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Category Archives: Guest Article
Plot To Divide Kerala On Communal Lines?
Secularist Keralites denounced the brutal attack on TJ Joseph. Politicians, religious leaders, social activists, cultural luminaries, and people from all walks made their remonstration. Major political parties like CPM, INC, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), CPI and BJP condemned the attack in very strong words. Muslim religious organisations questioned the Islamic legitimacy of the attack. Samastha, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Sunni-Kanthapuram group and Nadvathul Mujahideen declared their stand on this issue unambiguously denouncing it and urged their followers to work hard for a secular society. Continue reading
Fuel & Engine
Spirituality is a force. It is energy. It takes one through the thick and thin. It gives one a much desired direction and purpose behind ALL his efforts. Bereft of it, one is directionless. Islam and Qur’an provide this energy and this force. They propel our cart in the right direction. They are like the much desired fuel for the much needed engine of life. But some of us have only fuel with them. Others have only the engine and not the fuel. The fuel alone isn’t moving. The engine is devoid of energy and it is not taking us on the highway of success, honor and positive contribution. Continue reading
AMU vs Nalanda University: Nitish Shows Different Approach
Nitish Kumar is showing keen interest for setting up the Nalanda University and has given 448 acres of land free of cost, and urged Krishna that the Nalanda University Bill 2010 should be approved for consideration in the Parliament and not sent to the standing committee. While Kerala and West Bengal governments provided the 400 and 355 acres of land without any fuss, the Bihar government made it a controversial topic with its decisions. Nitish Kumar announced that his government will provide the required land in Kishanganj instead of Katihar as earlier decided by the AMU administration in February 2009. Further in September 2009, Nitish announced that he will provide 100 acres land free of cost to AMU. On disapproval of AMU administration finally Nitish Kumar agreed upon giving 250 acres land but he put the 30-years-lease bound before AMU administration in February 2010. Continue reading
Our English Is Urdu
When I find more words and fewer meanings I consider it Urdu. When I find less reason and more emotion I consider it Urdu. When I find that we are not trying to get world class ideas because we are using a world-class language I consider it Urdu. There is nothing wrong with a language. There may be something (seriously) wrong with a people and the institutions as well as the traditions that they have developed. When we underestimate ourselves, talk more of hurdles and pass a lot of buck I feel that all these expressions are in Urdu. But by the same token there may be some whose Urdu is English if it has more meanings and reason. I may not know them but I salute them. Continue reading
American Muslim Politics Is Going Nowhere
It is almost nine years since the fateful Septemeber 11, 2001, a date with destiny when the terrible al qaeda terrorists attacked in New York and Washington DC. Tht infamous date turned the prospets of the American Muslim community upside down. However since that fateful day all American Muslim organizations have withdrawn into their shells. Some Muslim groups enthusiastically adopted interfaith relations as their main policy plank after September 11, 2001. Ofcourse major Muslim groups are afraid to open their mouth on any US foreign policy initiative. With Obama in White House for 18 months, and his having appointed a couple of Muslim outreach officials in the US Govt, we see no movement in this outreach program. Continue reading
Muslims In India: How Long Will They Remain Marginalized?
A report in BBC website under the title “India state-run banks ‘turn away Muslims’” regarding denial of access to government banks to Muslims in India. The report quotes the National Commission of Minorities as saying that there has been a 100% increase in the number of complaints it has received over the past year from Muslims who say they are being prevented from opening accounts in state-run banks. A number of reports have suggested that India’s Muslims fare poorly when it comes to getting access to quality education or employment opportunities. Indian Muslims carry a double burden of being labelled as ‘anti-national’ and as being ‘appeased’ at the same time’. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said, “If India was to be a secular, stable and strong state, then our first consideration must be to give absolute fair play to our minority.” Continue reading
Gunning For Mulayam: How Wise A Step It Is?
True Mulayam’s move to woo Kalyan might have been wrong, but it needs to be mentioned that in politics such steps are taken to weaken the rival––in this case the BJP. In democracy the community or any individual is free to vote anyone. But one may dare to ask the same set of Muslim leaders why they maintained silent and are still tight-lipped when other secularists unapologetically joined forces with the BJP. Be it George Fernandes or Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee or Chandrababu Naidu, Naveen Patnaik or Farooq Abdullah, Jayalalithaa or Mayawati all allied with the BJP and provided it secular legitimacy. The bottom line is that Prophet has taught us to forgive the staunchest enemy if s/he comes over to your side. Continue reading
Can India Afford To Ignore Islamic Banking?
The recent statement of MS Swaminathan, the father of green revolution in India, that Islamic banking can be a solution for farmers’ suicide in Vidarbha is apt reply to those opposing it tooth and nail by terming this banking system as anti-economic growth. The combined assets of world’s 100 top Islamic banks increased 66% in 2008, bucking the trend of slow growth in other markets. Asia’s 300 largest banks, for example, only grew assets 13.4% in the same period. In India, SEBI has permitted Shariah-compliant financial products such as mutual funds. When London, Tokya, Singapore and Hong Kong could become hub and house of Islamic finance, then why not Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Cochin? Continue reading
How The Urdu Press Covers The Middle East
Columns and editorials were written for the whole week and Israel was termed as ‘unholy’, ‘inhuman’ etc. The incident was duly condemned as ‘unprovoked aggression’ and ‘barbaric’. But in this zest not to leave an opportunity to criticize Israel, Urdu journalists forgot to analyse the issue from an unbiased perspective. It is extremely unadvisable to react in such childish manner to issues of international importance. Need of the hour is to understand any important international issue from international politics perspective rather than from just emotional and historical point of view. Continue reading
Kabir: An Icon Of A Socio-Cultural Revolution
Kabir was born into a Muslim Julaha (Weaver) family but joined the Vaishnava thinker, Ramanand, as a disciple. In the third stanza of Kabir parchai, he says “I belong to a Muslim caste. How can I obtain these prayer beads? The inner voice said to him. Take an initiation from Ramanand”. He belonged to a galaxy of saints who led a socio-cultural revolution in 16th century which laid the foundation of a unique composite culture of India. It included Bhakti movement of Hindu saints and Muslim saints who influenced one another. Continue reading