EID UL ADHA MUBARAK

HAPPY EID UL ADHA2012
As You Pray to Allah ..
And Offer Your Sacrifices 
In The True Spirit of Eid-ul-Adha, 
Here's Hoping That All Your Wishes
Be Fulfilled and Prayers Be Granted!

Aameen & Happy Eid

PERSECUTION OF MINORITIES IN PAKISTAN

Faraz Aamer Khan

When Jinnah said that “religion and state should be kept separate”, he could not have more appropriately warned the people of present-day Pakistan where the constitutionally supported, man-made religious doctrines issued by fundamentalists continue, to ruin lives.

Persecution of religious minorities is not uncommon in Pakistan, however, year 2012 witnessed the height of injustices when a mentally unstable man was torched alive for alleged blasphemy and an 11-year-old girl suffering from Down Syndrome was arrested for alleged sacrilege.

Given the legal statuette and constitution of Pakistan, no one in his/her right mind would ever venture out to commit blasphemy publicly or otherwise which all the more proves that the aforementioned people were not in full possession of their faculties, when or even if they committed blasphemy.

Though President Asif Ali Zardari sought a report on the arrest of Rimsha, a minor girl, and took notice of the man killed by scavenging protestors — both accused of blasphemy — but no amount of investigation will ever bring back the man who died the most horrible of deaths. No amount of probing will secure Rimsha’s future. No amount of placatory words will reassure minorities that the blasphemy law will not be manoeuvred to hurt them in Pakistan. And no number of notices will ever empower minorities living an oppressed existence in our country.

There is only one solution to this ever-growing menace which lies in the amendment of the blasphemy law. Unfortunately most of our hopes were shattered when former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced in 2011 that “the government has no plans of amending the blasphemy law.”

The fact that the crimes committed by a select group of religiously intolerant people fails to grab the attention of our honourable Chief Justice, who is known for his human rights activism, is most unfortunate for all of us.

It is also most disappointing that the current ruling government is fully able to pass a quick bill to support and protect political agents against Contempt of Court, however, fail to address the blatant violation of human and minorities’ rights.

Even more disappointing than the negligence of the government and judiciary is the apathy of the general masses, living in absolute denial with respect to the current state of affairs.

The fact that most of us try to justify the brutalities by asking why people focus on the plight of minorities when Shias are being killed with equal ferocity in Pakistan, is sheer bigotry. The question is how can one prioritise the killings of any human being? How are Christians, Hindus or Ahmadis any less important than Shias or vice versa? Shouldn’t the focus be on culminating this barbarism rather than debating with words that pacify no one anymore?

We all stayed quiet when scores of Shia Muslims were pulled off the bus and shot dead. We maintained the same calm when a day later, a bus carrying Shia students was attacked in Karachi. We were in hibernation when Salman Taseer was assassinated for voicing his views on the blasphemy law. We did not care when Ahmadis were restricted from offering Eid prayers at Ewan-e-Tauheed. And we continued to mince words when harassed Hindus migrated from Pakistan.

Yet, we congregated and protested greatly for the welfare and safety of Muslims living in Myanmar, Kashmir, Assam and Gujrat failing to realise that our country is in a state of civil war, where the situation drastically deteriorates with the passage of each day. We also protested publicly and demanded the authorities to penalise Rimsha by pushing her to the gallows. How are we, a mob that is so fervently bent on penalising a minor girl any different from the forces responsible for killing people in Myanmar and Gujrat? Why such hypocrisy? Do we not owe just a little bit more to our own minorities than the Muslims of other countries?

The Pakistani flag comprises two colours; one of them to specifically represent our minorities. However, looking at the reprehensible situation of the country, white should be replaced with black for the bleak future we offer to them as citizens of this state.

It is important to understand that all that happens around is not propaganda, a conspiracy or a plan conceived and executed by foreign elements. People, who hold an opinion over the deplorable situation are not anti-Islam or Pakistan in any way. In fact, they are equally, if not more, concerned about the well-being of Pakistan and everything that Jinnah stood for. It is people like us who are perpetrating these crimes by comparing the atrocities happening in Pakistan with scattered incidents of discrimination carried out against minorities in neighbouring and western countries in a futile hope to placate each other.

We must wake up from our deep slumber and realise that it is getting too late for all of us. There was a time when Christians, Parsis and Hindus were considered minorities. Then they were joined by Ahmadis and Shias. And no one knows who the next blasphemer or victim will be. However, the one, definite thing we should all be sure of is that with every incident of blasphemy in this country, it is the noose around our own necks that is tightening.

PAKISTAN: STATE PATRONAGE FOR THE HIJAB? WHY COMPETE WITH FUNDAMENTALISTS?

Tazeen Javed

Barring random news items and a few opinion pieces, the hijab debate has never really been part of the national narrative of Pakistan. Those who wanted to wear hijab/niqab/burqa wore it and those who preferred the traditional shalwar kameez and dupatta chose that without any problem. Unlike Saudi Arabia, Iran or Turkey, there never was governmental coercion or pressure on women to wear a particular type clothing or to ban them from wearing a particular type of clothing in state institutions. A woman’s clothing was her own business as it should be anywhere in the world. However, things are changing.

With the celebration of the World Hijab Day, which had tacit approval of the government and the patronage of the first lady, Nusrat Pervaiz Ashraf, of the Hijab Conference organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami, things are moving in the direction where the state is turning partisan.

The first lady of Pakistan, during the aforementioned conference, exhorted Muslim women to wear a hijab, saying that women could do what they wanted as long as they respect the “limits set by Islam”.

The first lady’s speech encourages women to follow the limits set by Islam but no one can agree on what it entails; one school of thought believes that there should be no hindrance to anyone’s education — including women — while the other believes that women should only be allowed access to education if there are segregated educational institutions for them, right up to higher education. Another school of thought believes that women need no access to higher education as their true calling lies in maintaining a household and raising children. If the speech of the first lady is carefully viewed, perhaps, she supports the third version of ‘limits set by Islam’. In her speech, she urged women to strengthen the family unit, which she said was central to Islamic teachings. As if this was not all, she also deplored that Pakistani women were starting to forget how important family and hijab were.

For starters, there is no direct relationship between a woman’s hijab and her caregiving responsibilities towards her family. Secondly, Pakistani women have not forgotten how important family is for them. If anything, family interferes with their performance at work because of the overwhelming demands by families for their time. Thirdly, positioning hijab with better motherhood and a more fulfilled family life puts the women who do not wear hijab but are just as — if not more — concerned about their families, in an uncomfortable situation. If such views gain official state patronage, it can and will act against the women who do not abide by this particular view.

The first lady ended her speech by calling Fatima Jinnah and Benazir Bhutto “role models” for Pakistani women. However, she failed to point out that neither Benazir Bhutto nor Fatima Jinnah followed those particular limits she so favoured in her speech. Both Ms Bhutto and Ms Jinnah were highly educated women who studied with men; they did not limit themselves to raising children and families and had highly visible political careers. Ms Jinnah was so dedicated to her political career that she did not even marry and have a family of her own and Ms Bhutto was back in her office a fortnight after giving birth to her second child. Last but not the least, neither woman wore a hijab but favoured the traditional Pakistani dupatta.

There are many issues that plague Pakistani women that can do with the attention of the first lady; it would be advisable if she focuses on those issues instead of the hijab/dupatta debate.

The Express Tribune, 18 September 2012

The writer is an Islamabad-based freelance communications consultant. She tweets @tazeen and blogs at http://tazeen-tazeen.blogspot.com

MASJID IN MIDNAPORE

Jora Masjid (twin mosques) is probably the most famous in the town and is the site of a famous annual urs., west bengal , India



Masjid in Midnapore town, west bengal. india

STOP!! ATTACK ON MUSLIMS

Allahu Akbar

 

VICIOUS CYCLE OF ISLAMOPHOBIA

VICIOUS CYCLE OF ISLAMOPHOBIA
Ram Puniyani

We are going through strange times. While the science, technology and rationalism has given us physical and intellectual tools to better the lot of humanity, we are witnessing the production of provocative material, literature and films in particular, which demonize the particular religion, Islam to be precise, and the prophet of Islam. On the other hand there is a section of community, feeling threatened and insecure coming to the streets to protest against such humiliation and insult of their religion. There are debates on freedom of expression, but how come the freedom of expression always goes to humiliate and demonize one particular religion only?

Currently (September 2012), there are massive protests in different countries against the American embassies, resulting in death of four from the US staff, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, in Benghazi. Different countries are asking Google, the owner of YouTube, which is hosting this provocative and insulting video clip, ‘Innocence of Muslims’, to withdraw the film clip. At places the video clip has been withdrawn and blocked. US sticks to its ‘Freedom of Expression’ stance and the many protesters are still on the streets.

The film clip, of around 14 minutes duration is part of the full length feature film made by Nakoula Basseley, a US based Christian. The film is very insulting to Islam. In this film large number of modern day mob of bearded Muslims is shown to be attacking Christians. It also takes the audience back in time to show a distorted life of Prophet Mohammad with negative and aggressive traits of personality. It is crude film, made in extremely poor taste and has generated strong reaction amongst large section of Muslims. It must be pointed out that this is not the only type of reaction to this film. There are sections of clerics who have asked the Muslims to keep restrain. Quoting the moral precepts from Islam, Quran, they said that Islam is a religion of peace and no violent protests should be held. The best response to this despicable film has been from a section of Muslims distributing the book on life of Prophet Mohammad, the prophet of peace.

During last several years, it has become a sort of standard pattern by many in the West and some here in India to demonize Islam. We remember the Danish cartoon of Prophet, where he is shown as a terrorist, with a bomb tucked in his turban. A Florida Pastor went on to burn this holy book, Koran, saying that Koran teaches violence. Some US soldiers in Afghanistan also burnt copies of Koran, on the ground that the terrorist elements had written messages on those copies.

The demonization of Islam and Muslims has a pattern and agenda. The cartons and films are the outcome of the deeper political processes, which aim to control the oil wells in West Asia. The imperialist greed of United States marshaled the flag of “Islam the New threat” since Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in Iran, overthrowing the US stooge Raza Shah Pahlavi. Later the slogan was worsened with US setting up Madrassas in Pakistan to train Al Qaeda-Taliban to initiate the Muslim youth to fight against the occupying Russian armies in Afghanistan. The word, Jihad and kafir were distorted to indoctrinate the Muslim youth in these Madrassas. With later trajectories and the event of 9/11, World Trade Center attack, the US media with all its guile, popularized the phrase ‘Islamic Terrorism’. The phrase was picked up by the media all over the World and later became part of the social common sense. This is a major abuse of religion for political goals by the imperialist power. One can understand this demonization of Islam as a part of US policy, a cover to hide its agenda to control the oil. To understand it in the way Noam Chomsky ‘coined the phrase’ Manufacturing Consent’, the coining of the word Islamic terrorism is part of the US mechanism of manufacturing consent of the world to give assent to the US attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq.

This US policy gas given rise to twin processes. On one hand the phenomenon like a Florida Pastor Terry Jones burning Koran or the Danish cartoonist drawing Prophet Mohammad as terrorist or the present film has been the outcome of the intense propaganda against Islam. This US propaganda has been backed up by the US sponsored ideology of ‘Clash of Civilizations’, according to which the current era of World History is the era of assault of backward Islamic civilization on the advanced Western civilization. This distorted perception, this ideology was used as a cover for US agenda in West Asia. The other process which got unleashed was that the psyche of global Muslim community started being affected. The perception came up that Muslims (Afghanistan and Iraq) are being attacked, they are under threat. In India the added aspect was the rise of RSS type politics, bringing up Ram Temple issue and starting hatred for Muslims. A large section of Muslims started feeling intimidated and besieged. It became easy for mobilizing them around identity issues. Any community which feels besieged, section of it becomes vulnerable to easy provocation and identity based mobilization.

It is a vicious circle, the Islamophobia on one side and besieged community on the other. In this scenario the Muslim clerics who are asking for peace are the beacon lights of hope for the community. The Muslims who are distributing the books on life of prophet need to be complimented. This is what the sane response from the community has to be. What about US, imperialist designs and its mighty propaganda machinery doing all the mischief in the world? Can there be a process of controlling that? Under Kofi Annan, when he was Secretary General of United Nations, a high level committee produced a report, ‘Alliance of Civilizations’. This report got lost under the barrage of Islamphobia. It is time the world as such takes note of the deeper humane values which have developed by humanity over a period of time, the values which have led to the reports of type of ‘Alliance of civilizations’, the UN conventions which have conceptualized the Human rights for all.

The trigger which has incited the demonization process of religion and films like this one are provoking these insane reactions from a section of Muslims. Can United Nations be revived as a global platform for monitoring the norms for Nations, media and other aspects of our global life evolved to ensure that democratization and human dignity is promoted. Can the World come forward to check the aggressions of ‘The Super Power’? That’s when such films will cease to act as factors promoting violent reactions. And even such crude attempts at insulting others’ religion will come down. May be with such norms and restraints on US policies we can hope that such incidents will come down. Even if there are elements making some films like this there will be others making a film giving their own versions of Prophet’s Mission of peace in the World.

And finally we also need to preserve the concept of freedom of expression moderated with its limits. We also need to cultivate methods of protest where hysterical emotions are kept at bay and rational approach is brought to the fore.

'Montage - Islamic Art -

Montage - Islamic Art - Mosaics and other decorations from Iran, Uzbekistan, India and Turkey

ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE IN PHOTOS

INDIAN MUSLIMS AND DIRTY COMMUNAL POLITICS

PICTURE....Muslim refugees hiding from Hindu mobs in Gujarat, India.
more than 2,000 Muslims killed by Hindu extremists in 2002,Gujarat 

, Muslims are attacked all over India.Recently  in Assam About more than 75 peoples killed , 400,000 peoples displaced ,27 refugees camps, about 3 lakh peoples are from Muslims. .You see what happened in Assam ,riots began after the killing of four bodo tribal by unidentified criminals and after the incident bodo tribal launched attack the whole Muslims community. if a single Muslim do any bad then whole Muslims community blamed or accused for it.but if any bad by non Muslim then he is not treated as for Muslims.In India Muslims are feeling insecure . If you see the causes of past riots in India ,Muslims are not responsible ,in every riots Muslims are affected most . here in India we see BJP ,RSS and others some fundamentalist power always spreading hatred about Muslims without any reasons.  Indian Muslims always want peace. but whatever bad happened here,always Muslims community are blamed without any cause and it is continuing regularly and it is pre planned.  Indian Muslims  love  India and they  belief in  Indian  democracy and secularism. but unfortunately some fundamentalist organisation treat the Muslims badly and even they do not like Muslims and do always against the Muslims.Muslims  want social justice,security and peace happy life.Muslims  respect and love Indian  democracy .

hope that we overcome the situation. we need friendship and love relation.we need unity and always avoid hatred. humanity is our religion first . if you love your religion then you should also respect others religion and it should be.  many example are here,how Indian Muslims are threatened and treated. Muslims  also respect  Hindu religion and others religions. whatever our religions , we all human and Indian, Muslims are not only vote bank and Muslims are here always neglected and we are human ,so we need respect as human first then others, but most of the cases discrimination come first and it is very unfortunate and pathetic . there are many misconception about Muslims community. In INDIA Muslims are not only minority but also very backward community, though we live in a freedom country and it is very unfortunate for our Nation. Muslims are here used by dirty politics and it is very shame to us.so here most of the Muslims feel insecure and need social justice.

SITUATION IN ASSAM, INDIA

2002 Gujarat riots: Narendra Modi and BJP

JIHAD

Misconception about jihad.
Jihad means holy war

In Arabic, the word jihad means to strive, struggle and exert effort. It is a central and broad Islamic concept that primarily means to struggle against evil inclinations within oneself.
Islam is not confined to the boundaries of the individual but extends to the welfare of society and humanity in general. An individual cannot keep improving himself/herself in isolation from what happens in their community or in the world at large. Hence it also means struggle to improve the quality of life in society and the struggle against injustice, oppression and tyranny. 

The word 'Jihad' is generally misunderstood and consequently evokes strong reactions. It is a word frequently used in the press, directly or subtly, to mean holy war. In fact the term "holy war" was coined in Europe during the period of the Crusades. It is an alien concept to the Islamic framework. War is not 'holy.'