In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Fear of the New, Glamour of the Past
Muslims have an ingrained tendency to see ethicality
in primitive ethos and shunning the modernity for the
moral dilemmas it poses. This wouldn’t help.
By Maqbool Ahmed Siraj
Some people and even communities
enjoy the addiction of living in
the past. For them, past is always
ideal, glorious, heroic, pious, and
worth emulating. No wonder then
why they tend to revert to the past
precedents rather than employing
creativity in finding their way out
of the maze of challenges.
Such people have a negative
attitude towards all that the science
and technology and the human
thought has to offer. They perceive
threat of impurity in the new ideas
and see danger lurking in there for
their religious beliefs, moral order
and civilized behaviour. New
mores appear bereft of civility to
them. They see nothing positive
in ideas emerging from the world
of academies and universities;
gadgets and gizmos, products and
processes being thrown up by labs
and manufactories. For them, the
past is ever-shining, suffused with
morality, modesty and majesty
and present is morbid, macabre,
cruel and crafty. Any thought
of changing the way they think,
resolve issues and innovate simply
depresses them.
Such people and communities
are blind to new realities. They
are ever immersed in discovering
solutions in the past. Primitive
mores and methods resonate with
New technology
and evolving
human thought
throws up new
comforts as well
as challenges.
The larger
question then to
ask is: Should
we shun the new
liberties fearing
vulnerabilities of
the process?
ethicality for them. They would
think that the men and leaders
of the past could do no wrong;
1
Bengaluru
English Monthly
No. 348 Safar/Rabiul Awwal 1437 H
they were steeped in morality and
anything that questioned their
infallibility needs to be rejected
with all the disdain at one’s
disposal. Dwelling in the heavy of
haze of the past, they are laconic to
the changes at best or pessimistic
at the worst. Some individuals
of the kind are found among all
communities. But if nations were
to be afflicted with the syndrome,
it is time to sit up and take notice.
A careful analysis would reveal
that Muslims have inherited these
traits in ample measure and that is
one among the maladies that ails
the community.
Nostalgia is fine
Being wistful is human and
nostalgia is natural. In some
measure, every individual is
charmed by the memories of the
past. Reminiscent of the childhood
days, one would always think that
sky of that era was much bluer
during the days and studded
with many more stars during the
nights. One would also remember
longingly of the warm embrace of
his or her mother; crisp smell of
Page 14
Imam, Rabbi And Pastor
Join Hands In Powerful
Display Of Unity
By Antonia Blumberg
Pitfalls and Promise of Fear in
Our Traditions and World.”
"Today we lift up the ashes of our
loss," said Schnitzer during the
service. "The lives that continue,
haunted forever by the pain of
The November 13 terrorist
attacks in Paris has left the world
reeling. Once again, religion is
at the crux of a tragedy that has
threatened
to
tear the global
community
apart.
But in Bethesda,
Maryland,
Muslim, Jewish
and Christian
leaders
stood
together
to
share a message
of
solidarity. Rabbi Schnitzer, Dr. Tarek Elgawhary and Pastor David Gray
Bradley Hills
pray together.
Presbyterian
Church hosted
an
interfaith
service
on
Sunday, joined
by members of
the
Bethesda
J e w i s h
Congregation
and the Islamic
Community Center of Potomac. absence, we lift up the ashes of our
Dr. Tarek Elgawhary of the remorse. For the charred visions
ICCP, Rabbi Schnitzer of BJC of peace and the dry taste of fear,
and Pastor David Gray of BHPC we lift up the ashes of our grief."
led the congregation through The service included music and
a conversation entitled, “The
Page 9
PHOTO COURTESY: BRADLEY HILLS
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
32 Pages
Rs. 20
December 2015
Vol. 28-12
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
profile
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
2
Imran Khan of Alwar
A Self-learner’s Tryst with Mobile Apps
By Maqbool Ahmed Siraj
It was a rare honour for
M o h a m m e d
Imran Khan, a
Mathematics
teacher from Alwar
district of Rajasthan.
Prime Minister Mr.
Narendra
Modi
heaped praise on
the young man
while speaking to
a crowd of Indian
diaspora at Wembley in London
on November 13. Developer of
52 unique educational Apps,
Imran Khan was suddenly thrust
in Alwar district. His family
hails from Khareda gram, 25
kilometres from Alwar town. He
clarifies that he
is not a Sanskrit
teacher as has
been projected in
the mainstream
media but teaches
in Government
Sanskrit School
where Sanskrit
is offered as
an
additional
language besides all usual
subjects. According to him,
Rajasthan has an old system
of these schools which are on
Imran Khan’s learner Apps had three crore views
and have been installed by 30 lakh people.
into international limelight.
Son of a Mewati farmer couple
Suleman Khan and Ashrafi, Imran
had no degree in Information
Technology. Though he has two
post graduate degrees in English
and Economics, his computer and
IT knowledge is self-acquired.
The 37-year old Imran khan
teaches in Government Sanskrit
School in Jaton Ka Bas village
par with the other matriculation
schools.
Web to Mobile Apps
It was about ten years ago that
Imran began tinkering with
Internet and exploring ways to
learn creation of websites. Having
learnt the skill from the Internet,
he created almost a hundred
websites for various schools, all
free of charge. But once while he
was making a presentation before
A. T. Pednekar, collector of Alwar
district, he was advised by him to
shift to developing mobile Apps
as websites were no longer the
far installed these mobile Apps
from his website and there have
been three crore views so far.
He has mainly Hindi medium
students as his audience and
as well as with pictures for the
learners. His App called ‘General
Science in Hindi’ alone is being
used by seven lakh people, he
informs.
Imran Khan was thrust in international limelight
when Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to
him at Wembley Stadium in London. Union Telecom
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad spoke to the youth
and announced a free broadband connection.
National Exposure
Major breakthrough came when
the Union HRD Minister Ms.
Smirti Irani invited her to make
a presentation of his Apps at
Vigyan Bhavan at the ICT
Conference on November 7. It
is from there that Prime Minister
Mr. Narendra Modi came to
know of him and referred his
name to a vast audience of
Indians at London asking
people to invest in ‘Make
in India’.
Talking to this scribe,
Imran’s elder brother
Ismail Khan said, Imran
was a topper all through
the school and college.
Surprisingly, the Meo
Muslim family has several
graduates. Ismail is himself a
lecturer in Government Senior
Secondary School (i.e., Pre
University College). Another
brother Ishaq Khan is an engineer
while a third brother Idris is an
Page 6
handy tool. He took the help of
engineering textbooks and began
developing mobile Apps from
2012. First of them
was ‘NCERT Learn
Science’. Then there
was no stopping him.
Between then and now
he has come up with
52 mobile Apps which
can be downloaded on
android phones and do
away with the need of
Internet connectivity
and serve as a great teaching aid
for rural areas.
30 Lakh Users
Imran Khan told Islamic Voice
over phone from his village,
nearly 30 lakh people have so
has developed Apps such as
‘GK
Hindi’
(GK=General
Knowledge); ‘RAS Teacher’
(RAS=Rajasthan Administrative
Services); ‘Learn Science’,
and Apps for Political Science,
Mathematics, Geography and all
kinds of competitive exams etc.
Imran says the lessons are served
in the Question & Answer format
INVENTIONS & INNOVATIONS
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
RFID Model Fetches Rs. 23 Lakh for Syed Aurangzeb
3
The RFID Model which is in the process of being patented, enables detection of human
beings at a particular location.
Ujire:
An
RFID
model
prepared by Syed Aurangzeb,
a Pre University student
at the Shree Dharmasthala
Manjunatheshwara PU College
in Ujire in DK District of
Karnataka has fetched Rs. 23
lakh for the youth by way of
awards, stipends and monetary
assistance.
The
Radio
Frequency
Identification (RFID) model was
presented at the international
level Science Model Competition
organised by the Indian Institute
of Technology, Hyderabad last
month.
the process of being patented,
enables detection of human
beings at a particular location. In
entry and exit at the worksite.
It can even enable people to
locate their pets and alert about
The model received Rs. 18 lakh
from American College Council,
a sum of Rs. 5 lakh from IITDelhi and Rs. 20,000 from
Government of Karnataka.
The RFID Model which is in
wearable mode, it can monitor a
person's presence at a particular
location. It can enable firms,
workshops and factories to
monitor their workers' presence,
the precise timing of work, their
their straying, and can even be
fixed on inmates in jail, remand
homes and other such places.
Hooked to the cloud computing,
it can store nearly one terabyte of
information.
Further research is being
conducted on the device at the
AIIMS College, Delhi.
Syed Aurangzeb is son of Nayyara
Banu and her late husband Syed
Ali of Benton Halli village in
Bellur taluk of Hassan district.
SDM College of Belthangady is
known for its serious academic
record and extremely disciplined
students. It is run by Swamiji
Shri Veerendra Heggade of
Dharmasthala Mutt.
Principal of the College has
complimented Syed Aurangzeb
for the innovation. n
(By A Staff Writer)
SOCIETY & HUMANITY
Twocircles.net
Delhi: For Mohammed Faisal
Nawaz, time is almost always at
a premium. A 32-year-old resident
4
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
On a Positive Mission for Women
Faisal Nawaz’s deformity means he can barely eat much or anything at all without
using his ventilator, a life-supporting instrument which helps him breathe normally.
Despite this, He aims to empower Muslim Women in Delhi.
and scoliosis deformity via www.
scoliosisindia.blogspot.com. He
has also received recognition
from IIM Bangalore- My Choice
for Equality- for his efforts.
But the project closest to his heart
is the 'Light for Life' which he
started in Jafrabad, that aims to
help Muslim girls and women
focus on health, human rights,
education and employment under
the banner of Foundation for
Indian Integration and Rights
(FIIR). Through this project, he
has positively impacted more than
100 lives to date and continues
to make inspiring interventions
to improve the lives of people
around his area.
Nawaz Refuses to Sit Idle
Nothing came easy to Nawaz. His
disability and his religion helped
little. “Since childhood, I was
discriminated either because of
my disability or because of my
religion in Delhi. I was rejected
admission in some government
school just because I was Muslim
and later all my education
was completed in Muslim
environment/college/university,”
he told Twocircles.net. Nawaz
Page 14
Nawaz addressing the students at the
FIIR centre
R
IN SE
1986
Seair Haj Services
CE SINC
VI
E
of Jaffrabad, Delhi, Nawaz barely
has spare time because he clearly
is a man on a mission. Sample
this: Nawaz is differently-abled,
suffering from polio and scoliosis,
a term used to describe any
abnormal, sideways curvature of
the spine and underwent many lifethreatening spinal surgeries. But
before you decide to sympathise,
stop. Despite these hindrances, his
works and achievements can make
you positively jealous. He recently
joined as an officer in a PSU, he
covers news on global disability
via an online portal www.
abilitykhabarnama.blogspot.com,
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ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Indonesia Stands for
Moderation
The concept of moderation in
Islam, which was introduced
in Malaysia is in line with the
concept of ‘Islam Nusantara’ in
Indonesia, said Indonesia’s
Vice-President Jusuf Kalla.
He said both concepts had
proved that Muslims in
both countries rejected any
form of extremism and
chose to live in a peaceful
country. “Indonesia and Malaysia
are peaceful nations, there is
no radicalism in Islam and we
are not failed nations. We have
moderate views,” he said. “There
are some Muslim groups which
are radical and it can happen
anywhere, people are afraid, not
just people in Europe,
but even Muslims are
afraid. They resort to
bombings such as in
Pakistan, Yemen, and
Syria,” he said. Jusuf
said all Muslims must
work together to stop radicalism
in Muslim countries. (Extracted
from themalaymailonline.com/
world) n
Saudi Woman Elected as UN Urbanization Panel Adviser
Jeddah: A Saudi woman has been
elected into the United Nations
Habitat Youth Advisory Board for
a two-year term as an adviser on
the Future Saudi Cities Program,
Arab News reported.
According to Dar Al-Hekma
University, Lama Al-Sharif is the
only representative from the Gulf
in the board, and she is one of
16 young people voted onto the
advisory board from the 600 who
applied worldwide.
The president of Dar Al-Hekma
University praised Al-Sharif,
saying that the institution was
proud to have helped her develop
skills needed for the “real world”.
USAID Provides Technical Support to
Jordanian National Commission for Women
Amman:
Jordanian
National Commission
for Women (JNCW)
and USAID signed an
agreement to provide
JNCW with technical
support, communications
and networking through
the USAID Takamol
Program, Petra news
agency reported. USAID Takamol
aims to support JNCW's role as the
primary national policy institution
5
safeguarding women's rights and
gender equality in Jordan. In
the presence of Princess Basma
Bint Talal and U.S. Ambassador
to Jordan, Alice Well, JNCW
Secretary General Dr. Salma
Nims said this agreement sheds
light on JNCW's role in advancing
the role of Jordanian women in
sustainable and inclusive national
development. n
Al-Sharif graduated with
a bachelor’s degree in
Management
Information
Systems from Dar Al-Hekma
University and earned a
diploma in international
relations and diplomacy from
the American University
of Tufts. She has recently
completed her Masters in
International Relations from Dar
Al-Hekma University.
Al-Sharif
is
the
founder
and
manager
of
Shababuna
Consultancy Firm
and
Awareness
Program
and
Forum,
which
focuses on youth
empowerment, and has been
involved in volunteer projects
since she was 11. n
Anglican Archbishops Meet
Grand Imam of Al-Azhar
Cairo: Alliances were formed
for peace between Muslims
and Christians in Sudan,
the Middle East, Archbishop
Mouneer
Anis,
organised
meetings between Anglican
Photo Credit: Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa
South Sudan and Malaysia.
The Primate of Jerusalem and
leaders and the Grand Iman of
Page 19
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Etihad Airways Awarded for Humanitarian
Efforts in Nepal
Abu Dhabi:
UAE's Etihad
Airways has recently received an
award for its efforts following the
Nepal earthquake disaster in April
this year.
The award was presented by Airlink,
which is a nonprofit humanitarian
organization that connects airlines
with prequalified nonprofits.
When a 7.8 magnitude earthquake
struck central Nepal on 25th April
this year, Airlink contacted Etihad
Airways to request flight tickets
for volunteers. Etihad Airways
provided 54 flight tickets for aid
workers from the USA, Europe,
and Australia to fly to Kathmandu.
Etihad Airways President and
Chief Operations Officer James
Nuremberg: Saudi inventors
have recently won two gold, three
silver, and two bronze medals
Page 2
Hogan said: "The relationship
with Airlink is an important one,
which allows us to provide rapid
and essential logistic assistance
to those in most need through the
wider NGO network." This support
was part of a larger relief program
initiated by Etihad Airways to help
Rabat: Morocco will launch a
project to significantly reduce
electricity consumption in 15,000
mosques across the Kingdom.
The project, which will
be accomplished over the
next five years, comes
within the framework of a
national strategy to reduce
40 percent of electricity
consumption
in
all
mosques, and the creation
of the green spaces, based on
a study of energy investment
company.
A study, conducted by the Ministry
of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs,
has revealed the possibility of
reducing energy consumption
themed
"Ideas,
Inventions,
New Products" (iENA) in
Germany between October 30
and November 2, Arab
News reported.
The Saudi inventors
represented
various
technical institutions
in
the
Kingdom
under the umbrella
of the Technical and
Vocational
Training
Corporation (TVTC),.
They competed with 700
inventions from 36 countries
from across the world. The event
was mainly organized by iENA,
and it was co-organized with
Romania World Organization
for Scientific and Technical
Excellence, Bosnian Inventors
of the Future Organization,
Technical College for Creativity
and Innovation in Germany,
Union of Inventors in Taiwan,
World Federation of Unions
Inventors, Austrian Organization
for Innovation and Invention,
and patent representatives from
Gulf Council Cooperation. n
Repel Evil with What is Good!
Apps. In fact no moment was dull
in his life. He would also gather
poor children in the school on
Sundays and make them interact
with VIPs and other people who
could be role models. Imran says,
he likes challenges in life and
without challenges he cannot
survive.
gift was announced to him by
no less than the Union Telecom
Minister Mr. Ravi Shankar
Prasad by making him a personal
call.
Imran says he has no ambition
other than removing digital
divide in India and make it a
homogenously informed society.
Imran can be reached on cell
phone: 0-97859-84283, website
www.imran.gktalk.com, email :
Emailimrankhanonnet@gmail.
com, Address: 21-Laxminagar,
Alwar, Rajasthan. n
Tryst with Mobile Apps ...
engineer with the Indian Oil
Corporation, a public sector
company. Idris’ wife Shakila is a
lecturer in a Government Senior
Secondary School.
No Moment was Dull
Imran’s 14-year old daughter
Samia is already helping her
father in designing the title page
of the Apps. Ismail says Imran
was a hardworking guy from
the beginning. He would open
his computer at 5 am and read
newspapers and update the GK
Morocco to Launch Energy-Saving
Project for 15,000 Mosques
the people of Nepal. It included
the donation of 5,000 blankets
that were transported to Nepal
by Emirates Red Crescent; the
collection of over 270,000 dirhams
raised by staff through various
fund-raising activities; and the
provision of over 10,000 kilograms
of free-of-charge excess baggage
to passengers to carry relief and
emergency aid into the country.
The award was presented to Linden
Coppell, head of Sustainability
at Etihad Airways, at the Airline
Economics Conference in Hong
Kong. n
Saudi Inventors Win Seven Medals at
iENA-2015 Expo
for their brilliant innovations
at the International Trade Fair
6
Free Broadband Connection
Following Mr. Modi’s reference,
the Union Telecom Ministry
provided him a free broadband
connection on November 14. The
in Moroccan mosques by 40
percent, through the installation
of solar panels in the mosques
and replacing the existing light
bulbs with energy-saving ones, in
addition to using solar-powered
water heaters.
The project, to be launched
soon, will cover in its first stage
100 mosques in nine Moroccan
cities. n
Susan Carland has donated $1,000 to UNICEF in
response to the mean tweets she's received.
By Amanda Bell
Australian
academic
Susan
Carland has been on the receiving
end of an endless barrage of
voracious hate tweets for one
solitary reason: She’s Muslim.
Susan, a Social Sciences lecturer
at Monasch University, recently
wrote about her experience
receiving a constant stream of
“toxicity” on her Twitter and
Facebook feeds in The Sydney
Morning Herald. The abuse she
has received from online trolls
ranged from negative comments
about her beliefs — “anonymous
accounts telling me that, as a
Muslim woman, I love oppression,
murder, war, and sexism” — to
style tips and thoughts on how
she must behave.
Susan wrote that this made her
feel like “just a blank canvas onto
which they can project their own
prejudices and fantasies about
Muslims” and that her attempts
to engage some of the anonymous
sources of these comments in
a thoughtful debate “achieved
nothing.”
“Their online abuse ranges from
requests to leave Australia, hope
for my death, insults about my
appearance (with a special focus
on my hijab), accusations that I
am a stealth jihadist, and that I am
planning to take over the nation,”
wrote Carland. “As I browsed
some of their Twitter timelines,
I noticed just how many of the
tweets they sent out were full of
rage, scattered at any recipient
they could find. It seemed that
as people so full of darkness,
they could only see darkness in
others.” Rather than fall into the
rabbit hole of internet spats or
disappearing from social media
altogether, Susan decided to take
all of the lemons thrown at her
Page 7
from here and there
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Couple Feeds 4,000 Syrian Refugees on Wedding Day
7
Kilis has been a central crossing point for the flood of Syrians arriving in Turkey.
A couple in Turkey swapped out
lavish nuptials with their friends
and family for the bread line with
thousands of Syrian refugees.
Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra
Polat doled out food to 4,000
Syrian refugees for their wedding
reception on the border town of
Kilis. The bride wore an elaborate
white dress, with a tiara perched
on her headdress, and the groom
sported a white tuxedo with black
trim. They stood behind large
food trucks distributing meals to
hungry Syrians. The couple had
decided that instead of hosting
their friends and family for a
traditional banquet reception, they
would feed the victims of a civil
war next door.
The idea came from the groom’s
father, who volunteers for a Turkish
relief organization called Kimse
Yok Mu (KYM). For the past
few years, KYM has distributed
daily meals to the thousands of
impoverished Syrians who have
flooded across the nearby border.
He approached a representative of
the organization and proposed that
the family would cover part of the
costs of feeding refugees for the
day (the family did
not want to reveal the
exact cost). “I thought
that sharing a big
delicious dinner with
our family and friends
was
unnecessary,
knowing that there are
so many people in need
living next door,” he
told the Independent
blog i100.
Then he told his son,
who was surprised by the prospect,
but soon won over.
“When he told that to the bride
This Little Boy Emptied His Piggy Bank
To Help A Defaced Mosque
Thank you, Jack!
A string of Islamophobic incidents have been reported since the massacre in
Paris last fortnight, but at least one little boy in Texas knows the attackers don't
represent the world's 1.6 billion Muslims.
By Lydia O'Connor
When 7-year-old Jack Swanson of Pflugerville, Texas, found out that a local mosque had been splattered
with feces and desecrated with torn pages of the Quran, he emptied the $20 from his piggy bank and
donated it to the congregation, according to NBC affiliate KXAN.
"We were talking in the car how someone smeared poop on their church and that was a really, really
awful thing to do and we had a good conversation what churches are for and how everybody's churches
are important," Jack's mother, Laura Swanson, told KXAN. "I think it's really good to get kids involved
and to let them know what the important stuff really is." Faisal Naeem, a board member at the defaced
Islamic Center of Pflugerville, said he has a son around Jack's age and was moved by the gesture. "It's
20 bucks, but coming from Jack collecting his pennies it's worth 20 million bucks to me and to our
community," Naeem told KXAN. "This gives me hope because this means it's not one versus the other."
Pflugerville, which is near Austin, is not the only city where Muslim institutions have been targeted since
the Paris attacks. A mosque in Ontario, Canada, was deliberately set on fire, and several mosques received
threatening calls in Florida.
Texas is one of many states whose governors declared their desire to reject the resettling of Syrian
refugees within their borders. Gov. Greg Abbott sent President Barack Obama a letter arguing that such
"American humanitarian compassion could be exploited to expose Americans to similar deadly danger."
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/texas-mosque-piggy-)
she was really shocked because,
you can imagine, as a bride you
wouldn’t think about this—it’s
all about you and your groom,”
says Hatice Avci, the international
communications manager for
KYM.
So, they arrived at
KYM’s distribution center to
spend the day serving food and
taking photographs with their
grateful recipients. “Hopefully
this will also give the start for
Page 6
other wedding dinners to be
held here with our brothers in
Syria,” the groom told local
news.
Kilis has been a central
crossing point for the flood
of Syrians arriving in Turkey.
The city’s official population
is 108,000, but it hosts
123,000 Syrians. Early on, it
was set up with a camp with
containers for temporary
shelter, but many refugees
live in the urban areas where
access to humanitarian assistance
can be unreliable. The number
of Syrians now living in Turkey
is nearing 2 million. The newly
married couple were still pleased
with their decision to forsake a
personal celebration for one with
a greater good. (Extracted from
http://www.thedailybeast.com/
articles)
Repel Evil with ...
and make some sweet lemonade,
so to speak.
Declaring her intention to follow a
Quranic philosophy to “repel evil
with what is better,” Susan decided
to donate $1 for every hateful tweet
she received on her feed, and after
several months, she’s now reached
the $1,000 mark.
It means that she has tallied up
1,000 hurtful tweets flung at her
over this time period. But at the
same time, Susan Carland has
made something beneficial of
the blind hatred that lurks in her
life. “Their hate doesn’t define
me; my beliefs do. And so what
my response should be is clear,”
Susan wrote.
(www.mtv.com/news)
FOCUS
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Voices Against Terrorism
8
Shocked by the heinous attack in Paris by radical
extremists, leaders and organizations from across
the world send their messages of condolences and
condemnations.
Arab States
Condemn Paris
Attacks
American Muslim
Institution Condemns
Paris Terror Attacks
Criminal Acts of
Terrorism in Violation of
All Ethics
By Mike Ghouse
Washington, DC: It has been a difficult evening
for the entire humanity to watch terrorists barge
in places and shoot people randomly. Over
a hundred people have become the victims
of terror and another hundred are wounded.
While the French authorities have not formally
ascribed responsibility for this act of terror to
any particular group - it appears to have been
committed by Islamist extremists. Regardless
of the religious affiliation the perpetrators
may claim, we strongly condemn this heinous
terrorist crime.
We applaud the French Police for doing their
best to cut down on the loss of innocent lives
and finally removing the immediate threat to
lives. We stand with the people and Government
of France as they deal with this tragic event
and bring the people behind this terrorist act to
account. Our thoughts and prayers go out for the
victims and their surviving relatives. May God
give them immense patience to cope with this
tragedy.
As Muslims, we are deeply offended and
condemn this act of terrorism against innocent
pof teople; they have violated every societal
norm as well as the rules laid by the very faith
they claim to belong. This is not the act of a
Muslim, but of rogues who claim to follow the
The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt is illuminated with the Egyptian French, Lebanese and
Russian Flags in Solidarity with the Victims of attacks in Paris and Beirut and the Russian
Plane Crash in Northern Sinai
faith. The Quran (5:32) says, "If
anyone slays a person, it would be
as if he slew the whole people: and
if any one saved a life, it would
be as if he saved the life he whole
people."
We have to tackle this issue head
on, and cut the roots of extremism,
while we are doing that, prayers
and a candle vigil gives us some
coherence. The children need to be
with us to reassure them that God
is a higher power and it gives hope
and relief to all of us. Lighting a
candle is telling ourselves that we
have taken the first smallest step
that we can actually take, and hope
and pray to find larger solutions.
(Mike@
AmericanMuslimInstitution.org)
A Cruel and Senseless Murder
By Dr. William Vendley (Secretary General)
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar
and Egypt have been among the Arab
states, leading condemnations of the
simultaneous attacks in Paris. Saudi
Arabia’s foreign minister gave a statement
on the attacks, as he arrived in Vienna
for talks on ending Syria’s civil war. “I
wanted to express our condolences to the
government and people of France for the
heinous terrorist attacks that took place
which are in violation and contravention
of all ethics, morals and religions,” Adel
Al-Jubeir told reporters.
Qatar’s foreign minister said the attacks
violate all human and moral values. “The
state of Qatar, through its foreign minister,
strongly condemns these heinous attacks
that have struck the French capital causing
so many victims,” Khaled Al-Attiyah
said in a statement. “These acts, which
target stability and security in France are
against all human and moral values,” he
added. In a statement from the UAE press
agency, President Sheikh Khalifa Bin
Zayed Al Nahyan offered his condolences
Religions for Peace is filled with sorrow for the innocent people killed in France. We
cry out in anguish over their blood, which was shed to terrorize and
divide people. We are in prayerful solidarity with their families and
loved ones. It saddens us unspeakably whenever religion is twisted
and distorted to justify violence. Morally united across all our diverse
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
religious traditions, we utterly reject and condemn violence committed
On November 13, 2015 a group of terrorists
in the name of religion. Not only is it profoundly cruel, cowardly and
mounted unprecedented attacks on several sites in
misguided; it is also a criminal behavior that needs to be addressed by
and around the French capital, killing about 150
all due legal means. Together, we firmly reject the attempts to polarize
people and seriously injuring scores of others.
and divide our religious communities. Are we to let these cruel and
Without doubt, an attack of this kind is highly
senseless murders fuel distrust and cycles of violence amongst diverse
condemnable.
religious, cultural and political communities? With a single heart, we
A witness to one of the shootings at a concert
answer No!
hall, where at least 110 people were killed, said
Rather, we reaffirm---based on 45 years of experience day in and day
that one of the gunmen shouted ‘Allah Akbar’ as
out---that the diverse religious communities working together across
he indiscriminately fired at the crowd gathered
the world in Religions for Peace are committed to taking concrete
for the concert. These self-styled mujahideen
action together to respect religious differences, honor human dignity
were practically saying, ‘Violence is great’, but
and advance our common good.
used ‘God is great’ as their slogan. This incident
In our shock, sorrow and moral outrage, now is the time for sincere
reminded me of a saying of the Prophet of Islam,
believers of all traditions to further commit to principled multi-religious
who one said to his companions that a day would
collaboration for the common good. Let each religious community
come when Muslims would commit unlawful
come to the defense of any other community whenever its members
acts. His companions asked with surprise how this
are under attack, slandered or scape goated. We in Religions for Peace
would happen. He replied: ‘They would give it
have found that this approach is a true way for each believer to honor
a name other than its real name and thus make it
his or her respective religious tradition. In doing so, we can as diverse
lawful.’
religious believers also address together even the most misguided and
The present-day violence in the name of jihad
hideous misuses of religions as we work to help build the Peace.
to French President Francois Hollande.
Sheikh Khalifa also said his country
strongly condemns the attacks. Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi offered his
condolences and “expressed his solidarity”
with Paris. “Such terrorist attacks will not
weaken the will of peace-loving countries,”
Sisi was quoted as saying. Kuwaiti Emir
Sheikh Sabah Al-Sabah sent a “cable of
condolence” to Hollande, condemning
“these criminal acts of terrorism which
run counter to all teachings of holy faith
and humanitarian values.” He reaffirmed
Kuwait’s solidarity with the French
people and government, saying Kuwait
supports all measures France might take
to protect its security against the terror
attacks. Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman
Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa also offered his
condolences and pledged solidarity with
France. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider AlAbadi condemned the gun and bomb
attacks, saying they showed the need for
action against militants worldwide. “We
condemn and deplore the terrorist attacks
in Paris, which emphasize that fighting
terrorism calls for international efforts to
eliminate it in all countries,” Abadi said
in a statement. Iranian President Hassan
Ruhani sent a message of condolence to
French counterpart Francois Hollande
on the shootings and bombings in Paris.
(Extracted from Saudi Gazette)
Highly Condemnable
is a clear example of the above Hadith. These
so-called mujahideen have given their acts of
violence the name of ‘jihad’ and are thus engaged
in perpetrating terror. Taking the lives of innocent
people is an act for which there is no excuse
whatsoever. In the Quran, killing an individual
is regarded as the most heinous crime: ‘Whoever
killed a human being—except as a punishment for
murder or for spreading corruption in the land—
shall be regarded as having killed all mankind.’
(5:32) This verse certainly applies to people who
went on a killing rampage in Paris. Those engaged
in this self-justified violence should know that no
self-styled justification can make an unlawful act
lawful.
To those who, based on such incidents, form an
opinion that Islam is a religion of violence, I will
say that Islam should not be judged by the acts
of Muslims. Islam should be judged through its
scripture and not through the practice of Muslims.
(CPS International, Center for Peace and
Spirituality, 1, Nizamuddin West Market, New
Delhi 110013)
Page 9
COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Sowing the Seeds of Progress
“We are not involved in feel-good short-term efforts, feeding hungry is
a noble gesture, but making poor capable of earning their own food is
advancement and Indian Muslims need advancement, not mere gestures or
‘Bakshish,’” Syed M Hussaini.
By Mohd. Ismail Khan
Hyderabad: India may have the
third- largest concentration of
Muslims around the world and
10% of total world’s Muslim
population, but despite heavy
numbers, every Governmentappointed commission has listed
Indian Muslims among the most
backward communities on every
measurable socio-economic scale.
Support for Educational &
Economic
Development
(SEED), a US-based charity is
one such resource channelizing
organisation founded in 2009.
Since its inception, SEED is
working with systematic planning
by raising funds in the USA to
uplift the Muslim community
and other backward sections of
Indian society. In past six years
of its operations, it has provided
educational aid to 26,400 children
including 6,000 orphans. Close to
Page 1
Powerful Display
of Unity ...
readings from Christian, Jewish
and Islamic traditions, followed
by a shared meal for all those in
attendance.
Breaking bread together "further
created a sense of community
among people who experience the
sacred in different ways but also
who share much in common,"
Gray told The Huffington Post.
With Sunday's service, the
religious leaders joined countless
others around the globe who are
calling for peace in the midst of
such unrest. n
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com)
500 bright Muslim students, who
could not afford higher education,
were provided full scholarship for
MBBS, engineering and various
other degree courses.
boost the morale and strengthen
the standards of the community.
There are no quick results in our
programs, but if these efforts
continue constantly, in the long
run we will witness Indian
Education
and
Economic Muslim community transforming
Development
from a community in gloom to a
Mehjabeen and Noorain (names community in glee,” he said.
changed) are two
Hussaini is a
sisters
who
just
retired engineer
completed
their
and a moving
MBBS from reputed
force behind the
colleges in Hyderabad.
functioning
of
Their father suffered
SEED. A native
from health problems,
of
Hyderabad
so he was unable to
currently residing
work and afford the
in Dallas, Texas, he
expenses of the higher
says he personally
studies of his bright
went through the
Syed M. Hussaini,
daughters. “Had it
struggle to collect
SEED Executive Director
not been SEED’s
pennies to support
scholarship program we would his education. “I experienced
have to abandon our dream
of becoming doctors. SEED’s
Scholarship helped us to
concentrate on our studies without
worrying about any tuition fees,”
the under-training doctor sisters
told Twocircles.net.
According to SEED’s founding
member and executive director,
Syed Mazheruddin Hussaini,
education
and
economic
development go hand in hand.
“We are not involved in feel-good
short-term efforts; feeding hungry
is a noble gesture but making
poor capable of earning their own
food is advancement and Indian
Muslims need advancement not the situations when you are
mere gestures or ‘Bakshish’.”
capable and bright student, but
“We plan for long-term incisive and due to economic factors couldn’t
decisive constructive changes for dream high. There are many
the community. Our programs on bright students in India whose
imparting education and creating dreams just need to be given the
employment opportunities will wings. Once they take off, Indian
Muslims can be a prosperous
community.”
After
his
retirement,
he,
along with some like-minded
community members, gave their
individual charities an organised
shape and formed the SEED. Now
in its sixth year of operation, it is
ripening fruits of an organised
social investment.
In Partnership with NGOs
SEED carries out its India
operations
of
education,
economic and medical aid
through partnership with Indian
NGO’s. Currently, 22 NGO’s with
FCRA permit are in a partnership
and agreement with SEED. In
2015, SEED with an annual total
budget of $490,000 spent close
to Rs 2.35 crore as aid through
their partner organisations. Close
to 50% of the budget-about Rs
1 crore, was spent to support
education of 10,000 students.
About Rs 60 lakh was spent on
vocational job training programs
for the unemployed, Rs 46 lakh
was spent on medical aid and Rs
9
23 lakh on the widow support
program.
Hussaini
understands
that
transparency is the most important
factor while running a charitable
institution. The SEED board
publishes its annual report with
open accounts of expenditure on
different projects from annual
budgets. SEED also take pride
from the fact that it has received
Better Business Bureau (BBB)
accreditation for maintaining
high transparency and ethical
standards.
In the near future, SEED wants
to establish its liaison office in
India to monitor its ongoing
projects and most importantly
to look for new avenues of
social investments on Indian
Muslims. “Data collection and
research is important if we want
to carry forward our operations
in an organised manner. In the
coming days we would like to
diversify our work to uplift the
community through systematic
targeted programs.” SEED might
be small-scale when compared to
large charity alliances of the US,
but what makes them fascinating
is the fact that individual members
planned and did something
constructive for their fellow
deprived community members
instead of merely sitting back and
watching the state of affairs.
The motto of SEED is based on
the guidelines of a famous Hadith
of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh),:
The best of people are those who
are beneficial to people’. “This
Hadith inspires us to not be just a
mere spectator in this despairing
environment, but to work on
collective individual efforts to
build the community you wish to
be part off.” n
(Twocircles.net)
OPINION
Tasks Ahead in Bihar
The grand victory of the Grand Alliance of three parties in
Bihar against the BJP’s well-oiled campaign proves that people
could be weaned out of the mesmerizing spell of money, wellorchestrated propaganda and communal frenzy. But it requires
hard work. And Laloo Yadav-Nitish Kumar-Rahul Gandhi
combine were not found wanting when it came to perception
of their rival’s formidable capacity to polarize the voters on
communal lines.
It is no secret that caste loyalties work wonders in India,
both overtly and covertly. In Hindi belt, particularly in
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, it evokes raw passions too. If the
Mahagatbandhan has used it to its benefit, the BJP too cannot
be exonerated from the blame of exploiting the communal
passion what with its chief referring to beef-eating, jubilation
in Pakistan, foreign origin of Ms. Sonia Gandhi et al. What
really worked in favour was its capacity to put up a united
face, matching every barb with hard-hitting jibes and complete
refusal to show any chinks in their armour. Special cheer must
be reserved for Nitish Kumar’s cool composure and Laloo
Yadav’s magnanimous and bold commitment to stand by
Nitish regardless of the post-poll seat matrix for the Alliance
partners. In comparison, the BJP’s campaign was faceless with
old warhorse Susheel Modi having been marginalized. Pretty
much is known and has been discussed about the RSS gaffe
on reservations which ultimately proved to be the ideological
nemesis of the party.
Winning elections through alliances is easier than keeping the
social components they represent happy for five years. Chief
Minister Nitish’s mettle will be challenged in a State that has
seen all-round decay during the last 50 years. Policies that
could reinforce the glue that brings them together is not easy
to find. Nitish-Laloo would be finding the task awesome. Even
the two-thirds majority would appear an albatross around the
neck as ambitious politicians and alliance partners would crib
and grieve over portfolios.
In the Indo-Gangetic plains, parties representing the subalterns
were united in removing those representing the dominant
castes and classes, but have conventionally lacked a cogent
agenda to uplift the social groups from the socio-economic
morass. Nitish’s previous terms have shown some difference.
His effort to rid Bihar of extortion rings, thrust to initiatives
taking bijli, paani and sadak(electricity, water and roads)
to the deprived habitations and bicycles for girls to pedal
to schools have enormously contributed to his image as an
effective helmsman. Now revival and effective management
of cooperatives, easy loans for weavers, social housing, jobs to
bring back lakhs of youth to the State from other metros across
the country should be accorded priority. Education system
will require some merciless wielding of broom to remove
massive cobwebs that have given the State a lot of infamy.
The development pattern should embrace the deprived among
all sections and the narratives should rise over partisanship.
The Government should maximize its reach to even the social
classes not generally seen to be among its votebank.
The induction of two young sons of Laloo Yadav into the
cabinet--one as deputy chief minister while another being
gifted with three major portfolios--does not augur well for the
nascent coalition. Dynastic politics is back from the front door
itself. However much the BJP may be reviled for its communal
politics, at least dynasty is still not in evidence in the Party
anywhere.
Those who saw in Gandhi Maidan swearing-in ceremony
emergence of a anti-BJPism axis on the national political
chessboard, may perhaps be counting the chicken much
before they are hatched. There is still not even a remote sign
of a major pan-Indian party providing the opposition a major
bulwark. The Congress is now too weak to be of any value for
the purpose.
All these may be easier said than done. The tasks before Nitish
Kumar are monumental and resources and talents minimal
within the state. He would be tested at every step. One can
only wish him success. n
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Not Educated In Islam
10
Shocking, Senseless and Cowardly Paris Attacks
By Shawki Allam
Grand Mufti of Egypt
I was as shocked as any sensible human being
would have been when I learned about the senseless,
heinous, appalling and cowardly act that took place
in Paris last fortnight.
This attack is shocking, and offends the conscience
of every sane person, regardless of
their religious identity. I wish to stress
categorically and unequivocally our
complete solidarity and unwavering
support for the French people in their
plight and their determination to combat
terror. The innocent victims and their
families are in our thoughts and prayers.
The whole Muslim community is in a
state of mourning like the rest of the
French people since an attack of this magnitude is
in reality an attack on all humanity as our holy Book
emphasizes.
I have been absolutely clear and unequivocal in
condemning all acts of terrorism and vigilantism
like this one, and I reiterate that Islam stands utterly
against extremism of all kinds.
Terrorist groups flagrantly use religion as a cloak to
cover up for their cowardly acts of violence. Their
ideological fallacy reveals their warped logic and
ill-informed and unauthentic sources which they
turn to in order to derive their justification for their
insatiable desire for power, control and bloodshed.
These ideologies of hate and terror must be
challenged and rooted out.
But where did all this begin? In both Islam and other
religions, we are witnessing a phenomenon in which
self-claimed people without a sound foundation in
religious learning have attempted to set themselves
up as religious authorities, even though they
lack the scholarly qualifications for making valid
interpretations of religious law and morality. It is
this eccentric and rebellious attitude towards religion
that opens the way for extremist interpretations of
Islam that have no basis in reality.
LETTERS
Not Educated In Islam
Furthermore, and this is very important, is that none
of these extremists have been educated in Islam
in genuine centres of Islamic learning. They are,
rather, products of troubled environments and have
subscribed to distorted and misguided interpretations
of Islam that have no basis in traditional Islamic
doctrine. Their aim is to create havoc and chaos in
the world
If we wish to tackle this problem however,
we must make an effort to properly
understand the many factors that provide a
rationalization for terrorism and extremism
of all kinds in the modern world. Otherwise,
we run the risk of never being able to
properly address and eradicate this scourge.
There is no option but to understand this
if we are serious about building a better
future, one which confronts and puts an end to this
grave situation that threatens people in all parts of
the globe.
We must remember, however, that as recent events in
many parts of the world indicate, violent extremism
knows no particular faith. It is rather a perversion
of the human condition, and must be dealt with
as such. We are all responsible, collectively, for
fighting against such deviance. Muslims, Europeans,
Americans, Asians– we all have homework to do
to eradicate this menace, and the burden must be
shared by all of us.
It is because a true spirit of cooperation is absolutely
indispensable at this critical time that I worry about
the exploitation of raw emotions by fanatical groups
to place the very existence of Muslims in Europe in
jeopardy. Blaming an entire religion, and targeting
a diverse and peaceful religious community because
of the acts of few outcasts is not only patently unfair,
but counterproductive in achieving our shared goals
of combating terror.
(Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam is the 19th
and current Grand Mufti of Egypt through Dar alIfta al-Misriyyah, educational institute founded
to represent Islam and a centre for Islamic legal
research).
Source: (english.alarabiya.net/en/views)
Where has Our Ijtihad Vanished?
Muslims live with a paradox, a situation where the
intellect of the ummah has ideologically vanished and
the intellectual class of the ummah is worst affected
by the sectarian mindset. Most of the Muslim rulers
tried to grab the resources, instead of winning the
hearts. Some Muslim rulers utilized most percentage
of their budget in the education and research sector.
The fun of utilizing this huge amount made them
strong ideologically and technologically. The cream
of the society understood the meaning and purpose of
life through this high quality education. The primary
source of knowledge was Quran and Sunnah. Today
the ummah has reached a level where thousands of
books are being published without any reference,
which has led to a disaster and false ideologies are
spread in the name of Islam. Let people directly
understand the word of God, preach it, practice it and
try to implement it through a proper channel. Ijtihad
is the independent reasoning, an individual can put
forth in an activity. It is the base of Islamic law and
represents a decision making process. The present
scholars have avoided the issue of ijtihad, which has
created confusion in the minds of youth.
Musa Kalimullah, kalimullahlone@gmail.com
An Islamic Jurisprudence Centre
Please allow me to introduce to you the Islamic
Jurisprudence Center (IJC), which is an Islamic
law resource center, in the state of Maryland. IJC
is an independent Islamic law resource center,
whose mission is to promote and advance the
understanding of, and compliance with Islamic law
in all aspects of life, by providing guidance and
advice to individuals, families, communities, and
business entities. Please visit IJC's website, at http://
islamicjurisprudencecenter.com/. If you have any
questions, please feel free to contact IJC at sanwar@
islamicjurisprudencecenter.com.
Suleiman Anwar, Director,
Islamic Jurisprudence Center,
23209 Observation Drive, Suite 3A,
Clarksburg, Maryland 20871
sanwar@islamicjurisprudencecenter.com
www.islamicjurisprudencecenter.com
SOCIAL ISSUES
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
The Stark Problem of Family Violence
How Does Islam Resolve It?
11
From the Islamic perspective, family violence is nothing but a violation and open transgression of
Islamic teachings. Islam has admonished Muslims about their obligations towards their families.
By Ghulam Ghaus
The phenomenon of family
violence is very deep-rooted.
Every day, we seem to be
bombarded by stories and
news in the media about family
violence. This violence occurs
in the behaviour of a husband
towards his wife and vice versa.
In some cases, the parents and in
others the children are depicted as
victims of violence. Sometimes,
the spark of violence extends to
other family members, relatives,
neighbours and co-citizens. By
and large, almost everyone is
confronted with family violence.
From the Islamic perspective,
family violence is nothing but a
violation and open transgression
of Islamic teachings. Islam has
admonished Muslims about their
obligations towards their families.
As a complete code and conduct
of life, Islam has emphatically
called them to exercise love,
sympathy, tolerance, patience,
peace, cooperation and respect
in their family affairs. So, we
Muslims as a family must keep in
our minds the teachings Islam has
taught us, so as to save ourselves
from every kind of violence.
Islam forbids Violence and Calls
for Love between Husband and
Wife
One of the leading objectives of
Islamic Shariah in legislating
marriage is that love, friendship,
peace and good ties of kinship
prevail between the spouses. It
is for this reason that Allah the
Almighty ordered the husband
to live with his wife lovingly and
honourably. He says: “treat them
(wives) honourably”. The context
of the verse is about the duty
of a husband towards his wife.
In its broader understanding,
treating wife honourably means
prohibition of violence over a
wife. So, a husband in Islam is
not allowed to exercise violence
over his wife.
In another verse, Allah the
Almighty says, “Live with
them in kindness; even if you
dislike them, perhaps you dislike
something in which Allah has
placed much good” (Quran,
4:19).
Allah the Almighty has given
equally balanced rights to
the married couples in matter
of living, expenses, caring,
obedience and respect, as He the
Almighty says, “Women too have
rights over men similar to the
rights of men over women. Men,
however, have an advantage over
them. And Allah is All-Mighty,
Most Wise.”. (2:228)
Love and Gentleness for the
Family
It is forbidden for a husband to
practice any kind of violence over
his wife, as Allah the Almighty
says:
“Retain them (wives)
in kindness or release them in
kindness. But do not retain them
for injury; so that you exceed the
limits, and whoever does this, he
Though, the problem of
family violence is not
confined to Muslims
alone and though Islam
forbids family violence,
they should never forget
that the problem is not
only destroying their
family life, but also
defaming the Identity
of Muslims and
Islam together.
indeed is unjust to his own soul”
(2:231).
In addition to the Quranic verses,
there are many hadith that teach
the husband to maintain good ties
of kinship, love and gentleness for
his family. Prophet Muhammad
said, “The best among you are
those who behave well with their
women (wives) and daughters”
Once someone asked Prophet
Muhammad, what are the
obligations of husbands towards
their wives. He replied: "Feed
her when you eat, and provide
her clothing when you provide
yourself. Neither hit her on the
face nor use impolite language
when addressing her"
As for wife, Islam suggests her
to conduct good relationship
with her husband. Allah the
Almighty says: “So the pious
wives are obedient. They guard
(their chastity) in the absence
of their husbands with the
protection of Allah” (4:34). The
Quran describes the obedient
wife as pious.
Guarding chastity is equally the
responsibility of both men and
women. In another verse, Allah
the Almighty says to the prophet
“Direct the believing men to keep
their eyes always lowered and
guard their private parts. That is
purer for them. Surely, Allah is
Well Aware of the (works) which
they are busy doing” (24:30).
The sacred texts of the Quran
and Sunnah imply that both
husband and wife are obliged
to fulfill their respective duties
towards each other. Obedience
to each other’s responsibilities is
binding upon them. The spouses
ought to take care of each other’s
emotions and sentiments. Their
primary purpose must essentially
focus on co-operating with each
other in joy and sorrow with
patience. They should never
let themselves be possessed by
anger, as it is unlawful in Islam.
Anger destroys the faith of a man
and often breaks even good ties.
So, the husband and the wife
must avoid getting angry, as
it causes nothing but tension,
depression, frustration, mental
torture and violence. Adhering
to Islamic teachings is therefore
binding upon both of them to
bring prosperity and peace in
their married life, and thus to save
from every kind of violence.
Islam forbids Violence and
Calls for Love between Parents
and Children
Relation between children and
parents in Islam is of great
sacredness. Islam has endowed
them with their respective
rights to consolidate this sacred
relationship. The rights given
to them include features of
tolerance, patience, benevolence
and love. These features, if truly
taken into practice as a part
of faith as they are per se, will
never ever ensure the child-toparent violence or parent-tochild violence.
However, before going into
some details of Islam, can you
imagine what it would be like
to be physically attacked by a
child who you have brought
up to be caring and loving for
you, at least in your old age?
Can you explain the pain of
violence you are getting from
your parents, even in return
for your passionate obedience?
However, it is very easy to know
the solutions Islam has given to
such an embarrassing situation
or save the sacred relationship
between parents and children
from any possible violence.
Parents and children both need
to keep in their mind the ideal
teachings of Islam. For them, It
is just as important to know what
not to do (i.e. the actions that will
lead to violence) and how best to
resolve their matter.
According to a verse of the
Qura’n,
kindness
towards
parents has been stated as a
second priority, right after the
confession of the oneness of
Allah the Almighty. Allah says
“Worship Allah and associate
nothing with Him and do good to
parents” (4:36). By doing good to
parents, we mean good manners
with them such as obedience,
kindness, love, respect, nonviolence and tolerance.
There are other verses too, where
Allah commands the children
to behave with their parents
kindly:
“And We have enjoined upon
man to behave benevolently with
his parents. And if they contend
Guarding chastity
is equally the
responsibility of both
men and women. In
another verse, Allah
the Almighty says to
the prophet “Direct
the believing men to
keep their eyes always
lowered and guard their
private parts. That is
purer for them. Surely,
Allah is Well Aware of
the (works) which
they are busy
doing” (24:30).
with you that you should associate
(others) with Me, of which you
have no knowledge, then do not
obey them. To Me you (all) have
to return. So I shall inform you
of (the deeds) which you used to
do (in the world). (29:8)
He the Almighty also says, “And
We have commanded man to be
benevolent towards his parents.
His mother bears him (in the
womb) with pain and gives
birth to him with pain. And
bearing him (in the womb) and
weaning of him (i.e., the period
of pregnancy and feeding) is
(spread over) thirty months. Till,
when he attains to manhood and
then reaches (the age of) forty
years, he says: ‘O my Lord,
bestow on me the ability to
give You thanks for the favour
which You have done to me and
my parents, and that I may do
such deeds as may please You,
and endow me and my children
with virtue and piety. Assuredly
I turn to You, and certainly I
am of those who obey You in
submissiveness.’ (46:15)
Let alone talking about violence
over parents, Allah the Almighty
has forbidden even saying ‘Ugh!’
to them.
“And your Lord has commanded
you not to worship anyone other
than Allah, and treat parents with
benevolence. If either or both
of them attain old age in your
presence, then do not say even
‘Ugh!’ to them, nor reproach
them. And always speak to
both of them submissively,
observing polite manners. And
always lower your wings of
submissiveness and humility
out of soft-heartedness for both
of them, and keep supplicating
(Allah): ‘O my Lord, have mercy
on both of them as they brought
me up in (my) childhood (with
mercy and clemency).” (17:2324)
According to a Hadith: "To be
good and dutiful to one's parents"
is one of the deeds loved most
by Allah the Almighty. (AlBukhari)
Kindness Towards Neighbours
Prophet Muhammad said: "By
God he is not a believer, he is not
a believer, he is not a believer,” It
was said, "Who is that, O Allah's
Apostle?” the one who could not
provide peace and security to his
neighbours." (Sahih Al-Bukhari,
Volume 8, Number 45)
This Hadith applies to all
neighbours, whether or not they
are Muslims. So, a Muslim is one
who provides peace and security
to all neighbours regardless of
their creed or colour. This Hadith
obviously prohibits Muslims
from practising every kind of
violence over his neighbours.
“O’ people spread greetings,
feed people, keep kinship ties
and pray at night while people
are sleeping and you will enter
paradise safely” (al-Hakim)
Having explored the Islamic
solutions to the rising problem of
family violence, we as a Muslim
community should not let any
kind of violence occur in our
family. It is essential to memorize
these solutions, for we may have
to utilize them, when sensing the
concerned problem. A family can
never achieve progress unless
Page 15
ISSUES
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Rajasthan
Dropout Rate Alarming Among Muslims
12
Teachers have a negative mindset against the deprived sections and discourage children. Kids of
Valmiki community have stopped going to school as they were asked to be manual scavengers.
Children of scheduled caste/
scheduled tribes and Muslim
communities in Rajasthan are the
worst affected in cases of school
dropouts, a report of a joint survey
by district information system for
education (DISE) and
independent bodies has
revealed.
The
survey
report
was
presented
by
educationalist
Ganesh
Nigam at the two-day
national consultation on
right to education (RTE)
organised jointly by
United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF)and Ajit
foundation recently.
According to the report, the
annual average dropout rate at
primary level for the state was at
8.39% in 2013-14 and 18.50% for
the Muslim community.
Similarly, the dropout rate was
higher in SC and ST communities
with
9.57%
and
10.04%
respectively.
In the upper primary level,
Muslim dropouts form the highest
average with 20.59% as compared
to the state average of 6.03%.
SC and ST communities mark
steep averages of 7.51% and 7%
respectively. Muslim students
have the lowest transition rate
(from primary to upper primary
level of education) with 70.46%
as compared to the state average
of 88.23%. SC/ST kids have
lower transition rates of 87.70%
and 81.60% respectively.
“Children of SC/ST and Muslim
communities have the lowest
attendance in schools. Unless
education is inclusive to all
communities, the RTE act is
nothing but a failure,” said
Nigam.
“Government schools provide free
education. But disdain by teachers
and an inactive administration
force parents to pull out their kids
from schools. Economic disparity
is the biggest reason behind this
trend,” said Sayyed Masood
Akhtar, state president, Rajasthan
Madarsa
Education
Helpers’ Association
(RMEHA).
“Access
to
public
schools is anyway
very limited to this
community due to
poverty, but the dropouts
can join madarsas,”
said Saeed Ahmed,
additional
director,
Madarsa Board.
Dalit activists, however,
believe that social disparity is
the reason behind the increasing
dropouts among the SC/ST and
Muslim sections. “Teachers have
a negative mindset against the
deprived sections and discourage
children at the initial level.
Children of Valmiki community
have stopped going to school as
they were asked to be manual
scavengers there,” said PL
Minroth, chief functionary, Center
for Dalit Rights.
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The report adds that Muslim girls
constitute 22.90 % of annual
average dropout rate at the upper
primary level as compared to that
of boys at 18.77%, citing lack
of safety assurances from the
government and societal bodies
as the reason for this trend.
“Numerous reasons including
patriarchy, lack of safety and
poverty are responsible for this
trend. Parents are not usually
willing to send their daughters to
distant schools. If more female
staff are included in government
schools, then we can certainly
improve this figure,” said Ameen
Kayamkhani, patron, RMEHA.
(Vaibhav Jha’s report in Hindustan
Times, Jaipur, Nov. 2, 2015) n
Held on False Charges
Lucknow Court Acquits
Eight Accused
Jamiatul Ulema Hind has formed several panels
of advocates in different cities to pursue the
cases of the innocent youth held under false
charges of terrorism by the police.
Lucknow: Yet again, the national
media blacked out the news about
a Lucknow court acquitting eight
Muslim youngsters, arrested
under false charges of terrorism
and were being detained for the
last eight years.
On October 29, a Lucknow court
acquitted and ordered release
of eight persons being detained
under charges of terrorism in
Uttar Pradesh for unsatisfactory
evidence. Those released include
Naushad,
Jalaluddin,
Noor
Islam Mandal, Azizur Rahman,
Ali Akbar Hussain and Sheikh
Mukhtar.
According
to
advocate
Muhammad Aarif, who was the
defence pleader engaged by the
Jamiatul Ulema Hind, the cases
had been booked in Wazirganj
police station in 2007 against
Naushad and Jalaluddin in 2007,
against Ali Akbar Hussain, Sheikh
Mukhtar and Aizur Rahman in
Mohanlalganj police station in
the same year and Noor Islam
Mandal in Unnao (near Kanpur).
They were charged of sedition,
possessing arms and explosives
etc. But the prosecution could not
present any viable evidence while
pressing the charges leading to
their acquittal by Judge Syed
Aftab Hussain Rizvi.
Aarif said the police had picked up
the accused from various places
but were shown as arrested from
Wazeerganj and Mohanlalganj
police station limits. Previously,
advocate Muhammad Shoaib
had taken up their defence in the
Lucknow and was attacked and
assaulted in the court premises
by a lobby of advocates who
had declared the accused to
be criminals. The police had
fabricated account of their arrest.
Wazeerganj Police had shown
to have picked up Naushad and
Jalaluddin from near Qaiserbagh
Bus Station in Lucknow while
being in possession of arms and
explosives. Similarly, Sheikh
Mukhtar, Ali Akbar Hussain and
Azizur Rahman were shown
as arrested from Rae Bareli
Road under the jurisdiction of
Mohanlalganj police station.
The police had charged them of
gathering at Lucknow on June
22, 2007 for terror activities.
They had claimed that following
arrest of Naushad and Jalaluddin,
other accused had returned to
Kolkata. Mohammad Shoaib
had brought up evidence that the
charges were totally fabricated
and false as Azizur Rahman was
under the custody of CID West
Bengal in those precise dates.
He had been presented before the
Alipur Court in Kolkata which
had put him in police remand till
June 26, 2007.
The police had even claimed that
they had recovered RDX from Rae
Bareli Road on the identification
of the spot by the accused. They
had even claimed that they were
together in the Wazeerganj police
station limits and later shown
them to have been arrested from
different locations. The Police
had even claimed that they were
active members of Harkat ul
Jihad Islam, a name the accused
were unaware of as revealed
during cross examination.
Jamiatul Ulema Hind has formed
several panels of advocates in
different cities to pursue the cases
of the innocent youth held under
false charges of terrorism by the
police. n
POLITICAL ANALYSIS
Bihar Verdict
Powerful Rebuff for Communal Forces
13
Sangh Parivar had tried to stoke communal embers during the last six
months but people were deaf to their polarizing campaign.
By Anish Ankur
More than anything else, the
Bihar verdict should be seen as
a firm rejection of RSS brand
of polarising politics. Perhaps
no comment about the outcome
was more befitting than the Dalai
Lama’s who held the verdict as
the ‘insaniyat ki jeet’ (victory
of humanity). The outcome has
made people in Bihar draw a
sigh of relief as a lot was at stake
Dr. Mohammad Jawaid, MLA
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
MBCs. BJP national president
Amit Shah issued a warning:
“Fire crackers will go off in
Pakistan if the BJP loses Bihar.”
purpose a large number of RSS
cadres of Hindi-speaking states
had been mobilized. Importance
of RSS can be gauged from the
It was evident that the BJP denied tickets to
those who were not liked by the RSS.
The BJP also came up with
posters depicting a cow and a
girl, accused the Grand Alliance
Abdul Bari Siddiqui
Naushad Alam
of not doing enough to protect
the cow mother even taking
side with cow slaughterers. The
Election Commission found two
advertisements with communal
undertone by BJP objectionable.
The Commission had to issue
instruction that no advertisement
Sharfuddin, MLA Dr. A.Ghafoor, MLA should be published without
their prior consent.
for the secular minded people of
Bihar.
Low Intensity Conflicts
The RSS’attempt to communalize The BJP’s game plan right from
the elections initially through the beginning was to repeat the
low-intensity communal conflicts 2014 Parliamentary election
in several parts of Bihar was led formula of clubbing development
by the top leadership of BJP with communal politics, which
itself. PM Narendra Modi went was being advanced through
on record with a purported expose low-intensity
communal
of Nitish Kumar’s advocacy of conflicts in various parts of the
reservation for Muslims divesting State long before the actual
quota allotted for the OBCs and campaigning started. For this
the communities restrained
themselves till the police came
and brought the situation under
control.
People of Bihar were wise
enough that they could see the
political motive behind these
incidents. As Nitish Kumar said
in his first press conference after
election verdict was out, “The
BJP and its allies in the NDA
have sought to cover up its
24 Muslim MLAs
Muslim-bashing of the BJP
got a befitting reply in this
election. Despite the campaign
against Muslims throughout the
campaign, their representation
in the current Bihar Assembly
increased by five from 19 to 24.
Four of the MLAs got ministerial
berth in the new Nitish Kumar
fact that even during selection of
candidates their internal surveys
were taken into account. Some
sitting BJP MLAs were
denied ticket just because of
Newly elected Muslim MLAs in Bihar Assembly:
adverse RSS feedback about
Rashtriya Janata Dal:
Mujahid Alam (Kochadhaman)
them. Incidentally, most of
Abdul
Bari
Siddiqui
(Alinagar)
Sharfuddin (Sheohar)
the low-intensity communal
Md. Nawaz Alam (Arrah)
Khurshid alias Firoz Ahmed conflicts that had erupted
Abdus Subhan (Baisi)
(Sikta)
over a period of six months
Md. Nematullah (Barauli)
Naushad Alam (Thakurganj)
were in the area where the
Faiyaz Ahmed (Bisfi)
minorities have significant
Indian National Congress:
Md. Ilyas Hussain (Dehri)
population.
Faisal Rahman (Dhaka)
Restraint
Faraz Fatimi (Keoti)
During the run-up to the
Dr. Abdul Ghafoor (Mahishi)
elections several places
Shamim Ahmed (Narkatia)
had witnessed communal
Akhtarul Islam Shaheen
polarization. In a very
(Samastipur)
communally
sensitive
Syed Abu Dojana (Sursand)
Bhagalpur, a dead pig was
Janata Dal (United):
thrown at a mosque with
Sarfaraz Alam (Jokihat)
the purpose of inciting
minority
community,
but thanks to alertness of the anti-people mission by trying
administration no untoward to cause communal division
incident happened. In the same in the society. The Dusseharaway, in the minority dominated Muharram season was sought
Kishanganj an idol of Kali was to be exploited to create
defaced which led to a very communal polarization. Timely
grave situation of communal intervention by the authorities
conflict but people from both thwarted these evil designs.”
Dr. Md. Jawaid (Kishenganj)
Abdul Jaleel Mastan (Amour)
Avidur Rahman (Arariah)
Md. Tauseef Alam(Bahadurganj)
Shakeel Ahmed Khan (Kadwa)
Md. Afaque Alam (Kasba)
Communist Party (ML)
Liberation: Mahboob Alam (Balrampur)
government. Strength of Muslim
representation is gradually
increasing from 15 in 2005 to
19 in 2010 and now 24. As
election results had indicated
Muslims voted decisively in
favour of Nitish Kumar led
Grand alliance. n
follow-ups
Page 1
Fear of the New ...
dosas and fresh herbal fragrance
oozing out of the chutney; cleaner
rivers, serene boat rides and the air
redolent with the boatman’s rustic
song. Steam engines chugging
through the hills sending out
plumes of smoke; green fields
dotted with scarecrows; the
huqqah-blowing elders seated in
the village chaupal; and women
balancing curd handi over their
heads negotiating the edge of hills
are the stuff our childhoods are
packed with.
But gone are the days when things
were so simple, life so austere
and people so amiable. The new
age is upon us. We are amidst
buzzing traffic, ringing phones,
beeping gizmos and microwaves
and roasters knowing no patience.
Who amongst us would not
like to revisit the schools where
we studied; homes that saw us
growing; the orchards where
we threw stones to pluck those
Page 4
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
freshly sprouted mangoes? But
how practical that would be? Can
we desert our present and go back
to those thatched mud huts? Few
have the courage and still fewer
would attempt it.
Not all hunky-dory
One should not be denied the
right to reside in the glamourous
memories of the past. But just
think of the high infant mortality
that deprived us of many of our
would-be siblings. Those who
survived were confronted with
debilitating challenges of polio,
smallpox, cholera, Diptheria in
that era sans vaccination. Was it not
the case that our grandmas worked
in smoke-filled kitchens and
dented utensils lined the shelves?
Didn’t they spend their afternoons
gyrating—in the process, of
course keeping their waists slim—
over the chakki (grinding stones)?
Didn’t we sulk over and suffer
Mission for Women ...
is highly-educated with dual
degree of M. Tech and M.Sc, but
to ensure that he completed his
studies, he had to sell clothes, sit
at public telephone booths, work
in a hospital, etc. It is perhaps
this which explains why despite
having a cushy job at a central
government entity, Nawaz refuses
to sit idle.
His day begins at 7 45 in the
morning, with office hours
running till 6 30 pm. After that,
he works at FIIR, which is run in
a part of his house, and teaches
English to the adolescent girls of
his area/ students of government
school where medium either is
Hindi/Urdu. FIIR was started
last year with support of its cofounder, Khateeja and later,
Faisal was selected for his deep
engagement with the community,
and after clearing several rounds,
for the prestigious Change Loom
Fellowship for 2014-2015 ( a oneyear youth leadership programme
) awarded jointly by CYC , Pravah
and PACS-UK.
Maintaining Etiquettes of
Religion
The centre also provides various
vocational training courses to
women/girls from the area, in
the field of stitching, computers
and embroidery. Nawaz’s mother,
along with two teachers, provides
the training for these skills, while
he handles the English-speaking
classes. His deformity means he
can barely eat much or anything at
all without using his ventilator, a
life-supporting instrument which
helps him breathe normally. At
night, he has to sit and work with
the machine on and has to take
oxygen daily. When he was being
interviewed by Two circles, he
separation with near and dear ones
who had departed for offshore jobs
and remained incommunicado for
years without end? Didn’t our
elders fall victims to fake hakims,
vaids and aamils, and bet their
hard-earned money on chit fund
Human thought is
ever evolving. One
should judge the
new mores and
methods on the
criterion of
values.
runners who disappeared within
no time?
Questions to be asked
What is clear is that all was
not hunky dory those days, to
put it mildly. Today’s comforts
like instant and multimedia
communication devices, twominute noodles and plentiful food
Mentality
“Our area is conservative, with
girls barely getting a chance to
Nawaz with his students at the FIIR centre
had the oxygen mask on, being
able to speak only because his
lips were out of the mask. All this
could break the spirit of many,
but not Nawaz. For him, the hope
of a better future for the women
of Jaffrabad is a bigger challenge
for which such sacrifices must be
made.
Overcoming
Conservative
pursue higher studies. Add to this
the challenging living conditions,
and it is clear that women have
a tough life here,” he says. To
counter this, FIIR aims to equip
women with life skills so that
they can think and consider
employment opportunities in the
city. However, if setting FIIR was
a challenge, then overcoming the
14
choices, knowledge at the click of
the mouse, shelf-to-body garments,
warm water showers, online
travel and hotel bookings, wired
money, downloadable application
forms, virtual classrooms were
simply unthinkable. There is no
gainsaying that all these have come
with attendant hazards. Yes, there
are traffic jams, online frauds,
accessible pornographic material,
global terrorists, plagiarism and
piracy of intellectual property,
unsolicited
mail,
invaded
privacy, cyber crimes, surrogate
parenthood, a confusing array
of branded drugs and cosmetic
surgeries and and everpresent
threat of suck-out of investments
to some corner of the globe. The
question then to be asked is:
Do these hazards ever dissuade
us from embracing the modern
comforts? Even more pertinent
would be the question: Don’t we
exchange certain vulnerabilities
for a lot of liberties? And for
Muslims, the larger question to be
posed for themselves would be:
Is it not possible to live ethically
amid all these changes or should
we reject the changes altogether?
conservative mentality proved
to be even harder. To ensure that
the centre is used in an optimum
manner, Nawaz devised a smart
plan. “We set up an Islamic/
Urdu unit first, through which
girls easily joined our centre and
parents also agreed for sending
their wards easily. We followed
this with training classes i.e.
stitching, computer, beautician,
etc to help them take the first
steps towards self employment.
Later, we started Englishspeaking classes for girls as they
really wanted to learn English.
Along with this, we also started
non-formal education, through
remedial classes unit, so that
students
attending
schools
understand their subjects better,”
he says.
Nawaz understands that in an area
like Jaffrabad, religion must not
be ditched in favour of modernity;
they must be synchronised. For
example, to ensure that gender
issues do not arise, Nawaz’s
mother gives him company when
he takes English classes for girls.
Despite his frail physical
conditions and advise from
doctors to leave Delhi for a
lesser polluted place, he plans to
continue, upgrade and increase
the reach of his centre to more
students. But isn’t he taking a
risk with his health? “I am, but I
do not worry about that,” Nawaz
says. n
Embracing the Future
The present surrounds us,
demands every inch of our
attention and warns of being wary
of the challenges. The road down
before us is of course lined with
scenic spot as well as potholes.
The car taking us ahead has a large
transparent windshield as well as a
small rearview mirror to be aware
of the vehicles overtaking us. But
imagine the horror if rearview
mirror were to occupy the entire
windshield. Let us not be prisoner
of the past. Past is important to the
extent it shows our bright spots
and the lapses and blunders. But
if it were to be the guide for the
future in its entirety, we are in
for trouble. It is time we gave up
our obsession with the past and
thought of negotiating the future
with some creativity. n
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Urdu University in Kurnool
Kurnool: Foundation stone here
was laid for an Urdu University at
Orvakallu village in Kurnool district
on November 9 by Andhra Pradesh
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu
Naidu. The University will come
up on 125 acres of land. The Chief
Minister spoke about Urdu’s old
connection with Andhra Pradesh
and said the University will be part
of the Educational Hub planned at
Kurnool. A university dedicated
to non-conventional energy will
also come up in the Hub.
He said an international
airport will also be set up at
Kurnool. Of the 900 acres
for the Educational Hub,
125 acres have been set
aside for Urdu University.
The post-Telengana residual
Andhra Pradesh has a mere
4% Muslim population.
Major concentration is in Kurnool
and Kadapa district and some
cities on coastal belt. n
Jamia Nizamia Promises to
Popularize Prophet’s Medicine
Hyderabad: The companions of
Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) made
use of the prescriptions given by
him and had their ailments cured.
Today, people are wonderstruck
by carrying out research on
those prescriptions. The life
of the Prophet indicates that he
had stressed the need for taking
precautions to avoid illnesses.
Jamia Nizamia is all set to
popularize the Prophet’s system
of cure. In the past, the curriculum
of Jamia Nizamia included
Unani medicine on the lines of
the Prophet’s way of treatment.
This enabled the students of
Jamia Nizamia to master Unani
system of medicine along with
getting Islamic education. These
thoughts were expressed by
Mufti Khaleel Ahmed, VC of
Jamia Nizamia, while addressing
a national level seminar on Unani
Medicine organized by All India
Tibbi Conference of Hyderabad.
Delegates
from
Telangana,
Karnataka, Maharashtra and
other states participated in the
seminar. Hakeem Munnawar
Husain welcomed the Unani
doctors. Maulana Khaleel Ahmed
released the souvenir.
(Siasat)
Page 11
The Stark Problem ...
all its members are non-violent,
tolerant, benevolent, loving,
caring and peaceful towards one
another. Therefore, the husband
and the wife, the parents and the
children, the neighbours and the
relatives- all should remember this
Islamic suggestion for a successful
life in the world and a great many
rewards in the hereafter.
Though, the problem of family
violence is not confined to
Muslims alone and though Islam
forbids family violence, they
should never forget that the
problem is not only destroying
their family life but also defaming
the Identity of Muslims and Islam
together. Hence, to maintain
their dignity and identity around
the world, Muslims are in great
need of practising true teachings
of Islam and inculcating sound
happiness and love into their
family life. n
(Ghulam Ghaus completed
his Alimiat and Fazilat from
Jamia Warsia Arabic College,
Lucknow He did his graduation
in Arabic (Hons) and postgraduation (Arabic) from
Jamia Millia Islamia, New
Delhi).
(Extracted from newageislam)
15
Ban ‘Triple Talaq’, says Muslim Women’s Group
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Muslim
Mahila Andolan (BMMA) called
for a ban on the “triple talaq”
divorce system, saying it was unIslamic and outlawed in several
Muslim countries. “The Quran
gives rights to Muslim women
during marriage and does not
recognise triple talaq,” the group
said in a resolution passed at its
ninth annual convention here last
month. “Yet, this evil practice
prevails in India. It should be
banned like several Muslim
countries have done,” it added.
At the same time, the gathering
rejected the idea of a Uniform
Civil Code and called upon the
government to initiate urgent
measures towards reforms in
Muslim personal law.
A BMMA statement quoted cofounder Noorjehan Safia Niaz as
saying how India urgently needed
a codified Muslim personal law
based on the Quranic principles of
justice and equality. Zakia Soman,
co-founder, spoke about how a
Uniform Civil Code was not the
answer to Muslim women’s quest
for justice. This can happen only
by reform in Muslim personal
law, where matters such as age of
marriage, divorce and polygamy
can be regulated, she said. “The
panel agreed that the patriarchal
elements in the community had
blocked any reform move for too
long and this must change.” The
convention was attended by some
500 Muslim women and men from
different states. On the occasion,
a report titled “No More Talaq,
Talaq, Talaq: Muslim Women
Call for a Ban on an un-Islamic
Practice” was released.
Authored by Niaz and Soman,
it carries case studies of 117
Muslim women who have been
victims of “triple talaq”. The
case studies were gathered from
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha,
West Bengal and Karnataka. In his
foreword to the report, National
Minorities Commission's former
chief, Tahir Mahmood said the
report read like a horror story
“and reveals what havoc a gross
misuse of the noble Islamic law
on divorce as a whole, is playing
in the society”. n
(twocircles.net)
“Don't Misinterpret Quran for Polygamy”:
Gujarat High Court
Ahmedabad: In a strongly-worded
order, the Gujarat High Court,
last fortnight, has stated that the
Quran was being misinterpreted
by Muslim men to have more
than one wife, and the provision
of polygamy was being misused
by them for "selfish reasons".
The high court also stated that
time has come for the country to
embrace the uniform civil code.
Justice J B Pardiwala made these
observations while pronouncing
the order related to section 494 of
IPC, which deals with punishment
for having more than one wife.
The petitioner, Jafar Abbas
Merchant, had approached the high
court to quash an FIR against him,
filed by his wife who alleged that
he got married to another woman
without her consent. In the FIR,
she invoked section 494 of IPC
(marrying again during lifetime of
husband or wife) against Jafar. In
his plea, Jafar, however, claimed
that the Muslim Personal Law
allows Muslim men to marry four
times and hence the FIR against
him does not stand legal scrutiny.
In the order, Pardiwala noted "the
Quran is being misinterpreted by
Muslim men to have more than one
wife." "When the Quran allowed
polygamy, it was for a fair reason.
When men use that provision
today, they do it for a selfish
reason. Polygamy finds mention
in the Quran only once, and it is
about conditional polygamy," the
order said. "Muslim Personal Law
does not permit a Muslim to treat
one’s wife cruelly, drive her out
of the matrimonial home and then
get married for the second time.
However, there is no law in this
country which takes care of this
situation. There is no uniform civil
code in this country," it said.
The high court puts the onus on
the government to do the needful
with regards to the uniform civil
code. "On the basis of modern,
progressive thinking, India must
shun the practice and establish
uniform civil code," stated the
judgment.
The court further observed that
the permission to have four
wives under Muslim Personal
Law violates Constitutional
provisions.
"Polygamy and the unilateral talaq
without the wife's consent offends
Article 14 (equality before law
for all) and Article 15 (the state's
non-discrimination on grounds of
caste, religion, sex, etc). If the state
tolerates this law, it becomes an
accomplice in the discrimination
of the female, which is illegal
under its own laws," stated the
court in its order.
While
mentioning
several
verses of the Quran as well as
statements of noted scholars, the
HC said "it is abundantly clear
that notwithstanding, there is no
codification by legislation of
marriages amongst the Muslims,
polygamy is not encouraged and
is an exception and not a rule. It
is not the fundamental right of a
Muslim to have four wives."
The court also gave a verdict
in favour of Jafar and removed
section 494 from the FIR, as being
a Muslim, he is governed by the
Muslim Personal Law, which
allows him to have more than one
wife, and not under the IPC.
"In view of the above, so far as the
offence punishable under Section
494 of IPC is concerned, I am left
with no other option but to accept
the submission that Jafar cannot
be prosecuted for the offence
punishable under Section 494 of
IPC. To this extent, the petition
will have to be allowed and is,
accordingly, allowed," stated the
order. n
People
Died: Abdul Majid, secretary
of the Idara Adab e Islam of
Karnataka died on November 4 in
Bangalore. An activist of Jamaate
Islami Hind, Majeed took the
pseudonym Arshad Siddiqui for
his literary works. He was 70.
He suffered a heart attack while
taking a morning walk and died
instantaneously. He was buried
the same evening at Tilaknagar
graveyard. Moulana Azad Award for
Ghiasuddin Babukhan
Mr.
Ghiasuddin
Babukhan,
Managing Trustee Foundation
for Educational and Economic
Development (FEED) was presented
the Moulana Abul
Kalam Azad National
Award-2014
by
the Government of
Telangana on the
occasion of 127th
Birth
anniversary
of Moulana Abdul
Kalam Azad, the first Education
Minister of India.
The Government of Telangana
organized Minorities Welfare Day
celebrations on November 11 at
Ravindra Bharati Auditorium,
Hyderabad. The Deputy Chief
Minister of Telangana
Mr.
Mohammad
Mahmood
Ali
presented the award in the presence
of Mr. Bandaru Dattatreya, Union
Minister of State for Labour and
Employment.
Other dignitaries including MPs,
MLAs and MLCs and Government
officials of Minority Welfare
Department were also present.
As part of this prestigious award
function Mr. Ghiasuddin Babukhan
was felicitated and a memento was
presented to him, in recognition
of his dedicated and consistent
services for the upliftment of
minority community, economically
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
and educationally.
Babukhan together with his later
brother Basheeruddin Babukhan
organized the FEED and Hyderabad
Zakat and Charitable Trust (HZCT)
to fund the courses in modern
education to thousands of students
in Andhra Pradesh for the last 15
years. The organizations are now
disbursing scholarships to the tune
of Rs. 15 crores a year to the needy
students across the state. They also
set up the Hyderabad Institute of
Excellence (HIE) for enabling
meritorious students to enter
prestigious institutes.
HIE Scholars on Highway of
Success
The three scholars are: Mohammad
Salman belongs to Jammikunta
village of Karimnagar district.
Mohammad Aqib Zeeshan belongs
to Sangareddy, Medak district
and M.Balakrishna comes from
a small village Chinnarajanoor
in Mahboobnagar district. It is
noteworthy that the annual fee
of college under Government
(Convener) quota is Rs. 1,05,000,
but since EAMCET Ranks of these
three scholars were less than 10,000,
the entire tuition fee is exempted
for them as a gesture of recognition
of their outstanding performance in
EAMCET – 2015.
The HIE recorded another success
with 21 scholars getting seats in
Muffakham Jah College Engineering
and Technology (MJCET), one of
the reputed colleges of Hyderabad.
These scholars even though came
from a humble background their
academic record was bright since
beginning. Many of them scored
9.8 GPA and above in their SSC
exam (Class 10th) and continued
the same performance and could
achieve 95% and above marks in
their Intermediate (10+2). Their
ranks in EAMCET (2015) ranged
Membership Cancelled
Bengaluru:
Karnataka
High Court has cancelled
the membership of Khalid
Ahmed of the Karnataka
Waqf Board after it came to
light that he was appointed
a member on the fake claim
of being a member of the
Al-Noori Education Trust,
Kolar Gold Fields. The High
Court acted on writ petition
no. 48669 of 2014 filed by
M. J. Ali, Secretary of the
Waqf Protection Committee.
The Trust provided evidence
of his name not being found
in the list of trustees of the
said Trust and prayed that his
membership be cancelled.
It is to be recalled that Khalid
Ahmed was also removed
even from the chairmanship of
the Karnataka Board of Awqaf
in 2001 after the High Court
had cancelled his membership
following proof emerging that
he had sought nomination for
the election for the post on a
false claim of being a member
of the Kallerawan Charitable
Trust, Kalburgi. By the time
he was removed, he had put
in three years of tenure as the
Chairman of the Waqf Board.
The removal of Khalid twice
calls for a relook at the Waqf
Act and incorporation of
safeguards against nomination
for the election on the basis
of dubious claims of being
members of some Trusts or
endowments.
Rajyotsava Award for Dr. Aziz
Economist Prof. Abdul Aziz was conferred the
Karnataka Rajyotsava Award by the Karnataka
Government. The award was presented on November
1, at the official award presentation ceremony by
Chief Minister Siddramaiah. Prof. Aziz was head of the Economics
unit at the Institute for Social and
Economic Change, Bangalore for several
years. Educated at Mysore University,
he even taught there for a few years. He
has specialised in Labour Economics,
Rural Development and Decentralised
Governance and Planning. He has
authored and co-authored 27 researchbased books in these disciplines. Hailing from Kolar district, Prof Aziz was
from 4296 onwards, which shows
their hard work and excellence in
academics.
Since their family income is around
Rs. 6,000 per month and their
parents are engaged in small jobs
like tailoring, mechanic, daily wage
earner, hotel worker, and salesman
etc, the FEED will be supporting
their studies with scholarships
ranging from Rs. 20,000 to Rs.
40,000, a press release added.
Syed Akbaruddin, an additional
secretary in the Ministry of
External Affairs was appointed as
India’s permanent representative
at the United Nations, following
retirement of Asoke Kumar
Mukerji. Akbaruddin was earlier
spokesman of the External Affairs
Ministry. He was India’s Consulate
General in Jeddah for several
Years. Akbaruddin is a 1985
batch civil servant. He was also
on deputation for four years at the
Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna
and returned to India in 2011. His
father Syed Bashiruddin was Head
of the Department of Journalism,
Osmania University and was later
16
consultant with the Centre for Economic and Social
Studies, Hyderabad, visiting professor at ISEC,
Bangalore and a member of syndicates of several
universities. He has also worked for Shriram
Centre for Industrial Relations and
Human Resources, New Delhi. He
is currently National Fellow attached
to the Centre for Study of Social
Exclusion and Inclusive Policy at
the National Law School of India
University, Bangalore. He has edited a book in Kannada
language titled Karnataka Arthikate
for the Kannada University, Hampi. He
was also a contributor for Kannada Encyclopedia
compiled and published by Mysore University.
appointed Ambassador to Qatar.
Shukria Barakzai Appointed as
Afghan Ambassador to Norway
Shukria Barakzai who is currently
a member of the Lower House
of Parliament or Wolesi
Jirga and women’s rights
activist has been appointed
as
Afghanistan’s
ambassador to Norway.
Barakzai’s appointment
procedures have been
completed inside the
country and her documents have
been forwarded to the Norwegian
government for processing.
Well known in the media as
an outspoken female member
of the house .backing women’s
rights,
Barakzai
supported
the incumbent President of
Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf
Ghani in the election 2014.
Born in Kabul in 1972, Barakzai
completed preliminary
education in Kabul
and went to Kabul
University in 1990,
but left her degree
incomplete due to war
in the country.
She resumed studies
after the fall of the Taliban and
received a bachelor degree in
Archaeology and Geology from
Kabul University in 2003.
(www.khaama.com)
BOOK REVIEW
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Tracing Medieval Arab
Achievements in Optics
The Medieval Arabs preserved the then known sciences
like astronomy, chemistry, medicine, mathematics and
optics, through the process of translation accompanied
with original contributions of the highest calibre.
Reviewed by: Dr. Azher
Majid Siddiqui
In December 2013, the United
Nations designated 2015 as
the International Year of Light
and Light-based Technologies
(IYL).
A number of major
scientific anniversaries are being
celebrated in 2015, starting with
the encyclopedic works on optics
by the Islamic scholar Ibn alHaytham in 1015. Dr. Sameen is
a Member of the Working Group,
“Ibn Al Haytham” set-up by the
‘International Steering Committee’
of the International Year of Light
and Light-based Technologies.
The book under study is the first
book on this topic. The book
traces the history of optics from
the early Egyptian and Greek
civilizations to the present. Then
lucidly describes how the ancient
knowledge of optics reached the
Arab lands in the eighth century.
The Medieval Arabs preserved the
then known sciences (astronomy,
chemistry, medicine, mathematics,
optics, etc.) through the process
of translation accompanied with
original contributions of the
highest calibre. Over half the book
is dedicated to the Medieval Arab
achievements in optics, during
the Islamic Golden Age (eighth
to the thirteenth centuries).
Ancient science and philosophy
preserved in the Greek, Sanskrit,
Pahlavi and Syriac languages
would have been lost forever,
It is time for the Arab
and Islamic countries
to reflect on the
decline of science in
their nations and look
forward to turning a
new leaf. It is time for
them to come up with
realizable schemes to
revive the tradition of
learning and enquiry
as enshrined in Islam.
had the scholars centred around
Baghdad during the 8th-12th
centuries not translated them
into Arabic.
Later on, the
knowledge preserved in Arabic
was translated into Latin and
other European languages. This
International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies
By: Sameen Ahmed Khan (Dhofar University, Salalah,
Sultanate of Oman)
Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany,
http://www.lap-publishing.com/
Pages: 96 pages
Published: July 2015
Price: 49.90 €.
paved the way for the European
Renaissance.
Contributions
of the contemporary science
historians such as Abdelhamid
Ibrahim Sabra and Roshdi Hifni
Rashed are described in detail.
They examined and translated
the Arabic manuscripts from
antiquity (lying in the museums)
into French and English and thus
shedding new light on the Arab
contributions to sciences and
optics in particular. A detailed
account of these developments
is presented. The book has an
appendix outlining the history
of modern optics from the
13th century to current times.
The current developments are
covered such as the ones leading
to the optics related 2014 Nobel
Prizes in Physics and Chemistry.
So, also the 2015 King Faisal
International Prize, which is also
related to optics by a remarkable
coincidence. 20th century was
marked with the remarkable
development of Acceleratorbased Light Sources.
These
developments are described and
the author persuasively presents
the need for an International
Year of Particle Accelerators and
Accelerator-based Technologies
Glimpses into the Inner Journey
Moving from egocentrism to seeking to align our actions with God’s
will through prayer, remembrance, introspection, and self-observation
can enable us to fulfill the purpose of our life, Kalam opines.
Reviewed by:
A Staff Writer
I knew that he was a scientist and
that he was known as “the people’s
President”, but I had no idea that
the late APJ Abdul Kalam, former
President of India, was also deeply
interested in spiritual matters. That
is something that I discovered only
recently, on reading this book, an
exchange of ideas between Kalam
and his friend and co-author, Arun
Tiwari.
Who am I? Why am I in this
world? These are questions all
of us ask—or, at least, ought to
ask—ourselves. The answers to
these seeming puzzles, Kalam
tells us, involve getting in touch
with our real selves and realising
To those who seek
to change the world,
Kalam has a word of
caution: It is only when
we get our own lives in
order that we can have
a beneficial impact
on others. Only if we
ourselves embody and
radiate positivity can
we influence others and
thereby do our bit to
make the world a more
joyful and
peaceful place.
17
our profound interconnectedness
with the whole of the universe. In
the ‘grand drama’ of the cosmos,
he says, each of us has some or
the other role to play. There is
tremendous pain in the course of
this drama, he admits, but that
should not blind us to the presence
in it of abundant love, beauty
and joy, too. While playing our
respective roles in the drama, we
must not forget, Kalam reminds
us, that we came into this world
empty-handed and that we shall
depart from it in exactly the same
way.
Quoting from texts from various
different spiritual traditions,
Kalam suggests that selfrealisation is what all of them talk
about. Moving from egocentrism
(IYPA).
Arab Contributions to Science
The author states, “It is high
time to recognize the Medieval
Islamic Achievements in Optics
and other sciences and give
due credit, which they rightly
deserve.
There have been
numerous conferences on Arab
Contributions to Science. But
this era of golden history is yet
to find a mentionable place in
school textbooks.” The author
further urges, “It is time for the
Arab and Islamic countries to
reflect on the decline of science
in their nations and look forward
to turning a new leaf. It is
time for them to come up with
realizable schemes to revive the
tradition of learning and enquiry
as enshrined in Islam. Such
a revival will not be possible
without the generous funding
and the government patronage.
It is time to build international
science centres in the Arab and
Muslim countries, possibly
modelled after the international
European institutions.” As of
August 2015, we had 93 National
Nodes which are organising local
campaigns, activities and events.
What about the remaining
hundred-odd countries?
The book could have included the
“Medieval Islamic Achievements
in Optics” in its title or subtitle.
The book has 172 references
many of which belong to the
author! This is not surprising
since the author has been working
in optics since 25 years and has
extensively published on different
aspects. The book has concisely
covered the very ancient to the
contemporary and has even
attempted future insights! The
book shall be very useful to
one and all: popular science
readers; historians; students;
teachers; researchers; and mostly
importantly the policymakers.
(Dr. Azher Majid Siddiqui is
at the Department of Physics,
Faculty of Natural Sciences,
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
(azherms@gmail.com,
www.
AzherMajidSiddiqui.webs.com/)
Guiding Souls—Dialogues on the Purpose of Life
By APJ Abdul Kalam with Arun K. Tiwari
Publisher: Ocean Books, New Delhi (info@
oceanbooks.in)
Year: 2015 (first published 2005)
Pages: 162
Price: Rs. 150
to seeking to align our actions
with God’s will through prayer,
remembrance, introspection, and
self-observation can enable us to
fulfill the purpose of our life, Kalam
opines. This purpose, he writes, is
a process of the ‘unfolding of the
soul’. It is not a question of forcing
ourselves to go against our selves.
‘Our true spiritual nature,’ Kalam
says, ‘does not need any kind of
modification or alternation. It is
primordially pure and complete.’
However, he adds, ‘we need to
work on ourselves […] in order
to become sufficiently open and
clear to even have a glimpse of
this nature.’
Much We Need To Unlearn
This process of self-realisation,
which is the essence of the quest in
all the major spiritual traditions of
the world, consists of ‘waking up’
to reality—the reality of oneself.
The spiritual path, we learn from
Kalam, consists of both unlearning
as well as learning. There is much
Page 22
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Indeed, Allah bestowed
a great favour on the
believers when he sent them
a messenger from among
themselves, to recite to them
His revelations, and to purify
them, and to teach them the
Book and wisdom, whereas
previously they were surely
in plain error.
(The House of Imran, Aal Imran:
3:164)
Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh)
concentrated on the practical
meaning of purification and he
accomplished this in the lives of
the believers. The message of the
Prophet has purified the concepts
and practices of his followers
to set them on the right course
acceptable to Islam. This enables
us to appreciate the magnitude
of the great favour Allah has
bestowed on humanity by sending
his last Messenger Muhammad
(Pbuh).
"And to teach them the Book
and wisdom". Those addressed
by this verse were illiterate in
every sense of the word. Not only
they did not read and write, but
their illiteracy was intellectual as
well. According to international
standards of knowledge, they
lagged behind in every field. Their
pre-occupation were not of the sort
which encouraged or increased
knowledge. When they received
this message, they experienced
a great trans-formation which
made them teach it to the world. It
endowed them with great wisdom.
They became the standard bearers
of an intellectual and social
philosophy which was destined
to save humanity from the depths
of ignorance into which it had
sunk. The same doctrine is about
to play the same role again, Allah
willing, to save humanity anew
from its contemporary ignorance
which shares with past forms of
ignorance the same moral and
social characteristics as well as
the same goals and objectives it
sets for human life, despite the
great material advances of science
and industry and the affluence
such advances have brought
about."Whereas previously they
were surely in plain error". They
were certainly in error with regard
to concepts and beliefs, goals and
objectives, habits and practices,
systems and standards, as well
as moral and social values. The
Arabs addressed for the first
time by this verse undoubtedly
remembered what their lives were
like and fully appreciated the total
transformation brought about
by Islam. They recognised that
without Islam, they would never
have attained the high standards
to which Islam elevated them.
Such a transformation is totally
unfamiliar in human history.
They recognised that it was
through Islam that they moved
directly from the tribal stage
with all its petty concerns and
narrow minded-ness, not merely
to become a nation in the fullest
sense of the word, but to become,
all of a sudden, the nation to
lead humanity and to set for it,
its ideals and practical systems.
They recognized that only
through Islam, they acquired their
national, cultural and intellectual
character.
Position of Honour
Islam gave them their human
character which elevated them
to a position of honour through
Allah's grace. They established
their whole life on the basis of
this honour and subsequently,
imparted it to the world and
taught how to respect man and to
give him the position of honour
Allah has given him. In this they
were the leaders. There was no
one ahead of them in Arabia or
anywhere else. They also realized
18
God Saved Mankind From Ignorance
that only through Islam, they had
a message to present to mankind.
It involves a doctrine and a
system to mould human life. All
these are basic essentials for the
existence of a nation which wants
to play an important role on life's
stage. The Islamic faith and its
concepts of life and existence and
its law and regulation of human
life and its practical code which
when they abandon the message
of Islam. Do they offer any great
achievement in literature and
arts? Many nations are far ahead
of them in these fields. Nations
of the world will not wait for
any Arab genius to make his
contribution because the need
for such a contribution is not
felt by anyone. Can they offer
any great industrial advances
The Arabs should ask themselves what they
can give to humanity when they abandon the
message of Islam. Do they offer any great
achievement in literature and arts? Many nations
are far ahead of them in these fields. Nations of
the world will not wait for any Arab genius to
make his contribution because the need for such a
contribution is not felt by anyone.
ensures the happiness of man
were the credentials which the
Arabs presented to the world and
by which they earned the respect
and assumed the leadership of
mankind. Neither at present nor
in future, will they ever have any
other credentials. They have no
message other than Islam to give
them a position in the world. The
choice they have to face is either
to be the standard bearers of the
message of Islam and that will
earn them recognition and honour,
or to abandon it and go back to
their earlier position when no one
recognized them.
The Abyss of Misery and
Worry
The Arabs should ask themselves
what they can give to humanity
to win the respect of the world
and to compete in international
markets? Many a nation has
taken a lead over the Arabs in
this respect as well. Or can they
offer any social, economic or
organizational philosophy of
their own? Such philosophies,
with varying practical effects, are
abundant in our world. What can
then the Arabs give to mankind
in order to win a leading position
which commands respect and
demonstrates their excellence?
They can offer nothing except
their great message and unique
system. This is the great favour
which Allah has bestowed on them
and favoured them with being its
standard bearers. It is the message
with which Allah saved mankind
from ignorance. Today mankind
desperately needs this message to
save themselves from the abyss of
misery and worry in which they
are sinking. This message is the
identity card of the Arabs which
they presented to the world in the
past and commanded its respect.
They can present it anew in order
to save themselves and save the
world. Every great nation has
a message and the greatness of
the nation is commensurate with
the greatness of its message and
system. The Arabs have this great
message in their custody. They are
its standard bearers, while other
nations are their partners in it.
What devil turns them away from
their great role and their infinite
wealth?
The favour Allah has bestowed
on this nation by sending them
a Messenger from among
themselves and by the message
he conveyed to them is very great
indeed. Only a wicked satan tries
to turn them away from it. It is
their duty to chase satan and resist
his temptation. n
Follow-up
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
19
Taking Normal Precautions Against Harm
In a Hadith, the Prophet is quoted as saying: "A person who sleeps on rooftop without edges
and falls and dies has no claim. Similarly, a person who sails in the sea when it is rough and
dies forfeits all claims." (Related by Ahmad and Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad).
The Prophet impresses on his
companions, and indeed all
Muslims, that they should take
normal precautions against what
causes them harm. Thus a Muslim
should take any measure that
enhances his safety, or the safety
of his family and dependants.
If someone fails to take such
measures, he forfeits any rights
he might have been entitled to
have, from other people or
from God, because of his
failure. We have a Hadith
that clearly speaks against
sleeping on an open roof.
The Prophet is quoted
as saying: "Anyone who
sleeps on a rooftop with no
barriers forfeits all claims."
(Related by Al-Bukhari in
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad and
Abu Dawood).
Exposed to Risks
In our modern days when we have
air conditioning and comfortable
beds, we may wonder who wants
to sleep on a rooftop. We need
only to go back a little bit in
time and imagine a place with
very hot climate, and with no air
conditioning available. Many
people preferred to sleep on the
roofs of their homes because it
felt far more comfortable than
sleeping in their bedrooms which
were much hotter. In this Hadith,
the Prophet tells us very clearly
that we must take reasonable
precautions against a fall. To
start with, he points out that if the
rooftop is without a reasonable
barrier, then sleeping there is
wrong. A sleeping person may
be exposed to certain risks. If he
overturns and happens to be near
the edge, he might fall down. A
fall is also possible if he wakes
up and starts to walk before he
is completely alert. He might
step over something he cannot
see and fall as a result, causing
himself a serious injury. Or he
may be disoriented if he has not
yet recovered all his senses; so
he starts walking in the wrong
direction. If it is still dark, he
might fall down. In all these
situations, a fall is possible.
Therefore, one must not expose
oneself to the risk of falling.
God has been generous and
compassionate to us, assigning
angels to watch over us. We
see this clearly in situations
of imminent danger which we
have overlooked. We suddenly
are alert to the danger and take
a reflex action to avoid trouble.
We wonder how we could see
the danger in the nick of time,
when all factors should have
prevented us from seeing it. Take
the example of someone driving
alone and getting tired. He may
be about to fall asleep when
something suddenly alerts him.
God says in the Qur'an: "There
are guardians watching over you,
noble recorders, who know all
your actions." (82: 10-12)
have." (Related by Al-Bukhari in
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad)
In another Hadith, the Prophet is
quoted as saying: "A person who
sleeps on rooftop without edges
and falls and dies has no claim.
Similarly, a person who sails in
the sea when it is rough and dies
Precautions in Every Situation
But in order to be in the
safest position, we need
to take all reasonable
precautions in every
situation. Thus, we should
not drive for a long
distance when we are tired
and feel that we could
easily fall asleep. Instead
we should have some
sleep before we start our
journey. In the same way, a person
who sleeps on a rooftop without a
rising edge or a barrier to prevent
a fall should take reasonable
precautions. If he does not, and
falls causing his own death, no
claim could be made against
anyone. Moreover, he may have
forfeited any reward he would
have otherwise received.
This was perfectly understood by
the Prophet's companions. Abu
Ayyoub Al-Ansari, a companion
of the Prophet, visited a friend
who took him to the roof which
had no wall edges. Apparently
he offered him to sleep there.
But Abu Ayyoub declined and
went down. He said: "I was about
to stay the night forfeiting all I
If parents neglect
to vaccinate their
children, and as
a result, a child
contracts a disease
which ends in his
death, the parents
have to answer
to God for a very
serious failure.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS
Adversity Shapes Our Character
It is the challenges in life that either make men or break them.
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) is
now accepted as an outstanding
figure in English literature. Yet,
in the early stages of his life, he
was in such financial straits that he
appeared to be doomed to failure.
It was this very financial stringency
which drove him ultimately to
success.
Until reaching middle age, he was
regarded as being a man of very
ordinary capabilities – a third rate
poet, in fact. By this stage of his life,
he was overburdened with debts
from which his rather uninspired
poetry could obviously not rescue
him. But the desperation to which
his circumstances had reduced him,
far from crushing him, unleashed
new and unsuspected forces from
within him.
These
hitherto
unrevealed
capacities were to find their outlets
in what was, for him, a new field;
that of the historical romance
in novel form. The pressure
of his debts spurred him on to
tremendous literary efforts over
the next few years, and, because
of his desperate need to sell his
books rapidly and at high prices,
he devoted himself to writing the
kind of stories which were sure to
arrest the attention of his readers.
Such extraordinary diligence
became the guarantee of his
novels’ popularity. They sold
like hot cakes, and he paid off
his debts. He was a great literary
success. Later in life he was
knighted in recognition of his
contributions to English literature;
but if he had not originally had the
stimulus of his debts, he might
never have composed works of
such high literary merit. He would
never have been so prolific and
would certainly not have become
Sir Walter Scott.
It was his determined tackling of a
serious situation which led to his
being awarded one of the highest
places in English literature. It is
the challenges in life that either
make men or break them.
[Source:
http://cpsglobal.org/
content/adversity-shapes-ourcharacter]
forfeits all claims." (Related by
Ahmad and Al-Bukhari in AlAdab Al-Mufrad).
Exposure to Danger
This Hadith mentions two types
of exposure to danger. In both
situations the person concerned
does something careless. As a
result he forfeits all his rights.
There is first the right to be helped
by the guardian angels, and then
the right of reward that results
from such danger. Although the
Prophet mentions only these two
types, the import of the Hadith
is clear in its applicability to all
types of danger. One of these
is exposure to illness. Some
diseases are contracted through
careless behaviour, while others
are caused through the failure
to take preventive measures.
Nowadays, we have vaccinations
against a variety of diseases,
including some of the worst
diseases that affect children,
such as tuberculosis, measles and
whooping cough. If we fail to
vaccinate our children at the right
time, we are not giving them the
immunity that spares them much
trouble. Some of these diseases
are killers. If parents fail to
immunize their children through
vaccination, they are exposing
them to these killer diseases. They
risk coming under the Qur'anic
verse that states: "Losers indeed
are those who, in their ignorance,
foolishly kill their children."
(6: 140) Failure to immunize
children when the means are
available could be through either
negligence or ignorance. Neither
is valid justification. So, if
parents neglect to vaccinate their
children, and as a result, a child
contracts a disease which ends
in his death, the parents have to
answer to God for a very serious
failure. n
Page 5
Archbishops Meet Grand Imam ...
Al-Azhar and the Coptic Pope.
The Archbishop of Sudan,
the Most Revd Daniel Deng,
thanked the Grand Imam, Dr
Ahmed el-Tayyeb, for making
statements that “have brought
moderation into Sudanese
society and saved lives.”
The leaders encouraged the
Dr el-Tayyeb to “play a role
in combatting false Islamic
teachings that is propagated
by extremists, especially in
Africa.” In response, the Grand
Imam said that Al-Azhar is
committed to correcting such
false teachings which often
lead to terrorism and violence.
The Grand Imam expressed
his appreciation for the
“brotherly relations with the
Anglican Church in Egypt”
and stressed the importance of
the partnership and collegiality
between religious leaders for
the common good of humanity.
“It is important that we work
together to overcome the
challenges that are facing the
world,” Dr el-Tayyeb said.
(Extracted from http://www.
anglicannews.org/news/2015)
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Guidance
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Listening to the Inner Voice
20
Our inner voice constantly speaks to us, but how often do we take time off
from our unnecessarily packed schedules to heed it?
By A Staff Writer
It’s good to be busy, doing the things
we have to, of course, but it’s also
good to take some time off each day
to be with ourselves, to enjoy our
silence, to listen to what our inner
voice—our true self—wants to
tell us. Our inner voice constantly
speaks to us, but how often do we
take time off from our unnecessarily
packed schedules to heed it?
I hadn’t a clue about the existence
of the inner voice, leave alone
the importance of listening to it
till some months ago, when my
good fortune led me to a group
of men and women, of varying
age groups, nationalities and class
religious backgrounds, who were
on a tour sharing with people their
experiences with ‘inner voice
listening’.
The informal presentation the
group made was deeply moving,
and not very long into it I was
completely won over by the simple
but compelling idea that they had
come to talk about. “Sit in silence
for, say, 20 minutes or half an
hour every day, preferably in the
morning,” they explained, “and
invite your inner voice to speak.
Listen attentively to what it says. If
what you hear is in accordance with
the norms of honesty and goodness
and the welfare of all, you could
take it to be your inner voice telling
you something important. Note it
down in a note-book. It’s as simple
as that.”
Key to Self Realisation
Listening to one’s inner voice, the
group explained, was key to selfrealization, which is the essential
purpose of all religions underneath
their apparent diversity. Anyone
and everyone could do inner-voice
listening. It wasn’t tied to any
particular religion. You didn’t have
to believe in any particular religion
or ideology to do it. After all, no
matter what our belief-system may
be, every one of us has an inner
voice.
Often, we just cannot bear to
listen to our inner voice because
we want to run away from what
it seeks to tell us. We fear that
what it wants us to hear maybe
too painful or embarrassing. We
think it may go against what want
to think about ourselves. We may
consider the verdict of our inner
voice too inconvenient to accept.
This could be because of deeprooted guilt for some action of ours
that we are reluctant to admit. But
try as much as we can, the guilt
simply refuses to go away—the
conscience refuses to allow it to.
And so, it builds up inside, taking
the form of resentment, hate,
the positive contributions made by
a number of people in this regard,
holding them as models we could
be inspired by. These provide us
fine examples of people who led
meaningful lives by helping in the
evolution of humanity.
covered a very long distance. It
is a journey of maturation and
completeness—from physics to
aeronautics to satellite launch
vehicles to guided missiles to
nuclear weapons to management
of human affairs, inquiring into
faiths, unity of minds: The domain
kept expanding. It has been a
journey of truth and authenticity;
a journey of love, devotion and
passion; a journey of compassion,
giving and service. It has been
a journey of realisation of the
nature of the soul and reality; a
journey of insight and learning; a
journey of fulfillment of life and
human potential; a journey of
inner freedom. Journey, journey,
journey….till the end.”
Journey, journey, journey….
Yes, that is what life is all about!
Earlier this year, Kalam went on
yet another journey, but this time
it was a very different sort—the
journey that all of us will one day
embark on, too. He journeyed back
from this world to where he (and
all of the rest of us) came from, but
not before inspiring many people
to reflect on the meaning and
purpose of their lives, including
through this book. n
You could lead your
inner voice to guide
you about what to
do with regard to
a troubled relationship, to suggest a
way out of a difficult
situation or to take a
decision on an issue
about which you are
confused.
jealousy and anger, even as these
negative emotions corrode us from
within, harming ourselves much
more than anyone else. Accepting
the inner voice’s reminders about
the wrongs that we have done
and making amends for them is
key to overcoming negativities
and becoming a happier person, I
learned that day.
Page 17
Inner Journey ...
we need to unlearn, he says—many
assumptions, concepts, beliefs and
ideologies that we have imbibed
from childhood onwards. Our
acculturation is often our bondage,
which distorts our vision of reality,
and that needs to be addressed.
Skillfully facing the trials
of everyday life is also an
indispensible part of the spiritual
journey, Kalam writes. ‘There is
no merit where there is no trial’,
he says. Our real enemy lies
within—the ego. The spiritual
journey consists of going beyond
the egocentric obsession with ‘I’
to becoming an instrument of
God’s peace. The ‘I’, Kalam says,
is illusory. When one realizes this,
what remains, he writes, is the
unfolding of the infinite potential
of humanity through a body-mind
connection.
To those who seek to change
the world, Kalam has a word of
caution: It is only when we get
our own lives in order that we can
have a beneficial impact on others.
Only if we ourselves embody and
radiate positivity can we influence
others and thereby do our bit to
make the world a more joyful and
peaceful place. Kalam reflects on
Voyage of Inner Exploration
Leading a truly meaningful life is
about ‘finding God in the human
heart’, as Kalam puts it. Realising
our true selves—the purpose of
life, according to various spiritual
traditions—is something that
requires both self-reflection as
well as social engagement, Kalam
suggests. The ‘voyage of inner
exploration’ leads us to realize
our connection with the rest of
humanity, guided by compassion:
‘independence from narcissism is
self-realisation’, as he beautifully
puts it.
Towards the end of the book,
Kalam provides us a glimpse
into his own inner journey in the
following words:
“My inner journey is many things.
It is a journey of adventure and
discovery—from Rameswaram
Island [in Tamil Nadu, where he
was born] to Rashtrapati Bhavan—I
Liberated From Your Guilt
“When you listen to your inner
voice, you may be confronted
by memories of some harm you
may have done or hurt you may
have caused to someone, through
word or deed. Your inner voice
may tell you to make reparations
for this. If you heed this, you will
be liberated from your guilt. An
enormous burden will be lifted
from your shoulders, and you
will experience a great sense of
relief,” the group explained.
This was no empty rhetoric.
Members of the group revealed
how following the lead of their
inner voice, they had apologized
to people they had hurt and how
this had lead to healing of broken
relationships, freeing them from
the burden of guilt and bringing
in great joy in their lives.
While engaged in listening to
your inner voice, I learned, you
could give it topics to deal with.
For instance, you could lead
your inner voice to guide you
about what to do with regard to a
troubled relationship, to suggest
a way out of a difficult situation
or to take a decision on an issue
about which you are confused.
You could also direct the inner
voice to help you list some of
important things for your to-do
list for the day.
Mountain of Bitterness
The
testimonies
of
the
members of the group about
the transformation that inner
voice listening had made to their
lives won me over completely.
That same day, I did my first
inner voice listening, along with
members of the group.
One of the first things that my
inner voice prompted me to
do was to confess some of the
things I’ve done in the past,
which I had sought to justify
but which I now was compelled
to admit were completely
unacceptable. So, for instance,
I wrote to a professor who had,
some two decades ago, given me
a generous fellowship, and told
him about how I had cheated
with the bills that I had presented
for expenses incurred—I had
purloined some of the money by
giving the college fake bills. I
wrote to a landlady, saying how
ungrateful I had been to her for
her kindness. She had treated
me wonderfully when I lived in
her house, but when she came
to stay with me for a vacation, I
had treated her really shabbily. I
requested her to forgive me for
my terrible behaviour. I sent off
a friendly email message to my
sister-in-law, whom I had cut off
links with because I had stopped
speaking with my brother, her
husband. And so on. And the
results were amazing! People
who I thought would never
forgive me did so with great
alacrity! And I was relieved
of a heavy burden of guilt and
resentment. It was wonderful
being released of an enormous
mountain of bitterness!
Inner voice listening has now
become a part of my daily life.
I set the alarm for around 20-25
minutes for it every morning,
and sipping my coffee, I let my
mind speak to me. I get a lot
of advice from my inner voice.
It tells me how to manage
challenges and navigate through
life’s sometimes rough waters. It
draws my attention to the beauty
and goodness in people whom I
sometimes resent. It insists that I
apologise to someone I have been
cruel to. It prompts me to meet
or email someone. It goads me
to do this or refrain from doing
that. It also suggests to me some
important things that I must do
that day. I note down what my
inner voice in a little note-book.
This exercise is one of the major
highlights of my day, and I just
love doing it.
You might like to try making
listening to your inner voice a
part of your daily schedule. I’m
sure you’ll find it beautiful, just
as I have! n
REFLECTIONS
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
A Little Game for Interfaith Harmony!
21
There’s ample goodness to be discovered in every religion, community and
person if we care to look for it!
By Roshan
At the root of conflicts in the name
of religion is the belief among
numerous (though, mercifully, not
all) religionists that the particular
religion they claim to follow and
the community based around
it are the best of all and that all
the other are decidedly inferior.
This warped belief can easily
conduce to religious absolutism
and communal supremacism. As
history as well as current events
show, these can lead to deeprooted aversion to other religions
and their adherents, and even to
brutal wars in the name of religion
and God.
Parents
actively
inculcate
negative
Socialisation
into
religious
absolutism
and
communal
supremacism often happens in
childhood, through parents and
significant others who had been
similarly socialized by their parents
when they were young. Children
reared in this manner often grow
up imagining their religion to be
the sole repository of truth, the
only way to communicate with or
‘please’ God, the one and only path
to heaven. Many parents actively
inculcate negative views about
other religions and degrading
stereotypes about other religious
communities in the minds of
their children, with long-lasting
tragic results. This message is
often reinforced by people who
claim to be religious authorities.
Consequently, such children grow
up deeply prejudiced
against other faiths
and communities,
with
ominous
consequences
for religiouslyp l u r a l
societies, as
almost
all
societies today
are.
Hatred begins in
the mind, and the
only way negative
images can replaced with
positive ones is by changing our
mindsets. If we allow ourselves to
recognize at least one good thing
in religions and communities
other than the ones we may
identify with, it could go a long
way in promoting more accepting
and positive images of others.
And that is the only way to nurture
interfaith harmony.
The other day, a friend of mine
and I decided to play a game
that we came up with all of a
MUSLIM PERSPECTIVES
sudden. It was something that
we concocted at the spur of the
moment: an impromptu interfaith
harmony game!
In the first stretch of the game,
we sat silently and brought to our
mind one or more good things
we could identify in every
major religion. When
we shared the
findings of this
meditation,
we
were
delighted!
We
were
able
to
discern
a m p l e
goodness
in all the
religions
we
could
conceive
of! Each religion, we
discovered, had at least something
beautiful in it!
Then, in the next part of the game,
we went back to silence and this
time tried to bring to our mind
at least one person each from
different religious backgrounds
whom we knew personally who
had deeply touched our lives,
someone who had won our hearts
with his or her very being.
Now, this was something that we
hadn’t really consciously given
much attention to before—you
know how we often tend to take
people for granted and loathe to
recognize goodness in anyone but
Hatred begins in the
mind, and the only way
negative images can
replaced with positive
ones is by changing our
mindsets. If we allow
ourselves to recognize
at least one good
thing in religions and
communities other than
the ones we may identify
with, it could go a long
way in promoting more
accepting and positive
images of others. And
that is the only way
to nurture interfaith
harmony.
ourselves—but as we let our minds
wander, we discovered that it was
really easy going! In no time at all
we came up with an impressive
list of many such people—such as
the kind-hearted head of a Hindu
ashram, a friendly Muslim social
worker, a soft-spoken Buddhist
A Renaissance of Spirituality
Islam, after its first 100 years of expansion, spread through South Asia, Africa, and Southeast
Asia largely through the work of Sufis who fed the poor, educated and inspired the masses.
By Kabir Helminski
Sufism is primarily a holistic
discipline for human development,
which has had an immense
influence on the intellectual
and political life of Muslim
civilizations. The tradition of the
"whirling dervishes" included
in its membership the greatest
literary and artistic figures of
Ottoman civilization, including
ministers of state and even some
of the more progressive Sultans.
Our own Mevlevi Order, as
it is known, had centers from
North Africa to Jerusalem and
Damascus, into Asia Minor, in
the Balkans as far as Sarajevo,
and all the way to Baghdad.
These centers functioned as miniuniversities, not only offering
spiritual development, but arts,
languages, and practical skills, as
well. Most of all, the values of
the order were rooted in love and
service to humanity, regardless of
religion or ethnicity.
Islam, after its first 100 years of
expansion, spread through South
Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia
largely through the work of
Sufis who fed the poor, educated
and inspired the masses, and
introduced
ethical
business
practices.
An international program to
refute the distortions
We should hope for a greater Sufi
presence in the Muslim world,
not as an imitation of the past,
but as a renaissance of spirituality
and wisdom. Sufis have been
civilization
builders:
Three
major Islamic civilizations (The
Ottomans, the Mughals, and the
Safavids) originally developed
from Sufi sources.
As for Sufis being impractical
dreamers, heroic figures like
Abdul Qadir Jazaeri in North
Africa, Imam Shamil in the
Caucasus, both Sufi shaikhs, led
movements of resistance against
colonial oppression. Last year,
among the Gezi Park protestors in
Turkey, were even some whirling
dervishes and many Sufis. From
my experience, probably 90% of
the professors of Islamic studies
in the West are Sufi practitioners,
or, at least, sympathizers. My
own work includes elements of
activism—currently, for instance,
I'm engaged in an international
program to refute the distortions
of ISIS, in particular, and Islamic
extremism, in general.
A few years ago, King Mohammed
VI of Morocco invited a 1000
Sufi shaikhs from around the
world to be his guests at a
conference devoted to the state
of contemporary Sufism. I was
among them. The King wanted
to send a message to the leaders
of the world that Sufis should be
welcomed to do the work they do
for humanity's spiritual and social
development, but without being
"instrumentalized" to serve any
particular political agenda. It's
important to distinguish between
serving the needs of justice and
peace, on the one hand, and
being used by the "powers that
be" to further their own political
purposes.
Sufis are an intellectual and
spiritual
presence
working
behind the scenes without regard
for personal recognition. They
see everyday life and serving
humanity as their spiritual path.
They are more like the enzymes
of the body than the limbs. They
are the most beautiful hope of
the Muslim world, and when the
monk, a helpful Jesuit priest, an
amiable Jain doctor, an amazing
Jewish peace activist, and many
more such amazing souls! Not
all of them were religious in the
conventional sense. Some of them
were, but others had transcended
traditional understandings of
religion. While some identified
with the religious community into
which they had been born, others
had gone beyond such ascriptive
identities, espousing a universal
spirituality that saw no differences
of creed or community. At the
same time, each of them had
been wonderfully kind to us, in
different ways. They had lovingly
accepted us just as we were,
despite our apparent religious or
other differences. It was this, we
realized, that had so endeared
them to us.
Our little game lasted less than
half an hour, but even this brief
experiment was a momentous
learning experience for me. It
vividly reminded me of our
common humaneness, of how,
despite our apparent differences,
as fellow human beings there is
no difference between us at all in
our essence. Goodness, we also
discovered, knows no religious
or communal boundaries! There’s
ample goodness to be discovered
in every religion, community and
person if we care to look for it!
You could play this game, too—
with your friends, colleagues
or children. I’m sure you’d be
amazed at your findings! n
dust settles after this unfortunate
period of illegal wars, tyranny,
and terrorism, they will still be
working for the development of the
human heart and consciousness.
(Kabir Helminski is a translator
of the works of Rumi and others,
a Shaikh of the Mevlevi Order
(which traces back to Jalaluddin
Rumi), co-director of The
Threshold Society (Sufism.org)
and director/founder of the Baraka
Institute (barakainstitute.org).
[Extracted
from
courierjournal.com/story/opinion/
c o n t r i b u t o r s / 2 0 1 5 / 0 7 / 11 /
commentary-sufism-primarilyholistic-discipline/30013413/]
SOUL TALK
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
The Transcendent and His Names
The concept of tawhid expresses
first and essentially the fact of the
absolute oneness of God: the first
Principle, Creator of all, eternally
present in history and at each
moment, He is the Most High (alAli), beyond all that is (al-Kabir,
al-Wasi, al-Jami), infinitely near
(al-Qarib), closer to each of us
than His jugular vein. He is the
submissive to and at peace with
the Living One (al-Hayy), the
Eternal (al-Qayyum), who grants
life (al-Muhyi) and brings death
(al-Mumit). Nature is a book
abounding in signs (ayat) of this
essential link with the divine, this
“natural faith,” this “faith within
nature” that is chanted by the
mountain and the desert, the tree
and the bird: “Art thou not aware
that it is God whose limitless
glory all [creatures] that are in
the heavens and on earth extol,
even the birds as they spread
out their wings? Each [of them]
knows indeed how to pray unto
Him and to glorify Him; and God
understand” the celebration that
the creation, simply by being
what it is, addresses to God.
With consciousness and freedom,
another dimension is opened
up, a dimension of faith, nature,
submission, and peace, where
one must listen, hear, understand,
search, begin, resist, reform. Here
we must learn to celebrate, learn
to pray.
Humans are beings that have
knowledge as well as ignorance,
memory as well as forgetfulness.
In contrast with the rest of
creation, they have to live with
dignity, risk, and freedom, all
at once. What the Transcendent
One (al-Wahid), the Only One (la
ilaha illa Hu), the Absolute (alSamad), Justice (al-Adl), Truth
(al-Haqq), and Light (al-Nur).
The whole of creation, in its
most natural state, is the most
immediate expression of the order
intended by the Transcendent.
Here, in the universe of the
“laws of nature” and “rule of
instinct,” everything is in itself
already and eternally “Islamic,”
has full knowledge of all that they
do”; “The seven heavens extol
His limitless glory, and the earth,
and all they contain; and there is
not a single thing but extols His
limitless glory and praise: but you
[O men] fail to grasp the manner
of their glorifying Him!”
“You” refers here to human
beings, beings endowed with
consciousness and freedom, yet
who “do not see” and “do not
demands of their consciousness is
to know Him or, more precisely,
to recognize Him, and He has
given them the means by which
they can meet His demands. The
idea that an intelligent being may
find itself alone, abandoned, a
prey to doubt with no landmarks
in the midst of the “tragedy of
life” is alien to Islam: God always
makes available to humankind
tools and signs on the road that
leads to recognizing Him.
The first space that welcomes
human beings in their quest is
creation itself. It is a book, as we
have said, and all the elements
that form part of it are signs
that should remind the human
consciousness that there exists
that which is “beyond” them. This
Revelation in and through space
The search for God and the
sense of “the need of Him” may
also arise from the indefinable
work of looking inward that is
required of each of us.
By Tariq Ramadan
There is no “Islamic theology.”
It is meaningless, and in actual
fact wrong, to compare the often
peripheral discussions that took
place among Muslim scholars
(particularly from the tenth century)
with the radical reflections that
gave birth to “Christian theology.”
Admittedly, some debates were
lively, and in the course of history
in the Islamic Schools the meaning
and significance of the names of
God and of His attributes, and the
status of Revelation have been
discussed, but the boundaries of
these controversies, in contrast
to the history of Catholic dogma,
for example, have remained
circumscribed and have never
gone as far as to open to question
three fundamental principles: the
absolute oneness of the Creator,
the impossibility of there being
a representation of Him, and the
truth of His word revealed in the
Qur’an.
An authentic “theology” would
first and foremost have discussed
these three principles. But a
careful study of the history of the
debates among the Schools shows
that the disputes took place mainly
in separation from these three
principles, which, at the heart
of the Muslim understanding,
are the basis of what is called
“tawhid.” Islam begins just here:
to understand Islam is to grasp the
meaning and significance of the
multiple dimensions of tawhid.
Pearls of Wisdom
By Hazrath Inayath Khan
What is necessary just now is to create peace in
ourselves that we, ourselves, become examples
of love, harmony and peace. That is the only way
of saving the world and ourselves.
It is more important to find out the truth about
one's self, than to find out the truth of heaven and
hell.
The awakened soul looks about and asks: 'Who
is my enemy?' While the unawakened soul thinks
that it is his neighbor or his relation who is his
enemy, the awakened soul says, 'It is my self; my
ignorant ego is my enemy; and it is the struggle
with this enemy that will bring me light and raise
me from the denseness of the earth.'
When a person really wants to find the way, it is
not very far from him. It depends on the sincerity
of the desire to find it whether it is far or not. What
is necessary for finding it is not much reading, or
discussion or argument, but a practical study of
self. One questions one's own self: what am I?
Am I a material body, or a mind, or something
behind a mind? Am I myself or my coat? Is this
object "me," or something different? Is this body
my cover, or myself?
What is it then in man which says 'I' and identifies
itself with what it sees? It is not our head or foot
which says 'I' nor is it in the brain. It is something
that we cannot point out which identifies itself
with all these different parts and says 'I' and
mine.
There is One Truth, the true knowledge of our
being, within and without, which is the essence of
all wisdom. Hazrat Ali says, 'Know thyself, and
thou shalt know God.' ... The Sufi recognizes the
knowledge of self as the essence of all religions;
he traces it in every religion…
22
is wedded to Revelations in time,
which, at irregular intervals, came
as reminders of the origin and end
of the universe and of humanity.
The Qur’an, the last of these
Revelations in the Muslim view,
has as its main purpose to remind
and to direct to recall to memory
the presence of the Only One, to
direct the intelligence towards the
knowledge of Him.
Basically, we learn from this that
we can say of God only what He
says of Himself. In other words,
we must be listening for what
He has said and communicated
to
humankind
throughout
history about recognizing and
approaching Him. By this means,
the Being has offered His names
to human intelligence in order to
direct it toward the knowledge
of Him, but never toward the
definition of Him. “Nothing
is like Him, and He is the AllHearing, the All-Seeing”: all the
divine names, of which we have
mentioned some, make it possible
to meditate and gain access to His
Transcendence, His closeness,
His kindness, and His mercy, but
all reveal, in the human heart,
human insufficiency, dependence,
and “need of Him.”
The second teaching of the
Revelation is to invite individuals
to a deep study of their own inner
lives. The search for God and the
sense of “the need of Him” may
also arise from the indefinable
work of looking inward that
is required of each of us. The
knowledge of God leads us to our
self, as the knowledge of our self
leads to God. What is uncovered
through the two revelations, the
written Book (al-Kitab al-mastur)
and the Book that is spread out (alKitab al-manshur—the universe),
is a profoundly harmonious
conception of the human being. n
YOUNG MUSLIMS
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
23
Karate Champion from Kolkata
Ayesha Noor aims to knock out poverty
with the help of Karate.
By Zaidul Haque
Kolkata: Life in a Kolkata slum
can break the spirit of even the
most strong-willed person. It can
also, however, inspire people to
learn the art of fighting their battles
at an early stage; and Ayesha
Noor is no different. A 19-yearold teenager, Noor has picked up
her coach M.A Ali, who is also an
accomplished Karate teacher, she
won the 15th International Youth
Karate Championship held at
Mumbai in 2010, where athletes
from 16 countries participated.
Success never left her side after
that, although as is the case with
most athletes in India, nothing
improved for her on the financial
little to stop Noor’s quest to
be the best in the country, and
among the best in the world.
Noor showed that the 2010
success was no flash in the pan:
in 2011 and 2012, Ayesha also
bagged the Gold Medal at the
19th and 20th National Karate
Championship. An important
moment in her life came in 2013,
when she won the Gold Medal
at the `Thai Pitchai International
Youth Karate Championship
2013’ in Thailand. The larger
challenge was to arrange for the
money to travel to Thaliand.
Karate champion Ayesha Noor shows her skill (left) and her medals (Right).
state, national and international
awards in Karate almost at will,
even as she deals with epilepsy
on a personal level and remains
on regular medication.
For Noor, winning came early,
almost as a natural habit. When
she was 14, under the guidance of
Open Space
By Victor Edwin SJ
Prof. Patrick J. Ryan, a Jesuit
priest and Professor of Religion
and Society at Fordham University
(New York), lived and worked in
Muslim settings in West Africa for
26 years, studying and teaching
Islam
and
Christian-Muslim
relations. In an article titled “Called
to Prayer: What I Learned from
Muslims About God", published
in an American magazine, he
affirms that the first two words of
the Islamic call to worship (adhan),
Allahu Akbar, that issues five times
a day from every mosque, evoke
an approach to God from which
he as a Catholic and a Jesuit has
learned a great deal over the past
five decades.
What can we learn from Ryan’s
knowledge and wisdom for
engaging in promoting ChristianMuslim relations?
The phrase Allahu Akbar occurs
several times in the adhan. Ryan
writes: ‘these two words in Arabic
are usually referred to as the takbir,
front. Having lost her father at the
tender age of eight, Noor and her
family continued, and even now,
continue to share a room with her
family of six, in a Kolkata Khula
bari (slum) at Mofidul Islam
Lane in central Kolkata.
But such hindrances have done
With one brother working as
a hawker earning roughly Rs
4,000 a month and mother
working as a maid to make ends
meet, the money for Thailand
was completely out of question.
It was here that Twocircles.
net associated with the cause
of Noor, an association that
Noor’s mother Shakila Begum
and Coach Ali are thankful
about. Struggling for funds, her
achievements were written about
inTwocircles.net at that time.
The story was a success, with
many organisations, along with
Twocircles.net coming forward
to help. She, of course, won the
tournament. In 2014, she got
the highest Black belt degree
in Karate at Kolkata, from the
Indian Unit of Byagra Kan
Karate International, Thailand.
Her success has also gained
international recognition,
with San Francisco-based
Independent
Television
Service (ITVS) having
decided
to
make
a
documentary on Noor’s
life under the 10-minute
screening as part of
`Woman and Girls Lead
Global’ (WGLG) project.
It will be headed by awardwinning director, writer
and photographer Koen
Suidgeest of Netherlands.
Towards the end of October,
Suidgeest also wrote to West
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.
The CM’s office assured all
possible help to Noor in the
pursuit of her passion. He also
wrote to Sarbananda Sonowa,
the Union Minister of State for
Youth Affairs and Sports with
regard to Noor. The shooting
God is Greater than Anything
Christians and Muslims as Co-Pilgrims
Prof. Patrick J. Ryan writes that Muslims have taught him a lesson over and over again
whenever he hears them exclaim the first words of the call to worship: Allahu akbar!
the magnifying of God […] The
phrase is commonly translated
as “God is greatest” or even
(incorrectly) as “God is great”,
but I prefer the translation “God is
greater than anything!”
God is Greater
Calling upon his readers to enter
into the linguistic nuance of the
words, Ryan writes: “Akbar and
takbir as words in Arabic both
derive from the tri-consonantal
root K-B-R, signifying greatness;
in these forms they imply more
than ordinary greatness, in fact the
most exalted greatness, an attribute
of God alone”.
The first two words of the adhan,
Ryan tells, invite Muslims to
proclaim “God’s unsurpassable
transcendence and God’s utter
differentness from anyone merely
human or anything that is only
created”.
Ryan writes that Muslims have
taught him a lesson over and over
again whenever he hears them
exclaim the first words of the call
to worship: Allahu akbar! The
First Epistle of John, in the Bible,
puts it almost as succinctly: “God
is greater than our hearts” (1 Jn
3:20). Ryan indicates that this
attitude of surrender will help us to
grow in ‘God-consciousness’ and
‘patience’. These two virtues are
a common ground for Christians
and Muslims. In that common
ground, they neither compromise
nor confront the other. In such
attitude of surrender, Christians
and Muslims are called to become
co-pilgrims.
Kenneth Cracknell’s in his book,
Considering Dialogue writes
that Christians and Muslims are
fellow pilgrims to the truth that
none of us have yet grasped in
its immensity. I think that Ryan’s
translation of “God is greater than
anything” points to that immensity
that Cracknell indicates.
Commenting on Cracknell, Hugh
Goddard writes in his book A
History of Christian Muslim
Relations: “The Truth is always
beyond us. Our appreciation of
it is always provisional, but in
seeking to further and develop that
appreciation, both Christians and
Muslims can bring valid insights,
not least since on many issues they
share common understandings.
Even on those topics on which they
differ, however, mutual benefit
can be derived from dialogue and
constructive engagement”.
Perception of Truth
The constructive engagement
advances the perception of truth.
Christians and Muslims therefore,
he says, “along with others, are
fellow pilgrims on the route
for the documentary will begin
hopefully this month, after
Suidgeest receives his Visa.
But for Shakeela Begum, the
concerns are more short-term.
Since Noor suffers from Epilepsy,
her family spends more than Rs
2,000 per month on medication.
Despite all her achievements,
she does not even receive
medical assistance from the state
government. Begum also hoped
that like other athletes, who have
been provided housing by the
state government, Shakeela and
her family also receive similar
assistance, so that she can move
out of the single-room quarter.
Mindful of her situation, Noor
hopes she gets a government
job so that she can help improve
her family’s condition. But with
the right guidance, one can only
imagine the heights of success
that Noor can reach. n
(Twocircles.net)
towards the perception of the truth,
rather than either of them being,
as some Christians and Muslims
seem to like to think, already
proud possessors of the truth”.
As Goddard says, our differences
can bring valuable insights.
Insights cannot be manufactured.
They emerge from the depth of
knowing the other and feeling
with the other. Insights help both
religious believers to learn from
one another, without dismissing
the other as irrelevant. Mutual
learning is spiritually beneficial for
both groups of believers. Asserting
one’s own religion as absolute is
the fruit of prejudice. No religion
is absolute in claiming complete
comprehension of the divine
mystery. Therefore, both Muslims
and Christians could learn humility
and cultivate intuitive perception
in which a ‘learned ignorance’ will
enlighten the minds of both. Thus
they can learn to be co-pilgrims
towards our destiny, God.
(The
author
teaches
at
Vidyajyothi,
a
Catholic
seminary in New Delhi)
matrimonial
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ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Bangalore based Sunni Muslim
parents are seeking Alliance from NRI’s
qualified PG professionals, preferably
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LIFE & RELATIONSHIPS
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
Feeling Free!
Like a Bird Out of the Cage!
25
The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maharashtra organized the Discover Yourself Workshop in
Nanded, Latur and Kalyan in October and November 2015. Over 800 enthusiastic people
participated in these workshops.
Here, some of the participants share their experiences after the Workshop.
‹‹Good approach to focus on human spiritual principles.
‹‹Truly a life changing experience, it gave me the ability to distinguish between good and evil.
‹‹I found it very important to understand myself and my Creator.
‹‹I came out of the world of anger and burden by forgiving all my near and dear one's
and now I am feeling very light and free like a bird out of the cage.
‹‹It is very useful for families who want to live with happiness.
‹‹It is a phenomenal experience and truly revolutionary. It has silenced my chatter
box.
‹‹The workshop is an answer to all the people who do not have peace in their life.
‹‹A big opportunity to discover ‘Myself’. I want to say only one word, please 'once more'.
‹‹I think every person must and should attend this workshop at least once in a life time.
‹‹My thinking and view changed, it is enjoyable, interesting, valuable and beneficial. It helped me
control my ego.
‹‹This workshop is a God's gift through Sadath khan.
‹‹I am very thankful that I got an opportunity to attend this workshop.
‹‹Excellent, unique, practical and interactive workshop with an Islamic touch and should be attended
Nanded workshop
by everyone.
SHAQUFTA: Before attending
this workshop, my life was full
of questions. I was stressed,
now after the third day, I believe
that transformation is possible.
The workshop helped me gain
back my self-confidence, it really
brought out the real 'ME' from
inside, thank you sir, hope you
will keep spreading the light in
our lives and other people. You
are a fabulous coach with a great
sense of humour. God bless you.
IMAD: I was forced to attend the
workshop by my father, but after
attending it, I am very thankful
to my father. Since two to three
years I was nervous and confused
in choosing a career, either to take
a job or do business, now I found
the reality about it. The workshop
also helped me to keep my mind
under control and it gave me the
ability to distinguish between false
and the real world. It helped me to
discover myself and to believe in
myself.
SALIM: I have attended many
seminars, watched so many
Islamic and non-Islamic videos
and gathered a bed rock of
information, but it was temporary.
Your workshop has refreshed my
Iman and has helped me change
my perspective of looking at
things. Your workshop has those
basic tools, yet so powerful tools,
if put to practice can change
lives.
AZRA: I was in my own world
and never realized the truth.
But in these two days, I feel the
changes in me. I felt very much
relieved as I accepted the reality.
My family members had attended
the workshop before and now I
feel that my family is trying to
change and I am experiencing a
new family, reborn. The workshop
is excellent and outstanding.
ISAK: You are extraordinary.
Really, the way you have
facilitated the workshop for three
days is marvellous. There are no
words to express my feelings. The
energy level you have maintained
throughout is extraordinary. I pray
to Almighty to give you better
and better health. Every student
should attend this workshop at
least once. The workshop was very
well organized, I congratulate the
organizers.
Visit to H
​ azur Sahib Gurudwara Nanded
JUNAID: It was an awesome
experience
for me, after attending all the
three days. As a Muslim or as a
human being, we have to accept
the reality and be responsible
to live a peaceful, joyful and
grateful life.
SUFIA: Before the workshop
I was like a snake always ready
to bite. Now I am in the state of
‘LA’ no blaming, no fighting.
Yesterday my husband told me
that “you have changed, you are
calm, whatever I am saying, you
are agreeing with me without
any arguments. I am feeling that
our life is pleasant and I should
spend my time only with you.
Alhamdulillah!”
TUBA: It helped me to be true to
myself. Earlier, I was stubborn,
stressed, depressed and angry. I
never accepted the reality. But
now, I found my inner peace, I
am much calm and relaxed. It
opened up my mind to reality and
acceptance. Once in a lifetime
kind of experience.
Latur workshop
Kalyan workshop
National Affairs
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
26
Public Health in India
How much India spends on
public health?
By 2012 when the 11th Five Year
Plan period came to an end, India’s
expenditure on public health stood
at 0.9% of the Gross Domestic
Product.
The World Health Organisation
(WHO)
recommends
an
expenditure of 5% of the GDP.
India finds it difficult to spend
that much and experts estimate
that 2.5% could be achievable by
the end of the 12th Five Year Plan
(i.e., 2012-17). But even this was
found beyond the limits and the
Planning Commission cut it down
to 1.58%.
We are now towards the end of
the third year of the 12th Five Year
Plan period. Estimates gathered so
far suggest that even the set target
of 1.58% may not be achieved. It
stands at merely 1.16%.
Rough estimates reveal that 70%
of health expenditure comes from
the private sector which has been
growing exponentially ever since
the dawn of liberalisation in 1991.
Nearly, 70% of the healthcare
cost too is borne by the patients
themselves. This gives India the
dubious distinction of having
one of the most privatised health
systems. In contrast, 70 to 80%
of health services are provided by
public sector in China.
Public Health Care Expenditure
in some countries
In 2010, according to WHO, India
was spending $39 per person on
health from public expenditure.
Compare this with some other
countries: Costa Rica $845, Chile
$578, Brazil $483, South Africa
$412, Malaysia $356, Thailand
$247, China $203, Sri Lanka
$66, Nepal $22, Pakistan $22,
Bangladesh $08.
Health Administration in India
India’s Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare follows a
3-tier health care administrative
structure:
1- Sub Centre (SC): To establish
one SC for every 5,000 people
in the plains and one SC for
every 3,000 people in tribal and
hilly areas. An SC consists of
one auxiliary nurse midwife and
multipurpose health worker.
2- Primary Health Centre
(PHC): One PHC for every
30,000 people in the plains and
one PHC for every 20,000 people
in the tribal and hilly areas. Each
PHC should have one medical
centre and paramedical staff and
is supposed to supervise 6 subcentres.
3- Community Health Centre
(CHC): One CHC for population
of one lakh population. CHCs
should have specialists including
surgeons,
obstetricians
and
gynaecologists,
paediatricians
and physicians.
Where the Lacuna Exists?
Going by the above prescribed
SCs, PHCs and CHCs, the current
strength reveals that there is a
shortfall of 20% in Sub Centres,
23% in Primary Health Centres
and 32% in matters of Community
Health Centres across the country.
Due to this deficiency, the
patients who are not able to get
access to SCs or PHCs, have to
ultimately approach CHCs which
get crowded and deliver poor
services.
Kerala and Goa had the best
healthcare infrastructure in the
country. The southern states fared
better among the four regions
of the country. Uttar Pradesh,
Gujarat,
Madhya
Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Haryana,
Uttarakhand
and
Himachal
Pradesh are the worst performers.
Going by the yardstick of the
Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, UP should have 31,037
SC, 5,172 PHCs and 1,293 CHCs.
But it had only 20,521 SCs, 3,692
PHCs and 515 CHCs. Bihar came
next followed by
Rajasthan
and
Madhya Pradesh in
matters of shortfall
from the set target.
But some of the
southern
states
were performing
better than what
was
prescribed.
For
instance,
Kerala should have
3,525 SCs but it
had 4,575 of them.
Against required
586 PHCs, it had
809 and against
146 required CHCs, it had
217. Tamil Nadu too had more
number of these centres than was
required.
Some Salient Facts about Public
Health in India
‹‹Healthcare cost accounts for
nearly10% of the expenditure
by a family in India.
‹‹Healthcare cost has risen
by 300% during the last 25
years.
‹‹India has one qualified doctor
for a population of say 1,800
people.
‹‹In matters of public health
expenditure, India stands at
177th position among 196
countries.
‹‹Since public health services
are poor, the private sector
hospitals have expanded
their business and now attract
about 60% of outpatients and
80% of inpatients.
‹‹In 1950, India had 60,000
MBBS doctors. Now the
number stands at 7.5 lakh.
90% of the medical graduates
and 95% of post-graduate
doctors are working in private
sector hospitals. 99% of
medicines and 100% medical
instruments are manufactured
by private sector
‹‹Despite it’s rapid growth and
large size, the private medical
sector in India suffers from a
wide range of serious problems
and it is widely acknowledged
that these arise due to it’s
profiteering
linked
with
complete lack of regulation
This has led to huge urbanrural divide, massive wastage,
exploitation due to excessive/
irrational
medications,
frequent
exploitation
of
patients by overcharging and
unnecessary
interventions,
major variations in quality
and overall substandard care,
violation of patients’ rights.
‹‹The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan
(JSA), an NGO, estimates
that there are an estimated
60,000 to 80,000 brands of
various drugs available in the
Indian market. On the other
hand the essential drug list in
India contains just 348 drugs.
JSA’s 2012 Report says that
in order to generate artificial
demand for these drugs, the
companies spend Rs. 3,000
crores for advertising and sales
promotion which works out to
Rs. 50,000 per doctor each
year and each of these doctors
prescribes Rs. 250,000 worth
of medicines.
‹‹There is no effective law that
prevents drug companies from
bribing doctors to prescribe
their medicines.
(Source: For JSA Report 2012 log
on to: http://www.phmovement.
org/sites/www.phmovement.org/
files/JSA%20
Some data sourced from AI-CPR
based on Rural Health Statistics
by Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare.)
Interfaith Music Festival
FAITHS IN TUNE brings
together hundreds of people
for an all-day Interfaith Music
Festival that has been taking place
annually at the School of Oriental
and African Studies (SOAS),
University of London since April
2012. At each Interfaith Music
Festival, over 20 individuals
and groups from a variety of
faith and interfaith backgrounds
perform their music and dance,
and speakers with different
religious backgrounds and areas
of expertise come together for
panel talks that connect music
with topics including religion and
spirituality, interfaith dialogue
and peace. FAITHS IN TUNE
seeks to build bridges between
people of different cultural and
faith backgrounds through the
comparatively non-political and
easily accessible medium of
music. By providing an accessible
and safe space at its Interfaith
Music Festivals where people
can experience and share music
from different faith and interfaith
backgrounds, and exchange and
engage in peaceful dialogue with
each other, FAITHS IN TUNE
enables festival participants
to build cross-faith relations,
and helps them to reduce their
ignorance and fear of other
faiths.
It was founded in 2011 by Anja
Fahlenkamp, who was at the
time a BA Politics student and
the Students' Union Anti-racism
Officer at SOAS. n
LEARNING FROM OTHERS
27
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
‘Abode of Hope’
Muslims can imbibe many
great values from people of
other faiths. Doing practical
service to humanity is also
a value of Islam. Here in
this column, “Learning From
Others”, we present stories of
different communities setting up
organizations that help society
and humanity positively.
Muslims can also emulate them!
By Yoginder Sikand
Based in a small, neat campus, Asha
Niketan, located in Koramangala,
Bangalore, is truly the ‘Abode of
Hope’ that its name says it is. Its
charter describes it as a community
of people ‘with and without
intellectual disabilities’, sharing
life together, and ‘celebrating the
value of every person’ based on
‘mutual relationships and trust in
God’.
Home to a community of some
30 amazing people, most of
Asha Niketan’s members are
‘intellectually
challenged’
or ‘mentally-retarded’ adults,
most of who are also physically
challenged. The rest are assistants
who live with them as members of
a small family.
A dozen or so of the ‘intellectually
challenged’ members of the Asha
Niketan family live on campus.
Some of them have no family
members or have been abandoned
Home to a community of some 30 amazing people, most of Asha
Niketan’s members are ‘intellectually challenged’ or ‘mentallyretarded’ adults, most of who are also physically challenged.
by
them.
The rest are
what
are
called ‘day
workers’,
l i v i n g
with
their
parents and
commuting
to
Asha
Niketan five
days a week.
Their
age
ranges from 20 years onwards.
Their mental age ranges from 1 to
about 5, and some of them suffer
additional handicaps related to
speech and physical disability.
Paul, the current leader of the
community, has served in Asha
Niketan for around twenty-five
years. He was a fresh graduate
when he volunteered to spend
his holidays in the centre and in
a short while decided to make it
his life’s vocation, staying on
ever since. ‘It’s the love that I
receive and am able to share with
members of this family that keeps
me going,’ he says. Serving the
mentally-challenged is Paul’s
way of serving God. ‘Being their
friend, so that they know that there
is someone for them, gives me the
satisfaction that I am fulfilling a
purpose in my life. A well-paying
job elsewhere could never give me
that. Life isn’t all about making
money, after all,’ he explains.
But it isn’t just the love he gives
and the service to people rejected
by society that he renders that has
kept Paul going for most of his life
as an active member of the Asha
Niketan community. ‘Sharing
their joys and pains, everyday I
learn so many new things from
our family. From them I’ve learnt
how to love and forgive—they are
very loving and hold no bitterness
in their hearts. They are innocent,
spontaneous and transparent,
unlike so-called normal people,
and speak from their hearts, just
Breakfast is followed by half an
hour of silent meditation, which
is sometimes accompanied by soft
instrumental music. Then they set
about working in the workshops
located within the premises. Work
is light, but it helps the members
spend their time productively and
together, giving them a sense of
self-worth as productive members
of society and as also capable of
earning just as everyone else. Visit
Asha Niketan on any weekday
and you’ll find its member
A dozen or so of the ‘intellectually challenged’
members of the Asha Niketan family live on campus.
Some of them have no family members or have
been abandoned by them. The rest are what are
called ‘day workers’, living with their parents and
commuting to Asha Niketan five days a week.
as they feel, without any pretence
or calculation. It isn’t that they
don’t occasionally fight with
each other, but they soon forget
all about it. They are spiritual
in their own wonderful ways.
They’ve taught me how suffering
can be transformed into love,’ he
explains.
Self-worth
as
productive
members
Life at Asha Niketan follows a
regular pattern. Members get up
early—some need the help of
assistants to bathe, shave and for
other early morning necessities.
laughing and cracking jokes as
they go about weaving mufflers
and bath-mats, smoothening
bits of bamboos to be made into
picture-frames and pen-holders,
embroidering bits of cloth to turn
into greeting cards, folding old
newspapers into paper-bags, and
making candles. After lunch and a
break, it is back to the workshop
till tea-time, after which everyone
comes together again to chat or
play. Once a week, the family
goes out, where they spend the
pocket-money that they earn from
their work on ice-cream and juice
and generally have fun. Once a
year, the entire family goes on a
vacation—to a hill-station or a
beachside town.
Occasionally, volunteers drop
by and spend time at Asha
Niketan, and some, particularly
from abroad, choose to spend up
to several weeks living as part
of the family for an inspiring
learning experience and exposure
to an amazing way to live, love,
care and share. Volunteers can
serve in many ways: helping in
the workshops and promoting
their products, mobilising funds,
assisting in the kitchen, and, best
of all, chatting with and helping
members of the family.
A wonderfully different world
Members of the Asha Niketan
family come from diverse religious,
caste and class backgrounds, but
are mercifully unaware of such
differences. Seeing them love,
laugh, argue, chat, work, cry,
shout, play and meditate together,
you’d definitely wish all other
families were that way! And, as
you will definitely agree, what
a wonderfully different world it
would then be!
(For more information about
Asha Niketan, see http://www.
fmrindiaashaniketan.com/)
(If you want to contact Asha
Niketan and find out how you
can help, you can write to Paul
on ashaniketanbangalore@gmail.
com) n
Faiths Walk Together to Affirm Common Humanity
By Chris Shearer
A rabbi, an imam and a Christian
priest walk into a synagogue.
No, it’s not the start of a joke:
it was all part of the Jewish
Australia. The event saw leaders
and lay people from the three
religions spend the afternoon
walking from one house of faith
to the next in order to learn a
little more about each other’s
Multicultural Affairs Minister Robin Scott (centre) with faith leaders (from left)
Bishop Philip Huggins, Imam Dr Bekim Hasani of the Albanian Mosque, Rabbi
Dovid Gutnick of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, and the Vicar of St
Peter’s Eastern Hill, the Revd Dr Hugh Kempster (right).
Christian Muslim Association’s
(JCMA) Friendship Walk, held
some weeks ago in Melbourne,
beliefs.
The day began at a church,
followed by a synagogue and
finally a mosque. At each stop,
the faith leaders gave a brief
talk about their community and
emphasised the relatedness of
the three Abrahamic faiths.
The
Honourable
Robin
Scott, Victorian Minister for
Multicultural Affairs, was on
hand to welcome participants
and congratulate them on
strengthening the ties that make
community diversity so stable in
Australia.
“This represents what’s best about
our community. When there are
challenges, people come together
in goodwill, sharing peace,
sharing understanding, sharing
friendship, but sharing most of
all our common humanity,” he
said. “We don’t tolerate diversity,
we celebrate it.” JCMA president
Bishop Philip Huggins said the
event highlighted the importance
of interfaith networks.
“It points to the common ground,
both out of common humanity,
but also out of common historical
connection and common values
of compassion and openness to
the stranger, the common belief
that we’re all made in the divine
image, and the common yearning
to serve God as best we can and
love our neighbour as ourself,”
he said.
Seyfi Seyit, Secretary of the
Victorian Islamic Council, said
the informal nature of the walk
gave everyone the opportunity
to learn and engage comfortably.
“The ultimate aim is to get here
and learn about each other’s faiths,
but it’s really just about building
those friendships and trust that
comes from inviting each other
to each other’s homes,” he said.
“When you open your doors to
people there’s nothing to hide,
so it’s about sharing insights of
your faith with others.” Around
150 people from across the three
faiths took part in the event,.
(Extractedfrom
http://www.
anglicannews.org/news/2015)
GHOUSE TOURS & TRAVELS
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E-mail: hmdghousebly@gmail.com
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Ph: India Code: 0091 STD: 08392 Off: 250526, 250531, (R) 244606
Al-Haj Mohammed Ghouse, Prop. Cell: 98440-50531 (0) 080-23530531
CHILDREN'S CORNER
Enhance Your
Word Power
Meteorology: Meteorology is the
science of weather. It is essentially
an inter-disciplinary science
because the atmosphere, land and
ocean constitute an integrated
system. The three basic aspects
of meteorology are observation,
understanding and prediction of
weather. (‫)مومسیات‬.
Weather is the state of the
atmosphere, to the degree that it
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
28
Terms Related with
Meteorology
(‫)موسمیات سے متعلق الفاظ‬
Pacific are called a
hurricane. (‫حبراوقیانوس‬
‫)اک مسندری طوفان‬
Weather Forecasting
is a prediction of what
the weather will be like
in an hour, tomorrow,
or next week. (‫مومس یک‬
‫)پیش گویئ‬
Monsoon is the seasonal wind of
carries clouds of sand and dust
through the air. (‫)ریت یک �آندھی‬
Raingauge: A Rain gauge is an
instrument to measure rainfall or
snowfall , consisting of a cylinder
covered by a funnel-like lid.
(‫)ابرش پامی‬
is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or
stormy, clear or cloudy. Weather
generally refers to day-to-day
temperature, sunshine and rainfall.
(‫)مومس‬.
Climate: Climate is defined as an
area's long-term weather patterns.
The simplest way to describe
climate is to look at the average
temperature and precipitation over
time. Other useful elements for
describing climate include the type
and the timing of precipitation,
amount of sunshine, average wind
speeds and directions, number
of days above freezing, weather
extremes, and local geography.
Remember, the weather at a
place changes from day to day,
but climate of a place remains
constant. (‫)� آب اور ہوا‬
Cyclone refers to any spinning
storm that rotates around a lowpressure center. The low-pressure
center is also referred to as the 'eye'
of the storm or epicentre, which is
well known for being eerily calm
compared with the areas under the
spinning 'arms' of the storm.
the Indian Ocean and South Asia,
blowing from the Southwest in
summer and from the north east
in winter bringing large amount
of rain for the subcontinent.
(‫)حبر ہند یک ابرش الےن وایل ہوائںی‬
(‫)مقیاس الہوا‬
Snowfall: Type of Government
where representatives are elected
to a central body and laws are
enacted as per wishes of the
people. (‫)برف ابری‬
Anemometer: The anemometer
is an instrument for measuring the
force and velocity of the wind.
Weather buoy is an instrument
which collects weather and ocean
data within the world's oceans.
(‫)ابد پامی‬
(‫)حبری مومس پامی‬
Poetry for Peace
The Poetry for Peace contest was held from 15 September until 14 October 2011. The
winners were anounced at a ceremony at UN headquarters in New York.
Below is one of the contest entries.
Thunderstorm: A condition in
which numerous distinct ethnic,
religious or cultural groups
are present and are tolerated.
(‫)ابدوابراں‬
Weathercock is an instrument for
showing the direction of the wind.
(‫)مرغ ابد منا( مسندری طوفان جو گردش کرات ہوا �آات‬
‫)ےہ‬
(‫)حبرالاکہل اک مسندری طوفان‬
Hailstorm: A hailstorm is rain
of balls or lumps of clear ice and
compact snow. It is not known
for sure how hailstones form and
grow. It is called Blizzard too.
Hurricane: Cyclones in the
Atlantic Ocean and Northeast
Sandstorm: A strong wind that
Typhoon: The cyclone occurring
in the Northwest Pacific are called
a typhoon
Barometer: An
instrument
measuring atmospheric pressure,
used especially in forecasting the
weather and determining altitude.
(‫)ژالہ ابری‬
Let there be peace in the world.
Let us all see peace and not war.
Let us all have peace in the world.
Let all our statesmen know no violence,
Let all love peace with warm passion,
Let all be clothed with passionate patience,
Let all respect peace with real astonishment.
Let peace pervade every political terrain,
Let peace calm the spirits of every domain,
Let peace be at peace with every reign,
Let each achieve peace with poor pain.
Peace, to you we plead: come to us.
Peace, we entreat you: deign on us.
Peace, we want you: envelope us.
Let our homes be adorned with peace,
Let our streets be paved with peace,
Let our cities be set on a hilltop of peace.
Let peace taint our every thought.
Let there be peace, let peace never cease
Let there be peace, let war forever cease.
(Ahmed Elnawawy)
[source: http://www.un.org/disarmament/
special/poetryforpeace/poems/elnawawy/]
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ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
29
CHILDREN'S CORNER
ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
30
On the Trail of Space Explorers
Muhammad Zafar Ibrahim, 9th grade student at Presidency School, R. T. Nagar,
Bengaluru recently went to the US to visit Kennedy Space Center.
He recounts his experiences of the visit.
It was a sunny day when our group
of 30 students from the Presidency
Groups of Schools took off from
Bengaluru International Airport on
an Ettihad flight. We landed at John
F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport of New
York on April 26 at 9-30 am. We
had been invited by the Kennedy
Space Centre at Orlando, Florida
on a study tour. We took a flight
to Miami from where we were
driven to Orlando on a bus that
took five hours.
We were 19 boys and 11 girls
accompanied by four teachers.
It was another world altogether.
The highways were broad, no
honking of horns and no smoke
from the vehicles. We drove
through lush green scenery, lakes
and beaches, and were lodged in
Hampton Inn hotel in Orlando for
the next four days.
Hall of Fame
We arrived at Kennedy Space
Center on the first morning.
Astronaut
Charles
Walker
addressed us.. He told us his
experience in zero gravity. He
said they were given packed
food which had to be injected
with water and heated on the
microwave oven. The second day
was spent visiting the Museum at
the Center where the Hall of Fame
had pictures of all the astronauts,
their dresses and badges. We
were given assignments to make
rockets out of pipes, clamps and
launch them. One, Mary was our
tour guide. We were taken to zero
gravity room where we bobbed
up and down, made giant hops
and collided with each other but
were not hurt.
By the time we came out of the
Museum, we were pretty hungry
and thirsting for Indian food. Our
kind guide took us to an Indian
restaurant where we had Indian
style mutton curries, steamed
rice and raitha. We spoke to the
We arrived in the Washington
DC on the fifth day of our tour
and stayed at Hilton Springfield
Hotel in Virginia, a state just
adjacent to the US capital. We
were taken to Smithsonian
Museum and outside the White
House. While roaming around
the White House, we had the
The bus passed
through a tunnel
inside the Hudson
river between NY and NJ. In New
York we had a full deck booked
on a river cruise to go to Statue
of Liberty. Thereafter we went
to Empire State Building and
climbed to the 86th floor in a lift
that crossed ten floors in five
roller coaster took us around
the factory. We saw chocolate
fountain bubbling in the middle.
We were asked to make our own
chocolate. We mixed up too many
ingredients and the outcome was
awful. We were also taken to
theme park in Universal Studios.
At the fag end of the trip, we
were taken to the Fifth Avenue of
Our next port of call was Disney World where
a number of dreadful and scary rides almost
wrenched the life out of us. We saw a giant
Spiderman whacking the Goblin.
restaurant owner Rajveer who
spoke to us in Hindi.
The third day was spent
sightseeing. We even watched a
150-minute movie on American
Space History. At the end of it we
had the thrilling experience of
simulator of a space craft where
we experienced countdown, the
room turning full 90 degrees,
engines coming alive at the
count of five and then real space
vibrations. As the spacecraft
(although we did not leave the
ground) cruised through the
space, we watched the earth, a
bluish-green ball in distance. We
were taken to Florida beach too
where the film Men in Black-3
was shot.
Our next port of call was Disney
World where a number of
dreadful and scary rides almost
wrenched the life out of us. We
saw a giant Spiderman whacking
the Goblin.
good fortune of seeing President
Obama alighting from his
helicopter. He waved at us from
the distance and went inside the
White House. We also visited the
Memorial Park where we paid
respect to martyrs of American
War of Independence. The park
had men engaged in hand combat
carved out of stones.
Empire State Building
We bid a good bye to Washington
DC and took a bus to New Jersey.
seconds. The sight from the
Empire State Building was
breathtaking. Binoculars fixed at
the floor provided us 360 degree
view of New York where tall
skyscrapers were spiking clouds.
We again saw President Obama
landing on NY riverfront from
his helicopter and his presidential
limousine passing by us. Our
bus driver had this interesting
comment to pass: “The President
was keenly pursuing us and
wouldn’t let us off.”
Next hour took us to Hershey’s
Chocolate Factory where a
New York, the most fashionable
bazaar in the City. We purchased
items of gifts for our siblings,
came back to hotel and took the
Ettihad flight out of JFK Airport
next morning. Soon after the flight
took off, the day changed into
night at a particular point. Around
twenty hours later, we landed at
Bengaluru after a changeover of
flight in Abu Dhabi.
--------------------------------------(Zafar is son of Tanveer Anjum
and Sameena Banu, both
Engineers). As told to Islamic Voice
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ISLAMIC VOICE, December 2015
31