IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL
AL-AMEEN : A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER (SECOND ISSUE) 2006
EDITOR : V.M. KHALEELUR RAHMAN
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HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA DR. A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM INAUGURATED “AMBUR MUSLIM EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY” CENTENARY CELEBRATION (HELD ON SEPTEMBER 4, 5 AND 6, 2006) EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE RELATED THIRD SPECIAL ISSUE ON EDUCATION AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. EDITORIAL : EDUCATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN …..
2. MUSLIM EDUCATION UNDER LIBERALISED ECONOMY
BY MAQBOOL AHMED SIRAJ
3. ISLAMIC RESURGENCE
4. WHY ARE JEWS SO POWERFUL AND MUSLIMS SO POWERLESS?
5. READERS COMMENT
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EDUCATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OSTENTATIOUS MARRIAGE
We sell lands, houses or any other property or approach the rich who may or may not be relatives to conduct marriages of our children ostentatiously in an un-islamic way. It is a hard fact known to everyone. Many families are ruined in doing so. It can easily be prevented if just 10 Ulema and 10 Umara come forward on a single platform in every village, town and city to reform the society by creating an example for themselves. Let our brethren ponder over it and do the needful to save the community from further deterioration or collapse. It is what the Islamic principles pronounce, which everyone says, are important to him.
Another important thing to be kept in mind is that there is no need to copy the rich. Politicians spend many crores of Rupees which we have seen and are seeing. It is the case with film stars. Is there any meaning in imitating them? Let us be careful and cautious.
There is no need to think that our status will be higher in conducting posh marriages. We should act understanding to our limitations. All should not try to follow the rich in conducting posh marriages.
It has been mentioned in a recent issue of a magazine that there is no need for the Muslim women to be financially empowered. We would like to know from enlightened people what should Muslim female doctors do, whether there should be nurses or not, female teachers should receive their salary or not etc. It is not known where we are heading.
Will it be all right if we keep 50% of our population (female) idle producing more and more children without giving female children better education and empowering them? Let our leaders including Ulema throw light on this question and show the way in the present highly materialistic world.
But we cannot forget that it is the people who serve the community are remembered and adored in every religion, every faith and unfaith. Who can forget Mother Theresa? The world salutes her and feels small before her.
In our own North Arcot district it is the likes of Nawab C. Abdul Hakeem sahib who still dominate the social and educational arena of the Muslim community because of their extra-ordinary philanthropic dispositions. On all India level it is still that bold giant revolutionary reformer Sir Syed Ahmed Khan who comes to our mind in the field of education and reformation.
In the present age it is the President of India His Excellency Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam of whom we should be proud as Indians and as Muslims the like of whom the community has not produced during the past perhaps 500 years. Every Indian, whatever may be his faith, must learn religion and patriotism from him.
One wonders why the enthusiasm parents show to the marriages is not shown to the education. Although, thank God, there is some improvement in our educational thinking, we have to go a long way to reach the level of other communities. The leaders who manage educational institutions should take necessary steps to awaken the community from its slumber and work for its better educational performance. A community-guidance is a must. It is also the duty of the religious scholars to make the community realise the importance of modern education for both boys and girls. The Imams of mosques can select important subjects like education for their Friday sermons instead of routinely dealing on irrelevant topics.
Mr. H. Abdur Raqeeb sahib handed over an article (titled “Why are Jews so powerful and Muslims so powerless?”) to me written by somebody whose name is not mentioned there. We are publishing the same in this issue for a serious reading and preservation.
We have received a good suggestion from another of our well-wishers Mr. N. Shafeeque Ahmed sahib for making our monthly newsletter “Al-Ameen” available to a wide circle of people. He praises the work the writers have put in their articles (November 2006 issue of “Al-Ameen”)
At present we are sending our newsletter “AL-AMEEN ”to about 250 people. Insha-Allah we will increase this list. We request our readers to forward “Al-Ameen” to as many friends and relatives as possible if they find it interesting, useful and worth doing so.
Yet another well wisher Mr. K. Mohamed Nasarullah sahib appreciates our efforts.
Mr. T. Rafeeq Ahmed sahib appreciates our publishing AMES Centenary Celebration report in the last two issues of Al-Ameen and wishes us all the best.
We thank all of them for sharing their views with us. We are for open discussion of any and every issue concerning the community without any inhibition. Let us be honest in our approach.
We are happy to inform you again that Mr. T. Rafeeq Ahmed sahib’s ambition for establishing a women’s college in Ambur will come true Insha-Allah as soon as possible as he is very particular about it and working on it seriously. We hope that the community, particularly philanthropists and industrialists of Ambur, will definitely extend their best co-operation to him.
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MUSLIM EDUCATION UNDER LIBERALISED ECONOMY
Maqbool Ahmed Siraj, Executive Editor, Islamic voice, Bangalore presented this paper in the Educational Conference of the AMES Centenary Celebration
on 4th September 2006
The past 16 years have been momentous for the Indian Economy. India has emerged as a vibrant economy during the period. Despite coalition governments at the Centre and disparate groups ruling in the States, economy grew by 8.1 per cent last year and we are aspiring for the 10 per cent growth in years ahead. Country’s foreign exchange coffers are overflowing with nearly RS. 160 billion. Foreign direct investments has been steady, though much poor in comparison to China. Stock markets have consistently been upswing despite some setbacks due to scandals. Exports have risen phenomenally. Agriculture, which used to be the main contributor to the economy has been relegated to the third position. Service sector has taken the prime position with as much as 52 per cent share in the growth. Some sectors like Information Technology, Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, automobile, construction etc are doing exceptionally well in terms of growth. Nearly two crore of Indians either settled or working abroad are feeling encouraged to keep the funds in India or invest in stocks or land.
Mood in India is upbeat. For the first time after Independence, the Indians feel like having arrived on the world scene. India has risen in the estimation of the world nations. Though education and health are a major concern for the majority of the citizens, Indian colleges and hospitals are now rated as one of the best in the world. India is able to export its educational and medical expertise in substantial measure to several nations. In fact, majority of technically trained Indians who work abroad, are employed in the sectors of education, health and engineering. Almost three lakh engineers are being produced annually within the country. Salaries in some sectors have risen to such heights that some NRIs find it much remunerative to return and work in the native soil.
Economy has received sustained support from the political dispensation. All parties that have ruled have followed the same line. Stability of the political institutions and conventions have been a source of strength. Goldman Sachs study says that economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China are likely to surpass the American economy by 2050 together clubbed as BRIC.
Rosy scenario is painted in some sectors like IT, BT, pharmaceuticals, construction, aviation, housing, consumer durables etc. Indian middle class with disposable income is today estimated to consist of 30 crore people. These are positive highlights of the economy.
There are some negative factors too. Infrastructure in India is very poor. Judicial set up is hopeless and legal delays mar the efficiency of the system. Poor educational attainments and health status of nearly 80 per cent people does not inspire hope. Housing scenario is grim. Due to this our urban areas are a picture of chaos. Left parties which have a solid support base in some states and a few regional parties do not support the liberalization policies dictated by the IMF and the World Bank. Income disparities are rising and this has led to social and economic iniquity. It has given impetus to ideologies like naxalism. Even crime rate is likely to go up due to this factor. Arrival of Western cultural mores is likely to impact on family structure and social ethos. HIV/Aids is one fallout of the situation.
I have given a bird’s eye view of the economic situation. What has caused all this? Primarily, India was heralded into the liberalization era due to the pathetic situation during 1990-91 when the forex reserves had touched the bottom. The IMF and the World Bank began to dictate Structural Adjustment Programme. A few factors that have shaped the success of the liberalized economy in India are the following:
1-Liberal transfer of technology and arrival of Internet.
2-Presence of vast English-knowing and using class
3-Telecom revolution which was initiated during the Rajiv Gandhi period.
4-Automation in industry.
5-Presence of a vast pool of engineering talent.
6-Enhanced importance of English
Today knowledge knows no barriers, neither geographical nor national. People of even enemy nations are free to contact each other without the interference of their governments. Knowledge flows over the physical borders. Knowledge and human resources have become more important than material resources. Those who have knowledge can control the resources. Due to Information Technology, the workers need not move. The work can move. That’s how hundreds of thousands of Indian engineers can do the back office work of banks and insurance companies of the United States without leaving the shores of India. IT has enabled millions of people to learn, work and be taught and even diagnosed for ailments at their homes. Video courts, video clinics and e-tuitions are eliminating the barriers of distances. Multimedia has made the transfer of written text, voice, photographs, colour, messages, etc possible. Work is on to even transfer smell and touch in the near future. Those who jump onto the bandwagon of knowledge would control the world in future. In fact they are already doing so. IT is also changing the pattern of economy. It is consolidating various skills and concentrating the centres of production. It is reducing the use of hands and assigning the task to machines. Look at ATMs, ECS, credit cards, e-commerce, platform ticket vending machines et al. Movie reels now need not be hand delivered. They are digitally delivered. Flights are booked online. So you need not go to a travel agent. Even boarding cards could be printed at home and you can rush for the security check before flights. It is also eliminating wait and delays. Devotees at the Tirupati Devasthanam need not wait in the queue for darshan. They can buy coupons with time indicated on it. Railway reservations are available for anywhere in India just with a click of the mouse. Much of these have become part of our daily lives during the last 15 years. It is making the delivery schedules surer. It is facilitating the movement of capital through electronic banking, ATMs, credit cards, speedy money transfers et al. It is widening the access of knowledge. It is where we need to think about our priorities in education.
Let me present a few facets of how this new economy has affected Muslims:
· The silk industry of Muslims in Karnataka is in shambles. Chinese silk has invaded Indian market. It is cheaper by Rs. 150 a kilogram. Muslims who ran silk reeling units in Ramanagram, Sidlghatta, Channapatna, Kolar etc have to now work as masons in construction sites.
(Ref. M. A. Siraj, Deccan Herald, Bangalore, Nov. 30, 2004)
· Muslim male tailors in cities and towns are generally without work as people prefer buying branded quality garments in fashion stores. They come quite cheap, have excellent stitch, perfect fit.
· Muslim hoarding painters are now without work. Digital printing has rendered them useless. Digital printing produces neat designs in splendid colours and can advertise better. This kind of printing is all digitized and computerized.
· Muslim auto garage owners of traditional type are out of work. They can only repair or service old Ambasadors, Fiats and Heralds. Nearly 50 brands of cars have entered the Indian market. These companies provide their own service centres and employ trained and skilled automobile mechanics who are diploma holders.
I am sure many such changes must have occurred in Tamil Nadu and in the leather industry too. This ingress of new technology has affected all communities and all sectors of economy as science and technology do not discriminate. I know as to how newspaper offices have been affected. Now they do not have proof readers. Sub editors do both subbing and the proofing. Photographers need not go to a laboratory. They directly download their visuals onto computer screens and the photo editor selects and forwards the selected picture to the relevant page-makers. Journalists directly type their script from news happening sites and send them by e-mail to the news editor. But I have only presented a few facets of how it is affecting a community like Muslim in order to say how we need to change too.
Failure to recognize these new elements of scientific and technological changes would render us backward and uncompetitive. It will be uneconomical for us to work with traditional mode and tools. You may be knowing better than me as to how a finished leather merchant or a leather goods manufacturer can benefit by opening his website where consumers in Chicago or Brussels can shop for his choicest goods by visiting the website and looking at every footwear on the website alone and even buy items by paying through credit cards.
It was only modern education that enabled the Muslim leather merchants of North Arcot to proceed from half-tanned skins to finished leather and to leather goods and shoes. They kept pace with policies of the Commerce Ministry and owe their position to mechanization, automation and new financial practices their fathers inducted. I also remember the controversy about E.I. versus Finished leather export raging during early 80s. But those controversies are no longer talked about. Had they not modernized, perhaps the bigger houses would have entered the sector and captured whatever has remained with North Arcot Muslims.
(Ref. M. A. Siraj, Muslim Artisans, Craftsmen and Traders, Issues in Entrepreneurship, Edited by Dr. Abdul Waheed, Director, CEPECAMI, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh Muslim University, published by Icon Publications, New Delhi article titled “Rich dividends through Modernisation” )
But at the same time I must point out certain other sectors that are deficient in modernization.
As a staff reporter in Indian Express in Chennai in early 80s I had written a piece about the outmoded bullock carts of Vaniyambadi which were the only mode of in-city transport for all. There were 500 of them, and perhaps all of them were Muslims. I had pleaded for phasing them out as they were inconvenient for pregnant ladies, old people and school-going girls. I advocated introduction of auto-rickshaws through a cooperative and training of the offspring of the bullock cart pliers as automen and even setting up repair garages, petrol bunks and spares shops through the same cooperative. People in Vaniyambadi accused me of attacking their culture. 25 years later the scene has changed. Bullock carts are out. Their owners and their families may be starving or would be unskilled workers. Autos have come into the town. They do not have any special arrangement for purdah- observing ladies. They are not plied by the men of our community.
This happens with any community which does not want to change. Technology has its own pace. It enters out life subtly, swiftly, smoothly. It challenges the traditions and changes our lifestyles, our ways to earn livelihood and learn and behave. If these changes are not regulated, they even begin to impact on our culture, religion and faith. Others who catch up with technology, they steal a lead and grow powerful. Thus weak are suppressed culturally, economically and politically.
In view of these changes, it would be imperative for Muslims to make certain changes in their educational curriculum.
· It is better that we arrive at a clear understanding for medium of instructions. Urdu could be a language, but it would be less than wise to have it as the medium of instructions in a state (like Tamil Nadu) where only one-fourth of Muslims speak that language. It is true that the Constitution does grant you a right to be taught through your mother tongue. But it is a bigger reality that a minority has to learn a language of the majority in order to learn about the mainstream happenings and fit into the life and development of the region.
· English must be given a prime of place in Muslim educational institutions. It should not only be compulsory, but the Muslim students should be taught to develop high communicative skills in it. Unesco projections say that in the future world, one would have to use one of the following languages to communicate internationally and carry out trade and commerce: English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, French and Hindi. Looking at this I find Muslims totally deficient in communication due to improper stress over languages. Muslim schools only enable students to understand English. They should employ special teachers to impart communicative English. High proficiency should be achieved in reading, writing and speaking this language.
· Precision is emerging as the hallmark of all professions. Professionals are selected on the basis of public school background. With computers entering every field of activity, it is necessary that precision becomes integral to our education. Look for example: an e-mail message bounces if there is difference of a dot, a dash or a hyphen. An ATM machine does not work if codes are not properly fed. A courier might land in Austria instead of Aurstalia if the clerk is poorly trained in Geography or spellings. A call could be misdirected if telecom codes are not observed or a letter could go haywire if postal zone code is not carefully filled. It could affect our business in myriad ways. Legal hassles will be inevitable if letters are not drafted properly. Unfortunately, education in Muslim schools is callous and careless in all these aspects.
· Curriculum changes are becoming necessary every two and three years. Even if universities do not affect them, good colleges add portions that could be useful. Computer courses offered in Universities do not have many takers as they take long time to affect changes. Syllabus committees take years to select and meet and bring out books. New Softwares come in a deluge and change the complexion of the computing every two months. Therefore the students keen to excel go to Aptech and NIIT in order to keep pace with new courses brought by these private institutes. They import software in quick time. No wonder these institutes have become popular world over.
· Muslim education system places emphasis on rituals, not values. Rituals bind an individual to God but values constitute the bonds of society. Namaz, fasting, Hajj ensure fulfilling commitment to God. But values such as honesty, integrity, truthfulness, punctuality, efficiency, promptness, hardwork etc are necessary for survival of a society and interpersonal relations. There should be stressed on all these through anecdotes, parables, fables of the Prophets, sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) and great men of our religion and nation. It appears Muslim businesses do not progress due to this deficient aspect.
· Considerable talent among Muslims is going towards medicine and engineering while sectors like law, journalism, fine arts, economics, agriculture and its allied disciplines, competitive exam for Govt. jobs are not receiving attention. This lopsided development of the community needs to be corrected. Career counseling and planning is the need of the hour.
· Tamil Nadu Muslims have perhaps raised disproportionately large number of colleges. The stress on quality school education is deficient. This has led to under-utilization of their own colleges by the community. Secondly, the Self-Financed professional education is expensive. They require social infrastructure like scholarship endowments, hostels (there are no free hostels for girls in Chennai), special coaching institutes, book banks etc. Haj Committee is Chennai an annexe to its existing facility. It is good. But Haj involves only two months of utility. Why not think of students’ and working women’s hostels and even hospitals.
· Muslim girls’ education too needs to take cognizance of a few factors of the changed circumstances. Families have become nuclear (man, wife and kids). Smaller families are the norm. Arrival of mixers, washing machines, heaters, instant mixes and ovens have made the housewife’s task easier. She has lot of disposable hours and incomes too. Girls therefore need to be trained with useful skills for their hours of inaction. A recent study says arrival of every household appliance adds eight pound of weight to the housewives’ physique. Girls’ education should provide hands-on training in banking transactions, insurance, saving schemes, stock trading, basic health issues, fitness and immunisation, nutrition, dealing with post and railway affairs (reservation, registry, MO, bookings), etc. Our women know next to nothing about these affairs. Perhaps services of educated Muslim girls could be directed towards improving child care in Muslim orphanages, setting up vocational centres for destitute Muslim girls, rehabilitation centres for disabled people, setting up hostels for working Muslim women etc. There are virtually no avenues for productive utilization of the talents and energies of educated Muslim women in Tamil Nadu even though Muslim women colleges are mushrooming everywhere.
· Localised research should get priority in our colleges. By Allah’s grace, Tamil Nadu has 19 degree colleges, 11 engineering colleges, 20 polytechnics being run by the Muslim community. But no significant surveys, studies, research on local and Muslim issues are forthcoming from these institutions. Several social and economic issues beg for detailed studies. A study on income, investment, saving and consumption pattern of Muslim families in leather business would have been in order. Traditional Muslim businesses, their modernization process, etc need to be studied. No study has been done on how Muslim students cope with high cost of professional education. Why people from North Arcot are marrying girls in Kerala? How Muslim charities are utilized? How relevant is the curriculum of madrassas to the present day needs? How relevant is the content of Friday sermons to the present day? Welfare measures for the beedi workers in North Arcot District? What is the impact of Gulf earners in Tamil Nadu? Could be a few issues for research. A few years ago when some political activists raised the issue of water and environment pollution in Palar basin, Muslim leather industry found itself totally at the sea. Why not take up the issue and suggest ways to improve the environment? Why not take up water harvesting on the Yellagiri and Javadi Hills in order to recharge the land aquifers for perennial supply of water? Why not replicate Anna Hazare’e Ahmednagar model here. Perhaps Muslim colleges need to take many such issues to make themselves relevant to the needs of the people they are supposed to serve. Perhaps a consortium of Muslim colleges could come up with an Institute for Regional Studies in Tamil Nadu. The community is currently intellectually sterile.
These are a few recommendations for upgrading the Muslim education in Tamil Nadu in order to fulfil the urges of economic liberalization. In the past the Tamil Nadu Muslims have set very bright precedents due to their activism. It is expected that they will rise to the occasion and bring about reform that are the need of the hour.
ISLAMIC RESURGENCE – THE TIDE CANNOT BE STOPPED !
In spite of the fact that Muslim Ummah is passing through a critical period in the present day world, there is a clear trend that Islam has become important and is playing a very important role in shaping the future of humanity. The anti-Islam propaganda has, in a way, helped people in seeking more knowledge about Islam. From the East to the West in every city and country, in every newspaper and TV programme Islam is the big question. More and more people are seeking solace in the shade of this Divine religion of peace, prosperity and salvation.
Unfortunately, by and large, the West’s attitude towards Islam is negative. It appears that it has found, after the downfall of Communism, a new opponent to fight with. Islamophobia is ever increasing: controversies are being created, deliberate provocations are being made, insults on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are being hurled and Muslims are being presented as the greatest danger to world peace and future of civilization.
Another aspect of this precarious situation is the imposition of obedient kings, obliging presidents and subservient rulers on the Muslim countries by the West. They are suppressing both democracy and Islamic yearning of their people to please their Western mentors. The West swears by human rights and democracy but promotes dictators and tyrants like Saddam Hussein to serve its interests. Take the case of Saddam: when he was no longer needed, the story of weapons of mass destruction was invented and Iraq was destroyed beyond recognition. So much so that up to now, according to recent revelations of British magazine Lancet, not less than 655,000 civilians have lost their lives there. This massacre of the innocents would put even Hitler and Stalin to shame.
Ever increasing attacks on Islam and Muslims have led some people to frustration while some are leaning towards extremist thinking. But Islam’s chequered history gives no room for frustration or any extremist reaction. The Ummah has successfully weathered many storms both physical and ideological.
The year 1099 witnessed the capture of Jerusalem and massacre of Muslims, and Jews as well in the hands of Crusaders. But within hundred years, Salahuddin re-conquered Jerusalem and restored its dignity and re-established peace. Greater was the scale of widespread destruction wrought by Mongol hordes in the fist half of 13th century throughout Muslim world, which culminated in the destruction of Baghdad in 1258. It did not take long for the Ummah to regain its lost glory and the Mongols who so badly devastated Muslim lands were themselves conquered by the lofty principles of Islam. So would the Ummah withstand the present onslaughts, rediscover its ideological strength and spring back to a new vitality.
Portents indicate that Islam, in spite of all negative propaganda is catching the imagination of large sections of humanity.
Our agenda should be rejuvenation of Ummah and reconstruction of humanity on the basis of divine guidance contained in the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah of His Last Prophet. We reject the theory of clash of civilizations and endorse the confluence of civilizations, spirit of cooperation and unity of mankind. We are friends of all and enemies of none. We support good wherever it may be and reject evil with whomsoever it may be. Let us at the end of this holy month of Ramadhan resolve to work for this holy cause. No allegation of Islamofascism would weaken our resolve and no amount of intimidation would shake the Ummah. Firm faith and utmost struggle is the key to achieving this goal for the Ummah and the entire humanity. So Allah, help us.
(Courtesy: Radiance, Editorial)
WHY ARE JEWS SO POWERFUL AND MUSLIMS SO POWERLESS?
There are only 14 million Jews in the world; seven million in America, five million in Asia, two million in Europe and 100,000 in Africa. For every single Jew in the world there are 100 Muslims. Yet, Jews are more than a hundred times more powerful than all the Muslims put together. Ever wondered why?
Jesus of Nazareth was Jewish. Albert Einstein, the most influential scientist of all time and TIME magazine’s Person of the Century, Sigmund Freud –id, ego, superego – the father of psychoanalysis was a Jew. So were Karl Max, Paul Samuelson and Milton Friedman.
Here are the few other Jews whose intellectual output has enriched the whole humanity: Benjamin Rubin gave humanity the vaccinating needle. Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine. Alert Sabin developed the improved live polio vaccine. Gertrude Elion gave us a leukaemia-fighting drug. Baruch Blumberg developed the vaccination for Hepatitis B. Paul Ehrlich discovered a treatment for syphilis (a sexually transmitted disease). Elie Metchnikoff won a Nobel Prize in infectious diseases.
Bernard Katz won a Nobel Prize in neuro-muscular transmission. Andrew Schally won a Nobel in endocrinology (disorders of the endocrine system; diabetes, hyper-thyroidism). Aaron Beck founded cognitive therapy (psychotherapy to treat mental disorders, depression and phobias). Gregory Pincus developed the first oral contraceptive pill. George Wald won a Nobel for furthering our understanding of the human eye. Stanley Cohen won a Nobel in embryology (study of embryos and their development). Willem Kolff came up with the kidney dialysis machine.
Over the past 105 years, 14 million Jews have won 15 dozen Nobel Prizes while only three Nobel Prizes have been won by 1.4 billion Muslims (other than Peace Prizes)
Why are Jews so powerful?
Stanley Mezor invented the first micro-processing chip. Leo Szilard developed the first nuclear chain reactor. Peter Schultz: optical fibre cable, Charles Adler: traffic lights, Benno Strauss: stainless steel, Isador Kisee: sound movies, Emile Berliner: telephone microphone and Charles Ginsburg: videotape recorder.
Famous financiers in the business world who belong to Jewish faith include Ralph Lauren (Polo), Levis Strauss (Levi’s Jeans), Howard Schultz (Starbuck’s), Sergey Brin (Google), Michael Dell (Dell Computers), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Donna Karan (DKNY), Irv Robbins (Baskins & Robbins) and Bill Rosenberg (Dunkin Donuts), Richard Levin, President of Yale University, is a Jew. So are Henry Kissinger (American Secretary of State), Alan Greenspan (fed Chairman under Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush), Joseph Liebermn, Madeleine Albright (American Secretary of State), Casper Weinberger (American Secretary of Defence), Maxim Litvinov (USSR foreign Minister), David Marshal (Singapore’s first chief minister), Issac Isaacs (governor general of Australia), Benjamin Disraeli ( British statesman and author), Yevgeny Primakov (Russian PM), Barry Goldwater, Jorge Sampaio ( President of Portugal), John Deutsch (CIA director),
Herb Gray (Canadian Deputy PM), Pierre Mendes (French PM), Michael Howard (British Home Secretary), Bruno Kreisky (Chancellor of Austria) and Robert Rubin (American Secretary of Treasury)
In the media, famous Jews include Wolf Blitzer (CNN), Barbara Walters (ABC News), Eugene Meyer (Washington Post), Henry Grunwald (editor-in-chief Time), Katherine Graham (publisher of The Washington Post), Joseph Lelyyeld (Executive editor, The New York Times) and Max Frankel (New York Times).
Can you name the most beneficent philanthropist in the history of the world? The name is George Soros, a Jew, who has so far donated a colossal $4 billion most of which has gone as aid to scientists and universities around the world. Second to George Soros is Walter Annenberg, another Jew, who has built a hundred libraries by donating an estimated $2 billion.
At the Olympics, Mark Spitz set a record of sorts by winning seven gold medals. Lenny Krayzelburg is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. Spitz, Kryzelburg and Boris Beeker are all Jewish.
Did you know that Harrison Ford, George Burns, Tony Curtis, Charles Bronson, Sandra Bullock, Billy Crystal, Woody Allen, Paul Newman, Peter Sellers, Dustin Hoffman, Michael Douglas, Ben Kingsley, Kirk Douglas, Goldie Hawn, Cary Grant, William Shatner, Jerry Lewis and Peter Falk are all Jewish? As a matter of fact, Hollywood itself was founded by a Jew. Among directors and producers, Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Oliver Stone, Aaron Spelling (Beverly Hills 90210), Neil Simon (The Odd Couple), Andrew Vaina (Rambo 1/2/3), Michael Man (Starsky and Hutsch), Milos Forman (One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest), Douglas Fairbanks (The theif of Baghdad) and Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) are all Jewish.
To be certain, Washington is the capital that matters and in Washington the lobby that matters is The American Israel Public Affairs Committee or IPAC. Washington knows that if PM Ehud Olmert were to discover that the earth is flat, AIPAC will make the 109th Congress pass a resolution congratulating Olmert on his discovery. William James Sidis, with an IQ of 250-300, is the brightest human who ever existed Guess what faith did he belong to?
Question: So, why are Jews so powerful?
Answer: Education
There are an estimated 1,476,233,470 Muslims on the face of the planet: one billion in Asia, 400 million in Africa, 44 million in Europe and 6 million in the Americas. Every fifth human being is a Muslim; for every single Hindu there are two Muslims, for every Buddhist there are two Muslims and for every Jew there are one hundred Muslims. Ever wondered why Muslims are so powerless?
Here is why. There are 57 member-countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) nd all of them put together have around 500 universities; one university for every three million Muslims. The United States has 5,758 universities and India has 8407. In 2004, Shanghai Jiao Tong University compiled an “Academic Ranking of World Universities” and intriguinly, not one university from Muslim-majority states was in the top-500.
As per date collected by the UNDP, literary in the Christian world stands at nearly 90 per cent and 15 Christian-majority states have a literacy rate of 100 per cent. A Muslim-majority state, as a sharp contrast, has an average literacy rate of around 40 per cent and there is no Muslim-majority state with a literacy rate of 100 per cent. Some 98 per cent of the literate in the Christian world had completed primary school while less than 50 per cent of the literate in the Muslim world did the same. Around 40 per cent of the literate in the Christian world attended university while no more than two per cent of the literate in the Muslim world did the same.
Muslim-majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims. The US has 4,000 scientists per million and Japan has 5,000 per million. In the entire Arab world, the total number of full –time researchers is 35,000 and there are only 50 technicians per one million Arabs (in the Christian world there are up to 1,000 technicians per one million). Furthermore the Muslim world spends 0.2 per cent of its GDP on research and development while the Christian world spends around five per cent of its GDP.
Conclusion: The Muslim world lacks the capacity to produce knowledge.
Daily newspapers per 1,000 people and number of book titles per million are two indicators of whether knowledge is being diffused in a society. In Pakistan there are 23 daily newspapers per 1,000 Pakistanis while the same ration in Singapore is 360. In the UK, the number of book titles per million stands at 2,000 while the same in Egypt is 20.
Conclusion: The Muslim world is failing to diffuse knowledge.
Exports of high technology products as a percentage of total exports are an important indicator of knowledge application. Pakistan’s exports of high technology products as a percentage of total exports stand at one per cent. The same for Saudi Arabia is 0.3 per cent; Kuwait, Morocco and Algeria are all at 0.3 per cent while Singapore is at 8 per cent.
Conclusion: The Muslim world is failing to apply knowledge.
Why are Muslims powerless? Because we aren’t producing knowledge.
Why are Muslims powerless? Because we aren’t diffusing knowledge.
Why are Muslims powerless? Because we aren’t applying knowledge.
And the future belongs to knowledge-based societies.
Interestingly the combined annual GDP of 57 OIC countries is under $2 trillion. America, just by herself, produces foods and services worth $12 trillion; China $8 trillion, Japan $3.8 trillion; Japan $3.8 trillion and Germany $2.4 trillion (purchasing lower parity basis)
Oil rich Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar collectively produce goods and services (mostly oil) worth $500 billion; Spain alone produces goods and services worth over $1 trillion, Catholic Poland $489 billion and Buddhist Thailand $545 billion (Muslim GDP as a percentage of world GDP is fast declining)
So, why are Muslims so powerless?
Answer: Lack of education.
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READERS COMMENT
Dear VMK,
This has reference to the excellent article "Minority rights -- and wrongs" by Mr. V.R. Krishna Iyer published in The Hindu dated 14th October 2006. He has explained well the definition of minority institutions and their duties. He is right in saying that an educational institution should not be considered a minority one merely because its founder belongs to a certain sect or faith if it does not work for the uplift of the minority communities.
Mr. Iyer is also right in demanding that minority teachers should be paid reasonable salaries and bribes should not be collected for their appointment. He understands their issues more than anybody else and demands solution for them. We thank him for the interest he always shows to the minorities.
Mr. P.K. Shabbir Ahmed, an educationist and social activist has mentioned as follows in his recent article:
“Education has become so costly that the poor cannot afford it. Only two percent of the Muslim community in Tamil Nadu can possibly join professional colleges and reputed matriculation schools. It is a misfortune that even in many Muslim schools and colleges there is no provision to help the poorer students.
Now the Muslim community has opened a couple of B.Ed. colleges but the big question is how many of such Muslim youth - willing to work as teachers - can afford the high fees demanded by the Managements.
We should never forget that the teaching profession appeals only to the poorer or lower middle classes among Muslims”.
It is very unfortunate that even the minority institutions are not protecting the interest of the minorities who are passing through a difficult period now. Let the people at the helm of affairs look into these problems and do the needful.
N. Shameel Ahmed,
Vaniyambadi
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Saturday, August 2, 2008
VAJPAYEE'S MUSINGS
Vajpayee's musings
Sir, - The happy New Year message in the article titled ``My musings from Kumarakom'' by the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, is interesting and thought-provoking.
His expressions for solving the problems of the country, particularly Jammu and Kashmir and Ayodhya disputes, reflect the long-cherished wishes and aspirations of the Indian people.
Actually these are the national sentiments which should be honestly implemented without allowing any communal ideology to raise its ugly head and ruin the nation so that as he most aptly points out ``it can pursue its developmental agenda for the future with single-minded determination.''
Our country craves for peace which is in danger now because of the irrational approaches of communal and extremist outfits which take pride in slogans and not solutions for political advantage.
The government should maintain law and order and protect the rule of law without allowing jungle law to prevail anywhere in the country.
As regards the Babri Masjid dispute, Mr. Vajpayee says ``there are only two ways to resolve this contentious issue: the judicial route or the route of negotiations leading to a mutually acceptable solution.''
The judicial route is understandable but not the other one - a negotiated settlement. The dispute is a national one which should be settled in a justifiable manner getting appreciation from all who witnessed the uncivilised demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 in blatant violation of the rule of law and the Constitution.
It is not a Hindu-Muslim issue. It is an issue between law- abiders and law-breakers. Hence Hindus and Muslims cannot be considered the rival parties and asked to arrive at a negotiated settlement. It is neither possible nor desirable.
There is an urgent need for the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties to sit together and settle this dispute or at least agree to abide by and implement the judiciary's verdict, whatever it might be, jointly. There is no possibility of this problem being solved without their joint efforts. This issue should be de-politicised first and considered national. Let the Prime Minister take the initiative for this and do the needful.
V. M. Khaleelur Rahman,
Chennai (The Hindu dated 6th January 2001)
Sir, - The happy New Year message in the article titled ``My musings from Kumarakom'' by the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, is interesting and thought-provoking.
His expressions for solving the problems of the country, particularly Jammu and Kashmir and Ayodhya disputes, reflect the long-cherished wishes and aspirations of the Indian people.
Actually these are the national sentiments which should be honestly implemented without allowing any communal ideology to raise its ugly head and ruin the nation so that as he most aptly points out ``it can pursue its developmental agenda for the future with single-minded determination.''
Our country craves for peace which is in danger now because of the irrational approaches of communal and extremist outfits which take pride in slogans and not solutions for political advantage.
The government should maintain law and order and protect the rule of law without allowing jungle law to prevail anywhere in the country.
As regards the Babri Masjid dispute, Mr. Vajpayee says ``there are only two ways to resolve this contentious issue: the judicial route or the route of negotiations leading to a mutually acceptable solution.''
The judicial route is understandable but not the other one - a negotiated settlement. The dispute is a national one which should be settled in a justifiable manner getting appreciation from all who witnessed the uncivilised demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 in blatant violation of the rule of law and the Constitution.
It is not a Hindu-Muslim issue. It is an issue between law- abiders and law-breakers. Hence Hindus and Muslims cannot be considered the rival parties and asked to arrive at a negotiated settlement. It is neither possible nor desirable.
There is an urgent need for the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties to sit together and settle this dispute or at least agree to abide by and implement the judiciary's verdict, whatever it might be, jointly. There is no possibility of this problem being solved without their joint efforts. This issue should be de-politicised first and considered national. Let the Prime Minister take the initiative for this and do the needful.
V. M. Khaleelur Rahman,
Chennai (The Hindu dated 6th January 2001)
ID-UL-AZHA - FESTIVAL OF SACRIFICE
Festival of sacrifice
The festival Id-ul-Azha, popularly known as Bakrid, is celebrated on the 10th day of Zul Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, in memory of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (Alaihis salam- AS) who is said to have lived about 4,500 years ago. He was an embodiment of selfless sacrifice and deep devotion to Allah. Once he dreamt as if commanded by God, he was ready even to sacrifice his only son Hazrat Ismail (Ishmael) who was also all the more willing to give up his life as per divine order. But it was stopped as it was not what God wanted but he was only tested for his faithfulness and forbearance. In this connection the Holy Quran says in its inimitable expression that it is not the `flesh and blood' that reach God but the devotion one has for Him.
The most important aspect, associated with this festival, is the Haj pilgrimage to Makkah. It is one of the five `pillars' of Islam, the others being belief in God, prayer five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan and compulsory payment of 2.5 per cent called `Zakath' of one's assets to the poor and the needy. It was Prophet Ibrahim (AS) who built the `sacred refuge' of Makkah-based Kaba, "the first House of worship, full of blessings and guidance for all mankind" and "pilgrimage thereto once in one's life is a duty people who can afford it owe to God" — if one is physically and financially sound — according to Islamic yardstick.
The Islamic equality and brotherhood of mankind is manifest in the mammoth gathering of more than two million Haj pilgrims. The Holy Quran says: "O People! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and female and made you into nations and tribes only for the sake of identification and knowing one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is pious and God-fearing." (Al Hujurat 49:13)
It also says, "God does not love the proud ones" and Prophet Mohammed's (Sal-am) warning is that "he who has a grain of pride in his/her heart will not enter heaven." A Haji — one who returns after Haj pilgrimage — is expected to be as innocent as a child without enemies from within such as envy, greed and ill-will.
The festival Id-ul-Azha, popularly known as Bakrid, is celebrated on the 10th day of Zul Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, in memory of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (Alaihis salam- AS) who is said to have lived about 4,500 years ago. He was an embodiment of selfless sacrifice and deep devotion to Allah. Once he dreamt as if commanded by God, he was ready even to sacrifice his only son Hazrat Ismail (Ishmael) who was also all the more willing to give up his life as per divine order. But it was stopped as it was not what God wanted but he was only tested for his faithfulness and forbearance. In this connection the Holy Quran says in its inimitable expression that it is not the `flesh and blood' that reach God but the devotion one has for Him.
The most important aspect, associated with this festival, is the Haj pilgrimage to Makkah. It is one of the five `pillars' of Islam, the others being belief in God, prayer five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan and compulsory payment of 2.5 per cent called `Zakath' of one's assets to the poor and the needy. It was Prophet Ibrahim (AS) who built the `sacred refuge' of Makkah-based Kaba, "the first House of worship, full of blessings and guidance for all mankind" and "pilgrimage thereto once in one's life is a duty people who can afford it owe to God" — if one is physically and financially sound — according to Islamic yardstick.
The Islamic equality and brotherhood of mankind is manifest in the mammoth gathering of more than two million Haj pilgrims. The Holy Quran says: "O People! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and female and made you into nations and tribes only for the sake of identification and knowing one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is pious and God-fearing." (Al Hujurat 49:13)
It also says, "God does not love the proud ones" and Prophet Mohammed's (Sal-am) warning is that "he who has a grain of pride in his/her heart will not enter heaven." A Haji — one who returns after Haj pilgrimage — is expected to be as innocent as a child without enemies from within such as envy, greed and ill-will.
Significance of Ramadan
Id-ul-Fitr or Ramadan Id is celebrated as a day of thanksgiving to God after successful completion of the month-long fasting from dawn to dusk during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and on sighting the crescent moon of the 10th month called Shawwal. Ramadan is meant for fasting, worship and charity, and also for self-introspection for the purpose of purification of one's soul and body by giving up bad and attaining good things. The Holy Quran says, "Fasting is prescribed to you as it was to those before you so that you may learn self-restraint." Fasting brings people together and creates a sense of camaraderie among them. It inculcates in them righteous conduct, to be good people and brotherhood of man by eradicating evils such as anger, greed and malice.
Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) has said, "Do not belittle even the smallest act of kindness even if it is no more than meeting your neighbour with a smiling and cheerful face. We should not consider any charity small or not worth doing. Charity, big or small, should be given in a pleasant manner without hurting the feeling of its receivers and with the thought that we are only discharging a religious duty from the wealth God has given us." According to Islam even our day-to-day acts, like being kind to others at home and outside, are charity and it makes a big difference in our relations with them.
Once when Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) was on his way to Idgah for Id prayers, he saw a poor boy about five-years-old sitting on the pavement sadly. He went near him and asked, "Why are you alone here, my dear boy?" The boy started weeping and said, "I am an orphan with nobody to care for me." The Prophet could not bear the pathetic words of the poor boy and consoled him saying, "From now on you can look to me as your father and Ayesha as your mother," and returned home with him. When his wife Ayesha fed him and dressed him well for Id prayers the Prophet lifted him on his shoulders and said, "Ayesha, this is the happiest Id for me. I experience true happiness at the happiness of this little orphan boy." He was a great benefactor of humanity and his mission right from the beginning to end was to see that every individual maintained his self-respect free from any sort of slavery.
Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) has said, "Do not belittle even the smallest act of kindness even if it is no more than meeting your neighbour with a smiling and cheerful face. We should not consider any charity small or not worth doing. Charity, big or small, should be given in a pleasant manner without hurting the feeling of its receivers and with the thought that we are only discharging a religious duty from the wealth God has given us." According to Islam even our day-to-day acts, like being kind to others at home and outside, are charity and it makes a big difference in our relations with them.
Once when Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) was on his way to Idgah for Id prayers, he saw a poor boy about five-years-old sitting on the pavement sadly. He went near him and asked, "Why are you alone here, my dear boy?" The boy started weeping and said, "I am an orphan with nobody to care for me." The Prophet could not bear the pathetic words of the poor boy and consoled him saying, "From now on you can look to me as your father and Ayesha as your mother," and returned home with him. When his wife Ayesha fed him and dressed him well for Id prayers the Prophet lifted him on his shoulders and said, "Ayesha, this is the happiest Id for me. I experience true happiness at the happiness of this little orphan boy." He was a great benefactor of humanity and his mission right from the beginning to end was to see that every individual maintained his self-respect free from any sort of slavery.
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2006 ISSUE SENT ON 21-10-2006
EDITOR : V.M. KHALEELUR RAHMAN
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AMBUR MUSLIM EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY (AMES), AMBUR EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE - WOMEN SPECIAL -
IN THIS ISSUE: 1) EDITORIAL 2) ) ISLAM AND ITS CARDINAL TENETS 3)) EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF MUSLIM WOMEN 4) ISLAM IN INDIA AND 5) THOUGHTS OF A LONELY MOTHER
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“AMES ” CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS RELATED
Many eminent personalities participated in the Educational Conference of the AMES Centenary Celebrations held on 5th and 6th September 2006 after its inauguration and question-answer session by His Excellency The President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on 4th September 2006. His inaugural address was illuminating and power-packed and question-answer session full of thoughts and wisdom necessary for everyone particularly the students who are to shape the destiny of our country –the beautiful India – in future.
We must be proud that we are Indians. We must be proud that our President is Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam - a scientist par excellence- who is determined to mould the minds of the students for better India and make India a developed nation before 2020.
Dr. Kalam is a “ teacher ” worth the name. He gives importance to the teaching profession and encourages students to dream their goals and endeavour their best to achieve them. He asks everyone to be honest and clean our society from evils like corruption.
The people of Ambur were delighted in welcoming him at Ambur and listening to his lecture and interaction with the students which were full of honest and inspiring advice. We must also be proud that he felt at home in the midst of the people of Ambur and wished them well. The students received his best attention. Their joy knew no bounds.
The Headmaster Mr. Chand Basha of the Mazharul Uloom High School –one of the six institutions established and managed by the Ambur Muslim Educational Society including a full fledged Science and Arts College by the same name was pleasantly surprised when Dr. Abdul Kalam called him to the dais and handed over some books for the school. All these show the intense interest he has in the spread of education and knowledge. He strongly believes that it is only through education one can come up in life with all dignity and decorum and make our country progress and prosper.
In this issue we are happy to publish the article titled “Education and Empowerment of Muslim Women” presented by Mrs. Naazreen Bhura, Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Chennai Edition, during the aforesaid educational conference. It is very interesting and thought provoking. We are sure that it will make our readers ponder over the inevitability of imparting very good education to women under whose care and attention children grow up. There cannot be two opinions that every woman has to be well educated and empowered for a dignified existence in this highly materialistic world.
We are also happy in publishing the write-ups “Islam and its cardinal tenets” by H.E. Farooque Ahmed, “Islam in India” by Saniya Mariam Meddaikar and a poem “Thoughts of a lonely mother” by Amina Khaleel.
We would like to have your comments about this issue.
Three leading personalities 1) Mrs. Bader Sayeed, M.L.A.,Senior Advocate, Madras High Court, Former Chairperson, Waqf Board 2) Mrs. Fathima Muzaffer, President, Islamic Information Centre and 3) Mrs. Naazreen Bhura, Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Chennai Edition, presented their papers in the Educational Conference on the 6th September 2006 . More than 6000 girls of different schools and colleges and women were present in the Conference. The papers presented by the above three sisters were listen to with pin drop silence and appreciated by all.
Miss Sania Mariam Meddekar, second year B.D.S. student, compered the programme and Mrs. Razeena Banu, Principal, T. Abdul Wahid Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ambur proposed a vote of thanks. Mrs. Bader Sayeed congratulated Miss Saniya Mariam for her excellent compering and wished her all the best.
Durin the Centenary Celebrations Mr. T. Rafeeque Ahmed informed the audience twice as before that he had taken a decision to establish an Arts and Science College for Women in Ambur. It was welcomed by all as a Women’s College is urgently needed for Ambur and its surrounding villages. Mr. Rafeeque Ahmed is honest in his sayings and doings. Everyone wishes him all the best in all his endeavours by the grace of Allah.
It has to be noted that Mr. Rafeeque Ahmed is the Managing Trustee of the prestigious T. Abdul Wahid Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ambur managed by T. Abdul Wahid Charitable Foundation which was founded by the late great visionary Mr. T. Abdul Wahid, B.A.B.L., leather and shoe industrialist and Member of Parliament. This school is functioning well in Ambur and within a short span of time it has earned a very good reputation for its good standard of education and discipline. It is hoped that it will go on improving its standard further and further.
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ISLAM AND ITS CARDINAL TENETS
H.E. FAROOQ AHMED
Islam is a great religion, not only for its principles, ethics, tenets and philosophies, but but also for its simple and facile practicality. This is the reason for its wide acceptance throughout the world. People from different hues in various counties are spontaneously attracted by the charm of Islam and triggers mass embracing to the religion.
In Islam the core tenets of five principle duties are Kalima (Faith), Namaz (Prayer), Roza (fasting), Zakath (Charity) and Haj (Pilgrimage) are mandatory for all Muslims. But each duty is so simple and flexible that no Muslim will find it beyond his capacity or hard to perform.
Kalima (Faith) that Allah is one and His messenger is Mohammed (SAS) should be orally and mentally unwavering Iman.
Namaz or Salath (Prayers) to be performed five times a day is established at convenient time. They can be performed in group at mosque or separately in residence on time. If physical condition does not permit, it can be performed by sitting, by lying or even by gestures. It is mandatory to wash (Wazoo) before each Namaz by water. If water is not available thaimam can be done by clean sand in lieu of water.
Roza or Sawm (fasting) to be observed during Ramzan month is one of the cardinal responsibilities of every Muslim. Here again many concessions and relaxations are permitted to sick, old, travelers, pregnant women and those who are in their menstrual periods.
Zakath (Charity) is mandatory for every affordable Muslim of having certain wealth in the shape of movable or immovable property. Poor and persons in debts are exempted from Zakath.
Haj (Pilgrimage) is the duty of every Muslim who can afford to bear the expenses for the journey and other incidentals. However Haj is mandatory for every Muslim only once in his lifetime. There are two types of pilgrimage. One type is Haj which is performed during the month of Zil Haj. The second type is Umrah, which can be performed any time. While Haj is compulsory for those who can afford it, Umrah is not so.
Like Namaz (Prayers) to be performed only five times, Roza (fasting) in Ramzan, Zakath (Charity) once in a year, Haj is mandatory only once in a lifetime. Kalima (Faith) should also be with us in letter and spirit.
There is a peculiar phenomenon which is prevalent among rich people to undertake Haj more than once and frequenting Umra quite a number of times. They have converted it an annual ritual diluting the inherent importance and significance, at par with their usual foreign jaunts and merry tours. Though there is absolutely no issue involved in this, yet the expenses incurred during such repeat Haj and Umras could be utilized for charity works like helping needy people in education, marriage and clearing of debts etc.
An exclusive ‘Corpus’ can be created and those who desire to perform repeat Haj or Umra can invest in the ‘fund’ to be utilized for a better cause of helping needy and distressed in society. Almighty Allah definitely will be more pleased and disposed to such acts of generosity. Though this proposition is highly sensitive and controversial to certain people who actually misunderstand Islam, yet ulema can take up the task of educating such people in accepting the proposition.
One doubts if the repeat Haj pilgrimage of some people is to display ones authority of wealth or to project an image of distinct status in society. There may be a few who really desire to undertake repeat Haj or Umra out of genuine love for Harmain Shariff. It is doubtful whether people performing repeat Haj or Umra do strictly perform Namaz five times a day without default in joining Jamath, which is the best form of prayer. How many will be allotting Zakath as per Shariat, ie: 2½% of their wealth per annum – after sincerely valuing their total wealth?
How many are observing fasting (Roza) during Ramzan as per religious fervour? Above all how many completely abide by the tenets of Islam shunning corrupt practices in business without resorting to interest transaction? How many are paying fair wages to their employees without bending rules? How many genuinely helping people of their community in society during distress and hour of need? Retrospection of all these ought to be considered while venturing for repeat Haj or Umrah. Otherwise it will tantamount to hypocrisy and duplicity of our religion. However, Almighty Allah is fully aware of intension, purpose and decision of every person and passes judgment accordingly.
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MRS. NAAZREEN BHURA, EDITOR, DECCAN CHRONICLE, CHENNAI EDITION.
Assalamu Alaikum
I am extremely honoured to be here amongst all of you. I would like to first congratulate the Ambur Muslim Education Society on its centenary celebrations and give the organization all my good wishes for continuing with its good work. I am honoured that the society has thought it fit to invite me to address this gathering on a subject which I feel is extremely important as it concerns the upliftment of women, who have for very long in not just our society, but also in many other societies, faced an uphill task in getting their voices heard.The woman's struggle has never been easy. Particularly so when she is trying to find her place in the new world that is evolving around her. Before I go into the discussion on empowerment of women, I would at first like to clear some misconceptions that exist about the status of the Muslim women in India. It is widely believed that the average Muslim woman is at a greater disadvantage in her community than women of other communities in India. This is a wrong belief in my view and is the result of the fact that a few instances of illtreatment of women make it to the headlines because of the very nature of the actions involved. A triple talaq is given on the phone , a fatwa is given that a woman cannot remain married to her husband because she has been raped by her father-in-law.Such instances naturally make it to the newspapers because they highlight the plight of the woman. But on the other hand they also tend to give the impression that Muslim women are suppressed and have no voice in the community. But this I say, is a wrong impression. This is something like what the terrorists are doing for Islam. They are giving other communities, who lack an understanding of Islam, a wrong impression of the Muslims, who are by and large a peace loving and a patriotic community of the country. Impressions, as we all know, can be very misleading. For instance, till recently the impression in the West about India was that it was a country of snakes and elephants, feudal and backward. This we know is not true. And so is the impression about Muslim women in India. They are not cowering, fearful and brow beaten as they are painted. Yes the fatwas that are reported about do exist, the triple talaqs that are written about, also do happen. But what people fail to understand is that these are not the norm, but the exception. Take a look at what two women found when they set out to do research about Muslim women in India. Zoya Hassan, a professor at the Centre for Political Studies at the Jawaharlal University and Ritu Menon, a writer and publisher did a survey of 10,000 Muslim women and found that despite triple talaq, less than 2 per cent of Muslim women are divorced or deserted. They in fact found that Muslim women have a slightly greater say in the area of decision making within the family than their counterparts in other communities.But having said this that Muslim women are not as badly off as portrayed, can we say that everything is alright in the community? While I would say that the extreme view of the condition of the Muslim women in India is wrong and is as off the mark as the impression in the West about India being a country of snakes and elephants, things are not entirely right as far as Muslim women go.Let me give you some examples. I am sure that everyone here has come across such cases. These are everyday occurrences. So I am only reminding you of what you already know. Have you not come across cases of women who are widowed with little children to support at a young age? Thankfully as there is no stigma to widow remarriage in Islam, these women fortunately remarry, but there have been instances of the women having to give up their children by the first husband so that they can move to a new future with the second husband. This has happened not just to widowed women, but also to those who have been deserted by their husbands who have chosen to be unfaithful and remarry a woman of their choice. The young wife who is left behind once again finds herself at the mercy of another man, and this time she has to give up a part of herself - her children. What could be more painful?In the final analysis, it is of course the woman who makes this choice. Does she do it out of fear? Out of lack of confidence in herself or because she thinks she needs someone to take care of her? . Whether educated or not, we are all prone to such fears and wants. But what education does is, it gives us the means to make a different choice, should we overcome these fears. It is when a woman has the ability to make such a choice that I would say she is empowered.There is still fear in the Muslim community that if a woman is "empowered" she will in some way threaten the family structure and traditions. That she will want to go her own way, become "too independent". But I would like to say that while there will be such "misuse" of empowerment by women who don't understand that independence and decision making go hand in hand with responsibility, there will be a lot of others who do understand this. For a woman to be able to say no to something that will cause her enormous unhappiness, she must have something very solid to fall back on. Most important of all, she will need the unstinting support of her family and of course education and financial empowerment.It is not selfish to want education and financial empowerment. It is your right. If you are happy with yourself, you will make others happy, including your husband and children. Being educated and financially empowered does not mean that you turn away from family tradition and practices, that your belief in Allah and his rahmath, become any less. One does not preclude the other. Islam has had highly empowered women.Bibi Khadija (R. A.), wife of our beloved prophet Mohammed (p. b. u. h), bibi Ayesha(R. A.) his youngest wife were greatly empowered women. Bibi Khadija was one of the richest merchants of Mecca. She had already been married twice and since the death of her second husband she used to hire men to trade on her behalf. As prophet Mohammed (p. b. u. h.) was known as the reliable, the trustworthy, the honest, she asked him to take some of her merchandise to Syria. She was impressed greatly by him and later arranged for a proposal to be sent to him which he accepted. She staunchly believed in him and he greatly respected her.Then there is bibi Ayesha. She was highly knowledgeable and most of the hadees is attributed to her as she was the prophet's constant companion. She participated in tending to the sick in war and was greatly respected by one and all.The prophet himself constantly said that female children should be treated exactly in the same manner as male children. According to a report of Ibn Abbas, the prophet's cousin, he is said to have declared, "If a daughter is born to a man and he brings her up affectionately, shows her no disrespect and treats her in the same manner that he treats his sons, the Lord will reward him with paradise."And so it was not surprising that our prophet valued bibi Khadija , his first wife and later bibi Ayesha greatly and they were his staunchest followers and clearly the beloved of Allah, because they exercised their empowerment as it should be.Recently there was a debate about Muslim women standing for elections in the Uttar Pradesh panchayat. A fatwa was issued by three clerics of the Darul Uloom seminary in Deoband that Muslim women contesting these elections should do so wearing a veil.Once again I emphasise that it must be left to the woman to exercise the choice of whether or not to wear the veil when fighting the elections. But then this is not a debate on the veil. The only reason I am bringing this up is because even the clerics of UP who laid down that the women must be veiled while fighting elections, did not say that women could not contest the elections. And several Muslim leaders reacting to this fatwa have since said that Islam does not prohibit women from being leaders. In fact according to the Quran, men and women have equal duties with regard to prayers, the payment of poor tax and in preaching the good and forbidding evil in society, in the economy and in politics. There are innumerable traditions which show that women, like men used to come freely in the presence of the prophet for putting to him questions on social, relgious and economic matters. The prophet used to answer them patiently. Later after the prophet's passing away during the reign of the first four Caliphs, bibi Ayesha who was a very learned woman, was very sought after for her advice even on political matters by the rulers of Islam. So going by tradition even politics is not out of bounds for the Muslim woman. Now let us look at what the levels of literacy are in the Muslim community in India and why they are so. According to the survey conducted by Ritu Menon and Zoya Hasan, huge variations exist in the status of Muslim women across the country. The status of Kashmiri women is different from the status of women in the south. They found that the Muslim women in the south are better off in both rural and urban areas. Their literacy levels were much higher and more of them enrolled in schools than their Hindu counterparts. But in middle school they tended to drop out. The reasons were poverty and the absence of all girl schools. Also as a large number of Muslim boys dropped out of school at this middle school level and began pursuing carpentry or some such profession, girls were discouraged from studying further as this would affect their marriage prospects.Overall, however, they found that the vast majority of Muslim women in the country have never seen the inside of a school and 60% of them are illiterate. So this is the reality despite the fact that Islam recommends education highly. And it is not as if the women themselves have no aspirations.Let me read to you an article that appeared in March this year. It was about a young Muslim girl , her aspirations, the obstacles she faced and how she was transformed through the efforts of an NGO. The report which was from Delhi, said that "Shehasadi Abbas showed no sign of nervousness as she addressed about 500 chattering women from shanties in a New Delhi suburb.
The women were there to celebrate International Women's Day on a Saturday, March 4, since International Women's Day would fall on March 8, a working day. "I want to study and earn for my family," the 21-year-old Muslim woman shouted over the din after presenting a dance drama about women's education. Pinned to the back curtain of the stage were banners proclaiming, "March toward progress," "Give us equal right to education," "End atrocities against women" and "Punish the guilty." The programme was staged in Seelampur, a Muslim-dominated shantytown in the eastern part of the capital.Though it was her first "public address," Abbas later said she did not feel nervous. She said her courage came from her two-year association with the voluntary association. Every year since coming to Seelampur 11 years ago, the association has been training about 300 women and children, mostly Muslims, in the 14 centers they manage in Seelampur and certain other suburbs. These centers, called mahila samiti (women's forum), conduct courses lasting from six months to a year on tailoring, beauty and health care. They also provide conversational English classes for the women and coach students of government primary schools. In addition, their facilities help the women socialize with one another by celebrating programmes such as Women's Day."It is quite amazing to see these young Muslim women on the stage without any nervousness," commented a member of the voluntary association. She pointed out that it had been "quite unthinkable" in the past for Muslim women to perform in public.Before her tryst with the centre run by the NGO , Abbas said she had no courage to leave her one-room tenement alone. She did not even dare tell her parents she wished to continue her studies when they asked her to care for her siblings after her fifth grade. "Girls must stay home to do household chores," she echoed their words as she bottle-fed her 4-year-old brother, the youngest of 11 siblings. Abbas, the second child but oldest of the four girls, said her parents insisted that her brothers study but the girls had to stop their own studies after a few years. Only the youngest girl, now 11, goes to school. "I will not allow my parents to stop her studies," asserted Abbas, one of the 51 women given diplomas for completing a tailoring course this year. She said she can now support her family thanks to her tailoring job. To join the classes, Abbas had to contend with her father, who runs a butcher shop in the locality. As the 52-year-old man shooed away flies and puffed on beedi, a local cigarette, he elaborated why his daughters had to stay indoors: "Girls are like money. If you keep money in the open, others will loot it. A girl's responsibility is to attend to household chores," he said.The only support Abbas received came from her mother, who learned about the center from neighbours. "When I saw my neighbor's daughter stitching her own clothes, I wanted to send my daughter to the same center," the 42-year-old illiterate woman said.The lanky woman with sunken eyes on a wrinkled face has no regrets. She said her daughter's surprising performance in the dance drama "was the first time I saw a stage programme." The progress Abbas has been making has convinced the mother of the value of education, so she has shifted her youngest daughter from a government school to a private one where, she said, the teaching is better.Abbas herself now plans to prepare privately for 10th-grade exams. "The girls have a lot of desire and willingness to study," observed Rounak Jahan, who manages a coaching center in the shanty. The 32-year-old woman laments that parents in the slum do not encourage the education of their daughters, and some cannot even write their own names. According to a coordinator of the centers the young women initially were so fearful "they could not tell their names to the class, but now they have no problem in facing an audience." She acknowledges they are not creating a sea change in the area, but that is fine, because "it is a slow process and there is much we have to achieve."So as the report shows there is a long way to go. How are we going to tackle this problem? What do we do to make sure that girls get education? The survey shows that women are not being held back from pursuing an education because of Islamic ideals, but more because of economic and social reasons such as their marriage prospects. It then stands to reason that the men in the community must also aspire for higher education. They should not give up education at the mid-school level and be determined to fight the odds and make a better life for themselves than being mere carpenters or artisans. The more educated the men and women are in our community the better for all of us.I would like to conclude by saying that let us not hold back our women because we fear where it will lead them or us to, but rather let us give them the love and support they need to be the best they can be and to realize the potential that Allah has given them, so that they can be the best in every role they are here to play, that of mother, wife, sister and also those of a valued citizen and member of the community. I thank you all very much once again for giving me this opportunity.
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ISLAM IN INDIA
SANIYA MARIAM MEDDAIKAR
Islam is the second largest religion in India (after Hinduism – 77.69% ) where Muslims number around 174 million (16.20%) and India has the second largest population of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. Since its introduction to India, Islam has made religious, artistic, philosophical, cultural, social and political contributions to Indian history, heritage and life.
ROLE OF MUSLIMS IN INDIA’S FREEDOM MOVEMENT
The contribution of Muslim revolutionaries, poets and writers is immense in India’s struggle against the British. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Rafee Ahmed Qidwai are a few of Muslims who devoted their life for this purpose. Mohammed Ashf aqullah Khan of Shajahanpur who conspired and looted the British treasury at Kakory (Lucknow) to cripple the administration and who, when asked for his last will, before execution desired: No desire is left except one that someone may put a little soil of my motherland in my winding sheet.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Popular as Frontier Gandhi), a great nationalist who spent 45 of his 95 years of life in jail for the freedom of India, Barkatullah of Bhopal, one of the founders of the Ghadar party which created a net work of anti British organisations and who died penniless in Germany in 1927; Syed Rahmath Shah of the Ghadar party who worked as an underground revolutionary in France and was hanged for his part in the unsuccessful Ghadar (mutiny) uprising in 1915 ; Ali Ahmed Siddiqui of Faizabad (U.P.) who planned the Indian mutiny in Malaya and Burma along with Syed Mujtaba Hussain of Jaunpur and who was hanged in 1917;
Bakkom Abdul Khader of Kerala who participated in Quit India struggle in 1942 was hanged; Omar Subhani, an industrialist and a millionaire of Bombay who provided Gandhiji with Congress expenses and who ultimately gave his life for the cause of Independence. Among Muslim women, Hazrath Mahal, Asghari Begum, Be Amma and other contributed heavily in the struggle of freedom from the British.
There was also a major uprising by Kerala Muslims in the form of Moplah Rebellion.
The following is a list of some famous Muslims who fought for a unified India (as opposed to Pakistan): Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Hakeem Ajmal Khan, Tipu Sultan, Hyder Ali, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Hasrat Mohani, Professor Barkatullah, Dr. Zakir Hussain, Saifuddin Kichlu, Allama Shibli Nomani, Vakkom Abdul Khadir, Dr. Manzoor Abdul Wahab, Mazharul Haque, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Abdul Sattar, Hakeem Nusrat Hussain, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Maulana Mohammed Ali, Colonel Shahnawaz, Dr. M.A.Ansari, Rafi Ahmed Qidwai, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Ansar Harwani, Tak Sherwani, Viqarul Mulk, Mustafa Hussain, V.M. Ubaidullah, S.R. Rahim, Badruddin Tyabjee, Maulvi Abdul Hamid and innumerable others.
MUSLIMS IN MODERN INDIA
Muslims in India post Independence have had a mixed and sometimes turbulent history. The af termath of the Partition of India in 1947 sw large scale sectarian strife and bloodshed throughout the nation. During partition large populations of Muslims including many who were rich and educated left for Pakistan. Across the border these immigrants or Muhajirs have ever since played an important role in the development of Pakistan. The majority of Muslims in India are economically backward; however like in all minorities, there are Muslims who have played a special role in all fields of the country’s advancement.Still, Muslims have sometimes been the victims of religious fundamentalism. At the same time, Muslim fundamentalist groups also hold prominence in states like Jammu and Kashmir. There is an increasingly heated debate on whether what secularists in India classify as religious fundamentalism is only limited to the Hindu side in an attempt to protect the Muslim minority. The issue regarding the Ayodhya temple site shows that these problems, products of religious nationalism some 70 years ago, are hardly likely to go away in the near future.
PROMINENT INDIAN MUSLIMS INCLUDE:
Khwaja Abdul Hamid, who in 1935 founded one of the first Indian-owned industries in the colonial era, CIPLA (The Chemical, Industrial & Pharmaceutical Laboratorioes). In 1939 when Mahatma Gandhiji visited CIPLA he wrote that he was “delighted to visit this Indian enterprise”. CIPLA today is a pharmaceutical company with a global presence, it’s products being sold in over 150 countries worldwide. There are other various big industries owned by Muslims in India: Wipro Ltd, Wockhardt, Himalaya Health Care, Hamdard Laboratories, etc.
There have been three Muslilm Presidents of India, Dr. Zakir Hussain, Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and the current President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Yusuf Hameed of CIPLA received one of India’s highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to the country. Muslims are also playing pivotal roles in the advertising industry, some of the top advertising professionals being Mohammed Khan, Muzaffar Ali and Rafeeq Ellias. In the field of modern art, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh and Tyeb Mehta are prominent names. Muslims have also shone in other fields, including academics (examples, Irfan Habib, Mushirul Hasan, Shahid Amin, Zoya Hasan), theatre (Habib Tanveer, Ebrahim Alkazi, Jabbar Patel and Zohra Sehgal), literature (Rahi Masoom Raza, Ali Sardar Jafri, Kamala Suraiya and Kaifi Azmi) and journalism (M.J. Akbar, Zahid Ali Khan). In the sporting arena, the contributions of cricketers Mohammad Azharuddin, Syed Kirmani and Mushtaq Ali are well-noted, while the current young brigade of Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Mohammad Kaif is creating new records. Sania Mirza is India’s young female tennis star having competed in international Grand Slam tournaments. Even in the Indian film industry, “Bollywood” has always been well represented with Muslims.
MUSLIM INSTITUTIONS
There are several well established Muslim institutions in India. Here is a list of reputed institutions established by Muslims.
¨ Modern College and University: Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Hamdard University, Al-Ameen College, Al-Kabir College,
¨ Traditional Islamic University: Darul Uloom Deoband, Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulema, Darul Uloom Manzar Islam
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THOUGHTS OF A LONELY MOTHER
AMINA KHALEEL
Sitting beneath the window sill,
She was looking far beyond the grill,
Into the setting sun,
Whose light was just about to end.
The happiness in her life
Too had sunk in darkness,
For the “gems” of her life
No more cared for her.
She envied the mother earth
For whom at least a few cared,
But for this ailing mother
Nobody had a thought to spare.
She longed for the day
When she could enjoy,
Amidst her family
A life of bliss and joy.
But this was too impossible
A dream to come true,
For those she loved had forgotten her,
And left her to live a life of loneliness.
But as the moonlight lit the sky,
There was twinkle in her eye.
She would foresee a day,
When those gone astray would find their right way.
And it would be a day,
When thousands like her
Would finally find solace
In the company of their loved ones.
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A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2006 ISSUE SENT ON 21-10-2006
EDITOR : V.M. KHALEELUR RAHMAN
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AMBUR MUSLIM EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY (AMES), AMBUR EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE - WOMEN SPECIAL -
IN THIS ISSUE: 1) EDITORIAL 2) ) ISLAM AND ITS CARDINAL TENETS 3)) EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF MUSLIM WOMEN 4) ISLAM IN INDIA AND 5) THOUGHTS OF A LONELY MOTHER
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“AMES ” CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS RELATED
Many eminent personalities participated in the Educational Conference of the AMES Centenary Celebrations held on 5th and 6th September 2006 after its inauguration and question-answer session by His Excellency The President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on 4th September 2006. His inaugural address was illuminating and power-packed and question-answer session full of thoughts and wisdom necessary for everyone particularly the students who are to shape the destiny of our country –the beautiful India – in future.
We must be proud that we are Indians. We must be proud that our President is Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam - a scientist par excellence- who is determined to mould the minds of the students for better India and make India a developed nation before 2020.
Dr. Kalam is a “ teacher ” worth the name. He gives importance to the teaching profession and encourages students to dream their goals and endeavour their best to achieve them. He asks everyone to be honest and clean our society from evils like corruption.
The people of Ambur were delighted in welcoming him at Ambur and listening to his lecture and interaction with the students which were full of honest and inspiring advice. We must also be proud that he felt at home in the midst of the people of Ambur and wished them well. The students received his best attention. Their joy knew no bounds.
The Headmaster Mr. Chand Basha of the Mazharul Uloom High School –one of the six institutions established and managed by the Ambur Muslim Educational Society including a full fledged Science and Arts College by the same name was pleasantly surprised when Dr. Abdul Kalam called him to the dais and handed over some books for the school. All these show the intense interest he has in the spread of education and knowledge. He strongly believes that it is only through education one can come up in life with all dignity and decorum and make our country progress and prosper.
In this issue we are happy to publish the article titled “Education and Empowerment of Muslim Women” presented by Mrs. Naazreen Bhura, Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Chennai Edition, during the aforesaid educational conference. It is very interesting and thought provoking. We are sure that it will make our readers ponder over the inevitability of imparting very good education to women under whose care and attention children grow up. There cannot be two opinions that every woman has to be well educated and empowered for a dignified existence in this highly materialistic world.
We are also happy in publishing the write-ups “Islam and its cardinal tenets” by H.E. Farooque Ahmed, “Islam in India” by Saniya Mariam Meddaikar and a poem “Thoughts of a lonely mother” by Amina Khaleel.
We would like to have your comments about this issue.
Three leading personalities 1) Mrs. Bader Sayeed, M.L.A.,Senior Advocate, Madras High Court, Former Chairperson, Waqf Board 2) Mrs. Fathima Muzaffer, President, Islamic Information Centre and 3) Mrs. Naazreen Bhura, Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Chennai Edition, presented their papers in the Educational Conference on the 6th September 2006 . More than 6000 girls of different schools and colleges and women were present in the Conference. The papers presented by the above three sisters were listen to with pin drop silence and appreciated by all.
Miss Sania Mariam Meddekar, second year B.D.S. student, compered the programme and Mrs. Razeena Banu, Principal, T. Abdul Wahid Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ambur proposed a vote of thanks. Mrs. Bader Sayeed congratulated Miss Saniya Mariam for her excellent compering and wished her all the best.
Durin the Centenary Celebrations Mr. T. Rafeeque Ahmed informed the audience twice as before that he had taken a decision to establish an Arts and Science College for Women in Ambur. It was welcomed by all as a Women’s College is urgently needed for Ambur and its surrounding villages. Mr. Rafeeque Ahmed is honest in his sayings and doings. Everyone wishes him all the best in all his endeavours by the grace of Allah.
It has to be noted that Mr. Rafeeque Ahmed is the Managing Trustee of the prestigious T. Abdul Wahid Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ambur managed by T. Abdul Wahid Charitable Foundation which was founded by the late great visionary Mr. T. Abdul Wahid, B.A.B.L., leather and shoe industrialist and Member of Parliament. This school is functioning well in Ambur and within a short span of time it has earned a very good reputation for its good standard of education and discipline. It is hoped that it will go on improving its standard further and further.
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ISLAM AND ITS CARDINAL TENETS
H.E. FAROOQ AHMED
Islam is a great religion, not only for its principles, ethics, tenets and philosophies, but but also for its simple and facile practicality. This is the reason for its wide acceptance throughout the world. People from different hues in various counties are spontaneously attracted by the charm of Islam and triggers mass embracing to the religion.
In Islam the core tenets of five principle duties are Kalima (Faith), Namaz (Prayer), Roza (fasting), Zakath (Charity) and Haj (Pilgrimage) are mandatory for all Muslims. But each duty is so simple and flexible that no Muslim will find it beyond his capacity or hard to perform.
Kalima (Faith) that Allah is one and His messenger is Mohammed (SAS) should be orally and mentally unwavering Iman.
Namaz or Salath (Prayers) to be performed five times a day is established at convenient time. They can be performed in group at mosque or separately in residence on time. If physical condition does not permit, it can be performed by sitting, by lying or even by gestures. It is mandatory to wash (Wazoo) before each Namaz by water. If water is not available thaimam can be done by clean sand in lieu of water.
Roza or Sawm (fasting) to be observed during Ramzan month is one of the cardinal responsibilities of every Muslim. Here again many concessions and relaxations are permitted to sick, old, travelers, pregnant women and those who are in their menstrual periods.
Zakath (Charity) is mandatory for every affordable Muslim of having certain wealth in the shape of movable or immovable property. Poor and persons in debts are exempted from Zakath.
Haj (Pilgrimage) is the duty of every Muslim who can afford to bear the expenses for the journey and other incidentals. However Haj is mandatory for every Muslim only once in his lifetime. There are two types of pilgrimage. One type is Haj which is performed during the month of Zil Haj. The second type is Umrah, which can be performed any time. While Haj is compulsory for those who can afford it, Umrah is not so.
Like Namaz (Prayers) to be performed only five times, Roza (fasting) in Ramzan, Zakath (Charity) once in a year, Haj is mandatory only once in a lifetime. Kalima (Faith) should also be with us in letter and spirit.
There is a peculiar phenomenon which is prevalent among rich people to undertake Haj more than once and frequenting Umra quite a number of times. They have converted it an annual ritual diluting the inherent importance and significance, at par with their usual foreign jaunts and merry tours. Though there is absolutely no issue involved in this, yet the expenses incurred during such repeat Haj and Umras could be utilized for charity works like helping needy people in education, marriage and clearing of debts etc.
An exclusive ‘Corpus’ can be created and those who desire to perform repeat Haj or Umra can invest in the ‘fund’ to be utilized for a better cause of helping needy and distressed in society. Almighty Allah definitely will be more pleased and disposed to such acts of generosity. Though this proposition is highly sensitive and controversial to certain people who actually misunderstand Islam, yet ulema can take up the task of educating such people in accepting the proposition.
One doubts if the repeat Haj pilgrimage of some people is to display ones authority of wealth or to project an image of distinct status in society. There may be a few who really desire to undertake repeat Haj or Umra out of genuine love for Harmain Shariff. It is doubtful whether people performing repeat Haj or Umra do strictly perform Namaz five times a day without default in joining Jamath, which is the best form of prayer. How many will be allotting Zakath as per Shariat, ie: 2½% of their wealth per annum – after sincerely valuing their total wealth?
How many are observing fasting (Roza) during Ramzan as per religious fervour? Above all how many completely abide by the tenets of Islam shunning corrupt practices in business without resorting to interest transaction? How many are paying fair wages to their employees without bending rules? How many genuinely helping people of their community in society during distress and hour of need? Retrospection of all these ought to be considered while venturing for repeat Haj or Umrah. Otherwise it will tantamount to hypocrisy and duplicity of our religion. However, Almighty Allah is fully aware of intension, purpose and decision of every person and passes judgment accordingly.
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MRS. NAAZREEN BHURA, EDITOR, DECCAN CHRONICLE, CHENNAI EDITION.
Assalamu Alaikum
I am extremely honoured to be here amongst all of you. I would like to first congratulate the Ambur Muslim Education Society on its centenary celebrations and give the organization all my good wishes for continuing with its good work. I am honoured that the society has thought it fit to invite me to address this gathering on a subject which I feel is extremely important as it concerns the upliftment of women, who have for very long in not just our society, but also in many other societies, faced an uphill task in getting their voices heard.The woman's struggle has never been easy. Particularly so when she is trying to find her place in the new world that is evolving around her. Before I go into the discussion on empowerment of women, I would at first like to clear some misconceptions that exist about the status of the Muslim women in India. It is widely believed that the average Muslim woman is at a greater disadvantage in her community than women of other communities in India. This is a wrong belief in my view and is the result of the fact that a few instances of illtreatment of women make it to the headlines because of the very nature of the actions involved. A triple talaq is given on the phone , a fatwa is given that a woman cannot remain married to her husband because she has been raped by her father-in-law.Such instances naturally make it to the newspapers because they highlight the plight of the woman. But on the other hand they also tend to give the impression that Muslim women are suppressed and have no voice in the community. But this I say, is a wrong impression. This is something like what the terrorists are doing for Islam. They are giving other communities, who lack an understanding of Islam, a wrong impression of the Muslims, who are by and large a peace loving and a patriotic community of the country. Impressions, as we all know, can be very misleading. For instance, till recently the impression in the West about India was that it was a country of snakes and elephants, feudal and backward. This we know is not true. And so is the impression about Muslim women in India. They are not cowering, fearful and brow beaten as they are painted. Yes the fatwas that are reported about do exist, the triple talaqs that are written about, also do happen. But what people fail to understand is that these are not the norm, but the exception. Take a look at what two women found when they set out to do research about Muslim women in India. Zoya Hassan, a professor at the Centre for Political Studies at the Jawaharlal University and Ritu Menon, a writer and publisher did a survey of 10,000 Muslim women and found that despite triple talaq, less than 2 per cent of Muslim women are divorced or deserted. They in fact found that Muslim women have a slightly greater say in the area of decision making within the family than their counterparts in other communities.But having said this that Muslim women are not as badly off as portrayed, can we say that everything is alright in the community? While I would say that the extreme view of the condition of the Muslim women in India is wrong and is as off the mark as the impression in the West about India being a country of snakes and elephants, things are not entirely right as far as Muslim women go.Let me give you some examples. I am sure that everyone here has come across such cases. These are everyday occurrences. So I am only reminding you of what you already know. Have you not come across cases of women who are widowed with little children to support at a young age? Thankfully as there is no stigma to widow remarriage in Islam, these women fortunately remarry, but there have been instances of the women having to give up their children by the first husband so that they can move to a new future with the second husband. This has happened not just to widowed women, but also to those who have been deserted by their husbands who have chosen to be unfaithful and remarry a woman of their choice. The young wife who is left behind once again finds herself at the mercy of another man, and this time she has to give up a part of herself - her children. What could be more painful?In the final analysis, it is of course the woman who makes this choice. Does she do it out of fear? Out of lack of confidence in herself or because she thinks she needs someone to take care of her? . Whether educated or not, we are all prone to such fears and wants. But what education does is, it gives us the means to make a different choice, should we overcome these fears. It is when a woman has the ability to make such a choice that I would say she is empowered.There is still fear in the Muslim community that if a woman is "empowered" she will in some way threaten the family structure and traditions. That she will want to go her own way, become "too independent". But I would like to say that while there will be such "misuse" of empowerment by women who don't understand that independence and decision making go hand in hand with responsibility, there will be a lot of others who do understand this. For a woman to be able to say no to something that will cause her enormous unhappiness, she must have something very solid to fall back on. Most important of all, she will need the unstinting support of her family and of course education and financial empowerment.It is not selfish to want education and financial empowerment. It is your right. If you are happy with yourself, you will make others happy, including your husband and children. Being educated and financially empowered does not mean that you turn away from family tradition and practices, that your belief in Allah and his rahmath, become any less. One does not preclude the other. Islam has had highly empowered women.Bibi Khadija (R. A.), wife of our beloved prophet Mohammed (p. b. u. h), bibi Ayesha(R. A.) his youngest wife were greatly empowered women. Bibi Khadija was one of the richest merchants of Mecca. She had already been married twice and since the death of her second husband she used to hire men to trade on her behalf. As prophet Mohammed (p. b. u. h.) was known as the reliable, the trustworthy, the honest, she asked him to take some of her merchandise to Syria. She was impressed greatly by him and later arranged for a proposal to be sent to him which he accepted. She staunchly believed in him and he greatly respected her.Then there is bibi Ayesha. She was highly knowledgeable and most of the hadees is attributed to her as she was the prophet's constant companion. She participated in tending to the sick in war and was greatly respected by one and all.The prophet himself constantly said that female children should be treated exactly in the same manner as male children. According to a report of Ibn Abbas, the prophet's cousin, he is said to have declared, "If a daughter is born to a man and he brings her up affectionately, shows her no disrespect and treats her in the same manner that he treats his sons, the Lord will reward him with paradise."And so it was not surprising that our prophet valued bibi Khadija , his first wife and later bibi Ayesha greatly and they were his staunchest followers and clearly the beloved of Allah, because they exercised their empowerment as it should be.Recently there was a debate about Muslim women standing for elections in the Uttar Pradesh panchayat. A fatwa was issued by three clerics of the Darul Uloom seminary in Deoband that Muslim women contesting these elections should do so wearing a veil.Once again I emphasise that it must be left to the woman to exercise the choice of whether or not to wear the veil when fighting the elections. But then this is not a debate on the veil. The only reason I am bringing this up is because even the clerics of UP who laid down that the women must be veiled while fighting elections, did not say that women could not contest the elections. And several Muslim leaders reacting to this fatwa have since said that Islam does not prohibit women from being leaders. In fact according to the Quran, men and women have equal duties with regard to prayers, the payment of poor tax and in preaching the good and forbidding evil in society, in the economy and in politics. There are innumerable traditions which show that women, like men used to come freely in the presence of the prophet for putting to him questions on social, relgious and economic matters. The prophet used to answer them patiently. Later after the prophet's passing away during the reign of the first four Caliphs, bibi Ayesha who was a very learned woman, was very sought after for her advice even on political matters by the rulers of Islam. So going by tradition even politics is not out of bounds for the Muslim woman. Now let us look at what the levels of literacy are in the Muslim community in India and why they are so. According to the survey conducted by Ritu Menon and Zoya Hasan, huge variations exist in the status of Muslim women across the country. The status of Kashmiri women is different from the status of women in the south. They found that the Muslim women in the south are better off in both rural and urban areas. Their literacy levels were much higher and more of them enrolled in schools than their Hindu counterparts. But in middle school they tended to drop out. The reasons were poverty and the absence of all girl schools. Also as a large number of Muslim boys dropped out of school at this middle school level and began pursuing carpentry or some such profession, girls were discouraged from studying further as this would affect their marriage prospects.Overall, however, they found that the vast majority of Muslim women in the country have never seen the inside of a school and 60% of them are illiterate. So this is the reality despite the fact that Islam recommends education highly. And it is not as if the women themselves have no aspirations.Let me read to you an article that appeared in March this year. It was about a young Muslim girl , her aspirations, the obstacles she faced and how she was transformed through the efforts of an NGO. The report which was from Delhi, said that "Shehasadi Abbas showed no sign of nervousness as she addressed about 500 chattering women from shanties in a New Delhi suburb.
The women were there to celebrate International Women's Day on a Saturday, March 4, since International Women's Day would fall on March 8, a working day. "I want to study and earn for my family," the 21-year-old Muslim woman shouted over the din after presenting a dance drama about women's education. Pinned to the back curtain of the stage were banners proclaiming, "March toward progress," "Give us equal right to education," "End atrocities against women" and "Punish the guilty." The programme was staged in Seelampur, a Muslim-dominated shantytown in the eastern part of the capital.Though it was her first "public address," Abbas later said she did not feel nervous. She said her courage came from her two-year association with the voluntary association. Every year since coming to Seelampur 11 years ago, the association has been training about 300 women and children, mostly Muslims, in the 14 centers they manage in Seelampur and certain other suburbs. These centers, called mahila samiti (women's forum), conduct courses lasting from six months to a year on tailoring, beauty and health care. They also provide conversational English classes for the women and coach students of government primary schools. In addition, their facilities help the women socialize with one another by celebrating programmes such as Women's Day."It is quite amazing to see these young Muslim women on the stage without any nervousness," commented a member of the voluntary association. She pointed out that it had been "quite unthinkable" in the past for Muslim women to perform in public.Before her tryst with the centre run by the NGO , Abbas said she had no courage to leave her one-room tenement alone. She did not even dare tell her parents she wished to continue her studies when they asked her to care for her siblings after her fifth grade. "Girls must stay home to do household chores," she echoed their words as she bottle-fed her 4-year-old brother, the youngest of 11 siblings. Abbas, the second child but oldest of the four girls, said her parents insisted that her brothers study but the girls had to stop their own studies after a few years. Only the youngest girl, now 11, goes to school. "I will not allow my parents to stop her studies," asserted Abbas, one of the 51 women given diplomas for completing a tailoring course this year. She said she can now support her family thanks to her tailoring job. To join the classes, Abbas had to contend with her father, who runs a butcher shop in the locality. As the 52-year-old man shooed away flies and puffed on beedi, a local cigarette, he elaborated why his daughters had to stay indoors: "Girls are like money. If you keep money in the open, others will loot it. A girl's responsibility is to attend to household chores," he said.The only support Abbas received came from her mother, who learned about the center from neighbours. "When I saw my neighbor's daughter stitching her own clothes, I wanted to send my daughter to the same center," the 42-year-old illiterate woman said.The lanky woman with sunken eyes on a wrinkled face has no regrets. She said her daughter's surprising performance in the dance drama "was the first time I saw a stage programme." The progress Abbas has been making has convinced the mother of the value of education, so she has shifted her youngest daughter from a government school to a private one where, she said, the teaching is better.Abbas herself now plans to prepare privately for 10th-grade exams. "The girls have a lot of desire and willingness to study," observed Rounak Jahan, who manages a coaching center in the shanty. The 32-year-old woman laments that parents in the slum do not encourage the education of their daughters, and some cannot even write their own names. According to a coordinator of the centers the young women initially were so fearful "they could not tell their names to the class, but now they have no problem in facing an audience." She acknowledges they are not creating a sea change in the area, but that is fine, because "it is a slow process and there is much we have to achieve."So as the report shows there is a long way to go. How are we going to tackle this problem? What do we do to make sure that girls get education? The survey shows that women are not being held back from pursuing an education because of Islamic ideals, but more because of economic and social reasons such as their marriage prospects. It then stands to reason that the men in the community must also aspire for higher education. They should not give up education at the mid-school level and be determined to fight the odds and make a better life for themselves than being mere carpenters or artisans. The more educated the men and women are in our community the better for all of us.I would like to conclude by saying that let us not hold back our women because we fear where it will lead them or us to, but rather let us give them the love and support they need to be the best they can be and to realize the potential that Allah has given them, so that they can be the best in every role they are here to play, that of mother, wife, sister and also those of a valued citizen and member of the community. I thank you all very much once again for giving me this opportunity.
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ISLAM IN INDIA
SANIYA MARIAM MEDDAIKAR
Islam is the second largest religion in India (after Hinduism – 77.69% ) where Muslims number around 174 million (16.20%) and India has the second largest population of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. Since its introduction to India, Islam has made religious, artistic, philosophical, cultural, social and political contributions to Indian history, heritage and life.
ROLE OF MUSLIMS IN INDIA’S FREEDOM MOVEMENT
The contribution of Muslim revolutionaries, poets and writers is immense in India’s struggle against the British. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Rafee Ahmed Qidwai are a few of Muslims who devoted their life for this purpose. Mohammed Ashf aqullah Khan of Shajahanpur who conspired and looted the British treasury at Kakory (Lucknow) to cripple the administration and who, when asked for his last will, before execution desired: No desire is left except one that someone may put a little soil of my motherland in my winding sheet.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Popular as Frontier Gandhi), a great nationalist who spent 45 of his 95 years of life in jail for the freedom of India, Barkatullah of Bhopal, one of the founders of the Ghadar party which created a net work of anti British organisations and who died penniless in Germany in 1927; Syed Rahmath Shah of the Ghadar party who worked as an underground revolutionary in France and was hanged for his part in the unsuccessful Ghadar (mutiny) uprising in 1915 ; Ali Ahmed Siddiqui of Faizabad (U.P.) who planned the Indian mutiny in Malaya and Burma along with Syed Mujtaba Hussain of Jaunpur and who was hanged in 1917;
Bakkom Abdul Khader of Kerala who participated in Quit India struggle in 1942 was hanged; Omar Subhani, an industrialist and a millionaire of Bombay who provided Gandhiji with Congress expenses and who ultimately gave his life for the cause of Independence. Among Muslim women, Hazrath Mahal, Asghari Begum, Be Amma and other contributed heavily in the struggle of freedom from the British.
There was also a major uprising by Kerala Muslims in the form of Moplah Rebellion.
The following is a list of some famous Muslims who fought for a unified India (as opposed to Pakistan): Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Hakeem Ajmal Khan, Tipu Sultan, Hyder Ali, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Hasrat Mohani, Professor Barkatullah, Dr. Zakir Hussain, Saifuddin Kichlu, Allama Shibli Nomani, Vakkom Abdul Khadir, Dr. Manzoor Abdul Wahab, Mazharul Haque, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Abdul Sattar, Hakeem Nusrat Hussain, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Maulana Mohammed Ali, Colonel Shahnawaz, Dr. M.A.Ansari, Rafi Ahmed Qidwai, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Ansar Harwani, Tak Sherwani, Viqarul Mulk, Mustafa Hussain, V.M. Ubaidullah, S.R. Rahim, Badruddin Tyabjee, Maulvi Abdul Hamid and innumerable others.
MUSLIMS IN MODERN INDIA
Muslims in India post Independence have had a mixed and sometimes turbulent history. The af termath of the Partition of India in 1947 sw large scale sectarian strife and bloodshed throughout the nation. During partition large populations of Muslims including many who were rich and educated left for Pakistan. Across the border these immigrants or Muhajirs have ever since played an important role in the development of Pakistan. The majority of Muslims in India are economically backward; however like in all minorities, there are Muslims who have played a special role in all fields of the country’s advancement.Still, Muslims have sometimes been the victims of religious fundamentalism. At the same time, Muslim fundamentalist groups also hold prominence in states like Jammu and Kashmir. There is an increasingly heated debate on whether what secularists in India classify as religious fundamentalism is only limited to the Hindu side in an attempt to protect the Muslim minority. The issue regarding the Ayodhya temple site shows that these problems, products of religious nationalism some 70 years ago, are hardly likely to go away in the near future.
PROMINENT INDIAN MUSLIMS INCLUDE:
Khwaja Abdul Hamid, who in 1935 founded one of the first Indian-owned industries in the colonial era, CIPLA (The Chemical, Industrial & Pharmaceutical Laboratorioes). In 1939 when Mahatma Gandhiji visited CIPLA he wrote that he was “delighted to visit this Indian enterprise”. CIPLA today is a pharmaceutical company with a global presence, it’s products being sold in over 150 countries worldwide. There are other various big industries owned by Muslims in India: Wipro Ltd, Wockhardt, Himalaya Health Care, Hamdard Laboratories, etc.
There have been three Muslilm Presidents of India, Dr. Zakir Hussain, Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and the current President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Yusuf Hameed of CIPLA received one of India’s highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to the country. Muslims are also playing pivotal roles in the advertising industry, some of the top advertising professionals being Mohammed Khan, Muzaffar Ali and Rafeeq Ellias. In the field of modern art, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh and Tyeb Mehta are prominent names. Muslims have also shone in other fields, including academics (examples, Irfan Habib, Mushirul Hasan, Shahid Amin, Zoya Hasan), theatre (Habib Tanveer, Ebrahim Alkazi, Jabbar Patel and Zohra Sehgal), literature (Rahi Masoom Raza, Ali Sardar Jafri, Kamala Suraiya and Kaifi Azmi) and journalism (M.J. Akbar, Zahid Ali Khan). In the sporting arena, the contributions of cricketers Mohammad Azharuddin, Syed Kirmani and Mushtaq Ali are well-noted, while the current young brigade of Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Mohammad Kaif is creating new records. Sania Mirza is India’s young female tennis star having competed in international Grand Slam tournaments. Even in the Indian film industry, “Bollywood” has always been well represented with Muslims.
MUSLIM INSTITUTIONS
There are several well established Muslim institutions in India. Here is a list of reputed institutions established by Muslims.
¨ Modern College and University: Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Hamdard University, Al-Ameen College, Al-Kabir College,
¨ Traditional Islamic University: Darul Uloom Deoband, Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulema, Darul Uloom Manzar Islam
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THOUGHTS OF A LONELY MOTHER
AMINA KHALEEL
Sitting beneath the window sill,
She was looking far beyond the grill,
Into the setting sun,
Whose light was just about to end.
The happiness in her life
Too had sunk in darkness,
For the “gems” of her life
No more cared for her.
She envied the mother earth
For whom at least a few cared,
But for this ailing mother
Nobody had a thought to spare.
She longed for the day
When she could enjoy,
Amidst her family
A life of bliss and joy.
But this was too impossible
A dream to come true,
For those she loved had forgotten her,
And left her to live a life of loneliness.
But as the moonlight lit the sky,
There was twinkle in her eye.
She would foresee a day,
When those gone astray would find their right way.
And it would be a day,
When thousands like her
Would finally find solace
In the company of their loved ones.
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Sir Syed Ahmed Khan by Azhar Mohammed K
SIR SYED AHMED KHAN: HIS LIFE AND CONTRIBUTION
BY AZHAR MOHAMMED K
INTRODUCTION
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-1898) was a great visionary, statesman and Muslim reformer of the 19th century, the like of whom is rare. He wanted to make the community and country progressive and take them forward on modern lines. His supreme interest was intellectual development of the people through modern education. He was the first Indian Muslim to contribute to the intellectual and institutional foundation of Muslim modernization in Southern Asia. Interest of community and country was dearer to him rather than anything else. He was successful in making the Muslims understand the importance of modern education and endeavour their best to achieve it in order to stand on their own legs and live a dignified life in accordance with Islamic thoughts.
Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal says :
‘’Mubtalaayay dard koi azu ho roti hai aankh
Kis qadar hamdard saray jism ki hoti hai aankh’’
(The eye weeps for the suffering of any and every part of the body,
How sympathetic it is to the entire organism)
To the Muslim community Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was and is like the eye which weeps for the suffering of any and every part of the body. The sufferings of the community worried him. He took an oath to reform, educate and empower the Muslim community and was successful to a great extent in implementing it despite strong opposition from a section of the Muslim community which hated the British and their language. Today we can see the products of the Aligarh Muslim University adoring in every field of activity in India and neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. They have earned a name for the community and country, thanks to the Aligarh movement.
Sir Syed’s educational caravan reached everywhere including Tamil Nadu from where I hail. It inspired and encouraged people to take to modern education by establishing educational institutions.
HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD
Sir Syed was born on 17 October 1817 in Delhi. His family was highly regarded by the Mughal dynasty. His maternal grandfather Khwajah Farid was a ‘wazir’ (minister) in the court of Akbar Shah II. His paternal grandfather Syed Hadi held a ‘mansab’ of the title of Jawwad Ali Khan in the court of Alamgir II. Syed Ahmed’s father, Mir Muttaqi was also close to Akbar Shah but rejected the position and titles offered to him due to his interest in mysticism. Perhaps he abhorred the way the materialistic world functioned. He died when Syed Ahmed was about 21 years of age. Mother, Azizunnissa Begum was, however, a strong willed woman of clearly defined principles. She showed extraordinary interest in the education, character building and upbringing of her son. She was a strict and God fearing lady.
HIS EDUCATION
Sir Syed received his education under the old system prevailing at that time. He learnt to read the holy Quran under a female teacher at his home. After this, Maulvi Hamidud Din, became his private tutor. He completed a course in Persian and Arabic, and later took to the study of mathematics, which was a favourite subject of the maternal side of his family. He later took interest in medicine and studied some well-known books on the subject. At the age of 19 his formal education came to an end but he continued his studies privately. He started taking a keen interest in the literary gatherings and cultural activities of the city.
The passing away of his father left the family in financial difficulties, and after a limited education he had no option but to work for his livelihood. Starting as a clerk with the East India Company in 1938, he qualified three years later as a sub-judge and served in the judicial department at various places.
HIS VISION
The supreme interest of Sir Syed’s life was education in its widest sense. He wanted to create a scientific temperament among the Muslims of India and to make the modern knowledge of Science available to them. He championed the cause of modern education at a time when all the Indians in general and Indian Muslims in particular considered it a sin to get modern education and that too through English language. He began establishing schools, at Muradabad in 1858 and Ghazipur in 1863. A more ambitious undertaking was the foundation of the Scientific Society, which published translations of many educational texts and issued a bilingual journal in Urdu and English. It was for the use of all citizens and were jointly operated by the Hindus and Muslims. In the late 1860s there occurred some developments that were challenges to his activities. In 1867 he was transferred to Benares, a city on the Ganges with great religious significance for Hindus. At about the same time a movement started at Benares to replace Urdu, the language spoken by the Muslims, with Hindi. This movement and the attempts to substitute Hindi for Urdu publications of the Scientific Society convinced Syed that he should do something. Thus during a visit to England (1869-70) he prepared plans for a great educational institution. They were "a Muslim Cambridge." On his return he set up a committee for the purpose and also started an influential journal, Tahzib al-Akhlaq "Social Reform" for the uplift and reforms of the Muslims. A Muslim school was established at Aligarh in May 1875, and after his retirement in 1876, Sir Syed dedicated himself to make it a college. In January 1877 the Viceroy laid the foundation stone of the college. In spite of opposition to Syed’s projects, the college made rapid progress. In 1886 Syed organised the All-India Mohammadan Educational Conference, which met annually at different places to promote education and to provide the Muslims with a common platform. Syed advised the Muslims against joining active politics and to concentrate instead on education. Muslims generally followed his advice and abstained from politics. This advice is applicable even today. We have to concentrate our attention more on education for the uplift of the backward Muslim community. Many reports have clearly noted that the Muslims are educationally and economically more backward.
Throughout his life Syed Ahmed Khan showed concern with how Indian Muslims could adapt to intellectual and political change accompanying Western rule. His first mission became reinterpretation of Muslim ideology so as to reconcile tradition with Western education and science. He argued in several books on Islam that the holy Quran rested on a deep appreciation of reason and natural law and therefore did not preclude Muslim involvement in scientific methodology. These themes, mixed with a call for Muslim education, regularly appeared in his journals, the Mohammedan Social Reformer and the Aligarh Institute Gazette.
Syed Ahmed's ideas became institutionalized despite criticism from theologians. In 1862 he formed a scientific society, and 13 years later he assisted in establishing the Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College, which prospered and became the key intellectual center for Indian Muslims - The Aligarh Muslim University. The success of the college was largely due to his leadership and a curriculum embodying both Western and Oriental studies.
HIS CONTRIBUTION
Sir Syed’s contributions for the betterment and empowerment of the Muslims are great. His position in the judicial department left him time to be active in many fields. His career as an author in Urdu started at the age of 23. In 1847 he brought out an important book "Monuments of the Great" on the antiquities of Delhi. Even more important was his pamphlet "The Causes of the Indian Revolt". His interest in religion was also active and lifelong. He wrote on the Life of Prophet Muhammad (Sal-am) and devoted himself to write several volumes of a modernist commentary on the holy Quran. In these works he explained how the Islamic faith could go with progressive scientific and political ideas of his time.
HIS LITERARY WORKS
Sir Syed was a government civil servant and s scholar. The 1857 revolt was a turning point in his life. The following are his important works:
1) ‘’ASARUS SANADEED’’: It is an archaeological masterpiece providing a wealth of information on countless historical monuments in Delhi from the eight hundred long Muslim rule. This book was published in 1847.
2) ‘‘ASBAB-E-BAGHAWAT-E-HIND’’- (The causes of Indian Revolt) This book was published in 1859 after the 1857 revolt after witnessing the atrocities committed by the British on the inhabitants of Delhi. He saw an uncle, a cousin and an aunt dying before his eyes. He saved his mother but she died due to privations she had experienced. Muslims were the main targets of the government’s wrath.
3) THE ALIGARH INSTITUTE GAZETTE - It was an organ of the Scientific Society started in 1866. It made the people think and use their wisdom.
4) ‘’TEHZIB-UL-AKHLAQ’’ – It succeeded in making people realise the value of modern knowledge. It also gave new directions to Muslim social and political thoughts.
HIS GOLDEN SAYINGS
1) Sons (of MAO college later AMU)) shall go forth throughout the length and breath of the land to preach the message of free inquiry, of large-hearted toleration and of pure morality.
1. Acquisition of knowledge of science and technology is the only solution for the problems of Muslims.
2. Call me by whatever names you like. I will not ask you for my salvation. But please take pity of your children. Do something for them (send them to the school), lest you should have to repent (by not sending them)
3. We will remain humiliated and rejected if we do not make progress’’ (in scientific field)
4. Get rid of old and useless rituals. These rituals hinder human progress.
5. Superstition cannot be the part of Iman (faith).
6. The first requisite for the progress of a nation is the brotherhood and unity amongst sections of the society.
7. Yes the main purpose of this college (MAO) is to impart modern education to Muslims who are suffering because of lack of it but this institution is for all, Hindus and Muslims alike. Both of them need education.
8. We (Hindus and Muslims) eat the same crop, drink water from the same rivers and breathe the same air. As a matter of fact Hindus and Muslims are the two eyes of the beautiful bride that is Hindustan. Weakness of any one of them will spoil the beauty of the bride (dulhan)
9. We (Hindus and Muslim) have evolved a new language Urdu
10. I wish that youth of India should follow the example of young men and women of England who are religiously engaged in the hard work of industrial development of their country” (During the stay of Sir Syed in England).
11. Look forward, learn modern knowledge, and do not waste time in studies of old subjects of no value.
12. Ijtihad (innovation, re-interpretation with the changing times) is the need of the hour. Give up taqlid (copying and following old values).
13. Do not show the face of Islam to others; instead show your face as the follower of true Islam representing character, knowledge, tolerance and piety.
14. We should not (by remaining ignorant and illiterate) tarnish the image of our able elders.
15. All human beings are our brother and sisters. Working for their welfare is obligatory for Muslims.
16. Remember that the words Hindu and Muslim are only meant for religious distinction: otherwise all persons who reside in this country belong to one and the same nation.
HIS ACHIEVEMENTS
Sir Syed's greatest achievement was his Aligarh Movement, which was nothing but an educational venture. He established schools at Muradabad in 1859 and Ghazipur in 1863. He also founded a scientific society in 1864. When Sir Syed was posted at Aligarh in 1867, he started the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental School in the city. During his visit to England in 1869, he studied the British educational system and appreciated it.
Sir Syed wanted MAO College to act as a bridge between the old and the new systems. His famous quote is that ‘’a true Muslims is one who must have the holy Quran in one hand and the science in the other’’. Today we can see the Aligarh Muslim University offering different courses like Medical, Engineering, Science, Arts, Management, Languages etc.
Sir Syed’s aim was not just to establish a college at Aligarh but he was interested in spreading education and empowerment among the people by establishing educational institutions in every nook and corner of the country. He, therefore, started an organisation called ‘’All India Muslim Educational Conference’’to achieve this goal. It motivated the Muslims to open a number of educational institutions in India.
Although the Indian Muslim community has made some good progress in the educational arena, still they have to go a long way to achieve the goal that Sir Syed visualised. Only the vision and enthusiasm of Sir Syed can help us - Muslims to improve our educational and economic conditions further. It is,therefore, incumbent for us to revive the Aligarh movement once again to make the people understand the value of modern education fully.
I take this opportunity to request the Vice-Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim University to start a movement and come to the rescue of the suffering Muslim community in India. There is no point in blaming others. One feels that the main cause for our backwardness is lack of education. Education alone in the present context can empower us and nothing else. We can create a modern Islamic society only by taking Muslims to modern professional education like medical, engineering, teaching, management etc. No options or short cuts at all. God has given the eyes to see and mind to analyse. We must see what is happening around us and use our intellect to arrive at a conclusion. This is what Allah wants us to do. There is no point in toeing an outdated concept and blaming fate for every misery. Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal’s call should be taken seriously and march forward. He has said beautifully in the couplet which we read and hear quite often sometimes it echoes even in the Parliament but we do not give serious thought to it.
Khudi ko kar buland itna ki har taqdeer say pahlay,
Khuda banday say khud poochay bata teri raza kya hai
(Raise your position so much that God himself may ask you ‘’tell me what is it that you want?’’). It echoes the holy Quranic strong dictate that we should endeavour to achieve his rewards. In short we must develop a scientific temper among the people as the holy Quran says in different verses. We are mainly responsible for backwardness.
Sir Syed also brought out a journal ‘Tehzibul Akhlaq’ and succeeded in infusing a new desire amongst Muslims for acquiring modern knowledge.
Sir Syed finally reached to the conclusion that lack of education was the main cause of the backwardness of the community.
Sir Syed became successful in his mission and gave a firm foundation of Aligarh College (Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College) which afterwards became Aligarh Muslim University by an act of the government. It is meant for all- Muslims as well as non-Muslim students. All live and study here in a friendly and peaceful atmosphere. It has got a rich cultural heritage, which is its special and inimitable one.
The intellectuals produced in large numbers by Aligarh Muslim University served and continue to serve the country in various capacities. The first graduate of this University was the great revolutionary Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh. The late Dr. Zakir Hussain, former President of India and Dr. Syed Mahmood were also Aligarh educated dignitaries. The university has produced innumerable doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists, poets, writers, journalists, etc.
HIS EDUCATIONAL REVOLUTION
The Aligarh movement launched by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan influenced the Muslims in the country, particularly in South India. The Souvenir brought out on the occasion of the Centenary Celebration of Ambur Muslim Educational Society on 4th September 2006 mentions as follows inter-alia:
Sir Syed organised the Mohammedan (later Muslim) Educational Conference. Its branches were established in cities and towns to report on the educational needs of the community. This conference used to meet annually at several important cities in the country and carried the message of modern education far and wide.
The 5th session of the Conference was held at Madras in 1901 and set in a brainwave all over the South. Like their brethren in other parts of the country the Muslims of the Madras presidency were also antagonistic towards the English education and therefore they were far behind their other fellow countrymen in public service. Nawab Mohsinul Mulk Mohsinud Dowla from Aligarh inspired the Conference with the saga of adventure which Sir Syed has brought into being in the North.
On 16th December 1905 the Management of the Chowk Masjid madrasa which was in existence then was taken over and later re-named as Madrasa-e-Mazharul Uloom. Janab T.Abdullah sahib visited Aligarh, observed the educational developments there and inspired by it prepared a plan for a Muslim school in Ambur meant for all religions and communities without any discrimination whatsoever. It was primarily his aim to create for young Muslims a good institution for their educational, cultural and social developments.
Many educational institutions came up in Tamil Nadu as a result of the Aligarh movement. Today by the grace of Allah there are 11 (eleven) full fledged engineering colleges and hundreds of Science and Arts Colleges, Higher Secondary and Elementary Schools in difference parts of Tamil Nadu. Many Muslim organisations like All India Islamic Foundation, Sadaq Trust, The South India Education Trust, The Muslim Educational Association of Southern India, Ambur Muslim Educational Society, Vaniyambadi Muslim Educational Society etc. have been playing a very important role in establishing institutions and imparting modern education to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
HIS RATIONAL APPROACH
Muslims were in the forefront in the struggle for freedom. They suffered a lot. Many Ulema (religious scholars) were hanged in Delhi and other places. Sir Syed was worried. He was of the view that Muslims should not be so vigorous in opposing the British at their own cost and ignore everything including education and government placements.
Sir Syed wanted Muslims to have friendship with the British if they want to take their due rights. He quoted the examples of other religious communities benefiting from the government. While he tried his best to convince the British that Muslims were not against them, he persuaded the Muslims repeatedly to befriend the British to achieve their goals. He also wrote many books and published journals to remove the misunderstanding between Muslims and the British by writing booklets like "Loyal Muhammadans of India" and "Cause of Indian Revolt". Sir Syed asked the Muslims of his time not to participate in politics unless and until they got modern education. He was of the view that Muslims could not succeed in the field of Western politics without knowing the system. He was invited to attend the first session of the Indian National Congress and to join the organization but he refused to accept the offer. He gave importance to the education of the Muslim community and succeeded in it. His institutions such as the College and the Muslim Educational Conference continued to influence intellectuals till this day and will continue to do so in the years to come unhindered.
CONCLUSION
Let us see now what the following great personalities have said about Sir Syed
Ahmed Khan:
1) Dr. Allama Iqbal:
‘’The real greatness of the man (Sir Syed) consists in the fact that he was the first Indian Muslim who felt the need of a fresh orientation of Islam and worked for it’’
2) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehruji:
‘’Sir Syed was an ardent reformer and he wanted to reconcile modern scientific thought with religion by rationalistic interpretations and not by attacking basic belief. He was anxious to push new education. He was in no way communally separatist. Repeatedly he emphasized that religious differences should have no political and national significance.’’
3) Mr. Inder Kumar Gujralji
‘’Sir Syed’s vision and his laborious efforts to meet the demands of challenging times are highly commendable. The dark post 1857 era was indeed hopeless and only men like Raja Mohan Roy and Sir Syed could penetrate through its thick veil to visualize the Nation’s destinies. They rightly believed that the past had its merits and its legacies were valuable but it was the future that a society was called upon to cope with.
I offer my homage to Sir Syed for his vision and courage that withstood all obstructions both from the friends and the foes.’’
This great visionary and reformer, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, whose relevance is felt even today and who will always remain green in our memory inspiring wise thoughts and absolute principles in the right Islamic thinking passed away after a brief illness on 27th March 1898 and was buried the next day in the compound of the mosque in the College. May his soul continue to live in peace.
BY AZHAR MOHAMMED K
INTRODUCTION
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-1898) was a great visionary, statesman and Muslim reformer of the 19th century, the like of whom is rare. He wanted to make the community and country progressive and take them forward on modern lines. His supreme interest was intellectual development of the people through modern education. He was the first Indian Muslim to contribute to the intellectual and institutional foundation of Muslim modernization in Southern Asia. Interest of community and country was dearer to him rather than anything else. He was successful in making the Muslims understand the importance of modern education and endeavour their best to achieve it in order to stand on their own legs and live a dignified life in accordance with Islamic thoughts.
Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal says :
‘’Mubtalaayay dard koi azu ho roti hai aankh
Kis qadar hamdard saray jism ki hoti hai aankh’’
(The eye weeps for the suffering of any and every part of the body,
How sympathetic it is to the entire organism)
To the Muslim community Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was and is like the eye which weeps for the suffering of any and every part of the body. The sufferings of the community worried him. He took an oath to reform, educate and empower the Muslim community and was successful to a great extent in implementing it despite strong opposition from a section of the Muslim community which hated the British and their language. Today we can see the products of the Aligarh Muslim University adoring in every field of activity in India and neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. They have earned a name for the community and country, thanks to the Aligarh movement.
Sir Syed’s educational caravan reached everywhere including Tamil Nadu from where I hail. It inspired and encouraged people to take to modern education by establishing educational institutions.
HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD
Sir Syed was born on 17 October 1817 in Delhi. His family was highly regarded by the Mughal dynasty. His maternal grandfather Khwajah Farid was a ‘wazir’ (minister) in the court of Akbar Shah II. His paternal grandfather Syed Hadi held a ‘mansab’ of the title of Jawwad Ali Khan in the court of Alamgir II. Syed Ahmed’s father, Mir Muttaqi was also close to Akbar Shah but rejected the position and titles offered to him due to his interest in mysticism. Perhaps he abhorred the way the materialistic world functioned. He died when Syed Ahmed was about 21 years of age. Mother, Azizunnissa Begum was, however, a strong willed woman of clearly defined principles. She showed extraordinary interest in the education, character building and upbringing of her son. She was a strict and God fearing lady.
HIS EDUCATION
Sir Syed received his education under the old system prevailing at that time. He learnt to read the holy Quran under a female teacher at his home. After this, Maulvi Hamidud Din, became his private tutor. He completed a course in Persian and Arabic, and later took to the study of mathematics, which was a favourite subject of the maternal side of his family. He later took interest in medicine and studied some well-known books on the subject. At the age of 19 his formal education came to an end but he continued his studies privately. He started taking a keen interest in the literary gatherings and cultural activities of the city.
The passing away of his father left the family in financial difficulties, and after a limited education he had no option but to work for his livelihood. Starting as a clerk with the East India Company in 1938, he qualified three years later as a sub-judge and served in the judicial department at various places.
HIS VISION
The supreme interest of Sir Syed’s life was education in its widest sense. He wanted to create a scientific temperament among the Muslims of India and to make the modern knowledge of Science available to them. He championed the cause of modern education at a time when all the Indians in general and Indian Muslims in particular considered it a sin to get modern education and that too through English language. He began establishing schools, at Muradabad in 1858 and Ghazipur in 1863. A more ambitious undertaking was the foundation of the Scientific Society, which published translations of many educational texts and issued a bilingual journal in Urdu and English. It was for the use of all citizens and were jointly operated by the Hindus and Muslims. In the late 1860s there occurred some developments that were challenges to his activities. In 1867 he was transferred to Benares, a city on the Ganges with great religious significance for Hindus. At about the same time a movement started at Benares to replace Urdu, the language spoken by the Muslims, with Hindi. This movement and the attempts to substitute Hindi for Urdu publications of the Scientific Society convinced Syed that he should do something. Thus during a visit to England (1869-70) he prepared plans for a great educational institution. They were "a Muslim Cambridge." On his return he set up a committee for the purpose and also started an influential journal, Tahzib al-Akhlaq "Social Reform" for the uplift and reforms of the Muslims. A Muslim school was established at Aligarh in May 1875, and after his retirement in 1876, Sir Syed dedicated himself to make it a college. In January 1877 the Viceroy laid the foundation stone of the college. In spite of opposition to Syed’s projects, the college made rapid progress. In 1886 Syed organised the All-India Mohammadan Educational Conference, which met annually at different places to promote education and to provide the Muslims with a common platform. Syed advised the Muslims against joining active politics and to concentrate instead on education. Muslims generally followed his advice and abstained from politics. This advice is applicable even today. We have to concentrate our attention more on education for the uplift of the backward Muslim community. Many reports have clearly noted that the Muslims are educationally and economically more backward.
Throughout his life Syed Ahmed Khan showed concern with how Indian Muslims could adapt to intellectual and political change accompanying Western rule. His first mission became reinterpretation of Muslim ideology so as to reconcile tradition with Western education and science. He argued in several books on Islam that the holy Quran rested on a deep appreciation of reason and natural law and therefore did not preclude Muslim involvement in scientific methodology. These themes, mixed with a call for Muslim education, regularly appeared in his journals, the Mohammedan Social Reformer and the Aligarh Institute Gazette.
Syed Ahmed's ideas became institutionalized despite criticism from theologians. In 1862 he formed a scientific society, and 13 years later he assisted in establishing the Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College, which prospered and became the key intellectual center for Indian Muslims - The Aligarh Muslim University. The success of the college was largely due to his leadership and a curriculum embodying both Western and Oriental studies.
HIS CONTRIBUTION
Sir Syed’s contributions for the betterment and empowerment of the Muslims are great. His position in the judicial department left him time to be active in many fields. His career as an author in Urdu started at the age of 23. In 1847 he brought out an important book "Monuments of the Great" on the antiquities of Delhi. Even more important was his pamphlet "The Causes of the Indian Revolt". His interest in religion was also active and lifelong. He wrote on the Life of Prophet Muhammad (Sal-am) and devoted himself to write several volumes of a modernist commentary on the holy Quran. In these works he explained how the Islamic faith could go with progressive scientific and political ideas of his time.
HIS LITERARY WORKS
Sir Syed was a government civil servant and s scholar. The 1857 revolt was a turning point in his life. The following are his important works:
1) ‘’ASARUS SANADEED’’: It is an archaeological masterpiece providing a wealth of information on countless historical monuments in Delhi from the eight hundred long Muslim rule. This book was published in 1847.
2) ‘‘ASBAB-E-BAGHAWAT-E-HIND’’- (The causes of Indian Revolt) This book was published in 1859 after the 1857 revolt after witnessing the atrocities committed by the British on the inhabitants of Delhi. He saw an uncle, a cousin and an aunt dying before his eyes. He saved his mother but she died due to privations she had experienced. Muslims were the main targets of the government’s wrath.
3) THE ALIGARH INSTITUTE GAZETTE - It was an organ of the Scientific Society started in 1866. It made the people think and use their wisdom.
4) ‘’TEHZIB-UL-AKHLAQ’’ – It succeeded in making people realise the value of modern knowledge. It also gave new directions to Muslim social and political thoughts.
HIS GOLDEN SAYINGS
1) Sons (of MAO college later AMU)) shall go forth throughout the length and breath of the land to preach the message of free inquiry, of large-hearted toleration and of pure morality.
1. Acquisition of knowledge of science and technology is the only solution for the problems of Muslims.
2. Call me by whatever names you like. I will not ask you for my salvation. But please take pity of your children. Do something for them (send them to the school), lest you should have to repent (by not sending them)
3. We will remain humiliated and rejected if we do not make progress’’ (in scientific field)
4. Get rid of old and useless rituals. These rituals hinder human progress.
5. Superstition cannot be the part of Iman (faith).
6. The first requisite for the progress of a nation is the brotherhood and unity amongst sections of the society.
7. Yes the main purpose of this college (MAO) is to impart modern education to Muslims who are suffering because of lack of it but this institution is for all, Hindus and Muslims alike. Both of them need education.
8. We (Hindus and Muslims) eat the same crop, drink water from the same rivers and breathe the same air. As a matter of fact Hindus and Muslims are the two eyes of the beautiful bride that is Hindustan. Weakness of any one of them will spoil the beauty of the bride (dulhan)
9. We (Hindus and Muslim) have evolved a new language Urdu
10. I wish that youth of India should follow the example of young men and women of England who are religiously engaged in the hard work of industrial development of their country” (During the stay of Sir Syed in England).
11. Look forward, learn modern knowledge, and do not waste time in studies of old subjects of no value.
12. Ijtihad (innovation, re-interpretation with the changing times) is the need of the hour. Give up taqlid (copying and following old values).
13. Do not show the face of Islam to others; instead show your face as the follower of true Islam representing character, knowledge, tolerance and piety.
14. We should not (by remaining ignorant and illiterate) tarnish the image of our able elders.
15. All human beings are our brother and sisters. Working for their welfare is obligatory for Muslims.
16. Remember that the words Hindu and Muslim are only meant for religious distinction: otherwise all persons who reside in this country belong to one and the same nation.
HIS ACHIEVEMENTS
Sir Syed's greatest achievement was his Aligarh Movement, which was nothing but an educational venture. He established schools at Muradabad in 1859 and Ghazipur in 1863. He also founded a scientific society in 1864. When Sir Syed was posted at Aligarh in 1867, he started the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental School in the city. During his visit to England in 1869, he studied the British educational system and appreciated it.
Sir Syed wanted MAO College to act as a bridge between the old and the new systems. His famous quote is that ‘’a true Muslims is one who must have the holy Quran in one hand and the science in the other’’. Today we can see the Aligarh Muslim University offering different courses like Medical, Engineering, Science, Arts, Management, Languages etc.
Sir Syed’s aim was not just to establish a college at Aligarh but he was interested in spreading education and empowerment among the people by establishing educational institutions in every nook and corner of the country. He, therefore, started an organisation called ‘’All India Muslim Educational Conference’’to achieve this goal. It motivated the Muslims to open a number of educational institutions in India.
Although the Indian Muslim community has made some good progress in the educational arena, still they have to go a long way to achieve the goal that Sir Syed visualised. Only the vision and enthusiasm of Sir Syed can help us - Muslims to improve our educational and economic conditions further. It is,therefore, incumbent for us to revive the Aligarh movement once again to make the people understand the value of modern education fully.
I take this opportunity to request the Vice-Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim University to start a movement and come to the rescue of the suffering Muslim community in India. There is no point in blaming others. One feels that the main cause for our backwardness is lack of education. Education alone in the present context can empower us and nothing else. We can create a modern Islamic society only by taking Muslims to modern professional education like medical, engineering, teaching, management etc. No options or short cuts at all. God has given the eyes to see and mind to analyse. We must see what is happening around us and use our intellect to arrive at a conclusion. This is what Allah wants us to do. There is no point in toeing an outdated concept and blaming fate for every misery. Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal’s call should be taken seriously and march forward. He has said beautifully in the couplet which we read and hear quite often sometimes it echoes even in the Parliament but we do not give serious thought to it.
Khudi ko kar buland itna ki har taqdeer say pahlay,
Khuda banday say khud poochay bata teri raza kya hai
(Raise your position so much that God himself may ask you ‘’tell me what is it that you want?’’). It echoes the holy Quranic strong dictate that we should endeavour to achieve his rewards. In short we must develop a scientific temper among the people as the holy Quran says in different verses. We are mainly responsible for backwardness.
Sir Syed also brought out a journal ‘Tehzibul Akhlaq’ and succeeded in infusing a new desire amongst Muslims for acquiring modern knowledge.
Sir Syed finally reached to the conclusion that lack of education was the main cause of the backwardness of the community.
Sir Syed became successful in his mission and gave a firm foundation of Aligarh College (Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College) which afterwards became Aligarh Muslim University by an act of the government. It is meant for all- Muslims as well as non-Muslim students. All live and study here in a friendly and peaceful atmosphere. It has got a rich cultural heritage, which is its special and inimitable one.
The intellectuals produced in large numbers by Aligarh Muslim University served and continue to serve the country in various capacities. The first graduate of this University was the great revolutionary Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh. The late Dr. Zakir Hussain, former President of India and Dr. Syed Mahmood were also Aligarh educated dignitaries. The university has produced innumerable doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists, poets, writers, journalists, etc.
HIS EDUCATIONAL REVOLUTION
The Aligarh movement launched by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan influenced the Muslims in the country, particularly in South India. The Souvenir brought out on the occasion of the Centenary Celebration of Ambur Muslim Educational Society on 4th September 2006 mentions as follows inter-alia:
Sir Syed organised the Mohammedan (later Muslim) Educational Conference. Its branches were established in cities and towns to report on the educational needs of the community. This conference used to meet annually at several important cities in the country and carried the message of modern education far and wide.
The 5th session of the Conference was held at Madras in 1901 and set in a brainwave all over the South. Like their brethren in other parts of the country the Muslims of the Madras presidency were also antagonistic towards the English education and therefore they were far behind their other fellow countrymen in public service. Nawab Mohsinul Mulk Mohsinud Dowla from Aligarh inspired the Conference with the saga of adventure which Sir Syed has brought into being in the North.
On 16th December 1905 the Management of the Chowk Masjid madrasa which was in existence then was taken over and later re-named as Madrasa-e-Mazharul Uloom. Janab T.Abdullah sahib visited Aligarh, observed the educational developments there and inspired by it prepared a plan for a Muslim school in Ambur meant for all religions and communities without any discrimination whatsoever. It was primarily his aim to create for young Muslims a good institution for their educational, cultural and social developments.
Many educational institutions came up in Tamil Nadu as a result of the Aligarh movement. Today by the grace of Allah there are 11 (eleven) full fledged engineering colleges and hundreds of Science and Arts Colleges, Higher Secondary and Elementary Schools in difference parts of Tamil Nadu. Many Muslim organisations like All India Islamic Foundation, Sadaq Trust, The South India Education Trust, The Muslim Educational Association of Southern India, Ambur Muslim Educational Society, Vaniyambadi Muslim Educational Society etc. have been playing a very important role in establishing institutions and imparting modern education to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
HIS RATIONAL APPROACH
Muslims were in the forefront in the struggle for freedom. They suffered a lot. Many Ulema (religious scholars) were hanged in Delhi and other places. Sir Syed was worried. He was of the view that Muslims should not be so vigorous in opposing the British at their own cost and ignore everything including education and government placements.
Sir Syed wanted Muslims to have friendship with the British if they want to take their due rights. He quoted the examples of other religious communities benefiting from the government. While he tried his best to convince the British that Muslims were not against them, he persuaded the Muslims repeatedly to befriend the British to achieve their goals. He also wrote many books and published journals to remove the misunderstanding between Muslims and the British by writing booklets like "Loyal Muhammadans of India" and "Cause of Indian Revolt". Sir Syed asked the Muslims of his time not to participate in politics unless and until they got modern education. He was of the view that Muslims could not succeed in the field of Western politics without knowing the system. He was invited to attend the first session of the Indian National Congress and to join the organization but he refused to accept the offer. He gave importance to the education of the Muslim community and succeeded in it. His institutions such as the College and the Muslim Educational Conference continued to influence intellectuals till this day and will continue to do so in the years to come unhindered.
CONCLUSION
Let us see now what the following great personalities have said about Sir Syed
Ahmed Khan:
1) Dr. Allama Iqbal:
‘’The real greatness of the man (Sir Syed) consists in the fact that he was the first Indian Muslim who felt the need of a fresh orientation of Islam and worked for it’’
2) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehruji:
‘’Sir Syed was an ardent reformer and he wanted to reconcile modern scientific thought with religion by rationalistic interpretations and not by attacking basic belief. He was anxious to push new education. He was in no way communally separatist. Repeatedly he emphasized that religious differences should have no political and national significance.’’
3) Mr. Inder Kumar Gujralji
‘’Sir Syed’s vision and his laborious efforts to meet the demands of challenging times are highly commendable. The dark post 1857 era was indeed hopeless and only men like Raja Mohan Roy and Sir Syed could penetrate through its thick veil to visualize the Nation’s destinies. They rightly believed that the past had its merits and its legacies were valuable but it was the future that a society was called upon to cope with.
I offer my homage to Sir Syed for his vision and courage that withstood all obstructions both from the friends and the foes.’’
This great visionary and reformer, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, whose relevance is felt even today and who will always remain green in our memory inspiring wise thoughts and absolute principles in the right Islamic thinking passed away after a brief illness on 27th March 1898 and was buried the next day in the compound of the mosque in the College. May his soul continue to live in peace.
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