Rights (un)Defined

Ms. Ahsan

Nice article. I suggest a book by Dr. Parveen Shaukat`s Human Rights in Islam that covers pretty much all aspects of human rights including that of women`s rights in detail. Dr. Shaukat is an Indian and the book is avilable through an Delhi publishing house.

Hafsa Ahsan:

Very good. The very fact that this article is here is itself good. The westernised Paki mind really needs such articles repetetively and relentlessly. CHOWK is the place. The proud and impudent anti-muslims under the guise of muslim names crawl here.

Chowk has changed tremendously and the secularist/atheist kind of scum is not so blatant anymore but such kind still need internet-lashings so that they never ever rear their ugly heads anywhere anytime. For proud and practicing muslims the world-over these are the terrorists and fundamentalists among kuffaars. They need top get-over this illusion about themselves that simply because they had westernish `learning`, they know more than a lowly village-mullah. Remove the connection between job, title or position and then see what has been tgis `education` worth.

---

And now here comes the MADRESSA educated one:

Harun Yahya is a Turk. Lives in Turkey . You just cannot but be impressed by what he has accomplished at this young age. Fast becoming an authoritative voice among the scientific and philosophical communities of the world.

Another Iqbal in the making to rejuvenate the muslim mind?

Do not miss to go to www.harunyahya.com

Especially valuable for muslims suffering from the maladies of liberalisis and secularisis.

Even deviant muslims who ape the west are welcome( the illiterate and ignorant ones who proudly announce that they cannot read and write urdu but of-course do drink-fcuk-fun--as proof of their `education`--the jahil-uniformed scum).

---

The Eminence Islam Attaches To Women

HARUN YAHYA

The position of women in Islam has recently been an issue of debate. Some misconceptions arise, either from traditional practices which are thought to be ``Islamic,`` but are not, or else from prejudices. However, the real issue is how women are regarded in the Islamic faith, and when we look at this, we see that Islam gives women great social value, freedom and comfort.

Women in the Qur`an

God`s commandments about the status of women and the relations between men and women, which have been revealed to us through the Qur`an, consist of full justice. In this regard, Islam suggests equality of rights, responsibilities and duties between the two genders. Islam is based on sympathy, tolerance and respect for human beings, and does not discriminate against women in this matter.

The examples of good morals communicated to us in the Qur`an are universally compatible with human nature, and are valid for all stages of history.

Respect for women and women`s rights fall within this. In the Qur`an God insists that the tasks and responsibilities of women are the same as those of men. Furthermore, while performing these tasks and responsibilities men and women must help and support each other:

The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They command what is right and forbid what is wrong, and establish prayer and pay alms, and obey Allah and His Messenger. They are the people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All Wise. (Qur`an, 9:71)

God emphasizes that believers will be rewarded in the same manner according to their deeds, regardless of their gender.

Their Lord responds to them: `I will not let the deeds of any doer among you go to waste, male or female - you are both the same in that respect... (Qur`an, 3:195)

Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the best of what they did. (Qur`an, 16:97)

In another verse, Muslim men and women are considered together, and it is stressed that both have the same responsibility and status in God`s sight:

Men and women who are Muslims, men and women who are believers, men and women who are obedient, men and women who are truthful, men and women who are steadfast, men and women who are humble, men and women who give alms, men and women who fast, men and women who guard their private parts, men and women who remember Allah much: Allah has prepared forgiveness for them and an immense reward. (Qur`an, 33:35)

In the Qur`an there are many more verses stating that men and women are exactly equal in terms of their tasks and responsibilities and their rewards or punishments in return. There are a few differences in social issues, but these are for the comfort and protection of women. The commands of the Qur`an regard the congenital differences between the two genders resulting from their creation, and suggest a system maintaining equal justice for men and women in this light.

Islam does not see women as objects. Therefore, it is not seen appropriate that a woman of good morals should marry a man of bad morals. In the same way, it is not permitted for a woman of bad morals to marry a man of good morals:

Corrupt women are for corrupt men and corrupt men are for corrupt women, Good women are for good men and good men are for good women. The latter are innocent of what they say. They will have forgiveness and generous provision. (Qur`an, 24:26)

Also as regards marriage, the duties and responsibilities of couples towards each other require equality. God demands that both spouses be protective of and supervise each other. This duty is expressed in the Qur`an in the following words.

They are covers for you and you for them... (Qur`an, 2:187)

Many rules and commandments exist in the Qur`an regarding the protection of women`s rights on marriage. Marriage is based on the free will of both parties; the husband has to provide economic support for his wife (4:4); the husband has to look after his ex-wife after divorce (65:6).



The Islamic Emancipation of Women

As the verses make clear, Islam brings justice to male-female relations and puts an end to harmful practices resulting from customs and traditions of pre-Islamic societies. One example is the situation of women in pre-Islamic Arab society. The pagan Arabs regarded women as inferior, and having a daughter was something to be ashamed of. Fathers of daughters sometimes preferred to bury them alive rather than announce their birth. By means of the Qur`an, Allah prohibited this evil tradition and warned that on the Judgment Day such people will definitely have to account for their actions.

In fact, Islam brought with it a great emancipation for women, who were severely persecuted in the pagan era. Prof. Bernard Lewis, known as one of the greatest Western experts on the history of Islam and the Middle East, makes the following comment:

In general, the advent of Islam brought an enormous improvement in the position of women in ancient Arabia, endowing them with property and some other rights, and giving them a measure of protection against ill treatment by their husbands or owners. The killing of female infants, sanctioned by custom in Pagan Arabia, was outlawed by Islam. But the position of women remained poor, and worsened when, in this as in so many other respects, the original message of Islam lost its impetus and was modified under the influence of pre-existing attitudes and customs. 1

Karen Armstrong, another Western expert on Islam, makes the following comment:

We must remember what life had been like for women in the pre-Islamic period when female infanticide was the norm and when women had no rights at all. Like slaves, women were treated as an inferior species, who had no legal existence. In such a primitive world, what Muhammad achieved for women was extraordinary. The very idea that a woman could be witness or could inherit anything at all in her own right was astonishing. 2

In fact, during the many centuries that followed Prophet Muhammad, women of the Islamic societies had a much higher social position than the women of Christendom. Karen Armstrong emphasizes that, during the Middle Ages;

... the Muslims were horrified to see the way Western Christians treated their women in the Crusader states, and Christian scholars denounced Islam for giving too much power to menials like slaves and women. 3

Anna King, a modern Muslim woman and a convert - or, better to say, a revert - to Islam, explains the Islamic emancipation of women as follows:

Islam first gave women their rights in a time when women were nothing but the property of men. Islam gave women the right to buy and sell on their own, own businesses and express her views politically. These were all basic rights which the American woman was not granted until relatively recently! It also encouraged women to study and learn Islamic knowledge, breaking a ban which several religions had stipulated, which forbid women to acquire any religious knowledge or touch religious texts... It also abolished the practice of marrying a woman without her consent. Thus, one would have to be very stubborn indeed to refuse such obvious facts and proofs that Islam was women`s first liberator.

The tendencies to see women as ``an inferior species`` who has no right for education and that must be totally secluded from the society arose much later in the Islamic world, as a result of deviations from the right Qur`anic path.



Conclusion

Thus we can say that the mentality that despises women, excludes them from society and regards them as second class citizens is a wicked pagan attitude which has no place in Islam.

In fact, devout women are depicted as good examples for mankind in the Qur`an. One is Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Another is the wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh who, despite her husband`s wickedness, is also described as an ideal Muslim. (see, 66:11-12) The Qur`an also describes very gentle conversations between the Prophet Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (27:42-44), and between Moses and two young ladies (28:23-26), which symbolize the civilized social relationship between the two genders.

Therefore, it is impossible for a Muslim to have a bigoted approach to women. In a society where true Islamic morals are practiced, immense respect and sympathy will be shown to women, and it will be ensured that they can live in freedom and comfort.

The fundamental rule in Qur`anic exegesis is ensuring that the derived meaning is in conformity with the integrity of the Qur`an. When this is considered, it is seen that all the rules mentioned to us by Allah regarding women form a social structure allowing them to live in the most comfortable and happiest way. In a society where all the moral values mentioned by Islam are practiced comprehensively, the social position of women becomes even more exalted than in societies that we today regard as modern.

---

(1) Bernard Lewis, The Middle East, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1995, p. 210
(2) Karen Armstrong, Muhammad A Biography of The Prophet, Harper Collins Publisher, USA, 1992, p.191
(3) Karen Armstrong, Muhammad A Biography of The Prophet, Harper Collins Publisher, USA, 1992, p.199

Hi Hafsa,I just joined chowk and yours was the first post I read.Must say,you cleared a lot of my doubts about Islam vis a vis womens rights.In India too,most women simply aren`t aware of their rights.Religion is used as a convinient weapon by patriarchal fundamentalists to suppress women,be they Muslims,Christians,Hindus or Buddhists.Secular laws seem to offer the only respite.
I just wanted to ask a question,why does Islam ask women to cover their heads(hijab)?After all,one`s modesty is to be judged by a head covering.I think it can be linked to the unforgiving sun that shines over Arabia,where a head covering would serve as aprotection against the heat.But it isn`t suited to tropical areas.

Hafsa,
Love the article and what must be your excellent sense of humour. In the hilarious paragraph on the right to work, you say that ``Islam in no way restricts the women in any way.`` And you start the paragraph by saying ``Yes, the primary importance of a woman is in taking good care of the house and its inhabitants.`` Good execution on that punchline. I always thought a woman`s purpose was to make babaies and clean dishes. Obviously, you have put alot of work into discovering other areas where women can be helpful to men. Keep up the good work, and keep the jokes rolling in.

Rafay Alam

Hafsa,

Question: I like this article...but who`s your audience? The commies and westernites here are not impressed...should the rest of us really care? They`re the trees in the forest that fell and made a huge noise...but we`re not in the forest to hear it. Why are you taking us there? The intended audience is among us, in the streets...far away from the petrified forest of sardonic pines and twit oaks, and certainly not among the chowk bushes (some of which are of the g.w. kind, actually).

#14, #12, #10

And i was trying to be nice for once. (laughing)

Friedman is too often deluded by the way. That qualifies him to write an op-ed for one of the top papers in the US, if not the world. Try not to take everything he writes as the almighty word. Just my opinion.

My girlfriend who is cleaning the TV trolley as I type this agrees with me.

Hossp,
I don`t know if all women on Chowk have consented in silence to the content of this article. I think many women on Chowk are ignoring this as yet another justification/excuse/call it what you want to for what a woman`s place is in the land of the puree`d. Some of them just don`t care, and some of them are too engrossed in school and finals to give this the attention it deserves. You call it consent. I call it `Frankly my dear I don`t give a damn`. And who knows, it might be the same thing afterall.
Tomorrow is yet another day.

At the ned of a long day, most women hear such things from their fathers or brothers or husbands as: You don`t really do anyting, You enjoy yourself at home while I am out doing the real work, What is all this dust on on the TV Trolley? Can`t you do such a little thing? And women are expected to tolerate all this feeling all this while, that yes it is their fault and they should have done better.

I think the TV Trolley needs to be cleaned every day. Wether a lady slave does it or a virgin whose permission needs to be obtained whoever is in the house, a cordinated effort is needed to make sure that the TV Trolley does not have dust. This is a must. Together the virgin and the female slave must lift the TV while a third female who has an online job must take a quick break and wipe the Trolley surface with a wet cloth. If women cant do this after I come back from a long day of work I will lose it.

.......... folks like ms. hafsa are much more dangerous than the bearded mullahs and wild-eyed jihadis because they are continually try to put a human face on a barbaric ideology instead of recognizing it for what it is and moving on to something better .................

..............to add to what tom friedman had to say, here is bbc today :

``Worlds apart

Wagah is the only road border crossing between the two countries .The differences between India and Pakistan are plain to see.

On one side men and women are segregated. On the other, families sit together. In India the watching crowd is a riot of colour. Across the border, white robes dominate. The strains of the azan, the call to prayer, compete with Bhangra beats. ``

..........hopefully, bhangra will win in the end .............

Obviously Mr. Freedman hasn`t heard of TRG and Zia Chishti... quoted as one of the 30 most eligible bachelors by the Peoples` Magazine some time ago, Mr. Chishti is founder of one of the most successful call centers in the world, right here in Lahore, Pakistan.

Islam and for that matter no religion provides for women’s right. It is unfortunate that we see this article on International Women’s week celebrated all over the world. It is also amazing that all women on chowk have “consented in silence” on the content of this demeaning article about women’s rights.

Here are a few observations:
The writer states:
1. “Right to Work: Yes, the primary importance of a woman is in taking good care of the house and its inhabitants.”

Primary Importance???

2. “We have numerous examples from history, where women at the time of the Holy Prophet used to run their businesses, keep their own shops and preach the Holy Quran.”

This is a lie! There is no such example in Islamic history at least during the time of the Prophet. Not even man preached the Quran during the prophet’s time. Actually the author is preaching women to work from home.

3. “Financial responsibilities are solely the domain of men.”

4. “We have a role model in our Prophet, who used to do his own work in the house (how many men regard this as a challenge to their manhood?)

Yet another lie! There is no evidence that the prophet routinely used to do house work for what it was worth.

5. “If hitting has to be resorted to, and that is also allowed in one circumstance only, it must not be on the face and not so that any marks appear on any part of the body.”

The author is clearly condoning women beating and quoting the Quran to support her argument.

6. “In our society, somebody who doesn’t lash out on the women, whether it be wives or sisters is actually looked down upon by others,”

Which society is the writer talking about? Lashing may be norm in her family but most of the educated middle class families in the subcontinent abhor this very idea.

7. “Right to Inheritance: …It goes on to define the different shares women have in the inheritance”

Right of inheritance is not equal in Islam and the writer does not admit that.

8. “In our society, we have widows working nine to five to support themselves and their children, which is quite contradictory to the above ayat.”

The writer is quoting Quran to say that “the “mahrims” of the widow have full responsibility to provide for her.” And the widow is not supposed to work to support her family.

9. “the husband can only expect obedience from his wife as long as his wishes are in accordance with the commands of Allah”

So if men’s’ wishes are in accordance with Islam, women is supposed to be obedient??????? Obedient as in a servant or a slave????


There is a history of women rights struggle in different parts of the world. There is still a lot to be done in that area but saying that Islam provides for women rights is a blatant lie.
Islam does no such thing. Religions in history have been used to deny women their rights and Islam is no different.

The writer quotes Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadis 9.100 as Narrated by Abu Huraira. This is a lie too. It is not a confirmed Hadith.

History does not provide for existence of any “Abu Huraira” during the prophet’s time. The Sahabis in the prophet’s close circle are well known to historian and all Muslims. There is never a mention of any body named “Abu Huraira” except in some hadith. I question the validity of this Hadith as I think it was made up by al-Bukhari almost 200 years after the Prophet’s death.

Finally, I seriously doubt that the writer is a woman as the name implies. There is somebody else in this “Purdeh-e- Zernigari”. Not that it makes a whole lot of difference.

Islam says the woman is `half-wit`. Any discourse she makes proves this. God created Adam, the Human, to be His `Khaleefa` (Deputy) on earth. Eve, the woman, was created only to fullfil his desire for having a company. But this sub-human thing proved to be anti-human and resulted in disgraceful expulsion of Adam, the human, from the heaven. While turning them out of heaven God had said ``Get out from here and you will be enemies of each other``. But we go on repeating this mistake as we are afraid of loneliness like our Father, Adam. So we have women as wives, loundies, daashtas, etc., etc. These are the basic relations of the humans with the woman; all other relations like mother, sister, daughter, etc., being merely accidental decorative by-products. The Quran describes comprehensively the status of the woman , viz-a-viz, man, in its Sura Nissa, verse 34, which the writer, for good reasons, ignores altogether. I reproduce it here :-
``SURAH IV, verse 34. Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great. ( Translation by Pickthall )

My apologies for borrowing your board


DIL FUNDRAISER IN SAN FRANCISCO SET FOR MARCH 27


What could possibly be THE gathering of the year for the Pakistani community in Northern California is scheduled for March 27, 2004 when Developments In Literacy (affectionately known as The DIL Organization) brings its caravan of hope to the Argent Hotel in San Francisco at 50 Third Street with a reception slated for 6:30 pm followed by dinner and entertainment beginning at 7:30.
Headed locally by Sara Abbasi and her team of dedicated ladies who do our country of origin proud, it is organizations like DIL which have spearheaded the cause of fighting illiteracy in Pakistan with resources gathered from the overseas Pakistani community and their friends. And it is for this reason that this coming event should once again bring together the “Who’s who” from within Pakistanis and Pakistani-Americans. Illiteracy and ignorance is a sure path to a life of poverty in Pakistan or for that matter anywhere. The Abbasis (Sohaib and Sara) have already done more than their share towards spreading the spread of knowledge about Islam here in the US by recently funding/initiating an Islamic Studies Chair at Stanford University. Now Sara and her group of friends are back to helping people in Pakistan.
In 2001 Sara Abbasi had this to say about her first effort; “Just as importantly, DIL is working to break the ingrained social taboos that discourage female literacy. This indeed is the noblest of causes. In the words of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him),
“the mother’s lap is the first school”. Only through such efforts will the next generation of Pakistanis improve, not just their own lives but the entire community around them”, said Mrs. Abbasi.
During the 2002 program it was mentioned that DIL is currently operating in Orangi (outside Karachi), Khairpur (Sindh), Dir (NWFP) and Mianwali (Punjab). There is also the hope that a new project in Baluchistan will be in full operation soon. Currently 200 schools are being operated by DIL with over 8000 children enrolled. What DIL is trying to do is change despair to hope and to bring a confident smile to the faces of young children and wipe away their tears that the embarrassment of illiteracy brings to their lives.
Tickets to the event are not cheap ($100 to $150) but the cause is more than worthy. So if you would like to attend or assist in any way please call (650) 323-6080 or (510) 651-3088. Please do not miss this opportunity to help some very poor in Pakistan get access to education. Corporate Sponsorship is available for $2000 & Patron Tables for $1500 (call for additional details). Please send your checks to 38 Monte Vista Avenue Atherton CA 94027.

You can also contact DIL San Francisco via email at dil_sf@yahoo.com

Hafsa,
If you are trying to convince someone that there is no compulsion in Islam then this article is not all that convincing, unfortunately. I have to agree with baaghiraja when he says that although your effort may have been noble, it just leads to more confusion.

Read this NY Times Op=Ed piece carefully, in particular those words about women`s education and empowerment. Don`t ignore it as just another article on India`s IT boom.

Then ask yourself: Are the comparisons drawn in the article fair?

Origin of Species
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Published: March 14, 2004

Nandan Nilekani, C.E.O. of the Indian software giant Infosys, gave me a tour the other day of his company`s wood-paneled global conference room in Bangalore. It looks a lot like a beautiful tiered classroom, with a massive wall-size screen at one end and cameras in the ceiling so that Infosys can hold a simultaneous global teleconference with its U.S. innovators, its Indian software designers and its Asian manufacturers. ``We can have our whole global supply chain on the screen at the same time,`` holding a virtual meeting, explained Mr. Nilekani. The room`s eight clocks tell the story: U.S. West, U.S. East, G.M.T., India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia.

As I looked at this, a thought popped into my head: Who else has such a global supply chain today? Of course: Al Qaeda. Indeed, these are the two basic responses to globalization: Infosys and Al Qaeda.

Infosys said all the walls have been blown away in the world, so now we, an Indian software company, can use the Internet, fiber optic telecommunications and e-mail to get superempowered and compete anywhere that our smarts and energy can take us. And we can be part of a global supply chain that produces profit for Indians, Americans and Asians.

Al Qaeda said all the walls have been blown away in the world, thereby threatening our Islamic culture and religious norms and humiliating some of our people, who feel left behind. But we can use the Internet, fiber optic telecommunications and e-mail to develop a global supply chain of angry people that will superempower us and allow us to hit back at the Western civilization that`s now right in our face.

``From the primordial swamps of globalization have emerged two genetic variants,`` said Mr. Nilekani. ``Our focus therefore has to be how we can encourage more of the good mutations and keep out the bad.``

Indeed, it is worth asking what are the spawning grounds for each. Infosys was spawned in India, a country with few natural resources and a terrible climate. But India has a free market, a flawed but functioning democracy and a culture that prizes education, science and rationality, where women are empowered. The Indian spawning ground rewards anyone with a good idea, which is why the richest man in India is a Muslim software innovator, Azim Premji, the thoughtful chairman of Wipro.

Al Qaeda was spawned in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan, societies where there was no democracy and where fundamentalists have often suffocated women and intellectuals who crave science, free thinking and rationality. Indeed, all three countries produced strains of Al Qaeda, despite Pakistan`s having received billions in U.S. aid and Saudi Arabia`s having earned billions from oil. But without a context encouraging freedom of thought, women`s empowerment and innovation, neither society can tap and nurture its people`s creative potential — so their biggest emotional export today is anger.

India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan each spontaneously generated centers for their young people`s energies. In India they`re called ``call centers,`` where young men and women get their first jobs and technical skills servicing the global economy and calling the world. In Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia they`re called ``madrassas,`` where young men, and only young men, spend their days memorizing the Koran and calling only God. Ironically, U.S. consumers help to finance both. We finance the madrassas by driving big cars and sending the money to Saudi Arabia, which uses it to build the madrassas that are central to Al Qaeda`s global supply chain. And we finance the call centers by consuming modern technologies that need backup support, which is the role Infosys plays in the global supply chain.

Both Infosys and Al Qaeda challenge America: Infosys by competing for U.S. jobs through outsourcing, and Al Qaeda by threatening U.S. lives through terrorism. As Michael Mandelbaum, the Johns Hopkins foreign policy professor, put it: ``Our next election will be about these two challenges — with the Republicans focused on how we respond to Al Qaeda, and the losers from globalization, and the Democrats focused on how we respond to Infosys, and the winners from globalization.``

Every once in a while the technology and terrorist supply chains intersect — like last week. Reuters quoted a Spanish official as saying after the Madrid train bombings: ``The hardest thing [for the rescue workers] was hearing mobile phones ringing in the pockets of the bodies. They couldn`t get that out of their heads.``

with friends like hafsa, muslim women don`t need any enemies .........

..........according to her, and other apologists for islam, the following hadith is an example of women`s rights as guaranteed by al-lah and his apostle:

Narrated by Abu Huraira, Allah`s Apostle said, ``A lady slave should not be given in marriage until she is consulted, and a virgin should not be given in marriage until her permission is granted.`` The people said, ``How will she express her permission?`` The Prophet said, ``By keeping silent (when asked her consent).”


.............so we are being told that silence is consent and slavery is okay as long as a lady slave is ``asked`` before she is trundled off to somone`s bed............ and only virgins can be given in marriage?......... what about non-virgins?............ are they to be stoned? ..........subhanallah!.... mashallah!............. as long as we keep on drawing inspiration from the bufoonery of seventh century bedouins, our poor women will remain third class citizens ..............


``The truth is that our religion, Islam, gives her more rights and elevates her status to a much higher degree than any feminist movement can``.............. oh, really?.......... then how come that the first thing you notice when you land in an islamic country is the absence of women?.......... i guess they are all at home burning their bras and enjoying their rights !!!! ............ it took them fourteen hundred years to get to this point !

Ms. Hafsa,
Don`t mind me saying this, but your piece read like a liberal`s version of Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi`s ``Bahishty Zewar.`` But I`m sure your convictions regarding the issue were noble. But usually liberalism and being noble are not always a good mixture, especially when liberals set themselves the task to offer the ``true interpretations of the Koran & Sunnah.`` All they end up producing are little, middle-class Juniad Jamsheds suddenly deciding to ditch their guitars and heading off to Riwind. Or worse, little bourgoise Imran Khan`s ditching denims (albiet only in Pakistan), replacing it with a shalwaar-kameez and accompanying assholes like JJ, Hamid Gul and Ijaz-ul-Haq to Riwind for a summer break.
Only confusion results. And of course, some good old fashioned hypocrisy.

rgds,
Nadeem F. Paracha