Muslim Girls: Moving Ahead with Time

Muslim Girls: Torch-bearers of a 'Silent Revolution'

Muslims girls have once again proved that they are the torch-bearers of a ‘silent revolution’ sweeping through the Muslim community. They have conquered yet another educational battlefield. In what is being billed as a ‘major surprise’ for policymakers, Muslim girls have bagged more than 30% in merit-cum-means scholarship scheme announced by Ministry of Minority Affairs in the wake of Sachar Committee which submitted its report in November 2006.

The scheme was initiated in June 2007. Under the scheme, 20,000 “poor and meritorious” students belonging to minority communities (Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis and Buddhists) would be offered scholarships on population-wise representation.

1084 scholarships were reserved for Muslims of Maharashtra. Out of which 30% seats (325) were specifically earmarked for the Muslim girls. In the beginning, government officials were skeptical whether Muslims girls would come forward to fill in the 30% seats. To answer their skepticism, they even inserted a clause that in case of non-availability of eligible female students, government could transfer the scholarships to male students!

Muslim girls proved that the babus’ skepticism was indeed wrong. 338 girls have been sanctioned scholarships although government figure for girls was 325! The rest of 746 seats have gone to boys although government figure for boys was 759!

“We had our reasons to put in the transition clause but were puzzled by the Muslim girls’ response,” a senior Mantrayla official said. “Muslims girls have gone beyond our expectations,” he said.

As per the available data, most Muslim girls have sought scholarships to pursue professional courses including medicine and engineering while Muslim boys have opted for technical education.

Going by the figures, more Muslim girls will become doctors and engineers five years from now.

If one goes through the list of the eligible candidates, it becomes abundantly clear that Muslims from all over Maharashtra have benefited from this scheme.

Leading journalist and author, M.J. Akbar was ecstatic on this positive development.

“It is a sign of the times to come,” he said.

“Our Ummah is in twilight zone where the sun has set and we are waiting for a sunrise,” he elaborated.

“The real issue facing Indian Muslims is education. This is the real challenge: we must make every girl child, and particularly the Muslim girl child, into an educated one. Gender equality is a principle of Islam; I want to see it shine in practice,” Akbar said.

“It is a good sign of awareness among Muslims especially Muslim girls,” Uzma Nahid of Iqra Foudation said.

“Our poor and downtrodden girls have performed better than other minorities. It is a big achievement and my heart goes for their parents who have worked hard to make this happen,” she said.

The amount of scholarship awarded is from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000.

Selection procedure for the scholarship is purely based on merit. Students who have got admission to technical or professional courses on the basis of an entrance test will be eligible for this scholarship scheme. Scholarship would continue on successful completion of the course in the preceding year.

The scheme is only open to economically weaker students whose parents’ annual income does not exceed 2.5 lakh.

The scholarship has been divided into two different heads viz. 1) Maintenance assistance that will be directly credited to the student’s account. 2) Course fee will be paid by the state government directly to the concerned institute. The applications for scholarship will be submitted through concerned institutions. State government will scrutinize it and forward it to the Ministry of Minority Affairs which will finalize the list of eligible candidates.

Nikahnama Divides Indian Muslims

Muslim Marriage: Nikahnama not a 'religious obligation'

Mumbai: A new 12-page Sharai Nikahnama has sparked a heated debate among Indian Muslims, with some welcoming the women-drafted marriage guide and others slamming it as sensational.

"Although I have not gone through the full-text of nikahnama, it is a welcome development," Javed Anand of Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD) told IslamOnline.net.

"It was a change long due."

Last week, the All-India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) released the guide drafted by its 30-member executive body.

The 12-page document says registering Muslim marriages in a marriage bureau should be mandatory, and asserts the necessity of woman's consent to marriage.

It specifically mentions that a husband is expected to provide "cooked food" and "stitched clothes" to his wife.

It rejects divorce done through SMS, e-mail and phone and video conferencing and also explicitly bars a man from declaring divorce if in rage or under the influence of intoxication.

The code also grants the wife the right to seek divorce when the husband refuses to if she is forced to indulge in unnatural sex or if her husband is having illicit relationship with other women.

"We have framed the new nikahnama strictly in accordance with the tenets of Islam, which clearly prohibit any kind of harassment or oppression of a married woman by her husband," AIMWPLB president Shaista Amber said when releasing the guide last week.

She added that the document has been prepared in Urdu and Hindi so that the common people could understand the rights and responsibilities of the husband and wife.

"In the old nikahnama, there is no provision for address verification; registration of marriages has not been made compulsory and the rights of women have not been clearly laid down."
Muslims account for 160 million of India's 1.1 billion people, the world's third-largest Islamic population after those of Indonesia and Pakistan.

Overdue

Hasan Kamaal, a Mumbai-based columnist and scriptwriter, believes the move was long overdue.

"Similar nikahnamas are there in almost all Muslim countries including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia."

Kamaal said that whether Muslims take advantage of this nikahnama is altogether a different matter.

"It is very sad that men-dominated All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) didn’t initiate anything in this regard and women had to come forward to fulfill this."

The same view is shared by Anand, whose MSD group comprises secular and intellectual Muslims.

"I am saddened that the AIMPLB did nothing to bring such change."

AIMPLB, the single largest religious body consisting of scholars of different schools of thought, was formed in 1973 to protect and apply Muslim Personal Law in marriage, divorce, succession and inheritance.

In 2005, Shiite and women seceded to form their own separate Boards, the All India Shiite Personal Law Board & the All India Muslim Women's Personal Law Board.

Publicity

AIMPLB has already issued a nikahnama based on the Quran and Shari`ah.

"No one has the right to include any point in Islamic law which has not been included in the Islamic scripture," senior AIMPLB member Khalid Rasheed told IOL.

"I think All India Women’s Board has no base."

But many Muslims questioned the need for a new nikahnama.

Bhiwandi-based Dr. Rehan Ansari particularly questions the need for registering marriage.
"Muslims marry in the presence of witnesses and that is enough for a valid Muslim marriage," he told IOL.

"Nikahnamamay be a country’s necessity but it is not a religious obligation. Same is the case with registration of marriage. I think there is no harm in registering the marriage with the concerned government department."

Maulana Yaseen Akhtar Mishbahi, founder-chairman of Delhi-based research institute Darul-Qalam, insists that the AIMWPLB and its leader Shaista Ambar have no Islamic background.

"Also, she does not enjoy popular support in the Muslim community which is very important for the application of the nikahnama," he told IOL.

The scholar insisted the move was only "for the sake of publicity," advising AIMPLB not to respond to these "petty things."

"Everything is there in Qur’an, Hadith and religious books. There is no need for a nikahnama."

Copyright material: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1203758360810&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout

Buoyant Bangladesh: An Emerging Investment Destination

Dr. Muhammad Yunus: The Poster boy of Brand Bangladesh

A bare utterance is being transformed into a reality. The famous saying of Dr. Muhammad Yunus (Nobel Prize-winning founder of Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank) that “We will create a poverty museum by 2030…We will start with Bangladesh” finally goes global with his pioneering micro-credit scheme to poor people with no bank account or credit history. A bank from a “third world country” is making inroads into the world’s richest country: the United States. Grameen America which launched in January 2008, has already lent a modest $145,000 to immigrant women in New York City.

That’s the Bangladesh of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the man who has converted millions of ordinary Bangla women into “Bangla heroines” with his unique application of micro-credit techniques.
Dr. Muhammad Yunus is now the symbol of a new brand Bangladesh which is attracting tremendous investment interest.

Grameen's joint venture with Danone, one of the leading producers of nutritious food in the world, is one such example. The basic aim of the joint venture was to “improve the diet of rural Bangladeshis — especially the children” at a “low price” in order to make a “real difference in the lives of millions of people”. The joint venture is one of the finest targeted-examples of the ‘Fortune at the bottom of pyramid’ theory. (This theory is derived from the work of renowned researcher and change leader Professor C. K. Prahalad’s book ‘Fortune at the Bottom of Pyramid.’ It means that there is a vast, untapped purchasing power and demand at the lowest income levels of society and there is a fortune to be made if products are designed creatively at low cost and sold at low prices.)

The 'Bangladesh Paradox' and Emerging Investment Opportunities
Bangladesh, designated a Least Developed Nation by the United Nations in 2003 (2006 est GNP per capita at $440), has surprised investors all around the world. With a 150 million strong population and extreme poverty at the helm, it has put to rest all speculation that it was bound to fail in terms of socio-economic indicators. In spite of a troubled political history and a caretaker government in power, global banks and financial institutions paint an optimistic picture of Bangladesh.

The World Bank calls it the ‘Bangladesh Paradox’. Top-notch banks like Citi, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Merrill Lynch have identified Bangladesh as a ‘key investment opportunity’. Its buoyancy can be gauged from its “bullish” image: The Dhaka Stock Exchange Index is at a 10-year high, 66 per cent up this year thus making Bangladesh Asia’s top-performer after China, leaving even a ‘resurgent’ India behind. With consistent GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth of 7%, it is set to march ahead and become an ‘Asian Tiger’ soon.

The impressive growth overall is taking place in ‘a climate of political restructuring’ – thanks to the government’s interest in privatizing many state-owned enterprises.

Bangladesh is finally shattering its cocooned perception all across the globe. As the author-editor M.J. Akbar told DinarStandard, “If Bangladesh is slowly emerging out of the basket into which Henry Kissinger once dumped it (he called the country a “basket case”) it is because women have become the prime movers of economic development.”

Bangladesh has moved from the “basket case” towards the “bullish” case.

There are plenty of corporate houses in Bangladesh who embody the “Bullish Bangladesh” image. Rahimafrooz Group and Asian Tiger Capital Partners (popularly known as AT Capital) are two such companies who have the potential to transform Bangladesh into an ‘economic powerhouse’ and ‘Asian Tiger’ respectively.

Rahimafrooz’s Innovative Solar Energy Solutions
Rahimafrooz Group is a 50 year old modern day family conglomerate that showcases the 'Bangladesh Paradox.' In 2006, the Company had a turnover of $72.5 million and has 1700 employees and mainly deals in three areas: Automotive Aftermarket, Energy Services (including Renewable) and Retail. Its vision is to become one of the top two storage power companies in South Asia by the year 2010 and aspires to be “the most admired and trusted organization” by following “ethical business practices” and “adding value to stakeholders”.

Rahimafrooz’s innovative solar energy solution is today touching the lives of thousands of poor people in the country. It is a pilot project with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission to provide solar-electricity to the remote villages of Bangladesh. As of now, more than 30,000 thousand families are supplied with solar power with the help of NGOs and International Organizations.

It was because of Rahimafrooz’s Solar Home System (SHS) that Mr. Bakaddas Mia’s family overcame the “darkness of night”. It also helped him to educate his children. Mr. Mia’s story is not unique; there are many heart-warming stories of instant transformation.

Speaking on solar energy, Munawar Misbah Moin, Group Director, Rahimafrooz told DinarStandard, “We, at Rahimafrooz, have designed solar batteries for use in small home lighting systems. In addition, we have set standards for charge controllers, inverter circuits and lamps and helped develop local production of all components other than the solar module”.
Elaborating on the variety of solar energy, he said, “Our experience ranges from Solar Home System (SHS), centralized system, vaccination refrigeration, water pumping, drip irrigation, telecom back up system, etc”.

Scope for Solar Energy
Mr. Munawar said that the scope for solar energy in Bangladesh is bright. “The rural home lighting market”, he said, “is growing robustly at the rate of 100% and the market for other customized solution is also developing”.

“We have been focusing on rural market in Bangladesh with potential of 1 Million households and so far all players have supplied SHS to 200,000 households”, he told DS.

OIC’s Potential Role for the Promotion of Solar Energy
He also talked about the prospects of Solar Energy in developing Muslim countries where there is an acute shortage of energy.“The solar proposition is feasible and sustainable in an area in any country where installation of main electrical grids is far off (15 to 20 year time)”, he said.
Mr. Munawar also suggested that institutions like the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference), IDB (Islamic Development Bank), and Kuwait Fund could promote the use of renewable energy by providing soft loans and replicating the SHS program like Bangladesh.

“A platform like the OIC could effectively increase trade and investment between Muslim countries and together we could make platforms like ‘World Islamic Economic Forum’ more effective”, he told DS.

Currently, Rahimafrooz Solar intends to tap the local market. “But in the future we will explore the possibility of expanding into SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) and Africa as well”, he told DinarStandard.

When asked why Bangladesh is being considered an emerging investment destination, he said, “Bangladesh has immense strategic and geographical value because of possible easy access to some of the most lucrative and emerging economies, particularly India and China of the BRIC, India having the fastest emerging middle class, and China having over 1 billion people and being the fastest growing economy in the world”.

“Thus investing in Bangladesh can give access to both local and international markets”, he emphasized.

“With 95% primary enrollment and women’s empowerment on the rise, Bangladesh will never be the same”, he told DS.

Key Sectors for Investment
Mr. Munawar listed the key sectors for investment as: power, infrastructure, agriculture, textile, vocational training center, skilled manpower sourcing, sea food, light engineering for local and export markets, manufacture and export garments, and footwear related consumer products.

AT Capital brings Wall Street to Bangladesh
Asian Tiger Capital Partners – otherwise known as AT Capital – one of the first financial institutions in Bangladesh to focus on private equity and venture capital – believes that the Bangladesh has the “potential to be one if the next Asian Tigers” as the company name itself suggests.

AT Capital invests in leading companies and works with management to grow and improve them to create shareholder value.

With Ifty Islam as its founder and managing partner, AT Capital can rightly boast of “years of international professional experience with unparalleled local expertise to deliver tangible improvements” to potential investors.

A graduate of Queen’s College at Oxford, Ifty Islam has an 18-year ‘Wall Street career’ beginning with BZW Securities and serving as Managing Director at Citigroup, London from 2004-2007 where he was Head of Macro Strategy/Hedge Fund Research. From 1997-2004, he spent 8 years at Deutsche Bank Securities in London and New York, latterly as Managing Director and Chief US Strategist.

Mr. Ifty’s primary objective is “to leverage his long-term relationships with many of the world’s largest investors developed over an 18 year Wall Street career to attract substantial overseas funds to the country”.

AT Capital - "Bullish"
Although Brand Bangladesh has suffered from what Mr. Ifty calls a “perception problem”, his company intends to capitalize on the ‘Bangladesh Paradox’ where despite poverty, political turmoil and over-population, the country is making an economic splash.

Mr. Ifty considers Bangladesh’s dense population a boon rather than a bane. “With a young dynamic population, the appropriate investment and training can offer a substantial platform for outsourcing and off shoring”, he told DS.

“With export diversification from the current reliance on textiles, into a broader range of offshore manufacturing production, Bangladesh economy is growing sustainably at 8% rather than 5-6 per cent”, Mr. Ifty told DS.

AT Capital’s new Investment Funds

“We intend to invest in existing businesses with a strong domestic or export presence”, Mr. Ifty said confidently.

Elaborating further he said that the best risk-return opportunity is to establish new businesses potentially with foreign joint venture partners in sectors with substantial growth opportunities where Bangladesh has lagged behind many of its regional peers.

IT and pharmaceuticals are the two sectors which Mr. Ifty feels lag behind in comparison to other sectors like textiles where merchandise export constitutes 80% of Bangladesh’s total export.

Mr. Ifty said that in 2008, AT Capital will launch two funds aimed at overseas investors looking to gain exposure to the substantial return opportunities in Bangladesh. The AT Capital Bangladesh Strategic Opportunities Fund will invest in non-publicly listed companies and the AT Capital Market Opportunities Fund will invest in equities listed on the Dhaka and Chittagong Stock Exchanges.

In 2009, the company aims to launch two funds Viz. Bangladesh Infrastructure and Real Estate funds.In addition, dedicated mutual fund products will also be developed to allow Non-Resident Bangladeshi retail investors to gain exposure to private equity, the stock market, infrastructure, and real estate investments in Bangladesh.

The objective of the private equity fund will be to make $ 0.5 million - $ 10 million investments in non-listed companies where the fund will aim to establish a controlling stake either by itself or in syndicate with other private equity investors.As for the stock market, AT Capital will make investments in the Dhaka Stock Exchange. The market capitalization of the stock exchange currently stands at $11.3 billion, representing approximately 18% of 2006 GDP. The Bangladesh stock market is expected to increase in size in 2008 by over $5 billion with key Telecoms companies and State Owned companies expected to enter the market.

Mr. Ifty said that despite political instability, things were looking up. “Political instability”, he said, “is a concern but should lift after the next elections”.

“I think investors will be encouraged by the anti-corruption drive recently”, he emphasized.

“More fundamentally”, he elaborated, “there should be some greater clarity after December 2008 when global investors can focus on the fundamentals”.

“Political risk in EM (Equity Markets) is not a total surprise”.

Why Bangladesh?
Sharing his thoughts on why Bangladesh is an attractive investment destination, Mr. Islam listed six important reasons:

1. Demographics: A young and dynamic population of almost 150 million with extremely competitive labour costs across a broad range of sectors. Good standards of English literacy and a strong entrepreneurial ethic.
2. Global Competitiveness: Competition in textiles can be replicated in other industries with many untapped investment opportunities in new industries such as outsourcing and pharmaceuticals.
3. Investor-Friendly Regulation: An investor friendly regulatory environment and the potential for rapid development of local capital markets.
4. Natural Resources: Large natural resources in natural gas and coal and enormous investment demand for infrastructure projects across all sub-sectors.
5. Proximity: Adjacency to India and China in the heart of Asia.
6. Non-Resident Bangladeshi Community: Substantial opportunities to attract both financial and intellectual capital investment from a large non-resident Bangladeshi community.

Social reform is the first step in development of any country. The pace of social reform and empowerment of women in Bangladesh have been rightly termed as “outstanding modern miracles” of an emerging ‘Asian Tiger’.

As M.J. Akbar put it: Women are being empowered with jobs, with credit, with ownership through housing schemes; it is no longer the man who gets everything in the name of welfare. The NGOs are the vanguard of this vast churning that is slowly but surely lifting a nation once dismissed as a basket case towards a level of pride”.

Copyright material: http://www.dinarstandard.com/intraoic/BuoyantBangladesh030308.htm

Emaar Rises With Mohamed Bin Ali Alabbar's Inspired Leadership

Burj Dubai: World's Tallest Building being built by Emaar in Dubai

“A leader”, defined John C. Maxwell, “is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Mohamed Bin Ali Alabbar (Chairman, Emaar; Director General, Dubai Department of Economic Development) perfectly fits in the definition. He believes on his passion rather than his position. He is a man who knows the difference between a leader and a boss: a boss says “Go!” and a leader says “Let’s go!”

Being at the helm of one of the largest real estate companies in the world, Mr. Alabbar takes inspiration from none other than his mentor: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of UAE (United Arab Emirates).

Mr. Alabbar is guided by Sheikh Mohammed’s call for dynamic leadership: “A leader should lead, and be able to lead his people by positioning himself in front of them and not behind them. A leader should take control and tell his people: ‘Here is our goal, follow me towards it, and not: “Go ahead, and we will be right behind you”.

Mr. Alabbar believes that His Highness is the prime driving force behind all-round transformation of Dubai from a ‘barren land’ into an ‘oasis of opportunities.’

“The fuel for growth”, said Mr. Alabbar, “is the support and direction provided by UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.”

Mr. Alabbar acknowledges His Highness’ far-sightedness.

“He understood that the time was right for Dubai — and this may be his most valuable example for those of us with large-scale ambitions,” he said. “He gave us the daring to dream and dream big.”

Mr. Alabbar is not a man of words but of actions. His lets his actions speak for themselves. It was primarily for this reason he received first-ever ‘The Lifetime Achievement Award’ at Arabian Business Media & Marketing Conference held in November 2007.

The Award recognized the “foresight” and “bold initiatives” of Mr Alabbar. Mr Andrew Neil, Chairman, ITP, the Middle East’s largest publisher of consumer and business magazines, including Arabian Business, termed Mr. Alabbar as a “role model for the entrepreneur community across the Arab world.”

“He sets an example of how far-sighted approach, innovative thinking and flawless execution can help achieve one’s goals and consistently better the success achieved,” he said.

Speaking at the conference Mr. Alabbar shared his futuristic vision and positive approach.

“Today, with such towering examples in human achievement as the Burj Dubai”, he thundered, “we proclaim to the world that nothing is impossible when human minds come together with clearly focused objectives.”

Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records. Mr. Alabbar certainly belongs to the latter.

Alabbar-led Emaar Group is a leading real estate company in the Middle East and intends to grow globally in order to achieve “vision of 2010.” i.e. to become one of the most valuable companies in the world.

To attain vision 2010, Emaar has built distinctive management philosophy. “Emaar Culture” with the help of renowned management guru, Ram Charan. Emaar Culture simply means the company must be driven by objectives, measurable performance and monitoring.

To implement the same Emaar has successfully developed the culture of “Management By Objectives” (MBOs) and “Key Performance Indicators” (KPIs) among senior management. Emaar intends to percolate this philosophy at every level of the organization. To ensure continuity of Emaar culture company has also proceeded to put in place a management succession plan with Ram Charan.

Emaar’s global presence can be gauged from the fact that in 2006 alone it acquired three big companies: John Laing Homes, Hamptons International and Turner International Middle East.
Emaar’s track-record in revenue generation is excellent since it determines the health of a company. Emaar generated revenues of AED 14.006 billion and net profits of AED 6.371 billion in the financial year, 2006, increase of 68 per and 35 per cent, respectively, over the previous financial year.

Speaking on Emaar’s global ambition at the conference, Mr. Alabbar had said, “There comes a time when you out-grow the local market and feel the need to scale up and take that leap from local to global.”

Barely two months after making that statement, Emaar MGF (a joint venture) is making heading-turning moves in India: Asia’s most exciting real estate market. On January 4, it won a bid to construct 1,168 (number of flats) nine-storey residential flats, comprising a built-up area of 201,280 sq. mts, for the Commonwealth Games Village (will be held in New Delhi in 2010) at a price of 3.2 billion USD.

Emaar MGF plans to invest more than half a billion US dollars in real estate projects planned in prominent Indian cities. In 2006, Emaar launched pilot projects in India, Pakistan and Egypt. It has successfully completed the construction of seven offices, six sales centers and two “Street of Dreams” in international markets, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, India and Morocco.

In such a scenario, Emaar intends to capitalize on ‘fortune at the bottom of pyramid’ theory. This theory is derived from renowned researcher and change leader, Professor C. K. Prahalad’s (of university of Michigan) book ‘Fortune at the Bottom of Pyramid.’ It means that there is purchasing power and demand at the lowest income levels of society and there is a fortune to be made if products are designed creatively at low cost and sold at low prices.

Mr. Alabbar was confident that Emaar will succeed in other markets as well because of the persistent requests by their clients to offer similar services in their home countries.

One of the primary reasons for Emaar’s success story, according to Mr. Alabbar, is their emphasis on ‘community living’ and ‘luxury lifestyle’ which is missing in most emerging economies in the region and Asia.

Mr. Alabbar believes in empowering people – which he considers as a part of larger theme – in order to transform their lives.

“Today, while we continue to focus on our core brand value of delivery”, he said, “our global ambitions have led us to larger themes of empowering people to live their lives fully, inspiring new generations to challenge the status quo and giving people hope for a better future.”

Emaar has been making waves on the corporate power list as well. It is the first and only real estate company in the region to be ranked in the Financial Times Global 500 list of the world’s top-notch organizations.

Mr. Alabbar too was ranked high in the Fortune 500. He was named 5th in Power Positions category.

A graduate of The Albers School of Business and Economics, Seattle University, Mr. Alabbar has spoken in a number of international forums including representing the UAE at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Just as Sheikh Mohammed has been an inspiration to Mr. Alabbar; Mr. Alabbar's own achievements has made him an inspiration for other leaders to come.

Copyright material: http://www.dinarstandard.com/rankings/ds100/AliAlabbar.htm

Zain: A New Look with a Global Vision

Zain's Logo Stands for Freshness, Boldness and Vitality

Zain, the 24-year old Kuwait-based mobile telecommunications company (formerly MTC), seems to work on a basic philosophy: You are never too old to dream a new dream.

If “dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions,” Zain's answer today to global competitiveness is an enviable vision of making itself the first communications company in the world to enter the global list of top 100 companies.

Zain – Middle East’s first mobile operator – envisions to become a global wireless operator executing its focussed 3x3x3 profitable expansion plan by 2011.

The 3x3x3 plan seeks to make Zain a global player in three stages: regional, international and global, with each stage completed in three years, with an aim of reaching a subscriber base of 70 million. Thus what the company aims to achieve in nine years, other companies have taken more than 27 years to achieve!

“Now, we are entering a new and dynamic chapter in our history,” Dr. Saad Al Barrak, CEO Zain Group said, “one that will take us into the top ten of global mobile telecommunications companies.”

The company aspires to enhance its client base in operational stages of expansion. In 2003, the company was operating in Kuwait alone; now it is operating in 22 countries.

With a modest beginning, today Zain has metamorphosed into a big corporate entity employing 13,500 employees serving over 36.47 million customers in seven Middle Eastern and now a major player on the African continen with presence in 15 sub-Saharan African countries.

At Zain, simplicity is the soul of strategic management. It focuses on “combining value creation” and “internal growth” from existing operations. And to pursue “aggressive expansion into new geographies” Zain is working on the following four strategic elements.

1. Mass market focus and segmented customer strategy: Zain is focusing to enter mass market in full throttle. It targets to reach at least 70% of the market – both in terms of subscribers as well as segment value. The subscriber growth will be generated through aggressively targeting under-penetrated segments, whereas value growth will come from the existing customer base. It aims to attain 50% market share in markets where Zain is a “leader” and a minimum of 30% market share in markets where Zain is a “challenger.”

2. Competitive positioning and differentiation strategy: What makes Zain competitive and different is not only its “price-only” focus but a “combination of differentiated elements” of their “value proposition.” The company classifies customers into value segments of different class and addresses them all.

3. High-value technology strategy: Invention and exploration are the technological buzzwords at Zain. Yet, it only invests in commercially viable technologies in order to benefit the customer from the full range of services that at the same time add value both internally and to end-customers.

4. Company management strategy: It aims at “synergy realization” and “excellence” by assuming and promoting a “people-oriented culture.” It also rewards and empowers its employees in line with their performance.

Last year, Zain launched ACE which it calls as “an implementation strategy” to realize the “target of the 3x3x3 vision.” The program seeks to extract “superior value” from existing assets with the help of accelerating growth in Africa; consolidating the existing assets and expanding it into adjacent markets. By ACE, Zain seeks to attain a US$ 6 Billion EBITDA exceeding 70 million customers and to become one of the top ten leading telecom companies in the world by market capitalization.

As a part of global new branding, Zain Group has come up with a new logo and theme – A Wonderful World. It captures Zain’s “energy, inspiration and diversity.” The new logo’s colourful identity reflects “freshness, boldness and vitality with the ‘swirl’ communicating the idea of an aura, something important to human life echoing growth, progression and diversity.”

The name Zain was selected after going through over a list of 400 names, a result of extensive research with the help of professional consultants. 'Zain' was chosen for its “simplicity, memorability and ease of pronunciation across the global marketplace.”

The brand name Zain reminds us of what Da Vinci said: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.As an added advantage, Zain was found to be rich in meaning and its appeal lay in its wide acceptability. For example, in Arabic, Zain means ‘beautiful, good and wonderful”, in Latin it means ‘dark horse’ and it has many positive meanings in other cultures found in Africa, Asia, Europe and beyond.

Zain’s values are based on three words: radiance, heart and belonging.

“Such values are not new to us… The difference now is that we have formally adopted them as business drivers,” Dr. Al Barrak said.

Zain has also successfully engaged with the world’s topmost telecom companies; most recently on January 7, 2008 when it signed a contract with Finnish-German telecom Group Nokia Siemens Network for 1 billion USD to build a mobile telephone network in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

As the world gets globalized, the ‘dark horse’ of Zain keeps running its race in order to convert dreamt dreams into a reality.

Copyright Material: http://www.dinarstandard.com/rankings/ds100/Zain.htm

Indian Muslims Review Unjust 2007

Praying for Justice: A Year of Unfulfilled Promises

New Delhi: For Muslims in Asian heavyweight India, 2007 will be remembered as a year of injustice, both politically and economically.

"Unfortunately in 2007, the pace of judiciary was slow," Javed Anand of Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD) said.

He cited the complete ignorance of the recommendations put forward by the Sri Krishna Commission, set up to probe the 1992-93 Mumbai riots.

Anand said although the report blamed "trigger-happy" Hindu police officials for the violence nothing has happened.

"There has not been any progress at all," fumed the Mumbai-based activist.

Mustafa Khan, a university professor, also complained of lame justice.

"The year 2007 will go down as a dark year for the Muslims of India," he said.

He cited the August ruling in the 1993 Mumbai blasts where the court slapped death sentences against 12 Muslims accused in the bombings that followed violent anti-Muslim riots.

"In a sharp contrast, Hindus involved in the massacre of the Muslim prior to bomb blasts have not been even tried in the court of law."

The blasts were seen as the direct effect of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodha and the anti-Muslim riots that followed in Mumbai, the commercial capital of India.

Another example of injustices in 2007 was the manifested in the Muslim-majority rural area of Nandigram in West Bengal state.

A project by the local government to establish Special Economic Zones (SEZs) became a nightmare for Muslim residents who were forcibly evicted from their land and murdered in order to welcome multi-national companies.

"The state of West Bengal saw a communist government supporters raping and killing people of whom the overwhelming majority is Muslim and virtually taking over their land and property with impunity," professor Khan charges.

Gujarat

The election in the religiously-divided southern state of Gujarat was also bad news for Muslims in 2007.

"Renewed political life of Narendra Modi is not a healthy sign for Muslims," maintains Anand.

Munawwar Pheerbhoy, the chairman of Mohammed Azam Education Trust (Pune), agrees.

"It shows that communal forces are raising their ugly heads once again. Polarization is not good for Gandhi’s India."

Hindu nationalist leader Modi has been re-elected as chief minister of Gujarat.

Modi and his Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) have been blamed for stoking anti-Muslim riots in 2002.

He was censured by India's Supreme Court as "a modern Nero".

In October, a weekly magazine released a series of videotaped confessions of Hindu activists bragging about Modi support for the carnage that claimed the lives of up to 2,500 people, mostly Muslims.

"Gujarat saw the rapists and murderers of Muslims…appearing on television and confessing how they raped and killed Muslims, burnt and looted their houses and shops," noted professor Khan.

"After their boasting of the crimes of genocide, they still move around freely.

"It’s so disturbing."

Economic Paradise

M.J. Akbar, editor-in-chief of The Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle, complains that Muslims are suffering from economic discrimination.

"[The] Government has been high on promises and short on delivery," he said.

"It is as if because they have been permitted to survive and vote, they do not deserve anything more."

Akbar, an ex-lawmaker who was spokesman of late premier Rajiv Gandhi, notes that 2007 was the year of booming economy for India.

Although Muslims played a key role in achieving this "economic miracle," he add, they lived in absolute poverty and struggled to make ends meet.

"The young Muslims of Bengal…are feeling totally alienated from economic growth," Akbar cites as a case in point.

India's some 160 million Muslims have suffered decades of social and economic neglect and oppression.

They are under-represented in public sector jobs, register lower educational levels and, as a consequence, higher unemployment rates than the majority Hindus and other minorities like Christians and Sikhs.

Akbar regrets that a Muslim child of 1992 has grown up watching India turn into turning someone else’s paradise.

"No one has sent him an entry ticket to that paradise. He has not even been allowed to smell the flavor of the gate."

"He has been told, implicitly, to content himself with squalor while others on the same level as him have begun to take tentative steps towards new horizons."

A Hajj Aspirant's Dream Comes True

A Dream Comes True: Siraj Abdul Hameed in his tiny shop

Malegaon: Siraj Abdul Hameed patiently deals with a flurry of potential customers in his Itehaad Cut-Piece Centre, a tiny 10×10 shop specializing in suiting and shirting.

He welcomes visitors adjusting his traditional skullcap. Growing stubble is in sight. "Symbols of Faith" – as he put it – have never been closer to this man of small-means and big ambitions.

"Every day I deal with plenty of customers in my shop but this year Allah has decided to deal with me in His House," he said.

Hameed is part of the last Indian hajj flight leaving Mumbai on Friday, December 14.

Hajj had been on his cards for quite sometime but could not happen because of the "continuous economic crises".

"It was only in July 2007 that my sons convinced me that hajj is not that expensive," recalls Hameed.

"Earlier I used to think that it costs a lot ranging from Rs. 200,000 to 300,000."

He has registered with the Indian Hajj Committee, a government-owned body which subsidizes pilgrims from India.

"It will cost me only Rs. 80,000."

A total of 157,000 Indian Muslims will be performing hajj this year.

"Out of which 110,000 will be going through the Hajj Committee and the remaining 47,000 will go through private tours," said Maulana Hussain Ahmad Milli, who has been conducting hajj training classes for 28 years.

India is home to 160 million Muslims, second largest Muslim population after Indonesia.

Hameed, who stays in a dingy chawl overlooking densely-populated Islampura, a Muslim locality, sees himself as lucky since not all human dreams come true.

"In August 2007, my name did not appear in the first round of Qura Andaazi (random selection) of the Hajj Committee," he recalls.

"Even they returned my first demand draft of Rs. 21,400."

Hameed was disappointed but not defeated. He tried it in the subsequent rounds of Qura Andaazi but could not succeed.

But good things come late. Hameed couldn’t believe himself when his name figured in the final round of the Qura Andaazi.

"I was on cloud nine when I came to know about it," he said cheerfully. "Out of the 178 hajj aspirants, only 55 were selected in the final round and I was one of them."

The good news didn’t end Hameed’s woes because he was asked to deposit the rest of the money within two days.

Hameed had to arrange for marriage ceremony of one of his relatives on November 5.

There was a deliberation in the household whether he should go for the hajj since impending marriage demanded money.

"Economic cyclones keep coming", he said, "but one must learn how to deal with them."
Finally good sense prevailed.

"It all depends upon your intention", he said, "since both marriage and hajj are important in Islam."

"We gave importance to the both. A little saving here, a little thrift there can do the unthinkable," Siraj said.

He intends to quench his spiritual thirst on his forthcoming hajj journey.

"My restless soul can’t wait to see the sacred Ka`bah."

Hameed is desperately counting his days up to December 14.

His desperation grows every moment.

"Have you ever felt like a caged bird waiting to fly?"

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) - Leads a Scientific Renaissance

KAUST's Vision: View of Engineering & Science Building (Computer Rendering)

At a time when intellectually-agile tradition of the Muslim world seems to be forgotten, a pioneering project in a “desert country” is set to revive the past glory of the golden Islamic era. A “country of Bedouins” sometimes accused of breeding fanaticism is doing something fantastic. Welcome to the Saudi Arabia of King Abdullah who is determined to breed future Ibn Sinas and Muhammad al-Khorezmis in order to create innovative ideas in the field of science and technology.

The proposed King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is a dream of the King Abdullah, custodian of the two holy mosques. The proposed 20 billion Saudi Riyal project site lies in the west coast of Thuwal, 80 kilometers north of Jeddah.

Speaking on the occasion of groundbreaking ceremony held on October 21, King Abdullah said that the university will be a place to share “minds and the ideas of enlightened men and women” without “discrimination”. He harked back to Islam's first “House of Wisdom” and said that the forum dedicated to science and research will be a “ beacon of knowledge for future generations.”

Saudi Aramco, the state-owned world's largest oil company, has been commissioned to design and build the university's campus. The campus is stretched over nearly 9000 acres of coastal land. It is expected to be completed by September 2009.

The KAUST will be a graduate university where learning will be substantiated by the research. Aspirants from across the globe will be selected strictly on the basis of merit. KAUST will have research centers and research institutes. The first-four planned research institute will be:

1. Resources, Energy and Environment,
2. Biosciences and Bioengineering,
3. Materials Science and Engineering,
4. Applied Mathematics and Computational Science

Dr. Charles M. Vest, President, National Academy of Engineering and President Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) highlighted the importance of Research University in the 21 st Century in his keynote address.

“Research universities”, he said, “create opportunities for industries, cities, nations, and regions by preparing educated citizens and by direct application of the new knowledge, new understandings, and new technologies that flow from their research and scholarship .”

Dr. Vest spoke at length about the evolution, migration and globalization of research universities. “There are many lessons to be learned from this evolution”, he said. He listed down six important lessons to be learnt from the research university experience of the 20 th Century.
KAUST is based on Dr. Vest's first lesson: Teaching and research must be intimately intertwined.

“Teaching and research are inseparable”, he said.

“And it is their synergy”, he emphasized “that defines the essence of a research university.”

One of the most important lessons that Dr. Vest offered at the inaugural session of KAUST is that “ fundamental scholarship and research must exist on an equal plane with applied research and innovation.”

Elaborating on this lesson he very subtly hinted at the business community. “ We are very aware that research universities create opportunity for nations and regions through the transfer of technology and innovation to the marketplace.”

He also spoke about relevance of education to entrepreneurship. “Industrially relevant work is increasingly important”, he said, and “an environment that is entrepreneurial also gives relevance to education.”

Dr. Vest also spoke on open environment in a research university where people across the globe study and challenge one's hypothesis so as to arrive at the results of scientific experiments.
“Science”, he said, “cannot be done in isolation.”

“And, of course, interactions among scholars, scientists, and engineers who have diverse perspectives and varied experiences lead to creativity and innovation.”

His mantra for the success of Research University is this: compete as well as cooperate. “It is a paradox of this age that we all must cooperate as well as compete”, he said.

KAUST has already tied with many internationally renowned institutes like Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Indian Institute of Technology, National University of Singapore to name a few.

Dr. Vest cautioned on the two “opposing trends” of today's age: integration and fragmentation. He said that KAUST is all about integration. “We are linked by the knowledge and understanding developed by many people in many places”, he said.

KAUST has two bodies as of now. First is International Advisory Council (IAC) which meets twice a year to review plans and provide guidance and feedback to Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia and man-in-charge of the KAUST. Second body is Presidential Search Committee (PSC) which is still on a hunt for the right candidate.

Plenty of universities are launched worldwide so why this brouhaha about KAUST?

KAUST reminds us of madrasas of Samarkand , Bukhara and Khiva in Central Asia . They were not merely religious seminaries but also great universities where mathematics, medicine and astronomy and all sciences were taught. Khiva is the birthplace of Muhammad al-Khorezmi, the father of algebra. The algebra has evolved from his technique of solving quadratic equations. Ibn Sina (Avicenna in the West) was among the foremost medical authorities of his time. He studied and taught at the madrasas at Bukhara and Khiva.

KAUST can once again play that historic role in shaping innovative ideas, in sharpening the rough edges of young and restless minds. If KAUST can transform an innovative spark into a full-fledged fire, then that will not be simply the gain of business community but it will be the gain of the community as well.

In the world of pharmaceuticals, the word research is the mother of all inventions. Who knows that a research university like KAUST will produce future scientists for major pharmaceutical players such as Hikma, Cipla, or Hamdard?

If King Abdullah's dream becomes a reality, we are sure; it will produce a lot of scientific dreamers.

Copyright Material: http://www.dinarstandard.com/innovation/KAUST112107.htm

Goodbye Grandpa

Alvida Dadajaan: May you rest in peace

My 95-year old grandfather passed away on Tuesday November 13. At the moment, words fail me... so I pay tribute to him by posting a heart-wrenching Urdu poem by Nida Fazli (He wrote the following poem at the death of his father whose burial he could not attend).

Tumhaarii qabr per

Tumhaarii qabr par maiN

Faatehaa paRhne nahiiN aayaa,

Mujhe m’aaluum thaa, tum mar nahiiN sakte.

Tumhaare maut kii sachchii Khabar

Jisne uRaa’ii thii, wo jhuuTaa thaa,

Wo tum kab the?

Koiii suukhaa huaa pattaa, havaa meN gir ke TuuTaa thaa.

Merii aaNkheN

Tumhaare manzaroN meN qaid hai ab tak

Main jo bhii dekhtaa huN, sochtaa huN

Vo, vohii hai

Jo tumhaarii nek-naamii aur bad-naamii ki duniyaa thii.

Kahiin kuch bhi nahiiN badlaa

Tumhaare haath, merii uNgliyoN meN saaNs lete haiN

Main likhne ke liye jab bhii, qalam kaaGaz uThaataa huN

Tumhe baiThaa huvaa maiN

Apnii hi kursii meN paataa huN,

Badan meN mere, jitnaa bhi lahuu hai,

Wo tumhaarii

Lagzishon, naa-kaamiyoN ke saath bahtaa hai,

Merii aavaaz meN chhup kar, tumhaaraa zehn rehtaa hai,

Meri biimaariyoN meN tum,

Meri laa-chaariyoN meN tum

Tumhaari qabr par jis ne tumhaaraa naam likhkhaa hai

Wo jhuTaa hai,

Tumhaari qabr meN, maiN dafn huN,

Tum zindaa ho !

Tum zindaa ho !

Mile fursat kabhii, tau faatehaa paRhne chale aanaa.

In Malegaon, 6 years after Riots: No Lessons are Learnt

In the Line of Fire: Diamond textile factory on fire during Malegaon riots of 2001

Malegaon: In Malegaon and elsewhere, riots have always followed a pattern: a minor incident, a lit matchstick, and a conflagration follows. Hooligans hold sway, rumours travel faster than truth.

The story was the same on a chilly Friday afternoon here on October 26, 2001. A few Muslims were distributing an Urdu pamphlet which was titled “Be Indian, Buy Indian” outside Malegaon’s Jama Masjid after the namaz. It listed the names of a few American and British companies and called for a boycott of their products in order to ensure a “free economic future.”

A jawan of the SRP, who was perhaps unaware about what it said, snatched some copies and tore them up. People coming out of the mosque at that point became enraged at this act of high-handedness and a fight broke out with the police. When a stone thrown accidentally hit someone involved in Dussehra preparations nearby, the clash took on a communal colour.

The 20-day madness that followed claimed 14 lives — 12 Muslims, a Hindu and one person who could not be identified. Of the 12 Muslims, nine died in police firing while the other three were stabbed to death by mobs. The lone Hindu was burnt alive by a Muslim mob.

The 2001 riots were not restricted to Malegaon alone, they spread to at least 138 villages nearby, where Muslims were targeted following the spreading of false rumours — including that Hindu women had been raped in Malegaon. A total of 135 mosques and dargahs were razed or partially demolished.

Justice K.N. Patil, a retired judge of the Bombay high court, was asked to inquire into the Malegaon riots. After a year and a half of painstaking digging, he submitted a report to the state government in June 2003, but more than four years later this report is yet to be tabled in the Maharashtra Assembly.

“It has been more than four years, but not a single word has been uttered by Vilasrao Deshmukh on the report,” Prof. Mustafa Khan, who has followed the case closely, said.

“Commissions have become our destiny. Other communities benefit from government action, while we only get commission reports,” he said.

“Our case is worse than (even) that of the 1992-93 Mumbai riot (victims) because we don’t even know what the commission’s findings are,” Prof. Khan added.

S.S. Shaikh, a lawyer, says he believes that the judge’s report has severely criticised the police and the administration, and the role played by some police stations in particular, and is almost certain that it will never see the light of day. “Forget implementation, it will not even be tabled in the Assembly — for the simple reason that it will be a major embarrassment for the Congress.”

It remains a fact that only Muslims were killed in the police firing. “Both communities indulged in arson and looting but only Muslims fell to police bullets,” said Nihal Ahmad, a former state minister and senior Janata Dal (S) leader.

The “police bias,” he says, was evident. “All Muslims were shot above the waist.”

The police has also been accused of indiscriminate firing on innocents. A 50-year-old woman who was drying clothes on her balcony was shot dead in the Mohammed Ali Road area. “A bullet pierced through Bilqees Bano’s stomach. Is drying clothes in one’s own balcony a crime?” asked Prof. Khan.

What actually caused the outbreak? Naseen Ahmed, founder of Malegaon’s first news channel, offers an explanation which finds many takers. “It was an outburst of Muslim anger against the establishment, (resulting from) everyday discrimination that Muslims face — from government offices to financial institutions,” he said.

“The Jama Masjid incident provided an outlet.”

Mr Ahmed says the Hindu reaction was the result of a collapse of leadership.

“During the riots, some Hindu leaders belonging to different political parties wanted to prove that they were the true champions of Hindus,” he says, without naming anybody.

Lawyer Shishir Hiray, who was the government’s special public prosecutor in the Malegaon riots case, terms frustration and unemployment as the root causes.

“Empty hands can only throw stones,” he says.

Eid with Indian Orphans

5-year old Fatima at Darul Yatama, girls' orphanage

Malegaon: As Indian Muslims celebrate `Eid Al-Fitr, the festival that crowns the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, with usual euphoria and fervor, a strange calm envelopes Darul Yatama, a Muslim girls’ orphanage located at a stone’s throw from Mumbai-Agra national highway.

"Till last year, `Eid signified darkness but at Darul Yatama `Eid is all about light," Fahmeeda Mohammed Yusuf, a 13-year-old-blind girl said.

Fahmeeda has memorized eight parts of the Holy Qur’an.

Darul Yatama is Maharashtra state’s only Muslim girls’ orphanage with state of the art facilities where religious as well as the modern education is being imparted.

Orphan girls have been provided with new clothes and sandals on the occasion of `Eid.

"Since `Eid means day of happiness, I have played the entire day with other girls in the sprawling garden of the orphanage," said Fatima Hakeemuddin, 5.

An adorable Fatima, originally from the north-eastern state of Assam, wore new bright dress with a pink scarf.

She does not remember her father who died in an accident.

"Today we have been pampered so much that I could not think of my family."

"Since we have girls from all across the country, we had made enough arrangement for `Eid," said Maulana Abdul Khalique Faarkaleet, the head of Darul Yatama.

"We prepared a variety of delicacies keeping in mind the different traditional tastes," he said.

"Celebrating `Eid with orphans gives you a sense of joy which cannot be descried in words," he said with a smile.

"All 103 girls in the orphanage are part of my extended family."

For some of the orphaned girls `Eid Al-Fitr is a chance of family reunions.

"On this holy day of `Eid, I am waiting for my mother," said Rukhshana Aslam, 10, sobbing uncontrollably.

Her long wait for her mother has been quite painful because she is the only one who visits her on `Eid.

Rukshana stays at the orphanage with her 5-year old younger sister who is mentally-challenged.

"I am really happy that my mother has come to meet me on `Eid day from my hometown in the state of Madhya Pradesh," said a jubilant Nida Mirza, 12.

"We had a fantastic time since morning. My mother made amazing sheer khorma (a popular Indian sweet dish Muslims make for `Eid) for all of us on the occasion of `Eid."

"It’s the reunion time for our family," her mother said.

Nida's father was a mechanic who passed away in an accident when she was barely six year old.

Earlier her uncles used to support her mother but now that the family has been partitioned there is no one to look after her mother.

"There are times that I really can’t sleep thinking about my mother. She works as a maid to support herself," said a concerned Nida.

Nida’s empty eyes moisten when asked about how people generally treat her. She tried to contain her tears before breaking down.

"People think that orphans are helpless. The other day somebody wrote in a newspaper that I came to this orphanage because I was helpless," she said with her trembling voice.

"I deeply resent that. Orphans are not helpless," her voice choked off.

Nida wants to become an Aalima (Islamic scholar).

Friends Qurratulain, 7, and Shabana, 5, celebrated `Eid with a commitment.

They have both decided to permanently give up their old "profession" of begging.

"We together used to beg in streets for days. Now that we have found this orphanage which supports us, there is no need to beg," they said.

"Begging was such an abhorring practice," Qurratulain said.

For 6-year old Noor Jahan Abdus Sattar, who lost her mother in Malegaon bomb blasts on September 8, 2006, while she was begging outside India’s largest Muslim cemetery, `Eid is all about coping up with reality.

"I don’t have anybody in this world apart from this orphanage," she said with a stream of tears tickling down her face.

"`Eid conveys that we must accept reality as it is and live with it," she added wisely.

"Don’t judge me by these tears. They are natural. I am really happy this `Eid."

Iftar Party?

A Political Iftar Party in Mumbai

Come Ramadan and every political party – be it right-wing, left-wing or middle-wing – float a new (political!) party with a limited life: Iftar party. Its life expectancy is that of a month! As soon as the Eid-moon appears over the horizon, Iftar party packs off and goes into hibernation mode for the next eleven months! Unlike other political parties (whose target audiences are broad), their main target audiences are those Muslim dullards who confuse personal welfare to that of the community’s welfare! It thrives on Jinnah’s Muslim League agenda: divide, sympathize, rule and attain personal clout!

Did you say Iftar party? Are you still confused that the holy word Iftar has been joined with that of an unholy entity called Party? Don’t be. The marriage between the two is a unique union of strange bedfellows. What emerges from this union is an unholy alliance for an unholy purpose: to woo Muslim masses on every count! The moment anybody utters the term Iftar party, the image that conjures up in mind is that of a political party which has come into existence just to exploit religious observation of the Muslims. There is no other Party in the world whose sole motto is so narrow and totally based on negativity. In Iftar Party’s manifesto everything else dominates over the true spirit of Iftar. But how can Iftar, a sacred act of the Believers, be connected with politics or vice-versa? Iftar is an Arabic word which is derived from the root word fatrann. It signifies breaking of the fast. What a political party has to do with the breaking of the fast? Political parties have their own system of interpretation. Let’s try to unlock their interpretative code!

Perhaps a politician’s limited brain with unlimited mischief thinks that the Iftar Party gives him an opportunity for future capitalization among the Muslim masses. It gives him the ultimate advantage of mixing with the Muslims where he can flex his political muscles without any opponent present in the ring! It provides him a pleasant platform to talk about the confluence of Ganga-Jamni tehzeeb (existence of pluralistic society) although his main aim is to garner Muslim votes. It is an attempt to showcase who is who of the politics. It is a race to boost public image of the politician where parameter of power is measured on the basis of cash flow. It is a public relation exercise where each and every object of presentation (read flashbulbs, chairs, tables, plates, delicacies etc.) is chosen carefully after close scrutiny. It acts as an ointment to pacify old wounds of the Muslims! Iftar Party is like a fisherman’s net whose sole function is entrapment!

An Iftar Party is a place where Jinnah comes alive: untouchable Jinnah caps suddenly become touchable. A politician’s favourite Nehru cap is replaced by the Jinnah cap!

Unfortunately some of the self-appointed messiahs of the Muslims who grace Iftar Party happen to be Muslim Ulemas. It is altogether a different matter that most of them are hired. Beware, we are living in an age of hire and fire!

Muslims, beware! Don’t be seduced by the aroma of the political food because it contains ingredients which can impair one’s independent way of thinking! Those who visit political Iftar Party tend to confine themselves to pigeon-holes!

As Ramadan readies to depart, there is a sudden surge in political Iftar parties. It would be worth recalling what Dr. Mustafa Kamal Sherwani has recently written on political Iftars in the form of a beautiful poem:

Count all the known ‘BEARDS’ with utmost care,

Seduce them all into our Party’s voting share.

Give them the title of ‘ULEMA’ of high esteem,

When they come, like a beeline, it must seem.

Manage to make them sit in separate rows,

To send a strong message to our foes.

For us, all of them are a great asset,

Their every motion must be recorded in cassette.

The ‘LONGER BEARDS’ must occupy central places,

From all sides, the media must cover their faces.

On this gullible community is resting our hope,

To blunt its mind, these ‘IFTARS’ are a dope.

With round caps on, like them, you must look,

To trap these ‘FOOLS’, it is the best hook.

Ramadan: Economic Blessings for Mumbai

Iftar Time: Shopkeepers break their fasts on Mumbai's Mohammed Ali Road

Mumbai: For Indian Muslims, the holy fasting month of Ramadan is not only about piety but about economic blessings as well.

“Ramadan is a month when Allah’s bounty showers in abundance. Be it the reward of prayers or reward of trade”, Ismail Khan, a trader says. “Show me just any other Islamic month in which Muslims are much more economically empowered than in Ramadan.”

Many traders and eatery owners in India’s economic capital feel that Ramadan is a month of balance where “giving” charity and Zakat (Alms-giving) always match up by “receiving” the proceeds of booming business.

“Thanks to Allah, Ramadan is a month in which even we earn decent amount of money”, says a jubilant Fayyaz Shaikh, a small-time labourer in a bakery. “There are plenty of dishes on my dastarkhawan (dining carpet) at the time of iftar. That rarely happens for rest of the year.”

Muslims constitute at least 18 percent of Mumbai’s 140 million strong population.

Many see such Ramadan prosperity as a reward of piousness from Allah.

“If Muslims start following the spirit of Ramadan in the rest of the eleven months, their economic woes will disappear,” said one preacher, requesting anonymity. “Allah has promised it in the Holy Qur’an.”

Every Ramadan, eatery shops come up with new delicacies. The moment one delicacy becomes famous, experimental cooking comes into the picture. “Each chef will follow his own ingredients to make the same delicacy. So we have the ultimate advantage of different tastes. Where on earth will you get so much variety in a limited geography?” asks Shariq Ejaz, a resident of Mohammed Ali Road, a long narrow artery which connects south Mumbai to the north. It is named after freedom fighters Maulana Mohammed Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali who had joined hands with Mahatma Gandhi to launch Khilafat (Caliphate) movement in 1921 against the dismissal of Turkish Caliph by the British.

The historical Khilafat House – from where the movement was launched – is still intact on Mohammed Ali Road.

It was the first major instance of Hindu-Muslim unity after the 1857 war.

Thousands of Muslims from the northern states of UP and Bihar visit Mumbai, the financial capital of India, to do brisk and timely business in the holy month of Ramadan. “Every Ramadan, I come all the way from Agra (in UP) just to sell skullcaps here,” says Sufiyan Ansari, a trader who has camped in a makeshift shop on the famed Mohammed Ali Road. “Travelling to make halal-earning is not forbidden in Islam. And when you do the same in Ramadan, the reward from Allah is manifold,” he notes. “When politicians can come all the way from Delhi to Mumbai just to attend iftar parties, why can’t a Muslim trader camp here to eke out a living?”

Mohammed Ali Road Ramadan greatly contributes to Mumbai’s booming economy. “The scene on Mohammed Ali Road is an economy in motion. There is no other religious observation apart from Ramadan which contributes greatly to Mumbai’s buoyant economy”, boasts Danish Ahmad, a student of economics.

“Although Muslims eat only one full-meal but still there is so much revenue generation for the economy.”

The mood on the bustling Mohammed Ali Road resembles that of a carnival. Even curious non-Muslims make a point to visit it in Ramadan. “Mohammed Ali Road has so much to offer in terms of variety,” Naresh Shah, a businessman, says. “I come here to fulfill my culinary cravings for delicacies specially prepared for Ramadan.”

As day turns into dusk and iftar time draws closer, the faithful disperse quietly to break their fast. Life comes to a standstill on the otherwise bustling street as the sonorous voice of the muezzin calls for prayer from the tall and symbolic minarets of Minara Masjid.

The aura of festivities rekindles once Tarawih (Special night prayer) prayers are over. It continues till the loudspeakers of Minara Masjid buzz again for Fajr (morning) prayer.

“Ramadan spirit inculcates unity and it can be used to narrow communal protocol”, says a Mumbai-based Hindu journalist. “There is no better place than Mohammed Ali Road to witness this phenomenon.”

'It's been a Black Year for Me'

Shakeela Bano: Malegaon Blast Victim's Widow

Malegaon: A strange calm greets you as one enters lane number two in centrally located Nayapura, a Muslim mohalla consisting of sixteen lanes. A knock on the door of Shakeela Bano – widow of the blast victim Rafique Ahmad – is answered with pure curiosity. “Who are you? And why are you here?” inquiries her 12 year old son. Before I could reply, his intuition recognizes me. “Come inside”, he says with utmost respect. A neat mat is laid out in one kitchen-cum-bedroom house.

A grief-stricken Shakeela Bano (36) prefers to sit on naked floor. Her life, it seems, has been as disorganized as her scattered kitchenware.

Without any formality Shakeela Bano pours her heart out, “As Malegaon readies to observe first anniversary of the deadly bomb blasts as Black Day, the year gone by has been a black year for me.”

Her empty eye sockets moisten. She tries to withhold her emotions but as they say eyes can never lie. A stream of tears tickles down her face as she recalls September 8, 2006.

“Every Friday, we used to eat lunch together after the namaaz. On September 8, 2006, when the news of the bomb blasts reached me, I was shocked because my husband had gone to the Bada Qabristan mosque”, she says.

“It was only in the evening”, says Shakeela Bano, “that Maulana Javid Milli, Imam of Noorani Masjid, informed us that my husband is dead.”

“My world died on that day”, she sobs uncontrollably.

Her husband might be dead but he is still alive in her memory.

“I remember my husband each moment. It seems it was only yesterday that we ate together”, says a heart-broken Shakeela Bano.

Rafique Ahmed was a small-time tailor, sole earner of the family. Shakeela Bano has four kids, eldest is in class 10.

Nine Muslims have been arrested by Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) so far accused of masterminding the September 8, 2006 blasts that killed 31 people and injured more than 300. Almost all victims were Muslims. Interestingly, the case was handed over to CBI on the day when ATS had filed the chargesheet.

Shakeela Bano believes that all accused are innocent and “real culprits” have not been caught.

“Ek Mussalman doosre Mussalman ko kyon Qatal Karega? Kya Hum Pakistan mein rah rahein hain?” Why would a Muslim kill a fellow-Muslim? Are we living in Pakistan? She questions.

She sympathizes with the wives of the accused, “In both cases it is women who are suffering although for different reasons. I deeply share their grief.”

Shakeela Bano terms one lakh compensation from state government as “meagre.”

“At other places, the amount of compensation was much higher so it’s natural for us to feel discriminated”, she complains. She has bought powerlooms worth rupees one lakh and has given them on lease.

“It is my sole source of income”, she says.

“Life has been a vale of tears for us ever since my son passed away on that fateful day”, says Shakeela Bano’s elderly mother-in-law, despair writ large on her wrinkled face.

Shakeela Bano’s youngest daughter Saima has just enrolled in Kindergarten (KG). She plays cheerfully in the house. “My Papa”, says a tender Saima hinting at the door curtain, “will come back. He has gone just to fetch some sweets.”

A quite descends on Saima’s innocent utterance. Shakeela Bano wears a disgruntled look. “How would I tell her the truth?” asks a confused Shakeela Bano.

That’s the dilemma of a young Indian mother.

India at 60: Muslims Feel Left Behind

A Kashmiri girl participates in a programme to commemorate the 60th Independence Day at Srinagar’s Baskhi stadium on Wednesday

New Delhi: As the Indian tricolour unfurls on the historic 17th-century Mughal-built Red Fort in New Delhi marking the 60th anniversary of independence, many Muslims believe Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s dream of ending “inequality of opportunity” remains a dream.

“Nothing has changed in the last 60 years in the sense that in 1947 my grandfather was a powerloom laborer. Sixty years have elapsed we are still the same,” Sajid Khan said on Thursday, August 15.

At the stroke of midnight on August 14, 1947, Nehru delivered his famous speech Tryst with Destiny.

“It is a fateful moment for us in India,” he said eloquently, speaking of an “unending quest” and future.

“The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity.”

While India has since became a heavyweight political, military and economic power, some sections of its society remain lagging behind.

“I don’t understand what you are saying,” Khan said when asked about India’s nine percent economic growth rate.

“I measure growth in terms of equity. Where is equity? We are not even paid the minimum wages fixed by the government,” he lamented. “Independence means nothing to me.”

In a speech from the ramparts of Red Fort to mark the independence anniversary, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh listed poverty, malnutrition, unemployment and agrarian strife among the challenges ahead.

“We need at least a decade of hard work and of sustained growth to realize our dreams. We have to bridge the many divides in our society and work with a unity of purpose.”

Aftab Ansari, a hawker selling plastic Indian flags in the streets on the eve of Independence Day, is no less disgruntled.

“What Freedom and what Independence? I only sell patriotism once a year to my fellow countrymen,” the 17-year-old said.

Insecure

Many Indian Muslims feel insecure in their home country. “Indian Muslims are going through a terrible phase,” Javed Anand, the co-editor of Communalism Combat, said. “Fifteen percent of India’s population still feels insecure. The findings of Sachar Committee report have been really shocking.”

The Sachar Committee looked into the socio-economic and educational backwardness of Muslims in the country and suggested various remedial measures. The recommendations included setting up educational facilities, modernization of madrasahs, creation of job opportunities and steps to increase the community's representation in public services.

Anand is skeptical the findings would be implemented.

“Unfortunately, track record of the ruling government has not been very reassuring,” he recalled. “It is behaving like any other previous government. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.”

Mufti Mohammad Ismail, the chief of a newly floated political party called Indian Muslim Congress, regretted what Indian Muslims have come to. “Muslims ruled India for almost 1000 years. It was our culture and heritage,” he said.

“There was a time when we were rulers and used to sit on thrones. Today things have come to such a pass that jail is the only place where we outnumber other communities,” Mufti lamented.

“We fare poor economically. Eighty percent of Muslims are living below the poverty line. There was a time when we were the leaders in academics but now we are being led by others.”

There are some 160 million Muslims in Hindu-majority India, the world’s second-largest Muslim population after Indonesia.

Muslims complain of decades of social and economic neglect and oppression. Official figures reveal Muslims log lower educational levels and higher unemployment rates than the Hindu majority and other minorities like Christians and Sikhs. They account for less than seven percent of public service employees, only five percent of railways workers, around four percent of banking employees and there are only 29,000 Muslims in India’s 1.3 million-strong military.

Mufti Ismail said Muslims were the true champions of India’s struggle for independence. “When British came here, it was the beginning of the age of slavery. We had been fighting for the independence of India since 17th century,” he said.

“Hindus joined us only in the 20th century.”

He complained that Muslims are not being given their respective rights.

“The descendents of the last Mughal King Bahadur Shah Zafar are begging on the streets of Kolkata. The family members of the martyred Tipu Sultan are rickshaw-pullers today. “The widow of Abdul Hameed, who sacrificed his life in defence of the country, is on the brink of committing suicide. These are the people whose families have fought for the Independence of India. Government’s indifference is a class apart.”


Self-criticism

But Anand, the co-editor of Communalism Combat, also reserved harsh words for Muslim politicians. “Muslim legislators are busy wasting their time in raking up fastidious issues which don’t have anything to do with the progress of Indian Muslims,” he said. He cited the recent attack on Bengali writer Taslima Nasreen, infamous for her anti-Islam writings, at a press conference last week in Hyderabad.

Television footage showed Muslim state lawmakers and activists hitting Nasreen with flowers and threatening to lob chairs.

“At a time when institutional bias has crept in our system, Muslim legislators are making a mockery of themselves,” said Anand.

Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen leader-cum-legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi has been accused of “intimidation” after suggesting Nasreen could be killed if she returned to Hyderabad, a claim which he has denied.

“Muslims have become victims of the promises made by professional mullahs acting as agents of political parties,” an angry Shamim Tariq, a researcher and columnist, said. “Muslims should be aware of the enemies within. Right-wing Hindu parties and ideologues pale in comparison to the enemies within,” he argued.

Tariq spoke of two sects of enemies within.

“One is religious and acts as the mediator of political class and other is irreligious lot which takes pride in attacking Islam.”

Confused Youth

Navaid Hamid, a member of the National Integration Council of the central government, said young Indian Muslims were looking for direction. “Young Muslim generation feels excited due to the pace of development,” Hamid said. “At the same time, they strongly feel that they are being sidelined in governance; so there is a sense of confusion: what to do now?”

Hamid said young Indian Muslims have a strong desire to be part of the nation to serve this country.

“They feel that there should be equal share of opportunity in every walk of life. More than 55 percent of India’s population consists of youths and they are the big asset for the country.”

“The Muslim community should be utilized for a strong, vibrant nation and a pluralistic society.”

Hamid warned that young Muslims are being targeted for no fault of their own. “Whenever some terrorist activity happens in the country, fingers are pointed towards them. There is an atmosphere of fear and mistrust. This is very harmful for any harmonious and pluralistic society.”

Hopes

Ilyas Siddiqui, a historian, believes that self-help is the best help.

“Sixty years ago, our own struggle and striving was beneficial for us,” he said. “Even today we should follow the path of self-help by way of the concept of civil society. This is the biggest principle. There is no need to be dependent on anybody not even government.”

Mufti Ismail has his hopes in secular-minded Hindus.

“In India, the world’s largest democracy, there are a number of secular Hindus who genuinely strive for the welfare of the Muslim community,” he said. “They believe that India cannot progress as long as its largest minority is lagging behind. They know that such progress will be a lop-sided progress and not a real progress,” added the Muslim politician.

“We must strengthen their hands.”