The response for fund collection for the proposed medical college for Muslim students has been tremendous, says Tamil Nadu Wakf Board Chairman Janab Kavikko Dr. S. Abdul Rahman.

He was addressing reporters here after chairing a consultation with members of the board about the project.

According to him proposal to start the college as a joint venture with Jamia Misbahul Huda Madarasa at Mayiladuthurai required funds to the tune of Rs. 160 crore. There were two slabs for donors to make donations, he said.

By donating Rs. 10 lakh one could become a general body member of the college governing council while one could become a lifetime trustee with a donation of Rs. 5 crore, he said.

So far 450 persons have made a donation of Rs. 10 lakh each, while there are 12 lifetime trustees, he added.

People living abroad have also expressed interest in making the hospital project a reality, he said.

“We are determined not to collect any donation from the students and if things worked out as expected there would not be any requirement for the poor students to make even the required 10 per cent fees stipulated by the government”, he noted.

Dr. Rahman said that it would take another three years to launch the medical college but a nursing college would start functioning from the next academic year. The Chairman said a dental and paramedical college and colleges for traditional medication such as unani, siddha, homeopathy and yoga would be started in a phased manner.

As part of the medical college we would also be starting a multi facility hospital at Mayiladuthurai to render free medication to people below the poverty line, he added.

He expressed confidence that the medical hospital project would provide direct employment to 5,000 people and indirect employment to an equal number.

Keeping in mind the need to educate girl children we would soon start around five colleges for Muslim women that includes two law colleges and an engineering college. He also said that steps are in full swing to establish a branch of the Aligarh Muslim University in Tamil Nadu.

Dr. Abdul Rahman said that encroached land worth about Rs. 300 crore belonging to the Board has been recovered from encroachers.

NEW DELHI: The order of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) granting minority educational institution status to Jamia Millia Islamia can be challenged only in the High Courts and the Supreme Court.

Section 12 F of the NCMEI Act bars all courts except the High Courts, acting under Article 226 and 227 (writ jurisdiction), and the Supreme Court from entertaining any suit, application or other proceedings in respect of any order of the NCMEI.

It can be challenged in the High Courts only under writ jurisdiction for violation of fundamental rights, equality of opportunities but not as an appeal. The Other Backward Classes (OBCs) can challenge it since declaration as minority institution would now exempt Jamia from giving reservations.

The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, who already have quotas, can also file writs fearing denial of reservations being availed of by them under Articles 15 (4) or 15 (5) of the Constitution.

An appeal can, however, be filed in Supreme Court both by affected persons, including the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes, as well as by any other affected party.

Also, the parties already before the Supreme Court in the petition challenging the minority status of Aligarh Muslim University can also apply for clubbing the matter with AMU as questions of law involved are the same — namely, the Supreme Court's orders in the Aziz Basha matter of the AMU that a university established by Parliament cannot be said to be established by the minorities.

Jamia was a deemed university prior to being established as a Central University through an Act of Parliament and the sponsoring society had agreed to the Central University status on the undertaking that it would be a secular institution when the Government turned down the request for minority status.

As a matter of fact, the Government recognises deemed universities as minority institutions — Jamia Hamdard, Allahabad Agricultural Institute now called Higginbotham Institute at Naini and Karunya Institute of Technology are recognised as minority institutions.

When AMU wanted to change its admission policy to reserve 50 per cent seats for Muslims, the Central Government gave a no objection certificate on the ground that AMU could do so by being a minority institution, but the Allahabad High Court struck it down.

AMU and the Union of India are before the Supreme Court now. Even though the Supreme Court stayed the High Court order, it also directed AMU not to proceed with the proposed change in its admission policy.

Azeez Basha versus Union of India, AMU and others was a five-judge decision of the Allahabad High Court delivered in 1968. To overcome the judgment, Parliament amended in 1981 the AMU Act to define the university to have been established by Muslims of India for the Muslims of India. When the no objection certificate issued to AMU in 2006 was challenged, the Allahabad High Court (both Single Judge and a Division Bench) ruled that the amendment to the AMU Act of 1978 was a colourable legislation and hence void.

By MARIAM NIHAL


Women mainly use shopping malls and cafés for recreation and entertainment purposes in the Kingdom.

While the recent trend in the Kingdom is to build new malls, language centers and Dawa schools and gyms, there is a greater demand from local women for public libraries, art centers, sport facilities and music schools.

Those cultural and recreational needs are served in other Arab countries like the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.

“Health is a very important life factor. When I lived in the States, every community had a health club and community center where kids could play or women could participate in art and cultural activities,” a P.E. teacher from Jeddah, who did not wish to be identified, told Arab News.

“We can develop more skills and enhance our talents. Arab girls need a platform to show who they really are. Only a few girls can afford high maintenance gyms, which are far more inaccessible than a health center for the community.”

There are scarce centers for children and women to learn painting, cooking, horse riding, music, or other such activities in the Kingdom.

Maintaining physical and mental fitness as well as cardiovascular health is dependent on an active lifestyle.

Inactivity has been linked to type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

“Men should think about their wives, sisters and children in general. How will you have gold medal winners if you do not have anyone to support and encourage new talent in the country? You never know what you are capable of unless you nurture talent,” a Jeddah university woman professor, who chose to remain anonymous, told Arab News.

According to the World Health Organization, the most important risk factors of non-communicable diseases in Arab countries include high blood pressure, high concentration of cholesterol in the blood, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, overweight or obesity, physical inactivity and tobacco use.

Five of these risks are closely related to improper diet and physical inactivity.

Aliyah Qureishi, 21, finds her passion for playing football is wasted.

“I have nowhere to play. Usually women are frowned upon or ridiculed if they want to play a sport traditionally played by men,” she said.

“But I love football and there should be a place for women to pursue our love for sports. Eventually, I make an excuse to go play football with my friends outside, like pretending to go swimming, but if my parents knew the truth they would start hyperventilating.”

Most young women restricted from such activities find a way to beat the odds and take bold risks.

Some women feel it is discrimination, while others blame the rules and norms of society for barricading their way to further accomplishments.

“I wanted to learn the guitar, so I started searching online. I finally found groups online and called up the private tutors to see if they could teach me because there are no music schools here,” a Saudi girl who chose to remain anonymous, told Arab News.

“Of course my mother thought it was ridiculous and my father told me I would be a shame to his family name if I tried to contact a man who could teach me an instrument. I was too scared to pursue my passion, but three years later I felt I had to find out if I was any good at it, so I took my chance and joined up with a group.”

She now learns the guitar with a group of Saudi college students.

“I love it. I wish my family could see this, and be proud. I have to lie that I am going to my girlfriend’s house every time I come for practice. If they find out, it’s over. But then Dalma Rushdi won a gold medal only because she was given a horse to ride.”

Dalma Rushdi H. Malhas was the first Saudi girl to compete at an Olympic event and won a bronze medal in equestrian at the Youth Games held in Singapore last year.

“I empathize with the young women here that have so much hidden talent. Women pioneers are like gold reserves, you need to extract them from the core,” a private male music instructor told Arab News.

“Unfortunately, every factor, be it cultural, traditional, or family related, seems to conspire against them.”

By Aurangzeb Naqshbandi


The political heat over the demand for extending reservation benefits to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims has gained momentum with the assembly elections coming up in five states. The Supreme Court hears the matter on February 24. The demand to scrap clause three of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950, which excludes Muslim and Christian Dalits from reservation has found many takers.

According to the order, only persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist religions are eligible to be included in the list of Scheduled Castes.

With an eye on the coming assembly polls, the ruling communist parties in Kerala and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu have raised the pitch over the issue.

The CPM recently organised a major convention at Kottayam, a major Christian centre in Kerala, to woo the Dalit Christians. Christians form 19% of the state's 31.8 million people while Dalit Christians are around 4%. Similarly in Tamil Nadu, the DMK has said it will take up their cause in Parliament.

DMK boss and chief minister M Karunanidhi has maintained that the demand for granting Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Christians  "is notonly just but also indisputable" and if necessary the party would even lead an agitation.

But the Congress, on its part, is treading very cautiously on the issue. A section has argued that the issue could trigger political backlash and cost dearly for the party.

Senior Congress leaders like Arjun Singh and Digvijaya Singh are strong votaries of the reservation for minorities. Digvijaya, who is party general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh, has maintained that reservation should be extended on the basis backwardness and not on religious grounds.

Digvijaya has set his sight on the 2012 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, considered crucial for the Congress to re-emerge as the single dominant force at the Centre, and his quota carrot to Muslims is part of the strategy to woo the community.

The minority vote in the recent past has shifted between the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party.

The matter remained inconclusive at the meeting of the cabinet committee on political affairs on Monday. (Bahujannews)

Maulana Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi, under attack for his his alleged endorsement of pro-Narendra Modi administration in Gujarat, will continue as vice-chancellor of Deoband Darul Uloom religious seminary till a three-member committee makes an enquiry into the controversy, according to Islamic seminary governing council sources.

Until then, Maulana Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani will act as the caretaker vice-chancellor of the religious seminary. If committee finds Vastanvi at fault, Nomani will automatically become the regular vice-chancellor.

The seminary students clearly belong to two groups. One section is articulate, aggressive and sore with incumbent Darul vice-chancellor Maulana Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi for his pro-Modi stand. Their resistance to Vastanvi holding onto the job as the VC became more pronounced on a day when a special court in Ahmedabad gave its verdict on the 2002 Godhra train-burning case.

The other lot is reluctant to talk. At best, they mutter an odd sentence in a muffled voice: "whatever happens, the seminary's environment should not be vitiated".

The latter forms Vastanvi's support base. There is a lurking fear among the powers that be, who otherwise seem to be convinced that Vastanvi's days as VC is numbered, about the silent lot's quiet determination to alter the script.

Earlier, pro-Vastanvi supporters had threatened to go on strike if the MBA cleric from Gujarat is shown the door.

Interestingly, Vastanvi's ardent supporter -- pro VC Maulana Abdul Khaliq Madrasi -- seems to have toned down his support.

"If I had earlier said Maulana Vastanvi is the best option for Darul Uloom that was right in its own way. But I will stand by, whatever the Shoora decides tomorrow," he said.

The attacks on churches in Karnataka in September 2008 and the others that subsequently occurred were “pre-planned” and “State-sponsored” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Government, according to a report by Michael F. Saldanha, retired judge of Karnataka High Court. Mr. Saldanha released it in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The report was the outcome of a public inquiry conducted at the instance of the People's Union for Civil Liberties and Transparency International India (TII), Karnataka Chapter.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Saldanha said that when Karnataka appointed Justice B.K. Somasekhara Commission to inquire into the attacks, Christian organisations had told Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa that his candidature “did not inspire confidence”.

“We, therefore, decided to have a people's inquiry which would be free, frank and unbiased,” Mr. Saldanha told a press conference. The incidents in Karnataka “are representative of the hidden agenda of the party in power, the BJP. Every one of the attacks and incidents were instigated and pre-planned. They were State-sponsored and not only supported by the State but were covered up by the State. The responsibility of this devolves on Home Minister V.S. Acharya and Mr. Yeddyurappa,” the findings conclude.

The report also indicts the State police force for “coercing” the perpetrators of violence and allegedly even guiding assault in some places. In one instance, “the police storm[ed] the church at Pemannur, obstruct[ed] and stopp[ed] the Mass, assault[ed] the celebrant priest, and standing on top of the altar, direct[ed] the assault,” the report alleges.

“As far as the saffron activists are concerned, the Bajrang Dal leader and the leader of the Sri Rama Sene have at all times boldly and openly admitted that it was their organisations which had undertaken all the attacks. The evidence clearly established that as far as Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts are concerned, the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] was involved,” the report states alleging “total collusion” between the BJP Government and these organisations.

Mr. Saldanha said that he visited 431 places and spoke to over a thousand witnesses, besides collecting material from journalists, and from press clippings and television footage.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias said the people of Karnataka had called for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation. He said the guilty must be brought to book and compensation to victims must be given at the earliest.

“It is time for us to stand up for a cleaner society. The credibility of the country and inquiry commissions is at stake. Mistakes have to be rectified,” he said. Christian NGOs condemned the Somasekhara report for being “biased” against Christians and for being “a sham to whitewash the crimes of the BJP Government and protect the Hindutva brigade.” They demanded expunging the “false allegations” on conversion and misuse of funds against Christian organisations.

“The Karnataka riots are part of a wider plan of radical Hindutva elements targeting the Christian community after the Muslim community. You have seen this in all the BJP-ruled States,” Joseph Dias of The Catholic Secular Forum said.