The team swings into action whenever the administration finds it difficult to dispose of a body.
The team performs last rites of a Covid victim in Anantapur district | EXPRESS
Anantapur :
Remember the Rajendra Prasad-starrer Telugu hit movie Aaa Naluguru — about the importance of human relations and the need for at least four people who will take part in the last journey of a person? At a time when even relatives refrain from taking part in the last rites of Covid-19 victims, a team of four from Hindupur in Anantapur district has been volunteering to perform the last rites of bodies abandoned in morgues.
The team swings into action whenever the administration finds it difficult to dispose of a body. “It is appalling that even the families of victims do not come forward to give them a decent farewell,” says Uday, convenor of the Life World Charitable Trust in Hindupur.
He has been performing the last rites of unclaimed bodies ever since he saw an abandoned infant being preyed on by stray dogs on a street in Hindupur. Inspired by Uday, Umar Farooq Khan, of the Muslim Nagara organisation, started performing the last rites of unclaimed bodies.
Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, those who used to assist them backed out, leaving them with the support of just two friends, Sriramulu and Gangadhar. “We perform the last rites as per the religious tradition of the deceased. We do not look into caste, creed, or financial status,” Umar Farooq tells TNIE. Till date, the four have performed the last rites of over 50 Covid-19 victims both as individuals and as a team. Meanwhile, Uday himself has tested positive for coronavirus and is undergoing treatment. “I will continue the service once I recover,” he asserts.
source:http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by CP Venugopal / Express News Service / September 27th, 2020
The dream of a tailor at Eruva near Kayamkulam was fulfilled by his four sons who created the 3.1-kilometre-long handwritten copy of the Quran in the world.
Noushad and his sons with the box in which the collar cloth rolls of handwritten Quran are fixed on a rotator | Express
Alappuzha :
The dream of a tailor at Eruva near Kayamkulam was fulfilled by his four sons who created the 3.1-kilometre-long handwritten copy of the Quran in the world. Kadharsha Moulavi, son of M K Noushad, said his father’s dream was to create the holy text on a cloth canvas as a handwritten copy.
The Quran teacher of Tharbiyya Madrasa at Palluruthy in Ernakulam said, “He had expressed his wish a few years ago, but the lack of time did not allow us to complete the task. In the Covid lockdown period, we decided to undertake it. We etched the text on the stiff collar rolls of 1.5-inch width stitched together. It took us around 111 hours to complete the writing. Ten green marker pens and 40 bottles of ink were used and and the whole project cost us Rs 20,000.”
Noushad himself had created records by stitching a huge shirt joining the flags of 54 nations and made the Indian Tricolour using buttons. When the then president, APJ Abdul Kalam, came to Kochi in 2003, Noushad was called there and felicitated by him.
His four sons are educated in the Quran and Arabic studies and all are teaching in different institutions. Muhammad Shafi, a teacher of KIT School, Kayamkulam, said the siblings started the work on June 8 and completed it by July 26.
“As many as 155 collar canvas rolls were used to create the long strip. One collar canvas is 20m long. The copy was written using marker pens in neat handwriting. The special box to fix the canvass roll was designed by our father. People can read from Volumes 1 to 30 without any difficulty. If the reader turns the rotator fixed in the box, the text starts unrolling for easy reading,” Shafi said. “As per our knowledge, such a long handwritten copy of the holy text does not exist in the world,” he added.
Noushad said the national flag with buttons was a novel idea and he got several accolades for it. He had tried to get these recognised by the Guinness World Records but could not pursue it then. “President Abdul Kalam felicitated me after hearing about the flag. I had stitched it using 20,454 buttons and presented it during the official Independence Day celebrations in Kayamkulam on August 15, 2003.
Another initiative was a shirt that was stitched together with the flags of 54 countries. Each flag was stitched in my shop and the shirt in the end had a height of 10 feet. It was released on the 54th Republic Day in 2003.
I had also created a floral arrangement using small pieces of clothes on the Thiruvonam day in 2004,” Noushad said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Biju E. Paul / Express News Service / September 26th, 2020
Reflections on half a century of community service in Australia: Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad after the award ceremony on Tuesday 8 September 2020 at the front lawns of Government House in Sydney.
Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad OAM, 90, a retired professor of mechanical engineering and a Quranic scholar and long time community leader was presented with his Order of Australia medals on Tuesday 8 September 2020 by Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley, AC, QC, the Governor of NSW.
Watch video of Investiture Ceremony and citation for Dr Ahmad for the award.
The award was announced on Australia Day 26 January earlier this year but the investiture ceremony was much delayed due to the pandemic and was held in September at the Government House in Sydney under COVID-19 restrictions.
Dr Ahmad, professor and head of department of mechanical engineering in Kashmir was forced to leave his job and arrived in Australia in 1971 and has been in the forefront of building Islamic institutions, founding community organisations and promoting interfaith harmony for almost half a century.
Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad receiving the Award Medals from the Governor of NSW, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley, AC, QC on Tuesday 8 September 2020 at Government House, Sydney.
This was the first of a number of investiture ceremonies to be held in stages for the recipients of Order of Australia medals this year in compliance with COVID-19 regulations and health advice.
Dr Ahmad was accompanied by his eldest son Zia Ahmad and and daughters Fauzia Siddiqui and Najia Khalil at the award ceremony at Government House in Sydney.
Dr Ahmad with his daughter Fauzia Siddiqui (left), son Zia Ahmad and daughter Najia Khalil after the investiture ceremony at the Government House front lawn in Sydney on Tuesday 8 September 2020.
The Order of Australia was bestowed upon Dr Ahmad in recognition of his services to the Muslim community and for promoting interfaith harmony.
By profession, a retired engineer and academic having earned his major qualifications at Aligarh Muslim University, India, University of Wisconsin, USA and University of Sydney, Australia, he taught at various universities in India, Australia and Papua New Guinea.
A Quranic scholar of international standing, having obtained his Islamic education from original sources after mastering English, Urdu, Arabic and Farsi languages, his major passion in life is, and has been for most of his life, the application of Islam in the daily life of mankind, both for Muslims and people of other faiths and beliefs.
Dr Ahmad lives in Sydney with his wife Jamal Ara Ahmad surrounded by 70+ strong extended family and is a father, grandfather and great grandfather.
With the Governor of NSW at the front lawn of Government House, Sydney.
The citation announced at the event for the award included a long list of services that he has been rendered by him to the Australian community during the last 50 years.
Citation for the award read at the Investiture ceremony
Below are some of Dr Ahmad’s community achievements:
Founding Secretary, Australian Islamic Mission (AIM) 1972.
Founding President, Muslims Australia (also known as Australian Federation of Islamic Councils AFIC) 1976-77.
Editor-in-Chief, Australian Muslim Times 1991; Chief Advisor, Australasian Muslim Times AMUST, 2014-current.
Member, Board of Trustees, International Council of Islamic Information (United Kingdom), since 1993.
Founder and Patron, Islamic Forum for Australian Muslims (IFAM) 1993.
Founder, Member and Patron, Aligarh Muslim University Alumni of Australia (AMUAA), since 1992.
Member, Association for Indian Muslims (United States), 1992.
Founder and Patron, Islamic Foundation for Education and Welfare, since 1986.
Co-Founder and Chief Organiser, Multicultural Eid Festival and Fair (MEFF), since 1985.
Founder and Member, Council of Islamic Affairs New South Wales (now ICNSW), 1974-1976.
Founding President, Sydney University Muslim Students Association, 1972-1974.
Assembly Member, Council of Parliament of World Religions, USA, since 1993.
Establishment of the Interfaith Youth Friendship Centre, 2006.
Awards and recognition of Dr Ahmad’s contribution include:
Lifetime Achievement Award, Australian Muslim Achievement Awards, 2011.
Sir Syed Award, AMU Alumni of Australia, 2003.
Centenary Medal for contribution to Australian society, 2001.
Services to Islam Award, Australian Muslim Professionals (FAMP), 1994.
Community Service Award in recognition of a valuable contribution to the Bicentenary, 1988.
Read more about Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad’s life and achievements.
source: http://www.amust.com.au / AMUST (Australian Muslim Times) / Home> News> Top News / by Zia Ahmed / September 11th, 2020
TIME’s 100 most influential people 2020: In January, Bilkis had told The Indian Express from Shaheen Bagh, “We are old and we are not doing this for ourselves… This is for our children.”
Bilkis (right) at Shaheen Bagh on January 14, 2020. (Express Photo: Somya Lakhani)
Even as Delhi braved its coldest winter in over a century, 82-year-old Bilkis — with a smile on her face and a shawl around her shoulders — sat with hundreds of women under a canopied tent at the national capital’s Shaheen Bagh anti-CAA/NRC sit-in protest for over three months. Within days, Bilkis and the other elderly women who participated in the protest became the symbol of resistance and hope, and came to be fondly known as the “Dadis of Shaheen Bagh.”
Journalist and author Rana Ayyub, who has penned the piece for TIME magazine, says, “Bilkis became the voice of the marginalised… Became the symbol of resistance in a nation where the voices of women and minorities were being systematically drowned out by the majoritarian politics of the Modi regime.”
The Shaheen Bagh protest went on for 101 days and was cleared by the Delhi Police on March 24 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic .
Graffiti of the ‘dadis’ of Shaheen Bagh. (Express Photo)
In January, as the Shaheen Bagh sit-in inspired similar protests across the country, Bilkis had told The Indian Express , “We are old and we are not doing this for ourselves… This is for our children. Why else will we spend our days and nights during the coldest winter of our lives in the open?”
On January 26, Bilkis, along with the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Junaid Khan, hoisted the national flag at Shaheen Bagh as hundreds of people showed up there for Republic Day celebrations. At the time, the resilience of the “Dadis of Shaheen Bagh” was captured in songs, poems, slogans and graffiti as well.
In February, when an armed assailant fired at least two shots barely 50 metres away from the stage at Shaheen Bagh, Bilkis was at her spot near the stage. At the time, she told The Indian Express, “There was panic inside the tent but people eventually calmed down. We walked till the point where cartridges were found and offered prayers… These bullets don’t scare us.”
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Explained / by Somya Lakhani / New Delhi – September 24th, 2020
Muhammed Latheef, 7, emerged as the hero in his native Elayadam in Kozhikode and beyond after he showed excellent presence of mind to save Raaz, 3, from drowning.
Muhammed Latheef
Kozhikode :
Muhammed Latheef, 7, emerged as the hero in his native Elayadam in Kozhikode and beyond after he showed excellent presence of mind to save Raaz, 3, from drowning.Raaz was playing on the side of the Kurumberi Thazha canal and Muhammed, a Class II student of Sirajul Huda English Medium School, Nadapuram, saw his neighbour falling into the canal and drowning. Muhammad, who knows swimming, jumped into the water and saved him.
“Raaz was playing as his mother washed clothes on the canal side. When she went to hang wet clothes, the kid slipped and fell into the water,” Muhammed narrated. Muhammed, who was playing along with his cousin, did not wait and jumped in.
“Though we are little worried that our son risked his life, we are happy that he saved a life,” said Latheef, Muhammed’s father.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / byExpress News Service / September 19th, 2020
Noted Islamic scholar and author, Professor Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui (76), former Chairman, Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University passed away today after a prolonged illness.
Professor Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui wrote more than 40 books and 300 research articles in Urdu, Arabic and Persian. His writings on the Prophet and his teachings got wide acclaim. He wrote extensively in reputed literary journal, ‘Nuqoosh’ and got international ‘Nuqoosh Award’, ‘Seerat-e-Rasool Award’ and ‘Seerat Nigari Award’.
Professor Siddiqui, an alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University worked for ten years at the department of History before joining the department of Islamic Studies as a Reader, and later he became professor and chairman of the department. He also served as the Provost of Aftab Hall.
Professor Tariq Mansoor, Vice Chancellor, expressed his deep sense of sorrow at the demise of professor Siddiqui whose profound scholarship explored new dimensions of Seerah writing. His death causes irreparable loss to the academic world.
Professor Nisar Ahmad Khan, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor Muhammad Ismail, Chairman, Department of Islamic Studies and Professor Obaidullah Fahad deeply mourned his death.
source: http://www.milligazette.com / The Milli Gazette / Home> News> Community News / by The Milli Gazette Online / September 15th, 2020
Achan Village (Pulwama District), JAMMU & KASHMIR :
Pulwama :
A young budding writer from South Kashmir’s Pulwama district has received over 70 awards and certificates so far from different institutes of the world for his writing skills. The young writer aspires to become a human rights activist.
Faheel-Ul-Islam (18), son of Rafiq Ahmad Mir of Achan village in Litter Tehsil of Pulwama district, who is pursuing his Bachelor’s in Political Science at Aligarh Muslim University, a writer, wants to bring changes in the society where the youth as per him have degraded their morality and wants to work for the uplift of future generation.
Faheem said that he was in Class 11th when he started writing and since then he has co-authored around one dozen books. “Recently my book titled ‘The Midnight Silence’ got published, which is now available online as well as offline,” he said.
He said a book, which is a collection of 30 poems is multi-dimensional and the topics that have been touched include ‘our valley, our youth, hope, nature and many other things’.
“Since the last four years, my articles got published in the leading international, national and local papers and magazines,” he said, adding that he has continuously writing on all unethical things like drug addiction, suicide, rape and other issues.
“The sole motive of my writing is just to awake our youth, on which our future depends and I want to transform them to such an extent so that they too can contribute their part for the welfare of the society,” he added.
Faheem further stated that the most prestigious awards he has received so far include Indian Excellency Award by bringing hope in youth, Indian Humanitarian Award for my social work and Bravo International Award for inspiring and motivating youth to transform the morally degraded society.
“I have planned to publish a new booked titled ‘Concealed Chinars’ in which I will provide an opportunity to 20 such writers who are unable to publish their writings due to financial issues,” he said
He further added after completing his bachelors, his plan is to pursue masters in Human rights so that he can help the people in highlighting their issues.
“Besides studying and writing, I am presently working as a Radio Jockey at Kashmir Online Radio where I always try to change our youth who have been involved in futile exercises,” he added.
“My message to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir will be that don’t waste your time in futile exercises and try to contribute the society,” he said, adding that “if our youth will work positively, our future will be prosperous”.
source: http://www.therealkashmir.com / The Real Kashmir News / Home> Pride of Kashmir / September 17th, 2020
Shahid Rukhnuddin, Mudassir Kola and Mohiddin Anas / supplied image / khaleejtimes.com
Shahid Ruknuddin, Mudassir Kola and Mohiddin Anas had been fishing when they saw the Omanis crying for help.
Three Indian friends risked their own lives to save two Omanis from drowning after their boat reportedly capsized on Seeb Beach.
On the night of August 29, Shahid Ruknuddin, Mudassir Kola and Mohiddin Anas, based in Oman’s Seeb, went fishing.
For the first time, the trio tried fishing from the sea walls and not the seashore.
However, the trio couldn’t catch any fish, felt uncomfortable hearing sounds coming from the dark and decided to leave. But it was then they could spot two Omanis shouting for help. Ruknuddin jumped into the water, Kola followed him while Anas informed the police. The timely act helped save the lives of two Omanis.
Anas said it was destiny that they were at that spot at the right time. “I have been fishing since 2014 but for the first time we went to the sea walls. It was Ruknuddin’s idea to go there.
“Right from the start, we kept hearing some sounds. It was dark and a bit scary. I told Ruknuddin and Kola that maybe the fishermen were trying to scare us by making such sounds.
“We were not finding any fish and decided to leave. But whenever I switched off my flashlight, the sound got louder,” Anas said. The trio wondered if someone was in trouble and seeking help in Arabic.
So they decided to check all the spots. “For 15 minutes, we flashed our torch in different parts of the sea to spot any person. Our search was in vain and we decided to give up. Just when we were leaving, suddenly Kola spotted a face. They were two Omanis in the water seeking help. They were at a distance and we shouted at them with little Arabic we know.
“I informed the police. But we know even if police would reach the shore quickly, it would take a while to reach our spot. We kept encouraging them to try and swim towards us, but we felt they were exhausted,” Anas said. It was then that Ruknuddin jumped into the water and helped save the Omanis.
Recollecting the experience, Ruknuddin said: “It’s a great privilege that Allah gave me this opportunity to save lives. I jumped into the waters without thinking about anything else. By Allah’s grace, I was able to help two people.”
Anas added: “Ruknuddin is the real hero. He never thought about his life. He jumped into the water which had sharp rocks beneath.
“He got injured in the process but was strong.”
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com
source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com / Khaleej Times / Home> Region> Oman / by Ashwani Kumar, Khaleej Times, Abu Dhabi / September 03rd, 2020
The late former British secret agent Noor Inayat Khan plays a Veena.(File/AFP)
English Heritage described her as “Britain’s first Muslim war heroine in Europe”
Khan was the first female wireless operator sent to Nazi-occupied France but was captured, tortured and shot dead
London :
A woman of Indian-origin dubbed “the spy princess” on Friday gets a new memorial in Britain honoring her espionage work and refusal to betray secrets in World War II.
English Heritage is putting up a Blue Plaque honoring Noor Inayat Khan outside 4 Taviton Street in the Bloomsbury area of central London where she lived from 1942-43.
In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II’s daughter Princess Anne unveiled a bronze bust of Khan in nearby Gordon Square Gardens.
Her biographer, Shrabani Basu, said Khan, born into a princely Indian Sufi family and descended from Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ruler of Mysore, was an “unlikely spy.”
She believed in non-violence and religious harmony but gave her life in the fight against fascism when her adopted country needed her, she said. “It is fitting that Noor Inayat Khan is the first woman of Indian origin to be remembered with a Blue Plaque,” said Basu, who wrote “Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan.”
“As people walk by, Noor’s story will continue to inspire future generations. In today’s world, her vision of unity and freedom is more important than ever.”
Khan was the first female wireless operator sent to Nazi-occupied France but was captured, tortured and shot dead aged 30 at the Dachau concentration camp in September 1944.
English Heritage described her as “Britain’s first Muslim war heroine in Europe.” She was killed after refusing to give away secrets under repeated torture by the Gestapo.
Khan was posthumously awarded the George Cross and is one of only four women to have directly received Britain’s highest non-combat award for gallantry.
English Heritage has acknowledged that the proportion of women celebrated by its blue plaque scheme remains “unacceptably low.” It is planning to unveil tributes to the secret agent Christine Granville at a west London hotel where she lived and the sculptor Barbara Hepworth in north London.
Another is planned for the headquarters of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies, which campaigned successfully for women to be allowed to vote.
source: http://www.arabnews.com / Arab News / Home> World / by AFP / August 29th, 2020
Coinciding 74th Independence Day on Aug. 15, scholars recollect help of Turkey to India’s national freedom struggle
Abdul Hameed Nomani, General secretary of the All India Muslim Majlis Mushawarat
New Delhi:
Celebrating country’s 74th Independence Day on Aug. 15, under the shadow of recent communal riots in capital Delhi and anti-citizenship law stir, many Indian scholars have called for recalling the role of Muslims during India’s freedom struggle.
Author and scholar Waseem Ahmed Saeed said over time, the contribution of Muslim freedom fighters in India has been forgotten.
In his book titled Kala Pani: Gumnam Mujahideen-e-Azadi 1857, Saeed said from the 1757 Battle of Plassey in Bengal, Tipu Sultan’s Seringapatam battle in South India in 1799 to the massive revolt in 1857 against the British was led by Muslims.
Saeed, who has authored a book on the subject in the Urdu language, said while India’s official history celebrates Udham Singh for killing Michael O’Dwyer, the lieutenant governor of Punjab in India, in revenge for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar, it does not recognize Sher Ali Afridi, who killed Lord Mayo, British viceroy and governor-general of India from 1869-1872.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, many Muslim scholars and historians said the role of their ancestors in the freedom struggle has been overlooked.
According to Syed Jamaluddin, director of historical research projects at the Institute of Objective Studies, a think tank, there is no adequate coverage of the role of the Indian Muslims in the national movement.
“The contribution of Muslim revolutionaries, poets and writers is not known today. Similarly, little is known about the contribution of people like Ali Musliyar and Bi-Amma, who made significant contributions,” he told Anadolu Agency. He is currently editing a book on the Muslim role in India’s freedom struggle.
Saeed recalled in his book that it was the ruler of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah, who first fought and lost to the British in 1757, which became a cornerstone for the imperial power to colonize India.
He said that even after losing this battle, there were many rebellions led by Muslims until 1850.
Muslim revolts against British
Jamaluddin mentions the Fakir-Sannyasi rebellion, a joint revolt against colonial power by Muslim and Hindu ascetics, for preventing them from collecting religious tax from locals. It started in 1764 and continued until the 1850. He said the rebellion even spread its wings to southern India’s Madras (now Chennai) presidency.
But most prominent and popular movements that hit the British hard in the early 20th century in the subcontinent was the Reshmi-Rumaal Tehreek (Silk Cloth Movement) led by Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi with the help of Turkey, Germany, and Afghanistan.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, a prominent Muslim scholar Abdul Hameed Nomani said that despite his best efforts, Sindhi’s contribution has not been included in the official Indian history.
Along with an Indian prince Raja Mahender Pratap Singh, Sindhi, and Maulvi Barkatullah had established the exiled government of India in Afghanistan in 1915.
“The movement picked up around the same time when Subhash Chandra Bose [renowned Indian freedom fighter] was allying with Germany and Japan to oust the British from India. While Bose is celebrated nationwide, not much is known about Sindhi and his supporters,” said Nomani, who is also the general secretary of the All India Muslim Majlis Mushawarat, an umbrella group of prominent Muslim organizations.
It was named Silk Cloth Movement because Sindhi and other leaders used to send letters and directions to their cadres written on silk cloth.
Later, Sindhi went to Turkey and joined the country’s national struggle.
“The movement led to the formation of Indo-German-Turkish mission to encourage local tribes on the borders of Afghanistan to attack Britishers and their interests. While the key figures were arrested by the British, the movement remains a key event in the freedom history,” he added.
He said even though in 2011 the government released a postal stamp to commemorate Sindhi’s movement, there has been no vigor to record the sacrifice of Sindhi and his allies Mahmud Hasan and Husayn Ahmad.
“Only passing reference has been made about the role of Muslims in India’s national struggle,” rued Nomani.
source: http://www.aa.com.tr / Anadolu Agency / by Cheena Kapoor / August 14th, 2020
