Editor,
The Taliban banning University education for women is both cruel and soul crushing. This decision is against the spirit of Islam, and this prohibition has no place in Islam. The Quran commands all Muslims, Surah 96: Al-‘Alaq: 1-5, . This passage reads: “Read in the name of thy Sustainer, who has created – created humankind out of a germ-cell! Read – for thy Sustainer is the most bountiful one who has taught humankind the use of the pen – taught a human being what he did not know!” This verse links the human ability to read, to know and to write, to divine bounty. That knowledge has been at the core of the Islamic worldview from the very beginning. The virtue of knowledge is amplified by Prophet Muhammad, who said the ink of a scholar is greater than the blood of a martyr, thus bestowing a degree of honor on teachers, writers and scholars. He encouraged Muslims to seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave. After the victory of Badr, in the year 624, he migrated to Medina, where he began a program to erase illiteracy among Muslims. He found that many prisoners of war, who were Meccans, were literate, and he made their release conditional: Each prisoner must teach 10 Muslims how to read and write.
The Taliban’s repulsive treatment of women, denying them the rights enshrined in the Quran, snubs 1,400 years of the history of Muslim women being held up as intellectual luminaries. They are denying the legacy of Khadijah, the entrepreneur who financed the Prophet’s mission, and Fatima Al-Fihri, who established a mosque that developed into Al-Qarawiyyin University in Morocco, recognized as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. Women have been active in the field of medicine since the time of the Prophet. Rufaida al-Aslamia (b.620) is arguably the first known female nurse and surgeon. She established mobile caravans to serve her community during war and peacetime.
The Taliban wrongly claim that their rulings are based on the Quran and under the six objectives of Shariah. Shari‘ah” literally means a path leading to running water where humans and animals come to drink water in safety. It is both ironic and tragic that “Shari‘ah” which is a way of life characterized by fluidity (not rigidity) and safety (not coercion) should be interpreted so wrongly and used to deny women their God-given rights, of which the right to education is of foundational significance. Men and women who care must unite globally to communicate to the Taliban that every girl has the right to achieve her intellectual potential to contribute to the betterment of her family, community and society. Despite the dire circumstances, the world still has leverage, and the international community must use it now. The Taliban will do whatever it takes to advance their objectives. The international community often fails to do the same. Now more than ever, it’s time for global stakeholders to be just as firm about the values and the protection of the rights and dignity of all.
Yours etc.,
M.Haque (Advocate)
Shillong-6
Live and let live
Editor,
The visit of American President Obama is still alive in the minds of Indians when he openly criticized the attacks on Christians in the country and also quoted the clauses of the Constitution which provide for freedom to adopt any religion of a person’s choice. In Orissa the political alignment was broken by the BJD on the issue of attacks on Christians and even a Christian religious leader was miserably burnt. This year the G20 session is being hosted by India and in this regard many programmes will be held. In the month of March such a programme will be held in Amritsar. The country will have to be more cautious about loose talk on religious intolerance. If any leader issues statements about such incidents then the very purpose of organising the G-20 Conference in the country will be defeated. Stern action should be taken against such fundamentalists who are engaged in narrow politics without caring for national interests. BJP should immediately stop propagating the anti- minority slogans. The country had faced anguish after the Arab countries had reacted adversely following the statement of Nupur Sharma a BJP leader. Even the Supreme Court had to make strong remarks against such elements who incite violence and can harm the social fabric of the country.
Yours etc.,
Yash Pal Ralhan.
Via email
Why is BJP delaying in announcing candidates?
Editor,
All political parties barring the BJP have announced their candidates for the forthcoming MLA elections scheduled to be held in February 2023. In Shillong North the other candidates have marched ahead in the campaign while the BJP is still twiddling its thumbs. Will this not be a setback for the Party? In any case what is the BJP waiting for? Is the Party assessing the winnability of the candidates first? Other than AL Hek and Sanbor Shullai the sitting MLAs we the voting public are not sure who the BJP candidates for different constituencies are going to be. This is quite a setback for the candidates wanting to contest the elections.
In Meghalaya it is a known fact that the BJP has only a peripheral hold on state politics and has not been able to improve its position since 2018 except very marginally. Prime Minister Modi’s visit does not seem to have given the State BJP a shot in the arm. In some constituencies there are two contenders for the tickets. The inability to decide candidates quickly could harm the Party irreparably.
Yours etc.,
Marlin Syngkon,
Via email