All you need to know to power your home with solar

 

All you need to know to power your home with solar

Solar panels generally have a life of 25 years so they may be lighting up your toddler’s wedding functions.

Fatima S Attarwala Published July 4, 2022

Did the world turn black when you saw your latest electricity bill? If so, you are not alone.

                                                     

The heat demands air conditioning, electricity providers demand fistfuls of money, the International Monetary Fund demands higher tariffs and Russian President Vladimir Putin demands Ukraine’s annihilation.

 

But it is impossible to explain the concoction of reasons to a toddler who just wants to sleep with a teddy bear while the AC is running. Harnessing solar power is a happy solution for those who can afford it.

 

Here are some factors to consider before opting for a solar solution:

                                                                      

Quality

One can take a gander down Regal Chowk in Karachi and pick up a solution that costs a few hundred thousand rupees compared to a million-plus option that a branded supplier could provide but it comes with its set of drawbacks.

 

The solution providers at the lower price end tend to import a container of solar paraphernalia and hire an everyday electrician to install it. Given its technical nature, the lack of support may create some issues.

 

Shoddy-quality solar panels can cause short circuits and sparks. In the best-case scenario, the system will shut down and you will be chasing after the supplier that may or may not be able to provide after-sales service.

 

“Even if a top-tier branded solar solution was installed in your house, it can act up a year or two after purchase,” says Musa Khan Durrani, the head of business and planning at SkyElectric. “You call up your local supplier but he may have switched his business to real estate and suggests you contact the manufacturer directly.”

 

“In the worst-case scenario, the sparks from inferior quality panels can start a fire,” cautions Mujtaba Raza, CEO of Solar Citizen.

 

Read: The imminent solar revolution

 

Registration

Reputable solar providers are registered with the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB). While AEDB in no way vets or guarantees the quality of the panels or service, its registration allows the supplier to set up the net metering system which is where all the cost savings lie.

 

Compare it to buying a car: given the price tag and longevity of the purchase, you would opt for a trusted name such as Toyota or Honda rather than an unknown entity, if your budget permits. Solar panels generally have a warranty of 10-15 years and a life of 25 years so they may be lighting up your toddler’s wedding functions.

 

Solar panels installed at a park in Peshawar. — White Star/File

Net metering

Cost savings lie in net metering, which is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid.

 

A company registered with AEDB can set up the net metering process on behalf of its customer. According to its website, KE processes applications received by AEDB-listed vendors only though this may not apply to all electric supply companies.

 

For example, you have a bungalow in Defence, Karachi, with a photo voltaic system on your terrace. It may generate more electricity than you need during the day, allowing you to sell the surplus to K-Electric.

 

Using the numbers of your annual electricity consumption, some companies can offer you a package that will bring down your electricity bill to zero. If your household consumes Rs1,000 of electricity at night on average, you can sell Rs1,000 worth of credits while the sun shines that can be availed after the sun goes down.

 

So during the day, you would use your own generated solar energy and KE would purchase the excess. Without batteries, at night, you would shift back to using electricity by KE which means load shedding at night requires the use of the good old generator running on the ever-pricey diesel.

 

To avoid power outages completely, you will need batteries to store the electricity generated while the sun is shining. There are different kinds of batteries, from the tubular batteries you are familiar with from the UPS system to the more expensive solar-specific solutions that can cost a further Rs250,000 per kilowatt for a home solution from a reputable company.

 

Solar solutions are less feasible for apartments because there is not enough open space that gets direct sun exposure. Though arguably, common areas such as parking can theoretically be solarised which may not take a complete load of all the apartments but can subsidise electricity bills.

 

Solar panels installed, near Mithi, in one of the approximately 480 reverse osmosis plants across Tharparkar. — White Star/File

Upfront cost and maintenance

Ali Karimjee, a resident of DHA in Karachi, installed an 11kW solar system in 2018 that cost him about Rs1.1m. “With the credits I earn through solar, I don’t pay electricity bills during the cooler months from November to March,” he says.

 

At the previously lower tariffs, at the peak of summer, his bill did not exceed Rs7,000-8,000 per month though three air conditioners, two fridges and an assortment of household appliances run on electricity. As electricity tariffs climb, he expects higher savings.

 

All this is peachy keen but the cost of solar is a hefty one and rises with the exchange rate. “As a rule of thumb, a normal household with three to four ACs and the usual appliances requires a solution of 10kW which now costs roughly Rs1.3m without batteries,” says Raza.

 

However, it can go as high as Rs2m, says Durrani. A 10kW system, including batteries, can cost between Rs1.8m to Rs3m but while the panels can last decades, the batteries may have a life of only a couple of years.

 

Being completely independent from grid electricity entirely is not the wisest of options. Batteries are expensive and need to be replaced frequently, so it could be upwards of an extra Rs300,000 every two years. If the purpose of the PV installation is to decrease the electricity bill, then a hybrid solution adds up to the most savings. If the purpose is to thumb your nose at KE, than by own means, go ahead.

 

A small additional cost is related to maintenance which involves washing the solar panels frequently. “A man comes to service my solar panels every week,” says Karimjee. “I pay him Rs3,500 per month.”

 

Read: Solar financing — push needing a shove

 

Financing

How can one afford a Rs1m-plus solar system? The State Bank offers financing at a flat six per cent rate, which is not linked to the Karachi Interbank Offered Rate. Generally, the tenure of the loan is three to five years with a down payment of 20pc equity.

 

Depending on electricity consumption and the amount spent on the solar solution, what you owe the bank could tally up to a smaller figure at the end of the month compared to your bill. For example, if you spend Rs25,000 a month paying off the bank when your electricity consumption is at Rs40,000, you will be saving money, even with a loan.

 

Keep in mind that while electricity tariffs increase, the amount of instalments remains constant so your savings will increase in proportion to the rise in energy rates.

 

However, banks take months to process solar loans, industry insiders complain. Given the technology involved, panels and assorted parts are imported and the rapid depreciation of the rupee jacks up prices. A few months down the road when the loan is finally processed, the cost of the package could have risen as well.

Udupi Hijab Row: Hopefully, Sanity Will Prevail Dr. Javed Jamil

 Udupi Hijab Row: Hopefully, Sanity Will Prevail

 

Dr. Javed Jamil

 

Thanks for the designs of the communal forces; the Hijab issue of Udupi (Karnataka) schools has become an international issue now. The welcome part is that most of the Indian political leaders of the country are supporting the right of Muslim girls to wear Hijab in schools. What needs to be understood however by the analysis as well as the courts is that Hijab for Muslim women is not a religious symbol but is the acceptance of high morality standards prescribed by Islam to suppress the lusts of the human beings and to safeguard the life, health and honour of women. Hijab is the antidote of nakedness being pursued by the forces of modern ideologies governed by Economic Fundamentalism, which seeks to market all the human susceptibilities irrespective of their disastrous effects on individuals’ health, family peace and social order. In today's world, women are lured to show as much of their skin as possible even in the public places to satisfy the lust of men. As I have been arguing for quite some time, so called “freedom of women” is in truth the freedom to men to enjoy women and market their services. The results are specifically destructive for women and children. Not only rapes are abounding with every passing day, more and more girls in modern societies become pregnant and either abort their children (in most cases) or become unwed mothers with their Children robbed of fatherly protection and love. “Freedom” is used selectively by the forces (both political and economic) to advance their own agenda. Where their interests are threatened, they immediately forget Freedom of Choice either in the name of uniformity or discipline.

 

Heads and hair of women have become the big beauty symbols and it is the provocation all round, with increasing nakedness in media, which is primarily responsible for unhealthy sexual relationships and sexual assaults. All kinds of provocations need to be strongly dealt with if the people are to be saved from Sex Transmitted Diseases, sex related problems like rapes, prostitutions, sexual assaults, abortions and children living with single parents. All these are huge problems worldwide with figures in each category in hundreds of thousands, often in tens of millions. But thanks to the dominance of market forces, the enormity of these issues is never highlighted in the media or social and political discourses. Ideally, the schools should make it compulsory for all students to cover their heads in whatever way they want, (even with a full cap if they find it easy to handle), and baring of legs and arms should be banned. This will make girls much safer and mentally peaceful in the schools. Both boys and girls will be in a better frame of mind to concentrate on their studies.

In India communal forces have an added agenda to keep harassing Muslims as much as possible and this becomes highly accelerated whenever elections are near. Hopefully the future India will be able in a much better way to combat the designs of communalist forces as well as atheistic and Western liberalists. 

 

The Concept of Human Rights in Islam; Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai ; February 3, 2022

The Concept of Human Rights in Islam

Part II

 

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai

 February 3, 2022

 

A summary of how the Qur’an deals with the concept of human rights as covered in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) follows: Article 1, 2, UDHR: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

 

Islam teaches the ethic of reciprocity, which entails treating others as we would wish them to treat us:

 

"None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." (See Hadith no. 13 in Imam Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths). From this extends the principle that each individual is of equal worth, simply because they are human. As such, every human being should be considered of equal value despite superficial differences.

 

As mentioned above, the following verse lays the blueprint for brotherhood between people:"O mankind, We created you from the same male and female, and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize one another. The best among you in the sight of GOD is the most righteous. GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant.." (Qur’an, 49:13)

 

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, or a non-Arab over an Arab, or a black person over a white, or a white over a black person except by being more righteous.” (Prophet’s Farewell Sermon).

 

It has been reported that during the Caliphate of Umar ibn-ul Khattab, the son of Amr ibn al-As, the governor of Egypt entered into a horse race with a native Egyptian Christian. The Egyptian won the race, which angered Amr’s son who slapped the Egyptian. The Egyptian brought the issue before Umar, who ordered the father and son to Medina and reprimanded him by saying, “Why do you enslave people whose mothers have given birth to them as free human beings.”

 

Professor Arnold Toynbee, the British historian who completed a twelve-volume analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations, remarked: “The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the extraordinary moral achievements of Islam, and in the contemporary world there is as it happens a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic virtue.”

 

The Qur’an also contains numerous verses which beautifully capture what it means to behave in a spirit of brotherhood as it encourages the uttering of kind words, honesty, restraining anger, avoiding greed, practicing forgiveness, giving due measure, condemning fraud and bribery, behaving humbly, admonishing mockery and sarcasm, honoring one’s promises and commitments, and encouraging peace, reconciliation, charity, tolerance, generosity and respect.

 

Article 3, UDHR: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

 

The ethic of reciprocity clearly covers this right too (as well as most of the articles in the UDHR). The Qur’an also states: “Because of this did we ordain unto the children of Israel that if anyone slays a human being unless it be [in punishment] for murder or for spreading corruption on earth-it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind.” (Qur’an, 5:32).

 

From this, we not only take cognizance of the fact that every individual has the right to life, but that every life is sacred and that the killing of one life is as atrocious as the destruction of the entire human race. In Islam, the first and foremost basic right is the right to life.

 

Article 4, UDHR: No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

 

All the spiritual teachings found in the Qur’an address the topic of slavery in one way or another. For example, the Qur’an encourages the ethic of reciprocity, the spirit of brotherhood, protects the sanctity and dignity of human life, and calls for ending oppression of others. All these dictates stand in stark contrast to the institution of slavery. Here is one very clear passage: “… the way of blame is only against those who oppress [other] people and behave outrageously on earth, offending against all right: for them there is grievous suffering in store!” (Qur’an, 42:41).

 

God even specifically encourages the freeing of slaves in the following passage:

 

“And it is not conceivable that a believer should slay another believer, unless it be by mistake. And upon him who has slain a believer by mistake there is the duty of freeing a believing soul from bondage and paying an indemnity to the victim's relations.” (Qur’an 4:92)

 

And while the reader will note that the verse stipulates the victim of the crime being "another believer", it should be emphasized here that “believers” referred to in the Qur’an are all peoples that believe in God, including the followers of the 25 prophets mentioned in the Qur’an as well as the followers of all the thousands of Prophets not mentioned in the Qur’an. This is evident in the following Qur’anic verse:

 

“Behold, We have inspired thee [O Prophet] just as we inspired Noah and all the prophets after him- as We inspired Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and their descendants, including Jesus and Job and Jonah, and Aaron, and Solomon; and as We vouchsafed unto David a book of divine wisdom; and as [We inspired other] apostles whom We have mentioned to thee before this, as well as apostles whom We have not mentioned to thee; and as God spoke His word unto Moses: [We sent all these] apostles as heralds of glad tidings and as warners, so that men might have no excuse before God after the coming of these apostles, and God is indeed almighty, wise.” (Qur'an 4:163)And:

 

“Verily, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians - all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds - shall have their reward with their Sustainer and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve.”(Qur'an, 2:62).And:

 

“Say: "We believe in God, and in that which has been bestowed from on high upon us, and that which has been bestowed upon Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and their descendants, and that which has been vouchsafed by their Sustainer unto Moses and Jesus and all the other prophets: we make no distinction between any of them. And unto Him do we surrender ourselves.” (Qur'an, 3:84).

 

Article 5, and 6, UDHR: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

 

Again, the golden rule is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The following Qur’anic verse alludes directly to the subject of torture and other inhuman treatment of others:“…the way of blame is only against those who oppress [other] people and behave outrageously on earth, offending against all right: for them there is grievous suffering in store!” (Qur’an, 42:41).

 

Moreover, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) laid down the ground rules for engagement in warfare during the battle of Badr, which took place on March 17, 624 CE: Non-combatants cannot be killed, prisoners of war cannot be tortured, temples and churches cannot be demolished, green trees cannot be uprooted, standing crops cannot be destroyed and the wounded people cannot be attacked. Some of these ground rules are evident from the following Prophetic directives:

 

"Do not kill any old person, any child or any woman." (Sunan Abi Dawood).

 

"Do not kill the monks in monasteries."

 

"Do not kill the people who are sitting in places of worship." (Musnad ibn Hanbal).

 

It is an historical fact that during the battle of Badr, no prisoner of war was tortured, because of these specific orders given by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), nor were there any custodial killings or kidnappings. Not surprisingly, when Umar came with the suggestion that all prisoners of war should be killed because they had fought against Muslims, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) chose to release them instead.

 

  

Stoke White Investigations; India's War Crimes in Kashmir: Violence, Dissent and the War on Terror;and other legislation Jan 20 2022;

 

Stoke White Investigations; India's War Crimes in Kashmir: Violence, Dissent and the War on Terror; Jan 20 2022;

A selection of new and detailed evidence gathered from over 2000 testimonies offered by civilians forms the basis of our report into human rights abuses by India in Jammu and Kashmir, including torture, extrajudicial killings, and the detention of minors.  Although the violence inflicted on Kashmiri Muslims by the Indian army has been well documented, this report provides new evidence-based insights into the extent of the abuse based on 2000 testimonies gathered over one year. The report forms the basis of an appeal to the UK Metropolitan Police unit for the arrest of perpetrators of violence against civilians in this context.  Within the framework of the Global War on Terror and counterterrorism, acts of abuse are directed against those Muslims dissenting against Indian occupation by conducting legitimate protest, seeking legal recourse through the law, and embarking on peaceful civil society advocacy.  These individuals, and those who are uninvolved in any of the above activities but who have been swept up as innocent bystanders, feature as the subjects of this report. Of particular concern is the kidnapping at age 15 of Zia Mustapha and his 18-year detention without charge that culminated in his extrajudicial killing, as well as the torture of human rights defender Mohammed Ahsan Untoo. This report also provides unique evidence of the presence of Israeli intelligence operatives during interrogations and torture of Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir. Indeed, the culture of impunity in the region has been enabled by a global environment in which torture has become acceptable under Western complicity. Nearly three decades have passed and not a single member of the Indian military has been prosecuted, despite growing evidence of unlawful conduct. It is hoped this documentation will start a process of accountability and justice for survivors, through a more appropriate and rigorous implementation of international human rights law. https://www.swiunit.com/post/india-s-war-crimes-in-kashmir-violence-dissent-and-the-war-on-terror; complete report ; India's War Crimes WOT.pdf.

Zia Mustafa’s extra-judicial ; Jan 22 2022;

The Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) has launched a comprehensive dossier on Zia Mustafa’s extra-judicial execution in a staged encounter at Poonch in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). According to the dossier, 15-year-old Zia from Rawalakot in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) inadvertently crossed the Line of Control (LoC) on January 13, 2003, and was arrested by Indian occupying forces. The family members of Zia lodged a missing report before the relevant police station. The army and IIOJK police, led by the then Director General of Police A K Suri, gave a joint press conference to the Indian media on April 11, 2003, projecting and presenting Zia as a "foreign militant", allegedly involved in the so-called terror incident. However, the dossier reported that Zia was a minor when he crossed the border unknowingly and later, was falsely implicated in militancy by the Indian forces and agencies.

The report further stated that the trial court in Shopian in IIOJK framed charges against Zia under Sections 302, 120b, 450, 395, of IPC; 7/27 PACT; 2/3 IMCO. However, the state out of prosecution witnesses failed to produce a single piece of evidence against Zia. Accordingly, the court closed the prosecution evidence. The state of IIOJK filed a criminal appeal before the occupied region's high court, which was meritless and accordingly dismissed by the court.The state again approached the Supreme Court of India and filed a criminal appeal 39899/2018 with the condonation of delay application which was still pending. Zia’s lawyer Mubashir Gattoo, while talking to local media, said that there was no evidence for his conviction. The dossier highlighted the extra-judicial execution of an under trial who was in judicial custody when the joint counter-insurgent group including the Indian army without following the mandate of law took Zia outside the jail and killed him in a staged encounter.  The dossier also revealed the important documents showing Zia, a minor boy, at the date of his arrest. Moreover, the prisoners' list exchanged by the foreign offices listed Zia as an undertrial prisoner. It highlighted the 111 fake encounters and the alleged perpetrators involved in these war crimes. The LFK held a roundtable debate inviting law experts and key stakeholders on the ‘universal jurisdiction’ case submitted before the metropolitan war crime unit in the United Kingdom. Hakan Camuz said that he hoped that the request to British police seeking the arrest of Indian officials would be followed by other legal actions also focusing on Kashmir. He added that Stoke White was sure that it was not going to be the last one, there would probably be many more applications.

Towards the end, Executive Director Nasir Qadri said, "This is the beginning of lawfare against the occupier and his organisation would further pursue the war crime cases to different available forums so that the perpetrators involved were apprehended for their crimes." https://tribune.com.pk/story/2339777/lawsuit-filed-against-modi-others-in-uk-for-kashmiris-extra-judicial-killing

 

The Hindu Right; Jan 17 2022;

 

                                                        The Hindu Right 

 At a conference in India last month, a Hindu extremist dressed head-to-toe in the religion's holy color, saffron, called on her supporters to kill Muslims and "protect" the country."If 100 of us become soldiers and are prepared to kill 2 million (Muslims), then we will win ... protect India, and make it a Hindu nation," said Pooja Shakun Pandey, a senior member of the right-wing Hindu Mahasabha political party, according to a video of the event. Her words and calls for violence from other religious leaders were met with a roar of applause from the large audience, a video from the three-day conference in the northern Indian city of Haridwar shows.  Pandey and several others are being investigated by local police for insulting religious beliefs, a charge that carries a possible sentence of up to four years in prison, Haridwar police officials told CNN. Late Thursday, police in Uttarakhand state, where Haridwar is located, arrested a man who spoke at the event, senior Haridwar Police official Shekhar Suyal told CNN. It is unclear what the man said at the event. Police have not formally charged anyone with any crime. Analysts say the Hindu Mahasabha is at the tip of a broader trend in India which has seen an alarming rise in support for extremist Hindu nationalist groups since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power nearly eight years ago. Although these groups aren't directly associated with Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), his own Hindu nationalist agenda, and the lack of repercussions for these groups' previous vitriolic comments, has given them tacit support, making them even more brazen, analysts say. Analysts fear this rise poses a serious danger to minorities, especially Muslims -- and worry it may only get worse as several Indian states head to the polls in the coming months. "What makes the Hindu Mahasabha dangerous," said Gilles Verniers, an assistant professor of political science at Ashoka University near India's capital, New Delhi, "is that they have been waiting for a moment like this in decades." Founded in 1907 during British rule at a time of growing conflict between Muslims and Hindus in the country, the Hindu Mahasabha is one of India's oldest political organizations. The group didn't support British rule, but it didn't back India's freedom movement either, led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was particularly tolerant of Muslims. Even now, some members of the group worship his assassin, Nathuram Godse. The Hindu Mahasabha's vision, according to the group's official website, is to declare India the "National Home of the Hindus." The website says if it takes power, it will not hesitate to "force" the migration of India's Muslims to neighboring Pakistan and vows to reform the country's education system to align it with their version of Hinduism.   was in 1991. According to Verniers, their "strength is not to be measured in electoral terms." And in the past eight years since Modi came to power, they appear to have expanded in numbers and influence based on the size and frequency of their meetings, he said. While the group does not publicly disclose how many members it has, Verniers said they are "comfortably in the tens of thousands." Hindu Mahasabha targets rural communities in northern states, where there is a large BJP presence, encouraging them to vote for parties that align with their Hindu-nationalist ideology, including Modi's BJP, Verniers said. Modi, in turn, has publicly honored the Hindu Mahasabha's late leader, Veer Savarkar, for "his bravery" and "emphasis on social reform."  And as Hindu Mahasabha has grown in recent years, it has become more outspoken. In 2015, Sadhvi Deva Thakur, then a senior member of the group, caused widespread controversy when she told reporters Muslims and Christians should undergo forced sterilization to control their population growth. CNN has reached out to her for comment. Pandey, who spoke at the December conference in Haridwar, was arrested in February 2019 after a video showed her shooting an effigy of Gandhi Photos uploaded to her official Facebook page last May show her worshiping a statue of Gandhi's assassin. CNN has not been able to confirm whether she was formally charged over the February 2019 incident. Hindu Mahasabha isn't the only right-wing Hindu nationalist group to espouse violent sentiment toward liberals and minorities -- including India's 200 million Muslims, who make up 15% of the country's 1.3 billion population. At last month's conference, several speakers called on India's Hindus to "defend" the religion with weapons. Another called for the "cleansing" of India's minorities, according to video from the event. But according to Verniers, Hindu Mahasbha one of the largest right-wing political groups aiming to make India the land of the Hindus. And while the group's campaigns and ideas are decades old, they're more bold about them now. "The escalation of their hate speech is reflective of the state of affairs in India," said Verniers. "But they are able to get away with it more."  The reason extremist groups appear to be on the rise is clear, according to experts: they have impunity and support. India prohibits hate speech under several sections of its penal code, including a section which criminalizes "deliberate and malicious acts" intended to insult religious beliefs. According to lawyer Vrinda Grover, any group inciting violence is barred under Indian law. "Police, states and the government are responsible to ensure (inciting violence) doesn't happen," she said. "But the state, through its inaction, is actually permitting these groups to function, while endangering Muslims who are the targets." Pandey's rant and some of the other calls for violence were the "worst form of hate speech," according to Verniers. "This is the first time I find myself using the term 'genocide' in Indian politics," he said, referring to the comments made at last month's conference. "They have tacit support in the form of government silence." That's because Modi also has a Hindu nationalist agenda, experts say. Starting from his first term as Prime Minister, minority groups and analysts say they began to see a significant shift in India's ideology from a secular to a Hindu nationalist state. The BJP has its roots in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right wing-Hindu group that counts Modi among its members. Many RSS members are adherents of the Hindutva ideology that the Hindu Mahasabha preach -- to make India the land of the Hindus. In 2018, India's current Home Minister Amit Shah said Muslim immigrants and asylum seekers from Bangladesh were "termites" and promised to rid the nation of them. The BJP's Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of the north Indian state Uttar Pradesh, known for his anti-Muslim views, once compared Muslim Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan to Hafiz Saeed, the alleged planner of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks . Between 2015 and 2018, vigilante groups killed dozens of people -- many of whom were Muslims -- for allegedly consuming or killing cows, an animal considered sacred by Hindus, according to a report from Human Rights Watch. Modi publicly condemned some of the killings, but the violence continued, and in 2017, his government attempted to ban the sale and slaughter of cows --currently illegal in several Indian states -- nationwide. Human Rights Watch said many of the alleged murders went unpunished in part due to delayed police investigations and "rhetoric" from ruling party politicians, which may have incited mob violence. In 2019, India's Parliament passed a bill that would give immigrants from three neighboring countries a pathway to citizenship -- except for Muslims. It led to extended protests and international condemnation. In December 2020, Uttar Pradesh enacted a controversial anti-conversion law, making it more difficult for interfaith couples to marry or for people to convert to Islam or Christianity. Other states, including Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Assam, introduced similar laws, leading to widespread harassment and, in some cases, arrests for interfaith couples, Christian priests and pastors.  All of this has only served to encourage extremist groups like the Hindu Mahasabha, say experts. Zakia Soman, a women's rights activist and co-founder of the Muslim group Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, said "a failure of governance" had given rise to more right-wing extremists. "Our community is realizing that we have become second-class citizens in our own country," Soman said. "Minority bashing and hate is becoming regular and normalized. As the intensity increases, the venom and violence in their language also increases." A 21-year-old Muslim student in Delhi, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of backlash from right-wing groups, said Muslims are filled with "a sense of fear" every time right-wing Hindu groups make hateful comments."It gives us a sense that we don't belong here," he said.  Despite police investigations and public outrage, legal action against those who spoke and were present at December's event have been slow. In a letter submitted to Modi on Friday and seen by CNN, students and faculty of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore and Ahmedabad said his silence "emboldens" hate, adding there is "sense of fear" among minority groups in India. Some experts agree the government's silence has only emboldened these groups further. "Hate speech precedes hate crimes," Grover, the lawyer, said. "And we are witnessing a crescendo of hate crimes. These groups are rapidly spreading poison through society." A 2019 US intelligence report warned that parliamentary elections in India increase the possibility of communal violence if Modi's BJP "stresses Hindu nationalist themes." It added that state leaders "might view a Hindu-nationalist campaign as a signal to incite low-level violence to animate their supporters." Analysts fear the BJP's divisive politics will could lead to increased violence against minority groups in the lead up to pivotal state elections this year. And reported episodes of violence against Muslims have already increased ahead of this year's state elections. In December, crowds of India's Hindu-right confronted Muslims praying on the streets in the city of Gurugram, just outside of Delhi. They prevented Muslims from praying, while shouting slogans and carrying banners in protest. "It is an electoral strategy," said Verniers, the political scientist. "Create religious tension, activate religious polarization and consolidate on the Hindu vote." Grover, the lawyer, said criminal laws are "weaponized" in India, adding anyone who challenges those in power "face the wrath of the law." "Muslim lives in India are demonized," she said. "The Indian state is in serious crisis." On January 1, Pandey held a live broadcast for her more than 1,500 Facebook followers. The subject was "Religious Parliament," her post said. For the 21-year-old student, it is difficult to "expect any sense of justice" for Indian Muslims. He says even having a Muslim name is enough to make him feel unsafe. "It is really scary to carry the Muslim identity in India today." https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/14/asia/india-hindu-extremist-groups-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

"Modern" Culture the Biggest Threat to Health: Dr. Javed Jamil

 "Modern" Culture the Biggest Threat to Health: Dr. Javed Jamil

 

“Market driven Healthcare system ignores natural prevention and insists on artificial prevention.”

 

By Staff Reporter

Dr. Javed Jamil has called upon the world to use Health as the most important criterion for judging what is right and what is wrong. Dr. Jamil, renowned thinker and writer and Chair in Islamic Studies & Research”, Yenepoya University, Mangalore was delivering a lecture on “Socio-cultural Issues and their Impact on Health” in a programme organized by the St Aloycious Degree College, Mangalore. He said that society and culture all over the world are now being shaped in varying degrees by the do-called Modernism, which is nothing but a market sponsored system to “market not only the human needs but also the human susceptibilities”. He said that they first maket the “causes of the Problems” and then market the “Solutions of the Problems”. He emphasized that the rise of “Economic Fundamentalism” in 18^th Century onwards has been responsible for the “commercialization of human weaknesses” with hugely dangerous consequences. “They first started working on a God-free society because “fear of God” is the largest impediment in the way of succumbing to weaknesses”, he explained. He said that they used theoretical physicists to convince the world that the universe got created without Gid. "They tried to make the world believe about a huge plan without a planner, a hugely vast construction without a builder, a massive design without a designer, a vast system without anyone governing it, the emergence of highly advanced physics and mathematics without anyone knowing mathematics and physics, then chemistry, biology and cosmology without any biologist, chemistry expert and cosmologist anywhere. Then they started a systematic disintegration of family system, which “they thought was the biggest obstacle in the commercialization of sex and other addictions”. He said that alcohol and free sex have become the biggest causes of death in the world. Citing various statistics, he told that more than 38 million people have died of AIDS in last 30 years and it still continues to be a big killer. He told that homosexuality, promiscuity and prostitution are the major reasons in the same order for the Mortality and Morbidity due to Sex Transmitted Diseases and “yet they are not only allowed, but also glorified, commercialized and globalised” by the market-driven system.

Dr. Jamil told that around 120 million babies are killed by way of abortion and yet rather than this genocide becoming a big human rights issue, ‘right to abortion’ is defended as a “Human Right”.  “While death sentence to a mass murderer is opposed in the name of the right to life, these babies do not have the right to live because they are the biggest hindrance in the commercialization of sex and the so called freedom of women,” he argued. He said that “ironically, while babies are killed in the wombs of mothers, ventilators are put even on 90 plus people who have hardly any chances of surviving, and are often already dead”. “Both ventilators and abortions bring huge profits to the Healthcare market.” He said that on the one hand, drugs are openly sold and then drug rehabilitation centres are established because both will bring money. “If there are no diseases, the healthcare market will not prosper”, he argued. He said that the modern system in not interested in Natural Prevention but in Artificial Prevention. While alcohol, promiscuity, smoking, gambling are marketed with great fanfare, emphasis is laid on condoms, vaccines and rehabilitation if needed. Peope are not told to avoid dangerous substances and practices but to use artificial means to reduce the chances of adverse effects, he argued.

Dr. Jamil argued that family system is the biggest safety wall against diseases and killings like abortions and rapes. He said that disintegration of family system has become the order of the day, and now in Western countries 40-60 percent children are born out of wedlock and 60-80 percent children have to live with single parents. He said that “Freedom of Women” is nothing but “Freedom to men to enjoy them and freedom to market to exploit them, women and children being the major sufferers”. It is women who have to become preganant and then abort and in most cases they are the single parents looking after their children. “Freedom of Choice has become the biggest tool in the hands of the market forces”, he went on to explain. He said that in principle “Freedom of Choice” is a good concept but giving dangerous choices to the people is the most lethal abuse of this concept. He said that if Covid has caused massivee impact in the most advanced regions of the world including America and Europe, one big reason is their night life, full of partying, sex and drinking and gamblibg, and absence of strong family system. He argued that the market including the healthcare industry does not want total prevention of diseases and are just interested in keeping diseases especially pandemics within the manageble limits so that they can take maximum advantage out of it.

Dr. Jamil called upon all the religions to play their roles effectively in countering the concepts, policies and programs that seriously endanger “life and healthiness of life”. He emphasised that Health must become the biggest and unbreachable criterion in determining the policies, programmes and laws regarding substances and practices. He argued that instead of just focusing on Fundamental rights, the focus should be on Three-Dimensional System of Rights, Duties and Prohibitions. This alone can make society healthy and peaceful, he argued.

Dr Jamil laid great stress on the need of all religions to “unite on the ground of common religious morality rather than fighting and hating on the ground of Religious Identity”. In reply to a question, he argued that communalism has little to do with religion and is the product of “Political Fundamentalism”, which tries to use the sentiments of the people for political gains. In reply to another question he explained that all religions largely speak against harmful substances and practices and in favour of strong family system but in Islam, there are specific guidelines in a codified manner regarding all these issues. In reply to yet another question, he said that he is neither in favour of a very early marriage nor in favour of a late marriage. 20 to 25 years is the ideal period for merriage, he said. 

He explained that morality is of three types - religious, scientific and commercial. While religious morality and scientific morality more or less conform to each other, commercial morality is highly different. What is bad in religion is proved to be bad by health sciences. But commercial morality is interested in money only and is dangerous for health and peace.