This is perhaps the most well-known of the Indian festivals: it is celebrated throughout India, as well as in Indian communities throughout the diaspora. It usually takes place eighteen days after Dusshera. It is colloquially known as the “festival of lights”, for the common practice is to light small oil lamps (called diyas) and place them around the home, in courtyards, verandahs, and gardens, as well as on roof-tops and outer walls.In urban areas, especially, candles are substituted for diyas; and among the nouveau riche, neon lights are made to substitute for candles. The celebration of the festival is invariably accompanied by the exchange of sweets and the explosion of fireworks. As with other Indian festivals, Diwali signifies many different things to people across the country.In north India, Diwali celebrates Rama’s homecoming, that is his return to Ayodhya after the defeat of Ravana and his coronation as king; in Gujarat, the festival honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth; and in Bengal, it is associated with the goddess Kali. Everywhere, it signifies the renewal of life, and accordingly it is common to wear new clothes on the day of the festival; similarly, it heralds the approach of winter and the beginning of the sowing season.

Can a Muslim Wish his/her Christian friends a Merry Christmas? This following answer is one of opinion of a Muslim scholar and should be read in that context. (Fatih)

Question:

Celebrating Christmas

As-Salamu `alaykum. I have a lot of non-Muslim friends, and on Christmas day I greet them or give them a Christmas card. To get to the point, I just try to represent Islam as a peaceful religion and Muslims as kind and caring people. So, can Muslims give their non-Muslim friends Christmas cards just to be nice and show kindness as a Muslim? Or am I doing something wrong?

11 Indian MPs expelled for cash-for-questions scamK.V. PrasadBJP, BJD stage walk out in Lok Sabha; punishment disproportionate to offence, says L.K. AdvaniWITNESSING HISTORY: The expulsion of 11 MPs on Friday for taking bribes to raise questions highlights the need to restore public trust in elected representatives. These visitors were privileged to witness an act of expiation unprecedented in the history of any parliamentary democracy.NEW DELHI: Parliament on Friday expelled 11 members — 10 from the Lok Sabha and one from the Rajya Sabha — whose conduct was found to be “unethical and unbecoming” of Members of Parliament.For the first time in the annals of Parliament, the membership of the 11 MPs was terminated by voice vote, 11 days after the sting operation on the cash-for-questions scam hit the headlines.The Rajya Sabha agreed with the recommendation of its Ethics Committee while the Lok Sabha endorsed the report of the Pawan Kumar Bansal Committee set up to go into the allegations.Differences over procedureThough the thrust of the debate was on acting against corruption, the members differed on the procedure adopted to arrive at the decision. Cracks in the Opposition approach were seen in both the debate and the voting in the Houses.Of the 10 Lok Sabha MPs whose membership was terminated, five belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party, three to the Bahujan Samaj Party and one each to the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal.The BJP and the Biju Janata Dal staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha after Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani said the punishment was disproportionate to the offence. Mr. Advani termed the act of the expelled members “stupidity,” as they believed that those carrying out the sting operation were representatives of non-governmental organisations and fell into their trap.Prior to this, BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra’s amendment to refer the issue to the Privileges Committee was negated. Braja Kishore Tripathy said the BJD could not be a party to a House that stood divided.On the other hand, the Janata Dal (United) questioned the BJP’s move with its leader Prabhunath Singh stating that if the principles of morality made the party demand the resignation of Natwar Singh as External Affairs Minister following the Volcker Report, a different approach could not be taken now.Contrary to the BJP’s stand in the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh preferred to go along with the House in expelling Chhattrapal Singh Lodha (BJP). While asking the House to reflect on the “virtually limitless powers” at its disposal, Mr. Jaswant Singh did not want the Rajya Sabha to be divided on the issue; yet, he concurred with the views expressed by the members. At the end of a five-and-a-half hour discussion on the Bansal Committee report, the Lok Sabha passed a resolution, which said: “That this House having taken note of the Report of the Committee to inquire into the allegations of improper conduct on the part of some members, constituted on 12 December, 2005, accepts the findings of the Committee that the conduct of the ten members of but that does not mean we will not take action.”At his customary end of the session press conference, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said it was a “very sad event” that 10 MPs were expelled. The Privileges Committee had the same powers as any other parliamentary committee, including the ad-hoc panel set up under Mr. Bansal. Mr. Chatterjee said he did not interfere with the committee’s work, and it was for the House to take a final view on its recommendation. There was no request from the Bansal Committee seeking more time to submit the report.PTI reports:Two of the expelled MPs said they would challenge the decision in court. “Definitely, we will go to the court…. This was a conspiracy of the Congress,” Mr. Pradeep Gandhi (BJP) said.Mr. Rajaram Pal (BSP) asked why the Speaker did not allow him to place the facts before the House. Describing the sting operation and expulsion as a “big conspiracy”, he said, “I will go to the public and the court.”

Posted to Indonesia Forum by Indah NuritasariApa itu marketing?Sedikit belajar lagi tentang marketing untuk kesuksesan hidup… Apakah Marketing Itu?- Jika anda melihat seorang gadis cantik di sebuah pesta lalu anda menghampirinya dan berkata, “Aku adalah orang kaya .. menikahlah denganku.”Itu adalah DIRECT MARKETING.- Jika anda berada di sebuah pesta dengan kawan-kawan anda dan bertemu dengan seorang gadis cantik. Salah seorang kawan anda menghampiri gadis itu dan berkata, Lihatlah pria itu (sambil menunjuk anda) . Ia sangat kaya, menikahlah dengannya.”Itu adalah ADVERTISING.- Jika anda melihat seorang gadis cantik di sebuah pesta lalu anda menghampiri dan meminta nomor telponnya. Keesokan harinya anda menelponnya dan mengatakan, “Hi .. aku sangat kaya, menikahlah denganku.”Itu adalah TELEMARKETING.- Anda tengah berada d sebuah pesta dan melihat seorang gadis cantik.Anda membetulkan dasi, berjalan ke arahnya dan menawarkan minum. Anda membukakan pintu untuknya saat mengantar pulang dan berkata, “Aku sangat kaya, maukah kau menikah denganku?”Itu adalah PUBLIC RELATIONS.- Anda tengah berada di sebuah pesta dan melihat seorang gadis cantik. Ia berjalan ke arah anda dan mulai merayu, “Kau sangat kaya rupanya.”Itu adalah BRAND RECOGNITION.- Anda berada di sebuah pesta dan melihat seorang gadis cantik. Anda mendekatinya dan berkata, “Aku sangat kaya, menikahlah denganku.”Lalu ia menampar muka anda,itu adalah CUSTOMER FEEDBACK alias COMPLAIN

Islam in China: no longer insulated

Pallavi Aiyar

Greater orthodoxy amongst Chinese Muslims is on the rise. Nonetheless, they retain unique characteristics.

A class taught by a woman Imam, Yang Yu Hong, in progress at the Tai Zi mosque in Ling Wu town of Ningxia province.

THE MUEZZIN sounds the evening call to prayer. White skullcaps glint in the fading brightness of the setting sun as the faithful make their way into the mosque. The shush of whispered Salaam Alaikums, fills the hall. Outside, the mosque’s minarets stretch up into the sky; a single crescent moon decorates the top of the green dome.

An unremarkable scene were it not for the fact that this mosque is tucked away in the landlocked interior of officially atheist and traditionally Buddhist China. When the Imam preaches he speaks Mandarin Chinese. Under the skullcaps and behind the veils of the men and women gathered, there are Chinese faces concentrated in prayer.

Reliable data are difficult to obtain but China’s estimated 20-30 million Muslims may, in fact, be the country’s second largest religious community, after the 100 million or so Buddhists. Islam in China is moreover currently in the process of a strong revival, spurred on by increasing trade links with the Middle East that have ended the centuries-long isolation of Chinese Muslims from the wider Islamic world.

Greater orthodoxy amongst Chinese Muslims is on the rise as ever-larger numbers go on Haj and youngsters return from their studies abroad in Muslim countries. Nonetheless, Chinese Islam retains characteristics that set it apart. The Communist revolution with its emphasis on gender equality has left its mark here. Mao famously said that “women hold up half the sky,” a lesson China’s Muslims seem to have imbibed well. Women Imams (Nu Ahong) and exclusively women mosques (Nu Si) play a unique role in the Middle Kingdom.

Islam in China has a long tradition stretching back over 1,200 years. The largest community amongst the Chinese Muslim groups is the Hui. Numbering about 10 million in total, the Hui are descendents of Middle Eastern traders and their converts who first travelled to China along the silk route during the Tang dynasty (618-906 AD). Centuries of isolation meant that they blended in with the largely Confucian and Buddhist Han Chinese who make up over 90 per cent of China’s population. The Hui speak Chinese and look like the Han. The primary way of telling the two communities apart has traditionally been the absence of pork from the diet of Hui Muslims, a meat that is the primary staple for the Han. The Hui are also not to be confused with the other large Muslim minority group in China, the Uighurs who are of Turkish ethnicity and live mostly in the western province of Xinjiang.

The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, a northern province flanked by the Gobi dessert, is home to 1.8 million Hui Muslims or 35 per cent of the province’s total population. Ningxia has some 700 officially licensed Imams and more than 3,000 mosques. According to Ma Xiao, vice-president of the Islamic Association of Ningxia, there are currently over 5,000 Manla, or young Islamic disciples studying Arabic and Islamic doctrine part time in the province.

Certain restrictions continue to apply to Islam in China. For example, proselytising is strictly forbidden and Muslims who work for the government are not allowed to pray in their offices. Moreover, children below the age of 18 are not permitted to receive religious instruction at all. Nonetheless, as a visit to virtually any part of Ningxia will reveal, the Hui are embracing their faith with enthusiasm.

In recent years, Ningxia has benefited from donations worth millions of dollars from the Islamic Development Bank, which has enabled a facelift for The Islamic College in the provincial capital Yinchuan, as well as the establishment of several Arabic language schools. Interest in Arabic is booming so much so that even the Ningxia Economic Institute has begun to offer 3-4 year Arabic courses.

A hundred miles east of Yinchuan in the small town of Ling Wu, 50 other women, their heads covered with scarves, sit in a room reciting verses in Arabic from the Koran. They are being taught by Yang Yu Hong, one of two women Imams at the Tai Zi mosque. Ms. Yang received her title of Imam from the Islamic Association four years ago. She is one of about 200 certified women Imams in the province.

Ms. Yang says she does not see anything un-Islamic about the concept of women Imams.

But this new tradition of women Imams in China is less revolutionary than it first appears. While the women are granted the title of Imam they are still not allowed to lead men in prayers. Their role is more that of a teacher and their students are exclusively women.

Ling Wu’s Tai Zi mosque has been rebuilt four times in the last 20 years. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), most places of worship were demolished and Tai Zi suffered the same fate. Since the 1980s, however, a religious renaissance accompanied by increasing prosperity has led to the local Muslims donating enough money for four major expansions of the building.

But as is often the case in China, the driving force behind this Islamic revival is economic. “Other provinces have ports and natural resources. In Ningxia we have Muslims. This is our competitive advantage,” says Chen Zhigang Deputy Director General, Investment Promotion Bureau of Ningxia.

To exploit this “competitive advantage” the provincial government organised for the first time a massive Halal Food Exhibition in August, through which it aimed to establish connections between the food industries of Ningxia and the Middle East. In Ningxia, Islam and trade are blending in a delicate mix to the benefit of both religious and secular life.

But while the Hui Muslims’ Arabic language skills and cultural affinity with the oil-rich Middle East are now being seen by the authorities as a valuable economic resource, the stronger sense of group identity amongst the Hui fostered by these renewed linkages with the Islamic world, is leading to new challenges.

In the past, the Hui were amongst the least orthodox Muslims in the world. Many smoked and drank, few grew beards, and Hui women rarely wore veils. Increased contact with the Middle East has, however, wrought changes. Thousands of Hui students have returned from colleges in Arab countries over the last few years and they have brought with them stricter ideas of Islam. Mosques in Ningxia have now begun to receive worshippers five times a day, more Hui women have taken to wearing head scarves and skull caps are in wide evidence.

There is a strong identification among the Hui community today with the wider problems of the Islamic world. “It is American policy that has given all of us Muslims a bad reputation,” says Yang, Tai Zi mosque’s woman Imam, quivering with indignation.

For many Han, this identification of the Hui with communities outside of China is problematic. “Earlier the Hui were just like us except they didn’t eat pork. Now they think they are very special. They think of themselves as foreigners,” a Han foreign office official in Ningxia complained.

For the Hui, greater freedoms and contact with the wider world mean they must undertake the difficult task of negotiating between their increasingly complex identities: at once Muslim, Hui, and Chinese. For the Han, the challenge is to foster Hui culture without alienating the community from the rest of Chinese society. The manner in which both sides address these challenges will be key to the maintenance of social stability in China in the coming years.
Courtesy: the Hindu.com

Profile of Anil Ambani, Chairman of Reliance InfocommName: Anil D. AmbaniBirthplace : Mumbai, IndiaDate of Birth : June 4, 1959Father’s Name : Dhirubhai Hirachand AmbaniMother’s Name : Kokilaben Dhirubhai AmbaniEducation :Bachelor of Science, University of BombayMBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USAMr. Anil D. Ambani, 46, is the Chairman of Reliance Capital, Reliance Infocomm and Chairman & Managing Director of Reliance Energy Limited. Till recently he also held the position of the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited.The Reliance group is India’s largest business house, founded by late Shri Dhirubhai H. Ambani (1932-2002).Mr. Ambani is a Bachelor of Science from the University of Bombay and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA.He joined Reliance in 1983 as Co-Chief Executive Officer. He has to his credit many financial innovations in the Indian capital markets and has pioneered India’s first forays into the overseas capital markets with international public offerings of global depository receipts, convertibles and bonds. He has directed Reliance in its efforts to raise, since 1991, around US$2 billion from overseas financial markets; with the 100-year Yankee bond issue in January 1997 being the high point of his endeavors. He has steered the Reliance Group to its current status as India’s leading textiles, petroleum, petrochemicals, power and telecom player. He is a Member of the Wharton Board of Overseers, The Wharton School, USA.Birthplace : Mumbai, IndiaDate of Birth : June 4, 1959Father’s Name : Dhirubhai Hirachand AmbaniMother’s Name : Kokilaben Dhirubhai AmbaniEducation :Bachelor of Science, University of BombayMBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USACareer :Joined Reliance in 1983, as co-Chief Executive Officer. Has to his credit many financial innovations in the Indian capital markets.Pioneered India’s first forays into overseas capital markets with international public offerings of global depository receipts, convertibles and bonds.Directed Reliance in its efforts to raise, since 1991, around US$ 2 billion from overseas financial markets; with the 100-year Yankee bond issue in January 1997 being the high point of his endeavors.With an investment of over Rs 36,000 crore (US$ 9 billion) in petroleum refining, petrochemicals, power generation, telecommunication services and a port terminal, in a three-year time frame, he has steered the Reliance Group to its current status as India’s leading textiles-petroleum-petrochemicals-power-infocom-telecom player.Member :Wharton Board of Overseers, The Wharton School, USA.Central Advisory Committee, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission.Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.Achievements :Adjudged as the CEO of the Year at the prestigious Platts Global Energy Awards for 2004.Voted as India’s most admired Chief Executive for the year 2004, for the sixth year in succession, in the Business Barons (India’s leading business magazine) – Taylor Nelson Sofres – Mode Survey; and ranked at the top in 3 out of 4 qualities: leadership, integrity and vision.Ranked No.1 for the second consecutive year in The Power List 2004, published by India Today, March 2004.Voted ‘MTV Youth Icon of the Year’ in September 2003.Conferred ‘The Entrepreneur of the Decade Award’ by the Bombay Management Association in October 2002.Awarded the First Wharton Indian Alumni Award by the Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) in recognition of his contribution to the establishment of Reliance as a global leader in many of its business areas in December 2001.Named amongst ‘The Power 50 – India’s 50 most powerful decision-makers in Politics, Business & Finance’ by Business Barons in August 1999.Selected by Asiaweek magazine for its list of ‘Leaders of the Millennium in Business and Finance’ and was introduced as the only ‘new hero’ in Business and Finance from India in June 1999.Leading business magazine Business Barons included him in its list of ‘India’s 25 Most Influential Business and Financial Leaders’ in June 1998.Conferred the ‘Businessman of the Year 1997′ award by India’s leading business magazine Business India in December 1997.Family: Married to Tina, and has two sons, Jai Anmol and Jai Anshul.Business Address: Reliance Infocomm Limited, I Block, 2nd Floor, Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City, Navi Mumbai – 400710, IndiaTelephone: +91 22 3037 5522, +91 22 3037 5534Fax: +91 22 3037 5577E-mail: ada@relianceinfo.com

Profile-Biography of APJ Abdul Kalam President of IndiaBorn on 15th October 1931 at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, specialized in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology. Dr. Kalam made significant contribution as Project Director to develop India’s first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully injected the Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit in July 1980 and made India an exclusive member of Space Club.He was responsible for the evolution of ISRO’s launch vehicle programme, particularly the PSLV configuration. After working for two decades in ISRO and mastering launch vehicle technologies, Dr. Kalam took up the responsibility of developing Indigenous Guided Missiles at Defence Research and Development Organisation as the Chief Executive of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). He was responsible for the development and operationalisation of AGNI and PRITHVI Missiles and for building indigenous capability in critical technologies through networking of multiple institutions. He was the Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development from July 1992 to December 1999. During this period he led to the weaponisation of strategic missile systems and the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in collaboration with Department of Atomic Energy, which made India a nuclear weapon State. He also gave thrust to self-reliance in defence systems by progressing multiple development tasks and mission projects such as Light Combat Aircraft.As Chairman of Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) and as an eminent scientist, he led the country with the help of 500 experts to arrive at Technology Vision 2020 giving a road map for transforming India from the present developing status to a developed nation. Dr. Kalam has served as the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, in the rank of Cabinet Minister, from November 1999 to November 2001 and was responsible for evolving policies, strategies and missions for many development applications. Dr. Kalam was also the Chairman, Ex-officio, of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C) and piloted India Millennium Mission 2020.Dr. Kalam took up academic pursuit as Professor, Technology & Societal Transformation at Anna University, Chennai from November 2001 and was involved in teaching and research tasks. Above all he took up a mission to ignite the young minds for national development by meeting high school students across the country.In his literary pursuit four of Dr. Kalam’s books – “Wings of Fire”, “India 2020 – A Vision for the New Millennium”, “My journey” and “Ignited Minds – Unleashing the power within India” have become household names in India and among the Indian nationals abroad. These books have been translated in many Indian languages.Dr. Kalam is one of the most distinguished scientists of India with the unique honour of receiving honorary doctorates from 30 universities and institutions. He has been awarded the coveted civilian awards – Padma Bhushan (1981) and Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997). He is a recipient of several other awards and Fellow of many professional institutions.Dr. Kalam became the 11th President of India on 25th July 2002. His focus is on transforming India into a developed nation by 2020.