January 20, 2013, 12:35 pm
By Aakar Patel
Kashmir in the winter is packed with tourists. More than 1.5 million visited last year, a record. But have things really changed there? Here’s a look at the status through Kashmir’s Urdu newspapers.
There are over 20 Urdu dailies published from Srinagar, which is more than in the rest of India and more even than in Pakistan.
One reason for the enthusiasm is the money that comes easily to the papers from the government. Both the Centre and the state governments struggle to put their message out in a hostile environment, and must pay to occasionally have the press on their side.
The 2 January editions of these dailies in Srinagar carried a full page report on Omar Abdullah‘s achievements. This was a list of things he had inaugurated (there were pictures of a drainage, a libarary, a bridge and an aqueduct) and a long note on how he had brought peace and prosperity to the state. This was not in the form of an advertisement but as a news item. The text in all the papers was identical.
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In Rozanama United Times, Aabid Thami wrote on poverty and politics (‘Kya ise insaniyat kaha jayega‘ – Can this be called humanity?). He recounted the story of Allah Baksh, a father of six in Rajanpur town, who had died. He tried to steal wheat from a government silo, and was killed when he made a hole in the bottom-most sack and the ones on top fell on him. Thami said he wanted to ask the “wazir-e-azam” (Prime Minister), who said he owned no cars but wore suits that cost Rs 21 lakh, why the poor were killing themselves to feed their children. The Prime Minister, added the daily, had also spent crores on his house in Multan. It is at this point that the reader realises that Thami is speaking of Pakistan’s Prime Minister.
Writing on Aaj Ki Jang’s op-ed page, Mohd Azam Azim Azam praised Jinnah (‘Millat ka pasban wa Islam ka nishan – Mohd Ali Jinnah’ – Sentinel of Muslims and seal of Islam, Jinnah). “The child grows up to be king – these words became true on the Indian subcontinent when an independent Muslim state came into being. The Muslims of India had dreamed of this for two centuries and saw it happen on 14 August, 1947. It came to be because of Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah’s integrity, intellect, bravery, political foresight and unshaking resolution. His actions gave immortality and security to Islam on the subcontinent, by producing the Muslim nation of Pakistan.”
Meanwhile it appears that the violence in Kashmir has ebbed. Roznama Zabarwan Times said in its editorial titled ’2012 talkh aur shirin yaadon ka saal‘ (2012, a bitter and sweet year) that 128 people were killed in Kashmir during the year. Of these 77 were militants, 24 were army and police and 27 were civilians. This was the lowest in memory.
The only piece in Wadi Ki Awaz’s 2 January round up of 2012 was on violence in Pakistan. It was the worst year in Karachi’s history and more than 2000 people were dead from “targeted killings” (meaning in rivalry between Pashtuns and Urdu-speaking Mohajirs). Meanwhile the tribal areas were peaceful because the Pakistan army had given up on its operations against the Taliban. However Pakistani and Afghan Talibs were now at war after the suicide bombing on Mullah Nazir in Pakistan, and 2013 would see new violence on this front.
In Roznama Udaan, Maulana Israr ul Haq Qasmi wrote that Muslims were forbidden from celebrating the new year (‘Naye saal ki dhoom-dhaam aur Musalmanon‘). He said such adaption of European traditions was dangerous and it was possible that this would destroy Muslim nations. Valentine’s Day had already corrupted the youth and now they had also begun to exchange cards and SMSes wishing one another a happy new year.
(Courtesy: FirstPost.com)
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January 20, 2013, 12:42 pm
Hyderabad, India: Award winning British journalist Yvonne Ridley has urged Muslims to join the media since it is the most powerful and effective way to spread the message about the purity of Islam and also to counter Islamophobia around the world.
The London-based journalist, who was captured by the Taleban while on an undercover assignment in Afghanistan in 2001 and converted to Islam in 2003 after her release, was addressing a gathering of women and journalists at the “Spring of Islam” conference organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami in the city. Yvonne’s address was through video-conference since the Indian government had denied her visa to participate in the three-day conference.
Pointing out that ‘ambitious’ parents wanted their children to become doctors, scientists, engineers and lawyers, Yvonne wondered why they were not encouraging their sons and daughters to join the media as writers, photographers, filmmakers and documentary makers.
Stating that Muslims, by joining the media, can counter lies and distortions about Islam, she said: “We need to lift the veil of ignorance towards Islam from the face of the West and the best way is to create more and more journalists from within our ranks.
“Misinformation, deliberate or otherwise, and negative stereotypes, heighten tension and legitimise imperialistic wars, brutality and torture of Muslims, We can make people see Islam as a religion which promotes peace, encourages education and does not discriminate against women.”
The war journalist, who made headlines following her capture by the Taleban, said: “The pen is mightier than the sword, and I truly believe it is. We must arm ourselves and be prepared to use it as a potent weapon in the war of words.”
Stating that the 9/11 attacks changed her life forever, Ridley said: “9/11 brought us to the war on terror and the media began to portray Islam as an enemy towards mankind, especially the West.
Islam became the new face of the public enemy, and Muslims, whether young or old, became targets of physical and verbal abuse. Men, women and children were targeted in work places, schools, universities and in streets in the West.
I know similar abuse has been meted out to my Muslim brothers and sisters in India... Islam is not a threat to India. It is not a threat to mankind or humanity.”
On the Indian government’s denial of visa to her, Ridley said in her post on Facebook: “The Indian government is refusing to give me a conference visa to address 50,000 women in Hyderabad about women’s rights... I would have thought that the catastrophic handling of the Delhi rape case, politicians would be more sensitive, but it seems not. “We women continue to be sidelined and treated as second classcitizens.”
(Courtesy: The News)
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January 20, 2013, 12:49 pm
By Tariq A. Al-Maeena
It has always been the woman’s fault. At least that’s what history tells us. From the times of the Pharaohs when Semiramis was maligned for her fondness for using make-up to adorn her looks and called a “painted harlot” by religious clerics, extremists have invariably targeted women for one reason or the other.
This was also the case in Salem, Massachusetts in New England in the 17th century when the Puritan society exhorted by Samuel Parris, Salem’s first ordained cleric preacher, accused women of practicing witchcraft and condemned them to the gallows. Many women were hanged, charged by the fervor of religious extremists, while others were buried under heavy stones where they succumbed to the weight of the stones and eventually died. Some died in prison waiting for their fate, all the targets of the Puritan dominated society of the times.
And today, one of India’s leading Hindu religious clerics has focused his aim on the Delhi girl who recently died as a result of injuries sustained when she was brutally attacked and raped in a public bus in the capital city by half a dozen men, an incident that drew international attention. The spiritual cleric, Guru Asaram Bapu charged that the dead girl was as guilty as those who inflicted the barbaric assault on her.
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Such religious fanatics hijack the true meaning of their religion and distort it to suit their own myopic views. I have not studied the Bhagavad Gita, the holy book for Hindus, but I doubt very much that it would demean women or reduce them to non-entities in its scriptures.
This attack by extremist figures who craftily use the cloak of religion to disguise their twisted ideology and promote their warped thinking is prevalent in many parts of the world. In some countries it is practiced under wraps as state laws grant women full rights. In other countries where the laws regarding women are not fully identified or known, such deviants use religion to vent their abominable hatred toward women by using scripture or a phrase from holy books. Attacks against women who cannot defend themselves or are not given the opportunity to do so, then become their crusade.
In this country we have not been immune from such dangers. Extremism has led to acts of terrorism in the Kingdom and outside during the past two decades as our youth were led onto the path of destruction by warped and twisted ideologies, wrongly using religion as the call to take up arms and enlist for an imaginary jihad.
Similar bands of extremists have invaded book fairs or literary events unannounced and uninvited over the years and shooed everyone away, claiming that such events were un-Islamic. Some even insisted that participation in sports was an evil pastime and the work of the devil.Extremists have also not relented in their attacks on women. They have accused Saudi nurses serving in an honorable profession of being “soiled women”, and have stood firmly against the idea of women being employed in the professional field. Notwithstanding the fact that the country needs the cadre of its educated women to foster progress, such extremists have been an impediment to the progress of women, invariably using the veiled threat of religion against such women.
Others have issued edicts declaring that permitting women to educate themselves, or to work, or even to drive to work is akin to inviting Satan into one’s home. There have also been some derisive comments on the different types of cloaks (abayas) women use to cover themselves. One person even threatened a minister with a “death prayer” for daring to open up new professions for the working woman.
Yet, rarely do these fanatics bother to focus on the heavy issues facing our society today, such as the proliferation of administrative corruption, the disregard of traffic laws, the delayed or non-payment of wages to workers, or a host of other ills. Instead, their target is women, women and women.
The government has demonstrated a remarkable degree of vigilance in its stand against fanatics and extremism. The dangers are obvious, and religion must not be allowed to be distorted to promote their warped ideology. Women are not the enemy and should not be used as targets.
[The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com Follow him on Twitter: @talmaeena]
(Courtesy: Saudi Gazette)
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January 20, 2013, 12:57 pm
By Shaik Abdul Sattar
As India emerges from yet another futile year covered in shame, it continues to aspire to build a secure and crime free foundations for the people one day. Incidents such as the Delhi rape case and the sexual assault on the two year old girl are still haunting fresh on the minds of the people. Unhealed and unraveled, they have left a deep scar on the face of India. The bus which spread ignominy whilst moving on the roads of the capital, has kindled a kind of fire in every thinking Indian’s heart, which cannot be easily stopped until justice prevails in the society.
The preponderant outrage which is being witnessed in the entire subcontinent is a clear indication of a dramatic change in the perception of the people. The masses have come to the notion that rigorous laws are the only deterrent to stop crimes in India. Especially rapes, which nowadays has entangled India like an epidemic. And unless a strong immunity to counter attack its deadly widespread is not engaged, many a life’s of our mothers and daughters are in serious vulnerability. Overwhelmingly, the only solution which is by enlarge visible and appealing to the masses, in trying to impede this atrocity is the adoption of a leaf out of the Sharia law.
The Sharia law has predominantly been proven to be as great deterrent to sexual assaults, rapes, drug abuses, child molestations and providing ample security to women in majority of the Islamic world. The law has been abstracted from the Quran which is the essence of the sharia law and absolute manifesto during the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The Sharia looks into all endeavors of the crime and orders a stringent sentence based on the seriousness of the crime committed. A death penalty is usually the central aspect for one who commits rape or fornication if proven guilty.
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It’s so quite intriguing for a world to know that countries which have always been criticized of being oppressive towards women can provide security like no other country of the world has done. America and Britain apparently are the top ten worst rape afflicted countries of the world. India, which has traditionally been a land to different cultures, customs and religions, where people have always lived together acknowledging each other’s faith and values; sharing the positive aspects of every religion can be inspired by the Islamic Sharia law.
The whole nation today is mourning for a system and law which can strongly punish these sexual predators who are causing this atrocity on women and bringing shame to the nation. The law, on the other hand is vehemently impotent, in neither stopping the influx of rape crimes taking place in our society nor resolving the pending cases, which are rotting in the courts since decades. Take for instance the case of the girl from Hyderabad Sonal who was sexually assaulted by her relatives when she was 8 yrs old, and now at 16 she is still battling it out for justice. And it’s so pathetic that in the last 8 years, there has been no justice which has been done to her.
Abreast to the episode which has shaken India there are innumerable diabolical incidents mushrooming up of late. Recently a girl as young as two years was raped and murdered, and a 6 year old girl was lured by a chocolate to carry out a rape on New Years Eve, reveals the darker side of India. Where, pedophilic misogamists are haunting in our society ready to pounce on every opportunity. A strong feeling of dismal parody subjects the mind with the world looking alike a jungle and humans as animals strangled in the ever so archaic law of the Jungle, “Only the strongest survive”. How can a country which is not leaving any stone unturned in adapting to new accomplishments and wanting to stand tall in the global foray of latest technological advancements be confined to crippling laws? It’s high time that we need to think of a serious reformation in the laws, and events like these are apt platforms to bring in new revolutions.
Many people who want to impose tighter laws like Sharia in India have to remember one thing that the objective of the Sharia is not just confined to putting people to death when they commit rape or sexual assault. But the punishment is actually a lesson for others who pacify their lusts by unlawful means. As Sharia does punish the culprits as to him being an ordinary man, military personnel, a minister’s son or an actor without any preconceived prejudice or animosity against anyone; it also does nullify the catalysts of crime to the very grassroots irrespective of the gender.
Women living under the Sharia rule should actually dress modestly in public and should not become the medium to instigate a crime. Much of the countries which have implemented Sharia have a code of dressing in public, have legally banned drugs, prostitution, pornography though all means by magazines, DVDs or by internet. To a certain extent one can argue that our very own film industry is also a major accomplice in hypnotizing the minds with sexual thoughts and lacking moral responsibility. Most of the movies which are being made today can easily be labeled as 15+, where erotic rape scenes and the exploiting of a women’s body is used to the best possible effect, and constantly being shoved down on the screens in theatres and home. Although, the film Industry is filling their pockets; but on the other hand they are polluting the minds of the masses and specially the younger generation.
So, Sharia is a mechanism, where its innate nature is to stop the crime in the budding stages itself rather than answering to the consequences later on. It acts as a deterrent by addressing to the very crux of the problem. It would be too early to comment if the government can impose a law like sharia fully fludged, but strict laws can be a good start for something good and specially when the whole nation is craving for one.
There are some decisions that are to be made by political correctness and there are some which are made on instincts, and India today is on the verge of falling down and we don’t have enough time to fiddle about. Every single second lost in trying to impose a rule; a mother, a daughter is being put to death. And the stains of blood will be on the faces of the people in power.
[Shaik Abdul Sattaris an Engineer by profession. He can be contacted at sas_beck@hotmail.co.uk]
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January 25, 2013, 2:00 pm
McDonald's has settled a case in which it was claimed a Detroit restaurant falsely advertised food as being prepared according to Islamic dietary law
McDonald's and one of its franchise owners agreed to pay 700,000 US dollars (£440,000) to members of the Muslim community to settle allegations a Detroit-area restaurant falsely advertised its food as being prepared according to Islamic dietary law.
McDonald's and Finley's Management agreed to the tentative settlement, with that money to be shared by Dearborn Heights resident Ahmed Ahmed, a Detroit health clinic, the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn and lawyers.
Ahmed's attorney, Kassem Dakhlallah, said he was "thrilled" with the preliminary deal which i's expected to be finalised on March 1. McDonald's and Finley's Management deny any liability but say the settlement is in their best interests.
The lawsuit alleged that Mr Ahmed bought a chicken sandwich in September 2011 at a Dearborn McDonald's but found it was not halal - meaning it did not meet Islamic requirements for preparing food. Islam forbids consumption of pork, and God's name must be invoked before an animal providing meat for consumption is slaughtered.
Mr Dakhlallah said there are only two McDonald's in the United States that sell halal products and both are in Dearborn, which has one of the nation's largest Arab and Muslim communities. Overall, the Detroit area is home to about 150,000 Muslims of many different ethnicities.
The locations advertise that they exclusively sell halal Chicken McNuggets and McChicken sandwiches and they have to get those products from an approved halal provider, said Mr Dakhlallah. He said there was no evidence of problems on the production side, but alleged the Dearborn location on Ford Road sold non-halal products when it ran out of halal.
Mr Dakhlallah said he was approached by Mr Ahmed, and they conducted an investigation. A letter sent to McDonald's and Finley's Management by Mr Dakhlallah's firm said Mr Ahmed had "confirmed from a source familiar with the inventory" that the restaurant had sold non-halal food "on many occasions".
After they received no response to the letter, Mr Dakhlallah said, they filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court in November 2011 as part of a class action.
In the settlement notice, Finley's Management said it "has a carefully designed system for preparing and serving halal such that halal chicken products are labelled, stored, refrigerated, and cooked in halal-only areas". The company added it trains its employees on preparing halal food and "requires strict adherence to the process".
He said although Mr Ahmed believes McDonald's was negligent, there was no evidence that the chain set out to deceive customers. Mr Dakhlallah said: "McDonald's from the very beginning stepped up and took this case very seriously. They made it clear they wanted to resolve this. They got ahead of the problem."
(Courtesy: Independent, Ireland)
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January 25, 2013, 2:07 pm
Group "commands the good and forbids the evil" in confronting those who dress inappropriately or drink alcohol.
By Jonny PaulLondon: Borough officials, community leaders and police condemned a group of self-proclaimed vigilantes who took it upon themselves to patrol the streets of London confronting people they deemed as indulging in “non-Muslim” behavior.
Earlier this month, a group who had claimed an area in East London was a “Muslim area” had told people that alcohol was banned, or that they were dressed inappropriately.
The group, who dubbed itself a “Muslim patrol,” filmed the incidents and posted the footage on YouTube.
In one video, which was first published last week by the UK news portal The Commentator, the group could be seen destroying advertisements for H&M lingerie on bus shelters in the Whitechapel area of London.
“The Muslims have taken it upon themselves to command the good and forbid the evil and cover up these naked women,” one of the vigilantes says in the video.
Another video shows the group harassing members of the public for consuming alcohol. In one incident, a member of the public is told to dispose of a can of beer he is drinking.
The individual shown in the video is clearly shocked when he is told it is a Muslim area and that alcohol is “evil and banned” as they take his beverage away from him.
In yet another video, which begins with a logo stating that “Islam will dominate the world,” followed by a homophobic graphic, the group can be seen shouting at a man.
One member of the “patrol” shouts: “Hello mate, don’t you know this is a Muslim area?” He asks the man why he is dressed “like that” while another shouts “Homosexual! Homosexual.”
When the man, who appears clearly distressed in the video, asks why they are bothering him, the group hurls abuse at him.
“Because you’re walking through a Muslim area dressed like a fag. You need to get out of here.”
“You’re gay mate, get out of here you bloody fag. Don’t stay around here anymore.”
The self-styled group also stops people for dressing “inappropriately,” or for possessing alcohol near a mosque.
One young woman confronted by the group said she was appalled by their actions.
“This is Great Britain,” she said, to which the patrol can be heard saying, “We don’t care. It’s not so Great Britain, you understand? Vigilantes are implementing Islam.”
The London Metropolitan Police said that they are treating the incidents with “appropriate gravity,” adding that they are aware of the incidents and are increasing police patrols in the area.
“We are aware of incidents over the weekend of January 12-13, where members of the community had suffered harassment by as yet unidentified individuals stating the area was a ‘Muslim area’ and claiming to be a ‘Muslim patrol,’ a police spokesman said.
The police said it was engaging with a range of people in order to address the issue and find those responsible for the incidents.
“Patrols in the areas affected have also been increased in an effort to catch those carrying this out and to reassure the local community.
Officers have already been engaging with the communities of Tower Hamlets [Borough] including the businesses and mosques, and are working with local community leaders, influential people, local businesses and the local authority about what is being done, and can be done, to address concerns and identify those responsible,” the police said.
The police are urging anyone who has been a victim of the vigilantes, or anyone who knows the perpetrators, to come forward.
The Tower Hamlets Council told The Jerusalem Post they are “proactively working with partners in the community and police” to monitor for further incidents and take appropriate action.
“This is an isolated incident by a few individuals whose actions go entirely against the council’s and community’s ethos of One Tower Hamlets. We are proud of the community cohesion in our borough and know that the vast majority of residents believe that people from all backgrounds should be treated with dignity and respect,” a Tower Hamlets spokesman said on Monday.
Alan Green, chair of the Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum said, “The behavior of the very few people who call themselves the ‘Muslim patrol’ does not represent the vast majority of Muslims living in Tower Hamlets.
These are troublemakers seeking to undermine the mutual respect which is at the heart of our diverse and vibrant borough and ensures that people of different faiths and view-points can live harmoniously together.”
A London Muslim Center spokesman said, “We wholly condemn their behavior.
They are not welcome in our community. We deplore the actions of a small minority who sow discord within our communities. It has no place in our faith, neither in its teachings nor practices.”
The Muslim Council of Britain, a Muslim community representative organization, told the Post that the group was an unrepresentative minority.
“We cannot comment on the veracity of this video, particularly as the website [The Commentator] you refer to revels in trading anti-Muslim stories. Nevertheless, if the contents of this is true, then we would urge the police to intervene; we do not condone such vigilantism.”
(Courtesy: The Jerusalem Post)
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January 25, 2013, 2:16 pm
By Patrick Cooke
More Muslim women would join the workforce if the Government issued a directive clarifying that the hijab headscarf could be worn at work, Imam Mohammed Elsadi said.
The public is generally very tolerant of Islamic dress.
“Some ladies who wear the hijab do not apply for jobs because they worry they will be forced to remove it,” Mr Elsadi said.
The Imam was recently speaking to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on the topic of wearing the hijab at work.
He told The Times when contacted that he would like the Government to clearly state women were allowed to wear it in both the public and private sector.
Two Muslim women working in non-medical jobs in Malta’s health sector had been forced to remove the hijab, he said. He also knew Muslim women teaching in Government schools who did not wear the garment at work.
“I don’t know if this is because they are forbidden to wear it, whether they remove it out of fear or whether they choose not to wear it,” he said.
Asked if he would like the directive to include the right to wear the niqab (face covering) at work, Mr Elsadi said he was focusing only on the hijab.
He added that Maltese authorities and the public were generally very tolerant of Islamic dress.“We appreciate very much their attitude towards Muslim women,” he said.
(Courtesy: TimesOfMalta.com)
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January 25, 2013, 2:22 pm
By Mette Reitzel
London: A recent parliamentary report in the UK reveals that some Muslim women are removing their headscarves and anglicizing their names to improve their chances in the job market. Two best friends featured in the upcoming documentary film Hip Hop Hijabis did the exact opposite.
Born in Bristol to Jamaican parents, they converted to Islam in 2005, started wearing the hijab and changed their names to Sukina Abdul Noor and Muneera Rashida. Together they are known as the Hip Hop duo Poetic Pilgrimage and have toured internationally to critical acclaim.
It is estimated there are a total of 100,000 British converts to Islam, a majority of them are women and a growing number are black youth from the inner cities. Combined with immigration this has made Islam the second largest religion in the UK at around 5 per cent of the population according to the latest census data.
Polls indicate that roughly half of all Britons think that is too many and that “Muslims create problems in the UK” reports an Evening Standard article on 11 December 2012. Yet evidence compiled by Islamophobia author Chris Allen shows that two thirds admit to knowing “nothing or next to nothing about Islam” and get most of their knowledge from the media, which the Leveson Report on British press culture recently described to be biased in their coverage of Muslim stories.
By gaining insight into the mindset and daily lives of two outspoken female Muslim converts, Hip Hop Hijabis aims to dispel some of the misconceptions that cause such polarised views, especially around the issue of gender equality, which was a major concern for Sukina and Muneera when they initially felt drawn to the religion.
Researching the question further they found that in historical terms Islam was radically egalitarian, – condemning the common practice of female infanticide and introducing rights of inheritance, divorce and education for women at a time when they were generally considered their husbands property. They also learnt that customs such as female genital cutting and honour killings predate Islam and are not sanctioned by the Quran.
By speaking out against these cultural traditions from within an Islamic framework, Poetic Pilgrimage is part of a growing number of Muslim artists, activists and intellectuals reclaiming their religion.
Doing so through the language of Hip Hop has unintentionally become a statement in itself, as some interpretations of Islam consider music and female performance to be forbidden.
The advantage is that through their skilful rhymes, catchy beats and positive energy Poetic Pilgrimage can reach a wide audience, – both European Muslim youth who may be feeling trapped between cultures, and non-Muslims, whose stereotypes are efficiently challenged by two hijab-wearing rappers.
Though Hip Hop and religion may initially seem like unlikely partners, they both stem from a strong desire for social justice, and there have always been a large number of Muslim artists within the genre. A wide network of educational initiatives has developed around it, encouraging creative expression through Hip Hop as an alternative to violence, drugs and other destructive behaviour.
Extremism has been dominating the public debate around Islam for too long. There are many highly educated and outspoken Muslims who think that justifying misogyny and violence in the name of Islam is a gross misinterpretation of their faith, but their voices are rarely heard.
Conflict and tragedy simply make for better headlines but also breed fear and hate on both sides of the divide with potentially fatal consequences.
The Hip Hop Hijabis project is an attempt to redress the balance and contribute to a more nuanced debate. It will include creative workshops, lectures and public debates to encourage constructive dialogue and counter religious extremism as well as Islamophobia.
(Courtesy: Women News Network)
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January 25, 2013, 2:31 pm
What goes into making the perfect gentleman? The author of a delightful memoir on being a Muslim boy growing up in the West tells us.
By Sharmilla Ganesan Meeting Imran Ahmad after reading his book The Perfect Gentleman is rather surreal; it feels like you know entirely too much about a person you’ve just met, thanks to his honest, endearing and witty memoir.
You know, for instance, that he secretly wore pyjama bottoms under formal trousers when he was young, because the material irritated his skin otherwise. You know he was secretly tempted to bash in the head of a racist school bully with his briefcase (and yes, he carried a briefcase to school). You know that he secretly imagined himself to be a cross between James Bond and Simon Templar. You even know that, as a teenager, he agonised over what he was supposed to do on his wedding night.
So open is Imran about his experiences, thoughts and emotions of being a Pakistani Muslim growing up in London that you forget you’re reading an autobiography and he begins to feel more like an absorbing fictional character – which can be rather odd when that character is sitting in front of you having a cup of coffee.
“Unless I was absolutely honest, there was no point in writing the book,” says Imran, who recently turned 50. “I wanted readers to understand my own internal, mental and spiritual development. You’ll notice once I slip into the story, I write in the present tense. It’s meant to be in the moment, there is no apology from the writer for 30 years ago.”
Currently based in Kuala Lumpur and working with an investment company, Imran was born in Pakistan and moved to Britain with his parents at the age of one. Having attended a prestigious boys’ grammar school, he went to university in Scotland where he studied chemistry, but eventually ended up working as a management consultant, in renowned corporates like Unilever and General Electric.
Originally written and self-published in 2005 as Unimagined, the book was picked up by British book retailer Waterstones in 2007. Imran, however, had his sights set on a US publisher, with dreams of getting that coveted Oprah Winfrey book endorsement. In 2012, his dream was achieved when US publisher Hachette republished the book and distributed it worldwide under its current title. The cherry on the cake? The book landed on O, the Oprah magazine, as a recommended book.
Imran’s efforts to reconcile his ethnic and religious identity with mainstream Western ideals form the basis of The Perfect Gentleman, as he grapples with questions on spirituality, culture and race.
Interwoven with these are the more personal aspects of his life: cars, books, movies, friendships, first love (and heartbreak), job interviews, and so on. Imran even bravely shares his experience of agreeing to an arranged marriage, and later, after 20 years, his divorce.
He sees it as a process of acceptance and taking responsibility for his decisions.
“How are we going to be happy and empowered without being honest about what we’ve been through? Ninety percent of what we all go through is part of the common human experience, everyone goes through these issues and feels these emotions. People don’t feel so alone when they discover that others have shared similar experiences to theirs.
A recurrent theme in The Perfect Gentleman is Imran’s ambivalence towards the idea of an arranged marriage, while being confronted with the idea of falling in love. Proudly dubbing himself a feminist, Imran adds that one of his missions with the book is to end the traditional arranged marriage practice, where potential spouses are matched based on race, religion, social standing, wealth and physical appearance.
“Growing up, I always wondered, why (Westerners) married for love, and we South Asians married for anything but love. When we keep to traditions like arranged marriages, we deny that we individuals have personalities, desires and dreams. We need to be allowed to stop repressing our emotions, and be free,” he says. “I never thought I would come to a place in my life where my ex-wife, my daughter and I would all be happy, and on excellent terms with each other, but it happened. That is the real miracle of my life.”
A large part of the book’s narrative also deals with Imran coming to terms with his spirituality. Often being the only Muslim in his social circle, he spent much of his life struggling with matters of faith – both his own and others’.
“For me, the book was always a spiritual journey. It takes a long time to break the bonds that we’ve been conditioned with, but when it comes to religion, the important thing is to let go of tribalism, and focus on our common humanity. My little contribution to the world, if I may say so, is to promote this. I want to re-humanise Muslims to the rest of the world.”
Despite the thought-provoking issues he raises, the book remains consistently light and readable, thanks to Imran’s inherently humorous writing style and ability to make his experiences relatable.
“I absolutely did not want to make it a miserable book!” he asserts. “My life wasn’t miserable; I mean, there were certain dark aspects, but I wanted to keep the book light and moving forward. I tend to take a philosophical attitude towards my negative experiences. After all, even the racist bully in school provided a necessary narrative and drama in my book.”
Imran is by no means done with sharing his life’s stories. He’s already got a sequel drafted out, with plans for a third book as well.
“I’ve always had a compulsion to write, I just didn’t know what to write about. Earlier, writing my personal story seemed too sensitive, but as I became older, I realised my book was already written in my head!” he says.
Currently single and having settled into his new life in KL (he’s been here for about two years now), Imran is looking forward to beginning life anew. He continues to look for his ideal woman, whom he says is “intelligent, elegant, successful, independent, vivacious, active, spiritually aware, and doesn’t actually need a man to look after her.
“She will challenge me, not bring me tea. And she definitely won’t iron my shirts; mine are all non-iron, in any case!
“Being in a completely new environment and free from baggage, I feel young and full of potential. I think we should all dare to dream and believe that we can have life, love and happiness. Why not?”
(Courtesy: The Star, Malaysia)
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January 25, 2013, 2:48 pm
Still searching for home nearly 25 years later
Colombo: Almost three years after the Sri Lankan government looked into resettling up to 100,000 Muslims displaced from the country’s north during the 1983-2009 civil war, thousands of Muslim families still find themselves in limbo, without the means to return to their former homes.
Despite a time lapse of almost 25 years, Abdul Malik still remembers the announcement Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE - separatist rebels fighting for an independent ethnic Tamil state in the north) made on 29 October 1990: All Muslims in Jaffna Peninsula, which included the capital of the war-hit Northern Province (Jaffna), had 24 hours to leave or face forced expulsion and death.
“It was horrible, there were only three [Muslim] families living in the area where we lived. We just left the place we knew as home overnight,” said Malik who is now a religious `Moulavi’ leader at a small mosque in the northwestern district of Puttalam, where most Muslim families relocated.
Why were they expelled?
While the country’s Muslims from the Tamil-dominated north speak Tamil, they are not generally considered ethnically Tamil by Sri Lankans - of all ethnicities - on account of their religion (most Sri Lankan Tamils are Hindus or Christians). The expulsion of Muslims, who made up 5 percent of Northern Province’s population before 1990, followed the emergence of a new national Muslim political party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress. LTTE leaders feared the new party undermined LTTE’s goal of a mono-ethnic Tamil state. The few Sinhalese who used to live in Jaffna city were forced out years before Muslims.
LTTE, which at the time controlled most of Jaffna Peninsula, made sure fleeing Muslims did not take with them any household items, furniture, or even land deeds in some cases. Each person could not carry more than US$2.25.
The 30 October 1990 mass flight was the largest forced eviction of Muslims during Sri Lanka’s civil war. Researchers estimate close to 75,000 Muslims were forced from their homes during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Where are they now?
Most resettled in northwestern Puttalam District, which already had a sizeable Muslim population. Their number has now swelled to 250,000, according to Colombo-based NGO Law and Society Trust, as well as the Citizens Commission on the Expulsion of Muslims from Northern Province by LTTE in October 1990.
Formed in 2008 the Commission is a collective of Muslim civic groups campaigning for the rights of displaced Muslims.
Almost a quarter of a century after their flight and 44 months since the end of the conflict in May 2009, most are still living in what was intended to be temporary relocation sites.
“They really don’t want to go back if there is no guarantee of jobs and housing. So far there is no such guarantee,” said Abdul Matheen, a community leader working with displaced Muslims in Puttalam.
Researchers and experts told IRIN that resettling people displaced for years was more complicated than resettling those displaced for a short time.
“They tend to take longer to return and will attempt to rebuild their houses and livelihoods before shifting their entire family [back to their original villages],” said Mirak Raheem, a researcher with local NGO Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA).
Raheem, who specializes in displacement, told IRIN that most displaced Muslims were wary of leaving their current residence because they lacked the means to resettle. “They have lived for so long in displacement and tried to build a life there, they may opt to settle there. This is especially true for the generation borne and brought up in displacement.”
What support are they getting?
There are no current government or NGO-supported programmes to facilitate resettlement of displaced Muslims.
The November 2011 report by the government-appointed Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), which looked into the conduct of the war, noted “the treatment given to the Muslim community of the Northern Province has led them to believe that they are at the bottom of the list of priorities of the government, INGOs [international NGOs] and NGOs and the donor community”.
Assistance targeting displaced Muslims has been scant; one rare case is the US$34 million World Bank funded Puttalam Housing Project, completed in 2011,which provided 4,460 houses to internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Have Muslims registered to return?
In mid-2010 almost all displaced Muslims registered to return in order to qualify for six months of government-supported rations for returnees, according to Farzana Haniffa, editor of The Quest for Redemption: The Story of the Northern Muslims.
But few actually made the return journey.
Haniffa, who teaches at Colombo University, told IRIN it was up to the government to support the return of Muslim IDPs, most of whom have a closer linguistic affinity to the north. “They speak Tamil, while in Puttalam the working language is Sinhalese.”
Are there any local tensions?
In Puttalam, most displaced Muslims continue living off odd-jobs. Decent jobs, especially for youths, are scarce. Malik told IRIN that even after almost 25 years in Puttalam, he still felt alien. “I know that we are still looked upon as second class citizens here.”
Matheen, the Puttalam community worker, said dwindling water and land resources, as well as scant jobs, have heightened tensions between Puttalam’s native population and Muslim arrivals.
CPA’s Raheem told IRIN that if there were enough jobs, schooling, housing and health care in the north, many of the displaced would return. But jobs and housing reconstruction have lagged far behind needs in the former northern war zone.
What about reintegration and reconciliation?
The LLRC report acknowledged Muslims IDPs have been living in “dire conditions” for more than two decades and have had trouble integrating. Muslim IDPs interviewed by the Commission reported not being recognized as IDPs. In addition, they said they were “short-changed” in peace negotiations: their request to participate as an independent delegation was not honoured.
The Commission concluded that Muslims IDPs remain one of the “key post-conflict challenges” with a “significant impact” on reconciliation prospects.
“The Commission is of the view that durable solutions should be found to address this long-standing IDP issue concerning the Muslims evicted from the North, which contains the seeds of disharmony and dissension if it remains unaddressed.”
(Courtesy: IRIN)
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January 25, 2013, 3:00 pm
By Pervez Bari
Bhopal: Addressing a press conference the representatives of five organizations working among the survivors of the Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, world's worst industrial catastrophe, condemned the National Institute for Research on Environmental Health (NIREH) for betraying the promises made during its founding in October 2010.
The organizations said that NIREH was established as the 31st centre of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on 11th October 2010 with the primary objective of carrying out research that would benefit the survivors of the disaster who are still battling chronic illnesses. They said that despite the passage of more than two years, the centre has published only a manual for treatment of mental illnesses and less than two hundred survivors have received help in treatment for chronic respiratory diseases and eye problems.
Based on the documents obtained through the RTI Act the organizations said that NIREH has spent more than Rs.8/- crores in the last two years and has imported close to 30 equipments from USA, Germany, Japan and other countries. However, only two of these equipments have been put to use so far.
The organizations said that of the five Bhopal based consultants employed by NIREH, three have full time jobs. In addition to their salaries for their full time jobs these three have been drawing Rs.40,000/- per month from NIREH as part time consultants. Interestingly, their duty hours at their places of fulltime employment overlap their duty hours as part time consultants at NIREH.
The organizations charged that the majority of the consultants do not have the required qualifications to carry out the research projects proposed by them and none have published any papers on the topics proposed by them.
One of the consultants –Dr. Brajendra Mishra who is supposed to be the Principal Investigator for a project to set up a registry on birth defects has never worked on the subject and there is proof that that parts of his research proposal at NIREH has been plagiarized from publications available on the internet. Moreover, in a clear demonstration of conflict of interest his Rs.3 crores project proposes providing treatment to children with birth defects at the Chirayu Hospital whereas he is a professor of community medicine in the medical college run by the same establishment.
Another consultant Dr. Arun Bhatnagar who is the Principal Investigator of a study on birth defects is according to his own website (http://www.cosmeticandplasticsurgerybhopal.com/) is a specialist in "cosmetic and plastic surgery and performs face lifts, implants, fat injections, breast and other surgeries". He has no published study on birth defects and his Rs.1 crore project is awaiting approval by ICMR.
The organizations said that except the manual on mental health care there has been no publication by the NIREH in the last more than two years. The technical report on long term epidemiological study from 1995 to 2010 has been revised four times but remains at the draft stage. A quarterly bulletin in Hindi proposed in September 2011 remains to see the light of the day.
The press conference was addressed by the representatives of the five NGOs namely Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karamchari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha, Children Against Dow-Carbide and Bhopal Group for Information & Action.
It may be recalled here that on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984 Union Carbide pesticide manufacturing factory had spewed poisonous Methyl Iso-cyanate gas whereby 3000 people had perished virtually instantly and over the years more than 25000 have kissed death and the sad saga is still continuing uninterruptedly. About half a million are suffering from the side effects of the poisonous gas and several thousand people have been maimed for life.
[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@eth.net]
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January 25, 2013, 3:04 pm
Chennai: National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) Chairman M.S.A.Siddiqui on Tuesday came down heavily on the State Government for issuing temporary minority status certificates to educational institutions.
Addressing a conference on ‘Rights and opportunities for minority institutions in Tamil Nadu,’ Mr. Justice Siddiqui said, “Particularly in Tamil Nadu, there is tendency of issuing temporary minority status certificates either for one year or two, subject to renewal after expiry of the period. That is wholly illegal.”
The conference was jointly organised by the NCMEI and Muslim Educational Association of Southern India (MEASI).
Mr. Justice Siddiqui recalled that in the case of T.K.V.T.S.S Medical Educational and Charitable Trust Vs the State of Tamil Nadu, the Madras High Court had held that minority status could not be conferred on a minority educational institution for particular period to be renewed periodically like a driving licence.
The court had said, “It is not open for the State Government to review its earlier order conferring minority status on a minority educational institution unless it is shown that the institution concerned has suppressed any material fact… or there is fundamental change of circumstances warranting cancellation on the earlier order.”
Though such ruling was delivered in 2002, he said, “Still, the State Government is issuing temporary minority education certificates. That is contrary to ruling of the high court. That shows they don’t any respect either for their own high court or the constitution…this is totally illegal and [shows the] myopic approach of competent authority of the State Government.”
Mr. Justice Siddiqui said that when the institutions that had got temporary certificates approached the commission, the certificates were converted into permanent ones by relying on a Supreme Court judgment.
Advising the State Government to desist from such practice, he said, “We expect and hope that the officers will follow the judgment of the court.”
Dwelling on various functions of the NCMEI, Mr. Justice Siddiqui said that around 14,000 cases had been filed so far and 13,000 disposed. Only 1000-odd cases remained pending as on end of last year. Appealing to Muslim minority institutions to utilise the services, he lamented stated that “the Muslim community institutions have not fully utilised the services of NCMEI.”
Presiding over the conference, the Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali urged that the mandate of the Commission be expanded to look into the problems faced by minority students in getting admitted to schools under Right to Education Act. It also could look into the drop-out rate among minorities and suggest remedies.
(Courtesy: The Hindu)
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January 25, 2013, 3:10 pm
Book: Muslims in Indian Cities: Trajectories of MarginalisationEdited by Laurent Gayer and Chritophe Jaffrelot Publisher: Harper Collins, Delhi 2012 Pages: 403 Price: Rs 499
Reviewed by Ram Puniyani
The welfare of the minority communities is the barometer of the health of a democracy. Going by that dictum, this book shows the poor health of Indian democracy, as reflected by, amongst other things, the marginalization of Muslim minorities. This edited volume contains eleven essays well written essays, which deal with study of the living spaces of Muslim community. The contributors to the volume have combined the field study with analytic observations of the quality of lives of Muslim community in these cities, some from the riot prone areas and other in the cities from former Muslim states. This largest religious minority of India, Muslims; have suffered a strange situation and have been subjected to communal violence and economic discrimination; both. These twin processes has given rise to the dynamics of politics from within the section of community which gives more importance to the identity issues. The violence and discrimination are the major factors leading to their marginality. This book is a unique contribution to the study of Indian Muslims and shows the immaculate editorial imprint of Chritophe Jafflerolt, who is a major authority on the politics of Hindu Right wing along with Laurent Gayer. The editors have not only contributed to study of one of the cities of the eleven discussed in the book, but their introduction to the volume and conclusions tightly sum up the theme of the book, the marginalization of Muslims from their earlier position of centrality.
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The case studies do show the perception of three communities that ‘we are being pushed behind’. In Mumbai the large section of Muslims are forced to live near the largest garbage dump. One of the contributors Qudsiya Contractor argues that ‘state through its violent spatial strategies and the Hindu right through its cultural populism and communal politics, have played a crucial role’ in marginalization of this minority. Editors in their study of riot prone Ahmadabad, cull out a painful observation that in areas where there are no Muslims in Ahmadabad are regarded as ‘good’ areas! This observation tells a direction in which Indian democracy is being pushed over a period of time. In Ramganj in Jaipur, Gayatri Jaisingh Rathore observes that ‘social interaction with other religious groups is limited and the problems related to hygiene, education and unemployment abound’.
The editors quote Percival Spear approvingly where he says that, being relegated to the second class citizenship; Muslims have no future for them except their eventual absorption in Hindu mass. The decline of Muslims is not uniform all over India; they have been more resilient in Hindi belt, also known as cow belt. The process of ghettotisation is also very diverse. In this bleak scenario a section of new Muslim middle class is also emerging, around areas of meat export, leather goods, and Unani medicine and also in the newer areas like agribusiness, IT, pharmaceuticals and real estate. Connection with Gulf countries has also helped them in a major way. The book gives an interesting insight into the process of cultural occultation, which presents itself as ‘de-Islamized narrative’, which may be a tactical one, a survival mechanism. At the same time there is also re-Islamisation also there. How this dynamics of cultural occultation and re-islamization will play itself, time alone will tell. The totality of the process can be summed up in post partition fall and identity politics, over determination by communal violence and political obliteration and third is resilient cosmopolitanism. The totality of the process gets manifested in the spatial process of mixed localities, Enclaves, slums and Ghettoes. Mixed areas are replete with nostalgia and vestiges of syncretic culture. Enclaves are due to interaction of a desire to share common space with members of same community mostly after being pushed to ‘safe’ areas after communal violence. Ghettoes are dynamic self segregation in search of security.
The book comes are a very incisive indictment of the present state of affairs of Indian state, which is heavily tilted due to the communalization. The book gives not only a powerful incisive analysis and observation of Muslim community, but also presents the sad plight through which community is passing at the moment. The frightful prospect of de-islamisation is very much in the store. While coming powerfully on these major observations, it finally dismisses the need for reversal of the phenomenon through political and social initiatives. Barring the prescription of Mohalla committees, the book is silent on the immense possibilities of need for initiatives in the field of education, need for campaigns for physical security, the dire need to job provisions and economic alleviation, the subjective intervention to bridge the divides along religious lines needed to be mentioned and elaborated in the book dealing with the issue in such a profound way. Its content is a wakeup call to reverse the ongoing negative processes and need to try to restore the processes for communal amity and social peace, a pre requisite for development of any nation and a community.
[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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January 25, 2013, 10:33 pm
By Abu Asim
After a long hush, intelligence agencies have swung into action and arresting people who had detonated bombs at different places of the country and by these arrests the government wants to give the message that it won’t tolerate any kind of terrorism -- saffron or green. But question comes to mind that only detonator of bombs are terrorists?
Languishing in jails, the alleged perpetrators of Malegaon and Mecca Masjid blasts would be cursing their fate for being branded as terrorists. Not even in their wildest dreams they would have ever imagined sharing cells with the Islamic militants.
Had they any prior idea that they would be jailed for slyly detonating bombs, (meant to malign Muslims for killing innocent people) would have preferred to rioting and killings rather than setting of bombs.
If they had taken part in instigating communal violence, like their would have been walking free and daydreaming of becoming chief ministers, and even prime minister of the country. But mistake had been committed.
In fact, they had an impression that the cops that had been turning a blind eye to the act of overt terrorism of their gurus, unfortunately swung into action and nabbed them, which is sheer diversion from the India’s old tradition of policing.
For that, they should raise their voice of protest against such a blatant discrimination. If the government can arrest them on charges of covert terrorism why it has been shying away from putting the perpetrators of overt terrorism behind bars? Even it is not ready to call it an act of terrorism. While the objective of both the actions--- bomb blasts and rioting-- was the same --to terrorize and weaken the Muslims of the country.
Therefore, they should not be made scapegoat since what they had done was only a part of the project of destruction and that was also on the direction of their masters. Why should they be fall guy for the crime that involves majority of the country? So, the government cannot hang them just for detonating a bomb somewhere at a religious place!
In fact, in covert terrorism only a few people are usually involved but in the act of overt terrorism, apart from majority of people, police and the whole government machinery happily take part in destruction and tear up the flimsy fabric of communal harmony.
Moreover, the people involved in covert terrorism, only get the amount promised for the execution of the job but in the act of overt terrorism, they are not only paid for instigating violence in streets but also get the spoils of the looting and destruction.
The pleasure they get in playing with the pride of the respected people and seeing veiled women along with their relatives with folded hand begging for leaving them inviolate, which the perpetrator of covert terrorism can only dream of.
The victim of covert terrorism just vanishes from the scene in a fraction of a second while the victim of the overt terrorism carried out by communal violence, departs his life in installments. He becomes a walking ghost. With his own open eyes he sees his world being torn apart what he had built brick by brick after years of toil. He helplessly watches his establishments being destroyed, his own loved ones being slaughtered and sisters and daughters being raped by his trusted neighbors.
To his horror, he sees that the very people who had killed his loved ones and ruined his life, giving speeches about non violence and peace and also being voted to power by people as reward for their outstanding service to society.
And he cannot do anything because his loss of dear ones, and loss of faith in justice and in his fellow countrymen snatches away every reason of life.
If anyone travels the length and breadth of the country will certainly find the traces of overt terrorism that have been continuing for a century. But strangely, most of the perpetrators of plunder and destruction were hardly ever punished on the charges of overt terrorism!
Surprisingly enough, the government is hounding the detonators of bombs even on foreign soil, and the whole nation celebrated the arrest of the culprits of terrorism, while the Assam and UP were burnt in communal fire and thousands of people fled their homes to take shelter in the refugee camps, the same people were silent and the government appeared helpless before the rioters and waited for the time when crime against humanity would be forgotten, as thousands have been forgotten.
That is why the naked dance of rioting had failed to create anxiety in the country. Nobody shouted from rooftop to fight all-out war against wide-spread destruction nor security agencies released sketches of suspects nor houses were raided and people of the area were shepherded to the police station for interrogation.
More strikingly, neither Foreign Minister S M Krishna wept on the Uncle Sam’s shoulder and said amid sobs, “ Bodos attacked our people” nor the US President Obama consoled him saying, “As I slain Osama Bin Ladens after destroying three countries, I will destroy the whole India to nab the culprits of the massacre.”
However, playing to the gallery our Prime Minister called that slaughter a ‘blot on the face of country’ as his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee had used the same words when genocide was continuing in Gujarat in 2002. The similarity was that both the leaders did little to stop the violence.
The reason behind this apathy is that nobody considers this bloodbath an act of “terrorism”.
If the government is really sincere about stamping out the menace of terrorism, it should redefine the word terrorism and put both kind of terrorism ---overt and covert terrorism in the same bracket as there are many culprits of barbaric act of overt terrorism are walking free because of the limit of the meaning of the word terrorism.
Therefore, the government should arrest the terrorists of all hues (covert and overt) and prosecute them under TADA, POTA, MOCOCA and whatsoever suitable Acts may be and give them befitting punishment the same way as the Ajmal Qasab has been given otherwise the dream of terror-free country will always remain a distain dream.
[Abu Asimis based in Hyderabad. He can be contacted at abuasim09@gmail.com]
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January 25, 2013, 10:46 pm
“…Khuda-na-khasta, hazaar martaba khuda-na-khasta, pehle tho nahin jaanewale, aur gaye tho khaali haath nahin jaayenge; Taj ko bhi le jayenge, Lal-Quiley ko ko bhi le jayenge, Qutub Minar ko bhi le jayenge” reiterates the speaker to a huge roar from the crowd. “Bachega kya?” he asks again in a mocking voice. Then he goes on to answer the question himself; “Ayodhya ki woh tooti phooti Ram ki mandir bachegi”… another roar, “Ajanta ki woh nangi nangi moorthiyaan bachengi” and another roar. The speaker then continues with even more vigour and venom in his eyes; “Arrey Hindustan, hum 25 crore hai na? Tum 100 Crore hai na? Theek hai, tum tho humse itney zyada hai, 15 minute ke liye police ko hata do batadenge kiss mein himmat hai, kaun taqatwar hai,” this time the crowd goes into, probably, the biggest roar of the evening.
The speaker, as is quite well known by now, happens to be Akbaruddin Owaisi, an elected legislator from Chandrayangutta area of Hyderabad. He belongs to the famous Owaisi clan and is the younger sibling of Asaduddin Owaisi, a member of Parliament representing Hyderabad and a permanent invitee in TV studio debates of Delhi as a Muslim voice of India. In his speech, the young MLA is virtually challenging the Indian State to withdraw the police force from the streets so that the 25 crore Muslims can show their supposed might to 100 crore Hindus.
The highest degree of condemnation from the secular brigade to the Owaisi speech has been that ‘he does not represent the (total) Muslim voice’ and that he is probably doing a ‘great dis-service to the Muslim cause by uttering those words’. Beyond these familiar reactions there has been only muted silence across the intellectual circles. Nobody has decried that ‘the idea of India’ is in danger, or that the much-vaunted Indian secularism is under threat. Not a word from any of those great souls living in their ivory towers. ‘Fascism’ has not been mentioned even in passing and it is almost as if Islam and Fascism can not co-exist in the same sentence, let alone in the same gathering or the world order.
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If a single sentence of a ‘fringe’ BJP player like Varun Gandhi had led to national outrage, this entire speech, demanding restoration of Mughal oppression, if not total annihilation of the entire Hindu race, has only met with stony silences from the entire secular, limousine-liberal gang governing the Indian mindspace.
A differential threshold of ‘acceptable’ hate speech seems to exist in the perverted secular mind of India. Sadly though, the greatest ‘disservice’ to the ‘Muslim cause’ in India is not being done by the Akbaruddin Owaisis of the world, but by the Shabana Azmis, the Javed Akhtars and the so-called secular brigade. By not creating a level-playing field in the arena of hate speeches between Akbar and Varun, the secular brigade is encouraging the victimhood narrative to overrule development politics. This inherent flaw of Muslim intellectuals, in either outright rejection of the existence of Islamic fundamentalism or conditional acceptance of the same, is at the core of all the Muslim problems in India (and probably elsewhere as well).Is there no hope for the Muslims of India?
Many times in the past I have wondered if the Muslim community of India is cursed to be an eternal vote-bank of a developmentally bankrupt and inherently corrupt political leadership of India. How long can the Muslim leadership sustain itself purely by playing the minority victimhood card? How long will Muslim voters place fear-mongering local Mullah above bread & butter issues? How long will Muslims of India suffer from invented phobias and let go of education, jobs, houses and other modern-day lifestyle necessities?
Until very recently, I strongly believed there was no hope of these fundamental attitudinal changes in Indian Muslims. Then I visited Gujarat in the last few months and I have returned a believer. No, all of you need not go to Gujarat to see that ‘hope’, for it is much closer than that. That ‘hope’ is in the same Owaisi hate-speech video that I have quoted at the beginning.
After his murderous diatribe against BJP, RSS, Modi and almost the entire Hindu race, Akbaruddin Owaisi, in his speech, tries to move on to regular issues like education & housing. He attempts to quote some statistics to impress the audience, “44,663 houses had been built by the Government in Adilabad district and that not one of those houses had been allocated to a Muslim”. Owaisi then raises his pitch and shouts that among the 400 odd Madrasas of the district, many don’t even have teachers to teach the Muslim students.
What is the audience reaction now? There is pin-drop silence. The same audience which was shouting and roaring and jumping all over the place prefers to be totally silent when Owaisi junior raises genuine issues that impact the livelihoods of all those Muslims gathered at that takreer.
That silence represents hope for Indian Muslims. That silence tells the real story, the story of the Muslim voter maturing, the story of fanaticism giving way to pragmatism, and the story of aspirational Muslim politics trying to find a way out of abject poverty. For even those semi-fanatic Madrasa-fed Muslims of the erstwhile Nizam ruled Hyderabad state realize the truth of the Owaisis of this world.
Increasingly, Muslims are beginning to realise that at best, an Akbaruddin Owaisi is a fanatic preacher who can make a clap-trap speech but cannot deliver on governance. Owaisis cannot fool the audience, for those Muslims know that the same speaker has been an MLA since 1999 and has been part of the coalition in the Congress Government that built those 44,663 houses. If no Muslim got a house in Adilabad, then the Owaisis are responsible for that and the clapping, jumping audience knows that. In that passing moment, Akbaruddin Owaisi stands naked in front of his audience of die-hard Muslims.
The alternate vision for an aspirational India
“He has totally eradicated rent-seekers, now all that we earn belongs to us and we don’t have to part with our earnings unjustifiably” asserts Basheer Mohammed, an auto-rickshaw driver in Ahmedabad. “We will vote for Modi, no doubt,” he continues, “This road that you are seeing (in the Jamalpur area) was full of goons earlier who always took on the cops violently at the slightest provocation and today most of them are either self-employed or are working somewhere else. Now there is peace here, Ahmedabad is a good city to live in,” Mohammad proudly proclaims about his city of dwelling.
Four days later, when the election results were announced, there was a great surprise in store for all the secularists; Jamalpur (now known as Jamalpur-Khadiya) had for the first time elected a BJP legislator. By not exercising their franchise merely to defeat BJP and by not being a vote-bank, Muslims of Jamalpur had sent a message to the secularists. This message was to be seen everywhere in the Gujarat Assembly election.
Initial estimates suggest about 30 per cent of the Muslims have voted for Modi’s BJP in Gujarat this time. This is unprecedented in BJP’s history, not even Vajpayee; the moderate face of BJP during the zenith of his popularity in the mid to late 1990s; was able to draw even half that number of Muslim votes. Nitish Kumar’s JDU, the supposedly secular side of the NDA, could only win about 18 to 20 per cent of the Muslim vote in the Bihar Assembly election last year.In fact, had a significant proportion of Muslims not endorsed Modi, the BJP tally would have fallen short of hitting a century, due to drought and micro-shifts in the Patel and other agrarian community’s votes.
Muslim Vote% Total seats BJP Congress15% +37 24 1210% +66 40 25
Data Source: Election Commission of India (1 seat was won by NCP among these).
In the 37 crucial Assembly seats where there is a significant Muslim population, BJP has managed to win close to 65 per cent of the seats. In 2007, BJP had managed to win only 48 per cent of Assembly seats where Muslim population was above 15 per cent. Further BJP’s strike rate in these 37 seats is higher than its overall strike rate of winning 63 per cent of the seats (the tally of 115). Most secularists and left leaning political analysts have been singing the same old tunes of Hindu vote polarisation in Muslim dominated seats. That is flawed analysis. Indian secularists must now start digesting the fact that Muslims have voted for Modi in Gujarat.
This is not just the Gujarat story. Muslim vote in India is in a great flux today. Probably, for the first time in many decades, a significant portion of Muslims are not willing to be blind vote-banks. Yes, a majority of the Muslim vote might yet accrue to the Muslim parties and pseudo-secularists, but a significant minority is aspiring to be a part of the neo-middle class.
Narendrabhai Damodardas Modi is emerging as by far the most important leader of Indian neo-middle class cutting across caste, region, language and also to some extent religion. Over the next few months and years, the Muslim segment of India’s neo-middle class will negotiate its concerns with the idea of Modi. In this engagement will emerge roadmap of India’s future. As we enter 2013, my thoughts and prayers are with the secularists and limousine liberals whose days are numbered, for their ‘isms’ and agendas do not have any space in future India.
(Courtesy: Niti Central)
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January 25, 2013, 11:15 pm
By Dr. Abdul Ruff
Artistic freedom is vital for creative thinkers.
Muslims are the most insulted, most injured and most terrorized people on this earth and cinema and media have only aggravated the situation by their anti-Muslim or direct anti-Islam campaigns.
Role being played by essentially anti-Islamic media (AIM) in terrorizing Muslims globally has been devastating for decades now. Millions of innocent Muslims have been massacred by anti-Islamic axis powers led by USA-UK terror twins and assisted by their eastern puppet regimes. Like other mass media, Cinema also has done its part in this criminal shames and in promoting Islamophobia.
Targeting Muslims with incurious insults cannot make any real entertainment. Money and fame earned by anti-Muslim campaigns is dirty. India/Tamil cinema must leave Muslims alone...In the name of entertainment, India cinema has systematically encouraged the anti-Muslim themes as part of cultural terrorism being promoted by Hindutva forces for Hindu votes more than for mere sadistic pleasure.
There are strong anti-Islam networks operating globally spreading poisonous hatred against Islam and targeting Muslims. India is known for its anti-Muslim mindset. Media nuts in India have acquired full liberty to throw mud on Muslims and defame Islam by using anything and everything they think fit for the purpose. Astonishingly even the Indian cinema which is supposed to cater for the societal need for entertainment during leisure hours have resorted to anti-Muslim portrayals.
This poisonous trend is harmful to the communal harmony and even nationhood in the long run.Unfortunately, more than in Hindi and other languages, it is Tamil cinema which has been insulting Muslims. top actors are cast to discredit Islam and bring bad name for Muslims which harms ordinary Muslims in the society. It seems the directors/producers and censor board have encouraged this anti-Muslim phenomenon in culture.
The process of cultural malign campaigns in cinema and media against Muslims has been going on for years because the fanatics take silence by Muslims as tacit approval of anti-Muslim attacks. Also, because the censor boards supposed to promote cultural integration help the movie makers sow seeds of hatred against Muslims.
Obviously, the censor boards are infested by anti-Muslim fanatic elements and they need to be weeded out and boards reconstituted with genuine people.
It is in this context I appreciate the Tamil Nadu government orders for stopping the release of two Tamil moves of big stars in recent days. Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have also banned the release of a Kamal film for the same reason.
Actors and artists need to be very cautious about the anti-Muslim content and anti-Islam phenomena in their movies insulting the helpless Muslims even directly. They are considered by many young people as role models and they have important responsibilities before the society. They should therefore try not to get into the trap of fanatics to belittle Muslims and try only to promote harmony as far as possible.
Films can be produced without insulting Muslims because as minority they would be placed under more strains because of the prevailing anti-Muslim environment in the country. Anti -Muslim outfits like Hindutva forces can easily use it to advance their vote bank politics.
India must ban all anti-Muslim movies that generate hatred towards Muslims and Islam. Tamil cinema is worse than Malayalam counterpart in insulting Muslims.
Popular cinema should work for real multi-cultural fusion and not to propagate cultural terrorism in any manner.
Cultural terrorism in Indian cinema as offshoot of political and economic terrorism as well as intellectual fanaticism can harm genuine interests of Muslims as major minority already facing perpetual wrath of ultra Hindutva forces for Hindu votes.
India cannot promote or pamper anti-Muslim entertainments!
[Dr. Abdul Ruffis Specialist on State Terrorism; Chancellor-Founder of Center for International Affairs (CIA); Independent Analyst; Chronicler of Foreign occupations & Freedom movements (Palestine, Kashmir, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Xinjiang, Chechnya, etc.). He is also former university Teacher. He can be contacted at abdulruff_jnu@yahoo.com]
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January 25, 2013, 11:33 pm
'When Sikhs were killed in the Afghan-Sikh war in 1837, the Afridis used to bury their heads like flowerpots in the ground,' writer and popular historian William Dalrymple tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
"This obsession of linking Islam and violence is a false one," says writer and popular historian William Dalrymple, whose latest book Return of a King is a historical work based on the First Afghan War.In the second part of an interesting conversation with Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf, Dalrymple discusses how the defeat of the great imperial power in that war is central to what the Afghans think of themselves.
Dalrymple, who has written two widely acclaimed books on the Mughals, counters the view that peace eludes the Islamic world and says that in the last 300 years there have been more instances of Muslim countries being invaded than them being invaders themselves.
"The British are partly responsible for stereotyping Islam. They have a lot to answer for and this book is a story of an unnecessary war waged against a nation which ended in horrible destruction," Dalrymple says in a thought-provoking conversation.
Do you feel the Western world still fears Islam as a religion and think of the Crusades when they invade countries like Afghanistan? Do you think they fear Islam could make a comeback as a potent force?
I think there is a huge ignorance about Islam in the West. 9/11 was a big shock to America as a nation. America is huge and like every huge nation is very self obsessed, China is and so is India.
India constantly looks within itself. If you see any Indian books they talk about them and not about American Presidents (laughs). So big countries are very obsessed with themselves.America knew nothing of the Islamic world and suddenly 9/11 happened which they had to explain.
So there was a huge amount of fear, misrepresentation, expression of ignorance and we know that results in massive policy failures. As when George Bush tried to pretend that Saddam Hussain is part of Al Qaeda!It was nonsense!
What one has to do as a writer or intellectual is to try and present both the pictures and educate people. This is the point of being a writer and a historian.
Don't you think that Islam is an expansionist religion because historically they have expanded so well and so fast?
(Interrupts) I don't think, I don't agree. If you look at the history of great invasions, certainly, there is story of expansion of Islam in its early days, but the British declared war on every country in the world barring 17 (laughs) I think at some point in the last 500 years.
America has declared war on hundreds of countries in the last 100 years. Look at the Mongol Empire, that is not an Islamic empire and they too declared war on many countries.
Empires come and go. Powerful nations invade weaker nations. I don't think that is no more true in the Islamic world than anywhere else. I don't think Islam is inherently oppressive and inherently...(stops abruptly).
In fact, Islam has been invaded more than they have been invading.
Islamic countries have been invaded more times rather than they going out and invading other countries?
Yes. In the last 300 years certainly.
In Return of a King, you mention that many kings right from Nadir Shah to Aurangzeb paid protection money to the Afghans. Do you think believe NATO paid protection money to the Taliban?
The reality is that Aurangzeb while fighting the Marathas felt it was pointless to (also) fight the Pathans of the frontier tribes. He paid them protection money to keep the roads open. The same is the case of Nadir Shah.
The British used to have this saying, 'Thrash the Sindhis, befriend the Baluch, but pay the Pathans' (laughs). I am not advocating that policy (laughs), but that was the 19th century policy of the British rule.
No one has successfully subjugated the Pathans for long.
So you think NATO must not have paid the Taliban?
There have been scandals where security companies have been paying the Taliban not to attack their convoys. It is certainly one way of dealing with the problem.
I firmly believe it is quite possible for Afghanistan to develop like other parts of the world. There could be road building, local governance, education, sanitation.
The tragedy is that the international community took their eyes (away) from Afghanistan when they went to invade Iraq.
All the money promised to redevelop Afghanistan was never used. The money had to go to Afghanistan only for security.
Even after ten years and spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan, there are no decent roads in Afghanistan.
No streetlights. No rubbish collection.
The Afghans look at that and wonder where has all the money gone because they don't see their cities changing.
One thing you do see is the advancement in education. Every morning in the cities of Afghanistan you see school kids and young women in veils heading off to schools in big numbers.
Roads, administration, the illiterate civil service, all things that the West could have spent money on have been completely neglected.
Even the poorest and worst parts of Pakistan or the very worst administered part of Jharkhand or Bihar don't compare to the terrible neglect in basic infrastructure that you find in Afghanistan.If only we had not spent huge money on armaments, drones and Humvees -- instead of that we had only spent money on education and infrastructure, we would have seen a very different outcome of Afghanistan.
What will your next book be about?
This is my third big narrative history. I have done three books, set in the late 18th and early 19th century. White Mughals, The Last Mughal and now Return of a King -- three snapshots of 19th century history.
This book is as good as I can do in this form. I am very much at peace with this book. The natural arc of the story is so extraordinary.
I stumbled upon a very good subject and was lucky to find these sources in Afghanistan.
I would love to do something big like cultural history or artistic history. There is a wonderful book from Russia called Natasha's Dance by Orlando Figes, who has told the whole cultural history of Russia using this wonderful method.
I am thinking of something big on these lines. It is very early days and I have not found my map yet through this landscape. That is the landscape I want to travel through my artistry.
I am a trained art historian. My last project was on Mughal paintings in New York.
Is it true that one of your great-great-great-granduncles, Captain Colin Mackenzie, fought in the First Afghan War?
He is one of them. I had read his book, but I had no idea at that time he was my great-great-great-granduncle. He was married to my aunt and was not my blood relation.
The story is full of unbelievable idiots (laughs) and also lot of pleasant people. Norton (General William Not) is sort of a jealous, pigheaded, bureaucrat. Burnes is always going with his own ambitions.
Leading British General Elphinstone (the commander-in- chief, Major General William Elphinstone, cousin of Mountstuart Elphinstone) is a complete idiot.
One or two guys come out with any saving grace. George Rawlinson is one of them and the second one is my uncle and I am very proud of that.
In your book you mention that the Afghans are hawks and the Indians are like Carrion crows. Is that so?
These are not my words. These words are of Mirza Ata (an Afghan writer of that time). I cannot make such racist statements (laughs).
(Ata also said) Afghans have seen themselves as free mountain people and they looked down on Hindustanis who were conquered by the British and earlier by the Mughals.
You still find in some parts of Afghanistan a very aristocratic disdain for India. Mirza Ata has more disdain for the British. He also says somewhere that Indians don't have the sense how to present themselves and how to dress. God save me from their dal and their miserable chapatis (laughs).
How far did the concept of jihad and martyrdom matter to Afghan soldiers fighting Westerners then and now?
The rhetoric of the resistance is extremely jihadi and Islamic. When there are public announcements they are calling themselves soldiers of Islam declaring themselves to be fighting the kafirs.
When you look at the individuals involved it is more complex. (warrior-aristocrat) Abdullah Khan's girlfriend gets seduced by Burnes and he fights to retain his honour.
Amanullah Khan fights because his land has been confiscated. Mian Masjidi (had intially supported the British, but later turned against them) has offered to surrender to the British, but they attack his home and kill his family, so he fights against them.
Behind the rhetoric which is very much one of jihad, there is individual human motivation in all its complexity.
What do the Afghans think of the First Anglo Afghan war?
It is their freedom struggle. The main diplomatic quarter of Kabul is called Akbar Khan after the resistance leader. He is remembered because his faction won. He is in the Afghan psyche.What Chankayapuri is to New Delhi; Akbar Khan is to Kabul.
Even in tiny little Afghan villages names like Burnes and Norton are remembered though they have been forgotten in Great Britain.
The defeat of this great imperial power by their tribesmen is absolutely central to how Afghans think of themselves.
When America was about to go into Afghanistan in 2001-2002, Mullah Omar asked the Afghans whether they want to be remembered as the sons of Shah Shuja or Dost Mohammad Khan?
He then did what Dost Mohammad did. He went to the Ahmed Shah Durrani mausoleum in Kandahar and got the shirt of the Prophet and declared himself Amir-ul-Momin (Leader of the Faithful).
You mention how the Afridi tribe tortured the British and how they badly mutilated the dead bodies. Is that true?
It is true. The Afghans amazed the British. There was a huge risk for them to go and rescue the bodies of their dead soldiers. They could not go back and retrieve the dead bodies of every fallen soldier. They desecrated their enemy's bodies.
The Sikhs too did the same thing. This is something of a regional tradition rather than Islamic tradition.
When Sikhs were killed in the Afghan-Sikh war in 1837, the Afridis used to bury their heads like flowerpots in the ground which has been largely forgotten.
Is that the reason why Nicholson turned against the Muslims and Islam and vented his anger in 1857 war?
Yes, this is what I like about how these three books end. In White Mughals, the main villain is Henry Russell who seduces Khair-u-nissa. Norton, who is the villain from the British side, is the protege of Henry Russell.
Then on the other side at the end of this book John Nicholson sees his brother being killed and his body desecrated -- he turns out to be the villain in The Last Mughal.
These three books are linked, it is like a trilogy.
Do you think the Muslim world and the West can live peacefully in the future?
Of course I do. You seem to be very troubled by the Islam side. Your questions keep coming back: 'Is Islam a threat? Are Muslims a problem?'
I don't believe Muslims are a problem and I don't think Islam is a threat.
There are leaders in the Islamic world (who) a lot of us admire -- not the heads of the ISI or the leaders of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
There are militant leaders in many parts of the world. I don't think there are more in the Islamic world than elsewhere.
We don't find peaceful places in the Islamic world.
I totally dispute that. There are many peaceful places in the Islamic world. Some wonderful countries, I have been quite happy traveling through the Islamic world.
The developing world as a whole has many problems. India is a uniquely successful post-colonial society which has been able to keep democracy and the rule of law in spite of corruption.
We all know about the many problems of Indian politicians and so on. Despite that, if you look at the wider developing world and post-colonial world, there is violence in many parts of world.Look at Africa. It is far poorer and far more violent than the most of the Islamic world.
This obsession of linking Islam and violence is a false one. You find this in post colonial societies which are developing.
There are violent strands in Islam. There are organisations like Al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. You have Muslim leaders who are militant, but there are many peaceful Muslim leaders and fabulous Muslim countries like modern Turkey.
Go to Istanbul, you will find it like Bombay, if not more so. You need to be balanced about it. There is Malaysia.
There are many wonderful places and I certainly bristle when people say Islam is about violence and strife.
You wrote in The Last Mughal how British stereotyped Muslims and Islam in history after the 1857 war.
The British are partly responsible for stereotyping Islam. In the 19th century the British used to try and present Islam as a violent religion which opposed the peaceful religion of Christianity.If you were a colonised British subject you didn't see the other way because the British were the ones who had expanded the most.
I believe there are good things and bad things that British have brought to the world. I would not take the view that everything what they did was wrong.
But they have a lot to answer for and this book is entirely a story of an unnecessary war waged aggressively against a nation which ended in horrible destruction and waste.It is a cautionary tale for imperial powers for the future.
(Courtesy: Rediff.com)
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January 25, 2013, 11:44 pm
The Jamaat-e-Islami has demanded that co-education be abolished in India to prevent rapes
By Fahad Hashmi
‘For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.’ – Virginia Woolf
There seems to be a structural resemblance among fundamentalists of all hues, evident from their comments in the wake of the 16 December gangrape in New Delhi of a 23-year-old woman who subsequently died from her injuries. Just like RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat had opined that rapes happen in India and not in Bharat, the Jamaat-e-Islami has also submitted an 11 point recommendation to the Justice JS Verma Committee, which the government has constituted to suggest changes required in existing laws to provide better security to women in India. Two points out of the 11 that the Jamaat-e-Islami, a politico-religious organisation whose ultimate goal is to bring khilafa (creating God’s kingdom) on Earth, has proposed are worth our attention. (For details look up: http://jamaateislamihind.org/eng/ban-co-education-live-in-relationships-to-prevent-rapes-jamaat-e-islami-hind/).
First, (3) Co-education should be abolished and proper education facilities meant for women only should be available at all levels of education.
Second, (4) Educational institutions should prescribe sober and dignified dress for girls.
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If one looks at the Jamaat in its entirety, one finds that the sine qua non of its existence is to make a pious society, take a cue from Shariah. In the traditional set-up men are supposed to be the breadwinners and hence the public sphere is their exclusive domain. Certainly, this implies that the private sphere belongs to the female sex, and their domestication and inferior designation euphemistically makes them the ‘Queen of the House’! In other words, Jamaat approves and endorses patriarchy, and to this end it quotes scriptures where the mard (male) becomes the qawwam (guardian) of the ‘second sex’. This implies the super-ordination of men and subordination of women.
But we do not live in the Victorian society where women were forced to wear chastity belts. We have a democracy, even if a weak one. Times have changed and the new educated generation wants to come out of this ‘church, children and chars’ trap. We cannot domesticate them anymore using the tools of shastras, shariah, sanskriti and sabhyata, as individual liberty is the supreme right of our time and cannot be compromised anymore. Moreover, this generation is not going to let their bodies be a site of contestation between tradition and modernity.
The important point that these fundamentalist organisations need to note is that there is no escaping modernity. Coming to terms with it would require a kind approach and a level of ingenuity they need to develop. Islam is not resistant to change as some make it out to be. That Islam is not change-proof can be known from a comparison of the laws and customs prevalent in the time of Hazrat Umar, who was one of the most powerful and influential Muslim rulers of the 6th century. I am neither professing the mindless borrowings of the Western category of thought nor advocating that we become a cultural clone of the West to be modern. However, we need to know that there is a wide difference between the Shariah (Islamic jurisprudence) and the Holy Scripture. The latter is divine and the former is a social construct. Shariah came into being long ago to solve the problems of people of a particular time and space at a specific point of history. Over time the human civilisation has taken a long stride, and the scale and scope of human understanding have increased manifold with subtle and nuanced dimensions. Consequently, society faces a good number of new problems. Those old solutions are not relevant today. Therefore we cannot equate Islam with conventionality and self-righteousness. Neither can its teachings be considered puritanical and patriarchal. On the contrary, we have to admit that gender bias is the Achilles’ heel of the Indian Muslims. The Muslim society, rather any society, cannot progress leaving behind half of a nation’s population. To empower the community, we have to empower our women.
Every structure which feeds upon and sustains gender inequality is bound to be challenged and face unprecedented eruption of mass protests filled with angst, anger and aggression. Women from within the community have been putting a good deal of effort in fighting their structural marginalisation as well as freedom from oppression. But their jihad still has a long way to go. In fact, reviving a radical jihad, for the restoration of their right, honour, dignity, and freedom from fear of all sorts should be in its essence. Amen, I would say!
[Fahad Hashmi is pursuing MPhil in Sociology from DSE, University of Delhi.]
(Courtesy: Tehelka)
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January 26, 2013, 12:11 am
By Dr. Amjad M. Husaini
‘Sex’ is a multifaceted phenomenon and I have been contemplating on its origin and objectives since the day the news of a heinous rape of a young woman in a Delhi bus, named in media as “Nirbhaya” was put in limelight by the national media.
In my opinion it is important to discuss various aspects of sex and try to place rape in the right context. These aspects are:
1. Spiritual aspect of sex- Sex is a medium of ‘expression of love’, and a mode of closest possible ‘union on the physical plane’ between two individuals whose hearts long for each other. It is a union between a lover (Aashiq) and his/her beloved (Mashooq), which brings a sense of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and respect for each other.
2. Biological aspect of sex - Sex is the only natural mode of procreation (reproduction) in higher animals, amongst which human beings are at the top of the evolutionary ladder. Being at the top and living in a social setup the facilitation, formalization and legalization of such a courtship and sexual union has culminated in the ‘institution of marriage’. Marriage has added cultural, social and economic aspects to this otherwise a purely biological phenomenon, due to the evolved state of human beings as social animals.
3. Carnal aspect of sex - On a psychological level it is the stretching of animal-like desire for passion and excitement which is able to express itself easily in the absence of a strong moral character in a human being. Generally, ‘rape and/or sexual assault’ is the manifestation of a complex phenomenon involving lack of moral ethics, poor self control and will power, improper upbringing, emotional instability and deprivation, or hostility towards victim which get a chance to express when the victim (almost always a woman) happens to come in contact with such an individual in a lonely place or situation where she is not able to defend herself, and most often has decorated herself beautifully and looks too attractive. This is generally accompanied by use of force and by overpowering the victim owing to superior muscular strength of man.
To a biologist, however, it is a complex interplay of some chemical substances (hormones) which get induced upon exposure to sensual, sensuous and indecent exposure/display of primary or secondary sexual characters by either of the two genders. If a woman happens to be the perpetrator of such an act, she generally does not use force and uses the tactics of placating a man by inviting verbal comments, physically beautifying herself beyond descent public limits, display of private parts, etc.![]()
4. Economic and social aspect of sex- The lavish lifestyle adopted by the young generation due to advent of multinational culture, and measurement of success in terms of economic fortune, wealth and position has lead to the use of ‘sex’ as a means of acquiring these with minimum possible input and without much hard work. Why to toil so hard, when the same can be attained by being a little smart, is the slogan of this generation. After all this is my body and I have every right to use it as I may wish, is the new thought! Hence ‘looking attractive’, giving sexual favours, or even resorting to sex is the new ‘mantra’ and the easiest possible way of rising up the ladder for the over-ambitious. This applies equally to both the genders, be they men/women subordinates corrupting their men/ women bosses or vice versa.
If it happens to be a man who gets morally corrupt by such practice, one day comes when he tries to impose his will / sexual desire even on a person who is not willing to compromise on her dignity resulting either into a rape or loss of her job. Incidentally if it happens to be a woman boss, then it may result in loss of job for such a male subordinate.
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In earlier times, prostitutes used to be restricted to some areas (brothels and red-light areas) and were looked down upon, although they were the victims of social deprivation and ‘needed’ to resort to prostitution for feeding themselves and their children. However in present times the same class of women are being glorified and commoditised to meet the demands of an open market economy. Women are objectified as a commodity and are served ‘hot’ on television channels and internet sites. They have even entered our kitchen, living and dining rooms through soap operas, reality shows etc., and have further polluted our minds. These have torn away the veil of respect and dignity between the brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, etc., promoting the carnal desires (as discussed in 3), and the week in mind easily fall prey to such desires! How many amongst our young generation see a role model in Lord Rama or Guru Nanak or for that matter follow the example of Holy Prophet? In this land of Mahatma Ghandi, almost all our young try to imitate actors (their heroes), actresses (their heroines), models, business tycoons, etc. and want to be like them. They say that this is to be ‘modern’, because by dubbing ‘immodesty’ as ‘modernism’ they can easily rubbish the traditional ideals of human behaviour and label the right thinking older generation as ‘old fashioned’ and obsolete.
5. Subjugative and authoritative aspect of sex - It is generally performed by the winner of a war / battle, heads of a clan against those who rebel (like in case of Late Phoolan Devi) or self-proclaimed village authorities (like upper castes) against weaker classes and tribes. The aim is to subjugate and oppress the opponent by giving tremendous mental agony to them, by way of asserting their authority on their most honoured and precious thing i.e., chastity of their women. In extreme cases men are beheaded or killed while women are used as sex objects, on the one hand to fulfil their carnal desires (as discussed in 3) and on the other to inflict deep wounds on the psyche of the oppressed women (representing the defeated class). This is also to show authority, as well as serve a befitting punishment and warning against raising their voice again in future.
Do these pictures fall within the ambit of decency of a common man’s level of perception?? Would you like to see your wife or mother or sister to be dressed like this?? Then why do you like to see others dressed like this?? Why not to turn your face away and save yourself from unhealthy influences....
Islamic Views On Clothing
An important aspect of Islam that must be observed is the code of dress for both men and women. The appearance is a sign of what one has in the heart. Allah mentions in the Holy Quran: “O Children of Adam! We have sent down upon you a dress which may conceal your shameful parts and sent down feathers (or splendid garments) and the dress of piety (Taqwa) that is the best of all.” (Surah A'araf, Verse 26).
In another verse Allah says: “Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say that the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! Turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss.” (Surah An-Nur), Verse 30-31).![]()
This code of behaviour and dressing sets moral standards in this world where morality is lacking greatly nowadays. Islam has got no fixed standards of dress as dress is regulated by necessities according to geographical conditions of countries. In cold conditions, warm clothes are necessary for the protection of the body. Similarly, in hot countries, thin clothes are mostly the norm. The Holy Prophet others, as it covers the major portion of the body.
For women Allah mention’s in the Qur'an: “O Prophet (daughters and the women of the believers to draw over them their cloaks (veils). That in the least so that they be recognised and not be molested.” (Surah Ahzaab, Verse 59)
“And remain within your homes and do not make an exhibition (of yourselves) like the displays (of the immoral women) of former times of ignorance.” (Surah Ahzaab).
Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) quotes that the Holy Prophet of you shoould meet a woman in privacy unless she is accompanied by a Mahram (i.e., a relative witin the prohibited degrees)” [Bukhari, Muslim]
The Holy Prophet said don't make your body visible or wear light clothing which emphasizes or highlights the figure of the body.
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) quotes that the Messenger of Allah said: “Women who are nude in spite of having garments on them; who allure others and are allured by others shall be consigned to Hell. Their heads are awry like the humps of the used a single long robe and recommended it for)!
Tell thy wives and thy said “No one gave warning against wearing transparent clothing which makes the said Bactrian camels because of their coquettish posture. These women shall not enter Paradise, nor shall enjoy the sweet fragrance of Paradise, although the sweet fragrance of Paradise can be savoured from a long distance off” [Muslim] (Chapter 292, Riyad al Salihin).
Islamic Views On Rape
Islam views human life as a sacred gift from Allah and repeatedly stresses the sanctity of life. The life of every single individual regardless of gender, age, nationality or religion is worthy of respect. According to Islam, a woman has to be respected and protected under all circumstances, whether she belongs to your own nation or to the nation of an enemy, whether she follows your religion or belongs to some other religion or has no religion at all. A Muslim cannot outrage her under any circumstances. Even some Islamic legal scholars classify rape under the category of ‘hiraba’, rather than the subcategory of ‘zina’ (consensual adultery). In the Hanafi school of law, the term zina is taken to refer to illegal sexual intercourse where rape is distinguished as zina bil jabr to indicate its forced and non-consensual nature whereas fornication and adultery fit zina bil ridha which indicates consent. Though the terminology uses the term zina, nonetheless, they are two categorically different crimes as rape is treated as a tazir crime by the judge and prosecuted based on circumstantial evidence (medical evidence, any number of witnesses, and other forensic evidence), very similar to how it is treated in contemporary Western law. Fornication and adultery by mutual consent (zina bil ridha) meets the classical hadd punishments from the Qur'an and sunnah provided there are four witnesses (if absent then they too default to tazir).
{Hadd: A punishment fixed in the Quran and hadith for crimes considered to be against the rights of God. The six crimes for which punishments are fixed are theft (amputation of the hand), illicit sexual relations (death by stoning or one hundred lashes), making unproven accusations of illicit sex (eighty lashes), drinking intoxicants (eighty lashes), apostasy (death or banishment), and highway robbery (death). Strict requirements for evidence (including eyewitnesses) have severely limited the application of hudud penalties. Punishment for all other crimes is left to the discretion of the court; these punishments are called tazir. With the exception of Saudi Arabia, hudud punishments are rarely applied, although recently fundamentalist ideologies have demanded the reintroduction of hudud, especially in Sudan, Iran, and Afghanistan.
Tazir: Punishment for crime not measuring up to the strict requirements of hadd punishments, although they are of the same nature, or those for which specific punishments have not been fixed by the Quran. Punishments range from the death penalty for espionage and heresy to flagellation, imprisonment, local banishment, and a variety of fines. Determination of punishment is left to the judge or chief executive, who can vary the punishment according to a number of criteria including who has inflicted the crime and upon whom.} (Source: http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com)
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Therefore the classification of rape in ‘Hiraba’ is logical, as the "taking" is of the victim’s property (the rape victim’s sexual autonomy) by force. Maliki judge Ibn ‘Arabi, relates a story in which a group was attacked and a woman in their party was raped. Responding to the argument that the crime did not constitute hiraba because no money was taken and no weapons used, Ibn ‘Arabi replied indignantly that "hiraba with the private parts" is much worse than hiraba involving the taking of money. The Maaliki Jurist, Ibn Abdul-Barr has stated regarding rape “The scholars are unanimously agreed that the rapist is to be subjected to the hadd (i.e. the punishment of death) if there is clear evidence against him that he deserves the hadd punishment, or if he admits to that. Otherwise, he is to be punished [with tazir].
The focus in a hiraba prosecution is the accused rapist and his intent and physical actions, and not second-guessing the consent of the rape victim. Hiraba does not require four witnesses to prove the offense; it requires circumstantial evidence, medical data and expert testimony to prosecute such crimes. During the time of the Holy Prophet was inflicted on a rapist on the solitary evidence of the woman who was raped by him. Wa'il ibn Hujr reports of an incident when a woman intending to go for Prayer [in the mosque] was raped. Later, when some people came by, she identified and accused the man of raping her. They seized him and brought him to Allah's messenger, where the rapist admitted his crime. Allah’s messenger said to the woman, "Go away, for Allah has forgiven you," but of the man who had raped her, he said, "Stone him to death." (Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud).
In Holy Quran Allah says: “O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.” [Surah al-Nisa: Verse 135]
So what is our duty as members of this society, and Allah’s vicegerent on earth? To stand by justice in whatever possible capacity we can…..be that as a witness, as a police man, as a medical expert, as a judge or simply as a common man!!
A Dialogue With A Friend
All the above analysis on the reasons and genesis of ‘rape’, the most deplorable and heinous crime against women reminds me of a discussion with a female friend few years back on a similar theme. I would like to share the dialogue that happened between me and my dear friend Aayisha with readers:
Amjad: Aashu have you ever seen your parents making love or for that matter kissing or hugging in your presence?
Aayisha: No, not at all. Ours is a very dignified family.
Amjad: Have you ever kissed or hugged your boyfriend in presence of your or his parents?
Aayisha: How is it possible yaar?,,,,, to indulge in such acts in presence of our elderly and respectable ones. No, not at all.
Amjad: Oh ! I suppose you don’t feel to get intimate with him??
Aayisha: Of course I do have such feelings yaar. After all I too am human.
Amjad: Where do you meet then?
Aayisha: We generally meet in a park under open sky, or in a coffee shop, or in a cinema hall if he has money for tickets. The cheapest is to sit under a tree in a public park!
Amjad: Don’t people see you there??
Aayisha: So what!! They don’t know us. Who cares! We are open minded and free to enjoy anywhere.
Amjad: But,,,,I once went into such a park along with my parents when I was a kid myself. I saw a couple in an intimate position, who were kissing, rubbing and hugging under a shady tree. It surprised me and I asked my parents that what are they doing?? They blushed and asked me to shut up and not pay attention to them. However the scene and the thoughts reverberated in my mind for several days!!! Don’t you feel that kids and teenagers get unduly influenced and readily carried away by your this act, and their immature minds get polluted?
Aayisha: May be! But what do I do? I am young and independent. I too have a right to enjoy my life! I cannot take responsibility of the whole society!!
Amjad: Yes you are young, so why don’t you get married?
Aayisha: Are you nuts? I am too young, just eighteen and my boy friend is nineteen. He has a long way to go for a proper professional settlement and I too am not yet prepared for the responsibilities of marriage.
Amjad: Why so?
Aayisha: I am as ambitious as you are. I have been brought up by my parents as an equal to my brother, and want to be financially independent before getting married.
Amjad: Why do you wear such clothes in which you look half naked?
Aayisha: Mind you!! I am an independent citizen of an independent country and want to look beautiful and attractive. I am comfortable in such clothes. What is your problem?
Amjad: Aashu, I don’t have any problem. However, I feel these attract the attention of undesirable and criminal elements towards you because they see you as an object. A genuine man shall get attracted to you and will appreciate your beauty as a person, not as a body. So whom do you want to attract?
Aayisha: But I don’t mind as long as they behave properly.
Amjad: God forbid, if they start misbehaving then what will you do? You know your whole honour as well as peaceful life of your family shall be at stake!
Aayisha: What nonsense? I will be the victim and despite that you are trying to frighten me??? You male chauvinist!
Amjad: No dear, I am only worried, and am cautioning you because I am your well wisher. Trust me!
Aayisha: But my feminist friends and women activists say that, being a patriarchal society women are oppressed and objectified as machines for producing children. Further sons are given undue importance, which bolsters them to look down upon women. This promotes them to carryout crimes against women, like rape!
Amjad: But to my knowledge, women are enjoying equal rights vis a vis men under our constitutional setup. Even some special provisions are also there, which are meant for women welfare only. Further I have never seen a family which would encourage their children to molest or rape a woman, in fact the head of the family often sets an example by discharging his responsibility of ‘protecting’ the members of his family, be that his wife or his daughters or sons. However, in families were fathers have a drinking habit and either of the parents is morally bad; children may get adversely affected and develop either 11 oversensitivity or insensitivity towards such crimes against women. But, alas! Government gets excise duty and other taxes from liquor sale and it is therefore in their interest to protect this industry. This is a paradox!
Aayisha: Mind your own business and just leave me alone Amjad. I am yet to meet a fool who is ready to take a risk of going to jail for a life-term or at least 7 years, just for fulfilling his lust of 30 minutes! Besides, laws of our country and the police are there for my safety!
Amjad: Oh sorry! I hope the poor policeman reaches to your rescue, if he is not busy protecting the so called VIPs. You and I are LIPs (Less Important People), and therefore for us I think “Prevention is always better than cure!” Bye. Take care!
Aayisha: You too. Bye
I am missing my cute innocent friend Aayesha these days more than earlier, as she is no more now. She killed herself after facing defeat at the hands of this cruel society which bolstered her into being bold and (so called) modern, but did not support her after she met with more than an accident....Rape by her boy-friend’s friend !
Alas!
[Dr. Amjad Masood Hussainiis an Environmental and Plant Biotechnologist of International repute currently working as Assistant Professor (Senior Scale) in Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Kashmir, J&K (India). Dr. A. M. Hussaini is also associated with IndianMuslimObserver.com as Environment Editor. He can be contacted at amjadhusaini@yahoo.com]
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February 1, 2013, 11:00 pm
By Kat Stoeffel
Polish cosmetics company Inglot claims to have manufactured the world’s first-known nail polish that's suitable for daily prayer, the "halal certified" 02M Breathable. Some Muslim women avoid nail polish because it creates a waterproof barrier over nails, making it impossible to sufficiently perform the pre-prayer washing ritual without repainting five times a day.
As a result, many women restrict manicures to period days when they don’t need to pray, according to Muslim blogger and scholar Mustafa Umar. “Yet many sisters will admit that they wish it would be somehow possible to wear nail polish at any time of the month,” he writes. “First, it is highly fashionable nowadays. Second, wearing nail polish usually indicates to another person that a sister is undergoing her period, which can be very embarrassing for others to know.”
The sheikh's delightfully rigorous coffee-filter test suggests Inglot’s claims of water permeability are sound, making the 02M breathable line no more haram than body lotion or henna. Whether a manicure meets the Muslim standards for modesty — or is worth the risk of being chased through a shopping mall by religious police — remains to be seen.
(Courtesy: The Cut)
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