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Friday, June 14, 2013

Re: [mukto-mona] Minority Persecution: video



বাংলাদেশে ৪২ বছরে হাজার হাজার মন্দির মূর্তি ভাঙ্গা হয়েছে; কিন্তু একজন অপরাধীও শাস্তি পেয়েছে এমন নজির নেই: শিতাংশু গুহ, ১০ এপ্রিল ২০১৩, ওয়াশিংটন, ডিসি।
In last 42 years in Bangladesh thousands of temples & deities had been destroyed; but there is no instance that one single perpetrator was punished: Sitangshu Guha, 10th April 2013, Washington, D.C.
From: subimal chakrabarty <subimal@yahoo.com>
To: "mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2013 11:01 PM
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Minority Persecution: video
 
The government alone cannot do much. Sometimes the government will do nothing, rather it will engage in mayhem as BNP did in 2001(?). The current government has been pressured by different agencies. I don't think it has been fully effective. In the face of the destructive actions by the opposition parties in the very capital city the government seems to be helpless. How can it then protect the religious minority interests in rural areas when the social miscreants, communalist forces and religious fanatics engage in vandalism?
 
We have our attitude problems also. When Mr. Guha tells us the stories on minority persecution in Bangladesh, we have our cold reaction: Why are you saying this here! Go and tell the government. Pretty nice way to shirk the responsibility! When they go for rally and demonstration in D.C, we criticize them. When they petition to various foreign governments and international agencies, we accuse them of tarnishing the image of the country. When Dr. Mizanur Rahman looks at the historical trend and cautions us that if the trend continues, Hindu population in Bangladesh will be reduced to zero in twenty years, we accuse him of the guilt of exaggeration and instigating a communal discord in Bangladesh. 
 
The bottom line is that directing Guha to approach the government is not enough. We all have to be proactive and create pressure on the position and opposition through various channels. Vulnerable areas in the country have to be under constant watch. Perpetrators have to be brought to justice which seems to totally absent in Bangladesh. One can take lesson from even Narendra Modi's Gujarat where a female leader was hanged for having been actively involved in anti-Muslim riots.   

From: QR <qrahman@netscape.net>
To: mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2013 2:54 AM
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Minority Persecution: video
 
Ask our government to take steps against any minority persecution.


-----Original Message----- From: Sitangshu Guha <guhasb@gmail.com> To: Khobor <khabor@yahoogroups.com>; mokto mona <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Wed, Jun 12, 2013 5:47 pm Subject: [mukto-mona] Minority Persecution: video


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[mukto-mona] এখনই ভোট দিন



 মিস আমেরিকা প্রতিযোগিতায় বাংলাদেশি মেয়ে পারমিতা মিত্র

পারমিতাকে ভোট দেয়ার জন্য এই লিংকে ভিজিট করুন http://www.missuniverse.com/members/profile/656272

 

 

- See more at: http://www.khabor.com/?p=1810#sthash.rSp5v3zf.dpuf



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[mukto-mona] Rare Picture : Jatiyo Kobi Kazi Nazrul Islam and Palli Kobi Jasimuddin.



Rare Picture: 

Jatiyo Kobi Kazi Nazrul Islam and Palli Kobi Jasimuddin (1974).




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Re: [mukto-mona] কওমি মাদ্রাসায় সমকাম



Why punish by Sharia? Law of the land is not sufficient! Nice try to make Sharia acceptable at the government level. I hope the government will not step into the trap. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 14, 2013, at 11:34 AM, QR <qrahman@netscape.net> wrote:

 


Thanks for taking time to bring this information. These criminal child molesters should be investigated and if found guilty they should be   punished. Let them be punished by Sharia.

Shalom!

-----Original Message-----
From: SyedAslam <Syed.Aslam3@gmail.com>
To: Khobor <khabor@yahoogroups.com>; chottala <chottala@yahoogroups.com>; notun Bangladesh <notun_bangladesh@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thu, Jun 13, 2013 6:20 pm
Subject: [mukto-mona] কওমি মাদ্রাসায় সমকাম

 

কওমি মাদ্রাসায় সমকাম

|  আব্দুল জব্বারPublished in প্রথম পাতাFriday, 14 June 2013 02:16
ইসলাম ধর্মমতে সমকাম একটি জঘন্য হারাম কাজ হলেও বছরের পর বছর এ অপকর্মটি অবলীলায় করে যাচ্ছেন কওমি মাদ্রাসার যৌনবিকারগ্রস্ত কিছু শিক্ষক। এদের কবলে পড়ে প্রতিবছর অনেক কওমিশিক্ষার্থী মাদ্রাসা ছাড়তে বাধ্য হয় বলে জানিয়েছে কওমি মাদ্রাসার একাধিক দায়িত্বশীল সূত্র। তাদের মতে, বাংলাদেশের কওমি মাদ্রাসাগুলো শুরুতে দারুল উলুম দেওবন্দের সিলসিলা অনুসারে পরিচালিত হলেও বর্তমানে সেই দ্বীনি ধারা থেকে বিচ্যুত। এখন কওমি মাদ্রাসা মানেই ব্যবসা ও রাজনীতি। 
গত ৩ জুন আশুলিয়ার হাফিজিয়া ইসলামিয়া মাদ্রাসার ৮ বছরের শিশুশিক্ষার্থী গোলাম রাব্বীকে বলাত্কারের পর হত্যা করে  ওই মাদ্রাসারই শিক্ষক হাফেজ মাওলানা মোশাররফ হোসেন। এ ঘটনায় মাদ্রাসাটি  থেকে শিক্ষার্থীদের ফেরত নিয়ে গেছেন অভিভাবকরা এবং দেশজুড়ে উঠেছে সমালোচনার ঝড়।
শিক্ষার্থীদের জোরপূর্বক সমকামে বাধ্য করার ঘটনা কওমি মাদ্রাসায় নতুন নয়। তবে বলাত্কারের পর হত্যার ঘটনা এই প্রথম। ২০০৬ সালে মৌলভীবাজারের দারুল উলুম মাদ্রাসার  এক ছাত্রকে জোরপূর্বক সমকামে বাধ্য করায় শিক্ষার্থীদের তুমুল আন্দোলনের মুখে মাদ্রাসা থেকে বের করে দেওয়া হয়  প্রিন্সিপাল মাওলানা মঞ্জুরুল ইসলামকে। ২০১১ সালের ১৩ জুলাই নেত্রকোনার আটপাড়ার কুতুবপুরে এক ছাত্রকে একটি রুমে আটকে রেখে বলাত্কার করেন শিক্ষক জাকির হোসেন।
২০০৫ সালে আঞ্জুমানে মুফিদুল ইসলাম মাদ্রাসার ৫ ছাত্র (যাদের বয়স ৮ থেকে ১০ বছর) যৌননির্যাতনের অভিযোগে সূত্রাপুর থানায় একটি মামলা করে। পরবর্তী সময়ে ঢাকা মেট্রোপলিটন ম্যাজিস্ট্রেট ননী গোপাল বিশ্বাসের আদালতে দেওয়া জবানবন্দিতে তারা জানায়, এ ঘটনায় কয়েকজন সিনিয়র ছাত্রও জড়িত। তদন্তে হোস্টেল সুপ


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"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190




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Re: [mukto-mona] FW: A Pakistani in Delhi



Does anyone have any data to show which country Indians hate the most? My feeling is that the Pakistani author did not see as much hatred against Pakistan as he expected, because, unlike in Pakistan, in India children are actually not taught to hate people that are different. The reality in Pakistan is that even in regular school textbooks children are taught to hate non-Muslims, especially Hindus. The grass root level trust and friendship that Mr. Chakrabarty has asked about is unrealistic when children are taught hatred in schools.
 
Of course, Hindus had their caste and class hatred, which has been waning, although not as fast as desirable. However, no serious institution in India now propagates that old hatred.
 
I do not think that in Bangladesh hatred for Pakistan is anywhere near universal. There are plenty of Paki-lovers in Bangladesh in spite of the genocide of 1971, committed by the Pakistani military with support/acceptance by the Pakistani population. Even today, the talk in Pakistan is, 'why and how we lost our East Pakistan', as opposed to, 'how could we commit such atrocities on the unarmed civilians of our East Pakistan'?
 
Sukhamaya Bain
 
=======================================
From: Subimal Chakrabarty <subimal@yahoo.com>
To: "mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, June 14, 2013 7:43 PM
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] FW: A Pakistani in Delhi
 
A good article. Our rulers or political parties may want to thrive on mutual hatred of the citizens of the neighboring countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. There must be a constant and conscious effort to build mutual trust and friendship at the grassroots levels. The author claims that in India Pakistan is not the most hated country in the world. This is a news to me. But I am convinced after reading his memoir that he is right. He believes that in Bangladesh and Afghanistan hatred for Pakistan is almost universal. I am afraid that with BNP-Jamat and the so called ultra leftist politics, India may gradually take Pakistan's place. In order to arrest that trend we need to appreciate the good things of India, not focussing on and amplifying bad things only. 
Sent from my iPhone
 
=========================
On Jun 13, 2013, at 12:19 PM, Farida Majid <farida_majid@hotmail.com> wrote:
 
My favorite Palistani leftist writer, who writes sympathetically about Bangladesh.
Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:15:54 +0530Subject: [india-unity] A Pakistani in Delhi 
 http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-183118-A-Pakistani-in-Delhi

thenews.com.pk
 
 
 
 
Farooq Sulehria
Tuesday, June 11, 2013 From Print Edition
 
 
 769  499  224  2
On January 6, I nervously landed at the Delhi airport. I say nervously because I wasn't there as a tourist. I had gone to India as a researcher – to spend six months conducting research on the Indian media. As a Pakistani, I was uncertain if I'd be able to get my work done without being suspected of any other activities.
 
On reaching India, however, it did not take long to for my nervousness to dissipate. My Pakistani origin, I soon discovered, was not a disadvantage. On the contrary, my Pakistaniat was not only helping me achieve desired research goals, it also began to pose gastronomic challenges: in the form of endless dinner invitations.
 
That my arrival coincided with the alleged beheading of an Indian soldier at the LoC invoked an unknown fear within me. Four months later, Sarabjit's murder terrified me as well for a while. A fear of the unknown would grip me even otherwise – particularly when alone or lonely. 'Anything can go wrong and land me in trouble,' was a thought constantly nagging at me. However, the hospitality extended by my Delhi friends and acquaintances would lay to rest all such fears. Most importantly, a sense of familiarity – at times transforming into a sense of belonging – hardly ever made me feel alien.
 
My language, skin colour, name, or religion – nothing is alien to Delhi. On the streets, people would stop by and ask for directions. In one incident, while at a metro station I had asked a person standing next to me: "Which line goes to Rajiv Chowk?" Ironically, I was standing right underneath a route-map, which happened to be in Hindi. Rather well dressed and holding a laptop, I hardly looked like the stereotypical unlettered person. The man I spoke to was perhaps in a bad mood. Pointing towards the map, he shouted, "Why don't you read for yourself?". "I am from Pakistan, can't read Hindi", I replied in Urdu. At which he apologised immediately, shook my hand and politely guided me.
 
The similarities were even stronger in the case of Punjabis and Muslims – even though I am neither Punjabi nor religious. For about four months, I lived in Malviya Nagar, a Punjabi neighbourhood. My Punjabi language skills invoked such an affinity that within weeks I had an udhar system working with two local grocery stores.
 
Everywhere in Delhi, one overhears the azaan. Is it that moezzins in Delhi recite the azaan in a highly melodic way. My Swedish-Pakistani friend Prof Ishtiaq helped me understand that the azaan is also an assertion of Indian plurality and rights of the Muslim there.
 
As if to appreciate this plurality, I would candidly discuss the Kashmir question as well as the situation of Indian Muslims with my non-Muslim friends and comrades. My interaction with Muslim and Kashmiri students at Jamia Millia Islamia, with which I was attached, helped me enrich my understanding of their situation. While Kashmiri students – infested with conspiracy theories – visualised Pakistan as an Islamic paradise, Indian Muslims have no such illusions about Pakistan even if, like any other Indian, they are concerned about the crises in our country.
 
Also, like any other religious community, Muslims are divided along ideological and sectarian as well as class and caste lines. Jamia Millia epitomises Muslim diversity as well as the cultural progress Indian Muslims have made.
 
Imagine a campus in Pakistan with statues of Mirza Ghalib and Maulana Jauhar. While the road to the Mir Taqi Mir Hall is dedicated to Manto, a beautifully built auditorium is attributed to Noam Chomsky. However, my favourite hang-out was the Castro Café surrounded by the M F Hussain Gallery and the Maulana Azad Hostel.
 
Beyond Jamia Millia, my favourite escape was Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Away from conservative Delhi, JNU's walls – graffitied with huge images of Marx, Lenin, Che, Bhagat Singh and Manto – offer relief to any frustrated progressive. However, it is Faiz one finds all over the place. But Faiz and Manto are not confined to the JNU's romantic campus. They are all over Delhi. In fact, Delhi it seems has become Urdu's last refuge in the Subcontinent.
 
While the annual Jashn-e-Baharan Mushaira symbolised Delhi's role in preserving Urdu, a qawali session during Khusro Week at the National Museum or an evening with dhrupad master Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar at the India International Centre (IIC) convinced me that Delhi is also protecting other forms of culture that Muslims have greatly contributed to.
 
There is a vibrant Urdu press and a flourishing publishing business. At the International Book Fair held in February at Pragati Maidan not merely offered a glimpse into Urdu publications, it was interesting to see an Ahmadiyya bookstore next to Tahirul Qadri's Minhaj-ul-Quran bookstall. While Urdu press and publications promote a conservative agenda, progressive Muslim voices have found refuge in the recently-launched DD Urdu.
 
Visits to Doordarshan were always a great experience owing to the warmth shown by its Additional Director General, Ranjan Thakur. However, Faiz's life-size portrait – surrounded by those of Gandhi jee and Tagore – at DD's reception would add a special touch to every visit. Once a profitable enterprise, DD is now running huge financial losses. However, it remains committed to its social responsibility.
 
Apart from DD, the Indian television media is sensationalist. TRP-hungry channels have compromised themselves – journalistically and morally. Luckily, sections of the daily press, notably The Hindu and some magazines, haved stayed committed to the Indian tradition of quality journalism. Interestingly, India is the only major newspaper market that has expanded even after the arrival of the digital age.
 
But electronic media – the television – has outdone other outlets. The sprawling Noida Film City, on the outskirts of Delhi, is a testament to this growth. An enviably modern and efficient, though overcrowded, metro is the best way to reach Noida. Ironically, from metro station one can reach huge media houses via cycle-rickshaws. Initially, I tried to avoid using cycle-rickshaws pulled by skinny migrant workers from Bihar. But they were unavoidable as well as living proof of India's 'combined and uneven development', a theory brilliantly propounded by Leon Trotsky.
 
Beyond glaring class contradictions, one also comes across sights that would be very familiar for a Pakistani. The traffic is messy; manholes are usually uncovered; and there is an utter neglect for monuments (with few exceptions) and old buildings. Apart from some posh areas, most streets are littered with garbage. While there may be no power cuts, there is a real water crisis.
 
Since my return on June 4, I have been quizzed by siblings and cousins, friends and acquaintances. 'What do they think about us? Do they hate us?' I am asked. 'I do not know. However, I had wonderful time,' is my standard reply. Honestly, such simple questions cannot be answered in a similarly simple manner. Also, I do not have any documented evidence to substantiate or deny any claims. I can only narrate my impressions. And I think Pakistan is not the most hated country in India. We could say that about perhaps Bangladesh or Afghanistan where Pakistan is disliked near-universally. However, I can safely assert that the only country where I have been warmly received as a Pakistani is India.
 
The writer is a freelance contributor.Email: mfsulehria@hotmail.com
 

-- Peace Is Doable


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Mukto Mona plans for a Grand Darwin Day Celebration: 
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"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190




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Re: [mukto-mona] Re: [KHABOR] Fw: [Bangladesh-Zindabad] “ উনি জেলে আছেন” !!!!!



A man who calls his mentor father in law 'shala' should actually be in a mental asylum.  United States being the worst incarcerated country in the world would have put Mahmudur Rahman in jail long ago and throw the key in the ocean.


On Thu, Jun 13, 2013 at 10:27 PM, Mohammad Rahman <mrahman246@yahoo.com> wrote:
 

Dr Maniki

You and we are in the United State of America and God knows we may die and will be buried in this soil. We are indebted to this great nation for many things and one of those is humanism. Spending almost half or more than that in this country we should inculcate some of the good traits in our life should be our goal. Being a physician people expect to have more from us and from you. We might have political and other differences but we should be humanistic above all. Mahmudur Rahman's sufferings makes u happy is very shocking. Put ur feet on his shoes and feel as a human being and let's share ur feelings with everyone. God bless u and may He open ur heart. Thanks.

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android



From: Muhammad Ali <manik195709@yahoo.com>;
To:
Subject: [KHABOR] Fw: [Bangladesh-Zindabad] " উনি জেলে আছেন" !!!!!
Sent: Tue, Jun 11, 2013 3:02:17 PM

 


----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Muhammad Ali <manik195709@yahoo.com>
To:
Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2013 11:01 AM
Subject: [Bangladesh-Zindabad] " উনি জেলে আছেন" !!!!!

 
একলোক প্রতিদিন আমার দেশ পত্রিকা অফিসে ফোন করেন আর জিজ্ঞাস করেন মাহামুদুর স্যার আছেন?
ফোনের ওপার থেকে উত্তর আসে না; উনি জেলে আছেন।

একদিন ফোনের ওপার থেকে রেগে গিয়ে বললো, আজব তো আপনি প্রতিদিন ফোন করে একই প্রশ্ন করেন, মানে কি?
লোকটি হেসে বলেন- আপনাদের মুখ থেকে " উনি জেলে আছেন" এই কথাটা শুনতে আমার এত ভালো লাগে, যা আর কিছুতে পাইনা।


Courtesy: Abu Hena





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"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190




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Re: [mukto-mona] FW: A Pakistani in Delhi



A good article. Our rulers or political parties may want to thrive on mutual hatred of the citizens of the neighboring countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. There must be a constant and conscious effort to build mutual trust and friendship at the grassroots levels. The author claims that in India Pakistan is not the most hated country in the world. This is a news to me. But I am convinced after reading his memoir that he is right. He believes that in Bangladesh and Afghanistan hatred for Pakistan is almost universal. I am afraid that with BNP-Jamat and the so called ultra leftist politics, India may gradually take Pakistan's place. In order to arrest that trend we need to appreciate the good things of India, not focussing on and amplifying bad things only. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 13, 2013, at 12:19 PM, Farida Majid <farida_majid@hotmail.com> wrote:

 

My favorite Palistani leftist writer, who writes sympathetically about Bangladesh.



Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:15:54 +0530
Subject: [india-unity] A Pakistani in Delhi

 
 http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-183118-A-Pakistani-in-Delhi


thenews.com.pk
 
 
 
 
Farooq Sulehria
Tuesday, June 11, 2013 
From Print Edition
 
 
 769  499  224  2

On January 6, I nervously landed at the Delhi airport. I say nervously because I wasn't there as a tourist. I had gone to India as a researcher – to spend six months conducting research on the Indian media. As a Pakistani, I was uncertain if I'd be able to get my work done without being suspected of any other activities.
 
On reaching India, however, it did not take long to for my nervousness to dissipate. My Pakistani origin, I soon discovered, was not a disadvantage. On the contrary, my Pakistaniat was not only helping me achieve desired research goals, it also began to pose gastronomic challenges: in the form of endless dinner invitations.
 
That my arrival coincided with the alleged beheading of an Indian soldier at the LoC invoked an unknown fear within me. Four months later, Sarabjit's murder terrified me as well for a while. A fear of the unknown would grip me even otherwise – particularly when alone or lonely. 'Anything can go wrong and land me in trouble,' was a thought constantly nagging at me. However, the hospitality extended by my Delhi friends and acquaintances would lay to rest all such fears. Most importantly, a sense of familiarity – at times transforming into a sense of belonging – hardly ever made me feel alien.
 
My language, skin colour, name, or religion – nothing is alien to Delhi. On the streets, people would stop by and ask for directions. In one incident, while at a metro station I had asked a person standing next to me: "Which line goes to Rajiv Chowk?" Ironically, I was standing right underneath a route-map, which happened to be in Hindi. Rather well dressed and holding a laptop, I hardly looked like the stereotypical unlettered person. The man I spoke to was perhaps in a bad mood. Pointing towards the map, he shouted, "Why don't you read for yourself?". "I am from Pakistan, can't read Hindi", I replied in Urdu. At which he apologised immediately, shook my hand and politely guided me.
 
The similarities were even stronger in the case of Punjabis and Muslims – even though I am neither Punjabi nor religious. For about four months, I lived in Malviya Nagar, a Punjabi neighbourhood. My Punjabi language skills invoked such an affinity that within weeks I had an udhar system working with two local grocery stores.
 
Everywhere in Delhi, one overhears the azaan. Is it that moezzins in Delhi recite the azaan in a highly melodic way. My Swedish-Pakistani friend Prof Ishtiaq helped me understand that the azaan is also an assertion of Indian plurality and rights of the Muslim there.
 
As if to appreciate this plurality, I would candidly discuss the Kashmir question as well as the situation of Indian Muslims with my non-Muslim friends and comrades. My interaction with Muslim and Kashmiri students at Jamia Millia Islamia, with which I was attached, helped me enrich my understanding of their situation. While Kashmiri students – infested with conspiracy theories – visualised Pakistan as an Islamic paradise, Indian Muslims have no such illusions about Pakistan even if, like any other Indian, they are concerned about the crises in our country.
 
Also, like any other religious community, Muslims are divided along ideological and sectarian as well as class and caste lines. Jamia Millia epitomises Muslim diversity as well as the cultural progress Indian Muslims have made.
 
Imagine a campus in Pakistan with statues of Mirza Ghalib and Maulana Jauhar. While the road to the Mir Taqi Mir Hall is dedicated to Manto, a beautifully built auditorium is attributed to Noam Chomsky. However, my favourite hang-out was the Castro Café surrounded by the M F Hussain Gallery and the Maulana Azad Hostel.
 
Beyond Jamia Millia, my favourite escape was Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Away from conservative Delhi, JNU's walls – graffitied with huge images of Marx, Lenin, Che, Bhagat Singh and Manto – offer relief to any frustrated progressive. However, it is Faiz one finds all over the place. But Faiz and Manto are not confined to the JNU's romantic campus. They are all over Delhi. In fact, Delhi it seems has become Urdu's last refuge in the Subcontinent.
 
While the annual Jashn-e-Baharan Mushaira symbolised Delhi's role in preserving Urdu, a qawali session during Khusro Week at the National Museum or an evening with dhrupad master Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar at the India International Centre (IIC) convinced me that Delhi is also protecting other forms of culture that Muslims have greatly contributed to.
 
There is a vibrant Urdu press and a flourishing publishing business. At the International Book Fair held in February at Pragati Maidan not merely offered a glimpse into Urdu publications, it was interesting to see an Ahmadiyya bookstore next to Tahirul Qadri's Minhaj-ul-Quran bookstall. While Urdu press and publications promote a conservative agenda, progressive Muslim voices have found refuge in the recently-launched DD Urdu.
 
Visits to Doordarshan were always a great experience owing to the warmth shown by its Additional Director General, Ranjan Thakur. However, Faiz's life-size portrait – surrounded by those of Gandhi jee and Tagore – at DD's reception would add a special touch to every visit. Once a profitable enterprise, DD is now running huge financial losses. However, it remains committed to its social responsibility.
 
Apart from DD, the Indian television media is sensationalist. TRP-hungry channels have compromised themselves – journalistically and morally. Luckily, sections of the daily press, notably The Hindu and some magazines, haved stayed committed to the Indian tradition of quality journalism. Interestingly, India is the only major newspaper market that has expanded even after the arrival of the digital age.
 
But electronic media – the television – has outdone other outlets. The sprawling Noida Film City, on the outskirts of Delhi, is a testament to this growth. An enviably modern and efficient, though overcrowded, metro is the best way to reach Noida. Ironically, from metro station one can reach huge media houses via cycle-rickshaws. Initially, I tried to avoid using cycle-rickshaws pulled by skinny migrant workers from Bihar. But they were unavoidable as well as living proof of India's 'combined and uneven development', a theory brilliantly propounded by Leon Trotsky.
 
Beyond glaring class contradictions, one also comes across sights that would be very familiar for a Pakistani. The traffic is messy; manholes are usually uncovered; and there is an utter neglect for monuments (with few exceptions) and old buildings. Apart from some posh areas, most streets are littered with garbage. While there may be no power cuts, there is a real water crisis.
 
Since my return on June 4, I have been quizzed by siblings and cousins, friends and acquaintances. 'What do they think about us? Do they hate us?' I am asked. 'I do not know. However, I had wonderful time,' is my standard reply. Honestly, such simple questions cannot be answered in a similarly simple manner. Also, I do not have any documented evidence to substantiate or deny any claims. I can only narrate my impressions. And I think Pakistan is not the most hated country in India. We could say that about perhaps Bangladesh or Afghanistan where Pakistan is disliked near-universally. However, I can safely assert that the only country where I have been warmly received as a Pakistani is India.
 
The writer is a freelance contributor.Email: mfsulehria@hotmail.com
 

--
Peace Is Doable



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[mukto-mona] FW: JUMMA MUBARAK - WHAT A SAD STORY



This article expresses some of my sentiments towards the vulgar, ostentatious and tasteless Makka Clock Tower dwarfing, and thereby belittling the Holy Kaba Sharif.  These Saudi Jahils have also bulldozed and razed to dust archeological evidences of the houses and graves of the relatives and sahabas of the Prophet (PBUH).  No other religious group has shown such disrespect towards its founding Prophet's physical memorials, heritage and living surroundings as has these Saudi Jahils who are the true enemies of Islam. 


Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:48:46 +0100
Subject: JUMMA MUBARAK - WHAT A SAD STORY




---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Karmali@bigpond.net au <karmali@bigpond.net.au>
Date: 13 June 2013 23:28
Subject: JUMMA MUBARAK TO ALL,SAD U HAVE TO READ THIS VULGARITY BY SAUDI GOVN,SPENDING THEIR
To:


Country's WEALTH,on this shameful towers n shopping Malls,

LEAVE THE ESSENCE IF OUR HOLY KABA WILL U.

SHAME SHAME SHAME ON THESE SO CALLED MUSLIM RULERS.



Modern Makkah: That's What I Hate

By Yomna El-Saeed
OnIslam, 29 May 2013 
I've never imagined that after visiting Makkah I'll write criticizing something about it!
Let me make this point clear, dearest reader. I'm, of course, not criticizing the holy city; I'm criticizing the impact of the human factor on this city.
Shopping Spree in Makkah
I performed umrah for my late grandmother. After I finished it, heading to the tower of my hotel, all I was doing was praying to Allah "please accept it from me".
 
My mind was busy thinking about grandma; wondering if she's received the reward of my umrah or not. And while I was drowning in my thought I mistakenly entered a wrong doorI didn't notice that I was in a wrong tower; I thought I was in my tower but from a different door, so I kept walking looking for a way to my hotel.
Less than 10 minutes later I forgot all about my freshly-performed umrah, my grandma, and my hotel. Why? Because I was surrounded by super luring shops; selling all kinds of clothes, perfumes, make-up, accessories, skin care products, watches and jewelry. Even sushi (one of my favorite foods) restaurants were around me.
While my eyes were looking for my hotel's entrance, they were caught by the wonderful diversity of merchandise and the attractive promotions. My flowing river of supplication was quickly dried. I even forgot I was in Makkah!
Welcome to Abraj Al-Bait Tower or the Makkah Royal Hotel Clock Tower.
 
The Clock Tower
The Makkah Royal Hotel Clock Tower holds several world records. It is the tallest hotel in the world, the tallest clock tower in the world, the largest clock face in the world as well as the world's largest building floor area. It is the second tallest building in the world, surpassed only by Dubai's Burj Khalifa.
The hotel tower is topped by a four-faced clock, visible from more than 25 kilometers away. The clock house and the spire are 200 meters high. (London's Big Ben is only 96.3 meters). Each of the clock's four faces is 46 meters in diameter. The minaret and its base have massive loudspeakers that emit prayer calls to a distance of 7 kilometers, with nearly 21,000 lamps illuminating the surrounding area to a distance of 30 kilometers.
The tower has a five-story shopping mall and a parking garage capable of holding over a thousand vehicles. Towers house permanent residents with two heliports and a conference center to accommodate business travelers [!]. The tower also has a prayer room capable of holding more than 10,000 people [!]. Up to 100,000 people could be housed inside the towers.
 
Case Against Makkah's Clock Tower
The Clock Tower is not new; it first started ticking at the start of Ramadan 2011, amid hopes by Saudi Arabia it will become the Muslim world's official timekeeper. I was against it back then. But when went to Makkah and I saw it my anger multiplied. I wish I went to Makkah before it was built.
First of all, in the very place of The Royal Clock Tower was "Ajyad Fortress"; a historic fortress built on Bulbul Mountain that dates back to the Ottoman Empire. Ottomans constructed it in the late 18thcentury to protect the Ka'ba and provide housing and protection to pilgrims. The Saudi government demolished Ajyad Fortress and leveled most of the mountain in 2002 to make space for the $533 million construction project. I wish I was making this up.
Unlike the fortress that was once in the same place, the hotel is clearly not for ordinary pilgrims; but the wealthiest among them.
Separating Muslims
Pilgrims of Hajj and Umrah circulate the Ka'ba with their feet bare and dress in simple white towels coffin-wannabe ihramclothes to signify humility before Allah and equality among Muslims. They pray together in perfect circles, unified by a perfect intangible thing: faith.
But during the breaks between fulfilling the rituals, wealthy pilgrims will be enjoying in the lap of utter luxury and watching the mainstream perform the rituals in the blistering heat of Makkah's summer, or in its rainy winter from far above while nibbling on the world's finest caviar and the best food from all over the globe.
Makkah is the busiest spot to worship Allah. People circulate the Ka'ba, pace between Safa and Marwa, drink Zamzam water, pray extra prayers day and night because the reward of every prayer is multiplied by a hundred thousand, or at least look at the Ka'ba which is a blissful worship.
But Muslims get distracted from all of this to sink in shopping spree; spending lavishly on their materialistic needs to look fancy and feel fancy in Makkah and when they go back to their homes.
Hajj and umrah are all about leaving dunya (worldly affairs) behind, heading to Allah, and uniting Muslims. This tower is undoing all of this.
The whole world is rapidly changing toward materialism. I wish Holy Makkah was immune.
Not that Close to the Ka'ba, please!
I adore the minarets of Al-Masjid Al-Haram. I love staring at their dark grey marble, at their height and feeling tiny beside them. But unfortunately they look tiny compared to the tower. I always avoided looking at the tower when I looked at the minarets, in order for them not to lose their majesty in my eyes.
The Ka'ba is surrounded by very close high towers and construction sites. I expect these buildings to be demolished for further expansion of the Haram. If not within a couple of years, it will definitely take place within a couple of decades.
These tall buildings are too close to the Ka'ba, look like tall men surrounding a small baby and making them unable to breathe. Wide-angle aerial view makes Ka'ba looks like a mere tiny black box. The Ka'ba loses its attraction and dignity between this crowd!
In Paris, the ancient Egyptian obelisk in Palace De La Concorde is surrounded by enough empty space. And the buildings around it are shorter than it. This was intentionally made to give the visitors the chance to feel the beauty and majesty of the obelisk without distraction. Isn't the Ka'ba worth the same treatment?
If the Ka'ba could speak imagine what it would say about being dwarfed by a fancy tower?
Can we possibly see a huge tower like such in St. Peters Square in Vatican City? I believe not.
Amid this vulgar extravagance, my heart bleeds remembering our starving Somali siblings, or remembering the poor Muslims accepting baptism in return for few hundreds of dollars.
Our ummah direly needs this whole lump sum of money in many different ways, but definitely not in this way, I believe.
 
http://www.onislam.net/english/culture-and-entertainment/travels-a-adventures/457320-modern-makkah-thats-what-i-hate.html
Picture: http://safartour.blogdetik.com/tag/makkah/
 


-- 
--


Wajid Ali Khan Panni
Dhaka, Bangladesh




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               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190




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