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Are some children of Sir Syed killing his vision

By Kaleem Kawaja,

In recent weeks some AMU professors (past and present) who oppose AMU & VC Azis have published several statements in Indian newspapers and e-mail lists opposing the plan for the formation of 5 satellite AMU campuses in cities far from the AMU Aligarh campus. Campuses are planned in Kerala, Assam, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan. It boggles my mind why these respected AMU academics(who themselves and their families have benefitted a lot from AMU) are opposing its expansion. It is well established that the Indian Muslims all over India are very backward in education,and the need to establish colleges for them in Muslim concentration areas throughout India is paramount.The Sachar Committee has also emphasized this fact.

One argument the esteemed AMU academics give is that the AMU constitution does not permit satellite AMU colleges. However, as the government of India itself is favouring this program, the said restriction in the AMU charter can be easily revised. AMU can be transformed from one residential university to an “AMU University System” with several remote universities/colleges.Such a system is very popular in US where most states of the union have “State University System” that comprise of many universities. Eg the University of Maryland, The State University of New York, California State University, Louisiana State University etc etc. Ofcourse then the government should appoint a VC for each satellite university/college and a super-VC (or President) for the AMU system.

This is standard practice in most of the 50 states in US. Each satellite university must have a full time VC, as otherwise with only one VC for the entire system, the supervision of students and teachers and management of campuses will suffer. These changes in the AMU constitution can be implemented by the Indian government in consultation with the Muslim community at large.

For Muslim communities in the cities where these 5 satellite campuses are being planned, it is very difficult to come up with the brain trust and know-how to establish their own universities, set up curriculums and systems of admission/examination etc.But AMU is very rich in this wherewithal and brain power.Thus the idea of establishing these satellite colleges is a no-brainer (obvious).

Thus it is obvious that the establishment of these satellite AMU campuses will be of immense benefit to the Muslims of India. So why are some well educated people especially the AMU academics are opposing it? In fact unfortunately these AMU Muslim academics are
providing ammunition to those RSS type anti-Muslim forces who oppose the Sachar Committee recommendations and the government program to establish universities/colleges for Muslims.

The only obvious reason is that their personal grudge against VC Azis is of such a high degree that they can not tolerate anything good coming out of AMU during the tenure of Prof Azis as VC.Even if that means depriving their own Muslim community of much needed help in educational development.

If we take a minute to look at the mission of the Aligarh Movement and Sir Syed,we see that the mission was to uplift the educationally backward Muslims of India.Sir Syed and the leaders of that movement constantly exhorted the AMU students to go out and build schools/colleges for the Muslim community throughout India. This mission was taught as the basic mantra at the Mohammaden Anglo Oriental College (the forerunner of AMU) for many decades.

So now that the Indian government is offering an opportunity to AMU to establish satellite campuses in Muslim townships, and accept the mantle of leadership for promoting college education of Muslims in India, how can any right thinking Indian Muslims advocate against that program? Should the Indian Muslim and AMU community at large allow these AMU academics to carry their rancor against VC Azis to such a high degree that they be allowed to harm the future of Muslims in India and of AMU?

I hope the well meaning and well educated Muslims in India and in the AMU community at large will reflect on this serious issue and take steps to stop the harmful path on which some AMU peopole are treading that will cause much harm to the Muslims of India.