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Family planning

Whilst welcoming the decision of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board to propogate family planning, it is hoped that Board will advocate the adoption of only the "Azl" form of birth control as all other forms such as use of condoms etc. are forbidden in Islam.
S.M.Pasha, Periamet, Chennai
smpasha01@yahoo.com

II
Islam is a way of life with a considerable degree of intellectuality and hence its greatest misfortune has been its blatant misinterpretation by all and sundry. No religion is a matter of loose talk and tea time discussion, but sadly one sees just this happening. Practising family planning by people is an indication of their thoughtfulness, maturity and sensibility. Discarding it as unislamic is imbecilic. This also goes as a wrong signal to those who do not know much about Islam and they fall prey to all the spiteful propaganda against it. Yes, abortion is bad because of the ill effects it has on the woman undergoing this trauma. Medical world does not approve of it either. But surely there are other methods to check population and they must be encouraged and the masses must be educated on this issue. Large families are not typical to Muslims alone. It is a common feature that goes with lack of education and poverty and through out the world the fact remains unchanged. No religion encourages unlimited and uncontrolled population explosion that results in hunger, sickness, joblessness, criminal activity and such other vices. The debate over census report should be centred around future action towards the building of a healthy nation where all sections of the society are taken care of rather than holding a particular sect criminally responsible. Also it will be in the interest of every section of our society to critically and objectively analyse its own positives and negatives aspects instead of making a serious document subject of useless egoistic debate. 
Zohra Javed, Allahabad
usman_jawed@rediffmail.com