Daffodil International University
Faculties and Departments => Faculty Sections => Faculty Forum => Topic started by: shibli on August 02, 2009, 12:35:52 PM
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Concept of peace, ethics and human values is useless without the concept of hereafter:
Is robbing a good or an evil act? A normal balanced person would say it is evil. How would a person who does not believe in the hereafter (life after death) convince a powerful and influential criminal that robbing is evil? Suppose I am the most powerful and influential criminal in the world. At the same time I am an Intelligent and a logical person. I say that robbing is good because it helps me lead a luxurious life. Thus robbing is good for me. If anybody can put forward a single logical argument as to why it is evil for me, I will stop immediately. People usually put forward the following arguments:
a. The person who is robbed will face difficulties
Some may say that the person who is robbed will face difficulties. I certainly agree that it is bad for the person who is robbed. But it is good for me. If I rob a thousand dollars, I can enjoy a good meal at a 5 star restaurant.
b. Some one may rob you
Some people argue that someday I may be robbed. No one can rob me because I am a very powerful criminal and I have hundreds of bodyguards. I can rob anybody but nobody can rob me. Robbing may be a risky profession for a common man but not for an influential person like me.
c. The police may arrest you
Some may say, if you rob, you can be arrested by the police. The police cannot arrest me because I have the police on my payroll. I have the ministers on my payroll. I agree that if a common man robs, he will be arrested and it will be bad for him, but I am an extraordinarily influential and powerful criminal. Give me one logical reason why it is bad for me and I will stop robbing.
d. It’s easy money
Some may say it’s easy money and not hard-earned money. I agree completely that it is easy money, and that is one of the main reasons why I rob. If a person has the option of earning money the easy as well as the hard way, any logical person would choose the easy way.
e. It is against humanity
Some may say it is against humanity and that a person should care for other human beings. I counter argue by asking as to who wrote this law called ‘humanity’ and why should I follow it? This law may be good for the emotional and sentimental people but I am a logical person and I see no benefit in caring for other human beings.
f. It is a selfish act
Some may say that robbing is being selfish. It is true that robbing is a selfish act; but then why should I not be selfish? It helps me enjoy life.
i) No logical reason for robbing being an evil act
Hence all arguments that attempt to prove that robbing is an evil act are futile. These arguments may satisfy a common man but not a powerful and influential criminal like me. None of the arguments can be defended on the strength of reason and logic. It is no surprise that there are so many criminals in this world. Similarly raping, cheating etc. can be justified as good for a person like me and there is no logical argument that can convince me that these things are bad.
ii) A Muslim can convince a powerful and influential criminal
Now let us switch sides. Suppose you are the most powerful and influential criminal in the world, who has the police and the ministers on his payroll. You have army of thugs to protect you. But a Muslim can convince you that robbing, raping, cheating, etc. are evil acts. Even if the same arguments to prove that robbing is evil are put forth, the criminal will respond the same way as s/he did earlier. All his or her arguments are true only when s/he is the most powerful and influential criminal.
iii) Every human being wants justice
Even if s/he does not want justice for others s/he wants justice for himself. Some people are intoxicated by power and influence and inflict pain and suffering on others. The same people, however, would surely object if some injustice was done to them. The reason such people become insensitive to the sufferings of others is that they worship power and influence. Power and influence, they feel, not only allow them to inflict injustice on others but also prevent others from doing likewise to them.
iv) God is the Most Powerful and Just
The Qur’an says: “Allah is never unjust in the least degree†[Al-Qur’an 4:40]
v) Why does God not punish me?
The criminal, being a logical and scientific person, agrees that God exists, after being presented with scientific facts from the Qur’an. He may argue as to why God, if He is Powerful and Just, does not punish him.
vi) The people who do injustice should be punished
Every person who has suffered injustice, irrespective of financial or social status, almost certainly wants the perpetrator of injustice to be punished. Every normal person would like the robber or the rapist to be taught a lesson. Though a large number of criminals are punished, many even go scot-free. They lead a pleasant, luxurious life, and even enjoy a peaceful existence. If injustice is done to a powerful and influential person, by someone more powerful and more influential than he, even such a person would want that person perpetrators of injustice to be punished.
vii) This life is a test for the hereafter
This life is a test for the hereafter. [Al-Qur’an 67:2]
viii) Final justice on the day of judgement
Final justice will be meted out on the Day of Judgement. After a person dies, s/he will be resurrected on the Day of Judgement along with the rest of mankind. It is possible that a person receives part of his punishment in this world. The final reward and punishment will only be in the hereafter. God Almighty may not punish a robber or a rapist in this world but he will surely be held accountable on the Day of Judgement and will be punished in the hereafter i.e. life after death.
ix) What punishment can the human law give Hitler?
Hitler incinerated six million Jews during his reign of terror. Even if the police had arrested him, what punishment can the human law give Hitler for justice to prevail? The most they can do is to send Hitler to the gas chamber. But that will only be punishment for the killing of one Jew. What about the remaining five million, nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine Jews?
x) Allah can burn Hitler more than six million times in hellfire
If Allah wishes He can incinerate Hitler six million times in the hereafter in the hellfire. It is clear that without convincing a person about the hereafter, i.e. life after death, the concept of human values and the good or evil nature of acts is impossible to prove to any person who is doing injustice especially when he is influential and powerful.
Dr. Zakir Naik
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Can anyone tell me how we can educate the corrupted politicians on ethics if he or she doesn't believe in GOD at all?
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I guess there is no certain ethical standards and moral values. It changes over social and geographical even on religious aspects.
But one thing is accepted worldwide that human must be ethical on his personal and social perspective.
Quest for peace is a journey which unfortunately often been interrupted by religious discriminant values! History talks.
Well, its very easy to teach the ethical issues to our politicians. We ourselves need to be ethical on our own personal life. That's the beginning....
Masud I Rahman
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"I guess there is no certain ethical standards and moral values. It changes over social and geographical even on religious aspects." Yes i agree with your statement except in the case of the holy Qur'an.
Earlier homosexuality was prohibited in many countries. Today it is allowed in many developed countries like in the UK. Pornography is also allowed in many countries nowadays. My question is where we shall draw the line or put the benchmark. So we need to follow the guidelines set by the Almighty. The Qur'an, the last n final testament from God has maintained the same original form ever since it was revealed. "No other book in the earth keeps the original pure form as The Qur'an." said by the orientalist, famous historian and harsh critic of Islam, William Moore. Before the Second world War in the museum of Germany, hundreds of different copies of Qur'an of different times were collected to verify their verses. All the words of all copies were found word for word exact n accurate. No other book in the earth is as recited n memorized as the Qur'an. Millions of people have been memorizing it ever since it was revealed. At least every year millions of people across the world have been verifying it in the TARABEEH. The Qur'an is not a book of science, rather it's a book of signs; in fact it is the miracle of all miracles.
However, my question is why should we be ethical? For the sake of humanity? Who introduced the term humanity or humanism? Why should we be humane? For our own satisfaction!! Degeneration will occur if there is no belief in God. Ethics without religious values are useless. You talked about religious discriminant values. It is because people of different religions hardly read and follow their scriptures. please don't look at the followers, rather let's go back to the scriptures. Jesus(pbuh) never claimed divinity, rather he said, "I cast out devil with the spirit of GOD","My father is greater than I" but most Christians believe in trinity; father, son n holy spirit. Buddah never said "make a statue of me or worship me but Buddhists are doing as such. According to Bedha, there is no image of God, no protima but Hindus are doing the opposite.
Most importantly, politicians of the world for their personal gain and media supported by them divide people and create mischief on this earth. History also says that the so-called secularism n communism could not bring peace n prosperity to certain countries n nations.
The glorious Qur'an has got the solutions to the problems of humanity. Let's study more and more, shouldn't we?
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What we refer to as "moral values" are the concepts introduced by religion that make life beautiful and rewarding. Whenever these values are distorted, we face a really disturbing picture in society.
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A Society that lives by islamic moral values is built on the foundations of LOVE AND COMPASSION. The only escape from the corruption and oppression caused by irreligion is to live by the compassion taught by Allah in the Qur’an and strongly advised by our Prophet (saas).
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THE SCIENTIFIC WORLD IS TURNING TO GOD
"As people have certainly been influenced by me, I want to try and correct the enormous damage I may have done." (Anthony Flew)
The newspapers these days are echoing with these regret-filled words by Anthony Flew, in his time a well-known atheist philosopher. The 81-year-old British professor of philosophy Flew chose to become an atheist at the age of 15, and first made a name for himself in the academic field with a paper published in 1950. In the 54 years that followed, he defended atheism as a teacher at the universities of Oxford, Aberdeen, Keele and Reading, at many American and Canadian universities he visited, in debates, books, lecture halls and articles. In recent days, however, Flew has announced that he has abandoned this error and accepts that the universe was created.
The decisive factor in this radical change of view is the clear and definitive evidence revealed by science on the subject of creation. Flew realised, in the face of the information-based complexity of life, that the true origin of life is intelligent design and that the atheism he had espoused for 66 years was a discredited philosophy.
Flew announced the scientific reasons underlying this change in belief in these terms:
"Biologists' investigation of DNA has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce [life], that intelligence must have been involved." (1)
"It has become inordinately difficult even to begin to think about constructing a naturalistic theory of the evolution of that first reproducing organism." (2)
"I have been persuaded that it is simply out of the question that the first living matter evolved out of dead matter and then developed into an extraordinarily complicated creature." (3)
The DNA research which Flew cites as a fundamental reason for his change of opinion has indeed revealed striking facts about creation. The helix shape of the DNA molecule, its possession of the genetic code, the nucleotide strings that refute blind chance, the storage of encyclopaedic quantities of information and many other striking findings have revealed that the structure and functions of this molecule were arranged for life with a special design. Comments by scientists concerned with DNA research bear witness to this fact.
Francis Crick, for instance, one of the scientists who revealed the helix shape of DNA admitted in the face of the findings regarding DNA that the origin of life indicated a miracle:
An honest man, armed with all the knowledge available to us now, could only state that in some sense, the origin of life appears at the moment to be almost a miracle, so many are the conditions which would have had to have been satisfied to get it going. (4)
Based on his calculations, Led Adleman of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles has stated that one gram of DNA can store as much information as a trillion compact discs. (5) Gene Myers, a scientist employed on the Human Genome Project, has said the following in the face of the miraculous arrangements he witnessed:
"What really astounds me is the architecture of life… The system is extremely complex. It's like it was designed… There's a huge intelligence there." (6)
The most striking fact about DNA is that the existence of the coded genetic information can definitely not be explained in terms of matter and energy or natural laws. Dr. Werner Gitt, a professor at the German Federal Institute of Physics and Technology, has said this on the subject:
A code system is always the result of a mental process… It should be emphasized that matter as such is unable to generate any code. All experiences indicate that a thinking being voluntarily exercising his own free will, cognition, and creativity, is required… There is no known natural law through which matter can give rise to information, neither is any physical process or material phenomenon known that can do this. (7)
Creationist scientists and philosophers played a major role in Flew's acceptance of intelligent design, backed up by all these findings. In recent times Flew participated in debates with scientists and philosophers who were proponents of creation, and exchanged ideas with them.
The final turning point in that process was a discussion organised by the Institute for Metascientific Research in Texas in May, 2003. Flew participated together with author Roy Abraham Varghese, Israeli physicist and molecular biologist Gerald Schroeder, and Roman Catholic philosopher John Haldane. Flew was impressed by the weight of the scientific evidence in favour of creation and by the convincing nature of his opponents' arguments, and abandoned atheism as an idea in the period following that discussion. In a letter he wrote for the August-September, 2003, edition of the British magazine Philosophy Now, he recommended Schroeder's book "The Hidden Face of God: Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth" and Varghese's book "The Wonderful World."(Cool During an interview with the professor of philosophy and theology Gary R. Habermas, who also played a major role in his change of mind (9), and also on the video "Has Science Discovered God?," he openly stated that he believed in intelligent design.
The "Intelligence Pervading the Universe" and the Collapse of Atheism
In the face of all the scientific developments outlined above, the acceptance of intelligent design by Antony Flew, famous for defending atheism for many years, reflects a final scene in the process of collapse being undergone by atheism. Modern science has revealed the existence of an "intelligence pervading the universe," thus leaving atheism out of the equation.
In his book "The Hidden Face of God," Gerald Schroeder, one of the creationist scientists who influenced Flew, writes:
"A single consciousness, a universal wisdom, pervades the universe. The discoveries of science, those that search the quantum nature of subatomic matter, have moved us to the brink of a startling realization: all existence is the expression of this wisdom. In the laboratories we experience it as information that first physically articulated as energy and then condensed into the form of matter. Every particle, every being, from atom to human, appears to represent a level of information, of wisdom." (10)
Scientific research into both the functioning of the cell and the subatomic particles of matter has revealed this fact in an indisputable manner:
Life and the universe were brought into being from nothing by the will of an entity possessed of a superior mind and wisdom. There is no doubt that the possessor of that knowledge and mind that pervade the universe at all levels is Almighty Allah. Allah reveals this truth in the Qur'an:
Both East and West belong to Allah, so wherever you turn, the Face of Allah is there. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing." (Qur'an, 2:115)
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i Richard N. Ostling, "Lifelong atheist changes mind about divine creator," The Washington Times 10 December 2004; http://washingtontimes.com/national/20041209-113212-2782r.htm
2- Antony Flew, "Letter from Antony Flew on Darwinism and Theology," Philosophy Now; http://www.philosophynow.org/issue47/47flew.htm
3- Stuart Wavell and Will Iredale, "Sorry, says atheist-in-chief, I do believe in God after all," The Sunday Times, 12 December 2004; http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1400368,00.html
4- Francis Crick, Life Itself: Its Origin and Nature, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1981, p. 88
5- John Whitfield, "Physicists plunder life's tool chest", 24 April 2003; http://www.nature.com/nsu/030421/030421-6.html
6- San Francisco Chronicle, 19 February, 2001
7- Werner Gitt, In the Beginning Was Information, CLV, Bielenfeld, Germany, pp. 64-7, 79
8- Antony Flew, "Letter from Antony Flew on Darwinism and Theology," Philosophy Now; http://www.philosophynow.org/issue47/47flew.htm
9- "Atheist Becomes Theist: Exclusive Interview with Former Atheist Antony Flew;" http://www.biola.edu/antonyflew/index.cfm
10- Gerald Schroeder, The Hidden Face of God, Touchstone, New York, 2001, p. xi
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Is it ethical for a full-time employee to work elsewhere during office hours or be involved in activities that do not benefit his or her own workplace at all or serve any other organization just to gain some extra financial benefits?
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I don't think God is important to become a good person. People do not become good only out of fear, nor even for any reward.It depends on his/her set of mind and sorrounding circumstances.
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Dear Mustafiz
'Fear' is a wrong wording or misinterpretation. The correct translation is God's consciousness and piety. yes circumference or environment is also necessary. That's why Allah urged us to be in a group and not to be separated. About set of mind, parents can play a vital role in molding the set of mind of a child that reflects in his or her future or matured life.
I have seen one of my previous colleagues who was an atheist suffered fatal disease for almost two years, left the hope of living. Finally i heard her uttering the name of Allah. I found another atheist colleague suffering for dengue and remembering Allah. So Allah is in the mind of each and every human being. The need for spirituality is always there for human beings. Lots of books and researches have been carried out and are being done on the necessity of spirituality.
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Love and only love can make everything possible.Out of love one can become good and this is the love that can make one the worst.So human should love and be loved.
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Dear Sameen
The concept of love and humanism is nothing new. It's already there in the Qur'an and Sahih Hadith. A Society that lives by Islamic moral values is built on the foundations of LOVE AND COMPASSION. The only escape from the corruption and oppression caused by irreligion is to live by the compassion taught by Allah in the Qur’an and strongly advised by our Prophet (saas)
"They (the true believers) give food, out of love for Allah, to the poor, the orphan and the slave, saying: We feed you only for Allah's pleasure - we desire from you neither reward nor thanks." Al Qur'an (76:8-9)
Those who believe in Allah n the Last Judgment Day should either utter good words or keep silence, should treat their neighbors with kindness n show hospitality. Sahih Hadith
Why is religion necessary to be moral? Because you have to draw the line somewhere along the way. People of different ages tend to change the concept of ethics over the time. If you please go through all the posts given here, you will get the answers.
Regards
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Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance." Sir Isaac Newton
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"Americans are on a spiritual journey, increasingly concerned with the meaning of life and issues of the soul and spirit. They r increasingly looking to religion as a source of comfort in a chaotic world"_Philip Kotler n Gary Armstrong, Principles of Marketing 12th Ed, Page 89
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"A little knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes him a believer in God." Francis Bacon, famous philosopher.
"Soon I will show them my signs in the (farthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?"
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Why are religious values necessary to be a good human being? Because the glorious Qur'an is the only book undistorted ever. It's declared by the non-muslim harsh critics of Islam. The concept of Humanism changes over the time across the countries and places. I have found many people who speak for ethics are after money. I have seen people who speak for LOVE are miser and hardly donate money to the poor. The Qur'an says if you save more than 30000 taka in a year, you have to donate 2.5% to the poor. It's compulsory.
Please don't look at the followers; Islam cannot be judged by looking at the followers. The followers are responsible if they don't follow the Qur'an. But the so-called atheism or humanism has got no unchangeable instruction manuals that often vary from person to person. In the UK, having a baby without marriage is nothing about unethical. Who knows someday will come when they will say marrying own brother or sister is ethical?
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Dear Sameen sir
We, the human beings, want reward and recognition in every case. If you are sure that you are NOT going to get any reward and recognition from the organization you work, how long will you work there? But DIU recognized your efforts and rewarded you with the position of Senior Lecturer.
Reward and recognition are there in the mind of every human being. Even you can get things done by a child with the motivation of reward. But if Allah wants to grant us reward n recognition; we, human beings are not happy with His system. Allah said, surely we, human beings are ungrateful. We hardly recognize and appreciate the bounties and facilities we get every single second from HIM.
As a matter of fact, the concept of ethics is useless without the concept of HEREAFTER. Degeneration will occur if there is no belief in GOD.
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Dont misunderstand me sir, I m not an atheist, I m a believer. I also do believe that Islam makes poeple better human beings. I only wanted to get more information from u my dear sir nothing else.
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Crude Understanding of Disbelief
The foremost and inherent characteristic of the members of an ignorant society is their unwillingness to develop a consciousness of God. Thus, people in this state of ignorance simply avoid complying with the commandments of God, having developed their own moral principles and a way of thinking contrary to everything approved of as being right by the Qur'an. The Qur'an, the last Divine Book, provides all the answers to all possible questions the individual might raise throughout his life. It offers all the key explanations and solutions which he needs in every aspect of his life.
People in this state of ignorance establish a system and then face difficulty in complying with the rules of the system they have themselves created. This is the direct outcome of a crude understanding. However, rather than eradicating this fundamental mistake, ignorant people struggle to find ways of being successful in this relentless competition.
Contrary to the ignorant society's criteria laid down for superiority — in other words property, power and status — the real superiority calls for faith in God and fear of God. The colour of one's skin, good-looks or prosperity have no importance in the presence of God. One day, everyone, be he poor or wealthy, beautiful or ugly, will be wrapped in a simple shroud and placed in a pit — which will reduce his body into insignificance.
What we refer to as "moral values" are the concepts introduced by religion that make life beautiful and rewarding. Whenever these values are distorted, we face a really disturbing picture in society.
First of all, in an environment where no rules and limits are observed, "lawlessness" prevails. In this system, everyone lays down his own rules and principles, based on highly variable criteria. In the ignorant society the basic principle that is applied is not to go to extremes in social conduct and hence not to incur any reaction from the society. It is wholly acceptable to do anything wrong, as long as it is not publicly disclosed. Ignorant people deliver speeches about virtuous conduct and morals, or severely condemn those who hold a contrary view. However, they themselves violate these values when they are convinced that nobody sees them.
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When asking why poor countries are poor, it is quite common to hear, especially in wealthier countries that are perceived to have minimal corruption (at least domestically) that other countries are poor because of corruption. Yet, corruption is not something limited to third world despots. Rich countries too have been involved in corrupt practices around the world.
As Professor Robert Neild from Trinity College, Cambridge University writes in Public Corruption; The Dark Side of Social Evolution (London: Anthem Press, 2002), “Rich countries and their agencies … commonly have been and are accomplices in corruption abroad, encouraging it by their actions rather than impeding it….†(p.209). Specific problems he highlights include:
* The impact of Cold War corruption (supporting dictatorships, destabilizing democracies, funding opposition, etc);
* Firms from rich countries bribing rulers and officials from developing countries to gain export contracts, particularly in the arms trade and in construction (even justifying it by suggesting bribery is “customary†in those countries, so they need to do it to, in order to compete);
* The “corruption-inducing effects of the purchase, by the rich countries and their international corporations, of concessions in Third World countries to exploit natural deposits of oil, copper, gold, diamonds and the like.†Payments made to rulers often violate local (and Western) rules, keeping corrupt rulers in power, who also embezzle a lot of money away.
* The drug trade. Neild suggests that international law and national laws in rich countries that prohibit drugs may serve to “produce a scarcity value irresistible to producers, smugglers and dealers.†Governments and civil society in the third world are often “undermined, sometimes destroyed†by the violence and corruption that goes with the drug trade. “This is probably the most important way in which the policies of rich countries foster corruption and violence. Yet the effect on the Third World seems scarcely to enter discussion of alternative drug policies in the rich countries.†Legalizing drugs, a system of taxation and regulation, comparable to that applied to tobacco and alcohol might do more to reduce corruption in the world than any other measure rich countries could take, he suggests. (See this site’s section on illicit drugs for more on that aspect.)
Rich countries have been used to it, too:
Bribery may be pervasive, but it is difficult to detect. Many Western companies do not dirty their own hands, but instead pay local agents, who get a 10 per cent or so “success fee†if a contract goes through and who have access to the necessary “slush funds†to ensure that it does. Bribery is also increasingly subtle.… Until recently, bribery was seen as a normal business practice. Many countries including France, Germany and the UK treated bribes as legitimate business expenses which could be claimed for tax deduction purposes.
— Dr Susan Hawley, Exporting Corruption; Privatisation, Multinationals and Bribery, The Corner House, June 2000
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Corruption everywhere; rich and poor countries, international institutions
It goes without saying, almost, that corruption is everywhere. Corruption in poor countries is well commented on (sometimes used dismissively to explain away problems caused by other issues, too). It would be futile to provide examples here (see also the sources of information at the end of this document for more on this).
Rich countries, also suffer from corruption. Examples are also numerous and beyond the scope of this page to list them here. However, a few recent examples are worth mentioning because they are varied on the type of corruption involved, and are very recent, implying this is a massive problem in rich countries as well as poor.
The first example is the US government, accused of outsourcing many contracts without an open bid process. Jim Hightower notes that “An analysis by the Times found that more than half of their outsourcing contracts are not open to competition. In essence, the Bushites choose the company and award the money without getting other bids. Prior to Bush, only 21% of federal contracts were awarded on a no-bid basis.â€
Another example is Italy, where former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and some of his close associates were held on trial for various crimes and corruption cases (though Berlusconi himself has not, to date, been found guilty of any charges). Many key teams in the massive Italian soccer league, Serie A were also found to be involved in a massive corruption ring.
In the United Kingdom, the arms manufacturer, BAE was being investigated for bribing Saudi officials to buy fighter planes, but the government intervened in the investigation citing national interests. The Guardian also reported that BAE gave a Saudi prince a £75 airliner ($150m approx) as part of a British arms deal, with the arms firm paying the expenses of flying it. This seemingly large figure is small compared to the overall deal, but very enticing for the deal makers, and it is easy to see how corruption is so possible when large sums are involved.
International institutions, such as the United Nations and World Bank have also recently come under criticism for corruption, ironically while presenting themselves in the forefront fighting against corruption.
The recent example with the UN has been the oil for food scandal, where the headlines were about the corruption in the UN. In reality, the figures of $21 billion or so of illicit funds blamed on the UN were exaggerations; it was $2 billion; it was the UN Security Council (primarily US and UK) responsible for much of the monitoring; US kickbacks for corrupt oil sales were higher, for example. (This is discussed in more detail on this site’s Iraq sanctions, oil for food scandal section.)
At the World Bank, headlines were made when its recent president, Paul Wolfowitz, was forced to resign after it was revealed he had moved his girlfriend to a new government post with an extremely high salary without review by its ethics committee.
Paul Wolfowitz’s appointment was also controversial, due to his influential role in architecting the US invasion of Iraq. A former member of staff at the World Bank also noted concerns of cronyism related to Wolfowitz’s appointment way before the scandal that forced him to resign.
The US nominee for the next president is the former US Trade Representative and currently an executive at Goldman Sachs, Robert Zoellick. His nomination is also coming under criticism. Bush supports it, saying Zoellick “is the right man to succeed Paul in this vital work.†Former World Bank chief economist, and Nobel Prize winner for economics, Joseph Stiglitz feels that instead of a political appointee, it would be better to get an economist who understands development.
As also reported by the BBC, Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance, said that he thought Mr Zoellick was a terrible choice because “Zoellick has no significant experience in economic development in poor countries,†and that “he has been a close friend to the brand-name pharmaceutical industry, and the bilateral trade agreements he has negotiated [for the US] effectively block access to generic medication for millions of people.â€
While the US typically gets its preferred nomination to head the World Bank, Europe has typically got its preferred person to head the IMF. Critics have long argued that this lacks transparency and is not democratic. While not illegal as such, it does feel like a form of corruption.
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The man is poor but honest
Md. Main Uddin
WHEN I was s student of class seven, I was taught the above-noted English translation. Everything went well regarding this translation until I started reading different books on welfare economics and philosophy. As time passed by, I came to realize that the concept of this translation is wrong as well as misleading. When one says 'the man is poor but honest', it indicates that most of the poor people are dishonest and the very person to whom this translation is applicable is honest while he should be dishonest. This is misleading in the sense that those who learn this concept from the very beginning of their life would have a negative concept about the poor.
Money is one of the most sensitive and important variables that can be used to test honesty of the people. Banks are the principal financial institutions that deal with money and drawing examples from them the issue of honesty and poverty may be resolved. Loan default is a common term known to many of Bangladesh. There is a huge amount of defaulted loans in the banking sector of Bangladesh and most of the defaulters are the borrowers of large loans. The rich take large loans and defaulted ones come mainly from such loans. If there is any bad name arising out of this behaviour of large borrowers, they are almost exclusively liable to that. Thus, it is the rich people who take money from banks and do not give it back. They are also responsible for introducing the culture of loan default in the banking sector of Bangladesh. To make the situation worst, some took loans from the nationalized banks and established private banks by such loans without repaying them. The high default rate has originated from the non-repayment of loans by the rich.
On the other hand, the poor have access to small loans mostly provided by the microfinance institutions (MFIs). Their loan recovery rate is very high. The Grameen Bank, for instance, has the recovery rate of more than 90 per cent. The poor borrowers of these MFIs have proved that banks can bank with them and they always pay back. They also introduced Bangladesh positively to the rest of the world by their disciplined behavior.
Therefore, it can be uncritically generalized that the rich people are the principal loan defaulters and they do not care about the rules and regulations as they know the loopholes of them or they know how to break them. But the poor never think of braking the rules and regulations like the rich do. In the other areas of activities where corruption, irregularities, and indiscipline are pervasive, such generalization in favour of the poor that they are not dishonest is also applicable. Thus, the poor are dishonest, is an outright fallacy as the above arguments prove. Thus, let us stop saying 'the man is poor but honest' and start saying 'the man is poor but dishonest' or 'the man is rich but honest'.
(The writer, an Assistant Professor, Department of Banking, Dhaka University, is currently doing PhD on Microfinance at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan)
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every 1 has a personal ethical point of view . but the question is " Is his/ her ethics follow religious values?" for example . now a days it is very common that two separate religious man & woman married. they think their ethics is right. sometime they r very happy about their life. Is it right according to religious point of view?
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DEBATE ATHEIST [Professor] -V- BELIEVER [Student ]
[Professor ] Are you Muslim,believe in God who is good pouwerful & can do anything. and If here a sick person and you can cure him. Will you try to do it?
[Student]Yes, I would or I would try at least
[Professor ] Yes you are right, everyone will do if they could. But God doesn‘t
[Student:] No answer /silent
[Professor ]Satan and evil is bad but God made them,the evil's, Sickness, Immorality, Hatred, exist everywhere, and which God created all evil, didn't He, son? "how is it that, this God is good if He created all evil ?
[Student] No answer/silent
[Professor] Science identify five senses like ,See ,Hear, Feel , Taste, Smell. Have you ever seen, heard, felt ,smelt, or tasted your God?
[Student] No answer/silent
[Professor] According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable
protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. Can you prove Where is
your God now?"
[Student] NO SIR, but I've got a question for you sir ...."Is there such a thing as cold?"
[Professor] Yes, son, there's cold too
[Student] You're wrong sir’’ because we can have extra heat, super-heat, mega-heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold, otherwise we would be able to go colder than 458 - - You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."
[Professor]No answer/Silent
[Student] Is there such a thing as darkness, Professor?"
[Professor] Yes (That's a dumb question, What is night if it isn't darkness)
[Student]You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something, it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker and we can give a jar of it. Can you...give me a jar of darker darkness, professor?"
[Professor:] OK what is your point, young man?"
[Student]Yes, sir. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed
to start with and so your conclusion must be in error...."
[Professor] How dare you...!""
[Student]"Sir, may I explain, For example there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science cannot even explain a thought.
It uses electricity and magnetism but has never seen, much less fully understand them. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, merely the absence of it." Is there such a thing as immorality?"
[Professor] Of course there is,
[Student] "Wrong again, sir. You see, immorality is merely the absence of morality. Is there such thing as injustice? No. Injustice is the absence of justice. Is there such a thing as evil?" Isn't evil the absence of good?" "If there is evil in the world, professor, and we all agree there is, then God, if he exists, must be accomplishing a work through the agency of evil. What is that work God is accomplishing? Islam which means Submission to the will of God , tells us it is to see if each one of us will, choose good over evil."
[Professor ]"As a philosophical scientist, I don't vie this matter as having anything to do with any choice; as a realist, I absolutely do not recognize the concept of God or any other theological factor as being part of the world equation because God is not observable."
[Student] "I would have thought that the absence of God's moral code in this world is probably one of the most observable phenomena going," Tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that, they evolved from a monkey?"
[Professor] Yes of course "If you are referring to natural evolutionary process,
[Student ]"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?" "Professor. Since no-one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a priest?"
[Professor ] I will overlook your impudence in the light of philosophical debate."
[Student ]""So you don't accept God's moral code to do ... what is righteous?"
[Professor ]I believe in what is - that's science!"
[Student ] SCIENCE!" "Sir, you rightly state that science is the study of observed phenomena. Science too is a premise which is flawed..." However about your early point may I give you an example."have you ever seen air, Oxygen, molecules, atoms, or your own brain, have you ever heard your brain felt your brain, touched or smelt your brain?"
[Professor]No answer/silent
[Student ] Sir, It appears you never had any sensory perception of the your own brain whatsoever. Therefore according to the rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science, I am sorry to DECLARE that YOU HAVE NO BRAIN’’ Sir
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Is it ethical to flatter your boss to get sometime done????
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There is a direct relation between ethics and money. Our chairperson sir once said to me, if a person is always after money, his or her ethics is zero percent. I agree with him. If i think i will always get something done with money, my ethics is zero.
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Very much true speech by Honorable Chairman Sir. Our ethics will be ruined if we only go after the money. I believe one thing:
“Just search works and done it properly, money will be come eventually/graduallyâ€.
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Our everyday activities represent our personality and character.
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Is it ethical Not to pay any taxes to the Govt. or not to submit any income tax return ever for someone who is working professionally for the last 15 years.....or more?
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yes, sir....paying taxes is highly ethical....he who doesn't pay tax is an unethical person...., according to me..
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I think ethics is a relative issue. It depends on how people of a certain area judge the criteria of ethics. So, it varies from place to place and culture to culture. But there should be bench mark as Shibli Sir mentioned of ethics. Otherwise people will change the criteria of ethics from generation to generation. To me, ethics should be constant, it should NOT be changed from culture to culture.
For example: when i went to the USA, i saw almost all girls wearing skirts on formal occasion, it is very much ethical but in our subcontinent, wearing shirts and mini skirts on formal occasions indecent....the same case is applicable for a girl in shaking hands with a boy....On the other hand, the western people view that we, the girls, are indecent when we wear SHARI showing our belly...Further more, in our subcontinent, corruption is seen almost everywhere especially the politicians, ministers, MPS, the judiciary people and the police. But in western countries, they do corruption in bigger shape like the USA attacked Iraq for OIL. Also, having children before marriage is quite ethical in those countries whereas living together is completely unethical in our culture.......
My point is if it continues, people of different ages will keep on changing the norms of ethics on which i disagree. So, there should be certain rules for ethics for all people of the world. It cannot be made, i know but there should be.........here lies the importance of religious scriptures that give us certain rules and regulations of ethics...
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The concept of hereafter is justified when a person in Germany has got only 15 years imprisonment for having the allegation of 1000 rapes against him recently.......
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"Too much materialistic people can not justify their sense of ethics.They just only run after their own profit." Shamsi Ara Huda
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Strongly agree with Bacon on this point. let me share a relevant experience with one of our students. He claims to be a Nastik, mocks religious values by creating his Facebook Id as Alhajj xyz . I wonder at the moral standard of these type of students as they are the future leaders of Bangladesh.
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Some people are expert at buttering up their bosses. It has been a common practice in most organizations In Bangladesh. Appreciating your boss for right reasons is good but buttering up every time is highly unethical, isn't it?
I personally hate to flatter my bosses unnecessarily, but i do appreciate them on logical ground.
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Every one should have his/her ethics based on his/her social status which will be very creative to build his/her career.
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"EVERYONE IN THIS WORLD deserves respect. Successful people with good moral and intention don’t treat people badly to get what they want.
Let our words and actions show a fundamental respect for the human value of others."
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THE GREATEST ASSET IN ONE'S LIFE IS faith- faith in what God Almighty ordained. Almighty God would probably pardon all sins of human beings, but not if they associate anything or anybody else with God.
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Parents , I think, are the most responsible persons regarding the ethical learning of a child.
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I agree with Nahid Kaiser Madam.
Moreover, a person’s religious value grows in his family. Friends and relatives are also responsible for the development of a person’s ethical value especially normative ethics. Most importantly, we must realize that we should do to others what we would want others to do to us.
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People have been moving away from materialism and dog-eat-dog ambition to seek more permanent values-family, community, earth, faith and a more certain grasp of right and wrong. Americans are on a spiritual journey, increasingly concerned with the meaning of life and issues of the soul and spirit. They are increasingly looking to religion as a source of comfort in a chaotic world._ Principles of Marketing, Kotler p 79
Bio of Professor Kotler
Professor Kotler received his master's degree at the University of Chicago and his PhD at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both in Economics. He did postdoctoral work in mathematics at Harvard University and in behavioral science at the University of Chicago. Professor Kotler has consulted for such companies as IBM, General Electric, AT&T, Honeywell, Bank of America, Merck and others in the areas of marketing strategy and planning, marketing organization and international marketing.
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There are lots of conversations and debates about GOD worldwide. Who is GOD and What is GOD...how we can prove the presence of GOD...these all are the first or last state of those discussions. I think all these contradictory converstions are making the concept of GOD very complicated. Because, GOD isn't same to all. In Quran it is told that-LAKUM DINUKUM AL-YADIN. It means that...-'Jar jar bissasah Tar tar kase'. So, what one should believe, that depands 100% on him or her. Now if we tell that, who is he? Then we will mark him or her as a person with ethics. It may be positive ethics or negative. But every man should have ethics, otherwise how can be he or she a human being? So, better to stop conversations about it.
A Human should be a Human......there have no other alternate lines!!!!
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"A little knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes him a believer in God." Francis Bacon, famous philosopher.
Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance." Sir Isaac Newton.
Who introduced the term humanity or humanism? Why should we be humane? For our own satisfaction!! Degeneration will occur if there is no belief in God.
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I am not against the concept of believing GOD. I do believe and feel my creator so much. But I want to tell that, Its my own belief. My GOD is in me and know how do I feel GOD. The problem arises when we start conversations about GOD then it converts to debate. Thats not right according to my sense. The first world countries are not so social like us, but their countries are idol to us. Do they have more belief in GOD? Of course not. Why should people belief GOD? For Heaven? I think, If anyone believes GOD for Heaven society can't get anything from him accept the advices like few persons who are also available in our society. I person who believes GOD, at first he or she would be a GOOD HUMAN in nature. There have lots of great mans who didn't belief GOD...so without believing GOD, its possible to a GOOD HUMAN. Humanism comes from the sense of that man who thinks about the results of the work which is going to complete by himself.
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"Soon I will show them my signs in the (farthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?"
Almighty Allah has promised to show His signs everywhere around the universe and even in the souls of human beings until and unless the truth is clear to them. Each individual's perception is formed according to the people he or she associates with, the books s/he studies and the surroundings s/he belongs to.
The popularity of spirituality and meditation is growing among the people of first world countries who are moving away from materialism and dog-eat-dog ambition. Because they want to grasp the better understanding of right and wrong. They are increasingly concerned with the meaning of life and issues of the soul and spirit. They are increasingly looking to religion as a source of comfort in this chaotic world, opined by an American Professor Kotler.
Who is debating here? It is our reading that make us understand who we are and why we are for in this earth. We should read, read and know the fact....
How much do we know about ourselves? Do we know......????
Our heart beats around 100, 000 times every day.
Our blood is on a 60,000-mile journey.
Our eyes can distinguish up to one million color surfaces and take in more information than the largest telescope known to man.
Our lungs inhale over two million liters of air every day, without even thinking. They are large enough to cover a tennis court.
Our hearing is so sensitive it can distinguish between hundreds of thousands of different sounds.
Our sense of touch is more refined than any device ever created.
Our brain is more complex than the most powerful computer and has over 100 billion nerve cells.
We give birth to 100 billion red cells every day.
When we touch something, we send a message to our brain at 124 mph.
We have over 600 muscles.
We exercise at least 30 muscles when we smile
We are about 70 percent water.
We make one liter of saliva a day.
Our nose is our personal air-conditioning system:
It warms cold air, cools hot air and filters impurities.
In one square inch of our hand we have nine feet of blood vessels, 600 pain sensors, 9000 nerve endings, 36 heat sensors and 75 pressure sensors.
We have copper, zinc, cobalt, calcium, manganese, phosphates, nickel and silicon in our bodies.
All these are miracles of our life. How many of us ponder over these things!!! It is very unlikely that we are created by chance.
To know more, visit
http://forum.daffodilvarsity.edu.bd/index.php/topic,552.msg1278.html#msg1278
http://forum.daffodilvarsity.edu.bd/index.php/topic,552.msg1276.html#msg1276
http://forum.daffodilvarsity.edu.bd/index.php/topic,679.msg1596.html#msg1596
http://forum.daffodilvarsity.edu.bd/index.php/topic,319.msg630.html#msg630
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"Compromising to get benefits or to hold position is corruption. Putting wrong people in the right position or putting right people in the wrong position is also corruption. Making someone tamed or being tamed is also corruption. Now think how much we are involved in corruption. Not being corrupt may cost a lot, but still it's better not to be corrupt." Professor Md. Mizanur Rahman, Phd
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Why is religion necessary to be a good human being? Because the glorious Qur'an is the only book undistorted and unchanged ever in the history of the world. It's even declared by the non-muslim harsh critics of Islam. The concept of Humanism changes over the time across the countries and places. I have found many people who speak for ethics are after money. I have seen people who speak for LOVE are miser and hardly donate money to the poor. But the Qur'an is the internal and perpetual instruction manual which says if you save more than around 50,000 taka in a year, you have to donate 2.5% to the poor. It's compulsory.
Please don't look at the followers; a religion cannot be judged by looking at the followers. The followers are responsible if they don't follow the scripture. But the so-called atheism or humanism has got no unchangeable instruction manuals that often vary from person to person. In the UK, having a baby without marriage is nothing about unethical. Who knows someday will come when they will say marrying own brother or sister is ethical?
Why is religion necessary to be moral? Because we have to draw the line somewhere along the way. People of different ages tend to change the concept of ethics over the time. If we please go through all the posts given here, we will get the answers.
http://forum.daffodilvarsity.edu.bd/index.php/topic,519.msg1201.html#msg1201
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Thanks for the informative share.
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So true, thanks for sharing
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last quotes are very nice
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"Morality is one of the fundamental sources of a nation’s strength, just as immorality is one of the main causes of a nation’s decline. Islam has established some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be observed in all circumstances. To uphold these rights, Islam has provided not only legal safeguards, but also a very effective moral system. Thus, whatever leads to the welfare of the individual or the society and does not oppose any maxims of the religion is morally good in Islam, and whatever is harmful is morally bad."
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only complete education can make people perfect.
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Every good things(whether it is ethics or religious values) in the world is obviously and undoubtedly better for human being to lead a perfect life but these good things are valueless if they are not practiced by human because what is the value of these knowledge's about ethics or religious values which are not practiced by anyone. So having knowledge's about ethics or religious values, we all should respect them as well through our maintenance.
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I am agreed with Mr. Francis Bacon. Thanks Sibli sir for this information.
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dear Mr Shibly
I request you and others to go thoroughly the 1st ayat of the 8th para of the holy Quran. Lot of things will become clear to you.
: SP :
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wHY THIS POST MAKE ME FEEL LOADED i DONT KNOW CAN YOU PLZ EXPLAIN?
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peace is related to mind. It depends on the person his/herself.
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A good post to read. Thanks to the writer.
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ethics is a discretionary matter and its vary person to person
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I agree with UmmeKulsum Madam.
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Thanks, the issue is vary useful to develop moral values of human being........
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Dear Shibli Sir
Thank you very much for your resourceful post. It is not only a post which has laid a hand on the kernel stone of my heart but lend a hand to find out the real happiness of my life. Allah blesses you.
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Yes it is.
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Priceless Thought ............
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good one...thanks for sharing
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enjoyed the discussion :)
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I appreciate all of my respected and honorable colleagues and dear students to go through and enrich the discussion.
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i totally agree. i have also heard this concept on Dr. Zakir Nayak's speech.
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Great information.
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well written
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in my personal opinion "Humanity first".
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Most nations with high degree of ethical standards in society are also non-religious
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Agreed :)
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Do we all think about this?
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:)
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Please write something. Please don't just agree with the concept!
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thanks for nice sharing
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Nice Sharing. I fully agreed on this topic discussed.
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I agree and believe religious values keeping me far from sin.
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Wow
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"I guess there is no certain ethical standards and moral values. It changes over social and geographical even on religious aspects." this says everything
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Nice observation.
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Religious less value is value less.
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All of you have right to share. But be careful about our parents,grand parents, society, and community.
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Good post.
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Informative :)
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Thanks for sharing.
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Worthy post.
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Thanks for sharing :)