By Kulsum Mustafa for TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: Advising the government to desist from focussing all its energy unnecessarily on the 4 per cent madarsa students it was suggested that the administration must work towards improving the lot of the rest of 96 per cent Muslim students.
“It is these 96 per cent Muslim students, crushed under the weight of poverty and lack of opportunities, who need help. The government must concentrate all its resources on them, instead of interfering in the madarsa education system, ” said Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahili, Naib Imam of Eidgarh and general secretary of the Islamic Centre of India. The cleric was addressing Muslim scholars and clerics on the concluding day of the two-day conference “Fiqh-al-Aqalliyat” (issues of minorities in Islamic perspective) which opened in Lucknow on October 17. The conference was jointly organized under the banner of Islamic Centre of India and Institute of Objective Studies.
Maulana Rasheed said if the government is really serious about the welfare of Muslims and would like to do something to improve their lot it must ensure better deal for them first in the mainstream education. He suggested more scholarships and job opportunities for the Muslim students.
“Extreme poverty is the main reason behind the lack of education of the minority children and also the high dropout rate among Muslim students.The government must support the minority students through financial incentives so that they can continue their studies,” advised Maulana, adding that this is a sure way of checking the high dropout rate in the Muslim children.
“Professional, job-oriented courses in engineering, management or any other field will be very well received by the minority students, provided they are provided the financial back-up which most of them lack,” he said.
The participants at the conference stressed that the time for recommendations of Sachar report is long since over, it is now time for immediate implementations of the recommendations and that also in a fast gear.
In the five points resolution of the conference the underlying message was clear to both the Central and the state governments, “Stop interfering in the Muslim madasra educational system.”
The conference demanded setting up of all girls’ institutions for higher studies of Muslim girls. This will the participants stressed ensure that more girls attain higher education that will lead to job security.
The conference members also laid out guidelines for Indian NRI Muslims. These Muslims who are earning their livelihood in foreign land were urged to follow all the tenants of Islam even when they were away from their own land. They were urged to follow and practice the ‘personal laws’ rule the Muslims in India. These NRIs were asked to look up the website Islamiccentreofindian .org for any doubts that arise in their minds on anything pertaining to Islam.
Speakers at the session laid great emphasis on unity amongst the Muslims not only in India but throughout the world. The members said global unity among the Muslims will lead to a stronger and more powerful position of Muslims. This will empower them to stand up against any injustice or suppression of their rights anywhere in the world on their community.
Speaking on the relevance of purdah for Muslim women in the modern world Dr Zainabal Alwani, from US said that hijab does not come in the progress of women. Illustrating her point she said that there is a growing trend in US of Muslim women observing purdah and yet they are performing their professional duties well.
Held under the chairmanship of Maulana Ahmed Mian, Farangi Mahali, Imam Eidgah, Luckow, the other prominent speakers at the conference included Maulana Saeed-Ur-Rehman Azmi, Professor Islamic and Arabic Studies, Northern Virginia Community College, Virginia, USA, Dr. Saluddin Sultan, Dr. Ausaf Ahmed, ex-Director Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Professor Abdur Rehman Momin, Maharastra, Dr. Sadrul Hasan Maharastra, Dr Z.M. Khan Delhi, Dr. Mohsin Usmani Hyderabad, Dr. Tauqir Alam AMU Aligarh, Dr. Shayista Parveen, AMU Aligarh, Dr. Faizan Mustafa, Bhunaveshwar, Orissa, Mufti Imitiaz Ahmed, Patna, Bihar and several other prominent academician of law and humanities.