New Delhi: Miscreants burnt a library run by a 62-year-old daily wage in Mysuru city of Karnataka on Friday (9 April). There were over 11,000 books in the library, including 3000 beautiful copies of the Bhagavad Gita, over a 1000 copies of the Holy Quran and Bible, reported The Indian Express.

The library run by Syed Isaaq has provided free access to books for the residents of the Rajiv Nagar and Shanti Nagar areas in Mysuru for the past 10 years.

Deprived of education, Isaaq worked as a bonded labourer before turning into an Under Ground Drainage (UGD) cleaner and did odd jobs to earn a livelihood.

He wanted others to read and learn Kannada and with this noble intent, he had started this library, which unfortunately now has been completely burnt down.

Nearly 85% of the books in his library collection were Kannada while several were English and Urdu. “The library had over 3,000 exquisite collections of Bhagavad Gita, over a 1,000 copies of Quran and Bible besides thousands of books of various genres which I sourced from donors,” he says.

Though he did not spend money from his pocket, he used to spend nearly Rs 6,000 for the maintenance of the library and on the purchase of newspapers.

MUMBAI — In a major development, the Haj Committee of India (HCI) has said that no Indian Muslims shall be allowed to go for the annual Haj pilgrimage unless they have taken the two vaccine doses. The HCI CEO Maqsood Ahmed Khan made the announcement following the latest directives from the Saudi Health Ministry and the Indian Consulate-General in Jeddah.

Accordingly, he advised those who have applied for the Haj 2021 to take the first dose of the vaccine on their own now so they can be administered the second dose before departure.

However, Khan made it clear that there is no official communication on the status of the Haj pilgrimage yet from the Saudi Arabian authorities so far and the entire process would be subject to their approval.

“In case Indian pilgrims perform Haj-2021, outgoing flights will start from mid-June,” Khan said for the pilgrimage this year falling on July 17. It may be recalled that in 2020, the Haj pilgrimage was out of bounds for the Muslim from India as it came during the surging peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in late-July, and this year, the country is witnessing a second and much deadlier Covid wave.

Those who have applied for the Haj 2021 are advised to take the first dose of the vaccine on their own now so they can be administered the second dose before departure.— IANS

Turkey has managed to be one of the few countries with air-to-air missile technology, said Turkish president. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Twitter that Turkey has become one of the few countries with air-to-air missile technology.

“Our air-to-air in-sight missile Bozdogan, developed by our young technicians and engineers in the Goktug project, hit the target at the first shot,” he said. He also shared a video showing Bozdogan’s first shot.

In recent years, Turkey’s defense and aviation companies made significant achievements in research and development, as well as production and export.

Sameen Ahmed Khan
Dhofar University, Salalah,
Sultanate of Oman

The College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Sharjah, UAE organized a three-day landmark event, “Fourth International Conference on Arabs’ and Muslims’ History of Sciences”, during 4-6 April 2021 under the theme “Scientific Legacy and its Contemporary Impacts”. The conference was held under the patronage of His Highness, Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.

It is to be recalled that the “First International Conference on Arabs’ and Muslims’ History of Sciences”, was held during 24-27 March 2008. The “Second International Conference on Arabs’ and Muslims’ History of Sciences” was held during 8-11 December 2014. The third event was organized during 5-7 December 2017.

The conference offered valuable opportunities for knowledge exchange, networking and learning about the Arabs and Muslims scientific and scholar heritage and latest findings and discoveries in the field. The conference had the following eight themes:

1. Features and Insights into the Arabic and Islamic Civilization during its Golden Era. 2. Modern technologies and their impact on analyzing, understanding, and studying the Arab and Islamic heritage. 3.The impact of the Arabic and Islamic Scientific Heritage on the Cultures of Contemporary Societies. 4. Presenting Pioneering Experiences in Diagnosing Challenges and Opportunities for Reviving and Preserving the Arabic and Islamic Scientific Heritage. 5. Science of Fine Arts from an Islamic Perspective. 6. The Islamic Architectural and Artistic Heritage in the Contemporary World. 7. The Emergence and Development of Medical and Health Sciences among Arabs and Muslims. 8. Applied Sciences.

The three-day event had 21 scientific sessions and discussed more than 150 scientific papers, delivered by notable experts from over forty countries. There were over 900 registered participants from forty countries in the online event. All the objectives of the conference were fulfilled.

Ramallah, Palestine: The Palestinian government has welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to establish an industrial zone in the West Bank city of Jenin.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Palestinian Economy Minister Khaled Al-Osaily said the Turkish support amounts to $10 million and is meant for the internal structure of the industrial zone.

According to the Palestinian minister, the industrial zone will be implemented in two phases: The first is financed by Germany at a cost of about 24 million euros, and includes all external infrastructure and is likely to be completed by mid-2021. The second phase, which targets the internal infrastructure, is financed by Turkey and will cost about $10 million. It is expected to be ready soon.

On Saturday, the Turkish Official Gazette published a decision by Erdogan to permit the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) to establish an industrial zone in Jenin.

Expressing hope that the presence of Turkish factories will boost Palestinian exports, Al-Osaily also expects the creation of about 5,000 direct job opportunities and 15,000 indirect jobs in the process.

Food factories, textile factories and factories for car installation will be built.