Muslim leaders in India voice support for PM Modi

Prominent Muslim sociopolitical leaders in India have voiced their appreciation for the government led by PM Narendra Modi, emphasising how the inclusive policies of his government have fostered religious freedom and paved the way for unparalleled development within the Muslim community nationwide. 

The Muslim leaders said that they will not tolerate any terrorism activities against India and they will give befitting response to the enemies of the nation as proud Indians. The gathering passed the Mumbai Resolution demonstrating unwavering support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to transform India into a developed nation by 2047 and pledging support and active contribution in achieving this dream. 

 

Source: Chandigarh University. Chancellor Chandigarh University & IMF Convener Satnam Singh Sandhu along with Abdul Sattar Abdul Nabi, Minister of Minority Development Maharashtra and prominent Muslim leaders announcing the Mumbai resolution during the Sadbhavna event on November 27, 2023.

Delegates included Mansoor Khan, National President, Sufi Islam Board; Zafar Sareshwalla, Founder, Parsoli Group of Companies & Educationist; Maulana Zaheer Abbas Rizvi, President, Shia Ulama Board Maharashtra and VP, All India Shia Personal Board; Asif Bhamla, Founder, Bhamla Foundation and Environmentalist; Sohail Khandwani, Principal Secretary, Managing Trustee (Haji Ali Trust & Makhdoom Shah Baba Trust); Iqbal Memon, President, All India Memon Jamat; and Dr. Zahir Kazi, President, Anjuman-I-Islam. 

Indian Minister of Minority Development and Aukaf, Abdul Sattar, said that the welfare schemes have reached the Muslim community and have empowered them at an unprecedented level during the last nine years. 

"Equal opportunities have been provided to the members of Muslim community as envisioned in our constitution and their welfare has been prioritised. Their equal representation has been ensured in policy making and law making in the country, be it in the parliament and any other institution in the country," he said.

The minister further said that the contribution of Muslims has been acknowledged and has received recognition from the government at the highest level. This can been seen in the increase in the Padma awards given to Muslims in the last nine years. 

Sareshwalla said: "Whatever our religion might be, we are Indians first, and will always be. A Muslim is not a Muslim because of the type of food he consumes, but he is a Muslim because he has certain values. The true religion of a Muslim is to ensure that no one is suffering because of him, and the entire Muslim community in India has been working towards the welfare of humanity."

Dr Zahir Kazi, President, Anjuman-I-Islam, said, "(The) Muslim community of India has not only contributed for the independence struggle of the nation but is currently contributing in making India a global power in the fields of education, science and technology, entrepreneur, business and commerce."

Chancellor of Chandigarh University (CU) and IMF Convenor Satnam Singh Sandhu stated that the event was held aimed to celebrate the contribution of Muslims in the development of India. "(The) Muslim contribution is remarkable in India's growth and their significant contribution should be celebrated at every level. The contribution of every minority community in India's growth is immense and their nation-building initiatives have been the cornerstones of the nation's strength and resilience. 

"However, it is more important that every minority community resolutely make their contribution during the next 25 years as the India is dreaming to become a developed nation," he said.

Sandhu further announced that a centre for research on minority communities will be established at CU in collaboration with other likeminded organisations, with the first partnership with Anjuman-I-Islam. This is the first of its kind in India.

Additionally, Sandhu proposed a collaboration to publish a book on the contribution of Muslims to the development of India. He requested Dr Kazi to author it.

Aligarh Muslim University appoints Dean for Faculty of Theology

Source: AMU. Professor Mohammad.

The Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor has appointed Professor Mohammad Saleem from the Department of Sunni Theology as Dean, Faculty of Theology for a period of two years, with effect from February 15 2019.

Dr Mohammad's specialty is in the critical study of hadith. He teaches post-graduate classes about hadith on the basis of ilm-e-dirayah (عِلْمِ الدِرایَة), the study of understanding hadith, as opposed to Ilm-e-riwayah, (عِلْمِ الرِّوَايَة) the study of narration of hadith.

He has published four books, including Rewayat wa Dirayat e Hadith; Tadween e Hadith; Uloom e Hadith; and Ahadith e Fadhail.

Zee5 zeroes in on Pakistan, Bangladesh

Source: Zee5. Images for the #ShareTheLove campaign.

Three months after its soft launch across 190+ countries, digital entertainment platform ZEE5 is now focused on Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The #ShareTheLove is themed around the similarities that ZEE5 shares with Pakistan and Bangladesh in terms of culture and entertainment. Bringing in a strong bouquet of content which resonates with audiences in these markets, including Hindi and Bengali original shows like Rangbaaz, Kaali and the upcoming Sharate Aaj, original films like Aranyadeb and Tigers as well as digital premieres like Namaste England and Praktan; ZEE5 shares the love.

Amit Goenka, CEO, ZEE International and Z5 Global, said, "Indian content, especially our TV shows, movies and music gets tremendous love across the globe, and especially so from the sub-continent due to the relatability. We are glad to announce our availability in Bangladesh and Pakistan vide our new campaign #ShareTheLove and we look forward to getting a tremendous response from these markets."

"Good content transcends borders and especially so with Pakistan and Bangladesh where there is so much shared context of culture and language. This high energy TVC captures our innate similarities and showcases the content that we all love to watch, which is now available on ZEE5. With this message at its core, #ShareTheLove is sure to resonate beautifully with audiences in these markets," adds Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global.

ZEE5 offers 1,00,000 hours of Indian movies, TV shows, cine plays, music, videos and exclusive originals across 12 languages - English, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Punjabi. It also offers 60+ popular live TV channels.

Details:

Download the ZEE5 app from Google Play Store or the iOS App Store. ZEE5 is also available . ZEE5 is also available on Samsung Smart TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV.

Watch the TV commercials in Bangladesh and Pakistan

India government lists conditions for Hajj 2018 operators

The Ministry of Minority Affairs (Haj Division) of the government of India has listed 30 terms and conditions applicable to private tour operators (PTOs) during Hajj 2018.

Among the terms are that PTOs must comply with all regulations from both the government of India and the KSA government with regards to obtaining Hajj visas and health regulations.

Hajj visas are not granted for people who have gone for Hajj in the last five years. Exemptions are given for PTO employees supporting the pilgrims, or if a person is accompanying a first-degree relative as a mahram, and that relative has not been to Hajj in the last five years.

PTOs must also have a local counterpart in KSA which is registered with the Haj & Umrah Information Centre of the KSA Ministry of Haj & Umra.

Details:

Read the full list of 30 terms and conditions (PDF)

View the list of registered PTOs for Hajj 2018 (PDF). A total of 46,323 vacancies have been allocated to PTOs for Hajj 2018.

Haj Committee of India issues warning against scammers

The Haj Committee of India has reported that scammers have been taking advantage of the upcoming Hajj to send fake messages on social media as a pretext for soliciting money.

Topics have included selection of pilgrims and the appointment of seasonal staff.

The Haj Committee stresses that any official circular will be available only on the official website, http://hajcommittee.gov.in/, and that it is not responsible for loss or damages that result from interacting with such messages.

It only has one account with the State Bank of India and another with the Union Bank of India, as reported in an official circular (PDF).

Haj Committee of India opens applications for Hajj trainers

The Haj Committee of India has invited applicants as trainers for Hajj pilgrims. The trainers will first be trained by the organisation, after which they will train Hajj pilgrims under the direct supervision of state or union territory (UT) Haj Committees.

One trainer to 250 pilgrims is planned, subject to adjustment to allow every district in a state to be represented. The quota will also be relaxed if the state quota has fewer than 250 pilgrims.

Details:

Applicants should apply online by 15 February and then submit a hard copy of the completed e-application  by 21 February to their state or UT Haj Committee.

Read the terms and conditions (PDF)

Haj Committee of India sets mid-April deadline for NRI passport submission

The Haj Committee of India has announced that the last date of submission for original passports for non-resident Indian Hajj pilgrims is 15 April 2018, before the deadline for the input of pilgrim details into the KSA computer system which is estimated to fall on 15 May this year.

The committee said that it would extend the deadline if the Ministry of Haj & Umrah, KSA makes changes to its submission deadline. Such extensions are not applicable to co-pilgrims, or for payments by pilgrims.

Haj Committee of India sets deadline for advance Hajj payments

The Haj Committee of India has extended the deadline for remittance of the advance Hajj amount to 12 February, 2018. The amount of Rs81,000 must be paid by provisionally-selected pilgrims for Hajj 2018.

The unique bank reference number provided to each group travelling together (cover) must be mentioned on the remittance receipt. The pilgrims must also submit a copy of the pay-in slip, medical certificate in the prescribed format, their original passport, and a photograph to their State Haj Committee by the deadline.

The quota for India is 123,400 pilgrims based on a Muslim population of 172 million. Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar have the most Muslims, numbering 38 million, 24 million and 17 million respectively.

Ministry of Minority Affairs, India warns of Hajj scams

The Ministry of Minority Affairs, India has announced that scammers are publishing advertisements in print media implying that they have received Hajj 2017 quota allotments from the ministry.

The ministry said in a statement that 45,000 Hajj places have been allocated to 569 private tour operators (PTOs) for Hajj 2017. The list of the PTOs can be viewed online at its website, or at the national Hajj website.

"The general public and intending Hajj pilgrims desirous of availing the services of PTOs for Haj 2017 are hereby advised to check the above website and also make necessary enquiries and take precautions before engaging a PTO in order to avoid incidents of cheating by unscrupulous elements," the ministry said.

Interested?

View the list of approved PTOs and their allocations

India announces Hajj quota allocation for successful tour operators

Eight hundred applications were received by the Ministry of Minority Affairs (Haj Division)* of India for registration as private tour operators (PTOs) under different categories after a call for applications in December 2016. The deadline was originally 20 January 2017, extended to the end of January.

According to the ministry, 293 applications were received for Category I, 396 for Category II and 111 were new PTO applications on an umrah basis.

The ministry has approved 299 PTOs in Category I, including 14 PTOs upgraded from Category II to Category I; and 362 PTOs in Category II, including four new PTOs on an umrah basis for allocations of quotas for Hajj 2017 under the Approved PTO Policy for 2013-17. 

A total of 45,000 seats has been allocated to PTOs for Hajj 2017 as the result of a computerised ballot on 20 June in the presence of representatives of the PTOs Associations. As previously announced, 70% of the quota goes to Category I PTOs, with the remainder allocated to Category II PTOs:

Category-I PTOs — 31,500 seats: These seats have been distributed among 299 PTOs who have been qualified for Haj 2017. Out of this, 194 PTOs have been allotted 105 seats each and the remaining 105 PTOs allotted 106 seats each through drawing lots

Category-II PTOs — 13,500 seats: A total of 362 PTOs have been qualified under Category II for Hajj 2017. Due to the limited quota for Category-II PTOs, only 270 PTOs have been allotted 50 seats each. This resulted in 137 eligible PTOs which could not get a quota for Hajj 2017. 

Successful PTOs have been asked to collect their certificates for allocation of quota for Hajj 2017 from the Haj Division, ISIL Building, Bhagwan Das Road, New Delhi, India from 2pm onwards on 21 June, 2017. 

Interested?

View the list of approved PTOs and their Hajj 2017 allocations (PDF)

View the terms and conditions for applicants (PDF)

*The Ministry of Minority Affairs took over management of Hajj in October 2016.

Browse Andaaz Fashion's Eid collection

Source: Andaaz Fashion Eid collection pages. Lehengas. 

Indian online fashion marketplace Andaaz Fashion has launched its Eid collection for 2017.

The Eid collection for women include anarkalis, churidar suits, trouser suits, sarees, kurtis, lehengas as well as readymade dresses. Children's kurtas and salwar are also available. Men's kurta pajamas are also offered.

Size options for women range from XXS to 5XL and from S to 2XL for men.

Eid jewellery, in ethnic designs, has its own section. 

Andaaz Fashion aims to provide affordable, fashionable as well as comfortable clothing for everyday and special occasions. The designs are targeted at the pan-Indian consumer, and come in a wide range of styles to suit regional variations in fashions.

Interested?

Get an additional 10% off with the code EID10.

Request the Eid Catalogue 2017

India extends deadline for Hajj 2017 applications

The Haj Committee of India has published its action plan for Hajj 2017 (1438) under which it has called for prospective pilgrims to submit their applications as well as for support during the Hajj proper.

Applications for Hajj 2017 began in January and were to end on 24 January, but have since been extended to 6 February. The committee said in a statement that the extension was granted after feedback from several State Haj Committees.

"Consequently, applicants possessing international passports issued on or before 6th February, 2017 and valid up to 28th February, 2018 will be eligible to apply for Hajj — 2017, in partial modification of para 4 (i) of the Guidelines for Hajj — 2017," the circular stated.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs has separately invited applications from Muslim permanent employees working in central/state government/union territories/public sector undertakings/autonomous bodies for temporary deputation to the Consulate General of India, Jeddah, KSA, to assist Hajj pilgrims as Coordinators, Assistant Haj Officers and Haj Assistants as well as doctors and paramedics (allopathic) for Hajj 2017. The period of deputation will be approximately two to three months.

Interested?

To apply to perform the Hajj:

• Booklets containing guidelines and application forms are available free from State / Union Territory Haj Committees or can be downloaded online. 
• Completed forms will be accepted in the office of respective State Haj Committees till February 6 during working hours. The applicants must have a machine-readable valid Indian international passport issued on or before February 6 2017 and valid at least up to February 28, 2018. The forms can also be submitted online

To apply as administrative personnel for Hajj 2017:

• Read the eligibility criteria and other terms & conditions (PDF) 
• Applications should be submitted online.  The deadline for submitting online applications is 20 February, 2017. A printed version of the form that was completed online, approved by the respective competent authority along with requisite enclosures marked with Application for Deputation to CGI, Jeddah as Coordinator/Assistant Haj Officer/ Haj Assistant on the envelope should be sent to arrive by March 14 to:

The Under Secretary (Haj), 

Ministry of Minority Affairs, 

3rd Floor, Indian Society of International Law,

V. K. Krishna Menon Bhawan, 

9, Bhagwan Das Road 

New Delhi-110001 

India

To apply as medical support personnel for Hajj 2017:

• Read the eligibility criteria and other terms & conditions (PDF) 
• Applications should be submitted online.  The deadline for submitting online applications is 20 February, 2017. A printed version of the form that was completed online, approved by the respective competent authority along with requisite enclosures marked with Application for Deputation to CGI, Jeddah as Doctors/ Paramedics on the envelope should be sent to arrive by March 14 to:

The Under Secretary (Haj), 

Ministry of Minority Affairs, 

3rd Floor, Indian Society of International Law,

V. K. Krishna Menon Bhawan, 

9, Bhagwan Das Road 

New Delhi-110001
India

Aligarh Muslim University to hold seminar on seerah

The Seerat Committee, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is organising a Research Scholars Seminar to encourage AMU students to study the life of the prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

Professor Obaidullah Fahad, Convenor, Seerat Committee confirmed that the seminar, themed Non-Muslim Perception of the Prophet of Islam, will include detailed discussions and deliberations on Hindu, Christian and Orientalist contributions to body of seerah literature.

posted from Bloggeroid

Aligarh Muslim University organises national seminar on Indian Constitution and Muslim personal law

Source: AMU. Maulana Shaukat Ali Qasmi addresses the floor at the Muslim Personal Law and Constitution of India seminar.

The Faculty of Theology, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has organised a national seminar on Muslim Personal Law and Constitution of India which has shared views about personal law and the country's constitution in the light of calls to institute a uniform civil code.

AMU Vice Chancellor Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah (Veteran) noted that India is a secular country, where people follow various faiths and personal laws. "Therefore, following a personal law of a particular religion or the common civil law in certain matters like marriages and divorces is entirely personal to any citizen," he said.

The Director of the seminar, Professor Abdul Khalique, Dean, Faculty of Theology, AMU, added that all communities want to live in peace and harmony, while safeguarding their personal laws, rituals and practices. 

Maulana Shaukat Ali Qasmi from Deoband pointed out that India is a secular democracy and that a  uniform civil code is against the ethos of the country. He urged people who are demanding such a code to research Islam and the Quran. "If Muslim personal law is modified, it will divert Muslims from the principles of Islam," he said.

The Chief Guest, Professor Shamim A Ansari, Dean, Faculty of Social Science urged Muslims to consider views of the ulama' (Islamic scholars) in terms religious duties and solutions to problems related to Muslim marriages, divorces and property distribution in Muslim families among other issues. He added that the solutions to these problems have been explained in religious texts.

posted from Bloggeroid

MAX sale in India ends 22 January

Source: MAX. MAX fashion for men, women and kids is on sale.

The Landmark Group's fashion brand MAX is offering up to 50% off in India on over 60,000 products from a collection that features the season's hottest trends across clothing, accessories and footwear for the entire family.

In India, MAX has more than 145 stores across 55 cities. The brand plans to have a network of 160 stores in India by the end of FY16-17.

Interested?

The sale ends January 22 2017.  Enjoy 5% additional cash back using an SBI credit card with a minimum transaction of INR2,500. 

IFRAS paper compares Jammu & Kashmir with Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

The International Forum for Rights and Security (IFRAS), a Canada-based think tank, has released a research paper comparing Jammu & Kashmir in India with the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in China.

Jammu & Kashmir and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region - A Study in Contrasts highlights how the Indian and Chinese governments have adopted distinctly different approaches and methods to deal with comparable challenges in the two regions.

Both regions host a Muslim-majority local population, extremism, cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan and the disputed border. Despite special political status granted to the two regions, the study highlights that while China's Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law has proven largely ineffective in ensuring true self-governance by ethnic groups like the Uyghurs whereas the people of Jammu & Kashmir have been provided guarantees under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, and a strong foundation on which to build a system of local governance.

The study also observes that India has not imposed the kind of controls on Muslims of the Kashmir Valley as China has done in Xinjiang.

Interested?

Read the paper

Rekhta Foundation virtual exhibits highlight life of poets

Source: Google Arts & Culture, Rekhta Foundation page. Exhibits feature Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum, Jahan Ara Begum and Begum Zeb-Un-Nissa.

Google Arts & Culture features content from over 1000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online. One such partner is the Rekhta Foundation, from Noida, India.

The foundation is the largest online repository of Urdu poetry in the world. The website displays works of over 2,100 well-known and lesser known poets from the 13th century to the present day, and includes over 25,000 nazms and ghazals (Editor's note: types of Urdu poetry) in Persian, Devanagari and Roman scripts.

Exhibits on the Rekhta Foundation site on Google Arts & Culture include a focus on the life of Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum, one of the rulers of Bhopal, the present-day capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. The exhibit describes the life of Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum and how she advanced infrastructure, architecture, arts and education.

Another online exhibit is on Jahan Ara Begum, Shah Jahan's daughter. Shah Jahan is famous for building the Taj Mahal for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, while Jahan Ara Begum is known for her wisdom and her contribution to Sufism. Her Sufi mentor, Mulla Shah, wanted to name her his successor, but the rules of the order disallowed it. She is known for authoring several books, including a biography of Mulla Shah titled Ṣaḥibia and a biography of Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chisti, the philosopher who established the Chisti order of Sufism, titled Munis-ul-Arwah (The Companion Spirits).

Begum Zeb-un-Nissa, Jahan Ara Begum's niece and the eldest daughter of Aurangzeb, has her own section. She wrote poetry, and was imprisoned for the last 20 years of her life by her father.

Haj Committee of India adds support features for Hajj pilgrims and their families

The Haj Committee of India has added a live flight status feature to its website, allowing those interested to track when Hajj pilgrims arrive in Jeddah, KSA.

The committee has further released a WhatsApp number for pilgrim communication, 00 966 5 0412 7043  as well as toll-free number for pilgrims within KSA: 80 0247 7786.

Interested?

Check flight status

Marya Day chairman calls for better awareness of halal concepts, certification in India

With the largest segment of Indian expatriates living in the Gulf countries, demand in the GCC for halal-certified products from India continues to grow, says Haji Shakeel Qureshi, a global promoter of halal certification and Chairman of the Marya Day Group. The company is known for foods, bodycare, and household cleaning products, with electronics and ethnic wear to come.

Qureshi founded Marya Frozen Agro Foods in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India. He also established Marya Day Agro Foods. He is currently leading a global drive to create awareness on halal trade and its positive impact on society. Halal is still an under-appreciated concept especially in India. He points out that increased awareness about halal quality standards can potentially provide opportunities to entrepreneurs from India looking to export their products to more countries.

"Hundreds of Indian halal-certified items ranging from food products to cosmetics and personal care products are being produced in line with the concept of 'halal', which is accepted globally as a sustainable and ethical way of living," he said.

"In the Gulf countries, the halal mark is mandatory for all import products and is now the new benchmark for quality standards. The recent developments in halal certification opens up an opportunity to tap a global food market of about 2 billion people in the Middle East, Asia Pacific, EU, US and Central Asia. However, the awareness on 'halal' is meagre in many exporting countries (that) this is currently accepted as an international certification of standards and assurance of quality and purity in different parts of the world, especially in the Gulf region."

"Halal standards have become the backbone of international trade and export business, ensuring safety and quality of the products and services. The halal mark also facilitates international trade and improves the environment in which we live in...The Indian government and industry bodies should make the halal mark mandatory on all products so that the export of Indian fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) can easily cover more international markets," Qureshi added.

Qureshi also noted that many equate 'halal' with halal meat, which is actually just one small aspect of the concept. "Halal is about setting a direction for life in accordance with ethics and good practice. The real meaning of this term should be made understood to all consumer segments and people from all walks of life. Leading a moral life and following 'halal' in our day-to-day life will not only help us become a good human being, but uplift the society as a whole," he said,

posted from Bloggeroid

Haj Committee of India invites selected waitlisted pilgrims to register for Hajj 2016

The Haj Committee of India, part of India's Ministry of External Affairs, has released 1,727 places for Hajj that have become available due to cancellations received across the country.

Wait-listed pilgrims have been provisionally selected subject to terms and conditions, such as paying the costs of the Hajj as per their category of accommodation and place of departure, either online at hajcommittee.gov.in or directly into the official bank account with SBI or UBI for the Haj Committee of India.

These potential pilgrims will also require medical screening and fitness tests whose results have to be submitted to their respective State Haj Committee on or before 18 July, 2016.

The Haj Committee of India has separately announced that the full cost of the Hajj must be paid up by 18 July in view of the month of Ramadhan falling in July, instead of 2 July as originally stipulated.