Tag Archives: Razia Sultana

Razia Sultana first Muslim female to become DSP in Bihar

Gopalganj District, BIHAR :

Besides Razia Sultana, 03 other Muslims have also qualified the coveted exam to become Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Bihar Police

Patna: 

Razia Sultana has become the first Muslim female from Bihar to become Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the state police department.

Razia Sultana, 27, cracked the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) 64th Combined Competitive Exam (CCE) in her first attempt and was recommended for the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

Raziya Sultana originally hails from Gopalganj district of Bihar. Daughter of Mohammad Aslam Ansari, a stenographer at Bokaro Steel Plant who died in 2016, Razia Sultana completed her education from Bokaro in Jharkhand and Rajasthan.

A total of 1,454 candidates have qualified Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) 64th Combined Competitive Exam (CCE) result of which was declared on Sunday June 6, 2021.

“04 Muslims become DSP”

Of them a total of 28 candidates have been selected for Bihar Administrative Service, 40 for Bihar Police Service, 10 for Bihar Finance Service (Commercial Tax Officer), 02 for Jail Superintendent and 8 for Sub Registrar/Joint Sub Registrar.

Besides Raziya Sultana, 03 other Muslims have also qualified the coveted exam to become Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Bihar Police. They are: Mohammed Adil Belal, Faisal Raza and Mohammad Shahnawaz Akhtar.

“No Gender Discrimination”

While preparing for the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exam, Razia Sultana was working as Assistant Engineer at local electricity department.

Razia had passed the 12th board exams from Bokaro and later graduated from Jodhpur in Rajasthan and earned a degree in Electrical Engineering.

“Besides other things, there was no gender discrimination vis-à-vis education and learning in my family. This is why my mother had no objection when I got admission in a Jodhpur college to complete my graduation”, Razia said while sharing her success mantra.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> India> Education & Career / by ummid.com News Network / June 09th, 2021

Meet Nasir Akhtar, whose sole mission in life is Sikh-Muslim unity

Malerkotla, PUNJAB :

Malerkotla:

The news about Muslims donating 33 tonns of grain to Golden Temple Langar was widely reported. This initiative of Malerkotla Muslim was highly appreciated by the Sikh Community around the world. The Muslim group reached Golden Temple and did Kar Seva while handing over grains’ trucks to the Golden Temple authorities.

 Malerkotla is one of the Muslim majority areas of Punjab. This good Samaritan group was led by Dr Nasir Akhtar who has been working for the Sikh Muslim Unity for the last 15 years. 

 Dr Nasir Akhtar is running a foundation for Sikh Muslim cooperation in Punjab and is well known for his devotion to Sikh Muslim Unity. 

 TwoCircles.net’s senior correspondent Aas Mohammad Kaif spoke to Nasir Akhtar of Malerkotla. These are excerpts from the interview. 

TCN: How did the idea to collect grains and send them to the Golden Temple come to your mind?

 Nasir Akhtar: During the coronavirus lockdown, Golden Temple had issued an appeal for grains. Sikhs were running a campaign to collect food grains for Golden Temple Langar. 

 Golden Temple runs a huge Langar (Free Kitchen) where food is being served to everyone irrespective of their religion. I felt that we should also contribute to this charitable work. I consulted the people around me. Everyone readily agreed to cooperate in this noble task.

 Though we could collect huge donations from a few wealthy people of the area, I thought we must collect 5 kgs of grains from every household in the Muslim majority villages. Such an initiative will give a positive message to further Sikh Muslim fraternity. We worked for 35 days and got a tremendous response.

 People cooperated eagerly which became the talk of the town in the surrounding areas. The word spread amongst the Sikh community that Muslims are also collecting grains for the Golden Temple Langar which increased brotherly spirit between these two communities.

TCN: How was your experience meeting the Sikh community?

 Nasir Akhtar: It was wonderful. Whenever we reached a village where Sikhs and Muslims live together, Sikh women cried as they couldn’t control their emotions and prayed for us. They offered us cold water and requested us to have meals in their households. The male Sikh elders were honouring us wherever we went. This noble task had an overreach beyond a mere collection of grains.

 This initiative has become a symbol of Sikh Muslim amity. Quite often we and our Sikh brother’s team reached a village simultaneously to collect the grains.

 They were collecting food grains in their community and we were doing the same in ours. If four or five wealthy people have contributed to arranging grains, this spirit of brotherhood would not have been created. Through this initiative, everyone is participating in this good Samaritan cause.

TCN: What kind of response did you get from Gold Temple authorities when you arrived there?

 Nasir Akhtar: Before arriving at Golden Temple, we were felicitated by the eminent Sikhs of Sangrur (District Malerkotla). When they came to know that we have collected 35 tonns of grains, they had requested local Gurudwara authorities to help us in delivering the grains to Golden Temple Langer. The local Sikhs and Muslims were highly impressed with this initiative.  

 When our group of about 8-10 reached Golden Temple, we were received warmly by Sardar Harpreet Singhji, Incharge of Akal Takht. Such a warm welcome in itself was a great honour for us.

 Though Muslims of Punjab do Kar Seva in Langar of Golden Temple, this act of going village to village to collect grains had made a huge impact and created a lot of goodwill. The Langar authorities served us food with great hospitality and we too participated in their Langar service.

 TCN: You have been working for the Sikh Muslim unity in Punjab since long. Can you talk about this experience?

 Nasir Akhtar: 15 years ago I used to run my clinic. I realized that there are many misconceptions between Sikhs and Muslims. Among them, there are things like enclosing children of Guru Gobind Singh Ji within a narrow chamber. My heart was not accepting it. I first researched myself, left the clinic, did my major in Punjabi, and studied Punjabi books. When I read the books written by Sikhs 300 years ago, I realized that Sikhism is very close to Islam. I understood that they both have the same message. I started speaking about the closeness of both religions in many aspects and for this I referred to Punjabi books. The verses of the Quran were explained in Punjabi and told that the beliefs of the two are quite similar. For this, I wrote books in Punjabi.

 TCN: What was the response to your initiative of working for Muslim-Sikh unity? 

 Nasir Akhtar: There are too many misconceptions. The wounds of 1947 are very deep. After the riots, Sikhs and Muslims came closer. But even today some people keep harping about past mistakes. Malerkotla is a Muslim populated area in Punjab. The local MLA Razia Sultana is a minister in the Punjab cabinet. The Muslims of Malerkotla are quite well off in comparison to other places.

 Muslims here work with Sikhs shoulder to shoulder and Sikhs do the same with Muslims where they are in the minority. This is a fine example of brotherhood between two communities. Good work always has good results. People on both sides understand the value of peaceful co-existence. Nowadays, since the news spreads fast, people here expressed appreciation when Muslims gave Mosque land in Saharanpur for Gurudwara. Langar running in Shaheen Bagh by Sikhs was also highly appreciated in Malerkotla.

 TCN: What is the goal of your Sikh Muslim affinity Foundation?

 Nasir Akhtar: This is an organization under whose banner we are doing this work. I formed this organization 15 years ago. We do all the programs of Sikh Muslim unity under the banner of this institution. The grain collection campaign was also run under the banner of this institution. Promoting brotherhood between Sikhs and Muslims is the only goal of my life and for this reason, I did not marry and left my clinic too. I want to work for this noble cause till my last breath. 

 TCN: Do you feel in the last few years, there is a growing misunderstanding between Hindus and Muslims in the country. Do you think there is a need to run such a campaign among these two communities?

 Nasir Akhtar: I told you that to explain my point of view to Sikhs, I searched and read their 300 years old books, did my Major in Punjabi, and spoke to Sikhs in Punjabi. I refer to their books. I freely quote the inspirational words of their gurus and then talk about my religion in their tongue. It makes a good impact on them. 

 Hindu and Muslims of India have diminished their understanding of each other. They do not conduct healthy discussions. The idle debates between them have created a lot of misunderstanding between them. Brotherly talk between these two communities should be encouraged. TV can play a big role to promote affinity in these communities. We are first humans, then Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs or others afterwards. 

 (Translated from Hindi by Mohammed Hussain)

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story> Sikhs> TCN Positive / by Aas Mohammed Kaif, TwoCircles.net / July 31st, 2020

Delhiwale: How many Sultanate kings can you name? Here’s the full list of 32

NEW DELHI :

For 320 years, Delhi was the city of sultans. Here is the list of the 32 rulers and where they rest now.

Sheesh Gumbad in Lodhi Gardens.(Mayank Austen Soofi / HT Photo)
Sheesh Gumbad in Lodhi Gardens.(Mayank Austen Soofi / HT Photo)

The other day, while driving past an obscure monument, a friend demanded to know its name. We had no idea so we bluffed, “Ah, that’s a Lodhi-era tomb!”

The truth is we can’t even list all the Lodhi kings.

In any case, the Lodhi dynasty was part of the more elaborate Delhi Sultanate (not to be confused with ‘Delhi Sultanate’, a so-named member of The Sky Vengers music band). The Delhi Sultanate we are talking about spanned five dynasties, 32 rulers and 320 years. It lasted from 1206 to 1526. Today we give you the names of all the rulers of the Sultanate — one of whom was India’s first woman ruler, while the last was vanquished by Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty.

Sultan02MPOs03dec2017

We also used this list to hunt the graves of these Sultanate royals — right here in our city. Of course, it’s not possible to access every king’s tombstone. Quite a few of them were killed in small and big wars, at times far from Delhi. Frustratingly, history books leave no solid evidence of their burial spots.

Some others of these important men turned out to be so insignificant in the long run that their graves have been forgotten, making it impossible to trace them today. Here’s a list of all the rulers, and the graves of those we were able to locate.

SLAVE DYNASTY

Qutbuddin Aibak (1206–1210), buried in Lahore, Pakistan

Aram Shah (1210–1211), killed near Delhi, grave not known

Shams ud din Iltutmish (1211–1236), buried in Qutub Minar Complex, Mehrauli

Illtutmish’s tomb in Qutub Minar complex. (Mayank Austen Soofi)
Illtutmish’s tomb in Qutub Minar complex. (Mayank Austen Soofi)

Rukn uddin Firuz (1236), believed to be buried in Sultan Ghari, near Mehrauli

Raziyat ud din Sultana (1236–1240), buried in Bulbuli Khana, Old Delhi

Raziya Sultan’s tomb in Bulbuli Khana, Old Delhi. (Mayank Austen Soofi)
Raziya Sultan’s tomb in Bulbuli Khana, Old Delhi. (Mayank Austen Soofi)

Muiz uddin Bahram (1240–1242), grave not known

Ala uddin Masud (1242–1246), grave not known

Nasir uddin Mahmud (1246–1266), grave not known

Ghiyas uddin Balban (1266–1286), Buried in Mehrauli Archaeological Complex, near Jamali Kamali mosque

A tomb outside Jamali Kamali complex in Mehrauli. (Mayank Austen Soofi)
A tomb outside Jamali Kamali complex in Mehrauli. (Mayank Austen Soofi)

Muiz uddin Qaiqabad (1286–1290), grave not known

Kayumars (1290), grave not known

KHILJI DYNASTY

Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji (1290–1296), buried in Delhi but “disappeared “according to HC Fanshaw’e book Delhi, Past and Present

Alauddin Khilji (1296–1316), buried in Qutub Minar Complex, Mehrauli

Qutb uddin Mubarak Shah (1316–1320), grave not known

TUGHLAQ DYNASTY

Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq (1321–1325), buried in Tughlakabad

Muhammad bin Tughluq (1325–1351), buried in Tughlakabad

Mahmud Ibn Muhammad (1351), buried in Tughlakabad

Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1351–1388), buried in Hauz Khas Village

Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughluq II (1388–1389), grave not known

Abu Bakr Shah (1389–1390), grave not known

Nasir uddin Muhammad Shah III (1390–1393), grave not known

Ala-ud-Din Sikandar Shah I (1393), grave not known

Mahmud Nasir uddin (1393–1394), grave not known

Nusrat Shah (1394–1399), grave not known

Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah (1399–1413), not known, Timur invade Delhi in his reign

SAYYID DYNASTY

Khizr Khan (1414–1421), grave not known

Mubarak Shah (1421–1434), buried in Kotla Mubarakpur village

Muhammad Shah (1434–1445), buried in Lodhi Garden

The plaque at Mohammed Shah’s tomb in Lodhi Garden. (Mayank Austen Soofi)
The plaque at Mohammed Shah’s tomb in Lodhi Garden. (Mayank Austen Soofi)

Alam Shah (1445–1451), grave not known, perhaps in Badayun where he died

LODHI DYNASTY

Bahlol Lodhi (1451–1489), Chirag Dilli

Sikander Lodhi (1489–1517), Lodhi Gardens

Ibrahim Lodhi (1517–1526), buried in Panipat, Haryana

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Delhi / by Mayank Austen Soofi, Hindustan Times /  December 02nd, 2017