BaKhabar, April 2014

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Better light a candle than curse the darkness

Monthly e-Magazine ISSN 2319-4049

http://bakhabar.biharanjuman.org/ Volume 7, Issue 04, April 2014BE AWARE, ALWAYS, EVERYWHERE

OVER STORY

Indian Muslims& Election 2014


2/32

Editorial Board

ublisher: Bihar Anjuman BaKhabar

ditorial Board: Asrarul Haque, Seraj Akram,

Mohd. Allam, Ms Farhat Shakeel and Ja-

anzeb Mashhadi

Chief Editor: Ms. Asma Anjum Khan

[email protected]

The editors and publishers are not respon-

ible for the views of writers, and their views

do not reflect our policy or ideology in any

way. We however reserve the right to edit

any material submitted for publication, on

account of public policy, or for reasons of

clarity and space. From Publishers. Pic-

ures have been taken from available public

sources.

Together we can change our society.

Join Bihar Anjuman

www.biharanjuman.org

write to

[email protected]

orm a chapter in your city or country

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angalore Delhi Jeddah

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Aligarh Jubail Qatar

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barCalifornia Chicago

Bakhabar : April 20142

INSIDE

Cover Story

-Indian Muslims and Election2014 08-loksabha election 10

International

-How Women Were Lured Out ofthe Home in the USA-Part1 18

Gender

-Gender Segregation 16

-Awqaf Development in India 5-Wearing dirty clothes is notfrom humility 21-Quirks of History 22

News

-6 km from Parliament, a colonyof 350 families living awretched life 29-Only 4 Masjids for 2 MillionMuslims in Moscow 28

Book Review

-Dr Yelegaonkar-Beacons of Slapur in Indian Freedom Strugle 11

Religion

-On Religious Tolerance 14-Minority Essay 25

-Shariat 12-Should Zakat Management beCentralized in India? 20


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4/32Bakhabar : April 20144

Science

I Sameen Ahmed Khan I

Human fascination for crys-

tals dates to antiquity.

Crystallography is the

study of crystals such as gem-

stones or graphite (a form of car-

bon). Other examples of crystals

are the glittering snowflakes or

grains of salt. Crystallography

enables us to visualize the

arrangement of atoms in a solid.The atoms are so small that they

can not be seen by an optical mi-

croscope. The X-Rays were dis-

covered in 1895 and are now a

household word as they are exten-

sively used in the hospitals to see

inside the human bodies. This has

been possible because, X-Rays

have the ability to pass through

substances and form images onphotographic

plates. In 1912,

it was realized

that X-Rays

could be made

to pass through

crystals and the

resulting im-

ages on photo-

graphic platescould be used to

find the posi-

tions of atoms.

This finding

helped revolu-

tionize our abil-

ity to visualize

matter at the

atomic scale.

This was the

turning point inthe history of

crystallography.

It was found

that X-Rays can be used to deter-mine accurately the positions of

atoms within a crystal and thus

unravel its three-dimensional

structure. The X-Ray diffraction

studies of crystals were immedi-

ately recognized by two Nobel

Prizes: Max von Laue (1914) and

the father and son duo of William

Henry Bragg and William

Lawrence Bragg (1915). X-Rays

are one of the most widely usedtools to understand the structure

of matter. Many path breaking

discoveries in physics, chemistry

and medicine have been made

using X-Rays. At least twenty-

three have been awarded with

Nobel Prizes with the distribution,

Physics: 8; Medicine: 5 and

Chemistry: 10. The count can be

up to twenty-nine depending upon

the algorithm used.

A century has passed since crys-

tals first yielded their secrets to X-

Rays. The insights gained from

the atomic structure of crystals

has influenced all sciences and en-

gineering since the crystal struc-

ture determines most of the

physical properties. Carbon ap-

pears in different forms such as

the graphite used in pencils (com-monly known as lead!) to glitter-

ing diamonds depending how its

atoms are arranged differently to

form the crystals. The crystals of

graphite and diamonds owe their

different looks (and properties) to

their different crystalline struc-

ture. The crystallographic studies

have contributed hugely to the

modern development of all thenatural sciences,

because atomic

structure governs

chemical and bi-

ological proper-

ties of matter,

and the crystal

structure deter-

mines most of its

physical proper-ties. Crystallog-

raphy has

contributed in

the synthesis of

novel materials,

new drugs and

our understand-

ing of the struc-

ture of proteins

and DNA. The

new materialsare being exten-

sively used in

everyday prod-

Visualising the Invisible through

Crystallography



Science

ucts like computer memory cards

to flat television screens, cars and

aeroplane components. Drug de-

sign requires knowledge of the de-

tailed structure of the proteins and

this structure is obtained using

crystallography.

At its Sixty-Sixth Assembly on

3rd July 2012, following a pro-

posal from Morocco, the General

Assembly of the United Nations

adopted the resolution that 2014

should be the International Year of

Crystallography (IYCr 2014).

This is to commemorate the cen-

tennial of X-Ray diffraction and

related discoveries. The Interna-

tional Year of Crystallography

(IYCr2014) was launched at the

United Nations Educational, Sci-

entific and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO) headquarters in Paris,

during a two day opening cere-

mony from 20-21 January 2014.

The year-long celebration aims to

strengthen international collabora-

tion and increase public aware-

ness of crystallography with a

series of conferences, exhibitions

and educational activities taking

place throughout 2014.

On 30th January 2014, the De-

partment of Posts India brought

out a commemorative stamp on

the International Year of Crystal-

lography (IYCr 2014). The com-

memorative stamp depicts a

diamond, which is known for

hardness and the structure of cur-

cumin, a constituent of turmeric

known for its medicinal value, as

determined by X-ray crystallogra-

phy.

The stamp was released by M. S.

Ramanujan, Chief Post Master

General, Karnataka, during a

function at the Indian Institute of

Science (IISc), Bangalore.

The world of science is passing

through an epoch marked with an-

niversaries and celebrations.

Crystallography is synonymous

structure of matter and X-Rays.

The year 2014 is being celebrated

as the International Year of Crys-

tallography. Light has been at the

helm of observational/experimen-

tal sciences. The year 2015 has

been declared as the International

Year of Light and Light-based

Technologies. Both the events are

a time to recognize the place of

crystallographic and photonictechniques in our lives.

References

1. International Year of Crys-

tallography (IYCr 2014),

http://www.iycr2014.org/

2. Website of the Interna-

tional Union of Crystallography:

http://www.iucr.org/

3. Discoveries in the Field of

X-rays, Nobel Media (2014).

http://www.nobelprize.org/educa-

tional/physics/x-rays/discoveries-

1.html

4. Sameen Ahmed Khan,

2015 the International Year of

Light and Light-based Technolo-gies (IYL), Ba Khabar, Vol 7,

Issue 01, pp 17-18 (January

2014). Published by Bihar Anju-

man, http://bakhabar.biharanju-

man.org/.

5. Sameen Ahmed Khan,

2015 declared the International

Year of Light and Light-based

Technologies, Current Science,106 (4), 501 (25 February 2014).

(Fortnightly Publication of the In-

dian Academy of Sciences).

http://www.currentscience.ac.in/V

olumes/106/04/0501.pdf

[email protected],

http://SameenAhmedKhan.webs.c

om/

Engineering Department,

Salalah College of Technology

(SCOT)

Salalah, Sultanate of Oman



Report

I By Dr Mohammed Obaidullah I

The 5th SC-OCIS Roundtable on HarnessingWaqf into a Bankable Social Financing and

Investment Asset Class was jointly organ-

ized by the Securities Commission Malaysia and the

Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies at Hotel Le Meri-

dien, Kuala Lumpur during March 22-23, 2014.

The Roundtable commenced with welcome Remarks

by Datuk RanjitAjit Singh, Chairman, Securities

Commission Malaysia and Dr. FarhanNizami, Direc-

tor, OCIS. The key feature of the inaugural session

was a special address by HRH Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah,Regent of Perak, Malaysia and Financial Ambassa-

dor to the Malaysia Islamic Financial Centre

(MIFC).

The opening session under the chairmanship of

Dato Dr. NikRamlah Mahmood, Deputy Chief Ex-

ecutive, SC Malaysia provided an update on issues

raised at past SC-OCIS Roundtables by Mr. ZainalI-

zlanZainalAbidin, Executive Director, SC Malaysia.

The first working session was devoted to the theme

Challenges of Developing an Infrastructure of Phi-

lanthropy and dealt with topics, such as, (i) Shariah

aspects of waqf; (ii) lessons from the past; (iii) waqf

as an influence in the development of English aca-

demic institutions; and (iv) concept of charity under

common law trust and Islamic law. The session was

chaired by Dato Dr. NikRamlah Mahmood, SC

Malaysia with presentations by Mr. Mushtak Parker,

Islamic Banker UK

and Professor Dr.

HashimKamali, In-ternational Institute

of Advanced Is-

lamic Studies

(IAIS) Malaysia/

SC SAC Member.

The respondents for

these presentations

were Mr. DaudVi-

cary, International

Centre for Educa-tion in Islamic Fi-

nance (INCEIF),

Malaysia and Mr.

Iqbal Asaria, Markfield Institute of Higher Educa-

tion, UK, respectively.

The second working session was devoted to the

theme Philanthropy & Society Unleashing the Po-

tential of Islamic Social Assets. It dealt with topics,

such as, (i) managing waqf using an asset manage-

ment model to mobilize returns and benefit to the

real economy; (ii) implementing target-based pro-

grammes to realise societal needs and goals; (iii) cre-

ating an impact organization through promoting

greater environmental, social and governance (ESG)or corporate social responsibility (CSR); (iv) linking

waqf to the capital market through philanthropic in-

vestments such as Socially Responsible Investing

(SRI) sukuk and/or crowd-funding and (v) collabora-

tion of private financial investment to social pro-

grammes. The session was chaired by Dato

Muhammad Ibrahim, Bank Negara Malaysia with

presentations by Dato Mohammad FaizAzmi, Price-

waterhouseCoopers Malaysia and Mr. Aamir A

Rehman, Fajr Capital, Dubai. The respondents were

Datuk Dr. Mohamed GhazaliMd Noor, IDB Alumni

Chairman and Dr. Henri J Chaoul, Alkhabeer Capi-

tal, Saudi Arabia respectively.

Day One also witnessed a special presentation by

SC-OCIS Scholar in Residence (SIR), Dr. Amir Sha-

haruddin, Dean Faculty of Economics &Muamalat,

University Sains Islam Malaysia on the theme Har-

monizing Shariah Rul-

ings in Islamic

Finance: Issues, Waysand Challenges. The

second scholar to

make a presentation

was Dr. Valentino Cat-

telan, Academic Coor-

dinator, University of

Rome on Performing

Gods Will in Market

Economy: Islamic

Contract Law, Fiqhand the Law of Islamic

Finance. Dr Basil

Mustafa, OCIS, mod-

erated

Awqaf Development in India[5th SC-OCIS Roundtable on Awqaf: A Report]



Report Khabron ki Khabar

Seraj Akram

Election sar par he lekin aaj bhi aksar muslim neta apne

apne mufad aur siyasi partion se talluq ke madde nazar hi-mayat kar rahe hain, aam muslim ke fayede ka koi dhyan

nahi.

Aakhir Muslim kya kare is intekhab me , kise vote deaam

muslimon ke sawal.Aaj aam muslimko sare ekhtalfat aur

dosti rishtedari ko nazar andaz karke kisi ko harane ke ba-

jaye firqa paraston ki har ko yaqini banaane ke liye ek jut

hokar sirf unhi ko vote diya jaye jo firqa paraston ko hara

sake. Apne talluqat, parti ki khubion aur aur local asrat se

bala hokar is bat ka khyal rakhna zaruri he ke unki chhoti

baton par dhyan dekar vote dene se firqa paraston ki jit memadad na diya jaye.

IM ke kayi dahshat gard giraftaar

Umid he ke sirf dahshat gard giraftar hon na ki chunaw tak

iski hawa phailayi jaye chunawi fayed eke liye.

Modi ne Arwind Kejriwal ko Pakistan ka agent kaha

Kejriwal ke sawalon ke jawab dene ke bajaye un par ulte

sideh ilzam lagane se unki bechaini zahir hoti he.

M.J. Akbar BJP me shamil ho gaye

Zameer faroshon ke liye suhana mosam he apne zameer ko

bech kar kuch duniyawi fayeda hasil kar sake. Beghairaton

ko un mazlumon ke dard ka koi ahsas nahi. Kuch Muslim

bas qaleel fayeday ke liye BJP ko sirf siyasi party samajh

kar shamil ho rahe hain, lekin unko yah ahsas nahi ke wah

sirf siasi parti nahi tabdil kar rahe hain balke RSS ke volun-

teer ban rahe hain , mulk ko hindu rashtra banana aur dusri

aqliyation ko tahzeeb aur shinakht ko khatm karne ke liye.

Arvind Kejriwal Banaras se Modi ke khilaf chunaw larenge

Kejriwal ke himmat ka jawab nahi, jab sare neta mahfuzseat dekh kar chunaw larte hain wahi desh ke sabse mazbut

neta ke khilaf chunaw larne ki thanna qabil tariff hai.

Ram Vilas Paswan NDA me shamil

In moqa parast netaon se aur kya umid kar sakte hain, inki

secular aur kisi bhi mudde par bat sirf khudgarzi se juri hoti

hain. Kisi ka koi asul nah aur yah log qabile- bharosa bilkul

nahi hain.

Sari partiaan apne apne hikmat amli me mashghul, lekinmusalmano ki hikmat amli ka koi pata nahi. Wahi haqiqat

se door josh me hosh khone jaise aasar, 30-40% muslim

aabadi wale elaqe me 3-4 muslim umidwar apne apne josh

ke muzahera me mashghul, haqiqat ka adrak chunaw ke bad

hoga ki bina hosh se josh me aane ka kya nuqsan hota he.

the discussions.

The Roundtable also witnessed the launching of two

useful publications (i) Islamic Social Finance Re-

port 2014 prepared by the Islamic Research and

Training Institute under a strategic partnership with

Thomson Reuters and (ii) Proceedings of the 4th

SC-OCIS Roundtable.

Session 3 on Day Two was devoted to the theme

Enabling Legislation to Promote Waqf Develop-

ment. It dealt with topics, such as, (i) fiduciary du-

ties of administrators for better management of waqf

assets; (ii) developing a conducive legal and regula-

tory framework for the establishment of waqf; (iii)

ensuring good governance and sound management

of waqf assets; (iv) advancing capacity building and

expertise in waqf management. The session was

chaired by AndriAidhamBadri, Partner, Kadir andAndri with presentations by Dr. Mohammed

Obaidullah, IRTI, Islamic Development Bank, Saudi

Arabia and Mr. Andrew Chan, Allen & Gledhill Sin-

gapore. The respondents were Mr. PawancheekMar-

ican, Messrs Wan Marican, Hamzah&Shaik and Mr.

Rajasegaran Krishnan, Labuan Borneo Trustees

Limited and Universal Legal & Corporate Services

Inc. (Panama)

Session 4 was devoted to the theme A Demonstra-tion Effect of Corporate Waqf and was chaired by

Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar, OCIS. The presenters were

Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim, Malaysian Islamic

Chamber of Commerce, Dato MohdRedza Shah,

CEO, Bank Muamalat Malaysia, Mohamed Hassen-

Guermazi, Islamic Development Bank, Saudi Arabia

and Dr. Shamsiah Abdul Karim, Islamic Religious

Council of Singapore.

The closing session was chaired by Mr. ZainalIzlan-

ZainalAbidin, SC Malaysia. The rapporteurs for the

sessions Ms. Firoz Abdul Hamid, Consultant, Mr.

AbdulKader Thomas, SHAPE Knowledge Serv-

ices, Kuwait and Mrs. Leila Badawi, Mushtak

Parker Associates UK shared their comments. The

roundtable came to an end with closing remarks by

Datuk RanjitAjit Singh, Chairman, SC Malaysia.

Source: http://sadaqa.in/2014/03/23/5th-sc-ocis-

roundtable-on-awqaf-a-report/

A Framework for Analysis of Awqaf Laws in India

[Paper presented by Dr Mohammed Obaidullah]http://sadaqa.in/2014/03/23/a-framework-for-analy-

sis-of-awqaf-laws-in-india/



In DEPTH

I By Mohammad Allam I

Agood leader is one in a million who chalks

out a path and walks on it to realize the goal

for common people. There are numerous ex-

amples from the world of history. In India there are

several living examples of community leadership

like Lalu prsad Yadav, Mualayam singh, Mayawati

etc but none from the community of Muslims. Why?Highest example of true leadership are prophets, but,

let us keep those examples aside as they had Divine

guidance to lead the humanity to the ultimate truth.

Let us talk today about the modern secular leader-

ship, where the leadership qualities are judged not on

the basis of realization of aims and objectives of the

common people but by their strength in political

power house. And for being in political power there

is no difference whether to be a leader or broker.

The accumulation of wealth and power for personalinterest is the motto of the present leadership and for

this trend both the leader and the people are respon-

sible.

For Indian Muslim the leadership is meaningless as

they believe in the egoistic approach towards any

problem. There is no denying of facts that in hun-

dred years Indian Muslims have produced few lead-

ers and more brokers. These leaders were produced

mostly in the field of education as few educational

institutions are now running due to vision of those

educationists-cum- leaders.

But in the field of polities, majority of them are bro-

kers. They are brokers on the behalf of their political

master, parties and castes but not for the whole com-

munity. Their only purposes are to manage the votes

in the elections and to collect gathering for political

rallies and what they get in return cash, few licenses

and red light on their vehicles. These sort of brokers

have no mass base, vision or unity. In recent time

many Ulema groups emerged as political broker for

political parties. They know only one thing and thatis how to align with political masters to sell their

votes. Can Indian Muslims hope from these brokers

a better future in the country?

The leaders from major political parties who handle

the mainstream politics of the country follow the

policy of use and throw of so called Muslims leader-

ship. The position which starts with marginalization

remains marginalized. No changes occur due to this

policy of working as broker. And Democracy turnsinto what Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956) says a

religion where jackals is worshiped by jackasses

Election 2014 is in sight. Any moment the drum of

election would be beaten. In democracy the election

is main parameter to judge the performance of any

political party and Government. The community

uses to chalk out strategy for achieving future goals

on the performance of the government and strategy

for siding with any government. See, how on the eve

of budget, the business class interact with the gov-

ernment to get the benefits. But what is about the

leaders of Indian Muslims-a plan for personal bene-

fits through brokering the votes of the communities.

Indian Muslims

and Election 2014



In Depth

And in future the same leadership plays blame game

with the government on the question of share of

fruits of development. Many of Indian Muslim lead-

ers who are occupying the high posts in the govern-

ment are the fruit of brokering.

What should be done?

There is need of awareness among the community

about the political brokering. The community should

be encouraged to produce mass base political leader-

ship by discouraging the personal loyalty on the

basis of region, caste etc. At the time of election, the

interest of the nation should be given prefences.The

community should work on producing the leadership

of mainstream which with other communities workfor the share of development. The tendency of mar-

ginalized type of leadership should be eliminated as

in multi-cultural society; the value is of mainstream

leadership not the isolated and vested interest bro-

kers.

For the last many years, Muslims are adopting ex-

perimental politics. Some time with one party and

some time with another party while no interaction

with a particular party. In democracy it is power of

votes which count in the running of the government,

not the isolation. If Indian Muslims have not any sort

of contact with them, then they should not expect

positive response from them. What the Indian Mus-

lim are paying is the staunch loyalty towards a par-

ticular trend which is not favorable for them and

many times prove to be not a match of other at the

time of need of them. As a result they remain venera-

ble to the communal politics and feel insecure.

In Democracy, the vote is power. So, while exercis-

ing this power the Muslims should consider the realpolitics of their respective states. While at centre

they should considered the interest of the nation and

community as a whole. The trends that have

emerged for the last few years are that putting any

political parties in absolute majority means jeopard-

izing the security of the community and the nation.

The numerous riots occurred in those states where

the governments were in majority. There were no

differences of whose government functioning. Take

the example of the government of Gujarat and U.P.

They were perceived by Muslims differently but re-

sults were somehow same. So, wisdom is to over-

look the ideological bases of the government and

unite for the cause irrespective of caste, creed, re-

gion etc.

For the betterment of the community and the coun-

try there is need to work on multi-dimensional ap-

proach of leadership which have better relation with

the players of main stream politics. Sitting on the

fringe of the politics of the nation in the name of

community leadership is not the solution of the prob-lems but to jump and try to learn the art of politics

for betterment by saying good bye to brokers of the

community. Indian Muslims need leaders not brokers

in the future. The announcement of Election, 2014 is

due any time. The only need is to decide the fate of

the community wisely. Let us see what they do?

Mohammad Allam

Minto Circle

A.M.U.

[email protected]



Election 2014

Friends,

I wish to reach out to your hearts with respect to forthcoming Loksabha elections. I know many of

you have liking for Narendra Modi. I respect your feelings. Yet I believe you would do great service to yourbeloved leader if you decouple your liking from your desire to putting him at the helm of political power.

I know political power is not supreme as it is grossly undermined by the authority of the market

forces. Yet it provides a channel of hope for the masses to out do the ill effects of market economy, e.g.,

widening economic inequality, misappropriation of resources, marginalization of farmers, skewed real es-

tate, worsening condition of education of the masses, pro-elite and sectarian bias of the media and so on. Re-

ligious prejudice is another alarming thing that is growing with widening middle class. Riots and genocides

are its occasional manifestations but it is a continuous poisoning of minds that shuts sensitivity and promotes

arrogance, humiliation, ghettoization and polarization and makes it a powerful political tool. The biggest

network in the country, the RSS, with a mighty cadre of a few million and strong support base among the

elite, is credited with building sectarian storms. It is imperative that the person, who drives his strength fromthis organization and these classes and owns his popularity to media and internet, cant stand to these chal-

lenges. The danger is that in his garb, these classes and cadres will gain supremacy and assert their authority.

Gujarat governance hardly instills any confidence. Besides its failure in curbing the 2002 violence, Gujarat

Govt. failed to remove fears from the minds of the victims, who were forced to withdraw cases against the

rioters through out Gujarat, and to remove sense of lan from the minds of the perpetrators and their sup-

porters. The state did not allow the implementation of Centers Minority Pre-Matric Scholarship scheme in

the state for five years, depriving 89000 under privileged children of their basic rights. CAG tells that very

third child in Gujarat is underweight due to malnutrition and calorie intake below national average. The state

stands at 12th position in Composite Development Index in 28 states, 6th in unequal distribution of income

in rural areas and at highest rank in per capita debt. The way lands have been given to Tatas, Ambanis and

Adanis, the Becharjee SIR was imposed and prime accused of Muzaffarnagar riots were felicitated, add fur-

ther to worries.

There are political formations that have the remnants of the legacy of freedom movement, drive their

support from the masses and do not venture cultural chauvinism. They may have some bad elements but also

have people of integrity and ability. Let the latter be drawn to take up peoples agenda. Democracy and de-

velopment will not run through charming leaders but through strengthening democratic institutions and

through the assertiveness of the masses on basic issues. Some issues are:

1) Divestment of power of elected bodies, from Gram Panchayat to Parliament, among all their

members rather than the pradhans (chiefs).

2) Liberation of media, a prominent pillar of democracy, from corporate control.

3) Bringing masses into the mainstream of economy, by providing up-gradation of technical skills,investment capital and avenues for marketing of products.

4) Creation of education commission that would assess and implement educational needs of the

masses, needs of the teachers, accessibility of higher/ technical education to the masses.

5) Upholding people-centric foreign policy that has evolved from the freedom movement and has

stood the test of time. The euphoria created over border skirmishes, to gain political mileage over domestic

rivals, must be countered.

6)Comprehensive Plan that treats corruption, hoarding, and unlimited profit as one and counters them.

May I urge teaching and student fraternity to reach out to localities in small groups, assess the school-

ing facilities, scope for improvement, accessibility of technical / college education and bring out a report. It

will help us make people beware of sectarian and exploitative elements and present to progressive parties acharter of action on education.

V. K. Tripathi

Sadbhav Mission, [email protected], Ph. 9717309263

An Appeal for Self Introspection in the context of

Lok Sabha Elections



Book Review

I Review by Dr Nabha Kakde I

The struggle for Indian independence has given

birth to so many towering and dedicated per-sonalities. Prof DrShrikantYelegaonkars

book titled Beacons of Solapur in Indian Free-

dom Struggle is a commendable attempt at re-

minding the readers of the astounding work of the

devoted persons in the context of the national free-

dom struggle and the nation-building process in the

post-independent period.

There has been seen a marked tendency of negli-

gence towards the contribution of Solapur to the na-

tional freedom struggle among the historians,thinkers and writers at the national level. Even Mar-

tial Law hasnt been much reckoned. Against this

background the memorable work rendered by the

freedom fighters of Solapur is put forward for the

first time by DrYelegaonkar. When the issues like

existence and national independence become intense

there are people who come forward to succor the so-

ciety and nation in distress and they rise to the height

of leaders. This is quite true of Solapur. And there is

a dictum that the national history is incomplete with-

out the local history. The present book strengthens

this belief.

This book not only contributes to the local history by

virtue of an introduction to the 66 personalities of

Solapur, but also relates the stories of their social

participation. The writer takes stock of political and

social history of Solapur. In other words, the writer

has dealt with various personalities involved in Sola-

purs political developments, its organizational so-

cial politics and cultural life. The Tilak era and theGandhian era gave rise to several glorious personali-

ties, since the entire nation was under their impact.

The book illuminates the fact that even Solapur was

a place fertile for the production of such splendid

personalities. The movement in Solapur reaches its

climax through the 1930 Martial Law period wit-

nessing non-violent programmes like: hartals,

demonstrations, public speeches, etc. The book thus

gives an understanding that the local movement in

Solapur was inseparably connected to the nationalstruggle for independence and the National Con-

gress.

The writer has, along with depicting the work and

ideals of these personalities, from time to time con-

veyed a message to the readers; that the ideal of

Kurban Hussein, if adopted by the youth, will cer-

tainly create a conducive atmosphere for national in-tegrity; by declining the offer for the post of

Governor, DrAntrolikar exhibited his sense of dedi-

cation; after the arrest of Rajwade his house assumed

the air of a temple and it became an emblem of na-

tional service and sacrifice; if todays youngsters en-

deared the pledge I would dedicate my life to the

service of my motherland by Kunjavihari, it wont

take long to convert the self-governance into good

governance; Bhai Vibhute would be busy moulding

the mind-set and strength of the youth are quitescintillating statements among others.

Each of the freedom fighters is depicted with an in-

dependent identity by virtue of elaborating their zeal

for independence, readiness to undergo hardships

and sacrifice and an unabated belief in the mission

undertaken. The book is originally written in

Marathi in a very simple, straight-forward and fluent

diction. The English translation done by Prof

Manohar P. Joshi is quite in keeping with the origi-

nal writing. The book which is made up of 214 pages

has a frontispiece which communicates the essence

and the contents therein. Aksharlena Publications has

undoubtedly brought out an admirable book for the

readers.

Title of the Book: Beacons of the Solapur in Indian

Freedom Struggle

Writer: Prof.DrShrikantYelegaonkar

Publisher: Infotech Publications Pvt Ltd, Latur -

413512Pages: 214

Price: 400/=, Discounted price (through au-

thor): Rs. 300/=

Authors Contact - Prof Dr. ShrikantYelegaonkar,

Mobile No- 09420357270, 09923477386

Address- A4/4 Ranglaxmi Postal Colony, Hotagi

Road, Solapur Pin 413003, Maharashtra- India

DR YELEGAONKARS BEACONS OF SOLA-

PUR IN INDIAN FREEDOM STRUGGLE


12/32



Islam

through our Prophet Mohammad (S) for Man and Jin

to follow.

Whole Quran has been sent down in the Night of

Power (LailatulQadar) from LohMahfooz (Protected

Tablet). It has been revealed in 23 years on our

Prophet (S) in portions. The Jibrael used to come to

the Prophet (S) to make him learnt verses of The

Quran by heart. The Prophet (S) used to revise it as

well with the Jibrael. Our Prophet used to make

some of his Sahaba memorize it. This way it has

been preserved word by word without any minor al-

teration. It was in addition to writing it down in

leaves of date-palm, bark of trees and bones, etc.

Some parts of it were revealed in Makkah and some

parts in Madina. The Makki parts (during 13 years)

mostly deal with Tauhid, Risalat, Akharat,

events/stories of previous nations, etc. The Madani

parts (during 10 years) mostly deal with Jihad, Eba-

dat (worship), human dealings and Ahkam (legalconsequences). Ahkam is the most difficult and intri-

cate matter. Allah Almighty names it in Chapter 3,

Verse 07 asUmmulKitab (substance of the

book).That is why many Muhaddithin (Hadith Col-

lectors) have not touched it and remained following

scholars legal opinion.

To be continue ..

([email protected])

UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Prize

for Environmental Preservation

for 2013

I By Sameen Ahmed Khan I

The 2013 UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Award for

Environment Preservation for 2013 has been

jointly awarded to the National Forest Hold-ing State Forests in Poland and the Wild Life at Risk

Protection Organisation in South Africa. The award-

ing ceremony took place on 26 November 2013, dur-

ing the World Science Forum in Rio de Janeiro

(Brazil), during 24-27 November 2013, under the

auspices of UNESCO. Awarded every two years, the

Prize consists of a certificate and $70,000. It is

funded by Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said of Oman.

The UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment

Preservation recognizes outstanding contributions byindividuals, groups of individuals, institutes or or-

ganizations to the management or preservation of the

environment, consistent with the policies, aims and

objectives of UNESCO, and in relation to the Orga-

nizations programmes in this field, such as Bios-

phere Reserves and natural World Heritage sites.

The State Forests National Forest Holding of Poland

manages more than 75 per cent of the countrys

forests. The holding plays a major role in ensuring

the sustainable management of forests while raising

public awareness of environmental concerns and the

need for ecological conservation. Most of the forests

situated in Polands ten biosphere reserves are man-

aged by the holding. The Endangered Wildlife Trust

of South Africa develops and implements innovative

environmental protection projects. In close coopera-

tion with local communities, the trust works for the

preservation of ecosystems and endangered species

through research, environmental education, training

and awareness-raising.

The UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Prize for EnvironmentProtection aims at finding scientific solutions to the

environmental problems being faced by planet Earth.

Since its launch in 1991, the prize honoured individ-

uals and institutions across the globe. The prize is a

noble message by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and is

meant to invite the whole world to put in effort to

achieve environmental safety for humanity. It is the

first Arab environmental protection prize to be

awarded at the international level. The other major

science prize instituted by the Arabs is the KingFaisal International Prize.

Further Reading

1.UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental

Preservation Website: http://www.un-qaboos-

prize.net/

2.King Faisal Foundation Website:

http://www.kff.com/

3.Sameen Ahmed Khan, The King Faisal Interna-

tional Prize for 2014, Ba Khabar, Vol 7, Issue 02, pp

21-22 (February 2014).

([email protected], http://SameenAhmed-

Khan.webs.com/)

Engineering Department,

Salalah College of Technology (SCOT)

Salalah, Sultanate of Oman



Religion

I By Khalid Baig I

While on his deathbed, Sayyidna Umar ibnal-Khattab, Radi-Allahuunhu, dictated a

long Will consisting of instructions for the

next Khalifah. Here is the last sentence of that his-

toric document: I instruct you on behalf of the peo-

ple who have been given protection in the name of

Allah and His Prophet . [That is the dhimmis or the

non-Muslim minorities within the Islamic state]. Our

covenant to them must be fulfilled, we must fight to

protect them, and they must not be burdened beyond

their capabilities.

At that time Sayyidna Umar was lying in pain be-

cause of the wounds inflicted on him by a non-Mus-

lim who had stabbed him with a dagger soaked in

poison while he was leading the fajr prayer. It should

also be remembered that he was the head of a vast

empire ranging from Egypt to Persia. From normal

rulers of his time or ours, we could have expected

vengeance and swift reaction. (The enlightened

rulers of today have sent bombers even on suspicion

of murder conspiracy). From a very forgiving headof state we could have expected an attempt to forget

and forgive --- and that would be considered noble.

But a command to protect the minorities and take

care of them?

What is even more remarkable is that for Muslim

historians the entire affair was just natural. After all

it was the Khalifah himself who had established the

standards by writing the guar-

antees for the protection oflife, property and religion in

decree after decree as Muslims

opened land after land during

his rule. The pattern estab-

lished here was followed for

centuries throughout the Mus-

lim world.

Of course, Sayyidna Umar was

simply following what he

learnt from the Prophet

Muhammad himself. That the

protection of life, property and

religious freedom of minorities

is the religious duty of the Islamic state. That he per-

sonally would be demanding justice in the hereafter

on behalf of a dhimmi who had been wronged by aMuslim. That there is no compulsion in religion and

that Muslims must be just to friends and foe alike.

The result of these teachings was a Muslim rule that

set the gold standard for religious tolerance in a

world that was not used to the idea. Not only that the

Muslim history is so remarkably free of the inquisi-

tions, persecutions, witch hunts, and holocausts that

tarnish history of other civilizations, it protected its

minorities from persecution by others as well. It pro-

tected Jews from Christians and Eastern Christians

from Roman Catholics. In Spain under the

Umayyads and in Baghdad under the Abbasid Khali-

fahs, Christians and Jews enjoyed a freedom of reli-

gion that they did not allow each other or anyone

else.

This exemplary tolerance is built into Islamic teach-

ings. The entire message of Islam is that this life is a

test and we have the option of choosing the path to

hell or to heaven. Messengers were sent to informabout the choices and to warn about the conse-

quences. They were not sent to forcibly put the peo-

ple on the right path. The job of the Muslims is the

same. They must deliver the message of Islam to the

humanity as they have received it. They are neither

to change it to make it attractive, nor to coerce others

to accept it. In addition, the results in the hereafter

will depend upon faith. For all good acts are mean-

ingless in the absence of the

proper faith. And faith is an af-fair of the heart. It simply can-

not be imposed.

It is not an idea that followers

of other religions have shared

with Islam. The result is, Mus-

lim experience in the area of

tolerance has been exactly op-

posite of the rest of the world.

As MarmadukePickthall noted:

It was not until the Western

nations broke away from their

religious law that they became

more tolerant, and it was only

when the Muslims fell away

On Religious Tolerance


15/32



Gender

I By Amy Klooz I

It is in the case of educational settings when seg-

regation must be practiced carefully with special

attention towards equality.

I have heard many complaints from some new Mus-

lims, even from non-Muslims, about gender separa-

tion in Islamin fact, it was one of my biggest fears

after marriage. And the issue of segregation in Islam

and Muslim cultures relates to women's rights and

the concept of hijab.

But I have come to prefer gender segregation, usu-ally, now that I have a better understanding about

what it means and how to apply it.

I find the practice of gender separation to fall into

three distinct categories which should be discussed

separately; the first is of worship, seeking education,

and lastly, social activities. And I view these three

categories differently because the interaction be-

tween men and women is different in all three cases.

When it comes to worship, separation between men

and women is clear and obvious, because it's basedon clear evidence from the Sunnah. Although the ev-

idence from the Sunnah is itself sufficient in proving

that men and women should be separated at worship,

the advice on the subject is also practical and easy to

understand.

Islam on Mixing with the Opposite Sex

- Mixing with the Opposite Sex

- Is Close Friendship Un-Islamic?

- What's the Problem with Mixing?

- Sisters! Interactions with Non Mahram

- Culture Shock: Reverts in Muslim Countries

For instance, a very common question when non-

Muslims visit a mosque is, "Where do the women

pray?"

Its common because in all likelihood, the guests

were allowed to observe men praying, but not

women. And they wondered where the women were,

since observing that separation in Western culture is

abnormal.

The answer to this question is as simple as the ques-tion is common. Women are praying somewhere

else--for logical and easy-to-understand reasons.

Separation in Prayers

while that is reason enough, it also just makes sense.

Through the Sunnah (The example from the teach-ings of Muhammad, peace be upon him)we learn

that women should pray behind men, with the men's

rows starting in the front, and the women's rows

starting in the back. And while that is reason enough,

it also just makes sense.

As for the separation -- can you imagine praying be-

side someone you're physically attracted to, with

your body in close proximity, probably in contact

with theirs? Some of us have trouble focusing even

when we're alone--imagine how much it would beharder with the additional element of physical attrac-

tion (which, let's face it, is fairly normal).

When it comes to putting women in the back, I can

say I personally would feel uncomfortable praying in

front of a man, when he could easily watch my bot-

tom. And while the postures of prayer bring amazing

depth and realization to our lowliness before Allah,

they also make certain body parts more prominent --

especially when you're watching from behind. For

me, separation with ladies in the back seems an ob-vious and easy solution, without causing any of-

fense.

When I understand this ideal (that women pray be-

hind men), but in the same room clearly, I don't have

any problem with the segregation, nor do I feel

slighted by it. But usually the complaint rears its

head not when women are praying behind men, but

when they are praying below them in a basement,

above them in an attic, have trouble hearing, seeing,

or even squeezing into a tiny cramped space which

has been afforded them.Basically, its when the accommodations are clearly

unequal. The problem then is not with the segrega-

tion, but with the accommodation--and each mosque

facility has its own issues with accommodating

women, and unfortunately a shortage of money or

space often causes women to suffer. However, segre-

gation is not the cause, nor is eliminating it the solu-

tion to the problem of inadequate accommodations.

Separation in Educational Activities

special care should be taken to ensure that both menand women have the same access

The second category of separation comes to educa-

tional activitiesand in this situation I have taken a

Gender Segregation:What Does It Mean in Islam?Views of an American New Muslim


17/32



International

I By Areebabint Khalid I

From the 1800s to the present day, family life in the

West has remarkably changed. While the West calls

this change part of the women freedom movement, a

look at history may show otherwise.

America before the 1800s was a farming country and

ninety percent of the population lived and worked on

private farms. Households were mainly self-suffi-

cient--nearly everything needed was produced in the

house. The few things that could not be produced at

home were bought from local craftsmen. Some other

things, especially imports from Europe, were bought

from stores. Males would take care of the fields and

females would take care of the home. In addition,

they would engage in spinning, knitting, weaving,

and taking care of the farm animals.

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution, which began around the

early 1800s, brought a major change to this way oflife. In 1807, in the wake of the war between Great

Britain and France, President Jefferson signed the

Embargo Act, which stopped all trade between Eu-

rope and America. The Act meant that European

goods would no longer be available in the US and

Americans would have to produce them. One major

European import to America was cloth, and so mer-

chants used this opportunity to create a cloth indus-

try in America.

In 1814, Francis Cabot Lowell, a man from Bostonopened the first modern factory. Work here was to be

done way faster than before. Instead of manually

making things in houses, things were to be made at

higher speeds in a factory and all stages of the work

were to be completed under the same roof. Now

what Lowell needed were workers. He found out that

women, especially unmarried daughters of the farm-

ers, were more economical to use in labor than men.

They were also more willing to work as hired people

in factories.

But Lowell had to make the working outside of

home acceptable in a society which was not used to

it. He assured parents that their daughters would be

taken care of and kept under discipline. And he built

a boarding community where the women workerslived and worked together.

Soon after, more and more factories emerged across

America. Factory owners followed Lowell's example

of hiring unmarried women. By 1850 most of the

country's goods were made in factories. As produc-

tion of goods moved from the country to the city,

people too moved from the country to the city.

For money to be earned, people had to leave their

homes. When women worked on the farm, it was al-

ways possible to combine work and family. When

work for women moved outside the home, however,

the only women who could follow it were those

without family responsibilities or those who had no

husband or no income. Likewise, the only women

who could take care of their families were the ones

that didn't have work.

This working out of home became a part of life for

unmarried women. They would work until their mar-

riage. But as time passed, women found family life

interfering with their work life and instead of view-

ing working out of home as optional, they viewedfamily life as such. Many women started delaying

marriage even more and some decided to stay single.

Married women however stayed home and dedicated

their time to their children. Now that there wasn't

any farm work to do, women had even more time to

spend with the children. In 1900 less than about

5.6% of married women worked outside. If a mar-

ried woman were to work, it would be considered

that her husband was invalid or that she was poor.

World War I

The first major entry of married women to the work-

force came during World War I in 1914. Men went to

fight the war and the country needed workers to take

over the jobs they left behind. Unmarried women

were not sufficient for the labor needs, so employers

started to invite married women too, to work. By

1919, 25% of the women in the workforce were mar-

ried. But this was only the beginning.

Another change World War I brought was the entry

of women to the army. About 13,000 women enlisted

in the US Navy, mostly doing clerical work--the first

women in US history to be admitted to full military

How Women Were Lured Out of the

Home in the USA,Part-1



International

rank.

Great Depression

The Great Depression came in the 1930s. The unem-

ployment rate climbed from 3.2% in 1929 to 23.6%

in 1932. Jobs became scarce for skilled people and

men. Fathers went to search for jobs. Some, under

despair, deserted their families. The responsibility of

earning fell on mothers in many families.

Most women and children, however, found jobs

more easily than men because of the segregation of

work categories for men and women. Although 80%

of men during the Great Depression opposed their

wives entering the workforce under any circum-

stances, economic factors made it necessary for the

women to work. Hours were long and pay was low.

Twenty percent of white women were in the work-

force.

World War II

World War II came in the early 1940s. Men were

drafted to fight, and America needed workers and

supplies. Again, the employers looked towards the

women for labor. Unmarried and married women

were invited to work, as had been done during World

War I.

But still, public opinion was generally against the

working of married women. The media and the gov-

ernment started a fierce propaganda campaign to

change this opinion. The federal government told the

women that victory could not be achieved without

their entry into the workforce. Working was consid-

ered part of being a good citizen, a working wife was

a patriotic person.

The government founded the Magazine Bureau in

1942. The Bureau published Magazine War Guide, a

guide which told magazines which themes stories

they should cover each month to aid war propa-

ganda. For September 1943, the theme was "Women

at Work". The slogan for this was "The More

Women at Work the Sooner We Win." Magazines de-

veloped stories that glorified and promoted the

placement of women into untraditional jobs where

workers were needed. The idea was that if smaller,

unexciting jobs were portrayed as attractive and

noble more women would join the work force.The media created Rosie the Riveter, a mythical

character to encourage women into the workforce.

Rosie was portrayed as a patriotic woman, a hero for

all American women. "All the day long, Whether

rain or shine, She's a part of the assembly line. She's

making history, Working for victory, Rosie the Riv-

eter There's something true about, Red, white, and

blue about, Rosie the Riveter."

The propaganda efforts worked. More than six mil-

lion women joined the workforce during the war, the

majority of them married women. In 1940, before

the war, only 36% of women workers were married.

By 1945, after the war, 50% of women workers were

married. The middle class taboo against a working

wife had been repealed.

Part-2 of this article will appear in May 2014 Issue

of BaKahabar

Source: www.islaaminfo.co.za



Islam

I By Mohammed Obaidullah, Jeddah I

There are clear indications that zakat collections

have been growing in many parts of the globe. The

growth has been particularly spectacular in some

Muslim countries that have made the payment of

zakat mandatory, such as, Saudi Arabia and

Malaysia. Additionally, collection of zakat is entirely

in the hands of the state. For instance, Saudi Arabias

zakat revenues during 2014 is expected to be around

USD4 billion (they currently stand at about USD 3.7

billion). Zakat and tax revenues in the kingdom have

been increasing at a rate of 20 percent per yearthrough the last five years. Malaysia reported zakat

collections at about USD550 million in 2011 and

these have increased by 27 times over the previous

two decades. In contrast, Indonesia reported total

zakah collections at USD232 million in 2012 and

these have increased by

32 times over the previ-

ous decade. Indonesia,

of course, permits pri-

vate institutional collec-tors under the overall

supervision of the state

agency BAZNAS. Pak-

istan offers another in-

teresting contrast by

making zakat collection

free-for-all (state, pri-

vate institutional as well

as individual collectors).

Even after making zakat

on financial assets

mandatory and to be de-

ducted at source, the

state collected merely

USD105 million in 2011

(increased by 40 per cent

over 3 years). At the

same time unofficial es-

timates put the total col-

lection at about USD 2

billion clearly indicatingeither gross inefficiency

or trust-deficit with the

state collection agency.

Close observers and zakat officials attribute the

surge in collections to different factors. In Saudi

Arabia, it is the firm hand of the state that now re-

quires mandatory electronic filing for all zakat decla-

rations. In Malaysia, the state owned Islamic

religious councils have the sole authority for zakat

collections. However, officials admit that enforce-

ment is very weak. Major reasons for this are: ab-

sence of database of those liable to pay zakat,

unwillingness of zakat officer to list down those who

fail to pay zakat, shortage of staff and inadequate au-

thority to zakat officers to investigate any failure andthe like. The steep growth in zakat collections how-

ever, seems to have come about due to large-scale

corporatization with banks and FIs acting as agents

of the state religious council for zakat collection. On

the other hand, the high growth witnessed in Indone-

sia seems to have come

about because of a very

proactive and rational legal

and regulatory framework.

Are there any lessons here

to be learnt for the Muslims

of India? Unlike awqaf,

India does not see a role for

the state (e.g. Ministry of

Minorities Affairs) in man-

agement of zakat. Private

individuals and institutions

are free to collect and dis-

tribute zakat. Indeed it is

believed that a major part

of zakat is collected by

Madaris or Islamic reli-

gious schools. A sample-

based study undertaken in

2007 estimates total zakat

collected in India to be

USD1.5 billion. It is indeed

a sad realization for any ob-

server that the Indian Mus-

lim community - secondlargest in the world has

no clue regarding the opera-

tionalization of zakat, the

Should Zakat Management be Centralized in

India?



Islam

single-most important economic institution. Anec-

dotal evidence suggests that the cost of collection of

zakat as a percentage of total zakat collection in

India (with a large private army of individual zakat

collectors) is perhaps among the largest in the world.

While any role for the state in the management of

zakat will perhaps be an unwelcome proposition for

the community leaders, one may realistically argue

in favour of creating a private national umbrella or-

ganization by the community to collect and disburse

zakat efficiently. It will undoubtedly be in a position

to employ modern tools and strategies for mobilizing

zakat (e.g. use of ICT, collection and payment plat-

forms, corporate agents, use of mass media for pub-

lic education and awareness regarding zakat

obligations, imparting skills to zakat collectors and

professionals and many other measures that have de-

livered good results elsewhere). The umbrella organ-

ization or network of organizations will enjoy fargreater credibility by adopting transparent methods

of collection and distribution (e.g. giving due respect

to the wishes of the muzakki or zakat payers). The

sooner the community decides to shun the status-quo

and give serious thought to improving its zakat man-

agement systems, the better it is for the well-being of

the community in-shaAllah.

http://sadaqa.in/2014/02/20/should-zakat-collec-

tions-be-centralized-in-india/

Wearing dirty clothes is not from

humility Explained by Shaykh

Fawzan

Questioner:

May Allah grant you good. The questioner says: An

Imaam of a masjid has a lot of money; but when he

comes to the prayer, he comes wearing a dirty Izar

and a dirty shirt. And when I say to him: Why dont

you buy some new clothes for the prayer? He says:

Whoever humbles himself for Allah, He will ele-

vate him. So what is the ruling for his prayer?

ShaykhFawzan: This is not humility. Allah the Ex-

alted says:

O children of Adam, take your adornment at every

masjid. (Soorah Al-'Araf 7:31)

This means for every prayer. Adornment is not only

covering the awrah, rather adornment includes

clothes, beautifying oneself for the prayer. You are

facing the Lord of all that exists; you are standing in

front of Him. Therefore beautify yourself with what

you are able to from adornment; in recognition of the

prayer, and exalting the standing before your Lord.

This is something desired, and favorable. And the

hadith says:

When Allah makes you wealthier then you should

clothe yourself properly.

And he says:

Verily Allah loves to see the effects of His favorsupon His slave.

O my brother this is not humility. Yes, do not wear

extravagant clothes. Do not wear extravagant clothes

such that it becomes an issue of fame or notoriety.

Wear moderate clothes which are clean and beauti-

ful.

Verily Allah is Jameel and He loves beauty.

Translated by Rasheed ibn Estes Barbee

http://mtws.posthaven.com



History

I By Prof. Refaqat Ali Khan I

Write Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, an

NGO, invited me to attend the SAARC

Literary Festival in Dhaka on 27-28 Feb-

ruary, 2014. Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan,

India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and

Maldives were participants. The seminar / festival

proposed a discussion / review Beyond Borders,

Trust and Reconciliation.

I presented a paper Within Borders, Trust and Rec-

onciliationUrdu in the making of Bangladesh. Notbeyond, but within. Trust and reconciliation within

borders are as important as beyond borders, but un-

wise trust and reconciliation, beyond or within bor-

ders, could as well be harmful. The Bengali Muslims

suffered for this.

According to Pakistans census figures, 3 per cent

people in Pakistan had Urdu as their mother tongue,

but 97 per cent non-Urdu speaking people of East

and West Pakistan had to accept it as the national /

official language. In spite of stiff opposition from

East Pakistan, Urdu remained the national language.

This was the primary reason Bangladesh came into

being in 1971. Besides language, it was the insensi-

tivity of the Urdu-speaking Muslim leadership to

Bengali sentiment that was an additional factor.

The famous (or infamous) Lahore Muslim League

Resolution, 1940 is projected in this paper as

Bangladesh Resolution. This resolution was adopted

by the All India Muslim League under the presi-dentship of M A Jinnah. The proposer was Sher-i-

Bengal, FazlulHaq. Bangladesh was on the mind of

FazlulHaq. He wanted more than one state with

Muslim majority areas which had geographical con-

tiguity to be constituted as states.

Eastern Bengal plus Assam were Muslim majority

areas and had geographical contiguity and thus could

be constituted as states. The state of Bengal could

never have a contiguity with Western Muslim major-ity areas. Two states, therefore, were the natural out-

come of this resolution. M A Jinnah understood each

word of this resolution. FazlulHaq had deliberately

put states (in plural) with contiguous areas.

In 1940, Mr Jinnah was not the absolute master of

All India Muslim League. FazlulHaq rightly con-

fided to Shaikh Mujibur Rahman that he was respon-sible for the Lahore Resolution. Nobody knew

Jinnah in 1940. But in 1946 Jinnah, no doubt, was

the greatest leader and absolute master of the

League. Disregarding Lahore Resolution he invited

the Muslim League legislators to Delhi in 1946 and

got a new resolution passed at its Convention, de-

manding a state (singular) of East and West Pakistan.

This resolution of the convention of Muslim League

legislators also provided a theoretical foundation for

the two-nation idea.

In 1946 there was a Qaid-e-Azam wave. Nobody

could oppose him. The two nation theory blinded

Bengali Muslims. Bangladesh was ideologically

conceived by the Tiger of Bengal in 1940 and killed

in 1946 by another Bengali Muslim, Shaheed

Suhrawardi, who proposed the Delhi Resolution.

In a question-answer session it was pointed out that

theoretical foundation of the two-nation theory could

be questioned but it had positive aspects, too. It

united the Muslims of British India so strongly that

they supported Pakistan, practically with one voice.

Partly agreeing, I said that no doubt there was unity

among Muslim rank and file, but this unity was

time-bound, without sustainable foundations. The

Partition divided Indian Muslims into two set of peo-

ple, Indian Muslims and Pakistani Muslims within

one year of Delhi Resolution and, 24 years later, an-

other set of Muslims, Bangladesh Muslims. It was

not unity, but false consciousness.

In history people are subjected to false conscious-

ness for a short or even a longer time. Keeping

Bangladesh in mind I told them that many Muslims,

including Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto considered that Mus-

lims were the rulers of India for a thousand years. I

reminded them that under the Mughals in todays

Bangladesh 90 per cent people were peasants,

largely Muslims. Some of them were zamindars, but

zamindars were largely Hindus. The Muslim peas-ants of Bangladesh were subjected to as great ex-

ploitation in Mughal India as they were under the

British Raj, much like the peasants under the present

government of Bangladesh.

Quirks of HistoryHow Mr. Jinnah forestalled FazlulHaqs gambit



From the Book

I By Shakeel Ashraf I

Dinar made of gold and Dirham made of sil-

ver, were the currencies at that time, with an

exchange rate of one to ten. Malik ibn Aus(RA) wanted to exchange 100 Dinars and made mu-

tual agreement with Talha ibn Ubaidullah (RA), who

took the gold and turned it about in his hand and

then said, I cant do it until my treasurer brings the

money to me from Al-Ghaba. Umar Ibn Al Khattab

(RA) was listening and he said, By Allah! Do not

leave him until you have taken it from him. He fur-

ther said, If someone asks you to wait to be paid

until he has gone back to his house, do not leave

him. (Ref: Moutta, Imam Malik, Business Transac-tion Hadith 31.17.38

http://elazhar.com/esonna_u/businesstrans/56.asp)

An author quotes in his booklet, From your hand to

his hand. If he asks you to wait behind the wall (of a

room) do not wait for him, and if he jumps from the

roof, then, jump with him.

Imagine, to narrate, the above tradition, to someone,

today, who does not know the caliber of Umar (RA)

and is not acquainted with hadith of six commodi-

ties; what will be his reaction? Will he not call Umar

(RA) a fanatic fellow running behind petty issues?

Nauzbillah! This is what we face, today, when we re-

mind someone about an injunction of Islam which he

is unaware of or doesnt know its due importance.

Today we are well aware of the dynamic behavior of

currency exchange. Exchange rate may change any

moment and so a forward trading of currencies is de-

clared unlawful in Islamic finance. Not only mutual

exchange rate of currency, but the purchasing powerof all currencies changes with time. According to fa-

mous hadith of six commodities, the exchange of

gold, silver, wheat, barley, dates and salt should al-

ways be hand to hand. (Ref. Sahih Muslim,

Book#10, Hadith#3853)

Sahih Bukhari, Hadith#3872: Abu Said (RA) re-

ported: Dates were brought to Allahs Messenger

(PBUH), and he said: These dates are not like our

dates, whereupon a man said: We sold two sas ofour dates (in order to get) one sa, of these (fine

dates), whereupon Allahs Messenger (PBUH) said:

That is riba (interest); so return (these dates of fine

quality), and get your (inferior dates); then sell our

dates (for money) and buy for us (with the help of

money) such (fine dates).

The above mentioned issues are related with riba.

Verse 279 of Sura Baqra declares war by Allah andHis messenger against riba takers. After revelation of

the verse money lending on riba became criminal of-

fence in an Islamic society.

(http://www.tafheem.net/tafheem.html). Today one

can argue that he is not living in a society where riba

can be a criminal offence. Well, there is a hadith to

warn him that the sin of riba is 70 times the sin of in-

cest with ones mother (Ibnmaja, Baiaqi,

http://tanzeem.org/books/books/BU_4_01_Islam_ka

_Maashi_Nizam.pdf, page#22). Anyone havingsome moral sense can conclude, on the basis of this

prophetic saying, that there is nothing more immoral

than taking riba. Why such stern warnings against

riba? Because Allah, the All-Knower knows that

man has limitless lust to wealth. And you love the

wealth with all your hearts (al-Fajr 89:20). Money

is such a weak point for mankind that the general

tendency is, to take the Divine restrictions in a light

way?

I remember once a brother from Afghanistan, in his

email to Bihar Anjuman yahoo group enquired about

a food-stuff; whether it is halal or haram. An enthu-

siastic member jumped out of his closet staing that

what is the need of enquiring about small issues

while there are so many big issues in the community.

I believe, when an individual finds the urge to follow

instructions of his Creator, there is nothing small for

him.

Let us take another example at social level. Many ofus talk about the wrongdoing of others in their ab-

sence, taking it a lighter note. But Quran takes a very

strong note of it in the following verse.

(49:12) Believers, avoid being excessively suspi-cious, for some suspicion is a sin. Do not spy, nor

backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat

the flesh of his dead brother? You would surely de-

test it. Have fear of Allah. Surely Allah is much

Petty Issues are not really petty



prone to accept repentance, is Most Compassionate.

Let us avail an opportunity to recite and ponder over

the following verses.

(59:18). Believers, fear Allah and let every person

look to what he sends forward for the morrow. Fear

Allah; Allah is well aware of all that you do. (59:19).

And be not like those who forgot Allah and so He

made them oblivious of themselves. They are the

wicked ones.

Shakeel Ashraf ([email protected])

(1) (2)

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gj fo|kFkhZdksdEI;wVj dkslZikB~;e dk fgLlk cusA f'k{kdksa

dksjsxqyj xzsM feysA

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bUghalsdkyk /ku iSnk gksrk gSA lkEiznkf;drk bUghadk dopgSA bulsfuiVusdh lexz;kstuk cusA

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vkSj dke;kc jgh gSA jktuSfrd LokFkZdsfy;sml ij geyk

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c



Politics

I By Asma Khan I

[Hindus frequently ill treated in Pakistan sends a

chill down the spines of Muslims in India, the dirty

minority politics of both the countries is a matter of

big concern. Here is a brief review of the past and

present Minority Politics of these nations. ]

Pakistan has long ceased to shock me, its kind

of Lebanon; Lebanon of the 80s, when it was

difficult to discern who was killing and who

was making a killing of it? When senses get

numbed, the killings get anesthetized. Nevertheless

those 85 dead worshippers at the church on 22 Sep-

tember last year; and the recent cold blooded murder

of Hazara Shias on board a bus succeeded, in send-

ing a chill down my spine. The murders were also

said to be put under headlines like; Cleaners

cleansed! Since the creation of Pakistan such attacks

have continued in numerous forms. Furious attacks

on its minorities are also seen in Bangladesh. The

Sachar Committee report is a mirror to the plight of

the minorities in India. [Read more about it here ]In the sub-continent, minorities face, serious threats

to life and property, riots and pogroms, forcible con-

versions, marriages and discrimination at the various

levels of the civil society, and misuse of the blas-

phemy law. This has not just kept the minorities,

Muslim and non-Muslim on their toes, but has also

compelled them to live their endangered lives, tip-

toeing to the vagaries of the bullish majority. Lets

have a look at different aspects of this issue.

A Brief Introduction to the Minorities of Pak-

istan:

In 1947, Pakistans independence led to c.14 million

people moving across the borders, with Pakistan re-

ceiving more than 8 million Muslims from all over

India. Most came to West Pakistan (present-day Pak-

istan) and l.2 million Muslims were received by East

Pakistan or present day Bangladesh.(1) The percent-

age of non-Muslim minorities was 23% of the total

population of Pakistan at the time of Partition.

Tellingly enough now it is reduced to only 3%. In-

creasingly the non-Muslim [Hindu] minority has

been seeking asylum in the parent country India,

finding the living in Pakistan getting harder and

harder by the day. In Pakistan there are a number ofminority groups, Muslim and non-Muslim. Shia is

the biggest, almost 20 to 25 % of Pakistan popula-

tion. Then there are ethnic Hazaras who also happen

to be Shias, hence face double-edged sword of dis-

crimination. They speak Persian, and are spread in

and around Quetta. The Kalash community, said to

be between 5000 to 6000 in number, lives around

Chitral district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and

follows an animist faith, labeled as a Pagan group.

Interestingly, the Kalash community as a tradition

celebrates death! After a demise, they engage in fes-

tivities, for three days at the very place where the

dead body has been placed. They have been com-

plaining of threats and forced conversions. Another

group that goes by the name Kihal is regarded dirty

for they relish crocodile meat. Due to their being a

nomadic tribe, they dont have a permanent address

and hence denied national ID cards, which translates

into meaning that they are unable to vote. The coun-

try they live in, does not consider them citizens.

They are denied even alms for the same reason. Ah-madi or Qadiyanis are regarded as heretics, for not

believing in the essential concept of Prophet

Muhammad [p.b.u.h.] being the last prophet. Chris-

tians are even worse off as they (unlike Hindus) are

mostly in Punjab where there is more intolerance

than Sindh

According to a view, the Mohajirs [Muslim migrants

from India who settled mainly in Sindh province,

particularly in Karachi] too can be considered, a mi-nority group. Elaborating further on this, a univer-

sity professor friend from Pakistan confesses that,

the Mohajirs today find themselves alienated. The

reason ,according to him , is that, those who settled

down in this sea side port had brought with them-

selves a distinct culture of their own and found as-

similating in the new Punjabi/Sindhi ethos of

Pakistan difficult. They were far more proud of their

Indian roots, heritage and Urdu culture, [belonging

mainly to Northern Indian state of UP] hence be-

came fiercely protective of it. This trend continues

even to this day.

Minority politics of India and Pakistan:

A Perspective



Politics

Giving the Minorities A Square Deal:

A study of what our leaders wanted for their respec-

tive minorities would be quite significant to discern.

In his famous speech at the Lahore session of Mus-

lim League in March 1940 Mr. Jinnah was not one

for the unity. He had said,

Islam and Hinduism are not religions in the strictest

sense of the word, but are, in fact, different and dis-

tinct social orders..The Hindus and Muslims be-

long to two different philosophies, social customs,

and literaturesTo yoke together two such nations

under a single State, one as a numerical minority

and the other as a majority, must lead to growing

discontent and the final destruction of any fabric

that may be so built up for the government of such a

State.

Despite this rhetoric Mr. Jinnah seemed genuinewhen he promised the minorities that they would get

a Square Deal. His epoch speech on 11 August 1947

asserts that, religion would have no business to do in

the business of Pakistan! Going further he said

something which can be taken as blasphemous in

todays Pakistan, he had said.

in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus

and Muslims would cease to be Muslimsin the po-

litical sense as citizens of the state.Our Mahatma being the all knowing didnt bite the

bait and insisted that Jinnahs promises needed to be

weighed with the, corresponding deeds of his fel-

low Musalmans. Their views about dealing with the

respective minorities are illuminating. Contrary to

the Mahatma, Mr. Jinnah took on Lord Mountbatten

when the latter alluded to Emperor Akbars justice

for the weaker sections of the society, circuitously

imploring him to treat the minorities in Pakistan rea-

sonably well. The formidable lawyer in return threw

at the last Viceroy the original allusion from Prophet

Mohammads times, saying:

tolerance and regard and respect for their [minori-

ties] faith was in Muslim blood. (2)

He was referring to the teachings of brotherhood in

Islam. Mr. Jinnah blamed the deeply complex social

structure of India as an impediment in the way of its

freedom. It would be a free country for sure, long

ago, if not for this, he had regretted. The issue of the

minorities must be important for him; he himselfwas one, a Khoja Shia and had married Ratti Bai , a

Parsi , herself a minority on both sides of the border.

He adopted the Muslim League flag as the official

national flag of Pakistan, but with a change, a white

strip as a symbol of Peace and it was for Pakistan

minorities. Appointing Jogendarnath Mandal as

chairman of the Constituent Assembly of his new

born country was a special gesture, though viewed

with skepticism on the Indian side. Mr. Jinnah along

with Sister Fatima Jinnah had made it a point to at-

tend the Dominion Day service at Romanesque

Parish Church of Holy Trinity in Karachi on August

18th, 1947. Even if Jinnah had not passed away so

soon after establishing his dream state, he would

have found it increasingly difficult to arrest the tide

of hatred brewing since the Partition. Coming back

to the Great Soul, its a known fact that Mahatma

Gandhis proposals at the time, though well mean-

ing, were scorned upon as pure naivet by some

quarters. He had insisted that Hindus remain in Sind,

even at the height of riots. A leading publication of

those days, The Hindustan Times, was sarcastic toone of his ideas. The Great Soul Mahatma Gandhi, it

said, after opposing the idea of Pakistan all his polit-

ical career, had decided to spend the rest of his life in

Pakistan to protect the interests of minorities namely

Hindus and Sikhs. Earlier Mahatma had refused a

plea, Punjab needed his healing presence , from his

favorite disciple Nehru. (3), to visit the burning Pun-

jab where a massacre was happening from Lahore to

Rawalpindi. The atmosphere was explosive. With

mass migrations, murderous mayhem with a rarecruelty and rumor mongering at its lethal best, assur-

ances from the big leaders of the time had become

vacant sounds which had lost all their voice. Mr.Jin-

nah is known to have showed least concern for

the,left overMuslims , who didnt want to migrate.

He was indifferent to them. Nevertheless Mr. Jinnah

was conscientious enough to express his displeasure

with the way Hidayatullah ministry handled the non-

Muslim minority issue at the time. He was rightly

concerned about the possible fallout of such an irre-

sponsible act of negligence. He was said to have

feared a chain reaction, where provinces with Mus-

lims as minorities might face the consequences of

what their fellow religionists did elsewhere. This

was and is the crux of this complex issue, a tit for tat

politics, a tit for tat murder. You kill our man and we

kill yours. This smells bad; same as the famed rheto-

ric of 2002,Every action has an equal and opposite

reaction. Remember?

Now we also have him saying that Hindus fromBangladesh should be allowed to settle in India. The

BJP Prime Minister designate is playing his favorite

game again that had begun in 2002, with the only



Politics

difference that now, after winning the state levels, he

is now trying for the national championships.

Part II

Minority Politics or Hostage Politics ?

The news of minorities ill treated in Pakistan sends a

very wrong message here. The most unfortunate re-

sult of this divisive communal politics discussed in

part 1 of this essay; was emergence of the Hostage

Politics. Roughly, what it means is that, if a Hindu

was/is harmed in the Land of the Pure, then a Mus-

lim had to pay its price, living in Hindostan. Politi-

cians of both the faiths had no qualm in asserting

this ugly truth. It was a hidden threat, the ugliest way

to tell them, that, we would be doing the same, if

you do it. It also had an inbuilt advantage of conve-

niently blaming the, other party for the mayhem

one caused. Leaders of the pre-Partition era thoughwere desperately trying to do something about this,

sensing a huge threat of violence to the minorities,

wherever people became one. J.B Kriplani, the so-

cialist Sindhi leader and president of Congress party

during the crucial period of the Partition, supported a

joint committee to protect the minority rights. He

urged the minorities in Pakistan to not lose hope and

believe in Muslim League promises of safeguarding

their interests. Being the politician that he was

Acharya Kriplani had proudly declared,

Pakistan cant afford to ill treat Hindus. If 20 million

of Hindus were included in Pakistan, 45 million of

Muslims came within Hindustan. (4)

Here you see resonant politics perhaps at its best (or

worst?). Moulana Azad, whom Jinnah used to

ridicule, as Show Boy of the Congress, for his pre-

sumed ineffectiveness, was worried too. On 29 June

1947, in a press statement, Moulana Azad astutely

suggested a joint meeting of the constituent assem-

blies of the soon to be neighboring countries India

and Pakistan, and making of a Common Charter of

Rights of Minorities in the two countries. But voices

like Kriplanis and Azads often remain lonely even

among their own. Considering the pitiable condition

and a most awful treatment of the minorities in Pak-

istan today, it is ironical to note that, under the

Nehru-Liaquat Agreement of 1950, for the purpose

of the protection of minorities; Pakistan had insisted

on the creation of a new Ministry of Minorities, set-ting up of a minority commission, appointment of

minority representatives in the council of ministers

etc. in each state of free India! Home Minister of the

time, Sardar Patel opposed this proposal tooth and

nail, saying it was akin to putting poison in the In-

dian governmental machinery, and termed it,

submission to an external force called Pakistan who

had itself liquidated its own minorities on its terri-

tory.

He continued,

We have conceded one Pakistan; that is more than

enough. We cannot promote any further such mental-

ity, let alone do anything which will perpetuate it.(5)

Are Minorities Loyal to their Country?

The issue is also that of the integrity and loyalty of

the minorities being under the cloud of suspicion

perpetually. The Azeem Qaid of Pakistan too didnt

mince words when he spoke about the duties of anonMuslim Pakistani. In a press conference in

Delhi on July 13th, Mr. Jinnah emphasized the need

for the minorities , to be loyal to Pakistan.

They [minorities] will be in all respects the citizens

of Pakistan without any distinction of caste, colour,

religion, or creed. Along with it goes the obligation

of citizenshipAs long as the minorities are loyal to

the State and true allegiance, (and) as long as I have

any power they need have no apprehension.

Their condition as illustrated in the Sachar Commit-

tee report shows an ugly picture in the mirror of the

Indian democracy. Voicing this Majority-Minority

dilemma, at a conference in New Zealand, its human

rights commissioner Justice John Wallace spoke

thus:

The minority is generally right, provided the minor-

ity can carry the majority with it.

But this game of Majority-Minority politics, is too

precarious and too dangerous to speak about. The

problem of resonant minority politics became severe

with the partitioning of lands, rivers and popul

BaKhabar, April 2014

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Transcript of BaKhabar, April 2014