A mullah praying in Imamzadeh Seyyed Hamza, Tabriz.

Mullah (Arabic: ملا‎) is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word مَوْلَى mawlā, meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian". In large parts of the Muslim world, particularly Iran, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Turkey, Central Asia, Somalia and South Asia, it is the name commonly given to local Islamic clerics or mosque leaders.^[1]

The title has also been used in some Sephardic Jewish communities to refer to the community's leadership, especially religious leadership.^[2]

It is primarily understood in the Muslim world as a term of respect for an educated man.^[3]

Training and duties[link]

Ideally, a trained mullah will have studied Islamic traditions (hadith), and Islamic law (fiqh). They are often hafiz, i.e. have memorized the Qur'an. However, uneducated villagers often recognize a literate Muslim with a less than complete Islamic training as their "mullah" or religious cleric. Mullahs with varying levels of training lead prayers in mosques, deliver religious sermons, and perform religious ceremonies such as birth rites and funeral services. They also often teach in a type of Islamic school known as a madrasah. These three kinds of knowledge are applied mostly in interpreting Islamic texts (i.e. the Quran, Hadiths, etc.) for matters of Shariah, i.e. Islamic law.

Mullahs have frequently been involved in politics, but only recently have they actually taken power, when Islamists seized power in Iran in 1979, and later, in Afghanistan under the Taliban.

Usage[link]

The term is most often applied to Shi'ite clerics, as Shi'a Islam is the predominant tradition in Iran. However, the term is very common in Urdu, spoken throughout Pakistan, and it is used throughout the Indian subcontinent for any Muslim clergy, Sunni or Shi'a. Muslim clergy in Russia and other former Soviet Republics are also referred to as mullahs, regardless of whether they are Sunni or Shi'a.

It has been used among Persian Jews, Bukharan Jews, Afghani Jews and other Central Asian Jews to refer to the community's religious and/or secular leadership. In Kaifeng, China as well, the historic Chinese Jews who managed the synagogue were called "mullahs".^[4]

The term is seldom used in Arabic-speaking areas, where its nearest equivalent is shaykh (implying formal Islamic training), imam (prayer leader; not to be confused with the imams of the Shiite world), or ʿālim (‘scholar’, plural ʿulamāʾ). In the Sunni world, the concept of "cleric" is of limited usefulness, as authority in the religious system is relatively decentralized.

The term is frequently used in English, although English-speaking Muslim clergy rarely call themselves mullahs. It was adopted from Urdu by the British rulers of India and subsequently came into more widespread use.

Usage as a derogatory term[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Iran[link]

Until early 20th century, the term mullah was used in Iranian hawzas (seminaries) to refer to low-level clergy who specialized in telling stories of Ashura, rather than teaching or issuing fatwas. Today, the term is sometimes used as a derogatory term for any Islamic cleric. It is common in Iran to refer to an ayatollah or other high level cleric as a mullah, to ridicule his religious authority.^{[citation needed]} In recent years, at least among Shia mullahs, the term ruhani (spiritual) has been promoted as an alternative to mullah and akhoond, free of pejorative connotations.^[5]

See also[link]

• Maulvi
• Maulana
• Mullah Mohammed Omar
• Mullah Nasruddin
• Ulema
• International Imam Organization

References[link]

 This article incorporates text from Chinese and Japanese repository of facts and events in science, history and art, relating to Eastern Asia, Volume 1, a publication from 1863 now in the public domain in the United States.

Maulana Sami ul Haq (Urdu: مولانا سمیع الحق) is a Pakistani religious leader and a politician. He is known for his close ties to the Taliban and has been referred to as the "Father of the Taliban".^[1][2] He has also served as a member of the Senate of Pakistan.^[3]

Sami ul Haq is the chancellor of the Darul Uloom Haqqania, a Deobandi Islamic seminary which is the alma mater of several Taliban leaders.

Politically he is the leader of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam political party, known as JUI-S.

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Maulana Sami ul Haq - Khyber.org
• Voices from the Whirlwind: Assessing Musharraf's Predicament, PBS.org
• Pakistan religious schools get scrutiny, Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2009
• Inside Islam's "terror schools", William Dalrymple, New Statesman, 28 March 2005
• The 'university of holy war', Haroon Rashid, BBC Online, 2 October 2003
• Pakistan: The Taliban takeover, Ziauddin Sardar, New Statesman, 30 April 2007
• Education mullah style, Tony Cross, Radio France Internationale, 11 May 2008
• EU snub for hardline Pakistan MP, BBC News Online, 20 April 2005
• EU snub draws Pakistani protest, BBC News Online, 21 April 2005

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Israr Ahmad (December 19, 1940 – April 2, 2010) was an Indian theoretical nuclear physicist and professor at Aligarh Muslim University since 1961. He was known for his work in quantum scattering theory.

He was an associate member of the International Center for Theoretical Physics located in Trieste (Italy), a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, and the Indian Physics Association. He was Founding Director of the Center for Promotion of Science at the Aligarh Muslim University from its inception in 1985 to 1991, and Chairman of its Department of Physics from 1988 to 1991. He was editor of the monthly Urdu journal Tahzibul Akhlaq of Aligarh Muslim University from June 1986 to 1990. In addition, he had served as professor at King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia. He was married to Mahe Laka (daughter of Dr. Qammrudeen).^[1][2]

Centre for Promotion of Science (CPS)[link]

Apart from his scientific work, Ahmad was keen in spreading the message of Islamic reformer Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. He was one of the strong supporters of the Aligarh Movement and revived the mission of Sir Syed to promote modern education, especially science, among oriental students and seminaries. To achieve this, with the support of Dr. Abdus Salam, he established the Centre for Promotion of Science (CPS) at AMU Aligarh in 1985, and was appointed as Founder Director of the center.

The center played a key role as a bridge between the Madrasah and a modern institution. It organized several refresher courses, seminars, series of lectures for Madrasah students and seminaries. In these, Ahmad organized a number of conferences on 'Religious Seminaries and Science Education', and conducted several introductory science courses for the teachers of Muslim religious seminaries. He established an independent office of CPS next to the Department of Physics and Dean Faculty of Science. He served CPS until 1991 and handed over his post to his student Dr. Abdul Qayum.

[edit] Tahzibul Akhlaq

In 1864 Sir Syed Ahmed Khan started the Urdu journal Tahzibul Akhlaq to spread awareness of contemporary socio-economic and educational developments in the Muslim community. Tahzibul Akhlaq was discontinued in 1881, but 100 years later, his ardent supporter, the then Vice-Chancellor Syed Hamid, revived it in 1981. Ahmad took an interest in the project and its promotion and was appointed its editor in June 1986, taking over this position from Prof. Noorul Hasan Naqvi. He played a key role in making Tahzibul Akhlaq a viable journal. As a science fiction writer in Hindi, Urdu, and English, Ahmad wrote several articles in different journals. He served as the editor of Tahzibul Akhlaq until 1990, when he handed over the post to Prof. Kabir Ahmad Jaisi.

Death[link]

Ahmad died on 2 April 2010 at Holy Family Hospital in New Delhi. His body was brought to Aligarh and was buried at the Aligarh Muslim University graveyard. He left behind a family which including his wife, sons Shahid Israr and Khalid Israr, and daughters Sabiha Alvi and Subia Wahid.

See also[link]

• List of physicists
• List of theoretical physicists
• String Theory
• Theory of everything
• Unified Field Theory

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2010)

Mark Philip Sedwill CMG MPhil (born 21 October 1964 in Ealing) was the United Kingdom Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2009–10 and the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan in 2010.

Early life[link]

He attended Bourne Grammar School in Bourne, Lincolnshire, becoming the Head Boy. He went to the University of St Andrews where he gained a Bachelor of Science (BSc), and later gained an Master of Philosophy (MPhil) from St Edmund Hall, Oxford.

Career[link]

He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1989 and to 1991 he served in the Security Coordination Department and Gulf War Emergency Unit. He was then based in Cairo 1991-4 as a Second Secretary to Egypt, then First Secretary in Iraq from 1996-97 whilst serving as a United Nations weapons inspector, then in Nicosia as First Secretary for Political-Military Affairs and Counterterrorism from 1997-99 in Cyprus. He was the Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Robin Cook and Jack Straw) from 2000-02 in the run up to and preparations for the 2003 Iraq invasion. He was the Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan, based in Islamabad from 2003-5, then the Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Department of the Foreign Office and then fom 2006-8 he was then International Director of the UK Border Agency.^[1]

Afghanistan ambassador[link]

In April 2009 he became the Ambassador to Afghanistan, succeeding Sherard Cowper-Coles.

NATO in Afghanistan[link]

In January 2010, he was appointed the NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan,^[2][3] to be the civilian counterpart to the ISAF Commander, US General Stanley A. McChrystal and then US General David H. Petraeus. He was succeeded temporarily by his predecessor as ambassador, Sherard Cowper-Coles and then by Sir William Patey, formerly British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Previous Senior Civilian Representatives were Hikmet Cetin (Turkey) (2003–2006), Daan Everts (Netherlands) (see nl:Daan Everts), succeeded by Ambassador Maurits R. Jochems (acting) (The Netherlands) (January-April 2008), and Ambassador Fernando Gentilini of Italy, who served as NATO’s fourth Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan from 2008 to 2010.

Special Representative[link]

On 13 April 2011 it was announced that Sedwill would become UK Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, taking over in early May from Karen Pierce CMG. He will become the UK Political Director at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Autumn 2012.

Personal life[link]

He married in 1999 and has one daughter. He was appointed CMG in 2008 and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, FRGS and a Fellowmof the Institute of Directors, FIoD.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Panther's Claw in August 2009
• Strategy in March 2009
• [1]
• [2]

Video clips[link]

• [3]
• ISAF Media March 2010
• Becoming NATO representative in February 2010 (FCO)
• ISAF Media January 2010
• Frontline Club January 2010
• British Satellite News

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)

Born	Zahida Malik, Veena Malik Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Nationality	Pakistani
Occupation	Actress, Model
Years active	2000 – present
Parents	Mohammad Ali Malik, Zeenat Malik

Veena Malik (Urdu: وينا ملک, born Zahida Malik) is a Pakistani actress, model and comedienne. Over a span of ten years, she has worked with news channels and in movies.

Early life[link]

Veena Malik was born in Rawalpindi in the province of Punjab,^[1] to Ali Malik, and his wife, Zeenat Malik.^[2] . She holds a BA in Sociology, Psychology and Persian.^[1]

Career[link]

Films[link]

Before starting her career off as an actress, Malik worked as a comedian for several television shows and series. She made her acting debut alongside Shaan and Zara Sheikh in Askari's Tere Pyar Mein (2000), which was a box office hit. She played a supporting role in the film and was barely acknowledged. However, she appeared in a supporting role in Javed Sheikh's Yeh Dil Aap Ka Huwa (2002).

In 2003, Malik appeared in Indo-Pak cross venture Punjabi film Pind Di Kuri which failed to do so well, however, the film turned out be the first Indo-Pak venture film with a budget of approximately 70 million rupees. She also appeared in Askari's Sassi Punno (2003) alongside Sana and Moammar Rana, however the film failed to do well at Lahore's cinemas and further screenings had stopped in cinemas after a week of its release. She then appeared in Rafique's Jageer.

In 2005, she appeared in a short Punjabi film Bau Badmash (2005) which did not garner any recognition due to the lack of big stars. She then appeared in Reema Khan's Koi Tujh Sa Kahan (2005) which was a commercial success in Pakistan.In 2007, she won her first Lux Style Award for being the most stylish celebrity on the red carpet.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, Malik appeared in Rafique's Punjabi film, Mohabbatan Sachiyan, alongside ex-fiancee Babrik Shah and newcomers Maria Khan and Adnan Khan. The film went on to become a commercial success.^[3] The same year, she appeared in Raza's Kabhi Pyaar Na Karna in a supporting role, but the film was a flop. Her last film of 2008 was Altaf's Ishq Beparwah, which also failed to impress the audience.

In 2010, she worked in Rafique's Main Jeena Tere Naal, and Beyg's debut comedy film Miss Duniya.^[4]

Television[link]

In 2002, she was called by Prime TV to host a show called Prime Gupshup^[5] for them ushering a new direction for her comedic skills and she improvised on the hour-long show occasionally mimicking actors.

She hosted the Geo TV show Hum Sub Umeed Say Hain, in which she was hailed for her comedic parodies.^[6]

Veena Malik performing to the tunes of Naheed Akhtar at the Lux Style Awards 2007.^[7]

In 2007, she graced the red carpet event of the Lux Style Awards and was awarded as being the ‘most stylish celebrity on the carpet’.^[7]

In October 2010, Malik appeared in the Indian television reality show Bigg Boss Season 4.^[8] She was evicted two weeks before the finals, and was one of the final six contestants out of the original fourteen who had participated.^[9] Malik was also part of the finale of the show.^[10] After her Bigg Boss stay, she was mentioned in the media as the voice of liberal muslims, including leading dailies, Daily Times,^[11] Express Tribune,^[12] and The Australian.^[13] Sabbah Hajim, from the Haji Amina Charity Trust in Jammu and Kashmir, writing in the magazine Tehelka, when comparing her with liberal rector of Darul Uloom Deoband, Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi said, "these two newly public figures might teach Muslims to stop feeling eternally outraged."^[14]

In February 2011,^[15] Veena Malik became part of the Cricket World Cup reality show^[16] in Delhi, India, called "Big Toss." Big Toss was a reality game show with contestants and Malik as the captain of one team, against Rakhi Sawant^[17] and her team.

In March 2011, Malik engaged in a passionate debate with a mufti, who claimed she had engaged in immoral behaviour as a contestant on Bigg Boss, even though he admitted to not having watched the show. Malik countered pointing out the double standards of Pakistani media against women among other rebuttals.^[18]

FHM Images[link]

Controversy resulted in Pakistan over a nude image of Malik on the cover of FHM magazine India edition in which she had "ISI" written on her upper arm – the initials of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency. ^[19] Malik says she was topless^[20] but did not pose completely nude,^[21] and has sued the magazine over the images.^[22]

Other works[link]

Malik has worked as a representative at the World Health Organization for two years. She also sponsors a child at the SOS Children's Village, an NGO based in Pakistan working with orphaned children.^[23]

Filmography[link]

Veena Malik on the sets of "Movers and Shakers"

Television[link]

Reality television[link]

As Contestant

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Veena Malik

• Official Website
• Veena, Vida, ViciExpress Tribune
• Veena Malik at the Internet Movie Database