Quota for Indian Muslims in jobs, education need of the hour

At a time when the Supreme Court has given the go ahead for 27 percent quota for to Other Backward Classes in central educational institutions, the question of reservation for Muslims comes up naturally. Muslims as a whole are more deprived than most of the OBC’s included in the category. If there was any iota of confusion in this regard, it was removed first by Sachar Committee report. Later a more important body, Justice Mishra Commission recommended quota for minorities demanding 10 percent quota for Muslims. The so called-self proclaimed secular United Progressive Alliance (UPA) that rules the country has failed to table the Mishra Commission report, let alone the question of its implementation. It is time that the UPA government takes some concrete steps towards Muslims’ upliftment instead of mere rhetoric that it has mastered only too well. Here in the following article Syed Ubaidur Rahman, editor Khabrein.info, discusses the long-standing demand for quota for Muslims in jobs and education.
The issue of reservation for Muslims in India is almost always opposed by a number of organizations in the country despite the fact that even a number of well to do communities get benefit of reservation in different states of the country. The million-dollar question is why some political parties oppose Muslim reservations? Several Muslim leaders are of the view that anti-Muslim feeling dominates their minds. They are least bothered about Muslims’ backwardness as they regard Muslims as outsiders and responsible for destruction of Hindu temples earlier. (Thanks to constant anti-Muslim propaganda by far-right media and the RSS)
Muslims account for approximately 15 percent of India’s population. A vast number of Indian Muslims are of indigenous origin. But most of them live below the poverty line and day-by-day their economic position is declining. There is a large-scale discrimination against them. Economically and educationally they are the most backward community in India. And the government of India doesn’t provide reservation to them in jobs and other fields.

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New book on Saudi Arabia released

By Khabrein.info Correspondent,
New Delhi, April 13: A leading New Delhi-based publishing house, Global Media Publications (www.GMPublications.com) released an important book on history and culture of Saudi Arabia in a small book release ceremony at its office. The book titled State and Society in Saudi Arabia: History of State Formation and Social Development discusses the evolution of a modern nation sate in Arab as Saudi Arabia.
Not many books have been published on the formation of Saudi Arabian nation that discuss the way the Saudi Arabian state came into being, how a place, that was known for its deserts and Bedouins was transformed in a short period of time into a prosperous, well organized and a powerful nation state.
This book is an exercise in the direction of understanding and analyzing the phenomenon of the emergence of first modern Islamic Arab nation state in the Arabian peninsular region. A broader aspect of this book is related to the dynamics and philosophy of its transformation without questioning and compromising its Islamic and traditional sociological and cultural foundation. The main objective of modernization and transformation of Saudi Arabia has been to achieve a total compatibility and harmonious relationship between state, society and Islam.
State and Society in Saudi Arabia also takes into account how the political regime in Saudi Arabia has appropriated an intervening role for itself in every aspect of society, economy, cultural and political affairs of Saudi nation state. This also reflects the nature of the state and its dominant influence on the trajectory of the social and economic transformation. The book also deals with the puritan ideology of Wahhabism and its relationship with the Saudi polity. Wahhabism emphasized the imperative of purging out the elements of neo-jahiliyya, tribalism and polytheistic rituals which had penetrated the Arabs’ socio-political edifice and had degenerated and fossilized the inherent dynamics of Arabian social, cultural and political system. The ideology of Wahhabism emphasized the necessity of the regeneration of the fundamental and true values of Islam.

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Bollywood director says he has felt Indian Muslim's isolation first hand

By Subhash K. Jha
Samar Khan a leading Bollywood director says he that he has felt and experienced Indian Muslim';s isolation first hand. It is needless to say that the experiecne reflects in his works.
Samar says he has felt the discrimination in Mumbai first-hand. "It may not be on an obvious level. But it's there. If I praise the performance of the Pakistani cricket team a look would pass around the room. But if anyone else said it, it wouldn't be noticed. I don't want to be known as a Muslim. I want to be known as an Indian. Unfortunately, in these troubled times that we live in it's become embarrassing to be Samar Khan."
The character Javed Khan of the persecuted Muslim in Shaurya is inspired by what Samar has gone through. "Javed's character represents the predicament of the Indian Muslim today. Javed is willing to give up his life for the honour of the army uniform and is still looked on with suspicion. The discrimination against Muslims does exist. And it hurts. I pay my taxes like any other Indian, and I'm willing to give up my life for the country. Then why?"
Samar then tells a hair-raising story. "Recently, when I was trying to buy a house, five housing societies turned me down. If this can happen in Mumbai, I shudder to think what it must be like in Surat and Bhopal. I situated Shaurya in the army because I feel the army is the nation's moral guardian. I was in the National Defence Academy for three years. In my film Javed and before him his father have served the country in the army. And yet when Javed is accused of murdering a colleague he's held guilty even before the trial."

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BJP makes a volteface says not against reservation for poor Muslims

By Khabrein.info Correspondent,
Hyderabad, April 5: In a voltaface clearly aimed at attracting Muslim votes in next general elections, the BJP has said that it is not against reservation for Muslims in jobs and education.
BJP has been constantly opposing any move to give Muslims reservation or some scholarship schemess for the community so far. Its national spokesman had called this year's Budget as the one presented by Liaqat Ali Khan who was the finance minister under Negru in Congress-Muslim League alliance government prior to India's partition.
Opposing education and job quotas on the basis of religion, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday said it was for reservations for socially and economically weaker sections of the Muslim community.
The national executive of the BJP minority cell, which met here, made it clear that it was "uncompromisingly opposed to any special treatment or reservations on the basis of religion".

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Pakistani Film Khuda Kay Liye makes historic opening in India

On April 4, Khuda Kay Liye (In the name of God), a critically acclaimed Pakistani film about the lives of Muslims and Pakistanis after September 11th 2001, was released in cinemas across India. According to BBC News, “It is the first Pakistani film to get a wide commercial release in India in over four decades.” The film, directed by Shoaib Mansoor and starring Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah as well as Pakistani actors Shan and Iman Ali, won several awards following its release last year, including the special jury award at the 31st Cairo International Film Festival in December. A movie review by Pakistan’s Daily Times noted last year, “If directed by any other individual, such a sensitive, introspective story could easily have metamorphosed into a mere show of finger-pointing.
However, Shoaib Mansoor is intelligent enough to portray the gray, confused areas of an individual’s interpretation of religion, experienced enough to fairly depict both the religious and not-so-religious factions of Pakistan and perceptive enough to get his message across: that while religion in itself is good, it is often misused as a means to personal gain. Violence, persecution of women and lawlessness are all conveniently excused to have been done ‘in the name of God’.”

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