The three-day Islamic inter-faith international conference organised by the highly esteemed Rabita Alam-e-Islami (Organisation for World Islamic Interface) at Mecca (June 4-6), hardly covered by the English press, has been widely covered in the Urdu broadsheets. The main feature of the five-point joint communiqué described as the Mecca Declaration, according to a comprehensive lead report in Delhi-based Hindustan Express (June 8), was its emphasis on the need for “rising above colour, race, country and religion” and working “unitedly for the promotion of the culture of peace and conciliation”. The Declaration laid stress on using the teaching of Prophet Mohammed for resolving controversial issues through “tolerance, patience and forbearance” as a guiding force.According to Delhi-based Hamara Samaj (June 7), the Declaration advocated “opening of doors for mutual dialogue with leaders of other religions, particularly Judaism, Christianity and Hindu Dharma to put an end to doubts and apprehensions.” Rashtriya Sahara in its editorial (June 9) described the Mecca Declaration as a “positive step” but stated that a proper environment would have to be created for giving practical shape to the sentiments expressed in Mecca.Among the large number of participants of the conference were King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, former Iranian President Ayatollah Akbar Hashmi Rafsanjani and religious personalities like the rector of Dar ul Uloom Deoband, Maulana Maghroob-ur-Rehman and the Jamaat-e-Islami chief, Maulana Jalaluddin Umri.Tough on hike The increase in the prices of petroleum products has provoked different views. Taking a tough line, Hyderabad -based Rahnuma-e-Deccan in its editorial on June 6, has described the price rise as a “blatant anti-people step” (sarasar awaam dushman qadam). It has analysed in detail the various duties and taxes levied on petroleum products and argued that the cuts in levies announced by the Centre and certain state governments (including the 100 per cent subsidy on cooking gas by the Andhra Pradesh government) amount to “giving with one hand and taking back with another”. Delhi-based The Daily Milap has said that every Indian could feel that the government must have raised prices under “great compulsion” . No government would have agreed to taking such a step otherwise. Hind Samachar, published from Jalandhar and Ambala, says, “the hike would promote the use of bicycles and walking that would keep people fit and healthy.”Barack ‘Darling’During the campaign for the Democratic nomination for the US presidential election, the Urdu press has been partial towards Obama. His victory over Hillary Clinton has been generally welcomed. Hamara Samaj in its editorial on June 9 has welcomed the fact that “Obama has promised riddance from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and this assurance has had a positive effect on the American people.” Hindustan Express (June 6) says, “the fearlessness and frankness of Obama has made him a darling of not only Democrat delegates but the whole world”. The likely election of Obama and a perception about a likely change in the powers that be in Washington are “being considered in West Asia and the sub-continent as the beginning of a new era.” The paper has shown its disappointment at Obama’s recent statement regarding Israel (he had termed himself a true friend of Israel, and said that Jerusalem would remain the capital of Israel). But it draws consolation from the possibility of this being a part of his election strategy as “it is not easy for anyone to win the presidency without the support of the Israeli lobby.” Well-known writer and journalist Hassan Kamal, in his column in Rashtriya Sahara (June 14) has welcomed Obama’s emergence saying that “during his campaign, Obama has not given any open (clear) statement in favour of Israel”, and has quoted one of his statements that “Israel plays the role of a state within the state, in the United States and Israel has not only been influencing the policies of the US, it has been actually formulating the policy of the US state towards itself.”Husbands on hire?According to a report in The Hindustan Express (June 17), many divorced women in Saudi Arabia are preferring unemployed men as husbands. In such cases, the husbands are paid a ‘salary’ by their wives, who retain the right to divorce their hired husbands at will. Some women who have entered into such marriages are reported to be comfortable in the arrangement as “they get a legal ‘guardian’ who is, in fact, a subordinate, not a master”. In some cases, the hired husbands are much younger than their wives, and are promised marriage with a younger woman after a few years.
