By Nilofar Suhrawardy, MMNS

NEW DELHI – The new importance being given by Indian Muslims towards changing stereotyped images held about the role being played by madrasa education system in India was reflected in the enthusiastic participation during the two-day national seminar (March 29-30) held at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The subject was: — “Madrasas and Educational Needs of the Indian Muslims.” During the two-day discussion, it was accepted that thousands of madrasas in the country are playing a crucial role in increasing the literacy level of masses, without taking any aid from the government in most cases. While to a degree, certain madrasas have made a decisive beginning towards modernizing their educational infrastructure, the need of spreading this further was voiced. It was felt, greater importance should be given to taking measures, which boost the morale of the madrasa -students, pushing their economic aspirations beyond the boundaries of madrasa -masjid. Modernization of madrasas was viewed as a solution to problems as backwardness of Indian Muslims in the field of modern education.

While it was accepted that the madrasa education system has produced some scholars of international fame, it was also pointed out that majority of talaba remains deprived of job opportunities. At the same time, attention was also paid to the fact that only madrasas should not be held responsible for the weaknesses the country’s education system is suffering from. The government schools reaching out to poor people in rural areas can from no angle be held to be centers of ideal means of education. It was also pointed out that a negative image held about madrasas was not absolutely correct. There are quite a few madrasas in the country, where courses in computerization and other modern skills were being imparted. It was felt that while it is important take measures towards enhancing standards of education offered at madrasas, it was equally crucial to check negative images being spread about them by communal elements. In this direction, it was voiced that the Indian government cannot be expected to take the needed measures. The efforts made at the governmental level about changing stereotyped, negative approach held in certain communal quarters regarding madrasas can at best be expected to be confined to the stage of making proposals and perhaps forming a committee to look into the issue. The Indian Muslims themselves need to adopt an action-oriented, constructive approach in letting others know about the strong and also weak points of their madrasa education system.

The tendency prevalent in the national media to make noise about negative news regarding Indian Muslims, including their madrasa was also taken note of. But with Muslims being in a minority in the country, forming less than 15 per cent of the total population, while every Muslim can be expected to have interacted with a non-Muslim, not all the non-Muslims may have even ever communicated with a Muslim. Thus, it was highlighted that communication, beginning from the Muslims themselves can play an effective role in changing negative images held about Muslims and their education system. It was accepted that organizations of such seminars regularly over a continuous period of time could contribute to effectively changing negative opinions held needlessly about the madrasa system.

Some of the issues discussed at the seminar were role of madrasa towards education in Muslim society; the factors responsible for pushing Muslim children to madrasa education; expected consequences of the appeal to modernize madrasa education; practical feasibility of modernization program that gives emphasis to modification in the syllabus and teaching methodology; importance of madrasa for religious education and Islamic scholarly tradition; strength and limitation of madrasa system in connection with role of Muslims in nation-building and the need of a practical strategy towards introducing vocational courses for madrasa students. In addition, light was shed on historical evolution of madrasa education and on politics of minority education in the country.

The two-day seminar was organized by Ark Foundation, a non-government organization (NGO) with support from National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA). Established by Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development, the NUEPA is a premier organization, which deals with capacity building and research in planning and management of education in not only India, but also South Asia. The origins of this national university date back to 1962, when the UNESCO established the Asian Regional Center for Educational Planners and Administrators, which became the Asian Institute of Educational Planning and Administration in 1965. It was named as National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) in 1979.

Ark Foundation is a socio-clinical research group of teachers and research scholars of JNU, which began work regarding systematic schooling system and related works in 1995. ARK stands for Action, Research and Knowledge based service provider. The Ark research team is at present working on a research project, “Modernization of Madrasa Education System.” In the team’s opinion: “We believe Madrasa can be converted into vehicles for communication of secular and modern knowledge so that Muslim participation in civil society increases. This shall evidently lead to the empowerment of an entire community.”

10-15

By Sumayyah Meehan, MMNS

Americans are renowned the World over for being the most generous tippers whether they are inside the US or traveling abroad. The standard rate of gratuity in the US is to leave a tip ranging between 15-25% of the total bill. Since service type jobs in the US like waiting tables, bell hopping, pumping gas and the like are typically low paid jobs, workers rely heavily on tips to supplement their already meager salaries which are half of the national minimum wage. Workers in the US service industry often make a decent wage as a result of the tips they receive from customers. And the customers often tip even if the service they received is not up to par as tipping has become a part of the American culture. To not leave a tip, in the US, is considered to be miserly and constitutes poor manners.

Things are not as gracious, however, in the Middle East where there is no set minimum wage. Workers in the service industry are often exploited as they come from poor South Asian countries. They often earn a mere $100 per month as a wage and don’t have gratuities to rely on like their American counterparts do. In the Middle East, most patrons to restaurants and hotels simply assume that the tip is already included in their bill because when they get the bill there is a ‘service charge; calculated into the final total. However, this fee never makes its way into your poor waiter’s pocket. You know, the guy who just spent the last hour answering your every beck and call? Rather it goes right to the owner of the establishment’s overstuffed pocket.

To citizens born in the Middle East, tipping is rarely on their minds as they polish off their plates in a restaurant or pass their hotel chambermaid as they head to the front desk to checkout of their room. Leaving a gratuity is not a part of the culture however, there are some people who do leave tips but it is not based on having empathy with the workers but rather with the service received. “I never leave a tip unless the service is absolutely perfect,” says Nadia Khandari, who is a student in Lebanon, “and even then it is only the equivalent of about a dollar in my local currency.” Others simply use the excuse that their bill already has a ‘service charge’ with it so there is no need to pay a dime more. “Why would I leave more money?” says Khalid Saki, an office worker in Kuwait, “ they already charged me for the service!”

To expatriates living in the Middle East, tipping is based on the rules of gratuities in their own country. For example, an American expatriate in the Gulf often will give the 15-20% rate of gratuity based on the total bill no matter which Middle Eastern country they live in. Contrastingly for British expatriates, who unfortunately have a reputation for not being satisfied with most services they receive, tipping is not a part of their culture so they often leave nothing on the table or in the hand of a service provider. Whereas, a Chinese expatriate will often leave a tip that is 10% of the total bill which is the norm in their country.

When traveling abroad, one might find themselves in a country where tipping is considered to be offensive as it is in Singapore or Japan. But still if they want to leave a tip to their service staff they can always ask the manager of the establishment what their policy is. And in countries where tipping is acceptable, but there is confusion over the exchange rate, the norm is simply to leave a couple of dollars as a tip which is better than leaving nothing at all.

Regardless of where we reside or what our cultural background may be, tipping is a way to thank another human being for the service they have provided us with. It should not be thought of as a penalty that is levied against us but rather it should be considered an act of charity for someone who most assuredly is not earning what he or she should be for their hard labor.

10-15

By Linda S. Heard, Special to Gulf News Daily

Unless you’re rich enough to buy your own island and reclusive enough never to leave its shores, freedom of expression cannot be an absolute. We have to live together and one man’s freedom of expression is very often insulting or hurtful to someone else.

Citizens of Western democracies tend to believe they enjoy free speech whereas, in fact, there are limits in the form of laws covering racial incitement, blasphemy, anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.

In the US, Americans’ constitutional right to free speech can be suspended if it is deemed likely to incite imminent lawless action. In Britain the glorification of terrorism is a crime.

In France, Germany and Austria, Holocaust denial is a serious offence. Austria, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and some US states all have laws against blasphemy.

And so does the Netherlands, whose government members are currently wringing their hands over a shortly-to-be-released anti-Islamic film produced by Geert Wilders, an Islamophobic Dutch lawmaker. Wilders has described the Quran as “fascist” and says his film Fitna will depict the book as an inspiration for terrorist attacks.

The cabinet has twice asked Wilders to scrap the 15-minute film fearing a similar backlash to that experienced by Denmark over the cartoon depictions of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Dutch TV stations have responsibly refused to air it but Wilders insists he will distribute it on the internet and refuses to disclose the date of its release to the government.

Bracing itself for a hostile reaction, the Netherlands has raised the terrorism threat level and has expressed concern for the safety of its troops serving in Afghanistan.

Security for cabinet members has been beefed up while Wilders has been afforded a 24-hour police guard; a courtesy that was previously extended to the Somali-born writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who publicly renounced Islam, before writing a script for the late Theo van Gogh’s anti-Islamic film Submission.

Ministers are worried about political and economic repercussions to the extent that last Wednesday the Dutch Foreign Minister met with ambassadors from 30 Muslim countries in an attempt to explain the Netherlands’ position, which is basically “while we reject the film’s content and Wilders’s views, we support his freedom of speech rights”.

Sacrosanct

In other words, the government has made freedom of expression sacrosanct even if this means the country’s national security and economy is imperilled, and without a thought for other countries that are likely to be subject to violent protests of the type which often end in loss of life.

It further insists that even if it wanted to ban the film it is unable to do so under current laws.

Frankly, I smell a rat. The Netherlands not only has a law prohibiting blasphemy, Article 137 of the country’s penal code prohibits discriminatory defamation, incitement to hatred and insults expressed publicly for the purpose of discriminating on racial and other grounds.

In other words, if the government truly wanted to prevent the film from seeing the light of day, it could probably come up with a credible legal challenge.

Instead, Dutch members of parliament, with the exception of Christian Democrats, are overwhelmingly bent on doing away with anti-blasphemy laws, which they term as archaic.

However, high-profile Dutch nationals have been imprisoned for inciting hatred and discrimination against minorities. In May 1999, the neo-Nazi leader of the Nederlandse Volksunie, Joop Glimmerveen, was sentenced to five months in gaol for advocating the expulsion of ethnic minorities, while others have been incarcerated for carrying a swastika.

Last Friday, the Netherlands Islamic Federation took matters into its own hands by asking a court in The Hague to form a panel of reviewers with rights to see the film before its release so as to judge whether or not it deserves to be banned. We will know the outcome of this legal challenge on March 28.

While I understand and sympathise with those who argue the importance of free speech in democratic societies, if that is the standard then it should apply to anything and everything without any barriers at all.

Instead, this principle is being used selectively and it’s no wonder that Muslims believe that when it comes to Islam anything goes.

Admirable concept

Free expression is an admirable concept but as I wrote in the beginning of this column it can’t be an absolute. We can’t run around naked and, in most countries, we can’t advocate cannibalism or paedophilia.

Most importantly, free speech should not be used as a weapon for petty racists and bigots, protected by the state even as they deliberately cut deeply into the sensibilities of other people or trigger inter-religious/inter-racial hatred.

As for Wilders’s film, given his known detestation of Islam, one can only wonder about his motives for making it. Rather than exemplifying his freedom to express his views, it is likely to be 15 minutes of pure, unadulterated hate probably designed to cause an even greater rift between Muslims and non-Muslims than already exists.

Furthermore, it will serve as a recruiting tool for extremist groups calling for a jihad against the new Crusaders.

Shame on him and shame on those who would prioritise the so-called rights of this imbecile over the heartfelt pleas of Muslims in the Netherlands and around the world!

Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She can be contacted at lheard@gulfnews.com

10-15

By Bob Wood, MMNS

The title of an article appearing in the March 26, 2008 issue of the Wall Street Journal, “The Lost Decade” refers to the barely positive returns shown by domestic stock markets since March of 1999. This premise has been at the core of the articles published in this space for almost that long and has brought home a lesson that too many investors have learned the hard way.

“The Lost Decade” article points out that returns earned by investors in the S&P 500 for this decade to date have been tepid, at best. It includes a chart showing that the index has produced an average annual gain of 2.46% since March of 1999. Assuming that government figures on inflation are credible, the average investor has barely maintained his purchasing power during these years.

Using more credible estimates for inflation that factor in steep rises in prices for commodities we use every day (such as food and energy), we find the domestic investor losing ground. And losing ground over long time periods will cause enough damage to prevent any chance of recovery.

Especially for an investor who is still working and saving for retirement, non-performance during those crucial saving years can severely alter those wonderful dreams about retirement. Investors simply cannot afford to lose this amount of time to build savings while the costs of living inexorably rise.

Another issue with the recent performance of the domestic stock markets involves the length of secular bear markets. Seldom do they end in only half the time of the preceding secular bull market. In addition, secular bear markets never end when valuations are especially high. The S&P 500 currently sports an average price to earnings ratio of about 18. And with earnings currently dropping, especially in the housing and financial sectors, at today’s level of stock prices, those P/Es are rising.

Secular bull markets tend to begin with P/E valuations about half that level. So it is possible that this lost decade is about to morph into yet another one. And that would be true to historic form, since secular bear markets tend to last an average of 18 years. In fact, the previous bull market lasted 18 years.

Making things worse for domestic investors, more credible estimates (such as those of John Williams writing at shadowstats.com) show today’s true rate of inflation running close to 10%. That means that the average investor’s portfolio needs to earn that much at a minimum — just to preserve the value of his savings in terms of what they will buy in the future.

Should the current bear market continue for another eight to 10 years, investors who believed the ‘’stocks for the long run’’ nonsense will feel real pain. And nonsense it is!

Here is my rationale for refuting the pure baloney spewed by the financial media and academics like Jeremy Siegel, author of books that feature the ‘’stocks for the long run’’ phrase. The investor who remained fully invested in an S&P 500 index fund would have earned that paltry 2.46% gain (in nominal terms) over the past nine years. Those earnings, of course, do not include taxes incurred, though they would be smaller with index funds than with many actively managed funds. It’s true that index funds are far more efficient, with underlying fees much lower than those of actively managed offerings.

But how many investors use only index funds? They invest far more money in actively managed funds since, “Hey, we all want to beat the market!” Right? The promise of market-beating returns is a powerful lure.

But we also know that most actively managed funds do not exceed their benchmarks, due partly to their higher costs. And taxes are almost always higher for actively managed funds. Then, too, many investors use ‘’helpers,’’ as Warren Buffett calls financial advisors, brokers and other salespeople. And those helpers help themselves to fees as their compensation.

Adding up those higher costs provides an estimated annual drag of about 2%, not including taxes. So if the S&P index rose by 2.45% per year, how many investors came close to achieving that figure? Most, due mainly to the underperformance of their funds, saw gains closer to flat.

And that gain potential assumes that investors stayed fully involved through all the ups and downs of the markets during those nine years. How many rode through the nasty bear market cycle during 2000 to 2002 without selling and holding the cash? How many were fully invested at the start of the bull market cycle that began early in 2003, with the S&P 500 showing a 48% loss from its earlier peak?

The folks at Dalbar, who do studies on actual investor performance over long time periods, report that their findings remain stunningly consistent. The average stock market investor garners annual returns in “up” years that are roughly half of that produced by the stock market, as shown by the S&P 500. In the best of times, investors would be better off shunning stocks altogether!

Another glaring flaw in the ‘’stocks for the long run’’ argument involves the premise that all investors remain fully invested in the S&P 500 at all times. Yet how many investors, looking for better gains, have invested in failing stocks like Enron, Worldcom, Lucent, JDS Uniphase, and, more recently, Bear Stearns, whose shares fell from $170 to a current price of about $10?

The “stocks for the long run’’ philosophy assumes that no one ever invests in stocks that lose much, if not all, value. And of this, I ask, how many car, computer and television makers; airlines, internet darlings, and biotech start-ups have gone bust in recent decades, taking investor money down the drain with them?

The idea that the stock market is a winner for investors hangs on the most delicate thread imaginable. It assumes that investors always invest wisely, never lose money in companies that go broke, never use brokers or advisors and remain invested no matter how bad things get. Oh, and it assumes that investors never chase performance — and how often does that happen?

For an extreme example of how damaging this premise can be, look no further than the experience of investors in the world’s second largest economy in Japan. The Nikkei 225 now sits at about the 13,000 level. It topped out at around 39,000 — 18 years ago!

If you think this can’t happen in the U.S., take this bit of advice. It can happen, and, in my not-so-humble opinion, will do much the same damage as experienced in Japan.

But there is hope! We can always find a bull market somewhere — and in something! But building portfolios using this theme requires breaking away from the crowd and vowing never to watch the financial media propaganda that passes for information. The Wall Street Journal article notes that, while investors in the domestic stock market have gained nothing in stocks in real terms, they have done very well indeed in emerging markets, commodities and bonds.

While our markets endure the remaining secular bear market that began at the start of this decade, other healthier economies will continue to enjoy secular bull markets. Look at markets in Asia and Europe that offer better valuations and better fiscal management than that advanced by our current administration and the Federal Reserve. Look for the continuation of those long-running bull markets in foreign markets and commodities.

This type of investing will require a different way of thinking, meaning that you build your portfolio to the exclusion of the domestic markets. And this means that nothing called a ‘’core fund’’ should be anywhere near your portfolio!

In the best of times, investors seldom earn acceptable rates of return on capital put at risk in the stock market. And these are not the best of times! These are something close to the worst of times, considering our real crisis in leadership, disastrous fiscal policies and bungled war efforts – all resulting in costs we cannot possible pay and adding considerable drag on the economy.

And with the S&P 500 sporting such high average valuations, I believe my case is solidified.

Have a great week.
Bob

Bob Wood ChFC, CLU Yusuf Kadiwala. Registered Investment Advisors, KMA, Inc., invest@muslimobserver.com.

10-15

By Nargis Hakim

Dearborn–March 28- Nearly 900 people came to watch two well-known Islamic American speakers at Wayne State University’s Annual MSA Dinner.

Sheikh Khalid Yasin, executive director of the Islamic Teaching Institute, and the comedian Preacher Moss were the main attractions at WSU’s Muslim Students Association 12th Annual Dinner last Friday.

Adnan Alhaider, program director of WSU-MSA, and a junior at WSU said, “Forty people came to the dinner only because they saw Khalid Yasin’s name. We put a table for him outside afterwards; people were asking questions until the end of the dinner. Preacher Moss is well-known too. Even the older generations said ‘we liked Preacher Moss, he was amazing,’” Alhaider said.

Each year the MSA Dinner is held to motivate youth and showcase the yearly activities of WSU’s MSA. President Hadil Katato, a senior at WSU, said the MSA “brings community members and leaders affiliated with WSU together in a religious and social environment to highlight these successes.” It has members ranging from different communities, backgrounds and religions.

Both speakers addressed ineffective communication and skills as being a factor in misunderstanding Islam. Yasin said people need to realize this is a different world than it was centuries before. Yasin said, “We have the best purest sources in the world, the way we’re serving it, nobody wants it.”

Moss agreed, saying we have to learn how to talk to people and give proper information. We need to learn from other religions to spread Islam. “Be competitive. Other religions – they’re committed. Sunday mornings they’re locked up. We don’t even have infomercials,” Moss said.

Muslims lack influence in media. “If you have influence, you can have it your own way – that’s what Burger King says,” Yasin said.

Yasin said Americans are fortunate because we have freedom of speech. People are confused about their identity therefore, they are unable to defend it.

Yasin said, “I thank God everyday for being American. With my American passport I was about to visit 57 countries, 23 of those were major Muslim countries.”

In his lecture, “From the Root to the Fruit,” Friday night’s theme, Yasin pitched the need for people to be pro-active members of society.

With iman, the root of a believer, they will get the essence of fruit, the outcome, Yasin said. He blames this issue on Muslims themselves and scholars who do not address important issues in our society at the Masjids, in sermons.

“How will you make Islam relevant to yourself?” he asked.

Moss said people have misconceptions about Islam, but Muslims have to be tough or “think black” Moss said. “It’s hard when you first get into the deen,” he said. Moss encouraged people to be optimistic despite the circumstances. For example, “If you smile at other people for no reason, you’re a terrorist,” he said.

To spread dawah and resolve this issue, an online website, FreeQur`an.org, has distributed 10,000 copies of Qur`an monthly in 37 languages. The Qur`an has reached 300,000 to 400,000 people worldwide, in the past few years.

Many organizations helped sponsor the dinner, including Life for Relief and Development, a charity group. “We just want to support the youth and college,” Alaa AbuRahmeh, administrative assistant of Life said.

Grad student Daniyal Mir at U of M – Dearborn, said the dinner still had room for improvement and needed to have a more mixed audience. Mir said that because it’s an annual event, it’s important to have renowned people talking about these serious issues. “Don’t just get local pundits, get PhD’s, they can get their point across well. Expand to other people as well.”

Despite the criticism, Alhaider said this year’s MSA was one of the most successful dinners. “Our dinners have never sold out in the past 5-6 years and Alhamdulillah this year we sold out.” He said more people are interested in becoming involved in MSA as well.

Dr. Irshad Altheimer, MSA advisor and a criminal justice professor at WSU, said he hopes MSA will expand in activities and have greater outreach to the 1,000 Muslim students on campus and non-Muslims. “Brotherhood strengthens iman of brothers and sisters.” Alhaider added MSA can expand. “We have four to five MSA’s in two-three hours driving range and I’d like to come together,” he said.

University of Michigan – Dearborn junior Salsabeel Tolba volunteered at the dinner. She plans to attend WSU for Grad School and decided to help out to be in touch with its MSA. “It creates an Islamic environment in colleges which is the time you need it the most, Tolba said.

The MSA Dinner was held at Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Mich.

10-15

Press Release

A Muslim delegation of Sunni and Shi’a Imams and other Muslim community leaders from SE Michigan met with Mr. Jack R. Twiss, Political Counselor, Head of Political Section from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Washington, DC. The meeting took place at the Arab American National Museum. Dearborn, Michigan, hosted by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan (CIOM.)

The Chair of the council, Ghalib Begg, welcomed the CIOM delegate members and the guests and opened the meeting with a brief introduction about the Netherlands. Ghalib Begg then stated the purpose of the meeting. The Embassy contacted the CIOM to meet with the Muslim leaders in the Metro-Detroit area to discuss the movie “Fitna” to be released shortly by, Mr. Geert Wilders, an MP, member of parliament of the Netherlands.

Fitna, is the Arabic word for “ordeal,” “discord,” or “strife.” Wilders thinks Islam is an ordeal for Western democracies, meaning a difficult or painful experience. He also says he hates Islam. He calls his film a call to shake off the creeping tyranny of Islamization. Geert Wilders had called for a ban on the Qur’an. He describes the Qur’an as a fascist text which exhorts followers to kill and rape, and compares it to Mien Kampf of Adolph Hitler. He also wants to remove the article on nondiscrimination from the Constitution of the Netherlands.

Mr. Twiss, representing the Govt. of Netherlands (Also referred to as Holland) made it clear that Wilder, who happens to be a Dutch Parliamentarian, does not represent the Govt. or represents Netherlands in any way or fashion, except that he is an independent, elected member. A comparison of his position can be made to a Congressman in America vs. the US Govt. He informed us that the Kingdom of the Netherlands is a secular country with a constitution that honors the Freedom of speech and the Freedom of Religion (article 6 of the constitution). With this freedom of expression it makes it difficult to stop people from saying and/or publishing what they want to say or publish, Mr. Twiss said.

He continued, government officials have asked Mr. Wilder to share the film before he releases it for evaluation. If the movie is found violating any laws, then charges can be filed against Mr. Wilders should he be found guilty of blasphemy, slander or insult under the penal code. However, the governments hands are tied because of the freedom of expression law. The constitution makes it difficult to stop the movie before its release. Nevertheless, the Govt. Netherlands is concerned enough to take the initiative to explain their position and is desirous of getting Muslim input to deal with a fallout from the release of this movie.

Mr. Twiss was reminded how Islam took Europe from the dark ages to civilization which Mr. Twiss graciously acknowledged. The Imams shared their views with Mr. Twiss making it clear that it would be very hard to control the masses from resorting to any action that might be unpleasant to the Dutch government and its people, because of the love Muslims have for Allah and His messenger and also because of the emotional attachment Muslims have toward the Word of God. The advice was given to take extraordinary steps and find a way to stop this Islamophobia.

An important point raised, by several imams and Muslim leaders present, that they cannot understand why anti-Semitism is treated differently from Islamophobia. Mr. Wilders response was — since the movie is not yet released, it is hard for him to be answer that question in this particular situation. But, he reiterated that this act of Mr. Wilders, from what has been known so far, is equally opposed by Muslims, Christians and Jews in Netherlands, including the Prime Minister and the Justice Minister.

The meeting was more or less an exchange of views from both sides. We’ll have to wait and see what happens. The repercussion of releasing “Fitna,” on the positive side, would give the non-Muslims a chance to learn about the Qur’an while on the negative side, violence might erupt resulting perhaps in the loss of lives. Muslim leaders agreed that the Muslims must act maturely and wisely and take this as an opportunity to reach out to non-Muslims and respectfully propagate the message of our sacred book, The Qur’an. We pray that nothing but good come out of it.

CIOM is planning to organize an annual ‘Islamic Day’ in Michigan by holding an open house by all the Islamic centers, invite the public and provide information on Islam and Muslims. Governor will be asked to declare that day the ‘Islam Day.’ It was suggested that the open house model developed by the Unity Center should be shared and duplicated in other masajids. Combining an ‘Open House’ statewide, on a single day, will afford us joint advertising and we can take bill boards out to attract larger crowds. Br. Rashid Taufiq, as Chair of CIOM Outreach Committee, will be working on this. This proposal was presented at the last, Jan 26th, Council meeting and was reiterated by the members present, at the meeting. It will be again brought up at the next Council meeting on April, 12th, 10 AM, at the new Qur’an Institute on St. James, in Detroit.

Mr. Jack Twiss quoted a hadith by Prophet Muhammad (s), recited to him by Sh. Hamza Yusuf, which essentially speaks of letting the ‘Fitna’ sleep, as much as the Shaitan tries to wake it.
This Islamophobic movie has been shown around the Detroit area and nationally for almost 2 years. Therefore, this particular movie should not get any attention or the press.

10-15

By Caren Bohan

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday rejected Hillary Clinton’s claims to be a champion of working families and portrayed his presidential rival as a defender of corporate interests and the status quo.

Obama, speaking to a Pennsylvania AFL-CIO convention one day after Clinton appeared before the labor group, said the New York senator was too closely tied to corporate lobbyists to bring real change to Washington.

“I’m the only candidate in this race who’s actually worked to take power away from lobbyists by passing historic ethics reforms in Illinois and in the U.S. Senate. And I’m the only candidate who isn’t taking a dime from Washington lobbyists,” said Obama, an Illinois senator.

He mocked Clinton’s recent efforts to compare herself to Rocky Balboa, the underdog boxer featured in the “Rocky” movies.

“We all love Rocky, but Rocky was fiction. And so is the idea that someone can fight for working people and at the same time embrace the broken system in Washington, where corporate lobbyists use their clout to shape laws to their liking,” Obama said.

Obama and Clinton are in a hard fight for the Democratic nomination to face Republican John McCain in November’s presidential election. They had spent the last few days training their fire on McCain rather than each other.

They both campaigned in Pennsylvania on Wednesday ahead of the next showdown there on April 22.

Clinton, in Pittsburgh, announced a proposal to eliminate tax incentives for companies that send jobs to foreign countries and provide $7 billion a year in new tax benefits and investments for companies that create U.S. jobs.

“I believe our government should get out of the business of rewarding companies for shipping jobs overseas, and get back into the business of rewarding companies that create good, high-wage jobs — with good benefits — right here in America,” she said.

Polls give Clinton a solid lead in the state three weeks before the vote. A Quinnipiac University poll showed her with a 9-point lead on Obama in Pennsylvania.

Obama picked up the endorsement on Wednesday of Lee Hamilton, a former Indiana congressman and an influential authority on foreign relations. Hamilton co-chaired two blue-ribbon commissions that investigated the September 11 attacks and advised President George W. Bush on the war in Iraq.

His support offers a boost for Obama, who has faced charges from Clinton that he is too inexperienced to be commander in chief.

McCain assailed Obama’s foreign policy credentials as well on Wednesday. “I know he’s inexperienced and I know he’s got a lack of knowledge” about national security, the Arizona senator said.

In the Democratic race, Obama leads Clinton in pledged delegates who will help choose the nominee at the August party convention, but neither is likely to win enough delegates in state contests to clinch the nomination.

That is likely to leave the decision up to nearly 800 superdelegates — elected officials and party insiders who are free to back any candidate.

Obama has worked in recent days to connect with the state’s sizable bloc of blue-collar workers, stopping by bars, restaurants and factories to mingle. He told the union group he understood their concerns and would fight for their interests.

“Imagine a president whose life’s story is like so many of your own, who knows what it’s like to go to college on student loans, and see his mother get sick and worry that maybe she can’t pay the medical bills,” he said.

McCain, a former Navy fighter pilot who is on a week-long tour to highlight his life story and military background, visited the Naval Academy, where he graduated fifth from the bottom of his class.

He said he has begun compiling a list of names of potential vice presidential running mates.

“I’d like to get it done as early as possible,” McCain said.

(Additional reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst and Steve Holland, writing by John Whitesides; editing by David Wiessler)

10-15

By Dr. Mubashir Chaudry, Freelance Political Analyst from Sugar Land, Texas

Much energy has been seen in recent weeks before and around Texas primary elections amongst Obama and Clinton supporters. However, the fight continues and it seems that the nomination for presidential candidate will be decided between August 25th and 28th, 2008 at the Denver Democratic National Convention (DNC).

Clinton, being the first woman presidential candidate, never knew the fact that she can ever face stiff competition from “Obama”, an equally unique first African American presidential candidate, who has come to the surface so quickly once the Year 2008 arrived.

About foreign policy, both the Democratic presidential candidates have spoken not too much about the situation in Pakistan, although they know it well that this region is the key to success for United States. Iraq remains the center of focus for debating purposes for Democratic candidates as well as the Republican Party nominee Senator McCain. The recent visit of Senator McCain to Israel proved the US path to future being lead again by a Republican candidate and to uphold the policies in reference to Iraq by continuing enforcing troops in the foresaid region.

On the other hand in the more strategic and salient region of South Asia, the heat of Ms. Bhutto’s assassination seems to be fading away with the success of fair and transparent elections in Pakistan. But the attacks on the Pakistani Army continues as seen not too long ago with the mortal assault on Surgeon General Baig, who was very well respected amongst the armed force’s officials. In addition, there was a heavy attack on the Federal Investigation Agency’s headquarter at Lahore.

While dilemma of instability in Pakistan prevails, Mr. Zardari (PPP Co-Chairman) with his bared major party leader Mr. Sharif (President PMLN) seems very happy with the election outcomes. It would not be wrong to take the final outcome of army guarded elections in Pakistan as a clear message of rejection to President Musharaf’s regime. However the election results of Pakistan were heavily influenced and contributed by Ms. Bhutto’s assassination, Nawaz Sharif’s long term exile, throwing out of supreme judiciary of Pakistan and Lal Masjid’s “Operation Silence” July 2007.

For a long time in Pakistan due to military rule or armed forces influence in politics, the sympathies are mostly with the political parties sitting in the opposition. The previous opposition is now elected and has clear majority, but due to past experience, the stability is not yet guaranteed, even though these were most fair and transparent elections.

As President Musharraf’s position has weakened, it has resulted in him and his sympathizers to strategize and try to create make and break situation among the coalition partners. At present the coalition of the winning political parties share the same objective of bringing the supreme judiciary back in order with independence and then to file and get a judgment against President Musharaf, who has been elected just before this new assembly by the outgoing national assembly for the next five years. That election of Musharraf has been stated by political activists to be against the constitution and that may warrant another petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. However before that happens, it seems very much likely that President Musharaf’s will like to leave himself. Questions remain that, if there is any safe exit available for President Musharaf and lets’ say he is allowed to depart without any repercussions under some package deal, some political analysts are asking if the present coalition remain be united, since presently the agenda of ousting Musharraf may be keeping them together?

While President Musharaf is left isolated after these general elections, the recent visits of US official’s visit to Pakistan does not seem to be helping the overall situation, which has compelled PML (N) Leader Nawaz Sharif to give the clear message that all the issues will be decided in the “Parliament”. None of the party could object as the understanding amongst all party leaders is very clear that this is the only chance of correcting our path to democracy, as well as to keep Army out of the Pakistan politics by voting against the 17th amendment. And which brings to light the point that this coalition is not just looking to oust Musharraf: Their task is to overhaul the system of governance in Pakistan.

The scale of violence and terrorism in Pakistan is something new to experience; however it will be disappearing after the nation’s leaders are in the Parliament. The escalation of suicide bombings with attacks on armed officials over the past one year is a clear indication of nation’s lack of representation in a long time.

10-15

By Syed Aslam

Muhammad ibn Sinan al- Battani (known in Europe as Albatenius) was born in 853 CE at Battan, a province of Harran, which is now a part of Turkey.

His family had been members of the Sabian sect, a religious sect of star worshippers from Harran. Being worshipers of the stars meant that the Sabians had a strong motivation for the study of astronomy, and they produced many outstanding astronomers and mathematicians.

Al-Battani himself was not a believer in the Sabian religion, he was a good Muslim. He was skilled in making astronomical instruments which he learnt from his father who himself was a well-known scientist. He made remarkably accurate astronomical observations at Raqqah, situated on the bank of river Euphrates, and migrated to Samarra Iraq, where he died in the year 929 CE.

Al-Battani was one of the famous astronomers and a pioneer in geometry, trigonometry, theoretical and practical astronomy. He is famous for his remarkable accurate calculation of the length of the solar year, which he gave as 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 24 seconds. This value is astonishingly close to the present value and is considered as one of greatest achievement in astronomy for all ages. He also determined many astronomical coefficients with great accuracy. He calculated 54.5” per year for the precession of the equinoxes and obtained the value of 23 degrees 35 minutes for the inclination of the earth’s axis. He found out that the longitude of the sun’s apogee has increased by 16 degrees and 47 minutes since the time of Ptolemy. These numbers which he calculated more than a thousand years ago are still good to this day.

Rather than using geometrical methods, as Ptolemy had done, al-Battani used trigonometric methods which were an important advancement in the field of astronomy. Al-Battani showed that the farthest distance of the Sun from the Earth varies and, as a result, annular eclipses of the Sun are possible as well as total eclipses. He made several emendation to Ptolemy work and recalculated orbits of the moon and other planets – and proposed a new and ingenious method to determine the visibility of the new moon. In 1749, the astronomer Dunthorne used al-Battani’s excellent observation of the lunar and solar eclipses to determine the angular acceleration of the motion of the moon. He used a uniform rate of precession in his tables, choosing not to adopt the theory of trepidation; by contrast, Copernicus held on to this erroneous notion until the sixteenth century.

Al-Battani was the author of many books on astronomy and trigonometry. His most famous book Kitab al Zij which has a set of astronomical treatises, tables and a catalog of 479 stars. This book was translated into Latin in the year 1116 CE as De motu stellarum (On the motion of the star). His work in astronomy influenced European scientists like Kepler, Galileo and Copernicus. In his book De Revolutionibus Coelestium, Copernicus has mentioned the name of al-Battani to express his indebtedness. His book has been translated into almost all of the European languages.

Al-Battani brilliant introduction of the trigonometric ratio in mathematical calculation formed the basis of modern trigonometry. He replaced the use of chords used by the Greeks for the measurement of angles with the Sine of the arc, with clear understanding of its superiority. He developed the concept of the cotangent and furnished their tables in degrees and deduced a number of trigonometric relationships like, tan a = sin a /cos a and solved the equation sinx = a cosx, discovering a new formula. He provided a very ingenuous solution for some problems of spherical trigonometry, using the method of orthographic projection.

In 988 CE, the bookseller Ibn Nadim compiled a list (Fihrist) of authors in which he gave a full account of the Arabic literature which was available in the 10th century. In his list (Fihrist) he describes briefly some of the authors’ work, he writes: Al-Battani one of the famous observers and a leader in geometry, theoretical and practical astronomy, and astrology. He composed a work on astronomy, with tables, containing his own observations of the sun and moon and a more accurate description of their motions than that given in Ptolemy’s “Almagest”. In it moreover, he gives the motions of the five planets, with the improved observations he succeeded in making, as well as other necessary astronomical calculations. Some of his observations mentioned in his book of tables were made in the year 880 and later on in the year 900. Nobody is known in Islam who reached similar perfection in observing the stars and scrutinizing their motions. too:

There is no doubt that al-Battani was one of the greatest astronomer and mathematician of all time. His accurate calculation for lengths solar year, his times for the new moon, his calculation of the inclination of the earth’s axis, his prediction of lunar and solar eclipses, his work on the phenomenon of parallax, and the introduction of trigonometric ratios in mathematics brought the science of astronomy into the space age. The Albategnius carter on the moon was named after him and in the fictional series Star Trek a starship is named the USS Al-Battani.

Aslamsyed1@yahoo.com

10-15

By Geoffrey Cook, MMNS

March 30th–To tell you the truth, I do not consume much of American media. Living in Berkeley, and the larger Bay Area, almost everybody who is anybody comes through at some time. Although I have lived in the South Asian region in the past, I do not feel a lack of access to decision makers and other movers and shakers from that region.

I was quite taken aback at how much my moderator and audience had read my articles from The Muslim Observer and in the Pakistan Weekly, the latter being a niche market within a niche market of the former. Beaupre, himself, at one time had been an associate with the Left Wing Pacifica radio network. Strangely, my wife, who is a left-leaning liberal librarian, has been told by non-Muslims how perceptive stories printed (pasted) in the newspaper(s) are trusted by the Liberal Mainstream.

The Roundtable was sponsored by the Second Annual Conference of the South Asian Studies Association (SASA) at the Claremont University on the Eastern edge of Los Angeles County.

The Moderator was Jon Beaupre of Los Angles State University with John Needham recently retired from the Los Angeles Times with myself representing the two aforementioned Muslim publications.

Mostly, I find myself covering events or speeches of international figures–often having the access to interview them–for my slot-target audience, American Muslims and or Pakistanis.

I find most American media tend to be quite shallow, and devoid of analysis and understanding – especially when it comes to South Asia, and most especially Islam. There is a tendency to look at, and judge the world in terms of our culture and politics, and that means Jeffersonian Democracy –ordinarily, Neo-liberal Globalism. It is curious this prejudice, also, supports the worldview of Neo-Conservatism.

In the print media there is a connection between the ownership of the big papers, whose international articles, our regional papers in turn buy, and the anti-Islamic propaganda propagated in the United States–that is not as prevalent in the European press–is all pervasive here. Much of this has to do with the Arab-Israeli struggle and has nothing to do with Southern Asia at all, but it is projected upon the Subcontinent–especially Pakistan because it is Muslim nation. Further, our media propels the bias of “Hindu” India being good and Muslim Pakistan as evil even though Islamabad has been one of Washington’s most consistent allies.

I often write while listening to the BBC, CBC and Deutsche Welle and one broadcast per day of Radio Pakistan and All India Radio (A.I.R.) that are fairly propagandistic. Recently, I discovered Al-Jazeera that is available in English on the web. When one of these broadcast sources has a segment on a subject that I plan to write on in the future, I might take notes. Then, go up to the wires, and examine what the newspapers have written.

As a South Asianist with a special emphasis on Pakistan, I was quite taken aback by the coverage of the recent elections by our media, and the misunderstanding it created by the general public here. Musharaf was trying to establish a Turkish-style democracy where the Army had a Constitutional veto power within the commonweal that had already been practiced, but unstated. Not all democracies are Jeffersonian, but that does not make it less a democracy since Islamabad had a Legislature and Executive.

His firing of the Supreme Court Judges and the Emergency lacked political sagacity. The US’s insistence on “bourgeois” democracy was unwise, and Benazar Bhutto lacked maturity in the Pakistan of Islamism.

America’s media did not give our public the tools to understand the crisis. Rawalpindi is vital to our interests, and I only heard very little intelligent comment from the US public–the weakness of our own media had already created disapproving and misinformed opinions.

The results of the Parliamentary electrons were disastrous to our interests, with well-known criminals and crooks now in control of the Legislature, and has reinforced anti-Americanism in Karachi.

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