Community Round-Up

Ten years hence, you can expect a good number of children in the village of Barahmula and Anantnag speaking fluent Malayalam. You are wrong if you imagined that there are some cross state marital alliances. It is just that the Jammu and Kashmir Government has sent nearly 150 children, mostly orphan and destitute, from the villages of these districts in the Valley to be brought up at Markazu Saqafathi Sunniya at Karanthur, 14 kms from here.


The kids arrived in December last and are being taken care in the Orphanage run by the Markazu Saqafathi Sunniya, the outfit which runs a string of educational institutions in the sylvan surroundings of Karanathur. The fair complexioned boys aged 5 to 11 years, clearly seem to be an ethnic transplant in the institution where they eat, sleep, read and play all through the day. And to boot, they seem to enjoy the new environment where they can eat to their heart’s content and play with gay abandon.


Markaz chief, A. P. Aboobakar Musaliyar says they were sent by the Jammu and Kashmir government after he (Musaliyar) and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed met at some Delhi conclave and discussed the problem. Musaliyar told Islamic Voice that originally 250 boys had arrived, but 100 had to be returned as they did not fit the specification of the Markaz where the orphanage has nearly 1,500 boys and girls sharing dormitories separately.


Since they arrived in December, they are being provided a bridge course in English in order to enable them to follow CBSE syllabus in Markaz’s Boys High School. Says Mohammad Hussain who looks after the welfare of these children, “we teach them Hanafi maslak in Deeniyath (Islamic theology) in order to stress the fact that nearly all Muslims in Kerala follow Shafii maslak while the Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir follow Hanafi maslak.”


According to Ghulam Jilani Bhat, one of the three teachers sent along with the kids by the J&K Government, the boys are doing well, have improved their health and eat much more than they did at their homes. “This is precisely because the weather here makes them sweat a lot and intensifies digestion,” he adds. However, good many chose to get their heads tonsured, for it gave them relief from the sultry weather.


The Markaz has undertaken to meet all the expenses for the children’s lodging, food, textbooks and clothes and teachers’ salaries. The Markaz is also constructing a special building to house the inmates from Kashmir valley.


Bhat says though all children are not orphans, the poverty in the villages has rendered several of them destitute, hence the decision to send them here. They mostly hail from Zainakoot, Shopian, Barahmula, Anantnag, Srinagar, Pulwama and Budgam. The handsome kids find the climate and the green surroundings ideal for games and activity all through the day. Farooq Ahmed Bhat and Manzoor Ahmed Dar are studying in 6th standard and hail from Barahmula. They lost their parents at an early age. Merajuddin is from Anantnag and enjoys the company of large number of children, including counterparts from his own state. Being rapid learners, they are even picking up Malayalam from their Keralite playmates, even though their classrooms are still separate. For Manzoor Ahmed Dar, the food is no barrier. ‘We eat and relish even the red, boiled rice, the staple food in Kerala’, said he gleefully.


The Markaz also hosts inmates from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Mewat region of Haryana and of course Kerala.


The Markazu Saqafathi Sunniya was started in 1978 with 250 children. Today it hums with activity with girls and boys high school, higher secondary school, shariat college, orphanage for boys and girls, an arts and science college, a hospital at Poonoor and an International School. It has also started Al-Noor Educational Centre at Ghousianagar in Mysore and maintains office in Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.


More information can be had from : www.markaz.org.

The Karnataka State Women’s Commission consultation on ‘Muslim Woman and Her Rights’ which was to be held on February 16 will now be held on March 10-11. The Consultation will now draw participants from all South Indian States. It will be inaugurated by Karnataka Chief Minister N. Dharamsingh on March 10 at 10 am. Prof. Syeda Akhtar, Vice Chancellor, Women’s University, Bijapur would deliver the keynote address.


Papers on ‘Muslim Women and their standing in the Holy Quran’, ‘Family Law and Women’s Rights’, ‘Rights of Muslims Women: An Overview of Socio-economic Situation and its implication’, ‘Human Rights and communalism’ and Health Status and Reproductive Rights of Muslim Women’ will be presented by various experts. Aspirants for participation can contact: Ms. B. B. Cauvery, Member-Secretary, Karnataka State Women’s Commission, second floor, Cauvery Bhavan, Kempegowda Road, Bangalore-560001. Phone: 22291925, 22216485.

Mysore Teachers Resource Centre (MTRC) was inaugurated here on February 17 in order to train teachers on the latest techniques of coaching and upgrade their knowledge with latest in every field. A brainchild of the Peoples’ Education Trust headed by Mr. H. A. B. Parpia, former director of the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), the Centre would train Government school teachers with multimedia techniques. It will provide special emphasis on the training of Government Urdu school teachers who generally subsist on the old techniques and do not avail of any continuous learning programme.


The Centre located in the Mandi Ahmadia School, is equipped with 12 computers. The trainers are provided by the Regional College of Education while Mysore University’s Central Institute for Science and Technology (CIST) provides CDs and other multimedia presentation aids for providing the teachers input on the latest in each subject. The Deputy Director of Public Instruction(DDPI), Mysore has provided two halls in the school for the purpose. The Centre would soon convert the lessons into Urdu language too for the facility of the Urdu teachers.


The Centre has been floated by the Peoples Education Trust in collaboration with Mysore Agenda Task Force(MATF) and DDPI. Mr. T. M. Vijaybhaskar, Secretary to Government of Karnataka on primary and secondary education presented the keynote address. Tanveer Sait, Minister for Labour and Haj hailed the initiative. Mr. R. Guru, Chairman of the MATF spoke on the occasion.


More details can be had from: MTRC, Mandi Ahmadia School, Sultan Park Rd., (near Mission Hospital), Mandi Mohalla, Mysore. Phone: 0821-2520428.

A discussion was held in Ernakulam on the Muslim educational field in Kerala. The function was presided over by District .Collector A.P.M.Mohammed Hanish. The Programme was arranged by the veteran A.P.Aboobacker Musliyar. Many prominent members from different organisations participated in the discussion. The collector opined that even though there are a number of community educational institutions, those which can be reckoned as the centre of excellence are very few. He also stressed the need to keep pace with the other communities without waiting for reservations. Ibrahim Khan of Al Ameen School pointed out that out of 35 Munsiffs selected by the High Court of Kerala, recently, there was not a single Muslim candidate. Similar is the case of the posting of Deputy Collectors, where there was no sign of a Muslim. In most of the higher posts, the representation of the community is pathetic.

Nearly 1.25 lakh Dawoodi Bohra Muslims attended the observance of the ceremonies related to the martyrdom of Hazrath Hussain here this year. Bohra community spiritual chief, Dr. Syedna Burhanuddin delivered the address after a span of five years. He recounted the events leading to the tragic martyrdom of Imam Hussain (May Allah be pleased with his), the grandson of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) on Friday, 10th Moharram/10th October 680 AD and his sacrifice for the cause of Islam and humanity. Syedna conveyed the universal message of social justice, peace and international brotherhood and harmony. Syedna also prayed for the well being and prosperity of the people of India and the humanity at large. In the past few years, he addressed such gatherings at Nairobi, Dubai, Mumbai and Colombo.


According to Qureish Raghib, media coordinator of the Syedna’s office, a landmark feature of this year’s Moharram preparation was construction of four townships for accommodating approximately 30,000 community members in these townships. Another feature was the provision of online registration of the attendees to the event. Apart from these, other facilities such as transport, medical, boarding were also provided. Approximately 1,25,000 Dawoodi Bohras from all over India, South Asia, Far East, the Arabian Gulf, East Africa, Europe, America and Australia gathered for the ceremonies.


As in the past, this year too, arrangements for live audio/ video satellite relay of Syedna’s discourses was made in cities worldwide.

The Nasheman Weekly, , the popular Urdu weekly, celebrated its 44th anniversary recently. The Weekly which was set up in 1962 by late, Mr Usman Asad is the largest circulated Urdu Weekly in the country with good readership in other countries too. Now under the Editorship of his son, M.K.Rizwan, the publication is contributing immensely towards causes related to the community. At this occasion, a number of staff members who were associated with the Weekly since the time of its inception were also honoured. (Nasheman Weekly-Ph:25592124, 25598839).

Bilkis Bano, who was allegedly gang raped during the Gujarat riots and was witness to her relatives being killed, identified 12 of the accused in court recently. Special public prosecutor, R.K. Shah said Bilkis pointed at those who had allegedly raped her and also those who had killed her three-month-old daughter.


Twenty people are accused in the case that was transferred to Maharashtra from Gujarat on the orders of the Supreme Court. The other eight accused, include six policemen and two doctors, Sangeeta Prasad, who conducted the post-mortem on the victims — pleaded for bail saying that another accused, Dr Arun Prasad (Sangeeta’s husband) was out on bail. The court had earlier said that Sangeeta, charged with fabricating Bilkis’s medical records would be tried separately as she was under treatment. However, a recent checkup proved that she was fit. On March 1, 2002, six-month pregnant Bilkis was allegedly gang raped, beaten up and left for dead. Fourteen of her family members were killed. The accused include two deputy superintendents of police and four policemen.


The trial is being held ‘in camera’. So apart from the judge and the lawyers, no one is allowed to be present. Not even the media or members of the public. Bilkis had failed to appear before the court on two occasions and fresh summons was served to her recently, said Shah.

The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to repeal the decade old Muslim Waqf Act of 1960 and adopt the Centre’s Waqf Board Act 1995 to prevent encroachment upon properties meant for religious purposes. State chief secretary, V K Mittal said that the new Act had more provisions to evacuate illegal occupants from the Wakf property.


The decision to adopt the new Wakf Act was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav. The bill for the new Act would be tabled in the state legislature during the budget session.

Wisdom International School, Bangalore, held the Annual Sports Day here last fortnight. Marked by the unique march by the school kids in the company of camels and horses, the sports day brought out the talents of the children in full glory. According to Mohammed Fiaz Sharief, CEO of Wisdom International School., the children are imbibed into acquiring Islamic values along with contemporary subjects in their academics, and this is extended to the sports field too. All the houses led by the captains and vice-captains were named after the great Caliphs-Hazarath Abu Bakr, Hazarath, Umar, Hazarath Usman and Hazarath Ali. The school recently organised a Science Exhibition too. For further insight, contact Mr Fiaz/Aslam at Wisdom International School: No 31,(16) Norris Road, Richmond Town, Bangalore-560025. Ph:22277510, 9844008269.