Letters To The Editor

I am a regular reader of Islamic Voice. Being 76 years, I find difficulty in reading some of the pages because of faint impression of the print. So I hope you will make the printing brighter and sharper. I have nothing, but praise for the journal. It enlightens me on many of the topics in day-to-day relationships.

I always enjoyed reading your magazine as I considered it a balanced publication that has the interests of Indian Muslims in perspective. I was therefore shocked to read your editorial, “Retrograde,” (Islamic Voice, Oct 2004) especially the use of language and the names of our eminent Ulema in a way that can only do you discredit. Please allow me to make two points:

Maulana Rabey Nadwi and the Ulema of Nadwatul Ulema, Lucknow are respected and recognised internationally. Their opinions are not “retrograde” nor is the origin of the members of the Muslim Personal Law Board a matter of any significance. Whether the Ulema are from Bihar or UP or any other state is a totally irrelevant fact. What is relevant is their scholarship and if they are recognised ( not only by you) as being experts in their field of the knowledge of Islam and its jurisprudence.
The second issue is that of so-called “Family Planning” and whether it can be left to the personal choice of Muslim couples or not. There is much misunderstanding between what Islam means by ‘Family Planning’ and what the State means by the same term.

Islam allows couples to plan a family and to delay the conception of the child. It allows the lengthening of the gap between children. It even allows the prevention of pregnancy in special cases where such a thing may be detrimental to the health of the woman. What it does not allow is for people to choose to kill their children either through abortion or through taking steps which prevent pregnancy on a semi-permanent or permanent basis. Allah prohibits this clearly in the Qur’an and says that ‘He is the raaziq of the parents and their children and forbids people from stopping the birth of their children or from killing or aborting them.

The Board in my view is fully cognizant of the social and economic realities, albeit from the perspective of the Qur’an. That it is Allah who runs the social economy. And that it is the job of the Muslim to seek His pleasure even at the risk of becoming “laughing stock” of the ignorant. So please do laugh. On the Day of Judgement, we shall see who will laugh.

Mirza Yawar Baig, Hyderabad, leadtrain @ yahoo . com.

Dr L.M.Singhvi’s golden views on the contribution of Islam (Islamic Voice, Oct. 2004) towards art, architecture, trade, commerce, literature and science of universal human fraternity are highly appreciated. A bouquet of blossoms and roses to Dr. Singhvi.

This is with reference to M.Z.Chida’s letter- “Muslim officers never help” (Islamic Voice, Sept. 2004). Everyone is not lucky to do business which needs capital. Job reservation is required for Muslims as at least then we get to see our face in the governance. Presence of even a single Muslim employee in a government office changes the atmosphere of the whole office. And in certain services like police and administration, the presence of Muslim officials makes the atmosphere less hostile.

I am a student of M.Sc. in Rural Sociology. I already have a professional degree, B.Sc. Agriculture Engineering. But after engineering, I failed to find some reasonable field-specific job due to the factor of my disability. (My left leg is polio affected). When I was exploited by society due to this disability factor, I decided to work for the rehabilitation of persons with disability, so I joined an NGO that was working for the rehabilitation of disabled people. But here my job was very odd. So I decided to join University again for my Masters degree in Sociology. Surely after my Sociology degree, I will be able to work for some NGO working for persons with disability. I request readers of Islamic Voice to give me guidance on the topic of my Research (thesis), as I want to do my research on handicapped people and after my MSc degree, I want to take admission in some training/workshop/internship of rehabilitation of handicapped/disabled people So help me to find out such an organisation. Finally, I am in need of some books that can be helpful in my research and study.

Abrar Hussain Bhatti, M.Sc.(Rural Sociology), 64-C,Jinnah Hall, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, sheep_alone @ yahoo . com.