Saudis need to change their mindset and gradually change to a knowledge-based society in a way which would not affect the social structure of the country, stated Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. “You have to move from a Bedouin culture into the modern world…you have to move to a knowledge society,” he said.

Lee said the Kingdom should seize the opportunity by transferring its oil wealth into a knowledge-based society. “You have this opportunity now. How do you transform this wealth into a knowledge-based people that would be able to sustain a very high level of life long after the oil age? That is your challenge.” A humble leader whose vision helped reshape Singapore into a modern country today inspired crowds of locals and internationals at his keynote speech at the 2nd Global Competitiveness Forum (GCF) last fortnight. He said the main challenge for his nation in the past was transforming less educated Singaporeans from the Malay origin, who were lesser educated among other ethnic groups, into modern people by intermingling them and also cementing the eagerness to learn and acquire knowledge. “Motivation was deeply engraved in the culture,” he stressed. Making a comparison between his countrymen in the past and Saudis, he said Saudi living in villages would have to be intermingled with the mainstream to overcome this problem. Asked about whether the Kingdom should focus on developing industries that focus on oil and gasses, or on other sectors during this stage, the minister said: “If I were born a Saudi. And I was given the question ‘What should I do?’ I would ask myself ‘What makes me relevant to the rest of the world?’ Not my sand. Not my camels. Not my dates. But my oil. And that’s a scarce resource. So let’s not waste it.”

As Islamic banking becomes a global phenomenon with more branches at international financial institutions, qualified Muslim advisors are something of a rarity to keep pace with the booming sector, scholars and experts agreed. “There is lot of growing interest and we have many more sophisticated Shari`ah scholars who are graduating now, but it’s not growing fast enough to meet demand,” Sheikh Nizam Yaquby, who sits on the supervisory boards of Islamic banking departments at several international financial institutions, told Reuters on January 22. Estimated by some experts to be growing by about 15 per cent a year, the Islamic banking sector has been forecast by management consultants McKinsey & Co to reach $1 trillion in assets by 2010. Yaquby, who divides his time among several banks including HSBC, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, BNP Paribas, Dow Jones, Lloyds TSB, CitiBank, says there are roughly 50 to 60 scholars in the world qualified to advise banks operating internationally on Islamic law. “Ten times as many are required for the Middle East alone.” Yasser Dahlawi of the Shariyah Review Bureau, a consulting firm that advises companies on Shari`ah compliance, said scholars need at least a doctorate and a decade’s experience.

The Board of Executive Directors of the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) approved $ 2 billion for the Operations Plan for the Fiscal Year (2008) for financing projects and operations. The decision was taken by the 249th session of the Board, which concluded at the IDB headquarters here last month. The meeting, chaired by the IDB President Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, also extended a line of financing of $ I billion from the bank’s capital resources in support of the Mudarabah Finance Programme managed by the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), the new member of the IDB Group, which will start operations at the beginning of the new year 1429 H. The Board meeting also agreed to allow female students from displaced and refugee camps in Sudan’s Darfur region to benefit from the IDB Scholarship Program for Bachelors Degree. The Programme is mainly dedicated to students from Muslim communities in non-member countries and some member countries that are facing special circumstances, like Palestine and Somalia, in order to complete their university studies.

The Ministry of Haj has adopted a package of tough measures to regulate the performance of the Umrah companies. Under the new measures, any Umrah pilgrim who does not leave the Kingdom on the set date in their passport will not be granted an entry visa again - even an Umrah visa. This measure covers those who have overstayed in the Kingdom for the past two years. The measures also make it mandatory for countries to stay within their quota of Umrah pilgrims, as determined by the ministry and scheduled for pilgrimage at different times during the year so as to avert crowding during the Hijri months of Shaban and Ramadan, when Umrah pilgrimage peaks. The new rules also stipulate that the letter of credit opened by a foreign Umrah-service agency in its country must be endorsed by a Saudi bank. Additionally, foreign travel agencies dealing in Umrah, should be IATA members. According to the Passport Department, at least 150,000 Umrah pilgrims have overstayed in the Kingdom during the 2007 Umrah season.

The Gulf Arab states and labour-exporting Asian countries have agreed to join forces against the exploitation of Asian workers. Labour ministers from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and their counterparts from Asia will propose an action plan to protect the welfare of workers, according to their Abu Dhabi Declaration.

The ministers have recommended drawing up within three months of a plan aimed at “preventing illegal recruitment practices” both in the country of origin and in host countries. The declaration also called for “promoting welfare and protection measures for contractual workers ... and preventing their exploitation at origin and destination.”

The Ministerial Consultation on Overseas Employment and Contractual Labour for Countries of Origin and Destination in Asia (Abu Dhabi Labour Dialogue) was the first of its kind to be held in a major labour-receiving country. The meeting in the UAE capital builds on the Asian Regional Consultative Process on Overseas Employment and Contractual Labor, known as the Colombo Process. Set up in 2003, the Colombo Process includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam and the aim is to initiate dialogue on overseas labor. The six GCC states, with a total population of 35 million people, are heavily dependent on foreign laborers, mostly from Asian countries.

A new book titled Healing with Holy Quran, which was published recently in Iran, gives readers comprehensive information about positive impacts of reciting the holy Quran and its healing power according to verses and the Tradition of the Prophet (Hadith). The book contains two chapters: ‘Familiarity with the Quran and its virtue’ and ‘Healing characteristics of the Quran’. The first chapter refers to the spiritual reward of reciting the Quran, and the second part points to the occasion of revelation of the verses.

Healing with Holy Quran is one of sets of books dubbed ‘Easy Treatment’, of which “Healing by Saying Prayers” had been published earlier. The book was authored by Hassan Abdul Hossein Al-Salehi and the price of the 256-page book is 24 riyals.

There is growing fear of Muslim and Islam in the Netherlands and the European Union countries due to increasing tide of racism. The European Network against Racism (ENAR) came to this conclusion in the report on 2006 which was released on November 21, 2007. ENAR says some form of racism is becoming severe in Europe. The Researcher said in particular that Islamophobia is on the rise. There have also been more cases of racist violence.

Crowning years of painstaking efforts, more than 400 Muslim groups from 28 countries from Russia to Spain signed at the European Parliament, the first charter on relations between Muslims in Europe and their societies on January 10, 2008. “The aim of this initiative was to elaborate a common basic position on Islam in Europe, more precisely the contribution of Islam to modern Europe,” the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), the initiative sponsor, said in a statement. FIOE secretary general Emad Al-Banani said the comprehensive document outlines the basis for intra-Muslim relations as well as the relations between Muslims and their European societies. Al-Banani said the charter, drafted in French, had gone through juristic, linguistic, cultural and legal reviews and revisions, adding it would be translated into all European languages as well as Arabic. It tackles the fundamentals of Islam, the Muslim presence in Europe, the relations between Muslims and their European societies and Muslims’ political and cultural contributions to their communities based on the principle of citizenship. The 26-point charter stresses moderation and rejects violence and terrorism. Established in 1989, the FIOE is a non-profit European organization, which provides a framework for its member organizations and institutions in 26 European countries.

After decades of banning, Saudi women will finally be able to take the driver’s seat. “There has been a decision to move on this by the Royal Court,” a government official told The Daily Telegraph. Officials affirmed that the landmark decision and plan to issue a decree allowing women drivers will see the light by the end of the year.

The move comes amid mounting calls from local and international rights groups campaigning for an end to the years-long ban. A group of women activists had recently protested the ban by driving cars through the country. They have also sent a 1,100- signature petition to Kind Abdullah, citing the lack of any religious reasoning against the ban.

Saudi Arabia ranked seventh in the order of countries in higher education leading France, Netherlands, Greece, Spain, Russia, Japan, Egypt, Italy, Poland, Malaysia and Ukraine according to a recently published report by the Economist magazine. The report included 30 advanced countries in the field of higher education and scientific research. The report said several factors helped the Kingdom to be in this leading rank, such as the number of universities included in the 500 most prominent universities in the world, the amounts of money spent on each student in the field of higher education and their percentage of the general budget, the number of the enrolled students and the number of business institutes that were included in the 100 most prominent institutes in the world.

The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Georgetown University, made public a report on the state of dialogue between Islam and the West. The report is a systematic and thorough overview of how Muslim and Western societies perceive and relate to each other on the political, social, economic and cultural levels. It is the result of in-depth research carried out by leading academics and experts. It indicates that the majority of the world’s population believes that violent conflict between the West and the Muslim world can be avoided, but they also share a great deal of pessimism about the state of the relationship.

Among both Muslim majority and non-Muslim majority nations, the proportion who say they think the “other side” is committed to better relations rarely rises above 30 per cent. Notwithstanding the prevalent sense of skepticism, many residents in nations around the world say that better interaction between the Muslim and Western worlds is important to them. “The World Economic Forum believes that, like all other global challenges, it will take the collaborative effort of all stakeholders from government, business, religion, media, academia and civil society to pre-empt any crisis, create alliances and find solutions,” said Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum. “Over the course of 2008, the Community of Islam and the West Dialogue will invite leaders from various walks of life to engage in a concerted dialogue and debate of the most important issues, in particular the area of citizenship and integration,” he said.

The report features a Gallup Muslim-West Dialogue Index, which is a ranking of countries based on citizens’ degrees of optimism about the state of relations between the West and the Muslim world. The report presents an analysis of the portrayal of Islam and the West in newspapers and television across 24 countries by Media Tenor, an international content analysis organization, as well as a survey by Georgetown University of international, national and local efforts to improve Muslim-Western relations.

An important finding of the report is the emergence of citizenship and integration as the second most powerful shaper of the state of dialogue after international politics. According to a Gallup poll of 1,000 people in 21 countries, published with the report, two-thirds of people in Muslim countries said Muslims respected the West. Almost the same number felt the West did not respect them. Many Western respondents said they did not believe either side respected the other..

In Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran, only a minority believes the West and Muslim world are in conflict. That view may be the result of more positive Muslim perceptions of countries, such as France and Germany, seen in a better light than the United States, the report said.

“As an annual global reference on the state of the West and Islam dialogue, the report will elevate the visibility of dialogue activities around the world and strengthen efforts to advance greater understanding and cooperation at a critical juncture in history,” said Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia, the report’s lead author.

Martyrdom has a way of conferring on the dead the crowning glory they never could achieve in life. This is tragically the case in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Yes, I know, Islam is not a religion of hate, nor one of oppression. But its radical sects and movements can be these things especially toward women.

Which is why even the all-too-human Benazir Bhutto — not just the saintly creation of public relations handlers will be so missed.

Interestingly, she was not that successful in advancing the lot of women in her own country in her time as prime minister. But she did convince the Western public that Muslim women could have a role in turning back Islamic fundamentalists.

Bhutto is said to have declared that her four years at Harvard were “the very basis of my belief in democracy.” It’s an interesting thought, given that she was basically the heir to a feudal dynasty. Her last wishes, revealed in recent days, were that the reins be passed to her 19-year-old son.

That’s an odd way to run a democratic movement, but Bhutto was completely accurate in this observation to the Harvard Crimson in 1998: “My greatest contribution lies in that my success as a woman in a Muslim society, where tradition and tribal taboos held sway, has emancipated other women. ... My success helped other women make choices that were not available to them before, not only in Pakistan, but all over the Muslim world.”

The challenge for the rest of us will be to understand that Muslim females need not be Westernized and worthy of a Vogue spread to earn our respect.

The title of Bhutto’s upcoming book, to be released posthumously, is Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West . Quite a title. It is our loss that Bhutto will not be around to nurture that theme into reality.

(The writer can be reached at msanchez@kcstar.com).

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Arab Foundation for Social Charity. Sheikh Mohammed made the announcement during a meeting with Arab leaders and personalities on the sidelines of the regional consultation on Arab philanthropy. Addressing the gathering, he said that philanthropic organizations in the Arab world should coordinate their charitable activities to establish an Arab philanthropy foundation.

Sheikh Mohammad stressed the importance of cooperating in the field of philanthropy to create a ‘united force’ for Arab philanthropy. “You work at an individual level and are unknown to all the people. Unifying and organizing your work will give you increased financial and social power,” he said. The two-day conference titled, “From Charity to Change” was launched with the attendance of Sheikh Mohammad, Queen Rania of Jordan and Prince Turki bin Talal Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. Aimed at finding ways to institutionalize and coordinate philanthropic efforts in the region, the conference’s theme was based on a study, funded by Boeing, and conducted by the American University of Cairo analyzing trends and making recommendations. Mohammad Al Gergawi, chairman of the Board of Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, stressed that governments alone cannot take the responsibility for charity in the region, citing the importance of institutionalizing philanthropy to encourage the private sector’s contribution.

Women in the United Arab Emirates will soon be allowed to become judges, breaking a male monopoly over the profession in the country. “Women are currently being trained at the Judicial Institute to become judges and prosecutors across the UAE once the law is amended,” said Justice Minister Mohammad bin Nakhira Al Dhaheri. At present, the law states that only a Muslim man is entitled to assume the position of a judge,” he added, without specifying when the law will be changed. The proposed law, which should cover the judiciary in the seven-member federation, would make the UAE the second Gulf country after Bahrain to allow women to become judges. Women hold nine seats in the 40-member Federal National Council, with eight appointed by the UAE president to join the half-elected advisory body.

Albanian imams are joining hands in authoring a three-volume book of model Friday sermons to address issues of every-day Muslim life in a European society. “The book will be first fruit of cooperation between Albanian imams in and outside Kosovo”. According to Sabri Bajgora, chief imam at the Islamic Sheikhdom of Kosovo. “During my tours to different cities, muftis and imams raised the issue of having a book of model sermons to be used as a reference,” said Bajgora. He noted that nearly 90 per cent of work on the book has been completed, expecting it to be ready this summer.

He believes it will serve 650 Kosovar imams as well as imams in neighboring Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro. Bajgora stressed, however, that imams would not be obliged to abide by the book. The three-volume book would include 156 sermons tackling a wide range of different issues including homicide, human rights in Islam, banking and the environment. It will also touch on inter-faith dialogue, inter-Muslim dialogue and peaceful co-existence with non-Muslim neighbours in the Balkans.

The history of science and civilization, as taught by many institutions in the West, often fails to include more than 1,000 years of Islamic heritage and civilization, according to Dr. Salim Al-Hassani of the UK-based Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilization.

“The Renaissance couldn’t have happened out of nothing,” said Al-Hassani while speaking at Dar Al-Hekma College here recently.. “In the West, there’s total ignorance of the contributions of other civilizations. Did modern civilization really rise from nothing?”

Al-Hassani explained how many Western discoveries are of Muslim origin. There was a lost age of Muslim innovation and invention that Muslims are not communicating to the West, he said. It is not included in their history syllabus or textbooks either. During Umar ibn Al-Khattab’s reign in 634 AH., Muslim women took the lead in different ways. He appointed Samra bint Nuhayk Al-Asadiyya as a market inspector in Makkah and Ash-Shifa bint Abdullah as an administrator of the market in Madinah. “Later, Ash-Shifa was appointed as the head of health and safety in Basra,” said Al-Hassani.

Al-Qarawiyyin, a spiritual and educational center that led the Muslim world for over 1,200 years, was founded and built in 859 CE. by a young princess, Fatima Al-Fihri, who migrated with her father Mohammed Al-Fihri from Qairawan (Tunisia) to Fez in Morocco. “Fatima vowed to spend her entire inheritance on building a mosque suitable for her community. This remarkable story is a typical example shedding some light on the role and contribution of women to Muslim civilization. Such a role is the subject of widely held misconceptions about Islam,” said Al-Hassani.

In 1993, Prince Charles said in a public speech at the Oxford Center of Islamic Studies that if there was much misunderstanding in the West about the nature of Islam, there was also much ignorance about the impact of Western culture and civilization on the Islamic world.

“It is a failure which stems, I think, from the straitjacket of history which we have inherited. The medieval Islamic world, from Central Asia to the shores of the Atlantic, was a world where scholars and men of learning flourished,” said Charles. “But because we have tended to see Islam as the enemy of the West, as an alien culture, society and system of belief, we have tended to ignore or erase its great relevance to our own history.”

Al-Hassani founded www.muslimheritage.com attracting 60,000 visitors daily in order to change misperceptions about the role of Muslim inventions in today’s schools, universities, homes, hospitals, market, cities and the world. He was one of the key speakers at the first Arab Knowledge Economy conference that was held in Jeddah on January 12-13.

(Courtesy: Arab News)

Saudi Arabia and Yemen will hold various cultural events in different cities and provinces of the two countries in an exchange of cultural programmes. Saudi Deputy Minister of Culture Abu Baker Bagader, who made the announcement, said the joint programme by the ministries of Culture of the two countries underscores the historic and enduring relations between the two peoples. Bagader and Hisham Ali Bin Ali, Yemen’s Deputy Minister of Culture in Yemen, met in Jeddah last fortnight to chalk out the programme.

Bagader said, from the Saudi side, the programme will be an extension of “Saudi Cultural Days,” - lectures, readings of poetry and fiction, art, sculpture and photography exhibitions, movie shows, etc. - that was held in several countries last year. The Saudi events - also include a palm exhibition and some of the major achievements in the Kingdom - will be held in Sana’a, Aden and Mukalla while the Yemeni events will be in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Abha.

The Islamic Studies Center, a subsidiary of the King Fahd Chair in London University, has completed a project of Holy Quran’s words dictionary in both Arabic and English languages which is categorized as one of the unique projects worldwide. The works of the 1070-page dictionary, which took more than five years, was undertaken in accordance with the latest well- known scientific basis in preparing dictionaries and were printed and published by the Netherlands-based International Establishment. This was stated by the Director of the Center Dr. Mohamed Abdul Halim. He said that the dictionary includes words, terminologies and meanings of the Quran in its Arabic language origin. It also contained names of all geographical locations and persons mentioned or described in the Quran.

The US Government has been pursuing two-pronged strategy to engage the Muslim world and to mobilize opinion on its side. The harder option is one of browbeating the so-called rogue nations into submission through aggression, invasions and occupation. It is witnessed in military action in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran and the Hezbollahs in Lebanon too are at the target, though action is yet to be seen, enmeshed as the Washington is in the Iraqi mess. The softer option is being applied in regions like South Asia where considerable intellectual capital exists among Muslims. This manifests itself in organizing visits to the United States, invitation to ulema to interact with Muslim communities in the US cities, awarding fellowships through American universities, holding seminars on peace-building and prevention of suicide-bombing.

The softer option has come into evidence for the last three years when the US State Department inducted a few intellectuals and scholars from the South Asian region. In December 2005 the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US Department of State announced request for grant proposals entitled “Religion and Society: A Dialogue”. In response to this the University of Louisville, Kentucky has been conducting multi-phased exchanges involving scholars, professors and community leaders from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Dr. Riffat Hassan, professor of humanities and Islamic Studies at the University of Louisville has been the director of the programme. Broadly, this provides a forum for study and discussion of the compatibility of religious practices and democratic social and political values and structures, the benefits produced by coexistence among religious communities and the practice of Islam in a multicultural and multi-religious context.

The University received grants to the tune of US $ 500,000 in 2004 and 2005 and has produced studies titled Religion and Society: A Dialogue and Islamic Life in the US. It has also conducted four exchanges during the last four years, two visits to the US by South Asian scholars and two others taking the US counterparts to the South Asia. While Dr. Moiz Amjad and Sardar Iqbal Mohammad Khilji have been conducting the dialogue from Pakistan, Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood, an IRS officer of the Central Government and till recently a member of the Rajinder Sachar Committee of the Prime Minister, heads itin India. In Bangladesh, the forum has Dr. Kazi Nurul Islam, Prof. Aminul Islam, Prof. Azizunnhar etc. In the United States itself, scholars like Prof. Riffat Hassan, Dr. Aslam Abdullah, editor of the Muslim Observer from Los Angeles have been heading the panel.

Under the programme, a seminar billed as ‘The Delhi Consultation of South Asian Scholars and Activists on Peace building in Islam and other Religions’ was organized in India Islamic Cultural Centre on January 5 and 6. We present a brief of the deliberations in the two-day consultation where Dr. Nirmala Deshpande, a colleague of Mahatma Gandhi was present for considerable length of the programme despite her frail health. Several scholars who have visited the United States under its International Visitors Exchange program were invited for presentation of papers.

Maulana Waheeduddin Khan
Director Islamic Center, Delhi

There is no room for violence in Islam. Only a State can declare a war under the Islamic tenets. The Hudaibiya Pact under which Muslims bound for Makkah as pilgrims retraced their steps and Madinah Declaration which offered concessions to the Jews are distinct examples of peace initiatives under Islam. Use of arms by agencies other than the government are terrorism. It is very important to differentiate between Islam and Muslims. Muslims should be judged in the light of Islam and not vice versa.

Maulana Kalbe Sadiq
Shia scholar. Lucknow

Terrorism emanated from three countries. Two of them are Pakistan and Afghanistan. I would not like to name the third one. Terrorism get promoted because our mullahs are corrupt and politicians in the United States are corrupt. Wars today bring widespread devastation and millions are being killed. Considerable resources are being spent by the dominant nations on arms and war. We must spread modern education among Muslims. Only 1700 persons were killed during all the wars fought by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Moiz Amjad
Lecturer, Lahore

Certain groups among Muslims have engaged in political interpretation of Islam which results in gross misrepresentation. Religion today is becoming a tool of social inheritance and not a source of spirituality. It is time we put religion in the right position. Everyone should review the religion which one has chosen for himself.

Dr. Riffat Hassan
Professor of Humanities and Islamic Studies, University of Louisville, Kentucky

For a proper understanding of Islam, we need to look at what is fundamental and what is transitory in the holy Qur’an. Already there is a lot of literature in three principal religions, but with a lot of internal agenda. There are negative stereotypes of all religions among people of other faiths. We need a source book on religion. When we began this programme in 2003, it was felt that more than bonhomie was needed among the people. There was a need for more intensive dialogue. It was part of our project to find people. I came to India in 2003 and 2004 and found lot of hostility against the US. People were asked me as to what was the agenda behind this exchange programme. South Asia is the most important part of the Muslim world as 70 per cent of the intellectual capital of Muslims is concentrated here. At the same time, there is lot of regional conflict. We have looked at the need for clarification of basic terms such as jihad and developing courses. We are also looking at developing courses and setting up an Institute for Development of Understanding. We also need teachers who are well rooted in their traditions. For instance, the children do not understand abstract ideas like tenets of religion but could be explained religions through a book on as to how people of various faiths celebrate their holidays or a book of stories that combine stories from the Qur’an, the Talmud and the Bible. We could also develop TV programmes or mobile video games that do not use terror toys or war strategies and promote love and friendship.

Asghar Ali Engineer
Scholar, social activist

Islam is being maligned by the media in the United States, Western Europe and partly in India. Some muslims also create a wrong impression of Islam. For instance, recently there was a TV programme about a Pakistani-Canadian murdering his daughter merely because she refused to wear hijab. It should not be generalized as a trait of Muslims. We should try to understand Islam through Qur’an, not its tafsirs which are umpteen and each written to a particular context. Qur’an is binding, not the tafsirs. Tabari or Syuthi were scholars of great standing but were creations of their own times. If we ignore this fact, we will miss the spirit. Many verses of the Qur’an are normative and many are contextual. Qur’an constantly emphasize four basic values which should inspire and inform the legislation and administration. These are : adl or justice, ehsan or benevolence, rahm or compassion and hikmah or wisdom. Most of these values have been forgotten by us. Question today is why Islam is associated with jihad. Jihad is not violence. War is termed as qital. Jihad is the utmost form of struggle. The biggest jihad is to say truth before a tyrant ruler. Today jihad is being grossly distorted. There is no question of one committing suicide-bombing for revenge. Terrorists are handful and present in all communities. Islam made it obligatory for Muslims to respect others. Scholar Mazhar Janejanan considered Hindus as Ahle kitab (people of the book).

Daniel Polish
Jewish rabbi from the US

Jewish traditions promote peace. The Bible was given to us in a particular context and socio-economic context.

Maqbool Ahmed Siraj
Journalist, Bangalore

Most Muslims tend to begin a discourse with wordings “Islam means peace”. It is quite simplistic. Islam lays down firm bulwark for unity of humankind by referring to their origin to one couple namely Adam and Eve. It also preaches love, fraternity, concern and tolerance for each other and human dignity. But situation obtaining in the Muslims world is not totally in consonance with the doctrinal position. Peace in the Islamic world is under threat because of dynastic rule in even as diverse a polity like Baathist Syria and monarchical Jordan. Rampant tribalism, suppression of women’s and minority’s rights, honour killing, female circumcision (some of these customs predate Islam in today’s societies), and concepts like sovereignty of God. Muslims have constantly refused to prioritize various level and categories of law such as Constitution, statutory law, decrees, government regulations and administrative fiats, hence the confusion about the shariah. There are also attempts by contemporary movements to synchronise Islamic culture to Arab culture, reconcile with nation-state, unwillingness to admit women into mosques, refusal to induct scientific thinking in matters like moon-sighting.

However, all this should not make us gloss over the US jingoism which is the root cause of terrorism in the current Islamic world. Twin objectives of the US State policy of going in pursuit of oil and protection offered to expansionist designs of Israel are ignored. Israel builds a 375 km wall in Palestine and the US looks the other way. US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan feeds the resentment in the Muslim world.

Nirmala Deshpande
Gandhian and peace activist

There is no word such as Hinduism in the ancient scriptures. Vinoba Bhave said every religion could be divided into two, spirituality and sectarianism. Spirituality unites the people while sectarianism divides. There is no single book which is considered the fountainhead of Hindu tenets, no code, not a single ritual. Even atheists are considered Hindus. Hinduism says truth cannot be monopolized by one. If one says that one is custodian of the entire truth, he would trigger a war. Only when you accept every aspect of truth, then only you follow the path of peace. Hinduism was constantly introduced with fresh breeze by new rebels like Buddha and Mahavira.

Dr. Kawthar Musthafa
Spiritual leader and lecturer from Bangladesh

Sufis loved people from the deepest corner of the heart. That’s why they were able to win converts to their religion. Religiosity cannot be related to hatred.

Muslim Economy