Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Taking off lockdown from mosques
Government has lifted the lock down from gatherings in mosques, after the President met with the religious scholars and leaders of our country. This is done because most of our religious scholars were holding the stance of not to deprive people of worshiping in mosques during Ramadan which is an opportunity for every Muslim to seek mercy and forgiveness from Allah Almighty.
This relaxation is conditional with certain precautionary measures as for offering Namaz; people are restricted to maintain 6 feet distance between them. No carpets are allowed in the mosques and people are advised to perform their Itikaf in their homes instead of mosques. But instead of comfort, this decision has resulted in creating an atmosphere of restlessness and dissatisfaction. People are putting forward their concerns regarding this untimely compromise of Government, just to tackle the pressure exercised by the religious scholars. I agree that this is the testing time for our faith and we should always believe that we cannot deceive our death whenever it is supposed to come.
Allah has created man for His worship but with it He has also given us the status of Ashraful Makhlooqat, with the power of sensibility and will to be utilized in such circumstances. Our religious scholars should be flexible in their approach because all of us are equally worried because of this pandemic. All of us are anxiously waiting for the blissful moments of Ramadan but this is not the right time to demand such kind of relaxations that can cost the lives of our poor citizens. Islam teaches to protect ourselves and others in case of any deadly contagious disease and not to become the cause of ailment for others with our actions.
SHAHBAZ HAYAT
Rawalpindi
Is India secular, democratic state?
Officially, India claims itself to be a Secular State besides claiming to be the largest democracy on this planet. In a secular State, all the communities have the right to profess and practise their religions without any fear of repression from the State and its institutions. Besides, in a secular State, all the religions and their followers are respected by giving them freedom to go to their places of worship. In a secular State, religious, political, cultural and social rights of minorities are also protected.
But, since independence of India, the slogan/mantra of “secularism” has turned out to be an eye-wash for many of its dwellers, specially the minorities. The minorities (Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, etc.) have not only been oppressed in India officially but they have been given step-motherly treatment as well. So much so, minorities are not freely allowed to exercise their faith in their respective places of worship. In the past, many incidents of the killings of the minorities (especially Muslims) have happened in India, which have exposed the real face of the country before the world. This thing has clearly manifested that India is not a secular state.
With regard to India being largest democracy of the world, it may be said that on this front too, the country has failed. The minorities, especially Muslims, are not being allowed to express their free will and opinion on a number of issues pertaining to their lives. The example of the Muslims of the IoK is before us where the innocent Kashmiris, over the years, are being punished and killed at the State level for expressing their right of self-determination. I think, now India should stop calling itself a secular and the largest democratic state of the world because of her misdeeds committed in its country against various minority communities.
ABDUL SAMAD SAMO
Karachi
India, very dangerous country
India is a very cruel and dangerous country in the world. Everyday we see hundreds of Muslims being killed by the BJP goons and the Modi government does nothing to stop these atrocities from taking place.
If this continues, very soon there will not be a single Muslim living in India and India will be a completely Hindu nation.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
Unearthing critical abilities of our student
Curiosity about sundry things makes the human mind to expand hands down. This curiosity, unhappily, is not welcomed in our educational institutions. Teachers find themselves in dilemma when answering the out-of-the-box questions asked by children.
This alarming ongoing trend, for decades actually, is producing generations after generations with no mental sharpness and critical abilities to solve issues: societal, educational and in connection with practical life. This must be considered the sole reason of our students to have no expertise in their respective subjects and their curriculum in our educational institutions. It also ultimately induces in students to choose shortcuts when faced with any kind of setback in life. This trend must be discouraged at local and national levels across country.
Out of the box techniques – visual learning, application of theories, learning by games – be applied by teachers to make the mind of their students expand itself with the passage of time. Questions be made in a way that every individual could answer them according to his mind with some logical justification no matter how the logic seems silly. This, of course, is not a walk in the park and it will take time, but once get done, a new generation with new thinking would, for sure, emerge in our country to tackle the conventional and intricate problems of every kind: be it local, national or international.
MUHAMMAD WAQAS KHAN
Dera Ismail Khan
Why I help stranded Kashmiris
Many people have asked why I am helping stranded Kashmiris alone, why not other stranded people ? This is my reasonse: (i) I have been helping other stranded people also, though that has not been publicised. (ii) However, it is true I am doing more for stranded Kashmiris because being a Kashmiri myself I have a sentimental attachment to people of my ancestral home. (iii) Kashmiris have been to some extent alienated from India, and I wish them to feel that Indians are not hostile to them ( except a few ). This initiative will aid national integration. Both Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims have suffered in the past, and now the time has come to bind up our wounds, and move ahead.
(iv) Vivek Tankha and I, who started this initiative, are both Kashmiri Pandits, and we want Kashmiri Muslims to know KPs are not hostile to KMs, despite what happened in the past, and are in fact helping them in their hour of need. (v) We are intending to revive Chinar Foundation, an organisation seeking to unite all Kashmiris irrespective of religion under one umbrella (like the huge Kashmiri Chinar tree which gives shade and comfort to all). All Kashmiris share the same Sufi culture (also known as Rishi culture) which stands for tolerance, brotherhood and compassion for all human beings irrespective of his/her religion, and we invite even non Kashmiris who believe in this culture to join us. After the lockdown is over we intend to inaugurate the Chinar Foundation formally
MARKANDEY KATJU
India
World Malaria Day
Malaria is a life threatening disease with over 200 million cases and 400,000 deaths reported each year. Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc around the globe, we must note that many other deadly diseases like malaria still affect people around the globe tremendously. 25April is marked as World Malaria Day to recognize global efforts to control malaria.
Malaria is one of those diseases which continue to decline each year; thanks to the efforts put in by various organizations and countries around the globe. Healthcare workers of endemic countries play a huge role in fighting this disease and as time passes by, we all hope for a malaria-free world.
GHANVA NAQVIE
Islamabad
