Sunday, May 24, 2009

Muslim MPs in Indian Parliment

30, not 28 Muslims MP have won this Lok Sabha election
S.O. News Service, Saturday, 23 May 2009 - 17:12:09 IST
http://www.sahilonline.org/english/news.php?catID=nationalnews&nid=5459&viewed=0


New Delhi: The number of Muslim candidates who have been elected to the new Lok Sabha is now 30. According to the final result of successful Lok Sabha candidates, 30 among 543 members are Muslims.

In the early reports after the counting of votes, only 28 Muslims were shown winner. While Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Kaisar Jahan, who won Sitapur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, was missing in early lists, the name of the newly elected Trinamool Congress candidate Kabir Suman seems to have confused many. Suman, a convert and practicing Muslim, has won Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. He got 5,40,667 votes and defeated CPM's Sujan Chakraborty by about 60 thousand votes.

Kabir Suman, a Kolkata-based modern Bengali singer-songwriter, guitarist, poet, journalist, TV presenter and occasional film actor, converted to Islam in 2000. Before being Kabir Suman, he was Suman Chattopadhaya. Jadavpur University graduate in English Literature as the major subject, Kabir Suman is married to Sabina Yasmin. His album of protest songs "Nandigram" in response to atrocities committed on the residents of the village is his latest work.

Against the 14th Lok Sabha which had 39 Muslim Members, this Lok Sabha will have 30. As for the representation of the Muslim community in the Lok Sabha is concerned, this is a far less number given the fact that the community (150 million) counts about 15% of the total population.

Partywise distribution of Muslim MPs in 15th Lok Sabha

Indian National Congress --- 11
National Conference --- 4
Bahujan Samaj Party --- 4
Trinamool Congress --- 3
Muslim League --- 2
Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen --- 1
Assam United Democratic Front --- 1
Janata Dal United --- 1
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam --- 1
Communist Party of Marxist --- 1
Bharatiya Janata Party --- 1

Full list of successful Muslim Lok Sabha candidates

1. Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, Asaduddin Owaisi All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen
2. Assam, Dhubri, Badruddin Ajmal, Assam United Democratic Front
3. Assam, Barpeta, Ismail Hussain, Indian National Congress
4. Bihar, Kishanganj, Mohammad Asrarul Haque, Indian National Congress
5. Bihar, Begusarai, Dr. Monazir Hassan, Janata Dal (United)
6. Bihar, Bhagalpur, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, Bharatiya Janata Party
7. Jammu & Kashmir, Baramulla, Sharief Ud Din Shariq, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
8. Jammu & Kashmir, Srinagar, Farooq Abdullah, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
9. Jammu & Kashmir, Anantnag, Mirza Mehboob Beg, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
10. Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Hassan Khan, Independent
11. Kerala, Malappuram, E. Ahamed, Muslim League Kerala State Committee
12. Kerala, Ponnani, E.T. Muhammed Basheer, Muslim League Kerala State Committee
13. Kerala, Wayanad, M.I. Shanavas, Indian National Congress
14. Tamil Nadu, Vellore, Abdulrahman, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
15. Tamil Nadu, Theni, Aaron Rashid.J.M, Indian National Congress
16. Uttar Pradesh, Kairana, Tabassum Begum, Bahujan Samaj Party
17. Uttar Pradesh, Muzaffarnagar, Kadir Rana, Bahujan Samaj Party
18. Uttar Pradesh, Moradabad, Mohammed Azharuddin, Indian National Congress
19. Uttar Pradesh, Sambhal, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman Barq, Bahujan Samaj Party
20. Uttar Pradesh, Kheri, Zafar Ali Naqvi, Indian National Congress
21. Uttar Pradesh, Farrukhabad, Salman Khursheed, Indian National Congress
22. Uttar Pradesh, Sitapur, Kaisar Jahan, Bahujan Samaj Party
23. West Bengal, Maldaha Uttar, Mausam Noor, Indian National Congress
24. West Bengal, Maldaha Dakshin, Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, Indian National Congress
25. West Bengal, Murshidabad, Abdul Mannan Hossain, Indian National Congress
26. West Bengal, Basirhat, Sk. Nurul Islam, All India Trinamool Congress
27. West Bengal, Uluberia, Sultan Ahmed, All India Trinamool Congress
28. West Bengal, Burdwan - Durgapur, Sk. Saidul Haque, Communist Party of India (Marxist)
29. West Bengal, Jadavpur, KABIR SUMAN, All India Trinamool Congress
30. Lakshadweep, Lakshadweep, Muhammed Hamdulla Sayeed A.B, Indian National Congress




Kerala 4 Wayanad M.I. Shanavas Indian National Congress
Kerala 6 Malappuram E. Ahamed Muslim League Kerala State Committee
Kerala 7 Ponnani E.T. Muhammed Basheer Muslim League Kerala State Committee
Tamil Nadu 8 Vellore Abdulrahman Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Tamil Nadu 33 Theni Aaron Rashid.J.M Indian National Congress
Andhra Pradesh 9 Hyderabad Asaduddin Owaisi All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen
Assam 4 Dhubri Badruddin Ajmal Assam United Democratic Front
Assam 6 Barpeta Ismail Hussain Indian National Congress
Bihar 10 Kishanganj Mohammad Asrarul Haque Indian National Congress
Bihar 14 Darbhanga Kirti Azad Bharatiya Janata Party
Bihar 24 Begusarai Dr. Monazir Hassan Janata Dal (United)
Bihar 26 Bhagalpur Syed Shahnawaz Hussain Bharatiya Janata Party
Jammu & Kashmir 1 Baramulla Sharief Ud Din Shariq Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Jammu & Kashmir 2 Srinagar Farooq Abdullah Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Jammu & Kashmir 3 Anantnag Mirza Mehboob Beg Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Jammu & Kashmir 4 Ladakh Hassan Khan Independent
Maharashtra 21 Nashik Sameer Bhujbal Nationalist Congress Party
Uttar Pradesh 2 Kairana Tabassum Begum Bahujan Samaj Party
Uttar Pradesh 3 Muzaffarnagar Kadir Rana Bahujan Samaj Party
Uttar Pradesh 6 Moradabad Mohammed Azharuddin Indian National Congress
Uttar Pradesh 8 Sambhal Dr. Shafiqur Rahman Barq Bahujan Samaj Party
Uttar Pradesh 28 Kheri Zafar Ali Naqvi Indian National Congress
Uttar Pradesh 40 Farrukhabad Salman Khursheed Indian National Congress
West Bengal 7 Maldaha Uttar Mausam Noor Indian National Congress
West Bengal 8 Maldaha Dakshin Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury Indian National Congress
West Bengal 11 Murshidabad Abdul Mannan Hossain Indian National Congress
West Bengal 18 Basirhat Sk. Nurul Islam All India Trinamool Congress
West Bengal 26 Uluberia Sultan Ahmed All India Trinamool Congress
West Bengal 39 Burdwan - Durgapur Sk. Saidul Haque Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Lakshadweep 1 Lakshadweep
Muhammed Hamdulla Sayeed
A.B Indian National Congress
Lakshadweep 1 Lakshadweep
Muhammed Hamdulla Sayeed
A.B Indian National Congress

Micro sector fit for Islamic financing

http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCC/2009/01/16/ArticleHtmls/16_01_2009_013_020.shtml

Micro sector fit for Islamic financing

R. Seetharaman, chief executive officer of Doha Bank, is a strong advocate of Islamic banking. He began his career at the global consultancy firm Price Waterhouse & Associates. A graduate from Raja Serfoji college, Tanjore, he is a chartered accountant and holds certificates in IT Systems and Corporate Management. Recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Middle East banking industry’s Banker of the Year Award in 2007 and the 2006 Arab Asian Banker Excellence Award, Seetheraman is a renowned speaker and author on cross-border economic issues. This Tanjore Brahmin believes that Islamic banking is ideal for Indian condition and would help eradicate poverty.

Excerpts from an interview with K. S. ANANDAN.
How will a country like India benefit from Islamic banking? Gulf countries possess enormous prosperity from oil and gas. Huge gulf funds can be expected to flow in once India recognises Islamic banking. The micro finance sector is a fit candidate for Islamic financing, which is also a solution for alleviating poverty.

How is Islamic banking different from commercial banking? Islamic banking is consis tent with the principles of Sharia (the Islamic law), namely sharing and caring. Commercial banks charge interest whereas Islamic banks prohibit interest. Sharia prohibits gambling, liquor and any other business that is not conducive for human prosperity. In Islamic banking, we give equity financing, not debt. The system insists on a transparent contract, and there is no hidden agenda in the process.

If you don’t have any commercial interest, how serious will you be in monitoring your partner? We have to create a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for issuing Islamic Sukuk (bonds). Principles of Sharia very categorically state that the responsibility of sharing is applicable for both partners.

How many countries are banking on Islamic financing, with how many banks? What is the asset base under this system? There are 36 countries practicing Islamic banking, including the UK, Japan, Canada and Taiwan with 715 banks across the world. Over $12 trillion assets are under this system.

With globalization, the entire global financial system is interlinked. In such a scenario, how can Islamic banks operate in a standalone fashion without integrating the massive global financial system to function in a safe mode? The global financial crisis is a result of unethical banking practice. They practiced asset-based transactions instead of assetbanked transactions. In Islamic banking, all transactions are done with assets and the products are backed by assets. The system has inbuilt security with its asset base, ensuring its safety.

Why is the Indian regulator reluctant to introduce Islamic financing? We need to create a Sharia board, regulatory system, rating agency and auditors all based on Sharia to introduce Islamic banking in India. Modern Islamic banking is just a 30-year- old industry. Over a period of time, I believe, it will evolve in our country.