April 2015 - asiatimes.us

www.Asia Times.US
Chicago Edition
April 2015
Email: EditorAsiaTimes@gmail.com
Vol 6, Issue 4
China says Iran deal
good for Sino-US
relations
This week’s framework
nuclear deal with Iran
was also good for
boosting relations between China and the
United States, Chinese
foreign minister Wang
Yi said in a call with
US secretary of state
John Kerry.
Niger President: Boko
Haram,‘Islam’s worst
enemy,’ will be beaten
Militant group Boko Haram is “the worst
enemy of Islam” and will be defeated
because West African Muslims reject its
violent actions and harsh interpretation of
the Koran, Niger’s President Mahamadou
Issoufou said on Friday.
“There is nothing Islamic about Boko
Haram,” Issoufou told students and faculty
at the Harvard Institute of Politics John
F. Kennedy Forum in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during a trip to the United States.
The agreement can
be attributed to all
sides seizing a historic
opportunity through
concerted efforts,
Wang told Kerry,
China’s foreign ministry said in a statement
released late on Friday.
China’s important and constructive role in
the latest Iran nuclear talks.
“China and the United States, both taking
on major responsibilities in safeguarding
the international nuclear non-proliferation
system, maintained good contact with
each other during the negotiations, while
instilling positive energy into bilateral
relations,” the statement cited Wang as
saying.
“In a bid to finalize a comprehensive deal
as scheduled, China will maintain close
coordination with all parties concerned,
including the United States, and continue
to play a constructive role during the process,” Wang added.
While China and the United States are
at loggerheads over everything from
cybersecurity to the value of China’s yuan
currency, the world’s two largest economies also cooperate closely on certain
international issues, including the Iranian
and North Korean nuclear disputes.
The Chinese statement cited Kerry as
saying that the United States appreciates
The tentative agreement, struck on Thursday after eight days of talks between Iran
and six world powers in Lausanne, Switzerland, clears the way for a settlement to
allay Western fears that Iran could build
an atomic bomb, with economic sanctions
on Tehran being lifted in return.
It marks the most significant step towards
rapprochement between Washington and
Tehran since the 1979 Iranian revolution, and could potentially end decades of
international isolation, with far-reaching
political consequences in the Middle East.
China and Iran have close diplomatic,
economic, trade and energy ties.
China’s crude oil imports from Iran
jumped by nearly 30 percent last year to
their highest average level since 2011, as
Iran’s largest oil client boosted shipments
after an interim deal eased sanctions on
Tehran.
“Abducting and raping women, killing
innocent people, drinking human blood
... these are not the most efficient ways of
spreading Islam,” he said. “Boko Haram
has no future, Boko Haram will be defeated, God willing.”
Niger is taking part in a regional operation against Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, a militant group which has launched
repeated bloody attacks and abductions in
Nigeria and an increasing number of raids
into neighboring countries. The military
alliance includes troops from West African countries Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon,
Chad and Benin.
Issoufou said Niger’s mostly Muslim
population broadly supported the alliance,
which he said had notched recent successes fighting Boko Haram, and rejected
Boko Haram’s attempts to carve out its
own state in the border region.
“The successes of this multinational force
... can be explained not only by the fact
that they are coordinating their information systems and operational forces, but
more importantly by the fact that they are
supported by the population,” he said.
“It shows the population of our countries
reject terrorism, reject extremism. The
population of our countries reject Boko
Haram as a Muslim organization,” he said.
Niger, which is also stepping up security against traffickers and jihadi groups
bolstered by weapons and fighters from
Libya’s conflict to the north, is ranked at
the bottom of the U.N. Human Development Index for 2013.
Issoufou said he saw poverty as an important reason some people join militant
ranks, but he said efforts to combat it have
been hindered by fluctuations in donor
support, rapid population growth and
climate shocks.
He said he had held meetings with the International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank during his trip to discuss financing.
Issoufou won election in 2011 in the
uranium-producing country following a
military coup that removed the previous
president, Mamadou Tandja, widely criticized for overseeing rampant state-level
corruption.
Issoufou touts advances in transparency and press freedoms since coming to
power, and is expected to seek re-election
in mid-2016.
Asia Times US
for FREE Subscription Email to:
Editor@AsiaTimesChicago.com
April 2015
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 2
“Meet the Media” event held at the Indian
Consulate Chicago
The Consul General, Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, held a ‘Meeting with the Media ‘ event on 11th March, 2015 in the
Consulate in which a large cross-section of print and
Audio-visual media organizations were represented
along with freelance journalists. The Consul General
briefed the Media on various activities proposed to be
held by the Consulate office during the year 2015.
During his introductory remarks, he introduced the
new Information officer, Mr. O.P.Meena, Consul who
has recently joined the Consulate.
The Consul General briefed the media on the following
initiatives:
[1]
Official Events
•
The Consulate would organize celebrations to
mark the International Yoga Day (IYD) on 21st June
2015 at the Consulate and other venues in collaboration with established Yoga Institutes and other organizations in Chicago.
•
Independence Day Flag Hoisting: The Consulate General of India would do the official Independence Day Flag Hoisting Ceremony on 15th August,
2015 at 1000 Hrs at the Daley Plaza Center. There is an
enthusiastic response from the community for a common flag hoisting and the Consulate is reaching out
to different groups to join hands and make it a grand
event. This is a public event and no invitations are
required.
•
National day reception: On the same evening
i.e. 15th August, 2015 at 1800 Hrs an official National
Day Reception to mark
the Independence of India
would be held at the Union
League Club of Chicago, where diplomats, local dignitaries, government
officials, leading business persons and
entrepreneurs, people from different
walks of life, heads of leading IndianAmerican organizations, members of the
media and others would be extended an
invitation. This event is strictly by invitation.
•
Second Kala-Utsav or India Independence Day Night 2015 to be held
on 6th September, 2015 to showcase
local talent. This event would be held in
collaboration with different community
organizations at the Copernicus Center.
In the first Kala-Utsav held last year
nearly 25 different professional cultural
groups participated, with groups coming
from even Indianapolis, Milwaukee,
Bolingbrook, etc.
•
This year the Consulate proposes to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti on
October 2nd 2015 on a larger scale in
collaboration with the Gandhi Foundation at Niles as well as responsible
persons at Milwaukee. Last year the
CG participated in the Gandhi Jayanti
celebrations organized by the Chicago
Sister City Committee in which Mayor
Rahm Emmanuel also joined.
[2]
Consular Services
•
The Consul General briefed that
all consular Officers will be available for
meeting the public without appointment
every day between 10am and 11am.
•
Consulate Camps - Two
Consular Camps to be organized in the
month of March,2015. First on 22nd
March, 2015 at the Bhartiya Temple of
Troy, 6850 N Adams Road, Troy, MI
48098 from 9.00 AM to 01:00 PM and
the second on 29th March, 2015 at Oak
Creek Gurudwara, Milwaukee from
01:00 PM to 03:00 PM.
•
Camps are also being planned
to be held at BAPS Shri Swami Narayan
Temple, Bartlett, the Hindu Temple of
Greater Chicago at Lemont, the Jain
Temple, Barrlett and the Gurudwara
at Palantine in the quarter April to
June,2015. The Cox & Kings Global Services (CKGS) will also be part of these
Consular camps.
•
Consul General briefed the
Media on new guidelines on OCI after
withdrawal of PIO Scheme. Stamping
of permanent visa on PIO cards is being
rendered as a gratis service and the procedure for extension of passport facilities for those who had not renewed their
passports for more than three years.
•
Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVoA)
is proposed to be extended to 150 countries in a phased manner.
•
Timelines for various services
has been considerably reduced: Visas
1-2 days, new passports: 1 week in most
cases.
Shahid Lateef and Bharti Desai
April 2015
Asia Times US
ISSN 2159-9645
Publisher/
Editor-in-Chief
Azeem A. Quadeer, P.E.
219-588-1538
EditorAsiaTimes
@gmail.com
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 3
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee receives Bharat Ratna, India’s highest
civilian honour
Midwest Bureau
Engr. Mujeeb A. Osman
mamujeebbs@yahoo.
com
New York Bureau
Hk. Mohammad Hussain
tajaf51@verizon.net
Indianapolis Bureau
Syed Firasath Ali
sfirasatali@yahoo.com
Contributing writers
Dr Azher Quader
Chicago
Engr. Faiz-Al-Najdi,
Riyadh
Advertisements
EditorAsiaTimes@gmail.
com
Asia Times US is
published monthly
Copyright 2015
All rights reserved as to
the entire content
for FREE Subscription Email to:
EditorAsiaTimes@gmail.com
Asia Times US
Asia Times US does not
necessarily
endorse views
expressed by the authors
in the their articles
Veteran Parliamentarian and former Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, founder member
of BJP who is held in high esteem across the
political spectrum, was conferred with Bharat
Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, by
President Pranab Mukherjee.
In a departure from protocol, Mukherjee drove
to Vajpayee’s residence at Krishna Memon marg
in Lutyens’ Delhi and presented to the ailing
BJP leader the prestigious award, the country’s
highest civilian honour.
The event, which was attended by Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh along
with some close family members, was kept
away from the media glare.
Vajpayee, who was Prime Minister from 1998
to 2004, and has faded from public life due to
age-related illness, is lauded as a statesman
and has been often described as the moderate
face of BJP. He has been credited with taking
bold initiatives, notable among them being the
historic bus journey to Lahore in 1999 when he
signed the landmark Lahore Declaration with
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with both sides
pledging to push for peace and security.
Later, a tea party was hosted in the lawns of the
residence which was attended by union ministers and state Chief Ministers including Jammu
and Kashmir’s Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. The
announcement for a Bharat Ratna for Vajpayee,
the first Prime Minister from outside the Congress party to serve a full five-year term, came
on December 24, a day before he turned 90.
Vajpayee’s detractors called him the “mask” of
RSS but still always had good words for him.
Regarded as one of
the most charismatic
leaders, he was lauded
as a statesman politician whose acceptability
across the board broke
barriers and brought
BJP to centre stage of
politics in the late 1990s
after the demolition of
Babri Masjid.
The Prime Minister
expressed his happiness
over the award that was
conferred on Vajpayee
by the President and
said he was leader who had dedicated his entire
life for the nation. “One who dedicated his
life, such Mother India’s dear son, Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, we have got the privilege to confer the
Bharat Ratna Award on him today.”
“I express my gratitude to the President who
himself came here and personally bestowed
upon him, the Bharat Ratna award. Atalji’s
life was dedicated to the nation, he lived and
thought for the nation for every second. In India there are crores of workers like me in whose
life Vajpayee ji is an inspiration.”
“The upcoming generations will continue to
be inspired by him. I will pray to God for this
only that Bharat Ratna Awardee Vajpayee ji’s
life continues to inspire and guide us forever,”
he said.
Emerging from Vajpayee’s residence, Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters that Bharat
Ratna was conferred on the former Prime
Minister by the President at a brief ceremony
because of “Vajpayee does not go out on account of his health reasons.” The honour is in
recognition of his services to the country as a
“powerful nationalist leader, one of the longest
serving Parliamentarians, a poet and a thinker
who was not leader of his own party but of the
entire country,” he said.
A veteran Parliamentarian, he was not only a
leader of India but of the whole world. He left
an indelible imprint as a philosopher, poet and
Prime Minister, Jaitley said, adding, “it is an
occasion of joy for each one of us.” He said the
function held at Vajpayee’s residence was on
behalf of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, BJP
patron L K Advani, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat,
Chief Ministers Prakash Singh Badal (Punjab),
Vasundhra Raje (Rajasthan), Shivraj Singh
Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh) and N Chnadrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) besides JD(U)
leader Sharad Yadav were among those present
April 2015
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 4
April 2015
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 5
Masjid Al-Huda in Streamwood, IL held an event in
remembrance of the great scholar of Islam
“Mohammad Anwarullah khan Al-Farooqi”
by Gulam Samdani
Masjid Al-Huda in Streamwood, IL
held an event in remembrance of
the
great scholar of Islam “Imam Mohammad
Anwarullah khan Al-Farooqi”. The evening
was presided by the Maulana Hafiz Qari Mohammed
Waheedullah Khan. The event was a good reminder and
a call towards the good efforts undertaken by the earlier
generations of Islam.
Anwarullah bin Shujah al-Din bin al-Qadi Siraj al-Din
al-Umari al-Hanafi, al-Qandahari al-Hyderabadi, one of
the well-known scholars. He was born in the village of
Qandahar in the district of Nander in Deccan with four
days passing from Rabi al-Awwal 1264. He memorized
the Quran and studied the shorter works (mukhtasarat)
with the teachers of his land. He studied with Shaykh Abd
al-Halim al-Ansari al-Luknawi, then kept the company of
his son Shaykh Abd al-Hayy al-Luknawi in the city of Hyderabad. He took tafsir from Shaykh Abdullah al-Yamani
and Tasawwuf and spiritual wayfaring (suluk) from his
father from whom he received an ijazah. He was decribed
as having gained expertise in a number of the Islamic
sciences. He performed the pilgrimage in the year 1264
where he met the great Shaykh Haji Imdadullah Muhajir
Makki to whom he pledged allegiance and from whom he
also received ijazah.
He was selected as a teacher by the ruler of the Deccan:
Mahbub Ali Khan the sixth Nizam. In the year 1301 AH
he travelled for his second pilgrimage and in the 1305 AH
for a third, taking up residence in Madinah the Illumi-
nated for three years. He returned to Hyderabad
in the year 1308 and was appointed a teacher
by the crown prince Uthman Ali Khan, and
when the ruler of the Deccan Mahbub Ali Khan
passed away in the year 1329 AH Uthman Ali
Khan became the seventh Nizam in the year
1330 AH. He proceeded to appoint Mawlana
Anwarullah the minister of Awqaf in the year
1332 and gave him the title ‘Nawab Fadilat Jung’.
In Rabi al-Awwal of the year 1332 AH he was
appointed tutor of the crown prince and his
brother by which he was able to achieve great
influence in religious matters by which he undertook many reforms and benefitted the land
and its people.
He authored a number of works in Urdu and
Arabic, amongst them being:
•
Al-Ifham written in 2 volumes as a
Safiuddin Farooqi, a great great grandson of
refutation of al-Qadiani
•
A-Aql fi al-Falsafah al-Qadimah walMaulana addressing the event
Jadidah
AH and was buried in the Madrassa al-Nizamia which he
•
Haqiqat al-Fiqh in 2 volumes regarding
founded.
the reasons for the preference of the Hanafi school and
He is remembered because of his legacy he left for us to
excellent qualities of Abu Hanifah
remember and his memories are there for us not to gloat
•
Anwar Ahmadi fi Mawlid al-Nabi (Allah bless
about our past, on the other hand to establish the same
him and give him peace)
level of scholarship within our generation or at the least
•
Maqasid al-Islam in 11 volumes, all of them in
work towards a better understanding of Islam in the footUrdu.
steps of these renowned scholars.
He passed away after Jumadi al-Akhir in the year 1336
Mehfil-e-Khawateen in Chicago
Anjumane Ilm-O-Adab, a literary organization devoted to the preservation and dissemination of Urdu
language, literature, and culture in North America,
hosted an event “Mehfil-e-Khawateen (in Chicago)”
on March 15th at the Addison Public Library. The
first of its kind in Chicago, this association serves as a
platform to recognize, appreciate, and pay tribute to
women and their involvement and achievements in
education, society, and culture across North America
in addition to the never-ending responsibilities of a
wife, mother, and working woman.
Hosted by Ghousia Sultana, the event’s chief guest
was Farha Sayeed, wife of an Indian diplomat. An
artist and creator of beautifully crafted jeweled eggs,
her passion in egg art was introduced to the audience.
Other speakers included Ariba Ali, Dr. Safia Muzzamil, Akhtar Jahan, Taha Mehnaaz, Nazneen Hashmi,
Maimoona Khan, Naveeda Athar, and Dr. Talat Rizvi.
Topics discussed included raising awareness and
promotion of Urdu language, how to improve mental
health, and domestic problems to name a few.
But, it’s not to say that with serious topics, there was
no fun to be had. In addition to the topics discussed,
Ghousia Sultana made sure the women had some fun
as well. Women divided into two groups to play Bait
Baazi, antakshari and a raffle drawing was held at the
end of the event. Two winners were selected and were
the recipients of a gift basket. Saba Jamil ended the
event with closing remarks and thanks. With a delicious variety of sweets and snacks, guests had plenty
of time to socialize and make new acquaintances.
Held on a Sunday afternoon from 1-5 pm, the meeting hall filled up to capacity with a room full of
women. Reported by one audience member, “I am
simply thrilled, delighted, and stunned to see so many
women come out in support of and to participate in
this women’s only event. To see so many ladies in
attendance was a great experience for everyone and I
look forward to the next event.” With the success of
this event, Anjumane Ilm-O-Adab has started planning a second Mehfil-e-Khawateen. For further information on attending or becoming a member, contact
Ghousia Sultana at (630) 747-7511 or a GhousiaSultana@hotmail.com.
In the words of famous Indian activist Mahatma
Ghandi, “To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it
is man’s injustice to woman. If by strength is meant
moral power, then woman is immeasurably man’s
superior.”
www.Asia
Times .US
Indian Cricketer
Mohammed Mushtaq in
Chicago by Hasan Chishti
April 2015
Indian Cricketer in Chicago
Mohammed Mushtaq was born in Hyderabad in a family of sportsmen. His elder brother, Sultan Saleem, was
once talked about as a prodigy from Hyderabad who was
tipped to play for India. His other brother, Abdul Rauf,
has also played cricket for Aliya School and Nizam College. Being brought up in a family who excelled in sports,
it is no surprise that Mushtaq also took up cricket and
made a mark.
Mushtaq played as a middle-order batsman with a sound
technique. He was a more than useful right-arm off-spinner, and served as an asset to any side he played. Mushtaq
played in the earlier league tournaments for the school
that he attended—All Saints High School. He later played
for the Deccan Blues Cricket Club, and after completion
of his education, he joined the State Bank of Hyderabad
for whom he performed creditably under the captaincy of
former test player Syed Abid Ali.
While at school, Mushtaq’s performance was
such that he was selected to play for the Hyderabad
School’s team in 1971 at a young age of 16 years. He later
went on to become the captain of Hyderabad for two
years and was selected to play for the India Under-19
team which toured England. His performance on the tour
was exemplary; in the third test at Birmingham, he saved
the match for India scoring 89 not out in the first inning
and 79 not out in the second inning, and also topped the
batting averages on the tour. Mushtaq also played for Hyderabad in the State Junior
Tournament and led this side for two years. He was captain of the South Zone Under-19 team as well as the captain for Under-22 South Zone schools. He was a member
of the Osmania University team that won the South Zone
Championship after 21 years defeating Madras University
in the finals during the year 1976.
•
Furthermore, Mushtaq has played Moin Ud
Dowlah Gold Cup Invitation Tournament for Vazir Sultan
PAGE 6
Tobacco Company and
for Hyderabad State
Team against Mafatlal
Cricket Club which was
led by former test cricketer Ashok Mankad.
Mushtaq has represented
Hyderabad Blues Cricket
Club which toured Bhopal for Pataudi Senior Tournament
under the captaincy of P.R. Mansingh, but went on to play
in the same tournament for Pataudi IX under the captaincy of late Mansoor Ali Khan, Nawab of Pataudi, captain of
the Indian Test Cricket Team. Mushtaq was unluckly not
to have played for Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy team
soon after the England School Boys Tour in 1973-1974 as
the existing Ranji team already had five current test players in the side including his own brother, Sultan Saleem,
who holds his name in the Guinness Book of World
Records by scoring 300 and 200 runs in the finals of the
school cricket game played between All Saints and Aliya
High School.
•
All through in Mushtaq’s cricketing career,
coaching is one of his passions starting from the school
days. He is a keen follower of the game and keep himself
abreast with the latest technology.
•
He will be willing to help young and aspiring
cricketers in the state of Illinois. Mohammed Mushtaq
is now settled in the U.S. working for a Bank. He also
played cricket for a local club in Chicago for few years.
Karishma Bhatt is Shaving
her hair to Cure Childhood
Cancers by: Asian
Media USA
Chicago IL: Prominent Community leader Harish Bhatt
be ashamed of.”
daughter Karishma Bhatt (MED) is Shaving her hair to
Cure Childhood Cancers. Every 3 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer. Help me fund the research that will
save their lives!
Students at the University of Illinois at Chicago College
of Medicine are shaving their heads for St. Baldrick’s,
an organization that raises money for children’s cancer
research. By shaving their heads, the students are not only
raising money, but they help normalize the experience of
losing hair during cancer treatment, a process that is quite
difficult for adults and children alike.
“We spend so much time and effort shaping and coloring and caring for our hair, that it becomes one of the
defining aspects of our personality and person identity,”
says Shikhar Shah, first-year medical student at UIC. “I’m
shaving my head because I want those kids who are suffering from cancer and losing their hair and sense of self
to know that it’s not the end of the world, that a bald head
can be normal.”
Many students who participate have loved ones who have
suffered cancer and they wish to shave their heads on
their behalf. Yu-Hui Huang, one of the two girls who is
shaving her head at UIC this year, says, “My motivation
stems from having watched those close to me fight cancer
with some wins and losses.” She adds, “I can’t wait to walk
around bald and show kids with cancer that they’re not
alone.” Karishma Bhatt, who is also shaving her head and
is a member of the planning committee, says, “I hope
shaving my head will show young girls that losing hair,
which is such a big part of our appearance and can be a
major factor in a person’s self-esteem, is not something to
The event will be held on Saturday, 6:00 pm
- 9:00 pm, March 21st 2015, at Hawkeye’s
on Taylor Street, a popular hangout spot
for UIC students. The students organizing
the event hope to draw UIC students, loved
ones, and community members to the event
to support the students shaving their heads.
Michael Wedoff, who is on the planning
committee of this year’s UIC St. Baldrick’s
event, states, “No child deserves to have
cancer, let alone lose their hair as a result of
treatment. Events such as St. Baldrick’s aim
to normalize baldness in a fun and exciting
manner, all the while raising money for an
all-important cause.”
Raising money for children’s cancer is a
noble cause, and it is also a necessary one.
Ian Winter, president of the UIC Chicago
Cancer Society, which is hosting the St.
Baldrick’s event, notes, “Many people do not realize that
pediatric cancers are actually an underfunded research
area. Much of the money that goes into cancer research
is for adult patients, who are much more numerous than
pediatric patients. I am shaving my head to raise awareness of this issue, and to try to do my small part in raising
money to help close the funding gap.”
An estimated 15,780 children were diagnosed with cancer
just this past year. UIC medical students are acutely aware
of the issues the medical community currently faces, and
are dedicated to contributing as much as they possibly can
to solving these problems. For children who suffer cancer,
although five-year survival rates have increased over the
past 35 years, we are still only at an 80% five-year rate for
children diagnosed before the age of 20. Charities such
as St. Baldrick’s are dedicated to changing this, and UIC
students are doing their part on March 21st 2015.
Karishma Bhatt / https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/karishma
For donation / https://www.stbaldricks.org/donate/participant/751777/2015
By phone: (888) 899‑2253
April 2015
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 7
April 2015
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 8
Indian Student Association [ISA] at University of
Illinois [UIC]
hosts India Night 2015: STOLEN
Asian Media USA ©
Chicago IL: The students from the Indian
Student Association (ISA) at the University of Illinois at Chicago presented a sold
out, dynamic Cultural Show that showcased numerous dance styles prevailing
all across India and featured other talents
as well such as singing on Friday - March
13, 2015. This program was held at the
UIC Forum located 725 W Roosevelt Rd,
Chicago, IL. The purpose of this event was
to promote the Indian culture, and showcase UIC students’ talents while bringing
together the South Asian community.
Family and friends of performers packed
the UIC Forum on campus for the show.
The auditorium was hustling with excited
parents and friends of the performers and
invites. This year, the show’s theme was
“STOLEN”. involving comedy, suspense,
and lots of entertainment! Over 800
spectators came to witness the crime of
the century. The crowd was on its toes
throughout the night, waiting to find out
who will end up stealing the priceless
necklace. Of the five thieves, Dhruv Patel,
Jay Shah, Sahaj Shah, Shivam Thakkar, and
Selwyn Varghese, one turned out to be an
undercover cop. As the show continued
and the plot thickened, everyone was
antsy to find out who would ultimately got
the necklace: the traitor cop or the four
thieves. Adding to the mystery ambience,
Elegance Decor was responsible for the
beautiful back drop.
The program started sharp 7:30 PM with
American Anthem by Santosh Ebnezer
and Indian Anthem by Garima Shukla.
The show had ten dances and 3 singing
performances. Most of the teams were
not exclusively UIC students and many
student participants belonged to different Chicago universities. There was also
a widespread use of videos each of the
teams created to introduce their members
before they performed, making them with
outstanding visual effects.
Mohit & Garima mesmerized audience
by Bollywood and American songs. Alan
played the guitar and Jay on the piano did
excellent job and enthralled audience by a
medley to remember (beautiful chemistry
between them). New Flames (A mix of
traditional and Fusion Performance by the
Freshmen Class), Stunning Sophomores
(Class of 2017 showcase on South Asian
Culture), Jumpy Jumpy Juniors (Class
of 2016 Dance showcase the fusion of
Bhangra, Hip Hop Bollywood and classical dance), Sanskritelation (Marienne
and Gnacio-Voice and Musical prowess),
SenioRoyals (Class of 2015 showcase on
Classy dance), ISA Board Dance (showcase on Indian culture), Beats of India
(classical dance with elegant hand gestures
and extensive footwork), South Indian
Themadis (Tollywood, energetic, loud and
upbeat South Indian dance), Natasha &
Ovais (showcase on Vocal / Guitar -Hindi
and R&B Mashup), Ministry of Bhangra
(MOB - Traditional Punjabi dance /
Vibrant dance moves), and Man of Dance
(MOD - Chicago and Desi Fusion dance).
Parth Shah (Co-President) and Jay Patel
(Co-President) did an excellent job by
delivering the vote of thanks. “Thanks
to friends and family for coming to ISA’s
India Night Show 2015. There are many
of you sitting in the audience that helped
with tiny details and anything that we
needed. Without your support and cooperation this wouldn’t be possible. you all
know with every great show, there’s always
a team behind it, so thanks to the Forum
staff . Special shout out to Elegance Decor
for beautiful Backdrop, all the sponsors
mentioned on the back page of all of our
pamphlet made by Parth H. Patel.
“Most people think the University of Illinois India Night show limits its members
to the dancing they do on stage. But the
true outcome isn’t just the unique cultural
show the audience gets to witness; rather,
it is the sense of responsibility, dedication,
and leadership that each member develops.” said by ISA Cultural Chair Sonya
Patel
“Four years ago when I joined ISA as a
medium to make friends and get involved
in at UIC. After 4-5 months of being part
of this wonderful organization I didn’t just
make friends, but found myself a new family. ISA is an organization that unifies all
different groups of students into a canopy
of beautiful Indian culture. ISA helped
me to break out of my shell I was concealing myself in, and made me into a more
confident and articulate individual.” said
by ISA Secretary Krishna Modi.
Providing a glimpse of Indian culture has
always been a primary goal to the members of ISA and they hope to amaze their
audience once again, next year. Along
aside Elegance Decor, UIC’s executive ISA
board and the brilliant performers have
put forth a cultural program that never
exceeds to fail.
ISA Board: Jay Patel (Co-President), Parth
Shah (Co-President), Aayush Shah (Treasurer), Krishna Modi (Secretary), Sonya
Patel (Cultural Chair), Viveka Patel (Cultural Chair), Neema Patel (Social Chair),
Mohit Dande (Social Chair), Sheena Patel
(Public Relations), Upesh Desai (Social
Media Director), Parth Patel (Design
Chair), Shivam Thakkar (Music Coordinator), Raag Shah (Senior Representative),
Jimmi Patel (Freshman Rep), Avi Sonar
(Freshman Rep) and Neil Shah (Freshman
Rep).
Sponsors: UIC Chancellor’s Committee
on the Status of Asian Americans, UIC
College of Education, UIC Business, UIC
Department of Biological Sciences College
of Liberal Arts & Science, Anil K Sharma
(Auto, home, Life and Business), Farmers
Insurance, Yashasree Academy (Hindustani Classical Vocal), RN International,
Elegance Decor and The Threading Salon
April 2015
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 9
Nostalgic Songs at Ekal Vidyalaya’s
Holi Celebration
Review: Girish Modi
Ekal Vidayalaya’s South-east region
under the chairmanship of Chander Aggarwal celebrates Holi every
year for past several years. This
year Ekal’s Holi celebration was
augmented by nostalgic era songs
by a group of talented artists from
India. This was their third performance in a series of 52 performances during a four-month tour
around the country.
Holi celebration took place on Saturday, March 7 at the Impact Hall
inside Global Mall. It was attended
by over 400 music aficionados.
Each attendee was greeted at the
entrance with a pink or green tika
by ever-smiling Rina Gupta. The
sumptuous dinner was served one
hour before the start of the program. The program started with
tradional diya lighting by five VIPs
including the vice-consul from
Indian Consulate. Then, a 20-minute film on Ekal’s activities was
screened.
Emcee Rachna Gupta introduced
two singers Rana Chatterjee and
Sangeeta Melekar and their instrumentalists Piyush Bhatt (keyboard
synthesizer), Daxesh Patel (tabla) and Jay Natu (octopod).
Both Rana and Sangeeta are virtually unknown in
America, because this was their first trip abroad. I was
not very enthusiastic of their singing when I saw the
flyer, but by the end of the program they proved that
Rana is actually Prince of Music and Sangeeta is the
Queen of Sangeet.
The audience was captivated from the very first
devotional song by Sangeeta. Her second song was
melodious “jayie aap kahan jayenge” of Asha Bhosle. It
was followed by Lata ji’s classical number “kuch dil ne
kaha” (Anupama) which created lasting impression on
the audience. Then Rana and Sangeeta sang duets aaja
sanam madhur chandni (Chori Chori), haal kaisa hai
(Chalti ka naam gaadi) and even green kuhu kuhu bole
koyaliya (Suvarn Sundari).
Rana enthralled the audience with voices of Kishore
Kumar, Mohd Rafi and Manna Dey. His rendition of ek
chatur naar (Padosan) was amusing as well as impressive, because he not only imitated Kishore Kumar’s,
Manna Dey’s and Mehmood’s voices perfectly but
blended them as well in complicated lyrics.
Rana is such a versatile singer that he had no
trouble switching from songs of various singers.
He even included songs from City Lights and
Aashiqui 2 songs in his repertoire. The audience
joined him when he sang “kisi ki muskarahat pe”
from Anari and repeated “jeena isi ka naam hai”
at end of every stanza. Rana also sang “madhban
mein radhika” brilliantly. Sitar, tabla and ocopad’s
accompaniment during this song was superb and
the audience gave standing ovation to the artists.
During the second half of the program, Sangeeta
sang eternal “aayega aanewala” song from film
Mahal and “waqt ne kya kiya” (Kagaz ke Phool).
Rana sang “tere mere sapne” from the same film
in Rafi’s soulful voice.
The highlight of the program was the last song
“rang barse” (Silsila) in actual Amitabh Bachchan’s voice and style that aroused cheers, foot
tapping and hand clapping from the audience.
It was very entertaining evening of music from
nostalgic era which can be witnessed on the
happy faces of the audience. Ekal received pledges
for 55 school sponsorships and it was topped
with additional 10 schools from owners of Palace
Restaurant.
PAGE 10
www.Asia
Times .US
Zardari plans to launch
daughter Bakhtawar into politics
April 2015
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari formally stepped into politics last
year, but soon developed differences with his father over
handling of party affairs.
According to party sources, Bilawal is living in London
and planning to take a two-year break from politics to
pursue his higher education after earlier completing his
graduation from Oxford university.
“In his absence, the party needs a Bhutto to be on the
forefront and Zardari has decided to introduce his daughter Bakhtawar,” the sources said.
Bakhtawar is being tutored in politics by senior women
leaders of the party. She might deliver her maiden political speech at the death anniversary of her grandfather
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto on April 4.
ISLAMABAD:Pakistan’s former president and PPP
co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is planning to launch his
daughter into politics, a move indicative of strained ties
with his son Bilawal.
There is a little hope that Bilawal would attend the anniversary, used as a rallying point for party workers.
Zulfiqar founded Pakistan People Party (PPP) and served
as prime minister before he was hanged in 1979 by military dictator Ziaul Haq on dubious charges of murder.
Pakistan hangs
four convicts
ISLAMABAD: Four death row convicts were hanged in different jails in
Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Mohammad Riaz, who was convicted
of killing a man in 2008 during a robbery was hanged in Sargodha Jail. This
is the first execution in this jail since it
was established in 1910, Dawn online
reported.
Akram-ul-Haq, convicted for kidnapping a three-year-old girl, was hanged
in Attock Jail.
Separate cases of kidnapping for ransom and terrorism were also registered
against Haq.
killing a person due to personal feud,
was hanged in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
Hubdar Shah was executed in Mianwali Central Jail. He was sentenced to
death for killing two people in 2000.
Pakistan lifted its moratorium on the
death penalty in all capital cases on
March 10.
Initially executions were resumed only
for terrorism offences in the wake of
a Taliban massacre at the Peshawar
Army Public School on December 16,
2014, which claimed lives of more than
140 people, mostly school children.
His daughter Benazir Bhutto was elected twice as prime
minister before she was killed in an attack in 2007.
PPP is associated with Bhuttos and after the death of
Benazir, Zardari announced that all his children had
decided to adopt Bhutto as part of their names.
US’ war on terror
kills over 80,000
people in Pak
More than 80,000 Pakistanis, including
over 48,000 civilians, have been killed in
the decade-long US-led war against terror
in the country, according to a new report.
The report titled “Body Count: Casualty Figures after 10 Years of the War
on Terror” was released by the Nobel
Prize-winning International Physicians
for the Prevention of Nuclear War along
with Physicians for Social Responsibility
and Physicians for Global Survival, The
US-led wars in the regions during the the
same period.
One million people were killed in Iraq and
220,000 in Afghanistan as a result of the
war, it said.
“The figure is approximately 10 times
greater than that of which the public, experts and decision makers are aware,” the
authors of the study said.
“And this is only a conservative estimate.
Mohammad Ameen, convicted for
Express Tribune reported today.
The report, dealing with the conflict from
2004 until the end of 2013, shows that a
total of 81,325 to 81,860 persons - including 48,504 civilians, 45 journalists,
416-951 civilians killed by drones, 5,498
security personnel and 26,862 militants lost their lives in the US-led war on terror.
It also said that around 1.3 million people
were directly and indirectly killed in Iraq,
Afghanistan and Pakistan as a result of
The total number of deaths in the three
countries could also be in excess of 2 million,” they said.
The report scoured the results of individual studies and data published by United
Nations organisations, government agencies and non-governmental organisations.
Pakistan government, however, has officially maintained that around 60,000
civilians and security personnel have been
killed in the war on terror.
PAGE 11
www.Asia
Times .US
Dubai property king’s outside deals stir
investor unrest
April 2015
DUBAI: As chairman of Emaar Properties
, Mohamed Alabbar has shaped much of
Dubai’s skyline, but rapid growth in his
outside real estate interests is raising the
possibility of a rarity in the Gulf - open
shareholder dissent.
leaving, but remain well below levels above
10 last September.
Speculation persists that Alabbar and
Emaar, the company he founded in 1997,
could soon part ways despite a categorical
denial from the firm last month.
His involvement in other firms’ projects,
such as a planned $45 billion city in Egypt
and developments from west Africa to the
Balkans, has raised eyebrows.
“This is something that is a concern for
us,” said one Emaar shareholder,” who
declined to be named. “There is a conflict
of interest. The chairman owns a company
in the same field.”
A spokeswoman representing Alabbar
did not immediately respond to a Reuters
request for comment on the shareholder’s
remarks. Emaar directors are not currently barred from involvement with other
property groups.
Emaar has also lost a string of senior
executives to rivals, including one that is
handling some of Alabbar’s extramural
projects, raising further concerns that
industry sources say may come up at the
group’s annual shareholders’ meeting on
April 15.
The fortunes of Alabbar and Emaar which developed Burj Khalifa, the world’s
tallest building - are intertwined. “We’re in
a region where who is running the show
is as important as a proper strategy, if not
more,” said Fathi Ben Grira, chief executive of Abu Dhabi-based investment firm
MENACORP.
Emaar’s shares have recovered to around
7 dirhams from 6.25 immediately before
the denial on March 19 that Alabbar was
Its chief executive, Fred Durie, was CEO of
Emaar International until November 2014
while chief operations officer Abubakr
Sidahmed was Emaar’s senior director for
projects until September 2014. About this
time, Nshama’s CFO Raghuraj Balakrishna
also quit as Emaar’s finance head.
Born in 1956, Alabbar rose up through
the state ranks by working at the United
Arab Emirates’ central bank and the Dubai
government office in Singapore, before
returning to the emirate with a job at the
Department of Economic Development.
Alabbar’s spokeswoman said Nshama,
along with CCP and Eagle Hills, was not
linked to Emaar. “All three are independent companies and have no relationship
with Emaar,” she said. “Each company
hires talent from the real estate sector in
the UAE and across the globe.”
In this period he became close to Dubai’s
ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, before founding Emaar.
Emaar, in which the state Investment
Corporation of Dubai holds a 29 percent
stake, has experienced shareholder unrest
before - notably in 2011 over its failure to
pay dividends after the global financial
crisis and subsequent property crash in
Dubai. It yielded to the investors’ demands
and paid up.
Nevertheless, any open questioning of Alabbar’s position would be unusual for the
Gulf, where business disputes are normally
settled beyond public view.
Brain Drain
Speculation about Alabbar has grown
since last month when he signed an agreement to develop the Egyptian mega city
on behalf of Capital City Partners (CCP),
of which he is a founding partner. He is
also a board member at Abu Dhabi’s Eagle
Hills, which plans developments in Serbia,
Nigeria and Bahrain.
Emaar has developed some of the best
sites in Dubai and beyond, but now has
to compete with start up firms. The fact
that some have links to Alabbar perplexes
investors in Emaar.
“Why wasn’t the Egypt project given to
Emaar Egypt, if you think it’s a good buy?”
asked the shareholder.
“We see Emaar is not a priority for Dubai.
There is no new land being allocated, it’s
going to other companies,” the shareholder
added. “It is clear that Emaar is not in a
growth mode, it is on autopilot.”
Emaar’s brain drain is another worry. Former chief executive Low Ping now holds
the same position at Eagle Hills. Salman
Sajid, previously chief financial officer of
several Emaar units, is Eagle Hills’ CFO.
In an earlier email exchange with Reuters,
the spokeswoman explained Alabbar’s
relationship with the companies. “Mr. Alabbar provides advice and counsel to CCP
and Eagle Hills in his official capacity,” she
said, without elaborating.
Emaar directors are allowed to sit on the
boards of competing firms by a resolution that must be approved annually at
the shareholders’ meeting. So far, this has
been a formality, but a Dubai broker said
this might not happen this time. “These
kinds of activities - high-level executives
involved with (other) big real estate companies (that) demand more of their time it definitely becomes a question mark,” the
broker said.
Nshama, a Dubai developer launched in
September, has also recruited heavily from
Emaar.
Governance
Under Alabbar, Emaar made ill-fated expansions into the United States and India,
but it remains Dubai’s property market
leader and operated in 10 other countries.
It was the first property group to pay
dividends after the crash from 2009, when
prices slumped about 50 percent.
Emaar paid a $2.45 billion special dividend in November after spinning off its
shopping malls businesses and similar
payouts are expected this year. However,
Dubai’s housing market is softening again
after rebounding in 2012-2014.
Emaar and Dubai have joined the MSCI
Emerging Markets index and international
investors, who hold 21 percent of the
group, and local institutions expect higher
governance standards.
“It raises a lot of questions over corporate
governance, not just for Emaar but for
Dubai too,” said one senior official at a
foreign institution that holds no stake in
Emaar. “It all depends on how quickly they
can sort it out and if minority shareholders
suffer.”
Audi to launch 5 new models in next 5
months in India
German luxury car maker Audi plans to launch five models in the next five months in India as it looks to retain
leadership position in the Indian luxury car segment.
as well. We are looking forward to the new year to maintain our leadership. In the next five months, we will have
five new launches.”
The company, which sells various popular brands including A3 sedan and Q5 sports utility vehicle, posted
a growth of 15 per cent in the January-March quarter at
3,139 units as against 2,740 units in the year-ago period.
The company will launch the
new Audi TT model in India
this month to kick off its 10
new product introductions
planned for this year.
Audi posted a record sales in 2014-15 by selling 11,292
units, up 11.51 per cent, from 10,126 units sold in 201314.
“We had good response to our products in 2014-15 but
due to supply constraints, we could not sell more here in
India,” Audi India head Joe King told PTI.
Audi’s models A3 and A6 sedans along with SUV Q3
faced supply issues and some of the orders were moved
for April and May deliveries, he added.
He further said: “We had a fantastic first quarter in 2015
King said the company is yet
to finalise on its next round
of investments in India to
expand business and double
sales to 20,000 units by 2018.
In 2014 Audi had sold
10,851 units in 2014 and
remained the largest luxury
car maker for the second
consecutive year.
April 2015
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 12
Karnataka govt announces CID probe
into IAS officer DK Ravi’s death
Bengaluru: Refusing to concede the Opposition demand for a CBI probe, Karnataka
Government announced a CID inquiry
into the death of an upright IAS officer
DK Ravi, who allegedly committed suicide
under mysterious circumstances, as the
issue rocked the state Assembly.
Not satisfied with Chief Minister Siddaramiah’s reply, opposition BJP and JDS
members stormed into the well of the
House and staged a dharna, raising slogans
against the government for “failing” to
protect honest officials.
As the Opposition raised the issue, Siddaramiah said as per police account it
is prima facie a case of suicide, but the
government will investigate it impartially
to unravel the mystery behind the officer’s
death.
“Is it a suicide or a murder or has he died
of some other reasons, we also want to
know the truth. People should also know
it,” Siddaramaiah said, asserting that the
city police were also efficient.
Read: Protests erupt in Karnataka after
death of IAS officer D K Ravi who took on
sand mafia
He said the case would be probed by
Crime Investigation Department and
“it will bring out the truth. We will have
an impartial probe,” he said triggering
protests from opposition benches as their
demand for a CBI probe was not accepted.
Home Minister K J George also said the
preliminary report will be placed before
the House in the next 15 days.
George’s statement that some clues had
been obtained by police in their preliminary probe that there could be some
personal reasons for the suicide evoked
protests from the opposition.
Earlier, Opposition BJP Leader Jagadish
Shettar demanded a CBI inquiry into the
matter as he suspected a case of murder,
not suicide as claimed by police.
Wife Kusuma with relatives paying last
respects to IAS officer D K Ravi who was
found dead at his residence, in Bengaluru
on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)
Protests marked by stray incidents of stone
pelting erupted during a bandh in Kolar
district, even as police said they were
probing his death from “every angle”.
Angry protesters in Kolar district where
35-year-old DK Ravi had taken on the
sand mafia as Deputy Commissioner
before being posted as Additional Commissioner of Commercial Taxes (Enforcement) in Bengaluru, also blocked a
National Highway placing burning tyres
before being chased away by police. The
house of local MLA in Kolar Varthur
Prakash was stoned but police rushed and
dispersed the protesters, police said.
The protesters, including some political
leaders, are demanding a CBI probe into
what they allege is the mysterious death
of Ravi, who on his posting in Bengaluru
had taken on the land mafia cracking
down on them for tax evasion. Bengaluru
Police Commissioner MN Reddi said that
forensically, medically and examination
of the situation all point to “prima facie
understanding of a suicide.” He said Ravi
was a “bold officer” and it was natural for
people to think he was not a person to
have committed suicide.
But, he added, “let us wait for the medi-
67-year-old Bangladesh railway minister
Mujibul Haque marries 29-year-old
Bangladesh Railway Minister Mujibul Haque, 67,
has married 29-year-old Honufa Akhter Rikta in
the country’s Comilla District.
The wedding took place in the district’s Meerkhola Vilage, reports the Prothom Olo daily.
According to the daily, Haque signed the Kabin
Nama (marriage document) at around 3 pm on
Friday after paying Taka 5,00,001 as denmohor.
The wedding was attended by over 700 people
from the minister’s side.
Apart from four reception gates, most of the
intersections on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway
were decorated to greet the bridegroom minister.
Haque had to pay Taka 1,00,001 to his sistersin-law for passing the gates to enter the bridal
venue.
cal report...no single angle will be untouched.... every angle will be covered.”
Ravi, a Karnataka cadre officer of 2009
batch, who had taken on the sand mafia as
Deputy Commissioner of Kolar district,
had struck a chord with the people for being an honest and responsive officer.
He was posted as Additional Commissioner of Commercial Taxes in October
from Kolar which had then evoked strong
protests from the local people. Police have
announced a special investigation team,
headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police
(South-East) Rohini Katoch, who is a
medical doctor by qualification, to probe
the case.
April 2015
www.Asia
Times .US
Tombs of 221 BC filled
with ancient treasures
unearthed in China
BEIJING: A series of tombs
built thousands of years ago,
some filled with ancient treasures, have been discovered by
archaeologists at a construction site in China’s central
Henan Province.
The archaeological site in
Zhoukou City’s county-level
Xiangcheng city, consists of
21 tombs built thousands of
years ago, spanning from Warring States Period (475-221
BC) and East Han Dynasty
(25-220), said Han Yanzhen,
a scholar at cultural heritage
institute of Zhoukou City.
Among them, 19 tombs are
earth pit in shape and another two are
brick-chambered tombs. Archaeologists
said all but five tombs were damaged by
robbers.
Lots of funeral paraphernalia including
pottery, bronze wares and jewelry were
found in the tombs, state-run Xinhua
news agency reported on Sunday.
PAGE 13
Bride marries guest
at wedding
Uttar Pradesh: A 23-year-old bride Indira
from Rampur was on her way to marrying 25-year-old Jugal Kishore, a resident
of Moradabad when calamity struck. It
was all smooth sailing until the time came
for the duo to exchange their wedding
garlands.
to find that his fiancee had married someone else, said reports.
Just as Kishore extended his arms to
garland his bride, he had an epileptic fit,
falling to the ground in front of the whole
gathering and was rushed to hospital.
Kishore pleaded with Indira, telling her
that he would not be able to face friends
and neighbours if he returned without her.
His relatives, too, tried to intervene on his
behalf but to no avail.
Angry that she had not been informed
of Kishore’s condition, Indira, asked a
member of her brother-in-law’s family,
Harpal Singh, to marry her instead, who
was present at the wedding ceremony.
the rarer discoveries, said Han, adding that
that it was well preserved due to the local
soil conditions.
Archaeologists said the treasures in the
tombs can help researchers to better study
the shape and structure of tombs, culture
and customs between Warring States
Period and East Han Dynasty.
A well-preserved bronze sword was one of
Singh, casually dressed, in jeans and a
leather jacket, was caught off guard, but
promptly agreed to go ahead with the
wedding.
Kishore, who had been rushed to a doctor
by his relatives, went back to the venue
after he regained consciousness to see that
his wife-to-be was now someone else’s.
Kishore and his family later filed a complaint with police which was later retracted. Police chief RP Solanki said: ‘Both
families have amicably resolved the matter. ‘The complaints have been withdrawn.
Kishore and his family have now returned
in peace to Moradabad.’
This time round the “varmala” was
exchanged between Singh and Indira,
which went off without any hitch, with the
pandit reciting the marriage mantras and
asking the new couple to take the seven
“pheras”.
After the ceremony, Mr Kishore returned
to the venue after being treated in hospital
India to grow at 7.8 per cent in 2015-16
surpassing China
New Delhi: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on projected India’s growth rate to surpass China and improve
to 7.8 per cent in next fiscal and further to 8.2 per cent in
2016-17.
India’s growth and investor confidence will improve on
the back of government’s structural reform agenda and
improved external demand, the Asian Development Outlook (ADO), an annual publication of the ADB, said.
It forecast that India’s growth will improve from 7.4 per
cent in current fiscal to 7.8 per cent in 2015-16 and further to 8.2 per cent in 2016-17.
As regards China, the ADB projected the economic
growth to decelerate from 7.4 per cent in current fiscal to
7.2 per cent next fiscal and 7 per cent in 2016-17.
“India is expected to grow faster than the People’s Republic of China in the next few years. The government’s
pro-investment attitude, improvements in the fiscal and
current account deficits, and some forward movement on
resolving structural bottlenecks have helped improve the
business climate and make India attractive again to both
domestic and foreign investors,” ADB Chief Economist
Shang-Jin Wei said.
He, however, cautioned that although the economic prospects look promising, “there are still many “challenges”.
ADB’s estimates
is, however, lower
than the 8-8.5
per cent growth
estimates of Indian government
for the 2015-16
fiscal beginning
April. It is better
than 7.5 per cent
projection by
the International
Monetary Fund
(IMF)?
The ADB said
that strong
growth outlook
is contingent on
further acceleration in investment activity.
“The prospects look promising”.
It said the measures undertaken by the government
including accelerating environment clearances for
infrastructure projects, easing the process of land acquisition for infrastructure and industrial corridors, allowing
auction of coal mines to the private sector, and easing the
compliance burden of labour laws on small and mediumsized industries would help boost growth.
The ADB said that India’s most pressing policy challenge
is to promote cities as engines of economic growth and
jobs. “To fully reap the benefits of urbanisation, the government must make further efforts to coordinate urban
and industry planning to attract industries into cities, and
provide the necessary supporting infrastructure,” it said.
Praising the India’s ‘Make In India’ campaign to boost
domestic manufacturing, Shang said “Indian government’s programme is even more striking (in comparison
to China)”. As regards external sector, he said that the
Indian government and the RBI have been trying to build
up reserves and frame policies to monitor risk.
“India is in stronger position today than what it used to
be. Government is making effort to increase FDI?to deal
with financial instability,” Shang said.
As regards the new monetary policy framework, under
which the RBI’s primary objective would be to maintain price stability while remaining mindful of growth,
the ADB said it would help in restraining inflation and
improve the coordination between monetary and fiscal
policy.
PAGE 14
www.Asia
Times .US
China, Japan resumes security talks!
April 2015
-Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal
Tensions in relations between the Asian giants China and
Japan, due mainly to territorial claims, remain intact but
now there seems to be a forward movement from both to
reduce frictions by constructive talks.
China and Japan held their first security talks in four
years on March 26 and agreed to keep alive and foster a
nascent recovery in bilateral ties plagued by the legacy of
Japan’s wartime aggression and a territorial dispute. The
security meeting involved top officials from the two countries’ foreign and defense ministries, the Foreign Ministry
said in a statement. The last such meeting was in January
2011 in Beijing but the strains in relations and mutual accusations halted the process.
The world’s second- and third-largest economies after the
USA, however, failed to set a timetable for the implementation of a scheme designed to ensure real-time communication between their armed forces. Although both sides
at the meeting agreed to work to implement the scheme
at an early date, no agreement was reached on a concrete
schedule toward that goal, the officials said.
to ease the constraints of Japan’s pacifist constitution
on its military have unnerved China. Japan says China’s
defence policy lacks transparency.
Sino-Japanese relations have chilled over what China
views as Japan’s reluctance to properly atone for its wartime past as well as a dispute over a group of tiny East
China Sea islets. Patrol ships and fighter jets from both
countries have shadowed each other regularly near the
uninhabited islands that are controlled by Japan but also
claimed by China, prompting fears that an accidental collision could spark conflict.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese premier
Shinzo Abe, in their the first time ever formal talks
last year November, on the sidelines of an Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, in a step forward
towards repairing their ties, agreed to aim for implementation of a plan for hot lines between defence officials as
well as communication between vessels and aircraft to
convey each other’s intentions and avoid clashes.
In the meeting, hailed by Xi as the first step toward
improved ties, the two agreed to work for the implementation of a bilateral crisis management mechanism. A
Japanese Foreign Ministry official told a media briefing
after the one-day meeting that both sides agreed that the
tide is beginning to turn for the better regarding relations between Japan and China, following the summit
meeting. They also agreed that it is important to keep on
taking positive steps in various areas and at various levels
to firmly establish this trend. The same month, Japanese
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, agreed to resume the security talks that
began in 1993.
China and Japan consider the importance of engaging another important Asia Pacific nation in talks for creating a
peaceful environment in the region. South Korea In a sign
of a thaw in Sino-Japanese ties, foreign ministers of Japan,
China and South Korea are set to meet on March 28 Saturday in Seoul for the first time in nearly three years.
Relations between the Asia’s largest
economies have been damaged by conflicting claims to a group of tiny East
China Sea islands after Tokyo’s illegal
nationalization” of China’s Diaoyu Islands in 2012 and the legacy of Japan’s
wartime occupation of its larger Asian
neighbor. Patrol ships and fighter jets
from both countries have shadowed
each other regularly near the uninhabited islands that are controlled by Japan, prompting fears that an accidental
collision could escalate into conflict.
Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s moves
Chinese court jails a man for
6 years for growing beard
Secret airport in China discovered after chopper crash
BEIJING: A court in China’s mainly
Muslim Xinjiang region has sentenced
a man to six years in prison for “provoking trouble” and growing a beard, a
practise discouraged by local authorities,
a newspaper reported.
A secret private airport illegally built
by a wealthy businessman in China was
exposed after he crashed his helicopter,
killing a passenger, state-run media
said.
The court in the desert oasis city of
Kashgar sentenced the 38-year-old
Uighur to six years, while his wife was
given a two-year sentence, according to
the China Youth Daily.
The man “had started growing his beard
in 2010” while his wife “wore a veil hiding her face and a burqa”, the paper said.
The couple were found guilty of “picking
quarrels and provoking trouble”, a vague
accusation regularly used in the Chinese
judicial system.
For more than a year the authorities in
Xinjiang have been campaigning against
men growing beards — a practice officials associate with extremist ideas.
A campaign dubbed “Project Beauty”
also encourages women to leave their
heads bare and abandon wearing the
veil, a relatively widespread practice
among the Uighurs — the main Muslim
ethnic group in Xinjiang.
The Kashgar couple had “received
several warnings” before being charged,
the newspaper reported, citing local
officials.
“Since the beginning of the year, a
certain number of people breaking the
regulation on beards, veils and burqas
have been prosecuted and sentenced,”
officials in Kashgar were quoted as saying by the paper.
Kashgar authorities could not be
reached for comment. Rights groups believe Beijing’s repression of the Uighurs’
culture and religion has fanned tensions
in Xinjiang, a resource-rich region that
abuts central Asia.
Violence increased last year and at
least 200 people were killed in a series
of bombings and deadly clashes with
security forces, blamed by Beijing on
“separatists” and “religious extremists”.
Private aircraft ownership by China’s
wealthy elite has grown in recent years,
but the military controls airspace and is
reluctant to permit private flights.
A businessman surnamed Li crashed a
helicopter into a reservoir when flying
in the eastern province of Anhui last
week, the Global Times reported.
Li - the chief manager of a construction
machinery company who paid over one
million yuan ($160,000) for his chopper
- swam to safety but a 25-year-old male
passenger was killed, it said.
In April last year authorities in Xinjiang’s Shaya county offered cash to
informants to report on neighbours with
excessive facial hair.
Local reporters found a “hidden”
airport nearby, spreading across 20,000
square metres (24,000 square yards) and
protected by barbed wire, boasting three
helipads and a 400 metre runway, as
well as a swimming pool and log cabins,
it added.
In August authorities in Karamay city
banned people with large beards or Islamic clothing from travelling on public
buses.
“Every single wall inside the cabins has
planes painted on it and ‘flying club’ is
written at the bottom of the swimming
pool,” the newspaper quoted a witness
as saying.
This picture shows people taking photos
as rescuers transport a crashed helicopter in Hefei, east China’s Anhui province. (AFP Photo)
Private aircraft ownership in China is
low compared with other large economies, with just a few hundred said to be
registered.
But growing reports of “black flights”, as
the clandestine trips are known, reveal a
wealthy elite paying for the privilege of
zooming to work in a plane or helicopter.
The government plans to “open” lowaltitude airspace of under 1,000 metres
(3,300 feet) nationwide this year, official
media have reported, without giving a
specific date.
Pilots flying illegally in China can be
fined up to 100,000 yuan. The Global
Times said Li’s punishment has not
been decided.
It cited local media as saying the airport
was declared illegal and will be demolished “within a week”.
April 2015
PAGE 15
www.Asia
Times .US
Pakistanis in Riyadh Support
the Cause of Charity
By: Faiz Al-Najdi
Pakistanis in Riyadh proved that they
were prepared to put their weights
behind any project meant for the noble
cause. This past weekend, they were
able to raise SR 250,000 for Pakistan
Kidney Center –a dream project of the
Jeddah based Pakistan Welfare Society
- aka: PWS. This fund raising event
was hosted by PWS in the Chancery
Hall of the Embassy of Pakistan.
The event was attended by a large
number of Pakistanis from Riyadh and
its adjoining areas. Pakistani Ambassador HE Manzur Ul Haq was the Chief
Guest on the occasion.
The event was moderated by Dr. Erum
Qalbani. It began with some entertainment items for the audience. A short
one-act play was presented where in
Juliet – a character from Shakespeare’s
“Romeo and Juliet” drama arrives in
Saudi Arabia in pursuit of her lover Romeo. She accidently bumps into Ranjha
– a character from the Punjabi folk-lore
of “Heer-Ranjha” and Kaidoo - the villain from the same. Dr. Erum Qalbani
beautifully portrayed the character of
Juliet. Ranjha was played by Ehsan Abbasi while Nadeem played the role of
Kaidoo. This one-act play was written
by Tazeen.
This followed a session of droll-n-satire
poetry and the guest was none other
than the famous and master of drolln-satire poetry – Anwar Masood. Poet
Anwar Masood kept everyone engrossed and absorbed while he continued with quatrains after quatrains of
his epic pieces of droll-n-satire poetry.
He also entertained especial requests
from his fans in the audience. In between he also narrated some interesting real life funny anecdotes that were
received with bursts of laughter and
clapping.
Engr. Muhammad Mansha – PWS
member – made a brief introductory
presentation about PWS – its missionn-vision and about its activities and
achievements.
Dr. Khalil Ur Rahman – the Presi-
dent of Pakistan Welfare Society Trust
informed that he founded PWS in
Jeddah in 2006. He also mentioned that
since past two years free medical camps
are held fortnightly in the premise of
Pakistani Consulate in Jeddah. “About
16000 patients have been served so far
via these free medical camps and about
0.5 million Saudi Riyals have been
spent by PWS in this connection, “Dr.
Khalil added. Dr. Khalil informed that
his dream project of Pakistan Kidney
Center in Abbottabad was conceived
in 2012 and the foundation stone was
laid by ace Pakistani scientist Dr. Abdul
Qadeer Khan. “The buildings and the
facilities are already in place and OPD
and Dialysis Center shall be up and
running in April this year, “Dr. Khalil
announced amongst huge clapping.
Dr. Khalil added the Kidney Center
shall serve 60 patients daily. He also
informed that mobile hospital would
be on ground in August this year. “The
concept of mobile hospital is to reach
far flung places to screen people if they
have kidney ailments or not. This is to
detect the disease at an early stage, “Dr.
Kalil informed. Dr. Khalil also mentioned that Jeddawais have donated
generously towards his project and he
is excited to see as to how Pakistanis in
Riyadh would respond.
Before actual fund raising session was
commenced a presentation was made
by Arjumand Warsi on the Islamic
teaching on giving.
Dr. Mansour Memon and Engr. Jaleel
Hasan very smartly conducted the
entire session of fund raising and were
able to charge and motivate the audience to come out and make pledges
generously.
Pakistani Ambassador HE Manzur Ul
Haq was all praise for Dr. Khalil Ur
Rehman and his team at PWS for conceiving this dream project of Kidney
Center. “According to an estimate there
are about 10 million kidney patients
in Pakistan and this project would
definitely play a role towards helping the kidney patients in and around
Abbottabad, “Haq mentioned. In this
connection Haq commented that Pakistanis were among the leading nations
who supported charity works. He made
especial mention of legend Abdus
Sattar Edhi. “We are proud of the fact
that Edhi is running the World’s largest
ambulance service and the appreciable
thing is that he is managing this project
entirely with the support & patronage from the Pakistani donors, “Haq
proudly mentioned. He also made a
mention of the Akhuat Foundation of
Amjad Saqib in Pakistani. “He is another proud Pakistani who is running an
NGO and extending financial help to
the poor men and women to empower
them – entirely from the donations by
Pakistanis, Haq added.
The event concluded with award of
memento shields to Pak Ambassador,
Anwar Masood and to Dr. Erum Qalbani – and of course with sumptuous
dinner consisting of mouth-watering
culinary cuisines.
Faiz Al-Najdi is a Riyadh Based Professional Engineer, a Writer, and a Social
Worker;
Email: faizalnajdi@gmail.com
Asia Times US
FREE
for FREE Subscription Email to:
EditorAsiaTimes@gmail.com
FREE
April 2015
On the lighter side....
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 16
A man who was just married was flying to the Florida
Keys for a business trip. His new bride was to accompany
him the next day. When he got there he E-mailed his wife
to let her know he made it there safely.
eggs.
When he sent the E-mail he miss-typed the address. In
Boston, a grieving widow, whose husband has recently
passed away, receives the E-mail. She reads it, screams,
and faints.
The wife runs to the fri-
Hearing her grandmother’s cry, the widow’s 18-year-old
granddaughter runs into the living room to see the computer on with a message. It reads:
“WE NEED BUTTER! Are you CRAZY??? Where are we
going to get the butter? They’re going to stick! HURRY!”
Dear love,
=======================================
A policeman parked his police van in front of the station,
while gathering his equipment, his K-9 partner Tops was
barking.
Just got here. Preparing for your arrival tomorrow. Can’t
wait to see you.
He saw a little boy staring in at him, “Is that a dog you got
back there?” he asked.
Love,
“It sure is,” the policeman replied.
Your Husband
=======================================
One day an employee came in to work with both of his
ears bandaged.
Puzzled, the boy looked at him and towards the back of
the van.
When his boss asked him what happened, he explained:
“Yesterday I was ironing a shirt when the phone rang and
I accidentally answered the iron instead of the phone!”
“Well,” the boss said, “that explains one ear, but what
about the other?”
“They called back!”
=======================================
A little girl asked her mother, “Can I go outside and play
with the boys?” Her mother replied, “No, you can’t play
with the boys, they’re too rough.” The little girl thought
about it for a few moments and asked, “If I can find a
smooth one, can I play with him?”
Finally he asked; “What did he do?”
=======================================
A woman is cooking eggs in the kitchen when her husband comes running in. Immediately, he sees the eggs and
gasps in horror.
“Be careful! CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh, my
GOSH!”
The wife, startled at her husband’s violent reaction, dashes
to the fridge to get some butter.
“You’re cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn
them! TURN THEM NOW!”
The wife, concerned by the status of her husband’s mental
state,forgets about the butter and goes running to the
Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli
In Delhi For
Suresh Raina’s Wedding
As earlier we reported, that actress Anushka Sharma and beau Virat Kohli took some
time off from their professional life and were spotted in Delhi. The two were spotted having dinner together.
They were seen walking hand in hand once again in Virat’s hometown Delhi. She also
visited his home to meet his family.
The couple was once again clicked outside Virat Kohli’s house in Meera Bagh area of
the capital night. The duo was heading to a friend’s place where a lot of fans gathered to
catch a glimpse of them.
According to the reports, Anushka Sharma will be joining Virat Kohli to Suresh Raina’s
wedding today April 3. Cricketer Suresh Raina is tying the knot with Priyanka Chowdhary at Hotel Leela Palace in Delhi.
Cricketer Virat Kohli will soon go on grounds to play 8th edition of IPL from April 7.
While ladylove Anushka Sharma is expected to perform at the opening ceremony of IPL
8 on April 7.
“CAREFUL about the eggs! CAREFUL. You NEVER
listen to me when you’re cooking! Never! Turn them
quickly! Oh not that quickly, don’t you know how to
cook? Are you insane? Turn the EGGS!”
At this point, the wife starts crying, since she has no idea
what to do.
She gasps, “What is WRONG with you? I know how to
cook eggs.”
The husband simply smiles and replies, “I just wanted to
show you what it feels like while I’m driving with you in
the car,” and leaves
=======================================
A teacher asked little Johnny if he knows his “1 to 10”
well.
“Yes! Of course! My pop taught me...even more than 10”
“Good. What comes after three?”
“Four,” answers the boy.
“What comes after six?”
“Seven.”
“Very good,” says the teacher. “Your erm...dad did a good
job. Now...so what comes after...lets say ten?”
“A jack!
April 2015
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 17
Hyderabad
Contract marriage
MIM to contest one more
raises its ugly head
seat in Mumbai
again in Old City
the Sena-BJP’s “anti-minority” moves and
Hyderabad: The entire party machinery
HYDERABAD: A minor girl who was
forced into a 15-day contract marriage
with a 70-year-old Omani national managed to contact the police who rescued
her from a house in Hafeezbaba Nagar
in Kanchanbagh. The Omani national,
Shaikh Khamis Mohammad Khamis, was
arrested. The 17-year-old victim’s mother
had connived with brokers to facilitate the
marriage, police said.
The marriage took place for the 15-day
contract period, the girl’s mother was paid
Rs one lakh. On Friday, the girl took the
help of a relative who contacted south
zone DCP V Satyanarayana and narrated
her plight. The DCP immediately sent a
police team who rescued the girl from a
house in Hafeezbaba Nagar in Kanchanbagh and arrested the Omani national.
The others involved in the case, including
the girl’s mother and the brokers, have
been detained. The accused reportedly did
not involve a qazi in the contract marriage.
Police said Khamis came to the city nearly
10 days ago and contacted two brokers
including a woman. These two brokers
contacted the victim’s mother and struck
the deal. The victim’s father had passed
away some years ago.
“Since the police have kept a strict vigil on
qazis for sometime now to crack down on
contract marriages, none came forward to
perform this particular marriage. The victim was completely averse to the marriage
and was forced into it,’’ Satyanarayana
said.
The girl’s statement has been recorded and
Khamis is likely to be booked under the
Nirbhaya Act.
Telangana, Andhra
Pradesh power tariff
has shock in store - DC
While it might not seem that the new
power tariff that has come into effect
from April 1 in Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh will burden the consumer much,
the reality is different.
The two Electricity Regulatory Commissions have stated that the hike will be 4.42
per cent for Telangana consumers and 5
per cent for Andhra Pradesh consumers.
However, one will have to pay a lot more
once the consumption crosses the 100unit and 200-unit threshold.
People who consume 100 units will have
to pay a monthly bill of Rs 202.50, excluding other charges. But once it goes up to
101 units, the bill will be Rs 263.60 paisa,
an extra Rs 61.50 for that single unit of
extra consumption. Similarly, those who
consume 200 units a month will get a
bill for Rs 620. However, if the consumption touches 201 units, the bill becomes
Rs 826.80. A difference of Rs 226.80 for
consuming one extra unit.
This is more or less the same in Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana State as both
states have announced that they will
continue the telescopic system. Discom
officials expressed their inability to do
anything about the discrepancies in the
power bills.
“We cannot do anything since the system
is such. We experienced several flaws
in the non-telescopic system in the past
and people have to take care while using
power,” a senior adviser to the Telangana
Distribution Company said.
APERC as well as TSERC had announced
that they would not touch tariffs of consumers using up to 200 units. The burden
would fall on those consuming over 200
units, divided into eight sub-categories
like first 50 units after 200 units, 51-100
units, 101-150 units etc. All these subcategories have different tariff structures.
Even a single day’s difference can mean
Rs 203.20 extra, according to a study.
Similarly, for those consuming below
100 units, and if the billing is not done
promptly, the difference will be Rs 63.50.
Lakhs of consumers in both states are
being charged extra this way, according to
observers.
The number of consumers who consume
more than 200 units (domestic and commercial) in Telangana is 8 lakh whereas in
AP the number is around 11 lakh.
In Hyderabad (GHMC limits) alone, the
total number of domestic consumers who
consume more than 200 units a month
will be around 3.5 lakh.
“This is the reason why we have suggested
time and again to ensure that the bill is
adjusted to 30 days only. Let them take
the reading whenever they want. It does
not matter. But the bill should be adjusted
for just 30 days every month. The extra
days should not be counted. Only then
will the consumer not lose anything,” Mr
Kancherla Raghu, expert in power-related
matters.
of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen
has presently been camped at the Bandra
East constituency in Mumbai to bag the
seat in the ensuing bypolls.
The party has given the ticket to Rahbar
Khan, who was defeated in the 2014 elections. Sources in the party revealed that
the party again offered the ticket to Mr
Khan, a local businessman, on the ground
that he had secured 23,976 votes in the
2014 Assembly elections and stood third
after Shiv Sena and BJP.
The party believes that Mr Khan has the
sympathy of voters of the constituency,
particularly Muslims and Dalits.
The segment has around 80,000 Muslims
and about 50,000 Dalits.
Mr Asaduddin Owaisi and Mr Akbaruddin Owaisi, the star campaigners of the
party, are camped in Bandra along with
seven MLAs and several former corporators of Hyderabad and two party MLAs
from Maharashtra.
During campaigning, the Owaisi brothers
are mainly concentrating on highlighting
are also targeting the Congress-NCP, reminding voters of their 15-year “misrule”
in Maharashtra.
They are hoping that the decision of the
BJP-Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government of scrapping reservations to Muslims
will definitely prove to be a plus point in
the bypolls.
“This time our party will give a tough
fight to Shiv Sena and BJP in the by-polls.
Our poll campaign has been receiving
overwhelming response from voters of the
constituency,” said MIM leaders.
The Election Commission had announced
the bypoll after the death of sitting Siva
Sena MLA Bala Sawant. Shiv Sena has
fielded Trupti Sawant, the former MLA’s
wife. Polling will be held on April 11.
The Congress has announced former
Maharashtra CM Narayan Rane as its candidate and the NCP has decided to extend
support to Mr Rane.
Meanwhile, Mr Akbaruddin Owaisi inaugurated the MIM Maharashtra unit head
office at Nagpada in Mumbai
April 2015
www.Asia
Times .US
Reigious Holidays
PAGE 18
Iftikhar Ahmad London School of Islamics Trust
Muslim country like Pakistan. Indonesia,
Malaysia,Bangladesh,Turkey,Azerbaijan,J
ordan,Palestine has less than 2% Christian
but they have holiday in Christmas then
why don’t this so called “civilized” country
has any holiday for Muslim. However
thanks to New york city. Hope,rest of the
country follows this. America is a so called
a civilised country while Pakistan is so
called a backward country. Christmas and
Easter days are official holidays in Pakistan
since 1947.
Muslim children not only need halal
meat and Eid Holidays but they need
state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers as role models during their
development period also. There is no place
for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a
Muslim school. Legally, the state has an
obligation to respect the rights of parents
to ensure that ‘education and teaching(of
their children) is in conformity with
their own religious and philosophical
convictions.’ The schools must satisfy the
spiritual, moral, social, and cultural needs
of Muslim pupils. State schools with nonMuslim monolingual teachers are not in
a position to satisfy their needs. A good
school is not just a knowledge factory or
a conveyor belt for churning out exam
passes - it is a community, a family. A
community is held together by common
values and principles.
No one has any problem when: Jews keep
beards and wear their traditional caps
Christian priests and nuns wear their religious outfits Buddhist monks wear orange
robes Sikhs keep beards and wear turbans
Indian aunties wear Sarees (cross streets
and hang out in Wal-Mart) Yeah but if
any Muslim male keeps beard or if any
Muslim girl wears hijab then everyone has
problem. It’s Freedom when you go naked
but it’s extremism when you wear hijab just plain hypocrisy! Looking at the case
of France, a major secular nation, I believe
it is also not allowing women freedom by
not letting her to wear her choice of clothing as it supposedly “clashes with French
secular values”.
Stop treating foreigners like garbage and
they will stop ruining your precious country. Why did you let them in in the first
place if you didn’t want them here? They
left everything in their countries because
of your promises. Are you so anxious to
please that you can’t say “no”? I would
love to see you go to a foreign land where
you don’t have any friends, you don’t even
know anyone and you don’t speak the
language, and start from scratch.
The British establishment is wrong in
thinking that Imams are to blame for
extremism. Imams are not solution to
the problem for extremism. Extremism is
nothing to do with Imams. Extremism is
not created from abroad, it is coming from
within. Britain fails to help Muslim communities feel part of British society. Race
trouble is being predicted by the Daily
Express, because of an ethnic boom in UK
major cities. Muslim communities need
imams for the solutions of their needs and
demands in their own native languages.
Muslim parents would like to see their
children well versed in Standard English
and to go for higher studies and research
to serve humanity. The fact is that major-
ity of Muslim children leave schools with
low grades because monolingual teachers
are not capable to teach Standard English
to bilingual Muslim children. A Muslim
is a citizen of this tiny global village. He/
she does not want to become notoriously
monolingual Brit.
None of 7/7 bombers and British Muslim
youths who are in Syria and Iraq are the
product of Muslim schools. They are the
product of British schooling which is the
home of institutional racism with chicken
racist native teachers. It is absurd to believe that Muslim schools, Imams and Masajid teach Muslim children anti-Semitic,
homophobic and anti-western views. It is
dangerously deceptive and misleading to
address text books and discuss them out
of their historical, cultural and linguistic
context.
Bilingual Muslims children have a right,
as much as any other faith group, to be
taught their culture, languages and faith
alongside a mainstream curriculum.
More faith schools will be opened under
sweeping reforms of the education system
in England. There is a dire need for the
growth of state funded Muslim schools to
meet the growing needs and demands of
the Muslim parents and children. Now the
time has come that parents and community should take over the running of their
local schools. Parent-run schools will give
the diversity, the choice and the competition that the wealthy have in the private
sector. Parents can perform a better job
than the Local Authority because parents
have a genuine vested interest. The Local
Authority simply cannot be trusted.
Indiscipline, incivility, binge drinking,
drug addiction, gun and knife crimes,
teenage pregnancies and abortion are part
and parcel of British schooling. These
are the reasons why majority of Muslim
parents would like to send their children
to Muslim schools with Muslim teachers
as role models during their developmental periods. Only less than 10% attend
Muslim schools and more than 90% keep
on attending state and church schools to
be mis-educated and de-educated by nonMuslim monolingual teachers.
The demand for Muslim schools comes
from parents who want their children a
safe environment with an Islamic ethos.
Parents see Muslim schools where children can develop their Islamic Identity
where they won’t feel stigmatised for being
Muslims and they can feel confident about
their faith. Muslim schools are working
to try to create a bridge between communities. There is a belief among ethnic
minority parents that the British schooling
does not adequately address their cultural
needs. Failing to meet this need could result in feeling resentment among a group
who already feel excluded. Setting up Muslim school is a defensive response. State
schools with monolingual teachers are not
capable to teach English to bilingual Muslim children. Bilingual teachers are needed
to teach English to such children along
with their mother tongue. According to a
number of studies, a child will not learn a
second language if his first language is
ignored.
Respect your parents Jaffer Pasha in Riyadh
RIYADH — Prominent Islamic Scholar
Mohammed Husamuddin Sani Amil —
who is also known as, Jaffer Pasha — Amir
Millat E-Islamia, member of All India
Muslims Personal Board and secretary
general of Daral uloom Hyderabad urged
Indian expatriates in Saudi Arabia and
other Gulf countries to take very good
care of their parents and fulfill their duties
toward parents.
The disheartening trend of neglecting parents is rapidly increasing among the young
generation; by falling in love with their
wife they neglect their duties and responsibilities toward their parents, he said.
Old age centers are opened at different
places in India where children are admitting their parents to spend the remaining
life in solitude, said Pasha while speaking
on “Islahi Mashara,” a lecture organized by
Dar Zeba Trading Establishment.
He also said that the number of divorces
have increased exponentially in recent
years, especially in the state of Telangana,
which is very disturbing.
Pasha said: “The main reason behind is
lack of Islamic values. Parents fails to convey the real Islamic values and teachings of
Prophet Mohammed (PUBH) and this has
resulted in Muslims girls getting married
to non-Muslims. The younger generation
are living in darkness, so much so that
many of these girls are converting to Hinduism officially at the Arya Samaj before
marrying their non-Muslim lover.”
The other reason, Pasha stated, was the evil
practice of giving dowry. When Muslim
parents are unable to provide dowry to
their daughters, the latter find it easier to
life by converting.
He urged the Muslim community to
shun away the unnecessary expenses and
showoff in marriage functions, and urged
the community to boycott such functions.
Pasha encouraged the younger generation
to learn Islamic values and adhere to their
responsibilities toward their parents and
life partner.
Another disturbing trend, Pasha said, is
that many Indians expatriates do not talk
to their wife for a long time. “They should
take proper care of their life partner even
they are living in other country.”
“Expatriates who leave behind their wives
and parents have utmost responsibility to
ensure the well-being back home.”
Architect Mohammed Abdul Rahman Saleem, president, Hindustani Bazme Urdu,
was the guest of honor.
He said: “Our values have fallen to such
an extent that we are witnessing divorce
parties and cake cutting ceremony on the
occasion of separation. To gain Islamic
values and knowledge we should adopt
the company of religious scholars and gain
knowledge from them.”
Wali ur Rahman Vajiuddin Soheb, director
Dar Zeba, presided over the function. “We
should follow the Sunnah of our beloved
Prophet in every aspect of life then we
won’t need any consultation. The Qu’ran
and Sunnah of the Prophet is the biggest
guidance for us in a every aspects of life.”
Mohammed Abdul Rafay recited few
verses from the Qu’ran; Mohammed
Amjad Hussami recited a poem written by
late Hameeduddin Aqil, father of visiting
scholar.
Masiuddin, Syed Rauf Hussain Talwar
were the guests of honor. Traditional
shawls were presented to the scholar and
other guests.
Khaja Aleemuddin conducted the proceedings.
April 2015
HADITH
Bismillah Walhamdulillah
Was Salaatu Was Salaam
‘ala Rasulillah
As-Salaam Alaikum
Wa-Rahmatullahi WaBarakatuhu
Narrated by Abu Huraira
(Radhiallaho anho):
Allah’s Messenger (sallAllaahu ‘alaihi wasallam)
said: If you were to know,
or if they were to know,
what (excellence) lies in
the first rows, there would
have been drawing of lots
(for filling them); and Ibn
Harb said: For (occupying)
the first row there would
have been drawing of lots.
Sahih Muslim Number 880
**************************
*************
Narrated by Abu Hurairah
(Radhiallaho anho):
Allah’s Messenger (sallAllaahu ‘alaihi wasallam)
said: He who bless me
once, Allah would bless
him ten times.
Sahih Muslim Number 808
**************************
**************
Narrated by Uthman ibn
uffan (Radhiallaho anho):
I heard Allah’s Messenger
(sallAllaahu ‘alaihi wasallam) say: When the time
for a prescribed prayer
comes, if any Muslim
performs ablution well
and offers his prayer) with
humility and bowing, it
will be an expiation for his
past sins, so long as he has
not committed a major sin;
and this applies to for all
times.
Sahih Muslim Number
441
**************************
**************
Narrated by Abu Huraira
(Radhiallaho anho):
Allah’s Messenger (sallAllaahu ‘alaihi wasallam)
said: Five prayers and from
one Friday prayer to (the
next) Friday prayer is an
expiation (of the sins committed in between their
intervals) if major sins are
not committed.
Sahih Muslim Number 448
**************************
***************
Narrated by
Jabir(Radhiallaho anho):
Allah’s Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam)
said “The ten days of the
month of Dhul-Hijjah are
the best days in the sight of
Allah.” A man asked, “Are
these days better than an
equivalent number of days
that are spent fighting for
the cause of Allah?” The
Prophet (peace be upon
him) answered, “They are
better than an equivalent
number of days spent
fighting in the cause of
Allah. And there is no
day better in the sight
of Allah than the Day of
Arafah. On this day Allah, the Almighty and the
Exalted One, descends to
the nearest heaven, and
He is proud of His slaves
on the earth, and says to
those in heaven, “Look at
My servants. They have
come from far and near,
with hair dishevelled and
faces covered with dust,
to seek My Mercy, even
though they have not seen
my chastisement. Far more
people are freed from the
Hellfire on the
Day of Arafah than on any
other day.”
Al-Mundhri said that this
hadith was reported by
Abu Ya’la, al- Bazzar, Ibn
Khuzaimah, and Ibn Hibban, in whose wording it is
given here.
**************************
**************
Narrated by Abu Huraira
(Radhiallaho anho):
Allah’s Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam
said “Pilgrims and those
performing ‘Umrah are
Allah’s guests; their prayers
are answered and their
supplications for forgiveness are granted.
This is reported by Nasa’i,
Ibn Majah, Ibn Khuzaimah
and Ibn Hibban in their
collections of Sahih hadith.
**************************
*************
Narrated by Abu Huraira
(Radhiallaho anho):
Allah’s Messenger (sallAllaahu ‘alaihi wasallam)
said: When any one of you
eats food he should lick
his fingers, for he does not
know in what part of the
food sticking to his fingers
the blessing lies.
Sahih Muslim Number
5050
**************************
***************
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 19
CHICAGO PRAYER TIMING April 2015
April 2015
www.Asia
Times .US
PAGE 20