Bohra issues: archive of eye-opening articles and posts
This website and Forum have many interesting and thought-provoking posts submitted by various members over a period of many years, and which are difficult to locate. We have gathered this material in one place to provide easy access, and a starting point. Do yourself a favour, read this today.
News & Events
- Conference 2011: Fight for reforms continues
- The Bohra reform movement was hot news from1970s to 1990s. Thereafter nothing was seen in the papers and many people thought that movement must have died down as so many social movements do. However, it is not true. Still it is quite alive and kicking. The proof is, if anyone wants proof, the 14th All World Dawoodi Bohra Conference which was held in Udaipur – the reformist centre – from 11th to 13th February 2011. The inaugural session was attended by more than 700 people of whom about 500 were women. The subsequent delegate sessions on 12th and 13th were also attended by 400 persons of whom 300 were women. more
Features
- A novel with a grand sweep of contemporary history
- It is no easy task to survey and present a comprehensive view of the contemporary history of a close-knit Shia Muslim community to a broad public audience without compromising on the scholarly rigour demanded by the subtle nuances of that history. In an ambitious endeavour to do precisely that, Shaukat Ajmeri masterfully executes just such a task in his debut novel Keepers of the Faith, setting an exemplary standard that ought to be followed by aspiring writers in the genre of historical fiction. more
Islamic perspective
- An Islamic perspective against animal sacrifice
- Every year, with the onset of Hajj and it's accompanying 'Id celebration, as well as that of the 'Id al-Fitr, the issue of animal sacrifice, and subsequently, that of meat consumption in the Islamic world, rises to the foreground, both amongst Muslims and non-Muslims alike. more
Bohras and Reform
- Ismaili Law: A case for reinterpretation
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This is an article by Ismail K. Poonawala arguing how Ismaili Law as followed by Bohras is in dire need of reinterpration and revision as it does not meet the demands of modern times. The article is from The Study of Shi'i Islam: History, Theology and Law, edited by Farhad Daftary et al. (London: I.B.Tauris, 2013). The book will be officially released next month.
Ismail K. Poonawala writes, "Ever since its promulgation, most probably in 349/960, as the official code of the Fatimid empire, the DaÄim has reigned supreme, particularly with the MustalÄ«-TayyibÄ« Ismailis of Yemen and the Indian subcontinent after the fall of the Fatimids in Egypt in 567/1171. However, this centuries-old law has not met the necessities of modern life for the Ismaili communities of the DÄudÄ«s, SulaymÄnÄ«s and AlawÄ«s who follow this school of Islamic jurisprudence. Those advocating the status quo (maintaining the traditional system), notably the conservative religious establishments of all the three above-mentioned communities, have had little to offer in terms of a constructive legal reform which might adapt Ismaili law as formulated by its founder, al QÄÄ«di al-NumÄn, to the modern conditions of life. more
- Vying for power: Old habits Dai hard
- As if one Dai were not enough for Dawoodi Bohras. Now they are burdened with two. The dust on Sayedna Mohammed Burhanuddin’s grave has hardly settled and his family is at each other’s throats, vying for power. For the past two years there was the Mansoos (successor designate) Mufaddal Saifuddin. He was apparently conferred the Nass (investiture) by Sayedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. But following his death his younger half-brother and deputy Khuzema Qutbuddin has also staked a claim to Daiship. That he was in the running for the post was always suspected. But it is the timing of his announcement that has sent the Bohra world into a tailspin. more
Multimedia
- Interviews and talks
- Few people understand what the reform movement is about. They think reformists are against the Dai. This is not true. Check out a series of long-ranging interviews and talks to understand why reformists are fighting and what they are fighting for. more
Your story
- Victim of Sayedna's diktat
- As kids we were subjected to some sort of confusion at home... there was my Mom telling us to do sajdah and kiss the feet of the Sayedna whenever he was in town and on the other hand, my Dad scoffed at even the thought and reprimanded us for having done so. We wondered why the disparity in thoughts when all we could see around us was an insane sort of worshiping for the High Priest. more