Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Republic day and us

Republic Day - it's not a mere emotive in excess. in a salad bowl nation, where two and many distinct cultures, way of lives mix - it becomes necessary to celebrate a common cause, a cause which has build this nation. democracy was not only earned in 1950, day by day with many positive changes around we are striving for it even today. and that for sure calls for a celebration. Cheers!


:) :) :) 

Sunday, January 23, 2011

unrelenting demand for JPC : Right or Wrong

So far it has come out that US$ 38.27 billion has been lost to the exchequer. No matter what as an opposition BJP conveys, it's undeniable that stalling the winter forum in parliament has added a few more billions to it. Whether it was right or wrong - asking may not yield a definitive answer cause it's going to be more complex with time, yet a question can be asked whether it was justifiable stance? BJP spokesperson Mr. Arun Jaitley has said over media for numerous times that concerning the Radia tape controversy - it's evident that the systems through out the country are plagued by scams and so far according to him and rest of many opposition parties like TDP,CPM and many congress allies like TMC, all are asking for JPC relentlessly.

Their point is, in joint parliamentary probe everyone and anyone in this working Govt. will be answerable for their actions and the related repercussions. Still a common man can raise a question how much this relentless stalling of Parliament is justified, as already it came out in studies that a minute of disruption in parliament causes Rs. 2600 loss of public money. Though opposition is claiming that their relentless demand for JPC and as a repercussion, the stalling of Parliament has caused Raja losing his portfolio and so they believe it has given momentum in CBI investigation and CAG probe.

Debates are inevitable within working structures of any democratic state and these debates are what makes our nation keep going. So, stalling parliament session, is justified or not, will be asked for several times in near future. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar,Cassius told Brutus : The fault is not in our stars dear Brutus, it's within us. A true democracy can work only in its proper management of parliamentary system. Demanding relentlessly for JPC could be a part of it, without creating any hindrance within it. Common People like us still have their faiths over the functions of our justice body. The process will enfold its result in front of us in its due time. We can strive only to make things better, as it has been the only workable motto that only works here and keeps the common-man in us going .

Friday, January 21, 2011

Under the Shadow of Blasphemy

Islam Believes in Freedom - Wahiduddin Khan

Blasphemy is in the news. According to general perception, Islam prescribes capital punishment to a person who indulges in blasphemy, that is using profane language against the Prophet of Islam. But this concept of blasphemy is completely alien to the original teaching of Islam. Before the advent of Islam, difference of belief was also punishable act. They used to punish on matters of belief just as on mats of social crime. This old practice is called religious persecution in history. Islam abolished this practice. The prophet of Islam declared that personal belief is a subject of discussion and persuasion rather than a legal punishment.

However, if non-believers use profane language against the Prophet, Muslims are directed not to react. They have only two options, either to simply ignore it or to respond on equal basis, that is, issuing statement in return for a statement. The Quran says : " The recompense of an ill-deed is an the like thereof (42:20)." According to this injunction, reaction must be on equal basis, that is, word in return for word, statement in return for statement, book in return for book.

If you go through the Quran and the hadith ( sayings and actions of the Prophet of Islam ), the only two authentic sources of Islam, you will find that there is not a single Quraniv verse or hadith that gives this kind of injunction which says: " Man shatama nabiyakum faqtuluhu. ( Kill the person who commits blasphemy against the Prophet )."

Such an injunction was added in the Islamic law only during the Abbasid caliphate, about 150 years after the death (632 AD) of the Prophet. Although the majority of the Fuqaha ( Muslim jurists )of the period accepted the law, it was clearly an innovation which is not acceptable in Islam.

According to a well known hadith, there are three authentic periods of the Islamic history: the period of the Prophet, and the period of Sahaba ( companions of the prophet ), and the period of Tabein ( companions of the companions ). It is a fact that all the Fuqaha belonged to the Abbasid period which came after these authentic periods. According to a hadith. the Prophet of Islam has said : " I have left behind for you thaqaalan, two authentic sources of Islam: the book of God, and the Sunnah of the Prophet. You will not astray till you adhere to these authentic sources." (Mu'atta malik, hadith no. 1661). And those additions made by thee Muslim jurists of the later history are certainly not a part of the authentic sources. According to this Islamic injunction, if there is a person who commits blasphemy , then the responsibility of Muslims is to meet him and persuade him and to remove his misunderstandings by peaceful means and if supposing he fails to understand then Muslims are left only with only one option, that is to pray for him.

There is ample of evidence that tells us what to do in such cases. For example, once when Prophet was in Mecca, one idol worshipper came to him and told him face to face. " Muzammanan abaina (O Muhammad you are a condemned person.)" The Prophet simply smiled. The smile was a kind of a moral response and was bound to hit his conscience. He fell into introspection. And after some time he accepted him as the Prophet, and became one of his followers.

Islam greatly believes in freedom of expression. i would like to say that the secular law of India in this context is more Islamic than the so-called Islamic law of Pakistan.

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Wahiduddin Khan is an Islamic spiritual scholar and founder of Center for Peace and Spirituality International

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahiduddin_Khan

as published on January 24,2011 edition of India Today