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In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful 32 Pages Rs. 20 Bengaluru English Monthly April 2015 Vol. 28-04 No. 340 Jamadis-Sani / Rajab 1436 H Page 13 Page 22 Survivors of Hashimpura Massacre “It’s Travesty of Justice” By Abdul Bari Masoud New Delhi: Expressing shock over the acquittal of 16 Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel in the 28-year old Hashimpura/ Maliana massacre case in which 42 innocent Muslims were cold- bloodedly killed by the PAC men, the victims described the judgment as travesty of justice and said they had lost hope in the system. One of the survivors of the May, 1987 massacre, which was described by the Amnesty International as genocide, Babuddin said, “We have lost confidence in the system as we had been running from pillar to post to get justice, now all our struggle went in vain”. Talking to Islamic Voice here after Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Jindal in the Tees Hazaari court pronounced the judgment on March 21, Babuddin, who is a weaver by profession, has even alleged that ‘the verdict came at the behest of the government Acquittal of 16 accused of the 1987 massacre of Muslim youth by a Delhi court, shocks survivors. at the Centre’. Babuddin, who was shot thrice in the chest and leg, but survived as the PAC men left him considering dead, recalling the gory incident said the bloodthirsty PAC personnel had first put all the 47 youths in a row and then let loose the hell- fire from all directions on them as there was huge commotion and distress. “When we were pleading for mercy, the gun-toting PAC disdainly asked to give a distress call to Allah, if He does exist, he will come for Your rescue (Allah ko yaad karo, agar hoga to bachaney ayega).” Another survivor Mujibur Rehman, who is now 48, narrated the hellish experience with tears in his eyes. He rued that they (victims) did not wait this long torturous years for this day as all the culprits were absolved of their crimes against humanity. As survivors, we were the eyewitnesses of the massacre and identified the guilty personnel but the court overlooked our evidence, he said. Echoing the same sentiments, Islamuddin, whose brother Nizamuddin was killed in the massacre, said their plight itself is posing a question to the conscience of the country if they would ever get justice. “We have been struggling for 28 years to get justice but our hopes have once again been dashed”, he said. Family members of other victims, including 77- year old Jamaluddin Ansari (whose 22- year old son Qamaruddin was killed) and the mother of victim Nasim Bano were shocked after hearing the judgment. They told Islamic Voice that they have lost count of the trips they have made to Delhi’s Tees Hazari Court. It may be recalled that around 19 Muslim, Buddhist Leaders Denounce Religious Strife The Yogyakarta Statement pledges to counter extremist religious interpretations across the world, with authentic primary narratives of peace, from Islam and Buddhism. Yogyakarta (Java/ Indonesia): Muslim and Buddhist leaders from South and Southeast Asia have issued the Yogyakarta Statement, which condemns the use of Islam and Buddhism in the politics of discrimination and violence. In the statement, religious leaders from 15 countries called on Muslim and Buddhist communities to maintain peace, because Buddhism and Islam are two of the world’s largest religions. “We reject such abuse and pledge to counter extremist religious interpretations and action with our authentic primary narratives of peace,” declared Sri Lanka Council of Religion for Peace president Bellanwila Wimalaratana Anunayake Thera, representing the Buddhist community in Sri Lanka, at Borobudur temple, Magelang, Central Java, last fortnight. Bellanwila pointed out that Islam and Buddha had similar teachings, such as peace, love, compassion and a commitment to justice for all mankind. Both religions also respect the sanctity of life and human dignity as a basis to ensure basic human rights without discriminating between race, color, language or religion. The Yogyakarta Statement, addressed to all the people of the world, is the result of a high-level summit of Buddhist and Muslim leaders

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Page 1: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 1In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

32 Pages Rs. 20 Bengaluru English MonthlyApril 2015 Vol. 28-04 No. 340 Jamadis-Sani / Rajab 1436 H

Page 13 Page 22

Survivors of Hashimpura Massacre“It’s Travesty of Justice”

By Abdul Bari Masoud New Delhi: Expressing shock over the acquittal of 16 Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel in the 28-year old Hashimpura/ Maliana massacre case in which 42 innocent Muslims were cold-bloodedly killed by the PAC men, the victims described the judgment as travesty of justice and said they had lost hope in the system.One of the survivors of the May, 1987 massacre, which was described by the Amnesty International as genocide, Babuddin said, “We have lost confidence in the system as we had been running from pillar to post to get justice, now all our struggle went in vain”.Talking to Islamic Voice here after Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Jindal in the Tees Hazaari court pronounced the judgment on March 21, Babuddin, who is a weaver by profession, has even alleged that ‘the verdict came at the behest of the government

Acquittal of 16 accused of the 1987 massacre of Muslim youth by a Delhi court, shocks survivors.

at the Centre’. Babuddin, who was shot thrice in the chest and leg, but survived as the PAC men left him considering dead, recalling the gory incident said the bloodthirsty PAC personnel had first put all the 47 youths in a row and then let loose the hell-

fire from all directions on them as there was huge commotion and distress. “When we were pleading for mercy, the gun-toting PAC disdainly asked to give a distress call to Allah, if He does exist, he will come for Your rescue (Allah ko yaad karo, agar hoga to bachaney ayega).”Another survivor Mujibur Rehman, who is now 48, narrated the hellish experience with tears in his eyes. He rued that they

(victims) did not wait this long torturous years for this day as all the culprits were absolved of their crimes against humanity. As survivors, we were the eyewitnesses of the massacre and identified the guilty personnel but the court overlooked our

evidence, he said.Echoing the same sentiments, Islamuddin, whose brother Nizamuddin was killed in the massacre, said their plight itself is posing a question to the conscience of the country if they would ever get justice. “We have been struggling for 28 years to get justice but our hopes

have once again been dashed”, he said. Family members of other victims, including 77- year old Jamaluddin Ansari (whose 22- year old son Qamaruddin was killed) and the mother of victim Nasim Bano were shocked after hearing the judgment. They told Islamic Voice that they have lost count of the trips they have made to Delhi’s Tees Hazari Court.It may be recalled that around 19

Muslim, Buddhist Leaders Denounce Religious Strife

The Yogyakarta Statement pledges to counter extremist religious interpretations across the world, with authentic primary narratives of

peace, from Islam and Buddhism.Yogyakarta (Java/ Indonesia): Muslim and Buddhist leaders from South and Southeast Asia have issued the Yogyakarta Statement, which condemns the use of Islam and Buddhism in the politics of discrimination

and violence. In the statement, religious leaders from 15 countries called on Muslim and Buddhist communities to maintain peace, because Buddhism and Islam are two of the world’s largest religions.“We reject such abuse and pledge to counter extremist religious interpretations and action with our authentic primary narratives of peace,” declared Sri Lanka Council of Religion for Peace president Bellanwila

Wimalaratana Anunayake Thera, representing the Buddhist community in Sri Lanka, at Borobudur temple, Magelang, Central Java, last fortnight.Bellanwila pointed out that Islam and Buddha had similar teachings,

such as peace, love, compassion and a commitment to justice for all mankind.Both religions also respect the sanctity of life and human dignity as a basis to ensure basic human rights without discriminating between race, color, language or religion. The Yogyakarta Statement, addressed to all the people of the world, is the result of a high-level summit of Buddhist and Muslim leaders

Page 2: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 2

Page 9

Tributes Paid to Saiyid Hamid

Senior Secondary School of AMU named after him.

By Abdul Rashid Agwan

New Delhi: Rich tributes were paid to late Mr. Saiyid Hamid, who passed away on December 29, for his spirited leadership and visionary steps at a seminar organised at the auditorium of Hamdard Public School, Taalimabad, New Delhi on March 15 under the aegis of UP Rabita Committee and the Hamdard Study Circle.Mr. Siraj Hussain, presently secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, and former VC of Jamia Hamdard

recalled the cooperation he received from Mr. Hamid, then Chancellor, during his tenure.In his presidential remarks, Mr Naseem Ahmad, Chairman, National Commission

on Minorities, remembered the days of his association with Saiyid Hamid and found him a resolute

person in implementing things he believed with conviction.Dr. Masood Ahmad, editor, Salam-e-Watan, narrated an incident of Saiyid Hamid's life. He recalled

update

Page 3: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 3community initiative

24th Branch of Janseva Coop Society Opened

A financial institution like Janseva can serve the low-income groups in India in enhancing their

financial capability.By A Staff Writer

Gaya: Janseva Co-operative Credit Society limited opened its 24th Branch on March 15 at Gaya

(Bihar). The five-year old Society will provide interest free finance

and banking services to the people who do not have access to the banks due to the smallness of their needs. A seminar on “Interest-Free Finance and Banking in India” was

organized on the occasion to shift the discourse among the community from the theoretical discussion to practical steps of Islamic finance.Inaugurating the seminar, Prof. Ishteyaque, Vice Chancellor, Magadh University,

said the centralized system Page 8

Page 4: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 4

Kerala and other states. According to Mr. Siraj Ibrahim, vice president of the IUML, the 3500 sq. feet plot of land for the Centre was bought at a price of Rs. 3.5 crore. He told presspersons that the KMCC is active in 19 countries. He said the Centre would provide accommodation even for those patients receiving treatment in Kidwai Institute of Oncology, and St. John’s Medical College Hospital also. People from all communities would be accommodated in the Centre. The Centre is named after late Shihab Thangal, who was president of the IUML for several years and is a widely respected figure in Kerala. n

By A Staff Writer

Bengaluru: The foundation stone for Shihab Thangal Centre for Humanity was laid here by Mr. Hyder Ali Shihab Thangal, President of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on March 7. The Centre is being set up by Kerala Muslim Culture Centre (KMCC), a subsidiary of the Indian Union Muslim League at an estimated cost of Rs. 8 crore near the NIMHANS, the premier centre for treatment of mental ailments in Bengaluru on Hosur Road. On completion the Centre would provide accommodation to patients and their attendants who come to the NIMHANS from outside Bengaluru in Karnataka,

Foundation Laid for Centre for Patients

Bengaluru: Salaam Centre here has hoisted a website dedicated to Dr. Sheik Ali, former vice chancellor of Mangalore and Goa Universities. The website was launched by Minister for Information and Urban infrastructure, R. Roshan Baig on February 27. Nearly 72 books by Dr. Ali, noted historian and litterateur have been put on the website. It can be accessed at www.bsheikali.inSheik Ali, who is now 94, obtained Ph.Ds from Aligarh Muslim University and later from the University of London. He was professor of history at Mysore University and was later appointed the founding vice chancellor of Mangalore University. Later he

was vice chancellor of Goa University. He has done extensive work on life and mission of Allama Shibli, Maulana

Azad, Tipu Sultan, Allama Iqbal. Besides, he has set up a string of educational institutions leading

to degree college in Mysore. He still actively participates in community activity.Salaam Centre chairman Syed Hamid Mohsin said he had cherished the desire to digitize the writings of Sheik Ali since long so that people around the world could benefit from them. n

Website on Dr. Sheik Ali

In Search of LightHazarat Deewan Zafar (R) Girls’ High School at Panskura, East Midnapur in West Bengal is an effort to impart modern education to the local Muslim girls. A two-hour

drive (about 100 kilometers) from Kolkata takes you there.

By Aditya Raj

Clad in red and white, they are heading for lunch. However, they are not entitled to get a single grain of corn in the name of the much-hyped mid-day-meal. Asked about the cause of discrimination, a seemingly frustrated, Dr. Syed Rashed Ali, professor of Islamic History, Calcutta University, tells me, “Since our school isn’t affiliated; students won’t get anything from Govt. of West Bengal”. About 80% of these 400 students (150 residential) come off financially poor families. Two square meals a day is not assured there. In most cases, the sole earning member of the family is either a marginal farmer or an agricultural labor or an imam of a mosque of a far-flung village. Hadn’t they joined the school, they would’ve migrated to urban sectors to join the domestic help force, or been the victims of child marriage.

“In 1995,” recalls Dr. Ali, “Md. Israel, a member of the then CPI(M) district secretariat of undivided Midnapur proposed to set up a madrassa for the local Muslim girls”. The intention of vote bank politics was readable.

Dr. Ali was invited to cheer a newly formed committee of 13 members in this regard. Muslim girls’ post childhood attempt to attend the co-ed school doesn’t make a happy reading to orthodox Muslims. This outlook puts the adolescent Muslim girls behind curtain. As a school going kid, Dr. Ali read it and felt the need of a separate girls’ school at Panskura. “I grabbed the opportunity. A

separate school was long overdue for the local Muslim girls”, observed Dr. Ali. Asked what let him take a u-turn from madrassa; he confirmed, “If you are to march forward; you are to take a call on modern education”. The tug of

war in between tradition and modern continued for a fortnight. Finally, the latter saw green. In absence of a separate building, Pratappur unit 2 primary school building housed the newly formed secondary school for girls in 1997. As settled, the classes of the secondary school

would be taken in the morning. The classes of the primary school were to follow later in the day. A couple of years later, a separate building became a must for the secondary school. A land of about 3 acres came from Syeds’ ancestral property for the purpose. To keep the secular credential of the school intact; a clause was drafted: no religious activities would be permissible ever within the school premises. n

Page 5: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 5

Page 6: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 6An Industrial City for Women

in Jeddahbe operated and managed by trained female cadre. The first phase, which involved building of roads, sewage, rainwater disposal and power networks, is already complete. The project is located only 25 km from

King Abdul Aziz International Airport. The project aims to create job opportunities for women in all economic fields. n

Bangladesh Wins Award for Women Empowerment

Dhaka: Bangladesh has won the Women in Parliaments Global Forum award, known as WIP

award, as a pioneering country in reducing gender discrimination. The WIP awards are presented to those countries, which are recognised for their political empowerment of women, and to countries that show regional leadership in closing the gender gap in politics. The awards are

based on the rankings of the World Economic Forum's “Global Gender Gap Report”, which are

compiled in co l labora t ion with the Harvard University and University of C a l i f o r n i a , Berkeley.State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam will receive the prestigious

award on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the annual summit 2015 of WIP to be held in Ethiopia, “New Leadership for Global Challenges” is the theme of the WIP summit 2015, co-hosted by the African Union and co-financed by the European Commission. n

Jeddah: The Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) has announced plans to establish an all-women industrial city in Usfan near Jeddah. The city will

Islamophobia Helps

Strengthen ISISStrasbourg: Jordan’s King Abdullah stated that Islamophobia helps strengthen the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Addressing

the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, the king said that extremists exploit conflicts to build their legitimacy and that his country will defend its people and faith against the extremist group. The leader also said that unity is crucial in the fight against terrorism and that ISIS is not only a threat to Iraq and Syria, but also to the Middle East and the entire world.King Abdullah, who expressed sorrow for the Christian minorities that were targeted by ISIS, said that the targeting of minorities in the region is a crime against humanity. Recently, the group beheaded 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya and kidnapped over 90 Christians in Syria. n

Syed Soharwardy Issues Fatwa against ISIS

Canada: Imam Syed Soharwardy of Calgary has issued a religious edict, or fatwa, against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its recruitment efforts in Canada.

Soharwardy is head of the Calgary-based Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, a group he founded in 2000. He is also the founder of Muslims Against Terrorism

and has worked to prevent the radicalization of youth in Canada. He says that what ISIS teaches its followers, violates the Qur'an. "It is based on their own political

ideology and it is based on greed or temptation to control the area," he said.Soharwardy's fatwa was supported by 38 imams. However, he said threats of retaliation are making some Muslim leaders reluctant to speak out against ISIS. "In my opinion I am doing the right thing standing up against this evil which is not

only disturbing the peace of the world, but is also responsible for killing thousands of Muslims and non-Muslims around the world," he said. n

Page 7: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 7Imams and Rabbis to Bike Together

Berlin: Imams and rabbis are set to share tandem bicycles in a mass demonstration appealing for tolerance in Germany's melting-pot capital Berlin. The unusual display of solidarity will be accompanied by 1,000 Berlin residents riding their own bicycles on a mass ride to city mosques and synagogues. The city is sending a platoon of helmeted police on motorcycles to join in. The Cycling Unites

rally will begin at the iconic Brandenburg Gate. Berlin, home to 3.4 million people, has a large Arab and Turkish minority. Ferid Heider, who preaches in several Berlin mosques and plans to ride one of the two-seaters with a Jewish counterpart, said he wanted to do something to counter the "tangible" decline in the relationship between Muslims and Jews in Germany. "There have been these repeated

incidents where Jews have been verbally abused or hit because they were wearing the kippa," he said, referring to the skullcap worn by religious Jews. Heinrich Stroessenreuther, the organizer of the cycle rally, said: "The whole population should be able to live in this city free of fear and discrimination. That's not limited to Jews and Muslims either. So we are going for a ride to say so." n

UK Muslim Women Stand Against Radicalization

Cardiff (UK): A British Muslim women’s group held a conference in Cardiff as part of their nationwide campaign called, “Making a

Stand” against extremism and radicalization. "Women are the backbone of our communities and the first line of defense against radicalizers," Sara Khan, director of Inspire, a counter-extremism and human rights group, told BBC. Making a Stand conference is part

of a series of events around the UK to champion the importance of Muslim women's voices in society. A first defense line was by advising Muslim women on how to "challenge extremist ideologies, both here and abroad", Inspire co-director Kalsoom Bashir said. "We know that our children are connected to this virtual reality on the internet. "They are more connected to their virtual friends than to their family. It's about saying to our mothers they really do need to reconnect with our children. That can be literally around the dinner table," she added. In Cambridge, the Muslim community has launched a new campaign targeting the strong bond between mothers and daughters to prevent girls from trying to join the militant groups. n

Page 8: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 8science in urdu

National Urdu Science Congress

Dr. M. Aslam Parvaiz, Principal, Zakir Husain Delhi

College

The first Urdu Science Congress was hosted in Delhi to encourage scientists and researchers to work towards understanding scientific literature in Urdu.

By Sameen Ahmed Khan New Delhi: The first National Urdu Science Congress, was organised by the Anjuman Farogh-e-Science (Organisation for Science Promotion, Delhi), at Zakir Husain Delhi College, on 20-21 March 2015. The inaugural session was presided by Dr. Khwaja Mohd Ekramuddin, Director of the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL). This very first event had over a 100 delegates from across the nation with over 25 presentations. The conference brought together scientists,

scholars of Arabic, Urdu and Persian languages; educators, writers, poets, historians, heads of institutions and science reporters. The first Urdu Science Congress aimed to foster communication between scientists and researchers, interested in presenting their works in Urdu language. The Conference covered topics like: The Problem of Teaching Science in Urdu Medium Schools: General Understanding of Scientific Literature in Urdu: Environment and Scientific Literature: Scientific Experiments in Urdu: Teaching and Learning of Science

in Madrasas: Modern Medical Knowledge and Scientific Literature: Islam and Science.A brief documentary titled, ‘Muslim Heritage in our World’ was also screened. At the end of the two day Congress, there were several recommendations. The first and foremost recommendation was to recognize and give credit to the place of Urdu in the Indian society. It is to be recalled that Urdu is the official language of five Indian states (Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,

Telangana, Jammu and Kashmir). It was recommended that basic education of children should be done in their mother tongue, and Urdu Medium Schools, should have Hindi and English languages which will enable the students to pursue higher studies.Anjuman Farogh-e-Science (Organisation for Science Promotion, Delhi), is a registered non-governmental organization (NGO), established in 1992 through the efforts of Dr. M. Aslam Parvaiz, Principal, Zakir Husain Delhi College. It works towards the promotion of scientific

attitude and popular science and environment among Urdu s p e a k i n g

masses. Since, 1994, it has been regularly publishing a popular science monthly magazine, Urdu Science Mahnamah (Urdu Science Monthly), edited by

Dr.Parvaiz. It has also held science popularization conferences in Urdu and confers awards, recognizing school students with highest scores in science subjects. Zakir Husain Delhi College, formerly Zakir Husain College, Anglo Arabic College and Delhi College, founded in 1692, is

the oldest existing educational institution in Delhi, and is a constituent college of the University of Delhi, offering undergraduate and post graduate courses in Arts, Commerce and Sciences. It has had a considerable influence on modern education as well as Urdu and Islamic learning in India, and today remains the only Delhi University College offering BA (Hons) courses in Arabic and Persian. The first National Urdu Science Congress is the brainchild of Dr M. Aslam Parvaiz and is a major step and a milestone for the Urdu Community and far beyond. (Dr Parvaiz can be reached at [email protected])

Janseva Coop Society...of Zakat collection could reduce unemployment from the community. He said, the financial institution like Janseva can serve the low-income groups in India in enhancing their financial capability. He praised the services of Janseva as a co-operative society in India.Mr. M. S. Khan, Board Member, Sahulat Microfinance Society, narrated the history of the Islamic and non-interest finance movement in India and abroad. He said the interest-based system tends to accumulate wealth in a few hands.Mr. Sarfrazuddin, Interest-free microfinance expert and the former Managing Director of Al-Khair Co-operative Credit Society made the audience aware of the

manner in which the depositors’ money is used in the conventional banking.Mr. Danish Reyaz, Director, Maeeshat Media, observed that Muslims who provided the backbone of the Indian economy were now reduced to mere labourers and were content with just daily wages.Dr Rahmatullah Abdul Ahad, Chairman and Managing Director, Janseva Co-operative Credit Society., presiding over the meeting, said the people’s trust had enabled the Janseva to make an annual turnover of Rs. 10 crore. He said the Society now had a capital of Rs. 15 crore. He said, the 17,000 members of Janseva across India together earned a profit of Rs. 75 lakh this year and the institution

became a sustainable financial institution based on the principles of interest-free financial system. “Janseva will provide an avenue to bring together the local varied populace including businessmen, daily wagers, students, and the salaried class to delve into the different facets of its products and to come up with the efficient services”, said the Chief Promoter and Founder Chairman.Dr Hamid Hussain has been appointed as the president of Area Managing Board (AMB) and Tameemuddin Humble as the Manager/Ex Officio secretary of Gaya Branch.Dr Farasat Hussain, Past President, Indian Association of Sports Medicine; Mr. Badiul Akhtar, facilitator of Janseva Gaya Branch also spoke at the occasion. n

Page 3

Anjuman Farogh-e-Science (Organisation for Science Promotion, Delhi), is a registered non-governmental

organization (NGO), established in 1992 through the efforts of Dr. M. Aslam Parvaiz, Principal, Zakir

Husain Delhi College. It works towards the promotion of scientific attitude and popular science among Urdu

speaking masses.

Page 9: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 9community round-up

A. A. Hussain & Company Hyderabad’ s Landmark Bookstore Calls it a Day

Hyderabad’s most favourite haunt for book-lovers, A. A. Hussain & Co. will be bringing down shutters finally over a bookshop by the end of March. The store served the city’s intellectual class for 65 years. Started in 1949 by Abid Asghar Hussain, a surgeon, the

shop on Abids has announced a clearance sale. The nearly 2,000 square feet of space was part of a building owned by Arastu Trust, a wakf institution which now wants to construct a shopping mall.The shop is the latest victim of online business that has made deep inroads into clientele for books, toys, electronics and other branded items.Proprieter Asif Hussain Arastu, grandson of founder, Abid Asghar Hussain told Islamic Voice over

phone, the new technology has proved to be the death knell for the shop as most publishers and customers are going online and sales have plummeted drastically in recent years. Asif said his shop used to have nearly 500 new titles always on display on its shelves.

Abid Ashghar Hussain set up the shop as a store of imported products. He was given the title of Arastu Yar Jung by the sixth Nizam Mahbub Ali Khan. His son Riazath Hussain was a philatelist and turned the shop into one for children’s book in the Abids area which has several high-end schools in the vicinity. But it soon began to expand to books of other genres. It was the first store to have Archie’s comics in Hyderabad.The shop looked crammed

with books with customers and browsers needing help of the assistants to access the racks. But it had all the books, classics and the latest bestsellers, comics and novels, coffee tables and pulp fiction, travelogues and travel guides. Asif says, “Serious reading has come down and the electronic gadgets have contributed

immensely to decline of concentration among the youth. There is no point in maintaining a shop that has no sales.”The bibliophiles of the city fondly remember the proprietors who knew the titles, authors and publishers like the back of their hand and helped the books seekers reach their favourite titles within a jiffy. n

Tributes to Saiyid Hamid ...that Saiyid Hamid was invited to chair a public function in Kannauj. He insisted that he would join any such program only when local people succeeded in establishing a school there. Consequently, his local fans worked for almost eight months and finally invited him to inaugurate the school called Humairah Girls School, which he pleasantly did.Brig. Israr Raheem of UP Rabita Committee recalled his company of Saiyid Hamid during Caravan e Insaaf in 2007 in North India. He said, he (Saiyid Hamid) ignored the personal discomforts and wholeheartedly led the caravan.Dr. Jamil informed that the Senior Secondary School of the Aligarh Muslim University has been rechristened as Saiyid Hamid

Senior Secondary Boys School recently.Prof. Shakeel Samdani narrated the personal involvement of Saiyid Hamid who, he recalled, wrote all the editorials of Tahzibul Ikhlaq which was revived during his era of vice chancellorship. Abdul Rashid Agwan underlined the remarkable contribution of Saiyid Hamid in the form of Sachar Committee Report which speaks of his ideas and concerns regarding the development of Indian Muslims.Other speakers included Mahtab Alam, Amanullah Khan, Dr. S. Farooq, Dr. Ubaid Iqbal Asiam from Deoband, Dr. Shakeel Ahmad from Maunath Bhanjan, Adil Siddiqui from Lucknow and Islam Mansuri from Kannauj. n

Page 2

Asif Hussain Arastu

Proprieter Asif Hussain Arastu, grandson of founder, Abid Asghar Hussain told Islamic Voice

over phone, the new technology has proved to be the death knell for the shop as most publishers and customers are going online and sales have

plummeted drastically in recent years.

Page 10: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 10campus round up

Noorul Islam UniversityTo Launch Satellite in May 2015

It will enable students of Disaster Management Institute to go for space imaging.

Kumaracoil (Tamil Nadu): The Noorul Islam University here proposes to launch its satellite in May 2015 in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for its

National Institute of Disaster Management which offers a B.Tech course. Chancellor and Founder of the University informed Islamic Voice that the work was in full swing to launch the satellite which will enable the students get hands-on experience

through satellite imaging. The estimated cost is Rs. 10 crore but can escalate. The Noorul Islam University Centre for Disaster Management (NIUCDM) was established in February 2012 with

a view to help the victims of global disasters and devise ways and means of managing its after effects by putting forth valuable findings

and suggestion to research.n

B.S. Abdur Rahman University, Chennai

Seminar on Library Science

Chennai: The B. S. Abdur Rahman University will organise a national conference on advance

ment in Information Sciences and Technology on July 10 and 11, 2015 acronymed as Salis-2015. Those interested in participation can contact: Librarian, Dr. Panneerselvam on 044-22759207, or 99406-14272. n

Mazharul Uloom College, AmburM. Phil in English to be Introduced

Ambur: The Mazharul Uloom College in this centre of leather industry will be introducing M. Phil in English literature from the forthcoming academic year.

The college has gone for ambitious expansion of infrastructure in the last academic year and is putting up nine classrooms at a cost of

Rs. 77 lakh. Principal Adil Ahmad informed Islamic Voice that the college is constructing a new building for

Maulana Azad Library at a cost of Rs. 58 lakh, of which Rs. 8 lakh have been received from the University Grants Commission (UGC). It has also received Rs. 50 lakh from the UGC to buy equipment for Computer and English language laboratory, generator, and solar lights all over the 25-acre campus. The college affiliated to Thiruvalluvar University offers programs in M.Sc Mathematics, M. Com,

M.Sc in Information Technology, MA in English literature, M.Phil in Commerce and M. Phil in Computer Science. n

Al-Ameen Medical CollegeParamedical

Diplomas Proposed

Vijayapura (previously Bijapur): The Al-Ameen Medical College here proposes to start several paramedical Diploma courses for which the permission from the

Board of Paramedical Courses has been procured. Principal Dr. B. R. Patil informed the Islamic Voice that the college is yet to hear from the Government of Karnataka which sanctions the courses. n

Hasanath College for Women PG Diploma course in Business Admin. Bengaluru: The Hasanath College for Women on Dickenson Road will commence a post graduate Diploma course

in Business Administration from the new academic session. It will have an intake of 40 girls and will be offered for a fee of

Rs. 5,000. Principal Mr. Suhail Iqbal informed Islamic Voice that the necessary permission for the same has been granted by the Bangalore University. He said the Hasanath College at Hennur Bande, which is co-ed, began offering M.Com course last year. It has recently added nearly 10,000 sq. Ft. Of space to the existing infrastructure with seven classrooms and a big hall to serve as an auditorium. It will have an intake of 30 boys and girls from this year. Contact: Hasanath College for Women, 43 Dickenson Road, Bengaluru-560042, Ph: 080-25514752, 25362423, 25300504, website: www.hasanathcolleges.com, email: [email protected] n

New College, Chennai

New PG Block Chennai: The New College here has constructed the new PG block with four classrooms and a computer laboratory on

the second floor. The college run by the MEASI, offer Plus Two, Degree and PG courses in several subjects. Website: www.thenewcollege. in n

KBN Institute of Medical Sciences

PG Courses in Several DisciplinesKalburgi (previously Gulbarga): The Khaja Banda Nawaz Institute of Medical Sciences (KBNIMS) will be introducing a host of post-graduation courses from the new academic year i.e., 2015-16.

According to Dr. Nazir Ahmed, Principal, the College will start MS courses in Orthopaedics, General Surgery, Ophthalmology, and MD in

Anaesthesia, Dermatology, Microbiology, Community Medicine, Pharmacology, Pathology, Biochemistry. The Medical Council of India has approved the courses. While MD Pharmacology, Pathology

and Dermatology will have one seat each, the MS in Orthopaedics, MS General Surgery,MD Anaesthesia, MD Microbiology, MD Anatomy, MD Community Medicine, MD Physiology each would have two seats. MD General Medicine would however have three seats. Dr. Ahmed said the College has set up the necessary infrastructure. Candidates will be taken on the basis of those qualifying the entrance test held by the Karnataka Religious and Linguistic Minorities Professional Colleges Association. Wesbsite: www.kbnims.com n

HKBK Engg. College, BengaluruNBA Accreditation

AwaitedBengaluru: The HKBK Engineering College here is likely to introduce MBA course from the new academic year. The College is awaiting accreditation from the

National Board of Accreditation too. The College set up a new hostel with a capacity to take 150 inmates in the recent months. n

MANUUInfo. Institute named After APJ Kalam

Hyderabad: The Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad has named its new School of Computer Science & Information Technology as 'APJ Abdul Kalam School of CS & IT'. The facility, named after the former President of India and

missile technologist, APJ Abdul Kalam, has been inaugurated

recently.According to a notification released by the Registrar on March 4, the Executive Council of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) has also decided to name its Central Library as 'Saiyid Hamid Library'. Saiyid Hamid, who passed away on December 29, was a noted educationist and was closely associated with the university from its formative days.The university had earlier named the Centre for the Study of Social

Exclusion and Inclusive Policy (CSSEIP) after well-known scientist Abu Rehan Mohammad ibn Ahmed Al-Beruni, whose treatise on India ‘Tareekhul Hind’ is considered as one of the

most authentic documents for reference. n

MEASI Academy of ArchitectureB. Arch intake

to go up

Chennai: The MEASI Academy of Architecture here has been allowed to enhance the intake of students from 120 to 160 from the forthcoming year in the 5-year B. Arch course. The college has the distinction of conducting a two year postgraduate course in real estate. n

It’s that time of the year when colleges are gearing up to bring in new courses or are upgrading their infrastructural facilities for the benefit of students. Compiled by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj, the Campus Round Up gives an idea of the various new

academic developments in some Muslim-run colleges in the South.

Page 11: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 11campus round up

KBN Group to Start PU CollegeKalburgi: The Khaja Banda Nawaz group of institutions will start a Pre University College for boys from 2015-16 academic ses-sion. The group which runs nearly 20 schools and colleges did not have PU college for boys so far. It will run classes in all three disci-plines of Arts, Science and Com-merce. Necessary infrastructure has been readied. n

Islamiah College, Vaniyambadi

Ph.D Biochem on the anvil

The Islamiah College, Vaniyambadi will commence the Ph.D in Biochemistry from the forthcoming academic session. It started Ph.D in Biotechnology last year. The Islamiah College campus located in New Town has recently put up a new

administrative block. Principal Dr. Prem Nazeer informed Islamic Voice that an indoor stadium has been constructed at a cost of Rs. 16 million and a swimming pool

is under construction at a cost of Rs. 60 lakh. n

C. A. Hakeem College of Engg.

B. Arch Course Proposed

Melvisharam: The C. Abdul Hakeem College of Engineering

and Technology proposes to commence the five-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) course from the new academic year, informed Correspondent Mr. Latheef over phone. The Computer Tower was

commissioned within the college premises recently with 500 computers. The engineering graduates from the college are finding placements in nearly two dozen IT companies,

construction firms and leather industries in Chennai and North Arcot district of Tamil Nadu. The college has over 2,750 boys and girl pursuing engineering, MBA, MCA courses. n

Anjuman Hami-e- Muslimeen,BhatkalNew Building

for Boys SchoolBhatkal: The Anjuman Hami e Muslimeen, which runs several institutions in this coastal town of Karnataka, proposes to put up a new building for Anjuman Boys School in Anjumanabad campus.

Currently the school is run on a temporary premises. The new building will be constructed at a cost of Rs. 2 crore. The Anjuman would also start a 3-year pre-schooling centre, informs Mr. Siddiq Ismail, Additional General Secretary of the organization. Ph: 08385-226214 n

HMS Institutions, Tumakuru

PU College Proposed

Tumakuru: The Hazrath Madar Shah Group of Institutions proposes to start a Pre University college with 2-year courses in all three streams of Arts, Commerce and Science, informs Mr. Muneer Ahmed, public relations officer of the group. n

KBN Engineering College

Modernisation of Laboratory

Kalburgi: The Khaja Banda Nawaz College of Engineering with BE courses in eight disciplines and post graduate courses in Computer Science and Structural Engineering is in the process of modernizing its lab. According to Principal Dr. Azam, the college is trying to acquire a frame of a plane from Coimbatore and has put up a wind tunnel. The college has a girls hostel for 560 students. Contact: [email protected],website: www.kbnce.org n

Jamal Mohamed College, Trichy

B.Sc Microbiology Proposed

Trichy: The Jamal Mohamed College here will start B.Sc Microbiology course under self financing scheme with an intake of 40 students in its girls college from the new academic year, informed Mohammad Salique, Principal. n

Mumtaz Ahmed Khan Degree College, Kolar. PG Correspon-dence Courses

Kolar: The Mumtaz Ahmed Khan Degree College here will start postgraduate correspondence course in MA (all subjects) and M.Com from the new academic year, informs Syeeda Khanum, Principal. n

BET Sadathunnisa Degree College

BCA, Journalism Proposed

Bengaluru: the BET Sadathunnisa Degree College here proposes to start Bachelor in Computer Application (BCA) and BA Journalism course from the new academic course, indicated Mr. Zeeshan Lohani, Principal. n

Nehru College, HubliNew Floor for PG classes

Hubli: The Nehru College run by the Anjuman Islam, Hubli is putting up new classrooms for the postgraduate courses. Currently, the college offers Masters courses

in Economics, English literature and Commerce. Principal Dr. M. F. Ansari said the Masters courses are self-financing ones.

The Anjuman Islam runs schools from primary classes to colleges offering degree and post graduate courses. n

P. A. College of Engg.

Auditorium nearing Completion

Mangaluru: The P.A. College of Engineering is constructing an auditorium with a 2,500 seating capacity which is likely to be completed by the new academic year, informed Dr. Abdul Shariff, Principal. n

SECAB Institute of Engg & Technology Vijayapura (Bijapur)

Research Centres in 3 Engg. Disciplines

Vijayapura: The SECAB Institute of Engineering and

Technology will set up research centres in physics, mathematics and civil engineering in the forthcoming academic session. The College which offers BE in Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics, Civil and Mechanical Engineering and Electronics & Communication Engineering, also offers M.Tech programmes in Computer Networking, Structural Engineering and Machine Designing. Principal Zakir Ali informed Islamic Voice that the new research centre would offer Ph.D programmes. The SECAB Polytechnic offers

diploma programmes in civil, computer science, Electronic & Communications, Electrical & Electronics. The Engineering college

also offer MBA programmes. SECAB Institute of Engineering

and Technology424, Nauraspur, Bagalkot Road, Bijapur-586101, Tel.08352-276930,276847,277980 e-mail:[email protected], Website:www.secab.

org n

Mohamed Sathak A. J. College of Engg

Added Aero-nautical Lab

Chennai: The Mohamed Sathak A. J. College of Engineering here will be adding an aeronautical lab in the new academic year, informed Dr. Siddique, Principal. The college provides engineering programs in eight under-graduate disciplines and six post graduate disciplines namely Master of Computer Application (MCA), ME in Thermal Engineering, ME in Computer Science and Engineering, ME in VLSI Design, ME in Power Systems, ME in Structural Engineering.The Sathak group also runs colleges for physiotherapy, nursing, teachers training, Arts and Science, Architecture and an Arabic College.Contact: Controller (Administration), 34-Rajiv Gandhi Salai (OMR), Inside SIPCOT IT Park, Siruseri, Egattur, Chennai-603103, Kandhicpuram district, Tamil Nadu, Ph: 044-27470021/23/ 24/25/26, email: [email protected] n

BSA Rahman Univ.

Aerospace Lab Coming Up

Chennai: The B. S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Engineering College has put up a new block on 138,000 sq. ft of space to commission its Aerospace Lab and Mechanical Engg. Lab, informed Mr. V. N. A. Jalal, General Manager of the BSA Rahman University. He said the University proposes to start M. Tech programmes in Biotechnology and Computer Science from the next academic university. A Life Science lab is coming up on 55,000 sq. ft, he said.The University is also initiating process to start a Law faculty from the next year.Contact: B. S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Engineering College, Seethakathi Estate, G.S.T. Road, Vandalur, Chennai - 600 048, (Near Anna Zoological Park), Ph. 044-22751347/348/350/375, email: [email protected], website: www.crescentcollege.org. n

Page 12: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 12careers & courses

Away from the Beaten PathChildren need to be counseled for new careers and courses as job market is

undergoing kaleidoscopic changes.

By Maqbool Ahmed Siraj Market for engineering graduates is saturated. But thirst for a course in engineering among the youth does not show any signs of tapering. I had a father calling upon me last month who complained that his son with an engineering graduation degree could land up a job only six years after the completion of the course. And the job he landed was just an ordinary one, not the one a bride-giving father would be looking for in the would-be son-in law. His plight is not unique. Thousands of engineering graduates are without jobs. Nearly 1,600 engineering colleges across the states are producing around 1.5 million of them. 74% of them are stated to be unemployable. Hundreds of these BE graduates could be seen in queues for recruitment of constables all across the states. Virtually thousands of them are working in call centres. Unless they shift to a proper engineering job, they are likely to lose touch with the professional ability to continue as an engineer. Many engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh have shut shop. Glut in EngineeringThe glut of graduates in engineering field is a worrisome aspect of job scene in the country. Last month I was conversing with a placement officer in a university in Chennai imparting courses in Maritime Sciences. To my wonderment, the officer informed me that nearly 140 institutes in the coastal states were conducting courses in Maritime Sciences and degree-holders who have spent a fortune on acquiring a degree in nautical sciences or maritime engineering, are without jobs.Students with certificates in carpentry, electrician, fitters, die-making, tool-designing, gem-cutting, welding have better prospects in the job market than engineers. They can easily grab a job that could earn them Rs. 10,000 a month, but not an engineer with a final aggregate of less than 70% marks. Frustration is therefore building up among the youth. Yet, enter any school and ask the students as to what they would like to study, more than half the children show preference for engineering and the remaining obviously for medicine.Most Muslim children grow up wanting to be doctors and engineers. Their parents are least aware of alternative choices. But

the current situation must set us thinking if pursuing the course is anywhere desirable when job market is simply not throwing up opportunities in the twin sectors. Let us be reminded that even MBBS degree holders have few takers. And acquisition of MD or MS is a tall financial order,

requiring either a seat through the PG-CET or shelling out money close to a crore of rupees for the seat in a lucrative discipline. Focus on Hospital IndustryIt is wiser to focus on hospital industry rather than the field of medicine for new generation jobs. Bengaluru based career counselor Ameen e Mudassar says the degree or diploma courses in Cardiac Care Technology, Cardiac Perfusion Technology, Operation Theatre Assistant or Physician’s Assistant fetch jobs with salaries on par with a software engineer. And such professionals could earn abroad tenfold of what they earn in India. He says several branded hospitals offer these courses and annual fee may range between Rs. 30 to 50 thousand. Ameen also advises bright students to opt for career as Chartered Accountants which they can start pursuing soon after their Plus Two or PUC. Pointing out at the futility of running coaching for Civil Services, he asserts that a similar effort to enable Muslim students into the IITs, several Law Schools and Chartered Accountancy would have brought better dividends.Ameen advises against students who have scored less than 50% marks at PUC level opting for BE. He says such students may not be able to over 70% marks in the BE and are all unlikely to be recruited during campus placements. IISERs & NISERMr. Jamaluddin, Career Counseling Officer at the Centre for Information and Guidance India (CIGI) at Calicut, says Muslim students could also try entering Indian Institutes for Science Education and Research (IISERs) at Pune, Bhopal, Trivandrum, Tirupati, Mohali and Kolkata which offer a 5-year BS-MS dual degree. Another

alternative is NISER (National Institute of Science Education Research), Bhubaneswar which offers 5 year integrated M. Sc course after 12 years of schooling. He says the central government has set up these specialized institutes to groom scientists and research directors.

Jamaluddin suggests that students should also head for central universities, umpteen of them having been started in several states. He says disciplines such as Forensic Sciences, Marine Biology, Space Biology, Islamic Banking and Finance etc too are considered new generation disciplines offering ample opportunities for employment.Law and Journalism

Journalism, media courses and law too should occupy community’s priority. Several national law universities have been set up during the last two decades. Besides conventional civil, criminal, and constitutional law, disciplines such as Cyber Law, Patents and IPR Law, and

Corporate Law have emerged as important channels of employment. Similarly, journalism and media offer expanded opportunities. Fields such TV channels, Corporate Communication, Public Relations, Advertising, beckon those with good grasp of general knowledge and high level of articulation. Good command over English and at least one regional language can guarantee

jobs in newspapers, TV channels, radio or PR and advertising firms or communication wings of the commercial firms. Even the various wings of Information and Broadcasting Ministry (such as Doordarshan, Akashvani, Photo Division, Press Information Bureau, DAVP, Monitoring Division, Films Division etc) and State Information Ministries recruit more than 3,000 journalists a year.Muslim students seem to be reluctant to join courses in Agriculture universities. These universities offer courses in Agriculture, Horticulture, Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Sericulture, Poultry and Dairy farming, Fisheries and even MBA in Food and Dairy Products. Students from rural areas gain entry at easier terms in these universities.

For IISER click: http://www.iiseradmission.in/For NISER: http://www.niser.ac.in/academics.php?p=intmsc

Page 13: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 13Page 1

follow-up

PAC personnel were facing trial for allegedly killing 42 youth in Hashimpura Mohalla of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh on May 22, 1987, of which three have died during the trial.Suresh Chand Sharma, Niranjan Lal, Kamal Singh, Rambir Singh, Sami Ullah, Mahesh Prasad, Jaipal Singh, Ram Dhayam, Sarwan Kumar, Leela Dhar, Hambir Singh, Kunwar Pazal Singh, Budha Singh, Budhi Singh, Mokham Singh and Basant Vallabh were facing trial in the case. Many of them got promotion despite facing trial. The chargesheet in the case was filed before the chief judicial magistrate of Ghaziabad district in 1996. But the case was transferred to Delhi in September 2002 on the order of Supreme

Court after relatives of the victims filed petitions that they had no confidence in the Ghaziabad court. Late human right activist Prof. Iqbal Ansari (since deceased) and others played an important role in shifting the case to Delhi. Reacting to the judgment, Uttar Pradesh government prosecutor in the case Ali Akbar Abidi said the prosecution has presented all the relevant evidence, but the judge did not look into them. He said the UP government would now decide about going into appeal against the verdict.Meanwhile, noted human right activist and Supreme Court lawyer Vrinda Grover, who has been pursuing the case along with public prosecutor has lambasted the UP government and State Police for poor investigation

in the case and weakening of the prosecution. She said “The government and the police from the beginning botched up investigations to weaken the case in order to protect the guilty.” Admitting that it was a setback, she said the future course of action will be decided after going through the whole judgment. The Additional Sessions Judge has absolved 16 PAC personnel from all charges including murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy by giving them the benefit of doubt, adding that lack of evidence has failed to establish their identification in the case.It seems that political parties would have lost interest in the 28-year-old Hashimpura massacre story that grabbed headlines in the late 80s. But, now after the

Delhi court’s verdict, it may return to haunt the politics in Uttar Pradesh and the country. Samajwadi Party’s government in UP may face ire of the people as it had promised in its manifesto of bringing killers of Hashimpura massacre to justice. It knew what happened with Congress as after the 1987 Hashimpura killings, the then ruling Congress has never returned to power in the state. It is also worthwhile to mention that in 2012, Subramanian Swamy, who was then Janata Party President, knocked the door of the Delhi court seeking directions for further probe into the massacre. In his application, he sought probe into the alleged role of P. Chidambaram, who was then minister of state for home at the Centre, on the ground that a crucial part of the investigation has

been deliberately not investigated due to political consideration. But his application was dismissed. Since then, Swamy has joined the saffron bandwagon. “The acquittal of all the surviving accused in the Hashimpura-Maliana massacre of 1987 is a murder of justice and a black day in the history of India,” said Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, President of the Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat. “The intentions of the rulers were not good from day one in this case, as all attempts were made during these past 27 years to shield the criminals in uniform. The U.P. state government continued to tell the courts that it cannot find the accused while they were actually serving in their units, getting promotions and even retiring with full benefits,” he added.

Muslimmirror.com

Hashimpura Massacre ...

Page 14: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 14

letters

opinion

Justice Delayed and Denied The denial of justice to the victims and those who survived the massacre of the youth of Hashimpura and Maliana is so blatant that it could well deserve the tag of ‘murder of justice’.Justice was not only delayed but was also completely denied to the families whose youth were killed en masse in cold blood in 1987 and their corpses were thrown in a canal near Meerut in the wake of anti-Muslim violence in the Uttar Pradesh town just 62 kms east of Delhi.The March 19 verdict by a Tees Hazari court which acquitted the 16 surviving members of the killer PAC (three of the 19 accused died in the 27-year interregnum), despite strong evidences against them, is a complete travesty and mockery of justice. The State Administration, regardless of party in power, had pursued a policy of stalling prosecution and ensuring acquittal of the accused from the beginning. The very terming of the killing as ‘an act of genocide’ by the Amnesty International should have resulted in the case being pursued with alacrity and earnestness. But all hopes were dashed till 1996 when chargesheets were filed against the 19 PAC members by a determined group of civil rights activists led by Prof. Iqbal A. Ansari.Yet the brazen disregard of the evidence proffered by the victims who had been shot but emerged alive from the canal (after having been left for dead by the criminals in uniform) defies logic for being given benefit of doubt. The senseless killings had dominated the media headlines all across the world for over a month.The dilly-dallying by the State Government and the attempt to save the criminals was clearly evident from the start. The accused were shown absconding even though they were very much in the service of the State. Firstly, they should have been denied the bail—and should have also been suspended during the trial—but their bail was granted by a district court on the grounds of their being in the service of the PAC. The verdict is not only bound to result in deep disappointment, but intense frustration among the relatives whose youth were killed without any rhyme, reason or provocation by the trigger-happy security personnel who were supposed to safeguard the lives, property and dignity of the people. It is a sad reflection on the justice delivery system that can ignore such strong evidence and acquit the criminals.

Extremism and Militant Ideology

Two Major Threats to the Muslim WorldNo time should be wasted to empower Muslim communities to reject the culture of

fanaticism and to promote moderation.

By Samar Fatany

Religious extremism and militant ideology are the two greatest challenges that the nation of Islam faces today. Researchers believe that Muslim scholars with hard-line views still play a pivotal role in misguiding our youth and allowing them to be easily recruited by militants and terrorist organizations.

Muslim governments have begun a large-scale campaign to address the threat and to expose radicals and fight militants who continue to terrorize innocent Muslims in many parts of the world. However, the campaign remains weak because Muslim scholars of different sects and ideologies are not able to address their differences, and they have failed to promote the genuine message of Islamic tolerance. They need to come up with a stronger narrative to curb the spread of militant Islam and to negate its anti-Islamic views.

In the past, Shariah scholars showed more respect and tolerance for the different schools of thought that have guided Muslims for centuries. Diversity has always enriched the Shariah platform and has not weakened it.

Unfortunately, Shariah experts today remain greatly divided and many of them are intolerant and ultraconservative. There is a dire need for a more tolerant approach to our Islamic teachings. It is really sad how some Muslims in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen today remain in conflict and find it difficult to accept the existing diversity. They are out to destroy anyone who does not prescribe to their distorted views.

In Saudi Arabia there are strong voices, such as the Grand Mufti, the Council of Senior Ulema, and various imams of mosques, who have gone on record denouncing the jihadist ideology and extremism, promoting “moderation” and “centrism” and rejecting the Takfiri ideology or the labelling of a Muslim as an infidel or disbeliever. However, there are still others who have maintained an ultraconservative interpretation that divides the world into Muslim and non-Muslim and rejects other sects within Islam. The impact of rejectionist voices remains a major threat in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Muslim world.

No time should be wasted to empower Muslim communities to reject the culture of fanaticism and to promote moderation, tolerance and spirituality. Muslims should be reminded that there is no clergy in Islam. All Muslims are equal before God.

The issue of Takfiri is the main reason behind the intolerance that has spread among many Muslim societies. Many Muslims today don’t feel safe and confident to practice what they believe to be the true principles of their faith. They are afraid to utter something that could be interpreted as blasphemous. Those self-appointed guardians of Islam should understand that only God is the judge of the faithful. Muslims are all required to act according to the five pillars of Islam. In fact it is considered a great sin in Islam to doubt a believer’s faith and label him as a heretic if he declares that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His Prophet (peace be upon him). It is also

a great sin to include extremist interpretations of the Qur’an that could impose hardships on Muslims.

There is no compulsion in Islam. Islamic scholars should encourage a strong campaign to save the faithful and declare that Muslims are not at war with other religions and sects.

Councils of senior Islamic scholars across the Muslim world should come up with more effective strategies to confront the menace of extremism that continues to threaten the Muslim world. Many Muslims have been indoctrinated with distorted views; they need direction and an opportunity to live in an enlightened environment. They should be introduced to a more moderate and flexible attitude embracing modernity and progressive thinking. Academic institutions are called upon to monitor the militant literature and distorted interpretations of Islamic texts that have allowed fanaticism to spread.

For a very long time, many Muslims remained passive and did little to stop the fanatics that have gained influence in almost every Muslim country. Today, educated Muslims should be encouraged to speak out and publicly reject radical views that are a threat to peace and global prosperity.

To move Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries forward we need to mobilize all efforts to resolve the ideological crises that have long allowed extremists and terrorists to spread conflicts and destroy the harmony of the Muslim world.

(Samar Fatany is a radio broadcaster and writer).(www.saudigazette.com.sa)

Best Islamic Magazine in the WorldI have been a consistent reader of Islamic Voice. Every time, I finish reading an issue of IV of the ongoing month, I will be eagerly waiting, without having patience, to read the next issue and will be repeatedly looking at the calendar every day.I found Islamic Voice to be the world’s top Islamic magazine. And I rank it number 1 in the world! I have read many more Islamic magazines in English, but the magazine which I liked the most

is "Islamic Voice".Thanks to the editor, Mr Sadathullah Khan for spending his valuable life in bringing awareness to English speaking Muslims of the world. You will have the virtue of this, and Allah the Almighty will surely reward you for the same.Rasheedur Rahman [email protected]

All Answers are in the QuranThis is with reference to an article in the January 2015 issue of Islamic Voice. The article titled “Religious Diversity Can Help Our Spiritual Growth” makes me feel that the learned staff writer has concealed his intellectual mind in secular outlook. Many questions that he has raised in the article have their answers in the holy Quran.

His example though, of the knife is very correct and valuable. All depends on the use of the knife-for good purpose of cutting a fruit to eat or for destructive purposes. I request the writer to not look at Muslims and the way they are behaving today, to understand the Quran .Shaik Abdus SattarHyderabad

Page 15: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 15

Page 16

peopleAvijit Roy, the 44-year old Bangladesh born, US-settled writer was hacked to death on February 26 in Dhaka. The blogger had consistently attacked the extremists and religious fanatics through his writings. His wife Rafida Ahmed Banya was critically injured in the attack. The couple was returning after visiting the book fair held on the eve of international Mother Tongue. He is the third writer to fall victim to religious extremists. Earlier Rajib Ahmed was killed in 2013. Even prior to that, Humayun Azad was brutally attacked by machete-wielding assailants in similar fashion while he was returning from a bookfair on February 27, 2014.

Dr. Farzana Mohtashim, vice principal of the Anjuman PU College for Girls, Bhatkal has been nominated as member of the Syndicate of the Bijapur Women’s University. She is the first Muslim woman to be taken into the Syndicate of the said University. Farzana has earned a doctorate in Urdu literature. Her book titled, Shokhie Tahreer has been selected for the best written work in Urdu for the year 2012 by the Karnataka Urdu Academy.

Muhammad Asghar Chulbul and Qazi Arshad Ali have been appointed the chairmen of the Kulbargi (formerly Gulbarga) Urban Development Authority and Bidar Urban Development Authority by the Karnataka Government. Chulbul is a protégé of Karnataka Minister Qamarul Islam and Qazi Arshad Ali was earlier Member of Legislative Council. He is also editor of Hindi daily Bidar ki Awaz. Nearly one-third of the Urban Development Authority posts, disproportionately larger than their share in the population, went to minorities leading to objection from

several quarters within the Congress party.

Abid Ali Neemuchwala, 48, who quit Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in February was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Wipro in the second week of March. He had served the TCS, the largest IT company for 23 years and stewarded the transformation of the company’s business process outsourcing operation. He was responsible for managing over 12% of TCS’s revenues. He holds a BE in Electronics and Communication from

National Institute of Technology, Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Master's Degree in Industrial Management from IIT, Mumbai. According to Nasscom’s list of top-15 business

process outsourcing companies in the country in 2013-14, TCS ranked second to Genpact. A chess buff, Neemuchwala is married, has three children and lives in Dallas. Everyone was surprised when he quit TCS last February. It was a surprise for Wipro employees as the company fills senior posts with those from the ranks itself. Several veterans within will be reporting to him.

Obituary

Maulana Abdul Aziz, one of the veteran Jamaat e Islami leaders, passed away in Hyderabad on March 16. An orator, Maulana Aziz headed the Jamaat

in Tamil Nadu for several years prior to the Emergency during which he was detained at the Madras Central Jail. He was 95. He is survived by his wife, a son and three daughters. He was laid to rest in Jalpally graveyard in the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Justice Rana Bhagwan Das, former Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan died in Karachi on February

23. He was ailing for some time and breathed his last in a private hospital of the city. Justice Bhagwan Das was the first Hindu

Chief Justice of Pakistan Supreme Court and second Hindu to be elevated to the post of judge of Sindh High Court. He was born in Naseerabad

town of Larkana district of Sindh province in 1942. His appointment to the Sindh High Court in 1994 was challenged for his being a member of the Hindu community but the Sindh High Court rejected the petition. He earned a post graduate degree in Islamic Studies and was considered a scholar of the Constitutional Law. He practised as a lawyer for two years and was appointed judge in 1967 for the first time.

Khawja Hassan Sani Nizami, the sajjada nasheen of the Dargah Hazrat

Nizamuddin Auliya died on March 15. He was 85. He is survived by several nephews and nieces. He remained unmarried.A literary figures,

he represented the values of the India’s composite culture. His father Khawja Hassan Nizami was also a

Page 16: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 16peoplegreat literary figure in Urdu. Khawja Hassan Sani Nizami did his BA from Jamia Millia Islamia and took up writing in Urdu. He penned books titled Tasawwuf Rasme Haqeeqat, Fawaidul Fawaid and delivered several radio talks and extension lectures. He took up publications of books authored by his father which had gone out of print. He edited the magazine “Manaadi” and headed the Ghalib Academy in Basti Nizamuddin after former President Hakeem Abdul Hameed died ten years ago. He was deputed by the Vajpayee government to represent India in the World Religions Conference held under the aegis of the United Nations. He was laid to rest in the grave next to his father’s grave in Khawja Hall after funeral prayers in the mosque next to the dargah.

Dr. Maleeha Lodhi has been appointed Pakistan’s envoy at the United Nations. Twice Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Lodhi was founder editor of News Daily, Karachi. She was also Pakistan’s high commissioner in the United Kingdom between 2003 and 2008. She holds a doctorate from the London School of Economics. Now 62, she was a scholar Woodrow Wilson Institute and at Harvard.

Awarded: Teesta Setalvad, the civil rights activist from Mumbai and R. Nallakannu, senior leader of the Communist Party of India

were presented with the Quaide Millath Award for Probity in Public Life at a function in Chennai on March 23. The Award instituted by the QuaideMillath Educational and Social Trust, Chennai was presented by Mr. Gopalakrishnan, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and former Governor of West Bengal at Qaide Millath College. The Award carries Rs. 2.5 lakh and a plaque recognizing the contribution of the recipient. The Award is instituted in the memory of Quaide Millath, Mohammed Ismail, founder president of the Indian Union Muslim League who was elected a member of the Rajya Sabha and thrice to the Lok Sabha (from Kerala) and was member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

He was also nominated a member of the Constituent Assembly which framed the Constitution of India. He is widely respected across the political spectrum in Tamilnadu and Kerala. Gopalakrishnan lauded Teesta Setalvad’s struggle for justice for victims of communal holocaust in Gujarat. Nallakunnu is a dedicated social worker who has consistently worked for the safeguarding the rights of the oppressed people. He is 90.

Wilson Wazir Masih, the 38-year old teacher and a representative of the Christian community in Federal Administered Tribal Area (FATA) of Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan has been conferred the Sitara e Imtiyaz, the third highest

nation honour of Pakistan. The award was given away on March 23, the National Day of Pakistan by Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan. He was chosen for the award in recognition for his services to the Minority communities. Wilson

was instrumental in getting the members of the minority c o m m u n i t y permanent resident c e r t i fi c a t e s , voting rights and scholarships. His

efforts over a period of two decades also helped the 50,000 strong community avail of the minority quota jobs in Frontier Corps n

A Little Help for Fathima Bargis

Just 26 years old, Fatima was once a bubbly college girl, a Business Management student. She loved her studies. After her degree, she completed a course in Human Resources Management. After her kidneys failed, she had to be on regular dialysis. With no additional support financially, their home runs on Fatima’s father’s meager pension. Do think about it!Your cheques can be drawn in favour of HBS Dialysis, and sent to HBS Hospital, No 58, Cockburn Road, Shivajinagar, Bengalore-560051.Or, you can deposit your contribution in the hospital bank account:Bank: Axis Bank, Main Branch.Name: HBS DialysisAccount No: 913020048258295IFSC code: Utib0000009Swift Code: Axisinnbb009HBS Kidney Dialysis Unit, HBS Hospital, 58, Cockburn Road, Bangalore:51.Ph:080-25541321.

Page 17: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 17book review

Islam and World PeaceBy Maulana Wahiduddin KhanPublisher: Goodword Books, New Delhi ([email protected])Pages: 200Price: Rs. 100Year: 2015

Reviewed by Roshan

Much has been written, by Muslims as well as others, on issues related to Islamic perspectives on peace, conflict and violence. This is no mere academic subject, of course. It has immensely crucial practical implications, given the horrific violence being perpetrated in different parts of the world today by terrorist groups that wrongly claim to represent Islam.It is not that violence is a Muslim monopoly. Nor is it that some Muslims are the only people who seek to justify their violence in the name of religion. Yet, no one can deny that today, vast numbers of non-Muslims have come to see Islam and Muslims in an extremely negative light—and that this owes mainly to the heinous violence being committed by terrorist outfits in the name of Islam.At the same time as the brutalities of such terrorist groups seem to be becoming even more horrific, an increasing number of Muslims are choosing to speak up and against them, insisting that the terrorists’ interpretation of Islam is the very antithesis of their faith. They stress that Islam encourages Muslims to cultivate good relations with people of other faiths, contending that the terrorists’ claim to the contrary has no Islamic sanction. Interfaith dialogue and harmony between Muslims and others, they say, is an Islamic imperative.One of the most tireless advocates of understanding, dialogue and harmony between Muslims and others at the global level is 90 year-old Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, founder of the New Delhi-based Centre for Peace and Spirituality. A prolific writer and one of the very few traditionally-trained ulema or Islamic scholars who are active in seeking to meaningfully engage and work together with people of

other faiths, Maulana Sahib has for years taken a consistent stand on terror being waged in the name of Islam. It has absolutely no Islamic sanction, he has been tirelessly repeating.

This timely book touches on various dimensions of ongoing debates about Islam, peace, conflict and terrorism. In contrast to the radical Islamists’ supremacist and hate-driven understanding of Islam, Maulana Sahib insists that in Islam peace is the norm. Accordingly, Maulana Sahib points out, guerrilla war, engaged in by non-state actors such as today’s terrorist groups, is wholly un-Islamic. This means that the violent activism of outfits and networks such as Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, the Taliban, the ISIS and so on has no legitimacy at all in Islam. Terrorist groups routinely label the wars they are engaged in as Islamic ‘jihads’, but this is a claim that Maulana Sahib stoutly refutes. The Arabic word jihad, he indicates, is greatly misunderstood. It denotes making great effort for something, and so is definitely not synonymous with what is often wrongly translated as

‘holy war’. A great form of jihad that the Islamic texts stress is the struggle against one’s baser self—this being one form of jihad that terrorist groups claiming to speak in the name of Islam, of course, don’t care at all about.To reduce jihad to just one form of it—physical war or qital—is, Maulana Sahib indicates, totally unacceptable. But that is precisely one of the many distortions of Islamic concepts and doctrines that radical Islamists are guilty of. Maulana Sahib insists that their ambition—of unleashing war to grab political power and enforce what they call ‘Islamic rule’—does not at all accord with Islam. This was not the method of the Prophet, he says. He castigates such groups for seeking to promote Muslim communal supremacy in the name of Islam, this being, he says, against the very spirit and purpose of the faith. What they are engaged in, he says, is actually “Anti-Islam in the name of Islam”. The horrific violence that terrorists masquerading as mujahids are guilty of, he says, has only served to further reinforce anti-Muslim hatred and widespread and deeply-rooted negative images of Islam among people of other faiths.

Muslims must work for peace at all costs.Maulana Sahib not only unequivocally condemns the terrorism being engaged in the name of jihad as wholly un-Islamic but also points to the resources contained in the Islamic textual traditions that can sustain what he calls a ‘culture of peace’. He also stresses that the notion of a ‘just peace’ (which not just some

Muslim groups, but others, too, insist on) is simply untenable and unworkable. Insisting on peace with justice, he indicates, can only prolong conflict. He maintains that Muslims must work for peace at all costs. Even if others are not willing to, they must unilaterally cease involvement in all conflicts that they are involved in, and, instead, begin to work for peace. It is only in a climate of peace, he writes, that people can freely interact with each other, which, in turn, can open the doors for justice.One major reason for ongoing conflicts in large parts of the world involving people of different faith backgrounds relates to certain widely-shared understandings of inter-community relations and national identities. Maulana Sahib reminds us that in our quest for peace and harmony, we simply cannot wish away the real differences that exist between religions at the doctrinal level. No contrived uniformity that denies these differences can be sustained. Such differences need to be recognised, but, yet, people of different faith traditions can work together for the common good. In this regard, he stresses the need for people to rethink

the ways many of them interpret certain key terms, such as jihad, kufr and kafir, and so on. He points to widely-held and deeply-rooted misinterpretations of these among many Muslims as well as others, which, he suggests, are a major obstacle to better inter-community relations and which are often used to stoke conflicts. With its wealth of detail, it’s fascinating insights, its bold critique of radical Islamist discourse and politics, it’s helpful and much-needed articulation of an Islamic understanding of peace and inter-community harmony and dialogue, this book is definitely a must-read for anyone concerned with what is admittedly one of the most widely-discussed subjects across the world today. n

Much-Needed Articulation of an Islamic Understanding of Inter-Community Harmony

Page 18: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 18In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Limitless is God in His Glory

“I have allowed these people and their forefathers to enjoy their lives freely until the truth has come to them through a Messenger who makes things clear. Now that the truth has come to them, they say, ‘This is all sorcery, and we reject it outright.’ They also say, ‘Why was not this Qur’an revealed to some great man of the two cities.’ Is it they who apportion your Lord’s grace? It is We who deal out to them their livelihood in the life of this world, and raise some in rank above others, so that some of them may take others into their service. Your Lord’s grace is better than all that they can amass”.

(Gold; Al-Zukhruf: 43: 29-32)

Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) worked hard to establish the concept of monotheism. The Arabs at the time when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) received his message were idolaters. Yet they rightly claimed to descend from Abraham. How did those Arabs, descending from Abraham, receive this principle? They had after all been far removed from it for generations. Indeed, they had forgotten Abraham’s faith to the extent that the principle of God’s oneness was alien to them, viewed as exceedingly singular. They gave the Prophet preaching it, a very bad reception, judging the divine message by earthly standards. Hence, their criteria were flawed.Referring to those people present at the time of Qur’anic revelation, the surah says: “I have allowed these people and their forefathers to enjoy their lives freely until the truth has come to them through a Messenger who makes things clear.” It is as though the surah is saying: ‘Let us not talk about Abraham, for these people have no relation to him. We will discuss their situation specifically, which has no relevance to Abraham and what he advocated. God says that He allowed these people and their ancestors to enjoy life, providing them with much, and allowing them a long life, until the truth came to them in the shape of the Qur’an, and there came to them a Messenger who stated things clearly. Nevertheless, “Now that the truth has come to them, they say, ‘This is all sorcery, and we reject it outright.’”The truth, which is always clearly manifest, cannot be confused with sorcery. What they said was conjecture and they were the first to know that it was false. The elders of the Quraysh could not have been blind to the truth of the message of the Qur’an, yet they aimed to deceive the masses: first by alleging that it was sorcery and secondly by reaffirming their rejection of it: “This is all sorcery, and we reject it outright.” In this way, they sought

to impress the masses by showing themselves to be confident of what they said. Like all who are deluded, the masses would then follow them. What the Quraysh elders feared most was that they might lose their influence over people. Should the people see the truth of the principle of God’s oneness, no leader would have any influence except within the framework of worshipping God alone. The Qur’an describes their confused values and standards as they objected to the choice of Muhammad (Pbuh) as the one to bring them light and the message of the truth: “They also say: Why was not this Qur’an revealed to

some great man of the two cities?” The two cities they referred to were Makkah and Taif. The Prophet belonged to the most distinguished family in the clan of Hashim of the Quraysh tribe, which were the elite among Arabs. He was also known to be a man of high principles and fine manners, even before he was chosen as God’s Messenger. However, he was not a tribal chief, while his environment placed much importance on such considerations. Hence their objection: “Why was not this Qur’an revealed to some great man of the two cities?”

God certainly knows best whom to entrust with His message. He chose the man whom He knew to be best suited to the task. Limitless is God in His glory! He chose a man whose paramount qualities were his morality and dedication, both of which are part of the nature and essence of the Islamic message. For the delivery of His message, He chose neither a tribal chief nor a man of wealth or social influence. This because, He did not wish any earthly value

to cast a shadow over the message bestowed from on high. It should neither be adorned with an earthly jewel nor be influenced by any alien effect. Thus, no one would embrace it to achieve ambition, and no one would seek it for unfair gain.

With their narrow view of worldly pleasures and lack of awareness of the nature of the divine message, the Arabs objected to the choice of Muhammad as God’s Messenger, suggesting that a recognized leader of either of the two cities would have been preferable. The surah

denounces their objections and reminds them of how God bestows His grace on whomever He chooses of His servants. It shows the flaw inherent in their concepts which confuse worldly values with divine ones. It also makes clear to them how their values score in God’s accurate measure: “Is it they who apportion your Lord’s grace? It is We who deal out to them their livelihood in the life of this world, and raise some in rank above others, so that some of them may take others into their service. Your Lord’s grace is better than all that they can amass.” n

Page 19: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 19Mapping Up the Right Way

Abdullah ibn Massoud reports: “The Prophet (Pbuh) drew a line in front of us and said, ‘This is the way leading to God’. He then drew several lines to the right and left. He said, ‘These are

other ways, at the head of each one of them is a devil calling on people to take that way’.

Commentary by Adil Salahi

Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) says: “Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that does not belong to it, it shall be rejected.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim”Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah). The Qur’an is guaranteed by God to be preserved intact, admitting no addition or deletion.Abdullah ibn Massoud reports: “The Prophet (Pbuh) drew a line in front of us and said, ‘This is the way leading to God’. He then drew several lines to the right and left. He said, ‘These are other ways, at the head of each one of them is a devil calling on people to take that way’. He then read the Qur’anic verse, ‘Know that this is the way leading to Me, a straight path. Follow it, then, and do not follow other ways, for they cause you to deviate from His way. All this He has enjoined upon you so that you may remain God-fearing.’” (6:153.) (Related by Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim, Al-Baghawi and Al-Tabarani).This Hadith sums up what is required of every Muslim: to follow the way that God has outlined as the one leading to Him and to abandon any other way that is at variance with it. It is a straight way, consistent, with no deviation. It does not swerve to accommodate any deviant desire or to make any compromise. It defines the objective very clearly: to obey God’s orders and earn acceptance by Him. Hence, the Prophet gives the graphic picture of other ways moving away from it, with each having a devil trying to persuade people to take it. These devils may

be personal desires, pleasures of the flesh, or unlawful gains, high position, or power. Each has its own attractions, and each presents a temptation that may be very difficult to resist.Yet despite all temptation, it is not difficult to follow this straight way. It has been well mapped for us. The Qur’an defines it clearly and the Prophet gives us details at every point. Furthermore, no one can introduce into this guidance anything that is at variance with its premise, values or teachings. The Prophet says: “Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that does not belong to it, it shall be rejected.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah). The Qur’an is guaranteed by God to be preserved intact, admitting no addition or deletion. It remains clear and easily understood by anyone who attains a good command of the Arabic language. The Prophet’s statements provide further clarification and details of how to fulfill what God has ordered and to avoid what He has forbidden. These statements have been verified and their authenticity established beyond any doubt. It is important, therefore, to follow the Prophet’s guidance and not to try to introduce into Islamic teachings or worship anything that does not belong to it.What is more is that when we follow the Prophet’s guidance, our approach must be one of willing acceptance, realizing that he only taught us what is good and beneficial. Indeed, when we

examine anything the Prophet encouraged, urged or ordered, we find that it leads to something good, either for us personally or to others who are close to us in our families or to our wider community, or to the Muslim community in general, or to humanity at large. He only prohibited what brings no good to us or to others. Therefore, we should look at everything the Prophet taught, trying to

understand what benefit it brings so as to maximize this benefit and, by contrast, to avoid the harm that results from what he has prohibited. This approach is clearly summed up in the Hadith reported by Abdullah ibn Amr, quoting the Prophet as saying: “None of you truly attains to faith until what he desires is consistent with what I have delivered.” (Related by Al-Baghawi).In this authentic Hadith, the Prophet is highlighting the mark of true faith. This is a higher degree than merely believing in God and His Messenger. It refers to a state of mind when one’s desires and what a person really enjoys in life are in line with what God wants from us. A person who has such an attitude will feel delighted when he gives to charity, and his delight will be even greater if he makes such a donation in private, so as it will be known only to God. He seeks no appreciation for it from anyone other than God. This is exactly what

the Prophet taught us about charity being more preferable when done in secret. When a believer fasts in Ramadan, he feels the pleasure of doing God’s bidding, and when he refrains from illegitimate attractions, he experiences a sense of happiness. Thus, everything such people do, strengthens their faith and makes them more resolved to follow the Islamic code of living.However, sometimes pressures are

too strong and difficulties arise unexpectedly. It may be difficult to identify the proper way to follow in order to ensure that we remain on

the right course, following the line the Prophet drew in front of his companions. People may claim that they are following his guidance, yet they pull in different directions. How to make sure that we are on the right lines?Al-Irbadh ibn Sariyah, a companion of the Prophet, says: “The Prophet led us once, performing the Fajr, or dawn, prayer. He then gave us a highly effective admonition so that many of us were tearful and we felt a shudder in our hearts. Someone said to him: ‘Messenger of God! This sounds like the admonition of someone bidding his audience farewell. Please outline for us what you recommend.’ He said: ‘I urge you to always remain God-fearing, and to listen to and obey your leaders, even when the leader is an Abyssinian slave. Anyone of you who will live long will witness much strife and conflict. Therefore, hold tight to my way and the way followed by the rightly-guided rulers. Hold on to it and never

abandon it for anything. Steer away from any invented thing, for such inventions are deviations, and every deviation leads into error.’” (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Darimi and Al-Baghawi).This is a definitive statement. What we need to explain, however, is that the reference to “invented things” applies only to matters of religion, not to man’s material life. Scientific advancement is always encouraged by Islam, which likes to see such advancement used for what improves the quality of human life. In matters of religion, only what the Prophet has given us is right. Whatever is at variance with it is wrong and unacceptable. The Prophet warns against conflict over religious principles and values. When we follow his guidance, we will be able to easily distinguish right from wrong, true from false. He has given us a practical example, which was even further elucidated in practice by his successors who were rightly guided. n

The Prophet warns against conflict over religious principles and values.

Page 20: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 20BRIDE & GROOM

SM Syed Parents seek alliance for Daughter 23 years 5’.4” B.Sc (Biochemistry),fair, Beautiful, religious, own house, Boy should be B.E. or M.B.A, age 25-28 Years, religious, own house, working in Bangalore or Gulf. Son B.E. working in IT Company 27 years, 5.10” religious, girl should be any graduate, homely and religious early marriage. Email:[email protected]. Mob: 9964309133 or 9900853566.

WANTED BRIDE

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Page 21: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 21our dialoGue witH adil salaHi

Carrying Tales and Defaming OthersQ. Could you please explain the Islamic view about those spreading tales against

people so as to cause problems between them?

A. Backbiting is strongly forbidden, as it is universally known. God says in the Qur’an: “And do not spy on one another, nor backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Surely you would loathe it.” (Al-Hujurat: 49: 12). This picture is drawn in the Qur’an for someone who is guilty of backbiting, which is defined in Islam as “saying about someone in his absence what he dislikes to be said about him.” This applies even if what is being said is true. The very fact that he is absent and people say about him things that he dislikes to be talked about is backbiting, and falls within what is described in the Qur’an as “eating the flesh of one’s dead brother.” A similar social evil is to spread defamatory tales about other people. This is what happens when someone tells another a tale

about a third person who is known to both. This is shown in the Qur’an as repugnant. “Do not pay any respect to the contemptible one swearing of oaths, the slanderer who goes about with

defaming tales, the withholder of good, the sinful aggressor, cruel, possessed by greed.” (Al-Qalam: 68: 10-13). It is clear that the person concerned had a very abominable character. One of his qualities was to carry such tales. In order

to describe how repugnant this quality is, we may mention that the Prophet (peace be upon him), once passed by two graves, and he placed some green branches on them. He told his companions who were with him that the two people buried there were suffering

torment. He said that the reason for punishing one of them was that he used to spread defamatory tales about his fellow men. People often ask about the punishment that a certain sin incurs. We cannot specify unless there is some text to outline it. However, we can say that such a person commits a sin against society in addition to his slandering of particular people. On the Day of Judgment, he will be brought face to face with them and they will be given some of his good deeds in lieu of the injury he caused them. If he does not have sufficient good deeds to compensate them, he is made to bear some of their bad deeds, which are then removed from them and added against him. Therefore, people should guard against doing any such action by avoiding speaking ill about anyone in their absence. If one knows some defect in a person’s character, or of a bad deed that person has committed, he should keep it secret. He or she is rewarded for that. n

Mental Depression and Suicide

Q. It is said that suicide is forbidden in Islam and that the person who commits suicide is destined to go

to hell. Suppose a person is suffering from a severe case of depression, or some other mental disease, and

he or she commits suicide, will he also go to hell? A. One thing which people often do is to say that such and such a person will definitely go to heaven or to hell. This is something over which none other than God has any control. So to suggest that such a person goes here or there in the hereafter is an affront to God, because it precipitates His judgment. There are certain verses of the Qur’an, and statements by the Prophet ( peace be upon him), which tell us that those who perpetrate certain sins will be punished. But then it is up to God to determine what punishment fits every single case, because God judges us individually, on the basis of His perfect knowledge of our intentions and conditions. It is true that suicide is strictly

forbidden, because it is an affront to God. It is like a person saying to God: “You have given me life and I am taking it away.” The

Hadith in which God is quoted as saying, of the one who commits suicide means: “My servant has precipitated My will with regard to himself.

Therefore, I am forbidding him entry into heaven.” A person who commits suicide as a result of a mental disorder like depression or

some other severe form of anxiety is not in full control of his senses.

We cannot say how God will judge such a person, but we trust on God’s justice, because He does not deal unfairly with anyone. We pray for the person concerned, and request God to forgive him. n

reflectionsExam Season

Not the Time to Panic or Put Pressure on KidsExam time is a season for parents/teachers to extend moral and spiritual support to their children and students.

By Nigar Ataulla So it’s back to exams for school and college children for the next few months. The exam season seems to be a very “serious” time for youngsters. Often, parents get extremely tense about their children’s academic performance and transfer their tension onto their children. Some teachers also do the same. Youngsters are told that their performance in exams will play a crucial role in shaping the rest of their life. It is drilled into their young minds that if they get good marks, they can take admission in a ‘good college’, to study science and computers and so on and thereby become a ‘successful’ doctor or an engineer and earn ‘name and fame’ for themselves. If their performance is below average, they might have to buy a seat in a mediocre college, that is, if their parents are rich enough, and study History or Sociology. And if they fail, they are made to think that it’s

the end of the world! Unfortunately, youngsters are rarely, if ever, told by their parents and teachers that this world is like a giant exam hall, where, at every moment of our lives, from cradle to grave, we are being

tested. How we perform in this “exam of life” will determine our eternal future, in the life after death, just as how we perform in our Class 12 exam may crucially

determine our career-paths for the rest of our lives. Our careers will, of course, one day come to an end—with the onset of old age, retirement, and, finally, death. But the ‘career’ of the life after death will never cease, carrying on forever.Exam time is a season for parents/teachers to extend moral and spiritual support to their children and students. Encouraging their children positively, with constant assurance that they need to hard work, is of course important, but at the same time they need to

assure them that ‘red marks’ on their report cards are definitely not the end of the world. In the life they might face ahead, youngsters will have to contend with many challenges, including spiritual, moral, emotional, economic and social, and it is the responsibility of

parents and teachers to guide them in learning how to handle them. It is simply no use if youngsters become toppers in class with mind-blowing grades, which may get them entry into “prestigious” educational institutions across the world but if, when faced with

real life challenges, they end up becoming mental wrecks.Exam times, then, are just the right time for older folks to stand by their youngsters and lend them moral support to handle not just the “paper exams” but also the exam of life ahead. n

Page 22: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 22soul talk

A Great Way to Spend Your Summer NGS Madrasa Ashraful Banat Arabic College for Girls (Residential) Presents

The 40 days Summer Vacation CourseAcquire Spiritual Knowledge along with Life Skills from an Islamic Viewpoint

The NGS Group of Institutions (New Generation Education Society) has established the NGS Madrasa Ashraful Banat, under the care and supervision of religious scholars. Food and accommodation is arranged for the girl students.A 40 – days Summer Vacation Course will be conducted at the Madrasa. Besides this, there are short-term courses of one year, six months and three months’ duration. There is an existing two-year Alimah Course of NGS PU College, in which English, Hindi, Kannada and Urdu languages are taught. Now, we have made it into a five- year course, that is, from 8th Std to II PU. So both worldly and religious knowledge and training for the girl students is provided.Ibtidayeah & Sania are being taught to the girls in the Madrasa and PUC I & II (Commerce) classes are also being conducted. In the 40-days Summer Vacation Course, the students and their parents will be briefed about the 5 years’ Alimah Course Islamiyat, Quran, Amma para (one of the 30 divisions of the Quran), with ‘makharij’, ‘tajwid’ and ‘qawaid’; important daily prayers and Hadiths; Urdu language skills; problems related to daily

living with practical solutions, that is life skills from an Islamic viewpoint.

This is a golden opportunity for the girl students, along with religious instruction, they will oriented towards handling life in an Islamic way in the modern world. All this is arranged in accordance with purdah and the laws of shariat.Parents who are having a daughter may feel that she is going to school, yet she is far away from the practices and beliefs of Islam; the parents of another daughter may get the feeling that she is in the Madrasa, yet she is lacking in modern education. The solution to these problems is available in the Madrasa. Parents are invited to utilize this opportunity, and ensure that their children are successful

Blindness is BlissThe Blind expect only understanding and empathy from the sighted

people, and not arrogance and sympathy.

By Azeem Bolar

When I first became blind, some felt I was an alien and that my blindness could be contagious, others wanted to shower pity, but instead, made a mess of the situation, because I do not deserve pity, only envy, and that was in short supply with those interacting with me.According to my experiences, one of the difficulties the blind feel, is a lack of understanding of the situation by the sighted and surely, nowhere close to understanding of the inconveniences dished out by visual impairment. The sighted people, at times, do lose their patience while guiding the visually impaired.“Frustrating” could be a better term when it comes to giving descriptions to a blind man, not realizing that one has to mention minute details to create a better picture in the mind of the blind. Funny enough, most sighted seldom realize that visually impaired could also mean totally blind, and even after being told, they are somehow under the false impression that the blind man can

see a little. A common mistake that the sighted do is trying to be over helpful and over protective towards the blind.Traveling by bus can seem adventurous and it was one of those tiring days when I felt like hitting the sack, but was at the mercy of the bus, which was taking its own sweet time . Unable to get a seat, I stood through the long journey. While the conductor passed by, collecting tickets, he saw me standing and without a second thought, curtly ordered the sighted person to vacate the seat reserved for the blind and which happened to be occupied by a sighted person. The poor man, without complaint vacated the seat in my honor. Sometimes directions given to the blind, can indeed cause confusion, if it is not given in minute details. There have been moments in the past, when I had asked for a particular direction and was given a non-verbal reply, that is in sign

language. Obviously, I could not see the “sign language” direction offered by the person. At the dining table, also at times, the sighted assume that if they tell me, “pass the salt,” or “pass the salad,” I will be able to handle it. But they need to go a step further and tell me “can you please pass the salt kept near your plate in front of you!” Now that makes sense to me. The sighted cannot be blamed for this, as it is all a simple learning experience and should be taken in this spirit.Understanding and empathy, not arrogance and sympathy is probably a good attitude to inculcate when rendering assistance to the visually impaired. Very rarely do I get hurt when the sighted lose patience with me. Actually it ends up becoming a joke.But yes, temper is unwarranted. There is surely a calmer way of communicating, so what, if I cannot see the body language of the angry man, the tonality tells it all. A disabled individual is generally in search of acceptance and not to be identified as a disabled person

and then left to fend. Even a kind word may be misunderstood as pity if not accompanied with the right tonality. While the sighted are visually hyped, the blind are hyped auditorily. A good balanced way for the sighted to relate to the visually impaired is to ignore the absence of sight,

because, almost anything can be done by the blind.The fact is that the blind can perform several of the tasks, well, or even better than the sighted people. Blindness is Bliss!(The writer is a Bangalore based Counsellor and can be reached at [email protected]) n

in both the religious and worldly spheres.In the Madrasa, it must be noted,

only the teachings of Shariat based on Quran and Hadith are imparted, in which the adherents of all sects are welcome.The Madrasa is located at 22-28/1, V.M. Temple Road, Kanakapura Road Cross, Talaghatapura, Bangalore –62.Registered Office: New Generation Education Society, 34, Kanakapura Road,Basavanagudi, Bangalore- 04.

Contact: Sayeed Munaver – 98450 43275 / 98444 43275Hafiz Mutahar Sharif – 99162 49761 / 97312 20081

advertorial

Religious Strife ...entitled “Overcoming Extremism and Advancing Peace with Justice”, which lasted for two days in Yogyakarta and at Borobudur.The event was organized by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the Council of Buddhist Communities (Walubi) and sponsored by the International Forum on Buddhist-Muslim Relations (BMF).“We also recognize the need to

Guidance

Control Your Own DrawbridgeNever allow yourself to become public property, where

anyone can walk in and out at will.

By Henri Nouwen

You must decide for yourself to whom and when you give access to your interior life. For years you have permitted others to walk in and out of your life according to their needs and desires. Thus you were no longer master in your own house, and you felt increasingly used. So, too, you quickly became tired, irritated, angry, and resentful.Think of a medieval castle surrounded by a moat. The drawbridge is the only access to the interior of the castle. The lord of the castle must have the power to decide when to draw the bridge and when to let it down. Without such power, he can become the victim of enemies, strangers and wanderers. He will never feel at peace in his own castle.It is important for you to control your own drawbridge. There must be times when you keep your bridge drawn and have the opportunity to be alone or only

with those to whom you feel close. Never allow yourself to become public property, where anyone can walk in and out at will. You might think that you are

being generous in giving access to anyone who wants to enter or leave, but you will soon find yourself losing your soul.When you claim for yourself the power over your drawbridge, you will discover new joy and peace in your heart and find yourself able to share that joy and peace with others.(From Nouwen’s book, The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom, published in India by St Pauls, Mumbai) n

strengthen governmental measures against religiously motivated discrimination and violence,” Bellanwila said.Based on international instruments such as Article 20 of the ICCPR and the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18, he said all states should fulfill their responsibilities to protect their citizens from religious and racial discrimination and violence.Meanwhile, the International Movement for a Just World president Chandra Muzaffar, representing Muslim leaders, said leaders of both religions would encourage solidarity, joint strategic actions, education, advocacy and prevention of the emergence of conflicts.“We will also develop the effective use of media for positive messaging, particularly social and alternative media,” said Chandra Muzaffar. He went on to say that the meeting was very important in light of the potential for conflict between Buddhist and Muslim

communities in the South-east and South Asia regions, such as in Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.“If we want peace and justice, it is very important for Buddhists and Muslims to come together because these are two major world religions. If we look at Southeast Asia in particular, where 42 percent of Muslims and 40 percent of Buddhists are found, we find two almost equal communities and they must have good relationships,”Chandra argued. “The Yogyakarta Statement is very meaningful. It is not for Buddhists and Muslims only; it is for the whole world,” he said.Religions for Peace, deputy secretary general, Rev. Kyoichi Sugino said his organization would translate the Yogyakarta Statement into nine languages. “We will send it to young people around the world, so they can correct their leaders if they speak out wrongly,” said Sugino. n

Page 1

Page 23: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 23inspirinG people

Zekra Alwach Becomes Baghdad's First Woman Mayor

NEEDS Felicitates 10 Women

Zekra Alwach, a civil engineer and director general of the ministry of higher education, becomes the first female to be given such a post in the whole country, where international rights groups have condemned women's rights abuses. As mayor,the most important administrative position in the capital, Alwach will deal directly with Prime Minister Haider al-

Neo Educational and Economic Development Society (NEEDS) is an NGO doing yeoman community service in the Muslim areas in the Mumbai City. It was founded in 1993 by Prof. A.U. Khan. Every year on the International Women’s Day i.e. 8th March, NEEDS felicitates 10 outstanding women from across the country. Past recipients include celebrities like Teesta Setalvad, Abeda Inamdar, Rehana Undre etc. However Asif Khan, the spirit of the NGO expired three years ago. The Awards ceremony was not held during the last two years. This year, NEEDS revived this Award Function and felicitated 10 outstanding women doing yeoman service to Muslim community and to humanity in general. These included, Dr.

Meenakshi Bhate, Professor, KEM Medical College, Mumbai, Dr. Malika Mistry, Dr. Munza Naik, Sherbanoo, Dr. Umeda Merchant etc. Dr. Bhate, in collaboration with Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, she does community work to rehabilitate the rape victims. Dr. Muzna Naik, a young paediatrician, the grand-daughter of Dr. Abdul Karim Naik, was felicitated for her work in the Muslim community in respect of bringing awareness about health problems, time management, Islamic awareness etc. Dr. Malika Mistry was felicitated for her work on communal harmony, national integration, educational and developmental work in the community in the Pune region. Sherbanoo, Vice-President of World Memon Foundation was awarded for her work of providing

skills to girl-children and opportunities of livelihoods. Dr. Umeda Merchant was awarded for her work of setting up a Nursing School for Muslim girls and providing employment to them by placements. The awards were given away by Sudheendra Kulkarni, an intellectual, who earlier worked with the Prime Minister’s office. Eminent social worker Mrs. Hamida Bhiwandiwala gave away the Asif Khan Memorial Award to Gazala Azad, a well-known social worker from Bhindibazar area, Mumbai, for her contribution to the cause of upliftment of Muslim women by their empowerment in Mumbai city. She is the only Muslim lady teaching Civil Defence in Mumbai city.(Report by Malika Mistry in Pune)

10-year-old Autistic Boy Memorises Quran

Thair Abud’s 8,000 km Journey on Foot from Austria to Makkah

Shahir Amar Shaikh RememberedAncient Ring Links

Scandinavians to Islam

tidbits

Gaza (Palestine): A ten-year-old Palestinian boy from Gaza, Abu Musa despite suffering from autism has memorized the whole Quran in just one year. Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior. Parents

usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. An educational expert, Nedve Abdulal, from the private school where children with autism undergo rehabilitation, has said that the Gazan child, Khalid Abu Musa memorized the whole

Quran by listening to the verses being read to him repeatedly. Abu Musa has also learned to read and write, despite these things being extremely difficult for children with autism. In addition, he has been able to communicate with other children and play games, according to Daily Sabah. n

Dubai: An Austrian man is on a sacred mission to keep a promise he made to his sister battling cancer. A qualified civil engineer Thair Abud (49), who dumped a €10,000 plus (Dh42,000) job as general manager of an Austrian MNC, before setting out on the sacred journey, is expected to complete over 8000km route from Austria to Makkah in April 2015. Thair Abud started walking from his residence in Graz, Austria on July 25, 2014 in a pair of jeans and a T shirt. He reached Dubai in February 2015 - his fourth stop, according to Gulf News. After a short break in Dubai, he set out on his journey's last leg – a roughly 2,000km road trip via Salalah in Oman to Madinah, and eventually to Makkah, the final destination. While talking to Gulf News, Abud, son of an Iraqi father and a

German mother, recalled how it all began last summer. "It was", he remembers, "Following a 'short' 2,500km trip on foot from Austria to Santigo de Compostela in Spain the previous year after his sister, Zaussen, now 50, was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer." "When I arrived back home from Spain, she told me that when her pain was unbearable, she found comfort by following and reading up more about my trail. It is then I made an offering that if she turns healthy again, I will walk all the way from Graz to Makkah. "The day I reach Makkah, it will be the culmination of a word I gave to my sister after she was

detected with cancer. Today she has, after several rounds of chemotherapy, beaten the killer disease and is undergoing her breast reconstruction therapy," explained the father of three who speaks Italian and Spanish besides fluent Arabic, German and English. n

Abadi and has the prerogatives of a cabinet minister.Alwach's appointment is a breakthrough for gender equality in Iraq, where rights groups say, discrimination and violence against women is widespread.According to a U.N. report last year, at least a quarter of Iraqi women aged over 12 are illiterate and just 14 percent enter the world of work. n

Unveiling centuries-old close contact between Viking Age Scandinavians and the Islamic civilization, a silver ring engraved

with script that reads "for Allah" or "to Allah" has been discovered in Sweden. “The ring may constitute material evidence for direct interactions between Viking Age Scandinavia and the Islamic world," researchers from Stockholm University wrote in a

research published in scientific journal Scanning.Discovered in the late 1800s, the engraved ring is adorned with a violet-colored

precious stone, expected to be an amethyst.Decades after its discovery, the inscription on the stone was found to be either "for Allah" or "to Allah" in an ancient Arabic script. The antique, which was recovered at a Viking trading centre in Sweden

called Birka, was found in a grave, north of Borg on the Björkö Island. With clothes and jewellery around the decomposed skeleton, the grave is believed to be of a woman whose burial dates back to 850 AD.

(www.onislam.net)

Bhima-Neera Vikas Sanstha, Indapur, Maharasahtra, celebrated the birth anniversary of the revolutionary poet Amar Shaikh. This programme is held every year to identify the talented grassroots level workers and encourage them by giving awards. Amar Shaikh, whose original name was Meheboob Shaikh, was born on October 20, 2016 at Barsi, Solapur. He was a talented revolutionary poet. He worked as a cleaner in a truck. At the age of 16, he met Mahatma Gandhi in Kolhapur. He recited patriotic poems celebrating the praise of the Mahatma.

Gandhiji was so impressed by his poems that he gave him the titled of

‘Amar Shaikh’. Amar sheikh died in an accident at Indapur. His fans came together and have established an organisation to honour social workers at an award function every year for the last 30 years. Poona College Principal Dr. Nazeruddin gave away the awards. Presenting the awards, Dr. Nazeruddin said anything done with dedication and perfection is worship. He likened the work of the organization with worship and exhorted the members of the organization to continue to serve the people with devotion. (Reported by Malika B. Mistry from Pune) n

Page 24: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 24society & Humanity

South India Social Workers ConferencePlatform for Creative Interaction

The annual conclave has emerged as an unique opportunity for exchanging experiences. By A Staff Writer

Bengaluru: The Fourth South India Social Workers Conference held here on March 14 and 15 brought representatives of around 315 NGOs working in diverse fields, principally in the field of education, social welfare and health. The Conference was jointly hosted by the Cigma Foundation and the Lead Trust, Bengaluru.We highlight the work as shown by the PPTs by some of the prominent NGOs and important observations made by some participants. Role of AK Academy at Makkah Masjid, ChennaiMaulana Shamsudeen Salih Qasimi, the imam of the Makkah Masjid on Chennai’s main thoroughfare Anna Salai, started the campaign to persuade the Muslim youth to participate in competitive exams as the community was not able to even claim the 3.5 % quota reserved for it in the civil services in Tamil Nadu and not a single IAS or IPS officer has been selected from among Muslims in the State. He set up a hostel and coaching centre called Azhagiya Kadan IAS Academy in 2012 on the upper floor of the mosque related building under the aegis of Islamic Literacy Movement of India (ILMI). He toured the state and held nearly 100 meetings to motivate the Muslim youth. A total of 28 students were accommodated in the hostel. Last year, Mohammed Ashraf from the academy was able to crack the IAS. Again in December last year, 22 students from the Academy cleared the TNPSC exam. Currently, 50 students, 13 of them girls, are being coached in the Academy. Contact: http://akias.in Ph: 96000-06246 Muslim Industrialists Association, BengaluruIn 2006, several Muslim industrialists came together to form Muslim Industrialists Association (MIA). Since then, they have been conducting seminars and workshops for entrepreneurs and

exchanging information among themselves about increasing productivity, reduction of waste, time management and human resources management. Currently they have 170 active members who run industries that manufacture electrical panels, incandescent lamps, aeronautic components, hydraulic cylinders, lubricants, plywood etc. They have adopted several Urdu medium schools for

improvement of infrastructure and coaching and also disburse scholarships to the tune of Rs. 15 lakh. Mr. A. S. Khan is President of the Association (Ph: 97400-81456) and Meer Abdul Hafeez is secretary of the Association. Bearys Group of Institutions, MangaluruBearys Group has emerged as a builder and developer of innovative buildings in Bengaluru and Mangaluru. It was started by Mr. Syed Mohammad Beary who does not feel shy of telling that he was a school dropout. For the last few years, the Group expanded its activity to modern education and has set up several institutions which included Montessori schools, pre-primary schools, a couple of teachers training colleges, a first grade college, a computer training centre and Beary’s Institute of Technology. Around 2,700 students are studying in these institutions. View the profile: www.bearysgroup.com/education.asp Shaheen Group, BidarShaheen Group started in 1989 in Bidar, the northernmost district of Karnataka, capital of the Bahamani kingdom. It was set

up by Abdul Qadeer, an engineer. Shaheen has earned a name for itself through intensive and quality coaching. Its students top the list in the Bidar district. Hundreds of its boys and girls have entered engineering and medical colleges in the State. It has currently 8,000 students from 14 states on its rolls. It recently started PU colleges in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. www.shaheenpucollege.com, Ph:

93438-34681 Salvaging from Debt : TLF ProgrammeImagine who pays the highest rate of interest? You are wrong if you thought it is either industrialists, house-buyers or car-purchasers. It is the poorest or the poor people who mostly borrow for consumption purposes. They cough up as much as 150 to 255% extra on the principal to the moneylenders.Though it may not be unique to slums in Bengaluru, a group of young professionals from the city were galvanized into action to salvage the poor from the clutches of fleecing gangs of moneylenders. Thus was born The Lifeline Foundation (TLF) in 2007. Aim was to provide small loans, for banks cannot be accessed by the poor who have no wherewithal to withstand the cumbersome procedure. Eight years hence, the TLF has 15 branches across the city

with nearly 2,000 beneficiaries. It follows the Grameen model. The turnover during the last year has exceeded Rs. 1.25 crore. This has only made the TLF aware of the dire circumstances of the loan-seekers and has enabled it to help the really needy with scholarships, tuitions, medical assistance and zakat money, and in extreme cases even food and clothing. Having become acutely aware of

the foundational economics of this section, the TLF also imparts them lessons in ’12 Decisions for a Happy Life’ apart from life skills rooted in Islam. (Contact Ali Shariff for details email: [email protected]) Siasat Promotes Muslim

EmpowermentThe Urdu Daily Siasat has been promoting the cause of Muslim empowerment in Hyderabad. Its proactive role has resulted in 935 Muslim youth being recruited in the State police. The computer centres and scholarships offered by it have enabled nearly 17,000 boys and girls, dozens of them from among even non-Muslims landing up jobs in the Infotech Industry of Cyberabad and Hyderabad. Zafar MahmoodDr. Syed Zafar Mahmood, former IRS Officer and President, Zakat Foundation of India made a 45-minute presentation on coaching for Civil Services and the Role of NGOs. He presented several facts of Muslim representation in Politics and Government Jobs and the huge disparity in the population of Muslims and their percentage in Civil Services. He called upon the NGOs to prepare

the youngsters of the community for the UPSC exams. He exhorted the youth to opt for competitive exams and wanted the NGOs to prepare the students from 9th grade onwards. Rectifying the ImbalanceSenior journalist M. A. Siraj said the Muslims need to rectify the imbalanced professional profile of the community and direct youth to careers in journalism, chartered accountancy, law, social and political scientists and positions of Economists. He said most Muslim children only aspired to be doctors and engineers which led to dearth of professionals in other fields. He said knowledge was superpower in the current world, not the wealth. “Arabs had money but not dignity, because they do not have knowledge. Jews had knowledge and they rule the minds of the people, through media, research and lobbying.” He added. Dr. Taha Mateen, noted social worker and Director of HBS Hospital, Bengaluru called upon the NGOs to identify themselves with the values of honesty, sincerity, commitment and work for humanity. He also described the qualities of a social worker and what it means to be a social worker. He shared his vast experience as a social worker and doctor in the last 30 years. Other Speakers in the conference included Ameen e Mudassar,

The 4th Social Workers

conference brought in

315 NGOs this year.

Page 26

Page 25: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 25Global affairs

media & muslims

Gender Balance

Women in ParliamentIn the world ranking released by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in February 2015, Algeria stands on the 27th place while Tunisia shares 30th position with several other countries and Afghanistan is on 39th position.

Algeria emerges on the top of the list of Islamic countries with regard to representation of women in the Parliaments. The country has 93 women in the 253-member lower house of the Parliament for which election was held in 2012. Tunisia follows with second position with 31.3% of representation by women. Surprisingly, Afghanistan has the third largest percentage of women with 27.7% of Parliament members being women.However, in the world ranking released by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in February 2015, Algeria stands on the 27th place while Tunisia shares 30th position

with several other countries and Afghanistan is on 39th position. Pakistan is on 64th place with 20.7% of Parliamentary seats

being held by women. Bangladesh comes on 68th position with 20% seats represented by women.

However, in both these countries 30 seats are reserved for women members to be nominated. India is on 105th position with 65 of

the 543 members being women. Election for the lower house or the Lok Sabha were held in 2014.

Efforts to reserve 33% seats for women in the Lok Sabha have not materialized during the last two decades.United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Morocco have 79th, 81st and 82nd ranks. Iran, Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Qatar share the lowest rankings i.e., between 130 and 140. Sudan is surprisingly high in ranking with 121 of its MPs or 86 of the 354 Parliament members being women. Turkey, the most developed country among the Muslims nations is on 91st position with 14.4% of its Parliament members being women.

Rankings of some of the most developed countries are given below (with percentage shown in bracket): USA 77th rank (19.4%), Germany 27th (36%), Spain 12th (41%), France 45th (26.2%), Denmark 17th (38%), Switzerland (34%), Italy 32nd (30%), Australia 43rd (36.5%). Russian Federation is on 96th position with merely 13% women representatives.The countries that top the chart are Rwanda, Bolivia and Andorra, (all in Africa) each having more than 50% women in parliaments.(Source: http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm) n

Muslims Advised to Celebrate Diversity Movies in Mumbai have played a negative role in projecting the image of

Muslims as extremists and perpetuating them.

By A Staff Writer

Veteran journalist Mr. N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu underscored here on March 17, the need to undertake research studies on the deviation of the media from the guidelines enshrined in the constitution.

Maligning Must StopSpeaking as the Chief Guest at the inaugural session of the two-day international conference on ‘Muslims, Media and Democracy—prospects and challenges’ at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad, Mr. Ram said that the few studies that have been done in the aftermath of the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 and the pogrom that took place in Gujarat in 2002 have indicated the heavily biased role played by a section of the media then. Hindi and Gujarati media agencies did not realize that they have to present an objective picture of the situation. They both took sides that inflicted immense damage to the secular ethos of the country. But no proper study was taken up to find out why that serious deviation of the principled path had taken place.He offered assistance from the Chennai based Asian School of Journalism to MANUU for taking up research on issues of national

importance, particularly related to minorities and their language. He also advised the Muslims to follow the model of Tamil speaking Muslims in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka who have become some of the finest scholars in that

language.Four eminent journalists from Pakistan had joined their fellow Indian professionals to discuss issues related to Minorities.

Shekhar GuptaIn his keynote address, Shekhar Gupta, Editor in Chief of Indian Express, spoke about the inclusiveness and sweetness of the Urdu language and said that its speakers should try to enlarge the audience base by writing the language in Roman script too. He said that the allegation that Urdu was a foreign language which was exported to Pakistan during

partition has no basis at all. It is a language of emotions that connects people with words of love.Gupta who is also a popular TV personality said that the movies in Mumbai have played a negative role in projecting the image

of Muslims as extremists and perpetuating them. The movie makers and media organizations should not indulge in maligning a community. They should be careful when they are dealing with sensitive subjects such as communalism.He said that Muslims in India have followed leaders from other communities to resolve their social, economic and political problems. This positive sign should be highlighted, he suggested.

Rajdeep SardesaiNoted TV personality Rajdeep Sardesai said that the TV channels

are more worried about increasing their TRP and in the process consolidating negative images of groups of people including the Muslims.He advised the media to strike a balance in reporting and should

stay away from targeting or praising one political party or the other.

Lord Meghnad DesaiNoted Indian-British economist and political thinker Lord Meghnad Desai said that the Indian society should become bold enough to discuss, debate and celebrate its differences.Describing India as a nation of nations, he said that even the Hindus who form

the majority in the country are not without serious differences within their fold. “Relax, don’t worry. India will never break up. The divergence in India and its elasticity will keep it together,” he assured the audience that comprised media experts, academicians and students in large numbers.The expert who flew in from Britain said that India will not allow any group of people to become an independent State. “The Union of India will never allow it because that is the basis on which the union is formed,” he said while addressing the

valedictory session of the two-day seminar.Lord Meghnad said that his perception of the Indian history changed when he first read India Wins Freedom by Maulana Azad because it gave an altogether different picture of who played what role in the partition of India. Since then it became clear that there cannot be ‘one unified monolith history’ of a nation though the schools would continue to teach a goody, goody history. Each group of people would have its own interpretation of history. But that is nothing to worry about as people would anyway would get to know what they look for. “India became a nation in a true sense of the term only when it became a republic in 1950 and it is still in the making,” he said. He described the story of Blacks in the USA as its birth mark, similarly partition of India is its birthmark.Chancellor of MANUU, Mr. Zafar Sareshwala asked the Muslims to do introspection so as to understand limitations and overcome them. Prof. Mohammad Miyan, Vice Chancellor of e MANUU, asked the students to be tolerant towards differences, whatever could be the basis for that. “We should learn that humans have been bought with difference of opinion leading to diversity,” he said. n

N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu addressing the participants.

Page 26: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 26national affairs

Dear Readers We wish to inform you that Islamic Voice takes no responsibility for the validity of the commercial or matrimonial advertisements which are published in the paper. The information and content in the advertisements has to be verified by the readers themselves if they are using the products and the services.

Editor

India is Facing a Youth Bulge

Changing Pattern of Workforce India needs to bring greater number of workers into the organized sector.

The fact that 93% of India’s labour force is in the unorganized sector should be shocking, but it hardly causes any surprise within India. Why? The sheer vastness of the people in the working age and their availability at cheaper rate, obviates the need for providing job security, minimum assured wages and observance of norms of safety. For every worker retrenched, a cheaper labourer is available. Before we take a look at the labour situation, let us know what the organized or unorganized labour means. Organised Labour: Those who work in registered workplaces, factories or workshops, and have assured work, holidays, leave, health benefits, retirement benefits, are covered under Minimum Wages Act, are termed Organised Labour.

Unorganised Labour: Those who work in unregistered establishments, have no fixed minimum wages, do not receive health, leave, retirement benefits

and are not assured of quantity of work are called Unorganised Labour.

Youth BulgeIndia is facing a youth bulge i.e.,

about 500 million people are in the working age (15-50 years) category. While youthfulness is receding in major countries of the world, India can be proud

of having the largest productive population. But that could happen only if these people are educated and skilled. Viewed from this angle, 93% of this workforce being in unorganized sector does not sound well. So the basic challenge before us is: To increase the employability of the youth. This becomes more important now because economy is showing a major shift from Agriculture to Industry and Services. The Industry and Services require 120 million skilled workers.

Low WagesFor inclusive and sustained

growth, fair wages are a necessity. But Indian wages are low. For example, a farm labourer gets an average of Rs. 267 a day. In case of women, this comes down to Rs. 187. If their kids are also involved, in less arduous work like sowing, they earn Rs. 125. An electrician earns Rs. 367 and a construction worker gets Rs. 275 on an average day. A fisherman can take home between Rs. 268 to Rs. 311, depending on the amount of catch. A worker employed in a factory earns Rs. 6,488 in Vadodara, or Rs. 7,558 in Kolkata or Rs. 9,769 in Chennai.

Poor RecordFew in the workforce have access to benefits guaranteed under the law. For instance, women should be given maternity benefits under the Maternity Benefit Act 1961. But look at 2012 statistics: only 2,441 women claimed maternity benefits across 84,956 factories. Similarly, the employers are supposed to provide crèches for infants of the women labourers. But in 2012, only 3,289 factories provided the crèches i.e., 2,389 in Tamil Nadu and 58 in Gujarat.

Written ContractsWritten contracts are the basic

condition for an employee to access the benefits permissible for an employee. But 93% of casual workers and 66% of salaried employees have no written contracts. Only 22% reported receiving paid leave.

Need of the HourThe need of the hour is to revise the Minimum Wages Act annually and should be adjusted with inflation and it needs to be enforced rigorously.Contract workers who are currently not covered by Minimum Wages Act, should be brought under Workmen’s Compensation Act 1923, inflation-linked wages and limited social security benefits from the Employees State Insurance Act 1948 and Maternity Benefits Act.India needs 120 million skilled people in the non-farm sector as it progresses towards more urbanization. They will enter the labour force as apprentices. Care should be taken that they are not transformed into contract labourers. Overall, there is a need to formalize the entire workforce in India for an orderly growth of economy. n

Director, Cigma Foundation and the convener of the Conference, Abdul Qadeer, Founder Secretary of Shaheen Group of Institutions, Bidar ; S. A. Kabeer, Chairman, Alpine Group of Institutions, Misbahuddin, Executive Director, MS Academy, Hyderabad ; Mrs. Ayesha Wajid, Chairman, Meher Foundation ; Balaji A Sarma, Vice President, Labour Net Services, Bangalore ; Dr. Ali Khwaja, Chairman, Banjara Academy ; Dr. Benazeer Baig, Founder, Raza Educational Trust ; Ramesh

Swamy, Trustee, Unnati Vocational Training Centre, Bangalore ; Syed Habeeb Pasha, Chief Coach, Lifebridge Finishing School ; A.S. Khan, President, Muslim Industrialists Association ; Shoaib Ahmed, Digital Marketing Expert, CIGMA INDIA ; Arham Faraaz, Secretary, Lead Trust.(NGOs interested in the Souvenir and DVD can call CIGMA Foundation at 080-41554225 / 80500 67687 or visit www.cigmafoundation.org to buy online.)

Page 24

Creative Interaction...

Page 27: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 27CHILDREN'S CORNER

Enhance Your

Word Power

Words Related with the Railways

Coach, Bogey, Carriage, Wagon: An enclosed car for carrying passenger or goods. (ریل اک ڈاب)

Coupling: A device for connecting railway coaches. (دو ڈبوں ےکدرمیان اک جوڑ)

Goods Train: A train that transports goods, not people. (مال گاڑی)

Junction: a place where several routes, lines, or roads meet, link, or cross each other: (جنکشن)

Broadgauge: A rail track with 5 feet 6 inches distance between two rails. (ساڑےھ پاچن فیٹ چوڑی پرٹی)

Metre gauge: A rail track with one metre (3 feet and 3 inches) distance between two rails. (ایک میرٹ چوڑی پرٹی)

Narrow gauge: A rail track with 2.6 feet distance between two rails. (ڈھایئ فیٹ چوڑی پرٹی)

Loco foreman: A road foreman of engines is the traditional title of the person in charge of and the supervisor of, a locomotive engineer. (ریل اجنینرئ)

Locomotive: A usually electric or diesel-powered, for pulling or pushing freight or passenger cars on railroadtracks. (ریل اجنن)

Level Crossing: A crossing where railway tracks crosses a road, generally guarded with gates on either side to bar road traffic when train is passing. (لیول کراسسنگ)

Metro: An underground, or largely underground, railway system in certain cities run on electricity. تر شہروں ےک) زایدہ ٹرین، دوز زمنی (اندر چلنے وایل

Monorail: A single rail serving as a track for wheeled vehicles traveling on it or suspended from it. (ایک پرٹی وایل پر چلنے وایل ٹرین)

Marshalling Yard: Marshalling Yard is a place or depot where railway wagons are shunted and made up into trains and where engines, carriages etc are kept when not in use. (جہاں ڈبوں کو جوڑ کر ٹرین بنایئ جایت ےہ)Pit-line: A rail track with pit between the two rails, used for washing the wagons. (ڈبوں کو دھوےن وایل پرتی)

Pointsman: A railway worker who looks after points for changing railway tracks. (پائنٹس منی)

PNR: Passenger Name Record, a 10-digit number given to each ticket. (دس ہندسوں والامصفی منرب) Turntable: A section of track that can rotate, allowing locomotives and rolling stock to be reversed. پلٹاای) کو اجنن جہاں ڈیوائس ایسا ایک (جاات ےہ

Terminus: The station at the endpoint from where trains cannot move further and have to turn back.

اخری اسسٹیشن جہاں ےس ٹرین اےگ نہںی) (جایت

A Lesson Worth Learning Tales Time

It was the last Saturday of the month. As usual, Rasheed was walking briskly towards the Bus Stand. The first bus to Jafferabad would leave at 5 am and he still had 30 minutes in hand to be in time for the bus. Not a single soul could be seen as far as the sight could travel. The eerie silence of the street was getting ruptured by the barks of the stray dogs from some remote quarter of the town.Having crossed the park and the three streets, Rasheed took the final turn towards the Bus Stand. He was soon passing by the Babajan’s Fair Price Depot where stood a long line of cans arranged in a queue waiting for the kerosene van to arrive with the week’s supplies. But something struck him this time. A small boy stood there in a corner, half clothed and shivering in the early winter cold. He looked at his watch and the next moment his gaze was scrutinizing the lad.“Beta! What are you doing here at this moment? Where do you live? What’s your name? Rasheed unleashed the queries in a jiffy. “Uncle! I am here waiting for the kerosene tanker. Look there! The jar on the seventh place is mine. I am here looking after my jar, lest someone took it away. My name is Sultan and we live in the street on the rear of the Depot.” The boy uttered all that hurriedly, his

voice laced with fright. Rasheed: “Beta! There are plenty of cans in the queue. They will be filled when their turn comes. None of those cardholders is

here. You too should go home, catch some sleep and collect the can after the tanker has left. It might be that you have to leave for school in the morning. ……...Don’t you attend a school?”Sultan: “Uncle! Of course, I am enrolled in a school. But I attend it just twice or thrice a week. See, last month someone took away my kerosene can. Though it was rickety and nothing pricey, my mom did not eat properly for next three days. I worked in a shop for three days to collect some money to buy this new jar. I can sacrifice some part of my daily sleep but

I cannot see my mom shunning food again. Here I am, keeping a vigil for my mom, just part of a night a month. Nothing else”.“May God bless you, my son!”

Rasheed tweaked Sultan’s cheeks and walked away from the place towards the Bus Stand.Sultan’s word kept echoing into Rasheed’s ears. “Just three days’ food and Sultan could sacrifice his sleep for the sake of his mother. Here I am, with no time for my parents, even though I have been visiting them all these years. They deserve my care more than the money I place in their hands. I must change”. The little Sultan had awakened the man inside him. (Translated from Urdu by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj)

Retiring room: Rooms for stay of passengers at railway stations. (ریلوے قیام گاہ)

Vestibule: A passage between two railway coaches.

یک) درمیان ےک ڈبوں ےک گاڑی مسافر (گزرگاہ

(Note: Broadgauge, Metregauge, and Narrow Gauge measurements are according to standards gauges in Indian Railways. They could be different for different countries.) n

Schoolboy Hosts Lunch for 100 Cleaners

Jeddah: A compassionate Saudi elementary school student, moved by the difficult job of workers cleaning the city’s streets, has helped organize a lunch for 100 of them at his home. Azzam Ahmad

Al-Ghamdi, a pupil at Jeel Al-Faisal Elementary School, said

that he had watched the workers over a period and wanted to do something special for them, to show that their efforts are important for the community.Al-Ghamdi said he went to his

father, explained what he wanted to do, and asked for help to speak with the workers and raise money for the meals. His father surprised him by agreeing to set up the lunch, the youngster said.Al-Ghamdi said that he could not invite every single worker in the city to the lunch, but wanted to send a message that these workers were performing an important civic function and should be supported. Al-Ghamdi said that he was sure that many other citizens would also like to organize similar

charitable events, but do not have the time to do so.

Page 28: Islamic Voice April 2015 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, April 2015 28Coming Out of Our Shells in South AfricaThe “Discover Yourself”

Workshop was held in Cape Town, Durban, Midrand and

Pretoria in South Africa in March 2015. Some of the participants share

their experiences after the Workshop.

It was a great experience, getting out of my shell, being myself, opening up and letting �go.My life style and my approach has changed and I am growing spiritually, �A great simple perspective to live in this modern world. �I came in with lots of questions on my mind, but I leave with all answers. �I realized I was an enemy to myself and what is holding me back in life. �I had no direction, but I have got the direction, wish every human �being experiences this.It is inspiring and life changing for me. I want to thank Sadathullah �Khan Sir and the organizers for bringing this wonderful workshop.Powerful speaker, life changing and truly inspiring. �It was great. My mind-set has changed and I will never take drugs �in my life again. I have learned to see things clearly.The workshop was unique and empowering. I ‘discovered myself’ that there is nothing �stopping me, but ‘Me’. I need to change my attitude and confront my ego.I am going to create my journey by taking Allah’s belief system and give up all the �belief systems I had adopted right from childhood.This workshop is about heaven on earth. �It helped me to realize that I have been judging people at face value and have been too �judgmental and reactive.It is very beneficial and makes you aware of accepting external world as Allah’s �reality.It united me with my family, especially with my mother after five years. It is just so �inspiring and motivating.The workshop opened up the veils and removed the blockages. �I found it very enlightening, opened my eyes in many ways. �All I can say- Thank you Allah for choosing me to attend this helpful workshop. �Everything was so clear and excellent.

life & relationsHips

ZAHIDA: It was of great personal benefit. It helped me get through all my sorrow and pain of losing my son. I became very strong, and I am here every year getting stronger day by day.

SADIA: I was in your workshop for the first time in 2007 when I was married for only a year and was really heading for a divorce. The workshop changed me and it made a difference that I brought my hubby next year to your workshop. We are now married for eight years and still working on a better relationship with all the challenges. Khan Sir, “May Allah fulfill all your duas, dreams, make you prosperous and successful, Ameen!

SALIE: My life was quite unconscious, day in and day out, not quite knowing where I fit in anywhere. I was on the back burner for far too long and bit off more than I could chew. It led to depression.. This workshop opened my eyes, heart and soul. It brought forth the consciousness of my Real Self. The in depth explanation made me aware of my ego, the liar who was taking over my life and ruining my life. I was saved by this very wonderful workshop, I discovered my new Me! I am happier now with myself and my family as they are and they can now notice it in me.

PANDU : I feel confident to practice to be in a state of consciousness and be in the world of reality. The concept and the techniques taught were clear. I am determined to practice them and gain the benefit for my peace and happiness and not discontinue the practice.

SULEMAN: Life was always about why, why and looking for answers that nobody could answer. I am feeling different and see people for who they are and not as what I think.

SABEERA: I was like the anaconda. Thinking and reacting with my ego. Thinking I am right, and treating the family as objects. At that time I did not see it. I have now able to distinguish between the whisperer and my true self.

I am going to treat them with love and break down that wall I put up. I am very glad to have attended this workshop, I will apply everything I learnt in the workshop in my life, Inshallah.

YOUSUF: It is a life changing experience. I have understood that the world has problems and it begins with an individual. Self-deception is the root and understanding how to combat it- is the solution. I have learned that the problem is within me and I can move forward. I have made new friends and hope someday soon to inspire a change in others. I am going to give up my drugs and wrapped perception.

KHATIJA: My life was focused on my past experiences. The workshop has taught me to focus on the truth and the reality of the present. I enjoyed it thoroughly although it was tiring. It is very practical from the work and family perspective.

AHMED: I am a recovering drug addict and now I am on a journey for self-discovery. Before the workshop, I used to doubt myself and always took other people’s opinion about me into consideration and so I made my life on their opinions. After the workshop, I now believe what other people’s opinion about me should not affect me. It’s how I feel about myself and how I can move forward in life and I built that self-confidence in myself, along with loads of positivity.

NASEEMA: I was almost and always in the past or the future state, continuously worrying, thinking, analysing, continuously judging and blaming. I never

lived in the present state. Now I am connected to my Lord, choose to submit to every situation and am able to look for solutions.

ZAIDI: An eye opener. I was continuously living in denial, opinionated, judgmental and made myself suffer. People noticed good things in me but I was so focused on “Myself” that I lost my “I” in “Myself”. I had built my life around the opinions I had created. I realised my denial and liberated myself.

SADAF: I always wanted things to be my way. I saw everyone wrong and only my way right. The workshop helped me to distinguish, when I am in denial or submission. I am committed to make a difference to humanity and find a way to educate children from the under privileged communities. I will commit myself to keeping my word.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULEWORKSHOP IN UDUPI

DATES: 17, 18, 19 APRIL 2015 Venue: MET Public School, Udyavara, UDUPI-574118. Karnataka

For Booking & Info Contact: Khaleel Ahmed, 0820-2525600 (O), 9844741969, 9448823885

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

WORKSHOP IN BAHRAINDATES: 30, 01 & 02 MAY 2015

Venue: Ibn Al-HYtham School, KaranaOrganized by: Indian Welfare Association (Dawah Wing)

For Booking & Info Contact: Imran: 39106822, Sarwar: 38214017Email: [email protected]

WORKSHOP IN OSMANABADDATES: 08, 09 & 10 MAY 2015

For Booking & Info Contact: Mr. Zulfequar : 9423074458Email: [email protected]

WORKSHOP IN HYDERABADDATES: 15, 16 & 17 MAY 2015

Organized by: FEAT - Foundation for Education, Appreciation & Training

For Booking & Info Contact: Dr. S.I. Showkath Ali : 9885247333, [email protected]

WORKSHOP IN KARIMNAGAR DATES: 22, 23 & 24 MAY 2015

Organized by; MESWAK (Muslim Educational Social Welfare Association of Karimnagar)

Telangana State.Contact: Dr. Syed Imam Showkath Ali,

+91-9885247333 / 8125247333, Email: [email protected]

WORKSHOP IN COCHINDATES: 27, 28 & 29 MAY 2015

Organized by: Al-Ameen Institutions, CochinFor Booking & Info Contact:

Mr Tanvir Haque: 9845540751, Email: [email protected]

MORE INFORMATIONVISIT: www.discoveryourself.in

Email: [email protected].

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