By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: ‘If a temple and a mosque can co-exist in Old Delhi then why can’t it exist in Ayodhy,” asked Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, adding that “this is someting we need to think about.”
Mr. Quraishi expressed his opinion on a rather controversial topic for a CEC, while delivering a lecture on “Sir Syed Aur Delhi Ki Tahzeeb” on Sunday at India Islamic Cultural Center in New Delhi.
L to R: SY Quraishi (speaking), AR Shervani and Arif Muhammad Khan look on
Himself born and brought up in Old Delhi, this alumnus of Urdu medium Anglo Arabic School was referring to a place near Chandni Chowk where a Jain temple, a mosque called Sunehri Masjid, a Gurudwara and a Baptist Church co-exist within a walking distance of 5 minutes from one another.
Sir Syed’s conciliatory approach needed
Mr. Quraishi said that Sir Syed was a brilliant strategist apart from being a reformer, educationist and a philosopher. His strategy was to approach problems in a conciliatory way. He never became confrontationist in his outlook towards life and world, added the CEC.
This Haryana cadre IAS officer of 1971 batch presented the example of the way Sir Syed dealt with the British. He didn’t fight with them but first joined them in order to consolidate his own position and then in quiet subtle way unleashed forces which became the source of resistance to British domination forever, Quraishi added.
For this alumnus of St. Stephen’s, Sir Syed’s persuasive and reconciliatory approach becomes all the more relevant for Muslims, implicitly referring to the Ayodhya problem and other problems facing the Muslim community at this stage in India.
Sir Syed was much ahead of his times
Highlighting different aspects of Sir Syed’s contribution to the national building and also the Indian Muslims, Mr. Quraishi pointed out that Sir Syed was much ahead of his times.
“Be it his approach towards English education, empowerment of women, scientific approach towards life and religion. These were the tings which make him much ahead of his times,” added Mr. Quraishi whose birth coincided with the independence of India in 1947.
Otherwise, more than one and half century ago, who could have imagined that the first Chancellor of a university (AMU) will be a woman, who was Shahjahan Begum, asked Mr. Quraishi giving example of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s farsightedness.
He was a unique mixture of modernity and Islamic way of life.
“Even with his full and almost intimidating beard, he was no less a scientific man, to say the least,” added the first Muslim CEC of India.
He also mentioned that whatever he is today is because of the vision of Sir Syed who had emphasized on English education and exhorted Muslims to go into Civil Services.
Mistakes of Sir Syed
This author of a book on Urdu poet Altaf Hussain Hali, made it a point to mention that there were certain mistakes which Sir Syed committed; the prominent of them was to associate Urdu with Muslims and Hindi with Hindus.
“This is something which caused a great harm to Urdu and to Muslims also in the longer run because any language is a language of an area and not that of a particular faith. Limiting that to a particular community would be a grave disservice to that language, said Mr. Quraishi who had earned distinction for his knowledge of Persian and Arabic.
The lecture was organized by the Old Boy’s Association of AMU on Sir Syed Day which is celebrated the world over on Sir Syed’s birthday, 17th October. It was chaired by former union minister Arif Muhammad Khan.