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3 universities share ideas on opening campus to each other

May 16, 2013, 1:24 pm
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By Naveed Iqbal

New Delhi: Three universities in the country are in talks over sharing students, depending on the core competencies of each institution.

Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Jamia Millia Islamia and Jamia Hamdard — three universities with a large number of Muslim students — are exploring the idea of providing students the opportunity to study in a campus where a preferred course is a specialisation.

Speaking to Newsline, Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University Zameer Uddin Shah said he would like to share students with Jamia Millia and Jamia Hamdard in areas where these universities excelled.

"I would like to send students, who want to study mass communication, to Jamia's AJK Mass Communication Research Centre. Jamia Hamdard leads in training students for civil services and AMU can train students for the defence services," Shah said.

Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia Najeeb Jung called the system an "advanced concept of meta university".

He said after 14 students from Jamia Millia recently qualified for the Indian Administrative Service, AMU V-C "expressed his wish to train 15 of his students for civil services at Jamia". Likewise, Jung said, interested Jamia Millia students could go to AMU to receive training for the defence services.

Jung said there was no formal proposal for this arrangement yet, but the vice-chancellor's of the three institutions had discussed the matter. Regarding making the system one of annual exchange, Jung said, "We would like to carry anything in perpetuity that is good for the students."

However, Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard G N Qazi said he was not sure how the arrangement would work, as Jamia Hamdard mostly taught professional courses.

"We pick up students who want to become professionals at the undergraduate level," he said.

He said unlike Jamia Millia, AMU's core competency in training students for the armed forces was more a result of Shah's army background.

"This kind of core competency can change as per the vice-chancellor's interests," Qazi said.

However, Shah said when he took charge as vice- chancellor, he was surprised to find 600 of the 800 school students of AMU had applied for the National Defence Academy.

(Courtesy: The Indian Express)
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After sherwani, AMU vice-chancellor courts another controversy

May 16, 2013, 1:27 pm
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By Atul Sethi

New Delhi: After asking students to dress up in a sherwani if they wanted to meet him and banning Facebook and bikes on campus, Aligarh Muslim University vice-chancellor Lt Gen(retd) Zameer Uddin Shah seems set to ruffle more feathers. The V-C has, a few days ago, decided to shift the archaeological section of the department of history and hand over its material to the university's museum. Teachers of the history department allege that the move, if carried out, will deal a death blow to the study of ancient history in the university.

"The archeological section, which has conducted a number of important excavations - such as those at Atranjikhera, Jhakera and Fatehpur Sikri - is regarded as among the best places to research and study ancient history in the country," says Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi, associate professor at the department of history. "The university's founder, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, himself collected a number of archaeological artifacts including rare Hindu and Buddhist sculptures. At present, research is being carried out on the Atranjikhera artifacts which might push back the period of the Iron Age. If the administration in its wisdom thinks that it is not needed, this would be a disaster that would take the university far away from the dream of Sir Syed."

The vice-chancellor's office, however, says that its proposal is aimed at improving the functioning of the section. Rahat Abrar, PRO of the university says that the move has come about after due consideration. "The vice-chancellor along with the pro-vice-chancellor, Brig S Ahmad Ali visited the archaeological section several times. This section is in a very neglected condition and opens only up to 2 pm. Therefore, it has been decided that the present building of the archaeological section will be converted into the faculty of international studies and the archaeological section will be shifted to another building, very near to the department of history."

He adds that all the materials of archaeological importance scattered in the university including at the archaeological section, will be shifted to a state-of-art central museum under the management of the department of museology where they can be "preserved with a professional approach that will increase the opportunity and space for better research and study for the students."

But historians say that the move will seriously hamper the research that is going on at the section. Irfan Habib, professor emeritus of the department of history says that taking away excavated material from the section and simply putting it in a museum will make the section redundant. "There is a difference between putting materials on exhibit and using them for research. Does anybody in the department of museology know how to handle excavated material? Have they written a single paper on archaeology? So how can they be arbitrarily handed over such invaluable excavated material? By doing so, the administration is sending the message that it does not care much for the research and study of ancient Indian history in the university."

(Courtesy: The Times of India)
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Sonia Gandhi lays foundation stone of girls’ hostel at Jamia campus

May 16, 2013, 1:32 pm
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New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of a new girls’ hostel at the Jamia Millia Islamia campus.

The new hostel — Jamia’s fifth — will be constructed with a Rs. 26 crore grant under the general development scheme of the 12th Plan, which Jamia vice-chancellor Najeeb Jung said had been made possible only because Gandhi had “persuaded the government to pursue our case.”

The hostel will house 400 girl students and will have a number of facilities such as triple bedded rooms, gymnasium, dining hall, multi-purpose functional hall and recreational open area.

Gandhi said providing infrastructure such as the new girls’ hostel and modern education will help emancipate and empower women so that they can find a place in society and break barriers.

“A women’s hostel will create a sense of security among them. We have all been shocked by the violence that girls and women encounter on the streets and even in their homes,” she said.

She added: “The society at large also needs to change their mindsets and we must all be proactive”.

(Courtesy: Hindustan Times)
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An Open Letter to Prime Minister of India: A Nuclear Willing Country With Hunger & Malnutrition?

May 16, 2013, 1:35 pm
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Respected Sir,

I would like to draw your attention towards the increasing number of deaths of infants of tribal area due to malnutrition in Palakkad District of Kerla.

It is reported that:

• In last 16 months , approx 37 deaths reported due to malnutrition.
• Many are still undergoing treatment and no effective steps taken to prevent such tragic deaths.
• It is reported that at present approx 500 pregnant tribal women are there in 192 helmets of Attapaddy hills area of Palakkad district and many of these are anaemic and not getting any nutritious food and medical care.
• People there are also complaint about huge corruption by contractors and aaganwadi workers who were engaged there in providing nutritious food supply as they did not supply at all, and also corruption of crores of rupees in implementing various projects including drinking water supply.
• It is reported that still there was no gynecologist until the death of 35th infant on Thursday and only after that a gynecologist appointed that is also on contract.

It is when the Government of India is concerned over 'Malnutrition' and Prime Minister also expressed his concern over malnutrition. It raise questions about the concept of Equality, Right to Life, Right to Safe drinking water and Right to food. It is also raise questions about proper implementation of state and center governed policies by officials and contractors.

Sir, It is requested to you that you must take its cognizance and to provide adequate measures to prevent such things. It is the time, when you and all other political groups must think above the political gains and therefore must bring the food security bill. It is the time for all leaders to think beyond the nuclear capable country as if we are still unable to provide drinking water and food to our countrymen, we really do not need nuclear fitted and armed lased country. For most of us, a country mean a place where we all can live together happily without discrimination and with surety of water, food, cloth and roof. Our country's primary must not be on getting the things for those who can bear the cost or for those who are rich, instead it must be towards Gandhi's last citizen and should be such that even a last citizen can afford it and can survive its life equally at least on the level of basic amenities.

Our right as a countrymen is as equal on our land as yours and it is also as equal as anyone else belong to this country. Our policies and roles must not be governed with the will of 'majority', instead it must acknowledge the needs and necessities of all small groups , deprived and downtrodden too whose rights are in continuous phase of violation. It must be towards getting the things done for a society as a whole in view of the prospects of coming generations and future society and in context of the concept of our constitution that values equality at all levels.

An urgent action is hereby sought through this appeal as we all believe in importance of life that must not get lost due to insufficient food supply in this country as it will not only defame the country that is believed to be agriculture rich and be responsible for deaths due to malnutrition, but also point out the inequality of society at all levels and careless approach of governments in providing safe living conditions.

Sincerely,

Ravi Nitesh
Mission Bhartiyam, India
missionbhartiyam@gmail.com
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Renowned Islamic scholar, author and reformist Asghar Ali Engineer passes away

May 16, 2013, 1:40 pm
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Mumbai: Noted Islamic scholar, author and Muslim social reformer Asghar Ali Engineer passed away in Mumbai on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. Ali was 74.

Ali was one of the most courageous Muslim scholars who advocated reforms among Muslims and the Bohra (an off-shoot of the Shia sect) community to be specific. The Bohra's are a small but well-off community who are based mainly in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

"This is a huge loss because he was a man who spoke without fear of favour, he was the first man in the country to speak and fight for rights for Muslim women," said Zeena Shaukat Ali, a fellow social reformer who collaborated with him on many projects.

Son of a Dawoodi Bohra priest Shaikh Qurban Hussain, Ali had frequent run-ins with the high priest of the community Syedna Burhanuddin. Ali was a born rebel and he was once punished as a young boy when he refused to perform sajda before the Syedna.

He said that a sajda was only to be performed before Allah and not before the Syedna. For this, he was called a devil and was forced to prostrate before the Syedna.

This was the start of run-ins with the Syedna, as Ali began relentlessly attacking the community's practices like female circumcision, levying of taxes by the Syedna even though there was no provision for it in Islam and equal rights for muslim women.

For this, he was not just excommunicated from the community but also ended up facing numerous physical assaults.

The biggest shocker came for him when his parents were refused burial and their bodies could not be buried for three days. "This incident left him a very disturbed and very hurt person, however he continued to stand for what he believed in and he stood by his values," said Zeenat.

Jyoti Punwani, columnist and who has also closely worked with the Muslim community described him as a trail blazer.

"He was a progressive liberal, he was one of the few who interepreted as to how Islam upheld women's rights. He was a rationalist who was against all forms of rituals but he was a believer," said Punwani.

The rising communal violence in the country between Hindus and Muslims disturbed him a lot and he tirelessly worked to foster communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims.

For this, towards the end of 1993, he founded 'Center for Study of Society and Secularism' to promote communal harmony. He has written more than 50 books on reforms in Bohra community and Islam, asking for equal rights for women and communal harmony.

At the time of his death, he was working with Zeenat for codifying the Muslim Personal Law in order to give more rights to women.

(Courtesy: India Today)
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Indian-American Muslims Mourn Dr Asghar Ali Engineer

May 16, 2013, 1:44 pm
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IMO News Service

Washington DC: The Association of Indian Muslims of America (AIM) has conveyed its profound sorrow at the untimely passing away of Dr Asghar Ali Engineer, renowned Indian Muslim scholar, reformer and community leader, in Mumbai.

"The untimely demise of Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer is being seriously felt by a majority of Indian Muslims who live in North America. For many decades now, Dr Engineer was continuously engaged in a crusade to fight for justice for the suffering Muslims of India, to bring about social reforms in the community, to improve communal harmony between Muslims and other Indians, and to write very meaningful essays on these subjects very frequently in the Indian and International media," said Kaleem Kawaja, Treasurer, AIM.

Mr. Kawaja stated, "Our Association hosted Dr Engineer's lectures in Washington DC during his many visits to USA, starting in 1990 when he was the keynote speaker at our Association's convention. His penchant to reform the Muslim society in India to make it more correctly follow the guidance from Quran and Hadith, and to give better equal rights to Muslim women within that context are remarkable achievements that very few Muslim leaders in India can match. We hope that God gives Indian Muslims the ability to follow in his footsteps to become better Muslims and better Indians. We convey our condolences to his family and pray for the slvation of his soul."
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Uniting the nation: Asghar Ali Engineer’s struggle for preservation of plural ethos

May 16, 2013, 1:57 pm
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By Ram Puniyani

The events of last over two decades have shown us, more than before that the efforts of dividing the nation by communal forces have been a major obstacle to social peace and process of development. In India while the communal violence began with the Jabalpur riot of 1961, it is from last couple of decades especially from 1980s that the divisive politics has tried to drive a wedge between different communities along religious lines. The regret is that it is only few social workers and scholars who took this issue in all its seriousness and Asghar Ali Engineer can be counted amongst those few. He also spent major part of his social efforts to fight against the ideology and machinations which led to communal violence and the victimization of minorities, time and over again, year after year.

Engineer was a student when Jabalpore riots took place. It clearly left a deep mark on him. The imprint of this tragedy got reflected in his social engagement with the issues related to communal violence and communal politics all through. His talks and articles reflect about the impact of Jabalpur violence, its impact on nation and its influence on the conscience keeper of the nation, Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru. Engineer’s work on the issue of communal violence, communal ideology and communalization of society spans on a vast canvass and will easily fill volumes.

His work, to be referred below, shows that he took a serious interest in understanding the dynamics of communal violence, he must have spent days in and days out, investigating the communal riots, their aftermath and their impact on the social and political affairs. He can easily be credited with being the major scholar-activist who pioneered this area of investigation. He spent enormous energy to investigate and analyze the communal violence in India. He can also be regarded as the foremost scholar-activist who not only commented on the issues related to communalism, but also gave his forthright opinion on the range of those, against the heavy odds. He has been criticized by the communalists of both the religions for his opposition to the politics of violence in the name of religion.

This article takes an overview of his work in the area of communal violence investigation and his contribution to campaigns for promotion of secular values. It is based on understanding his work from the vantage point of a close working relationship with him as a friend and associate. I have also tried to take the overview of his massive contribution from the point of someone who not only witnessed his work from close quarters, with awe admiration and some criticism, but also tried to learn from him to give direction to my own work.

Communal Violence

The communal violence of Jablapur (1961) shook Engineer very deeply, the very concept of violence in the name of religions was anathema to him as he was steeped in the spirituality of Islam right from his childhood. He was taught that Islam does not preach violence, and no religion teaches violence, so why this violence in the name of religion. This is the point when he decided to devote his life to promote communal harmony. It was an event which was to shape the course of life and work. He not only intervened after the events of communal violence to douse the fire of the violence but made it a central part of his initial life as an activist to investigate the acts of violence in depth. Starting from Biharsharif riots to Gujarat carnage, he spent time in unraveling the truth of the violence mostly by field studies. His reports on these events are a landmark in the area of riot investigation, in understanding the underlying machinations of this phenomenon. Biharsharif was a stronghold of CPI due to its following amongst the Bidi workers. Dr Engineer could unravel that RSS in order to spread it hold in the area, used the dispute between Yadavs and Muslims over the land for cemetery, to instigate the violence (1981).

Godhra witnessed riots on and off during 1980-81. Engineer investigated these riots as a part of a team. The conflict here was mainly between Sindhis and Ghanchi Muslims. While Sindhi immigrants were looked down by other Hindus, for various reasons but those Hindu groups supported them against Muslims. The material reasons of poverty of Ghanchi Muslims and growing demands of Sindhis for facilities was the root cause of the trouble which assumed religious color. The report pointed out that rumors played a lot of role in this violence.

Engineer also studied the Ahmedabad violence of 1982. Extensive field investigation was done for this. In this case the poor Muslim locality of Kalupr and Daryaganj face the brunt of the violence. An incident over kite flying turned into stone throwing and violence. Just prior to this VHP had started its work in these areas and prepared the ground for the skirmishes. VHP virulently talked against the conversions of Harijans to Islam. The communal forces resorted to heavy propaganda, especially through distribution of leaflets in the area. These leaflets used a communal version of history, demonization of Muslim kings, and emphasis on singing Vande matram, and opposing those who kill cow. Some people drew the attention of Gujarat government to this virulent propaganda, but there was no response to those appeals.

Pune and Sholapur were in the grip of violence in 1981-82. These were precipitated in the aftermath of Ahmedabad violence and VHP as usual had been at the forefront of spreading the communal venom. It was a period when VHP had launched a Jan Jagaran (People’s Awakening) campaign all over India. This campaign was based on demonization of Muslims as foreigners, beef eaters, etc. This was also a riot which took place in the aftermath of Meenkshipuram conversion of dalits to Islam in 1981. Dr. Engineer makes a very pertinent point while relating the communal violence to the core issue of atrocities on dalits. He points out, “VHP is raising the hue and cry of conversions of Harijans in Meenakshipuram so that people do not pay attention to the screams of dalits burning in the pyre of discrimination.” (Communal Riots in Post Independence India, P 265)

The aggressive campaign of VHP intimidated the Muslims. VHP took out a procession with portraits of Golwalkar and Manusmiriti, along with those of Gandhi and Ambedkar. The procession tore down the hoardings with Muslim names, including the one of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and shouted anti Muslim slogans. The procession changed its permitted route and entered Muslim locality, attacked Muslim hotels and shops were stoned.

In Sholapur also situation was similar. Here they propagated the myth of rising Muslim population to provoke the people. Here also trouble began with VHP procession on 15th Feb. 1982. The procession when it came near Punjab Talim Mosque, it started giving anti Muslim provocative slogans. There was attack on small shops owned by Muslims after which Muslims were attacked.

Meerut riots have also been a big sore on our polity. Meerut a city with great syncretic traditions also suffered the violence. Here the main goal was to co-opt the dalits, to give them liquor etc and to use them for violence against Muslims. Here the riot had more political reasons than economic ones. The riot was instigated on the issue of some piau (where one gets water to drink). One Muslim advocate and another trust were involved. Tension mounted in April 1982 and the provocative propaganda was stepped up. Biased attitude of police and communal slant of newspapers added to fuel to the fire. Similarly Vadodara Hyderabad and Assam riots were also studied by him.

His major observations have been that a small incident is taken advantage of by communal forces, the rumors add havoc to the situation and communalized state apparatus, police in particular, plays a partisan role, worsening the plight of minorities.

Apart form these riots of Mumbai 1992-93 (Report of EKTA Samiti, 1993) Gujarat carnage has also been studied by him (Sowing Hate and Reaping Violence, CSSS 2003). The studies by him have been used as a base by many a scholars to make interpretations and conclusions about the phenomenon of communal violence. He does interpret every riot on its ground and the specificities of the particular violence are well reflected in his studies and reports. Another aspect which emerges from his studies and reports is that gradually the intensity of communal violence is worsening, and it did peak in Gujarat violence. He has vividly presented the failure and complicity of police machinery in this violence. It seems that the deeper process of communalization has been going up in last three decades. And now even the other minority Christians have also been brought under the chopping block of communal forces.

He also draws our attention to the fact that these episodes are not sporadic or spontaneous. There is a deeper motive behind these. There is a good deal of planning in such episodes. His other studies-reports show that popular perceptions about minorities lay the base for violence, the propagation of myths and biases against Muslims and Christians make the job of the communal group easier. What is undeniable is that communal forces take advantage of every conceivable opportunity to strengthen them, first by instigating the violence, then perpetuating it and in the process they increase their political power.

Apart from his own book-reports on the violence he has edited several volumes on the issue Communal Violence in Post Independence India, Communal Violence after Independence, Bhivandi Riots, and Communalism and Communal violence to name the few. He continues to chronicle the communal riots on regular basis and these are published as Issues in Secular Perspective, the January issue of this periodical carries his compilation and analysis of Communal Riots of the year past. ( Also posted on CSSS-ISLA.COM)

Communalism-Secularism

Activist’s scholars in India have faced a challenging task of understanding, defining and intervening in the situations related to communal violence. How does one understand the phenomenon of communalism in Indian society? Why India is plagued with this problem? These must have been the issues dogging his mind when he began his parallel study of Indian history and analysis of contemporary issues.

While unraveling the Indian history, the communal interpretation of which is major component of communalization of social thinking, he focused on overcoming the communal interpretation of history and presented the view of looking as history of kings as battles for power and wealth. He understands lives of people as an ongoing journey of interaction, some frictions and major synthesizing tendencies resulting in syncretic traditions. His major book on this, Communalism in India (Vikas, 1995) gives a good reflection of his thinking on the issue. He tried to evolve his workshops with different sections of society on these lines. Later he came out with many articles and books on this issue.

In his work the medieval history is presented not as a battle between Hindu and Muslim kings but as battles between kings for power and wealth. He draws heavily from original sources and from the works of national Historians. The issue of temple destructions, Jijia, policies of Muslim kings, spread of Islam and other aspect of social life during that period gives a good reflection of those times and is an effective tool in breaking the myths and misconceptions in peoples mind about it. The traditions of Sufis, Bhakti saints and their emphasis on values of love and amity is brought out effectively. The mixed traditions of society do convey that Hindus and Muslims were good companions and religion was not the cause of discord, the social interests were, and sometime surely these interests did come in the garb of religion. But communalism as a political phenomenon was introduced here after the coming of British rule.

He takes up the vexed issue of role of Muslim leadership in freedom movement and the role of communalists, Muslims and Hindus both in aggravating the communal violence even in pre-independence India. He handles the issue of partition of the country very delicately to focus that the main responsibility of partition lies on the head of British, while Congress leadership and Jinnah’s obstinate nature added to the issue. He seems to agree more with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad on this point that partition could have been prevented had Maulana’s suggestion of sticking to Cripps Mission proposals been accepted.

As a part of dispelling myths about Muslim minorities he has written on the ‘Role of Muslims in Freedom struggle’. Fascinated by the approach of Gandhi in politically uniting different communities and emphasizing on non-violence and peace he has also compiled volume on Gandhi and communal harmony. His fascination for Gandhian approach to communal problems is seen in his work all through. His sense of Gender justice is very strong and he has shown how Islam gives equality to women, and highlights how women are the worst victims of communal violence. The list of his contributions and web site gives and ample insight into his concerns and how he has handled them in a humane manner. His regular publication, Secular Perspective has a good circulation and is reproduced in many a websites and newspapers across the globe.

Secular Intervention

It is difficult to decide as to which aspect of Engineer’s work is more important than other. There is a deeper integration in different facets of the work and one can see the deeper connection between different facets of his work.

His intervention in social issues began with his concern for communal harmony. His urge to study and understand the communal problem began with the tragedy of Jabalpur violence, later his study led him to intervene and undertake the campaigns and awareness work to promote communal harmony work. In Mumbai from late sixties he brought together like minded friends in to groups, Awaz-e-Biradaran. This group started talking about communal problem and raising the awareness about need for harmony through taks in schools and colleges. As Engineer had deep interest in Urdu literature also, he did come in contact with prominent writers who also got involved in helping in the harmony work. With outbreak of Bhivandi riots, 1970, he camped in Bhivandi, along with Balraj Sahni the renowned actor, for two weeks, going to villages and talking to the victims and helping them. His group also involved prominent writers to issue the message of peace through All India Radio.

In Mumbai he also became part of Indo Pak friendship movement. At the same time he came in contact with the Sampradayikta Virodhi Committee (Committee against Communalism) in which doyens like Subhadra Joshi and D.R. Goyal were associated and Engineer started contributing to their work.

The response of Muslim leadership to the issue of Ramjanmbhumi disturbed him immensely, he held that Muslim leadership should be in the background, and the issue should primarily be tackled by secular activists and scholars. He also brought to the notice of Muslim leadership that it is important to agitate on the issues of Muslim poverty and backwardness. The Gopal Singh Committee report, which was lying in the cold storage, needs to be implemented. He himself involved many secular activists to issue appeals for peace.

He took initiative to form EKTA Committee in the wake of Meerut riots in 1987. This became the platform for trade unions and other progressive people of Mumbai to campaign for peace and to oppose the rising tide of communalism.

I witnessed his work directly mainly from 1992-93. During the Mumbai riots he undertook many a peace marches in troubled areas. The lasting impression in my mind is that of a sincere, honest and committed scholar activist. During the Mumbai violence, his office became a natural place for all the activists to meet and during those meetings over hundred activists used to throng to his office, standing in different corners of the small office, even balcony of the office used to be full to the brim. He used to sit in the middle, on the floor and used to conduct the meting and make the plans for action. Most of the planning’s were peace marches and community work. Behrampada, a area near Bandra was given special attention for work, peace marches. Peace marches were also organized in different part of the city.

These marches had important effect on the psyche of society and these gave lot of hope to the victims. As a peak of these efforts on 26th January 1993, in the thick of communal violence looming on the horizon, he organized a Peace march into the main areas of Mumbai. These activities were supplemented by the investigation into the Mumbai riots and the report brought out by EKTA Committee was remarkable for its in-depth work. This brought him face to face with the reality that police; the arm of the state to control the violence itself is much communalized. He decided to approach the police authorities for conducting workshops for communal harmony. It will be impossible to count the number of these workshops scattered in different parts of Mumbai, Mahrashtra and all over the country. He was faced with the challenging questions based on the biases against Muslims, their food habits, violence nature, Muslim Kings destroying temples, polygamy and what not. To his credit he has been conducting this difficult workshop with dignity and modesty coupled with deep scholarship of the issues.

Center for Study of Society and Secularism

Meanwhile he took up the task of formalizing the awareness programs and was instrumental in laying the foundation of Center for Study of Society and Secularism, which has emerged as the premier center for spreading awareness about secular issues. The CSSS, as we refer to it in brief, has also undertaken research on the contemporary issues relating to the National Integration. On awareness front CSSS began experimenting with various modules for different sections of community. Its workshops ranged from half a day affair to seven day in depth workshops for serious activists and teachers. These workshops cover the theme starting from History to the contemporary issues, terrorism, Islam and peace, values of freedom movement. I can guess that thousands of activists and others must have benefited from these workshops. CSSS has also set up Institute of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution to formalize the training of activists into secular values. Plans are also foot to initiate the longer training for activists, teachers and students.

His own engagement with multiple lectures and accepting infinite invitations from all over the country and globe are another facet of his work. What needs a mention here is his membership of National Integration Council during the UPA regime (2004-2009). He forthrightly raised the issues related to harassment of minorities in the name of terrorism amongst other issues. His interventions, along with the similar one’s from other important members and the efforts of tribunal on the issue, did affect the Government policy. With these interventions the routine pursed by Police authorities to arrest large number of innocent Muslims youth in the wake of blasts anywhere, came to halt.

He has also been a major part of the process to bring together all the activists working for the cause of secularism. Groups working for communal harmony all over the country have come together as a platform from last few years, All India Secular Forum.

Touching Moments

While one is talking on the social contribution of a person of high stature, there are some anecdotes which have been very touching at personal levels. I have shared lot of meetings and travels together along the course of our work. The interaction during these periods has been another learning and sharing experience for me. One is privy to sharing his thoughts and ideas on most of the issues.

I cannot help but recount an anecdote, which has left a deep impression on me. One of the mornings we were standing in the Mumbai University campus hall. The seminar was to begin in another 10-15 minutes or so. As we were waiting one of the speakers came in a taxi and we welcomed him. As we were talking to the speaker, the taxi driver got down, did a respectful namaste (greeting) to Engineer and said, Sir please continue your work, your writing, it is a source of peace for the society. I am sure there must be innumerable persons around the globe with similar sentiments.

[Ram Puniyaniis based in Mumbai and is a strong advocate of human rights. He can be contacted at ram.puniyani@gmail.com]
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BOOK REVIEW: Mahatma Gandhi, more or less, lived an Islamic life

May 16, 2013, 2:07 pm
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By Zia Haq

No part of Gandhi’s life has escaped scholarly attention in a corpus of a little over a century. Literature on him is abundant.

Two lines, in my opinion, stand out as the profoundest words ever spoken on the Mahatma.
First, Einstein, in 1944, said generations might not believe that a great man like Gandhi ever “walked upon this earth”. Second, Orwell’s 1949 piece on Gandhi opens with a rational probe: “Saints should always be judged guilty until proved innocents…” In the end, Orwell gracefully exonerates Gandhi: “…how clean a smell he has managed to leave behind.”

A fair amount of questioning of Gandhi’s ideas has gained currency among western writers, who see him as self-conceitedly left-leaning, and as disavowing industrial progress for bucolic poverty. “The world has enough for everyone’s needs, but not everyone’s greed,” Mahatma Gandhi famously said. Some of Gandhi’s greatest challengers were, however, compatriots of his time – Jinnah, Savarkar and Ambedkar.

With his new book, “Faith and Freedom, Gandhi in History”, Prof. Mushirul Hasan, the internationally renowned historian and former vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi, turns his gaze to an intriguing aspect of Gandhi’s life and legacy: his engagement with Muslims. Intriguing, because Gandhi’s overly ‘drift’ towards Muslims is said to have cost him his life, when a Hindu militant assassinated him in 1948. Why could Gandhi not mitigate the ferment of Muslim nationalism that culminated in the creation of Pakistan?

Hasan acknowledges Gandhi’s immense love for Muslims. Once, in jail, he anxiously stuck his neck out – you may choose to ignore the pun — for a glimpse of the Eid moon, along with some Muslim inmates. Gandhi enjoyed great personal rapport with Muslim leaders but, Hasan argues, he had a “limited or a specific understanding” of Islam. It was shaped by his early experience of the mercantile South African and the Gujarati Muslim community. His approach would later lead him to a “dead end”.

What made Gandhi ‘Gandhi’ was his faith, the bedrock of his ideas. His ‘moral heroism’ was inherently anti-secular. So, for him, the unhindered rise of Islam had to do with its normative messages of “equality, tolerance and simplicity”, as found in the chapters 5.48 and 11.118 of the Quran, which also enjoins People of the Book to work for common good (3.64). This is exactly what Gandhi’s faith told him; his concepts rooted in religious scruples. Where else have some of the greatest ideas of mankind, such as justice, compassion and righteousness, come from, but religion?

Much as he was a bulwark against colonial nationalism, Gandhi could not assuage inter-communal rivalry because of one community’s suspicion of being dominated by the other. As one who views the world not from the “prism of faith” and opposed as he is to Muslim sectarianism, Hasan explores these as Gandhian infirmities.

However, if Gandhi failed in successfully repressing Muslim nationalism, it is because Hindu fundamentalism had also been concomitantly rising. The Mahatma’s battle was spiritual; Jinnah’s and Savarkar’s were temporal.

Savarkar felt Hindus were losing out and Ambedkar succeeded in pulling Dalits out of Hinduism’s fold, much to Gandhi’s annoyance. Gandhi could not prevent the Partition – he supported a newly formed Pakistan’s rights – not because of his flaws, but that of others. This concession has to be made for whom Romain Rolland called “a mortal demi-god”.

An essential Everyman historian, Hasan writes history with flourish. “Faith and Freedom” is a tale told to make history vivid, amid his fine intellectual tradition suffused with secularism, in the Western liberal sense.

Hasan’s speaks from a position of western liberal secularism, where religious values are derided. That makes Gandhi’s relationship with Muslims posthumously look like a disaster in parts. That western concept of secularism does not work for India.

(Courtesy: Hindustan Times)
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Mahathir, Khatami call on OIC to examine Sunni and Shi'a Muslims divide in depth

May 26, 2013, 12:21 am
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Putrajaya: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami today called on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to set up a task force to examine the Sunni and Shi'a Muslims divide, in depth.

In a joint appeal aimed at ending violence and bloodshed between both doctrines, the two prominent leaders said the task force could perhaps submit concrete proposals for the political and religious leaders of the ummah to act upon the matter.

Dr Mahathir said he only had a simple objective that was to see them stop the violence and the bloodshed among them.

"I don't have a very big agenda such as to unite the Muslim Ummah, because I think that is the task that can be left to other people, not to us. But whatever may be the differences, don't simply kill each other," he told a press conference before launching the first ever Joint Appeal on the matter by both statesmen, at the Perdana Global Peace Foundation building, here.

Representing Khatami was his special advisor, Dr Ali Khosroo while President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) Dr Chandra Muzaffar was also present.

Among others, the Joint Appeal which will be circulated online in five languages, including Malay, English, Arabic, Urdu and French, and there will also be appeals to concerned individuals and civil society groups all over the world to join in the endeavour.

Committed in ending the conflict between the two, Dr Mahathir said Muslims, regardless of sect and doctrines, needed to show the world that Islam is a religion that believes in peace.

"But at the moment we cannot claim this when we fight amongst ourselves. It is for that reason that I agree to join Dr Khatami, who is a shi'a, to make this appeal to our Muslim brothers whether sunni or shiah, so we can at least live in peace with each other and face the dangers that we are facing today," he said.

Asked whether there might be any third party involvement in disrupting the peace between the two doctrines of Muslim, Dr Mahathir said there were evidence to show such parties do exist.

"Because it will serve their purpose, they don't have to kill us, we are killing each other, so it saves them everything because we are doing the job for them, the enemies of Islam will do harm to you. It does not help us if we were to make matters worse," he said.

Meanwhile, Khatami in his video message said it was indisputable that Sunni-Shia antagonism and conflicts which resulted in massacres have tarnished the image and dignity of the ummah in the eyes of the world.

"It has clearly weakened the Muslim Ummah. It has made us more vulnerable to the manipulations and machinations of outside elements determined to subvert the unity and integrity of ummah," he said.

Dr Chandra lauded the effort by the two leaders of a Sunni majority state and overwhelmingly Shi'a nations, said it was the first time two major leaders in the contemporary Muslim world had come together.

"The idea of the appeal emerged through a conversation in May 2011 when I met Dr Khatami in Iran. I suggested to him the appeal and Tun M was also very supportive of the idea. It (The appeal) is largely because of the sincerity and commitment of these two great men," he said.

After from the Appeal, Dr Chandra said a seminar and a workshop on the matter with the participation of both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims will be organised soon.

(Courtesy: Bernama)
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Jewish group gives tolerance award to Indonesian leader blamed for crackdown

May 26, 2013, 12:30 am
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Decision by Rabbi Arthur Schneier’s Appeal of Conscience Foundation to give the award to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been the subject of street protests, newspaper articles, and angry statements by major national figures.

Indonesian human rights activists are protesting an American Jewish organization’s plans to give Indonesia’s president an award for religious freedom — a freedom that human rights monitors say has sharply deteriorated under his rule.

The annual award, given by Rabbi Arthur Schneier’s Appeal of Conscience Foundation, has no significant profile in the United States. But in Indonesia, Schneier’s decision to give the award to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been the subject of street protests, newspaper articles, and angry statements by major national figures.

“He has laid down the legal infrastructure of the discrimination against religious minorities,” said Andreas Harsono, a Jakarta-based researcher for Human Rights Watch, of Yudhoyono.

According to recent Human Rights Watch reports, persecution against religious minorities, including non-Sunni Muslims and Christians, has burgeoned under the current president’s leadership. A recent U.S. State Department report faulted the Indonesian government for failing to protect religious minorities.

The Appeal of Conscience Foundation, an interfaith organization that bills itself as promoting religious freedom, said in a statement that the award to Yudhoyono is “an encouragement to advance human rights, religious freedom and interreligious cooperation.”

The group’s decision to bestow the religious freedom award on the Indonesian president has been the subject of headlines in seven Indonesian newspapers in recent days. Representatives of the Ahmadiyya and Shia communities, minority Muslim groups that have suffered persecution in Indonesia, issued statements condemning the award. Rights groups have called for a press conference in Jakarta opposing the award on May 23.

“How come they did not ask the Indonesian people’s opinion before they decided to give Yudhoyono the award?,” asked Rev. Franz Magnis-Suseno, a major Indonesian Catholic figure, according to an Indonesian press report.

Schneier, spiritual leader of the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, a Modern Orthodox congregation, has developed a reputation for high-profile interfaith dialogue. Pope Benedict XVI visited his congregation in 2008, marking the first time a pope visited a U.S. synagogue. Schneier founded the Appeal of Conscience Foundation in 1965 and now serves as its president.

Schneier did not respond to a request for comment beyond the one issued by his group.
The Foundation is set to give Yudhoyono its World Statesman Award this fall at its annual fundraising dinner in Manhattan, which is the group’s regular venue for this presentation. Previous recipients include Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, among others.

Though Indonesia is the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, its citizens are religiously diverse. Most of the country’s Muslims are Sunni, but there are substantial communities of Shia and Ahmadiyya Muslims. The country also has large Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist populations, among others.

Watchdogs say that religious persecution has worsened under the current president. “Since Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took office in December 2004, there has been an increase in violence targeting Ahmadiyyah, Christians, Shia, and other religious minorities,” Human Rights Watch reported in 2013.

The Ahmadiyya Muslims, in particular, have suffered greater religious persecution under Yudhoyono’s rule, say human rights monitors. A heterodox sect that broke off from mainstream Islam in the 19th century, the Ahmadiyyah have been a longstanding target in Indonesia. But in 2008, Yudhoyono’s government passed a decree making it illegal for the group to spread its beliefs. One leader of the anti- Ahmadiyya movement has been Suryadharma Ali, appointed by Yudhoyono to serve as his Minister of Religious Affairs.

If the organization hopes to change Yudhoyono’s behavior, the award may come too late. He is barred by term limits from running in Indonesia’s 2014 elections. “If they wanted him to do more, its not the time to do it,” said Jeremy Menchik, a professor of international relations at Boston University. “It’s going to help whitewash his legacy.”

(Courtesy: Haaretz)
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US Jews Celebrate Muslim Heroism

May 26, 2013, 12:38 am
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New Jersey: Shedding light on heroism of Muslims who risked their lives to rescue Jews during World War II, the Jewish community in New Jersey has hosted an exhibition to remember how they were protected by Muslims in Albania from the Nazi brutality.

“History has recorded what everyone there already knew: No Jew was ever turned over by an Albanian,” H.E. Ferit Hoxha, Albania’s ambassador to the United Nations, was quoted as saying by New Jersey Jewish News website.

“All the Jews there survived the war.”

An exhibition was held at the South Brunswick Public Library earlier this month to remember how the Muslim ruler of Europe’s smallest countries welcomed Jews as guests in his country.

According to Hoxha, Albanian King Zog, who ruled the country from 1928 to 1939, personally saved Jews who fled to Albania after 1938's Nazi crackdown on Jews in Germany.

The king also instructed his country’s foreign embassies to provide visas to Jews and for guards to allow entry to those arriving at the border.

“There are no foreigners in Albania,” the king said, according to Hoxha. “Only guests.”

The exhibition, which runs until the end of May, shows photos compiled by American photographer Norman H. Gershman in the book, BESA: Muslims who Saved Jews during World War II.

The library also screened BESA: The Promise, a documentary based on Gershman’s work that features interviews with children and grandchildren of Muslim rescuers and the Jews they saved.

Both works tell the moving story of how the Besa, a code of honor in Albanian culture, guided their courageous actions.

Besa is generally translated as “faith” or sometimes “to keep the promise.”

Before World War II, there were only 200 Jews in Muslims-majority Albania, which had a total population of 800,000.

After the war, there were many more Jews after Jewish refugees from some half dozen European countries fled the Nazi persecution and sought shelter in Albania, according to Israeli officials.

Israel has already honored 63 Albanians as “Righteous Among the Nations,” a title granted to non-Jews who helped Jews escape Nazi persecution.

True Muslims

Touring from country to another, Gershman, who is Jewish, said he felt compelled to tell their story in order to counteract pervasive anti-Muslim sentiments.

“We have to get the word out to the next generation,” he told the overflow crowd of 200.

“It’s a paranoia we are witnessing, and we have got to fight it.”

The program is sponsored by the Sisterhood of Salaam/Shalom, a local group of Muslim and Jewish women dedicated to fostering friendship and understanding between the two faiths.

“It is so important that the world sees this,” Sisterhood founder Sheryl Olitzky told NJJN.

“Instead of thinking of Muslims as terrorists, here we have Albania, which is mostly Muslim, saving Jews.

“If the rest of the world had acted like Albania, there would have been no Holocaust.”

Though there are no official figures, America is believed to be home to nearly eight million Muslims.

A 2010 report of the North American Jewish Data Bank puts the number of Jews in the US at around 6.5 million.

(Courtesy: OnIslam.net)
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UK mosques attacked in backlash of Woolwich beheading

May 26, 2013, 12:52 am
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By Kounteya Sinha

London: Britain experienced a communal backlash against Muslims within 24 hours of a young, serving soldier being butchered with "stone age savagery" in Woolwich by two radical British Nigerians who had changed from being "devout Christians to Muslims" recently.

Mobs calling themselves English Defence League clashed with riot police after last night's "terror attack". Mosques in Woolwich, Braintree in Essex and Gillingham in Kent were attacked with bricks and bottles.

Fearing such backlash could intensify and affect all Asian communities including Indians, 1,200 extra police officers were posted on the streets of London. Prime minister David Cameron called for calm saying the incident in Woolwich "has sickened us all".

"The people who did this were trying to divide us. They should know: something like this will only bring us together and make us stronger," Cameron said, adding that the attack wasn't just against Britain but against Islam as well.

"This was not just an attack on Britain and on our British way of life. It was also a betrayal of Islam - and of Muslim communities who give so much to our country. There's nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act. We will defeat violent extremism by standing together," Cameron said.


"Terrorism that has taken more Muslim lives than any other religion. It is an utter perversion of the truth to pretend anything different. That is why there is absolutely no justification for these acts and the fault for them lies solely and purely with the sickening individuals who carried out this appalling attack," he said.

Cameron then visited Woolwich and met leaders of different communities including Sikhs. The two suspects were known to Britain's intelligence agency MI5. One of the two was named as 28-year-old Michael Adeboloja.

Adebolajo is said to have joined the banned Islamist organisation Al Muhajiroun, which promotes Sharia law. He was stopped by intelligence agencies earlier on his way to join the militant Islamist group Al Shabaab in Somalia last year.

What has shocked most people is the brashness with which Adeboloja killed the soldier after hitting him with his car and then hacking him and beheading him. Britain's defence ministry named the victim on Wednesday evening as drummer Lee Rigby of 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

Talking to passerbys with blood dripping from his hands, Adeboloja said, "It was an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth." He hacked his victim shouting 'Allah-u Akbar', meaning 'God is great'.

In a chilling rant captured on camera, the knife-wielding Adeboloja then said, "The only reason we have killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers. Remove your governments, they don't care about you. You think David Cameron is going to get caught in the street when we start bursting our guns? You think politicians are going to die? Tell them to bring our troops back so you can all live in peace."

Police investigating the attack have been searching an address in Greenwich and another in Lincolnshire, believed to be connected to Adeboloja. Four people have been picked up for questioned, three of them being women.

Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command and MI5 are trying to determine whether this could be part of a more orchestrated campaign. The Muslim Council of Britain said the murder was "a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly".

(Courtesy: The Times of India)
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Woolwich Killing: Mosques, Islamic Centres & Madrassah Security & Safety Tips

May 26, 2013, 1:01 am
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IMO News Service

Following the barbaric murder of a British Soldier in the streets of London yesterday, a number of reprisal attacks have been reported on Mosques and Islamic centres in the UK.

Faith Associates, a non-theological consultancy to meet the needs of ethnic minority faith-based communities in the UK, recently received requests by a number of Mosques and Islamic centres for advice and assistance on safety and security matters, and hence wanted to share the following advice and suggestion provided thus far.

Mosque, Islamic Centres & Madrassah Security & Safety Tips:

1. Prepare and Plan: Your management and executive team should meet and assess the levels of risk for your buildings, congregation, neighbours and local community. Engage you local police, fire or prevent engagement officers. Seek their professional advice on security protocols and local protocols for emergencies. They may have a local risk assessment that they can share with you to help judge the level of risk in your area.

2. Report Threats: Immediately document and report all threats, suspicious activities, packages or persons to the police. Do not make any attempts to confront threatening persons or touch suspicious packages. If you receive any threatening mail or emails keep them and hand them over to the police. Inform your congregation especially via Jummah khutba’s (Friday Sermons) that if they are confronted by Islamaphopic abuse (Physical or verbal), mail or emails that they should also report this.

3. Install Alarms and Cameras: Install fire (smoke and heat) and security alarm systems that are connected to local police and fire departments where possible. Make sure all access points are observed by security cameras that have remote off-site backup.

4. Keep Outside Areas Clean and Visible: Remove potential fire hazards, such as rubbish and debris and trim shrubs and vines to reduce areas of concealment. Install perimeter floodlights to cover the outside grounds and parking spaces.

5. Health and Safety: Review all emergency exists, entry points, fire hydrants, all staff need to be aware of emergency protocols especially Madrassah teachers, Imams, all paid staff and volunteers, first aiders, fire wardens. Your protocols need to be rehearsed before Jummah pray and all members of the team need to be aware of their responsibility before major events in your centre.

6. Plan for the Long-Term: Establish a security committee to work with Police with the goal of developing long-term security plans, threat assessments, crisis plans, trainings, and drills. Annually hold safety trainings and evacuation drills for all staff, volunteers, and worshippers. Your health and safety protocols need to be accessible in the premises for all staff and volunteers.

7. Working in partnership: Think local – your local Police and fire Safety teams will be ready to assist if you engage.

8. Mosque Open day: Remove any suspicions, open your Mosques to the wider community especially your local non Muslim neighbours. Be transparent and engaging as this will prevent external forces who wish to cause disharmony and have ill intent against your Mosque to exploit local tensions. (Free Mosque Open day guide)

Useful links:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/
http://www.police.uk/
www.gov.uk/
http://tellmamauk.org/
www.faithassociates.co.uk

For additional information, and to support your Mosque and Islamic Centre contact Faith Associates on 0845 273 3903, or via email at info@faithassociates.co.uk
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Muslim World Woefully Underserved By PR Sector

May 26, 2013, 1:12 am
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By Yusuf Hatia

The Muslim market is large, lucrative and underserved. Technically, it is the single biggest consumer market in the world – bigger than India and China - but treated differently because it isn’t limited to a geography, race or culture. And, at a time when companies are looking to find the next billion consumers the Muslim market presents a unique opportunity.

Islamic doctrine, by and large, is not ascetic and does not discourage trade or consumerism. Likewise, it does not divide the state from religion, which means that Muslims practice their faith hand in hand with the political, social and cultural roles they play in society. So, the concept of a Muslim market or a Muslim consumer, we believe, is a valid one.

Consider some of the demographic data that makes this consumer very interesting. The global Muslim population is expected to grow by about 35 percent over the next 20 years, rising from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030, or over a quarter of the world’s total projected population of 8.3 billion. By 2050, the Muslim population could grow to 2.6 billion and represent nearly 30 percent of the global projected population.

By 2030, 79 countries are expected to hold a million or more Muslim residents, from the current 72 countries. A majority of the world’s Muslims (more than 60 percent) will continue to live in the Asia Pacific region, while about 20 percent will live in the Middle East and North Africa. Muslims will remain relatively small minorities in Europe and the Americas, but will constitute a growing share of the total population in these regions. To be successful in Asia, as well as the Middle East and North Africa, companies must learn to understand and address the Muslim market on a large scale.

One demographic factor makes the Muslim market even more attractive to companies -- it is largely young and part of an emerging middle class on the road to greater consumption. Some of these consumers will bank, use branded products and go online for the first time and are likely to follow brands that are relevant to them and speak their language.

In Islamic majority and minority countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, business activity is escalating, with Islamic trade currently estimated in trillions of dollars.

Excluding Islamic finance and banking, the global Halal market is valued at about $2.3 trillion. The worldwide Halal food market alone is worth an estimated US$650 billion or more and is close to 17 percent of the global food industry. A leading professor at a US university recently made the bold statement that any food company that doesn’t have a Halal strategy can’t consider itself to be a global company. It explains why companies like Nestle are betting big on the Halal opportunity.

At the end of 2011, assets compliant with Islamic banking topped the US$1 trillion mark and recorded another year of double-digit growth. The Halal pharmaceutical industry is estimated by some analysts to be worth as much as $500 billion while the Halal cosmetics market is worth around US$13billion and growing at a compound annual rate of about 12 percent.

Companies are starting to understand the great opportunity that the Muslim consumer represents. But addressing this market is not as straightforward as dealing with other billion population consumer markets such as India and China. For a start, the Muslim community is not a single homogeneous group. Muslims live in every country in the world, represent every race and come from every social and economic stratum. And although they share the common thread of their beliefs, they have their own cultural, regional or local nuances, preferences and practices.

The diversity of the Muslim consumer can prove to be a challenge to those who view markets as geographies and for whom the concept of an Islamic consciousness operating across market frontiers is alien. Neither can the Muslim economy be as easily defined as other cross-border markets such as the "green economy" or the "pink dollar."

For brands that find ways to embrace and engage the Muslim consumer, the rewards are rich. And smart, compelling communications will play a critical role in targeting a consumer market that already represents nearly a quarter of humanity.

These are some of the reasons why FleishmanHillard set up a group last year to better understand the development of the Muslim opportunity, where the greatest potential lies and analyze the communications and reputation issues that companies need to be aware of.

FH Majlis also exists because clients are beginning to ask us questions that we need to answer. We felt it important to adopt a clear position on the opportunity, which is to help both Muslim and non-Muslim organizations navigate the market and provide some pointers that companies need to consider.

We believe that the next four to five years will see this market become more pronounced as the consumer base grows – in size and spending power – and companies need to have a clearer understanding of the opportunity and a strategy to adapt their brands to the Muslim consumer.

[Yusuf Hatiais senior VP/Managing Director of FleishmanHillard’s Mumbai office.]

(Courtesy: O'Dwyer's)
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Pennant Technologies Signs Ethica for Islamic Finance Certification

May 26, 2013, 1:19 am
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IMO News Service

The Islamic finance industry has unique IT requirements that require technology professionals to have some understanding of the processes around which Islamic finance products are based. Pennant Technologies, the financial IT specialist, today announced that it has signed on Ethica Institute of Islamic Finance in Dubai to train and certify its professionals in the core Islamic banking products. Ethica is the global leader in Islamic finance certification, now having certified professionals in 47 countries and over 100 institutions.

“We are excited to enhance our Islamic banking understanding in association with Ethica,” commented Rama Krishna Raju, CEO at Pennant. “The addition of online Islamic finance education and related certification programs will give significant benefit to the Pennant's Islamic banking product engineering and implementation staff,” added Pradeep Varma, Director at Pennant.

Ethica’s spokesperson said, “There is growing awareness that IT professionals at banks need to know Islamic banking at least as well as the bankers, especially if they are creating the systems on which the products will be executed." The fact that an Indian IT company focused on the banking and financial sector is developing its resources in Islamic banking with Ethica also marks a landmark event for Ethica's exclusive partner in India, Infinity Consultants whose Managing Partner, Saif Ahmed commented that, "With this important step of investing in its people, Pennant takes the long-term view that Islamic banking and finance is an important market for the IT sector and we expect to see other India-based IT firms choose Ethica's training solutions.”

Pennant develops enterprise level integration and business applications for the financial world and is now growing its expertise in Islamic finance. The professionals undergoing Ethica’s training at Pennant will take part in a rigorous 4-month online training program followed by a certification exam. Ethica’s Certified Islamic Finance Executive (CIFE) program takes newcomers to a high level of Islamic finance knowledge in an accelerated, practical program that focuses on what happens inside the bank, and less on the theory.
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Pakistan turns a page

May 26, 2013, 1:31 am
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By Tariq A. Al-Maeena

History has been made this month in this much maligned country. A democratic process of elections went through without the usual rash of violence or indiscriminate bombings that would have turned the whole thing into a farce. Instead, the Pakistanis took to the polls and decided upon a leader.

Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was the unquestionable winner in a hard fought elections that saw the charismatic Imran Khan’s party, the PTI establish a firm foothold in Pakistani politics. There is a confidence in the air. The PML-N party now has five years to prove that the years their leader Mr. Sharif spent in exile were not in vain. There is another wave of optimism as the tsunami led voters of Khan managed significant victories in the Northern Province and will form the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtun.

There is much work ahead for both parties. The country has many domestic heights to surmount, let alone the foreign issues it faces in its war against terrorism. But such challenges are not impossible if all parties accept the will of the majority and go about making their country better.

There is evil lurking in the horizon though. The MQM through its Machiavellian party leader Altaf Hussain is threatening to dismember the province of Sindh form the country. Saeed Qureshi, a former diplomat and respected journalist charges that “Altaf Hussain the fiery and unbridled chief of MQM has enslaved or indoctrinated his Mohajir community, mostly settled in Karachi city after their migration from India in 1947. By his rigid and merciless authoritarianism, instead of integrating, he has isolated his community from the mainstream populace of Pakistan. MQM is basically a movement for the sake of Mohajirs as an ethnic entity and not for the Pakistani nation.”

Qureshi also contends that “since its formation in 1984 as Mohajir Qaumi Movement and later renamed as Muttahida Qaumi Movement in 1997, the imprint of MQM in the minds of the people is that of a kind of mafia or an entity of roughnecks or extortionists. It is believed that the special death and terror squads within MQM kill, kidnap and torture rivals including the critics from within the MQM fold.”

He adds, “There have been also a prevailing impression that has gained ground, that the extortions or the obnoxious “parchi system” was first started by MQM to raise funds for the organization to become financially robust for carrying out its political and apolitical activities.

Undoubtedly Altaf Hussain has proven to be a great and unassailable master and unbending and strict lord of his party.”

“Several pioneering cohorts and companions are alleged to have lost their lives in all these years ostensibly due to their opposition of the ruthless leader with symptoms of indiscretion. Their names are in public knowledge.The MQM captures most seats in Karachi both for the National Assembly and for the Sindh provincial assembly. These seats in the distant past used to be shared by Jamaat-i-Islami and some other political factions. But for many years now these are exclusively bagged by MQM. The MQM’s political behavior for all these years has been to browbeat and flex its muscles whenever its hegemony was challenged by other groups within the context of Karachi and broadly in Sindh.”

With the recent elections, most of the wind has come out of his sails as other parties made great inroads into the province he has been dominating with near like terrorism. The Pakistani voters have made up their minds and Hussain and his gang of rogues could be marginalized over the coming term. But such men do not go down quietly. And that is why he has now tried to rouse the call for separating the province from the country, and establish his own fiefdom in the process. He has come to be known as “a dreaded and pitiless czar and a violent baron.”

Imran Khan has accused the MQM warlords of killing one of his senior staff a week after a general election. He charged, “I hold (MQM leader) Altaf Hussain directly responsible for the murder as he openly threatened PTI workers and leaders through public broadcasts. I also hold the British government responsible as I had warned them about British citizen Altaf Hussain after his open threats.”

Personalities such as Altaf Hussain do not bode well for the future cohesion of Pakistan. In that most Pakistanis took to the polls in an orderly manner and exercised their choices this month, they should also continue to safeguard their country against despots who think nothing of breaking down their country for personal pursuits. It is now time for Pakistanis to make that choice.

[The writer can be contacted at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter: @talmaeena]

(Courtesy: Saudi Gazette)
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India–China have to build a model relationship

May 26, 2013, 1:39 am
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By Syed Ali Mujtaba

The visit of the Chinese premier Li Keqiang to New Delhi comes in the wake of the heightened border tension and growing mistrust and suspicion between the two neighbouring Asian giants.

Although the Chinese premier is being quoted saying that the purpose of his visit to India was three-fold — to increase mutual trust, to intensify cooperation and to face the future, the ground reality is, there exists a huge trust deficit between the two countries.

Notwithstanding the facts, if the two countries have to raise the bar of their relationship to face the future then they have to further deepen mutual understanding and construct a new paradigm in relationship.

The question remains what could be the new model relationship to promote healthy and sound development of each other. It goes without saying that this has to be based on cooperation rather than competition and in order to do so, both the countries have to eschew the cold war mindset and develop sufficient level of trust for cooperation with each other.

This nugget of wisdom for this comes from Mount Kailash pilgrimage tour that points to a new type of relationship developing between India and China .

The Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL) includes an area of the remote south-western portion of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) of China , and adjacent parts of north-western Nepal , and northern India , and encompasses the cultural geography of the greater Mt. Kailash area.

Each year, India ’s Ministry of External Affairs sends some 400 people to Kailash Manasarovar Yatra that includes visit to Mount Kailash and the Manasarovar Lake .

The Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative (KSLCI), under the umbrella of the intergovernmental institution called International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) based in Kathmandu facilitates all the formalities of this tour. These organizations have set up an example of how trilateral relationship can actually work.

If Mount Kailash belongs to China , it also belongs to India and Nepal in a cultural sense. This internationalization is now highly formalized, as a trans-boundary process involving three governments, their official research institutes and many NGOs working together for a common purpose.

In this pilgrimage tour, India , China and Nepal , are enthusiastic partners. All see it an opportunity to promote healthy and sound relationship based on mutual trust and deeper understanding of each other. This rapprochement serves as a model relationship that seems to be working well in spite of differences on many other areas.

Now, when we compare this bohemian with the recent boundary standoff between India and China , one wonders why the same trust level of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra not being replicated to resolve the border row.

India and China has an informal border separating the two countries known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC), while the borders have never been formally demarcated, the countries have signed two accords to maintain peace in the frontier areas. The two armies hold regular flag meetings and the two sides are also holding talks at regular interval to draw an actual Line of Control (LOC).

This exercise is going on since past 50 years or so, but no breakthrough has so far been made. Just like the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan the border dispute between India and China has become a sore point whose solution seems to be nowhere in sight.

India- China in between, had three border disputes; the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the Chola incident in 1967, and the 1987 Sino-Indian skirmish that all have sullied their relationship.

The Chinese military incursions into Indian Territory is often reported in the media, the latest being the face off, in the eastern Ladakh sector in April-May 2013.

The recent face-off between India and China actually took place at Raki Nala in the Depsang Bulge area, a table-top plateau, where China squatted some 19km inside Indian Territory , claiming to be their own geographical limits.

Chinese arduous intrusion threatened to cut off India 's access to some 750 sq km area in northern Ladakh. In retaliation, India also sent its troops to the actual flash point and both the troops of both sides faced each other at a distance of 300 metres for almost three weeks.

The main bone of contention was Indian observation post at Chumar that can overlook troop movements on the Chinese side. China insisted on the demolition of the observation post as a pre-condition for the de-escalation of tension.

It was after a series of flag meetings between the commanders of both the sides that was supported by Joint Mechanism between Foreign Office of both countries, that India and China withdrew their troops.

This standoff had all the trappings of a war breaking out as the fast paced developments sent chill waves across the borders. This was more so because war mongers were shouting form the roof tops to go for a kill!

In the end it was a victory of Indian diplomacy to defuse the tension, but then it remains momentary, as there is all likelihood of the repetition of such episode in future.

The border row has put the progress of the entire gamut of India – China relationship on tenterhooks. Both countries have steadily built-up military infrastructure along border areas and this simmering ember has the potential to burst into nuclear flames.
There is total trust deficit between the two countries. India harbours suspicions about China 's strong strategic relations with its arch-rival Pakistan . It also sees Chinese relationship with its other neighbouring countries as a design to encircle it. On the contrary, China sees India as a rising power and has expressed concerns about its military and economic activities in disputed South China Sea .

So the new relationship that the Chinese premier Li Keqiang talked about does not seem to be anywhere on the horizon. It appears that the both the countries like to compete with each other without realizing the futility of the exposition of such power game.

It’s to be remembered that the gap between India and China is deep and wide. If India can keep Kashmir issue alive till eternity, China can keep the border row melting beyond that time frame.

The quest for parity simply does not stand on the test the logic. As India , stands head and shoulders above Pakistan , in the eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth power game and cannot give up Kashmir, its same yardstick that applies to China on the border row and cannot accept Indian demarcation of its line of control.

It’s this disparity of power play that has to be recognized to forge a new relationship. India and China have to evolve a totally different approach to resolve the border row.

In order to do so a separate task force needs to be constituted. It should comprise of an array of specialists besides diplomats and field commanders. This should be an intergovernmental institution with the partnership with nongovernmental institutions working for the common purpose to resolve this festering problem in a time bound and planned manner.

In order to kick star such a process, the leadership of both the countries have to build mutual trust first and this could be in areas of cultural ties such as Kailash Manasarovar Yatra.

It is this new type of relationship that is based on cooperation alone can prepare the two countries to jointly face the future that the Chinese premier Li Keqiang was talking about in New Delhi .

[Syed Ali Mujtabais a Journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba@yahoo.com]
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Afghanistan team evinces interest in DPIP projects’ impacts in Madhya Pradesh

May 26, 2013, 1:41 am
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By Pervez Bari

Bhopal : A study team of Afghanistan Rural Development & Rehabilitation Ministry evinced inquisitiveness and keen interest in successful implementation and encouraging results achieved under the District Poverty Initiatives Projects, (DPIP), in Madhya Pradesh.

The study team on two-day visit to the state, apprised itself of livelihood augmentation and socio-economic changes through women’s self-help groups and Gram Utthan Samitis at DPIP’s state unit here on Monday.

It may be mentioned here that the District Poverty Initiatives Project (DPIP) is an ambitious project of the Government of Madhya Pradesh for the alleviation of poverty in the State.

Led by Ms Naila Ahmad of World Bank, the study team from Afghanistan Rural Development Project currently on Madhya Pradesh visit comprises of Rahmatullah Khan, Mohammad Asif, Ghulam Nabi, M. Malikzai, Ahmad Masood, Sulaiman Sarwari, Mohammad Ashraf, Ahmad Zaki, Zaki Ahmad Rashish etc.

Greeting team members, DPIP Project Coordinator L.M. Belwal apprised them about DPIP, National Rural Livelihoods Mission, other rural development and social sector programmes.

Ms Naila Ahmad of World Bank informed that Afghanistan Rural Development Project and National Solidarity Programme are being implemented in Afghanistan. The study team from Afghanistan has come to Madhya Pradesh and other places in connection with chalking out designs for next phases of these programmes. The study team will utilise experiences, learning, innovation and results of DPIP projects for chalking out these programmes. Ms Naila Ahmad informed that as a member or World Bank study team, she has already took stock of DPIP projects’ implementation by visiting villages and interacting people over there.

It was informed in the presentation of District Poverty Initiative Project that its target has been achieved by forming over 30,000 self-help groups linking 3 lakh 46 thousand women.

Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator Manoj Saxena informed in the presentation that 18 producer companies have been formed under a novel effort. Of these, 15 companies are agriculture-based, which are benefiting small farmers. These companies have over 46 thousand shareholders with turnover of over Rs.43 crore.

Afghanistan study team members evinced special interest in DPIP’s community development works through interaction with rural communities, constitution of producer companies, various innovations and job-oriented training programmes and their encouraging results. The team members sought information in detail about the work of mobilising rural communities, specially rural women.

Later, the team member left for visits to Raisen and Rajgarh districts. During the visits, they will interact with members of self-help groups and Gram Utthan Samitis and study functioning of producer companies.

[Pervez Bariis a senior Journalist based at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He is associated with IndianMuslimObserver.com as Bureau Chief (Madhya Pradesh). He can be contacted at pervezbari@yahoo.co.in]
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Mamta Kulkarni’s Life -- Another Dirty Picture in Making

May 26, 2013, 1:50 am
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By Syed Ali Mujtaba

Bollywood diva of the 1990’s Mamta Kulkarni who was lost in this lonely planet for some time now has finally been discovered to be living in Nairobi, Kenya.

The heartthrob of millions of youth of her generation has converted to Islam and is living with her husband Yousuf alias Vicky Goswami, a drug lord, who after serving prison sentence in Dubai has moved to Nairobi.

It is said that Mamta had a big role in Vicky’s release as she married him while he was serving jail sentence in Dubai. The marriage took place according to the Islamic rituals and both groom and the bride, recited passages of Holy Scripture before being declared husband and wife.

Mamta’s journey in life seems to be a fairy tale that has all the juice and spice for a Bollywood pot-boiler. It just needs a screen play writer to produce another 'Dirty Picture'.

Mamta charmed her way to stardom in Bollywood in the 90’s and then cashing on her physical assets moved into the inner circles of the underworld, finally to settle with Vikram alias Vicky Goswami, a drug lord.

Vicky Goswami (now 52), was a drug baron in South Africa. He first landed there in 1994 after being deported from Zambia for suspected drug trafficking. He left South Africa in 1995 in a huff, after the murder of drug dealer Robert "Rocks" Dlamini.

Vicky moved to Mumbai from where he continued his business. He supplied drugs to filmy personalities and it is then JAB WE MET story of Mamta Kulkarni started.

Mamta showed great interest in Vicky’s business and it seems both were made for each other. It was around 2002, when Mumbai police was looking for Bollywood connection with the underworld that Mamta moved to Dubai along with Vicky Goswami.

In Dubai, Vicky linked up with senior government officials and set up two methaqualone (mandrax) manufacturing plants. His business flourished but a joint sting operation in Mozambique and South Africa led to the unearthing of his drug manufacturing factories in Dubai. Vicky was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.

It is reported that when Vicky was in Jail, Mamta stepped into his shoes to control his business. Sources imprisoned with Vicky say that he was treated well in jail. He had access to cell phone and he controlled his business with that.

Mamta use to visit Vicky in jail regularly. She is believed to be instrumental in setting her lover free. Mamta was able to convince the authorities that Vicky has converted to Islam and like to marry her, who has also converted to Islamic faith.

A life sentence in Dubai is in effect 25 years, but prisoners can apply for early release on various grounds. Apart from good conduct, these include converting to Islam and learning to recite passages from the Holy Qu'ran.

Vicky in order to strengthen his clemency appeal, converted to Islam took the name Yusuf and prayed five times a day in order to prove that he has became a devout Muslim and recited passage from the Holy Scriptures daily. While being incarcerated, he got married to Aysha alias Mamta Kulkarni according to Islamic rites. These things speed up his early release and his life sentence was cut short by ten years.

Vicky was released from the Dubai central jail in November, 2012. He was deported to India but since he had no cases pending against him, he left for Kenya along with Mamta Kulkarni. The couple are believed to be living happily in Nairobi.

Mamta Kulkarni was at a point in time, one of the biggest actors in Bollywood. In the ‘90s, she had worked with some of the top stars, including the three Khans, as well as the likes of Govinda and Akshay Kumar who were at the peak of their careers.

Born in 1972 in an ordinary Maharashtrian family, Mamta joined Bollywood at the age of 20. She worked in Tiranga in 1992 with Raj Kumar and Nana Patekar, and carved a niche for herself in the industry.

She got the lead role the very next year in Aashiq Awara with Saif Ali Khan. Both Mamta and Saif won the Best debut film awards that year. In 1993 Mamta paired with film star Govinda in the film Ashant.

Mamta worked in nearly a dozen films in a brief span on two years, and signed up films at random for the next three years. Her film with Akshay Kumar in Sabse Bada Khiladi was a super hit. In 1994, she had another hit Krantiveer with Nana Patekar.

Rakesh Roshan's Karan Arjun was a super hit in 1995, in which Mamta appeared with Shah Rukh Khan. At one point of time, Mamta was working with all three great Khans in Bollywood, Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir. She did Baazi with Aamir Khan in 1995, which was a big hit.

It was the year 1997; Mamta become the love interest of director Raj Kumar Santoshi, who gave her an item number in the film Ghatak. Their relationship prospered and Santoshi signed her up for his next film China Gate. A quarrel between Santoshi and Mamta, led to her ouster from the film.

It is reported that Mamta complained this matter to underworld don Chhota Rajan, who intervened and Santoshi was forced to take her back. He however pruned her role badly, and gave the dazzling item number ‘Chamma Chamma’ to Urmila Matondkar. This led Mamta to level serious charges against Santoshi including those of sexual exploitation.

By the year 2000, Mamta was nearing a steep decline in her film career. Her film Qila with Umesh Mehra flopped, and Chhupa Rustam with director Madan Mohla too fared badly at the box office.

In 2002, Mamta did the role of a Devdasi in the film Khajuraho, a small B-grade flick, exposing her physical attributes, but that too got bombed.

In a desperate attempt to revive her career, she appeared shirtless on the cover page of the magazine Stardust, but that failed to create any ripples. The steep decline in her film career was evident.

Some say, Mamta’s mother was the reason behind her downfall, as she was greedy, and forced her daughter to sign films recklessly. Whatever may be the case, it was after that, Mamata changed tracks. She started doing shows for selected clients. This included parties thrown by the people from the underworld.

In 1997, she was reportedly paid a large amount to perform at a private function by a legislator from Bihar, who was later arrested after investigations into the Fodder Scam case.

As Mamta allegedly started keeping wrong company her personal life got in the way of her professional life. Her co-stars and producers began to avoid her, as she was found hobnobbing with the dreaded figures of underworld.

In those turbulent years, when Mumbai police was anxious to unravel the Bollywood-underworld connection, Vicky Goswami got struck in Mamta's charm. Mumbai police record shows that Mamta was in relationship with drug smuggler Vicky alias Vikram Goswami, a drugs supplier to those associated with the Hindi film industry.

Their relationship flourished and the lovers moved to Dubai to avoid controversies and crime. It was from 2002 onwards that Mamata Kulkarni totally disappeared from the Bollywood scene.

It is reported that Mamta owns three flats in her name at Sky Anchorage apartment in Andheri West, Mumbai. All the three flats remains locked but Mamta sends maintenance charges for them regularly.

The latest buzz is that the 90’s beauty has got a plastic surgery done on her face in 2010 and has acquired a totally different look. She has obtained a passport from Dubai with a different looking photograph. Speculations are rife that Mamta is trying to erase her identity from her acquaintances in India and wants to live a life of complete anonymity in Nairobi.

The saga of Mamta Kulkarni is not yet over. The South African investigation agencies are still looking for Vicky Goswami for his illicit crimes committed in that country. It’s likely that there will be more news coming about Mamta Kulkarni in times to come.

[Syed Ali Mujtabais Journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba@yahoo.com]
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Mumbai gets its first Shariah court

May 26, 2013, 1:54 am
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Mumbai: In Mumbai, a Muslim group has set up a Shariah court to settle civil and marital disputes among Muslim families.

Unlike India's mainstream court system, justice in the court is said to be quick and less expensive.

For a long time, Mumbai's Muslim community has wanted to have a Muslim Arbitration Tribunal to resolve disputes among Muslim families.

Shariah courts already function at many Indian regions, such as Hyderabad, Patna and Malegaon.

Although they are barred from passing judgement on criminal cases, the judges, also known as Qazis, listen to the community's various disputes and deliver their judgements. They are appointed by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB).

Maulana Wali Rahmani, a senior Muslim cleric and secretary at AIMPLB, said: "This court will function to settle mainly family disputes among Muslim families pertaining to marriage, divorce and inheritance on the basis of Shariah law."

Based on the Muslim personal law, the Shariah court resolves family and even property disputes, if a settlement can indeed be arrived at according to Shariah law.

It does not aim to compete with the civil courts but on the contrary will lessen the burden of these courts which have a long back-log of cases.

Yusuf Muchulla, a senior advocate and head of AIMPLB's legal cell, said:

"You see, it's a concept of having a domestic tribunal. It is like an alternative dispute resolution mechanism which is being encouraged now. There has been a congestion of cases in local courts. So this is to encourage people to come and solve their cases according to Muslim law."

Some erudite Muslims however, have questioned the value of Shariah court verdicts.

Dr Farrukh Waris, principal of the Burhani College of Commerce & Arts, feels that despite being the word of law for Muslims, Shariah courts don't punish an individual if its judgement is disobeyed.

This, she believes, might reduce the courts' relevance for people who come to seek justice.

Dr Farrukh added: "The bulk of the community will benefit in a very big way but what will be the binding on the people? We will reach there, hear our part of it. If it pleases us, I accept it, if it doesn't please me, then I am not accepting it. In a condition where I am not accepting, what is the control on me to be able to toe the line that the judgement that has been given to me is accepted and not trivialize the judgement of the Shariah court?"

The court began operating at the end of last month and people can now file their complaints or seek justice according to the Muslim law. And as family disputes top the list of cases registered in the local courts, this alternative tribunal is perfectly placed to potentially lessen the heavy judicial burden, provided of course, that its verdicts are fully honoured.

(Courtesy: Channel NewsAsia)
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