Anti-Madrasa Propaganda in India and the Response of the Indian ‘UlamaYoginder SikandThe persistent propaganda campaign against madrasas as ‘dens of terror’ is today forcing Indian Muslim leaders, including ‘ulama associated with leading madrasas, to consider measures to defend the madrasas from attack. Interestingly, going by their public statements, many of them are now calling for a greater engagement with non-Muslims, seeking to build bridges of understanding with people of other faiths and with the government in an effort to clear the madrasas of the charges levelled against them. In turn, this envisions new roles for a more socially involved ‘ulama seeking to interact with the wider society that they have hitherto deliberately sought to remain insulated from.
In the face of the attacks on the madrasas, not a single madrasa, it is important to note, is known to have called for retaliatory violence or even for armed jihad. Rather, the trend seems entirely in the other direction, thus suggesting a growing realization on the part of the ‘ulama of the need to reach out to others if madrasas are to be allowed to function freely. Waris Mazhari, a Deobandi ‘alim echoesthe mood of numerous ‘ulama when he appeals that, in the face of the campaign against the madrasas, the ‘ulama must not ‘take any step that will play into the hands of those opposed to the madrasas’. Rather, he argues, madrasas should follow the Qur’anic dictum of repelling evil with good, as a result of which their most inveterate foes might turn into their greatest allies and supporters (‘Madaris Ke Khilaf Muhim: Ek Khamosh ‘Amal Ki Zarurat’, Tarjuman-i Dar ul-‘Ulum, September 2002, pp.4-6).
This is no exceptional voice among the ‘ulama. In January, 1995, shortly after a police raid on the Nadwat ul-‘Ulama, Lucknow, the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, the apex body of the Indian ‘ulama belonging to almost all the various Sunni Muslim sects or maslaks, met at Lucknow to discuss, among other issues, the growing allegations against the madrasas. Among the resolutions passed was one that stressed the need for madrasas to regularly organize meetings to which they should invite non-Muslim intellectuals, social activists, journalists, government officials and political workers to explain to them the curriculum, methods of functioning and aims of the madrasas in order to clear their ‘misunderstandings’. It was further stressed that the madrasas must seek to combat the campaign against them through ‘wisdom’ (hikmat) and eschewing ‘emotionalism’ (jazbatiyat) (‘Tahaffuz-i Madaris Ke Mauzu Par Zimmedaran-i Madaris Ka Ijtima’, Bang-i Dara, January, 1995).
The same sentiment was expressed seven years later, when the campaign against the madrasas had reached new heights in the aftermath of the attacks of September, 2001. At a meeting of various madrasa heads held in October 2002 near Lucknow, Muhammad Rabey Hasni Nadwi, rector of the Nadwat ul-‘Ulama and head of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, argued that in this ‘age of democracy’, when ‘no community could seek to eliminate all others through force’, the only way to combat the concerted campaign against Islam and the madrasas was through the use of the mass media (‘Report: Madaris Convention’, Bang-i Hira, September-November, 2002, p.16). At the same meeting, a carefully-worded resolution was passed appealing to the Muslims of India rebut the propaganda against the madrasas, but only through peaceful means. Madrasas were advised to abide by the principles of ‘seriousness, justice, tolerance and love for humanity’, and Muslims were cautioned against taking to violence and thereby playing into the hands of the ‘anti-Muslim’ forces.
Similar suggestions have come from ‘ulama from different parts of the country. Since one of the major charges levelled against the madrasas is their alleged involvement in ‘anti-national’ activities, many ‘ulama have now begun to argue for the urgent need for madrasas to highlight before the non-Muslim public the role of the madrasas and the ‘ulama in India’s freedom struggle in order to stress their patriotic credentials. Influential sections of the Indian ‘ulama today feel the necessity of addressing multiple constituencies, Hindus as well as Muslims, if the madrasas are to be left untouched. This entails actively reaching out to the wider non-Muslim public in order to convince them of the services that madrasas are said to render not just to the Muslims alone but to the country as a whole, and to provide them with a more objective understanding of Islam and the madrasas. Thus, for instance, Waris Mazhari suggests that madrasas must actively seek to counter the widespread conviction among non-Muslims that Islam sanctions indiscriminate killing of others and is vehemently opposed to secularism and democracy (Mazhari, op.cit.,p.5). Another Deobandi ‘alim, Nasim Ahmad Qasmi, argues that in the face of the allegations against the madrasas the ‘ulama must seek to convince the Hindu public that, far from preaching rebellion against India and hatred against other communities, the madrasas instil in their students such noble values as ‘love for the country’, ‘unity and oneness’ and ‘good morals’ (Madaris-i Islamiya Ke Hifz-o-Baqa Ke Liye Imarat-i Shari‘ah Ki Jad-o-Jehed, Patna: Imarat-i Shari‘ah, 2002, p.4). Non-Muslims need to be also informed, so many ‘ulama now stress, of the significant benefits that madrasas are said to have provided the country, such as attracting large numbers of foreign students and thereby ‘glorifying’ the name of India abroad, and also enabling their students to acquire jobs in the Arab world and send back to India valuable foreign exchange. Further, they need to be enlightened about the free services that the madrasas are providing to poor Muslims, thereby saving the government an enormous amount of money that it would have otherwise had to spend on their education.
In order to communicate with their non-Muslim fellow countrymen and disabuse them of ‘misconceptions’ that they might have them of concerning the madrasas, senior ‘ulama are now advocating that madrasas should open their doors to welcome non-Muslims, and allow them to freely meet and interact with the students and teachers in order to discover what madrasas are really all about. As part of this effort to reach out to others, some madrasas have begun organizing functions, on special days such as Independence Day, Republic Day and on festive occasions, inviting local non-Muslims to participate. Often, these provide occasions for the ‘ulama to stress the patriotic credentials of the madrasas and their commitment to inter-communal harmony. Some madrasas have already begun limited efforts at promoting inter-faith dialogue with religious heads of other communities. In mid-2002 a newspaper reported that some 800 madrasas in and around the city of Hyderabad were planning to introduce a separate subject on patriotism in their syllabus, in order to highlight the role of the madrasas in India’s freedom struggle and the ‘Islamic concept of love for the country’ (Shaik Ahmad ‘Ali, ‘Madrasas to Introduce Patriotism As A Subject’, The Times of India, Bangalore, 11 June, 2002). In early March 2003 a film commissioned by the Special Service Bureau, a hitherto ‘secret organisation’ under the Home Ministry, discovered numerous madrasas along the Indo-Nepal border whose ‘ulama were preaching the values of patriotism to their students, thus contradicting reports by the Intelligence Bureau that spoke of these madrasas as being actively engaged in ‘anti-national’ activities (‘SSB Film Contradicts IB Reports On Madrasas’, The Times of India, Lucknow, 31 March, 2003).
As part of this broader effort to reach out to the non-Muslim public in order to combat the propaganda against the madrasas, numerous madrasas have brought out booklets, mainly in Urdu, but also in Hindi, English and various regional languages, stressing the constructive role of the madrasas and denying any association with terrorism. Some larger madrasas have organized press conferences and issued press statements dissociating themselves from terrorism. Muslim-owned newspapers generally enthusiastically publish such statements of the ‘ulama, but the ‘ulama complain that, in general, non-Muslim papers show little interest in highlighting their views. The Nadwat ul-‘Ulama, Lucknow now brings out regular journals in Hindi and English, copies of which are sent free of cost to selected non-Muslim journalists, social activists and government officials. These journals are concerned with presenting a balanced, moderate image of Islam and rebutting allegations of Indian madrasas being involved in terrorism. Both the Nadwat ul-‘Ulama and the Dar ul-‘Ulum, Deoband, have now started media centres and training courses for journalists, one of whose main aims is to get senior madrasa students to write for the popular press in order to combat the propaganda against the madrasas and against Islam and Muslims in general.
As these developments suggest, allegations of madrasas being ‘dens of terror’ are seen as a particularly serious challenge by the Indian ‘ulama. As a response to this, the ‘ulama are now calling for madrasas to engage in peaceful and constructive engagement with the wider society. In this sense, the anti-madrasa propaganda seems to be working as a catalyst for madrasa reform, although as for how successful these efforts will be remains to be seen.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Friday, January 21, 2005
Book - -
Name of the Book
Crossing the Threshold: Understanding Religious Identities in South Asia
Author
Dominique Sila Khan
Publisher
IB Tauris, London
Year
2004
Pages
185
ISBN
185043 435 2
The question of religious identity is a hotly debated one in India today. What precisely does it mean to be a ‘Hindu’ or a ‘Muslim’ when there are so many different, and often mutually conflicting, versions of ‘Hinduism’ and ‘Islam’? Much has been written about this vexed subject. Increasingly, the earlier notion of fixed religious identities as givens and as frozen in time, and as following from a direct reading of religious scriptures unmediated by historical or social context is being challenged by scholars who argue that religious identities are in a constant state of flux and are a product of a complex and never complete process of social construction.
This book deals with the issue of the construction of ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ identities in South Asia. Khan, who has written extensively on popular religion in India, questions the notion of a reified, singular ‘Hindu’ or ‘Muslim’ identity. Challenging the claims of Hindu ‘nationalists’ who speak of a homogenous, well-defined Hindu community, she points out that the very word ‘Hindu’ is absent in the classical ‘Hindu’ texts. The term is, in its origins, a geographical, rather than a religious, one, and one which was used by others, including the ancient Persians and later by Muslim Arabs and Persians, to denote all non-Muslims living to the east of the Indus river. It was, thus, a negative term in that it came to denote inhabitants of the region who were not Muslims, or later, not Jews and Christians as well.
Khan dwells on the development of the notion of ‘Hinduism’ as a world religion on par with Islam and Christianity, showing the complex role of colonial administrators, Christian missionaries, census administrators and ‘high’ caste Hindu, particularly Brahmin, elites in this project. She argues, repeating what several other scholars have pointed out, that ‘Hinduism’ is a modern construct and a reflection of a textual, as opposed to an empirical, understanding of religion that relied on the Brahminical texts as setting down the parameters of what came to be defined as ‘orthodox’ ‘Hinduism’. It thus bore little relation to the bewildering range of creeds, sects and traditions of pre-colonial India. She also shows how the notion of a singular Hinduism and a homogenous Hindu community have been and still are routinely employed to bolster the hegemony of entrenched ‘high’ caste elites, who form a relatively small minority among the Hindus themselves, but who use the logic of majoritarianism to preserve their own vested interests.
Likewise, Khan shows that the notion of a singular Muslim identity, so dear to Islamists as well as their detractors, is completely misleading. Islam in India, as elsewhere, is characterised by considerable diversity, in terms of a multiplicity of sects, each of which claims to represent normative Islam. Islamic diversity is further bolstered by the absence of a church that is authorised to lay down doctrines that would be binding on all believers. As in the Hindu case, Khan argues that the idea of a homogenous Muslim community is a recent construct, a product of collusion between Orientalists, colonial rulers and Muslim elites. It is also an elitist construct which seeks to provide Muslim elites, particularly the ‘ulama, with the moral authority to speak on behalf of all Muslims.
Of particular interest is Khan’s extensive discussion of shared religious traditions in India. Khan cites numerous such cases, such as that of the Isma‘ili Khojas, the Satpanthis of Gujarat, the Pranamis of Madhya Pradesh and the Meos of Mewat, to highlight the often overlooked existence of communities that cannot be neatly classified as unambiguously ‘Hindu’ or ‘Muslim’. She discusses various terms that have been offered to deal with such communities, such as ‘liminal’ and ‘syncretistic’, but argues that they are inadequate on the grounds that they presume the existence of other pre-existing well-defined ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ communities. She prefers to see them, as the title of her book indicates, as ‘in the threshold’, refusing to be boxed into either category, being something of a separate category in themselves. She sees them as profound reminders of the falsity of the notion of singular, homogenous ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ communities that have nothing at all in common and that are defined in opposition to each other. Yet, as she notes, such traditions are increasingly coming to be contested as pressures on them mount to identify themselves as ‘Hindu’ or ‘Muslim’, rather than as a bit of both.
This book is a timely contribution to the ongoing debate on religion and religious identity in contemporary South Asia, one that has been accompanied by much bloodletting. In this regard, Khan’s argument of the social constructedness of religious identity and the multiplicity of competing voices that claim to represent normative Islam or Hinduism is well-taken, forcefully challenging, as it does, the assertions of the merchants of theological terror.
Crossing the Threshold: Understanding Religious Identities in South Asia
Author
Dominique Sila Khan
Publisher
IB Tauris, London
Year
2004
Pages
185
ISBN
185043 435 2
The question of religious identity is a hotly debated one in India today. What precisely does it mean to be a ‘Hindu’ or a ‘Muslim’ when there are so many different, and often mutually conflicting, versions of ‘Hinduism’ and ‘Islam’? Much has been written about this vexed subject. Increasingly, the earlier notion of fixed religious identities as givens and as frozen in time, and as following from a direct reading of religious scriptures unmediated by historical or social context is being challenged by scholars who argue that religious identities are in a constant state of flux and are a product of a complex and never complete process of social construction.
This book deals with the issue of the construction of ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ identities in South Asia. Khan, who has written extensively on popular religion in India, questions the notion of a reified, singular ‘Hindu’ or ‘Muslim’ identity. Challenging the claims of Hindu ‘nationalists’ who speak of a homogenous, well-defined Hindu community, she points out that the very word ‘Hindu’ is absent in the classical ‘Hindu’ texts. The term is, in its origins, a geographical, rather than a religious, one, and one which was used by others, including the ancient Persians and later by Muslim Arabs and Persians, to denote all non-Muslims living to the east of the Indus river. It was, thus, a negative term in that it came to denote inhabitants of the region who were not Muslims, or later, not Jews and Christians as well.
Khan dwells on the development of the notion of ‘Hinduism’ as a world religion on par with Islam and Christianity, showing the complex role of colonial administrators, Christian missionaries, census administrators and ‘high’ caste Hindu, particularly Brahmin, elites in this project. She argues, repeating what several other scholars have pointed out, that ‘Hinduism’ is a modern construct and a reflection of a textual, as opposed to an empirical, understanding of religion that relied on the Brahminical texts as setting down the parameters of what came to be defined as ‘orthodox’ ‘Hinduism’. It thus bore little relation to the bewildering range of creeds, sects and traditions of pre-colonial India. She also shows how the notion of a singular Hinduism and a homogenous Hindu community have been and still are routinely employed to bolster the hegemony of entrenched ‘high’ caste elites, who form a relatively small minority among the Hindus themselves, but who use the logic of majoritarianism to preserve their own vested interests.
Likewise, Khan shows that the notion of a singular Muslim identity, so dear to Islamists as well as their detractors, is completely misleading. Islam in India, as elsewhere, is characterised by considerable diversity, in terms of a multiplicity of sects, each of which claims to represent normative Islam. Islamic diversity is further bolstered by the absence of a church that is authorised to lay down doctrines that would be binding on all believers. As in the Hindu case, Khan argues that the idea of a homogenous Muslim community is a recent construct, a product of collusion between Orientalists, colonial rulers and Muslim elites. It is also an elitist construct which seeks to provide Muslim elites, particularly the ‘ulama, with the moral authority to speak on behalf of all Muslims.
Of particular interest is Khan’s extensive discussion of shared religious traditions in India. Khan cites numerous such cases, such as that of the Isma‘ili Khojas, the Satpanthis of Gujarat, the Pranamis of Madhya Pradesh and the Meos of Mewat, to highlight the often overlooked existence of communities that cannot be neatly classified as unambiguously ‘Hindu’ or ‘Muslim’. She discusses various terms that have been offered to deal with such communities, such as ‘liminal’ and ‘syncretistic’, but argues that they are inadequate on the grounds that they presume the existence of other pre-existing well-defined ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ communities. She prefers to see them, as the title of her book indicates, as ‘in the threshold’, refusing to be boxed into either category, being something of a separate category in themselves. She sees them as profound reminders of the falsity of the notion of singular, homogenous ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ communities that have nothing at all in common and that are defined in opposition to each other. Yet, as she notes, such traditions are increasingly coming to be contested as pressures on them mount to identify themselves as ‘Hindu’ or ‘Muslim’, rather than as a bit of both.
This book is a timely contribution to the ongoing debate on religion and religious identity in contemporary South Asia, one that has been accompanied by much bloodletting. In this regard, Khan’s argument of the social constructedness of religious identity and the multiplicity of competing voices that claim to represent normative Islam or Hinduism is well-taken, forcefully challenging, as it does, the assertions of the merchants of theological terror.
Bush and his MIEN KAMPF
Bush and his Mien Kampf
By Ghulam Muhammed
Al-Jazeerah, January 22, 2005
While Seymour Hersh’s article: Coming Wars published in January issue of The New Yorker, about Bush plans for invasion on Iran had made big headlines around the world; a new reaction seems to be growing around the world about the possibility of Hersh himself being in the Bush loop, cooperating with the US Administration for drumming up a world-wide hysteria about the danger of US invasion of Iran.
The truth may or may not point to an coordinated effort by Hersh and Bush administration to raise a big hue and cry about the imminence of such a repeat of US invasion on another Middle East country, and thus building up pressure on Iranian people and its leadership, the pattern of news management over a period time, with the US journalists and Think Tanks breaking news and Bush administration denying the whole scoop, seems to be now assuming a highly suspect and discredited reputation.
The propaganda may be timed to warn Iran against any interference in Iraqi affairs, now that the Iraqi elections are due within a short time. However, the way Sistani has been cooperating with the illegal US/UK occupiers in the hope of Shia majority finally getting its rightful majority rights, Iran would have hardly any motivation to rock the boat.
Still the resounding silence from rest of the world leaders, who had been rightfully vocal against US invasion of Iraq, is most glaring. Both Pakistan and India should not remain complacent about their own integrity, if Bush is determined to carry out the Neo-con plan to take over the whole world through the use of power or threat of power during his second term.
A US commentator, Chris Floyd has compared the American Zionist Neo-con's New American Century plan to that of Hitler’s Mein Kampf.
Floyd writes: ‘Adolf Hitler clearly spelled out his plan to destroy the Jews and launch wars of conquest to secure German domination of world affairs in his 1925.’
Ironically the same American Zionists who were victims of Nazi holocaust are now bent to outperform Hitler in their bestial plans to colonise the whole world.
Bush invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq follows that same Hitler blue print of advance warning before moving his forces into defenseless countries. The rest of the world has not much time to prepare a proper response, before the tyranny of the neo-fascists becomes unstoppable.
GHULAM MUHAMMED, Mumbai – India.
By Ghulam Muhammed
Al-Jazeerah, January 22, 2005
While Seymour Hersh’s article: Coming Wars published in January issue of The New Yorker, about Bush plans for invasion on Iran had made big headlines around the world; a new reaction seems to be growing around the world about the possibility of Hersh himself being in the Bush loop, cooperating with the US Administration for drumming up a world-wide hysteria about the danger of US invasion of Iran.
The truth may or may not point to an coordinated effort by Hersh and Bush administration to raise a big hue and cry about the imminence of such a repeat of US invasion on another Middle East country, and thus building up pressure on Iranian people and its leadership, the pattern of news management over a period time, with the US journalists and Think Tanks breaking news and Bush administration denying the whole scoop, seems to be now assuming a highly suspect and discredited reputation.
The propaganda may be timed to warn Iran against any interference in Iraqi affairs, now that the Iraqi elections are due within a short time. However, the way Sistani has been cooperating with the illegal US/UK occupiers in the hope of Shia majority finally getting its rightful majority rights, Iran would have hardly any motivation to rock the boat.
Still the resounding silence from rest of the world leaders, who had been rightfully vocal against US invasion of Iraq, is most glaring. Both Pakistan and India should not remain complacent about their own integrity, if Bush is determined to carry out the Neo-con plan to take over the whole world through the use of power or threat of power during his second term.
A US commentator, Chris Floyd has compared the American Zionist Neo-con's New American Century plan to that of Hitler’s Mein Kampf.
Floyd writes: ‘Adolf Hitler clearly spelled out his plan to destroy the Jews and launch wars of conquest to secure German domination of world affairs in his 1925.’
Ironically the same American Zionists who were victims of Nazi holocaust are now bent to outperform Hitler in their bestial plans to colonise the whole world.
Bush invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq follows that same Hitler blue print of advance warning before moving his forces into defenseless countries. The rest of the world has not much time to prepare a proper response, before the tyranny of the neo-fascists becomes unstoppable.
GHULAM MUHAMMED, Mumbai – India.
Huygens finds methane rain on titan
Huygens finds methane rain on Titan
Friday 21 January 2005, 20:09 Makka Time, 17:09 GMT
The European robot lab Huygens found liquid methane on the Saturn satellite Titan, which scientists say may have shaped the moon's peculiar landscape and weather system.
"We've got a flammable world. It is quite extraordinary," said University of Honolulu researcher Toby Owen on Friday, referring to methane's combustibility with air on Earth.
"There is liquid on Titan. It has been raining not long ago, there is liquid methane," said Jean-Pierre Lebreton, director of the Huygens mission at the European Space Agency (ESA).
"There are truly remarkable processes at work on Titan's surface," he said.
US researcher Marty Tomasko of the University of Arizona said the data sent back by Huygens showed "many familiar Earth-like processes: abrasion, erosion, precipitation".
"On the place where we landed, it had been raining not long ago, maybe two days ago," Tomasko said at a presentation to the press at ESA headquarters in Paris.
Toxic liquid
The rain - not water but liquid methane, which is toxic to humans - causes soil to run down from the hills and forms the rivulets and gullies that were visible in the raw images of Titan, shown to the world last week.
Titan has been sending images since its landing on 14 January
Huygens, a 319kg craft fitted with cameras, atmospheric sensors and gas analysers, landed on Titan on 14 January, sending back data to a US mother-ship, Cassini.
Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, was chosen as it is the only moon in the solar system that has a substantial atmosphere.
Its thick mix of nitrogen and methane is suspected to be undergoing chemical reactions similar to those that unfolded on Earth billions of years ago. That process eventually provided the conditions for life on our planet.
More data analysis
Scientists will need months to pore over the data to see whether the theory holds true.
The mission, the farthest landing from Earth ever attempted, was "exploration as well as science," said ESA's director of science, David Southwood, who described it as "the most wonderful event in my career".
Scientists have only received half the number of images expected
At best, scientists had hoped Huygens would keep transmitting for three brief minutes after hitting Titan's surface. Instead, they said instruments probably continued to function for at least three hours after the 15km per hour touchdown.
The only flaw in the mission was the loss of one of two data channels that were used to relay the findings home via Cassini.
Fewer images
Instead of 700 images being sent back, only about 350 were received, showing a fog-strewn orange-tinged planet surface.
On Thursday, a study published in the British journal Nature reported that Cassini, carrying Huygens, ran into major dust storms as it raced towards its rendezvous with Saturn last year.
The microscopic grains smashed into Cassini with an impact speed of more than 100km per second.
The grains are believed to compose minute crystals of water ice which carry a positive electrical charge.
They achieved their enormous velocity because they were flung into space by the mighty whirling magnetic field generated by Saturn, the authors suspect.
Friday 21 January 2005, 20:09 Makka Time, 17:09 GMT
The European robot lab Huygens found liquid methane on the Saturn satellite Titan, which scientists say may have shaped the moon's peculiar landscape and weather system.
"We've got a flammable world. It is quite extraordinary," said University of Honolulu researcher Toby Owen on Friday, referring to methane's combustibility with air on Earth.
"There is liquid on Titan. It has been raining not long ago, there is liquid methane," said Jean-Pierre Lebreton, director of the Huygens mission at the European Space Agency (ESA).
"There are truly remarkable processes at work on Titan's surface," he said.
US researcher Marty Tomasko of the University of Arizona said the data sent back by Huygens showed "many familiar Earth-like processes: abrasion, erosion, precipitation".
"On the place where we landed, it had been raining not long ago, maybe two days ago," Tomasko said at a presentation to the press at ESA headquarters in Paris.
Toxic liquid
The rain - not water but liquid methane, which is toxic to humans - causes soil to run down from the hills and forms the rivulets and gullies that were visible in the raw images of Titan, shown to the world last week.
Titan has been sending images since its landing on 14 January
Huygens, a 319kg craft fitted with cameras, atmospheric sensors and gas analysers, landed on Titan on 14 January, sending back data to a US mother-ship, Cassini.
Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, was chosen as it is the only moon in the solar system that has a substantial atmosphere.
Its thick mix of nitrogen and methane is suspected to be undergoing chemical reactions similar to those that unfolded on Earth billions of years ago. That process eventually provided the conditions for life on our planet.
More data analysis
Scientists will need months to pore over the data to see whether the theory holds true.
The mission, the farthest landing from Earth ever attempted, was "exploration as well as science," said ESA's director of science, David Southwood, who described it as "the most wonderful event in my career".
Scientists have only received half the number of images expected
At best, scientists had hoped Huygens would keep transmitting for three brief minutes after hitting Titan's surface. Instead, they said instruments probably continued to function for at least three hours after the 15km per hour touchdown.
The only flaw in the mission was the loss of one of two data channels that were used to relay the findings home via Cassini.
Fewer images
Instead of 700 images being sent back, only about 350 were received, showing a fog-strewn orange-tinged planet surface.
On Thursday, a study published in the British journal Nature reported that Cassini, carrying Huygens, ran into major dust storms as it raced towards its rendezvous with Saturn last year.
The microscopic grains smashed into Cassini with an impact speed of more than 100km per second.
The grains are believed to compose minute crystals of water ice which carry a positive electrical charge.
They achieved their enormous velocity because they were flung into space by the mighty whirling magnetic field generated by Saturn, the authors suspect.
Spyware rivals spam as worst net pest
Spyware rivals spam as worst net pest
Friday 21 January 2005, 14:49 Makka Time, 11:49 GMT
Spyware tracks users' movements on the internet
Internet users are reporting increased problems with malicious software.
Commonly known as spyware, the software can hijack or even paralyse a computer.
It can cover a user's screen with pop-up adverts, and can tracks a user's movements on the internet. It can log every key stroke to send personal information, including credit card numbers, back to the spyware's authors.
One user, Shelley Emerson, a 34-year-old single mother, had used the internet to keep in touch with far-flung family members and friends. Now she complains her PC is almost useless under the current barrage of spyware programs.
"It was so easy to stay in touch with everyone, to give and get information, to send them pictures of my twins," she says.
"Now my computer has become so full of spyware I can hardly use it."
Software giant Microsoft and computer makers Dell agree that the spread of spyware has turned the internet into a dangerous jungle.
Desperate pleas
Computer help columns in newspapers are filled with requests from users whose machines have been rendered unusable.
"I've got this really nasty spyware, 'about:blank', that has invaded my computer and won't let me use the internet very much and keeps taking over my home page," complained one reader in Chicago.
"I must have downloaded something I wasn't supposed to. Ordinarily I'm very suspicious about opening websites, but somehow they got me."
"People are pulling their hair out and many have no idea that spyware even exists" Neil Bettencourt,computer repair expert
The expert's 30-line reply was ominous: "You can fix this," he wrote. "But it won't be easy."
Neil Bettencourt, who runs a computer repair business in California's tech-savvy Silicon Valley said about 50% of his calls are from people whose computer has been hijacked by spyware.
"People are pulling their hair out and many have no idea that spyware even exists," Bettencourt said. "They just cruise around the internet with no protection."
According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, spyware lurks on at least 80% of the computers in the US. Dell says spyware is the single largest complaint of people calling its tech support lines, and The Los Angeles Times reported that even Bill Gates recently found his computer infected by the malicious software.
Worse than spam
For many victims, spyware can be worse than spam, which fills inboxes with objectionable junk but rarely paralyses a computer.
Spyware lurks on at least 80%of the computers in the US"Spyware is turning out to have a lot of similarities to spam -not technically, but because of the fact that it has gone from being annoying to sapping productivity, and now it is turning out to be a security concern," says International Data Corporation (IDC) analyst Brian Burke, who said that two out of every five tech support calls nationwide are spyware related.
Some unscrupulous companies market tools that purport to knock out the software but that actually install it on host computers.
IDC pegged anti-spyware sales at $47 million last year but expects that to more than double this year to $106 million.
Microsoft's action
The intensity of the threat has spurred the usually slow-moving Microsoft to take action. The software giant realises that if spyware is not checked, it will present a serious obstacle to the high tech Holy Grail of having every gadget and device linked over the internet.
"Spyware makers will continue to write new programs that circumvent existing protections"Steph Marr,security analystThe company recently bought the small anti-spyware firm Giant, and in early January rolled out the test version of a spyware fix that will be available for free later this year. Yahoo! also offers a free anti-spyware tool that can be downloaded by users, as does AOL.
However, these programmes do not solve the problem. They just give computer users a tool to clean their computers once they become infected.
"They are OK for tech-savvy surfers, but for casual internet users, who know nothing about computers, spyware will continue to be an enormous problem," says security analyst Steph Marr.
"Spyware makers will continue to write new programmes that circumvent existing protections. To keep your computer clean you will need to update and scan your computer frequently. Most people just won't do it."
Friday 21 January 2005, 14:49 Makka Time, 11:49 GMT
Spyware tracks users' movements on the internet
Internet users are reporting increased problems with malicious software.
Commonly known as spyware, the software can hijack or even paralyse a computer.
It can cover a user's screen with pop-up adverts, and can tracks a user's movements on the internet. It can log every key stroke to send personal information, including credit card numbers, back to the spyware's authors.
One user, Shelley Emerson, a 34-year-old single mother, had used the internet to keep in touch with far-flung family members and friends. Now she complains her PC is almost useless under the current barrage of spyware programs.
"It was so easy to stay in touch with everyone, to give and get information, to send them pictures of my twins," she says.
"Now my computer has become so full of spyware I can hardly use it."
Software giant Microsoft and computer makers Dell agree that the spread of spyware has turned the internet into a dangerous jungle.
Desperate pleas
Computer help columns in newspapers are filled with requests from users whose machines have been rendered unusable.
"I've got this really nasty spyware, 'about:blank', that has invaded my computer and won't let me use the internet very much and keeps taking over my home page," complained one reader in Chicago.
"I must have downloaded something I wasn't supposed to. Ordinarily I'm very suspicious about opening websites, but somehow they got me."
"People are pulling their hair out and many have no idea that spyware even exists" Neil Bettencourt,computer repair expert
The expert's 30-line reply was ominous: "You can fix this," he wrote. "But it won't be easy."
Neil Bettencourt, who runs a computer repair business in California's tech-savvy Silicon Valley said about 50% of his calls are from people whose computer has been hijacked by spyware.
"People are pulling their hair out and many have no idea that spyware even exists," Bettencourt said. "They just cruise around the internet with no protection."
According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, spyware lurks on at least 80% of the computers in the US. Dell says spyware is the single largest complaint of people calling its tech support lines, and The Los Angeles Times reported that even Bill Gates recently found his computer infected by the malicious software.
Worse than spam
For many victims, spyware can be worse than spam, which fills inboxes with objectionable junk but rarely paralyses a computer.
Spyware lurks on at least 80%of the computers in the US"Spyware is turning out to have a lot of similarities to spam -not technically, but because of the fact that it has gone from being annoying to sapping productivity, and now it is turning out to be a security concern," says International Data Corporation (IDC) analyst Brian Burke, who said that two out of every five tech support calls nationwide are spyware related.
Some unscrupulous companies market tools that purport to knock out the software but that actually install it on host computers.
IDC pegged anti-spyware sales at $47 million last year but expects that to more than double this year to $106 million.
Microsoft's action
The intensity of the threat has spurred the usually slow-moving Microsoft to take action. The software giant realises that if spyware is not checked, it will present a serious obstacle to the high tech Holy Grail of having every gadget and device linked over the internet.
"Spyware makers will continue to write new programs that circumvent existing protections"Steph Marr,security analystThe company recently bought the small anti-spyware firm Giant, and in early January rolled out the test version of a spyware fix that will be available for free later this year. Yahoo! also offers a free anti-spyware tool that can be downloaded by users, as does AOL.
However, these programmes do not solve the problem. They just give computer users a tool to clean their computers once they become infected.
"They are OK for tech-savvy surfers, but for casual internet users, who know nothing about computers, spyware will continue to be an enormous problem," says security analyst Steph Marr.
"Spyware makers will continue to write new programmes that circumvent existing protections. To keep your computer clean you will need to update and scan your computer frequently. Most people just won't do it."
UK Christian schools fail on tolerance
UK Christian schools fail on tolerance
Friday 21 January 2005, 19:28 Makka Time, 16:28 GMT
The same agency previously criticised Muslim schools
Days after the head of Britain's education watchdog criticised Muslim schools for failing to promote tolerance, a report from his own agency said evangelical Christian schools have a worse record.
Inspectors from Ofsted- the Office for Standards in Education - rated 42.5% of private evangelical Christian schools as failing to help pupils learn to respect other cultures and promote "tolerance and harmony", compared to 36% of Muslim schools, the Times Educational Supplement reported on Friday.
Ofsted chief David Bell angered Muslims this week when he said Islamic schools could threaten the coherence of British society.
But the education watchdog defended Bell's comments as a contribution to "important public debates".
Faith school debate
"The number of independent faith schools has grown from 170 in September 2003 to 276 in January 2005," said a spokeswoman. "Independent Muslim schools are now the largest group within this sector and are increasing in number at a faster rate than schools from other faith sectors.
"There are now more than 100 Muslim schools educating more than 14,000 pupils, so these schools educate by far the largest proportion of children being taught in faith schools."
"I worry that many young people are being educated in faith-based schools, with little appreciation of their wider responsibilities and obligations to British society"David Bell,Head of OfstedEvangelical Christian schools teach 5000 pupils and Jewish schools cater for 9500 pupils.
In a speech to the Hansard Society on Monday, Bell said a traditional Islamic education "does not entirely fit" children for life in modern Britain
"I worry that many young people are being educated in faith-based schools, with little appreciation of their wider responsibilities and obligations to British society," he said.
Irresponsible comment?
The Muslim Council of Britain described Bell's remarks as highly irresponsible while the Association of Muslim Schools accused him of Islamophobia.
However, Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, urged Islamic schools to take Bell's criticism seriously.
"Muslim schools will be doing a great disservice to their pupils if they do not attend to the criticism made by the chief inspector of schools," Siddiqui said.
"It is time that Muslim schools seriously consider admitting a proportion of children from other faiths to give their Muslim pupils an atmosphere of reality," Siddiqui added.
Send feed back to asimhazarika@gawab.com
Friday 21 January 2005, 19:28 Makka Time, 16:28 GMT
The same agency previously criticised Muslim schools
Days after the head of Britain's education watchdog criticised Muslim schools for failing to promote tolerance, a report from his own agency said evangelical Christian schools have a worse record.
Inspectors from Ofsted- the Office for Standards in Education - rated 42.5% of private evangelical Christian schools as failing to help pupils learn to respect other cultures and promote "tolerance and harmony", compared to 36% of Muslim schools, the Times Educational Supplement reported on Friday.
Ofsted chief David Bell angered Muslims this week when he said Islamic schools could threaten the coherence of British society.
But the education watchdog defended Bell's comments as a contribution to "important public debates".
Faith school debate
"The number of independent faith schools has grown from 170 in September 2003 to 276 in January 2005," said a spokeswoman. "Independent Muslim schools are now the largest group within this sector and are increasing in number at a faster rate than schools from other faith sectors.
"There are now more than 100 Muslim schools educating more than 14,000 pupils, so these schools educate by far the largest proportion of children being taught in faith schools."
"I worry that many young people are being educated in faith-based schools, with little appreciation of their wider responsibilities and obligations to British society"David Bell,Head of OfstedEvangelical Christian schools teach 5000 pupils and Jewish schools cater for 9500 pupils.
In a speech to the Hansard Society on Monday, Bell said a traditional Islamic education "does not entirely fit" children for life in modern Britain
"I worry that many young people are being educated in faith-based schools, with little appreciation of their wider responsibilities and obligations to British society," he said.
Irresponsible comment?
The Muslim Council of Britain described Bell's remarks as highly irresponsible while the Association of Muslim Schools accused him of Islamophobia.
However, Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, urged Islamic schools to take Bell's criticism seriously.
"Muslim schools will be doing a great disservice to their pupils if they do not attend to the criticism made by the chief inspector of schools," Siddiqui said.
"It is time that Muslim schools seriously consider admitting a proportion of children from other faiths to give their Muslim pupils an atmosphere of reality," Siddiqui added.
Send feed back to asimhazarika@gawab.com
EID ADHA CREBRATED
GUWAHATI, Jan 21 – Eid adha - the holy festival of the Muslims, was celebrated across the State , and entire northeast where about 15 million muslims lives , along with the rest of the country with traditional gaiety and religious fervour. The majids and eidgahs in the city were a picture of devotion and merriment today as thousands of Muslims prayed on the occasion, which marks the offer of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail to Allah. The faithful, dressed in their best, filled the majids and eidgahs premises and spilled out on to the nearby streets as they prayed for peace and thanked Allah for his benevolence. The majids in the city at Machkhowa was a sea of humanity as the devotees braved the early morning chill and thronged the shrine to offer prayers. After the prayers people embraced each other and exchanged eid Mubaraq. The main majids in the city at Hatigaon, Sijubari, Pub Guwahati, Islampur, etc., also attracted huge gatherings, as did those situated in the city outskirts.
Guwahati, Jan 21: Guwahati today wore a festive look as eIdul-adha was celebrated here with religious fervor and gaiety.
More than 10,000 people gathered at Machkhowa eidgah ground to offer prayer to the Almighty. Hoping that eId might bring `peace and integration` Maulana Abul Kasem, the imam of Machkhowa Pucca Maszid said that eIdul adha would spread the message of Humanism and brotherhood.
Huge gatherings assembled in Garigaon, Adabari, Hatigaon and in other eIdGah Maidan in the city to pray on the holy day.
It may be noted that peace was what all praying for in their prayer.”May Allah bring peace and prosperity to humanity”, said Nurul Amin, the Imam of Hatigaon eIdgah Majids where a crowd of 10,000 people offered prayers. Zamalur Rashid, a city businessman hoped that this would spread the message of humanism as prophet Mohammad believed. “May God keep all well and in peace”, said Iman Ali, a rickshaw puller.
Guwahati, Jan 21: Guwahati today wore a festive look as eIdul-adha was celebrated here with religious fervor and gaiety.
More than 10,000 people gathered at Machkhowa eidgah ground to offer prayer to the Almighty. Hoping that eId might bring `peace and integration` Maulana Abul Kasem, the imam of Machkhowa Pucca Maszid said that eIdul adha would spread the message of Humanism and brotherhood.
Huge gatherings assembled in Garigaon, Adabari, Hatigaon and in other eIdGah Maidan in the city to pray on the holy day.
It may be noted that peace was what all praying for in their prayer.”May Allah bring peace and prosperity to humanity”, said Nurul Amin, the Imam of Hatigaon eIdgah Majids where a crowd of 10,000 people offered prayers. Zamalur Rashid, a city businessman hoped that this would spread the message of humanism as prophet Mohammad believed. “May God keep all well and in peace”, said Iman Ali, a rickshaw puller.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
US Muslims Give Udhiyah Meat to Needy Non - Muslims
US Muslims Give Udhiyah Meat to Needy Non-Muslims
CHICAGO, US, January 19 (IslamOnline.net) – Highlighting the human values of Islam and spreading the concept of feeding the needy regardless of their faith, local mosques associated with the Greater Chicago Food Depository decided to distribute thousands of pounds of `Eid udhiyah (sacrificial animal) meat to feed the hungry and needy mostly non-Muslims in the area.
For the first time, Chicago's estimated 400,000 Muslims are championing a collective effort to feed mostly non-Muslims through the depository, which usually has a shortage of protein-based donations, reported Chicago Sun-Times daily Wednesday, January 19.
“Local mosques have teamed up with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to distribute nearly 16,000 pounds of ground beef donated by Muslims as part of their religious requirement to feed the hungry for the Eid-ul-Adha holiday this week.”
According to the paper, Chicago strong Muslim community usually passes out meat for family, friends and other poor people of the Islamic faith.
“There are words in Qur’an that say if you see a person who denies God, he's a person who does not encourage people to feed the needy,” imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, who initiated the project, told the daily. “It's a duty of faith.”
Muslims celebrate `Eid Al-Adha (feast of the sacrifice) Thursday, January 20.
A financially-able Muslim sacrifices a single sheep or goat or shares six others in sacrificing a camel or a cow as an act of worship during the feast.
According to Islamic tenets, it is permissible to give a non-Muslim some of the Udhiyah meat in charity as long as he is not involved in killing the Muslims. If he is, then he should not be given anything.
`Eid Al-Adha, a major Muslim occasion, is celebrated every year as a way of remembering Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's command.
According to the Noble Qur'an, Abraham was ordered by God to slaughter his son Isma`eel; as difficult as this was, the prophet abided nonetheless. Just as he was about to do so, God replaced the son with a sheep.
Collecting Meat
As of Tuesday, Chicago Muslims ordered 15,750 pounds of beef designated for the Greater Chicago Food Depository's 600 soup kitchens, shelters and pantries. Participating mosques will continue collecting donations until the end of the week, according to the daily.
“Many area Muslims, who are Asian, Middle Eastern, African immigrants, are accustomed to sending money to their native countries so the poverty-stricken there can enjoy the rare luxury of meat on Eid-ul-Adha.
“However, more American Muslims are looking for ways to incorporate their charitable obligations through social services available here.”
“We're not trying to discourage that [giving money overseas for meat], but at the same time, we need to realize there is hunger right here in our neighborhoods,” attorney Kamran Memon, who was instrumental in drumming up mosque participation for the charity drive, told the Chicago Sun-Times
The campaign is launched under the title, “Sacrifice This Eid For Our Neighbors”, and was modeled on a similar program in Toronto. Chicago Muslims pay $139 for a portion of a cow through the campaign, said the daily.
“The meat will be “zabiha,” which means the cow will be slaughtered and processed in accordance with Islamic law.
“The four-pound ground beef portions will be labeled ‘Donated by Chicago Muslims’ before they will be distributed by the Greater Chicago Food Depository early next month.”
The donation is significant because large quantities of “fresh quality meat” is a rarity for the depository, spokeswoman Donna Larkin told the paper.
“Because it's a perishable, high-priced item, we don't get donations for meat products on a regular basis” Larkin said.
CHICAGO, US, January 19 (IslamOnline.net) – Highlighting the human values of Islam and spreading the concept of feeding the needy regardless of their faith, local mosques associated with the Greater Chicago Food Depository decided to distribute thousands of pounds of `Eid udhiyah (sacrificial animal) meat to feed the hungry and needy mostly non-Muslims in the area.
For the first time, Chicago's estimated 400,000 Muslims are championing a collective effort to feed mostly non-Muslims through the depository, which usually has a shortage of protein-based donations, reported Chicago Sun-Times daily Wednesday, January 19.
“Local mosques have teamed up with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to distribute nearly 16,000 pounds of ground beef donated by Muslims as part of their religious requirement to feed the hungry for the Eid-ul-Adha holiday this week.”
According to the paper, Chicago strong Muslim community usually passes out meat for family, friends and other poor people of the Islamic faith.
“There are words in Qur’an that say if you see a person who denies God, he's a person who does not encourage people to feed the needy,” imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, who initiated the project, told the daily. “It's a duty of faith.”
Muslims celebrate `Eid Al-Adha (feast of the sacrifice) Thursday, January 20.
A financially-able Muslim sacrifices a single sheep or goat or shares six others in sacrificing a camel or a cow as an act of worship during the feast.
According to Islamic tenets, it is permissible to give a non-Muslim some of the Udhiyah meat in charity as long as he is not involved in killing the Muslims. If he is, then he should not be given anything.
`Eid Al-Adha, a major Muslim occasion, is celebrated every year as a way of remembering Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's command.
According to the Noble Qur'an, Abraham was ordered by God to slaughter his son Isma`eel; as difficult as this was, the prophet abided nonetheless. Just as he was about to do so, God replaced the son with a sheep.
Collecting Meat
As of Tuesday, Chicago Muslims ordered 15,750 pounds of beef designated for the Greater Chicago Food Depository's 600 soup kitchens, shelters and pantries. Participating mosques will continue collecting donations until the end of the week, according to the daily.
“Many area Muslims, who are Asian, Middle Eastern, African immigrants, are accustomed to sending money to their native countries so the poverty-stricken there can enjoy the rare luxury of meat on Eid-ul-Adha.
“However, more American Muslims are looking for ways to incorporate their charitable obligations through social services available here.”
“We're not trying to discourage that [giving money overseas for meat], but at the same time, we need to realize there is hunger right here in our neighborhoods,” attorney Kamran Memon, who was instrumental in drumming up mosque participation for the charity drive, told the Chicago Sun-Times
The campaign is launched under the title, “Sacrifice This Eid For Our Neighbors”, and was modeled on a similar program in Toronto. Chicago Muslims pay $139 for a portion of a cow through the campaign, said the daily.
“The meat will be “zabiha,” which means the cow will be slaughtered and processed in accordance with Islamic law.
“The four-pound ground beef portions will be labeled ‘Donated by Chicago Muslims’ before they will be distributed by the Greater Chicago Food Depository early next month.”
The donation is significant because large quantities of “fresh quality meat” is a rarity for the depository, spokeswoman Donna Larkin told the paper.
“Because it's a perishable, high-priced item, we don't get donations for meat products on a regular basis” Larkin said.
Rights of Minority Institutions
Rights of Minority Institutions
By Andalib Akhter
New Delhi:
After prolonged and heated debates, the Lok Sabha, finally passed the Bill for the establishment of the ‘National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions’. Opposing the Bill, the main opposition party, the BJP, walked out during the voting.The Bill enables the creation of a National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, It creates the right of minority educational institutions to seek recognition as an affiliated college to a Scheduled University, notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force and it allows for a forum of dispute resolution in the form of a Statutory Commission regarding matters of affiliation between a minority educational institution and a Scheduled University Speaking to this correspondent, the Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh said that the Bill would provide direct affiliation for minority professional institutions to Central Universities. Asaduddin Owaisi of Ithahadul Muslemin said that this was the first serious attempt made in the last 15 years for the implementation of a fundamental right provided in Article 30.
By Andalib Akhter
New Delhi:
After prolonged and heated debates, the Lok Sabha, finally passed the Bill for the establishment of the ‘National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions’. Opposing the Bill, the main opposition party, the BJP, walked out during the voting.The Bill enables the creation of a National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, It creates the right of minority educational institutions to seek recognition as an affiliated college to a Scheduled University, notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force and it allows for a forum of dispute resolution in the form of a Statutory Commission regarding matters of affiliation between a minority educational institution and a Scheduled University Speaking to this correspondent, the Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh said that the Bill would provide direct affiliation for minority professional institutions to Central Universities. Asaduddin Owaisi of Ithahadul Muslemin said that this was the first serious attempt made in the last 15 years for the implementation of a fundamental right provided in Article 30.
Canadian Pilot Embraces Islam in Doha
Canadian Pilot Embraces Islam in Doha
Doha:
Neil Sharp, a Canadian pilot working with Qatar Airways has embraced Islam in Doha. He declared his acceptance of Islam as his faith at a simple ceremony at Qatar Centre for the Presentation of Islam (QCPI) recently. “The Stipulation for prayer five times a day is an effective means of direct communion with Allah the Almighty and the weekly congregation of Jumma prayer is a good opportunity for social interaction.”“The prohibition imposed by Islam on liquor and pork is for the good of mankind. It is medically proven that these things are harmful to man’s health. It was my late father who two decades ago introduced me to Islam. Since then I have been reading a lot about Islam and have gone through a lot of introspection. Finally, I decided Islam is the religion of my choice, he said.”
Doha:
Neil Sharp, a Canadian pilot working with Qatar Airways has embraced Islam in Doha. He declared his acceptance of Islam as his faith at a simple ceremony at Qatar Centre for the Presentation of Islam (QCPI) recently. “The Stipulation for prayer five times a day is an effective means of direct communion with Allah the Almighty and the weekly congregation of Jumma prayer is a good opportunity for social interaction.”“The prohibition imposed by Islam on liquor and pork is for the good of mankind. It is medically proven that these things are harmful to man’s health. It was my late father who two decades ago introduced me to Islam. Since then I have been reading a lot about Islam and have gone through a lot of introspection. Finally, I decided Islam is the religion of my choice, he said.”
School , Church set a fire
NALBARI, Jan 19 –About ten thousand people today demonstrated before the St Joseph English Medium School at Nagrizuli under Tamulpur Police Station in and set the school building and a church situated in the school campus afire in protest against the alleged conversion of Hindu people into the Christianity by missionaries of this school in the locality.Although no one has been injured in the incident, a tense situation has prevailed in the area. The school children were not present today when the local people attacked the school.According to the police sources, the irate mob gathered at the school at around 8.30 am shouting slogans against the missionaries and pelting stones at the school. Some of the agitated people then set the school building and the the church afire. A police team immediately rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
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