Congratulations !!!

Commendable achievement by Ibtism Jamaludhen, 

daughter of KMWA, Delhi’s former President, 

in getting selection to the National School Basketball Team.

Varied Bakr-Eid Celebration

Varied Bakr-Eid Celebration 2012

The Bakr-Eid Celebration began by members of Kerala Muslim Welfare Association, Delhi in a varied manner.  Following the footsteps of Prophet Mohammed(PBUH), who insisted on going as far as China from Arabia for seeking knowledge, the members of the Association were in the Bengali Market Masjid today beginning their Bakr-Eid Celebrations by distributing text books of Maths, English and Science for the students of Madrassa running there.  Sweets were also distributed to these 60 children of different ages from 8 to 16 years old living there.

The Association has been into the effort of qualitatively improving Madrassa education for this institution since more than 4 years by imparting knowledge of Maths, Science and English for its students who get religious education alone from Madrassa.  The primary education which has not been there even in the remotest dreams of these students were having a great feeling on opening the world of alphabets, numbers and the amazing science & social science before them. Using the potential of committed students belonging to JNU, Jamia and Delhi Universities, the program of imparting education to these students continued uninterrupted on all Sundays except during the month of Ramzan when the Madrassa remains closed and the students go on vacation to their distant native places in the districts of the States of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal etc.

Though some of these students had got opportunity to study in schools for very brief spells of less than a couple of years before their enrolling in the Madrassa, there were also children who have not even heard about school system of education.  The association, though not expecting much improvement by imparting the basic education to these hapless children, the hopes are as high that at least the next generation of these children will be sent to schools to get  worldly education along with religious education. 

Getting success and satisfaction by imparting education to these less privileged children, the Association is going to extend same facility to the students of yet another Madrassa in Adchini area near JNU from the first week of November 2012. 

It is an effort to show the light of education and thereby uplifting the educationally downtrodden sections of the society as has already been done as a role model in Kerala among the Muslim community.

KK Basheer, President along with members of the Association distributed sweets and text books to the students and wished everyone a very Happy and Pious Bakr-Eid.  Mohammed Ali, Saleel Chembayil, Syed Ali, KV Hamza & Althaf also participated in the program.

Ramadan Mubarak ....

So again the Holy month of Ramadan is just a few days from now.

  

The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran; a guidance for mankind, 

and clear proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (of right and wrong). 

And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, 

and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, 

a number of other days. 

Allah desires for you ease; He desires not hardship for you; 

and that you should complete the period, 

and that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, 

and that perhaps you may be thankful.

Thus, via the Quran, Muslims are informed that Muhammad (pbuh), 

first received revelations in the lunar month of Ramadan. 

Therefore, the month of Ramadan is considered to be the most sacred month of the months 

of the lunar Islamic calendar, the recording of which began with the Hijra.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

"Save yourself from hellfire 
by giving even half a date-fruit in charity."    

- By AYESHA NUSRAT

Bottom of Form OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR The Freedom of the Hijab By AYESHA NUSRAT Published: July 13, 2012 It’s been over two months since I decided to become a hijabi — one who wears a head scarf and adheres to modest clothing — and before you race to label me the poster girl for oppressed womanhood everywhere, let me tell you as a woman (with a master’s degree in human rights, and a graduate degree in psychology) why I see this as the most liberating experience ever. Connect With Us on Twitter For Op-Ed, follow@nytopinion and to hear from the editorial page editor, Andrew Rosenthal, follow@andyrNYT. Prior to becoming a hijabi, I did not expect myself to go down this road. Although I knew modesty was encouraged in my culture and by my faith, I never saw the need nor had the opportunity to explore the reasons behind it. My experience working as a Faiths Act Fellow for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation and dealing with interfaith action for social action brought me more understanding and appreciation of various faiths. I found that engaging in numerous interfaith endeavors strengthened my personal understanding about my own faith. The questions and challenges I encountered increased my inquisitiveness and drive to explore and learn for myself various fundamental aspects of Islam. Thus began my journey to hijab-dom. I am abundantly aware of the rising concerns and controversies over how a few yards of cloth covering a woman’s head is written off as a global threat to women’s education, public security, rights and even religion. I am also conscious of the media’s preferred mode of portraying all hijabi women as downtrodden and dominated by misogynist mullahs or male relatives who enforce them into sweltering pieces of oppressive clothing. But I believe my hijab liberates me. I know many who portray the hijab as the placard for either forced silence or fundamentalist regimes; but personally I found it to be neither. For someone who passionately studied and works for human rights and women’s empowerment, I realized that working for these causes while wearing the hijab can only contribute to breaking the misconception that Muslim women lack the strength, passion and power to strive for their own rights. This realization was the final push I needed to declare to the world on my birthday this year that henceforth I am a hijabi. In a society that embraces uncovering, how can it be oppressive if I decided to cover up? I see hijab as the freedom to regard my body as my own concern and as a way to secure personal liberty in a world that objectifies women. I refuse to see how a woman’s significance is rated according to her looks and the clothes she wears. I am also absolutely certain that the skewed perception of women’s equality as the right to bare our breasts in public only contributes to our own objectification. I look forward to a whole new day when true equality will be had with women not needing to display themselves to get attention nor needing to defend their decision to keep their bodies to themselves. In a world besotted with the looks, body and sexuality of women, the hijab can be an assertive mode of individual feministic expression and rights. I regard my hijab to be a commanding question of “I control what you see, how is that not empowering” mixed with a munificent amount of authority emanating from the “My body is my own concern” clause. I believe my hijab gives me the right to assert my body, femininity and spirituality as my own and under my authority alone. I know many would agree with me when I say that the hijab is basically an expression of spirituality and a personal bond with one’s creator, a tangible spiritual reminder that guides everyday life. Yes, my hijab is a visual religious marker that makes it very easy for anyone to spot me in a crowd as a separate entity representing or adhering to a particular religion. This is all the more reason why, being a hijabi in the public arena is an escalating force that drives me to work in ways that would help break the undignified stereotypes, barriers and prejudices that my Islamic faith is relentlessly and irrationally associated with. As an extension of my personality and identity, it instigates me to challenge the misconception that Muslim women lack the bravery, intellect and resilience to challenge authority and fight for their own rights. Every time I see my reflection in the mirror, I see a woman who has chosen to be a rights activist, who happens to be a Muslim and covers her hair incidentally. My reflection reminds me of the convictions that made me take up the hijab in first place — to work for a world where a woman isn’t judged by how she looks or what she wears, a world in which she needn’t defend the right to make decisions about her own body, in which she can be whoever she wants to be without ever having to choose between her religion and her rights. Ayesha Nusrat is a 23-year-old Muslim Indian from New Delhi. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/opinion/the-freedom-of-the-hijab.html?_r=1

Remember....

Even if we are stuck in some hardship, or we are being tested, or we are disabled...

Why not we?

Infant of Anwar passed away....

It was yet another Saturday morning, when a call from Abubakar woke me up from slumber.  As expected, he told that I can say “Inna Lillahi vainna ilaiyi rajioon” because there is a death of an infant of Mr. Anwar, native of Ernakulam came from Dubai with his family to get his 5 month old boy treated in the famous Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.  Mr. Anwar does not have anybody known to him in Delhi and the news is through Mr. Basheer, the Spices person of Shalimar Bagh.   

Abu’s call was followed by Basheer’s call also.  What is to be done?  The parents are ready to bury their beloved son’s mortal remains in this historical Delhi, but would definitely like to visit his grave every time they come to this Capital city and hence want to locate an easily approachable graveyard.  Nizamudin was the place we could suggest.  Then it was telephone calls to and from every whose who of our Kerala Muslim Welfare Association, Delhi(KMWA).  

Abubakar and Basheer took the lead with the support of Markaz and our other good old friends in KMWA to discharge the duty, ‘farz’ of the last rites of this infant.   

The final telephone call at about 4 PM from Anwar who was going back to the airport with his wife and relatives empty handed after the colossal loss of their beloved child, thanking everybody for every support and concern they received in that fateful day of their life, still resonates in my ears with a silent prayer to God not to wake us up with bad news, with news of pain and desperation for anybody in this world.  

kv hamza,

19th May 2012

Congratulations Jaseela !!!

Congratulations Jaseela !!!

KMWA's Quality Improvement Program of Madrassa Education

KMWA's Quality Improvement Program of Madrassa Education 

in Bengali Market Masjid Madrassa, New Delhi

Classes are in full swing : Dated 13th May 2012
Teachers : Shafeeque, Rahees & Anees.
Coordinated by Mr. Hakeem Ponnani 
under KMWA, Delhi.

PRESS RELEASE

The Executive Committee of Kerala Muslim Welfare Association in its meeting held today, i.e., 6^th May 2012 in DMA Cultural Centre, RK Puram passed a resolution unanimously as under:

‘Of late there has been a spate of accidental deaths involving so many of Keralites working in different factories and other construction sites in the satellite towns of Delhi.  The association had been providing support to the bereaved families to take the mortal remains of their near and dear back to Kerala in these cases.  In this circumstance, it is pertinent to take up the matter with appropriate authorities like Ministry of Labour, National and vernacular newspapers, other audio visual media etc., to spread more awareness amongst the common people taking up jobs in the factories and other construction sites to strictly adhere to the safety standards prescribed for hazardous jobs.  The Government through its Ministry of Labour and other concerned organizations may enforce the safety measures in order to safeguard the young innocent lives having so many dependents at home waiting for their sole income.  

It has also been decided to revamp the Quality improvement Program of Madrassa Education taken up by the Association for imparting the knowledge of English, Science & Mathematics to the students of Madrassa in Delhi, by involving more University students to teach and more Madrassas to be covered in the current academic year.’    

   

With warm regards,

KK Basheer,

President, KMWA

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Mullaperiyar - KMWA's view