|
| January 23, 2009 | Friday | Muharram 25, 1430 |
Will the IAEA act?
Urban search and rescue
OTHER VOICES - Bangladesh Press
Growth of Islamic insurance
Seeking ‘another world’
INSURANCE is a risk-transferring arrangement between two parties: one party agrees, in exchange for a fee or premium, to indemnify the other against a specified loss.
A WORLD Social Forum (WSF) revitalised by a global crisis that has awakened new interest in the proposition that “another world is possible” — now perceived as either less utopian or more urgently needed — will take place from Jan 27 to Feb 1 in Belém, in northern Brazil.
ONE of the biggest obstacles in effectively tackling terrorism in Pakistan has been the state of denial in some official circles when it comes to understanding the nature of the threat. Does Pakistan face a threat from militants and terrorists because of the American presence in Afghanistan or is it the result of the long-standing tolerance of non-state actors on our soil? One could argue that terrorism in Pakistan, even in Afghanistan, preceded the presence of western troops in that country. The PPP-led government has consistently maintained that the threat to the nation is internal and must be acknowledged. Regrettably, NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani has gone off script. He has termed foreign troops in Afghanistan as a factor that is destabilising the region and called for their withdrawal. Moreover, demonstrating an odd perception of reality, the governor suggested Pakistan is well on its way to overcoming terrorism. Peshawar is on the road to normality and lashkars and jirgas were solving the problems of the tribal areas, claimed the governor. A position surely disputed by the local populations and at odds with the reality of fierce fighting between the state and the militants in many areas.
The government must at the very least distance itself from Governor Ghani’s statement and, preferably, have him publicly disown it. Only recently the government disposed of its national security adviser for disrupting its script, even though the adviser had only revealed the truth. The governor, on the other hand, has sent an alarming message that contradicts the official government policy on the very first day of a new American administration that has put Afghanistan and Pakistan at the top of its foreign policy agenda.
A major fallout of the failed Bush-Musharraf partnership has been the fact that seven years after 9/11, many Pakistanis refuse to accept the roots of terrorism here. The Americans’ and the international community’s ham-fisted nation-building project in Afghanistan certainly added to a climate that has allowed the Taliban to make a comeback there. However, the Pakistani story is different. Last September, Governor Ghani himself pointed this out in widely publicised comments: “Militants in the tribal areas of the NWFP have established firm networking (with jihadi groups) in southern Punjab and most fresh recruits for suicide attacks are coming from there. Militant leaders and commanders are also coming from Punjab. The militants’ field commander in Swat too is from Punjab.” Some Pakistani militants linking up with other Pakistani militants to fight the Pakistan state for control of Pakistani land — it is an undeniable facet of terrorism here, with the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan marginal to the argument. Governor Ghani knew this once; we wish his memory were not so short and he wouldn’t oversimplify a complex problem.
WAR crimes by the Zionists predate the founding of Israel. Names such as Deir Yassin, during the 1948-49 fighting, and Sabra-Chatila, Jenin and Qana I and II, after Israel came into being, have gone into in history as symbols of the brutality perpetrated on the Palestinian people. Against this background, one shouldn’t be surprised if Arab governments have informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that in Gaza the Israeli Defence Forces used depleted uranium on civilian targets. Western news agencies informing us of the Arab move were quick to reassure the world that the depleted uranium wasn’t something very dangerous and that some industrial processes used chemicals which were far more deadly than DU. Logically, then, one must also write off such war crimes as the use of tungsten powder and phosphorus which the Israeli artillery poured on the Gaza strip virtually non-stop for three weeks to massacre more than 1,300 people, 40 per cent of them women and children.
Will the IAEA act? Its initial reaction was that the nuclear watchdog body would investigate the matter “to the extent of our ability”. That ability stands voids, for if the IAEA had teeth it should have succeeded in forcing Israel to open its nuclear installations to inspections, and Mohammad ElBaradei would have something more concrete to show than the Nobel peace prize conferred on him by those happy with his non-proliferation efforts that focused on Iran and North Korea. Even less is expected of the UN, for even though Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was heartbroken by what he saw in Gaza he advertised his sense of justice when he blamed both Israel and Hamas for the excessive use of force. That should make clear what chance we have of the world body setting up a war crimes tribunal for trying Israeli criminals.
Israel seems to enjoy a carte blanche from America and possibly even the European Union. While isolated groups and human rights bodies do manage to expose Israeli excesses, the world got to know how governments on both sides of the Atlantic kowtow to Israel when the Israeli prime minister went public with how he humiliated the president and the secretary of state of the sole superpower. The moral of the story: given the powerlessness of the Arab Islamic world Israel will hold on to the occupied territories and continue its war on the Palestinian people with cold-bloodedness.
IN line with the federal government’s establishment of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) all district governments were given directives to establish similar authorities at the district level. As a result the Karachi city council has approved the formation of a department, Urban Search and Rescue, in the City District Government of Karachi. This is undoubtedly a heartening move and an encouraging sign given the past history of tragedies in Karachi which have resulted in unnecessary deaths due to the slow response of rescue-operation teams and lack of infrastructure. However, the key to success lies in learning lessons from the past and the actual implementation of the plan. As noted by a city councillor, a district disaster committee was formed in 2005 and was not allowed to function. Also the NDMA’s weaknesses should not be overlooked.
An Urban Search and Rescue department is essential in a metropolis like Karachi which has a population of over 14.5 million people. But the department will have to function in a manner which proves fruitful unlike the record of the NDMA, which was slow to respond to the October 2008 earthquake in Balochistan. An important point was brought up in the council meeting that mere lip service and paperwork in not enough. Implementation is what is needed. The fundamentals and foundation of the department need to be strong. Adequate research needs to be done which includes assessing the requirements of the city and prioritising and paying attention to events which are most likely to occur. According to a report in this paper, “The common strand … in dealing with Karachi’s emergency response systems (medical, security and fire related) is that the different agencies operating during major emergencies, such as large-scale terrorist attacks, do so mostly in isolation and without guidance or coordination between them.” This new department can serve as a body which can forge a harmonious working relationship with various other local agencies. It should also ensure that given the size of the city every locality is provided for. Provided there is political will and bureaucratic follow-up this project can save precious lives.
The Bangladesh Today
Ensuring quality education
EDUCATION Minister Nurul Islam Nahid has said the government’s main concern is to remove illiteracy and improve the standard of higher education. While talking to a delegation of National Teachers-Employees Front at his office on Monday he said a qualitative change would be brought in education through increasing facilities for education centres and financial support to teachers.
The education minister’s assertions are well-timed and encouraging as he has pledged to deal with some very important issues. In the past much has been said but very little done to improve the appalling condition prevailing in the education sector. Educationists, intellectuals and experts have made various recommendations for ensuring quality education at all levels, but a very few of them have been implemented.
Educationists and experts often express despair that the standard of education in the country is falling … The educational infrastructure at the lower level is very weak. Education provided for the students at primary and secondary levels is not rich enough to help them grow as good students at higher levels.
In our country highest educational degrees are provided by the universities. But education at university level is in a mess. The public universities are unable to accommodate the growing number of students. Most of the private universities are established for commercial purposes and run with hired teachers from public universities and reputed colleges. Against this backdrop, to ensure quality education, as has been pledged by the new education minister, necessary steps must be taken on urgent basis to set things right in the education sector. The anomalies must be removed and corruption must be dealt with severely. Above all, ‘education commerce’ or business in the name of education at the higher level must be stopped. As the country’s higher educational institutions in the public sector can accommodate only a limited number of students, private universities are welcomed for real higher education but not for commercial purpose. — (Jan 22)
It is a device by which individuals and organisations shift the burden of a potential hazard to others. Many Muslim scholars are against conventional insurance as they see elements of maisir, gharar and riba in it. According to them, Islamic law allows insurance when it is undertaken in the form of takaful, which is an arrangement based on the principles of cooperation, shared responsibility and reciprocal indemnification. It is not a transaction in which one party buys protection from the other.
Takaful is an agreement by a group of people to shield each other from a specified potential loss or damage through the setting up of a defined pool of money. Any member of the group who suffers such a loss is compensated in the form of monetary help from the common fund. Also, money from the common fund can be invested in shariah-approved avenues. This is one of the main differences between takaful and conventional insurance. This way income can be generated resulting in the growth of the fund.
It must be mentioned that takaful, as it is based on the notions of mutual help and social solidarity, is originally seen as a non-profit activity. However, there is no harm in undertaking it as a commercial venture. There are different models of takaful in vogue. These include tabarru- based takaful, mudaraba-based takaful and wakala-based takaful.
Similarly, there is a wide range of takaful products available for individuals and organisations. For example, personal takaful, group takaful, motor takaful, fire takaful, workmen’s compensation takaful, public liability takaful, etc.
Just like there is reinsurance in the world of conventional insurance, there is re-takaful in the world of takaful. It involves another arrangement between a takaful operator and a larger operator where the former is financially incapable of compensating for all possible losses out of his/her own resources.
The modern takaful industry started in Sudan in 1979 with the establishment of The Islamic Insurance Company. It was followed by Saudi Arabia where The Islamic-Arab Insurance Company was set up in the same year. Today, there are takaful operators in more than twenty countries.
In 2002, the global takaful market was estimated at $2.1 billion of premiums. It is estimated to increase to premiums of $12.5 billion by 2015. In fact, despite the global financial turmoil, the Middle Eastern insurance market is expanding. In 2006, as reported by Swiss Re, the market generated $6.9 billion in premium income. And, according to Standard & Poor’s, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are showing the fastest growth, i.e., 20-25 per cent per annum.
The amazing growth in takaful has convinced some of the big conventional insurance and reinsurance providers – AIG, Allianz, Swiss Re, Munich Re, Hannover Re, etc – to start takaful and re-takaful operations. There are over $1,000 billion worth of infrastructure projects planned in the Gulf over the next decade. Majority of these projects will be seeking shariah-compliant funding. This also means a huge need for Shariah-compliant insurance and reinsurance.
Also, there is a potential for takaful in countries and regions having Muslim minorities. For instance, there are about 20 million Muslims in Europe. Offering takaful to them would be a substantial market in itself. However, it must be mentioned that it would be wrong to consider takaful operations as a mature industry just yet. It is still evolving.
For instance, there is no uniform set of rules governing the various procedures, products and structures. Consequently, there is often a conflict regarding different practices. The most obvious example is the difference between Malaysia and the GCC. The Malaysian scholars give a more liberal interpretation to Islamic provisions which is not favoured by scholars in the Gulf. Also, there is a shortage of professionals equally qualified in conventional insurance and in shariah.
To summarise, while the Quran and the Sunnah enjoin the believers to accept any misfortune that befalls them as the will of God, Islam also strongly instructs Muslims to take all possible measures to keep themselves safe from unfortunate events. Takaful reduces the risk of loss suffered in adverse circumstances.
The writer is a graduate of Harvard Law School, specialising in Islamic finance. syed_asad@post.harvard.edu
With the economy in free-fall, a more concrete debate will occur in Belém on “the nature of the crisis” and the model of development, according to Cándido Grzybowski, the head of the Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analyses (IBASE) and one of the original organisers of the WSF.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s decision to attend the WSF instead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos reflects a change in the alignment of forces. This year’s edition of the WEF, which brings together the world’s business, political and cultural élite annually, will be held Jan 28 to Feb 1 under the theme “Shape the Post-Crisis World”. The WSF was created as a rival assembly to protest against the WEF’s policies and propose alternatives.
In January 2007, Lula chose to attend the WEF in Davos and skip the 7th WSF in Nairobi, Kenya. It was a gravy-train time of strong global economic growth, soaring commodity prices and plentiful foreign investment in Brazil. The markets seemed to promise prosperity for all.
Now, given the economic, energy, environmental and food crises, the ideas of the WSF appear to be more attractive and realistic.
The financial crisis that is causing generalised economic slowdown and, in Brazil and other countries, recession, gives a new dimension to the 9th WSF this year. The World Social Forum started in 2001 as an initiative to counter the globalisation.
A clearer agenda on alternative development models should emerge from this meeting. Greater convergence in the debates is likely, at a forum that has been trying to overcome excessive fragmentation of ideas and actions for several years.
Over 100,000 people are expected to participate in close to 2,600 activities in Belém, including seminars, conferences, assemblies, cultural activities, marches and other forms of debate and demonstrations, as well as parallel meetings for local authorities and at the Intercontinental Youth Camp.
The forum is to end with a ‘Day of Alliances’, devoted to meetings of coalitions and networks to decide on joint actions. This mechanism is intended to foment links between groups and stimulate active partnerships, an area where little progress was made in previous forums.
This year’s WSF is unique simply because it is taking place in the Amazon jungle region, where environmental issues have global effects because it is the planet’s largest reserve of tropical forests, fresh water and biodiversity. In addition, it will be an opportunity for the voices of indigenous people, quilombolas (Afro-Brazilian communities descended from escaped slaves), riverside dwellers, small-scale extractors of natural products like rubber and nuts, and other Amazon peoples to be raised and heard.
It will probably be the WSF that is best attended so far by grassroots activists and community members. IBASE studies found a majority of university graduates and young people at previous forums.
Amazonian social movements and organisations want to play a ‘leading role,’ discussing local models of development and alternatives, rather than just host the forum, Graça Costa, one of the organisers of the WSF in Belém and the national adviser on gender issues for the non-governmental Federation of Organisations for Social and Educational Assistance (FASE), said.
The voices of ‘original peoples,’ like indigenous communities, will be important, as well as critically questioning the hydroelectric power stations that have major social and environmental impacts on the Amazon region, while the energy they produce goes to outside areas and does not benefit the local population, she said.
The WSF final assembly will debate actions to be taken against Vale, which is expanding its aluminium production activities, and is planning to build a coal-fired thermoelectric power station in Pará to supply its energy requirements. At Belém, efforts will also be made to reactivate the Pan Amazon Social Forum, which has been dormant since its fourth meeting in 2005. Jan 28 will be entirely devoted to the Amazon region and its social movements and organisations. — IPS News
