A Note on Ghazal

By Wali Alam Shaheen

Ghazal owes its origin to Arabic
panegyric odes of over 1500 years
ago. It has evolved since then at a marvellous pace, mainly
in Farsi and Urdu, and has become a most popular form
of poetry with themes ranging from talking to a woman
and cry of a wounded bird to politics of resistance.
A ghazal is a collection of couplets with the rhyming
scheme aa, ba, ca, .... The as, common to all couplets, are
in essence two or more words, termed as qaayeh (rhyme
word) and radeef (the refrain, repeated end-word(s), that
dene, apart from the metre, the structure of the ghazal.
Each couplet of a ghazal is a complete entity in itself,
like a short poem, or a haiku. The couplets may be lyrical, light, or dense, multi-layered, symbolic in approach,
rich in metaphors, but, more often than not, melodious. In
general, the only link a couplet of a ghazal has with the
remaining ones is that of sound, not of sense. Conventionally, the poet uses his pen name in the last couplet. The
number of couplets in a ghazal can vary from ve to ftyve; the average length being seven to eleven, a ghazal
extending to over a hundred couplets could just be a raw
show of skill the practitioner has mastered over the years.
Conforming, however, to the strict traditional requirements of any poetic form transplanted

Wali Alam Shaheen:

A short introduction

Shaheen is, in the words of

the noted critic Mohammad Ali
Siddiqui, one of the top-ranking
modern poets in the Urdu-speaking
world and a poet of uncommon brilliance and linguistic innvation (Ariel in Dawn, Karachi, April 12, 1984).
Author of six volumes of poetry, Shaheen has
been extensively anthologized and translated. Featured in many magazines, his poetry has been
widely acclaimed even beyond the subcontinent.
Winner of Altaf Hussain Hali World Urdu Award, Mir
Taqi Mir Award, Uttar Pradesh Hindi-Urdu Sahitya Award,
and Gahwara-e-Adab Award, among others, he is the subject
of a Ph. D. thesis. One of his books was included in a university curriculum at graduate level. He has been given over
three pages in Prof. Wahab Ashras 3-volume monumental Taareekh-e-Adab-e-Urdu (History of Urdu Literature).
Shaheen has contributed to The Canadian Encyclopedia (Historica-Dominion Institute) and has himself been mentioned in other English publications..
Shaheen started his career as a Lecturer in Statistics in
India. Later, he served as head of the statistics division at
Pakistan Tea Board and Adamjee Jute Mills Ltd., Dhaka, and
as Asst. Director at Monopoly Control Authority, Islamabad.
In Canada since 1973, he took early retirement from his
job as Policy and Costing Advisor with Transport Canada.

32

to a different environment loses

its thrust, due mainly to changed
literary, linguistic, and cultural
considerations. Consequently, the ghazal as written here in
English seems to have blurred its structural boundaries. This
writer, too, while not ignoring the formal restrictions in some
instances, has taken liberties elsewhere in a random fashion.
In Western literature, some prominent names who were
attracted to this genre include Johann Wolfgang Goethe
(1749-1832: Divan of East and West, 1819), Federico Garcia Lorca (1899-1936: Collected Poems, Farrar, Straus and
Giroux 2002), and Jim Harrison (b. 1937; his 1998 collection The Shape of the Journey published by Copper Canyon Press includes 65 ghazals). John Thompson (1938-76),
who taught creative writing at Mount Allison University,
Sackville, NB, and died at the age of 38, was an inuential
Canadian poet and is credited with the introduction and
dissemination of the ghazal in Canada. John Thompson:
Collected Poetry and Translations, edited by Peter Sanger
(Goose Lane, 1995) shows his poetical talent and range.
Lorna Crozier, another Canadian poet, has also produced
a signicant body of poetry in this genre. In recent times,
magazines like Fiddlehead, Paris Review, and Atlantic
Monthly have published ghazals by a number of poets.

Ghazal

He created me and then ceased caring

As if there were another God to nurture my being
Should I thank you or forgive you
Dont I know your secret yet?
Decision was all his; humiliation, now entirely
mine
Silence may very well be a punishable crime
I have loved you in my own ways - distinct and
unique Not that I insist you reciprocate, do what you will
Life now appears bereaved of all possessions
As if ones mind and pockets were linked together
Having spent so much time co-travelling
You seem to have forgotten Im still around
I have glued some of the pages together
Perhaps my past is no longer a part of my life
Even now, Shaheen, I step out in the same direction
As if someone were waiting for me by an open door
By Shaheen

Fiction

SACRED

By Dr. Khalid Sohail

As a part of her daily routine, Saima got up early to
offer her morning prayers. After the prayers she went to the
family room to recite the Holy Quran. When she stretched
her arm to pick up the Quran from the shelf, she was surprised to see that the Quran was missing. She thought she
might have forgotten it in the basement but it was missing in
the basement also. Then she went to her sons room and was
shocked to nd out that it was missing there too. Gradually it
dawned on Saima that all the copies of Quran were missing.
For the previous few weeks Saima was perturbed by
the television news that a priest in America had announced
that on Sep 11th, he would distribute a few hundred copies of the Quran so that people could burn them publicly.
Saima had told her brother Abid that if that happened,
the whole nation would be cursed. Thinking that Saima
started praying, asking God for forgiveness of sins.
After a while Saima called her neighbour Sabira to borrow her copy of the Quran. When Sabira went to get her copy
she was shocked to nd out that her Quran was also missing.
When both friends panicked and called all of their friends,
they were informed that all the copies of Quran were missing.
But why? They wondered. Different women had different opinions: God has taken back all the Qurans Allah
cannot see His holy book insulted. God has promised to
safeguard the Quran We are all going to be cursed. Etc.
After a while Saimas brother came running, breathing heavy. He said: Sister, something terrible happened. What happened? Saima was curious. When
I went to offer prayers, I found the mosque destroyed.
All we could see were the ruins. What about other
mosques? They are all ruined and demolished. Abid,
something terrible happened here too. What is it?
Our Qurans are missing. I called all of my friends
and their Qurans are missing too. I think the Day of
Judgment is coming. These are signs of a big curse.
Later that day, Saima and Abid listened to the evening

news and found out that on the morning

of September 11th, all the heavenly books including Quran.
Old Testament, New Testament and Geeta were missing
and all the houses of God including mosques and temples
and churches and synagogues were demolished. The whole
world was pushed in a spiritual crisis. Religious leaders
felt that all holy places were cursed as they had become
the seats of violence and terror rather than peace and love.
For the next few weeks all the ordinary citizens of the
world like Saima and Abid were emotionally disturbed.
Such a situation forced the leaders of all the nations and
traditions to get together to nd a solution to this world
crisis. They organized a conference. The religious and
spiritual leaders wanted to create a new holy book. They
asked people to offer their best books for consideration.
Leaders brought the writings of their best poets and writers and philosophers. Such a literature included sayings of
Confucious, poems of Kabir das, Bhullay Shah, William
Blake and Walt Whitman and speeches of Chief Seattle.
At the end of the conference it was decided that
in the 21st century the whole world needs a new philosophy that would promote the idea of One God,
One Religion, One World and One Humanity.
After the conference many television stations broadcasted many programs. In one program a psychologist, a mystic
and a humanist philosopher were invited to share their ideas.
The psychologist said that humans still need a
God and a Holy Book as it is their spiritual need.
The mystic stated that we no longer need a heavenly God.
God is present inside all of us and speaks through our conscience.
The humanist philosopher shared that the future of
humanity depends upon the development of self awareness, inner wisdom and social conscience of more and
more people. It is quite possible that as humanity recovers it might transform this breakdown into a breakthrough and realize that all human beings are part of one
human family as they are all children of Mother Earth.

The Tigers Snack

A tiger was walking through the jungle one day and saw two men relaxing under
a tree. One was reading a newspaper, and the other was working feverishly on a
manual typewriter.
The tiger leapt on the man with the newspaper, and ate him up. The tiger did not bother the other man at
all. Thats because any predator knows that readers digest but writers cramp.

33

When Our Child Fell Asleep

The visual effects, so powerful
When on the seashore a child fell asleep
Our world suddenly woke up
As though the news was new!
Months of protests
Media reports
Documentaries, headline news
Didnt achieve as much mileage as
The visuals that touched our hearts
Human tragedy unfolded
Conscience prompted,
we nally looked inward:
How we exercise our rights
to overthrow governments
bomb enemies in the name of
humanitarian interventionism
Our responsibility to protect a UN mandate
what about the responsibility for
the broken lives of those people?
Are the Bombs borderless but
not the war refugees?
Must they stand in queues
wait for the fences & barbed wires?
Capital is borderless in our global village
but migration has borders?
The Statue of Liberty fatigued
Give me your tired, your poor; your huddled
masses yearning to breathe free
What happened to Emma Lazarus words?
Have the words like freedom and equality
come to mean the opposite?
And what about
millions of Aylans who have
already deceased
many more dying every day
their images out of sight
sometimes in the medias blind spot

Horizons
Old friend!
may I rest my head?
On your shoulder
my body is feeling dead
may I speak my mind?
Because at work or at home
I may not always get the time
may I share myself with you?
Lately Ive been feeling blue
from the weight of living in my shoe
will you comfort me today?
Because I may not always say
Why Im not feeling okay
will you still stand by my side?
From the days when I feel dead
to when I feel so alive
will you help to catch my tears?
Because Ill hold it in
but it doesnt mean I dont have fears
will you lend me a second
Because this torrential waterfall of life
pushing me down like a death sentence
will you forgive me for my past ways?
Because we fought and made up
but for some reason you stayed
will you let me know?
When I have wronged you,
if you tell me, you are helping me grow
do you feel the same?
Since I messed things up again
Im sitting ashamed, placing self blame
will you help me rise up
Because since we shared ourselves
my life has been feeling rough

So lets seize this moment

before the image of our deceased Hero
is swept away by the surging waves
of oblivion
Zohra Zoberi
September 7, 2015

34

are we to return?
To our lush green eden
instead of these rough ashes of our hearts
burned
may I know what it is that I must do?
I dont want much
just you.. Just you.
by Hassan Hussain

posts, gas pipelines, bridges, railway lines and killing

innocent non-Baloch Pakistanis. India continues to support terrorism in Balochistan to this day. The terrorist
groups are the main suspects thought to be responsible for
the disappearance of hundreds of people in Balochistan.
During the post 9/11 years, while Pakistan
was pre-occupied with the American war on terror,
Akber Bugti took up arms against the state of Pakistan and started sabotaging government installations.
The behaviour of many Sardars against Pakistan after
the partition has been quite similar to the regional skirmishes their ancestors used to have in that region centuries ago. As a result there was never a peaceful time longer
than a few years at a time in Balochistan since the partition.
The predominant reason is that the Sardars would prefer
to recreate the century old environment where an external
power keeps funding them and they would manage their
tribes by keeping them backward and destitute as they have
been for centuries. Peace will never come to Balochistan
and the tribesmen will never enter into the 21st century
while the Sardars are still around and occupying seats in
the provincial assembly or managing their tribes getting
paid by the federal government to maintain their palaces.
For a short summary of the issues in Balochistan, it
must be emphasized that it is not a political problem. It is
an issue of administrative delinquency caused by the successive inapt provincial governments which are run by the
Sardars or under their inuence and hordes of Sardars
insist on preserving the antiquated Sardari system. During the last six decades billions of rupees have been paid
to the Sardars in one form or the other, but very little of
that has ever passed on to the ordinary people of Balochistan. The following three factors can be cited as the
root cause of the current socio-economic and criminal
mayhem of lawlessness that exists today in Balochistan:
The incompetent and inapt federal governments have
failed to abolish the Sardari system. They are all criminally
negligent by maintaining the status quo in Balochistan.
The
self-serving
behavior
of
Sardars enjoying the unlimited powers over the
poor tribesmen as they did two centuries ago.
Inuence and interests of foreign powers in the
strategic location of Balochistan and its port, Gwader.
The current federal government appears to be interested to invite the Sardars for negotiations. Various federal governments have had negotiations with them many
times since the partition. Now is the time to abolish the
Sardari system rather than recognising the Sardars all
over again and taking a big step backwards. Now is the
time to take the corrective actions against the three factors mentioned above. There is absolutely no reason to
allow the Sardari system as it was meant only for a colonial setup. Balochistan is not a colony but a province of
Pakistan and there is no Sadrai system in other provinces.
There should be no place for such system in Balochistan.

Synagogue, Church, offer place

to worship in Perterborough
The Islamic Forum of Canada recently held a Welcome the Liberal MPs evening. All the honourable ofcials
presented their kind words, plans for the total inclusiveness
in the future and echoed the words of our beloved Prime
Minister regarding respect and opportunities for each and
every Canadian, by repeating his promise that A Canadian
is a Canadian, is a Canadian. The hall kept resonating with
the cheerful and rejoicing applaud, as each of them spoke.
Mr. Hussein, one of the honourable MPs, related to us
regarding the recent arson of a mosque in Peterborough, how
the Prime Minister had reacted to it, and how this has made
a difference in the overall atmosphere in Canada. He told us
that since there was no place for Muslims to make regular
prayers, a local synagogue offered their hall for Muslims
to pray; and the United Church ofcials opened their doors
for the Friday prayers. Not only that, but as the worshippers
were coming out after the worship, the youth and adults
from the local community lined up with banners saying
We are here in solidarity with our Muslim neighbours.
The
community
also
collected
a
donation of $100,000 for the rebuilding of the mosque.

CMF of Canada holds another

successful event

Report by Tariq Khan

The 63rd session of the Christian-Muslim Forum of
Canada was held in Scarborough. Attendance was at the
full capacity of the available space. Arshad Machher, the
Muslim speaker of the evening, spoke convincingly on the
topic The Importance and Benets of Christian-Muslim
Dialogue. Reverend Tony Zekveld said in his speech
that Christians do believe in One God just as Muslims do.
We do not say that Jesus Christ was the biological child
of GOD. He further elaborated that like Muslim Community, the Christians are also a visible minority in Canada,
as we do not believe in same sex marriage. Our children
get education in Christian Schools. His speech was well
received by the participants. Rev. Tony Zekveld elaborated on how this Forum took birth on August 23, 2000 in
Orton Park apartment where TariqKhan was residing as a
newly arrived immigrant in Canada. He clearly said that
Christianity and Islam are two different Faiths. But this
Forum has provided an opportunity to understand each
others Faiths. The Question and Answer Session was
also pretty educating prior to the closing of the dialogue.
An appropriate homage was paid to Mr. Khaleel Yousuf Siddiqui who died this year. His elder son Raouf Siddiqui was specially invited to speak about his late father.

35

as the British Political agent. He spent most of his working

life in Balochistan until his death in 1892. Many Baloch,
especially the Sardars and their supporters remember Sandeman with affection. Sandeman controlled the Sardars
not by force but with diplomacy and money to keep peace
and stability in Balochistan. The Sardari system originally introduced by Abdali a hundred years earlier became
a norm among the Baloch and Brauhi Sardars continued
for another 100 years. The system was extremely popular
among the Sardars, as they had full autonomy in the tribal
areas under them, the tribesmen had grown to take the Sardars as their gods. The Sardars had the right to have a share
in anything owned or produced by the tribesmen. Furthermore, the Sardars were not accountable to any one except to
the British ofcials and that was limited to their obligations
of keeping peace and order in their tribal areas for which
they were paid by the British Indian administrative agencies. The socio-political mindset of the Sardars and their
subject tribes remains more or less the same today. It was in
Sardars favor to keep the tribesmen illiterate and backward
so that they continue to accept their Sardars as their gods.
The socio-economic development introduced
by the British authorities in the rest of India were
not introduced in Balochistan this helped the Sardars a great deal as they had conveniently kept their
tribes illiterate and backward for self-serving reasons.
After the 1878 Afghan war, the British established
Balochistan as a province within which existed 4 princely
states: Kalat, Makran, Lasbela and Kharan. Questta
was ruled directly by the British as they had a military
cantonment, it was independent of any princely state.
At partition in 1947, Khan of Kalat declared independence. The other 3 princely states decided for accession to Pakistan. This left Kalat as a landlocked tiny state
within Pakistan, the Khan of Kalat, Mir Ahmad Yar Khan
also decided in favor of accession to Pakistan on March
28, 1948. But his younger brother, Karim Khan did not
agree with his brother and decided to take up arms against
the state of Pakistan. That was the start of insurgencies against Pakistan which is still going on to this day.
A brief account of various organised insurgencies by the Baloch/Brauhi Sardars against
the
state
of
Pakistan
is
presented
below.
Karim Khan started separatist movement in May 1948.
He approached Iran, Afghanistan and the Soviets for help,
but did not receive any. He started guerrilla warfare against
Pakistan. He was arrested with 142 of his guerrillas, was
sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and ned Rs. 5000.
In order to reduce the provincialism, the federal government decided to implement One-Unit in 1955. The
One-Unit concept turned out to be unacceptable to various Baloch Sardars. Nowroz Khan kept an armed struggle
against Pakistan for several years. During this struggle,
Khan of Kalat repudiated Kalats accession to Pakistan.

36

President Iskander Mirza invited him to Karachi for talks but

the Khan refused to discuss. In order to break the impasse,
the army surrounded Khans palace, he refused to come out
but invited the DC (Deputy Commissioner) to come in and
discuss. As the DC and the party got close to the palace, the
guards, led by Khans son, Mohiuddin opened re, wounding a few with the DCs delegation. In reaction to that, an
army tank gave a burst on the outer wall. The Khan and
his son were then arrested. The army discovered that the
Khan had stashed up a large amount of food and ammunition to support a large private army against Pakistan.
The years 1963-69 saw insurgencies led by Sher
Mohammad Bijarani Marri. The protest continued against
One-Unit and ended after Yahya Khan abolished One-Unit.
In 1973, Z. Bhutto dismissed the provincial government of Balochistan on the grounds of Secessionist movement, Smuggling a large shipment of arms through Iraqi
embassy to support insurgencies, and Opposition to modernisation, as opposed to the antiquated Sardari System.
The insurgency was eventually controlled with the
help of the army since the Sardars had large private armies
consisting of the tribesmen. Bhutto wanted to abolish the
Sardari system once for all. The Sardari system required
the federal government to pay directly to the Sardars of
various tribes allowing them to disburse the money the
way they see t without any accountability. The Sardars
were getting rich, leading the most luxurious life, getting
educated at Oxford. But the tribesmen were still leading
a life that their ancestors had centuries ago. Hence the
lowest literacy rate in Balochistan compared with other
provinces. For centuries, the Sardars have fooled their
tribesmen by exploiting them on their nationalistic pride.
In 1977, Gen. Zia took over and Bhutto was removed
from power. In order to bring quick peace in Balochistan and to add to his personal popularity among
the Baloch Sardars, Zia overturned every change that
Bhutto had implemented to eliminate the Sadrari system. Gen. Zia gave a new life to the Sardari system.
The decade of 1980s, saw the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan. In view of the known previous discord
between the Baloch Sardars and the federal government,
Both the Soviets and India wanted to harm Pakistan for its
proxy war against the Soviet invasion of Afghan. India, the
Soviets and the Afghan intelligence created terrorist groups
in cooperation with several Baloch Marri, Bugti and Mengal
Sardars with the idea of getting Balochistan severed from
Pakistan, similar to what India had done in East Pakistan
with the help of Shiekh Mujeeb-ur-Reman in 1971. The terrorist groups created with the help of foreign powers are:
Lashkar-e-Balochistan (leB),
Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA),
Balochistan Liberation Front
(BLF) and Balochistan Republican Army (BRA).
They would look for opportunities to sabotage government infrastructures such as FC (Frontier Corpse)

Analysis and Opinions

Balochistan

The Most Mismanaged Province of Pakistan

By: Javed I. Chaudry
Todays Pakistan is suffering from myriad of problems.
The issues related to the administration of and the life in
Balochistan poses serious and complex problems and yet
the nature of problems and the causes are little known to
most of the Pakistani people. The current socio-economic,
political and administrative problems have their origin in
its history of the last 250 years since the days of Ahmad
Shah Abdalis rule of Punjab, Kashmir and Balochistan
during mid to late 18th century. The single most important
problem that exists in Balochistan today revolves around
the method of administration that Abdali had introduced,
the Sardari system. Same
system was then adopted by
the East India Company and
then maintained by the British
colonial government. Both,
Ahmad Shah Abdali and the
British rulers had one thing
in common, both were colonialists, interested only in the
expansion of their jurisdiction and inuence. Neither of
them were interested in the
long term welfare of the ordinary people of Balochistan.
In order to understand
todays problems related
with life in Balochistan, it
is important to have some
insight into the history, especially the administration and its
deep seated impact on the people involved over the centuries that has remained more or less unchanged to this day.
During the last 68 years, after the partition, Pakistan has
failed to take proper steps to streamline the administration
of Balochistan to bring it into the 21st century by bringing
it at par with the other three provinces. The Sardari system introduced by Ahmad Shah Abdali still exists in almost
the same way it was introduced two and a half centuries
ago. This is a critical factor responsible for the lack of economic and human development keeping Balochistan the
most backward province with a literacy rate of about 16%.
Balochistan with its landmass of 347,190 sq Km area
is the largest province in Pakistan. It is about 43% of the
total country with a population of only 9-10 million, about

4.5% of the total population of Pakistan. In its demography, the ethnic Baloch and Brauhi make about 40%, the
Pushtoons are about one third of the Balochistan population
and mainly settled in and around Quetta and in the Eastern
parts of the province. The rest are Makranis, Sindhis, Urdu
speaking and Punjabis. The Brauhis are the original inhabitants of Balochistan. They are thought to be the Northern
Indian Dravidians. When the ethnic Baloch arrived from
the Middle East (exact location is not known), the Baruhis
were already there and mostly established in Kalat area.
Ahmad Shah Abdali became the ruler of Afghanistan in
1747. In 1758, he attacked Balochistan and captured Kalat
defeating its ruler, a Brauhi Chieftain,
Mir Nasir. Abdali was not interested in
ruling Balochistan as it had very little
to offer being an arid land, desert and
mountains. He allowed Mir Nasir to
rule Kalat and granted him Queetta
and few other areas with a title of
Khan (this Khanate has problems for
Pakistan to this day). In return, Abdali
wanted to receive horses and mercenaries as required by him for his Indian
conquest plans. The system went on
with various local challengers to Khan
of Kalat for another 75 years unless the
British entered the scene. Similar to
Abdali, the British were not interested
to directly rule the deserts and mountains of Balochistan, but their main
interest was to use Balochistan as a safe buffer zone between
India and Afghanistan not only to keep the Afghans out but
also against the possible Russian threat. British attacked
Kalat in 1939 and eventually installed Khudadad Khan as
the Khan of Kalat in 1858. During their rst 20 years in
Balochistan, the British had to ght many battles against
various Baloch tribes especially the Marrees and Bugtis.
The British did not attempt to establish direct rule in Balochistan but always appointed Sardars, fully autonomous in
their own affairs to manage their tribes and other local problems. Since Balochistan had nothing to offer in terms of any
produce or commodities, the British paid to the appointed
Sadras to keep law and order in their respective regions
to maintain a safe buffer for the British interests in India.
Sir Robert Sandeman was sent to Balochistan in 1866

37

A New Beginning

The Prime Minister disturbed

on the re at the mosque in
Peterborough

After ten years of Conservative rule over the country,

Liberals have stepped up to the plate. People are looking
up to the party and the brand new leader. There are hopes
and expectations. They are hoping that Justin Trudeau will
bring back the good old days when Canada was a role model
for true multiculturalism, and Canadians were respected all
over the world as peacemakers and peacekeepers. They
are expecting that the change that was promised to them
will be delivered sooner than later and it will be visible.
The new Cabinet has given an optimistic message,
that the new government is all-encompassing in nature and
principal. There are as many women as there are men with
important responsibilities. There is even a Muslim woman
in the Cabinet, along with ten Muslims in the caucus, something that we could never think of in the previous era. Some
South Asians are holding important ofces. Native Indians
are also given strategic portfolios. Spring seems to have
sprung in autumn. We are anxious to see the blooms now.
On the literary horizon of Toronto, a new magazine,
Idraak, has risen. As the name suggests, its focus is to present
quality literary pieces to our readers. Our goal is to present
a great literary selection by seasoned writers to our readers
as well as explore new and rising literary stars among us. To
be successful in our endeavour, the help and appreciation
from our readers and contributors will be highly appreciated. We invite you to send us your contributions, advertising and kind words. Your suggestions are also welcome.
Our staff is looking forward to receiving reports,
articles, stories, ction, poetry, or other forms of creations from you so we can give them a place in the magazine. Together we can produce better product, improve
day by day, and make Torontonians proud of their efforts.
Just as we changed the political horizon with unity, so
we can bring this literary magazine to the next level.
Asma Warsi

38

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued

the following statement today on the re that
took place at the mosque in Peterborough:
I am deeply disturbed by the re that took place
at the Kawartha Muslim Religious Associations
mosque in Peterborough on November 14, 2015.
The values that
make our country
great are values that
celebrate our diversity and our religious
tolerance. Canada is a
country that is strong,
not in spite of our differences, but because
of them. MuslimCanadians contribute
enormously to the
social and economic
fabric of our nation, and Canadian authorities will
not abide innocent and peaceful citizens being
targeted by acts of vandalism and intolerance.
The recent terrorist attacks in Paris have
shocked peace-loving people in all countries
around the world. We must remain focused on
those responsible for the atrocities committed in France. It is equally important for Canadians to understand that Muslims around the
world are also being persecuted regularly by
these violent extremists. We are in this together.
To the families who attend the mosque
for prayer every week, the Government of Canada and our law enforcement agencies will
protect your rights and make every effort to
apprehend any perpetrator. I hope your mosque
will be open for prayer again very soon.
From the Prime Ministers Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.
ca/)
November 16, 2015
Antalya, Turkey

Rendition of Al-Fatiha
by Mukin Mutaal

Gratitude
Being thankful, being contemplative about life and its End, and seeking guidance, that is the core
of Quran. This core is best summarized at the very opening of Quran in the form of a prayer,
aptly titled The Key. Part hymn sung for the Holy One and part supplication to seek guidance,
it nurtures in us a relation between our seeking selves and the Divine Self; and it opens the lock
of our heart towards an authentic existence.

O
thatlends
lendsme
melife,
life,
lend
a
OLord,
Lord, that
lend
me me
a heart
replete
with
thankfulness.
heart replete with thankfulness.

Rendition: Quran 1:1-7

Rendition: Quran 1: 1 -7

Shakespeare
Shakespeare

All the praises belong to God

All the worlds providing Lord.
The Loving Grace,
The Most Compassionate.
Sovereign of the Judgment Day.
Only You we serve and obey
And only You for help we call.
May You show us the balanced path;
Path of those You blessed with Grace.
Not of those who incurred Your wrath.
Nor of those who went astray.

Ifthe
the only
only prayer
prayer you
If
yousaid
saidininyour
yourwhole
whole
life
was,
thank
you,
that
would
suf
ce.
life was, "thank you," that would suffice
Meister Eckhear
Meister Eckhart

By being grateful we celebrate our

creatureness and come face to face with
the fact that all that is created has an end.
Thereby, we inevitably are led to feel allprevailing presence of the creator, the
ultimate intelligence working through the
universe and we know that we have no
other recourse than to seek its guidance.
We become humble and rely solely on the
universal wisdom to guide us to our best
path in life.

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