WAKE UP CALL

For all those who want proof that Muslim world is not just about fanatism here is another brilliant piece of evidence.

EDUCATION ! says the Islamabad-based freelance columnist Dr Farrukh Saleem is what makes all the difference. But you must read the entire article at WHY ARE JEWS SO POWERFUL to get the full import of what makes people stable, secure and prosperous as a race. It also helps us to understand why others who are rapid are so. This analysis is not meant to raise a finger but to assess realisically why some of us likely to be more fanatical, rapid amd militant than others. Why we are insecure at all. It also helps us understand that this battle cannot be fought with grenades. The tools and skills required to rise above our own inadequacies are quite different. Do we all understand that?

In another article WIL MUSLIMS EVER WAKE UP? where Ali Sina quotes Dr Farrukh Saleem from his writings WHAT WENT WRONG?, a powerful introspective piece, the message is clear. This is not the first time a Muslim is speaking up... I hope everyone is listening to these powerful messages:
WE NEED TO PRODUCE KNOWLEDGE, DIFFUSE KNOWLEDGE AND APPLY KNOWLEDGE and that I personally think goes for all of us across the board if we want to prosper and live in peace.

His diagnosis is simple
Diagnosis 1: Muslims are poor, illiterate and weak because they have 'abandoned the divine heritage of Islam'. Prescription: We must return to our real or imagined past.

Diagnosis 2: Muslims are poor, illiterate and weak because we have refused to change with time.

And finally to end he quotes from the AL QURAN (and this by far is the most valid and emphatic statement that we all need to remember always) KEEP PACE WITH TIME

Wow!

Eid Mubarak – JAI HIND!

“The Mumbai attack was an attack on the Nation and we condemn it” said Imam Mohammed Yaqub - and the Namaaz-e-Janannza ( mourning prayers) was offered for all those who lost their lives in Mumbai on the 26th. The Hadith was quoted at some places – “Even during war, a Muslim must not kill children, women or innocent people”. “We are against all terrorism,” was the refrain heard during the celebrations of Eid this time. Muslims wore black arms bands and shunned the regular festivity this year, which was a heartening gesture.

I don’t need to thank my Muslim brothers for taking such a stand. This country is as much as theirs to safeguard and love… They must continue to have themselves heard hereon. They must come on the streets in throngs and express their displeasure and cry out from the roof tops of their houses and say “Allah doesn’t want this meaningless killing.” Time to sit and read and understand what the Quran really says - Time to take a strong stand against all conscious misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the same.

Pakistan had sent 30 million people, mostly Hindus, to India in 1970. There were several thousands more who came subsequently – I had the good fortune to be reporting the plight of these people, who flee persecution in Pak and lived in the outskirts of Rajasthan. Hindu Singh Sodha, the convenor of the Pak Visthapith Sangh who spearheaded an entire movement to ensure that these people get Indian citizenship and a good life did a commendable job. I remember how he would often say “Will India ever consider sending back the 130 million Muslims that live as Indians today who keep pouring through the porous borders in the east?” NO! We don’t need to. Though we could if we wanted to. We have taken back the 3 million Tamils that went to Sri Lanka and we have also absorbed the expelled Indians from Uganda, Kenya, Burma….But India need not live in any form of insecurity or in fear. It has an amazing absorption capacity even though the diversity is so stark attimes. It is unfortunate that it has seen a rise in militant behaviour in the recent times, for whatever compulsions/reasons – but Indians are as such not militant by nature or choice (the basic Indian philosophy being steeped in our earliest Vedic roots)

It is time to take some decisions. And we have to take these decisions as Indians – not as Hindus or Muslims. It is important to face certain facts before we do so-
“There is a drive of Hindus is taking place wherever Muslim population crosses 50%. Some examples are Kashmir, Assam, Tripura, Eastern borders of West Bengal, Malegaon, Achalpur, Dhule, Bhiwandi, Konkan Belt, etc” says Chanchal in iVarta. If this is true then like the Australiam PM we have to ensure

• There will be no Muslim Personal Law – what is good for one will have to be good for others – We have to be Indians first.


• The Muslim population must re-evaluate the concept of “Kafir” and put it to backburner, as teach only those parts of Quran that promote peace and happiness for all, as Indians.
• All sorts of religious conversion has to stop and secularism promoted.
• Population control norms should be followed by all Indians - we simply can't see this country burst beyond its seams for economic reasons.
• All prayer meets must end with a National Anthem or atleast a Jai Hind.
  BE AN INDIAN FIRST AND ALWAYS

My Eids prayer was that song from Colonial Cousin
"Religion is the reason, The world is breaking up into pieces -Colour of the people, Keeps us locked in hate. Please release us. So come down and help us, save all the little ones They need a teacher, and you are the only one -We can't rely on, to build a better world -A world that's for children, a world that's for everyone.
So come back as Jesus, Come back and save the world- Bless all the future of every boy and girl - Come back as Rama, Forgive us for what we've done - Come back as Allah, Come back as anyone" Jai Hind!

BECOMING CITIZENS OF THE WORLD FIRST

Abhijit sent this very sensible mail from Dubai which I wish to share with everyone ... I have written a lot about this earlier but it always helps to reiterate that while each one of us must keep our individualim intact, we must work towards becoming global citizens if we wish make any sense of the life we are living ... if we wish to make any progress at all and want peace in the life of our children...

In any religion there are fundamentalists (for lack of a better word) who hijack the religion to further their own ends (political, wealth, power,socio-economic, etc). We can gripe and moan that these guys are ruining the image and philosophy of the religion concerned, they are a minority,etc. etc. However, if the majority are indeed secular, they now need to stand up and get their voices heard - staying under the tortoise shell and watching the world go by is not going to cut it. The Muslims in India took the first step by not allowing the terrorists to be buried as Mulims intheir graveyards - this to me represents a huge step forward in the right direction, and dare I say, a 180 degree turn from previous sentiments issued by their religious heads (Bukhari being a prime example). I am not a Hindu fundamentalist, but the rise of the Hindu fundamentalist movement came at a time when the so called minority were getting way more advantages than the average Indian citizen and that was creating resentment. This was taken advantage of by the politicians leading to the India we now know.

Coming to the specific topic of Islam, I ask myself why is it that Muslims world over are Muslims first and citizens of a country second? Why is it that over 90% of the terrorist activities are being carried out in the name of Islam funded by Islamic countries like Saudi? Why do the Muslims in India celebrate Pakistan's victory over India in a cricket or hockey game? Why conflicts between nations are represented as conflict between Islam and "somebody else"? If the true Muslims want to become true global citizens, they need to stop whining about religious discrimination and make their voices heard decrying terrorism and fundamentalism. They need to become like my friend Parvez who prays every Friday at the mosque but walked out with his son last Friday because the mullah was spouting venom and he did not want hisson to be exposed to such garbage. Parvez and his wife did Ganesh/Lakshmipuja with Islamic prayers for the new office - his office credenza has Ganesh sitting next to Allah ho Akbar with an Inukshuk next to that (gotit from Canada for him). He is a true Muslim and more importantly a true global citizen. Seeing guys like him, how can I say that Muslims are bad?

When our son Ankush, was born, there was no family around to help - all our help(and a lot of it) came from our neighbours, all Muslims from B'desh, Pakistan, Palestine and Egypt. So how can I forget those people and simply generalize the negatives of the few and push them on to the majority? But these good humans need to stand up and say enough is enough!

TO MY MODERATE MUSLIM BROTHERS - A WAKE UP CALL

The nightmare is temporarily over. We will be back to the grind in no time. It is not living in fear anymore. It is living in disgust and utter helplessness to make any sense of this age of terrorism. Was it like this for the Jews who ived in the times of Hitler ?

Meanwhile we need to get the moderate Muslims together- I have reiterated this time and again that Fundamentalism is the new religion of the cowards. We have to be either moderates or fundamentalists and not Hindu, Muslim or Christians anymore.
I read this comment and found it appropriately voicing my opinion in this matter.

The onus is now on moderate muslims to defeat the radical Islamists by rectifying/reforming their religion by accepting the liberal values and ignoring the absoluteness of their religious texts (Koran) and behaviour. Every religion is flawed in the light of modern life and living and we have to temper it to suit our existence. Rather than justifying the anachronistic texts, we have to reform our religious beliefs, otherwise it will kill everybody without discrimination Hindu/Muslims everybody. This chasm/divisions will only increase with time unless we accept and embrace liberal values, progressive civil code, education, better human rights. Hinduism has lot of liberal escapes , Muslims have to find one in their religion...