ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 1

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In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

32 Pages Rs. 15 Bangalore English MonthlyNovember 2012 Vol. 25-11 No. 311 Zee Hijja-Muharram 1433 H

Makkah Grand Mosque to expand Ten-fold

Makkah: The current Central Area surrounding the Haram Mosque will be expanded 10-fold to accommodate more Haj and Umrah pilgrims and visitors, announced Dr. Sami Barhameen, secretary general of the Makkah Development Commission.The Makkah train project will be implemented before the end of the next Hijri year 1434 (2013), he said. The train will serve pilgrims and visitors who want to travel to and from Makkah and Madinah, he added. Three train stations will be built in different locations near the Grand Mosque, including one behind King Abdul Aziz Waqf, one at Jabal Omar, and another in the Ghazza neighborhood. Work is also on another project, the high-speed Haramain Railway which will link the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah to the Red Sea port of Jeddah, an entry point for millions of pilgrims, to relieve road congestion.

The current expansion will another 400,000 square metres area to the Haram Mosque. It will allow the mosque to take another two million pilgrims during the holy month of Ramazan when the largest congregations are held.

Dr. Barhameen responded to accusations that the commission had been slow in implementing Makkah projects compared to those in the holy sites. He said Makkah has its own unique topographical features. He added the expropriation

of buildings to make way for new projects takes a lot of time and can only happen at certain times because “we don’t want to bother or annoy Umrah performers, visitors and the people of Makkah.” He said with regard to the projects

implemented in the ritual sites like Mina and Arafat, these were carried out faster because the ritual sites only receive pilgrims for one month every year, making it easier to implement more projects within a short time. n

Businessman wins Defamation Suit against

Kannada dailyBy A Staff Writer

Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court has ordered daily Kannada Prabha to pay Rs. 1,79,538 to a transporter as compensation for running a story that defamed him. Kannada Prabha is a daily from New Indian Express group. The daily has since paid up the amount through a cheque to Syed

Naveed Ahmed of Bangalore in compliance of the Court order.The daily had in a story appearing in its issue dated October 1,

2002, dragged the name of Mr Syed Naveed Ahmed and his family firm NAS Transport and Travels and linked it a terror network responsible for

transporting arms and ammunition. The story was filed by reporter Madhusudan. The petitioner had prayed before the civil court that his name was being

dragged for an offence he had not committed. Even the then City Police Commissioner Mr.

The Grand Mosque at Haram as seen in a recent picture where expansion is taking place on the arrow-marked area.

Cheque issued by the Kannada Prabha daily to a Bangalore Transport firm which won a defamation suit against the daily.

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 2insights

On A Reactionary PathSome individuals may indulge in sacrilege. But on official level the West has not been found wanting in endorsement of Muslim presence and influence of Islam.

By Maqbool Ahmed Siraj

The trashy film Innocence of Muslims has caused a good amount of outrage around the world. The mayhem in Pakistan has claimed 17 lives. The American envoy to Libya was killed with three other diplomats in Benghazi. The American consulate in Chennai was shut down for three days following violent protests. A Pakistani minister announced a million dollar award for the head of the blasphemer. A police station was set ablaze in Ahmadabad by a riotous mob. A few of these are amazing too. That a US envoy should be killed in Libya soon after that country’s US-aided freedom from the despotic rule of Qaddafi and a mob of Muslims burning a police station in a state where they have been at the receiving end of highhandedness of police’s biased action in not a too distant past should set us thinking. The Internet and social media have vastly expanded our access to what even individuals say, sing, draw or produce. A series of odd cartoons here, a derogatory film there or a blasphemous book elsewhere do cause hurt but should not lead to social turmoil. Outrage should not be allowed to become an industry. Internet has no borders and is totally unregulated. But uncivil behavior is dealt with varying set of laws in various settings. A variety of mischief-mongers thrive on odd aspects of various faiths. Violent protests are like showing a red rag to the raging bull. It is therefore pertinent to ask if violence could end the acts of sacrilege. Should the envoys be murdered for flagrant behaviour of some odd elements? Is it fair to lay the blame for every vicious act by an individual at the door of the state that he or she comes from?Rage against the US is understandable. But it is unfair to camouflage the real motives with such disruptive behavior. It looks like some of us have made it a habit to bark up the wrong tree.Last year, I devoted a day to visit the official buildings in

the Washington DC. Majestic Capitol building was the first stopover. The imposing edifice of the US Supreme Court stands opposite to it. Behind the mahogany table where judges sit, a series of stone sculptures in the form of friezes of 18 lawgivers, from Hammurabi to John Marshal, bedeck the wall. One of these lawgivers is Prophet Muhammad who appears between Charlemagne

and Justinian. The friezes were carved in 1930 in order to honour the ancient lawgivers in their own way. There were

no Muslims around then to tell them that making images of the Prophet is prohibited. Someone objected to the portryal of the Prophet in 1997. But the Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist reminded that it was unlawful to remove or in any way injure an architectural feature in the Supreme Court.I strolled ahead. On a grassy area opposite the White House are installed sculptures of a Christmas Tree, the Jewish religious symbol of Hanukkah and a crescent and star. The crescent and the star were installed only in 1997 in recognition of the increasing numbers, visibility and influence of Muslims in the United States.It is not that the West is all out to insult Islam and its Prophet. On official level, the West has increasingly recognized Islam and Muslims’ presence in its midst. True, ban was slapped on

minarets and veil in Switzerland and Belgium respectively. It is also true that blasphemous cartoons were published in Denmark and the sacrilegious book from Salman Rushdie is still in circulation. But it is the same US where a session of the Congress was started with the recitation of the holy Quran, where the right of the first Muslim member of the House of Representative Keith

Allison to take oath on the holy Quran was recognized. Was it not Germany that recognized Muslim holidays and allowed

introduction of Islamic syllabi for Muslim students? Was it not France where Louvre Museum opened the 100 million Euro Islamic Art Gallery last month? Was it not the Great Britain that provided asylum to Rachid Ghanouchi, the current prime minister of Tunisia during his years of exile?The West may be accused of several counts of blasphemy. But their view of the world is not monochromatic. Liberalism is a two-way traffic there. It has been and continues to be the home to the most innovative projects on Islam and Muslims and asylum for the enlightened Muslim intellectuals. Dr. Fazlur Rahman fled Pakistan during the repressive regime of Gen. Ziaul Haque and found a place in Chicago University. Six of his volumes on Islam are considered the most respected tomes on contemporary Islamic thought. Prof. Syed Hussain

Nasr who left Iran during despotic rule of the Reza Shah Pehlevi did not return to Islamic

Iran. He continues to write on Islamic art and philosophy in the US. Dr. Maher Hathout, the Palestinian professor, stays put in the US despite pro-Israel stance of the US. Prof. Khaled Aboul Fadl, the Saudi Sufi scholar, has no intention to return to the Saudi haven. He chose to exchange the opulent life of the Kingdom with liberal academic atmosphere and Spartan life of the US. The most gender sensitive postulates of Islam came out of the pen of Nimat Hafez Barzangi at her tenure in the Florida University. Most of his writings would not have seen the print of the ink anywhere in the Muslim world.Several projects to compile encyclopedia of Islam and Islamic world were conceived in Saudi Arabia during the last three decades. None materialized. Why? Because, the terrain inside the Islamic world is not hospitable to liberal interpretation of Islam, schisms within it and modern accretions. No scholar worth its salt can write objectively about Shias, Ahmediyas, Druze, Alawites, Mehdevis, Barelvis anywhere in the Islamic world. But, yes, Prof. John Esposito of George Washington University did compile the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World with the help of 400 authors. Prof. Amina Wadud could lead a mixed

gender congregation of salah in the US and survive. But a Negiub Mahfooz has to be wary

of a stabber every moment in Egypt. If the milieu in the West has space for a Rushdie, it also sustains the space scientist Dr. Nazeer Ahmed (from Tumkur in India) while he translates the holy Quran into American English. The intention is not to defend the attempts at blasphemy. It is reprehensible, no doubt. The West needs to bring up legislation to cover the persona of founders of all religions to protect from sacrilege as it does with the Jesus Christ or as it prohibits underestimation of the Holocaust. But we too need to do some introspection. Should a ragtag film evoke this huge a response and so violent? Are we not being too reactionary? Did the Hindus come out on streets condemning Russian courts for a ban on Bhagwad Gita? Did the Sikhs protest against the killings by a hatemonger in Oak Creek? Did not they convey their disapproval more subtly? Is it not that the mutual competition among sectarian groups of Muslims that fuels the overdrive? Is it not the fear of the rivals going one up that triggers the reactionary instincts in some of us? Are we being driven by fear of siding with the blasphemers in the event of keeping mum? These factors need deeper analysis.The writer can be contacted at maqsiraj@gmail.com.

Western liberalism is a two-way traffic, allowing space for blasphemers as well as defenders and

promoters of faith.

Hindus did not come out on street condemning ban on the Bhagwad Gita in Russia. Nor were

there protests in Amritsar against shooting at the Oak Creek Sikh Temple.

US Supreme Court building

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 3Doyen of Unani Medicine

Dr. Khaleefathullah Honoured

L to R: Dr. Syed M.M.Ameen, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali , Prince of Arcot, Dr. Hakim Syed Khaleefathullah, Dr. S.K. Khadri, Dr, Syed M.A. Iqbal at the

felicitation of Dr. Khaleefathullah.

Nursing Students Observe Heritage Day

By A Staff Writer

Chennai: Dr. Hakeem Syed Khaleefathullah was felicitated here at a public function on completion of 50 years of service to the world of medicine.Prince Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, Prince of Arcot was the Chief Guest at the function held at Amir Mahal. He presented a memento and

honored Dr. Khaleefathullah for his 50 years of service to Unani healthcare, education and research and addressed the gathering. Dr. S.K. Khadri, President, Anjuman-e-Mufid-e-Ahle-e-Islam and Eastern Medical Association of Southern India was the guest of honour.A leading practitioner of the Unani medicine, Dr. Hakeem

By Azmathulla Shariff

Bijapur: Nursing students of

the Al-Ameen Fatima College of Nursing, Bijapur, observed “heritage day” on October 13, 2012. The event was followed by visits to important landmarks in Bijapur city. The students gathered at the Gol Gumbaz, with the support of the local in-charge official of the Archeological survey of India

(ASI) at Bijapur, who provided access to the basement of the Gumbaz. Haji Malang, a senior

staff with the ASI provided access to ground zero, which is the pitch dark basement entry. As part of the heritage day, the students visited eight landmarks, including Gol Gumbaz, Jumma Masjid, Bara Kaman, Jod Gumbaz, Taj Bawdi, Upri Burj, Malik Maidan Toap and Ibrahim Roza. n

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Khaleefathullah has been associated practically with every institution working for the teaching, research and advancement of the Unani medicine in India for the last five decades and has contributed enormously to the promotion of this system of therapy in India and abroad. He also founded the Niamath Science Academy

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 4India’s First Glass Mosque

Opens in ShillongBuilt with funds from the Shillong Muslim Union, many Hindus

have also helped in building the Madina Masjid, which is reaching out to people of all faiths.

By Raymond Kharmujai

Shillong: Madina Masjid, an imposing and resplendent structure of glass dome and glass minarets, was formally opened last fortnight in Meghalaya’s capital.“It is an architectural marvel,” said Congress legislator Sayeedullah Nongrum. “It took us one and a half years to complete the only glass mosque in India and the largest one in the north-eastern region,” said Nongrum, who is also general secretary of the Shillong Muslim Union (SMU). The four-storey building, 120 feet high and 61 feet wide, stands inside an Idgah Complex in the city’s Lahan area and is close to the garrison grounds along the Umshyrpi river. At night, the mosque’s glasswork glows and glitters. The mosque houses a new orphanage named Meherba, a library and a ‘markaz.’ Nongrum said the new theological institute, Markaz, would impart Islamic

teachings and the library there would have books on comparative religious studies. Madina Masjid can accommodate 2,000 people

and has separate space for women to offer prayers. Around Rs.2 crore was spent on the building, with fund from SMU and well-wishers, he said.Nongrum said most of the people who built the mosque were Hindus. About 51 boys and girls are already in an orphanage in the complex and go to a primary school in the Idgah complex established in 1942. In 2008, the Idgah was the first in the region

to open doors to women. “When our women go to the market, we men do not object. So, why cannot women go to a ‘masjid’ and offer

prayers? Why fanatics object to it?” says Nongrum. The Shillong Muslim Union was formed in 1905 in erstwhile East Bengal, which stretched from Siliguri to Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong to Dibrugarh. After India’s partition in 1947, SMU narrowed down its activities to Assam. Since Meghalaya’s formation in 1972, its activities have been limited to the state.(IANS) (Photo by Two Circles.Net)

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A Decade of Telling the Truth

Muslim Artisans prepare Effigies of Ravana

By A Staff Writer

Mangalore: Vartha Bharathi entered its 10 year of publication and a programme was organised at the Town hall in Mangalore

recently. The event portrayed the efforts initiated in 2003 with a single minded vision to serve as a voice of the voiceless by a handful of visionaries. It was not just a media venture, but a mission which was successfully accomplished in a communally volatile coastal belt of Karnataka. Eminent scholar, Dr U. R Anantha Murthy and Bollywood director and producer, Mahesh Bhatt spoke strongly in favour of a media based on truth,

without prejudice. Abdussalam Puthige, editor- in- chief of Vartha Bharati said: “We have been objective in reporting facts during this journey in the last nine years, despite the

fact that an effort was made to brand us as an organ of a particular community”. “But the elite from the community have not responded positively. The newspaper has been able to withstand pressure of few politicians and influential class who wanted the newspaper to tow its line”, he adds. The newspaper gained its popularity from Kannada readers as a mainstream voice. The editor feels that the psyche of the

community must change as this paper is read more by members belonging to various communities. This was demonstrated effectively with the launch of the Bangalore edition, now there are preparations to launch the Hubli edition shortly.

Fatehgarhsaheb (Punjab): In a reflection of Hindu-Muslim amity, Muslim artisans are giving final touches to Ravana’s effigies for Dassera celebrations. Work here is being carried out on war footing to prepare effigies

of Ravana and his brothers Meghnath and Kumbhkaran. Year after year, Muslim artisans from Uttar Pradesh come especially to Fatehgarh Sahib district to prepare effigies of Ravana. The

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 5

KMMA Begins Pre-Poll Exercise Enrolment in voters’ list was emphasized. Concern expressed over purchase of

voters ID cards by vested interest prior to polling day.

By A Staff Writer

Bangalore: with the elections to the Karnataka Assembly approaching, the Karnataka Muslim Muttahida Mahaz (KMMA) began its exercise to influence the Muslim voting pattern with its first conclave held on October 20. The elections are due in the state around April-May 2013. Setting the tone for the conclave, Mr. Syed Tanveer Ahmed, secretary KMMA, said the voters’ demography suggests that Muslims could influence the election outcome in at least 70 of 224 Assembly constituencies in the State. Quoting studies to this effect he said, Muslim voters constitute between 40 to 50 per cent in seven constituencies. Here a Muslim candidate can easily win the seat. These are: Mangalore 50%; Pulikeshinagar (old Frazer town area of Bangalore Cantt.) 49%; Bijapur 47%; Narasimharaja (Mysore city) 44%; Sarvaganana Nagar 44%; Chamrajapet (in Bangalore city) 43%; Gulbarga 49.7%. Of these only four are currently represented by Muslims. Pulikeshinagar has been reserved for the Scheduled Castes. The BJP won the Bijapur seat as two secular parties put up Muslim candidates and divided the Muslim votes in 2008 elections. The second category has 12 Assembly segments where Muslims make up between 25 to 30 per cent of the electorate. Muslim candidates can win with good deal of effort. These are Kudachi, Belgaum Uttara, Humnabad in Bidar district, Raichur city, Bidar, Shiggaon in Dharwar district, Kolar, Hebbal and Shivajinagar (both

in Bangalore city), Jayanagar, Ramanagram (close to Bangalore) and Bidar South. Of these Muslims could win only in four places. Four of these went to BJP in 2008. A third category of seats is where Muslims constitute between 20

and 25 per cent of voters. Here they are the largest community and if their votes are tilted solidly in favour of any secular candidate, he is likely to sail through. These are: Raibagh

(SC reserved), Chincholi, Sirsi, Davangere, Shimoga and

Tumkur. A fourth category of 30 Assembly segments is where Muslims constitute between 15 to 20 per cent and can influence the trend in favour of a particular candidate. Of these, 20 elected BJP MLAs in 2008 Assembly

election. Of the remaining 10, five each were shared between the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular. Mr. Tanveer said so far the largest number of Muslim

MLAs i.e., 16 were elected in 1978 when the Congress ruled the roost in Karnataka. Mr. Tanveer emphasized that at grassroots level, the Muslim organizations should enroll Muslim voters, encourage Muslim youth to enter politics and talk to the political parties to include programme aimed at socio-economic betterment of the community. He said currently Muslims were highly under-represented at every level. He said there were only

11 Muslim MLAs in the state and among 32,000 members of the taluka panchayath, only 84 were Muslims, which works out to merely two per cent. Mr. Atharullah Sharief, convener

said, the Mahaz would work for the success of candidates of the parties committed to secularism

even while striving to enhance the Muslim representation in the Assembly. He said the Mahaz was for empowering the Muslim in every which way it is possible and would not like

communal forces to get political ascendancy in the state.

Mr. K. Rahman Khan, MP who put up a brief appearance, said the Muslim political workers should help Muslims to enroll as voters. Sometimes the list at the booth is different from what has been issued earlier as manipulation is done by the local functionaries among the Election staff. He said Muslims can either win or influence in 40 odd segments in the state. He said there was need to dialogue with political parties where Muslims constitute 15 to 20 per cent of electorate. The dialogue should be taken up at the stage drawing the political strategy and persons or leaders should be identified in whom the Muslim repose confidence. It is also crucial that contest is avoided between two Muslim candidates from secular parties in segments where the community has more numbers in order to ensure fair representation for the community members. Veteran Congressman Jaffer Sharief spoke some home truths. Reflecting on his unbroken record of seven wins, he said, his first victory was from Kanakapura Lok Sabha seat (in the outskirts of Bangalore) where Muslims were not sizeable. Later he was fielded constantly from Bangalore North where he defeated three brothers, George Fernandes, Michael Fernandes and Lawrence Fernandes in successive elections and later Syed Shahabuddin from Delhi. He said it was futile to think that one can win only with Muslim votes and said it is necessary that Muslims reached out to other communities and social groups. This needs a paradigm shift and Muslim politicians

would require to work for cementing their ties with love and harmony. He said the KMMA has been

Muslims in Karnataka Participation in Electoral Process is Minimal

Bangalore: The participation of Muslims in political process is minimal. According to a study by Honnurali earlier this year conducted in DK and Gulbarga districts, the Muslim participation in electoral process is much lower than the national average.Honnurali classifies 15 stages of political participation and examines to what extent Muslims in the above mentioned districts participated in the process. He further classifies the 15 stages into three categories viz., minimum, middle and maximum. According to him seeking these 15 stages are:1- Seeking political information2- Voting,3- Taking interest in politics4- Informal discussion on politics5- Canvassing6- Donation to political party/candidate7- Participation in meeting of political party8- Participation in protests and

demonstrations9- Meeting with political leaders and officers10- Canvassing for a specific political party11- Membership of a semi-political organisation.

12- Membership of a political organisation13- Contesting for party position14- Securing political power.(Dr. Abdul Aziz’s recent study mentions 15 stages of political participation but has listed only 14 of them.)The conclusion of this study is, Muslims’ participation in the political and electoral process is much lower than the national average. Secondly, in these districts, Muslim participation is found to be only in the first category of participation and as one moves up from first to second and from second to third, the degree of participation tapers off. If what is found in these districts is a general reflection of the pattern of political participation in Karnataka as a whole, one gets a clue as to why the national political parties are not generous enough in offering tickets to Muslim candidates, why not many Muslim candidates do not get elected and also not obtain positions of political power.(Extracted from Dr. Abdul Aziz’s recent study on Karnataka Muslim sponsored by the Centre of Study of Exclusion and Inclusive Policy of the National Law School of India University, Bangalore)

There are only 84 Muslim members among 32,000 Taluka Panchayat members in Karnataka. Jaffer Sharief said, (he as local MP), entered

the RSS Camp in Bangalore in 2003 and offered them assistance as they were their guests.

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ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 6Bosnia-Hercegovina

Europe’s first hijab-wearing mayor Visoko (Bosnia-Hercegovina): A new woman mayor in Bosnia who is the first in her country and the continent to wear the hijab headscarf, said Tuesday her election was “a model for Europe and Islam.”“This is a great victory of democracy. My fellow citizens showed a great open spirit because they elected me first as a woman but also as a woman who wears a veil,” respecting Islam, said Amra Babic, elected on October 7 in the town of Visoko. Babic, 43, who regularly wears the hijab, won 30 percent of the votes in the mayoral race in Visoko, a town of some 40,000 people near the capital of Sarajevo.Two days after the vote, Babic, wearing a scarf covering

her hair, ears and neck, was busy receiving by telephone congratulations for her victory.

Others were coming in to bring her bouquets of flowers. Babic belongs to Bosnia’s main Muslim party, the Party of Democratic Action (SDA). Babic, a mother of three and an economist, served as finance minister in the central canton of Zenica prior to running for mayor. Muslims are the biggest religious group in Bosnia,

making up some 40 percent of its 3.8 million population. Orthodox Christian Bosnian Serbs account for 31 percent while the traditionally Roman Catholic Croats represent 10 percent. Bosnian Muslims are Sunni Hanafi and mostly supporters of a moderate Islam, introduced in the Balkans in the 15th century by the Ottomans.The hijab was banned under communism when Bosnia was part of the federal Yugoslavia from 1945 until the early 1990s. A number of Muslims in Bosnian nowadays wear the hijab, although most women do not cover their heads. Having lost her husband in the 1992-1995 inter-ethnic war in Bosnia, Babic has for years led an association of families of Muslim fighters killed in the conflict. n

First Muslim chaplain for Toronto University

Toronto: The University of Toronto hired its first full-time Muslim chaplain for the 5,000 strong Muslim students studying there. The man taking up the post hopes to combat stereotypes surrounding the faith. Amjad Tarsin is a 28-year-old man of Libyan descent who hails from Ann Arbour, Michigan, US. He began to devote himself to the religion when he was in university, dropping out of law

school to get a degree in Muslim chaplaincy.Tarsin’s goal is to have an open dialogue with students and create a strong Canadian Muslim identity on a campus. To fill the position, the Muslim Students Association raised $70,000 with an online campaign that began in June. Funding came from around the world, with contributions pouring in from as far away as Denmark. n

FranceStrasbourg Mosque

OpenedS t r a s b o u r g : Eastern France largest mosque was opened on September 28 in Strasbourg by France Interior Minister Manuel Valls. The Strasbourg mosque, which was designed by Italian architect Paolo Portoghesi and seats 1,500 worshippers, was completed after more than 20 years of infighting between right and left wing administrations in Strasbourg. France new Grand Mosque has a capacity of 1,300 square meters (or 14,000 square feet), making it 1.5 times as big as the previous largest one in France, at Evry in the Paris suburbs. Valls speaking after

inauguration said: “France’s Muslims can congratulate themselves on the singular model that they are building but warned the community that the Government would not tolerate fundamentalists. Valls praised the wisdom of Muslim leaders, who have called their followers to keep calm following the publication of the caricatures by the Charlie Hebdo Weekly. n

Generalizing Islam as Negative is Unfair, says Dalai Lama

Washington: Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, warned not to generalize Islam

as a negative force and called on believers of different faiths to reach out to one another.On a lecture tour of the United States, last month, the world’s best-known Buddhist monk said that every religion including his own had “mischievous” people and that he has made efforts to reach out to Muslims since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. “Due to some mischievous action or destructive action carried out by some mischievous Muslims, due to that, to generalize the whole of Islam as something negative is totally unfair, unjust,” he said to

applause. “We need more efforts to reach out to other faiths,” he said at the College of William

and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.Historically, in most cases of conflict in the name of religion, “the real reason is not religious faith, but economic reasons” or power struggles, he added. The Dalai Lama, who has

lived in exile in India since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959, said that he voiced admiration for the ability of different religious communities to live together in India. “I think, really, a thousand years of religious harmony is already there. So I think the rest of the world should learn from India’s experience like that,” he said. The Dalai Lama is spending two weeks touring the eastern United States for public talks on some of his favorite themes, including compassion, religious harmony and meditation. n

NY Police Paid Agents to

act as BaitNew York: A paid informant for the New York Police Department says he was under orders to “bait” Muslims into saying bad things.The U.S. citizen of Bengali descent says he lived a double life, snapping pictures inside mosques and collecting the names of innocent people attending Islamic study groups.Shamiur Rahman, 19, told The Associated Press that he regrets his work, which paid up to $1,000 a month. He says he spied on student groups and mosques. He showed the AP weeks of text messages and photographs with his NYPD contacts.NYPD spokesman Paul Browne didn’t immediately return a request for comment. Mr. Browne has denied widespread police monitoring of mosques and student groups, saying the NYPD only follows leads.Mr. Rahman, however, says he spied on “everything and anyone.” n

The children of Naasih Public School in Frazer town enacted the rituals of Hajj on Oct 23 at the school premises. Models of Kaaba, Safa and Marwa, the Zamzam well, tents pitched at Mina, Muzdalifa,

and Mount Arafat were on display at the venue. The students in Ihram were seen explaining the significance

of these places to visitors.

tradition has not been broken for the last several decades. 50-year-old Ameerudeen, a resident of UP’s Muzzafarnagar district, who is busy in preparing the effigies in Mandi Gobindgarh here, said several Muslim artists

from Uttar Pradesh had come to Punjab to make effigies of the demon king. He said they spend a week’s time to prepare an effigy, adding that they enjoy making the structures even though they are meant for a Hindu festival. “For us, all religions are alike. We do not have any religious

differences in our mind,” Ameerudeen said. However, he said the cost of making these effigies had shot up. “With the rise in the input cost, some organisers have cut down on the height and number of effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnath,” he said. n

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Effigies of Ravana ...

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 7

He charted his progress on his Facebook page, where he posted a picture apparently of an entry/exit card for foreigners issued by the Syrian Interior Ministry. “I passed through Syria in April.

I walked some 500 km in 11 days. I went through Aleppo and Damascus and passed dozens of checkpoints held by pro-government and rebel forces alike, but I was never detained,” Hadzic said. “I walked in the name of Allah, for Islam, for Bosnia-Hercegovina, for

my parents and my sister,” he added. On his Facebook page, he said God had shown him the way in dreams, including to go through Syria instead of Iraq. During the journey, Hadzic faced temperatures ranging from minus 35 Celsius in Bulgaria to plus 44 Celsius in Jordan. n

5,700 km in 314 Days

Bosnian Haji Crosses 7 Countries on Foot

Giant Turkish-built Mosque Complex Open in South Africa

Makkah: A Bosnian pilgrim who left last December on pilgrimage to Makkah by foot arrived in the holy city last fortnight, after passing through seven countries including war-

torn Syria. “I arrived in Makkah. I am not tired, these are the best days of my life,” said 47 year old Senad Hadzic. He said he had covered some 5,700 km in 314 days of walking through Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria and Jordan to Makkah, with a backpack weighing 20 kg.

Johannesburg: A giant mosque complex built by Turkey, with 55-meter (180-foot) Ottoman minarets towering over a religious center, is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere. The Nizamiye Mosque dominates the clear

skies on the main highway between the capital Pretoria and economic hub Johannesburg. President Jacob Zuma cut a red ribbon at the entrance to the structure, flanked by government ministers from South Africa and Turkey. Built in three years, the complex houses a central mosque, bazaar, Islamic school,

sports grounds and a clinic. Wealthy Turkish property developer, Orhan Celik built the complex with the blessing of Nelson Mandela, Nobel Laureate and the country’s first black president. Mandela had insisted that a clinic be included. The

magnificent yellow structure, with its 24-meter (80-foot) diameter dome, is a replica of the 16th century Selimiye Mosque, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the town of Edirne in Turkey. It is named after Nizam al-Mulk, a Persian hero who lived in the 11th century. The complex is the largest religious educational

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center in South Africa, and the southern hemisphere’s largest mosque complex in area. n

68% Muslim to vote for Obama

Washington DC.: At least 25% of American Muslim registered voters were undecided about who to vote for in this November’s presidential election, according to a survey released on October 24. The survey also indicates that 91% of registered Muslim voters will go to the polls on November 6.The random survey of 500 registered Muslim voters was conducted in the first two weeks of October. It was held by an independent research firm on behalf of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a leading American Muslim civil advocacy group.

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ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 8

Amanath BankNew Chairman Claims

Rs. 5 Cr. in New Deposits

community initiative

Cash from TrashSafa Baitul Maal, an organisation managed by a team of Ulema is reaching out to the poorest of the poor through providing health facilities and a score of other

activities. Their novel way of generating funds for this is interesting and admirable.

By Azmathulla Shariff

Dressed in spotless white kurta and pyjama, a team of Ulema are reaching out to the society with their humanitarian work

through the Safa Baitul Maal, an organisation located in Sarai Palya in Bangalore. The Safa Baitul Maal Educational Welfare and Charitable Trust has its roots in Hyderabad, operating since 2006 in Andhra Pradesh. The Karnataka Chapter started functioning in 2010 in Bangalore, in a rented office in Sarai Palya, and recently moved to a bigger office close by. The branch office in Bangalore operates independently and does not get funding, but mere guidance and advice from the head office in Hyderabad.The term ‘welfare’ is always associated with money. It is here that founders of the organisation decided to spin money from the junk to streamline their work. Safa Baitul Maal focuses on health issues in 24 slums of Bangalore city with one dedicated mobile van. The poor do not have access to good health facilities and cannot even afford consultation fees. This is the core area and the team of ulema are committed to work towards this goal to generate revenue. It is here that they use their novel way of generating funds from junk .They run a consistent campaign to collect what we call ‘junk’ through its team members who often work as per the route sheet given to them. They venture out in the city to bring the collected junk to its destination at Sarai Palya. The junk received from the source then gets segregated at the collecting point and disposed off to identified scrap dealers. They collect junk

such as iron, plastic, paper and electronic waste, which is separated and valued by the evaluator before being disposed off and the record is maintained in a day book.

Today, the net income generated through this source is around Rs 2.5 lakh per month which they feel is quite encouraging, but it is little short of what their colleagues collect at Hyderabad which is approximately Rs 3 lakh a month. The funds collected by way of disposing of junk are well utilized in implementing their activities.The activities though very little, are effective, like the mobile clinic which they operate in a van with a team of two paid doctors and the supporting staff, besides purchase of medicine from the open market for distribution among patients. Abdul Hafiz Rashadi, President of the Karnataka Chapter, says that their novel way worked wonders. “We are operating in areas from where we identify and source out funds from the rich in the area and spend on the poor of the same area”. This has encouraged both the rich and the poor as the rich feel satisfied at their charity and the poor benefits from it. In their effort to spread the work, they have obtained benefits of the government schemes under Arogyasree, Chief Minister’s fund and MLA. This approach is beneficial whenever they get poor patients without resources to treat major ailments. Hafiz says, “Aap apni bezaroorat cheezon se zaroorat mandoon ki imdad kijiye” seeking junk, which can be converted into money to help the poor. He further says that, “ recently a woman has donated her land measuring 2400

square feet, which is valued at Rs 70 lakhs, this land will be used in setting up a permanent office and a junk yard.” Other activities of Baitul Maal include working on the schools

nurturing Islamic principles, establishing maternity centers at nominal cost, besides adding more mobile vans to its fleet. As part of their welfare initiative, they support the poor in online registrations to obtain BPL and APL cards, assisting poor parents in obtaining partial support in payment of school and college fee. Women and the disabled are also offered support in the form of widow allowance. They offer training in candle making, tailoring and embroidery to women, to lead a life of dignity.Very recently, the organisation was able to organise relief in Assam for the victims of the ethnic cleansing with a sum of Rs 1 crore. A monthly magazine, Faiz-e-Safa publishes its activities for the month which is edited by Gayas

By A Staff Writer

Bangalore: Mr. Naseer Ahmed, MLC and industrialist, who took over as the new Chairman of the Amanath Cooperative Bank aspires to put the Bank back on the rails.Naseer Ahmed was formally elected the Chairman on October 3 when the newly elected Board met for the first time. Hailing from Kolar, Mr. Ahmed owns garments factories that employ nearly 4,000 workers and has served as MLA from Kolar during 1999-2004. He is currently a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council. It may be recalled that a new 11-member Board of Directors was elected for the Amanath Bank which had completed five years after Government took over the reins of administration amid scams and mounting default cases.Talking to Islamic Voice, Mr. Ahmed said it is a miracle that the Bank kept functioning for the last five years despite being under government control and people still had confidence in it. He said the Bank could mobilize Rs. 5 crore in fresh deposits ever since the new board of directors took charge earlier this month. He said no major business activity could be taken up during the last six years as the Bank was mired deep into litigation against the scamsters and defaulters. He informed that a whopping

sum of Rs. 66 crore was spent towards litigation during the period which amounted to nearly 20 per cent of the Bank’s total deposits. He said the Bank has even secured the approval

of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies for one time settlement (OTS) to negotiate the terms of return of loans with minimum interest. He said the Bank would soon launch a drive to invite defaulters and settle each case in the larger interest of the Bank as it was ‘a Community Asset’.Mr. Naseer Ahmed said the hunt was on for a new CEO for the Bank. The Bank would come up with new schemes to issue vehicle loans, housing loans and gold loans in future and will finance the entrepreneurs in a big way. A window will be opened towards extending micro credit facilities to hawkers, small vendors to develop economy of those below poverty line. n Page 20

Naseer Ahmed

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 9special report

Page 22

JTSA Report: Framed, Damned and Acquitted

Police Lies ExposedReport calls for punitive action against police officers who framed

up innocent youth.By A Staff Writer

How much success the police across the country had in getting those it accused and arrested for committing terrorism? Almost nil. Nearly two dozen people were arraigned before the various courts in Delhi since 1992 in 16 different incidents. Almost all of them were acquitted by the courts except a few who are still facing charges in offences other than terrorism. A report recently brought out by the civil rights group Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association (JTSA), a group formed by the teachers of the Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi has highlighted the bias and prejudice against Muslims who were the main accused in the series of incidents shown with great hype on the TV channels and splashed across the pages of the newspapers in the capital. But in the end when they were acquitted by the courts, the very media maintained sepulchral silence. Several of these innocent youths on an average passed seven years in the prison for no crime while in one case a youth Aamir Khan (story highlighted earlier in Islamic Voice and several leading journals) was in jail for 14 years. The report titled, Framed, Damned and Acquitted, the Dossiers of a very Special Cell was released recently in Delhi. The JTSA was formed after the infamous Batla House encounter in 2008, which is widely perceived to be fake. The demands for a judicial probe have not so far been accepted by the government lending more currency to the claims of it being staged. The report that documents the cases involving the so called ‘terror masterminds’ has meticulous details of how the suspects were framed by the police only to be later acquitted by the courts for lack of evidence and shoddy details which at times looked manufactured by the police itself. The Delhi

Police in a clarification said that six cases were still pending before the courts. But the JTSA report says: “The six cases they are talking about are the ones in which the police has appealed against the trial court verdict in the higher courts or the ones in which a few accused have been convicted of crimes that were not as serious as claimed in the chargesheets,” Manisha Sethi recently told the media. “The Special Cell is clearly peddling

lies when it says that in the case of Mauruf Qamar and Irshad Ali, the Supreme Court has set aside the chargesheet submitted by the CBI which says that they were police informers who were framed. Moreover, the new information being given to media on the case by officers of the special cell that they were informers and that they were double crossing us is also a blatant lie for in its chargesheet the special cell never said that they were working as informers. This fact came up only when the CBI investigated the case,” Sethi explained. Noted civil rights activist Justice Rajinder Sachar, who was present at the event emphasised that this was a clear distortion of the law and the rights of those individuals who have been falsely implicated by the State and its agencies. He sought strong punitive action against the erring officials. “Not a single

officer in any of the operations described in the report has suffered criminal proceedings for the framing of innocents. Adverse observations, strictures and censures from the court have not come in the way of promotions, gallantry awards and President’s medals. Even after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) indicted ACP Sanjeev Yadav – a figure who will surface regularly in these pages – for staging an

encounter in Sonia Vihar in 2006, he continues to head probes as crucial and sensitive as the attack on the Israeli diplomat in Delhi,” Sethi says.Arundhati Roy, writer and civil activist, another speaker at the event did not mince words and said that at times she does not see any hope in the Indian State and its institutions. She blamed the neo-liberal market policies of the country for this mess. She saw a link between the Babri Masjid incident and the opening up of Indian market and said that these are the policies which have made the government a natural ally of the US and Israel perhaps pointing to the way Indian government too has pursued the global ‘war on terror’ especially targeting the Muslims and also the Adivasis and others who are opposed to the policies of the State in the name of fighting left wing extremism.

The JTSA activists have alleged foul play on the part of the investigating agencies. The usual response is : ‘Surely there must have been some

involvement, or else why would the police arrest him, and not me’. The findings of this report

counter and contest the complacence of such all too familiar commonsense. Its preface says: ‘We document here 16 cases, in which those arrested, in main by the Special Cell of Delhi Police, were accused of being operatives of various terrorist organizations (Al Badr, HUJI, Lashkar), and charged with the most heinous of crimes: sedition; war against the state; criminal conspiracy, planning and causing bomb blasts; training of terrorists; collection of arms,

ammunition and explosives and the transfer of funds for terrorist activities. The penalties demanded by the police and prosecution in these cases were also, correspondingly, the most severe: in most cases, life sentence or the death penalty. However between 1992 and 2012 a large number of those

arrested were acquitted of all charges by the courts.’The evidence that the report presents shows clearly that the acquittals were not simply

for want of evidence. What judgment after judgment comments on is the manner in which the so-called evidence provided by the police and the prosecution was tampered with and fabricated, how story after story as presented by the prosecution was unreliable, incredulous, and appeared as concocted.The fabrication of evidence is a serious offence under the Indian Penal Code.The report carries instances where the courts clearly indict the Special Cell for framing innocents; reprimanding them for violating due process and fabricating evidence; ordering a CBI probe against the Special Cell, as well as directing the filing of FIR and the initiation of departmental enquiries against them. The fabrication of evidence is a serious offence under the Indian Penal Code. In the Dhaula Kuan fake encounter case, the Court was of the opinion that, “there cannot be any more serious or grave crime than a police officer framing an innocent citizen in a false criminal case. Such tendency in the police officers

Accused Year of Years in Jail Court ruling Arrest Tanweer Ahmed, Shakeel AhmedIshtiyaq Dar, Md. Akhtar Dar 1992 10 years AcquittedFarooq Ahmed and others 1996 4 years AcquittedMd. Aamir Khan 1997 14 years AcquittedKhong Buntum Brojan Singh 2002 7 years AcquittedMd. Iftikhar, Ihsan Malik, Dilawar Khan 2004 6 years AcquittedIrshad A. Mallik 2004 6 years AcquittedAyaz Ahmed Shah 2004 5 years AcquittedSaqib Rahman, Basheer Shah, Nazeer Soofi 2005 6 years AcquittedKhurshid Ahmed Butt 2005 6 years AcquittedSalman Khurshid Kori 2006 5 years AcquittedMaroof Qamar, Md. Irshad Ali 2006 5 years AcquittedGulzar Ghani, Md. Ameen 2006 3 years AcquittedTariq Dar 2006 3 months AcquittedImran Ahmed 2006 5 years AcquittedMd. Mukhtar A. Khan 2007 5 years AcquittedMd. Iqbal alias Abdur Rahman 2008 3 years Acquitted(Source: Framed, Damned and Acquitted by Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association, New Delhi)

The JTSA activists allege foul play on the side of the investigative agencies who failed to provide any firm evidences pertaining to involvement of Muslim

youth in terror incidents.

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 10LETTERS

CIS Campaign against Insult

Muslim World in the Woods

Kudos for Highlighting Malagi’s Services

No Freedom to Sacrilege

Moon Hill story

We all have come across a great insult and humiliation to the feelings of the Muslims in general in the form of anti-Islamic movies. In this regard the Centre for Islamic Studies, Bangalore has come up with a project “Repel the Evil with Good”. The CIS is distributing the biography of the noble Prophet and small booklets among Muslims and non-Muslims alike in

the city in order to counter the misgivings pertaining to Islam. Desirous persons can join the effort and the campaign.

Zubair Sab Centre for Islamic Studies#1/5, Masjide Munawwara Complex, North Road, Cooke Town, Bangalore- 84zubairsab08@gmail.com, or +91 9945 44771.

Kudos to Islamic Voice for highlighting the social service rendered by Mohammed Husein Malagi through a string of educational institutions! With old institutions like Anjuman Islam having become a ladder for Muslim politicians to ascend to self-empowerment, Malagi has

been striving hard to empower the masses through useful courses and micro-credit. Islamic Voice has always been championing the cause of social welfare and education and has brought such persons in limelight. Keep it up!A.G. Byadgi, Belgaum

This refers to your editorial ‘No Freedom to Sacrilege’ (Islamic Voice October 2012 issue). It is indeed regretful that Muslims take to the streets as soon as they hear any negative remarks about the Prophet, peace be upon him. In this 7-billion strong humanity, we cannot stop people thinking in adverse terms about anyone. There are umpteen number of people who simply cannot be stopped from airing their views through a variety of means on any topic, personality, and event. The right course for Muslims

would be to turn the Prophet’s principles into institutions such as for educating, training and healing the illiterate and sick. Unfortunately, the community is dominated by very short-sighted leaders who are quick in rhetoric but short on action. Your edit has very rightly drawn the attention towards this deficiency. Tongue lashing against Islam will not cease unless people of the world feel benefitted by the followers of the Prophet.

Zohra Jabeen K., Mysore.

The children’s story ‘How Moon Hill was saved’ in Islamic Voice issue of October 2012 made interesting reading. The author has very skillfully brought home the message of preserving the environment

through his lucid and fluent English prose. Hope to see more such stories in Islamic Voice.

Naseem FarooqChennai

The need of the hour for the Muslim world is introspection. This alone will help it come out of the woods which they have got themselves in. Much of the world is cursing the religion, Islam, which has been an abode of peace, brotherhood and equality. Rather than leaving it to God, we Muslims have taken the task of imparting justice in our own hands, in every matter, whether it is supposed blasphemy by Christians and Hindus in Pakistan or of Americans through idiotic films like “The Innocence of Muslims”. We need to introspect, what the following Hadith says, “Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you”. It is not a tough task to know whether we are hurting anyone through our actions and deeds or not. Why does it seem that the whole world has nothing to do except trying to harm the Muslim world? An average Muslim has come to believe that the whole world is against Islam and that Muslims are being mistreated by other faiths

for no fault of theirs. The ‘conspiracy against Islam’ theory keeps doing rounds on every roundabout of Muslim localities, on every tea stall and virtually in every household. Conspiracy theories of ‘Islam in danger’ have come to inhabit the hearts and minds of one and all. This has transformed Muslims, even in secular countries like India, into an entirely strange entity. It would help us immensely, if instead of pointing fingers at others as a matter of habit, we look within and introspect. There has to be a reason why the world is against us, considers us backward, uncivilized. Many of us may be afraid of introspection. Because introspection shows us our true face whereas in our heart of hearts, we take ourselves to be very upright and pious. Introspection is not something to be afraid of. It makes the path of our life greener and brighter.

Arman NeyaziPatna

Self Righteousness

Self-righteousness—be it among individuals or communities—is disastrous. It is a deadly affliction if it affects a person. It turns into a scourge if it takes a community into its grip. It is a trait of personality that the victim is hardly able to distinguish, hence has to be made evident to him or her by a variety of means. In simple words, self-righteousness is self-love and in more complex terms it is egotism, vanity, elitism and the habit of being selfish in righteousness. Such people are least amenable to correction and conversation with them could reach a dead end very soon. Preachers often fall into this trap because they labour under an overbearing sense of moral superiority of their own faith and ideology. They tend to see all other faiths morally inferior, odious and vicious. It is why preachers do not see beyond their own nose. Doctrines other than their own appear to them bereft of virtue, illegitimate and lacking in logic and reason.Nobody is without imperfections. But a self-righteous person feels no scope for any input into his life from others. For him, he is hundred percent perfect, smarter than all and virtuous to the core. It is only the other person who can see an individual’s blind spots. It is where one has to give up his vanity and be open to criticism and introspection. A self-righteous person is immune to such criticism and is lost in his own vainglorious world, thumb-nosing what others say or do, heaping scorn on likes and dislikes of others. Sanctimoniounsess or what is called in common parlance ‘holier than thou’ attitude flows directly from self-righteousness in people practicing a religion. The innate feeling of superiority cocoons them into a shell, convincing them of there being no need for them to look anywhere other than their own doctrines, practices and traditions. Sufferers of this complex thus do not usually concern themselves with proving their superiority to others and take it for granted that it is too manifest to be ignored. We the Muslims need to introspect, if we are being or have been led on this path.

17.5 lakh Foreign Pilgrims Performed Hajj this yearJeddah: Nearly 17.5 lakh foreign pilgrims, 46 % of them women, performed Hajj this year, it was announced by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Ahmed, who is chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee. He said, 1,752,932 foreign pilgrims have arrived for Haj this year, including 801,126 women.He said the number was 4 percent (77,968) less than that of last year. He said the foreign pilgrims came from 189 countries.Makkah Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said nearly three million pilgrims had arrived in Mina and the process was completed successfully without any major incidents.“The health condition of pilgrims is

satisfactory,” he said.More than 82,000 security officers

were deployed to ensure smooth Haj operation.Asked about the number of domestic

pilgrims, Prince Khaled said: “I cannot give you an exact number because

unfortunately a large number of people enter the holy sites without Haj permits.”The ministry has confiscated and destroyed about 7,500 fast-food meals and dairy products for violating health regulations.Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Khaled Mirghalani said no cases of contagious diseases among pilgrims have been reported so far.

Civil defense officials said they had taken precautionary measures to assist pilgrims in case of rains in Arafat. n

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 11meDia anD the muslims

Attention readers if you have any relatives / friends in educational field who is interested to be partner to start

muslim deemed universities across

India please contact 09448844939, Khazi,

Bangalore. Page 7

Stereotypes Galore when It comes to Reporting Muslims

Media complains that Muslims have no proper spokespersons

By Indira Satyanarayana

When a Muslim girl student tops the MD exams for medical colleges, the media does not mention it because she is in Burqa but news about Afzal Guru is splashed all over the newspapers. A dialogue between the media and the Muslims was organized by the Qaumi Majlis and Shura

Mumbai on October 4 at the Marathi Patrakar Sangh Hall. The object of the discourse was to lessen the distance between the media and the Muslims especially after the August 11 Azad Maidan violence in Mumbai . I was invited for the program by Danish Reyaz who writes for the magazine Sunday Indian. On one side were Muslim community leaders and intellectuals while on the other side of the panel were journalists. Among them were Sujata Anandan, the political editor of The Hindustan Times , Jyoti Punwani , Jatin Desai and others. Danish started off the debate by saying that there is this perception that the media portrays Muslims in a

negative light, to which one from the Muslim community panel pointed out that when a Muslim girl topped in the MD medical examination the media did not report the incident. The student herself explained the reason for being ignored : she was in Burka. But news about Afzal Guru was splashed in every newspaper.Sujata Anandan said, there is

a difference between Islam and Islamists. While the media has no problem with Islam, it is the Islamists who bring politics into religion and demonize Islam which shoots off trouble. She further said, Journalists dilemma is that while covering issues about Muslims, it is difficult to find a proper spokesperson for the Community and it becomes very difficult, to penetrate it to get the facts. ‘There are so many groups among Muslims and there is no one strong spokesperson for Muslims whom Journalists can contact for information’, she opined. Acknowledging leading Journalist Saeed Naqvi as her Guru, Anandan said when violence erupted in the Azad Maidan rally in which media personnel were attacked, an she

called up Naqvi in Delhi and asked him why have the Indian Muslims done this. Responding to her query, Naqvi replied that there is no such thing as Indian Muslim. Naqvi further explained that all Muslims were not the same therefore it is unfair to paint all Muslims with the same brush. ‘We have the Tamils, Bengalis, Gujaratis in India. Similarly we have different kinds of Muslims. If some anti social elements create problems in Pakistan, the non Muslims here start develop a negative perception about Muslims in India. Anandan said Islamic evangelist Dr. Zakir Naik had made fun of Lord Ganapati. The Shiv Sena let the matter pass, because its leader Bal Thackeray was old and ailing. “Had the Shiv Sena taken it seriously, there would have been riots in Mumbai”, said Anandan. Journalist Jyoti Punwani said the English press makes a stereotype of Muslims as being violent and aggressive. But a change has come about over the years. With umpteen number of young Muslims entering the field of Journalism, Muslims were now not presented in the same light. ‘But still there are not many Muslim

journalists in the English press”, she observed. Punwani said scribes in the English newspapers write whatever they get from the police. Police perception of Muslims is not good so the writing ends up to be a biased one. Holding the Urdu press responsible for August 11 violence in Mumbai, Jyoti Punwani said it published fabricated or totally wrong pictures of disturbances of Assam and Myanmar. “If Samnaa, the mouthpiece of the Shiv Sena is communal what about the Urdu press?” she asked. Even though there is a bias against Muslims among the police force, the Urdu press projected former Police Commissioner of Mumbai M. N. Singh as the savior of Muslims .“Media does not belong to one religion,’’ said Jatin Desai from the Journalists side. “’We have to get out of this conspiracy theory”, said Desai. “Every time something disturbing happens in India we blame it on America or Israel. This must stop”, he pleadedThe president of the Press Club of Mumbai, Gurbir Singh had a poignant experience to share with the audience . He said in a Borivili suburb in Mumbai, Muslims and Hindus were living in peace and harmony. There

was a close bond between them. There was a redevelopment project for the slum-dwellers. The then Minister Naseem Khan wanted three separate buildings for Muslims although the Muslims themselves did not want it. This demand for separate houses for Muslims was struck down and Hindus along with Muslims continued to live jointly in the same area. Moral of the story: though Hindus and Muslims may want to live together peacefully, politicians for their own vested interests will create a rift between them.From the Muslim community side Dr. Shariq Nisar of TASIS, a Shariah BSE index, said, western secularism means breaking the barriers among religions and Indian Secularism means bashing up other religions. “The problem in the mainstream media is the lack of critical investigation into matters pertaining to Muslims .’’ he said. Athar Khan, President of the Centre for Islamic Education in Bhopal said, “ The media does not focus on the action but on the reaction of the Muslim Community”. The debate ended with all agreeing that the interaction between the media and the Muslims which Danish Reyaz had taken pains to organize, was very enlightening and must continue. n

68% of the survey respondents said they will vote to re-elect President Obama. Only 7% said they will vote for Mitt Romney. American Muslims tilt toward the Democratic Party was reflected when more than 100 Muslim delegates representing some 20 states attended the Democratic convention in Charlotte, N.C., in September last. That’s up from 25 delegates in 2004.

Vote to Obama ...

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 12

ObituaryJawed HabibNew Delhi: Jawed Habib, President of the Babri Masjid Action Committee, and editor once popular Urdu weekly Hujoom died at the age of 64 on October 11. Long known as youth leader, Jawed Habib stewarded the Babri Masjid movement for several years. The Committee later split and the splinter was led by Syed Shahabuddin MP. Jawed Habib also spearheaded the movement for restoration of the minority character of the Aligarh Muslim University. An alumni of the Aligarh Muslim University, he had also been elected the President of the AMU Students Union in 1970s. He was born in Tonk in Rajasthan and took up residence in Zakirnagar of Okhla area in Delhi in early 1980. Following the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the political career of the fiery youth leader eclipsed as the focus of the Muslim masses turned away from emotive issues.He leaves behind his wife Prof. Zubaida Habib who teaches at the Education Department of the Jamia Millia and three sons. He was laid to rest the next day in the Batla House graveyard after funeral prayers at the Jamia Millia Mosque the same day by a huge gathering of mourners.

Abdul Haq AnsariJamaat’s Ex Ameer DeadNew Delhi: Islamic scholar

and former P r e s i d e n t ( A m e e r ) of Jamaat e Islami Hind, Prof. Muhammad Abdul Haq Ansari, died

of cardiac arrest on October 3 at his residence in Aligarh. He was 81. An Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) alumnus (Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1962 from AMU), he travelled to USA in 1972 to study Comparative Religion and Theology at Harvard University. He taught at Shantiniken University in West Bengal for several years and later took up a teaching assignment at the King Saudi University in Riyadh. He authored several books on Tasawwuf and Shariah and learning the language of the Quran. Prof. Ansari was born on September 1, 1931 at Tamkohi in district Deoaria of Uttar Pradesh. He was buried at Aligarh.

Rs 56 Crore Fraud Uncovered in APMFCHyderabad: CID officials raided the Andhra Pradesh Minorities Finance Corporation (APMFC) office at the Haj House last fortnight, and uncovered a Rs 56 crore scandal. CID officials were acting on the complaint of Dana Kishore, secretary minorities welfare department, who alleged that 55.47 crores is being withdrawn fraudulently from the APMFC account in Vijaya Bank, Koti branch, which was meant for scholarship distribution for under-privileged Muslim students. The APMFC had Rs 80

crores as fixed deposit amount in three different branches of Vijaya Bank in Hyderabad. The bank officials informed the APMFC soon, as large sum of money was being withdrawn through 240 cheques in a gap of two days, and credited to the accounts of different institutions. CID officials believe that a fake account in the name of APMFC accounts officer Ahmed Ali was opened to facilitate the fraud. Accountant Ahmed Ali has been suspended after the recommendation of CID on

charges that he was not vigilant enough in his duties. A criminal case has been registered for criminal breach of trust, fraud, and criminal conspiracy. The Andhra Pradesh government has transferred APMFC managing director Mohammed Ilyas Rizvi, a day after the arrest of four people in the Rs.56 crore fraud.(Two circles.net)

Atheeq Heads for World BankBy A Staff Writer

Bangalore/New Delhi: Mr. L. K. Atheeq, IAS officer s e r v i n g as joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office has

been appointed as senior advisor to the executive director at World Bank, Washington DC. He will be joining the office in the first week of November. Mr. Atheeq who hails from Akkirampur village in Pavagada taluk of Tumkur district is a 1991 batch IAS officer who did his M.Sc in Agriculture and Economics from University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. Luthfullah Khan Atheeq had his early education in an Urdu medium school in his native village. He was earlier Deputy Commissioner in Mandya and Hassan districts and headed the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in Karnataka Government. As the Senior Advisor at the World Bank he would be liaising between the Government of India and the World Bank. He is the third IAS officer from Karnataka to hold this position. Earlier Mr. P. K. Kirshnan and K. Jayaraj held this position.

people

Bandh against malicious reports in Kannada Prabha

Bhatkal: The coastal town of Bhatkal observed a day’s strike on October 11 in protest against scurrilous writings in Kannada daily Kannada Prabha. The call was given by Majlise Islaho Tanzeem. Tanzeem alleged that the daily was indulging into publication of false reports against the Muslims of Bhatkal and was defaming the town’s folk. The Tanzeem said it was

peeved at the way names of eight mosques were dragged by the daily as ‘prohibited area’.Earlier, in a press conference called by the Congress, local MLA J. D. Naik had condemned the daily for running a maligning campaign against the people of the town by linking them with terrorism. He had strongly rebutted the story published in Kannada Prabha.

Two Challenges to SecularismPune: Noted intellectual Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer while speaking on ‘Challenges to Secularism in India’ identified two major threat to secularism, i- the anti-conversion bill which has been enacted in some states. This goes against the spirit of the constitution which has given freedom to preach, profess and practise any religon of the indidvidual choice. (2) Communal identity politics are perpetuated to win votes. The lecture was organized by the University of Pune at P. C. Ray

Hall on October 18. Mr. Engineer averred that two big challenges to secularism today in India are - (1) the anti-conversion bill which has been The solution is to emphasize civic identity and on values and charactaer in public life. The lecture was well-received by the lyouth of the university. The lecture was organized by the post graduate students of social sciences by Prof. Rohini Sahani. Students from Poona College, a minority institution also participated in this.

Pearls of WisdomWisdom works better than the muscle power.

A wealth earned in life is meaningless when faced with death.

The nations that mortgage their thinking faculties to others, run therisk of ruining themselves.

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 13EMPOWERING THE MUSLIM MIND

Take Charge of Your Life

opinion

Contemporary Muslims wonder why they are so powerless.The Covey Principle sheds light on the apparent contradiction between their condition

and the promise of the idea of Islam.

By Aqeel A. Ansari

We generally affirm that life is a beautiful gift, but there are not many who value the gift. If you value the gift of life, your life ought to command value. For life to command value, it must be worthy of its creation. But who makes your life worthy of its creation? Of course, it is YOU. You determine what you make of your life. Obviously, you get out of life what you make of it. We however need the ideas and skills that help us take charge of our life. But we must be open to great ideas and that great thought comes from all cultures and peoples. Stephen Covey developed the 90-10 Principle designed to help people who feel powerless. You can go to the linkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMipyQ5cgyg for a detailed discussion. I present a summary of the principle. Covey argues that 10% of life is made up of what happens to you; 90% of life is decided by how you respond. What does this mean? Let’s take an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You

have no control over what just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you respond.You curse and scold your daughter. She breaks down in tears. You then turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has missed the school bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. You forget to pick up the briefcase.

Because you are late, you drive fast and you are fined for traffic violation. You arrive at school late and you are late for the office. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. Back home from office, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter. Who did cause the bad day? Was it caused by coffee, your daughter/wife, traffic police or you? The answer is YOU.Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your

daughter is about to cry. You gently say,” It’s ok dear, you just need to be more careful next time.” Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After putting on a new shirt and picking up your briefcase, you come back down in time to see your child get on the bus. You arrive at the office early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having. Notice the difference?Contemporary Muslims wonder why they are so powerless, especially because the idea of Islam promises both material and spiritual success.

They can blame, complain or whine, but to no avail. The Covey Principle sheds light on the apparent contradiction between their condition and the promise of the idea of Islam. Now that you know how the 90-10 Principle empowers you, take charge of your life. Save yourself undeserved stress and heartache. Resolve the apparent contradiction. Apply it! Shall we?The author, alumni of Delhi School of Economics and Wharton School, is the author of The Idea of Equality. Based in Austin,Texas, he is a social activist striving to open for all new ways of being beyond the differences that divide humanity.

Canada

Group for Promoting Moderate Islam

Montreal: A Muslim Canadian activist has founded a new group that will promote moderate Islam, saying there are too few progressive Muslim voices countering extremism in Canada. Raheel Raza, the Pakistan-born author of Their Jihad, Not My Jihad: A Muslim Canadian Woman Speaks Out, was once a member of the progressive Muslim Canadian Congress, but this month he has formally launched ‘Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow’. Ms. Raza notes that, “The moderate Muslim voices are very few in number and we felt that the more organizations out there

doing this kind of work, the better. We have a very similar mandate to the MCC [Muslim Canadian Congress], and our goal is the same, but we at ‘Muslims Facing Tomorrow’ plan to go about it in a different way.”Raza added, “We want to provide an alternative for Muslim youth. It’s not just a question of slamming the extremists; it’s also about providing a different voice. We want to hold workshops and conferences — one thing that’s never been done, as far as I know, is a conference of moderate Muslims in Canada.The Muslim for Tomorrow

website says: Whereas in the contemporary world the values of individual freedom, human rights and gender equality, science and democracy are cherished universal ideals, yet Muslims and non-Muslim minorities espousing these ideals in countries that are member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) face abuse, persecution, and violence. It further states: Muslims and people of all other faith traditions need to come together in opposing bigotry in the name of Islam as preached and practiced in the mainstream mosques in

Canada and across the Muslim world;Our mission is to reclaim Islam for, as the word itself means, securing Peace for all people, and to oppose extremism, fanaticism and violence in the name of religion; andOur vision is to advance among Muslims the principle of individual rights and freedoms, and for Muslims to embrace the idea of openness, of relating to others as equal and deserving of equal respect, and of defending freedom of speech as the basis of all other freedoms enunciated in the constitutions of liberal

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ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 14book reviewMuslim Personal Law

Exploding Some Myths Defending Muslim Women’s Rights –

Bridging Muslim Personal Law and Court JudgementsFlavia Agnes (with Research by Nausheen Yousuf)Majlis Legal Services for Women, Mumbai.

Ph: 022-26661252/26662394, www.majlislaw. comRs. 250, Pages: 170

Reviewed by Dr. Malika Mistry

Many learned scholars fail to realize the fact that Muslim Personal Law has certain distinctiveness and it can be woman-friendly. In some respects, it is superior to other personal laws as far as women’s rights are concerned. For example, when a Muslim woman marries, she retains her dominion over her own property and is free from the control of her husband in its disposition. Also, Muslim marriage is not a sacred bond but is a contract by which the two parties enter into a state of marriage and they are allowed to stipulate conditions which need to be fulfilled.However, in the post-independent and modern India, the rights of Muslim women are spoken about only as a token. To illustrate, the Quranic right of mehr, which is a source of women empowerment, has been reduced to a pittance and exorbitant demands for dowry have become a norm in the Muslim community. The Muslim male enjoys a privilege in matters like divorce or inheritance.To restore the Muslim women’s rights given by Quran, there should be some reforms in the Muslim Personal Law. For example, several Muslim women’s groups have

demanded that there should be clear stipulation regarding mehr in the nikahnama. The mehr can be in the form of moveable or immovable assets and should be made adjustable to inflation or be fixed in terms of gold. The model nikahnama drawn up by various groups have clear guidelines regarding mehr. This nikahnama was was released by the Chief Qazi of Mumbai in September, 2004. However, we observe that such reforms are yet to be initiated.After Muslims were reduced to a minority and were marginalized, increasing levels of poverty and illiteracy further contributed to the subordination of women. Practices like child marriage and seclusion have rendered women vulnerable and dependent upon their male relatives.Issues of identity politics and the periodic communal riots have rendered Muslim community insecure. This makes it difficult to make changes in Muslim Personal law, however desirable they may be, because personal laws have become an important marker of identity.After the Shah Bano judgment, Muslim Law has been projected as obscurantist, patriarchal, and anti-women by communal forces

and has led to a myth-making industry in the media. In a communalized context, Muslim women become the fodder for the insatiable greed of the media to increase their ratings. Isolated instances of non-Islamic and archaic practices are constantly projected as the norm within the community. These developments have rendered Muslim women’s rights precarious as their legal rights have been entangled within the broader national politics. This has led to popular misconceptions and stereotypes about the Muslim personal law.1. Muslim law is not codified and so Muslim women do not/cannot approach the civil/criminal courts for any remedy and the sole arbitrator of Muslim law are the daru-ul-Qazas.2.Once the husband pronounces triple talaq, he wife has no recourse to challenge it. Subsequently she has no right against her husband, except for the right of maintenance for three months known as iddat period and for payment of her mehr.3. The enactment of Muslim Women’s Act (1986) has served to further deprive

Muslim women of their right to maintenance under a secular provision of Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code.4. A Muslim mother automatically loses the custody of her son when he reaches the age of seven and of the daughter when she reaches the age of thirteen.5. She loses custody of her children if she remarries.The situation seems to be hopeless and frustrating. What is to be done? This book provides the solutions and shows the way forward. It has eight chapters: (1) Contexualizing the Muslim Personal Law in India; (2) Marriage under Muslim Law; (3) The Quranic Right of Mehr; (4) Dissolution of Muslim Marriages; (5) Muslim Women’s Right of Maintenance; (6) Muslim Women – Rights under the Domestic Violence Act; (7) Muslim Women’s Rights to custody of Children; and (8) Muslim Law of Inheritance. At the end, it has a special and a thought-provoking essay “From Shahbano to Kausar Bano – Contexualizing the Muslim Woman within a Communalized Polity”This book tries to explode all the myths. Let us examine one myth that the Muslim Women’s Act, 1986, is anti-Muslim women. On the contrary, this Act has empowered Muslim women because it has provided for an alternative remedy, far superior to the one denied to Muslim women under Section 125, Cr.PC., by affirming the fact that since 1988, the Act was being positively interpreted by various High courts in the country by awarding substantial amounts as ‘settlements’

and finally by averring an important development in the realm of family Law – that of the determination of economic entitlements upon divorce, rather than the prevailing right of recurring monthly maintenance, which is based on a derogative legal premise that women are incapable of maintaining themselves.It is interesting to note that the Islamic premise of ‘no fault divorce’ and economic settlement at the time of divorce rather than the recurring liability of monthly maintenance are today the accepted principles of family Law in many western countries such as the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Under this notion, marriage is viewed as a contract rather a lifelong “dependency” Thus, in reality, to counter the myths, this book has explored into the rights of Muslim women, framed within the context of litigation where women’s rights were contested and adjudicated for over two centuries. It summarizes court verdicts which have strengthened and expanded the horizon of Muslim women’s rights and breathed new life into the principles given in Quran fourteen centuries ago in defence of women’s rights. These rulings had read into the Quranic dictates, guarantees enshrined within a modern Constitution, international conventions and covenants.This is a powerful and thought-provoking book which should be read by all those (non-Muslims and Muslims) who are interested to get enlightened about the Muslim Personal Law in general and Muslim women’s rights in particular. n

Muslim Medical Students Directory - Gujarat StateMuslims make up nine per cent of the population of Gujarat. But the representation of students from the community among students doing medicine is a little above five per cent.Farooq Abdulgaffar Bawani from Rajkot has been compiling a directory of Muslim students in medical colleges of the state for the last few years. Gujarat has 16 medical colleges, nine dental colleges, 10 Ayurveda

medical colleges, seven Homeopathic medical colleges and nine colleges imparting courses in physiotherapy. The directory records names of 398 Muslim students who are in various stages of MBBS course. Total number of students in these colleges is around 8,900. Going by this, the percentage of students currently enrolled in four years of course stands at 4.5 per cent. There are 112

Muslims among total 2,560 dental students making up 4.92 per cent. The representation of the community in Ayurveda and Homeopathy medical colleges stands at 5.42 and 9.75 per cent resepctively. The representation in physiotherapy courses is 3.80 per cent. Another 50 Muslim students from the state are shown as pursuing MBBS in medical colleges in other states.

The directory also lists Muslim members of faculty in each of these colleges.While it seems unnecessary to list the names, addresses and phone numbers of all the students, the compiler could enlarge his exercise to find out the Muslim representation in other professional colleges which are imparting courses in Agriculture, Veterinary, Management, MCA,

Engineering, Design, Forestry, Polytechnic etc. Any such directory will etch to relief the diverse professional profile of the community. He needs encouragement for what he has been doing year after year. The directory is only for private circulation, not for sale.The author can be contacted at: Bawani Mansion, Bhidbhanjan Street no. 1, Rajkot-360001, cell: 98791-88179.

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 15economic upliftment

muslims & eDucation

Jamia Millia IslamiaUrdu Paper Made Compulsory at Degree levelNew Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamia has made the Urdu paper compulsory for all degree students in the university. A decision to this effect was taken at the academic council meeting of the Jamia recently. The students will have to study Urdu as a paper at degree level in all faculties and the marks will be added up for determining the overall rank on the lines of English paper which is also compulsory. The Jamia has faculties of Arts, Science, Commerce, Biotechnology, Engineering, Social Work, Education, and Law where courses are offered at both degree as well as post-graduate levels. The Council also decided to issue exam question papers in three languages viz, English,

Hindi and Urdu and the students would be allowed to write the answers in any of the three languages. Hitherto they were being supplied in English alone, although the facility to write answer was available in all three mediums. The Council also decided to issue all press releases in Urdu too for the Urdu media in future. n

Shamsul Huda completes CentenaryPatna: Madrasa Shamsul Huda will celebrate its centenary on Nov. 21 on completion of hundred years following its founding by late Justice Noorul Huda. The madrasa teaches the theological curriculum together with modern sciences. Vice President Dr. Hamid Ansari is likely to participate the centenary celebration. n

TCS Recruits 144 AMU StudentsAligarh: The Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading multi-layered company in the global market and among the top ten technology firms in the world has recruited a record number of 144 students of B. Tech, M. Tech and MCA of the

Aligarh Muslim University. The recruitment team of TCS visited AMU campus last month. Over 222 students were shortlisted for the interview, out of which 144 students were selected after rigorous interview sessions. n

Macro Work with Micro FinanceThe Lifeline Foundation in the city, set up in 2010, converged on a single

platform to uplift the community from the shackles of poverty.

By Azmathulla Shariff

Macro work with micro finance is transforming the lives of women though Grameen Module in the slums of Bangalore these days. The concerted effort of few individuals, the Lifeline Foundation in the city, set up in 2010, converged on a single platform to uplift the community from the shackles of poverty. General secretary of the Foundation, Mohammed Ali Shariff who heads the operations of the micro finance schemes in the selected slums of Bangalore says that the schemes are based on the modules of Muhammed Yunus, the Nobel laureate from Bangladesh and his Grameen model. What made these like-minded people to come together was the suffering of the poor who were reeling under severe debts. The implementation of the Grammen model yielded results in 13 Muslim dominated slums successfully and they have added two more slums recently into its ambit of extending financing of the micro loans. The loan amount being between Rs 5000- Rs15000 has gained popularity among the beneficiaries. Successful disbursement of nearly 1995

loans among 1300 members is a credit to the organization, as there is a little or marginal level of leverages from among

the beneficiaries. The records show that a sum of over Rs one crore has been disbursed in this process. The recovery is quite encouraging as there are very few or no defaulters at all. The Grameen model which is based on a group with five members each which is inter-dependent is also a factor in good recovery. Most of the beneficiaries are women. A beginning has also been made in Valmikinagar by providing loans to individual men on experimental basis recently. The funding is mainly from the individual contributors and philanthropists. Active members identify the beneficiaries through

the existing members and screen them for their eligibility before extending funds. For example in the slums of Goripalaya where

Tazayun of Humane Touch, and founder trustee of the Lifeline Foundation is very actively involved, says that the micro credit finance is able to churn out small time entrepreneurs in her area of operation. One such entrepreneur is Parveen Sultana, a widow from the locality whi is able to manage and run an embroidery work force consisting of nearly 200 women. She says: “I run a successful embroidery business with 200 women members with my daily income of three figures.” She is even able to setup an embroidery outlet of her own in Shivajinagar which is being managed by her

son. She says that the micro credit funding made the difference in her life. Another woman Mallika, is also the beneficiary,

who is able to manage a home based television antenna manufacturing unit which she operates with the support of her brothers. Shahnawaz Banu, who lost her husband recently, is currently under iddat period, sells imitation jewellery besides running a grocery shop to run the family. There is a success story behind every woman here

who assemble once a week to review their performance and also in repaying their dues to the Foundation in weekly installments. Though there are clear guidelines by the RBI to the banks to extend certain amount as micro finance, the banks hardly follow these guidelines. Forget about giving loan under micro finance, banks hesitate even to open a no frill or an SB account to those belonging to the BPL. It is here that the role of an NGO seems significant in extending support to the needy with little source and expecting nothing in return.There have been occasions where interns from abroad have spent time with the Lifeline Foundation assisting them voluntarily in understanding the nature of work.(To support this initiative, contact Mohammed Ali Shariff (General Secretary) 9880365936 or Tazayyun, Founder Trustee 9845027337)

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 16

Page 22

The Virtue of TruthfulnessO you who believe! Have fear of God, and be among the truthful.”

(Qur’an 9:119)

Ask the average person to define truthfulness and the answer will most likely be restricted to something about truthful speech. Islam, however, teaches that truthfulness is far more than having an honest tongue. In Islam, truthfulness is the conformity of the outer with the inner, the action with the intention, the speech with belief, and the practice with the preaching. As such, truthfulness is the very cornerstone of the upright Muslim’s character and the springboard for his or her virtuous deeds.By practising truthfulness, a person betters himself, his life is made upright and due to it, he is elevated to praiseworthy heights and raised in ranks in the sight of God as well as the people. As Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) related: “I order you to be truthful, for indeed truthfulness leads to righteousness, and indeed righteousness leads to Paradise. A man continues to be truthful and strives for truthfulness until he is written as a truthful person with God. And beware of falsehood, for indeed

falsehood leads to sinning, and indeed sinning leads to the Fire. A man continues to tell lies and strives upon falsehood until he is written as a liar with God.” (Saheeh Muslim)So, truthfulness is something which is to be cultivated till it becomes implanted in a person’s soul and disposition and therefore reflected throughout the person’s character. Ali bin Abu Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, mentioned the positive reciprocal effect of behaving truthfully with people in this worldly life, he said:“Whoever does three things with regards to people, they will necessitate three things from him: Whenever he speaks to them he is truthful; whenever they entrust him with something he does not betray them; and whenever he promises them something he fulfills it. If he does this, their hearts will love him; their tongues will praise him; and they will come to his aid.”“As for the Hereafter, through God’s Grace and Mercy, the

obedient ones, practitioners of truthfulness, will reach a station in Paradise alongside those most fortunate of souls mentioned in the revelation”.“And whosoever obeys God and His Messenger, such will be in the company of those whom God has blessed: the Prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent a company are such people!” (Qur’an 4:69)In fact, truthfulness is an essential attribute of every single Prophet who graced the earth. We are told in the Qur’an: “And mention in the Book, Abraham: surely he was a most truthful Prophet.” (Qur’an 19:41) “And mention in the Book, Ishmael: surely, he was a man true to his word, and he was a Messenger, a Prophet.” (Qur’an 19:54) “And mention in the Book, Enoch: surely he was a most truthful Prophet.” (Qur’an 19:56)We also read in the Qur’an how a man incarcerated alongside the Prophet Joseph addressed him with the words: “Joseph! O most truthful one!...” (Qur’an

12:46) ...and that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also declared truthful in the Words of God: “The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother (Mary) was a truthful one, a Believer....” (Qur’an 5:75)The companions of God’s Messenger, the “believers” mentioned time and time again in the Qur’an, also reached the lofty ranks of the truthful ones: “The believers are but those people who believed in God and His Messenger without ever feeling doubt thereafter, and strove with their souls and possessions in the way of God; those are the ones who are the truthful.” (Qur’an 49:15)Hence, to tread the path of truthfulness is to tread the path of the most righteous of God’s creation. And as for ways and means to engender this most noble of virtues into our daily lives, then we have been left an ocean of teachings from God’s final Messenger to humanity,Prophet Muhammad,

detailing and describing precisely what the virtue of truthfulness requires. One from among these vast and numerous sayings of God’s Messenger is his plea: “Guarantee for me six things and I will guarantee Paradise for you: tell the truth when you speak, fulfill your promises, be faithful when you are trusted, safeguard your private parts, lower your gaze, and withhold your hands from harming others.”And God confirmed the truthfulness of these words of His beloved Messenger with His Own True Words: “For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for truthful men and women, for patient men and women, for humble men and women, for charitable men and women, for fasting men and women, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God’s praise: for them has God prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” (Qur’an 33:35)(www.islamreligion).

How the Qur’an gave me Strength

living islam

Lynda Fitzgerald, now known as Khadija, relates, how she felt after reading the holy Qur’an.

Two things happened to me while I was reading the Qur’an. Firstly, I was reading the following Surah Al Baqara (2:21) and I just stopped reading. I shut my eyes and I thought about God. Suddenly I got a feeling of the oneness of God, of the superiority of God. I could see that He would have no reason to have a partner. I just couldn’t see anyone there with Him on the same level, why would He need anyone. He wouldn’t, I was so sure of that. A strange peace came over me and I felt really sure that there is no God but God. I just wanted that feeling to last forever, but it went within a couple of minutes.The second was when I was reading Surah Al Haj (22:5). Again I closed my eyes and I had a picture of the world, barren

and new born. I saw a mound of earth and a seed growing into a tree and I thought. “Where did that seed come from?” Where did all the beautiful variety of plants that you find all over the world come from. It could only have come from God. Again I felt peace, and I felt the wonder of God.The months before I reverted were the hardest and the best months of my life. Sometimes I was on a high and sometimes I felt utter despair. This is an extract from my diary in April:“Something weird is happening to me and I just don’t know how I feel about it, whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, whether my imagination is running away with me or whether I’m just letting myself be brainwashed. Then again, it could be what’s

right and what’s meant to be.The thing is, I’ve been studying Islam and I’m really thinking of reverting — God help me. At the moment, I just don’t know what to think, the whole thing scares the living daylights out of me. I never thought this kind of thing could happen to me.”I would think about Islam from the time I got up in the morning until I went home in the evening. After a while, when I’d hear the adhan, I would get a really strong desire to pray, and in the beginning I would pray in the old Christian way. Then, I asked one of the men at work for a book on how to pray and he gave me one. I read that book, I watched the people praying on TV, and I asked a lot of questions. Then I started praying. Still, no one knew about it except two men

at work. In the beginning, I would pray without covering my hair. I didn’t know that I was supposed to, and when someone finally did tell me I just couldn’t figure out the reason why. I had a long argument about it with Khaled one day at work, and I still couldn’t fathom it. Then, when I was going home that evening, I was walking up to catch the bus and I got a feeling of the superiority of God and how small and insignificant I was compared to Him, I felt as small as an ant with the whole world stretched out before me, and I knew that I should cover my head when I was praying, because He could see every movement that I made, and I had no right to be proud, and I should do everything I could to please Him. I never doubted

again that I should cover my head whilst praying. “Well, I’m still not sure what I’m doing. Sometimes it seems so clear and I think ‘Yes, I believe and I want to shout it out.’ Then other times I feel really unsure and doubtful and afraid, and I just don’t know what I’m doing. Besides anything else, it is a really good religion. The Qur’an is quite beautiful and everything is in there — how to behave, how to pray, what to do, what not to do. If you follow this religion you can’t be bad, not to anyone. You can only be kind and patient and tolerant and you can never forget God because you are worshipping him five times a day. I love to pray, I always did. It helps you to remember all the good things

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 17

Actions are Judged by MotivesAt one stage in the life of the Prophet, God ordered all the Muslims to migrate from Makkah to Madinah. In this Hadith, the Prophet gave an example of two types of

people with regard to migration:

It is narrated on the authority of Umar ibn Al-Khattab who quoted the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying: “All actions are judged by motives and each person will be rewarded as per his intention. Thus, he whose migration was to God and His Messenger, his migration is to God and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)This Hadith is indeed one of the greatest and most important of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, as it sets one of the most important principles in the religion of Islam, specifically with regard to the acceptance of one’s religion and deeds by God, and generally to all other normal everyday activities in which a person involves himself. This principle implies that in order for any action to be accepted and thus rewarded by God, it must be done purely for His sake.At one stage in the life of the Prophet, God ordered all the Muslims to migrate from Makkah to Madinah. In this Hadith, the Prophet gave an example of two types of people with regard to migration:The first example was that of a person who migrated to Madinah purely for the sake of God, seeking His pleasure and seeking to fulfill His command. The Prophet stated that the deed of this person will be accepted

by God and he will be rewarded in the fullest.The second example was of a person who fulfilled this religious service, but his intention was not the pleasure of God nor fulfilling His command, and so such type of person, although he might achieve what he was intending in this life, will not receive reward for it from God, and the deed is not one which is considered acceptable.In Islam, there are two realms to a person’s life, the religious and the mundane. Although there is a clear separation between the two in regard to religious jurisprudence, they are in fact inseparable, as Islam is a religion, which legislates in family matter, society and politics as well as the belief and worship of God.As mentioned earlier, this Hadith sets the first principle for one’s deeds to be accepted by God, which is that they should be done purely for God. In regards to those deeds, which have been commanded as a form of religious devotion, known as worship, one must do them for God alone. These deeds include prayers, fasting, giving zakah, Haj and all other services, which have been ordained in the religion.Islam is a religion, which believes and practices true and strict monotheism. This monotheism not only entails that that there is only one God and Creator, but also that God has the right that all worship

be done solely for His sake and nobody else. The Quran says: “And they were not commanded except that they should worship God, keeping the religion pure for Him, and worship none but Him alone, and establish the Prayer and offer the compulsory charity, and that is the upright religion.” (Qur’an 98:5)Another aspect of this purity of intention is that a person should never seek any worldly gains through religious service and acts of worship, even if that worldly gain be something permissible. In the Hadith mentioned above, the second

person did not perform this religious obligation of migration for other deities besides or alongside God, nor did he intend something intrinsically evil. Rather his intention was something deemed permissible in the religion.Still, however, the act was not accepted by God, and the person may or may not have received what he intended from this worldly life. Thus, if a person seeks any permissible worldly gain through an action, the reward of the deed diminishes.A Hadith says: “A person learned (religious) knowledge

and taught it (to others), as well as recited the Qur’an, he will be brought to the presence of God, and God will mention to him all the favors He granted, and he will recognize them. God will ask him, ‘What did you do with them?’ He will answer, ‘I learned religious knowledge and taught it to others and I recited the Qur’an purely for Your sake.’ God will say, ‘You have lied! Rather you learned religious knowledge to be called a scholar, and you recited the Qur’an to be called a reciter, and it was said of you!’(Arab News)

Do not go to the Door of a Friend Empty-Handed

By Abdullah Salman Riyaz Qasmi

Arriving at the door of friends empty-handed is like going to the mill without wheat. On the day of Judgment, Allah the Exalted will ask the people: “what gift did you bring for the Last day?” He will say: “You came here empty handed, without provisions, alone and destitute just like the day we had created you” “ Tell me what gift did you bring for the Last Day?” “Or did you not expect to come back from the world to afterlife and stand in the presence of Allah?” “Did you regard news of afterlife in the Qur’an as frivolous?”If you believe in the hereafter, how can you

stand at the friend’s door empty handed? Give up sleeping, eating and drinking just a little bit and prepare your gift for the time when you will meet the Truth. O lover of

truth, be among those who sleep little at night and beg forgiveness of their vices in the middle of the night.

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 18our Dialogue

Backbiting: Secret Reports by SeniorsQ: I am asked by my boss to give an assessment of my subordinate’s attitude

and performance. Does this constitute backbiting?

A: When you are asked for an assessment of the attitude and work of other employees under your supervision, you are simply being considered a witness of character and attitude to work. As this report aims to assess the person and his suitability for the work he is employed for, your

reply is not backbiting, but a testimony which you are called upon to make in all honesty. However, you should confine yourself in such an answer to the facts you know, trying hard not to jeopardize the position of the person concerned. You should give him, or her, in their

Unjust or Justified BackbitingQ. In an article in the series ‘Guidance from the Prophet”, Adil Salahi quotes

a Hadith in which a reference is made to a person “who unjustly backbites another.” This has raised the question in my mind over ‘what may constitute

justified backbiting?” To carry the point further, is “just” backbiting permissible?

A: The Hadith to which you refer is the one, which quotes the Prophet, (peace be upon him), as saying: “Servants of God! God has removed restrictions [which may lead to sin], except in the case of a person who indulges in unjustly backbiting another. It is he who finds himself in a difficult position and leads himself to destruction.” The Hadith is much longer than that and it relates the Prophet’s answers to questions put to him by a large number of Bedouins who were once in Madinah.In order to understand what is backbiting, we quote the Hadith, which states: “To backbite is to mention your brother [in his absence] in a way, which is offensive to him.” All backbiting in this sense is forbidden. There can be no excuses, which allow a person to speak ill of another in his absence. This is totally contrary to Islamic moral standards.There are, however, two degrees of backbiting. The lesser one is when what is said is true. That means a person speaks ill of another, but confines himself to speaking the truth. That is for-bidden, because a Muslim is required to protect his brother in his absence. If he knows some-thing about him, which does not conform to Is-lamic manners and moral stan-dards, he should not publicize that or make fun of him in his absence.The worst degree of

backbiting is when what is said is untrue. That means that a person speaks ill of another, knowing that what he is saying is a lie. That is the case to which the Prophet was probably referring to, in the quoted Hadith. This is certainly a grave sin, which leads to self-destruction.As you see, there is no case of “just” backbiting, which may be treated as halal. There are simply two degrees of a forbidden practice, which means that the punishment for one is greater than that for the other.There is an exception, however, in the case of a person being asked to testify about another, whom he knows well, either in a court of law or in ordinary situation. The most common case of these is that when someone comes to you and says that one of your close friends have made a proposal of marriage to his daughter. He wants to make sure that he is the right person to have as a son-in-law. You have, then, to give him an honest opinion, pointing out the good and bad sides of his character. Someone may come to you and ask about one of your friends, saying that they have discussed the possibility of entering together into a business enterprise and he wants to know whether he is the right

absence your fullest support without hiding flaws that are of material effect in reaching a judgment as fits the issue in question. The support you may give is by pointing out their good points and what makes them suitable for the jobs they are doing.

Thoughts of Disbelief Q: A married lady who is known to be firm in her belief in Islam had a very disturbing experience. One night,

as she was reflecting, she had thoughts of disbelief. She told herself that she became a disbeliever. A few minutes

later, she banished those thoughts and was firm in her belief in Islam. She has been worried ever since about

her status. She feels that her marriage became null and void the moment she had those thoughts of disbelief. Can a mistake like this invalidate marriage, when the person involved has immediately repented and sought

God’s forgiveness? Please comment.A: It is often the case that we do things to our own detriment only because we do not know the exact Islamic position in the matter in question. We behave on the basis of insufficient information, and that could easily land us in trouble. Here the lady experienced some false thoughts and reflected in her mind on some false beliefs. When she came to senses, she was her own old self, a firm believer in God and His messenger. What does this constitute?If one entertains some doubts about God, but soon afterwards, he or she reconfirms their belief in Him, attending to their prayers and other Islamic duties, those erroneous thoughts are not taken into account. In fact, the

whole process tends to confirm one’s belief in God. That is because when those thoughts were clear in his mind, he did not allow them to dwell for long. He sought to reconfirm his conviction in God’s oneness and His control of the universe. That allows a firm belief.This means that this lady does not have anything to worry about as a result of her experience. The fact that she was so disturbed by it confirms her as a good believer. However, my advice to her is to try to study Islam in greater depth. The more she studies, the better for her, as her faith will be stronger and she will banish any evil thoughts that may flash in her mind. Needless to say, her marriage was not affected.

person to do business with. He obviously wants to know about his honesty and his expertise as a businessman. Again, you have to give him your honest opinion, according to what you know of your friend. This means that you will speak in a way, which your friend may not like. That is not considered backbiting. That is giving a testimony, which must be truthful.

Cannot Muslim Wives Spend their own Salaries?

Q: An engineer girl, married for three years and having a one-year old child, is working in a firm earning a salary of Rs. 50,000 a month. She desires to help her parents from her income. But she is being told by her husband she cannot spend the money on her parents even if she is earning by herself without the consent of

her husband. What is the Islamic ruling in this matter?

Hameeda Banoo, Bangalore Islamic Voice replies:

Dear Sister

Islamic Voice does not offer any ruling, nor does it take any juristic position on contentious issues. However we can guide you in this matter. The engineer girl is well within her right to help her parents or anybody else out of her own income. Islam allows women to own property, do business, follow any profession or work and earn, save, invest and spend their income all by themselves. She can have her own priorities. Husband’s consent is not necessary. It is quite a different matter if she listens to his advice and

accommodates it in the scheme of expenditure. It is rather very noble on the part of the woman to help her parents, who are the most proximate among her kin and deserve to be helped. It has to be borne in mind that the Muslim women’s income could be independently spent/saved by them. It is husband’s responsibility to maintain the wife and family and run the home. If the wives share the household expenditure out of their own volition,

fine. They cannot be compelled to spend their income by their husbands. n

question & answer

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 19question & answer

Biscuits with Surah for Improving MemoryQ: My son who is aged 12 is in the initial stage of memorizing the Qur’an. A friend of mine

suggested to me to give him biscuits to eat after writing on them the Surah ‘Al-Fateha’, or the Opening with saffron. I know the importance of this Surah, but I am at a loss to understand how

can it be used as energizer. To support his argument, my friend has shown me some religious books as reference. Your comments will be highly appreciated.

Is Makkah the Centre of the Earth?

A: I am too at a loss to understand what your friend has suggested. You may ask your friend whether it is the biscuits, the saffron or the Surah, which helps the memorizing this way. Or is it perhaps the three together. Will the prescription work if you use the saffron to write on something other than biscuits? What if you write it with sugar or a mixture of spices? To my mind, this is an absolute absurdity. The Qur’an is not to be used in this way. It is far better for your son to start his session of memorization with reading the Surah Al-Fateha, to put him in the proper frame of mind for memorization. You may help him by a little prayer to Allah to help him. On the other hand, for any mental exercise,

it helps if the boy is well nourished. This is not to say that he should eat before a session of memorization, but to have enough nourishment generally. Also it helps if he has enough recreation. In other words, you should not be too strict with your son, allowing him no time to play in order to attend to his lessons and memorization of the Qur’an. A boy at this age needs physical exercise and mental recreation.You say that he showed you some books as reference, and you call these books religious. Let me tell you very briefly that not everything you read in a book, which the author or the readers claim to be a religious book, is correct. There is plenty

of stuff claimed to be part of our religion which has no foundation whatsoever. Therefore, when you find something contrary to common sense being claimed to be part of our religion, you should question it. Your questioning should be on the lines that you will need supporting evidence from the Qur’an or the authentic Hadith. If no such support is provided, then you hold it in doubt until you make sure of its correctness by asking a scholar who should be able to give you the religious argument for it. If he cannot give you supporting evidence or a sound argument, then he probably is not a well-read scholar. You then leave that thing altogether. n

Dear SirI have a question for your Q & A column which I have been pursuing with interest: Some people say Makkah is at the geographical centre of the world. How true it is? Do you have any such confirmation from the Quran

and Hadith? Some preachers in Mumbai too indulge in this kind of theories. How credible are they? Nayeem Akhtar Mumbai, nayim46@redifmail.com

Maqbool Ahmed Siraj replies:

It is a Fanciful Theory

Dear Mr. Nayeem

Some people are spreading this myth that the Kaaba is at the centre of the earth or of world map and they stretch the fanciful argument to say that Makkah is the centre of the earth. Understand it by a counter question: Which dot on a ball or a sphere you would consider its centre. The centre of a sphere is only at its core deep inside the sphere. So all this talk of Makkah being the centre of the earth is much of a baloney. Such people are promoting a canard that does not find any scientific evidence. Some innocent people come to believe this sheer out of their religiosity.Let us understand it geographically too. Equator

is the median line among the latitudinal lines drawn over the globe of the earth. Now take an atlas and look at the position of Makkah. It lies at 200 North of the Equator. For a city to be at the centre, it should at least lie on the equator, the median line on the earth. As for the longitude, the imaginary lines

drawn over the globe of the earth from north to south, the village of Greenwich near London has been designated as the 00, though they never declared Greenwich to be the centre of the earth. The British who ruled most of the world

in 17th and 18th century fixed it there. It could have been fixed anywhere. But the British did it with a forethought i.e., they wanted the International Dateline to pass through such parts of the Pacific Ocean that were least inhabited in order to spare the human habitations from getting divided by two

dates.Now look at these facts. It is easy to fix the median line among latitudes as northern and southern tips of the earth are geographically well defined entities and it is easy to find a point on the globe that is equidistant from these

poles. But as for longitudes, you are free to fix it anywhere. You can as well draw a line through Makkah and declare it 00 degree. But that would carry only as much credibility as you have the power to get it endorsed by the other people in

the world. It is a futile exercise. There is no use indulging in such vainglorious attempts to designate Makkah as the centre of the earth. There are no such declarations in the Quran or any other holy book.Such phoney theories are floated in order to emphasise the truthfulness of Islam by some mediocre preachers of Islam. Islam itself does not need such endorsements. Such bogus claims are unlikely to carry conviction even with people of average intellect. People would not look at such claims to accept the Islam’s truthfulness. They want to look at Muslims

to judge how their worldview, life, character is shaped by their religion. If they find any virtue in it they will appreciate it, if not accept it. But currently, the Muslims are in dire straits. They are a pale shadow of their former selves. They are in no position to contribute anything to the humanity. Rather they are not even in a position to defend themselves. They are being ruled by dictators, despots and the corrupt people and guided by ignorant clerics. It is imperative that we shun such fanciful ideas and catch on to the lofty ideals of Islam which also coincide with the ideals of humanism. n

Innovations in IslamI have the following questions:

1- Is innovation is Islam allowed? If no, then why we say Taraweeh?

2- From where and how we derived percentages (2.5%) in zakat?

- shahzad mirza <smirzasm@yahoo.co.in

Islamic Voice replies:

Innovation is guarantee of life and symbolizes a living nation. We will be a dead nation if we do not innovate. Those who do not innovate and renew themselves fall into stagnation and lose their relevance. Perhaps the of-repeated hadith about innovation (biddat) is about introducing new elements in the Islamic doctrine (aqeedah). One has to be constantly on guard about the doctrine. There should be no deviation in matters of the fundamentals of Islam. As for your question about Taraweeh, the Prophet prayed it in congregation for three consecutive nights during Ramazan. He did not come out for the same on the fourth night. One being queried by his companions, he said that he avoided it as he feared that it might be made obligatory upon his ummah. After the holy Prophet’s demise, the Muslims who would come to the Prophet’s

mosque would continue to offer Taraweeh prayers either individually or in several groups. Hazrat Umar organized one single congregation for taraweeh in 14 AH as there was no longer any fear of anything being made obligatory. He merely resumed or renewed the practice of a sunnah, something that the Prophet used to practice individually. Since then it has continued as a sunnah. As for your second question, the Hadith books mentions that one has to set aside 2.5 per cent of the value of the silver if the value exceeds 200 dirhams. This is applied with regard to gold and cash. Since the Arabian peninsula was a pastoral society, more details are found about the zakat on animals. It says those who have 40 sheep, they must take out one sheep to be given in zakat. Those who have between 40 to 120 sheeps, they are advised to take out one sheep. (Sahih Bukhari Vol. 2. Book 14, Hadith no. 534). n

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 20political analysis

Yeddy’s Exit will Mar the BJP’s ProspectsBy Maqbool Ahmed Siraj

With former BJP strongman Mr. Yeddyurappa’s departure from the party being almost certain, the political scene in the state is in for substantial changes.Sans Yeddyurappa, the Bhartiya Janata Party would be minus its most popular leader who could mobilize masses and whose role in bringing the party to the power—first time in a southern state—is not denied by even his worst detractors. It is also certain that Yeddyurappa’s future politics would revolve round his own community, the

Lingayaths who rule the roost in the northern parts of the state and wield considerable clout with bureaucracy, education, cooperatives, media, universities and banking within the state. There is no gainsaying that he played the most crucial role in polarizing his community around the saffron party. The community is least likely to desert him even in future. These being the current socio-political realities, BJP is all likely to

suffer a massive rift within its most vital votebank.The new party, i.e., Karnataka Janata Party which Yeddyurappa is hinted to join (or float) has set December 10 as the date for its official launch. One could ask

as to why the delay when the break with the BJP seems to be final. Yeddyurappa’s confidants are not reluctant to point out

that firstly Yeddyurappa would not like to be seen by his community followers as one who rocked the boat of another Lingayath Chief Minister. Community interest is still uppermost with him. Second, it leaves scope for back channel communication with the party high command which might use the time gap to buy back his loyalty by accommodating him in some position.Then there is a third factor

too. By sustaining the Shettar government in power, Yeddyurappa will not annoy them enough to push the corruption cases against him. True, currently he carries the taint of corruption. But any progress

in cases would only aggravate his distance and antipathy from the party which he helped build in Karnataka foreclosing even the remote chances of his return to the party. The BJP might claim that party is more important than person, but it would be impossible to offset the loss of Yeddyurappa. Current chief minister Shettar is no match to him. Former chief minister Sadananda Gowda paid heavily by trading on the toes of his predecessor.But all this does not make Yeddyurappa indispensable. BJP is after all a party which is fed with new blood from an ideological fountain. If it has to ensure a secure future for itself, it must move away from individuals. Perhaps the BJP is being guided by this principle in the state so far. How far it sticks

to this position is anybody’s guess.Yeddyurappa’s KJP will be a greenhorn in the elections that need to be held before May 2013. Looking at his inexhaustible energy, the party may garner up to 10 to 12 seats in the 224-member house. Needless to say that it won’t be anywhere in the political reckoning unless the polls throw up a badly hung Assembly where these numbers become crucial. But his damage potential for the BJP will be incalculable. Division of Lingayath votes may deprive BJP of at least 40 seats in districts of northern Karnataka and clout for the community altogether in the state. In a state where various community affiliated mutts (nay mutt-affiliated communities) play a significant role in shaping the power structure, such a scenario would be disconcerting. It

therefore remains to be seen as to how the Lingayaths politics would play itself out in the emerging scenario.As for the Congress in the State it is a win-win situation. Yeddyurappa’s continued hold over the party would enable it to exploit the taint of corruption against the BJP. His exit/ouster would undo the votebank of the major rival. But Congress has to worry more with the leadership question and projection of the chief ministerial candidate. The Party is yet to come up with a strong candidate though hopefuls are dime a dozen.The only party where leadership question is uncontested is the Janata Dal Secular. But then it is yet to emerge out of the Baap-Beta shadows. In a state which has not be very hospitable to the dynastic politics, it works as the major disadvantage for the JDS. n

Yeddyurappa’s exit/ouster would mar BJP’s prospects incalculably.

The Congress has advantages whether Yeddyurappa remains with or quits the BJP.

Ahmed Rashadi and available both in English and Urdu.The organization has established a web of its admirers across the city, who offer support to the organisation with their resources. One among them is Rafathulla who is an interior decorator based in J. C. Nagar. “I lend support at all levels and even in mobilizing funds and resources for organising health camps and in an emergency”.Another admirer is a woman from RT Nagar, Qamar Sultana, who says, “I have been supporting their initiative for the last 2 years. I found the entire team to be committed as they are offering selfless service. Their level of operation which demands 24 x7 time is something which I admire the most.”Considering the geographical boundaries of Bangalore, the organisation has plans to expand its network and plans to set up more such offices which can benefit the poor at large in a

bigger way.The next time you want to dispose off the junk which can support a cause and benefit

those in need, contact Safa Baitul Maal. To offer support, you can call Abdul Hafiz Rashadi. Ph: 9341884200.

Page 8 Safa Baitul Maal ...

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 21soul talk

What Do Poor Village Children Read?As I have discovered working as a volunteer teacher in a school in a remote, poverty-stricken village in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, village children from poor backgrounds often read very little, if anything at

all, other than their textbooks.

By Yoginder Sikand

As a child, I was a voracious reader. I had almost no friends then, and so I spent most of my time after school reading. I was fortunate to have parents who encouraged me to read, who bought me more books than I could devour and who arranged for me to become a member of various libraries. Much that I have learnt in life has been because of what I have read. Now, I definitely don’t mean to say that reading is the only or the best way to learn. Nor do I think that people who don’t know how to read can’t learn anything or know nothing at all. After all, some of the world’s greatest sages have been completely illiterate. Still, given the present educational system, that places such overwhelming stress on bookish knowledge, the way your life unfolds depends on, among other things, the quantum and quality of what you have read. Generally, the more a student reads, especially materials other than school textbooks, the better she does in school. And that, of course, plays a major role in what she makes of her life.Middle-class city-based children often take reading for granted. Bookstores in cities are overflowing with books for children, and now even e-books and books that talk! Numerous publishing houses

and NGOs produce books and magazines for children. But a huge number of children in this country, from poor families and who live in remote

villages, enjoy no such luxury. And so, they remain deprived of a major means of learning. That explains, in part, why many of them find it difficult to cope with school, why they drop out of school sooner rather than later, why they are generally unable to compete with urban, middle-class children, and why, therefore, they find it next to impossible to find well-paying jobs. As I’ve discovered working since less than a fortnight ago as a volunteer teacher in a school in a remote, poverty-stricken village in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, village children from poor backgrounds often read

very little, if anything at all, other than their textbooks.For the last few days, I’ve been interacting with the children I teach (grades eight to ten),

with kids who study in other schools, as well as those who don’t go to school at all, trying to gauge their reading habits. And what I’ve discovered is quite saddening.Children here who don’t go to school of course read nothing at all. But what of those who are enrolled in school? Their situation is only marginally different, generally speaking. Some such children read only their textbooks, while at school, and nothing at all after school hours. They’d rather play, or, for those who live in villages that have electricity and whose parents can afford a television set, watch their

favourite television channels. At night, when students can get some time to read, often they cannot because many homes do not have electricity and in all the villages in the area, the power supply is extremely erratic, with long hours of power failure. Many students have to spend much of the day after school hours helping their parents in the fields, fetching water from streams for their homes, gathering firewood from the forests or looking after their siblings. They simply find no time to for reading.Most of the students who read anything after school hours have only their school textbooks to read. Overburdened with their homework, which is largely based on these textbooks, they find little or no time to read anything else. Tests in many schools are held every two months (and sometimes even more frequently), and this gives their students even less scope and time to read anything but their textbooks. But even their reading of their textbooks is often simply mechanical. Many students memorize entire sections of their textbooks without properly comprehending them. In some cases, teachers dictate answers to questions to their students, which the latter are expected to parrot at home and then repeat the next day in class and also in their examinations.

Most of the private and government schools in the area are ostensibly English-medium schools, and the textbooks they use for various subjects (other than Hindi) are in English. Most teachers, however, have very limited English, and so they often teach using Hindi or one of the many local languages. Relatively few students I’ve interacted with so far have ever read anything other than their textbooks, although many of them wish they could access such reading materials. Only some have read story books or books about culture, wildlife, history, geography, science and so on other than those used in the classroom as textbooks. Unlike in some other parts of India, there is not a single public or privately-run library in the area. Nor is there a proper bookshop. One small stall in a nearby settlement occasionally sells some comics and general knowledge books, but nothing much beyond that. The closest town that has a decent bookshop with books for children is located a six-hour journey away. And so, as I’ve discovered, children in this part of the country, like in much of the rest of rural India, don’t have quite the same opportunities as I had when I was a child to experience the many joys of reading. Beyond their boring textbooks, they hardly get to read anything at all. n

Social Conscience in Islamreflections

By Muhammad Ali

While Islam stresses on strengthening the connectivity with the Creator through worship, it also provides valuable ethical ideals to bond humanity.A large portion of the holy Quran and teachings of the holy Prophet (Pbuh) engage with social issues and human responsibilities. The ethical dimension of Islam portrays an individual, who is socially active and morally responsible, striving for the betterment of society.Islam has given high values to

human dignity by terming the human being as the noblest of creatures. It also highlights the factors that affect human dignity negatively such as ignorance, deprivation and disease. Hence, it stresses on eliminating such conditions to maintain human dignity.Today, our society is facing daunting challenges such as poverty, ignorance, injustice etc. To respond to such challenges, there is a dire need to reflect on the place of the social conscience in Islam in order to seek guidance.

The holy Quran extends comprehensible guidelines for success in individual as well as social life. It clearly says there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives (53:39). Similarly, a nation is transformed depending on its social awareness and struggle for improvement, as the Quran says, ‘God does not change the condition of [a] people until they change what is in themselves.’ (13:11).The Quran lucidly teaches that it is the moral responsibility of the capable to help the less

capable and less privileged. There are many examples in the Quran which underline the responsibilities towards a vast range of people. The following verse beautifully depicts the multiple social responsibilities of a person: ‘And do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (ye meet), and what your right hands possess. For Allah loveth not the arrogant, the vain glorious’ (4:36)The above examples indicate

that where social consciousness is imperative for the success of individuals and society, the same fulfillment of social responsibility is equally important for the development of humanity. The life of the Prophet is the best example of how to be sensitive towards social and moral responsibilities. This social conscience on part of the Prophet was not on specific occasions or specific days, but he conducted himself in such a way throughout his life.There are numerous hadiths

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follow-ups

Moderate Islam...democracies, such as ours in Canada; and, accordingly,We consider our effort is consistent with the forward-looking reading of the principle enunciated in the Qur’an, “There is no compulsion in religion;”Following are on the Advisory Board of the group: Stephen Schwartz, Executive Director of Center for Islamic Pluralism (USA), Hon’ble Reuben Bromstein, David B. Harris, lawyer and National Security Consultant (Ottawa); Ms. Christine Williams, journalist and international award-winning talk show Host and Producer at CTS TV in Burlington, Ontario; Shimon Fogel, CEO of The Centre for Israel & Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Ottawa; Dr. Dilkhush Panjwani, Staff Psychiatrist at Trillium Health Centre & Credit

Valley Hospital, Detective Malcolm Bow, Security Consultant; Prof. Munawar Karim, Chairman, Department of Physics, St. John Fisher College, Rochester, New York; Ms. Marina Nemat, author of Prisoner of Tehran, Activist; Ms. Mehreen Khan, Journalist; Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, Center For The Study of Society and Secularism (India); Dr. Shiv Talwar, Founding President of Spiritual Heritage Education Network Inc.; Afzal Subhani, Music Director; Surinder Kambo, Entrepreneur (Canada-UK).

For more info contact: Raheel Raza, P.O. Box 41, 4000 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M6S 2T7, Canada, Tel: 416-505-1613, Website: http://m u s l i m s f a c i n g t o m o r r o w.com, Email: info@muslimsfacingtomorrow.com

Police Lies Exposed ...should not be dealt with lightly but needs to be curbed with a stern hand.”The CBI investigating the apprehending of alleged operatives of Al Badr by the Special Cell was withering in its conclusions and sought “legal action against SIs Vinay Tyagi, Subhash Vats and Ravinder Tyagi” for fabrication of evidence. Not a single officer in any of the operations described here has suffered criminal proceedings for the framing of innocents. Adverse observations, strictures and censures from the court have not come in the way of promotions, gallantry awards and President’s medals. Even after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) indicted ACP Sanjeev Yadav – a figure who will surface regularly in these pages – for staging an encounter in Sonia Vihar in 2006, he continues to head probes as crucial and sensitive as the attack on the Israeli diplomat in Delhi. The paltry rate of conviction in such cases – a mere 30%, as revealed by an RTI enquiry– is attributed to inefficiency, to bad investigating skills or poor infrastructure. A closer look however reveals an uncanny, almost scripted pattern in the cases:• Secret information, which can never be verified or disclosed, leads the police to the accused.• Public and independent witnesses are rarely joined in the actual operation, even when the accused are apprehended in public places with people present.• Private vehicles are used in the operation doing away with the need of logs thereby making

it difficult to verify if any such operation did really take place.• The time and date of the actual ‘picking up’ of the accused is revealed by the subsequent trial to have been much earlier than that alleged in the police story. Illegal detention, a recurrent feature, is sought to be hidden from the court through blatantly concocted narratives.• Seizure memos are often made in the PS / Special Cell office, and not at the supposed time of seizure, often in the same handwriting and ink as the FIR• Senior officers are protected from appearing before the court by not making them witnesses• There is a nexus between Special Cell, central intelligence agencies and police force of conflict zones, especially Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur etc.Most of those who were held,

KMMA Begins Pre-Poll Exercise ...issuing mere certificate of support to supposedly secular candidates. “But have you checked as to how they behave during their legislative career”, he questioned. He said pluralism was deeply embedded in the country’s bodypolitic. “You can have a Muslim minister, but cannot ensure that the secretary and the clerk too would be a Muslim”, he reminded. Sharief said he (as the local MP) and a group of political activists went inside the RSS camp when it was held in Bangalore in 2003 and told them they were there to extend any assistance as they (RSS members) were their guests. This was a surprise for the RSS people who never expected any Muslim politician to come up with such offer. (He said in order to emphasise his point on building harmony and removing prejudices)Mr. Roshan Baig MLA and Mr. Nisar Ahmed, a former MLA (from Kolar) asked the Mahaz not to issue support certificate to candidates as people have begun to create duplicate certificate. Baig said the Mahaz should work to avoid clash between two Muslim candidates in a single constituency by bringing

Dr. Khaleefathullah ...in Chennai some three decades ago and has taught and trained at least two generations of Unani doctors by dint of his active stewardship of the Government Unani Medical College in Chennai, a city otherwise least known to be hospitable to any system of medicine other than Allopathy and Siddha.Dr. Khaleefathullah was the founder director of Central Council of Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), a central government body. He is currently its vice president and was also instrumental in the establishment of the National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM) in Bangalore. He was elected President of the Central Council of Indian Medicine in 1984 and helped the colleges of Indian systems of medicine getting affiliated to various universities and bringing uniformity in their syllabi and introduction of PG courses.

In recognition of the services of his Niamath Science Academy, the Department of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) sanctioned Rs. 2.5 corer for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Ilaj bit Tadbeer (Regimental Therapy) to the Academy.Dr. Khaleefathullah was awarded the D.Sc (Doctor of Science) by the MGR Medical University in Chennai in 1998 and was appointed as the Hony. Physician to the President of India.A highly respected figure in Chennai, he has straddled the world of medicine by acquiring degrees in both Allopathy as well as Unani, but devoting himself to the promotion of the latter. He was also associated with several Muslim educational institutions of the city of Chennai and guided a number of NGOs in social service. n

How the Qur’an ...you have in life and where they came from and you should be grateful for that always. It brings peace into your life.”Sometimes, I was really glad that I had found out about Islam, and sometimes I wished I’d never heard of it, because now that I knew the truth, I realized that I

had no choice but to revert, but I was still hanging on to the old life; even though I had given up drinking and going to parties, I was afraid of losing my western friends and the prejudice I would have to face once I started covering my head. I talked about it to Khaled so many times, and

each time I said, ‘I’ll never have the courage to wear the hijab’ and each time he said, ‘when God wills it, you’ll have the courage.’My problem is I’m a natural born coward. I dread the thoughts of people’s reaction when I start covering my head. How could I ever tell my mother or Liz in Australia. How can I go to Australia or even Ireland and cover my head — I don’t think I can face it you know. God give me strength.( www.islamreligion.com)

suffered torture, both physical and psychological, and their livelihood and reputation was destroyed. Their social ties suffered rupture as people avoided them for being associated with terrorists. In the case of Aamir Khan, the case went on for 14 years. Yet no officer who was instrumental in framing the innocent victims was punished, proceeded against. Instead some of them were promoted, earned gallantry awards and felicitated. Media reporting in such cases was tilted in the favour of police and mediapersons acted as stenographers, never questioning the ‘breakthroughs’ and ‘achievements’. The 16 cases we present here are only the proverbial tip of the iceberg, and simply indicative of the extent of the malaise affecting our policing and criminal justice system. n

about a political understanding between political bosses or parties. Mr. Maqbool Ahmed Siraj, journalist, said in order to expect commitment to secularism from others, we too need to check whether we ourselves (Muslims) are seclar. He said diversity was deeply embedded in the Indian ethos and Muslims too have behaved in a highly partisan manner at certain times. He said younger generation among Muslims was too engrossed in narrow pieties and was totally oblivious of the history, sociology, law, Constitution and economy of the land which—and not the religion—play a dominant role in statecraft. He said, electoral eve exercises would not empower the Muslims. It was necessary that the youth were trained by a series of workshops on political, and socio-economic issues. Several participants expressed concern over purchase of voters ID cards before elections in order to keep away the Muslim voters. MLAs Zameer Ahmed and N. A. Harris, MLCs Naseer Ahmed and Mudeer Agha and several other political workers and leaders were seen at the conclave. n

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 23

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pertaining to the Prophet which stress on ethical values related to social responsibilities. For example, he has said the best people are those who benefit others.The Prophet devoted his life to reflecting on and seeking solutions to the issues and challenges of the society he lived in. He actively participated in social life particularly by helping and advocating on behalf of the weak, the needy and less capable. The Quran and teachings of the Prophet provide us valuable principles to reflect on and seek solutions to the challenges of the society in which we live. Today, our society is facing many challenges in terms of the economy, education and healthcare. Hence, society needs the active participation of people for a collective response to the daunting challenges rather than waiting for the government and others.It is evident that developed nations did not progress only because of the role of government. Rather, the citizens played an active part in the development of their societies. The role of civil society

cannot be overlooked in the progress and development of any society in the contemporary world. It is civil society which provides opportunities for the common people to have a role in the development of society. Looking at the magnitude of our problems it is obvious that the government cannot respond to them alone. Therefore, the problem demands the active engagement of the people. Our faith provides us precious social/moral principles as well as practical examples to respond to the prevailing challenges of society. In order to make such ideals and principles part of our individual and social lives, serious steps need to be taken at multiple levels. Education and the media can be influential in this regard. Education can play a vital role in imparting the ethical dimension of Islam, particularly focusing on social responsibilities. Religion should not be taught in isolation debating only the theological aspects. Rather, the ethical aspects of Islam need to be discussed by relating them with the learner’s

life. The teachings of Islam related to humanism should be reflected in the curriculum and teaching-learning process.Today, the media is considered a powerful tool to educate citizens of a society. Therefore, it can be an effective source to educate people about the social dimension of our faith. In our society, there are examples of some civil society organisations which are actively engaged in responding to critical issues. Such examples should be highlighted to motivate people to play their role in society by being part of such organisations. The spirit of service and volunteerism also needs to be promoted in the youth in order to take part in solving issues.In sum, Islam has given a high place to the social conscience by forwarding valuable ideals and examples of how to fulfil social responsibilities. It is, therefore, important to go beyond mere rhetoric and take serious steps at multiple levels to make such values part of our individual as well as social lives in order to respond to the emerging challenges of our society.(The writer is an educator at a community-based educational institution)

Social Conscience in Islam ...Defamation Suit ...

H. T. Sangliana had advised the media not to speculate and come to conclusion in a press conference on Thursday, October 3, 2002.Based on the false information in the Kannada Prabha report, the houses of close associates and relatives of Syed Naveed had been searched. He had alleged that the newspaper had indulged in a campaign to defame him and his business establishment. The case ran for nearly 10 years with nearly 60 hearings. Mr. Naveed was

represented by his counsel Dr. Srinivas. The case was decided ex-parte.Kannada Prabha issued the cheque on October 8, 2012.Naveed says that the trauma that he faced for the last 10 years cannot just be explained in words. He says that during the years he had spent nearly Rs. 5 lakh and hailed the verdict as ‘victory for truth’. Talking to Islamic Voice, he said the meager amount he received was not adequate compensation for the harassment he underwent. n

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 24S.M. parents seek alliance for their daughter, M.B.A, M.Lib, aged 27 years, 5’-5”, fair, religious, khan family.Groom should be well qualified working professional at Bangalore from decent family. Contact: 9342880248

BANGALORE: SM parents seek alliance for our daughter BE,(IT)working as software engineer 24, years, 5'-3"-Groom should be (M.S/BE) well qualified working professional at Bangalore from a religious family from Bangalore / Mysore / Abroad. Email: resume & photo to: rehanclass@gmail.com . (NO DOWRY)

SM Parents seek alliance for their daughter (Qula obtained in short time issueless) master in Engineering, Lecturer in Muscat, 33 years, 5’-4”. Groom must be unmarried/divorcee and issueless less than 40 years from respectable family. Contact: 09052656514, email: mct_hyd@yahoo.com

BANGALORE: SM Parents seek alliance for their daughter BE (IT), aged 24 years, 5’-3”, charming. Working belonging to a decent family. Groom should be well Qualified working professional at Bangalore from a decent family. Email: moinshariff76@yahoo.com , CONTACT: 9845940850

SM parents seek alliance for their daughter, B.E, 26 years, 5’-6” good looking belonging to a respectable and educated family, working as a Senior software engineer ( Technology Analyst) in a reputed MNC at Chicago, USA. Groom should be good looking and well settled Professional hailing from a decent family. Preference will be given to those who are working/

settled in USA. Preferable qualification of the groom: B.E,M.S.,B.E,M.Tech., M.B.B.S, M.S. Email biodata to : mwayez@yahoo.co.in ,contact: 9632878387/9611995800

Chennai, Tamil Muslim, BE, 33/168, Wheatish, given KHULA (No Kids) from religious & educated family seek religious, professional groom, preferably 34-40. farshazra@gmail.com ; contact 00971501065517"

Bangalore: SM parents seek alliance for their daughter Fair, 24 years, 5’-4” B.com looking for groom from decent family, 26 years to 29 years. Preferably Engineer/MBA settled in India/abroad Contact: 8095834242 E-mail: skhaleelahmed@ymail.com

WANTED BRIDEBANGALORE: SM Parents seek alliance for their Son, 26 years, 5’-5, fair, B.sc, working as Sr. System administrator in MNC from respected family. Bride should be religious educated from respectable family, 18-21 years. Contact: 9845952561, Email: umair1086@gmail.com

SM parents seek alliance for their Son, 30 years, 5’-10”, fair, BE working as Key accounts management in MNC. Bride should be religious, educated from respected family, 21-25 years. Contact: 9880508178/080-25353621 altech_adil@yahoo.com

Well educated SM Parents invite alliance for son, age 34 years, 5’-11”, very fair and Handsome, religious, M.E, working as Network Engineer in UK. Bride should be more than 5’-4”, B.E, working in MNC, very fair, beautiful, slim,religious of respectable Syed family. Contact: 9035491269

matrimonialsWANTED GROOM

SM Mother seek alliance for her daughter, 26 years,5’-1”, working in MNC. The groom should be well settled hailing from Bangalore with Religious background. Contact: syedshobie@gmail.com , 9901047838

SM Parents seek alliance for their 2 daughters, 1. MBA pursuing- 29 years, 2. MBA completed- 27years. Both are working (looking for educated family), Contact- 080-41426196 email: mohsin.9331@gmail.com

BANGALORE: SM Parents invites alliance for their daughter, 20 years, 5’-5”, BCA, fair, belonging to a respected family. Absorbed Hijab. Groom should be well settled, employed from India/abroad, 21-27 years from religious family. Contact: 9880508178/080-25353621, email: waseembari.r@gmail.com

S.M Ahle Sunnah wal jama religious professional groom unmarried below 32 years required for religious 25 years daughter Niquabi, BE graduate, good looking, very fair, 5’-5”. Please contact: adilmohiuddin01@hotmail.com 00971505861815

MELVISHARAM (Vellore Dt.tamil nadu): SM urdu speaking parents seek alliance for daughter MBBS, 25 years, 160cms, working in Apollo Hospital, Melvisharam from respectable & religious family. Groom should be a post graduate in medicine, preferably settled in India. Contact: 9443368391/9482872501, Email: mailappay@gmail.com

SM Family invites alliance for only daughter 20 years, 5’-5”, studying in 2nd year Degree. Groom should be well qualified Engineer or Professional from respectable and religious families from Bangalore or working in Abroad .Bangalore based are also welcome. Contact: 9448710791, email: umarfaizan21@yahoo.ca

Sunni Muslim parent (an educated, cultured & religious family) originally from Hyderabad seek alliance for their daughter age 27, 5’-3”, fair, homely, religious, BE graduate working in MNC firm in Bangalore, from a boy who is religious well educated (professional/graduate/post graduate) well settled in India/Abroad belonging to a good cultured family. Contact: ajaz.khan02@gmail.com phone: 9591400944 (Aijaz)

Page 25

Sunni Mother seek alliance for son age 36 years, 5’-6”, DME, now pursuing B.E. Bride should be religious from decent family background, aged 25-30 years, minimum qualification MCA/MBA/Graduates. Contact: 9980446617

SM parents invite alliance for their son BDS, MSc(UK) 30 years , 5.10, working in Qatar , Doha . Looking for religious girl, who has done BDS/MBBS from a respected family . Contact no :- 9538656003/9886029130

SM Sheik parents (Bangalore) looking for bride for their son, 5’-6”, 28years, MBBS,MD(Gen. Medicine) working as Asst. Professor. Preferably MBBS/PG OR, Masters Degree, working as Lecturer, age below 26 years, religious, fair, from decent family. Contact: 9448039699/080-23434517

Bangalore based Sunni Syed Muslim parents seek alliance for their son 28 years, Diploma in E&C, persuing AMIE & working in Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (Govt. employee), 5'-9", smart, simple, religious, belonging to respected family. Girl should be religious, fair, beautiful, slim, non working from a decent family. Those interested may contact, mail: pious.imran@gmail.com, 9980481961.

BANGALORE: Parents residing in Bangalore looking for a Bride for their Son fair and handsome, 5’11-“,29 years, MBBS, MD ( general medicine) working as Asst professor in Bangalore in reputed college looking for MBBS, MD,diploma or MDS girl, 5’-4” and above. Age below 26years , bride should be fair, beautiful and religious from a decent family. Contact: 9448904886.

secular fabric of the country.”Zafir argues that intermixing with the majority community is the only option, “if you want to come out of the ghettoized mentality which the community has adopted over a period of time.” The other very important way, Zafir argues, to come out of this ghettoized mentality is mainstream education to the community, “What else, but only mainstream education, over a period of time, can take the community out of the besieged and ghettoized mentality.”She not only argues about engagement with the other community, but also practices it. She stays in a mixed colony or a predominantly Hindu area, Rohini. Even at the time of post-Babri riots, when her Hindu friends were strongly suggesting to her and her parents to shift to Okhla, a predominant Muslim locality, they consistently refused

DISCOVER YOURSELFWORKSHOPS IN KENYA

DATES: 2,3 & 4 NOVEMBER 2012 CONTACT FOR DETAILS:

Ummah FoundationMaryam Kibunja: 0722 734 090

maryamkibunja@ummahfoundation.net

WORKSHOP IN BANGALOREDATES: 16, 17 & 18 NOVEMBER 2012

VENUE:DARUS SALAM BUILDING, Queens Road, (near Cantonment Railway station).

Contact for Details and Registrations SMS OR CALL:* Islamic Voice: 080 41126165/ 65000211/ +91 9241109529

* Riaz Ahmed: 080-25597912/09845030805* Sabina: 9886513640* Zohra: 8971901711

WORKSHOP IN DUBAIUnder the Patronage of Islamic Affairs and

Charitable Activities Department Government of Dubai

DATES: 22, 23 & 24 NOVEMBER 2012VENUE: Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities

Department Government of Dubai, 2ND Floor, Al-Mamzar, Dubai.

Contacts for registrations:Mohammed Haamid: 056 115 3 948

(mhamid1234@yahoo.com)Majid Mukarram : 050 653 6 921 (mmdxb@yahoo.com)

WORKSHOP IN BANGALOREFor College Girls

DATES: NOV 30, 1, 2 DECEMBER 12VENUE: Abbas Khan Degree College for Women

OTC Road, Cubbonpet, Bangalore.Contact for Details and Registrations:

* Nadira Sultan : 9841787632* Islamic Voice: 080 41126165/ 65000211/ +91 9241109529

WORKSHOP IN PANVELDATES: 7, 8 & 9 DECEMBER 2012

VENUE:ABDUL RAZAK KALSEKAR POLYTECH COLLEGE

Opp Karnala Sports, Thana Naka, PANVEL.Contact for Details and Registrations:

Mr. Imran Rajwani: 0902979415Email:rajwani_if@yahoo.com

For more info visit: www.discoveryourself.in

to do so, “I still remember at the time of Babri riots, my Hindu colleague came and suggested us to shift to a safe location like Okhla, but we refused.”Talking about her own identity as a Muslim, she says, that she prefers to be a part of the culture than religion, as culture unites people whereas religion divides. “One of the peculiar aspects of keeping a Muslim name in India is that people force the stereotype on you,” adds Deeba giving the instance of using ‘bindi’ which many find as ‘un-Islamic.’Zafir is a staunch supporter of women rights to equality, dignity and their right to choose the kind of life they want for themselves. Deeba insisted on

having a civil marriage after her Nikah because she disagrees with its framework “which can’t accommodate principles of composite culture.” For instance, she explains “if you have got Hindu friends and you want them to become a witness in your nikah then you cannot do that because a Hindu cannot be a witness. In the same way, the value of a female witness is half to that of a male one. Then I have strong reservations with the idea of Meher which has practically become just a sham.”On the provision of Meher she also says that, “most often than not, it ends up being a bargaining point if the marriage goes sour.”(Twocircles.net)

Practising Peace ...

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 25profile

my life. It taught me skills to cope with both immediate and extended family. Now I hope to use these skills to convince others close to me to realise these values.

UZAIR: I have learnt how to make choices from a spiritual side of myself, acceptance of what had happened, forgiveness and letting go of the baggage that actually blocked me from moving ahead in life. I can sincerely say I have accomplished a whole new way of living life with experience of this workshop, which is brilliant.

ZIA: My life was in a mess, but now I can see differently. I can feel that. This workshop helped me open my eyes and show me the truth of our life. With the tools I learnt, I will change my life, my family’s life and people around me. I feel now I can do and achieve anything if I am good and honour my word.

SOFIA: There were three things that consumed my life, I was always asking questions, assuming and blaming. I now got directions and guidance to make a change. The workshop was excellent and I will definitely attend again.

AYESHA: I will not let insignificant incidents affect my attitude and behaviour and not allow my ego to control me,

as I am the master of my own destiny and happiness. I will not act instinctively and impulsively like an animal, I am a human being and need to ‘BE’ and have a focus on life. I shall not allow small things to frustrate me.

RUKSANA: It helped me to free myself by letting go of the past. I got to learn and now have a better understanding of Islam after attending this workshop. My husband set himself free by forgiving others.

AKRAM: This workshop changes people’s lives and behaviour at home, work and everywhere. It opens their minds and imparts values about life and religion. It was a great learning experience.

MOHAMMED: Before I attended the workshop, my heart and mind felt heavy. I felt like I had no sense of direction. I felt de-motivated and doubtful. This workshop has changed my soul. I feel light and fulfilled at the same time. Although my questions did not get direct answers, but the workshop answered all my questions indirectly. I have learnt the meaning of reality and the true meaning of ‘BEING’. This workshop has empowered me to take life by the reigns and embrace every possibility out there.

ZAREENA: This workshop is very good. I had lost my son and I did hold on to him for about four years after the workshop, I let him off. I wish I can come again and again to learn more. When I go home, I feel strong and bright, thanks to Mr Khan for coming all the way.

DAWOOD: Before the workshop, I was negative. After listening to the good, the word ‘LOVE’ has made me feel very positive. The workshop was very informative and interesting. It has taught me that Almighty is love and by applying love, you can find a solution to most of the problems.

AYESHA: The workshop has brought together many scattered thoughts and ideas on life and how to deal with issues.

KONDKARY: Before the workshop, I was not in the present and now I back to being in the present. I was able to identify my problems areas, it was excellent,

HENDRICKS: It was a life changing experience. It taught me to be conscious of the language I speak and to be conscious of Allah all the time. I was always judgmental of myself and others and did not know how to communicate at times. I found it difficult to forgive.

NABEELA: Before the

workshop, I looked at my life as something of a routine, it had become dull, I had no energy doing the same things routinely, I was bitter and angry all the time and snapping at petty things. If things were going my way, then everything was okay. I hated being self-centered and lethargic all the time. I was always bringing the past into the present and always resentful with life and people. I did not know how to get that peace and contentment that I was craving. I could not forgive people. Now I feel liberated after attending the workshop. I feel as though Mr. Khan has brought about a ‘NEW’ person in me.

SABINA: I was a very rebellious person and I thought that if life was too much about others, you would forget to live for yourself, but I learned that there is more joy in giving than in expecting. It has been worth attending this workshop. I learned how to empower myself and I feel very grateful to my mum who forced me to attend this workshop.

OMAR: Before the workshop, I used to think differently. I had ‘EGO’ and I thought that I am right and others are wrong and I used to get angry. But now after attending the workshop, I find my way of thinking has changed.

HASEENA: Sadly, I realised I was a self-centered person

before, now I realise that life is how you respond to people. It is very interesting, enlightening, spiritually uplifting and a must for every human being.

NAJMA: I began to focus more for the first time seriously on my inner self, thus releasing others to their own space. Before the workshop, I was more judgmental and opinionated and these qualities have disappeared in me. This workshop has brought me to new heights mentally, emotionally.

ISAC: Before the workshop, I was playing with my life and was justifying for my actions. Now the workshop has enlightened me and brought me to a state where my words create my consequences.

SULEMAN: Before the workshop, I was always thinking of giving up and stop struggling. But after the workshop, I got to know that, if I change, what is in me (the real me) from denying to reality, I will be able to do what I want to do.

MAIMUNA: Before the workshop, I took every thing personally. Now I realize that everything ‘said’ and ‘done’ does not mean it’s the truth. I must examine and refer to Allah. It gave me ‘tools’ to shift from my reality (opinions) to true reality (submission).

Page 27

Page 24

“My” Reality to “True” Reality ...

Practising Peace and HarmonyDeeba Zafir is an academician, writer, thinker and activist based in Delhi. She not only argues about engagement with the other

community, but also practices it. She stays in a mixed colony or a predominantly Hindu area, Rohini. Even at the time of post-Babri riots, when her Hindu friends were strongly suggesting to her to shift to Okhla, a predominant Muslim locality, she refused to do so.

By Md. Ali

Deeba Zafir, is an academician who wears several hats- a writer, critic, translator, thinker and many more. Be it Urdu, composite culture of India, women rights or English literature, there are several issues and areas she feels passionate about.You talk to her about Urdu and she talks about the tradition of questioning and critical thinking of Urdu literature which she feels has been sidelined today. “Urdu literature had a strong tradition of questioning and critical thinking which has sadly been suppressed and side lined by the way Urdu is being perceived and taught today

in the country,” she says.Zafir, who teaches English literature at Lakshmibai College, University of Delhi, points out the worldview of Mirza Ghalib and his entire poetry as an instance of critical thinking. Besides being an Associate Professor of English, Zafir has many critical works related to Urdu literature to her credit. She has translated critical material relating to Ismat Chughtai and Urdu short stories on Partition. She has got published several articles on Ismat Chugtai’s “Lihaaf” and Kamleshwar’s “Kitne Pakistan” in the literary journal, Creative Forum. She has also read papers on Ghalib’s letters. Her

writings are a measure of her continuous engagement with Urdu literature.Zafir who is also one of the English consultants of Oxford Dictionary, considers Urdu to be the part and parcel and the carrier of composite culture

which many also refer as “Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb.” But she is alarmed at the fact that this composite culture has been fractured due to increasing communal polarization and communal onslaughts of religious extremists in the country. She argues that Urdu is in pathetic condition because the oppression inflicted on the language was part of the larger picture, where the very structures of composite culture were under attack. “The reason for this polarization can be traced back to Partition,” Deeba Zafir says.But this great grand daughter of Dr. Rajendra Prasad takes pride in the Hindu connection which

is part of her lineage. She is the great grand daughter of the brother of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Leela Prasad, who converted to Islam and was later known as Abdur Rahman. Abdur Rahman also wrote a book, “Aql Ki Tajweez” in which he explained why he chose to convert.Zafir is very concerned at the growing ghettoization of the Muslim community and increasing polarization of the country on communal lines. She strongly believes that engagement with the other community is the only way through which “we can stop this communal onslaught on the

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 26Happy Planet Index

Pakistan among Top 20 Happiest Countries, Beating India, US

national affairs

Doctors at the Bangalore’s Live 100 Hospital have come up with treatment for Osteonecrosis or the collapse of the bone joints, mainly in the hip joints. Even before we know the kind of treatment that has been developed by the Bangalore hospital, let us understand what Osteonecrosis is all about. It is a condition caused by

temporary or permanent loss of the blood supply to the bones. Without blood, the bone tissue dies and causes the bone to collapse. Though it can happen to any bone, avasular necrosis affects the end of long bones such as the Femur bone extending from the knee to the hip joint. It usually affects people between 20 and 50 years. While usually the bones rebuild themselves, in the case of Avascular Necrosis, the healing process is ineffective, the disease progresses, the bone collapses and the joint

surface breaks down, leading to pain and arthritis. Blood supply could be affected due to an injury, use of steroids, blood coagulation or excessive use of alcohol etc. This manifests itself by pains in joints, first only when one puts weight on those bones and later even while resting. Pain progressively increases and may affect movement.

Though this can be treated by surgery too, a greater degree of success has been achieved through stem cell therapy at the Live 100 Hospital, says its chairman Dr. H. N. Nagaraj. In this bone marrow of the patient is extracted and sent to highly specialized laboratory for processing under

sterile condition. In this case, it is being sent to a Pune Hospital where stem cells are separated from the red blood cells and blood plasma and then injected directly into the hip joint of the patient. The transplanted stem cell can restore hip joint function that has been lost due to damage of cartilage. They also facilitate the repair of bone cells. Dr. Nagaraj says the treatment does not involve any kind of bleeding or scar formation as it is a simple process not involving any kind of surgery. The patient has to admit himself into the hospital only for 24 hours for each injection. The whole treatment takes only eight weeks. The Hospital has successfully treated eight patients since they began applying this therapy since February 2012. Treatment currently costs Rs. 3.5 lakh but is likely to come down as it becomes popular with labs coming up in all cities. In one case, one of the treated patients was able to go back to her dancing classes. The treated patients can lead a productive life as before. The hospital is receiving such cases from the US too as this kind of

therapy is still not allowed there due to ethical issues involved. The doctors admit that osteonecrosis can be treated by total hip replacement. But they say that artificial hip joint will wear out with time and there is a possible chance of infection. Stem cell therapy offers young patients a viable and the safest alternative which restores normal hip mobility and pain relief without complications expected in joint replacement. It is estimated that 16,000 such new cases of osteonecrosis occur in India annually.

(Source: Our staff writer attended the press conference by Live 100 Hospital in Bangalore. )

Happy Planet Index is calculated using life expectancy, experienced well-being, and ecological footprint. Ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems. It is a standardized measure of demand for natural capital that may be contrasted with the planet’s ecological capacity to regenerate. It represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area necessary to supply the resources a human population

consumes, and to assimilate associated waste.Pakistan ranked 16th among 151 countries of the world on the Happy Planet Index (HPI) 2012, beating India and the United States which ranked 32nd and 105th respectively. Costa Rica was termed the happiest country, followed by Vietnam and Colombia. The Happy Planet Index was

calculated using life expectancy, experienced well-being and

ecological footprint (per capita) of the countries

with data collected from various sources including UNDP and Gallup data. The index was compiled

by New Economics Foundation (NEF). The

life expectancy and experienced well-being of Pakistan was found to be mediocre, but

the ecological footprint was termed “good”. The total HPI of Pakistan was calculated to be 54.1. Israel landed just one spot above Pakistan, having “good” life expectancy and experienced well-being, but a “poor” ecological footprint. Bangladesh was higher up on the scale at 11, with the first two factors termed mediocre and the footprint as “good”.India was found to have mediocre life expectancy and well-being and a “good” ecological footprint. However, its total HPI amounted to 50.9. The only reason why the US scored low was its ecological footprint which was worse than the “poor” category. The life expectancy and experienced well-being

were, however, ranked “good”. Afghanistan was ranked 109. The countries which landed at the bottom of the Happiness Index were mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa. Denmark ranked the highest on the experienced well-being chart, followed by Canada and Norway. Togo landed on the bottom of the chart. On the life expectancy chart, Japan topped the list, followed by Hong Kong and Switzerland, while Sierra Leone gained the last spot. Afghanistan had the best ecological footprint among all the countries, followed by Haiti and Bangladesh. The countries with the worst ecological footprint included Qatar, Luxembourg, Kuwait, UAE, Denmark and the US. n

Health and Medicine

Stem Cell Therapy Developed for collapse of Bone Joints

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 27global affairs

Over 870 Million People Chronically Undernourished

Rome: One in eight people worldwide still suffer from chronic hunger, the UN’s food agency says describing the figure as “unacceptable,” and warning that the fight against hunger was slowing down. “With almost 870 million people chronically undernourished in 2010-2012, the number of hungry people in the world remains unacceptably high,” the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said in its 2012 report on food insecurity. The latest figures show that 12.5 percent of the world’s population, or one person in every eight, has yet to be relieved of

chronic hunger, it said. “We live in a world of plenty which has enough food to feed everyone. For us, the only acceptable number is zero,” FAO head, Jose Graziano da Silva told a press conference as the report was unveiled.Oxfam’s GROW campaign to fix the global food system lashed out at “government inaction”. “The fact that almost 870 million people, more than the population of the US, Europe and Canada, are hungry in a world which produces enough for everyone to eat is the biggest scandal of our time,” Oxfam’s Luca Chinotti said. The Rome-based food

agency, which compiled the report along with the World Food Program (WFP) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), said the number of hungry was down from one billion 20 years ago. New methods for estimating hunger levels showed that progress against hunger in the past 20 years was “better than previously believed,” it said. “Most of the progress, however, was achieved before 2007-08. Since then, global progress in reducing hunger has slowed,” and must rally again to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving the world’s hungry by 2015, it said. n

Women and the World of Work in 2012Women and the World of Work in 2012

865 million women will enter the economic mainstream in the coming decade, constituting the Third Billion—in reference to the billion-plus respective populations of China and India.How about their empowerment in the workplace? The Booz & Company from Australia conducted a study titled ‘Third Billion’

to assess the state of women empowerment. They developed the Third Billion Index to evaluate how countries—128 of them—increase the empowerment of women in the labour force. It was done by figuring out the key inputs and outputs that empower women. The inputs were: How do these 128 nations prepare their women for the role. The key inputs were 1-Preparation, 2-Access to Work Policy and 3- Entrepreneurial Support. In matters of preparation, data on the ratio between male and female literacy, enrolment of women in primary education, Mean Years of Schooling (MSY), and level of tertiary (i.e., college or professional education) were assessed. In matters of Access to Work Policy, it was assessed if the women got the same pay as the men for the same work, if there was any gender discrimination against women in recruitment and in workplace or in leave provision for maternity and paternity and legal restrictions on job types. As for Entrepreneurial support, they assessed the women’s access to technology, property ownership rights, finance programmes, availability of private sector credit and delivery of financial services. The outputs were measured in terms of male : female ratio among wage employees, wages, and participation in the labour force.

Similar data about male : female ratio was gathered regarding professional and technical workers, among legislators, senior officials and managers and employers. And finally, if whether equal pay for equal work was practiced. The Index ranked 128 countries based on their overall input and output scores

Here are ranks of important countries:Australia, Norway and Sweden occupy first, second and third places respectively getting highest scores. The United States stands on 30th place, Italy on 33rd and Argentina on 35th. Other important nations rank as follows : South Africa 36, Japan 43, Brazil 46, China 58, Tanzania 85, Egypt 105, the United Arab Emirates 108, India 115, Saudi Arabia 123.

Nations Clustered in Varying Stage

The Third Billion Index has placed the surveyed countries in five clusters that reflect the state of women’s workplace empowerment. These are: 1- On the path to success: 43 of the 128 countries are included in this category. Some of them are Australia, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, UK, USA. 2- Forging their own path: 12 of the 128 countries are in this category. Some of them are: Cambodia, China, Madagascar, the Philippines, Russia and Vietnam. 3- Those that have taken modest steps to empowerment:

These are 23 countries which are categorized as average. Some of them are: Mexico, Colombia, Georgia, Paraguay, Serbia, Thailand, Uzbekistan etc. 4- Countries that are taking right steps: There are 9 countries

17Booz & Company

emerging economic participants, and women around the world make up the Third Billion. Even omitting those women, however, the number of women meeting our criteria would still exceed 500 million by 2020. Counting those still younger than 20 and newborn female children, the number could easily expand to a billion within the following generation.)

No matter how the numbers are counted, 1 billion or more women are clearly about to participate more fully in the mainstream global economy. This represents a

East, eastern and central Europe, and Africa.

Exhibit 3 The Women of the Third Billion

11.0 million = Subheads or highlighted text in Subheads

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Lines: 0,5 ptLines for legend: 0,5 pt dotted, black

Note:Please always delete all unused colors, after creating the exhibit,otherwise InDesign will import the spot colors of this Illustrator file.These colors can’t be deleted in InDesign. Thanks.

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EngineersSkilled Production

Unskilled Production

Overall

32%

7%

51%

36%

13%

23%

12%

HR/IT/F&A Sales Customer Service

Shareholder Expectations

Earnings and Performance Results

Production and Supply Network Delivery Customer & Retail Corporate/Shared Service

Disruptive Technologies

Growing Customer Sophistication

Regulations

Stress Stress

Distortions

Stress

Str

ateg

ic C

oher

ence

Cap

ability A

lignm

ent

New Market Emergence

Next-Generation Infrastructure

Disruption in Commodity Markets

Company Score

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Microsoft

Oracle

IBM

Hewlett-Packard

Cisco Systems

Apple

SAP

Xerox

Accenture

CSC

2.88

2.85

2.82

2.59

2.53

2.42

2.40

2.39

2.38

2.20

30

40

50

60

70

United States

Sweden

South Africa

Norway

Tanzania

Canada

Brazil

Belgium

Australia

Argentina

New Zealand

Turkey

KuwaitJordan

China

Japan

Yemen

United Arab EmiratesEgypt

Outputs

Syria

Sudan

Saudi ArabiaPakistan

Chad

Morocco

Singapore

30 40 50 60 70Inputs

Netherlands

Italy

Germany

France

Finland

India

2020 (IN MILLIONS)

Average Zone

AverageForging Their Own PathTaking the Right StepsAt the Starting GateOn the Path to Success

649.3

98.8

64.2

45.06.90.9

These 865 million women in 2020 will conceivably grow to1 billion in the following decade

Not enabled Not prepared Neither prepared nor enabled

865 million women worldwide lead lives outside the economic system

Emerging Economies account for 94% of those women

Developed Economiesaccount for 6% of thosewomen

in this category: Some of them are: Chile, Czech, Korea Rep. Malaysia, Mauritius, Tunisia.5- Countries that are at the starting gate: There are 41 nations in this category who have not yet systematically approached women

empowerment. They are: Egypt, India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Nigeria, Pakistan, UAE. Source: http://www.booz.com/m e d i a / f i l e / B o o z C o _ 2 0 1 2 -Empowering-the-Third-Billion_Briefing.

Status of Women Employment in Some important countries

Saudi Arabia: Women constitute 57% of university graduates; workforce participation rate among female nations was equal to 12% in 2008; Women in workforce are primarily employed in the public sector—6.9%; Saudi women face several legal and cultural challenges.UAE: (Expatriates account for 81% of the UAE’s population.) Women account for more than 70% of university graduates. Female labour force participation is 27.5% (versus 63.5% for national men); Women work primarily in the public sector, with 42% working in the federal government, 35% in state governments, and only 9% in private sector; Women’s businesses are clustered in the service sector (e.g. hair salons, tailoring, retails etc.)United States: Female participation in the labour force is 68% and is catching up to men’s which is 80%; Women represent 49% of the total workforce but 59% of low-wage workers; Women gained only 8% of the 1l9 million net jobs added since June

2009; Women’s unemployment rate rose from 7.6% to 7.7% while men’s dropped from 9.9% to 7.7%; Child care is a major issue for women in low-wage jobs—full-day care for an infant represents 41% of

the median income. Egypt: Female labor force participation was only 24% in 2010—mainly focused in the agriculture, education, public administration, health, and social work sectors;Egypt currently lacks laws against discrimination on the basis of gender; About 20% of all firms in Egypt are owned by womenGermany: Female participation in the labor force

is 71%—relatively high compared to the rest of the world; Women represent on average 44% of the employed workforce—clustered in the service sectors, nonprofit organizations, financial services, and public administration; Women account for less than 20% of all SME owners; Advancing in career and achieving seniority is a significant challenge for working women in Germany

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 28life & relationships

Shifting from “My” Reality to “True” Reality Shifting from “My” Reality to “True” Reality

The Discover Yourself Workshop was held in the South African cities of Durban, Benoni and Pretoria, in September and October 2012. Some of the participants share their

experiences after the Workshop.

v Thank you very much for sharing and showing us our inner Islamic beliefs.

v I am motivated as this workshop has taught me to do self introspection.

v The workshop helped me to identify the cause of my problems which is ‘I’.

v What a dynamic speaker, with a sense of humour. Keep it up Mr. Khan!

v The workshop is unique, stimulating, rejuvenating and most enlightening.

v I am able to distinguish between Allah’s way and Satan’s way (ego)

v This workshop has answered my duas, on how to deal with ‘EGO’ and move on.

v Excellent, I have total peace after the workshop. Applying what I learnt in the workshop has helped me in my marriage, being a second wife.

v It helped me to submit to the reality and crush my ego.v It woke me up from deep sleep- fools paradise.v I became aware of what patterns in me are triggering

and activating my ego.v I have learnt to shift from my ego self to submission to

Allah.v The workshop was excellent because both theory and

practical techniques were used.v It made me realise that I am not always right.v It helped me to see life differently; I am the cause of

my own suffering.v This workshop is a must and every human being should

experience this shift in paradigm.v It has created a consciousness of submission.v Brilliant, all my questions were answered.v The workshop was absolutely inspiring and was indeed

a discovery of myself.v I feel I should have come many years ago for this

workshop.v I was in the dark and it opened my eyes.v It opened my mind and made me see things in a

different perspective. Not to judge.

FAZELA: This workshop has really helped me each time that I have attended. It has helped me to take control of my life. Please, please introduce this course to our youth, at high schools and universities. Even think of training people in each country to continue your work. The state of our families, homes, communities and Ummah at large is very sad. Please, please do not ever think of discontinuing this programme. You have certainly changed people’s lives. Please do aggressive advertising on radio

CASSIM: My wife and I attended your workshop some six years ago, this is our second time. Both the workshops have made a great difference in our lives. Earlier we use to take each other for granted; now we are able to accept each other for what we are. My approach to my children has been wonderful. Please have a special workshop for the university students.

RAZEENA: This workshop has changed my life. It’s as if I am born again, given me a second chance to undo the negativity and to remove the impurities. I have now chosen to submit to Allah and what lies ahead responsibly, and realistically, without the burden of being judgmental. I thank my Creator for allowing me the opportunity of attending this workshop and thus showing me the way for improving my character and life. I certainly have changed over the last three days almost like evolved, if I can put it that way.

SURAYA: This workshop has further imprinted the awareness of absolute truth in a deeper way. The workshop is inspiring and uplifting. This truthful knowledge is just so empowering and makes me want to embrace being human, over and again. Before this workshop, I was very opinionated with good justifications and this caused strife in the family. I did not feel good about this. After the

have chosen to forgive. I have chosen the path of Allah and will keep my word.

SADIA: My quest for sukoon (peace) has put me in complete submission to Allah and my life has taken a new meaning. I was depressed, but now I have let go

of my feelings and my focus has changed. I am calm. Also my priorities have changed and I am focusing on helping others.

MARIAM: I am now aware of my ‘EGO’ and reality and how I need to work on coming out of ‘MY OWN WORLD’. I am now aware of how Satan tries to make us destroy ourselves. Before the workshop, I was not aware of

how my ego was destroying me and my relationships.

AKBAR: I have benefitted a lot from this workshop. My life changed. I have taken control of my temper and to be Allah conscious. My relationship with my wife has improved with

love, peace, understanding and tolerance.

SOLWA: I came here to refresh myself since the last workshop had a tremendous impact on

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

ON PAGE: 24

workshop I am more aware of my responsibility to myself and my environment. This is the foundation for your life, to lead you to true success in every aspect of your life.

HAJIRAH: A life transformation has taken place. I have come from darkness into Allah’s Noor and make a firm intention to stay in ‘THIS LIGHT’ inshallah. I accept the change and will try

my best to maintain a balance in every walk of my life.

FARZANA: I brought my 13 year old son thinking that he needs to be in this workshop of transformation. In reality, I needed the workshop myself. The benefits of this, I choose to become a good human being, wife, mother and mother- in- law. I am inspired. Now I am content with what I have and

Page 25

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 29aDvertisement

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 30CHILDREN'S CORNER

Nobody is Above LawA.I. Makki

Emperor Jahangir is famous for his eagerness to deliver justice in person to those of his subjects who would approach his court from across his empire. Jahangir had a huge bell placed in his courtyard. If a person entered into any minor dispute with another he would ring the bell once. If a worker did not receive his wages in time, he had to ring it twice. If someone had his belongings robbed they had to ring the bell thrice. A person who had a claim of blood against another, he had to ring the bell four times. The emperor had strictly warned his courtiers and guards that the law of the land was supreme, which treated everyone as equals. He had told that law would apply equally to all, be they ruler or the ruled or poor or rich.Jahangir’s queen, the Empress Noorjahan was an expert archer. She was known for shooting four tigers in a row in quick succession once when the

villagers had come complaining to her that they had become man-eaters.The queen would practice archery with experts on the bank of the River Jamuna everyday. One day, she thought she noticed a deer behind the bushes and shot an arrow towards it. She sent her guards to find out if she had killed the deer. The guards came back empty handed when they found no signs of any animal behind the bushes. The empress returned to the palace without giving it a second thought.After a few hours, a Hindu lady was found in the courtyard ringing the bell four times. She was the wife of a washerman. The court immediately assembled to hear her complaint. Emperor Jahangir, who was midway through his meal, stopped eating and took his place on the Royal Throne to hear her out in all seriousness.The washerwoman held a blood stained arrow in her hand. She shouted at the top of her voice:

“O’ Emperor! I want justice; my husband was killed by someone with this arrow while we were washing clothes at the riverbank, when all of a sudden an arrow came out of nowhere and buried itself deep into my husband’s heart. Now, he is no more with us. Who will look after me and my

children?”Jahangir took the arrow from her hands to find that it had a royal stamp on it. He guessed it was someone from the palace who had caused this tragedy.The emperor ordered an officer to conduct an inquiry to find out the persons responsible for this terrible act within an hour. Soon, the guards came back with the answer and said the arrow belonged to the empress who shot it while practicing archery by the riverside on that fateful morning.Jahangir ordered the queen to appear before the court. He took out his sword and handed it over to the widow and said: “O’ woman! My wife takes all responsibility for causing his death. Now, you may kill her with your sword and justice will be done!”The washerwoman protested: “But, that would not bring my husband back to life and I can never kill another lady, however guilty she might be in causing my husband’s death. If I carry out your order, I will never forgive myself for doing her Majesty to death. Nonetheless, I wish to avenge my husband’s blood!”On hearing her reply, the emperor stood up and unbuttoned his royal robes and bared his chest

and said: “Your case is truly difficult for me to solve, unless you take this arrow and shoot me in the chest. That’s the only way you can avenge by killing her husband like she killed yours! Now, it’s an order, you will have to shoot me dead!There was a stunned silence in the court. The emperor made a sign and one of the guards stepped forward and handed her a bow. The washerwoman stringed the arrow to the bow drew the string of the bow to its full length and took careful aim,

when a

courtier from the crowd ran and stood before her and Jahangir, and said: “Your Majesty! Your royal order appears to be fair, but it would be unjust in the sight of Allah, for the Holy Qur’an states: ““Each soul only earns sin against itself and no bearer of burdens may shoulder the burden of (guilt) of another.”Turning to the washerwoman he said: “O’ lady! I beg of you to show mercy on the Emperor and the Empress. Your husband’s

death was caused by accident and it would be wrong on your part to punish the Emperor with a fault that was not done by him. Do not commit a sin by carrying out an order, which may not be looked upon kindly when we all meet our Lord in the Hereafter, where we will be asked to account for all our deeds!’On hearing this plea, the washerwoman threw the bow and arrow on the floor and said: “I seek refuge in the Lord and the emperor to do justice for the wrong done to me.”Jahangir consoled her and granted her a handsome pension for life and offered her a job in the palace. The courtiers gathered in the Royal Court showered her with all the riches, which they had on their person. The washerwoman thanked the emperor and took leave off him.The empress was in acute distress for being the cause of the trouble that would have led to her husband’s death.Jahangir turned to her and said: “If the woman had carried out my command a second earlier, you would now be mourning my death. Allah (swt) saved my life this time, and now you should take care that such a thing does not happen again that would put you in the way of harm or endanger the life of your husband.

All is LostNasruddin, ferrying a scholar, across a piece of rough water, said something ungrammatical to him. “Have you never studied grammar?” asked the scholar.“No.”“Then half your life is wasted.”

A few minutes later, Nasruddin turned to the passenger.“Have you ever learned how to swim?”“No. Why?”“Then all your life is wasted-we are sinking!”

ISLAMIC VOICE, November 2012 31CHILDREN'S CORNER

Longest Canal in the WorldChina’s Emperor Canal is the longest canal in the world. It is 1,800 kilometres long and provides connection between several rivers. It is also called Grand Canal.

Most of China’s rivers flow from west to east. The Emperor Canal provides connection from north to south on these rivers. The Emperor Canal was being built in sections

by various emperors from 5th century BC onwards. It reached Peking by the end of 13th century.

The Emperor Canal has played a vital role in transporting goods between northern and southern areas of China and politically uniting the country. It has also helped Chinese to shift water from

one river to another and balance out flood and drought in various regions of the country.

Count Your Blessings

By Abdullah Salman Riyaz

There was a kid who did not have shoes. The kid was so sad about this. When this kid was taking a walk, he saw another person without a leg. He said: “Many thanks to God that I do not have shoes but I have legs. A shoe can be bought but a leg cannot be found.”If we appreciate what we have, we thank God for it.

Mars or the Red Planet is also called ‘Little Brother’ of the Earth. It is because it is most similar to the earth among the planets of the solar system. Its rotation speed is almost on par with the earth, i.e., one day on Mars is almost equal to the one day on the Earth. However, its solar year is equal to 687 days. Mars experiences seasons too. However, the largest mountain in the solar system is on Mars. It is 26 kms high. It has been named Olympus Mons. Mars surface is red, powdery dust and its rocks are like the rocks on the Earth. Mars may be the second planet on which a man from the earth might step. The preparations are currently on.

Meanwhile, recently, the car-sized Curiosity Rover sent by the NASA is doing exploration on the Mars. It was launched on November 26, 2011 and landed on the Mars’s Aeolis Palus in Gale Carter on Mars on August 6, 2012 after travelling 35 crore miles in the space. It is constantly sending photographs of Martian surface, mountains, valleys and dried stream beds.

Earth’s ‘Little Brother’ MarsSilk Route

The Silk Route was not a single highway that connected China and Rome. It was a maze of routes for caravans to tread between these two destinations. The main route ran from East Asia through the Central Asian steppes till the Mediterranean Sea. Secondary routes ran via

Indian Ocean. There used to be several middlemen on the way who would exchange the goods like silk, porcelain, wool, glass and spices. The merchandise was mainly carried over two-humped camels which could better withstand heat as well as cold weather.

Is there life on any planet other than the Earth?So far there is no definite indication of conventional life on any planet in the solar system other than the Earth. Conventional life means, the living beings that inhale oxygen, use water and live off food grown out of the earth. The environments of these planets are either too hot, too cold or too stormy. Life as exists on earth cannot be sustained there. But only place where environment is said to be suitable is Europa, which is a moon of Jupiter. They say that an ocean of liquid water could be present on this celestial body under a 10-km thick layer of ice. They also say that civilizations like ours could be present—if at all—only outside of our solar system. Europa was discovered in January 1610 by Galileo Galilei.The next mission to Europa is the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE), due to launch in 2022.

What is a Nation?Most people misunderstand a Nation and mistake it for land. A nation is more about people who share the same l a n g u a g e , culture, and more importantly history. Most of such people live in the same country but could also be spread over several countries. For example, French live mostly in France. So France is a national as well as a country. But a considerable number of French also live in Switzerland. Similarly, Turks

are a nation and mainly live in Turkey. But people of Switzerland are not a nation

as the country has G e r m a n s , French and I t a l i a n s .

There is no language called Swiss. Some countries such as Israel and the United States comprise people from different nationalities. Similarly,

Kurds are a nation but are spread over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.The spirit that connects a group of people with the land or country in which they live is called nationalism.

November 2012