THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
As US engagement in Iraq continues to sap its energy and weaken its credibility, their fortunes in Afghanistan appear to be wildly different than a mere country (Iran) seperating them would suggest. Seemingly, the 37 country strong ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) with it's 9,500 troops and now with the PRTs (Provincial Reconstruction Teams) gradually making their presence felt in Mazare-Sharif and beyond, the US is left to concentrate it's muscle on the porous Afghanistan/Pakistan border. Meanwhile, the Locals appear content with the peace and prospective prosperity looming on their horizon.
The confirmation of Hamid Karzai as president just as as his principal backer George W. Bush.performs a not too dissimilar feat thousands of miles away could easily lead one to be reasonably optimistic of Afghanistan's future. Continuity breeding stability in a scenario where the focus may have changed somewhat from 'Flushing out remnants of the Taliban and Al-Qaida' to extending ISAF's authority beyond Kabul, tackling the spiralling drugs issue and rebuilding a country shattered by over two decades of war.
In our short trip, opportunity beckoned for us to witness how the British, as effective stakeholders in Afghanistan's future were putting their skills and resources to use in benefitting the Afghan nation.
Undoubtedly, similarities do exist between Iraq and Afghanistan as far as the Muslim world is concerned. The US and its allies are deemed to be micro-managing their affairs, a little military tweak here, a political shuffle there and perhaps a social experiment elsewhere.
Nevertheless, the differences appear to vastly overshadow the similarities and this is where the vast historical experience of the British comes into its own. Living in Britain, one can quite easily understand and even empathise with the British emphasis on capturing the hearts and minds of the locals. A method of comparison could be illustrated in witnessing the difference between how the British conduct their mobile patrols (lightly armoured, open-jeeps, engaging with the community etc. compared to the Germans in their state-of-the-art tanks, armoured to the hilt as they whizz by from locality to locality).
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw recently discussed progress in Afghanistan, symbolised by 80% of the electorate turning out, but he re-iterated the need to disarm, demobilise and re-integrate militias (DDR) into mainstream society. He recognised that opium cultivation represented half the value of Afghanistan's non-drugs GDP , drug addiction wass growing and although he cites 7,000 addicts in Kabul, the Nejat centre (Drug Rehabilitation Centre) put the figure closer to 60,000. Nevertheless, he highlighted it as the greatest threat to the future of Afghanistan and considering 95% of the heroin in the UK originates from Afghanistan, the cause for concern is amplified.
In an encouraging move, the religious council of Afghanistan has issued a fatwa condemning narcotics.
On the funding front, $12.5 billion in international reconstruction aid has been pledged over the coming years (of which $3.5billion has already been disbursed) with G8 partners, The World Bank and The European Commission being fully engaged. Between 13 to 15,000 Afghan Police have been recruited and trained. Kabul is now certified as being free of heavy weapons while 80% is the nationwide figure given.
From the militia 20,000 had been re-integrated into regular army or civilian life.
The UK itself is committing 500 million pounds upto the year 2007 for reconstruction.
Outside Kabul, violence was thought to be sporadic with recent examples of engagement in Zabul and Kandahar, for which the Taleban appear to take responsibility. Other provinces thought to be particularly unsafe were Badakshan and Gardez. Which brings us appropriately to the subject of the Afghan National Army (ANA), predicted to be built up by 2009 according to the British Commander in Chief. He added that people wanted a national identity as opposed to being seen as Pashtuns, Tajiks or Uzbeks etc.
In relation to the elections, apart from the much reported indelible ink issue, there was some concern raised about there not being enough neutral observers to monitor the election process. While many approached the election with much gusto and eagerness, there were those that did not understand who or what they were voting for, some even thought the elections would automatically improve their lives. In light of improved security, ex-refugees had returned in droves from both Iran and Pakistan.
Germany, which was singled out in particular by the Imaam in Mazar-e-Sharif for the Bonn process, was not only involved with training the police force in Kabul but was also taking initiatives for providing employment viz. AGEF with help from Japan, the UNHCR and other NGO"S. 15,000 Afghanis are thought to have benefitted in Kabul so far.
On the subject of NGO's, they were involved in various projects ranging from building schools to engaging in health projects throughout the country. Some encountered problems in the form of violent attacks from locals at times, particularly in the past year. Other organisations like Christian Aid tended to be involved in developing conflict de-escalation strategies.
It is important to point out that there has also been a decrease in NGO staff as they're deemed to be competing with each other (globally, due to skills shortage). Interestingly, they described the elections as a spiritual upliftment.
Media in Afghanistan has clearly become more free in the past few years although locals do occassionally raise concerns about programmes such as the BBC production 'New Home New Life' pushing boundaies a bit too far and suspect an erosion of Afghan culture as a result.
Returning back to the DDR issue, we were fortunate enough to meet it's Director Peter Cruickshank , who quite concisely explained that regional power balances (The Warlord Phenomenon) had not changed by de-commissioning military units. He pointed out that 450 to 650 commanders needed to be dismantled while opining that a viable national army may take many years to create. Stressing that the DDR programme didn't resort to coercive methods to achieve their objectives, rather a voluntary one using incentives until the ANA was capable of imposing itself.
Re-emphasising his focus on de-factionalising and removing the power base of commanders, he gave examples of incentives ranging from medals given to those who disarm in ceremonies with President Karzai, clothing and food allowances, some given agricutural incentives, others access to micro-credit, even vocational traing and job placement (A huge demand for de-miners and teachers existed).
Meanwhile, some commanders were thought to get $5-600 per month while others were given the option of embarking on the Hajj.
"There was a problem with mass communication and getting the message across." lamented Mr. Cruickshank (A former British Military man himself).
Targets were very ambitious (i.e initial targets pointed to June 2005 as date for total disarmament)and an additional problem was deciding whether they were in a conflict or post-conflict situation, he reasoned.
Overall, the development of Afghanistan cannot be described as aformality and the challenges that lay ahead were immense. Nevertheless, there was certainly a distinctly positive strain emanating from the British Camp, the borrowed metaphor of the glass being 20% full rather than being 80% empty was an apt way of marching on.
Showing posts with label THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004. Show all posts
Showing posts with label THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004. Show all posts
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Diary of a Correspondent – Part 2
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
After our flying day-trip to Mazar- e-Sharif, we are back in dusty Kabul for our remaining two days which promise to be as hectic as the previous three.
DAY4:
0900hrs:
It's a visit to the British Embassy once again for a briefing on the nation-wide Drugs Interdiction/Eradication Programme. Please visit www.unodc.org and click on the Afghanistan link to see how the project is faring.
1045hrs:
Our next stop is the Nejat Centre in the city which oversees a drugs-rehabilitation programme where we are welcomed by Dr. Tariq Suleman, accompanied by drums played by patients at the centre. This was a programme that originated in Peshawar in 1991 and although the amount of addicts in Kabul were estimated at around 60,000, the number of patients being treated at the Nejat centre was around 20per month including a facility to house 10 patients to undergo detoxification and then rehabilitation.
1200hrs:
We were then taken a short distance to the female version of the Nejat Centre to witness how they were being treated. It was explained that a city-wide campaign with the help of female social workers led to 10-15 female addicts visiting on a daily basis. There were estimated to be 24,000 women affected by opium and hashish addiction in Kabul.
1300hrs:
Back to base for lunch before venturing out again to visit the Halo Trust's de-mining project in Afghanistan.
1400hrs:
We are welcomed by Dr. Farid Ahmed Hamayun who explains that the Halo Trust's involvement in Afghanistan began in 1988 in the wake of the Russian exit from Afghanistan. Their activity developed with a constant mine-awareness programme and despite all the subsequent turmoil, Kabul was finally designated a mine-free area in the year 2000. With nearly 2000 staff. the Halo Trust was easily Afghanistan's largest de-mining project. With an estimation of between 460 to 600 thousand mines the enormity of the task was beyond emphasis.
1545hrs:
There was enough time left in the day for us to take part in a mobile patrol in district 16 where we accompanied British troops on their regular patrol. This was our first opportunity to mingle with local people on the outskirts of Kabul and all other correspondents found this to be a most fruitful experience. Many of the locals expressed how beneficial albeit weird, foreign troop presence was. Our eagerness to mingle with the locals was equally matched by local hospitality as crowds built up on learning of our arrival.
1630hrs:
Head back to base to contemplate on our experiences of the day.
DAY5:
0800hrs:
Alas, today is our final day and although we fly at around 1500hrs, this is the point where we have to clear our living quarters and hand in our luggage for check-in.
0900hrs:
As there is nothing scheduled for us to do for the rest of the day, our team of journalists ponder over what to do to bide our time.
1000hrs:
It's eventually decided that we take the plunge and venture out into the city at our own risk. As we exit the camp, we hail a taxi and agree to take a drive to the Intercontinental Hotel in the City which is deemed to be the foremost venue for visiting journalists. Our taxi driver, Mr. Sher Khan gives us an insight into how life has changed over the years, describing that although normalcy prevailed in Kabul, the cost of living was rapidly increasing, citing an example of the price of fuel rocketing from 13 Afghanis prior to the election to 24 Afghanis (approx. 19pence > 34 pence per litre). At the 199 -room hotel we found that around half the rooms were occupied at roughly $80 a night which contrasted with the Taliban's time where occupancy was around 2-3 rooms although rates were in the region of $30 a night.
From here, anxious to get back to camp headquarters (With our flight back to the UK at stake!) our team rushes through some dry-fruit shopping only to realise that the prices quoted were more expensive than the UK. As our taxi-driver hastened to get us back in time his car almost inevitably exerienced a tyre puncture.
Changing our taxi enabled us to witness first-hand the kamikaze element of Kabul driving as our new driver hobbed and weaved through the traffic. With one car in front skidding from one side of the road to the other to avoid a sudden halt, along with our driver not being sure of where we needed to go, not to mention some some other close calls, we felt a sense of achievement in finally arriving back at camp in one piece. The fact that it was in good time was a mere bonus.
1300hrs:
As today was the first of Ramadhan and lunch not being an issue, I decided to be bold enough to venture out once again to seek the nearest mosque for Jumaah prayers.
1415hrs:
Finally, we assemble for our departure from camp as the armoured tanks prepare to escort us to the airport.
-It has been an engrossing and eye-opening trip and my thanks goes out to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Islamic Media Unit and the Armed Forces Media Operations Team for their initiative in constructing this programme. I am sure other Muslim Media would be as keen as myself in embarking on similar ventures in the future.
After our flying day-trip to Mazar- e-Sharif, we are back in dusty Kabul for our remaining two days which promise to be as hectic as the previous three.
DAY4:
0900hrs:
It's a visit to the British Embassy once again for a briefing on the nation-wide Drugs Interdiction/Eradication Programme. Please visit www.unodc.org and click on the Afghanistan link to see how the project is faring.
1045hrs:
Our next stop is the Nejat Centre in the city which oversees a drugs-rehabilitation programme where we are welcomed by Dr. Tariq Suleman, accompanied by drums played by patients at the centre. This was a programme that originated in Peshawar in 1991 and although the amount of addicts in Kabul were estimated at around 60,000, the number of patients being treated at the Nejat centre was around 20per month including a facility to house 10 patients to undergo detoxification and then rehabilitation.
1200hrs:
We were then taken a short distance to the female version of the Nejat Centre to witness how they were being treated. It was explained that a city-wide campaign with the help of female social workers led to 10-15 female addicts visiting on a daily basis. There were estimated to be 24,000 women affected by opium and hashish addiction in Kabul.
1300hrs:
Back to base for lunch before venturing out again to visit the Halo Trust's de-mining project in Afghanistan.
1400hrs:
We are welcomed by Dr. Farid Ahmed Hamayun who explains that the Halo Trust's involvement in Afghanistan began in 1988 in the wake of the Russian exit from Afghanistan. Their activity developed with a constant mine-awareness programme and despite all the subsequent turmoil, Kabul was finally designated a mine-free area in the year 2000. With nearly 2000 staff. the Halo Trust was easily Afghanistan's largest de-mining project. With an estimation of between 460 to 600 thousand mines the enormity of the task was beyond emphasis.
1545hrs:
There was enough time left in the day for us to take part in a mobile patrol in district 16 where we accompanied British troops on their regular patrol. This was our first opportunity to mingle with local people on the outskirts of Kabul and all other correspondents found this to be a most fruitful experience. Many of the locals expressed how beneficial albeit weird, foreign troop presence was. Our eagerness to mingle with the locals was equally matched by local hospitality as crowds built up on learning of our arrival.
1630hrs:
Head back to base to contemplate on our experiences of the day.
DAY5:
0800hrs:
Alas, today is our final day and although we fly at around 1500hrs, this is the point where we have to clear our living quarters and hand in our luggage for check-in.
0900hrs:
As there is nothing scheduled for us to do for the rest of the day, our team of journalists ponder over what to do to bide our time.
1000hrs:
It's eventually decided that we take the plunge and venture out into the city at our own risk. As we exit the camp, we hail a taxi and agree to take a drive to the Intercontinental Hotel in the City which is deemed to be the foremost venue for visiting journalists. Our taxi driver, Mr. Sher Khan gives us an insight into how life has changed over the years, describing that although normalcy prevailed in Kabul, the cost of living was rapidly increasing, citing an example of the price of fuel rocketing from 13 Afghanis prior to the election to 24 Afghanis (approx. 19pence > 34 pence per litre). At the 199 -room hotel we found that around half the rooms were occupied at roughly $80 a night which contrasted with the Taliban's time where occupancy was around 2-3 rooms although rates were in the region of $30 a night.
From here, anxious to get back to camp headquarters (With our flight back to the UK at stake!) our team rushes through some dry-fruit shopping only to realise that the prices quoted were more expensive than the UK. As our taxi-driver hastened to get us back in time his car almost inevitably exerienced a tyre puncture.
Changing our taxi enabled us to witness first-hand the kamikaze element of Kabul driving as our new driver hobbed and weaved through the traffic. With one car in front skidding from one side of the road to the other to avoid a sudden halt, along with our driver not being sure of where we needed to go, not to mention some some other close calls, we felt a sense of achievement in finally arriving back at camp in one piece. The fact that it was in good time was a mere bonus.
1300hrs:
As today was the first of Ramadhan and lunch not being an issue, I decided to be bold enough to venture out once again to seek the nearest mosque for Jumaah prayers.
1415hrs:
Finally, we assemble for our departure from camp as the armoured tanks prepare to escort us to the airport.
-It has been an engrossing and eye-opening trip and my thanks goes out to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Islamic Media Unit and the Armed Forces Media Operations Team for their initiative in constructing this programme. I am sure other Muslim Media would be as keen as myself in embarking on similar ventures in the future.
Diary of a Correspondent - Part 1
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
In the wake of unprecedented elections in Afghanistan, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Muslim Media Unit aptly arranged a trip for a group of Muslim journalists to visit the country. I was fortunate to avail of the opportunity presented to me to be a guest of the British Military contingent for 5 days. Hereby is a day by day account of how our hosts laid out our visit:
Day 1:
1300hrs:
Our Royal Air force plane touches down in Kabul where British tanks receive us. As we make our way under armed escort towards the British headquarters, I notice a gentle trickle of traffic in Kabul where despite arriving only two days beyond polling, life appears to be as normal as it would be in Cambridge or Karachi minus the glaring ruins of decades of war.
Warm handshakes and lunch await us as L/Colonel Ralph Arundel and team give us the low-down on how events have panned out over the past few weeks in general and what to expect on our visit.
1600hrs:
Commander in Chief of British Forces in Afghanistan Charlie Darrell.professes his immense pleasure at having us, he portrayed a distinctly positive mood in terms of how the election panned out, exceeding expectations with an 80-90% turnout. Despite issues of many candidates threatening to boycott the election due to the indelible ink saga and acknowledgement of immense effort needed to rebuild the country, examples of some schools conducting 3 shifts to enable as many children to seek education as possible gave rise to hope for the future.
Meanwhile, he pointed to the pre-election threat of the Taleban not materialising and praised Hamid Karzai for fearlessly carrying forward a reformist agenda.
1700hrs:
After further discussions with Team Leader Arundel, dinner and a much needed rest ensue. Noise of rocket fire in the early hours from the city caused some alarm, thankfully no casualties were reported.
DAY 2:
0900hrs:
Our mode of transport changes from Tank to Toyota Landcruisers as we venture out into the city to the Consulate for an introductory meeting with the British Ambassador Rosalynd Marsden for tea and biscuits.
1000hrs:
We cut across to the German sponsored community re-building project (AGEF) to meet local representatives Khalid Noorzad and Nur Ahmed Sarwari. Their activities included PC training /Internet /Basic English /accounting/ management and various self-employment initiatives. This was essentially a method for re-integrating militia of various factions and ex-refugees with measures in appropriating effective strategies for employment.
We visited classrooms and took the opportunity to speak to ex-militia to find out what specific measures were being taken to re-integrate them into society. We also met ex-refugees from Britain who aimed to help rebuild their country, one particularly moving story was of a returnee who had paid agents 13,500 US dollars to get to England only to work 2 and a half years to repay that money by working in a pizza take-away in Leeds before being deported back home.
1230hrs:
It’s back to the British Embassy for a meeting with Non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) about their activities and problems that they encountered. Dave Mather, managing director for Afghan Aid explained how they took measures to build community infrastructures with various initiatives, while Sarah Ireland, country programme representative for Oxfam talked about their particular emphasis on women’s rights. Representing Christian Aid was Teena Roberts who pointed out their long history of involvement in Afghanistan even prior to the Taleban and focussed on their attempts to de-escalate conflict.
They all felt an element of danger and thought some locals were mistrustful of foreign influence while being perceived as soft targets.
0145hrs:
We move to a different part of Kabul to meet with the Afghan Educational Trust (In conjunction with the BBC World Service Trust) and in doing so witness how decades of war had ravaged the landscape. Empty tracts of land and dilapidated buildings told their own story. Meanwhile, the BBC was providing the technical underpin to promote programmes such as ‘New Home New Life’ which although immensely popular since 1994 was now being used as a major vehicle to push boundaries in educating the Afghani people amidst their new found freedom. They emphasised on the social infrastructure, re-integration of refugees and nation-building.We were talked through by their director Shirazuddin Siddiqi.
1515hrs:
Another dart across town as we head towards the Japanese Embassy to learn about the De-mining/De-mobilisation/Re-integration (DDR) programme and their strategy for consolidation of peace. Paul Cruickshank gave us a presentation about how they aimed to de-commission military units, explaining that 450 to 650 commanders Militias/warlords) needed to be dis-banded. Pointing out that the Afghan National Army (ANA) would take years to create, he stressed that they encouraged voluntary submissions by providing incentives and refrained from forcing the policy as that would be the job of the ANA long-term. He felt there was a serious problem with mass communication and the message in many respects was failing to reach through and that their targets were ambitious.
1800hrs:
Truly a hectic day with little respite and we were glad to head back to base to wind down.
DAY 3:
0700hrs:
An early start as we head for the Airport to fly to Mazar-e-Sharif
1000hrs:
We meet with chief of British Operations John Henderson who discusses how they have been dealing with that particular region since July 2003. Re-iterating their focus on stability and identifying warlords and drugs as the major causes for concern, he explained how they concentrated on developing the grounds for a self-sustaining government using institution-building as a tool while engaging with the community.
1145hrs:
As part of our day tour, the Imam Ali Shrine, where the city derives it’s name is where we meet the local Imam Naafi. Describing the architecturally stunning building as the 4th shrine in Islam, he gave special thanks to Germany for kick starting the peace process (viz.Bonn Conference) and quelling the bloodbath that had tarnished the region. He assigned special praise for the elections but criticised Islamic countries for not helping enough and rued that Muslims from other parts of the World did not visit enough while thanking Iran and Pakistan for hosting their refugees.
1430hrs:
A visit to a Police station where we were welcomed by a quasi-military parade. The chief hailed that in his tenure of 5 months there were no major crimes to report and threats from the Taleban or other militia were non-existent. He considered complete disarmament of the Afghani people was a necessity for stability. Nevertheless, he lamented his pay of $80 dollars a month (An equivalent ranked ANA soldier is thought to earn 10 times that amount) although he maintained that he would continue to work in the national interest.
1530hrs:
After an opportunity for a spot of shopping, it’s back to the airport for our return to Kabul.
1800hrs:
Back in Kabul. Time for dinner and writing up of this report!
Watch this space for the rest!
(Next Week)
In the wake of unprecedented elections in Afghanistan, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Muslim Media Unit aptly arranged a trip for a group of Muslim journalists to visit the country. I was fortunate to avail of the opportunity presented to me to be a guest of the British Military contingent for 5 days. Hereby is a day by day account of how our hosts laid out our visit:
Day 1:
1300hrs:
Our Royal Air force plane touches down in Kabul where British tanks receive us. As we make our way under armed escort towards the British headquarters, I notice a gentle trickle of traffic in Kabul where despite arriving only two days beyond polling, life appears to be as normal as it would be in Cambridge or Karachi minus the glaring ruins of decades of war.
Warm handshakes and lunch await us as L/Colonel Ralph Arundel and team give us the low-down on how events have panned out over the past few weeks in general and what to expect on our visit.
1600hrs:
Commander in Chief of British Forces in Afghanistan Charlie Darrell.professes his immense pleasure at having us, he portrayed a distinctly positive mood in terms of how the election panned out, exceeding expectations with an 80-90% turnout. Despite issues of many candidates threatening to boycott the election due to the indelible ink saga and acknowledgement of immense effort needed to rebuild the country, examples of some schools conducting 3 shifts to enable as many children to seek education as possible gave rise to hope for the future.
Meanwhile, he pointed to the pre-election threat of the Taleban not materialising and praised Hamid Karzai for fearlessly carrying forward a reformist agenda.
1700hrs:
After further discussions with Team Leader Arundel, dinner and a much needed rest ensue. Noise of rocket fire in the early hours from the city caused some alarm, thankfully no casualties were reported.
DAY 2:
0900hrs:
Our mode of transport changes from Tank to Toyota Landcruisers as we venture out into the city to the Consulate for an introductory meeting with the British Ambassador Rosalynd Marsden for tea and biscuits.
1000hrs:
We cut across to the German sponsored community re-building project (AGEF) to meet local representatives Khalid Noorzad and Nur Ahmed Sarwari. Their activities included PC training /Internet /Basic English /accounting/ management and various self-employment initiatives. This was essentially a method for re-integrating militia of various factions and ex-refugees with measures in appropriating effective strategies for employment.
We visited classrooms and took the opportunity to speak to ex-militia to find out what specific measures were being taken to re-integrate them into society. We also met ex-refugees from Britain who aimed to help rebuild their country, one particularly moving story was of a returnee who had paid agents 13,500 US dollars to get to England only to work 2 and a half years to repay that money by working in a pizza take-away in Leeds before being deported back home.
1230hrs:
It’s back to the British Embassy for a meeting with Non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) about their activities and problems that they encountered. Dave Mather, managing director for Afghan Aid explained how they took measures to build community infrastructures with various initiatives, while Sarah Ireland, country programme representative for Oxfam talked about their particular emphasis on women’s rights. Representing Christian Aid was Teena Roberts who pointed out their long history of involvement in Afghanistan even prior to the Taleban and focussed on their attempts to de-escalate conflict.
They all felt an element of danger and thought some locals were mistrustful of foreign influence while being perceived as soft targets.
0145hrs:
We move to a different part of Kabul to meet with the Afghan Educational Trust (In conjunction with the BBC World Service Trust) and in doing so witness how decades of war had ravaged the landscape. Empty tracts of land and dilapidated buildings told their own story. Meanwhile, the BBC was providing the technical underpin to promote programmes such as ‘New Home New Life’ which although immensely popular since 1994 was now being used as a major vehicle to push boundaries in educating the Afghani people amidst their new found freedom. They emphasised on the social infrastructure, re-integration of refugees and nation-building.We were talked through by their director Shirazuddin Siddiqi.
1515hrs:
Another dart across town as we head towards the Japanese Embassy to learn about the De-mining/De-mobilisation/Re-integration (DDR) programme and their strategy for consolidation of peace. Paul Cruickshank gave us a presentation about how they aimed to de-commission military units, explaining that 450 to 650 commanders Militias/warlords) needed to be dis-banded. Pointing out that the Afghan National Army (ANA) would take years to create, he stressed that they encouraged voluntary submissions by providing incentives and refrained from forcing the policy as that would be the job of the ANA long-term. He felt there was a serious problem with mass communication and the message in many respects was failing to reach through and that their targets were ambitious.
1800hrs:
Truly a hectic day with little respite and we were glad to head back to base to wind down.
DAY 3:
0700hrs:
An early start as we head for the Airport to fly to Mazar-e-Sharif
1000hrs:
We meet with chief of British Operations John Henderson who discusses how they have been dealing with that particular region since July 2003. Re-iterating their focus on stability and identifying warlords and drugs as the major causes for concern, he explained how they concentrated on developing the grounds for a self-sustaining government using institution-building as a tool while engaging with the community.
1145hrs:
As part of our day tour, the Imam Ali Shrine, where the city derives it’s name is where we meet the local Imam Naafi. Describing the architecturally stunning building as the 4th shrine in Islam, he gave special thanks to Germany for kick starting the peace process (viz.Bonn Conference) and quelling the bloodbath that had tarnished the region. He assigned special praise for the elections but criticised Islamic countries for not helping enough and rued that Muslims from other parts of the World did not visit enough while thanking Iran and Pakistan for hosting their refugees.
1430hrs:
A visit to a Police station where we were welcomed by a quasi-military parade. The chief hailed that in his tenure of 5 months there were no major crimes to report and threats from the Taleban or other militia were non-existent. He considered complete disarmament of the Afghani people was a necessity for stability. Nevertheless, he lamented his pay of $80 dollars a month (An equivalent ranked ANA soldier is thought to earn 10 times that amount) although he maintained that he would continue to work in the national interest.
1530hrs:
After an opportunity for a spot of shopping, it’s back to the airport for our return to Kabul.
1800hrs:
Back in Kabul. Time for dinner and writing up of this report!
Watch this space for the rest!
(Next Week)
Historic Media Seminar to Quell Islamaphobia
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
Mainstream journalists with their camera crews converged at the London Muslim Centre (LCM) on Saturday morning to witness media representatives and Muslims engage and discuss their relationship.
For the MCB, the seminar could not have come at a more opportune time as it coincided with the departure of two of it’s delegates to Baghdad amidst unprecedented publicity. For Muslims in general, it was an opportunity to gain an insight into how the media operated and raise concerns that undoubtedly existed.
Opening comments were made by the the MCB’s chairman Iqbal Sacranie and media secretary Inayat Banglawala, outlining their aim to build more fruitful relations with the media, making them more sensitive to Muslim feelings and to back pro-active action in portraying Muslim issues in a fair manner.
First up on the podium was the BBC online editor Peter Clifton who provided an overview of their services, stressing they made every effort to use their unparalleled resources to gain a better overall picture of the world we live in.
Next up was Sue Roberts from the Press Complaints Commission who focussed her speech on explaining how individuals may complain about news that was found offensive. Comments from the audience suggested that there were severe limitations including a reluctance to adjudicate on issues concerning Muslims.
The BBC had a second representation in the form of Jon Williams (Editor of Home News) who outlined the corporation’s aims to get closer to communities by asking them to challenge, provoke and become more active in portraying an accurate image of themselves.
OFCOM, the broadcasting and telecommunications regulator’s presentation by Simon Crine and Pam Giddy was overshadowed by comments from members of the audience who expressed their frustration at being unable to obtain broadcasting licences to express Muslim creative talent, alleging there was official obstruction.
Before lunch, attention was focussed on Muslim Media in the UK with Sarah Joseph (EMEL), Ahmed Versi (Muslim News) and our own Chief Editor Mr. Ahmed Malik joining a panel discussion. Points that emerged included suggestions that until now, Muslims had been reactive to news and in the main had not generated a positive outcome. There was acknowledgement that mainstream media was far more developed and could not be competed with at this stage. However, as Muslim involvement in the media increased, changes in mainstream attitudes would follow.
Lunch was followed by a thought provoking re-affirmation of Anti-Palestinian bias shown by the media, presented by Professor Greg Philo from the Glasgow University Media Unit. He included video footage and excerpts from his book ‘Bad News from Israel’ which was written in conjunction with a detailed two-year study. Particularly telling was the ‘muddled view’ generated by TV news, where viewers innocently thought the settlers were the Palestinians and the Israelis, the occupied. He concluded that the Israeli issue was ripe for debate now more than ever.
The final phase included a panel discussion involving Michael Binyon (Times), Ewen MacAskil (Guardian), Chris Carter (Ilford Recorder) and Simon Israel (Channel4). The panel expressed a fear for multi-culturalism, with the last three years proving particularly difficult and acknowledged the tarring of Muslims with the terrorist brush. They pointed out commercial pressures and deadline constraints but were ready to accept criticism with a view to improving Muslim portrayal and avoid highlighting Muslims only when a crisis occurs.
Closing of the day-long seminar was conducted by Inayat Banglawala with examples of where the media had unfairly or incorrectly depicted Muslims, including a list of usual suspects on the Islamaphobe list.
All in all, an educative seminar long overdue, culminated with the hopeful aspiration that the media’s relationship with Muslims will improve.
Mainstream journalists with their camera crews converged at the London Muslim Centre (LCM) on Saturday morning to witness media representatives and Muslims engage and discuss their relationship.
For the MCB, the seminar could not have come at a more opportune time as it coincided with the departure of two of it’s delegates to Baghdad amidst unprecedented publicity. For Muslims in general, it was an opportunity to gain an insight into how the media operated and raise concerns that undoubtedly existed.
Opening comments were made by the the MCB’s chairman Iqbal Sacranie and media secretary Inayat Banglawala, outlining their aim to build more fruitful relations with the media, making them more sensitive to Muslim feelings and to back pro-active action in portraying Muslim issues in a fair manner.
First up on the podium was the BBC online editor Peter Clifton who provided an overview of their services, stressing they made every effort to use their unparalleled resources to gain a better overall picture of the world we live in.
Next up was Sue Roberts from the Press Complaints Commission who focussed her speech on explaining how individuals may complain about news that was found offensive. Comments from the audience suggested that there were severe limitations including a reluctance to adjudicate on issues concerning Muslims.
The BBC had a second representation in the form of Jon Williams (Editor of Home News) who outlined the corporation’s aims to get closer to communities by asking them to challenge, provoke and become more active in portraying an accurate image of themselves.
OFCOM, the broadcasting and telecommunications regulator’s presentation by Simon Crine and Pam Giddy was overshadowed by comments from members of the audience who expressed their frustration at being unable to obtain broadcasting licences to express Muslim creative talent, alleging there was official obstruction.
Before lunch, attention was focussed on Muslim Media in the UK with Sarah Joseph (EMEL), Ahmed Versi (Muslim News) and our own Chief Editor Mr. Ahmed Malik joining a panel discussion. Points that emerged included suggestions that until now, Muslims had been reactive to news and in the main had not generated a positive outcome. There was acknowledgement that mainstream media was far more developed and could not be competed with at this stage. However, as Muslim involvement in the media increased, changes in mainstream attitudes would follow.
Lunch was followed by a thought provoking re-affirmation of Anti-Palestinian bias shown by the media, presented by Professor Greg Philo from the Glasgow University Media Unit. He included video footage and excerpts from his book ‘Bad News from Israel’ which was written in conjunction with a detailed two-year study. Particularly telling was the ‘muddled view’ generated by TV news, where viewers innocently thought the settlers were the Palestinians and the Israelis, the occupied. He concluded that the Israeli issue was ripe for debate now more than ever.
The final phase included a panel discussion involving Michael Binyon (Times), Ewen MacAskil (Guardian), Chris Carter (Ilford Recorder) and Simon Israel (Channel4). The panel expressed a fear for multi-culturalism, with the last three years proving particularly difficult and acknowledged the tarring of Muslims with the terrorist brush. They pointed out commercial pressures and deadline constraints but were ready to accept criticism with a view to improving Muslim portrayal and avoid highlighting Muslims only when a crisis occurs.
Closing of the day-long seminar was conducted by Inayat Banglawala with examples of where the media had unfairly or incorrectly depicted Muslims, including a list of usual suspects on the Islamaphobe list.
All in all, an educative seminar long overdue, culminated with the hopeful aspiration that the media’s relationship with Muslims will improve.
‘Iraq is Crucible of Fight Against Global Terrorism’ :Blair
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
In their first meeting since his appointment as prime minister of the Iraqi Interim Government (IIG) in May, Iyad Allawi and Tony Blair held talks in Downing St. on Sunday. The 3 hour talk was initially intended to be a review on progress but is thought to have focussed mainly on security and the issue of British hostage Kenneth Bigley.
Iraq was the “crucible in which the future of this global terrorism will be determined”, stated Blair. He prefaced his speech by his reluctance to talk about Saddam Hussein or the past in general and described the current fight as being between the democrats versus the terrorists, between the ones who choose the ballot box against those who choose the gun, outlining Mr Allawi’s courage in pursuing a free Iraq striving for liberty, democracy and stability. Britain’s Prime Minister stressed that the terrorists were against all the values “that we in countries like this hold dear. The terrorists who are conducting this killing in Iraq, they know what is at stake. And we should know what is at stake as well."
Iyad Allawi while nodding affirmatively to what Mr. Blair had to say, was adamantly clear that elections would take place in January although conceding assistance from the UN was imperative. He described the current uprising as being instigated and executioned by foreign militants taking advantage of disaffected Iraqi youth and fended off a question about the possibility of introducing Martial Law to establish normality.
Both men echoed the urgency to help the Iraqis build their own security infrastructure, thereby decreasing reliance on foreign forces.
In their first meeting since his appointment as prime minister of the Iraqi Interim Government (IIG) in May, Iyad Allawi and Tony Blair held talks in Downing St. on Sunday. The 3 hour talk was initially intended to be a review on progress but is thought to have focussed mainly on security and the issue of British hostage Kenneth Bigley.
Iraq was the “crucible in which the future of this global terrorism will be determined”, stated Blair. He prefaced his speech by his reluctance to talk about Saddam Hussein or the past in general and described the current fight as being between the democrats versus the terrorists, between the ones who choose the ballot box against those who choose the gun, outlining Mr Allawi’s courage in pursuing a free Iraq striving for liberty, democracy and stability. Britain’s Prime Minister stressed that the terrorists were against all the values “that we in countries like this hold dear. The terrorists who are conducting this killing in Iraq, they know what is at stake. And we should know what is at stake as well."
Iyad Allawi while nodding affirmatively to what Mr. Blair had to say, was adamantly clear that elections would take place in January although conceding assistance from the UN was imperative. He described the current uprising as being instigated and executioned by foreign militants taking advantage of disaffected Iraqi youth and fended off a question about the possibility of introducing Martial Law to establish normality.
Both men echoed the urgency to help the Iraqis build their own security infrastructure, thereby decreasing reliance on foreign forces.
Turkey Backtracks on Adultery Law Amid EU Pressure
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
Turkey has made an abrupt u-turn on legislation to criminalise adultery. The plan was dropped on Tuesday after several EU foreign ministers warned that if the law was passed, it could affect Turkey’s accession to the European Union (EU).
The proposal had prescribed up to 2 years in prison for any man or woman found guilty. In consideration of recent strides that have been made to join the EU despite years of agonising, (The improvement in human rights and anti-repression measures towards the Kurdish minority being examples), it was thought bringing about the law would be too high a price to pay despite an opinion poll suggesting the public was 80% in favour of the move.
Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, frequently described as a devout Muslim had described the proposed law as a social measure to protect women from deception when previously questioned. However, women’s groups and liberal commentators suspected it to be used against women and a move to Islamicise the country. The EU Commissioner Gunther Verheugen on a recent visit to Turkey described it as a mistake and even as a joke, “I cannot understand how a measure like this could be considered at such a time” he quipped. When the Commissioner met Prime Minister Erdogan, an official revealed he'd told him to dump the proposed law. Europe, he said, “Was different when it came to these matters.”
Reasoning put forward was that a precondition for joining is having a relatively similar legal code. Nevertheless, there is nothing in EU law that would have prevented Turkey making adultery a criminal offence. Furthermore, there are already many social and legal differences between the EU's member states. For example, in the Netherlands euthanasia is commonly and legally practised whereas in many other states it is strictly illegal. Therefore, the opposition is thought to be political rather than legal.
Others see this as an example of the EU being wilfully disingenuous on accepting Turkey into the EU, adhering to a consistent pattern ever since it’s inception. Many Westerners believe joining the EU is an opportunity for Turkey to strengthen their democratic structures. Thus, protecting individual freedom being paramount in that objective.
The Turkish government on its account gave every impression of being baffled by the uproar, suggesting that they wouldn’t have proposed the law if they had known. The EU on their part, were equally baffled considering it came less than a month before the Commission’s report. Nevertheless, despite the ruling AK party receiving 20% of its vote from religious conservatives, many of the reforms of recent years have passed over the heads of the people, coming down from the EU straight to the government.
This backtrack is starkly different from Turkey’s recent spat with the US where the Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul is reported to have admonished Secretary Powell after US forces were reported to have killed members of the ethnic Turkmen community in Talafar, Northern Iraq. As Turkey deems the region to be within its sphere of influence, it reportedly threatened to suspend all co-operation, thereby putting a vital transit route in jeopardy for the American forces.
Turkey has made an abrupt u-turn on legislation to criminalise adultery. The plan was dropped on Tuesday after several EU foreign ministers warned that if the law was passed, it could affect Turkey’s accession to the European Union (EU).
The proposal had prescribed up to 2 years in prison for any man or woman found guilty. In consideration of recent strides that have been made to join the EU despite years of agonising, (The improvement in human rights and anti-repression measures towards the Kurdish minority being examples), it was thought bringing about the law would be too high a price to pay despite an opinion poll suggesting the public was 80% in favour of the move.
Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, frequently described as a devout Muslim had described the proposed law as a social measure to protect women from deception when previously questioned. However, women’s groups and liberal commentators suspected it to be used against women and a move to Islamicise the country. The EU Commissioner Gunther Verheugen on a recent visit to Turkey described it as a mistake and even as a joke, “I cannot understand how a measure like this could be considered at such a time” he quipped. When the Commissioner met Prime Minister Erdogan, an official revealed he'd told him to dump the proposed law. Europe, he said, “Was different when it came to these matters.”
Reasoning put forward was that a precondition for joining is having a relatively similar legal code. Nevertheless, there is nothing in EU law that would have prevented Turkey making adultery a criminal offence. Furthermore, there are already many social and legal differences between the EU's member states. For example, in the Netherlands euthanasia is commonly and legally practised whereas in many other states it is strictly illegal. Therefore, the opposition is thought to be political rather than legal.
Others see this as an example of the EU being wilfully disingenuous on accepting Turkey into the EU, adhering to a consistent pattern ever since it’s inception. Many Westerners believe joining the EU is an opportunity for Turkey to strengthen their democratic structures. Thus, protecting individual freedom being paramount in that objective.
The Turkish government on its account gave every impression of being baffled by the uproar, suggesting that they wouldn’t have proposed the law if they had known. The EU on their part, were equally baffled considering it came less than a month before the Commission’s report. Nevertheless, despite the ruling AK party receiving 20% of its vote from religious conservatives, many of the reforms of recent years have passed over the heads of the people, coming down from the EU straight to the government.
This backtrack is starkly different from Turkey’s recent spat with the US where the Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul is reported to have admonished Secretary Powell after US forces were reported to have killed members of the ethnic Turkmen community in Talafar, Northern Iraq. As Turkey deems the region to be within its sphere of influence, it reportedly threatened to suspend all co-operation, thereby putting a vital transit route in jeopardy for the American forces.
Whitechapel hosts Seminar and Networking Event for Muslim Business
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
Black Lion House in Whitechapel saw Global Vision 2000 bring together over 50 UK Muslim businesses on Sunday with the help of WSI (Internet Consultants) and Bartercard (Global Trade Exchange). Their aim is to play a catalytic role in assisting Muslim businesses re-assert their status in the trading world.
The day comprised of a series of talks beginning with Global Vision's Moeen Yaseen who, with his added capacity as chair for the day outlined how his organisation intended to pursue strategic business partnerships to aid the Muslim business community. This conference being one example of many initiatives that they have envisaged as they aim towards a usury free global trading platform.
An insightful global perpective followed, where Jamal Harwood (an Islamic Economist) explained how global financial markets negatively impacted on Muslims using speculative currency trading and stock-markets as a reference. Key points included how the abandoning of the Gold Standard ultimately put the developing world at the mercy of Western bankers, while foreign currency speculative trade eclipsing real trade by 96% encouraged instability as well as creating short-term gains for speculators at the expense of domestic traders. The limited liability/responsibility structure of the stock-market was in direct contrast to how Islam emphasises responsibility of transactions as well as an upfront, transparent ownership structure.
Describing the present world order as neo-colonialist whereby Muslims hadn't acheived genuine independence, Jamal explained how institutions such as the IMF (which was initially formed to provide short-term loans) go into countries and preach privatisation. Subsequently, large multinationals enter and extract profit from productive industries under the guise of market liberalisation. "As Muslims how do we confront these issues?" he quipped. As Islam presented a remedy to every aspect of life, our obligation was to seek Islamic solutions for International trade.
His talk was followed by John Attridge (Bartercard National UK Sales Manager) who described how an unwittingly Islam-friendly exchange was established in 1991 in Australia. Overcoming traditional barriers to barter (i.e requirement for mutual need, time and undivisable values) Bartercard's massive Global network comprising 85000 members including 4500 in the UK provided a tailor-made resource for Muslims to take advantage of. Noting their usefulness in operating as an intermediary to interest-free transactions without affecting the cashflow of a business.
The seminar would not have been complete without Waheed Qaiser who represented the Islamic Bank of Britain which aims to pioneer a range of holistic, shariah-based retail banking products on the High St. Indeed, many of the questions that ensued in the question and answer session that followed were directed at him, reflecting perhaps the 'interest' that the Muslim business community has generated.
The post-lunch individual networking session gave an opportunity for everybody to mingle and devise ways in which we could all enable circulation of money rather than accumulation.
Photo Caption: courtesy of WSI who offer world-class consulting and web-development services that help clients succeed on the internet.
Black Lion House in Whitechapel saw Global Vision 2000 bring together over 50 UK Muslim businesses on Sunday with the help of WSI (Internet Consultants) and Bartercard (Global Trade Exchange). Their aim is to play a catalytic role in assisting Muslim businesses re-assert their status in the trading world.
The day comprised of a series of talks beginning with Global Vision's Moeen Yaseen who, with his added capacity as chair for the day outlined how his organisation intended to pursue strategic business partnerships to aid the Muslim business community. This conference being one example of many initiatives that they have envisaged as they aim towards a usury free global trading platform.
An insightful global perpective followed, where Jamal Harwood (an Islamic Economist) explained how global financial markets negatively impacted on Muslims using speculative currency trading and stock-markets as a reference. Key points included how the abandoning of the Gold Standard ultimately put the developing world at the mercy of Western bankers, while foreign currency speculative trade eclipsing real trade by 96% encouraged instability as well as creating short-term gains for speculators at the expense of domestic traders. The limited liability/responsibility structure of the stock-market was in direct contrast to how Islam emphasises responsibility of transactions as well as an upfront, transparent ownership structure.
Describing the present world order as neo-colonialist whereby Muslims hadn't acheived genuine independence, Jamal explained how institutions such as the IMF (which was initially formed to provide short-term loans) go into countries and preach privatisation. Subsequently, large multinationals enter and extract profit from productive industries under the guise of market liberalisation. "As Muslims how do we confront these issues?" he quipped. As Islam presented a remedy to every aspect of life, our obligation was to seek Islamic solutions for International trade.
His talk was followed by John Attridge (Bartercard National UK Sales Manager) who described how an unwittingly Islam-friendly exchange was established in 1991 in Australia. Overcoming traditional barriers to barter (i.e requirement for mutual need, time and undivisable values) Bartercard's massive Global network comprising 85000 members including 4500 in the UK provided a tailor-made resource for Muslims to take advantage of. Noting their usefulness in operating as an intermediary to interest-free transactions without affecting the cashflow of a business.
The seminar would not have been complete without Waheed Qaiser who represented the Islamic Bank of Britain which aims to pioneer a range of holistic, shariah-based retail banking products on the High St. Indeed, many of the questions that ensued in the question and answer session that followed were directed at him, reflecting perhaps the 'interest' that the Muslim business community has generated.
The post-lunch individual networking session gave an opportunity for everybody to mingle and devise ways in which we could all enable circulation of money rather than accumulation.
Photo Caption: courtesy of WSI who offer world-class consulting and web-development services that help clients succeed on the internet.
2ND LEAD: Russia-Chechnya Conflict Set to Intensify
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
Events over the past week once again bring the Russian-Chechnyan conflict to the forefront of the global media. It began on August 24 with the twin air explosion, followed by the election of Moscow backed Alu Alkhanov (Chechnya's top police official) as President 5 days later. The next day an explosion rocked Moscow's Kashirskoye metro station killing more than 10 people and now we have a school under seige in the North Ossetian town of Beslan with negotiations underway as we go to press.
"In essence, a war has been declared on us, with an invisible enemy and no front line," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov has stated. The situation is so grim that President Bush has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to offer the United States's support in resolving the hostage-taking at the school, emphasising that Washington and Moscow are fighting international terrorism shoulder-to-shoulder.
Web sources indicate that responsibility for events have been taken by the ”Islambouli Brigades” (Khaled Islambouli was an Egyptian army officer who assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981). A statement said the bombing was a blow against Putin, “who slaughtered Muslims time and again.” Putin has refused to negotiate with rebels in predominantly Muslim Chechnya who have fought Russian forces for most of the past decade, saying they must be wiped out.
The current siege is thought to involve 17 attackers, both male and female wrapped in suicide-bomb belts. Children and their parents, approximately 120 people who were in the school to mark the beginning of the new school year, have been taken hostage. reportedly including 200 children, They have threatened to kill them or blow up the building if it is attacked by Russian troops. Two people were reported killed. including a father who had brought his child to the school and was shot when he tried to resist the raiders. A gunman was also killed and nine people were injured report Interfax.
Meanwhile moderate Chechen separatists accused Russia's special forces of spreading misinformation and denied any link to the group. Furthermore, Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov has denied that his forces are involved in the siege. Various influential people in Chechnya have also condemned the attacks, nevetheless, many Chechens say those behind the attacks are simply the distraught wives, sisters and mothers of men killed or brutalised by Russian soldiers.
For the past decade Russia has been engaged in a brutal conflict in Chechnya, where separatists have employed a range of tactics to put pressure on their enemy and draw the world's attention to their fight for independence. On the ground, much of the housing in the capital Grozny and other cities has been destroyed and services such as electricity, phones and water are nearly nonexistent. Violent crime and kidnappings are rampant, and thousands have fled the region.
Returning Chechnya to normalcy will be the work of a decade, Alexander Sharavin, a retired colonel who heads the Institute of Political and Military Analysis. "No miracle cure has been found," Sharavin said. "I think everybody knows it will take painstaking, careful work ... until we raise a new generation of Chechen citizens, or rather of Russian citizens of Chechen origin, we cannot speak of normalization." Other Russian analysts comment that these young men and women fighting a 'Jihad' have now eclipsed the more moderate pro-independence fighters who formed the core of the Chechen rebel movement in the 1990s.
In the interim, one thing has not changed: corruption in Russia is thought to be so rife that Chechen fighters can make their way through any number of heavily armed checkpoints simply by paying bribes. One Chechen driver recently estimated that the price of ferrying a bomb through a Russian army checkpoint was 500 roubles (£9 or $17).
Elsewhere, world leaders have condemned the siege and the UN security Council is currently considering involvement in the negotiations. The hostage-takers on their part are demanding: Release of fighters from Ingushetia prisons, withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya and negotiations with top regional officials.
For those parents of the children held hostage the anguish is understandable, "Let them go, they have nothing to do with it, they are not to blame," cried one woman. "Let us replace our children."
Events over the past week once again bring the Russian-Chechnyan conflict to the forefront of the global media. It began on August 24 with the twin air explosion, followed by the election of Moscow backed Alu Alkhanov (Chechnya's top police official) as President 5 days later. The next day an explosion rocked Moscow's Kashirskoye metro station killing more than 10 people and now we have a school under seige in the North Ossetian town of Beslan with negotiations underway as we go to press.
"In essence, a war has been declared on us, with an invisible enemy and no front line," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov has stated. The situation is so grim that President Bush has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to offer the United States's support in resolving the hostage-taking at the school, emphasising that Washington and Moscow are fighting international terrorism shoulder-to-shoulder.
Web sources indicate that responsibility for events have been taken by the ”Islambouli Brigades” (Khaled Islambouli was an Egyptian army officer who assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981). A statement said the bombing was a blow against Putin, “who slaughtered Muslims time and again.” Putin has refused to negotiate with rebels in predominantly Muslim Chechnya who have fought Russian forces for most of the past decade, saying they must be wiped out.
The current siege is thought to involve 17 attackers, both male and female wrapped in suicide-bomb belts. Children and their parents, approximately 120 people who were in the school to mark the beginning of the new school year, have been taken hostage. reportedly including 200 children, They have threatened to kill them or blow up the building if it is attacked by Russian troops. Two people were reported killed. including a father who had brought his child to the school and was shot when he tried to resist the raiders. A gunman was also killed and nine people were injured report Interfax.
Meanwhile moderate Chechen separatists accused Russia's special forces of spreading misinformation and denied any link to the group. Furthermore, Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov has denied that his forces are involved in the siege. Various influential people in Chechnya have also condemned the attacks, nevetheless, many Chechens say those behind the attacks are simply the distraught wives, sisters and mothers of men killed or brutalised by Russian soldiers.
For the past decade Russia has been engaged in a brutal conflict in Chechnya, where separatists have employed a range of tactics to put pressure on their enemy and draw the world's attention to their fight for independence. On the ground, much of the housing in the capital Grozny and other cities has been destroyed and services such as electricity, phones and water are nearly nonexistent. Violent crime and kidnappings are rampant, and thousands have fled the region.
Returning Chechnya to normalcy will be the work of a decade, Alexander Sharavin, a retired colonel who heads the Institute of Political and Military Analysis. "No miracle cure has been found," Sharavin said. "I think everybody knows it will take painstaking, careful work ... until we raise a new generation of Chechen citizens, or rather of Russian citizens of Chechen origin, we cannot speak of normalization." Other Russian analysts comment that these young men and women fighting a 'Jihad' have now eclipsed the more moderate pro-independence fighters who formed the core of the Chechen rebel movement in the 1990s.
In the interim, one thing has not changed: corruption in Russia is thought to be so rife that Chechen fighters can make their way through any number of heavily armed checkpoints simply by paying bribes. One Chechen driver recently estimated that the price of ferrying a bomb through a Russian army checkpoint was 500 roubles (£9 or $17).
Elsewhere, world leaders have condemned the siege and the UN security Council is currently considering involvement in the negotiations. The hostage-takers on their part are demanding: Release of fighters from Ingushetia prisons, withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya and negotiations with top regional officials.
For those parents of the children held hostage the anguish is understandable, "Let them go, they have nothing to do with it, they are not to blame," cried one woman. "Let us replace our children."
Bangladesh Engulfed in Spiral of Anarchy?
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
When it comes to human misery and mayhem, Bangladesh is no stranger...As each region of the world manifests its own version of mayhem, this country East of India ponders on how to tackle the violence that threatens to erupt..In the wake of devastating floods that are still fresh in people's memory, political turmoil has been instigated as live grenades are hurled into crowds of people, killing 18 and maiming many others.
Events such as these should come as no surprise to the Ummah as our attention flickers from one corner of the globe to another week on week. The pattern of violence maybe different but the symptoms, we as Muslims are all too familiar with now.
The question is; Do we analyse these events from an Islamic perspective or do we focus on each country and resign our analysis to some local phenomena?
As social and political unrest engulfs Bangladesh with no immediate culprits coming to mind, these are truly testing times for our brethren. While some are anxious about the economic consequence of impending hartals (strikes), others fear for democracy in the country.
The eagerness of certain quarters of the media giving it an 'Islamic/terrorist' flavour should come as no surprise. Even local media and politicians are adamant on investigating Islamic militant groups and calling for unity against religious extremism! What no doubt adds fuel to the fire is the claims of hitherto unknown groups such as 'Hikmatul Jihad' taking responsibility of targetting the opposition leader Ms. Hasina. Indeed, even provoking with threats to finish what they embarked on.
What many find more absurd is the suggestion that outside investigators should come and aid the country in finding the culprits. In a situation where the target maybe anything from cinemas to the British High Commissioner, many are questioning the ability of law-enforcement agencies as arrests have been thin on the ground. Hence, the desire for assisted intervention in the shape of Interpol.
They may well provide valuable assistance but you can't avoid an eery pattern emerging. Consider the following: In Iraq we have Muslims (Governing Council troops) hunting Muslims (Mehdi Army) with the help of outside forces (US troops), the whole idea is to bring stability and prosperity to the country. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, similar analogies can be drawn. In Sudan, we have Muslims killing each other with the outside world showing its concern and eager to assist.
Many lament that Bangladesh is no different.
When it comes to human misery and mayhem, Bangladesh is no stranger...As each region of the world manifests its own version of mayhem, this country East of India ponders on how to tackle the violence that threatens to erupt..In the wake of devastating floods that are still fresh in people's memory, political turmoil has been instigated as live grenades are hurled into crowds of people, killing 18 and maiming many others.
Events such as these should come as no surprise to the Ummah as our attention flickers from one corner of the globe to another week on week. The pattern of violence maybe different but the symptoms, we as Muslims are all too familiar with now.
The question is; Do we analyse these events from an Islamic perspective or do we focus on each country and resign our analysis to some local phenomena?
As social and political unrest engulfs Bangladesh with no immediate culprits coming to mind, these are truly testing times for our brethren. While some are anxious about the economic consequence of impending hartals (strikes), others fear for democracy in the country.
The eagerness of certain quarters of the media giving it an 'Islamic/terrorist' flavour should come as no surprise. Even local media and politicians are adamant on investigating Islamic militant groups and calling for unity against religious extremism! What no doubt adds fuel to the fire is the claims of hitherto unknown groups such as 'Hikmatul Jihad' taking responsibility of targetting the opposition leader Ms. Hasina. Indeed, even provoking with threats to finish what they embarked on.
What many find more absurd is the suggestion that outside investigators should come and aid the country in finding the culprits. In a situation where the target maybe anything from cinemas to the British High Commissioner, many are questioning the ability of law-enforcement agencies as arrests have been thin on the ground. Hence, the desire for assisted intervention in the shape of Interpol.
They may well provide valuable assistance but you can't avoid an eery pattern emerging. Consider the following: In Iraq we have Muslims (Governing Council troops) hunting Muslims (Mehdi Army) with the help of outside forces (US troops), the whole idea is to bring stability and prosperity to the country. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, similar analogies can be drawn. In Sudan, we have Muslims killing each other with the outside world showing its concern and eager to assist.
Many lament that Bangladesh is no different.
OPINION: High Time Muslims had Unfettered Control of their Resources
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
Is the House of Saud taking steps towards redemption in the eyes of the Muslim Ummah (Global Brotherhood) or have events forced their hand? Initially prompted by Bin Laden and latterly by the filtering into the public domain of their increasingly embarrassing rapport with the United States of America. It’s a prickly heat of a comment piece so I’ll try and add humour to the ingredients.
Many have made much of Osama’s detest of the Royals but the Saudi support of the Taleban pre-9/11 may assist us in understanding how the protagonists are at play. Their ideological similarities and diplomatic bonding were inevitably going to jolt that cosy, yet so hush hush US-Saudi joint venture. This was perhaps the first sign that they had turned a corner.
Hitherto, the Saudis had been perceived as lame ducks overlooking a docile populace that couldn’t even manufacture a box of matches even if you gave them the raw materials with a dummy’s guide. Where did that leave foreign policy vis a vis the Ummah?...location: Land of the Innocuous.
Anyway, back to the focus of my heading...Aah Doomsday.. an endless War of Terror in common parlance..or Qiyaamat as Muslims would describe it.
The John Motson’s and Alan Green’s of the geo-political field have filled many pages and airwaves with their commentary. I’m merely in the wannabee queue.
What sparked my attention was Crown Prince Abdullah’s tete-a-tete with Colin Powell last week. Muslim forces for Iraq! A quid pro quo with the Americans Coalition?.....surely not? I remember a few months ago when Alex Salmond (former leader of the Scottish National Party) gleaned on it but even he talked about it being under the aegis of the United Nations. Pardon me if I’m maladroit.....But this smacks of sheer frustration on the part of America and the rest of the ‘civilised community’ albeit a tad less so.
For those of you who dream of suggesting that I’m Anti-American, dream on......I’ve spent some time there and loved every minute of it. Nevertheless, I’d be reluctant to travel there again unless Larry King Live beckoned and Air France Concorde obliged!..No...seriously, I rang my friend the other day whose spending his Summer Holidays baking in Houston, Texas and he was telling me how people were sincerely pleasant and welcoming to him despite his Authentic Muslim look..and hey, I’m not surprised....the American public in the main is genuinely friendly......I remember Baltimore feeling exactly a million miles fron Burnley.
Which leads on to the point that over the years, I’ve felt that the gulf between the ruling elites and the common man (Mr.Marx’s Beourgoise and Ploretariat if you insist) has widened. The Bank of England in 1694 it is viciously argued, set the ‘gulf’ ball rolling and industrialisation rolled it down the hill where it gathered pace and now information technology has accelerated it beyond the realms of many.
Let’s get to the point; Muslim academics influenced by the inquisitive nature of our own Generation X have debated the relevance of the UN, Nato, IMF, World Bank to the Muslim World. The majority of the world population seeks world peace and Muslims appear increasingly eager to control their own affairs, be they political/economic/social (in their own land).
Frankly, Brute behaviour in Sudan is as reprehensible as American quasi-nuclear weapons in Afghanistan. Thus, hereby is my equation: Muslims rule their land totally independently of Non-Muslim interference + vice versa = A reasonable hope of global harmony (As a sweetener, Muslims should be willing, indeed Islam unconditionally commands them to be kind to their (global) neighbours. An example perhaps? How about a constant yet competitive supply of oil to the West in a post-OPEC World. n.b. The West, meanwhile would actively seek to produce alternative energy solutions with renewed vigour thereby decreasing their reliance on the Muslim World.
Atrocious ! Utopian ! or even Anarchic? I know.......Do we not witness possibly the most inhuman, barbaric, greedy, lustful, deadly epoch in the history of humankind? (Muslim or Non-Muslim- this would be the worst time to be partial). Surely an alternative is nigh?
Let’s Return to Crown Prince Abdullah (Who is essentially the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia). Now, although 1400 years of Muslim History has seen the balance of power change from region to region, the Hijaz (region where our Prophet Muhammed -pbuh- had his worldy abode), has invarioubly been focussed on whenever Muslims have analysed their global standing and probably never more acutely so than now.
Remember the Saudi Plan for Palestine? Despite the Prince being welcomed to a Texan Ranch, his host did little more than muse over the detail. (The Israel-Palestine issue; let’s not go there...I have an article to finish!)
Meanwhile, the Iraqi inferno rages on relentlessly with no sign of abating. Consequently, Uncle Sam has finally thrown himself backwards in his chair to listen intently about a scenario which could, with further elaboration, be an antithesis of how it went about reforming the pre-9/11 world.
Perhaps, doomsday is post-poned after-all.
Cautionary Note: It is apparent that many questions about the force remain unanswered, including its size and the type of tasks the force would be asked to fulfill. Nor is it clear whether Muslim countries would go along with the idea. Another issue is how such a force would relate to the existing U.S.-led coalition.
Is the House of Saud taking steps towards redemption in the eyes of the Muslim Ummah (Global Brotherhood) or have events forced their hand? Initially prompted by Bin Laden and latterly by the filtering into the public domain of their increasingly embarrassing rapport with the United States of America. It’s a prickly heat of a comment piece so I’ll try and add humour to the ingredients.
Many have made much of Osama’s detest of the Royals but the Saudi support of the Taleban pre-9/11 may assist us in understanding how the protagonists are at play. Their ideological similarities and diplomatic bonding were inevitably going to jolt that cosy, yet so hush hush US-Saudi joint venture. This was perhaps the first sign that they had turned a corner.
Hitherto, the Saudis had been perceived as lame ducks overlooking a docile populace that couldn’t even manufacture a box of matches even if you gave them the raw materials with a dummy’s guide. Where did that leave foreign policy vis a vis the Ummah?...location: Land of the Innocuous.
Anyway, back to the focus of my heading...Aah Doomsday.. an endless War of Terror in common parlance..or Qiyaamat as Muslims would describe it.
The John Motson’s and Alan Green’s of the geo-political field have filled many pages and airwaves with their commentary. I’m merely in the wannabee queue.
What sparked my attention was Crown Prince Abdullah’s tete-a-tete with Colin Powell last week. Muslim forces for Iraq! A quid pro quo with the Americans Coalition?.....surely not? I remember a few months ago when Alex Salmond (former leader of the Scottish National Party) gleaned on it but even he talked about it being under the aegis of the United Nations. Pardon me if I’m maladroit.....But this smacks of sheer frustration on the part of America and the rest of the ‘civilised community’ albeit a tad less so.
For those of you who dream of suggesting that I’m Anti-American, dream on......I’ve spent some time there and loved every minute of it. Nevertheless, I’d be reluctant to travel there again unless Larry King Live beckoned and Air France Concorde obliged!..No...seriously, I rang my friend the other day whose spending his Summer Holidays baking in Houston, Texas and he was telling me how people were sincerely pleasant and welcoming to him despite his Authentic Muslim look..and hey, I’m not surprised....the American public in the main is genuinely friendly......I remember Baltimore feeling exactly a million miles fron Burnley.
Which leads on to the point that over the years, I’ve felt that the gulf between the ruling elites and the common man (Mr.Marx’s Beourgoise and Ploretariat if you insist) has widened. The Bank of England in 1694 it is viciously argued, set the ‘gulf’ ball rolling and industrialisation rolled it down the hill where it gathered pace and now information technology has accelerated it beyond the realms of many.
Let’s get to the point; Muslim academics influenced by the inquisitive nature of our own Generation X have debated the relevance of the UN, Nato, IMF, World Bank to the Muslim World. The majority of the world population seeks world peace and Muslims appear increasingly eager to control their own affairs, be they political/economic/social (in their own land).
Frankly, Brute behaviour in Sudan is as reprehensible as American quasi-nuclear weapons in Afghanistan. Thus, hereby is my equation: Muslims rule their land totally independently of Non-Muslim interference + vice versa = A reasonable hope of global harmony (As a sweetener, Muslims should be willing, indeed Islam unconditionally commands them to be kind to their (global) neighbours. An example perhaps? How about a constant yet competitive supply of oil to the West in a post-OPEC World. n.b. The West, meanwhile would actively seek to produce alternative energy solutions with renewed vigour thereby decreasing their reliance on the Muslim World.
Atrocious ! Utopian ! or even Anarchic? I know.......Do we not witness possibly the most inhuman, barbaric, greedy, lustful, deadly epoch in the history of humankind? (Muslim or Non-Muslim- this would be the worst time to be partial). Surely an alternative is nigh?
Let’s Return to Crown Prince Abdullah (Who is essentially the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia). Now, although 1400 years of Muslim History has seen the balance of power change from region to region, the Hijaz (region where our Prophet Muhammed -pbuh- had his worldy abode), has invarioubly been focussed on whenever Muslims have analysed their global standing and probably never more acutely so than now.
Remember the Saudi Plan for Palestine? Despite the Prince being welcomed to a Texan Ranch, his host did little more than muse over the detail. (The Israel-Palestine issue; let’s not go there...I have an article to finish!)
Meanwhile, the Iraqi inferno rages on relentlessly with no sign of abating. Consequently, Uncle Sam has finally thrown himself backwards in his chair to listen intently about a scenario which could, with further elaboration, be an antithesis of how it went about reforming the pre-9/11 world.
Perhaps, doomsday is post-poned after-all.
Cautionary Note: It is apparent that many questions about the force remain unanswered, including its size and the type of tasks the force would be asked to fulfill. Nor is it clear whether Muslim countries would go along with the idea. Another issue is how such a force would relate to the existing U.S.-led coalition.
Court of Appeal gives Green Light to Torture: Argues Amnesty
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
The Court of Appeal in London has rejected a legal challenge by 10 foreigners held without charge on Wednesday. Amnesty International described the judgment as yet another example of the erosion of human rights post 9/11. Some of the 10 had been held since December 2001 amidst torture claims, with the ruling coming in the wake of fresh ‘terror arrests’ country-wide last week.
Using language that refreshes discussion about how far governments can compromise human rights in their anti-terror objectives, Lord Justice John Laws, amongst the panel of three, decided on voting to dismiss the appeals, saying that the “sickening massacre of many hundreds of innocent persons in New York” justified examining evidence that would be banned in a criminal court. He justified further by adding, “If (the state) limits the means by which the citizens are protected against the threat of terrorist outrage to the ordinary measures of the criminal law, it leaves a yawning gap.”
The court in their 2 to 1 decision, ruled that while British authorities could not use evidence obtained by torture that the state had “procured or connived at,” It doesn’t have to ignore information obtained by torture from other governments. This coupled with the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act of 2001 provision to enable the government being under no obligation to tell someone it detains or their lawyers what evidence it has against them, only increases the legal limbo that many have found themselves in, argue Muslims.
Gareth Peirce, a lawyer representing the men said the implication of Wednesday’s ruling was “terrifying” and it represented “a horrifying, horrifying low in our history”. On his part, Home Secretary Blunkett maintained, that he used powers bestowed on him “sparingly and proportionately in only the most serious circumstances “ re-iterating that foreign detainees had the option to be deported.
Allegations that the authorities circumvent any possible detaining loopholes were refreshed, when on Sunday, 2 of the 13 arrested last week were released without charge only to be re-arrested on suspicion of other offences.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s ruling provides the option to appeal to the House of Lords.
The Court of Appeal in London has rejected a legal challenge by 10 foreigners held without charge on Wednesday. Amnesty International described the judgment as yet another example of the erosion of human rights post 9/11. Some of the 10 had been held since December 2001 amidst torture claims, with the ruling coming in the wake of fresh ‘terror arrests’ country-wide last week.
Using language that refreshes discussion about how far governments can compromise human rights in their anti-terror objectives, Lord Justice John Laws, amongst the panel of three, decided on voting to dismiss the appeals, saying that the “sickening massacre of many hundreds of innocent persons in New York” justified examining evidence that would be banned in a criminal court. He justified further by adding, “If (the state) limits the means by which the citizens are protected against the threat of terrorist outrage to the ordinary measures of the criminal law, it leaves a yawning gap.”
The court in their 2 to 1 decision, ruled that while British authorities could not use evidence obtained by torture that the state had “procured or connived at,” It doesn’t have to ignore information obtained by torture from other governments. This coupled with the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act of 2001 provision to enable the government being under no obligation to tell someone it detains or their lawyers what evidence it has against them, only increases the legal limbo that many have found themselves in, argue Muslims.
Gareth Peirce, a lawyer representing the men said the implication of Wednesday’s ruling was “terrifying” and it represented “a horrifying, horrifying low in our history”. On his part, Home Secretary Blunkett maintained, that he used powers bestowed on him “sparingly and proportionately in only the most serious circumstances “ re-iterating that foreign detainees had the option to be deported.
Allegations that the authorities circumvent any possible detaining loopholes were refreshed, when on Sunday, 2 of the 13 arrested last week were released without charge only to be re-arrested on suspicion of other offences.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s ruling provides the option to appeal to the House of Lords.
Evoca – A New Player in the Cola Market
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
It all began two years ago when founders Ibrar Qasim and Asif Salahudeen undertook a business trip to Pakistan trying to source furniture for the UK Market. They soon realised that consumers there had confidence in products from the West, identifying with companies such as Nestle, Coca Cola and Pepsi. This over time had created a massive commercial void, which combined an inferiority complex with a lack of self-awareness.
A need to ‘raise the game’ was their reaction and as similar symptoms existed in Britain (although to a lesser degree) the concept of Evoca was born. Evoking Muslim memories through taste in a bid to make them more constructive in the modern world.
In a discussion over lunch at their offices in North London, director Ibrar Qasim went into detail. “We initially thought of water…there were no products here in the Halal sector that could inspire confidence. They were inadequate and we needed to develop a product, giving it a high profile that we could manage.” After a year of painstaking research and laboratory tests, Evoca Cola finally emerged with a traditional taste in cola using black seed extract.
The team decided on a range of soft drinks with a unique and original flavour….”We realised that Cola was by far the favourite and most popular beverage flavour in the world.” I asked him to elaborate on the flavouring, “We install 5mg per 2 litres –an optimum amount for the taste we want to generate.” I also learnt that pilot studies were conducted including an extensive tasting process involving many groups of people from all walks of life.
With regards to the name, Evoca found that products in the Halal sector don’t always take into account Muslim sensibilities. Ibrar Qasim explained, “We thought about an Islamic name but found that people were uncomfortable. There were issues of disposal and the commercial use of Islamic terms.”
The quality of the bottle is distinct and one can notice the development of a brand. This is relatively new for Halal products (although some may argue with that)when you consider the original recipe and metallic paper packaging and at 99p per 2 litre bottle, the price reflects value for money.
What about their future plans I thought, “To roll out nationwide in the next month, introducing a 500ml bottle and fruit flavours including Mango and Guava at some stage. In addition, we are experimenting with Tibb-e-Nadwi (Holistic medicine of the prophet) i.e ginger, black seed oil, honey, fenugreek seeds etc.”
In the longer term, Mr Qasim even contemplated Cordials (mixed fruits), health products and products to cater for children. Trying to introduce them presently would lead to a significant increase in research and development costs due to the unique nature of their products.
Evoca describe their motto as; ‘Respect the consumer, compete on and deliver high quality products, think of benefiting the community’. They aim to prove that as Muslims, you can work for yourself and achieve success.
Contact Details:
Asif ph. 0208 5097400
www.evoca.org
It all began two years ago when founders Ibrar Qasim and Asif Salahudeen undertook a business trip to Pakistan trying to source furniture for the UK Market. They soon realised that consumers there had confidence in products from the West, identifying with companies such as Nestle, Coca Cola and Pepsi. This over time had created a massive commercial void, which combined an inferiority complex with a lack of self-awareness.
A need to ‘raise the game’ was their reaction and as similar symptoms existed in Britain (although to a lesser degree) the concept of Evoca was born. Evoking Muslim memories through taste in a bid to make them more constructive in the modern world.
In a discussion over lunch at their offices in North London, director Ibrar Qasim went into detail. “We initially thought of water…there were no products here in the Halal sector that could inspire confidence. They were inadequate and we needed to develop a product, giving it a high profile that we could manage.” After a year of painstaking research and laboratory tests, Evoca Cola finally emerged with a traditional taste in cola using black seed extract.
The team decided on a range of soft drinks with a unique and original flavour….”We realised that Cola was by far the favourite and most popular beverage flavour in the world.” I asked him to elaborate on the flavouring, “We install 5mg per 2 litres –an optimum amount for the taste we want to generate.” I also learnt that pilot studies were conducted including an extensive tasting process involving many groups of people from all walks of life.
With regards to the name, Evoca found that products in the Halal sector don’t always take into account Muslim sensibilities. Ibrar Qasim explained, “We thought about an Islamic name but found that people were uncomfortable. There were issues of disposal and the commercial use of Islamic terms.”
The quality of the bottle is distinct and one can notice the development of a brand. This is relatively new for Halal products (although some may argue with that)when you consider the original recipe and metallic paper packaging and at 99p per 2 litre bottle, the price reflects value for money.
What about their future plans I thought, “To roll out nationwide in the next month, introducing a 500ml bottle and fruit flavours including Mango and Guava at some stage. In addition, we are experimenting with Tibb-e-Nadwi (Holistic medicine of the prophet) i.e ginger, black seed oil, honey, fenugreek seeds etc.”
In the longer term, Mr Qasim even contemplated Cordials (mixed fruits), health products and products to cater for children. Trying to introduce them presently would lead to a significant increase in research and development costs due to the unique nature of their products.
Evoca describe their motto as; ‘Respect the consumer, compete on and deliver high quality products, think of benefiting the community’. They aim to prove that as Muslims, you can work for yourself and achieve success.
Contact Details:
Asif ph. 0208 5097400
www.evoca.org
Southall Businessman Seeks Election to GLA as an Independent
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
Dalawar Majeed Choudary, 37 a local businessman from the Broadway Southall, has decided to put himself in the race to become the Greater London Assembly member for the Ealing and Hillingdon Constituency. Taking into account that the Greater London Authority deals with London wide issues including Policing, transport, fire, planning and waste disposal coupled with the fact that the local councillor covers a constituency equivalent to 5 parliamentary constituencies, this is a vital platform for tackling issues that effect the ‘Gateway to London’ from the West.
I initiated our conversation by asking Mr.Choudary about his main motivating factor for entering the political arena. His answer echoed that of many RESPECT candidates in that Labour had betrayed Muslims on Iraq and Afghanistan and that their policies were having a ripple effect domestically, thus there was an imperative to protest.
The list of grievances and signs of neglect were endless in his constituency, he argued. Non-recognition of the need for Islamic schools, lack of facilities for car parking in a shopping metropolis, a distinct absence of leisure resources particularly for women, the rarity of public toilets, inadequate public transport, provision of burial facilities for Muslims by the borough etc.
I asked him to elaborate on the burial issue. He explained that there were only 25 burial places available in Southall. “We have been campaigning for an existing vacant plot with Ealing Council without any success. Furthermore, they have been insensitive to Islamic burial rites i.e if someone dies on a Friday, they are not likely to be buried before Tuesday.”
On the business front, the neglect was astonishing considering Southall’s close proximity to the airport, he described the local labour force to an extent, being the backbone of British Industry.
He put the insensitivity of local MP Piya Khabra into perspective, citing examples where in Parliament, he had described the local Somali community as a bunch of trouble-makers. When fertilisers discovered in nearby Hanwell were linked to the ‘War on Terror’ a few months back, Mr Khabra thought that he wouldn’t be surprised if there were terrorists lurking in the Borough thinking it to be an ideal hiding place.
So how did Mr.Choudary put himself forward to the community?
He described the elders of the community (1st generation immigrants) realising it was high time the next generation became active in ensuring that everybody’s needs were addressed, furthered by the West London Mosques Forum putting forward a similar point, gradually paved the way for local Gurdwaras and Mandirs to reflect the same.
Thus, having broad appeal was an essential recipe for success but maintaining that must be an ardous task I thought. “We have had our up and downs but have lived in harmony for the past 40 years and we have been able to keep our foreign agendas separate” he assured me.
On a parting note, I was curious as to why he was standing as an Independent. It was important to initially register the community’s protest by voting, subsequent results would give greater leverage in negotiation. Indeed, parties were already clamouring for support, suggested Mr.Choudary.
Dalawar Majeed Choudary, 37 a local businessman from the Broadway Southall, has decided to put himself in the race to become the Greater London Assembly member for the Ealing and Hillingdon Constituency. Taking into account that the Greater London Authority deals with London wide issues including Policing, transport, fire, planning and waste disposal coupled with the fact that the local councillor covers a constituency equivalent to 5 parliamentary constituencies, this is a vital platform for tackling issues that effect the ‘Gateway to London’ from the West.
I initiated our conversation by asking Mr.Choudary about his main motivating factor for entering the political arena. His answer echoed that of many RESPECT candidates in that Labour had betrayed Muslims on Iraq and Afghanistan and that their policies were having a ripple effect domestically, thus there was an imperative to protest.
The list of grievances and signs of neglect were endless in his constituency, he argued. Non-recognition of the need for Islamic schools, lack of facilities for car parking in a shopping metropolis, a distinct absence of leisure resources particularly for women, the rarity of public toilets, inadequate public transport, provision of burial facilities for Muslims by the borough etc.
I asked him to elaborate on the burial issue. He explained that there were only 25 burial places available in Southall. “We have been campaigning for an existing vacant plot with Ealing Council without any success. Furthermore, they have been insensitive to Islamic burial rites i.e if someone dies on a Friday, they are not likely to be buried before Tuesday.”
On the business front, the neglect was astonishing considering Southall’s close proximity to the airport, he described the local labour force to an extent, being the backbone of British Industry.
He put the insensitivity of local MP Piya Khabra into perspective, citing examples where in Parliament, he had described the local Somali community as a bunch of trouble-makers. When fertilisers discovered in nearby Hanwell were linked to the ‘War on Terror’ a few months back, Mr Khabra thought that he wouldn’t be surprised if there were terrorists lurking in the Borough thinking it to be an ideal hiding place.
So how did Mr.Choudary put himself forward to the community?
He described the elders of the community (1st generation immigrants) realising it was high time the next generation became active in ensuring that everybody’s needs were addressed, furthered by the West London Mosques Forum putting forward a similar point, gradually paved the way for local Gurdwaras and Mandirs to reflect the same.
Thus, having broad appeal was an essential recipe for success but maintaining that must be an ardous task I thought. “We have had our up and downs but have lived in harmony for the past 40 years and we have been able to keep our foreign agendas separate” he assured me.
On a parting note, I was curious as to why he was standing as an Independent. It was important to initially register the community’s protest by voting, subsequent results would give greater leverage in negotiation. Indeed, parties were already clamouring for support, suggested Mr.Choudary.
Health Forum at the Royal Society of Medicine
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
My inquisitive mind and my not so tender age led me to this venue last Wednesday. Although the main focus was on Rheumatoid Arthritis, other contemporary health issues were also amply discussed. Thus, the following being a narrative of what I learnt.
As a patient it is important to remain positive in the face of adversity, focus on being a survivor rather than a victim. 'The Placebo effect' (Perceived improvement in health not attributable to treatment) is possibly a result of this psychological stance. However, in a world where medicine as well as diseases are changing rapidly, a relational and consultative approach to patients was essential where public confidence would lead to clinical excellence. (Not vice versa, argued Michael Greco of the NHS Modernisation Agency)
People need to learn how to deal with suffering, therefore doctors need to utilize their interpersonal skills. Presently, a lack of time leads to patients not being able to discuss other issues that maybe of concern to them, apart from their medication. So, it is understandable that 30-50% of medications prescribed in the UK are either not taken or not taken properly. Michael Von Staten of LBC Radio and chair for the evening, raised a pertinent question that perhaps medical schools were gearing students to be academic high flyers while phasing out the compassionate albeit academically average student who might be more appropriate for the profession.
To shed more light, a survey by US Medical Insurance companies found that only a small amount of patients sued doctors that they liked while a large number sued the more able though comparatively aloof experts, even over minor issues.
Ailsa Bosworth (Chairman: National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society) pointed out that Patient Support groups were necessary, although pitting busy young mums in the same group as old-age pensioners led to obvious complications.
As with any disease, early diagnosis was crucial. So, it's of concern that some GPs are dismissive of children's symptoms e.g a childhood migraine maybe due to the child not wanting to go to school. It is agreed that poor nutrition results from a high level of unwanted chemicals in our diet. Today's chicken being mainly a composition of water and chemicals being a case in point. The alternative is to eat organic food, which in many cases is only marginally more expensive.
Vitamin D is hardly existent, which is absolutely essential for our diets (obtained from oily fish, fat milk or sunlight). In the last 50 years we have lost a huge amount of nutrients necessary for our diet. The fashionable Atkins diet can lead to irreparable kidney damage and other serious problems.
According to Von Staten, alternatives to modern medicine such as acupuncture, osteopathy, homeopathy, reflexology, herbalism et al should be complimentary and not a replacement as that would be a recipe for disaster.
Dr. Taher Mahmud (medical director of the Arthritis Centre) found that Rheumatoid Arthritis was globally high amongst Native American Indians and in Jamaica, with the UK not far behind (totaling about 1% of the total population)
Annie karim (Head of Physiotherapy at princess Grace Hospital London) talked about the virtues of Hydrotherapy pools being good for dealing with joint problems while Professor Ingvar Bjarnason (Kings College London) made the point that certain diseases are much more prevalent in society than terrorism but attract only a fraction of the resources.
In a Postulating question that I put to the panel about whether our modern lifestyle was responsible for many of the common ailments today, I received the following range of responses:
That the Pattern of diseases had certainly changed, stress and trauma is thought to be affected by our lifestyle, heart diseases and cancer had increased while one described us as living in a mechanised society and going 'back to basics' was imperative to rid us of the ills of civilization.
My inquisitive mind and my not so tender age led me to this venue last Wednesday. Although the main focus was on Rheumatoid Arthritis, other contemporary health issues were also amply discussed. Thus, the following being a narrative of what I learnt.
As a patient it is important to remain positive in the face of adversity, focus on being a survivor rather than a victim. 'The Placebo effect' (Perceived improvement in health not attributable to treatment) is possibly a result of this psychological stance. However, in a world where medicine as well as diseases are changing rapidly, a relational and consultative approach to patients was essential where public confidence would lead to clinical excellence. (Not vice versa, argued Michael Greco of the NHS Modernisation Agency)
People need to learn how to deal with suffering, therefore doctors need to utilize their interpersonal skills. Presently, a lack of time leads to patients not being able to discuss other issues that maybe of concern to them, apart from their medication. So, it is understandable that 30-50% of medications prescribed in the UK are either not taken or not taken properly. Michael Von Staten of LBC Radio and chair for the evening, raised a pertinent question that perhaps medical schools were gearing students to be academic high flyers while phasing out the compassionate albeit academically average student who might be more appropriate for the profession.
To shed more light, a survey by US Medical Insurance companies found that only a small amount of patients sued doctors that they liked while a large number sued the more able though comparatively aloof experts, even over minor issues.
Ailsa Bosworth (Chairman: National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society) pointed out that Patient Support groups were necessary, although pitting busy young mums in the same group as old-age pensioners led to obvious complications.
As with any disease, early diagnosis was crucial. So, it's of concern that some GPs are dismissive of children's symptoms e.g a childhood migraine maybe due to the child not wanting to go to school. It is agreed that poor nutrition results from a high level of unwanted chemicals in our diet. Today's chicken being mainly a composition of water and chemicals being a case in point. The alternative is to eat organic food, which in many cases is only marginally more expensive.
Vitamin D is hardly existent, which is absolutely essential for our diets (obtained from oily fish, fat milk or sunlight). In the last 50 years we have lost a huge amount of nutrients necessary for our diet. The fashionable Atkins diet can lead to irreparable kidney damage and other serious problems.
According to Von Staten, alternatives to modern medicine such as acupuncture, osteopathy, homeopathy, reflexology, herbalism et al should be complimentary and not a replacement as that would be a recipe for disaster.
Dr. Taher Mahmud (medical director of the Arthritis Centre) found that Rheumatoid Arthritis was globally high amongst Native American Indians and in Jamaica, with the UK not far behind (totaling about 1% of the total population)
Annie karim (Head of Physiotherapy at princess Grace Hospital London) talked about the virtues of Hydrotherapy pools being good for dealing with joint problems while Professor Ingvar Bjarnason (Kings College London) made the point that certain diseases are much more prevalent in society than terrorism but attract only a fraction of the resources.
In a Postulating question that I put to the panel about whether our modern lifestyle was responsible for many of the common ailments today, I received the following range of responses:
That the Pattern of diseases had certainly changed, stress and trauma is thought to be affected by our lifestyle, heart diseases and cancer had increased while one described us as living in a mechanised society and going 'back to basics' was imperative to rid us of the ills of civilization.
Debate: Islam is Incompatible with Democracy
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
A fresh and what some would describe as necessary debating society has emerged over the last few months, conducted by Intelligence Squared in association with the London Evening Standard and for this particular debate involving Georgetown University Washington DC. A Full House with c.700 people in attendance and chaired by Anne McElvoy (Editor of the London Evening Standard) swarmed together at the Royal Geographic Society in South Kensington on Tuesday.
The format took shape in the form of three debaters on each side of the motion alternating in turns, each being given 10 minutes on the podium followed by the debate extending to the floor, taking in questions/comments that may influence the outcome of the motion.
Polling was conducted before and at the end of the motion with the following standing at the outset:
For: 218
Against:203
Don't Know:281
For the Motion:
David Pryce-Jones (Editor of the National Review)
Raphael Israeli (Professor of Islamic, Middle Eastern and Chinese History at Hebrew University in Jerusalem)
Amir Taheri (Former Middle East editor of The Sunday Times)
Against the Motion:
Andrew Wharton (Director of Publishing Studies at Stirling University)
Sarah Joseph (Editor of Emel Magazine)
Professor John Esposito: (Georgetown University)
Kicking off with Mr. Pryce-Jones who deemed Muslims not having civil societies and being in denial of reality making it difficult to instill democratic values in them. As the rule of law was Shariah in Islam, it being the highest authority, Muslims could not accept an alternative, giving the example of the title 'Commander of Faithful' as being considered above ideals of nation and state.
He considered Christendom as being historically similar to Islam, highlighting 'Saudi/Wahabism' as aiming to proselotyse others.
Classical Islam had 3 categories:
1) Believer/Non-Believer
2) Master/Slave
3) Man/Woman
Therefore, ridding the notion of equality in a democratic society.
Many ills were attributable to Islam, including honour killings, where Shariah Law would be stretched to exonerate perpetrators. In the previous century, Shah Pahlavi in Iran and earlier Ataturk in Turkey tried their best to rid their populations of Islam because they understood democracy, human rights and rule of law needed to be rid of religious influence.
Mr.Wheatcroft immediately differed with the notion that religion and democracy were akin to oil and water. There were 16-17 million Muslims in Western democracies, many of whom, regularly participated in democratic activity. However, Turkey's attempts to join the EU and particularly G'Estaing's (Former French Prime Minister) retort that 'Turkey's entry would ruin us' has not helped. Christianity and Islam in his opinion, were moving towards a single common purpose.
The Freedom House in New York (A democracy monitoring organisation for 60 years) made 3 categories of countries, those that were:
1)Free
2)Partly free
3)Not free
Making the inference that the more civil liberties people enjoyed was a consequence of how much democracy they had implemented. Importantly, Mr. Wheatcroft felt that there was a new energy for participation in democracy in the Muslim World.
His speech was followed by that of Raphael Israeli who wanted to make clear that value judging was not his domain, not for whether Islam is good or bad or whether democracy is better than other forms of government as he put it.
"We mean different things, everybody thinks they are right. To Arabs, Bush, Blair and Sharon are tyrants." He emphasized the need to take culture into context. "You should be able to choose what you wear, an Arab Gown or Western shorts, it's your prerogative".
He frowned upon the word democratize, begging for it's meaning. Democracy cannot enter Islam as sovereignty to the people is akin to blasphemy with
the Quran (word of Allah) being the ultimate criterion. With there being 57 Muslim countries and no democracy in any of them, how could they be compatible? An analogy befitted the occasion in his opinion of the blind man going into a dark room, looking for a black cat, which was not there!
With a seemingly hard act to upstage, Sarah Joseph came to the podium and with a determined glance at the audience, questioned whether the above was sufficient to go against the motion? Not enough, was her assertion. With the foundations of democracy being rooted in slavery coupled with modern collective punishment, people were confounded as to what democracy means and stands for.
Although the West had failed the Muslims on many occasions, that did not negate the principles of democracy. Taking her Islamic teachings into account, she took the Civic society concept a bit further by describing every human being as a custodian of the world. There was no place for social apathy, social cohesion was a must as was holding rulers to account, giving the example of the first caliph of Islam Abu Bakr (RA) calling on the people to help him govern correctly.
She compared the Islamic concept of Shura (all affairs conducted by mutual consent) to democratic values. However, what was disturbing was that Shariah Law was denounced by Western media and academia alike, suggesting that we maybe afraid of what rights Muslims ask for. I want an Islamically inspired democracy, this would curb the clash of civilization thesis, she demanded.
The last person to argue for the motion was Amir Taheri, who argued that there was no discussion in the Arab world about democracy until 20-30 years ago. In order to understand the Muslim world's ambivalence we had to delve back in history.
The Greeks were obsessed with government and politics unlike Muslims who concentrated on other aspects of society. Indeed, Aristotle's politics was not translated into Arabic until recently, he asserted.
Muslims had stages of hierarchy existing even among animals and plants let alone humans. Therefore, we just had to accept that democracy and Islam were two different phenomena and that we all had to accept that rather than bicker over it. Islam has its own civilization and method of conducting issues. Furthermore, that chaos ensued when man is left to his own devices.
This led us to the final speaker for the evening, Professor Esposito who acknowledged that colonial rule had a legacy in present day Muslim countries, characterized by artificial boundaries and military dictators. He for some reason cited the proverb 'we reap what we sow' in the same sentence as Mubarak of Egypt.
Democracy was a process, the USA and France didn't become democracies in one day. Thus, in the case of the Muslim world, the struggle was ongoing. However, progress was being made, noting that in the late 1980's, Islamic parties been come to prominence in Indonesia and Turkey etc.
What was of alarming concern was that post 9/11, there was increased political activism in the Middle East and South Asia. 'Jihaadi' groups had undermined democratic efforts, motivated by political power, not religion, he thought. Islam as a religion was fine, however, he warned against getting into confusing issues such as interpretation and change within Islam. Muslims have to grapple with this, as their attitude towards Islam can be divisive at times.
Questions/comments in the house ranged from, Islam being a belligerent religion telling believers to kill non-believers, Quranic Laws being against democracy, the issue of private and public belief and the importance of avoiding singling out Muslims for behaviour that is prevalent throughout the world.
I leave the last words to my freshly acqaunted friend Lance who spoke from the audience: We went from Christendom to Enlightenment to democracy, If Muslims follow a similar path to democracy, they will end up with democracy but they wont have Islam.
End of Debate Poll:
For:404
Against:267
Don’t know:28
A fresh and what some would describe as necessary debating society has emerged over the last few months, conducted by Intelligence Squared in association with the London Evening Standard and for this particular debate involving Georgetown University Washington DC. A Full House with c.700 people in attendance and chaired by Anne McElvoy (Editor of the London Evening Standard) swarmed together at the Royal Geographic Society in South Kensington on Tuesday.
The format took shape in the form of three debaters on each side of the motion alternating in turns, each being given 10 minutes on the podium followed by the debate extending to the floor, taking in questions/comments that may influence the outcome of the motion.
Polling was conducted before and at the end of the motion with the following standing at the outset:
For: 218
Against:203
Don't Know:281
For the Motion:
David Pryce-Jones (Editor of the National Review)
Raphael Israeli (Professor of Islamic, Middle Eastern and Chinese History at Hebrew University in Jerusalem)
Amir Taheri (Former Middle East editor of The Sunday Times)
Against the Motion:
Andrew Wharton (Director of Publishing Studies at Stirling University)
Sarah Joseph (Editor of Emel Magazine)
Professor John Esposito: (Georgetown University)
Kicking off with Mr. Pryce-Jones who deemed Muslims not having civil societies and being in denial of reality making it difficult to instill democratic values in them. As the rule of law was Shariah in Islam, it being the highest authority, Muslims could not accept an alternative, giving the example of the title 'Commander of Faithful' as being considered above ideals of nation and state.
He considered Christendom as being historically similar to Islam, highlighting 'Saudi/Wahabism' as aiming to proselotyse others.
Classical Islam had 3 categories:
1) Believer/Non-Believer
2) Master/Slave
3) Man/Woman
Therefore, ridding the notion of equality in a democratic society.
Many ills were attributable to Islam, including honour killings, where Shariah Law would be stretched to exonerate perpetrators. In the previous century, Shah Pahlavi in Iran and earlier Ataturk in Turkey tried their best to rid their populations of Islam because they understood democracy, human rights and rule of law needed to be rid of religious influence.
Mr.Wheatcroft immediately differed with the notion that religion and democracy were akin to oil and water. There were 16-17 million Muslims in Western democracies, many of whom, regularly participated in democratic activity. However, Turkey's attempts to join the EU and particularly G'Estaing's (Former French Prime Minister) retort that 'Turkey's entry would ruin us' has not helped. Christianity and Islam in his opinion, were moving towards a single common purpose.
The Freedom House in New York (A democracy monitoring organisation for 60 years) made 3 categories of countries, those that were:
1)Free
2)Partly free
3)Not free
Making the inference that the more civil liberties people enjoyed was a consequence of how much democracy they had implemented. Importantly, Mr. Wheatcroft felt that there was a new energy for participation in democracy in the Muslim World.
His speech was followed by that of Raphael Israeli who wanted to make clear that value judging was not his domain, not for whether Islam is good or bad or whether democracy is better than other forms of government as he put it.
"We mean different things, everybody thinks they are right. To Arabs, Bush, Blair and Sharon are tyrants." He emphasized the need to take culture into context. "You should be able to choose what you wear, an Arab Gown or Western shorts, it's your prerogative".
He frowned upon the word democratize, begging for it's meaning. Democracy cannot enter Islam as sovereignty to the people is akin to blasphemy with
the Quran (word of Allah) being the ultimate criterion. With there being 57 Muslim countries and no democracy in any of them, how could they be compatible? An analogy befitted the occasion in his opinion of the blind man going into a dark room, looking for a black cat, which was not there!
With a seemingly hard act to upstage, Sarah Joseph came to the podium and with a determined glance at the audience, questioned whether the above was sufficient to go against the motion? Not enough, was her assertion. With the foundations of democracy being rooted in slavery coupled with modern collective punishment, people were confounded as to what democracy means and stands for.
Although the West had failed the Muslims on many occasions, that did not negate the principles of democracy. Taking her Islamic teachings into account, she took the Civic society concept a bit further by describing every human being as a custodian of the world. There was no place for social apathy, social cohesion was a must as was holding rulers to account, giving the example of the first caliph of Islam Abu Bakr (RA) calling on the people to help him govern correctly.
She compared the Islamic concept of Shura (all affairs conducted by mutual consent) to democratic values. However, what was disturbing was that Shariah Law was denounced by Western media and academia alike, suggesting that we maybe afraid of what rights Muslims ask for. I want an Islamically inspired democracy, this would curb the clash of civilization thesis, she demanded.
The last person to argue for the motion was Amir Taheri, who argued that there was no discussion in the Arab world about democracy until 20-30 years ago. In order to understand the Muslim world's ambivalence we had to delve back in history.
The Greeks were obsessed with government and politics unlike Muslims who concentrated on other aspects of society. Indeed, Aristotle's politics was not translated into Arabic until recently, he asserted.
Muslims had stages of hierarchy existing even among animals and plants let alone humans. Therefore, we just had to accept that democracy and Islam were two different phenomena and that we all had to accept that rather than bicker over it. Islam has its own civilization and method of conducting issues. Furthermore, that chaos ensued when man is left to his own devices.
This led us to the final speaker for the evening, Professor Esposito who acknowledged that colonial rule had a legacy in present day Muslim countries, characterized by artificial boundaries and military dictators. He for some reason cited the proverb 'we reap what we sow' in the same sentence as Mubarak of Egypt.
Democracy was a process, the USA and France didn't become democracies in one day. Thus, in the case of the Muslim world, the struggle was ongoing. However, progress was being made, noting that in the late 1980's, Islamic parties been come to prominence in Indonesia and Turkey etc.
What was of alarming concern was that post 9/11, there was increased political activism in the Middle East and South Asia. 'Jihaadi' groups had undermined democratic efforts, motivated by political power, not religion, he thought. Islam as a religion was fine, however, he warned against getting into confusing issues such as interpretation and change within Islam. Muslims have to grapple with this, as their attitude towards Islam can be divisive at times.
Questions/comments in the house ranged from, Islam being a belligerent religion telling believers to kill non-believers, Quranic Laws being against democracy, the issue of private and public belief and the importance of avoiding singling out Muslims for behaviour that is prevalent throughout the world.
I leave the last words to my freshly acqaunted friend Lance who spoke from the audience: We went from Christendom to Enlightenment to democracy, If Muslims follow a similar path to democracy, they will end up with democracy but they wont have Islam.
End of Debate Poll:
For:404
Against:267
Don’t know:28
George Galloway in Conversation with Yvonne Ridley
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
A church in Bloomsbury providing the setting for Bookmarks (a socialist bookshop) to launch ' I'm Not the Only One' written by George Galloway who presented himself to discuss the book. Putting the questions was award-winning journalist Yvonne Ridley.
At the outset, Mr. Galloway described the emphasis of the book being on the Anti-War movement which has manifested itself in Nine Marches post 9/11 and taking inspiration from John Lennon's unforgettable 'Imagine all the people'.
He felt flabbergasted at Adam Ingram's (Minister of State for the Armed Forces) vain attempt to put an injunction on the book at a cost of £25,000, which he hoped was his own money. Other twists were involved when an 'expert break-in' to his home in the Algarve (Portugal) culminated in his whole study disappearing. Nothing came of the ensuing enquiry leaving him to conclude that it was a 'political theft'. This drama led to him having to retreat to Lebanon in order to re-write/complete the book.
The allegation of him being funded by Saddam's regime was an obvious question to follow. George described his dismay at a Pullitzer prize winning Christian newspaper in the US, deciding to have a front cover splashed out in 93 countries based on a story that was bogus. After forensic evidence had proved his innocence, he asked Mr.Blair on five occasions to take action on a conspiracy to defame a British MP without success.
This was led by a vitriolic outburst describing the Prime Minister as a "blood-soaked criminal drowning in a sea of deceit. He is the biggest liar ever to occupy high office in the UK"
The War on Iraq being the main course of the book (so to speak), Paul O'Neill, Richard Clarke and Bob Woodward (all ex-advisers of Bush in varying capacities) were found to claim that Bush had decided on invading Iraq in February 2002 and gained consent of Blair in March 2002 at that Ranch in Crawford Texas. Thus, everything said by Blair subsequently vis-à-vis the UN etc. was an outright lie in Mr. Galloway's opinion.
Deviating onto the domestic front, he predicted worse was forthcoming for Labour if Mr.Blair perseveres as personal, family and political pressure mount. Furthered by the Prescott/Brown Jaguar rendezvous, it is all leading up to a long hot summer of discontent.
Puppets (referring to the Iraqi Governing Council) who are heavily fortified and protected within Baghdad by American troops no less, are being hunted relentlessly by the Iraqi public. June 30th would essentially be Americans moving away from the streets and cities and concentrating on the oil fields cum military barracks while they overlook civil society from afar. Mr. Galloway substantiated the above with an observation of Robert Laper (UK foreign policy advisor) who called for a "New benign Imperialism". Quoting George Orwell, 'Imperialism is stealing other people's things'.
Sidetracking again towards the current Labour cabinet, he described John Prescott being used by Mr.Blair as a working-class mascot. Further pointing out that many within the Cabinet have swung from the left to the right of the political spectrum, citing the example of Alistair Darling who used to be a bearded Troskyite before his re-incarnation.
In the audience, when asked about whether Zionists and Christian Fundamentalists were colluding together, he replied that you can not look at geo-politics within a prism. Explaining that Israel was created by Balfour as part of an imperialistic settler state in the midst of the energy-rich gulf region.
The final question was allowed for yours truly and I asked whether his ideological stance would have been any different if he had become a cabinet minister himself to which he replied that, it is not the nominal pen-pushers who get remembered in history. Alluding to?
A church in Bloomsbury providing the setting for Bookmarks (a socialist bookshop) to launch ' I'm Not the Only One' written by George Galloway who presented himself to discuss the book. Putting the questions was award-winning journalist Yvonne Ridley.
At the outset, Mr. Galloway described the emphasis of the book being on the Anti-War movement which has manifested itself in Nine Marches post 9/11 and taking inspiration from John Lennon's unforgettable 'Imagine all the people'.
He felt flabbergasted at Adam Ingram's (Minister of State for the Armed Forces) vain attempt to put an injunction on the book at a cost of £25,000, which he hoped was his own money. Other twists were involved when an 'expert break-in' to his home in the Algarve (Portugal) culminated in his whole study disappearing. Nothing came of the ensuing enquiry leaving him to conclude that it was a 'political theft'. This drama led to him having to retreat to Lebanon in order to re-write/complete the book.
The allegation of him being funded by Saddam's regime was an obvious question to follow. George described his dismay at a Pullitzer prize winning Christian newspaper in the US, deciding to have a front cover splashed out in 93 countries based on a story that was bogus. After forensic evidence had proved his innocence, he asked Mr.Blair on five occasions to take action on a conspiracy to defame a British MP without success.
This was led by a vitriolic outburst describing the Prime Minister as a "blood-soaked criminal drowning in a sea of deceit. He is the biggest liar ever to occupy high office in the UK"
The War on Iraq being the main course of the book (so to speak), Paul O'Neill, Richard Clarke and Bob Woodward (all ex-advisers of Bush in varying capacities) were found to claim that Bush had decided on invading Iraq in February 2002 and gained consent of Blair in March 2002 at that Ranch in Crawford Texas. Thus, everything said by Blair subsequently vis-à-vis the UN etc. was an outright lie in Mr. Galloway's opinion.
Deviating onto the domestic front, he predicted worse was forthcoming for Labour if Mr.Blair perseveres as personal, family and political pressure mount. Furthered by the Prescott/Brown Jaguar rendezvous, it is all leading up to a long hot summer of discontent.
Puppets (referring to the Iraqi Governing Council) who are heavily fortified and protected within Baghdad by American troops no less, are being hunted relentlessly by the Iraqi public. June 30th would essentially be Americans moving away from the streets and cities and concentrating on the oil fields cum military barracks while they overlook civil society from afar. Mr. Galloway substantiated the above with an observation of Robert Laper (UK foreign policy advisor) who called for a "New benign Imperialism". Quoting George Orwell, 'Imperialism is stealing other people's things'.
Sidetracking again towards the current Labour cabinet, he described John Prescott being used by Mr.Blair as a working-class mascot. Further pointing out that many within the Cabinet have swung from the left to the right of the political spectrum, citing the example of Alistair Darling who used to be a bearded Troskyite before his re-incarnation.
In the audience, when asked about whether Zionists and Christian Fundamentalists were colluding together, he replied that you can not look at geo-politics within a prism. Explaining that Israel was created by Balfour as part of an imperialistic settler state in the midst of the energy-rich gulf region.
The final question was allowed for yours truly and I asked whether his ideological stance would have been any different if he had become a cabinet minister himself to which he replied that, it is not the nominal pen-pushers who get remembered in history. Alluding to?
Who is Who? Abdul Rahim Malik
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
Background:
Mr. AR Malik came to the UK in 1962 as an Electronics Student. Formed the Pakistan Muslim Association in 1963, helped establish the Luton Community Relations Council and became its first ethnic minority chairman in 1983. He also played a part in establishing Luton's first Mosque committee in 1965 culminating in the establishment of Luton Central Mosque.
Q: First, tell us about this forum, how long has it been in function and what are its stated aims?
A: It has been in existence for ten years. Set up to advise Luton Borough Council (LBC) on race equality within employment, housing, education, social services etc. to influence and develop their policies with respect to race equality.
Under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 we are also involved with other public service organizations such as the Police, Prison Service and the Health Sector. We ask for all heads/chiefs of these respective organizations to give us presentations at least once a year.
Q: From your annual report, it appears that you are not getting full-co-operation from your local council.
A: Yes, problems do exist: If we ask the Council to be more transparent, they feel threatened, reform appearing too cumbersome. We have asked for an independent person to be involved in their recruitment panel, which they have flatly refused. As a result, Council recruitment for any individual department is left with its head of department without any transparency. Where race equality is concerned, it should not be a mere slogan, it should exist in reality.
Q: Previous Chairman Mr. David Campbell described (LRAF) as merely a 'talking shop'. What do you have to say to that?
A: It is not effective as it should be, nevertheless, we make every effort to influence council policies.
For example, we managed to re-instate two long-serving members to the Life-Long Learning Department (LLLD) after they had been removed without consultation. This was a time-consuming effort albeit a result was generated with the council promising to consult LRAF in future. Another case being the Icknield/Hijaab Issue: After months, amidst a local and national media frenzy, our involvement helped repeal this racially motivated ban.
Q: Do you have any complaints or appeals to any other prominent community organizations?
A: There is a lot to be done (Although some positive steps have been taken)
Q: Do you feel encouraged?
A:well, education and training are key to removing misunderstanding/s, particularly among high management. To illustrate my point, I attended a Prison Board meeting a few weeks ago where they did not have independent participation. This was brought to the attention of the director who promised to establish someone. This, in my opinion, highlights the urgent need for an Independent Equality Council. We have also asked the LBC PR department to relay details of our meetings to the media so that the public can be made aware of issues that concern us all.
Finally, I appeal to the community to get involved and participate in realizing racial harmony.
For Further details on LRAC;
ph. 01582 546041 (democratic services)
Dates for meetings: (at Luton Town Hall)
7 June
9 August
11 October
Background:
Mr. AR Malik came to the UK in 1962 as an Electronics Student. Formed the Pakistan Muslim Association in 1963, helped establish the Luton Community Relations Council and became its first ethnic minority chairman in 1983. He also played a part in establishing Luton's first Mosque committee in 1965 culminating in the establishment of Luton Central Mosque.
Q: First, tell us about this forum, how long has it been in function and what are its stated aims?
A: It has been in existence for ten years. Set up to advise Luton Borough Council (LBC) on race equality within employment, housing, education, social services etc. to influence and develop their policies with respect to race equality.
Under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 we are also involved with other public service organizations such as the Police, Prison Service and the Health Sector. We ask for all heads/chiefs of these respective organizations to give us presentations at least once a year.
Q: From your annual report, it appears that you are not getting full-co-operation from your local council.
A: Yes, problems do exist: If we ask the Council to be more transparent, they feel threatened, reform appearing too cumbersome. We have asked for an independent person to be involved in their recruitment panel, which they have flatly refused. As a result, Council recruitment for any individual department is left with its head of department without any transparency. Where race equality is concerned, it should not be a mere slogan, it should exist in reality.
Q: Previous Chairman Mr. David Campbell described (LRAF) as merely a 'talking shop'. What do you have to say to that?
A: It is not effective as it should be, nevertheless, we make every effort to influence council policies.
For example, we managed to re-instate two long-serving members to the Life-Long Learning Department (LLLD) after they had been removed without consultation. This was a time-consuming effort albeit a result was generated with the council promising to consult LRAF in future. Another case being the Icknield/Hijaab Issue: After months, amidst a local and national media frenzy, our involvement helped repeal this racially motivated ban.
Q: Do you have any complaints or appeals to any other prominent community organizations?
A: There is a lot to be done (Although some positive steps have been taken)
Q: Do you feel encouraged?
A:well, education and training are key to removing misunderstanding/s, particularly among high management. To illustrate my point, I attended a Prison Board meeting a few weeks ago where they did not have independent participation. This was brought to the attention of the director who promised to establish someone. This, in my opinion, highlights the urgent need for an Independent Equality Council. We have also asked the LBC PR department to relay details of our meetings to the media so that the public can be made aware of issues that concern us all.
Finally, I appeal to the community to get involved and participate in realizing racial harmony.
For Further details on LRAC;
ph. 01582 546041 (democratic services)
Dates for meetings: (at Luton Town Hall)
7 June
9 August
11 October
Infernal Cycle set to Rage Post Berg Video
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
Nick Berg 26 of Pennsylvania arrived in Iraq in December 2003. In mid-March this year, he was held by the US military in Mosul (Northern Iraq) for no apparent reason, prompting his father to file a lawsuit. He was released on April 6 and disappeared soon after. Michael Berg (His father) was incensed with the US authorities, believing that his son could still be alive if he had been brought home as instructed before the current mayhem started.
The horrific act (which I will spare the readers the details of) that ensued adds to the ever-burgeoning list of victims of America's pre-emptive War on Iraq.
All major US networks found it too gruesome to show, tip-toeing down the ethics high-wire as one journalist described it, trying to balance responsibility of informing public and not sanitizing the war, without being complicit in spreading the message of terrorists.
The White House refutes any link with Abu Ghraib (The now infamous prison where some American soldiers were allegedly involved in gruesome misdemeanour) Some commentators are even hoping the Berg incident will deflect public outcry over the above-mentioned.
Michael Berg described his son as a Bush administration supporter who may well have been killed when his captors found out that he was a Jew.
The speaker in the horrendous video talked about how the US administration rebuffed them (which they vehemently deny) over a prisoner exchange deal and that this was revenge for Abu Ghraib, with more to follow.
Arab public opinion was mixed between describing it as barbarism while others saw it as a natural response to US violence.
violence generates violence. The majority of Muslims in this country have agreed that it is clearly against Islamic guidelines on warfare.
Whatever one concludes, this will tarnish the Muslims and open up a route for the subjective media to go to town, thereby drifting public opinion from Abu Ghraib and Basra.
Most fingers and eyes are pointing towards Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi (how and why is yet unestablished)
Nick Berg 26 of Pennsylvania arrived in Iraq in December 2003. In mid-March this year, he was held by the US military in Mosul (Northern Iraq) for no apparent reason, prompting his father to file a lawsuit. He was released on April 6 and disappeared soon after. Michael Berg (His father) was incensed with the US authorities, believing that his son could still be alive if he had been brought home as instructed before the current mayhem started.
The horrific act (which I will spare the readers the details of) that ensued adds to the ever-burgeoning list of victims of America's pre-emptive War on Iraq.
All major US networks found it too gruesome to show, tip-toeing down the ethics high-wire as one journalist described it, trying to balance responsibility of informing public and not sanitizing the war, without being complicit in spreading the message of terrorists.
The White House refutes any link with Abu Ghraib (The now infamous prison where some American soldiers were allegedly involved in gruesome misdemeanour) Some commentators are even hoping the Berg incident will deflect public outcry over the above-mentioned.
Michael Berg described his son as a Bush administration supporter who may well have been killed when his captors found out that he was a Jew.
The speaker in the horrendous video talked about how the US administration rebuffed them (which they vehemently deny) over a prisoner exchange deal and that this was revenge for Abu Ghraib, with more to follow.
Arab public opinion was mixed between describing it as barbarism while others saw it as a natural response to US violence.
violence generates violence. The majority of Muslims in this country have agreed that it is clearly against Islamic guidelines on warfare.
Whatever one concludes, this will tarnish the Muslims and open up a route for the subjective media to go to town, thereby drifting public opinion from Abu Ghraib and Basra.
Most fingers and eyes are pointing towards Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi (how and why is yet unestablished)
Traditional Education in an Age of Terror
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
An unusual setting for a talk on Islamic educational values some might say but, the Quadrangle Conference Centre at Oxford United's football ground played host to Hamza Yousuf of California with a strong crowd of about 1000 people in attendance.
Mr Yousuf in his own delectable style embarked on a discourse, which covered various aspects of contemporary Muslim behaviour. The jist being to identify how one can take the ideals of Islamic education and use them to help shape a more informed, culturally tolerant and temperamently obedient society. The distinction between what Islam provides us in book form (Quran, Hadith etc.) being far removed from what we as Muslims portray or exemplify today as a whole.
"Where is the quality?" he asked. The fact that we have to qualify nouns such as schools, universities, charities etc. with the verb 'Islamic' was indicative of our current abyss. In the golden age the Muslims didn't need to do that, as all these institutions were inherently Islamic.
He seemed almost vitriolic towards those that clamoured for an Islamic State, saying that he didn't see them in an Islamic State (i.e that their conduct or character presented them in an unislamic state) viz. How do you take someone from one place to the other when you are not there in the first place?
Musing over his meeting post 9/11 with President Bush, he referred to particular ayahs (verses from the Quran) and Hadith, which talked about rulers and tribulations. The most notable example being the command that Allah gave to Musa AS (Moses) to speak gently to Firaun (The Pharoah of Egypt). Further that the Qur'an gave guidance for any situation.
"Judge from the outward as nobody knows what's in the heart…not even the Angels or Satan" was his apparent riposte to those that misjudged him, giving the example that Imam Abu Hanifah had a well-known saying which is paraphrased as follows. 'It is better to call 1000 Non-Muslims, Muslim than to call 1 Muslim a Non-Muslim.
"Have I spoken in support of the war?" was his next clarification. "Never, a Muslim can be anything but a liar" (perhaps a jibe that, whoever suggested that he did support the war was lying) pointing out that guarding our hearts was imperative and that as an Ummah we shouldn't descend into becoming a 'Motley Crew'
The latter part of his speech tackled the concept of Fitna (which he interpreted as being anything from civil unrest, chaos to seduction) and he tailed off with some recommendations for the Muslim community here.
'Don’t hold anybody innocent to account and be patient. Persevere and avoid what Allah has prohibited. With reference to Calculus, he advised on getting rid of it, as it provided the tools for developing destructive weapons including those that are designed to leave buildings intact while killing human being (perhaps a reference to the Iraqi Oil ministry me thinks). He emphasized the need to promote love and understanding between family members, otherwise how can one expect the outside world to be any different.
"Wage peace, not war" was his cry.
An unusual setting for a talk on Islamic educational values some might say but, the Quadrangle Conference Centre at Oxford United's football ground played host to Hamza Yousuf of California with a strong crowd of about 1000 people in attendance.
Mr Yousuf in his own delectable style embarked on a discourse, which covered various aspects of contemporary Muslim behaviour. The jist being to identify how one can take the ideals of Islamic education and use them to help shape a more informed, culturally tolerant and temperamently obedient society. The distinction between what Islam provides us in book form (Quran, Hadith etc.) being far removed from what we as Muslims portray or exemplify today as a whole.
"Where is the quality?" he asked. The fact that we have to qualify nouns such as schools, universities, charities etc. with the verb 'Islamic' was indicative of our current abyss. In the golden age the Muslims didn't need to do that, as all these institutions were inherently Islamic.
He seemed almost vitriolic towards those that clamoured for an Islamic State, saying that he didn't see them in an Islamic State (i.e that their conduct or character presented them in an unislamic state) viz. How do you take someone from one place to the other when you are not there in the first place?
Musing over his meeting post 9/11 with President Bush, he referred to particular ayahs (verses from the Quran) and Hadith, which talked about rulers and tribulations. The most notable example being the command that Allah gave to Musa AS (Moses) to speak gently to Firaun (The Pharoah of Egypt). Further that the Qur'an gave guidance for any situation.
"Judge from the outward as nobody knows what's in the heart…not even the Angels or Satan" was his apparent riposte to those that misjudged him, giving the example that Imam Abu Hanifah had a well-known saying which is paraphrased as follows. 'It is better to call 1000 Non-Muslims, Muslim than to call 1 Muslim a Non-Muslim.
"Have I spoken in support of the war?" was his next clarification. "Never, a Muslim can be anything but a liar" (perhaps a jibe that, whoever suggested that he did support the war was lying) pointing out that guarding our hearts was imperative and that as an Ummah we shouldn't descend into becoming a 'Motley Crew'
The latter part of his speech tackled the concept of Fitna (which he interpreted as being anything from civil unrest, chaos to seduction) and he tailed off with some recommendations for the Muslim community here.
'Don’t hold anybody innocent to account and be patient. Persevere and avoid what Allah has prohibited. With reference to Calculus, he advised on getting rid of it, as it provided the tools for developing destructive weapons including those that are designed to leave buildings intact while killing human being (perhaps a reference to the Iraqi Oil ministry me thinks). He emphasized the need to promote love and understanding between family members, otherwise how can one expect the outside world to be any different.
"Wage peace, not war" was his cry.
Is Capitalism Appropriate for the Muslim World?
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
A symposium took place on Tuesday at the Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel, chaired by Nazmul Haque (Financial Trading Analyst) and it pitted Clive Crook (editor of 'The Economist') against Sajjad Khan (Islamic economist and editor of the forthcoming 'New Civilisation Magazine')
The chair opened by glossing over the scenario of Muslim countries, despite having ample resources, poverty and disillusionment were the norm, citing Bangladesh as a particular case in point. Thus, begging the question: 'Can capitalism work in Muslim countries?'
The billing had a more than adequate representation with Mr. Khan having first-hand experience of the sort of macro challenges that face the Muslim world by way of working in International Finance and engaging in Project-risk assignments worldwide. His counter-part, Mr. Crook having been groomed at the LSE and Oxford, had a wealth of experience including stints at HM Treasury and The World Bank amongst others.
The discussion was shaped by a presentation of views by both gentlemen, which was followed by a Question/Answer session involving the audience.
Mr. Nazmul Haque elected to give first blood to the editor of 'The Economist' who prefaced his discussion with the assertion that, it would be a mistake to think of Muslim countries as a homogonous group, rather that they were a diverse mixture, each of whom functioned independently of the others. This was followed by what appeared to be a series of rebuttals of Mr. Haque's opening statement/s. Notable amongst them was the opinion that countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and even Turkey (till late 90's) had shown that 'Muslim' countries could function successfully within a global capitalist framework. Furthermore, that the Muslim World wasn't poverty-stricken and thus, there needn't be a polarized debate vis-à-vis Capitalism and Islam.
The theme of discussion developed into highlighting the benefits of Capitalism while acknowledging what he described as constraints. Verily that market forces were inevitable, that in aggregate terms everybody gains and where there are exceptions, economic policy may need to be re-directed. The system certainly wasn't intrinsically evil as some assert, neither does it ruin the environment, perhaps more importantly he argued that it was not the political hegemony of the West.
However, Mr. Crook did concede that Capitalism was susceptible to drastic changes in market forces (viz. old industries making way for new ones) where change could be traumatic if not anticipated and dealt with. Also, that modernization can prove problematic for certain cultures.
Bringing the focus towards world poverty and globalisation, (perhaps, the key signaling posts of the debate) he was sceptical and in fact dismissed UNDP figures on poverty as being misleading, stating that their mode of measurement didn't take into account gradual and dynamic improvements of the majority of countries and wholly ignored discrepancies in cost of living in different countries.
He refuted the suggestion that globalisation was hollowing out democracy, governments were not powerless, they can manipulate policy to provide benefits to the majority. Using the open economies of the US and Sweden as an example of government choice, pointing out they were in stark contrast to each other in relation to public spending.
Islam or Muslims shouldn’t be deeply suspicious of capitalism. Blind greed was counter to the capitalist spirit, rather it required a calm and reflective state of mind.
On the issue of interest (usury), he claimed it was only a small part of the plot, although he commends the notion of risk-sharing (As advocated by Islam).
A good government, rather than religion should be the determining factor.
Capitalism is beneficial to the Muslim world, they have nothing to fear, he concluded.
By this point, Sajjad Khan, to use the proverbial, was straining at the leash. This was exemplified in his opening as statistics rolled out one after the other, most notable was the World Bank's calculation that three billion people were living on less than $2 a day as were 1 in 5 Arabs.
Did Capitalism lead to material progress? Mr. Khan was certain that it did, but Socialism could claim the same, he reasoned, citing the example of Russia under Stalin.
Nevertheless, avoiding spiritual and humanitarian elements had led to a narrow mindset beset by gauging everything from a material perspective. A distinct lack of political will and ideology dominated. He took the example of the US which currently gives c.$15 billion in aid while c.$900billion is devoted to defence. All this pervades the doctrines of secularism, individualism, where values emerge as un-balanced, thinking appears hedonistic, championed by the media with celebrities attaining pole position in society. With that backdrop, Capitalism could not even begin to tackle the issue of poverty, he challenged.
Mr. Khan linked this to the view that multi-national corporations wielded too much political power, Dick Cheney's Halliburton being a case in point. Obligations to shareholders were the primary concern, which conflicted with the role of government and media supposedly keeping these very corporations in check.
As far as the geo-political tendencies of Capitalism were concerned, there was an uncomfortable tendency to prescribe a one-club solution to all issues viz. increase free trade, which would lead to growth, thereby reducing poverty. Essentially, trickle-down effects were thin when it came to ground reality, he suggested, adding perhaps jokingly that there appeared to be a fanciful notion that the IMF was run by altruistic 'choir boys'.
Channeling the audience onto Islam was the next step in his presentation as he explained that Muslims were given the necessary tools in the 7Th century unlike the Europeans with their 18th century economists/reformers/philosophers etc. with Muslim Spain being a historical testament to material progress.
Thus, spreading the intellectual doctrine of Islam was essential to save the Muslim world from it's current quagmire. Capitalism for Muslims was akin to making the fox look after the chickens, opined Mr. Khan.
Essential policy proposals (on his part) included bringing back the Gold Standard, thereby reducing undue reliance on paper currencies that held no intrinsic value, encourage spending so that society could be liquid, thus, everybody benefiting each other, as well as fulfilling the anti-hoarding message of Islam.
Mr. Sajjad Khan closed by acknowledging that the West had made significant technological advances as a result of creative and hard-working individuals. However, that needed to be shared, with a view to eradicating global poverty.
The Session later moved to and fro between both speakers where admittedly there was a partisan crowd and the target of most questions was Mr. Crook, who I felt deserves recognition for facing up to a crowd that could have potentially been hostile. Nevertheless, questions flew from whether Pareto Optimality was the defining philosophy in Capitalism to whether or not balances and checks in Western society were durable enough to ensure the benefits of capitalism could be enjoyed by all (not just the shareholders of large corporations).
A symposium took place on Tuesday at the Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel, chaired by Nazmul Haque (Financial Trading Analyst) and it pitted Clive Crook (editor of 'The Economist') against Sajjad Khan (Islamic economist and editor of the forthcoming 'New Civilisation Magazine')
The chair opened by glossing over the scenario of Muslim countries, despite having ample resources, poverty and disillusionment were the norm, citing Bangladesh as a particular case in point. Thus, begging the question: 'Can capitalism work in Muslim countries?'
The billing had a more than adequate representation with Mr. Khan having first-hand experience of the sort of macro challenges that face the Muslim world by way of working in International Finance and engaging in Project-risk assignments worldwide. His counter-part, Mr. Crook having been groomed at the LSE and Oxford, had a wealth of experience including stints at HM Treasury and The World Bank amongst others.
The discussion was shaped by a presentation of views by both gentlemen, which was followed by a Question/Answer session involving the audience.
Mr. Nazmul Haque elected to give first blood to the editor of 'The Economist' who prefaced his discussion with the assertion that, it would be a mistake to think of Muslim countries as a homogonous group, rather that they were a diverse mixture, each of whom functioned independently of the others. This was followed by what appeared to be a series of rebuttals of Mr. Haque's opening statement/s. Notable amongst them was the opinion that countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and even Turkey (till late 90's) had shown that 'Muslim' countries could function successfully within a global capitalist framework. Furthermore, that the Muslim World wasn't poverty-stricken and thus, there needn't be a polarized debate vis-à-vis Capitalism and Islam.
The theme of discussion developed into highlighting the benefits of Capitalism while acknowledging what he described as constraints. Verily that market forces were inevitable, that in aggregate terms everybody gains and where there are exceptions, economic policy may need to be re-directed. The system certainly wasn't intrinsically evil as some assert, neither does it ruin the environment, perhaps more importantly he argued that it was not the political hegemony of the West.
However, Mr. Crook did concede that Capitalism was susceptible to drastic changes in market forces (viz. old industries making way for new ones) where change could be traumatic if not anticipated and dealt with. Also, that modernization can prove problematic for certain cultures.
Bringing the focus towards world poverty and globalisation, (perhaps, the key signaling posts of the debate) he was sceptical and in fact dismissed UNDP figures on poverty as being misleading, stating that their mode of measurement didn't take into account gradual and dynamic improvements of the majority of countries and wholly ignored discrepancies in cost of living in different countries.
He refuted the suggestion that globalisation was hollowing out democracy, governments were not powerless, they can manipulate policy to provide benefits to the majority. Using the open economies of the US and Sweden as an example of government choice, pointing out they were in stark contrast to each other in relation to public spending.
Islam or Muslims shouldn’t be deeply suspicious of capitalism. Blind greed was counter to the capitalist spirit, rather it required a calm and reflective state of mind.
On the issue of interest (usury), he claimed it was only a small part of the plot, although he commends the notion of risk-sharing (As advocated by Islam).
A good government, rather than religion should be the determining factor.
Capitalism is beneficial to the Muslim world, they have nothing to fear, he concluded.
By this point, Sajjad Khan, to use the proverbial, was straining at the leash. This was exemplified in his opening as statistics rolled out one after the other, most notable was the World Bank's calculation that three billion people were living on less than $2 a day as were 1 in 5 Arabs.
Did Capitalism lead to material progress? Mr. Khan was certain that it did, but Socialism could claim the same, he reasoned, citing the example of Russia under Stalin.
Nevertheless, avoiding spiritual and humanitarian elements had led to a narrow mindset beset by gauging everything from a material perspective. A distinct lack of political will and ideology dominated. He took the example of the US which currently gives c.$15 billion in aid while c.$900billion is devoted to defence. All this pervades the doctrines of secularism, individualism, where values emerge as un-balanced, thinking appears hedonistic, championed by the media with celebrities attaining pole position in society. With that backdrop, Capitalism could not even begin to tackle the issue of poverty, he challenged.
Mr. Khan linked this to the view that multi-national corporations wielded too much political power, Dick Cheney's Halliburton being a case in point. Obligations to shareholders were the primary concern, which conflicted with the role of government and media supposedly keeping these very corporations in check.
As far as the geo-political tendencies of Capitalism were concerned, there was an uncomfortable tendency to prescribe a one-club solution to all issues viz. increase free trade, which would lead to growth, thereby reducing poverty. Essentially, trickle-down effects were thin when it came to ground reality, he suggested, adding perhaps jokingly that there appeared to be a fanciful notion that the IMF was run by altruistic 'choir boys'.
Channeling the audience onto Islam was the next step in his presentation as he explained that Muslims were given the necessary tools in the 7Th century unlike the Europeans with their 18th century economists/reformers/philosophers etc. with Muslim Spain being a historical testament to material progress.
Thus, spreading the intellectual doctrine of Islam was essential to save the Muslim world from it's current quagmire. Capitalism for Muslims was akin to making the fox look after the chickens, opined Mr. Khan.
Essential policy proposals (on his part) included bringing back the Gold Standard, thereby reducing undue reliance on paper currencies that held no intrinsic value, encourage spending so that society could be liquid, thus, everybody benefiting each other, as well as fulfilling the anti-hoarding message of Islam.
Mr. Sajjad Khan closed by acknowledging that the West had made significant technological advances as a result of creative and hard-working individuals. However, that needed to be shared, with a view to eradicating global poverty.
The Session later moved to and fro between both speakers where admittedly there was a partisan crowd and the target of most questions was Mr. Crook, who I felt deserves recognition for facing up to a crowd that could have potentially been hostile. Nevertheless, questions flew from whether Pareto Optimality was the defining philosophy in Capitalism to whether or not balances and checks in Western society were durable enough to ensure the benefits of capitalism could be enjoyed by all (not just the shareholders of large corporations).
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