AMU condoles demise of Farzand Ahmad

Farzand AhmadALIGARH. The Vice Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University, Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah, expressed deep sense of sorrow and grief on the sad demise of noted journalist Farzan Ahmad. Ahmad breathed his last in Lucknow on the second of October after prolonged illness.

Lt. Gen. Shah said that Ahmad, who also served as State Information Commissioner, Bihar and Adviser to Department of Vocational Education, Uttar Pradesh Government, created a niche for himself in the field of journalism through his hard work and determination. He said that Mr. Ahmad’s death had left a huge void in the media world, which would be difficult to fill. He prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul and solace to the bereaved family. Continue reading “AMU condoles demise of Farzand Ahmad”

Muqeem Ahmad: Restoring heritage with love

muqeem ahmadMUQEEM Ahmad comes across as a quiet man but is a mason par excellence. A resident of Amroha in UP, Muqeem singlehandedly renovated and at times recreated structures and floral designs on some old Imambadas and the Shia Jama Masjid in the town.

Born in 1956, Muqeem has been working for the last 45 years. He worked for a few months in Delhi and Punjab before moving to UP.  For the last 25 years or so he has been mostly working on naqqashi or floral decoration. Continue reading “Muqeem Ahmad: Restoring heritage with love”

Gurudwara comes up on Waqf land, Amroha leads by example

gurudwara amroha
Gurudwara, Thandi Sadak, Amroha – View from the road

THE picture shows the biggest Gurudwara under construction on Thandi Sadak in Amroha, UP. But it has a background that needs to be shared. The land on which the Gurudwara is coming up was a Waqf Noorul Hasan, Danishmandan, property once. After a prolonged case that dragged on for 10 years (1980-90), the dispute was amicably resolved between the Sikh and Muslim communities in 1990. The Shia community donated the space reserved for an Imambara to their Sikh brethren. The Sikh community returned the favour by donating 12 bigha of land nearby for the Imambada.

This is a shining example of how sensitive issues could still be handled in India. Continue reading “Gurudwara comes up on Waqf land, Amroha leads by example”

अलिग सीनियर्स और शिक्षकों के नाम एक जूनियर का खुला ख़त:

आदाब (90 डिग्री), जनाब।

मुसलमानो में दोहरे मापदंड की ऐसी स्थिति बन चुकी है जिससे उच्च शिक्षा प्राप्त से लेकर अंगूठा छाप तक ग्रस्त और लोग उनसे त्रस्त हैं। ‘दलाल’ का सर्टिफिकेट तो हम पहले से छपा कर रखते हैं, बस उसपर नामVictoria Gate, AMU भर भरना रहता है। अब ये स्क्रीन शॉट ही देखिए, ज़फर सरेशवाला कोई है, उसपर हमारे सीनियर हज़रत की प्रतिक्रिया। इसके ठीक विपरीत अपने ही इदारे के जिम्मेदारों द्वारा हो रहे भरष्टाचार, धांधली पर कभी किसी ‘तथाकथित और सर्वमान्य सीनियर’ हज़रत की तरफ से कोई आपत्ति या प्रतिक्रिया आम तौर पर नहीं आती। जनाब, पूरी दुनिया सरेशवाला के कृत्य और विचार से अवगत है, आप दुनिया को उससे अवगत क्यों नहीं कराते जिसकी ज़िम्मेवारी सर सय्यद ने आपके हवाले की थी और क़ौम-ओ- मिल्लत की रहनुमाँ के तौर पर सींचने के लिए अपने जीवनकाल में ‘इख्वानुन्नफसा’ की स्थापना की थी। सय्यद ने ‘असबाब बग़ावत-ए-हिन्द’ लिख कर अंग्रेजों के मुंह पर वो तमाचा जड़ा की अँगरेज़ बिलबिला कर रह गए लेकिन सर सय्यद के किरदार और क़लम को नकार नहीं सके। वो आपका/हमारा किरदार दुनिया को क्यों नहीं परोसते। हमारी कमज़ोर आवाज़ दुनिया के खिलाफ उठती भी है तो अमुवि प्रशासन की धांधलियों के खिलाफ क्यों नहीं उठती। इसके विपरीत ‘दायें और बाएं महाज़’ पर हमारा प्रहार इतना ज़बरदस्त क्यों होता है। अमुवि आज एक ऐसे मोड़ पर खड़ा है जहाँ से शायद सबकुछ बदल जाये, इस बदलाव की ज़िम्मेदारी मेरी, आपकी और पुरे मिल्लत इस्लामिया पर जायेगी। अपने आपको भी ज़िम्मेवार मानते हुए मैं कुछ सवाल अपने सीनियर और अमुवि के शिक्षकों से करना चाहता हूँ और मैं चहुंगा की वो भी मुझसे पूछें: Continue reading “अलिग सीनियर्स और शिक्षकों के नाम एक जूनियर का खुला ख़त:”

Indian Media has a Responsibility

This is a recent debate on Zakir Naik on NDTV, a supposedly balanced news channel. While it’s ok to question his ideology but to let Tarek Fatah join the discussion will only mislead the common public. Tarek puts India in the same league as Pakistan with his emotional outbursts.

Indian media needs to be careful when it invites people like him. He may comes across as a liberal but is a confrontationist.

In Focus – Noorul Uloom Education Society

Saiema Mansoor SchoolNoorul Uloom Education Society (NUES) has been working tirelessly yet surely to brighten up lives in rural UP. They tend to achieve this through a healthy mix of education and culture. The underprivileged rural population in neighbourhoods of Western UP, which constitutes mostly Muslims, has greatly benefitted from the society’s efforts.

Extreme poverty has been the single biggest factor contributing to low education in villages of India. In many cases, illiteracy often leads to such social evils as gambling, drinking, dowry and superstitions. This means they can be easily exploited too. The state of women’s education is even worse. An educated girl makes it harder to find a suitable match, one that comes at an affordable dowry too. This exactly was the premise for NUES when they established Saiema Mansoor Public School at Parsana in district Hathras. The institution, accredited by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) till standard 12th, caters to poor and illiterate rural families. Continue reading “In Focus – Noorul Uloom Education Society”

A tipping point in Pakistan

A CII meeting in progressGiven the track record, and growing influence of regressive conservatives in Pakistan, this news item was unusual. The Pakistan Senate’s Functional Committee on Human Rights has recommended that the Council of Islamic Ideology [CII], be dissolved. The CII was established in 1962 by the semi-benevolent dictator Field Marshal Ayub Khan, when he forced through his new Constitution, to recommend ways by which all laws could be in conformity with religious doctrine.

Demanding dissolution of a Constitutional body is hardly routine, but the tipping point seems to have been CII’s suggestion that husbands should be allowed “light” violence against “errant” wives, with the decision on quantum of crime and punishment being left, naturally, to the husband.

It is true that CII’s recommendations are not mandatory, but they affect public discourse. This preposterous instance of misogyny and, indeed, misogamy, made headlines across the world, eliciting ridicule mostly. But ridicule is an inadequate response. Continue reading “A tipping point in Pakistan”

Young Ayesha has a dream

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Ayesha Sewing her Dreams

Rudauli is a town 40 kms away from district Faizabad. Amongst its inahabitans is Mohammad Salman who lives in a thatched house in Ghosiana. Salman was taking care of his family as a tailor until paralysis hit him. For three years now he has been confined to bed. To make matters worse the hospital bills at Lucknow’s KGMU hospital piled up. So much that the family has no more money for his medication.

Salman’s wife is working as a domestic help to make ends meet. His eldest daughter Kaneez Fatima got married three years ago. Kaneez’s seventeen years old brother Ali took up tailoring after his eighth standard. Fifteen years old Aasmaan Baano is the youngest in the family. She too stopped going to school after her eight standard due to lack of funds. Continue reading “Young Ayesha has a dream”

Government Welfare Schemes for whom?

Every government in India has either created new welfare schemes or continued with existing ones. That these schemes have failed to reach the masses can be gauged from the following four stories.

“I’ve only heard of schemes”darbhanga

Salauddin Qureshi’s family seems to be living a normal life. The truth is otherwise.

Living in the Urdu Bazar area of Darbhanga, Bihar, Qureshi, like many others, sleep every night on hope. His modest one room abode is home to eight members of the family. Salauddin finds it difficult to manage meals but makes sure that his children attend a barely functional government school.

Government schemes have not reached this family and neither is the government listening to Salauddin’s woes. The village head has nothing for him and the society shows no respect. “In such circumstances, I struggle to find a job,” says Salauddin. “If I miss one day of work, my kitchen stops. It’s not easy to earn two meals a day and at the same time send your kids to school!”

“Girls are not a burden but poverty has forced us to think differently! I wish God ends  this life and spare us from further misery. I’m not a pessimist but somebody has to come forward and see our plight. So far I’ve only heard of schemes – we’ve never benefited from them. I send my kids to school so that they learn a few wordly tricks and get out of this mess.”

Salauddin’s wife Shajra Khatoon shares her own struggles. “The day seems to last a eternity. Till the time he is not back from work, I keep thinking whether the kids will have anything to eat for the day. As adults we can control our urge but how does one handle hungry little souls in your arms. Sometimes it’s mere request and assurances that the kids have in place of a meal.” Continue reading “Government Welfare Schemes for whom?”

मीम-भीम गठबंधन: भारतीय राजनीति नए तजुर्बे की तैयारी में।

bsp-aimimअसदउद्दीन ओवैसी की पार्टी AIMIM का उत्तर प्रदेश विधानसभा चुनाव 2017 मायावती की पार्टी बसपा के साथ गठबंधन कर लड़ने के नाम भर से समाजवादी पार्टी के मुस्लिम नेताओं के पसीने छुटने लगे हैं। सपा वरिष्ट नेता आज़म खान साहेब का प्रधानमन्त्री नरेंद्र मोदी पर कल का बयान इसी बौखलाहट का ‘सपा-बीजेपी’ ‘आंतरिक गठबंधन’ का हिस्सा हो सकता है।

भले बिहार में ‘मजलिस’ कुछ खास नहीं कर पायी हो और बिहार चुनाव लड़ने से मुस्लिम बुद्धिजीवी वर्ग का कुछ हिस्सा ‘मजलिस’ पर थोड़ी देर के लिए ‘बीजेपी’ के साथ ‘सांठगाठ’ का आरोप मढें हों पर सचाई ये भी है अगर मजलिस ने 24 सीटों पर लड़ने का एलान नहीं किया होता तो महागठबंधन मुसलमानो को ’33’ सीट किसी हाल में नहीं देती।उदहारण बिहार विधानसभा के तुरंत पहले हुए एमएलसी का चुनाव था जब लालू यादव की पार्टी राजद ने 12 सीटों के अपने हिस्से में से एक सीट भी मुसलमान को नहीं दिया था और 8 सीटें यादवों को दे दीं थीं। जदयू ने भी बड़े भाई के पदचिन्हों पर चलते हुए अपने 12 सीटों में से सिर्फ एक सीटिंग सीट मुस्लिम उम्मीदवार को दिया था।महागठबंधन, सपा, बसपा जैसी पार्टियां ही नहीं बल्कि ‘नौटंकी बादशाह’ अरविन्द केजरीवाल की नयी नवेली पार्टी भी बहुत अच्छी तरह से जानती है की बीजेपी को हराना है तो मुसलमानो को झक मारकर इन तथाकथित ‘धरनिर्पेक्ष’ पार्टियों को वोट देना होगा। Continue reading “मीम-भीम गठबंधन: भारतीय राजनीति नए तजुर्बे की तैयारी में।”