Community Round-Up

Last year the streets in parts of the old city of Kabul dropped by nine feet.


The reason? A massive garbage haul. Just about every unemployed man in Murad Khane was recruited to clean up years of litter and mud piled on top of the roads. By the time they were done, the streets and alleys were lower.


The garbage project is part of an effort to clean up and restore old Kabul, after six years of relative peace and with millions of dollars from foreign donors.


The Turquoise Mountain Foundation, which is dedicated to traditional Afghan arts and architecture, has spent $1 million on conservation and cleanup in the Murad Khane neighborhood since last year. The Kabul organization is financed by both Western and Middle Eastern donors.


The lower streets at first left Abdul Salaam’s door looking oddly out of place, perched three feet, or about one meter, higher than the square in front of it. So Turquoise Mountain had to fix his door, too, with fresh mud scars showing where it used to be. The frayed edges of plastic bags still stick out of the wall.


“It looks much nicer,” Salaam said about the neighborhood. “And it doesn’t smell bad anymore.”


Next door to Salaam’s house, Turquoise Mountain has just completed its first full restoration, the 130-year-old Peacock House - so called because of the carved wooden peacocks at the corners of the wooden window screens.


Similar houses are tucked away in the narrow alleys of the old city in this war-torn capital. Walk through a wooden portal and a covered walkway, and a visitor emerges in an intimate courtyard, surrounded on all sides by carved screens - as if encased in a wooden jewelry box. The screens lift in warm weather, opening the house to the courtyard.


These intricate, 19th-century homes barely survived bombardment in the 1990s, when Kabul became the front line of Afghanistan’s bloody civil war, and earlier plans to raze them for apartments. But rocket attacks and earthquakes have left most teetering in rickety ruin.


Now the mud and timber homes are being restored to their former splendor, instilling a newfound pride among the mostly working-class residents of the old city.


“It used to be so beautiful, but during the fighting, a couple of rockets landed on the house,” said Aminullah, a 63-year-old carpenter whose family has lived in the same two-story wooden structure for nearly two centuries.


The roof has been repaired and the courtyard repaved with bricks.


“The houses in the old city are so old,” said Aminullah, who uses only one name. “They were handed down to us from our forefathers. If someone asked me to exchange it” for a modern one, “I would not trade it because I’m very attached to this house.”


His home is one of 11 restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which has spent more than $8 million on historical conservation in Kabul since 2002, just after the U.S. invasion drove out the Taliban regime.


The Geneva-based organization, which does charitable work mainly in Muslim countries, has focused on the densely populated Asheqan wa Arefan neighborhood. With about 100 residents per acre, or 0.4 hectare, it is at least 10 times more cramped than New York, although still less so than Mumbai.

To produce the largest size Qur’an has become the ultimate ambition of  Najmul Hasan Chishti  Sahab.


My recent meeting with Peerzadah Najmul Hasan Chishti of Ajmer resulted in the unfolding of a mammoth task that Chishti has undertaken to leave behind a mark that will be remembered for generations to come.


Peerzadah, besides being the Khadim entrusted with the responsibility of day to day affairs of the famous mausoleum (Dargah) of Hazrath Khaja Moinuddin Chishti (May Allah bless him), is also a man of diverse talents. He  completed his MA in Urdu and followed it up with a doctorate (Ph.D.) with the subject of his thesis being Urdu Poetry during the period 1840-1900 in Ajmer.


Over the last 1400 years, from kings to commoners there have been innumerable people who have paid tribute to the glorious Qur’an by producing it as  a piece of art in one form or the other. Manuscripts in letters written in gold, to those on parchment paper, tree barks or in the tiniest forms, there are all kinds that we have seen or heard of. Yet there is a never ending stream of those who still come up with something that has never been attempted before. Najmul Hasan Chishti’s is one such effort.


To produce the largest size Qur’an became his ultimate ambition and he decided to accomplish this task, come what may. It was in the courtyard of the mausoleum of the revered Saint that this thought occurred to him and soon thereafter in the year 1993, he decided to take up this project. Initially he could make little progress because of his employment and other responsib-ilities. However this work gained momentum after he opted to take pre-mature retirem-ent from his employment as a school teacher in the year 2003 and dedicate himself to this noble task in heart and soul. Thankfully, he has now got to a point where he has finished 29 Parts (paare) of the holy Qur’an and he believes that by end of May this year, he should be able to put out his work for exhibition.


About the work itself, he has used a special kind of paper that absorbs the ink and does not get smudged. He expects there to be between 65 to 70 sheets measuring 8ft by 5ft. The letters will measure 2 to 3 inches. He has used golden lettering in all those places where the word Allah appears. He believes his work will be recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records, and certainly he will get this work publicised in order to get it recognised as such.

The Institute of Objective Studies here has announced enhancing the scholarship endowment fund from Rs. 10 million to Rs. 40 million annually. Several noted personalities including former Chief Justice Mr. A. M. Ahmadi have contributed to the corpus of the fund. The Institute has also announced that the next Shah Waliullah Award will be given to works on ‘Codification of law in Islamic perspective’. For more information contact: Institute of Objective Studies, P.Box No.9725, 162-Joga Bai Extension, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025, India, Phone: 011-26981187, 26987467, 26989253, Fax: 91-11-26981104, email:ios1@vsnl.com, manzoor@ndf.vsnl.net.in

Barrister Shaheed Fatima was given the Human Rights Lawyer Award of the United Kingdom for her remarkable work, often on apro bono basis, for her brilliant analysis consistent arguments and commitments in debating human rights cases before both the British and the European courts. Fatima is a member of the Blackstone Chambers where she practices in international law. She has authored Using International Law in Domestic Courts (Hart, 2005) and is a trust of the Runnymede Trust.

Dr. Zafrul Islam Khan has been unanimously elected the President of the Muslim Majlis Mushawarat. He was hitherto general secretary of the body which owes its origin to early 70s when several Muslim organizations came together to form an all-India federation. Dr. Zafarul Islam edits fortnightly Milli Gazette from Delhi and is a renowned scholar of English and Arabic. He contributes columns in several journals in the Middle East. He has authored almost 40 books. He holds a doctorate from Manchester University in the United Kingdom. He has done several seminal works on Palestinian issue. He also heads the Charity Alliance, an NGO.

Bhatkal: Rabita Society’s ambulance service was commissioned here on December 31 by Dr. Harish Kumar, assistant commissioner of Karwar district. Mr. Yunus Kazia flagged off the vehicle.
Dubai based chartered accountant Mr. S. M. Khaleel lamented that Bhatkal had several millionaires but no medical facilities worth the name. He said the Colaco Hospital in the town would be upgraded into a full fledged 150-bed hospital at a cost of Rs. 18 crore.
Former MLA Mr. J D. Nayak, Seva Vahini president Surendra Shanbhag, Tanseem president Muzammil Qazia, and Mr. D. H. Shabbar, president of the Anjuman Hami Muslimeen participated in the ceremony.

The Alimiyan Computer Centre was commissioned here at the Girls Orphanage on January 7 by Muhammad Samiur Rahman, NRI at Canada who has donated six computer systems to the organization.

Anjuman B.Ed college was inaugurated here on January 7 by Dr. Noorjehan Ghaniar, Dean and HoD of Education at the Karnatak University, Dharwar. Dr. Farzana Mohtisham, the first Navayathi woman to be earn doctorate was also felicitated on this occasion.

The efforts of the 65-year-old Aasiya Begum, mother of Khawaja Yunus, resulted in court reprimanding Maharastra government

By A Staff Writer


The efforts of the 65-year-old Aasiya Begum, mother of Khawaja Yunus resulted in court reprimanding Maharashtra government. She has been struggling for the past five years, almost single-handedly fighting the combined might of the police force and the state administration, to bring the culprits to book.


The Bombay High Court came down heavily on the state government for granting sanction to prosecute only four policemen out of 14 who were alleged to have played a role in custodial death of Sayed Khwaja Yunus Sayed Ayub who was an accused in the 2002 Ghatkopar bus bomb blast. 


”Prima facie, there appears to be arbitrariness on the part of the government to exclude the officers from the chargesheet in the case,” remarked a division bench of Justice R. M. S. Khandeparkar and Justice Amjad Sayed.


Aasiya Begum thought she had finally got justice for her only child when the HC ordered the state home department to prosecute the accused. But it was not to be. In December 2006, the home department sanctioned prosecution of only four accused and submitted the names of assistant inspector Sachin Vaze and constables Rajaram Nikam, Rajendra Desai and Sunil Desai to the HC.


Explaining the reason for leaving out the others, public prosecutor Satish Borulkar said, “On the basis of evidence collected in the case, the government has decided to prosecute only four police officials, including Vaze. At this stage, the state government has no intention of prosecuting the other 10 policemen due to lack of evidence.”


But Aasiya Begum will have none of this. She has told Mihir Desai, her advocate, to insist on prosecution of the remaining policemen, including senior inspector and encounter specialist Praful Bhosale.


When Chief Public prosecutor Satish Borulkar said that, it was on basis of the evidence the state government took the decision, the Bombay High Court bench asked that “Is it not unfairness to the four and showing favouritism to other? The bench asked Maharashtra government and the state CID to file an affidavit, justifying its reasons.


The case of Khwaja Yunus goes back to December 23, 2002, when the 26-year-old engineer was picked up near his house in Parbhani. The sole breadwinner in his family with a job in Dubai, Yunus was brought to Mumbai along with Abdul Matin and two others and charged under POTA on January 3, 2003 for their alleged role in the Ghatkopar bomb blasts. One of them, Zaheer Sheikh, was discharged.


A judicial inquiry conducted by the Special POTA Judge established that the assistant police inspector, Sachin Vaze’s contention that Yunus had escaped from police custody while being taken to Aurangabad for investigation on January 7, 2003, was prima facie not true. The case was handed over to the State CID in May 2003.


In April 2004, a Division Bench of the Bombay High Court, in response to a habeas corpus petition filed by Yunus’ father, held that the FIR filed by Mr. Vaze on the disappearance of Yunus was false and fictitious.


It directed the State to treat the statement of another accused in the bomb blasts case, Abdul Matin, as the FIR. The Supreme Court upheld this. Dr. Matin stated before the special POTA court that on January 6, 2003, that Yunus was whipped with a belt and kicked on the chest repeatedly by the police during interrogation. As a result he vomited blood.


“A close examination of Yunus suggested that he was assaulted by boots and this may have led to a cardiac rupture, leading to his death a few hours later,” Mateen, who has a master’s in forensic medicine, told the court.


One day later, he was reported to have escaped while being transported by the police to Aurangabad and has not been seen since. Mateen also stated that when Yunus did not return to the lockup until late in the night on January 6, he had inquired into this with inspector Borude.


“The cop threatened me and asked me not to report about the police assault and vomiting. He also said that Yunus bhaag gaya hain (has escaped).” On March 3, 2004, the CID personnel arrested Mr. Vaze and charged him with murder along with three constables.


In the court Maharashtra government has decided to give a compensation of Rs. three lakh to mother of Khwaja Yunus. The decision to give the compensation to Aasiya Begam was conveyed by the government to Bombay High Court recently.


How tough was the fight for justice, Aasiya Begam was facing can be imagined from the fact that, Encounter deaths in Maharashtra have come to be defined by the larger-than-life images that “encounter specialists” enjoy in the state’s police force. They were often eulogised by the media and public, with films made in their tribute. The police demonstrated in an open effort to lobby against action against the fellow cops.

A film on the Prophet’s message to be released in Hindi


BIG Music and Home Entertainment has released the audio of Al-Risalah, the Hollywood film on the times and teachings of the Prophet of Islam. It has been directed by Moustapha Akkad, a pioneering Arabic director.


Director Moustapha Akkad wanted the story to be told in English so that people all around the world can understand the film. He also felt the need to pay a tribute to the Middle East, where it took place.


The movie is described as ‘The story of Islam’ put in its best form on motion picture. The film will be dubbed in Hindi now. The big strength of the dubbed version is its soundtrack. The movie includes the hit song Marhaba Mustapha, composed and sung by A. R. Rahman. The lyrics of the song are by Hazrat Khaja Sayed Sha Ameenulla Hussainy.


Although there is only one song in the movie, the audio CD of Al-Risalah contains additional content including songs, teachings and preachings.


Syed Ahmed has penned four songs that have been composed by Raj Verma. Mohd Salamat has put his heart and soul in the rendition of the songs. The songs include Ya Rasoole Khuda and Nabiyun Ke Nabi.


The soundtrack is available in MC and CD format. The music will be available for downloads on all telecom operators. The company is planning the release of the home video by the end of this month.


Two different versions of the film (one in English and the other in Arabic), were shot simultaneously, scene by scene. Two completely different sets of actors shared the same set. Once a scene had been established, one actor would play a character in one language, and then the whole scene reshot with his corresponding number speaking in the other language. The English version was released as The Message, while the Arabic version became Al-Risalah.

The foundation stone for the second Muslim managed engineering college in Maharashtra was laid on January 7. The college is being set up by Malad Educational and Medical Foundation at Kharishahpur, 120 kms from Mumbai. President of the Foundation Mr. Abdul Majeed Edenwala hoped that the building will be complete before June 1 this year in order that the teaching could begin from the new academic session. The campus is coming up on a 5-acre plot of land. The college would have BE courses in information technology, computer technology and automobile engineering besides hotel management and catering technology. Edenwala said the college would charge only government approved fee and no donation would be levied.

Pakistan Government has appointed Mr. Amar Lal, a member of the Pakistan’s Hindu community to oversee the reforms and syllabus of Madrassas. Mr. Lal has been appointed in the capacity of special advisor to current Pakistan prime minister Mr. Mohammad Mian Soomro. He holds the rank of a federal minister.