Bouquets and Brickbats

The article, “Indulgent Men, Slogging Women, Marital Mess” published in Islamic Voice, January 2007, is too good. The headline too just perfectly suits the article!


It tries to give a real picture of abominable reality as opposed to what Islam desires. It is really pulsating to see the statistics about dowry burning cases of women in Bangalore. The writer, M.A.Siraj is right. Masjid sermons continue to preach men about subservience of women to men, whilst those men living in slums continue to care a precious little about their own family. With respect to what Rajiv Gandhi has done to the Muslim Personal Law, I guess, it was just a historical blunder! Otherwise, we would not have witnessed so many careless “divorces” in Muslim families. The Muslim Personal Law Board has done absolutely nothing towards the betterment of Muslims, specifically Muslim women. As stated in the editorial, I found the Shia Personal Law Board more active than its Sunni counterpart.

This is with reference to the article in Islamic Voice, January 2007,titled-”Mirage of Islamic Family Ethos,” by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj. It is an excellent piece and has come right at the time when sensitivity of Muslims in general and Muslim men in particular towards women seems to be in shambles! While Mr Siraj has realistically brought out the pathetic state of urban Muslim slums, it is also true that the Dawah organisations that carry the “preachers” halo over their heads need to look within their souls. I wish the men and women from these organisations inculcate sensitivity while they go around exhorting and advising women about modesty, hijab, marriage and family values. I have been witness to the onslaught by these Dawah groups on women who are single. It is horrifying for an educated, economically independent woman in her 30’s to be told by a senior member of the Dawah organisation that- “Saheba, your life is finished, you are getting old, why don’t you get married to any man-so what even if he is married”. For another single woman also in her 30s, a 60 year old man, married with two wives and three daughters, also belonging to a Dawah organisation, proposes marriage, dashing off letters to her! I thank Maqbool Ahmed Siraj for awakening the conscience of these “preachers” as well as the community, through his bold article. Before spilling on to the streets to preach about “Islamic Family Ethos”, let the Dawah groups put their own house in order first!

I was very impressed with the article, “Indulgent Men, Slogging Women, Marital Mess” by Mr. Maqbool Ahmed Siraj in Islamic Voice, January 2007. As Mr. Siraj rightly points out, there is an urgent need to see the reality prevailing in the Muslim community, particularly among those living in slums. He has listed the suffering of Muslims living in the Bangalore slums and it is the case everywhere in the country. We cannot live a dignified life without thinking and planning. “A Step Towards Progress” was a bold and forthright editorial. Islam has laws for all situations and all times, and our blunder is that we manipulate the laws. The Shia Nikahnama is very sensible and useful. There is also an urgent need to find ways to eradicate the instant triple divorce that is rampant in the community. The suggestions given in the editorial need to be considered by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. The Board should enroll educated and intellectual Muslims on its panel so that it becomes a highly representative body of the Indian Muslim community.

I saw a ghazal in Urdu in Islamic Voice, January 2007. Islamic Voice is a Islamic /Muslim journal. It should not take up poetry in Urdu. And since the editorial team is not much aware of nuances of Urdu literature and poetry, it will be difficult for them to judge what people want to offer. Once you start giving space to Urdu poetry, there will be no end to those pestering for more and more space. Kindly do not waste space. Currently, Urdu is going through a lean patch. Mediocrity is the hallmark of it. Your deficient familiarity with the nuances of Urdu literature should not be exploited by pedestrian poets.

The article, “Boycotting Your Brothers” by M. Hanif Lakdawala in the December 2006 issue of Islamic Voice was excellent. It is sad that Muslims are at loggerheads with each other over different schools of thought. This is not just the case in Maharashtra, but even in Rajasthan too. People who believe in one school of thought prevent others from praying in ‘their’ mosques. Unknowingly, if an outsider enters such mosques, he is shunted out of the mosque even if he is in the process of performing the sajdah at prayers! I am going to translate the article in Urdu and spread the message on a wider scale.


Kazi Mohammad Ayub
Shehar Khateeb and Pesh Imam
Shahi Ikminara Masjid, Jodhpur

This is with reference to “Our Dialogue” by Adil Salahi in Islamic Voice, November 2006. Adil Salahi has given a very balanced answer to the question about Quranic words and forwarding chain emails. “Meeting Mother’s Demand” on the issue of beard was also an enlightening answer. I also suggest that though Adil Salahi replies to questions in the light of the Quran and Hadith, it will be worthwhile if he can concur his replies with our modern educated doctors, biologists, engineers and psychologists so that the answers are more balanced.

The cover story in Islamic Voice, January 2007, “Trial Run Underway On Hijaz Railway” by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj was a very interesting piece. It is nice to know that a company from Bangalore is involved in the restoration and building of the Madinah Railway Station. The article, “Indulgent Men, Slogging Women, Marital Mess” also gives a true picture of Muslims. Islamic Voice should rope in all the Muslim NGOs, organisations, social activists and business tycoons who can unite and help out the poor Muslims in the slums. This is one way of clearing the mess.

The column-“Interfaith-Dialogue” in Islamic Voice January 2007, carried two very interesting articles-one was “Moments of Meditation” and the other “Quran and Ved”. I have attended innumerable inter-faith dialogues organised by people from different faiths. The seminars are organised in good faith. Sitting on the dias and speaking about your faith to a group that has people from different religions requires patience and gentleness. One ought to be firm about one’s faith, but at the same time, one should not pass derogatory remarks about other religions. At an inter-faith dialogue here recently, the topic was the concept of peace and harmony in Christianity and Islam. But sadly, the Muslims in the gathering tend to get emotional and go back to the past and find ways and means of provoking their Christian brethren unnecessarily. The etiquette of handling a peaceful dialogue is indeed forgotten. Inter-faith dialogue is a great way of building harmonious relations with people of other faiths, but let us remember as Muslims that we need to be tolerant to the other person’s viewpoint too.