Islam vs Secularism

Secularism is defined in the Webster dictionary as: "A system of doctrines and practices that rejects any form of religious faith and worship" or "The belief that religion and ecclesiastical affairs should not enter into the function of the state especially into public education."

There is no doubt that secularism contradicts Islam in every aspect. They are two different paths that never meet; choosing one means rejecting the other. Hence, whoever chooses Islam has to reject secularism. In the following, we go in the details of explaining why.

1- First, secularism makes lawful what Allah has made unlawful.

The Rule of Allah (Shari`ah) is compulsory and has basic laws and regulations that cannot be changed. Some of these laws are concerned with the acts of worship, the relations between men and women, etc.

What is the position with regard to these laws?

Secularism makes adultery lawful if the male and the female are consenting adults.

As for Riba (interest on money), it is the basis of all financial transactions in secular economies. On the contrary, Allah says (s.2 A. 278): "O you who believe, fear Allah and leave what comes from Riba if you are believers. If you do not do so, then wait for a war from Allah and His Messenger."

As for alcohol, all secular systems allow the consumption of alcohol and make selling it a lawful business.

2- Second, secularism is clear unbelief (Kufr).

Secularism is based on separating religion from all the affairs of this life and hence, it rules by law and regulations other than Allah's laws. Hence, secularism rejects Allah's rules with no exception and prefers regulations other than Allah's and His Messenger's. In fact, many secularists claim that Allah's laws might have been suitable for the time they were revealed but are now outdated.

As a result, most of the laws governing the daily affairs of life in the countries ruled by secular systems contradict Islam. Allah says (S.5 A.50): "Do they seek a judgment of Ignorance? But, who, for a people whose faith is assured, can give better judgment than Allah?"

Ibn Katheer said in the Tafseer of this verse that Allah is denouncing those who reject His ruling and accept other rulings that are not based on the Shari`ah of Allah. Whoever does so is indeed a non-believer. Indeed, belief in Allah can never go with the acceptance of other than His rulings in one's heart. Allah says (S.5 A.44): "If any do fail to judge by what Allah has revealed, they are non-believers."

From the above, the status of secularism and its relation to Islam are clear. But the ignorance about the Islamic truth is still dominating the Muslim's mind. Most secular systems repeat slogans like "no religion in politics and no politics in religion" or "religion is for Allah, and the state is for the people." Such sayings portray their view of Islam as a religion to be practiced in the mosque only, and that it should not be allowed to rule life outside the mosque. Furthermore, they try to deceive people with democratic slogans like "personal freedom" and "people governing people." That means that people come first and no place is made for the ruling of Allah.

This is why secularism is clear Kufr, this is why secular systems have no legality and authority and should be rejected by Muslims.

Courtesy - www.islaam.com

For more information about this, read this, and this.

Giving In

"You need not say a word. Let your character come forth to your defense, and speak on your behalf in the hours of trial." I used to believe and follow this religiously. Everyone liked me then, when I was a teenager.

I am the same person, but today my whole being revolts against this thought. Why should I care for this trial? Is my life nothing but a mere preparation for an unknown inquisition which lurks somewhere in future, and for which I need to collect evidences and witnesses who would testify to my uprightness? Why should I live in this dark shadow of fear? Isn't fear a dehumanizing emotion?

And was my idea of character any different from a mere collection of my impression on others? I was out to make an image. But I not aware that images come costly, and their maintenance was even costlier. Plus it was demeaning to sell yourself in order to buy your image. How dreary it is to be interpreted by others! How scary it is to be subjected to others' opinion about yourself! How suffocating it is to explain yourself to others! How mechanical it is to be consistent! All this to keep an image!

And all this when judgment has already been written in favor of the powerful! Keeping the judgment hidden inside the drawer, the judge sits through the entire farce and amuses himself. No court has ever given justice to anyone; the best of them may afford alms of kindness to those who inspire pity. Thanks, but no thanks. No courtroom drama for me.

I will not answer their questions. If they insist, I will try to obfuscate them, and dodge them as long as I can. Since I don't play mind games with lesser people, I'll suspend my logic and give in to my imagination. I will talk nonsense with random burst of passion. I will speak in a language they wouldn't understand, and grin at their face, thereby confessing crimes I have never committed. I will pretend like a genius-gone-gaga. I'll give a blank look to the lawyer, and then I'll complain of a queer smell in courtroom. By the way, if the judge happens to be an old man, I'll let him know that I am an inveterate atheist. It will be fun to hear from him that that's irrelevant to the case. If the judge happens to be a woman, I will like to point out that her little ear ring sways wildly and diverts my attention from the truth. *

It sounds weird but I feel an urge to rebel against this tyranny of feedback. Sometimes I deliberately do things to invite people's disapprobation. The image of Jesus Christ comes to my mind. What a man he was! They kicked him, mocked at him, crucified him with petty thieves, and worst of all - left his dead body to rot out in open. I wonder what held his head high. Did he live for honor? No. Perhaps he never thought in terms of honor and shame. A life in pursuit of honor ends up becoming a life of slavery, which is more shameful than anything else. Fear from ridicule makes life ridiculous. Damned are those who can't take ridicule. They are not capable of being anything of any worth. They will be ruled by carrot and stick. As far as I am concerned, I know I can not stop the fools to judge me, but I can not allow the fools to rule me either. **

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An actress is not fully accepted in film-factory unless she sheds her clothes. Clothes are considered a symbol of self-indulgence, and individuality, which has no place in a meat market. Meat need not have a face. Meat must show humility to its consumers. Every bit of young actress' reluctance is relished by the self-assured market-men, who know that everything comes with a price tag, and a breaking point. They use price as a means of psychological pressure, and savor the silent spectacle of her breaking down, the longer the better. In pressure, our mind invents excuses and makes us fit enough to survive. And the fit person, an apostate, not only survives but also becomes an passionate supervisor of the ruling cynicism. That's how cynicism works.

I have seen people around me giving in to things they otherwise disapprove, like smoking and drinking, only to be accepted in a group. And the group hates those who stay put on their grounds. The group hates the vanities of man - the so-called values (and the fetish of face)! They use seclusion as a means - they lock you in a remand room where nobody talks to you except the walls, till you give in.

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* That reminds me of this supposedly serious meeting with my HR manager. I was not in a serious mood though. So I took her on a roller-coaster. She must have expected another banal intercourse with a java guy. She was pleasantly disoriented. Audacity! mixed with middle-age chivalry worked like a charm. None of us can resist entertainment, especially when it is followed by flattery! That was risky, but the risk was worth taking it.

Warning - Do whatever you want to, but don't forget the code of sophistication. More importantly, never try this with a Scorpio, or a Capricorn, no matter how cool or hot she looks. You'll have to regret it.

** What will people say? attitude bugs me to no end. It saddens me to see that we seek public opinion even in (ironically, only in) private matters. Even love is not a matter of will anymore, it has become a mandate.

Lest We Forget

All of them might not have been able to win gold for India, but they are worth their weight in gold. Our olympians have showed us Taare Zameen Par in real life. By sheer power of will, they have fought and won over thousand odds. Despite their loss in tournament, they are all winners. They are all heroes and heroines.

Kudos to all of them.


Nothing succeeds like success. Hope their success succeeds. Hope we start looking at sports as a practical career option for our children. Hope government and corporate invest their resources to shape the talents of thousands of anonymous Sushils and Vijenders, because every parent is not like Mrs and Mr Bindra. India needs more Bhiwanis.

Apart from infrastructure, sports needs visibility. We can not rely on Olympics and commonwealth games only. It's time more tournaments are organized and media gives them more coverage, thereby creating a competition among the states. India has more Bhiwanis, only waiting to be unearthed.

Rajdeep Sardesai comes up with an idea - "why don't each of the IPL team owners adopt one sport and make it part of their business plan?" This idea is not far-fetched. After all, it was none other than L.N.Mittal who had steeled the chances of our players. Mittal Champions Trust (MCT) has been supporting 14 players who participated in Beijing Olympics. Abhinav Bindra was supplied not only with cartridges, but also with physical trainer and mental therapist. Akhil Kumar had been sent to London for medical treatment when he had broken his wrist. Thanks to their success, MCT is willing to extend its support to more number of sports and sportsmen (and sportswomen). Even BCCI can come forward and contribute to the impending renaissance.

In any case, let Beijing 2008 be a point of departure, not a point of arrival. We've won medals in martial games, now we know that we have got that in us. We want to win, and our desire is not short of strength. All we need is a professional approach in sports. Given the grit and spirit of our players, I'm sure we'll make a mark in London 2012.

Commentary from Coorg

14 August, 2008: We boarded on MMTS local at Hi-Tech City railway station to catch Bangalore Express, which was to depart at 19.00 from Kacheguda (Hyderabad). This is an overnight train with no pantry car, so it's better to carry food if you don't want to sleep hungry. Anyways, as soon as I stepped into the train, I was impressed by its brand new look. The leather-brown seats with matching curtains, cream colored walls, and the clean floor glittering with mica, created quite an aesthetic surrounding. Also, this bogey had an additional side berth, meaning more revenue for the railway. Laloo's team is indeed coming up with some innovative ideas and though most of them are only to fool people, I give him a thumbs up for this one.

15 August, 2008: We hit the Bangalore-Mysore highway at around 11.00. Our Scorpio was running at top speed; the weather, the cool breeze, and the greenery made our mood in no time.

The road after Mysore is not that great, but there is no dearth of greenery. By afternoon, we had reached Kushalnagar, which is home to thousands of refugees from Tibet.




It is a indeed a unique experience to see so many Buddhist monks in this part of India. At the same time it seems a trifle strange that they have chosen to settle so far from their homeland.

These thoughts vanish as soon as you enter the Golden Temple. The exterior is exotic enough, but it is the interior that is awe-inspiring. Three 60 feet tall statues welcome you and dazzle your eyes with golden brilliance. I gazed at the statues for sometime; but before the solemnity of the place seeped inside, my curiosity was roused by the elaborateness of arrangement. I tried to capture the magnificence of that place in my camera, without losing the details of decoration, only to feel frustrated.


We had lunch (which smelt funny), browsed some shops, chatted with their owners, and then moved from there. We reached Medikari in evening, booked a hotel and called it a day.

16 August, 2008: The day began with a drizzling, which didn't bother us too much. In fact, I will recommend you to visit Coorg in Monsoon only, because the place looks greener than ever.

We drove to Abbey's fall first. All you should not forget is to fold your pants before you go near the fall, lest leeches will stick to your body and will suck your blood leaving practically nothing for your boss. The fall was the largest I had ever seen. Its roar was audible from the road itself. The water crashed against the rocks and the vapor flew in air, making the drizzle superfluous.

We were under a misconception that rafting takes place in Talakaveri, the origin of Kaveri. Since I was disturbed by some unpleasant developments in my personal life of late, I was unable to do my homework properly. That does not mean that I regret going to Talakaveri. In monsoon, there is nowhere you can go in Coorg and regret. The way to Talakaveri was walled by dense forests, and coffee estates. We were literally among clouds. We could see them playing with winds, running over hills, like little children.

We had to miss Nagarahole National Park because of its timings. We were least interested in tourist points like Madikeri Fort and Raja Seat etc. There was no sun, and no sunset to be seen from Raja Seat. So we came back to our room, took our dinner followed by a stroll (which I enjoy more than anything else) and retired to our beds.

17 August, 2008: We were to miss elephant ride in Dobare because of timings again. We had thought of taking the ride after rafting, but we didn't know that the ride is given till 13.00 only. Anyways, we were interested in rafting and we didn't want to miss that.


We didn't miss that, thankfully.












We dressed up and posed with our paddles before setting off for our maiden rafting experience. We all were excited about it, but the flow in Kaveri was not very enthusiastic. If you ignore a few rapids in the way, the flow was looking more suitable for boating than for rafting. Anyways, half of the fun depends on things other than the flow of Kaveri. We made fun of the flow and dived into the river to redeem the value for our money. It was nice to lie down on water, facing the sky and ignoring our instructor's instructions. In the end, we were a happy lot.

We had to reach Bangalore by evening. So we had to wrap things up. We took lunch at a nearby restaurant, which served us simple South Indian meal. And that tasted better than all the North Indian food we had eaten throughout the trip.

Our last halt was at Nisargadhama, which is a sort of botanical garden. There was hardly anything of any particular interest for us. We walked about for sometime and then decided to push off from there.

Coorg will remind me of forests, and clouds running over the hills. The hills give you a sense of isolation from the noise of urban life, and a peace of mind. The silence of forests has a way of calling those who can hear the call. Let me hear the call again, I promise to go back again.

Companionship

What is this mystery - companionship?

Incredulity is the first thing I feel when I open my eyes. It's hard to believe what has happened. Things change so unexpectedly that it's hard to believe, as well as disbelieve, anything. What is relation when our relations are as fickle as our moods. They grow; and before we know, they fall sick and die.

You imposed yourself on me when I was at peace with myself. And you turned your back on me when I needed you the most. You have gone away and there is no hope of your coming back.* In my despair, your memories come to haunt me when I am lonely.

And I am always lonely. I nod while listening to others but I don't hear anything. I feel lost in a vast expansion of a limitless desert. There are no star in sky to show me way. I am confused. I only hope not to be corrupted by this confusion.

People try to convince me. But I am already convinced. Nothing is easier than convincing the mind. Mind finds honorable excuses for things that we do, and things that we don't. I also know that everything happens for the best. That's pretty obvious, isn't it? But convincing the mind doesn't soothe a wounded heart too much. I know I ought to be happy. But I am not. Nevertheless, I say I am happy. I feel something, and I say something else. Words are useless when we are sincere. We hardly understand others' words. We are all condemned not to be able to understand one another.

Life has a funny sense of justice. You see - life is easier for those who litter than for those who care to clean the litter. The former cheerfully exploit the weakness of the latter. Love is also a weakness, which is duly exploited as soon as it is detected in others. Civilization has made us clever enough to recognize trust, kindness, gentleness etc in other person and then exploit them to the last drop. In any relation, the one who loves less exploits more. But some of us still clean, and some of us still love. Isn't it funny?

Is it pain that I feel in my chest, or is it just a vacuum? Do I really miss your sweet nothings? Did I really take those sweet nothings seriously? I had never thought so. But I was wrong. I am bigger sucker than I had imagined myself to be.

I can imagine your pain, and the vacuum in your chest. But I can not feel your pain. I can feel only my pain. We can not feel each others' pain. The inability to feel each others' pain separates us, and often makes us distrustful to each other. But the pain itself - that unites us. The mutuality of suffering binds us in our separation. Can't you see a togetherness in our separation, a companionship in our fate? We can not meet but we are still companions, like two parallel rails of a railway track. We have to bear the weight of our fate, together, separately.

*your person can, but you can not. You, as you existed then, can not.

Anti-Dowry Laws: Instruments of Blackmail?

The Dowry Prohibition Act, was enacted with the intention of protecting wives from marital violence, abuse and extortionist dowry demands. However, the actual implementation of these laws has left a bitter trail of disappointment, anger and resentment in its wake, among the affected families.

The truth is, that there were adequate provisions in the IPC Sections 323, 324, 325 and 326 for use against anyone who assaults a woman or causes her injury. The Indian Penal Code was amended twice during the 1980s — first in 1983 and again in 1986 — to define special categories of crimes dealing with marital violence and abuse.

In 1983, Section 498A of the IPC defined a new cognizable offence, namely, "cruelty by husband or relatives of husband". This means that under this law the police have no option but to take action, once such a complaint is registered by the victim or any of her relatives. It prescribes imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and also includes a fine. The definition of cruelty is not just confined to causing grave injury, bodily harm, or danger to life, limb or physical health, but also includes mental health, harassment and emotional torture through verbal abuse. This law takes particular cognisance of harassment, where it occurs with a view to coercing the wife, or any person related to her, to meet any unlawful demand regarding any property or valuable security, or occurs on account of failure by her, or any person related to her, to meet such a demand.

During the same period, two amendments to the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961, enacted in 1984 and 1986, made dowry giving and receiving a cognizable offence. Even in this case, where a person is prosecuted for taking or abetting dowry, or for demanding dowry, the burden of proof that he had not committed the offence was placed on the accused. [Same in case of Rape. Imagine falsely being accused of offence like rape!]

However, no punitive provisions were added for those making false allegations or exaggerated claims. There is, of course, the law against perjury (lying on oath). But in India, the courts expect people to prevaricate and lawyers routinely encourage people to make false claims because such stratagems are assumed to be part of the legal game in India. Therefore, the law against perjury has hardly ever been invoked in India.

Section 406, to be invoked by the woman to file cases against her husband and in-laws for retrieval of her dowry prescribes imprisonment of upto three years for criminal breach of trust. Often, highly exaggerated or bogus claims are made by unscrupulous families who demand the return of more than was given as ‘stridhan’, using the draconian sections 498A and section 406 of the IPC as a bargaining tool.

Furthermore, another Section 304B was added to the IPC to deal with yet another new category of crime called “dowry death”. This section states that if the death of a woman is caused by burns or bodily injury, or occurs under abnormal circumstances, within seven years of her marriage and it is shown that just prior to her death she was subjected to cruelty by her husband or any relative of her husband, in connection with any demand for dowry, such a death would be called a “dowry death”, and the husband or relative would would be deemed to have caused her death. The burden of proof is shifted to the accused party. The basic spirit of Indian jurisprudence is that a person is presumed innocent till proven guilty. However, in all these cases the person is assumed guilty till proven innocent.

The person held guilty of a "dowry death" shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven years but which may extend to imprisonment for life. By inserting a new section 113B in the Indian Evidence Act, the lawmakers stipulated that in cases that get registered by the police as those of “dowry death”, the court shall presume that the accused is guilty unless he can prove otherwise. [Prey tell me how can anyone prove that? How dreadfully Kafkaesque!]

This is understandable in cases of death because the unnatural demise of a woman through suicide or murder is in itself proof that something was seriously wrong in the marriage. But problems arise when the same presumption applies to cases of domestic discord where the underlying cause of conflict is not necessarily the husband's violence, abuse or economic demands but due to the couple's inability to get along with each other.

The law was recast, heavily weighted in the woman’s favour, on the assumption that only genuinely aggrieved women would come forward to lodge complaints and that they would invariably tell the truth. In the process, however, the whole concept of due process of law had been overturned in these legal provisions dealing with domestic violence.

With the police as well as lawyers encouraging female complainants to use this as a necessary ploy to implicate their marital families, making them believe that their complaint will not be taken seriously otherwise. It has become a distinct trend to include dowry demands in every complaint of domestic discord or cruelty, even when dowry was not an issue at all. This has created an erroneous impression that all of the violence in Indian homes is due to a growing greed for more dowry. [Women indulged in adultery can control their husbands now, thanks to our law makers. ]

This tendency has received a further fillip with the enactment of 498 A, mentioning dowry demands seems to have become a common ritual in virtually all cases registered with the police or filed in court, misusing the provisions of sections 498A and 406. Even members of many women’s organisations themselves acknowledge such abuse. Things have come to this pass, not just due to police and judicial corruption/apathy but also because the laws, as they are currently framed, lend themselves to easy abuse.

All these amendments placed draconian powers in the hands of the police without adequate safeguards against the irresponsibility of the enforcement machinery. There are any number of cases coming to light where Section 498A has been used mainly as an instrument of blackmail. It lends itself to easy misuse as a tool for wreaking vengeance on entire families, because, under this section, it is available to the police to arrest anyone a married woman names as a tormentor in her complaint, as “cruelty" in marriage has been made a non-bailable offence. Thereafter, bail in such cases has been denied as a basic right.

This law has lent itself to gross abuse, because arresting and putting a person in jail, even before the trial has begun, amounts to pre-judging and punishing the accused without due process. Although a preliminary investigation is required after the registration of the F.I.R, in practice such complaints are registered, whether the charges are proved valid or not, and arrest warrants issued, without determining whether the concerned family is actually abusive, or they have been falsely implicated. Our laws do not recognise the possibility of daughters-in-law maltreating old in-laws or other vulnerable members of their husband's family.

There are any number of cases where the problem is mutual maladjustment of the couple rather than abuse by the entire joint family. However, a host of relatives, including elderly parents, who are not necessarily the cause of maladjustment, have all been arrested and put in jail for varying lengths of time before the trial begins. There have been several cases where judges have refused bail unless the accused family deposits a certain sum of money in the complainant’s name as a precondition to the grant of bail.

There have been of instances where the main point of discord between the couple was that the wife wanted the husband to leave his parent's home or an old widowed mother and set up a nuclear family. Since the man resisted this move, the wife used 498A as a bargaining device, without success though.

Indeed, there have been many cases where the woman uses the strict provisions of 498A in the hope of enhancing her bargaining position vis a vis her husband and in-laws. Her lawyers often encourage her in the misguided belief that her husband would be so intimidated that he will be ready to concede all her demands. However, once a family has been sent to jail even for a day, they are so paranoid that they refuse to consider a reconciliation under any circumstances, pushing instead for divorce, then they are in a fight to the finish. Thus, many a woman ends up with a divorce she didn’t want and with weaker, rather than strengthened, terms of bargaining.

Often, these highly exaggerated or bogus claims made by unscrupulous wives and her family fail to stand scrutiny and many cases do not go far because the charges are so exaggerated that the cases fall through. In many instances, out-of-court settlements are made, by presenting, with mutual consent, a joint petition/ in the High Court u/s 482 Cr. P.C., using 498A as a bargaining point by the woman’s family. But this in itself amounts to using the law as a weapon of intimidation rather than a tool of justice defeating the letter, spirit and purpose of the law depriving the truly deserving cases of her legitimate dues.

Courtesy http://peterzohrab.tripod.com/dowrlaws.html

and some more here.