Muslims backward due to discrimination, historical events: Muslim leaders

By Mumtaz Alam Falahi & Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net,

Patna: Challenges before the Muslim community in India today are many thanks to some historical events on one hand and discrimination by political parties and successive governments in Independent India on the other. Solution lies not in wailing but in education and political empowerment. These were the views of various Muslim leaders who had gathered here from major North Indian states.

More than 50 known faces of the Muslim community from social, political and educational field were invited at the “National Seminar on Challenges Before Minorities” organized by ETV group of regional and language news channels. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi also attended the seminar.





Highlighting the apathetic attitude of the BJP-JDU alliance government of Bihar towards the Muslim community in the state, Maulana Wali Rahmani, Sajjada Nashin of Khanqah Munger, quoting official data said that central funds for minority welfare schemes are not being used properly here.

“The Katihar Medical College, the only minority medical college in the state, had sent an application to the state government two years ago. The state government is sitting on the application and not forwarding it to the central government,” said Maulana Rahmani. Only yesterday the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman here said that the country needs 1.5 lakh more doctors. According to health policy, for every 2000 people there should be a doctor. But the total number of seats in all medical colleges in the state is just 300. Yet the state government is sleeping on the application of Katihar Medical College, Maulana Rahmani added.

“It is said we are backward in education. True, but when we want to move we are put in fetters,” said the Maulana who is also patron of Rahmani Foundation.



He gave another example of the discrimination of the state government.

For Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) scheme, the state government has not recommended any Muslim NGO, he alleged.

“I want to ask the government if they have sent any application of a Muslim NGO for this scheme in the last 7 years. It is not that application from Muslim NGOs has not reached the government. I myself had submitted an application to none other than Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on 7th August 2007. The application has not yet reached Delhi,” said Maulana Wali Rahmani.

With the help of Bihar government data, the Maulana exposed the state government’s unwillingness to work for minorities.

Talking about little utilization of funds of the central government for minority welfare schemes in minority districts under Multi-sectoral Development Program, he said: By 31st Dec 2010, the centre had sent funds for 30298 units under Indira Awas Yojna, but the state government has achieved just 2100 units. By the same period, 1416 anganwadi centres were to be created but only 14 were created. Besides out of sanctioned 2735 hand pumps only 100 could be set up and out of 134 school buildings only 1 could be built.




Maulana Mahmood Madani, Member Rajya Sabha and General Secretary Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, said people should know that Muslims are here by choice, not by chance. He urged the community to come out of the feeling of minorityism.
Referring to the attitude of political parties who have taken the community as use-and-throw, Maulana Madani recited some couplets of a poem written by noted Urdu poet and writer Dr Kaleem Aajiz:


Mere hi lahu per guzar auqat karo ho/Mujh se hi ameeron ki tarah baat karo ho
Hum khaak nasheen tum sukhan aara sarebam/Paas aa ke milo dur se kya baat karo ho
Youn to kabhi muh pher ke dekho bhi nahi ho/Jab waqt pade hai to madaarat karo ho





Before reciting the last couplet of the poem, Maulana Madani specially and meaningfully drew the attention of BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi who was sitting on the stage:


Daman pe koi chheent na khanjar pe koi daag/Tum qatl karo ho ke karamaat karo ho. Maulana Madani earned a huge applaud from the audience.






While admitting discrimination and bias from governments and political parties, he said India still is the best place on earth for Indian Muslims.
“Still I say, for Indian Muslims there is no place better than India and I am proud of it. Please do not make Muslims a minority. They are the second largest majority of the country. It’s time wwe should leave minorityism. Muslims are the shareholder of the country. Muslims are asset for the country, not liability. We are Indian not by chance but by choice. We do not want to live as a minority,” he concluded.

Dr Shakeel Ahmed, Congress spokesperson and Special Invitee to All India Congress Committee, in his turn, pointed to three historical factors mainly responsible for the backwardness of the Muslim community.



“There are three basic and historical factors behind the backwardness of the community. About 90% of the community is convert. Cream and upper class people did not convert to Islam. People in isolated and backward areas converted from a community to other community. Second is oppression of the British rule. They snatched power from Muslims so there were always afraid of the community to get united and return to power. That’s why the one community which the Britishers oppressed since the beginning in an organized way was the Muslim community. And the third is partition when cream of the community left the country for greener pastures,” said Dr Ahmed.

True, in Independent India, parties and governments have done discrimination with Muslims. But such discrimination has been done to other communities as well, he said and urged: “We can overcome it only through hard work and education. We have to come out and work hard, we cannot afford just sitting and wailing and listening to our people narrating the stories of discrimination and injustice,” the Congress leader said and gave some examples of hard work that earned Muslims top positions in the country.



“Free India has got 3-4 presidents from the Muslim community. Could they have got such position if they had sat at home wailing? Muslims have topped IAS and IPS in the country. Amir Subhani, Jawed Usmani and Shahla Nigar to name some. How could they have got it if they had not work hard? At one time, national teams of all five top games in the country were led by Muslims: Mohammed Azharuddin (Cricket), Mohammed Nayemuddin (Football), Zafar Iqbal (Hockey), Akhtar Ali (Tennis), Mir Qasim Ali (Table Tennis) and Syed Modi (Badminton). They got the position by their labor, not in charity. If they had sat at home thinking who hears Muslims, they could not have got what they did. I request you to keep away from those who put you in inferiority complex.”

Others who spoke on the occasion included Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Opposition Leader, Bihar (RJD), Imran Qidwai (Chairman, Minority Cell, Congress Party), Dr Jagannath Mishra, (Ex-CM, Bihar), Ali Anwar Ansari, Rajya Sabha MP (JD-U), Sultan Ahmed, Union Minister, Qazi Rasheed Masood, vice president SP.

(Photos and videos by Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net)

World Cup 2011 celebration in Mumbai

Photos by Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net

Movement for AMU Kishanganj centre gaining momentum

By Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net,

Patna: With the state government of JDU-BJP alliance seemingly putting the issue of Kishanganj Special Centre of Aligarh Muslim University in the cold storage, movement for the AMU branch in the most backward district of Bihar is gaining momentum as students groups as well as political parties are stressing the demand.

Two days after the Bihar Zone of Students Islamic Organization of India organized a sit-in near Gandhi Maidan in the heart of the state capital, a bigger demonstration was organized at the same place by the Joint Movement for AMU Special Centre on 29th March.



Politicians from different parties holding sit-in in support of AMU centre in Patna


Addressing the demonstrators, Feroz Ahmad, Patna High Court advocate and president, Surjapuri Development Organisation said the Central Government and Aligarh Muslim University have already given nod to open AMU centre in Kishanganj, but there is little progress on the issue as the Bihar government is not providing land for the campus.

Members of the Joint Movement for AMU Special Centre included many organizations like Surjapuri Development Organisation, Kullaiha Development Organisation, Bihar Madrasa Old Boys Association and SIO. Senior Urdu Journalist Ashraf Asthanvi was also there in support of the demand.

Not only Muslims but Hindus are also in favor the special centre and the support is coming not only from Kishanganj but all over Bihar, said Ahmed, an active member of the Joint Movement.



Political parties including RJD and Congress are also giving their support to the movement.

Addressing the gathering, RJD MLA Abdul Ghafoor said “we are here to support the movement. RJD is also with you and all party members are as well.” India is a democratic country. If government is not giving their support then public should come forward. If AMU center will open in Kishanganj then it will be proud of Bihar not only for Kishanganj but for whole Bihar as people of entire Bihar will get benefit from the center in Kishanganj, he added.

“Muslim as well as Hindu and other communities will get benefit. This movement is not form only one community but it is for whole community. Everyone should come and give their support to this movement. Bihar govt must give land in Kishanganj. In Nalanda 450 acre land has been given and I heard that 500 acre land given to Film Director Prakash Jha. So why aren’t they giving even 250-300 acre land in Kishanganj for AMU center?” said Ghafoor.



Students from various colleges and universities holding the sit-in in support of the AMU centre


Yuman Hussain from Kishanganj, who runs Azad India Foundation in the district, said: “We should get our right to get education anyhow. If government does not accept our demand then I will come out to support the movement.”

The organizers demanded the Bihar govt to give land for the AMU campus as soon as possible. Otherwise, they warned to intensify the movement. They announced they will organize dharna at Zila and bloc level and even will launch Chakkajaam and rail roko movement.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Md Anis, Coordinator, Joint Movement for AMU Special Center, Dr BH Khan, Spokesperson of Bihar Congress Minority Committee and Adv Raghib Ahmed, Patna High Court.

Time to stand up to resolve our problems: Inamdar

By Manzar Bilal and Mudassir Rizwan, TCN,

Patna: There have been lots of meetings to know about our problems. It is time to stand up to think that now we can solve our problems. When we start work, we will get confidence and then we will move on toward success. We should think how to implement our own agenda but unfortunately we expect that from government. These views were expressed by eminent educationist from Pune, Mr P.A. Inamdar.

He was speaking at a program entitled Talim and Talim Ki Tanzeem organized by Rahmani Foundation of Munger at Haj Bhawan here on 27th March.



P.A. Inamdar


Speaking on the topic, Inamdar said RTE act has changed the situation of the country. “We should not spend our money on establishment of new schools because it has become the responsibility of government through RTE Act. Yes that money we should spend on education and not on building of schools because education has become business, and so, our children need huge money to pay fees for higher education,” he said.

“We must learn computer and technology because it is the need of our time, otherwise we will remain behind everyone. We are giving computer education to poor children of slums in Pune. We are running 15 centers for the purpose,” he said.



L-R: Ajmal Farid, P.A. Inamdar, Ahmad Ashfaq Kareem, Dr Lutfur Rahman, Shafi Mashhadi & Manzar Jameel


A huge amount of government for minority will come in near future, so have we any plan to receive that amount for betterment of Muslims? One person in every district of state can change the picture, he said and promised to work for the Muslims in Bihar but urged to work as ‘the thing that is better for our own children that is for the community also.’ We need quality to rule the world and not majority as we know that we ruled the country when we were in little number, he added.

Addressing the audience, Prof. Dr Lutfur Rahman said that a community needs to get excellence in education to get honor and power in the world. “But today we are worst in education so how can we progress?” said former MLA and noted Urdu Journalist Rahman.



Maulana Wali Rahmani and others



There are many Muslims who are wealthy. If each of them takes responsibility to afford education of one child then picture will be quite different. Similarly, those who do not have wealth but have knowledge they can play good role by following the ‘Each one, Teach one’ principle.

Ajmal Farid, Editor, Patna Urdu daily Qaumi Tanzeem said that Islam is religion which gave much importance to education. This is evident from the first wahi (revelation to Prophet). “Till Muslims were taking this message seriously they were in the front at every level, but now Muslims are lagging behind only due to ignoring the message.”



Audience


Ex- IAS Shafi Mashhadi said that Muslims are 15 million in the state of Bihar but out of them only 40% Muslims are literate the rest are illiterate, and only 20% Muslim women in the state are literate.

In Bihar there are only few Muslim NGOs that are working for Muslim welfare. So, need to establish sincere NGOs because we know that government are implementing welfare schemes through NGOs, he said.



Audience


Muslims intellectuals and elites are really culprits for this sorry condition of the community because they did not perform their responsibilities in this regard, he averred.

The program was presided over by Ahmad Ashfaq Kareem while Maulana Wali Rahmani was the patron of the program.

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