Miracle Media Group!

BC Canada

BRINGING HARMONY TO ALL THE COMMUNITIES

Volume 12 Issue 306 Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 AH / March 23 2012 - $1

Bi-Weekly & Bilingual

www.miraclenews.com

Pakistan Day Muslim leader, Palestinians condemn Jewish killings in France

Healthy Families – Healthy Communities Conference held by PCWS

Pakistani Canadian Women’s Society hosted a conference focussed on mental, physical and emotional well being of families and communities on March 16. More than 200 women attended this annual educational event.

See details on Page 11.

Vancouver ranks 56th in magazine list of Canada’s best cities to live in Vancouver — which often takes top spot in international livability surveys — isn’t getting much respect closer to home. In fact, MoneySense magazine, focusing on finances,

says there are 55 better places to live in Canada. Lotusland on the Pacific came in dead last out of 190 Canadian communities for affordabe housing, setting the picture-perfect B.C. burg back far enough to rank just 56th in a new study — Canada’s Best Cities to Live 2012. Vancouver did have a couple of bright spots — No. 1 in culture, No. 6 in ‘walk/ bike to work’ — but the last-place affordability hurt its

chances along with a crime rating of 123 and a jobless rating of 112. Ottawa led the nation, Toronto came in at No. 47, and B.C. communities were better represented in the lower registers than near the top. Saanich led the province at No. 15, followed by B.C.’s second-highest-rated community of Victoria at No. 35. After Vancouver at 56, Salmon Arm rated 61st, followed by Delta at 64, Courtenay at 73, and Nanaimo at 74. Turn the survey on its head — Canada’s Worst Cities to Live 2012 — and British Columbia suddenly is a real contender. Canada’s bottom feeder — New Glasgow, Nova Scotia — takes the last spot in the survey, but has plenty of companions from the Wet Coast. Williams Lake is second worst at No. 189, Port Alberni stands at No. 186, and Prince Rupert checks in at No. 180. On its website, the Toronto-based MoneySense magazine explains its methodology: “Canada’s Best Places to Live 2012 compiles, weighs and ranks 190 cities and towns in Canada by 22 separate categories, for a comprehensive data-driven snapshot of the benefits and drawbacks of our urban communities in Canada. “While we can’t gauge many of the elements that people enjoy in their cities, the nearness of family, the friendliness of neighbours or even great sunsets, we have measured what can be measured and compared what can be compared from towns and cities across our provinces and territories.”

France’s top Muslim leader said Wednesday that a besieged suspected Islamist who claims to have carried out a string of shootings to avenge Palestinian children had acted against Islam.

“These acts are in total contradiction with the foundations of this religion,” said the head of the French Muslim Council, Mohammed Moussaoui. “France’s Muslims are offended by this claim of belonging to this religion.” Moussaoui and Richard Prasquier, the head of France’s main Jewish organisation, the CRIF, were to meet Wednesday with President Nicolas Sarkozy as the siege outside the shooter’s apartment continued in the southwestern city of Toulouse. The joint meeting shows “an important thing,” Prasquier said, “that it is absolutely impossible to confuse this person and the Islamist, jihadist, al-Qaedist movement that he represents, with Islam in France, which is a religion like any other.

There are French Muslims among this man’s enemies,” he said, adding that nonetheless: “We must avoid all complacency with regard to these movements, which represent a true danger to our republic.” Also the Palestinian missions in France on Wednesday condemned the “hateful” attack two days earlier on the Jewish school. Palestinian diplomatic missions “condemn in the strongest possible terms the hateful attack carried out in Toulouse,” a statement said. “All racist crimes are attacks on humanity in general and on the republic in particular.” “It appears the weapon used in that massacre is the same as that used previously against three French soldiers of different origins, which leads one to suppose the killer is driven by a multifaceted racist hatred,” it said. The statement was issued in the name of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the Palestinian Authority, and Palestine’s missions to France and UNESCO, which is headquartered in Paris. Meanwhile Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said extremists must stop using the Palestinian cause to justify their acts of violence. “It is time for these criminals to stop marketing their terrorist acts in the name of Palestine and to stop pretending to stand up for the rights of Palestinian children who only ask for a decent life,” the Palestinian premier said in a statement.

Source: Al-Arabiyah

Special Fares for Pakistan by Gulf Air Line

1-800-663-6696

2

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

3

p a k i s t a n

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

National security committee presents recommendations over Pak-US ties

The special joint sitting of the two houses of parliament on Tuesday called for unconditional apology from the US over Salala border post air strike and reduction in the country’s footprints in Pakistan, as it started a debate on redefining the terms of engagement with Washington in the light of the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS).

The committee chairman, Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, presented the much-awaited report of the committee, which carried recommendations for review of the Pak-US relations. Apart from recommendations to review the relations with the US, the committee also touched upon Pakistan’s sensitive defence pacts. Presenting guidelines for revised terms of engagement with the US/NATO/ISAF and general foreign policy, Rabbani said, “Parliament has three options, it can either accept the recommendations, accept them with amendments or totally reject them.” The parliamentary committee recommended that in the new rules of engagement Pakistan’s sovereignty shall not be compromised. It stressed for qualitatively bridging, through effective steps, the gap between assertions and facts on the ground, and noted that

the relationship with the US should be based on mutual respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of each other.

It said the government needs to ensure that the principles of an independent foreign policy must be grounded in strict adherence to the Principles of Policy as stated in Article 40 of the constitution, the United Nations (UN) Charter and observance of international law. “The US must review its footprints in Pakistan. This means: i) the cessation of drone attacks inside the territorial borders of Pakistan; ii) no hot pursuit or boots on Pakistani territory iii) the activity of foreign private security contractors must be transparent and subject to Pakistani law,” the recommendations said.

The committee noted, “It needs to be realised that drone attacks are counter-productive, cause loss of valuable lives and property, radicalise the local population, create support for terrorists and fuel anti-American sentiments.” Pakistan’s nuclear programme and assets, including its safety and security, cannot be compromised, it observed, adding that the US-Indo civil nuclear agreement has significantly altered the strategic balance in the region, therefore, Pakistan should seek from the US and others a similar treatment/facility. The committee stressed that the strategic position of Pakistan regarding India on the subject of Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty must not be compromised and this principle be kept in view in negotiations on this matter.

The committee further recommended that Pakistan reaffirm its commitment to the elimination of terrorism and combating extremism in pursuance of its national interests and stressed that no overt or covert operation inside Pakistan shall be tolerated. It condemned the unprovoked NATO/ ISAF attack on Salala border posts in Mohmand Agency, which resulted in the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers, calling it a breach of international law, and a blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity

We specialize in Pakistan, India, Middle East, Fiji, Europe, South America and South Pacific.

We do Hajj, Umrah packages, Cruises and Disney Land tours etc.

Abdul Rauf (President)

galaxytravel@live.ca

www.galaxytravel.ca

www.junaidiqbal.ca

NOTARY PUBLIC

SAIRALLBKHAN (London) T: 604-591-5824 C: 604-324-9944 saira@vannotary.com

#213 - 8334 - 128 Street, Surrey

Illegal detention not to be tolerated, warns court The Supreme Court warned again on Monday that it would not tolerate illegal detention of any person, but asked the authorities concerned to deal with delinquents strictly in accordance with the law if they were found involved in any offence against the state or the nation. A three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had taken an application of Omar Mahmood Wali who had been picked up in broad daylight on March 10 in the presence of his family. At the last hearing, his counsel had alleged that the only crime of 24-year-old Omar was that he was supplying food to demonstrators demanding recovery of missing persons in Islamabad.

On Monday, Islamabad Inspector General Bani Amin Khan informed the court that Omar Mahmood Wali had returned home on March 16 because of the steps taken for his recovery. He admitted that “agencies had abducted the man”, but

when the court asked if he had contacted the Punjab IG, he said he had contacted the Inter-services Intelligence. When asked who was involved in the abduction, he simply said he had contacted all three agencies — ISI, Military Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau. However, IG Amin said that since an FIR had been registered and the incident was being investigated he was not in a position at this stage to ascertain the involvement of any of the three agencies. Omar Wali who appeared before the court, along with his father Mahmood Ahmad Khan, also declined to name the abductors. He only said he was not in a position to identify them. He said he had been interrogated for six days. The court asked Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq to communicate to all concerned that it was the duty of the state to protect the life

Continued on pg 5

Lunch Buffet 11:30 AM- 3:00 PM Monday &Tuesday Thursday- Sunday

$8.95 $9.95

Menu: • Soup/Veggie Dish • Special Afghani Appetizer • Tandoori Roasted • Chicken Pallow • Channa • Yogurt • Naan • Chutney • Dessert • Green Tea

T: (604) 596 1861 C: (778) 855 1861 shoaib.surrey@gmail.com (Opposite Newton Wave Pool)

Buy/Sell your house with the No. 1 realtor of the year 2011 for Omax Realty Ltd

10% Off Take Out

We will now have the sseating capicity of 150-175 guests for Aqiqa, Wedding, Political, Birthday, P Religious and Social R gatherings and other cconferences etc.

Shoaib Rauf

#220 -13711 72 Ave.Surrey; BC V3W 2P2

LAL ONLY HA Enjoy Delicious and mouth watering Afghani food in our Unique Environment

NOTARY PUBLIC

Abdul Qayyum Call for Party Reservations

Omax Realty Ltd C: 778-688-4777 9287 120th St. Delta BC www.abdulqayyum.com

Get a Free return ticket when you Buy or Sell your house with me. some conditions may apply. limited time offer

Celebrating 60 years in business

Abbotsford 2-2488 Clearbrook Rd. 604-854-6088 Vancouver 6550 Fraser St. 604-324-2277

Surrey: Unit # 303, 8128-128th St. Surrey (Payal business centre) 604-584-1411

See Anis Shah in our Surrey Office

PAKISTAN

INDIA

BANGLADESH MIDDLE EAST

$990 $799 $730

AFRICA

FIJI

SRI LANKA

$752 $750 $1050 $1030

Visit: www.bainstravel.com www.indiatour.ca www.cruiseconcepts.net

4

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

Launch Special Mon-fri. 11am-4pm

Takeout Specials

- Chicken Shawarma (Donair ) and fountain drink for

- 12 skewers of grilled lamb cubes $29.99 - 12 skewers of grilled chicken sheesh

$4.99

- Two skewers of chicken sheesh tawook or beef kebabs and fries or rice,garlic and hummus dips,pita bread,and fountain drink for

$9.99

tawook or beef kebabs $24.99 - 10 pieces of fried chicken $12.99 - Whole grilled chicken or fried with garlic dip $17.99

*We do special orders of kebeh, lahmbaajeen, roasted lamb leg, half /full lamb on traditional rice orders, manakeesh on saj and Lebanese breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays and Eed days. Come and join us, be part of our great Muslim and Arab group community

we welcome catering orders and you can enjoy our 55 Seats hall for all of your occasions for the price of your foods

5

i n t e r n a t i o n a l

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

US general says Afghan mission ‘on track’

General John Allen, the United States’ top commander in Afghanistan, has told Congress that plans to withdraw from the country by the end of 2014 remain on track.

Allen’s statement to legislators on Tuesday followed the alleged massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by a US soldier and protests over the burning of Qurans at a US airbase which have damaged relations between the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the Afghan government. In a testimony to the House Armed Services Committee, Allen said the killings in Kandahar had had no major impact on the withdrawal timetable and that coalition forces were making progress in handing over security to the Afghans, with the expectation that US combat forces would leave by December 2014. “I believe the campaign is on track” Allen said of the more than 10-year ISAF mission. But Allen said that 13 coalition troops had been killed by apparent Afghan security force members since January in attacks he said were believed to have been motivated by anger over the burning of Qurans at Bagram

airbase. Some legislators pressed Allen on whether the United States should accelerate the timetable for withdrawing some of the combat forces in the wake of recent problems in Afghanistan and growing war weariness in the US. “We are making a difference. I know this and our troops know this” Allen said to the politicians facing an increasingly war-weary US public. The current US plan calls for a withdrawal of 23,000 US troops by the end of September and a complete withdrawal by December 2014, when Afghan forces are to take charge of the country’s security.

Allen told the committee that he had not yet assessed the force levels he expected would be required for 2013 and 2014. “Before the end of 2012 I intend to provide through my chain of command to the president a series of recommendations on the kind of combat power that I’ll need for 2013 and 2014. I don’t have a decision at this point,” he said. He added that he had not made up his mind whether he would recommend an offensive in eastern Afghanistan, which officials had long suggested would follow up opera-

tions in the south. “I’ve not made a final decision at this point. We anticipate shifting resources to the east in any case because it remains there that the principal COIN (counterinsurgency) fight will ultimately be shaped in 2012,” he said.

Allen also expressed criticism of neighbouring Pakistan, which he said allowed al-Qaeda-linked and other armed groups “to operate with impunity: across the border, and Iran which he said “continued to support the insurgency and fuels often the flame of violence”.

Source: Al-Jazeera

Russia to back Annan’s Syria peace plan Russia says it is ready to support France’s presidential statement to the UN endorsing Kofi Annan’s plan for settling the Syrian crisis. But Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said on Tuesday that the statement should not turn into an ultimatum to the Syrian government, which has set the stage for tough bargaining over the wording of the document at the UN Security Council. First talks on the statement will be held on Tuesday, and France’s UN envoy Gerard Araud said he hoped it would be adopted the same day. A presidential statement has less weight than a resolution but is adopted by consensus and is generally negotiated faster. Araud said it is “very limited” to Annan’s mission in a bid to reduce any potential opposition. “It’s really the least controversial text that we could enter,” Araud told reporters after presenting the proposal to the other 14 members of the council on Monday. The statement calls on Assad and Syria’s opposition to “implement fully and immediately” Kofi Annan’s six-point peace plan. It says the council will “consider further measures” if nothing is done within seven days of any adoption. Russia and China have twice shielded Syria from UN sanctions over its long crackdown on an anti-government uprising, in which more than 8,000 have died. But the Kremlin has also offered strong support to Annan, the former United Nations secretary-general who is the joint UN and Arab League special envoy. Annan met Assad twice earlier this month and made proposals to end the bloodshed, which have not been made public. Lavrov said that Annan’s proposals should now be unveiled, adding that Moscow stood ready to back a UN Security Council resolution supporting it. Lavrov’s statement came after Moscow backed calls by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for daily two-hour ceasefires to deliver humanitarain aid to people caught up in the Syrian conflict.

On Monday, the foreign ministry called on the Syrian government “and all armed groups who oppose it” to agree to ceasefires “without delay,” after ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger held talks with Lavrov on Monday. Moscow had called for the ICRC to have access to “those detained in Syria for their participation in protests”.

Kellenberger said Russia’s support for its appeal was “very important” and that he noted it with “satisfaction and gratitude”. He said the prospect of more Syrian cities being subjected to the intense military bombardment seen in Homs earlier this year was “absolutely unacceptable”. In February the ICRC, the only international agency to deploy aid workers in Syria, proposed a daily humanitarian ceasefire of two hours to allow time to evacuate the wounded and deliver food, medicine and other vital supplies. Amid the diplomatic efforts to halt the violence, the Opposition fighters have once again been accused of using brutal tactics on Syrian security forces. In an open letter, the group has urged the opposition to condemn the abuses. Human Rights Watch has also said it has received reports of executions of Syrian forces by opposition fighters. And some of the attacks appear to have targeted Shia Muslims or members of Assad’s Alawite sect. Meanwhile, violence is continuing across Syrian cities including Hama, Homs and Damascus. Overnight, the Syrian capital experienced some of its heaviest fighting since the uprising began a year ago. Witnesses said machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades were heard from the heavily guarded district of al-Mezzeh, where several security buildings are located and which has seen several large anti-government protests.

The opposition Free Syrian Army has pulled out of the Eastern city of Deir Az Zor for fear of an army assault. Activists said the rebel army feared its presence there could provoke an army assault and cause a civilian massacre.

Source: Al-Jazeera

Pakistan : Continued from pg 3 and liberty of its citizens. “Undoubtedly, in the instant case, Omar has been recovered because of police efforts, but the question arises how long such exercise will continue. If involved in any offence against the state or the nation, the culprit deserves no leniency but should be dealt with in terms of Article 10A of the Constitution. “Under Article 9 of the Constitution, it is the fundamental right of every citizen of Pakistan

that he shall not be deprived of life and liberty,” the court said. The court told the IGP that this was not for the first time; rather time and again this court had been making it clear that without registration of a case, the detention of a person would be illegal.

“Therefore, keeping Omar in detention for six days prima facie has no justification,” the court said.

Romney scores big win over Santorum in Illinois Republican Mitt Romney cruised to an easy victory over top rival Rick Santorum in Illinois on Tuesday, moving him one step closer to clinching the party’s volatile battle for the presidential nomination.

Dozens dead in string of Iraq blasts A wave of car bombings and roadside blasts across several cities in Iraq have killed at least 50 people and wounded about 250 people, police and hospital sources say. The attacks on Tuesday came just days before Baghdad is due to host an Arab League summit, the first meeting of the 22-nation body to be held in the Iraqi capital since Saddam Hussain’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

One of the deadliest attacks targeted the city of Karbala, where at least 13 people were killed, including five Iranian pilgrims, according to Hussein Shadhan al-Aboudi, a local provincial council member. In the northern city of Kirkuk, a car bomb exploded near a police headquarters, killing 13 and wounding 30. “We have also received parts of bodies, but we do not know who they belong to,” said Mohammed Abdullah, a doctor at Kirkuk hospital. “We lost everything,” said Mohammed Sobheh, a policeman wounded in the Kirkuk attack. “Not one of my colleagues is alive; they were all killed. I will never forget their screams as long as I live.” In Baghdad, a suicide car bombing opposite the foreign ministry building in central Baghdad killed three people and wounded nine others. A group affiliated to al-Qaeda said it had targeted the office that will oversee security when the Iraqi

capital hosts the Arab League summit next week. “Death is approaching you, when you least expect it,” the Islamic State of Iraq said in a statement. Blasts also occurred in Baiji, Samarra, Tuz Khurmato, Daquq and Dhuluiya, all north of Baghdad, and Hilla and Latifiya in the south. Police in the northeastern city of Baquba said they had found and defused eight bombs Another car bomb in Ramadi, capital of western Anbar province, killed two people and wounded 11, according to local police and medical officials. A separate gun and bomb attack took place in the Salaheddin province, killing two people. Security forces in Iraq have been placed on high alert ahead of the Arab League summit. Officials insist Iraq’s forces are capable of maintaining security for the summit, but have admitted they may need to effectively shut down Baghdad to do so. Parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi condemned the “brutal criminal” attacks, and said they were part of efforts by al-Qaeda to “derail the Arab summit, and keep Iraq feeling the effects of violence and destruction.”

Tuesday’s violence was Iraq’s deadliest day since January 14, when 53 people were killed in a suicide bombing outside the southern port of Basra.

Source: Al-Jazeera

6

i n t e r n a t i o n a l

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

BCTF to ask members to support plan that includes a full-scale walkout

The B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) will ask its members to support a “bold plan of action” that includes the possibility of a full-scale walkout if the Liberal government does not change its approach to public education, president Susan Lambert said today. The union will hold a membership vote April 17-18 on the plan, which was drafted behind closed doors this week by delegates attending the BCTF’s annual general meeting. Lambert did not disclose full details of the plan, but said one question for members next month is whether they favour province-wide withdrawal from extracurricular activities such as coaching sports teams, sponsoring student clubs and graduation ceremonies. Classes will resume as normal Monday when students return from spring break, she added. The only immediate actions will be a legal challenge to the Liberal law known as Bill 22 and efforts to inform the public about the state of B.C. education as a result of what Lambert called “a decade of neglect.” Meanwhile, the government has an opportunity to repeal Bill 22

and change its attitude, she told a news conference.

“Government can rethink this legislation. Government can take the higher ground. Government has the choice, it has the power and it has the right.”

If it refuses to do so, more teacher protests will follow, including the possibility of a province wide strike, said Lambert, who was re-elected president on Tuesday for a third, one-year term. But whether that goes ahead depends on support from 41,000 public school teachers. The idea of staging an illegal strike was promoted during the AGM by the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association, which said restricting protest actions to those considered legal would be “both an expression of our acceptance of unjust laws and a certain defeat for our profession.”

The BCTF has calculated that a one-day illegal strike would cost $20 million if the government imposed the hefty fines permitted under Bill 22. But the Victoria local said the union could simply refuse to return to work until all penalties were dropped.

Bill 22, which was passed earlier this month, orders a six-month cooling-off period in the teachers’ contract dispute and changes the rules for classroom organization and sets the stage for a mediator to be appointed by government to consider a range of issues, including contract language about seniority, professional development and teacher assessments.

The mediator will have until the end of June to submit a report, but the union has not yet decided if it will participate. Education Minister George Abbott, who is in China, was not immediately available for comment.

Source: Vancouver Sun

Frustrated with handling of Tuareg rebellion, Mali’s military mutinies Disgruntled soldiers in Mali mutinied at two military bases on Wednesday and cut off broadcasts at state TV and radio, but the President insisted that the country was not facing a coup attempt. The sounds of heavy weaponry echoed into the night in Bamako, where recruits had earlier mutinied at a military base, shooting volleys in the air. The mutiny spread to a military base in Gao, a strategic northern town, where troops captured a half-dozen senior officers and were holding them, according to a military student at the base who requested anonymity because he feared for his safety. A Twitter message from the account of Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré insisted Wednesday: “There is no coup in Mali. There’s just a mutiny.” Young soldiers are increasingly angry over the government’s failure to come to grips with a northern rebellion of Tuareg separatists. Soldiers who took part in the attack in the capital said they are doing so in order to pressure the government to listen to their demands and not in an effort to overthrow the landlocked

nation’s democratically elected leaders. But in the capital, which has weathered multiple coups, the population was on edge. Businesses barricaded their doors. Office workers rushed to get home. Since the afternoon, both state TV and radio had been yanked off the air. Residents in the neighbourhood where the state broadcaster is located reported seeing soldiers place a machine gun in front of the TV station. Armed men stopped cars from going nearby, and only motorcycles could navigate past the newly erected military checkpoints in central Bamako. The Obama administration is monitoring the unrest in Mali, a nation the United States has long held up as an example of a thriving democracy in Africa. The U.S. embassy in Bamako was advising Americans in Mali to stay indoors. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the situation was “unclear and unfolding quickly.”

She said grievances should be addressed through dialogue, not violence.

Source: Globe and Mail

Iran ‘ready to retaliate if attacked’ Iran will retaliate against any attack by Israeli or US forces, the country’s supreme leader has said in a defiant address made shortly after US President Barack Obama had issued a message directly to the Iranian people. Both Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Obama were speaking on Tuesday to mark Nowruz, the Persian new year, with Khamenei reiterating once again that his country did not intend to build nuclear weapons. “We do not have nuclear weapons and we will not build them but in the face of aggression from the enemies, whether from America or the Zionist regime, to defend ourselves we will attack on the same level as the enemies attack us,” Khamenei said in a speech broadcast on state television. “Americans are making a grave mistake if they think by making threats they will destroy the

Iranian nation,” he said. Israel and the US have threatened military action against Iran unless it abandons nuclear activities which the West suspects are intended to develop nuclear weapons. Further talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries (the permanent five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) are expected to take place next month in an attempt to reach a compromise deal. The most recent talks between world powers and Iran failed in January 2011 because of Iran’s refusal to suspend its sensitive uranium enrichment work, as demanded by several UN resolutions and major powers. It says it has the right to develop a peaceful nuclear programme as a signatory to the international nuclear non-proliferation treaty. In his speech, Khamenei highlighted the country’s nuclear

French hunt school killer, suspect neo-Nazi ties Police searched southern France on Tuesday for an expert gunman suspected of fatally shooting seven people in the head at close range in attacks that may have been motivated by neo-Nazi ties or grudges against minorities. The shooter is suspected of carrying out three deadly attacks: leaving four people dead on Monday at a Jewish school in Toulouse, three of them young children; killing two French paratroopers and seriously wounding another last Thursday in nearby Montauban; and fatally shooting another paratrooper in Toulouse on March 11. All the victims in the school attack were Jewish with duel French-Israeli citizenship, and the paratroopers were of North African or French Caribbean origin. The shots were fired at such close range that the gunfire burned the skin, prosecutor Francois Molins said Tuesday. On Tuesday night, the school attack victims were being flown to Israel for burial there, accompanied by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe. A funeral service is being held Wednesday in Montauban for the paratroopers.

All three attacks — which also left a paratrooper and a teenage boy seriously wounded — were carried out by a man on a powerful Yamaha motorcycle who was wearing a helmet and carrying a Colt 45, Molins told reporters in Paris. But he said other clues to the killer’s identify were scarce. Molins noted that the attacks had occurred every four days, but said he could not address security arrangements that might be in place Friday — the fourth day after the attack on the Jewish school.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has raised the terror alert for the southwest region to scarlet, the highest level on the four-color scale that automatically added 14 new units of riot police and gendarmes to the region.

Hundreds of extra police will be on duty Wednesday for the funeral services of the three paratroopers and Sarkozy will speak. More than 200 specialized investigators, including psychologists and profilers, are on the case and “no clue will be abandoned or neglected,” Molins said. Hundreds of people have been questioned, but no one has yet been detained and no searches carried out, he added. The focus fell Tuesday on three paratroopers who had been expelled from their regiment near Toulouse in 2008 for neo-Nazi sympathies, a police official said. The prosecutor said that track was among those being studied. Investigators also are checking the hypothesis that the killer could be a former soldier with psychological issues or with racist and anti-Semitic motives. The killer has shown he can handle large-caliber guns with expertise, leading some to suspect he had a military or police background. France was reeling Tuesday after the school attack, the deadliest school shooting in the country and the bloodiest attack on Jewish targets in decades.

Schools across the country — and French schools around the world — held a moment of silence Tuesday to honor the victims. At the site of the second paratrooper killing, police found the charger for the gun used in all three attacks, but discovered no fingerprints or DNA on it, a police official said. Police are studying the online communications by the first paratrooper killed. He was shot March 11 after posting an announcement online to sell his motorcycle, the police official said, and investigators believe the gunman responded to the ad and lured the paratrooper into an isolated place to kill him. Behavioral analysts are helping with the investigation, the police official said, and comparing the actions of the suspected perpetrator to those of serial killers and to those such as Norway’s Breivik.

Source: AP achievements over the last 12 months; namely, increasing uranium enrichment to 20 per cent and loading domestically-made fuel rods at a Tehran research reactor. “In a situation where the enemies were putting bets on the fall of the Iranian nation, and talking about the crippling sanctions, Iran has accomplished all these achievements,” he added.

The US and its allies have imposed tough new sanctions on Iran since this year which western diplomats say show signs of having a strong effect on the Iranian economy. Timothy Geithner, the US treasury secretary, said on Tuesday that Washington would keep looking for ways to effectively put pressure on Iran and was getting help from Europe, Japan, China and South Korea. “We have had much broader co-operation even beyond Europe because you’re seeing Japan, South Korea, China and countries around the world really moving with us to tighten up” sanctions against Iran, Geithner told a congressional committee hearing.

Obama on Tuesday made a direct appeal to the Iranian people, saying there was “no reason for the United States and Iran to be divided from one another”. In a video message, also marking Nowruz, Obama said the US sought a dialogue with the Iranian people in order to hear their views and understand their aspirations. Obama said the Iranian government had established an “electronic curtain” around its people, blocking their access to much of the outside world. “Increasingly, the Iranian people are denied the basic freedom to access the information that they want,” Obama said. “Instead, the Iranian government jams satellite signals to shut down television and radio broadcasts. “It censors the Internet to control what the Iranian people can see and say. The regime monitors computers and cell phones for the sole purpose of protecting its own power.” The president has often sought to use the occasion of Nowruz to attempt to draw a distinction between the Iranian people and the government in Tehran.

Source: Al-Jazeera

7

e d i t o r i a l

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

ADULTERATING DEMOCRACY VIA MANIPULATIVE RECONCILIATION

Indeed, politics is the art, and the Pakistani rulers’ survival shows that they’re wellversed in this art by hooks or by crooks.

Now they control the Senate as well.

During his fifth address to the joint session of the parliament, President Zardari said, “Prime Minister Gilani deserves our unqualified appreciation for his political wisdom in handling various challenges with courage and perseverance.” The President also recognised the support of the coalition partners to the PPP government during the last four years.

Certainly, this is a great achievement on the part the PPP, yet that means nothing for the majority of 180 million people living far below the poverty line.

Having taken full advantage of the vulnerable Opposition, the president always played smartly to keep enforcing his type of reconciliation - tactfully involving “the Opposition turned Coalition Partners” to overcome the possible woes pushing for the PPP’s derailment before the tenure actually ends in 2013.

After enjoying the ‘friendly opposition’ – offered previously by the N league, the PPP despite its sub-standard governance has been able to continue in power with the help of the ANP and (Qatil) Q league.

Most disturbing is “off & on” attitude of the MQM – which means nothing but always staying with ruling party just to continue milking some benefits through sharing the governance & stuff – that surely contradicts Altaf’s stand on rooting out feudalism from the country.

According to the Chairman Senate Mr. Nayyer Bukhari, the government has successfully met enormous challenges, estab-

lished rule of law and assured supremacy of the Parliament. However, he made no mention of contempt of court committed repeatedly by the chief executive on several occasions openly.

Defiance of the unanimous verdict given by the bench of 17 judges of the apex court regarding the annulled NRO is mockery of the apex judiciary. Has this defiance been establishing rule of law as chairman senate claims?

There is no doubt about the ulterior motives of the defiant rulers who ridicule the orders of the apex court to actually run a campaign to cover up their corruption.

It’s important for the honourable supreme court to re-adust its position of lenient attitude towards those who have been ridiculing the judiciary; the defiant group would never learn without getting convicted and disqualified.

The disappointing attitude of Mr. Zardari during his interview by GEO Hamid Mir was a painful one when he specifically stated that no letter would be written by his government to Swiss courts, as it would be tantamount to putting the grave of Benazir Bhutto on trial; again this is legally flawed argument.

Whether the current president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is permitted to enjoy constitutional immunity from criminal cases, is far from being established until there is a legal case in the real sense before the relevant court to decide the issue of presidential immunity. But, the PPP regime never went to claim the said immunity in a court of law, and instead interpreted the immunity clause of the constitution claiming that it contained no ambiguity requiring

L E T T E R S

&

any interpretation from the Supreme Court.

On the contrary, the Supreme Court’s sole contention has always been that since the NRO has already been declared null and void, therefore, the letter written by the ex-Attorney General to the Swiss courts, requesting closure of all pending cases on the basis of NRO, should be withdrawn as being unlawful document.

As withdrawal of the earlier letter would automatically result in the reopening of the corruption cases against Zardari. So the loyal regime has been stubborn enough to be defying the court orders to save the widowed spouse of the slain leader Benazir Bhutto under all circumstances.

The way, the government is using delaying tactics, corruption cases against Zardari may become time-barred in Swiss courts, and the matter would be shelved away forever.

Sadly, Prime Minister Gilani’s loyalty is with his president, not with the unfortunate people of Pakistan.

What about the immeasurable intensity in frustration of the general public over the inflated prices and low supply of gas and electricity? The legislators and senators are bent upon ignoring the public will.

Furthermore, the life of common man is difficult and a tension-free atmosphere to people at large is missing altogether.

Crystal clear is the message to the voiceless people—“accept the status quo or go to Hell –sort of thing.”

Horribly, the national debt is mounting on the weak shoulders of the future kids of Pakistan.

Of course, it’s gradually suffocating the people to death. And, tension in the shape

of traffic jams and poor law and order situation is extremely painful as well.

Under the nasty scenario, policy of reconciliation has been successful to keep the ANP, MQM and Q league onboard to provide life support to the inefficient rulers.

In fact, mufahmat is nothing but hypocrisy.

Also, Muk muka (agreed adjustments) between the PPP and PML-N before elections is aimed at defeating the rising genuine voice of people.

Making rhetorical statements against PTI, some political parties have joined hands to put deep dents in the fast growing true voice of the nation. But the fact is “dirty politics cannot provide a level playing field.”

Way out: Unless PTI wins a landslide victory in the next election, the crooks in political mafia will sell the country through a liquidation sale. Developing newer breed of highly educated leaders with integrity and conscience is needed the most. The PTI’s “anti corruption tsunami” is the biggest challenge for the supporters of status quo and the momentum is in the making. The people have to stand up with courage for their constitutional duty to oust the crooks from the system permanently.

The honest media must play a positive role aggressively to bring about a positive change to steer the country out of the troubled waters, sooner the better.

Waan laysa lil insani illa ma’ sa’aa That man can have nothing but what he strives for.

O P I N I O N S

Happy Pakistan Republic Day

Pakistan Republic Day

Jinny Sims (MP Newton-North Delta)

Raj Hundal (NDP Candidate Surrey Tynehead)

SURREY, BC. New Democrat Member of Parliament from Newton-North Delta Jinny Sims’ message on the occasion of Pakistan Republic Day: I would like to take this opportunity to wish my constituents of Pakistani decent a very happy Pakistan Republic Day. Republic Day commemorates the Lahore Resolution and the creation of the world’s first Islamic Republic.

I would also like to thank the Pakistani community here in Newton – North Delta for your many contributions to our riding and to our country.

Since their independence, the people of Pakistan have worked to build a strong nation that honours their distinct culture and history. Pakistan is a jewel in South Asia with a rich culture and tradition.

Our riding is proud to be the new home to so many Pakistani immigrants who enrich our communities.

In the words of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, “With faith, discipline, and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.”

Happy Pakistan Republic Day to you and yours!

Miracle Media Group Inc.©

Contact Info Mailing and Office Address 9160-136A Street Surrey BC. V3V 7Z8 Canada Fax: 604-582-7809

Founder : Nusrat Hussain Managing Editor: M. Naseer Pirzada Sub-Editors: Khadija, Misbah & Sabeeh Hon. Chief Editor & Urdu Editor Mohammad Rafiq Advertising : info@miraclenews.com Ph: 604-690-0400 Email: naseer@telus.net,

March 23rd 2012 marks the Republic Day of Pakistan. This is certainly a joyous occasion for all of us to celebrate and remember. On this day we celebrate the passing of the Lahore Resolution of 1940 and the adoption of the first constitution of Pakistan during the transition of the Dominion of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 23 March 1956 making Pakistan the world’s first Islamic republic.

As we celebrate, it is important to remember that the adoption of the first constitution of Pakistan was achieved only after years of collective struggle, where people fought tirelessly for social justice.

We are blessed in this multicultural nation, especially in Surrey, with such strong links to Pakistan. The Pakistani community in British Columbia and more particularly in Surrey has enriched our social fabric and strengthens our diverse Canadian identity.

In British Columbia, the Pakistani community continues to make a tremendous and positive impact, whether they be elders sharing their experience and wisdom or the volunteer spirit provided by youth.

It is because I believe that celebrating Pakistan’s Republic Day preserves a significant and vitally important cultural link to the past, for both present and future generations, that I wish everyone peace and prosperity on this anniversary of Pakistan’s Republic Day.

Editorial Board : Mr.Shums Jillani, Mr Aslam Hayat, Azhar Syed, Mr. Shams Siddiqui, M.A.L. Naumani, Mr Tariq Mian Graphic Design: Design Teams Copyright ® 2001 Miracle Media Group Inc. All Rights Reserved Printed in Canada

Attention: The opinions expressed herein contain positions and viewpoints that are not necessarily those of ‘The Miracle’. These are offered as a means for ‘The Miracle’ to stimulate dialogue and discussion in our continuing mission of ‘Bringing Harmony To All The Communities.’

Phone: 604-690-0400 -Email: miraclenews@telus.net, info@miraclenews.com ,Website: www.miraclenews.com

Contents Editorial & Letters Int. News Local Special Articles Faith Health Sports Urdu

7 5,6 15 14,20,21 15, 16, 25 8 11 27 28-36

8

f a i t h

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

Hudaybiya: Islam’s victory by Nonviolent resistance

By: Dewan-Syed Adnan Majid Which one event does the Qur’an describe as the Prophet Muhammad’s “manifest victory”?

A. The Prophet’s re-entry into Mecca.

B. The Muslim conquest of the entire Arabian Peninsula.

C. A nonviolent Muslim movement resulting in a peace treaty and compromise with long-time enemies.

It may come as a surprise, but the answer is C. True, the Arab Spring showed the world that Muslims can embrace nonviolent resistance to successfully effect change, but this commitment to nonviolence has rarely

been described as a religious expression grounded in Islam. Many in the West have thus raised the fear that Islamic-minded movements in the post-revolutionary Arab world - Tunisia’s Ennahda or Egypt’s Muslim Brothers, for instance - simply used nonviolence as a convenient way to assume power, after which they will turn to force and repression. This fear is overblown, for Muslims can indeed use Islamic religious tradition to firmly ground the principles of nonviolent resistance and faithful compromise with secularists and non-Muslims for the common good. And nothing can do that better, in my opinion, than reviving the legacy of a event in the Prophet Muhammad’s life that occurred at a barren camp named Hudaybiya - an event Islamic tradition calls a “manifest victory “.1 Before discussing this event, it is worth remembering the legacy of the first thirteen years of Muhammad’s prophetic mission in Mecca (610-622) - a period that so powerfully inspired Gandhi’s Afghan counterpart in the independence struggle, Khan AbdulGhaffar Khan, and his Khudai Khidmatgar (Servants of God) towards a deeply devout Muslim commitment to nonviolence.

“There is nothing surprising in a Muslim or Pathan [Afghan] like me subscribing to the creed of nonviolence...” said Khan, “It was followed fourteen hundred years ago by the Prophet [please be upon him] all the time he was in Mecca.”2 No one can dispute Khan’s assessment.

Mecca’s wealthy elite vehemently opposed the Prophet’s monotheistic message and unleashed a heavy toll of physical and economic persecution upon Islam’s weakest followers. Nevertheless, Muhammad unconditionally forbade retaliation and enjoined a complete and patient commitment to nonviolence. When persecution became intolerable, he and the early Muslims migrated to Medina, where he established a sovereign state in 622. Only then did Islam permit military action. The young Medinan state saw a series of battles with its Meccan enemies - Badr in 624, Uhud in 625, and

Hadith Qudsi 3:

On the authority of Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhaniyy the unsuccessful siege of Medina in 627 It was nonviolence, not war, and political (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: 3- resulting in increasing Muslim regional compromise, not rigid adherence to dogma, The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and influence. Though war brought its political that brought that victory. peace of Allah be upon him) led the morning gains, the Prophet would soon show that he But in an age of conflict between “Musprayer for us at al-Hudaybiyah following rainfall during the night. When the Prophet (may had never abandoned nonviolent resistance lims” and “the West,” it is certain that both the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) - it would bring forth his greatest victory.

Muslim extremists and anti-Islamic polemifinished, he faced the people and said to them: Each year, the far-flung Arabian tribes cists will dispute any Islamic justification Do you know what your Lord has said? They would converge in Mecca for pilgrimage for nonviolent resistance. I will just briefly said: Allah and his Messenger know best. He said: This morning one of my servants became a to the temple of their patriarch Abraham4 address a few objections from both these believer in Me and one a disbeliever. As for him (peace be upon him). In the spring of groups, who, though nominally opposed who said: We have been given rain by virtue of 628, seeking to underscore his claim that to one another, remarkably speak with a Allah and His mercy, that one is a believer in Abraham was indeed not a polytheist, the single voice.

Me, a disbeliever in the stars (2); and as for him who said: We have been given rain by such-andProphet did what many would describe as 1) “Hudaybiya was not a true commitment such a star, that one is a disbeliever in Me, a daringly foolish and led 1400 followers to nonviolence - the Muslims had pledged believer in the stars. into enemy territory, intent on peacefully to defend themselves physically if the Mecperforming pilgrimage. Bound by cans attacked.”7 If the Meccans saw it fit to an ancient code of nonviolence, break the sacred code and spill blood, the nonviolent resistance is never truly “weak.” the Muslim pilgrims could carry Muslim pilgrims certainly could not expect And while Muslim strength did increase no more than travelers’ swords for Meccan brutality to stop at a beating and a in the following years of peace, history self-defense and would have been no prison sentence. Rather, they expected berecounts the Prophet’s faithful compliance match for the Meccan cavalry sent to ing massacred. In that context, the Prophet to the treaty, broken by Mecca’s allies. rout them. Evading the cavalry and and his followers clearly saw fighting back Hindsight is 20/20, but Hudaybiya was deencamping within the sacred vicinity with the little means they had as far more clared a “manifest victory” long before the of Mecca, the Prophet had essentially honorable than fleeing from their cause, eventual outcomes were known - when all led his followers into a lion’s den. even if it meant certain death. This commit- that were apparent were nonviolent action, Like all nonviolent resistance movement, an inspiration to all Muslims engaged a failed pilgrimage attempt, and a difficult ments, the Muslims at Hudaybiya in civil disobedience, by no means made compromise for the sake of peace. were at once incredibly weak and in- their movement any less nonviolent - the So what victory should Islamic-minded credibly powerful - “weak” in being Meccans themselves acknowledged such. parties in today’s post-revolutionary Arab unable to match any abject brutality 2) “Any Islamic justification for nonvioworld work towards? Some in the Muslim unleashed upon them, but “powerlence has been abrogated - From the time world may aspire to establish societies ful” in that the public outrage elicited hostilities with Mecca resumed, Muslims devoted to God’s “sharia” or well-trodden by such brutality would be far too so- were bound to perpetual warfare with path, but in focusing on this “end,” they cially costly to the powers in control. disbelievers until the end of time.” The may unfortunately turn to whatever means Neither the British Raj nor Jim Crow could Qur’an’s ninth chapter8 did enjoin Musdeemed necessary, however violent or duafford to crack down on nonviolent protest- lims to fight the Meccans after the treaty plicitous. By contrast, Hudaybiya’s legacy ers without earning the world’s condemof Hudaybiya was broken, but it would should remind all devout Muslims that real nation. Likewise, in the sacred context of be ridiculous to suggest that this would victory is achievable through constructive, pilgrimage, the Meccans could not afford to eternally prohibit Muslims from ever again lawful means. In this particular case, true massacre peaceful pilgrims without earning turning to nonviolence or compromise. and lasting victory was achieved through the condemnation of the entire Arabian This very chapter itself calls for continued firm adherence to nonviolent resistance and Peninsula. After a prolonged stalemate, the commitment to peace with polytheists who non-dogmatic compromise with opposition.

Prophet [please be upon him] called the “neither failed you anywhere nor supported A resulting civil society arising from these two parties towards a peace treaty. anyone against you” (9:4). And the Prophet principles - one at least able to ensure indiPeace often requires seemingly difficult himself would never forget Hudaybiya’s vidual liberties and minority rights - may compromises. The treaty dictated that legacy, for he reminded everyone of this surprise some people but may be closer in Muslims would return to Medina unable “manifest victory” on his return to Mecca. line to the Prophet Muhammad’s powerful to perform pilgrimage until the following 3) “Hudaybiya’s true legacy is one of deprecedent at Hudaybiya - Islam’s one and year, that anyone would be free to apostate ception - Muhammad [please be upon him] only “manifest victory.”

Dewan-Syed Adnan Majid is a student of from Islam, and that all male, Muslim refu- made a treaty when weak only to break it Medicine and Neuroscience at the University of gees were to be returned to their Meccan when stronger.” This charge simply does California, San Diego and had previously comcaptors. The Prophet’s acceptance of these not stand up to historical record. Though pleted a Bachelor of Science degree at Stanford terms led to considerable dissension among the Prophet took a dangerous risk in leavUniversity. He grew up in New Orleans, LA. his own followers until a new Qur’anic ing behind Medina’s security, determined Previously published at Suhaibwebb.com revelation described the events as a “manifest victory” (48:1)5. Suppressing their personal emotions, the Muslims would have From March 9 - 23, 2012 (R.ul Thani-2-16, 1433H) to trust that nonviolent engagement and politiJ.ul. I March Day Fajar SunR Zawa1 Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha cal compromise were in J’I 1 Fri 5:36 1:19 1:24 5:24 9:05 24 7:06 7:35 themselves a victory.

2 Sat 5:33 1:18 1:23 5:27 9:07 25 7:03 7:37 Historians now recount 3 1:18 1:23 5:29 9:09 26 Sun 5:31 7:01 7:39 how more people became Muslim in the following 4 1:17 1:23 5:30 9:10 27 Mon 5:29 6:59 7:40 years of peace than in 5 Tue 5:28 1:17 1:22 5:32 9:12 28 6:58 7:42 all the previous years of 6 1:17 1:22 5:34 9:14 29 Wed 5:25 6:55 7:44 Muhammad’s prophetic 7 1:17 1:22 5:36 9:15 30 Thu 5:23 6:53 7:45 mission. When Mecca’s allies later broke the peace 8 Fri 5:21 1:16 1:21 5:38 9:16 31 6:51 7:46 to resume hostilities, the 9 April 1 Sat 5:19 1:16 1:21 5:40 9:17 6:49 7:47 Muslims conquered the 10 1:16 1:21 5:42 9:19 6:47 7:49 2 Sun 5:17 city without fighting and 11 1:16 1:21 5:46 9:20 6:45 7:50 3 Mon 5:15 completely forgave their former enemies. Although 12 Tue 5:13 1:15 1:20 5:47 9:21 6:43 7:51 4 this military accomplish13 1:15 1:20 5:48 9:22 6:41 7:52 5 Wed 5:11 ment was a “victory,” 14 1:15 1:20 5:49 9:24 6:39 7:54 6 Thu 5:09 the Prophet made sure 15 Fri 5:07 1:15 1:19 5:50 9:25 6:37 7:55 7 to remind everyone that Islam’s “manifest victory” Source: BCMA had already occurred at Hudaybiya long before6.

AQEEM USS SALAAT

(Establish Prayer)

9

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

Ayyaz

Real Estate Consultant (Realtor)

604-839-7863 ayyazrealtor@gmail.com

info@amexrealty.ca

Free Appraisal and Legal Fees

TERMS Our Rates*

1 Year 2.79%

3 Year 2.79%

4 Year 2.99%

5 yrs Variable 2.85% * Rates are subject to change without notice

Ayyaz

AMP

Senior Mortgage Consultant

* * * * *

Purchase Renewal Pre Approval 1st & 2nd Mortgages Self Employed

* * * *

New Immigrants Debts Consolidation Construction/Renovations Commercial Mortgage

Surrey Office: 115-13740 72A Avenue, Surrey BC V3W 1N5 Vancouver Office: 6241 Fraser Street, Vancouver BC V3W 3A2

604-839-7863 ~

ayyazshums@shaw.ca ~ www.a2zmortgage.ca

10

h e a l t h

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

Prioritising for Productivity

By Amal Stapley Do you have a massive To-Do List that keeps getting longer and longer, and, although you run around like crazy, ticking things off it, you never feel as if you’re achieving anything productive?

There is a solution, alhamdulillah, and you’ve probably heard it before, you need to prioritize! But how do you do that? To work out your priorities, you’ll need to have a system. This will require you taking some time out of your busy routine just to sit down and work out, but insha’Allah, the end result will be worth it.

Allah’s Priority List What better model to use than one that is in alignment with the model given by our Creator? We all know that when Allah created us, he did so giving us a specific mission in life: “And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).” (al-Dhariyaat, 51:56) He then told us how we should fulfill this mission, through a range of activities that He said are either Obligatory, Recommended or Permissible. And having these rulings attached to tasks makes it easy for us to choose which activities to give priority to over others.

But what can we do about all the other tasks that are permissible to us, but don’t have a specific religious ruling attached to them? We need another model for these

and we can use man-made models that follow the same principles.

Time Management Matrix Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix is a really useful tool to use to work out your global priorities. It requires you to examine how you spend your time in relation to your life’s mission.

Once you have identified your life’s mission, or your long term goals, it will be easier to complete the next stage.

Take a look at the matrix below.

These four quadrants are divided up to help you to identify your activities, as to whether they are Urgent or not, i.e. whether they require your immediate attention, and whether they are important or not in helping you to achieve your goals.

The Unproductive You If you’re feeling as if you’re not achieving much, it’s likely that you’re spending too much time in Quadrant I ‘fire-fighting’ and dealing with matters that can’t be delayed any longer, such as staying up late to finish off reports that have to be in tomorrow.

Or maybe you’re in Quadrant III, running around doing things that other people feel are important, such as helping your friends to complete their assignments or interrupting your work to answer an email, text or phone call that isn’t actually a real emergency and could wait for an answer.

It’s also likely that when you do get some free time, you resort to Quadrant IV activities to relax and switch your mind off, and spend too long checking your Facebook account or watching “rubbish television”.

If you’re stressed, you’re probably not spending enough time in Quadrant II. You’re not being proactive and undertaking activities that will make a positive difference to your life and move you more rapidly towards your goals. Because you don’t have time, but this is exactly where you should be spending the largest proportion of your time.

The Productive Prioritized You So how can you make the shift to a more productive you?

The first stage is to be sure of your mission in life or your long term goals. You’ll then be able to look at everything you do in your life that distracts you from those goals and eliminate them. This will take discipline, but once your life becomes aligned to your mission, it will be much easier to say “No” to the other things.

The first aim is to get rid of all those Quadrant IV activities. They are just a waste of your time and of no benefit to you.

The next step is to put your Quadrant III activities in their rightful place. For example, when you are checking through your email, you don’t have to read every message or immediately answer messages that need responses straight away. Go through your Inbox quickly and Delete the unimportant messages, Defer those that will take more time to read or answer to a scheduled time later, and only Deal with the ones that really do need a quick immediate answer and can be done in less than 5 minutes.

This will then give you time to concentrate on your Quadrant I and II activities.

You won’t be able to avoid the Urgent and Important activities, as many of them are just part of the structure of life, but spending more time in Quadrant II planning and preparing will help to reduce the time you spend there.

Your aim is to gradually increase your Quadrant II time, so you are spending more time, planning how you’re going to meet your goals and doing the background preparation work. Life in the second quadrant isn’t all work and no play; you’ll also be keeping fit, taking part in beneficial recreation and building relationships with your friends and family and those who will help you to achieve your life goals.

Give it a go! Take a good look at all the activities that you do and filter them out into their appropriate quadrants. And next time we’ll look at how to prioritize tasks on a day-to-day basis. So keep a look out for that article!

Amal Stapley, is a Life Coach for Muslim women. After accepting Islam in 1992, she graduated from the International Islamic University of Malaysia with a degree in Psychology and Islamic studies, and then went on to work with Islamic organizations in the USA, Egypt and now in her home country, the UK.

11

lifestyle

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

Healthy Families – Healthy Communities Conference By: Shahnaz Rahman In keeping with its mandate the Pakistani Canadian Women’s Society has taken a leadership role in advancing knowledge and facilitating dialogue on various social issues with the community.

On Sunday March 18th, Pakistani Canadian Women’s Society embarked on its second educational event entitled, Healthy Families-Healthy Communities Conference. The conference provided an opportunity for all South Asian women to learn about ways to nourish their souls and spirits. The focus of the conference was on mental, physical and emotional well being of families and communities. Presentation topics were in Urdu and Punjabi. Topics included: • Violence in Relationships by Dr. Rajpal Singh • Barriers for Women by Sadia Sameeullah • Impact of Abuse on Children by Shahnaz Rahman • Mental Health Issues –Psychosis by Dr. Babra Rana • Nutrition by Laila Hussain • Fashion and Grooming by Mesha Toor The event was attended by over 225 guests. Refreshment for the events were donated by community partners and volunteers. Many youth volunteers also came together to help make the event a success.

Long periods of sitting is unhealthy Taking a break to walk every 20 minutes instead of staying seated for hours helps reduce the body’s levels of glucose and insulin after eating, according to a study — the latest to highlight the hazards of long periods of inactivity.

Though the results, published in the journal Diabetes Care, don’t show whether these reductions have any lasting health benefits, experiencing large glucose and insulin spikes after a meal is tied to a greater risk of heart disease and diabetes.

“When we sit our muscles are in a state of disuse and

they’re not contracting and helping our body to regulate many of the body’s metabolic processes,” said David Dunstan, a professor at Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia.

Dunstan and his colleagues have reported previously that people who watch more than four hours of TV a day are likely to have an earlier death. With this study, they experimented with how prolonged sitting could affect responses to food.

After a meal, glucose levels in the blood go up, followed by a rise in insulin, which helps cells use blood sugar for energy or store it. Then, levels in the bloodstream start to go down. In people with type 2 diabetes, this process falls out of whack usually because the body no longer responds to insulin properly. After a meal, blood sugar and insulin levels spike and remain high.

Dunstan’s group looked at 19 overweight adults who didn’t exercise much, asking them to come into a laboratory and sit for seven hours while having their blood sugar and insulin levels sampled hourly.

After the first two hours, they drank a 763-calorie drink high in sugar and fat, then sat for another five hours.

Each person went through three days of experiments, with each day separated by a week or two.

On one day, they sat the entire time, only taking breaks to use the bathroom. On another, they broke up the sitting session and took a two-minute break to walk around every 20 minutes following the drink — and on another day, they took similar breaks, but with more vigorous activity.

The days when people sat without interruption resulted in a spike in blood sugar within an hour of the drink from about 90 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) to about 144 mg/

dl.

On days when they got up every 20 minutes, blood sugar rose from 90 mg/dl to only about 125 mg/dl.

Overall, getting up and engaging in light activity reduced the total rise in glucose by an average of 24 per cent, compared to the group that kept sitting. That difference was almost 30 per cent with moderate-intensity activity.

The results were similar for insulin. Levels peaked about two hours after the drink, but they rose higher when the people continued sitting compared with moving about.

“What’s shocking to me in these studies is not how good breaks are but how bad sitting is,” said Barry Braun, a professor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, who was not involved in the study.

He said a good rule of thumb is to try and get up about every 15 minutes, even if it’s just to walk around the room.

What’s not clear is whether the 30 per cent reduction in glucose and insulin levels will translate into health benefits.

That might sound ridiculous -- or obvious -- depending on your perspective, but the findings don’t come from a fringe study. They come from the American Cancer Society, whose researchers studied 123,216 people’s health outcomes during a 14-year period.

In particular, the American Cancer Society study finds that women who sit for more than six hours a day were about 40% more likely to die during the course of the

study than those who sat fewer than three hours per day.

Men were about 20% more likely to die.

That large study focused on the numbers of people who died. Other studies have focused on specific conditions affecting the most Americans, things such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and depression. In those studies, too, extended periods of sitting increased risks of illness.

And earlier this year the evidence against many hours of sitting expanded further: The American Journal of Epidemiology published a study finding that those who work a sedentary job have almost twice the risk of a specific type of colon cancer.

What’s particularly interesting about recent research is the revelation that sitting for extended periods of time does significant damage to human health that cannot be undone by exercising. Sitting for several hours each day is bad for you, like smoking is bad for you, regardless of whether you do healthful activities, too.

The American Cancer Society points out that public health guidelines make little or no reference to reducing time spent sitting, instead focusing on increasing the activity level.

“This was only studied over one day. The next question is, can that reduction be (achieved regularly) and translate to reductions in atherosclerosis?” said Dunstan, whose group is now working on a longer experiment.

“Sitting is not bad for you in moderation, but in excess it is addictive and harmful,” Levine writes. “Of concern is that for most people in the developed world, chair-living is the norm.”

EXPRESS IMMIGRATION LTD We specialize in student permit, work visa, sponsorship, PNP and immigration matters Call for an Initial Consultation

7733 124 St, Surrey, BC

V3W 8N2

info@xpressimmigration.com ~ www.xpressimmigration.com

e

12

finance

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

Lessons from Islamic and Ethical Finance for Today

By: Ann Pettifor Tods Murray* The notion of the moral economy is intrinsic to all the major faiths, each of which has placed ethical boundaries on the behavior of those active in the market.

The ten commandments of the Jewish Torah or Christian Old Testament laid down an ethical boundary - or regulation - for work: “for six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work - you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns”.

The Qu’ran lays down clear ethical boundaries for lending and borrowing, and for trade.

These boundaries have been vital in the maintenance of great civilizations. As Karl Polanyi, the great economic historian argued (in his 1944 book “The Great Transformation”) - the regulation of the conduct of human affairs by law is vital to the maintenance of civilized society, and to the market, because “robbed of the protective covering of cultural institutions, human beings would perish from the effects of social exposure; they would die as the victims of acute social dislocation through vice, perversion, crime and starvation....neighborhoods and landscapes defiled, rivers polluted, military safety jeopardized, the power to produce food and raw materials destroyed”.

So one of the great contradictions we in the West face today is this: law - or regulation - needs boundaries, in particular ethical boundaries; but also geographical and political boundaries.

However markets, in particular financial markets, abhor boundaries.

How do we reconcile therefore, the ethical boundaries/regulation advocated by the world’s great religions with the resistance of, in particular financial markets, to these boundaries?

That is the great challenge faced today by those who would promote the notion of a moral economy.

One of the most important ethical boundaries set by the Prophet in the Qu’ran has to do with the ‘price’ paid for a loan: the rate of interest. While many would regard the Qu’ran’s strictures on interest rates as antiquated, I would like to argue that they are acutely relevant to today’s financial crisis.

This is because one of the economic characteristics of the period from 1980 to the present day is high real rates of interest (i.e. adjusted for inflation/deflation) paid by borrowers. By this we mean interest rates in the broadest sense: those for short, long, real, risky as well as safe loans. While the

Federal Funds or Bank of England rate might seem low, the real rate paid by credit card holders or entrepreneurs taking risks, has for a long period, been much, much higher.

Indeed it is these high rates of interest, that I contend, led to the ‘debtonation’ of the financial system in August, 2007, and the most severe financial crisis in history. For it is high real rates of interest that ultimately made debts unpayable - for sub-prime mortgage borrowers in the US, for the millions that have defaulted on their mortgages and had their homes ‘foreclosed’; for thousands of companies that have been bankrupted by a heavy burden of debt; by semi-states such as Dubai, and now by states such as Iceland, Ireland and perhaps Greece.

Historically the average rate of return on investment has been in the range of 3-5%.

Any borrowing above that rate presents repayment difficulties for most entrepreneurs and investors. The post 1977 rates of interest can be described as usurious.

Sidney Homer’s A History of Interest Rates, has been the definitive analysis of the subject since its first edition in 1967. He published a second edition ten years later.

Homer died in 1983, and his pupil Richard Sylla was entrusted with the production of a third edition of his work. On the opening page, Sylla warned: “The spectacular rise in interest rates during the 1970s and early 1980s pushed many long-term market rates on prime credits up to levels never before approached, much less reached, in modern history. A long view, provided by this history, shows that recent peak yields were far above the highest prime long-term rates reported in the United States since 1800, in England since 1700, or in Holland since 1600. In other words, since modern capital markets came into existence, there have never been such high long-term rates as we recently have had all over the world.” (Homer and Sylla, 1991, p. 1) High rates across the whole architecture of rates - for short and long, safe and risky loans - have prevailed ever since.

Tremendous capital gains have effortlessly been made by those who held assets, lent them on to governments, corporations or individuals, and thereby extracted even greater wealth. This is what has always been understood as usury.

Islam and interest-bearing money ‘Those who consume interest shall not rise, except as he rises whom Satan by his touch prostrates [i.e. one who is misled]; that is because they say: “Trade is like interest”; whereas, Allah [God] has permitted trading but forbidden interest. ......whoso-

BULLAY SHAH ACADEMY OF CANADA Pir Afzal Ahmed Naqashbandi S.R. Pirzada Syed Wali Hussain Shah Astana-e-Alia Shahenshah-e-Weelayt Hazrat Qiblah-Sheik-ul-Hadith Gujrat-Pakistan We invite brothers & sisters every last Saturday of the month for the Holy Darse Quran @ 6:00pm

Visit Us at:- Club House of Mandley Village Unit 33, 12110 75A Ave. Surrey.

Tel/Fax: 604-592-9416 , Cell: 604-760-0096

ever reverts (to devouring interest) those, they are the inhabitants of the fire, therein dwelling forever.” Qu’ran 2:275 Islam prohibits the taking or giving of interest or riba, regardless of the purpose of the loan, or the rates at which interest is charged. “Riba” includes the whole concept of effortless profit or earnings that comes without work or value added production.

In Islam money can only be used for facilitating trade and commerce - a crucial difference with the world’s major Christian religions. This was because Islamic scholars were fully aware that debt-creating money can stratify wealth, and exacerbate exploitation, oppression and the enslavement of those who do not own assets.

The Qur’anic ban on interest does not imply that capital or savings are without cost in an Islamic system. While Islam recognizes capital as a factor of production, it does not allow capital to make a claim on the productive surplus in the form of interest. Instead Islam views profit-sharing as permissible, and a viable alternative. The owner of capital can legitimately share in the gains made by the entrepreneur. That implies that the owner of capital will also share in the losses.

Investors in the Islamic order have no right to demand a fixed rate of return. No one is entitled to any addition to the principal sum if he does not share in the risks involved.

Another legitimate mode of financing recognized in Islam is based on equity participation (musharaka) in which partners use their capital jointly to generate a surplus. Profits or losses are shared between partners depending on the equity ratio.

Islamic banking is a risky business compared with conventional banking, for risksharing forms the very basis of all Islamic

financial transactions.

Global finance, in the shape of un-regulated and unethical capitalism, poses a profound threat to Islam. Because Islam expressly prohibits the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, i.e. hoarding (kenz) waste (tabthir) extravagant consumption (israf) and miserliness (bukhl) - the excesses of global financial liberalization are in deep conflict with Muslim values.

Not only Muslim values, but the values of Jews and Christians too.

If we are to return to our roots; if we are to protect both our civilization, but also our ecosystem, then it is vital that we, as people of faith, once again assert the centrality to society of the moral economy.

Ann Pettifor is a fellow of the new economics foundation (nef) and co-author of ‘The Green New Deal’. In 2009 she was named one of the Ecologist magazine’s ‘visionaries’. She lectures widely on international finance and sovereign debt; and on the need to devise new economic policies to deal with the ‘triple crunch’ of the financial crisis; peak oil and climate change.

She is also executive director of Advocacy International Ltd.

Source: ToddsMurray.com

13

home & garden

R

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

oofing & enovation Solutions

Miracle’s Building Construction and Maintenance series

Imran Tipu, B.Sc. Civil Eng In our series of articles for roofing and renovation solutions, the current article is regarding exterior siding. Siding is the outer covering of a building meant to shed water and protect from the effects of weather. On a building that uses siding, it may act as a key element in the aesthetic beauty of the structure and directly influence the property value. The type of siding on your home should accentuate the character and design of your home. For example, you wouldn’t install vinyl siding on a Victorian home, but misguided home owners do it. Nor someone would expect to install expensive redwood on a home exposed to the elements like extreme humidity near the sea, but builders often cater to those with more money than common sense. House siding materials have varied over the years and have included: • Wood siding, • Aluminum siding, • Vinyl siding, • Hardboard composite, • Fibreglass, • Cement fiber siding Fibreglass and hardboard composite siding has been largely replaced with more modern siding like vinyl and cement fiber siding. So let’s take a look at wood, aluminum, vinyl, and cement fiber siding as possible siding choices and learn about them including their features, characteristics, pricing and maintenance implications.

1. Wood Siding Wood siding is among the oldest types.

You can see its beauty on older and historic homes. Its disadvantage is that it requires more maintenance than any other kind of siding, and that maintenance includes painting and caulking. Wood siding is manufactured in a variety of types such as shake,

clapboard, singles or lap. Panels are applied vertically or horizontally. Wood siding should be installed over a moisture barrier and requires priming the back of the wood and its sides to prevent water from seeping into the wood.

Features • Wide variety of styles textures and finishes available • Wood beveled siding is horizontal and has overlapping joints.

• Wood plank or board siding is vertical and comes in channel-groove or tongue and groove styles.

• Board siding also comes in a plywood version often called T-111® which is just exterior plywood with different face treatments and groove patterns.

Characteristics • Fairly easy to repair but difficult to install.

• Requires an exterior finish such as paint or stain.

• Can be damaged by rot, insects, warping or splitting.

Cost • Cost varies widely by type of wood species and style of siding and exterior finish.

• T-111 is least expensive.

• Generally price varies from $2 to $8 per square feet.

Maintenance • Painted finishes tend to require higher maintenance • Wood siding is prone to paint problems if the home is not properly ventilated.

• Stained finishes usually require lower maintenance.

2. Aluminum Siding It’s hard to tell the differences between aluminum siding and vinyl without touching it as they look similar to each other.

Aluminum siding became popular after World War II; however, the color can fade and, unlike vinyl, aluminum can be dented.

It also expands and contracts, depending on temperature. Aluminum siding can be painted, and experts recommend oil-based paint over latex.

3. Stucco siding Changing the exterior aspect of a house can be easily done by applying siding. At the moment you have numerous available options for doing this, but there is one that has attracted more and more people in the last years and currently has become the most popular, stucco siding.

What is stucco? Well, it is a mixture known for hundreds of years that contains water, cement and lime or sand used as inert materials. So, as you can see it is quite simple to obtain and relatively affordable, at least compared to other siding materials.

However in these days the classic stucco mixture is not used very often for sidings, but rather a more modern approach that is even cheaper. It is called synthetic stucco and although on the outside is looks pretty much like the classic stucco, inside it contains cement panels or foam insulation.

Besides the advantage of the lower price, synthetic stucco is also lighter and therefore easier to maneuver when installing it.

However, it definitely is not as resistant as classic stucco and this means that it has increased maintenance costs.

Using stucco siding for your house has certain advantages as you can see and compared to most of the other siding options you have at the moment, it represents the perfect compromise between durability, price, and ease of maintenance. In addition, it looks very well in most situations and will offer nice fresh air to your house.

4. Vinyl Siding Vinyl siding is made of PVC or polyvinyl chloride and comes in a variety of colors.

The panels are installed from the bottom row up by nailing galvanized roofing nails through the slots in the panel, exposing the nail head so the panels can move.

Features & Characteristics The vinyl expands and contracts in hot and

cold weather and must slide freely from side to side. Two main advantages to vinyl are that it’s inexpensive and never needs painting.

Looking to offer a fresh new look to the exterior of your house? Then we have a definite option of vinyl siding, one of the most popular solutions for this type of job, currently.

Vinyl siding is made out of a PVC resin and unfortunately there are plenty of voices, which claim that this is not the most ecological and nor the safest solution when it comes to the health of inhabitants due to the fact that it can cause cancer. And, when exposed to fire, vinyl siding produces extremely toxic fumes.

On the other hand, vinyl siding will not flake or rot and this is a huge advantage if you are looking for durability. However, vinyl is only an adequate solution for maximum durability if you live in an area with a moderate climate. If exposed to extreme weather conditions, vinyl will start to lose its properties and will have poor durability.

As a siding solution, vinyl has become more and more popular during the recent years and consequently, its price has fallen, as well.

For more information about these article series and/or all our previous articles, please visit: www.rtmroofingandrenovations.com

Real estate sales tumble in Vancouver, Kootenay region Residential real estate sales have been tumbling in British Columbia’s Kootenay

region and Greater Vancouver this year, according to statistics released last week by the British Columbia Real Estate Association.

The drop in MLS sales has coincided with a 5 per cent drop in the average price in the Kootenays, which runs from Cranbrook to Grand Forks, while the average price for MLS listings in Vancouver remained almost flat, increasing marginally by 0.6 per cent.

Prices have held in Vancouver largely as a result of immigration, Cameron Muir, chief economist for the real estate association, said Thursday in an interview. However, the Kooteney real estate market relies

mostly on buyers from Alberta, he said.

The region “thrives” on recreational home purchases but many people have been looking south of the border to the U.S. for bargains, he said.

The monthly real estate report, released Thursday by the association, shows the number of MLS units sold dropped by 27 per cent in the Kootenays, to 159 in the first two months of this year, compared to 218 in the first two months of 2011. The average price dropped to $240,097, from $252,698. The number of residential MLS sales in Greater Vancouver slid down to 4,179 units so far this year, compared to 4,995 units in the first two months of 2011, for a drop of 16.3 per cent. The average price over the first two months of this year rose to $785,439, compared to $780,819 last year.

Province-wide, the number of residential MLS units sold in the first two years declined by 7.6 per cent and the average price was 2.1 per cent lower. Mr. Muir said activity across the province has been uneven. “After the recession we saw a widening of demand levels between the south coast and the rest of the province,” he said in an interview. “That gap is beginning to

narrow, “ he said.

The increases in real estate prices in Northern and urban centres such as Kamloops reflects an increase in consumer confidence and improving economic conditions, he said. Unit sales of MLS listings in northern B.C. jumped 20 per cent while the average price went up by 4.1 per cent. Unit sales in Kamloops jumped 4.3 per cent and prices

rose by 6.5 per cent.

The largest increase in average price during the first two months of 2012, compared to the same period last year, was in the South Okanagan region, which stretches from Penticton to Osoyoos.

The average price for sales from MLS listings rose 9.5 per cent to $222,732, from $203,435 last year.

Newborn and Children Circumcision (Khatna) Dr. Kim-Sing is a practicing Pediatrician in Burnaby with over 20 years of experience.

The Circumcision is performed under local anesthetic and virtually complication free.

For appointment and inquiry Contact Dr. Malcolm Kim-Sing, MB, FRCP

604-433-5750 108-3825 Sunset Street, Burnaby, B.C V5G 1T4

14

special

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

By Khwaja Razi Haider It is a historical fact that after the events of 1857 and the subsequent consolidation of the British Raj in India, the political thinkers and intellectuals of the Sub-continent started to think about the political, religious cultural and social future of India. As a result, many ideas, plans, proposals and schemes were put forward for the partition of India and the formation of a separate Muslim state. Apart from indigenous proposals, British parliamentarians, writers and others were also thinking in terms of the bifurcation of India.

The first such scheme for the partition or division of India was voiced by a British Parliamentarian John Bright in June 1858.

Addressing the House of Commons he suggested “five or six large presidencies with complete autonomy, ultimately becoming independent States.” After two decades, in December 1877, he again reiterated that “he is seeing several independent and sovereign states in India when British withdrawal had been affected.”

After 1857, since the Muslims of India were grossly marginalised in the social, religious and political fields, they were not inclined to accept the demand for partition of India into two independent and autonomous states. Although the actual struggle for the establishment of a proposed Muslim state started in March 1940 from the platform of the All India Muslim League (AIML), it nonetheless has a long historical background.

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was the first Muslim thinker who stressed that Hindus and Muslims are two different nations, hence any attempt to fuse them into one nation would fail.

Accordingly in 1867, before the Divisional Commissioner of Banaras, he very clearly said “I am convinced both these nations will not join whole heartedly in any thing. At present, there is no hostility between the two communities, but on account of the so-called educated it will increase immediately in future. He who lives will see.” After the establishment of the Indian National Congress in 1885, his conviction became firmer when he said “Indian National Congress is a Hindu organisation and it can not provide safeguard to the interests of Muslims.”

Although Sir Syed Ahmad Khan did not present in principle, any plan or proposal for the partition of India, yet he provided a basis to the Indian Muslims for thinking about their future.

From to 1940, more than one hundred proposals and schemes for the partition of India were presented by different quarters.

In these proposals, the principal of partition was presented mostly on administrative and communal grounds; however, these proposals not only popularised but also paved the way for the vivid description and elucidation of the Two Nation Theory.

It is amazing that the first scheme for the partition of India was presented by John Bright in 1858, a Britisher. On the 4th of June 1858, while participating in a discussion in the British Parliament concerning the Government of India, he was of the opinion, “A great country like India cannot be administered by Britain for a long time, one day we will have to let them rule. Hence it is necessary to abolish the Governorship and instead of keeping a colony, and for administrative purposes, India should be divided into five presidencies.” It is however strange that in 1947, the last scheme after some 90 years, was also presented by Viceroy Lord Mountbatten- a British.

In 1887, Theodore Beck, educated at Cambridge and the Principal of M. A. O. College at Aligarh, after reviewing the political and social condition of India observed that “Muslims are a separate nation, rule of majority is impossible; Muslims will never agree to be ruled by the Hindu majority.”

The second scheme for the partition of India was proposed by a renowned Muslim Scholar Jamaluddin Afghani who in 1879, proposed a broader Muslim state. He was of the opinion

Syed Sardar Ali Khan and Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan, Sir Ross Masud also presented their proposals but all were superseded by the proposal made by Allama Iqbal in his presidential address. Allama Iqbal proposed that “I would like to see the Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, Sindh, and Baluchistan amalgamated into a Single state. Self-government within the British Empire or without the British Empire, the formation of a consolidated North-West Indian Muslim appears to me to be he final destiny of the Muslims, at least of North-West India.” In the same address, Iqbal also said “the principal of European democracy can not be applied to India without recognising the fact of communal groups. The Muslim demand for the creation of a Muslim India within India is, therefore, perfectly justified” The proposal of Iqbal was not only welcomed by the Muslim circles but also gained popularity and importance even in non-Muslim circles.

In 1933, a very thought provoking declaration was made by Choudhary Rahmat Ali, a student of Cambridge University. After passing the examination of Law, during the Round Table Conferences in January 1933, Rahmat Ali issued a declaration entitled “Now or Never: Are we to live or perish forever?” In his declaration, Rahmat Ali demanded a Muslim homeland. The homeland of the Muslims of the Sub-continent was named in the first sentence of the declaration as ‘Pakistan’, according to which “…we mean the five Northern units of India, viz., Punjab, North-West Frontier Province (Afghan Province), Kashmir, Sind and Baluchistan.”

Choudhary Rahmat Ali’s proposal embodied in his declaration, gained significance and importance due to two reasons: first, he issued this declaration at a time when the Round Table Conferences were in session in London; second, that Rahmat Ali was the only person who suggested a name “Pakistan” for his proposed Muslim homeland.

After Rahmat Ali’s declaration, a flood of opinions and suggestions burst forth in India and internationally. The word “Pakistan” became immensely popular.

In April 1934, Jinnah was elected the president of the AIML again. He reorganised the League with the purpose to participate in the elections which were due to be held under the India Act of 1935.At this crucial stage Allama Muhammad Iqbal extended his full support to Jinnah. During 1936 and 1937 he was in touch with Jinnah and was continuously writing to him on the issues which the Muslim India was facing. In his letter on 28, May 1937, Iqbal commenting and elucidating the seriousness of the Muslim India’s situation wrote that to solve these problems it is necessary to redistribute the country and to provide one or more Muslim states with absolute majorities. 1937 to early 1940 were the years when many a proposal, suggestion, scheme and observation came forward about the partition of India on Hindu Muslim basis from all the corners of the country.

1940 was the landmark of the demand for partition because in that year AIML in its annual session held in March 1940 at Lahore in the supreme leadership of the Quaid-iAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah presented its separate Muslim homeland plan. The plan was embodied in a resolution, which was initially called Lahore Resolution, which later became famous as Pakistan Resolution. The entire struggle of All India Muslim League after March 1940 was concentrated around this Resolution till the creation of Pakistan in August 1947.

Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada, Professor Sharif al Mujahid and K K Aziz in their research work summarised these proposals and schemes with authentic sources and came to the conclusion that the historic Pakistan Resolution was not the end but the beginning which led to the creation of Pakistan.

From concept to reality incorthat there should be a Muslim State incor porating the north-west Muslim majority provinces of India, Afghanistan and Muslim Central Asia.

During the tenure of Viceroy Lord Ripon, in 1883 a British writer Wilfred Scawen Blunt, visited India and held negotiations with different leaders. He wrote in his book Ideas about India that “practically India is to be divided as such that all Northern provinces under the Muslim Government while the South provinces under a Hindu government”.

A great Muslim journalist and novelist Maulana Abdul Haleem Sharar, after analysing the deteriorating conditions of the Indian Muslims and the chances of future HinduMuslim riots, felt that if the current problems were to be solved, the partition of India was a must.

In 1899, another British intellectual and the principal of MAO College Aligarh, Theodore Morison proposed that the only solution to the Indian political uncertainty was to centralise the Indian Muslims in one province or tract of the country, for instance, the north of India from Peshawar to Agra.

But the most shocking event was revealed on October 16, 1905, when Lord Curzon decided to divide the province of Bengal into two. This was a blessing for the Muslims of India but was against the interests of the Hindus.

In 1906, the All India Muslim League (AIML) came into being. In 1908, the Muslims of India achieved more successes through the efforts of AIML; with the help of new reforms, the right for separate electorate for the Muslims was accepted.

The Minto-Morley Reforms in 1909 ensured that the Muslims would be free to choose their own candidates. According to the same reforms, the Administrative Council of Viceroy was expanded and changed into Imperial Legislative Council. Almost simultaneously, on December 12, 1911, at his coronation ceremony, King George V announced the cancellation of the division of Bengal. This was a painful moment for the Muslims, while the Hindus who were continuously raising voices against this decision, celebrated joyously. These events forced the Muslims of India to struggle for their rights as a separate community.

On 10th May, 1913, a newspaper called Comrade published a comic column written by a journalist named Wilayat Ali Bambooq where he said, “to solve the Hindu-Muslim problem, Hindus and Muslims must be separated from each other. North India must be handed over to Muslims, while the rest may be handed over to Hindus”.

From 1913 to June 1917 five proposals came

out about India’s constitutional and adminadmin istrative future but in September 1917 the two Khairi Brothers, Abdul Jabbar and Abdul Sattar, played a prominent role in advancing the idea of a Muslim state in India.

During the period 1913 to 1917, a vital change occurred in the political scenario of the Sub-continent through the efforts of M A Jinnah, who was actively participating in politics from the platform of the Indian National Congress and the Legislative Council.

He joined the AIML in 1913 and made efforts to create communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims. He was gaining popularity on both sides but some ideologies were not in favour of Jinnah’s efforts.

In 1918, Sir Aga Khan in his book “India in Transition” proposed a plan of a huge federation of South Asia with India as its nucleus and centre.

From 1919 to 1923, some other politicians and social scientists proposed schemes.

Prof. Muhammad Sarwar in his book Afadat wa Malfuzat-i-Hazrat Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi, wrote that in 1924 an anti-British personality Ubaidullah Sindhi in his manifesto issued from Istanbul in 1924, observed that each region of India was to be called “Swarajiya Republic” and the collection (India) was to be known as the Indian Federal Swarajiya Republican State”. The Federal Capital was to be at Delhi.

Apart from Sindhi’s observation, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, a renowned poet and politician was the first Indian who moved a resolution demanding, “Complete independence” for India from the Congress platform during its 1920 annual session and again in his presidential address delivered before the ML’s annual session at Ahmadabad in Dec 1921.

Three years later, Maulana Hasrat presented a slightly amended proposal in his meeting with the Hindu leaders in 1924. Mohani proposed his scheme on two grounds: that no country could be really free under dominion status and that the Muslims would receive a better deal under the independent Federal structure. In the same year Lala Lajpat Rai a Congress leader, founder of the Hindu Mahasabha and a journalist, wrote several articles on the Hindu-Muslim problem and on Pan-Islamism.

In May 1925, Khilafat leader Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, while commenting on Sardar Gul Khan’s proposal in his journal Comrade, said “Muslims have no desire to rule over Hindu areas”. Maulana Muhammad Ali never gave any concrete suggestion about the partition of India but from his writings and speeches it is indicated that he had a very clear idea about the partition of India.

Journalist Murtaza Ahmad Khan Maikash,

The author is Acting Director, Quaid-i-Azam Academy, Karachi

15

politics

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

Is America paying attention?

By Ethan Casey For purposes of this column, I mean by “America” not the state or the establishment, but the society. It’s important to draw that distinction, especially these days as the domestic conversation in America becomes at once more strident and more confused at both the official and the popular level. I won’t try to give Dawn’s readers in Pakistan even a thumbnail summary here of just how confused and at odds with itself American society has become; please take my word for it for now, and I promise to write more about it later if you want. There’s a lot to say. From the outside, especially to those on the receiving end of its brute power, America might look monolithic and purposeful, but it’s really neither of those things.

I just finished taking a rather grueling but excellent university course in the history of the Mughal Empire. Fascinating questions haunt the late Mughal story after the death of the Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707: Did the empire decline, or did it rather decentralise? Does it matter which of those verbs we choose to use to describe what happened? And might modern South Asia have developed more or less peaceably – or at least with its indigenous integrity intact – into a cluster of regional kingdoms, if not for the impact of the British East India Company especially after 1757?

These rhetorical questions are not really so far afield from 21st-century America, believe it or not. The analogy is in the way both the ideology of an imperial state long in the habit of claiming hegemonic prerogatives, and the selfconfidence of the empire’s domestic society, have become hollowed out, emptied of meaning and momentum, but not yet replaced by a new set of plausible stories. The best people living through such a situation can do is to make things up as they go along. That’s what happened in proto-postMughal South Asia in the 18th century, and something like that is happening in America today.

I’m not saying that America is about to break apart. What I am saying is that Americans are no longer paying respect to the institutions and collective habits that for many decades effectively (if not always honestly or benevolently) governed our national life. Nor are we listening to each other anymore. And if, amid the sound and fury of our domestic life, Americans are not listening to each other, you can be sure we’re not listening much to the outside world either.

All too obviously this is a serious problem, especially when American soldiers urinate on dead Afghans or massacre women and children in their sleep.

Sunday, March 11 was one of those mornings when I woke

Vacancy for a Nanny in Surrey BC

Busy father, dependable employer seeking full time Live in Caregiver to work 40 hours a week, $9.50 an hour.

Accommodation: Private lockable room Requirement: Previous experience of 1-2 years with ability to speak English with a preference to Urdu Language. Completion of High School.

Will work on an Employment Contract.

Duties • Oversee female child, age group 10-12 years, needs attention with a handicapped mother; • Direct children’s activities to personal hygiene; • Supervise children activities before and after school.

• Reading the Holy Quran (Religious Holy Book) and other Islamic books.

• Make sure children get into bed at early hours; • Prepare meals, serve meals, and perform all housekeeping duties.

Need resume with references, all applicant information will be treated confidential.

Contact nannyinsurrey@hotmail.ca or fax resume to 604 543 1646

up with the intention of minding my own business while enjoying my first cup of coffee, only to be walloped by the latest horrific news from Afghanistan. So I wrote an article very explicitly comparing the futile American war effort in Afghanistan with the war we spent a decade losing in Vietnam. I published the article on my own website and it was excerpted on Dawn.com but the version I want to draw your attention to is on the Huffington Post the widely read liberal Web publication. My article was featured on the Huffington Post’s front page – one reader pointed out that, tellingly, it was the only article on the topic so featured – and it got an unusual number of reader comments. If you want to get a sense of what Americans are thinking and saying about Afghanistan and Pakistan in the wake of the massacre last Sunday outside Kandahar, I suggest reading those comments as fairly representative.

In the wake of the recent string of shocking Americaninstigated incidents in Afghanistan, the most disturbing thing to me here in America is not that some Americans approve of or excuse them, but that most Americans seem hardly to have noticed them. We make rueful jokes about how the American attention span is like a dog in a park full of squirrels, but that’s not really very funny. Our fickleness and ignorance have real-world consequences. I don’t have a complete solution to that, or the power to fix it fully, but

I do know what needs to be done. Educating and engaging the American public about the world and our involvement in it is a long, hard slog, but it’s necessary work.

My Huffington Post article resulted in a television interview with Keith Olbermann a national political talk show host. In the American park full of squirrels, when you get a few minutes of people’s attention you try to get the most important points across. So, when Keith Olbermann asked me if anything could be done to repair the damage in the wake of the Kandahar massacre, I referred to the quote in my article from my friend Todd Shea. Todd, who has done lifesaving work in Pakistan ever since the 2005 earthquake, argues that “if US leaders had treated [Pakistanis and Afghans] as important in a human way [after the 1980s Afghan war], then society in Pakistan and Afghanistan would be far further along today, because we would have helped them avoid all the things that are happening now.”

I quoted Todd, then I asked Keith Olbermann: “Do we acknowledge our shared humanity with Pakistanis, with Afghans, with Muslims – with the Taliban for that matter?

That’s really where it has to begin. … People all over the world need to believe, genuinely, that Americans know them to be human beings. And I really don’t think a lot of people in the world are confident of that at this point.”

Ethan Casey is the author of Alive and Well in Pakistan and Overtaken By Events: A Pakistan Road Trip.

16

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

p olit ics

Would cutting the Serpent’s head solve the problem? - KONY2012 By: Maheen Nusrat I woke up this morning and saw my Facebook feed flooded with the “Kony2012” video. I didn’t get the chance to watch the videos until the end of the day. I quickly realized that the video is about the notorious Joseph Kony (Ugandan guerrilla leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army --the world’s worst criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. I saw the video made by Jason Russell and couldn’t help but be angry, yet be hopeful that change is possible. Those behind Invisible Children provide a simple and easy to achieve solution—make Joseph Kony famous, so he is unable to hide his face any longer and is therefore “stopped”.

The Film has all the elements that make it memorable, captivating and impactful enough go viral and start a discussion on the violation of human rights in Africa.

Russell uses simplistic, child-like logic to explain and prove that Kony is evil and therefore must be stopped. He further uses his 5 year old son to drive the last nail into the coffin. I was shook to my core when I heard Jacob (the Ugandan kid-a victim of Kony’s crimes) say that he would rather be dead than be on this earth . It made me realize: a) I am very lucky to have my life of freedom, b) it highlighted the desperation of a young child who would rather be killed than be alive, and c) that because of my privileged life, I have a choice to utilize the opportunity to do something about it.

It is the latter that moved me enough to want to sign a pledge to capture this evil

man, to participate in the April 20th event of plastering every wall with Kony’s name and pictures, and be inspired enough to write this blog.

As I watched the video and accepted the reality that such a scum bag exists and pondered the opportunity to put an end to this evil; the cynic in me wondered if this taking Kony out of the equation really solve the problem of the Ugandan people,?There are many critics of the Kony2012 campaign. “Taking Kony 2012 down a notch”, an article by Mark Kersten (http://justiceinconflict.org/2012/03/07/ taking-kony-2012-down-a-notch/) and another post on http://tumblr.thedailywh.at/ post/18909727859/on-kony-2012-i-honestly-wanted-to-stay-as-farAs much as I respect and agree with both the writers to look at the war in its holistic form and to not just blindly jump on a bandwagon. I do disagree that we must tone down the Kony2012 Campaign. Kersten points out that the problem isn’t that Kony is unknown, and the simple act of making him famous will not solve the complex and complicated situation of Uganda and East Africa. Here, I agree with Kersten. The real issue here is the children who are both the victims and the perpetrators of the heinous crimes and they will continue to need the world’s support. This is why it is important to capture him, but also equally important to continue making noise even after Kony is captured.

The second writer points out the flaws behind the Invisible Children and the misuse of the funds. After reading that, I

was definitely skeptical about the entire organization. However, it seems pretty clear that everyone agrees that the problem in Uganda is a huge problem and worthy of attention, what seems to be of disagreement is the matter of how we eliminate that problem. I am a huge proponent of the belief that even the smallest action of good towards the betterment of humanity is better than no action, and it definitely beats an action of evil by a thousand times. If we must get our support behind Kony2012 simply for its brilliance in getting a dialogue started on the issue and making people aware, then we must do that whole-heartedly. How you choose to spend your money or tell your legislators to act in Uganda is YOUR CHOICE. We must ask ourselves why we as a global community have allowed Kony to continue his evil reign for so long? Why has the US administration sat idly just until last year with no desire to intervene? The problem isn’t that people didn’t know about Kony, but the dilemma that most of us find ourselve is that we feel helpless to do anything. What makesKony2012 so different and powerful is that it provides an option to do something. It doesn’t promise that Kony’s capture is the “be-all-end-all”; rather it is just the beginning. The message here is that we have a global responsibil-

ity to humanity that transcends national borders and “national security”. We must become the voices that dictate what our legislators and policy-makers do on the global front.

Maybe, I am an easy prey to the dream of a utopian world, but without a chance at taking the reign of the world we wish to live in and leave behind for our children,

there is no hope for a better tomorrow. I am a huge believer of grassroots movements.

Had it not been for hope and the desire for change, we would not have seen the “Arab Spring” of 2010-2011. Cutting the serpent’s head is the beginning of the process to kill the serpent. Kony is the serpent’s head. I whole-heartedly support Kony2012, albeit with a word of caution that the project to save the children of Uganda does not end on December 31st, 2012 or with the capture of Kony. Today I am offered a chance to make a choice-the choice to join the masses to rise above artificial boundaries for the betterment of humanity. Today, I choose to be a part of the Kony 2012 movement even if only for the selfish reason that when I have children, I too want to inspire them to rise against oppression and hear them say: “I want to be like you when I grow up”.

ALLIED INSURANCE SERVICES INC.

Fast Efficient And Friendly Service For All Your Insurance Needs

Home • Tenants • Condominium • Business • Travel • Medical • Life • Accident • Sickness We’ve Got You Covered!

DELTA / SURREY Nordel Annex #105 – 12025 Nordel Way (x Scott Rd)

+

$24.99 FREE MAINTENANCE CHECKUP

MAINTENANCE

CHANGE + FREE FREEOILCHECKUP

604-572-3311

With front brake pads & rear brake shoe replacement

GUILDFORD

FRONT BRAKES

Guildford Plaza #60-10330-152nd St., Surrey

Newton Town Centre #121-7135-138th St., Surrey

$24.99

+ Enviro Fee

Fleetwood Town Square #103-15988 Fraser Hwy., Surrey

Transmission & Engine Replacement (From $300 & up)

OIL CHANGE CHANGE OIL Enviro Up+ to 5L Fee

FLEETWOOD

NEWTON

Special Offers Up to 5L

604-596-4588

604-582-8644

We repair all makes and models 4 less.

Complete auto repair 4 less!

Starting from $79.99 & up

Open 7 days 9am to 9pm

$29.99

LABOUR FRONT BRAKES + parts

LABOUR

604-572-9292 NEW WEST/BURNABY

WHALLEY

Burnaby Square #106 – 7885 6th Street, Burnaby

Plaza 102 10235 King George Hwy., Surrey

604-523-0900

604-582-8699

$29.99 MAINTENANCE

parts + +FREE + FREE

CHECKUP

MAINTENANCE CHECKUP

BEST PRICES ON: • New & used tires • Suspension • Cooling system • Starter • Alternator • Clutch • Water pumps • Special rates on timing belts 3 months warranty on new parts

Business Hours:

Monday to Friday 9:30am-6:00pm Friday (Closed for Juma Prayer) Saturday 11 - 6 pm Sunday By Appointment only

Unit 113-12465-82nd Ave. Surrey, BC Contact Muhammad Amir @

604-572-7861

17

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

M. Khan & Co.

Citizenship and Immigration Consultants We Know Immigration Matters!

•

• • • • •

All Provincial Nominee Program Applications including entrepreneur and Investor classes, BC & Saskatchewan PNP specialists; Skilled Workers; Québec Skilled Worker; Family Class Sponsorship; Temporary Status (Super Visa, work, student and visitor visas); IRB Hearings, Refugee, Marriage and Family Appeals;

We at M. Khan & Co. have more than 15 years of experience and assist small and mid-sized companies as well as individuals undergoing Canadian immigration processes. Our practice is exclusively in the area of Canadian Immigration Law. Our office strives to provide clients with the latest and the most appropriate immigration strategies, to ensure their success.

Mumtaz Khan

RCIC, Registre Québécois des Consultants member of ICCRC

#213-8334, 128th Street, Surrey, BC, V3W 4G2 Tel: 604.591.5824, Fax: 604.591.8273 Email: khan@mkco.ca Web: www.mkco.ca @mkcoca

18

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

19

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

BOOKMAN OR TAXMAN! DOES YOUR ACCOUNTANT SAVE TAXES FOR YOU OR JUST FILE YOUR TAX RETURNS?

 Does your accountant file your taxes including Corporation or Personal Tax Returns accurately and on a timely basis preventing unnecessary audits and penalties?  Does your accountant show you how to save your taxes?  Does your accountant help you understand the Canadian taxation system?

Income Tax Season!!

CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNTANTS AT TWO LOCATIONS

Tel: 604-227-1120 Toll Free: 1-800-380-6TAX (6829) 235- 11590 Cambie Rd, Richmond - 110-11518 141A Street, Surrey www.aadcga.com | www.advancedtax.ca | www.aadconsulting.ca

20

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

www.gllaw.ca

• • • • • • •

ICBC Medical and Dental Malpractice Civil Litigation Securities Corporate /Commercial Employment Estate Administration

We are able to meet with you in Surrey, if that is more convenient for you.

No charge for initial consultations.

Suite 490 - 789 West Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 1H2 Tel: 604.249.5025 Fax: 604.249.5026

21

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

eat in or get it delivered with debit at the door Now We Intro duce!

Monday Special any large pizza and a dipping sauce

$11

Try Our new Butter Chicken Pizza!

Tuesday Special

10 pcs of Chicken

$12

7711-128th St. , Surrey Help Wanted!

604-502-7773 All offers from this ad are limited time offers. We reserve the right to limit quantities.

The Royal King Palace #365-8158-128th Street, Surrey

Saturday March 24th, 2012 at 6:30 pm PCCA is proudly celebrating Paksitan Day. We invite you to join us on this auspicious occasion.

PCCA have arranged for you a wonderful evening, live music and dinner etc.

For more information or to obtian ticket ($10 per person), please contact any PCCA Director.

We ask all parents to submit the record of educational achievenments of their children as we will be presenting awards to outstanding students.

FOR MORE INFO: 604-721-0956 Main Sponsors

22

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

Al Mustafa Academy Childcare

OQDKNK\CVKQP CICKPUV YCT QEEWRCVKQP OCYQ

YYY OCYQXCPEQWXGT QTI

/106*.; 4#..; 2'6+6+10 %#/2#+)0

5#674&#; /#4%* 2/ 8CPEQWXGT #TV )CNNGT[

&QYPVQYP 8CPEQWXGT

10535 135A St. Surrey, BC; TEL: 778-385-7863 Email: almustafaacademysociety@gmail.com

4QDUQP 5VTGGV

01 5CPEVKQPU QP +TCP 'PF VJG 1EEWRCVKQPU QH #HIJCPKUVCP +TCS 2CNGUVKPG *CKVK 5CWFK CPF CNN (QTGKIP 6TQQRU 1WV QH $CJTCKP 7 5 7 - %CPCFC (TCPEG 0#61 *CPFU 1HH .KD[C 0QY *CPFU 1HH +TCP 0QY 7 5 *#0&5 1(( 0QTVJ #HTKEC VJG /KFFNG 'CUV 5GNH &GVGTOKPCVKQP HQT +PFKIGPQWU 0CVKQPU #NN 1RRTGUUGF 0CVKQPU

We offer: ff - A well planned and balanced program suitable for ages 3-5 - Daily routine that allows your child to develop: Language, Social, Emotional, Physical and cognitive skills - Provides a safe and clean Islamic environment - Islamic teachings and practices Half Day/Part time

$200/month Full Day:

$400/month

Monday -Friday* 7:45am –5:30 pm Full - Part time Space is available and limited For April 2012 Call for Details!

All Teachers are ECE licensed and CPR Certified SPACE IS LIMITED! CALL TODAY TO REGISTER FOR APRIL Ph: 778-385-7863 Email:coordinator@almustafaacademy.com

"½7 ,p "½½- / " -p

-½" ½ , ½E½-9, p

[YZ[

23

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

24

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

BUYING - SELLING - INVESTING NAME TO REMEMBER HAMED YAYAH *if you are thinking of buying, selling, investing or evaluating your home please call me.

I will pay your legal and inspection fee or up to $1000 cash at closing when you buy or sell with me.

Contact:

Hamed Yayah 604-716-6450 Email: hamed@omaxrealty.com www.realestatehamed.com *Some conditions and restrictions may apply. ~ This ad is not intended to solicit any property is already for sale.

No Weight Restrictions - Safe & Secure Service Next shipment Cut off Date: April 4th, 2012 / Arriving Suva, Fiji (ETA): May 3rd, 2012 Head Office

Calgary

8891 144 Street, Surrey BC

Ph: 403-475-6055

Email: vfs@vititfreight.com

www.vititfreight.com

Edmonton Ph: 780-758-3510

Toll Free: vfs@vititfreight.com

Call Apsara@778-395-5656 / Toll Free 1-855-744-7837

Interest ratres are historically low Which rate is good for you? Fixed or Variable?

Know the differences before you lock.

We select the best rate that suits your financial position.

Free Advice, Free Service, Free Consultation Youssef Khattab Call: 778-288-2100 www.youssefkhattab.net

EVERYDAY SPECIAL from 08:00 Am - 12 Noon FREE Tea and Coffee

Serving great food since 2003

Comming Soon: Flame Grill / BBQ CHICKEN

#1 12842 96 Ave. Surrey

604-588-0221 2nd location in Vancouver !

1412 East 49 Ave We Deliver Knight Street (Parking at Rear)

604-322-0059 Franchise avaliable info at www.chickenworlds.com

25

lifestyle

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

PART 1: FEELING EXHAUSTED? Do 1 Simple Check Tomorrow Morning

By Nada Adams I want to share a true story about a Muslim woman I know who gave birth to son in her early 20’s. Like many mothers, she experience post partum depression, yes that is common. However 6 months later, she was still feeling tired, depressed and exhausted to the point she could barely get out of bed to tend to her child. She could barely move her limbs (arms and legs) feeling as though they are not a part of her body. She decided to seek her Medical Doctor`s (MD) assistance. After a short consult with the doctor (this MD is always in a terrible hurry) she prescribes this woman Prozac, a serious antidepressant. Trusting her doctor, she begins taking the Prozac for about 5 days. Feeling like she’s losing her mind, she calls her doctor after hours to express her fear and dissatisfaction with the drug she was given and informs her MD she`s stopping the Prozac immediately. A couple of weeks later, while this woman was visiting with a personal friend, her friend suggested to her to have her doctor test her thyroid as she is likely suffering from Hypothyroidism. She took her advice and met with her MD to follow up. Upon asking for the thyroid test, the MD responds, ‘didn’t I check your thyroid already?’ (can you believe she`s asking the patient that question – doesn`t she have records to look at?). The woman replied, ‘you’re the doctor, I have no idea.’ The MD reached over touching her throat to discover the Thyroid felt enlarged and immediately instructed this woman to go and have a TSH blood test done to confirm her prognosis of hypothyroid. The test comes back confirming hypothyroidism that requires medication. After taking her medication, this woman recovered significant in her energy and mental focus/wellbeing without the need for any antidepressants.

What if this woman never questioned her doctor`s prescription for antidepressants?

What if she stayed taking Prozac (a prescription that is known to make people suicidal) when what she really needed was thyroid medication?

What kind of woman/mother/wife would she have become had she been using Prozac for the last 20 years?

I urge you brothers and sisters to think about these questions seriously!! If you think this is a rare and unusual case, guess again. Being misdiagnosed is a regular occurrence that happens often with people. And every scarier, most likely someone you know right now, is taking medication for a misdiagnosed illness.

What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism?

The symptoms are often subtle mimicking the symptoms of many other conditions and are often attributed to aging, though now-adays, it’s also common in small children even infants. Someone with mild hypothyroidism might have no signs or symptoms. The symptoms usually become more obvious as the condition worsens due to a metabolic slowing of the body.

Common symptoms include: Fatigue, Depression, Modest weight gain, Cold intolerance, Excessive sleepiness, Dry coarse hair, Thinning hair, Depression, Constipation, Dry skin, Muscle cramps, Increased cholesterol levels, Decreased concentration, Vague aches and pains, Swelling of the legs. As the disease progresses in severity, there might be Puffiness around the eyes, Slowing of the heart rate, A drop in body temperature, Heavy or ir-

regular menstrual periods, Infertility and even heart failure or comma.

Is There A Simple Way To Self Check?

Yes, absolutely! This process works for both men and women. If you’re a woman who’s currently menstruating, start this test on your 2nd day of menstruation. Otherwise, if you are in purification, it makes no difference which day you start this easy way of checking. First thing tomorrow morning, I want you to begin checking your own Basal Body Temperature by following these 3 simple steps below: 1. Today/tonight, have a notepad ready and take out your regular thermometer (not electronic) and get it ready for use by giving it a good shake and placing it on your night table or on the floor directly next to your bed so you can reach for it easily without needing to get out of bed.

2. Next morning as soon as you wake up, put the thermometer inside 1 of your armpits for 10 minutes to take your body temperature accurately. Do this process for the next 5 days in a row recording your daily results. Make sure to stay in bed for at least 10 full minutes or the information will not be accurate.

3. If your thyroid is functioning normal, your body temperature will be about 97.8 to 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Any temperature below this reading will likely indicate a hypothyroid condition.

How Accurate Are Blood Tests?

For my own health and wellbeing, I made sure to learn a lot about this subject. I meet a lot of people complaining of low energy, hair loss and exhaustion. I usually instruct them to get a TSH blood test and come back to inform me of their number. Most people when tested using the regular TSH blood test done at the lab, come back claiming they are in the ‘normal’ range. BE AWARE the definition of normal is not necessarily normal for you. There is something called Subclinical Hypothyroidism which refers to a person who does not have all the apparent signs yet they have a hypothyroid! Millions of people today suffer in silence undiagnosed. How will you know if you fall under this category? If your TSH test comes back with a number that is more than 2.0 and less than 5.5, your doctor will say, ‘your thyroid is normal’. WARNING this is not true: you’re thyroid is NOT normal if it falls between that range and you would be considered to have Subclinical hypothyroidism according to a Naturopathic Doctor.

While there is some controversy, many endocrinologists will treat this group, especially if they have a high cholesterol blood level.

The abnormal cholesterol profile will often show improvement with thyroid hormone replacement (either natural or synthetic – to be discussed in detail in the next issue). However if the cholesterol levels are normal, and the patient feels well enough, it`s reasonable to follow up with this group without treatment and repeat the blood TSH and thyroid hormone levels in 4 to 6 months to see if more significant hypothyroidism is apparent. Both methods are acceptable by some doctors. So how many people do you know are suffering from high cholesterol? Are they taking cholesterol prescription drugs when, the real cause for elevated cholesterol is likely Hypothyroid?

Did these individuals get checked for thyroid properly? Have the blood test scores been identified accurately? If they did, they would be on Thyroid medication instead cholesterol drugs? – What a scary thought...

Another point to mention here, even if your TSH blood test comes back normal it does not mean that your thyroid hormone system is working perfectly. If your blood test number ranges between 2.0-5.5 ask your doctor to do a more detail blood panel that includes testing the T4 to T3 conversion. T4 is the non-active hormone produced by the Thyroid and T3 is

the converted active hormone that is usable by the body. Your thyroid might be making the right amount of T4 but it’s not converting enough T4 into T3, resulting in overall hormone problems that will only progressively worsen over time if left untreated.

The woman mentioned above in the story, I know very, very well – because I am that woman! By the blessings and mercy from Allah, I was spared from that doctor’s negligence. God created in me the strength to trust what I was experiencing to be abnormal and unacceptable and gave me the courage to say ‘no!’ God only knows what would have happened to me had I been passive and overly trusting just because someone had the title of doctor. That incident changed the course of my life and how I perceived doctors moving forward. After all, every doctor is human and humans make mistakes. I have since questioned every advice given by any doctor.

For 15 years, I only went to clinics when I needed a prescription filled and would see who ever was available; until I found an MD that took the time to ask good questions, an MD that values life. It took me 15 years of frequenting clinics in the lower mainland to finally find an MD who is open to natural medicine. Someone who respects my views and never pushes any pharmaceutical drug on me.

Don`t be afraid to ask your doctor to explain the ins and outs of anything they want to recommend. Are you aware, one of the leading causes of death is drug interaction between pharmaceuticals? If you are taking 2 or more pharmaceutical drugs, you should be concerned and be proactive in seeking a natural and holistic approach for your illness. I encourage you to become personally accountable for our own health. No one is going to care about you and your family’s well-being as much as you. Just because someone has the title of doctor, does not mean he knows more than you about your wellbeing. So please never trust in that person blindly. We live in a scary world right now where Pharmaceutical companies compensate doctors for prescribing some drugs to their patients.

The next time your doctor suggests a drug

for you, ask him/her ‘would you give this medication to your daughter or mother?’ Pay closer attention to their energetic response than their actual words. Do they hesitate in responding? Do you get a feeling they are being dishonest or unsure? If you hear a hesitation in their voice or tone, that`s an indication the drug may not be proven safe to take - so why should you trust their word and take it?! You might also think your MD has knowledge regarding Natural Remedies – well most do not! If you want to know if a pharmaceutical drug will contra-indicate with a natural herb, don`t ask your MD (he won`t know). Go to your pharmacist, they have a reference book to look up any drug and herb – they will have the answers for you.

Let`s be very frank, if you want to be healthy, you must take 100% responsibility for every aspect of your health especially in today`s world while living here in North America. Most MD`s in North America are not educated on prevention of illness or natural herbs (that has been my experience in the last 20 years). Their primary focus and education is pharmaceutical drugs. So be very wise who you ask and who you trust.

In the next issue, you will learn what causes Hypothyroidism and Natural Solutions you could use to improve the function of your thyroid. Until then, do the self check exercise I mentioned above to identify your basal body temperature.

About the author: Nada Adams is a 13-years natural health researcher, author and master coach with a strong interest in personal health/ wellness, heart and mind connection, living in core values and authenticity and the power of herbs to help us all heal. She is a devout religious teacher and a life, success and wellness coach helping men and women live an Islamically Authentic Life. She has been an Islamic teacher since 1990 and youth teacher for over 12 years. Adams was the ‘Dear Diary’ columnist for 2 years in the GCDA Magazine, a National Canadian Magazine focused on educating Teens. She’s also the founder of “Lower Mainland Muslims Unite” meet-up group primarily to teach the authentic creed of Islam to new converts and those individuals curious to know more about Islam. She can be reached at info@vipresultscoaching.com and her weekly meet-up group can be found at www.meetup. com/Lower-Mainland-Muslim-Meetup

WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS Shabnam Khan - Family Counsellor The idea of watching your thoughts might sound odd at first, but you will soon see that this is a very accurate description of a very useful tool. Once you get the hang of watching your thoughts, it will become one of the most powerful tools available to you.

This technique has been around for as long as people have been meditating. Watching your thoughts is a small change that offers you the amazing opportunity to stop the wheels from turning every second and gain critical perspective. The payoff will change your life for good.

Imagine going to the theatre to watch a movie. You can be totally immersed in the movie and part of you is totally detached.

The movie may not be of your interest and you are detached enough to know that the movie is just a movie. You are watching it but your attention is not there!

When you start watching your thoughts as you would a movie, this same detachment allows you to witness the many thoughts that occur in your brain, but without being overcome by these thoughts.

What you come to realize is that you have

an infinite number of thoughts each day, and many needs your attention simultaneously. “It’s as if one is yelling out to you, “Pay attention to me,” while another is saying, “No, pay attention to me.” This realization can be frightening. The good news, however, is that these are only thoughts! As you watch, thought after thought enters your mind. You realize that you can quiet the inner noise they make.

This is where the importance of detachment comes in.

Over time and with little practice, you can get to the point where you treat your own thoughts much like the movie. You can be totally responsive to them, yet detached enough to keep your bearings and not allow your thoughts to drive you nuts.

Everyday we must deal with hundreds of competing thoughts. The small change we can make is to stop trying to engage every thought that pops into our mind and stop trying to figure out every drama in our mind.

The next time you become agitated, worried or simply unable to focus, step back and watch your thoughts. The results will amaze you. With just this subtle shift, you can move from stress to uncertainty & to resolution, calm and joy!!! shabnam@skcounselling.ca or contact The Miracle

26

sports

Issue 306 - Rabi ul Thani 30, 1433 / March 23, 2012

I was tricked into spot-fixing - Amir

Mohammad Amir, in his first comments on the spot-fixing affair that disgraced Pakistan cricket, has presented himself as a victim of a plot organised by his captain at the time, Salman Butt, and the agent, Mazhar Majeed, and pleaded for forgiveness. Amir was jailed for six months after pleading guilty at Southwark Crown Court last year to conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat at gambling after a plot was uncovered in a sting operation arranged by the now defunct UK Sunday tabloid, the News Of the World, involving the bowling of deliberate no-balls in a Test against England in 2010. His guilty plea meant that unlike his co-conspirators, Butt and Mohammad Asif, his fellow fast bowler, he had no chance to tell his story, and indeed did not face the challenge of cross-examination.

In a statement through his lawyer, he had ventured at Southwark Crown Court: “I want to apologise to all in Pakistan and all others to whom cricket is important. I did the wrong thing. I was trapped, because of my stupidity. I panicked.” Now he has expanded on that defence to the former England captain, Michael Atherton, on Sky Sports. “I ask everyone to forgive me,” he said. “I messed up… Thanks to Allah I have taught myself to distinguish between

right and wrong. I have never done anything wrong. I was manipulated.” Butt was sentenced to two-and-a-half years, Asif was jailed for one year, and Majeed received a sentence of two years eight months. Butt and Amir subsequently lost appeals against the sentence. Amir told Sky that he did not admit guilt during an investigation by the ICC because “I could not find the courage.”

Instead, he placed the blame firmly upon Butt, a man who he learned to view in the Pakistan Academy, before his international debut, as a rare example of a friendly senior player eager to encourage him. “I was so angry with Salman,” Amir said. “He took advantage of my friendship. And I used to respect him like an elder brother.”

Amir was full of remorse during an hourlong interview that will bring the subject of his potential rehabilitation to the fore. He claimed that he bowled two deliberate noballs in the Lord’s Test because Majeed and Butt called him to a car park at the Pakistan team hotel in London and duped him into believing that his phone conversations with an unidentified fixer called Ali, whose name had not been revealed in court, had been recorded by the ICC. After the calls from Ali, he said that the day before the Lord’s Test came the meeting with Butt and Majeed. “I received a call from Mazhar

Broncos sign Peyton Manning

pair. Introducing Manning as the newest Denver Bronco on Tuesday, the two Super Bowl winners each talked about hoisting another Lombardi Trophy, this time together. And soon. “I realize I don’t have 14 years left, by any means,” Manning said. “This isn’t something where I’m just building a foundation to do something in two years or three years. This is a ‘now’ situation. We’re going to do whatever we can to win right now. That’s all I’m thinking about right now.” Just so long as Manning’s surgically repaired neck goes along with the plan.Neither he nor Elway has a doubt it will, and the Hall of Famer-turned-executive knew the NFL’s only fourtime MVP was just what his club needed. The franchise has won just two playoff games since Elway’s career came to an end with a second straight Super Bowl triumph in 1999. Denver’s last playoff victory came over Pittsburgh two months ago, when Tim Tebow delivered a stadium-rocking, 80-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime. But things change, and in the NFL, they can change fast. Tebowmania is now a passing fad in Denver. A couple of photos of Tebow that once adorned the halls at the Broncos’ headquarters were gone Tuesday by the time Manning was introduced. “I believe that he’s got a lot of great football left in him,” Elway said of his new QB. And if that’s true, the Broncos will wind up paying him $96 million over five years under his new deal. After holding up his new, bright orange jersey in a photo op with Elway and owner Pat Bowlen, Manning answered many of the questions that have been bouncing around since March 7, when his old team, the Colts, released him to avoid paying a $28 million bonus and set in motion one of the most frenetic free-agent pursuits in history. The first issue on everyone’s mind: So, Peyton, how do you feel? “I’m not where I want to be. I want to be where I was before I was injured,” Manning said, referring to the neck problem that kept him off the field in 2011 after he’d started every game for the Colts for the previous 13 seasons. “I have a lot of work to do in getting to where I want to be from a health standpoint and learning this offense. This is going to take a ton of work.” As far as being the man who could bring about the end of Tebow’s stay in Denver, Manning said: “I know what kind of player Tim Tebow is, what kind of person he is ... and what an awesome year he had this year. If Tim Tebow is here next year, I’m going to be the best teammate I can be to him, he and I are going to help this team win games. If other opportunities present themselves to him, I’m going to wish him the best.” On Elway’s role in leading him to choose Denver over other suitors, the most serious of which were the Titans and 49ers: “Everyone knows what kind of competitor he is as a player. I can tell he’s just as competitive in this new role. That got me excited.” And so, the deal -- the club’s most dramatic since Elway was acquired from the Colts in 1983 -- was sealed. With the new contract in place, Manning plans to retire in Denver. The Broncos, meanwhile, have some protection in the way the contract was formulated. There’s no signing bonus.

Manning will get $18 million guaranteed for next season, but must pass a physical before each season, starting in 2013, to get paid.

Source: ESPN

that I should go to the car park…when I got into the lift I bumped into Salman… All of a sudden it was as if someone had launched an attack. He told me that my calls with Ali had been recorded by the ICC. He told me I was trapped… I panicked so much it did not even occur to me how ridiculous it was.” He said he was taken to a car in the car park and that Majeed said, with Butt sitting silently in the back seat, “Do me a favour. Bowl two no-balls for me.” Amir recalled: “I said Bro I’m scared I can’t do it. I was churning inside, thinking about it. I cursed myself. I knew I was cheating cricket...Then I did it.” Amir’s formative years were spent in Changa Bangyaal near Rawalpindi. He was born into what is widely regarded as a poor family near Rawalpindi. In the interview, he displayed himself as more intelligent and quick-witted than many have presupposed. “I have support,” he said. “Good people are boosting my morals and giving me courage… is not a good place for anyone and nobody would be proud to be there.” He was 18, the forerunner in an exciting new crop of fast bowlers, as he displayed the form that made him Man of the Series in the England-Pakistan Tests. “One day I was on top of the world and the next it came crashing down,” he said. “… I was stupid. I should

have told someone. But I didn’t know what was happening to me...I had never thought about this sort of thing. I thought it was a load of nonsense. This led to my downfall.” Amir told how after the sting he was visited by Majeed and given £1500* (approximately $2380). “He told me I was his little brother. He was buzzing with excitement like he had hit the jackpot... I did not even touch the money. I knew that he had made me do something wrong.” Amir was released from Portland Young Offenders Institution in Dorset on February 1 after serving half of a six-month sentence for his part in a spot-fixing scam. He returned to Pakistan more than three weeks later, arriving at the international airport in Lahore at dawn alongside his solicitor, Sajida Malik, and leaving through a side exit to evade the media.

Source: Cricinfo

Lionel Messi breaks Barcelona mark Lionel Messi’s stunning hat-trick set a Barcelona scoring record of 234 goals as the La Liga champions won an action-packed home game against Granada 5-3 to close within five points of La Liga leaders Real Madrid on Tuesday.

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

30

35

36

7-SEATER! GADDI CHHOTTI VI TE VADDI VI! *UśT UIF GBNJMZ WFIJDMF XJUI SPPN GPS TFWFO $IFDL PVU XIBU SFBM GBNJMJFT BSF TBZJOH BU DIFWSPMFU DB

Ţ #FTU IJHIXBZ GVFM FGŻDJFODZ PG BOZ TFBUFS Ţ $BSHP DBSSZJOH żFYJCJMJUZ Ţ 'JWF 4UBS &VSP /$"1 4BGFUZ 3BUJOH †

“…the Orlando is a functional people mover that rides and handles beautifully.”

- Globe and Mail (MPCF %SJWF 1FUSJOB (FOUJMF

-5; NPEFM TIPXO‡

O D N A L R O T E L O R V E H 2012 C

$IFWSPMFU 0SMBOEP IJHIXBZ GVFM DPOTVNQUJPO SBUJOH PG - LN CBTFE PO (. UFTUJOH JO BDDPSEBODF XJUI BQQSPWFE 5SBOTQPSU $BOBEB UFTU NFUIPET $PNQFUJUJWF DPNQBSJTPO CBTFE PO /BUVSBM 3FTPVSDFT $BOBEBśT 'VFM $POTVNQUJPO (VJEF :PVS BDUVBM GVFM DPOTVNQUJPO NBZ WBSZ Š&VSP /$"1 SBUJOHT BSF QBSU PG UIF &VSPQFBO /FX $BS "TTFTTNFOU 1SPHSBNNF /$"1 XXX FVSPODBQ DPN $IFWSPMFU 0SMBOEP FRVJQQFE XJUI UIF - QFUSPM FOHJOF UFTUFE EVSJOH DBMFOEBS ZFBS UFTUJOH š.PEFM TIPXO 0SMBOEP -5; TUBSUJOH GSPN .341

37

38

Safa Travel Services Inc Presents

MAKKAH ECONOMY PACKAGE $5950 Air conditioned Tent in Mina & Arafat 4 minutes from Haraam 3 minutes from Masjid Al Nabwil

MADINAH HAJJ PACKAGE $6850

Hajj 2012

UMRAH PACKAGE Available from $2250 Call for details

Ramadhan Umrah

May Umrah Trip All prices include SAUDI DRAFT + QURBANI + IHRAM- No ADD ON’S.

Group Lead By Maulana Tayyab Qasmi

www.safatravel.com

EXPRESS MADINAH PACKAGE $6650 Meet & greet from the Airport Breakfast & Dinner Buffet throughout the Trip

40 PRAYERS HAJJ PACKAGE $7050

Sayed Hassan 604-290-2449/1-877-323-4616 Mohammed Salim 604-598-9883 For Arabic Speaker Call Br. Waleed Elmarmi 604825-9263 Authorized Agent for Saudi Visa

The Royal King Palace #365-8158-128th St., Surrey We ask all parents to submit the record of educational achievenments of their children as we will be presenting awards to outstanding students.

FOR MORE INFO: 604-721-0956 Main Sponsors

39

Best Choice Travel Inc.

Established since 2002

We do the best trip for you!

www.alwatantandoori.com

- Rao Fish $1.99/lb BCMA approved Halal Meat Shop

Scan with your smartphone to visit our website for the latest news in BC Muslim Community!

Our Services Include: - Airline Tickets - Hajj & Umrah Package - Car Rentals - Cruise - Travel Insurance Saman Saghir (Manager) - Package Holidays Eng. Ali Raza (Owner) 105C-12830 80th Ave, Surrey ~ 604-507-8549 bestchoicetravelinc@gmail.com