हिन्दू धर्म का सिद्धांत

हिन्दू धर्म का सिद्धांत

हिन्दू धर्म में कोई एक अकेले सिद्धान्तों का समूह नहीं है जिसे सभी हिन्दुओं को मानना ज़रूरी है। ये तो धर्म से ज़्यादा एक जीवन का मार्ग है। हिन्दुओं का कोई केन्द्रीय चर्च या धर्मसंगठन नहीं है, और न ही कोई "पोप"। इसके अन्तर्गत कई मत और सम्प्रदाय आते हैं, और सभी को बराबर श्रद्धा दी जाती है।

धर्मग्रन्थ भी कई हैं। फ़िर भी, वो मुख्य सिद्धान्त, जो ज़्यादातर हिन्दू मानते हैं, हैं इन सब में विश्वास : धर्म (वैश्विक क़ानून), कर्म (और उसके फल), पुनर्जन्म का सांसारिक चक्र, मोक्ष (सांसारिक बन्धनों से मुक्ति--जिसके कई रास्ते हो सकते हैं), और बेशक, ईश्वर। हिन्दू धर्म स्वर्ग और नरक को अस्थायी मानता है। हिन्दू धर्म के अनुसार संसार के सभी प्राणियों में आत्मा होती है। मनुष्य ही ऐसा प्राणी है जो इस लोक में पाप और पुण्य, दोनो कर्म भोग सकता है, और मोक्ष प्राप्त कर सकता है। हिन्दू धर्म में चार मुख्य सम्प्रदाय हैं : वैष्णव (जो विष्णु को परमेश्वर मानते हैं), शैव (जो शिव को परमेश्वर मानते हैं), शाक्त (जो देवी को परमशक्ति मानते हैं) और स्मार्त (जो परमेश्वर के विभिन्न रूपों को एक ही समान मानते हैं)। लेकिन ज्यादातर हिन्दू स्वयं को किसी भी सम्प्रदाय में वर्गीकृत नहीं करते हैं। प्राचीनकाल और मध्यकाल में शैव, शाक्त और वैष्णव आपस में लड़ते रहते थे. जिन्हें मध्यकाल के संतों ने समन्वित करने की सफल कोशिश की और सभी संप्रदायों को परस्पर आश्रित बताया।

संक्षेप में, हिन्‍दुत्‍व के प्रमुख तत्त्व निम्नलिखित हैं-हिन्दू-धर्म हिन्दू-कौन?-- गोषु भक्तिर्भवेद्यस्य प्रणवे च दृढ़ा मतिः। पुनर्जन्मनि विश्वासः स वै हिन्दुरिति स्मृतः।। अर्थात-- गोमाता में जिसकी भक्ति हो, प्रणव जिसका पूज्य मन्त्र हो, पुनर्जन्म में जिसका विश्वास हो--वही हिन्दू है। मेरुतन्त्र ३३ प्रकरण के अनुसार ' हीनं दूषयति स हिन्दु ' अर्थात जो हीन ( हीनता या नीचता ) को दूषित समझता है (उसका त्याग करता है) वह हिन्दु है। लोकमान्य तिलक के अनुसार- असिन्धोः सिन्धुपर्यन्ता यस्य भारतभूमिका। पितृभूः पुण्यभूश्चैव स वै हिन्दुरिति स्मृतः।। अर्थात्- सिन्धु नदी के उद्गम-स्थान से लेकर सिन्धु (हिन्द महासागर) तक सम्पूर्ण भारत भूमि जिसकी पितृभू (अथवा मातृ भूमि) तथा पुण्यभू ( पवित्र भूमि) है, ( और उसका धर्म हिन्दुत्व है ) वह हिन्दु कहलाता है। हिन्दु शब्द मूलतः फा़रसी है इसका अर्थ उन भारतीयों से है जो भारतवर्ष के प्राचीन ग्रन्थों, वेदों, पुराणों में वर्णित भारतवर्ष की सीमा के मूल एवं पैदायसी प्राचीन निवासी हैं। कालिका पुराण, मेदनी कोष आदि के आधार पर वर्तमान हिन्दू ला के मूलभूत आधारों के अनुसार वेदप्रतिपादित रीति से वैदिक धर्म में विश्वास रखने वाला हिन्दू है। यद्यपि कुछ लोग कई संस्कृति के मिश्रित रूप को ही भारतीय संस्कृति मानते है, जबकि ऐसा नही है। जिस संस्कृति या धर्म की उत्पत्ती एवं विकास भारत भूमि पर नहीं हुआ है, वह धर्म या संस्कृति भारतीय ( हिन्दू ) कैसे हो सकती है।

1. ईश्वर एक नाम अनेक
2. ब्रह्म या परम तत्त्व सर्वव्यापी है
3. ईश्वर से डरें नहीं, प्रेम करें और प्रेरणा लें
4. हिन्दुत्व का लक्ष्य स्वर्ग-नरक से ऊपर
5. हिन्दुओं में कोई एक पैगम्बर नहीं है, बल्कि अनेकों पैगंबर हैं.
6. धर्म की रक्षा के लिए ईश्वर बार-बार पैदा होते हैं
7. परोपकार पुण्य है दूसरों के कष्ट देना पाप है.
8. जीवमात्र की सेवा ही परमात्मा की सेवा है
9. स्त्री आदरणीय है
10. सती का अर्थ पति के प्रति सत्यनिष्ठा है
11. हिन्दुत्व का वास हिन्दू के मन, संस्कार और परम्पराओं में
12. पर्यावरण की रक्षा को उच्च प्राथमिकता
13. हिन्दू दृष्टि समतावादी एवं समन्वयवादी
14. आत्मा अजर-अमर है
15. सबसे बड़ा मंत्र गायत्री मंत्र
16. हिन्दुओं के पर्व और त्योहार खुशियों से जुड़े हैं
17. हिन्दुत्व का लक्ष्य पुरुषार्थ है और मध्य मार्ग को सर्वोत्तम माना गया है
18. हिन्दुत्व एकत्व का दर्शन है

ब्रह्म
हिन्दू धर्मग्रन्थ उपनिषदों के अनुसार ब्रह्म ही परम तत्व है (इसे त्रिमूर्ति के देवता ब्रह्मा से भ्रमित न करें)। वो ही जगत का सार है, जगत की आत्मा है। वो विश्व का आधार है। उसी से विश्व की उत्पत्ति होती है और विश्व नष्ट होने पर उसी में विलीन हो जाता है। ब्रह्म एक, और सिर्फ़ एक ही है। वो विश्वातीत भी है और विश्व के परे भी। वही परम सत्य, सर्वशक्तिमान और सर्वज्ञ है। वो कालातीत, नित्य और शाश्वत है। वही परम ज्ञान है। ब्रह्म के दो रूप हैं : परब्रह्म और अपरब्रह्म। परब्रह्म असीम, अनन्त और रूप-शरीर विहीन है। वो सभी गुणों से भी परे है, पर उसमें अनन्त सत्य, अनत चित् और अनन्त आनन्द है। ब्रह्म की पूजा नही की जाती है, क्योंकि वो पूजा से परे और अनिर्वचनीय है। उसका ध्यान किया जाता है। प्रणव ॐ (ओम्) ब्रह्मवाक्य है, जिसे सभी हिन्दू परम पवित्र शब्द मानते हैं। हिन्दु यह मानते है कि ओम की ध्वनि पूरे ब्रह्मान्द मे गून्ज रही है। ध्यान मे गहरे उतरने पर यह सुनाई देता है। ब्रह्म की परिकल्पना वेदान्त दर्शन का केन्द्रीय स्तम्भ है, और हिन्दू धर्म की विश्व को अनुपम देन है।

ईश्वर
ब्रह्म और ईश्वर में क्या सम्बन्ध है, इसमें हिन्दू दर्शनों की सोच अलग अलग है। अद्वैत वेदान्त के अनुसार जब मानव ब्रह्म को अपने मन से जानने की कोशिश करता है, तब ब्रह्म ईश्वर हो जाता है, क्योंकि मानव माया नाम की एक जादुई शक्ति के वश मे रहता है। अर्थात जब माया के आइने में ब्रह्म की छाया पड़ती है, तो ब्रह्म का प्रतिबिम्ब हमें ईश्वर के रूप में दिखायी पड़ता है। ईश्वर अपनी इसी जादुई शक्ति "माया" से विश्व की सृष्टि करता है और उसपर शासन करता है। हालाँकि ईश्वर एक नकारात्मक शक्ति के साथ है, लेकिन माया उसपर अपना कुप्रभाव नहीं डाल पाती है, जैसे एक जादूगर अपने ही जादू से अचंम्भित नहीं होता है। माया ईश्वर की दासी है, परन्तु हम जीवों की स्वामिनी है। वैसे तो ईश्वर रूपहीन है, पर माया की वजह से वो हमें कई देवताओं के रूप में प्रतीत हो सकता है। इसके विपरीत वैष्णव मतों और दर्शनों में माना जाता है कि ईश्वर और ब्रह्म में कोई फ़र्क नहीं है--और विष्णु (या कृष्ण) ही ईश्वर हैं। न्याय, वैषेशिक और योग दर्शनों के अनुसार ईश्वर एक परम और सर्वोच्च आत्मा है, जो चैतन्य से युक्त है और विश्व का सृष्टा और शासक है।

जो भी हो, बाकी बातें सभी हिन्दू मानते हैं : ईश्वर एक, और केवल एक है। वो विश्वव्यापी और विश्वातीत दोनो है। बेशक, ईश्वर सगुण है। वो स्वयंभू और विश्व का कारण (सृष्टा) है। वो पूजा और उपासना का विषय है। वो पूर्ण, अनन्त, सनातन, सर्वज्ञ, सर्वशक्तिमान और सर्वव्यापी है। वो राग-द्वेष से परे है, पर अपने भक्तों से प्रेम करता है और उनपर कृपा करता है। उसकी इच्छा के बिना इस दुनिया में एक पत्ता भी नहीं हिल सकता। वो विश्व की नैतिक व्यवस्था को कायम रखता है और जीवों को उनके कर्मों के अनुसार सुख-दुख प्रदान करता है। श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता के अनुसार विश्व में नैतिक पतन होने पर वो समय-समय पर धरती पर अवतार (जैसे कृष्ण) रूप ले कर आता है। ईश्वर के अन्य नाम हैं : परमेश्वर, परमात्मा, विधाता, भगवान (जो हिन्दी मे सबसे ज़्यादा प्रचलित है)। इसी ईश्वर को मुसल्मान (अरबी में) अल्लाह, (फ़ारसी में) ख़ुदा, ईसाई (अंग्रेज़ी में) गॉड, और यहूदी (इब्रानी में) याह्वेह कहते हैं।

देवी और देवता
हिन्दू धर्म में कई देवता हैं, जिनको अंग्रेज़ी मे ग़लत रूप से "gods" कहा जाता है। ये देवता कौन हैं, इस बारे में तीन मत हो सकते हैं :
अद्वैत वेदान्त, भगवद गीता, वेद, उपनिषद्, आदि के मुताबिक सभी देवी-देवता एक ही परमेश्वर के विभिन्न रूप हैं (ईश्वर स्वयं ही ब्रह्म का रूप है)। निराकार परमेश्वर की भक्ति करने के लिये भक्त अपने मन में भगवान को किसी प्रिय रूप में देखता है। ऋग्वेद के अनुसार, "एकं सत विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति", अर्थात एक ही परमसत्य को विद्वान कई नामों से बुलाते हैं।[4]
योग, न्याय, वैशेषिक, अधिकांश शैव और वैष्णव मतों के अनुसार देवगण वो परालौकिक शक्तियां हैं जो ईश्वर के अधीन हैं मगर मानवों के भीतर मन पर शासन करती हैं।[5], योग दर्शन के अनुसार ईश्वर ही प्रजापति औत इन्द्र जैसे देवताओं और अंगीरा जैसे ऋषियों के पिता और गुरु हैं।

मीमांसा के अनुसार सभी देवी-देवता स्वतन्त्र सत्ता रखते हैं, और उनके उपर कोई एक ईश्वर नहीं है। इच्छित कर्म करने के लिये इनमें से एक या कई देवताओं को कर्मकाण्ड और पूजा द्वारा प्रसन्न करना ज़रूरी है। कई अन्धविश्वासी या अनपढ़ हिन्दू भी ऐसा ही मानते हैं। इस प्रकार का मत शुद्ध रूप से बहु-ईश्वरवादी कहा जा सकता है।

एक बात और कही जा सकती है कि ज़्यादातर वैष्णव और शैव दर्शन पहले दो विचारों को सम्मिलित रूप से मानते हैं। जैसे, कृष्ण को परमेश्वर माना जाता है जिनके अधीन बाकी सभी देवी-देवता हैं, और साथ ही साथ, सभी देवी-देवताओं को कृष्ण का ही रूप माना जाता है। तीसरे मत को धर्मग्रन्थ मान्यता नहीं देते।
जो भी सोच हो, ये देवता रंग-बिरंगी हिन्दू संस्कृति के अभिन्न अंग हैं। वैदिक काल के मुख्य देव थे-- इन्द्र, अग्नि, सोम, वरुण, रूद्र, विष्णु, प्रजापति, सविता (पुरुष देव), और देवियाँ-- सरस्वती, ऊषा, पृथ्वी, इत्यादि (कुल 33)। बाद के हिन्दू धर्म में नये देवी देवता आये (कई अवतार के रूप में)-- गणेश, राम, कृष्ण, हनुमान, कार्तिकेय, सूर्य-चन्द्र और ग्रह, और देवियाँ (जिनको माता की उपाधि दी जाती है) जैसे-- दुर्गा, पार्वती, लक्ष्मी, शीतला, सीता, राधा, सन्तोषी, काली, इत्यादि। ये सभी देवता पुराणों मे उल्लिखित हैं, और उनकी कुल संख्या 33 करोड़ बतायी जाती है। पुराणों के अनुसार ब्रह्मा, विष्णु और शिव साधारण देव नहीं, बल्कि महादेव हैं और त्रिमूर्ति के सदस्य हैं। इन सबके अलावा हिन्दु धर्म में गाय को भी माता के रूप में पूजा जाता है। यह माना जाता है कि गाय में सम्पूर्ण ३३ करोड देवि देवता वास करते हैं।

आत्मा
हिन्दू धर्म के अनुसार हर चेतन प्राणी में एक अभौतिक आत्मा होती है, जो सनातन, अव्यक्त, अप्रमेय और विकार रहित है। हिन्दू धर्म के मुताबिक मनुष्य में ही नहीं, बल्कि हर पशु और पेड़-पौधे, यानि कि हर जीव में आत्मा होती है। भगवद्गीता में भगवान श्रीकृष्ण द्वारा आत्मा के लक्षण इस प्रकार बताए गए हैं:

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नाय भूत्वा भविता वा न भूय:। अजो नित्य: शाश्वतोअयं पुराणो, न हन्यते ह्न्यमान शरीरे।।२-२०।।

(यह आत्मा किसी काल में भी न तो जन्मता है और न तो मरता ही है तथा न ही यह उत्पन्न होकर फिर होनेवाला ही है; क्योंकि यह अजन्मा, नित्य सनातन, पुरातन है; शरीर के मारे जाने पर भी यह नहीं मारा जाता।)
किसी भी जन्म में अपनी आज़ादी से किये गये कर्मों के मुताबिक आत्मा अगला शरीर धारण करती है। जन्म-मरण के चक्र में आत्मा स्वयं निर्लिप्त रह्ते हुए अगला शरीर धारण करती है। अच्छे कर्मफल के प्रभाव से मनुष्य कुलीन घर अथवा योनि में जन्म ले सकता है जबकि बुरे कर्म करने पर निकृष्ट योनि में जन्म लेना पड्ता है। जन्म मरण का सांसारिक चक्र तभी ख़त्म होता है जब व्यक्ति को मोक्ष मिलता है। उसके बाद आत्मा अपने वास्तविक सत्-चित्-आनन्द स्वभाव को सदा के लिये पा लेती है। मानव योनि ही अकेला ऐसा जन्म है जिसमें मनुष्य के कर्म, पाप और पुण्यमय फल देते हैं और सुकर्म के द्वारा मोक्ष की प्राप्ति मुम्किन है। आत्मा और पुनर्जन्म के प्रति यही धारणाएँ बौद्ध धर्म और सिख धर्म का भी आधार है।

Courtesy: Hindu Jaagran

वामियों की स्वतन्त्रता का अर्थ

वामियों की स्वतन्त्रता का अर्थ।

  वैसे तो कम्युनिष्ट शासन में समस्त मानवीय स्वतंत्रता का हरण कर लिया जाता है लेकिन मीडिया और अभिव्यक्ति उनमे सबसे पहला होता है।तत्कालीन सोवियत संघ अपने कब्जे वाली जमीन मे केवल कम्यूनिष्ट समाचार ही छपने देता था।अन्य वामी कब्जे वाले स्टेट केवल वामपंथी समाचारो को ही अपने इलाको मे अलाऊ करते थे।वहां लौह दीवार के अंदर कोई अन्य विचार प्रवेश नही कर सकता।चाइना मे आज भी केवल एक विचारों वाली सरकारी समाचार एजेंसी शिन्हुआ है।उनके खिलाफ किसी भी असहमति का मतलब मौत या जेल है।1990 के दशक के दौरान, क्रो-एशियाई और कम्युनिष्ट कब्जे वाले देशो में मीडिया लगभग गुलाम ही थी।समाचार और जानकारी का प्रवाह उसके बाद ही खुला था जब वे सोवियत संघ से स्वतंत्र हो गए।तब पहली बार आगंतुकों ने व्यस्त न्यूज-स्टैंड्स से, पत्रों और पत्रिकाओं से प्रभावित होना शुरू किया किया।स्वतंत्रता का असल स्वाद चखने के बाद उन्होंने कम्युनिज्म की तरफ पलट कर भी नही देखा।पश्चिमी दुनिया में कई तरह की प्रतिद्वंद्वीता थी, और नव-स्वतंत्र देश रेडियो और टेलीविजन,प्रिंट के समाचारों के माध्यम से समझाने वाली लाइन से तैयार हुये थे।जब उन्होंने नई दुनियां की प्रतिद्वंदिता से भरी,विविध विचारो की पत्रकारिता को देखा तो वे ढंग रह गए।सहसा उन्हें विश्वास ही नही हुआ की दुनियां ऐसी है।

पत्रों और समाचारों और सूचनाओं के कार्यक्रमों की मात्रा और विविधता ने प्रथम दृष्टया प्रभावित करना शुरू किया और लोगो ने यह समझ लिया की क्म्युनिष्ट विचारो के मामले मे जनता को पूरा दास बना कर रखता है।इससे पूर्व कम्युनिस्ट देश खुली मीडिया को गले लगाना अपने लिए खतरा समझते रहे हैं।आज भी जहाँ कम्यूनिज़्म क्ब्जेदार हैं ,वहा जनता को सूचना और खुले समाचारो की स्वतन्त्रता नही है।पार्टी द्वारा किए जन-संहार भी उनके अखबारो की खबर नही होती।पार्टी पदाधिकारियों के बड़े से बड़ा अपराध भी दबा देते है।दिनो-रात वे साम्यवाद के गीत गाते रहते है।सारी खबरे केवल वाम सोच को बढ़ावा देने वाली होती है।वे अपनी जनता मे विचारों का एक मजबूत बाजार तैयार करने मे लगे रहते है।उन्हे लगता है की मार्क्स-वाद से स्वतंत्र विमर्श उनके अस्तित्व को नष्ट कर देगा।इतनी आत्मबल हीन दूसरी कोई राजनीतिक विचारधारा इस धरती पर माजूद नही है।न आज तक के इतिहास में जन्मी।यहाँ तक की राजशाही मे भी इतना कमजोर मनोबल नही होता।मज़हबी देशो में भी इससे कही अधिक अभिव्यक्ति की स्वततंत्रा हासिल होती है।

  कब्जे वाले देशों में कम्युनिष्ट पार्टी ने तमाम अदृश्य हाथो से प्रेस और प्रसारण नियंत्रित किया हुआ है।उन देशों में मीडिया के स्वामित्व और संपादकीय संरचनाएं और कानूनों से मजबूर कर दिये जाते है।इतनी ज्यादा सेंसरशिप है कि स्वततंत्र विचार वालो का दम घुट जाता है।सरकारी नियंत्रण की रणनीति बना कर हर विरोधी विचार को दबा दिया जाता है।प्रमुख अख़बार,पत्र-पत्रिकाए,सूचना-संपर्क,मनोरंजन के तरीके,विचार-पत्रक,न्यूज- संसाधन,प्रकाशन,सीरियल,नाटक,सिनेमा,शिक्षा,उपन्यास,
कहानिया,नाटक यह सब एक ही राजनीतिक दल,से प्रभावित/नियंत्रित होते है।विपक्षी नीतियों/व्यक्तियों को दबाने या उस पर हमला/मर्डर करते हुए उनके बड़े-बड़े, दैनिक पत्रो मे इसे जस्टीफ़ाई किया जाता है।विचारों को बेशर्मी से बढ़ावा दिया।धीरे-धीरे कम्यूनिज़्म आने से पूर्व से ही स्थापित प्रिंट-मीडिया के लिए बहुत ही बुरी स्थिति हो गई।कुछ भी छापने के बाद प्रसारण के लिए वे बदतर अवस्था का सामना करते थे।धीरे-धीरे उनके प्रकाशक बर्बाद होकर खत्म हो गए।पुराने पुस्तके जो लोकतन्त्र की थोड़ी भी बात करती थी वे गायब कर दी गई।कम्युनिष्ट कानूनो ने स्वतंत्र प्रसारकों को अपंग कर दिया।उसके बाद केवल एक नेटवर्क (एचआरटीवी) को ही मंजूरी दी गई।एचआरटीवी के रूप में नया तंत्र उसकी परिभाषा “वामी पार्टी का तंत्र, उसके द्वारा, और उसके विचारो लिए,, चलाया गया।कर्मचारियों को ऊपर से नीचे तक एक मात्र नीति का पालन किया जाता है, जिसमें कोई कहानी नहीं, कोई बिंदु नहीं, कोई सार्वजनिक आंकड़ा नहीं।यह पार्टी की छवि को मजबूत करने के लिए होता है।पार्टी के गुणों को घोषित करता है, पार्टी का एजेंडा जनता मे सेट करता है।संचार के सभी सन्स्थाए उनके  नियंत्रण मे होती है।कमांडिंग प्रिंट और प्रसारण मीडिया सरकार की जेब मे होती है।

  जबकि डेमोक्रेटिक देशो मे वे हर संस्था मे योजना बनाकर घुस गए है।गजब ढंग से सूचना और स्वत्ंत्रता की बात करते है,अभिव्यक्ति की स्वतन्त्रता पर लंबे-लंबे लेख लिखते है,मानवाधिकार की बात करते है।भारत मे उन्हे नक्सल-वाद का प्रचार करने का हर मौका चाहिए।वे हमारे देश मे दिन भर मीन मेख निकालने मे लगे रहते है,लेकिन कम्युनिष्ट चाइना का हर चीज उन्हे बहुत भाता है।मैं जब कम्युनिष्टों की 'असहमति की स्वतंत्रता का अधिकार,लाइन सुनता,या पढ़ता हूं तब मुझे मजबूर होकर दवा खाना पड़ता है जिससे मेरी हंसी बन्द हो सके।

Courtesy: Pawan Tripathi
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155204206071768&id=705621767

TRIPLE TALAQ & THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA

TRIPLE TALAQ & THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA

Article 25 (1) of the Constitution of India guarantees that: Subject to public order, morality and health and to the other provisions of this Part, all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion. The fundamental right to profess, practise and propagate religion, is thus, not absolute, but subject to public order, morality and health and to the other provisions.

Article 13 (1) of the Constitution of India provides that: All laws in force in the territory of India immediately before the commencement of this Constitution, in so far as they are inconsistent with the provisions of this Part, shall, to the extent of such inconsistency, be void. Article 13 (4) stipulates that: Nothing in this article shall apply to any amendment of this Constitution made under Article 368 Right of Equality.

Thus, the provisions of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act of 1937, the Cutchi Memons Act, 1920 and the Mahomedan Inheritance Act (II of 1897), in so far as they are inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution, stand void to the extent of such inconsistency. According to these laws, marriage under Muslim laws is a contract between husband and wife. Under the Indian Constitution, all contracts must be equitable to be valid. Thus, the contract under Muslim marriage Law must be equitable to be valid. In the Muslim law, the men can use triple talaq and women can use khula for divorce. But are these provisions equitable?

Article 14 of the Constitution of India provides that: The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. But under the Muslim law, women are not considered equal to men. Thus, to that extent, the Muslim law is void under Article 13 (1) of the Constitution.

AIMPLB is a NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION constituted in 1973 to adopt suitable strategies for the protection and continued applicability of Muslim Personal Law in India, most importantly, the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act of 1937, providing for the application of the Islamic Law Code of Shariat to Muslims in India in personal affairs. Some Muslims followed Hindu customs before 1937. The Act applies to all matters of personal law except such successions. Even this section had the right under laws such as the Cutchi Memons Act, 1920 and the Mahomedan Inheritance Act (II of 1897) to opt for "Mahomedan Law".

The Web site of the AIMPLB, in their history section says: “Islam provides comprehensive guidance to its followers in every sphere of life, belief, prayers, social behaviour, civil conduct, personal and social relationship, family affairs and personal life. Islam has given a code to the Muslims in all these matters. It is for the reason that the source of those laws which embrace the personal and family lives of the Muslims (commonly known as Personal Law) is neither the practice (Urf) and conventions, nor customs, compromises, human decisions, the experiences and advice of philosophers, intellectuals and moral preachers. In fact the fountainhead of the social order and Personal Law of Muslims is the Book (Quran) revealed by Allah and the Sunnah (of the Prophet) which explains and elucidates it and on the veracity and trustworthiness of which every Muslim has an unshakable faith. Thus, these laws of Muslims are an integral and inseparable part of their religion which are based on the guidance given by the Prophet under divine inspiration. Therefore the issue of their Personal Law is not merely a cultural issue or an issue of customary practices for the Muslims rather it is an issue which concerns the safeguarding and conservation of their religion which burdens them with grave responsibilities and they are, as a result, very sensitive about it”.  

If “the issue of their Personal Law is not merely a cultural issue or an issue of customary practices for the Muslims rather it is an issue which concerns the safeguarding and conservation of their religion”, then it should be applicable to all Muslims equally. The fact that 22 Islamic nations have banned triple talaq shows that they consider it inconsistent with Islamic practice and law. If AIMPLB wants to take a different stand, they must show in which respect their Islam is different from the Islam of 22 countries, who have embraced Islam as the State Religion. Even if they show the difference, since it will be different from that followed in the cradle of Islam, it has to stand the test of Article 13 and 25, under which reasonable restrictions can be imposed by the State.

Further, their Personal Law should also include succession of property right and criminal jurisprudence, as these are integral to their sphere of life. But the AIMPLB clearly leaves these out. By this act, they are: a) either disobeying the dictates of Allah and the Prophet, or b) there is no provision under the Book (Quran) revealed by Allah and the Sunnah (of the Prophet). In the former case, Quranic succession and criminal jurisprudence (like cutting off the hands of thieves etc.) should be made applicable to Muslims. If a Muslim is found guilty of theft, his/her hand should be cut off, while others would go to jail. In the latter case, Muslims should be governed by the common succession and inheritance law, like they are now subject to the common criminal law. The common inheritance law makes the ladies not only a share holder of their paternal property, but also, their in-laws property. Hence, Muslim ladies should get a share in their in-laws property, even after divorce under triple talaq.

If necessary, Government could amend the Constitution under Article 368.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Article 13 in The Constitution Of India
13. Laws inconsistent with or in derogation of the fundamental rights
(1) All laws in force in the territory of India immediately before the commencement of this Constitution, in so far as they are inconsistent with the provisions of this Part, shall, to the extent of such inconsistency, be void
(2) The State shall not make any law which takes away or abridges the rights conferred by this Part and any law made in contravention of this clause shall, to the extent of the contravention, be void
(3) In this article, unless the context otherwise requires law includes any Ordinance, order, bye law, rule, regulation, notification, custom or usages having in the territory of India the force of law; laws in force includes laws passed or made by Legislature or other competent authority in the territory of India before the commencement of this Constitution and not previously repealed, notwithstanding that any such law or any part thereof may not be then in operation either at all or in particular areas
(4) Nothing in this article shall apply to any amendment of this Constitution made under Article 368 Right of Equality.

Article 14 in The Constitution Of India
14. Equality before law The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth

Article 25 in The Constitution Of India
25. Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion
(1) Subject to public order, morality and health and to the other provisions of this Part, all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion
(2) Nothing in this article shall affect the operation of any existing law or prevent the State from making any law
(a) regulating or restricting any economic, financial, political or other secular activity which may be associated with religious practice;
(b) providing for social welfare and reform or the throwing open of Hindu religious institutions of a public character to all classes and sections of Hindus Explanation I The wearing and carrying of kirpans shall be deemed to be included in the profession of the Sikh religion Explanation II In sub clause (b) of clause reference to Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Jaina or Buddhist religion, and the reference to Hindu religious institutions shall be construed accordingly.

Article 368 in The Constitution Of India.
368. Power of Parliament to amend the Constitution and procedure therefor
(1) Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, Parliament may in exercise of its constituent power amend by way of addition, variation or repeal any provision of this Constitution in accordance with the procedure laid down in this article
(2) An amendment of this Constitution may be initiated only by the introduction of a Bill for the purpose in either House of Parliament, and when the Bill is passed in each House by a majority of the total membership of that House present and voting, it shall be presented to the President who shall give his assent to the Bill and thereupon the Constitution shall stand amended in accordance with the terms of the Bill: Provided that if such amendment seeks to make any change in
(a) Article 54, Article 55, Article 73, Article 162 or Article 241, or
(b) Chapter IV of Part V, Chapter V of Part VI, or Chapter I of Part XI, or
(c) any of the Lists in the Seventh Schedule, or
(d) the representation of States in Parliament, or
(e) the provisions of this article, the amendment shall also require to be ratified by the Legislature of not less than one half of the States by resolution to that effect passed by those Legislatures before the Bill making provision for such amendment is presented to the President for assent
(3) Nothing in Article 13 shall apply to any amendment made under this article.

Courtesy: Basudeba Mishra
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10209566284214200&id=1240438026

Then Indian Army stepped in, to save.

The preparations to declare Shopian as Azad Kashmir was almost complete, Then Indian Army stepped in - By Renuka Dhar

Exactly a week ago on May 4 2017, our security forces launched what is being called the biggest combing operation in 15 years, in Kashmir. This massive exercise could have been in direct response to two immediate provocations from Pakistan:

● The brutal beheading of 2 Indian security personnel in Krishna Ghati Jammu & Kashmir

● The string of bank-heists and killing of local policemen by terrorists of Lashkar-ei-Tayiba, Jaish-ei-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen seen to be active in South Kashmir.

Rumors of terrorists from these organizations being seen moving around openly in the districts of South Kashmir had been doing the rounds for a couple of years. Then videos showing them marching through the apple orchards of Shopian surfaced on Social media recently. There are reports that a plan to declare Shopian district as #Azad_Kashmir had been afoot for some time.

The Pak terrorists and some of their local supporters are said to have even prepared banners declaring this ‘Azadi’, the declaration was supposed to be supported by several local leaders and government servants putting in their resignation. Shopian was to be the starting point, followed by other districts in this Pak plan to gradually wrest areas from Indian control.

There is a direct connection between the bank robberies and the now aborted plan to declare the #Independence of Shopian.

The money stolen from the banks was supposed to finance the #freedom_Operations. Ironical that terrorist from Pakistan were planning to use Indian money to finance the splintering of an integral part of the nation!

In the brutal attack in Kulgam, Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists killed 5 policemen belonging to J&K Police and 2 private guards of J&K Bank after dragging them out of a cash van. Rattled by the tremendous Kashmiri response to local recruitment drives by the army and police, the terrorists deliberately indulged in cold-blooded murder to demoralize the local police and discourage Kashmiris from joining JK Police.

Such tactics have been frequently used in recent times to create a sense of fear. Although these brutal killings of local men created widespread anger amongst the Kashmiris, even the grieved families of those slain were scared to talk about the killers.

The tipping point came when terrorists, invariably referred to as ‘suspected militants’ by local media, barged into a Police Post in Southern Shopian on May 2 and decamped with 5 service rifles, including an AK-47. This was followed by the looting of two banks in separate incidents in Pulwama, also a district in South Kashmir.

In the backdrop of these incidents, an alert was triggered and action became necessary. The massive operation launched on May 4, involved more than 4000 security personnel, comprising 5 platoons of Jammu & Kashmir Police including 30 women constables, the Indian Reserve Police, 8 Companies of CRPF and 4 Battalions of the Rashtriya Rifles.

#Operation_Shopian began in the wee hours of Wednesday (May 3) with house to house searches conducted in almost 2 dozen villages in Zainapora area of Shopian. The meticulous searches were conducted after clearing all civilian residents “to make sure that no innocent civilians are hurt” said a senior officer. According to him, the cordon and search operation was conducted following intelligence that militants from Hizbul Mujaheedin were present in large numbers in the area. The security personnel first formed a cordon to prevent stone-pelting. Helicopters and drones are said to have been deployed in this operation.

Predictably, in what has now become a familiar ploy, locals especially women did come out to ‘protest’ the operations. These protestors indulged in the usual stone-pelting and in the resultant clashes, many terrorists apparently managed to escape despite the blockade and search operations.

That very evening, a vehicle carrying soldiers of Rashtriya Rifles, who had been part of the massive search operation, was ambushed by a group of obviously infuriated and recently flushed out terrorists. This attack, responsibility for which was later claimed by Hizbul Mujaheedin, resulted in the unfortunate death of the civilian driver and injuries to 4 soldiers traveling in the vehicle.

According to the army, “the purpose of the operation is to exert pressure on militants and force them to move out of their comfort zone. The ravines and orchards around Rambi Zara river (Shopian) provide ideal hideouts for militants… they will not be able to congregate and move around in large groups now.”

Army Chief Bipin Rawat told reporters that the combing operation was necessitated because some banks were looted and policemen were killed in the area. He said, the operation “has been launched to ensure that the situation is brought under control” and added that such operations would now be conducted regularly.

This search operation was significant in that it enabled the army to assert physical control over South Kashmir which was fast getting out of hand.

Media reports claimed Jehangir Ganaie, an LeT militant was arrested with the AK-47 stolen from the Police Post and 5 terrorists from JeM were said to have been gunned down. Defense Experts like Major Gaurav Arya say  that such crackdowns will probably be the norm now in a shift from rhetoric to action, he says, “… it won’t stop now. This will not be like a surgical strike; it will be a sustained effort by the security forces for a long time to come.”

Meanwhile the cornered terrorists are hitting out in blind fury.

On May 10, the bullet-ridden body of Lieutenant Umar Fayaz Parray of Kulgam was found in Shopian. The 23 year old doctor, who joined the Indian Army in 2016, was posted at Akhnoor near Jammu and had come home to attend a family wedding. His only fault was that he sought to rise above his humble beginnings by joining the army.

This dastardly killing seems to be part of the Pak terrorists’ strategy to drive home the ominous message that they will not allow Kashmiris to move towards normalcy by choosing respectable professions. Their agenda is obviously to deprive Kashmiris of education by burning down educational institutions so that the youth remain fit only for stone-pelting!

Significantly, for those who always scoff whenever the Pak-hand is mentioned in connection with keeping the Kashmir turmoil going, in a recent development, a book entitled ‘ Khalid Khwaja; Shaheed-ei-Aman’ has created a furor in Pakistan. Written by Shamama Khalid, the wife of a former ISI spy Khalid Khwaja, the book and interviews in it claim that the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took around $1.5 million from Osama bin Laden to promote jihad in Kashmir.
Shopian Kashmir: Search operation by army

Courtesy: https://m.facebook.com/292543404416746/photos/a.312455805758839.1073741829.292543404416746/455629694774782/?type=3

Kashmir, stop being delusional

Kashmir, stop being delusional by #Vikram_Sood

There is no freedom struggle in Kashmir, but a war foisted on us all these years with ground rules laid down by the Pakistan Army.

Let us start with a few clarifications. There is no freedom struggle in Kashmir, but a war foisted on us all these years with ground rules laid down by the Pakistan Army. These ground rules, therefore, must change, where we are no longer reactive but be in charge, literally. This should start with an escalatory response. There is little point in our having our High Commissioner in Pakistan or theirs here when there is no substance in the relationship. At least, their High Commissioner gets prime time on TV and is lionised all over the country. Downgrading would be the first signal. The MFN status should be withdrawn. There is hardly any trade, let it remain negligible or less. There is no need to offer electric power for onions. This may not amount to much, but, currently, the optics about this are askew. Many years have elapsed since India and Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty and the time has come to reconsider this to better suit Indian interests and present conditions. Strategically, we need to revisit our No First Use doctrine. Finally, we should do all this not just out of a sulk but based on political realism which means accepting that Pakistan and India have very little in common with each other and it is best to part ways. (Pakistan Goodbye and Good Luck, Anand Ranganathan).

Let us also stop being delusional about the nature of the rulers of Pakistan — their Army. Its attitude does not change with the change at the top. Numero Uno is answerable to his all-powerful Khaki Cabal of Corps Commanders. There has been a consistency in this from the beginning. They have also had scant regard for their own elected representatives and make this disdain obvious. They cannot be expected to treat India — both enemy and Hindu, any better. So, those of us who dream of eternal peace would do well to wake up to this eternal reality.

The recent bloody attack in the Krishan Ghati in Poonch was not by a professional army. It would be an insult to the animal kingdom to call this an act of bestiality. It was an act by an army that has now imbibed the values — if one can call them that — of the Islamic State where intolerance in extreme is practised. Kill the enemy with extreme brutality and hatred. Ensure that there is no possibility of a reconciliation.

Jagannathan (Pakistan Isn’t the Problem, it’s Us) recently made a very pertinent observation when he said that we should not fear war and that it was time to abandon defence and embrace offence. This has to be supported with the full awareness of what a war could mean. At the same time, we cannot also let that country decide the ground rules that maim, kill and dishonour our soldiers. They claim they kill in the name of Kashmir. This is not true; it is an excuse. Pakistani soldiers are taught to kill Indian soldiers as a sign of incalculable hatred for the “Hindu” inculcated by an increasingly Wahhabi Pakistan. It is strictly an India-Pakistan affair and we need to respond accordingly.

True, we made mistakes, plenty of them, and grievances, real, imagined or exaggerated, exist. We were able to sort out the curse of the Radcliffe Line elsewhere, but were paralysed when it came to Jammu and Kashmir where the several parts, Gilgit, Baltistan, Jammu, Ladakh, and Srinagar had been put together artificially by different rulers. The British, with their imperial interests still paramount, were smart. They quickly arranged for Gilgit and Baltistan to revolt and claim to join Pakistan. They presumed they needed this to deal with the Soviet bear in the future.

Many fear it has already begun to happen. The young who demonstrate on the streets are not just looking for better economic opportunities or political freedoms. They just want out. The army and paramilitary are not at fault for this. The army has been sent there to restore order and not to find solutions; it did not ask to be involved. This is a task foisted on them by our politicians. The politicians have consistently bungled and the bureaucrats have done no better. Despite this, the army and paramilitary are performing a difficult task commendably. So let us stop being apologetic about the army’s actions. Politicians in Srinagar and New Delhi, assisted by their bureaucrats, have to find the solutions.

Each time, when some peace and order was restored by the armed forces and paramilitaries after great difficulty and loss of life and property, the politicians failed to take advantage of the reprieve and the gains were dissipated through petty politicking. Each political party only thought of political power for itself and preserving its political patch. They even collaborated with the fundamentalists like the Jamaat-e-Islami and we see its repercussions today. There are disturbing visuals of an armed soldier having to “exercise restraint” — under orders from top, no doubt — as a local hoodlum attacks him repeatedly. This would not happen in any other country and it is not ennobling in the least. Once fear and respect for the uniform is lost, we are staring at institutional breakdown and we are on our way to becoming a banana republic, brought down to this by a neighboring state that is imploding.

Is there a solution? There has to be and we have to find that by talking with the people of Kashmir. The Hurriyet does not represent the people of Kashmir but Pakistani interests. We must always differentiate how we treat Pakistan and not tar our own Muslims with the same brush. It would be a grave error if we did. For Pakistan, it is not a country without its religion. India will cease to be a country if it is based or divided on religion. We tackle Pakistan for its transgressions against India and we tackle Kashmir to find solutions within the Constitution. Talking to Pakistan to find a solution in Kashmir is not going to happen. By now, we should realise that this is a fool’s errand. There is undoubtedly a section in Pakistan that may want normalcy with India and are opposed to the army’s dominance, but they are weak, and more, will not talk differently on Kashmir.

There are three aspects to be considered. In the short term, the effort must be to restore peace, law and order and normalcy of life. This has to be done by the Army and paramilitary without the usual caveats we tend to attach to such activity. The armed forces need to be trusted to do their best. Keep media and its scaremongers out. They add to the tension with their hyperbole and uninformed speculation. Thus, while the forces go about their business, they do not need expert opinions from greenhorns or insensitive incendiary reportage, especially that which denigrates the forces and the men. Short term running into the medium term would always need better intelligence. This is a given.

In the medium term, the ministries of defence and home need to improve systems, cut through red tapes and provide state-of-the-art equipment to the soldiers. Determination and deployment of adequate force levels should be left to the commanders. All infrastructure development activity should continue. Remember also not to stop the tremendous infrastructure development in Jammu and Kashmir. The construction of roads, bridges and tunnels must continue. Connectivity within the valley, the State and the rest of India must be improved. This hurts Pakistanis as it contrasts with the pathetic situation in POK. They not only create employment for the locals but also lead to permanent benefits.

We should also go ahead with all permissible river and power projects. Each time Pakistan objects to such legitimate schemes, it shows itself up as a country that is not concerned with the well-being of the average Kashmiri. Pakistan only wants the land and the rivers that irrigate their farms in the Punjab province. The Kashmiris fate will be like that of the Baloch or Sindhi or Pashtun. But that is a hypothetical comparison. In the medium to long-term, the State must have secular education away from ahle hadith and Jamaat schools. Such schools have no place in India. We should have a Kashmir-specific task force, comprising mostly the armed forces and a smattering of bureaucrats. This is because we are tackling not just the Kashmiri problem but the spoilers, Pakistan.

In the long term, the Prime Minister must lead in helping to find a solution through talks with all Kashmiris. These talks could include Hurriyat representatives but cannot be exclusively Hurriyat nor Hurriyat-led. There would be need to specify ground rules. There can be no talk of independence. Special privileges and exclusions must go. These time periods are not mutually exclusive but there will be a natural overlap.

We periodically seem to forget that that the Pakistan Army is in control, it owns the country, politicians exist at the pleasure of the army and the army is the biggest private-public business conglomerate in the country. It has some very good reasons to remain in control. It can do this by keeping the bogey of the Indian threat alive, be the defenders of country and Islam. We get evidence of this periodically but continue to be inappropriately hopeful. Recent incidents beginning with the charge against Kulbhushan Jadhav that he is an Indian spy and sentenced without trial to hanging; the allegation that the ‘surrendered’ TTP leader Ehsanullah Ehsan was an India-supported terrorist, in his clumsily tutored interview, were indicators of what was being planned by the new leadership in Rawalpindi.

Recently, a major general of the Pakistan Army publicly rebuked the office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan; something similar in India is unthinkable. Therein lies the difference between the two countries. Friendly drop-ins are good optics. They would normally go a long way to bringing about better bilateral relations. Unfortunately, this does not bring us any closer to solutions with Pakistan. Indian forbearance has encouraged adventurism and the hope that by giving some concessions, improving people-to-people relations will strengthen the politicians has not worked. Either such overtures are killed soon enough or the argument is that it was Pakistan’s hardline policy that has made the Indians offer concessions. Therefore, the policy must continue, they argue. The jihadi and the army together run away with the narrative. General Pervez Musharraf had come to Agra in 2001 firmly convinced that the Indian leadership was tired and had sued for peace.

Pakistan and Kashmir thus have to be tackled separately. Pakistan will simply not let peace be restored; it has no reason to help India because it finds the present situation to its advantage. An adversarial stance with India suits the Pakistan army; it keeps the rest of the world concerned about the nuclear dimensions of this problem which it seeks to exaggerate periodically. Pakistan did not create the present problem beginning from 1989. We did and they took advantage. Do not expect Pakistan to change and assist India in solving the Kashmir problem. Why should it? The present situation suits them the most. Those who think and advocate that talks with Pakistan will solve this live in their own make-believe cuckoo land.

Kashmiris must be encouraged to understand that their merger with Pakistan or independence are just not going to happen. Surely, Kashmiris already know there can be no future in a country where the Baloch and Sindhis want independence and the Pushtun are increasingly suspicious of the Punjabi dominance in Pakistan. Maybe, after the violence stops or is made to stop, there might be some special arrangements for the valley but that is into the future. There will be no talks until terror continues; excessive restraint by the military forces is counter-productive; appeasement does not help but on the contrary, helps hoodlums, demoralises the moderates and makes the army cynical. Let us not destroy institutions while trying to pretend to be good and soft.

China and the United States protect Pakistan for their own strategic reasons. Pakistan’s continued belligerence has been because of the support it received from these countries for other reasons. The US does not know where it stands as its leadership suffers from ADD. We do not know which way, when and how much the US will swing. Europeans are too busy sorting themselves out, petrified and clueless as they are of Islamist terror. The Russians and the Chinese see opportunities for themselves from Pakistan to the Mediterranean. Pakistan hopes to be able to take advantage of this fog. Pakistan seeks to seal off Balochistan from the rest of the world, put its people under a pressure chamber and brutalise its people to suit the Army’s Chinese masters and the country’s creditors. It hopes to keep India on the back foot as it tries to tighten its hold in Afghanistan through its other favourite jihadi surrogates.

In normal times, had this been in the West or in the US, the cry would have been for Nuremberg type trials. They did this to Serbian leader Radovan Karadzic. Why are there not any similar trials for the Pakistani military? We should accept this erroneous attitude that assumes that terrorism against India is India’s problem. Thus, all India can expect is some ambivalent statements and nothing more. We even had a Turkish dictator visiting us recently, sounding holier-than-thou after brutally silencing freedoms in his own country. Advisories from distant lands tend to sidestep local realities and history. What India has been facing is a 70-year war by other means. This must end before the policy of endless restraint ends. It is, however, good to remember we are on our own on this one. If we cannot do this or do not have the stomach for the grim long battle ahead beyond hot air during TV discussions, then let us roll over and play dead.

Ultimately, we will have to endgame and hit where it hurts the Pakistan army and elite at a time and place of our choosing. And do not worry about the nuclear threat that Pakistan keeps talking about and the West keeps echoing. If the West is concerned about this, then the first thing they need to do is to tell Pakistan that it will have to pay a price for its thuggery in the region. In any case, one would be more concerned about the fallout of the present confrontation between North Korea and the US. Nether of the two protagonists have exhibited their abilities for cool introspection.

Do not also worry too much. Pakistan generals may be adventurous and Islamic but they are not daft. They are not going to start a nuclear war for some territory about the size of all their farms in the fertile Indus basin and Okara farms with a Muslim population smaller than that in Balochistan whom they subjugate ruthlessly. The generals are also not looking at losing all of Pakistan in a mushroom cloud.

Courtesy: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=455324564805295&id=292543404416746