IslamOnline.net & News Agencies
RABAT – Taking a new tough line on proselytizing in the North African country, Morocco has expelled scores of Christian missionaries for converting local Muslims.
"They changed their behavior to begin doing missionary work with young children," Communications Minister Khalid Naciri told Reuters Friday, March 12.
Up to 70 foreign Christian missionaries have been expelled from Morocco this month for trying to convert local Muslims.
Among those expelled were couples from Britain and the Netherlands who adopted Moroccan children and a group that ran a children's home in the Middle Atlas mountains.
The expulsion followed complaints from locals that foreigners were targeting minors and exploiting the poverty of local people to shake their faith.
“(They) took advantage of the poverty of some families and targeted their young children, whom they took in hand, in violation of the kafala (adoption) procedures for abandoned or orphaned children," said Naciri.
He vowed that the government would be "severe with all those who play with religious values".
There are estimated 800 active European proselytizers in Morocco, where some 1,000 people converted to Christianity in 2004, according to unofficial estimates.
Muslims make up 99 percent of the Arab country's population, while Christians and Jews represent a meager one percent.
Western and Arab reports have repeatedly spoken about an increasing proselytizing activities in the Arab Maghreb.
France's Le Monde newspaper had estimated that some 500 Tunisians converted to Christianity in 2006.
It claimed thousands in Algeria's tribal areas have converted to Christianity since 1992.
Tolerance
The Moroccan government said that the expulsion had nothing to do with religious freedom.
"This decision is not against one religion or another,” said Naciri.
“Morocco is, and will remain, open-minded and tolerant.”
Morocco allows freedom of worship to mostly foreign Christians and a few thousand indigenous Jews, but proselytism is illegal.
"All churches have their place on the street in Morocco and Christians practise their religion freely," said Naciri.
Proselytism by foreign Christians has already drawn fire from Christians and Jews in the Muslim country.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Rabat, Vincent Landel, and the president of the Evangelical Church in Morocco Father Jean-Luc Blanc said the expelled missionaries “were not acting in accordance with the law of the Catholic Church."
Proselytism was "an act to be condemned," they said.
"Our goal is to take part in the building of a Morocco where Muslims, Jews and Christians are happy to share their responsibility in building a country where people can live together in justice, peace and reconciliation."
Rabbi Joseph Israel, president of the rabbinical chamber at the court in Casablanca, also spoke out against proselytism.
"Morocco is a nation of tolerance," he said. "Here, we practise all religions -- Islam, Judaism and Christianity – without constraints or limits.”
"There is no place for the practice of proselytism."
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Using Qur’an to Preach Christianity
IslamOnline.net & Newspapers
CAIRO — Christian missionaries in Malaysia are using verses of the Noble Qur’an about Jesus in an effort to preach Christianity to Muslims in the south Asian country.
“You aren’t criticizing Muhammad or any other prophets,” David Garrison, a Christian missionary, told The New York Times on Saturday, March 13.
“Just raising Jesus up.”
Garrison uses a strategy called “Camel Method”, which involves using Quranic verses about Jesus to convert Muslims to Christianity.
In one case, the missionary speaks with Muslims about the miraculous birth of Jesus.
“Do you know of any other prophets born of a virgin?” the missionary asks Muslims.
Muslims believe in Jesus as one of the great Prophets of God.
He is the son of Mary but not the Son of God. He was conceived and born miraculously.
This miracle is a sign to all that God has power to do anything He wills. This is similar to God's creation of Adam without a father or a mother.
In the Noble Qur’an, Jesus is called "Isa". He is also known as Al-Masih (the Christ) and Ibn Maryam (Son of Mary).
As for his crucifixion, Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified but was lifted up to heaven.
God Gift
In other cases, missionaries speak about Jesus miracles mentioned in the Qur’an to persuade Muslims that he was more than a prophet.
“It (Qur’an) says in that passage that Isa would be able to cleanse the leper, even raise the dead," Garrison said.
"At that point in the conversation with Muslims, we say, ‘Isn’t it interesting that Isa had this tremendous power that God gave to him? Even death was under his power.’
“Then you ask the question, ‘Is there any other prophet that had this kind of power?’ And in Islam, there isn’t.”
In Islam, different messengers were sent with different gifts, as they needed to speak to their own people in a way that would attract them and help them to understand.
The special gift of Jesus was that that he could perform miracles.
Being able to perform miracles, though, didn't make him equal to God.
Everything he did was by God's leave, to teach the people of Israel about God Himself. Even these miracles, though, were not enough to convince them.
Muslims believe that Jesus will come back to earth before the end of time to restore peace and order, fight the Anti-Christ (Al-Masih Al-Dajjal) and bring victory for truth and righteousness.
The true followers of Jesus will prevail over those who deny him, misrepresent him and reject him.
CAIRO — Christian missionaries in Malaysia are using verses of the Noble Qur’an about Jesus in an effort to preach Christianity to Muslims in the south Asian country.
“You aren’t criticizing Muhammad or any other prophets,” David Garrison, a Christian missionary, told The New York Times on Saturday, March 13.
“Just raising Jesus up.”
Garrison uses a strategy called “Camel Method”, which involves using Quranic verses about Jesus to convert Muslims to Christianity.
In one case, the missionary speaks with Muslims about the miraculous birth of Jesus.
“Do you know of any other prophets born of a virgin?” the missionary asks Muslims.
Muslims believe in Jesus as one of the great Prophets of God.
He is the son of Mary but not the Son of God. He was conceived and born miraculously.
This miracle is a sign to all that God has power to do anything He wills. This is similar to God's creation of Adam without a father or a mother.
In the Noble Qur’an, Jesus is called "Isa". He is also known as Al-Masih (the Christ) and Ibn Maryam (Son of Mary).
As for his crucifixion, Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified but was lifted up to heaven.
God Gift
In other cases, missionaries speak about Jesus miracles mentioned in the Qur’an to persuade Muslims that he was more than a prophet.
“It (Qur’an) says in that passage that Isa would be able to cleanse the leper, even raise the dead," Garrison said.
"At that point in the conversation with Muslims, we say, ‘Isn’t it interesting that Isa had this tremendous power that God gave to him? Even death was under his power.’
“Then you ask the question, ‘Is there any other prophet that had this kind of power?’ And in Islam, there isn’t.”
In Islam, different messengers were sent with different gifts, as they needed to speak to their own people in a way that would attract them and help them to understand.
The special gift of Jesus was that that he could perform miracles.
Being able to perform miracles, though, didn't make him equal to God.
Everything he did was by God's leave, to teach the people of Israel about God Himself. Even these miracles, though, were not enough to convince them.
Muslims believe that Jesus will come back to earth before the end of time to restore peace and order, fight the Anti-Christ (Al-Masih Al-Dajjal) and bring victory for truth and righteousness.
The true followers of Jesus will prevail over those who deny him, misrepresent him and reject him.
Muslims can get reservation constitutionally: Kalyan Jain
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Indore: Reservation for Indian Muslims in admissions in government educational institutions and employments is the need of the hour to uplift the community from the morass of illiteracy and poverty, which has been relegated to the level even below Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Dalits in some fields as per Justice Sachchar Committee report, and bring it to the mainstream.
This was the general refrain of speakers at a seminar organized by Popular Front of India, (PFI), as a part of its ongoing two month long National Campaign for Muslim Reservation. The campaign is underway to get the recommendation of Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission of granting 10 per cent reservations to Muslims implemented. The seminar was organized at Rabindra Nath Tagore auditorium here on Tuesday night.
Kalyan Jain, ex-Member of Parliament from Indore, expressing his views said that in any country of the world where majority community defends minorities rights it moves on the path of real development and becomes developed but in India it is not so. Recalling his experience with Muslim masses he said they urge him to ensure security of their lives and property and nothing more they want in an environment where fear has been instilled in them.
Jain said that Muslims are educationally and socially backward and as such can get reservation constitutionally.
“I openly support reservation for Muslims to bring them at par with other communities”, he said emphatically. He, however, lamented that Muslims dither in identifying as to who are their real friends or foes and in the process suffer much.
The president of All India Imam Council, (AIIC), Maulana Usman Baig of Bangalore in a spirited speech highlighted the significance for any nation making its people free from fear and hunger. He emphasized that Muslims can create a way for their progress and dignified life in the country by peaceful means provided they stand united, determined and bold on the chosen path.
Maulana Baig announced that AIIC will raise the issue of reservation from the pulpit of mosques to make Muslim masses aware of the issue so that the community could regroup itself and press for the implementation of 10 per cent reservation for Muslims as recommended by Mishra Commission. He said that there should be inclusive growth and all round development of one and all where no part of Indian society is left behind high and dry. Then only the development of the country can be said to be in letter and spirit.
However, Maulana Baig said: “Fascist forces, which are in miniscule, are a hurdle in this and have vitiated the whole atmosphere by their hate campaign against Muslims. They want to keep Muslims at bay from enjoying the fruits of freedom regained from the yoke of British rule. He reminded that over 51,000 Ulema (Muslim clerics) had laid down their lives during the freedom struggle so that India could breath in a free environment where there is no discrimination and bias against anyone on grounds of caste, creed or religion.
He lamented that fascist forces, in tandem with security agencies of the country, carrying out disinformation campaign for last 63 years have instilled in the minds of the Muslims that they are outsiders saying “Yeh Desh Tumhara Nahin Hai, Tum Videshi Ho”. The security forces in the name of fighting terrorism have labeled Muslim youth as members of some non-existing terrorist organizations such as “Indian Mujahideen”, “South Indian Mujahideen”, “Love Jihad” etc. All these are figment of imagination and product of fascist mind, Maulana asserted. The administration adopts double standards with Muslims, he alleged.
P. N. Solanki, general secretary BAMCEF Madhya Pradesh unit, expressed concern over diminishing representation of Muslims, who ruled India for well over 650 years, in Indian Parliament and legislative bodies and as such are now found mostly in lowly paid jobs and trades.
Solanki said that the word reservation is not appropriate and it should be replaced by representation which the Muslims should demand in all walks of life as per their population percentage in India. They should also come out of their inferiority complex and not consider themselves a minority community.
“It is an irony that 30 millions Brahmins, which is ruling the country since Independence, calls Muslims who are nearly 200 millions as Minority”, he remarked.
He advocated Muslims to refrain from calling the country as “Hindustan” but say it is Bharat which is India. This will have an effect on the mind set of Hindus who consider India to be the abode of Hindus only while Muslims being aliens. “Ninety-nine percent of Muslims are bona-fide residents of India and their residential rights in the country cannot be challenged”, he asserted.
E. Abubacker, president of Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), speaking on the occasion said that Muslims have been kept away from the corridors of power and used only as vote banks till date. They have been reduced as second class citizens of India with a seal of a being traitors. Their integrity is being doubted and they have to wear their allegiance towards India on their sleeves, he lamented.
He advised Muslims not to despair but think in terms of sharing political power by giving up aloofness and play a constructive role to empower themselves instead of just striving to keep Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), out of power. They should not indulge in negative politics. Keeping BJP away from power is not the duty of Muslims alone but also of others, he added.
Advocate Sajid Siddiqui, vice president of SDPI, reeled out statistics to show as how Muslims who were about 35 per cent in government jobs before Independence and now they have been reduced only to about three to four per cent due to negligence and apathy of the ruling class for last six decades. Reservation is the only answer to uplift Muslim masses and bring them in mainstream to be the partners in the development of the country, he stressed.
Adv. Siddiqui declared all out whole-hearted support of SDPI to the ongoing campaign of PFI to get 10 per cent reservation to Muslims as per Ranganath Mishra Commission report.
Prof. Khursheed Alam of Al-Farooq Unani College, Indore, while presenting a paper on “Minorities Rights & Discrimination” said that ongoing country-wide campaign for reservation is good for the country as it would help the marginalized sections of the society to come at par with others . Prof. Alam pointed out that as per Article 15 (4) of the Indian Constitution Muslims can be declared as a Backward Class and then granted reservation. To achieve this Muslims will have to unite and come on one platform to put pressure on the government to concede their demand of 10 per cent reservation, he opined.
Others who spoke on the occasion included Prof. A.A.A. Abbasi, ex-Vice Chancellor of Devi Ahilya University, Indore; Saleem Ansari, secretary SDPI M.P. Unit; and Abdur Raoof, Numainda Committee member & SDPI National Working Committee member.
Earlier, Muhammad Kafeel delivered welcome speech. Ghulam Nabi Khan, PFI convener of Indore, proposed vote of thanks.
At the outset Unity song “Sare Jahan Se Achcha Hindostan Hamara” was played on the public address system with one and all standing in rapt attention.
Indore: Reservation for Indian Muslims in admissions in government educational institutions and employments is the need of the hour to uplift the community from the morass of illiteracy and poverty, which has been relegated to the level even below Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Dalits in some fields as per Justice Sachchar Committee report, and bring it to the mainstream.
This was the general refrain of speakers at a seminar organized by Popular Front of India, (PFI), as a part of its ongoing two month long National Campaign for Muslim Reservation. The campaign is underway to get the recommendation of Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission of granting 10 per cent reservations to Muslims implemented. The seminar was organized at Rabindra Nath Tagore auditorium here on Tuesday night.
Kalyan Jain, ex-Member of Parliament from Indore, expressing his views said that in any country of the world where majority community defends minorities rights it moves on the path of real development and becomes developed but in India it is not so. Recalling his experience with Muslim masses he said they urge him to ensure security of their lives and property and nothing more they want in an environment where fear has been instilled in them.
Jain said that Muslims are educationally and socially backward and as such can get reservation constitutionally.
“I openly support reservation for Muslims to bring them at par with other communities”, he said emphatically. He, however, lamented that Muslims dither in identifying as to who are their real friends or foes and in the process suffer much.
The president of All India Imam Council, (AIIC), Maulana Usman Baig of Bangalore in a spirited speech highlighted the significance for any nation making its people free from fear and hunger. He emphasized that Muslims can create a way for their progress and dignified life in the country by peaceful means provided they stand united, determined and bold on the chosen path.
Maulana Baig announced that AIIC will raise the issue of reservation from the pulpit of mosques to make Muslim masses aware of the issue so that the community could regroup itself and press for the implementation of 10 per cent reservation for Muslims as recommended by Mishra Commission. He said that there should be inclusive growth and all round development of one and all where no part of Indian society is left behind high and dry. Then only the development of the country can be said to be in letter and spirit.
However, Maulana Baig said: “Fascist forces, which are in miniscule, are a hurdle in this and have vitiated the whole atmosphere by their hate campaign against Muslims. They want to keep Muslims at bay from enjoying the fruits of freedom regained from the yoke of British rule. He reminded that over 51,000 Ulema (Muslim clerics) had laid down their lives during the freedom struggle so that India could breath in a free environment where there is no discrimination and bias against anyone on grounds of caste, creed or religion.
He lamented that fascist forces, in tandem with security agencies of the country, carrying out disinformation campaign for last 63 years have instilled in the minds of the Muslims that they are outsiders saying “Yeh Desh Tumhara Nahin Hai, Tum Videshi Ho”. The security forces in the name of fighting terrorism have labeled Muslim youth as members of some non-existing terrorist organizations such as “Indian Mujahideen”, “South Indian Mujahideen”, “Love Jihad” etc. All these are figment of imagination and product of fascist mind, Maulana asserted. The administration adopts double standards with Muslims, he alleged.
P. N. Solanki, general secretary BAMCEF Madhya Pradesh unit, expressed concern over diminishing representation of Muslims, who ruled India for well over 650 years, in Indian Parliament and legislative bodies and as such are now found mostly in lowly paid jobs and trades.
Solanki said that the word reservation is not appropriate and it should be replaced by representation which the Muslims should demand in all walks of life as per their population percentage in India. They should also come out of their inferiority complex and not consider themselves a minority community.
“It is an irony that 30 millions Brahmins, which is ruling the country since Independence, calls Muslims who are nearly 200 millions as Minority”, he remarked.
He advocated Muslims to refrain from calling the country as “Hindustan” but say it is Bharat which is India. This will have an effect on the mind set of Hindus who consider India to be the abode of Hindus only while Muslims being aliens. “Ninety-nine percent of Muslims are bona-fide residents of India and their residential rights in the country cannot be challenged”, he asserted.
E. Abubacker, president of Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), speaking on the occasion said that Muslims have been kept away from the corridors of power and used only as vote banks till date. They have been reduced as second class citizens of India with a seal of a being traitors. Their integrity is being doubted and they have to wear their allegiance towards India on their sleeves, he lamented.
He advised Muslims not to despair but think in terms of sharing political power by giving up aloofness and play a constructive role to empower themselves instead of just striving to keep Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), out of power. They should not indulge in negative politics. Keeping BJP away from power is not the duty of Muslims alone but also of others, he added.
Advocate Sajid Siddiqui, vice president of SDPI, reeled out statistics to show as how Muslims who were about 35 per cent in government jobs before Independence and now they have been reduced only to about three to four per cent due to negligence and apathy of the ruling class for last six decades. Reservation is the only answer to uplift Muslim masses and bring them in mainstream to be the partners in the development of the country, he stressed.
Adv. Siddiqui declared all out whole-hearted support of SDPI to the ongoing campaign of PFI to get 10 per cent reservation to Muslims as per Ranganath Mishra Commission report.
Prof. Khursheed Alam of Al-Farooq Unani College, Indore, while presenting a paper on “Minorities Rights & Discrimination” said that ongoing country-wide campaign for reservation is good for the country as it would help the marginalized sections of the society to come at par with others . Prof. Alam pointed out that as per Article 15 (4) of the Indian Constitution Muslims can be declared as a Backward Class and then granted reservation. To achieve this Muslims will have to unite and come on one platform to put pressure on the government to concede their demand of 10 per cent reservation, he opined.
Others who spoke on the occasion included Prof. A.A.A. Abbasi, ex-Vice Chancellor of Devi Ahilya University, Indore; Saleem Ansari, secretary SDPI M.P. Unit; and Abdur Raoof, Numainda Committee member & SDPI National Working Committee member.
Earlier, Muhammad Kafeel delivered welcome speech. Ghulam Nabi Khan, PFI convener of Indore, proposed vote of thanks.
At the outset Unity song “Sare Jahan Se Achcha Hindostan Hamara” was played on the public address system with one and all standing in rapt attention.
Indian atheist embraces Islam
RIYADH: A well-known Indian psychotherapist embraced Islam on Thursday.
Dr. Periyadarshan, who has changed his name to Abdullah, told Arab News Friday that Islam is the only religion in the world that follows a book directly revealed from God.
He said that as a student of comparative religions he believes books of other faiths have not been directly revealed to mankind from God. He said the Holy Qur’an is still in the same format and style as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) from Almighty Allah.
Dr. Abdullah is a visiting professor at the University of California in Los Angeles.
He also acted in the famous Tamil film “Karuthamma” about the killing of newborn baby girls in some remote villages in India. The production received national award from the Indian government.
“I was well known in India for my atheist theology and later I became to realize that religion is the only way out for human beings both in this world as well as in the hereafter,” he said.
Dr. Abdullah will be performing Umrah on Saturday on his first visit to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article29180.ece
Dr. Periyadarshan, who has changed his name to Abdullah, told Arab News Friday that Islam is the only religion in the world that follows a book directly revealed from God.
He said that as a student of comparative religions he believes books of other faiths have not been directly revealed to mankind from God. He said the Holy Qur’an is still in the same format and style as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) from Almighty Allah.
Dr. Abdullah is a visiting professor at the University of California in Los Angeles.
He also acted in the famous Tamil film “Karuthamma” about the killing of newborn baby girls in some remote villages in India. The production received national award from the Indian government.
“I was well known in India for my atheist theology and later I became to realize that religion is the only way out for human beings both in this world as well as in the hereafter,” he said.
Dr. Abdullah will be performing Umrah on Saturday on his first visit to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article29180.ece
Women’s Reservation Bill: Attempt to stifle the voice of Muslims
By Navaid Hamid for TwoCircles.net
Every new day has its own significance and if one goes into the history of human evolution, one finds that a good number of dates have left a mark on the history of civilisations. Some dates have dramatically changed the course of history while others have shamed humanity.
If we scrutinise the ”9th of March” in the history of civilisations, we get the glimpse of its impact on human history. It was on 9th March 1496 when the Jews were expelled from Austria. State of Naples banned kissing in public with death for the offenders on this day. On this day in 1841, the US Supreme Court ruled that blacks are free. Same day in 1893 witnessed the killings of thousands of Arabs by Congo cannibals. The Russian Bolshevik Party became the Communist Party on the 9th of March 1918 and in neighbouring Ukraine, mobs massacred Jews of Seredino Buda on the same day and year. This day in 1935 saw the launching of a new air force by Adolf Hitler. It was on 9th March 1945 when America started a fresh offensive against Japan and Tokyo was carpeted with 2,000 bombs killing more than 80,000 residents. In the year 1956, this day saw the military might of USSR suppress popular demonstrations in Georgia. It was again 9th March but of the year 1959 which saw the debut of the Barbie doll in the American markets.
With the passage of the Women Reservation Bill by the upper house of the Indian Parliament, 9th March 2010 would also be remembered in the Indian history for a number of reasons.
This day would be remembered for the historic decision to take Indian women from the confines of home to the house to legislate to play their role in defining the destiny of this young nation for many generations to come.
Out of 7906 total members elected to the Lok Sabha, 542 women got opportunity to reach the lower house of Indian Parliament since 1952. WR Bill has provision to have 33 percent reservation for fair gender out of the total strength of 543 which would be 181 after it becomes law. The total strength of the members in 28 state assemblies stands at 4109 and the Bill has provision to reserve 1370 seats for women in these state assemblies.
The day would also be remembered for railroading an important legislation to safeguard the interests of the privileged classes which have felt the heat of a silent social renaissance in Indian society in the wake of the implementation of the Mandal report and for trying to negate the fruits of social justice which Other Backward Classes have started enjoying as a result of the implementation of the Mandal Report.
The day would be also be remembered for gagging the voices of the sanity and banning frank and free discussion and the right to vote according to one’s conscience with threats of disqualification from the membership of Rajya Sabha coupled with the stick of whips issued to members thus making a farce of democratic values.
Thus the day would also be remembered for the exposure of the misuse of the whips, in the highest decision making body of Indian democracy, by the leadership to persue their dictated agenda by imposing censorship on the voice of dissent.
The day would also be remembered for the use of Marshals, for the first time in the history of Indian democracy, to evict the dissenting members from the Rajya Sabha. One can disagree with the procedure these members have adopted for opposing the bill but it has also to be seen in the context of the insistence to follow the concept of ‘might is right’ too. A frustrated minority has no other option but to react in a manner which might, some time, seems to be indecent and uncivilised.
The day would be also be remembered for the famous quote of Arun Jaitely, leader of the opposition, that the majority of the upper house, Rajya Sabha, is in favor of the Women Reservation Bill (without sub-quotas for Other Backward Classes and SCs and STs) because they sincerely desires the empowerment of the Indian Women. What he failed to mention was the elitist character of the present Rajya Sabha where privileged classes dominate as far as the numerical strength is concerned. With this farce the nation has witnessed another live demonstration of ‘might is right’ after the demolition of Babri Mosque in Ayodhya by goons of the ideology, to which he belongs, in 1992.
Is it not true that unde the provision of the current Bill, women would get reservation only in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas (State Legislatures) and not in Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and State Councils (Upper House of State legisltaures) in several states where they exist.
Every citizen wishes to know from the pushers of WRB, why reservations for women have been confined to Lok Sabha and State Legislatures only.
The day would also be remembered for the misuse and exploitation of the issue of gender justice by members of the elite and privileged classes who control national parties from Right to Left, who are hell-bent to deny just rights and share in decision-making to the underprivileged and minorities. These privileged men and women have successfully imitated and copied the maneuverings of the white elites of the United States who have exploited gender discrimination by clubbing it with racial discrimination and thereby decimating Afro-American groups.
This day would also be remembered for ignoring the hard fact that during the last 60 years, national polity has failed to honour the promises and assurances of none other than the stalwarts of the freedom struggle, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, given in the Constituent Assembly to the minorities after Muslim members Begum Aizaz Rasool and Hafiz Tajammul Hussain moved amendments to exclude Muslims from the provisions of reservation in May 1949, that the nation would give fair justice to the minorities.
Who can deny that Muslims are the most decimated community today, educationally, economically and politically? Their women face double edge of discrimination, in comparison to women of other religions, being a Muslim and being women. Just 14 Muslim women succeeded in reaching to Lok Sabha and that constitutes mere 2.5 percent of the total elected women members in the history of last 60 years.
If we scrutinise the position of Muslims in corridors of power, we would find that Muslims have less than one third of their due representation in the Lok Sabha.
In West Bengal which is under the rule of an ultra secular Left alliance for close to three decades, the condition of Muslims is worse because of the deliberate attempts of the Left leaders to exploit the issue of security to deprive the Muslims of WB of their educational, economical and political rights. Sachar Committee pointed out the plight of the Muslim of West Bengal. The percentage of Muslims in the WB state legislature stands at around four percent while they represent over a quarter of that state’s total population. It was amusing to hear the fractured and distorted argument put forward by female face of the CPM in the Rajya Sabha Mrs. Brinda Karat that the women reservation at the local bodies level had indeed empowered Muslim women as 10 out of 50 women elected in Hyderabad Municipal Corporation were Muslims. What she failed to mention was that all these seats are predominantly Muslim-dominated. How can a municipal corporation seat having around 5000 or so voters be compared with sprawling assembly and Parliamentary seats?
It is also history that for two consecutive terms, in the state legislature of Madhya Pradesh, where Muslims constitutes about nine percent of the total population, the representation of Muslims in the state legislature was nil.
Even in Delhi, the capital of the nation, where the Muslim population stands over 12 percent of the total population, their representation is just seven percent in state legislature. Out of Delhi’s seven members in the Lok Sabha, Muslims have none in spite of the fact that Muslims constitute more than 27 percent of the total voters in the North East Delhi Parliamentary constituency.
This day would also be remembered for the true exposure of Muslim representatives in different political parties and their lack of courage by remaining mute spectators when history was inked with legislative provision to shrink the political space for the future generations of the Muslim community in a democratic nation.
Sacchar Committe have pointed that majority of the seats reserved for the SC and ST’s have Muslim concentration and with the reservations of women, without sub-quota for Muslim women, the options for Muslims would be limited to just 45 percent of the general seats and these might be those seats which have marginal percentage of Muslim electorates.
In May 1949, two Muslim representatives had sealed the fate of the Muslim community by moving amendments to exclude Muslims from reservation, the year 2010 witnessed indifferent attitude of most of the 20 Muslim representatives in Rajya Sabha towards safeguarding the democratic interests of their coming generations.
Who can deny that during elections, secular political parties deny tickets to Muslim aspirants on the ground that winnabilty is the deciding factor and not a candidate’s religion.
It is an irony that a stalwart of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s stature was asked to contest from the Muslim-dominated constituency of Rampur and the national icon Azharuddin was morphed into a “Muslim candidate” in Moradabad during the last general elections. The examples of Maulana Azad and Azharuddin, undoubtedly exposed the weaknesses of our secular polity and democratic process and the prejudices Muslims have to face during hustings.
This day would also be remembered for the second constitutional provision in the history of young India which would shrink the share of Muslims in the fruits of power after the imposition of the religious restriction on Article 341 of the Indian Constitution way back in 1950 in the shape of a presidential order that defined that only believers in a certain faith were entitled to reservation.
No doubt, the Bill in its present form would further alienate Muslims and create deep mistrust and frustration in the minds of younger generations. The day when this deep distrust and sense of frustration would be further cemented, for which the foundation have already been laid, that would be one of the saddest in the history of the evolution of a strong, vibrant, secular and inclusive India. To avoid that we needs to shed our arrogance and evolve a way to create trust and convey a message of care and inclusiveness to all, irrespective of their numerical strength for an integrated strong nation.
It is for the polity of the nation now to decide how they wish to register “9th March” in the history of the evolution of a vibrant India.
--
Navaid Hamid is the Secretary of South Asian Council for Minorities (SACM) and a member of National Integration Council.
Every new day has its own significance and if one goes into the history of human evolution, one finds that a good number of dates have left a mark on the history of civilisations. Some dates have dramatically changed the course of history while others have shamed humanity.
If we scrutinise the ”9th of March” in the history of civilisations, we get the glimpse of its impact on human history. It was on 9th March 1496 when the Jews were expelled from Austria. State of Naples banned kissing in public with death for the offenders on this day. On this day in 1841, the US Supreme Court ruled that blacks are free. Same day in 1893 witnessed the killings of thousands of Arabs by Congo cannibals. The Russian Bolshevik Party became the Communist Party on the 9th of March 1918 and in neighbouring Ukraine, mobs massacred Jews of Seredino Buda on the same day and year. This day in 1935 saw the launching of a new air force by Adolf Hitler. It was on 9th March 1945 when America started a fresh offensive against Japan and Tokyo was carpeted with 2,000 bombs killing more than 80,000 residents. In the year 1956, this day saw the military might of USSR suppress popular demonstrations in Georgia. It was again 9th March but of the year 1959 which saw the debut of the Barbie doll in the American markets.
With the passage of the Women Reservation Bill by the upper house of the Indian Parliament, 9th March 2010 would also be remembered in the Indian history for a number of reasons.
This day would be remembered for the historic decision to take Indian women from the confines of home to the house to legislate to play their role in defining the destiny of this young nation for many generations to come.
Out of 7906 total members elected to the Lok Sabha, 542 women got opportunity to reach the lower house of Indian Parliament since 1952. WR Bill has provision to have 33 percent reservation for fair gender out of the total strength of 543 which would be 181 after it becomes law. The total strength of the members in 28 state assemblies stands at 4109 and the Bill has provision to reserve 1370 seats for women in these state assemblies.
The day would also be remembered for railroading an important legislation to safeguard the interests of the privileged classes which have felt the heat of a silent social renaissance in Indian society in the wake of the implementation of the Mandal report and for trying to negate the fruits of social justice which Other Backward Classes have started enjoying as a result of the implementation of the Mandal Report.
The day would be also be remembered for gagging the voices of the sanity and banning frank and free discussion and the right to vote according to one’s conscience with threats of disqualification from the membership of Rajya Sabha coupled with the stick of whips issued to members thus making a farce of democratic values.
Thus the day would also be remembered for the exposure of the misuse of the whips, in the highest decision making body of Indian democracy, by the leadership to persue their dictated agenda by imposing censorship on the voice of dissent.
The day would also be remembered for the use of Marshals, for the first time in the history of Indian democracy, to evict the dissenting members from the Rajya Sabha. One can disagree with the procedure these members have adopted for opposing the bill but it has also to be seen in the context of the insistence to follow the concept of ‘might is right’ too. A frustrated minority has no other option but to react in a manner which might, some time, seems to be indecent and uncivilised.
The day would be also be remembered for the famous quote of Arun Jaitely, leader of the opposition, that the majority of the upper house, Rajya Sabha, is in favor of the Women Reservation Bill (without sub-quotas for Other Backward Classes and SCs and STs) because they sincerely desires the empowerment of the Indian Women. What he failed to mention was the elitist character of the present Rajya Sabha where privileged classes dominate as far as the numerical strength is concerned. With this farce the nation has witnessed another live demonstration of ‘might is right’ after the demolition of Babri Mosque in Ayodhya by goons of the ideology, to which he belongs, in 1992.
Is it not true that unde the provision of the current Bill, women would get reservation only in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas (State Legislatures) and not in Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and State Councils (Upper House of State legisltaures) in several states where they exist.
Every citizen wishes to know from the pushers of WRB, why reservations for women have been confined to Lok Sabha and State Legislatures only.
The day would also be remembered for the misuse and exploitation of the issue of gender justice by members of the elite and privileged classes who control national parties from Right to Left, who are hell-bent to deny just rights and share in decision-making to the underprivileged and minorities. These privileged men and women have successfully imitated and copied the maneuverings of the white elites of the United States who have exploited gender discrimination by clubbing it with racial discrimination and thereby decimating Afro-American groups.
This day would also be remembered for ignoring the hard fact that during the last 60 years, national polity has failed to honour the promises and assurances of none other than the stalwarts of the freedom struggle, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, given in the Constituent Assembly to the minorities after Muslim members Begum Aizaz Rasool and Hafiz Tajammul Hussain moved amendments to exclude Muslims from the provisions of reservation in May 1949, that the nation would give fair justice to the minorities.
Who can deny that Muslims are the most decimated community today, educationally, economically and politically? Their women face double edge of discrimination, in comparison to women of other religions, being a Muslim and being women. Just 14 Muslim women succeeded in reaching to Lok Sabha and that constitutes mere 2.5 percent of the total elected women members in the history of last 60 years.
If we scrutinise the position of Muslims in corridors of power, we would find that Muslims have less than one third of their due representation in the Lok Sabha.
In West Bengal which is under the rule of an ultra secular Left alliance for close to three decades, the condition of Muslims is worse because of the deliberate attempts of the Left leaders to exploit the issue of security to deprive the Muslims of WB of their educational, economical and political rights. Sachar Committee pointed out the plight of the Muslim of West Bengal. The percentage of Muslims in the WB state legislature stands at around four percent while they represent over a quarter of that state’s total population. It was amusing to hear the fractured and distorted argument put forward by female face of the CPM in the Rajya Sabha Mrs. Brinda Karat that the women reservation at the local bodies level had indeed empowered Muslim women as 10 out of 50 women elected in Hyderabad Municipal Corporation were Muslims. What she failed to mention was that all these seats are predominantly Muslim-dominated. How can a municipal corporation seat having around 5000 or so voters be compared with sprawling assembly and Parliamentary seats?
It is also history that for two consecutive terms, in the state legislature of Madhya Pradesh, where Muslims constitutes about nine percent of the total population, the representation of Muslims in the state legislature was nil.
Even in Delhi, the capital of the nation, where the Muslim population stands over 12 percent of the total population, their representation is just seven percent in state legislature. Out of Delhi’s seven members in the Lok Sabha, Muslims have none in spite of the fact that Muslims constitute more than 27 percent of the total voters in the North East Delhi Parliamentary constituency.
This day would also be remembered for the true exposure of Muslim representatives in different political parties and their lack of courage by remaining mute spectators when history was inked with legislative provision to shrink the political space for the future generations of the Muslim community in a democratic nation.
Sacchar Committe have pointed that majority of the seats reserved for the SC and ST’s have Muslim concentration and with the reservations of women, without sub-quota for Muslim women, the options for Muslims would be limited to just 45 percent of the general seats and these might be those seats which have marginal percentage of Muslim electorates.
In May 1949, two Muslim representatives had sealed the fate of the Muslim community by moving amendments to exclude Muslims from reservation, the year 2010 witnessed indifferent attitude of most of the 20 Muslim representatives in Rajya Sabha towards safeguarding the democratic interests of their coming generations.
Who can deny that during elections, secular political parties deny tickets to Muslim aspirants on the ground that winnabilty is the deciding factor and not a candidate’s religion.
It is an irony that a stalwart of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s stature was asked to contest from the Muslim-dominated constituency of Rampur and the national icon Azharuddin was morphed into a “Muslim candidate” in Moradabad during the last general elections. The examples of Maulana Azad and Azharuddin, undoubtedly exposed the weaknesses of our secular polity and democratic process and the prejudices Muslims have to face during hustings.
This day would also be remembered for the second constitutional provision in the history of young India which would shrink the share of Muslims in the fruits of power after the imposition of the religious restriction on Article 341 of the Indian Constitution way back in 1950 in the shape of a presidential order that defined that only believers in a certain faith were entitled to reservation.
No doubt, the Bill in its present form would further alienate Muslims and create deep mistrust and frustration in the minds of younger generations. The day when this deep distrust and sense of frustration would be further cemented, for which the foundation have already been laid, that would be one of the saddest in the history of the evolution of a strong, vibrant, secular and inclusive India. To avoid that we needs to shed our arrogance and evolve a way to create trust and convey a message of care and inclusiveness to all, irrespective of their numerical strength for an integrated strong nation.
It is for the polity of the nation now to decide how they wish to register “9th March” in the history of the evolution of a vibrant India.
--
Navaid Hamid is the Secretary of South Asian Council for Minorities (SACM) and a member of National Integration Council.
France Readies Burqa Law, UK Urges Ban
IslamOnline.net & Newspapers
CAIRO — While France is preparing a law to ban the wearing of face-veil in the European country by spring, the anti-veil camp is gaining new backers in neighboring Britain.
"In a democracy, we don’t live behind a mask," said French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, reported France24 on Friday, March 12.
"That is why we have decided, with the president to legislate (the burqa ban) in the spring."
Fillon said the burqa, an outfit covering the whole body from head to toe and wore by some Muslim women, runs counter to France’s liberal principles.
"A full veil that hides the whole face runs contrary to our idea of free and open social interaction," he told a meeting of activists and supporters of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).
France has been gripped by a heated debate on the face-veil – burqa and niqab - since President Nicolas Sarkozy had declared the outfit “not welcome” in the secular country.
Fillon has recently asked the top court to help the government draft a law banning the face-veil after a parliamentary panel recommended a partial ban on the wear in hospitals, schools, public transport and government offices.
According to the Interior Ministry, only about 1,900 Muslim women are estimated to being using face-veils.
In 2004, France, home to nearly seven million Muslims, the biggest Muslim minority in Europe, banned hijab in schools and public places.
While hijab is an obligatory code of dress for Muslim women, the majority of Muslim scholars agree that a woman is not obliged to wear the face-veil.
Scholars believe it is up to women to decide whether to take on the veil or burqa.
Ban
he anti-burqa camp is also gaining grounds in Britain, with calls for banning the outfit.
“In my view, and the view of my constituents, wearing the burqa is not an acceptable form of dress and the banning of it should be seriously considered,'' Philip Hollobone, Conservative MP for Kettering, told the Daily Telegraph.
Hollobone said the face-veil was “oppressive and regressive” to the advancement of women in society.
“It goes against the British way of life,” he said.
"If we all went around wearing burqas our country would be a very sad place.”
Last January, the right-wing UK Independence Party (UKIP) called for banning face-veils from public and private places in the north-western European country.
The far-right British National Party has also called for banning it in schools.
Similar debates are also heating up in Italy, Denmark, Netherlands and Germany.
“I seriously think that a ban on wearing the burqa in public should be considered,” Hollobone told the House of Commons earlier this week.
“This is Britain. We are not a Muslim country.”
On Monday, the EU top rights chief harshly criticized European politicians’ calls for banning face-veil.
Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, said the ban would constitute an ill-advised invasion of individual privacy and a violation to European Convention on Human Rights.
CAIRO — While France is preparing a law to ban the wearing of face-veil in the European country by spring, the anti-veil camp is gaining new backers in neighboring Britain.
"In a democracy, we don’t live behind a mask," said French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, reported France24 on Friday, March 12.
"That is why we have decided, with the president to legislate (the burqa ban) in the spring."
Fillon said the burqa, an outfit covering the whole body from head to toe and wore by some Muslim women, runs counter to France’s liberal principles.
"A full veil that hides the whole face runs contrary to our idea of free and open social interaction," he told a meeting of activists and supporters of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).
France has been gripped by a heated debate on the face-veil – burqa and niqab - since President Nicolas Sarkozy had declared the outfit “not welcome” in the secular country.
Fillon has recently asked the top court to help the government draft a law banning the face-veil after a parliamentary panel recommended a partial ban on the wear in hospitals, schools, public transport and government offices.
According to the Interior Ministry, only about 1,900 Muslim women are estimated to being using face-veils.
In 2004, France, home to nearly seven million Muslims, the biggest Muslim minority in Europe, banned hijab in schools and public places.
While hijab is an obligatory code of dress for Muslim women, the majority of Muslim scholars agree that a woman is not obliged to wear the face-veil.
Scholars believe it is up to women to decide whether to take on the veil or burqa.
Ban
he anti-burqa camp is also gaining grounds in Britain, with calls for banning the outfit.
“In my view, and the view of my constituents, wearing the burqa is not an acceptable form of dress and the banning of it should be seriously considered,'' Philip Hollobone, Conservative MP for Kettering, told the Daily Telegraph.
Hollobone said the face-veil was “oppressive and regressive” to the advancement of women in society.
“It goes against the British way of life,” he said.
"If we all went around wearing burqas our country would be a very sad place.”
Last January, the right-wing UK Independence Party (UKIP) called for banning face-veils from public and private places in the north-western European country.
The far-right British National Party has also called for banning it in schools.
Similar debates are also heating up in Italy, Denmark, Netherlands and Germany.
“I seriously think that a ban on wearing the burqa in public should be considered,” Hollobone told the House of Commons earlier this week.
“This is Britain. We are not a Muslim country.”
On Monday, the EU top rights chief harshly criticized European politicians’ calls for banning face-veil.
Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, said the ban would constitute an ill-advised invasion of individual privacy and a violation to European Convention on Human Rights.
India Quizzes Top Hindus Over Muslim Killings
IslamOnline.net & News Agencies
AHMEDABAD, India — Two senior Hindu officials of India’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been summoned for questioning over the massacre of Muslims in the western state of Gujarat eight years ago.
"I have been asked to appear before SIT (Special Investigating Team) tomorrow," former BJP General Secretary Nalin Bhatt told the Press Trust of India Friday, March 12.
Bhatt will be quizzed about the killing of 2,000 Muslims in Gujarat in 2002.
The summoning comes one day after Gujarat’s chief minister Narendra Modi was summoned for questioning over the killings.
"We have called the Gujarat chief minister" for questioning on March 21, SIT chief R.K. Raghavan told Agence France Presse (AFP).
The orders follow one by the Supreme Court to investigators last year to probe a complaint filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of ex-Congress party MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed on February 28, 2002.
Jafri was hacked to death and burnt by Hindu extremists who stormed the Gulbarg Society, a residential complex housing Muslim families in Ahmedabad, Gujarat's largest city.
In 2002, at least 2000 were hacked or burned to death by Hindu mobs in Gujarat after 59 Hindu pilgrims died in a train fire.
The fire was first blamed on Muslims but a later inquiry concluded it was accidental.
Modi, a prominent BJP member who is often seen as a future prime minister of India, has long been accused by human rights groups of turning a blind eye to the anti-Muslim pogrom.
Welcome
The police questioning drew showering praise from families of the Gujarat victims.
"I don't care what happens afterwards but it's good that Modi has been served summons," Zakia Jafri said.
"I have had sleepless nights since the incident. Now let him (Modi) also have some sleepless nights."
Jafri's son, Tanveer, said he hoped his mother's complaint against Modi "will lead to formal charges being filed."
Lawyers and activists, who have campaigned for justice for the Muslim victims, also welcomed the summons.
"(This is) a good first step towards justice,” Mukul Sinha, a lawyer representing the victims, told CNN-IBN news channel.
Teesta Setalvad, a rights activist supporting the Muslim victims, hailed the move as a "long overdue" step that was "not enough."
"I hope this leads to the charging Modi for conspiracy," she told CNN-IBN.
Previous investigations into the killings commissioned by the Gujarat government absolved the state police and administration of collusion or allowing the rioters a free rein.
But last March, Gujarat's Women and Child Welfare Minister Maya Kodnani was arrested on charges of leading a mob that killed more than 100 people during the riots, making her the highest-ranking state official to be detained.
AHMEDABAD, India — Two senior Hindu officials of India’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been summoned for questioning over the massacre of Muslims in the western state of Gujarat eight years ago.
"I have been asked to appear before SIT (Special Investigating Team) tomorrow," former BJP General Secretary Nalin Bhatt told the Press Trust of India Friday, March 12.
Bhatt will be quizzed about the killing of 2,000 Muslims in Gujarat in 2002.
The summoning comes one day after Gujarat’s chief minister Narendra Modi was summoned for questioning over the killings.
"We have called the Gujarat chief minister" for questioning on March 21, SIT chief R.K. Raghavan told Agence France Presse (AFP).
The orders follow one by the Supreme Court to investigators last year to probe a complaint filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of ex-Congress party MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed on February 28, 2002.
Jafri was hacked to death and burnt by Hindu extremists who stormed the Gulbarg Society, a residential complex housing Muslim families in Ahmedabad, Gujarat's largest city.
In 2002, at least 2000 were hacked or burned to death by Hindu mobs in Gujarat after 59 Hindu pilgrims died in a train fire.
The fire was first blamed on Muslims but a later inquiry concluded it was accidental.
Modi, a prominent BJP member who is often seen as a future prime minister of India, has long been accused by human rights groups of turning a blind eye to the anti-Muslim pogrom.
Welcome
The police questioning drew showering praise from families of the Gujarat victims.
"I don't care what happens afterwards but it's good that Modi has been served summons," Zakia Jafri said.
"I have had sleepless nights since the incident. Now let him (Modi) also have some sleepless nights."
Jafri's son, Tanveer, said he hoped his mother's complaint against Modi "will lead to formal charges being filed."
Lawyers and activists, who have campaigned for justice for the Muslim victims, also welcomed the summons.
"(This is) a good first step towards justice,” Mukul Sinha, a lawyer representing the victims, told CNN-IBN news channel.
Teesta Setalvad, a rights activist supporting the Muslim victims, hailed the move as a "long overdue" step that was "not enough."
"I hope this leads to the charging Modi for conspiracy," she told CNN-IBN.
Previous investigations into the killings commissioned by the Gujarat government absolved the state police and administration of collusion or allowing the rioters a free rein.
But last March, Gujarat's Women and Child Welfare Minister Maya Kodnani was arrested on charges of leading a mob that killed more than 100 people during the riots, making her the highest-ranking state official to be detained.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Will women quota bill strengthen only political dynasties?
By Shafee Ahmed Ko, TwoCircles.net,
Chennai: Whether women reservation bill will only strengthen political dynasties in India is a fear that has strong ground in the political history of the country which has seen several political families rising and capturing political power. Even today there are a dozen odd families which have considerable presence in both state and national politics. The female members of such families are ahead in the grab.
At present there are 59 women MPs. Majority of them are from Congress and next majority from BJP. Out of 556 women candidates fielded in the 2009 general elections only 10% of them are successfully representing now. Our Lok Sabha Speaker, though from Dalit community, is five time winner. However, most women MPs are from high class political families.
On women's bill the worry is if all the 33% MPs are drawn from such dynasties where the lower echelon and downtrodden have to find electoral opportunities: Merit is agreed. When the 80% of population is lower classes, we are ruled by 15% upper classes and mention is to be made that out of this 15%, a particular group of 2% dominate the entire nation by virtue of merit and eliteness. How many years more will the 80% take to have merits and eliteness? To achieve 16% education (to read and write) uplifment, it has taken 60 years, how many year will India need to achieve advancement at par with all elite groups?
Have a look at some political families.
The Nehru-Gandhi Family
Motilal Nehru (1861-1931) (politician and lawyer) (Father)
Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) (Prime Minister, 1947-1964) (Son of Motilal)
Kamala Nehru, (1899-1936) (wife of Jawaharlal, Congress leader)
Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) ( Prime Minister, 1966-1977 and 1980-1984) (Daughter of Jawaharlal)
Feroze Gandhi (1912-1960), (Member of Parliament)(Indira Gandhi’s husband)
Rajiv Gandhi (1944-1991) (Prime Minister, 1984-1989) (Son of Indira)
Sonia Gandhi, (1946-) (president of the Indian National Congress party) (Widow of Rajiv)
Rahul Gandhi (1970-) (Member of Parliament and a General Secretary of the Indian National Congress) - (Son of Rajiv)
Priyanka Gandhi (1974-) (Home Maker) - (Daughter of Rajiv)
Sanjay Gandhi (1946-1980) (politician) - (Son of Indira)
Maneka Gandhi (1956-) (politician, ex-minister, environmentalist) - (Widow of Sanjay) - (not of Congress party)
Varun Gandhi (1980-) (politician) - (Son of Sanjay) - (MP, BJP)
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, (1900-1990) (MP and diplomat) (daughter of Motilal)
Sheila Kaul, (1915-) (former Union Minister)(maternal aunt of Indira Gandhi)
Nayantara Sehgal, (novelist and political critic) (daughter of Mrs Pandit)
Uma Nehru (Member of Parliament) - (Indira’s cousin)
Arun Nehru (politician, ex-minister) - (Nephew of Indira, son of Uma) - (not of Congress party)
The Anugrah Narayan Sinha Family
Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha, (politician and first Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar)
Satyendra Narayan Sinha, Former Chief Minister of Bihar (Son of Dr Anugrah Narayan Sinha)
Kishori Sinha,(former Member Of Parliament)-(Wife Of Satyendra Narayan Sinha)
Rameshwar Prasad Sinha,(father of Kishori Sinha, Member Of Constituent Assembly)
Nikhil Kumar, Governor Of Nagaland (son of Satyendra Narayan Sinha)
Shyama Singh,(Ex MP) (Wife of Nikhil Kumar)
N. K. Singh, Rajya Sabha MP (Brother-in-law Of Nikhil Kumar)
Uday Singh, (Member Of Parliament)-(Nikhil Kumar’s younger brother in law)
Madhuri Singh,(former MP)-(Nikhil Kumar’s mother in law)
The Satpathy Family
Shri. Devendra Satpathy, Two times Lok Sabha MP from Orissa
Smt. Nandini Satpathy,Two times Rajya Sabha member,Union Minister,Chief Minister of Orissa
Shri. Tathagata Satpathy, Three times Lok Sabha MP from Orissa
Shri. Suparno Satpathy, Awarded Social Activist, noted writer,promising young political leader of Orissa
The Mishra Family
Lalit Narayan Mishra, Former Railway Minister of India
Vijay Kumar Mishra Ex MP, MLA and MLC and active politician in Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP (Son of Lalit Narayan Mishra)
Gouri Shankar Rajhans, Ex MP, Bihar (Husband of niece of Lalit Narayan Mishra)
Jagannath Mishra, Former Chief Minister and Union Cabinet Minister (Brother of Lalit Narayan Mishra)
Nitish Mishra, Ex Minister and MLA in Bihar (Son of Dr Jagannath Mishra)
The Ramachandran Family
M.G. Ramachandran, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Janaki Ramachandran, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (wife of MGR)
The Karunanidhi Family
M. Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
M.K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (Son of Karunanidhi)
M.K. Azhagiri, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers (Son of Karunanidhi)
Kanimozhi Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (Daughter of Karunanidhi)
Murasoli Maran, former union minister (nephew of Karunanidhi)
Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister for Textiles (son of Maran)
The Abdullah Family
Sheikh Abdullah, Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
Begum Akbar Jahan Abdullah, Member of Parliament (wife of Sheikh Abdullah)
Farooq Abdullah, Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (son of Sheikh Abdullah)
Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, former Union Minister, (son of Farooq)
Sara Abdullah, (daughter of Farooq)
Sachin Pilot, Member of Parliament (husband of Sara)
Begum Khalida Shah, President of Awami National Conference, J&K State (daughter of Sheikh Abdullah)
Ghulam Mohammad Shah, Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, (husband of Begum Khalida Shah)
Muzzafher Shah, Senior Vice President of Awami National Conference, J&K state (son of Ghulam Mohammed Shah)
The Owaisi Family
Abdul Wahed Owaisi
Sultan Salahuddin owaisi, Former Member of Parliament, Hyderabad.
Asaduddin Owaisi, Member of Parliament 2004 - Present
Akbaruddin Owaisi, MLA Andhra Pradesh
The Bahuguna Family
Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Vijay Bahuguna, Member of Parliament
Rita bahuguna Joshi President of UPCC.
The K. Karunakaran Family
K. Karunakaran, Kerala chief minister
K. Muraleedharan, Former State Minister for Electricity and Member of parliament (Son of Karunakaran)
Padmaja Venugopal, (Daughter of K. Karunakaran)
The Kodoth Family-Kodoth, Kerala India
Kodoth Krishnan Nair, State politician-assassinated
Kodoth Govindan Nair, Congress Politician, K. Karunakaran associate
The Ramadoss Family - Tamil Nadu, India
S. Ramadoss, PMK founder, Tamil Nadu Politician
Anbumani Ramadoss, Former Cabinet Minister, rajya Sabha MP
The Kumaramangalam Family (father-son and daughter)
P. Subbarayan (Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu)
Mohan Kumaramangalam (Indian National Congress cabinet minister)
Lalitha Kumaramangalam (Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician in Pondicherry)
Rangarajan Kumaramangalam (BJP cabinet minister)
The Naidu Family
Sarojini Naidu (freedom fighter and poetess) (Mother)
Padmaja Naidu (Governor) (Daughter)
The Mirdha Family of Rajasthan
Baldev Ram Mirdha
Ram Niwas Mirdha
Nathuram Mirdha
Harendra Mirdha
Richpal Mirdha
Raghuvendra Mirdha
The Patnaik Family
Biju Patnaik
Naveen Patnaik, son of Biju
Gita Mehta, daughter of Biju
The Pilot Family
Rajesh Pilot
Rama Pilot, wife of Rajesh Pilot
Sachin Pilot, son of Rajesh Pilot
Sara Abdullah Pilot, wife of Sachin Pilot and daughter of Farooq Abdullah
The Lalu Yadav Family
Laloo Prasad Yadav, former Bihar chief minister, former Railway minister
Rabri Devi, former Bihar chief minister
Sadhu Yadav,(former MP) Rabri Devi’s brother
Subhash Yadav,(Rajya Sabha MP)Rabri Devi’s brother
The Nandamuri Family
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao ”NTR”, Former Film Actor & Former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh
Laxmi Parvathy, Second wife of NTR, erstwhile leader of TDP (NTR) faction.
Nara Chandrababu Naidu, son-in-law of NTR, former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh
Nandamuri Harikrishna, son of NTR, Member Of Parliament, Ex Transport Minister.
Nandamuri Balakrishna, son of NTR, Recently Entered into Politics
Daggubati Purandareswari, Daughter of NTR, Minister of State, Human Resource Development
Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, son-in-law of NTR, Member of Andhra Pradesh State Assembly, Ex Member of Parliament, Ex Health Minister.
The Sayeed Family
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, former Home Minister, India, ex-CM, J&K
Mehbooba Mufti, daughter of Mufti Muhammed
The Scindia Family (former Maharajas) (mother-son and daughters-grandsons)
Rajmata Vijayraje ScindiaBJP
Madhavrao Scindia, son of Vijayaraje INC
Jyotiraditya Scindia, son of Madhavrao
Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Chief minister of Rajasthan, daughter of Vijayaraje
Dushyant Singh, son of Vasundhara Raje
Yashodhara Raje Scindia, daughter of Vijayaraje
The Thackerary Family
Balasaheb Thackeray
Udhav Thackeray, son of Balasaheb
Smitha Thackeray, daughter-in-law of Balasaheb
Raj Thackeray, nephew of Balasaheb
The Pawar Family
Sharad Pawar, Agriculture Minister, India
Supriya Sule, daughter of Sharad Pawar, local politician
Ajit Pawar, nephew of Sharad Pawar Irrigation Minister, Maharashtra
The Chavan Family
Shankarrao Chavan, ex chief minister of Maharashtra, ex home minister of India
Ashok Chavan, current chief minister of Maharashtra
Bhaskarrao Bapurao Khatgaonkar, member of Lok Sabha of India
The Devegowda Family
Devegowda, Ex-Prime Minister, India; Ex-Chief minister Karnataka
H.D. Revanna, Son of Devegowda, Ex-minister Karnataka
H.D. Kumaraswamy, Son of Devegowda, Ex-Chief Minister Karnataka
The Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Family
Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy,Ex-Chief minister, Andhra Pradesh
Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, M.P Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh (son of Y.S. RajaSekahara Reddy )
Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy,Ex-M.P Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh ( Brother of Y.S. RajaShekara Reddy)
The Mulayam Singh Yadav Family
Mulayam Singh Yadav Ex-Chief Minister Uttar Pradesh.
Akhilesh Yadav,Member of ParliamentSon.
The Chautala Family
Chaudhari Devi Lal (1914-2001) (Deputy Prime Minister of India, 1989-1991), (Chief Minister of Haryana, 1977-1979 and 1987-1989) (Father)
Ch. Om Prakash Chautala (Ex-Chief Minister of Haryana)(Son)
Abhay Chautala MP (Grandson)
Ajay Chautala MP (Grandson)
The Bansilal Family
Chaudhari Bansilal Former Chief Minister of Haryana, Defence Minister of India, Railway Minister of India
Surendar Chaudary Member of Parliament,(Son)
Ranbir Mahender Ex President BCCI, MLA (Son)
Kiran Chaudhary Ex Depy Speaker Delhi Assembly, Ex MoS Haryana (Daughter-in-Law)
Shruti Chaudhary MP Bhiwani (Granddaughter)
The Naik Family
Ganesh Naik, Minister of State excise and non conventional energy,Maharashtra
Sanjeev Naik , Member of Parliament
Sandeep Naik , Member of Legislative Assembly
Late Tukaram Naik ,EX-Leader of opposition , Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation
Chennai: Whether women reservation bill will only strengthen political dynasties in India is a fear that has strong ground in the political history of the country which has seen several political families rising and capturing political power. Even today there are a dozen odd families which have considerable presence in both state and national politics. The female members of such families are ahead in the grab.
At present there are 59 women MPs. Majority of them are from Congress and next majority from BJP. Out of 556 women candidates fielded in the 2009 general elections only 10% of them are successfully representing now. Our Lok Sabha Speaker, though from Dalit community, is five time winner. However, most women MPs are from high class political families.
On women's bill the worry is if all the 33% MPs are drawn from such dynasties where the lower echelon and downtrodden have to find electoral opportunities: Merit is agreed. When the 80% of population is lower classes, we are ruled by 15% upper classes and mention is to be made that out of this 15%, a particular group of 2% dominate the entire nation by virtue of merit and eliteness. How many years more will the 80% take to have merits and eliteness? To achieve 16% education (to read and write) uplifment, it has taken 60 years, how many year will India need to achieve advancement at par with all elite groups?
Have a look at some political families.
The Nehru-Gandhi Family
Motilal Nehru (1861-1931) (politician and lawyer) (Father)
Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) (Prime Minister, 1947-1964) (Son of Motilal)
Kamala Nehru, (1899-1936) (wife of Jawaharlal, Congress leader)
Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) ( Prime Minister, 1966-1977 and 1980-1984) (Daughter of Jawaharlal)
Feroze Gandhi (1912-1960), (Member of Parliament)(Indira Gandhi’s husband)
Rajiv Gandhi (1944-1991) (Prime Minister, 1984-1989) (Son of Indira)
Sonia Gandhi, (1946-) (president of the Indian National Congress party) (Widow of Rajiv)
Rahul Gandhi (1970-) (Member of Parliament and a General Secretary of the Indian National Congress) - (Son of Rajiv)
Priyanka Gandhi (1974-) (Home Maker) - (Daughter of Rajiv)
Sanjay Gandhi (1946-1980) (politician) - (Son of Indira)
Maneka Gandhi (1956-) (politician, ex-minister, environmentalist) - (Widow of Sanjay) - (not of Congress party)
Varun Gandhi (1980-) (politician) - (Son of Sanjay) - (MP, BJP)
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, (1900-1990) (MP and diplomat) (daughter of Motilal)
Sheila Kaul, (1915-) (former Union Minister)(maternal aunt of Indira Gandhi)
Nayantara Sehgal, (novelist and political critic) (daughter of Mrs Pandit)
Uma Nehru (Member of Parliament) - (Indira’s cousin)
Arun Nehru (politician, ex-minister) - (Nephew of Indira, son of Uma) - (not of Congress party)
The Anugrah Narayan Sinha Family
Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha, (politician and first Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar)
Satyendra Narayan Sinha, Former Chief Minister of Bihar (Son of Dr Anugrah Narayan Sinha)
Kishori Sinha,(former Member Of Parliament)-(Wife Of Satyendra Narayan Sinha)
Rameshwar Prasad Sinha,(father of Kishori Sinha, Member Of Constituent Assembly)
Nikhil Kumar, Governor Of Nagaland (son of Satyendra Narayan Sinha)
Shyama Singh,(Ex MP) (Wife of Nikhil Kumar)
N. K. Singh, Rajya Sabha MP (Brother-in-law Of Nikhil Kumar)
Uday Singh, (Member Of Parliament)-(Nikhil Kumar’s younger brother in law)
Madhuri Singh,(former MP)-(Nikhil Kumar’s mother in law)
The Satpathy Family
Shri. Devendra Satpathy, Two times Lok Sabha MP from Orissa
Smt. Nandini Satpathy,Two times Rajya Sabha member,Union Minister,Chief Minister of Orissa
Shri. Tathagata Satpathy, Three times Lok Sabha MP from Orissa
Shri. Suparno Satpathy, Awarded Social Activist, noted writer,promising young political leader of Orissa
The Mishra Family
Lalit Narayan Mishra, Former Railway Minister of India
Vijay Kumar Mishra Ex MP, MLA and MLC and active politician in Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP (Son of Lalit Narayan Mishra)
Gouri Shankar Rajhans, Ex MP, Bihar (Husband of niece of Lalit Narayan Mishra)
Jagannath Mishra, Former Chief Minister and Union Cabinet Minister (Brother of Lalit Narayan Mishra)
Nitish Mishra, Ex Minister and MLA in Bihar (Son of Dr Jagannath Mishra)
The Ramachandran Family
M.G. Ramachandran, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Janaki Ramachandran, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (wife of MGR)
The Karunanidhi Family
M. Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
M.K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (Son of Karunanidhi)
M.K. Azhagiri, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers (Son of Karunanidhi)
Kanimozhi Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (Daughter of Karunanidhi)
Murasoli Maran, former union minister (nephew of Karunanidhi)
Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister for Textiles (son of Maran)
The Abdullah Family
Sheikh Abdullah, Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
Begum Akbar Jahan Abdullah, Member of Parliament (wife of Sheikh Abdullah)
Farooq Abdullah, Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (son of Sheikh Abdullah)
Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, former Union Minister, (son of Farooq)
Sara Abdullah, (daughter of Farooq)
Sachin Pilot, Member of Parliament (husband of Sara)
Begum Khalida Shah, President of Awami National Conference, J&K State (daughter of Sheikh Abdullah)
Ghulam Mohammad Shah, Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, (husband of Begum Khalida Shah)
Muzzafher Shah, Senior Vice President of Awami National Conference, J&K state (son of Ghulam Mohammed Shah)
The Owaisi Family
Abdul Wahed Owaisi
Sultan Salahuddin owaisi, Former Member of Parliament, Hyderabad.
Asaduddin Owaisi, Member of Parliament 2004 - Present
Akbaruddin Owaisi, MLA Andhra Pradesh
The Bahuguna Family
Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Vijay Bahuguna, Member of Parliament
Rita bahuguna Joshi President of UPCC.
The K. Karunakaran Family
K. Karunakaran, Kerala chief minister
K. Muraleedharan, Former State Minister for Electricity and Member of parliament (Son of Karunakaran)
Padmaja Venugopal, (Daughter of K. Karunakaran)
The Kodoth Family-Kodoth, Kerala India
Kodoth Krishnan Nair, State politician-assassinated
Kodoth Govindan Nair, Congress Politician, K. Karunakaran associate
The Ramadoss Family - Tamil Nadu, India
S. Ramadoss, PMK founder, Tamil Nadu Politician
Anbumani Ramadoss, Former Cabinet Minister, rajya Sabha MP
The Kumaramangalam Family (father-son and daughter)
P. Subbarayan (Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu)
Mohan Kumaramangalam (Indian National Congress cabinet minister)
Lalitha Kumaramangalam (Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician in Pondicherry)
Rangarajan Kumaramangalam (BJP cabinet minister)
The Naidu Family
Sarojini Naidu (freedom fighter and poetess) (Mother)
Padmaja Naidu (Governor) (Daughter)
The Mirdha Family of Rajasthan
Baldev Ram Mirdha
Ram Niwas Mirdha
Nathuram Mirdha
Harendra Mirdha
Richpal Mirdha
Raghuvendra Mirdha
The Patnaik Family
Biju Patnaik
Naveen Patnaik, son of Biju
Gita Mehta, daughter of Biju
The Pilot Family
Rajesh Pilot
Rama Pilot, wife of Rajesh Pilot
Sachin Pilot, son of Rajesh Pilot
Sara Abdullah Pilot, wife of Sachin Pilot and daughter of Farooq Abdullah
The Lalu Yadav Family
Laloo Prasad Yadav, former Bihar chief minister, former Railway minister
Rabri Devi, former Bihar chief minister
Sadhu Yadav,(former MP) Rabri Devi’s brother
Subhash Yadav,(Rajya Sabha MP)Rabri Devi’s brother
The Nandamuri Family
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao ”NTR”, Former Film Actor & Former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh
Laxmi Parvathy, Second wife of NTR, erstwhile leader of TDP (NTR) faction.
Nara Chandrababu Naidu, son-in-law of NTR, former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh
Nandamuri Harikrishna, son of NTR, Member Of Parliament, Ex Transport Minister.
Nandamuri Balakrishna, son of NTR, Recently Entered into Politics
Daggubati Purandareswari, Daughter of NTR, Minister of State, Human Resource Development
Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, son-in-law of NTR, Member of Andhra Pradesh State Assembly, Ex Member of Parliament, Ex Health Minister.
The Sayeed Family
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, former Home Minister, India, ex-CM, J&K
Mehbooba Mufti, daughter of Mufti Muhammed
The Scindia Family (former Maharajas) (mother-son and daughters-grandsons)
Rajmata Vijayraje ScindiaBJP
Madhavrao Scindia, son of Vijayaraje INC
Jyotiraditya Scindia, son of Madhavrao
Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Chief minister of Rajasthan, daughter of Vijayaraje
Dushyant Singh, son of Vasundhara Raje
Yashodhara Raje Scindia, daughter of Vijayaraje
The Thackerary Family
Balasaheb Thackeray
Udhav Thackeray, son of Balasaheb
Smitha Thackeray, daughter-in-law of Balasaheb
Raj Thackeray, nephew of Balasaheb
The Pawar Family
Sharad Pawar, Agriculture Minister, India
Supriya Sule, daughter of Sharad Pawar, local politician
Ajit Pawar, nephew of Sharad Pawar Irrigation Minister, Maharashtra
The Chavan Family
Shankarrao Chavan, ex chief minister of Maharashtra, ex home minister of India
Ashok Chavan, current chief minister of Maharashtra
Bhaskarrao Bapurao Khatgaonkar, member of Lok Sabha of India
The Devegowda Family
Devegowda, Ex-Prime Minister, India; Ex-Chief minister Karnataka
H.D. Revanna, Son of Devegowda, Ex-minister Karnataka
H.D. Kumaraswamy, Son of Devegowda, Ex-Chief Minister Karnataka
The Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Family
Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy,Ex-Chief minister, Andhra Pradesh
Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, M.P Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh (son of Y.S. RajaSekahara Reddy )
Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy,Ex-M.P Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh ( Brother of Y.S. RajaShekara Reddy)
The Mulayam Singh Yadav Family
Mulayam Singh Yadav Ex-Chief Minister Uttar Pradesh.
Akhilesh Yadav,Member of ParliamentSon.
The Chautala Family
Chaudhari Devi Lal (1914-2001) (Deputy Prime Minister of India, 1989-1991), (Chief Minister of Haryana, 1977-1979 and 1987-1989) (Father)
Ch. Om Prakash Chautala (Ex-Chief Minister of Haryana)(Son)
Abhay Chautala MP (Grandson)
Ajay Chautala MP (Grandson)
The Bansilal Family
Chaudhari Bansilal Former Chief Minister of Haryana, Defence Minister of India, Railway Minister of India
Surendar Chaudary Member of Parliament,(Son)
Ranbir Mahender Ex President BCCI, MLA (Son)
Kiran Chaudhary Ex Depy Speaker Delhi Assembly, Ex MoS Haryana (Daughter-in-Law)
Shruti Chaudhary MP Bhiwani (Granddaughter)
The Naik Family
Ganesh Naik, Minister of State excise and non conventional energy,Maharashtra
Sanjeev Naik , Member of Parliament
Sandeep Naik , Member of Legislative Assembly
Late Tukaram Naik ,EX-Leader of opposition , Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation
Azhar Rejects Light Adhan
IslamOnline.net & Newspapers
CAIRO – Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world, has dismissed a proposal to replace the call for prayers in a planned mosque in France’s second-largest city of Marseille with a beam of light from the minarets, the Egyptian independent daily Al-Doustor reported on Monday, March 8.
"The Adhan is an announcement that the time for prayers has come," explained Sheikh Ali Abdel-Baqi, Secretary General of Al-Azhar’s Academy of Islamic Research.
"This announcement is being done in a certain way that was conducted by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him)."
The main purpose of Adhan is to alert Muslims that the time for prayers has come.
It is called out by a muezzin in the mosque five times a day to summon worshippers for prayers.
But that has become a problem for many Muslim communities living in non-Muslims countries.
This has forced some Muslims to come up with the idea of using light to call for the prayers instead of Adhan.
Muslims planning a grand mosque in France’s second-largest city of Marseille are proposing to beam a purple light from its minarets at the time of prayer.
"The Adhan can be made inside the mosque to avoid any disturbance to non-Muslims," said Abdel-Baqi.
Dialogue
Al-Azhar official advised Muslims to avoid protests over opposition to using adhan to call for prayers.
"They should pursue dialogue with authorities in these countries to convince them about the importance of Adhan."
France is home to nearly seven million Muslims, the biggest Muslim minority in Europe.
The country is also witnessing a heated debate about the wearing of burka in the country, which banned hijab in schools and public places in 2004.
Since the 9/11 attacks, Muslim minorities in the West have been facing hard times in fulfilling their religious duties.
In November, Swiss voters backed an initiative by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party for a blanket ban on the construction of minarets in the country.
In Denmark, plans to build two mosques in the capital Copenhagen to serve the Muslim community are meeting stiff resistance.
Australian Muslims are also meeting opposition to build mosques and schools to serve their community.
CAIRO – Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world, has dismissed a proposal to replace the call for prayers in a planned mosque in France’s second-largest city of Marseille with a beam of light from the minarets, the Egyptian independent daily Al-Doustor reported on Monday, March 8.
"The Adhan is an announcement that the time for prayers has come," explained Sheikh Ali Abdel-Baqi, Secretary General of Al-Azhar’s Academy of Islamic Research.
"This announcement is being done in a certain way that was conducted by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him)."
The main purpose of Adhan is to alert Muslims that the time for prayers has come.
It is called out by a muezzin in the mosque five times a day to summon worshippers for prayers.
But that has become a problem for many Muslim communities living in non-Muslims countries.
This has forced some Muslims to come up with the idea of using light to call for the prayers instead of Adhan.
Muslims planning a grand mosque in France’s second-largest city of Marseille are proposing to beam a purple light from its minarets at the time of prayer.
"The Adhan can be made inside the mosque to avoid any disturbance to non-Muslims," said Abdel-Baqi.
Dialogue
Al-Azhar official advised Muslims to avoid protests over opposition to using adhan to call for prayers.
"They should pursue dialogue with authorities in these countries to convince them about the importance of Adhan."
France is home to nearly seven million Muslims, the biggest Muslim minority in Europe.
The country is also witnessing a heated debate about the wearing of burka in the country, which banned hijab in schools and public places in 2004.
Since the 9/11 attacks, Muslim minorities in the West have been facing hard times in fulfilling their religious duties.
In November, Swiss voters backed an initiative by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party for a blanket ban on the construction of minarets in the country.
In Denmark, plans to build two mosques in the capital Copenhagen to serve the Muslim community are meeting stiff resistance.
Australian Muslims are also meeting opposition to build mosques and schools to serve their community.
Romania’s New Muslims...Educated Elite
By Hany Salah, IOL Correspondent
CAIRO – Doctors, engineers and other professionals make the bulk of people embracing Islam in Romania, where the Muslim minority is already enjoying full rights.
"The majority of Romanian Muslims are of the educated elite," Bari Nardeen, the head of the Muslim Youth Association of Romania, told IslamOnline.net over the phone from Bucharest.
"They are doctors, engineers, teachers, professionals and merchants."
Nardeen, of Tatar origin, classified Romanian Muslims into three categories.
"There are the locals who hail from Tatar, Turkish, Gypsy and Albanian origins," he explained, adding that their forefathers came to Romania with the Ottoman in the 12th century.
Others are of Arab and Muslim origins, particularly from Syria and Turkey.
"They came to Romania during the Communist rule but they were only given the citizenship after its collapse in 1989," noted Nardeen.
The third category, he added, is the new Muslims.
"Many natives have been increasingly accepting Islam since the collapse of the Communist rule. They include many women who embraced the faith after marriage."
There are no official figures on the number of Muslims in Romanian, a country that has a population of 22 millions.
But Muslim organizations estimate the number at some 100,000.
Recognized
Islam is a recognized religion in Romania.
"The government has recognized 18 religions, including Islam," said Nardeen, the head of the Muslim Youth Association of Romania.
He pointed out that the official recognition of Islam has helped Romanian Muslims enjoy their full rights.
"Muslims can build mosques and rent halls for conferences and forums without any restrictions," he asserted.
"Primary and preparatory schools are also offering mandatory weekly lessons about Islam for Muslim students."
Nardeen said that the Ifta House is an official institution in Romania.
"The salaries of the Ifta House employees are paid by the government," he added.
"The post of Mufti is equal to a minister. He speaks in the name of Romanian Muslims before the government."
Nardeen said Romanian Muslims still face many challenges.
"One of the biggest problems is the scarcity of qualified cadres and the lack of funding for our projects."
CAIRO – Doctors, engineers and other professionals make the bulk of people embracing Islam in Romania, where the Muslim minority is already enjoying full rights.
"The majority of Romanian Muslims are of the educated elite," Bari Nardeen, the head of the Muslim Youth Association of Romania, told IslamOnline.net over the phone from Bucharest.
"They are doctors, engineers, teachers, professionals and merchants."
Nardeen, of Tatar origin, classified Romanian Muslims into three categories.
"There are the locals who hail from Tatar, Turkish, Gypsy and Albanian origins," he explained, adding that their forefathers came to Romania with the Ottoman in the 12th century.
Others are of Arab and Muslim origins, particularly from Syria and Turkey.
"They came to Romania during the Communist rule but they were only given the citizenship after its collapse in 1989," noted Nardeen.
The third category, he added, is the new Muslims.
"Many natives have been increasingly accepting Islam since the collapse of the Communist rule. They include many women who embraced the faith after marriage."
There are no official figures on the number of Muslims in Romanian, a country that has a population of 22 millions.
But Muslim organizations estimate the number at some 100,000.
Recognized
Islam is a recognized religion in Romania.
"The government has recognized 18 religions, including Islam," said Nardeen, the head of the Muslim Youth Association of Romania.
He pointed out that the official recognition of Islam has helped Romanian Muslims enjoy their full rights.
"Muslims can build mosques and rent halls for conferences and forums without any restrictions," he asserted.
"Primary and preparatory schools are also offering mandatory weekly lessons about Islam for Muslim students."
Nardeen said that the Ifta House is an official institution in Romania.
"The salaries of the Ifta House employees are paid by the government," he added.
"The post of Mufti is equal to a minister. He speaks in the name of Romanian Muslims before the government."
Nardeen said Romanian Muslims still face many challenges.
"One of the biggest problems is the scarcity of qualified cadres and the lack of funding for our projects."
Ansari wins praise for handling Rajya Sabha ruckus
By IANS,
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, a relative newcomer to politics, won praise from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and others for the manner in which he controlled the ruckus in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday over physical eviction of seven suspended opposition members from the house.
"I must compliment the chairman and the deputy chairman for the manner in which they handled the situation," Manmohan Singh said while intervening in the over three-hour debate in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday on the Women's Reservation Bill that the house later passed 186-1.
The prime minister prefaced his speech by saying: "I owe you (Ansari) a profound apology for the disrespect shown to you. These things should never have happened. They have happened, and we have to reflect how do we have to streamline our functioning in future so that these things don't take place."
Law Minister Veerappa Moily also spoke in similar vein as the prime minister, complimenting Ansari for the manner in which he had handled the disturbances.
Ansari earlier on Tuesday suspended seven members of the Samajwadi Party, the Janata Dal-United, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party for storming the chairman's podium on Monday, tearing up copies of the bill, uprooting penstands on the chairman's podium and even attempted to approach Ansari.
However, on Tuesday even after three hours of their suspension a little after 12 bnoon, the seven MPs continued to squat in the well of the house.
When the house re-assembled at 3 p.m. after its third adjournment, the suspended MPs raised slogans against the quota bill, even as Ansari called on Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley to initiate the debate on the measure.
With nothing being audible in the din, marshals of parliament's Watch and Ward Staff were summoned to remove the protestors, which some 50 of them managed to do with considerable difficulty.
With order finally restored, Jaitley resumed his speech in which he termed the women's quota bill "one of the most progressive pieces of legislation that has been brought in recent times" and Manmohan Singh described as a "giant step for emancipation of women" and "a celebration of our womanhood".
Also on Tuesday, Manmohan Singh Tuesday telephoned Ansari to express regret at the "unruly behaviour" of the seven opposition MPs.
"The prime minister called up the Rajya Sabha chairman and was unhappy at the unruly behaviour witnessed in the upper house," said an official in the Prime Minister's Office.
The suspended MPs are the Samajwadi Party's Kamal Akhtar, Veerpal Singh Yadav, Amir Alam Khan and Nand Kishore Yadav, the Janata Dal-United's Ejaz Ali, the Lok Janshakti Party's Sabir Ali and the Rashtriya Janata Dal's Subhash Prasad Yadav.
On Monday, Nand Kishore Yadav tried to climb up the chairman's desk but was prevented by a marshal. Subhash Yadav of RJD attempted to uproot the mikes from the chairman's podium, while Kamal Akhtar climbed the reperter's desk ahead of the podium and waved his hand in the air.
Subhash Yadav is RJD chief Lalu Prasad's brother-in-law.
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, a relative newcomer to politics, won praise from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and others for the manner in which he controlled the ruckus in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday over physical eviction of seven suspended opposition members from the house.
"I must compliment the chairman and the deputy chairman for the manner in which they handled the situation," Manmohan Singh said while intervening in the over three-hour debate in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday on the Women's Reservation Bill that the house later passed 186-1.
The prime minister prefaced his speech by saying: "I owe you (Ansari) a profound apology for the disrespect shown to you. These things should never have happened. They have happened, and we have to reflect how do we have to streamline our functioning in future so that these things don't take place."
Law Minister Veerappa Moily also spoke in similar vein as the prime minister, complimenting Ansari for the manner in which he had handled the disturbances.
Ansari earlier on Tuesday suspended seven members of the Samajwadi Party, the Janata Dal-United, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party for storming the chairman's podium on Monday, tearing up copies of the bill, uprooting penstands on the chairman's podium and even attempted to approach Ansari.
However, on Tuesday even after three hours of their suspension a little after 12 bnoon, the seven MPs continued to squat in the well of the house.
When the house re-assembled at 3 p.m. after its third adjournment, the suspended MPs raised slogans against the quota bill, even as Ansari called on Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley to initiate the debate on the measure.
With nothing being audible in the din, marshals of parliament's Watch and Ward Staff were summoned to remove the protestors, which some 50 of them managed to do with considerable difficulty.
With order finally restored, Jaitley resumed his speech in which he termed the women's quota bill "one of the most progressive pieces of legislation that has been brought in recent times" and Manmohan Singh described as a "giant step for emancipation of women" and "a celebration of our womanhood".
Also on Tuesday, Manmohan Singh Tuesday telephoned Ansari to express regret at the "unruly behaviour" of the seven opposition MPs.
"The prime minister called up the Rajya Sabha chairman and was unhappy at the unruly behaviour witnessed in the upper house," said an official in the Prime Minister's Office.
The suspended MPs are the Samajwadi Party's Kamal Akhtar, Veerpal Singh Yadav, Amir Alam Khan and Nand Kishore Yadav, the Janata Dal-United's Ejaz Ali, the Lok Janshakti Party's Sabir Ali and the Rashtriya Janata Dal's Subhash Prasad Yadav.
On Monday, Nand Kishore Yadav tried to climb up the chairman's desk but was prevented by a marshal. Subhash Yadav of RJD attempted to uproot the mikes from the chairman's podium, while Kamal Akhtar climbed the reperter's desk ahead of the podium and waved his hand in the air.
Subhash Yadav is RJD chief Lalu Prasad's brother-in-law.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Women Reservation Bill is anti minority bill – AIUDF
By TCN News
New Delhi: All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) came out against the proposed Women Reservation bill saying it "is completely against" it in its present form.
Calling it an ‘anti minorities bill’ AIUDF said that this will surly reduce the already negligible minority representation to both lower and upper houses of parliament if it doesn't have representation quota for minority and Dalit women. "AIUDF considers this bill in its present form a mockery with all minorities, Dalit and against the interest of Indian nationhood, and will strongly oppose it in both parliament and streets," said the statement.
Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, AIUDF president and the lone Lok Sabha member from the party who is also president of Assam state Jamiat Ulama-e Hind and a member of Shura (Executive Body) of famous Darul Uloom Deoband said that the women reservation bill in its existing form is simply unacceptable for the minorities especially Muslims. “The bill is actually an anti minority bill in guise of empowerment of women”, he said. It would be a historic blunder repeated once again by this nation if the bill went through to become a law, Maulana Ajmal argued.
It is notable that following India’s independence from colonial clutches and unfortunate partition a historic bill was passed in the constituent parliament of India. It was just after 12 days, on 28th August 1947, a bill was passed to ensure political reservation for scheduled castes (SCs) and the Muslims. During a debate on 'Report on Minority Rights', SCs and Muslims were classified as 'minorities' and the Constituent Assembly passed the bill guaranteeing proportionate reservation for them in the legislative houses.
The next day, some members smartly made an amendment to the bill stating that the SCs were part of the Hindu community and not minority. Maulana Syed Fazlul Hasan Hasrat Mohani (1875–1951), the eminent freedom fighter and a member of constituent assembly which drafted the Indian constitution, objected to the use of word 'minority' for 'Muslims' alone. He said "I refuse to accept Muslims to be a minority. Are we not calling a minority to refer only to Muslims”? Maulana was not allowed to speak further on the subject as the bill was already discussed and passed by the parliament. But unlike other members, he never signed the bill since he saw ‘hypocrisy’ towards Muslim ‘minority’ in it
Two years later, the ‘Muslim’ word removed from the list of reservation beneficiaries. While the SCs, who were technically members of the majority 'Hindu community', are reaping the benefits of reservation till date and the Muslims are forced to live with just the tag of being a 'minority'. The same hypocrisy and political mockery is on play once again by the Brahmical political class of this nation once again.
If religion based reservation is unacceptable for the majority when it comes to political empowerment of minorities then how a gender based casa become rational? AIUDF demands reservation be offered to the weaker sections of the society to genuinely empower them and Muslims are the weakest community by all arguments and statistics therefore reservation bill for Muslim empowerment must follow first. Second, women reservation bill must ensure political representation of women from weaker classes – Muslim, Dalit and other minorities.
If reservation can not go over 50 per cent of total as in the case of 5 per cent Muslim reservation in Andra Pradesh then how 33 per cent more can be ensured in India where it is already around 44-49 in almost all states? Majority of assembly and parliamentary constituencies where a Muslim could easily win from any party if they were general are presently under ST or SC reserved categories. Take the case of Karimganj in Assam where around 60 per cent voters are Muslim with only 20 per cent STs and SCs is a reserved seat since independent. Who knows the remaining Muslim majority voters seats will not be reserved for women only – making way for strong Hindu woman to defeat her weak counter part in the election while enjoying ‘women empowerment’.
AIUDF asked social and political individuals and groups to democratically oppose the present move of UPA government in the national interest.
New Delhi: All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) came out against the proposed Women Reservation bill saying it "is completely against" it in its present form.
Calling it an ‘anti minorities bill’ AIUDF said that this will surly reduce the already negligible minority representation to both lower and upper houses of parliament if it doesn't have representation quota for minority and Dalit women. "AIUDF considers this bill in its present form a mockery with all minorities, Dalit and against the interest of Indian nationhood, and will strongly oppose it in both parliament and streets," said the statement.
Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, AIUDF president and the lone Lok Sabha member from the party who is also president of Assam state Jamiat Ulama-e Hind and a member of Shura (Executive Body) of famous Darul Uloom Deoband said that the women reservation bill in its existing form is simply unacceptable for the minorities especially Muslims. “The bill is actually an anti minority bill in guise of empowerment of women”, he said. It would be a historic blunder repeated once again by this nation if the bill went through to become a law, Maulana Ajmal argued.
It is notable that following India’s independence from colonial clutches and unfortunate partition a historic bill was passed in the constituent parliament of India. It was just after 12 days, on 28th August 1947, a bill was passed to ensure political reservation for scheduled castes (SCs) and the Muslims. During a debate on 'Report on Minority Rights', SCs and Muslims were classified as 'minorities' and the Constituent Assembly passed the bill guaranteeing proportionate reservation for them in the legislative houses.
The next day, some members smartly made an amendment to the bill stating that the SCs were part of the Hindu community and not minority. Maulana Syed Fazlul Hasan Hasrat Mohani (1875–1951), the eminent freedom fighter and a member of constituent assembly which drafted the Indian constitution, objected to the use of word 'minority' for 'Muslims' alone. He said "I refuse to accept Muslims to be a minority. Are we not calling a minority to refer only to Muslims”? Maulana was not allowed to speak further on the subject as the bill was already discussed and passed by the parliament. But unlike other members, he never signed the bill since he saw ‘hypocrisy’ towards Muslim ‘minority’ in it
Two years later, the ‘Muslim’ word removed from the list of reservation beneficiaries. While the SCs, who were technically members of the majority 'Hindu community', are reaping the benefits of reservation till date and the Muslims are forced to live with just the tag of being a 'minority'. The same hypocrisy and political mockery is on play once again by the Brahmical political class of this nation once again.
If religion based reservation is unacceptable for the majority when it comes to political empowerment of minorities then how a gender based casa become rational? AIUDF demands reservation be offered to the weaker sections of the society to genuinely empower them and Muslims are the weakest community by all arguments and statistics therefore reservation bill for Muslim empowerment must follow first. Second, women reservation bill must ensure political representation of women from weaker classes – Muslim, Dalit and other minorities.
If reservation can not go over 50 per cent of total as in the case of 5 per cent Muslim reservation in Andra Pradesh then how 33 per cent more can be ensured in India where it is already around 44-49 in almost all states? Majority of assembly and parliamentary constituencies where a Muslim could easily win from any party if they were general are presently under ST or SC reserved categories. Take the case of Karimganj in Assam where around 60 per cent voters are Muslim with only 20 per cent STs and SCs is a reserved seat since independent. Who knows the remaining Muslim majority voters seats will not be reserved for women only – making way for strong Hindu woman to defeat her weak counter part in the election while enjoying ‘women empowerment’.
AIUDF asked social and political individuals and groups to democratically oppose the present move of UPA government in the national interest.
Funding Hinders Serbia Islamic Education
By Hany Salah, IOL Correspondent
BELGRADE – Facing a dearth of donations over government pressures, Muslim education institutions in Serbia are risking to shut down over the lack of funding.
“Our educational institutions are facing a financial crisis that hampers them from delivering their message,” Sheikh Muamer Zukorlic, the Grand Mufti and Head of the Islamic Sheikhdom of Serbia, told IslamOnline.net.
“The crisis facing our institutions is the result of a political standoff between the Sheikhdom and Serbian authorities.”
Zukorlic blamed the standoff on government attempts to restrict the expansion of Sheikdom institutions.
“The government has adopted a policy to dry financial sources feeding our projects and institutions,” he lamented.
The government has suspended aid to the Sheikhdom though Serbian laws allow aid to religious organizations.
“It is also pressuring businessmen funding the Sheikhdom projects to stop funding, resulting in a dearth of donations as they fear harm to their businesses,” he said.
“Authorities are also launching media campaigns against the Sheikhdom to blemish its image and lose the people’s confidence.”
The Sheikhdom is overseeing seven kindergartens catering 1,000 children and three secondary schools catering 500 students.
It is also running a faculty for Islamic studies as well as the International University of Novi Pazar, which has 4,000 students.
“Though we need to expand our educational institutions to preserve our identity, the crisis has forced us to halt our new projects,” Zukorlic said.
The Muslim leader appealed to Muslims abroad to provide help to the Sheikhdom to overcome the financial crisis.
“There is no other option but to rely on foreign help in order to keep our education institutions running.”
Serbia has a Muslim minority of nearly half a million, mostly ethnic Bosniaks and Albanians.
Urgent Help
The Islamic Studies Faculty is one of educational institutions at the risk of closure over lack of funding.
“The faculty is facing financial problems that threaten it to get shut,” dean Almir Pramenkovic told IOL.
“The faculty professors have not been paid for months,” he said.
The faculty has 300 students and 45 professors.
“The crisis, which started two years ago, has escalated in recent months,” said professor Hajrudin Balic.
“The faculty staff could be forced to seek another job if the crisis continued,” he warned.
The lack of funding is also leaving its impact on the GAZI ISA BEG secondary school.
“Many generations have graduated from the school,” said headmaster Mustafa Fetic.
Built in the 16th century, the school is considered the oldest in the Sanjak region.
It has 328 students and 95 staff.
“In order to allow the school to keep playing its role, it urgently needs help to pay teachers, who have not been paid for months,” said Fetic.
“The school is at risk of shutdown.”
Pramenkovic, the dean of the Islamic Studies Faculty, also appeals for help.
“We need urgent help in order to continue our educational role in accordance with moderate Islamic teachings.”
BELGRADE – Facing a dearth of donations over government pressures, Muslim education institutions in Serbia are risking to shut down over the lack of funding.
“Our educational institutions are facing a financial crisis that hampers them from delivering their message,” Sheikh Muamer Zukorlic, the Grand Mufti and Head of the Islamic Sheikhdom of Serbia, told IslamOnline.net.
“The crisis facing our institutions is the result of a political standoff between the Sheikhdom and Serbian authorities.”
Zukorlic blamed the standoff on government attempts to restrict the expansion of Sheikdom institutions.
“The government has adopted a policy to dry financial sources feeding our projects and institutions,” he lamented.
The government has suspended aid to the Sheikhdom though Serbian laws allow aid to religious organizations.
“It is also pressuring businessmen funding the Sheikhdom projects to stop funding, resulting in a dearth of donations as they fear harm to their businesses,” he said.
“Authorities are also launching media campaigns against the Sheikhdom to blemish its image and lose the people’s confidence.”
The Sheikhdom is overseeing seven kindergartens catering 1,000 children and three secondary schools catering 500 students.
It is also running a faculty for Islamic studies as well as the International University of Novi Pazar, which has 4,000 students.
“Though we need to expand our educational institutions to preserve our identity, the crisis has forced us to halt our new projects,” Zukorlic said.
The Muslim leader appealed to Muslims abroad to provide help to the Sheikhdom to overcome the financial crisis.
“There is no other option but to rely on foreign help in order to keep our education institutions running.”
Serbia has a Muslim minority of nearly half a million, mostly ethnic Bosniaks and Albanians.
Urgent Help
The Islamic Studies Faculty is one of educational institutions at the risk of closure over lack of funding.
“The faculty is facing financial problems that threaten it to get shut,” dean Almir Pramenkovic told IOL.
“The faculty professors have not been paid for months,” he said.
The faculty has 300 students and 45 professors.
“The crisis, which started two years ago, has escalated in recent months,” said professor Hajrudin Balic.
“The faculty staff could be forced to seek another job if the crisis continued,” he warned.
The lack of funding is also leaving its impact on the GAZI ISA BEG secondary school.
“Many generations have graduated from the school,” said headmaster Mustafa Fetic.
Built in the 16th century, the school is considered the oldest in the Sanjak region.
It has 328 students and 95 staff.
“In order to allow the school to keep playing its role, it urgently needs help to pay teachers, who have not been paid for months,” said Fetic.
“The school is at risk of shutdown.”
Pramenkovic, the dean of the Islamic Studies Faculty, also appeals for help.
“We need urgent help in order to continue our educational role in accordance with moderate Islamic teachings.”
“Colonizing” African Land For Food
IslamOnline.net & Newspapers
CAIRO – Facing food shortages, rich countries are turning to poor African countries to cultivate vast swatches of fertile land to guarantee supplies for own peoples, a move seen as a new brand of colonization.
"The foreign companies are arriving in large numbers, depriving people of land they have used for centuries,” Nyikaw Ochalla, an Ethiopian from the Gambella region, told the Guardian on Sunday, March 7.
“There is no consultation with the indigenous population."
Addis Ababa has granted at least three million hectares of its most fertile land to foreign investors to export food for their own populations.
"The deals are done secretly,” said Ochalla, who is now living in Britain but in regular contact with farmers in his region.
“The only thing the local people see is people coming with lots of tractors to invade their lands."
Since 2007, Ethiopia, one of the hungriest countries in the world, has approved 815 agricultural projects for foreigners.
This is not only confined to Ethiopia, but also to many African countries, such as Sudan, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Malawi.
"All the land round my family village of Illia has been taken over and is being cleared,” said Ochalla.
“People now have to work for an Indian company. Their land has been compulsorily taken and they have been given no compensation.
“People cannot believe what is happening. Thousands of people will be affected and people will go hungry."
New Colonization
The Ethiopian government defends the practice for luring investments and creating jobs.
“They bring badly needed technology, they offer jobs and training to Ethiopians, they operate in areas where there is suitable land and access to water,” a government spokesman said.
"Ethiopia has 74m hectares of fertile land, of which only 15% is currently in use – mainly by subsistence farmers. Of the remaining land, only a small percentage – 3 to 4% – is offered to foreign investors."
Addis Ababa denied that the land rent is causing hunger among its own population.
“Investors are never given land that belongs to Ethiopian farmers. The government also encourages Ethiopians in the Diaspora to invest in their homeland."
But many condemn the practice as a new brand of “colonization”.
"This is the new, 21st-century colonization,” Haile Hirpa, president of the Oromia studies' association in Ethiopia, said in a letter of protest to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.
“The Saudis are enjoying the rice harvest, while the Oromos are dying from man-made famine as we speak."
Indian ecologist Vandana Shiva also blasted the practice for throwing people off their land.
"We are seeing dispossession on a massive scale. It means less food is available and local people will have less,” she said.
“There will be more conflict and political instability and cultures will be uprooted.
“The small farmers of Africa are the basis of food security. The food availability of the planet will decline."
CAIRO – Facing food shortages, rich countries are turning to poor African countries to cultivate vast swatches of fertile land to guarantee supplies for own peoples, a move seen as a new brand of colonization.
"The foreign companies are arriving in large numbers, depriving people of land they have used for centuries,” Nyikaw Ochalla, an Ethiopian from the Gambella region, told the Guardian on Sunday, March 7.
“There is no consultation with the indigenous population."
Addis Ababa has granted at least three million hectares of its most fertile land to foreign investors to export food for their own populations.
"The deals are done secretly,” said Ochalla, who is now living in Britain but in regular contact with farmers in his region.
“The only thing the local people see is people coming with lots of tractors to invade their lands."
Since 2007, Ethiopia, one of the hungriest countries in the world, has approved 815 agricultural projects for foreigners.
This is not only confined to Ethiopia, but also to many African countries, such as Sudan, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Malawi.
"All the land round my family village of Illia has been taken over and is being cleared,” said Ochalla.
“People now have to work for an Indian company. Their land has been compulsorily taken and they have been given no compensation.
“People cannot believe what is happening. Thousands of people will be affected and people will go hungry."
New Colonization
The Ethiopian government defends the practice for luring investments and creating jobs.
“They bring badly needed technology, they offer jobs and training to Ethiopians, they operate in areas where there is suitable land and access to water,” a government spokesman said.
"Ethiopia has 74m hectares of fertile land, of which only 15% is currently in use – mainly by subsistence farmers. Of the remaining land, only a small percentage – 3 to 4% – is offered to foreign investors."
Addis Ababa denied that the land rent is causing hunger among its own population.
“Investors are never given land that belongs to Ethiopian farmers. The government also encourages Ethiopians in the Diaspora to invest in their homeland."
But many condemn the practice as a new brand of “colonization”.
"This is the new, 21st-century colonization,” Haile Hirpa, president of the Oromia studies' association in Ethiopia, said in a letter of protest to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.
“The Saudis are enjoying the rice harvest, while the Oromos are dying from man-made famine as we speak."
Indian ecologist Vandana Shiva also blasted the practice for throwing people off their land.
"We are seeing dispossession on a massive scale. It means less food is available and local people will have less,” she said.
“There will be more conflict and political instability and cultures will be uprooted.
“The small farmers of Africa are the basis of food security. The food availability of the planet will decline."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)