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BROKEN LINKS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED

January 25, 2012 WATCH THE FILM FREE (Please scroll down) and for more background on the NY Times Holy War on “The Third Jihad”, go to  Pamela Geller .

The New York Times has sharply criticized the New York Police Department for using the critically-acclaimed documentary The Third Jihad: Radical Islam’s Vision for America in counterterrorism training.

The New York Times has published two news articles (http://tinyurl.com/nyt-ttj1,http://tinyurl.com/nyt-ttj2), as well as an editorial entitled “Hateful Film” (http://tinyurl.com/nyt-ttj3) in the past 48 hours.

In response, film producer Raphael Shore has issued the following statement:

“We regret that the film has been taken out of the counterterrorism training program of the NYPD.  The New York Times stories are proof positive that the Clarion Fund’s high-quality and impactful documentaries touch very sensitive nerves.

Those that have blasted the film are attempting to stifle an important debate about the internal state of the Muslim community in America, and whether politicized Islam and indoctrination pose tangible security threats.

We hope that individuals will acknowledge the inaccuracies presented by the New York Times, and the effects that organizations like CAIR have on the fine line between political correctness and honest debate.

We invite the general public to watch and judge the documentary for themselves.  The Third Jihad is now being made available for free viewing online at http://www.thethirdjihad.com.”

According to the New York Times, nearly 1500 officers, “from lieutenants to detectives to patrol officers” reportedly were shown the film during a period of between three months and a year.

The story of the film’s usage by NYPD was first reported by the Village Voice a year earlier, and police stopped using the film when pressure was asserted by local Islamic organizations.  Pressure continued until the New York Times propelled the year-old story to front-page news yesterday.

CAIR is taking credit for the “investigation” which led to the New York Times’ coverage, with a press release (http://tinyurl.com/nypd-cair) demanding that the NYPD install Muslim-sensitive materials in their training curriculum to offset what they consider to be an ‘Islamaphobic’ film.

Innuendo

What CAIR and the New York Times failed to clearly address, is that The Third Jihad is narrated by a devout Muslim, who has a significant record of serving the United States of America, as a medical officer in the US Navy and as an attending physician to the US Congress.

The beginning of the film states in bold letters that, “This is not a film about Islam.  It is about the threat of radical Islam.  Only a small percentage of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims are radical.”

The film’s message urges the Muslim community to look within itself to root out the indoctrination that affects a minority of Muslims.

The documentary is founded on credible evidence presented by the FBI of a “Manifesto” published by radicals calling for the implementation of extremist ideology-both violent and politicized-within the United States.

It is no surprise that CAIR does not like the content of the film.  CAIR is singled out in the film for its direct ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, open support for Hamas, and links to terror financing.

CAIR was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation trial, the largest ever terror-financing trial in US History.

As a result of these designations, the FBI has formally ceased all ties with CAIR-as should the NYPD and New York Times.

The NYPD is well aware of the threats that emanate from Islamic radicals.

In the preface to a landmark 2007 NYPD Intelligence Division Report entitled “Radicalization in the West: The Homegrown Threat,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly writes, “New York City continues to be the one of the top targets of terrorists worldwide.  Consequently, the NYPD places a priority on understanding what drives and defines the radicalization process.”

The Third Jihad takes an in-depth look at the process of radicalization and indoctrination taking place on American soil.

It is clear that senior members of the NYPD saw value in the film, as did employees of the Federal Homeland Security department, who first gave the DVD of the film to the NYPD.

Inaccuracies

The Third Jihad features exclusive interviews with some of the nation’s leading counterterrorism experts including former Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, former Director of Central Intelligence R. James Woolsey, former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

According to the New York Times, Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman said, “that filmmakers had lifted the [Kelly] clip from an old interview.”

This is the first of several inaccuracies to appear in the New York Times’ account.

The makers of The Third Jihad conducted a nearly 90-minute exclusive interview with Commissioner Kelly specifically for the film on March 19, 2007.  Previously unreleased bonus clips of Kelly’s interview are currently available at http://www.thethirdjihad.com.

Responding to a letter by film producer Raphael Shore, Browne then corrected the record in the New York Times follow-up article.  “I recommended in February 2007 that Commissioner Kelly be interviewed,” he said.

Browne recalled that the film’s interviewer, “asked to speak to the commissioner for a cable film on ‘foiled terrorist plots and the current threat matrix.’”

Several other inaccuracies appear in the article.   For example, the New York Times notes that the film includes a doctored photo of the White House with an Islamic flag atop.  But the photo is one of many pieces of documented footage from Islamist sources.  Yet the New York Times implies that the filmmakers were the ones to manipulate the photo.

The New York Times also inaccurately quotes the film by stating: “‘This is the true agenda of Islam in America,’ a narrator intones.”  But the actual quote from the film is: “This document shows the true agenda of much of Muslim leadership here in America.”

The article intentionally omits that this narrator is Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a devout Muslim.

The rest of the New York Times’ coverage focuses on character assassination.  While CAIR and others label the film Islamophobic, it is ironic that the film’s detractors continuously point out that the film’s producer has ties to Jewish organizations.  The article inaccurately claims that Raphael Shore simultaneously works for Aish HaTorah.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg questioned the judgment of that those who permitted the usage of the film.  However, Bloomberg’s predecessor Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who is also interviewed in the film, has praised the documentary calling The Third Jihad, “a wake up call for America.”

CONTACT:

press@clarionfund.org

646-308-1230 x213

No Mosques At Ground Zero

On Sept. 1, 2011, the students of New Heights Middle School in Jefferson, South Carolina trooped into the gymnasium to hear the Christian rapper known as “B-SCHOC” tell them that Jesus alone could save them. They cheered as a pastor named Christian Chapman vied to win their souls for Christ. At the end of the show, they were asked to fill in a form indicating whether they had accepted Jesus as their savior. In a video posted on YouTube, B-SHOC exults that “324 kids at this school have made a decision for Jesus Christ.”

Wherever one chooses to draw the line between church and public school, there can’t be much doubt that the B-SHOC assembly at New Heights lay pretty far on the other side. Even the organizers of the assembly knew that. “Your principal went to me today, and I said, ‘How are you getting away with this?’” Pastor Chapman told a group of parents. “And he said, ‘I’m not … I want these kids to know that eternal life is real, and I don’t care what happens to me, they’re going to hear it today.”’

In fact, the school board voted to settle a suit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in which Jonathan Anderson, a parent whose son was harassed at the school for his non-belief, alleged that religion was all over the New Heights Middle School. School-sponsored prayers routinely opened and closed assemblies and performances. Religious messages made their way into lesson plans, and religious iconography decorated the walls. Students were punished for minor infractions by being told to write out sentences proclaiming their faith in God.

A number of these activities — such as the B-SHOC event — appear to be violations of the clause in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution intended to maintain separation between church and state. And the school board admits as much in its proposed settlement of the ACLU case. Yet an even greater number of religious activities in public schools have recently become legal as a result of novel interpretations of the Constitution handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Ironically, had the administration of New Heights been a little smarter, it could have achieved its apparent goal of using the school’s position of authority to spread the word of God among its captive students without running the risk of being sued. Thousands of other schools across the country do just that.

Four weeks after the B-SHOC assembly, for example, a large number of New Heights students gathered around the flagpole in front of the school one morning and prayed to Jesus for their classmates and their school. It was the annual “See You at the Pole” prayer event, and it happens at schools nationwide on the same day. On the understanding that the event is student-initiated and student-led, it is deemed to be constitutional. In recent years — at least when it comes to religion — the Supreme Court has made a firm distinction between school-sponsored speech, which is constrained by the Establishment Clause, and student speech, which is protected by the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.

Of course, within the appropriate context that a school setting demands, students should always be free to talk about religion at school. Children can and should have the right to pray in school, discuss their faith and even proselytize their classmates. Yet, as in many other schools, the loud calls for “religious liberty” and the “free speech” of students is often just a convoluted way for adults to use the authority of the school to promote their own religious views and practices among students. The prayers at “See You at the Pole” may be student-led, yet the event is organized and promoted on national and local levels by adults. At events I attended, pastors from nearby churches played a central role in urging their kids to participate and supplied them with sophisticated sound systems and other props. At New Heights, Principal Larry Stinson led the prayers around the pole, and he was joined by a number of parents, teachers and other adults.

The idea that “it’s all right as long as the kids do it” is now so pervasive among those who view the public schools as missionary fields that it has a technical name: “peer evangelism.” A leader of the Life Book Movement — a project of The Gideons International, which provides high school students with “teenage” evangelical Christian tracts that they are expected to deliver to other kids in the school — calls it “a God-given loophole.” In the two and a half years since the inception of this peer evangelism initiative, they have distributed nearly 2 million “Life Books.”

Perhaps the largest of the peer-to-peer groups is the Fellowship for Christian Athletes, which encourages students to organize prayers before, during and after school sporting events. The Chesterfield County school district has seven chapters — and they receive the enthusiastic support of Principal Stinson.

In the weeks after B-SHOC, New Heights also organized a number of programs for students and parents in what is now known as “character education” — teaching children about the harms of bullying and drug addiction, for example. The school invited a snake handler to enlighten the children in one assembly, and it organized an evening panel for parents. The snake charmer, it turns out, had a religious message to share with the students, as he spelled out in detail at an evening meeting to which he had invited them during the course of the assembly. The evening panel included no fewer than six pastors, and its chief aim was to instruct parents about how to keep their children faithful to their religion.

Recently I attended an “anti-bullying” lecture at a Tennessee public middle school as part of a state-mandated character education program. The lecturer, who is also a preacher, told us a moving story about how his teenage birth mother had chosen not to have an abortion and how he’d been raised by loving adopted parents. A takeaway lesson was that if a boy “bullies” a girl — meaning gets her pregnant — the right thing for the girl to do is have the baby and “not allow that bully to ruin her life.”

The use of “character education” as a cover for religious proselytizing to public school children is now so common that it, too, has a nickname: “pizza evangelism.” (It seems that the first missionaries to use the tactic tended to follow their character presentations with pizza parties.) Team Impact, Commandos! USA, the Power Team, Answering the Cries, Go to Tell Ministries, the Todd Becker Foundation, the Strength Team — these are just a few of the faith-based groups that enter public schools every year with presentations on drug addiction, drunk driving, and other important topics and aim to leave with a collection of young religious converts.

The proselytizing administration of New Heights could also draw on a range of perfectly legal after-school religious programs to get its message across. The leader in this category is Good News Clubs, sponsored by an organization called the Child Evangelism Fellowship. The clubs, which are now established in more than 3,500 public elementary schools nationwide, are intended to convert young children to a fundamentalist form of the Christian faith and equip them to “witness” to their peers. Many of the CEF activists I met are quite sure that many American Christians, including United Methodists, U.S. Episcopalians, liberal Congregationalists and Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics, will not be among the “saved.” The group is represented at its national conventions and in its legal representation by people who rail against the so-called Homosexual Agenda, support creationism, oppose reproductive freedom, and condemn interfaith marriage, referred to by one keynote speaker as “interracial marriage.”

The Good News Clubs meet after the bell rings and require parental permission. Therefore, says the U.S. Supreme Court, they cannot logically be perceived as having the endorsement of the school, and consequently they cannot be excluded from the school without violating the Clubs’ free speech rights. But children generally aren’t fooled by such fine threads of constitutional logic. If the activity is taking place in the school, they assume that this is what the school wants them to believe. The leaders of such programs aren’t fooled either. They openly refer to the public schools as “mission fields,” places for them to do the “harvest work” of “reaching unchurched children” with the message of the gospel. Apparently, it’s only the courts that are fooled.

The activities of Good News Clubs take place after the bell rings and require parental permission to attend, so their presence in public elementary schools is deemed legal by the U.S. Supreme Court. But children generally aren’t fooled by such fine distinctions. If the activity is taking place in the school, they assume that this is what the school wants them to believe. The leaders of such programs aren’t fooled either. They openly refer to the public schools as “mission fields,” places for them to do the “harvest work” of “reaching unchurched children” with the message of the gospel. Apparently, it’s only the courts that are fooled.

When the ACLU takes up a case involving religion in schools, it usually means that the situation is pretty extreme. It is tempting for people on all sides of the issue to place the blame on loose cannons like brazen administrators or militant atheists. And in fact, the principal at New Heights did appear to have a personal problem with the U.S. Constitution. But this case was like a freak storm that signals a deep shift in the global climate. The spectacle of the moment should not distract us from the underlying trend.

FaithWorld

Before you shoot me, fellow American Muslims, let’s make one thing clear.  No matter how the same sex debate turns out, nobody is going to be requiring you to deem same sex marriages as Islamically legitimate.  Within the broad spectrum of religious discourse, some may urge you to do that (Irshad Manji), some may view such a notion as ridiculous, abhorrent or both (the vast majority of traditionalist clerics, as any liberal Muslim would concede), but I will not address any of that here.  I am not a cleric, I make no religious argument.  Instead, I maintain that you can be a traditionalist Muslim and support same sex marriage as being legal in America, even if Islamically unacceptable.  In fact, I think you should do it. 

HAH
 

Islamic Law In Our Times

Rediff article that links Deoband to Surya Namaskar fatwa

It is perfectly understandable if a religious institution is criticised for issuing frivolous or controversial fatwas, just like a post written on this blog sometime back, but it is unfair if you criticise someone by attributing decrees which they didn’t issue at all.

One of the most popular sites, Rediff.com surprisingly posted an article that surprisingly has not just factual error but also wrongly accuses Deoband for fatwas which they didn’t at all issue. Strangely, even after it was brought to their notice, they didn’t bother to correct it.

There was no quote. Of course, no effort to get version and the institution was wrongly accused. I noticed the report as I had written a post ‘Fatwa Factory…’ sometime back on this blog. This recent Rediff article had similar headline.

The article blamed Deoband for issuing fatwa against Surya Namaskar. The seminary never issued any such fatwa. The particular religious ‘opinion’ was issued by Darul Ifta Bhopal. The Rediff report that doesn’t carry writer’s name goes ahead to say that, ‘seminary has issued fatwa against Surya Namaskar….’.

It then falsely mentions the diktat against Veena Malik. Again, this was the call of All India Muslim Tehwar Committee.

They had termed that she was now ‘biradari-baahar’ [to be ex-communicated, huh! who is listening and who is bothered?], a sort of call that khap panchayats issue. Of course, condemn-able but why accuse Deoband.

Cleverly, the article says ‘Majlis-e-Shoora’ but doesn’t tell reader that this ‘Majlis’ was that of Tehwar Committee, not Deoband.

By any journalistic or ethical standards, this is unusual. If Rahul Gandhi makes a statement, how can simply attribute it to Nitin Gadkari and then accuse the latter again and again through similar other misrepresentations? This is not just shoddy reporting, it is unethical and gives bad name to media. 

The article further says that in defence the seminary says it’s opinion that is not binding. When the writer didn’t contact the seminary for version, they themselves wrote this line to support the article. Had they spoken to Ulema, they’d have been told that the above mentioned diktats were not issued by Deoband.

Rediff article that links the Veena Malik ‘diktat’ to Deoband

Deoband has issued several controversial fatwas in the past. If Rediff reporters made a slight effort, they could have made a good case against Deoband but they sullied journalism through such a false story. It is such news reports that create impression among citizens that journalists are irresponsible guys.

In which other profession, you can make such blunders. In print media also, you can lose job for such errors. Of course, it’s easy to make changes on the internet. Still, even after being informed in comment section by readers and through other media, they haven’t bothered to cross-check the facts or rectify mistakes in the last two weeks.

Even the most careless person would make such errors. Journalists can’t generally get away with such factual inaccuracies. Then, how could the site that grabs millions of eye balls act with such carelessness? They could have either done groundwork to mention the really controversial fatwas of Deoband or simply written on the trend of fatwas issued from the seminaries [and such so-called moral guardians].

Why they got so irresponsible? Any answers Rediff.com?

[My article that was critical of such fatwas in the past. Read it here]

Any post on this blog must not be reprinted or republished
on any other website or blog. If, at all, you are publishing
any excerpt or part of the article, please give proper credit
and link.

An Indian Muslim’s Blog: News, Views & Urdu Poetry Website

1. Firstly, not a single person among India’s nearly 200 million Muslims had issued any threat in case Salman Rushdie arrived here but a section of media portrayed it as if Muslims were hounding him and ready to teach him a lesson.

2. Just Deoband and one or two other groups had urged the government that he shouldn’t be allowed to enter India. This is a pure democratic right, a demand.

Forget fatwas, no organisation had issued any warning or hinted of violent protest. Even government didn’t say that it will stop him from coming here. A Muslim minister, Salman Khurshid, had gone ahead to say that it was Rushdie’s legal right and he was a PIO and couldn’t be stopped.

3. How much more responsible the community could be? But the blame is being put on Muslims and they are being termed as fundamentalists who are accused of harping over an issue even after decades.

Rushdie didn’t come claiming certain underworld threat. He later accepted that he had been misled. Now who misled him, it remains unclear. He blames government but doesn’t name any agency or person. Isn’t it his failure that he didn’t turn up. However, with the Congress-led UPA in power, the ‘appeasement’ theory has also been floated to defame Muslims.

4. After he didn’t come to Jaipur, self-styled flag-bearers of free speech began reading excerpts from the banned book as a mark of protest. Even after this provocative act, much to TV channels’ chagrin, no Muslim burnt any effigies or held any demonstration, which is also our democratic right. Just like free speech, these democratic rights should be protected as well.

5. If Jamat-e-Islami activist or any other worker said that he will oppose Rushdie, journalists with intellectual pretensions grill him asking ‘how you will oppose’. In his response that ‘it will peaceful opposition’, the  interviewer goes ahead to ask, ‘have you read the book’, ‘why you oppose it’. Of course, when you call Verses ‘Satanic’, we feel hurt, and if we simply say, ‘we’re hurt’, you want to say, ‘why you are hurt?’.

6. It was not courageous on part of Amitava Kumar, Kunzru and others to read the SV passages. If the writers had courage they should have stayed back and [possibly risked arrest]. That would have added to their reputation perhaps but they ran away. At least on this count one can recall Taslima Nasreen, who was threatened and attacked but still had the courage to stay in India for long.

Still, a section of pseudo-intellectuals have gone to absurd lengths to argue for freedom of expression. They are fighting a battle, which Rushdie backed out of. The fact is that everyone thought Muslim would protest or make an issue out of it but that didn’t happen.

7. It suits their perception–either news channels or websites that publish false stories. They all were let down, so they joined the fake intellectual Jehad and tried to create an issue. There were regular reports for days that Rushdie had threat.

Who had issued the threat? Of course, there was none. Little opposition perhaps but that too not on street. And do you want to take away our democratic rights that we can’t even say that ‘we oppose him’, almost a Nazi vision of liberty.

The fact remains that majority of this country remains moderate in terms of inter-religious issues. We won’t support if they had ever tried to draw Husain’s paintings again to express their solidarity with the late painter. We don’t support reading the excerpts now. But we don’t even create a scene after you read them out. This is our country, if we feel hurt, we will express it. That’s all.

8. Sorry, I can’t be liberal enough as per your wishes or your standards. In a foreign country you may burn your flag but this is not how we perceive freedom in India. I can’t have gods [or deities] pictures on shoe soles or verses called as Satanic. I am not that sort of liberal.

As the ongoing issue over an Indian couple’s children taken away by authorities in Norway because they fed them with their hands, suggests, there are different sets of standards–[cultural] as well as free speech]–in India and Europe.

Some of our self-styled ‘intellectual’ writers who still have inferiority complex fail to appreciate our diversity and freedom and get a bit too obsequious and servile when it comes to foreigners. For them Rushdie too is almost a foreigner. Thus they turn apologetic about the vast masses being ‘poor’, ‘less liberal’ et al.

9. We can’t be Europe overnight. If you feel as an urbanised upper middle class Indian, you have the right to look contemptuously towards the rest, this is also bigotry. Amitava Kumar, did you utter a word when journalist David Barsamian was evicted from India?

Yes, just months back Barsamian was deported. Where were you Mr Kunzru when Husain’s house was attacked and his galleries ransacked. Ruchir Joshi, whom I hadn’t heard of this ‘author’ till recently, and who is now defending free speech in studios, wasn’t seen when James Laine‘s book was banned by BJP-led NDA government. Later the ban was revoked.

10. Mercifully, Muslims don’t have any Bajrang Dal, VHP, Shiv Sena or even Ram Sene to go to a venue with ‘lathis’. I am sure, if a Muslims had even gone and raised a slogan during the course of festival, he would have been termed as a terrorist.

The writers–Amitava Kumar, Hari Kunzru and two others–Jeet Thayil and Ruchir Joshi,  who tried to suck up to Rushdie without any real threat to freedom of expression or censorship were simply playing to gallery at the fest. But it was no cause. Rushdie hadn’t arrived and they also didn’t dare to stay back.

11. Why these writers all these years never thought about a legal battle to get the ban on Satanic Verses upturned in India. They are liberals but the arm-chair liberals who would simply enjoy celebrity status just like film stars who can’t take to streets or fight for cause, and vanish if their is a slight chance that they might face discomforting situation.

12. Freedom of expression comes with enormous responsibility. In fact, every freedom. As a person tweeted, ‘You hurt a billion and you want freedom of expression but if any of those hurt by you air grievance, their freedom of expression is bigotry’.

Jaipur has over half-a-million Muslims. In the season of throwing shoes, none of them even held a demonstration or protest. Because the section that is pompous enough to consider themselves as liberal and the rest of Indians as ‘traditional’ or ‘non-progressives’, don’t know an iota about India or its culture.

The vast millions in India are not intellectual bigots like you. That’s why this multi-cultural nation has survived despite conflicts. Rushdie’s visit was a non-issue. As an Indian Muslim, I had no interest at all. But again it was turned into a ‘minority issue’.

France is secular and liberal to an extent that a Sikh can’t wear turban and Muslims can’t wear their skullcap. In Britain, it’s different. Scandinavian countries have their owns standards. The laws are markedly different in America. India can’t be France or Norway.

See examples of Muslim’s indifference and apathy to the issue on one hand, and on the other hand dirty journalism practiced by sections that tried to link it to UP elections. The words like ‘appeasement’ and ‘vote bank politics’ were used, even when Muslims remained silent.

Fatwa or No Fatwa, Deoband will be blamed every time

In India, even if a Hindu says ‘Ram’, Muslims would say Lord Rama or Ramachandra Ji as a mark of respect. Pick up any Urdu daily newspaper and you will find deities and religious heads of other faiths addressed respectfully. Similarly Hindus always use the term ‘Paigambar Mohammad’. This is our culture of mutual respect.

13. After false reporting on Deoband’s fatwa, Rediff again continued its unethical journalism. Read this interview with a Jamat-e-Islami leader.

They couldn’t get anything sensational from Saleem Engineer and hence began the interview with a introduction, ‘…is national secretary of the Jamaat-e-Islami….the organisation which is an offshoot of the…party whose  objective is to establish Islamic rule in Pakistan and enforce Shariah’.

14. How shrewd and how subtle! Rediff is not alone. Many TV channels and their loud anchors did the same for TRP, as it made news. Newspapers gave similar headlines. On one hand, Muslims didn’t protest, uttered no irresponsible word. On the other hand, they are still being branded as ‘fanatics’ and ‘fundamentalists’.

15. I think I have made myself clear. I oppose MF Husain’s nude painting and also the attack on galleries featuring his paintings or his house. I oppose Rushdie’s offensive writings and also condemn if someone threatens him. Indian Muslims have shown remarkable restraint in dealing with this controversy.

Despite the TV channels, ‘intellectuals’ and ‘liberals’ trying their best to make an issue out of it, the community remained largely silent and avoided taking to streets. I am a moderate Indian and I refuse to be judged by your fake standards of liberty or freedom.

Any post on this blog must not be reprinted or republished
on any other website or blog. If, at all, you are publishing
any excerpt or part of the article, please give proper credit
and link.

An Indian Muslim’s Blog: News, Views & Urdu Poetry Website

My previous post took on the question of same sex marriage using an approach I might describe as a form of intellectual defense/advocacy.  Let me, however, don my beloved Legal Realist hat and look at this from a more detached, academic perspective.

HAH

Islamic Law In Our Times

Shujaa’ Khawar

Shuja Khawar, who was probably the most distinct poetic voice in Urdu to have come up from Delhi in the post-independence era, bid final adieu to his admirers and poetry lovers.

A master of Dehlvi Urdu idiom and the famed ‘Taksaali zabaan’, he hadn’t penned poetry for the last 16 years due to a paralytic stroke that had rendered him bed-ridden. Then, for many years, he couldn’t recognise his own writings, let alone compose poetry.

No wonder TV channels and newspapers seemed oblivious to the extent of loss for literary world. But in recent years, Shuja had recovered to an extent and was attending cultural events. People were expecting that he would be penning poetry once again.

Sadly, the silence turned eternal.

ek uskaa saraapa hai ki bas meN nahiiN aataa
kyaa haalat ho gayii, mere andaaz-e-bayaaN kii

It’s not pure emotion but Shujauddin Sajid was worthy of being called the poet laureate of Delhi. This is not an exaggeration. Nusrat Zaheer in his editorial page column wrote an obituary titled ‘Miyaan, Dilli Khamosh Ho gayi…’, the words spoken to him by Farooq Argali at the graveyard.

Truly, it’s a huge loss for the Dehli’s culture as well as poetry.

raat usne dasht-e-jaaN ko gulistaaN kar diya
hamne bhii har usuul ko qurbaan kar diyaa

But the reality was that Shuja never compromised on his principles:

thoRaa sa badal jaaye to bas taaj ho aur taKht
is dil ka magar kyaa kareN, sunta nahiiN kambaKht

I remember Shuja Khawar’s recital in poetic meets in mid-80s that were shown on Doordarshan. And then his name Shujauddin Sajid, the Deputy Commission of Police (DCP), Delhi appearing in news papers. In later years he had dropped ‘Khawar’ and called himself just ‘Shujaa’.

Shuja reciting his couplets in early years.

Knowing his candidness and the temperament, people often wondered how he could work in police. Famed satirist late Sardar Dilip Singh had recounted a humorous piece as to how he wanted his friends to impress them with his friendship with a police officer.

Shuja quit the job in late 80s. Now we expected him to devote himself to literature. After all, here was a poet whose poetic calibre was acknowledged by literary giants and critics, like Firaq Gorakhpuri, Qurratul Ain Hyder & Zo Ansari, all least generous in their praise for others.

Apart from ghazals, he also wrote Nazms. Shuja was also known for use of ‘muhaavras’ in his couplets:

aab voh aai jo chehre par aduu ke baad-e-wasl
aur paani, voh jo merii aarzuoN par phiraa

The ‘Qalandar’ poet cared little about name or fame. It is not that he wasn’t aware of tricks of the trade. An immensely lovable person, Shuja remained firm on his beliefs and walked the path he chose in literature, without siding with any of the major groups.

haalat use dil kii na dikhaai, na bayaaN kii
Khair usne na kii baat, to hamne bhii kahaaN kii

hue mahruumiyoN ke jab ham aadii
to us zaalim ne chilman hi haTaa dii

Last year when I saw his photograph, I was stunned. He was a pale shadow of his past. It was due to his innate mental toughness he had managed to come a long way from the period when he couldn’t even understand his own words after the stroke.

poNhchaa huzur-e-shaah, har ek rang ka faqiir
poNhchaa nahiiN jo, thaa vahii ‘poNhchaa huaa’ faqiir

Shuja Khar (Third from right)

After years of illness and solitude, he was once again getting back to the centre stage of Urdu poetry.

Urdu Academy had organised a grand programme in his honour, ‘Ek Shaam Shuja Khawar ke Naam’. Eminent litterateurs termed a poet who took forward the tradition of Mir Taqi Mir, Ghalib, Zauq, Yagana Changezi in Delhi.

Speakers recalled how words and phrases appeared in his command. In the jam packed Aiwan-e-Ghalib academy hall, Shuja’s admirers’ presence and enthusiasm proved that he had lived all these years in their hearts.

maut ki azaadiyaaN bhi aisii kuchh dilkash na thiiN
phir bhii hamne zindagii kii qaid ko kaaTa bohat

The cardiac arrest proved fatal. Dehli ka baanka shayar chala gaya. Who is there to carry the Dehlvi poet’s legacy? Despite the fact that I loved his poetry, I couldn’t post his works except one ghazal. Now I intend to put up his ghazals selected couplets soon at my poetry site Best Ghazals.

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An Indian Muslim’s Blog: News, Views & Urdu Poetry Website

Crack cocaine, also commonly referred to as rocks, involves a crystallized form of the addictive drug. For a faster high, this substance is usually smoked through a pipe and has a range of short-term and long-term psychological and physical effects on functioning and personal life. Due to the addictive nature of this drug, the only effective means to achieve recovery is through quality crack rehabilitation.

The Victims

Statistics have indicated a rise in the popularity of this substance among adults and adolescents who have admitted to using the substance at least one time. The result of increased euphoric and feel good properties has resulted in many people becoming addicted after the first time it is ingested. There are many effective treatment programs in which users can be assisted to achieve a full recovery.

The Destruction

The substance has been shown to slowly destroy the lives of those who use it, piece by piece. The addiction to this illicit drug is exhibited through a range of symptoms. Should one suspect that a loved one is using and abusing the particular substance, it is best to contact a drug counselor or clinic that has the means and education regarding the recovery process.

The Dangers

The most dangerous addictive property of this substance is noted in a person’s increased tolerance for the drug. This means that a user will have to consume larger doses of the drug in order to achieve the same high each time. Symptoms include short-term effects of disorientation and psychological confusion with more long-term effects progressing to physical bodily damage and the destruction of personal life.

The Solution

Recovery can only begin once the abuser is able to enter into an effective rehabilitative center. Due to individual differences, there is no single center that will provide effective solutions as each person. This will require a specific program tailored to their needs. Among the quality aspects to look for when enrolling or considering a particular rehabilitation program, be sure to consider if the facility has a proven treatment program, educated, trained personnel and modern facilities.

The Cleansing

Upon the discontinuation of ingestion of this substance, the user will experience a range of symptoms which involve craving and depression. All individuals addicted to this drug will have to go through a process of detoxification in which sensations of withdrawal and craving can be managed. A range of symptoms during this process includes increased sleep and psychological disturbance, depression, anger and loss of energy.

The Program

The 12-step drug addiction detoxification program is considered one of the oldest traditional programs that has been offered to addicts. These rehabilitative techniques focus on personal accountability in taking responsibility for the choices made, which has led to the addiction. Its effectiveness is in methods to assist the abuser in recognizing he or she has an addiction and once this is acknowledged, the focus shifts to spiritual growth and family amendment.

Alcoholism is a serious illness that affects millions of people. Susceptibility to this disease is considered hereditary, as individuals are more likely to be afflicted if other family members have the illness. Many things can exacerbate the condition but in many cases, the onset is unprovoked. The alcohol addiction rehab aids people in their struggle with this disease. It helps them overcome alcohol addiction and helps them on their road to recovery.

Symptoms

There are symptoms that indicate when someone needs to enter a center for alcohol rehabilitation. An early indication of a drinking problem is a change in behavior. Someone who keeps drinking after the this behavior has caused problems in their life probably has an addiction. For example, if a pattern of drinking has caused someone to miss work or to loose their job yet they continue to drink, this is an indication that they are abusing alcohol. There are other behavioral indications as well such as neglecting daily activities like social events. Patients may also exhibit a lack of control when it comes to their drinking habits.

Increased Tolerance

Physical symptoms will manifest when there is dependence. Most notably is the increase in tolerance. Over time, higher and higher levels of alcohol need to be consumed in order to achieve the same level of intoxication. Another physical symptom is tremors. Patients may also experience auditory and visual hallucinations.

Detox

Before rehabilitation, most people have to go through a detox period. Depending on the severity of the dependence, detox may need to be done in a medical environment. When an individual’s body is addicted to a substance, whether it be alcohol or drugs, the sudden deprivation of that substance can cause withdrawal symptoms. Some of these symptoms can be severe and life threatening. Many rehabilitation centers help patients through their detox and help ease their transition into recovery.

Detox Symptoms

For some people, the fear of going through withdrawal keeps them from entering detox programs. Fortunately, there are many qualified centers that are intended to handle the detox process. They make the process as comfortable on the patients as they can. They make sure that they hydrate the patient and replenish the electrolytes. It is a common occurrence for people suffering with alcoholism to be dehydrated. Drugs such as barbiturates, ethanol in low does and benzodiazepines are commonly administered.

Methodology

The rehabilitation facilities offer various programs but there are some things that most facilities have in common. The staff usually consists of counselors and psychologists as well as other medical professionals. They closely monitor the patients to be sure that they are not in danger of relapsing and to insure that they get the best care.

Important Aspects

While in alcohol addiction detox, patients will follow a schedule of rest, exercise and therapy. Once the patient is medically stabilized, they can begin to address the behavioral problem. Patients will work with counselors and psychiatrists as well as with other patients to heal emotionally and mentally. They will also follow a recommended diet to insure that they receive the proper nutrition and stay well hydrated.

Applying for a U.S. passport is a big step in someone’s life. With the passport, a man or a woman can visit places outside of the country and be able to safely return home. Prepare all the documents that you will need to apply for book or even the card.

Process

Before starting the application process, it is important that individuals have all of their necessary documents prepared. Having all documentation in order will help speed the process up. By keeping orderly documents, the bureau will experience little or no errors in processing. This process is a little different if you’re trying to renew US online passport.

Agency

Proof of citizenship will be asked for when a person visits the application office. The evidence of United States citizenship includes a certified birth certificate, a previously issued passport, or a naturalization certificate. If these primary pieces of evidence are not available, secondary types of evidence can be used to prove one’s citizenship status.

Birth Documents

There are many different types of secondary evidence that a person can use to prove their citizenship status. Choosing the appropriate category that fits your needs for secondary evidence will make the application process easier for you. The five categories of secondary evidence are delayed birth certificates, early public records, birth affidavit, letter of no record or foreign birth documents.

Federal Forms

After the applicant has complied all of the necessary identification documents that will be asked of them, it is time to move on to the actual application. The United States passport application is also known as Form DS-11. There are two ways to complete Form DS-11, either on the government’s website, or by hand in the application office. Basic identification information will be asked on the form. The basic identification information includes name, contact information and a physical description of the applicant.

Passport Agent

Once the form DS-11, the application form, has been completed, it must be returned to the agency. Bring the proper identification with you when applying in person. The acceptable forms of identification are a state identification card or a valid driver’s license, a previously issued passport that has not suffered from any damage, a current military or governmental identification car, or a certificate of naturalization.

Fees

It is important to include all of the fees that you will need to pay with your application in order to prevent any delays in processing times. Beginning in 2011, an adult book with card costs one hundred sixty dollars. The hundred sixty dollars is created by combining the application fee of one hundred forty dollars with the execution fee that is twenty-five dollars.

Photos

Providing an efficient photo that meets all standard requirements is necessary to complete the application. The agency requires that the photo is printed in color on photo quality paper. The size of the applicant’s face in the photo should be at least an inch in size so that the person is easily identifiable. The entire photo should be two inches on each side so that it will fit in the book.