Articles

To begin with: Tamilnadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) strongly condemns Francois Gautier for his lies, innuendos and calumnies regarding his exhibition held at Chennai.

Darbhanga: Changes come with change of guard, almost everywhere but not in Bihar or at lease for madrasa teachers. When will Bihar’s government undertaking madrasa teachers get justice is a question Muslims are concerned over nowadays.

Presidential address by Marghub ur-Rahman, Rector of Dar ul-Ulum, Deoband.

Delivered at the "All-India Anti-Terrorism Convention", Organised by the Rabita-e Madaris-e Islamia Arabia at Deoband on 25 February, 2008. Translated from Urdu and edited and abridged by Yoginder Sikand

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds. May Peace be on the Prophet Muhammad and His progeny.

The mammoth 'Anti-Terrorism Convention' organised at Deoband late last month, which brought together ulema from all over the country, has received wide media coverage. While smaller conventions of this sort have been organized by other ulema bodies in recent years, this one, unlike others, caught the attention of the media particularly because it was organized by the Dar ul-Ulum Deoband, probably the largest traditional madrasa in the world, which large sections of the media have been unfairly berating as the 'hub' of 'terrorism'.

Jerusalem: Every few days, Israel's prime minister repeats his commitment to freeze West Bank settlements and remove illegal outposts. Such commitments and statements from successive Israeli governments have been a part of our lives since the 1993 Oslo agreement.

We had nearly finished getting our gear off the stage when someone from the audience came up to congratulate us on our show. After telling us how much he enjoyed the music and video projection, he added, with a slightly troubled look on his face: "…but I have a problem. Isn't it somehow wrong to dance to music that deals with the Palestinian cause?" He explained that while he found himself dancing to some of the more up-beat songs, he could not help asking himself whether it was okay to dance to the message our music embodies.

On Feb 14.2008, Saw Yan Naing of The Irrawaddy News ran a report along with an AFP's picture (as above) of some children of Burma standing behind bars with other detainees in a crowded detention cell in Mae Sot, Thailand, saying that thirty-one Burmese illegal migrants—including three children and 18 women—were arrested by Thai police on Feb 12 after smugglers transported them to Ranong Province in Thailand. (Source Link: http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=%2010386)

Recently, three young men were arrested in Hubli and Honnali towns in the southern Indian state of Karnataka on charges of vehicle theft. Since all of them happened to belong to the Muslim community, within a day of their arrests, police sources leaked to the media that they suspected the trio might be involved in planning terrorist attacks all over the country.

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Much is being written these days on globalization and its effects as well as Islam and challenges of globalization. Yet much more is needed to be written to cover various aspects. Globalization has emerged as a major challenge for religions in general and Islam in particular. Before we deal with these challenges, we would like to throw light on the nature of globalization itself so that we can comprehend the challenge better.

To the uninitiated, no two religions could be as far apart as Jainism and Islam. The former, carries the principals of non-violence to the extreme, wherein even the lowest life forms such as insects are not to be harmed; while in the latter consumption of certain birds and animals for food is a part of everyday life.

Nagaland is back on national radar for the simple reason that elections are being held there. I was seeing a long news clip that brought out different facets of this state. One that makes me to comment on this issue is about the youth of Nagaland who to me seem look like belonging more to the globalize world than to any tiny geographical entity that's sandwiched between India and Burma.

India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) `successfully' conducted its first test of a ballistic missile from an undersea platform on Feb 26. A beaming Dr Prahlada, DRDO chief controller, proudly announced the launch of the "nuclear capable" missile from a submerged pontoon off India's south-east coast near the port city of Visakhapatnam.

It is imperative to see that even some hard core BJP sevaks are speaking about organizing debate on mutual understanding among Hindus and Muslims in India after the Anti-Terrorism Deoband Conference on 25 February. It is also appreciable that national and international media both print and electronic are taking the 'Deoband Declaration' with the same letter and spirit that the issue actually deserved.

In current times the popular perceptions in the major parts of the World including India, Islam and Muslims have become synonymous with terrorism. There is an act of blast, and the finger of suspicion points to some descript or non-descript Muslim named group. Many of these groups are so 'helpful' to the investigating authorities that they leave their dairies, and identification mark for making the investigation for police an easy job.

The budget 2008-09 has taken the necessary steps to boost consumer demand and revive manufacturing in the light of emerging global slowdown and inflationary pressures. The strategy to revise upwards the slabs for personal income tax, reduce excise on key items and reduce Cenvat from 16 percent to 14 percent will help bolster flagging consumer demand, and consequently favourably impact the consumer durables segment.

Ever heard a Hindu by the surname Peer, Wali or Khan? Or imagine a Muslim carrying his last name as Rishi or Pandit…… Sounds incredible but it is a common feature in Kashmir, where unlike in other parts of the country, Muslims and Hindus have been sharing the same surnames since ages.

India which teaches world the lesson of love, harmony, tolerance and co-existence, is passing through a phase of political infection these days. There is no doubt that there is an atmosphere of peace prevalent in the greatest democracy of the world. At the same time, however, some extremist powers and organizations are active spreading poison in the name of religion, and many a time undertake violent and inhuman activities which worry the peace-loving society of the country.

Recently the BJP ruled Uttarakhand Government (Feb 2008) has announced that it will procure cow's urine, on the pattern similar to the procurement of milk by dairies, refine it and sell it to Ayurvedic pharmacies. Other BJP ruled Governments are also working on similar lines.

The way Raj Thackeray has provoked street violence in Mumbai and the way state government handled it has indeed shamed all those who stand for democracy and peace. It is not for the first time that peace in Mumbai has been broken. Citizens of Mumbai have experienced it time and again. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is after all offshoot of Shivsena and Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackeray's guru and his ideological inspiration, has done it many number of times.

65 year-old Naseeb Khan recently arranged for his son Prakash Singh to marry Sita, daughter of Ram Singh and his wife Reshma. Three months ago, Hemant Singh's daughter Devi married Lakshman Singh in a nikah ceremony solemnized by a Muslim maulvi. Naseeb Singh's elder son Roshan had a Muslim-style nikah, and his younger son Iqbal got married in the Hindu fashion.

During the World War II days British Prime Minister Winston Churchill used to begin his speech on the radio saying – Ladies and Gentleman lend me your ears … The same call is needed for some disturbing news that has come out from the different parts of the country very recently.

The communal violence in India has been a festering sore on its body politic. Due to its peculiar nature, the crimes are not registered-investigated and guilty are usually not punished. The state while sloppy in these matters has been forced to appoint the inquiry commissions in to the violence, mainly due to public pressure. Most of the inquiry commissions have met with indifference from the political-administrative-legal system. The fate of Srikrishna Commission is no different. Its recommendations have not been honored so far.

The problem of caste among Indian Muslims is gaining increased scrutiny after a series of political and judicial events--the most recent being the Supreme Court's notice to the Union government on the status of 'low-caste' Muslims of Maharashtra. The traditional response of the Muslim community has been to shove the issue under the rug and charge those who dare to challenge the status-quo as indulging in anti-Islamic activity.

The religious education system of Mappila Muslims, who make up almost a quarter of Kerala population, needs a separate and profound study that will shed light on various unique features of the system and on how it differs from the Islamic education system prevalent elsewhere in India.

After the award of the 'Citation of Excellence' for Promotion of Human Rights by the JNU Centre For Human Rights Teaching & Research, presented by Justice P.N. Bhagwati on 10th December 2007, AMU's Vice-Chancellor Prof. P.K. Abdul Azis presented a memento to me in a felicitation program on 26th January 2008. The program was held for the first time in the history of the university to give recognition to those teachers and students who brought laurels to the university in 2007.

In October 2006, a group of women from the Holy Land gathered in Colorado to co-create a Middle Eastern village experience—living, eating, and learning together. The women came from a wide variety of backgrounds: Jewish (several were religious, others secular and some pagan), Arab (Druze, Muslim, Christian and pagan), as well as women from the US with a range of cultural identities.

I have often made the statement that the destinies of the Israeli and Palestinian people are inextricably linked and that there is no military solution to the conflict. My recent acceptance of Palestinian nationality has given me the opportunity to demonstrate this more tangibly.

London : All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is back in news again, and this time apparently for good reasons – unity- which it desperately needs in order to arrest its fast deteriorating image and standing. For the past many years it has been war of attrition and allegations against each other which dominated politics of APHC groups.

Keeping its promise to share the fruit of development with all section of society, the UPA government at centre on Wednesday generously approved a handsome amount for the educational upliftement of minorities in the country.

Even 40 years after the occupation, Israel has failed to extend basic services to Arabs of East Jerusalem. A study recently published found that Arabs residing in the area receive lower quality of medical care compared to Jews.

The study conducted by Israeli scientists in four local hospitals found that Arabs who were recently diagnosed for diabetes received lower quality of care compared to Jewish patients. This difference was more contrasting among Arab women.

Author of almost a hundred books, the late Maulana Shihabuddin Nadwi of Bangalore (1931-2002) is best remembered for his efforts to develop what he regarded as a 'scientific' framework of Quranic exegesis, being one of the few contemporary South Asian ulema to have worked in this field. His books and the institution that he founded—the Furqania Academy—were devoted to the elaboration of a 'scientific' Islamic theology (kalam) as well as 'scientific' explanations of various Islamic beliefs, laws and practices.

Finally, at least in one case amongst the thousands that occurred in the State-sponsored communal genocide in Gujarat in 2002, justice appears to have been done. The special court in Mumbai, designated by the Supreme Court, to conduct the trial in some of the most gruesome incidents of communal carnage, has sentenced eleven out of the twelve guilty to life imprisonment in the Bilkis Bano gang rape and massacre case. In addition, one police officer was sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment on charges of complicity.

Despite nourishing two different faiths and living in two divided parts of the State throughout their lives yet the two Octogenarians from Jammu and Kashmir had a unique thing in common…… they had wished to go back to their roots and to die in their ancestral lands under the control of India and Pakistan.

After a long time one has come across the delivery of justice in the cases pertaining to Gujarat carnage. Bilkis Bano, a pregnant young woman was gang raped and her family was wiped out in the Gujarat carnage, which was engineered on the pretext of Godhra train burning. Despite all the obstacles posed by Gujarat police and state, finally her tormentors have been held guilty (18 th Jan 2008) and given the punishment.

Riazuddin Ahmed lost his parents and a sister in the ghastly Nellie Massacre. But he has fought against all odds to revive the spirit to live. He has set up COMTI, a one man mission to compile biographies of Indian Muslim personalities whose contributions need to be remembered by the society.

Not much wrong are those who say that Urdu lovers, particularly Muslims who know Urdu, are themselves to blame for the slow death of one of the sweetest languages on Earth. If not sure, take a look at the recently held Urdu Day program in Patna, Bihar.

The program was organized at Sri Krishna Memorial Hall to mark the first official and 82nd birthday of former state cabinet minister Dr. Ghulam Sarwar.

Hajj is the most important travel in a Muslim’s lifetime, and for most of us it is once-in-a-lifetime travel. Some wait for years to save money and be free from obligations so that they can carry out this religious obligation with spiritual sprit and peace. It, therefore, comes as a surprise to hear of incidents wherein Hajis and their relatives get into arguments, heated exchange and even physical violence.