My Austria Visit & Project Of Hope - Asghar Ali Engineer.

[ghulam muhammed]

MY AUSTRIA VISIT AND PROJECT OF HOPE
Asghar Ali Engineer

I was invited to visit Austria from 16-20th November 2011 to deliver a few lectures to schools students and citizens, activists and politicians as Right Livelihood Awardee which is also known as Alternate Nobel by sponsors of an interesting project called "Projects of Hope along with two other awardees Mr. Alyn Ware an anti-nuclear activist and member of New Zealand Parliament and Tony Clarke from Ottawa, Canada who received his Right Livelihood award for his work for environment. I had received this award for my work for inter-religious peace and communal harmony and also my contribution for human rights along with Swami Agnivesh. This programme was held in Bregenz, a beautiful city in the valley and surrounded by Alps Mountains.


The main organizers of this programme are Marrielle Manhal, Christian Hore and Sanjya, all three deeply committed to social causes and they have started this project which is very interesting. They invite every year three Laureates (Right Livelihood Recipients) to narrate their life story - what motivated them to work for the cause and what odds they faced and how they overcame these odds and sustained their work.


The main idea is to give hope to young students and motivate them to work for a better, cleaner and peaceful society along with social activists, citizens and politicians. It will be interesting to say a few words for Right Livelihood Award for those who do not know about it. Unfortunately in English speaking world only Nobel Prize is rated very high and even Magsaysay award is more known than Right Livelihood award.


Actually Nobel Prize is given either to pro-establishment activists (even Obama got this award for his empty rhetoric and for not being able to stop Iraq or Afghanistan war and rushing to intervene in Libya like Bush would have done. But Alternate Nobel is given in Swedish Parliament for those activists who are pronouncedly anti-establishment and for challenging powerful people.


When I went to Sweden to receive this award a member of Socialist Party who taught political science in the Stockholm University invited me for tea and congratulated me for receiving this award saying this award is a 'good kick on the back of Nobel Prize´. Also, Nobel Prize is financed by the profit earned Mr. Alfred Nobel by selling arms and that is why Mr. Jean Paul Sartre the famous French writer refused to accept it saying it is money earned by selling of arms whereas as Right Livelihood is financed by money Mr. Jakob Von Uexkull received by auctioning his old stamp collection. It was a huge money which Mr. Uexkull donated for giving this award to genuine activists.


Now coming back to the Projects of Hope and its activities. This is extremely interesting project being run by deeply committed people who want a healthy society which makes it possible to spiritual and right kind of livelihood and not corrupt and materialist one. The over consuming, globalized and capitalist society has distorted all the values and over-armed certain countries and over consumption has not only polluted our environment but also is fast exhausting our limited resources.


I told the audience in this regards that how Gandhiji viewed this situation. Gandhiji used to say that there is enough on this earth for the need of entire humanity but there is not enough for greed of one person. The modern technology has increased our consumption no end and our greed has made us blind to all healthy values. Gandhiji's saying was greatly appreciated by my audience.


Mr. Tony Clarke, the environmentalist activist from Canada narrated a story which demonstrates how blind modern advanced countries have become for satisfying their greed. Canada has lot of oil deposits but these deposits Canadian Government that these sedimented rocks can be blasted easily using nuclear weapons. Such proposal would send shock down the spines of Canada. How harmful is nuclear radiation, even a school student knows. Yet, US Government made such suggestion blinded by their greed for over-consumption.


What was most interesting for me was our lectures before young students of high school level. It is much easier, as all of us know, to influence the young students. Their education system, we came to know through discussions, is mainly, like India, career oriented and have nothing to draw inspiration from. I was extremely happy with our presentation before these young students.


In fact they are our hope and this project hope is mainly targeted at them. The students heard us with rapt attention and raised many questions during discussion. It showed their curiosity to know more. Austria is also diverse society though its diversity is rather limited compared to India. In Bregenze there are about 10 per cent Muslims who are more unemployed and less educated.


I was told by Marrialle that there is lot of tension between Muslims and Christians AS Turks are treated as aliens, of different race and violent being Muslims. Like any other country Muslims are considered as violent and jihad is the main problem. These students also raised the question on Jihad. As far as I could make out from his question, there was perhaps only one Turkish student out of around 60-70 who were taking part in the discussion.


I told them that in Qur'an and in Arabic language jihad does not mean war. The word jihad and its derivatives occur 41 times in Qur'an but not even once for war. For war Qur'an uses the word qital and clearly says that fight only those in the way of Allah who fight against you and do not comment excesses as Allah does not love those who are aggressors.(italics supplied). This clearly shows that Qur'an only permits war of defence, not war of aggression


Thus in western countries too education system has become a powerful tool to spread misinformation and prejudices. Thus I indeed admire these ladies Marialle, Sonja and Mr. Christine Hore who have taken such good initiative to inspire the young generation and give them hope. The name of the project "Projects of Hope itself is very important. I addressed students and teachers in two schools - one public school and one privately run Catholic School. Austria is mainly Catholic with 90% Catholics but only 11% are believers and remaining indifferent to religion. Thus the school is run by Catholic Church but all students are not necessarily believers.


Someone asked me, when I was emphasizing truth as a value and what is difference between fact and value. It was very good question and many eye brows were raised. I said fact is mere conformity with empirical reality and that is what science deals with. Science deals with empirical reality whereas truth is more than empirical reality. It is facts plus values and truth is much more than mere empirical reality though it cannot contradict reality Thus truth is as much spiritual as material.


What religions emphasize is truth which includes values while being in conformity with empirical reality. Thus there cannot be any confrontation between science and religion. While both can be of immense use for humanity both can be massively misused by vested interests as instruments. A teacher of philosophy liked my definition very much and said I was often confused when students asked me the difference. Thanks Dr .Engineer for removing this confusion.


I also told students and teachers today we have problems with religion as our priesthood equates religion only with some routine rituals and totally sidelines values. Thus religion becomes meaningless for today's educated people as they do not find any meaning in these rituals. All religions emphasize certain values which we never practice. There are seven values which are common more or less to all religions i.e. truth, equality, compassion, non-violence, love, human dignity and freedom.


Truth is emphasized by all religions so much so that in most of the religious traditions God's name is truth and Gandhiji gave so much importance to truth that he said 'truth is God. How can there be God where there is no truth. Today we are so absorbed in materialism and consumerism that we have forgotten these values and we no longer respect God's creation i.e. our universe. We are recklessly violating God's creation to fulfill our greed for consumerism.


There would have been no problem with earth's environment if we can contain our greed. It is real jihad for all of us. We can do this jihad together - Hindus, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains and there will be marvelous peace on earth. Kingdom of God or paradise will be here on earth here and now. But we have made our earth a virtual hell by our greed. It is America's greed which has inflicted violence on so many countries killing millions of people. Greed is more dangerous than terrorism which can be contained but not greed. I finished by reciting chapter 104 which so vividly describes this situation.


Tony Clarke and Alyn Ware, the two other awardees also spoke excellently well and drew great applause from the audience on environmental and nuclear threat. Both of them were great human beings.

[seeker110]

I think we should all line-up and do salams to Br. Engineer.A wonderful human being.

[Al Zulfiqar]

so what if dr engineer has been awarded the alternate nobel prize - the right livelihood award? that is mere peanuts.

syedna has been awarded titles such as 'vajihun neel' and 'mansoorul yemen', and his abdes and family refer to him as the 'haqiqi kaaba' (the "real" kaaba), 'natiqe quran' (the speaking or live quran), and 'ghaib na maalik' (the one who can see the unseen or unknown), he is the illah ul ardh (allah on earth) and has been granted the azeemushaan sharaf by allah to be living taa qayamat (upto the end of days).

so what if dr. engineer visited 2-bit austria flying 3rd class on a cheap airline?

syedna has visited all the 5 continents and that too in 1st class, travelled on the concorde airliner and the queen elizabeth luxury cruise ship and he has always stayed in palaces and 7 star resorts.

so what if dr. engineer gives stupid lectures about world peace, communal harmony, greed and corruption?

syedna lectures about hussain-e-kerbala and doing maatam 24/7 and giving vajebaat generously.

so what if dr. engineer hunts for venues to visit and spread peace and universal harmony and understanding?

syedna hunts for big game with high powered rifles (after completing ashura of course) and a retinue of support staff and family members.

so who is the greater of the 2?

[profastian]

so what if dr engineer has been awarded the alternate nobel prize - the right livelihood award? that is mere peanuts.

syedna has been awarded titles such as 'vajihun neel' and 'mansoorul yemen', and his abdes and family refer to him as the 'haqiqi kaaba' (the "real" kaaba), 'natiqe quran' (the speaking or live quran), and 'ghaib na maalik' (the one who can see the unseen or unknown), he is the illah ul ardh (allah on earth) and has been granted the azeemushaan sharaf by allah to be living taa qayamat (upto the end of days).

so what if dr. engineer visited 2-bit austria flying 3rd class on a cheap airline?

syedna has visited all the 5 continents and that too in 1st class, travelled on the concorde airliner and the queen elizabeth luxury cruise ship and he has always stayed in palaces and 7 star resorts.

so what if dr. engineer gives stupid lectures about world peace, communal harmony, greed and corruption?

syedna lectures about hussain-e-kerbala and doing maatam 24/7 and giving vajebaat generously.

so what if dr. engineer hunts for venues to visit and spread peace and universal harmony and understanding?

syedna hunts for big game with high powered rifles (after completing ashura of course) and a retinue of support staff and family members.

so who is the greater of the 2?

Rasool ul Allah killed hundreds to shove Islam down Kuffar's throat. Dalai lama is the model who has always spoken for world peace and communal harmony. Who is greater of the 2?

[anajmi]

Which model is your Dai following you moron? He is following neither of the two. He has never spoken about world peace and he has his abdes bowing down before kuffars. And the people that the prophet (saw) killed were either killed by him on the battlefield or as a punishment for their misdeeds. Your Dai had to apologize even for his own words and we all know he shivers at the name of Modi.

[bohri]

Prof, you wrote:

Rasool ul Allah killed hundreds to shove Islam down Kuffar's throat.

Is that really what sabaqs and waiz's are preaching these days? If you believe the above is true, then there is no foundational belief in Islam aka message of peace. It is indeed a shocking statement from an Abde.

[profastian]

Prof, you wrote:

Rasool ul Allah killed hundreds to shove Islam down Kuffar's throat.

Is that really what sabaqs and waiz's are preaching these days? If you believe the above is true, then there is no foundational belief in Islam aka message of peace. It is indeed a shocking statement from an Abde.

So you deny that people were forced to convert?

[SBM]

Pro
Rasool ul Allah killed hundreds to shove Islam down Kuffar's throat. Dalai lama is the model who has always spoken for world peace and communal harmony. Who is greater of the 2?

So should you ask Vazarat and Kotharis that from now on the Aamil and Shezaadas should declare the DB to be Aal-e- Dalai Lama and Syedna is no more Mamluke Mohammaed since Syedna is a AMBASSADOR OF PEACE just like Dalai Lama as per you
Like I said I have to get in the gutter to deal people with guttery knowledge. May Allah forgive me

[anajmi]

In the path of worship of the Dai, profastian has demonstrated that he is willing to throw stones even at the prophet (saw) of Islam. And these people claim to be the lovers of Ahle Bayt!!

[profastian]

In the path of worship of the Dai, profastian has demonstrated that he is willing to throw stones even at the prophet (saw) of Islam. And these people claim to be the lovers of Ahle Bayt!!

Well we would never do such a thing with our beloved prophet who we held in the highest esteem, above all DAIs and Imams. But maybe you remember the Wahabia attempt to flatten his grave a few years ago...

[stranger]

In the path of worship of the Dai, profastian has demonstrated that he is willing to throw stones even at the prophet (saw) of Islam. And these people claim to be the lovers of Ahle Bayt!!

Karte Ho Tum Rasool (S.A.W) Ka Kitna Ehtaraam,
Zehra (a.s.) Ki Qabr Dhoop mai Iss Ki Daleel Hai.

[anajmi]

So I guess if given a chance the abdes will throw the body of the prophet (saw) in the dhoop. This is the kind of thinking that idol worship brings forth.

Just because one Qabr is in dhoop doesn't mean that you should now start disrespecting the prophet (saw). Who is teaching you these idiotic things?

[stranger]

So I guess if given a chance the abdes will throw the body of the prophet (saw) in the dhoop. This is the kind of thinking that idol worship brings forth.

Just because one Qabr is in dhoop doesn't mean that you should now start disrespecting the prophet (saw). Who is teaching you these idiotic things?

MORONjmi :-

Karte Ho Tum ( YOU & your IDIOT WAHABIS) Rasool (S.A.W) Ka Kitna Ehtaraam,
Zehra (a.s.) Ki Qabr Dhoop mai Iss Ki Daleel Hai !

[anajmi]

stranger,

So I guess if given a chance the abdes (you and other abde idiots)will throw the body of the prophet (saw) in the dhoop. This is the kind of thinking that idol worship brings forth.

Just because one Qabr is in dhoop doesn't mean that you (you and other abde idiots) should now start disrespecting the prophet (saw). Who is teaching you (you and other abde idiots) these idiotic things?

[profastian]

stranger,

So I guess if given a chance the abdes (you and other abde idiots)will throw the body of the prophet (saw) in the dhoop. This is the kind of thinking that idol worship brings forth.

Just because one Qabr is in dhoop doesn't mean that you (you and other abde idiots) should now start disrespecting the prophet (saw). Who is teaching you (you and other abde idiots) these idiotic things?

You didn't comment on the flattening of the Prophet's grave...

[anajmi]

Who flattened the prophet (saw)'s grave?

[profastian]

Who flattened the prophet (saw)'s grave?

Teri masumiat pe sadke jaon

[anajmi]

Well we would never do such a thing with our beloved prophet

Here is what you said earlier

Rasool ul Allah killed hundreds to shove Islam down Kuffar's throat.

Is that how you talk about your beloved Rasul you hypocrite?

And then you said

So you deny that people were forced to convert?

That means you agree that people were forced to convert right? That means you have already believed against the Quran. The Quran says "la iqraha fiddin". But you believe that compulsion was used. Hence you believe that the prophet (saw) was a munafiq, nauzubillah. So either the prophet (saw) was a munafiq, nauzubillah, or you are. We all know the answer to that one.

[anajmi]

profastian,

Teri bewakufi pe thuk doon!!

Let us not get into these idiotic one liners. Stick to the discussion.

[profastian]

Well we would never do such a thing with our beloved prophet

Here is what you said earlier

Rasool ul Allah killed hundreds to shove Islam down Kuffar's throat.

Is that how you talk about your beloved Rasul you hypocrite?

And then you said

So you deny that people were forced to convert?

That means you agree that people were forced to convert right? That means you have already believed against the Quran. The Quran says "la iqraha fiddin". But you believe that compulsion was used. Hence you believe that the prophet (saw) was a munafiq, nauzubillah. So either the prophet (saw) was a munafiq, nauzubillah, or you are. We all know the answer to that which one.

Of course compulsion was used. Haven't you heard of Fateh e Makkah. Did you think that Abu sufiyan would have converted if he didn't fear for his live?

[anajmi]

Of course compulsion was used.

Good. So now you have declared the prophet (saw) to be a munafiq. You are now a murtad. Congratulations. This is the truth about all you abdes and your leaders.

If you had even a little bit of knowledge from the outside of the junk that you have been fed, you would've known that Abu Sufiyan and the disbelievers of Mecca were forgiven before they converted to Islam.

No one can force anyone to mean anything. The instructions in the quran are for the act and not the change of heart which Allah claims that only he can make happen. Your ignorance is bottomless.

[seeker110]

Dalai Lama took the vow of poverty.

[anajmi]

Please do not make ignorant statements. No one knows what is in another's heart except Allah and he makes this clear in the Quran. I repeat, do not condemn yourselves like the munafiqs of mecca by making these kinds of statements of which you know nothing.

[profastian]

Please do not make ignorant statements. No one knows what is in another's heart except Allah and he makes this clear in the Quran. I repeat, do not condemn yourselves like the munafiqs of mecca by making these kinds of statements of which you know nothing.

Well munafiqins of Mecca did do quite well for themselves, didn't they. Becoming the Caliphs and all

[anajmi]

That would mean that a munafiq could be occupying the position of the Dai in the 21st century as well.

[profastian]

That would mean that a munafiq could be occupying the position of the Dai in the 21st century as well.

Well sure, if you believe that the first 3 were munafiqs...

[Al Zulfiqar]

Rasool ul Allah killed hundreds to shove Islam down Kuffar's throat. Dalai lama is the model who has always spoken for world peace and communal harmony. Who is greater of the 2?

prof,

your post is stupefying and mind-boggling!!! were you in your senses when you wrote this???

now you are talking like a sworn enemy of islam with hatred in your heart for the prophet. is this what they are teaching fools like you in the sabaks??

so what are you trying to prove with this statement?
1. that islam is founded by force at the point of a sword? that the prophet was a thug and a bully? (naauzobillah)
2. that the dalai lama is a more superior prophet/person/spiritual leader than the prophet of islam?
3. and in the present context, the dalai lama is therefore a greater person/spiritual leader than the bohra dai?

in your haste to score points against my provocative post, you painted yourself in a corner and have not only ended up making a complete fool of yourself, but proven your sabak masters and leaders to be the same as well.

this is typical of blind and ignorant abdes like you, you lack knowledge, common-sense and manners and in a mad rush to argue, like bulls in a china shop, you end up getting shot down like rabid dogs foaming at the mouth.

[profastian]

Rasool ul Allah killed hundreds to shove Islam down Kuffar's throat. Dalai lama is the model who has always spoken for world peace and communal harmony. Who is greater of the 2?

prof,

your post is stupefying and mind-boggling!!! were you in your senses when you wrote this???

now you are talking like a sworn enemy of islam with hatred in your heart for the prophet. is this what they are teaching fools like you in the sabaks??

so what are you trying to prove with this statement?
1. that islam is founded by force at the point of a sword? that the prophet was a thug and a bully? (naauzobillah)
2. that the dalai lama is a more superior prophet/person/spiritual leader than the prophet of islam?
3. and in the present context, the dalai lama is therefore a greater person/spiritual leader than the bohra dai?

in your haste to score points against my provocative post, you painted yourself in a corner and have not only ended up making a complete fool of yourself, but proven your sabak masters and leaders to be the same as well.

this is typical of blind and ignorant abdes like you, you lack knowledge, common-sense and manners and in a mad rush to argue, like bulls in a china shop, you end up getting shot down like rabid dogs foaming at the mouth.

I think you need to slow down more than me
When did I say Islam was founded by force. Islam was founded when Khadija and Ali recited the Kalima. But certainly force was the primary factor for many of the conversions and used for its spread. Example Fateh Makkah. And what do you think happened during the conquests of Omar?
And What do you think the reason the so called Muslims gave while killing Hussain? Retribution.
And Islam needed shoving down some of these people's throat.(Abu Sufiyan, Amar bin Aas, etc) , they couldn't digest it otherwise...
Dalai Lama more suprerior than the prophet? How did you gauge this?

And your drivel mixed with some well chosen analogies wont work every time. Its getting tiresome now.

[Al Zulfiqar]

Rasool ul Allah killed hundreds to shove Islam down Kuffar's throat. Dalai lama is the model who has always spoken for world peace and communal harmony. Who is greater of the 2?

When did I say Islam was founded by force. [/quote]

prof,

which mind altering drugs are you on?

[SBM]

Prof:Islam was founded when Khadija and Ali recited the Kalima.

I wonder if this is what they teach in Sabaks. Any comments from Sabak going Abdes?