Dear Friends
The demise of Dr. Asghar Ali Enginner has been an sad loss to human rights movement, scholarship of Islam, Bohra reforms and Minority rights. Working very closely with him in the area of communal harmony, minority rights, I did learn a lot from him and can feel the great void in the area of our work. Lets try to collectively pursue the concerns which were lose to his heart.
Am circulating one of my articles which I wrote on his life and work.
Best wishes
Ram Puniyani
Uniting the Nation:
Asghar Ali Engineer’s Struggle for Preservation of Plural Ethos
Ram Puniyani
The events of last over two decades have shown us, more than before that the efforts of dividing the nation by communal forces have been a major obstacle to social peace and process of development. In India while the communal violence began with the Jabalpur riot of 1961, it is from last couple of decades especially from 1980s that the divisive politics has tried to drive a wedge between different communities along religious lines. The regret is that it is only few social workers and scholars who took this issue in all its seriousness and Asghar Ali Engineer can be counted amongst those few. He also spent major part of his social efforts to fight against the ideology and machinations which led to communal violence and the victimization of minorities, time and over again, year after year.
Engineer was a student when Jabalpore riots took place. It clearly left a deep mark on him. The imprint of this tragedy got reflected in his social engagement with the issues related to communal violence and communal politics all through. His talks and articles reflect about the impact of Jabalpur violence, its impact on nation and its influence on the conscience keeper of the nation, Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru. Engineer’s work on the issue of communal violence, communal ideology and communalization of society spans on a vast canvass and will easily fill volumes.
His work, to be referred below, shows that he took a serious interest in understanding the dynamics of communal violence, he must have spent days in and days out, investigating the communal riots, their aftermath and their impact on the social and political affairs. He can easily be credited with being the major scholar-activist who pioneered this area of investigation. He spent enormous energy to investigate and analyze the communal violence in India. He can also be regarded as the foremost scholar-activist who not only commented on the issues related to communalism, but also gave his forthright opinion on the range of those, against the heavy odds. He has been criticized by the communalists of both the religions for his opposition to the politics of violence in the name of religion.
This article takes an overview of his work in the area of communal violence investigation and his contribution to campaigns for promotion of secular values. It is based on understanding his work from the vantage point of a close working relationship with him as a friend and associate. I have also tried to take the overview of his massive contribution from the point of someone who not only witnessed his work from close quarters, with awe admiration and some criticism, but also tried to learn from him to give direction to my own work.
Communal Violence
The communal violence of Jablapur (1961) shook Engineer very deeply, the very concept of violence in the name of religions was anathema to him as he was steeped in the spirituality of Islam right from his childhood. He was taught that Islam does not preach violence, and no religion teaches violence, so why this violence in the name of religion. This is the point when he decided to devote his life to promote communal harmony. It was an event which was to shape the course of life and work. He not only intervened after the events of communal violence to douse the fire of the violence but made it a central part of his initial life as an activist to investigate the acts of violence in depth. Starting from Biharsharif riots to Gujarat carnage, he spent time in unraveling the truth of the violence mostly by field studies. His reports on these events are a landmark in the area of riot investigation, in understanding the underlying machinations of this phenomenon. Biharsharif was a stronghold of CPI due to its following amongst the Bidi workers. Dr Engineer could unravel that RSS in order to spread it hold in the area, used the dispute between Yadavs and Muslims over the land for cemetery, to instigate the violence (1981).
Godhra witnessed riots on and off during 1980-81. Engineer investigated these riots as a part of a team. The conflict here was mainly between Sindhis and Ghanchi Muslims. While Sindhi immigrants were looked down by other Hindus, for various reasons but those Hindu groups supported them against Muslims. The material reasons of poverty of Ghanchi Muslims and growing demands of Sindhis for facilities was the root cause of the trouble which assumed religious color. The report pointed out that rumors played a lot of role in this violence.
Engineer also studied the Ahmedabad violence of 1982. Extensive field investigation was done for this. In this case the poor Muslim locality of Kalupr and Daryaganj face the brunt of the violence. An incident over kite flying turned into stone throwing and violence. Just prior to this VHP had started its work in these areas and prepared the ground for the skirmishes. VHP virulently talked against the conversions of Harijans to Islam. The communal forces resorted to heavy propaganda, especially through distribution of leaflets in the area. These leaflets used a communal version of history, demonization of Muslim kings, and emphasis on singing Vande matram, and opposing those who kill cow. Some people drew the attention of Gujarat government to this virulent propaganda, but there was no response to those appeals.
Pune and Sholapur were in the grip of violence in 1981-82. These were precipitated in the aftermath of Ahmedabad violence and VHP as usual had been at the forefront of spreading the communal venom. It was a period when VHP had launched a Jan Jagaran (People’s Awakening) campaign all over India. This campaign was based on demonization of Muslims as foreigners, beef eaters, etc. This was also a riot which took place in the aftermath of Meenakshipuram conversion of dalits to Islam in 1981. Dr. Engineer makes a very pertinent point while relating the communal violence to the core issue of atrocities on dalits. He points out, “VHP is raising the hue and cry of conversions of Harijans in Meenakshipuram so that people do not pay attention to the screams of dalits burning in the pyre of discrimination.”
(Communal Riots in Post Independence India, P 265)
The aggressive campaign of VHP intimidated the Muslims. VHP took out a procession with portraits of Golwalkar and Manusmiriti, along with those of Gandhi and Ambedkar. The procession tore down the hoardings with Muslim names, including the one of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and shouted anti Muslim slogans. The procession changed its permitted route and entered Muslim locality, attacked Muslim hotels and shops were stoned.
In Sholapur also situation was similar. Here they propagated the myth of rising Muslim population to provoke the people. Here also trouble began with VHP procession on 15th Feb. 1982. The procession when it came near Punjab Talim Mosque, it started giving anti Muslim provocative slogans. There was attack on small shops owned by Muslims after which Muslims were attacked.
Meerut riots have also been a big sore on our polity. Meerut a city with great syncretic traditions also suffered the violence. Here the main goal was to co-opt the dalits, to give them liquor etc and to use them for violence against Muslims. Here the riot had more political reasons than economic ones. The riot was instigated on the issue of some *piau* (where one gets water to drink). One Muslim advocate and another trust were involved. Tension mounted in April 1982 and the provocative propaganda was stepped up. Biased attitude of police and communal slant of newspapers added to fuel to the fire. Similarly Vadodara Hyderabad and Assam riots were also studied by him.
His major observations have been that a small incident is taken advantage of by communal forces, the rumors add havoc to the situation and communalized state apparatus, police in particular, plays a partisan role, worsening the plight of minorities.
Apart form these riots of Mumbai 1992-93 (Report of EKTA Samiti, 1993) Gujarat carnage has also been studied by him (Sowing Hate and Reaping Violence, CSSS 2003). The studies by him have been used as a base by many a scholars to make interpretations and conclusions about the phenomenon of communal violence. He does interpret every riot on its ground and the specificities of the particular violence are well reflected in his studies and reports. Another aspect which emerges from his studies and reports is that gradually the intensity of communal violence is worsening, and it did peak in Gujarat violence. He has vividly presented the failure and complicity of police machinery in this violence. It seems that the deeper process of communalization has been going up in last three decades. And now even the other minority Christians have also been brought under the chopping block of communal forces.
He also draws our attention to the fact that these episodes are not sporadic or spontaneous. There is a deeper motive behind these. There is a good deal of planning in such episodes. His other studies-reports show that popular perceptions about minorities lay the base for violence, the propagation of myths and biases against Muslims and Christians make the job of the communal group easier. What is undeniable is that communal forces take advantage of every conceivable opportunity to strengthen them, first by instigating the violence, then perpetuating it and in the process they increase their political power.
Apart from his own book-reports on the violence he has edited several volumes on the issue Communal Violence in Post Independence India, Communal Violence after Independence, Bhivandi Riots, and Communalism and Communal
violence to name the few. He continues to chronicle the communal riots on regular basis and these are published as Issues in Secular Perspective, the January issue of this periodical carries his compilation and analysis of Communal Riots of the year past. ( Also posted on CSSS-ISLA. COM)
Communalism-Secularism
Activist’s scholars in India have faced a challenging task of understanding, defining and intervening in the situations related to communal violence. How does one understand the phenomenon of communalism in Indian society? Why India is plagued with this problem? These must have been the issues dogging his mind when he began his parallel study of Indian history and analysis of contemporary issues.
While unraveling the Indian history, the communal interpretation of which is major component of communalization of social thinking, he focused on overcoming the communal interpretation of history and presented the view of looking as history of kings as battles for power and wealth. He understands lives of people as an ongoing journey of interaction, some frictions and major synthesizing tendencies resulting in syncretic traditions. His major book on this, Communalism in India (Vikas, 1995) gives a good reflection of his thinking on the issue. He tried to evolve his workshops with different sections of society on these lines. Later he came out with many articles and books on this issue. (List appended)
In his work the medieval history is presented not as a battle between Hindu and Muslim kings but as battles between kings for power and wealth. He draws heavily from original sources and from the works of national Historians. The issue of temple destructions, Jijia, policies of Muslim kings, spread of Islam and other aspect of social life during that period gives a good reflection of those times and is an effective tool in breaking the myths and misconceptions in peoples mind about it. The traditions of Sufis, Bhakti saints and their emphasis on values of love and amity is brought out effectively. The mixed traditions of society do convey that Hindus and Muslims were good companions and religion was not the cause of discord, the social interests were, and sometime surely these interests did come in the garb of religion. But communalism as a political phenomenon was introduced here after the coming of British rule.
He takes up the vexed issue of role of Muslim leadership in freedom movement and the role of communalists, Muslims and Hindus both in aggravating the communal violence even in pre-independence India. He handles the issue of partition of the country very delicately to focus that the main responsibility of partition lies on the head of British, while Congress leadership and Jinnah’s obstinate nature added to the issue. He seems to agree more with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad on this point that partition could have been prevented had Maulana’s suggestion of sticking to Cripps Mission proposals been accepted.
As a part of dispelling myths about Muslim minorities he has written on the ‘Role of Muslims in Freedom struggle’. Fascinated by the approach of Gandhi in politically uniting different communities and emphasizing on non-violence and peace he has also compiled volume on Gandhi and communal harmony. His fascination for Gandhian approach to communal problems is seen in his work all through. His sense of Gender justice is very strong and he has shown how Islam gives equality to women, and highlights how women are the worst victims of communal violence. The list of his contributions and web site gives and ample insight into his concerns and how he has handled them in a humane manner. His regular publication, Secular Perspective has a good circulation and is reproduced in many a websites and newspapers across the globe.
Secular Intervention:
It is difficult to decide as to which aspect of Engineer’s work is more important than other. There is a deeper integration in different facets of the work and one can see the deeper connection between different facets of his work.
His intervention in social issues began with his concern for communal harmony. His urge to study and understand the communal problem began with the tragedy of Jabalpur violence, later his study led him to intervene and undertake the campaigns and awareness work to promote communal harmony work. In Mumbai from late sixties he brought together like minded friends in to groups, Awaz-e-Biradaran. This group started talking about communal problem and raising the awareness about need for harmony through taks in schools and colleges. As Engineer had deep interest in Urdu literature also, he did come in contact with prominent writers who also got involved in helping in the harmony work. With outbreak of Bhivandi riots, 1970, he camped in Bhivandi, along with Balraj Sahni the renowned actor, for two
weeks, going to villages and talking to the victims and helping them. His group also involved prominent writers to issue the message of peace through All India Radio.
In Mumbai he also became part of Indo Pak friendship movement. At the same time he came in contact with the Sampradayikta Virodhi Committee (Committee against Communalism) in which doyens like Subhadra Joshi and D.R. Goyal were associated and Engineer started contributing to their work.
Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
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ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
The fact that Asghar Ali is no more is only beginning to sink in, and it will be months even years before we would fully grasp the extent of his contribution to the Bohra reform movement, to the scholarship and study of Islam and to the cause of social justice. He was one of those unusual people who actually practiced what he believed. Religion for him was not a passive faith confined to mere rituals. It was source of inspiration for him, and he took the Islamic ideals of justice and human dignity to heart and spent his whole life realising them within his own community to begin with and then the country and the world.
He was a man of action, and led a hectic life till the very end until he collapsed and was hospitalised in February. Friends and family had been advising him to slow down but he was single-minded about the things he had to do and the commitments he had to fulfil. Over the years he seemed to have neglected his health. I had seen him popping a fistful of medication at a time. When questioned he would exclaim, "what to do, one cannot live without these." In the past two months of his life he was heavily medicated to fight recurring infections triggered by his long battle with diabetes. He had completely lost his appetite and would hardly eat anything. In the end, the man who always upheld the primacy of spirit was done in by matter.
If you did not know him you would be hard pressed to guess that he is a renowned personality. He made light of his celebrity, and not just out of false modesty. He was truly humble and down-to-earth. Easy to approach and talk to, he was always gentle in his demeanour and always maintained his cool even in the face of hostility which he faced constantly. I've seen him in heated exchanges many a time but never saw him lose his temper no matter how provocative the question or how aggressive the questioner. Being an unconventional man who disturbed sacred cows he naturally had many detractors - among Bohra clergy and their blind followers of course but also among reformists, not to speak of the orthodox ulema, the Hindutva lobby and conservative elements everywhere. Much has been written and spoken against him, but as far as I know he never wrote or spoke an ill-word against anyone. He always concerned himself with issues and substance, the person and personality of his "enemies" did not interest him much.
In the context of the reform movement, he gave it clarity and focus and helped shape its agenda, His leadership will be sorely missed and I can get a sense that certain sections among reformists are feeling disheartened. The question on their mind is what next? What is the future of the reform movement? I know what Ashgar Ali would have said, that the values we stand for, the principles we are fighting for are not dead. The tyranny of the clergy remains and so does the usurpation of our faith and finances. Therefore the goal and direction of our struggle also remain the same. Our convictions remain the same. The fight will go on, perhaps with renewed vigour now that we can't afford to be complacent. Asghar Ali the person is gone but his ideals and his exemplary life should continue to inspire us. He too would have had it no other way.
Rest in Peace Asghar Ali Saheb. May Allah find the choicest place in jannah for you.
He was a man of action, and led a hectic life till the very end until he collapsed and was hospitalised in February. Friends and family had been advising him to slow down but he was single-minded about the things he had to do and the commitments he had to fulfil. Over the years he seemed to have neglected his health. I had seen him popping a fistful of medication at a time. When questioned he would exclaim, "what to do, one cannot live without these." In the past two months of his life he was heavily medicated to fight recurring infections triggered by his long battle with diabetes. He had completely lost his appetite and would hardly eat anything. In the end, the man who always upheld the primacy of spirit was done in by matter.
If you did not know him you would be hard pressed to guess that he is a renowned personality. He made light of his celebrity, and not just out of false modesty. He was truly humble and down-to-earth. Easy to approach and talk to, he was always gentle in his demeanour and always maintained his cool even in the face of hostility which he faced constantly. I've seen him in heated exchanges many a time but never saw him lose his temper no matter how provocative the question or how aggressive the questioner. Being an unconventional man who disturbed sacred cows he naturally had many detractors - among Bohra clergy and their blind followers of course but also among reformists, not to speak of the orthodox ulema, the Hindutva lobby and conservative elements everywhere. Much has been written and spoken against him, but as far as I know he never wrote or spoke an ill-word against anyone. He always concerned himself with issues and substance, the person and personality of his "enemies" did not interest him much.
In the context of the reform movement, he gave it clarity and focus and helped shape its agenda, His leadership will be sorely missed and I can get a sense that certain sections among reformists are feeling disheartened. The question on their mind is what next? What is the future of the reform movement? I know what Ashgar Ali would have said, that the values we stand for, the principles we are fighting for are not dead. The tyranny of the clergy remains and so does the usurpation of our faith and finances. Therefore the goal and direction of our struggle also remain the same. Our convictions remain the same. The fight will go on, perhaps with renewed vigour now that we can't afford to be complacent. Asghar Ali the person is gone but his ideals and his exemplary life should continue to inspire us. He too would have had it no other way.
Rest in Peace Asghar Ali Saheb. May Allah find the choicest place in jannah for you.
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reluctantreligist
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:02 am
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
The huge inspiration of all the pdb"s has passed away.may his soul rest in peace. i have not seen a braver man.
i salute you.
i salute you.
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ
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ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
The Reformist As Pacifist: Asghar Ali Engineer’s Islam
Let not the fact that they buried him in the Sunni graveyard, where his Leftist friends are interred, mislead anyone into believing that Asghar Ali Engineer was a Communist. It was a pragmatic wish upon which the decision was taken. He died on May 14. The Dawoodi Bohra community to which he belonged would not have accepted his last remains, much as they did not acknowledge him in life. He was excommunicated. However, he was much more than a nemesis of the Syedna, the spiritual head of the community.
Engineer did not become as much of a name as he deserved to be simply because he was not a prototype moderate Muslim. The tag of “Islamic scholar” sat lightly on him. He was a believer who questioned many of the belief’s practices; a secularist who prayed regularly; a rationalist who did not lose touch with his emotions; an outcaste who did not suffer from the arrogance of an outsider, although he had every reason to. For speaking out against the stranglehold of the priesthood within his sect, he was abused, beaten up, his house and office were broken into and destroyed. Every utterance by him was used against him.
How would a person in this position feel? Following is a collation of excerpts from some of my interviews with him:
FV: What does a lonely hunter contribute to society?
AE: “History is full of instances of people who challenged the mighty forces of evil and they were not only fighting a lonely battle but were left alone to die. If somebody asked me about achievement I would have to talk qualitatively because my forces have depleted. So what? People who were swearing by my values finally succumbed. I have been ex-communicated.”
FV: What does that mean?
AE: “You are declared a non-Bohra, you are not allowed to meet your parents, your children, your marriage gets dissolved, you cannot meet your friends, relatives, you cannot take part in any community activity, or enter any holy shrine, I lose all those rights. But my family has stood by me”
FV: But technically your marriage is invalid, your children illegitimate?
AE: “Yes.”
FV: Yet you believe in god?
AE: “Yes, because atheists blame religion when priests do wrong. Anything can be misused, whether it is nuclear power or a matchstick. So, how can I blame religion? Patriotism too can be misused, by misinforming others and eliminating people, so do we start hating the country? Religion helps you relate with the universe. Buddha was indifferent to the concept of god yet he gave us values.”
FV: When you were fighting the dogmas were you aware of the consequences?
AE: “Not to the extent that it could lead to such consequences. I was vaguely aware that I was going against the grain. I thought I would get people to respond because I was fighting for the truth, but people don’t respond just because you are fighting for the truth. They take their interests into account. I did not know I would suffer so much. But then I did not care.”
FV: What was the real suffering…being beaten up?
AE: “Not only that. You can bear such attacks because physical wounds heal, but those on the soul are difficult to heal. Weapons are less harmful than words. The psychological torture that I suffer is terrible. The kind of loose talk among the orthodox that I have sold myself, that I am an agent, that I am trying to destroy the community, I am an enemy of religion and the way some of my closest friends and relatives turned their faces away, that is more hurting.”
FV: Then did you not want to question yourself when those you loved moved away, did you not wonder whether your truth was what you thought it to be?
AE: “Self-examination goes on. I would not have continued had I not been convinced; it wasn’t just my ego.”
FV: What role does individualism play when it gives an identity but can take away from commitment to society?
AE: “I am not an individualist in the Western sense. Collectivism can become oppressive when it tries to dictate; the rights of the two should not clash. The individual cannot exist on his/her own and the collectivism should respect freedom of conscience, that is why the fight with the Bohra community. I do not deny its importance. My struggle is about the freedom of thought.”
FV: You talk about Islam in a modernist light. How valid is it to tamper with a whole body of work that has come through generations?
AE: “I am not taking away the historical legacy, but it should not become a burden. In a context it served a purpose at one time but times change and we should change and grow, and yet be proud of our legacy.”
FV: If you want religion to be dynamic you have to rationalise it. That can become dangerous.
AE: “What is religion? I want to remove the chaff from the grain. For me it is not what it is for the common people. If you take away certain social customs, they think you have taken away religion. For me it means purifying it. For example, women’s position includes so many pre-Islamic customs that have become an integral part of the Shariat. I am fighting that. Triple talaq is not mentioned in the Quran. Of course, there is a controversy; some maintain that the Prophet approved of it. Even if he did, maybe he had social constraints.”
FV: What about jihad?
AE: “Jihad is misused by fundamentalists. The Quranic meaning is not meant for war at all, in the sense of killing. Jihad is nothing but making efforts to realise goodness in life.”
FV: Who, then, is a kafir?
AE: “It is not one who believes in this form or that. Real ‘imaan’ is faith in humanity, so those who deny goodness are kafirs.”
FV: Islam has this macho image. I suspect it is because there is no idol worship. Without something tangible to submit to, can the gun not become a potent idol for some?
AE: “I would not agree with you at all. Those who take to guns could do so due to deprivation, suppression, or historical legacy. The Afghans have lived through violence for centuries, by the Mughals, the Russians, their own people, so they have always had to fight for freedom…we cannot take away the context. But they legitimised it by using jihad, a religious sanction, so they could be seen as mujahids, fighting for Allah. And you cannot say there is nothing concrete. Muslims going to mausoleums have created a concrete concept. An abstract god may be difficult so they found alternatives. My personal belief is we should not bow to any object. But Islam was aware of this human weakness and fulfilled that need through Haj to kiss a stone. A stone is a stone but the vacuum was filled and it became the holiest object. I have performed Haj and seen the devotion of people braving stampedes only to kiss that stone.”
FV: Then why is there a mental barrier against others practising idol worship?
AE: “It is not as much religious as political and cultural. That is because they have been taught. Quran says do not abuse others’ gods, they will abuse Allah. But most people do not believe in this…they feel their way is the only right one. This is to maintain religious hegemony.”
FV: But when maulvis were invited to perform ‘namaaz’ at a Ganpati pandal, some people said the place was desecrated.
AE: “That is narrow-minded people; you can pray where you want. You do not worship that idol there. Even here there are differences of opinion. The Sufi saint Mazhar Jaan Jana of 18th century Delhi believed that the Quran condemns bowing before deities because in pre-Islamic idol worship stones were considered god. But Hindus pray to god through that idol, which is a reflection of god. In Vedas god is nirguna and nirankara, that is, he has no attributes and no shape, that is the real belief of Hindus. As Muslims visit graves, so Hindus worship idols…”
FV: I don’t agree with that Sufi saint. Ganesha and Lakshmi and the rest do represent something.
AE: “We are talking about beliefs, not how people do it.”
FV: How people do it is what religion becomes. Culturally, what is the role of the minorities in a majority state where they have to retain their identity and yet be part of the mainstream?
AE: “This demand to merge in the mainstream is fascistic. Who will define what the mainstream is? Will the RSS chief define it or the people of India? If it is left to the people then all are part of the mainstream. To protect one’s identity is a Constitutional right.”
FV: Then why do Muslims form ghettoes – is it just insecurity?
AE: “If the communal riots had not taken place there would not be this ghetto feeling.”
FV: But Bhendi Bazaar and Chandni Chowk have always existed.
AE: “That is true, but it was not exclusivist with Muslims running away from Hindu areas, Hindus running away from Muslim areas. So Bhendi Bazaar is only a community living in one area. It is different from refusing to open out to others, which is real ghettoism. At the level of feeling, it did not exist before the riots.”
FV: Could it make them less assertive, maybe even stop believing in themselves as important elements of society?
AE: “Potency does not mean being unnecessarily aggressive; one has to be wise. I believe the minorities need to have a strategy of survival because needless aggression when you cannot change the situation does not help. Wisdom is more important than saving some cultural symbol.”
FV: Would that qualify then as some sort of intellectual slavery?
AE: “No, I am clear that the demolition was a violation of law and of a religious community. But if I cannot save it physically, it does not mean I have intellectually surrendered. We can assert that it was a condemnable act, but cannot come out on the roads and throw stones.”
FV: How can we expect one community to be wise in the face of an emotional onslaught from the other side?
AE: “It is very difficult. But somebody has to be restrained, that is also important. There should be someone to warn them of the perils of their behaviour. On Dec 7, 1993, it became a leaderless mob, no leader to provoke or restrain them…so the young people took to the streets, and had to suffer.”
FV: Have there been attempts to co-opt you by other religious forces?
AE: “Many people asked me to convert. I said my religious convictions remain. I am fighting the wrongs within my own community. And if I decide to convert I will lose the right to fight.”
On one of my visits to his house, his wife had seen me to the door. She said, “It is not easy,” referring to the isolation from the community. That one sentence uttered with a fading smile conveyed all the hidden battle scars of a man who fought silently.
http://www.countercurrents.org/versey150513.htm
Let not the fact that they buried him in the Sunni graveyard, where his Leftist friends are interred, mislead anyone into believing that Asghar Ali Engineer was a Communist. It was a pragmatic wish upon which the decision was taken. He died on May 14. The Dawoodi Bohra community to which he belonged would not have accepted his last remains, much as they did not acknowledge him in life. He was excommunicated. However, he was much more than a nemesis of the Syedna, the spiritual head of the community.
Engineer did not become as much of a name as he deserved to be simply because he was not a prototype moderate Muslim. The tag of “Islamic scholar” sat lightly on him. He was a believer who questioned many of the belief’s practices; a secularist who prayed regularly; a rationalist who did not lose touch with his emotions; an outcaste who did not suffer from the arrogance of an outsider, although he had every reason to. For speaking out against the stranglehold of the priesthood within his sect, he was abused, beaten up, his house and office were broken into and destroyed. Every utterance by him was used against him.
How would a person in this position feel? Following is a collation of excerpts from some of my interviews with him:
FV: What does a lonely hunter contribute to society?
AE: “History is full of instances of people who challenged the mighty forces of evil and they were not only fighting a lonely battle but were left alone to die. If somebody asked me about achievement I would have to talk qualitatively because my forces have depleted. So what? People who were swearing by my values finally succumbed. I have been ex-communicated.”
FV: What does that mean?
AE: “You are declared a non-Bohra, you are not allowed to meet your parents, your children, your marriage gets dissolved, you cannot meet your friends, relatives, you cannot take part in any community activity, or enter any holy shrine, I lose all those rights. But my family has stood by me”
FV: But technically your marriage is invalid, your children illegitimate?
AE: “Yes.”
FV: Yet you believe in god?
AE: “Yes, because atheists blame religion when priests do wrong. Anything can be misused, whether it is nuclear power or a matchstick. So, how can I blame religion? Patriotism too can be misused, by misinforming others and eliminating people, so do we start hating the country? Religion helps you relate with the universe. Buddha was indifferent to the concept of god yet he gave us values.”
FV: When you were fighting the dogmas were you aware of the consequences?
AE: “Not to the extent that it could lead to such consequences. I was vaguely aware that I was going against the grain. I thought I would get people to respond because I was fighting for the truth, but people don’t respond just because you are fighting for the truth. They take their interests into account. I did not know I would suffer so much. But then I did not care.”
FV: What was the real suffering…being beaten up?
AE: “Not only that. You can bear such attacks because physical wounds heal, but those on the soul are difficult to heal. Weapons are less harmful than words. The psychological torture that I suffer is terrible. The kind of loose talk among the orthodox that I have sold myself, that I am an agent, that I am trying to destroy the community, I am an enemy of religion and the way some of my closest friends and relatives turned their faces away, that is more hurting.”
FV: Then did you not want to question yourself when those you loved moved away, did you not wonder whether your truth was what you thought it to be?
AE: “Self-examination goes on. I would not have continued had I not been convinced; it wasn’t just my ego.”
FV: What role does individualism play when it gives an identity but can take away from commitment to society?
AE: “I am not an individualist in the Western sense. Collectivism can become oppressive when it tries to dictate; the rights of the two should not clash. The individual cannot exist on his/her own and the collectivism should respect freedom of conscience, that is why the fight with the Bohra community. I do not deny its importance. My struggle is about the freedom of thought.”
FV: You talk about Islam in a modernist light. How valid is it to tamper with a whole body of work that has come through generations?
AE: “I am not taking away the historical legacy, but it should not become a burden. In a context it served a purpose at one time but times change and we should change and grow, and yet be proud of our legacy.”
FV: If you want religion to be dynamic you have to rationalise it. That can become dangerous.
AE: “What is religion? I want to remove the chaff from the grain. For me it is not what it is for the common people. If you take away certain social customs, they think you have taken away religion. For me it means purifying it. For example, women’s position includes so many pre-Islamic customs that have become an integral part of the Shariat. I am fighting that. Triple talaq is not mentioned in the Quran. Of course, there is a controversy; some maintain that the Prophet approved of it. Even if he did, maybe he had social constraints.”
FV: What about jihad?
AE: “Jihad is misused by fundamentalists. The Quranic meaning is not meant for war at all, in the sense of killing. Jihad is nothing but making efforts to realise goodness in life.”
FV: Who, then, is a kafir?
AE: “It is not one who believes in this form or that. Real ‘imaan’ is faith in humanity, so those who deny goodness are kafirs.”
FV: Islam has this macho image. I suspect it is because there is no idol worship. Without something tangible to submit to, can the gun not become a potent idol for some?
AE: “I would not agree with you at all. Those who take to guns could do so due to deprivation, suppression, or historical legacy. The Afghans have lived through violence for centuries, by the Mughals, the Russians, their own people, so they have always had to fight for freedom…we cannot take away the context. But they legitimised it by using jihad, a religious sanction, so they could be seen as mujahids, fighting for Allah. And you cannot say there is nothing concrete. Muslims going to mausoleums have created a concrete concept. An abstract god may be difficult so they found alternatives. My personal belief is we should not bow to any object. But Islam was aware of this human weakness and fulfilled that need through Haj to kiss a stone. A stone is a stone but the vacuum was filled and it became the holiest object. I have performed Haj and seen the devotion of people braving stampedes only to kiss that stone.”
FV: Then why is there a mental barrier against others practising idol worship?
AE: “It is not as much religious as political and cultural. That is because they have been taught. Quran says do not abuse others’ gods, they will abuse Allah. But most people do not believe in this…they feel their way is the only right one. This is to maintain religious hegemony.”
FV: But when maulvis were invited to perform ‘namaaz’ at a Ganpati pandal, some people said the place was desecrated.
AE: “That is narrow-minded people; you can pray where you want. You do not worship that idol there. Even here there are differences of opinion. The Sufi saint Mazhar Jaan Jana of 18th century Delhi believed that the Quran condemns bowing before deities because in pre-Islamic idol worship stones were considered god. But Hindus pray to god through that idol, which is a reflection of god. In Vedas god is nirguna and nirankara, that is, he has no attributes and no shape, that is the real belief of Hindus. As Muslims visit graves, so Hindus worship idols…”
FV: I don’t agree with that Sufi saint. Ganesha and Lakshmi and the rest do represent something.
AE: “We are talking about beliefs, not how people do it.”
FV: How people do it is what religion becomes. Culturally, what is the role of the minorities in a majority state where they have to retain their identity and yet be part of the mainstream?
AE: “This demand to merge in the mainstream is fascistic. Who will define what the mainstream is? Will the RSS chief define it or the people of India? If it is left to the people then all are part of the mainstream. To protect one’s identity is a Constitutional right.”
FV: Then why do Muslims form ghettoes – is it just insecurity?
AE: “If the communal riots had not taken place there would not be this ghetto feeling.”
FV: But Bhendi Bazaar and Chandni Chowk have always existed.
AE: “That is true, but it was not exclusivist with Muslims running away from Hindu areas, Hindus running away from Muslim areas. So Bhendi Bazaar is only a community living in one area. It is different from refusing to open out to others, which is real ghettoism. At the level of feeling, it did not exist before the riots.”
FV: Could it make them less assertive, maybe even stop believing in themselves as important elements of society?
AE: “Potency does not mean being unnecessarily aggressive; one has to be wise. I believe the minorities need to have a strategy of survival because needless aggression when you cannot change the situation does not help. Wisdom is more important than saving some cultural symbol.”
FV: Would that qualify then as some sort of intellectual slavery?
AE: “No, I am clear that the demolition was a violation of law and of a religious community. But if I cannot save it physically, it does not mean I have intellectually surrendered. We can assert that it was a condemnable act, but cannot come out on the roads and throw stones.”
FV: How can we expect one community to be wise in the face of an emotional onslaught from the other side?
AE: “It is very difficult. But somebody has to be restrained, that is also important. There should be someone to warn them of the perils of their behaviour. On Dec 7, 1993, it became a leaderless mob, no leader to provoke or restrain them…so the young people took to the streets, and had to suffer.”
FV: Have there been attempts to co-opt you by other religious forces?
AE: “Many people asked me to convert. I said my religious convictions remain. I am fighting the wrongs within my own community. And if I decide to convert I will lose the right to fight.”
On one of my visits to his house, his wife had seen me to the door. She said, “It is not easy,” referring to the isolation from the community. That one sentence uttered with a fading smile conveyed all the hidden battle scars of a man who fought silently.
http://www.countercurrents.org/versey150513.htm
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer truly lived like Ali (A.S.)
The print and electronic media all over the world has condoled the sad demise of Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer giving details of his scholarship in Islam, his quest for an Islamic theology of peace and religious pluralism, his work on communalism and communal violence in India, his resourcefulness in internationalizing the Dawoodi Bohra Reform movement through his writings and speeches. His work on inter-religious understanding, his invites for international conferences on Islam by various governments and universities and his lectures in several universities in USA., Canada, U.K., Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany, France, Thailand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Mexico, Lebanon, Egypt, Tokyo, Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Moscow, Leningrad etc and in all the universities throughout India, several awards awarded to him including Right Livelihood Award (Alternate Nobel Prize).
Therefore I am not going to repeat all that. As his childhood friend I am going to throw some light on certain aspect of his personality to prove that he lived a life truly like Hazrat Ali ibne Abi Talib.
I had first met him in Dewas near Indore in M.P. India when he was just 7 years old. There was some 'Salam bethak' in Dewas masjid where Asghar bhai was sitting in traditional dress, beside his father Shaikh Qurban Husain who was the Amil of Dewas. One by one Bohras were coming, kissing Amil's hand and offering him a rupee or two. Few were even kissing Asghar bhai's hand and offering him an ana or rupee. This used to be an affair on first day of every hijri month.
After this when Asghar bhai used to come to us we used to coax him to buy some eatable from the money he had collected but he was always concern for accountable to his father. Another thing which I had found about him that he was matured thinker right from childhood. Often he used to debate with my maternal uncles (mamus) on serious subjects. We had done our schooling together at Dewas and during that time he used to read in English and whatever he used to read, write in Urdu.
He had an old bicycle which he always kept with him and there used to be a prayer mate (musallah) in its carrier. He was very conscious and punctual of his time and at the time of namaz where ever he was he used to spread his prayer mate and offer namaz.
He used to enjoy good hummers, Urdu poetry, music and good quotes.
When he took admission in Hulkar College Indore his father hide him in a garage where I had found Asghar bhai studying under a lamp. His father had a fear that the Bohra clergy if comes to know about him they would press him to send Asghar bhai to Surat Jamiya Saifia and he will not be able to carry on modern secular education.
Asghar bhai's father, Shaikh Qurban Husain was not like by the Bohra clergy for two reasons. One because he was against exploitation of Bohras and therefore he could never achieve the collection target given to him and secondly because he was well-read, highly knowledgeable and liberal-minded. So his family always lived in modest means.
After college education Asghar bhai got a job in Bombay Municipal Corporation and family moved to Bombay and started living in Pakmodia Street in Bhindi Bazar. I had also moved to Bombay from Khandwa and was schooling in Sabu Siddik High School at Byculla. I was a rebel by birth. Asghar bhai liked my poetry, my drafting and my straightforwardness. So we resumed our activities in Bombay.
I being a poet some time I used to exaggerate mater and events, but Asghar bhai was against it. He was always reasonable. Though he was a son of Amil, and even when he became a celebrity he remained absolutely down-to-earth, running in local trains and buses in third class, eating in small hotels and road-side stalls. At Hathipole Udaipur there is small eatery, Raja Hotel, run by a Bohra gentleman. When in Udaipur I along with Asghar bhai used to have our meals there and once jokingly I asked the owner, "Has Syedna Saheb or his Amil ever come to your hotel for eating?" Asghar bhai did not like my comment and said "Our fight is not against these poor Bohras, we should understand their dilemma."
Asghar bhai was a gentleman always caring for other's feeling but a cut-throat for the imposters. Anyone known or unknown could approach him and talk to him on any subject. He would listen and talk in cool and convincing manner. I have seen him firm but humble even when he was in physical pain after murderous attack on him, never expressing any sign of hatred towards his opponents. I have witnessed his calm during provocative and aggressive debates with orthodox mullahs and Hindu Muslim fundamentalists. But when he was concentrating on his writing he would not talk to any body however important he/she may be.
Right from beginning I had never seen him sitting in front of TV or going to cinemas or wasting his time in gossip, though I had seen him standing in line for kerosene, holding a book in other hand, engrossed in reading in a narrow lane of Pakmodia street.
Asghar bhai was lucky that his father was a well-read aalim (learned person) who could train him in Qur'anic teachings and interpretation, Haqiqat and Tawil, jurisprudence, traditions of the holy Prophet and Islamic history from the Bohra point of view. Initially he learnt the Arabic language from his father so that he could study all the important literatures of Ismaili-Fatimi Da'wah in original. He learned Persian language, Urdu and English languages on his own.
In Bombay we got advantage of several libraries so we studied eastern and western philosophies, social and political sciences, human psychology and various religions, and further enhanced our knowledge in association of literary personalities like A.A.A. Faizi.
Asghar bhai and I could remain friends all along because we both had analytical minds and we were voracious readers and writers. I must admit that Asghar bhai was much more courageous,committed and foresighted.
He remained active until it became impossible for him to getup and run. In February this year when he came to Tayyebpura a place near Ahmadabad to attend the meeting Central Executive Committee (CEC) of Central Board of Dawoodi Bohra Community he was finding difficulty in breathing and we advise him to consult a doctor immediately but he went to Amritsar and from there to Waugha border, where he fainted. When came back to Mumbai he was hospitalized.
I have lost a dear friend and a soul met, but the community has lost a true well-wisher and fighter for their human rights and world a renowned scholar and a great social activist.
The print and electronic media all over the world has condoled the sad demise of Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer giving details of his scholarship in Islam, his quest for an Islamic theology of peace and religious pluralism, his work on communalism and communal violence in India, his resourcefulness in internationalizing the Dawoodi Bohra Reform movement through his writings and speeches. His work on inter-religious understanding, his invites for international conferences on Islam by various governments and universities and his lectures in several universities in USA., Canada, U.K., Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany, France, Thailand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Mexico, Lebanon, Egypt, Tokyo, Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Moscow, Leningrad etc and in all the universities throughout India, several awards awarded to him including Right Livelihood Award (Alternate Nobel Prize).
Therefore I am not going to repeat all that. As his childhood friend I am going to throw some light on certain aspect of his personality to prove that he lived a life truly like Hazrat Ali ibne Abi Talib.
I had first met him in Dewas near Indore in M.P. India when he was just 7 years old. There was some 'Salam bethak' in Dewas masjid where Asghar bhai was sitting in traditional dress, beside his father Shaikh Qurban Husain who was the Amil of Dewas. One by one Bohras were coming, kissing Amil's hand and offering him a rupee or two. Few were even kissing Asghar bhai's hand and offering him an ana or rupee. This used to be an affair on first day of every hijri month.
After this when Asghar bhai used to come to us we used to coax him to buy some eatable from the money he had collected but he was always concern for accountable to his father. Another thing which I had found about him that he was matured thinker right from childhood. Often he used to debate with my maternal uncles (mamus) on serious subjects. We had done our schooling together at Dewas and during that time he used to read in English and whatever he used to read, write in Urdu.
He had an old bicycle which he always kept with him and there used to be a prayer mate (musallah) in its carrier. He was very conscious and punctual of his time and at the time of namaz where ever he was he used to spread his prayer mate and offer namaz.
He used to enjoy good hummers, Urdu poetry, music and good quotes.
When he took admission in Hulkar College Indore his father hide him in a garage where I had found Asghar bhai studying under a lamp. His father had a fear that the Bohra clergy if comes to know about him they would press him to send Asghar bhai to Surat Jamiya Saifia and he will not be able to carry on modern secular education.
Asghar bhai's father, Shaikh Qurban Husain was not like by the Bohra clergy for two reasons. One because he was against exploitation of Bohras and therefore he could never achieve the collection target given to him and secondly because he was well-read, highly knowledgeable and liberal-minded. So his family always lived in modest means.
After college education Asghar bhai got a job in Bombay Municipal Corporation and family moved to Bombay and started living in Pakmodia Street in Bhindi Bazar. I had also moved to Bombay from Khandwa and was schooling in Sabu Siddik High School at Byculla. I was a rebel by birth. Asghar bhai liked my poetry, my drafting and my straightforwardness. So we resumed our activities in Bombay.
I being a poet some time I used to exaggerate mater and events, but Asghar bhai was against it. He was always reasonable. Though he was a son of Amil, and even when he became a celebrity he remained absolutely down-to-earth, running in local trains and buses in third class, eating in small hotels and road-side stalls. At Hathipole Udaipur there is small eatery, Raja Hotel, run by a Bohra gentleman. When in Udaipur I along with Asghar bhai used to have our meals there and once jokingly I asked the owner, "Has Syedna Saheb or his Amil ever come to your hotel for eating?" Asghar bhai did not like my comment and said "Our fight is not against these poor Bohras, we should understand their dilemma."
Asghar bhai was a gentleman always caring for other's feeling but a cut-throat for the imposters. Anyone known or unknown could approach him and talk to him on any subject. He would listen and talk in cool and convincing manner. I have seen him firm but humble even when he was in physical pain after murderous attack on him, never expressing any sign of hatred towards his opponents. I have witnessed his calm during provocative and aggressive debates with orthodox mullahs and Hindu Muslim fundamentalists. But when he was concentrating on his writing he would not talk to any body however important he/she may be.
Right from beginning I had never seen him sitting in front of TV or going to cinemas or wasting his time in gossip, though I had seen him standing in line for kerosene, holding a book in other hand, engrossed in reading in a narrow lane of Pakmodia street.
Asghar bhai was lucky that his father was a well-read aalim (learned person) who could train him in Qur'anic teachings and interpretation, Haqiqat and Tawil, jurisprudence, traditions of the holy Prophet and Islamic history from the Bohra point of view. Initially he learnt the Arabic language from his father so that he could study all the important literatures of Ismaili-Fatimi Da'wah in original. He learned Persian language, Urdu and English languages on his own.
In Bombay we got advantage of several libraries so we studied eastern and western philosophies, social and political sciences, human psychology and various religions, and further enhanced our knowledge in association of literary personalities like A.A.A. Faizi.
Asghar bhai and I could remain friends all along because we both had analytical minds and we were voracious readers and writers. I must admit that Asghar bhai was much more courageous,committed and foresighted.
He remained active until it became impossible for him to getup and run. In February this year when he came to Tayyebpura a place near Ahmadabad to attend the meeting Central Executive Committee (CEC) of Central Board of Dawoodi Bohra Community he was finding difficulty in breathing and we advise him to consult a doctor immediately but he went to Amritsar and from there to Waugha border, where he fainted. When came back to Mumbai he was hospitalized.
I have lost a dear friend and a soul met, but the community has lost a true well-wisher and fighter for their human rights and world a renowned scholar and a great social activist.
-
badrijanab
- Posts: 809
- Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2012 3:19 pm
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
@Janab Saifuddin Insaf sahab,
In yours or Nayab sahab article with title, "Yeh kahani hai diya aur toofan ki" you/Nayab sahab had equated Engineer Asger sahab with Imam Hussain a.s.! For which Janab Taher Ali Poona Wala sahab has scolded you and revealed the true face of Engineer sahab in his letter!
Now you are equating Engineer with Ameer al Momineen Mola Ali a.s.!!! If I will write truth here our justice loving Admin will delete my post instead of proving it incorrect. So before exaggerating that your mentor Engineer lived like Mola Ali a.s. learn how much Engineer disliked/liked Mola Ali a.s. - read book 'Niqaab Kushai' your all misconception will evaporate. If Allah willed. In your some previous post you have said that Janab Abid Hussain Adeeb sahab has provided a copy to you so now you cannot say you don't have its copy.
In yours or Nayab sahab article with title, "Yeh kahani hai diya aur toofan ki" you/Nayab sahab had equated Engineer Asger sahab with Imam Hussain a.s.! For which Janab Taher Ali Poona Wala sahab has scolded you and revealed the true face of Engineer sahab in his letter!
Now you are equating Engineer with Ameer al Momineen Mola Ali a.s.!!! If I will write truth here our justice loving Admin will delete my post instead of proving it incorrect. So before exaggerating that your mentor Engineer lived like Mola Ali a.s. learn how much Engineer disliked/liked Mola Ali a.s. - read book 'Niqaab Kushai' your all misconception will evaporate. If Allah willed. In your some previous post you have said that Janab Abid Hussain Adeeb sahab has provided a copy to you so now you cannot say you don't have its copy.
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
There will never be another Asghar Ali
By: Jyoti Punwani
Scholarly, courageous and secular, Asghar Ali Engineer spent his life combating regressive beliefs and practices while presenting a modern, humanistic interpretation of Islam
The passing away of Asghar Ali Engineer leaves everyone poorer. He wasn't only the face of the Bohra reform movement - a movement for human rights supported by the tallest intellectuals of the country. He was a scholar of Islam, whose interpretation of it was progressive and humanistic, embracing the egalitarian ideals of Marxism and feminism. The world, including the bastion of conservative Islam, Saudi Arabia, invited Engineer to share his knowledge and liberal reading of his religion.
Engineer was a brave man. Assaulted six times, twice almost fatally, by orthodox Bohras, simply for fighting constitutionally against the absolute hold of the Syedna over the community, it would have been easy for him to give up a fight he began openly in 1973, with an article in The Times of India. The social boycott against him declared by the Bohra clergy cut him off for years from his family, including his mother, and in his words, "almost drove (me) mad".
The political establishment, all the way up to Indira Gandhi and Vajpayee, stood solidly behind the Syedna. Yet, Engineer remained a Reformist throughout, and not just in his personal life. Under his guidance, the Reformists became a force to reckon with, with women at the forefront of the movement. He showed the same courage in openly organising support for the Shahbano judgment, when the Muslim establishment mounted a campaign against it.
For me, Asghar Ali Engineer was many things - a fount of knowledge and a guru, yet one so devoid of arrogance that I was able to, over the past 20 years, interact with him as a friend. I first met him as a member of the Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights, of which he was both founder and vice-president. In the late '70s and early '80s, CPDR members used to demonstrate holding placards in a narrow lane across the road from Badri Mahal, Fort - that was as close to the Bohra headquarters as the police would allow us to get. Yet this insignificant bunch of youngsters, led by Engineer and a few other Reformists, would be considered enough of a threat to be stoned by orthodox Bohras. I used to be terrified, but not the much older Engineer.
As a novice in journalism, I turned to Engineer for everything concerning Muslims - be it history, the freedom movement, communal politics. Always ready to share his immense knowledge, he never grew impatient at my endless questions. I would interview others too, but no one had his rounded, secular, yet scholarly perspective.
In 1984, after seeing the partisan conduct of the police towards the Shiv Sena, during the riots that broke out in Bhiwandi, Thane and Mumbai, I told him I supported those young Muslims who felt revenge was the only solution. "No, never," was his immediate response. "Revenge will only set off an endless cycle of violence, which will help no one, Muslims least of all."
His way was to change minds. But that will take forever, I replied. Yet that's what he never stopped trying to do through his writings and interactions with youngsters, policemen and IAS trainees. Every communal riot was investigated by him personally, or by his team, to trace the root causes, for as he said, religion was not the cause of conflict, its political use was.
Engineer won many awards, but the one that suited him best was the Right Livelihood Award or the Alternate Nobel, given to him in 2004 "for promoting religious and communal co-existence, tolerance and mutual understanding".
With all his qualities, Engineer was essentially a simple man. I remember him walking outside his ramshackle building holding his little daughter Seema's hand; remonstrating and embarrassed as his wife grumbled to me about being left behind for weeks as he travelled all over the world; chuckling at some wry comment on the irrelevance of pseudo-secularists.
Engineer had told his family he would like to be buried where his friends from the Progressive Writers Association, Kaifi Azmi, Jan Nisaar Akhthar and Ali Sardar Jafri, were. No doubt, he'll be happy reciting Urdu poetry with them. But we, who still need him, will wonder where to find another like him.
WHEN ENGINEER BOWED BEFORE THE SYEDNA
The first and last time Engineer bowed in front of the Dawoodi Bohra high priest was when he was physically forced to by a marshal in the Syedna's chamber. He had been taken there by his father, himself a priest, after his matriculation result was declared. Seeing others "fall on their knees and crawl with folded hands to the Syedna's chamber, where he sat on a high chair like a king, (then) prostrate, lie with face down in submission before him," Engineer refused, believing that sajda was to be performed only before Allah. Abusing him as 'shaitaan', a marshal caught his neck and forced it down. (From A Living Faith, Engineer's autobiography)
http://mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/others/T ... 055415.cms
By: Jyoti Punwani
Scholarly, courageous and secular, Asghar Ali Engineer spent his life combating regressive beliefs and practices while presenting a modern, humanistic interpretation of Islam
The passing away of Asghar Ali Engineer leaves everyone poorer. He wasn't only the face of the Bohra reform movement - a movement for human rights supported by the tallest intellectuals of the country. He was a scholar of Islam, whose interpretation of it was progressive and humanistic, embracing the egalitarian ideals of Marxism and feminism. The world, including the bastion of conservative Islam, Saudi Arabia, invited Engineer to share his knowledge and liberal reading of his religion.
Engineer was a brave man. Assaulted six times, twice almost fatally, by orthodox Bohras, simply for fighting constitutionally against the absolute hold of the Syedna over the community, it would have been easy for him to give up a fight he began openly in 1973, with an article in The Times of India. The social boycott against him declared by the Bohra clergy cut him off for years from his family, including his mother, and in his words, "almost drove (me) mad".
The political establishment, all the way up to Indira Gandhi and Vajpayee, stood solidly behind the Syedna. Yet, Engineer remained a Reformist throughout, and not just in his personal life. Under his guidance, the Reformists became a force to reckon with, with women at the forefront of the movement. He showed the same courage in openly organising support for the Shahbano judgment, when the Muslim establishment mounted a campaign against it.
For me, Asghar Ali Engineer was many things - a fount of knowledge and a guru, yet one so devoid of arrogance that I was able to, over the past 20 years, interact with him as a friend. I first met him as a member of the Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights, of which he was both founder and vice-president. In the late '70s and early '80s, CPDR members used to demonstrate holding placards in a narrow lane across the road from Badri Mahal, Fort - that was as close to the Bohra headquarters as the police would allow us to get. Yet this insignificant bunch of youngsters, led by Engineer and a few other Reformists, would be considered enough of a threat to be stoned by orthodox Bohras. I used to be terrified, but not the much older Engineer.
As a novice in journalism, I turned to Engineer for everything concerning Muslims - be it history, the freedom movement, communal politics. Always ready to share his immense knowledge, he never grew impatient at my endless questions. I would interview others too, but no one had his rounded, secular, yet scholarly perspective.
In 1984, after seeing the partisan conduct of the police towards the Shiv Sena, during the riots that broke out in Bhiwandi, Thane and Mumbai, I told him I supported those young Muslims who felt revenge was the only solution. "No, never," was his immediate response. "Revenge will only set off an endless cycle of violence, which will help no one, Muslims least of all."
His way was to change minds. But that will take forever, I replied. Yet that's what he never stopped trying to do through his writings and interactions with youngsters, policemen and IAS trainees. Every communal riot was investigated by him personally, or by his team, to trace the root causes, for as he said, religion was not the cause of conflict, its political use was.
Engineer won many awards, but the one that suited him best was the Right Livelihood Award or the Alternate Nobel, given to him in 2004 "for promoting religious and communal co-existence, tolerance and mutual understanding".
With all his qualities, Engineer was essentially a simple man. I remember him walking outside his ramshackle building holding his little daughter Seema's hand; remonstrating and embarrassed as his wife grumbled to me about being left behind for weeks as he travelled all over the world; chuckling at some wry comment on the irrelevance of pseudo-secularists.
Engineer had told his family he would like to be buried where his friends from the Progressive Writers Association, Kaifi Azmi, Jan Nisaar Akhthar and Ali Sardar Jafri, were. No doubt, he'll be happy reciting Urdu poetry with them. But we, who still need him, will wonder where to find another like him.
WHEN ENGINEER BOWED BEFORE THE SYEDNA
The first and last time Engineer bowed in front of the Dawoodi Bohra high priest was when he was physically forced to by a marshal in the Syedna's chamber. He had been taken there by his father, himself a priest, after his matriculation result was declared. Seeing others "fall on their knees and crawl with folded hands to the Syedna's chamber, where he sat on a high chair like a king, (then) prostrate, lie with face down in submission before him," Engineer refused, believing that sajda was to be performed only before Allah. Abusing him as 'shaitaan', a marshal caught his neck and forced it down. (From A Living Faith, Engineer's autobiography)
http://mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/others/T ... 055415.cms
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
The Scholarly Reformer
Asghar Ali Engineer spent a lifetime fighting for minority rights and pushing for a liberal, modern interpretation of Islam, recalls Mushirul Hasan
HE NEVER wrote his full name. AA Engineer is how he was widely known. I wrote a column on him in The Indian Express, and followed it up with another article on his 70th birthday. Now, regrettably, I write his obituary.
Like many in this country and abroad, I am deeply grieved by his sudden demise. He was a man of extraordinary energy and unshakable conviction. Above all, he was on a mission to reform his own Bohra community, to expose the menace of communalism and to plead for a liberal and modernist version of Islam. What is amazing is that he actually believed that these changes would take place during his lifetime. Sadly, that did not happen.
Asghar Ali was a reckless individual, with a junoon to transform the world. He travelled ceaselessly and kept odd hours, which ultimately took a toll on his health. Whenever I asked him to take it easy, he would brush aside my suggestion, saying that he had miles to go and more work to do.
His life offers many lessons to be learnt, of paths taken and not taken. But whatever may be the verdict of history, Asghar Ali Engineer will be remembered as a creative interpreter of Islam and as a champion of the liberal and secular values. His life clearly demonstrates that it is possible to be wedded to one’s own tradition and at the same time be a quintessential liberal. There is no conflict of visions in Asghar Ali’s public life or writings.
We will miss this enlightened and dignified man. We will miss a principled and conscientious citizen and a dissenter who recognised no caste or community differences. And finally, we will miss a scholar who was relentless in his search for ideas and solutions to contemporary conflicts and divisions.
http://tehelka.com/asghar-ali-engineer- ... -of-islam/
Asghar Ali Engineer spent a lifetime fighting for minority rights and pushing for a liberal, modern interpretation of Islam, recalls Mushirul Hasan
HE NEVER wrote his full name. AA Engineer is how he was widely known. I wrote a column on him in The Indian Express, and followed it up with another article on his 70th birthday. Now, regrettably, I write his obituary.
Like many in this country and abroad, I am deeply grieved by his sudden demise. He was a man of extraordinary energy and unshakable conviction. Above all, he was on a mission to reform his own Bohra community, to expose the menace of communalism and to plead for a liberal and modernist version of Islam. What is amazing is that he actually believed that these changes would take place during his lifetime. Sadly, that did not happen.
Asghar Ali was a reckless individual, with a junoon to transform the world. He travelled ceaselessly and kept odd hours, which ultimately took a toll on his health. Whenever I asked him to take it easy, he would brush aside my suggestion, saying that he had miles to go and more work to do.
His life offers many lessons to be learnt, of paths taken and not taken. But whatever may be the verdict of history, Asghar Ali Engineer will be remembered as a creative interpreter of Islam and as a champion of the liberal and secular values. His life clearly demonstrates that it is possible to be wedded to one’s own tradition and at the same time be a quintessential liberal. There is no conflict of visions in Asghar Ali’s public life or writings.
We will miss this enlightened and dignified man. We will miss a principled and conscientious citizen and a dissenter who recognised no caste or community differences. And finally, we will miss a scholar who was relentless in his search for ideas and solutions to contemporary conflicts and divisions.
http://tehelka.com/asghar-ali-engineer- ... -of-islam/
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ghulam muhammed
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Asghar Ali Engineer | We had a Sir Syed, we need an Ambedkar
Born in 1939 as the son of a Bohra Muslim priest in Rajasthan, Asghar Ali Engineer, 72, went on to become an engineer, but also chose to study Islam alongside, becoming a scholar and, eventually, a reformer. His intramural arguments for reforms have made an extensive contribution to an Islamic liberation theology, the phrase first mooted by Latin American priests to describe an interpretation of Christian teachings in the context of social justice. An advocate for gender equality and secular democracy, Engineer also leads the Progressive Dawoodi Bohra reform movement, critical of authoritarianism in the Bohra priesthood.
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/dfPRud ... edkar.html
Born in 1939 as the son of a Bohra Muslim priest in Rajasthan, Asghar Ali Engineer, 72, went on to become an engineer, but also chose to study Islam alongside, becoming a scholar and, eventually, a reformer. His intramural arguments for reforms have made an extensive contribution to an Islamic liberation theology, the phrase first mooted by Latin American priests to describe an interpretation of Christian teachings in the context of social justice. An advocate for gender equality and secular democracy, Engineer also leads the Progressive Dawoodi Bohra reform movement, critical of authoritarianism in the Bohra priesthood.
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/dfPRud ... edkar.html
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
I have seen in most Bohra (Ortho & Reformist) and Shia houses a plate hanging on wall which says:
Live like Ali – Die like Husain.
By this slogan no one is trying to insult Mola Ali or Imam Husain. One dare not. If some one has lived like Ali or died like Husain it is not belittling these personalities but truly following them.
Live like Ali – Die like Husain.
By this slogan no one is trying to insult Mola Ali or Imam Husain. One dare not. If some one has lived like Ali or died like Husain it is not belittling these personalities but truly following them.
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ghulam muhammed
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Remembering Asgharbhai (1939 - 2013)
Asghar Ali Engineer passed away on 15th May, 2013. Asgharbhai was an Islamic scholar par excellence and an indefatigable crusader for peace and communal harmony as well as a brave fighter for Bohra reform. This clip is from "Father, Son and Holy War" (1995). It captures Asghar bhai during the bloody communal riots of 1992-93. The Ekta (unity) rally for communal harmony led by him marched for two days through the riot stricken streets and by-lanes of Bombay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA6bX6JV9vk
Asghar Ali Engineer passed away on 15th May, 2013. Asgharbhai was an Islamic scholar par excellence and an indefatigable crusader for peace and communal harmony as well as a brave fighter for Bohra reform. This clip is from "Father, Son and Holy War" (1995). It captures Asghar bhai during the bloody communal riots of 1992-93. The Ekta (unity) rally for communal harmony led by him marched for two days through the riot stricken streets and by-lanes of Bombay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA6bX6JV9vk
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ghulam muhammed
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
A Tribute to Dr.Engineer
Dr.Engineer was a beacon of light for Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. His articles, books, workshops always guided us in our fight for justice. He always advocated for reforms in muslim family law.
We at BMMA feel that the best tribute to him would be to intensify our demand for a ban on oral divorce for which Dr. Engineer dedicated his entire life. Hence on 12 june 2013 BMMA will organise rally/dharna to demand once again a ban on oral divorce. The best tribute to him would be to intensify our fight for justice. Do join us. We are sure Dr. Engineer will continue to guide and support us.
Noorjehan
Details about the event will be shared soon.
Dr.Engineer was a beacon of light for Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. His articles, books, workshops always guided us in our fight for justice. He always advocated for reforms in muslim family law.
We at BMMA feel that the best tribute to him would be to intensify our demand for a ban on oral divorce for which Dr. Engineer dedicated his entire life. Hence on 12 june 2013 BMMA will organise rally/dharna to demand once again a ban on oral divorce. The best tribute to him would be to intensify our fight for justice. Do join us. We are sure Dr. Engineer will continue to guide and support us.
Noorjehan
Details about the event will be shared soon.
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ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Dear all,
Most of you might be aware of the sad news of the demise of Islamic scholar, peace activist and social reformist- Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer on 14th May 2013.
The Centre for Study of Society and Secularism is celebrating his legacy ‘A Living Faith – Struggle for Justice and Peace’ on 27th May 2013, in St. Xavier’s college hall, 5:30 to 8:30 P.M.
The objective is not only to celebrate his life and work but also to get inspired to continue his good work and keep struggling for justice and peace.
The program will include an audio visual tribute to his life and work. It will also include some insights from his family, people who have worked closely with him like Mr. Ram Puniyani and other well known personalities like Shabana Azmi, Farukh Sheikh, Mahesh Bhatt, Julio Ribeiro, Kumar Ketkar, among others. There will also be songs by Charul and Vinay.
We sincerely hope you will be able to take some time out of your busy schedules to pay tribute to a personality who touched so many lives and whose work continues to do so. Your participation will encourage us and many others to dedicate themselves to the work of justice and peace.
Sincere regards,
Irfan Engineer
Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
Most of you might be aware of the sad news of the demise of Islamic scholar, peace activist and social reformist- Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer on 14th May 2013.
The Centre for Study of Society and Secularism is celebrating his legacy ‘A Living Faith – Struggle for Justice and Peace’ on 27th May 2013, in St. Xavier’s college hall, 5:30 to 8:30 P.M.
The objective is not only to celebrate his life and work but also to get inspired to continue his good work and keep struggling for justice and peace.
The program will include an audio visual tribute to his life and work. It will also include some insights from his family, people who have worked closely with him like Mr. Ram Puniyani and other well known personalities like Shabana Azmi, Farukh Sheikh, Mahesh Bhatt, Julio Ribeiro, Kumar Ketkar, among others. There will also be songs by Charul and Vinay.
We sincerely hope you will be able to take some time out of your busy schedules to pay tribute to a personality who touched so many lives and whose work continues to do so. Your participation will encourage us and many others to dedicate themselves to the work of justice and peace.
Sincere regards,
Irfan Engineer
Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
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badrijanab
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Meaning of secularism: a doctrine that rejects religion and religious considerationsghulam muhammed wrote: Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
As per Oxford dictionary meaning of Secularism: not connected with religious or spiritual matters.
So, was Mr. Engineer anti to all Religion including religion of Islam?
Last edited by badrijanab on Tue May 21, 2013 5:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ghulam muhammed
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Asghar Ali Engineer (1939-2013)
An obituary by ZAHIR JANMOHAMED: I first met Asghar Ali Engineer in January 2002 in Mumbai. I was a fellow with the America India Foundation and a few weeks later I would be posted to work with an NGO in Ahmedabad.
A few minutes before his presentation, I noticed him standing off to the side in silence, staring at the ground. I walked up and introduced myself. I was young, in my twenties, and I did not know what to say.
“As-salaam alaikum,” I said.
“Wa-alaikum salaam,” he replied.
I am not sure what response I expected but I thought that perhaps because he and I share the same faith that we might have a special bond, that my greeting would spark a conversation. After all, I always thought phrases like these serve less as greeting and more as an announcement, as in, I am part of the same religion as you.
But Asghar saab just held my hand and then put his hand on his heart. “Nice to meet you,” he said, and then stared at the ground again in silence. I thought it was odd, rude even.
As I continued to meet Asghar saab, I realized that he had very little patience for superficial connections. I witnessed this when I saw him greet crowds after his lectures. If you told him you were from the same caste or city he would not be as excited as if you told him that you also believe that we must fight patriarchy with the same vigor that we must fight communalism.
What set him apart was his fearlessness, something he showed from a young age. He was born on March 10, 1939 in Salumbar, Rajasthan to a family of priests in the Bohra community and schooled in the traditional Islamic sciences like Qur’anic study (tafseer). Islamic schooling is often based on the idea that you should teach a child as much as he/she can digest and then later they will develop the intellect to question what they have learned. The idea, as Willim Chittick writes in his book The Sufi Path of Love, is that form precedes meaning. But Asghar saab began to question at a young age, at a time when he was told he should only be memorizing. Later he would become one of the first to question the transparency of the Bohra leadership, something completely unheard of during his time.
He was effective and very hard to argue with (as I learned first hand) because he was grounded in Islamic law. When an Islamic scholar would make an argument that a particular verse in the Qur’an supports denying a woman her rights, Asghar saab would draw on his extensive knowledge of the Qur’an to argue that that very verse means the antithesis.
Each time he spoke out, the more he isolated himself but this never bothered him. Part of what made him so unique was that he never saw himself as part of a community. He believed this was the surest way to stifle your voice. Be independent, he always told me.
After I witnessed the Gujarat riots, we met on a few occasions. But he never liked hearing my stories from Ahmedabad. It was not that he was not interested but he did not want it to rattle his core belief that humans are inclined towards goodness and reason, two things he saw lacking during the 2002 carnage.
We ended up growing apart because he was so ideal about India and religion that that idealism which I always saw as his virtue I began to see as his blind spot. But I always appreciated how he never gave up and more importantly, how he was always re-examining his beliefs.
The last time we corresponded was in 2005. It was a few months after Modi was denied a visa and I was active in Washington DC in raising awareness about Gujarat. But I was burned out and frustrated by my fellow Indian Americans who could not be bothered with what happens in India. What I wanted, I told him, was more support, more people to stand with me.
“You will not find many friends on this path,” he wrote to me.
It is these words and that image of him—standing off to the side, staring at the ground as when I first saw him—that I will always remember about him. Yes he was alone, as many are who push for change, but he was also something very unique and rare. He was his own person.
(Zahir Janmohamed is a writer in Ahmedabad.)
http://kafila.org/2013/05/14/asghar-ali ... more-18467
An obituary by ZAHIR JANMOHAMED: I first met Asghar Ali Engineer in January 2002 in Mumbai. I was a fellow with the America India Foundation and a few weeks later I would be posted to work with an NGO in Ahmedabad.
A few minutes before his presentation, I noticed him standing off to the side in silence, staring at the ground. I walked up and introduced myself. I was young, in my twenties, and I did not know what to say.
“As-salaam alaikum,” I said.
“Wa-alaikum salaam,” he replied.
I am not sure what response I expected but I thought that perhaps because he and I share the same faith that we might have a special bond, that my greeting would spark a conversation. After all, I always thought phrases like these serve less as greeting and more as an announcement, as in, I am part of the same religion as you.
But Asghar saab just held my hand and then put his hand on his heart. “Nice to meet you,” he said, and then stared at the ground again in silence. I thought it was odd, rude even.
As I continued to meet Asghar saab, I realized that he had very little patience for superficial connections. I witnessed this when I saw him greet crowds after his lectures. If you told him you were from the same caste or city he would not be as excited as if you told him that you also believe that we must fight patriarchy with the same vigor that we must fight communalism.
What set him apart was his fearlessness, something he showed from a young age. He was born on March 10, 1939 in Salumbar, Rajasthan to a family of priests in the Bohra community and schooled in the traditional Islamic sciences like Qur’anic study (tafseer). Islamic schooling is often based on the idea that you should teach a child as much as he/she can digest and then later they will develop the intellect to question what they have learned. The idea, as Willim Chittick writes in his book The Sufi Path of Love, is that form precedes meaning. But Asghar saab began to question at a young age, at a time when he was told he should only be memorizing. Later he would become one of the first to question the transparency of the Bohra leadership, something completely unheard of during his time.
He was effective and very hard to argue with (as I learned first hand) because he was grounded in Islamic law. When an Islamic scholar would make an argument that a particular verse in the Qur’an supports denying a woman her rights, Asghar saab would draw on his extensive knowledge of the Qur’an to argue that that very verse means the antithesis.
Each time he spoke out, the more he isolated himself but this never bothered him. Part of what made him so unique was that he never saw himself as part of a community. He believed this was the surest way to stifle your voice. Be independent, he always told me.
After I witnessed the Gujarat riots, we met on a few occasions. But he never liked hearing my stories from Ahmedabad. It was not that he was not interested but he did not want it to rattle his core belief that humans are inclined towards goodness and reason, two things he saw lacking during the 2002 carnage.
We ended up growing apart because he was so ideal about India and religion that that idealism which I always saw as his virtue I began to see as his blind spot. But I always appreciated how he never gave up and more importantly, how he was always re-examining his beliefs.
The last time we corresponded was in 2005. It was a few months after Modi was denied a visa and I was active in Washington DC in raising awareness about Gujarat. But I was burned out and frustrated by my fellow Indian Americans who could not be bothered with what happens in India. What I wanted, I told him, was more support, more people to stand with me.
“You will not find many friends on this path,” he wrote to me.
It is these words and that image of him—standing off to the side, staring at the ground as when I first saw him—that I will always remember about him. Yes he was alone, as many are who push for change, but he was also something very unique and rare. He was his own person.
(Zahir Janmohamed is a writer in Ahmedabad.)
http://kafila.org/2013/05/14/asghar-ali ... more-18467
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ghulam muhammed
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
ISLAM AND SECULARISMbadrijanab wrote:Meaning of secularism: a doctrine that rejects religion and religious considerations
As per Oxford dictionary meaning of Secularism: not connected with religious or spiritual matters.
So, was Mr. Engineer anti to all Religion including religion of Islam?
Asghar Ali Engineer
(Secular Perspective October-1-15, 2000)
Is Islam compatible with secularism? This question is quite important in the present context, particularly in 21st century. Both non-Muslims and orthodox Muslims feel that Islam is not compatible with secularism. Fundamentalist Muslims totally reject secularism as anti-Islamic and haram. Maulana Maududi, founder of Jamat-e-Islami-e-Hind had said, while leaving for Pakistan in 1948, that those who participated in secular politics were raising flag of revolt against Allah and His Messenger. The Saudi `Ulama, too, denounce secularism as strictly prohibited in Islamic tradition.
Islam is declared to be incompatible with secularism because in a secular state there is no place for divine laws, and secular laws are unacceptable to Islam. Also it is believed that in Islam religion and politics cannot be separated. On these grounds secularism is totally rejected by orthodox Muslims. They also think that secularism is atheistic, and atheism has no place whatsoever in Islam. Islam strongly emphasises faith in Allah. These are some of the grounds which make orthodox Muslims uneasy with the very word secularism. Islam emphasises life hereafter and secularism means only those matters which pertain to this world. There is no place for the world hereafter as far as secular philosophy is concerned.
We would examine here whether these assertions are true and whether Islam is really incompatible with secularism. Firstly, we should make a distinction between what is theological and what is historical. The concept that religion and politics cannot be separated is more historical than theological. In fact the Holy Qur'an, as we have pointed out elsewhere too, does not give any concept of the State; it only gives the concept of the society. The Qur'an is concerned with morality rather than polity. An upright conduct, justice, truth, benevolence, compassion and human dignity are very basic to the Holy Scripture. It repeatedly asserts these values. Thus it clearly means that these values are very fundamental to an Islamic society rather than to a State.
Also, unlike other religions, Muslims had well-developed Shari`ah law which was unanimously accepted as divine in origin. Most of the religious leaders thus rejected the very concept of secular law as unacceptable. The `Ulama, as pointed out above, had strong grip over the hearts and minds of the poor and illiterate masses and used the social base to oppose any change. The feudal lords, too, had not much use for secularism and readily struck an alliance with the `Ulama giving them full support. Thus the `Ulama strongly resisted any change in the Shari`ah laws. Not only that, they would not even admit of any reform. Those like Muhammad Abduh and others who advocated ijtihad (creative interpretation of Shari`ah laws in view of modernisation and change) were marginalised. Those important socio-economic factors cannot be ignored while discussing Islam and secularism.
There has to be a balance between reason and faith. Faith is as important to human existence as reason is. Reason, in fact, is a tool humans use to achieve their goal. Reason can never become absolute though its usefulness as a tool cannot be minimised. Faith, on the other hand, is not tool but belief in higher values. These values are fundamental to a meaningful life on this earth. Reason at best ensures 'successful' life but not meaningful one. It is faith in values like compassion, justice, equality, non-violence etc. which make human life meaningful. Thus a creative synthesis between reason and faith is absolutely necessary for successful and meaningful life on this earth. Sacral and secular should not be treated as two poles or antagonistic contradiction. They are rather complimentary to each other.
The faithfuls should also bear in mind that faith should not mean blind imitation of the past traditions. Faith has to be in values, not in past traditions. As absolute secularism could lead to a life devoid of meaning and responsibility towards fellow human beings absolute faith also could lead to blind surrender to an authority which leads to highly exploitative practices. One has to guard against such possibility by employing ones rational faculty.
If understood in this sense one will not find any contradiction between reason and faith and between religion and secularism. Islam is also compatible with secularism, seen from this perspective. If secularism is interpreted as an atheistic philosophy, no believer in religion would accept it, let alone a believer in Islam. Islam, as pointed out above, lays strong emphasis on belief in God and unity of God. Muslims believe in divine revelation of Qur'an and in Muhammad being Messenger of Allah. One need not challenge these beliefs in the name of secularism. Secularism should be taken in political rather than philosophical sense. Secularism in political sense creates social and political space for all religious communities.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE :-
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~rtavakol/ ... ecular.htm
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ghulam muhammed
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Compatibiility of Islam, secularism and modernity
Back Interview with Asghar Ali Engineer by Farish A. Noor
http://dawoodi-bohras.com/news/126/64/C ... e_comment/
Back Interview with Asghar Ali Engineer by Farish A. Noor
http://dawoodi-bohras.com/news/126/64/C ... e_comment/
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badrijanab
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Ho jalal e baadshahi, ya ho jamhoori tamasha.
Juda ho deen siyasat se, to reh jaati he Changezi.
- Allahma Iqbal
Juda ho deen siyasat se, to reh jaati he Changezi.
- Allahma Iqbal
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Al Zulfiqar
- Posts: 4618
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
bro gm,
it is good that you resurrected this article on islam and secularism. mohd ali jinnah, the founder of pakistan considered himself a secularist, as much as he considered himself a muslim. in his views, opinions, speeches and behaviour, he made it patently clear that secularism emanated from every pore of his being. being a lawyer, it all the more influenced his thought and philosophy. its a tragedy of another kind that those who followed him did not recognise or respect his secularist stance and overturned the very reason why pakistan came into being and what were supposed to be its sacred founding principles.
it is good that you resurrected this article on islam and secularism. mohd ali jinnah, the founder of pakistan considered himself a secularist, as much as he considered himself a muslim. in his views, opinions, speeches and behaviour, he made it patently clear that secularism emanated from every pore of his being. being a lawyer, it all the more influenced his thought and philosophy. its a tragedy of another kind that those who followed him did not recognise or respect his secularist stance and overturned the very reason why pakistan came into being and what were supposed to be its sacred founding principles.
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badrijanab
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Bohra Youth (progressives) and Bohra Shabab have nothing to do with secularism. They oppose it indeed.
Secularism is personal opinion of Engineer Asger. And is not the official stand of Dawoodi Bohra Youth (progressives).
The official stand of Progressives is: they abhor and boycott the foolish concept of 'Secularism'.
Secularism is personal opinion of Engineer Asger. And is not the official stand of Dawoodi Bohra Youth (progressives).
The official stand of Progressives is: they abhor and boycott the foolish concept of 'Secularism'.
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ghulam muhammed
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Most of the members also abhor and boycott the foolish concept of your so called "Pristine Faith" which is full of hatred and fictitious stories and which provide fodder to the enemies of Islam as it helps them sow seeds of hatred within the Ummah thereby leading to disunity and infighting.badrijanab wrote:The official stand of Progressives is: they abhor and boycott the foolish concept of 'Secularism'.
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Al Zulfiqar
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
badrijanab saheb,badrijanab wrote:
The official stand of Progressives is: they abhor and boycott the foolish concept of 'Secularism'
as you constantly keep reminding everyone to separate pristine bohra beliefs from deviant saifee/burhani abde practices, in the same way, please let me remind you to separate your and your limited group's beliefs from the general progressives and not call it 'official'. thank you.
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badrijanab
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Zulfiquar sahab,Al Zulfiqar wrote:badrijanab saheb,badrijanab wrote:
The official stand of Progressives is: they abhor and boycott the foolish concept of 'Secularism'
as you constantly keep reminding everyone to separate pristine bohra beliefs from deviant saifee/burhani abde practices, in the same way, please let me remind you to separate your and your limited group's beliefs from the general progressives and not call it 'official'. thank you.
Ab initio Progressives are not seprate from Shabab. The first law of Prog's is in reference to religion and matter related to religion their belief and faith is ditto like that of Shabab.
So what you said is actually other way round, please let me remind you to seprate your and your limited group beliefs from the general progressives. What I wrote is correct inference as per dogma of Progressive said in first para. Thank you.
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Al Zulfiqar
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
so in conclusion you are anti-secular! thanks for clarifying your dogma and bigotry. now everything is crystal clear. and all along we fools were expecting something else...
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ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
In what capacity are you entitled to make official statements on behalf of PDB ? What authority do you have to make any ridiculous statements on behalf of PDB thereby painting the entire PDB with the same brush. Are you an office bearer officially authorised to make statements ? If so then please provide proof.badrijanab wrote:The official stand of Progressives is: they abhor and boycott the foolish concept of 'Secularism'.
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Why so much grief for an intellectual crook?
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Al Zulfiqar
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
why this comment from an intellectually deficient slave?pheonix wrote:Why so much grief for an intellectual crook?
Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Good riddance to bad rubbish
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Bohra spring
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Re: Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away
Phoenix whatever you say or do will note change the fact he Mr Emgineer was recognised as the leader and scholar. His name and legacy is already out there for everyone to observe and experience. Abusing him after he has left us is cowardice since he can not challenge your accusations.pheonix wrote:Good riddance to bad rubbish
As a Muslim and an human , you may have emotional bias towards Kothar but that does not stop you acting with decency and being rational.
Your Muffy has a choice what legacy he wants to live behind and what is he doing about it !