The Aligarh Muslim University’s Seerat Committee is organising a seminar on Empowerment of Women under the Prophet of Islam on 20 January 20. Students from various disciplines have been invited to write papers on various topics related to women in Islam and other religions.
Papers may however cover various topics, including Status of Women in pre-Islamic Arabia, Christianity, Hinduism and Judaism; Political, Educational and Economic Rights of Women in Islam; Women in Military Services, Social Services, Employment, Trade and Commerce and Judiciary; Ideal Mother, Daughter and Wife in Islam; Hijab and Progress in Islam; Western Feminism in Islam; Orientalist Approach to Women Empowerment in Islam and Non-Muslim Approach to Women Empowerment in Islam.
2 LAKH ASSAM VIOLENCE VICTIMS TAKE SHELTER IN RELIEF CAMPS
The situation in Assam has improved as Army, paramilitary forces and police intensify operation against the banned NDFB (S) (National Democratic Front of Bodoland – Sangbijit). In four districts of BTAD, police and paramilitary forces arrested 75 people for their alleged role in rioting, a report said on 28 December. After NDFB (S) militants carried out attack on four villages in Kokrajhar and Sonitpur district on 23 December, Adivasi villagers attacked several Bodo villages in both the districts. Later violence spread to Chirang and Udalguri district.
Villagers in all the five violence affected districts flocked to relief camps. Chief executive officer of Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) PK Tiwari said that till Sunday, administration has opened 136 relief camps in the violence hit districts. Out of these camps, 64 have mainly Bodo inmates and 72 have Adivasi inmates. Number of inmates belonging to Bodo and Adivasi Communities is 61,003 and 1,15,337 respectively.
SEX RATIO FALLS FURTHER IN RAJASTHAN
Rajasthan has shown a slight improvement in its infant and under-five mortality rates, but its sex ratio remains skewed, according to the Sample Registration System data for 2013. The child sex ratio has declined further to 874 from 882 girls per 1000 boys during 2012. The infant mortality rate (IMR) has come down to 47 deaths per 1,000 live births from 49 during 2012, and the under-five mortality rate has come down to 57 from 59.
The sex and child sex ratios are far below the national average. The sex ratio (the number of girls to every 1,000 boys) is at 893. It is better in rural areas, at 898, than in urban areas at 874. During 2012, the sex ratio was 900 in rural areas, and 868 in urban areas.
SAFFRON OUTFITS BURN COPIES OF TAMIL NOVEL, SEEK BAN
Nearly 50 people from right-wing outfits, headed by local BJP and RSS leaders, reportedly burnt copies of Tamil writer Perumal Murugan’s novel Mathorubagan, at Tiruchengode on 26 December. The protesters claimed that the book portrays Lord Shiva and women devotees in a bad light.
They also filed a police complaint, demanding a ban on the 190-page book and the arrest of the publisher and author. However, it was unclear why the book, published in 2010, triggered protests now, the report questioned. Murugan, who has already approached the Namakkal police following alleged threat calls from right-wing outfits, said he had no clue why the book was being targeted four years after being published.
PROTEST AGAINST ‘PK’ TURNS UGLY, THEATRES VANDALISED
Wielding batons and iron rods, nearly two dozen Bajrang Dal activists on 29 December reportedly vandalised theatres screening Aamir Khan blockbuster ‘PK’ in Ahmedabad for making “fun” of Hindu gods and godmen as protests were also reported from Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal.
Angry at the theatre owners ignoring the ‘diktat’ not to screen the movie that has raised the hackles of a plethora of Hindu organisations, volunteers of the outfit descended on City Gold Multiplex and Shiv theatre on Ashram Road, smashing glass panes at ticket windows to smithreens and tearing down posters. By the time police arrived, the raiders had vanished, the report added.
MOVE ON TIPU BIRTH ANNIVERSARY STIRS ROW
The Congress government’s move to celebrate the birth anniversary of the 18th century legendary king Tipu Sultan has stirred a controversy in Karnataka, with BJP alleging that it was an attempt by the ruling party to strengthen its vote bank, a report said on 25 December.
On 22 December, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the government has decided to celebrate “Tipu Jayanti” and the date would be decided shortly. But this has not gone down well with the BJP, with its senior leaders claiming that Tipu was a “tyrant” who committed forced conversions in Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts in Karnataka and the neighbouring Kerala.
‘OVER 20 HINDU FAMILIES WILLING TO EMBRACE ISLAM’
Amid the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)’s Ghar Wapsi programme where Muslims and Christians are being converted into Hindu religion across the country, Rajkot based senior Muslim leader Suleman Sanghar is reported to have claimed that over 20 Hindu families were in touch with them to embrace Islam and they have initiated a process in this regard. Suleman Sanghar claimed before the media persons that families who are likely to convert are from Rajkot and Junagadh who have shown their willingness to convert to Islam.
However, Sanghar refused to divulge details about the families who, according to him, shown willingness to him, for conversion to Islam. “We can’t divulge the information at this stage’’ he added.
COLLEGE CANCELS SCREENING OF FILM ON BABRI MASJID DEMOLITION
Caving in to alleged pressure of suspected right-wing groups, the ILS Law College in Pune has cancelled the screening of noted filmmaker Anand Patwardhan’s controversial 1992 documentary Ram ke Naam (‘In the name of Ram’) that documents the Babri Masjid demolition. The film was to be screened at the college auditorium at 5.00 p.m. on Saturday, to be followed by a question-and-answer session with Mr. Patwardhan, who had already bought his tickets for the event.
College authorities failed to give reasons, stating they were under “tremendous pressure from certain groups” and that the cancellation was “regrettable.”
MUSLIM SCHOLARS DROP OUT OF ORIENTAL MEET AFTER THREATS FROM ‘HINDUTVA’ GROUP
At least seven participants of the All India Oriental Conference (AIOC) to be held in Guwahati this month, have dropped out after receiving threatening letters. The letters, received only by Muslim scholars say, “If you will come at Gauwhati, Assam, our people will kill you” (sic). They are under the letter head of “Rashtriya Hindu Sena” with the address of Bhartiya Vichar Sadhna publications, “Sangh Karyalaya, Nagpore”. A letter received by Jawaharlal Nehru University Arabic professor Rizwanur Rehman by speed post was sent from Vadodara, Gujarat.
Following the threat, at least seven teachers of Aligarh Muslim University have dropped out. In a letter to the organisers, Islamic Studies scholar Abdul Majid Khan has written, “Assam has witnessed another wave of killings. It is desirable that Islamic Studies section conference is held either in Delhi or in Aligarh where participants can make their presentation.”
OUTRAGE OVER MOCK ‘MUSLIM’ TERROR DRILLS
There has been outrage in India after police in Gujarat conducted mock security drills using fake “militants” dressed as Muslims. According to BBC news, a video of a drill in Surat district showed police restraining men wearing long tunics and white skullcaps. Another video shot in the Narmada district had the “militants” shouting “Islam Zindabad (Long live Islam)”. Muslim leaders have called the videos “atrocious and highly condemnable”.
Critics say the videos stereotype Muslims, who make up nearly 14% of the country’s 1.2 billion population. After the videos were shown on Indian TV channels, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel admitted that the exercise was “a mistake”. Police initially tried to brush off the criticism, saying the skullcaps were used “to give them a different look”, but they later apologised saying it was an “avoidable situation”.