May 31, 2012
Durdana Najam

It is not the first time that I have come out feeling odd from a seminary. It has been so ever since I started visiting different madrassas to understand Islam. The atmosphere always reeked tangibly, besides a stink of hypocrisy of filth and disorder. The devotion with which I find seminaries imparting book knowledge to their disciples nevertheless misses making the latter observant Muslims. Committing the Quran to memory and thumping the breast for show is more pronounced in contemporary Islamic culture then the ability to follow the guidance laid out in the Book.

There is a communication gap between Allah and Muslims. The manifestation of this gap is in the ritualisation of Islam, which has laid Muslims bare to attack from the west, aiming to dominate the power structures of the world. Does it matter if a person is not a Muslim but a good human being? Does it matter if a person is a Muslim and not a good human being? Both these situations have different implications, consequences, and fallouts. A non-Muslim with good behaviour is the follower of a religion that has various shades and complexities to it. No religion except Islam can claim to have its Scripture undiluted and unmodified. In fact, most of religions have more than one perception of God. The variety in Gods divides people not only along religious lines but also along their belief systems. Though Islam is divided into 72 sects, each with a different interpretation, the codification of law pertaining to the Quran has enjoined Muslims to remain within a certain frame of reference, thus uniting them one way or the other with the oneness of God and the authority of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the last prophet. The beauty of Islam unlike any other religion is that a Muslim cannot talk loosely against any prophet or the Holy Scripture, in spite of modifications in the latter. A good Muslim would not badmouth any religion. This element of unmodified scripture lays a heavy onus on a Muslim. Thus, the thesis that a Muslim should necessarily be a good human being becomes obvious. He has little margin to go wrong and to hide behind an unsolicited holy text.

There is a growing concern among people regarding Muslims becoming overzealous in their following of Islam. The indication is clearly about Islamic fundamentalism that has consumed a million in wars that raged mainly in Iraq and Afghanistan, with its fallout for Pakistan and Yemen as well. Islamic fundamentalism points to a desire of Muslims reverting to the lost glory that once had them rule the world undisputedly. The question is why Muslims chose to become fanatical to regain that glory when an easier way was available, given the development of Islamic states. Conflict of interest explains the reason for this mindless journey to an invisible destination. Islamic states or to be more precise, Islamic head of states have had little interest in revisiting history to locate the wrongs and straighten things up. They have been complacent in ravines of petrodollar that until today have not stopped flowing. As technology boomed and petroleum products became a sine qua non for progress, the focus of the west shifted towards the Middle East.

Armed with capitalism, the west had no appetite to colonise the Middle East. To manifest liberal democratic norms, at home and abroad, the west under the US’s hegemony adopted the detour of a charm offensive. The carving out of Israel in the middle of the Middle East, and the splitting of Palestine into smithereens in the post-WW II era hammered the first nail in the coffin of Muslims. The deserts grew green and souls withered. The technological progress of the industrialised west changed the skylines of the simmering Arab peninsula. The camel rovers now had Jaguars, Mercedes, BMWs and private planes at their disposal; why wait for heaven, when it is already there, a few dollars and perhaps, a few misgivings away). Some Muslim leaders of the 1970s felt the pinch and wanted to return some sanity to Islamic thinking, but the hawks sitting in the CIA and Pentagon got the ground cleansed, in a matter of years, of any leader thinking straight about an Islamic world. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and King Faisal of Saudi Arabia paid with their lives for the joint venture of conducting the Islamic Summit Conference in Lahore. The rest were an easy sell. Thereafter, it was smooth sailing. Colonel Gaddafi though kept the US sour much longer, but the winds of the Arab Spring blew more in favour of the west than Muslims.

Every nation has a right to defend itself. Be it Christian, Muslim, or Jew. If a Muslim state is unable to guard its honour, the blame cannot be shifted onto the west. International politics do not depend on emotional decisions. The plague of intolerance ravaging Muslims is making matters worse for tolerant and liberal Muslims. Radical Islam is now applying its grip on Indonesia as well, a country known for its tolerant brand of Islam and being an example of how Islam and democracy are not incompatible. Indonesia is seeing religious freedom succumbing to the will of intolerant Muslims. In Aceh alone, 17 churches have been closed down. Local governments all over Indonesia are forced to follow the policy of ‘zero church’. The Ahmediyya community is the hardest hit; violent attacks and death chases have become a regular feature for them. Earlier this month, radicals attacked a lecture by the Liberal Canadian Muslim, Irshad Manji.

This charged atmosphere little serves the interests of Muslims. The hunt for lost glory should not emulate a rampaging disorder. Instead of repelling people by forcing Islam down their throats, a better idea would be to let it grow on others through its manifestation as prescribed in the Quran. A tough deal indeed.

The writer is a member of staff and can be reached at durdananajam456@hotmail.com
-Daily Times

Wilfredo Amr Ruiz


Former President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama have persistently affirmed: "We are not at war with Islam," trying to assure 1.7 billion Muslims that the military actions of the so-called "war against terrorism" do not constitute belligerence against Islam or Muslims.

This incessant message of denial is hard to swallow by many sectors of our society, and the world at large, since the United States has engaged in multiple wars of occupation in Muslim countries including Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition, it conducts routine military incursions and bombardment campaigns on Pakistan, Yemen, Libya and other Muslim countries.

Furthermore, thousands of Muslim citizens around the world are subjected to arrest without formal accusations or due process of law. Incarcerations and even torture takes place at a network of international secret prisons and "black hole" locations operated or accessed by the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

Unfortunately, in the American political arena there is also the perception that the government security and intelligence agencies and military apparatus are at war with Islam and Muslims. They substantiate this notion with continuous discriminatory and prejudiced policies affecting American Muslims and their institutions. Let us take, for example, the harsh experience New York Muslims are undergoing with the NYPD. They are subject to widespread and ongoing espionage policies from their own police department, which include the opening of dossiers based on ethnic and religious profiling. This openly unconstitutional practice is not based on suspiciousness of them committing crimes or being engaged in an ongoing criminal enterprise. Rather, the information recorded documents the restaurants they frequent, the books they check out, and even the times and places where they conduct their daily prayers.

Evidently, the constant Islamophobic discourses have resonated to the military branches, resulting in the offering of multiple training courses with discriminatory, bigoted and offensive materials. Some of these academic materials recently discovered are taught at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va., in which mainstream Muslim persons and organisations are characterised as radical, violent extremists. The course even calls for treating the Muslim civilian population the way the Japanese were dealt with at Hiroshima, with nuclear attacks on the holy cities of Makkah and Madina and wiping out civilians. It promotes a total war on Islam affirming that there is no such thing as moderate Islam. The military training course participants are encouraged to think of themselves as a "resistance movement to Islam." Other various training courses with xenophobic and bigoted content offered to the FBI have also been exposed. These are not isolated and unique classes, but multiple trainings held at numerous venues to hundreds of military officers and intelligence agents that are responsible for the safety and security of our nation. Notwithstanding the military and FBI's promises to review their courses and purge the training curriculums of Islamophobic materials, we need ask ourselves: How many other courses (most of them classified as "Secret") have been offered and, perhaps, are still being offered in these highly secured and secret agencies without public exposure?

The sad reality is that our nation has institutionalised vigilance based on stereotypical ethnic and religious profiling. Let us just examine for a moment the recent incident at Fort Lauderdale International Airport, where an 18-month-old toddler, a daughter of American parents of Middle Eastern descent, was ordered off a plane by Jet Blue Airline's officials who claimed she was on the TSA's "no fly" list: a list obviously fed with the names of people selected based on ethnic and religious profiling. The toddler case is not the only one of its kind, as another 500 American citizens are also in these puzzling and sinister lists in the absence of due process. The lists are not only ineffective, but openly unconstitutional because individuals are included without notification or being told why they are on the list and without the chance to rebut the basis of their inclusion.

What will our political leaders do to try to erase the idea that the nation is engaged in a war against Islam and Muslims? The major challenge they confront in this task is that the more time elapses, the more discrimination, oppression, persecution and injustices cements against American Muslims and their institutions.

President Obama still has the option and opportunity to rise to the occasion and confront this most delicate situation at the level it merits. He might, perhaps, start cleaning and straightening the Executive Branch from head to toe. The president should take steps that truly guarantee the elimination of racial and religious profiling exercised by law enforcement agencies and should swiftly end all the futile wars on Muslim countries once and for all. Perhaps, he should follow the Executive Order he signed back on January 22, 2009, mandating the "Closure of Detention Facilities at Guantanamo" and the
"Immediate Review of All Guantanamo Detentions." Only such decisive actions will sustain the hollowed presidential words: "We are not at war with Islam."

-Cuttingedge

The book, “Allah, Kaaba Aur Banda” (Allah Kaaba and My humble self) authored by Dr. Asif Mahmood Jah is in fact a travelogue which contains the account of his personal experiences, and those of other pilgrims who performed Hajj rituals and visited the sacred places.

As regards his first sight at Kaaba, the actual abode of Allah, situated in Makkah, Dr. Asif Jah, writes, “A wave of spiritualism penetrated in my body and a coma-like situation gripped me…with tears in my eyes, I felt that I was being absorbed in the House of Allah and was standing before the court of my Creator.” However, he envisaged that he is purifying his inner-self, and it gave him a soothing satisfaction and peacefulness of mind.

The author explains, “Allah, the Almighty is the Creator of the Universe and even a little particle is engaged in his praise all the time. A true Muslim feels real pleasure in his life when he presents himself before Allah in Masjidul Haram or before the last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in his mausoleum in his city (Madinatul Nabi).” In this regard, every moment of this spiritual experience was unique and enthusiastic, while Dr. Asif Jah was full of commitment and devotion towards Kaaba and the holy Prophet.

In the book, Dr Asif Jah elaborates, “A most notable and important matter of my journey is that I have jotted down my feelings and sentiments in black and white, while sitting before Kaaba and the holy place (Riaz-ul-Jannat) of the holy Prophet’s mausoleum.” He mentions in detail about the seven rounds of Kaaba.

Dr. Asif Jah illustrates his journey towards the Ghar-i-Hira (Cave of Light) where our holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to contemplate and adore Allah Almighty in a calm atmosphere, and where God revealed the first lines of the holy Quran to him through the Arch-angel Jibrael. The Arch-angel taught the lesson to the holy Prophet, “Read in the name of God Almighty.” On attainment of 40 years of age, the holy Prophet was revealed the lesson of the Saura-i-Alaq. The author has indicated these lines in his travelogue, while sitting inside the Cave.

The author points out that the way to the Cave of Light is most difficult and zigzag and needs a strong determination to attain the objective. According to him, “After all, we reached the Cave of Hira.” In the way, there are more than 1300 steps to reach the Cave. Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis and people from Africa have established their shops from where the people purchase juices and hot cups of tea to satisfy their thirst and hunger. He writes, “It is a unique occasion when someone spends some moments outside the Cave of Hira and is excited to go inside the Cave. On my turn, I entered into the Cave and felt immense pressure, filled with mysticism, while continuing writing down the lines for the book. There I recited Darood and Salam. I received spiritual ecstasy and forgot what I had intended to pray as I was overawed by the name of Allah Almighty. What a time? It could be when Allah bestowed upon this Cave his blessings and revealed the holy Quran on the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).”

After returning from the Cave of Hira, he thanked God Almighty who granted him courage and effort to complete his sacred journey downward. Then Dr. Asif Jah narrates his journey towards the Cave of Saur. The Arab driver took them towards the mountain Saur and started dilly-dallying in order to extract as much money as he could muster from Pakistani foreigners.

While imagining the Makkah of 1424 years back when no proper road was manufactured and high mountains had besieged the path on all sides, the author remembered the days with sorrow when the enemies had forced the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his dear companion Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddique to take shelter in the Cave of Saur for three days. Then, in accordance with the order of Allah Almighty, they went on Hajrat to Yasrab, with the Prophet’s message to all the non-Muslims. The author visualized the difficulties, borne by these great personalities in the Cave, while anti-Islam elements had been searching them everywhere.

Dr. Asif Jah noted that during the Hajj occasion, at least three million pilgrims visit the holy places in Makkah and Madina. Besides Turkey and Arab countries, pilgrims from African countries as well as Malaysia and Indonesia also visit these holy places. It is commendable that men from Police and Armed Forces control the Hajj system efficaciously. He observed that in order to reach Hajre-e-Aswad and acquire a place in Riadh-al Jannat, people struggle strenuously and achieve their target after strong push and pull. In this race, Pathans and Africans are not behind others, while some Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis also follow the suit. However Indonesians, Malaysians and Nepalese including Turkish people are harmless, who do not push others to go ahead in completing the rituals of Hajj. They are never impatient and restless in performing the Hajj ceremonies. They perform Hajj and other tenets of Islam in an amicable manner.

Being author of several books (travelogues), Dr. Asif Jah has enumerated the difficulties encountered by the pilgrims during their stay in Makkah and Madinatul Nabi. He not only expresses his personal experiences, but also those of all pilgrims, particularly about cold and flue, bronchial diseases and the stomach diseases. In this respect, being himself a medical practitioner, he provided free medical treatment to the affected pilgrims, and distributed medicines amongst them.

Besides, the author has also mentioned the conduct of tour operators and travel agents whose attitude before looking is entirely different from that of the later stage of the pilgrimage. They are the exploiters who want to earn money only and do not perform their duties properly during the Hajj days. In this context, he regrets that on this holy occasion, these people are involved in malpractice.

While praying, Dr Asif Jah also imagined that Allah is seeing his humble self and all other pilgrims from the Heaven. He prayed for all the Muslims who at the moment, are passing through various crises and difficulties.

Nevertheless, Dr. Asif Mahmmod Jah’s travelogue, published in form of book is a unique compendium which is full of his personal spiritual experiences and is worth-reading by the intending pilgrims of the future, as it shows his power of observation, farsightedness and in-depth study of feelings related to the Hajj pilgrims.

Title: Allah, Kaaba and Banda
Author: Dr. Asif Mahmood Jah
Publisher: Ilm-o-Irfan Publishers, Alhamd Market, 40-Urdu Bazar, Lahore
Price: Rs. 700/-

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In the current situation, anti Islamic atmosphere is in the offing all over the world. Its impacts and repercussions are being heard in the different countries of the world. The countries where Muslims live with the people of other religions are also passing through a difficult juncture. The hatred against Muslims in these countries is on the rise and even the Muslims of these countries are deemed as untouchable.

In western counties of the world, where from the voice for the human unity and democracy, get aroused are also in the forefront in the enmity of Muslims and Islam. They have made the lives of the Muslims miserable-in some states there blood is shed and in others endeavor is done to efface the identity of Islam and the imparting of religious education to the children is banned while Muslim women are forbidden to cover their faces with scarf. The children and girls are disallowed admission only on the plea that they cover their faces and do not display their arms and legs.

The worst condition of the anti Islamic antagonism was witnessed in Bosnia where thousands of the innocent Muslims were killed. It is that region of the world where communism ruled for many years and endeavor was made unabatedly to keep the Muslims away from their religion. These struggles were successful to a large extent and many Muslims were compelled to change their religion. However the situation has changed now and Muslims are returning to their religion. The Christians of the Europe do not bear to see the existence of an independent Islamic state here. Therefore, they started to massacre the Muslims. The Serbs Christians massacred more than 200,000 Muslims there and this is considered to be the biggest massacre of the Bosnian Muslims in the decade of 90s. Among them 12000 were children. The Serbs also played with the honour and dignity of the Muslim women, raping more than 50,000 women. Million of Muslims were made homeless. Mosques and religious monuments were demolished. This is how they showed their hatred that existed in the hearts of the west against Islam for centuries. The interesting side of the fact is that the media which has already designed the name of Islamic terrorism did not bother to call it a Christian terrorism.

Similarly in Bulgaria too a wave of hatred was blown against the Muslims. They were forced to abandon their religion and religious identity. Volant moments were started here against the Turk Muslims. Many Muslims were forced to leave the country. It was preached all over the country that the strength of Muslims is enhancing and Bulgarian population is curtailing which could lead to the Muslim pre dominance in the region. It is also worth motioning that the majority of the Bulgarian is of Turk origin. Therefore the Turk signs and prints were also banned in the region. Mosques were shut down. Thousands of Muslims were killed. All this was done under the official supervision and patronage. The army also demolished and bulldozed the villages and towns of the Muslims. They tried to efface their names and identity. Islamic and Turkish names were banned. Muslim children were disallowed to take admission in schools. They were not issued birth certificates. Muslim were also ousted from the government services and some had to lost their salary, pension and superannuation.

Moreover attacks in Tibet also continue against Muslims. Tibet has been annexed by China now. Here the Muslims belong to hoi origin. Many times turmoil have invoked among them. Mostly Buddhists have been targeting the Muslims. Hundreds of Muslims were martyred here in the turmoil of 2008. Many Muslims have concealed their identity to avoid the cruelty and barbarism of the anti Muslim elements. Here too the females were banned to wear chaddar and scarf.

Not only this, the Muslims living in France are also at the hit list of the anti Islamic elements. Muslims are being treated as second rated citizens. Females have no right to wear scarf and burqa. Muslim children get education in their homes instead of going to the government run schools and madrasas. The number of Islamic schools have increased manifold after 2004 where Muslims impart knowledge to their children in the purview of their religion and civilization. Many Muslims are also compelled to migrate from France to other countries. Despite the fact, the situation in other countries is also not congenial for the Muslim. For example in Canada too, ban is imposed upon the wearing of scarf. Many a times, attacks were made on the females. The same situation and incidents also took place in Germany as well.

Moreover, the Muslims of Denmark are also being victimized by the anti Islamic elements in one way or the other. Cartoons have been adopted as an effective weapon to upset and harass the Muslims. The glory of our great Prophet (PBUH) has also been tried to defame and tarnished to incite and persecute the temper of the million of the Muslims of the world. The western world is known to the fact that how much love and allegiance pay by the Muslims to their holy Prophet. Therefore they have found a very novel way to persecute and torture the Muslims. When the Muslim voice against the so called caricature, they are called with different names of terrorists and narrow mindedness.

Then in Knossos too the killing of the Muslims continued unabated. There is no shortage of mass graves in Kosovo. Muslim abodes and towns were destroyed there. Children were also massacred at large scale. All such occurrence was done with connivance of the government, police and law enforcing agencies of the countries.

Again in Myanmar too, the killing of the innocent Muslims needs no recapitulation. Recently a group of saboteurs set a school on fire as a result 13 innocent children were martyred. During the last two months more than 40 Muslims had been killed at the hands of Buddhists. May Muslims have o leave their homes and a large number of Muslims homes were set ablaze. These incidents clearly indicate that Myanmar previously known as Burma has turned in to a killing field or slaughter house for the innocent Muslims dwelling there.

Now turn to Philippine where the Christian terrorists have prepared a force to fight against Muslims. There is a long history between the warring factions of both Muslim and Christian community in Philippine. The media has also showed biased role towards Muslims while the army has also taken steps to make the lives of the Muslims miserable. As a result, many Muslims have been killed in the wake of the ongoing brutalities. In the same way, Sri Lanka is another country where the Muslims living there are passing through a critical juncture of their life. A good number of Muslims live in Sri Lanka. Tamil and Sinhala are predominant here. The number of Muslim population has also increased considerably in northern part of the country. Right now, more than 75000 Muslims live here. This upward trend of the Muslim populations is not liked by the Tamil terrorists. Therefore they time and again attacked the Muslim population. And many a times they have to left their homes and towns. Even they also attacked mosques and barred the Muslim students to read in the educational institutions. This alarming situation has, not only, caused heavy loss to the trade and business of the Muslim of the region but also made them mentally tortured.

Last but not the least, the claimant of the biggest democracy in the world, India, has also let loose its atrocities in different parts of the country. Particularly the atrocities committed in held Kashmir needs no recapitulation. So to wind up the discussion it would not be out of place to remark here that anti Muslims and anti Islamic sentiments are on the rise in the world over. Particularly in the non Muslim countries, a wave of hatred has been initiated by the antagonistic elements of Islam. The time has come to take a united stand over all these issues being faced by the innocent Muslims living in the different countries and regions of the world.

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