Handbook on Gulf Jobs: All about employment opportunities and labour rules in the Arabian Gulf

Handbook on Gulf Jobs

Author: Syed Qamar Hasan
Publisher: Rahat Foundation
No. of pages: 100 pages
Copies can be had from: Rahat Foundation, Society for Socio-economic,
Educational Development, Saroornagar, Hyderabad - 500 035 Phone: 98491 68352

Senior journalist Syed Qamar Hasan brings out in this handbook on Gulf Jobs all the information a person needs before embarking on a journey to the Gulf in search of a job. The book deals with employment opportunities as well as the labour rules and laws in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Oman. It also contains a list of do's and don'ts. Gulf Jobs is useful not only for prospective employment seekers back home in India but also for those already working in the Gulf.
Qamar Hasan vividly describes issues like labour market past and present, jobs and how to get them, white collar jobs, blue collar jobs and visa requirements. He also gives tips on the right approach to get jobs and what a prospective employment seeker should do before leaving for Gulf and on arriving in the foreign land.
The book warns that job hunters have often been bowled over by the exaggerated claims of friends and
relatives working in the Gulf and who project themselves as big shots drawing huge salaries and claiming
jobs are easy to find.
"I have come across persons who left well paid jobs in their home cities with multi-national companies to look for openings in the Gulf countries," Qamar points out. The book says job markets have become highly competitive. The cost of living has gone up and the inflation rate is rising. However, there are still openings for highly qualified IT professionals, petro-engineers, specialist doctors, surgeons and bankers. 
"If one is gainfully employed at home, it is better to stay back rather than venture out in the Gulf for
marginally more. If one is earning around Rs 30,000 a month at home, he or she will be earning here in the
Gulf littler better in the present situation. What's more at least one will be free of stress, fatigue and boredom
caused by feeling of insecurity of jobs in the Gulf".

Sorrow and grief dampens Id festivities in Andhra Pradesh

The bomb blast in the historic Mecca Masjid and the subsequent police firing and the twin blasts at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat have left a sort of fear psychosis in the principal minority community. The blast the historic dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, the greatest Sufi saint of all times in sub-continent, has only heightened this sense of fear. A majority of Muslims in Hyderabad and other parts of the country are devotees of the Sufi saint, who is popularly revered as Gharib Nawaz (benefactor of the poor).

By Syed Akbar


Id-ul-Fitr or the feast of alms-giving is the biggest Islamic festival which every Muslim around the globe would look forward to every year. But the Id this year in Hyderabad, which has the second largest Muslim population in the country, is being celebrated without the usual festivities.
And many Muslim families have decided to make the celebrations a low-key affair as mark of respect to those who lost their lives in the three bomb blasts that hit Hyderabad recently. Others have donated a part of the funds earmarked for the Id festivities to charitable organisations as a mark of solidarity with the downtrodden sections of society. Even schoolchildren have joined their parents in forgoing the festivities in
several parts of the State.
Business figures from the famous Charminar market shows one-third of the minority community did not go for shopping this Id That the Id will be a low-key affair became clear on the Jumat-ul-Vida, the last Friday of
Ramzan, when religious leaders in their congregational sermons called upon the devout not to spend much on festivities but concentrate on charity and service. They also emphasised the need for mass prayers for peace and universal brotherhood of man.
The bomb blast in the historic Mecca Masjid and the subsequent police firing and the twin blasts at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat have left a sort of fear psychosis in the principal minority community. The blast the historic dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, the greatest Sufi saint of all times in sub-continent, has only heightened this sense of fear. A majority of Muslims in Hyderabad and other parts of the country are devotees of the Sufi saint, who is popularly revered as Gharib Nawaz (benefactor of the poor).
"Id is indeed an occasion to celebrate. But how could we celebrate when our brothers and sisters are in trouble. There was so much loss of life in Hyderabad in the last five months. I will go to the Idgah and offer special prayers there. I am dedicating this Id to those killed in the blasts," says SAK Jeelana, a college-goer.
While fear is visible in the lanes and bylanes of old city of Hyderabad, the IB's recent alert of yet another attack on places of worship during the holy month of Ramzan has put the security forces on tenterhooks. This is for the first time that the Id is celebrated under such a heightened atmosphere in the past three decades. The last time Hyderabad witnessed tension during the Id was way back in early 1980s. Says Syed Fazil Hussain Parvez, who edits the popular Urdu weekly Gawah, "that people have decided to make the Id a low-key affair is clear from the low turnout at shops in Charminar. The business this Id season fell down by at least 40 per cent and not many from outside Hyderabad came here for shopping at the famous Charminar-Madina market. The spate of arrests and the police raid on madarasas have also contributed to
the low turnout of shoppers from districts".
Moulvis, who led congregation prayers in mosques, too departed from their usual sermons during Ramzan. Their speeches revolved around peace and the need for the community to extend support to law enforcing agencies to weed out communal and terrorist elements from society. "This is not the time to rejoice at least for we Hyderabadis. Many Muslims in our area have decided to restrict their Id prayers to the local mosque, instead of celebrating the festival at Idgah. This is a good idea and I welcome it. The larger the congregation the greater the security risk," says senior cleric Hafiz MN Rahman.

Madarasas to observe special open days for transparency

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad:  Faced with the charge of harbouring foreign nationals, madarasas in the State have decided to observe special "open days" after the ongoing Ramzan vacation and set up their websites for
transparency.


Though most of the 4000 and odd madarasas spread across the State have no restriction on the entry of visitors during office hours, the managements have decided to conduct special open days in a bid to tell
people that they are transparent.


On open days anyone can pay a visit to any of the madarasa, have interaction with students and teachers, inspect the curriculum and seek clarification of their doubts.


"As such we do not have any restrictions. But since doubts are being expressed after the police conducted midnight raids on some madarasas, we want to send home the message that our doors are always open. Anyone can walk in any time. But for the sake of visibility we will conduct open days," says Raheemuddin Ansari, a senior office-bearer of Deeni Madaris Board, the umbrella body of Islamic seminaries in the State.


The madarasas will reopen after the annual Ramzan vacation in the fourth week of October. "We have always kept open our door open. Our hostels (Darul Iqama) follow a strict spiritual-cum-mundane
syllabus. People can inspect our accounts and our records. All our accounts are audited. Those in doubt can interview our students and teachers," says Mufti Mastan Ali, chief of Jamiatul Mominath.


The Deeni Madaris Board will soon hold a meeting with Minorities Welfare Minister Muhammad Ali Shabber to chalk out the modalities on interlinking of madarasas and setting up their individual websites.
Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy had suggested that madarasas go online and post their information on the internet for transparency. Moulana Anwar Ahmad of Jamia Nizamia says the madarasas have nothing to hide. "A delegation of senior journalists from the US visited the madarasas recently. Even the US government is giving funds to madarasas in Hyderabad. If we are harbouring foreign nationals, will the US government give us funds," he asks.

Terror charge: Muslim women surround cleric for his stoic silence

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Sept 3: About 50 women relatives of bomb blast suspects
now in police custody on Monday laid siege to the residence of senior
Islamic scholar Moulana Hameeduddin Aquil Hussami for over five
hours holding him responsible for their "fate".
Moulana Aquil, who is regarded as "Amir-e-Millat" (leader of the
community) by lakhs of Muslims down the Vindhyas, had actively
campaigned for Congress during the State Assembly elections held in
May 2004. He shared dais with senior Congress leaders including Chief
Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
As a thanksgiving to the Moulana, the Congress government appointed
his son-in-law Raheemuddin Ansari as the president of the AP State
Urdu Academy, which is a minister of State rank.
The women relatives demanded that Raheemuddin Ansari quit the Urdu
Academy as the Congress government had been "targeting" Muslims
and branding them as "terrorists and anti-nationals". They held the
Moulana responsible for their "fate" and the "sorry state of affairs"
because he had supported the Congress and openly appealed to
Muslims not to vote for the Telugu Desam.
The women came in black burqas at around 1.00 pm and continued
their agitation till 5.00 pm. They left the residence only after Moulana
Aquil agreed with them that "there was no difference between the
Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party".
The Moulana addressed the agitating women for about 30 minutes. He
said he himself had become a victim of the Congress government after
the police raided Darul Uloom Hyderabad, a madarasa run by him.
"We supported the Congress with the hope that it would bring a secular
government. But it is treading the path of the previous BJP-led NDA
government. We do not see any difference between the BJP and the
Congress," he said. The women dispersed only after the Moulana
assured them that he would lead a delegation of Muslim elders to the
chief minister and find out the whereabouts of the suspects arrested in
connection with the blasts in the city.
Moulana Aquil made several unsuccessful attempts to contact on
telephone Director-General of Police MA Basith and Hyderabad city
police commissioner Balwinder Singh. The Moulana was told by the
DGP and CP's offices that they were busy and would not come on line.
This had further irked him.
No sooner Moulana Aquil announced that he saw no difference
between the Congress and the BJP than Telugu Desam supremo N
Chandrababu Naidu deputed party politburo member and MP SM Lal
Jan Basha to the residence of the Moulana. Basha spent some time with
the Moulana and told him that the TD had never troubled Muslims
when it was in power for nine years.
"There were no communal violence. Law and order situation was well
under control. We looked after the welfare of minorities and ensured
that there was no trouble to them. The TD government did not pick up
innocent Muslim youths. No madarasa was raided during our rule,"
Basha said.
Meanwhile, the police continued with their raids on madarasas. On
Monday the police raided Al Mahadal Islami, a madarasa managed by
noted Islamic scholar Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani at
Shaheennagar.

The terror charge: Suspects, culprits and innocents

By Syed Akbar

Before April 2000 the one name the police used to chant after every violent
incident in Andhra Pradesh was that of suspected ISI agent Azam Ghori.
In the following five years, the police records witnessed the "terror regime"
of Muslim Defence Force leader Abdul Bari.
And the latest "bad man of terror" is Muhammad Shahed alias Bilal, a college
dropout whom the police accuse of masterminding the bomb blasts including
the one at the historic Mecca Masjid in May and the twin blast last week.
The police closed the history sheet of Ghori after he was killed in an
encounter in April 2000 and strangely enough chose not to link Bari with
terror incidents after they found the new suspect in Shahed a couple of years
ago.
Except for the encounter killing of Ghori and half a dozen ISI suspects in
the last one decade, neither the State nor the Hyderabad city police succeeded in
proving the "charge of terror" against those they had rounded up after terror
incidents. The police needle of suspicion simply points towards a host of
known suspects after every terror incident but improper investigation leads
the police to nowhere. The result is another round of terror activity,
death and destruction and the usual one more police list of same suspects.
The police came out with the name of Shahed soon after the Mecca Masjid
blast but failed to document the charge against him. Dozens of Muslim
youths from old city of Hyderabad were either arrested or taken into custody
and more than 100 days later the police are yet to chargesheet them for the
charge the youths were put behind the bars.
None of the suspects in the Mecca Masjid blast, still in custody, has been
charged with the actual blast at the masjid. Shoeb Jagirdar and Shaik Nayeem
alias Sameer of Maharashtra were rounded up for their alleged involvement
in the masjid blast but the police ended up framing fake passport cases
against them. Other suspects Abdul Sattar and Ibrahim were booked in
unrelated cases. Shoeb secured bail while others are still behind the bars.
As usual, within an hour of the twin bomb blast on August 25 senior police
officials vied with one another in announcing the name of Shahed and a list
of ISI-backed organisations holding them responsible for the terror act that
left 42 people dead and about 50 injured. The hurry with which the
investigating authorities jumped to the conclusion even before inspecting the
bomb sites and securing vital clues has led several Muslim and human rights
organisations to accused the police of acting with "preconceived notions"
against the principal minority community.
A dig into the past police records and court cases shows that a majority of
those arrested under "terror" charges had been acquitted. If at all they were
convicted, it was on the charge of murder or extortion. All those arrested by
the police on the charge of terror in AP Express, Humayunnagar and Abids
police stations and Secunderabad railway station bomb blast incidents walked
out to freedom with the police failing to prove the charge. Only Dr Jalees
Shakil Ansari was convicted, though in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case.
After the Mecca Masjid and twin bomb blasts, the police have named pan-
Islamic outfits like Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islamic, Jaish-
e-Mohammed, Lashker-e-Thoiba and Students Islamic Movement India.
Ironically, the police could not come out with concrete evidence to nail
these
organisations or their operatives in the State. Lopsided investigations based
on preconceived notions have often proved counterproductive for the State
and the city police. For instance, the AP High Court had rapped the State
Crime Investigation Department for booking "ISI cases" against some
Muslim youths without substantial evidence. The youths were let off but not
before their image was tarnished by the police and the media.
The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen has been accused the police of "profiling"
Muslim youths as a source of disturbance, unrest and potential threat to the
security and safety. "The police simple weave stories of foreign Muslim
terrorist groups and their local support base to harass innocent youths. We
are against harassment of innocent youths. Let the police arrest the real ISI
activists instead of going after local youths just because they happen to be
Muslims," observes Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
With the police failing to identify the real culprit in the Mecca Masjid
blast even three months after the incident and arrest/custody of about 200 Muslim
youths, Muslim elders feel that top police officials due to their
proximity to the Hindutva forces and for personnel promotions and benefits, are targeting
the community branding Muslims as terrorists having connections with
Pakistan's ISI.
"The police should not act with preconceived notions. They should be open
to all angles and the probe should be inclusive. Jumping to conclusions
without even beginning the investigation will send wrong signals and this
will only create a communal wedge between the Muslims and the Hindus.
The police should desist the tendency of pointing fingers at Muslims without
a thorough probe," says senior Muslim cleric Moulana Khalid Saifullah
Rahmani. The police on the other hand argue that they were not targeting any
particular community. "We are on the elimination process. We round up suspects and
zero in on the culprits. In the process some innocent people may have been
taken into custody. It's a routine process. We deal with Intelligence inputs
and data. We let off the innocent persons," city police commissioner
Balwindar Singh points out.
But human rights activists do not want to buy the argument of Balwindar
Singh. Says Prof SAR Geelani of Delhi University, "If the police are really
open minded, they will look for clues from other terror groups and not only
from Muslim bodies. The police and other premier investigating agencies are
infested with officers having RSS, Bajrang Dal and VHP ideologies.  The
police jump to the conclusion immediately after a bomb blast, that it is the
handiwork of Muslims. They don't even think of the Bajrang Dal, RSS and
VHP as possible suspects. In fact they don't like to take these names," he
adds.
Shahed's father Abdul Wahed hits back at the police demanding that they
produce his son before court if he was involved. "Shahed left the house five
years ago and we have never seen or met him after that". He alleges that
Shahed is with the police and he could be killed any time.
The police handed over the Mecca Masjid case to the CBI. The case of
unexploded bomb is still with the local police. The MIM and other Muslim
organisations have accused that the local police had kept with it the case of
unexploded bomb only to harass Muslims youths by rounding them off at
"appropriate time".

Madarasas criticise midnight raids, say they do not indulge in illegal activities

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Managements of madarasas on Thursday accused the Congress government in the State of anti-Muslim stance after a police team raided a well-known Islamic seminary in the outskirts of the city late on Wednesday night.
Two more madarasas including a girl's seminary were raided on Thursday afternoon. The police, however, described the raids as a simple verification exercise.
A posse of policemen swooped on the 25-year-old Darul Uloom Hyderabad, managed by eminent Islamic scholar Moulana Hameeduddin Aquil Hussami, in the dead of night and conducted a virtual identification parade of students and teachers.
 Most of the students in the madarasa are below 14 years and several of them are orphans. The midnight swoop forced the Muslim clergy to denounce the police action as nothing short of  "terrorising the minority
community and branding Muslims as terrorists".
The police team returned on Thursday morning for verification of madarasa records as part of the "investigation" into the twin bomb blast in the city earlier this week. Incidentally, Moulana Aquil had
campaigned for the Congress during the last Assembly elections and shared dais with senior Congress leaders including Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
"Madarasa is nothing more than an educational institution where education is provided free. It is open to all. Anyone can visit any madarasa and verify for themselves about its activities. Raiding a madarasa in the dead of night will send wrong signals and create communal frenzy. The government is branding Muslims as terrorists and this will lead to ill-will between Hindus and Muslims. People of other communities will look at Muslims with suspicion if the police did not desist from such actions," Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani,
general secretary of the Deeni Madaris Board, told this correspondent.
The Madaris Board, an umbrella body of madarasas in the State, held an emergency meeting in the city on Thursday evening to denounce the "highhanded" action of the police. It said several young students are
traumatised by the presence of the police late in night.
Representatives of over three dozen top madarasas participated in the meeting and decided to call on Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy after the Friday congregation prayers to lodge their protest. They warned of severe Muslim backlash if the Congress government did not desist from actions that would brand Muslims as terrorists or supporters of terror groups.
Police on Thursday afternoon raided Darul Uloom Anwarul Huda at Kishanbagh and Jamia Ayesha Siddiqa Lil Banat, a girl's religious school at Misriganj, angering the Islamic clergy. The Madaris Board alleged that though madarasas were opening their records before the police, instances of midnight knocks had gone up in
old city.
The Board, comprising senior Islamic clergy some of international repute, wondered what had forced the police to swoop on the madarasas during ungodly hours when they could do so in the morning. "Madarasas create responsible and God-fearing citizens. No terrorist has ever been rounded up from a madarasa in India.
Even senior BJP leaders like LK Advani gave clean chit to Islamic seminaries. If we come across any anti-social or anti-national element, we will be the first ones to hand them over to the police. But looking at Muslims in general and madarasas in particular with suspicious eyed is not a healthy trend and this will have far reaching repercussions on the overall social fabric," Moulana Hameeduddin Aquil, who chaired the
meeting, said.

Mosques of archaeological importance faces threat: Government sits on its promise to extend special protection

The promise of extending protection to mosques of archaeological importance is still a pipe dream. The government sits on the proposal. The promise is yet to be fulfilled.

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, May 24: Mosques of archaeological and tourist importance
will get special protection in view of the blast at the historic Mecca
Masjid in the city.
To begin with, Mecca Masjid, Toli mosque, Khairatabad mosque and
Royal mosque will be monitored round the clock by specially-trained
personnel of the minorities welfare and the archaeological departments
and the State Wakf Board. All these mosques will have metal detectors
and closed circuit TV cameras. Cloak rooms will be set up outside
these mosques as part of increased security measures. All these
mosques are around 400 years old and are structural marvels in
themselves.
The Haj House and the Mallepally Mosque will also get metal detectors
and CCTVs. But these places will be monitored by the State Wakf
Board. Mallepally mosque is the State headquarters of the Tablighi
Jamaat.
The city police will train the personnel of minorities and archaeological
departments and State Wakf Board. It will also provide logistic support
to these departments. The police will, however, not involve itself in the
security at these mosques because of religious sentiments.
"Civilian employees will conduct frisking of devotees and tourists at
these mosques. The CCTVs will function from 4.00 am to 9.00 pm. As
these mosques are under the joint management of the minorities and the
archaeological departments, they will share the expenditure on
security," Minorities Welfare Minister Muhammad Ali Shabber said.
The Mecca Masjid will have 21 CCTVs with a central control room, six
door metal detectors and five hand-held metal detectors. The height of
the fencing will be increased. Traffic flow on the Shahalibanda-
Charminar Road will be closed during the Friday prayers.
As many as 30 unemployed youths will also be hired by these
departments for additional security at these places, the minister said.
The archaeological department has sanctioned Rs 30 lakh for security
measures at Mecca Masjid.

Muslim quota in Andhra Pradesh: Muslim community segregated based on professions for reservations

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, May 22: The State Backward Classes Commission has
launched a mega exercise to segregate Muslims on the basis of their
profession for purpose of reservations in educational institutions and
government jobs.
The State government plans to cover about 90 per cent of Muslims by
segregating them based on their nature of work. Muslims in
Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh enjoy the reservation facility
under the "OBC" category after the respective State governments
enacted legislation grouping the community on the basis of their
traditional professions.
The Congress government in the State, which failed to implement the
Muslim quota due to legal hurdles, has referred the matter to the
Backward Classes Commission to hold hearing afresh on the demand
for reservations to Muslims based on their traditional or ancestral
professions. The Commission is now flooded with demands from
various Muslim groups for inclusion in the BC list.
Unlike Muslims in Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, those in
Andhra Pradesh do not have hereditary social professions. Andhra
Pradesh has only a few Muslim social groups like Qureshi (butchers)
and Noor Basha. But they already enjoy the quota benefits. Now the
government wants to provide quota for Muslim barbers, toddy tappers,
dhobis, traditional mendicants, tailors, weavers and shepherds.
"In UP and other northern States Muslims have a clear-cut social
demarcation. This is not the case with Muslims in Andhra Pradesh.
Though we have Muslim dhobis, Muslim weavers and Muslim barbers
and Muslim shepherds, we cannot distinguish them. The government
will have a gigantic task before it to identify the beneficiaries," says
senior Muslim religious leader Moulana Abdul Kareem.
However, the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and a section of the
Muslim clergy are opposed to the State government's idea. MIM MP
Asaduddin Owaisi has lodged a complaint with the chief minister
alleging that the government's move will divide the community on
"caste" lines. The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board has also
joined the issue.
The "warnings" of the Muslim clergy notwithstanding, the State
government is gearing up to implement the quota for Muslims from this
academic year. It is waiting for the BC Commission report. According
to sources in the minorities welfare department, once the Commission
report is ready, the government will make a formal announcement and
enact legislation declaring Muslims involved in certain trades as OBCs.

Bomb blasts: Why did terrorists choose the historic Mecca Masjid

By Syed Akbare
Hyderabad, May 19: Terrorists have chosen the historic Mecca Masjid
for the Friday's bomb blast for the simple reason that the mosque has
been linked to the sentiments of Hyderabadis.
For the 25 lakh Muslims of Hyderabad, Mecca Masjid is more than a
mosque. It is a sacred place of high reverence and the mosque of their
aspirations. And for the people of Andhra Pradesh, irrespective of their
religion, the 400-year-old Mecca Masjid is a historical monument of
great eminence.
Terrorists know well that anything sacrilegious at the mosque will
arouse the emotions of people and lead to communal disturbances in
the city. Moreover, Mecca Masjid has always been the focal point of
communal trouble in the city. The mosque has open access and there's
no security mechanism.
Mecca Masjid is one of the seven wonders of Hyderabad and the
biggest mosque down the Vindhyas. Only the other historic Jama
Masjid in Delhi is bigger than Mecca Masjid. Incidentally, the Jama
Masjid was built by Emperor Shahjahan while the Mecca Masjid was
completed by his son Emperor Aurangzeb.
"The Mecca Masjid was selected as the target site as the casualties will
be higher. It is the principal mosque in twin cites and devout Muslims
generally prefer to offer the Friday prayers at Mecca Masjid. Even
those who come from outside straightaway visit the grand mosque for
the Friday congregation. The mosque harbours the holy relics of
Prophet Muhammad, besides a black stone (Sang-e-Siya) specially
brought from Mecca during the mosque construction," observes senior
Islamic scholar Hafiz Syed Shujat Hussain.
A peep into the past shows that Mecca Masjid was the "starting point"
for almost every "retaliatory" step by local Muslim youths. The mosque
has emerged as the centre of protests particularly after the demolition
of the historic Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in December 1992.
"Though the mosque is controlled by the State government's minorities
welfare department, officials have always failed to maintain its sanctity
when it comes to controlling violent protests by some misguided
elements everytime a major incident related to Muslims or Islam takes
place around the globe. The mosque has an open access. Erection of
metal detectors outside the mosque and thorough frisking of people
visiting it will prevent such incidents," points out All-India Shia Youth
Organisation general secretary Mir Hadi Ali.

Muslim organisations: Tablighi Jamaat has many enemies

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, May 19: The Tablighi Jamaat has many enemies both among
Muslims and non-Muslims. It is more than 80 year old Islamic movement for
the reawakening of Muslims.
The Tablighi Jamaat, founded in 1920s by Maulana Muhammad Ilyas
Kandhalawi of Deoband school of Islamic thought, limited its missionary
activities initially to the Indian sub-continent. But in the last three
decades the Jamaat has expanded its movement to the USA, the UK, Australia and
other countries.
The Jamaat functions in two ways. In India the Jamaat concentrates mainly
on Muslims but in the West it takes up proselytising among non-Muslim
communities and invites them to the fold of Islam. Because of its missionary
style of functioning, various right wing groups like the VHP and the RSS
have always opposed the Jamaat. In fact, these groups have issued "stern
warnings" to the Jamaat.
Andhra Pradesh has been one of the important States for the Tablighi Jamaat
ever since its formation. Hyderabad, Kurnool, Kadapa and Guntur are its
strangleholds where it has a large following. Unlike other Muslim religious
organisations, Tablighi Jamaat believes in reawakening of faith and
purification of the self and the community.
Tablighi members fan out quite frequently to different parts of the country
and abroad to spread their message and ideology. Many Muslim
organisations do not see eye to eye with the Tablighi Jamaat not because of
the ideological differences but because of their one-upmanship.
Tablighi activists are not allowed into mosques by many mosque
communities and this has forced the Jamaat to have its own mosques
(Markaz).
A notable feature of the Jamaat is regular congregations (ijtema) it holds
around the world. The Bangladesh annual congregation is the biggest
gathering of humanity with a turnout of more than 40 lakh people. The last
ijtema in Hyderabad was held in 1994. It is now holding another international
conference after a gap of 13 years.
Senior educationist Yaser Amri points out, "the emergence of Tablighi
Jamaat was also a direct response to the rise of such aggressive Hindu
proselytising movements as Shuddhi and Sangathan, which launched massive
efforts in the early twentieth century to reconvert those Hindus who had
converted to Islam in the past. The Jamaat founder believed that only a
grassroots Islamic religious movement could counter it".

Mecca Masjid blasts: Circumstantial evidence points out that the blast was aimed at disrupting the congregation of Tablighi Jamaat. A similar blast, though of low intensity, took place in a mosque in Guntur city on 27 May, 2000 on the eve of a Tablighi conference there

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, May 18: Was the blast at the 400-year-old Mecca Masjid
aimed at disrupting the massive congregation planned by Tablighi
Jamaat, a Muslim missionary known for its religious conversions
around the globe?
Senior Muslim religious leaders believe that the blasts were targeted at
the Tablighi Jamaat's international congregation which is scheduled to
begin at Mamidipalli, a few kilometres away from the historic Mecca
Masjid. The participants of the meeting from different parts of the
country prefer to take the Mecca Masjid route to reach the venue of the
Tablighi Ijtema.
Circumstantial evidence also points out that the blast was aimed at
disrupting the congregation. A similar blast, though of low intensity,
took place in a mosque in Guntur city on 27 May, 2000 on the eve of a
Tablighi conference there. Half a dozen people were injured in the
blast. Even the bomb blasts at a mosque and a Muslim graveyard at
Malegaon last year were preceded by a Tablighi conference.
Incidentally, the Jamaat has a strong base in Hyderabad, Malegaon and
Guntur. The police arrested Deendar Anjuman activists in the Guntur
blast case. Though most of its activities are aimed at "reforming"
Muslims, the Tablighi Jamaat quite often takes up "preaching" among
non-Muslims. This has many a time angered Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
The blast at the Mecca Masjid comes in the wake of a series of attacks
on Christian preachers in the State and Muslim leaders point fingers at
the Sangh Parivar.
"The VHP sent a threatening letter to the office of the Jamiat-e-Ulema
Hind after the Malegaon blasts. The letter asked the Jamiat to rein in
the Tablighi Jamaat or else face consequences," Jamiat Ulema AP
president Hafiz Peer Shabbir Ahmad pointed out.
The Hyderabad conference has been planned on a massive scale. Being
an international conference the Jamaat is expecting a turnout of 10 to
15 lakh people. Already three lakhs people have turned up at the venue
and the city police have despatched bomb squads. Security has been
tighened up at the venue.
The Tablighi Jamaat and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad have been at
loggerheads for long over the religious conversions. The Jamaat is
known for its religious propagation both within India and abroad. The
VHP opposed the Jamaat in Rajasthan and other parts of the country
accusing it of indulging in conversions.
Earlier this week VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia issued a
statement warning that the Tablighi Jamaat was its next target. United
News Network, a multi-lingual news agency based in New Delhi, sent a
copy of Togadia's statement to this correspondent. A couple of Urdu
newspapers are reported to have carried Togadia's diatribe against the
Jamaat.
"It's going to be a show of strength. Those who do not want the Jamaat
to hold such huge congregations are behind the blasts. We will not stop
the conference. It will go on," says Ata Hussain Anjum, conference
organiser.
Moulana Hameeduddin Aquil Hussami, one of the most revered
Muslim religious scholars in Andhra Pradesh, pointed fingers at the
VHP and the RSS. "Similar blasts took place in mosques in Malegaon
and Nanded in Maharashtra last year. The police instead of launching a
free and fair investigation blamed the banned Students Islamic
Movement of India. The police have been rounding up so-called SIMI
activists after every violent incident without proper investigation," he
said.
Moulana Aquil, who is revered as the "Ameer-e-Millat" (leader of the
community) said the police should not proceed with a preconceived
notion. It should keep the investigation angles open and bring the real
culprits to book. He also condemned the killing of three persons in
police firing.

Islam in Great Britain through the lens of Peter Sanders: Muslims are not terrorists, says the great photographer

By Syed Akbar

For those who equate Muslims with terrorism, the photo exhibition by
internationally renowned photographer Peter Sanders is an eye opener.
Peter Sanders the other day took Hyderabadis on a journey through the
Great Britain giving a vivid photographic description of the lifestyle of
Muslims living in the West.
As they say a picture speaks a thousand words, the exclusive Sanders
photographs at "The Art of Integration Exhibition: Islam in Britain's
Green and Pleasant Lands" organised recently in Hyderabad, "spoke"
on behalf of 1.6 million British Muslims loud and clear that "Muslims
are not terrorists and British Muslims are as much British as others
living in Britain".
Peter Sanders, who has carved out a niche for himself in the Islamic
world with his classic photographs on Muslim lifestyles and
monuments around the globe, points out that there's no clash of
civilisations and there's no war between the West and Muslims. And
his photographs proved his point. The photographs are extremely and
extraordinarily beautiful and many Hyderabadis had for the first time
gone through a first hand assessment of Muslims and Islam in the UK.
"For many years I wanted to photograph Islam in the UK, but to be
honest, I was not inspired by what I saw. Then I began to meet second
and third generation British Muslims, many of them young,
professional and artistic, young people who did not have the fears and
concerns of previous generations. Within them was a confidence that to
be British and Muslim was not a problem," observes Peter Sanders.
Every photograph put up at the exhibition, organised jointly by the
British High Commission, New Delhi, and the Journalists for Peace and
Justice, Hyderabad, made it clear that terrorism does not equate to
Islam or any other faith or human value.
"Key Islamic influencers need to counter the extremists' narrative.
Mainstream message must be made more understandable, available and
attractive to meet the challenge of delegitimising extremism and terror.
Terrorists' malignant misinterpretations of Islam are rejected by
Muslims throughout the UK and abroad," says Fazil Hussain Parvez,
one of the organisers.
A notable feature of the exhibition is that the photographs challenged a
number of misconceptions, for instance, about the tendencies of some
communities not to integrate into their adopted homeland.
Peter Sanders began his career in the mid-1960s covering London's
seminal rock and roll scene, capturing now legendary music icons in a
collection that is considered a classic by collectors. Towards the end of
the 1970s, Sanders' attention turned inward which set him on a spiritual
search that took him to India and led him in the end to the Muslim
world.
"My photography has always been an extension of my life," says
Sanders, who converted to Islam before his journey to Mecca in early
1970s. "Photography is a wonderful process - a gift from God - that has
allowed me to learn so much about myself and the world around me.
It's like chasing a moment, trying to capture a beautiful bird in flight."
The exhibition begins with the Muslim roots in British soil depicting
archaeological finds that trace back to over 1000 years. The discovery
of a ninth century brooch bearing the "Basamala" an Islamic inscription
meaning "In the name of God - the most Merciful, the most
Beneficent", in south-east Ireland and of eighth century coins from the
reign of King Offa stamped with the Muslim declaration of faith, offer
glimpses of this little know Muslim history of Britain.
Peter Sanders then takes the visitors through the first mosque in the UK
(December 25, 1889), British Muslim personalities including pop
singer-turned charity activist Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), scholar Martin
Lings (Abu Bakr Siraj al-Din) and fashion designer Alia Khan, Muslim
charities before winding up with Islamic finance institutions and
Islamia schools.