Category: Society

What is a Building Society?

Tim Carr asked:

g society is a financial institution much like a bank, except that it is owned by its members and not by shareholders. Apart from that there are very little obvious differences between them, especially these days.

Originally, building societies were set up to enable each of their members to purchase their own home. All the members basically pooled their savings and when the last member had a house the building society would be dissolved. This changed in the early 19th Century when building societies started offering new members the opportunity to save and buy a house on a continuous basis, and as a result building societies effectually became permanent institutions.

Over the years building societies have been offering more or less the same financial services as banks to such an extent that there is now very little difference between the two.

So which is best, building society or bank?

This isn’t an easy question to answer for obvious reasons. Each building society and bank has to be assessed on its own merits for the products they are offering. For example, some financial institutions may offer you a better short term deal on one product in order to attract you as a customer, but the long term scenario can be very different. At the same time it doesn’t follow that because they offer one good product that their other products are necessarily a good deal too.

Also, as banks are trying to please their shareholders they are often under pressure to hike up their prices for better profits, whereas building societies are not structured in the same way and can offer a lower price long term, particularly as they do not have to dish out dividends to shareholders.

However, banks will often appear as a “best buy” simply because of the attractive deals they can offer new customers. On saying that, building societies and banks are so similar nowadays that many people are not even aware of whether a particular institution is in fact one or the other. This of course hasn’t been helped by the fact that in the last few decades many building societies have become de-mutualised and have actually converted into banks.

A recent survey by fool.co.uk revealed that most people would really prefer talking about their financial circumstances with a building society rather than a bank and would also prefer to have a mortgage from a building society, indicating that there is a higher degree of trust with building societies. However, best buy tables seem to indicate that banks actually offer a better deal in three specific areas and these are credit cards, savings accounts and mortgages. Naturally, the building societies would disagree and with good reason too.

The recent difficulties with banks like Northern Rock have resulted in many people losing faith in banks so they are turning to building societies instead. Trust is a key area for both building societies and banks because once they have your custom and your trust; you are more likely to turn to them first for any other financial services you might need.

As with everything else these days, and especially in these difficult economic times, it pays to shop around for a particular product as these will vary quite significantly from building society to building society, just as they do from bank to bank.

A Highly Advanced Society!

Ernie Fitzpatrick asked:

When we look around the world today, many societies are vying for who has the best medical program. Is it America, Canada, another? Michael Moore thinks America has one of the worst medical situations. But what about when it comes to space travel? Can anyone top America? China just had their first space walk. But how about all-around technology. Who are the true pioneers? 

How about if we go back 10,000 years BCE or so? Wanna journey there for a moment?

Everyone knows that the Wright brothers invented air travel, right? Well, what about the ancient digs in Egypt that turned up fourteen airplanes models, the first discovered in 1898 near an Egyptian tomb close to Sakkara. And of course our drones are the latest rage in warfare; however, even before Plato was born, Greek scientist Arachytas of Tarentum invented a kite that carried a person which the Greek armies used as aerial reconnaissance.

Indian epics such as “Drona parva” discuss in detail technical aspect or “aerial cars” which were in operation  in prehistoric times.

Let’s go from the air to the water- under the water, like in submarines. Ancient historians such as Herodotus, Pliny, and even Aristotle wrote of such underwater ships. What technology did they use for such submersibles? But what about archaeological finds in the past 100 years that indicate medical advances as long ago as 20,000 BCE that allowed for brain surgery, tooth implants, and prosthesis operations? Not only have the surgical tools been unearthed, but so too the medical journals on how to perform such.

Both the Atlantean and Lemurian cultures were greatly advanced. They didn’t use the technology that we do today; however, they built the same machines with different principles.

A major distinction of the Lemurian society was their application of spiritual principles over material advances. We cannot do today what they could 50,000 yars ago such as erecting the 100 ton moai statues that are found on Easter Island, the 105 ton coral gate of Tonga, or the 100 ton basalt logs of Ponape’s Nan Madol in the Western Pacific. Or, how about the astronomically perfect construction of Stonehenge. Myths and ancient writings tell of the Lemurians ability through mind and spirit control to raise such structures by levitation principles. Psychic powers or a deep spiritual connection?

While we take great pride in going to the moon and building the Large Hadron Collider, ancient cultures such as the Mayans knew things about black holes and outer space that we’re just know realizing So, before we get too cocky about our modern day scientific discoveries, we might ask ourselves, how much more was known tens of thousands of years ago and what can we learn from them that might help us a couple of years down the road.

Can you say 2012?  🙂

Your Self And Society – How To Establish Relationship With Yourself In Society

Abhishek Agarwal asked:

Sociologists and scientists studying the phenomenon of man living in society agree that man is essentially a social animal: he cannot live in isolation for long and needs to interact with others like himself in order to not only survive, but to develop. This development, when guided only by motives of self-interest and progress will have limited success whereas if man is guided by higher interests, such as the greater good of all, he is likely to experience better results for the world he lives in as well as himself. This is the ends towards which man should ideally strive, after having understood his relation to the society and its norms.

Not all these things always work out by themselves the way the individual hopes they will as other factors may be at play here, too, such as the way negativity affects our fragile human souls e.g. the emotional aspects in us humans are influenced greatly by negative feelings, doubts and remarks that dishonest persons may use for their gain and these get stored in the mind’s subliminal compartment only to revive again when we least need them to.

This kind of storing of negative thoughts and concepts in the subconscious mind is unhealthy for personal growth or public good as these send messages of ‘unworthiness’ to us, which we can do without when looking for answers to questions such as our role in society, our duty towards society and not simply our rights as a society member!

To overcome the negativity aspect of what our sub-conscious mind stores, it is necessary for the intelligent and aware individual to always keep a track of the bigger picture and not limit his view. One way of ensuring the negatives do not take over the positive views of the mind is to learn self-talk and subliminal learning practices so that success is never more than a trained, disciplined and progressive thought process away.

Another way to ban the mind from thinking or acting out negative thoughts is to eat right to think right; combine balanced, nutritive and light meals with regular physical exercise in fresh air and you have the fool-proof mantra for a healthier self-identity goal by ensuring all round development of self and thus, prove to be an asset to society – by being your best!!

Now, it may be troubling you how you can keep this constant. However, it is not that difficult to attain – these life-goals towards discovering your self-identity and improving it to become a better fit in society. All you have to do is just ensure you balance out each right with a reward i.e. achieve a goal and give yourself the satisfaction of having reached there with a little something to boost your morale. E.g. for sticking to a weight loss goal, buy yourself a new outfit, for keeping your temper in control, buy some soothing new music CD and you will find a new you in the same society, but made more beautiful as you react positively to it. Start today – and find the best You!

A Change in Khasi Matrilineal Society of Meghalaya

Guptajit Pathak asked:

MATRILINEAL SOCIETY Obviously, it is seen that the care for the young ones becomes increasingly important in rather the higher types of animal life, as they are more and more in need of proper care and development.

Initially, the care that is required for the proper growth of an individual basically depends upon the parents, sometimes only upon the mother and of course sometimes upon the father also. Naturally, it can be considered as a base for the essential constituents of a family. The concept ‘family’ itself is universal and social in nature.

So far as the people of different level of cultures are concerned, we generally find varying degrees of the existence of two types of family organization viz, the patrilineal and the matrilineal systems of family. In a patrilineal system of family, we find those where the descent is reckoned through the father, however in the case of ‘matrilineal’ system the descent is generally from the mother side. Apart from these two types of families, there is also a third kind of family known as bilateral or bilineal system of family, in which the descent is recognized both from the father and mother side.

The bilateral system of family is generally found among the people of ‘Shella’ state in Meghalaya, which had developed a completely different social tradition in context to that of the Khasi Ri Bhoi and Khasi Ri Pnar in matters relating to their hereditary rights in connection with land and properly. But, the people of Shella state have maintained the same matrilineal system of society with however a different law of inheritance.

The term, ‘Matriarchy’ itself is unique and there are grave doubts whatever such kind of family system ever existed in primitive society. ‘Matriarchy’ of course, is a form or system of family in which the total control is centered either in the wife or in the mother. On the contrary, it is the Patriarchal family which prevailed not only in the civilization of antiquity, but also in the feudal society from which our own society came into existence.

Caring of the young ones especially in its earlier stages is the topmost priority or function of a family and thus a child is the most important member of a family. According to the Khasi belief, “the children are the blessing of God” and thus they take pain staking efforts in ensuring the security and happiness of the children.

But, the earth always had a microscopic exception i.e. all the members of the regular household are considered to be the property of the family of head – ‘The Head’- being the father not the child. However, the mother is the one who bears the child in her womb and protects it from all sorts of dangers and vices around, thereby performing the role of a protector throughout her life. It is because of this particular reason, out comes the word “Anti- Mei” whenever we face a sudden danger. Such instances can be heard or seen in terms of thousands when man were concerned with dire consequences and circumstances; he always took refuge or shelter to the mercy of a deity but not in the lap of a male God.

In the ancient and primitive world, all men abided themselves by the natural laws, but as time passed by several disorders appeared in the natural state and people different among themselves in explaining the real meaning of the laws of nature. That is the reason why, people conferred the power on community to exercise their liberty, but the rights of property and life remained in individual hands. Consequently, customs were formed to regulate the conduct of life in ancient societies. But as the time went on from ancient societies to modern, custom became insufficient and they had to be supplemented by other social codes and laws.

Due to the transition in economic conditions, the husbands originally who were real hunters and warriors had to leave their homes in order to make a living and to work at places under conditions dictate by others. Even the wives and daughters for many reasons were forced to leave their homes and work outdoors. Thus, economic conditions made the family totally individualistic. In the recent past, even in other parts of our country, the system of joint family which was so common but it had to disintegrate as the time passed by. That is to say that, societies doesn’t necessarily fall or decline as in the case of an individual, but to remain contented with the past achievements nearly will lead us on the road that leads to death.

In Meghalaya, the Khasi tribe is one among the few in the world that follows and practices the unique Matrilineal System. Vivek Ghosal, in a feature, in Femina, May 1 1997 quotes a Khasi woman activist saying, “We won’t let men impose their will on us. No, we will not accept that”, However, it is evident from the fact that the child is the natural base of a family and between a mother and a child cannot be several throughout the life even if we cut the umbilical cord during the birth of a baby. Therefore, the inherent dependence is always there and whatever is good and beautiful on this earth will be given the name of mother as motherland or mother tongue etc.

There is no custom or culture that can be static and fixed on this earth, but has to keep on changing in pace with the progress and development of a society. Similarly, the family has undergone a lot of change to the extent that it came to mean all the persons included within the household, infact everything more or less regarded as the property more or less of the family head, the head being the ‘Father’ not the child. Reference can also be made in regard to the conception of the ‘family’ in the ‘Ten Commandments’ as Quote “Thou shall not covet thy neighbour’s wife, or his man servant or his maid servant, or his Ox or his Ass, or anything”.

However, time has arrived now to initiate a change in the social customary laws. Since, the transition is very rapid in almost all parts of the world, societies to have become more individualistic and people’s aim of life is to ensure security and happiness of their children. Infact, both parents must have equal rights in the family though in governance of the family by the patriarchal system of authority.

Even the law of inheritance should also follow accordingly like in the Shella state, i.e. to say that the children should have equal rights over the properties of parents.

However, it is to note that the present prevailing customary law of inheritance in Meghalaya which has not been either sanctioned by the parliament or the Assembly prevalent amongst the Pnars, Khynriams, U Bhoi, U War calls for immediate review of this in the modern- day changing world.

How Computers Benefit Society

Justin Frei asked:

Computers are wonderful machines. They are everywhere and society depends on them to manage our world. It is no wonder that computers have almost unlimited applications, and that they are multiplying at a steady rate. Many of these applications are benefiting society directly or indirectly. The three most important ways computers are benefiting society, is by, creating more information technology professions, creating new automobile safety features, and opening ground-breaking communication methods. There currently exist many other beneficial functions of these machines, such as their use for diagnosing patients, running weather simulations to predict future weather patterns, and calculating large, complex data sets. As new applications emerge for computer systems, so will the benefits society will derive from them.

Creating more information technology (IT) professions is proportionally related to how many new computer systems are put into use. As new computers are sold to consumers, the demand for more IT professions will rise because consumers will need these professionals to maintain, upgrade and repair their new computer systems. . More employment is also made available when new computer applications are discovered. This makes sense because new applications require new professionals that are trained to deal with that specific application. For example, when the World Wide Web was introduced, many new professions arose. Some of these professions range from website designers and server administrators to online marketers. These factors show that computers are benefiting society directly by creating new information technology professions, which is vitally important to the development of any countries labor force.

Computers were introduced into cars in the late nineteenth century, for such effects as controlling engine functions, fuel injection, and signal light timing. It is not until recently, that computers have started to play a role in helping to save peoples lives by enabling car manufacturers to create new automobile safety features. Air bags are an extremely important safety feature in an automobile. A computer is located in the steering wheel of an automobile, which is equipped with airbags and is the only device capable of signaling the airbags to deploy in the case of an accident. According to McCormick (1999), it is an estimation that “…between 1990 and 1997, air bags saved about 150 lives in Canada. In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that airbags, as of September 1, 1999, have saved the lives of over 4,600 Americans involved in car crashes.” This would not be possible without computer systems. Another popular safety feature is the anti-lock braking system, or ABS. The purpose of the anti-lock braking system is to stop a vehicle from locking its tires, which has been shown to dramatically increase a drivers control in a potential crash. These safety features have proven to be beneficial to society thanks to computers, by decreasing the number of automobile accidents, and the number of fatalities involved in such accidents.

Society is dependent on rapid and reliable communications. Computers have allowed us to open ground-breaking communication methods that satisfy those dependencies. One communication method is known as electronic mail (e-mail). E-mail has become a common form of communication because it is free, reliable, and most importantly, incredibly fast. Due to the nature of e-mail, being electronic data, it relies on computers to deliver and receive messages. Another popular method of communication making rapid headway is instant messaging, or IM. According to a survey (Shiu & Lenhart, 2004) “53 million American adults use instant messaging and its appeal is especially apparent among young adults and technology enthusiasts.” Similar to e-mail, instant messaging allows many people to send textual information to each other simultaneously. This form of communication is similar to a telephone conversation, but using electronic text as a medium instead of a person’s voice. As instant messaging is based on electronic text, it is dependent on computer systems to operate because they are the only devices capable of transmitting and manipulating electronic data. Both of these new communication methods are bringing people closer together, in a global sense, and this is benefiting society.

New problems for society will continually emerge, and as a result, computers will be applied to such problems. These machines are the work horses of the future and as such, society will greatly depend on them. As stated, the three most important ways computers are benefiting society now is by creating more information technology professions, developing new automobile safety features, and opening ground-breaking communication methods. Therefore, computer systems have been shown to be a great benefit to society through these three examples and society will continue to depend on the benefits these systems provide in the future.

Our Society and Culture

George Joseph asked:

ty and Culture – George Joseph

 

It is almost common that every newspaper reports, several cities across the country were put on high alert after a string of blasts rocked in some prominent places. Security was tightened in malls, bus and train stations, other public places and vital installations.

 

In the first week of July 2008, I and my wife had to visit Indore in Madhya Pradesh for the first time for an urgent assignment. We reached around 11 pm and find that the whole city of Indore was under curfew and we were not allowed to go out of the railway station. All the stranded passengers were occupied every nook and corner of the station. Security has been beefed up all over.

 

Since the assignment was very urgent and we need to return the next day we had tried our level best and reached our destination the next day by noon with utter difficulties. By evening the situation became worst there were practically no chance to return to the railway station which is about 10 kms. Any how we decided to walk to the station with the aim to reach there in next 2 hours.

 

On the way we met Mr. Paramjeet Singh Chhabra and his family, a business man dealing in imported woods. In spite of all odds he took us to his house, phoned up his colleges to find out the way to reach the station. Finally they took us to a meter gauge station away from the police interruptions and from there we boarded a train to the main station. Practically we were moved by the hospitality of his family members.

 

“Cast out Caste and look at the light within” said Guru Nanak. Mr. Paramjeet Singh Chhabra and his family members are a source of inspiration. Whenever I think of him, I remember the proverb “what we sow so we reap”. The character and deeds of parents are transformed to the children. No religion teaches violence. Violence crept into the community by way of lust and greed. Politicians in our country in order to save their vote banks used religion and community to their favour. These politicians are least bothered about the development of our nation. Whenever there emerge something of national importance, instead of staying together they drift apart at their own convenience, whether it is the emerging terrorism or giving our police force enough authority and the required weapons to counter such situations without any political interference.  

 

Knowing about God is different than knowing God.  With our minds we can know some ideas of what God is like. Learning from Scripture we can know the revealed truths of the divine attributes. Looking at God we can know much about the nature and character. Observing nature we can see the handiwork of the Creator. But all these things by themselves don’t add upto knowing God. You can no more know God by gathering information. You can find out a lot about someone, but you can only say you know them when you have met.  You can only say you know someone well after you have spent time together in intimate conversation and camaraderie.  Many people are not interested to know even about their neighbours. In a society we must know each other and involve ourselves in the well being of our fellow beings.

 

There are many Paramjeet Singhs ready to help people in need.  We have learnt a lot from them and determined to help others the way we can.

The Problem of Women and Society

m alrifaie asked:

Since the days of old, women have been the target of a lot of attention in the lives of societies. In old Greek, Roman, and Indian societies, the status of women was poor. They did not enjoy the same legal rights as men. They were outcast and looked at with contempt. The famous Indian leader Jawaharlal Nehru says in his book The Discovery of India:

The legal status of women in the Laws of Manu was poor and doubtful.

In Medieval times the humanness and constitution of women was subject of doubt; it was questionable whether they had souls like men or not? Or whether theirs were like animal souls. Some philosophers of Rome went even further and declared that women had no souls and will not be resurrected in the Hereafter with men.

As for Arabs before Islam, their attitude was something else; they thought of women as a potential source of disgrace. A man hated to beget a female. Some men even went so far as to get rid of a newly born female by burying her alive at birth.

The French Revolution, considered by many world thinkers as a positive historical turning point in the stream of human life and seen as a cultural lighthouse in contemporary history, gave freedom to men, but not to women. Article 1 of its Declaration of Human Rights says, “Men are born and remain free.” Thus, it is quite clear that a woman had no place in the world of freedom. When some French intellectuals tried to rectify this serious flaw, the majority reacted with contempt and scorn. When a French lady called Docourge submitted to the French national assembly a draft resolution that holds women equal to men, her proposal was rejected and she was tried and beheaded, according to Dr. George Jabour in his book Al ‘Arab wa Huqooq Al-Insaan (Arabs and Human Rights).

French scholar Gustave Le Bon declares in his book the Spirit of Sociality in response to advocates of equality between men and women:

” Women were equal to men only in times of decadence “

The U.N. Charter, which was meant to correct the injustice and contempt towards women committed by the French Revolution, certainly represented a turning point in human history and a bright dawn in the horizon, giving hope to successive generations in human communities. Yet, the share of women in that charter was scant and did not meet their ambitions or fit their status. It did not accord women the same degree of attention and honor that it gave to men. It makes no more than two references to women, both casual, and in subordinate clauses which display no special concern for women and their status.

The first reference is in the Charter’s preamble, which expresses the determination of the peoples of the United Nations “to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.” The second reference is in paragraph c of Article 76, which says that “the basic objectives of the trusteeship system … shall be … to encourage respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.”

Later, explanatory bylaws of the Charter emptied even these modest statements of their content as regards the dignity and social status of women, and turned them into a source of misery and harm for women, reducing their rights and dignity. These bylaws

1. declare equality between man and woman in rights and duties, without consideration of any distinction or of the distinctive characteristics of the latter;

2. burden women with heavy and numerous tasks that are incompatible with feminine nature and contrary to the great human mission of women;

3. adopt disgraceful concepts of the family, the values of family ties, and the responsibilities of family performance, which weakens the role of women in the family structure and cancel their noble mission in the stable social structure;

4. endorse the principle of multiple family types and cancel the values and controls of joint man and woman responsibility in building a stable interactive family, thus creating chaos and disorder in the family with consequent, uncountable social problems, one of the most serious of which is the creation of a generation with no sense of belonging or responsibility, with a resulting increase in the rates of crime and serious diseases, which threaten the security and civilized future of human communities;

5. Permits all types of sexual relations, which amounts to a repulsive aggression against the dignity of women, contempt of their femininity and humanness, and a stark and audacious ravishment of their rights.

This, in short, is the tragic and horrifying position of women in the standards of ancient and contemporary cultures and civilizations. Unfortunately, women are still abused and marginalized in most human societies, although divine religions, particularly Islam, emphasize women’s dignity and basic role in the walks of life.

Islam in particular has laid firm foundations for the dignity and social status of women within the context of its view of the universe, mankind, and life. Islam’s profound view of the relationship of the three worlds – the universe, mankind, and life – is based on a belief that the wisdom of God, the Most Sublime, dictates that the whole universe be structured in accordance with the principle of the mating of pairs, each of which is complementary rather than identical.

Exalted is He who created all pairs from what the earth grows, from themselves, and from what you do not know (Yaseen XXXVI: 36).

God, the Most Exalted, made the trait of immortal singleness that has no need to be complemented by any thing else an exclusive quality of His.

Say: “He is God, the One and only, ◘ God, the Eternal; ◘ He begets none, nor is He begotten, ◘ and there is nothing that could be compared to Him (Al-Ikhlas CXII: 1 – 4).

He, the Most Exalted, has no need for a partner, whether equal or inferior to Him. He, the Most Glorious, is Self-Sufficient and Most-Exalted and has no one that is similar or equal to Him,

God: there is no deity but Him, the Ever-Living, the Eternal Master of all. (Al-Baqarah II: 255).

There is nothing like Him, and He hears all and sees all (Al-Shoora XLII: 11).

When I speak of complementarity rather than similarity in reference to the principle of mating, I should point out that God’s wisdom dictates this complementarity and scientific laws, and applications support and confirm it. There is no mating of identical things; they rather stand in opposition and repulsion of each other. This can be seen in the smallest structured unit in the universe, which is the atom. Recent scientific discoveries indicate that even a neutron, a particle within an atom, is made of two opposite, disparate poles, which confirms the inimitability of the Creation, which is based on the mating of complementary, rather than identical, elements. Full similarity is a cause of opposition and repulsion.

Had there been deities in them [heaven or on earth] other than God, they would have fallen into ruin! Exalted is God, Lord of the Throne, above what they attribute to Him! (Al-Anbiya XXI: 22).

God said, “Do not take [for worship] two deities, for He is but one God. Hence, of Me alone stand in awe” (Al-Nahl XVI: 51).

I believe that the issue of complementarity and identicalness and the difference between them is an essential turning point in understanding the spirit of man/woman relationship. It is also an objective and equitable approach to understand the complementarity of their responsibilities in the fields of life.

Moreover, the principle of complementarity explains and clarifies the question of differentiation between woman and man. Each of them has superior points and inferior points, and neither of them is definitely superior to the other. Each is superior in what God prefers him or her over the other.

Men are guardians of women, because of the advantage He has given some of them over the others and because of what they spend of their wealth (Al-Nisaa IV: 34).

Do not covet the things by which God has favored some of you over others. Men are entitled to a share of what they earn, and women are similarly entitled. Therefore, ask God to give you out of His bounty. God is a witness of everything (Ibid: 32).

The question guardianship, which some use as an excuse to abuse the dignity of women and reduce their humanness and their status, is, the way I understand it, by no means an advantage for men and cannot be included in the standards of definite superiority. It is merely an administrative, conditional arrangement. Each of the two, the woman and the man, is superior to the other by what God, the Most Sublime, has favored him or her over the other and by the abilities God has given him or her and not the other. Each of the two is a guardian within the framework of his specialization and responsibilities, within the context of the general approach of Islam and the context of the values, rules, and controls of Islamic Law. I can say here that there are two types of guardianship, a particular type and a general one. Each of the two, man and woman, has a guardianship within the advantage and abilities that God, the Most Sublime, has favored him or her with. As for general guardianship, it has to go to one of the two in order for their relationship and cooperation to be smooth. “Had there been deities in them other than God, they would have fallen into ruin!” The noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, commands: “If you are three, choose one of you as a leader.” All this falls within the framework of the general divine principle of mutual support between them, which is expressed in the words of God, the Most Sublime:

Male and female believers are supporters of each other; they enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong. They perform prayers, give out zakat, and obey God and His Messenger. Those are the ones who will receive God’s mercy. God is Almighty and Wise (Al-Tawbah IX: 71).

Ibn Omar, may God be pleased with him and his father says:

I have heard God’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, say, “Indeed each of you is a shepherd, and each is responsible for his flock. The ruler of people is a shepherd, responsible for his flock. A man in his house is a shepherd, responsible for his flock. A woman in her husband’s house is a shepherd, responsible for her flock. A servant in his/her master’s house is a shepherd, responsible for his/her flock. Indeed each of you is a shepherd, and each is responsible for his flock.”[1]

I find that these two quotations, the verse from the Noble Qur’an and the Prophet’s tradition, amount, combined, to a clear view of the complementarity of man and woman, each to the extent of his/her abilities and responsibilities. There is no trace of and no reference to any sense of moral differentiation between them. Each of them supports the other with the qualifications, qualities, and skills God has given him/her or he/she has acquired.

God will raise in position those of you who believe and are given knowledge. God knows what you do (Al-Mujaadilah LVIII: 11).

Say, “Are they equal, those who know and those who do not?” It is only those with understanding that remember (Al-Zumar XXXIX, 9).

All this has to be in accordance with the rules, values, and controls legislated by God, the Most Sublime, and His Messenger. These rules, values, and controls govern the man-woman relationship and manage it in accordance with God’s Will and His pleasure, blessed are His names.

In the year 2000, we, at the Islamic World Conference in Jeddah, received a delegation of U.S. women, headed by Mrs. Gina Abercrombie-Win Stanley, who was then an advisor of President Clinton, a member of the U.S. Security Council, and Head of the Office of Asian and Southeast Asian Affairs at the State Department. Later she became the U.S. General Consul in Jeddah. The delegation was interested in two subjects, (1) women and (2) democracy.

Our discussion of the woman question, which is related to the subject of this chapter, began with a question made by Mrs. Abercrombie-Win Stanley, who said, “We tried to find out by ourselves the position of women in Islam, but were not able to. We sought assistance from Arab and Muslim friends, but the information was contradictory. Therefore, we decided to visit Muslim lands and hear directly Muslim’s views of this question. You at the Islamic World Conference and Dr. Hamid in particular, have been recommended to us, for a dialogue concerning this matter. So what do you have to say, Sir?”

After expressions of welcome, gratitude, and appreciation, I said, “I have one word, or rather one sentence, to say. If it meets what you want, we will thus have a short cut. Otherwise, we will open the relevant files for further details and elaboration.”

She said, “What is that word?”

I said:

The woman for us – and for the great founders of the U.S., as well as all the great and wise men of the world – is the mother of society, its source of stability, and the guardian of its security. The family is the basic unit in a sound structure of civic society, or it is rather the central institution of a civilized, secure society. The point where you and we part, Madam, began on the day you decided, contrary to the tradition of your forefathers and great men, to exclude the family institution from the institutions of civic society and on the day you replaced the family charter with social permissiveness, and based on this incidental cultural orientation of yours the principle of liberating women from their households, i.e. liberating them from the family culture into the no-family culture or the multi-family culture, and the related behavioral practices that are well-known to the members of this honorable delegation. As for us, we still insist to hold to the principle that the family, which has the woman as its mainstay and which is based on legal and legitimate marriage of a man and a woman, is the basic unit and central institution among the institutions of a civilized and secure civic society. It is even the basic unit in the structure of national security for our societies.

She asked, smiling, “Do you want me to abandon my work at my country’s national security council and go back to the family?”

I said, “No, but you and I, every man and woman, and the approach of every society, should observe a balanced relationship between the duties of every member of the family institution and those of other social institutions. We also have to believe that the first national security institution for every nation is the family. Other institutions and concerns that come next should be extensions of it that activate its sacred mission. They should never exist at the expense of its existence or its noble mission in society.”

She said, “Thank you. Your answer is sufficient, and what you have spoken about is truly a central and essential point of difference between your and our views of the family and society. It is worthy of being respected and contemplated. I believe what you have said is sufficient and there is no need to go into details, because they will most probably be based on this orientation, which I will faithfully report in my country.”

It is worth mentioning that about a month after this interview, Mrs. Hillary Clinton wrote in her weekly column that used to appear in the Saudi daily Arab News a sentence that said, “It is time for us in America to establish a balanced relationship between our duties in the family and in the other institutions of society.”

In conclusion, I say the controversy over women and the family in the cultural circles of our Islamic societies is promoted by many factors, among the most prominent of which are

1. the lack of a comprehensive and clear view of the jurisprudence (Fiqh) of the family and its role in building society and meeting its responsibilities;

2. the lack of a clearly defined methodology that organizes the man and woman responsibilities in the family and society, and the failure to strike a delicate balance between the responsibilities of each in the family and in society;

3. the faulty overlapping between the rules, values, and principles of the mission of women and the family on the one hand, and the mechanisms, controls, and ethics of practice and performance on the other;

4. the unfortunate fact that many male and female Muslims are influenced by the ideas put forth by the other concerning women, the family, and society, without considering our cultural identity and distinctive characteristics;

5. the dominant influence of customs and traditions in the way we deal with the questions of women, the family, and society, at the expense of our commitment to the values, principles, and ethics of our religion and its immortal divine mission;

6. The expansion of the tenet of precautious measures to an unreasonable extent, at the expense of the application of Islamic values, principles, and controls.

The crucial question in all this is the lack of a practical approach to introduce the family as a basic unit of the institutions of society and to allow it its official position in the structure of the state and its public institutions, so that it may enjoy its rights and perform its duties like any other institution of the state. With such an approach, man and woman would be responsible employees of the state within their house, in accordance with a comprehensive project and a strategy drawn by the state through a special ministry for family and social affairs. This would allow man and woman responsibilities in the family and in society to be regulated and would put into practice the great and noble divine rule:

Male and female believers are supporters of each other; they enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong. They perform prayers, give out zakat, and obey God and His Messenger. Those are the ones who will receive God’s mercy. God is Almighty and Wise (Al-Tawbah IX: 71).

Prof. Dr. Hamid bin Ahmad Al-Rifaie

President, International Islamic Forum For Dialogue

Assistant Secretary General, Muslim World League

From His Book (Partners … not Guardians) Part Four / Chapter Eighteen

Values have to rescue our society

Holger Thomas asked:

Industrial revolution initiated an enormous development of industry. Suddenly projects never thinkable before became feasible, and people were streaming into the factories, where the owner never seemed to get enough workers in order to fulfil the orders. But human-beings fooled themselves when they thought this could go on and on for ages. When customers started placing fewer orders, the factory suddenly had too many workers; the owners fell behind with paying the wages, and so people had to stay at home and had to cope with the loss of income and of their jobs.

Not so long ago we went through another revolution – the information and communication technology revolution. Entire production processes became fully controlled by microprocessors, sensors started measuring parameters on site, and computer-controlled robots started taking over jobs formerly executed by the ordinary worker. This had a similar effect on society – at first there was a big boom until the market became tight, and dictated by the necessity of making profit, many jobs were lost and people let go.

If you look at it today – there are not too many opportunities left of how we can make society right. Should we continue destroying more jobs than we can create, it might take a while alright, but at the end of the day, there will be only a hand full of people who actually work and have an income. We can’t afford to let everybody behind. We can’t afford to leave entire continents exposed to impoverishment.

So is it the battle to become rich, or is it the incredible pressure in some parts of society, what drives society? In most cases it is a bit of both. But we have to ask ourselves: Which are the values we follow? I think the central values are key to this. As long as everything is about money, society is bound to fail.

We need to think about what is important to us. There are social values that do count, but often become forgotten or we give priority to other things. What about friends, about caring for other people, about charity? Do we really have to wear the latest fashion, have the latest car, gadget or buy our entire furniture new when we move? Do we really have to do everything ourselves in order to save money? Shouldn’t we give other people an opportunity to earn some money too? Isn’t the right balance of every angle of our life better for us? These are just questions, I know. And there are certainly more questions than answer. But please do me a favour and think about it…

The Mixed Messages in our Society About Drinking Alcohol

Denny Soinski asked:

An Issue of Mixed Messages

How can something as prevalent, accepted, and accessible in our society as drinking alcohol be so harmful, unhealthy, AND illegal when consumed at or slightly above moderate intake levels? The simple asking of this question immediately uncovers a number of issues, one of which is the mixed messages that exist in our society about drinking alcohol.

The Accessibility and Acceptability of Alcohol

On the one hand, consider the thousands upon thousands of bars and taverns in the United States. Now add to this list the restaurants, night clubs, sporting events, festivals, state fairs, hotels, casinos, carnivals, etc. where alcoholic beverages are regularly served. Moreover, add the grocery stores, liquor stores, beverage stores, the Convenient Food Marts, the 7/11 stores, and the state stores where an adult can legally purchase as many bottles, cans, and/or cases of alcoholic beverages as he or she desires.

Is Drinking Alcohol Cool?

Not only is alcohol extremely accessible in our society but there are also a number of factors that reinforce the idea that drinking alcohol is “cool.” For instance, consider beer advertisements and commercials on TV. Indeed, it can be argued that some of the most memorable, funniest, and “best” commercials and advertisements on TV have been those that were associated with drinking beer. To push the point further, why would beer manufacturers spend millions of dollars for a commercial during the Super Bowl if this expenditure did not lead to more sales? From a slightly different perspective, consider professional athletes and movie stars who, by their actions and advertisements, reinforce the idea that drinking alcohol is “cool.”

Religious Rituals and Cultural Traditions

When religious rituals that make use of alcohol, cultural traditions that encourage drinking alcohol, special events and holidays that are associated with drinking alcohol, and the increasing popularity of adding alcohol to food for enhanced flavor–when all of these are factored into the equation, it becomes obvious that alcohol is deeply ingrained in our society. The point: when people are surrounded with alcohol and bombarded by events, traditions, holidays, and advertisements that are alcohol-related, it becomes part of their socialization process that in turn makes it easier to simply accept that they should drink alcohol if they are to “fit in” and become members of our society.

Alcohol Abuse and Drinking While Driving

If the prevalence, acceptability, and accessibility of alcohol represent the one side of the coin regarding the mixed messages in our society, then the dangerousness, unhealthiness, and illegality represents the other. Indeed, consider the numerous negative and harmful messages and statistics associated with alcohol abuse and drinking while driving that we have heard from the medical community, federal government, police, politicians, organizations such as MADD, and school and college administrators.

Mixed Messages and Their Consequences

When something like alcohol use is so intimately ingrained in the fabric of our society, it becomes extremely difficult to significantly alter its use and abuse in a comprehensive and beneficial manner. I assert that one of the consequences of the mixed messages about alcohol use and abuse in our society it that it becomes extremely difficult for many individuals, especially our youth, to realistically see the destructive, unhealthy, and sometimes fatal aspects of alcohol abuse.

The Influence of the Judicial System

Unfortunately, the judicial system and the ways in which it has dealt with alcohol-related offenses is another example of the mixed messages in our society about alcohol. For instance, until very recently, people who have received multiple DUIs have, in many instances, simply received a “slap on the wrist” for their alcohol-related behavior.

Fortunately, some states are becoming more reality and accountability-based and are making it a felony when a person receives his or her 4th DUI within a ten-year period. In Minnesota, for instance, this sentence includes three years in prison and a fine of not less than $14,000.00.

Incarceration AND Treatment

Sending people to jail for alcohol-related offenses, however, is not a viable “solution” unless the person receives help for his or her alcohol problem while incarcerated. True, the offending person is “off the streets” while incarcerated. When the jail or prison sentence is completed, however, a person who has received alcoholism treatment while incarcerated is more likely to become a responsible person who doesn’t continue to drink while driving and less likely to become a repeat offender.

Responsible Behavior

I am not necessarily disagreeing with those who preach “responsible behavior” regarding drinking. The bottom line, however, is one’s definition of “responsible behavior.” Let me explain. Let’s say I have a lake that is used for swimming and that for whatever reason, hundreds of snapping turtles have populated this lake. Some may say that it is “responsible behavior” to warn all swimmers about the turtles and to tell them to “be careful” while swimming. Others with a different point of view, however, might say that “responsible behavior’ in this instance would be to warn the swimmers about the turtles while at the same time significantly reducing the turtle population so that there is less chance that the swimmers will get bit.

What Can Be Done?

If our society is more enlightened and more aware of the health hazards, fatalities, and destructive consequences of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, then why don’t we practice “responsible behavior” and make alcohol less available, less advertised, less glamorized, and less “cool” while at the same time increasing the advertisements, commercials, and public service messages that emphasize healthy and safe alcohol-free activities and lifestyles?

Copyright 2007 – Denny Soinski. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give the author credit.

Gpas in Cooperativehouse Building Societies at Chandigarh : an Introspection

Satish Chandra Sharma asked:

GPAs in Cooperative House building Societies at Chandigarh: An Introspection

By Satish Chandra Sharma M.A. (Eco),

General Secretary, Chandigarh Social Welfare Council.

Mobile: 9888-255-128. Email: sharma.ambakripa@gmail.com

15000 families which hold occupancy rights in cooperative housing societies at Chandigarh had been in for a harrowing experience. Unlike their counter parts that have purchased property on the power of attorney basis in other parts of the city, GPAs in the cooperative society flats had to suffer on various counts. They were first fleeced at the hands of the autocratic management of the societies and later put to bear harsh attitude at the hands of the Chandigarh administration.

Undoubtedly, the projects of the societies were completed with the funding made available by the GPAs. Till the funding was required, the managements had been friendly to them. The projects once completed were taken charge by the original allottees, who despite having sold the flats on GPA still continued to play the shots in managing the affairs of the society.

The concept though mooted some two decades back had been facing from many problems since the time it got floated. There were litigations; encroachments on the land acquired for allotment to societies had been rampant. Though the scheme was floated in 1991 with a view put available land to optimum use, yet societies registered under the scheme could not allotment of land till the year 2000.62 Societies were to get land in the third phase sectors benefiting 7373 members. Question was raised in the Parliament by the then local MP in order to pressurize Chandigarh Administration to allot land to such eligible societies.

While the allotment of land was made to the societies, Chandigarh Housing Board had incorporated unrelated outdated rules applied in isolation to govern the transfer of the flats in them. The statutory rule which allowed transfer of the flat after five years of the allotment of the land was reproduced as a stipulation that read the transfer shall be allowed five years after the society obtained completion certificate from the administration. Completion certificates to societies were withheld owing to minor violations committed by the individual members in the society.

Due to this paradox, societies that had completed the projects continued running from pillar to post to get the completion certificates for them. Interestingly, rules framed in 1996 to allow conversion of leasehold properties into free hold land tenure could not be availed by individual members holding occupancy rights in these societies. It took over 12 years for the administration to clarify that the transfer of flats in societies could be made after 5 years of the allotment of the land instead five years after completion. Administration does not have any answer for the plight suffered by several thousands of GPA holders who could have converted their flats from lease hold tenure to free hold tenure, as the rules so provided.

When land was allotted in 2002, the land price was revised from Rs. 750/- to Rs. 2500/-. The societies could get allotment of the land on free hold basis on payment of Rs. 350/- P SY. The decision of the administration caused much discontentment and was resented. However, the societies opted for the land at the new price and the high court directed the

Societies to pay their balance amount to the Chandigarh Housing Board. Even here the CHB had not corrected itself and made the allotment subject to provision of the Chandigarh Sale of Building Sites Rules 1960  and the  Capital of Punjab (Development and Regulation) Act 1952.

So much time had passed by now that the allottee members seemed little interested in the scheme. Either they had acquired properties in the meanwhile or grown up size of the families did not warrant acquisition of the flats. Some simply shrugged owning a flat instead of a complete building In the beginning the allottee member just wanted his deposit money held up for decades back and to recover this they parted the memberships to anyone who could pay back the deposit to them. The transfer was done on the basis of execution of the General Power of Attorney in favour of the buyer.

The psyche of the purchaser had been shaped as transactions in the Chandigarh Housing Board flats and other plots/buildings were routinely done in the city and such instruments of attorney were registered by the Sub Registrar Chandigarh. The spur in the prices of the property in Chandigarh added a spinning factor to the demand of the flats in societies. The demand swelled and the administration watched it but took no corrective measures .While this demand swelled and reached as high a proportion that roughly 50-60% flat properties had changed on the instrument of Power of Attorney.

Finding flats in society flats cheaper in comparison to other available properties in the city, persons who were desirous of owning a flat in the society applied and even obtained permission of their offices to own a flat on the instrument of power of attorney little realizing they in are for a trouble. After investing and on finding that the Banks are reluctant to advance loans on the instrument of the General Power of Attorney, a roll back took place and many of the GPA holders preferred to resell their flats and this did with a help and consideration of the original allottee who cancelled their GPA and made fresh GPAs in favour new intending purchasers.

Property boom also helped to revive the sale purchase of the flats in the societies which continued till the time of handing over of the possession. The management of the societies which had promised moon to the GPA holders started turning their backs on them. The hapless GPAs took to agitations to protect themselves. Managements which constituted of minority of allottee members found ways to keep the GPAs to walls. To make matters worse of the GPAs, Deputy Commissioner *** Registrar Cooperative Societies Chandigarh banned formation of the Resident Welfare Associations taking recourse to rule 45 of Punjab Cooperative Societies Act 1963. It was stated that the measure is aimed at checking “multiplication of disputes” and “some parallel body (RWAs) will definitely create hurdles in the functioning of the management committees

of the society and obstruct to achieve its purpose” .Functioning of the resident welfare associations shall be treated as anti society activity and action shall be taken against this.

This order of the RCS caused furors as this affected thousands of the holders of the GPA in society flats. One rule is that those residing in the societies are members of the society. Second rule is that only the original allottee is considered the member of the society. Cognizance was given to second rule. Original allottee despite selling his flat membership of the instrument of GPA continues to play shots in managing the affairs of the society. GPAs have acquired the flats by spending Lakhs of rupees and yet are denied any rights in the society.

I raised my objections against this rule in the media and submitted that confrontation between managements and GPAs have been unknown. The GPAs have been fleeced by the nexus between the cooperative department, society managements and the contractors handling the projects. I pointed out that the society managements in collusion with the contractors show bogus expenses which are being bore by the hapless GPAs. I demanded that the administration if conducts an enquiry shall find that those who are at the helm of the management bodies are not even the residents of the society. Managing committees cared two hoots to the problems faced by the GPAs, and GPAs themselves could not voice their problems and grievances.

The matter was brought to the notice of the local MP Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal, who promised to look into the matter. Mr. Bansal was submitted a memorandum at a function in sector 49, where his attention was drawn to the plight suffered by the GPAs in the societies. He was requested to prevail upon the administration to rescue hapless GPAs. I urged Shri Bansal to ensure similar rules be applied to society flat owners and the CHB flat owners. In contrast to CHB Sectors, societies have to build, operate and maintain infrastructural facilities themselves for life. No body seemed to care to work out the cost that society resident shall have to pay in addition to normal share of taxes they pay.

The process to regularize the GPAs had really set on my initiative. The administration had already come out with a substitution policy in the societies. The Transfer charges in regard to substituted members were fixed at Rs 50,000/-, Rs. 35000/-, Rs 25000/- for Category A, B, C respectively. Despite these charges were mutually agreed between the Administration and Substituted members of a society, the administration was not ready to accept these charges from the holders of the GPAs to transfer the flats on their names.

Instead the administration sought to apply the Chandigarh Sale of Sites and Building rules 1960 and in consonance with rule 8(C) of the 1960 rules it decided to charge unearned increase from the GPA holders as transfer fee. This was vehement ally resented by me on the ground that this rule being sought to be applied in isolation is legally void. My representation to the UT Administrator failed to evoke any response. Later, Advisor to the Administrator, told me that no review on this count is being undertaken by the administration and that “there is no escape” from this unearned increase being charged.

Ironically in a information supplied to me by the administration it was revealed that though the unearned increase has been computed on the basis of rule 8 (C) of 1960 rule, these “stand repealed” I am at a loss to understand the attitude of the officers of the administration as to why the matter was not considered in the right perspective? The

Finance Department of the Chandigarh Administration chose a day as auspicious as Independence Day i.e. 15th August, 2008 to issue an order on the matter confirming that the unearned increase as stipulated by it stands. Meanwhile, opinion/proposal of the RCS to charge nominal fee of Rs. 10,000/- from GPAs for transfer of flat in their names was ignored by the administration. And the unearned increase clause was approved by UT administrator.

Issuance of this order was widely resented. I had sent representations to Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh, Smt. Sonia Gandhi Chair Person UPA, Shri Shiv Raj Patil, the then Home Minister of India for intervention. Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal was kept well

Informed on the issue and he was requested to get the central intervention in the matter immediately.

The Home Department and Finance Department were under the charge of one officer. During his charge of the departments, no effort seems to have been applied to sort out the legalities of the order. The rule sought to be relied on in the order was unrelated, outdated and applied in isolation. This was legally void was established in the information supplied under the RTI to me. Despite protestations and media attention that the issue got, the matter was never carefully examined.

A big solace came to the GPA when the present incumbent as Home Secretary sympathized with the affected persons and on a representation by me submitted to him the matter was again discussed with RCS and he was asked to put forward a proposal to mitigate the problems of the GPAs. The fresh proposals by the RCS again have recommended nominal charges for transfer of the flat in the name of the GPA. The charges recommended are on the pattern of Haryana where these are Rs. 10,000/- for first transfer. Rs.20,000/- for second transfer and Rs. 30,000/- for the third transfer.

It is now a wait and watch situation for the hapless GPAs who have been miffed at the attitude of the administration.

Media can play a very positive role for the regularization of the issue of GPAs in cooperative society flats and this is aimed at getting your attention as the matter relates to several thousand families. These affected families are from intellectual class and therefore shun sit in strikes or the related forms of protest. Accordingly we all look to your attention for highlighting the gravity of the issue and to put pressure on the administration to devise a transfer policy which pro people and people friendly.

Author has been spearheading the protest and is General Secretary of Chandigarh Social Welfare Council. Visit: http://schandrai.blog.co.in