abu_rashid wrote on Jul 29^th, 2010 at 7:06am:


So tell us about the soggy miswak Abu. What is it's purpose?

I'm sure it exists in all societies, however I think it's much much lower in Muslim societies, due to the lack of alcohol, which seems to be a primary factor in domestic violence.

Equitist wrote on Jul 13^th, 2010 at 8:56pm:




For the past three months, 24-year-old Sirin Middya has not been able to hold her classes at West Bengal’s first Muslim university. While the guidelines at Aliah University in Kolkata don’t stipulate the same, the students’ union has demanded that Middya can teach but only in burqa.
Middya was appointed a guest lecturer at the university in March this year and got the union “diktat” in the second week of April. “I was told that I would not be allowed to attend college if I did not agree to come in a burqa. The University Grants Commission does not prescribe any such dress code and even the university does not have a dress code. But the most unfortunate part is that students are forcing us to wear burqa,” Middya told The Indian Express.

According to her, she has no issues with wearing a burqa — but if she dons one, it would be of her own free will.

Siamat Ali, secretary of West Bengal Madrasah Students’ Union, says he doesn’t understand Middya’s problem.
“There are eight women teachers at the university. It was decided through consulation that the women will observe purdah, and most teachers agreed. Only this lady has a problem,” Ali said, adding that they were ready to welcome Middya back as long as she adhered to the “decent” dress code.

The university has chosen to play safe, putting the issue on the backburner and hoping it dies down.
“This is a stray incident... we tried to nip the problem in the bud. There is no dress code in our university. Since there was a problem, we asked the teacher to report to the Salt Lake campus,” said Vice-Chancellor Syed Shamshul Alam.
The university was set up in 2008 by upgrading the famous Calcutta Madrasah which was started in 1781 by Warren Hastings, Governor General of Bengal. One of the oldest centres of higher learning and culture in the country, the institution has had many eminent scholars in its ranks. Aliah University was expected to harmonise tradition and modernity, and while its Islamic cources are run in the Calcutta Madrasah building, the other academic activities are conducted on different campuses at Salt Lake.
Middya joined Aliah University after an M.A. in Bengali from Jadavpur University. Having refused to kow-tow to the union, she has been unable to go to Aliah’s Calcutta Madrasah campus, and reports to the university’s library at Salt Lake. “Without taking any classes, I am given the full prescribed salary by the university,” said Middya.

“Most of the teachers do not like the diktat of the students to wear burqa. But they have no option but to accept it. This is Talibanisation of educational premises and there is no one to our rescue,” she said.

On June 4, nearly two months after she was virtually barred from the campus, Middya wrote to West Bengal’s Minister for Minority Development Abdus Sattar. She said she was yet to get a response.
Prior to this episode, Aliah University had faced another row when the students’ union held protests demanding that the word “madrasah” be added to its name.
With the university itself silent on the Middya issue, other teachers’ unions such as the All Bengal University Teachers Association (ABUTA) have decided to launch a movement.

“The university and the government should have protected this teacher and other teachers so that their fundamental rights were not infringed upon. Whereas in other parts of the world, even in Muslim countries, wearing a burqa is not mandatory, here the Left Front government has failed to protect the rights of the teacher,” said Tarun Naskar, general secretary of ABUTA.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-teacher-says-no-to-burqa-in-a-west-bengal-mu...

abu_rashid wrote on Jul 29^th, 2010 at 4:09pm:


One colour is a choice now?

what's an "aussie" lady?
Aussies are converting to Islam en masse! LOL.
Even if they were, give it time, they'll convert right back again.

he doesn't seem to like answering hard questions either.
I always get the feeling that when someone is using "aussie" in the context which he is, there is a connotation of racism implicit in that sort of descriptor.

you didn't mention "anglo" before, so I guess you're clarifying that you meant a classification by race then. Yes, that's what I thought. What about other "aussies"?

Of course there are people who will swap their beliefs in any multi culture where they have freedom of choice. It isn't a new phenomenon, it has been going for hundreds of years, especially in democratic countries.

Many people, especially younger people experiment with other cultures, religions and costumes and the different attention they might get. A lot of people become buddhists, hindu, rastafarians, etc, etc. It doesn't necessarily mean they will stay that way for the rest of their lives. In my observation, people who convert are moreso unhappy with some aspect of their previous background, especially a background that may have been what they regard as too strict, and they are trying something else. For a while.
A good lesson there for Islam I would have thought.

If you think that people in Australia who "convert" to Islam, or whatever, is a significant win for that particular sect or cult or whatever, you do not understand what is going in Australia especially since the 1960s.

not only that, he seems to retreat very quickly when asked questions, and has this not unusual phenomenon in Australia from some quarters of giving the impression that the "intellect" of a forum is somehow beneath them or not up to standard. Then they retreat. The irony is that he has so many posts wracked up, he must feel at home here with the "intellect".
He's pretty typical, I'd say.