by admin | May 25, 2021 | Opinions
Frank F. Islam
This past Christmas Eve, NBC ran the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. Those who have not seen this phenomenal film might think it is just another feel good and mindless holiday movie.
It is not. It is just the opposite.
It is a feel real and mindful “dark” movie with a powerful message. That message is what we do in our life to build community and to help others matters, even if we lose sight and confidence that it does.
The 1946 film, directed by Frank Capra, tells the story of George Bailey, the owner of a savings and loan in Bedford Falls, played by Jimmy Stewart. Bailey, who was born and grew up in Bedford Falls, has selflessly done much to assist his friends and neighbors in developing his home town through the years.
When his savings and loan encounters a financial crisis, due to the unscrupulous behavior of his competitor, Henry Potter, the owner of the bank in Bedford Falls, Bailey is emotionally conflicted and contemplates suicide. He wonders if he should have stayed in his home town and wishes that he had never existed there.
At this point, an angel grants that wish, and through a series of scenes shows Bailey what an abysmal place Bedford Falls (renamed Pottersville) would have been if his competitor had controlled its development. Bailey sees the light. He resolves to live, reunites with his wife and family, and the movie ends in an uplifting fashion, with his customers coming in by the hundreds to give small donations to bail his savings and loan out and restore Bailey’s belief in himself.
Joe Scarborough and Mika Brezinski did an informative interview segment on Morning Joe with Hollywood biographer Robert Matzen and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin on the day before Wonderful Life ran on NBC this year. That segment highlighted why the movie, which was made shortly after the conclusion of World War II, has a message that was right for those times and is also a message that is right for these times as well.
Veterans returning to the United States from combat after War II had life-changing experiences, and the country that they were coming home to was different as well. Jimmy Stewart was one of those veterans.
During the interview, Matzen explained that Stewart had flown 20 combat missions in Europe on extremely difficult missions, that he “came back with a lot of baggage,” and the “war had aged him.” Stewart had the equivalent, as did many returning servicemen, of what is now called PTSD.
In her comments, Goodwin pointed out the current relevance of the role Stewart plays as George Bailey. She stated, “George is the everyman now for us today, somebody who represents the first responders, the health care workers, the delivery people, the people in our stores who have kept us going. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”
Goodwin’s insight is a useful bridge to start thinking about what to do make 2021 our year for building a wonderful life. Thinking about that requires reflection, introspection, and projection. Just as with movies, America’s songs frequently provide a perspective for doing that.
In 2001, just two months after the 9/11 attacks Alan Jackson debuted his song Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning) at the Country Music Awards. In his song, Jackson, among other questions, asks:
Did you go to church and hold hands with some strangers
Stand in line and give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love?
He counsels:
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope, and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
If America’s world stopped turning in 2001, with the multiple crises of 2020 that world fell off its axis.
In 2021, two decades later, there is a need to put America back on that axis so America’s world can start turning to create a shared sense of unity and community. A wonderful life for America’s citizens is impossible without that.
A wonderful life will also be impossible without the majority of Americans willing to do the hard work that will be required to restore faith in each other, our country, and its institutions. We need to congratulate, not castigate, those who commit themselves to doing this.
We need to acknowledge, as singer-songwriter Alicia Keys does in her song Good Job which premiered in April of 2020 early in the pandemic:
The mothers, the fathers, the teachers who reach us
Strangers to friends that show up in the end
From the bottom to the top, the listeners that hear us
This is for you, you make me fearless
We also need to tell them, as Keys advises:
You’re doing a good job, a good job
You’re doing a good job
Don’t get too down
The world does need you now
Know that you matter, matter, matter yeah
2020 has brought about almost overwhelming conditions of COVID and conflict fatigue on all fronts. How difficult will it be and what will be required to move the needle toward a more wonderful life in 2021?
Judy Woodruff’s PBS News Hour segment with four panelists on Christmas Eve provides input to be considered to answer those questions.
The panelists were: Dr. Uche Blackstock, emergency medicine physician; Yuval Levin, editor of National Affairs; Jill LePore, professor of American history at Harvard University; and Eddie Glaude Jr, chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University.
All of the panelists agreed that there was an across-the-board failure in 2020 in responding to the pandemic and the other crisis areas. Dr. Blackstock focused on the “lack of investment in the healthcare infrastructure.” Levin cited “a failure of leadership…up and down the chain.” Professor Glaude stressed “inequality in health care” and stated the “…social contract has been broken and that “…the leadership class reflects what’s happening in the body politic itself.” Looking at it historically, Professor LePore said, “We can think about 1980 as a real turning point in American politics and the American economic structure.” She qualified that by saying that there is evidence that income inequality and political polarization began in the late 60’s or early 70’s.
The panelists’ opinions on what needs to be done to change the current trajectory during 2021 varied. Dr. Blackstone emphasized the need for policy changes and reinvestment in Black communities. Yuval Levin and Professor LePore stressed the need for working from the bottom-up through states and localities, and signified on some promising progress across the country in community-building. Professor Glaude stated unequivocally, “It seems to me that the scale of the problems the country faces requires a major intervention, transformative leadership, bold vision. America is broken in my view.”
At the beginning of the panel discussion, Judy Woodruff said, “We normally at the end of the year look back at the highs and lows, but…I think it’s fair to say this year it’s been a year of low and lower.”
The panelist’s comments confirmed Woodruff’s negative assessment. Their recommendations suggest a comprehensive bottom-up, top-down, managed in-the-middle approach will be required across and throughout the United States in order to change the plummeting and to take America higher.
While campaigning, and after he became president-elect, Joe Biden warned of a “dark winter” ahead for the United States because of the inept response to COVID-19. Unfortunately, this warning of a dark winter has been borne out by the tragic results caused by the pandemic in December. These human casualties, combined with the unprincipled resistance of the Trump administration to the peaceful transfer of power and the abandonment of responsible governance by President Trump himself, have increased that darkness.
The darkness will start to lift on January 20 when Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president. But that will only be the beginning, because Biden and government at whatever level will not be able to eliminate the darkness without citizen participation and responsible civic action.
In 2001, citizens should remember and act upon these words from the best-selling song Reach Out in the Darkness, recorded by Friend and Lover in 1968.
Reach out in the darkness
Reach out in the darkness
Reach out in the darkness
And you may find a friend
I knew a man that I did not care for
And then one day, this man gave me a call
We sat and talked about things on our mind
And now this man, he is a friend of mine
We recognize that it will not be that simple. But we also realize that we as concerned citizens need to reach out in this current darkness. We need to remember that love is the greatest thing. We all need to become essential workers and do a good job to save our democracy. If we do not, things will never change and our journey toward a Wonderful Life will never start.
In 1946, George Bailey learned that what we do to build communities and to help others matters for America and Americans. We need to learn that lesson ourselves to enable us to make 2021 Our Year for Building a Wonderful Life.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | B-School, Entrepreneurship
The World Education Conference (WEC2021 online) aims to discuss NEP2020 implementation roadmap, post-Covid recovery plans, affordable and including E-Learning and education-industry integration
New Delhi: (Press Release) Covid-19 has been an eye-opener and yardstick to see how dynamic, flexible, and modern your education system is. In India, over 32 crore students have been affected byCovid-19. About 13 crore students from classes 9-12 are severely affected. Dropout students have increased especially among the girls. India has adopted The National Education Policy (NEP 2020), which envisions the needs for young aspiring India. Following the NEP, this will set India to become a Global Knowledge Centre.
To deliberate on such issues, The Policy Times and Shiv Nadar University are jointly organizing a 3-Days virtual conference – the World Education Conference (WEC2021 online) between Friday, 15 January 2021 and Sunday, 17 January 2021 from 2pm-8pm(IST) on Zoom. WEC2021 aims to bring the world’s educators ona single platform and discuss a new direction to education in 2021. The Conference will feature discussion son the Post-Covid recovery roadmap of education losses occurred in 2020, NEP 2020 implementation roadmap, Sustainable E-learning, and most importantly, education-industry integration.
The Conference is supported by India’s leading organizations including East India’s best private university – Adamas University, Kolkata; Haryana’s best engineering college – Mewat Engineering College; Best technical institute of Malegaon – Maulana Mukhtar Ahmad Nadvi Technical Campus (MMANTC), one of India’s philanthropic business families – Hamdard National Foundation (HECA) and Business & Employment Bureau (BEB Delhi) supported by Hamdard National Foundation (HECA), Rajasthan’s Sunrise University in Alwar ;education innovator, Smart Study Platform, Board Room Solutions providers – iTeltronics Pvt Ltd. & leading manufacturer, packager, marketer of incense sticks and perfumes in India – Rocket Agarbatty Company and Anees Classes which has been providing Education Service to thousands of students for over 29 years.
Hon’ble Shri. Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister & Hon’ble Education Minister of Delhi will be the Chief Guest of the Inaugural Session, Shri. S Rajen Singh, Hon’ble Minister of Education, Government of Manipur and Shri. Govind Singh Thakur, Hon’ble Education Minister of Himachal Pradesh arethe Guests of Honours.Educators from many countries will join and interact with the esteemed national and international speakers from policymakers, educators, ambassadors, education foundations, industrialists, etc.
Renowned educationists and education sympathizers would join and share their views. Some of them include –
- Binod Kumar Chaudhary, Nepalese Billionaire, Businessman and Philanthropist & Chairman & President of The Chaudhary Group (CG)
- Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE
- K.K. Aggarwal, Chairman, NBA
- E. (Mr.) Hector Cueva, Ambassador, Ecuador to India
- Prof V.K. Malhotra, Member Secretary, Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)
- Hamid Ahmed, Chancellor, JamiaHamdard University, Secretary Hamdard National Foundation, CEO, Hamdard Laboratories, India
- HanifQureshi IPS, IGP of Haryana Police, Secretary Dept of Renewable Energy, Govt. of Haryana
- Mohammed Shayin IAS, MD, HPGCL &CEO, Haryana Waqf Board,
- V K Agarwal, Chairperson, Sunrise University Alwar,
- Suresh Kumar Soni, Hon’ble Chairman, Himachal Pradesh Board of School
- Mahua Das, President of West Bengal Council of H.S Education
Renowned educationists of India – Prof (Dr.) Bhimaraya Metri, Director, Indian Institute of Management, Nagpur; Prof. (Dr) Rupamanjari Ghosh, Vice-Chancellor of Shiv Nadar University (Greater NOIDA) and Prof. Ujjawal K Chowdhury, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Adamas University are the Co-Conveners of the mega Conference and Mr Akram Hoque, Founder Editor of The Policy Times is the Organising Secretary.
The conference will focus on creating ‘a roadmap for sustainable engagement of students in digital education’, and will highlight some of the common challenges faced, solutions provided, and lessons learned during the Covid-19 crisis in ensuring continuity of inclusive quality learning and wellbeing for all children, it will bring synergy between institutions providing education in rural and urban; rich and poor; Senior secondary and higher education; domestic and international and so on by focusing the outcomes of making the National Education Policy a reality, will help to create the roadmap for bridging the relation between academia and industry, A workable roadmap for sustainable education through local and global partnerships to transform Indian education from Good to Better.
The World Education Conference Online will hold 4 sessions each day and will cover the following sessions,
– National Education Policy 2020- Future of Education & Implementation Roadmap
– World’s Best Educational Systems – Global Best Practices & Accreditation
– Building New India – Education –Industry Integration
– Digital Disruption in Education
-Grassroot Education Providers and Their Best Practices
– Framework for Safe Campus and Curriculum Rationalization
– Women in Education
– Making Asia Global Education Hub
– Regional Integration and Cross-Border Education
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News
In the various states of the fragility, India’s status has been described as ‘Elevated Warning’
Waquar Hasan
NEW DELHI – The warning of Shiv Sena about India breaking away like Soviet Union due to the Central government found its echo in the Fragile State Index (FSI) 2020 which put India among the most worsened countries.
India, ranked 68th among 178 countries, has been put in the most worsened 14 countries along with Chile, Libya, Mali, Colombia and other countries in the annual report prepared by the Fund for Peace (FFP), which has cited the Ayodhya judgment, Modi government’s actions on Jammu and Kashmir, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the rise of violence against Muslims..
In the various states of the fragility–Very Sustainable, Sustainable, Very Stable, More Stable, Warning, Elevated Warning, High Warning, Alert, High Alert, Very High Alert–India’s status has been described as ‘Elevated Warning’. Yemen has been put in the highest status of fragility with the first rank in the ‘Very High Alert’ category, while Finland is in the lowest status with 178th rank in ‘Very Sustainable Category.
The fragility of the states has been measured with five indicators –Cohesion Indicators, Economic Indicators, Political Indicators, Social Indicators and Cross-Cutting Indicators.
“The Fragile States Index is based on a conflict assessment framework–known as “CAST”–that was developed by FFP nearly a quarter century ago for assessing the vulnerability of states to collapse. The CAST framework was designed to measure this vulnerability in pre-conflict, active conflict and post-conflict situations, and continues to be used widely by policy makers, field practitioners, and local community networks. The methodology uses both qualitative and quantitative indicators, relies on public source data, and produces quantifiable results,” noted its website about the indicators.
Along with other worsened countries, the 2020 FFP report has devoted a chapter about India to describe the worsening situation of the country. The chapter talks about the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the campaign of Ramjanmbhoomi construction at the site of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya and its impact on India’s status in the FSI.
“The BJP’s embrace of this populist sentiment, and its violent manifestations, has impacted India’s performance on the Fragile States Index in 2020, reflected in a significant worsening in the country’s Human Rights and Rule of Law indicator, and ultimately leading to India rating at the world’s 11th most worsened country overall,” noted the report.
The report also talked about the role of Narendra Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat in the 2002 anti-Muslim communal violence and his rise to be Prime Minister of India with the support of the business community. It talked about the sharp slowdown of Indian economy under Prime Minister Modi due to his faulty policies like demonetisation.
“Unable to tout his economic record, during the 2019 general elections, Modi embraced the type of hardline Hindutva that had fueled previous success for the BJP at the national level. With anti-Muslim hate crimes having already soared during Modi’s first term, the BJP promised to extend the National Registry of Citizens (NRC) to the entire country,” it said.
Then, the report went on to talk about the stripping of citizenship of 1.9 million people in Assam through NRC, the revocation of Article 370 of Jammu and Kashmir by detaining 4,000 people of the erstwhile state, the passage of discriminatory citizenship law (CAA) and the anti-Muslim communal violence in northeast Delhi.
“Rising Hindu nationalism, inflamed by the BJP, has widened internal divisions ahead of a period that demands high levels of social solidarity. Taken together, India is facing a dangerous dynamic in the upcoming year,” concluded the report, which came into public in May this year.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News
India’s biggest challenge and responsibility in the current year will be to work together to eradicate the scourge of hatred and polarisation, says Jamaat chief
NEW DELHI — Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Saturday opposed the ‘love jihad’ laws being enacted in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states by asserting that “these laws are one of the many ways to keep the flames of “anti-minorityism” or Islamophobia alive”.
In a press statement, the Jamaat said the various laws and ordinances were being passed in five states governed by the ruling party in the name of ‘unlawful religious conversion’ as it endangered the freedom of conscience and the right to profess practice and propagate religion under Article 25 of the Constitution.
Jamaat feels that such laws are being promulgated for strengthening the agenda of hate and polarisation, adding that these laws will not stand the test of legality and adherence to the constitutional norms and expects it to be struck down by the judiciary.
Jamaat , concerned about the recent passage of the anti-cow slaughter law by Karnataka, said the law would lead to farmer distress as well as cripple the dairy industry.
Jamaat is of the opinion that India’s biggest challenge and responsibility in the current year will be to work together to eradicate this menace and the scourge of hatred and polarisation. There is a growing trust-deficit between the government and the people especially the minorities, the Dalits and the socially and economically disadvantaged. There should be a people’s movement that works for unity and the removal of hate. Civil society, religious leaders and organizations, social activists along with the youth, students and people at large must join hands and pledge to make the year 2021 the year of peace and tolerance.
Safety of Journalists
JIH expresses concern over a report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) which states that India is one of the top five deadliest countries for journalists and media persons. India witnessed the murder of four journalists in 2020. Five journalists were detained. Jamaat endorses the statement by RSF that: “World’s violence continues to be visited upon journalists. Some may think that journalists are just the victims of the risks of their profession, but journalists are increasingly targeted when they investigate or cover sensitive subjects. What is being attacked is the right to be informed, which is everyone’s right.”
India ranks 142 in the World Press Freedom Index, below Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and even occupied Palestine. Several media houses and seasoned journalists have acknowledged publicly that there is an undeclared censorship on sensitive stories and reports, which are extremely critical of the government. A free press and the safety of journalists lies at the heart of a healthy democracy and Jamaat appeals to all sections of society and those at the helm of power to preserve democracy by ensuring a free and fearless media.
JIH Shariah Council fatwa regarding covid vaccine
Various pharmaceutical companies worldwide are coming out with covid-19 vaccines and some countries have even launched their immunisation programmes. India, too, has announced that vaccination will begin soon and pharma companies are preparing for the vaccine rollout. However, certain reports that the vaccine contains the extract of pork fat have raised concerns among the Muslim community.
In this background, the Shariah Council of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has issued some guidelines regarding the permissibility of using covid-19 vaccines under Islamic law. According to the Shariah Council, Islam has clearly outlined the limits of what is permissible and what is impermissible. It is mandatory to abide by these prohibitions even during the treatment of ailments or while taking medications. The use of any forbidden substance as a medicine is therefore prohibited. However, if an impermissible substance is transformed into something completely different in terms of properties and characteristics, then it may be considered as clean and permissible.
On this basis, the use of gelatin derived from the body part of a haram animal has been considered permissible by Islamic jurists. Opinion of some jurists about pork gelatin is the same. Even those jurists, who disagree with the above transformation rule, too sanction a vaccine which contains prohibited substances in case of unavailability of halal vaccines, in dire and emergency situations to protect human life. The source of ingredients of the popular vaccines, which have been made public, is not yet known with certainty. After becoming fully aware of it, further guidelines regarding its use or non-use will be issued.
Farmers’ protest and MSP
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind supports the farmers’ demand that the government should repeal the three laws passed in Parliament that deal with MSP, contract farming and essential commodities. Jamaat agrees with the protesting farmers’ point of view that the new laws will end the MSP support unless there is a legal guarantee of procurement at MSP, the new laws will pave the way for corporates and multinationals to dictate prices in the market, which will be quite less compared to the MSP.
This will hurt the small farmers and destroy the ‘mandi’ system, which allows the farmer to sell his produce at the nearest local market. The state-run Food Corporation of India procures a majority of wheat and paddy at MSP and then sells it to the poor at subsidised prices. The new laws will disrupt this system and impact our Public Distribution System. Jamaat hopes that the government ends its intransigence over the farm laws and ensures that the welfare of the farmers and farm-laborers is not disturbed.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News
A fortnight of nationwide campaign to counter the government’s propaganda called “Desh Jagriti Abhiyan” during January 6-20 will include rallies, conferences and dharnas all over the country
NEW DELHI – Farmers protesting against three Central farm laws since November 27 while camping around Delhi’s borders gave an ultimatum to the Narendra Modi government on Saturday that they would march into the national capital on the Republic Day (January 26) with their tractors, trolleys and other vehicles if their core demands were not met by then.
Addressing a press conference at the Press Club here, the first organised by the 7-member Coordination Committee of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha here, leaders of the various farmers’ unions said, “We have no alternative and if the government does not meet our demands by January 26, we will be left with no option other than to start marching peacefully into Delhi.”
The press meet was addressed by Balbir Singh Rajewal, Darshan Pal, Gurnam Singh Chadhuni, Ashok Dhawale, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, and Abhimanyu Kohad and Yogendra Yadav.
“We intend to be peaceful and we told the Government of India long ago during our talks that it has only two options–either repeal the three Central farm Acts or use force on us to evict us. The time has come for decisive action here, and we have chosen January 26 both because the Republic Day represents the supremacy of the people and also because we would have demonstrated patiently and peacefully at Delhi’s borders for two full months in extreme weather conditions by then for our resolve to get our demands met”, said farmer leaders.
The Morcha also announced its plan of action till January 26 to intensify the movement. A fortnight of nationwide campaign to counter the government’s propaganda called “Desh Jagriti Abhiyan” during January 6-20 will include rallies, conferences and dharnas all over the country.
Lohri/Sankranti will be marked as Kisan Sankalp Diwas by burning the copies of the three laws. January 18 will be celebrated as Mahila Kisan Diwas to underline the role of women farmers. Azad Hind Kisan Diwas will be marked on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary on January 23 by protesting outside Governors’ official residence in all state capitals.
In a press conference at Singhu Border on Friday, it was announced that if the talks on January 4 did not succeed, farmers would march on KMP Expressway on January 6 and subsequently the Shahjahanpur blockade would also move towards Delhi.
Farmers’ leaders have made it clear that in the last round of talks with the government, though the government agreed to two minor demands of the farmers’ movement, the major demands of the protesting farmers remain unresolved.
On the demand to repeal the three Central farm acts, the Government of India had asked the farmers’ organisations to come up with ‘alternative proposals’, and the farmer leaders responded by saying that there was no alternative other than the repeal. The government has refused to agree, even in principle, to another core demand for legal right to purchase at MSP.
