Annual
Iqbal Dinner
By Sir Cam
Cambridge, England
Cambridge is the venue for an annual
Strawberry Fair where you will see no strawberries.
Cambridge is also the place where they hold May
Balls in June. Similarly, it is the city where
the poet-philosopher Sir Muhammad Iqbal is remembered
in March rather than in November or April - his
birth and death anniversaries respectively. For
some years now the Cambridge University Pakistan
Society has been organizing, in March, 'its most
prestigious event of the year: The Annual Iqbal
Dinner'.
Why 'Iqbal Dinner'? Dr Muhammad Iqbal, the poet-philosopher,
was one of the earliest Muslims to have come to
Cambridge for higher studies. He arrived in the
city in late September 1905, was admitted to Trinity
College, and completed his BA degree in 1907.
This year's Iqbal Dinner was held on March 9 at
The Guildhall, Cambridge. Guests included, once
again, Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham, and Dr Dushka
Saiyid, the current Iqbal Fellow at the university.
Further details from Shabana Pervez (sp413 @ cam.ac.uk)
or Aseer Akhter (aa380 @ cam.ac.uk) .
ISLAMIC BANKING AND FINANCE
Once you've had your fill at the Iqbal Dinner,
why not go over to Wolfson College on March 11,
where a public awareness evening is being organized
on Islamic Banking and Finance in the UK. An old
Cambridge chap, Dr Humayun Dar, will be speaking
along with the Director of the Amanah Section
of HSBC Bank . Further details at the Cambridge
Pakistan Cultural Society website: http://www.pakcam.com/
.
WHAT IS LOVE, ANYWAY
In response to "Cartoonish Extremests,"
Prof Hasan Gardezi, writes: "I find much
wisdom in Sir Cam's reflections on the subjects
he choses to reflect upon." Good man! But...
"But," he sadly continues, "I beg
to differ with one of the points he makes in this
e-mail. It is not the LOVE of the Rasool that
has triggered the (largely self-destructive) fury
of the believers on the publication of those stupid
cartoons. Notwithstanding the hadith and Qur’anic
citations picked up by Sir Cam, love is a dirty
and proscribed word in official Islam. The sufis
throughout Islamic history paid the price for
regarding Muhammad (and Allah) as their beloved.
Love between a man and woman is a vile sentiment
in Islam [!]. Among unhitched humans it leads
to honor killings. Between husband and wife it
takes the form of obligatory submission on the
part of female and a patriacal privilege on the
part of the male spouse."
There you have it. Much to differ with. And, I
ain't in love any more
BEWARE THE HEADBANGERS
Dr Douglas Carnall also e-mails on the cartoon
issue. "Of course the recent cartoon nonsense
is all a put up job by those that would divide
and rule (they're winning BTW); your column excellently
and peacefully expresses that.
"I've been going around making the point
that in any country you can find the few hundred
or so headbangers to cause any sort of problem;
and the less constructive social and political
freedom that individuals experience, the more
likely it is that their energies will find violent
outlets of expression." Well spoken, Dougie,
old pal, but I ain't no headbanger! Check out
his blog at http://navarino.org.uk:8080/blog/
COWBOYS AND INDIANS
From The Guardian of February 22, 2006: "Seen
on a van in east London: "J Patel, Plumbers.
You've had the cowboys. Now try the Indians."
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