by Editor | Mar 14, 2023 | Muslim World, News
MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA – The 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq and head of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community, His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, has accepted the Chancellorship of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), a historic seat of learning in the nation’s capital, New Delhi. His Holiness was unanimously elected as the chancellor by members of the court of the Jamia Millia Islamia for a period of five years, effective 14th March, 2023.
Like his predecessors, especially his respected father Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin and esteemed grandfather Syedna Taher Saifuddin, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin remains committed to the causes of education and upholds their legacy of scholarship and patronage of centres of learning. His Holiness is the sole benefactor of the Dawoodi Bohra community’s premier educational institute, Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah Arabic Academy. The Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the Academy’s fourth campus in Mumbai last month. Syedna Saifuddin has also held the Chancellorship of Aligarh Muslim University for two consecutive terms since 2015, a position held by both his predecessors as well.
Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin’s administration oversees hundreds of schools and educational institutes across the world. He also administers several trusts, which provide grants and scholarships to deserving students, providing both women and men equal access to education. In his sermons, Syedna regularly emphasises the Prophetic tradition which obligates seeking knowledge on all Muslim men and women. He highlights the importance of education for all and has called for greater investment in education to ensure that every child has access to quality education.
Syedna is a keen advocate of digital literacy and in 2016 donated 1000 computers to a group of high schools in Aligarh, where he is also responsible for the restoration of the Syedna Taher Saifuddin High School at Minto Circle. Most recently, His Holiness has announced his intent to help with the construction of a new School of Pharmacy at Aligarh Muslim University. Syedna’s administration has also recently initiated a program whereby teachers are recognized and awarded for their contributions and excellence in creating stimulating environments for learning and growth.
Like previous leaders of the Dawoodi Bohra faith, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin is devoted to lifelong learning and scholarship. He is a prolific author and has published a number of treatises on various themes and concepts pertaining to the history and faith of the Dawoodi Bohra community in Arabic. He has also composed several panegyrics, poems, and elegies. Syedna’s sermons are integral to the Dawoodi Bohra community’s faith and culture. In any given year, Syedna delivers anywhere between 50 to 100 sermons across the world, wherever his travels lead him, sharing his insight and experiences with thousands of individuals.
Established in 1920, Jamia Millia Islamia is a Central University in New Delhi, India. JMI was ranked 1st among all central universities in India according to a recent report released by the Ministry of Education of India.
by Editor | Mar 14, 2023 | Business, Muslim World
Tehran 14 March 2023: Pakistan and Iran have signed a contract to increase their electricity exchange.
The contract was signed in a ceremony in Tehran attended by Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian and visiting Pakistani counterpart Khurram Dastgir Khan, reports Xinhua news agency.
Under the deal, the electricity exchange capacity between the two countries via the newly built 132-kilovolt transmission lines will increase by 100 megawatts (MW) to reach 200 MW in the first phase.
In the second phase, the two countries will install 70 km of 230-kilovolt electricity transmission lines in Pakistan to raise the electricity exchange capacity to 400 MW.
Iran’s electricity network is currently linked with several neighbouring states, which improved the sustainability of the country’s power network, said Mehrabian.
by Editor | Mar 14, 2023 | Muslim World, News
Former Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University Dr. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin elected as the Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia…
Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, who leads by his exceptional examples has dedicated his life to the betterment of the society at large with special focus on education, environment, socio-economic aspects and so on.
Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has been honoured with a number of prestigious awards and accolades. He has featured in the 500 Most Influential Muslims list. A citation was read in the celebration of his contributions in the US House of Representatives at the US Capitol. He is received as a reverent state Guest in several countries.
Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has been a distinguished alumnus of the historic Dawoodi Bohra educational institute Al-jamia-tus-saifiya in Surat. He is also the well-known alumnus of the world famous Al-Azhar University and Cairo University, Egypt. He inaugurated a new campus of Al-jamia-tus-saifiya in Mumbai on 10th February, 2023.
A prolific writer Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has authored the annual treatise over the last five years. He has brilliant and insightful Arabic, Urdu poems to his credit. He has also written excellent literary pieces and poems in the community’s vernacular, Lisan al-Dawat. He has been doing philanthropic work in the country and across the world. He introduced sustainable agricultural systems, enhancing local infrastructure and providing equal access to education to both girls and boys in Yemen.
by Editor | Mar 13, 2023 | Muslim World, News
Riyadh : World leaders have welcomed the announcement that Saudi Arabia and Iran have reached an agreement to resume diplomatic relations which were severed in 2016.
The decision to re-establish relations came following talks that took place from March 6-10 in Beijing, reports Al Arabiya.
The announcement, which was made on Friday in a joint statement with China, has been welcomed across the globe as a victory for peace and dialogue.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement.
The French Foreign Ministry also said in a statement that the Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna supports dialogue and any initiative that can make a tangible contribution to calming tensions and strengthening regional security and stability.
Jordan on Friday welcomed the trilateral statement issued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China on resuming diplomatic relations, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in Amman expressing hope that this agreement would contribute to enhancing security and stability in the region, in a way that preserves the sovereignty of states while avoiding interference in their internal affairs, and serves common interests, Al Arabiya reported.
Pakistan said that it firmly believes that this important diplomatic breakthrough will contribute to peace and stability in the region and beyond.
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs also affirmed the country support for this agreement, hoping that it would contribute to strengthening the pillars of security and stability in the region.
The Kingdom of Bahrain also welcomed the agreement. The Ministry also expressed hope that this agreement would constitute a positive step on the road to resolving differences and ending all regional conflicts through dialogue and diplomatic means.
It praised the leading role of Saudi Arabia in supporting security, peace, and stability, as well as in pursuing diplomacy in settling regional and international disputes.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey also welcomed the agreement.
In a statement, it congratulated the two countries on the agreement, which it said contributes significantly to laying the foundations for security in the region, Al Arabiya reported.
by Editor | Mar 10, 2023 | Muslim World, News
Riyadh Mar 10,2023 : The Saudi Arabian gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 8.7 per cent in 2022, the highest among G20 countries, according to a report issued by the General Authority for Statistics.
The growth exceeded the international expectation of 8.3 per cent as the maximum, and it is the kingdom’s highest annual rate in the last decade, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.
It said the Saudi GDP reached, at the current exchange rate, more than $1 trillion in 2022, for the first time in the kingdom’s history.
The contribution to the growth by the crude oil and natural gas sector reached 32.7 per cent, followed by government services, 14.2 per cent, manufacturing activities except oil refining, 8.6 per cent, and wholesale and retail trade, restaurants and hotels, 8.2 per cent.
The report revealed a 5.4-per cent growth in non-oil activities in 2022, with the sector of transportation, storage and communications reaching the highest growth rate of 9.1 percent, followed by manufacturing activities except oil refining, 7.7 per cent.
by Editor | Feb 27, 2023 | Muslim World, News
Asad Mirza
Saudi Arabia has announced plans to build a large cube-shaped structure as part of a re-development project in the capital, Riyadh, triggering angry reactions from Muslims on social media, saying it resembles the Kaabah.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) announced the launch of the New Murabba Development Company, last week. The new company will oversee developing a new downtown area spread over 19 sq. km. in capital Riyadh
Authorities claim that plans have been created keeping sustainability and environment in mind. The project would include green spaces, walking and cycling pathways, to improve the quality of life by encouraging active, healthy lives and social interaction.
What is Mukaab?
The main feature of the project has been named The Mukaab, a gigantic cube structure has been described as the future ‘face of the city’, and critics say it may even be the face of a new Saudi Arabia, focussing and generating more revenue through tourism than petroleum. At present, the plan is to fill the cube with 100,000 residential units as well as 9,000 hotel rooms.
In addition, it will also have over 80 entertainment and cultural venues. A renowned museum, and a campus for a technology and design university. The 19 km space will accommodate thousands of people. The 25 million sq.mt. floor area is divided strategically into 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms & 620,000 sq.mt. of leisure assets. Additional 980,000 sq.mts. will be covered by retail and 1.8 million sq.mt. will be dedicated to recreational facilities.
The building, will be 20 times bigger than the New York City’s Empire State Building, and will be a one-stop location for shoppers and business owners, with more than 980,000 square metres of retail shops and 1.4 million square metres of office space.
The Mukaab’s core structure will be an atrium, allowing for tons of natural light and foliage to thrive inside. The government brief promises an immersive ‘gateway into another world’ that is completely powered by the latest digital, virtual, and holographic technologies.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia’s abundance of oil money has sparked the design of some absolutely insane architectural projects. In 2021, MbS announced his $500 billion futuristic Neom city in the northwest of the country, with promises of robot maids, flying taxis, and a giant artificial moon. And last year, he unveiled a giant linear city, The Line, which aims to stretch over 106 miles and house 9 million people. The one-trillion-dollar project will essentially be its own massive city in the middle of a desert once it’s finished.
A New Kaabah?
Authorities claim that the project will add 180 billion riyals ($48 bn) to the Saudi economy and “create 334,000 direct and indirect jobs,” though the cost of the gargantuan project has not been mentioned.
New Murabba (square) and The Mukaab were widely ridiculed by social media users, both within and outside Saudi Arabia, apart from a large number of Muslims all across the globe, as soon as the plans were announced.
The Mukaab was also denounced for its likeness to the most important cube-like structure in Saudi Arabia and the Islamic world: the Kaabah. During Namaaz Muslims around the world face towards the structure in the centre of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, and circumambulate it during Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
Though one would have expected a much more vociferous outcry from the clerics in Saudi Arabia, but it has not happened as they can’t unyoke clutches of the ruling dispensation and have lost free voice and expression.
In India, the All India Shia Personal Law Board has condemned the project. In a statement, general secretary of the Board Maulana Yasoob Abbas said the Saudi government was deeply hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims across the globe by building a structure that resembles the Kabaah which is the holiest sites of Islam. Maulana Abbas said a massive movement would be launched to oppose this project. The first protest will be held at the Imambara in Lucknow on 5 March.
Why this new developmental push?
Apparently it seems that Saudi Arabia, has embarked on an ambitious project to diversify the economy away from oil and shed its image as a conservative, closed-off state. Besides promoting new narratives of development and progress.
Additionally, it has serious regional competition from neighbouring Dubai and the Qatari capital Doha, both of which have for decades tried to position themselves as regional tourism and investment hubs.
The kingdom already has an $800 billion plan to double the size of the capital in the next decade, as well as transform it into a cultural and economic hub for the region, according to Saudi media.
Over the years Saudi Arabia, which has seen an economic boom and a desert country transformed into a modern developing country was essentially based on the petroleum industry.
In addition it earns billions in revenues through the Umrah and Hajj pilgrimages. In recent years, it has made travel to the kingdom friendlier for the pilgrims and expansion plans in the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah are underway to accommodate more number of tourists.
As a strategy it also is promoting the Umrah pilgrimage more than the annual Hajj, as the revenues through Umrah pilgrims flows throughout the year and the government is not forced to spend more on providing facilities and security to the Umrah pilgrims, whose stay is much shorter as compared to the Hajj pilgrims.
So far, the government was focussing more on promoting tourism, but with the ascension of MbS, it seems to have changed tracks. As his critics say he is pursuing a growth plan which seems more unIslamic than his parleys with the Israelis.
