The Girl Next Door
- Chowk Staff
Posted by
Fatimah
Dec 16, 2001 02:21 am
Post not validated, because of interactor`s tendency to become abusive. - Chowk Staff
The Forgotten Children of God
AUTHORS PROTEST HISTORY SNIPS
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT New Delhi, Dec. 1: The entire panel of historians routinely reviled by the Sangh parivar and the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), barring Bipan Chandra, today held a news conference and slammed the deletions from history textbooks authored by them.
For the first time since the recent acrimony over history textbooks peaked, the “much maligned” spoke against the “Talibanisation” of education. “It is not a confrontation between the Right and the Left. It is a confrontation between professional historians, politicians and administrators,” said Romila Thapar.
The NCERT has applied the scissors to her textbook on ancient India — a book that has been taught in schools all over India since 1966. Textbooks by R.S. Sharma, Satish Chandra, Arjun Dev and Indira Dev met much the same fate.
The historians were not only enraged at the attempts to politicise and saffronise history but also at the violation of the authors’ fundamental right.
The historians have suddenly found themselves in the dock for their interpretations — Thapar for having suggested that the Aryans could have come from outside India, Chandra for pointing to a conflict other than religious between Teg Bahadur and the Mughals, and Sharma for underlining the varna system.
“History has become a precise and analytical discipline. People do not realise that historians are trained individuals. The subject cannot be reduced to just an opinion of some individuals,” Thapar said.
Students should be exposed to multiple theories and sources, not just from religious texts but also other disciplines like archaeology, the panel said. The policymakers are bent on tailoring history to suit a particular ideology, it added.
The NCERT’s fiat to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to trim portions from history textbooks is an infringement on the rights of authors, the historians argued.
“Deleting portions from the existing textbooks is a contravention of copyright. In the agreement drawn up with the NCERT, it was clear that no changes in the textbooks will be made without the authors’ permission,” said Thapar.
Arjun Dev, who retired from the NCERT after a 36-year association and after heading its history department, said: “The NCERT director was lying when he said the copyright of changing a textbook rests with the organisation and not the authors.”
Chandra, who has perhaps received maximum brickbats — for “degrading” Guru Teg Bahadur — said: “The basic discipline of history is to bring to the notice of the students multiple facts and teach them to think analytically.”
Chandra said all he had done was to suggest that the conflict between Tegh Bahadur and the Mughals was not solely on religious grounds. “There were personal, social and economic conflicts as well,” he said.
Posted by
Fatimah
Dec 16, 2001 02:21 am
http://www.telegraphindia.com/AUTHORS PROTEST HISTORY SNIPS
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT New Delhi, Dec. 1: The entire panel of historians routinely reviled by the Sangh parivar and the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), barring Bipan Chandra, today held a news conference and slammed the deletions from history textbooks authored by them.
For the first time since the recent acrimony over history textbooks peaked, the “much maligned” spoke against the “Talibanisation” of education. “It is not a confrontation between the Right and the Left. It is a confrontation between professional historians, politicians and administrators,” said Romila Thapar.
The NCERT has applied the scissors to her textbook on ancient India — a book that has been taught in schools all over India since 1966. Textbooks by R.S. Sharma, Satish Chandra, Arjun Dev and Indira Dev met much the same fate.
The historians were not only enraged at the attempts to politicise and saffronise history but also at the violation of the authors’ fundamental right.
The historians have suddenly found themselves in the dock for their interpretations — Thapar for having suggested that the Aryans could have come from outside India, Chandra for pointing to a conflict other than religious between Teg Bahadur and the Mughals, and Sharma for underlining the varna system.
“History has become a precise and analytical discipline. People do not realise that historians are trained individuals. The subject cannot be reduced to just an opinion of some individuals,” Thapar said.
Students should be exposed to multiple theories and sources, not just from religious texts but also other disciplines like archaeology, the panel said. The policymakers are bent on tailoring history to suit a particular ideology, it added.
The NCERT’s fiat to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to trim portions from history textbooks is an infringement on the rights of authors, the historians argued.
“Deleting portions from the existing textbooks is a contravention of copyright. In the agreement drawn up with the NCERT, it was clear that no changes in the textbooks will be made without the authors’ permission,” said Thapar.
Arjun Dev, who retired from the NCERT after a 36-year association and after heading its history department, said: “The NCERT director was lying when he said the copyright of changing a textbook rests with the organisation and not the authors.”
Chandra, who has perhaps received maximum brickbats — for “degrading” Guru Teg Bahadur — said: “The basic discipline of history is to bring to the notice of the students multiple facts and teach them to think analytically.”
Chandra said all he had done was to suggest that the conflict between Tegh Bahadur and the Mughals was not solely on religious grounds. “There were personal, social and economic conflicts as well,” he said.
An International Failure
- Chowk Staff
Posted by
Fatimah
Dec 16, 2001 02:21 am
Post not validated, because of interactor`s tendency to become abusive. - Chowk Staff
The Girl Next Door
Posted by
Fatimah
Dec 15, 2001 09:17 pm
Post not validated, because of interactor`s history of abusive posts.
An International Failure
Chowk Staff
Posted by
Fatimah
Dec 15, 2001 09:17 pm
Post not validated, because of interactor`s history of abusive posts.Chowk Staff
An International Failure
Akash
Can annybody tell me what date is Eid. My ``Eid Mubarak`` to everybody in advance as I will be out on a trip with my friends
You must be joking smartA$$.
After trashing Mecca & Medina the holiest of Muslim place ,you expect us to be Muslim & celebrate Eid & Expect your Eid Mubarak.Can it .Get the priorities of Muslim right ,before you extend sicializing hand.
You dont look or talk about Dates with muslim girls on this board,specially if they are incometent to consemt by reason of insanity like `shhokh`AnNy ,Scout & likes.
Posted by
Fatimah
Dec 9, 2001 01:39 am
Reply #: 90 Akash
Can annybody tell me what date is Eid. My ``Eid Mubarak`` to everybody in advance as I will be out on a trip with my friends
You must be joking smartA$$.
After trashing Mecca & Medina the holiest of Muslim place ,you expect us to be Muslim & celebrate Eid & Expect your Eid Mubarak.Can it .Get the priorities of Muslim right ,before you extend sicializing hand.
You dont look or talk about Dates with muslim girls on this board,specially if they are incometent to consemt by reason of insanity like `shhokh`AnNy ,Scout & likes.
An International Failure
Akash
Can annybody tell me what date is Eid. My ``Eid Mubarak`` to everybody in advance as I will be out on a trip with my friends
You must be joking smartA$$.
After trashing Mecca & Medina (#on the dalit thread)the holiest of Muslim place ,you expect us to be Muslim & celebrate Eid & Expect to accept your Eid Mubarak.Can it .Get the priorities of Muslim right ,before you extend socializing hand.
You dont look or talk about Dates with muslim girls on this board,specially if they are incompetent to consent by reason of insanity like `shhokh`AnNy ,Scout & likes.Better still take them where ever you plan to go & stay there.
Posted by
Fatimah
Dec 9, 2001 01:39 am
Reply #: 90 Akash
Can annybody tell me what date is Eid. My ``Eid Mubarak`` to everybody in advance as I will be out on a trip with my friends
You must be joking smartA$$.
After trashing Mecca & Medina (#on the dalit thread)the holiest of Muslim place ,you expect us to be Muslim & celebrate Eid & Expect to accept your Eid Mubarak.Can it .Get the priorities of Muslim right ,before you extend socializing hand.
You dont look or talk about Dates with muslim girls on this board,specially if they are incompetent to consent by reason of insanity like `shhokh`AnNy ,Scout & likes.Better still take them where ever you plan to go & stay there.
The Price
Prem
Fatimah # 443
That is a real problem. I say it from personal knowedge - missonaries DO travel from the United States in the garb of `secular` workers to India, and I dont see any reason why they wouldn`t do the same to other South Asian countries.``
When otherthan ideology or believes is used to entice or even pollute or poison other societies it should be crime.
If for the sake of feedom & democracy you were tyo allow free flow of information,it should be limited to informations only not attached with welcoming gift .
Posted by
Fatimah
Dec 4, 2001 09:42 pm
Reply #: 454 Prem
Fatimah # 443
That is a real problem. I say it from personal knowedge - missonaries DO travel from the United States in the garb of `secular` workers to India, and I dont see any reason why they wouldn`t do the same to other South Asian countries.``
When otherthan ideology or believes is used to entice or even pollute or poison other societies it should be crime.
If for the sake of feedom & democracy you were tyo allow free flow of information,it should be limited to informations only not attached with welcoming gift .
The Price
http://www.sulekha.com/redirectNh.asp?cid=155922
Evangelicals sailing under ``false colours``
Sunday, December 2, 2001 (Washington):
The arrest of US Christian aid workers by the Taliban in Afghanistan has brought to light the ``growing phenomenon`` of ``placement of evangelical Protestant missionaries in Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu countries using visas falsely identifying them as secular workers``, media reports say.
The ordeal of Heather Mercer (24) and Dayna Curry (30) who were jailed by the Taliban in August for showing a video and book about Jesus to an Afghan family in their home, in violation of a law against proselytisation has revealed the increasing instances of evengelicals being posted in non-christian majority countries in the guise of aid workers, the Washington Post reported yesterday.
The missionaries are particularly active in ``10/40`` window, the rectancular area that stretches from latitudes 10 degrees north from West Africa to East Asia, the Post said adding this includes ``most of the world`s 1.2 million Muslims, 800 million Hindus and 350 million Buddhists.``
Despite the risks involved, ``a growing number of missionaries -- most often called aid workers -- are being despatched by Christian groups in the US, Britain, Germany, Australia and other countries to the region where most of the world`s Muslims live,`` the Post reports. This despite evangelical restrictions existing in most of the world`s 49 Muslim majority countries.
China restricts proselytisation to members of State-supported churches. India, where majority are Hindus but which is also the world`s ``second largest Muslim country`` also limits access to foreign missionaries, the Post notes.
The US State Department and the bipartisan Commission on Religious rights set up by Congress insist that the right to convert is a ``human right.`` The State Department makes it a practice of listing every year with disparaging remarks in its annual Report, countries where conversion is not welcome.
The US Government and Congress insist that fundamental freedoms must include not only the right to practise any religion but also to preach and proselytize.
The arrest and jailing of foreigners in non-Christian majority countries is rare despite laws against conversion, says Avery Willis, senior vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention`s International Mission Board.
When violations are detected, foreigners are often told to leave the country permanently. Locals who convert, however, can face severe punishments. ``Some are killed, often by family members who believe they have `lost face` because their parent or sibling has defected to another religion,`` says Willis.
The Southern Baptist Convention has just circularised its members to intensify efforts to convert Muslims in America to Christianity by the end of the Ramzan period.
Mission work in the Window has grown rapidly since the mid-1980s, when their leaders began ``retooling their organisations to move beyond Latin America and Southern Africa into this non-Christian area with great humanitarian needs,`` says J Dudley Woodberry, Professor of Islamic Studies at the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasedena, California.
``The 10/40 Window`` he pointed out, ``is home to the largest number of `unreached people groups,`` the term mission groups use for ethnic populations that have never heard of the Bible`s New Testament message.
Willi, of the Richmond-based Baptist mission board, says that about 27 per cent of the board`s 5,000 missionaries are stationed in the 10/40 Window -- up from just one per cent 15 years ago.
Most Muslim countries, the Post said, do not issue visas to people who identify themselves as missionaries. ``So, Christian missionaries list their occupation as teacher, doctor, nurse, geologist, urban planner, artist, business person or engineer, according to several missionaries who asked not to be identified.``
``These are, in fact, the occupations they perform in the foreign country. But some believe their commitment to spreading the Gospel compels them to offer Christian testimonies and information to anyone who asks about their faith``, the paper further said.
Still, publishing locations and names of faith-based aid workers is not desired, as bringing attention to them could embarrass or bring disciplinary action against local officials officials ``with whom Christians have a tacit understanding``, says a woman relief worker who served in Pakistan for 6 years. (PTI)
Posted by
Fatimah
Dec 3, 2001 12:11 pm
http://www.sulekha.com/redirectNh.asp?cid=155922http://www.sulekha.com/redirectNh.asp?cid=155922
Evangelicals sailing under ``false colours``
Sunday, December 2, 2001 (Washington):
The arrest of US Christian aid workers by the Taliban in Afghanistan has brought to light the ``growing phenomenon`` of ``placement of evangelical Protestant missionaries in Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu countries using visas falsely identifying them as secular workers``, media reports say.
The ordeal of Heather Mercer (24) and Dayna Curry (30) who were jailed by the Taliban in August for showing a video and book about Jesus to an Afghan family in their home, in violation of a law against proselytisation has revealed the increasing instances of evengelicals being posted in non-christian majority countries in the guise of aid workers, the Washington Post reported yesterday.
The missionaries are particularly active in ``10/40`` window, the rectancular area that stretches from latitudes 10 degrees north from West Africa to East Asia, the Post said adding this includes ``most of the world`s 1.2 million Muslims, 800 million Hindus and 350 million Buddhists.``
Despite the risks involved, ``a growing number of missionaries -- most often called aid workers -- are being despatched by Christian groups in the US, Britain, Germany, Australia and other countries to the region where most of the world`s Muslims live,`` the Post reports. This despite evangelical restrictions existing in most of the world`s 49 Muslim majority countries.
China restricts proselytisation to members of State-supported churches. India, where majority are Hindus but which is also the world`s ``second largest Muslim country`` also limits access to foreign missionaries, the Post notes.
The US State Department and the bipartisan Commission on Religious rights set up by Congress insist that the right to convert is a ``human right.`` The State Department makes it a practice of listing every year with disparaging remarks in its annual Report, countries where conversion is not welcome.
The US Government and Congress insist that fundamental freedoms must include not only the right to practise any religion but also to preach and proselytize.
The arrest and jailing of foreigners in non-Christian majority countries is rare despite laws against conversion, says Avery Willis, senior vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention`s International Mission Board.
When violations are detected, foreigners are often told to leave the country permanently. Locals who convert, however, can face severe punishments. ``Some are killed, often by family members who believe they have `lost face` because their parent or sibling has defected to another religion,`` says Willis.
The Southern Baptist Convention has just circularised its members to intensify efforts to convert Muslims in America to Christianity by the end of the Ramzan period.
Mission work in the Window has grown rapidly since the mid-1980s, when their leaders began ``retooling their organisations to move beyond Latin America and Southern Africa into this non-Christian area with great humanitarian needs,`` says J Dudley Woodberry, Professor of Islamic Studies at the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasedena, California.
``The 10/40 Window`` he pointed out, ``is home to the largest number of `unreached people groups,`` the term mission groups use for ethnic populations that have never heard of the Bible`s New Testament message.
Willi, of the Richmond-based Baptist mission board, says that about 27 per cent of the board`s 5,000 missionaries are stationed in the 10/40 Window -- up from just one per cent 15 years ago.
Most Muslim countries, the Post said, do not issue visas to people who identify themselves as missionaries. ``So, Christian missionaries list their occupation as teacher, doctor, nurse, geologist, urban planner, artist, business person or engineer, according to several missionaries who asked not to be identified.``
``These are, in fact, the occupations they perform in the foreign country. But some believe their commitment to spreading the Gospel compels them to offer Christian testimonies and information to anyone who asks about their faith``, the paper further said.
Still, publishing locations and names of faith-based aid workers is not desired, as bringing attention to them could embarrass or bring disciplinary action against local officials officials ``with whom Christians have a tacit understanding``, says a woman relief worker who served in Pakistan for 6 years. (PTI)
The Price
tahmed321
Yehuda #369 ``I am a lawyer in Tel Aviv and have seen lot of violence committed by Arafat and his supporters. I hope to present my views to some of you, from Israeli perspective.``
Welcome to chowk. Arab-Isreali issues are not the burning ones on chowk, since chowkies are nearly all either Indian or Pakistani and one fine rep from Bangladesh (just as I am sure you dont worry too much about Pakistani-India issues in Tel Aviv). But all I can say is this: You blame (in your other post) Iraq and Saudi and Pakistan for Israel`s problems. It is easy to blame other people (and I am not defending the policies of any government when I say this). If Israelis and Palestinians lived as good neighbors with one another, and saw each other as fellow humans with families and feelings, there is nothing anyone could do to cause trouble between you. And the rest of the world, and future generations, would thank the peacemakers (who would ultimately have to be from among the Palestinians and the Israelis) for that.
TAHmed
SEE HOW NAIVE YOU ARE ?Gullible,peasent ,`laloo`,simpleton,easily tricked into ,But only if it is non muslim.
Yeh ek sajda jise tu garan samajh ta hai
Hazar sajde se Aadmi ko deta hai garan
Yes taraveeh,roza ,bearded,cap wearing muslims are SMARTER than ``educated`` like you
Posted by
Fatimah
Dec 1, 2001 03:30 pm
ate Posted: Dec-1-01 2:15:17 EST Reply #: 378 tahmed321
Yehuda #369 ``I am a lawyer in Tel Aviv and have seen lot of violence committed by Arafat and his supporters. I hope to present my views to some of you, from Israeli perspective.``
Welcome to chowk. Arab-Isreali issues are not the burning ones on chowk, since chowkies are nearly all either Indian or Pakistani and one fine rep from Bangladesh (just as I am sure you dont worry too much about Pakistani-India issues in Tel Aviv). But all I can say is this: You blame (in your other post) Iraq and Saudi and Pakistan for Israel`s problems. It is easy to blame other people (and I am not defending the policies of any government when I say this). If Israelis and Palestinians lived as good neighbors with one another, and saw each other as fellow humans with families and feelings, there is nothing anyone could do to cause trouble between you. And the rest of the world, and future generations, would thank the peacemakers (who would ultimately have to be from among the Palestinians and the Israelis) for that.
TAHmed
SEE HOW NAIVE YOU ARE ?Gullible,peasent ,`laloo`,simpleton,easily tricked into ,But only if it is non muslim.
Yeh ek sajda jise tu garan samajh ta hai
Hazar sajde se Aadmi ko deta hai garan
Yes taraveeh,roza ,bearded,cap wearing muslims are SMARTER than ``educated`` like you
The Price
tahmed321
Yehuda #369 ``I am a lawyer in Tel Aviv and have seen lot of violence committed by Arafat and his supporters. I hope to present my views to some of you, from Israeli perspective.``
Welcome to chowk. Arab-Isreali issues are not the burning ones on chowk, since chowkies are nearly all either Indian or Pakistani and one fine rep from Bangladesh (just as I am sure you dont worry too much about Pakistani-India issues in Tel Aviv). But all I can say is this: You blame (in your other post) Iraq and Saudi and Pakistan for Israel`s problems. It is easy to blame other people (and I am not defending the policies of any government when I say this). If Israelis and Palestinians lived as good neighbors with one another, and saw each other as fellow humans with families and feelings, there is nothing anyone could do to cause trouble between you. And the rest of the world, and future generations, would thank the peacemakers (who would ultimately have to be from among the Palestinians and the Israelis) for that.
TAHmed
SEE HOW NAIVE YOU ARE ?Gullible,peasent .laloo,simpleton,easily tricked into ,But only if it is non muslim.
Yeh ek sajda jise tu garan samajh ta hai
Hazar sajde se Aadmi ko deta hai garan
Yes taraveeh,roza ,bearded,cap wearing muslims are SMARETER than ``educated`` like you
Posted by
Fatimah
Dec 1, 2001 03:30 pm
ate Posted: Dec-1-01 2:15:17 EST Reply #: 378 tahmed321
Yehuda #369 ``I am a lawyer in Tel Aviv and have seen lot of violence committed by Arafat and his supporters. I hope to present my views to some of you, from Israeli perspective.``
Welcome to chowk. Arab-Isreali issues are not the burning ones on chowk, since chowkies are nearly all either Indian or Pakistani and one fine rep from Bangladesh (just as I am sure you dont worry too much about Pakistani-India issues in Tel Aviv). But all I can say is this: You blame (in your other post) Iraq and Saudi and Pakistan for Israel`s problems. It is easy to blame other people (and I am not defending the policies of any government when I say this). If Israelis and Palestinians lived as good neighbors with one another, and saw each other as fellow humans with families and feelings, there is nothing anyone could do to cause trouble between you. And the rest of the world, and future generations, would thank the peacemakers (who would ultimately have to be from among the Palestinians and the Israelis) for that.
TAHmed
SEE HOW NAIVE YOU ARE ?Gullible,peasent .laloo,simpleton,easily tricked into ,But only if it is non muslim.
Yeh ek sajda jise tu garan samajh ta hai
Hazar sajde se Aadmi ko deta hai garan
Yes taraveeh,roza ,bearded,cap wearing muslims are SMARETER than ``educated`` like you
Here Are the Muslim Feminist Voices, Mr. Rushdie!
I know true muslim women are the most beutiful creature made by god inside & outside.
I also know Salman rushdie is like a wolve in sheeps clothing of disbelieveing believer muslim.The ultimate doubting Tom of Mcauleys Child.
To bring a muslim case or womens case with him as legal representative is to choose the wrong lawyer ,in the wrong jurisdiction & god help the poor client!
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20011127&fname=womenrushdie&sid=1&pn=3
Posted by
Fatimah
Nov 29, 2001 09:55 pm
I know true muslim women are the most beutiful creature made by god inside & outside.
I also know Salman rushdie is like a wolve in sheeps clothing of disbelieveing believer muslim.The ultimate doubting Tom of Mcauleys Child.
To bring a muslim case or womens case with him as legal representative is to choose the wrong lawyer ,in the wrong jurisdiction & god help the poor client!
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20011127&fname=womenrushdie&sid=1&pn=3
Here Are the Muslim Feminist Voices, Mr. Rushdie!
Ijtihad: personal reasoning
Usually, Ijtihad means to strive by exerting oneself in any activity which betters a measure of hardship. By definition, it is described as the effort
of a jurist to deduce the rules of shariah from the evidences as found in the sources (Quran and Sunnah).
Ijtihad is validated in the Sunnah by the hadith by the companion Muadh b Jabal (ra) and it is implied by a number of verses of the Quran.
In classical jurisprudence, Ijtihad is evaluated as a collective obligation (fard kafia) of the entire community which is fulfilled by only some of its
members (i.e. those with knowledge).
What is important is not the result but the endeavour, as is illustrated by the statement of Prophet Muhammad:
``When a judge/person making a decision (hakim) exerts himself and gives a correct decision he will have a double reward, and if he errs in his
judgement, he will still merit a reward``
[Sunan Abu Dawood, III, 1013]
Al Bahi points out the word Ijtihad in the terminology of fiqh, is another word for difference of opinion.
[Al Din wal Dawlah, p 415]
Ever since the time of the companions, scholars (ulamid) have not ceased to disagree in their opinion and personal reasoning and this would in turn testify, as Zaydan points out, to the broad consensus that disagreement in Ijtihad is acceptable.
[Majmuah p 288; al Sabai, Ishtiakiyya p 48; al Hurriyyah fil Islam, p 15]
The mujahid who is capable of his own Ijtihad is not permitted to follow the Ijtihad of another unless he agrees with it and is convinced of its veracity and truth.
[Al Kasani, Badai al Sanai, VII 4; Ibn Qudamah, al Nughni, IX 40-41]
All the Imams of jurisprudence are on record as having discouraged others from imitating their opinion, or fatwa, without investigating the grounds on which it is founded. As Ghazawi points out, this is reflective of their deep respect for scholarship and the right of the other mujahid to freedom of expression.
[al Hurriyyah, p 60]
Ijtihad may be exercised with regard to the following to areas:
(A) Temporal matters which are not of immediate concern to the religion. In this area, as Khallah has rightly observed, `the individual enjoys total
freedom of expression and may express an opinion as he pleases provided that it does not amount to slander, hostility or sedition`
(B) In religious and legal matters, the mujahid may express an opinion if the matter in question has not been expressly regulated by a clear text from the Quran or the Sunnah.
[Khallaf, al Siyasah al Shariyyah, p 136; Mutawalli, Mabadi, p 281]
Posted by
Fatimah
Nov 28, 2001 12:33 pm
FOR THE ISLAMICALLY CHALLENGED ,MUSLIMS,WHO THINK ISLAM DOESNT HAVE INTROSPECTION (MAY BE NOT BY THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE BUT DO BY POUR OWN .)Ijtihad: personal reasoning
Usually, Ijtihad means to strive by exerting oneself in any activity which betters a measure of hardship. By definition, it is described as the effort
of a jurist to deduce the rules of shariah from the evidences as found in the sources (Quran and Sunnah).
Ijtihad is validated in the Sunnah by the hadith by the companion Muadh b Jabal (ra) and it is implied by a number of verses of the Quran.
In classical jurisprudence, Ijtihad is evaluated as a collective obligation (fard kafia) of the entire community which is fulfilled by only some of its
members (i.e. those with knowledge).
What is important is not the result but the endeavour, as is illustrated by the statement of Prophet Muhammad:
``When a judge/person making a decision (hakim) exerts himself and gives a correct decision he will have a double reward, and if he errs in his
judgement, he will still merit a reward``
[Sunan Abu Dawood, III, 1013]
Al Bahi points out the word Ijtihad in the terminology of fiqh, is another word for difference of opinion.
[Al Din wal Dawlah, p 415]
Ever since the time of the companions, scholars (ulamid) have not ceased to disagree in their opinion and personal reasoning and this would in turn testify, as Zaydan points out, to the broad consensus that disagreement in Ijtihad is acceptable.
[Majmuah p 288; al Sabai, Ishtiakiyya p 48; al Hurriyyah fil Islam, p 15]
The mujahid who is capable of his own Ijtihad is not permitted to follow the Ijtihad of another unless he agrees with it and is convinced of its veracity and truth.
[Al Kasani, Badai al Sanai, VII 4; Ibn Qudamah, al Nughni, IX 40-41]
All the Imams of jurisprudence are on record as having discouraged others from imitating their opinion, or fatwa, without investigating the grounds on which it is founded. As Ghazawi points out, this is reflective of their deep respect for scholarship and the right of the other mujahid to freedom of expression.
[al Hurriyyah, p 60]
Ijtihad may be exercised with regard to the following to areas:
(A) Temporal matters which are not of immediate concern to the religion. In this area, as Khallah has rightly observed, `the individual enjoys total
freedom of expression and may express an opinion as he pleases provided that it does not amount to slander, hostility or sedition`
(B) In religious and legal matters, the mujahid may express an opinion if the matter in question has not been expressly regulated by a clear text from the Quran or the Sunnah.
[Khallaf, al Siyasah al Shariyyah, p 136; Mutawalli, Mabadi, p 281]
A Parable
TALE OF TWO CITIES & TAXES PEOPLE PAY
BY SUVRO ROY
Calcutta, Nov. 27 :
Karachi and Calcutta have so much in common… “Both are congested port cities. Both have malaria and open drains on the outskirts. Both are poised to introduce low-cost housing for city slum dwellers.”
The one major civic difference between Karachi and Calcutta: “Residents of Karachi have been paying water, fire and conservancy taxes from the very beginning.”
The observations came from a man who matters — Muhammad Tariq Hasan, deputy lord mayor of Karachi City Government. “I was taken by surprise when mayor Subrata Mukherjee told me that Calcuttans do not have to pay even water tax, leave alone a levy on fire and conservancy services,” said Hasan, in the city on a three-day trip to attend the seminar on ‘Urban Environment Management: Local Government and Community Action’.
The 29-year-old deputy lord mayor of the 650 sq-km port city said every year, residents have to “pay a package” — Rs 1,000 and upwards, according to the size of the plot and house — for water supply, fire and conservancy services. “We have been paying water tax ever since we can remember. The attitude of the people in Karachi towards the civic body is : Tax lo, hamare upar lagao, lekin chori mat karo (Levy tax, spend the money on us but don’t steal public money),” said Hasan.
Calcutta’s mayor certainly picked up a civic tax tip or two from the Karachi deputy lord mayor. “I never knew that the people of Karachi had to pay so many civic taxes. I hope to visit the city soon and take a closer look at their system of governance, which is so different from ours,” said Mukherjee, who has been struggling to convince Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee about the need to impose a tax on filtered-water supply in the city.
Hasan said he had “invited Mukherjee and his family” to Karachi and promised him a trip to the ruins of the ancient civilisations of Mohenjodaro and Harappa. “I did not know that the Calcutta mayor was a post-graduate in archaeology. He has shown keen interest in coming to Karachi. There are many things in Calcutta I had studied in history but saw for the first time.”
The young deputy lord mayor visited Victoria Memorial, the Indian Museum and Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral house in Jorasanko during his whirlwind tour. He was “thrilled” by a Metro ride and “most impressed” by the just-unveiled Parkomat on Rawdon Street.
“After returning to Karachi, I will be working on our proposed underground rail system and modern parking plazas,” said Hasan, who pointed out another “vital difference” between the two civic bodies.
“In Calcutta, the civic board is elected from representatives of political parties, but in Karachi, the civic board is non-political... If I attend any political meeting or rally while in office, I will lose my job,” admitted Hasan.
It must have been Mukherjee’s turn to be “taken by surprise”.
Posted by
Fatimah
Nov 28, 2001 12:33 pm
KARACHI vis a Vis CALCUTTATALE OF TWO CITIES & TAXES PEOPLE PAY
BY SUVRO ROY
Calcutta, Nov. 27 :
Karachi and Calcutta have so much in common… “Both are congested port cities. Both have malaria and open drains on the outskirts. Both are poised to introduce low-cost housing for city slum dwellers.”
The one major civic difference between Karachi and Calcutta: “Residents of Karachi have been paying water, fire and conservancy taxes from the very beginning.”
The observations came from a man who matters — Muhammad Tariq Hasan, deputy lord mayor of Karachi City Government. “I was taken by surprise when mayor Subrata Mukherjee told me that Calcuttans do not have to pay even water tax, leave alone a levy on fire and conservancy services,” said Hasan, in the city on a three-day trip to attend the seminar on ‘Urban Environment Management: Local Government and Community Action’.
The 29-year-old deputy lord mayor of the 650 sq-km port city said every year, residents have to “pay a package” — Rs 1,000 and upwards, according to the size of the plot and house — for water supply, fire and conservancy services. “We have been paying water tax ever since we can remember. The attitude of the people in Karachi towards the civic body is : Tax lo, hamare upar lagao, lekin chori mat karo (Levy tax, spend the money on us but don’t steal public money),” said Hasan.
Calcutta’s mayor certainly picked up a civic tax tip or two from the Karachi deputy lord mayor. “I never knew that the people of Karachi had to pay so many civic taxes. I hope to visit the city soon and take a closer look at their system of governance, which is so different from ours,” said Mukherjee, who has been struggling to convince Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee about the need to impose a tax on filtered-water supply in the city.
Hasan said he had “invited Mukherjee and his family” to Karachi and promised him a trip to the ruins of the ancient civilisations of Mohenjodaro and Harappa. “I did not know that the Calcutta mayor was a post-graduate in archaeology. He has shown keen interest in coming to Karachi. There are many things in Calcutta I had studied in history but saw for the first time.”
The young deputy lord mayor visited Victoria Memorial, the Indian Museum and Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral house in Jorasanko during his whirlwind tour. He was “thrilled” by a Metro ride and “most impressed” by the just-unveiled Parkomat on Rawdon Street.
“After returning to Karachi, I will be working on our proposed underground rail system and modern parking plazas,” said Hasan, who pointed out another “vital difference” between the two civic bodies.
“In Calcutta, the civic board is elected from representatives of political parties, but in Karachi, the civic board is non-political... If I attend any political meeting or rally while in office, I will lose my job,” admitted Hasan.
It must have been Mukherjee’s turn to be “taken by surprise”.
Diwali...Then
http://www.sulekha.com/redirectnh.asp?cid=155000
Sunday, November 25, 2001
No Girls Please, We are Indians
PTI
New Delhi, November 25
-
Thanks to the penchant for a male child, India today has the dubious distinction of having the worst child sex ratio in the world and has emerged as one of the largest markets of `sex-determination techniques` which co@ck a snook at the law by claiming to intervene at the ``pre- -conception`` stage.
The latest addition to this burgeoning market is an imported kit claiming to ensure the conception of a `child of choice`, the advertisement of which has raised the hackles of activists and doctors who are relentlessly working to implement the seven-year-old law that prohibits the use and publicity of any such process used as a precursor for selective sex abortions.
While the Delhi Appropriate Authority, which is responsible for implementing the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prevention of Misuse) Act 1994 has already moved the court against the advertiser, a fresh debate has erupted over the use of techniques that determine sex in the pre-conception stage with some doctors saying it is legal, ethical and moral for parents to exercise their `freedom of choice.`
``Intent of the Act was to stop the declining female child sex ratio, which is as low as 793 in Punjab and less than 850 in the northern states of Haryana and Delhi; it didn`t matter at which stage sex-determination came,`` notes Dr Sabu M George, who has been campaigning against female foeticide in the country for the last 15 years.
The gains of technology have made segregation and selection (of sperms) at earlier stages, reducing guilt pangs or moral pressures that had come to be associated with infanticide or even female foeticide as a result of sonography, he says.
Even as the Supreme Court in May this year is reported to have expressed sadness over the use of modern technology to prevent the girl child from being born, a doctor in the capital spoke of the availability of sperm segregation techniques followed by artificial implantation of the fertilised eggs that are now attracting many prospective parents.
``While this is not illegal, it also is less stressful on couples opting for it,`` she said.
An editorial this week in the daily, which has come under fire for publishing the American company`s Gen-select Kit evidently aimed at India from where telephone ordering is `toll-free`, also said ``the Indian law does not prohibit a person from using any technique available to pre-determine the gender of her child before conception.``
``The PNDT Act,`` it said, ``focusses on the various medical techniques which enable a person to ascertain the sex of the child right from conception, whether or not the intent is to terminate the pregnancy or not.
``Technology has, however, always been a step ahead of the law and the need to legislate on pre-selection techniques is now being debated,`` said the editorial.
But neither the government nor medicos like Dr Sabu or activists from a host of women organisations buy that argument.
According to Dr Rekha Joshi of the Delhi Appropriate Authority, she received a complaint against the newspaper which published the ads on November 14 and 15, from five organisations - Indian Human Rights Law Network, Shama, Jagori, Nirantar and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan - on November 20.
The Delhi Appropriate Authority on November 23 filed a complaint against the daily in a lower court here, said Dr Joshi, noting that the Advertisement is in violation of the PNDT Act.
The 1994 Act, in fact, prohibits the publication or distribution of any advertisement ``in any manner regarding the facilities of pre-natal determination of sex at any genetic counselling centre, genetic laboratory, genetic clinic or any other place.``
Contravention of the clause invites a jail sentence up to three years and a fine up to Rs ten thousand. There is no mention of pre-conception or post conception stages, as some doctors have sought to argue.
According to Dr Sabu, in the most traditional sense life is considered to begin from fertilisation and earlier conception was defined as fertilisation, `pre-natal` being the time period from conception till delivery or birth of the child.
Today, technology itself has redefined conception, so as to begin from implantation of the fertilised egg in the uterus, he says, pointing towards in-vitro techniques that have helped fertilisation outside the human body.
``It is the users of these techniques who are seeking to redefine the concept of pre-natal and suggesting that the law be amended to make a specific reference to them,`` he says noting that the law in its present form is inclusive of all such methods - the misuse of which has to be prevented.
According to him, the laws are made and are interpreted in tune with times, they can`t be created every second year. The law in its present form by not making any specific reference to pre- or post-conception stages ensures that there is no misuse of the `pre-conception` techniques, the accuracy of which is doubtful.
In the Erikson`s or the sperm segregation technique which has been available in India since 1981, for instance, the chances still remain 50:50, says Dr Sabu, adding that there are just a handful of laboratories in the world which could boast of sophisticated equipment to ensure a cent per cent segregation.
``In most cases across the country, after sperm segregation, the fertilisation takes place in the human body, and the pregnancy allowed to follow the complete cycle after the sonographs confirm the `child of choice` (read son),`` he says.
However justified the argument of curtailing individual freedoms be, activists cite the skewed child sex ratio as a grim reminder that ground realities are far different and that all these techniques, however less the accuracy rates, have been tried to beget a son.
The moot point here, they argue, is not of individual freedom but that of a subtle way of gender discrimination that is slowly resulting in the elimination of the girl child thus violating the basic tenet of our very constitution
Posted by
Fatimah
Nov 27, 2001 01:49 am
http://www.sulekha.com/redirectnh.asp?cid=155000
Sunday, November 25, 2001
No Girls Please, We are Indians
PTI
New Delhi, November 25
-
Thanks to the penchant for a male child, India today has the dubious distinction of having the worst child sex ratio in the world and has emerged as one of the largest markets of `sex-determination techniques` which co@ck a snook at the law by claiming to intervene at the ``pre- -conception`` stage.
The latest addition to this burgeoning market is an imported kit claiming to ensure the conception of a `child of choice`, the advertisement of which has raised the hackles of activists and doctors who are relentlessly working to implement the seven-year-old law that prohibits the use and publicity of any such process used as a precursor for selective sex abortions.
While the Delhi Appropriate Authority, which is responsible for implementing the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prevention of Misuse) Act 1994 has already moved the court against the advertiser, a fresh debate has erupted over the use of techniques that determine sex in the pre-conception stage with some doctors saying it is legal, ethical and moral for parents to exercise their `freedom of choice.`
``Intent of the Act was to stop the declining female child sex ratio, which is as low as 793 in Punjab and less than 850 in the northern states of Haryana and Delhi; it didn`t matter at which stage sex-determination came,`` notes Dr Sabu M George, who has been campaigning against female foeticide in the country for the last 15 years.
The gains of technology have made segregation and selection (of sperms) at earlier stages, reducing guilt pangs or moral pressures that had come to be associated with infanticide or even female foeticide as a result of sonography, he says.
Even as the Supreme Court in May this year is reported to have expressed sadness over the use of modern technology to prevent the girl child from being born, a doctor in the capital spoke of the availability of sperm segregation techniques followed by artificial implantation of the fertilised eggs that are now attracting many prospective parents.
``While this is not illegal, it also is less stressful on couples opting for it,`` she said.
An editorial this week in the daily, which has come under fire for publishing the American company`s Gen-select Kit evidently aimed at India from where telephone ordering is `toll-free`, also said ``the Indian law does not prohibit a person from using any technique available to pre-determine the gender of her child before conception.``
``The PNDT Act,`` it said, ``focusses on the various medical techniques which enable a person to ascertain the sex of the child right from conception, whether or not the intent is to terminate the pregnancy or not.
``Technology has, however, always been a step ahead of the law and the need to legislate on pre-selection techniques is now being debated,`` said the editorial.
But neither the government nor medicos like Dr Sabu or activists from a host of women organisations buy that argument.
According to Dr Rekha Joshi of the Delhi Appropriate Authority, she received a complaint against the newspaper which published the ads on November 14 and 15, from five organisations - Indian Human Rights Law Network, Shama, Jagori, Nirantar and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan - on November 20.
The Delhi Appropriate Authority on November 23 filed a complaint against the daily in a lower court here, said Dr Joshi, noting that the Advertisement is in violation of the PNDT Act.
The 1994 Act, in fact, prohibits the publication or distribution of any advertisement ``in any manner regarding the facilities of pre-natal determination of sex at any genetic counselling centre, genetic laboratory, genetic clinic or any other place.``
Contravention of the clause invites a jail sentence up to three years and a fine up to Rs ten thousand. There is no mention of pre-conception or post conception stages, as some doctors have sought to argue.
According to Dr Sabu, in the most traditional sense life is considered to begin from fertilisation and earlier conception was defined as fertilisation, `pre-natal` being the time period from conception till delivery or birth of the child.
Today, technology itself has redefined conception, so as to begin from implantation of the fertilised egg in the uterus, he says, pointing towards in-vitro techniques that have helped fertilisation outside the human body.
``It is the users of these techniques who are seeking to redefine the concept of pre-natal and suggesting that the law be amended to make a specific reference to them,`` he says noting that the law in its present form is inclusive of all such methods - the misuse of which has to be prevented.
According to him, the laws are made and are interpreted in tune with times, they can`t be created every second year. The law in its present form by not making any specific reference to pre- or post-conception stages ensures that there is no misuse of the `pre-conception` techniques, the accuracy of which is doubtful.
In the Erikson`s or the sperm segregation technique which has been available in India since 1981, for instance, the chances still remain 50:50, says Dr Sabu, adding that there are just a handful of laboratories in the world which could boast of sophisticated equipment to ensure a cent per cent segregation.
``In most cases across the country, after sperm segregation, the fertilisation takes place in the human body, and the pregnancy allowed to follow the complete cycle after the sonographs confirm the `child of choice` (read son),`` he says.
However justified the argument of curtailing individual freedoms be, activists cite the skewed child sex ratio as a grim reminder that ground realities are far different and that all these techniques, however less the accuracy rates, have been tried to beget a son.
The moot point here, they argue, is not of individual freedom but that of a subtle way of gender discrimination that is slowly resulting in the elimination of the girl child thus violating the basic tenet of our very constitution
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