"Educated people are more communal" : Nazrul Islam, Author and Police Officer

When I first came to college in the town of Behrampur, I saw that the educated people were more communal in their mindset than the simple people in my native village of Basantapur in Murshidabad district. People in the village were religious, no doubt, but were more tolerant of other religions and lived peacefully with other communities.I began to question religion, education, and started studying the different faiths, which resulted in the book “Banglay Hindu-Musalman Samparka” (Hindu-Muslim Relations in Bengal). 

Nazrul Islam in conversation with Anuradha Sharma. Here

I am a Muslim and an Indian

I am a Muslim and an Indian

 I am a Muslim and an Indian because my heart cries every time a human is slaughtered in the name of religion

I am in shambles whenever the ‘up holders’ of rule of law use it to justify murders, rapes and pograms.

I am a Muslim and an Indian because my tears do not recognize the difference between an Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Dalit, Tamizhan, Kannadiga, Telugu, Malayali or an Atheist

It pains to witness the Courts being used as the sheltor of merchants of deaths, rapists, murderers instead of as a place to deliver Justice.

I am appalled when judgements, meant to deliver messages of justice, call out for injustice.

I cry when innocent youth - my brothers and your brothers - lose their lives in fake encounters.

I am appalled when ordinary Muslim youth lose their precious years in jails just because they happened to be born as Muslims in India.

I am a Muslim and an Indian because inciting violence in the name of religion, caste, language offends me more than corrupted netas and swindling babus.

I am a Muslim and an Indian because I choose to speak; to question.
I want to ask, why?

Why are merchants of deaths and mass murderers allowed to get away with bails?

I want to ask, what?
What religion, ideology or culture justifies shielding cold blooded murderers and architects of Genocides?

I want to ask, where?
Where are all the promises of peace, co-existence, plurality that were promised by Indian constitution?

I want to ask, how?
How did the pillars of democracy, which were meant to guide us and hold us together in unity, became the tool for discrimination?

I want to ask, who?
Who will put an end to this tragic state of affairs?

I want to ask, when?

When will we realize that injustice feeds injustice?

But I know there would be no answer.
Ignore me. 

Silence me with your silence.

Because, I am a Muslim and an Indian.

Source of Inspiration : Sana Saleem. Here

Babri Masjid case: It is Emotions Vs Evidence: Hashim Ansari

Hashim Ansari is ninety years old. He is the resident of Ayodhya and has been attached with the Babri Masjid for many decades. 
In an interview to Mumtaz Alam Falahi of Two circle.net he has summed up the Babri Masjid crisis in a single sentence : "Ek taraf bhavna hai. aur ek taraf suboot hai" (On one side we have emotions and on the other is pile of evidence")
He has also said, "We have evidence of more than 550 years". He blames Congress and the Muslim leaders of secular parties more than the frenzy fringe groups of Sangh Parivar. "Jaffer Shariff was the Railway Minister then. He organised special trains to Ayodhya."he laments.


Listen him in youtube:

Jazakallah Mumtaz Bhai!

Source : Twocircle.

Hindu School celebrates Eid-ul-Fitr

In an exemplary show of secularism and communal harmony, a school managed by a Hindu trust organized a program on Ramazan on Monday (Sep 6, 2010) for students between classes VIII and XII. Mr. A. Faizur Rahman, Secretary General of the Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thought among Muslims was invited as the chief guest to delivera lecture on Islam. Explaining the necessity to hold such a function the correspondent of the Srimathi Sundaravalli Memorial School Mr. K. Santhanam said that it was the cherished goal of his institution to inculcate among the young student community the values if peace, tolerance and respect for all religions. He said that the Ramazan celebration was the first of a series programs on different religions the school plans to hold every year.

In his lecture Mr. A. Faizur Rahman said that Islam is not the name of a set of dogmas revolving around a personal god who needs to be appeased from time to time through superstitious rituals. The word “Islam” has two meaningsnamely, “peace” and submission to the will of the Creator.” In other words, Islam is the peace derived by surrendering to the will of God. The aim of Islam is to unite mankind under the laws of a single Creator based on which the entire universe functions. These laws can also be described as the common value system that finds acceptance in all societies. For example, values such as justice, fairness and equity are universally recognised as good, and vices such as murder, fraud and thievery are considered evil by all. The first set of values is described by the Quran as ma’roof and the second set is called the munkar. All that Islam expects of people is the promotion of ma’roof and the prohibition of munkar and this is to be achieved through the means of the five pillars namely, the recognition of one God, Prayer, Fasting, Zakat and Haj. Therefore, Islam can also be called a movement that strives to establish a peaceful society on the basis of shared values, Mr. Rahman explained.

The lecture was followed by a 30-minute interactive discussion during which Mr. Rahman answered questions on Islam raised by thestudents . Lauding the initiative of the school Mr. Faizur Rahman said that the idea of inter-faith dialogue must be encouraged in all educational institution as it would prepare the youth of this country to withstand and defeat the divisive agenda of religious extremists.
The lecture was preceded by a song in praise of Prophet Muhammad and speeches by students on the significance of fasting during Ramazan. 
Ms. Sreevidya, Educational Officer and Mr. S. Santhanam, Senior Principal spoke.


Source : Two circles

Of Dharma Yudh and Jihad

Here is an interesting article which was published in The Times of India. It is different and innovative. The writer deserves all praise for writing such a balanced article. The lines which appealed to me more than everything else is the one: "Planting a bomb surreptitiously to kill an innocent is not Jihad; so, too, burning a handicap person to death is not Dharma Yudh."

Let all those involved heed this sane advice. Let peace prevail. Let thousands of flowers bloom in this orchard. Congratulate this young writer and encourage him. He blogs here.
Salam Ishthiyaque bhai!

Of Dharma Yudh and Jihad

Sayyid Abdullah Tariq is a modern, educated Muslim from Rampur, U.P. He has devoted his life to studying the Quran and the Vedas and believes that the two Holy Scriptures were revealed to guide humanity. In October 2003, I invited him to deliver a lecture at the Hamdard University on "the commonalities between the Vedas and the Quran". During the lecture he, all of sudden, sought to know the communal composition of the audience. There were some 200 students and it was pleasing to note that about 60 per cent of them were Hindus. The speaker asked them if anyone had seen the Vedas; he was sure that none had read them. To our surprise no one gave an affirmative answer.

Until a few years ago, Hamdard University used to organize lectures by eminent scholars to sensitize students about various cultures. Unfortunately, the lecture series has discontinued but its relevance cannot be undermined. In fact, in view of rising communal tensions, universities in the country need to organize such lectures to produce better-informed leaders.

Ever since I heard Mr. Tariq's lecture in 2003, I have wondered if one's poor knowledge of his own religion is as dangerous for socio-communal harmony as our ignorance about other faiths. No one can deny that such ignorance has often been exploited by misguided elements to create cleavages in society. And, of late, elements of both —the Hindu and Muslim communities, as alleged by police and the media, have indulged in abominable acts of violence.

Both Hindu and Islamic scriptures have outlined their concepts of Dharma Yudh and Jihad. In essence, the two imply man's utmost effort, including war, to establish justice. They have not only explained their respective concepts of war but have also laid down principles which warring sides are required to observe.

Hindu scriptures have outlined the rules to be observed in the battlefield. The Manusmriti has forbidden to smite one's foes with sharp weapons concealed in wood or with arrows mischievously barbed. It has also forbidden the use of poisoned arrows, or darts blazing with fire. Similarly, it urges a horseman not to attack the enemy alighted on the ground, or those who surrender. A warrior in sleep or without arms will not be attacked; noncombatants are also to be spared.

The Mahabharata has also outlined similar rules which warriors are required to observe. Among other things, it has forbidden to kill a weak or wounded man. The old, women of all ages, children and those fleeing from the battlefield should neither be attacked nor killed. By-standers and non-combatant citizens walking along roads should not be killed. Above all, gardens, temples and other places of public worship are not to be attacked or ransacked. Fighting at night or attacking the enemy under the cover of darkness is also not permitted. As in other religions, in Islam too, the most important teaching is man's right to live. And the power to establish justice that involves taking an individual's life is vested with the state.

Killing a man unjustly is like killing all of mankind, declares the Holy Quran.

Islam has permitted war on those who oppress mankind, unleash violence and drive people out of their homes just because they follow a different religion. But while permitting war, Islam has also laid down some principles of warfare which are to be strictly followed. These principles, like those of Hinduism, are regarding the rights of combatants and non-combatants, the rights of ambassadors, captives and those conquered. The combatant belligerents are those who take up arms and physically participate in a war. Like Hinduism, Islam has also urged not to kill the aged, women, children, the sick, the wounded, the blind, the handicap and wayfarers. War has to be fought justly for a just cause and recourse to violence is permitted only in unavoidable circumstances.

It would be appropriate to ask if people, Hindus and Muslims allegedly involved in acts of terrorism, have ever sought to understand the noble teachings of their respective faiths regarding the rights of innocents who often happen to be targets of their ferocious bombings and mob frenzy. Dharma Yudh and Jihad are noble concepts and the two are waged for attaining cherished ideals like establishing justice and ending oppression. They are also conducted chivalrously and within the moral limits prescribed by Holy Scriptures.

Planting a bomb surreptitiously to kill an innocent is not Jihad; so, too, burning a handicap person to death is not Dharma Yudh.

There is something seriously wrong with the understanding that terrorism is Jihad or Dharma Yudh. It is sad to note that the energy of so many young men is being misused to cause destruction. It is negative thinking which succeeds only in holding back development. Positive thinking, on the other hand, enables man to create a better and more prosperous tomorrow which is what India needs.

THIS ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN TIMES OF INDIA ON NOV 2th (But you cannot see it in TOI's website.)