Vol. 1, Issue 8 - 1st April 2008

EDITORIAL

Assalam - u - alaikum,

The month of March has brought a multitude of good news to the Muslims all across the world. First of all the blessed month of Rabi-ul-Awwal was celebrated with religious fervor and jubilation. The feelings of Muslims towards our beloved Prophet (P.B.U.H) are beyond that of any personality respected by other faiths. His message of love, peace and, most of all, the Oneness of Allah coupled with a transforming struggle of 23 years made him the most successful person in human history. A special program on the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) was held at the PAD.

The Muslim World also rejoiced the normality of political situation in Pakistan that had been marred by uncertainty and violence during the past few months. May Allah guide our leaders towards truly serving the nation and its people and leave their personal interests aside in the coming years.

Finally the team of Pehchaan fulfilled its promise of launching the PAD website that was inaugurated at a ceremony on the 23rd of March at the grounds of the Association. The program was followed by a colorful and joyous performance by the children of Pakistani schools. We would like to welcome all Pakistanis to help us move forward with the web project by contributing their articles and suggestions. For more information please visit: www.pakassociationdubai.com

Celebration of Pakistan National Day

23rd March is a significant day in the Pakistani calendar. This is a day when the dream of Pakistan was formalized through a resolution in Lahore: the year was 1940.

Today after 68 years, Pakistanis all over the world celebrate this day remembering our great leaders and by recalling their achievements and struggle.

Living up to its tradition, PAD organized a colorful event in its lawns. The program started with the recitation of the Holy Qur' aan

followed by a Hamd and a Naat.

The main feature of this function was the overwhelming participation of children, both at stage and as spectators. Several Pakistani schools participated in the program with prominent performances from Allama Iqbal School and Sheikh Rashid School.

The program included a quiz competition, tableau performance, national songs and speeches by children.

The audience enjoyed the program until the wee hours of the morning with a lavish dinner served at the end of the program.

One of the main highlights of the program was the launch of the PAD website: www.pakassociationdubai.com. Mr. Khaleeq received a standing ovation throughout his presentation of the website where he stressed upon the participation of the whole community in taking the website to the next level. He especially encouraged the children and youngsters to actively utilize this medium in order to stay connected with the community.

The chief guest Prof. Orya Maqbool Jan and Mr. Sabir Shah, PAD General Secretery, distributed prizes to the winners of the various competitions at the end of the program.

PAD Launches Its Website

Pakistan Association Dubai is committed to connect the Pakistani Community in the United Arab Emirates. In order to achieve this objective the PAD team has taken on the task of using the latest technologies for effective and efficient communication. The first achievement in this direction was the start of PAD’s electronic newsletter “Pehchaan”. The newsletter was launched on 14 August 2007 at the occasion of the Independence Day of our beloved country, The Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Now, using another important occasion, 23 March, the National Day, PAD feels immense pleasure in launching its state-of-the-art and dynamic website www.pakassociationdubai.com.

The website will cover a number of issues, among other sections of the website such as; News, Health, Business, Islam, Youth corner, Kids corner, Cooking, Job seekers, About PAD, and many more. For more information please visit: www.pakassociationdubai.com

Seerat - un - Nabi Conference Held At PAD

The heart of every Muslim is filled with the love for the last Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and this love of the Messenger of Allah is an asset for him. To demonstrate their love and affection for the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h), Muslims across the globe celebrate on 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal, his birthday. Pakistan Association Dubai also, keeping up with its tradition, organized a Seerat un Nabi Conference at its premises on 20th March 2008. Hundreds of Pakistanis filled up the lawns of Pakistan Sports and Recreation Club to pay tribute to their beloved Prophet (p.b.u.h)

The function started with recitation from the Holy Qur’ aan: “Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him, are severe against the disbelievers, and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and falling down prostrate (in prayer), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. “

The chief guest and the keynote speaker of the function was Professor Orya Maqbool Jan, a renowned educationist, Islamic scholar, poet, writer, columnist, and television anchor. Professor Jan is currently serving as Joint Secretary Administration with the Federal Ministry of Health in Pakistan. In the past he held offices of Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner.

Professor Jan delivered a heart-warming speech. Despite a very large gathering, there was pin drop silence during his lecture. Pointing towards the backstage decorative inscriptions from the Holy Qur’ aan "Waraf’ana Laka Zikrak" (and We raised high the esteem in which you are held) the respected professor mentioned that there exists no other example of a person throughout the history who has been praised like Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been praised, in poetry and in prose, by his friends and foes alike, and above all by The Creator Himself.

Referring to the Hadith, “None of you has faith unless I am dearer

to him than his father and his son and all mankind”, the respected speaker reminded us that the true love for the Holy Prophet does not lie in chanting slogans of his name alone, rather in following his footsteps. He quoted a verse from the Holy Qur’ aan, i.e. “Say (O Muhammad to the mankind): If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic monotheism, follow Qur’an and Sunnah), Allah will love you… (3:31).

Dr. Jan really moved the audience by quoting several short stories from the life of the Holy Prophet. Each of these stories carried a strong message for us. One story was about a companion of the Prophet who buried his own young daughter alive. The Holy Prophet cried and his beard got wet with the flowing streak of tears. On another occasion the Holy Prophet promised Jannah for the one who brings up a daughter with good manners.

The concluding message of this impressive speech was for us to establish a society that cares for all humanity, which establishes peace and justice and respects each others rights. The respected professor ensured the Muslim community that if we restore the values given by the Holy Qur’ aan and Sunnah, the Muslim Ummah shall again be exalted by Allah (the most gracious, most merciful).

The Spilt Milk

This is a story about a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he thought he was able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from others?

He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was about two years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor—a veritable sea of milk!

When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said, "Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?"

Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, "You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge, a towel, or a mop. Which do you prefer?" He chose the sponge and together they cleaned up the spilt milk.

His mother then said, "You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let's go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it." The little boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!

This renowned scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment "doesn't work," we usually learn something valuable from it.

President of WISH speaks to the Parents at PAD

Prof. Tayyeb Gulzar, President of Women's Institute for Science and Humanities (WISH), Islamabad gave a multimedia presentation at PAD on the programs and degrees offered at this all - women residential institute established since 2003. He was addressing a group of parents of F. A. / F. Sc. girl students.

WISH offers Bachelor and Master degree programs in various disciplines including Management, Commerce, Education, Journalism, English Language & Literature, Islamic Studies, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Zoology, Botany etc. It has a fine, safe and affordable boarding house in H-8/2, Islamabad. WISH has integrated the old classical tradition of moral training with the study of modern disciplines. New curricula, qualified faculty, well-stocked tradition and digital libraries, and an environment conducive to learning and living Islam are among the main features. The Institute is working in affiliation with the federally chartered and HEC approved Riphah International University, Islamabad. Parents enjoyed the briefing and the dinner hosted by the Pakistan Association Dubai.

Delegation of Muslim Aid visits PAD

Muslim Aid was established in 1985 in the United Kingdom. It is an international NGO seeking to promote sustainable economic and social development by working with local communities through relief and development programs.

Muslim Aid aims to help the needy regardless of race, religion or gender. The main sectors of their activities involve: Education, Health and Nutrition, Income Generation and Micro Credit, Vocational Training, Water and Sanitation, Emergency Relief,

Disaster Response and Preparedness and Orphan Support. Muslim Aid is working in more than 50 countries around the globe. The core geographical areas of operations are: Pakistan, Kashmir, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Bosnia, Palestine, Indonesia, Chechnya and Kosovo.

Mr. Vahedy expressed his desire to work in close cooperation with Associations of Pakistanis in different countries of the world.

On 20 March 2008, a delegation of Muslim Aid, headed by its Country Director for Pakistan, Mr. Khobaib A. Vahedy visited Pakistan Association in Dubai.

With a detailed video and multimedia presentation, Mr. Vahedy explained to the PAD General Secretary and some members of the Executive Committee the vision, mission and objectives of Muslim Aid.

PAD's Maritime Wing - And Introduction

Pakistan Mariners group was formed in 2005, It has grown during this period of time with more than fifty members in UAE. This strength has brought the group formally under the umbrella of Pakistan Association Dubai, named Maritime Wing, since 23rd March 2007.

Mission:
The mission of Maritime Wing is to share the professional knowledge, experience and skills with other community members residing in UAE. It just does not stop here but to pass on the same to new generation on regular basis.

Profile of the Wing:
The members of the wing are highly qualified and experienced in all aspects of Maritime industry i.e. master mariners, chief engineers, officers, shipping business managers, quality auditors, legal experts, marine pilots etc.

The wing is administered by Executive Committee members who meet on regular basis to look after its affairs in the UAE. The Executive Committee Members are

Naveed Khilji
Capt Khalid
Mr A. N. Lodhi
Capt S.P. Yousuf
Mr Hayee
Capt Azhar Ali
Mr K.T. Javed
Capt Rizvi
Capt Ashraf
Capt Rashid Zaman

Maritime wing will assist to achieve the objectives of PAD by:-

Sharing its expertise with other members of the association
Supporting Pakistani community in Dubai in professional as well as daily life matters.
Will train and prepare newcomers with upto date knowledge and experience tailored with management tools and technology.
Will assist other members by providing opportunities in the areas of their interests.
Will support and assist with in its capacity to achieve PAS's objectives.

You can visit our website at: www.pakistanmariners.com

Importance of Arabic

Arabic; the language of the Holy Qur' aan. Traditionally, the Divine address is nowhere comparable to any other language, which renders Arabic itself to be a rich speaking resource. Arabic is also spoken by Arab Christians, Arab Druze, Mizrahi Jews and Iraqi Mandaeans.

Most of the world's Muslims do not speak Arabic as their native language but can read the script and recite the words of religious texts without understanding what they are reading.

For a Muslim it is necessary to learn Arabic as any other language; Muslims should learn every language, in the least they should stay ahead of all by knowing multiple languages. Nonetheless, Arabic should be foremost for its roots to the Divinity and religious ethnicity.

Arabic, for its richness, cannot be mastered overnight: a persistent passion is needed to quench the thirst of the Arabic knowledge. Majority of research work was compiled in Arabic before being converted to Roman and English.

Unfortunately, Muslims and our nations have concentrated on less meaningful ends and resources. Knowledge, education, skills have been long neglected and neglected adversely. Arabic, if not primary, should be the second major language in every Muslim country; which could ensure better cordial relations, better understanding, better economic bridging and if taken ahead vehemently, like EU, we could anticipate a united bloc of Muslim countries. But collective thinking and shift to Arabic is quite necessary.

Lastly, knowledge comes with no age barriers. Age barriers are set in the mind. Knowledge requires a free soul and mind. With the objective of sharing and spreading which also is receding in our

insights as individuals, Arabic, too, can be taken as a major interest in a group. The resolve of improvement and continuous development can open opportunities for knowledge attainment. Hans Christian Anderson started taking education at the age of 30. What keeps our society to respect the ‘imposed’ barriers of age? Why can’t we break the centuries-old already-rejected taboos, but we still cling onto them for the fear of rejection. Rather, one should look at the brighter side of life and take the lead. Age is nothing but a mere statistic; insight, views, opinions, and character have more to do with mental space rather graying of the hair.

Arabic is the best option for one to take a healthy initiative to improve the knowledge base which is to be updated every now and then by every Muslim. These traits have long been forgotten as elders have run short, shallow and scarce. Economic crunches too have mismatched our ideals and goals. Only the right planning and group effort is asked in the right direction.

Let’s embrace Arabic and be a different self.

PAD OBJECTIVES

- To promote a positive image of Pakistan in the UAE
- To represent the true culture of Pakistan
- To encourage brotherhood among the community
- To provide a platform for community’s social and recreational activities
- To create awareness of community issues and find solutions through participation
- To establish liaison between PAD and Pakistan Consulate
- To prepare the young generation for future challenges by developing their character and competence
- To enhance female participation in community affairs
- To provide a platform for clean and healthy entertainment

CONTACT

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

Pakistan Association Dubai
P.O.Box 426, Oud Metha Road, Bur Dubai
Tel. : +971-4-337-3632, Fax : +971-4-336-4327
Email : pakassoc@eim.ae, info@pakassociationdubai.com

Embassy of Pakistan - Abu Dhabi
Consulate General of Pakistan - Dubai
Pakistan Business Council
PAD's Professional Wing
PAD's Ladies Wing

02-4447800
04-3973600
04-3359991
04-3352612
04-3362117

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