"Khar was the breed of the feudal system where women are no more than mere material objects. There are many reasons for that school of thought. The important ones are lack of education, the cultural values, and finally, one's family upbringing and personality." "Khar was a man obsessed with power; that power had to be practiced to confirm its existence. The 'safest' domain was his own home, where no one dared to question his authority. He would beat up the servants if the food was not hot enough, me (Tehmina Durrani) if I was late after his first call and his children if they threw a tantrum," she wrote. Luckily, Hina Rabbani Khar is exceptional to the ordeal of the womenfolk of Khar family as narrated by her aunt. -- Omer Farooq Khan (Photo: Hina Rabbani Kahr at Ajmer Sharief Dargah)

The 1,500 square-foot Masjid was built in Winnipeg and started its journey on a semi-trailer. The over-sized trailer made its way through back roads and country highways, struggling to make it to the barge in time; it was delayed further by Labour Day celebrations and highway regulations. To complicate matters even more, the bridge across Reindeer Creek proved too narrow for the trailer. The driver had to remove the back wheels and a second truck was brought in to balance the back of flatbed as the Masjid was moved carefully across bridge.

The Midnight Sun Masjid, as it is now called, was inaugurated on November 10th 2010 to become North America’s northern most masjid. All in all, the entire project cost about $300,000. The Zaid Tallabah Foundation, which still has outstanding payments to make, is looking to raise another $21,000.

The poet –philosopher Iqbal also paid rich tribute to socialism in his Khizr-e-Rah which he wrote after decline of Usmani power in Turkey and on the eve of Russian revolution. He also paid rich tribute to Marx and called him man with Book but without being prophet (paighambar nist wale dar baghal darad Kitab). He also wrote an interesting poem “Lenin Khuda Ke Huzur Mein” (Lenin in presence of God). Also a left-inclined Christian priest who taught in Government College Lahore for in 1030s and was noted scholar of Islam writes in his book Islam in the Modern World that Islam was the first organized socialist movement in the world. And not without reason. Thus Qur’an is unmistakably in favour of the weaker section of society and it predicts leadership (though not dictatorship) of proletariat. It is interesting to note that it was Imam Khomeini who drew our attention to this verse (28:5) and he also established bunyad-i-mustad’ifin (Foundation for the weak) from the wealth of the rich which he ordered to be confiscated.-- Asghar Ali Engineer

Ramadan, the month of piety is coming and today inshaallah we will talk about the night of mid Sha’ban and about an introduction to the month of Ramadan. Before that, there should be an introduction. You know that Allah Almighty says:

(148. For every nation there is a direction to which they face. So hasten towards all that is good. Wheresoever you may be, Allah will bring you together (on the Day of Resurrection). Truly, Allah is Able to do all things.)[Al-Bakara surah]

 Man has free will to choose the way of belief or disbelief, the way of doing good or doing bad, the way of obedience or disobedience, Allah says:

(For every nation there is a direction to which they face. So hasten towards all that is good) -- Translated By Maha Sulieman

Sunni Muslims believe that Jesus will come back in the end times as the Messiah, whereas the Ahmadiyya Muslims believe that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is the Messiah. As a Muslim without bias, I honor their belief without believing what they believe. Other than this singular difference, there is not much of a difference at all. From Adhan to Salat, fasting to Zakat and other arkans to Hajj, they are same, indeed Prophet Muhammad holds "exactly" the same place in their tradition as with other Muslims. I urge Sunni Muslims to open their hearts and minds towards fellow Muslims. Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware." Muslims from post colonial era may never be able extricate themselves from what is given to them, but the next generation in America will be open enough to see Muslims as Muslims and nothing but Muslims based on Shadah at its core. -- Mike Ghouse

Every morning I open the Urdu newspapers with dread. Will I have to read yet another regressive rant by those who call themselves the custodians of Islam, or one more litany on the wrongs done to the Muslim community worldwide? Sadly, the answer is yes. What better example of this kind of bigotry than the headline in the Urdu Times on January 9: 'Sharon ki maut par jashn manaya jayega' (Sharon's death will be celebrated)? Muslims, madrassas, reservations in a Muslim university, a mosque under threat, another lavish one being built, Muslims being oppressed from Kashmir to Kandahar and Baghdad to Bradford, Bosnia, Palestine, Afghanistan. These are the staples that Urdu dailies thrive on. It appears as if nothing else in the world is newsworthy unless it has Muslims at its centre, preferably in a situation of victimhood. -- Mohammed Wajihuddin

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Urdu is a symbol of India’s syncretic culture, but based on various perceptions -- real or not -- this so-called ‘Ganga-Yamuna tahzeeb’ ..... This, however, ignores major contributions to the language by many non-Muslim writers, poets and journalists, to name some randomly: Prem Chand, Krishen Chander, Rajinder Singh Bedi Tarlok Chand Marhoorn, Mali Ram Wafa, Labhu Ram Josh Malsiani, Kaif Arfani Mohanmurti , Naresh Kumar Shad, Pandit Sudarshan , Upendra Nath Ashq, Qamar Jalalabadi, Ram Prashad Bismil, Hansraj Rehbar, Dr. Gopi Chand Narang, Gopal Mittal, Hari Chand Akhtar , Dwarkadhish Mehar, Swami Ramanan, Pandit Dattatreya Kaifi, Mahasha Krishan, Mahasha Khushal Chand, Nanak Chand Naaz, Ram Rakha Mal Khustargrami, Sohan Lal Vohra, Pindi Das of Gujaranwala. “How many Hindus does Urdu need to flaunt to prove its appeal across religions,”…. -- Dr Khan Dawood L. Khan

Killing somebody, it seems, is like taking a walk in the park in Pakistan. The casual execution of Sarfaraz Shah by the paramilitary Rangers in Karachi last week has shaken a nation used to the daily drill of drone strikes and suicide bombings. The 19-year old was nervously walking up and down trying to assure the Rangers of his innocence when he was shot point blank – without a warning and without batting an eyelid. Just like that. Coldblooded, mater-of-fact and absolutely chilling, the Rangers’ action, captured by an unobtrusive television camera, has set the cyberspace on fire. It probably needs an Arab spring to clean out the dirt, cobwebs and skeletons accumulated over the past six decades. -- Aijaz Zaka Syed

Crises are to Pakistan as holes are to a net; it is sometimes difficult to see where the crises end and the country begin. But we putter along. The government has not yet fallen, India has not yet declared war, nuclear weapons have not fallen into the hands of terrorists, our food and power sources have not yet petered out. But we face another crisis, which will slowly but surely wear us down. A crisis of disengagement. What do these people want? What do they think? What drives them? What angers them? What inspires them? Who knows? Who cares? Nobody’s asking. -- Zaair Hussain

Violence is a male issue. That males are more likely than females to perpetrate violence is a well-documented fact. What is far less noted is that males are also more likely to be the victims of violence. While women and children are most at risk in the home, males are more at risk in the workplace and in public. Males are more likely to experience physical bullying at school; work in a job that maims and kills; get involved in fights or be shot on the street; be in a mosque when it goes up in flames. And yet, how often do you hear this? Take the reporting of deaths in blasts in Pakistan — “12 people killed in blast, including 2 women and a child”. Can I assume then that nine men died? And why not say so? Violence begets violence. On the whole, we leave our males to deal with violence from a young age with little support or acknowledgment of that burden, relying almost entirely on the quality of parenting. -- Caitlin Malik

If women's liberation in Britain is brazenly expressed by marching the SlutWalk, the rage in Malaysia is to sign up for the Obedient Wives Club. Established this month, the club already has 800 members. The founders of Malaysia's latest Islamic grassroots movement would surely chastise the SlutWalk on a rationale that goes something like this: had western societies acknowledged that man is hardwired for sex and endorsed polygamy, there could have been happy endings galore. Bill Clinton's term as US president would not have been scandalous had Hillary allowed her husband to take Monica Lewinsky as his second wife. -- Nazry Bahrawi

..Muslims realized that a lack of education robbed them of identity, equality, opportunity,”….  A bond to its people does not express itself so freely in every language. To the Urdu community, the fight to bring “identity, equality and opportunity” to Muslims is still on. The spirit is preserved in a famous sher by satirist Allama Akbar Allahabadi: “Kheechon na kamaan ko, talwar nikaalo/Agar top mukaabil ho, toh akhbaar nikaalo.” (Don’t draw the bow, bring out a sword; When faced with the gun, bring out a newspaper). It is a verse many of Mumbai’s readers know well. It has appeared, for the last 50 years, on the masthead of Bal Thackeray’s Marathi weekly Marmik. -- Supriya Nair

The custodians of false idols arrested him and sentenced him to death. Socrates drank the cup of poison smilingly. But his ideas are still alive and flourishing. Mansur Hallaj, a great Persian mystic and writer of Kitab-al-Tawasin, created a storm of criticism by uttering Anâ l-haqq (I am the Truth). The custodians of religion and the ruling class rose against him. He was publicly executed. They cut him into pieces and then they burnt his remains. But his ideas could not be burnt. They are still alive in the form of Wahdat-al-Wajood in Islamic mysticism. Spinoza, a great philosopher of the 17th century, was excommunicated by the Jews due to his rationalism and anti-Jewish ideas. He lived alone with his philosophical ideas like a saint and died in solitude like a convicted felon. Today, he is considered one of the greatest rationalists of the 17th century who laid the ground for the enlightenment movement. -- Faheem Amir

Clearly people aren't ready to accept that Muslim children can also be sincere. I think it's commendable that Hassan doesn't spend all his time in front of the television, but that he concerns himself with life's big questions. The book portrays members of a functioning family who talk to each other and who are also affectionate with one another now and again. It's not my aim to publish books that appear to be a dry attempt to be informative. For me it's about children approaching questions in a playful manner. -- Ahmad Milad Karimi in an interview with Caludia Mende

Yes, Yemen is corrupt, just like all of its neighbouring countries. And the corruption ends up hindering every independent initiative and attempts at renewal. There is always someone with an outstretched hand claiming to be responsible. It is also true that Yeminis, at least those employed by the state apparatus, which nonetheless make up about half the population, are paranoid. They hold their positions, not because they are particularly qualified for the office, but rather because they have connections or bribed their superiors. Yemen's patriarchal society has hampered social and political development for centuries,… - Michael Roes

Narang is severe when asked about the great language paradox Urdu couplets are quoted by everyone,including politicians,but almost no one is prepared to champion it otherwise.Is Urdu being punished for its apparent association with the Muslim community Narang says,If Urdu is the language of the Muslims,then how come non-Muslim writer-poets like Gulzar,Pavan K Varma,Sheen Kaaf Nizam (Shiv Kumar ),Chandrabhan Khayal and Jayant Parmar are thriving. -- Mohammed Wajihuddin

Photo: Professor Gopi Chand Narang