--
Asadullah Syed

Imran Khan Meeting with "Saints" & "Pirs" & Jang Group Promotes "SHIRK".

Imran Khan Meeting with "Saints" & "Pirs" & Jang Group Promotes "SHIRK". http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2011/07/imran-khan-meeting-with-saints-pirs.html  Earlier Jang Group's Haroon Rasheed quoted Mansoor Hallaj on Osama Bin Laden whereas Osama and others like him were Ikhwanis (Jamat-e-Islami) and for them Mansoor Hallaj was an Heretic:) more shameful is the fact that Historically Mr. Haroon is wrong because there was time gap between the death of Sufi Master Junaid Baghdadi and Mansoor Hallaj and their meeting cannot be proved through any narration. Patriotic Reverse Gear of Kamran Khan & Jang Group/GEO TV. http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2011/05/patriotic-reverse-gear-of-kamran-khan.html . When you insert the patchwork of Religion in Politics these efforts always end up in more confusion:) Mr Irfan Siddiqui [Noted Columnist of Daily Jang and Mentor of Dr. Shahid Masood, and Former PRO of President House Islamabad and earlier he was a Regular Columnist of Weekly Takbeer] is quite Islamist when in Pakistan while lecturing the Pakistani Politicians about Governance and Rule and Revival of Islam whereas he hismelf relaxed Islam's very basic prinicple i.e. Tawheed Monotheism while narrating his journey of Saudi Arabia and particularly his visit of Masjid Nabawi in Medina where he literaly presented Pakistan's Case before Prophet Mohammad [PBUH]'s Grave and wanted his intercession to "SAVE PAKISTAN". Mr. Irfan Siddiqui was least bothered about a FACT that Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] had passed away more than 1400 years ago and he [PBUH] cannot help Pakistan from his grave. Period. Irfan Siddiqui's Request to Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] & Polytheism [Shirk]. http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2010/04/irfan-siddiquis-request-to-prophet.html Today i.e. 1st July 2011, Mr. Haroon ur Rasheed has quoted an Alleged Saint from Gojar Khan, Punjab, who was familiar with the technicalities of Military Dictatorships of General Pervez Musharraf who was supported by Imran Khan in Sham Referendum of 2002 Imran Khan's Alleged Principled Stand & General Musharraf's Fraudulent Referendum. http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2011/04/imran-khans-alleged-principled-stand.html  . Friday, July 01, 2011, Rajab-Ul-Murrajab 28, 1432 A.H http://jang.com.pk/jang/jul2011-daily/01-07-2011/col4.htm  The Saints of South Asian Models are as under: Iqbal's secret meeting with saints (Like Imran Khan Like Allama Iqbal (also met with a Saint) Iqbal's secret meeting with saints) URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5InKreewK1Y Excerpts are as under: "QUOTE" 1. Do not try to understand the Qur'ân ever. Else, you will go astray. Fifteen "Uloom" (sciences) are required to understand the Book. ("Maulana" Zakaria Kandhalwi, Fazael Amaal, p.2) 2. Do not read the Qur'ân with understanding, you will go astray. (Fazaael Aamal, "Maulana" Ashraf Ali Thanwi, p. 216) It is mentioned in Aamaal-e-Qur'aani, p. 134 by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi [published by Jasim Book Depot, Urdu Bazaar, Jama Masjid, Delhi] that if a woman has excessive menstrual bleeding, the verse (Surah Al-'Imran: 3:144) should be written on three different pieces of paper, one tied on her right and the other on her left and the third piece of paper with the Qur'ânic verse to be hung below the naval. This verse of the Qur'aan, "Muhammad (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) is no more than a Messenger, and indeed (many) Messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels (as disbelievers)? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah, and Allah will give reward to those who are grateful." [Surah Al-'Imran: 3:144] 3. Delaying prayer once will cause a person to burn in the hellfire for 20.88 million years, just because he or she failed to pray on exact time. ("Maulana" Zakaria Kandhalwi, Fazaael Namaz, p.317) 4. Recite the whole Qur'ân in one raka'ah like saints did! [That will amount to more than 50 times of the whole Qur'ân in a single day!] (Fazaael Namaz p.64.) Saints recite 2,000 raka'ahs every day. They keep standing the full one month of Ramadhan reciting the Qur'ân twice a day! (Tableegh-I-Nisab Fazaael Aamal) 5. "Maulana" Ashraf Ali Thanwi separated the way of Salat between men and women in his book "Bahishti Zever." (Masjid Tauheed, Karachi. Muhammad Sultan) 6. When Shah Waliullah was in his mother's womb, she said a prayer. Two tiny hands (too) appeared for prayer. She was frightened. Her husband said, "You have Qutubul-Aqtab (Wali of Walis) in your womb (Hikayat-e-Awlia, p. 17 Ashraf Ali Thanwi) What a break-through! 7. Junaid Baghdadi was sitting when a dog crossed by. He merely glanced at the dog. The dog reached such glory that all dogs of the town followed him. Then he sat down and all dogs sat around him in meditation. (Ashraf Ali Thanwi. Imdad-ul- Mushtaq) 8. The holy messenger came to Shah Waliullah (in the 18 century!) and said, "Why do you worry? Your children are the same as mine." (Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Hikayat-ul-Awlia) 9. The prophet laid the foundation of Darul-Uloom, Deoband, India (in the 19th century) He comes to check accounts of the school. He has learnt the Urdu language. (Mubasshirat-e-Darul Uloom, and Deoband Number of the Darul-Uloom) 10. Mulla Mohammad Qasim Nanotwi saw in his dream that he was sitting in the lap of Allaah. (Biography of Mulla Qasim by Mulla Mohammad Yaqoob Nanotwi) 11. The advent of another Prophet is quite possible. (Mulla Abdul Hai Farangi Mahli and Mulla Qasim Nanotwi, Tahzeer-in-Nas, p.34, Athar Ibn Abbas, p.16) Why blame Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani only? 12. Disrespect to a monk is more perilous than disrespect to Allaah. (Mulla Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Al-Ashraf, p.23, Nov. 1991) 13. Dear reader, now read what p.154 " Islam or Maslak Parasti" says: According to the Qur'ân anything dedicated to other than Allaah in forbidden. It is our maulvi mind who declare virtuous such things as Koondas of Ja'afar Sadiq, halwa of Shabe barat in the name of Owais Qarni, haleem and sherbet of Imam Hussain and Niaz of the 11th in the name of Jeelani! 14. Risala Tazkara of Darul-uloom Deoband of 1965 claims: Anyone suffering from malaria who took dust from the grave of "Maulana" Yaqoob Nanotwi and tied this dust to his body, found instant relief. 15. Allaah cuts jokes with the Ulama of Deoband. One of them went to a well for "Wudu" (Ablution) He lowered the bucket in the well. It came back full of silver. The Holy man said to Allaah: Don't kid around! I am getting late for prayers. He lowered the bucket in again and this time it came back full of gold. (Risala Tazkara of Darul-uloom Deoband of April 1965) 16. In the night of Meraj (Ascension) Imam Ghazali rebuked Prophet Moses. Mohammed said, " Respect O' Ghazali!" (Malfoozat Haaji Imdaadullaah Muhaajir Makki, Imdad-ul- Mushtaq) by Ashraf Ali Thanwi. [Please note that Ghazali was born centuries after passing away of the holy prophet] 17. Take the right arm of a goat after Friday prayers. Be completely naked. Write Sura Yasin and the name of the person you want, then put the meat in the cooking pot. That person will fall in love with you. (Monthly "Khalid" Deoband Darul Uloom) 18. If you want to kill your enemy write A to T on a piece of bread. Recite Surah "RA'AD." Break the bread into five pieces and feed them to five dogs. Say to dogs, 'Eat the flesh of my enemy'. By the will of Allaah your enemy will have huge boils on his body. (Darul uloom Deoband "Khalid") 19. Say "Fazabooha" before you cut a melon, or any thing else (for that matter), you will find it sweet. (Aamale-Qurani, Ashraf Ali Thanwi) 20. Recite the verse "When the heaven will split." Write it (on a piece of paper) and tie to the left thigh of any woman in labor, child birth will become easy. Cut the hair of that woman and burn them between her thighs, childbirth will be easier still. (Aamal-e-Qurani, Ashraf Ali Thanwi) 21. During labor pains let the woman hold Mawatta Imam Malik for instant delivery. (Aamal-e-Qurani, Ashraf Ali Thanwi) 22. See what "Hakeemul Ummat" Thanwi says! Keep reciting "Al Mughni" during sex and the woman will love you. (same book, Ashraf Ali Thanwi) 23.The prophet laid foundation of Darul-Uloom, Deoband, India (in the 19th century). He comes to check accounts of the school. He has learnt Urdu language. (Mubasshirat-e-Darul Uloom, and Deoband Number of the Darul-Uloom) 24. When, "Maulana" Zakaria, the father of "Maulana" Yousuf Bannuri would fall sick, the prophet would come. He told the house servant, "Badshah Khan! I (the holy prophet), am also serving Zakaria. (Bayyanat 1975 Ashraf Ali Thanwi p. 7) 25. The prophet said to sister-in-law of Haaji Imdaadullaah Muhajir Makki, "Get up! I will cook meals for guests of Imdaadullaah." (Bayyanat p. 8, Ashraf Ali Thanwi) 26. "Maulana" Yousuf Ludhianwi taught a simple method to make interest (usury) Halal. Borrow from a non-Muslim. (Masaail-e-Jadeedah) 27. The wife of Mullah Jalaaluddin Rumi thought that his sexual desire had vanished. The Mullah came to know of her suspicion in a special trance of revelation (KASHF). That night he went to the wife and drilled her 70 times. (Please excuse the language) So much so that she asked forgiveness. (Manaqib-il-Arifain, p.70, by Shamsuddin Akhlaqi) Now please witness how far these Mujaddith's of Deoband can go! See what garbage Mulla Ashraf Ali Thanwi is trying to unload. The same Thanwi whom other Mullahs call "Hakeem-ul-Ummat"! 28. He writes on p.110 in "Imdaadul Mushtaq": There was a true monotheist. People told him if delicious food is part of the person of Allaah and feces too is a part of Him, eat both. Well, the Sheikh first became a pig and ate feces. Then he became a human being and ate food! Isn't that height of "wisdom" of our wise of the nation!" 29. Here is another pearl of wisdom from him: There was a Pir Sadiq from Ashraf Ali Thanwi's town. He taught his disciples "There is no God but Allah and Sadiq is His messenger." {Astaghfirullaah} The wise of the nation Thanwi declared that teaching OK. (Imane Khalis, p.109, Hazrat Masood Uthmani) 30. The holy messenger comes to Mulla Qasim Nanotwi and other big shots of Deoband, U.P to learn Urdu. He also checks accounts of the Madrasah. (Numerous references such as Haqaiq-o-Maarif, Deoband May 1975). 31. "Maulana" Yousuf Bannuri writes: The Prophet told my father, Zakaria! When you fall sick I also fall sick. Hazrat Ali had come to conduct the marriage of my father and mother. (In the 19th century!) (Iman-e-Khalis, pp. 7 and 8, Masooduddin Usmani, Fazil Uloom Deenia) Furthermore it is not a co-incidence that these beliefs are in the Fazaail Aamal, rather each one of the misguided views is a well-established belief of the Deobandis - the school of thought that the Tableeghi Jamaat originates from. This has been shown with ample proofs. please refer to the online book, "The JAMAAT TABLEEGH and the Deobandis - A Critical analysis of their Beliefs, Books and Dawah" This book is not a fazail-e-Aamaal Combat Kit, But is an Enlightening insight in to the Scholars and Founding Fathers of Deoband and their Sufistic Beliefs, As Deoband have been looked upon as the good Guys and the Barelwis as the Bad Guys, However after reading the writings of the revered scholars and Founder of Deoband one Realizes that the difference between the Barelwis and the Deobandis is Miniscule and they both Share the Same Sufistic Beliefs of PIRS, FAKIRS, MIRACULOUS POWERS OF SAINTS, APPROVAL OF GRAVE WORSHIP, ZIKR, MEDITATIONS, MOKSHA, TAWASSUL, LOOKING DOWN UPON JANNAH, DIRECT COMMUNICATIONS WITH ALLAAH and many other same beliefs. One is forced to conclude that this dangerous misinterpretation and twisting of Islaamic beliefs and practices has been deliberate, oft repeated and has been purposely concealed from the common man, This can in no way be attributed to ignorance on the part of the Deoband Leaders. Demented Sufis! I am superior to the prophets (Mohiuddin Ibn-Arabi, Hadeeqa Sultania p.190). I have denounced Islam. I believe this is incumbent on people. If Allah is God in the heavens, I am God on earth (statement of Hussain bin Mansoor Hallaj, Khateeb Baghdadi vol.8, Ibne Athir 11:140, Al Bidaya Wal Nihaya by Ibn Kathir). Men of knowledge see Shias as swines (Mohiuddin Ibn-Arabi, Futuhat Makkia 2:8). Sheikh Imam Abul Hassan Noori was in the company of his disciples. The call to prayers came. The Sheikh said, "It is death." Then a dog barked. The Sheikh replied, "Labbaik", meaning "Oh yes, my master" (Ibn-e-Jozi Talbees-e-Iblis p.383). My body has merged with the body of Rasulullah. Therefore, we are one (Shah Waliullah, Anfasul Arifain). I recite Sura Fatiha and walk across the river (Mulfoozat Moinuddin Chishti Ajmairi). In the assemblies of "URS" (communion of Sufi souls with God), spirits of the dead Sufis come to dance around (Mulla Abul Kalam Azad, Iman-e-Khalis p.63). Hazrat Dawood Jawarbi had seen Allah. When asked about Allah, he said, "Ask me not about His genitals and His beard. Ask about anything else (Al-Millil wal-Nahil, Imam Shehristani 1:96). Even better, the authorities should have painted Imam Shehristani a clown for conveying such rubbish. Allah is sitting in the heavens. I am the God on earth (Mansoor Hallaj, Ibne-Athir 2:140/Al Bidaya Wal Nihaya by Ibn Kathir). The priest in the church is our Allah (Ibn-Arabi, Qasasul Ulema p.53). There is no one else worthy of worship. Come and worship me (Mulla Jalaluddin Rumi, Mathnawi 4:52). Time for a laugh: This morning Allah wrestled with me. He floored me because I am 2 years younger than He is (Abul Hassan Kharqani, Fawaid Faridiya p.78). Alas! The Muslim fails to understand that Allah can be found only in idol worship (Sufi Mahmood Shabistri, Sharah Gulshan-e-Raz p.294). Hanafis are people who are pacing toward hellfire. The death anniversary of Imam Hussain must be celebrated like the Festival of Eid (Abdul Qadir Jeelani, Ghania al-Talibain p.190). My foot is on the neck of every saint, so I placed my foot on Hazrat Ali's neck (Abdul Qadir Jeelani, Asrar ul Qadam p.191). I hate the God who does not appear as a dog or cat (Ibn-Arabi, Khazeena Imaniya p.168). Whenever Khwaja Maudood Chishti wanted to see the Ka'aba, angels airlifted it to the land of Chisht (Malfoozat Khwaja Qutubuddin Bukhtiar Kaki, Fariduddin Ganj Shakar). This Khwaja Maudood Chishti is reported to be the ancestor of the famous Mulla Maudoodi. One thousand years have gone and so has the time of Muhammad. Now it is my time, the time of Ahmad. The second millennium is mine (Ahmad Sarhindi, so-called "Mujaddid Alf-Sani" [Revivalist of the second millennium], Mubda-o-Muad). Books of the Tableeghi Nisab "Fazael Aamal" were presented to the Holy Prophet (in the twentieth century!) and he accepted them (Behjatul Quloob p.12). Khwaja Qutbuddin Maudood Chishti's dead body flew in the air on its way to the graveyard. Khwaja Fareeduddin Ganj Shakar upon narrating this fell unconscious (Rahatil-Quloob, Ganj Shakar). He should have expired. Adam cried for 300 years. (So much so that) birds made nests on his face. His tears brought forth so much grass that it covered his (60 meters long) body (Rahatul Muhibbeen, Ameer Khusro, Khwaja Nizamuddin Awlia). A bird came and told us, "Tomorrow is Eid. Unlike humans we are free from lies." Sheikh Faqirullah knew a crow that often learned monotheism from him (reference same). If Awlia (saints) wish, they can accept invitations from 10,000 towns (and be there) at the same time (Ahmed Raza Barelwi, Malfoozat part I p.127). When Shah Waliullah was in his mother's womb, she said a prayer. Two tiny hands appeared for prayer. She was frightened. Her husband said, "You have Qutubul Aqtab (Saint of Saints) in your womb (Mulla Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Hikayat-e-Awlia p.17). What a breakthrough! The Prophet laid the foundation of Darul Uloom, Deoband, India (in the 19th century!). He comes to check the accounts of the school. He has learnt Urdu from the Ulema of Deoband (Mubasshirat-e-Darul Uloom, and Deoband Number of the Darul Uloom). Was this tale made up to lend credence to the Deoband Mulla factory? You decide. Allah revealed Himself to me as an extremely beautiful woman, decorated with fine ornaments and garments. She suddenly embraced me and merged into my body (Shah Waliullah, Anfasul Arifain pp.94-95). One night I started flying from heaven to heaven until I reached the Prophet. He accepted my allegiance (reference same, pp.38-39). The sun cannot rise before greeting me. The new year, the new month, the new day, dawn not without greeting me and informing me of every single event (Malfoozat Ahmed Raza Barelwi about Ghaus Azam Jeelani). A wolf was brought before prophet Jacob. He said to the wolf, "Tell me about my son, Joseph." The wolf said, "I am an animal, but I do no backbiting" (reference same). Prophet Job prayed, "O' God! Give me 12,000 tongues so that I may recite your name." God accepted his prayer and infested his body with 12,000 insects (reference same). The mosquito that killed Nimrod was lame (Malfoozat Chishti). Hazrat Uthman brought home a fish. All the firewood burnt off, but the fish remained fresh (uncooked). When the Prophet asked it the reason, the fish said, "I had sent my salutations to you once" (reference same). Shah Waliullah believed in the Unity of Existence. He believed that insects, animals, idols and human beings were all God (Syed Farooq Al-Qadri, Anfasul Arifain). Allah has only 99 virtuous names. I have more than 99, in fact 4000 (Shah Waliullah for his uncle, Anfasul Arifain p.210). Some people told Shah Abdur Raheem (Shah Waliullah's father) that they were trying to find God. My father said, "I am He!" They stood up and shook hands (reference same, p.93). Why didn't they prostrate?! God came to me in a cloak in the guise of an extremely beautiful woman. I became passionate and said, "Cast aside your cloak." The response came, "The cloak is very thin. It reveals my beauty." I insisted, upon which the cloak was lifted (quote of father and son: Shah Abdur Raheem & Shah Waliullah, Anfasul Arifain p.94). The great Pir (master saint) of the 19th century, Ahmad Raza Khan Barelwi, has been quoted in his Malfoozat p.32 that "Prophets are alive in their graves like ever before. They eat, drink, pray and receive their wives in the grave and engage in sex with them." Now watch God's retirement plan: Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani claimed: Allah has made me eternal and has joined me with Him. He has given in my hand this world and the Hereafter and all Creation (Jeelani, Malfoozat Fuyuz Yazdani, Fath-e-Rabb-ani, Majlis 51). Prophet David and Prophet Mohammad both sinned because they saw the beauty of unclothed women. Then Uria's wife and Zaid's wife became haram (forbidden) for their husbands (Ali Hajweri, alias "Daata Ganj Baksh," Kalamil Marghoob p.349). [This Rascal Data basically quoted the False Narration of Hisotry of Tabari] Junaid Baghdadi said that Prophet Solomon was the illegitimate son of David from Uria's wife. Sheik Seerin wrote that Surah Ahzab of the Qur'an means to say that Muhammad the Exalted was hiding the carnal love of Zainab (the wife of Zaid), in his heart (Malfoozal Al-Aasl p.219). A wife of the Holy Prophet saw a male sparrow mounting the female sparrow. She challenged the Prophet. When the night set in, the Prophet mounted her in a most furious manner 90 times and said, "See! There is no deficiency here" (Shamsuddin Akhlaqi, Manaqib-il-Arifain pp.70-71). These dogs and swines are our God (Fusoosul Hukm, Mohiuddin Ibne Arabi). Ba-Yazeed Bistami, supposedly the head of all saints, is quoted in his Malfoozat (book of quotes): I am Glorious, the Ultimate, the Pure. My glory is beyond description. My kingdom is greater than the Kingdom of God. Allah is in my pocket. My flag flies higher than the flag of Mohammad. I dove into the sea of true knowledge while the prophets watched by the shore. Ali Hajweri, "Daata Ganj Bakhsh," in his Kashfil Mahjoob, pp.255-256 supports Ba-Yazeed's claim that he was Allah in human form. Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri taught his disciples a different Kalema (creed) "There is no god but Allah and Chishti is His messenger" (Khwaja Fareed-ud-Din Ganj Shakar, Fawaed-us-Salikeen pp.126-127). Now what message is Sheikh Afeef-ud-Din Talmisani trying to convey when he says: The Qur'an is loaded with shirk (polytheism). True monotheism is that everything in the universe is God (Malfoozat Talmisani p.205). It was OK for the Pharaoh to say, "I am God". He, of course, was a part of the Essence of God (reference same). Ibraheem Adham reached the Ka'aba in 14 years because he prayed two nawafil at every step. But the Ka'aba was not found! "It has gone to visit Rabia Basri," came a voice from the heavens (Malfoozat Khwaja Uthman Harooni, Aneesul Arwah p.17). Doesn't it make us think why the Ka'aba could not go to meet the Holy Prophet in Hudaibiah? According to Sheikh Afifuddin Talmisani's Malfoozat page 177, Rabia Basri was in romance first with Hasan Basri and then with Ibrahim Adham. In Cordova, I fell in love with Fatima. In Makkah I fell in love with the beautiful Ain-ush-Shams. The spiritual windows opened upon me hence. (Sheikh Mohiuddin Ibne Arabi, Fusoosul Hukm) Ba-Yazid Bistami could take the soul of any person whenever he wanted. My uncle Abu Raza Mohammad, upon hearing this became angry and said, "Ba-Yazid could not return the soul (and restore life). I can take a soul and return it, as I want." Then my uncle took the soul of Rahmatullah and brought him back to life (Shah Waliullah, Anfasul Afrifain p.95). Junaid Baghdadi was sitting when a dog crossed by. He merely glanced at the dog. The dog reached such glory that all dogs of the town followed him. Then he sat down and all dogs sat around him in meditation (Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Imdadul Mushtaq)." The Holy Messenger came to Shah Waliullah (in the 18 century!) and said "Why do you worry, my son? Your children are the same as mine" (Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Hikayat-e-Awlia). It is obligatory upon a Mu'min (believer) that he quits eating and drinking. He must get weak to the point where he becomes unable to pray (Sahl bin Abdullah Tastari, Malfoozat Arabi p.289). Hazrat Sha'arani was the Sheikh of miracles. He resided in a meadow. He used to visit the town riding a wolf. He walked on water. His urine was drinkable like pure milk (Allama Tareshi's excerpts, Misra Tasawwuf p.194). Did Tareshi try it? Jalaluddin Rumi never prayed. When the time for prayers came he used to vanish. At last it was detected that he went to pray in Ka'aba (2000 miles away from Qunia five times a day) (Khwaja Nizamuddin Awlia, Rahat-il-Quloob). My uncle saw me create and destroy the universe (Shah Waliullah, Afasul Arifain p.210). Once there was a Sheikh who used to grab a dog every day and put him on the prayer rug and said, "O dog, you are in the hands of God!" Those dogs then started walking on water and healed people by giving them ta'aweez (amulets) (Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, Malfoozat). The dead body of a dervish was lying in a jungle laughing. I asked him, "You are dead, how can you laugh?" The dead body replied, "This is what happens in the love of Allah" (Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Malfoozat). The Universe lies within the Mount Caucasus. This mountain is 40 times bigger than the earth. A cow is holding it on its head (Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Dalilul Arifain). The people of Multan refused to provide fire to Shah Shams Tabrez for roasting meat. He became enraged and brought the sun down (and roasted the meat). People became restless with heat. They came to the saint and asked his forgiveness and then he ordered the sun to go back. Since that day the town became known for its hot summers (Ali Quli Baghdadi, Karamat Shah Tabrez p.233). A great saint Hazrat Abdul Wahab went to visit the grave of Pir Syedi Ahmad Kabir. Abdul Wahab saw a beautiful bondwoman. Syedi Kabir called from his grave, "Hey, do you like her?" The owner of the bondwoman instantly dedicated her to the grave. The dead Pir spoke again, "O' Abdul Wahab! Take her to the room in front and satisfy your desire" (Ahmad Raza Khan Barelwi, allegedly "the greatest master of Islamic law and reviver of the 19th century," Malfoozat part 3 p.28). Ibraheem Adham was Governor of Balakh. While hunting, a deer turned back and scolded him. Since that day Adham quit his rule (and became a saint) ("Daata" Ganj Bakhsh, Kalamil Marghoob p.229). When the companions went with the Prophet for ghazwat (Jihad) some of their wives had relations with other men (Mulla Jalaluddin Rumi, Feeh-ma-Feeh, Saleem Chishti, Islami Tasawwuf p.66). Women are the source of all tribulation in the world, religious or otherwise (Hajwairi, "Daata Ganj Bakhsh" in Malfoozat Barelwi). There was a 140-year old worshipper. He had a foot that was amputated. When asked he said, "I was in eitekaf (seclusion for worship in a masjid). I stepped one foot out. An angel warned me and I immediately cut off my foot with a knife" (Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri in Malfoozat Uthman Harooni). Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri writes in the same book that the moon and the sun eclipse because of the sins of people! The Holy Prophet had explained that eclipses occur according to the Divine Laws. A man stole shrouds from graves for 40 years, but he went to the highest degree in Paradise. Why? Because he held on to the prayer rug (he was steadfast in prayers) (Malfoozat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri, by Khwaja Qutub Alam, Daleel Arifain). Watch for another wisdom from Chishti in the same book: The hellfire is placed in the mouth of a snake deep in the seventh level of the earth, otherwise the whole Universe would burn. Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki knew half the Qur'an by heart when he was born (Fawaid-as-Salikeen, Khwaja Fareed-ud-Din "Ganj Shakar"). What titanic forces prevented him from completing it?! Fareed-ud-Din "Ganj Shakar" (which means: the treasure of sugar) turned bushels of sugar into salt and again into sugar (The Beloved of God, "Mehboob-e-Elahi" Khwaja Nizam-ud-din Awlia, Rahatul Quloob). The Prophet attended the funeral of Barakat Ahmed. And I led the prayer, (i.e. the Prophet was his follower in prayer) (Ahmad Raza Khan Barelwi, Malfoozat). Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti says, "What do you ask of the Mount Caucasus? This mountain is resting on the head of a cow. The greatness and size of this cow equals 30,000 years of travel. Her head is in the East and her tail is in the West. She has been standing since eternity praising the Lord." Sheikh Uthman Harooni reports that after narrating this (insult to human intelligence), Sheikh Maudood Chishti and a companion sank into deep meditation. Both disappeared leaving their gowns behind. They had gone to take a stroll up the Mount Caucasus (Malfoozat Khwaja Chishti Ajmeri by Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki, Daleelul Arifain pp.85-86). They should have disappeared from the planet. By God! I know 99 out of 100 thoughts that come in the heart of an ant living in the lowest stratum of the earth. Allah knows all one hundred (Shah Waliullah, Anfasul Arifain p.205). "UNQUOTE" The Secret Saint of Imran Khan as defined by Mr. Nusrat Javed in Express News Hidden Hands Behind Imran Khan (Courtesy: Nusrat Javed/Express News) http://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1101275211&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20110629#

--
Asadullah Syed

Sharing a culture

In this fifth and final article of the series, Jill Kamil takes a look at national identity

---

The inspiration behind this series of articles (which appeared on the Opinion Page of Al-Ahram Weekly in the issues of 31 March, 21 April, 5 May and 9 June) was the remarkable and united effort shown by the protesters in Tahrir Square in the early days of the national uprising that started on 25 January 2011. Six months later there are incidents of sectarian strife, secularists running a "Constitution First" campaign, and Al-Azhar, the prominent seat of Sunni Islam, highlighting the need to respect freedom and human rights "as well as commitment to the principle of citizenship".

It is this last comment, made by Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb in the "Al-Azhar Document" on Egypt's future, that attracted my attention. Citizenship implies national identity, and national identity is not a question of nationality but of common points in people's lives -- whether national symbols, national colours, culture, cuisine, traditions or shared political objectives. Cleopatra, for example, was last in a line of ethnic Greek sovereigns and has been immortalised as a beautiful seductress, while in fact she was an intelligent and politically astute figure who fought Rome in the name of Egypt (and was, by all accounts, not especially beautiful). Another ruler, the Albanian-born soldier Mohamed Ali, created an independent Egyptian state, laid the foundations of a prosperous economy, and turned a neglected Turkish colony into an Egyptian kingdom whose power was recognised throughout the Mediterranean world. In other words, national identity is not an inborn trait. It is a sense of belonging to one country, or to one nation; a feeling that is shared with a group regardless of citizenship status.

Egypt has experienced political, economic and spiritual growth through millennia, but it has also known discrimination and corruption in one form or another. Time and again the country has been exposed to elements that have stimulated its development, changed its outlook, and even inspired styles of clothing. Yet, alongside the differences, a tradition can be traced. It is manifested in crafts such as weaving, masonry and book-binding, and there are, in addition, fundamental resemblances that stand out less vividly but which show a remarkable continuity in location, tradition and ritual.

There are places in Egypt that are traditionally regarded as holy, and which have a history of sanctity long predating monotheism. Many ancient monuments were transformed into Christian churches. In turn, mosques have been constructed on the site of former Christian chapels.

Muslims and Christians alike pay homage to the sacred sites of holy people with shared customs of preparation and ritual: tents are put around the church or tomb and the area is decorated with flags, banners and lights. The night before the moulid (annual religious festival) market stalls are set up for the sale of toys, sweets, trinkets, paper hats and books. There are swings and puppet shows for children. The highlight of the occasion is the great zaffa, a procession through the streets of a picture of the Muslim sheikh or Christian saint in whose honour the moulid is held. Some moulids, like that of St George at Mit Damsis near the Delta town of Mansoura, are shared by Muslims and Christians.

In the Delta village of Damirah is a mound called Qafr Damirah Al-Qadim ("the castle of Damirah the ancient"). It is the site where the Christian St Dimiana, along with 40 virgins, was martyred in the reign of Diocletian. Today the community is predominantly Muslim, but many of the mosques have columns and other architectural elements which attest to the earlier Christian era. The annual moulid that takes place there is no longer in honour of the 40 adolescent girls, but of 40 Muslim soldiers killed during the conquest of Egypt in 640 AD. Such overlapping traditions attest to a common legacy. Qafr Damirah Al-Qadim is associated with 40 individuals who died for a cause.

As in ancient times, both men and women pay regular visits to the tombs of their relatives, and during the Eid, the Feast at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, sacrifice a sheep and give some of its flesh, along with bread, to the poor in the locality. Who would question that such a ceremony stems from ancient expiatory sacrifice, which is today regarded as alms-giving? Or that graphic pictures of the holy pilgrimage to Mecca (by ship or air) painted on the outer walls of houses in villages and towns in Upper Egypt are not a reflection of scenes in ancient Egyptian tombs of the pilgrimage (by boat) to the holy city of Abydos?

Change and continuity are not as paradoxical as they sound. Although there are very real political, social and ideological differences between various eras of Egypt's enduring civilisation, there is also a static factor. Egyptian leadership, for example, has always been associated with that great source of life: the Nile. Through progressive civilisations efforts have been made to harness its waters. From the earliest Pharaohs who ceremoniously wielded pickaxes to open new canals, to the present day when an initiative is underway to achieve sustainable development through the equitable usage of Nile Basin water resources, faith in a leader who is a provider, protector and controller of water is a factor that has outlived change. Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Mamluks, kings and presidents have built canals, barrages, aqueducts and dams. Following the uprising this year, one of the first steps taken by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf was to head a high-level delegation to Khartoum to consolidate relations between the two "sister countries" who share the water of the Nile.

There is a character and identity to Egypt that cannot be rendered in historical sequence because it transcends history. It has been transmitted from ancient times to the present in a stream of living culture. In accordance with Islam, which forbids the portrayal of any living likeness, there was an increasing production of abstract ornamentation in local workshops. The pottery produced in Fustat between the 11th and 15th centuries, for example, characterised by bright, glazed surfaces with a metallic lustre, was made for both Muslim and Christian patrons. Examples are on display in the Coptic Museum and in the Islamic Museum of Art and Architecture. Architectural elements that survive in mediaeval mosques and mansions are no different from the fine wooden ceilings, mashrabiya (latticed woodwork) windows, arches and tiles in geometric and non-figurative designs that are incorporated into the structure of the Old Wing of the Coptic Museum -- elements that were salvaged from derelict Coptic houses. As for textiles, those on display in the new Textile Museum in Al-Muizz Street in Cairo range from tunics of un-dyed linen with medallions and decorative borders to a variant of woollen loop weaving in which the weft is not pulled tight. This, one of the oldest and most famous of Egyptian crafts, which is used in cloaks, shirts and shawls, wall hangings, blankets and curtains made for Muslim and Coptic patrons alike. Metal lamps, perfume vessels, even eye paint -- all point to a shared tradition.

When it comes to religion, among both Christians and Muslims there is a strong tradition that supports the New Testament story of the Flight into Egypt. Some 22 sites in Egypt are associated with the event, and although Copts and Muslims are not always in agreement on the route taken by the Holy Family or on the duration of their stay in Egypt (Copts believe that it was for a little over three and a half years, while Muslims hold that it was seven) there are many sites where the tradition is upheld by both. Both Muslims and Christians, for example, relate that the Holy Family was warmly received at the Delta city of Belbeis, and that the inhabitants kept company with the Virgin, played with the child, and talked to Joseph Al-Naggar (the carpenter). There was once a tree in the city which after the visit became known as the Virgin Mary's Tree. It was reputedly cut down by Napoleon's soldiers in search of firewood. However, near the spot where it is believed to have stood at the crossroads of Ansari and Boghdadi streets, the mosque of Osman Al-Haress Al-Ansari stands today, built in commemoration of the visit.

East of Bahnasa, at the site of the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus -- which was largely Christian in the fifth century but is today predominantly Muslim -- local sheikhs quote a passage from the Quran (XXIII: 50) which roughly translates: "... and we have made the son of Mary and his mother a portent, and we gave them refuge on a height, a place of flocks and water-springs." They claim that Jesus attended school at Bahnasa and refer to the Arab historian Mohamed Al-Bakir (676-731) as their source.

Shared traditions and a common language point to a common patrimony. There is a Coptic-Arabic culture in Egypt, and it is surely timely to rewrite school textbooks for the rising generation to include the overlapping, and sometimes complex, coexistence between Muslims and Christians for the last 14 centuries.

The author's book Christianity in the Land of the Pharaohs was published by Routledge in the UK and USA in 2002.

URL of this Page: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2011/1054/op1.htm

--
Asadullah Syed

From Textbook to Tahrir Square

From Textbook to Tahrir Square Written by David E. Miller Published Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Experts assert the cradle of the Arab Spring was in school reading assignments Facebook was the medium for spreading the word of rebellion in the Arab Spring, but it was school textbooks – the required reading from early childhood through the teen years that informs children of who they are and where they come from – that may have been the source of alienation that drove young people into the street. That's what some scholars meeting in Jerusalem said at the Harry S. Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace in Jerusalem on Wednesday, as they reviewed the lessons students pick up from reading history, literature, civics and other subjects. "Arab school textbooks are unable to address inner diversities within societies," Falk Pingel, a consultant and research fellow at Germany's Georg Eckert Institute, which researches textbooks, told The Media Line. "They convey a homogeneous image of society which doesn't fit the reality." School systems across the Arab world are usually faulted for their poor performance in creating graduates with the math, science and other skills needed for the modern job market. But a critical study of the region's textbook reveal they are also failing in the much more basic function of creating informed and educated citizens. Schools have an outside role in the Middle and North Africa, where some 60% of the region's population is under 30 years of age. Governments spend about 20% of their budgets on education, but drop-out rates are high, scores on international exams are low and some 30% of the region's population can't read or write. Even from a young age, students easily see the discrepancy between what their history and civics classes teach and the reality around them, leading them initially to be skeptical of their teachers and school and eventually of their government and leaders. "The growing divide between reality and the books is cited as one of the reasons for the Arab revolutions," Pingel said. Syria, a dictatorship that has been wracked by unrest since the middle of March, is a potpourri of Sunni Muslims, Alawites, Druze and Christians. But the ruling Baath party is ideologically committed to pan-Arabism and fears the divides could undermine political stability. As a result, said experts at the conference, Syrian history textbooks that make no mention of the country's ethnic and religious divisions, even though every child knows his family's identity. Monika Bolliger, a researcher from the University of Zurich who studies Syrian textbooks, said the uprising in Syria displayed sectarian undertones that highlighted the failure of the state to create an inclusive Arab identity. The Syrian students she interviewed ridiculed their educational system. "They think its nonsense," she told The Media Line. "Syrians often make jokes about their educational system, mocking the slogans and the propaganda."   Arab school curriculum is highly centralized, uniform, and focused on repetition rather than innovation, said Dr. Achim Rohde, a researcher at the German University of Marburg who studies Iraqi textbooks. In an attempt to avoid dealing with politically contentious issues, Iraqi school curriculum ignores the country's history since 1958, when the Hashemite king was toppled in a violent rebellion. Since then it has been ruled by a succession of Baath rulers, the last of whom, Saddam Hussein, was ousted by allied forces in 2003. The allies tried to solve Iraq's problem of sectarian divisions by removing all references to minorities in textbook, including favorable mention of Shiite religious doctrine that Saddam had order inserted during the 1990s as he sought to curry their favor. That, said Rohde, erased a source of inter-communal understanding. "Textbooks are part of the problem of sectarianism," Rohde said. Textbooks can be turned into part of the solution but only if they included historical examples of inter-sectarian cooperation, he added. Even then, the transition is difficult and takes time. Although Tunisia had the most progressive and developed educational system, it was the first Arab country to experience a revolution because its reforms were insufficient Bolliger of the University of Zurich said educated Syrians' skepticism of formal education was part of a broader cynicism towards official narratives perpetuated by governments about history and society, depicted as well in mainstream media. But not everyone is convinced that textbooks play such a prominent role. Nathan Brown, a political scientist at George Washington University, said academic researchers are attracted to them as shapers of society and attitudes because they are readily available and universally read. But, he said, they aren't necessarily the best indicators of the nature of a given society. Although politically and ideologically divided, Gaza and the West Bank use the same textbooks, said Brown. In the rigid Palestinian educational system, careful study of textbooks was more important for teachers than for students. "There is very little freedom [for teachers] in the classroom," he told The Media Line. In Saudi Arabia, a highly conservative Islamic society, textbooks portray the country as a part of the "global village" and women as having rights and freedoms they lack in reality, Eleanor Doumato, a retired researcher of Saudi textbooks at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University in the U.S. told The Media Line. But, she stressed, the problem isn't textbooks, which nowhere in the world show authentic representations of the societies they write about, but what those in power would like their societies to be. The problem isn't the books but the governments that sponsor them. "Civics textbooks portray an idealized version of society," Doumato told The Media Line. "The problem is that in Saudi Arabia, although revered, the educators themselves are uneducated."

URL of this Page: http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=32569

--
Asadullah Syed

Taliban talks bombing

Administration negotiates with Afghan enemy despite brutal attack

By THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The Obama administration has confirmed that talks are under way with the Taliban to seek a diplomatic settlement in Afghanistan prior to the departure of coalition troops. The same Taliban conducted a spectacular assault late Tuesday on the InterContinental Hotel in Kabul. Seven suicide bombers and snipers killed 11 people. The attackers also died, some by design, the last three shot down on the hotel roof by NATO helicopters.

It would be reasonable to conclude from this brutal incident that the Taliban are more interested in coalition capitulation than peace. They share President Obama's objective of having foreign troops depart Afghanistan, but they would rather push them out than invite them to leave. If the enemy reduced the number and scope of their attacks the political case for a quick pullout would be more palatable. Instead, they're amplifying the violence. Mr. Obama refuses to discuss the concept of victory in Afghanistan; the Taliban are seeking a win.

This was no random attack by rogue elements in the Taliban camp. Reportedly the diplomatic team led by U.S. special envoy Ambassador Marc Grossman, who had met earlier with President Hamid Karzai, was the target. Even this degree of Taliban contempt for diplomatic immunity will not derail the detente. The consensus opinion seems to be that the road to a peace agreement is a bumpy one, and events like this should be expected along the way.

Such a response is nothing new. In late 1967, the State Department received a communique from the National Liberation Front (NLF), the Viet Cong's political wing with whom the Johnson administration was desperate to negotiate. They said they were willing to discuss prisoner exchanges and broader issues but "now is not the right time to talk peace." The State Department interpreted this message to mean that the NLF in fact did want to discuss peace but was playing hard to get. In fact, the communist diplomatic feelers were a ruse in advance of the 1968 Tet Offensive. The offensive failed, and the severely bloodied enemy was driven to the negotiation table as a last resort. Days before peace talks opened in Paris in May 1968 the communists launched an attack that became known as "Little Tet," and despite the name, that month saw more U.S. deaths in Vietnam than any other.

Less sophisticated leaders might view a large-scale attack just days before a peace conference opens as evidence of bad faith. They might call the talks off, ramp up the "kinetic action" and show the enemy some backbone. The Johnson administration had been so anxious to engage in negotiations that the talks opened as scheduled, and then dragged on inconclusively for years. Expect the same from the Obama administration. Events like the InterContinental attack will not be allowed to get in the way of a settlement so Mr. Obama can bring this "war of necessity" to a quick close. The lesson to the Taliban will be that the Americans will pay any price, bear any burden, to be done with this war and get out. Lacking such sophistication, the Taliban still believe in old-fashioned concepts like winning.

URL of this Page: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/29/taliban-talks-bombing/

--
Asadullah Syed

Experts urge CBN to promote capital re purposing, not Islamic banking

Experts urge CBN to promote capital re purposing, not Islamic banking
By Kingsley Ighomwenghian, Finance Editor

 

• Muoghalu (left) and Johnson listening attentively during the seminar

 

Kingsley Moughalu, deputy governor, Financial System Stability, at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had an arduous task mid last week in Lagos, as he tried to convince bankers, lawyers, and finance experts, among others, who gathered in Lagos to discuss the CBN guidelines on the proposed Islamic Banking framework.

It was at a seminar on "repurposing capital: non-interest banking" co-sponsored by Apostles in the Market Place (AiMP), a network of Christian professionals and leaders, and BusinessDay Media Limited publishers of BusinessDay newspapers.

Facilitators and participants (based on the barrage of questions), insisted that because Nigeria remains a secular state, there is no room for guideline suggestive of any religious inclinations or practice. The CBN Act, they stressed, does not empower the apex bank to engage in Islamic banking, besides the fact that non-interest banking, which falls under specialised banking, as recognised by the Banks and Other Financial Institution's Act (BOFIA), is not a leeway for promotion of any religious practice.

Kingsley Muoghalu, Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, at the CBN, in his presentation however insisted that the CBN reviewed the initial guidelines released in January this year taking note of issues raised by various stakeholders, while stressing that the apex bank is under obligation to license banks that meet set conditions. Just as in the conventional banks, Islamic banks with national spread have a capital requirement of N10 billion, while a regional license attracts N5 billion.

The CBN, Muoghalu said, should be commended for bowing to superior arguments and admitting that "the first guidelines had a fundamental error," following which it was reviewed by the apex bank's committee of governors. 

While calling for submission of other models of non-interest banking outside the Islamic one which is well known and practice globally, Muoghalu, a lawyer, stressed that the CBN was acting within its powers. The Islamic banking guidelines, he continued, is still part of ongoing reforms leading to the cancellation of universal banking licenses, because the model has not worked well. Universal banking, he added, encouraged the aggregation of risk by the banks, without contributing adequately to national development.

Non-interest or Islamic banking, Muoghalu noted, is part of efforts to attract more of Nigeria's bankable population into the system, lamenting the situation where almost 50 per cent adults in the country are not within the system.

"There is no need to entertain exaggerated fears," he said, assuring that the CBN will pursue financial inclusion.

A communiqué at the end of the seminar made available to our correspondent, wondered why it took the apex bank six months to recognise the glaring error in the January 2011 guidelines issued on the Non-Interest Financial Institutions (NIFI), whose "framework was limited in its application as it equated NIB (Non-Interest Banking) to Islamic Banking, in effect barring potential non-Muslim or non-Shariah compliant investors and participants from tapping into the benefits of NIB." 

Moreover, they continued, "the framework clearly demanded that NIFI "transacts banking business, etc... and commercial activities as well as the provision of financial products and services in accordance with Shariah principles and rules of Islamic commercial jurisprudence". It also prescribed that prospective NIB operators specify in their memorandum and article of incorporation that "their business operations will be conducted according with Shariah principles and practices", and that "all licensed NIFIs shall have an internal Shariah compliance review mechanism and a Shariah Advisory Committee (SAC) as part of their governance structure".  These and similar elements of the new framework needed to be changed."

The new framework re-issued on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, according to the communiqué is not fail-safe however, as it still recognises that "Islamic banking is only one aspect of NIB and now recognises 'Other Non Interest Financial Institutions' to accommodate other NIB models whether faith-based or otherwise." 

While noting that the seminar organisers are willing to work with the apex bank in developing a better framework, the participants urged the CBN to "consult more broadly in developing an enhanced banking and investing framework. Such framework should, in addition to the expected banking supervisory items such as solvency, capital adequacy, adequate risk management, transparent reporting, have" elements like: 

• A broader framework that accommodates all faiths, hence name a change in the name to Profit and Loss Sharing Bank, as provided for by BOFIA, or Faith-Based Financing (FBF).

• Adopting "values-" as well as "law-driven" approach should be adopted with elements such as:

i. Fairness: transparency and social justice

ii. Social well-being: prohibition of certain types of transactions (like gambling, derivatives, etc.)

iii. Zero-to-appropriate interest rate: returns based on wealth-generating investments

iv. Shared risk and profits: one party does not benefit at the expense of the other

v. Contractual clarity and certainty: elimination of ambiguities, enabling non-sophisticated investors/customers transact banking and investment business with trust and transparency

vi. Discouragement of consumer debt

c. The framework should recognize multiple tiers of FBF institutions based on level of adherence to the above listed FBF values. 

i. Totally Non-interest: clarity and transparency about zero interest in this category with no hidden charges.

ii. Appropriate Interest: a constrained interest rate, based o a variety of factors to be agreed upon in the guidelines.

The participants agreed however that if properly regulated and administered, the NIB and FBF, "have the potential to transform the economies of underdeveloped communities, hence is a welcome development in Nigeria where on-going banking reforms have made interest-charging deposit money banks more risk averse and perhaps unwilling to venture into virgin frontiers in banking.  The unbanked and under-banked in Nigeria will benefit from FBF where risk and returns are shared between provider and user of financing.  There is however need for a supervisory framework that recognises the peculiarities, applicability and potential of FBF including the following:

a. Stimulating grassroots, relationally-based investing (versus debt-based financing)

b. Countering corruption through transparency and other faith-based financing (FBF) principles

c. Avoiding speculative bubbles and decreasing reckless investing

d. Avoiding consumer and other debt that is detached from real assets and initiatives." 

Eghes Eyieyien, chief executive, Pharez Limited, a Lagos-based risk management, ratings, consulting, human capital development & training, and investment firm, who was lead speaker at the seminar insisted in his presentation, for example, that "the CBN cannot use a guideline to change the law, (and that) the CBN is not the National Assembly. The CBN lawyers should go back and look at the guidelines again, because you cannot use a small provision in BOFIA that gives you the power to regulate to begin to legislate."

Continuing, he advised that "if Islamic banking must happen, the CBN should send a draft bill to the National Assembly."

According to him, "the NIFI Framework stated that: "A Non-Interest Financial Institution (NIFI) means a bank or Other Financial Institution (OFI) under the purview of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which transacts banking business, engages in trading, investment and commercial activities as well as the provision of financial products and services in accordance with Shariah principles and rules of Islamic commercial jurisprudence." The Glossary of Terms of the CBN's NIFI Framework states that: Shariah Principles refers to "the divine guidance as given by the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet and embodies all aspects of the Islamic faith, including beliefs and practices".

"The only legally valid definition is stated in Section 61 of the (BOFIA) of 1991 which speaks of a "Profit and Loss Sharing Bank". That is, "a bank which transacts investment or commercial banking business and maintains profits and loss sharing accounts". Profit and Loss Banking has always been the interpretation and understanding of Non-Interest Financial Services in Nigeria. When the CBN granted an Approval-in-Principle Licence to Jaiz International Bank Plc in 2004 while Chief Joseph Sanusi was the CBN Governor, the licence was issued for it to carry on business as a Profit and Loss Sharing Bank. Curiously, the present CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was widely reported in the mass media to have announced on Monday, 20th June, 2011, at a Conference on Islamic Banking in Dakar, Senegal, that the CBN had issued(?) Jaiz International Bank Plc an Approval-in-Principle as the "first Islamic Bank in the country". Jaiz Bank was unable to operate as a Profit and Loss Sharing Bank, not because there was no Islamic Banking Guideline, but simply because it was unable to raise the minimum capital requirement of N25 billion. The CBN has now inexplicably lowered the capital requirement for Islamic Banks to just N10 billion to achieve "National Bank" status as against the N25 billion it stipulated for Deposit Money Banks. Why is the Sanusi Lamido Sanusi-led CBN unduly eager to make life easier for Jaiz International Bank and other proposed Islamic Banks?"

Fielding questions from participants at the seminar, Muoghalu called for submission of other models of non-interest banking, arguing that the Islamic type is the one that is well known and practiced across the globe even in the UK, insisting that the CBN is acting within its powers, since the guidelines is part of ongoing reforms leading to the cancellation of universal banking licenses, because the model has not worked well. Universal banking, he added, encouraged the aggregation of risk by the banks, without contributing adequately to national development.

The Deputy Governor expressed worry at the way in which the proposed licensing of Islamic banking is being tied to Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the CBN Governor being a Muslim. The process began in 2008 with the formation of the Islamic Finance Working Group with representatives from the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Debt Management Office and the CBN (under Chukwuma Soludo, a Christian) as observer. Nigeria, he added, joined the Islamic Financial Services Board also in 2008 and formally admitted early in 2009 before the current CBN Governor assumed office.

He noted that the CBN under Sanusi remains passionate about the nation's financial system and the need to effectively intermediate in all aspects of the economy. This zeal, he stressed, has resulted in the ongoing banking reforms, the SME and power sectors, in a bid to ensure long-term loans at single digits to operators in the real sectors of the economy, as part of the CBN's mandate.

Firing back, Eyienyen stressed: "It will be disingenuous for anybody to say we are concluding what Soludo started. I am surprised as to why it is the CBN Governor and not the DMO that is talking about sukuk (Islamic or non-interest bonds). What is the inordinate drive to set up Islamic banking," he wondered.

He noted that his disagreement with the proposal is out of professionalism and about the law, rather than just blowing empty air, wondering why the same amount of passion and priority has not been invested in the Small and Medium Enterprises Equity Investment Scheme (SMEEIS), which was made optional after five years of being compulsory.

In his presentation earlier, Bett Johnson, another facilitator, author and Founder, of Califonia-based Institute for Innovation, Integration and Impact, while praising the CBN for the political will to embark on the stress testing in 2009 and even delving into alternative financing models, noted that faith based financing encourages good business practice, forgiveness and reduction in greed.

He however warned that practitioners must be regulated from within Nigeria and not by a body of non-Nigerians, or people resident outside of the country, in view of the lack of adequate capacity and competence. He made this observation against the backdrop of a provision in the guideline for a body of experts to advise the CBN on the practice of Islamic banking.

Speaking at the weekend in Ilorin, Kwara State however, Deputy Governor, Economic Policy of CBN, Mrs. Sarah Alade, told newsmen at a retreat for the Financial Market Department that apart from the Islamic banking, there are other forms of non-interest banking for which interested parties can get licence.

Issuing a licences to operate Islamic banks, she told participants at the retreat with the theme: "Transforming the Nigerian Financial Market: Prospects and Challenges," does not translate to Islamising Nigeria. The CBN, she added, is interest in changing the face of banking for economy for the betterment of Nigerians.

Rather than base the guidelines on provisions of any religion, Brett wants the apex bank to incline towards universal truths, focused on benefits to the society, rather than being specific to one particular faith.

According to him, "we should go beyond Islamic banking, (which) has not necessarily produced good returns. Islamic banking in the UK has been a huge flop. The fact that there is a Christian name on a bank does not make it better than any other one. Nigeria should go for the bigger picture, not Islamic, or non-interest banking, but go for a full repurposing of capital."

Conclusion

According to Kayode Ogundamisi, a blogger, "if it is Islamic banking because Holy Quran (in Chap 2 verses 228, 275 and 280) advised against giving loans with interest, it may as well be termed Christian banking since the Holy Bible (in Psalm 15 verse 5, and Deuteronomy 23:19) is equally against 'usury' (interest). Stop the bigotry."

URL of this Page: http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=36304

--
Asadullah Syed

Inheritance and opposition

Inheritance and opposition
01 May 2011
Globe Editorial
By Azad Amin

The political entity in Kurdistan Region came as a result of internal and external factors in 1992,

The persistent administrative and economic problems in Kurdistan Region, and the growing gap of inequalities in distribution of generated wealth, are fundamental sources of public apprehension in which the opposition movement, a combination of secular and Islamic forces, tries to exploit for political gain. This exploitation of the general public's apprehension for narrow political party interests adds to the complexity of the sociopolitical situation in the Region and makes it more difficult for profound and structural adjustment to address the systematic problems faced by both the ruling elite and the public at large.

The political entity in Kurdistan Region came as a result of internal and external factors in 1992, and inherited economic and political artifacts of the former Baathist regime. The artificial creation of an Iraqi state apparatus, combined with ethnic and religious heterogeneity, produced an extremely refractory inheritance for state-building. The problem of state-building was put in a contemptuous tone by King Faisal in 1933 and depicts the 20th century's repressive regime in Iraq: "In Iraq, there is still no Iraqi people, but unimaginable masses of human beings, devoid of any patriotic ideal, imbued with religious traditions and absurdities, connected by no common tie, giving ear to evil, prone to anarchy, and perpetually ready to rise against any government whatsoever."

Following the 1958 Revolution, which overthrew the monarchy and instituted a republic, the landed political class was replaced by civil and military bureaucratic class in control of state apparatus. Monopolization of state apparatus by this new class, under a charismatic leader, was the prime reason for the emergence of state-based clientelism and formation of bureaucratic control organized by the civil- military apparatus. So, the primary functions of the state apparatus have been the consolidation of its rule over and against the other segments of society whether ethnic, class or religious. This was in parallel with strict state control and mobilization of economic resources for state-led economic development. The Baath regime had tight control over social, political and economic life, with a driving ideology of Arab nationalism. This translates to the Sunni assertion in a state where they were significantly outnumbered.

Such main characteristics of the Baath regime, which is not unique to Iraq but can be applied to the most of the regimes in the Middle East, explains the lack of democracy in the region. The development of liberal democracy requires two fundamental preconditions: A significant degree of separation between the institutions of rule and of surplus appropriation, and the ability of the state to uphold its authority against other sites of political command. These two preconditions have been absent not only in Iraq but much of the region.

What was inherited in post-Baath Iraq was a highly bureaucratized state apparatus. The political entity in Kurdistan region since 1992, and the political entity of Iraq in post-Saddam era, faced this serious dilemma to deal with the bureaucratic character of the regime that they inherited.

From 1992 to 2003, the Kurdistan Regional Government, due to limited economic resources and its fragile political existence ― its unrecognized de facto existence combined with unfriendly neighbors due to the Kurdish national question for these neighbors ― failed to fight against the bureaucratic nature of the regime it inherited. The ensuing internal conflict between the two main Kurdish political parties further increased party-based clientelism. What we see in Kurdistan Region during this period was the transformation from state-based clientelism to party-based clientelism within the framework of limited economic resources. This constrained both development of democracy and the formation of a liberal market economy in the region.

What differentiated the Kurdish polity form that of the former Baathist regime is the development of democratic space for other ethnic and religious minorities in Kurdistan. Ethnic and religious minorities in Kurdistan enjoyed and exercised their democratic rights fully, without restrictions. Minority and religious rights in Kurdistan can be compared with European standards, not with the other regional regimes.

Following the demise of the Baath regime, structural alterations fundamentally changed the polity and economy of Kurdistan Region. Consolidation of its political status by the new Iraqi constitution and highly efficient stability and security of Kurdistan opened the door for foreign investment and capital to use Kurdistan as a gateway to the rest of Iraq. Regular income from the Iraqi budget (17 percent) to Kurdistan Region provided better opportunities and resources for the KRG to consolidate its power and status.

The expansion of economic resources, such as an allocated share of the Iraqi budget, foreign capital and investment in the region, which led to an economic boom in Kurdistan, became sources of both economic development and apprehension as the distribution of wealth was not equal.

Whether on purpose or not, KRG's economic policies opened the door for capital accumulation geared toward creating a homemade bourgeoisie and entrepreneurs, alongside a growing middle class in the Region. Along with influx of capital and growing economic resources, party-based clientelism strengthened and capital accumulation was mostly based on this clientelism.

KRG not only failed to eliminate party-based clientelism but also to a certain degree failed to deliver basic public services, such as electricity and clean water. Inequalities in the distribution of wealth, lack of sufficient public services, and lack of equal opportunities became sources of public apprehension towards the ruling elite in Kurdistan.

A proper opposition movement with clear political and economic strategy could have easily mobilized such general public discontent towards radical reforms and improvement of democracy in Kurdistan. What the existing opposition in Kurdistan did was not to mobilize people for a better democracy, equal distribution of wealth and better public services, but exploited the discontent for narrow party interests. This alone explains why two months of demonstrations in Suleimaniya province did not spread to the other provinces of Kurdistan Region.

It is unfortunate for Kurdistan Region that a healthy opposition movement could not form at such critical period, during which, political and economic transformation could be easily realized with the driving force of public discontent brought to the arena by the opposition.

The main opposition group, Gorran, demands separation of party and government apparatus. For Gorran, such separation will remedy the corruption and clientelism in Kurdistan. This perception is profoundly misleading. In any democratic regime, government is formed by the political party that gained the majority vote at a general election. Instead of asking separation of party-government it is imperative to ask separation between the institutions of rule and of surplus appropriation.

The so-called opposition movements in Kurdistan, the Gorran, the Kurdistan Islamic Union and the Komala of Islam, do not have any clear economic policies or remedies for the existing economic and political problems in Kurdistan Region. Their opposition mainly worked to diminish the power base of the two main ruling Kurdish parties, it did not try to improve standards of living or improve democracy in Kurdistan.

This failure by the opposition movement in Kurdistan caused another and more serious sin to the polity of Kurdistan: It prevents formation of a proper opposition movement that should address the problem issues in Kurdistan and bring alternative policies for public discussion and implementation.

The Kurdish opposition movement should realize that without challenging the inheritance of civil-bureaucratic state apparatus of the Baath regime, there is no short cut to solving the issues in Kurdistan.

URL of this Page;http://www.kurdishglobe.net/display-article.html?id=F86502FB4FDDF798CA224BCCABACF54A

--
Asadullah Syed