Islamic Voice October 2014 Issue
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Islamic Voice October 2014 Issue
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful 32 Pages Rs. 20 October 2014 Vol. 27-10 Depositors Mount Pressure to Avert Takeover Depositors will lose nearly a third of their money if the Canara Bank takes over the Amanath Bank. September 18, office bearers of the Amanath Bank Shareholders and Depositors Protection Committee demanded that the 1 Bangalore English Monthly No. 334 Zee Haj/Muharram 1435/36 H Amanath Cooperative Bank By A Staff Writer ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 restored to persons of integrity within the community. It indicated Bangalore: Pressure is being that resourceful people from the mounted by depositors and wellcommunity have come forward wishers of Amanath to pump in some Bank against its money and fulfil the takeover by Canara RBI’s conditions to Bank which has notified allow the Bank to that it would deduct 32% get back to normal of the depositors money transactions. The in the event of takeover Committee President materialising. This is Syed Rahmathulla besides the takeover of alleged that the the entire assets of the present management Bank whose value runs headed by Mr. Naseer into crores. Currently Ahmed—a Congress money deposited MLC and a relative by several mosques of Mr. Rahman managing committees, Khan—instead of Several mosque committee, orphanages filing criminal cases wakf institutions and orphanages is locked and community charity organizations for the recovery of up in deposits with will lose charitable funds if the Amanath fraudulently siphoned Amanath Bank which off amount, is seeking Bank is takenover by another bank. is under instructions merger of the Bank from the Reserve Bank Bank’s former President K. with Canara Bank. of India not to allow Rahman Khan, other directors Mr. Rahmathulla said depositors to withdraw and defaulters be prosecuted for that if the takeover or merger was amount exceeding Rs. 1,000 in six alleged misappropriation of funds allowed the Canara Bank would months. of the bank and new directors be deduct funds of several religious inducted for generating resources organizations which were already Prosecute Rahman Khan In a press conference on and the control of the bank be Page 5 World's Religious Leaders Speak out against Extremism Astana: Religious leaders from around the world congregated for a meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana, last fortnight, showing unity to make themselves heard by politicians, in a world torn apart by conflicts between civilisations. The leaders met to prepare for the 5th triennial Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. "It is very necessary that this Congress transcends the dialogue among religious leaders to promote another dialogue, between the religious leaders and the politicians. And it must be a dialogue between people who listen," Kazakhstan Senate President Kasim Zhomart Tokaev said in an interview with Efe news agency. Distinguished representatives from Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Taoism and Shintoism met in Astana for the 13th meeting of the Congress's Secretariat. The 5th Congress, to be held in Astana in June 2015 under the title, "Dialogue among Religious and Political Leaders in the Name of Peace and Development", seeks to open new avenues of communication and cooperation. "We will invite politicians who are really capable of contributing to the dialogue between different religions. Among them, of course, will be presidents and prime ministers," Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Yerzhan Ashikbaev told a press conference. Only that way, many of the leaders say, can the initiative move from words to action, which is vital to finding a definitive solution for a series of conflicts falsely characterised as having a religious purpose by the people who start them. With Islamist extremism at the centre of world attention due to the rise of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, all the leaders meeting in Astana wished to make it clear that in no way could terrorism be related to one of the faiths on the planet. "All the leaders meeting here today have emphasised that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism. That has even been underscored by representatives of Christian religions," Yerzhan Mayamerov, Kazakhstan's grand mufti, told Efe. "Conflicts around the world affect more and more places, and millions of people suffer. And not for their political stances, but Page 22 advertisement ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 2 ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 Hajj Ghars at Gulbarga, M.lore too Bangalore: The Hajj Ghar is likely to be commissioned soon and the pilgrims for Hajj are likely to depart from there next year. Assurance to this effect was given here by Chief Minister Mr. Siddramaiah on September 12 on the eve of the commencement of Hajj flights to Jeddah from Bangalore. The Quddoos Sab Eidgah in the City may be hosting its last Hajj camp this year. The Chief Minister said an additional Rs. 17 crore was allocated for the construction of Hajj Ghar in this year’s budget. He said Hajj Ghars will also come up in Mangalore and Gulbarga which have become embarkation points for Hajj pilgrims from the State in recent years. He said a five-acre plot in Gulbarga and a two-acre plot in Mangalore have been identified for the purpose. Minister for Information Infrastructure and Hajj Mr. R. Roshan Baig pleaded for enhancement of official Hajj quota for Karnataka pilgrims. He urged that the quota for private operators needs to be curtailed. He informed that the Hajj Ghar under construction in the northern outskirts of Bangalore will have an international sized auditorium and will host several community related events and activities. Incidentally, it is the 20th year that Hajj pilgrims from Karnataka are departing from the improvised Hajj camp even while all states in the country have set up permanent Hajj Ghars in their capitals. BGRT wins the “Emerson Cup Excellence Award-2014” Bearys Global Research Triangle (BGRT), Whitefield, Bangalore, has won the “Emerson Cup 2014 -Excellence Award”. BGRT is India’s first Platinum LEED certified R & D Park, globally recognized by both industry and academia as a benchmark project. Emerson Cup Excellence Award is an annual competition initiated by Emerson Climate Technologies USA, recognizing innovation and outstanding energy efficient designs in the HVACR industry. 3 Teachers Day Celebrated at Asian Kids School Bangalore: The Asian Kids School celebrated Teachers Day on September 5. Chief guests Mrs and Mr M P Shivakumar, retired director of MESCOM, were present along with the presiding guest, Mr. Radha Krishna. According to the President of the school, Mr. Mohamed Hashim, the children enjoyed the day as they listened to the guests sharing their life experiences. The children gained moral support by knowing about their lives. Currently, Asian Kids have branches at Page 12 Analysis ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 4 By-election Outcome Mesmerizing Spell is Wearing Thin By A Staff Analyst The reverses suffered by the Bhartiya Janata Party in the two rounds of by-elections indicate that the Party’s votebase is much like a sand dune and would crumble over time if the party’s government does not deliver on the promises of growth, good governance and inflation. Within less than four months of swearingin of the BJP government at the Centre, the party seems to have lost favour with the electorate in most populous states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In Rajasthan which had returned it in every alternate Assembly polls, the party’s rival has still much fire in it. In Uttar Pradesh the BJP has ceded the ground to the Samajwadi Party in a big way. In Rajasthan the Congress is clearly recovering its ground. And surprisingly, even in Gujarat, the bastion of the BJP since long, Congress has begun to cut ground from beneath the party’s feet. Though in Bihar an alliance between Laloo Yadav and Nitish Kumar could translate the joint might into seat for the two secular parties, the victories were less than convincing ones. It was only last month that the Congress registered impressive wins in Uttarkhand and Karnataka, the two states where it rules. As for other states like Andhra Pradesh, Tripura and Assam, the outcome of by-elections largely reflects the existing ratio between Congress vis-à-vis other parties. Only surprise comes from West Bengal where the saffron party could manage to win a seat and open its account in the state legislature. The kind of campaign the BJP ran in Uttar Pradesh reflects the mindset of the party. It seems the party is all for promoting communal divide and strife and shows no sign of power at the Centre sobering down its leaders. It imported the nasty oxymoron ‘Love Jihad’ theory from Kerala/ Karnataka despite the fact that it had failed to come up with any conclusive evidence to prove its veracity. Union Minister Maneka Gandhi invented the canard of cattle smuggling across the border of Bangladesh being used to fund from Gorakhpur MP Swami Avaidyanath and Sakshi Maharaj. One feels like saluting People are realizing that no one has the magic wand to alleviate the economic suffering of the masses. terrorism. Earlier reports from the Border Security Force had denied any such trafficking. And there was usual fiery communal rhetoric the secular minded Hindu majority who saw through the game of deception by the BJP and refused to fall for its partisan appeal a second time. That a party should lose the popular favour so soon after its meteoric rise on the national level, is worth taking note. All that it conveys is that the people were momentarily swayed by the concerted and well-oiled campaign during the April-May elections, sick as they were of the decade long United Progressive Alliance reign. With Page 5 ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 Scholarships Disbursed By A Staff Writer Bangalore: Women’s NGO, Tanzeemul Mohsinath distributed scholarships among 160 students from underprivileged background on September 16. A battery of women activists handed over the cheques to the students at the Shadab Shadimahal on Tannery Road. Tanzeem Secretary Sajida Begum said a sum of Rs. 2.50 lakh was disbursed by way of Page 1 scholarships among students ranging from first to 10th standard. Speaking at the occasion, journalist Maqbool Ahmed Siraj exhorted the Muslim women to avoid early marriage of girls and engaging the boys into earning of ‘Walk for Harmony and Love’ livelihood. He asked the parents to see that every child attains education up to degree stage or takes a diploma and turns out to be a disciplined citizen. Mrs. Ayesha Wajid of Meher Care Foundation asked the mothers to impart good moral training to the kids. Others who spoke and distributed the cheques at the occasion included Dr. Asifa; Aasra Home for Women general secretary Mrs. Fazlunnisa; Aasra Home president and founder Mrs. Sajida Begum and Rizwana Taj, vice president. Mrs. Naseem Sajad of Zain Designers presided over the function. n New Delhi: Khudai Khidmatgar and Sadhbhav Mission organized a ‘Walk for Harmony and love’ on 21 September, the International Peace Day in New Delhi. The walk started from the Sacred Heart Church, reached the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib and then to Moti Masjid and finally ended at the Hanuman Mandir. Various Social Activist and Gandhians like Veena Behan, Khudai Khidmatgar leader Faisal Khan, Prof VK Tripathi from Sadhbhav Mission, Prof Sanat Mohantee from IIT Delhi, Ram Mohan Rai from Gandhi Global Family ,Faizan Arish from Jamia Millia Islamia, Praveen Kumar, Standoff Meanwhile, current President, Mr. Naseer Ahmed who in a meeting with several NGOs belonging to the community in the first week of September, promised to induct new members into the board of directors on the promise of committing some funds necessary to bale out the Amanath Bank, had changed the tune around the end of the month insisting on commitment of funds prior to induction. As we go to the press around September 25, the standoff continues and it appears as if Mr. Naseer is under tremendous pressure not to allow the revival or restoration of Bank to the community’s control. The press conference was also address by Mr. Sardar Ahmed Quershi, President, Tippu Sultan United Front; B. L. Shankar, President, Dalit Sangharsh Samiti; Syed Md. Iqbal of the Muslim Muttahida Mahaz and Mr. K. L. Ashok, secretary, Komu Souharda Vedike. n Amanath Cooperative Bank ... under financial stress. It cited the case of the 120-year old Muslim Orphanage which had huge amount deposited in Amanath Bank which at no cost be allowed to be punished for merger of a bank plundered by the Muslim bigwigs of the community in Bangalore. “Should the orphanage inmates be punished for the crimes committed by the rich and the powerful”, he questioned. According to Mr. Rahmathulla, as of now the Bank’s position was sound and a takeover could well be averted. He said the Bank has Rs. 300 crores in liquid fund, gold convertible into Rs. 35 crores in deposits against loans and a further Rs. 165 crores of secured loans. He said some resourceful persons within the community were willing to pump in Rs. 35 crores to fulfill the RBI’s moratorium on the Bank’s functioning but wouldn’t do so unless they were taken in as directors first. “But the present management was insisting deposits prior to nominating them directors, something not agreeable to the management”, he commented. Bank can Still be revived The Committee referred to the reasons given by the RBI for placing moratorium, i.e., sanctioning of loans while Mr. K. Rahman Khan was the President of the Bank, to the tune of Rs. 63 crore. The amount of the defaulted loans has now gone up to Rs. 102 crores by gathering interest. Secondly, it pointed out, Mr. Khan’s successor, Mr. Ziaulla Sheriff waived off Rs. 30 crores from the outstanding loan (principal + interest) amount during his tenure against the norms of the banking regulations. Govt Protecting the Defaulting Directors They said the Government of Karnataka attached the personal properties of the above stated persons but they were able to secure stay from the higher courts in order to remain in possession of the property. He told news persons that the RBI in its letter dated June 24 UBD(BL) N04732/09-01-001/2013-14 this year has asked the Government to file criminal cases against ex president, ex directors and the official who connived with them in issue of loans. But the current Congress government was protecting the defaulters, they asserted. Page 4 By-election Outcome ... prices keeping their rise upward, the mesmerizing spell cast by the media is clearly wearing thin. People are coming out of the stupor and finding that there is no wishing away of harsh economic realities and no one has the magic wand to address the larger question of economic inequality, corruption and inflation. Over and above that, the BJP’s communal politics is all likely to add a layer of social schisms, friction and conflict to the mess and make the life even more nightmarish. The Congress and the regional parties too have to realize that their major test lies in addressing the basic issues of removing poverty, ensuring affording education, health and housing for all. Replacing communal propaganda with secular rhetoric would not win them the lost ground. n 5 Hemant Sharma from Asha Parivar, Rizwan Ahmed, Tabish Bhatti from Khudai Khidmatgar, Poonam Kaushik and others participated in the walk. Ram Mohan Rai of Gandhi Global Family said that the need of the hour is that we all should come forward and fight against communalism. Khudai Khidmatgar leader Faisal Khan said that unfortunately most religious places have been captured by communal people and we need to expose them and propagate the real messages of peace, harmony and love, taught by all faiths. (Twocircles.net) Spiritual Leaders call for Panel to stop Riots New Delhi: Spiritual leaders from various faiths have decided to set up a formal group to suggest measures to stop communal riots in India. A two-day event - "Meeting of Diverse Spiritual Traditions of India" - was called by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama here. Around 100 religious leaders and scholars decided to set up an action committee. "The committee will recommend preventive measures or remedial action in response to any unfortunate occurrence of conflicts within and between our communities, especially when it takes place in the name of religion.” n ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 Britain to curb Muslim Brotherhood operations in London London: Britain is set to curtail Muslim Brotherhood activities and block activists coming to London after report finds ties with armed groups and extremists in Middle East and elsewhere. Critics of the movement accuse it of links to jihadist groups and of pursuing divisive sectarian politics that infringe the freedom of other religions and Islamic interpretations. Officials privy to the drafting of Sir John's report said it had been handed over to Downing Street and a statement on its findings would be published before the end of the year. While it stops short of proposing a ban on the Brotherhood, it accepts thet some of the movement's activity amounts to complicity with armed groups and extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere. A senior British official involved in the process said parts of the report are too sensitive to publish. "It's a very comprehensive look at the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood in many countries. There have been submissions that have been given to us that are very sensitive. One of the main areas of concern raised with Sir John’s report was that the Muslim Brotherhood charities that now face renewed scrutiny by the Charity Commission”. Egyptian officials believe much of its ongoing political activities have shifted to London, where the Brotherhood maintains an international office in Cricklewood. Other predominantly Muslim countries allow Muslim Brotherhood operations, including Tunisia, Libya and Kuwait. n Muslims fare better in America than in Europe A recent Pew Study revealed that Muslims in America fare better than Muslims in Europe. The results of the study illustrate American Islam as diverse, integrated, well-educated and economically successful. Additionally, American Muslims are more tolerant of other sects within Islam. Their experience and situation in America is in stark contrast to the experiences of Muslims in Europe like the Turks in Germany and North African immigrants in France. As a community, they overwhelmingly reject terrorism and identify first as Americans and then as Muslims. n 6 ISNA Condemns ISIS Killing of Journalist Steven Sotloff The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has condemned the vicious murder of American journalist Steven Sotloff at the hands of the terrorist group that calls themselves "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" or ISIS. In a statement, ISNA President Azhar Azeez said: "We condemn the continued unIslamic behavior of ISIS. We will continue to reiterate that their actions have no basis in the teachings of Islam. Their barbaric actions represent terrorism and murder, both of which are antithetical to what mainstream Muslims believe and practice. Our condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Steven Sotloff. We hope that those responsible for his murder will be brought to justice for their crimes." ISNA had condemned the ISIS killing of journalist James Foley and denounced ISIS attack on religious minorities near Northern Iraq and the Kurdish region. In 2005, ISNA was also a signatory to the Fatwa Against Terrorism issued by the Fiqh Council of North America. This expert legal opinion (fatwa) clearly stated that it is forbidden to commit terrorism and violence against civilians. Those who take part in acts of terror are criminals. The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is the largest and oldest Islamic umbrella organization in North America. Its mission is to foster the development of the Muslim community, interfaith relations, civic engagement, and better understanding of Islam. n Ningxia Chinese to perform Haj for the first time This year, an estimated 14,000 Chinese pilgrims will be performing the Haj pilgrimage. For the first time, Chinese pilgrims from Ningxia, an autonomous region will be performing the Haj this year. The first flight with 297 pilgrims from Ningxia arrived in Jeddah last fortnight. A total of 2,833 pilgrims are scheduled to arrive from this part of China. Some pilgrims expressed joy at being able to perform the pilgrimage noting that their parents had been unable to do so owing to the restrictions in the past, Chinese media said. Around half of China’s 20 million Muslims live in Ningxia, where the people identify their ethnic group as Hui, a recognized minority in China. Unlike the Uighur Muslims in the autonomous region of Xinjiang, otherwise known as East Turkestan, where the Muslims are largely of a Turkic ethnic background, the Hui population is a Sinitic race that has accepted Islam. n (Reported by Irfan Mohammed) Society Tirana: Pope Francis has said that Albania’s inter-religious harmony was an “inspiring example” for the world, showing that ChristianMuslim coexistence was not only possible, but beneficial for a country’s development. “The climate of respect and mutual trust between Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims is a precious gift to the country,” Francis said in his opening speech on his arrival in the Balkan nation, where Christians and Muslims endured brutal religious oppression under communism, but today live and work together peacefully. “This is especially the case in these times in which authentic religious spirit is being perverted by extremist groups, and where religious differences are being distorted and instrumentalized,” he told an audience that included Albanian President Bujar Nishani and the diplomatic corps. It was Francis’ first visit to a majority Muslim nation since the Islamic State crackdown on Christians in Iraq, where members of religious minorities are being killed, persecuted or forced to flee their homes. The Vatican has voiced mounting concern about the exodus of faithful from lands where Christian communities have existed for 2,000 years. “Let no one consider themselves to be the ‘armor’ of God while planning and carrying out acts of violence and oppression!” Francis said in the wood-paneled reception room of Tirana’s presidential palace. Muslims make up about 59 percent of Albania’s population, with Catholics amounting to 10 percent and Orthodox Christians just under that, according to the country’s official figures. Francis’ decision to visit tiny Albania before any major European capital is in keeping with his desire for the Catholic Church to go to the “periphery.” n 7 This Trio stood steadfast when ATM Rained Cash By Asif Yar Khan Hyderabad: Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) V. Satyanarayana felicitated Shaik Lateef, Prasad and Hari for their honesty. The trio, who went to collect cash from an ATM, found the door open and Rs. 24.50 lakh inside the machine. They immediately informed the police who came and collected the cash. They went to an ATM centre to withdraw Rs. 200 for their friend’s birthday party. But, what they got in return tested their honesty, upbringing and even their friendship. For the three friends Shaik Lateef, Durga Prasad and Hari Prasad, the sight of nearly Rs. 25 lakh lying open in the ATM machine was a big shock of their lives. “Never did we see such a huge amount at one place. Thanks to the Almighty we did not get influenced at that point of time,” recalls Lateef. The trio unanimously decided to immediately alert the police control room on 100. Within minutes, a police team from S.R. Nagar police station rushed and took possession of the cash. While Lateef, hails from West Godavari of Andhra Pradesh, his open and there were piles of cash inside,” says Lateef, who completed his B. Tech (electrical) last year. His father works as a teacher at a government school. Durga Prasad, who completed his B. Tech (EEE), last year is also son of a school teacher, while Hari Prasad’s parents run a tiffin centre in Mahabubnagar. Prasad is pursuing Chartered Accountancy and working as a parttime accountant at a private firm on a monthly salary of Rs. 10,000. “Every month I save about Rs. 3,000 for my studies. We are grateful for our upbringing because our parents taught us a lot on the virtues of honesty. We owe it to them,” he says. The three friends were felicitated by the West Zone police and by the State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) authorities. (www.thehindu.com/news/cities/ Hyderabad) (Photo: Nagara Gopal) Pope lauds Albania’s Christian-Muslim Harmony ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 friends, Hari and Durga Prasad are from Mahabubnagar district and stay at a hostel in S. R. Nagar area. The three friends, who are desperately seeking employment, went to the ATM centre to withdraw cash and buy a cake for the friend’s birthday. “I inserted the card and withdrew Rs. 200 cash, when I noticed the door of the ATM machine was HUMANITARIAN ISSUES Srinagar: On September 12, when Srinagar was under flood, an expecting mother from Gujarat found home in a local mosque at Hyderpora on the Srinagar outskirts to give birth to a baby daughter. Kiran (ray of hope). The newborn, was christened in the mosque by locals after the family from Gujarat, insisted that their “saviors” should name their baby. Neeta, wife of Kishore from Gujarat was brought to Jamia Masjid Hyderpora, in a critical condition by rescuers from Bemina, one of the worst hit areas by the devastating flood, which killed around 280 people across J&K. Besides, her husband, Neeta was accompanied by her mother-inlaw and two other members of the family. “Fear was writ on their face and they were desperate to get to some safe place,” said Ghulam Hassan Dar, executive member, relief committee, Hyderpora. Under trauma, the Gujarat 8 Hyderpora Jamia Masjid becomes first Home for newborn Kiran family found comfort in the mosque after they were provided accommodation in the first floor of the religious place. After being served tea and dinner, Kishore, hesitantly, broke news to the relief committee members that his wife’s delivery date was on September 12, the day when the flood had already created devastation in Srinagar, leaving thousands homeless. The committee members who were already under stress to provide food and shelter to thousands of displaced survivors including outsiders didn’t waste time. “We immediately rushed her (Neeta) to the nearby nursing home to ensure proper medical treatment for her,” said Bashir Ahmad Paul, another member of the relief committee. At the same time the committee communicated to the hospital authorities that it would bear all charges for the medical treatment of Neeta. Golden Temple extends help in relief program for flood victims in Jammu and Kashmir Amid the rescue operations, where the armed forces evacuated over thousands of victims, the IAF roped in help from Golden Temple in Amritsar. The langar committee of the temple would provide ready to eat meals to the victims. The Air force base in Srinagar that was providing 10,000 food packets per day previously felt the need to call in for help as the number of victims was growing. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) would initiate to provide food packets to the victims. The IAF flew a special aircraft from Amritsar to Srinagar carrying special food packets. At the hospital the doctors, after attending to Neeta, advised her husband to bring her next day (September 13). Neeta was taken back to the Masjid and provided care under the guidance of local females. “We kept a vehicle ready to ferry Photo Credit (AP) By Muddasir Ali ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 the expecting lady to the hospital for check up during night,” said Paul. The vehicle was owned by Dar’s son Touseef Ahmad. On September 13, Neeta after night stay at the Masjid was again admitted in the hospital where she gave birth to a baby. “Fortunately, it was a normal delivery,” said Ghulam Hassan Dar. “Kishore rushed to the mosque to inform the relief committee that her wife has delivered a baby daughter and he thanked us all for help. He got so emotional that tears were rolling down his eyes.” In the trying times, the relief committee did everything possible to ensure the family has home like comfort at the mosque. “One of our volunteers travelled a long distance to get pure milk and a pack of tea and later we served tea to Neeta after she asked for it,” said Dar. Later, in the evening of September 13 when Neeta was shifted back to the Hyderpora mosque after being discharged from the hospital, the members of the Gujarat family insisted that locals should christen their new born. That is when a member of the relief committee came up with the name Kiran. “Kiran means ray of hope and we had a hope even when the devastating floods ravaged the entire city,” he said. After seeing the kind of treatment they received at the mosque and that too in times of crisis, the mother in law of Neeta was all thankful to the organizers, said another member of the relief committee. “She was really humbled and prayed for all of us when we arranged milk feeder for the new born,” said chairman of the relief committee, Nazir Ahmad Dar. After staying at the Hyderpora mosque for two nights, the Gujarat family left for their home-state on September 15. They were dropped at the airport in a vehicle, arranged by the relief committee. Dar said the committee also managed the air tickets for the family. “All these days have been testing times for all of us and we thought it is our duty to help the family,” said Dar. Two other expecting mothers were also taken care of by the organizers at the mosque, the shelter home. “They were from Srinagar,” said Dar. The relief camp is serving the displaced people, who were put up in the mosque, for more than 10 days now. “We had more than 1500 people from outside,” said Ghulam Hassan Dar. The first floor of the mosque was kept reserved for females while as the men would stay in the 2nd floor. “Everyday hundreds of people would be served tea, lunch and dinner,” said Dar. (www.greaterkashmir.com) ISLAMIC RELIEF AND RESEARCH TRUST (IRRT), KASHMIR Opposite L.D Hospital, Lal Mandi Road, Srinagar, Kashmir, 190001, India. Humanitarian Appeal for Flood Victims of Jammu & Kashmir State Islamic Relief and Research Trust (IRRT), Kashmir is an initiative for just and compassionate society and is a social/charitable enterprise for equitable and sustainable change. IRRT was established in the year 2000 under the law of the land. It is a non profit, non-political, non-governmental philanthropic organization based in Srinagar, Kashmir, India. It provides humanitarian assistance to poor, needy, destitute, orphans, widows, and in general to victims of conflict and natural calamities regardless of caste, creed, religion, region and gender. IRRT is registered under law of the state and is also registered with Home Ministry of India under FCRA no. 152640002 and is also registered with Income Tax department under 12 A of I.T Act. Since last more than two decades, the state of J&K is witnessing a devastating violent conflict that has brutalized the inhabitants of the State resulting in thousands of killings rendering numerous children as orphans and spouses as widows. To add insult to injury natural calamities and disasters time and again create havoc adding to the miseries of the unfortunate masses. The September, 2014 flood has affected more than 60% of the population of J&K state i.e. six million people, particularly of the Kashmir Valley. The devastating flood waters have left most of the people without shelter, medicine and food. At present, we are passing through the rescue phase of the disaster management that is simultaneously complimented by relief phase. After these two phases, we need to go for the rehabilitation phase that is the long drawn and permanent one. At present we are in dire need of the following items in terms of immediate relief for the victims. Food Items 1. Rice 2. Wheat (AATA) 3. Dry Milk (Nestle or Everyday) 4. Baby Milk (Lactogen or Cerelac) 5. Biscuits 6. Sugar 7. Spices 8. Tea 9. Cereals 10. Pulses Page 9 UPDATE 9 ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 Legal Matter SC Ruling on Second Official Language Hope of Revival for Urdu in Uttar Pradesh By Maqbool Ahmed Siraj In a significant ruling in early September the Supreme Court has allowed State Governments to declare any language used widely in the State as an official language and the right does not restrain the government from declaring more than one languages as official languages. The ruling has removed restriction from Urdu being the second official language in Uttar Pradesh, the erstwhile birthplace and bastion of Urdu. The ruling has the effect of putting its stamp of approval on Urdu being the second official language of Uttar Pradesh and endorsing the linguistic and cultural diversity of States and the State Government’s right to use more than one language as the official medium of communication. The SC ruling will have a farreaching impact inasmuch as it will grant the power of introduction of Urdu as a medium of official communication thereby creating thousands of vacancies for Urdu-knowing persons as translators, teachers, interpreters, and allowing its use for official advertisements, communiqués and Government Orders (GOs). The matter had been under litigation for nearly a quarter century. Provision for more than one The apex court passed the order on a petition by the Uttar Pradesh Page 8 Hindi Sahitya Sammelan which had approached the court against the introduction of Urdu as the second official language of the State on October 7, 1989 through an amendment passed by the UP Assembly. The bench was headed by Chief Justice of India Justice R. M. Lodha and had Justices Messrs Dipak Misra, Madan B. Lokur, Kurian Joseph and S. A. Bobde. The ruling cited the precedent of Bihar, Haryana, Delhi, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand where languages other than Hindi to secure linguistic secularism.” It also clarified that Article 345 of the Constitution clearly laid down that “the Legislature of a State may by law adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the State or Hindi as the language or languages to be used for all for any of the official purposes of that State.” Secular Heritage It is useful to be reminded that Urdu suffered the worst fate in Uttar Pradesh which is home to as many as three crore Muslims Urdu can now be used for seven specified purposes at official level. too were being used as official languages. It may be noted that Urdu is the second official language in Bihar and has the same status in Delhi where even Punjabi is used for official communication. Even the new state of Telengana has declared Urdu as the second official language. Linguistic Secularism The Court observed that “law and languages are both organic in their mode of development. In India, these are evolving through the process of accepting legitimate aspirations of the speakers of different languages. Indian language laws are not rigid but accommodative, the object being who have traditionally used Urdu for speaking as well as medium of written expression. The state produced eminent writers, poets and critics of Urdu such as Munshi Premchand, Majaz Lucknowi, Jigar Other Items 1. Towels 2. Sanitary pads for girls and women 3. Pampers for children 4. Toothpaste 5. Soaps 6. Mugs 7. Buckets Medicine 1. Insulin (Human Mixtard) 2. Thyronorm (25 and 50 mcg) 3. Anti-Biotics 4. Medicine for Hypertension Presently in coordination with other activists and volunteers, the IRRT has established several base camps for the rescued flood victims wherein food and medical facilities are provided by utilizing our own resources. But our resources are meager and will run out soon due to the severity and magnitude of the relief operations. So on Humanitarian grounds 40 years after Independence UP remained practically the Hindionly State with provision of teaching no language other than Hindi in Government schools. The October 7, 1989 Notification by the last of the Congress governments in the State had specified seven different objects for which Urdu would be used: But it is to be seen as to how the State’s vast Muslim populace would work for the revival of Urdu as nearly three generations of modern educated Muslims have grown unaware of Urdu. The generation gap is likely to cause serious problems in finding users of official facilities for the language. The ruling has brightened the prospect for teaching of Urdu and employment for Urdu-knowing persons. The State has witnessed a massive gap between Urduknowing generation and those who would be willing to learn 1- Acceptance of petitions in Urdu and issuance of their replies in Urdu. Yawning gap due to discontinuity in learning of Urdu leaves us with the imponderable: If there would be enough takers for the official facilities? Muradabadi, Braj Narain Chakbast, Mir Taqui Meer, Mirza Dabeer, Mirza Anees, Raghupati Sahay Firaq Gorakhpuri, Bal Mukund Arsh Malsiani and publishers such as Munshi Nawal Kishore who straddled the religious divide. For the first Humanitarian Appeal for Flood Victims .... 11. Cooking Oil 12. Chlorine tablets for drinking water 13. Mineral Water Bottles 14. Fresh Dates There is no bar on adoption of more than one language as ‘Official Language’ of a State. we appeal to all donor agencies/ grant giving institutions and other generous individuals to come forward with possible relief in kind and financial assistance in cash for permanent rehabilitation of more than six million people. We are maintaining our Bank accounts with J&K Bank 2- Acceptance of documents in courts Urdu 3- Publication of all important rules, regulations, notifications in Urdu. 4- Issuance of all circulars and Government Orders (GOs) in Urdu. 5- Publication of important official advertisements in Urdu 6- Publication of Gazette in Urdu the State 7- Putting up official signboards in Urdu. the language now. This yawning discontinuity may hamper the progress of the language as there may be a situation where there would be no takers for these facilities even if the administration is willing to create opportunities for the language. The Apex court has thus put a lid over the debate that only a single language deserves to be the official language of a particular state and has clarified that Article 345 of the Constitution does not bar adoption of more than one languages for official use. n Ltd. With its branch office at Chadoora India. FCRA Bank Account No. is 0008040100023713 +91-9419075361 hazimrashid@gmail.com admin@irrtonline.org info@irrtonline.org www.irrtonline.org Our Local Account No. is 0008040100051713 IFSC code : JAKA0Chadur A.R. Hanjura Founder, IRRT Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander Media Secretary, IRRT +91-9906654567 sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com opinion Making Encounters Transparent The rule of law has received a massive boost in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 16-point guidelines for investigation into encounter killings. While it is well recognized that maintaining law and order and combating crime is a delicate task, it is also a painful reality that the police role in the alleged encounters with criminals, militants and terrorists has not always been above board. Promotions and gallantry awards for the personnel involved in such encounters only seek to suppress the element of highhandedness, if any, in such incidents. In extreme cases, even the criminals in uniform get rewarded. Hyped up publicity serves to hinder or cover up the reprehensible role of those meant to comply with the rules in the statute book. The apex court has put a firm cap on immediate celebration of such incident which in several cases have proved to be cold-blooded murder of innocents as well as criminals. If rule of law has to retain its credibility and carry conviction with people, there must be scope for such incidents to be seen transparently. Out of turn promotions and conferment of awards could wait till investigations reveal their veracity beyond reasonable doubt. It will discourage the tendency to claim credit for stage-managed encounters when the killings were premeditated, as has been witnessed in umpteen cases. The court has also laid down that intelligence tip-offs should be brought to record and the probe should be headed by police and investigative personnel from another police station. It also makes it mandatory for the State Police chiefs to table the reports of encounter deaths before the State Human Rights Commissions every six months. Hindsight reveals that personnel lauded as ‘encounter specialists’ were booked for extortions later; intelligence tip-offs in Ishrat Jahan case turned out to be mere figments of imagination and ordinary criminals and activists were eliminated under the garb of combating Naxalism. The PIL preferred before the Supreme Court had itself questioned the genuineness of 99 encounters resulting in death of about 135 persons between 1995 and 1997. The True Spirit of Sacrifice Muslims all over the world will be performing the Hajj and then celebrating Bakrid. While the rituals are performed, its time that Muslims introspect and reflect into their souls to understand the spirit of sacrifice. In times of turmoil that the world is today, including the Muslim world, Muslims have to be proactive and look into themselves and find out where they are going wrong. Are we too egoistic? Are we stuck in the victimhood syndrome? Are we always dependant on others to improve our socioeconomic status? Are we loud and brash? Are we misusing religion to create terror in the hearts of the people? Are we poor communicators, lacking etiquette in manners towards our neighbours? Living in India with so many diverse communities existing in harmony with each others for centuries, Muslims should be playing a positive role in building bridges of unity. Its time during festivals like Bakrid, that Muslims can display genuine respect for the sentiments of their neighbours, their non-Muslim friends and the whole society at large. Vulgar parade of sacrificial animals on the streets is bound to hurt sentiments. Being pompous about the number of animals being sacrificed by each family need not be the focus of discussion, or for that matter even giving names of the four caliphs to the animals seems like making a mockery of the ritual. Thinking about the needs of the poor, sharing food with the poor and needy, Muslims and non-Muslims, can be very beneficial towards uplifting our souls. Muslims need to work more on the need to sacrifice their bloated egos, their puffed up pride about being the best community destined to heaven, and looking down on the rest as all destined to hell. The need of the hour is not to spend time drying out left over kababs after Bakrid on our clothesline in our backyards, but to spend time and mull over the little time we have left in this world to do good and be good, till the angels of death seize our souls. That’s the true spirit of sacrifice. ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 10 Eid Not-So-Mubarak When we are asked by non-Muslims why all the “Islamic states” on earth are dictatorships that trample on human rights, most of us simply say: “they are not real Islam.” By Mustafa Akyol Eid Mubarak! Or, in English, may your feast be blessed. That is what we Muslims say to each other during these days. We share desserts, we visit relatives, and we wish, Eid Mubarak. However, deep down in my heart, I know this Eid (or Bayram, as we say in Turkish) is not much of a blessed one for the global Muslim community. The reason is that, first, the horrible injustices done to our co-religionists. Secondly, there are horrible injustices done by our coreligionists. On the first front, there is of course the nearest tragedy in Gaza. As I was writing this piece, more than a thousand of Palestinians, most of them civilians, including hundreds of children, were killed by the Israeli military. Israel’s staggering ruthlessness and self-righteousness while killing so many innocent people, is undoubtedly sickening. And the poor people of Gaza (and West Bank, and the refugee camps in Lebanon and elsewhere) deserved nothing but support and sympathy. However, do we Muslims really think that we will help liberate Palestine by merely condemning Israel’s occupation and militarism? Israel is intoxicated with its might, but what have we done to counter this in the right way? For decades, what have Arab and other Muslim governments done to find a rational, feasible solution that will take Palestinians to statehood? Haven’t we rather weakened or de-legitimatized this right cause by devolving into sensationalism and anti-Semitism, and even the exploitation of Palestine for domestic politics? Beyond Palestine, the Ummah, the global Muslim community, is burning, too. But more so by the confrontationalism among Muslims themselves, rather than the conspiracies of “infidels” that we often see as the root of all evil. In the horrible civil wars in Syria and Iraq, Muslim groups which all proclaim “Allahu Akbar,” are killing each other due to differences in sect or even faction. All across the Muslim world, we have plenty of heavy-handed dictators and militant opponents, but very few democracies. In even democracies such as Turkey, Islamic sentiments generate authoritarianism when they assume full power (as seen in the case of Erdogan), and/ or initiate bitter intra-Islamic conflicts (as seen in the case of Erdogan vs. Gülen). When we are asked by non-Muslims why all the “Islamic states” on earth are dictatorships that trample on human rights, most of us simply say: “they are not real Islam.” But isn’t this a bit like an apologetic socialist saying that all experiments based on his ideology were just “not real socialism?” If you keep getting horrible results from the application of a theory, shouldn’t you begin questioning the theory itself? But mind you: By “theory,” I don’t mean the divine core of Islam, to which I am undoubtedly loyal. But I mean “historical Islam” that has evolved over the centuries with the commentaries of past scholars, and stagnated for quite a while. I specifically mean “Shariah,” or Islamic law, which often reflects the social norms of medieval societies rather than the eternal tenets of our religion. I also mean “Islamism,” which is modern political ideology that aims at imposing this Shariah either at the barrel of a gun or, more moderately, with the dictates of a ballot. What I mean, basically, is that we should revisit Islam’s relation to power, especially state power. We should agree that God’s authority over men cannot be the basis of men’s authority over men — and over women, for that matter. Only then, I believe, we will have the mental tools to build a world of much more blessed, joyful and peaceful Eids. LETTERS Practise Islamic Values with Sincerity This has reference to the essay "Change or Perish" by M.A Siraj (IV August 2014). If one goes through the earlier history of Islam, it says that during the first 80 years after, the passing away of the Prophet (Pbuh), nearly 80% of the civilized world was under the control of Muslims. It was also the period, when renowned scholars, administrators, military generals and businessmen were in plenty. Only in the later years, when multiple interpretation of Quranic verses and unauthentic Hadith, and personal views of the religious scholars were introduced, because of political interference and worldly greed, things became complicated, leading to degradation of the Ummah. This sorry state has continued to the present times. Writing articles and giving big speeches can create can awareness, but it certainly does not change the conditions of the Muslim society, unless, Islamic teachings are practised, as was the case in the early period of Islamic history. As the Quran says: " O who you believe why you say that which you do not do. Certainly most hateful in the sight of Allah is that you say , which you do not do (Sura 61:2-3). Thus key to progress is the practice of the Islamic fundamentals with sincerity and devotion. Akhtar Mahmood 206 /40-A Chandigarh, akhtarmah@yahoo.com A Community of Beggars This is with reference to the essay, “ Issues in upliftment of Muslims” and “Change or Perish” by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj in the July 2014 and August 2014 issues of Islamic Voice. On the basis of these essays, it can be concluded that the so called religious scholars are to be blamed for the backwardness of the community. If this life of the world is for the non-believers to excel in worldly affairs, then what is the status of Muslims? Either they are slaves or mendicants! And there does not seem to be any decline in the breed of beggars in our community. Obviously we are begging for various sops from the government, apart from reservation in jobs. This being the sorry state of the community, what sort of scientific inventions, discoveries, research or scholastic achievements can be expected from such a community? If this world is a prison for a Muslim, obviously he leads a life of perdition, he is chained for life. What excellence can be expected from a prisoner who has been destined to a condemned existence after birth. Why cannot these so called scholars who sway the community, eliminate the polarization of the community which has been split into so many different sects? Khaleel Ahamed, Tumkur ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 Road Named after Kareem Khan By A Staff Writer unveiled the board naming the two kilometer road through the Bangalore: Despite stiff posh colony as Dr. S. K. Kareem opposition from the BJP, the Khan Road. Bangalore City Corporation The City named the 100-Feet Road after Dr. Corporation S. K. Kareem Khan, the legendary s t i r r e d into action after noted Kannada activist and leader of the Kannada Chaluvali, Mr. Vatal Nagaraj threatened to himself the stall the new name board if the BBMP ignored the plea to rename the road after Kannada folk artist Chief Minister Siddrahaiah inaugurating the Road Kareem Khan. named Dr. S. K. Kareem Khan Yakshagana is a theatre Yakshanagana artist. Though the form that combines dance, music, Corporation (known as Bangalore dialogue, costume, make-up, and Mahanagar Maha Palike-BBMP) stage techniques with a unique had passed a resolution in 2004 style and form. This theatre to rename the road after Kareem style, resembling Western opera, Khan, opposition from the BJP is mainly found in the coastal stalled the process. districts of Karnataka and Kerala. Chief Minister Mr. Siddrahaiah Yakshagana is traditionally and area MLA Mr. N. A. Harris presented from dusk to dawn. Aligarh: The Innovation Council of Aligarh Muslim University is organizing Sir Syed Innovation Festival to tap innovative skills and awarded to a University student and another Best Innovation of the Year prize of Rs. 25,000/- will be awarded to a school student AMU to organize Sir Syed Innovation Festival to promote research activities in the University. This festival, which is to be an annual phenomenon, will be organized on October 1012, 2014. The Innovation Council, with the Pro-Vice Chancellor as its Chairman, has instituted two Best Innovation of the Year prizes. The Best Innovation of the Year prize of Rs. 50,000/- shall be for the best innovation displayed or showcased in the Sir Syed Innovation Festival. Prof. Rizvi said that the University has also instituted two awards to encourage research in the University. The Outstanding Researcher of the Year Award of Rs 1 lakh shall be given away each year for the best Dr. Kareem Khan who died in 2010 at the age of 94, was a freedom fighter and later struggled for consolidation of Kannada speaking areas into the reorganized state of Karnataka. He refused the Freedom Fighter’s Pension from the Government dedicating his services to the nation rather than to any pecuniary gains. He remained unmarried all through the life. Kareem Khan was educated through Kannada medium and later studied Sanskrit to gain insight into Ramayana and other Hindu scriptures and took up writing of songs in Kannada language. Speaking at the occasion, Chief Minister announced institution of Kareem Khan Award for two persons each year who serve the cause of Kannada and Karnataka. Mayor Satyanarayana said couplet from Kareem Khan’s songs would be inscribed on plaques on the two side of the prominent road in order to spread awareness about the artist’s views. Kareem Khan’s grand nephew Tanweer Ahmed, a software engineer, played the leading role in reviving the BBMP resolution to rename the Road. n research performed during one academic session to a University teacher among the Faculties of Science, Life Sciences including Interdisciplinary Biotech Unit, Engineering & Technology, Medicine, Unani Medicine and Agriculture. Another Outstanding Researcher of the Year Award of Rs. 1 lakh shall be given away each year for the best research performed during one Academic Session to a University teacher among the Faculties of Arts, Social Sciences, Law, Commerce, Management Studies & Research and Theology. (Twocircles.net) New Delhi: The National Advisory Committee under the aegis of the Tagore Research and Translation Scheme, (TRTS) Department of Urdu, at Jamia Millia Islamia has commended the efforts of experts and faculty members of the Department of Urdu for having worked together as a team to translate writings of Rabindranath Tagore into Urdu. Prof. Wahajuddin Alvi, Head, Department of Urdu, JMI welcomed the Members of the Committee and thanked them for their unstinted support towards fulfillment of the objectives of the Tagore Research & Translation Scheme. The project 11 has published 9 titles and intends to publish 4 more for which it has requested extension of the Tagore Research and Translation Tagore’s Writings Translated into Urdu at Jamia New Delhi: The Jamia Millia Islamia has launched the ‘Swachchata Abhiyan’ (Cleanliness Campaign) with a vow by the students to make the Jamia a plastic and litter free zone. Vice Chancellor Prof. Talat Ahmed inaugurated the programme on September 22 from the Department of Scheme by another six months. The Department of Urdu intends to upload the pdf files of all the books published under TRTS on the Jamia website. Prof. Shahzad Anjum, TRTS Coordinator, presented a comprehensive report detailing the efforts and challenges confronted in the administration of the project. n (Twocircles.net) Jamia Launches Cleanliness Campaign upon the resolution made in Educational Studies and Department of Teacher Training and Non-Formal Education (IASE) with the latter launching the NSS camp to mark the occasion. The Faculty of Education came into existence as the first National Laboratory of Basic Education consequent Wardha by Mahatma Gandhi to link Education with the world of work. The Abhiyan was launched in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to clean up the country and make it an attractive destination for international tourists. The Registrar, JMI in his address put the emphasis on making campus litter free and for this all concerned should consider it as their collective responsibility to pick up the wrappers and litter only to be put into the bin. He asked the students to take a pledge for the same. In the inaugural function, Jamia Tarana, the NSS song and Swachhata Geet were sung by a group of students. n views ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 12 Don’t Mess With Me… Warns Nature! Today the Dal Lake has swollen in anger to reclaim its original boundaries. The Jhelum, in fury, has again demarcated its flood basin, sending out a devastating warning to not to mess with its majesty. By Sheikh Qayoom Srinagar How quickly will Kashmir recover from the shock and trauma this land of meadows, lakes and rivers underwent during the recent floods? Financially, within a few months or years, but emotionally, perhaps never. For years, there had been warnings that no matter how much the greed and need of humankind to encroach and vandalise rivers, lakes and forests, one day these ecosystems would reclaim their original borders. This was ironically ignored by Kashmiris to their own detriment. Going by historical records, except for its expansion in the north towards Ganderbal and some highlands in the central Badgam districts, the entire growth of summer capital Srinagar through residential colonies, business centres and even government infrastructure creation has for over 130 years been in the flood basin of the Jhelum river that flows through the city. Historical records, including revenue records of the state government, prove that denselypopulated and upscale residential areas left of the Jhelum are its old flood basin. Walter Lawrence, the British land revenue settlement commissioner of Dogra maharaja Pratap Singh, noted that this huge flood basin had taken the brunt of the 1893 deluge and formed a huge lake right up to the present central Kashmir's Badgam district. Today, Walter Lawrence's flood basin has vanished. Instead, there are residential neighbourhoods of the rich of Rajbagh, Kursoo, Jawahar Nagar, Gogjibagh, Wazir Bagh, Chanapora, Natipora, Bemina and Qamarwari, among others. "What can be a bigger proof of the government's lack of foresight and planning than the fact that the Hajj House, the Jhelum Valley Medical College, the state motor garages and even the land records office that houses Kashmir's entire revenue records were constructed by the government in Bemina in the flood basin zone. "All these government offices are today submerged under 10 feet of flood water," said Farooq Ahmad, 54, a resident of the Qamarwari residential area, whose home has been under the flood waters for the last 12 days. "Ironically, the entire flood basin that saved Srinagar in 1893 from greater devastation was vandalised through mindless planning for urbanisation," Hakim Showkat Ali, a well known hydraulic engineer and a retired chief engineer, told IANS. Umrah & Hajj Ahram Clothes and All Journey Requirements. "Most of the swollen waters of the Dal Lake were drained through the 'Nallah Mar' (Serpentine canal) that went round the city and drained all its surplus waters into the Jhelum. "Not only has the majority of Dal Lake's original area been encroached upon over the years, but some of our 'visionary politicians and town planners' in the mid-1960s chose to fill up the 'Nallah Mar', which is today a wide road going around the entire old Srinagar city with shops and houses around it. "This has been the reason that the present flood inundated some areas due to the choking of water drainage systems because of the swollen Dal Lake," Showkat Ali added. Ironically, Showkat Ali's house in Srinagar was also inundated by flood waters and he and his wife were rescued by a private boat. His brother, who lived next door, could not be rescued for four days. Kashmir was called the "Venice of Asia" because of the serpentine Nallah Mar. Most navigation and trade transport of Srinagar was done through this canal. Today the Dal Lake has swollen in anger to reclaim its original boundaries. The Jhelum, in fury, has again demarcated its flood basin, sending out a devastating warning to Kashmiris not to mess with its majesty. The mud and slush that the Lidder stream in the south and the Sindh stream in the north brought down with their flood waters to drain into the mighty Jhelum announced loudly and violently that forests in the catchment areas of these streams have been felled, making the soil loose and erosion-prone. The flood of 2014 has claimed over 200 human lives and billions of rupees in terms of damage to private property, businesses and government infrastructure. Would this angry warning by nature to Kashmiris not to mess with her lakes, rivers, forests and flood basins be taken seriously so that a greater warning is not needed to jolt them out of their greed? Well, the future generations would know. One can only hope they don't have to pay for the follies of their forefathers. (Sheikh Qayoom can be reached at at sheikh.abdul@ ians.in) 80 Computers Gifted to Muslim Orphanage Bangalore’s One-stop Fashion Showrooms - Four in a row in Cantonment Area Banaras Silk Sarees, Kahmiri Work Sarees Salwar Kameez, Ghagra Choli, Lacha, Salwar Suit etc. Reasonable Rates MEN’S SHOP Exclusive Show Room for Grooms Suiting & Shirtings Sherwani, Kurta Pyjama Prince Suit Readymade Suits Pathani Suits Lucknow Jubba Kashmiri Shawls etc. Bangalore: MISYS India, a company engaged in financial Page 3 Teachers Day... Peenya, and J.P Nagar. This is the 6th year of Asian Kids School with Day Care from 9 am - 7.00 pm(Saturday 9.30 am - 1.00 pm) Play Group, Nursery, L.K.G & U.K.G, with efficient staff and many facilities like, Library, Pet House, House Drama and Theatre, for the recreation of the students. The school’s main branch is at: No. 1275, 8th Cross, 27th main, Behind RV Dental College, LIC Colony, JP Nagar, 1st Phase, Bengaluru - 560 078, Phone 080 – 22456786 / 9900276786 n software gifted 80 desktop computer systems to the 120 year old Muslim Orphanage. The new systems were installed in the existing Computer Lab in the Orphanage premises on Dickenson Road, Bangalore. ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 New Delhi: Members from the Centre for Peace and Spirituality (CPS) were invited to address students of theology at Vidyajyoti College of Theology, New Delhi on September 5, 2014. Of the fourmember team, Rajat Malhotra spoke on the Al-Risala and CPS Movement, Sadia Khan spoke on Jihad in Islam, Maria Khan spoke on Understanding Religion from the Islamic Perspective, and Sufia Khan spoke on Islam and Peace. The talks were followed by a question and answer session. Victor Edwin SJ, the course director of the module “Popular Islam” invited CPS and made all arrangements. CPS is an organization founded by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. To spread spiritual wisdom based on peace, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan established CPS International, i.e., Centre for Peace and Spirituality in 2001. Al-Risala and CPS are basically same movements with different names. CPS chapters all over India and abroad are trying to spread the message of peace and spirituality to the world. Members of CPS are either working professionals or pursuing Islamic studies. Rajat Malhotra has done Master’s in Islamic History from Kerala University, Sadia Khan is doing PhD in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, Maria Khan is doing PhD in Islamic Studies at Jamia Hamdard and Sufia Khan is currently doing Master’s in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia. Jihad in Islam, Sadia explained, is the spiritual struggle within a believer in order to become God-conscious. It continues throughout the life of a believer. According to Islam, every person in this world is on test. Any situation, pleasant or unpleasant, that he is faced with, is meant as a test for man. It is required of a person to steadfastly adhere to the principles of justice, honesty, accountability in whatever he is faced with in life. This is the true this developed personality can be settled in the eternal abode of Paradise. In her address on Islam and Peace, Sufia Khan said that peace was integral to the religion of Islam. All Islamic teachings are based, directly or indirectly, on the principle of peace. The very word Islam is derived from the Arabic root word “silm”, which means peace. The Prophet 13 caliphate. Therefore, the concept of caliphate was not found in early Islamic history. Another student asked whether in Islam men are held superior to women. To this Maria replied that the Quran is the authentic source of Islam, and no verse in it speaks of such superiority. On the other hand, the Quran says: “Men and women are members one of another.” (3:195). The Prophet of Islam commander of the By Maria Khan has stated: “Men believers. The word and women are two “khalifa” or caliph came into equal halves of a single unit.” . use after the period of these Rajat cited the example of Ayesha four caliphs, that is, during the (RA), the Prophet’s wife and rule of the Umayyad dynasty. said that she is considered most learned among the Companions of the Prophet. Many of her sayings have been recorded in the books of the traditions of the Prophet and are regarded as a very valuable source for understanding the Prophet’s teachings. It was emphasized that Islamic teaching should be differentiated from Muslim practice, the latter should be judged in the light of the former Maria Khan and not vice versa. The Umayyads’ was a dynastic (The writer is a PhD candidate, rule and to justify it they started Department of Islamic Studies to call their reign as khilafat or Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi) and Syria, one of the students enquired whether CPS had issued any statement in this regard. Rajat replied that in one of his recent lectures, the Maulana condemned ISIS’s activities as being wholly un-Islamic. The first four caliphs of Islam, whose period is considered as authentic in Islamic history, were referred to as amir al-mominin, that is, Understanding Religion, Mission, Jihad and Peace spirit of jihad. Explaining the purpose of life according to Islam, Maria Khan said that the goal, Islam gives to an individual is the building of the human personality on Sadia Khan divine foundations, that is, on the principles of tolerance and humility, to God in all that one goes through in life. The teachings of Islam are aimed at transforming an individual. The aim of Islam is not the establishment of a system or government. Rather, the aim of Islam is to reform an individual. All the commandments of Islam are aimed at developing this noble character, so that in the afterlife, Abbas will demand UN resolution to end Israeli occupation New York: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said that he will demand an international resolution that would set a timetable for ending Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories when he speaks to the UN General Assembly. If the UN rejects his appeal, Abbas said he will seek membership in international institutions and agencies. His aides have said that would include the International Criminal Court. Joining the court could potentially open the door to war crimes charges against Israel, both for its military actions in Gaza and for ongoing construction of Jewish settlements on occupied lands. Abbas spoke at a lecture at Cooper Union college. The of Islam has said: “Do not wish for confrontation with your opponent. Instead, always ask for peace from God.” Many questions were raised during the interaction that recent Gaza war has weakened Abbas domestically, with Hamas enjoying a surge of popularity among Palestinians for fighting Israel. He is under pressure at home to come up with a new political strategy after his repeated, but failed attempts to establish a Palestinian state through US-mediated negotiations with Israel. Abbas would ask the UN Security Council to issue a binding resolution, with a specific date for ending Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Captured by Israel in 1967, the territories were recognized by the UN General Assembly in 2012 as making up a state of Palestine. n followed the talks. In the light of the atrocities being committed by the Islamic State of Iraq Jamia Millia Islamia VC promises collaboration with USTM Guwahati: “North Eastern Universities should take the lead to start courses like Disaster Management, in order to sort out the problems of floods and earthquakes and to deal effectively with such Natural Disasters,” said Prof Talat Ahmad, Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia in Guwahati. He also said that NE states are full of potentials and opportunities which must be explored to the maximum extent. “The development of a region mainly depends upon their education system. More importance must be given on the primary and basic education for which qualified trained teachers must be appointed. Government must emphasize on the right kind of practical training for the teachers,” Ahmad said while inaugurating Prof. Qoumrul Hoque School of Education, a constituent college of University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM). This school of education will be a catalyst in producing quality trained teachers in the region. He also said that he has been visiting North East for quite some time for his research work and projects and was delighted to see the efforts intake capacity of hundred which of a single person, Mahbubul has been already filled up in the Hoque, the Chancellor of USTM maiden year itself. USTM has to make such a huge contribution planned to increase the intake to in the field of education. He also assured that Jamia Millia Islamia will be in full collaboration and association with USTM in terms of manpower and other Academic Prof Talat Ahmad with USTM authorities and its Chancellor, Mahbubul Hoque and Research related activities. The School has another hundred for the next year. got the approval from National The inauguration ceremony was Council for Teacher's Education followed by the release of USTM (NCTE), ERC, Bhubaneswar News Letter by the Chief Guest to run B.Ed. Courses with an Prof. Talat Ahmad. n book review ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 14 Does FBI Create Terrorist? The TheTerror TerrorFactory Factory Inside Insidethe theFBI’s FBI’sManufactured ManufacturedWar War on Terrorism on Terrorism By ByTrevor TrevorAaronson Aaronson IG IGPublishing, Publishing,Brooklyn, Brooklyn,New NewYork York 272 pages 272 pages Price: Price:Not NotStated Stated Reviewed by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj The book under review The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism is a bold attempt to unravel and expose the United States’ war on terrorism which has devastated two States namely Iraq and Afghanistan, and caused mayhem over wide swathes of land in the Middle East. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been deft at announcing foiled terror plots frequently. The highly monopolised US media—which also caters to various national media around the world—makes condescending noises and hypes “the good work in defusing the threat to security”. What however remains from being publicized is that most terrorists within the US are able to carry forward potentially lethal plots only because FBI informants and agents supplied them the means, in most cases weapons and equipment, in some cases even paying for rent and cash for logistics. The book revolves round the query: Is the FBI catching terrorists or creating them? Throwing Bait for the Trap The pattern has almost been patented in the years following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. The FBI’s paid informants—who now number around 15,000—are on the lookout for young Muslims who espouse radical beliefs, are aged 18 to 35, are vocal about their disapproval of US foreign policy, or have expressed sympathy for international terrorist groups. These youths are then moved to the next stage; the sting in which an FBI informant, posing as a terrorist, offers to help facilitate a terrorist Trevor Aaronson raises questions about illegal and questionable practices by the American investigative agency that has been into the game of entrapping radical youth. author’s research over the last few years. Prejudices Amplified Fed on a diet of prejudices against Islam, FBI has been operating on the basis of belief that no international terrorist organization is now capable of attacking the US and therefore the best the organization could do was to induce and inspire someone already in the West to carry out a terrorist attack—an attack “The FBI wants informants who have committed unprosecuted crimes, so that those crimes can then be used as leverage to control them”: Dale Watson, Assistant Director, FBI. attack for the target. Inert bombs and disabled rifles are supplied to the wouldbe terrorist. FBI agents swoop down on the prey when they are about to dial the detonators. In the years since 9/11, the FBI and the Justice Department have indicted and convicted more than 150 people following sting operations. In most cases, an FBI informant not only led one of every three terrorist plots, but also provided all the necessary weapons, money and transportation, concludes the Al-Qaeda’s leadership would likely know nothing about until it happened—and then stupidly claim credit for it. And inspire they must in order to convince the US Congress that rolls out the $3 billion package to the FBI annually. To assist with this, the FBI came up with a kind of radicalization spectrum, running from sympathizer to operation. As one of the officials told the author: “We are looking for the sympathizer who wants to become an operator, and we want to catch them when they step over that line to operator”. And FBI’s anti-Muslim prejudices can be imagined from its counterterrorism document in circulation in 2011 which described Prophet Muhammad as ‘a cultist leader’ and labeled Islamic charities as a “funding mechanism for combat”. Funding anti-Israeli Campaigns Informants infiltrate mosques, enamour some young people with their anti-Israel speeches and recruit radicals into arms training and possibly, even supply them a few. The most amenable (or vulnerable) to the FBI are those who have some violations of immigration laws registered against them. They are intimidated and bullied in order to fall in line or be ready to be deported. Not many people are strong enough to stand up and resist and fight— to reject their offers. In other words, the potential recruits are told to work as informant and the FBI will help stop them from being deported; refuse and the FBI won’t use its considerable influence in courts t to prevent the issuing of a one-way ticket out of the country. Among other bludgeoning measures are putting the nay-sayers on ‘No-Fly’ list. In some cases garbage from homes and digital cast-offs too are scanned for potential clues to someone’s criminal antecedents. Dale Watson, FBI’s Assistant Director for Counterterrorism told Aaronson: The Bureau wants informants who have committed unprosecuted crimes, so that those crimes can then be used as leverage to control them. Sixty-three per cent of American Muslims are immigrants, having been born abroad. Since most of them fall in high income bracket and are fairly represented in professional class, few are prone Page 24 book review ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 15 Challenging Radical Islamist Interpretation of Jihad The Supreme Jihad Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri Rupa, New Delhi 2014 64 Pages ISBN: 978-81-291-3095-2 Rs. 195 Reviewed by M. Irfan Much confusion and ambiguity surround the term ‘jihad’. Radical fundamentalist self-styled Islamic outfits claim that the seemingly endless violence they have unleashed in different parts of the world are Islamically-sanctioned jihads. In contrast, their ideological Muslim opponents insist that this violence has nothing whatsoever to do with true Islamic jihad, and that, in fact, it is its polar opposite. Much has been written, by scholars of diverse ideological persuasions, about jihad. Literally, the word denotes striving to one’s utmost. Often, Muslims use the term in connection with exertion or striving in God’s path. How this ‘striving in God’s path’ is actually defined varies considerably, however. What one ideologue sees as jihad in God’s path might be seen as fasad or as striving in the path of Satan by another. Tahir ul-Qadri is one of Pakistan’s most well-known Islamic scholars. A prolific writer, he has emerged as a powerful voice for interfaith dialogue and reconciliation in recent years and as a strident critic of terrorism in the name of jihad that is playing such havoc in large parts of the world, including in his own country. In this slim volume, he critiques the discourse of radical jihadism and offers a refreshing alternative perspective on jihad. He accomplishes this in a rather novel way. He makes hardly any appearance in the text himself. Instead, he puts together Quranic verses, sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (called hadith reports) and remarks by noted early Muslims (mainly ‘classical’ Islamic scholars) on jihad to convey an understanding of jihad that is vastly different from that of Islamist radicals. These quotations are enough to effectively challenge the radical Islamist interpretation of jihad without need for any commentary or elaboration. Some Islamist extremists insist that Islam calls for Muslims to engage in offensive jihad, physical warfare in order to expand the borders of what they call the ‘abode of Islam’ or dar al-islam and to conquer what they term as the ‘abode of war’ or dar ul-harb, (these being terms that have no Quranic sanction but that are routinely deployed in both medieval Muslim as well as modern radical Islamist discourses). None of the scores of quotations from a range of Islamic sources contained in this book supports that understanding of jihad, however. Equally significantly—and again in contrast to Islamist extremists—none of them sanctions revolt against established political authorities in the name of jihad. The quotations that Tahir ulQadri puts together here provide an altogether different picture of jihad, with physical war (defensive war, that is) being just one, and not the most important, form of it. If radical jihadists argue that jihad bi’s-sayf, physical warfare (against nonMuslims or against supposedly the lower ego. This is what has been called in the Islamic tradition as jihad bi’n-nafs (jihad against one’s own [ill-commanding] self) and as jihad bi’l qalb (jihad to purify the heart of impure and harmful ambitions and selfish pursuits). The book provides numerous references to substantiate the great importance of this form of jihad in Islam. It tells us, for instance, that the Prophet greeted people who returned from a battle, saying: ‘Congratulations! You have returned from a lesser (al-jihad al-asghar) to a supreme jihad (al-jihad al-akbar).’ It was A key form of jihad, Tahir ul-Qadri suggests, is striving against our baser desires and our lusts, or the lower ego. This is what has been called in the Islamic tradition as jihad bi’n-nafs (jihad against one’s own [ill-commanding] self) and as jihad bi’l qalb (jihad to purify the heart of impure and harmful ambitions and selfish pursuits). irreligious Muslim rulers) is the most important form of jihad, the sources from the Islamic tradition that Tahir ul-Qadri provides clearly indicates that he vehemently disagrees. This does not mean that he rules out the legitimacy of physical warfare altogether. The quotations he provides indicate that he regards that such warfare is legitimate if it is rightfully resorted to in defence and directed against aggression, strife and wrongful rebellion. But that is not the only, or even necessarily the most important, form of jihad, he opines. A key form of jihad, Tahir ulQadri suggests, is striving against our baser desires and our lusts, or submitted: ‘O Messenger of Allah! What is supreme jihad?’ The Prophet said: ‘Striving against desires and lusts.’ ‘The (great) striver is the one who strives against his own self (i.e. lusts, indulgences and luxurious pursuits)’, the book quotes a hadith of the Prophet as relating. According to a similar hadith report, the Prophet said: ‘The most excellent jihad is to strive against the (ill-commanding) self and its lusts in the pursuit of Allah’s pleasure.’ Yet another hadith report relates that ‘He who strives against the base desires of (ill-commanding) for the sake of Allah performs the best jihad.’ Similarly, the Prophet is said to have declared: ‘The wrestling champion is not the one who conquers (the other wrestlers in the ring) but the one who reins in his ire.’ In addition to statements attributed to the Prophet, the book provides several other references, from the writings of noted ‘classical’ Islamic scholars, to stress the centrality of the jihad against one’s baser self. It quotes Imam Sufyan al-Thawri, for instance, as remarking, ‘Indeed, your enemy is the same (lower) self that lies between your sides. Strive against your lusts and appetites far more spiritedly than you do (in the battle) against your foe.’ We learn that Imam Ibn Battal commented that ‘Striving against the desires of one’s self is the most perfect jihad.’ Hasan alBasri was of the opinion that ‘The antagonism against one’s own (ill-commanding) self is the most virtuous jihad.’ When Umar bin Abdul Aziz was asked, ‘Which jihad is most virtuous?’ he replied, ‘Combating your lusts.’ The book quotes Ibn Qayyim as stating, ‘Therefore, striving against one’s own self (inwardly) is prior to the fight against the enemy (in the battlefield), and that is its origin.’ According to yet another ‘classical’ Islamic scholar, Allama Mahmud al-Alusi al-Baghdadi, ‘Striving against one’s (inside) self is a greater jihad than fighting the enemy outside in the field.’ A second such peaceful form of jihad, the book tells us, is jihad bi’l mal, which signifies altruism, generosity and selfless spending on deserving people. The book quotes a ‘classical’ Islamic scholar as commenting that ‘Removing doubts and ambiguities and clarifying and Page 17 people Goolam E. Vahanvati First Muslim Attorney General of India Goolam Essaji Vahanvati died in Mumbai on September 2 at the age of 65. He had resigned his post on Mau 27 after the new Central Government was sworn in. Prior to his appointment as Attorney General in 2009 by the UPA government, Vahanvati had served as Solicitor General of India and Advocate General of Maharashtra Government. He is survived by his wife and son. He was suffering from lung infection for some time. Cricket Academy by Pathan Brothers Vadodara: Cricketers and brothers, Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan launched their Crircket Academy of Pathans here on September 11. The Academy will run two c o u r s e s , preliminary and advanced. The former will take eight to nine weeks. Three more branches are proposed to be set up in leading cities by next year. They plan to hire former coach Obituary of the Indian team Greg Chappel for imparting of training to young cricketers. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan Awards Presented Bangalore: Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan Awards were presented to Dr. Aslam Ahmad of Al-Ameen Hospital, Bangalore; Maulana Md. Idriss Umari,, Dr. Anita Nair, HoD, English, Al-Ameen College, Edathalla, Kerala; Mrs. Shamla, Principal, Eddappalli Al Ameen Kindergarten, Kerala; and Mushtaque Ahmed, social Worker, Tumkur on September 7 on the eve of the Founders Day celebrated here on the birthday of Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, founder Al-Ameen Educational Society. The awards were presented by Janab Zahid Ali Khan, Editor, Urdu Daily Siasat, Hyderabad. Hazrath Bibi Khadija Awards were presented to Sabia Begum, wife of Mr. Nurul Islam of Al-Ameen Talimi Mission, Kolkata and Anzu Ara Khanam, wife of Muhammad Hussain Ismail, Al-Ameen School, in Assam. Ismail has set up several schools in Assam while Anzu Ara Khanum has been assisting her husband. DELHI DIARY Minority Affairs Ministry to award 90 lakh Scholarships to Students By Abdul Bari Masoud New Delhi: Presenting the 100 days report-card, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Dr. Najma Heptulla said that several new initiatives have been taken to strengthen and augment minority welfare schemes, particularly simplifying the procedure of prematric scholarships, and made it demand-driven. “The ministry took new initiatives for formulating new schemes to meet priority agenda of the Government or to reorient existing programmes”. Addressing the media here on September 17, she said the ministry focuses on educational empowerment with skill development as it may award 90 lakh scholarships under Prematric, Post-matric, Merit-cummeans based scholarships with an approximate amount of Rs. 1700 crore in the current year. She also announced that the Direct Benefit Transfer in the bank account of students has been operational from this year. “In case of Online Scholarship Management System, facility of uploading the forms is also being started to improve delivery and transparency” she added. It has targeted selection of 1500 minority students for Free Coaching for Engineering and Medical Entrance Examination and has already sanctioned coaching to 1150 students. It will also establish the Khwaja Gharib Nawaz Senior Secondary School at Ajmer (Rajasthan) through the Maulana Azad Education Foundation. She said the ministry is giving focus to Skill Development of minorities by giving priority to “Seekho aurKamao (Learn & Earn)” scheme. The scheme guarantees minimum 75 per cent employment of trained minority youths and out of them, 50 per cent will be in organized sector. It has sanctioned skill development training of more than 24,364 minority youths in 29 States through 51 selected expert skill development organizations. n ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 Habeeb Wali Muhammad Passes Away Noted Pakistani ghazal singer Habeeb Wali Muhammad died in a Los Angeles hospital on September 5 after prolonged illness and surgeries. He passed away two days after his 93rd birthday. Habeeb was immensely popular among ghazal aficionados in the Indian subcontinent. He was born in a Memon family in Rangoon (now Yangon) in Burma on September 3, 1921. He later shifted to Mumbai and pursued business, a family occupation. His family, Tabani, an industrial house has large business holdings in Pakistan. During his childhood Habib often listened to Qawwali music. But due to economic reasons, he gave priority to academics. He received his MBA from Syracuse University, New York in 1947, and then lived in Mumbai for about 10 years before moving to Pakistan. His brother Ashraf W. Tabani was governor of the province of Sindh around 1988. His rendition of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s ghazals na kisi ki ankh ka noor hoon, and Lagta nahin hai jee mera ujde dayar mein, became great hits among Hindi and Urdu listeners. Actress Meena Kumari who was associated with Radio Ceylon in her early career was a great fan of him and often played his ghazals which boosted his popularity. Ten years after the Partition, Habib’s family migrated to Pakistan and set up their Shalimar Silk Mills and other businesses in Karachi. Due to active business career, he did not pursue his singing career aggressively. After 1970s, he and his family settled down in Los Angeles. Both of his sons, Rizwan and Nadeem are ghazal performers and often stage performances in the United States. Carpet Industry incurs losses worth $5 Billion As the waters recede and the clean up finally begins, business owners, including those selling Kashmir’s most famous exports, are beginning to count their losses. Srinagar: Caked with mud and soaked in putrid water, Qazi Mohammad Yahya’s ruined handmade carpets and Pashmina shawls reflect Kashmir’s economic devastation from the region’s worst floods in a century. More than 450 people were killed when the floods, triggered by heavy monsoon rains, swept this month through the Himalayan region and into neighboring Pakistan, leaving hundreds of villages submerged and tens of thousands of residents homeless. As the waters recede and the clean up finally begins, business owners, including those selling Kashmir’s most famous exports, are beginning to count their losses — at least $5 billion by conservative estimates. “My 35 years of earning is gone,” Yahya said outside his home in the picturesque region’s main city of Srinagar as water-logged carpets collected from one of his showrooms were unloaded from a truck. “The loss is incalculable,” a grim-faced Yahya added, staring at muddy bundles of what had been handspun fine cashmere wool to make Pashmina shawls. “Most of my finest carpets are lying elsewhere in the flooded city.” Kashmir carpets have traditionally been a major earner for the region, whose generations of weavers toil for months on wooden looms to produce single intricate pieces that sell for thousands of dollars in the West. Scores of carpet showrooms now lie under water after Srinagar’s Dal Lake burst its banks, sending residents fleeing for higher ground. Many of the handlooms have also been destroyed and hundreds of people are out of work. “It may take one year to recover, it may take 50. It depends on Allah,” says 55-year-old Yahya who travels to Europe, Southeast Asia and the US every year to sell his carpets. From carpets and saffron, another famed Kashmir export, to apples, walnuts and gold jewelry, business owners are returning to their flood-wrecked shops to find tons of goods gone or destroyed. “Our most conservative estimate of loss is at least 30,000 crore rupees ($5 billion),” said Ashraf Mir, president of the Federation Chambers of Industries Kashmir 16 Died: Marwari language writer and activist Abdul Jabbar Khan died in Jodhpur on September 14. Khan worked with the Rajasthan Government’s Department of Public Instructions as schools coordinator and retired in 2009. He was associated with the Marwar Muslim Education and Welfare Society’s group of Institutions in Jodhpur for the last five years. He was associated with movement for recognition of the Marwari language spoken in Marwar region (Jodhpur being the largest city of the region). He was 65. Died: Qari Hafiz Muhammad Qasim Bhopali, former imam of the Periamet Mosque in Chennai died at Bhopal on September 13. He was 57. A Qari (reciter of the Quran) of international repute, he led the prayers in Periamet Mosque for close to three decades. He twice represented India in Quranic recitation contests at Makkah and Malaysia. He was a graduate from Madrassa Jamia Islamia Arabia, Bhopal. He leaves behind his wife and three sons. His Qiraat was recorded by Attibiyan of the Islamic Foundation Trust, Chennai which were marketed later. His Jumaa sermons were highly informative, progressive and inspiring. (FCIK). “Our main commercial hub (in Srinagar) was the worst hit,” Mir said, adding that the figures were likely to be higher because most of the Kashmir Valley’s 500,000 traders underinsured their stock. Mir himself runs a steel fabrication plant employing 100 people. “I can’t support my staff under the circumstances,” he said. Mir said many business owners including farmers lost financial records, making it difficult for them to seek help from banks and other financial institutions. “Businesses need to rebuild fast for which liberal institutional help is a must,” Mir said. Many business owners were among the tens of thousands who also lost their homes. “Minimum documents, minimum time (to provide financial help) is the key,” he said. In one of Srinagar’s main and oldest markets, Maharaj Bazar, mounds of ruined dried fruits and other goods line the road as shopkeepers begin the massive cleanup. n GLOBE TALK 17 ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 We Must Correct the Image of Islam Damaged By Extremists Religious Harmony, Compassion, and Islam In my dialogue with Europeans, I had to admit that the image of even practising Muslims has been changed in the minds of people not only in the West, but in the Arab world as well. Although I’m a Buddhist, an outsider toIslam, nevertheless I have been voluntarily making efforts as a defender of Great Islam By Abdul Ilah Jadaa The savage killing of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff cannot be justified in the name of any prescribed law except the law of the jungle. Such crimes by terrorists of the so-called Islamic State are instrumental in producing a negative image and a grim picture in the minds of people around the world about Muslims, in general, and Muslim countries and organizations, in particular. Such acts do a disservice to the Muslim world and a large number of moderate Muslim countries and stigmatize the image of the religion of Islam which has nothing to do with terrorism, violence, bloodshed and dictatorship. Are these IS terrorists aware of the offense and damage they are causing to Islam and Muslims? They are inflicting harm not only on themselves and their countries but also on the moderate religion of Islam, which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who was the embodiment of the perfection of all noble qualities. Islam is a code of life based on peace and justice. Even the enemies of Islam have certified that this is the true nature of the religion. However, these deviant terrorists do not, even for a moment, think about the magnitude of damage caused by them to the image of Islam and Muslims worldwide. This is happening at a time when a large number of people in the West have become sympathetic to the cause of the Palestinians, who were savagely attacked by Israeli occupation forces. We have to strive to remove misgivings about Islam and present its true image, in addition to defending true Muslims in all Page 15 Challenging Radical Islamist elucidating the truth too is a form of jihad’. So also is jihad bi’l lisan, verbal striving in God’s path, in the form of discourse and oration, for instance. The book quotes Imam al-Dhahabi as saying that the ‘most superior’ form of jihad is to invite people towards God through verbal communication. Another peaceful form of jihad, the book relates, is what jihad bi’l ‘amal, or striving for promotion of morality and human values. ‘The excellent jihad’, the Prophet is also said to have remarked, ‘is his who starts his day with a mind pure of any malefaction or injustice against anyone.’ Another peaceful form of striving in God’s path is jihad bi’l ‘ilm—or striving for knowledge. Here, too, the book provides inspiring Prophetic and other sayings to substantiate this forums available to us. I have tried my best to present the true image of Islam and its unequivocal position towards these terrorists in my talks with some French and German nationals. However, the reports appearing in Western media about the savage practices of IS terrorists in the name of Islam were instrumental in weakening my arguments. In my dialogue with these Europeans, I had to admit that the image of even practising Muslims has been changed in the minds of people not only in the West but in the Arab world as well. Bearded Muslims have become a source of fear in airports in some countries. This is the handiwork of Al-Qaeda, IS and other terrorist outfits which have created a negative image of Muslims among people in all parts of the world. (www.saudigazette.com) ... point. A hadith report relates that the Prophet remarked: ‘Whoever comes to learn or teach knowledge in my mosque, he stands equal in rank to the striver who strives in the way of Allah.’ Striving for God’s remembrance and worship is also jihad, we are told. ‘Establish prayer because this is an excellent jihad […]’, says a hadith report. We learn that the Prophet is said to have remarked, ‘No action of man is more protecting against the Fire (of Hell) than remembrance of Allah’. When the narrator asked him ‘not even fighting in the way of Allah?’ the Prophet replied, ‘No, not even Jihad even if you fight so much that your sword breaks, and then you fight again and that sword also breaks, and then you fight on until another sword breaks.’ According to a similar hadith report, the Prophet said, ‘For everything to shine, there is something that causes it to shine, and the remembrance of Allah causes the heart to shine. There is no salvation from the torment besides the remembrance of Allah.’ The Companion submitted: ‘Not even fighting for the cause of Allah?’ The Prophet said: ‘(No) Even if you fight so much that your sword breaks.’ This means that remembrance of God is more protecting against the fire of Hell than physical jihad. This little book of inspiring quotations on jihad is a welcome addition to the already enormous corpus of writings on a hotlydebated subject. It is a treasure for those in search of a meaningful religious response to terrorism in the name of Islam. By His Holiness the Dalai Lama I would like to say something concerning religious harmony. Sometimes, conflicts involve religious faiths. For instance, previously in Northern Ireland, although the conflict was basically a political issue, it quickly became a religious issue. This was very unfortunate. In Sri Lanka as well, although the conflict there is also political, yet in some cases one gets the impression that the conflict is between Hindus and Buddhists. This is really terrible. In ancient times, followers of different religions were mostly isolated from each other. But now they are in much closer contact and so we need to make special efforts to promote religious harmony. On the first anniversary of September 11, a memorial prayer ceremony was held at the Washington National Cathedral. I was at that meeting and I mentioned in my talk that nowadays, unfortunately, some people create the impression that because of a few mischievous Muslims, all Muslims are militant and violent. They then speak of a clash of civilizations between the West and Islam. This is unrealistic. It is absolutely wrong to Page 19 ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 18 In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful And they urge you to hasten the punishment. But Allah will never fail in His promise. And indeed, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of those which you count.” (Qur’an: Surah Al-Haj: 22:47) When Allah is timeless, why He talks about a time frame for humans? This question has a lot of components e.g. time, space, boundaries; this life/world (duniya), the next life/Hereafter (akhirah); and Allah is not bound by our space time dimensions. Allah tells us in a Divine Hadith (Hadith Qudsi) “I am Time,” meaning that He created time or rather He created the means by which we can measure time. Time relates to change and Allah does not change. That is time started when Allah created it. Also, time consists of the past, the present and the future, all of which are present with Allah, yet He is beyond time, or outside of our space time dimension. Another way of looking at time is that total knowledge is with Allah, there is no knowledge outside of His knowledge thus the past, present and future are all known to Him. His knowledge is over everything. How can we understand the concept of past, present and future being one? It is beyond our comprehension. In the same way, how are we to understand time when there is no time, or no space time dimension or boundary? We simply cannot understand this. So, Allah makes our understanding easy by explaining what is outside of our dimension in our terms, the comparison of “days.” A short time for Allah is an inordinately long time for us. In the above verse, Allah answers the challenge of the wrongdoers “to hasten the torture (in Hell)” by saying that “(even) a day of your Lord (in the next life) is like a thousand years of what you count (in this life).” Allah has been speaking of the wrongdoers and the punishment meted out to them, how He has given respite and how He has destroyed them. He also asks, “Have they traveled and seen the consequences for themselves of the people who do wrong and have they understood.” Allah and the Limits of Then, Allah says, “They ask you (O Muhammad) to hasten on the torment.” Yet, the wrongdoers are being warned, do they really want to hasten the punishment in the next life, when even what would appear to be a short time there, is, in reality, a long time according to their measure of time. If that is the case, why seek to hasten it? Again, why not change while you have time following the examples that can be seen if one travels in the earth? The warning has dire consequences and is ignored at one’s peril. Allah also mentions in another verse what is translated as: “He directs the ordinance from the heaven unto the earth; then it ascends unto Him in a Day, whereof the measure is a thousand years of that ye reckon.” (Qur’an, 32:5) It is mentioned in a scholarly book, “Towards Understanding the Qur’an” concerning the above verse: “This means the annals of a thousand years of man’s history are no more than a day’s work for God. Whatever tasks God entrusts to His angels today are completed by them before they Human Imagination are entrusted with the tasks for the following day. This day that we are speaking of however, is equal to a thousand years according to human computation.” Allah has created time for us so we may count days, months, and years as explained in the following verse: “And We appoint the night and the day two portents. Then We make dark the portent of the night, and We make the portent of the day sight-giving, that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the computation of the years, and the reckoning; and everything have We expounded with a clear expounding.” (Qur’an, 17:12) So the comparison that Allah gives in the above verses are relevant to the context, since in another place Allah mentions that the Day of Judgment is equivalent to 50,000 years: “A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall, Upon the disbelievers; which none can repel, From Allah, Lord of the Ascending Stairways, (Whereby) the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day whereof the span is fifty thousand years.” (Qur’an, 70:1-4) The book mentioned above explains concerning the last verse above: “In Al-Haj (22:47) and Al-Sajdah (32:5), the measure of a day is stated to be a thousand years. But here, in response to an unbeliever’s challenging demand that God’s chastisement visit them, one day of God’s reckoning is stated to measure 50,000 years. In order to grasp the two statements it is necessary that we relinquish our own, restricted scales of measurement when we speak of time with reference to God. When we speak of a hundred or even 50 years with reference to human beings, it’s a fairly long time span. But when we speak of time durations with reference to God, each chunk of time consists of a thousand or even 50,000 years; and even these figures are for the purposes of illustration only.” So for Allah to account His creation, it will take 50,000 years of what we count; this measure would become meaningless for us since everything ceases to exist upon Allah destroying life as we know it; and the beginning of a new life begins, the Day of Reckoning. Similarly the people who are in their grave, their time is not the same as the time of the living; time has seized for them as we know it, and each depending on their deeds will feel the time differently. So time after death is the perception that each person feels, depending on his or her status in the Hereafter; yet it is still equivalent to what Allah has mentioned if to be compared to this worldly life. After all what is 50,000 years compared to eternity; it is just like a drop of water in an ocean and even smaller. For someone in bliss during this great tribulation, that will indeed be a very short Page 19 ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 19 Prophetic Way of Showing Concern Towards People Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) spoke with all people asking them about matters of their own concern. This was customary with the Prophet, so that his guests would feel at ease. Commentary by Adil Salahi This Hadith related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad speaks of the Abd Al-Qays delegation’s visit to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Madinah. Members of the delegation were from a tribe living in the eastern provinces of today’s Saudi Arabia, and the Prophet had some correspondence with them, starting when one of their members, Munqidh ibn Hayyan, visited Madinah on a trade trip. The Prophet explained the message of Islam to him and he accepted the faith. The Hadith quotes a member of the delegation who reports: “When we decided on visiting Madinah, we set out on our trip. Shortly before our arrival, we met a man riding fast on a young camel of his. He greeted us and we replied to him. He stopped and asked us to which tribe we belonged. We said: ‘We are a delegation from Abd Al-Qays.’ He said: ‘You are welcome here. I have come on purpose to see you and to give you a happy news. The Prophet said to us yesterday as he looked to the east: ‘You will receive tomorrow the best Page 17 Religious Harmony ... characterize a whole religion as bad because of a few mischievous people. This is true regarding Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism all alike. For example, some followers of the protector Shugden killed three people near my residence. One of them was a good teacher who was critical of Shugden and he received sixteen knife wounds. The other two were his students. Those killers were really mischievous. But because of that, to say that all of Tibetan Buddhism is militant – no one Page 18 Arab delegation, coming from this eastern side.’ I was restless through the night. So, early in the morning I prepared my camel and set out fast for a time. Then I thought that I should start on my journey back home, when the first of your camels appeared. “He then turned his camel back and sped on his way home, until he arrived and met the Prophet who was sitting with a number of his companions from both the Muhajireen and the Ansar. Addressing the Prophet, he said: ‘May my parents be sacrificed for your sake! I have come to give you the news of the arrival of the Abd Al-Qays delegation.’ He said: ‘How do you know about them, Umar?’ Answered he: ‘They are following me fast. They will be here in no time.’ He mentioned how he saw them. The Prophet said to him: ‘May God give you happy news.’ The people with the Prophet began to prepare themselves to receive the newcomers. “The delegation arrived and both the Muhajireen and the Ansar were delighted to see them. When the new arrivals saw the Prophet and his companions, they would believe this. Since September 11, although I’m a Buddhist, an outsider to Islam, nevertheless I have been voluntarily making efforts as a defender of Great Islam. Many of my Muslim brothers – very few sisters – explain to me that if anyone creates bloodshed, this is not Islam. The reason is that a true Muslim, a true follower of Islam, should have love towards the entire creation the same way, as he or she has love towards Allah. All creatures are created by Allah. If one respects and Quran Speaks... time just like the time between Zuhr and Asr in comparison to an everlasting life. The time appears to pass by quickly in order for the believers to enjoy the blessings waiting for them in Paradise. Similarly, when we enjoy a good time in this world, we feel that time passed by extremely fast. As for the unbelievers, their perception of time after death will appear to be a very long time; just like when we say that those few minutes of my life took forever, when facing an extremely difficult moment in this world. (By Daud Matthews-Arab News) let their mounts free and came forward speedily. The seated people moved to give them space to sit while the Prophet remained reclining. A man from among them, nicknamed Al-Ashajj, but known as Mundhir ibn A’idh ibn Mundhir stayed behind. He collected their camels, sat them down and relieved them of their loads gathering it all together. He then took out a box of his luggage and changed his traveling clothes and put on a suit of his best garments. He came towards the Prophet walking calmly. The Prophet asked them: ‘Who is your chief and the one whose lead you follow?’ They all pointed to Mundhir. The Prophet asked: ‘Is he the descendant of your chiefs?’ “They said: ‘In pre-Islamic days, his forefathers were our chiefs, and it was he who has led us to Islam.’ When the man drew near, he wanted to sit at a corner, but the Prophet sat up and said to him: ‘Come and sit here, Ashajj.’ (This was the first time he was nicknamed Al-Ashajj, which means ‘one with a cut in his forehead’. When he was an infant, a donkey hit him with its hoof, making a moon-like mark in his face). The Prophet sat him next to him and was very cordial to him, speaking to him at length. “The people asked the Prophet many questions and he answered them all. As they were about to finish, the Prophet asked whether they still had some of the food they have carried with them. They answered in the affirmative, going fast to their luggage and each of them bringing some dates. They were all placed on a hide in front of him. He had with him a date branch stripped of its leaves which he used to hold in the middle. He pointed with it to a date container and said: ‘Do you call this kind Al-Ta’dood?’ They answered in the affirmative. He said: ‘And do you call this one Al-Sarafan?’ They said: ‘Indeed.’ He again asked: ‘Do you call this kind Al-Burni?’ They again answered: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘This is the best of your dates and the most ripe.’ “Some of the tribe’s elders say: ‘This last type was plentiful and we used to feed our camels and donkeys from it. But when we returned after this trip, we were keen to grow more of it until it became our main dates and we found out that it yielded blessed harvests.’” We see how the Prophet spoke with these people asking them about matters of their own concern. This was customary with the Prophet, so that his guests would feel at ease. We also see how the Prophet’s companions took his word seriously, even when it did not refer to something related to religion. When the Prophet described a particular type of dates as the best and most beneficial, they concentrated on farming it, and soon began to yield its benefits. n loves Allah, one must love all His creatures. In Muslim countries, bank interest is discouraged. So, if we know Islam and we see how followers of Islam implement it sincerely, then like all other religions, it is truly wonderful. In general if we know others’ religions, we can develop mutual respect, admiration, and enrichment. Therefore, we need constant effort to promote religious interfaith understanding. In Lisbon recently, I attended an interfaith meeting in a mosque. That was the first time that an interfaith meeting was held in a mosque. After the meeting, we all went into the main hall and did silent meditation. It was really wonderful. Therefore, always make effort for interfaith harmony. Some say God, some say no God – that is not important. What is important is the law of causality. This is the same in all religions – don’t practice killing, stealing, sexual abuse, lying. The different religions may use different methods, but they all have the same purpose. Look at the results, not at the causes. When you go to a restaurant, just enjoy all the different foods, rather than argue that this food’s ingredients come from this or that. It’s better to just eat and enjoy. So, those different religions – rather than argue that your philosophy is bad or good, see that they all teach compassion as their purpose and goal, and that they all are good. Using different methods is realistic for different people. We must adopt a realistic approach and view. Inner peace is related with compassion. All major religions have the same message – love, compassion, forgiveness. We need a secular way to promote compassion. For those people who have religion and who are sincere and serious in it, one’s own religion has great potential to further increase our compassion. We need a secular way to promote secular ethics. Secular does not mean to be against religion or to have disrespect for religion. When I say “secular,” it is like in the Indian constitution. Gandhi emphasized secular religion: he did prayers from all religions. “Secular” means no preference of one religion over another, but to have respect for all religions, including for nonbelievers. Therefore, we need secular ethics through secular ways, on the basis of education about common experience and scientific evidence. (Excerpts from Dalai Lama’s talk in Milan, Italy, 9 December 2007 Transcribed and lightly edited by Alexander Berzin) Our Dialogue ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 Practising Patience in adversity A: If we look at the obstacles in life, we can put them under a variety of headings: Personal problems, family issues, financial dilemmas, work pressures and spiritual confusion. And there are many issues under these headings. We have so many problems, so many obstacles that they are like illnesses. If we try to deal with them one by one we will never get through them. We need to identify them, put them in some general categories and tackle them as a group as opposed to trying to tackle each individual obstacle and problem. To do this we have to first of all remove obstacles that are beyond our control. We have to be able to distinguish which obstacles are within our control and which ones are beyond our control. While we perceive the ones that are beyond our control as obstacles the reality is that they are not. They are the things that Allah has destined for us in our lives, they are not Q: In our everyday lives, we face so many problems and at times we get so tired that we keep wondering, ‘where’s God’, we lose hope, we simply want everything to end. As a Muslim, please tell me, how does one handle these problematic situations? really obstacles, but we have misinterpreted them as being obstacles. For example, in this time one might find oneself born black in a world that favors white people over black people; or born poor in a world that favors the rich over the poor, or born short, or crippled, or any other physical condition which is considered a handicap. These are all things that were and are beyond our control. We did not choose which family to be born in to; we did not choose which body for our spirit to be blown into, this is not our choice. So whatever we find of these kinds of obstacles then we just have to be patient with them and realize that, in fact, they are not really obstacles. Allah told us: “…and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.” (Qur’an, 2: 216) So the obstacles that are beyond our control, we may dislike them and we may want to change them, and some people actually spend a lot of money trying to change them. Michael Jackson is a classic example. He was born black in a world that a single word until the azaan for Zuhr had been called. He left for prayer and when he returned, he worked assiduously until ‘Asr and left for prayer again, when he returned, he worked until night fall, then I paid him his wage and he left. A few days later, we were in need of some more work and my wife advised me to find the same youth again because of his sincere efforts. I went to the marketplace, but could not find him and upon asking about him I found that he only came on Saturday and always sat alone. work done and on Saturday I went looking for the youth, but did not find him. I inquired after him and discovered that he was ill, someone who knew about him told me that he would work for one and one-sixth dirham, and 20 favors white people, so he spent a lot of money trying to change himself, but he only ended up making a mess of himself. Inner peace can only be achieved if the obstacles that are beyond our control are accepted by us patiently as part of Allah’s destiny. Know that whatever happens which we had or have no control over, then Allah has put in it some good, whether or not we are able to grasp what is good in it; the good is still there. So we accept it! There was an article in a newspaper, which had a photograph of a smiling Egyptian man. He had a smile on his face from ear to ear with his hands stretched out and both thumbs sticking up; his father was kissing him on one cheek and his sister on the other cheek. Underneath the photograph it had a caption. He was supposed to have been on a Gulf Air flight the day before, Cairo to Bahrain. He had dashed down to the airport to catch the flight and when he got there he had one stamp missing on his Passport (In Cairo you have to have many stamps on your documents. You get this person to stamp this and sign that and that person to stamp that and sign this) But there he was at the airport with one stamp missing. As he was a teacher in Bahrain and this flight was the last one back to Bahrain which would enable him to report back on time, missing it meant that he would have lost his job. So he nagged them to let him on the flight. He became frantic, started crying and screaming and going berserk, but he could not get on the plane. It took off without him. He went (to his home in Cairo) distraught, thinking that he was finished and that his career was over. His family comforted him and told him not to worry about it. The next day, he heard the news that the plane he was meant to be on crashed and everybody on board died. And then there he was, ecstatic that he did not make the flight. But the day before it was the end of his life, a tragedy that he did not get on the flight. These are signs, and such signs He said, “If I die, sell this iron spade, wash my woollen garment and towel and bury me in them. Undo the pocket of my garment, you will find a ring in it, take it and await the day that Harun alRashid, the Khalifah, comes; stand in a place that he can see you, call him and show him the ring. He will call you and when he does, give him the ring, but make sure this only happens after my burial.” asked him who the youth was, he replied, “My son. He was born to me before I was afflicted with leadership; he was a righteous boy who learnt the Quran and knowledge, when I became the Caliph, he left me, not desiring anything of the world that had been opened before me. I gave his mother this precious ring to give to him, knowing that he was obedient to his mother, in the hope that he could sell it and use the money. His mother passed away and after that I have heard nothing of him till this day.” Page 22 LIVING ISLAM Imam Abu Bakr al-Ajurri (d.330AH) mentions the following incident in his treatise Sifatul Ghuraba…. It has reached us that Abdullah ibn al-Faraj, the worshipper, said, ‘I was in need of someone to make something for me so I went to the marketplace looking for a suitable person. At the end of the market, I found a pale young boy before whom was a large basket, he wore a garment of wool and had a woolen towel. I asked him, “Do you work?” He replied, “Yes,” “How much do you charge?” I asked. “One and one-sixth of a dirham.” I said, “Stand and come to work.” He said, “I have one condition..” “What is it?” I asked. He replied, “When the time for Zuhr comes and the azaan is given, I leave, purify myself, pray in congregation in the mosque and then return. The same applies for ‘Asr.” I agreed. He went with me to my house and I explained to him what needed to be done. He tightened his belt and commenced work, not saying On Saturday, I went to him and asked, ” Do you wish to work?” I agreed and he passed away. I did what he asked and awaited the day that alRashid would pass by. When that day came, I called out to him, “Leader The Simple Pious Labourer He replied, “You already know the wage and my condition.” I agreed and he stood and worked for me as he had previously done. This time I paid him more than he had asked for but he refused to accept anything additional, I insisted and he became irritated and left. This bore down on me heavily and I left after him to at least give him the wage he had agreed upon. After some time, I needed more Son of the Wealthy King spend one-sixth everyday to meet his daily needs. I found out where he lived and went to his house, and there I found an old woman and enquired after him. She told me that he had been ill for a number of days; I visited him and found him in a state, resting his head on a brick. I extended the salaam to him and asked him if he needed anything. He said, “Yes, if you accept.” I said, “I accept in’shallah.” of the Believers! I have a trust to discharge,” and I showed him the ring. He ordered me to come and I went with him to his house, he then called me to him and everybody else left. He asked me who I was and I told him, then he asked me where I got the ring from. I told him the story of the youth and he wept, and kept weeping until I felt sorry for him and comforted him. When his weeping subsided, I Then he said, “At nightfall take me to his grave.” When night came, I took him to his grave, he sat by it and weeping overtook him, when dawn broke, we arose and returned. He asked me to stay with him and help him to go to the grave every day and I did so. I never knew that youth was the son of al-Rashid until al-Rashid himself told me.’ (Source: The Journey of the Strangers, Imam Abu Bakr alAjurri, pg-56-58 Also mentioned in al-Tawwabin pp.171-173 by Imam ibn Qudamah and Tanbih al-Ghafilin vol.2pp.681-683 by Imam Samarqandi.) Interview ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 “Those Muslims who adopt a traditionalist mindset of Islam’s superiority would not be capable of true dialogue”…. Adis Duderija. Adis Duderija was born in Bosnia in 1977. He is currently lecturing at the University of Malaya, Malaysia. He received his Ph.D. in 2010 from the University of Western Australia in contemporary Islamic hermeneutics. He has written extensively on issues related to Islam and Muslims. He also maintains a blog: adisduderija.blogspot.com In this interview with Darwish, he talks about issues related to Islam, Muslims and interfaith dialogue. Q: What, in your view, should be the basis of interfaith dialogue? A: The basis for interfaith dialogue should be the acknowledgement of every human being’s humanity and basic dignity, regardless of their religious or any other background. When two people are engaged in a dialogue, they embark on a search for common meaning though a process of a mutual inquiry, and in the spirit of coopertion they suspend any preconceived assumptions of the other prior to entering it. Through dialogue, its participants become consciously ‘vulnerable’, seeking deeper understanding of the other (and thereby the self) with the aim of generating empathy and increased sensitivity for humanity and the inherent dignity and difference of the other. It is a process of bringing the hearts (and not necessarily the minds) of those engaged in dialogue together. Willingness to exercise introspection and self-criticism are also essential ingredients of those engaging in dialogue. For dialogue to be meaningful, its participants must establish mutual trust and approach dialogue with integrity and honesty. Q: What do you feel should be the purpose(s) of interfaith dialogue? A: What I outlined above about the nature of dialogue in general also applies to interreligious dialogue. What is peculiar to interreligious dialogue is that, given the above, it does not seek doctrinal agreement or conversion, but is a process of enriching one’s own faith by gaining a better understanding of the other and establishing respect for those who belong to a different religious tradition. Meaningful interreligious dialogue also brings about the multifaceted, complex and contested nature of the participants’ own religious traditions and does not neglect the cacophony of diverse and, at times, marginalized voices that make up each religious tradition itself. Q: What does Islam say about interfaith dialogue? Can you please elaborate with the help of references to the Quran and Hadith? A: This is a complex question. The Islamic tradition, like any other religious tradition, is open to many interpretations on many issues, including that of interfaith dialogue. It is the respective interpretational models governing these textual sources as well as interpretations of Muslim history that will determine the outcome of the interpretation. If interpreted holistically and with due consideration to the historical context in which the revelation was reveled and which it in many ways mirrored, the normative sources of Islam—the Qur’an and Sunna—in my view present us with many opportunities for a fruitful and constructive interfaith dialogue. To understand how Muslims have approached (and still approach) interreligious dialogue, in addition examining scriptural sources more needs to be said about the context in which Islam first appeared. The context of the emergence of Prophet Muhammad’s message in seventh century Arabia as evident in the Qur’an was such that it took place alongside other already well-established religious communities, most important of which were, apart from Arabian pre-Qur’anic beliefs, Judaism, Hanifiyyah (Arabian monotheism based on the faith of Abraham) and Christianity. It is important to note in this context that the very fabric and nature of the Qur’an clearly depicts many of the events and the nature of the relationship between the Muslim community and the non-Muslim Other, during the revelatory period. Here it is essential to point out that the Qur’anic attitude (and, therefore, the Prophet Muhammad’s praxis) towards the religious Other was highly contextual in nature and therefore context-dependent, if not ambivalent. The aspects of religious identity, continuity and commonality with other faiths, especially Judaism and Christianity (adherents of which the Qur’an refers to as Ahl-e Kitab, i.e. People of Scripture), are intertwined with those of the emergence and emphasis on the Muslim identity, originality and distinctiveness. In addition to this, in the Qur’an there are verses (e.g. 22:17;5:69;2:62) which place some of the Ahl-e Kitab adherents in very favourable light, while in some verses, other members of the Ahl-e Kitab are strongly criticized for some of their beliefs and unjust practices, such as the belief in the Divine nature of Jesus (which Muslims understood as a form of shirk or polytheism), the distortion of the (meaning) of the previous texts of revelation (known as tahrif), or killing of previous Messengers of God . The reports about Prophet Muhammad’s attitude regarding the religious other as given in the Hadith literature reflect this Qur’anic contextuality and possibly ambivalence via-a-vis the religious other. The Qur’an is, however, unequivocal on the importance and beauty of dialogue with just and upright religious others, as evident in the following verses: Say, ‘People of the Book, let us arrive at a statement that is common to us all: we worship God alone, we ascribe no partner to Him, and none of us takes others beside God as lords.’ If they turn away, say, ‘Witness our devotion to Him.’(3:64) [Prophet], call [people] to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good teaching. Argue with them in the most courteous way, for your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way and who is rightly guided. (16:125) [Believers], argue only in the best way with the People of the Book, except with those of them who act unjustly. Say, ‘We believe in what was revealed to us and in what was revealed to you; our God and your God are one [and the same]; we are devoted to Him.’ (29:46) Q: Some people may claim that because many Muslims think of other religions as false or corrupted, Muslims see little point in dialogue. What do you have to say? A: I think that the kind of mentality and arguments you described do predominate among significant portions of Muslim community, especially among traditional religious leaders and their proponents. Indeed, for those who do adopt such a view, it is incommensurate with the nature of dialogue in its proper meaning as described above. For them, this ‘dialogue’ would amount to nothing more than a chance to ‘proselytise’. Q: What do you think should be meant when we talk about the need to respect other religions? Does it mean respecting these religions (their beliefs, practices etc), or respecting the right of their adherents to follow them? A: For the purposes of governance and law, it is the latter, as long as they are based on a principle of a shared universal that does not undermine a person’s 21 dignity and autonomy. As far as former is concerned, this can be achieved only at the level of the individual’s consciousness through education, because we cannot force someone to ‘respect’ another religion unless that person sees something inherently good and righteous in it that is common to all religions. Adis Duderija Q: Why is it that relatively few interfaith dialogues have been initiated by Muslims? A: I am not sure that what you stated is entirely correct. Take for example the “Common Word” initiative taken by Muslim scholars and academics in the light of the famous Regensburg lecture given by the former Pope. There are many other similar initiatives. However, there is some truth in your question. Those Muslims who adopt a traditionalist mindset of Islam’s superiority ipso facto would not be capable of true dialogue. Q: There are hardly any genuine intra-Muslim dialogue efforts—dialogue between different Muslim ‘sects’. Intra Muslim, intersectarian polemics not only continue unabated (with each Muslim sect claiming to be the true, saved [najiyya] one), but they have sharply escalated in recent times in many places and in several countries have now assumed fiercely violent forms. If the different Muslim sects cannot peacefully dialogue among themselves and see polemics and violence as the way to deal with their differences, can we seriously expect Muslims to be sincerely enthusiastic about dialoguing with people of other faiths? A: This is a very important point. I attempted to establish on two occasions, some years ago, an academic journal on intraMuslim dialogue. It never took off. In some places like Lebanon I think there has been some Page 22 Reflections ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 22 Cooking His Way to Contentment How many of us regard our work as an expression of our gratitude to God for all that He has given us? By Das K ‘I love it when big groups come visiting’, said Raju Anna the other day. ‘It’s wonderful then, being busy, doing things— washing and cutting vegetables, cooking food, rolling laddus, making chapattis. When there are no groups, it’s terribly dull, and I don’t know what to do with myself then!’ Raju Anna is—and I can vouch for this personally—definitely among the best cooks in the whole of India. He works in the hostel where I presently live, which doubles up as a guesthouse for groups sponsored by various NGOs for training progammes. Raju Anna is just a little older than me—perhaps 55 or so—but he looks much younger than his age, and he’s almost always bursting with energy. ‘I just LOVE my work!’ he says. He’s still a temporary worker— which means his salary isn’t very much—but I’ve never heard him complain about it. He gets only a fraction of what he might have got elsewhere for the work he does. ‘You could earn lakhs if you opened an eatery of your own,’ I told him the other day. But he just laughed it off. ‘God has blessed me with enough money. I have a house back home in my village. My son drives a truck and gives enough money to his mother. What need do I have to earn lakhs? I’m content with what I already have,’ he replied. ‘The more money you have, the more problems you have to face.’ It’s truly amazing, Raju Anna’s passion for his work. It’s made me unlearn some things that I thought were plainly obvious— for instance, that it’s only if you are paid a hefty salary that you can truly enjoy what you do for a living. Or that for all poor people, their work is necessarily, and in every case, an imposed drudgery, and that, Page 21 Interview ... progress with regard to intraMuslim dialogue, and perhaps the larger Muslim community can learn from it. However, as you suggested, the dynamics at play between intra-Muslim dialogue and interfaith dialogue are not too different. Q: Can you please reflect on your experiences of interfaith dialogue. What do you feel about the efficacy of such encounters? A: I have been involved in interfaith dialogue for about 5 years. It is not easy to evaluate the efficacy of these initiatives unless one adopts a scientific empirical approach. But based on my anecdotal evidence, simply Page 1 samosas in a giant vat or rolls two hundred rotis for a special lunch. When you hear him talk Page 20 bringing people of different faiths and backgrounds face to face on a regular basis who otherwise might not have ever met is itself powerful enough to warrant the continued existence interfaith dialogue. My experience of such dialogue has definitely helped me in better recognizing our human condition , our profound interconnectedness , the inherent dignity of each human being , the many commonalities different religions/spiritualities share, and have shattered some preconceived notions I had in my mind. (Adis Duderija can be contacted on adisduderija@ gmail.com) Against Extremism ... rather for remaining faithful to the heritage of their ancestors," the Interreligious Council of Russia's Roman Bogdasarov said. "Some dishonest political leaders are bent on polarizing us," Bogdasarov, a Russian Orthodox deacon, said. The Congress, founded in 2003 therefore, they are doomed to always being agitated, unhappy and discontented with life. You simply can’t be happy as long as you are poor, I used to think. But Raju Anna has taught me that it’s not just people with fat salaries and jet-setting lifestyles who can enjoy what they do for a living. You can see that Raju Anna puts his whole heart into his work as he sweats it out on a hot summer afternoon frying by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev as an international discussion, raged about the advisability of going to war in Iraq. It has completed a decade as one of the most important international events among many others, organised by the former Soviet republic. about the many things he can cook—from Kashmiri palau to Tibetan momos to Kerala parathas and stew—you can see his eyes light up with sheer joy! ‘Do you know why Raju Anna’s food tastes so special?’ said Salim, his co-worker, the other day. ‘It’s because he puts so much love into it! If you cook mechanically, without any enthusiasm, it spoils the taste. You can make out when someone’s cooked something like that. But when you cook with love and passion—as Raju Anna does—it makes such a difference!’ ‘ I love cooking, not only because it’s my bread-andbutter and it keeps me busy,’ Raju Anna says, ‘but also because it’s my way of helping others. I feel happy when I think that because I do the cooking, so many other people who live in the hostel or spend a few days here are spared the need to make their own food and so they can focus on doing other things. My cooking is an expression of my gratitude to God for all that He’s given me. It’s also my way of paying back to society for everything that I’ve received from it.’ Practising Patience ... can be found in the story of Musa and Khidr. When Khidr made a hole in the boat of the people who were kind enough to take him and Musa across the river, Musa asked why he (Khidr) did that. When the owners of the boat saw the hole in the boat they wondered who did it and thought that it was a nasty thing to have done. A short while later the king came down to the river and forcefully took away all the boats except the one with a hole in it. So the owners of the boat praised Allah due to the fact that there was a hole in their boat. (This incident refers to a king who was an oppressor and was known for seizing every good boat by force, but the people who owned the boat were poor people and it was their only means of benefit so Khidr wanted the boat to appear to be faulty so that the king did not seize it in order for the poor people to carry on benefiting from it.) (By Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips) Job Opening for Office Assistant Islamic Voice requires MALE office assistant with good knowledge of computer data entry/ emails and typing letters. The candidate should have good communication and inter-personal skills to handle field work related to office like going to the bank, post office, printing press and other miscellaneous office work on scooter. The candidate should be aged preferably between 35 to 50 years, should be honest, punctual and follow office rules of records, book keeping, and timings. Interested candidates can send their C V by mail to awskhan@ gmail.com or editor@islamicvoice.com. By post, send your CV to The Manager, Islamic Voice, No 3/1, Palmgrove Road, Victoria Layout. Bangalore-560047. How many of us think like Raju Anna? I hardly do, I have to admit. How many of us, even those of us who’ve been blessed with a well-paying job, passionately pour our hearts into our work, as Raju Anna does? How many of us see our work as a means to express our inner selves, and not simply a way to earn money or a routine exercise that we think we simply have to go through, day after day? How many of us consider our work as a means to help others, and not just ourselves? How many of us, even those of us who have jobs with hefty salaries, never complain about ‘low’ pay? How many of us aren’t driven by perpetual dissatisfaction with our work and aggressive ambition to ‘make it big’? S.M. ADAM NEWS AGENCY How many of us regard our work # 150 M.M. Road Frazer Town asBangalore an expression our gratitude - 560 005 of Mob: 9343728824 to God for all that He has given us? Raju Anna—thanks for all the many things that I’ve learnt and unlearnt seeing you going about your work. And yes, as I never fail to tell you whenever you make it for breakfast, your uppuma is just SOOOOOOPER! OUR AGENTS MUSLIM PERSPECTIVES ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 23 Contemporary Muslims are in Need of Spirituality By Tariq Ramadan As far as Islam is concerned, it must be noted that Arab and Muslim majority societies are seriously lacking in spirituality. There is not a deficit of “religion” but of spiritual life. It can be encountered among Islamists, as well as among secularists and ordinary citizens. Religion refers to the framework, to the structure of ritual, to the rights and obligations of believers and, as such, lies at the heart of social and political debate. In the classical Islamic tradition, framework, reference and practices can — like all religions and spiritual traditions — be best seen in the light of their relation to meaning (here, to the Divine), to a conception of life and death, to the life of the heart and mind. Contemporary Islamic discourse has, however, too often lost its substance, which is that of meaning, of understanding ultimate goals and the state of the heart. Increasingly, it has been reduced to reactivity, preoccupied with the moral protection of the faithful, based on the reiteration of norms, rituals and, above all, prohibitions. But spirituality is not faith without religion; it is the quest for meaning and peace of heart as the essence of religion. Viewed in this light, Muslim majority societies are profoundly bereft of serenity, coherence and peace. The time has come for a spiritual and religious emancipation. The decline of Islamic civilisation, followed by colonialism, has left its mark, as has the experience of political and cultural resistance. The way in which religion, and the Islamic reference, are understood was gradually adapted to the requirements of resistance : for both traditional Muslim scholars (Ulema) and Islamist movements (which often began with mystical aspirations) moral norms, rules pertaining to food, dress and strict observance of ritual have come increasingly to the fore as means of self-assertion, in direct proportion to the danger of cultural colonialism and alienation perceived and experienced in Arab societies. Caught up in political resistance, Islamist movements have gradually focused their attention on questions of a formal nature, setting aside the spiritual core of religious practice. Between the rhetoric of traditional religious authorities and institutions, and that of the Islamists, whether narrowly rigorous in outlook or hypnotized by political liberation, ordinary citizens are offered few answers to their spiritual pursuit of meaning, faith, the heart and peace. Between the overbearing ritualism of official religious institutions and the obsessive politicisation of Islamist leaders the thirst for meaning, which finds its expression in cultural and religious references, seeks for ways to express itself. Mysticism sometimes provides the solution. But careful thought should be given to the real-life impact of such phenomena as they relate to the crisis of spirituality and therefore of religion. In every case, the teachings Muslim societies are profoundly bereft of serenity, coherence and peace. The time has come for a spiritual and religious emancipation. propounded do not encourage the autonomy, well-being and confidence of human beings in their everyday individual and social lives. In their formalism and concentration upon norms, the traditional institutions that represent or teach Islam reproduce a double culture of prohibition and guilt. The religious reference is transformed into a mirror in which the believers are called upon to judge themselves for their own deficiencies: such rhetoric can generate nothing more than unease. The Islamist approach, which seeks to free society from foreign influence, has in the long run brought forth a culture of reaction, differentiation and frequently of judgment: who is a Muslim, what is Islamic legitimacy, etc. It sometimes casts itself as victim; S.M. ADAM NEWS AGENCY # 150 M.M. Road Frazer Town Bangalore - 560 005 Mob: 9343728824 even in the way it asserts itself against the opposition. Social and political activism prevails over spiritual considerations; the struggle for power has sometimes eclipsed the quest for meaning. By way of response to this void, the majority of mystical movements and circles have called upon their initiates to direct their attention inwards, towards themselves, their hearts, their worship and their inner peace. Around them has arisen a culture of isolation, social and political passivity and loss of responsibility, as though spirituality were somehow necessarily opposed to action. Still, it must be noted that a large number of Sufi circles do speak out on social and political issues, and actually encourage their followers to speak out on social and political matters, and to become actively involved in society. Between the culture of prohibition and guilt and that of reaction and victimisation, between abandonment of responsibility and isolationism, what options remain for the Arab world to reconcile itself to its cultural, religious and spiritual heritage? What must be done to propound a culture of well-being, autonomy and responsibility? There is a need to rediscover and reclaim the spirituality that permeates Eastern cultures, and that lies at the heart of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions, a consideration that today’s social and political uprisings can ill afford to neglect. For there can be no viable democracy, no pluralism in any society without the wellbeing of individuals, the citizens and the religious communities. (The writer is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University)- matrimonial WANTED GROOM SM BROTHERS SEEK ALLIANCE FOR THEIR SISTER, 36 YRS. OLD MBA GRADUATE, FAIR, 5’.3” HEIGHT, WORKING PROFESSIONAL NEVER MARRIED, WITH VERY GOOD FAMILY & ISLAMIC VALUES FROM DECENT FAMILY SETTLED IN BANGALORE. KINDLY SEND BIO-DATA WITH PHOTO TO EMAIL: EHTHYSHAM@ GMAIL.COM MOOSAKAZIMV.R.@ GMAIL.COM MOB.9008490720 OR 08939100064 Mysore SM family seek alliance for their only daughter, 25 yrs, 5'5", MBBS, religious. Looking for a groom preferably MD/MS/BE/MBA. contact Ph: 0821-2490997, 9901270460. email:farzanaparveen95@yahoo.com SM Khan family seek alliance for their religious daughter B.E.(E&C) working in Central Govt. Undertaking as Senior Engineer, aged about 29 years,5.4” tall & fair, Groom should be well educated/ settled Muslim Family preferably B.E.,MCA., M.B.A., or equivalent residing in & around Bangalore aged around 30-35 years. Please Email Bio data to khisher.mysore@gmail.com or call @ 9901682829/9886953199. SM PARENT INVITE GROOM FOR SECOND MARRIAGE OF THEIR DAUGHTER FAIR 5’.3”,22 YEARS, STUDYING IN 5TH SEM. BCA FROM EDUCATED PROFESSIONALS/ BUSINESS CLASS FROM BANGALORE & WITHOUT ISSUE. AGE SHOULD BE AROUND 30 YEARS. SEND YOUR BIODATA WITH LATEST PHOTOS CELL Page 14 NO. 9916882156. Email: shahinpasha@ gmail.com A Highly renowned and reputed Delhi based Sunni Muslim family invites alliance for their very talented, slim,fair, beautiful,26 years,5 feet 7 inches, convent educated, postgraduate daughter, with moderate Islamic upbringing. Email:sabakhan2223@ gmail.com whatsapp/sms:08586814361 SM Syed Parents invite alliance for their daughter 25 years 5”.4” B.E. Civil pursuing M.Tech. Groom should be professionally qualified well settled from a decent family. Send photo Biodata email: sahini564@gmail.com Tamilnadu: SM Parents Urdu speaking, Kula, No issue, Age 33 years,165 cms. MCA,very fair and slim working in IT Co., seek any professional, Divorcee, preferably from Chennai or Bangalore. Please contact:09444050315,Email:kha dermohideen.2010@rediffmail.com Mysore: We are a nucleus, educated, religious & middle class family, seek alliance for our daughter, aged 23, fair, height 5’.2”, B.E-Electronics & Communications, performed Hajj & Umrahs, not sent for employment, observes Hijaab, wear Niqaab compulsorily, follows rulings on Mahrams & Non-Mahrams relating to Purdah. We are looking for a well settled, qualified groom from religious family who believe in no dowry or demands & simple marriage as per Shariah. Our contacts: Cell: 97425 67577 or Email: sssafs5614@gmail.com. SM Parents seek alliance for their daughter, good looking, BE, 23 years, Does FBI Create Terrorist? ... to such baits from the FBI. But the spy net the FBI is spreading has caused alienation among them as newcomers in any mosques are suspected. People are reluctant to speak to new neighbours. It restricts voluntary information and most of the info reaching the FBI is of coerced nature. FBI Fuels Bigotry Once into their dragnet, the FBI informants fuel bigotry in their prey and bolster their personal narratives of persecution as a misunderstood Muslims. They will pounce upon any opportunity to amplify paranoia and hatred of Jews. For example one informant told his recruit: ‘I was reading in one of the newspapers, in the New York Times, that every second among the advisors in the White House were Yahuds’. FBI agents are under severe pressure from their superiors to build a terrorism case, something to offer to the public about terrorists taped, caught on secret Page 25 ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 5’.4” groom should be an engineer, well settled, up to 30 years, above 5’.9” working in Bangalore/Middle-East from decent family. Contact 0816-2271990,Mobile9008273357,email:naveeda622@ yahoo.co.in Sunni Muslim parents invite alliances for their daughter 23 years, M.Com. PGFM. Height 5.11 observes Hijab, good looking from educated well settled Grooms. Father working as an Officer at Reserve Bank of India, Bangalore. Contact at 9448239863 or Email to : imtiyaz3010@gmail.com SM parents (shariff) seek alliance for their daughter 25 yrs , 5'.7"; B.E, coming from decent, religious well settled, small & respected family from Mysore, Require a well settled boy from a sheikh/syed/ shariff family who should be B.E , Mtech, MS, MD from Bangalore/Mysore/UAE. Preferably 27 31 Yrs. Please send biodata and photo to: amanullashariff50@yahoo.co.in; Mob:9886990734 BANGALORE S.M. PARENTS SEEK ALLIANCE FOR THEIR KHULA OBTAINED ISSUE LESS DAUGHTER FAIR GOOD LOOKING 36 YEARS. B.U.M.S., PRACTICING DOCTOR LOOKING FROM EDUCATED PROFESSIONAL QUALIFIED WORKING OR WELL SETTLED BUSINESSMAN BELOW 42 YEARS MOB: 9448030576 Email : Sallu_crg@Hotmail.com SM parents seek alliance for their daughter B.E., 27 yrs 5.7'' good looking belonging to a respectable and educated family, working as Technology Leader at INFOSYS USA and holding a valid H1B Visa. Groom should be professionally cameras in order to justify the expenditure from the public exchequer. Equally significant is observation from Myron Fuller, ex FBI veteran: “The billions of dollars allocated to terrorism have forced the FBI to assume that a danger exists in communities where intelligence indicate no threat is present, and sting cases are simply the Bureau’s way of justifying how it is spending all the money it receives for counterterrorism.” Bogeymen from Buffoons The author is of the view that most of those convicted for terrorism in 150 and odd cases so far were ordinary crooks and braggarts who walked into the traps laid by the FBI informants and were convicted on the basis of acts they did simply out of stupidity. No wonder then that several FBI former officers complain that the Government was creating bogeymen from buffoons in the name of fighting terror. n You Can Become A Super Achiever ... are bound to receive less energy from your mind and the result will be that your personality will become weak. If you are ambitious and choose to embark on a great task, then certainly your mind will release a greater amount of energy, the result of which will be that you will develop a strong personality. Everyone is born with the same mind that is full of energy. But some people fail to utilise this energy and die without developing their personalities fully. The other kind of people are those who set a great task as their goal. Thus, their minds release a greater amount of energy for the performance of this task, and so they become super achievers. Man himself is the master of his destiny. This saying is true, but not in a mysterious sense. It all depends on how much a person has unfolded his mind and how much energy the mind has released. One achieves greater or smaller successes in life depending on how much energy one’s mind releases. Every individual is self-made. But the quantum of success depends on one’s own planning. Wise planning makes one a superman or superwoman, while unwise planning makes one lag behind in life. The mind of an individual is like a great water reservoir. Opening the gate of this reservoir depends on one’s target. If one’s target is an ordinary target then the mind will open the door of energy on a smaller scale. But, if the target is a big one, the mind will open the gate of energy on a larger scale. It qualified person hailing from a decent educated family Working in India or abroad. Mail bio-data to prof.wayez@ gmail.com contact 9632878387. Sunni Muslim Parents seek alliance for their daughter 25 years, Ht.5.4” Bcom-MBA,CA, working in a MNC as a senior Associate religious, modern outlook. Groom should be post graduate, well settled, religious, modern mindset. Contact: 9886169197. Email: zebashariefn@gmail.com WANTED BRIDE Sunni Muslim family with a wellestablished land-developers business, seek alliance for their son 28-years (BBM).,6ft.,tall, handsome, athletic grown up with Islamic values. The Bride should be of age of 25 years, fair, beautiful, religious Non-working, with good values, contact Mobile No.9886464017 or Email: ramez786@ gmail.com Bangalore based sunni Muslim parents invite alliance for their son aged 33years Bsc,Dip in computers, working in Saudi Arabia. Girl should be a graduate 24-27 yrs age from a decent and Islamic fly. Early marriage (as the boy has come down), Contact: 9448611968, Mail your photo biodata to naseemasagar@gmail.com. BANGALORE: SM Educated & respectable sheikh parents seek alliance for son 30 yrs. 5’.10” working as senior software engineer in MNC Bangalore. Page 27 24 Bride should be from respectable educated family from “AHLE SUNNAT WAL JAMAT” family, Beautiful/fair 24 to 26 yrs. BE, MSC or any PG degree 5’.4” to 5’8” No Dowry, No-Demand. Call 08026688465, Mob. 9448015421. SUNNI MUSLIM PARENTS SEEK ALLIANCE FOR THEIR HIGHLY SETTLED ONLY SON, MBA (FINANCE), 5’11” AGED 29, WORKING IN TOP MULTINATIONAL COMPANY, BANGALORE, FROM RESPECTABLE, PIOUS AND EDUCATED FAMILY. HE IS VERY CARING, HOMELY, DOWNTO-EARTH, HANDSOME AND BROUGHT UP WITH GREAT FAMILY VALUES. BRIDE SHOULD BE GRADUATE OR AALIMA, RELIGIOUS, KIND HEARTED AND SHOULD LEAD A HAPPY LIFE. SHE WILL BE HOMEMAKER. ABSOLUTELY NO DEMANDS. CONTACT: 9845218292 Email: kjabubakar786@gmail.com BRIDE & GROOM SM Syed Parents seek alliance for daughter 22 years 5’.4” Bsc (Biochemistry),fair, Beautiful, religious, own house, Boy should be B.E. or M.B.A ,age 25-28 Years, religious ,own house, working in Bangalore or Gulf. Son B.E. working in IT Company 27 years, 5.10” religious, girl should be any graduate, homely and religious early marriage Email:Gulnazbegum01@ gmail.com Mob: 9964309133 Women in the Early Days ... allow her to continue her charity work after marriage. In Teaching: Shifa Bint Abdullah AlAdawiyyah was one of the few people who were literate in the pre-Islamic times. She was known for her sharp intellect and beneficial knowledge. She was skilled in the art of Ruqyah, or promoting healing through supplications, spirituality, prayer, and reading verses from the holy Qur’an. During the early days of Islam, she taught Muslim women the art of Ruqyah as well as how to read and write. In Nursing and Social Work: Born into a family with strong ties to the medical community, Rufaida Al Aslamia’s father, Saad Al Aslamy, was a physician and mentor under whom Rufaida initially obtained clinical experience. Devoting herself to nursing and taking care of sick people, Rufaida Al-Aslamia became an expert healer. She practiced her skills in field hospitals in her tent during many battles. She was among the first people is this difference that decides the level of one’s achievement. Never complain to others. Try to utilise your own mind, and you will certainly achieve anything you want to in life. (www.speakingtree.in) in Madinah to accept Islam; Rufaida Al-Aslamia is depicted as a kind, empathetic nurse and a good organizer. With her clinical skills, she trained other women to be nurses and to work in the area of health care. She also worked as a social worker, helping to solve social problems associated with illness. In Battles: Nusayba Bint Kaab Al-Anariyya, also known as Umm Ammara, is another shining example on the role of women in Islam. Nusayba is most remembered for taking part in the Battle of Uhud (when the tide of the battle changed) in which she carried swords and shields and fought against the enemy troops. She shielded Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from enemies and bore several wounds while fighting in front of him to protect him. It is said that after she sustained her twelfth wound, she fell unconscious and the first question she asked when she awoke a day later was, “How is the Prophet? Did the Prophet survive?” Women such as Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid, Nusayba Bint Kaab Al- An?ariyya, Aisha Bint Abi Taleb, and many other women became key public figures in the earliest years of Islamic history, and they serve as great role models for the Muslim woman. Source: (http://www.saudigazette. com.sa/ n MISCELLANY 25 ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 The Wonderful Woodpecker Pine trees older than 100 years suffer an illness that causes the hard and thick bark to soften. This was only recently discovered by science, but woodpeckers have known it for centuries. By Harun Yahya As we all know, woodpeckers build their nests by boring holes in tree trunks with their beaks. This may sound familiar to most people. But the point many people fail to examine is why woodpeckers suffer no brain haemorrhage when they beat a tattoo so vigorously with their heads. What the woodpecker does is in a way similar to a human being driving a nail into the wall with his head. If a man ventured to do something like that, he would probably undergo a brain shock followed by a brain haemorrhage. However, a woodpecker can peck a hard tree trunk 38-43 times in just two or three seconds and nothing happens to it. Nothing happens because the head structure of woodpeckers is ideally created for such a task. The skull of the woodpecker has a remarkable suspension system that absorbs the force of the blows. Its forehead and some skull muscles adjoined to its beak and the jaw joint are so robust that they help lessen the effect of the forceful strokes during pecking. Calculation and order do not end here. Preferring primarily pine trees, a certain species of woodpecker checks the age of the trees before boring a hole in them and picks those older than 100 years, because pine trees older than 100 years suffer an illness that causes the hard and thick bark to soften. This was only recently discovered by science and perhaps you may be reading of it here for the first time in your life; woodpeckers have known it for centuries. This is not the only reason why the woodpeckers prefer pine trees. Woodpeckers dig cavities around their nests, the function of which was not originally understood. These cavities were later understood to protect them from a great danger. Over time, the sticky resin that leaks from the pine trees fills up the cavities and the outpost of the woodpecker's nest is thus filled with a pool whereby woodpeckers can be protected from snakes, their greatest enemies. Another interesting feature of woodpeckers is that their tongues are thin enough to penetrate even ants' nests in the trees. Their tongues are also sticky, which allows them to collect the ants that live there. The perfection in their Creation is further revealed by the fact that their tongues have a structure which prevents them from being harmed by the acid in the bodies of the ants. These woodpeckers prove with all their detailed features that they are 'created'. If woodpeckers had evolved coincidentally as the theory of evolution claims, they would have died before they acquired such extraordinarily consistent traits and they would be extinct. However, as they were created by Allah, they started their lives by bearing all the vital characteristics suitable for their life. n YOUTH & LIFE You Can Become A Super Achiever Everyone is born with the same mind that is full of energy. But some people fail to utilise this energy and die without developing their personalities fully. By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Not facility, not ease, but difficulty and effort make a man, wrote Scottish author and reformer Samuel Smiles. This statement is based on a natural fact and examples in history have proved its veracity. All those individuals who attained greatness, regardless of which walk of life they came from, were the products of difficulty and not of facility. They faced challenges and emerged as super achievers. But the question is: why does difficulty have a greater role to play in the building of a personality than facility? The reason is traceable to one of the laws of nature. The fact is that all of our actions, big or small, are directly related to our minds. It is the mind that directs all activities of our personality. The human mind is greater than all great things of the universe: It is the mind that is master of your personality, as it controls all of your activities. Studies show that all our performances depend totally on our minds. The mind has unlimited reserves of energy. When we decide to do anything, the mind at once releases energy and we perform with the aid of this energy. The mind is the prime source of energy and whatever we do can only be done with the help of this energy. If we choose to do an easy task, then the mind will release a lesser amount of energy. And, if we decide to do some difficult or great task, then the mind will release a greater amount of energy. The building of a personality depends on your own efforts. If you are an easygoing person then you Page 24 GHOUSE TOURS & TRAVELS Hajj, Umrah & Ziarath Recognized by Government of India, Recognized by Government of Saudi Arabia HO: 3/1, 1st Floor, Opp. Gundu Rao House (Ex CM) Rahmath Nagar, R.T. Nagar Post, Bangalore, India E-mail: hmdghousebly@gmail.com IATA BO: VI Ward, Bandimote, Bangalore Road, Opp. Masjid, Bellary - 583 101, Karnataka, India. Ph: India Code: 0091 STD: 08392 Off: 250526, 250531, (R) 244606 Al-Haj Mohammed Ghouse, Prop. Cell: 98440-50531 (0) 080-23530531 Global Affairs ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 26 R&D in Arabian, Persian, Turkish Middle East Scientific Research in Middle East Turkey and Iran lead the rest of the Middle East nations in R&D activity. The nations in the region spend just one-fourth of the world average on R&D. Islamic world, mainly the Arabian, Persian and Turkish Middle East (referred to as AP&TME for the sake of this report) contributed richly to the advancement of science during the middle ages when Europe was into its dark ages. But in the modern era, it has fallen behind and does not show significantly on the international Scientific Research chart. Investment in higher education and research builds up a country’s knowledge capacity, its ability to use discovery and innovation to create economic wealth, and its potential to realize benefits in health, culture and the quality of life. The global organization Science Watch sponsored by Thomson Reuters has been compiling reports on progress of scientific research regionwise for the last few years. We present the summary of its observations with regard to the AP&TME region. The 14 countries which are covered here are: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. v The OIC’s (Organisation of Islamic Conference which has 57 member-states) research investment (expenditure on R&D compared to Gross Domestic Products or GDP) and capacity (i.e., number of researchers compared to population) is just 25% of world averages. (This means the OIC countries spend just $25 on R&D if the world average is taken as $100). v The 14 countries in the AP&TME grouping have increased their share of world output from less than 2% to more than 4% in the last decade. The volume of world output indexed by Thomson Reuters increased from around 760,000 to over 1,160,000 publications in the same period, so the region is taking a growing fraction of an expanding pool. v Research activity and output by Turkey and Iran has progressed notably. For Iran, 1.7% of its publications in mathematics were ranked in the global 1% most highly-cited: well above global One Million Newborns Die within 24 hours of Birth: UN Report In a break from the recent slate of doom-and-gloom reports of catastrophes, wars and destruction, a United Nations report says the number of children under 5 who die each year fell by 49 percent between 1990 and 2013, from 12.7 million to 6.3 million, saving 17,000 lives every day. One million babies each year died within 24 hours of birth from mostly preventable causes, a recent United Nations (UN) report, released on September 16, 2014, said. The report, titled “Levels and Trends in Child Mortality 2014” and compiled by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and the U.N’s Department of Economic and Social affairs, said that the rate for deaths of children under 5 fell from 90 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 46 in 2013. Overall, in developing regions, the rate fell from 100 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 50 in 2013, the report said. In rich, developed regions, the rate fell from 15 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to six in 2013. In the United States, the decline was somewhat less dramatic, from 11 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to seven in 2013. The major causes of death for children under 5 are preterm birth complications (17 percent); pneumonia (15 percent); complications during labor and delivery (11 percent); diarrhea (9 percent); and malaria (7 percent), the study notes. Not having enough to eat contributed to nearly half of all deaths in children under 5, the report said. Children in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia remain at greater risk than their counterparts elsewhere on the globe. Nearly half of all child deaths in 2013, 3.1 million, occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly a third, 2 million, were in South Asia. The report found that rich, developed regions accounted for only 1.4 percent of child deaths in 2013 _ about 87,000, of whom 29,000 died in the United States. Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Asia and Northern Africa, the data show, reduced the under-5 mortality by more than two-thirds since 1990, with reductions of 67 percent, 76 percent and 67 percent, respectively. Similarly, the findings show that of the 60 countries where the under-5 mortality rate remains higher than 40 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, 27 reduced the rate by at least half since 1990. Among those countries with the biggest reductions were Malawi, Bangladesh, Liberia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, East Timor, Niger and Eritrea. India and Nigeria together account for more than one-third of deaths among children under five, while sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest child mortality rates, having recorded reductions in line with the world average. There has been dramatic and accelerating progress in reducing mortality among children, and the data prove that success is possible even for poorly resourced countries. The 2014 Committing to Child Survival, a Promise Renewed progress report showed that many of these deaths could be easily prevented with simple, costeffective interventions before, during and immediately after birth. The report, released by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), is the second in a series intended to track progress on child survival and hold governments accountable. The data clearly demonstrate that an infant's chances of survival increase dramatically when their mother has sustained access to quality health care during pregnancy and delivery. Special efforts must also be made to ensure that the most vulnerable are reached. Since 1990, the number of underfive years’ old children's deaths has been cut in half from 12.7 million to 6.3 million. But more remains to be done. The first 28 days of a newborn's life are the most vulnerable and as it stands now almost 2.8 million babies die each year. n average. For Turkey, 1.5% of its engineering output met the same criterion. Although national average citation impact may lag behind world averages, there is a growing volume of excellence that will undoubtedly enable further growth of high-quality capacity. v Among the larger producers, Turkey’s predominance is strikingly evident, as is its steep rise from just over 5,000 papers in 2000 to nearly 22,000 in 2009. Iran, meanwhile, although starting from a lower point with roughly 1,300 papers in 2000, has displayed a similar trajectory following a notable surge after 2004. By 2009, Iran’s output approached 15,000 papers. The rest of the world has been expanding as well. Nonetheless, Turkey’s share of world output nearly trebled from 0.7% in 2000 to 1.9% in 2009 while Iran’s share grew phenomenally from less than 0.2% to 1.3% over the same decade. v Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have trebled their world share over where it stood in 2000. v The United Arab Emirates’ contribution has risen sharply i.e., 900 papers in 2009 while Qatar too has risen from 51 in 2000 to 230 in 2009. v Iraq, Qatar and Yemen more than doubled their – still small - share of world output between 2000 and 2009. v Turkey produces about half of the region’s research articles and reviews, of which medical research makes up its biggest single discipline. Iran produces about one-quarter of regional output, Egypt slightly less than one-eighth, Saudi Arabia about half as much as Egypt and Jordan about half as much again. These five collectively account for more than 90% of total AP&TME research publications. The five nations smallest in research productivity came from Syria, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen produced about 3,000 publications over the period. This report is a summarized on the basis of Global Science Watch report produced periodically by Thomson Reuters. The Science Watch does not include Israel in the AP&TME region. (For detailed report log on to: http://sciencewatch.com/grr/ middle-east) WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 1.WORKSHOP IN UDIPI Dates: 10, 11 & 12 OCTOBER 2014 Workshop fees - 500 Venue - Salihat En glish medium school, Tonse, Ud upi Contact - abdul kadir:096 11 697629 Mohammed Anis: 9970042726 Email: aneesonly@gmail.com / bie@jihgoa.org 2. WORKSHOP IN GOA Dates: 17, 18 & 19 OCTOBER 2014 Workshop fees - 1000 Venue - Duttraj hall, above M ahindra showroom, Arlem, M argao Contact - J unaid : 9225983350 Mohammed Anis: 9970042726 Email: aneesonly@gmail.com / bie@jihgoa.org 3 WORKSHOP IN BAHRAIN Dates: 29, 30, 31 & 1NOVEMBER 2014 Organized By: Discover Islam Contact: Syed Thahir, Cell: +973 39821748 Email: syedbahrain@gmail.com 4. WORKSHOP IN DUBAI Dates: 06, 07 & 08 NOVEMBER 2014 contact Mr Hamid : 0503387289/0561153948 EMAIL:mhamid1234@yahoo.com 5. WORKSHOP IN KARIMNAGAR Dates: 14, 15 & 16 NOVEMBER 2014 Organised by: MESWAK (Muslim Educational Social Welfare Association) Karimnagar, Telangana State. Contact: Dr.Syed Imam Showkath Ali +91-9885247333 / +91-8125247333 Email : meswak2007@gmail.com www.discoveryourself.in WOMEN’S VOICE ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 27 Women in the Early Days of Islam the amount of dowry that a woman can ask for in marriage. In the council, a woman voiced her opinion that no limit should be placed on what is to be given to a woman, because Allah did not place such a limit. Umar, the Caliph, admitted that she was right and he was wrong, and he refrained from writing this new legislation. Thus, Muslim women played remarkable roles in the early days of Islam. Between the 9th and 15th century, women participated in the fields of theology, religious knowledge and scholarship, as well as in the teaching of these sciences. Islam gave women the right to inheritance, to be a witness in court, to vote, to engage in politics, to run her own business, the right to education; which were unheard of in that time in other parts of the world. By Samar Yahya Women in Islamic history gained strength from a legacy of strong and influential women in the founding years of the Islamic faith. They were granted ultimate equality by the teachings and rules of Islam. In the days of ignorance before Islam shone its light in the Arabian Peninsula, women were oppressed; they had no rights for inheritance, they were treated as possessions, and baby girls were buried alive. Islam has given woman rights and privileges, which she never enjoyed under other religious or constitutional systems. Islam gave women the right to inheritance, to be a witness in court, to vote, to engage in politics, to run her own business, the right to education; which were unheard of in that time in other parts of the world. Women continued to play vital roles in political life in various Islamic empires as the centuries went on. As evident in the verses of the holy Qur’an and in the attitude of the early Muslims, woman is as vital to life and society and the political sphere as man, and she is not inferior to him. In a famous story, the Caliph Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the ruler of his time, wanted to make a law that would place a ceiling on In Business: Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid was a successful merchant and one of the elite figures of Makkah, even before her marriage to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). She ran her own business and it is said that her caravan during the summer journey to Syria and winter journey to Yemen equaled the caravans of all other traders of the tribe of Quraysh put together. She played a central role in supporting the new faith of Islam. As Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “God Almighty never granted me anyone better in this life than her. She accepted me when people rejected me; she believed in me when people doubted me; she shared her wealth with me when people deprived me; and God granted me children only through her.” (Sahih Muslim) Aisha Bint Abi Bakr and wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), had a very strong influence on the Muslim community after the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). She played a central role in the politics, teaching circles, jurisprudence, and even military tactics. She is one of the most famous narrators of Hadith or sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), reporting more than 2,000 sayings. In Charity: One notable example of women’s role in early Islam was Zainab Bint Abi Taleb, most known for her generosity and humanitarian work, and who was buried in Egypt. Zainab’s passion for charity and making a difference in society led her to become the first Muslim woman to establish orphanages in Iraq and Egypt. Zainab also made it one of the conditions in her wedding agreement that her husband would Page 24 GUIDANCE Mending My Manners By Roshan Shah There’s one thing that I really can’t stand—and that’s bad manners. I’m not bragging, but I do think I’m polite. That’s something that I love about myself. Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you very much’, ‘if you don’t mind’ and so on comes naturally to me, and I really mean it when I use those words. And so, when I see people behaving absolutely manner-less, it really disgusts me. Some years ago, a friend of mine, Samir, came to visit me when I was staying in my mother’s house. It was wonderful meeting him after a long time. He stayed with us for three days. Mummy generally goes overboard when guests come visiting—sometimes it gets really embarrassing for me—and that’s precisely what she did when Samir came. She found out what his favourite dishes were and then made almost all of them for him. One day, she took us out for a picnic, and the next day she bought tickets for us for a play. Mummy didn’t really have to do any of this, you will agree. After all, parents don’t generally go out of their way like that for their grown-up children’s friends. And, then, it was only the first time she was meeting Samir. But that’s how Mummy is. Samir gave me a hug and walked towards the door, dragging his suitcase behind him. ‘We’ll meet again, we’ll meet again.’ he said. ‘I’ll leave now. I want to do some shopping before I get to the station.’ Saying that, he slipped out of the disgusting! You know how easily love can turn into hate: after all, it’s the same energy, though flowing in the opposite way. Today you love someone and you think he’s the best, most adorable person in the world door and got into the elevator. ‘Bye’, he said, grinning and waving out as he slammed the elevator door shut. I was appalled! and that you can’t live without him. You dismiss what others regard as his irritating foibles as cute and harmless eccentricities. But tomorrow he says or does something and suddenly there’s no one on the face of the earth whom you hate more than him! It’s so easy for the best of friends to become the worst of enemies! Something like that happened between Samir and me that day. I didn’t fight with him, though, nor did I say even a word to him about his appalling lack of Not a word of thanks! He need not have thanked me, although he could have—but after all that Mummy had done for him, not a word of gratitude or appreciation for her! He didn’t even bother to meet her and say bye! What cheek! How simply I’d never even once thanked God for any of the innumerable things He had provided me with! How disgustingly ungrateful I was! manners. I simply decided that I would ignore him from then on. I thought he was so sickeningly manner-less and ungrateful that I made up my mind, there and then, that I would have absolutely nothing to do with him again. Years passed, and I had no communication with Samir. But in between, once every couple of months, I would think of him and remember how disgustingly he had behaved. Just the other day, I was provoked to think of Samir again, but this time in a different light. I was reflecting on gratitude and how important it is to acknowledge all that we receive from others when it struck me that everything that I ‘have’—the clothes I wear, the food I eat, the water I drink, the computer which I work on, the chair I sit on, the ground I stand on, the air that I breath, the room I sleep in, the body that my soul inhabits, and my very soul, too—all of these and everything else that I can imagine are not my own. Rather, they have all been given to me to use by Someone else: by God. And, I discovered to my horror as I continued to muse, all these almost fifty years of my life, I’d never even once thanked God for any of the in numerable things He had provided me with! How disgustingly ungrateful I was! For all the ‘good manners’ which I prided myself on, I had never felt any gratitude to the One who had so generously granted me everything I needed without my even asking Him for it. He continued to give me all that I required despite my never bothering to acknowledge His generosity. He hadn’t abandoned me for my not even once thanking Him for His kindness. Not for a moment did He stop giving me all that I needed all along! Wasn’t I appallingly illmannered? At that moment, I remembered Samir. And do you know what? I thought of him with great fondness! Compared to his ‘misdemeanour’—of not thanking me and Mummy for three days’ hospitality—my appalling bad manners, of not thanking God even once for almost fifty years of His care and concern, seemed so utterly trivial! And do you know what else? I got in touch with Samir, and now he and I are good friends again! He’s probably coming next week to visit me! Isn’t that wonderful! n Life & Relationships ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 28 Our Ego is Our Own Enemy The ‘Discover Yourself’ workshop was hosted by the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI), Durban and Madina Institute, Cape Town, in September 2014. Some of the participants share their experiences about the workshop 8 I wish every person would attend this workshop, especially my family. 8 We should have been taught this way of thinking a very long time ago. 8 This workshop is mind blowing, it changed my life. 8 It is amazing; I discovered how to change my life. 8 It puts everyday life in a clearer light. Helped me see things from a different perspective. 8 Excellent, it happened at the right time. This course should be a must for everyone. 8 It was interesting, fun and educating. It made me distinguish between truth and falsehood and to stop being judgmental. 8 I see my husband minus glasses. 8 Very useful, relevant and simple practical steps on getting connected to your Creator. 8 I wish I had attended this workshop some 20-30 years ago; I weep for all the time I lost in ignorance. 8 I found the workshop brilliant, extremely useful. It empowered me to have control over all situations. 8 It helped me to release all my past baggage. 8 Alhamdulillah-A very beneficial life changing workshop, I have benefitted especially in learning how to switch my waswas (whisperer, inner critic) off. 8 It is methodical, logical and an accessible way to understand the ‘True self’. 8 Before I was very judgmental and after the workshop I look at others as human beings. 8 It has opened the way to be able to find my ‘True Self’ that Allah has created. 8 Before I was on war and after the workshop I am in peace. 8 Life changing -forced me to face my reality. 8 Mind blowing- a heart purifying experience. 8 I have learnt that my ‘EGO’ is my own enemy. 8 It brought me back from darkness to light (truth). FARHA: From today I have made you my mentor. Your workshop has made a big difference in my life and the lives of those I love and care for. You are definitely an answer to my prayers. I had knowledge but the way you presented it made all the difference. They say everything happens for a reason and Allah (swt) timing is perfect. Jazakallah Khair. Words cannot express how I felt after this weekend. It's like I am alive again. I can ONLY see light even in the darkest of situations. I have read the Quran on numerous occasions in English, but this weekend was an eye opener. I am currently facing another challenge and I see Hope and light in the situation. I am grateful; Allah (swt) has given me this opportunity of meeting you. I feel blessed knowing you. You said if you touch one person’s life this weekend, you have achieved something. From the way people responded you have touched many lives. You have definitely touched my life. May Allah (swt) bless you always. FATIMA: I have been attending many workshops throughout my life. A lot of what was explained and discussed is what I have learnt in previous workshops. A lot of visuals I have seen and also use when I facilitate workshops. However, this ‘Discover Yourself’ workshop is “The cherry on top “. For me, it was awesome, many ‘AHA’ moments, many realisations, introspections and being in the ‘LA’ state and realizing that there is only ‘ONE REALITY’ and my conscious mind to realise from where I am operating from. Alhamdulillah! I am so grateful to Br Sadathullah, may Allah grant you health and strength (abundantly) to continue this amazing journey. ZOHRA: I have attended your workshop in Durban this week and I must say that it was the BEST WEEKEND I have had in a long time. Coming to your workshop has just reinforced what I knew, but it needed someone like you to revive those thoughts. Just like Allah repeats certain words or phrases in the Quran to remind us over and over again I needed that reminder to remember that holding on to things and the past cannot benefit me in any way. I want to share my story with you in this email as I could not express it in the workshop. I have been married for 14 years but knew my husband for 7 years before we got married. We schooled together. Ours was a love marriage. We have had our problems over the years, but we got through them. In this year I found out that my husband had made nikah in secret 1 year ago and I did not know it. This was a big blow for me. I never saw it coming. Yes I cried and we had fights but I told myself that I cannot stay in that feeling forever. I picked myself up and stopped feeling sorry for myself and stopped asking why, how could he, does he not love me. I have now accepted the situation I am in, that my husband has a second wife. THAT IS MY REALITY. I was the one to tell him stop secretly visiting her and go live with her some days of the week. It was hard for me to face that it was the right thing to do. And now I feel that it was the best decision I made. Now when he has a fight with his second wife he calls me and I play counsellor for both of them. And I do it with no malice in the heart. My heart is at peace and I love the inner me. My husband and I are still together, Alhamdulillah. So by coming to the workshop this weekend, it just reinforced my belief and my direction. Br. Sadathullah, thank you for doing what you are doing by having these workshops. It is having such a good impact on people. May Allah reward you in this life and the hereafter. SABIHA: I want to express from the onset my humble appreciation to firstly Allah and you to have brought me to this workshop. I have benefitted greatly and I want to just share with you my little transformation from last night. After the workshop when I reached home, I was so full of emotions that I went up to my eldest daughter and asked her to forgive me and that I love her for the pleasure of Allah and that I need a chance to have a new beginning, and thus I went on like this to each and every child of mine. Thereafter we all sat and had supper together and were very peaceful. This was never done before, my kids were shocked at my behaviour. I went to my room, changed, took a shower and read all my Salah because I had missed Maghreb as well, this I never once did before. I would justify and say I am very tired and I will make up for it in the morning which was never done. But last night I saw a new me, I was not lazy, nor tired, but willing whole heartedly to perform my Salah, I was so full of energy, I was happy and made intention to get up for fajr and I did just that without an alarm. May Allah guide me always and keep me steadfast. And help me and my husband to do the right thing at all times. AMEENA: It is what I needed and I am grateful for it. My life before the workshop was very stressful between work and home life. I had to live on a daily basis with conflict situations at work and home. As a result, I have been hospitalized numerous times for depression. My husband was diagnosed with a brain tumour and had a massive stroke after a brain operation, but not only his life changed, all our lives changed in the family. Now that he is disabled he is frustrated and does not understand the children. The lesson I learnt at this workshop that I cannot change everyone around me, so I have to change myself. The workshop has taught me to be a player and focus on what change I can make to improve my thoughts and feelings. SIMON: I gained knowledge to submit and live in the present. My life had lost its meaning before the workshop, but now it gained energy and interest. I am looking forward to change it for the better with the help of Allah. I am feeling much relieved and vibrant. [Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI), Durban : www.ipci.co.za, www.ahmeddeedat.co.za. Email: info@ipci. com. Madina Institute Cape Town offers ground breaking, one year intensive Usul-ud Din program. This intensive, traditional program is designed to develop leaders. Website:www.madinainstitute. org.za, Email: intensive@ madinainstitute.org.za] Discoveryourself Workshop Schedule on Page No. 26 Advertisement ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 29 ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 CHILDREN'S CORNER 30 Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Perhaps all of us have heard the name of Abul Kalam Azad. But very few of us know that he was born in Makkah. The year was 1888. His father was from India but mother was an Arab. His original name was Abul Kalam Mohiuddin Ahmed and was given a nickname ‘Firoze Bakht’. For some years he studied in some madrassa in Makkah and then his family returned to India. It was only several years later that he adopted the pen name Azad (meaning ‘free’) and since he was a great oratory and a scholar, people gave him the title of ‘Maulana’ (meaning ‘learned man’). Mohiuddin was quite a naughty boy just as any boy of his age would be. He studied Arabic, Urdu and Persian. But his father did not allow him to learn English as he hated the British who were then ruling India. But somehow Mohiuddin learnt the English Alphabets and went on picking up the language through private study until he began to read newspapers and even novels and other books. He was very fond of books and would read any book that he could manage to lay his hands upon. He would spend the pocket money that his father would give him on buying books. At the age of 12, he had set up a library, a reading room and had organized a debating society at his home in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Around the age of 16, he had brought out a magazine from Calcutta. People would often wait for his magazine to appear on the newsstands. The magazine was ably edited and used powerful language. The people who had not seen Enhance Your WordPower Things that are made by hands are called Handicrafts. We live in an age when most things of use such as clothes, utensils, bulbs, pens, paper, pins and phones are manufactured in factories. Things Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of knife and chisel and making wooden Handicrafts that are made by hand are therefore very few. Similarly, cloth woven by hand is called Handloom. There are virtually hundred of handicrafts that are practiced in different parts of the world. Let us learn words related to handicrafts this month. figure or figurine. It is also used to carve flowers and Handicraftsman / Artisan: One who practices the art of making things by hands. Pottery: Art of making pots by using the mud, porcelain or stone. But pottery is the place where pots are made. The articles so made are called pottery ware. Embroidery is the handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. It can also be done by using metal strips, beads, pearls, and sequins. Saddlemaking: The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. These are made of leather. Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. figures into plain surfaces of wood like doors, frames, beams etc. Sculpture: Sculpture is the art of making things as they look in three dimensional form in metal, stone, wood, clay or any other substance. Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn is used to create a cloth. Crochet : It is a process of creating fabric from yarn, thread, or other material strands using a crochet hook. Basket weaving, basketry, or basket making is the process of weaving pliable materials into a basket or other similar form. People and artists who weave baskets are called basket makers and basket weavers. Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble (or parison), with the aid of a blowpipe (or blow tube). A person who blows glass is called a glassblower, glassmith, or gaffer. him, often thought he was an elderly person. In 1904, people of Lahore invited him to speak at a huge gathering. Those who went to receive him at the railway station were disappointed to find a 16-year old boy stepping out of the train bogey. There was a mixed feeling of surprise as well as disappointment. He spoke for full two and half hour and the audience remained spellbound. The meeting was being presided by 67-year old Urdu poet Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali. At the end of the meeting, Hali hugged him and said: “My dear son! Though I am convinced that you are the same Azad whom we had read all these years, but my sense of wonderment simply refuses to vanish.” Azad joined the Indian National Congress in 1910 and plunged into the struggle for freedom of India. He would keep company with books and was very fond of drinking cups after cup of black tea and listening to music when he was alone. Azad had deep commitment to unity among Hindus and Muslims whom he considered a single nation. He began publishing a weekly journal Al-Hilal in 1912. Its circulation grew to 26,000 copies within a few months. The British were afraid of its popularity and imprisoned him for four years. He met Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 and both became staunch friends and believers in Hindu-Muslim amity. In 1923, Azad was made the President of the Indian National Congress, the youngest ever head of the party. He famously said in his presidential address in the party’s all India session: “If someone promises swarajya (self rule) to India within 24 hours only if the Congress Party gives up the idea of Hindu-Muslim unity, I would opt for unity rather than the swarajya. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad became the first Education Minister of India after Independence. He conceived and established several famous institutions such as University Grants Commission, Indian National Science Academy, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sahitya Akademi, Indian Council of Cultural Relations and several other institutions. Maulana Azad breathed his last on February 22, 1958 at the age of 70. His tomb is situated in the park in front of the majestic Jama Masjid in Delhi. His birthday is celebrated on every 11th November which is designated as ‘Education Day’ by the Government of India. (Compiled by: Maqbool Ahmed Siraj) CHILDREN'S CORNER What's Wrong with Grown-ups? According to a class full of tenyear-olds in a Sunday school class, these are the problems with grownups: 1. Grown-ups make promises, then they forget all about them, or else they say it wasn't really a promise, just a maybe. 2. Grown-ups don't do the things they're always telling the children to do--like pick up their things, or be neat, or always tell the truth. 3. Grown-ups won't let their children dress the way they want to--but they never ask a child's opinion about how they should dress. If they're going out to a party, grown-ups wear just exactly what they want to wear--even if it looks terrible, even if it isn't warm enough. 4. Grown-ups never really listen to what children have to say. They always decide ahead of time what they're going to answer. 5. Grown-ups make mistakes but they won't admit them. They always pretend that they weren't mistakes at all--or that somebody else made them. 6. Grown-ups interrupt children all the time and think nothing of it. If a child interrupts a grown-up, he gets a scolding or something worse. 7. Grown-ups never understand how much children want a certain thing--a certain color or shape or size. If it's something they don't admire--even if the children have spent their own money for it--they always say, "I can't imagine what you want with that old thing!" 8. Sometimes grown-ups punish children unfairly. It isn't right if Do YouKnow ISLAMIC VOICE, October 2014 What is the Constitution? 31 Galaxies and ‘Milky Way’ you've done something just a little A galaxy is a collection stars wrong and grownups take away as well as dust and gas clouds A Constitution is the most basic lay down regulations. After this, something that means an awful lot and is a ‘star system’. All document which lays down the various departments issue to you. Other times you can do principles followed by a country. Government Order (GO). All something really bad and they say It carries the essence of all that these are in accordance with the they're going to punish you, but a country stands by and commits spirit of the Constitutions. This they don't. You never know, and itself to observe and comply. Some entire procedure is called the you ought to know. people confuse the Constitution hierarchy of law. 9. Grown-ups talk about money with a book of law. But actually India has the largest written too much, and bills, and things like a Constitution provides the Constitution with 395 Articles. that, so that it scares you. They these are bound together by framework for law-making. In The US Constitution is the say money isn't gravitational pull. The galaxy making a Constitution, all people, shortest with only seven Articles. very important, but in which our earth is situated parties and groups are involved. There are certain countries where the way they talk is called ‘Milky Way’. It has It is not made by a ruling party there is no Constitution such about it, it sounds a diameter of about 120,000 or a Government. Most countries as Saudi Arabia. Firmans from like the most light years. It has billions of appoint a Constituent Assembly the King’s office are the law important thing in stars and there are billions of for this purpose. The laws are there. England has no written the world. such galaxies. then passed by the Parliament Constitution but the country is 10. Grown-ups There are more than 30 other on the basis of the Constitution. run on the basis of conventions gossip a lot--but galaxies near the Milky way Once laws are passed, the and traditions which nobody if children do the alone. The largest of them is Government and the ministries violates. very same thing Andromeda Galaxy. a n d say the same words about the same Advertising and propaganda propaganda purpose and do not Several plants can yield fuel that can be people they're being have a few things common allow the media to criticize used to run vehicles. This is called biofuel disrespectful. between them. Both use media them or their rule. The media or even bio-diesel. 11. Grown-ups pry and both are used to influence Several plants and trees such as Karanja into children's secrets. people and their attitudes. (in Hindi) or Honge (in Kannada) and They always think it's But the purpose behind them Jatropha yield pods with seeds which going to be something is different. Propaganda has when crushed, yield oil. This oil can be a bad. They never think political motives. Several it might be a nice dictators and super powers use surprise. it to project themselves as the 12. Grown-ups are benefactors of the people and always talking about their sole saviours. Advertising what they did and what is used for the acceptance and is instructed to publish their they knew when they sale of goods and services. Its pictures and curb the publication were ten years old--but motive is economic. Both use of material about their rivals. they never try to think the media like newspapers, Advertising is done by buying what it's like to be ten radio, TV, and Internet. space in newspapers or time on substitute for diesel. In several countries years old right now. All dictators use the media for the air in radio or TV. juices rich in sugar and carbohydrates are Does this sound used for making ethanol which too is used familiar to you? If it as fuel for vehicles. Sugarcane and does, it might interest corn (maize) are also a source for you to know that these these juices. complaints were made v The deepest point in all the city of Houston, the American city Normally a Karanja tree can yield in 1953--well over half oceans is the Mariana Trench in the in the state of Texas. enough seeds to produce 10 kgs to 50 a century ago. Just Pacific. It is 11 kilometre deep. kgs of biodiesel in a season. These what have we learned v Icebergs are broken pieces of trees grow abundantly in India. about being adults and ice from the glaciers near the two Since petrol is running out fast, the treating children over poles. Normally, only one-ninth of search for plants that can yield fuels the last five decades, the iceberg stays over the surface is increasing. It is estimated that if we continue to of the water i.e., if an iceberg is 2.6% of the fuel for road transport perpetuate some of the 100 metre high, the part under the v Rivers have one gram of salt in was provided by pants and trees in treatments that were a litre of water while the seawater sea is 800 metre deep. 2010. unfair so long ago? v Some icebergs are as big as the carries 35 grams of salt in a litre. Diesel from Plants Advertising and Propaganda Some Facts about the Seas