Tips to use Coronavirus Lockdown time 

by Dr. Aslam Abdullah
It is almost sure that the entire world, perhaps for the first time in human history, would impose a lock down due to Coronarius unprecedented spread. The governments would ensure that people maintain social distance, avoid assemblies of more than ten people, stop visiting places of worship, clubs, and sports arena, and stay at home. This unusual house detention of the entire family may last until the end of June or July, depending on the outcome of the testings.
As of March 17, 167, 515 cases were found with 6606 deaths, almost four percent of the infected people. In nearly 80 percent of the countries, people were infected through local transmission, while in the 20 percent, the reported cases are the imported ones.
Regardless, the coronavirus will impact the life of every human around us. We need to prepare ourselves for a changed lifestyle. We will have more time to spend with our spouses and children. We will not find many social gatherings around us to visit and relax with our friends. We will not even have the places of worship open for congregational prayers. During the month of fasting, Muslims may not have the special Taraweeh prayers in mosques. Christians may have to postpone their Sunday mass, Hindus, Sikhs, and Jews may also have to cancel their collective services.
During this time, we will have our televisions, the internet, and cell phones, and our family members around us. Exceptions will be homeless people, seniors living in hospices, or people without a family.
How should we use our time?
These are trying times for all. But, if we follow a disciplined and organized approach to make use of the time and opportunities we have, we can improve the quality of life for all.
Physical health.
We should not neglect our physical health. Staying in one place for 24 hours without exercising and physical movement will impact every aspect of our health. We can still go out to walk alone or with our family members in our neighborhood. We can do light exercises at home, individually and collectively. We can take time to organize our home and clean our attic or garage if we have one. We can work on our lawn if we have, trim the trees, rearrange the bricks, cut the grass, remove the weed or clean the patio, etc.  If we are physically fit, we can ensure that we clean our toilets, bathrooms, and all those areas that remain out of sight during regular days.
Spiritual health
We would need a rational understanding of everything happening around us. We would like to know why the logic behind quarantine? Why did this disease spread so fast? We want to decipher the reasoning behind the assertion that viruses the centuries-old notion that infections are divine punishment. We want to understand the religious argument that such moments allow us to test our strength and capacity. We cannot do that purely based on the knowledge that we have created through our experience. We will have to return to a higher authority for guidance. Most of us believe in a higher power whom we remember through different names in different languages. We believe that he spoke to us through his specially chosen individuals, known as messengers and prophets. The message delivered through them is in books we call holy scriptures.
The scripture Muslims call the Quran reminds them that when "calamity befalls them, they say, verily, unto God do we belong to and unto, God we shall return."
Muslims usually recite this expression at the time of someone else's funeral. However, the verse has broader implications. It means that God is our creator, and we must try to understand the purpose of our creation to make our life meaningful. In this journey to rediscover ourselves, we may come across many hurdles and obstacles, but we must not lose hope in our ability to overcome. We must return to divine guidance to understand the causes of the calamity and try to fix them so that we do not repeat the same mistake.
It is in this context we can return to the divine guidance, reflect on them, and evaluate our lives accordingly. We can select passages from the Quran and reflect on its relevance to our situation. We can do it individually or collectively.
Additionally, we can plan to memorize passages from our scriptures. We can choose those passages that have messages for our day to day life. We can seek the help of those who are familiar with such passages through emails or phone calls or search them on google or use the vast resources available at Islamicity.org.
One of the goals we all can have is to read the scripture with meaning if we are not well versed in the Arabic language. These days, the Quran translations are available in audio and written form all over the internet.
The other thing that we can do is select a book or books to read at least 25 pages a day. If we cultivate this habit, we will reap its benefit when we return to our regular life. It will become our daily chore and a life long companion.
We should also plan prayers on time in family settings. Perhaps, we could organize a smaller scale, Jumah, at homes with ten or fewer people. The Fiqh of numbers comes from jurists based on their times and situation. It is not a divinely ordained number, and it can change according to the circumstances.
Family Health
The time we have will allow us to build a relationship with our spouses and children. We can have daily meals with the family together. We can turn these meals into family meetings and discuss issues that impact us all. We should use these forums to inculcate the habit of listening to others patiently. If we have young children, we should help them overcome their fears and concerns.
It is also essential that we play some sports or board games or indulge in some entertaining activities. We can watch a good movie or an excellent documentary together. We can play games that many of us might have played in their childhood.
Perhaps, we can use the time to tell our children and spouses about our family history and our roots, revisit our values, and remind ourselves of the task that lies ahead of us. We can all participate in the family to prepare the food menu and help each other in cooking the food and setting up the tables and cleaning afterward.
Friend's and Neighbors
During this period of isolation, it is also useful to call your friends from time to time. You may offer your services to local hospitals in case they would want a patient to talk to someone over the phone. Or you can call some senior whom you know and seek his welfare. Diseases do not spread through talking over the phone. It would be an excellent way to keep your contacts fresh.
Similarly, you can engage in social interaction with your neighbors while maintaining the social distance.
However, the success of all these recommendations would depend on our ability to translate them into reality. Doubtlessly, if we are disciplined, we will see a qualitative change in our life. If not, it will be just a few more months of social isolation. It is up to us to return to our world as a transformed individual or in a state of stagnation. 

The Prostrating politician at the feet of AIPAC

Every four years, almost all known political leaders, regardless of their party affiliations, come to the American Israeli Political Action Committee (AIPAC) to renew their pledge to the state of Israel and prostrate before the mighty unbreakable idol of the Jewish lobby. Why shouldn't they? AIPAC offers public officials huge donations through its networks to get them re-elected. In 2019, AIPAC and its affiliates spent $2,962,107 on lobbying for Israel.

This year the AIPAC conference was different. Only one Democratic Party presidential aspirant, Bloomberg, a Jew by faith and race, was in person present at the meeting. Biden and Klobucher sent their video messages. Bernie Sander maintained his 30-year old tradition and refused to attend the apex body of Israeli supporters in the country. Even though Sanders was absent, he dominated the AIPAC as speakers after speakers targeted him for their hate and condemnation. The most prominent ones were the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel UN envoy Dany Dannon. The Israeli Prime Minister described Sanders as part of forces that are trying to break US-Israeli relations, and the envoy of the Jewish state called him a liar or an ignorant fool or both. He told Sanders that he was not welcome in Israel as he would not be allowed to re-enter Israel again.

The Democratic aspirant for the Presidential candidacy, Bloomberg, called Sanders dead wrong for saying that AIPAC promotes bigotry and hatred. He assured the lobby of his loyalty to Israel. The other two candidates Biden and Klobucher, also prostrated before the lobbying group, giving their words that they would remain committed to Israeli interests forever.

The Republican leaders, attending the conference were Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Pompeo, House minority leader as well as senate majority leader. In their speeches, they assured Israel of their undivided loyalty to the Zionist state.

The $330 million US tax dollars work hard for 8.6 million Israelis, mostly Jewish, as they pay some $3.6 billion annually to the state of Israel. According to the US congressional report, the US taxpayers have paid $143 billion to the state of Israel until 2019, an amount larger than the annual budget of at least 35 countries.

The US support to Israel stems from four main reasons:

1. Thirty-five percent of US citizens are evangelical Christians who believe that the return of Jesus would happen when all the Jews gather in Israel to build the Third Temple.
2. Liberals identify them with the Zionist movement that sought a homeland for Jews. They view Israel as the center of democracy and hope of the underprivileged.
3. Many Christians still live in guilt for letting one of them, Hitler, kill millions of Jews during the holocaust in Germany.
4. The US Administration feels that the Israeli-Arab conflict empowers the country in the Middle East and ensures a steady gas supply.

For these reasons, the US has never played the role of an honest broker in the conflict. It has always sided with Israel regardless of the plight of the Palestinians.

Over the years, many Americans, feeling frustrated with their Administration's one-sided support to Israel, started questioning the Israeli policy towards Palestinians. They began to demand equality for the people uprooted from their land by the settlers from Europe and the Middle East.

Bernie Sanders articulated their feelings when he said that the security of Israel does not mean denial of human rights to Palestinians. The growing anti-Israeli movement has shaken the Israeli lobby that is using all sorts of tactics to scare its opponents.

The pro-Israel groups are funding candidates heavily who are not questioning Israel's right to deny Palestinian their human rights. They hope to unseat candidates such as Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic primaries. They are also investing huge on the Biden campaign as others have backed off from the race.

Sanders has come under attack not only from AIPAC but several Hindu groups who support the paramilitary organization RSS and BJP of India. The United States India Political Action Committee, formed in 2012, began shifting to Republicans from Democrat in 2017. In 2018, it gave all its PAC money to Republicans. Sanders is no favorite with India lobby, which is a Hindu lobby as its members are from the RSS and BJP supporters in the US.

These two lobbies representing racist Israeli and Indian political elites, are certainly impacting the US elections.

The public needs to be aware of their influence.

Biden Campaign and Hitler's Hindus or Hindu Fascists 

By Dr. Aslam Abdullah
Joe Biden, aspiring to be the Democratic Presidential nominee, had appointed Amit Jani, a Hindu nationalist and the supporter of India's Prime Minister, accused of masterminding the Gujarat massacre of Muslims in 2002.
However, the voters objected to his decision, and on March 9, 2020, the Biden campaign nominated Farooq A. Mitha as the Muslim outreach coordinator. Biden, however, did not remove Jani. Why? Like a real politician, Biden wants to play safe and court Modi for getting Hindu votes.
Biden campaign may have miscalculated its appeasement of Hindu nationalists. Modi has already endorsed Trump. In Houston, in front of the world in the public rally in September 2019, Modi had declared, "four more years to Trump."
No matter how many Hindu nationalists Biden or any Democratic candidate appoint, Hindu American supporters of Modi and his organization, the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh, RSS, would not back him. The RSS is a fascist organization that believes in the supremacy of Hindu upper castes and wants to turn the secular and plural constitution of India into a Hindu nation with no equal rights to people of non-Indian faiths such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
Amit Jani has close ties with RSS and its counterparts in the U.S.
The other reason could be the influence of RSS supporters in his own Delaware state, where Hindus are the second-largest religious group after Christianity.  Between 2000 and 2010, Hindus saw 116 percent growth in Delaware.  However, a vast majority of these Hindus are supporters of Modi and the RSS and send financial contributions to Hindu groups in India, many of them reportedly involved in promoting hatred and violence against minorities.
Hindu Americans claim 4.1 million adherents in the U.S. Not all are Indias, as one million of them are of ancestry other than Indian. But, only 35 percent of them, or 1.4 million are citizens.  The total number of Hindu voters is less than 600,000, and Hindus percentage in voting as 57 percent.
Biden campaign will alienate progressive and human rights activists by identifying with Hindu fascists and supremacists, and his continuous appeasement of such elements would alienate many other Indian voters of Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic faiths.
Biden's new Muslim advisor is Farooq A. Mitha, who served in the Obama administration as the Special Assistant to the Director of the Department of Defense (DoD). Before joining, he DoD, he was a partner in the law firm
 Prior to joining the Obama administration Farooq was a partner in the law firm Geller Mitha, P.A., where he focused on civil litigation, business transactions, government affairs, and administrative law.
Mitha also served as the Executive Director of the Emerge USA, a nonprofit civic engagement organization.  He has a background in international policy and national security. In 2009, Mitha conducted research as a Fulbright Fellow in Amman, Jordan where he focused on Jordanian-Israeli relations. His research was published in the summer 2010 edition of Middle East Policy. Mitha also participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, where he co-led a discussion on election reform in Lebanon.
Mitha obtained his law degree from the University of Florida Levin College Of Law and held a B.S. degree in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences from the University of South Florida. He is fluent in Arabic, Spanish and Gujarati.
In the opinion of many election experts, his appointment would remain cosmetic as long as the Biden campaign does not distance itself from Hindu fascists.
 Hindu American supporters have created the impression that with about 500,000 voters, they may swing the votes in key battleground states. These states are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
In battleground states won by Trump, the victory margin was between .1 percent to nine percent.
In Arizona, President Trump's victory margin in 2016 was 3 percent, in Florida, 2 percent, in Georgia, 5 percent, in Iowa 9 percent, in Michigan, a few thousand votes, in North Carolina, 4 percent, Ohio, 8 percent and in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, only a few thousand votes.
In battleground states won by the Democrats, the margin was between .1 to 3 percent. In Minnesota, 3 percent, in Nevada, 2 percent, and, in New Hampshire, only a few thousand.
These 13 battleground states will seal the fate of the next President of the United States. Democrats are secure in California, D.C. Rhode Island, New York, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, New Mexico, Mane,  Washington, Virginia, and Colorado. The Republicans will win Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky,  easily, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Southern Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming
In the battleground states, Muslims are more than one percent of the population.  They make up to 3 percent of the 13 battleground state electorates. Their votes would be crucial to secure victory for any Presidential candidate.
Muslims in 8 of the 13 battleground states, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Colorado can play a manor role in deciding who the next presidential candidates would be.
In the last general elections, President Trump won 307 electoral college votes. Out of that, 150 came from the Nine states.
Swing of states such as Florida, 29 votes, Pennsylvania, 20 votes, Michigan, 16 votes, Ohio, 18 votes, and Wisconsin, 11 votes, Colorado, nine votes, Nevada, four votes, and Minnesota 16 make 123 electoral college votes.  Of these 123 electoral college votes, President Trump won in the last election. If Muslim voters in these states cast at least 60 percent votes, a Democratic nominee would be able to add 123 votes to the safe Democratic votes of 207, making the total votes for either Biden or Sanders 330 out of 538.
Biden, if elected as the nominee, risks the Muslim support if he continued to pander to the supporters of Hindu fascists and nationalists. His mistake in appointing Amit Jani as the special outreach coordinator to Muslims has already cost him substantial Muslim support as some 60 percent Muslims are supportive of Sander compared to only 16 percent of Biden.
One hopes that the next Presidential candidate of the Democratic party understand the matrix of the battleground states and act wisely.

Women of Shaheen Bagh

Never before in the history of Muslims, there arose a movement led by women to protect the constitutionally guaranteed secular and plural structure of a country as they rose in Shaheen Bagh, a small residential district in New Delhi.  Perhaps it would be appropriate to say that this women-led movement is unique in the history of the world.
No one would have thought that those who live on the margins of their community would motivate and galvanize millions around the world and mobilize them to be activists rather than passive spectators.
It is feminism at best. It is resistance at the peak, and it is a revolution with far-reaching consequences not only for Muslims in India but in the rest of the world as well.  It is not an exaggeration to foresee a future where every movement led by women will feel its impact.
It started as a protest against the notorious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that the Hindu nationalist party government passed in India's parliament on December 11. Soon, it became the movement for the protection of India's constitution, and now it is a revolution that every law-abiding, secular, and democratic Indian wants to identify.
This movement drew crowds in millions all over the country. It led several state assemblies to pass resolutions against the CAA. It brought the secularists and democrats on one platform, and it exposed the fascists who want to turn India into a Hindutva Rashtra.
Shaheen Bagh women are average Muslim women. They do not belong to any political party or identify with any religious sect or institution.  Most of them grew up in an environment that put restrictions on their movement and participation in public life. They come from various strata of the middle-income group.
Their entry into Muslim public institutions such as mosques and Islamic centers was restricted, so they had little opportunity to listen to the religious sermons of their leaders.  Even they had gone to mosques and Islamic centers, and the speeches might have told them that their place is within the four walls of their homes, or they have to serve their husbands, or they must not speak in front of men. Yet they gathered information about their world through the internet or joining WhatsApp groups of sisters or news circulated through television, etc.
They felt suppressed in a male-dominated world. But when these women saw their daughters and sons beaten mercilessly by the Delhi police on December 15 at Jamia Millia Islamia, they could not hold their anger back. They came out in the streets against police brutality. The protest evolved into a movement for the protection of the constitution, and soon India's women, in general, responded to their sisters and daughters in Shaheen Bagh.
Today, in hundreds of cities across India are women are out on the streets braving harsh winter and vulgar attacks on their integrity and character. The fascist party's leaders called them Pakistani agents, or terrorists or traitors. Some even went to the extent of calling them, whores. Yet these women in their hijab and niqab did not let their dignity leave them. They stood their grounds firmly, and even after 70 days of protest, they are as enthusiastic as they were on the first day.
The Supreme Court of India, which symbolizes the values of a male-dominant institution, could not capture the essence of the movement. It reduced its importance by declaring a dispute over road closure. The 100-meter space these women have occupied in Shaheen Bagh has become a priority of the Court, not the constitution that these women are determined to defend.
The women of Shaheen Bagh do not trust the present government of India. In their view, it consists of fascists and liars. They believe that the ruling party is using its majority to change the ethos of India. They strongly feel that religion does not determine citizenship, and people have a right to live with dignity in their own country.
These women have shown the world that despite all obstacles and impediments, people can rise and peacefully bring about changes.  They have shown discipline, responsibility, and dedication to the cause, and they have created a role model for the women of the world. Hopefully, they will inspire Muslim women around the world to defend human dignity and plural values so that no one feels excluded.

The Hereafter, Akhira

The concept of Akhira is the foundation of Islam. It's a simple concept based on logic and specific fixed laws. It is not a mystery or an enigma. In simple terms, it means that whatever we do in this world will bring us consequences, and Akhira or the Hereafter is the phase where every human being will know them and understand the nature of life that they will live in the next phase of existence. This concept proves the existence of a higher authority and the idea of life after death and asserts the supremacy of justice. Not every action we perform in this world is known or open. The Hereafter will record and reveal everything that we do in this world.

The universe we live in is not a haphazard entity. Everything that exists in it follows specific laws.  We call them. The laws of Return and they are fixed. Every action taking place in this universe creates its reaction and consequence. We notice some reactions immediately and others later. The reaction and consequence are fixed. For instance, if we do not know how to swim and we throw ourselves in Deep Ocean, according to the Law of Return, we would perish.
The Quran such consequences immutable and divinely created scales or criteria.
This has been Allah's Sunnah (practice), and there will never be a change in this  (48:33, 17:77, 35:43) : "… the scales fixed by Allah...(33:38)"

The laws are self-evident in the physical universe. In the spiritual world, sometimes, the consequences appear instantly and sometimes later. This concept of Law of Return at a later phase of existence is the foundation of the Hereafter.
Thus the concept of a hereafter is the logical culmination of the Law of Return. Akhira or Hereafter is the concluding phase of existence. Akhira is the essence of faith. It leads to the beginning of a new phase of existence that is different from the previous one. The word Akhira is used in r different meanings in the Quran.
There is a tomorrow or a future for everything present
The tomorrow of individuals emerges from their today.
There is a tomorrow for humanity
The tomorrow of humanity comes on the heels of its existence in the world
The tomorrow of humanity is different than its today
The ultimate tomorrow of individual and humanity is the ultimate Akhira that would close every chapter of today and usher in into  a new phase

The belief in the Hereafter completes one's faith in divine guidance. The Quran describes the believers  …and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter. (2:4) See also (27:3, 31:5)
The Quran declares the belief in the Hereafter as a fixed condition for understanding divine guidance. It describes those who do not believe in this concept as Mushrik or a polytheist. Furthermore, it says that Evil forces can quickly overtake those who do not accept the Hereafter as the ultimate reality.
This concept asserts the supremacy of the Law of Return. There will be a world where everything human beings do in this world would be accounted for, and consequences will be delivered, and a new beginning of existence will come into being.
The Law assures that human beings will exist after death, and the Qiymat is the phase of the physical resurrection of human beings. This resurrection will be a huge assembly, and every action that human being indulges in the world would manifest itself before everyone
What happens after death? The common belief among Muslims is that after death humans body will receive punishment or reward. The Quran does not say so. It mentions two deaths and two lives
They will say, our Sustainer, twice have you made us without life, and twice have you given us life! (40:11)
 How can you reject the belief in Allah - seeing that you were without life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will you return. (2:28)
Before we came into this world, we were dead, and our birth ushered into life. Death is the end of this life. After that, God will raise us again on the Day of Judgment. What the Quran calls Barzakh is an interim period between death and resurrection.
The Day of judgment would determine the final destination of every human being.  Those who did not believe in the concept of life Hereafter and the Law of Return and indulged in actions that defied the divine guidance would live a phase of new life that would be full of pain, turmoil, destruction, and upheavals. This life will be their hell.  Those who live their lives according to the divine guidance will have a life of peace and contentment, prosperity, success, and achievement.  This will be their paradise.
The life of these two categories of people will be eternal. Thus the concept of Akhira is to help human beings to prepare for eternal life. The Law of Return, based on the nature of consequences, will determine the final phase of one's eternal existence.

The Movement for Human Dignity: The Movement of the Century

By Dr. Aslam Abdullah

The world is witnessing an unprecedented movement for dignity and self-respect in the narrow streets and crowded lanes of almost every nook and corner of India. It's a people's movement in the most real sense. The loudest voices in this earth-shaking epic struggle are of those who, in general, live on the periphery of society.  Women and Youth are not only the faces but the spirit of the people's march towards a brighter and better future.

It all began in the first week of December 2019. The government of India, under the leadership of the Hindu nationalist party, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), passed an amendment in India's citizenship laws that granted the right to Indian citizenship to the nationals of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan belonging to all religious communities except Muslims. The amendment stated that those had entered India before December 2014 would qualify for this provision.  It is the first time independent India used religion as a criterion of its citizenship. It goes against Article 14 of the constitution that states that the state shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection before the law within the territory of India.

The Parliament passed the law on December 11. The same day, a handful of students from the prestigious Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, organized a peaceful sit-in at the campus against the act. The next day the numbers increased, and on December 15, students from other schools and colleges also joined the sit-in. It is on this day that the Delhi police under the instructions of the Home Ministry entered the campus uninvited and brutally beat up the students in the library, mosque and classrooms. The Police arrested several students and injured many more. The same night, the students of the Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University (DU) gave the call to assemble at Delhi Police Headquarters to demand action against the police brutalities. The Police released all arrested students. But what happened next was unanticipated.

Universities after universities rose against the Delhi police brutalities and rejected CAA. The next day, a few women from Shaheen Bagh went to the scene of police brutalities and stood in silence protesting against the state violence. The following day, more women came out on the streets, and then they marched back to Shaheen Bagh to begin what now has become the most prolonged mass sit-in by women in the history of India. 

Millions are participating in the sit-in. Millions more are organizing similar sit-ins in different parts of India. At least 100 cities have reported similar 24/7 sits-ins by women, children, and men. Among those participating are old and young, healthy and physically challenged, rich and poor, as well as women from all religious or no religious backgrounds.

The movement inspired India's artists, writers, activists, and intellectuals who came in thousands to pay tribute to the women who, until recently, were behind the four walls of their homes. Shaheen Bagh became a place of pilgrimage to every self-respecting individual in the country and every freedom seeker.

The Hindu nationalists tried every trick to defame the movement. Yet, the women showed their determination to continue protesting against the CAA and the attempts to start a registry of citizenship known as the National Citizenship Register and National Population Register.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of India continues to lie about the citizenship act. His home minister explained to the nation in India's Parliament the chronology of citizenship act, saying that first, he would introduce CAA then NCR.  But, the Prime Minister, in his public speech, heard all over the world, denied any intention to introduce NRC. He even said that his government never used the word NCR in the last years of its power. He also denied the existence of any mass detention centers, even though his government had acknowledged their presence.

The people's movement against CAA or NRC is not about an unjust law. Instead, it is about a political culture that India is witnessing for the last six years ever since the Hindu nationalists came to power. It's a culture that promotes hatred, divisions based on religion, caste, class, and language. It's a culture that uses the law and enforcement agencies to change the secular character of the country and change the constitution. It's a culture that praises violence and honors the murderer of Gandhi Ji, the architect of India's independence. It's a culture that marginalizes minorities, women, and people belonging to the so-called lower castes.

CAA or NRC is just a symbol of resistance. Its ultimate goal is liberation from the divisive forces of hatred and bigotry.

During the last 70 years of independence, the Hindu nationalists under the leadership of Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh created a narrative of the country that described Muslims and Christians as invaders and lower castes as unworthy of living a decent life. With its extensive and well-organized cadre, the RSS infiltrated all echelons of Indian society, including law enforcement agencies, academia, and the judiciary, as well as bureaucracy. With an absolute majority in India's Parliament, it believes that it can turn India into a Hindu Rashtra on the pattern of Nazi supremacists by Hitler. The RSS founders and ideologue were in praise of Hitler, and they did not hide their intentions to reduce India's non-upper caste communities into second class citizenship.

The People's movement is against the usurpation of India by the RSS. For the soul of India, women and youth are on the streets putting their lives at stake. It is a historic moment not only for India but for the world. If India turns into a Hindu Rashtra, it will destroy not only India but also the world because the RSS version of Hindu Rashtra has no respect for science and the rights of other religions. This movement has serious implications for the world, and everyone who believes in human dignity and self-respect must take its notice.

Al-Imam uz Zina: The Fornicating Imams

By Dr. Aslam Abdullah

The title in English means the fornicating Imam. It is not a symbolic title. It refers to an emerging trend in Islamic centers and mosques, especially in North America. Imams and religious leaders take advantage of their positions in the Muslim community and indulge in what they describe as consenting fornication with vulnerable females, young and old. The news of their flirtatious behavior trickles, and the board covers it up. Still, when the more significant segment of the community becomes aware of the stories, and the females come forward with their ordeal, the management quietly removes the Imam or religious leader from its institutions. .
In the process, the victim is often advised to keep quiet and let the matter go. Some members refuse to admit the victim's complaint and quote the sharia to justify their silence with the argument that four witnesses were not present to corroborate her story. Others do not want the story to go public to save Islam from being misrepresented. Still, others ignore it as they do not regard it as a severe issue.
Often, the community becomes split on the issue. Some people take the side of the Imam and others to oppose him. Finally, the matter comes to an end when the management makes a compromise with the Imam, assuring him that it would not disclose his deviant behavior to his future employer.
It is an irony that the Imam uses Islam to fornicate, the victim sees it a divinely sanctioned act, the management believes that covering of the deviant behavior is according to Islamic Sharia. The community feels that the veil of secrecy is necessary in these cases.
The whole process gives clear evidence of the inability of the community to deal with its problems rationally and reasonably. It also speaks of their ignorance of Islamic guidance in such cases.
Islam does not want evil to prosper and grow. It provides clear guidance on issues that often lead to fornication. The Quran acknowledges the right of a victim to air wrongs done to him/her. The Quran also admonishes the believers, including religious leaders and Imams, not to go closer to evil.
The Quran demands protection of the identity of the victim.  Simultaneously, it requires preventive measures to minimize the chances of fornication by those who are in the position of power. Human beings are prone to error, and there would always be individuals who would transgress the divine limitations in their behavior. However, in institutions run on the foundation of divine guidance, one can hope to see rules to minimize the transgression if not eliminate it.
By and large, Muslim institutions in North America or elsewhere in the world have failed to develop policies and measures to prevent the occurrence of fornication or illicit sex.
There is no policy document to be found in any reputable Muslim institution in North America or elsewhere that gives details of the process of investigating such cases and taking appropriate actions if the Imams are found guilty. There is no Muslim institution that provides training to Imams on dealings with people of the opposite gender and following a religious protocol in their demeanor.
In an environment, where the Imam or religious leader is in full authority to use his position to influence the opinion of the members who approach him for consultations, the possibilities of deviant behavior are enormous unless there are checks and balances.
It is this absolute freedom that becomes the leading cause of the behavior that violates the divine guidance. This behavior is evident in many religious seminaries in almost all over the world where religious leaders, teachers, and other influential members take advantage of a vulnerable community to satisfy their lustful be4havior.
The Muslim community must not hide from facing reality. It should acknowledge that the number of fornicating Imams is rising.  It should look at the practices others follow in dealing with similar situations.  It should adopt policies backed by regular training on the issue. It should stop believing that the title Imam or religious scholar guarantees perfect behavior.