COMMUNITY ROUND UP

Eight non-Muslim teachers in madrasas across Uttar Pradesh have enrolled themselves for the first time in Aligarh Muslim University’s (AMU) annual orientation course. They are among the 28 madrasa teachers from the state attending the course that began here recently, belying the myth that Islamic seminaries only recruit Muslim teachers. AMU has been running several orientation programmes since 1985 for madrasa teachers to improve their teaching skills. The eight non-Muslim teachers are mostly from madrasas in eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich and Shravasti districts. They are Anupam Kumar Srivastava, Raj Kumar Srivastava, Susma, Shyamendra Verma, Arti Srivastava, Atul Kumar, Uday Raj and Dayaram.

Thanks to the efforts of some Muslim religious leaders and lawyers that began five months ago, ice is melting though slowly in providing legal assistance to Muslims detained after serial blasts in court premises in Uttar Pradesh in November last year. The Bar associations of Faizabad, Barabanki and Lucknow where blasts were carried out on November 23rd 2007 have shown some flexibility. The Bar associations had passed resolutions banning lawyers from pleading for Muslim terrorism suspects languishing in different jails in the state. Zafaryab Jilani, who is also legal adviser of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), said, “Faizabad Bar Association has partly changed its resolution and allowed lawyers from outside to plead for the accused.” But they are still preventing local lawyers, Jilani added. After the terror blasts on November 23rd on court premises in Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow in which 15 people, four of them lawyers, were killed and over 80 injured, some Bar associations had taken an unprecedented decision not to provide legal assistance to the accused in the blast cases. The move was condemned as it was against natural justice. Some Muslim leaders and lawyers, both Hindu and Muslims, gathered in Lucknow on March 16 this year to take stock of the situation. They urged the Bar associations to lift the ban.

Unrest in Jammu & Kashmir over the Amarnath land transfer order might have assumed violent overtones, but Muslims sang wedding songs for a Kashmiri Pandit girl in declaration of genuine neighbourly love.

Suman Koul, daughter of Pushkar Nath Koul, got married to Ravinder Zutshi from Ganderbal district amidst wanwun (traditional Kashmiri wedding songs) sung by her Muslim neighbours in Karfali Mohalla of Habba Kadal area. The Muslim women, too, joined the party by welcoming Zutshi’s baraat with songs, while men garlanded the groom. Kouls are the only Pandit family living in the area after rest of their community fled to Jammu after eruption of militancy in the state in the early 1990s. The locals and Auqaf Committee of Habba Kadal in a joint effort, held the marriage ceremony. A member of the Auqaf Committee said Muslims were duty bound by their religion to take care of their neighbours. “We are Muslims and will abide by what our religion says in matters of behaviour with our neighbours, no matter what the caste or religion of the neighbour is,” he added.

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has started setting up special study centres in Uttar Pradesh madrasas. “A study centre has just been set up in a madrasa in Jalaun district of the state,” according to Amit Chaturvedi, regional director of IGNOU. “We will be extending our exercise to cover other districts of the state,” he added. The main highlight of the centres will be a six-month bridge course - Bachelor of Preparatory Programme (BPP). After completing the BPP, anyone can become eligible for pursuing graduation. The BPP will also enable school drop-outs to pursue graduation studies.

The Aligarh Muslim University has decided to start a post graduate Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance from the next academic session. The course will be offered by the Department of Business Administration. The University also intends to start similar Diploma in Islamic Insurance and 2-year Masters course in Islamic Finance. The proposed course will cater to ever-increasing demand of trained personnel in the Islamic Banking.

The courses  start following recommendation of  a  3-member committee appointed by the AMU Vice Chancellor, Professor P. K. Abdul Azis to work out the feasibility of courses on Islamic Banking and Finance including the possibility of establishing a new department for the subject.

The committee report gives detailed course outlines for the one year post graduate diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance. Five compulsory courses covering neoclassical economics, accounting, management, Islamic economics and Islamic finance will be followed by three optional courses relating to Islamic Bonds (Sukuk), Islamic Insurance(Takaful), Islamic Asset and Fund Management, Islamic Microfinance, etc. Besides classroom teaching there will be a 6-8 weeks summer training in a professional organization in the field of Islamic banking, finance investment or in any related area. This will be based on a project leading to a dissertation.

Only students with a graduate degree will be admitted in the PG Diploma. Twenty per cent seats will be reserved for students who had madrassa education along with graduation. The Committee has recommended an intake of 20 students to be raised later on to 30. Admissions will be based on a written test on the pattern of MBA admission test in AMU carrying 200 marks, followed by group discussion and personal interviews of those qualifying in the written test.

The Report has recommended an informal International Advisory Board to ensure quality. The Committee had wide consultations in preparation of the syllabi and other details involving such institutions as Harvard University Islamic Finance Forum, The Islamic Research and Training Institute of the Islamic Development Bank, University of Durham, UK, National Commercial Bank, Saudi Arabia and several Islamic Scholars of repute.

The HAL Airport, now in disuse, may be used for operating the Haj flights this year. The Government is keen to use this airport for flying about 6,000 pilgrims to Jeddah by 15 flights during October-November this year. The chartered flights are operated by Air India in collaboration with Saudi Airlines.

The Aurangabad bench of Bombay high court in a recent judgment held that Talaq given without giving notice to the wife or seeking reconciliation between the wife and husband is illegal. The case was filed by Khairnussia Begum and her daughter, Akbari against her estranged husband, Akbar Khan.

The high court cited an apex court judgment which said that “talaq must be for a reasonable cause and it must be preceded by an attempt of reconciliation between the husband and wife, by two arbiters, one chosen by the wife and her family and the other chosen by the husband.” If these attempts fail, then Talaq can be affected, said the Supreme Court. Khan contended that since the behaviour of Khairunnisa “was improper”, he gave her Talaq. Khan approached a Qazi on September 4, 1993, “in the presence of two witnesses” before a Qazi. Therefore, Khairunnisa is not entitled to separate maintenance.

Earlier the sessions court held that the Talaq was legal and rejected the separate maintenance for wife. Holding that the Talaq given by Khan is “lopsided”, the high court held that the onus on proof of divorce lies with the husband. The judge also said that the sessions court order was “erroneous” and amounted to “miscarriage of justice.”

Considering the “hike of prices of essential commodities”, the court held that Khairunnisa and Akbari were entitled to Rs.1000 maintenance from the time of filing the application. Khan has been ordered to give Khairunnisa Rs.5000.

With an aim to revive the obligation of Zakat and to create mercy and mutual helpfulness in the community, Zakat Charitable Trust of Karnataka was founded on August 17, at Hubli in Dharwad district in Karnataka. Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Alhaj Shaik Saheb Bellary, Chairman and Managing Trustee of Zakat Charitable Trust of Karnataka gave details about the aims and objectives of the trust.

Zakat Charitable Trust will provide financial assistance in meeting the medical, academic and other basic needs of destitute children even while they remain in the security of home, under the loving care of parents. The child grows up without the feeling of helplessness. For more details, contact: Shaik Saheb Bellary, Chairman and Managing Trustee, Zakat Charitable Trust of Karnataka, Shop No 2, Rahmaniya Masjid Complex, Lal Bahadur Colony, Gadag Road, Hubli-580020 Dharwad district, Karnataka (India), Cell: 09449025112.

The Kerala government has revised the controversial Social Sciences textbook of Std. VII. All the changes made in the textbooks have been decided by the Curriculum Committee of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) on the recommendations in the interim report of the K. N. Panikkar Committee.

Among the prominent changes in effect in the revised version of the textbook is the title of the controversial section of the Second Chapter which has been changed from Mathamillatha Jivan (Jivan Without Religion) to Vishwasa Sathantriyam (Freedom of Belief). Even the names of the characters of this section are changed. The names Jivan, Lakshmikutty and Anwar Rasheed – the boy who comes to take admission, his mother and his father respectively – have given way to the ‘boy’ and ‘parents’.

The last part of Nehru’s Will, which allegedly glorified atheism, has been replaced with a portion of his speech on secularism in 1961. Fazal Ghafoor who is the president of Muslim Education Society (MES), a member of the Muslim Co-ordination Committee (MCM) and also a member of the High Power Committee on the Revision of the Textbooks pointed out that almost all the constituents of the MCM like MES, the Jamaat-e-Islami, and others are satisfied with the revision brought in the textbook and hence withdrew from the agitation. Muslim Coordination Committee (MCM) is a group of Muslim organisations which was formed in the wake of the introduction of the controversial textbook of Social Sciences of Std. VII which the Committee alleged, encouraged and glorified a non-religious community. (Twocircles.net)

In a major embarrassment to the Anti Terror Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra, the American national, Kenneth Heywood has given the police a slip and fled India. He is the man from whose Internet Protocol (IP) address, the emails containing terror threat were sent to some TV channels just minutes before the Ahmadabad serial bomb blasts on July 26. He managed to leave India very easily in spite of the fact that ATS had issued a national lookout notice against him.So ATS was red faced when the media informed it that Heywood has skipped India via Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare said that the ATS was not informed that he was leaving the country. Till recently, the police was interrogating him and even the proposal of his Narco test was on cards. He was picked up by the police when the e-mails ware traced to his Navi Mumbai residence. Forty-four-year-old Haywood was working in Campbell White, an MNC in Mumbai.

He was born in the year of Andre Citroen and Louis Chevrolet 130 years ago. The two men, immortalised by the cars they branded with their names, died decades ago. But Habib Mian, 130 years old, clarinet player to the maharajahs, bid his final adieu in his Rajasthan home last month, content in the belief that he was the world’s oldest man.

Habib Mian had been suffering from nausea and an upset stomach and he breathed his last in a congested locality near Transport Nagar in Jaipur where he lived with a great grandson and 24 other family members.

Habib Mian who had not been recognised by either the Guinness Book of World Records or the Limca Book of Records, believed he was 130 years old. But he had no proof and obtained a certificate from Jaipur’s assistant collector and exe-cutive magistrate in May 2003 that he was 125 years. The certificate based on his pension book stated that he was born on May 20, 1878. However, he was indisputably one of the world’s longest-registered old age pensioners. He started earning his pension in 1938 with a monthly sum of less than Rs.2. Except for losing his vision 50 years ago, Habib Mian, who went on the Haj pilgrimage only four years ago, had the requisite strength to look after his own needs.

Habib Mian always said the secret of his long life lay in his dietary habits.

“Forefathers of a majority of Muslims in the country were scheduled castes and backward Hindus who embraced Islam over a period of time”, according to a report. These people embraced Islam at different points of time, “whenever the opportunity came to escape from class structure,” the report on ‘Identification of Socially and Educationally Classes in Muslim community of Andhra Pradesh’ said. The report prepared by Advisor to Ministry of HRD, P. S Krishnan, for the Andhra Pradesh Government, presents a complete picture of Muslims and their socio-economic conditions in the country. “The conversion of Hindus to Islam happened over a period of time, especially in the medieval period. The people who embraced Islam were not happy with Hinduism which has a rigid system,” he said. Krishnan said the caste system in Hinduism is very rigid and puts each community at certain place in the hierarchy. And it does not allow communities to go up. “This system made many people to escape from it when opportunity arose. Across the country, people considered as untouchables and other castes, which faced discriminations, became Muslims. In fact Islam came as a big relief for them,” Krishnan said.

Cinematographer and writer Gauri Lankesh has translated Sufi writer, Idris Shah’s, Tales of the Dervishes in Kannada language. Titled, Idris Sharavara Daraveshi Kathegalu carries 40 stories which dwell upon concepts like kinship, hardwork, family relations, money, pragmatism, ignorance and belief in god. Priced at Rs. 90, the book carries a foreword from renowned writer, Rahmat Tarikere.

August 15th 2008 saw many enthusiastic groups of people celebrating the nation’s Independence Day all over the country. The boys of Wisdom High School, Viveknagar, however presented a rare but memorable spectacle of peace and harmony on this auspicious day.

The honorable priest M.Venu, VSM who is also the recipient of the prestigious Arjuna Award and the Dronacharya Award and father Deva Das of the Infant Jesus Church and Maulana Tajuddin, the Imam of Masjid-e-Meraj, Viveknagar graced the occasion and hoisted the national flag together and delivered a strong message that all Indians are united and shall be united forever. Mr Amjad Baig, Campus Director of Wisdom High School, also graced the occasion and encouraged the students to treasure the motherland and its hard-won freedom by being worthy citizens of the nation.

What was really worth noting and praising was indeed the enthusiasm and perfection with which the boys delivered inspiring talks in Kannada, English and Hindi to their fellow students about the freedom struggle. Some of them donned special attires to depict the famous freedom fighters and by repeating their precious slogans touched the hearts of one and all present at the occasion.
The most gracious and touching event of the day was the presence of three leaders of different religions. They jointly hoisted the National Flag to convey a message that we need to respect and love each other and unitedly work for the progress of our motherland.

They together conveyed the message. Love and tolerance for each other alone can make India and Indians great!

To commemorate the outstanding services of Hazrat Shah Waliullah to promote the Islamic values, the Institute of Objective Studies instituted an Award known as “Shah Waliullah Award” to honour eminent scholars who have done outstanding work in Social Sciences, Humanities, Law and Islamics. The Award is in the form of a cash of one lakh rupees and a scroll of honour containing citation which is given annually to the bet scholar of the year.

The next award which is seventh in continuity would be for the year 2005 on the topic “Islamic Law in Contemporary Perspective”, the thrust being on the highly important contribution of the scholar to the above topic with contemporary research methodology, knowledge and ideological trends in focus.
Nominations are invited for the seventh Shah Waliullah Award (for the year 2005).
Nomination forms can be had from the address given below. The last date for receipt of nominations is October 15, 2008.

Further, the IOS invites the young scholars and researchers (below 45 years of age) to submit the Essay on the topic under Essay Writing Competition (Junior Category). The best Essay, as decided by the Panel of judges, is awarded Rs. 25,000/-. The award and the award money may be shared if there is a tie between two or more winners.

The topic of the Essay for 2005 would be “Constit-utionalism in Islamic Law Perspective”.
The last date for submission of essay on the above topic is October 25, 2008. For further details, contact: Dr. M. Manzoor Alam, Chairman, IOS, Institute Building, 162, Jogabai Main Road, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025, Ph: 26981187 Email: manzoor @ndf.vsnl.net.in

The All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat (AIMMM) President, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan said here in a statement that the Muslim community is not impressed at all by the dramatic announcements of the Gujarat police about the culprits of the recent terrorist explosions in Ahmedabad. The Muslim community, he said, has lost faith in the security agencies, especially the Gujarat police, probing terrorist attacks. These lazy, inept and communal forces go for ready-made results while probing such crucial matters. The head of AIMMM, the umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations, observed that the powers that be, are using Gujarat police to kidnap Muslim youth from other states and bring them to Gujarat where tried and tested torture techniques are employed in order to make any detainee “confess” and sign on the dotted line.

Dr Khan demanded a CBI enquiry into both the Ahmedabad explosions and Surat bomb plantings.

Applications are invited for the IDB Scholarship from meritorious, but financially needy Muslim students granted admission or intend to seek admission in the academic session 2008-2009 in the first year of degree course in the fields of Medicine and Engineering, (all branches) including Homeopathy, Unani, Ayurvedic, Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Food Technology, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Law.

The scholarship is offered as an Interest-Free Loan to be refunded in installments after completion of the graduation. The applicants should have passed SSC (10+2) with minimum 60% marks in English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Mathematics.

Please write for Application Forms (available Free of Charge) giving course details and the date of admission along with a self-addressed envelop of 25x11 cm size with postage stamps of Rs. 15/= affixed on it, to: MUSLIM EDUCATION TRUST, E-3, Abut Fazl Enclave, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi - 110 025. Ph: 26957004, 26941354, 65738725, Fax: 26949076. Application Form can also be downloaded from the website: www.metdelhi.org or www.sit-india.org.

Application form duly completed in all respects with necessary copies of required documents should reach the Trust office on the address given above latest by 6th October 2008.

The Chennai based ETA group will shortly launch work on an integrated township at Sriperumbudur, 40 kms west of the city. It is being handled by ETA Star Property Developers Limited, an offshoot of the $6 billion ETA Star conglomerate which has construction business in United Arab Emirates and several cities of south India.

Managing Director of ETA Star Property Developers, P. H. M Syed Ismail said that the group would first take the integrated township at the Special Economic Zone with a pilot project. The project will cost Rs. 200 crore. The pilot project will have a hotel, an office complex, retail and multiplex. The integrated township would come up on 350 acres of land at an estimated cost of Rs. 7500 crore.