Prasad
are from Mahabubnagar district
and stay at a hostel in S. R. Nagar
area. The three friends, who are
desperately seeking employment,
went to the ATM centre to
withdraw cash and buy a cake for
the friend’s birthday.
“I inserted the card and withdrew
Rs. 200 cash, when I noticed the
door of the ATM machine was
HUMANITARIAN
ISSUES
Srinagar: On September 12,
when Srinagar was under flood,
an expecting mother from Gujarat
found home in a local mosque
at Hyderpora on the Srinagar
outskirts to give birth to a baby
daughter.
Kiran (ray of hope). The
newborn, was christened in the
mosque by locals after the family
from Gujarat, insisted that their
“saviors” should name their baby.
Neeta, wife of Kishore from
Gujarat was brought to Jamia
Masjid Hyderpora, in a critical
condition by rescuers from
Bemina, one of the worst hit areas
by the devastating flood, which
killed around 280 people across
J&K.
Besides, her husband, Neeta was
accompanied by her mother-inlaw and two other members of the
family.
“Fear was writ on their face and
they were desperate to get to
some safe place,” said Ghulam
Hassan Dar, executive member,
relief committee, Hyderpora.
Under trauma, the Gujarat
8
Hyderpora Jamia Masjid
becomes first Home for
newborn Kiran
family found comfort in the
mosque after they were provided
accommodation in the first floor
of the religious place. After being
served tea and dinner, Kishore,
hesitantly, broke news to the
relief committee members that
his wife’s delivery date was on
September 12, the day when
the flood had already created
devastation in Srinagar, leaving
thousands homeless.
The committee members who
were already under stress to
provide food and shelter to
thousands of displaced survivors
including outsiders didn’t waste
time.
“We immediately rushed her
(Neeta) to the nearby nursing
home to ensure proper medical
treatment for her,” said Bashir
Ahmad Paul, another member
of the relief committee. At
the same time the committee
communicated to the hospital
authorities that it would bear all
charges for the medical treatment
of Neeta.
Golden Temple extends help in relief program
for flood victims in Jammu and Kashmir
Amid the rescue operations, where the armed forces evacuated over
thousands of victims, the IAF roped in help from Golden Temple
in Amritsar. The langar committee of the temple would provide
ready to eat meals to the victims. The Air force base in Srinagar that
was providing 10,000
food packets per day
previously felt the need
to call in for help as the
number of victims was
growing.
Shiromani
Gurdwara
Parbandhak Committee
(SGPC) would initiate to provide food packets to the victims. The
IAF flew a special aircraft from Amritsar to Srinagar carrying
special food packets.
At the hospital the doctors, after
attending to Neeta, advised her
husband to bring her next day
(September 13). Neeta was taken
back to the Masjid and provided
care under the guidance of local
females.
“We kept a vehicle ready to ferry
Photo Credit (AP)
By Muddasir Ali
the expecting lady to the hospital
for check up during night,” said
Paul. The vehicle was owned by
Dar’s son Touseef Ahmad.
On September 13, Neeta after
night stay at the Masjid was
again admitted in the hospital
where she gave birth to a baby.
“Fortunately, it was a normal
delivery,” said Ghulam Hassan
Dar. “Kishore rushed to the
mosque to inform the relief
committee that her wife has
delivered a baby daughter and he
thanked us all for help. He got so
emotional that tears were rolling
down his eyes.”
In the trying times, the relief
committee
did
everything
possible to ensure the family
has home like comfort at the
mosque.
“One of our volunteers travelled
a long distance to get pure milk
and a pack of tea and later we
served tea to Neeta after she
asked for it,” said Dar.
Later, in the evening of
September 13 when Neeta was
shifted back to the Hyderpora
mosque after being discharged
from the hospital, the members
of the Gujarat family insisted
that locals should christen their
new born.
That is when a member of the
relief committee came up with
the name Kiran. “Kiran means
ray of hope and we had a hope
even when the devastating floods
ravaged the entire city,” he said.
After seeing the kind of treatment
they received at the mosque and
that too in times of crisis, the
mother in law of Neeta was all
thankful to the organizers, said
another member of the relief
committee.
“She was really humbled and
prayed for all of us when we
arranged milk feeder for the new
born,” said chairman of the relief
committee, Nazir Ahmad Dar.
After staying at the Hyderpora
mosque for two nights, the
Gujarat family left for their
home-state on September 15.
They were dropped at the airport
in a vehicle, arranged by the
relief committee.
Dar said the committee also
managed the air tickets for the
family. “All these days have
been testing times for all of us
and we thought it is our duty to
help the family,” said Dar.
Two other expecting mothers
were also taken care of by the
organizers at the mosque, the
shelter home. “They were from
Srinagar,” said Dar.
The relief camp is serving the
displaced people, who were put
up in the mosque, for more than
10 days now. “We had more than
1500 people from outside,” said
Ghulam Hassan Dar. The first
floor of the mosque was kept
reserved for females while as the
men would stay in the 2nd floor.
“Everyday hundreds of people
would be served tea, lunch and
dinner,” said Dar.
(www.greaterkashmir.com)
ISLAMIC RELIEF AND RESEARCH TRUST (IRRT), KASHMIR
Opposite L.D Hospital, Lal Mandi Road, Srinagar, Kashmir, 190001, India.
Humanitarian Appeal for Flood Victims of Jammu & Kashmir State
Islamic Relief and Research
Trust (IRRT), Kashmir is
an initiative for just and
compassionate society and is
a social/charitable enterprise
for equitable and sustainable
change. IRRT was established
in the year 2000 under the law
of the land. It is a non profit,
non-political, non-governmental
philanthropic
organization
based in Srinagar, Kashmir,
India. It provides humanitarian
assistance to poor, needy,
destitute, orphans, widows, and
in general to victims of conflict
and natural calamities regardless
of caste, creed, religion, region
and gender.
IRRT is registered under law of
the state and is also registered
with Home Ministry of India
under FCRA no. 152640002 and
is also registered with Income
Tax department under 12 A of I.T
Act.
Since last more than two decades,
the state of J&K is witnessing a
devastating violent conflict that
has brutalized the inhabitants of
the State resulting in thousands
of killings rendering numerous
children as orphans and spouses
as widows. To add insult to
injury natural calamities and
disasters time and again create
havoc adding to the miseries
of the unfortunate masses. The
September, 2014 flood has
affected more than 60% of the
population of J&K state i.e. six
million people, particularly of the
Kashmir Valley. The devastating
flood waters have left most of the
people without shelter, medicine
and food. At present, we are
passing through the rescue phase
of the disaster management that
is simultaneously complimented
by relief phase. After these two
phases, we need to go for the
rehabilitation phase that is the
long drawn and permanent one.
At present we are in dire need of
the following items in terms of
immediate relief for the victims.
Food Items
1. Rice
2. Wheat (AATA)
3. Dry Milk (Nestle or
Everyday)
4. Baby Milk (Lactogen or
Cerelac)
5. Biscuits
6. Sugar
7. Spices
8. Tea
9. Cereals
10. Pulses
Page 9
UPDATE
9
Legal Matter
SC Ruling on Second Official Language
Hope of Revival for Urdu in Uttar Pradesh
By Maqbool Ahmed Siraj
In a significant ruling in early
September the Supreme Court
has allowed State Governments to
declare any language used widely
in the State as an official language
and the right does not restrain the
government from declaring more
than one languages as official
languages. The ruling has removed
restriction from Urdu being the
second official language in Uttar
Pradesh, the erstwhile birthplace
and bastion of Urdu. The ruling
has the effect of putting its stamp
of approval on Urdu being the
second official language of
Uttar Pradesh and endorsing the
linguistic and cultural diversity of
States and the State Government’s
right to use more than one
language as the official medium
of communication.
The SC ruling will have a farreaching
impact
inasmuch
as it will grant the power of
introduction of Urdu as a medium
of official communication thereby
creating thousands of vacancies
for Urdu-knowing persons as
translators, teachers, interpreters,
and allowing its use for official
advertisements,
communiqués
and Government Orders (GOs).
The matter had been under
litigation for nearly a quarter
century.
Provision for more than one
The apex court passed the order
on a petition by the Uttar Pradesh
Page 8
Hindi Sahitya Sammelan which
had approached the court against
the introduction of Urdu as the
second official language of the
State on October 7, 1989 through
an amendment passed by the
UP Assembly. The bench was
headed by Chief Justice of India
Justice R. M. Lodha and had
Justices Messrs Dipak Misra,
Madan B. Lokur, Kurian Joseph
and S. A. Bobde. The ruling cited
the precedent of Bihar, Haryana,
Delhi,
Jharkhand,
Madhya
Pradesh and Uttarakhand where
languages other than Hindi
to secure linguistic secularism.”
It also clarified that Article 345
of the Constitution clearly laid
down that “the Legislature of a
State may by law adopt any one
or more of the languages in use in
the State or Hindi as the language
or languages to be used for all for
any of the official purposes of
that State.”
Secular Heritage
It is useful to be reminded that
Urdu suffered the worst fate in
Uttar Pradesh which is home to
as many as three crore Muslims
Urdu can now be used for seven
specified purposes at official level.
too were being used as official
languages.
It may be noted that Urdu is the
second official language in Bihar
and has the same status in Delhi
where even Punjabi is used for
official communication. Even
the new state of Telengana has
declared Urdu as the second
official language.
Linguistic Secularism
The Court observed that “law and
languages are both organic in their
mode of development. In India,
these are evolving through the
process of accepting legitimate
aspirations of the speakers of
different
languages.
Indian
language laws are not rigid but
accommodative, the object being
who have traditionally used
Urdu for speaking as well as
medium of written expression.
The state produced eminent
writers, poets and critics of Urdu
such as Munshi Premchand,
Majaz Lucknowi, Jigar
Other Items
1. Towels
2. Sanitary pads for girls and
women
3. Pampers for children
4. Toothpaste
5. Soaps
6. Mugs
7. Buckets
Medicine
1. Insulin (Human Mixtard)
2. Thyronorm (25 and 50 mcg)
3. Anti-Biotics
4. Medicine for Hypertension
Presently in coordination with
other activists and volunteers,
the IRRT has established several
base camps for the rescued
flood victims wherein food and
medical facilities are provided by
utilizing our own resources. But
our resources are meager and will
run out soon due to the severity
and magnitude of the relief
operations.
So on Humanitarian grounds
40 years after Independence UP
remained practically the Hindionly State with provision of
teaching no language other than
Hindi in Government schools.
The October 7, 1989 Notification
by the last of the Congress
governments in the State had
specified seven different objects
for which Urdu would be used:
But it is to be seen as to how the
State’s vast Muslim populace
would work for the revival of
Urdu as nearly three generations
of modern educated Muslims
have grown unaware of Urdu. The
generation gap is likely to cause
serious problems in finding users of
official facilities for the language.
The ruling has brightened the
prospect for teaching of Urdu and
employment for Urdu-knowing
persons. The State has witnessed
a massive gap between Urduknowing generation and those
who would be willing to learn
1- Acceptance of petitions in
Urdu and issuance of their
replies in Urdu.
Yawning gap due to discontinuity
in learning of Urdu leaves us with
the imponderable: If there would be
enough takers for the official facilities?
Muradabadi, Braj Narain
Chakbast, Mir Taqui Meer, Mirza
Dabeer, Mirza Anees, Raghupati
Sahay Firaq Gorakhpuri, Bal
Mukund Arsh Malsiani and
publishers such as Munshi
Nawal Kishore who straddled
the religious divide. For the first
Humanitarian Appeal for Flood Victims ....
11. Cooking Oil
12. Chlorine tablets for drinking
water
13. Mineral Water Bottles
14. Fresh Dates
There is no bar on adoption
of more than one language as
‘Official Language’ of a State.
we appeal to all donor agencies/
grant giving institutions and other
generous individuals to come
forward with possible relief in
kind and financial assistance in
cash for permanent rehabilitation
of more than six million people.
We are maintaining our Bank
accounts with J&K Bank
2- Acceptance
of
documents in courts
Urdu
3- Publication of all important
rules,
regulations,
notifications in Urdu.
4- Issuance of all circulars and
Government Orders (GOs) in
Urdu.
5- Publication of important
official advertisements in
Urdu
6- Publication of
Gazette in Urdu
the
State
7- Putting up official signboards
in Urdu.
the language now. This yawning
discontinuity may hamper the
progress of the language as there
may be a situation where there
would be no takers for these
facilities even if the administration
is willing to create opportunities
for the language.
The Apex court has thus put a lid
over the debate that only a single
language deserves to be the
official language of a particular
state and has clarified that Article
345 of the Constitution does not
bar adoption of more than one
languages for official use. n
Ltd. With its branch office at
Chadoora India.
FCRA Bank Account No. is
0008040100023713
+91-9419075361
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.irrtonline.org
Our Local Account No. is
0008040100051713
IFSC code : JAKA0Chadur
A.R. Hanjura
Founder, IRRT
Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad
Sikander
Media Secretary, IRRT
+91-9906654567
[email protected]
opinion
Making Encounters Transparent
The rule of law has received a massive boost in the wake of
the Supreme Court’s 16-point guidelines for investigation
into encounter killings. While it is well recognized that
maintaining law and order and combating crime is a delicate
task, it is also a painful reality that the police role in the
alleged encounters with criminals, militants and terrorists
has not always been above board. Promotions and gallantry
awards for the personnel involved in such encounters only
seek to suppress the element of highhandedness, if any, in such
incidents. In extreme cases, even the criminals in uniform get
rewarded. Hyped up publicity serves to hinder or cover up the
reprehensible role of those meant to comply with the rules in
the statute book.
The apex court has put a firm cap on immediate celebration
of such incident which in several cases have proved to be
cold-blooded murder of innocents as well as criminals. If
rule of law has to retain its credibility and carry conviction
with people, there must be scope for such incidents to be
seen transparently. Out of turn promotions and conferment
of awards could wait till investigations reveal their veracity
beyond reasonable doubt. It will discourage the tendency to
claim credit for stage-managed encounters when the killings
were premeditated, as has been witnessed in umpteen cases.
The court has also laid down that intelligence tip-offs should
be brought to record and the probe should be headed by police
and investigative personnel from another police station. It
also makes it mandatory for the State Police chiefs to table
the reports of encounter deaths before the State Human Rights
Commissions every six months.
Hindsight reveals that personnel lauded as ‘encounter
specialists’ were booked for extortions later; intelligence
tip-offs in Ishrat Jahan case turned out to be mere figments
of imagination and ordinary criminals and activists were
eliminated under the garb of combating Naxalism. The PIL
preferred before the Supreme Court had itself questioned the
genuineness of 99 encounters resulting in death of about 135
persons between 1995 and 1997.
The True Spirit of Sacrifice
Muslims all over the world will be performing the Hajj and then
celebrating Bakrid. While the rituals are performed, its time that
Muslims introspect and reflect into their souls to understand the
spirit of sacrifice. In times of turmoil that the world is today,
including the Muslim world, Muslims have to be proactive and
look into themselves and find out where they are going wrong.
Are we too egoistic? Are we stuck in the victimhood syndrome?
Are we always dependant on others to improve our socioeconomic status? Are we loud and brash? Are we misusing
religion to create terror in the hearts of the people? Are we
poor communicators, lacking etiquette in manners towards our
neighbours?
Living in India with so many diverse communities existing in
harmony with each others for centuries, Muslims should be
playing a positive role in building bridges of unity. Its time
during festivals like Bakrid, that Muslims can display genuine
respect for the sentiments of their neighbours, their non-Muslim
friends and the whole society at large.
Vulgar parade of sacrificial animals on the streets is bound to hurt
sentiments. Being pompous about the number of animals being
sacrificed by each family need not be the focus of discussion,
or for that matter even giving names of the four caliphs to the
animals seems like making a mockery of the ritual.
Thinking about the needs of the poor, sharing food with the poor
and needy, Muslims and non-Muslims, can be very beneficial
towards uplifting our souls. Muslims need to work more on the
need to sacrifice their bloated egos, their puffed up pride about
being the best community destined to heaven, and looking down
on the rest as all destined to hell.
The need of the hour is not to spend time drying out left over
kababs after Bakrid on our clothesline in our backyards, but to
spend time and mull over the little time we have left in this
world to do good and be good, till the angels of death seize our
souls. That’s the true spirit of sacrifice.
10
Eid Not-So-Mubarak
When we are asked by non-Muslims why all the “Islamic states” on
earth are dictatorships that trample on human rights, most of us
simply say: “they are not real Islam.”
By Mustafa Akyol
Eid Mubarak! Or, in English, may your feast be blessed.
That is what we Muslims say to each other during these
days. We share desserts, we visit relatives, and we wish,
Eid Mubarak.
However, deep down in my heart, I know this Eid (or
Bayram, as we say in Turkish) is not much of a blessed
one for the global Muslim community. The reason is that,
first, the horrible injustices done to our co-religionists.
Secondly, there are horrible injustices done by our coreligionists.
On the first front, there is of course the nearest tragedy in
Gaza. As I was writing this piece, more than a thousand of
Palestinians, most of them civilians, including hundreds
of children, were killed by the Israeli military. Israel’s
staggering ruthlessness and self-righteousness while
killing so many innocent people, is undoubtedly sickening.
And the poor people of Gaza (and West Bank, and the
refugee camps in Lebanon and elsewhere) deserved
nothing but support and sympathy.
However, do we Muslims really think that we will
help liberate Palestine by merely condemning Israel’s
occupation and militarism? Israel is intoxicated with its
might, but what have we done to counter this in the right
way? For decades, what have Arab and other Muslim
governments done to find a rational, feasible solution
that will take Palestinians to statehood? Haven’t we
rather weakened or de-legitimatized this right cause by
devolving into sensationalism and anti-Semitism, and
even the exploitation of Palestine for domestic politics?
Beyond Palestine, the Ummah, the global Muslim
community, is burning, too. But more so by the
confrontationalism among Muslims themselves, rather
than the conspiracies of “infidels” that we often see as
the root of all evil. In the horrible civil wars in Syria and
Iraq, Muslim groups which all proclaim “Allahu Akbar,”
are killing each other due to differences in sect or even
faction. All across the Muslim world, we have plenty of
heavy-handed dictators and militant opponents, but very
few democracies. In even democracies such as Turkey,
Islamic sentiments generate authoritarianism when they
assume full power (as seen in the case of Erdogan), and/
or initiate bitter intra-Islamic conflicts (as seen in the case
of Erdogan vs. Gülen).
When we are asked by non-Muslims why all the “Islamic
states” on earth are dictatorships that trample on human
rights, most of us simply say: “they are not real Islam.”
But isn’t this a bit like an apologetic socialist saying that
all experiments based on his ideology were just “not real
socialism?” If you keep getting horrible results from the
application of a theory, shouldn’t you begin questioning
the theory itself?
But mind you: By “theory,” I don’t mean the divine core
of Islam, to which I am undoubtedly loyal. But I mean
“historical Islam” that has evolved over the centuries with
the commentaries of past scholars, and stagnated for quite
a while. I specifically mean “Shariah,” or Islamic law,
which often reflects the social norms of medieval societies
rather than the eternal tenets of our religion. I also mean
“Islamism,” which is modern political ideology that aims
at imposing this Shariah either at the barrel of a gun or,
more moderately, with the dictates of a ballot.
What I mean, basically, is that we should revisit Islam’s
relation to power, especially state power. We should agree
that God’s authority over men cannot be the basis of
men’s authority over men — and over women, for that
matter. Only then, I believe, we will have the mental
tools to build a world of much more blessed, joyful and
peaceful Eids.
LETTERS
Practise Islamic Values with Sincerity
This has reference to the essay "Change or Perish" by M.A
Siraj (IV August 2014). If one goes through the earlier
history of Islam, it says that during the first 80 years after,
the passing away of the Prophet (Pbuh), nearly 80% of the
civilized world was under the control of Muslims. It was
also the period, when renowned scholars, administrators,
military generals and businessmen were in plenty. Only
in the later years, when multiple interpretation of Quranic
verses and unauthentic Hadith, and personal views
of the religious scholars were introduced, because of
political interference and worldly greed, things became
complicated, leading to degradation of the Ummah.
This sorry state has continued to the present times.
Writing articles and giving big speeches can create can
awareness, but it certainly does not change the conditions
of the Muslim society, unless, Islamic teachings are
practised, as was the case in the early period of Islamic
history. As the Quran says: " O who you believe why you
say that which you do not do. Certainly most hateful in
the sight of Allah is that you say , which you do not do
(Sura 61:2-3). Thus key to progress is the practice of the
Islamic fundamentals with sincerity and devotion.
Akhtar Mahmood
206 /40-A Chandigarh, [email protected]
A Community of Beggars
This is with reference to the essay, “ Issues in upliftment
of Muslims” and “Change or Perish” by Maqbool
Ahmed Siraj in the July 2014 and August 2014 issues
of Islamic Voice. On the basis of these essays, it can
be concluded that the so called religious scholars are
to be blamed for the backwardness of the community.
If this life of the world is for the non-believers to excel
in worldly affairs, then what is the status of Muslims?
Either they are slaves or mendicants! And there does
not seem to be any decline in the breed of beggars in
our community. Obviously we are begging for various
sops from the government, apart from reservation in
jobs. This being the sorry state of the community, what
sort of scientific inventions, discoveries, research or
scholastic achievements can be expected from such a
community?
If this world is a prison for a Muslim, obviously he leads
a life of perdition, he is chained for life. What excellence
can be expected from a prisoner who has been destined
to a condemned existence after birth. Why cannot these
so called scholars who sway the community, eliminate
the polarization of the community which has been split
into so many different sects?
Khaleel Ahamed, Tumkur
Road Named after
Kareem Khan
By A Staff Writer
unveiled the board naming the
two kilometer road through the
Bangalore:
Despite
stiff posh colony as Dr. S. K. Kareem
opposition from the BJP, the
Khan Road.
Bangalore City Corporation
The
City
named the 100-Feet Road after Dr.
Corporation
S. K. Kareem Khan, the legendary
s t i r r e d
into
action
after
noted
Kannada
activist and leader of the
Kannada Chaluvali, Mr.
Vatal Nagaraj threatened
to himself the stall the
new name board if the
BBMP ignored the plea
to rename the road after
Kannada
folk
artist
Chief Minister Siddrahaiah inaugurating the Road Kareem Khan.
named Dr. S. K. Kareem Khan
Yakshagana is a theatre
Yakshanagana artist. Though the form that combines dance, music,
Corporation (known as Bangalore dialogue, costume, make-up, and
Mahanagar Maha Palike-BBMP) stage techniques with a unique
had passed a resolution in 2004 style and form. This theatre
to rename the road after Kareem style, resembling Western opera,
Khan, opposition from the BJP is mainly found in the coastal
stalled the process.
districts of Karnataka and Kerala.
Chief Minister Mr. Siddrahaiah Yakshagana is traditionally
and area MLA Mr. N. A. Harris presented from dusk to dawn.
Aligarh: The Innovation Council
of Aligarh Muslim University is
organizing Sir Syed Innovation
Festival to tap innovative skills and
awarded to a University student
and another Best Innovation of
the Year prize of Rs. 25,000/- will
be awarded to a school student
AMU to organize Sir Syed
Innovation Festival
to promote research activities in
the University. This festival, which
is to be an annual phenomenon,
will be organized on October 1012, 2014. The Innovation Council,
with the Pro-Vice Chancellor
as its Chairman, has instituted
two Best Innovation of the Year
prizes. The Best Innovation of the
Year prize of Rs. 50,000/- shall be
for the best innovation displayed
or showcased in the Sir Syed
Innovation Festival.
Prof. Rizvi said that the
University has also instituted
two awards
to encourage
research in the University. The
Outstanding Researcher of the
Year Award of Rs 1 lakh shall be
given away each year for the best
Dr. Kareem Khan who died
in 2010 at the age of 94, was
a freedom fighter and later
struggled for consolidation of
Kannada speaking areas into the
reorganized state of Karnataka.
He refused the Freedom Fighter’s
Pension from the Government
dedicating his services to
the nation rather than to any
pecuniary gains. He remained
unmarried all through the life.
Kareem Khan was educated
through Kannada medium and
later studied Sanskrit to gain
insight into Ramayana and other
Hindu scriptures and took up
writing of songs in Kannada
language.
Speaking at the occasion, Chief
Minister announced institution
of Kareem Khan Award for two
persons each year who serve the
cause of Kannada and Karnataka.
Mayor
Satyanarayana
said
couplet from Kareem Khan’s
songs would be inscribed on
plaques on the two side of the
prominent road in order to spread
awareness about the artist’s
views.
Kareem Khan’s grand nephew
Tanweer Ahmed, a software
engineer, played the leading role
in reviving the BBMP resolution
to rename the Road. n
research performed during one
academic session to a University
teacher among the Faculties of
Science, Life Sciences including
Interdisciplinary Biotech Unit,
Engineering & Technology,
Medicine, Unani Medicine and
Agriculture. Another Outstanding
Researcher of the Year Award of
Rs. 1 lakh shall be given away
each year for the best research
performed during one Academic
Session to a University teacher
among the Faculties of Arts,
Social Sciences, Law, Commerce,
Management Studies & Research
and Theology.
(Twocircles.net)
New Delhi:
The National
Advisory Committee under the
aegis of the Tagore Research
and Translation Scheme, (TRTS)
Department
of Urdu, at
Jamia
Millia
Islamia
has
commended the
efforts of experts
and
faculty
members of the Department of
Urdu for having worked together
as a team to translate writings of
Rabindranath Tagore into Urdu.
Prof. Wahajuddin Alvi, Head,
Department of Urdu, JMI welcomed
the Members of the Committee and
thanked them for their unstinted
support towards fulfillment of the
objectives of the Tagore Research
& Translation Scheme. The project
11
has published 9 titles and intends
to publish 4 more for which it
has requested extension of the
Tagore Research and Translation
Tagore’s Writings
Translated into Urdu
at Jamia
New Delhi: The
Jamia Millia Islamia
has
launched
the
‘Swachchata
Abhiyan’ (Cleanliness
Campaign) with a
vow by the students
to make the Jamia a plastic and
litter free zone. Vice Chancellor
Prof. Talat Ahmed inaugurated
the programme on September
22 from the Department of
Scheme by another six months.
The Department of Urdu intends
to upload the pdf files of all the
books published under TRTS on
the Jamia website. Prof. Shahzad
Anjum,
TRTS
Coordinator,
presented a comprehensive report
detailing the efforts and challenges
confronted in the administration of
the project. n
(Twocircles.net)
Jamia Launches
Cleanliness
Campaign
upon the resolution made in
Educational
Studies
and
Department of Teacher Training
and Non-Formal Education
(IASE) with the latter launching
the NSS camp to mark the
occasion. The Faculty of
Education came into existence
as the first National Laboratory
of Basic Education consequent
Wardha by Mahatma Gandhi to
link Education with the world of
work.
The Abhiyan was launched
in response to Prime Minister
Narendra
Modi’s
call to clean up the
country and make
it
an
attractive
destination
for
international tourists.
The Registrar, JMI
in his address put the
emphasis on making
campus litter free and
for this all concerned
should consider it as their
collective responsibility to pick
up the wrappers and litter only to
be put into the bin. He asked the
students to take a pledge for the
same. In the inaugural function,
Jamia Tarana, the NSS song and
Swachhata Geet were sung by a
group of students. n
views
12
Don’t Mess With Me… Warns Nature!
Today the Dal Lake has swollen in anger to reclaim its original
boundaries. The Jhelum, in fury, has again demarcated its flood basin,
sending out a devastating warning to not to mess with its majesty.
By Sheikh Qayoom
Srinagar How quickly will
Kashmir recover from the shock
and trauma this land of meadows,
lakes and rivers underwent during
the recent floods? Financially,
within a few months or years, but
emotionally, perhaps never.
For years, there had been warnings
that no matter how much the
greed and need of humankind to
encroach and vandalise rivers,
lakes and forests, one day these
ecosystems would reclaim their
original borders.
This was ironically ignored
by Kashmiris to their own
detriment.
Going by historical records,
except for its expansion in the
north towards Ganderbal and
some highlands in the central
Badgam districts, the entire
growth of summer capital
Srinagar through residential
colonies, business centres and
even government infrastructure
creation has for over 130 years
been in the flood basin of the
Jhelum river that flows through
the city.
Historical records, including
revenue records of the state
government, prove that denselypopulated and upscale residential
areas left of the Jhelum are its
old flood basin.
Walter Lawrence, the British land
revenue settlement commissioner
of Dogra maharaja Pratap Singh,
noted that this huge flood basin
had taken the brunt of the 1893
deluge and formed a huge lake
right up to the present central
Kashmir's Badgam district.
Today, Walter Lawrence's flood
basin has vanished. Instead, there
are residential neighbourhoods
of the rich of Rajbagh, Kursoo,
Jawahar Nagar, Gogjibagh, Wazir
Bagh, Chanapora, Natipora,
Bemina and Qamarwari, among
others.
"What can be a bigger proof
of the government's lack of
foresight and planning than the
fact that the Hajj House, the
Jhelum Valley Medical College,
the state motor garages and
even the land records office that
houses Kashmir's entire revenue
records were constructed by the
government in Bemina in the
flood basin zone.
"All these government offices
are today submerged under 10
feet of flood water," said Farooq
Ahmad, 54, a resident of the
Qamarwari residential area,
whose home has been under the
flood waters for the last 12 days.
"Ironically, the entire flood basin
that saved Srinagar in 1893
from greater devastation was
vandalised through mindless
planning for urbanisation,"
Hakim Showkat Ali, a well
known hydraulic engineer and
a retired chief engineer, told
IANS.
Umrah & Hajj
Ahram Clothes and All
Journey Requirements.
"Most of the swollen waters of the
Dal Lake were drained through
the 'Nallah Mar' (Serpentine
canal) that went round the city
and drained all its surplus waters
into the Jhelum.
"Not only has the majority of
Dal Lake's original area been
encroached upon over the years,
but some of our 'visionary
politicians and town planners'
in the mid-1960s chose to fill
up the 'Nallah Mar', which is
today a wide road going around
the entire old Srinagar city with
shops and houses around it.
"This has been the reason that
the present flood inundated some
areas due to the choking of water
drainage systems because of the
swollen Dal Lake," Showkat Ali
added.
Ironically, Showkat Ali's house
in Srinagar was also inundated
by flood waters and he and his
wife were rescued by a private
boat. His brother, who lived next
door, could not be rescued for
four days.
Kashmir was called the "Venice
of Asia" because of the serpentine
Nallah Mar. Most navigation and
trade transport of Srinagar was
done through this canal.
Today the Dal Lake has swollen
in anger to reclaim its original
boundaries. The Jhelum, in fury,
has again demarcated its flood
basin, sending out a devastating
warning to Kashmiris not to
mess with its majesty.
The mud and slush that the
Lidder stream in the south and
the Sindh stream in the north
brought down with their flood
waters to drain into the mighty
Jhelum announced loudly and
violently that forests in the
catchment areas of these streams
have been felled, making the soil
loose and erosion-prone.
The flood of 2014 has claimed
over 200 human lives and billions
of rupees in terms of damage to
private property, businesses and
government infrastructure.
Would this angry warning by
nature to Kashmiris not to mess
with her lakes, rivers, forests and
flood basins be taken seriously
so that a greater warning is not
needed to jolt them out of their
greed?
Well, the future generations
would know. One can only hope
they don't have to pay for the
follies of their forefathers.
(Sheikh Qayoom can be
reached at at sheikh.abdul@
ians.in)
80 Computers Gifted to
Muslim Orphanage
Bangalore’s One-stop Fashion
Showrooms - Four in a row
in Cantonment Area
Banaras Silk Sarees,
Kahmiri Work Sarees
Salwar Kameez,
Ghagra Choli,
Lacha, Salwar Suit etc.
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MEN’S SHOP
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Suiting & Shirtings
Sherwani, Kurta Pyjama
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Bangalore: MISYS India, a
company engaged in financial
Page 3
Teachers Day...
Peenya, and J.P Nagar. This is
the 6th year of Asian Kids School
with Day Care from 9 am - 7.00
pm(Saturday 9.30 am - 1.00 pm)
Play Group, Nursery, L.K.G &
U.K.G, with efficient staff and
many facilities like, Library, Pet
House, House Drama and Theatre,
for the recreation of the students.
The school’s main branch is at:
No. 1275, 8th Cross, 27th main,
Behind RV Dental College, LIC
Colony, JP Nagar, 1st Phase,
Bengaluru - 560 078, Phone 080
– 22456786 / 9900276786 n
software gifted 80 desktop
computer systems to the 120
year old Muslim Orphanage.
The new systems were installed
in the existing Computer Lab
in the Orphanage premises on
Dickenson Road, Bangalore.
New Delhi: Members from the
Centre for Peace and Spirituality
(CPS) were invited to address
students of theology at Vidyajyoti
College of Theology, New Delhi
on September 5, 2014. Of the fourmember team, Rajat Malhotra
spoke on the Al-Risala and CPS
Movement, Sadia Khan spoke
on Jihad in Islam, Maria Khan
spoke on Understanding Religion
from the Islamic
Perspective, and
Sufia Khan spoke
on Islam and Peace. The talks
were followed by a question and
answer session. Victor Edwin SJ,
the course director of the module
“Popular Islam” invited CPS and
made all arrangements. CPS is an
organization founded by Maulana
Wahiduddin Khan. To spread
spiritual wisdom based on peace,
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
established CPS International, i.e.,
Centre for Peace and Spirituality
in 2001. Al-Risala and CPS are
basically same movements with
different names. CPS chapters all
over India and abroad are trying to
spread the message of peace and
spirituality to the world. Members
of CPS are either working
professionals or pursuing Islamic
studies. Rajat Malhotra has done
Master’s in Islamic History from
Kerala University, Sadia Khan is
doing PhD in Islamic Studies at
Jamia Millia Islamia, Maria Khan
is doing PhD in Islamic Studies at
Jamia Hamdard and Sufia Khan is
currently doing Master’s in Islamic
Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia.
Jihad in Islam, Sadia explained,
is the spiritual struggle within
a believer in order to become
God-conscious. It continues
throughout the life of a believer.
According to Islam, every person
in this world is on test. Any
situation, pleasant or unpleasant,
that he is faced with, is meant as
a test for man. It is required of
a person to steadfastly adhere to
the principles of justice, honesty,
accountability in whatever he is
faced with in life. This is the true
this developed personality can
be settled in the eternal abode of
Paradise. In her address on Islam
and Peace, Sufia Khan said that
peace was integral to the religion
of Islam. All Islamic teachings
are based, directly or indirectly,
on the principle of peace. The
very word Islam is derived from
the Arabic root word “silm”,
which means peace. The Prophet
13
caliphate. Therefore, the concept
of caliphate was not found in
early Islamic history.
Another student asked whether
in Islam men are held superior
to women. To this Maria replied
that the Quran is the authentic
source of Islam, and no verse in
it speaks of such superiority. On
the other hand, the Quran says:
“Men and women are members
one of another.”
(3:195).
The
Prophet of Islam
commander of the By Maria Khan has stated: “Men
believers. The word
and women are two
“khalifa” or caliph came into equal halves of a single unit.” .
use after the period of these Rajat cited the example of Ayesha
four caliphs, that is, during the (RA), the Prophet’s wife and
rule of the Umayyad dynasty. said that she is considered most
learned among the Companions
of the Prophet. Many of her
sayings have been recorded in
the books of the traditions of
the Prophet and are regarded
as a very valuable source for
understanding the Prophet’s
teachings. It was emphasized
that Islamic teaching should
be differentiated from Muslim
practice, the latter should be
judged in the light of the former
Maria Khan
and not vice versa.
The Umayyads’ was a dynastic (The writer is a PhD candidate,
rule and to justify it they started Department of Islamic Studies
to call their reign as khilafat or Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi)
and Syria, one of the students
enquired whether CPS had issued
any statement in this regard.
Rajat replied that in one of his
recent lectures, the Maulana
condemned ISIS’s activities as
being wholly un-Islamic. The
first four caliphs of Islam, whose
period is considered as authentic
in Islamic history, were referred
to as amir al-mominin, that is,
Understanding Religion, Mission, Jihad and Peace
spirit of jihad.
Explaining the purpose of life
according to Islam, Maria Khan
said that the goal, Islam gives
to an individual is the building
of the human personality on
Sadia Khan
divine foundations, that is,
on the principles of tolerance
and humility, to God in all that
one goes through in life. The
teachings of Islam are aimed
at transforming an individual.
The aim of Islam is not the
establishment of a system or
government. Rather, the aim of
Islam is to reform an individual.
All the commandments of Islam
are aimed at developing this noble
character, so that in the afterlife,
Abbas will demand UN resolution
to end Israeli occupation
New York: Palestinian leader
Mahmoud Abbas has said that
he will demand an international
resolution that would set a
timetable for ending Israeli
occupation
of
Palestinian
territories when he
speaks to the UN
General
Assembly.
If the UN rejects his
appeal, Abbas said he
will seek membership
in
international
institutions
and
agencies. His aides
have said that would include the
International Criminal Court.
Joining the court could potentially
open the door to war crimes
charges against Israel, both for
its military actions in Gaza and
for ongoing construction of
Jewish settlements on occupied
lands. Abbas spoke at a lecture
at Cooper Union college. The
of Islam has said: “Do not wish
for confrontation with your
opponent. Instead, always ask for
peace from God.”
Many questions were raised
during the interaction that
recent Gaza war has weakened
Abbas domestically, with Hamas
enjoying a surge of popularity
among Palestinians for fighting
Israel. He is under pressure at
home to come up with a new
political strategy
after his repeated,
but failed attempts
to
establish
a
Palestinian
state
through
US-mediated
negotiations with
Israel.
Abbas would ask the UN Security
Council to issue a binding
resolution, with a specific date
for ending Israel’s occupation
of the West Bank, Gaza Strip
and east Jerusalem. Captured by
Israel in 1967, the territories were
recognized by the UN General
Assembly in 2012 as making up
a state of Palestine. n
followed the talks. In the light
of the atrocities being committed
by the Islamic State of Iraq
Jamia Millia Islamia VC promises
collaboration with USTM
Guwahati:
“North
Eastern
Universities should take the lead
to start courses like Disaster
Management, in order to sort
out the problems of floods
and earthquakes and to deal
effectively with such Natural
Disasters,” said Prof Talat
Ahmad, Vice Chancellor of Jamia
Millia Islamia in Guwahati. He
also said that NE states are full
of potentials and opportunities
which must be explored to the
maximum extent.
“The development of a region
mainly depends upon their
education
system.
More
importance must be given on the
primary and basic education for
which qualified trained teachers
must be appointed. Government
must emphasize on the right
kind of practical training for the
teachers,” Ahmad said while
inaugurating Prof. Qoumrul
Hoque School of Education, a
constituent college of University
of Science and Technology,
Meghalaya (USTM).
This school of education will be
a catalyst in producing quality
trained teachers in the region. He
also said that he has been visiting
North East for quite some time for
his research work and projects and
was delighted to see the efforts intake capacity of hundred which
of a single person, Mahbubul has been already filled up in the
Hoque, the Chancellor of USTM maiden year itself. USTM has
to make such a huge contribution planned to increase the intake to
in the field of
education. He
also
assured
that
Jamia
Millia Islamia
will be in full
collaboration
and association
with
USTM
in terms of
manpower and
other Academic Prof Talat Ahmad with USTM authorities and its Chancellor,
Mahbubul Hoque
and Research
related activities. The School has another hundred for the next year.
got the approval from National The inauguration ceremony was
Council for Teacher's Education followed by the release of USTM
(NCTE), ERC, Bhubaneswar News Letter by the Chief Guest
to run B.Ed. Courses with an Prof. Talat Ahmad. n
book review
14
Does FBI Create Terrorist?
The
TheTerror
TerrorFactory
Factory
Inside
Insidethe
theFBI’s
FBI’sManufactured
ManufacturedWar
War
on
Terrorism
on Terrorism
By
ByTrevor
TrevorAaronson
Aaronson
IG
IGPublishing,
Publishing,Brooklyn,
Brooklyn,New
NewYork
York
272
pages
272 pages
Price:
Price:Not
NotStated
Stated
Reviewed by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj
The book under review The
Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s
Manufactured War on Terrorism
is a bold attempt to unravel and
expose the United States’ war on
terrorism which has devastated
two States namely Iraq and
Afghanistan, and caused mayhem
over wide swathes of land in the
Middle East.
The
Federal
Bureau
of
Investigation (FBI) has been
deft at announcing foiled terror
plots frequently. The highly
monopolised US media—which
also caters to various national
media around the world—makes
condescending noises and hypes
“the good work in defusing the
threat to security”. What however
remains from being publicized
is that most terrorists within the
US are able to carry forward
potentially lethal plots only
because FBI informants and agents
supplied them the means, in most
cases weapons and equipment, in
some cases even paying for rent
and cash for logistics. The book
revolves round the query: Is the
FBI catching terrorists or creating
them?
Throwing Bait for the Trap
The pattern has almost been
patented in the years following
the 9/11 attack on the World
Trade Centre in New York. The
FBI’s paid informants—who now
number around 15,000—are on
the lookout for young Muslims
who espouse radical beliefs, are
aged 18 to 35, are vocal about
their disapproval of US foreign
policy, or have
expressed sympathy
for
international
terrorist groups. These youths are
then moved to the next stage; the
sting in which an FBI informant,
posing as a terrorist, offers
to help facilitate a terrorist
Trevor Aaronson raises questions about illegal and
questionable practices by the American investigative agency
that has been into the game of entrapping radical youth.
author’s research over
the last few years.
Prejudices Amplified
Fed on a diet of
prejudices
against
Islam, FBI has been
operating
on
the
basis of belief that no
international terrorist
organization is now
capable of attacking
the US and therefore the best
the organization could do was
to induce and inspire someone
already in the West to carry out
a terrorist attack—an attack
“The FBI wants informants who have
committed unprosecuted crimes, so that those
crimes can then be used as leverage to control
them”: Dale Watson, Assistant Director, FBI.
attack for the target. Inert
bombs and disabled rifles
are supplied to the wouldbe terrorist. FBI agents swoop
down on the prey when they are
about to dial the detonators. In the
years since 9/11, the FBI and the
Justice Department have indicted
and convicted more than 150
people following sting operations.
In most cases, an FBI informant
not only led one of every three
terrorist plots, but also provided
all the necessary weapons, money
and transportation, concludes the
Al-Qaeda’s leadership would
likely know nothing about until
it happened—and then stupidly
claim credit for it. And inspire
they must in order to convince
the US Congress that rolls out
the $3 billion package to the
FBI annually. To assist with this,
the FBI came up with a kind of
radicalization spectrum, running
from sympathizer to operation.
As one of the officials told the
author: “We are looking for
the sympathizer who wants to
become an operator, and we want
to catch them when they step over
that line to operator”.
And FBI’s anti-Muslim prejudices
can be imagined from its counterterrorism document in circulation
in 2011 which described Prophet
Muhammad as ‘a cultist leader’
and labeled Islamic charities
as a “funding mechanism for
combat”.
Funding anti-Israeli
Campaigns
Informants infiltrate mosques,
enamour some young people
with their anti-Israel speeches
and recruit radicals into arms
training and possibly, even supply
them a few. The most amenable
(or vulnerable) to the FBI are
those who have some violations
of immigration laws registered
against them. They are intimidated
and bullied in order to fall in line
or be ready to be deported. Not
many people are strong enough
to stand up and resist and fight—
to reject their offers. In other
words, the potential recruits are
told to work as informant and
the FBI will help stop them from
being deported; refuse and the
FBI won’t use its considerable
influence in courts t to prevent
the issuing of a one-way ticket
out of the country. Among other
bludgeoning measures are putting
the nay-sayers on ‘No-Fly’ list.
In some cases garbage from
homes and digital cast-offs too
are scanned for potential clues to
someone’s criminal antecedents.
Dale Watson, FBI’s Assistant
Director for Counterterrorism
told Aaronson: The Bureau wants
informants who have committed
unprosecuted crimes, so that
those crimes can then be used as
leverage to control them.
Sixty-three per cent of American
Muslims are immigrants, having
been born abroad. Since most of
them fall in high income bracket
and are fairly represented in
professional class, few are prone
Page 24
book review
15
Challenging Radical Islamist Interpretation of Jihad
The Supreme Jihad
Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri
Rupa, New Delhi
2014
64 Pages
ISBN: 978-81-291-3095-2
Rs. 195
Reviewed by M. Irfan
Much confusion and ambiguity
surround the term ‘jihad’. Radical
fundamentalist self-styled Islamic
outfits claim that the seemingly
endless violence they have
unleashed in different parts of the
world are Islamically-sanctioned
jihads. In contrast, their ideological
Muslim opponents insist that this
violence has nothing whatsoever
to do with true Islamic jihad,
and that, in fact, it is its polar
opposite.
Much has been written, by
scholars of diverse ideological
persuasions, about jihad. Literally,
the word denotes striving to one’s
utmost. Often, Muslims use the
term in connection with exertion
or striving in God’s path. How this
‘striving in God’s path’ is actually
defined
varies
considerably,
however. What one ideologue
sees as jihad in God’s path might
be seen as fasad or as striving in
the path of Satan by another. Tahir ul-Qadri is one of Pakistan’s
most well-known Islamic scholars.
A prolific writer, he has emerged
as a powerful voice for interfaith
dialogue and reconciliation in
recent years and as a strident critic
of terrorism in the name of jihad
that is playing such havoc in large
parts of the world, including in his
own country. In this slim volume,
he critiques the discourse of
radical jihadism and offers a
refreshing alternative perspective
on jihad. He accomplishes this
in a rather novel way. He makes
hardly any appearance in the text
himself. Instead, he puts together
Quranic verses, sayings attributed
to the Prophet Muhammad (called
hadith reports) and remarks by
noted early Muslims (mainly
‘classical’ Islamic scholars) on
jihad to convey an understanding
of jihad that is vastly different
from that of Islamist radicals.
These quotations are enough to
effectively challenge the radical
Islamist interpretation of jihad
without need for any commentary
or elaboration.
Some Islamist extremists insist
that Islam calls for Muslims
to engage in offensive jihad,
physical warfare in order to
expand the borders of what they
call the ‘abode of Islam’ or dar
al-islam and to conquer what
they term as the ‘abode of war’
or dar ul-harb, (these being terms
that have no Quranic sanction
but that are routinely deployed
in both medieval Muslim as
well as modern radical Islamist
discourses). None of the scores
of quotations from a range of
Islamic sources contained in this
book supports that understanding
of jihad, however. Equally
significantly—and again
in contrast to Islamist
extremists—none
of
them sanctions revolt
against
established
political authorities in
the name of jihad. The
quotations that Tahir ulQadri puts together here
provide an altogether
different picture of
jihad, with physical
war (defensive war, that is)
being just one, and not the most
important, form of it. If radical
jihadists argue that jihad bi’s-sayf,
physical warfare (against nonMuslims or against supposedly
the lower ego. This is what has
been called in the Islamic tradition
as jihad bi’n-nafs (jihad against
one’s own [ill-commanding] self)
and as jihad bi’l qalb (jihad to
purify the heart of impure and
harmful ambitions and selfish
pursuits).
The book provides numerous
references to substantiate the
great importance of this form
of jihad in Islam. It tells us, for
instance, that the Prophet greeted
people who returned from a
battle, saying: ‘Congratulations!
You have returned from a lesser
(al-jihad al-asghar) to a supreme
jihad (al-jihad al-akbar).’ It was
A key form of jihad, Tahir ul-Qadri suggests, is
striving against our baser desires and our lusts, or
the lower ego. This is what has been called in the
Islamic tradition as jihad bi’n-nafs (jihad against
one’s own [ill-commanding] self) and as jihad
bi’l qalb (jihad to purify the heart of impure and
harmful ambitions and selfish pursuits).
irreligious Muslim rulers) is the
most important form of jihad,
the sources from the Islamic
tradition that Tahir ul-Qadri
provides clearly indicates that he
vehemently disagrees. This does
not mean that he rules out the
legitimacy of physical warfare
altogether. The quotations he
provides indicate that he regards
that such warfare is legitimate if it
is rightfully resorted to in defence
and directed against aggression,
strife and wrongful rebellion.
But that is not the only, or even
necessarily the most important,
form of jihad, he opines.
A key form of jihad, Tahir ulQadri suggests, is striving against
our baser desires and our lusts, or
submitted: ‘O Messenger of
Allah! What is supreme jihad?’
The Prophet said: ‘Striving
against desires and lusts.’
‘The (great) striver is the one who
strives against his own self (i.e.
lusts, indulgences and luxurious
pursuits)’, the book quotes a
hadith of the Prophet as relating.
According to a similar hadith
report, the Prophet said: ‘The
most excellent jihad is to strive
against the (ill-commanding)
self and its lusts in the pursuit
of Allah’s pleasure.’ Yet another
hadith report relates that ‘He who
strives against the base desires of
(ill-commanding) for the sake of
Allah performs the best jihad.’
Similarly, the Prophet is said to
have declared: ‘The wrestling
champion is not the one who
conquers (the other wrestlers in
the ring) but the one who reins in
his ire.’
In addition to statements attributed
to the Prophet, the book provides
several other references, from
the writings of noted ‘classical’
Islamic scholars, to stress the
centrality of the jihad against
one’s baser self. It quotes Imam
Sufyan al-Thawri, for instance, as
remarking, ‘Indeed, your enemy
is the same (lower) self that
lies between your sides. Strive
against your lusts and appetites
far more spiritedly than you do
(in the battle) against your foe.’
We learn that Imam Ibn Battal
commented that ‘Striving against
the desires of one’s self is the
most perfect jihad.’ Hasan alBasri was of the opinion that ‘The
antagonism against one’s own
(ill-commanding) self is the most
virtuous jihad.’ When Umar bin
Abdul Aziz was asked, ‘Which
jihad is most virtuous?’ he replied,
‘Combating your lusts.’ The book
quotes Ibn Qayyim as stating,
‘Therefore, striving against one’s
own self (inwardly) is prior to
the fight against the enemy (in
the battlefield), and that is its
origin.’ According to yet another
‘classical’ Islamic scholar, Allama
Mahmud al-Alusi al-Baghdadi,
‘Striving against one’s (inside)
self is a greater jihad than fighting
the enemy outside in the field.’
A second such peaceful form
of jihad, the book tells us,
is jihad bi’l mal, which signifies
altruism, generosity and selfless
spending on deserving people.
The book quotes a ‘classical’
Islamic scholar as commenting
that ‘Removing doubts and
ambiguities and clarifying and
Page 17
people
Goolam E. Vahanvati
First Muslim Attorney General of
India Goolam Essaji Vahanvati
died in Mumbai on September 2
at the age of 65. He had resigned
his post on Mau 27 after the new
Central Government was sworn
in.
Prior to his appointment as
Attorney General in 2009 by the
UPA government, Vahanvati had
served as Solicitor General of
India and Advocate General of
Maharashtra Government. He is
survived by his wife and son. He
was suffering from lung infection
for some time.
Cricket Academy by Pathan
Brothers
Vadodara:
Cricketers
and
brothers, Yusuf Pathan and Irfan
Pathan launched
their
Crircket
Academy
of
Pathans here on
September 11.
The Academy
will run two
c o u r s e s ,
preliminary and
advanced. The former will take
eight to nine weeks. Three more
branches are proposed to be set
up in leading cities by next year.
They plan to hire former coach
Obituary
of the Indian team Greg Chappel
for imparting of training to young
cricketers.
Mumtaz Ahmed Khan Awards
Presented
Bangalore: Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed
Khan Awards were presented to
Dr. Aslam Ahmad of Al-Ameen
Hospital, Bangalore; Maulana
Md. Idriss Umari,, Dr. Anita
Nair, HoD, English, Al-Ameen
College, Edathalla, Kerala; Mrs.
Shamla, Principal, Eddappalli
Al Ameen Kindergarten, Kerala;
and Mushtaque Ahmed, social
Worker, Tumkur on September 7
on the eve of the Founders Day
celebrated here on the birthday of
Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, founder
Al-Ameen Educational Society.
The awards were presented by
Janab Zahid Ali Khan, Editor,
Urdu Daily Siasat, Hyderabad.
Hazrath
Bibi
Khadija Awards
were presented to
Sabia Begum, wife
of Mr. Nurul Islam
of
Al-Ameen
Talimi Mission,
Kolkata and Anzu
Ara Khanam, wife
of Muhammad Hussain Ismail,
Al-Ameen School, in Assam.
Ismail has set up several schools
in Assam while Anzu Ara Khanum
has been assisting her husband.
DELHI DIARY
Minority Affairs Ministry to award
90 lakh Scholarships to Students
By Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: Presenting the 100
days report-card, Union Minister
for Minority Affairs Dr. Najma
Heptulla said that several new
initiatives have been taken to
strengthen and augment minority
welfare
schemes,
particularly simplifying
the procedure of prematric scholarships, and
made it demand-driven.
“The ministry took new
initiatives for formulating
new schemes to meet priority
agenda of the Government or to
reorient existing programmes”.
Addressing
the media here
on September 17, she said the
ministry focuses on educational
empowerment
with
skill
development as it may award
90 lakh scholarships under Prematric, Post-matric, Merit-cummeans based scholarships with an
approximate amount of Rs. 1700
crore in the current year. She also
announced that the Direct Benefit
Transfer in the bank account of
students has been operational
from this year. “In case of Online
Scholarship Management System,
facility of uploading the forms
is also being started to improve
delivery and transparency” she
added.
It has targeted selection of
1500 minority students for Free
Coaching for Engineering
and
Medical
Entrance
Examination
and
has
already sanctioned coaching
to 1150 students. It will also
establish the Khwaja Gharib
Nawaz Senior Secondary
School at Ajmer (Rajasthan)
through the
Maulana Azad
Education Foundation. She said
the ministry is giving focus to
Skill Development of minorities
by giving priority to “Seekho
aurKamao (Learn & Earn)”
scheme. The scheme guarantees
minimum 75 per cent employment
of trained minority youths and out
of them, 50 per cent will be in
organized sector. It has sanctioned
skill development training of more
than 24,364 minority youths in 29
States through 51 selected expert
skill development organizations. n
Habeeb Wali Muhammad Passes Away
Noted Pakistani ghazal singer Habeeb Wali Muhammad died in a Los
Angeles hospital on September
5 after prolonged illness and
surgeries. He passed away two
days after his 93rd birthday.
Habeeb
was
immensely
popular among ghazal
aficionados
in
the
Indian subcontinent. He
was born in a Memon
family in Rangoon (now
Yangon) in Burma on
September 3, 1921. He later
shifted to Mumbai and pursued
business, a family occupation.
His family, Tabani, an industrial
house has large business
holdings in Pakistan.
During his childhood Habib
often listened to Qawwali music.
But due to economic reasons, he
gave priority to academics. He
received his MBA from Syracuse
University, New York in 1947,
and then lived in Mumbai for
about 10 years before moving
to Pakistan. His brother Ashraf
W. Tabani was governor of the
province of Sindh around 1988.
His rendition of Bahadur Shah
Zafar’s ghazals na kisi ki ankh
ka noor hoon, and Lagta nahin
hai jee mera ujde dayar mein,
became great hits among
Hindi and Urdu listeners.
Actress Meena Kumari
who was associated with
Radio Ceylon in her early
career was a great fan of
him and often played his ghazals
which boosted his popularity.
Ten years after the Partition,
Habib’s family migrated to
Pakistan and set up their Shalimar
Silk Mills and other businesses in
Karachi. Due to active business
career, he did not pursue his
singing career aggressively.
After 1970s, he and his family
settled down in Los Angeles.
Both of his sons, Rizwan and
Nadeem are ghazal performers
and often stage performances in
the United States.
Carpet Industry incurs
losses worth $5 Billion
As the waters recede and the clean up finally begins,
business owners, including those selling Kashmir’s most
famous exports, are beginning to count their losses.
Srinagar: Caked with mud and
soaked in putrid water, Qazi
Mohammad Yahya’s
ruined
handmade carpets and Pashmina
shawls
reflect
Kashmir’s
economic devastation from the
region’s worst floods
in a century.
More than 450 people
were killed when
the floods, triggered
by heavy monsoon
rains, swept this
month through the
Himalayan
region
and into neighboring
Pakistan, leaving hundreds of
villages submerged and tens of
thousands of residents homeless.
As the waters recede and the
clean up finally begins, business
owners, including those selling
Kashmir’s most famous exports,
are beginning to count their
losses — at least $5 billion by
conservative estimates. “My
35 years of earning is gone,”
Yahya said outside his home in
the picturesque region’s main
city of Srinagar as water-logged
carpets collected from one of his
showrooms were unloaded from a
truck. “The loss is incalculable,” a
grim-faced Yahya added, staring at
muddy bundles of what had been
handspun fine cashmere wool to
make Pashmina shawls. “Most
of my finest carpets are lying
elsewhere in the flooded city.”
Kashmir carpets have traditionally
been a major earner for the region,
whose generations of weavers toil
for months on wooden looms to
produce single
intricate pieces
that sell for
thousands
of
dollars in the
West.
Scores
of
carpet
showrooms now
lie under water
after Srinagar’s
Dal Lake burst its banks, sending
residents fleeing for higher ground.
Many of the handlooms have also
been destroyed and hundreds of
people are out of work. “It may
take one year to recover, it may
take 50. It depends on Allah,” says
55-year-old Yahya who travels to
Europe, Southeast Asia and the
US every year to sell his carpets.
From carpets and saffron, another
famed Kashmir export, to apples,
walnuts and gold jewelry,
business owners are returning to
their flood-wrecked shops to find
tons of goods gone or destroyed.
“Our most conservative estimate
of loss is at least 30,000 crore
rupees ($5 billion),” said Ashraf
Mir, president of the Federation
Chambers of Industries Kashmir
16
Died:
Marwari
language
writer and activist Abdul
Jabbar Khan died in Jodhpur
on September 14. Khan worked
with the Rajasthan Government’s
Department of Public Instructions
as schools coordinator
and retired in 2009.
He was associated
with the Marwar
Muslim
Education
and Welfare Society’s
group of Institutions
in Jodhpur for the last five years.
He was associated with movement
for recognition of the Marwari
language spoken in Marwar
region (Jodhpur being the largest
city of the region). He was 65.
Died: Qari Hafiz Muhammad
Qasim Bhopali, former imam of
the Periamet Mosque in Chennai
died at Bhopal on September
13. He was 57.
A Qari (reciter
of the Quran) of
international repute,
he led the prayers
in Periamet Mosque
for close to three
decades. He twice
represented India in Quranic
recitation contests at Makkah
and Malaysia. He was a graduate
from Madrassa Jamia Islamia
Arabia, Bhopal. He leaves behind
his wife and three sons. His
Qiraat was recorded by Attibiyan
of the Islamic Foundation Trust,
Chennai which were marketed
later. His Jumaa sermons were
highly informative, progressive
and inspiring.
(FCIK). “Our main commercial
hub (in Srinagar) was the worst
hit,” Mir said, adding that the
figures were likely to be higher
because most of the Kashmir
Valley’s 500,000 traders underinsured their stock. Mir himself
runs a steel fabrication plant
employing 100 people. “I can’t
support my staff under the
circumstances,” he said.
Mir said many business owners
including farmers lost financial
records, making it difficult for
them to seek help from banks
and other financial institutions.
“Businesses need to rebuild fast
for which liberal institutional
help is a must,” Mir said. Many
business owners were among
the tens of thousands who also
lost their homes. “Minimum
documents, minimum time (to
provide financial help) is the key,”
he said.
In one of Srinagar’s main and
oldest markets, Maharaj Bazar,
mounds of ruined dried fruits
and other goods line the road as
shopkeepers begin the massive
cleanup. n
GLOBE TALK
17
We Must Correct the Image of Islam
Damaged By Extremists
Religious Harmony,
Compassion, and Islam
In my dialogue with Europeans, I had to admit that the image of even
practising Muslims has been changed in the minds of people not only in
the West, but in the Arab world as well.
Although I’m a Buddhist, an outsider toIslam,
nevertheless I have been voluntarily making
efforts as a defender of Great Islam
By Abdul Ilah Jadaa
The savage killing of American
journalists James Foley and
Steven Sotloff cannot be justified
in the name of any prescribed law
except the law of the jungle. Such
crimes by terrorists of the so-called
Islamic State are instrumental in
producing a negative image and a
grim picture in the minds of people
around the world about Muslims,
in general, and Muslim countries
and organizations, in particular.
Such acts do a disservice to the
Muslim world and a large number
of moderate Muslim countries and
stigmatize the image of the religion
of Islam which has nothing to do
with terrorism, violence, bloodshed
and dictatorship.
Are these IS terrorists aware of
the offense and damage they are
causing to Islam and Muslims?
They are inflicting harm not only
on themselves and their countries
but also on the moderate religion
of Islam, which was revealed to
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him), who was the embodiment of
the perfection of all noble qualities.
Islam is a code of life based on
peace and justice. Even the enemies
of Islam have certified that this
is the true nature of the religion.
However, these deviant terrorists
do not, even for a moment, think
about the magnitude of damage
caused by them to the image of
Islam and Muslims worldwide.
This is happening at a time when
a large number of people in the
West have become sympathetic to
the cause of the Palestinians, who
were savagely attacked by Israeli
occupation forces.
We have to strive to remove
misgivings about Islam and
present its true image, in addition
to defending true Muslims in all
Page 15
Challenging Radical Islamist
elucidating the truth too is a form
of jihad’. So also is jihad bi’l lisan,
verbal striving in God’s path, in the
form of discourse and oration, for
instance. The book quotes Imam
al-Dhahabi as saying that the ‘most
superior’ form of jihad is to invite
people towards God through verbal
communication.
Another peaceful form of jihad,
the book relates, is what jihad bi’l
‘amal, or striving for promotion
of morality and human values.
‘The excellent jihad’, the Prophet
is also said to have remarked,
‘is his who starts his day with a
mind pure of any malefaction or
injustice against anyone.’ Another
peaceful form of striving in God’s
path is jihad bi’l ‘ilm—or striving
for knowledge. Here, too, the book
provides inspiring Prophetic and
other sayings to substantiate this
forums available to us. I have
tried my best to present the true
image of Islam and its unequivocal
position towards these terrorists
in my talks with some French and
German nationals. However, the
reports appearing in Western media
about the savage practices of IS
terrorists in the name of Islam were
instrumental in weakening my
arguments.
In my dialogue with these
Europeans, I had to admit that the
image of even practising Muslims
has been changed in the minds of
people not only in the West but in
the Arab world as well. Bearded
Muslims have become a source of
fear in airports in some countries.
This is the handiwork of Al-Qaeda,
IS and other terrorist outfits which
have created a negative image of
Muslims among people in all parts
of the world.
(www.saudigazette.com)
...
point. A hadith report relates that
the Prophet remarked: ‘Whoever
comes to learn or teach knowledge
in my mosque, he stands equal in
rank to the striver who strives in
the way of Allah.’
Striving for God’s remembrance
and worship is also jihad, we are
told. ‘Establish prayer because
this is an excellent jihad […]’,
says a hadith report. We learn
that the Prophet is said to have
remarked, ‘No action of man is
more protecting against the Fire (of
Hell) than remembrance of Allah’.
When the narrator asked him ‘not
even fighting in the way of Allah?’
the Prophet replied, ‘No, not even
Jihad even if you fight so much
that your sword breaks, and then
you fight again and that sword also
breaks, and then you fight on until
another sword breaks.’
According to a similar hadith report,
the Prophet said, ‘For everything to
shine, there is something that causes
it to shine, and the remembrance
of Allah causes the heart to shine.
There is no salvation from the
torment besides the remembrance
of Allah.’ The Companion
submitted: ‘Not even fighting for
the cause of Allah?’ The Prophet
said: ‘(No) Even if you fight so
much that your sword breaks.’ This
means that remembrance of God is
more protecting against the fire of
Hell than physical jihad.
This little book of inspiring
quotations on jihad is a welcome
addition to the already enormous
corpus of writings on a hotlydebated subject. It is a treasure for
those in search of a meaningful
religious response to terrorism in
the name of Islam.
By His Holiness
the Dalai Lama
I would like to say something
concerning religious harmony.
Sometimes, conflicts involve
religious faiths. For
instance, previously
in Northern Ireland,
although the conflict
was basically a
political issue, it
quickly became a
religious issue. This
was very unfortunate.
In Sri Lanka as well,
although the conflict there is
also political, yet in some cases
one gets the impression that the
conflict is between Hindus and
Buddhists. This is really terrible.
In ancient times, followers of
different religions were mostly
isolated from each other. But now
they are in much closer contact
and so we need to make special
efforts to promote religious
harmony.
On the first anniversary of
September 11, a memorial
prayer ceremony was
held at the Washington
National Cathedral. I
was at that meeting and I
mentioned in my talk that
nowadays, unfortunately,
some people create the
impression that because
of a few mischievous
Muslims, all Muslims are militant
and violent. They then speak of
a clash of civilizations between
the West and Islam. This is
unrealistic.
It is absolutely wrong to
Page 19
18
In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
And they urge you to hasten the
punishment. But Allah will never
fail in His promise. And indeed,
a day with your Lord is like a
thousand years of those which
you count.”
(Qur’an: Surah Al-Haj: 22:47)
When Allah is timeless, why
He talks about a time frame for
humans?
This question has a lot of
components e.g. time, space,
boundaries;
this
life/world
(duniya), the next life/Hereafter
(akhirah); and Allah is not bound
by our space time dimensions.
Allah tells us in a Divine Hadith
(Hadith Qudsi) “I am Time,”
meaning that He created time or
rather He created the means by
which we can measure time. Time
relates to change and Allah does
not change. That is time started
when Allah created it.
Also, time consists of the past,
the present and the future, all of
which are present with Allah, yet
He is beyond time, or outside of
our space time dimension.
Another way of looking at time is
that total knowledge is with Allah,
there is no knowledge outside
of His knowledge thus the past,
present and future are all known
to Him. His knowledge is over
everything.
How can we understand the
concept of past, present and
future being one? It is beyond our
comprehension. In the same way,
how are we to understand time
when there is no time, or no space
time dimension or boundary?
We simply cannot understand this.
So, Allah makes our understanding
easy by explaining what is outside
of our dimension in our terms, the
comparison of “days.” A short
time for Allah is an inordinately
long time for us.
In the above verse, Allah answers
the challenge of the wrongdoers
“to hasten the torture (in Hell)” by
saying that “(even) a day of your
Lord (in the next life) is like a
thousand years of what you count
(in this life).”
Allah has been speaking of the
wrongdoers and the punishment
meted out to them, how He has
given respite and how He has
destroyed them.
He also asks, “Have they traveled
and seen the consequences for
themselves of the people who do
wrong and have they understood.”
Allah and the Limits of
Then, Allah says, “They ask you
(O Muhammad) to hasten on the
torment.”
Yet, the wrongdoers are being
warned, do they really want to
hasten the punishment in the
next life, when even what would
appear to be a short time there, is,
in reality, a long time according to
their measure of time.
If that is the case, why seek to
hasten it? Again, why not change
while you have time following
the examples that can be seen
if one travels in the earth? The
warning has dire consequences
and is ignored at one’s peril.
Allah also mentions in another
verse what is translated as: “He
directs the ordinance from the
heaven unto the earth; then it
ascends unto Him in a Day,
whereof the measure is a thousand
years of that ye reckon.” (Qur’an,
32:5)
It is mentioned in a scholarly
book, “Towards Understanding
the Qur’an” concerning the above
verse: “This means the annals of
a thousand years of man’s history
are no more than a day’s work
for God. Whatever tasks God
entrusts to His angels today are
completed by them before they
Human Imagination
are entrusted with the tasks for the
following day. This day that we
are speaking of however, is equal
to a thousand years according to
human computation.” Allah has
created time for us so we may
count days, months, and years
as explained in the following
verse: “And We appoint the night
and the day two portents. Then
We make dark the portent of the
night, and We make the portent
of the day sight-giving, that
you may seek bounty from your
Lord, and that you may know the
computation of the years, and
the reckoning; and everything
have We expounded with a clear
expounding.” (Qur’an, 17:12)
So the comparison that Allah gives
in the above verses are relevant to
the context, since in another place
Allah mentions that the Day of
Judgment is equivalent to 50,000
years: “A questioner questioned
concerning the doom about to
fall, Upon the disbelievers; which
none can repel, From Allah, Lord
of the Ascending Stairways,
(Whereby) the angels and the
Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day
whereof the span is fifty thousand
years.” (Qur’an, 70:1-4)
The book mentioned above
explains concerning the last verse
above: “In Al-Haj (22:47) and
Al-Sajdah (32:5), the measure of
a day is stated to be a thousand
years. But here, in response to an
unbeliever’s challenging demand
that God’s chastisement visit
them, one day of God’s reckoning
is stated to measure 50,000 years.
In order to grasp the two
statements it is necessary that
we relinquish our own, restricted
scales of measurement when we
speak of time with reference to
God. When we speak of a hundred
or even 50 years with reference to
human beings, it’s a fairly long
time span.
But when we speak of time
durations with reference to God,
each chunk of time consists of a
thousand or even 50,000 years;
and even these figures are for the
purposes of illustration only.”
So for Allah to account His
creation, it will take 50,000 years
of what we count; this measure
would become meaningless for
us since everything ceases to
exist upon Allah destroying life
as we know it; and the beginning
of a new life begins, the Day of
Reckoning.
Similarly the people who are in
their grave, their time is not the
same as the time of the living;
time has seized for them as we
know it, and each depending
on their deeds will feel the time
differently.
So time after death is the
perception that each person
feels, depending on his or her
status in the Hereafter; yet it is
still equivalent to what Allah has
mentioned if to be compared to
this worldly life.
After all what is 50,000 years
compared to eternity; it is just
like a drop of water in an ocean
and even smaller. For someone in
bliss during this great tribulation,
that will indeed be a very short
Page 19
19
Prophetic Way
of Showing Concern Towards People
Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) spoke with all people asking them about
matters of their own concern. This was customary with the Prophet, so that
his guests would feel at ease.
Commentary by Adil Salahi
This Hadith related by Al-Bukhari
in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad speaks
of the Abd Al-Qays delegation’s
visit to the Prophet (peace be
upon him) in Madinah. Members
of the delegation were from a tribe
living in the eastern provinces of
today’s Saudi Arabia, and the
Prophet had some correspondence
with them, starting when one
of their members, Munqidh ibn
Hayyan, visited Madinah on a
trade trip. The Prophet explained
the message of Islam to him and
he accepted the faith. The Hadith
quotes a member of the delegation
who reports:
“When we decided on visiting
Madinah, we set out on our trip.
Shortly before our arrival, we
met a man riding fast on a young
camel of his. He greeted us and
we replied to him. He stopped
and asked us to which tribe we
belonged. We said: ‘We are a
delegation from Abd Al-Qays.’
He said: ‘You are welcome here. I
have come on purpose to see you
and to give you a happy news.
The Prophet said to us yesterday
as he looked to the east: ‘You
will receive tomorrow the best
Page 17
Religious Harmony ...
characterize a whole religion
as bad because of a few
mischievous people. This is
true regarding Islam, Judaism,
Christianity, Hinduism, and
Buddhism all alike. For example,
some followers of the protector
Shugden killed three people near
my residence. One of them was a
good teacher who was critical of
Shugden and he received sixteen
knife wounds. The other two were
his students. Those killers were
really mischievous. But because
of that, to say that all of Tibetan
Buddhism is militant – no one
Page 18
Arab delegation, coming from
this eastern side.’ I was restless
through the night. So, early in
the morning I prepared my camel
and set out fast for a time. Then
I thought that I should start on
my journey back home, when the
first of your camels appeared.
“He then turned his camel back
and sped on his way home, until
he arrived and met the Prophet
who was sitting with a number
of his companions from both
the Muhajireen and the Ansar.
Addressing the Prophet, he said:
‘May my parents be sacrificed
for your sake! I have come to
give you the news of the arrival
of the Abd Al-Qays delegation.’
He said: ‘How do you know
about them, Umar?’ Answered
he: ‘They are following me fast.
They will be here in no time.’
He mentioned how he saw them.
The Prophet said to him: ‘May
God give you happy news.’ The
people with the Prophet began to
prepare themselves to receive the
newcomers.
“The delegation arrived and both
the Muhajireen and the Ansar
were delighted to see them.
When the new arrivals saw the
Prophet and his companions, they
would believe this.
Since September 11, although
I’m a Buddhist, an outsider to
Islam, nevertheless I have been
voluntarily making efforts as a
defender of Great Islam. Many
of my Muslim brothers – very
few sisters – explain to me that
if anyone creates bloodshed, this
is not Islam. The reason is that a
true Muslim, a true follower of
Islam, should have love towards
the entire creation the same way,
as he or she has love towards
Allah. All creatures are created
by Allah. If one respects and
Quran Speaks...
time just like the time between
Zuhr and Asr in comparison to an
everlasting life.
The time appears to pass by
quickly in order for the believers
to enjoy the blessings waiting
for them in Paradise. Similarly,
when we enjoy a good time in this
world, we feel that time passed by
extremely fast.
As for the unbelievers, their
perception of time after death will
appear to be a very long time; just
like when we say that those few
minutes of my life took forever,
when facing an extremely difficult
moment in this world.
(By Daud Matthews-Arab News)
let their mounts free and came
forward speedily. The seated
people moved to give them space
to sit while the Prophet remained
reclining. A man from among
them, nicknamed Al-Ashajj, but
known as Mundhir ibn A’idh
ibn Mundhir stayed behind.
He collected their camels, sat
them down and relieved them
of their loads gathering it all
together. He then took out a box
of his luggage and changed his
traveling clothes and put on a suit
of his best garments. He came
towards the Prophet walking
calmly. The Prophet asked them:
‘Who is your chief and the one
whose lead you follow?’ They all
pointed to Mundhir. The Prophet
asked: ‘Is he the descendant of
your chiefs?’
“They said: ‘In pre-Islamic
days, his forefathers were our
chiefs, and it was he who has
led us to Islam.’ When the man
drew near, he wanted to sit at a
corner, but the Prophet sat up and
said to him: ‘Come and sit here,
Ashajj.’ (This was the first time
he was nicknamed Al-Ashajj,
which means ‘one with a cut in
his forehead’. When he was an
infant, a donkey hit him with its
hoof, making a moon-like mark
in his face). The Prophet sat
him next to him and was very
cordial to him, speaking to him
at length.
“The people asked the Prophet
many questions and he answered
them all. As they were about to
finish, the Prophet asked whether
they still had some of the food
they have carried with them.
They answered in the affirmative,
going fast to their luggage and
each of them bringing some
dates. They were all placed on a
hide in front of him. He had with
him a date branch stripped of its
leaves which he used to hold in
the middle. He pointed with it to
a date container and said: ‘Do you
call this kind Al-Ta’dood?’ They
answered in the affirmative. He
said: ‘And do you call this one
Al-Sarafan?’ They said: ‘Indeed.’
He again asked: ‘Do you call
this kind Al-Burni?’ They again
answered: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘This
is the best of your dates and the
most ripe.’
“Some of the tribe’s elders say:
‘This last type was plentiful and
we used to feed our camels and
donkeys from it. But when we
returned after this trip, we were
keen to grow more of it until it
became our main dates and we
found out that it yielded blessed
harvests.’”
We see how the Prophet spoke
with these people asking them
about matters of their own
concern. This was customary with
the Prophet, so that his guests
would feel at ease. We also see
how the Prophet’s companions
took his word seriously, even
when it did not refer to something
related to religion. When the
Prophet described a particular
type of dates as the best and most
beneficial, they concentrated on
farming it, and soon began to
yield its benefits. n
loves Allah, one must love all
His creatures.
In Muslim countries, bank interest
is discouraged. So, if we know
Islam and we see how followers
of Islam implement it sincerely,
then like all other religions, it
is truly wonderful. In general
if we know others’ religions,
we can develop mutual respect,
admiration, and enrichment.
Therefore, we need constant
effort to promote religious
interfaith understanding.
In Lisbon recently, I attended an
interfaith meeting in a mosque.
That was the first time that an
interfaith meeting was held in
a mosque. After the meeting,
we all went into the main hall
and did silent meditation. It was
really wonderful. Therefore,
always make effort for interfaith
harmony.
Some say God, some say no God
– that is not important. What is
important is the law of causality.
This is the same in all religions
– don’t practice killing, stealing,
sexual abuse, lying. The different
religions may use different
methods, but they all have
the same purpose. Look at the
results, not at the causes. When
you go to a restaurant, just enjoy
all the different foods, rather than
argue that this food’s ingredients
come from this or that. It’s better
to just eat and enjoy.
So, those different religions
– rather than argue that your
philosophy is bad or good, see
that they all teach compassion as
their purpose and goal, and that
they all are good. Using different
methods is realistic for different
people. We must adopt a realistic
approach and view.
Inner peace is related with
compassion. All major religions
have the same message – love,
compassion, forgiveness. We
need a secular way to promote
compassion. For those people
who have religion and who
are sincere and serious in it,
one’s own religion has great
potential to further increase our
compassion.
We need a secular way to
promote secular ethics. Secular
does not mean to be against
religion or to have disrespect for
religion. When I say “secular,” it
is like in the Indian constitution.
Gandhi emphasized secular
religion: he did prayers from
all religions. “Secular” means
no preference of one religion
over another, but to have respect
for all religions, including for
nonbelievers. Therefore, we need
secular ethics through secular
ways, on the basis of education
about common experience and
scientific evidence.
(Excerpts from Dalai Lama’s
talk in Milan, Italy, 9 December
2007
Transcribed and lightly edited
by Alexander Berzin)
Our Dialogue
Practising Patience in
adversity
A: If we look at the obstacles
in life, we can put them under
a variety of headings: Personal
problems, family issues, financial
dilemmas, work pressures and
spiritual confusion. And there
are many issues under these
headings.
We have so many problems, so
many obstacles that they are like
illnesses. If we try to deal with
them one by one we will never get
through them. We need to identify
them, put them in some general
categories and tackle them as
a group as opposed to trying to
tackle each individual obstacle
and problem.
To do this we have to first of all
remove obstacles that are beyond
our control. We have to be able to
distinguish which obstacles are
within our control and which ones
are beyond our control. While we
perceive the ones that are beyond
our control as obstacles the reality
is that they are not. They are the
things that Allah has destined
for us in our lives, they are not
Q: In our everyday lives, we face so many problems
and at times we get so tired that we keep wondering,
‘where’s God’, we lose hope, we simply want
everything to end. As a Muslim, please tell me, how
does one handle these problematic situations?
really obstacles, but we have
misinterpreted them as being
obstacles.
For example, in this time one
might find oneself born
black in a world that
favors white people
over black people;
or born poor in a
world that favors
the rich over the
poor, or born
short, or crippled,
or any other physical
condition which is
considered a handicap.
These are all things that were and
are beyond our control. We did not
choose which family to be born
in to; we did not choose which
body for our spirit to be blown
into, this is not our choice. So
whatever we find of these kinds
of obstacles then we just have to
be patient with them and realize
that, in fact, they are not really
obstacles. Allah told us:
“…and it may be that
you dislike a thing
which is good for
you and that you
like a thing which
is bad for you.
Allah knows but
you do not know.”
(Qur’an, 2: 216)
So the obstacles that are
beyond our control, we may
dislike them and we may want to
change them, and some people
actually spend a lot of money
trying to change them. Michael
Jackson is a classic example. He
was born black in a world that
a single word until the azaan for
Zuhr had been called. He left for
prayer and when he returned, he
worked assiduously until ‘Asr
and left for prayer again, when
he returned, he worked until night
fall, then I paid him his wage and
he left.
A few days later, we were
in need of some more work
and my wife advised me to
find the same youth again
because of his sincere
efforts. I went to the
marketplace, but could not
find him and upon asking
about him I found that he
only came on Saturday
and always sat alone.
work done and on Saturday I
went looking for the youth, but
did not find him. I inquired after
him and discovered that he was
ill, someone who knew about
him told me that he would work
for one and one-sixth dirham, and
20
favors white people, so he spent
a lot of money trying to change
himself, but he only ended up
making a mess of himself.
Inner peace can only be achieved
if the obstacles that are beyond
our control are accepted by
us patiently as part of Allah’s
destiny.
Know that whatever happens
which we had or have no control
over, then Allah has put in it some
good, whether or not we are able
to grasp what is good in it; the
good is still there. So we accept
it!
There was an article in a
newspaper,
which
had
a
photograph of a smiling Egyptian
man. He had a smile on his face
from ear to ear with his hands
stretched out and both thumbs
sticking up; his father was kissing
him on one cheek and his sister on
the other cheek.
Underneath the photograph it had
a caption. He was supposed to
have been on a Gulf Air flight the
day before, Cairo to Bahrain. He
had dashed down to the airport to
catch the flight and when he got
there he had one stamp missing
on his Passport (In Cairo you
have to have many stamps on your
documents. You get this person to
stamp this and sign that and that
person to stamp that and sign this)
But there he was at the airport with
one stamp missing. As he was a
teacher in Bahrain and this flight
was the last one back to Bahrain
which would enable him to report
back on time, missing it meant
that he would have lost his job. So
he nagged them to let him on the
flight. He became frantic, started
crying and screaming and going
berserk, but he could not get on
the plane. It took off without him.
He went (to his home in Cairo)
distraught, thinking that he was
finished and that his career was
over. His family comforted him
and told him not to worry about
it. The next day, he heard the
news that the plane he was meant
to be on crashed and everybody
on board died. And then there he
was, ecstatic that he did not make
the flight. But the day before it
was the end of his life, a tragedy
that he did not get on the flight.
These are signs, and such signs
He said, “If I die, sell this iron
spade, wash my woollen garment
and towel and bury me in them.
Undo the pocket of my garment,
you will find a ring in it, take it
and await the day that Harun alRashid, the Khalifah, comes;
stand in a place that he can
see you, call him and show
him the ring. He will call
you and when he does, give
him the ring, but make sure
this only happens after my
burial.”
asked him who the youth was, he
replied, “My son. He was born
to me before I was afflicted with
leadership; he was a righteous
boy who learnt the Quran and
knowledge, when I became the
Caliph, he left me, not desiring
anything of the world that had
been opened before me. I gave
his mother this precious ring to
give to him, knowing that he was
obedient to his mother, in the hope
that he could sell it and use the
money. His mother passed away
and after that I have heard nothing
of him till this day.”
Page 22
LIVING ISLAM
Imam Abu Bakr al-Ajurri
(d.330AH) mentions the following
incident in his treatise Sifatul
Ghuraba….
It has reached us that Abdullah
ibn al-Faraj, the worshipper, said,
‘I was in need of someone to make
something for me so I went to the
marketplace looking for a suitable
person. At the end of the market,
I found a pale young boy before
whom was a large basket, he
wore a garment of wool and had a
woolen towel.
I asked him, “Do you work?”
He replied, “Yes,”
“How much do you charge?” I
asked.
“One and one-sixth of a dirham.”
I said, “Stand and come to work.”
He said, “I have one condition..”
“What is it?” I asked.
He replied, “When the time for
Zuhr comes and the azaan is
given, I leave, purify myself, pray
in congregation in the mosque and
then return. The same applies for
‘Asr.”
I agreed.
He went with me to my house and
I explained to him what needed
to be done. He tightened his belt
and commenced work, not saying
On Saturday,
I went to him
and asked, ”
Do you wish
to work?”
I agreed and he passed
away. I did what he asked
and awaited the day that alRashid would pass by.
When that day came, I
called out to
him, “Leader
The Simple Pious Labourer
He replied, “You already know
the wage and my condition.”
I agreed and he stood and worked
for me as he had previously done.
This time I paid him more than
he had asked for but he refused
to accept anything additional, I
insisted and he became irritated
and left. This bore down on me
heavily and I left after him to at
least give him the wage he had
agreed upon.
After some time, I needed more
Son of the Wealthy King
spend one-sixth
everyday
to
meet his daily needs.
I found out where he lived and
went to his house, and there I
found an old woman and enquired
after him. She told me that he had
been ill for a number of days; I
visited him and found him in a
state, resting his head on a brick.
I extended the salaam to him and
asked him if he needed anything.
He said, “Yes, if you accept.”
I said, “I accept in’shallah.”
of the Believers! I have a trust to
discharge,” and I showed him the
ring.
He ordered me to come and I went
with him to his house, he then
called me to him and everybody
else left. He asked me who I was
and I told him, then he asked me
where I got the ring from. I told
him the story of the youth and he
wept, and kept weeping until I felt
sorry for him and comforted him.
When his weeping subsided, I
Then he said, “At nightfall take
me to his grave.”
When night came, I took him to
his grave, he sat by it and weeping
overtook him, when dawn broke,
we arose and returned. He asked
me to stay with him and help him
to go to the grave every day and
I did so.
I never knew that youth was the
son of al-Rashid until al-Rashid
himself told me.’
(Source: The Journey of the
Strangers, Imam Abu Bakr alAjurri, pg-56-58
Also mentioned in al-Tawwabin
pp.171-173 by Imam ibn
Qudamah and Tanbih al-Ghafilin
vol.2pp.681-683
by
Imam
Samarqandi.)
Interview
“Those Muslims who adopt a traditionalist mindset
of Islam’s superiority would not be capable of true
dialogue”…. Adis Duderija.
Adis Duderija was born in Bosnia in 1977. He is currently
lecturing at the University of Malaya, Malaysia. He
received his Ph.D. in 2010 from the University of Western
Australia in contemporary Islamic hermeneutics. He has
written extensively on issues related to Islam and Muslims. He also maintains a blog: adisduderija.blogspot.com
In this interview with Darwish, he talks about issues related
to Islam, Muslims and interfaith dialogue.
Q: What, in your view, should
be the basis of interfaith
dialogue?
A: The basis for interfaith
dialogue
should
be
the
acknowledgement of every
human being’s humanity and
basic dignity, regardless of
their religious or any other
background. When two people
are engaged in a dialogue,
they embark on a search for
common meaning though a
process of a mutual inquiry,
and in the spirit of coopertion
they suspend any preconceived
assumptions of the other prior to
entering it. Through dialogue, its
participants become consciously
‘vulnerable’, seeking deeper
understanding of the other
(and thereby the self) with the
aim of generating empathy
and increased sensitivity for
humanity and the inherent
dignity and difference of the
other. It is a process of bringing
the hearts (and not necessarily
the minds) of those engaged in
dialogue together.
Willingness
to
exercise
introspection and self-criticism
are also essential ingredients
of those engaging in dialogue.
For dialogue to be meaningful,
its participants must establish
mutual trust and approach
dialogue with integrity and
honesty.
Q: What do you feel should
be the purpose(s) of interfaith
dialogue?
A: What I outlined above about
the nature of dialogue in general
also applies to interreligious
dialogue. What is peculiar to
interreligious dialogue is that,
given the above, it does not
seek doctrinal agreement or
conversion, but is a process of
enriching one’s own faith by
gaining a better understanding
of the other and establishing
respect for those who belong to
a different religious tradition.
Meaningful
interreligious
dialogue also brings about
the multifaceted, complex
and contested nature of the
participants’ own religious
traditions and does not neglect
the cacophony of diverse and, at
times, marginalized voices that
make up each religious tradition
itself.
Q: What does Islam say about
interfaith dialogue? Can you
please elaborate with the help
of references to the Quran and
Hadith?
A: This is a complex question.
The Islamic tradition, like any
other religious tradition, is
open to many interpretations
on many issues, including that
of interfaith dialogue. It is
the respective interpretational
models governing these textual
sources as well as interpretations
of Muslim history that will
determine the outcome of the
interpretation. If interpreted
holistically and with due
consideration to the historical
context in which the revelation
was reveled and which it in many
ways mirrored, the normative
sources of Islam—the Qur’an
and Sunna—in my view present
us with many opportunities
for a fruitful and constructive
interfaith dialogue.
To understand how Muslims
have approached (and still
approach)
interreligious
dialogue, in addition examining
scriptural sources more needs
to be said about the context in
which Islam first appeared. The
context of the emergence of
Prophet
Muhammad’s
message
in
seventh century Arabia as
evident in the Qur’an was such
that it took place alongside
other already well-established
religious communities, most
important of which were, apart
from Arabian pre-Qur’anic
beliefs, Judaism, Hanifiyyah
(Arabian monotheism based
on the faith of Abraham) and
Christianity.
It is important to note in this
context that the very fabric and
nature of the Qur’an clearly
depicts many of the events and
the nature of the relationship
between the Muslim community
and the non-Muslim Other,
during the revelatory period.
Here it is essential to point
out that the Qur’anic attitude
(and, therefore, the Prophet
Muhammad’s praxis) towards
the religious Other was highly
contextual in nature and
therefore context-dependent,
if not ambivalent. The aspects
of religious identity, continuity
and commonality with other
faiths, especially Judaism
and Christianity (adherents
of which the Qur’an refers
to as Ahl-e Kitab, i.e. People
of Scripture), are intertwined
with those of the emergence
and emphasis on the Muslim
identity,
originality
and
distinctiveness. In addition
to this, in the Qur’an there are
verses (e.g. 22:17;5:69;2:62)
which place some of the
Ahl-e Kitab adherents in very
favourable light, while in
some verses, other members
of the Ahl-e Kitab are strongly criticized for some of their
beliefs and unjust practices,
such as the belief in the Divine
nature of Jesus (which Muslims
understood as a form of shirk or
polytheism), the distortion of
the (meaning) of the previous texts of revelation (known as
tahrif), or killing of previous
Messengers of God . The reports
about Prophet Muhammad’s
attitude regarding the religious
other as given in the Hadith
literature reflect this Qur’anic
contextuality and possibly
ambivalence via-a-vis the
religious other. The Qur’an
is, however, unequivocal on
the importance and beauty of
dialogue with just and upright
religious others, as evident in
the following verses:
Say, ‘People of the Book,
let us arrive at a statement
that is common to us all:
we worship God alone, we
ascribe no partner to Him,
and none of us takes others
beside God as lords.’ If they
turn away, say, ‘Witness our
devotion to Him.’(3:64)
[Prophet], call [people] to
the way of your Lord with
wisdom and good teaching.
Argue with them in the
most courteous way, for
your Lord knows best who
has strayed from His way
and who is rightly guided.
(16:125)
[Believers], argue only
in the best way with the
People of the Book, except
with those of them who act
unjustly. Say, ‘We believe in
what was revealed to us and
in what was revealed to you;
our God and your God are
one [and the same]; we are
devoted to Him.’ (29:46)
Q: Some people may claim
that because many Muslims
think of other religions as
false or corrupted, Muslims
see little point in dialogue.
What do you have to say?
A: I think that the kind of
mentality and arguments you
described do predominate among
significant portions of Muslim
community, especially among
traditional religious leaders and
their proponents. Indeed, for
those who do adopt such a view,
it is incommensurate with the
nature of dialogue in its proper
meaning as described above.
For them, this ‘dialogue’ would
amount to nothing more than a
chance to ‘proselytise’.
Q: What do you think should
be meant when we talk
about the need to respect
other religions? Does it mean
respecting these religions
(their beliefs, practices etc),
or respecting the right of their
adherents to follow them?
A: For the purposes of governance
and law, it is the latter, as long
as they are based on a principle
of a shared universal that does
not undermine a person’s
21
dignity and autonomy. As far as
former is concerned, this can
be achieved only at the level of
the individual’s consciousness
through education, because
we cannot force someone to
‘respect’ another religion unless
that person sees something
inherently good and righteous
in it that is common to all
religions.
Adis Duderija
Q: Why is it that relatively few
interfaith dialogues have been
initiated by Muslims?
A: I am not sure that what you
stated is entirely correct. Take
for example the “Common
Word” initiative taken by
Muslim scholars and academics
in the light of the famous
Regensburg lecture given by
the former Pope. There are
many other similar initiatives.
However, there is some truth in
your question. Those Muslims
who adopt a traditionalist
mindset of Islam’s superiority
ipso facto would not be capable
of true dialogue.
Q: There are hardly any
genuine
intra-Muslim
dialogue
efforts—dialogue
between different Muslim
‘sects’. Intra Muslim, intersectarian polemics not only
continue unabated (with each
Muslim sect claiming to be the
true, saved [najiyya] one), but
they have sharply escalated in
recent times in many places
and in several countries have
now assumed fiercely violent
forms.
If the different Muslim sects
cannot peacefully dialogue
among themselves and see
polemics and violence as
the way to deal with their
differences, can we seriously
expect Muslims to be sincerely
enthusiastic about dialoguing
with people of other faiths?
A: This is a very important
point. I attempted to establish on
two occasions, some years ago,
an academic journal on intraMuslim dialogue. It never took
off. In some places like Lebanon
I think there has been some
Page 22
Reflections
22
Cooking His Way to Contentment
How many of us regard our work as an
expression of our gratitude to God for all
that He has given us?
By Das K
‘I love it when big groups come
visiting’, said Raju Anna the
other day. ‘It’s wonderful then,
being busy, doing things—
washing and cutting vegetables,
cooking food, rolling laddus,
making chapattis. When there
are no groups, it’s terribly dull,
and I don’t know what to do with
myself then!’
Raju Anna is—and I can vouch
for this personally—definitely
among the best cooks in the
whole of India. He works in the
hostel where I presently live,
which doubles up as a guesthouse
for groups sponsored by various
NGOs for training progammes.
Raju Anna is just a little older
than me—perhaps 55 or so—but
he looks much younger than
his age, and he’s almost always
bursting with energy.
‘I just LOVE my work!’ he says.
He’s still a temporary worker—
which means his salary isn’t very
much—but I’ve never heard him
complain about it. He gets only a
fraction of what he might have
got elsewhere for the work he
does.
‘You could earn lakhs
if you opened an eatery
of your own,’ I told
him the other day. But
he just laughed it off.
‘God has blessed me
with enough money. I have a
house back home in my village.
My son drives a truck and
gives enough money to
his mother. What need do
I have to earn lakhs? I’m
content with what I already
have,’ he replied. ‘The more
money you have, the more
problems you have to face.’
It’s truly amazing, Raju Anna’s
passion for his work. It’s made
me unlearn some things that I
thought were plainly obvious—
for instance, that it’s only if
you are paid a hefty salary
that you can truly enjoy what
you do for a living. Or that for
all poor people, their work is
necessarily, and in every case,
an imposed drudgery, and that,
Page 21
Interview ...
progress with regard to intraMuslim dialogue, and perhaps
the larger Muslim community
can learn from it. However, as
you suggested, the dynamics
at play between intra-Muslim
dialogue and interfaith dialogue
are not too different.
Q: Can you please reflect on
your experiences of interfaith
dialogue. What do you feel
about the efficacy of such
encounters?
A: I have been involved in
interfaith dialogue for about 5
years. It is not easy to evaluate
the efficacy of these initiatives
unless one adopts a scientific
empirical approach. But based on
my anecdotal evidence, simply
Page 1
samosas in a giant vat or rolls
two hundred rotis for a special
lunch. When you hear him talk
Page 20
bringing people of different
faiths and backgrounds face
to face on a regular basis who
otherwise might not have ever
met is itself powerful enough
to warrant the continued
existence interfaith dialogue.
My experience of such dialogue
has definitely helped me in
better recognizing our human
condition , our profound
interconnectedness
,
the
inherent dignity of each human
being , the many commonalities different religions/spiritualities
share, and have shattered some
preconceived notions I had in
my mind.
(Adis Duderija can be
contacted on adisduderija@
gmail.com)
Against Extremism ...
rather for remaining faithful to the
heritage of their ancestors," the
Interreligious Council of Russia's
Roman Bogdasarov said.
"Some dishonest political leaders
are bent on polarizing us,"
Bogdasarov, a Russian Orthodox
deacon, said.
The Congress, founded in 2003
therefore, they are doomed to
always being agitated, unhappy
and discontented with life. You
simply can’t be happy as long as
you are poor, I used to think.
But Raju Anna has taught me
that it’s not just people with fat
salaries and jet-setting lifestyles
who can enjoy what they do for
a living. You can see that
Raju Anna puts his whole
heart into his work
as he sweats it out
on a hot summer
afternoon frying
by Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbaev as an international
discussion, raged about the
advisability of going to war in
Iraq. It has completed a decade
as one of the most important
international events among many
others, organised by the former
Soviet republic.
about the many things he can
cook—from Kashmiri palau
to Tibetan momos to Kerala
parathas and stew—you can see
his eyes light up with sheer joy!
‘Do you know why Raju
Anna’s food tastes so special?’
said Salim, his co-worker, the
other day. ‘It’s because he puts
so much love into it! If you
cook mechanically, without
any enthusiasm, it spoils the
taste. You can make out when
someone’s cooked something
like that. But when you cook
with love and passion—as Raju
Anna does—it makes such a
difference!’ ‘ I love cooking, not only
because it’s my bread-andbutter and it keeps me busy,’
Raju Anna says, ‘but also
because it’s my way of helping
others. I feel happy when I think
that because I do the cooking, so
many other people who live in
the hostel or spend a few days
here are spared the need to make
their own food and so they can
focus on doing other things.
My cooking is an expression of
my gratitude to God for all that
He’s given me. It’s also my way
of paying back to society for
everything that I’ve received
from it.’
Practising Patience ...
can be found in the story of Musa
and Khidr. When Khidr made a
hole in the boat of the people who
were kind enough to take him
and Musa across the river, Musa
asked why he (Khidr) did that.
When the owners of the boat saw
the hole in the boat they wondered
who did it and thought that it was
a nasty thing to have done. A short
while later the king came down
to the river and forcefully took
away all the boats except the one
with a hole in it. So the owners
of the boat praised Allah due to
the fact that there was a hole in
their boat. (This incident refers
to a king who was an oppressor
and was known for seizing every
good boat by force, but the
people who owned the boat were
poor people and it was their only
means of benefit so Khidr wanted
the boat to appear to be faulty so
that the king did not seize it in
order for the poor people to carry
on benefiting from it.)
(By Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips)
Job Opening for
Office Assistant
Islamic Voice requires MALE office assistant with good
knowledge of computer data entry/ emails and typing letters.
The candidate should have good communication and inter-personal
skills to handle field work related to office like going to the bank,
post office, printing press and other miscellaneous office work on
scooter.
The candidate should be aged preferably between 35 to 50 years,
should be honest, punctual and follow office rules of records, book
keeping, and timings.
Interested candidates can send their C V by mail to awskhan@
gmail.com or [email protected].
By post, send your CV to The Manager, Islamic Voice, No 3/1,
Palmgrove Road, Victoria Layout. Bangalore-560047.
How many of us think like Raju
Anna? I hardly do, I have to
admit.
How many of us, even those of
us who’ve been blessed with a
well-paying job, passionately
pour our hearts into our work,
as Raju Anna does? How many
of us see our work as a means to
express our inner selves, and not
simply a way to earn money or
a routine exercise that we think
we simply have to go through,
day after day?
How many of us consider
our work as a means to help
others, and not just ourselves?
How many of us, even those
of us who have jobs with hefty
salaries, never complain about
‘low’ pay?
How many of us aren’t driven by
perpetual dissatisfaction with our
work and aggressive ambition to
‘make it big’?
S.M.
ADAM
NEWS
AGENCY
How
many
of us
regard
our work
# 150 M.M. Road Frazer Town
asBangalore
an expression
our
gratitude
- 560 005 of
Mob:
9343728824
to God for all that He has given
us? Raju Anna—thanks for all
the many things that I’ve learnt
and unlearnt seeing you going
about your work.
And yes, as I never fail to tell
you whenever you make it for
breakfast, your uppuma is just
SOOOOOOPER! OUR AGENTS
MUSLIM PERSPECTIVES
23
Contemporary Muslims are in Need of Spirituality
By Tariq Ramadan
As far as Islam is concerned,
it must be noted that Arab and
Muslim majority societies are
seriously lacking in spirituality.
There is not a deficit of “religion”
but of spiritual life. It can be
encountered among Islamists,
as well as among secularists
and ordinary citizens. Religion
refers to the framework, to the
structure of ritual, to the rights
and obligations of believers
and, as such, lies at the heart of
social and political debate. In
the classical Islamic tradition,
framework,
reference
and
practices can — like all religions
and spiritual traditions — be best
seen in the light of their relation
to meaning (here, to the Divine),
to a conception of life and death,
to the life of the heart and mind.
Contemporary Islamic discourse
has, however, too often lost
its substance, which is that
of meaning, of understanding
ultimate goals and the state of the
heart. Increasingly, it has been
reduced to reactivity, preoccupied
with the moral protection of the
faithful, based on the reiteration
of norms, rituals and, above all,
prohibitions. But spirituality
is not faith without religion;
it is the quest for meaning and
peace of heart as the essence of
religion. Viewed in this light,
Muslim majority societies are
profoundly bereft of serenity,
coherence and peace. The time
has come for a spiritual and
religious emancipation.
The
decline
of
Islamic
civilisation,
followed
by
colonialism, has left its mark, as
has the experience of political
and cultural resistance. The
way in which religion, and the
Islamic reference, are understood
was gradually adapted to the
requirements of resistance : for
both traditional Muslim scholars
(Ulema) and Islamist movements
(which often began with mystical
aspirations) moral norms, rules
pertaining to food, dress and
strict observance of ritual have
come increasingly to the fore
as means of self-assertion, in
direct proportion to the danger
of cultural colonialism and
alienation
perceived
and
experienced in Arab societies.
Caught up in political resistance,
Islamist
movements
have
gradually focused their attention
on questions of a formal nature,
setting aside the spiritual core of
religious practice. Between the
rhetoric of traditional religious
authorities and institutions, and
that of the Islamists, whether
narrowly rigorous in outlook
or hypnotized by political
liberation, ordinary citizens are
offered few answers to their
spiritual pursuit of meaning,
faith, the heart and peace.
Between
the
overbearing
ritualism of official religious
institutions and the obsessive
politicisation of Islamist leaders
the thirst for meaning, which
finds its expression in cultural
and religious references, seeks
for ways to express itself.
Mysticism sometimes provides
the solution. But careful thought
should be given to the real-life
impact of such phenomena as they
relate to the crisis of spirituality
and therefore of religion.
In every case, the teachings
Muslim societies are profoundly bereft
of serenity, coherence and peace. The
time has come for a spiritual and
religious emancipation.
propounded do not encourage
the autonomy, well-being and
confidence of human beings
in their everyday individual
and social lives. In their
formalism and concentration
upon norms, the traditional
institutions that represent or
teach Islam reproduce a double
culture of prohibition and
guilt. The religious reference
is transformed into a mirror in
which the believers are called
upon to judge themselves for
their own deficiencies: such
rhetoric can generate nothing
more than unease. The Islamist
approach, which seeks to free
society from foreign influence,
has in the long run brought
forth a culture of reaction,
differentiation and frequently
of judgment: who is a Muslim,
what is Islamic legitimacy, etc. It
sometimes casts itself as victim;
S.M. ADAM NEWS AGENCY
# 150 M.M. Road Frazer Town
Bangalore - 560 005 Mob: 9343728824
even in the way it asserts itself
against the opposition. Social
and political activism prevails
over spiritual considerations;
the struggle for power has
sometimes eclipsed the quest
for meaning.
By way of response to this
void, the majority of mystical
movements and circles have
called upon their initiates to
direct their attention inwards,
towards
themselves,
their
hearts, their worship and their
inner peace. Around them has
arisen a culture of isolation,
social and political passivity and
loss of responsibility, as though
spirituality were somehow
necessarily opposed to action.
Still, it must be noted that a
large number of Sufi circles do
speak out on social and political
issues, and actually encourage
their followers to speak out on
social and political matters, and
to become actively involved in
society. Between the culture of
prohibition and guilt and that
of reaction and victimisation,
between
abandonment
of
responsibility and isolationism,
what options remain for the
Arab world to reconcile itself
to its cultural, religious and
spiritual heritage? What must
be done to propound a culture
of well-being, autonomy and
responsibility?
There is a need to rediscover
and reclaim the spirituality that
permeates Eastern cultures,
and that lies at the heart of the
Jewish, Christian and Islamic
traditions, a consideration that
today’s social and political
uprisings can ill afford to
neglect. For there can be no
viable democracy, no pluralism
in any society without the wellbeing of individuals, the citizens
and the religious communities.
(The writer is Professor of
Contemporary Islamic Studies
at Oxford University)-
matrimonial
WANTED GROOM
SM BROTHERS SEEK ALLIANCE
FOR THEIR SISTER, 36 YRS.
OLD MBA GRADUATE, FAIR,
5’.3”
HEIGHT,
WORKING
PROFESSIONAL NEVER MARRIED,
WITH VERY GOOD FAMILY &
ISLAMIC VALUES FROM DECENT
FAMILY SETTLED IN BANGALORE.
KINDLY SEND BIO-DATA WITH
PHOTO TO EMAIL: EHTHYSHAM@
GMAIL.COM MOOSAKAZIMV.R.@
GMAIL.COM MOB.9008490720 OR
08939100064
Mysore SM family seek alliance
for their only daughter, 25 yrs, 5'5",
MBBS, religious. Looking for a groom
preferably MD/MS/BE/MBA. contact
Ph:
0821-2490997,
9901270460.
email:[email protected]
SM Khan family seek alliance for their
religious daughter B.E.(E&C) working
in Central Govt. Undertaking as Senior
Engineer, aged about 29 years,5.4” tall
& fair, Groom should be well educated/
settled Muslim Family preferably
B.E.,MCA., M.B.A., or equivalent
residing in & around Bangalore aged
around 30-35 years. Please Email Bio
data to [email protected] or
call @ 9901682829/9886953199.
SM PARENT INVITE GROOM FOR
SECOND MARRIAGE OF THEIR
DAUGHTER FAIR 5’.3”,22 YEARS,
STUDYING IN 5TH SEM. BCA FROM
EDUCATED
PROFESSIONALS/
BUSINESS CLASS FROM BANGALORE
& WITHOUT ISSUE. AGE SHOULD
BE AROUND 30 YEARS. SEND YOUR
BIODATA WITH LATEST PHOTOS CELL
Page 14
NO. 9916882156. Email: shahinpasha@
gmail.com
A Highly renowned and reputed Delhi
based Sunni Muslim family invites
alliance for their very talented, slim,fair,
beautiful,26 years,5 feet 7 inches,
convent
educated,
postgraduate
daughter, with moderate Islamic
upbringing.
Email:sabakhan2223@
gmail.com whatsapp/sms:08586814361
SM Syed Parents invite alliance for
their daughter 25 years 5”.4” B.E. Civil
pursuing M.Tech. Groom should be
professionally qualified well settled from
a decent family. Send photo Biodata
email: [email protected]
Tamilnadu: SM Parents Urdu speaking,
Kula, No issue, Age 33 years,165 cms.
MCA,very fair and slim working in IT
Co., seek any professional, Divorcee,
preferably from Chennai or Bangalore.
Please contact:09444050315,Email:kha
[email protected]
Mysore: We are a nucleus, educated,
religious & middle class family, seek
alliance for our daughter, aged 23,
fair, height 5’.2”, B.E-Electronics &
Communications, performed Hajj &
Umrahs, not sent for employment,
observes Hijaab, wear Niqaab
compulsorily, follows rulings on
Mahrams & Non-Mahrams relating to
Purdah. We are looking for a well settled,
qualified groom from religious family
who believe in no dowry or demands
& simple marriage as per Shariah. Our
contacts: Cell: 97425 67577 or Email:
[email protected].
SM Parents seek alliance for their
daughter, good looking, BE, 23 years,
Does FBI Create Terrorist? ...
to such baits from the FBI. But the spy net the FBI
is spreading has caused alienation among them as
newcomers in any mosques are suspected. People
are reluctant to speak to new neighbours. It restricts
voluntary information and most of the info reaching
the FBI is of coerced nature.
FBI Fuels Bigotry
Once into their dragnet, the FBI informants fuel
bigotry in their prey and bolster their personal
narratives of persecution as a misunderstood
Muslims. They will pounce upon any opportunity to
amplify paranoia and hatred of Jews. For example
one informant told his recruit: ‘I was reading in one
of the newspapers, in the New York Times, that every
second among the advisors in the White House were
Yahuds’.
FBI agents are under severe pressure from their
superiors to build a terrorism case, something to offer
to the public about terrorists taped, caught on secret
Page 25
5’.4” groom should be an engineer, well
settled, up to 30 years, above 5’.9” working
in Bangalore/Middle-East from decent
family. Contact 0816-2271990,Mobile9008273357,email:naveeda622@
yahoo.co.in
Sunni Muslim parents invite alliances
for their daughter 23 years, M.Com.
PGFM. Height 5.11 observes Hijab,
good looking from educated well settled
Grooms. Father working as an Officer
at Reserve Bank of India, Bangalore.
Contact at 9448239863 or Email to :
[email protected]
SM parents (shariff) seek alliance
for their daughter 25 yrs , 5'.7"; B.E,
coming from decent, religious well
settled, small & respected family from
Mysore, Require a well settled boy
from a sheikh/syed/ shariff family who
should be B.E , Mtech, MS, MD from
Bangalore/Mysore/UAE. Preferably 27 31 Yrs. Please send biodata and photo
to:
[email protected];
Mob:9886990734
BANGALORE S.M. PARENTS SEEK
ALLIANCE FOR THEIR KHULA
OBTAINED ISSUE LESS DAUGHTER
FAIR GOOD LOOKING 36 YEARS.
B.U.M.S., PRACTICING DOCTOR
LOOKING
FROM
EDUCATED
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFIED WORKING
OR WELL SETTLED BUSINESSMAN
BELOW 42 YEARS MOB: 9448030576
Email : [email protected]
SM parents seek alliance for their
daughter B.E., 27 yrs 5.7'' good looking
belonging to a respectable and educated
family, working as Technology Leader at
INFOSYS USA and holding a valid H1B
Visa. Groom should be professionally
cameras in order to justify the expenditure from the
public exchequer. Equally significant is observation
from Myron Fuller, ex FBI veteran: “The billions of
dollars allocated to terrorism have forced the FBI to
assume that a danger exists in communities where
intelligence indicate no threat is present, and sting
cases are simply the Bureau’s way of justifying how
it is spending all the money it receives for counterterrorism.”
Bogeymen from Buffoons
The author is of the view that most of those
convicted for terrorism in 150 and odd cases so far
were ordinary crooks and braggarts who walked
into the traps laid by the FBI informants and were
convicted on the basis of acts they did simply out of
stupidity. No wonder then that several FBI former
officers complain that the Government was creating
bogeymen from buffoons in the name of fighting
terror. n
You Can Become A Super Achiever ...
are bound to receive less energy
from your mind and the result
will be that your personality will
become weak. If you are ambitious
and choose to embark on a great
task, then certainly your mind will
release a greater amount of energy,
the result of which will be that you
will develop a strong personality.
Everyone is born with the same
mind that is full of energy. But
some people fail to utilise this
energy and die without developing
their personalities fully. The other
kind of people are those who set a
great task as their goal. Thus, their
minds release a greater amount of
energy for the performance of this
task, and so they become super
achievers.
Man himself is the master of his
destiny. This saying is true, but
not in a mysterious sense. It all
depends on how much a person has
unfolded his mind and how much
energy the mind has released.
One achieves greater or smaller
successes in life depending on how
much energy one’s mind releases.
Every individual is self-made. But
the quantum of success depends
on one’s own planning. Wise
planning makes one a superman
or superwoman, while unwise
planning makes one lag behind in
life.
The mind of an individual is like
a great water reservoir. Opening
the gate of this reservoir depends
on one’s target. If one’s target is
an ordinary target then the mind
will open the door of energy on a
smaller scale. But, if the target is
a big one, the mind will open the
gate of energy on a larger scale. It
qualified person hailing from a decent
educated family Working in India or
abroad. Mail bio-data to prof.wayez@
gmail.com contact 9632878387.
Sunni Muslim Parents seek alliance
for their daughter 25 years, Ht.5.4”
Bcom-MBA,CA, working in a MNC as
a senior Associate religious, modern
outlook. Groom should be post
graduate, well settled, religious, modern
mindset. Contact: 9886169197. Email:
[email protected]
WANTED BRIDE
Sunni Muslim family with a wellestablished land-developers business,
seek alliance for their son 28-years
(BBM).,6ft.,tall, handsome, athletic
grown up with Islamic values. The
Bride should be of age of 25 years,
fair, beautiful, religious Non-working,
with good values, contact Mobile
No.9886464017 or Email: ramez786@
gmail.com
Bangalore based sunni Muslim parents
invite alliance for their son aged 33years
Bsc,Dip in computers, working in Saudi
Arabia. Girl should be a graduate 24-27
yrs age from a decent and Islamic fly. Early
marriage (as the boy has come down),
Contact: 9448611968, Mail your photo
biodata to [email protected].
BANGALORE: SM
Educated &
respectable sheikh parents seek alliance
for son 30 yrs. 5’.10” working as senior
software engineer in MNC Bangalore.
Page 27
24
Bride should be from respectable
educated family from “AHLE SUNNAT
WAL JAMAT” family, Beautiful/fair 24 to
26 yrs. BE, MSC or any PG degree 5’.4”
to 5’8” No Dowry, No-Demand. Call 08026688465, Mob. 9448015421.
SUNNI
MUSLIM
PARENTS
SEEK ALLIANCE FOR THEIR
HIGHLY SETTLED ONLY SON,
MBA (FINANCE), 5’11” AGED 29,
WORKING IN TOP MULTINATIONAL
COMPANY, BANGALORE, FROM
RESPECTABLE, PIOUS AND
EDUCATED FAMILY. HE IS VERY
CARING,
HOMELY,
DOWNTO-EARTH, HANDSOME AND
BROUGHT UP WITH GREAT
FAMILY VALUES. BRIDE SHOULD
BE GRADUATE OR AALIMA,
RELIGIOUS, KIND HEARTED AND
SHOULD LEAD A HAPPY LIFE.
SHE WILL BE HOMEMAKER.
ABSOLUTELY NO DEMANDS.
CONTACT: 9845218292 Email:
[email protected]
BRIDE & GROOM
SM Syed Parents seek alliance
for daughter 22 years 5’.4” Bsc
(Biochemistry),fair, Beautiful, religious,
own house, Boy should be B.E. or M.B.A
,age 25-28 Years, religious ,own house,
working in Bangalore or Gulf.
Son B.E. working in IT Company 27
years, 5.10” religious, girl should be
any graduate, homely and religious
early marriage Email:Gulnazbegum01@
gmail.com Mob: 9964309133
Women in the Early Days ...
allow her to continue her charity
work after marriage.
In Teaching:
Shifa
Bint
Abdullah
AlAdawiyyah was one of the few
people who were literate in
the pre-Islamic times. She was
known for her sharp intellect
and beneficial knowledge. She
was skilled in the art of Ruqyah,
or promoting healing through
supplications, spirituality, prayer,
and reading verses from the holy
Qur’an. During the early days of
Islam, she taught Muslim women
the art of Ruqyah as well as how
to read and write.
In Nursing and Social Work:
Born into a family with strong
ties to the medical community,
Rufaida Al Aslamia’s father, Saad
Al Aslamy, was a physician and
mentor under whom Rufaida
initially
obtained
clinical
experience. Devoting herself to
nursing and taking care of sick
people, Rufaida Al-Aslamia
became an expert healer. She
practiced her skills in field
hospitals in her tent during many
battles.
She was among the first people
is this difference that decides the
level of one’s achievement.
Never complain to others. Try to
utilise your own mind, and you
will certainly achieve anything
you want to in life.
(www.speakingtree.in)
in Madinah to accept Islam;
Rufaida Al-Aslamia is depicted
as a kind, empathetic nurse and a
good organizer. With her clinical
skills, she trained other women to
be nurses and to work in the area
of health care. She also worked as
a social worker, helping to solve
social problems associated with
illness.
In Battles:
Nusayba Bint Kaab Al-Anariyya,
also known as Umm Ammara, is
another shining example on the
role of women in Islam. Nusayba
is most remembered for taking
part in the Battle of Uhud (when
the tide of the battle changed)
in which she carried swords
and shields and fought against
the enemy troops. She shielded
Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) from enemies and bore
several wounds while fighting
in front of him to protect him.
It is said that after she sustained
her twelfth wound, she fell
unconscious and the first question
she asked when she awoke a day
later was, “How is the Prophet?
Did the Prophet survive?”
Women such as Khadijah Bint
Khuwaylid, Nusayba Bint Kaab
Al- An?ariyya, Aisha Bint Abi
Taleb, and many other women
became key public figures in the
earliest years of Islamic history,
and they serve as great role
models for the Muslim woman.
Source: (http://www.saudigazette.
com.sa/ n
MISCELLANY
25
The Wonderful Woodpecker
Pine trees older than 100 years suffer an illness that causes the hard and thick bark to soften.
This was only recently discovered by science, but woodpeckers have known it for centuries.
By Harun Yahya
As we all know, woodpeckers
build their nests by boring holes
in tree trunks with their beaks.
This may sound familiar to
most people. But the point many
people fail to examine is why
woodpeckers suffer no brain
haemorrhage when they beat a
tattoo so vigorously with their
heads. What the woodpecker does
is in a way similar to a human
being driving a nail into the wall
with his head. If a man ventured to
do something like that, he would
probably undergo a brain shock
followed by a brain haemorrhage.
However, a woodpecker can peck
a hard tree trunk 38-43 times in
just two or three seconds and
nothing happens to it.
Nothing happens because the
head structure of woodpeckers
is ideally created for such a task.
The skull of the woodpecker
has a remarkable suspension
system that absorbs the force
of the blows. Its forehead and
some skull muscles adjoined
to its beak and the jaw joint are
so robust that they help lessen
the effect of the forceful strokes
during pecking.
Calculation and order do not
end here. Preferring primarily
pine trees, a certain species of
woodpecker checks the age of the
trees before boring a hole in them
and picks those older than 100
years, because pine trees older
than 100 years suffer an illness
that causes the hard and thick
bark to soften. This was only
recently discovered by science
and perhaps you may be reading
of it here for the first time in your
life; woodpeckers have known it
for centuries.
This is not the only reason why
the woodpeckers prefer pine
trees. Woodpeckers dig cavities
around their nests, the function
of which was not originally
understood. These cavities were
later understood to protect them
from a great danger. Over time,
the sticky resin that leaks from the
pine trees fills up the cavities and
the outpost of the woodpecker's
nest is thus filled with a pool
whereby woodpeckers can be
protected from snakes, their
greatest enemies.
Another interesting feature of
woodpeckers is that their tongues
are thin enough to penetrate even
ants' nests in the trees. Their
tongues are also sticky, which
allows them to collect the ants
that live there. The perfection in
their Creation is further revealed
by the fact that their tongues have
a structure which prevents them
from being harmed by the acid in
the bodies of the ants.
These woodpeckers prove with
all their detailed features that
they are 'created'. If woodpeckers
had evolved coincidentally as the
theory of evolution claims, they
would have died before they
acquired such extraordinarily
consistent traits and they would
be extinct. However, as they
were created by Allah, they
started their lives by bearing all
the vital characteristics suitable
for their life. n
YOUTH & LIFE
You Can Become A Super Achiever
Everyone is born with the same mind that is full of
energy. But some people fail to utilise this energy and
die without developing their personalities fully.
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Not facility, not ease, but difficulty
and effort make a man, wrote
Scottish author and reformer
Samuel Smiles. This statement is
based on a natural fact and examples
in history have proved its veracity.
All those individuals who attained
greatness, regardless of which
walk of life they came from, were
the products of difficulty and not
of facility. They faced challenges
and emerged as super achievers.
But the question is: why does
difficulty have a greater role to play
in the building of a personality than
facility? The reason is traceable
to one of the laws of nature. The
fact is that all of our actions, big
or small, are directly related to our
minds. It is the mind that directs
all activities of our personality.
The human mind is greater than
all great things of the universe:
It is the mind that is master of
your personality, as it controls all
of your activities. Studies show
that all our performances depend
totally on our minds. The mind
has unlimited reserves of energy.
When we decide to do anything,
the mind at once releases energy
and we perform with the aid of this
energy.
The mind is the prime source of
energy and whatever we do can
only be done with the help of this
energy. If we choose to do an easy
task, then the mind will release a
lesser amount of energy. And, if we
decide to do some difficult or great
task, then the mind will release a
greater amount of energy.
The building of a personality
depends on your own efforts. If you
are an easygoing person then you
Page 24
GHOUSE TOURS & TRAVELS
Hajj, Umrah & Ziarath
Recognized by Government of India, Recognized by Government of Saudi Arabia
HO: 3/1, 1st Floor, Opp. Gundu Rao House (Ex CM)
Rahmath Nagar, R.T. Nagar Post, Bangalore, India
E-mail: [email protected]
IATA
BO: VI Ward, Bandimote, Bangalore Road,
Opp. Masjid, Bellary - 583 101, Karnataka, India.
Ph: India Code: 0091 STD: 08392 Off: 250526, 250531, (R) 244606
Al-Haj Mohammed Ghouse, Prop. Cell: 98440-50531 (0) 080-23530531
Global Affairs
26
R&D in Arabian, Persian, Turkish Middle East
Scientific Research in Middle East
Turkey and Iran lead the rest of
the Middle East nations in R&D
activity. The nations in the region
spend just one-fourth of the world
average on R&D.
Islamic world, mainly the Arabian,
Persian and Turkish Middle East
(referred to as AP&TME for the
sake of this report) contributed
richly to the advancement of science
during the middle ages when Europe
was into its dark ages. But in the
modern era, it has fallen behind and
does not show significantly on the
international Scientific Research
chart.
Investment in higher education
and research builds up a country’s
knowledge capacity, its ability to use
discovery and innovation to create
economic wealth, and its potential
to realize benefits in health, culture
and the quality of life.
The global organization Science
Watch sponsored by Thomson
Reuters has been compiling reports
on progress of scientific research
regionwise for the last few years.
We present the summary of its
observations with regard to the
AP&TME region. The 14 countries
which are covered here are:
Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United
Arab Emirates and Yemen.
v The OIC’s (Organisation of
Islamic Conference which has 57
member-states) research investment
(expenditure on R&D compared
to Gross Domestic Products or
GDP) and capacity (i.e., number of
researchers compared to population)
is just 25% of world averages. (This
means the OIC countries spend just
$25 on R&D if the world average is
taken as $100).
v The 14 countries in the AP&TME
grouping have increased their share
of world output from less than 2%
to more than 4% in the last decade.
The volume of world output
indexed by Thomson Reuters
increased from around 760,000 to
over 1,160,000 publications in the
same period, so the region is taking
a growing fraction of an expanding
pool.
v Research activity and output by
Turkey and Iran has progressed
notably. For Iran, 1.7% of its
publications in mathematics were
ranked in the global 1% most
highly-cited: well above global
One Million Newborns Die within 24 hours
of Birth: UN Report
In a break from the recent slate
of doom-and-gloom reports of
catastrophes, wars and destruction,
a United Nations report says the
number of children under 5 who
die each year fell by 49 percent
between 1990 and 2013, from 12.7
million to 6.3 million, saving
17,000 lives every day. One
million babies each year died
within 24 hours of birth from
mostly preventable causes, a
recent United Nations (UN)
report, released on September
16, 2014, said.
The report, titled “Levels and
Trends in Child Mortality 2014” and
compiled by UNICEF, the World
Health Organization, the World
Bank, and the U.N’s Department of
Economic and Social affairs, said
that the rate for deaths of children
under 5 fell from 90 deaths per
1,000 live births in 1990 to 46 in
2013.
Overall, in developing regions,
the rate fell from 100 per 1,000
live births in 1990 to 50 in 2013,
the report said. In rich, developed
regions, the rate fell from 15 per
1,000 live births in 1990 to six
in 2013. In the United States,
the decline was somewhat less
dramatic, from 11 per 1,000 live
births in 1990 to seven in 2013.
The major causes of death
for children under 5 are preterm birth complications (17
percent); pneumonia (15 percent);
complications during labor and
delivery (11 percent); diarrhea (9
percent); and malaria (7 percent),
the study notes. Not having enough
to eat contributed to nearly half of
all deaths in children under 5, the
report said.
Children in sub-Saharan Africa and
South Asia remain at greater risk
than their counterparts elsewhere
on the globe. Nearly half of all
child deaths in 2013, 3.1 million,
occurred in sub-Saharan Africa.
Nearly a third, 2 million, were in
South Asia.
The report found that rich,
developed regions accounted for
only 1.4 percent of child deaths
in 2013 _ about 87,000, of whom
29,000 died in the United States.
Latin America and the Caribbean,
Eastern Asia and Northern Africa,
the data show, reduced the under-5
mortality by more than two-thirds
since 1990, with reductions of 67
percent, 76 percent and 67 percent,
respectively.
Similarly, the findings show that
of the 60 countries where the
under-5 mortality rate remains
higher than 40 deaths per 1,000
live births in 2013, 27 reduced the
rate by at least half since 1990.
Among those countries with the
biggest reductions were Malawi,
Bangladesh, Liberia, Tanzania,
Ethiopia, East Timor, Niger and
Eritrea.
India and Nigeria together account
for more than one-third of deaths
among children under five, while
sub-Saharan Africa has the world's
highest child mortality rates, having
recorded reductions in line with the
world average.
There has been dramatic and
accelerating
progress
in
reducing mortality among
children, and the data prove
that success is possible even for
poorly resourced countries.
The 2014 Committing to Child
Survival, a Promise Renewed
progress report showed that
many of these deaths could be
easily prevented with simple, costeffective interventions before,
during and immediately after
birth.
The report, released by the
United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF), is the second in a series
intended to track progress on child
survival and hold governments
accountable.
The data clearly demonstrate that an
infant's chances of survival increase
dramatically when their mother has
sustained access to quality health
care during pregnancy and delivery.
Special efforts must also be made
to ensure that the most vulnerable
are reached.
Since 1990, the number of underfive years’ old children's deaths has
been cut in half from 12.7 million
to 6.3 million. But more remains
to be done. The first 28 days of
a newborn's life are the most
vulnerable and as it stands now
almost 2.8 million babies die each
year. n
average. For Turkey, 1.5% of
its engineering output met the
same criterion. Although national
average citation impact may lag
behind world averages, there is
a growing volume of excellence
that will undoubtedly enable
further growth of high-quality
capacity.
v Among the larger producers,
Turkey’s predominance is
strikingly evident, as is its
steep rise from just over 5,000
papers in 2000 to nearly 22,000
in 2009. Iran, meanwhile,
although starting from a lower
point with roughly 1,300 papers
in 2000, has displayed a similar
trajectory following a notable surge
after 2004. By 2009, Iran’s output
approached 15,000 papers. The rest
of the world has been expanding as
well. Nonetheless, Turkey’s share
of world output nearly trebled from
0.7% in 2000 to 1.9% in 2009 while
Iran’s share grew phenomenally
from less than 0.2% to 1.3% over
the same decade.
v Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan
have trebled their world share over
where it stood in 2000.
v The United Arab Emirates’
contribution has risen sharply i.e.,
900 papers in 2009 while Qatar too
has risen from 51 in 2000 to 230 in
2009.
v Iraq, Qatar and Yemen more than
doubled their – still small - share
of world output between 2000 and
2009.
v Turkey produces about half
of the region’s research articles
and reviews, of which medical
research makes up its biggest single
discipline. Iran produces about
one-quarter of regional output,
Egypt slightly less than one-eighth,
Saudi Arabia about half as much
as Egypt and Jordan about half as
much again. These five collectively
account for more than 90% of total
AP&TME research publications.
The five nations smallest in research
productivity came from Syria,
Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen
produced about 3,000 publications
over the period.
This report is a summarized on
the basis of Global Science Watch
report produced periodically by
Thomson Reuters. The Science
Watch does not include Israel in the
AP&TME region.
(For detailed report log on to:
http://sciencewatch.com/grr/
middle-east)
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
1.WORKSHOP IN UDIPI
Dates: 10, 11 & 12 OCTOBER 2014
Workshop fees - 500
Venue - Salihat En
glish medium school, Tonse, Ud
upi
Contact - abdul kadir:096 11 697629
Mohammed Anis: 9970042726
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
2. WORKSHOP IN GOA
Dates: 17, 18 & 19 OCTOBER 2014
Workshop fees - 1000
Venue - Duttraj hall, above M
ahindra showroom, Arlem, M
argao
Contact - J unaid : 9225983350
Mohammed Anis: 9970042726
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

3 WORKSHOP IN BAHRAIN
Dates: 29, 30, 31 & 1NOVEMBER 2014
Organized By: Discover Islam
Contact: Syed Thahir, Cell: +973 39821748
Email: [email protected]

4. WORKSHOP IN DUBAI
Dates: 06, 07 & 08 NOVEMBER 2014

contact Mr Hamid : 0503387289/0561153948
EMAIL:[email protected]
5. WORKSHOP IN KARIMNAGAR
Dates: 14, 15 & 16 NOVEMBER 2014
Organised by: MESWAK
(Muslim Educational Social Welfare Association)
Karimnagar, Telangana State.
Contact: Dr.Syed Imam Showkath Ali
+91-9885247333 / +91-8125247333
Email : [email protected]
www.discoveryourself.in
WOMEN’S VOICE
27
Women in the Early Days of Islam
the amount of dowry
that a woman can ask
for in marriage. In
the council, a woman
voiced her opinion
that no limit should be
placed on what is to be
given to a woman, because Allah
did not place such a limit. Umar,
the Caliph, admitted that she was
right and he was wrong, and he
refrained from writing this new
legislation.
Thus, Muslim women played
remarkable roles in the early days
of Islam. Between the 9th and
15th century, women participated
in the fields of theology, religious
knowledge and scholarship, as
well as in the teaching of these
sciences.
Islam gave women the right to inheritance, to be a
witness in court, to vote, to engage in politics, to run
her own business, the right to education; which were
unheard of in that time in other parts of the world.
By Samar Yahya
Women in Islamic history gained
strength from a legacy of strong
and influential women in the
founding years of the Islamic
faith. They were granted ultimate
equality by the teachings and rules
of Islam. In the days of ignorance
before Islam shone its light in the
Arabian Peninsula, women were
oppressed; they had no rights for
inheritance, they were treated as
possessions, and baby girls were
buried alive.
Islam has given woman rights
and privileges, which she never
enjoyed under other religious or
constitutional systems. Islam gave
women the right to inheritance, to
be a witness in court, to vote, to
engage in politics, to run her own
business, the right to education;
which were unheard of in that
time in other parts of the world.
Women continued to play vital
roles in political life in various
Islamic empires as the centuries
went on.
As evident in the verses of the
holy Qur’an and in the attitude
of the early Muslims, woman is
as vital to life and society and the
political sphere as man, and she is
not inferior to him.
In a famous story, the Caliph
Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the ruler
of his time, wanted to make a
law that would place a ceiling on
In Business:
Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid was a
successful merchant and one of
the elite figures of Makkah, even
before her marriage to Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him).
She ran her own business and it
is said that her caravan during
the summer journey to Syria and
winter journey to Yemen equaled
the caravans of all other traders of
the tribe of Quraysh put together.
She played a central role in
supporting the new faith of Islam.
As Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) said, “God Almighty
never granted me anyone better
in this life than her. She accepted
me when people rejected me;
she believed in me when people
doubted me; she shared her
wealth with me when people
deprived me; and God granted me
children only through her.” (Sahih
Muslim)
Aisha Bint Abi Bakr and wife
of Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him), had a very
strong influence on the Muslim
community after the death of
upon him). She played a central
role in the politics, teaching
circles, jurisprudence, and even
military tactics.
She is one of the most famous
narrators of Hadith or sayings of
upon him), reporting more than
2,000 sayings.
In Charity:
One notable example of women’s
role in early Islam was Zainab
Bint Abi Taleb, most known for
her generosity and humanitarian
work, and who was buried in
Egypt. Zainab’s passion for
charity and making a difference
in society led her to become the
first Muslim woman to establish
orphanages in Iraq and Egypt.
Zainab also made it one of
the conditions in her wedding
agreement that her husband would
Page 24
GUIDANCE
Mending My Manners
By Roshan Shah
There’s one thing that I really can’t
stand—and that’s bad manners.
I’m not bragging, but I do think
I’m polite. That’s something that I
love about myself. Saying ‘please’
and ‘thank you very much’, ‘if
you don’t mind’ and so on comes
naturally to me, and I really mean
it when I use those words. And
so, when I see people behaving
absolutely manner-less, it really
disgusts me.
Some years ago, a friend of mine,
Samir, came to visit me when I
was staying in my mother’s house.
It was wonderful meeting him
after a long time. He stayed with
us for three days.
Mummy
generally
goes
overboard when guests come
visiting—sometimes it gets really
embarrassing for me—and that’s
precisely what she did when
Samir came. She found out what
his favourite dishes were and
then made almost all of them for
him. One day, she took us out
for a picnic, and the next day she
bought tickets for us for a play.
Mummy didn’t really have to do
any of this, you will agree. After
all, parents don’t generally go
out of their way like that for their
grown-up children’s friends. And,
then, it was only the first time she
was meeting Samir.
But that’s how Mummy is.
Samir gave me a hug and walked
towards the door, dragging his
suitcase behind him. ‘We’ll meet
again, we’ll meet again.’ he said.
‘I’ll leave now. I want to do
some shopping before I get to
the station.’
Saying that, he slipped out of the
disgusting!
You know how easily love
can turn into hate: after
all, it’s the same energy,
though flowing in the opposite
way. Today you love someone
and you think he’s the best, most
adorable person in the world
door and got into the elevator.
‘Bye’, he said, grinning and
waving out as he slammed the
elevator door shut.
I was appalled!
and that you can’t live without
him. You dismiss what others
regard as his irritating foibles as
cute and harmless eccentricities.
But tomorrow he says or does
something and suddenly there’s
no one on the face of the earth
whom you hate more than him!
It’s so easy for the best of friends
to become the worst of enemies!
Something like that happened
between Samir and me that day.
I didn’t fight with him, though,
nor did I say even a word to
him about his appalling lack of
Not a word of thanks!
He need not have thanked me,
although he could have—but
after all that Mummy had done
for him, not a word of gratitude
or appreciation for her! He didn’t
even bother to meet her and say
bye!
What cheek! How simply
I’d never even once thanked God for any of the
innumerable things He had provided me with!
How disgustingly ungrateful I was!
manners. I simply decided that I
would ignore him from then on.
I thought he was so sickeningly
manner-less and ungrateful that
I made up my mind, there and
then, that I would have absolutely
nothing to do with him again.
Years passed, and I had no
communication with Samir. But
in between, once every couple
of months, I would think of him
and remember how disgustingly
he had behaved.
Just the other day, I was provoked
to think of Samir again, but this
time in a different light. I was
reflecting on gratitude and how
important it is to acknowledge
all that we receive from others
when it struck me that everything
that I ‘have’—the clothes I
wear, the food I eat, the water
I drink, the computer which I
work on, the chair I sit on, the
ground I stand on, the air that I
breath, the room I sleep in, the
body that my soul inhabits, and
my very soul, too—all of these
and everything else that I can
imagine are not my own. Rather,
they have all been given to me
to use by Someone else: by God.
And, I discovered to my horror
as I continued to muse, all these
almost fifty years of my life, I’d
never even once thanked God for
any of the in numerable things
He had provided me with!
How disgustingly ungrateful I
was!
For all the ‘good manners’ which
I prided myself on, I had never
felt any gratitude to the One
who had so generously granted
me everything I needed without
my even asking Him for it. He
continued to give me all that
I required despite my never
bothering to acknowledge His
generosity. He hadn’t abandoned
me for my not even once thanking
Him for His kindness. Not for a
moment did He stop giving me
all that I needed all along!
Wasn’t I appallingly illmannered?
At that moment, I remembered
Samir. And do you know
what? I thought of him with
great fondness! Compared to
his ‘misdemeanour’—of not
thanking me and Mummy for
three days’ hospitality—my
appalling bad manners, of not
thanking God even once for
almost fifty years of His care
and concern, seemed so utterly
trivial!
And do you know what else? I
got in touch with Samir, and now
he and I are good friends again!
He’s probably coming next week
to visit me!
Isn’t that wonderful! n
Life &
Relationships
28
Our Ego is Our Own Enemy
The ‘Discover Yourself’ workshop was
hosted by the Islamic Propagation
Centre International (IPCI), Durban
and Madina Institute, Cape Town, in
September 2014.
Some of the participants share their
experiences about the workshop
8 I wish every person would attend this workshop, especially my family.
8 We should have been taught this way of thinking a very long time ago.
8 This workshop is mind blowing, it changed my life.
8 It is amazing; I discovered how to change my life.
8 It puts everyday life in a clearer light. Helped me see things from a different perspective.
8 Excellent, it happened at the right time. This course should be a must for everyone.
8 It was interesting, fun and educating. It made me distinguish between truth and falsehood
and to stop being judgmental.
8 I see my husband minus glasses.
8 Very useful, relevant and simple practical steps on getting connected to your Creator.
8 I wish I had attended this workshop some 20-30 years ago; I weep for all the time I lost in
ignorance.
8 I found the workshop brilliant, extremely useful. It empowered me to have control over all
situations.
8 It helped me to release all my past baggage.
8 Alhamdulillah-A very beneficial life changing workshop, I have benefitted especially in
learning how to switch my waswas (whisperer, inner critic) off.
8 It is methodical, logical and an accessible way to understand the ‘True self’.
8 Before I was very judgmental and after the workshop I look at others as human beings.
8 It has opened the way to be able to find my ‘True Self’ that Allah has created.
8 Before I was on war and after the workshop I am in peace.
8 Life changing -forced me to face my reality.
8 Mind blowing- a heart purifying experience.
8 I have learnt that my ‘EGO’ is my own enemy.
8 It brought me back from darkness to light (truth).
FARHA: From today I have made
you my mentor. Your workshop has
made a big difference in my life and
the lives of those I love and care
for. You are definitely an answer to
my prayers. I had knowledge but
the way you presented it made all
the difference. They say everything
happens for a reason and Allah
(swt) timing is perfect. Jazakallah
Khair. Words cannot express how I
felt after this weekend. It's like I am
alive again. I can ONLY see light
even in the darkest of situations. I
have read the Quran on numerous
occasions in English, but this
weekend was an eye opener. I am
currently facing another challenge
and I see Hope and light in the
situation. I am grateful; Allah (swt)
has given me this opportunity
of meeting you. I feel blessed
knowing you. You said if you touch
one person’s life this weekend, you
have achieved something. From
the way people responded you
have touched many lives. You have
definitely touched my life. May
Allah (swt) bless you always.
FATIMA: I have been attending
many workshops throughout my
life. A lot of what was explained
and discussed is what I have
learnt in previous workshops. A
lot of visuals I have seen and also
use when I facilitate workshops.
However, this ‘Discover Yourself’
workshop is “The cherry on
top “. For me, it was awesome,
many ‘AHA’ moments, many
realisations,
introspections
and being in the ‘LA’ state and
realizing that there is only ‘ONE
REALITY’ and my conscious
mind to realise from where I am
operating from. Alhamdulillah! I
am so grateful to Br Sadathullah,
may Allah grant you health and
strength (abundantly) to continue
this amazing journey.
ZOHRA: I have attended your
workshop in Durban this week and
I must say that it was the BEST
WEEKEND I have had in a long
time. Coming to your workshop
has just reinforced what I knew,
but it needed someone like you
to revive those thoughts. Just like
Allah repeats certain words or
phrases in the Quran to remind us
over and over again I needed that
reminder to remember that holding
on to things and the past cannot
benefit me in any way. I want to
share my story with you in this
email as I could not express it in
the workshop. I have been married
for 14 years but knew my husband
for 7 years before we got married.
We schooled together. Ours was
a love marriage. We have had our
problems over the years, but we got
through them. In this year I found
out that my husband had made
nikah in secret 1 year ago and I did
not know it. This was a big blow
for me. I never saw it coming. Yes
I cried and we had fights but I told
myself that I cannot stay in that
feeling forever. I picked myself
up and stopped feeling sorry for
myself and stopped asking why,
how could he, does he not love
me. I have now accepted the
situation I am in, that my husband
has a second wife. THAT IS MY
REALITY. I was the one to tell
him stop secretly visiting her and
go live with her some days of the
week. It was hard for me to face
that it was the right thing to do.
And now I feel that it was the best
decision I made. Now when he
has a fight with his second wife he
calls me and I play counsellor for
both of them. And I do it with no
malice in the heart. My heart is at
peace and I love the inner me. My
husband and I are still together,
Alhamdulillah.
So by coming to the workshop
this weekend, it just reinforced
my belief and my direction. Br.
Sadathullah, thank you for doing
what you are doing by having
these workshops. It is having such
a good impact on people. May
Allah reward you in this life and
the hereafter.
SABIHA: I want to express from
the onset my humble appreciation
to firstly Allah and you to have
brought me to this workshop. I
have benefitted greatly and I want
to just share with you my little
transformation from last night.
After the workshop when I reached
home, I was so full of emotions that
I went up to my eldest daughter
and asked her to forgive me and
that I love her for the pleasure of
Allah and that I need a chance to
have a new beginning, and thus I
went on like this to each and every
child of mine. Thereafter we all sat
and had supper together and were
very peaceful. This was never done
before, my kids were shocked at
my behaviour. I went to my room,
changed, took a shower and read
all my Salah because I had missed
Maghreb as well, this I never once
did before. I would justify and say
I am very tired and I will make up
for it in the morning which was
never done. But last night I saw a
new me, I was not lazy, nor tired,
but willing whole heartedly to
perform my Salah, I was so full
of energy, I was happy and made
intention to get up for fajr and I did
just that without an alarm. May
Allah guide me always and keep
me steadfast. And help me and my
husband to do the right thing at all
times.
AMEENA: It is what I needed and
I am grateful for it. My life before
the workshop was very stressful
between work and home life. I had
to live on a daily basis with conflict
situations at work and home. As a
result, I have been hospitalized
numerous times for depression.
My husband was diagnosed with
a brain tumour and had a massive
stroke after a brain operation, but
not only his life changed, all our
lives changed in the family. Now
that he is disabled he is frustrated
and does not understand the
children. The lesson I learnt at this
workshop that I cannot change
everyone around me, so I have to
change myself. The workshop has
taught me to be a player and focus
on what change I can make to
improve my thoughts and feelings.
SIMON: I gained knowledge to
submit and live in the present. My
life had lost its meaning before
the workshop, but now it gained
energy and interest. I am looking
forward to change it for the better
with the help of Allah. I am feeling
much relieved and vibrant.
[Islamic
Propagation
Centre
International (IPCI), Durban :
www.ipci.co.za,
www.ahmeddeedat.co.za. Email: info@ipci.
com.
Madina Institute Cape Town
offers ground breaking, one year
intensive Usul-ud Din program.
This intensive, traditional program
is designed to develop leaders.
Website:www.madinainstitute.
org.za,
Email:
intensive@
madinainstitute.org.za]
Discoveryourself Workshop
Schedule on Page No. 26
Advertisement
29
CHILDREN'S CORNER
30
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Perhaps all of us have heard the
name of Abul Kalam Azad. But
very few of us know that he was
born in Makkah. The year was
1888. His father was from India
but mother was an Arab. His
original name was Abul Kalam
Mohiuddin Ahmed and was given
a nickname ‘Firoze Bakht’. For
some years he studied in some
madrassa in Makkah and then
his family returned to India. It
was only several years later that
he adopted the pen name Azad
(meaning ‘free’) and since he was a
great oratory and a scholar, people
gave him the title of ‘Maulana’
(meaning ‘learned man’).
Mohiuddin was quite a naughty
boy just as any boy of his age
would be. He studied Arabic,
Urdu and Persian. But his father
did not allow him to learn English
as he hated the British who were
then ruling India. But somehow
Mohiuddin learnt the English
Alphabets and went on picking
up the language through private
study until he began to read
newspapers and even novels and
other books.
He was very fond of books and
would read any book that he
could manage to lay his hands
upon. He would spend the pocket
money that his father would give
him on buying books. At the age
of 12, he had set up a library, a
reading room and had organized
a debating society at his home in
Calcutta (now Kolkata). Around
the age of 16, he had brought out
a magazine from Calcutta. People
would often wait for his magazine
to appear on the newsstands.
The magazine was ably edited
and used powerful language.
The people who had not seen
Enhance Your WordPower
Things that are made by hands
are called Handicrafts. We live in
an age when most things of use
such as clothes, utensils, bulbs,
pens, paper, pins and phones are
manufactured in factories. Things
Wood
carving
is a form of
working wood by
means of knife
and chisel and
making wooden
Handicrafts
that are made by hand are therefore
very few. Similarly, cloth woven
by hand is called Handloom. There
are virtually hundred
of handicrafts that are
practiced in different
parts of the world. Let
us learn words related to
handicrafts this month.
figure or figurine.
It is also used to
carve flowers and
Handicraftsman / Artisan:
One who practices the
art of making things by
hands.
Pottery: Art of making pots by
using the mud, porcelain or stone.
But pottery is the place where pots
are made. The articles so made are
called pottery ware.
Embroidery is the handicraft of
decorating fabric or other materials
with needle and thread or yarn. It
can also be done by using metal
strips, beads, pearls, and sequins.
Saddlemaking: The saddle is a
supportive structure for a rider or
other load, fastened to an animal's
back by a girth. These are made of
leather.
Bookbinding is the process of
physically assembling a book from
a number of folded or unfolded
sheets of paper or other material.
figures into plain surfaces of wood
like doors, frames, beams etc.
Sculpture: Sculpture is the art
of making things as they look in
three dimensional form in metal,
stone, wood, clay or any other
substance.
Knitting is a method by which
thread or yarn is used to create a
cloth.
Crochet : It is a process of creating
fabric from yarn, thread, or other
material strands using a crochet
hook.
Basket weaving, basketry, or
basket making is the process of
weaving pliable materials into
a basket or other similar form.
People and artists who weave
baskets are called basket makers
and basket weavers.
Glassblowing is a glassforming
technique that involves inflating
molten glass into a bubble
(or parison), with the aid of
a blowpipe (or blow tube). A
person who blows glass is called
a glassblower, glassmith, or
gaffer.
him, often thought he was an
elderly person. In 1904, people
of Lahore invited him to speak
at a huge gathering. Those who
went to receive him at the railway
station were disappointed to find
a 16-year old boy stepping out
of the train bogey. There was a
mixed feeling of surprise as well
as disappointment. He spoke for
full two and half hour and the
audience remained spellbound.
The meeting was being presided
by 67-year old Urdu poet Maulana
Altaf Hussain Hali. At the end of
the meeting, Hali hugged him
and said: “My dear son! Though
I am convinced that you are the
same Azad whom we had read
all these years, but my sense of
wonderment simply refuses to
vanish.”
Azad joined the Indian National
Congress in 1910 and plunged
into the struggle for freedom of
India. He would keep company
with books and was very fond of
drinking cups after cup of black
tea and listening to music when
he was alone. Azad had deep
commitment to unity among
Hindus and Muslims whom
he considered a single nation.
He began publishing a weekly
journal Al-Hilal in 1912. Its
circulation grew to 26,000 copies
within a few months. The British
were afraid of its popularity and
imprisoned him for four years.
He met Mahatma Gandhi in 1920
and both became staunch friends
and believers in Hindu-Muslim
amity. In 1923, Azad was made the
President of the Indian National
Congress, the youngest ever
head of the party. He famously
said in his presidential address in
the party’s all India session: “If
someone promises swarajya (self
rule) to India within 24 hours only
if the Congress Party gives up the
idea of Hindu-Muslim unity, I
would opt for unity rather than the
swarajya.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad became
the first Education Minister of
India after Independence. He
conceived and established several
famous institutions such as
University Grants Commission,
Indian National Science Academy,
Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sahitya
Akademi, Indian Council of
Cultural Relations and several
other institutions.
Maulana Azad breathed his last on
February 22, 1958 at the age of 70.
His tomb is situated in the park in
front of the majestic Jama Masjid
in Delhi. His birthday is celebrated
on every 11th November which is
designated as ‘Education Day’ by
the Government of India.
(Compiled by:
Maqbool Ahmed Siraj)
CHILDREN'S CORNER
What's Wrong with
Grown-ups?
According to a class full of tenyear-olds in a Sunday school class,
these are the problems with grownups:
1. Grown-ups make promises, then
they forget all about them, or else
they say it wasn't really a promise,
just a maybe.
2. Grown-ups don't do the things
they're always telling the children
to do--like pick up their things, or
be neat, or always tell the truth.
3. Grown-ups won't let their
children dress the way they want
to--but they never ask a child's
opinion about how they should
dress. If they're going out to a
party, grown-ups wear just exactly
what they want to wear--even if it
looks terrible, even if it isn't warm
enough.
4. Grown-ups never really listen
to what children have to say. They
always decide ahead of time what
they're going to answer.
5.
Grown-ups make mistakes
but they won't admit them. They
always pretend that they weren't
mistakes at all--or that somebody
else made them.
6. Grown-ups interrupt children all
the time and think nothing of it. If a
child interrupts a grown-up, he gets
a scolding or something worse.
7. Grown-ups never understand
how much children want a certain
thing--a certain color or shape or
size. If it's something they don't
admire--even if the children have
spent their own money for it--they
always say, "I can't imagine what
you want with that old thing!"
8. Sometimes grown-ups punish
children unfairly. It isn't right if
Do
YouKnow
What is the Constitution?
31
Galaxies and
‘Milky Way’
you've done something just a little
A galaxy is a collection stars
wrong and grownups take away
as well as dust and gas clouds
A Constitution is the most basic lay down regulations. After this,
something that means an awful lot
and is a ‘star system’. All
document which lays down the various departments issue
to you. Other times you can do
principles followed by a country. Government Order (GO). All
something really bad and they say
It carries the essence of all that these are in accordance with the
they're going to punish you, but
a country stands by and commits spirit of the Constitutions. This
they don't. You never know, and
itself to observe and comply. Some entire procedure is called the
you ought to know.
people confuse the Constitution hierarchy of law.
9. Grown-ups talk about money
with a book of law. But actually India has the largest written
too much, and bills, and things like
a Constitution provides the Constitution with 395 Articles.
that, so that it scares you. They
these are bound together by
framework for law-making. In The US Constitution is the
say money isn't
gravitational pull. The galaxy
making a Constitution, all people, shortest with only seven Articles.
very important, but
in which our earth is situated
parties and groups are involved. There are certain countries where
the way they talk
is called ‘Milky Way’. It has
It is not made by a ruling party there is no Constitution such
about it, it sounds
a diameter of about 120,000
or a Government. Most countries as Saudi Arabia. Firmans from
like the most
light years. It has billions of
appoint a Constituent Assembly the King’s office are the law
important thing in
stars and there are billions of
for this purpose. The laws are there. England has no written
the world.
such galaxies.
then passed by the Parliament Constitution but the country is
10.
Grown-ups
There are more than 30 other
on the basis of the Constitution. run on the basis of conventions
gossip a lot--but
galaxies near the Milky way
Once laws are passed, the and traditions which nobody
if children do the
alone. The largest of them is
Government
and
the
ministries
violates.
very same thing
Andromeda Galaxy.
a n d
say the
same
words about the same
Advertising and propaganda propaganda purpose and do not
Several plants can yield fuel that can be
people they're being
have a few things common allow the media to criticize
used to run vehicles. This is called biofuel
disrespectful.
between them. Both use media them or their rule. The media
or even bio-diesel.
11. Grown-ups pry
and both are used to influence
Several plants and trees such as Karanja
into children's secrets.
people and their attitudes.
(in Hindi) or Honge (in Kannada) and
They always think it's
But the purpose behind them
Jatropha yield pods with seeds which
going to be something
is different. Propaganda has
when crushed, yield oil. This oil can be a
bad. They never think
political motives. Several
it might be a nice
dictators and super powers use
surprise.
it to project themselves as the
12. Grown-ups are
benefactors of the people and
always talking about
their sole saviours. Advertising
what they did and what
is used for the acceptance and is instructed to publish their
they knew when they
sale of goods and services. Its pictures and curb the publication
were ten years old--but
motive is economic. Both use of material about their rivals.
they never try to think
the media like newspapers, Advertising is done by buying
what it's like to be ten
radio, TV, and Internet.
space in newspapers or time on
substitute for diesel. In several countries
years old right now.
All dictators use the media for the air in radio or TV.
juices rich in sugar and carbohydrates are
Does
this
sound
used for making ethanol which too is used
familiar to you? If it
as fuel for vehicles. Sugarcane and
does, it might interest
corn (maize) are also a source for
you to know that these
these juices.
complaints were made
v The deepest point in all the city of Houston, the American city
Normally a Karanja tree can yield
in 1953--well over half
oceans is the Mariana Trench in the in the state of Texas.
enough seeds to produce 10 kgs to 50
a century ago. Just
Pacific. It is 11 kilometre deep.
kgs of biodiesel in a season. These
what have we learned
v Icebergs are broken pieces of
trees grow abundantly in India.
about being adults and
ice from the glaciers near the two
Since petrol is running out fast, the
treating children over
poles. Normally, only one-ninth of
search for plants that can yield fuels
the last five decades,
the iceberg stays over the surface
is increasing. It is estimated that
if we continue to
of the water i.e., if an iceberg is
2.6% of the fuel for road transport
perpetuate some of the
100 metre high, the part under the v Rivers have one gram of salt in
was provided by pants and trees in
treatments that were
a litre of water while the seawater
sea is 800 metre deep.
2010.
unfair so long ago?
v Some icebergs are as big as the carries 35 grams of salt in a litre.
Diesel from Plants
Advertising and Propaganda
Some Facts about the Seas

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