Islamic Voice February 2015 Issue

Transcription

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
ISLAMIC VOICE, February 2015
1
32 Pages
Rs. 20
Bengaluru
English Monthly
February 2015 Vol. 28-02 No. 338 Rabius-Sani/Jumadil Awwal/ 1436 H
District Development and Diversity
Index Released
The report focusses on assessment of grassroots level ground
realities of development.
By A Staff Writer
Bengaluru: The Report on
‘District
Development
and
Diversity Index’ prepared by veteran economist Dr. Abusaleh Shariff
was released here
by Karnataka Chief
Minister Siddramiah
on January 23, at
Vidhana Soudha. The
report has been published by US-India
Policy Institute and
Centre for Research
and
Debates
in
Development Policy
(CRDDP) based at
Washington DC.
While
releasing
the
Report,
Mr.
Siddramiah
said
the State Government would
seriously and carefully examine
the establishment of Equal
Opportunities
Commission
(EOC). Referring to the Report’s
content on weaker conditions of
the Socio-religious communities
(SRCs), the chief minister pointed
out that Karnataka will begin
survey of caste and communities
in the State from April 11 with the
help of 1.5 lakh field surveyors at
the cost of Rs. 175 crores. He said
the survey was the first of its kind
in the State after the 1931 Caste
Survey done in the old Mysore
state. He said it is aimed at taking
the Government welfare schemes
to the really deserving people
in the OBC, scheduled caste,
scheduled tribes and minority
communities. He pointed out
that deserving recipients will be
identified on the basis of ground
level statistics.
Dr. Shariff who was the chief
author of the Sachar Committee
Report, said the Sachar Report was
the first document in Independent
India to know the situation of
Muslims academically. He said
now it has become imperative to
assess the reach and effectiveness
of
Government
welfare
programmes at the lower level of
administration, hence the need for
District Development
and Diversity Index
(acronymed DDDIx).
He pointed out that
the DDDIx by the USIndia Policy Institute
(USIPI) and CRDDP
have extracted a number of socio-economic
and human development indicators from
nationally representative surveys for all
districts of India. The
composite index consists of four dimensions i.e., economic, enabling material wellbeing assets, education
and health. The results have been
compiled in the form of annotated
maps, graphs and figures for convenient use.
Highest & Lowest on the Index
The Report, for example, puts the
Page 24
IINA Report on Literacy
40% of Muslim World’s
Population is Illiterate
Jeddah: Illiteracy is stunningly
rampant in the Muslim world.
Nearly 40 percent, (with varying
percentages in the Member States
of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation) of the Muslim
world's population cannot read or
write, which means that there are
hundreds of millions of illiterates
(ISESCO) stated that illiteracy
rates in the Muslim world ranges
between 40 percent among males
and 65 percent among females,
with rural areas lagging behind
urban areas by over 10 percent. This
poses a threat to the development
and prosperity of the society and
negatively impacts on the ability
in the OIC countries, mostly
female, according to a report
prepared by OIC and obtained by
the International Islamic News
Agency (IINA), last month.
The report showed that adult
literacy rate in the OIC countries
is roughly 73 percent, lower than
the global adult literacy rate (82
percent), and the rate of other
developing countries (85 percent),
based on 2013 statistics.
The Islamic Educational, Scientific
and
Cultural
Organization
to promote and build a strong
growing economy and achieve the
Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).
In the same context, it was expected
that the number of illiterate adults
in the world to slightly drop from
774 million in 2011 to 743 million
in 2015 (a large proportion of them
in the Muslim world), according
to a report released by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific
and
Cultural
Organization
Page 19
UPDATE
Daily Salar's 50 years
A Voyage Worth Celebrating
By Maqbool Ahmed Siraj
Urdu Daily Salar completed 50
years of continuous publication. It
was founded by redoubtable Urdu
writer Mahmood Ayaz in 1964. The
reigns of the management passed
over to the Al-Ameen
Group which acquired the
newspaper in 1979 and
modernized its functioning
and printing. The office
moved from Cavalry Road
(now Kamaraj Road) to St.
John’s Church Road where
Janab Ibrahim Khaleelullah
Khan stewarded its progress
for several years to come.
The offices of Salar have
moved to Hosur Road that
runs along the Bengaluru’s
famous Lal Bagh Botanical
Garden in the impressive
headquarters of the Al-Ameen
Group. For the last few
years, the newspaper is also
published
simultaneously
from Hubballi and Gulbarga,
two cities with considerable
Urdu readership.
Most representative
Half a century of voyage
is worth celebrating. Salar
deserves compliments, for
it is by far the most popular Urdu
daily in Karnataka and can claim
to be the most representative
spokesman of the Urdu-speaking
Muslims in the State. It has
considerable readership in Urdu
population in small towns of
neighbouring Tamil Nadu too.
It has vastly improved its visual
appeal through acquisition of the
state-of-the-art composition and
printing technology, though the
same cannot be said about the
layout and designing.
Eclecticism
Salar has endeared itself with a
vast majority of the Urdu readers
through its eclectic choice of
content. It does not exercise
any selection when it
and entrepreneurs in all fields and
sectors receive unstinted support
from its columns. One cannot but
admire this attitude of dispensing
with editorial discretion in
matters of selection of news, for a
newspaper that claims to represent
a
small
minority—whose
language is increasingly
losing its hold over its
speakers—cannot afford
to leave out any section
unhappy. It has immense
socio-commercial
significance.
Even
in matters religious,
everyone has access to
its pages, regardless of
the sectarian affiliation.
Its literary edition on
Mondays has nurtured
good many budding
short story writers, poets
and critics and has no parallel in
India.
Considerable Advt Support
Over the last few years, it
Daily Salar is undoubtedly the has considerably increased
most representative newspaper coverage of community
of the Urdu-speaking people
news within Karnataka.
It seems the daily is also
of Karnataka and has vastly
patronized by advertisers
improved its visual appeal.
of all hues. Going by the
comes to publishing news limited readership and appeal
about religious, cultural, of Urdu, one cannot but only
educational, social, economic appreciate Salar’s consistency in
and even political activity. matters of content, policy line and
All and sundry groups have please-all attitude. Sustainability
found patronage under its news is as much essential for media as
columns. No room for complaint credibility. Salar has excelled in
has been provided by the editorial achieving this. The very survival
staff. Even photographs are of Urdu newspapers in forbidding
generously splashed across its circumstances that surround Urdu
pages. Startups, amateurs, novices
Page 13
2
Special Report
Basha Research Corporation Organises
Conference on Renewable Energy
By A Staff Writer
Vijayawada:
The
Basha
Research Corporation (BRCORP)
organized a one-day conference
here on Renewable Energy and
Environmental Engineering in
collaboration with Cafet-Innova
Technical Society (CITS) on
December 29. The Conference
discussed the way to develop
Vijayawada as the Green Capital of
residual Andhra Pradesh.
Prof. Abdul Razak Mohamed, Dean,
School of Planning and Architecture
said the development of green cities
depends on integrating the planning
for ecology, economy, heritage,
society, and transport. He said
Indian cities face a bleak future as
development has not taken protection
of environment into consideration.
Citing the case of Delhi, he said New
Delhi produces 3.6 million litres of
sewage per day but half of it remains
untreated and flows into Yamuna. He
said 45% people of the capital were
not covered by sewerage system.
Vast Potential
Prof. Shashi Kumar Gupta, Head,
Civil engineering, K. L. University,
Vijayawada, said only 16% of the
world energy needs were being met
through renewable energy currently.
He suggested India to go for energy
mix as it has renewable energy
potential of 2.5 lakh MW with only
32,200 MW installed capacity.
Dr. Ambrose A. Melwin from
National Chemical Laboratory,
Pune focused on potential for
developing Hydrogen fuel for future
which requires drastic changes
in transportation and distribution
pattern.
Mr. M. A. Siraj, journalist, who
regularly writes on civic affairs and
energy in The Hindu, pointed out that
the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission
is targeting at 22 GW of solar power
by 2022 while the installed capacity
at the end of 2013 was 2.6 GW. He
said the country needs a new policy
framework for producing PV cells
for solar panel as well as parabolic
mirrors and power blocks for CSP
technology indigenously. He said
though India started early in solar
technology, almost 50 years ago,
China had stolen the lead and was
already producing 20 GW of solar
power besides pursuing a target of
34 GW by 2015.
70 Research Papers
The Conference received around
70 research papers on various
aspects of renewable energy. Of
the 17 presentations made at the
conference, the following were
adjudged the best: K. Anantha
Narayan, Chennai (topic: Regional
Energy Planning based on potential
of solar PV based electricity for
households in Gudiyattam block
of Vellore district); Sainath R.
Navale, (Drying of Fenugreek
by cabinet solar dryer); Pavan
Pandit, Bhoomareddy College of
Engineering, Hubli (Numerical
analysis of aerodynamics of wind
turbine blades); L. Iyyappan and
P. Kasinathan Pandian, Tagore
College of Engineering, Chennai
(Identification of Potential Wind
far sites using interpolation
technique with image processing
3
for Tamil Nadu); and, Akhil Patil,
(Performance studies on hybrid
solar-wind
power
generation
system).
Dr. Raju Aedla of Cafet-Innova
Technical Society, chaired the
conference. Mr. Ashish Ramesh
Jaggi,
Research
Coordinator,
proposed a vote of thanks.
Page 4
Foundation Laid for Girls Hostel
The hostel is likely to be completed in 12 months
By A Staff Writer
Bengaluru: Foundation stone was
laid here for a Girls Hostel with
a capacity to accommodate 200
on January 14. The Hostel to be
constructed on a 7,500 sq. ft. waqf
land will come up on the southern
side of the Hazrath Hamid Sha
Shopping Complex. The ground
plus three floor building will be
constructed and donated by Mr.
Ziaulla Shariff, Chairman of the
India Builders Corporation. Each
floor will have 5,000 sq. feet area.
The Hostel will accommodate
girl students from mofussil areas,
districts and outside the states
who take up professional courses
in educational institutions in
Bengaluru. The need for such a
hostel had been felt since long.
According to Mr. Shah Moosa, in-
charge at the Hazrath Hamid Sha
and Mohib Sha Complex in the
city centre, the hostel is likely to
be completed in 12 months period
at an estimated cost of Rs. 3.5
crore.
The foundation stone
was laid by Chief
Minister Siddramiah
in the presence of
Mufti Ashraf Ali
Sahib, rector of the
Madrassa Sabeelur
Rashad and Mr.
K. Rahman Khan,
former
Union
Minister.
Mr. Ziaulla Shariff said if land
could be allotted for an Urdu
Hall in Bengaluru, he would
construct its building at his own
personal cost. He also promised
to donate Rs. 10 crore if proposed
Central University in the name
of Tipu Sultan was sanctioned
at Srirangapatnam, the erstwhile
capital of Tipu’s sultanate.
Administrator of the Complex
Mr. G. A. Bawa welcomed the
guests. Bilquis Banu, chairperson,
Karnataka
State
Minorities
Commission was also present.
The
Hamid
Sha
Dargah
Management Committee currently
runs a Girls Hostel in a rented
building on Jeremiah Road in the
Bangalore Cantonment area with
accommodation for 35 girls. n
Renewable Energy ...
Page 3
The Basha Research Corporation
(BRCORP) is a conglomerate
of the Basha Group which is
managed by the Basha Family. It
was founded by Dr. Ranipet Hafeez
Basha who is pursuing research in
Kumamoto University, Japan. It
is headquartered at Singapore and
has branches in the United States,
United Kingdom, Nepal, Japan
4
and India. It publishes research
journals in several discipline of
science and engineering. For more
details contact Prof. Ranipet Hafeez
Basha, [email protected],
address:
Basha
Research
Corporation
(BRCORP), H. No 5-5-973, Plot No 12,
Hakeemabad Colony, Chintalkunta,
Hyderabad - 500 074. n
Solidarity for Australian Muslims in
Common Prayer after Sydney Siege
Sydney: Several mosques in
Australia held a joint prayer
session from followers of all
religions for unity and fight
against racism, and
the peaceful end to the
hostage episode in a
café, Lint chocolate,
in Martin Place Square
downtown Sydney, by
an armed man.
Tony
Burke
the
Australian
federal
member of Parliament
declared in a gathering
held at the Grand
Mosque in Lakmba area west
Sydney city last fortnight, for
solidarity with the Muslim
community in confrontation of
challenges and racist harassment.
The Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr
Ibrahim Abu Mohammed said
in a statement, "The Australian
Council of Imams condemns the
criminal act and these actions
are reprehensible and totally
unacceptable in Islam. Martin
Square is the central business
district of Sydney, New South
Wales, and has been
described
as
the
"financial heart" of
Sydney as it includes
several
important
buildings, such as the
governor of the state
office, "New South
Wales" Mike Byrd's
and the Australian
Federal bank, as well
the Australian television
channel Number Seven, in addition
to the American Consulate and a
number of banks. n
Ayatollah Urges Western Youth to Examine Islam
Tehran: Iran’s supreme leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
has urged Western youth
to examine Islam for
themselves rather than
swallow
prejudiced
views, in a message
posted on his Twitter
account. “The recent events in
France and similar ones in some
other Western countries
have
convinced
me
to directly talk to you
about them,” he wrote in
reference to the Jan. 7-9
militant attacks in Paris
that left 17 dead. “Many
attempts have been made over
the past two decades, almost
since the disintegration of the
Soviet Union, to place this great
religion in the seat of a horrifying
enemy,” Khamenei said of Islam.
“Receive knowledge of Islam
from its primary and original
sources,” said the supreme guide
of the Islamic republic. n
5
WAMY Organizes Volunteer
Program in London
Jeddah: The London branch of the
World Assembly of Muslim Youth
(WAMY) organised a volunteer
program in central London, during
which, leaflets highlighting
Islam's
compassion
and
moderation, together with
roses, were distributed among
the passers-by. The leaflets
contained a wide selection
of verses from the Qur'an as
well as from Hadith (Sayings
of Prophet Muhammad).
WAMY said in a statement that this
initiative comes in response to calls
of hatred and intimidation from the
growth of Islam in Europe, and
to encourage people to read more
about Qur'an and the teachings of
the Prophet. The WAMY pointed
out that this initiation also comes
after the attack on the Prophet of
Islam and the re-publication of the
cartoons by the French magazine
Charlie Hebdo. The director
of London office Belkacem
Ekhalch said, the response to this
initiative was good, positive, and
encouraging from the public, as
we explained to them some of
the features and attributes of the
Prophet, and gave them some
roses as well desserts. n
Egypt Prepares Largest
Encyclopedia of Noble Morals
Cairo: The Egyptian Ministry
of Religious Endowments said,
it has initiated the preparation
of the first and largest modern
encyclopedia of Noble Morals
(Makarimul Akhlaq), starting
with excerpts from Sunnah of
Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) in
terms of the best morals and
ethics. Minister of Endowments
Dr. Mohamed Mokhtar Jomaa
has assigned the Dawa General
Administration, in collaboration
with the Central Administration
of Al-Siera/Curriculum and AlSunnah at the Supreme Council for
Islamic Affairs, to commence the
preparation of the encyclopedia. n
“You Cannot Make Fun of Faith,” says Pope Francis
Rome: Pope Francis said there are
limits to freedom of expression,
especially when it insults or
ridicules someone's faith. Francis
spoke about the Paris terror attacks
while en route to the Philippines,
defending free speech as not only
a fundamental human right, but a
duty to speak one's mind for the
sake of the common good. But he
said there were limits. By way of
example, he referred to Alberto
Gasparri, who organizes papal
trips and was standing by his side
aboard the papal plane. "If my
good friend Dr. Gasparri says a
curse word against my mother,
he can expect a punch," Francis
said, throwing a pretend punch
his way. "It's normal. You cannot
provoke. You cannot insult the
faith of others. You cannot make
fun of the faith of others." Many
people around the world have
defended the right of satirical
magazine Charlie Hebdo to
publish inflammatory cartoons of
the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh)
in the wake of the massacre by
extremists at its Paris offices and
subsequent attack on a kosher
supermarket in which three
gunmen killed 17 people. But
recently, the Vatican and four
prominent French imams issued
a joint declaration that denounced
the attacks, but also urged the
media to treat religions with
respect. Francis, who has urged
Muslim leaders in particular
to speak out against Islamic
extremism, went a step further
when asked by a French journalist
about whether there were limits
when freedom of expression
meets freedom of religion.
Francis insisted that it was an
"aberration" to kill in the name
of God and said religion can
never be used to justify violence.
But he said there was a limit to
free speech when it concerned
offending someone's religious
beliefs. "There are so many people
who speak badly about religions
or other religions, who make fun
of them, who make a game out of
the religions of others," he said.
"They are provocateurs. And what
happens to them is what would
happen to Dr. Gasparri if he says
a curse word against my mother.
There is a limit." Francis said he
was concerned primarily for the
faithful, and said he had spoken
to Vatican security officials who
are taking "prudent and secure
measures." "I am worried, but
you know I have a defect: a good
dose of carelessness. I'm careless
about these things," he said. But
he admitted that in his prayers,
he had asked that if something
were to happen to him that "it
doesn't hurt, because I'm not very
courageous when it comes to
pain. I'm very timid." He added,
"I'm in God's hands." n
King Abdullah Passes Away
Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques King
Abdullah passed away
on January 23, 2015,
following a short illness.
Crown Prince Salman
has been named the
new king with Prince
Muqrin crown prince.
King Abdullah was
hospitalized in December
2014, suffering from
pneumonia and had
been breathing with the aid of
a respirator. Since the death in
1952 of King Abdul Aziz, the
founder of Saudi Arabia, the
throne has systematically passed
King Abdullah
down to his sons.
King Salman, credited with
transforming Riyadh during
his half-century as governor,
has a reputation for austerity,
hard work and discipline.
King Salman
Born on Dec. 31, 1935, King
Salman is the 25th son of King
Abdul Aziz. He was appointed
governor of Riyadh province at
the age of 20. He was appointed
minister of defense in 2011. n
6
Muslim Scholars from West
Africa, Middle East, Join
Fight against Extremism
Nouakchott:
Some
1,500
Islamic scholars from West
Africa and the Middle East
have sent an appeal to defeat
religious extremists. During a
four-day conference that ended
in Nouakchott, they encouraged
Muslim youth to follow the
example of Prophet Muhammad
(Pbuh) by embracing tolerance
and rejecting extremism.
As Mauritanian Islamic Affairs
Minister Ahmed Ould Ahel
Daoud said in his opening
address, "Ideological deviation
is still one of the most dangerous
diseases threatening society."
"Defeating those who embrace
extremist ideology will be
possible only by walking in the
path of Prophet Muhammad
because religious extremists
are ignorant and illiterate," the
minister told participants of the
27th international symposium,
organised
by
Mauritania's
Islamic cultural organisation.
"What we are now seeing, in
terms of the unprecedented rise
of extremism and terrorism,
is because of the wrong
interpretation of the concepts
of Islamic Sharia, which is
characterised by tolerance,
recognition and acceptance
of all other communities and
religions," Ould Ahel Daoud
added.
The killings, wars and tragedies
taking place in the name of
Islam were mainly due to
misinterpretation of the religion,
agreed Sheikh Mohamed El
Hafedh Ennahoui, who heads the
conference organising group in
Mauritania. n
Turkey gets its First Church
Ankara: Turkey’s government
has authorized the building of
the first church in the country
in nearly a century. The church
is for the tiny Syriac community
in Turkey and will be built in
the Istanbul suburb of Yesilkoy
on the shores of the Sea of
Marmara, which already has
Greek Orthodox, Armenian
and Catholic churches. The
announcement came after Prime
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met
Turkey’s religious leaders in
Istanbul last month, and said
that no faith that has lived in
the country could be regarded as
foreign. n
Men, Mission and Machines
Solar-Powered
Solar-Powered Pest
Pest Trapper
Trapper
Pests and insects are enemies
of crops. Conventional pest
management has relied on pesticides
and insecticides which besides
involving expenses, leave their
residue on fruits and vegetables
leading to harmful effects on
those who consume them. Mr.
Abdul Kadhar, who was trained
and worked as an engineer, has
developed a ‘Solar Pest Trapper’
that is environment-friendly and
has not much recurring cost.
Kadhar had earlier worked as an
IT engineer with several firms in
Germany, Saudi Arabia and with
Honeywell in Bengaluru, altogether
for 11 years. He quit the job due
to health issues two years ago and
took up residence in Puducherry
and began exploring prospects for
entrepreneurship. He told Islamic
Voice that greenery and agricultural
fields attracted him. He came
face to face with pest problem
while learning vermicompost at
7
A former IT engineer has developed a pest trapper powered by sunlight.
the Auroville. This made him
study the behavior of pests and
urged him to develop a solution.
He studied a lot of
borers, moths, wasps,
nymphs,
hoppers,
lead folder insects
in fields of paddy,
sugarcane, vegetables,
and
orchards
of
mango,
coconut
tea,
pomegranate,
jasmine etc in Tamil
Nadu villages around
Puducherry.
Powered by Sunlight
‘Solar Pest Trapper’ was the
outcome of three and half years of
constant effort. He set up a small
unit named Sustainable Agriculture
Farming System at Puducherry.
Kadhar’s device uses an 18 by 18
centimeter solar panel which is
just 27 millimeter thickness and
weighs about four kilos. Priced
at Rs. 2,625 a piece, this 43-year
old entrepreneur has field-tested
the device for its effectiveness at
several locations. It is a low 3-watt
and 6 volt panel and is capable of
killing a minimum of 100 pests a
day.
Doing away with Pesticides
According to Kadhar, the device
begins operating immediately
after dusk when the pests become
active and gets automatically
switched off around
midnight after five
hours of operation.
The system is operated
by a microcontroller
chip. The device uses
LED light with low
ultraviolet emission.
By installing one
device in a 10-acre
field, it traps at least 10
adult pests a day. By
doing away with use of chemicals
and pesticides, it helps the farmers
avoid harmful effects as well as
the spares them the recurring cost
of pesticides. It can bring down
the pest management by 50 per
cent. Kadhar says if it can kill
one adult insect a day, it translates
into checking reproduction of 300
of its progeny in a year.
Kadhar
has
approached
Agricultural
Annamalai
University and the Tamil
Nadu Agricultural University,
Coimbatore for testing of his
device in trial farms maintained by
them in two seasons. He invested
around Rs. 28 lakhs for his studies,
research and development of the
device and has sold several such
devices to farmers. He says the
device is easily portable across
the farms.
Abdul Kadhar is looking for
retail networks that can promote
his innovative solar based
device. He can be contacted at:
0-9488591915, landline: 04132271915, or email: safs.orgmm@
gmail.com.
Website:
www.
safsorganic.com.
(As told to Maqbool Ahmed
Siraj)
FACE TO FACE
8
Interview: Iranian Sunni Leader Nazir Salaami
‘No Discrimination against Sunnis in Iran’
By Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: Asserting that there is
no discrimination against Sunnis
in Iran, Maulana Nazir Ahmad
Salaami, who is the lone Sunni
member of the influential religious
body ‘Majlis-e- Khabargaan
Rehbari’, i.e., Guidance Council,
said the majority Shias and the
minority Sunnis were living
in peace and amity in Iran and
an atmosphere of peaceful
coexistence prevailed in Iran.
Salaami was in Delhi recently to
attend the celebration of Haftae-wahdat on the eve of Prophet
Muhammad’s birthday. Talking to
Islamic Voice on a range of issues
here at the Iran Cultural House,
Maulana Salaami said Sunnis
account for 15 to 20 per cent of
the total population of the country
and of the 31 provinces, three
were Sunni-majority provinces
i.e. Baluchistan/ Sistan, Kurdistan
and Gulistan in the north. He said
Sunnis are also in sizable numbers
in at least seven other provinces.
Salaami who hails from the
Iranian province of Baluchistan,
studied in Jamia Karachi, Pakistan
and speaks chaste Urdu. Here are
the excerpts from an interview:
from contesting the presidential
elections as “the Article 12 of
the Iranian Constitution defines
the official religion of Iran to be
Ethna Ashari (Twelver Shiism)?
Q: Why is the Iranian government reluctant to permit
construction of a mosque for
Sunnis in the capital Tehran
where around one million Sunni
Muslims were living?
Salaami: The government had
shown willingness to concede this
long-standing demand. However,
there were some security issues
due to the recent happenings
in neighbouring Pakistan and
Afghanistan where Shias and
Sunnis were attacking and
bombing each other’s mosques”.
Q: The government of Islamic
Republic of Iran’s follows the
laudable credo laa Shia, wa laa
Sunni” (neither Shia, no Sunni).
But its Constitution debars Sunnis
and in appointment to important
political positions. The deeni
madrassas run by the Sunnis get
same government’s grants as well
as incentives as Shia madrassas
avail. All sects of Muslims and
non-Muslims have full freedom
to practice their own religion.
Q: Could you point out as to how
many Sunnis were appointed as
governors and ministers in the
central government?
Salaami : It is not a new provision
as it has existed since the days
of Shah. It is irrelevant to Sunni
population as no Sunni candidate
can win the election. One badthing does not cancel many other
virtues of Iran as there is no
discrimination in government jobs
Salaami: I cannot remember any
mentionable names. However,
many Sunnis were elected to
the Iranian Majlis (parliament).
Three Sunni members were
elected to the 86-member
Majlis-e- Khabargaan Rehbari
but two of them were killed by
militants in Kurdistan province.
Q: How does the Iranian
government view the ISIS
and the groups like Jabhat alNusra?
Salaami: These groups are
defaming the fair name of Islam
and perpetrating the brutalities
against fellow Muslims in the
name of Jihad. They are playing
into the hands of enemies of
Islam. They consist of elements
who have gone astray.
Q: Why Iran is supporting a
tyrannical and dynastic regime
in Syria while she opposes other
monarchs in the Middle East?
Salaami: Our leaders have
maintained that Tehran is not
supporting Bashaar al-Assad as
such. We are extending material
and political support to Syria
because she is the only country
in the region which has been
steadfastly withstood against the
Zionist regime. If militant groups
succeed in capturing power,
resistance to Israel will end. They
are also of the view that Syrian
crisis cannot be solved militarily.
women in islam
Female
Female Imams
Imams Act
Act as
as Mentors
Mentors for
for Muslim
Muslim Women
Women in
in Western
Western China
China
They lead Muslim women in prayer at mosques
Ningxia Hui: The number of female
imams, known locally as ahong,
acting as spiritual leaders and
teachers for Muslim women, is rising
in China, especially in the Ningxia
Hui Autonomous Region. They have
broken through taboos and barriers
and won wide recognition
among female believers. After
learning doctrines and taking
certification exam, more than
80 female imams in Ningxia
have been licensed by the
government. They lead Muslim
women in prayer at mosques,
teach them about the Quran
and Islamic culture and offer
religious services. They also
mediate domestic disputes and
enhance women's awareness of their
rights. Female imams are playing
an increasingly essential role in
improving gender equality, the
quality of local women's religious
life and social harmony. Every
morning before the clock strikes five,
50-year-old Jin Meihua, a Muslim
living in Wuzhong, Northwest
China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous
Region, has already hauled herself
out of bed and walked into her
living room. She turns on the lights,
opens her Quran and starts to chant
Islamic verses.
After preparing breakfast for her
family, she trots to a mosque a few
minutes' walk away to lead a Quran
study class.
There, dozens of Muslim women
wait every morning for Jin to teach
them about their religion. Over
the course of a two-hour class, Jin
guides them in chanting Quranic
verses in Arabic and teaches them
how to interpret the holy scripture.
This has been Jin's routine for 18
years, rain or shine.
Jin is a female imam or ahong, an
Islamic spiritual leader. Female
imams and female-only mosques
are a distinctive feature of
Chinese Islam, rarely, if ever seen
elsewhere.
Currently, Ningxia has more than
80 female imams that have been
licensed by the local government
after passing official examinations.
There are more than 3,760 registered
mosques and 8,000 imams in the
region according to a Xinhua News
Agency report, and they provide
services to the 2.32 million Muslims
that live in Ningxia, one third of the
region's residents.
Born in 1964, Jin was forced to
drop out of education after she
completed middle school due to her
family's poverty. She married at 18
and had three children before she
turned 30.
She tried hard to be a
responsible
wife
and
mother, but felt empty."I
felt so depressed. As a
woman, I was told not to
do this and not to do that. I
could not work. I could not
go to mosques. I wanted to
know exactly what I can do
and what I cannot do as a
Muslim woman, and not
just be told by other people," Jin
told the Global Times.
Like many other Muslim women,
Jin started chanting Quranic verses
when she was a child. But she had
no idea what the scripture actually
meant.
To understand the Quran, she would
have to learn Arabic. She begged
an elderly imam for permission to
study in the mosque. He agreed to
teach her.
Her path to becoming an imam was
not easy. Many people, including
her husband, encouraged her to
give up. "I thought about giving
up. I wanted to hide deep under a
mountain and cried out when I was
struck by too much pressure, but
my desire to help other women who
lived in the same misery as me kept
me going," Jin said.
Jin took the imam examination
organized by the local government
in 1996, together with 400 men. She
was one of only four women taking
the exam.Now, Jin has been an
imam for 18 years and has tutored
hundreds of female students. Some
of her students have followed in
her footsteps and become imams
themselves.
(www.globaltimes.cn)
From Here & There
An Auto Driver with
a Heart of Gold
Abul Hassan drives poor people,
pregnant women, patients and pensioners
free of cost in his auto and buries or
cremates forlorn bodies with his expenses.
By P. Ram Mohan
“Live simply, think highly” – this
quotation is not from a philosopher
or a highly educated person, but by
a common man and autorickshaw
driver – Abul Hassan, who is
known as ‘Armoor Gandhi’.
He does not agree that his selfless
Page 9
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FOCUS
Charlie Hebdo’s Defamatory Cartoons
9
Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) Needs No Avenger
For young men and women who want to defend their beloved Prophet, they should study his life better and
understand how he himself responded to similar attacks against his name. The Prophet was hurt and insulted.
He faced the worst kind of ridicule, but what was his response?
By Amal Al-Sibai
It is all over the news. Masked
gunmen raided and attacked
Charlie Hebdo’s offices in Paris,
allegedly yelling “Allah u Akbar”
as they murdered the editor of the
magazine and 11 others.
Some news reports have stated that
the gunmen said after the attack
that they had “avenged the Prophet
Muhammad”.
It does not take a brilliant scholar
or a theologian or someone with a
PhD in Islamic law to deduce that
these men (despite their erroneous
statements) do not represent Islam,
and they have deterred from the
sensible, judicious, and peaceful
way of the very man who they
claim to defend.
Every fair person who is not a hatemonger acknowledges that it is not
the religion of Islam that calls for
acts of violence.
I am appalled and I cringe every
time I read their statements, which
are completely false, and in more
than one way.
First of all, murder is a crime; a
major sin in Islam, and is strictly
forbidden. Under no circumstance
is it permissible for any Muslim
to take the life of another human
being, unless in self-defense or if
they are soldiers fighting in open
war on the battle field or as corporal
punishment for murder that was
reached as the verdict after a fair
judicial trial (and of course there is
a long legal process for that).
Islamic law does not allow Muslims
to take up arms and go shoot people
who have insulted their religion.
Who has appointed these gunmen of remorse for being involved in Allah, if a single person is guided
as the avengers of Prophet that film.
by Allah through you, it will
Muhammad (Pbuh)? And does In an article in the Huffington be better for you than a whole
Prophet Muhammad need anyone Post, Arnoud van Doorn is quoted lot of red camels.” – the camels
to avenge him?
as saying, “I have heard so many symbolize
immense
wealth
The French magazine, Charlie negative stories about Islam, but and high stature. This Hadith
Hebdo, is a satirical magazine I am not a person who follows is recorded in Al-Bukhari and
that has repeatedly published opinions of others without doing Muslim.
defamatory remarks and images of my own research. Therefore, I Insults and abuse are not a
Prophet Muhammad. As Professor have actually started to deepen new phenomenon; it occurred
Nouman Ali Khan so eloquently my knowledge of the Islam out of directly to the Prophet and to his
said, “We need to understand that curiosity.”
companions, but their response
none can take away the honour of Arnoud van Doorn has said that was far different from what we are
the Prophet, it was given to him he bitterly regrets his actions witnessing today, which takes us
from above, from God. Nothing on and wants to make amends by to the third point.
earth can take it away, no article, producing a film showing Islam in For young men and women who
no cartoon, no film, and no hate a positive light. Thank God nobody want to defend their beloved
speech. It is not going to take away killed him for his involvement in Prophet, they should study his
the dignity of our Prophet. Such that defamatory film!
life better and understand how
depictions are futile and wasteful If Muslims truly have zeal and he himself responded to similar
attempts to try to undermine the love for Islam, they should try attacks against his name. The
message of Islam and to
their best to behave towards Prophet was hurt and insulted. He
misrepresent Islam.”
“Muslims reacting in
Are Muslims expected to be silent or unconcerned over
such an angry manner
hateful remarks and insults that target our Prophet?
and engaging in senseless
No.
But there are better ways to express concern and
violence is what is
pain.
Boycotting a certain defamatory publication
misrepresenting Islam,”
or organizing a campaign or being proactive and
he added.
engaging in public education about Islam would have
We all remember the
outrage in the Muslim
been a correct response, definitely not firing bullets at
world that ensued after the
the so-called journalists.
release of the film entitled
“Fitna” (sedition) in
people of other faiths with was called insane, a magician, a
2008. A Dutch politician,
decency, respect, and exemplary perpetual liar. He faced the worst
Arnoud van Doorn, helped in the kindness. By educating, rather kind of ridicule, but what was his
production and release of this than killing others, we may be response?
film, which depicted Islam as evil the vehicle that God uses to guide He responded as he was guided
and extreme.
them to Islam, rather than away by Allah to respond, in the verses
A few years after the film’s from.
of the holy Qur’an, which state:
release, Doorn converted to Islam, The Prophet opted for giving {And be patient over what they
performed the Haj (pilgrimage), guidance and knowledge to others say and avoid them with gracious
and visited the grave of Prophet more than drawing the sword. avoidance.}
Muhammad, where he wept out He said to Ali bin Abi Talib, “By Once, the Prophet was sitting with
his best friend, Abu Bakr. A man
approached them and blatantly
eking out a living by driving it.
to passersby by keeping water insulted Abu Bakr, but Abu Bakr
A portion of his income also cans in his auto during summer.
stayed silent and patient. As this
comes from rent. He drives He fills pits and potholes on the man insulted Abu Bakr, eliciting
poor people, pregnant women, road with metal and soil and no reaction from him, the Prophet
patients and pensioners free of removes obscene posters and
watched on, smiling.
cost in his auto and buries or hoardings.
When the man continued to berate
cremates forlorn bodies with his “Every religion is good. There
him, Abu Bakr finally spoke up
expenses. He feeds at least four are only two religions in the
beggars at his home every day world – peace and love and only
and as many as 20 poor persons two dharmas – goodness and
during Ramadan. Every year, he humanity,” he believes.
extends financial assistance of Hassan goes around slums and
Rs.1,000 each to ten poor students teaches poor students even today.
and Pratibha Awards to an equal “I believe that to serve people,
number of meritorious students no post is required. Similarly, we
in SSC. He collects clothes and need not be rich for philanthropy,
distributes them among the poor only a kind heart is enough.” He
and destitutes. He always keeps has garnered immense praise from
a petrol can in his auto and gives the media and the Indur Apuroopa
fuel to vehicle users free of cost if Foundation honoured him with its
their vehicle breaks down on the Award recently. n
(www.thehindu.com)
road. He provides drinking water
An Auto Driver ...
Page 8
service to society counts as ‘social
service’, rather he prefers to call it
‘service to mankind’. Born to Haji
Hassan and Basheerabi in Armoor
town ( Nizamabad-Telangana)
in 1942, Abul Hassan developed
an interest in social service when
he was 15-years-old. He turned
a Gandhian after reading about
Mahatma Gandhi in 1965.
Interestingly, his late parents were
also social workers. His only son
Ahmed Hussain, who lives in Saudi
Arabia and works as a driver-cumcarpenter, is also following in the
footsteps of his grandparents and
father.
Abul Hassan went to Mumbai as a
mason and later to Muscat where he
spent eight years as a construction
worker and mason. Back home,
he bought an autorickshaw and is
and defended himself. Upon this,
the Prophet evidently disapproved
and he stood up and left.
His companion, Abu Bakr,
was curious and he asked, “O
Messenger of Allah, he was
abusing me and you remained
sitting. When I responded to him,
you disapproved and got up.”
The Prophet explained that when
the man was insulting Abu Bakr
and he remained silent, the angels
were defending and protecting
him, but when Abu Bakr spoke to
defend himself, the angels left.
I do believe that there are divine
angels that are protecting the
message of Islam and the honour
of the earliest great men and
women who endured so much
hardship to keep the message of
Islam alive.
Are Muslims expected to be
silent or unconcerned over
hateful remarks and insults that
target our Prophet? No. But
there are better ways to express
concern and pain. Boycotting a
certain defamatory publication or
organizing a campaign or being
proactive and engaging in public
education about Islam would have
been a correct response, definitely
not firing bullets at the so-called
journalists.
Although Muslims have publicly
condemned the attack on the
French magazine, attacks against
Muslims in France have been
reported by the AFP. Grenades
were thrown at a mosque in Le
Mans and a bullet hole was found
in one of the mosque windows.
A bomb blasted at a kebab
restaurant adjacent to a mosque
in Villefranche-sur-Saone, and
gunshots were fired at a mosque
in Port-la-Nouvelle. A boar’s head
and entrails were left outside an
Islamic praying centre in Corsica.
The result of violence is more
violence and more hate.
(www.saudigazette.com)
LETTERS
Patently Biased
The BJP-SS Government in Maharashtra has begun its tenure in the State on a
negative note. The recently elected Maharashtra Assembly with the new government
in power, passed the bill for reservation for the Marathas but neglected the plea
for reservations for Muslims. The previous Congress-NCP had issued an ordinance
last June—even though it too was a pre-poll sop for Muslim votebank—granting
5% reservation to Muslims and 16% reservation to Marathas who constitute the
most dominant community in the State. This has been done despite the fact that the
Bombay High Court had stayed the ordinance on reservation for Marathas while
allowing 5% reservation for Muslims in educational institutions.
While it was not unexpected of a Government that now rules India’s most progressive
state going by the antipathy of the ruling combination, it is patently antithetical of a
Government that should have remained true to its slogan ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas’
(Support for everyone, development for all).
Socio-economic backwardness of Muslims in Maharashtra is a stark reality and has
come to be endorsed by more than one source. A Tata Institute of Social Science
(TISS) report had put nearly one-third of the Muslims in annual income category
of less than Rs. 10,000 and nearly one-fourth in Rs. 10,001 to 20,000 bracket. More
significant were conclusion of the study by Dr. Vibhuti Patel of the SNDT University
sponsored by the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission submitted in March
2013. It had noted that majority of the State’s Muslims in the urban areas lived
in slums. Given the fact that 70 per cent of the State’s Muslim are living in urban
areas—22% in Greater Mumbai area alone—this goes to prove that they are engaged
in menial and low-wage work. Muslim children were walking out of schools one
year earlier than general population and at least three years earlier than those from
Christian and Buddhist minorities. Language too acted as a barrier in accessing better
jobs and work opportunities in case of Muslims.
Economic deprivation was evident from the fact that their employment pattern is
highly skewed towards lower level activities in the tertiary sector with hardly any
occupational mobility. The access of Muslims to bank credit was found low and
inadequate; the community had one of the lowest monthly per capita expenditure
(MPCE), and lowest representation in the public sector employment.
A number of other panels such as Mehmoodur Rahman Committee appointed by
Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh too had recommended ameliorative measures
including reservation for Muslims in the State. A Government committed to the
‘development for all’ is duty bound to review its stand vis-à-vis affirmative action
towards the deprived sections.
Compassion Towards Teenage Traumas
The death of a 15 year-old student in Bengaluru recently, raises some questions about
not just the current system of education, but also the parents’ and teachers’ failure in
addressing teenage traumas. Reprimanded by her teachers for her behavior in school,
which according to them was “not appropriate,” the girl was handed over a letter
addressed to her parents imposing half-day suspension of the girl from the school.
Hailing from an affluent family, living in a posh gated apartment, studying in a high
profile international school did not mean that the girl was very “happy” and “joyful.”
While for the teachers, the letter of suspension may have been just another piece
of paper teachers often dole out cold-heartedly to students, for the adolescent girl,
it was a humiliation she felt unable to bear. She jumped to her death from her 10th
storeyed-apartment window!
Do we really care for the psychological traumas, insecurities, fears, complexes,
worries, tensions, emotional conflicts that our teenage girls and boys are going
through? Most teenagers are not comfortable sharing their troubles with their parents
due to fear about “what they would think.” Teachers find no time to understand
their students’ psychological issues as they are caught up in their daily schedules of
"completing the syllabus". Seeing a counselor to share their traumas is simply too
much of an additional stress for the already disturbed teenager.
From childhood onwards, parents judge their kids, give them marks about "right"
and "wrong", impose unnecessary expectations on them, compare them, label them
as “good for nothings” and the child grows up into a bundle of nerves. In educational
institutions driven by the current “pressure cooker” system of education, the children
have their dreams completely smashed and squashed.
It’s time to rethink, impart some gentleness to our dealings with teenagers, learn to
understand their feelings and emotions, ask their opinions about which institution
they would want to study, and their goals and ambitions. If parents and teachers talk
with teenagers as friends, rather than as dictators, it helps a lot in nurturing positivity
in their hearts and minds.
Our God-given life is very precious. A harsh tone and judgment slapped on a tender
15 year old mind could have dreadful consequences. It’s high time that parents and
teachers wake up to these realities and lend a healing hand of love and compassion
towards their teenage children.
10
A Muslim Woman’s Kindness
I saw an incredible gesture of kindness,
reconciliation and forgiveness at my
neighborhood
McDonald's
recently
which I like to share with your readers. A
man standing in line in front of a Muslim
woman in a headscarf suddenly turns to her
and starts yelling that "her kind" are not
welcome in this country. He went on a minitirade against how his values conflicted with
the values of her faith and that she should
"go back to where she came from". The poor
woman in front of us was taken aback by the
unprecedented verbal assault, but seemed to
remain calm and tried to respond patiently.
He ignored her and did not want to have
anything to do with it, so he turned around
to the cashier and began to place his order.
And here's where it gets really interesting:
he went to pay for his rather large breakfast
meal order when his card was declined, even
after several attempts. Talk about karma!
He protested to the cashier that his family
was waiting for him in the truck outside
and that they needed to get on the road and
were hungry. He didn't have any cash on
him and was trying to convince the poor
beleaguered employee to give him his order
for free. When that was refused, he began
to storm out of the restaurant, ashen-faced
and embarrassed - glancing ferociously
at the Muslim woman behind him as he
brushed past her. And here's where my faith
in humanity was reassuringly restored: the
Muslim woman immediately pulls out her
card, pays for his order and tells the man:
"Hey, I've got your order. Don't leave yet"!
The man turned around in shock just as he
was about to exit the restaurant and stood at
the door sheepishly, not knowing what to do
or what to say. Not only that, but the cashier
was so genuinely surprised by this woman's
sudden and spontaneous gesture that he gave
her his employee discount on the order and
winked at her that he appreciated what she
had just done. When the order was ready, the
Muslim woman carried it over to the man who
had verbally accosted her just moments ago,
gave it to him and said: "I wouldn't feel good
about myself if my neighbor started his day
hungry while I was full, so here you go. You
don't owe me anything - just pay it forward
and may God go with you, my brother". The
man looked at her incredulously, mouthwide open, turned around, walked over to his
truck where his family was waiting for him,
dropped off the food, muttered a few words
to his wife and came back inside. He walked
up to the Muslim woman, stood up straight
and tall and - to the surprise of everyone
watching this drama unfolding - he asked
for her forgiveness, gave her a very audible
"thank you" for all to hear and leaned forward
to give her a big burly hug. He then turned
around and quietly left. The entire restaurant
exploded with clapping and cheers. What an
incredible thing to behold!!
Zafar Sadique Choudhury,
Austin, Texas, USA
Paris Attack: In Violence We’re All Losers
Seeking freedom from fear and insecurities can resurrect our
basic human values.
By Pranav Khullar
Even as news comes in from Paris of gunmen
attacking a French magazine office and killing
12 people, I grope to comprehend the minds
of people who can snuff out lives —whether
men, women or even children. In a story by
Krishan Chander, two soldiers are returning
home in a pensive mood after world War II
. One soldier hopes that someday all soldiers
will lay down their arms and refuse to fight.
The other responds that in that case the enemy
would win. The story captures our innermost
insecurities and conditioning of our minds,
which would require an enemy even when
none might exist. The search for peace is a
journey which must begin with a reality check
within, of our real anxieties, fears and hopes,
and the realisation that these are common
concerns.
If wars are triggered in the minds of men then
it is from the same minds that peace must be
resurrected. In Ashoka's rock-edicts, you’ll
find one of the earliest instances of an emperor,
who, shaken by the horrendous consequences
of war, abjured it. Ashoka went on to ban war
in his kingdom as a measure of state policy. His
inquiry into the psychological roots of war led
him to believe that intolerance for the beliefs
of others is the primary cause of war, and that
hatred can never be appeased by hatred. It can
only be appeased by love which is the eternal
law. "Belief and behaviour go together," said
S Radhakrishnan, " It is this leap of faith
in spiritual values which we need to take,
to forge greater bonding and brotherhood.
With everyone a loser in any kind of
violent attack, the therapeutic balm of
understanding and respect for all faiths
is critical. The shadow of a wasteland
looms large, wrought not only by war but
a wasteland of values.
J Krishnamurti believed that since we are
constantly being conditioned by beliefs,
ideas and dogmas, these are bound to
cause disquiet. He would cite the example
of two boys fighting over a toy, and then
going on to fight as grown-ups as well,
over new toys of power, position, wealth
and ideology.
One can learn to de-condition oneself
from these external trappings only when
one has found the courage to be free of
the fear of losing them. The manipulative,
restless mind has to be anchored in love
and compassion. Only when the desire
to dominate the other -- physically,
psychologically or intellectually -- is
understood as a power game of the mind,
will prejudice and bias be extinguished
gradually.
Seeking freedom from fear and insecurities
can resurrect our basic human values. And
this seeking need not just be a seeking of
the unknown -- spiritual seeking can be
rooted in the here and now, in trying to
create a better blueprint for living.
I try to revive my spirits by listening to
Lennon's call to the human spirit in his
song, ‘Imagine’ -- maybe a dreamer, but
not the only one.
(www.newageislam)
Alumni Donates Diamond Necklace
In a very touching gesture, Dr.
Afshan Hashmi, a US based AMU
alumna, daughter of Prof. Majid
and Jameela Siddiqui, has gifted
a beautiful 22-karat gold necklace
studded with invaluable real pearls
to her alma mater, Aligarh Muslim
University. The antique jewelry
also includes a pair of earrings and
a finger ring.
Talking about the beautiful gift,
the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh
Muslim University, Lt. Gen.
Zameer Uddin Shah (Retd.) said,
Conference
on History
of Islamic
Medicine
Calicut:
The International
Institute of Islamic Medicine
(IIIM),
Islamic
Medical
Association of North America and
University of Calicut, organized a
three day International conference
on 'History of Islamic Medicine"
at the University of Calicut from
2nd Jan to 4th Jan 2015. E. T
Mohammed Basheer, Member
of Parliament, inaugurated the
conference. " Ethics cannot be
injected through any medicine,
rather it should be self-generated
and the Quran is the main
source of generating ethics in
our profession," he stated in his
inaugural address. The main
objective of the conference was
to exhibit the glorious period
of Muslim civilizations when
Muslim contribution to sciences
was at its glorious peak, in the
middle ages.
(Reported by Azharuddin
Pilakodan)
"We have accepted her gift with
gratitude and put the set for an
open online auction. I recall, in
the last Alumni Meet, similar
thing happened when we were
gifted with two gold bangles,
which went for approximately Rs.
7.5 lakhs in an open auction. Of
course, in the last case, the highest
bidder donated the bangles back
to the University which are being
put in the University Museum".
The Vice Chancellor further
announced, "Anyone interested in
buying this invaluable necklace is
requested to post post his/her bid
online at the University website.
It may be noted that the University
has reserved a minimum price of
Rs. 5 lakhs for this jewelry. The
jewelry will be sold to the highest
bidder. n
Kanakadasa Kirtis in
Urdu: Famous saint-poet
Kanakadasa’s kirtis translated into
Urdu have now been rendered into
qawwali style by Singers Babajan
and Hussain Sab Kanakagiri. The
translation in Urdu was done by
Mr. Maher Mansoor, Professor
of English at Al-Ameen College,
Bengaluru. The Urdu translation
was published by Kanakadasa
Study and Research Centre.
Kanakadasa (1509-1609) was a
poet, philosopher, musician and
composer from modern Karnataka.
He is known for his Kirtanes and
Ugabhoga, compositions in the
Kannada language for Carnatic
music. He used simple Kannada
language and native metrical
forms for his compositions. He
was a disciple of Vyasathirtha and
a follower of Dwaita philosophy
propounded by Madhvacharya.
Book on Journalist
Md. Muslim
11
MANUU Magazine
Islamic
Publishing
House,
Kozhicode has published a book
on the life and works of late
Mohammad Muslim, Editor of
Daily Dawat, the spokesman of
Jamaat e Islami Hind. The book
has been authored by V. A. Kabeer.
It was released by Mr. O. Abdur
Rahiman, Editor, Media One TV
channel and Daily Madhyamam
on December 26. The book
carries impressions of journalist
Kuldip Nayar, former president of
India Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma,
Dr. Fazlur Rahman Faridi, former
prime minister I. K. Gujral,
columnist K. A. Abbas, Pandit
Sundar lal, Dr. A. M. Khusro,
Hakeem Sayeed etc. n
Hyderabad: The Maulana Azad National Urdu University has brought
out monthly bilingual magazine ‘Al-Kalam’. It has English and
Urdu sections
and covers news and
event pertaining
to the University.
The November
2014 issue received
by
Islamic
Voice carries several
valuable articles
on Maulana Abul
Kalam Azad,
the first education
minister
of
Independent India.
Dr.
Khaja
Muhammad Shahid
is the editor
in chief whereas
Abdul Wasey
is the editor. Beside
Wasey, Amina
Kishore, Meer Ayub
Ali Khan and
Shams Imran are
members of the editorial board. It is published by the Public Relations
Department of the University. The 28-page magazine is multicolour.
For magazine copies: Contact : Public Relations Department,
Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Gachi Bowli, Hyderabad500032, ph; 040-23006606.
Dip. In Functional
Arabic
Foundation Laid for South
Bengaluru Graveyard
Bengaluru: Arabic Academy
here has begun admissions
in one-year Diploma course
in Urdu language and twoyear course in Functional
Arabic. Both courses are run
under the aegis of National
Council for Promotion of Urdu
Language (NCPUL) of the
Ministry of Human Resources,
Government of India. Last date
for admission isFebruary 28,
2015. There is no age limit for
candidates. The course imparts
conversational skills in both the
languages and is helpful in those
aspiring to seek jobs in the Gulf
nations. The classes are held in
Madani Public School, near
Coles Park. Those desirous of
joining the course can contact:
Muhammad
Zameeruddin
Saqafi, Near Coles Arabic
Academy, 4-G. S. N. Layout,
Lalbagh Road Cross, Sudhama
Nagar, Bengaluru-560027. Ph:
93417-01352.
By A Staff Writer
Bengaluru: Foundation stone
was laid for the fencing wall of
the Muslim graveyard for South
Bengaluru on January 12. The
graveyard will come up on six-acre
land which has been acquired. The
trustees of the Bismillah Eidgah
and Graveyard who initiated
the project two years ago, have
collected Rs. 1.40 crore and paid
the same to the previous owners of
the land. Another two-acre parcel
of adjacent land has been donated
by trustee Syed Noorul Ameen
and his brother. Efforts are on to
purchase another four-acre plot of
land in order that the graveyard
could come up on 12 acres of
land. The graveyard will have
a mosque, modern facilities for
funeral preparation and ablution
centre for participants.
Laying the foundation of the
fencing wall, Maulana Mufti
Ashraf Ali advised the people to
avoid making pucca graves and
placing gravestones. He said
extreme simplicity should be
observed while interring the dead
as was the custom in Makkah and
Madinah. He asked the users of
the facility not to reserve spaces
for the individuals and families
as it was against the spirit of
Islam. He asked the management
trustees to divide the graveyard in
several blocks and begin the use
from first block. As all the blocks
get filled up, the first block should
be reused. Mufti Iftikhar Qasimi
of Jamiatul Ulema Hind also
endorsed the view.
A participant in the function,
Syed Niaz Ahmed announced
dedicating his house in Jayanagar
as waqf for the Trust after his
death as he did not have any
offspring. Trust Secretary Syed
Tahsin Ahmed proposed a vote of
thanks.n
Canteen Managed by Women
Opens at Jamia
Hindu Woman saves 10
Muslims in Bihar Riots
Azizpur (Bihar): A Hindu
woman who saved lives of 10
Muslims in this village in Bihar's
Muzaffarpur district during the
recent clashes in which five
people died, is being hailed as a
hero. Shail Devi, a frail widow
in her early 50s, risking her own
life, gave shelter to her Muslim
neighbors when a mob of more
than 5,000 people attacked
Azizpur Bahilwara village after
a 20-year-old Hindu boy's body
was found.
He was allegedly abducted and
killed over his love affair with a
Muslim girl. "I provided shelter
to my Muslim neighbors to save
their lives because the mob could
have killed them," Shail said.
Shail, a poor woman fighting for
her survival like many others in
this village, told IANS that she,
along with her two daughters stood
guard outside her house when a
mob was targeting Muslims in the
village. She told them that it was a
house of a 'Mallah' (fisherman). "I
lied to rioters that I had not given
shelter to Muslims in my house.
Though some people tried to enter
my house, but I stopped them and
they returned," she said. Shail,
widow of late Jaglal Sahni, has
become a household name in the
village and neighbouring villages
for her rare example of communal
harmony. "She has proved again
that humanity is still alive, we are
proud of her," Arvind Kumar, a
villager, said. Ash Mohammad,
a man in his 60s, who was one
of the ten Muslims whose lives
were saved by Shail, told IANS
that she is like 'farishta' (angel)
to them. "Shail was like godsent angel to us.," Mohammad
said, admitting that all of them
could have been killed if Shail
had not given shelter to them. A
day after she saved lives of her
Muslim neighbors, some Hindu
villagers warned her that she
may be targeted by some people
of the mob for doing it. "I was
so frightened that I along with
my two daughters and a son took
shelter in Mohammad's house but
after the district administration
persuaded, I returned to my
home," she said. Bihar’s Chief
Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi,
who visited the village met
Shail. He lauded her role and
also announced a cash reward of
Rs.51,000 for her. n
New Delhi: A canteen run
exclusively by women and
operated by Ekta Self Help Group
(SHG) was inaugurated in Jamia
Millia Islamia, last month by
Salma Ansari, wife
of Hamid Ansari,
Vice-President
of
India. The SHG
is constituted for
women from Jamia’s
neighbourhood
under the aegis of
Dr. Zakir Husain
Memorial Welfare
Society (ZHMWS).
The
Jamia’s
Outreach Programme arranged
for the training of this group
for effective business plan and
entrepreneurship. Prof. Talat
Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia
Millia Islamia has taken a keen
interest in providing gender equity
to the campus and this canteen is
a major step in this direction. The
Ekta Team is comprised of about
20 women headed by Shabana
Towhid. It is expected that this
opportunity provided to Ekta by
Jamia Millia Islamia will lead
to economic empowerment and
confidence-building amongst the
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woman of Jamia’s neighbourhood
and integrate the neighbourhood
with the University on gender
sensitivity and institution-society
linkage.
There was great enthusiasm
amongst the students on the
opening of this new canteen
and they could be seen eagerly
trying new dishes on offer.
It may be added that
“Dastarkhwan” will build
its image through fresh
and hygienic food which
would be prepared by the
women workforce on the
spot and served pipinghot or freezing-cold as the
case may be, to the Jamia
students’ fraternity.
(Twocircles.net)
Symposium on Food
Safety Rules
It will focus on awareness on new safety rules pertaining
to food of animal origin and environmental issues.
By A Staff Writer
Bengaluru: Rules pertaining to
safety of foods of animal origin
are being increasingly enforced
by the authorities. It is becoming
important that people involved
with trading and engaged in
meat industry are made aware of
the new rules and technologies
that have entered the field.
The Veterinary College here
will be organizing a National
Symposium on Safety of Food
of Animal Origin (excluding
fish) between February 9 and
13, at the Veterinary College at
Hebbal in the city.
According to Prof. Nadeem
Fairoz, organizing secretary
of the Symposium, there will
be a workshop on Laboratory
Protocol for Food safety on Feb.
9 (Monday). A Brainstorming
session will bring together
vast range of officials. They
include Secretary, Ministry of
Food Processing; Chairman,
Food Safety Authority of India;
Chairman of the Agricultural
Karnataka Minority
Commission to Set Up
Legal Cell
Mysuru: The Karnataka State
Minorities
Commission
will
soon set up a cell to provide legal
assistance to innocent members
of minority communities arrested
on various charges. Commission
chairperson Balkhees Banu said,
the cell will be headed by a retired
Judge and would provide assistance
by arranging for lawyers and
bearing the legal expenditure.
Products Export Development
Authority (APEDA), Ministry
of Agriculture; President of
Commonwealth
Veterinary
Association;
President,
Veterinary Council of India;
and representatives from Food
and Agricultural Organisation
of the UNO; World Health
Organisation;
International
Livestock Research Institute,
Guwahati; and MLA Zulfiquar
Ahmed Bhutto from Agra who
runs a mechanized abattoir.
On February 11, there will
be session on environmental
health and waste treatment from
animal and poultry farms and
slaughter houses. It will bring
an expert from the Netherlands
who runs a bio-methanisation
plant from animal waste.
It will be followed by a session
for meat workers, butchers,
caterers and all people
connected with milk and meat
industry.
Those desirous of participating
can contact: Prof. Nadeem
Fairoz, Ph: 99002-60661
COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
13
Educating Daughters of Rural Rajasthan
Started six years ago, Educate Girls
aims to get as many girls as possible
into school so they can benefit from
a good education, improve their
lives and become an asset to their
communities. And what started with
just 500 schools has now spread to
4425 schools!
Educate Girls started six years
ago when Safeena Husain, the
founder and chief executive officer,
decided to promote girls’ education
in rural Rajasthan. She designed a
sustainable model where the whole
community works hand in hand
to enroll girls into government
schools. As the whole community
was meant to take part into the
process, it was meant to succeed.
No wonder, the number of school
rose from 500 schools in 2008 to
over 4,425 schools currently!
Safeena Hussain has always been
committed to girls’ education in
India and has worked extensively
in this field even in the thirdworld countries of South America,
Africa and Asia. She was born and
brought up in New Delhi and holds
a B.S. from the London School
of Economics. She has also been
elected as one of the Asia 21 Young
Leaders by the Asia Society. When
asked about how and why she
became so concerned about girls’
education, she replied thoughtfully:
Page 2
I have always felt that when
you educate a girl, you end up
empowering the whole society.
Educated women contribute to
improving the whole community;
they have fewer and healthier
children, are three times less likely
to be HIV+ and marry three years
later. ‘Educate Girls’ envisions
to achieve behavioral, social and
economic transformation for all
girls towards an India where all
children have equal opportunities
to access quality education. We
started by reforming government
schools for girls’ education. The
idea was to leverage existing
community
and
government
resources so as to improve
access and quality of education
for 4 million children living in
marginalized communities.
“As Educate Girls welcomes all
good will, we end up working with a
wide variety of profiles. Most of our
Team Balika members are young
locals who feel strongly about the
well-being of their community.
They help enrolling girls into
schools and assist teachers in the
classroom. They usually volunteer
with us several years and are wellrespected inside their community.
We try to open some volunteer
positions to students from the cities
and get them to participate in our
communications
campaigns,”
explains Safeena.
A Voyage Worth Celebrating ...
almost everywhere, is a miracle.
Salar has weathered the vicissitudes
with courage and steadfastness.
the grievance-mindedness and allpervasive gloom that most of the
mullahs as well as leaders from
the states of Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar are good at disseminating.
It fails to offer any profound
analysis of political trends,
economic situation or changing
mores of the society. Articles
on religion are totally run-
Trite and Hackneyed
Urdu does not attract the best of
talents these days. The wages an Urdu
newspaper can offer to its scribes
can only be directly proportional to
the advertisement support it receives
from the community. One
The Daily offers an insipid fare
therefore should not grudge
their financial incapability by way of views, comments and
to retain talent, if ever it editorials. Dearth of talents dogs
gets hired. This has been the the Urdu journalism and Salar is
bane of Urdu journalism.
no exception.
This impacts the content it
is able to offer. Salar has been no of-the mill type without any
exception in this regard. Despite half creative interpretation of the
a century of its existence, the daily tenets for the current age. In most
does not find itself in a position to cases, they are recycled year after
pay remuneration to columnists, year for similar kind of occasions.
contributors, commentators and The daily seems to be in awe of
commissioned writers. Consequently, the traditional Islamic scholars
the fare it is able to dole out in who show no willingness for any
matter of views is insipid at best and change in the mindset and are
mediocre at worst. This becomes status quoists.
more noticeable for a Karnataka
reader who is essentially bilingual. Publicity Organ
Anyone and everyone who can As is the wont of most Urdu
produce some prose in Urdu, finds newspapers, Salar too has been
himself in print. As a result, much the victim of its management’s
of the content on its edit page is eagerness to use it as a vehicle of
dull, trite and hackneyed, reflecting publicity. No day passes without
In 5 years, Educate Girls has
expanded from school rose from
500 schools to over 4,425 schools
currently!
“Team Balika members are
educated youth in the village
who work as champions for girls’
education and catalysts for school
reform. Team Balika animates
the principles of ‘My Village, My
Problem and I am the Solution’.
They are at the core of our work in
the field as they spread awareness
on the importance of girl child
education and strengthen girls
enrollment, attendance and school
management. We count an average
of one Team Balika member per
village where we operate,” says
Safeena.
Educate Girls has achieved
tremendous success in Pali and
Jalore village of Rajasthan and
has recently started operations in
Sirohi. In three years’ time, they
are aiming at working in 6 gendergap districts. That means a total
of 1.6 million children will be
impacted and a whole society will
be changed. Safeena elaborated on
future plans:
Educate Girls aims to get as many
girls as possible into school so they
can benefit from a good education,
improve their lives and become an
asset to their communities.
It is worth mentioning that Educate
Girls has set up a sustainable
some
insignificant
function
getting highlighted in copious
company of photographs. But
these sins would have been
forgivable, if only the daily had
played neutral in crucial issues
affecting the community such
as crisis in Amanath Bank or
disappearance of the AlAmeen Islamic Financial
Investment Corporation.
But most of its readers
knew well the limitations
that the newspaper had in
offering objective reporting
on these issues. The general
adulatory references that
the daily attaches to some
of the culprits of these
scams are too well known to
expect factual report or in-depth,
analytical reviews.
Yet despite all these pitfalls, Salar
has all the potential to grow into a
virile daily, if it could transform
itself into a serious newspaper,
pushes for change in the mindset,
brings in fresh blood, casts out the
deadwood and professionalises its
structure. This a tall order. Hard
decisions are difficult to come
by. Not merely the management,
even the readers would have to be
groomed to accept the change. n
funding model that requires 2.41
INR per child at the moment but
will only require 1.36 INR in 2016
as the costs will be divided by a
larger number of beneficiaries. The
initiative is financed by government
contribution and private funding
(individual donors as well as
philanthropic foundations) to
manage their large portfolio of
activities.
In anticipation of rapid budget
expansion,
the
organization
has instilled robust accounting,
control and reporting systems
to accurately measure cash
flow, track expenditures and
government receivables. Secondly,
an impact assessment system has
been implemented to track the
effectiveness of Educate Girls’
efforts, provide formal reports
to current and future donors,
and most importantly, enable
senior management and the
board to improve upon existing
implementation
by
closely
monitoring the programs.
A noble initiative like this can
never remain unrewarded and
unappreciated! Educate Girls
is a winner of the 3rd EdelGive
Social Social Innovation Honors
2011, The World Bank’s India
Development Marketplace award
in the same year and the Dasra
Village Capital award in 2010. The
latest ones include Women Change
Makers Award and Rotary’s Anita
Parekh Award in 2012. But for
Safeena, the biggest award is the
public support she has garnered in
all these years.
We all can be a part of this initiative
as well; let us come forward to
support and promote Educate
Girls. We stand up against genderbased discrimination in education
because we can empower the future
generation of women in India only
if we give them quality education.
This was published on Halabol
Voices, which is an initiative of
Halabol – a platform for initiating
change, and reprinted here from:
(http://www.thebetterindia.com)
Ahmedabad: Nagma Pathan was
the first person in her family to
have gone to school. Now she has
successfully cleared CA final in
her first attempt.
With this achievement, Nagma
is the daughter of proud parents
who never went to school. Her
father Yusuf Khan Pathan is a taxi
driver. "Because I and my wife are
not educated, I always wanted my
daughter to study well. I worked
hard to provide facilities for her
studies. Living in a one-room
house and not celebrating Eid for
the past seven years in order to
save money so that I can spend on
her studies, was really difficult.
But I think, my sacrifices have
borne some fruits now," said an
emotional Yusufkhan.
Nagma, who has fought hard to
reach this stage, is of the opinion
that Muslim girls should not limit
their thoughts to marriage. "They
need to change their concept
of life, which is not limited to
marriage and kitchen," she said
and added that her first priority is
to secure a job so that she could
help her parents financially and
to ensure education for her two
younger sisters. She further said,
"I want to help those poor girls
who want to study."
(www.timesofindia.com)
Taxi Driver’s Daughter Clears CA Final
book review
14
Flew’s Journey from Hardened Atheism to Belief in God,
is Truly Amazing
There is A God—How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind
By Antony Flew
Publisher: HarperOne, New York
Pages: 222
ISBN: 978-0-06-231295-2
Reviewed by: A Staff Writer
One isn’t sure if he was truly at one
time the “World’s Most Notorious
Atheist”, as the title of this book
describes him, or if this epithet
is simply a clever sales gimmick,
but the late Professor Antony Flew
(d. 2010) was definitely one of
the most prolific and influential
atheist philosophers of modern
times. His numerous books helped
set the philosophical agenda for
atheism for half a century or so,
until when, around the age of 80,
just a few years before his death,
he declared that he was wrong all
along about God. No one expected
this from one of the world’s
leading champions of atheism, not
least Flew himself. “It may well
be that no one is as surprised as
I am that my exploration of the
Divine has after all these years
turned from denial to discovery,”
he exclaimed.
Written
by
a
professional
philosopher, it is perhaps to be
expected that this book seems, in
parts, dense and abstruse. But this
account of Flew’s journey, from
hardened atheism to belief in God,
is truly amazing. It was, as he
puts it, a “pilgrimage of reason”,
leading him from denial of God
to the acceptance of the existence
of what he termed as a “selfexistent, immutable, immaterial,
omnipotent,
and
omniscient
Being.”
Flew tells us that he wasn’t always
an atheist until his dramatic turnaround in his old age. In fact, he
began life quite religiously, being
the son of an English Christian
preacher. He studied in a Christian
school, where he attended chapel,
but prayers, he felt, were more or
less a “weary duty”. “Never did I
feel the slightest desire to commune
with God”, he says. Gradually, he
turned into a convinced atheist, one
reason for this being his struggle to
make sense of the problem of evil
in the world and its relation with a
loving, all powerful God. Already
at school he had begun arguing
with his classmates that “the idea
of a God who is both omnipotent
and perfectly good is incompatible
with the manifest evils and
imperfections of the world.” By the
age of 15, he had rejected the thesis
that the universe was created by an
all-good, all-powerful God.
Flew went on to study philosophy
at the University of Oxford, and
then taught for many years at
various universities in the US,
Canada, and the UK. In his career
as a professional philosopher,
spanning many decades, he penned
numerous treatises, which earned
him the dubious distinction of
being one of the leading and most
articulate advocates of atheism in
modern times.
After more than six decades of
ardently propagating atheism,
Flew tells us—and this is surely
the most fascinating part of the
book—he experienced a complete
reversal of his stance.
In 2004 he announced
that he now believed in
God (although not in any
particular religion). This
transformation was not,
he clarifies, because of
any personal religious
experience, but, rather,
because he had followed
where the evidence had
led him. He was compelled to
recognise, he says, that recent
scientific work on the origin of
life pointed to the activity of a
creative Intelligence, or God.
Given the enormous complexity
of the universe, the existence of a
Creator can hardly be denied. It is
impossible, Flew writes, that all of
this came about through chance,
as atheists insist. “I now believe
that the universe was brought
into existence by an infinite
Intelligence. I believe that this
universe’s intricate laws manifest
what scientists have called the
Mind of God. I believe that life
and reproduction originate in a
divine Source,” he says, turning
his back on years of determined
denial of God.
Accepting the existence of God
now made perfectly good sense
to Flew. “The leaders of science
over the last hundred years,
along with some of today’s most
influential scientists,” he writes,
“have built a philosophically
compelling vision of a rational
universe that sprang from a divine
Mind.” Interestingly—and this
people who unthinkingly imagine
that science has ‘disproved’ God
should note—Flew stresses that he
had followed scientific evidence,
or the findings of modern science,
to come to the conclusion about the
existence of God. It was, he writes,
“a consequence of my continuing
assessment of the evidence of
nature”, following the evidence
wherever it leads—in this case
to belief in God. He had not
precise, Flew writes, clearly
indicate the existence of a cosmic
Designer. These laws are finetuned in such a way that life and
consciousness can emerge. Hence,
they cannot be taken as simply as
‘given’ and as having no Maker,
unlike what atheists argue. Rather,
Flew stresses, they suggest purpose
and design and indicate a Divine
Lawmaker. If one accepts the fact
that there are laws that govern the
universe, he says, then something
must impose that regularity on the
universe, and the theistic option is
the only serious one. Rationally,
Flew goes on, one can only
conclude that it is God who creates
these laws of nature and imposes
them on the universe. The fact that
if the value of even one of the most
fundamental constants in physics—
say, the speed of light or the mass of
an electron—had been even to the
slightest degree different no planet
capable of permitting the evolution
of human life would have formed
is further evidence of the existence
of a Divine Designer. The laws of
“My discovery of the Divine has proceeded on
a purely natural level, without any reference to
supernatural phenomena,” he says. His discovery
of the existence of God, he points out, “has been a
pilgrimage of reason and not of faith.”
come to this conclusion out of
belief. “My discovery of the
Divine has proceeded on a purely
natural level, without any reference
to supernatural phenomena,”
he says. His discovery of the
existence of God, he points out,
“has been a pilgrimage of reason
and not of faith.”
“Science
spotlights
three
dimensions of nature that point
to God”, Flew explains. “The
first is that nature obeys laws.
The second is the dimension of
life, of intelligently organized
and purpose-driven beings, which
arose from matter. The third is the
very existence of nature.”
The laws of nature, so intricate
in design and so mathematically
nature, and the very fact of life and
the existence of the universe can
only be explained, Flew maintains,
in the light of a Divine Intelligence
or God.
Following his ‘conversion’, Flew
was able to critically reflect on
the basic premises of atheism that
he had advocated so passionately
for decades. Theodicy—the issue
of why a good God permits the
existence of evil—was one of the
reasons that set him, off religion as
a young man and turned him into
a hardened atheist. Now, he says,
he has reconsidered his views
on free will and its relationship
to evil, admitting that he had not
earlier properly considered the
various theological responses to
this issue.
Another question that Flew found
himself compelled to revise his
opinions on is the emergence
of life. Atheists, he says, insist
that we should not ask for an
explanation of how life emerged. It
must, they say, simply be accepted,
as a given. Since atheists do not
want to accept a transcendent
source of life, they choose to
believe what Flew now recognizes
as the impossible—that life arose
spontaneously, by chance, from
matter or that the laws of physics
are ‘lawless laws’ that arise from
the void. Atheists simply have
no meaningful account for the
origin of life, Flew says, and their
argument that living organisms
consists simply of matter does
not address the existence of
consciousness.
Modern scientific findings are
making the gaping holes in
atheist logic even more apparent,
Flew tells us. Atheists have to
be embarrassed, he says, by
cosmologists who are providing
scientific proof for the religious
belief that the universe had a
definite beginning. Earlier, many
atheists insisted that the universe
was beginning-less, and, therefore,
that it did not have a Creator.
They used this argument to deny
the existence of God. But the Big
Bang Theory has challenged that
claim. If the ‘Big Bang’, as many
scientists say, actually happened, it
means that the universe did have a
beginning and that God created it.
While Flew was led to recognize
the existence of God, it seems that
he did not accept any particular
religion himself. It would have
been adequate, then, if the book
had limited itself simply to Flew’s
transformation from disbelief to
faith. Sadly, though, it exceeds
its brief—some remarks by Flew
that tend to privilege one religion
over others. That, however, should
not detract from the merit of this
fascinating book and its ready
appeal to people of all faiths and
none. n
GLOBE TALK
15
Time to Rediscover the Spirit of the Faith
Muslims seem to have got lost in the literal world of dogma, leaving somewhere behind the
soul and spirit of a generous, powerful faith.
By Aijaz Zaka Syed
Of all the angry speeches, sound
bites and opinion pieces that
the Charlie Hebdo massacre
generated, the best one came
from an unexpected quarter –
Pope Francis. In the face of the
west’s chorus defending unlimited
freedom and free speech,
Pope Francis mustered the
courage to argue that there
were limits to this freedom,
especially when it insults or
ridicules someone’s faith
and beliefs.
By way of example, he
referred to Alberto Gasparri,
who organises papal trips
and was standing by his
side aboard the papal plane when
he spoke. “If my good friend
Dr Gasparri says a curse word
against my mother, he can expect
a punch”, the Pope said, throwing
a pretend punch his way. “It’s
normal. You cannot provoke. You
cannot insult the faith of others.
You cannot make fun of the faith
of others.”
The leader of 1.2 billion Catholics
said it was an “aberration” to
kill in the name of God and said
religion can never be used to
justify violence. But he said there
was a limit to free speech when it
concerned offending someone’s
religious beliefs. “There are so
many people who speak badly
about religions or other religions,
who make fun of them, who make
a game out of the religions of
others. They are provocateurs.
And what happens to them is what
would happen to Dr Gasparri if
he says a curse word against my
mother. There is a limit.”
The Pope also joined four
prominent French imams in
issuing a joint declaration that
denounced the attacks, but also
urged the media to treat religions
with respect, disappointing many
western liberals and closet fanatics
whose concept of freedom begins
and ends with testing the limits of
Muslim tolerance.
In the relatively short period of
time since he took over as the
leader of the Christendom, Pope
Francis has gone out of his way
to win hearts and minds and not
just of his flock. This is what
leadership is all about. This is
what men of faith should and
ought to do – showing the way,
making peace and offering hope
and a healing touch.
And what a refreshing change this
Pope offers after his staid, rather
dull predecessor. This is perhaps
because of the fact that he is the
first non-European Pope in 1300
years – remarkable for a faith that
was born in the east!
Francis comes from Argentina,
a nation with a long history
of western colonialism and
subjugation. So unlike the
cold and distant Europeans,
lot from what he had to say.”
His emphasis is not upon
liturgical richness but, happily,
upon straightforward themes of
love and compassion that resonate
widely. In the Philippines, street
children asked him why God
allowed suffering. When one girl
broke down in tears, the Pope told
her crying cleansed the soul and
asked why so few women had
been invited to speak.
from President Barack Obama.
The pontiff also earned himself
silent gratitude of Muslims around
the world when he defended the
Prophet’s (Pbuh) honour with a
conviction that not many Muslim
The pontiff earned himself silent gratitude of Muslims
around the world when he defended the Prophet’s
(Pbuh) honour with a conviction that not many Muslim
scholars or leaders have managed to. Why do we not
see Muslim scholars and religious leaders reach out to
the world with such love, warmth and kindness?
this Pope has no qualms
in showing his human side and
warmth from time to time.
For example during a visit to
Bethlehem, the birthplace of
Christ, he stopped over to pray
at the monstrous, ugly Wall
that Israel has built to imprison
Palestinians in their own land.
An emotional pontiff touched
the Separation wall and silently
prayed, glancing at the graffiti
that voices Palestinian defiance
and resolve for freedom.
When he visited Jerusalem and
the Western Wall, the holiest site
in Judaism, he was seen warmly
hugging two old friends – Rabbi
Abraham Skorka and a Muslim
leader Omar Abboud. During a
visit to the Yad Vashem Memorial
to victims of the Holocaust, he
met half a dozen survivors of the
Nazi genocide, fervently kissing
their hands.
As Tim Stanley notes in the
Telegraph: “This is a cleric
who is prepared to talk frankly
and humanely about issues of
injustice. His simplicity appeals,
too. Often, the Pope is seen
boarding a plane carrying his
own bag. But when talking to
the press mid-flight, he displays
a rugged kind of faith that, again,
citizens of the developing world
would appreciate more than
‘cosmopolitan’ Europeans.
“He decried the killings in Paris,
but noted that when people love
God like a father, they take a risk
when they insult Him. For perhaps
the first time, many western
liberals were disappointed with
Francis – for questioning the
wisdom of blasphemy. But those
who truly want to understand
how Muslims feel about Prophet
Muhammad (Pbuh) could learn a
No wonder this pontiff evokes
strong emotions wherever he
goes. In Manila, some six million
people turned up for communion.
It was perhaps the biggest papal
mass in history. Stanley also
suggests that it was Pope Francis
who played a critical role in
bridging the impossible, decadesold gulf between the United States
and Cuba, earning generous praise
scholars or leaders have managed
to.
Which reminds me – why do
we not see Muslim scholars and
religious leaders reach out to the
world with such love, warmth and
kindness? Especially when Islam
is being increasingly monopolised
by a lunatic fringe that distorts and
twists its humane teachings and
commits every sin imaginable in
the name of all that is holy.
We never tire of claiming that
Islam stands for peace, salvation
and universal brotherhood. How
many of our leaders, scholars and
imams demonstrate this with their
actions or even in their speeches,
reaching out to the world with the
liberal, universal message of the
faith?
Why do we not see Muslim
scholars talk more about the
kindness,
generosity
and
humanity of the Prophet (pbuh)
that he showed to the worst of
his adversaries? Or his emphasis
on kindness to women and
children and his Last Sermon
that celebrates the equality and
oneness of humanity like nothing
else does?
Instead of offering guidance
and leadership to the faithful in
these most trying times and in
confronting challenges such as
extremism and ignorance, our
scholars spend much of their time
obsessing over frivolous, nonissues. From issuing fatwas on
Page 21
people
MANUU
Zafar Sareshwala Appointed
New Chancellor
Zafar Sareshwala, the Muslim
businessman from Ahmedabad and
a close confidant of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has been appointed
the Chancellor of the Maulana
Azad National Urdu
University, Hyderabad.
Sareshwala who heads
the Parsoli Corporation
Limited, an investment
and trading company,
told a meeting of the
staff in a closed-door
meeting that building
bridges is important for both
the community and the BJP-led
government. "Modi is a reassuring
figure for Muslims not the BJP
yet. But then you can't have a
democracy where 15% people are
alienated from you," said the CEO
and MD of Parsoli Corporation.
"Modi has been saying that
Musalman ko padhao aur badhao
(educate Muslims and promote
them). He says Muslims have
many problems and if we control
one, everything will fall in place,"
the 52-year-old industrialist told
the India Abroad News Service in
Hyderabad.
When asked "What did Modi do?,
Zafar said, “Have you ever heard
Modi saying a word about those
people. No. He did something
different. He developed Gujarat
as a model state. You can't
deny the fact that the growth
of Muslims in Gujarat has
been phenomenal. In fact the
kind of growth which we have
seen in Muslims post 2002
was never seen prior to that
for 40 years. By doing that,
Muslims grew and Gujarat
also grew. Automatically these
voices became irrelevant."
Shabbir Dhankot from Chennai
emerged the silver medal winner,
first ever for India, of Asian Ten
Pin Bowling championship on
January 18 at Bangkok. The
26-year bowler totaled 1,396
points only six points behind
the gold medal winner, Yusuke
Yamamaoto. Kuwait’s Mostafa Al
Mousawau, with 1,396 pinfalls,
lifted the bronze.
Riot Accused is AMU Court Member
Aligarh: BJP Lok Sabha member and Muzaffarnagar-riots accused
Kunwar Bhartendra Singh, who was elected to the Aligarh Muslim
University court in the second week of January has said that he will raise
the issue of welfare of the students of the university in Parliament.
Six Lok Sabha members, including four BJP legislators, were elected
to the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) court, the supreme governing
body of the varsity. The new members include Kunwar Bhartendra
Singh, Satish Kumar Gautam, Rajveer Singh, and Bhola Singh of BJP,
Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser of LJP and Badaruddoza Khan of
CPI(M) and have been elected for a period of three years, commencing
from December 19 last year. The members will have a term of three
years at the AMU Court, unless their term in the Lok Sabha ends before
that. There are a total of 180 members in the Court.
“I will work for the Uniy” "I am happy for my selection in the
university court. The party has given me an opportunity to work for the
university," he said, adding, he will try to avail financial aid from the
central government for the upliftment of education in the university.
Bhartendra Singh, MP from Bijnore, is an accused in Muzaffarnagar
riots and was released on bail in two cases which are pending in court.
Obituary
Saiyid Hamid
New Delhi: Saiyid Hamid, former
Indian Civil Services (ICS) officer
and former Vice chancellor of
Aligarh Muslim University died at
the age of 95 in Majidia Hospital
of Jamia Hamdard on
December 29, 2014.
One of the last
surviving officers of
the British trained ICS
cadres, Saiyid Hamid
came to prominence
with his appointment
as vice chancellor of the Aligarh
Muslim University on June 1,
1980. He brought in sweeping
reforms in the AMU and struck
heavily against the vested interests
who had made the university hostel
its den for nefarious activities.
Prior to his arrival, students from
former feudal (zamindar) families
of Uttar Pradesh used to occupy
hostels for decades together
enrolling themselves in courses
like Bachelor of Law, Education,
History and Islamic Studies with
no intention to seriously pursue
academics. He wielded the broom
mercilessly and students brought in
regulation that made it impossible
for non-serious students to
enroll for a professional course
after another. It required
them to leave the university
and come after passage of
another year. This had the
effect of hostels—providing
most inexpensive food and
accommodation—being vacated
by anti social elements who
indulged in politics, ragging and
running other rackets. The measure
introduced a lot of discipline and
seriousness in academics and
enabled the University to make
some grade among the Central
Universities.
Saiyid Hamid also served as
Obituary
B.S.A. Abdur Rahman
Noted philanthropist,
businessman and founder
of B. S. Abdur Rahman
University,
Janab B. S. Abdur Rahman
passed away in Chennai on
January 7 after prolonged illness.
He was 88.
Member of Tamil Muslim family
from coastal town of Kilakkarai,
Abdur Rahman sahib has left
a rich legacy of philanthropy.
Though little educated himself,
?
were constructed by East Coast
Constructions,
a
company
established by him.
He was the main contributor to
the construction of Kowloon
Mosque in Hong Kong. He set
up businesses all over the major
cities in India, Gulf, the United
Kingdom, the United
States. He personally
donated Rs. 2.5 crore
for the construction of
India Islamic Cultural
Centre on Lodhi Road
in Delhi and collected
B. S. A. Rahman founded 14 educational institutions
including the B. S. A. Rahman University. The business
empire left by him is worth more than Rs. 10,000 crore.
Rahman Sahib was a man
with great vision and immense
zeal. He took up the family’s
pearl trade in Colombo and
moved on to setting building
and construction business. He
moved incessantly between
important trading cities. He was
early to arrive in Dubai even
while it was known only as a
small port for seafaring and
dhows and set up Ascon which
built all the important buildings
of the Emirates. He would set
up all such businesses that
were related with construction
such
as
air-conditioning,
cables, lifts, brick kilns, petrol
bunks etc. Several of the
Chennai’s landmark buildings
such as Cricket Stadium,
new
Lighthouse,
Gemini
Flyover and Valluvar Kottam
(Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar’s
memorial in Kodambakkam)
member of the Sachar Committee,
Maulana Azad Foundation, editor
of the Nation and the World,
Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard,
Delhi and pro-chancellor of Jamia
Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Mr. Hamid served every institution
with sincerity, honesty and extreme
dignity. He was born in 1920 in
Faizabad of Uttar Pradesh. After
retirement from Aligarh, he moved
to the Jamia Hamdard and became
a close confidant of Hakeem Abdul
Hameed, the chief mutawalli
and founder of Jamia Hamdard
and Taleemabad educational
complexes. He also stewarded
the Hamdard Study Circle and
Hamdard Public School on the
path of progress at the Taleemabad
campus for nearly three decades.
His wife died two years ago. He
is survived by his son and two
daughters. He was laid to rest in
the famous Panj Peeran Qabrastan
in the Basti Nizamuddin in New
Delhi.
His passing away has left a deep
void in Delhi’s Muslim life as
people often looked up to him for
guidance in educational field.
another Rs. 1.5 crore from others.
He also set up the 100-bed Yusuf
Zulaikha Hospital in Kilakkarai in
Ramanad district of Tamilnadu.
He started the Crescent Engineering
College in Vandaloor near Chennai
in 1984 which later became the
epicenter of the B. S. Abdur
Rahman University and founded
nearly 14 schools and colleges
which also include Thassim Beevi
Abdul Kader College for Women
in Kilakkarai. It is named after his
sister.
“Rahman sab was highly pragmatic
while being entirely transparent
and moved with amazingly great
speed”, says Ibnu Saud, social
16
activist from Chennai.
“Crescent College was one of the
first 14 self-financing engineering
colleges to be set up in the State
by him,” recalled S. Mohamed
Tajuddin, Director of Placement.
Capt. N. A. Ameer Ali who
spent several year working on
educational projects with
Abdur Rahman Sahib, says
he accepted no excuses
and went on with his work.
Yusuf
“He was an affectionate
person who built people.
The University is in the
hands of qualified professionals
as he promoted excellence. Our
university has more women
faculty than men,” said Prof.
Arockiadoss.
He has left a business empire
which may be worth over
Rs. 10,000 crore today. The
enterprises set up by him employ
over 7,000 persons. Of his four
sons, Arif, the eldest looks after
the operations in Dubai. Second
son Abdul Qadir is in-charge of
the B. S. A. Rahman University
in Vandaloor, Chennai. Third son
Ashraf is managing the 1,200
MW thermal power plant at
Tuticorin which was set up at an
estimated cost of Rs. 7,000 crore.
Fourth son Khalid is looking
after businesses in Chennai. He
is also survived by two daughters
and wife Dr. Rahmathunnisa.
OPINION
Analyzing Present-Day Muslim Militancy
17
An Un-Islamic Political Ideology
What is wrong with the present-day Muslims is that they have given the name of jihad to their militancy
to seek justification for their militant activities. The need of the hour is to correct this self-styled
interpretation of Islam and then everything will fall into place.
By Maulana
Wahiduddin Khan
On November 2, 2014, a deadly
suicide bomb blast took place at
the Wagah border in Pakistan. The
attack left more than 60 dead and
about 200 injured. Why should
there be news of this kind from
Muslim countries? Obviously, the
purpose of this violence is
to achieve some goal. But,
whatever may be the goal, the
violent method has become
quite irrelevant in present
times. The violent method
was relevant in previous
centuries when people lived
in a tribal culture. But now
we are living in the age of
freedom and science. Now,
the peaceful approach is far more
effective than violence. But, it
seems that Muslims are still beset
by outdated tribal obsessions and
are totally unaware of the fact
that times have changed and that
peaceful methods have replaced
violent methods.
The peaceful approach is far more
effective than violence. It is a fact
that no religion, including Islam,
advocates terrorism or militancy.
Islam is a religion of peace. All
the teachings of the Quran are
based on peace, either directly or
indirectly. For example, there is a
very relevant verse in the Quran
that tells us that the peaceful way
is the best one ( Quran:Verse 4:
128).
Moreover, Islamic teachings
are very clear with regard to the
sanctity of life. Another Quranic
verse says:
Whoever killed a human being—
except as a punishment for murder
or for spreading fasad (disorder)
in the land shall be regarded as
having killed all mankind. (Quran:
Verse: 5: 32).
According to this verse, life is
the greatest right of every human
being. No one is allowed to take
away a life, except by way of a
judicial verdict that is issued after
passing through the due processes
of law.
There is the widespread notion
that Islam promotes violence.
However, this is the result of
sheer misunderstanding. The
reason is that people fail
to differentiate between
at the individual level, rather than
foisting them on others by force or
violence. The need of the hour is
to counter this problem. However,
it cannot be countered by means
of the gun. Modern Muslim
militancy can be eradicated only
by providing a counter-ideology.
The issue of terrorism is an issue
of ideology versus ideology and
not one of ideology versus the gun
or ideology versus education. The
right course is to re-engineer the
We have to present Islam as a religion of peace.
Changing minds through this method of education
will take considerable time, as it is a long-term
method. Countering the problem with the gun
cannot make those who are engaged in violence
abandon their violent ways.
Muslims and Islam. All
these violent activities we hear of
today are launched by Muslims.
It is a fact that Muslims are
engaged in militancy in the name
of Islam. It is the present Muslim
community which is to blame and
not the religion of Islam. This is
an example of the exploitation of
Islam and not of the following of
Islam.
Under the influence of certain
thinkers who have interpreted
Islam in political terms, a number
of Muslims are obsessed with
the politicized ideology of Islam.
They have come to believe in
the concept of establishing an
Islamic system in the world; for
this they require political power,
but when they set out to establish
this system, they see that a group
is already occupying the political
seat. So, they try to overthrow or
unseat those who are in possession
of political power.
It is this thinking that has led
Muslims to perpetrate violence.
But this thinking is completely unIslamic, because Islam enjoins on
its followers to follow its teachings
modern Muslim mind. We should
present to them the true ideology
of Islam based on peace and
tolerance. The real Islamic jihad
is based on peace and spirituality.
Therefore, the problem of Muslim
militancy can be solved only by
reviving the real Islam and not
by taking recourse to any other
means.
We have to present Islam as a
religion of peace. Changing minds
through this method of education
will take considerable time, as it is
a long-term method. Countering
the problem with the gun cannot
make those who are engaged in
violence abandon their violent
ways. Because these people are
engaged in violence in the name
of Islam, they can be stopped from
indulging in such activities only if
the true peaceful nature of Islam is
shown to them.
The veracity of this method can
be judged from the example of
Kashmir. After Independence,
militancy became widespread
among Kashmiri Muslims. We,
at the Centre for Peace and
Spirituality, quietly disseminated
peaceful
literature
among
Kashmiris and today militancy in
Kashmir has reduced considerably.
The same literary campaign
is required in other militancyaffected areas.
Then, there is the question of
why religions advocate peace and
not violence. The reason is very
clear. The objective of religion,
including Islam, is to bring about
reform in the individual and not
in the political system. And, any
kind of spiritual or intellectual
change can be brought about in
an individual only when he is
addressed peacefully. Only those
who have set political targets for
themselves engage in violence,
and since religions do not have any
political target, they do not enjoin
violence. Islam has adopted a very
practical formula in this matter;
that is, idealism at the level of the
individual and pragmatism at the
level of society.
There is a prophetic saying that
Muslims will indulge in un-Islamic
activities in their later generations.
The Prophet was asked how
this would happen. The Prophet
answered that Muslims would
give Islamic names to non-Islamic
activities. What is wrong with the
present-day Muslims is that they
have given the name of jihad to
their militancy to seek justification
for their militant activities. The
need of the hour is to correct this
self-styled interpretation of Islam
and then everything will certainly
fall into place. n
18
In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“We have not created the heavens and the
earth and all that is between them in mere idle
play. We created them all for nothing other
than a true purpose, but most of them do not
understand. The Day of Decision is the time
appointed for all of them. It is a day when no
friend shall be of the least avail to his friend,
and when none shall receive support except
those upon whom God will have bestowed His
grace and mercy. He alone is the Almighty, the
Ever-Merciful.”
(Smoke: Al-Dukhan: 44: 38-42)
The surah speaks of the people of
Arabia at the start of the Islamic
message. They used to deny the
resurrection and life after death.
The surah reminds them of the fate
of the people of Tubba, who lived
in southern Arabia. The surah
makes only a very brief reference
to them, giving no details of what
they did or how they transgressed.
What is of interest is only their
fate, and it must have been well
known to the Arabs who were the
first to be addressed by the Qur’an.
It was enough only to mention
them in order to revive feelings of
dread among the Arabs.
As this reminder makes them
shudder, they are called upon to
reflect on the perfect design of the
POSITIVE THOUGHTS
Abstain Totally From Controversies
Addressing the Prophet, God
says in the Quran (22:67): “Let
them not dispute with you on this
matter. Call them to the path of
your Lord—for surely, you are
rightly guided”.
This Quranic verse indicates an
important aspect of the style or
manner in which people are to be
invited to God—and that is, by
calling them to the one God while
avoiding controversial points.
One must never allow inviting
people to God to be become a
controversial matter.
One way of addressing people is
to harp on controversial issues.
That is what people who launch
agitations do, in the name of
political or social rights. In
God’s eyes, this is an undesirable
method. This approach starts with
agitation, and ultimately ends in
violence. It produces no positive
result at all.
A contrasting way of addressing
people is to address their essential
human nature. This approach is
based on wholly non-controversial
bases. Accordingly, the addressees
find themselves compelled to
realize the invitation to God as
the voice of their very own nature
and to seriously ponder on it with
an open mind. This is the natural
method that is described in the
Quran (4:63) in these words:
“Speak to them in such terms as
will address their minds”. In this
way, people can recognize the
invitation to God as their own
nature and willingly accept it.
In social life, if controversy
is employed as a method of
addressing or mobilizing people, it
is bound to only further exacerbate
problems, rather than solve them.
Controversies always become
the cause for fanning hatred and
violence. This applies in every
case—including with regard to
inviting people to God. You need
to put a stop to controversies if
you want to invite people to God.
Controversies and inviting people
to God just cannot go together.
(alrisala)
Facing the Day
of Decision
heavens and earth, and how the
universe is finely balanced and
well planned, indicating that it is
deliberately made in this way for
a particular purpose: “We have
not created the heavens and the
earth and all that is between them
in mere idle play. We created
them all for nothing other than a
true purpose, but most of them do
not understand.” There is a fine
and delicate relation between the
creation of the heavens, the earth
and all that is in between them on
the one hand and the question of
resurrection and accountability on
the other. Human nature can easily
understand this when attention is
drawn to it in the way described
here.
Such reflection should take into
account the creation of the universe,
what it points to of elaborate
planning, wise purpose, perfect
balance and harmony, the creation
of everything in accurate measure
and quantity, placing it thus in
harmony with everything around
it. Such reflection undoubtedly
leads to the conclusion that
everything is created on purpose.
No coincidence or carelessness is
allowed in any aspect, major or
trivial, of the design of the huge
celestial bodies or the small, fine
creatures living on them. Thus,
we realize that the universe is
created for a purpose, which
means that nothing of it is the
result of idle play; and that it is
based on the truth, which means
that no falsehood is allowed to
infiltrate it. We further realize that
it must have an end, which does
not occur at the point of death
after a short journey on earth.
Logically speaking, a second life,
when reward and punishment are
administered, is inevitable, so that
good and evil come to their natural
ends. Man has been so created as to
be susceptible to both tendencies
of good and evil. It is through his
will and effort that he chooses one
or the other, making himself liable
to ultimately receive its reward or
punishment, as the case may be.
That man is so created, with both
tendencies, and that God’s action
cannot be mere idle play, means
that man will have a specific fate
which he meets after his journey
on earth is over. This is the
essence of the hereafter. Hence,
it is mentioned after attention has
been drawn to the wise purpose
that lies beyond the creation of the
universe: “The Day of Decision is
the time appointed for all of them.
It is a day when no friend shall be
of the least avail to his friend, and
when none shall receive support
except those upon whom God
will have bestowed His grace and
mercy. He alone is the Almighty,
the Ever-Merciful.”
This statement comes naturally at
this point, closely related as it is to
what went before it. It is absolute
wisdom that requires that creatures
should have a day when judgment
is made between those who follow
true guidance and those who go
astray; when goodness is rewarded
and evil humiliated; when people
have no support, bond or relation.
They will return to their Creator
as individuals, just like He created
them, to be requited for what they
did in life. No one will support
them or offer a gesture of mercy,
except for those on whom God
bestows His grace. It is from
God’s hand that they came out to
work in life, and to His hand they
will return to receive what their
actions deserve. In between, they
have a chance to act, just as they
are being tested. n
19
Doing Good with God's Bounty
There is a certain attitude people should have towards the life of this world. It has been explained
by the Prophet (Pbuh). Should they maintain it, they rise in honor.
The
Qur’an
was
Prophet
Muhammad’s (Pbuh) permanent
companion: He loved it and recited
it at all times, in prayer, night
worship and whenever he could.
Once he asked his noble companion
Abdullah ibn Masoud to recite from
the Qur’an and he would listen.
Abdullah said: “How can I recite it
to you, when it is to you that it has
been revealed?” The Prophet said:
“I love to listen to it recited by
someone else.” Abdullah recited
the first 41 verses of Surah 4. As he
read the last verse, he looked up to
find the Prophet weeping. He told
him to stop. That last verse says:
“How will it be (on Judgment Day)
when We shall bring a witness from
every community, and call you as a
witness against these people?” (4:
41)
The Prophet used to fast voluntarily,
and sometimes he would not end
his fast at sunset, as it is the norm
in Islamic fasting. Some of his
companions tried to do likewise,
but he stopped them from doing
Human Rights
By Abu Tariq Hijazi
Bilal ibn Rabah (may Allah bless
him) is one of the most illustrious
names in the Islamic history.
A Negro slave originally from
Habasha (Ethiopia), Bilal is an
evident story of Islam’s respect for
human equality, anti-racism and
social equity.
Born in 680CE in Makkah, to his
slave parents, Rabah and Hamamah,
Bilal too served as slave to a lady
close to Umayyah ibn Khalaf, an
arch enemy of Islam.
When Umayyah heard about Bilal
converting to Islam, he tortured
him and forced him to relinquish
the new faith. But filled with love
of Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) and Islam, Bilal
remained steadfast in his faith
despite extreme torture and kept
saying “Ahad, Ahad.” (Allah is
One, Allah is One).
When the holy Prophet learned
about his tribulation, he sent Abu
Bakr, who bought him from the
oppressor and freed him. The
freedom was Islam’s first gift to
Bilal. Second, Caliph Omar ibn
Khattab honored him by calling
him as Sayyedna (our leader).
Bilal became one of the most trusted
and loyal companions of Prophet
Muhammad. He was among the
first few persons to embrace Islam.
Bilal migrated with the Prophet to
Madinah and participated in major
so, saying: “I am unlike you; I
stay the night with my Lord who
gives me food and drink.” His
long hours of prayer and address
to God produced a great change
in his human constitution. He was
thus able to take very little food
and drink, because his soul lived
in a different world.
Yet, despite being spiritually
so far removed from people, he
lived with them, knowing their
nature, feeling their worries and
understanding their problems.
He gave judgment in their cases
without departing for a moment
from the path of justice.
Can we emulate the Prophet and
adopt the same attitude to the
life of this world? Some mystics
and ascetics have tried to discard
worldly pleasures, living on the
margin of life, and hoping to
emulate prophets in their sublime
standards. That is an impossible
task they set for themselves.
A blush of shyness cannot be
produced by some make-up
products. Artificial flowers may
look similar to natural ones, and
can retain their shape for much
longer, but they lack lustre, fine
smell and texture; they lack life.
Anyone can recline on a straw
mat and it could leave its mark on
his body. Does this give him any
similarity to Prophet Muhammad,
who gave this world an uninterested glance because his heart
was attached to his Lord, alert in
His presence? No one becomes
qualified as a military commander
because he wears the suit of the
commander.
There is a certain attitude people
should have towards the life of this
world. It has been explained by the
Prophet and we would like them to
know it. Should they maintain it,
they rise in honor. Korah (or Qarun,
as he is called in the Qur’an) was
extremely wealthy. People admired
his riches and dearly wished to be
similarly rich. God did not require
him to abandon his life, but simply
outlined a few things for him to
do. He was required to reflect on
how he acquired his wealth. It is
granted by God. Hence, he was
told to look at his wealth and say:
“Whatever God wills will take
place. No power works without
God’s will.”
In his arrogance, Korah said that
he acquired his wealth through
his genius. If we assume, for
argument’s sake that this was true,
who gave him his intelligence?
It is undoubtedly God, but he
chooses to be oblivious of the fact.
When God bestows His favors on
someone, He wants that person to
acknowledge those favors. Is this
difficult? He wants the recipient
to be kind, just, seeking what is
right and good. He said to Korah:
“Seek, by means of what God has
granted you, the good of the life
to come, without forgetting your
rightful share in this world; and do
good just as God has done good
to you, and do not seek to spread
corruption on earth.” (28: 77)
Unfortunately, many people
receive God’s great bounty, but
they are mindful only of their
own desires, careless about others.
They immerse themselves in
pleasures at the expense of the
hungry. In their arrogance, they
look with disdain at others. God
has warned believers against such
stupidity: “Believers! Do not let
your riches or your children make
you oblivious of the remembrance
of God. Those who do so will
surely be the losers. Give, then,
out of what We have provided for
you, before death comes to any of
you, and then he says, ‘My Lord, if
You would grant me a delay for a
short while, I would give in charity
and be one of the righteous.’” (63:
9-10) n
Bilal ibn Rabah: The Symbol of Human Equality
Bilal’s rise to a position of prominence in Islam is evidence of the
importance of pluralism and racial equality in Islam.
The epitaph inscribed on the tomb of Damascus, Syria.
battles including those of Badr,
Uhud, Khandaq and others. In the
battle of Badr, he killed the staunch
enemy of Islam, and his own
former tyrant master, Umayyah.
Prophet Muhammad was the first
to declare equality among human
beings in the annals of world history
1,400 years ago. In the presence of
over 120,000 companions during
Haj, he declared: O people! Your
Lord is one Lord, and you all share
the same father (Adam). Indeed,
there is no superiority of an Arab
over a non-Arab or of a non-Arab
over an Arab; or of a white over
a black; nor a black over a white,
except by taqwa (righteousness).
The Prophet selected Bilal to be one
of his distinguished companions.
Bilal’s rise to a position of
prominence in Islam is evidence
of the importance of pluralism and
racial equality in Islam.
Once Abdullah bin Ziyad narrated
that he had a dream advising him
the method and words of Azaan
(the call to prayer), the Prophet
liked it and Bilal was deputed to
call the first Azaan in Madinah
in those words. When Omar
heard the Azaan, he rushed to the
Prophet and told him that he also
had dreamt Azaan with the same
wording. And thus the Azaan
was established through Bilal.
The Prophet appointed him as
the Muazzine Rasool (Calling to
prayers on behalf of the Prophet).
As he was the first African to
embrace Islam, the African
Muslims still feel pride of that
honor, which was bestowed on an
African.
Page 1
Another great honor came to Bilal
after the Conquest of Makkah in 8
AH. When the city surrendered and
all the nobles from the Muslims and
the non-Muslims were standing in
the courtyard, the Prophet asked
Bilal to climb the roof of the Kaaba
and give a call of Azaan from the
top of it. This was the first Azaan,
which was given in Makkah. Such
was Bilal’s devotion to Islam and
piety that he rose to such heights
of spiritual attainment.
After the Prophet passed away,
Bilal felt it difficult to spend time
in Madinah without his beloved
Prophet. He asked Caliph Abu
Bakr to let him go to Syria, and
there he spent the rest of his life. n
40% of Muslim ...
(UNESCO).
The report showed that five of
the OIC Member States were
included in the 2011's list of the
10 countries that together make 72
percent of the world's total number
of illiterate adults, 160 million of
them are residents of these five
countries. This is in addition to tens
of millions of illiterate Muslims
in OIC non-member countries,
included in the list.
According to the second OIC 10year plan (2015-2025), the adult
literacy rate is an indication of the
educational system effectiveness,
since it measures the quality of
education, particularly the ability
to read and write. The report noted
that despite the efforts deployed
at both the government and civil
society levels, a small number of
OIC countries were able to either
wipe out illiteracy or reduce it to
lower rates.
According to UNESCO data,
the number of illiterates in the
Arab countries – all of them OIC
members – dropped from 52 to 48
million people during the period
from 2005 to 2011, recording the
fastest growth rates in literacy
among adults since 1990.
South and West Asia ranked
second in terms of high rates of
adult literacy, having the number
of illiterate adults remained
unchanged just over 400 million
people, while in the sub-Saharan
Africa, the illiteracy rate among
adults has increased by 37 percent
since 1990, reaching 182 million
people in 2011.
In the area of gender parity, the
report indicated that 30 countries,
involving OIC members, out of
61 countries for which data are
available, are expected to achieve
gender parity in terms of adult
literacy by 2015, despite the lack
of any progress towards reducing
the proportion of illiterate women
since 1990, which constitutes
two-thirds of the total number of
illiterate adults.
Literacy indicators are still not
encouraging, given the fact that
there are still 57 million children
(many of them in the Muslim
world) out of school worldwide,
a matter which will constitute a
growing burden of illiteracy rates
in the long run.
ISESCO Director General Dr.
Abdulaziz al-Tuwaijri said in
previous statements that “Illiteracy
still poses a real challenge to the
Muslim communities and impedes
Muslim world’s advancement
in all aspects,” pointing out that
“Illiteracy in most OIC Member
States has reached serious levels,
reflected negatively on the efforts
of the governments to achieve
sustainable development”. n
OUR DIALOGUE
20
Islam and Human Rights
O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes
that you may know one another. (Qur’an, 49:13)
Q: What exactly are human rights? Is it just the right to life? Alternatively, is it the right to freedom, liberty, and justice? Do
human rights include having the right to security, and a safe haven?
A: Since the end of World War
2, western international politics
appears to have focused on securing
human rights. However, the reality
is that the line between securing
such rights and maintaining state
sovereignty has become blurred.
The growing power and politics
involved in human rights advocacy
tend to favor western ideals, but
these are not necessarily universal
ideals. Many would claim that the
human rights doctrine has become
an accessory to spread western
moral imperialism.
While nobody denies that there are
certain inalienable human rights,
just what those rights are is often
subject to fierce debate. While
some cultures focus on individual
rights and freedoms, others are
more concerned with rights that
ensure the survival of communities.
The world is populated by diverse
nations and tribes so it makes sense
that laws and declarations made
by human beings are not going to
be universally accepted no matter
how morally upstanding they are.
God says in the Qur’an: “O
mankind, indeed We have created
you from male and female and
made you peoples and tribes that
you may know one another.”
(Qur’an, 49:13)
From this, we see that interaction
between nations is normal and
desirable. However, it is part of the
nature of humankind to be jealous
and at times self-serving. Islam
takes into account these vagaries
of human nature, and therefore
looks to the supreme Creator
for guidance. Human rights and
responsibilities are enshrined in
Islam; they are the foundation for
the Sharia (jurisprudential law).
There is no doubt that around
the world, abuses of human
rights are being perpetrated,
often in the name of religion and
sadly sometimes in the name of
Islam. However, it is important
to recognize that just because a
country is known as Islamic, this
does not mean that it automatically
follows the laws sent down by
God. It is also important to realize
that not all Muslims understand
and follow their religion. Culture
often dictates action. Of course,
the same can be said of all
religions. Throughout history,
humankind has used the name of
God to justify unspeakable acts.
The planet earth stumbled into the
21st century beset by wars, famines
and great social unrest, therefore
today’s catch phrases espouse
the supposed remedy; freedom,
democracy, and reconciliation.
Human rights have understandably
become paramount. Governments,
non-government organizations,
and religious and charity groups
have all spoken about equality
and inalienable rights. The United
Nations was formed to stand as a
beacon of hope for understanding
and joint initiatives, but in
actuality it is a toothless tiger,
unable to reach an agreement
on most resolutions and unable
to enforce the resolutions that do
pass.
More than 1,400 years ago, God
sent down the Qur’an, a book of
guidance for all of humankind.
He also chose Muhammad (peace
be upon him) as the final Prophet;
he was the human being capable
of leading humankind into a new
era of tolerance, respect, and
justice. The words of Qur’an and
the authentic traditions of Prophet
Muhammad contain rights and
responsibilities granted by God to
humankind. They are not subject
to the whims and desires of men or
women and they do not change as
borders or governments shift and
settle, sometimes unrelentingly.
The United Nations proclaimed
the Declaration of Human
Rights in 1948. It set out, in 30
articles, the fundamental rights
to be universally protected and
described them as, designed to
promote, “universal respect for
and observance of human rights
and fundamental freedoms.” The
United Nations Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights
(UNHCR) went on to describe
these rights as inherent to all
human beings regardless of sex,
race, creed, or color and declared
them indivisible, interdependent,
and interrelated. In the following
60 years other declarations,
treaties, and committees have
come into existence, all focusing
their efforts on ensuring the rights
of various groups within varied
societies.
The tenets of Islam include a basic
set of rules designed to protect
individual rights and freedoms,
however the rights of individuals
are not permitted to infringe upon
the rights of communities. Islam
is a doctrine concerned with
respect, tolerance, justice, and
equality and the Islamic concepts
of freedom and human rights are
imbedded in the faith in the One
God. If humankind is to live in
peace and security, he or she must
obey the commands of God.
Muslims believe that God is the
sole Creator and Sustainer of
humankind and the universe.
He has given each human being
dignity and honor and the human
rights and privileges we enjoy
are granted by Him. The rights
granted by God are designed
for everybody. One person is
not more worthy of protection
than another is. Each person is
entitled to sustenance, shelter,
and security and if some people
are denied their God given rights,
it is the responsibility of the rest
of humankind to restore those
rights.
“O you who believe! Stand out
firmly for God, be just witnesses,
and let not the enmity and hatred
of others make you avoid justice.
Be just: That is nearer to piety,
and fear God. Verily, God is well
acquainted with what you do.”
(Qur’an, 5:8)
Power and authority narratives
have become entrenched in human
rights advocacy. Legislation and
unenforceable treaties cannot
protect the downtrodden and
oppressed.
However,
Islam
proclaims that God treats all
human beings equally and true
human rights can only be achieved
by obedience to Him. n
(islamreligion.com)
(AISHA
STACEY)
Conflict and Fanaticism
Q : We see that all over the Muslim world, two rival groups are always in conflict: One attracts highly educated people
who believe in reason and logic, but care little for religion, while the other consists of largely uneducated people who
hold fanatically to certain beliefs and try to impose them on others. How to remedy such a situation?
A: There are definitely two groups
with widely different attitudes to
religion. These have been there
since the very early days of human
existence. The noble prophets and
those who have followed them
on the same route try to bring the
message of faith home to people,
hoping that they will respond
positively to the call to believe in
the Oneness of Allah. On the other
hand, they are opposed by people
who prefer to follow what they
feel to be their interest, paying
no regard to the divine guidance
and caring little for the teachings
of prophets. This has always been
the case, and it will continue to be
so, until the end of human life. I
do not agree with you at all when
you say that the camp opposed
to faith attracts mostly the highly
educated who rely on reason and
logic. It is true that some of those
highly educated may turn their
back on religion, but that is only
because they either prefer not to
study religion with the sort of
seriousness they attach to other
matters; or because they prefer
to satisfy immediate pleasures; or
because they feel that their position
will be threatened by religion.
They simply do not respond to the
challenge of the divine message
to use their reason and logic in
evaluating the truth advanced
by the divine faith. There was a
time when a higher proportion of
educated people seemed to move
away from religion, but if you look
at the historical circumstances
that led to this situation, you are
bound to conclude that this was
the result of the alien system of
education that was devised by
the colonial authorities in most
Muslim countries. As you are
aware, the colonial powers were
able to impose their will over
most of the Muslim world, after a
long period of decline throughout
the Muslim areas. But when that
phase was over, and education
moved towards being universal,
more and more educated people
found no difficulty in making a
happy match between education
and religion. Indeed, it is the
divine faith that calls on people to
use their reason and logic, because
when they do that, they can easily
recognize the truth of the Oneness
of God and the validity of the
divine message. In the history of
Islam, there was no time when
a conflict took place between
enlightened
education
and
scientific findings on the one hand,
and Islam on the other. Indeed, the
two stand always hand in hand. It
is true that there are people who
claim to be religious and try to
impose their ideas on others. Such
people have not learned Islam
well. They do much damage to
the cause of Islam. They are rarely
aware of its fundamental principle
to respect individual freedom.
Islam advocates
freedom of
thought, belief and expression as
a basic right of all human beings.
Fanaticism is alien to Islam and it
will always remain so. n
REFLECTIONS
21
You Get What You Give
If you send out only negative energies, you can hardly hope to earn respect and love from others.
By A Staff Writer
Just as there are universal laws of
physics and chemistry, there are
also universal laws of the psyche
or soul. One of these laws is the
‘You Get What You Give’ law, the
YGYG Law for short. Different
religions have explained this law
in different terms—as rewards for
good deeds and punishments for
bad ones, for instance, or as the
law of karma. While the laws of
physics and chemistry might be
too complex for us lay people to
fathom, the veracity of the YGYG
Law can be easily understood by
just about anyone.
One doesn’t have to do any
complicated experiment in a
laboratory to understand how
the YGYG Law works. All you
need is to take some time off and
reflect on yourself and examine
how you feel. If you feel happy at
this moment, you’ll discover that
it is because you have been good
and kind to people around you
today. If you feel contented, you’ll
recognise that it is because for a
change you haven’t been going
around complaining about things,
not even about the weather or
the amount of salt in your daal.
If you feel relaxed and at ease,
you’ll realise that it’s because you
resisted the temptation to backbite
and gossip about someone this
morning, or perhaps because you
did a good deed to someone in
need. If you feel exuberant and
buoyant, you may find that
it is because you’ve been
recently spreading love and
good cheer all around, even
smiling at perfect strangers
you find yourself sharing
a few seconds within an
elevator. If you find that
someone arrives at just the
right moment to give you
the help you need, you may
realise that it is because of the
positive energy that you have been
radiating all around you, which, in
turn, is attracting goodness back
to you just when you need it.
On the other hand, if you find
yourself depressed and fed up
of life, it is likely that you have
been nursing ill-will against all
and sundry or against specific
people. If you are down and out
and feel that no one in the world
loves you, it is because you
haven’t been very loving to others
yourself. If you’re upset because
you are lonely and no one wants
to be friends with you, it is likely
that you haven’t bothered to be
friendly with people either. If you
are upset that no one seems to
smile at you, it’s probably
because you didn’t take
If a group of people as a whole
radiates positivity, it is likely to
receive positivity from others
in return. If it contributes to
the good of others—through
advances in knowledge and useful
technology, for instance, or in the
field of social service—it is likely
to win the respect, admiration
and love of other communities,
who will consider it as a precious
asset. On the other hand, a group
of people that sends out only
negative energies, that constantly
God has blessed us with the gift of free will
(or, some would say, the illusion of it). We—
individuals and groups—can, if we choose to,
change our behavior, and, consequently, what we
receive from others.
the initiative to smile at
them. The negative energy
that you send out ensures, in
accordance with the YGYG Law,
that you get back the very same
energy from others.
The YGYG Law also seems to
operate at the level of groups
and in roughly the same way as
it does at the individual level.
complains against others, but
does nothing positive for them,
that spreads hate, not love, and
that engages in destruction, not
construction, can hardly hope to
earn respect and love from others
or to be treated as anything else
than a liability. If it thinks that
others are driven by a visceral
hatred for it, it is likely that this
is because it itself harbours such
hate for others. In accordance
with the YGYG Law, it will get
from others precisely what it
gives to them—aversion, scorn,
disgust and hate. It really can’t
hope for much else.
But there’s hope even for the
most reprobate. God has blessed
us with the gift of free will (or,
some would say, the illusion of it).
We—individuals and groups—
can, if we choose to, change our
behavior, and, consequently,
what we receive from others. We
aren’t compelled to be negative
forever and to continue to receive
negativity from others in return.
If we aren’t happy about being
unhappy, friendless and loveless,
then, in accordance with the
YGYG Law, there’s no way for
us but to give out what we want
to get back. If we want others to
love and respect us and to be good
and kind to us, all we need to do
is to love and respect them and be
good and kind to them ourselves
and then sit back and see the
miraculous results of the YGYG
Law as they start to unfold! n
GUIDANCE
Get Rid of Depression: Discover the Creation Plan
Fulfillment through materialism is quite unachievable. It is only spiritual pursuits
that can give you the sense of true fulfillment.
Depression is a phenomenon of
discontentment. Why does this
phenomenon exist? The reason is
that every person is born with an
unlimited desire for enjoyment.
But, everyone has very limited
capacity of fulfillment. It is this
gap in human nature that makes
people live in unrest.
Is this phenomenon due to a
defect in nature? Not at all. It
is due to man's unawareness
of himself that creates this
problem. Self-awareness is the
key to a contented life, while
unawareness leads to all kinds of
discontentment and restlessness.
To explain this phenomenon
in the right way, we have to
discover the scheme of this
world as devised by the Creator.
According to the creation plan,
the domain of fulfillment in the
material world is very limited;
while, the domain of spiritual
or intellectual fulfillment is so
vast that words fail to express its
endless boundaries.
If you want to achieve the state of
fulfillment in the material world,
then very soon you will discover
that the scope here, is very
limited. Food, clothes, fame,
marital life, entertainment: each
of these facets is associated with
boredom. Even going on a holiday
cannot give you fulfillment.
A person goes on a holiday
with hopes of de-stressing, but
instead returns with 'holiday
stress'. This phenomenon of lack
of fulfillment pertains to your
physical being, but your spiritual
being is free of such bindings.
Man has a dual personality;
physical and spiritual. In
physical terms, man's body
measuring no more than a few
feet is very limited. Due to this
limited being, man develops
boredom as far as his physical
domain in concerned. But, his
spiritual or intellectual being
has no limits. Your mind travels
in an unlimited space. It travels
by means of thinking, and there
is no boundary for the thinking
process. It continues its journey
unfettered, by crossing all kinds
of barriers.
For example, the activities of a
businessman are limited to the
material world. Due to this limited
nature, he very soon develops
boredom. The American business
magnate Bill Gates rightly said:
“Once you get beyond a million
dollars, I have to tell you, it’s the
same hamburger.”
Scientific pursuit on the other
hand, is an example of travelling
in the intellectual domain. This
is the reason why scientists do
not speak in the limited language
of a businessman. For example,
Newton towards the end of his
life, said about himself: “I was
like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself now
and then finding a smoother
pebble or a prettier shell than
ordinary, whilst the great ocean of
truth lay all undiscovered before
me.” Likewise, was the feeling of
the great scientific mind Albert
Einstein, when he said: “The
more I learn, the more I realize
how much I do not know.”
Even greater than the scientific
pursuit is the spiritual pursuit.
The reason for this is very clear.
According to Galileo Galilei, the
domain of the scientific pursuit is
the study of the quantitative aspect
of nature; while the domain of the
spiritual pursuit is the qualitative
aspect of nature. And, it is a fact
that the qualitative is far greater
than the quantitative domain of
the world.
One who adopts the spiritual
quest for his intellectual
Page 15
activities is a spiritual scientist.
A physical scientist may stop at a
certain point, but for the spiritual
scientist even the saying ‘sky’s
the limit’ becomes
irrelevant. Fulfillment through
materialism is quite unachievable.
It is only spiritual pursuits that
can give you the sense of true
fulfillment.
[Source: Spirit of Islam, Jan
2015)
Time to Rediscover ...
Indian tennis star Sania Mirza’s
sartorial choices to condemning
social media such as Twitter
as ‘the source of all evil,’ our
priorities and propensity to scout
for the irrelevant and absurd
never cease to amaze me. It is as
if we inhabit a different planet
altogether.
We seem to have lost ourselves
in the literal world of dogma,
leaving somewhere behind the
soul and spirit of a generous,
powerful faith. We see technology
and innovation that the rest of
the world hungrily laps up as a
challenge. We fear change. We
are afraid of women who drive
and work. We even fear harmless
schoolgirls.
I know there is no concept of
clergy or a global religious leader
in Islam. But the faithful can
certainly do with some leadership
and much-needed guidance right
now. It is time to rediscover the
spirit of the faith.
(The writer is a Middle East based
columnist)
(www.newageislam.com)
SOUL TALK
22
From Earning Big Money to Earning Big Blessings!
My transition from being a hotelier to a counselor was a spiritual journey for me. Being a giver, brought a feeling
of inner peace and joy, as opposed to being a taker who in the end could end up becoming selfish.
By Azeem Bolar
I started my Hotel Management
education back in 1987, from
France and then London. A fiveyear course earned me several
degrees (ABA, BBA, MA),
specializing in Hotel Management.
I received the much-required
practical training in several
countries, thus increasing
my potential. The course
was a rigorous one, with a
combination of theoretical
and practical tutoring that
sought to make a true hotelier
out of a raw individual.
In 1991, I returned to
India, hoping to make it
‘big’ in the hotel industry.
The impression given to me
during the five-year course
was that the profession I wanted
to pursue was the best and that
other professions were not equal
in many ways. Little did I realize
then that my thinking was heavily
shaped by the teachings of
the profession. The rigidity
was so much a part of the
‘hospitality culture’ that
the feelings of a human
were literally swept under
the carpet of the hotel
lobby. I was so influenced
by the ‘hospitality
culture’,
imbibed
Here was an individual, very much a product
cutout for the hospitality sector, an executive whose
thinking was tutored to maximize profits, and human
emotions was the last thought to ponder over.
in those years of training,
that I did not question this
assumption.
As a child, I used to be very
sensitive to the feelings of others.
LIVING ISLAM
How to be Free from Bitterness?
The Path of Forgiveness is Divine
By Mohammed Ali Vakil
It happened one evening. I’d just
moved to London and was busy
settling in. Exploring the city,
making new friends – the typical
stuff international students do
when they first arrive. I was in a
cafe when it happened. Someone
put their hands in my coat and
stole my things. At first, I felt
violated, then angry, and finally,
vengeful.
I didn’t know what to do.
Eventually I realized there wasn’t
much I could do about it.
Even though the robbery didn’t
leave me destitute, it still left
a scar inside me. Whenever I
thought about it, my heart would
feel heavy, as if I was carrying a
burden inside me.
Part of me wanted to forgive and
forget. But I just couldn’t. How
could I? It wasn’t fair. I had done
nothing to offend the robber. I
didn’t deserve to be robbed.
I wanted justice.
I thought forgiving the person who
robbed me was giving approval to
their action. That it made me weak.
Worse, I feared my acceptance
equaled encouragement. After all,
if everyone forgave their robbers,
people would be going around
robbing people without fear of
But, the growing up process
veered me towards choosing a
profession that was not really my
cup of tea.
consequences.
It took me a while to realize that’s
not what forgiveness is about.
Forgiveness is a sign of inner
strength and the key to have a
heart free of burden.
The following Sufi Comic drove
the point home for me:
Here are a few important lessons I
learned from this story:
1. Forgiving someone does not
make me weak.
2. Forgiveness does not equal
acceptance of wrong behaviour. It
means not letting someone else’s
misdeeds adversely affect my
life.
3. Forgiveness is a choice.
4. Forgiveness relieves you from
the hurt and suffering of the
action.
It’s natural to resist forgiving
those who’ve wronged you. After
all, justice is the right of every
human being.
But the path of forgiveness is
divine.
“Let them forgive and overlook.
Do you not wish that God
should forgive you? For God is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
(Qur’an 24:22).
We’ve all been wronged at some
point in our lives. Sometimes the
effects of these events linger on
long after it has passed. And we
end up carrying the resentment. I
As an executive, I was literally
taken aback when I noticed the
transformation taking place within
me. I had become a hardened
individual due to the training I
had received. The human within
me was suppressed and in agony.
I opted to become a counselor,
rather than continue as a hotelier.
Frankly, initially I had no clue
as to why I entered the field of
counseling. Maybe it was to
learn human behaviour. What I
encountered was a whole new
set of teachings. Here I was, very
much a product cutout for the
know it has happened to me.
Perhaps you feel bitter because
someone said or did something
to you. And whenever you think
about it your heart feels heavy.
You don’t have to carry that
burden. You have a choice. You
can become free from it, by
forgiving the person.
Yes it can be difficult. And
depending on the intensity of
that event, it may take time. But
by not trying you’re sentencing
yourself to feeling bitter all the
time. You’ll become a prisoner of
your own painful thoughts.
You don’t have to live like that.
Let it go. Forgive.
‘hospitality sector’, an executive
whose thinking was tutored to
maximize profits and for whom
human emotions were the last
thing to ponder over.
However, I gradually got
attracted towards the noble
profession that I had now
chosen.
At Bangalore’s Banjara
Academy,
under
the
guidance of Dr. Ali Khwaja
and his team of tutors
specialized in different
fields of psychotherapy,
I found myself introspecting.
(looking inwards). Ali’s words:
“What are you feeling? Not
what are you thinking", remain
embedded in my heart and mind
for all times to come. Ali had and
still does have a mesmerizing
effect on my views.
I learnt that self-esteem is a very
important aspect of an individual.
I learnt that how a person feels and
thinks about himself, can affect
his mental framework and about
how being non-judgmental plays
an important role in accepting
others. Training to become a
counselor made me realize that
unconditional acceptance is the
primary tool in living in harmony
with others and that contentment
is very important in reaching a
state of inner peace. I learnt, too,
S.M. ADAM NEWS AGENCY
# 150 M.M. Road Frazer Town
Bangalore - 560 005 Mob: 9343728824
about the importance of empathy,
the ability to put ourselves in
other’s shoes, thus enabling us to
understand the other person (this
is different from the common
practice of offering sympathy,
which is to offer pity, thus making
the already weak person crumble).
As a counselor, I also learnt that
assisting others assist themselves
can give one great peace and joy.
All of this, and much more, reshaped my thinking about life.
We were taught the importance
of being selfless. This is indeed
one of the greatest learning from
the counseling profession. Being
a giver brought a feeling of inner
peace and joy, as opposed to
being a taker who in the end could
end up becoming selfish, thus
defeating
the purpose
of lending
S.M. ADAM
NEWS AGENCY
# 150 hand.
M.M. Road Frazer Town
a helping
Bangalore - 560 005 Mob: 9343728824
Having started as a hotelier,
eventually turning into a
counsellor/ psychotherapist/ NLP
practitioner, the learning was
immense. I had indeed come a
long way. So can you—and you
can choose to become a counselor
as well!
(The writer is based in
Bangalore and can be reached
at [email protected])
OUR AGENTS
Mores and Manners
Use of Cellphone
23
Essential Guidelines
Remember in the event of it
Cellphone has reached into the
hands of every adult nowadays.
Sometimes we even allow
adolescent children to carry it
if we are out for shopping to
keep track of them. But hardly
ever have we bothered to tell
them the mores and manners
and caution to be observed in
handling it. Here the Islamic
Voice would like to lay down
a code of manners to be
observed.
Cellphone is a handy tool that
keeps us company in crowded
bazaars, shopping malls, rail
and bus station, places of
pilgrimages and marriage
and convention halls. It is
preferable that we carry it
on our person, possibly in a
pocket that can be closed with
a zip, button or Velcro. If this
is not possible, carry it in a bag
that is sure to keep a constant
company with you.
being lost, more than the cost
of instrument, it is the loss of
contact with dear ones that
will be painful for the loser,
more so now that the PCO and
STD booths have disappeared
from our streets and markets.
Do not depend too much on
Do
not engage in long
conversation with friends and
relatives while travelling. If
ever, such use is necessary,
tell the caller to wait till you
reach a place from where you
can use it comfortably. Never
use loud voice for talking,
lest it put the co-travelers to
inconvenience.
If the missed call number is
not identifiable, return it with
a missed call as a matter of
courtesy.
If a call cannot be returned to
a person with whom you have
to deal frequently (in case you
are in a meeting, seminar etc),
send him SMS to this effect.
numbers stored in the
directory of cellphone.
Memorize the phone
numbers of person
with whom you need
to remain in constant
and frequent touch.
Possibly carry a short
directory recording the
numbers you frequently
use while travelling.
Do not leave your cell
unattended when you are in
college, bazaar, restaurant,
meetings or places that are
unfamiliar to you.
A Reason to Hope
"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?, says the English poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley. This line reminds us that when we think
we are in the dumps, there is still reason to hope that meaningful
and positive change can happen in our lives. Often, we lose hope
when faced with what we, at that moment, think is an unwanted
situation. We think we have no chance of survival, that we are
finished. This happens to individuals as also to communities. In
such circumstances, we should remind ourselves that if we seem
to be surrounded by darkness, surely light can’t be too far away.
We should respond with optimism to the circumstances that we are
faced with, and, with proper deliberate on, move ahead. Look out of
the window to spot light that is bound to arrive! "Spring" is waiting
to enter our lives—God provides us with yet another opportunity,
provided we are wise enough to recognize it. n

Put the cell in
silent or vibrating mode
if you are in a mosque
or meeting but check
immediately after the
prayer or meeting is
over. Do not feed film
tunes into the cell to
replace the normal
ringtones. This will
offend the worshipper,
if your cell begins
ringing during namaz.
If you notice a missed call
from an identifiable number,
call back the caller at your
earliest. This needs to be
done compulsorily with those
who are dependant on you,
e.g., wife, children, homebound parents, sick persons,
servants, drivers, employees
and attendants.
Do not believe SMSes that
call for claiming unsolicited
prizes and awards. Remember
Internet and Cellphones are
not location-specific medium
and pranksters and fraudsters
can deceive gullible people.
Do
not pay heed to
advertisements announcing
discounts, gifts, shopping
bonanzas.
Do not react to information
or sensational news being
circulated
received
on
cellphones. These may be
rumours. By forwarding
this info, you may help
rumours and information of
provocative nature.
Most cells now come studded
with What’s App. They bring
in a deluge of news, info, jokes
and wisecracks incessantly.
Avoid looking into the cell
following every ping. Most
jokes
evoke
prejudices
against certain communities,
opposite gender and persons
in public life. Never forward
them to others as it is an
offence to create prejudice,
hate and hostility against
any one. Some people are in
the habit of pushing wrong
and weak Hadith etc on
cellphones. Do not pay heed
to such items. Minutely screen
the content before you think
of forwarding any message
or image. If you constantly
receive such messages from
any particular source, bring
this to the notice of Cyber
Police in your city or state.
Do not click the photograph
of other persons, their kids
or families, without seeking
their permission. In case of
road or rail accidents, take
photographs of colliding
vehicles, injured persons
etc as such photographic
evidence might help them
seeking legal, medical help or
insurance claim. Inform such
persons to reach you in case
they need any help in this
regard.
In case of loss or theft of your
cell, register a complaint in
the nearest police station and
inform your family of your
whereabouts, lest they get
worried about your safety,
security or health.
Record the cell number of the
closest relative under ICE
(In Case of Emergency)
in your instrument. If by
chance, people find you in
any emergency situation, they
can call this number to inform
your near and dear ones.
Do not use cell belonging
to others without their
permission. Do not look into
the info stored in cellphones
belonging to other persons.
Just as others letters, diaries
and bank passbooks, the
cellphone too is a private thing
of use and others should not
access info stored therein.
(Compiled by Maqbool Ahmed
Siraj)
matrimonial
WANTED GROOM
Sunni Muslim educated respected
shaikh family seek alliance for their
daughter 28, years; MBA, 5.4 Height,
Fair looking, Religious. Groom
preferably ENGINEER, MBA, MCA
OR GRADUATE employed preferably
in and around Bangalore city or well
settled in business from respectable
parents. Contact: 9342077777. Email:
[email protected]
SM parents seek alliance for their
daughter B.E., 28 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
qualified person hailing from a decent
educated family Working in India or
abroad. Mail bio-data to prof.wayez@
gmail.com contact 9632878387.
Mysore: We seek alliance for our
daughter, aged 23, height 5’.2”,
B.E-E & C, not working, fair, observes
Hijaab, We are looking for a well
settled, qualified groom from religious
family.prefewrably from Karnataka &
or settled in Gulf, who believe in no
dowry or demands & simple marriage
as per Shariah. Our contacts: Cell:
97425 67577 or Email: sssafs5614@
gmail.com.
SM Urdu Baig family seek alliance
for daughter 5’.1”, 26 years
Msc.,BED fair beautiful religious.
Boy should be from respected family
educated and suitably employed.
Contact: [email protected].
Mob.9449002947.Bangalore.
Page 1
Bangalore: SMU Gulf Returned
Parents Mother Doctor, Father
Engineer Seek Groom Software
Engineer, M.S / M.Tech / (B.E+MBA)
India/Abroad, Fair, Smart, Religious,
upto 32 years, from Small, Educated,
Cultured, Family, for their only
Daughter, B.Tech. Software Engineer
28 / 5’3”, Fair, Softspoken, Good
Looking, Smart, Religious(Jeddah
Broughtup). Send DETAIL BIODATA
PHOTOS
[email protected]
09035624288
Sunni
Muslim,
34
years
(B.E.Computer Science) Beautiful
homely religious Divorcee Girl
(Khula obtained,no-children)seeking
religious aged about (34-40) well
educated or entrepreneur groom from
well settled family from Karnataka,
T.N.,ANDHRA PRADESH, Email
[email protected] contact
no.09952763853.
SMP seek alliance for 30 yrs. Old
daughter single, graduate, pleasant
looks, she prefers to marry a
divorcee/widower from respected
family, deendar, educated well settled
with pure heart & pleasant looks from
Bangalore but settled in any part of
world .contact at 9686664865, Email:
[email protected]
SM parents invite alliance for their
fair, beautiful daughter 25 years,
ht.5’.3”. MSc. working in central
Govt. as project Asst. looking for well
settled religious, small family working
in Govt. service, age around 30
years. Send bio-data with photo on
email:[email protected].
Mob.9742345424 or 080-26701643
SM Educated parents invite
alliance for daughter aged 25
years B.E. M.Tech (Goldmedalist)
5ft.4”, slim wheatish, observes
hijab and employed. Groom from
educated family Govt.Job,technical
professional. Send Bio data, photo
to Email: shaistaparveen88@yahoo.
co.in Mob. 9980304754
SMU Parents seek alliance for their
Daughter 25 years 5.3” Alima, M.A
(Arabic), fair religious observes hijab.
Groom should be well educated
religious well settled from decent
family around Bangalore. Email photo
& Bio Data munaver.ahmed56@
gmail.com. Ph.9481424701.
Sunni Muslim Parents seek alliance
for their daughter 27years,Ht.5.4”
Bcom-MBA,CA, working in a MNC as
a senior Associate religious, modern
outlook. Groom should be handsome,
post graduate, well settled, religious,
modern mindset. Contact: 988619197.
Email: [email protected]
Sunni Muslim parents invite
alliance for their daughter 23 years,
M.Com. PGFM height 5.11 observes
Hijab, working for MNC, good looking
from educated well settled Grooms.
Father working as an Officer at
Reserve Bank of India, Bangalore.
Contact at 9448239863, Email:
[email protected]
District Development ...
Development Index for North Delhi
measuring variables drawn
at 0.69 (topmost) while Araria district
from survey by reputed and
in Bihar stands at 0.16. Explaining
Govt-support national sample
this, he said, it means that Araria has
survey.
no enabling economic environment It provides an index or rating
for four dimensions and one
which can support development
composite index for every regular salary earner members.
while North Delhi still has scope
Material
well-being
Index:
district in India.
for more development. The data has
thus been compiled for 600 districts It makes it possible to 1-average of asset index score at
create
a
district
level household level, 2-percentage of
in India.
‘management
information households using LPG as primary
Dr. Shariff said the DDDIx is much
and evaluation system’ for source of cooking, 3-Percentage
more than the Sachar Report in that
each of the components of the of households using electricity as
it is a more technically advanced
primary source of lighting.
developments
tool in assessment of grassroots level
Development:
ground realities of development It facilitates use of data by Educational
international agencies such Percentage of female literates
through creating indices
as the UNO, World Bank, the (7 plus years), 2-Percentage of
for easy comparison at a
more granular level. The
Karnataka to seriously examine constitution of Equal
analysis further proceeds
to add the dimension
Opportunities Commission)
of diversity to district
Asian Development Bank and adult literates (18 plus years),
development estimates
3-Percentage of Matric pass (15
Foreign Direct Investors.
and compares as to how
plus population), and 4-Annual
each socio-religious community is Indicators for Analysis
placed in a relative context. He said The Analysis has chosen the average household expenditure on
the DDDIx will identify pathways following indicators under the four education.
linking the communities with heads:
Health Index: 1-Percentage of
governance.
Economic Development: 1-Monthly currently married women who
per capita income in Rupees, were more than 18 at the time of
Salient Features of the DDDIx
It is anchored on 17 of the 27
2-Percent of people above poverty marriage, 2-Percent of currently
development and livelihood line, 3-Percent households having married women who received post-
WANTED BRIDE
Syed Family Bangalore based
parents residing in Saudi Arabia seek
alliance for their SON aged 25 years,
ht.5.10” wheatish fair complexion
BE(E&C) working in Dubai. Girl should
be tall, fair, age 20-22 years graduate/
undergraduate, slim, religious and
homely from a Bangalore based
decent religious and respectable
family. Preference for the parents
residing in Saudi Arabia or Dubai.
simple marriage, no Demands. Email :
[email protected] phone
0091 7760 470 102 / 00966 55 451
1401.
ALLIANCE INVITED FOR SON,
FAIR, 38 YEARS, 5.8” SLIM,
SETTLED IN BANGALORE .BORN
AND BROUGHT UP IN U.A.E..
OWN
BUSINESS.
PARTNER
E X P E C TAT I O N S , FA I R , S L I M /
MEDIUM,CONVENT EDUCATED,
FLUENT IN ENGLISH WITH
DEENI
TALEEM,ARTICULATE
AND CONFIDENT BELOW 35
YEARS. UNMARRIED.CONTACT:
9243435863.email:
syedkhalids@
gmail.com
Looking for alliances from simple
muslim families (pref from HK region).
Expecting the bride to be educated,
religious, simple & homely. No
expectations of dowry, extremely
simple marriage ceremony pref.
Kindly please send bio data & photos
to [email protected].
natal care within 48 hours of giving
birth to a child, 3-Percentage of
fully immunized last and last but
one children (aged 12-23 months),
4-Percentage of currently married
women using any contraceptive aid,
5-Percentage of currently married
women years who are aware of
HIV/AIDs.
Mr. Syed Zameer Pasha, IAS(Retd),
executive
director,
CRDDP,
24
BELGAUM: S/ MUSLIM DOCTOR
B.H.M.S. 24, 5’.7”. HANDSOME
HAVING OWN DISPENSARY, NEEDS
DOCTOR LADY M.B.B.S./MD. FOR
MANAGING OWN BIG HOSPITAL,
HJAVING HUGE LAND PROPERTY
,RICH, NO DOWARY/DEMANDS,
RELIGIOUS MINDED. PLEASE
CONTACT:UN.NIKAH
MUSLIM
MARRIAGE BUROU. CELL (0231)26
92986,9049289424,9767837429
BANGALORE S.M. PARENTS EDUCATED FAMILY BACKGROUND SEEK
ALLIANCE FOR THEIR SON VERY
HANDSOME FAIR 5.9” 28 YEARS.
QUALIFIED B.E.(C.S) WORKING
IN REPUTED MNC.SIX FIGURE
SALARY WELL SETTLED FATHER
RETIRED CLASS I OFFICER. GIRL
SHOULD BE BEAUTIFUL,FAIR SLIM
5.4” TO 5.6” UPTO 26 YEARS FROM
EDUCATED
FAMILY,QUALIFIED
B.E. IN C.S./E.C/INFORMATION &
TECH WORKING IN MNC.EMAIL
PHOTO AND BIODATA MUST TO
[email protected] or contact
9739856354. Broker Excuse
BRIDE & GROOM
SM Syed Parents seek alliance
for daughter 23 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:[email protected]
Mob: 9964309133 or 9900853566
who welcomed the participants
and concluded the programme,
urged that the Equal Opportunity
Commission should not be created
under the Ministry of Minorities
Welfare as it is meant to address the
issue of discrimination or lack of
access to public space or facilities
to all communities. n
Selecting a Marriage Partner
By Mohammad Mazhar
Hussaini
Marriage is recommended for
partners who share a common
way of life. They should be
able to effectively carry out their
responsibility as care-takers of
earth. They should share the
common goal of building a well
integrated Muslim community
and be able to work harmoniously
towards it.
Criteria for Selecting a
Marriage Partner
Normally the criteria for
are many: wealth, beauty,
rank, character, congeniality,
compatibility, religion, etc. The
Quran enjoins Muslims to select
partners who are good and pure.
"Women of purity are for men of
purity, and men of purity are for
women of purity "(Quran 24:26)
Prophet
Muhammad
recommended Muslims to select
those partners who are best in
religion and character.
"A woman may be married for
four reasons: for her property,
for her rank, for her beauty, and
for her religion (and character).
So marry the one who is best in
the religion and character and
prosper". (Bukhari and Muslim)
Freedom to Choose a Marriage
Partner
Islam has given freedom of choice
to those who wish to get married.
The mutual choice of the wouldbe-spouses is given the highest
consideration: The process of
selection should be a function
of a healthy balance between the
freedom of choice of the wouldbe-spouses and consideration of
the influence and consent of the
parents/guardians.
The freedom of choice of those
who wish to get married should
not preclude the influence and
consent of the parents/guardians
nor should the parents/guardians
ignore the wishes and consent of
the would be spouses. n
MISCELLANY
Resham Fatma: Epitome of Grit and Determination
25
Resham has set her goals high and dreams to join the civil services and become an IAS
officer to bring change in the society.
By Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: The highest National
Bravery Award winner for
this year, Resham Fatma, who
survived an acid attack by none
other than her relative, strongly
advocated for death penalty to
cruel offenders of such heinous
crimes.
Resham Fatma, who received
the coveted Bharat Award on
Republic Day, demanded death
penalty to acid-attackers – an
intrinsic urge that finds expression
in the wake of hellish experience
she went through due to the acid
attack. However, the 16-year-old
Lucknow girl mustered courage
to stand up and fight her assaulter,
precisely to teach her tormenter a
befitting lesson.
She said these tormentors made
life hell to acid-attack survivors
and they should be given capital
punishment to discourage this
cruel evil from the society.
Resham Fatma was chosen
for the Award for displaying
exceptional bravery, out of 24
children selected for national
Bravery Awards for 2014, by
the Indian Council for Child
Reflexologist Highlights
Benefits of Ablution
By P.K. Abdul Ghafour
Ablution or wudu, the mandatory
washing ritual for Muslims before
the five-time prayers helps to
rejuvenate the body as a result of
washing vital reflex points such as
Reflexologist Dr. C.A. Ansar
the hands, face, ears and feet, says
an Indian reflexologist Dr. C.A.
Ansar.
An alternative medicine specialist,
Ansar has been successful in
treating various diseases such as
diabetes, high blood pressure,
autism and Parkinson through
his healing touch, without any
medicine. “Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) has instructed
us to take care of our feet by
wearing shoes in order to protect
ourselves from disease-carrying
microbes. The foot is a vital organ
and considered the second heart
of a man as it re-pumps blood to
different parts of the body,” he told
Arab News. Ansar, who became
visually impaired after he was hit
by glaucoma while studying in
Mumbai, said the five-time prayers
following ablution does not only
spiritually energize the individual
but also activates his vital organs.
Ansar,
who
can
identify
various diseases by touching
the individual’s foot, said that
reflexology is a successful
treatment which has been widely
practised in China, Indonesia,
Malaysia and Thailand.
“Many of my diabetic patients
have stopped taking medicine
after the disease was controlled
by activating the pancreas. I also
teach them some exercises to
boost blood circulation.”
Dr. Ansar intends to establish
a reflexology center in Kerala.
He noted that pharmaceutical
companies were doing their best to
discourage the treatment because
it does not require medicine which
would greatly reduce their sales.
Ansar, who is busy all the year
round, attributes his success
to God. “I treat patients with
dedication and God takes care of
the rest. There have been some
amazing results; some patients
who came to me on a stretcher
have gone home on their feet,” he
said.
Ansar believes that reflexology is
a natural treatment for diseases.
“The Prophet has said that God
has a remedy for every disease,”
he said, adding that the reflexology
foot chart is like a maintenance
manual for our body.
Ansar, who did his higher
studies in reflexology and related
treatment systems from Singapore,
Malaysia and Thailand, has been
working in the field for about 12
years.
Three of his assistants at
Ansar Healing Touch Clinic
in Ernakulum are also visually
impaired. “Our success proves
that the visually impaired are
definitely capable of giving hope
and happiness to others,” he
added.
For more information about Ansar
and reflexology log on to www.
hthc.in. n
Welfare (ICCW). Her story of
rare grit and determination is an
inspiration for others.
Talking to Islamic Voice, Resham
narrated her ordeal at the hands
of her distant (maternal) uncle.
She said as usual on February
1, 2014, she was on her way
to attend coaching classes,
suddenly her 38-year old uncle,
Riyaz Ahmed came and forced
her into a car at knife-point.
“He threatened me with dire
consequences if I declined his
proposal of marriage, when I
did not give in to his demands
he pulled me by my hair towards
him and put a knife at my throat”.
She said when she resisted his
torment; he got furious and
started pouring a liquid (acid)
on her head. “Although, I tried
to defend
myself for the rest
15 minutes, my efforts went in
vain. Gathering all my strength,
I pushed him and jumped out
of the car. My eyes were shut,
despite that, I got into an auto
rickshaw that was passing by”.
She said she asked the autorickshaw driver to take her to a
police station or hospital. The
auto-driver took her to the nearby
police station. From, there she
was taken to the hospital. Her
head, face and thighs were
affected by the acid-attack. She
also lost her hair on the right side
of the head permanently. Despite
passing all through this agony,
she was talking with reporters
with ease and smile on her face.
When asked from where she got
the courage and determination to
fight her tormentor, she quipped,
‘from inner power’.
“Even
when I was in police station and
then hospital, I did not cry for
a moment while my parent and
friends could not control their
emotions. Even my doctors,
who treated me, said that because
of my courage and patience, I
recuperated early,” she added.
Resham, who is resident of
Transport Nagar locality in
Lucknow and studying in a
convent school, said she wants
to join the civil services and
become an IAS officer to
bring change in the society.
Covering her head with a scarf,
the ebullient girl said her uncle,
who was a distant cousin of her
mother, had fallen in unrequited
love with her and was 22-years
older than her.
Out of 24 brave children, eight
are girls and 16 boys while four
of them have been given awards
posthumously.
The National
Bravery Award Scheme was
initiated by the ICCW to give
due recognition to the children
who distinguish themselves by
performing outstanding deeds of
bravery and meritorious service
and to inspire other children to
emulate their examples. It was
first instituted in 1957 when
two children, a boy and a girl,
were first rewarded for their
presence of mind and courage. It
is to be mentioned that in 198788, ICCW instituted the Bharat
Award for an exceptionally
outstanding, meritorious and
gallant deed.
In response to a question,
Chairperson of the Committee
Veena Seth told the Islamic Voice
that the Committee follows a
thorough criteria and procedure
in selecting children for awards.
However, she stressed the need
of publicizing the scheme at
grass-root level as this year
only 1,000 applications came
for selection. The awardees
will receive a medal, certificate
and cash and will be granted
financial assistance until they
complete their schooling. Since
its inception, the ICCW has given
awards to 895 brave children 634 boys and 261 girls. n
global affairs
World’s Most Miserable
States
Venezuela has been catapulted to the
number one position with a score of
106.3. High and rising consumer prices are
said to be the bane of Venezuela, otherwise an oil rich country.
A World Misery Index has begun
to be compiled. Prof. Steve Hanke,
who teaches Applied Economics
at the Johns Hopkins University
64 and 52 points respectively.
Iran and Brazil occupy fifth and
sixth position. Both suffer from
rampant unemployment.
Modern Slavery
Does slavery exist in modern world?
Yes, it does. How and in what
form? May be the next question
one must be asking.
An Australian organization had
been putting out the Annual
Slavery Index year after year.
According to the Global Slavery
Index 2014, there are 35.8
million slaves in the world.
India ranks on the top with 14.29
million people who are slaves.
China comes second with 3.24
million and Pakistan third with
2.06 million.
Who are these slaves?
The Index defines them as people
Pakistan
who are bonded workers, victims
of sexual trafficking, those caught
in the forced marriage and other
who are force to work in people’s
homes and workplaces, in mines,
brick kilns (mainly in Pakistan),
carpet looms (mainly in Uttar
Nigeria
has started compiling the data
and ranking the world nations
according to their miserable
status. Cato’s Misery Index ranks
108 countries based on data from
the Economist Intelligence Unit.
He factors in the nations’ inflation,
lending rates, and unemployment
figures together and then subtracts
year on year per capital GDP
growth to ‘Misery”.
Venezuela has been catapulted
to the number one position with
a score of 106.3. High and rising
consumer prices are said to be the
bane of Venezuela, otherwise an
oil rich country. It is 40 point ahead
of the second ranker Argentina
which scored 68 points. Again,
even this South American nation
suffers from relentless price rise.
War torn Syria and Ukraine stand
at third and fourth position with
India is on 38th position but
Pakistan is more miserable than
its neighbour and is at 33rd
place. Source of their misery
is high interest rates. The five
least miserable are Brunei,
Switzerland, China, Taiwan, and
Japan. The United States ranks
95th, which makes it the 14th
least miserable nation of the 108
countries on the table.
Curiously, even Saudi Arabia
figures in the list, on 47th position,
a place ahead of Bangladesh.
Both have high unemployment.
Here is the ranking of 29
countries that are top-listed in the
table (from Venezuela being the
most miserable to Paraguay on
the 29th position.)
(Source: http://www.cato.org/
blog/world-misery-index-108countries
26
Pradesh in India), maids (main
in Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich
Gulf nations) etc.
According to International Labour
Organisation (ILO), at least 122
goods are produced in 58 countries
in industries workers are enslaved
and made to work without basic
labour rights. Incidence of slavery
China
is high in those countries which are
more populous, illiterate
and poverty-afflicted.
What
is
modern
Slavery?
For the purpose of the
Index, modern slavery
involves
one
person
possessing or controlling
another
person
in such as a way as to Russia
significantly
deprive
that person of their
individual liberty, with
the intention of exploiting
that person through their
use, management, profit,
transfer or disposal.
Those who work as
slaves work without
minimum daily wages, do
not have safety devices, do
hazardous work and have no
access to health facilities. In
several cases they children of
workers who have borrowed
money from their employers,
are made to work as slaves. They
are caught in a vicious cycle as
they are never able to clear off
their debts and their kids remain
enslaved to the employers.
Most Prevalent
Countries with the highest
incidence of slavery are China,
Pakistan, Russia, Nigeria, Qatar,
Haiti, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Bangladesh, Thailand,
Sudan,
Haiti,
Uzbekistan,
Syria and the Central African
Republic. They all belong to
regions of the world.
Most Active to End Slavery
The governments that are taking
the most action to end modern
slavery
are:
Netherlands,
Sweden,
United
States,
Australia, Switzerland, Ireland,
Norway,
United
Kingdom,
Georgia, Austria.
Georgia,
the
Philippines,
Macedonia, Jamaica are said to be
taking the strongest steps to end
slavery with limited resources.
Globally, only three of 167
governments are making some
effort to address modern slavery
in government procurement and
in the supply chains of businesses
operating in their countries: the
United States of America, Brazil
and Australia
Considered overall, countries
taking the most action to
end modern slavery are: the
Netherlands, Sweden, the United
States, Australia, Switzerland,
Ireland, Norway, the United
Kingdom, Georgia, and Austria. n
global affairs
Most Livable Cities Index for Asians
27
Singapore Remain on the Top, B.luru best in India, though 182ndglobally
Singapore has been rated as the
most livable city in Asia and
Bengaluru in India, even though
the latter stands at 171st place
in world ranking. These ranking
have been specially done for
Asian expats in mind.
ranking has been released by the
ECA International, the world’s
leading provider of knowledge,
information and technology for
the management and assignment
of employee around the world.
“Good
air
quality,
solid
ECA International.
Singapore is followed by Sydney
and Adelaide in the ranking for
Asian assignees. However, the
impact of some of the factors
assessed, such as distance from
home and differences in culture,
Singapore
Chennai
Mumbai and Chennai come
second and third within India. In
the world ranking, Mumbai and
Chennai jointly share the 182nd
place. New Delhi is least liveable
at 2014 due to extremely poor air
quality, something it share with
Beijing, the capital of China. The
Mumbai
infrastructure, decent medical
facilities, low crime and
health risks have contributed
to Singapore maintaining its
position at the top of the global
ranking for quality of living
for Asian assignees,” said Lee
Quane, Regional Director – Asia,
language and climate, will vary
according to where someone
comes from.
Updated annually, ECA's Location
Ratings system objectively evaluates a host of factors to form an
assessment of the overall quality
of living in over 450 locations
worldwide. The
system
helps
companies establish appropriate allowances
to compensate
employees for the adjustment
required when going on international assignment. Factors
assessed include climate; availability of health services; housing
and utilities; isolation; access to
a social network and leisure facilities; infrastructure; personal
safety; political tensions and air
quality.
Though Singapore takes the first
position, it is on 96th position
for someone coming from the
Western countries. For European
expatriates, Bern and Copenhagen
are the most livable locations,
while, someone expatriating from
North America will find it easiest
to adapt to living and working in
Toronto followed by Dublin.”
Region’s Worst
The Pakistani cities of Islamabad
(261) and Karachi (269) have the
region’s worst scores for personal
security and social-political
tensions. They are the hardest
locations surveyed in Asia for
expatriates to adapt to living and
working in.
In mainland China, Shanghai,
ranked 110th globally, is China's
most liveable city followed
by Beijing (122). Scores have
remained steady across most
Chinese locations but Chongqing
Bengaluru
and Shenzhen saw the most
improvement over the year.
Global Overview
Denmark's capital, Copenhagen
(7th globally), is the European
city that offers the best quality
of living for Asian assignees
followed by the Swiss city of
Bern(11th). The Albanian city of
Tirana (189th) has seen the biggest
improvement this survey largely
due to a significant upgrade in its
education score.
In North America, Vancouver
(24th) is the most liveable location
followed by San Francisco (40).
While in Latin America, the
Uruguayan capital, Montevideo,
(121) scores more favourably
for Asian assignees, followed by
Chile's Santiago (126).
Dubai Best, Kandahar Worst
Dubai (109th globally) is the
location in the Middle East which
requires the least adjustment for
Asian assignees overall. Globally,
the hardest locations to adapt
to living and working in are the
Afghan locations of Lashkar Gah
and Kandahar.
For Asian assignees going to
Africa, Port Louis, Mauritius,
(118) affords the best quality of
living followed by Cape Town
(133).
SPIRITUAL MEDITATIONS
Not a Trouble, But a Gift
All sorts of tests, sicknesses, accidents, material and psychological difficulties and all the rest, are set out within the
individual’s ability to cope with them and are events that Allah has ordained specially for them in their destiny.
Troubles, sickness, losses and whispered to them by satan.
accidents,
material
and
By Harun Yahya
Have you ever thought you have
come to the end of your tether? Or
that you have suffered a lot? That
everyone is against you? That
people do not understand you and
that the course of events always
works against you?
You may be going through a
difficult time, but the situation
may not be as you imagine.
Allah deliberately creates all
difficulties. They are like specially
wrapped presents, tailor-made for
each individual. Everyone has
different flaws; some people are
impatient, some are restless, some
are distrusting, some are uneasy,
some are prone to negativity and
others are quick to anger.
deficiencies are all blessings for
one to overcome these flaws,
beautify his soul, and improve his
moral values. Our Lord knows
what every person needs, and
He knows best how much they
can stand. If there is something
troubling you, it will not exceed
your capacity to cope with it;
as a matter of fact — if you are
believer — it will strengthen you.
Some people who encounter times
of trouble may think there is no
way out, that everything has come
to an end, that they have come to
the end of the road and that their
difficulties can never be overcome.
Some people may even behave
in a rebellious way, but these
things are in fact apprehensions
Allah creates different events
for everyone on Earth. The
observances commanded by
Allah, the difficulties He creates to
test us and the responsibilities He
places on us are all proportional to
our strength.
Our Lord knows best what people
can cope with and how much. Allah
is infinitely Just and Forbearing
toward His servants. Our Lord will
never impose a greater burden than
one can bear, nor a responsibility
one’s conscience cannot accept;
no one would ever be wronged.
That is Allah’s promise. It is a
manifestation of His being the
Most-Compassionate and the
Most-Merciful.
All sorts of tests, sicknesses,
psychological difficulties and all
the rest, are set out within the
individual’s ability to cope with
them and are events that Allah
has ordained specially for them in
their destiny.
Everything in the life of this
world is realistic and takes places
as the result of causes. For that
reason, some people think that
the time allotted to them in this
world will never end. The fact
that everything gradually decays
and that people grow old, even the
existence of death, do not make
them admit to that irrefutable fact.
They imagine that the life of this
world is absolute and are reluctant
to think about the Hereafter or
even to consider a life after death.
A sincere believer must know the
truth that no matter what befalls
him, it will be something in the
face of which he can exhibit moral
virtue and fortitude. No matter
what hardship befalls him, it will
be something he has the strength to
cope with and face with patience.
Believers never lose their joy
if there is a decrease in their
blessings, if they are sick or in the
face of some other affliction. On
the contrary, they regard troubles
as a gift. They have no need for
special reasons to be happy. For
them, faith itself is a source of joy
and gratitude. n
CHILDREN'S CORNER
Ginny’s Kitty Party
By Nigar Ataulla
Ginny was a little girl and lived
in a big town. She loved animals,
and wherever she went she would
look around for cats, squirrels and
birds and would stop to say hello
to them.
Ginny lived in a house with a
favourite tom-kitty, would crawl
up outside her bedroom window
on cold winter nights and meow,
hoping that he would be let in.
But Ginny could do nothing as the
grown-olds growled if she dared
ask them to let Ginger in. Often,
she quietly opened the fridge in
the middle of the night and kept
out a saucer of milk for Ginger on
the window pane.
Ginny secretly hoped that one day
all the cats of the area would come
into her house and have a big kitty
party! That day soon came as
Ginny’s dad went out of town for
a few days. “Wuppy!” squealed
Ginny as she and her toy Teds
set off to the baker’s to fetch
muffins, sandwiches, milk,
lots of cream, kitty biscuits
and kitty cakes. And, guess
why? Ginny and Teds had
planned a surprise kitty party
for all the neighbourhood cats!
Ginny’s other toys, Dundi, the
water-filler, Ronald, the baby
rubber, Shelly, the sea
shell, Tango, the baby
crocodile, Felicia and
big backyard and a little garden
in front. Every day, all the
neighbourhood cats would land
up outside her home when they
spotted her coming from school.
Ginny would serve them saucers
of creamy milk. Some cats lived
in houses next to Ginny’s, while
others were stray cats, who
wandered about homeless in the
streets.
Ginny loved them all very much,
and her dream was to have a little
house of her own when she grew
up, with a special room for cats,
where any cat could come and
stay, eat and sleep.
After Ginny’s mother went to
heaven, she stayed with her father
and sister. Both grown-olds (who,
if you know what I mean, are very
different from grown-ups) did
not know head or tail about paws
and claws. Ginny’s mother would
allow kitties to sit on the kitchen
table and watch her making
pancakes. But Ginny’s father
and sis did not allow the kitties
to even step inside the house.
Like all other grown-olds, they
thought they were always right
and claimed that the kitties would
mess up the house. Ginny dearly
loved the cats and was sad that the
kitties couldn’t any longer come
inside her house.
Sometimes,
Ginger,
Ginny’s
Fanny, a couple of silly mice,
jumped out of the toy cupboard
to help Ginny. They were really
excited—they had never seen a
Kitty party before. Felicia and
Fanny put up balloons inside the
dining room, and Dundi filled all
the kitty cups with creamy milk.
But how would the kitties know
about the kitty party? Tango, the
baby croc had a brilliant idea!
Ginny had a little bell, gifted
to her by her mom. Tango put
the bell around his neck and
crawled around the garden and
in the streets, tingling the bell,
announcing to all the kitties that
there was to be a party in the
afternoon in Ginny’s house just
for them.
Ginger was the first to come to
Ginny’s house. He was so excited
to enter the house for the first time
that he leapt into the larder and
curled up around the honey pot.
“Hmmm, so warm!” he meowed.
Ginny was thrilled to have Ginger
with her and gave him a hearty
hug.
In a few minutes, Triggy Tom,
the fat brown cat, rushed in.Just
as Ronald was laying out the
pink kitty cup cakes and scones,
through the window jumped
Glassy and Greeny, the two very
naughty street kitties.Suddenly,
there was a knock on the door.
Guess who it was! Prim ‘n Proper,
the Persian cat from the big house
down the road. She was dressed in
a white skirt with a pearl necklace
around her furry neck. She lived
with Dame Rich Witch, who
wanted everything in her house,
including her kitty, to be prim and
proper, and that is how the latter
had got her quaint name. The lady
had taught even her cat to knock
on doors before entering, which is
what she did that day!
Sharp at 12 noon, dressed neatly
in a suit and bow-tie, Purr-PurrPerfect, the big cat from the other
side of the road, walked in. He
taught “gazing at mouse holes”
in the neighborhood kitty school.
After having eaten the proverbial
hundred mice, he now planned to
do penance for his sins by sailing
to the Holy Pussy Waters, where
he would take a dip in the river
and vow never to eat a mouse
again! He jumped on the table,
blessed Ginny with his paw
and looked around and asked if
everyone was there.
“Wait, Satin, the
black
garbage
kitty
has
not
come,” meowed Glassy, who
was as gossipy as ever and kept
a careful eye on who did what.
Just then, through the chimney,
a black kitty covered completely
in coal, tumbled down, looking
very sheepish. That was Satin!
“Ohhhh, Satin, go take a bath,
you dirty little thing!” meowed
Glassy.
Satin had never taken a bath in her
life, so Ginny wiped her well and
powdered her and then she looked
fresh as a flower. She had never
before eaten from a plate, for she
would always jump into rubbishbins to hunt for fish bones and
leftovers. You can well imagine
how thrilled she was to see a plate
specially set on the table, along
with a giant bowl and a cup of
creamy milk, just for her!
When all the guests had arrived,
the kitty part began. Everyone
took their seats at the dining
table and then joined their paws
together and Teds said a little
prayer thanking the Lord for the
food they were about to eat. Then,
they began munching on the
delicious cakes, biscuits, cream,
milk and scones that Ginny had
so lovingly put together. Ginny
put on a delightful song to amuse
them. ‘Pussycat, Pussy cat Where
Had You Been?”, it rang out, and
after the kitties had eaten their
fill they all held paws and danced
to the same song, over and over
again. Never before had they
had such fun as at their first kitty
party!
The sun was setting and it was
time for the kitties to go home.
But Ginny told them that they
could sleep over if they wanted
to.
“Wuppymeowwwwww”
squealed all the kitties in delight.
They rushed together, as if in a
race, to take their places on the
warm sofas, beds and carpets that
Ginny had spread out for them.
28
Ginny made creamy coffee for all
of them, and after kneeling down
together, they thanked the Lord
for the wonderful party, after
which each one of the kitties gave
Ginny a little peck on her little
cheek to say how thankful they
were to her, too.
Ginny was the happiest little girl in
the world that day! And now she’s
waiting for another weekend kitty
party, when the grown-olds in her
house are out of town again! I do
hope that happens really soon,
don’t you? Wuppymeowwww! n
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
I – WORKSHOP IN SAUDI ARABIA
1. DATES: 22, 23, 24 JAN 15- IN JUBAIL
Booking and Info Contact:
1. Syed Waheed Lateef: 0505802367, E: [email protected]
2. Abdul Naseer: 0501234842, Email: [email protected]
3. Ateeq ur Rahman: 0507341835, Email: [email protected]
4. Mr Farooq: 0500084073, Email: [email protected]
2. DATES : 29, 30, 31 JAN 15- IN DAMMAM
ORGANISED BY WAMY, DAMMAM
Naser Shaikh : 0504149483 (sms or call) E: [email protected]
II – WORKSHOP IN SOUTH AFRICA
1. DATES: 20, 21, 22 FEB 15 - IN DURBAN
Organized By: Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI)
Booking and Info Contact: 031 306 0026/ 077 785 6751/
Email: [email protected]/ Mohd Khan: 0839828828
Email:[email protected]
2. DATES; 26, 27, 28 FEB 15 - IN CAPE TOWN
MR BILAL: 0833456292 (sms or call ), E: [email protected]
VENUE: EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS, KROMBOOM,
RONDEBOSCH EAST,
DYS- TRAIN THE TRAINERS WORKSHOP FOR MEN
AND WOMEN
3. DATES: 03 TO 09 MARCH 15- IN CAPE TOWN
Booking and Info Contact: :
Nafiesa Vandyk: (+27) 0744028062/021376175
4. DATES: 12 to 18th MARCH 15- IN PRETORIA
Booking and Info Contact: :Suliman Anwar
5.
DATES: 20, 21, 22 MARCH 15- IN JOBURG/ ROSHNI
Booking and Info Contact: :
SULIMAN ANVAR: 012 370 1069/086 6177021
A.W.SADATHULLAH KHAN: 0828156767
III – WORKSHOP IN DUBAI
1. DATES: 27, 28, 29 MARCH 15
Booking and Info Contact: Mr Hamid :0503387289/0561153948
MORE INFORMATION
VISIT: www.discoveryourself.in
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29
CHILDREN'S CORNER
Enhance Your
Your WordPower
WordPower
Enhance
Aviation and Airport
related Words
Airport: A place where aircraft
take off and land, usually equipped
with hard-surfaced landing strips,
a control tower, hangars,aircraft
maintenance
and
refueling
facilities, and accommodations
for passengers and cargo.
‫ ہواءی اڈہ‬،‫طیرانگاہ‬
taxiing to and from a runway
‫رن وے سے عمارت کا راستہ‬
kept in confinement or isolated in
an effort to prevent disease from
spreading.
Aerobridge is an enclosed,
movable connector which extends
from an airport terminal gate to
an airplane, allowing passengers
to board and disembark without
going outside.
‫قرنطینہ‬
‫ایرو برج‬
‫پائلٹ کی سیٹ‬
Hangar is a large workshop
Control Tower: A tower at an
airfield from which air traffic is
controlled by radio and radar
Cockpit: The space in the fuselage
of a small airplane containing seat
for pilot, co-pilot and sometimes
passengers.
‫کنٹرول ٹاور‬
Helipad: A place for helicopters
to land and take off
‫ہیلی پیڈ‬
Aerodrome: A landing area, esp
for private aircraft, that is usually
smaller than an airport.
‫چھوٹا ہواءی اڈہ‬
Aircraft: A device that can fly in
atmosphere carrying passengers
and goods. Remember plural of
aircraft is ‘aircraft’ only.
‫ ہواءی جہاز‬، ‫طیارہ‬
Airbase: Usually airports that
serve the military aircraft.
‫فوجی طیرانگاہ‬
Civil aviation: Category of flying
operations for civilian passengers.
The International Civil Aviation
sets up uniform standards for
operation of flights.
‫شہری ہوا بازی‬
Runway: A strip of hard surface,
mostly asphalted for landing
of aircraft. It is also known as
tarmac.
‫ ہواءی پٹی‬،‫رن وے‬
Terminal: A building in an airport
where travelers board and get off
airplanes
‫مسافرون کے لہے آخری پاءنٹ‬
Taxiway A usually paved strip at
an airport for use by aircraft in
or building for storing and
maintaining aircraft
‫طیارے کی قیام گاہ‬
Immigration: If you immigrate
to a country, you go to live in that
country permanently
‫ہجرت کرکے آنا‬
Emigration: If you emigrate,
you leave your own county and
go to live permanently in another
country.
‫ہجرت کرکے جآنا‬
Qurantine: A condition, period
of time, or place in which a
person, animal, plant, vehicle, or
amount of material suspectedof
carrying an infectious agent is
Customs: The procedure for
inspecting goods and baggage
entering a country.
‫کسٹمز‬
Boarding pass: A pass that
authorizes a passenger to board
an aircraft.
‫طیارے مین سوار ہونے کا اجازت نامہ‬
Travelator: A moving walkway on
airports (it can be on pavements
too) enabling passengers to move
from one place to another inside
terminals.
‫متحرک واک وے‬
30
My Best New Year Ever
By M. Praneeth
Everyone has their happiest
moments in life. One of my
happiest moments in my life
was this New Year 2015. This
New Year, I invited my
friends to my home.
All my friends gathered
at my house. We all
played and enjoyed
ourselves very much.
We had sumptuous
food prepared by my
mother. We all had
fun after the meal for
some time. Afterwards
we were very eager to
cut the New Year cake. But, at
the eleventh hour, my mother
changed the plan. My mother gave
us the best surprise we deserved.
She drove us to a school for
visually impaired girls. I and my
friend were not pleased with my
mother's action. We entered into
the school unhappily. But when
my mother started to interact with
the girls, I realized that the girls
were really so sweet. They sang
very melodious songs. We also
sang some songs for them. We
were very impressed with their
talents. We distributed chocolates
and candies to them. Some of
the children were so affectionate
that they were feeding us the
chocolates and candies which we
gave them. The next day we told
to each and every student in our
class about our 'NEW' New Year!
But, in the end, we were so elated
to see the visually impaired girls
very happy and affectionate.
Some of my friends and me,
decided to celebrate our birthdays
with them.
(M. Praneeth lives in Hyderabad
and is a 9th Standard Student in
BPDAP)
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