Vertical and Horizontal approaches are not some thing new in the academic and professional discourse. The terms " vertical" and "horizontal" analysis has been diferently used by different discourse. This short article intends to start a discussion of an islamic point of view with regard to education and invites comments from the readers.
I like to apply vertical approach to the knowledge revealed by God Almighty and the horizontal knowledge to the knowledge developed by man. In fact the horizontal knowledge is nothing but an out come or extention of the vertical knowledge.
Indeed, Allah is the all knower and we humans will know nothing except what Allah wishes us to know. When Allah created man he has intalled the basic programmes in the man which gives him the intellect and the necessary apparatus to develop knowledge of matters and environment with that back up knowledge. In addition Allah had been sending his prophets time to time in oder to give the fundermental guidelines in policy and practice through the exemplary living of those prophets. This is called vertical knoledge. This chain of vertical knowledge has been sealed with the death of last and final prophet Mohamed Sallallahu Alahi Wasallam.
Allah's wisdom is that man needs to be guided by the devine knowledge which is vertical to succeed in both worlds but in order to aquire the worldly conforts man has to explore the world through study, research, and innovation, added with his own experience accumilated throught human history and passed over to generation to generation horizontally. That's how man gethers the horizontal knowledge.
For altimate success, man needs to have both knowledges integrated. So, Islamic Education does that job of integrating both of the knowledges. But unfortunately many Muslims weho are secular educated lack the vertical approach while the islamic traditional madrasa scholars lack horizontal approach.
There are isolated approcahes to provide an integrated system of education though not very successful.Jamiah Naleemiah in Sri Lanka, International Islamic Unversity of Islamabad and International Islamic University of Malaysia are a few examples.
Another good example is may be the turkish Imam Hatim Institutes which are considered to be vocational education colleges in Turkey introduced by Atarturk, founder of modern Turky . Mr.Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN, the present Turkish Prime Minister, is a graduate of Imam Hatim School. Governments of Pakistan and Afganistan have shown interest to introduce Imam Hatip School system in their countries and sought the support of the turkish government. Turkey has opend an international branch of the institute to train Imaams for Balkan countries. Therefore, it would be interesting to study the system to explore its merits.
These instiutes and many more of the same kind have produced hundreds of scholars who have introduced Islam in a moderate and practical terms and in a language which is communicable with other modern social siences. But, yet these institutes have not been fully successful to present an alternative to the western scholarship. Therefore, much needs to be done in this direction. We need to build on our efforts at these experimental works from Sri Lanka and otehr countries.
In this backdrop, it could be concluded that we Muslims need to learn a lot from the western educatuion, science and technology and develop our education system integrating the best practices of the western system and develop and present an alternative integrated system so that the whole world can benefit.
There will be more inputs from me on the subject and welcome views and comments from the readers.
2/05/2010
Relationship between Architecture and man Rights?
Iranian architect fellow designs for human rights, public spaces
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Friday, February 5, 2010
Justyna Szewczyk
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Uninterested in designing hi-tech architectural projects for big companies, Hossein Sadri, an Iranian fellow at one of Turkey’s leading research facilities, instead focuses his work on the relation between human rights and public spaces.
Hossein Sadri, an Iranian fellow at the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey.
Those who think that architecture is only about designing fancy skyscrapers and making a lot of money are very wrong. Hossein Sadri, an Iranian fellow at the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey, or TÜBITAK, demonstrates the “human face” of architecture.
The social dimension of architecture has long been Sadri’s main interest. His master’s thesis, which he defended back home in Iran, was concerned with democracy and public space. He has investigated the role public spaces have played in democratic processes in Iran and in post-communist countries. For example, in Ukraine, Georgia and Romania there are many large public spaces that can be used as places for assembly, providing opportunities to demonstrate dissident opinions.
Public space and democracy
Democratic revolutions that took place in recent years, both in Ukraine and Georgia, seem to confirm the relationship between space and democracy. In Iran, on the contrary, public spaces are not big enough to allow protesters to gather and feel the power of the crowd. Even when big demonstrations take place, with hundreds of thousands of participants, they are often marching through narrow streets. This makes it difficult for demonstrators to assess their own numbers, which can have a very empowering effect, and makes them easy targets for police forces.
Public activities brought to private spaces
In Iran, Sadri said, “public space is limited” through a number of rules, which has changed Iranian life as public activities have been brought into the private space of homes. Both traditional celebrations as well as civil activism have sought refuge in private houses, a situation that contributes to the scattered nature of Iranian civil society. Since it is very difficult to register a nongovernmental organization, or NGO, activists meet in homes, where they are exposed to potential police raids. Furthermore, such private/public organizations lack the international links that could provide protection or help in the event of police persecution.
This raises the question of whether public space is necessary for democracy. Sadri’s answer is that “private space can do some work temporarily, but it can be easily attacked by the government and no one will know.”
Capital, government and professionals
Sadri’s doctoral fellowship at TÜBITAK focuses on economic and social rights in relation to space. He listed human rights related to space as follows: the “right to participate in the production of space and the right to change it” and the “right to appropriation.”
The Fatih Municipality’s recent decision to evict the Roma population of Sulukule is an example of a case where capital, government and professionals such as architects and city planners have decided to change space without consulting these changes with the people inhabiting the space in question. In Sadri’s opinion, people’s right to produce and change space has been violated by these actors, which he calls the main “enemies” of the poor.
The problem is that the government failed to empower members of the Sulukule community so that they could decide about their own neighborhood. The situation of the district would be different if people were able to ask for some educational or work facilities, Sadri said.
Taksim Square in Istanbul is another example Sadri provided in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review to illustrate the disregard of government and capital for people’s right to space. Plans in recent years to build a mosque or redesign the Atatürk Cultural Center have ended in an impasse. No one has been able to change it, but also no one is able to use the square. It is not a place of activity, as if it has been taken over by the police. While the police presence in Taksim Square is a problem related to the government and its policy of controlling potential locations for mass gatherings, capitalists have overtaken neighboring İstiklal Avenue.
‘People should be the center of change’
Architects and urban planners work for government and capital rather than for the benefit of the wider public, Sadri said. He believes contemporary architecture is focused on bettering standards instead of being concerned with providing minimal housing standards for everyone. This is partly due to the way architects are educated, he said. Unlike sociologists, who come across readings about poverty or disadvantaged groups in society, architecture students receive no such education. Only recently have some universities included, for example, courses on handicapped-accessible architecture in their curricula.
“If architects were aware of these problems, they could change many things. If they knew, they have no right to change space,” Sadri said, calling on architects to “go to people and ask them what they want to do.”
Zaha Hadid’s recent project for the Kartal-Pendik waterfront regeneration in Istanbul is an example of such arrogance, Sadri said, noting that she flew over the city in a helicopter to design solutions for this vast area. Instead, Sadri said, “people should be the center of change.”
Housing, a human right
The right to appropriation, or, simply put, the right to dwell in a space is a second category of rights related to space. Unlike property rights, which are exclusive by their very nature, the right to appropriation allows citizens to freely use a space and settle in it if necessary. The increasing privatization of public space that started in Turkey in the 1980s has led to the marginalization of large numbers of people. As education and health care are privatized, people’s rights to access these spaces have been increasingly violated.
“You have a right to use facilities [i.e. health care] if you are not rich; if you are homeless, you have a right to dwell in a place; poor men without social security have a right to adequate health or education services,” Sadri said, adding that the right to appropriate land extends, for example, to the shantytown developments known as gecekondu. “You cannot demolish people’s houses – it’s a basic human right,” he said.
The first category of rights Sadri talked about – namely, the right to participate in the production and change of spaces – is more about political rights. People should be able to decide about their lives and destinies as they have the right to participate in power and decision-making. The second category, the right to appropriation, is related to social and economic rights. Nevertheless, human rights are indivisible and therefore must be equally protected.
Font Size: Larger|Smaller
Friday, February 5, 2010
Justyna Szewczyk
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Uninterested in designing hi-tech architectural projects for big companies, Hossein Sadri, an Iranian fellow at one of Turkey’s leading research facilities, instead focuses his work on the relation between human rights and public spaces.
Hossein Sadri, an Iranian fellow at the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey.
Those who think that architecture is only about designing fancy skyscrapers and making a lot of money are very wrong. Hossein Sadri, an Iranian fellow at the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey, or TÜBITAK, demonstrates the “human face” of architecture.
The social dimension of architecture has long been Sadri’s main interest. His master’s thesis, which he defended back home in Iran, was concerned with democracy and public space. He has investigated the role public spaces have played in democratic processes in Iran and in post-communist countries. For example, in Ukraine, Georgia and Romania there are many large public spaces that can be used as places for assembly, providing opportunities to demonstrate dissident opinions.
Public space and democracy
Democratic revolutions that took place in recent years, both in Ukraine and Georgia, seem to confirm the relationship between space and democracy. In Iran, on the contrary, public spaces are not big enough to allow protesters to gather and feel the power of the crowd. Even when big demonstrations take place, with hundreds of thousands of participants, they are often marching through narrow streets. This makes it difficult for demonstrators to assess their own numbers, which can have a very empowering effect, and makes them easy targets for police forces.
Public activities brought to private spaces
In Iran, Sadri said, “public space is limited” through a number of rules, which has changed Iranian life as public activities have been brought into the private space of homes. Both traditional celebrations as well as civil activism have sought refuge in private houses, a situation that contributes to the scattered nature of Iranian civil society. Since it is very difficult to register a nongovernmental organization, or NGO, activists meet in homes, where they are exposed to potential police raids. Furthermore, such private/public organizations lack the international links that could provide protection or help in the event of police persecution.
This raises the question of whether public space is necessary for democracy. Sadri’s answer is that “private space can do some work temporarily, but it can be easily attacked by the government and no one will know.”
Capital, government and professionals
Sadri’s doctoral fellowship at TÜBITAK focuses on economic and social rights in relation to space. He listed human rights related to space as follows: the “right to participate in the production of space and the right to change it” and the “right to appropriation.”
The Fatih Municipality’s recent decision to evict the Roma population of Sulukule is an example of a case where capital, government and professionals such as architects and city planners have decided to change space without consulting these changes with the people inhabiting the space in question. In Sadri’s opinion, people’s right to produce and change space has been violated by these actors, which he calls the main “enemies” of the poor.
The problem is that the government failed to empower members of the Sulukule community so that they could decide about their own neighborhood. The situation of the district would be different if people were able to ask for some educational or work facilities, Sadri said.
Taksim Square in Istanbul is another example Sadri provided in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review to illustrate the disregard of government and capital for people’s right to space. Plans in recent years to build a mosque or redesign the Atatürk Cultural Center have ended in an impasse. No one has been able to change it, but also no one is able to use the square. It is not a place of activity, as if it has been taken over by the police. While the police presence in Taksim Square is a problem related to the government and its policy of controlling potential locations for mass gatherings, capitalists have overtaken neighboring İstiklal Avenue.
‘People should be the center of change’
Architects and urban planners work for government and capital rather than for the benefit of the wider public, Sadri said. He believes contemporary architecture is focused on bettering standards instead of being concerned with providing minimal housing standards for everyone. This is partly due to the way architects are educated, he said. Unlike sociologists, who come across readings about poverty or disadvantaged groups in society, architecture students receive no such education. Only recently have some universities included, for example, courses on handicapped-accessible architecture in their curricula.
“If architects were aware of these problems, they could change many things. If they knew, they have no right to change space,” Sadri said, calling on architects to “go to people and ask them what they want to do.”
Zaha Hadid’s recent project for the Kartal-Pendik waterfront regeneration in Istanbul is an example of such arrogance, Sadri said, noting that she flew over the city in a helicopter to design solutions for this vast area. Instead, Sadri said, “people should be the center of change.”
Housing, a human right
The right to appropriation, or, simply put, the right to dwell in a space is a second category of rights related to space. Unlike property rights, which are exclusive by their very nature, the right to appropriation allows citizens to freely use a space and settle in it if necessary. The increasing privatization of public space that started in Turkey in the 1980s has led to the marginalization of large numbers of people. As education and health care are privatized, people’s rights to access these spaces have been increasingly violated.
“You have a right to use facilities [i.e. health care] if you are not rich; if you are homeless, you have a right to dwell in a place; poor men without social security have a right to adequate health or education services,” Sadri said, adding that the right to appropriate land extends, for example, to the shantytown developments known as gecekondu. “You cannot demolish people’s houses – it’s a basic human right,” he said.
The first category of rights Sadri talked about – namely, the right to participate in the production and change of spaces – is more about political rights. People should be able to decide about their lives and destinies as they have the right to participate in power and decision-making. The second category, the right to appropriation, is related to social and economic rights. Nevertheless, human rights are indivisible and therefore must be equally protected.
1/22/2010
Appeal to Make 2010 The Year of Return of Expelled Northern Muslims
Today, 35 Muslim civil organizations representing the 2 million Muslims of the island, have issued a joint press release, on behalf of the northen Muslim IDPS, demanding the immediate resettlement of Northern Muslims. They are concerned about the lack of urgency in resettling those IDPS after 20 years of displaced life despite the end of war in MAy 2009 and the LTTE is no more there. One of the main demands is the parrallel resetlement of Muslims along with Vanni IDPs and opening the Puttalam-Mannar road to facilitate and encourage Northen Muslims to return. This press release comes amid serious charges levelled against the Tamil governement officers of North that they give step motherly treatment for the northern Muslims by International Crisis Group in its recently released report of Sri Lanka.
Full text of media release:
Make 2010 The Year of Return of Expelled Northern Muslims
As Sri Lankan Muslims civil society groups we are deeply concerned by the lack of urgency and recognition of the Northern Muslims’ right to return. Despite the end of the war in May 2009 and on-going efforts to resettle Internally Displaced Persons, the expelled Northern Muslim community is still waiting for the announcement of a program that will facilitate their dignified return to their places of origin, free of further trauma.
2010 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the expulsion of the entire population of Muslims from the Northern Province by the LTTE. It will hopefully also be the year of return for the Northern Muslims to rebuild their lives, livelihoods and a shared future with all communities of the North.
With the end of the war there was an expectation within the displaced Northern Muslim community, currently numbering over 100,000, that they would be allowed to and assisted to return. When resettlement did commence in the North it focused on the recently displaced Tamil IDPs. While recognizing and supporting the urgency for the resettlement of Wanni Tamil IDPs, Northern Muslims are worried that there is hardly any acknowledgment of their existence and needs and they are left out of any planning of the entire resettlement process. The Muslim IDPs have had to use their own resources and to negotiate at an individual level to secure permission to return. While there are many challenges to resettlement including de-mining, re-building infrastructure and providing basic assistance, the delay in resettling the Northern Muslims has raised fears that they will be excluded from the current resettlement process; which could result in their losing assistance both at a family and community level, increased conflicts between those currently settled and Northern Muslims trying to claim their original properties. Reintegrating the returning Northern Muslims with the Tamil community should be the priority; unfortunately so far little progress has been made.
In order to ensure a peace that will benefit and create co-existence among all communities, we the undersigned organizations demand of the next President:
Immediately implement parallel resettlement of Northern Muslim IDPs with the resettlement of the Vanni IDPs.
Recognise and ensure the right of return of all Northern Muslims, be they those expelled or the children who were born in displacement.
Give the choice to all Northern Muslims whether to return or opt for local integration in areas where they are currently living.
-Opening of Mannar- Puttalam road to facilitate Muslim IDP return.
-Equally prioritize Muslim villages and expedite the landmine clearance.
-Ensure equity in terms of returnee assistance, rehabilitation and development resources to areas which were inhabited prior to the conflict.
-Ensure community consultation and participation in the rehabilitation and development of the war affected areas.
-Create mechanisms and processes to address potential land problems and disputes, including allocation of public (crown) land, demarcation of village boundaries and sharing and allocation of public resources through inter-community mediating boards.
-Expelled Muslims who have lost their land and public resources due to resettlements that happened after their eviction in 1990 need to be duly compensated.
-Give access to local organizations from the affected districts, and national and international organizations, to areas where resettlement is taking place so that they could play a more proactive role in rebuilding communities. Current restriction on allowing only a handful of relief and rehabilitation agencies should be eased to bring in more help.
-In the event of villages and lands of the Muslims being declared High Security Zones, alternative land and infrastructure should be rebuilt and handed over to the people.
-Devise means of settling land disputes arising from land transactions and land allocations done by LTTE and government in the absence of Northern Muslims in their areas of residence, giving full recognition to the land rights of the Northern Muslims.
-Appoint a truth commission that includes civil society group with a cross section of all communities to investigate the forcible eviction of the Northern Muslims.
-Amend the Prescription Ordinance in the North and East, where large scale displacement had taken place and the inability of the displaced to reclaim the land during the last nineteen years.
Currently Muslims are returning to the north without much assistance from anyone, simply in the hope that they can restart their lives from scratch and co-exist once again with their Tamil brothers and sisters. On behalf of the Northern Muslims the undersigned community based organisations and members of the Muslims community request all the Presidential candidates and others who are involved in northern resettlement, rebuilding and development to fulfil the above requirement to reintegrate the expelled Muslims as part of the northern communities after twenty years.
Dated: January 22, 2010
Signed
Civil Society Organisations:
Citizen Committee for Forcibly Evicted Northern Muslims,
Community Trust Fund Puttalum,
CTF Women’s Forum Vavuniya and Mannar,
ORDER - Sri Lanka (Organization for Relief, Development, Education and Equal Rights),
Mannar Women for Human Rights and Democracy,
Musali Civil Societies for Rights, Media forum for Musali,
Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, National Muslim Assembly,
Mullaithivu welfare Society,
Al Ameen Islamic Cultural Development Association,
Asian Muslim Action Network,
Asian Resource Foundation,
Women Bureau Periyamadu- Mannar,
Peace Networking Committee Puttalam,
Organization for Peace and Education Development (OPDE),
Child Vision Puttalam, APDC- Puttalam,
Social Aid Puttalam,
Social Improvement Foundation- Alankuda Puttalam,
Al-Kafala and Unity Lanka International
Religious Institutions:
Federation of Mullaithivu Mosques,
Fathuwa Committee Puttalam,
Jaffna Mosque Committee,
Mohideen Jummah Mosque Mannar,
Mannar District Mosques Federation,
Mullaithivu Masjith Trustee Board,
Mullaiihivu District Jammiyathul Ulama,
Killinochchi District Trustee Board, Periyamadhu Mosque Federation,
Veppankulam and Vidathalthivu Mohideen Jumma Mosque,
Periya Karisal Mohideen Jumma Mosque
Periyamadu Ilmiya Arabic College Committee.
Full text of media release:
Make 2010 The Year of Return of Expelled Northern Muslims
As Sri Lankan Muslims civil society groups we are deeply concerned by the lack of urgency and recognition of the Northern Muslims’ right to return. Despite the end of the war in May 2009 and on-going efforts to resettle Internally Displaced Persons, the expelled Northern Muslim community is still waiting for the announcement of a program that will facilitate their dignified return to their places of origin, free of further trauma.
2010 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the expulsion of the entire population of Muslims from the Northern Province by the LTTE. It will hopefully also be the year of return for the Northern Muslims to rebuild their lives, livelihoods and a shared future with all communities of the North.
With the end of the war there was an expectation within the displaced Northern Muslim community, currently numbering over 100,000, that they would be allowed to and assisted to return. When resettlement did commence in the North it focused on the recently displaced Tamil IDPs. While recognizing and supporting the urgency for the resettlement of Wanni Tamil IDPs, Northern Muslims are worried that there is hardly any acknowledgment of their existence and needs and they are left out of any planning of the entire resettlement process. The Muslim IDPs have had to use their own resources and to negotiate at an individual level to secure permission to return. While there are many challenges to resettlement including de-mining, re-building infrastructure and providing basic assistance, the delay in resettling the Northern Muslims has raised fears that they will be excluded from the current resettlement process; which could result in their losing assistance both at a family and community level, increased conflicts between those currently settled and Northern Muslims trying to claim their original properties. Reintegrating the returning Northern Muslims with the Tamil community should be the priority; unfortunately so far little progress has been made.
In order to ensure a peace that will benefit and create co-existence among all communities, we the undersigned organizations demand of the next President:
Immediately implement parallel resettlement of Northern Muslim IDPs with the resettlement of the Vanni IDPs.
Recognise and ensure the right of return of all Northern Muslims, be they those expelled or the children who were born in displacement.
Give the choice to all Northern Muslims whether to return or opt for local integration in areas where they are currently living.
-Opening of Mannar- Puttalam road to facilitate Muslim IDP return.
-Equally prioritize Muslim villages and expedite the landmine clearance.
-Ensure equity in terms of returnee assistance, rehabilitation and development resources to areas which were inhabited prior to the conflict.
-Ensure community consultation and participation in the rehabilitation and development of the war affected areas.
-Create mechanisms and processes to address potential land problems and disputes, including allocation of public (crown) land, demarcation of village boundaries and sharing and allocation of public resources through inter-community mediating boards.
-Expelled Muslims who have lost their land and public resources due to resettlements that happened after their eviction in 1990 need to be duly compensated.
-Give access to local organizations from the affected districts, and national and international organizations, to areas where resettlement is taking place so that they could play a more proactive role in rebuilding communities. Current restriction on allowing only a handful of relief and rehabilitation agencies should be eased to bring in more help.
-In the event of villages and lands of the Muslims being declared High Security Zones, alternative land and infrastructure should be rebuilt and handed over to the people.
-Devise means of settling land disputes arising from land transactions and land allocations done by LTTE and government in the absence of Northern Muslims in their areas of residence, giving full recognition to the land rights of the Northern Muslims.
-Appoint a truth commission that includes civil society group with a cross section of all communities to investigate the forcible eviction of the Northern Muslims.
-Amend the Prescription Ordinance in the North and East, where large scale displacement had taken place and the inability of the displaced to reclaim the land during the last nineteen years.
Currently Muslims are returning to the north without much assistance from anyone, simply in the hope that they can restart their lives from scratch and co-exist once again with their Tamil brothers and sisters. On behalf of the Northern Muslims the undersigned community based organisations and members of the Muslims community request all the Presidential candidates and others who are involved in northern resettlement, rebuilding and development to fulfil the above requirement to reintegrate the expelled Muslims as part of the northern communities after twenty years.
Dated: January 22, 2010
Signed
Civil Society Organisations:
Citizen Committee for Forcibly Evicted Northern Muslims,
Community Trust Fund Puttalum,
CTF Women’s Forum Vavuniya and Mannar,
ORDER - Sri Lanka (Organization for Relief, Development, Education and Equal Rights),
Mannar Women for Human Rights and Democracy,
Musali Civil Societies for Rights, Media forum for Musali,
Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, National Muslim Assembly,
Mullaithivu welfare Society,
Al Ameen Islamic Cultural Development Association,
Asian Muslim Action Network,
Asian Resource Foundation,
Women Bureau Periyamadu- Mannar,
Peace Networking Committee Puttalam,
Organization for Peace and Education Development (OPDE),
Child Vision Puttalam, APDC- Puttalam,
Social Aid Puttalam,
Social Improvement Foundation- Alankuda Puttalam,
Al-Kafala and Unity Lanka International
Religious Institutions:
Federation of Mullaithivu Mosques,
Fathuwa Committee Puttalam,
Jaffna Mosque Committee,
Mohideen Jummah Mosque Mannar,
Mannar District Mosques Federation,
Mullaithivu Masjith Trustee Board,
Mullaiihivu District Jammiyathul Ulama,
Killinochchi District Trustee Board, Periyamadhu Mosque Federation,
Veppankulam and Vidathalthivu Mohideen Jumma Mosque,
Periya Karisal Mohideen Jumma Mosque
Periyamadu Ilmiya Arabic College Committee.
1/20/2010
Muslim IDPs are discreminated
International Crisis group, an international advacacy group based in Brussels, has released its recent report on Sri Lanka and included the plight of long term Muslim IDPs (www.crisisgr oup.org) A startling revelation is that returnee Muslims are given step motherly treatment by TAMIL government officers of the north. The following is the relevant part from the report:
LONG-TERM MUSLIM IDPS
International advocacy should also not neglect the situation of the roughly 80,000 Muslims forcibly evicted from the Northern Province by the LTTE in 1990. Their right
to return to their lands in the north must not be forgotten amid concerns about the more recently displaced. Donors should request the Sri Lankan government to
clarify their plans for the return and resettlement of Muslims displaced from the north in 1990.
Their right of return should be clearly established, while also recognising that some may not want to leave their current homes and should not be forced. Those who do wish to return should be offered the resources necessary to do so, as well as assistance in rebuilding and developing their villages with community participation.
Any returns by northern Muslims are likely to raise complicated property rights and political issues. A transparent and integrated process of return, in which Muslims
and Tamils originating from the same areas return at the same time, is vital to reducing future conflicts. Muslims should be allowed to inspect their properties as soon as
possible, prior to any new housing being built. Other mechanisms are also needed to resolve the inevitable land disputes. Local and national politicians must be prevented from manipulating the return of Muslims to sow the seeds of new conflicts between Tamils and Muslims.
Many Muslims attempting to return to Mannar district are already complaining that they are not being treated fairly by Tamil government officers who control access to government assistance and public facilities and who are seen as giving priority to Tamils more recently displaced.
Source: http://www.crisisgr oup.org/library/ documents/ asia/south_ asia/sri_ lanka/b99_ sri_lanka_ __a_bitter_ peace.pdf
LONG-TERM MUSLIM IDPS
International advocacy should also not neglect the situation of the roughly 80,000 Muslims forcibly evicted from the Northern Province by the LTTE in 1990. Their right
to return to their lands in the north must not be forgotten amid concerns about the more recently displaced. Donors should request the Sri Lankan government to
clarify their plans for the return and resettlement of Muslims displaced from the north in 1990.
Their right of return should be clearly established, while also recognising that some may not want to leave their current homes and should not be forced. Those who do wish to return should be offered the resources necessary to do so, as well as assistance in rebuilding and developing their villages with community participation.
Any returns by northern Muslims are likely to raise complicated property rights and political issues. A transparent and integrated process of return, in which Muslims
and Tamils originating from the same areas return at the same time, is vital to reducing future conflicts. Muslims should be allowed to inspect their properties as soon as
possible, prior to any new housing being built. Other mechanisms are also needed to resolve the inevitable land disputes. Local and national politicians must be prevented from manipulating the return of Muslims to sow the seeds of new conflicts between Tamils and Muslims.
Many Muslims attempting to return to Mannar district are already complaining that they are not being treated fairly by Tamil government officers who control access to government assistance and public facilities and who are seen as giving priority to Tamils more recently displaced.
Source: http://www.crisisgr oup.org/library/ documents/ asia/south_ asia/sri_ lanka/b99_ sri_lanka_ __a_bitter_ peace.pdf
1/08/2010
Confident People Do Not Get Confused
A write up by Marina Mahathir
Prophet Muhammad's Promise to Christians
The document is not a modern human rights treaty but even thought it was penned in 628 A.D.. it clearly protects the right to property, freedom of religion, freedom of work, and security of the person, says Muqtedar Khan.Muslims and Christians together constitute over fifty percent of the world and if they lived in peace, we will be half way to world peace.. One small step that we can take towards fostering Muslim-Christian harmony is to tell and retell positive stories and abstain from mutual demonisation.
In this article I propose to remind both Muslims and Christians about a promise that Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) made to Christians. The knowledge of this promise can have enormous impact on Muslim conduct towards Christians. Muslims generally respect the precedent of their Prophet and try to practice it in their lives.In 628 AD, a delegation from St. Catherine's Monastery (an awesome place to visit) came to Prophet Muhammed and requested his protection. He responded by granting them a charter of rights, which I reproduce below in its entirety. St. Catherine's Monastery is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai and is the world's oldest monastery. It possesses a huge collection of Christian manuscripts, second only to the Vatican, and is a world heritage site. It also boasts the oldest collection of Christian icons. It is a treasure house of Christian history that has remained safe for 1,400 years under Muslim protection.
The Promise to St. Catherine:"This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."
The first and the final sentence of the charter are critical. They make the promise eternal and universal. Muhammed asserts that Muslims are with Christians near and far straight away rejecting any future attempts to limit the promise to St. Catherine alone. By ordering Muslims to obey it until the Day of Judgment the charter again undermines any future attempts to revoke the privileges. These rights are inalienable. Muhammed declared Christians, all of them, as his allies and he equated ill treatment of Christians with violating God's covenant.
A remarkable aspect of the charter is that it imposes no conditions on Christians for enjoying its privileges. It is enough that they are Christians. They are not required to alter their beliefs, they do not have to make any payments and they do not have any obligations. This is a charter of rights without any duties!The document is not a modern human rights treaty but even thought it was penned in 628 A.D. it clearly protects the right to property, freedom of religion, freedom of work, and security of the person.I know most readers, must be thinking so what? Well the answer is simple. Those who seek to foster discord among Muslims and Christians focus on issues that divide and emphasize areas of conflict. But when resources such as Muhammad's promise to Christians are invoked and highlighted it builds bridges. It inspires Muslims to rise above communal intolerance and engenders good will in Christians who might be nursing fear of Islam or Muslims.When I look at Islamic sources, I find in them unprecedented examples of religious tolerance and inclusiveness. They make me want to become a better person. I think the capacity to seek good and do good inheres in all of us. When we subdue this predisposition towards the good, we deny our fundamental humanity. In this holiday season, I hope all of us can find time to look for something positive and worthy of appreciation in the values, cultures and histories of other peoples.Dr. Muqtedar Khan is Director of Islamic Studies at the University of Delaware and a fellow of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.
--------------------------
Now, when that delegation from St Catherine's monastery came to meet with Prophet Mohamad (pbuh), I suppose it's fair to assume that they spoke Arabic to one another. And when they were conversing, surely the word 'God' must have come up. As in "May God Be With You" and such like. What word did the Prophet (pbuh) use for 'God' I wonder? And what did the St Catherinians use in return? For monotheists like them, was there a 'your God' and 'my God' type of situation, or did they understand that they were both talking about the same One?
While some idiots are mourning over the 'loss' of the word 'Allah' and therefore basically telling the world that they are people easily confused by nomenclature, and others are predicting riots over what is basically a 'copyright' issue, let me define what I think a confident Muslim should be:1. A confident Muslim is unfazed by the issue of God's name. God speaks to all of humankind in the Quran and never said that only Muslims could call him by the name Allah.2. A confident Muslim has 99 names to choose from to describe that One God. My favourites are Ar-Rahman (The All-Compassionate) and Ar-Rahim (The All-Merciful).3. A confident Muslim never gets confused over which is his/her religion and which is other people's. For instance, a confident Muslim knows exactly what the first chapter of the Quran is. And it's not the Lord's Prayer.4. A confident Muslim will not walk into a church, hear a liturgy in Malay or Arabic where they use the word 'Allah' and then think that he or she is in a mosque. A confident Muslim knows the difference.5. A confident Muslim is generous, inclusive and doesn't think that his or her brethren is made exclusive through the use of a single language. The confident Muslim is well aware that in the Middle East, all services of ANY religion are in Arabic because that's what they all speak.
6. A confident Muslim knows the basis of his/her faith are the five pillars of Islam and will not be shaken just because other people call God by the same name.7. A Muslim believes in only One God. Therefore it makes sense that other people should call God by the same name because there is no other God.. ART THOU NOT aware that it is God whose limitless glory all [creatures] that are in the heavens and on earth extol, even the birds as they spread out their wings? Asad (24.62 Each [of them] knows indeed how to pray unto Him and to glorify Him; and God has full knowledge of all that they do: (Surah Nour, Verse 41) (Asad)
So I would ask those people demonstrating against the Court decision, have you no pride? Are you saying you're easily confused? And before anyone says I have no qualifications to say these things, read what Dr Asri Zainal Abidin (who does have qualifications no matter what JAIS says) has written about this very subject here.And here's something interesting. In 2007, the Majlis Agama Negeri Perlis, which is a large majlis filled with people very learned in Islamic religious knowledge, discussed the question of the use of 'Allah' by non-Muslims. Their unanimous decision? They issued a fatwa to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with non-Muslims using the word at all.(This was told to me by Dr. Asri but I cannot find the fatwa anywhere online because all the religious departments' websites are so useless.)Are we now going to excommunicate the whole of Perlis?
Marina Mahathir
Prophet Muhammad's Promise to Christians
The document is not a modern human rights treaty but even thought it was penned in 628 A.D.. it clearly protects the right to property, freedom of religion, freedom of work, and security of the person, says Muqtedar Khan.Muslims and Christians together constitute over fifty percent of the world and if they lived in peace, we will be half way to world peace.. One small step that we can take towards fostering Muslim-Christian harmony is to tell and retell positive stories and abstain from mutual demonisation.
In this article I propose to remind both Muslims and Christians about a promise that Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) made to Christians. The knowledge of this promise can have enormous impact on Muslim conduct towards Christians. Muslims generally respect the precedent of their Prophet and try to practice it in their lives.In 628 AD, a delegation from St. Catherine's Monastery (an awesome place to visit) came to Prophet Muhammed and requested his protection. He responded by granting them a charter of rights, which I reproduce below in its entirety. St. Catherine's Monastery is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai and is the world's oldest monastery. It possesses a huge collection of Christian manuscripts, second only to the Vatican, and is a world heritage site. It also boasts the oldest collection of Christian icons. It is a treasure house of Christian history that has remained safe for 1,400 years under Muslim protection.
The Promise to St. Catherine:"This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."
The first and the final sentence of the charter are critical. They make the promise eternal and universal. Muhammed asserts that Muslims are with Christians near and far straight away rejecting any future attempts to limit the promise to St. Catherine alone. By ordering Muslims to obey it until the Day of Judgment the charter again undermines any future attempts to revoke the privileges. These rights are inalienable. Muhammed declared Christians, all of them, as his allies and he equated ill treatment of Christians with violating God's covenant.
A remarkable aspect of the charter is that it imposes no conditions on Christians for enjoying its privileges. It is enough that they are Christians. They are not required to alter their beliefs, they do not have to make any payments and they do not have any obligations. This is a charter of rights without any duties!The document is not a modern human rights treaty but even thought it was penned in 628 A.D. it clearly protects the right to property, freedom of religion, freedom of work, and security of the person.I know most readers, must be thinking so what? Well the answer is simple. Those who seek to foster discord among Muslims and Christians focus on issues that divide and emphasize areas of conflict. But when resources such as Muhammad's promise to Christians are invoked and highlighted it builds bridges. It inspires Muslims to rise above communal intolerance and engenders good will in Christians who might be nursing fear of Islam or Muslims.When I look at Islamic sources, I find in them unprecedented examples of religious tolerance and inclusiveness. They make me want to become a better person. I think the capacity to seek good and do good inheres in all of us. When we subdue this predisposition towards the good, we deny our fundamental humanity. In this holiday season, I hope all of us can find time to look for something positive and worthy of appreciation in the values, cultures and histories of other peoples.Dr. Muqtedar Khan is Director of Islamic Studies at the University of Delaware and a fellow of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.
--------------------------
Now, when that delegation from St Catherine's monastery came to meet with Prophet Mohamad (pbuh), I suppose it's fair to assume that they spoke Arabic to one another. And when they were conversing, surely the word 'God' must have come up. As in "May God Be With You" and such like. What word did the Prophet (pbuh) use for 'God' I wonder? And what did the St Catherinians use in return? For monotheists like them, was there a 'your God' and 'my God' type of situation, or did they understand that they were both talking about the same One?
While some idiots are mourning over the 'loss' of the word 'Allah' and therefore basically telling the world that they are people easily confused by nomenclature, and others are predicting riots over what is basically a 'copyright' issue, let me define what I think a confident Muslim should be:1. A confident Muslim is unfazed by the issue of God's name. God speaks to all of humankind in the Quran and never said that only Muslims could call him by the name Allah.2. A confident Muslim has 99 names to choose from to describe that One God. My favourites are Ar-Rahman (The All-Compassionate) and Ar-Rahim (The All-Merciful).3. A confident Muslim never gets confused over which is his/her religion and which is other people's. For instance, a confident Muslim knows exactly what the first chapter of the Quran is. And it's not the Lord's Prayer.4. A confident Muslim will not walk into a church, hear a liturgy in Malay or Arabic where they use the word 'Allah' and then think that he or she is in a mosque. A confident Muslim knows the difference.5. A confident Muslim is generous, inclusive and doesn't think that his or her brethren is made exclusive through the use of a single language. The confident Muslim is well aware that in the Middle East, all services of ANY religion are in Arabic because that's what they all speak.
6. A confident Muslim knows the basis of his/her faith are the five pillars of Islam and will not be shaken just because other people call God by the same name.7. A Muslim believes in only One God. Therefore it makes sense that other people should call God by the same name because there is no other God.. ART THOU NOT aware that it is God whose limitless glory all [creatures] that are in the heavens and on earth extol, even the birds as they spread out their wings? Asad (24.62 Each [of them] knows indeed how to pray unto Him and to glorify Him; and God has full knowledge of all that they do: (Surah Nour, Verse 41) (Asad)
So I would ask those people demonstrating against the Court decision, have you no pride? Are you saying you're easily confused? And before anyone says I have no qualifications to say these things, read what Dr Asri Zainal Abidin (who does have qualifications no matter what JAIS says) has written about this very subject here.And here's something interesting. In 2007, the Majlis Agama Negeri Perlis, which is a large majlis filled with people very learned in Islamic religious knowledge, discussed the question of the use of 'Allah' by non-Muslims. Their unanimous decision? They issued a fatwa to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with non-Muslims using the word at all.(This was told to me by Dr. Asri but I cannot find the fatwa anywhere online because all the religious departments' websites are so useless.)Are we now going to excommunicate the whole of Perlis?
Marina Mahathir
Know one another
Muslims and Islam are the most misunderstood today. Every moment millions of misinformation has been spread over the all available electronic and print media world over by the enemies of Islam and Muslims. But Muslims sit idle without being proactive or reactive.
As a nation of Dawah, in fact, Muslims should have been proactive in spreading the correct information about their religion and themselves. Instead, they are busy with either infighting or betraying the nation of Islam. The highest responsibility lies with those who claim that they are Da'ees ( Propagators). But they seem to be busy within the Muslim community. Not only Muslims but also the so called da'ees also have confined Islam to Muslims only or consealed from others.
Therefore, there are shocking misunderstandings among the people of other faiths. Hence, its very important and urgent to spread the word of truth among others about Islam and Muslims.
As a nation of Dawah, in fact, Muslims should have been proactive in spreading the correct information about their religion and themselves. Instead, they are busy with either infighting or betraying the nation of Islam. The highest responsibility lies with those who claim that they are Da'ees ( Propagators). But they seem to be busy within the Muslim community. Not only Muslims but also the so called da'ees also have confined Islam to Muslims only or consealed from others.
Therefore, there are shocking misunderstandings among the people of other faiths. Hence, its very important and urgent to spread the word of truth among others about Islam and Muslims.
Partnership of Neocons and Muslim Terrorists
It is a well known fact that Americans do not interested in stopping the attacks on USA at highest level, rather encourage and or facilitate tactically in order to create an environment to invade Muslim Lands. The latest evidence to prove this assumption is the failed attempt by a 22 year old nigerian to detenate a bomp when his flight was landing. It is really shocking to know that his father had warned the Americn authorities about his son's possible links with Al-Qaida and he wanted them to put his son on watch list. What a great favour a right minded Muslim can do for Americans than this while Americans help Jews to butcher Muslims in Palestine, Indians to kill Muslims in Kashmir. But what the American intelligent society did was to let this suspect to get into an American Airline so they could now occupy Yemen as they did for Afganistan and Iraq.
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