Letters

I have compiled and published a comprehensive Urdu-English Dictionary which runs into three volumes and 2,800 and odd pages. It is a boon for all those who are studying either of the two languages or are working on any translation project. The Dictionary was compiled after three decades of constant labour and research and was launched last July in Hyderabad. Hundreds of its copies have been shipped to the US, the UK, the Gulf and Pakistan. The complete set could be had for Rs. 3,000 from the address below.

Dictionary House, 16-3-807/1/A, Opp. Zaaiqa Café , Hyderabad-500024, Ph: 040-24577172, 92478-14085, mujtahedisdictionary@yahoo.co.in, www.mujtahedisdictionary.com

The Malegaon blast revelations are a tragic point in Indian history. Never before in any nation across the world have serving army personnel from an overwhelming majority comm-unity perpetuated acts of terrorism against members of it’s nation’s minority community, destroying national property and killing it’s own citizens! Communal parties like the BJP and Shiv Sena want to turn this sordid affair into a false tale of patriotism. These political parties have failed to realise that their open support to such tit- for-tat terrorism has the potential to destroy the nation itself. Surprisingly too, there has been no great public outcry or condemnation of all this by liberal secular thinking Hindus. Just as Muslims rush out on the streets to denounce terrorism after every blast, Hindus should also strongly display their rejection of such acts by rejecting such political parties and denouncing their support for terrorism.

Mubasshir Mushtaq’s first person report on the recent Malegaon blasts (Malegaon Bomb Blast: The Smell of Blood is Still in My Head, IV Nov. 08) was moving. I got uneasy while reading it. Muslims are almost always at the receiving end of police’s action (or is it inaction?). The police remain mute spectators whenever such an incident occurs. And when Muslims legitimately protest (as they are always so inclined to do), their prowess in controlling such situations comes to the fore. We, on our part, also have to introspect what do we stand to gain by protesting at such junctures. We protest because we are abused, tortured and beaten up. The result? In turn, we again get abused, tortured and beaten up. We have to do some soul searching and reworking of our strategies in order to prevent such incidents. But unfortunately if they do occur, we need to protest in such a way which should compel the authorities to surrender to our demands. The arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and her accomplices will certainly go a long way in nabbing the real perpetrators of these diabolic acts.

I am an ardent reader of Islamic Voice which has immensely benefited me. While going through the old copies I read an article ( October, 2005 Bounds set by Allah : Al Baqarah 2 : 187 translated by Adil Salahi), in which the English meaning of the Arabic words are useful for those who are not well versed with Arabic language like me. I request you to publish a regular column incorporating verses from the Quran with English meaning the way as shown in that article which will help many of us to acquire full knowledge of the text.


Thank you very much for your appreciation of our work.

The Islamic Voice used to carry Arabic Text earlier. But this was discontinued on readers suggestion for fear of careless disposal of copies that have been read. We however proposed to insert the Arabic text on the internet edition while avoiding it in the print.
Editor

Former union minister and BJP leader, Arif Muhammad Khan wrote an article, ‘Reforms happen through discord, not unity’ in the Indian Express, October 18, 2008. On the birth anniversary of Muslim social reformer, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, he reminded us of the need for modern English education and science for otherwise backward Muslims The occasion for raising this important issue is apt because Sir Syed tirelessly worked for social and educational reforms by setting up th Aligarh Muslim University amid severe hostility of then “bigotry of the professional clergy” the writer has right to highlight social and educational backwardness of Muslims in India today. But our disagreement with Arif Muham-mad Khan is that he ended up putting all the blame on conservative, obscurantist ulema, while completely ignoring the negligence of the Indian state since independence, resulting in gross poverty and alienation among the minorities.

We are in receipt of Islamic Voice at the Muslim Library regularly. The positive approach of its contents makes reading pleasant and enjoyable. The Muslim Library was established in the year 1912 by few like- minded, generous people of the community. For its outstanding performance for almost a century, the Karnataka Urdu Academy honoured the Library with “Karnataka Swarna Award” during March 2008.

I always read Islamic Voice with rapt attention, but at the same time, it makes me ponder as to how true we are to our religion. Muslims are not only divided by ideology and conflict in beliefs, but also in their hearts. Those who are rich prefer to live in their cosy surroundings with a placed fixed on the top of the door reading; “this is the blessing from my Lord,’ and peeping from a safe distance at the poor outside their homes.