Single Color Pages Feb 2009

The Muslim World

Fiqh Academy to set guidelines for Fatwas

Makkah; An international conference to discuss problems related to randomly issuing fatwas was scheduled to be held last month, at the headquarters of the Muslim World League (MWL). “In view of the significance of fatwas in the lives of Muslims, the Fiqh Academy, a subsidiary of the Muslim World League, is organising a conference to determine the methods and terms and conditions that should govern fatwas,” said Abdullah Al-Turki, secretary-general of the MWL. AlTurki said religious scholars and researchers from all Muslim countries and communities were invited to the conference. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah, who is concerned about the light manner in which people appearing on television channels were issuing fatwas, is keen on convening the conference, Al-Turki added. “Some people make their fatwas on issues that they do not know in-depth and without due consideration for the Shariah requirements. Issuing a fatwa is a very serious matter as it involves making a decision on the basis of the law laid down by Allah and explained by the Prophet, ■ .(Pbuh) Al-Turki said

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

Call to expel Israeli diplomats

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Kuwait: A Kuwaiti Islamist MP called for moving Arab League headquarters from Cairo to Caracas after Venezuelan President Hugo Chaves expelled Israeli diplomats. An Israeli trade office in Qatar Israel’s ambassador because of its onslaught on .also remains open the Gaza Strip. “I call for moving the Arab League Tabtabai also criticized Egypt, which hosts the from Cairo to Caracas,” MP Waleed al-Tabtabai headquarters of the 22-member Arab League, for said during a special debate in parliament over the “refusing to open the Rafah” border crossing to Israeli offensive. Tabtabai said that Chavez “has allow the passage of food and medical supplies to proved that he was more Arab than some Arabs,” the battered Palestinian territory. He was echoed after he expelled the Israeli ambassador in protest by other MPs who also called for sending more aid against the Israeli offensive against the Palestinians to the Palestinians in Gaza. Shiite MP Ahmad Lari .in Gaza urged Kuwaitis to donate on month of their wages Chavez expelled Israel’s ambassador to Caracas to the people of Gaza. At least 1,000 Palestinians on January 6, 2009 and Israel retaliated a day have been killed and more than 4,500 other later, saying it was expelling Venezuela’s charge wounded, many of them civilians, in the Israeli d’affaires. Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania, the only ■ .offensive Arab countries to have diplomatic ties with the Jewish state, have ignored public calls to expel

Divorce rate jumps

Jeddah: The average number of monthly divorce cases in Saudi Arabia was 1,980 in 2008 against about 1,500 cases in 2007, the Ministry of Justice said in a statistical report published recently. According to the ministry, there were 24,428 divorces in 2008, which is an increase of 5,663 cases over the previous year’s 18,765. “The average monthly marriages was 9,480 in 2008 while the average .monthly divorces was 1,980,” the report said The report said 15,851 marriages were registered at the courts last year while 99,698 were registered by marriage officials. The ministry said Riyadh, with 7,085 cases, topped all Saudi cities in divorces while Makkah, with 5,749 cases, came second. Family medicine consultant Dr. Ahmed Abdul Moneim attributed the rise in divorce cases to a number of reasons, including the absence of religious values, low incomes, intervention of relatives in the personal lives of the married ■.couples and the adverse effect of satellite cable programming

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The Muslim World

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s letter to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin :Abdul Aziz, urging him to take a clear stance on the unfolding crisis in Gaza In the Name of God the Compassionate and the Merciful To the King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud ”Peace be unto you and so may the mercy of Allah and His blessings“ s you well know, in the past many days, the innocent and defenseless people of Gaza have been victimized by the savage and horrific attacks of uncivilized Zionists. While under full aerial, ground, and naval blockade they have had to .endure the heaviest bombardments and are going through the most difficult of times Women, children, the elderly and ordinary civilians are being slaughtered in their homeland. The scenes of cruelty and violence that are being played out in Gaza tear every free man’s .heart apart, and set it afire Aggressive powers that claim to be the upholders of democracy and human rights, have armed Zionist assassins to the teeth and have established this forged regime for the sole purpose of committing crimes, abuse, and occupation; not only do they support its actions but also use their .power over international organizations to buy this regime time to carry out such massacres Their actions are not far from expectation but it is unfortunate to see a number of Islamic and Arabic governments in the region condone this unprecedented genocide with their silence .and smiles of satisfaction These governments are waiting to see the heroic resistance of a defenseless nation, God forbid, .fall to the savagery and repression of the occupiers It is common knowledge that no future awaits the Zionist regime; its actions today show its .despair, as it clings to its existence in the region As all free men and nations have raised their voices in protest of the Zionist regime and the atrocities it is committing in Gaza, it is expected of you as the Saudi Arabian King and the Custodian of the Two Holy Places, i.e Makkah and Medina, to break your silence on the catastrophic events and the massacre taking place in Gaza and take a clear stance on the murder .of your children, who are dear to the Islamic Ummah I trust that your stance will shatter the remaining hopes of the corrupt powers of the world to .sow discord in the world of Islam I pray to God for the victory of free nations and the brave resistance in Gaza, and I look to .Him for the annihilation of oppressors such as the Zionist regime Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

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The Muslim World

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

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Allahu Akbar

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Globe Talk

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

”Muslims are the new “Coolies

By Mohammed Ayub Khan

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t was 1893 and a young Indian lawyer, dressed in an impeccable European dress, was travelling first class in a train from Durban to Pretoria in South Africa. All was well until the train reached Pietermaritzburg in the province of Natal. A European passenger had summoned the railway officials who ordered that the young

lawyer vacate the compartment since ‘coolies’ and non-whites were supposedly not allowed in first class compartments. When the lawyer protested he was pushed out of the train along with .his luggage The lawyer, who went on to attain fame as the apostle of nonviolence Mahatma Gandhi, was

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forced to stay in a cold waiting room. “It was winter,” he later wrote in his autobiography, and “the cold was extremely bitter. My over-coat was in my luggage, but I did not dare to ask for it lest I should be insulted again, so I ”.sat and shivered It was exactly how I felt when I was told by Air Canada officials in London’s Heathrow Airport that I won’t be allowed to board my flight to Toronto. I had flown in from Mumbai and was to connect to an Air Canada flight. Despite the fact that I arrived two hours ahead of departure the airline officials rudely told me that the flight has closed and that I might be able to fly in the next flight in another three hours. The reason being that because of my first and last names they will do a security check. All other passengers who came along with me on the flight were given their boarding passes in Mumbai itself and zipped .through to the aircraft I waited in an immensely crowded waiting area with stiff chairs, rude staff, and dirty washrooms. As the departure time neared for the next flight

I was told to board it at the last .moment When I finally, reached Toronto I was shocked to find that my luggage is missing. I was told that it will be delivered to me in the next few days. I prayed that it reaches me as it contained several research documents, rare photographs,

several books, and most of my clothes. The Air Canada call centre representatives in India said repeatedly that they are working on locating it and still haven’t found it. I do not understand why they can’t find when all checked bags have a computerised number tag on .them As I waited for my luggage I was reminded of Gandhi and his predicament 116 years ago. The Muslims are the new ‘coolies’ to be harassed and abused with impunity by one and all. There was only one difference. At least Gandhi had his luggage intact with him. I got my bag back after ■ .sixteen days of waiting

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Opinion

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

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Gujarat- Reality Today

. . . .t i s J a n u a r y 1 4 t h 2 0 0 9 Makarsakranti, the only feast of. the Indian calendar which is not What “Vibrant Gujarat” one is talking about? observed on a particular day of the Lunar month. It is generally believed that on this day, the sun enters the constellation The truth is that Gujarat as a State of Makar (crocodile) and begins to move is “Violent”, “Intolerant”, “Bluffing”, towards the north. In Gujarat , it is known as Uttarayan, the day on which thousands “Revengeful”, “Arrogant”, “Negligent” and of kites dot the skies in order to propitiate . ”“Terror-filled the Sun-God. The newspapers today (as By Fr. Cedric Prakash sj those of yesterday) are filled with stories of ‘Vibrant Gujarat’... of how the biggest industrialists of the country have critics of Gujarat fell into the trap, and One only has to skim through the daily “promised” to invest thousands of joined the chorus that “all is well”. Very newspapers to realize how violence has crores (millions of dollars !) in Gujarat few dare ask uncomfortable questions. .become a perfected art in the State . Overnight, the problems of the State Everybody knows the truth about who Intolerant :There is a sophistication seem to have been solved !! Some have is doing the “flag-waving !”. There are in the way intolerance has been decided that Gujarat can now take on voices who say that ‘ the “emperor” has mainstreamed. One can experience it in China and a couple of industrialists have no clothes on ! ‘, but at this moment, there the chaotic traffic on the roads. If one is even anointed the CM of the State as the are not too many listening. The plain truth a Muslim, one is denied the right to buy next Prime Minister of India ! Visitors is that the cosmetic has stifled the reality. a house or a shop in the up-market areas and dignitaries who came to Ahmedabad If one scratches the surface a little, the of Ahmedabad, Surat and other cities. were welcomed by posters and banners, bubble of euphoria will surely burst. Let’s One is forced to live on the periphery of by floodlights and illuminations, with . look into how “Vibrant”, is Gujarat many villages. The Freedom of Religion newly paved roads and a city which was Violent : For a State that should have Law prevents any one from embracing cosmetically spruced up for the “mother had ‘Ahimsa’ as its cornerstone, violence another religion, without permission from of all events” to flaunt what is termed has in fact become institutionalized. The the civil authority. Couples in love, are in Government propaganda, as “Vibrant State presided over the killing of hundreds forcibly prevented from marrying if the Gujarat”. The local (and some national) of Muslims during the Carnage of 2002. partner belongs to a different religion or media went “gaga”.....showcasing how Trigger-happy policemen have eliminated caste. Movies like “Parzania” and “Fanaa” Gujarat is more than India, how the “whole several Muslim youth in ‘encounters’. are not allowed to be screened in the world” had come to invest in this one (One high-ranking police officer is now State – one, because it exposes the Truth, State during the two-day affair know as in jail for such an ‘encounter’.) Innocent and the other, because the lead actor asks ‘Vibrant Gujarat Investors’ Summit’. The boys are killed in an ashram of a well that the tribals who were dispossessed Government and their cronies flag-waved known Guru, and, no one can do anything because of the Narmada Dam, to be justly all over.....it’s the Number One State in about it ! Young girls studying to be .rehabilitated the Country ! The hype put forward by teachers are raped in government hostels Bluffing :The art of lying seems to the well oiled propaganda machinery was by their teachers for the sake of better have taken a new meaning in Gujarat so compelling that even the most diehard grades. Female foeticide is rampant. . This is obvious when even a sheer

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Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is regarded as “ Mission accomplished !”. This bluff was called, when recently, under an RTI query, the Government of Gujarat admitted that just about 25% of the MoUs of the last three years were actually in the pipeline !! The waters of the Narmada Dam is being utilized by the rich and powerful of Ahmedabad. The parched lands of North Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch still harbour illusions of the water reaching them ! State Government advertisements highlight projects and programmes which are in fact undertaken and executed by the Central Government, like the expressway, the airport, the railway system and the 108 .ambulance service Revengeful :In Gujarat today, anyone standing up for Truth and Justice is at the receiving end. The Government pulls out all stops (to stop School Grants, to impound Passports) to ensure that voices of dissent are silenced. A few months ago, when the Times of India did an expose on the Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad, sedition charges were filed against some of those who ran the newspaper. Honest and objective police officials and bureaucrats are transferred to insignificant postings; Government agencies like the Collectorate, the Police, the Charity Commissioner are used to intimidate and harass individuals and groups that work for the betterment of the poor, the vulnerable and marginalized. Prominent citizens are kept under constant surveillance and many .live under the veil of fear Arrogant :A sense of arrogance seems Cont. on page 12

Editorial

Central Madrasa Board ?A Bitter or Better Pill

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ecently, there have been talks about the setting up of a Central Madrasa Board. There are both negative as well as possible positive aspects of this proposal, some benefits as well as some drawbacks. We will have to wait and see which is more. What is certain, however, is that the Board will have some very negative consequences. The Board would fund the madrasas that affiliate themselves to it, and obviously this would lead to interference by the state. The state would deal with these madrasas on its own terms. Such funding can be used to build and consolidate vote-banks and might lead to the politicization of madrasas, leading to competition for government patronage. This would negatively impact on the teachers’ passion for and commitment to their work. They will become more concerned with raise in their salaries and other such benefits, and would not hesitate to take to demonstrations and strikes for this end as in other educational institutions. It would further increase corruption. It would also lead to a situation like that which prevails in many madrasas affiliated to the Madrasa Board appointed by the Bihar government, where numerous teachers have never even seen the madrasas where they are supposed to be teaching. They sit at home and draw their salaries, like in .government-run schools Because the salaries of teachers and staff in the affiliated madrasas would be much higher than what is presently given in the independent madrasas, political links and personal contacts will become more important than capability, expertise and experience in staff appointments. The managers of the madrasas will then have to seek to please the ruling party to keep the funds flowing in. So, in all, the setting up of a Central Madrasa Board might seriously .impact in a very negative way on the madrasas Board-affiliated madrasas would give their teachers better salaries and service conditions. So, it is possible that teachers working in independent madrasas, whose salaries are very low, would seek to make a beeline for these madrasas. Till now they have been relying on God and leading a very simple lifestyle. But obviously the opportunity of earning a government salary would impact on the minds of several of them. So, two classes of ulema would emerge, and there would be a sort of conflict of interests between them. The teachers in the independent madrasas would feel that despite their better qualifications and experience and their greater commitment, they are paid much less than those in Board.affiliated madrasas Many madrasa teachers labour under the arbitrariness and whims of the managers of the madrasas. The Board, if it is established, would certainly lead to greater and more open articulation of this resentment. Teachers would be motivated to ask for higher salaries, threatening that if their demands were not granted they would shift .to Board-affiliated madrasas Many madrasa students may welcome the setting up of the Board if it enables the madrasas to get affiliated to various universities that would recognize their degrees. This is what the Sachar Committee Report also advises. This would create two streams within the madrasa system, one group of students would study in madrasas for a couple of years, say till the middle level and then would be able to join high schools and universities. Others, who want to spend their life serving the cause of the faith, can carry on with specialised religious education. Unlike the case now, only those students who have genuine interest in serving the faith as ulema, and have not taken to madrasa education out of economic compulsion, would .thereby go on for higher Islamic learning in the madrasas The Board can act as a bridge that can help reduce the hiatus that exists between the madrasa and the ‘modern’ systems of education. This role can be further promoted if the Board can select bright madrasa graduates and arrange for them to go in for short courses in English, Social Sciences and so on, so that they can thereafter join universities. For this, it can open a university of its own or else special departments in existing universities. So a Central Madrasa Board is like a bitter pill, may heal, but also has ■.its own side-effects

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

Letters

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Bouquets and Brickbats

Foot in Mouth

The opinion of Netherland’s Astrid Essad (Denial of Burial, Bouquets and Brickbats, IV Jan 2009) is exasperating. The decision of the Indian Muslim council is right, but the reasons given by them could have been substantial and more positive, absence of which will give credence to the theory which some people in India sermonize that “all terrorists are Muslims even though all Muslims are not terrorists”. Notwithstanding, the un-Islamic conduct of these terrorists, we do not even know if they were Muslims at all even in their belief. They could well be hired mercenaries of any religious belief and even atheists. At one time it was even suspected that they were of European origin. By asserting that the terrorists deserved a good Islamic burial, the Netherlander has put his foot in his mouth. He seems to be convinced that .they were indeed Muslims Dr A. Ahmed [email protected]

Brilliant Piece

I was very pleased to read ‘Manual for Social harmony for Muslims’ by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj in Islamic Voice, December 2008. It is a wake up call for all of us to follow and build bridges with others in the society. I only wish enough tolerance towards others is drilled in our mindset and a message of love and understanding is injected into us to change our attitude to learn to live in peace and harmony. !Congrats for the brilliant piece M. A. Khalid CEO, Karnataka Board of Wakfs, Bangalore

Excellent Manual for Harmony

The article by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj in Islamic Voice, December 2008, titled “Manual for Social Harmony” is very important and serves as guidance to Muslims to maintain cordial and pleasant relations with members of the society in general. Luckily we are following some of the things Mr Siraj has suggested. For example, on both Eids, we invite prominent citizens, politicians, local administrative officers to the Idgah, making suitable separate enclosure for them to sit. After prayers, we offer them snacks. On Diwali, Muslims greet them. We welcome the new government officers and pay adieu to the transferred officers. I will attempt to translate Mr Siraj’s article in Urdu to convey his valuable suggestions to people here in Jodhpur and around. Congratulations and a bouquet .of roses for Mr Siraj Kazi Mohammad Ayub Shehar Khateeb & Pesh Imam Shahi Ikminara Masjid, Jodhpur

A Real Holocaust

The UN’s Western members have been dealing with the situation in Gaza as a humanitarian crisis rather than an Israeli occupation. They deny Palestinians their right of self- defence and offer them, instead, humanitarian aid in return for their complete surrender to the Israeli occupation. The UN Security Council ignored the fact that the Israeli army is attacking Palestinian civilians within their own cities on Palestinian land. The Israeli army is a well equipped, well trained, and state sponsored murdering organisation. It is not fighting another army in Gaza. It is murdering virtually unarmed

civilians who do not possess any fighter planes, tanks or the most sophisticated weapons. This is not a war between two armies. This is mere murder and .a real holocaust created by none other than Israel Mohd. Salahuddin, Mumbai [email protected]

Bizarre Logic

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan’s article, “ Muslims have lost their Wisdom,” Islamic Voice, January 2009 made distasteful reading. I am at a loss to understand what kind of wisdom he was speaking about, a wisdom to allow the aliens to capture one’s country and accept such illegal occupation as the will of God? According to his logic, the Muslims in Afghanistan should have accepted the occupation of their country by the erstwhile Soviet Union as their fate. Likewise, the Palestinians should have accepted the occupation of their land by Israel as the decision of God! The Maulana should know that progress does not take place in a vacuum, progress is synonymous to economic and political liberation. What kind of toleration is he speaking about when the sons of soil live in refugee camps and the usurpers let loose all kinds of repression? It would have been wiser if the Maulana had given his sermon of non-violence to the ex-President of US, Bush. Then the political situation in the world .would have been different Md. Rashed, Kolkata

Government Schemes for NGOs

We introduce ourselves as NGO advisors. We are dedicated to the success of NGOs and their Financial, Technical and Material appeals. Our mission is to strengthen the resources of NGOs. For the past ten years, I have been conducting workshops and training in resource mobilization for the NGOs. As a result, hundreds of NGOs have .benefited through our services

The crucial role of Non-Governmental organisations in welfare and development has been well recognised by the Government of India and they offer various Financial Schemes for the NGOs from time to time. We have with us a Directory, first of its kind which covers ministrywise and issue wise schemes in all the sectors including the policies, guidelines, notifications, circulars & press releases, application forms, declarations, specimens, and hundreds of schemes .of Government of India This CD-ROM costs Rs. 350/- and is available -:and can be ordered from the address below Ed. Sheikh Gulzaar POB: 667 GPO Srinagar J&K 190001 Ph: 09858986794, E.mail: iirc@rediffmail.

Community Round Up

Leaders call for liberating Wakf Properties

New Delhi: The recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Wakf have stressed the need of freeing the Wakf properties from illegal occupations and utilizing their income for the welfare of the Muslim community. Delegates from 28 states and 6 union territories deliberated on the issues concerning the Wakf administration. The idea was to identify modalities for implementing the recommendations made by the joint parliamentary committee on Wakf. The committee has presented its IXth report on October 23 2008, in both Houses of Parliament. Inaugurating the conference attended by delegates from all over the country, vice- president of India, Hamid Ansari said that it is a matter of great concern for the community that a vast property of Wakf properties are lying useless or generating very little income. Minister for minority affairs, A. R Antulay suggested that if Waqf properties were freed from illegal occupation, the community would need no help from others. ■ )(Reported by Andalib Akhter

Urdu educational programmes on AIR

Hyderabad : The Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) will now offer distance education programmes for its students over state owned All India Radio (AIR). To start with, an half-an-hour long programme will be broadcast every Sunday at 5 p.m. by 31 AIR stations in seven states - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka , Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The programme was scheduled to go on air on ■.January 9, 2009 which is the foundation day of MANUU

New houses for Tsunami victims

New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu Relief Committee (TNRC), a service organisation of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, handed over 38 houses to the victims of Tsunami in the village of Kottaikuppam near Puducherry on January 3, 2009. TNRC has been doing relief and rehabilitation work in the state since Tsunami hit the Indian coastlines on December 26, 2004. Soon after the disaster, TNRC sprung into action and established 100 temporary shelters in Nagapattinam, which was the worst affected town in Tamil Nadu. It also provided Relief Kits comprising of rice, food grains, bucket, utensils, soaps, blankets, mattresses etc, to ■ .7000 families

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

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Darul Uloom Deoband tightens admission rules

New Delhi: Darul Uloom Deoband, has decided to tighten the admission rules in a bid to save its reputation and academic excellence. The decision areas of West Bengal and Assam will have has been taken following reports that students to produce attested copies of identification from some of madrasas which are under cloud of documents, which include transfer certificate of suspicion want to enter the renowned madrasa any government school, ration card or passport, for ulterior motives. The latest guidelines for at the time of admission. Other foreign students the admission proposes to make it mandatory wishing to get admission in Darul Uloom have to for every entrant to submit his identity proof, take education visa from Indian embassy in their including birth certificate, a copy of the ration country. Now Darul Uloom will not admit students card, details about family and certificate of on the basis of tourist visa. (Reported by Andalib conduct from the previous school or madrasa ■ )Akhter in case the candidate had enrolled himself in one. From now separate files for each student would also be maintained. More specifically those students who come from the border

UGC study confirms Muslims most backward educationally

New Delhi: After the Sachar Committee report which exposed backwardness of Muslims in India in every sphere of life including education, a The report, which examines socio-religious comprehensive study conducted by the University disparities in higher education enrollment for the Grants Commission (UGC) has now established first time in such detail, will form the basis of the the fact that the largest minority of the country 11th Five Year Plan strategy for higher education. has lagged far behind in higher education. The Among the religious communities, Sikhs are at Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in higher education No. 3 with 12.69% in GER, while Christians are is the highest for Christians at 19.85% followed ahead of all religious groups in overall enrolment by Hindus at 13.13% but the Muslims are at the .in higher education as well as at graduate level lowest – among religious communities – at just If we see rural-urban divide among the religious 7.7%, reveals the 293-page report titled “Higher communities in higher education, we find urban Education in India: Issues Related to Expansion, Christians and urban Hindus have registered about Inclusiveness, Quality and Finance.” The study a three-fold rise in GER, but this is not the case which began in the middle of 2006 took almost with Muslims. The total GER of urban Muslims is two years to complete and was made public in .10.49% and their rural counterparts are at 05.78% .November 2008 ■

PEOPLE

Lifetime Achievement Award for Zoologist Prof. Shameem Jairajpuri Guwahati: Renowned Zoologist, Prof. M. Shamim Jairajpuri of Aligarh Muslim University has been conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award in Zoology by the Zoological Society of India at the National Congress of Zoology held in Guwahati. Governor of Meghalaya, Moosaharry presented the award. This is for the first time that anyone has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Zoological Society of India. Moosaharry also presented him the eminent Indian Zoologist Gold Medal .together with the Lifetime Achievement Award

Academic Excellence Award for Prof Rashid Khan

New Delhi: Prof. Rashid M. Khan of Department of Anaesthesiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, AMU, Aligarh has been conferred upon the “Academic Excellence Award-2008” by the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists, Bhopal. The Award was conferred during the recently concluded 56th

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Community Round Up

.UGC to set up Maulana Azad Benches IGNOU to start Persian course

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New Delhi: The University Grants Comm-ission (UGC) has decided establish religious studies, secularism andtoco-education. Maulana Azad Benches Other research areas include Maulana Azad’s different univer-sities across contribution in the Indian Freedom struggle, .the country values and ethics”. Meanwhile, Indira Gandhi Chairperson of the National Open University (IGNOU) has UGC, Prof. Sukhdev decided to start a certificate course in Persian Thorat said, “The language in the current academic session with UGC has decided to the cooperation of Iran Cultural House, New establish Maulana Delhi. The Iranian embassy will conduct Azad Benches in interviewS for admission to the course. The six universities of course is designed to help students in acquiring the country. The in-depth knowledge of Iranian history, culture research in these ■ .and literature Benches would include subjects like journalism, literature, higher education,

Higher incidence of diphtheria among Muslims in Hyderabad

By Kashif-ul-Huda A study of diphtheria cases between 2003 and 2006 in the city of Hyderabad found that rate of the disease is higher among children of 5-19 years of age, women, and Muslims than other social groups. The study conducted by the National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai is published in the July 2008 issue of peer reviewed journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases. Published since 1995, journal Emerging Infectious Diseases is published by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .of the United States In 2005, 71% of the 4,161 Indian cases of diphtheria came from Andhra Pradesh. The study found that between 2003 and 2006 there were 2,685 patients admitted to Hyderabad hospitals for diphtheria cases. The fatality rate was low at 1.2% but the study saw increase in the rate of incidence over the years. Diptheria cases were lowest among infants, but increased with age and reached a maximum among children of 10-14 years of age.

The study found that 70% of 2,685 patients were Muslims. This was found to be 3 times higher than other communities. Incidence of diphtheria was higher in predominantly Muslim populated areas .of the city Diphtheria is a contagious disease affecting upper respiratory tract and nervous system. One reason for higher diphtheria rate among Muslims is lower coverage for later doses. Rate of coverage for non-Muslim and Muslim children under primary vaccination was same but it dropped significantly for the fourth and the fifth dose. Since children are getting the primary dose equally, it indicates that parents and community leaders are not opposed to the idea of vaccinations, but as children age, proper ■ )health care needs are not met. (Twocircles.net

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

Gujarat- Reality Today

Cont. from page 9 to have puffed up the chests of a few who try to control the lives and destinies of others. Such arrogance was very visible in the hey day of Nazism when Hitler brutally trampled on those who were “not like him”. Key people in the State roam about with immunity and impunity and are also elected to positions of power. The underlying message that is conveyed is that “no one can touch them”. One needs to look at the judgments that are given from the Lower Courts and the High Court of Gujarat, in order to experience the subjectivity .and partiality that has permeated the system Negligent :Large sections of society in Gujarat are totally neglected. Systematic efforts are made to snatch the forests from the hands of the adivasis. A recent study says that more than thirtyfive thousand families will be displaced from the banks of the River Sabarmati because of the Sabarmati River Front Development Project. Development- induced displacement is also the lot of several poor and marginalized farmers and others. Fisher-folk along Gujarat ‘s vast coastline, continue to be marginalized. Dalits are at the receiving end and many of them continue to live in inhuman conditions. The status of women in Gujarat is way down in comparison to several other States of the country. Children are denied their rights: a large percentage of them constitute the labour force; the textbooks dished out by the Gujarat State Secondary School Board is a clear violation of the rights of children – full of errors, inaccuracies, myths and distortions; only about 59.6% of the rural children of Gujarat can .read Std. I text as against the All-India average of 66.6% The Constitutional rights and freedoms of an ordinary citizen are not safeguarded. In fact, in several cases, when a victim approaches the system for help, he / she is made the perpetrator of the crime ! The diversity which has been characteristic of this State, has been totally decimated as communities are forced into ghettoization. There is palpable fear all over. What “Vibrant Gujarat “ then, does one talk about ? The truth is that Gujarat as a State is “Violent”, “Intolerant”, “Bluffing”, “Revengeful”, “Arrogant”, “Negligent” and “Terror-filled” . Let’s not live in lies, half-truths and illusions. ■ .Gujarat , wake up, before it is too late Fr. Cedric Prakash sj is the Director of “Prashant”, the( Ahmedabad-based Jesuit Centre for Human Rights, Justice and

Bricks of Harmony

Patna : Muslims have joined hands with Hindus to lay the foundation of a new temple, dedicated to .the sun god, in a Bihar town with the construction of temple, said. According The two communities got together to lay the to police officials in Kurtha, Hindus, along with foundation of a temple at Manikpur Bazar in Muslims from surrounding villages, presented a Kurtha in Arwal district, about 80 km from the show of harmony when each of them donated a state capital. “Like Hindus, Muslims also brought ■.brick for construction of the temple a brick from their houses to lay the foundation for the new temple,” Sudama Yadav, who is associated

Associating Islam with terrorism wrong: Dalai Lama

New Delhi: The perception created by media that Islam is associated with violence and terrorism is totally wrong, said Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama at the World Religions Congress held at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi on January 17. In his keynote address at the three-day global congress on World’s Religions after September 11: An Asian Perspective, Dalai Lama said that people irrespective of their faiths are doing irreligious things as soon as they are out of their places of worship. They try to show themselves as sincere followers of their religion when they are in temple, church, mosque or synagogue, he said. The three-day Congress has been organised by the Centre for the Study of Comparative Religions and Civilisations, Jamia Millia Islmia and the Faculty of ■.Religious Studies, McGill University, Canada

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Community Round Up

Centre revives plan to establish Madarsa Board

New Delhi: The UPA government at the centre has revived its plan to establish a Central Madrasa Board to regulate education in madrasas. The proposal was dumped two years ago amidst opposition from Muslim groups. The madrasa chiefs feared that the government would interfere in the functioning of madrasas through such a Board. According to reliable sources in the ministry of human resource development, a cabinet note for a Central Board for Madrasa Education has already been drafted. The note clearly specifies that affiliation to the Board will be voluntary. It also made it clear that the proposed Board is aimed to standardise the Madrasa system of education. However top ministry officials are still in the process of screening the note and having consultations with madrasa chiefs in several states. The National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions has also recommended setting up of a Central Madarsa Board through an Act of ■ )Parliament. (Reported by Andalib Akhter

Acquitted youth unite for justice

New Delhi: Over 200 Muslim youth who were acquitted of terror charges in different states have united to seek justice from the government. These “tainted” youths will jointly place their demand to the government to rehabilitate them with jobs or fund their studies. They also want severe punishment for the police and other officials responsible for the arrests and the media leaks. These youth have not only lost their prestige, but also their jobs and careers after being wrongly held as terror suspects. The youth from Delhi , Mumbai, Hyderabad , Calcutta and Azamgarh, have been acquitted, and the rest freed on bail, after months of detention and interrogation and alleged torture.Talha Amir was picked up from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, by the Maharashtra anti-terrorist squad last month on suspicion of being a conduit between the Indian Mujahideen and the Lashkare-Toiba. He was also accused of involvement in the Delhi blasts and the Mumbai attacks. When he got bail two weeks later, after the police failed to find any evidence against him, he had lost his IT job in Hyderabad . The Uttar Pradesh Ulema Council and the Muslim Political Council ((MPC) are backing the proposed rally. “The government must rehabilitate the youth who have been acquitted of terror charges in Hyderabad and other parts of the country because their detention has destroyed their career,” said a member of the Muslim Political Council.

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ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

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Two Muslim women are winners for West Bengal Assembly

By Andalib Akhter New Delhi/Kolkata: Contrary to the perception that Muslims, particularly the women from the community live in cocooned traditions, two women of West Bengal, .have proved otherwise The women not only jumped into politics, but also won the recently held by.polls by huge margins An early school drop-out, Feroza Bibi, 60, has not only won the well-known Nandigram Assembly seat, but also the hearts of thousands of locals who see her as .their messiah Feroza Bibi of Trinamool Congress defeated her closest rival, Paramananda Bharati of the CPI by a margin of nearly 40,000 votes. Trinamool chief, Mamata Banerjee described Feroza’s victory‘ as a ”.“sign of change About 170 km southeast of Kolkata, at the confluence of the Hooghly and the Haldi, Nandigram occupies a place in the Indian political lexicon

as the symbol of political violence and the pan-India debate on using farmland .for industry Since 2007, Nandigram remains the theatre of political violence when the government tried to acquire farmland for a chemical hub that it ultimately had to shift .from the area Feroza Bibi, despite losing her son Sheikh Imdadul alias Raja in the battle with police to protect the farmland, continued her struggle against the state govern.ment Feroza Bibi, a member

of the Bhoomi Ucched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC), which had led the Nandigram struggle was seen during the election campaign as the “good woman from Sonachura” (which witnessed some of the fiercest CPM-Trinamul clashes over two years), who lost a teenage son to .police bullets The poor woman, a mother of three, had seen her youngest son Raja being killed on March 14, .2007 Vo t e r s w e r e n o t bothered about her CV while casting their votes in her favour, however

when somebody asked as to how she will present Nandigram and its need for development in the Assembly, Feroza shot back: “My people have brought me this far. I am sure they will teach me the things to do in such a big ”.)place (the Assembly Another young Muslim woman, Mausam Noor has also reached the state assemble by trouncing her rival, CPM’s Haji Ketabuddin, by over 21,000 votes. Niece of late veteran Congress leader, A.B.A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury, Mausam Noor, retained family bastion Sujapur, in Malda district. Her mother Ruby Noor, who passed away was the previous Congress MLA. Mausam is a social worker and ■.lawyer in Kolkata

Railways examination in Urdu

New Delhi/Patna: Minister for Railways Lalu Prasad Yadav seems to be implementing his promises to minorities, particularly the Urdu loving people. The latest example Madrasas to participate in the examination. The script of of his promise is to conduct Railways competitive the question was not only in Urdu, but the questions were examination in Urdu. Recently Railways conducted group also asked in pure and simple Urdu. It may be recalled D examination in which questions were asked in Urdu, that Lalu Prasad while presenting the Railway Budget much to the pleasure of Urdu students. The competitive for 2008-09 in the Lok Sabha said that instructions have test was conducted in Patna in which hundreds of been issued to permit Urdu as a medium of examination candidates from Bihar,, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, for Group ‘D’ posts in states where Urdu is the second Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh participated. Candidates ■ .official language for the first time saw questions in Urdu apart from Hindi and English. This initiative helped several students from

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Mayhem in Mumbai

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

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Muslim Perespectives

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

Struggling to Survive: Muslims in Slums

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There are many Muslim- managed educational schools in Mumbai, but their access to slums dwellers is negligible. Most of them cater to the middle and upper .middle class DOORSTEP SCHOOL

By M. Hanif Lakdawala

F

ifty three per cent of the Muslim population of Mumbai lives in just 19 per cent of its land area — an alarmingly disproportionate figure by any standards and enough to give the community .leadership sleepless nights Much is written on the inhuman living conditions in slums and their role in breeding crime and disease. Contrary to popular belief, slums are highly structured and regulated spaces. They arise in particular places at particular times and so are very context-specific. Migrants to the city choose to live in particular slums on the basis of a host of factors such as proximity to the workplace and the demographic .composition of the slum The poor have to redefine their survival strategies, in such a way that each member of the household, including children, has to contribute either through direct participation in the labour market or through helping in the house as a caretaker. Children,

working in restaurants, garages or small factories, not only are extra hands, but enable adult labour to seek employment away .from the villages Migrating to towns and cities becomes an important component of this survival strategy where children are employed in carpet factories, brick kilns, lock-and-toy making units, the sports goods industry and other enterprises in the unorganised sector. The everincreasing numbers of old and young migrant workers living in the slums and shanty towns in cities constitute the low-wage, low-skill labour for the small and .medium enterprises Those who ask for help; most often they get the help, but those who deserve help, but because of self respect do not ask for help and they remain impoverished and suffer. There is a substantial Muslim upper middle class and elite class who do contribute Zakat. But the issue is why there is no discernible

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change in the conditions of the deprived section? Why zakat and donations by Muslims does not ?reach them There are many issues which can be solved with some focus from the community without huge investment. Muslim intelligentsia is too pre-occupied with decorative issues such as discrimination, political empowerment, higher education etc, totally neglecting the issues of the most deprived section of .the community The pressing issue is not political empowerment of Muslims, but the high percentage of illiteracy amongst Muslims. There are many Muslim- managed educational schools in Mumbai, but their access to slums dwellers is negligible. Most of them cater to the middle and upper .middle class There is no creativity to tackle the task of illiteracy. Poorer sections of the community neither can afford school expenses nor find them useful, especially when the family is under-nourished and underclothed. In some instances, children from disadvantaged class and poor backgrounds might stay enrolled in a school to avail themselves of mid-day meal schemes or other such .incentives The community can learn from the experiments such as doorstep schools, i.e. schoolon-wheels. These door-step schools or a classroom in a bus enables us to reach entire communities of children outside the system: street kids,

children of poor construction workers, seasonal migrants, and other representatives of the unorganised sectors with no permanent address. They are also human, they are also part of our community, and how can ?we forget them How the concept of doorstep schools work? The bus, parks in a regular slot every day while the staff caters to the schooling needs of local children. If there is a municipal school nearby, they help .children enroll in it Alternatively, social workers look for a site where permanent arrangements can be made for a door-step school in the area, sometimes in an existing Balwadi or in a space donated by a kind resident. After setting up the school, the bus .moves on to a new area Normally, a tin shed is erected at the site so that the kids do not have to travel long distances, then volunteers inform the parents about the school. Most of the time the parents are ready. If there is a small sibling because of which the child is not able to attend school, the door step school provides childcare ..facilities for them The door step school can cover most of the construction sites or slum pockets in the city and admits children as young as three. It also provides books and basic stationery. Door Step School provides the kids with a platform and gives them a good foundation to prepare them for a municipal school. If need be, it even provides transportation to children to reach a nearby

.municipal school The idea is not do to be a parallel school, but the objective is that kids under any circumstances should not miss school. The teachers of Door Step School are educated at least up to Class 10 and are trained according to the needs of the school. The children are taught basic subjects like mathematics, science, social studies in the .Marathi medium Says Rashida Anwar , coordinator, Door Step School , Study Centre: “We have a different kind of classroom. In one class itself, children of different age groups sit there are some kids who have never attended school at all. It takes a while to get them into a ”.discipline Doorstep School has also created ‘parallel’ schools for drop-outs, like adolescent girls who do domestic work during the day, whose needs remain unmet. They attend evening classes taught in each lane of the slums between 7 and 9 p.m. Once a Doorstep School ‘graduate’ is enrolled in a government-funded school, the organisations could follow up and conduct study classes to guide the children through the formal school ■ .system

Clippings from Urdu Media

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

Communalism and terrorism are inextricably“ ”interlinked

Maulana… Abdul Khaliq Madrasi

The Dar ul-Uloom at Deoband, which played a leading role in the struggle for India’s freedom from the British, has, in recent years, been targeted by certain forces that have sought to link it with terrorism. In this regard, Shahid Zaidi, correspondent for the Urdu Alami Sahara, recently interviewed Maulana Abdul Khaliq Madrasi, the Deputy Rector of the Dar ulUloom, to elicit his reactions. It appeared in the 17th January, 2009 issue of the paper. Below are excerpts of the interview, translated from Urdu by Yoginder

.Sikand

Q: For some years now, charges have been levelled against the Dar ul-Uloom Deoband of being allegedly associated with terrorism. ?Why is this so A: This requires a detailed explanation, but I will be brief. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the West, principally America, required an enemy to sustain itself, and this it conjured up in the form of Islam. In this project, the Jewish lobby had a key and leading role to play. Following the attacks of 9/11, the Western powers invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, and, at the same time, also launched a sustained attack against Islam itself. Hence began a well-planned conspiracy to defame Islamic institutions and to seek to link Islam and Muslims with terrorism. In such a situation, how could one expect that the anti-Islamic forces would not make the Dar ul-Uloom an object of their attack? However, not only has the Dar ul-Uloom effectively rebutted this malicious and false propaganda against it, but it has also unleashed a jihad against terrorism. And, besides tearing off the veil behind which American global terrorism masquerades, it has also sought to expose the growing terrorism within India itself, and this struggle .continues Q: But why is it that within India some forces are seeking to present a very negative image of the Dar ul-Uloom ?Deoband A: This is not limited just to the Dar ul-Uloom Deoband. Islam and Muslims themselves are being sought to be projected in the same light. Behind this, too, is the hand of Israel and

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America, who are being helped by the Sangh Parivar in India. I believe that this game started ever since our country’s relations with America and Israel became increasingly close. Muslim intellectuals, ulema and also the leaders of the Dar ul-Uloom Deoband have consistently been stressing the point that this unholy and dangerous game of terrorism is being jointly played by the Israeli secret service agency Mossad, the American intelligence agencies and the Sangh Parivar, acting together, who have sought to place the blame for this squarely on the Dar ul-Uloom and on Muslims in general. This is clearly evident from the terror links of some people associated with the Sangh Parivar that were unearthed by the chief of the Mumbai AntiTerror Squad, the late Hemant Karkare, a brave officer who was .recently martyred Q: The report of the Second Administrative Commission, headed by Veerappa Moily that was commissioned by the present UPA Government, has, in its section on countering terrorism, claimed that the chief of the Jaish-e- Mohammad, Masood Azhar, paid a secret visit to India in 1996, where he met with leaders of the Dar ul-Uloom at Deoband. On the basis of this report, Vinay Katiyar, a senior BJP leader, has accused the Dar ul-Uloom of harbouring terrorists. What ?do you have to say about this A: If it is true that the report of the Commission has said this, it must present whatever proof or evidence that it has to substantiate the claim. The allegation that Vinay Katiyar has leveled against the Dar ul-Uloom, based on the report, is serious, and it is the duty of the Government to establish its veracity or otherwise. We have earlier also firmly rebutted

allegations leveled by Katiyar and Praveen Togadia. Even the rector of the Dar ul-Uloom, Maulana Marghub ur-Rahman, has done so, and has said that the Government must respond to and answer the specific reference that Katiyar has made with regard to the Moily Commission Report, and that the Government must take notice of Katiyar’s false and .baseless allegation Q: But why has the Dar ul-Uloom not taken any legal action against people like ?Vinay Katiyar A: All major decisions of the Dar ul-Uloom are taken on the basis of collective consultation (shura). As far as I know, the shura committee of the Dar ulUloom has not deliberated on this issue. We also believe that, in contrast to the communal forces, the secular and fairminded people of our country do not believe in these false allegations. The elders of the Dar ul-Uloom have very forcefully rebutted these hollow charges. This is for the first time that communal forces have made a reference like this to the report of a Government-appointed Commission as a basis, and that is why the Dar ul-Uloom has been demanding that the Government should make the truth about the report public, otherwise it would stain the .Government’s image As far as Masood Azhar is concerned, he was never a student of the Dar ul-Uloom. He was released from jail by the NDA government. Top BJP leader and the then Foreign Minister, Jaswant Singh, arranged for him to be sent to Afghanistan, and Singh claimed that this was backed by the then Home Minister, Lal Krishan Advani, and on the instructions of the .then NDA Cabinet Q : O n 1 9 D e c e m b e r, 2008, Pakistan’s Permanent

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Representative to the UN Security Council, Abdullah Hus ain Haroon, made a statement claiming that only the Dar ul-Uloom Deoband, can reign in the terrorists active in the tribal areas of North-West Pakistan because these terrorists are associated with the Deobandi school of thought. What do you have to ?say about this A: The Dar ul-Uloom strongly condemned this statement of the Pakistani Representative and demanded that Pakistan should question him and make him withdraw what he had said. This statement is also a reflection of the Pakistani Government’s consternation in the wake of the pressure that is mounting on it in the wake of the Mumbai attacks. It has tried to wriggle out of this by wrongly seeking to blame the Dar ul-Uloom, but in this has been unsuccessful. At the same time [through this wrong allegation], it has tried to mislead international opinion to believe [its claim] that it is India that is responsible for this terrorism. However, the benefit of this baseless allegation was reaped not by Pakistan but by the Sangh Parivar. Further, behind this fallacious claim of the Pakistani Representative is the long-standing resentment that Pakistan nurtures because of [the Dar ul-Uloom’s] opposition to the creation of Pakistan and .’the ‘two nation theory Q: Do you have any other message for readers of this ?interview A : Te r r o r i s m a n d communalism, I wish to tell them, are grave threats to the prosperity and peace of our country and to harmonious, brotherly relations among the different communities. We must

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Muslim & Education

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

Training Centre for Madrasa Teachers

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The Centre for the Professional Development of Urdu-Medium Teachers at the HyderabadUrdu-Medium Teachers at the Hyderabad- for heads and teachers of Urdu-medium based Maulana based Maulana Azad National Urdu schools. More than 400 teachers from University (MANUU) assumes particular madrasas in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Azad National Urdu importance. Established two years ago, Maharashtra and Kerala have participated University has and funded by the University Grants in these workshops, where they have Commission, the Centre has been working been exposed to such issues as modern been working to with heads and teachers of Urdu-medium teaching methods and teaching aids, promote reforms in madrasas in southern India to seek to inter-personal skills, students’ psychology, reforms in teaching methods in institutional organization and management teaching methods in promote madrasas as well as to help broaden the and the need for expanding the scope of .scope of traditional madrasa education .madrasas madrasa education to take into account By Yoginder Sikand o reliable estimates are available of the number of madrasas in India and of their teachers and students. India probably has the largest number of traditional madrasas in the world, employing literally tens of thousands of teachers and with many times that number of students on their rolls. Despite this, no modern facilities exist anywhere in the country for training madrasa teachers. Most madrasa teachers simply enter madrasas after finishing a lengthy course in a madrasa that takes several years. Bereft of any sort of skilled training, many madrasa teachers, so the complaint is often heard, are not well equipped to deal with students or to introduce badly needed reforms in the curriculum and pedagogy of traditional madrasa education. This is one of the major reasons for what, besides others, even many clerics or ulema who run the madrasas themselves readily admit is the overall stagnation of India ’s traditional .madrasa system It is in this context that the work of the Centre for the Professional Development of

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Says Dr. Mazheruddin Farooqui, noted educationist and Urdu scholar who heads the Centre, ‘We don’t want to impose anything on the ulema of the madrasas from without. Change has to come from within. For this, it is crucial that we dialogue with them, and this is what we are trying to do. Madrasas must reform, but only with the consent of the ulema and in such a way as to enable madrasas to better fulfill their basic purpose of promoting good and effective religious ’.and community leaders Working with the ulema of the madrasas has not been easy. ‘Initially, many of the ulema we approached to come to our programmes were reluctant and suspicious,’ relates Farooqui. ‘They felt that the government wants to interfere in the madrasas in the name of reforming them. It was with considerable difficulty that we managed to convince them that our Centre has no such intentions and that we only want to help improve their teachers’ skills.’ ‘And now’, he adds, ‘the response ’.is quite enthusiastic So far, the Centre has organized eight madrasa teachers’ orientation workshops, in addition to eight others

.contemporary needs and challenges Farooqui and his team of four have major plans for the Centre with regard to the madrasas. These include preparing, with the help of madrasa authorities, textbooks on new teaching methods for madrasa teachers, commissioning in-depth studies about madrasas and their problems, and conducting long-term orientation programmes, up to a month’s duration, for madrasa teachers. The University Grants Commission has provided a generous grant to the Centre to build a hostel which will be used by madrasa teachers attending these .programmes Farooqui tells me excitedly about the proposal that his Centre has just submitted to launch a one-year diploma course in teaching, especially for madrasa teachers. This would be the first such initiative in the country. In order to make it easily accessible to madrasa students, most of whom come from poor family backgrounds, the fees have been kept nominal—a mere three hundred rupees for .the entire programme We have structured the course in‘ such a way as to provide students with an basic understanding of crucial issues

subjects that they would need as would-be teachers, but which they get little exposure to in the madrasas’, Farooqui says. These subjects include the history of the development of madrasas in India , their role in promoting knowledge of Urdu, the interface between madrasas and the wider society and important facets of Indian society, besides more technical aspects of modern pedagogy and relations between ■ .students and teachers

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Interview

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

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Muslims must get out of this sense of victimization…” Ajit Sahi“

Q: You have been associated with the media for several years now. How do you see the way in which the socalled ‘mainstream’ Indian media responds to or projects Muslims and Islam, particularly in the context of the recent spate of bomb attacks, in which the media, despite the absence of evidence, has blamed Muslims and ?Muslim organizations for A: I think the media does not want to recognize or admit it, but it sees these issues from basically a Hindu, or at least a non-Muslim, point of view. I tell my media friends that if they were Muslims they would not believe any of this media propaganda about Indian Muslims taking to terrorism, or at least would be greatly suspicious of these claims, because these claims are largely dubious and false. Their typical answer is, ‘No, we are secular, liberal and progressive. We are not communal’. But I do not agree, of course. I think the way they respond necessarily indicates that they are influenced by their not being Muslim. A hidden anti-Muslim bias pervades the media, although media persons who like to call themselves secular and liberal would hate to admit this. This is reflected, for instance, in the fact that in most cases of Muslims arrested on grounds of terrorism, all that we have are ‘confessions’ before the police, which are not admissible as evidence before courts, because obviously such ‘confessions’ are often false and procured after brutal torture. But the media simply projects these statements as supposed evidence, and then weaves this picture of Muslims .as terrorists At the same time, there is a distinct lack of willingness in large sections of the media to recognize the very obvious and very deadly fact of terrorism being engaged in by people linked to the Hindutva camp. Thus, for instance, there is huge evidence against Narendra Modi of being responsible for the massacre of Muslims in 2002, and if it was somewhere else in the world Modi would have been tried as a criminal, and would probably have been sentenced to death or a hundred years in prison. (For the record, I am opposed to capital punishment.) I mean, he should be tried under international criminal law and charged with ‘ethnic cleansing’, but, of course, our supine, so-called ‘mainstream’ media is not demanding this. You really can’t expect anything else from India’s weak-kneed so-called intellectuals. They do not have the guts to correctly describe Hindutva as it really is—as fascism, in the same league .as Nazism Q: How do you explain what you have referred to as the deep and pervasive anti-Muslim bias in large ?sections of the Indian media A: One reason for this, of course, is that there are very few Muslims in the so-

A

jit Sahi is an investigative reporter with t h e N e w D e l h i - b a s e d Te h e l k a magazine. He recently published several startling reports clearly indicating that scores of innocent Muslims, including some former members or associates of the banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), across the country have been falsely implicated by the police, intelligence agencies and the media as being behind various terror attacks. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand, he talks about how influential sections of the Indian media are playing a major role in .demonizing Muslims today

called ‘mainstream’ media, even in those newspapers, magazines and TV channels that see themselves as ‘progressive’ or ‘liberal’. Now, some might say that this is because there are relatively very few welleducated or well-qualified Muslims, but I don’t buy that argument. Surely, if you have a staff of a hundred people it should not be difficult to find twelve or fourteen educated Muslims to employ to reflect the proportion of Muslims in the Indian population. But I would be surprised if any of the so-called ‘mainstream’ papers have even half that proportion of Muslims .among their staff The argument is also often made that ensuring a proper representation of the Muslims or the marginalized castes; the Dalits and the Adivasis, in the media would impact on the media’s quality or merit. I think this cry about merit is the biggest hoax. After all, we all know that appointments in government services and even so often in the private sector are often not made on the basis of any sort of merit at all. Give me another story! I’d rather believe that the British are going to come back to rule India than swallow the claim that appointments are always made on the .basis of merit Q: How do you think this sort of portrayal of Muslims in the media can ?be countered A: The media is a reflection of the middle class of any country. It is the middle class that inhabits the media. So, unless the dominant views in a middle class change, the media cannot change substantially. People have to be sensitized to realities, but this is not what the media is really doing. This can only happen when there is a fair representation of all social groups, including religious

communities and castes, in the media. But, like India’s bureaucracy and the judiciary, the Indian media has a very heavy overrepresentation of ‘upper’ caste Hindus, who are otherwise a numerical minority .in our society The Indian news media has become even more blatantly communal and antiMuslim in recent decades. A turning point came when LK Advani became Minister for Information and Broadcasting in the Janata Party Government under Morarji Desai in 1977. That gave a tremendous boost to the RSS, which started pushing in large numbers of hardcore RSS-walas into various newspapers. Before that, the Hindutva ideology was considered so demeaning that people would not even discuss it in their drawing rooms. It was considered a pathetic contrast to the uplifting moral ideology of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, which aimed at healing our society and nation.building Q: In which way does nationalist jingoism feed into anti-Muslim ?biases A: I think there is a very clear and direct relationship between the two. The sort of nationalism that is being projected by the Hindutva lobby is fiercely antiMuslim. It is premised on a Brahminical worldview. It projects Muslims, but also all non-Hindus and those Hindus who do not agree to its ideology, as ‘antinational’. The Hindutva groups say they are willing to accept Muslims so long as they don’t “look Westward”. This is a cunning strategy aimed at forever stoking the flames of divisiveness. For what is a Muslim worth if he doesn’t look westward, toward Makkah? Isn’t it bizarre to argue that capitalism is good to globalize but

?Islam must only localize Also, the Hindutva lobby is obsessed with military power and the desperate lust for India to be recognized as a ‘super-power’. But the irony of the thing is that while it brands Muslims as ‘anti-national’, there are an overwhelming number of middle-class Hindu families in this country whose sons and daughters have gone, or who want to go, to settle in the US and thereby turn their backs to India. Strange as it may seem, NRI Hindus are one of the fiercest backers of Hindutva lobby that pushes son-ofthe-soil nationalism. I think that it is these people who have abandoned India for the American life that are pathetically anti-national. Why shouldn’t they be first asked to show their patriotism toward India by returning to the motherland? I mean, how do you turn your back on your parents, on the land of your birth, its mountains, the air and the rivers of the country that nurtured you, and defect to America, a country founded on genocide and still practicing it on a global scale, and ?yet be not considered anti-national Q: What do you think Muslim organizations should do to counter the demonization of the community in the ?media A: To expect that the media, the courts, the police and the politicians would deliver on their own is futile. For this, one has to build public pressure. Muslim organizations and ordinary Muslims must get out of this sense of victimization in which they are trapped. I can empathise with them, given the concerted assaults on their lives and liberties. But they alone can bring themselves out of it. They have to mobilize their community and battle, without doubt in a non-violent way, for their civil rights as Indians. What can they do? Well, if a hundred Muslims were to arrive in a courtroom when an innocent Muslim, falsely accused of being a terrorist, is brought before the magistrate, there would be immense pressure on that magistrate to record the statement of the accused instead of leaning the way of the police and sending him back with the police, to be tortured more. need to dread the evil state and the public bias that our Muslim brothers face. (Ajit Sahi can be reached ■ )at: [email protected]

Issues

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

U n d e r m i n i n gGaza Noted linguist, author, and foreign policy expert. Noam Chomsky speaks to Sameer Dossani about the conflict between Israel and .Gaza

Dossani: The Israeli government and many Israeli and U.S. officials claim that the current assault on Gaza is to put an end to the flow of Qassam rockets from Gaza into Israel. But many observers claim that if that were really the case, Israel would have made much more of an effort to renew the ceasefire agreement that expired in December, which had all but stopped the rocket fire. In your opinion, what are the real motivations behind the current ?Israeli action Chomsky: There’s a theme that goes way back to the origins of Zionism. And it’s a very rational theme: “Let’s delay negotiations and diplomacy as long as possible, and meanwhile we’ll ‘build facts on the ground.’” So Israel will create the basis for what some eventual agreement will ratify, but the more they create, the more they construct, the better the agreement will be for their purposes. Those purposes are essentially to take over everything of value in the former Palestine and to undermine what’s left of the indigenous population. I think one of the reasons for popular support for this in the United States is that it resonates very well with American history. How did the United States get established? The themes are similar. There are many examples of this theme being played out throughout Israel’s history, and the current situation is another case. They have a very clear program. Rational hawks like Ariel Sharon realized that it’s crazy to keep 8,000 settlers using one-third of the land and much of the scarce supplies in Gaza, protected by a large part of the Israeli army while the rest of the society around them is just rotting. So it’s best to take them out and send them to the West Bank. That’s the place that they really care about and want. What was called a “disengagement” in September 2005 was actually

a transfer. They were perfectly frank and open about it. In fact, they extended settlement building programs in the West Bank at the very same time that they were withdrawing a few thousand people from Gaza. So Gaza should be turned into a cage, a prison basically, with Israel attacking it at will, and meanwhile in the West Bank we’ll take what we want. There was nothing secret about it. Ehud Olmert was in the United States in May 2006 a couple of months after the withdrawal. He simply announced to a joint session of Congress and to rousing applause, that the historic right of Jews to the entire land of Israel is beyond question. He announced what he called his convergence program, which is just a version of the traditional program; it goes back to the Allon plan of 1967. Israel would essentially annex valuable land and resources near the green line (the 1967 border). That land is now behind the wall that Israel built in the West Bank, which is an annexation wall. That means the arable land, the main water resources, the pleasant suburbs around Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and the hills and so on. They’ll take over the Jordan valley, which is about a third of the West Bank, where they’ve been settling since the late 60s. Then they’ll drive a couple of super highways through the whole territory — there’s one to the east of Jerusalem to the town of Ma’aleh Adumim which was built mostly in the 1990s, during the Oslo years. It was built essentially to bisect the West Bank and are two others up north that includes Ariel and Kedumim and other towns which pretty much bisect what’s left. They’ll set up check points and all sorts of means of harassment in the other areas and the population that’s left will be essentially cantonized

and unable to live a decent life and if they want to leave, great. Or else they will be picturesque figures for tourists — you know somebody leading a goat up a hill in the distance — and meanwhile Israelis, including settlers, will drive around on “Israeli only” super highways. Palestinians can make do with some little road somewhere where you’re falling into a ditch if it’s raining. That’s the goal. And it’s explicit. You can’t accuse them of deception because it’s explicit. And it’s .cheered here Dossani: In terms of U.S. support, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for a cease fire. Is this a change, particularly in light of the fact that the U.S. did not veto the resolution, but rather abstained, ?allowing it to be passed Chomsky: Right after the 1967 war, the Security Council had strong resolutions condemning Israel’s move to expand and take over Jerusalem. Israel just ignored them. Because the U.S. pats them on the head and says “go ahead and violate them.” There’s a whole series of resolutions from then up until today, condemning the

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settlements, which as Israel knew and as everyone agreed were in violation of the Geneva conventions. The United States either vetoes the resolutions or sometimes votes for them, but with a wink saying, “go ahead anyway, and we’ll pay for it and give you the military support for it.” It’s a consistent pattern. During the Oslo years, for example, settlement construction increased steadily, in violation of what the Oslo agreement was theoretically supposed to lead to. In fact the peak year of settlement was Clinton’s last year, 2000. And it continued again afterward. It’s open and explicit. To get back to the question of motivation, they have sufficient military control over the West Bank to terrorize the population into passivity.

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Now that control is enhanced by the collaborationist forces that the U.S., Jordan, and Egypt have trained in order to subdue the population. In fact if you take a look at the press the last couple of weeks, if there’s a demonstration in the West Bank in support of Gaza, the Fatah security forces crush it. That’s what they’re there for. Fatah by now is more or less functioning as Israel’s police force in the West Bank. But the West Bank is only part of the occupied Palestinian territories. The other part is Gaza, and no one doubts that they form a unit. And there still is resistance in Gaza, those rockets. So yes, they want to stamp that out too, then there will be no resistance

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Cont. on page 25

Life & Relationships

Voices from the Valley

Despite the ongoing political turmoil curfews and harsh weather conditions, hundreds attended the 3-day Discover

Yourself Workshop conducted by A.W. Sadathullah Khan in Srinagar on December 20, 21 .and 22, 2008

By Mushtaq ul Haq Ahmad Sikander y Va l l e y o f K a s h m i r, t h e solitary paradise on earth. Nature endowed my land with its bountiful gifts in the form of snow peeked mountains, lush green meadows, beautiful waterfalls, fresh water lakes and above all its scenic beauty with .which everybody falls in love Discover Yourself” a three-“ day workshop was held in the Valley from 20-22 December 2008 in the coldest part of winter called Chilay-Kalan. ‘Discover Yourself’ even proved Francis Bacon wrong who claims, “Prosperity doth best discover vice; but adversity doth best discover virtue”, as Sadathullah Khan practically described that vice-versa is possible and feasible also. The participants who entered with heavy burdens of past and fears of future, after three days left relieved enjoying

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and living in present. Nasreen justifies this claim. F. Kacho states: “My parents have taught me everything in the light of divine teaching, but I feel sorry that they failed to teach me how to practise them in life. By this workshop, I got to give practicality to my knowledge learnt from my parents. Now I came to know how to practise my knowledge in life. Khan Sahib gave a structure to my .”knowledge The same views are echoed by Umer Imitiyaz: “I really believed that I was a nomad before attending this workshop. We all know Islam stands for complete submission of your will to Allah, but how to do it was a big challenge for me. This workshop not only gives us knowledge, but also gives us a practical way of applying that .”knowledge Saqib Suraya also reflects the same views: “It was for the first time that I came across a workshop where some practical things were taught (and not some boring theory). Practicality was a part and parcel of this workshop. Some basic things were taught which are there in our sub-conscious, but here they are brought to our conscious level

and it is a fact that we can act in a better manner only when we are .”conscious Fatima Jameel says: “I was making myself right, others wrong, blaming others for my own problems, useless, unhappily searching for peace here and there. I even used to take medicines, as there was no peace in my mind and in my soul. I could not sleep for the whole night. I was restless and I was not sharing my feelings with anybody. My perception was that nobody loves me, nobody understands my feelings. Although I used to pray Salah, but there was no spirituality, it was like doing fivetimes exercise. But this workshop has changed my perception and context, thus resulting in a change .”in my actions and words The workshop helped me“ in purifying my thoughts, my words and my intentions,” says Zienat Saleem who attended this workshop. “After attending it for just two days, I discovered myself.. who am I and what I am actually on this earth for? I realised that Almighty Allah is there to decide and I am just a creature. Now I respect Almighty Allah’s will otherwise I used to .ask why and how”, she adds The failures of past and fears

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009 20 of future are the driving forces .”to other peoples’ lives in our lives. We all spend our Now I feel as if I have“ lives either clinging to the past or dropped my burden down the ramifying about the future, thus lane. I learnt to live in the depriving ourselves to enjoy the present and stopped cursing present. Shubana Bhat says: “This or thinking about my past and workshop helped me to discover future. My future is based on the Real Me which was oscillating my present. I have come to put between the past and the future. my trust in Allah and work for Although all of us know that my future without any fear,” Islam means living in peace, reflects Safoora Mantoo in a but knowing Islam is altogether .confident tone different from practising Islam. Says Shayista: “Before It is difficult to practise Islam joining this workshop, I was completely, but this workshop has living life like cattle. There was taught me nothing is impossible no meaning in my life, but after and everything is possible for joining this workshop, I witness .”me if I live in the present a total change. I was living in the This workshop really helped past, but in the workshop I got me to ‘Discover Myself’. It to know nothing is in the past, helped me to be what I am-a everything is in the present. I Human Being” assures Sobia Hamid who has stopped playing am thankful to Khan Sir, who the blame game. “I held myself showed me the right direction accountable for any wrong for my life through the Islamic because it is I who has to make .”path a change and make a difference T h e 3 - d a y w o r k s h o p “

”DISCOVER YOURSELF“ 3-DAY WORKSHOP ON

Personality Development through Self-intorspection )Based on Islamic Principles( The workshop aims to achieve empowerment through self Realisation

In the first day of the workshop your anger disappears and you enter into a state of peace and tranquility. You feel free and light and your view of life, people .around you and the world transforms The next day you get rid off the burden of the past and the constrains the past  imposes on your view of life. You get access to live in the present and create a new future. You have the power, freedom and self-expression to take any challenge that life throws at you and life is no longer a burden. Your view of life alters. You create a new you, surrendering to the will of Allah. You purify your heart and truly .get connected with Almighty Allah Third day you witness a whole new world around you by demolitioning (fana)  your ego. You see life as simple with Truth prevailing and Falsehood perishing. You experience, love, joy, peace, happiness, contentment and bliss, a gift Allah .has given you to experience and share with others Unless there is individual transformation there will be no Universal ,Transformation. Now we need a revolution, not for changing others but to change ourselves

WORKSHOPS IN UK DATES : 20, 21& 22 February 2009 Timings: 9.00 to 6.00 pm Organisors: Aksaa Management & Training Consultants .West Yokshire, U.K Contact: Mr. Kaushar Tai: 0044 781 3811914 Email: [email protected] Rizwan Seedat: [email protected]

WORKSHOPS IN NORWAY

DATES : 27, 28 February 2009 & 1st March 2009 Organised by: Islamic Womens Association, Stavanger Contact: Hussain Noor M. Email: : [email protected] Zerina Parker-Knapp, email: [email protected]

WORKSHOPS IN SRI LANKA

DATES : 13,14 & 15 th March 2009 Organised by: First Global Knowledge Centre Contact: Mr. Ikram Thowfeek Email: [email protected]

:Workshop Designed and Conducted by ,)A.W. Sadathullah Khan  B.Sc, B.E (Mech ,Editor, Islamic Voice Cell: 0091-9845158996/ 0091 80 41126165 Email: [email protected]/ [email protected]

Life & Relationships

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

Carrying the Message of Love and Peace to Karachi It was an emotional moment for editor of Islamic Voice, A.W. Sadathullah Khan when he flew over to Pakistan and conducted the 3- day Discover Yourself Workshop in Karachi on January 9, 10 & 11, 2009. Over 300 Men & Women attended the

Workshop and some of them share their .experiences here

Nazir : My family and me are deeply grateful for your visit to Karachi. We feel  enlightened and energized by the sessions we attended. We probably knew most of the things you explained, but we never practised. Your sessions have given us clarity of thought and impacted our personalities as all this was explained by demonstrations with absolute simplicity. May Allah bless you and give you courage and strength to continue .with your mission Irfan: I really had a wonderful experience. It is just a mind-blowing experience. It takes you out from darkness to light and helps you to be a good .human being Najma: Before this workshop, I was sleeping, but this workshop made me wake up with full alertness. The most difficult thing was to change MYSELF. When I went back home after the workshop on the I st day with full spirit, I was feeling like” flying in the air” I was so happy and had a feeling that “ I got some ‘treasure’” Now, I can easily make my children,

my husband, my mother, my sisters, brothers happy. Why? Because, I was willing to live in the present from now onwards. My children were observing the changes in me. They are really very happy because I am not scolding, criticizing and giving them orders. I have changed my language. I am giving them this feeling that I do care and love them. I must say Jazak’Allah Khair to you that Allah has sent you here to give this wonderful .workshop Sarah: I was depressed and did not know what to do, felt stuck, wished my life was short. Cried, mostly and asked Allah’s help. And Alhamdulillah, Allah’s help came. I realized it is in my hands to make myself happy and I was making myself depressed, I did not realize it. Now I know and it’s a good feeling to know that it is in my hands to make myself happy and Inshallah I will, and I have started in my self and my home, with parents, siblings and friends. I am very thankful to Star Link School and brother Sadathullah and I will pray for him to come back soon. May Allah give him success .wherever he goes Adil: Before this workshop, I was never satisfied with what was happening, blaming Allah and parents for everything. I was looking for faults in everyone and was very stubborn. I had always been a positive thinker, but still I had no peace. In the workshop, I realized I am nothing, thus all the pride and stubbornness got away, all my grudges against my parents, Allah and friends washed away. I feel a heavy load is lifted from my heart. I changed my focus and I am expecting victory and success in my present life. I feel very lucky to be a part of this workshop. May Allah bless our sir, and everyone who had played a role in helping me to attend this .workshop Fahmida: I thought I have control over my life, but I realised it was an illusion. There

were so many discoveries at the workshop which I would find almost shocking and oh my God is –this Me? Am I doing this to my loved ones? I understood the word ‘experience’ and I realised why I am so burdened? I have to work really hard to make a visible change, but I am on the road to change. Jazak’Allah .Sir

bounties in this world and in the .next world. Ameen Ayesha: Life before the workshop was self-centered. I thought I am responsible at home, but I was not. Now I know how to take control of my life. I used to blame the environment and others and now I stopped. I am feeling that I am a different person. I am quite, calm and more responsible. I

Salama: Before the workshop, my life did not have any specific direction. I know there is a purpose for me to come into this world, but could not recognize it. After attending the workshop, all my blindness is gone, and all the things are clear and visible. I will Inshallah practise all the things and spread it among the people. .The workshop was excellent Shenaz: Before the workshop, I was feeling very angry, tensed and worried. But now I feel so much light, happy and content. The family members are also very happy and we all are enjoying the light and happy atmosphere in our home. Now I do not see anybody wrong. Strange! I am listening to my children and not bossing them. May Allah bless you with all His

have special feelings for my parents, brothers and sisters. I am thinking positive for them. I learnt the art of living in the present. Now my mind is empty, I started a new life with different objectives. I have cleared my .mind and heart Maryam: Before the workshop, I was angry and, rude or I can say a person who does not know how to spread love but now, I am really a different person. I know now, how to spread love and peace. Doing small things for others and then in return getting love, really .gives peace to me Saira: This workshop was an eye opener. There are so many things in human nature, which we are not aware of. This workshop led to a positive

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attitude in me. This workshop should be conducted in offices .for men Rafiq: This workshop was not about discovering yourself, it was about cure yourself, improve yourself and it was about diagnosis and treatment of some psychological heart diseases. Change in understanding and .tolerating others’ views Fawad: Before the workshop, I felt as if I was a stranger to myself. I was really on a journey to discover myself. Now I find my family members really working according to my intentions. I felt my power of focus, for the first time in life. This workshop gave me the key to control my reactions. The workshop was a very dynamic one, it was very powerful and it filled me with a .drive to serve Islam Lakho: Life was like cattle, not understanding the real values and principles. I realized during the workshop that man puts

himself in problems. Problems are self-centered, so we also have power to create solutions. Such workshops should be conducted .very frequently Hadia: I stammer when I speak at times, and I always had stage fear. In the workshop I overcame my stage fear. I took up the challenge to speak up. The 3rd day of the workshop was .the best Khawaja: The day I came in for the workshop there was a lot of chaos, confusion, heart ache, pain, suffering, anger and frustration. But there was always the hope of everything being fixed by a miracle, magic wand of Allah! By the end of the second day, my spirit was

Qur’an Speaks to You

In the name of Allah the Merciful the Beneficent

Messenger, be not grieved by those who rush into disbelief; such as those who say with their mouths, “We believe”, while their hearts do not believe. Among the Jews are some, who eagerly listen to falsehood, eagerly listen to other people paying no heed to you. They lift words out of their context, and say, ‘If this be given you accept it; but if you are not given it, then be on your guard.” If Allah wants to test anyone, you shall not be able to avail him anything against Allah. Such are the ones whose hearts Allah is not willing to purify. They will have disgrace in this world, while in the life to come, awesome suffering .is in store for them They eagerly listen to falsehood and greedily devour what is unlawful. Hence, if they come to you (for judgment), you may either judge between them or turn away from them. If you do turn away from them, they cannot harm you in any way. But if you do judge, then judge between them with fairness. Allah loves those who deal justly. ( The Repast: Al-Maidah: 5:

)41-42 Translated by Adil Salahi t is apparently clear that these verses were revealed in the early y e a r s a f t e r t h e P r o p h e t ’s (Pbuh) settlement in Madinah where the Jews were part of its community. This means that they were revealed at least prior to the attack on Madinah by the confederate tribes and before severe punishment was inflicted on the Jewish tribe of Quraithah, if not earlier. Most probably, they were revealed when the two Jewish tribes of An- Nadheer and Qainoqaa were still in Madinah. The first of these two tribes were evacuated from Madinah after the battle of Uhud in the first year of the Islamic calendar and the other was evacuated even before that. In that early period, the Jewish concocted many of their tricks and maneuvers, and the hypocrites received much support from them. Both groups plunged headlong in disbelief, even though the hypocrites might have claimed by word of mouth that they were believers. Their actions grieved the Prophet and .caused him much distress Allah, limitless He is in his glory, consoles his Messenger and comforts him. He exposes to the Muslim community the truth about those who plunge head long into disbelief, as did some of the Jews and the hypocrites. He directs his Messenger to the line of action he should adopt with them when they come to him for arbitration after explaining to the Prophet what plots they have concocted before coming to him: “Messenger, be not grieved by those who rush into disbelief: such as those who say with their mouths, “we

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believe”, while their hearts do not believe. Among the Jews are some who eagerly listen to falsehood, eagerly listen to other people paying no heed to you. They lift words out of their context, and say, “If this be given to you, accept it: but if you are not ”.given it, then be on your guard Some reports suggest that these verses speak of a group of Jews who committed certain sins including adultery and theft, which are punishable by specific punishments outlined in the Torah. The Jews, however had established different punishments because they did not want to enforce the punishment of the Torah on those of them who were in power in the first place. They later wanted to waive these punishments of the Torah in all cases. They replaced them with other punishments, as has been done by some of those who claim to be Muslims these days. When some of them committed these sins at the time of the Prophet, they thought to seek his judgment, if he judged according to the lesser punishments which they had legislated, they would enforce them and justify their action to Allah by saying that they have enforced the verdict of a Messenger. If he judged that they should be punished according to the Torah, they

would refuse his judgment. They sent some of their people to seek his ruling. That explains their statement: “if this be given to you, accept it: but if you are not given it, then be on your guard” they have indeed gone that far in playing games with Allah’s law and in being dishonest in their dealing with Allah and his Messenger. It is a stage which could be reached by any people who having received divine revelation, have long ignored their duties, a situation which make their hearts harden and

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009 22 them through their test when usury, bribes and the prices of they have brought confusion false rulings and false testimony upon themselves: “If Allah wants come at the top of the list of to test anyone, you shall not be what they devour, again, this evil able to avail him anything against quality spreads in all communities Allah.” Such people have sunk that deviate from Allah’s law. their hearts into impurity, so Allah In the Arabic original, the term is unwilling to purify them.” He used for “unlawful” here also will cause them to suffer ignominy connotes the lack of blessings. in this life and grievous suffering Indeed, a blessing is the first thing in the hereafter: “They will have which is obliterated in deviant disgrace in this world, while in the communities, as we see with our life to come, awesome sufferings .own eyes nowadays is in store for them.” He tells the Allah has given the Prophet Prophet not to worry about them, the choice whether to judge and not to be grieved by their between them or to turn away

Playing Games with Divine Judgement

.Commentary by Sayyid Qutb

the light of faith in their hearts has stifled. Evasion of the laws and duties of their faith becomes the goal for which means are to be sought and rulings and justifications should be found. Does this not apply today to those who claim to be Muslims and who “say with their mouth, ‘we believe’ while their hearts do not believe. Do they not seek rulings to evade their religious duties, rather than to carry them out? Do they not occasionally try to pay lip service to religion so that it may approve and endorse their desire? If religion insists on the word of the truth and the ruling of justice, they have no need for it: “they say, if this be given to you, accept: but if you are not given it, then be on your guard.” The two situations are identical; perhaps Allah has given us such account of the history of the children of Israel, so that future generations of Muslims may be forewarned of the slips that lie along their .way Allah, glorified be He, says to His Messenger with regard to those who rush in to disbelief and those conspirators who engage in such schemes: do not be grieved by those who plunge headlong in disbelief. They seek to create confusion and they will fall victim to it, while you have no say in the matter and you cannot help

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.disbelief. Their fate is sealed The surah goes on to give us further details of their situation: “they eagerly listen to falsehood and greedily devour what is un-lawful. Hence, if they come to you (for judgment), you may either judge between them or turn away from them. If you do turn away from them, they cannot harm you in any way. But if you do judge, then judge between them with fairness. Allah loves ”.those who deal justly Their listening to falsehood is repeated again to suggest that this has become an established habit of theirs. They are pleased to listen to evil and falsehood, and they are annoyed when they hear the voice of the truth. This applies to all deviant hearts and corrupt souls. Falsehood has its appeal in deviant communities, and the word of truth is felt to be too hard. In these miserable days, false-hood sells like hot cakes, while the word of truth has no .buyers Those people do not only listen to falsehood, but they greedily devour what is un-lawful:

from them if they ask him for judgment. If he chooses not to pay any attention for them, they can harm him in no way. But if he chooses to judge between them, then his must be a fair judgment, unaffected by their prejudices or their rushing into disbelief or by their plots and schemes: “Allah ”.loves those who deal justly Allah’s Messenger and a Muslim ruler and a Muslim judge deal directly with Allah in such matters and exert the efforts to establish justice in order to serve Allah because Allah loves those who deal justly. If people commit injustice or perjury or deviate from the truth, justice remains above all that. Fair judgment is not passed in order to please them, but in order to please Allah. This is indeed the most effective guarantee provided by Islamic law everywhere and in ■.all times

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Hadith

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

Good Manners and Gentle Character

Commentary by Adil Salahi ood manners are very important and Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) rated them as the best way to ensure a high position in heaven on the Day of Judgment. We are using the term “good manners” as denoting universally accepted virtues, such as forgiveness, generosity, bravery, forbearance, fidelity, looking after other people’s .interests, etc The Prophet is the most perfect example for people to follow, he practised what he preached and conducted himself as required by the highest standards of good manners. We will speak about certain aspects of his character showing that he was the one to follow in every .respect The Prophet disliked hard attitudes and hard character. He believed that there was nothing worth causing hardship or affliction to other people. His wife, Hazrat Ayesha (RA) says of him: “Allah’s Messenger was never offered the choice between two alternatives over matters of this world without choosing the easier one, unless the easier choice be sinful. In that case he kept furthest away from it. Allah’s messenger never sought revenge for himself, unless it is something which violates what Allah has consecrated. In that case, he sought to set the record straight for Allah’s sake. (Related by Al- Bukhari, Muslim, .)Abu-Dawood and Malik Choosing the easier alternative is kinder to his followers. He thus taught his nation to prefer the easier course in all matters. Whatever would please people and ensure the comfort and happiness was always preferable to their profit. The only provision is that this easier course must be legitimate. If it was sinful, he would steer away from it. That is to be expected from the Prophet who has been sent as

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a mercy to mankind. A sinful Hadith tells us that our characters attitude is not Islamic. Allah tells practice is indeed the more are given to us by Allah. This us to work in order to earn our difficult choice, although it may means that by nature, we have living. If we do not work, we appear easy or more enjoyable. the aptitude to follow a certain earn nothing. The Prophet once The ease and enjoyment can course, or adopt a certain line. It saw a man spending all his time only be momentary. They are, does not mean that some of us are in the mosque. He asked who however, attended by Allah’s created liars while others are, by supported him? When he was displeasure which puts people nature, truthful. We can certainly told that it was his brother, the .in very difficult position develop our characters, taking Prophet said that his brother was M o r e o v e r, a better worshiper t h e P r o p h e t Hadith which is of great significance .than him n e v e r s o u g h t ,is reported by Abdullah ibn Masood The second vengeance for who quotes the Prophet (Pbuh) as sentence in this himself. Seeking Hadith tells us saying:” Allah has apportioned to you your that wealth is not vengeance is characteristic of a characters in the same way as he apportioned that important hard person who your provisions. Allah gives wealth to those in an Islamic finds it difficult he loves and those he does not love, while he v i e w . A l l a h to forgive. The does not grant faith except to those whom he gives wealth to Prophet was believers and .loves willing to forgo non-believers, to any personal those he loves injury he may have suffered, but free decisions to be, for example, and to those whom he does not he was unwilling to forgive the generous, forgiving, reasonable, love. When we see a man who violation of Allah’s strict bounds. etc. This is no different from the is very wealthy, his wealth does We can easily see the distinction opportioning of our provisions not signify that he is dearer to between the two. When it was a by Allah. It does not mean that Allah. Nor is a poor person less matter of principle relevant to we will get our money whether favored by Allah. The Prophet what Allah has made lawful or we work for it or not. Allah tells us: “had this world (and all ,forbidden certainly does not shower money its riches), been worth even one then the Prophet was or provisions on us from the wing of a mosquito, not a glass unwilling to sacrifice even the clouds. He facilitates for us of water would He have allowed smallest of his principles. He our work and makes our efforts .of it to any non-believer .honored them all successful. The more we do, the If this world and all its richest Another Hadith which is of greater are our earnings. People are so worthless in Allah’s view, great significance is the one sometimes suggest that it is better then being wealthy does not reported by Abdullah ibn to spend time in worship than to mean that one is favored or Masood, who quotes the Prophet work for one’s living. They argue loved by Allah. It is faith with as saying:” Allah has apportioned that what Allah has apportioned, which Allah favors those whom to you your characters in the for us, we will get. That fatalistic he loves, faith gives a person same way as he apportioned your good character. He earns respect provisions. Allah gives wealth to in his community even by those those he loves and those he does who do not share his faith. This not love, while he does not grant is due to the fact that when one faith except to those whom he has faith, one tries his best to loves. He who holds his money behave well with others, improve too dearly to spend it (for Allah’s his manners and adhere to noble cause) and is prevented by the moral values. That is bound to fear of the enemy from fighting earn him the love and respect of and is too weary to stand up at every one. That is true wealth, night in worship, should often which is indicative of Allah’s repeat that: there is no deity save .favor Allah, glory to Allah, praise to be Faith places certain Allah and Allah is the greatest. requirements in people. They (Related by Ahmad, Al Bukhari are supposed to sacrifice their in Al Adab Al Mufrad and Almoney and their lives for Allah’s .)Hakim cause. Yet such a sacrifice does The first sentence in this not come so easy to all people. Man is sometimes governed by his narrow view of this world. He finds it difficult to part with his money even for a good cause. He may slacken when he is called upon to join a campaign of Jihad. He may prefer to rest at night and finds it difficult to wake up in the middle of the night in order to stand up for worship. When a person shows such reluctance, that does not

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Whatever would please people and ensure their comfort and happiness was always preferable to the Prophet. The only provision is that the easier course must be legitimate. If it was sinful, he would steer .away from it

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take him out of the realm of faith altogether. He is still a believer, but his motives have not been refined enough by his faith. The Prophet prescribed for him that he should repeat praises and glorification of Allah. By doing so, he reminds himself of his position in this world and that he is totally dependant on Allah. He remembers that Allah has given him so much of his grace that he should always be thankful. He may remember that when he fulfills his duty and sacrifices his wealth and shows his readiness to sacrifice his life, Allah will give him more. That may come in this world or may come in the .next life Repeating such praises of Allah is important even if it does not bring about such a change of attitude. Allah rewards us generously for praising him and glorifying him. More over, we feel our relationship with Allah to be more intimate. We know that His grace and bounty is so great that we cannot thank him enough for it, were we to spend all our time in worship. After all, our worship does not benefit Allah; it benefits us only. Then we should not hold it as a favor which we do to Allah . We should remember the qudsi hadith in which Allah tells us that if all human beings and jinn, in past generations as well as in future ones, were as devoted and pious as the most dedicated believer to have ever lived, they would not increase Allah’s kingdom in any way. Conversely, if all of them were as wicked as the most evil unbeliever to ever walk this planet, they would not decrease Allah’s kingdom in any way. As already said, our worship refines our characters. If benefits us, and does not benefit Allah in any way. It is only through Allah’s grace and generosity that He ■ .rewards us for it

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Our Dialogue - By Adil Salahi

Ruling on Yoga

Q: A ruling issued by a learned scholar in Malaysia says that Yoga is forbidden for Muslims to practice. The scholar urges the government to make clear that Muslims must not practice Yoga. .Please comment A: The ruling states that Yoga is traced back to Hinduism, and that it has religious and philosophical aspects. If this is the case, then the ruling is sound and religious scholars everywhere can only endorse it. However, many people practise Yoga today without being aware of any religious or philosophical overtones. They merely take up its aspects of physical exercise and contemplation. While these may be proper and beneficial to many people, the problem remains that as people advance in these practices, their teachers may lead them on .to the philosophical or religious aspects Physical and breathing exercises, as well as contemplation, may help many people, training them to be relaxed. This is certainly beneficial, particularly because life today involves much stress. Islam encourages both methods. Many are the Qur’anic verses that invite people to contemplate on God’s creation and what we see in the world around us of miraculous aspects. The Prophet (Pbuh) lays much stress on ensuring that a Muslim should try to be strong. He tells us to teach our children to practise such sports as horse riding, .swimming and archery All this shows that a Muslim does not need to resort to the traditions of any other religion. What we need is to be free of all restrictions imposed by such traditions and to follow Prophet Muhammad’s advice. We will be able then to overcome much of the ■ .stress that life presents

Adopted Child and Property Matters

Q: A woman died five years ago, leaving behind her husband, one adopted son, her father who died subsequently, and a number of brothers and sisters. Could you please explain who inherits ?her and what is the share of each heir A: Islam does not recognise adoption. If the young man is not related by blood to the deceased lady, he does not inherit anything from her. Her only heirs are her husband and her father. As she had no children of her own, her husband takes half of her property, whether this is in cash, real property, jeweler, or any other form. Her father takes the other half. Her brothers and sisters inherit nothing from her. As her father died subsequently, and his wife predeceased him, his heirs are his children, i.e. the deceased woman’s brothers and sisters. Thus, if the woman’s estate was not divided among her heirs, it should be divided now. Her brothers and sisters will share among themselves the one half which was due to their father. They divide this half among themselves on the basis of one share for each ■ .sister and two shares for each brother

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ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

Using Salat al-Istikharah

24

Q: An administrative problem arose in our office because a certain employee failed to take the necessary action when I put in my requests. That employee pleaded that he was not informed. A couple of days later our boss accused me of lying, stating that the said employee told the truth. When I asked on what basis he made his judgment, he said that he used the prayer known as salat ?al-istikharah. May I ask whether this prayer can be used in this way and for such a purpose A: The short answer is that it cannot. It is not a method to establish facts. Otherwise, Muslim judges would have resorted to it in all cases where they not right. There is no suggestion that a dream should needed to establish the truth and find out the guilty follow pointing out which action to take. When we person in any case they are considering. At no time have done the istikharah prayer, we should simply let did the Prophet’s (Pbuh) companions or leaders or things take their own course. Thus, if it is a matter of judges in any subsequent generation feel that they travel and you find out that you cannot make your travel could know the truth through offering this prayer. arrangements easily, then this is an indication that it is Your boss is relying on evidence that does not better not to travel. If you want to change your car and exist. The istikharah prayer is recommended by you encounter difficulty in selling your old car in order the Prophet to help us choose a course of action, to buy a new one, this indicates that you better keep the particularly when more than one option looks one you have for the time being. On the other hand, appealing. Therefore, it is offered to help find an if you call a travel agent and discover that everything answer to questions like: Should I undertake this about your travel can be arranged quickly and easily, travel? Should I buy this car? Will the project I am you have a clear indication that undertaking that trip considering be successful? Would I benefit from .is the better option ?this course of action Now your boss is using the istikharah prayer In such cases where the answer is indeterminable to find out which of his two employees is telling because we have no way of looking into the future, the truth. This is wrong and he cannot use it in we offer the istikharah prayer to appeal to God to this way. Any decision he makes on this basis is help us choose what is best for us. The form is faulty. What he should do is to establish the fact to offer two rak’ahs and then to say a particular through solid evidence. If he cannot because it is supplication. The supplication merely requests God a case of your word against the other employee’s to make the choice for us and to make us happy word, he should overlook the matter as a case of with it. Thus, it removes the burden of making the an unintended error. He cannot label you as liar on decision from us and makes us trust God to do it ■.the basis of his istikharah prayer .for us How the choice is made has its own importance. Many people have the impression that they would have a dream telling them which course to follow. This is

Shares in Property

Q: My father died eight years ago leaving behind his wife, two sons, three daughters, one brother and two sisters. Both his parents died long time ago. His estate is mainly a house valued today at around 1.8 million rupees. How is his property to be shared out? If the two sons want to have the house, how much should they pay to each of the other heirs? May I also point out that the eldest .son used to maintain the house and receive the income from the rooms rented A: What I am saying about the sharing out of your father’s inheritance applies to the house and to everything else he left behind, including any cash .estate amount, payment from his work, furniture, etc. The complication arises from the eldest son’s Because he had children of his own, including two work in the house and income from it. You say sons, his brother and two sisters are blocked from that this was the case for several years during your inheriting him. In other words, they get nothing. father’s lifetime. It all depends on the arrangements Siblings inherit only when the deceased has neither your father and brother had. If it was agreed between them that the rent was in compensation for the work .sons nor parents surviving him your brother put in, then it belongs to him. If no The only one of your father’s heirs that has a such agreement was made, you and your brothers fixed share is his wife, who inherits one eighth of all and sisters need to agree some arrangement. If there his property. The remainder, which is seven eighths, was such an arrangement, you are recommended is divided into seven shares, one for each of the to consider that it has continued for the years that .three daughters and two each for the two sons followed your father’s death. If not, you need to Thus, in this particular case, each of the .look into the matter carefully daughters inherits an amount equal to that of the The only thing I want to say is that you should man’s wife. This does not apply in other cases. If sort it out amicably. Unless there is clear and you want the shares to be determined in figures, unwarranted favoritism to one party, it is better to then each of the four women takes 225,000 rupees, let things as they are. You make the division now and each of the two sons takes 450,000, assuming ■.and everyone takes their dues that the value of the house is 1.8 million. The same proportion applies to other items of your father’s

LOVE

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Conversations

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

A Verse a Day keeps Satan Away

25

Kaleemullah Khan is a bio-science post-graduate and a successful businessman. Mushtaq ul Haq Ahmad Sikander met him at his home located at Salman Farsi Heights near Shalimar Garden, Srinagar. He is the founder of Adult Quranic Education Programme(AQEP) or the 18-81 Quranic Educational Programme. Here he speaks to Mushtaq .about his mission

A

s a student of Sri ,Pratap (S.P) College I once encountered the Encyclopedia Britannica in the college library and went on to search for the word “Quran” under the alphabet “Q”. I was astonished by the remark from the authors about Quran that, “Quran is the most widely read book in history”. This led me to write a letter to the editors of this Encyclopedia, alleging

this remark as half-truth and demanding that the correct remark should be like this: “Quran is the most widely read book in history, but simultaneously the least understood”. How to cure this ignorance? How to make people understand the message of Quran? These questions continued to baffle me. Then I decided to myself read, understand and then propagate the message of the Quran to others. Though it took me five years to complete my first revision of the Quran, but I had read the book cover to cover with understanding and initially started to proclaim its

Undermining Gaza

Cont. from page 19

at all and they can continue to do what they want to do without interference, meanwhile delaying diplomacy as much as possible and “building the facts” the way they want to. Again this goes back to the origins of Zionism. It varies of course depending on circumstances, but the fundamental policy is the same and perfectly understandable. If you want to take over a country where the population doesn’t want you, I mean, how else can you do it? How was this country ?conquered Dossani: What you describe ?is a tragedy Chomsky: It’s a tragedy which is made right here. The press won’t talk about it and even scholarship, for the most part, won’t talk about it but the fact of the matter is that there has been a political settlement on the table, on the agenda for 30 years. Namely a two-state settlement on the international borders with

maybe some mutual modification of the border. That’s been there officially since 1976 when there was a Security Council resolution proposed by the major Arab states and supported by the (Palestinan Liberation Organization) PLO, pretty much in those terms. The United States vetoed it so it’s therefore out of history and it’s continued almost without change since then. There was in fact one significant modification. In the last month of Clinton’s term, January 2001 there were negotiations, which the U.S. authorized, but didn’t participate in, between Israel and the Palestinians and they came .very close to agreement Bush’s problem was that he neglected the issue. That’s not the problem. The problem is that the United States has been very much engaged, and engaged in blocking a political settlement and giving the material and ideological and diplomatic

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teachings to my friends Then in 1978, AQEP began to function formally. Only a minority among the 1.2 billion Muslims can understand the language of the Quran i.e Arabic, but for majority of Muslims Arabic is an alien language. So this programme is a ray of hope for such people. Talking in context of Kashmir where Islam spread through the teachings of Sufis, afterwards no movement was initiated to understand the .teachings of the Quran These education programmes are today conducted in three languages(Kashmiri,Urdu

and English) Twenty five classes every week are coordinated by me in different Masjids of Srinagar and special classes for male and female physicians conducted separately. Another innovative programme for students is the “Class On Wheels”. The ‘Class On Wheels’ as its name depicts is a class which takes place in my spacious car with a bunch of students

and I coach them in Quranic meanings while traveling as I drop them to school or to tutorial .centres AQEP does not ask or accept donations from its participants. If anybody wishes to donate,copies of Quran will be great.AQEP every year also conducts Hajj Guidance Programme and I am the chief editor of the Urdu Monthly” Al-Hayat”.

support for the expansion programs, which are just criminal programs. The world court unanimously, including the American justice, agreed that any transfer of population into the Occupied Territories is a violation of a fundamental international law, the Geneva Conventions. And Israel agrees. In fact even their courts agree, they just sort of sneak around it in various devious ways. So there’s no question about this. It’s just sort of accepted in the United States that we’re an outlaw state. Law doesn’t apply to us. That’s .why it’s never discussed Sameer Dossani, a Foreign(

Power Generation through Sea Water

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ur enterprise has been researching on power generation by utilizing sea water (owing to its availability in abundance round the year) and has successfully extended a program Hydro Active Power” which is available for application. Our work is backed by our“ seven years of research and we are ready for its implementation. We have also studied the different efforts to harness sea potential and thereby generate power being carried out by different nations. Even the popular amongst them such as the Wave Farm Project, OWC and Tidal Fences has its shortcomings and we understand their complications and assure you that our program is entirely different and workable. Given the cost of generating power via thermal, hydro (dams) or nuclear means, we assure that our methodology if applied would reduce production cost drastically and would not have any climatic affect over production. Additionally, it would help overcome power .drought radically We know that power generation through mechanical process, for example, fuel, gas, coal, wind pressure, solar system, atomic energy, tidal wave, and thermal power are costly and limited. But our research by Hydro Active Power to generate power through sea water can generate a maximum power upto 3000 MV. Another advantage is reduction of cost of per unit and the time taken to install the unit will not take more than 3- 4 years. Investment cost on the project will be very much .less than any conventional power generating process If our ideas sound too innovative, but interest you, we are ready to get together and explain the .intricacies. We are looking for global financial partners to set up plants on turnkey basis ■ Contact Mr. Muhammad Saeed Khan at [email protected]

Soul Talk

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

A Kind Word is better than Alms Giving

26

.Allah desires people to live in peace, love and orderliness. This is possible when every individual adopts sweet language

By Dr. Syed Liaqath Peeran

T

he holy book, Quran reminds man of his various obligations and duties, which he has to fulfill in his life time. The first and foremost is of his duty and obligations towards the creator – Allah. And the next is his duties and obligations towards the mankind. Among them is the man’s foremost duty towards himself in as much as to purify his own thoughts, mind and behavior and refine himself in all aspects of his living. His talk towards one and all should be respectful, affectionate and .loving Luqman, while reminding his

sons of his various duties, points out that the voice should not be raised while speaking with others and the worst of the voice is of the ass and the donkeys. When they bray, they bray so loud that .it is unpleasant to the ears Charity is one of the obligations in Islam, to openly or secretly help those in distress and in need. To feed the poor and clothe the needful. To give alms from the wealth in a proportionate manner as laid down in the holy book. All this is very fine. But to speak a kind word to a wounded heart, to relieve pain of a heavily burdened mind

Towards Light

and soul is far better than alms giving. When one cultures the mind and heart to refinement, a person becomes kindly and good hearted. It is goodness which is important for a society which aims at bringing an Islamic way of living. Soft and smooth words are honeyed words. It instills love and affection in the minds of the people, while harsh words breed cruelty and hard-heartedness. Allah desires people to live in peace, love and orderliness. This is possible when every individual adopts sweet language and shows kindness in every action more particularly

in speech and outward behavior. Harsh behavior is due to mental aberrations and out of anger, jealousy and hatred. When these qualities are subdued and springs of love and affection burst forth from the heart, the speech of a person becomes soft, kind and loving. This spreads good culture and the society becomes well .mannered and godly It so happens that some needy persons approach for help when a person is either not having any means to help or is so busy in work that the needy person’s appearance is a great distraction. It is at this

time that a person is faced with a testing time. It is at this hour one should show restrain and speak to the needy person in a kind and affectionate tone and not show anger or shout at the indigent person. Such behavior .is not appreciated by Allah The writer is editor of Sufi( World. He can be reached at internationalsuficentre@ gmail. ■ com

prayer and it gave me ”.goose pimples

In the Ring of Islam

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,hen British heavy weight Danny Williams stepped into the ring to face Mike Tyson, most experts believed that the talented fighter did not have a chance against the former undisputed champion of the world. Instead of buckling under the pressure, Danny stepped up .to the challenge and knocked out Tyson Like his boxing, the soft spoken fighter’s approach is well thought out and very methodical. It is clear that fame and fortune has not got to Williams head, retaining a humble nature, and thinking about each Month End Sun Asar Asar Sun Mid-day Isha answer before hitting the Date Sahri Rise Shafi Hanafi Set target with his replies. 5:32 6:46 12:34 3:53 4:44 6:20 7:34 .Feb 01 03 5:32 6:46 12:34 3:53 4:45 6:21 7:34 This attention to detail 05 5:32 6:45 12:34 3:53 4:46 6:22 7:35 can be traced back to his 07 5:32 6:45 12:34 3:54 4:46 6:23 7:36 childhood. “When I was 09 5:31 6:44 12:34 3:54 4:47 6:23 7:36 11 5:31 6:44 12:34 3:54 4:47 6:24 7:37 born, my father had a dream for me 13 5:31 6:43 12:34 3:54 4:48 6:25 7:37 to become the world champion.” 15 5:30 6:42 12:34 3:55 4:48 6:25 7:37 Although Williams admits that he 17 5:29 6:42 12:34 3:55 4:49 6:26 7:38 19 5:29 6:41 12:34 3:55 4:49 6:26 7:38 didn’t enjoy boxing at first and only 21 5:28 6:40 12:34 3:54 4:49 6:29 7:38 did it because his father pushed him 23 5:27 6:39 12:33 3:54 4:49 6:29 7:39 into the sport, he soon found that 25 5:26 6:38 12:33 3:54 4:50 6:28 7:39 27 5:25 6:37 12:33 3:53 4:50 6:28 7:39 he was good at it. Williams started .Mar 01 5:24 6:36 12:32 3:53 4:50 6:28 7:40 training from the age of eight and 03 5:23 6:35 12:32 3:53 4:50 6:29 7:40 used fighters like Rocky Marciano o o . The Latitude of Bangalore is 13 North and the Longitude is 77 36> East Late Dr. Syed Abdul Zahir M.S., Astronomer and Muhammed Ali as his role .models Williams believes that bringing Islam into his life made him FEBRUARY 2009 become a better fighter because it made him more comfortable. “I was always a nervous fighter. Since I have become a Muslim, I TUE THU WED SAT SUN MON FRI am more relaxed in the ring. I was Safar 1February so relaxed that I dreamt that I was 7 2 3 4 5 6 going to knock Tyson out in the fourth or fifth round and it came 9 10 13 14 11 12 8 true. I believe Allah fulfilled my ”.dream 17 20 19 15 16 21 18 Born and raised in Brixton by Rabi Ul Awwal his West Indian parents, Danny 28 22 23 24 27Rabi Ul Awwal February 25 26 was brought up as a Christian with his two brothers and sister. Then he went on a whole new journey when he converted to Islam in

Danny Williams admits that an incident in Turkey, guided him towards the faith. “I remember hearing the call to

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1999. “It was a gradual process. It took a few years of searching before I converted to Islam. I was not comfortable with the Bible because there seemed to be too many contradictions. I started reading about other religions and when I came across Islam, it grew on me.” Williams admits that an incident in Turkey, also guided him towards the faith. “I remember hearing the call to prayer and it gave me goose ”.pimples Although Williams found himself being drawn to Islam, for a short while there was a battle inside his head until he started to look for answers. “Every time I tried to prove the Islamic faith wrong, my belief in it became Strengthened and there was an answer to every question I .asked Williams cites South African Muslim scholar, Ahmed Deedat as one of his main inspirations in becoming a Muslim and reveals that his close family and friends

Miscellany

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

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Near Musjid Ul Abrar, Sirvodem, .Margao, Goa - 403601 Ph: 9822163132 / 2734442

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Kamarpatty, Musjid Lane,Pan Bazaar, Guwahati - 981001

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Mr. Syed Abdul Basheer .1 No. 137, 1st Stage, 3rd Cross, Rajendra .Nagar, Kesere, Mysore - 570007 Ph: 0821 - 6556432 M/S. Hilal Book Centre .2

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ALL

Nasheman, C-111, Lane 9 Okla Vihar, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025. Mob.: 0-9891073635

IN KOLKATA

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Celebrated Caterer for any Celebration .Kool Paradise, # 156, Narayan Pillai Street, Bangalore - 560 001 .C/o. Shareef Brothers, # 50-51, Meenakshi Koil Street, Bangalore - 51 Ph : 2559 2667 (R) : 2557 7325 Cell : 98440 11067

MATRIMONIAL

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MATRIMONIAL SERVICES

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,Opp: Frazer Town Post Office Bangalore-05. Cell: 9343728824

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Contact: Fathima Sait ,Standage Road, Fraser Town ,13/1 .Bangalore- 560 005. Ph. 25485608

e-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

No.1, R.V.Road, South End Circle, Basavanagudi, Bangalore-560004. Ph: 25922374

Mr. S.A. Samad

,E7, SBI Colony Road 29-177 Nandyal - 518501. A.P

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HONESTY STORE

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GEETHA NEWS AGENCY

Mr. Ahmed Hassan

Potterline, Guntakal - 515801 ,6/77 Anantpur Dist. A.P

www.volunteersindia.in is a new initiative to provide platform for all the volunteers of India where they can explore and experience their skill and specialization. Besides field work, the platform .interest has the space for utilizing the skills and expertise Besides showcasing the skills of the volunteers of technical and static people stationed all over the in the web, it will facilitate a process of finding globe. Volunteering is all about sharing your skills an opportunity for the volunteers in the network to impact the lives of the poor, marginalized and of voluntary organization working on different ■.growing people social fields. The volunteers are free to choose their field of interest from the broad and varied area of

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ISLAMIC BOOK CENTRE

,Jamia Complex, N.R.Road Bangalore - 560002 Ph: 25928281

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SREE GANESH NEWS AGENCY ,No.4, Broadway Road Bangalore-51. Ph: 25544510

Mr. Rasheedullah

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Matrimonial

ISLAMIC VOICE, fEBRUARY 2009

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Arafat Marriage Link

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Sachar Committee Report

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,Send M.O in favour of Islamic Voice, #3/1, Palmgrove Road .Victoria Layout, Bangalore - 560 047. Ph.: 25544483

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