Muslim cleric to take Kumbh dip to wash away religious differences, Islamic World News, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic World News

Muslim cleric to take Kumbh dip to wash away religious differences

Lucknow: A dip in the sacred river during the Maha Kumbh Mela is said to wash away all sins. A senior Muslim cleric who will perform the Hindu rite hopes it will also wash away differences between the two religions.

Kalbe Sadiq, a noted Shia cleric and senior vice-president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), will take the "holy dip" in the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela to be held in Haridwar in 2010.

"For the sake of cementing the bond between Hindus and Muslims, I have decided to perform the ritual (holy dip) in the Ganga River, which is considered sacred and revered, particularly by Hindus," Sadiq told IANS.

"In fact, not only the holy dip, I am ready to perform every such act that will help promote amicable atmosphere between the two communities and contribute towards the progress of the nation," he added.

Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, will be held in 2010 in the holy city Haridwar in Uttarakhand, from Jan 14 to April 28, and is expected to see an influx of 15 million pilgrims -- many of whom will come from distant lands.

"Though I have not planned the exact date for carrying out the holy ritual, very soon I will make it (date) public," Sadiq said.

The Muslim cleric has also intimated his plans to the seers in Haridwar.

"I have informed them so that they can assist me in performing the holy ritual smoothly. For this purpose, I have already held talks with Yogi Yateendra Nath Giri, who is the national convener of the Akhil Bhartiya Sadhu Parishad," he said.

http://newageislam.com/muslim-cleric-to-take-kumbh-dip-to-wash-away-religious-differences/islamic-world-news/d/1836

Hate seems to outlast Faraz and Bulleh Shah, Islam and Pluralism, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam and Pluralism

Hate seems to outlast Faraz and Bulleh Shah

By Sher Baz Khan

ISLAMABAD

Though the set design and characters of the play carried the aura of 18th century in which Bulleh was born contrasted sharply with the modern hi-tech society in which Faraz lived, the chaos and hold of religious dogmas in the two periods presented a shocking similarity to the audience.It left a haunting feeling that this land is yet to rid itself of hatred.The play portrays events that took place during the dying Mughal Empire in the background, when the Sikhs were busy in taking revenge for their prolonged sufferings at the hands of the Muslim rulers and the later were divided into groups and sects, each busy in eliminating the other from the face of the earth.A Mullah refuses to grant permission for the burial of Bulha, a Syed by origin, at a Muslim graveyard, until it is established that he had died a Muslim. The crime for which he is punished posthumously is that Bulleh gave voice to the long suppressed desire of millions of people from this part of the world for peace, brotherhood and religious tolerance and because he stood for the supremacy of truth, love humanity and compassion over religious orthodoxy and dogmatism.“I think, our society is still drenched in the same medieval mindset recorded by Bulha where innocent people are being slaughtered in the name of religion and where people are being kept poor, illiterate and pushed to extremism for political designs,” said a visitor Amna Abdullah.The play carries a very strong message of peace and love at a time when Pakistan is almost giving in to the Talibanisation, where thousands have so far lost their lives to suicide attacks and bomb blasts and where tolerance is fading away and rivals are either being murdered or suppressed by the state.

http://newageislam.com/hate-seems-to-outlast-faraz-and-bulleh-shah/islam-and-pluralism/d/655

DALLIANCE WITH JAMAAT-E-ISLAMI: Bangladesh reveals its inherently anti-democratic attitude, Islam,Terrorism and Jihad, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam,Terrorism and Jihad

DALLIANCE WITH JAMAAT-E-ISLAMI: Bangladesh reveals its inherently anti-democratic attitude

An editorial in New Age, Dhaka

17 July 2008

While the chief adviser and the chief of army staff have severally, and emphatically, enunciated the interim government’s commitment to bringing the perpetrators of war crimes to justice, in reality, it has thus far displayed a soft attitude towards Jamaat, which, needless to say, had been at the forefront of anti-independence activism during the country’s war of liberation in 1971. Nizami’s release could be only the latest manifestation of such an attitude, and one does not have to go very far back to find another precedent. On July 11, a freedom fighter was assaulted at the representatives’ conference of Jatiya Muktijoddha Parishad, supposedly an organisation of freedom fighters which comprises primarily pro-Jamaat elements, in the capital. As reported in the media, the elderly man came under attack for demanding, in his speech to the conference, punishment to the Jamaat men who actively cooperated with the brutal occupation forces of Pakistan during the war of independence in 1971. While there has been a wave of protests against the assault of the veteran freedom fighter and calls for exemplary punishment for the perpetrators since, the government has thus far maintained a cryptic silence over the entire issue.

http://newageislam.com/dalliance-with-jamaat-e-islami--bangladesh-reveals-its-inherently-anti-democratic-attitude/islam,terrorism-and-jihad/d/259