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Kaltner thinks similarities between the Qur'an and the Bible are important to clear misconceptions about Islam in the post-9/11 era
Cairo: An American professor is highlighting similarities between the Noble Qur'an and the Bible as a way to clear misconceptions about Islam and Muslims in the world.
"One of the things right off the bat that shocks Christians and Jews very often if they haven't read the Qur’an much is the fact that there are these biblically affiliated stories and traditions in the Qur’an," John Kaltner, a professor of Muslim-Christian relations at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, told Star Tribune.
Kaltner is an associate professor of religious studies at Rhodes College, where he teaches courses on the Bible, Islam, and Arabic.
He is the author of several books, including Ishmael Instructs Isaac: An Introduction to the Qur'an for Bible Readers and The Old Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content, which he coauthored with Steven L. McKenzie.
Kaltner will lecture on March 19, on similarities between Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
The lecture, themed "Moses, Jesus and Mary in the Qur’an” at University of St. Thomas at the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center on the St. Paul campus, will also show shared details in the stories told in Qur’an and Bible.
For example, in the story of Prophet Moses’ birth, the Qur’an highlights similar details of the story while focusing on the role of Allah in each and every step.
"For example, in the biblical story, God is completely missing in the story of Moses in the basket on the river. Not a single reference," he said.
"But in the Qur’anic story, God is all over the place. That is because of the Islamic view of God as being ultimately behind everything. Engaged and very much controlling things.”
In the story of Jesus, the Qur’an refers more than once to his virginal conception, Kaltner adds."At its very heart and understanding, Islam is intimately connected to the people of the Bible," he said.
Muslims believe in Jesus as one of the great Prophets of God and that he is the son of Mary but not the Son of God. He was conceived and born miraculously.
In the Noble Qur’an, Jesus is called "Isa". He is also known as Al-Masih (the Christ) and Ibn Maryam (Son of Mary).
As for his crucifixion, Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified but was lifted up to heaven.
Islam Misconceptions
Kaltner thinks these similarities are important to clear misconceptions about Islam in the post-9/11 era.
"The text of the Qur’an ... it functions in a way very similar to the Bible in that it's meant to be a road map and a guide for people to live their lives," he said.
The US professor says that many misconceptions about Islam were shaped in the minds of non-Muslims who tend to stereotype the religious minority.
"It’s absolutely essential we know as much as we can about people who are different from ourselves.
"In the case of Islam, it's particularly important because of the events of 9/11 ... that have shaped the perceptions of many non-Muslims and have led to a reliance on stereotypes ... of Muslims that just perpetuate and spiral into serious problems."
Since 9/11, US Muslims, estimated between six to seven million, have become sensitized to an erosion of their civil rights, with a prevailing belief that America was stigmatizing their faith.
Anti-Muslim frenzy has grown sharply in the US in recent months over plans to build a mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks in New York, resulting in attacks on Muslims and their property.
Moreover, US Muslims have sensed a growing hostility following a hearing presented by representative Peter King on what he described as “radicalization” of US Muslims.
Lawmakers in at least 15 states have introduced proposals forbidding local judges from considering Shari`ah when rendering verdicts on issues of divorces and marital disputes.
A Gallup poll had also found that the majority of US Muslims are patriot and loyal to their country and are optimistic about their future.
(Courtesy: OnIslam.net)
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A report by the Muslim helpine found that women were the prime target of racial attacks in Britain last year
Cairo: A Muslim helpline has found that women are taking the full brunt of anti-Muslim discrimination and racial hatred in Britain, criticizing the police for failing to provide a helping hand to victims.
“We are calling on police and politicians to do more to tackle this shameful wave of fear and prejudice,” Fiyaz Mughal, coordinator of Tell MAMA helpline and director of non-profit group Faith Matters, told The Guardian.
“From the internet, to the workplace, the street and even houses of worship, too often Muslim women and men are becoming the target of vicious, sometimes violent, abuse.”
A report compiled from complaints to the Muslim helpline over the past year found that women were the prime victims of racial attacks.
It found that 58% of victims in 630 racial incidents recorded in the past year were women.The report revealed that the majority of physical assaults on the streets targeted women wearing Islamic clothing.
The most shocking attacks included a family being forced from their home in Nottinghamshire.
A five-year-old Muslim girl was also knocked over by a hit-and-run driver and a Somali lady who had dog faeces placed on her head by a white man while shopping in south London.
High-profile female targets have included communities minister Lady Warsi who was threatened online by an English Defence League (EDL) member.
Another attack targeted the 14-year-old son of journalist Jemima Khan, who received anti-Muslim comments on Twitter.
Of the perpetrators, the majority were subsequently found to have had links to recognized far-right groups such as the EDL or the British National Party (BNP), the report found.
Members of the BNP or EDL were involved in 54% of all incidents, with average age between 21 and 30.
The recorded information provided to the helpline has led to the arrests of 21 far-right EDL supporters, with more than 40 incidents reported against EDL leader Tommy Robinson.
Launched a year ago, Tell Mama (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) is an initiative run by interfaith group Faith Matters.
The helpline is meant to shed light on the actual scale of anti-Muslim discrimination to help uproot the problem.
Police Failure
The report also criticized the British police for failing to provide a helping hand to victims of anti-Muslim discrimination.
“The police frequently fail to take victim statements, fail to appreciate the terrifying effects of these incidents upon women and vulnerable children," said Mughal, a former adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
“Few police forces even bother to record Islamophobia as part of their reporting systems.”The Muslim leader called on the British police to improve their recording of Islamophobic crimes.
“More training is needed at a time when police are facing budget cuts; we need more leadership too from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which, unhelpfully, has talked about fewer rather than more social media prosecutions.”
At the moment, just two forces, the Metropolitan police and City of London police, currently record anti-Muslim crimes separately.
Mughal urged the Home Office to take over monitoring of online hate and far-right groups from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
"Recent history shows us what happens if we allow our fears to run unchecked," he said.“Demonization of 'the other', misguided beliefs that Muslims are somehow a monolithic block, unchecked lies that Islam is a violent religion or that British Muslims wish to abuse white girls must be challenged.”
The results follow a report by think-tank Chatham House which identified a considerable Islamophobic sentiment in Britain, detecting a "wide reservoir of public sympathy for claims that Islam and the growth of settled, Muslim communities pose a fundamental threat to the native group and nation."
Hostility against British Muslims, estimated at nearly 2.5 million, have been on the rise since 2005’s 7/7 attacks.
Police data shows that 1,200 anti-Muslim attacks were reported in Britain in 2010.A Financial Times opinion poll showed that Britain is the most suspicious nation about Muslims.
A poll of the Evening Standard found that a sizable section of London residents harbor negative opinions about Muslims.
(Courtesy: OnIslam.net)
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The hijab “is what you see on the outside. But the strength is what’s inside," Mayor Babic said
Cairo: The election of the first hijab-clad mayor in Bosnia is raising high hopes among Muslims to change the prevailing misconceptions about the headscarf in the country and across Europe.
“People think that if you are covered, you’re stupid,” Senada Spahovic, 46, who works as a cook at an Islamic boarding school just outside of Visoko, told The Washington Post on Sunday, March 10.
“This is my shield on my head.”
Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.
The Muslim headscarf has long been a part of life in Bosnia, especially in rural areas.
But hijab dropped away under the communist rule, pushing many Muslims to take off the outfit.But the election of Amra Babic in November as the mayor of Visoko municipality in central Bosnia has raised hopes to change the perceptions about the Muslim headscarf.
“I am European, I am Muslim. This is my identity,” Babic, a mother of three, said.
The hijab “is what you see on the outside. But the strength is what’s inside, not to do bad deeds. To live my life in honesty, and not to speak the language of hate.”
The Muslim headscarf has been in the eye of storm in the West in recent years.
In 2004, France banned the wearing of hijab in schools and public places. The country also banned the Muslim face-veil several years later.
Several European countries have engaged in debates on banning the Muslim outfit in public places.
Proud Muslims
The election of the hijab-clad mayor is seen as helping more public expression of Islam in Bosnia.
“She means something new here, not just for Bosnia but for Europe too,” Sumejja Essidiri, 19, who was in a study hall of tittering girls, told The Washington Post.
“When we cover our heads we say, ‘Okay, I’m a Muslim and I’m open,’ ” she said.
Bosnian women who do not wear hijab are also proud of the veiled mayor.
“We are proud that she was elected,” Jasmina Ismic, 60, a Visoko native with a stylish brown bob, said.
Though hijab is increasingly visible on the streets, Bosnian Muslims complain of discrimination because of their headscarf.
Muslim women in the army have complained of being harassed if they cover their heads.The country has also been gripped by a heated debate on allowing veiled women to serve in the judiciary.
“During communism, you didn’t have educated women wearing the head scarf rising to positions of prominence,” said Djermana Seta, the head of the research at the NAHLA Center for Education and Research.
Even now, Seta said, “the main sentiment is, ‘This is an uneducated, rural woman.’”
Bosnia, a small country on the Balkan Peninsula, is home to three ethnic "constituent peoples": mainly Muslim Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats.
Out of Bosnia and Herzegovina's nearly 4 million population, some 40 percent are Muslims, 31 percent Orthodox Christians and 10 percent Catholics.
The country is facing numerous problems as unemployment, which rocketed to about 50 percent.
Distrust is also high among the country’s ethnic groups and official corruption is rampant.However, the Muslim mayor, whose husband was killed before giving birth to her youngest child, is resolved to solve problems facing her town.
“Ordinary people don’t need much,” said Babic.
“They just need to feel that someone is looking after them.”
(Courtesy: OnIslam.net)
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By Jinjoo Lee
After spending about two years gaining University approval and securing a home, the Muslim community is celebrating the recent establishment of a Muslim cultural center — the first of its kind — at Cornell.
The center — which has been under consideration since 2010 — was established in January after “countless meetings” with several University administrators, according to Nayab Mahmood ’14, internal vice president of the Committee for the Advancement of Muslim Culture.“We had to both convince them of the need for such a center and then convince them that it is a priority so that the logistics could be worked out,” she said.
Dean of Students Kent Hubbell ’67 said that although creating the center was "something [he] wanted to do from the outset," administrators "just had to find ways to do it." He added that “students who wanted to make this happen were wonderful. They were patient with us.”
Administrators and students said they began working on plans for the center at the beginning of the semester.
The space — which will be located in 208 Willard Straight Hall — will both “showcase [the] diversity of Muslim culture” and “provide support for anybody identifying with Muslim groups,” according to Ihsan Kabir ’14, president of CAMC, who took part in planning the center.
“The group will provide support for students with any kind of a Muslim background, regardless of whether or not they are practicing,” Kabir said, adding that “there are many students that show up to CAMC that don’t show up during Friday prayers.”
Furthermore, the space will be used to reach out to non-Muslim communities, students said.“The Muslim Cultural Center can become a hub for non-Muslims to reach out and meet Muslims, humanizing the image of Islam on campus,” Mahmood said.Kabir said the CAMC has led outreach efforts to other communities on campus, holding dinner discussions with groups like Ga’avah — a Jewish LGBT group at Cornell — last semester and the Sigma Phi fraternity two weeks ago.
“Those [events] didn’t actually take place in the cultural center, but we’re already doing outreach events with groups that traditionally don’t affiliate with Muslims,” he said.Although the space is officially designated as a Muslim cultural center, it will not be fully available for use until next semester, because the space has been reserved by other student organizations for meetings, according to Kabir.
Mahmood said receiving the administration’s approval for the center was significant for the Muslim community.
“Getting the go-ahead for this center was huge. It means the administration really understands the needs of the Muslim community and is ready to work with us to make our community more diverse and inclusive,” she said.
Susan Murphy ’73 Ph.D. ’94, vice president for student and academic services, said the center plays a “symbolic role” for the Muslim community at Cornell.“It makes it very clear that we have a vibrant Muslim student community and a leadership we value,” she said.
(Courtesy: The Cornell Daily Sun)
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Sri Lankan scholars said that halal certification would now be limited to exports meant for Muslim countries
Colombo: In a dear sacrifice to save their country’s harmony, Muslim scholars in Sri Lanka decided Monday, March 11, to give up the halal logo on all products to help ease tension with Buddhists.
“We are giving up what is very important to Muslims,” Rizwe Mufthi of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), Sri Lanka's main body of Muslim scholars, told Zee News.
“We are making a sacrifice in the interest of peace and ethnic harmony.”
The Muslim scholar said consumer products on supermarket shelves would no longer carry the halal certification.
Tension has been growing in Sri Lanka over halal meat in the Buddhist-majority country.
A hardline Buddhist group known as "Bodu Bala Sena", or Buddhist Force, has called for banning the sale of halal food in Sri Lanka, a call resisted by the government.
The group has staged rallies to call for a boycott of halal products in the country.
The hardline group has also given an ultimatum to Muslims to shelve all halal products by the end of March.
It argues that non-Muslims, mostly Buddhists, are being forced to consume food items certified halal.
In an earlier effort to diffuse tensions, the ACJU said that halal products would only be offered to Muslims, a proposal that was dismissed by hardline Buddhists.
The concept of halal, -- meaning permissible in Arabic -- has traditionally been applied to food.Muslims should only eat meat from livestock slaughtered by a sharp knife from their necks, and the name of Allah, the Arabic word for God, must be mentioned.
Now other goods and services can also be certified as halal, including cosmetics, clothing, pharmaceuticals and financial services.
Halal Exports
Sri Lankan scholars said that halal certification would now be limited to exports meant for Muslim countries.
ACJU said the halal certificates will be issued free of charge only to exporters who request it.
"Until all such stocks are finished the market will have products with the Halal logo," said the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
Officials urged the manufacturers to begin the process of changing the packaging immediately to ensure products without the halal logo are available in the market.
Sri Lankan Muslims, known as “Moors”, are the third largest ethnic group in the country after the Sinhalese, who make up 70 percent of the populace, and Tamils, who account for 12.5 percent.Sri Lanka has been thrown into tension following a string of serious incidents involving extremist Buddhist provocations against Muslims.
In June, some 200 demonstrators led by several dozen Buddhist monks converged on a small Islamic center in Colombo’s suburb of Dehiwala.
Throwing stones and rotten meat over the mosque gate, protestors shouted slogans demanding the closure of the Muslim worship place.
Last April, a number of Buddhist monks disrupted Muslim prayer services in the village of Dambulla. The attackers claimed that the mosque, built in 1962, was illegal.
Weeks later, monks drafted a threatening letter aimed at Muslims in the nearby town of Kurunegala, demanding Islamic prayer services there be halted.
A ministerial committee has been appointed by Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa to look into growing religious tension in the country.
The main Opposition UNP has accused the Buddhist Force of having covert blessings from the government for their campaign of Muslim hatred, a claim denied by the group.
(Courtesy: OnIslam.net)
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By Zhao Shengnan
Taking off his shoes and joining a line of other worshippers on a strip of white cloth, Bakri Mamut began his Friday prayer just as he would have back in his hometown in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
The committee member of the China Islamic Association, along with dozens of other Muslims, completed the religious ceremony in a simply decorated but incense-filled room of around 20 square meters shortly after lunch.
The only difference from home is that they were not in a mosque, but a transformed dining room in the Beijing Friendship Hotel, where 67 religious CPPCC members are staying and having panel discussions during the 12th National Committee of the CPPCC.
"I came here for Friday prayer for two years, and the room is equipped with everything I need, including an imam, who leads the Islamic worship services," said Bakri, 62, a member of the country's top political advisory body.
"Friday prayer is an inseparable part of me. If there was no such a space for the assembly of the Muslims, I would have no choice but to go to a mosque, but that would waste too much time traveling there and upset the meeting's regular schedule," he said.
Each week on Friday, Muslims are required to take a bath, dress in their best clean clothes, wear perfume and assemble in a mosque for religious worship.
Wang Shuli, head of the Shandong Islamic Association and a new member of the CPPCC, said he was touched to find an altar, a plate printed with the Quran and special bathing materials in his room the moment he entered it.
"It is so considerate of the committee and hotel to do so many preparations for Muslims. We even have a special ewer for bathing," said Wang.
"Sharing the same faith with them, I want to try my best to help the Islamic CPPCC members feel at home in Beijing and contribute more ideas during the political advisory meeting," said Gai Jingmin, a hotel manager who is in charge of the reception of Muslim CPPCC members.
Gai, a member of the Hui ethnic group, has been working for Muslim CPPCC members since the group was first stationed in the hotel more than a decade ago. He can still name many of them.
Wang, from Shandong province, said it actually does not matter where Muslims pray in a congregation on Friday as long as a strong faith is borne in their hearts.
When asked about the wishes he made during Friday prayer, he said, "I hope our country would become more and more strong."
(Courtesy: China Daily)
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By James Zogby
Policy discussions here in the U.S. about Iran and its nuclear program most often focus exclusively on Israeli concerns. Ignored are Arab and Muslim attitudes, especially those of Iran’s Arab and non-Arab Muslim neighbors. It is known that several Arab governments have problems with the Islamic Republic in Tehran, but what of their publics?
Over the past decade, we have been polling regional attitudes toward Iran and its policies culminating at the end of 2012 with a survey of 20,000 citizens in 17 Arab countries and three non-Arab Muslim countries (Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan). This 20 nation poll covered a range of topics including: attitudes toward Iran, its people, culture, and its nuclear program.Comparing our most recent findings (compiled in my new eBook Looking at Iran: Iran’s Rise and Fall in Public Opinion) to the data from our earlier surveys in the region reveals important and dramatic changes in Arab and Muslim attitudes toward Iran. It also helps to identify factors that appear to serve as “drivers” behind these changes.
For example, when we polled on many of these same issues in 2006, Iran’s favorable ratings in Arab and Muslim countries were at their highest point. Back then, in most countries, Iran’s favorable ratings were in the 75 percent range (with Saudis giving Iran an 85 percent rating). Six years later the tables have turned. Now Iran’s favorable ratings in these same countries have fallen to less than 25 percent (Saudi ratings have plummeted to 15 percent).
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What also emerges from our 2012 survey is the presence of a worrisome sectarian divide that has taken hold in several countries, with Sunni attitudes largely opposing Iran and its regional policies, and Shia communities in many of these same countries expressing support for Iran. There is a growing consensus among both Sunni and Shia Muslims that Iran and its policies are contributing to this sectarian rift. There is, however, a limit to Iran’s appeal in the Arab World and that is the result of the important role that Arab culture and identity play as unifying factors in shaping attitudes across sectarian lines.
There was a time, just a few years ago, when favorable Arab public opinion of Iran in some countries stood poles apart from the positions of their governments with respect to Iran and its policies. Some observers made much of this, suggesting that the concerns with Iran’s policies expressed by Arab governments were out of touch with their publics. That may have been true in 2006, but after Iran and its allies overplayed their hands in several countries (with Syria being the “nail in the coffin”–majorities in 17 of the 20 countries covered in our 2012 survey oppose Iran’s involvement in Syria), that gap has now been erased. Most Arabs and Muslims now hold decidedly negative views of Iran and are solidly opposed to Iran’s regional ambitions.
The same is true of Arab and Muslim attitudes toward Iran’s nuclear program. Back in 2006, when Iran was seen as the bastion of resistance to the West, their nuclear ambitions were supported and defended by majorities in most countries. Our earlier polls show Arab and Muslim public opinion supporting Iran’s claim that the program was for peaceful purposes. Whether peaceful or not, strong majorities in almost every country were opposed to any international effort to impose sanctions or use military means against the Islamic Republic. Today, there is virtually no support for Iran’s nuclear ambitions — with majorities now believing that Tehran has designs on producing a nuclear weapon. And sympathy for Iran has been replaced by widespread support for sanctions to stop Iran should it persist in advancing its nuclear program.
Opposition to the use of military force remains high, with strong majorities still against it. But here too there has been a change, with some increase in the number of those who now support the use of a military strike should Iran persist with its nuclear program.
The lesson is clear. When Iran was seen in the Arab and Muslim Worlds through the prism of U.S. and Israeli practices, it won. But when Iran is judged by its regional behavior and its domestic repression, it loses support in Arab and Muslim public opinion.
[James Zogbyis the President of Arab American Institute and author of ‘Arab Voices’]
(Courtesy: YaLibnan.com)
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By Nasim Yousaf
Last month, British Prime Minister David Cameron became the first serving Head of the Government of United Kingdom to “pay his respects at the scene of one of the bloodiest massacres in British history…The prime minister laid a wreath at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial [Amritsar, India], bowing his head and standing in silence” (BBC February 20, 2013). This news was encouraging to read and I appreciated the positive gesture by the Prime Minister. Seventy-three years ago (on March 19, 1940), there was another tragedy in India that underscored the brutality of the British Raj: hundreds of members of the Khaksar Movement (Khaksar Tehrik) were brutally attacked by police in British India.
Allama Mashriqi founded the Khaksar Movement in 1930 to bring freedom to India. The Movement was established on the principles of non-communalism and non-sectarianism and sought to unite both Muslims and non-Muslims. With this aim, the Movement inculcated a sense of brotherhood and discipline among its members and provided daily social service to all. As part of their training to liberate the Indian sub-continent from colonial rule, the members also acquired military training, but they never engaged in any violent activities (such as killing people or burning public property).
The Movement’s aims and philosophy greatly appealed to the masses and its membership and activities grew rapidly throughout the 1930s under Allama Mashriqi’s charismatic leadership. By 1940, the Movement had amassed millions of members and supporters and posed a potent threat to British rule. The Government recognized the growing threat and tried to suppress the Movement by falsely branding its members as terrorists and banning the Movement. On February 28, 1940, the Punjab Government (headed by the Governor, Sir Henry Duffield Craik) announced in a Gazette Extraordinary that the activities of certain organizations were banned. The Hindustan Times (Feb. 29, 1940) wrote, “It is understood that the Punjab Government’s orders are directed against the Khaksar organization.”
Mashriqi and the Khaksars felt that the ban on their organization was completely unjustified. On March 19, 1940, in protest of the Government’s order, 313 uniformed Khaksars began a peaceful and nonviolent march in Lahore. The authorities were unaccustomed to any resistance or objections from citizens and were determined to stop the march. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (Wace), Senior Superintendent of Police (D. Gainsford), and the District Magistrate (F.C. Bourne) all arrived at the scene (The Indian Express [Ind. Ex.], Apr. 13, 1940), and Gainsford ordered the Khaksars to halt the march. But the Khaksars kept moving towards Badshahi Mosque (Lahore), where they were to offer prayers.
To stop the Khaksar march, Gainsford immediately “…ran to the Tibbi police station to make adequate police arrangements and also to summon armed police…” (Ind. Ex., Apr. 13, 1940) He also phoned the Superintendent of Police P.R.J. Morgan (Ind. Ex., Apr. 19, 1940) for help. Seasoned journalist Muhammad Saeed wrote in his book entitled Lahore: A Memoir (p. 153) that Gainsford (upon his return) “slapped Inayat Shah [a Khaksar] in the face.” Gainsford’s haughty attitude is not surprising, given the way the rulers at the time were accustomed to treating the natives. Meanwhile, 355 additional armed and lathi policemen – 200 (Ind. Ex., Apr. 13, 1940) with Superintendent of Police P.R.J. Morgan and 155 (Ind. Ex., Apr. 19, 1940) with Deputy Superintendent P.C.D. Beaty and Inspector R.A. Disney - arrived at the site. Beaty ordered the policemen to open “fire” (Ind. Ex., Apr. 13, 1940) (“Maro, fire karo” per another newspaper [Ind. Ex., Apr. 19, 1940]) and a scene of sheer brutality unfolded. The armed police indiscriminately opened fire on the unarmed Khaksars. Khaksar bodies began falling everywhere and the area was spattered with blood. The policemen who were mounted on horses tried to run over the fallen Khaksars, inflicting additional injuries or killing them. In an attempt to save the lives of his fellow Khaksars, the Khaksar leader ordered them to disperse immediately. The Khaksars (who were trained to obey orders) submitted and went into nearby streets or houses in the neighborhood. Police chased after the Khaksars and riddled their bodies with bullets. For those showing signs of life, policemen inflicted hard blows with lathis (a 6 to 8 foot long stick with a steel head) to finish them off. Furthermore, the cops broke open doors to houses and either arrested, injured, or killed Khaksars and threw them off the balconies. Eyewitnesses would later recount how the police treated the injured and dead Khaksars. According to The Tribune of May 10, 1940, one witness stated, “The dead body was besmeared with blood. One policeman whistled to strike the Khaksar who was showing signs of life…some policemen swinging two Khaksars, whose hands were bound, over the balcony of an adjoining house…these Khaksars were swung down over the railings …A constable gave a ‘lathi’ blow on the head of the unhurt Khaksar with the result that his brain was fractured” (The Tribune, May 10, 1940). The intense police brutality left a gruesome scene in its wake.
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| Nasim Yousaf |
In the aftermath of the massacre, the authorities acted quickly to try and cover up the incident. The dead bodies and injured Khaksars were dragged and dumped in police trucks, whisked away and buried in the darkness of the night. Police and military also raided Allama Mashriqi’s house (adjacent to the Khaksar headquarters) and fired tear-gas grenades, fatally injuring Mashriqi’s son, Ehsanullah Khan Aslam (who passed away on May 31, 1940). Later in the same night, Senior Superintendent of Police D. Kilburn arrested Allama Mashriqi, who had been in Delhi to meet with the Viceroy of India (Lord Linlithgow) to seek the removal of restrictions on the Khaksars.
Police did not inform Khaksar families of the tragedy and censored the Press to conceal the facts. Officially, the authorities reported a figure of approximately 30 killed Khaksars, but according to eyewitnesses, the actual number of Khaksars killed in the firing was over 200. Indeed, Dr. Khalifa Shujauddin later informed an inquiry commission (see below) that, according to a list supplied to him, 377 cartridges were fired (The Tribune, Apr. 18, 1940). There were also other major inaccuracies in the official version of events. In the “official” reporting of events, the British tried to shift blame to the Khaksars. British police officer R.A. Disney later told an inquiry commission: “We certainly fired. They had attacked us” (Ind. Exp., Apr. 19, 1940). But this explanation made no sense, as the unarmed Khaksars had no reason to attack the police unprovoked. The large number of policemen called by Gainsford also speaks to the disproportionate response by the police.
On March 28, 1940, the Punjab Government issued a Gazette Extraordinary announcing the appointment of a High Court Inquiry Committee to conduct an investigation into the incident on March 19th. The inquiry committee was comprised of Sir Douglas Young (Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court) and Chaudhri Niamat Ullah (former Judge of the Allahabad High Court). Statements by eyewitnesses before the said commission provided additional harrowing details regarding the police cruelty. Feroze-ud-Din, an eyewitness, told the inquiry commission:
“[translation]…Policemen were chasing them [Khaksars] and firing at them. Nearly half a dozen Khaksars were shot and they fell near a water-tap close to my house. Six or seven fell in the middle of the street at the intersection of Said Mitha Bazaar and Hira Mandi. Three of them fell in the nali [dirty water drain]. Some Khaksars entered the shop of Jay Kishan Khand-wallay. I saw police firing at the shop…15 to 20 minutes later, the firing stopped and police brought out 5 to 6 dead bodies from Jay Kishan’s shop. The police kneeled down and fired at them [the dead bodies]. Towards Said Mitha, a large crowd had gathered, which was dispersed by the use of tear-gas. Near the tap, the injured Khaksars asked for water, but they were denied water, rather they were beaten with rifle butts…” (Ahsan, May 11, 1940).
Another witness, Doctor Rishi, stated, “[translation] I saw thirteen dead bodies [at Hira Mandi]. At this time, I also heard a gun shot. Near the tonga stand, I saw five Khaksars laying, three of them had already been martyred [passed away]. They had gunshot wounds on their chests” (Ahsan, May 11, 1940). And yet another witness, Hafiz Miraj-ud-Din, said, “[translation] I was headed by bicycle towards the Tibbi police station. I saw that near the first entrance of the police station a constable was dragging a Khaksar. He [the constable] had tied the Khaksar’s feet with his [the Khaksar’s] turban and was pulling him mercilessly…Near the second door of the police station, two constables were dragging a Khaksar by his legs. Both Khaksars [near the first and second entrances] were unconscious and injured. They may have even already been martyred [passed away]. Near the King cinema, police constables were beating two Khaksars with lathis. I went to Shahi Mohalla Road. There were Khaksars inside a shop there. The Khaksars were beaten by 3 to 4 policemen with lathis. Then I proceeded towards Minto Park [now Iqbal Park]. Around 11 o’clock, in the distance, I heard sounds of firing. Four or five sounds of firing could be heard at periodic intervals…” (Ahsan, May 11, 1940).
There were also additional statements in Ahsan and Zamindar (Lahore, May 11, 1940) narrating the dreadful treatment of the Khaksars. K. L. Gauba (Member Punjab Legislative Assembly) wrote, “According to eye witnesses the dead were more than 200” (Friends and Foes by K.L. Gauba, p. 204). All in all, the evidence against the Government was overwhelming. The commission’s final report was never published, which speaks of the high-handedness of the Government in concealing the facts.
The brutal killing of Khaksars on March 19th was a horrific event. It is equally tragic that the incident was only one part of the Government’s broader efforts to suppress Mashriqi and the Khaksar Movement. The Government not only arrested Mashriqi, but also seized his bank accounts and confiscated his property. Almost no one was allowed to see Mashriqi while he was imprisoned, and intelligence men were posted around his house to watch the movements of his family. Mashriqi was even denied permission to attend the funeral of his son, who had died from injuries sustained during the police raid on Mashriqi’s house following the massacre on March 19th. Mashriqi rotted in Vellore Jail for nearly two years without trial He ultimately began a fast that lasted for 80 days to protest his and other Khaksars’ unjust imprisonment and obtain their release. The fast took a severe toll on Mashriqi’s health. The Indian Express of December 05, 1941 reported, “He [Mashriqi] was taken to Katpadi railway station in an ambulance car, with a strong police guard. It is also stated that he was taken to the ambulance in a stretcher. It is said that he was taking only orange juice since October 15 last..."
When Mashriqi was finally released on January 19, 1942 (though his movements were still kept restricted until December of 1942), Mashriqi stated: “In the 32nd day started my serious afflictions. Telegrams were arranged from many persons asking me to give up fast. On the fiftieth day I was taken on stretcher from the Vallore Jail to a damp dingy cell in Madras. The purpose was to frighten me either to give up fast or die. For the first time I received a communication from the Government on the 51st day, that is on December 05, 1941, asking me to disband the Khaksar Movement and that there was no other way of release…I sent back the reply that Khaksar Movement was not my property that I could do with it whatever I liked, nor can it be discontinued.”
Indeed, the British Government’s brutality against Mashriqi and the Khaksar Movement continued all the way up to India’s independence. The incident on March 19th, 1940 serves as a stark reminder of one of the blackest days in the history of the British Raj. From the police brutality demonstrated on that dark day to their reprehensible treatment of Mashriqi and his family (including depriving Mashriqi of nearly three years of his life while he was imprisoned without a trial or had his movements restricted), the British Government’s actions against Mashriqi and the Khaksars were wholly unjustified. But there are some steps the British Government can take today to help right these wrongs. First, the Government of U.K. should publish the inquiry commission’s report and extend a formal apology to the people of the Indian subcontinent. Additionally, the U.K. Government should sponsor two monuments, one at Karol Bagh (Delhi) where Allama Mashriqi was arrested and the second in Lahore, where Mashriqi’s innocent son died and the Khaksar massacre took place. Prime Minister David Cameron’s gesture at Jallianwala Bagh was commendable. Surely the aforementioned steps would go a long way towards mending old wounds remaining from the British Government’s brutal treatment of Mashriqi and the Khaksars, which was no less than the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy.
[Nasim Yousaf, a scholar and historian, is a grandson of Allama Mashriqi. Thus far, he has authored ten books along with many articles. His works are a valuable contribution to the historiography of the Indian sub-continent and have provided new dimensions to India’s partition episode. He can be contacted at infomashriqi@yahoo.com]
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Jaipur: A lecture on dyslexia was held at Hemlata Durlabhji Sabhagar, SDMH Campus on 12th March 2013. The programme was conducted by a Jaipur-based Umang, an NGO dealing on issues related with Disabled Children.
On this occasion Jaipur based consultant pediatrician Dr. Vivek Sharma said that 5-15% school going children experience specific learning disability called dyslexia. He said unlike other disabilities such as paralysis or blindness dyslexia is a hidden handicap. This disability creates a significant gap between the true potential and day to day performance of a child in school. The trauma of not doing well academically, often leads to emotional trauma, causing an aberration from normal behaviour outside school as well.
Dr. Sharma said the criteria most commonly used in assessment is the Disparity between a child's intelligence and their actual achievements. If a child speaks and listen normally, Yet they are unable to read and spell, then there may be more to check out.
Dr. Sharma emphasized that dyslexia is not brought about by poor parenting.
Individual parents have persisted in pointing out their children's school that something must be wrong when a child of apparently normal intelligence fail to learn, to read and write.
Dr. Sharma said children suffering from dyslexia will answer correctly orally but cannot do so in writing, they have got difficulties with directions and keeping organized.
Dr. Sharma asserted that early identification and intervention is much easier than remedial education and any medical treatment in late years. He said the problem is not lack of motivation or low intelligence. It is hidden disability that needs accommodation and special help in the classroom along with the focus on strengths. These children need caring and support, not humiliation and intimidation. They need accountability and reasonable expectations. They need positive affirmations, accurate assessments and respect for their learning style.
Dr. Sharma pointed out that some famous people who allegedly experience or experienced dyslexia and who did not let it stand in their way are Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Tom Cruise, Henry Ford etc.
Dr. Sharma added Dyslexic people are visual, multidimensional thinkers. They are intuitive and highly creative, and excel at hands on learning. Because they think in pictures, it is sometimes hard for them to understand letters, numbers, symbols and written words.
They can learn to read write and study efficiently when the methods used to gear to their unique learning style.
Dr. Vivek Sharma is a consultant pediatrician based in Jaipur. His news views and articles have been published in leading national and international daily newspapers. He has conducted more than 200 workshops on dyslexia in children throughout the country and few in abroad. They all have been conducted all free of charge and sometimes at his own expense.
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IMO News Service
Halal India recently won the 'Quality Excellence Award for Best Customer Service Result-2013'. This event known as National Quality Excellence awards-2013 conducted by Stars of the Industry Group was held on 14th February at Taj Lands End, Mumbai. There were 1200 companies participated of which 39 were shortlisted and Halal India won the award.
The National Quality Excellence Award is given in recognition for the attainment of world class standard of quality excellence having quality management principle and it's an recognition of excellence in the industry.
The national quality excellence awards held to have the recognition for best quality.The awards focus was on the contribution of individuals, projects, organizations, and technologies that have excelled in the use and development.
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By Syed Ali Mujtaba
Even as the March 5 notification of the UPSC Civil Services Main examination is put on hold due to pressure lobby within the Parliament, the latest revision of the pattern of examination leaves ample scope of discussion and debate among the intelligentsia in the country.
The new pattern of the UPSC Civil Services examination was first introduced in 2011 with the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) in the preliminary examination. Now in 2013, anew pattern is introduced in the Main examination that has triggered a heated debate in the country particularly from the regional satraps.
First debate is on the language controversy that revolves around Hindi verses other linguistic groups in India. The second on is on rural urban divide being promoted by the UPSC through its new pattern of the Civil Services examination.
The voices from non Hindi linguistic group have become shriek, calling the coveted examination favoring the Hindi medium candidates while discriminating the aspirants from the regional languages.
There is equally a sharp criticism about the new pattern of examination alleging that it tries to create an unhealthy and unequal competition among rural and urban candidates.
UPSC, in 2011 had introduced the CSAT pattern in the Prelim examination involving reasoning and mental ability test requiring speed and accuracy.
The questions were printed in Hindi and English and were seen as advantageous to Hindi medium students because they can grasp the question reading in their mother tongue and answer them faster than the other linguistic group who can only follow through English script.
In 2013 with its March 5 notification, UPSC has done a pattern change for the Main examination, doing away with language paper of qualifying nature, besides brining in few other changes.
Earlier, students had to qualify in English and regional language paper in the main examination whose marks were not counted but passing them was mandatory.
As per the new pattern, the candidates will no longer have to qualify in regional language paper, but this is seen as giving advantage to urban youth educated in English medium. According to reports, , even after qualifying the Prelims, 5-9 per cent candidates flunk in regional language paper while writing the Mains exam.
Further changes UPSC has brought in the Main examination 2013 is that if a candidate has done his education through a regional language medium at the degree level is only eligible to write the Mains examination in that language. A minimum of 25 candidates is required to write the Main exam in a given regional language.
In addition, according to new Civil Services pattern, a candidate cannot choose a regional language as ‘Optional Paper,’ unless having a graduation degree in a particular regional language or have studied it as an optional subject.
The new UPSC norms have created a furor among the linguistic groups in India. Agitations have already begun in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
The arguments against the new UPSC pattern is, many candidates may be deprived of writing the exams in a regional language even being more comfortable in that language because they have not done their studies through the regional language medium.
The UPSC mandatory a quota of 25 candidates writing the Mains exam in a regional language is also being flayed. It’s argued that the necessary numbers may not be obtained, in that case depriving the students who aspire to write the exam in regional language.
Similarly, baring choosing language as ‘optional paper’ may deprive many candidates who may like to opt for it even though they may not have studied that language at the graduation level.
The language issue is a sensitive matter and there are differences of opinion. Before going further, one has to understand the outlook of the central government services like UPSC Civil Services examination where two languages formula works, one Hindi, the national language, and English the link language.
Civil Services being a central government services with an all India character, it would be really difficult for the UPSC to cater to the demands in 22 regional languages mentioned in the 8th Schedule of the Indian constitution.
So when it comes to provide a level playing field for all languages in the country, it is true that the Hindi medium candidates have definite advantage in writing the UPSC Civil Services examination.
So the option before the UPSC is to print question papers in all the 22 regional languages and allow it to be answered in the 22 languages.
Setting it aside on the grounds of being unwieldy may not solve the problem of regional aspirants and therefore maybe be considered as an option to create a level playing field.Now coming to the scrapping of the regional language in the Civil Services Main examination, is UPSC discriminatory?
This is not necessarily so, because the regional language paper was only of qualifying nature and its marks were never counted in the main examination.
In any case a candidate after qualifying the civil services is posted in different sate carder and has to clear the exam in the state language carder. So doing away with language paper have neither made positive nor negative impact on the Civil Service examination.
The other big objection is on UPSC’s restrictions on writing the Main exam in regional language and on choosing language as an ‘optional paper’.
The allegation is that UPSC through its new pattern of examination has opened the slush gate to urban aspirants who have studied in Hindi or English medium. It’s argued that such norm has come as a “big blow” to rural aspirants opting to write the exam in regional languages and this will certainly tell on the number of in takes from rural background.
Keeping emotions apart, the new pattern of the civil services exam is not discriminating the regional language candidates. They are allowed to write the exam in regional language provided they have studied in that language medium.
However, the quota of 25 could be convenient for administrative reason, but its bit too harsh for the regional language candidates and can be considered by the UPSC for revision.
With regard to taking regional language paper as the ‘optional paper’, UPSC has done right thing in restricting it to only those students who have studied the language paper in their undergraduate level. It was found that many candidates with science and other professional degrees were taking a regional language as an optional paper and qualifying the UPSC Civil Services examination.
At the same time UPSC has tried to create a level playing field between rural and urban divide increasing the weightage of the general studies paper. This move has to be seen more realistically to bridge the gap between social sciences students and other streams, with former representing the rural and later the urban divide.
The subject specialist mostly in commerce, pure sciences and technical stream may now find it difficult to cope up the 4 papers of general studies, while the students with social sciences and humanities may have an advantage. This may help the candidates from the rural background who may have been bereft with technical degrees due to their socio- economic background.
The UPSC has done a right thing by retaining English as a paper in the mains examination and its marks being counted because the proficiency in the link language is essential in all such all India services. At the same time it has done no harm to regional aspirants by scrapping the language paper of qualifying nature, even though some urban aspirants may find this to be advantageous.
In the end, it could be recommended that the UPSC may consider printing the question papers in all the 22 languages. It may also allow a candidate to write the main examination in the language of his/ her choice. The quota of 25 should be withdrawn and allow the personality test to be held in the preferred language of the candidate.
[Syed Ali Mujtabais a Journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba@yahoo.com]
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By Abdul Hafiz Lakhani
Ahmedabad: Maulana Mehmud Madni and Gulam Vastanvi say that Muslims are happy under Modi rule, and they are becoming rich. But one thing that both these Maulanas (Clerics) are losing sight of the fact is that it is the educational spree in the Modiland which is empowering the Muslims of Gujarat, and certainly not Narendra Modi. Dear Maulanas, are you both hearing? Or, you both are simply hellbent on doing chamchagiri (sycophancy) of the person under whose guardianship thousands of Muslims were killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The wind is fast changing in Gujarat after infamous 2002 Gujarat riots on education front. Muslims have focused heavily on this most ignored sphere before genocide of muslims in that fateful year.
Minority march in higher education is getting stronger in the Gujarat . The 61st convocation of the Gujarat University in fact saw maximum number so far of Muslim students excelling in their streams and winning gold medals.
This year 211 medals were given to 118 students for excelling in different areas. Out of the 118 students, 8 Muslims students were rewarded with 15 gold medals for scaling the summit in their respective streams. There is a substantial increase in the number as last year only 3 medals were given to Muslim students.
This news springs new hope among the minorities in the state as these students, who have come from humble backgrounds, have fought battles to step into the enlightened world of education. Two of such students have got medals in Sanskrit. They all believe that education is the only means by which they can excel in their personal life and can make difference.
Sheikh Tayab Khan, 23-year-old, who completed BA, has won two gold medals and 5 scholarships in Sanskrit. Sheikh hails from a small village near Devgadh Baria. He says he was attracted towards the language since his school days. At present, Khan is pursuing BEd from Godhra and lives in a small house at Savllivad.
His father is a businessman and brother is a principal at primary school. He says that he is not averse to the language as it is a beautiful and wants to become teacher in the subject. He also practices yoga and is particularly fond of Dhanurasana, Hasta Padasana and others.
Yasmin Banu, 24-year-old girl, who completed BA in Sanskrit has got a gold medal. She studied at Adivasi Arts & Commerce College, located at Santrampur. She teaches at a primary school in the area and says that she wants to become a teacher and preach the language. She also wants to do MA in Sanskrit. She hails from a humble background and her father is a fruit seller.
She says education only can free an individual from bondage and make life easy. Time is changing now and women form her community are coming forward.
Shagufta Khan, 21-year-old who did her BA in economics from St Xavier's College, Ahmedabad, has fetched four gold medals. She says that the only way to move ahead in life is through education. The discrimination against girls should stop. As girls have equal right to get educated. Her father is a retiered IAS officer.
Khan says that the greatest gift girls can give to oneself is to become independent. Education is the only way to it, once you liberate yourself financially you can pursue life for your betterment.
Shireen Qureshi, 23-year-old, who got three medals in BSc (Botany) says that she got 70% marks in class XII and people said that I should pursue paramedical courses. But, for me science was the only the way forward and I was proven right. She wants to pursue MSC and than do research in botany. She says if woman of the house is educated it means the future generation have a safe future. And seeing the current times, education is the only way forward.
Shamima Patel Banu, 22-year-old, who got three gold medals in home science stream, could inspire many. She comes from humble background and her father, who works as a feeder in AMTS, is the one who encouraged her and said that she could continue studying till she wanted.
Even her younger sister Hazara Banu is in third year of BA (English). "It is very rare that women from our society are encouraged to venture out and study. But, my father always stood by my side and encouraged me," she says. Now, she is preparing for IAS examination.
"Muslim boys and girls diversifying into other educational fields is a good sign," added J S Bandukwala, a retired Physics professor from M S University who runs Zidni Ilma Trust, which promotes professional and technical education among poor Muslim students.
Ultimately the best we can do is to go for quality education, business, a more scientific approach and a serious attempt to make secularism operate in the country. There is no use blaming others. Except that we feel justice must be done for the tragedy of 2002.he added.
In 2002, there were 200 Muslim educational trusts in Gujarat. Now, there are more than 800."The reaction of the Muslim community has been very positive," says social scientist Achyut Yagnik. "Muslim women are also talking about more education. It's all about moving forward with education.
"He is right. Everywhere I went, Muslim men and women spoke about the importance of education.In Godhra, I met telecommunications engineer Mohammed Yusuf, 51, who spent a year in prison after being falsely implicated in bomb attacks.
He is a soft-spoken man with a flowing beard."For long, we have lived as frogs in the well. Now we need to get out, educate and inform ourselves, know what our rights are, find our place in the world and defend our rights," he says.11 years.
Even some ulema are talking about the need for girls' education, not only for its own sake but also to empower the community as a whole. “There is definitely a rising trend of Muslim students, both boys and girls, getting admitted to medical institutes in the last couple of years’’, points out Dr Jayshree Mehta, dean of the SBKS Medical Institute and Research Centre at Waghodia in Vadodara district.
For instance, some people associated with the Tablighi Jamaat are now setting up Muslim schools in different parts of Gujarat.
According to Rajkot based Faruk Abdul Gaffar Bawani who works for medical students says that there are 1350 Muslim students who have got admission in various courses of medical.He collects funds from wealthy Muslims and distributes among poor and needy Muslim medical students.
[Abdul Hafiz Lakhaniis a senior Journalist based at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He is associated with IndianMuslimObserver.com as Bureau Chief (Gujarat). He can be reached at lakhani63@yahoo.com or on his cell 09228746770]
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[Indian Muslim Observer in association with India’s only Muslim Lifestyle magazine 'Muallim' brings a series on achievers of the Muslim community. Under this series, Representative of Muallim magazine interviewd the Gem of the community and us at Indianmuslimobserver.com, present it to our readers through our platform.]
Achievers – InnovatorAbdul Gaffor QureshiFounder & CEO – Abdullah’s Electronics Centre, MumbaiInvention – World’s first hi-tech electronic salah time indicator
“When we use sophisticated machines in our houses, why not use the technology for Allah’s houses too?” This thought paved the way for the development of world’s first hi-tech electronic salah time indicator. In an exclusive chat with Muallim, 44 years old Abdul Gaffor Qureshi, Founder and CEO of Abdullah’s Electronics Centre, Mumbai discusses about his invention.
Give us your profile.
I started my schooling from Municipal school in Marathi medium till SSC. A diploma holder in Electronics Engineering and Advance Diploma in Computer Software and Programming,I could not study further due to financial constraints. I gave up the idea of pursuing masters and thus took up a job.
I tried my best to excel in whatever task was assigned to me and soon was promoted to the highest possible position. I was reporting directly to the owner. After 10 years I excused myself from the post to start my own venture.
How Abdullah electronics and its products come into existence?
I used to watch that the caretakers of the mosque would manually change the salah time after every prayer, I used to wonder while we have used sophisticated machines in our houses, why not use the technology for Allah’s house too? However, at that point of time I never thought that I will be the founder of the manufacturing unit in future that produces automated salah time indicators, hi-tech equipment for the masjids and madrasas.
In 1997 I registered Abdullah’s Electronics to carry out my own business, but not the salah indicator but something else in the electronics field. Again finance was the issue, I could have easily taken a loan but I was determined that In Sha Allah I will start my firm which will be free from the evils of interest.
Thus finally in 2002, I myself ventured into manufacturing Salah indicator units for masjids and then for the Madrasas, Homes, offices and now have recently invented rakat counters for Masjids.
What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
I am of the belief that opportunities camouflage in challenges. I am of the habit that wheneverI come across a challenge I pray to Allah and try to overcome it to the best of my ability.In College English language was a problem. With Allah’s help and sheer planning and determination became master of the English language. In the initial phase of the Abdullah’s Electronics, people rejected my products; I struggled for almost seven years, but never gave up. I used to run English coaching classes to support my dream project of developing a hi-tech machine for our mosques. A loss for continuous seven years and all against me and my decision never deterred me from giving up and finally my patience and perseverance paid up.Alhamdulillah now the salah indicator of Abdullah electronics has market all over India and abroad.
Kindly brief us more about your English Classes?
Islam teaches to think positive and negativity should never crop in a believer’s mind. During my college days I worked hard to master the English language, so to generate finance for my venture I started coaching people in spoken English. My students were doctors, officers, engineers, lawyers, graduates, students, etc. I gave up teaching to focus completely on my dream. Even now I get calls from my students asking to start it all again.
When did you decide to keep a beard?
During my job tenure, I used to offer my salah in an office where my boss, the owner of the company was a Jain. He never objected because he was more than satisfied by my work.
Any negative experience you faced due to your sunnah or Muslim identity?
No in fact never ever faced such situation.
What are the product variants?
As of now we produce, salah time indicator for masjids and madrasas, Rakat counter for masjids and madrasa and Salah time indicator for homes and offices.
Future Plans?
I faced language problem and came up with a solution for many.
I dreamt of making a hi tech product and came up with automated salah counter.
I tried to get finance on pure shariah parameters but could not find any, Insha Allah, I don’t know when but I will surely work on it so that others may benefit from it.
(Courtesy: Muallim Magazine)
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By Tufail Ahmad
The organising principles of Indian polity and society are the same that define a western country: a multi-party system, individualism, liberty, a free press and rule of lawHafiz Muhammad Saeed, the self-confessed leader of the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, may think that Pakistan is the best Islamic nation for the Bollywood star, Shahrukh Khan to move to, but it is India that is arguably the best Muslim country today. Muslims in India enjoy complete political and religious liberty, a free legislative environment to undertake economic and educational initiatives, a vibrant television media and cinema that teach liberal coexistence, and access to a vast number of universities and institutes of modern education. There is absolutely no Muslim country that offers such a vast array of freedoms to its people.
India is able to offer these freedoms to its citizens because it is a successful democracy. It was good for India to lose the 1857 war; if the British had lost, Indians would have continued to be governed by kings and nawabs, and under shari’a courts that existed during the Mughal era. At the time of independence, the British left behind a justice system that was blind to religious and caste inequities in Indian society, an inclusive democracy that guaranteed equal rights and religious and political freedoms for all; English language that opened doorway to enlightenment and scientific education; and a civil service that treated everyone as Indians rather than Muslims, Hindus or Christians. Muslims in India enjoy these freedoms because India is a thriving democracy, unlike Pakistan that chose a discriminatory constitution, barring its own citizens from holding top positions such as the president of Pakistan because they are Hindus or Christians. Over the past half century, hundreds of millions of Dalits and women have found political empowerment and social freedoms in Indian democracy.
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Effectively, India is a ‘western’ country. In the popular imagination, the west is viewed as a geographic concept, covering mainly the United States, Britain and parts of Europe. However, the ground realities are otherwise. Several countries, notably Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, are situated in the east, but in terms of their values and politics are firmly part of the west. Conversely, countries such as Russia and some in Latin America are geographically in the west but cannot be called a western country as their citizens do not enjoy the social and political freedoms available to free people in the west. The organising principles of Indian polity and society are the same that define a western country: a multi-party system, individualism, liberty, a free press and rule of law. As in a western country, consensus about governance, politics and society is moderated by media and political parties and is derived from differences rather than similarities of religion and ideology as in Saudi Arabia or North Korea.
Early this year, Shahrukh Khan wrote a long article in which he discussed how “stereotyping and contextualizing” determine the way societies treat us as individuals as we interact with others. Khan narrated that he is loved as a Bollywood star in every country, but is also questioned by officials at US airports over links to terrorists, as his surname is shared by an unknown terrorist. Khan also observed: “There have been occasions when I have been accused of bearing allegiance to our neighbouring nation [Pakistan].” Hafiz Saeed reacted to this statement, suggesting that Khan, and presumably all Indian Muslims, should move to Pakistan. If Khan were to move to Pakistan, think of the images he would witness everyday: the genocide of Shia Muslims; the Taliban bombers shooting girls and namazis; Karachi up in flames and Pakistani businessmen leaving the country; plight of Hindus and Christians and lawlessness everywhere.
Saeed and his cohorts must bear in mind that terrorism that affects Muslims in India originates from Pakistan: the jihad in Kashmir through the 1990s or the attacks by Indian Mujahideen collaborating with their controllers in Pakistan. Like any country, India has its own share of extremist Hindus as well as Islamic and naxalite militants, but the courts are taking care of them.
Indian democracy is a model for all Islamic countries. It is the only country where Muslims have experienced democracy solidly for more than half a century; the other countries where Muslims have had some democratic experience are Indonesia and Turkey but their experiences have been limited to just a few decades. Democracies trust their citizens and are accountable to them. Democracies also bring freedom and economic prosperity for their people. In his book, Development as Freedom, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen demonstrated that famines have occurred only in countries governed under authoritarianism while freedom available to people in democracies has ensured economic welfare of their entire populations. Indian democracy has a large Muslim population, about the same as in Pakistan. As democracy matures and economy prospers, Muslims in India are beginning to benefit from a sea of economic and educational opportunities opening before them.
Islamic and authoritarian countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and North Korea do not trust their own people. Islamic terrorists, jihadists like Hafiz Saeed and other Taliban-like Islamists think of defending their religions and ideologies rather than the interests and welfare of their people. It is due to such thinking that 180 million people of Pakistan are today literally buried under the weight of a failed education system, a rapidly collapsing Pakistani economy that is forcing business leaders to move their money to countries such Sri Lanka, lawlessness that makes common Pakistanis insecure in their own homes and a future that fails to offer hope. The Inter-Services Intelligence, a friend of Saeed that imagines itself as the ideological guardian of the Islamic state of Pakistan, could do a favour by trusting the Pakistani people and letting them decide their own course of life and governance.
[The writer is a former BBC Urdu Service journalist, is Director of South Asia Studies Project at the Middle East Media Research Institute, Washington DC.]
(Courtesy: Daily Times)
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By Manzar Imam
New Delhi: Results of the “Infinite Light Contest’ started in different cities of India on an objective question type written competition based on the book by the same name by M. Fethullah Gulen were announced here on Friday 15 March at the Stein Auditorium at India Habitat Centre. The winners were handed over cheques. Mohammad Saleh Khan of Kashmir and S.M. Raquib Iqbal of West Bengal won the two first prizes in the junior and senior category respectively. Out of 20 winners Fariha Afreen of Hyderabad was the only female winner of a prize. Participants of Kashmir took a lead as maximum number of prizes was won by them.
It should be noted that The Infinite Light, the book on which the contest was organized, was originally written in Turkish as “Sonsuz Nur”. The book by a leading influential Muslim educational activist, and opinion maker, Fethullah Gulen, is an analytical biography of Prophet Muhammad. It has been translated in over thirty languages of the world. The contest was organized to introduce the life of Prophet Muhammad to the young generation irrespective of religion.
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While offering his supplication to the Messenger of Allah, Maulana Khalilur Rahman Sajjad Nomani said, “We are ashamed oh Prophet of Allah that we have forgotten most of what you taught us.” You taught us that our God is one, all human beings were sons and daughters of one person and that the message sent by God for humanity’s success was one. We engage ourselves in things which are impure. Islam did not begin with Muhammad, it was completed by Muhammad, he added.
Maulana Salman Hasani Nadwi said that there was no place on earth where no one was sent with the message of guidance. Man forgets who his guide is, and that’s where the problem begins. He said, “It is grave mistake to think that Muhammad (SAWS) was sent only for the guidance of Muslims”. He came for all humanity. And the Quran, revealed to him, is the book for everyone. He also appreciated the work of Fethullah Gulen.
Maulana Sufyan Qasmi of Darul Uloom Waqf Deoband said that there was restlessness in the world and Muslims being the followers of Prophet Muhammad needed to introspect. They need to think where they have gone wrong and they have to make sure which direction they need to look for.
Activist and Arya Samaj scholar, Swami Agnivesh said that a question often rose in my mind why Muslims did not get angry with what they should be angry. Muslims today do not stop and think for a moment whether the Prophet would have been angry the way they get angry.
Muhammad never placed himself as God. Similarly, neither Rama nor Krishna called themselves god. It is therefore wrong to start worshipping the message-bearers of God. He asked people to follow the true message of Prophet Muhammad. He further said that the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, are all Allah’s trust and gift for us. Then why aren’t Muslims getting angry when in the name of development governments are polluting these gifts of Allah?, he questioned.
Turkish Ambassador to India Burak Akcapar talked about the old linkages between India and Turkey and asked to revive and strengthen those bonds. We go back a long way and Turkish India relationships have very very deep roots. We are victims of television cultures and we don’t read much. Despite all new technological advancement we are not closure to our roots, he said.
People are united across borders by certain common threads. We need interfaith dialogue; we need to respect each other across faith. Violence is a big issue that has encountered the world. Violence is a method which cannot be allowed to advance in our society, said he. The Ambassador also congratulated the winners.
Maulana Mohammad Salim Qasmi of Darul Uloom Deoband (Waqf), Dr. Iftikharuddin Mohammad of MESCO (Modern Educational Social & Cultural Organization), Hyderabad, Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati, regional head of Chinmaya Mission, Delhi and other prominent figures were present. Mustafa Ozcan, Rector of Fatih University, Istanbul, presided over the award programme and Kamal Faruqui, national secretary of Samajwadi Party coordinated it.
[Manzar Imam, a Delhi-based Journalist, is Special Correspondent of IndianMuslimObserver.com. He can be reached at manzarkhalil@gmail.com]
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By Fiona Buchanan
Ottawa: In the spirit of promoting interfaith friendship and learning, members of the Ottawa Jewish and Muslim communities met Sunday for a social gathering and gift exchange.
Arriving with smiles and brightly coloured flowers, Imam Mohamed Jebara, founder of the Cordova Spiritual Education Centre, entered the lobby of the Beth Shalom Synagogue with members of the Muslim community. They offered the flowers to their new Jewish acquaintances as Cantor Daniel Benlolo welcomed the group.
“Imam Jebara and I want to make sure that we teach our young people,” said Benlolo.“If we teach young people how to interact with, understand and appreciate each other’s communities, then we can hopefully build better communication and better understanding to live in harmony and in peace.”
Jebara, who was unable to speak due to laryngitis, nodded as Benlolo said the purpose of the gift exchange was to promote learning between the two communities.
“Today we are going to understand that we are closer than you think,” Benlolo said.
Awa Biop, a Muslim woman, said the event was a great opportunity for her to meet Jewish people. She brought her daughter to the meeting to teach her about diversity.
“We live in a mixed society, we have people from different backgrounds, race-wise and religion-wise,” she said. “We want our children to grow up with that idea of being different and accepting other people who are different too.”
Benlolo, who was born in Morocco and whose first language was Arabic, invited the Muslims into the synagogue and asked the men and boys to place a kippa on their heads.
“Girls and women, you don’t have to put it on if you don’t want to,” he said, but added that they were welcome to wear the kippa as well. Benlolo explained that the kippa represents a separation between God and man.
“It is to humble ourselves, to feel humility and to show that God is above and we are below.” He joked that the kippa could also be used as a “bald-spot cover.”
In the synagogue, Benlolo spoke about the similarities between Judaism and Islam. He referenced the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son — found both in the Qur’an and the Torah — and spoke of the significance of the ram’s horn, or shofar, to Jewish tradition.
Benlolo then presented Jebara with a shofar, which he described as a symbol of Abraham’s sacrifice to God. Jebara also received a menorah, a Kiddush cup and a book of the history of the Beth Shalom Synagogue.
In return, Jebara gave Benlolo a carved wooden Qur’an holder, a hand-sewn prayer rug from Syria, handmade calligraphy of the Muslim declaration of faith, books teaching Arabic from the Cordova Academy, three Qur’ans and a long blue string of prayer beads.
Jebara said he hopes the event at the synagogue would be the first of many between the Jewish and Muslim communities in Ottawa.
“There are many interfaith dialogues, but they don’t go any further than meeting and discussing issues,” he said. “Our intention is to go beyond that. We would like to establish friendships that are long term.”
Jebara said that building friendships with other faiths would lead to understanding, harmony and love between the different religious groups. Both Jebara and Benlolo mentioned the outreach to faith groups is not limited to Jews and Muslims; they hope to foster friendships with all religious communities in Ottawa.
(Courtesy: The Ottawa Citizen)
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With a population over 100,000, Richardson would be one of the largest cities in the US to vote in a Muslim leader
By Renee Ghert-Zand
An affluent suburb of Dallas, home to many of the area’s Jews, may become the first sizable American city to elect a mayor of Palestinian descent.
Richardson, a city of 100,000 in north Texas, will decide May 11 whether to elect Amir Omar, a former city councilman believed to be the first Muslim-American elected to public office in the area. Should his campaign succeed, it appears Omar would be the first American of Palestinian background to serve as mayor of such a sizable US city.
A conservative Republican in his late 30s, Omar refers to himself on his campaign website as “living proof that the American Dream is alive and well.”
Born in Wisconsin and raised in Texas, Omar has worked primarily in telecommunications, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University.
His mother was born to an upper-middle-class family in Iran, and his father comes from a family of Palestinian farmers. They met while attending college in Arizona.
Their son, first elected to Richardson’s city council in 2009, previously ran unsuccessfully for the US House of Representatives in 2006 — a campaign that would have made him the first Iranian-American in Congress.
His work in local politics has been more popular with voters; he was re-elected in 2011 with 63 percent of the vote.
With a mayoral platform focused on families and small businesses, Omar’s current political bid has so far drawn 69 endorsements from organizations and individuals. His political positions, like his campaign, appear to be locally minded, without statements on foreign policy or the Middle East, although his Twitter feed notes that he recently took his daughter to a University of Texas lecture on the Holocaust.
“Just as I have done on the City Council, as your Mayor I will be a hands-on leader with a passion for Richardson,” his website declares.
Should he win, Omar would join a handful of Muslim-American and Arab-American mayors currently in office in the US, including Mohammed Hameeduddin of Teaneck, NJ; Mohamed Khairullah of Prospect Park, NJ; Sam Abed of Escondido, Calif.; and Arjumand Hashmi of Paris, Texas.
(Courtesy: The Times of Israel)
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Tunis: Lawmakers from Tunisia's secular opposition Monday denounced remarks attributed to an MP from the Islamist Ennahda party that female circumcisions in Africa are carried out for “aesthetic' reasons.
“It is unacceptable that a member promotes crimes against women,” lawmaker Nadia Shaaban said in the National Constituent Assembly, referring to remarks purportedly made by Habib Ellouze, an MP from the ruling Ennahda.
“In the (African) regions where it is hot, people are forced to circumcise girls ... because in these regions clitorises are too big which affects the spouses,” Ellouze was quoted in an interview published in the Sunday edition of Maghreb newspaper as saying.“There are more circumcisions but it is not true that circumcision removes the pleasure for women. It is the West that has exaggerated the issue. Circumcision is an aesthetic surgery for women,” he was quoted as saying.
Ellouze on Monday accused the newspaper of distorting his quotes, saying the journalist “attributed remarks to me that I have not said.”
“She insisted that I respond to the question and I told her that it is a tradition in other countries,” Ellouze said in the assembly.
Ennahda, which heads the Tunisian government, is regularly accused of orchestrating a creeping Islamization of society and seeks to limit the rights of women. Ennahda denies these charges.
The International Organization of Migration says that around 100 to 140 million women have undergone female genital mutilations around the world, mainly in Africa.
(Courtesy: Al Arabiya)
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No matter how you look at it, the Iraq invasion engineered by the Bush administration ruined a country and spilled the blood of innocents, all to satisfy a megalomaniac US president who had lost touch with reality
By Tariq A. Al Maeena
A decade ago, in the days preceding the impending attack on Iraq, I penned an open letter to the US president at the time, George W. Bush. In it, I implored him to reconsider the war plans being drawn up for the invasion of a country that had nothing to do with the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The excerpted version goes as follows: “Dear Mr Bush. My conscience compels me to write this to you. Shortly after you were elected, a heinous crime took place on your shores. In your quest to stamp out terrorism, you bombed Afghanistan. And when that failed to capture the alleged mastermind of September 11 you elected to alarm your constituents into believing that Al Qaida was freely operating all over Iraq. When that claim drew a challenging reaction not only in your country but from around the world, the people of the United States were suddenly confronted with an ominous threat: Weapons of mass destruction!
“You took your case to the United Nations. There were even some menacing samples of such weaponry presented to the world body to back your assertion that Iraq was preparing for a massive onslaught on your country. And you drew concessions from the UN to sanction detailed inspections of Iraq’s offensive machinery.
“The inspectors have been poring over Iraq for some months now. There have been no smoking guns located yet. Nothing capable of remotely striking US interests either in the US or in bordering regions around Iraq. Meanwhile, you collared the ever-obedient Tony Blair into trotting forth and marketing your doomsday scenario at the hands of the Iraqis.
“Your Pentagon generals, we are told, would employ the strategy of raining down ten time the bombs on Iraq in the opening hours than was used in the Gulf War back in 1991. A ‘shock and awe’ punch meant to maximise damage and demolition; a showering inferno over innocent people who had absolutely nothing to do with that dreadful day on September 11.
“You may lead your public to believe that your God-fearing virtues are the reason behind this determination to take war to the Iraqi people. So who would really suffer and die? Nameless and faceless people to the media circus preparing to cover this latest spectacle, but victims nonetheless whose memories will forever be etched painfully in the minds of their loved ones.“Turn towards your family for a moment, Mr Bush. Would you welcome any acts of aggression towards Laura or your daughters, carried out under the condescending pretensions of saving humanity? Or is it your belief that while an American life is significant and worthy, all others are considered not?
“I fervently hope that deep down in your soul, the morality of this impending aggression has given rise to conflicting seeds of doubt; that giving peace a chance, and inspectors more time to do their jobs is the honourable thing to do.
“If ever there is a time to act like a righteous and God-fearing Christian you claim to be, now would be the right time to take the bold step of reducing the tensions your policies have given rise to in so many regions of the world. Pause and consider the loss of innocent lives. Now would be the time to prove that the United States of America is indeed a beacon of liberty and hope not just to its own people, but to the rest of the world.
“Thank you, Tariq Al Maeena.”
Ten years later, Tomas Young, a dying young US soldier who served in the war against Iraq wrote the following letter titled ‘A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney from a Dying Veteran’.
“I write this letter on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War on behalf of my fellow Iraq War veterans. I write this letter on behalf of the 4,488 soldiers and Marines who died in Iraq. I write this letter on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have been wounded and on behalf of those whose wounds, physical and psychological, have destroyed their lives. I am one of those gravely wounded. My life is coming to an end. I am living under hospice care.
“I write this letter on behalf of husbands and wives who have lost spouses, on behalf of children who have lost a parent, on behalf of the fathers and mothers who have lost sons and daughters. I write this letter on behalf of the some one million Iraqi dead and on behalf of the countless Iraqi wounded. I write this letter on behalf of us all — the human detritus your war has left behind, those who will spend their lives in unending pain and grief.
“I write this letter, my last letter, to you, Mr Bush and Mr Cheney. I write not because I think you grasp the terrible human and moral consequences of your lies, manipulation and thirst for wealth and power. I write this letter because, before my own death, I want to make it clear that I, and hundreds of thousands of my fellow veterans, along with millions of my fellow citizens, along with hundreds of millions more in Iraq and the Middle East, know fully who you are and what you have done. You may evade justice but in our eyes you are each guilty of egregious war crimes, of plunder and, finally, of murder, including the murder of thousands of young Americans—my fellow veterans—whose future you stole.
“You sent us to fight and die in Iraq after you, Mr Cheney, dodged the draft in Vietnam, and you, Mr Bush, went AWOL from your National Guard unit. Your cowardice and selfishness were established decades ago. You were not willing to risk yourselves for our nation but you sent hundreds of thousands of young men and women to be sacrificed in a senseless war with no more thought than it takes to put out the garbage.
“You, Mr Bush, make much pretence of being a Christian. But isn’t lying a sin? Isn’t murder a sin? Aren’t theft and selfish ambition sins? I am not a Christian. But I believe in the Christian ideal. I believe that what you do to the least of your brothers you finally do to yourself, to your own soul.
“My day of reckoning is upon me. Yours will come. I hope you will be put on trial. But mostly I hope, for your sakes, that you find the moral courage to face what you have done to me and to many, many others who deserved to live. I hope that before your time on earth ends, as mine is now ending, you will find the strength of character to stand before the American public and the world, and in particular the Iraqi people, and beg for forgiveness. Tomas Young.”
Tragic, isn’t it?
[Tariq A. Al Maeenais a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. You can follow him at www.twitter.com/@talmaeena]
(Courtesy: Gulf News)
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Iranian-born photographer Sara Shamsavari uses her camera lens to highlight the individuality and ethnic diversity of veiled women, at an exhibition portraying young Muslim hijab-wearers at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
The event is part of the Women of the World Festival, an international festival which celebrates women’s talents and activism across the world and highlights the challenges they face.Shamsavari said her exhibition aimed to deliver a positive image of the Islamic veil.
“When I would see these group of people particularly, I’d see people who are young, female and also visibly Muslims, and for all of these reasons, I would assume that they would encounter a lot of prejudice and a lot of misunderstanding, you know just because we live in a judgmental society, and I wanted to show how despite all of that they shine so beautifully,” she said.
The Muslim veil is intended to cover parts of the body that men find sexually attractive, and can include garments that cover the hair, ears and throat and sometimes even the face.
But Shamsavari says that none of this hides the beauty of the hijab, with pieces from her collection showing women covered in colorful headscarves decorated with pins, gold accessories and shiny chains.
She said she wanted to challenge common perceptions of veiled women.
“Often when we see a picture of a woman in a veil in the news, the images that we see more often are connected to some form of war or something political or something negative or something painful and there is like a whole other reality that I guess I see and part of being the artist is to be able to see things differently,” she said.
The images displayed at the exhibition were among 100 other photographs taken by the artist in different parts of London.
Shamsavari said there was more freedom in London towards people’s individuality but that there was also a negative association that people from minority groups had to deal with.
“There has been more of a negative feeling towards I guess, Islam in the West, because of the previous events that happened. I find that the young people growing up in that are suffering but the main gist of the work in general is to love one another and to be non-judgmental and to be accepting,” she said.
“I think that’s the main gist and I also think that displacement is happening, is becoming more common place all over the world and because of that it makes it even more important that we learn about each other and that we understand each other and accept each other,” she added.Visitors to the exhibition said they were impressed.
“I think the exhibition is fantastic because Sara depicts Muslim women wearing the hijab but in their own individual ways, so I actually think that it represents where we are now in the world in terms of modern times because everybody is an individual irrespective of what religion they are,” said designer and marketing director Nneka Onyenakala.
Another visitor, Rayan Cherri, said the images proved that women who wore veils could also be elegant and fashionable.
“It shows something new about the hijab and it encourages those who don’t wear it to consider it, and it also shows the West that there are beautiful hijab styles and that a women can practice her religion and at the same time preserve her happy and elegant look,” said the university student.
International Women’s Day started in 1911, when more than a million women and men took part in protests calling for the right for women to vote, hold public office and to be able to work.
(Courtesy: Saudi Gazette)
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