Chennai, TAMIL NADU / North Carolina, U.S.A. :
source: http://www.youtube.com / CBS 17
Category Archives: Amazing Feats
Saviour of the dead: Burying the bodies India forgets
UTTAR PRADESH :
Mohammad Shareef never got to bury his son. Instead, he has spent the last 27 years burying the unclaimed sons and daughters of thousands of other families.
It took a month for police to tell Mr Shareef that his son had died, and even then, they couldn’t tell him where, or how.
All Mr Shareef knows is that his son, Mohammad Rais, was one of almost 2,000 people killed in the Hindu-Muslim riots which engulfed India following the destruction of a mosque on a disputed religious site in 1992.
Mr Shareef doesn’t even know where the 25-year-old was buried.
“Police told me his body had decomposed,” Mr Shareef recalled, almost three decades on. “We didn’t see his body. We only got his clothes.”
But a few months later, he would witness something which would change his life forever.
“One day I saw police officers throwing a body into a river. I was horrified,” Mr Shareef says.
Along with the horror, came a realisation.
“I think my son’s body might have been thrown into a river, just like other such dead bodies. That day I said to myself, from today I am the guardian of abandoned dead bodies and I will give them a proper funeral.”
Unclaimed bodies pile up in India for a host of reasons: they could be people who lost their lives in road and rail accidents, or people who died far from home – pilgrims, migrants, old people abandoned by their children.
Some impoverished patients die in hospital with no-one to take care of the funeral.
But what to do with the bodies? Back in 1992, many districts in India didn’t have a mortuary facility. It was fairly common practice to dispose of unclaimed bodies quickly.
Burial was the preferred method, but in some places in north India they dumped unclaimed human remains into rivers to save money, time and effort.
Mr Shareef’s family have long suspected that Rais’ body ended up in the Gomti river. It flows past Sultanpur, the city where the young man had been working as a chemist in December 1992 – the month when Hindu fundamentalists tore down the 16th Century Babri mosque in Ayodhya, Mr Shareef’s home, 65km (40 miles) away.
Rais went missing amid the bloodshed which followed.
“After my son disappeared I searched for him everywhere for a month, like a mad man,” his father says. “I didn’t find him anywhere. I even went to Sultanpur to look for him.”
Then came the news they had been dreading: their beloved son was dead. Mr Sharif and his wife Bibi were traumatised. His wife still struggles with periods of depression to this day.
The pain is aggravated by the fact they were not able to give their son a proper burial. It is a pain no one else should go through, Mr Shareef says.
“I decided that in my district, I wouldn’t let any unidentified body be thrown away into a river,” he says.
In India’s caste-bound Hindu society, those who were at the bottom were historically forced to do the job of burial and cremations – and then treated as “untouchables” as a result.
But Mr Shareef – a bicycle mechanic by trade – was not to be deterred. He told the police about his desire to take up a task shunned by everyone else.
“When I got the first call, my heart was pounding. After the post-mortem, the police asked me to take away the body. I clearly remember that person’s neck was slashed.”
Soon, his workload started to increase. He even bought a four-wheeled cart to transport the dead.
Predictably his family members, friends and neighbours were taken aback. Even as a Muslim, Mr Sharif began to experience the same social exclusion as his Hindu colleagues.
“No-one in my family was happy at that time. They said, ‘you have gone mad’.
“Some people were afraid of me. They thought they would get infected with germs if they made physical contact with me.”
Yet Mr Shareef was resolute in his conviction. He had skipped family weddings, festivals and even prayers for the sake of unknown people. It gave him peace and solace: performing last rights is a moment to remember his son.
“It helped me to deal with the pain of my son’s death. I think about him all the time. I miss him.”
It is not an easy job. Police often struggle to identify the body, which means they may have been dead for some time. Often it is not the bodies, Mr Shareef says, but the smell which is most off-putting.
“Whenever I see a badly mutilated or decomposed body it is difficult to sleep. I have nightmares and resort to sleeping tablets,” he explains.
“Sometimes police officials come with me to the cemetery but even they stand far away.”
All the same, he always takes the time to ensure the person is given the proper treatment, usually bathing the body.
If he realises the dead person is Muslim, he wraps the body in a sheet of cloth and recites the final prayers. If the body belongs to a Hindu, he takes it to be cremated.
No-one know exactly how many bodies Mr Shareef has buried. The head of Ayodhya district administration, Anuj Kumar Jha, told the BBC that they don’t have full records of the bodies handed over to Mr Shareef.
“Our rough estimate is we would have given about 2,500 bodies to him,” he said. Mr Shareef’s family say he has given last rites to more than 5,500 people.
Yet for years, he toiled without any financial support. To this day, he works in his bicycle shop, earning the equivalent of about $3 a day.
But things are changing. He has been recognised for his dedication. The government has given him one of India’s highest civilian awards, while local shop owners now also help cover his expenses. At the age of 80, he is now able to have two paid assistants who are sharing his burden.
“Both Hindus and Muslims help me. People give me food and warm blankets. Recently I had to have an eye operation – a stranger called me and gave me 20,000 rupees [$290].”
But retirement is not something he is willing to consider. Neither his two surviving sons nor grandchildren want to follow in his footsteps, and he is acutely aware of what will happen if he stops doing this work.
“If I am not there, police will throw the bodies into rivers as they did before.”
For a man who some call the “saviour of the dead” that would be unbearable.
“I will continue doing this till my last breath,” he says.
source: http://www.bbc.com / BBC / Home> News> Asia / by Swaminathan Natarajan & Khadeeja Arif / BBC World Service / March 13th, 2020
North Carolina voters make history by electing first Muslim woman to hold office
Chennai, TAMIL NADU / North Carolina, U.S.A. :
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/486113-north-carolina-voters-make-history-after-electing-first-muslim-woman-to?jwsource=cl
Nida Allam has become the first Muslim woman to be win elected office in the state of North Carolina.
According to local reports , history was written on Tuesday night when voters in Durham County went to the ballots to elect Allam as their next county commissioner.
Allam said in a statement provided to The Hill that, growing up as a Muslim in the U.S., she “never thought running for office let alone winning and making history would ever be a possibility.”
“I was driven to politics in 2015 after my best friend Yusor, her husband Deah and younger sister Razan were brutally murdered in their home in Chapel Hill in a hate crime committed by their neighbor,” she said. “This was a heinous act of hate that caused ripples across the world.”
Allam was referring to the murders of Deah Barakat, 23, his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19. The three college students had been living in a condo in Chapel Hill, N.C. when a man, Craig Stephen Hicks, entered their home and killed them.
Local authorities initially claimed the shooting incident was over a parking dispute, but the chief of the Chapel Hill police department, Chris Blue, apologized years later, saying “the man who committed these murders undoubtedly did so with a hateful heart.”
Hicks was ordered to serve three life sentences without possibility of parole after pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in 2019.
Allam said in her statement that her “community suffered deeply” after the deaths of her friends.
“How can I be content with all the blessings I have been given in this world when there is so much to do to fight injustice, uplift one another and to make our communities healthier. I’m fighting for a better nation so that others don’t have to suffer the pain my community did,” she said.
During her campaign, Allam pushed for police reform, better quality education and wage increases for county workers, among other issues.
Prior to her run for local office, she worked as a political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) 2016 presidential campaign. She also served as third vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party and chair of Durham Mayor Steve Schewel’s (D) Council for Women.
The historic first in North Carolina comes years after voters saw a record number of Muslim candidates run for statewide or national office in 2018, the highest in nearly 20 years at the time. That was also the year Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) became the first Muslim women elected to serve in Congress.
source: http://www.thehill.com / The Hill / Home / by Aris Folley / March 05th, 2020
Noor Inayat Khan commemorated: Stunning true story of British spy princess
Mysore , KARNATAKA / Moscow, RUSSIA /Paris, FRANCE / London , United KINGDOM :
A LIFE of a British spy princess who was the first woman radio operator to be sent into Nazi-occupied France has been commemorated to mark International Women’s Day.
Noor Inayat Khan (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Noor Inayat Khan is the most highly decorated Muslim woman in British Military history and was only aged 30 when she was executed in Dachau Concentration Camp in September 1944 after being captured by the Gestapo in Paris the previous year. Like 20,000 others who have no known grave she is remembered at the Runnymede Air Forces Memorial. Now her life and legacy has been brought to a new audience in a digital exhibition Noor Inayat-Khan: A Woman of Conspicuous Courage created by Commonwealth War Graves Foundation and the girl guides.
It tells how the unlikely spy came to die for her country and the courage she showed under torture while visitors will be able to put their code breaking skills to the test and discover the technical skills a wireless operator needed behind enemy lines.
Jasmine Theti, 15, of Girlguiding Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, said: “We must never forget her and the sacrifice she made.
“I loved learning the Morse Code it was good fun.
“Although I wouldn’t have liked sending messages in a cold Parisian park whilst looking over my shoulder all the time. Noor was an inspiration.”
Noor was born on New Year’s Day 1914 in Moscow to an Indian father and an American mother and was a direct descendant of Tipu Sultan, the 18th century Muslim ruler of Mysore.
The family moved to London then Paris where she was educated and worked as a children’s author.
After the fall of France, she and her brother escaped to England and in November 1940 she joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force becoming a radio operator at RAF Abingdon.
But the fluent French speaker soon came to the attention of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and in late 1942 was recruited.
Noor Inayat Khan, left, with her mother (Image: Shrabani Basu/ PA Wire)
However they were unsure whether she would make a good agent, worried she was too honest and kind-hearted and couldn’t blend into a crowd.
She proved them wrong when she joined the Paris resistance in July 1943 just as the Gestapo were closing in.
While members were rounded up she evaded capture and ended up as the only SOE radio operator for the whole Paris region.
But two days before she was due to be replaced in October she was betrayed and arrested.
Remarkably she twice managed to escape from the Parisian prison before being sent to Germany the following month where she was kept in chains and in solitary confinement for 10 months.
Resisting repeated torture she and three other women SOE agents were finally taken to Dachau and shot on September 13, 1944.
For her courage she was posthumously awarded Britain’s highest civilian bravery medal The George’s Cross in 1949.
Julian Evans of the CWGC which looks after the Runnymede memorial added: “Noor’s story is an inspirational one and we believed it important, as the custodians of the memorial on which her name is inscribed, to help give it greater prominence.
“We hope that the exhibition will encourage more people to visit the Air Forces Memorial to explore the story of Noor and the 20,000 other members of the Commonwealth Air Forces who are commemorated here.”
source: http://www.express.co.uk / Express / Home> News> UK / by Tony Whitefield / March 08th, 2020
Explained | War heroes who resisted Portuguese: The mega film Kerala is talking about
KERALA :
Directed by Priyadarshan, Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham features the popular actor Mohanlal and was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 100 crore, making it the most expensive Malayalam film ever.
On March 26, the big-budget film Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (Marakkar: The Lion of the Arabian Sea) will release in Kerala and elsewhere. Directed by Priyadarshan, it features the popular actor Mohanlal and was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 100 crore, making it the most expensive Malayalam film ever.
Last month, a petition was filed in the Kerala High Court against the film, alleging ‘distortion of history’ and demanding a stay on the release. The court declined.
What is the film about?
It is a war film depicting the heroics of the Marakkar clan, whose leaders were naval chieftains of the Zamorin of Calicut during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Zamorin, Samoothiri in Malayalam, was the title given to rulers of the Calicut kingdom on the Malabar coast. The Marakkars fought against Portuguese invaders for nearly a century.
Who were the Marakkars?
By some accounts, they were of Arab origin and had migrated from Tunisia to Panthalayani near Koyilandy in present-day Kozhikode, and later moved to the region around present-day Kottakkal and Thikkodi near Payyoli. By other accounts, the Marakkars were descendants of affluent businessman from the Cochin kingdom who migrated later to Calicut.
Historian M G S Narayanan said the name ‘Marakkar’ could have originated from maram or marakkalam, meaning ship, as these families lived along the coast and used ships. Alternatively, it could have originated from the Arabic word markaba, meaning those who migrated via ships. “The Marakkars were mostly Muslims, but in some parts, they have been found to be Hindus as well,” Narayanan said.
What was the war against the Portuguese about?
Faced with invading Portuguese ships, the Zamorin reached out to the Marakkars to defend the coast. They were led in succession by four Marakkars, chief admirals who were appointed by the Zamorin with the title of Kunjali. Related by bloodline, they were Kuttyali Marakkar (Kunjali Marakkar I, appointed in 1507), Kutty Pokker (Kunjali Marakkar II), Pathu Marakkar (Kunjali Marakkar III) and Muhammad Ali Marakkar (Kunjali Marakkar IV, appointed in 1595).
“Their strategy was similar to guerrilla warfare. The Portuguese had massive ships which could not make easy manoeuvres in the sea. The Marakkars used small ships which could easily surround the Portuguese ships, enabling the fighters to attack at will,” Narayanan said.
In the span of 100 years, the exploits of the Kunjali Marakkars are said to have improved the naval fleet of Calicut as well as other kingdoms, stretching from Saurashtra to Ceylon along the Indian coast. War technologies and ammunition greatly improved as well.
Who is the ‘Lion of the Arabian Sea’ depicted in the film?
Mohanlal plays Kunjali Marakkar IV, who earned his reputation with his fierce onslaught on Portuguese ships, the favours he gave those who fought against the Portuguese, and his efforts to strengthen the fort at Kottakkal.
When he took charge in 1595, relations between the Zamorin and the Marakkars were deteriorating. The Zamorin was feeling threatened by Kunjali Marakkar IV’s popularity, and by reports (said to be spread by the Portuguese) that he was planning to create a Muslim empire.
In 1597, the Zamorin signed a peace treaty with the Portuguese and attacked Kottakkal fort. For months, the Marakkars resisted the attack by the Zamorin’s Nair soldiers and the Portuguese fleet. Eventually, as Portugal sent more forces and the Zamorin mounted his effort, Marakkar surrendered to the Zamorin on the assurance that their lives would be spared. But the Portuguese violated the terms, arrested him, took him to Goa and beheaded him.
Why was a petition filed against the film in the High Court?
Mufeeda Arafath Marakkar of Koyilandy, who identified herself as a descendant of the Marakkar clan, argued that the the film’s version of events could mislead students and researchers. Among the contentions is that Kunjali Marakkar IV is shown to have romantic interests when there is no such evidence in history. He is shown sporting a picture of Lord Ganesh on his turban; the petition contends that he was actually a pious Muslim who did not display Hindu imagery.
The High Court declined to impose a stay and asked the film certification Board if it had handed over the complaint to the Centre. The Board conveyed that the subject deals with art and that it cannot interfere in the freedom of expression of the filmmakers.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Explained / by Vishnu Varma / Kochi, March 09th, 2020
The real Wani: Army officer who gave Kashmiri children chocolates & guided against militancy
JAMMU & KASHMIR :
In a new book, Sonal Chaturvedi traces the life of late Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, the first Kashmiri Ashok Chakra awardee.
Killings in the valley were still a routine. Security forces were on their toes to combat these. Two months after these statements were made, thirty-five Hindus were killed in two separate incidents in Kashmir in May 2006. The killings were believed to be the handiwork of Islamist militants, just days before a scheduled meeting between Prime Minister Singh and the Kashmiri separatists.
In one incident, shooters stormed a village in the Doda district, dragged Hindu villagers from their homes and shot twenty-two of them dead. In another, in the neighbouring Udhampur district, suspected militants kidnapped thirteen villagers from a remote mountain spot. Four of their bodies were found lying in the woods late on a Sunday, while the rest were discovered on Monday, the police said. Even though the stories of bloodshed in Kashmir were never-ending, these gruesome incidents were the deadliest instances of violence since peace talks had been initiated between both the countries more than two years ago.
These attacks were a concern for the Indian Armed Forces as well. Apart from being heinous crimes that needed to be punished, these attacks were worrisome because they could hamper Hindu-Muslim peace. This issue was a point of discussion as it could disrupt the peace talks between separatists and the prime minister.
Every household spoke about this. ‘How can these terrorists take the lives of innocents in the name of Allah? Had they read the Quran, they would have known the truth,’ Nazir sighed.
One soldier said, ‘These attacks are to fuel the fire burning in Kashmir. These people do not believe in any God, they believe in bloodshed.’
One day when they were going for patrol, Nazir took a packet of chocolate and placed it in his bag.
‘Is it for Shahid and Athar?’ Hanif asked, tying his shoes.
‘It is for the kids we ’ll meet on our patrol. The people here don’t have a very high opinion of the armed forces. I carry chocolates whenever I go for routine patrols and give it to the kids on the way. I think it’ll help in erasing fear from their minds. When the family sees that the kids are happy, it will have a positive impact.’
‘Kitna sochta hai tu, yaar (You think about these things so much, my friend),’ Hanif smiled. Nazir handed over a packet to him and said, ‘Tu bhi soch (You start thinking too).’ Major Jamwal knew about Nazir’s actions and eventually whenever they went out for patrol, they inevitably started keeping packets of chocolate in the vehicle.
While Nazir was busy with his increasing responsibilities at work, at home, Mahajabeena was busy with the kids and her studies. She was pursuing a BA through correspondence. Athar was almost of age to be enrolled in school and Shahid was getting naughtier with every passing day. There were weeks when Nazir was not able to come home and during those times, Mahajabeena prayed for his wellbeing as she managed their home herself. When Nazir was home, however, it would be a complete riot for the kids. They would binge-watch Motu Patlu, Tom and Jerry and other cartoon shows together.
You are a grown-up, why do you behave like Athar and Shahid?’ Mahajabeena used to get irritated at times. Nazir would say, ‘What does watching cartoons have to do with age? I love watching them. And now with kids, it’s more fun.’ They were having this light argument when their neighbour from Cheki arrived. ‘Arey Hassan, please come inside, sab khairiyat (everything okay)? You didn’t inform me you would be coming,’ Nazir wondered what might have broughthim there. Hassan sounded worried; he said he needed Nazir’s help.
‘But what happened, bhaijaan? Everything well at home?’ Mahajabeena asked. Hassan was struggling to choose his words and at last, he said, ‘Bhaijaan you have seen Abdul since birth.’
‘Your youngest brother, right,’ Nazir confirmed.
‘Yes, bhaijaan…he was outstanding in studies. As you know, I left my education and worked so that he could study and become someone. But he was acting strange a few weeks ago. He was not talking to us. It looked like he was trying to avoid us. And above everything, he had started missing classes.’ Mahajabeena and Nazir were listening patiently.
‘I tried to follow him at times and talked to his friends. Bhaijaan, they say that he wants to join the terrorists, he wants to fight,’ Hassan broke out in sobs. Nazir tried to console Hassan. He promised to come and speak to his brother.
Hassan held Nazir’s hands in his, ‘But promise me that you will not discuss this with anyone else.’
‘I won’t, you have my word,’ Nazir assured him, ‘Let’s leave right away.’ He told Mahajabeena that he would be back by evening and they left.
When they reached Cheki, Hassan took him directly to his home. They met Hassan’s father, who knew the reason for Nazir’s arrival. ‘Abdul is in the backyard,’ he said, gravely.
In the backyard, they saw Abdul busy on his phone. On hearing footsteps, he turned around and was shocked to find Nazir accompanying his brother. The two men greeted each other.
‘I’ll ask Ammi to prepare tea, it has been so long since you last came,’ Hassan left them alone and went inside the house.
Nazir continued, ‘So how are studies going, Abdul? Hassan tells me that you are very good at studies.’
Abdul waited for a moment to reply and then said in a stern voice, ‘I am thinking of not pursuing education any further, bhaijaan. Now I wish to learn about Allah and follow the path which will lead to peace in our homes.’
It was not difficult for Nazir to understand what Abdul meant. But he decided to put across his point without using the word ‘terrorist’. ‘That is good thinking. But why do you need to leave studies for it? You can serve our land better when you study and become something.’
Abdul had not expected Nazir to confront him in such a way. He was taken aback a little. Nazir continued, ‘The root word of Islam is salema which stands for peace, purity, submission and obedience.
So, the spirit of Islam is the spirit of peace. The first verse of the Quran breathes the spirit of peace; it reads: “In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate”. It describes reconciliation as the best policy and states that God abhors any disturbance of peace.’ Abdul didn’t say anything. He just listened.
‘So, I don’t think any path that asks for bloodshed or hurts your family is ever worth following. Even Allah will not approve of that.’
Abdul, being a little at ease with the discussion now, asked, ‘Bhaijaan, what you are saying is right, but don’t you think sometimes we need to take matters into our hands?’
Nazir nodded, ‘Yes we do, but we should always keep an eye on what is right. The path which focuses on the safety of others rather than instilling terror is the one that should always be chosen.’ Both remained silent for a moment. Abdul was scratching the wall as if thinking over what Nazir had just said.
Nazir looked at him and continued, ‘Education opens up a new world to you. So, my advice is don’t give up on something which will benefit you, your family and society in the long run just because you are disturbed now. Your brother has given up his dreams so that yours can flourish. Your Ammi and Abbu have their hopes attached to you. Don’t break their heart.
And when the time comes, Allah will show you the right path, as he guided me. Trust Him more than yourself and everything will fall in place.’ Abdul nodded in agreement. For Nazir, this assurance was enough to feel that his efforts were worth it.
‘Tea is waiting, Ammi wants both of you to come inside,’ Hassan called.
‘Coming, bhaijaan,’ Abdul replied, going inside.
Hassan looked at Nazir with questioning eyes and Nazir signalled to him that he need not worry.
The Real Wani: Kashmir’s True hero — A Definitive Biography of Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani by Sonal Chaturvedi has been published with permission from Bloomsbury India.
source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> Page Turner> Book Excerpts / by Sonal Chaturvedi / March 08th, 2020
Next week, Haroon will key in ‘history’ at SSLC exams
KERALA :
Haroon, son of Abdul Kareem T K and Sabeera, started using assistive technology when he joined the Mankada GHSS in 2017, in eighth standard.
Malappuram :
His dream is to become a software engineer and he wants to do his graduation at the Stanford University in the US. Visually challenged, KT Haroon Kareem, the Class X student from the Government Higher Secondary School, Mankada, knew he had to think out of the box to realise it.
Knowing that the state government’s traditional methods are not going to help him, the 15-year-old decided to rely on technology. Not a fan of the scribe system (seeking the help of a person to write answers), he decided to use computers. He will thus become the first student from the state to use assistive technology (computer) to write the SSLC examinations, starting on March 10.
Haroon, son of Abdul Kareem T K and Sabeera, started using assistive technology when he joined the Mankada GHSS in 2017, in eighth standard.
“I had participated in a quiz contest on World Environment Day with the help of a scribe. Though I won, some students and even a teacher said I won because of the scribe. From that day, I started searching for a method to replace scribes,” said Haroon, a native of Melattur.
Haroon wanted to be like any other student in his class and he started using laptop to write notes, asking teachers to correct them on the laptop itself. He used screen-reader application which reads out everything displayed on the screen to help him type out.
However, the technology did not help him in two subjects — mathematics and science.“It was then that Thiruvananthapuram-based ‘Chakshumathi’, a non-profit organisation, introduced me to InSpy, a software which helped me take down maths and science notes. It can also be used to write exams in those two subjects.
That means I can write all subjects, take printouts of the answer sheets and give them for evaluation,” said Haroon. “With technology, visually challenged students will find it easy to learn, write and clear examinations. Teaching blind students will also be a lot easier.”
Haroon’s request to write the SSLC examination using technology was first rejected by the government. But he persisted and convinced authorities with the help of people like Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan. Now he can’t wait for the exams to begin.
Govt accepts boy’s request
Haroon’s request to write the SSLC examination using technology was first rejected by the government. But the 15-year-old persisted and convinced authorities.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Vishnuprasad K P / Express News Service / March 03rd, 2020
Retail tycoon is first Indian to gain coveted Saudi ‘green card’
KERALA / Abu Dhabi , UAE :
- Yusuff Ali M.A: “This is obviously a very proud and humbling moment in my life,”
Jeddah :
Abu Dhabi-based retail tycoon Yusuff Ali M.A. on Monday became the first Indian citizen to obtain Saudi Arabia’s coveted Premium Residency, widely known as the Saudi “green card.”
“This is obviously a very proud and humbling moment in my life,” the chairman and managing director of the group that owns the LuLu chain of hypermarkets told Arab News.
“It is a great honor, not only for me but also for the entire Indian expat community, and I sincerely thank King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the government of Saudi Arabia.
“I am sure this new permanent residency initiative will further boost Saudi Arabia’s image as one of the key investment and business hubs in the region in addition to attracting and retaining new investors here.”
Premium Residency is a special residence permit that gives expatriates who meet its conditions the right to live, work, and own business and property in the Kingdom without a sponsor. It is a key part of the crown prince’s Vision 2030 reform plan to diversify the Saudi economy.
The Kingdom had become an attractive investment destination because of the remarkable growth of its economy, Yusuff Ali said. “Investors can now come here and invest freely; they can buy property and feel at home, secure and safe.
“What does an investor need? He needs security such as premium residency. The economy of this great country is booming so this is the best time for international investors to come, invest and take advantage of Saudi Vision 2030.”
The tycoon said international investors and businessmen were looking to Saudi Arabia because of how the country had been transformed. “We want to export agricultural products from Saudi Arabia and use the innovations and transformations in the business sector,” he said.
source: http://www.arabnews.com / Arab News / Home> News> Business & Economy / March 04th, 2020
Maulana Azad: The Voice Behind the Dream for a Unified India
NEW DELHI :
(This story was first published on 10 November 2017. It has been republished from The Quint’s archives to mark Maulana Azad’s death anniversary.)
“I am an essential element, which has gone into building India. I can never surrender this claim.”
These were the famous words uttered by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, when he stared at the daunting prospect of Partition. On his birth anniversary, we remember his contribution to the country.
source: http://www.youtube.com / The Quint
Azad was among the many Muslim leaders in India who opposed the Partition of Unified India into Pakistan and Hindustan. As the leader of the All India Congress Committee in 1946, he put forth a Cabinet Mission proposal that advocated a federal structure of government, with autonomy for states. Though the proposal did face a great deal of skepticism, the Working Committee passed it, with even Jinnah agreeing to it for ‘the greater good of Indian Muslims’.
This proposal was certainly considered a breakthrough, as Jinnah and Azad had never enjoyed very good relations, predominantly owing to their opposing stances on Partition. Where one batted for Hindu-Muslim unity under a larger India, the other was vehement on the creation of two separate states. But their souring relations never stopped Azad from attempting to convince Jinnah to consider a ‘unified India’.
For instance, when Jinnah’s clamour for Pakistan grew louder, Azad is known to have sent a telegram insisting on the perils of a two-state ideology. Jinnah is said to have insulted Azad in his response, calling him Congress’ ‘show boy President’.
Don’t you feel that the Congress has made you a show boy President to hoodwink non-Congress parties and other countries of the world? You represent neither Muslims nor Hindus.
Having failed at getting Jinnah to reconsider, Azad then unsuccessfully tried to convince the Congress leaders to wait till a solution could be found. But even Patel, who earlier backed Azad’s proposal, was now vehemently pro-partition. Azad in his autobiography later writes that the party agreed to the Partition as “blindness of Congress leaders to facts, and their anger and frustration clouded their vision.”
According to Azad, as he writes in his autobiography, Nehru too contributed to angering the Muslims, by committing two mistakes which ultimately drove Jinnah to lose faith in the proposal and go through with partition.
The first was when Nehru refused to take two Muslim League leaders as Cabinet Ministers in the UP elections of 1937. The second mistake was when after taking over as the President of the Congress in 1946, he indicated that the earlier Cabinet Mission proposal could be changed, which culminated in Jinnah insisting on the formation of Pakistan.
Maulana had not only opposed Partition as an Indian leader, but also as a Muslim. He was, in fact, of the opinion, that the two-state policy will only “create more problems than solve”.
And true to his word, even today the relations between the two countries are strained at best, despite their shared history.
source: http://www.thequint.com / The Quint / Home> News Videos / November 10th, 2017 / and February 22nd, 2020
Rana Ayyub gets McGill Medal 2020 for Journalist Courage
Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA / U.S.A :
Ayyub was previously an editor with the investigative magazine Tehelka
New Delhi :
Global Opinions Writer at Washington Post and an author Rana Ayyub on Monday won the 2020 McGill Medal for journalistic courage.
“Ayyub is committed to telling the stories of people who can’t do it on her own, making her an ideal McGill medal recipient,” Sofia Gratas, the McGill Fellow responsible for researching the nomination said.
Ayyub , after winning the award said it was a huge honour for her.”I accept this award on behalf of all journalists who are fighting an unpopular battle to speak the truth,” she tweeted.
@—————————————-
Rana Ayyub
✔@RanaAyyub
It is a huge honour for me. I accept this award on behalf of all journalists who are fighting an unpopular battle to speak the truth. Thank you @UGAGrady https://twitter.com/UGAGrady/status/1232011103061696514 …
UGA Grady College
✔@UGAGrady
Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub), global opinions writer for the @washingtonpost is the recipient of the 2020 McGill Medal for journalistic courage.
She will accept the award at Grady on April 22.
LINK: http://t.uga.edu/5GH
____________________________________________________
The Mumbai-based journalist Ayyub will collect the award at The Grady College Of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia on 22 April.
Ayyub was previously an editor with the investigative magazine Tehelka.
‘Gujarat Files‘
She also authored an international bestseller titled of “Gujarat Files : Anatomy of a Cover-Up”, an undercover investigation which exposes the complicity of the PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in state-sponsored genocide in the 2002 Gujarat riots .
She has often been the target of the vitriolic abuse that is hurled on her on social media platforms from Hindutva activists.
In 2019, Ayyub was named by Time magazine among ten global journalists who face the maximum threat to their lives.
McGill Medal
The McGill program is named for Ralph McGill, the late editor and publisher of the Atlanta Constitution. McGill was regarded by many as “the conscience of the South” for his editorials challenging racial segregation in the 1950s and 1960s.
The McGill Medal, now in its twelfth year, is part of the McGill Program for Journalistic Courage at UGA’s Grady College.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / posted by Safoora / February 25th, 2020