By N. Jamal Ansari,
The race to control the India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi (IICC) is hitting up. Election process for 2014 for its management committee is underway.
India Islamic Culture Centre (IICC) is not an ordinary body. It is the focal point of the meeting of Muslims who matters. It was established with an aim to provide facilities to creative people of the Indian Muslim community to interact, discuss and analyse the issues faced by the community and nation as earlier India’s foreign policy was heavily pro-Arab and the fact can be understood from recalling that India was the first ever country to recognise Late Yasir Arafat as the head of Palestine. One of the main motive behind the establishment of IICC was to send positive message to the Muslim countries about Indian Muslims.
It may be recalled that the end of 14th Hijra was an important event in the history of the Muslims world. India is the home of Muslims too and population-wise it is second largest Muslim concentrated country in the world. Hence, no doubt large scale celebrations were held in India too on the completion of 14th Hijra. Being a democratic country, the government of India also took keen interest in the celebration on various levels.
During the centenary celebrations, some eminent persons in national capital, New Delhi, Opined for the need of a centre to highlight Islamic Culture. Some of the old boys of the Aligarh Muslim University and many renowned personalities played a positive role in establishing the centre.
Mrs. Indira Gandhi paid much attention to the establishment of IICC as she was convinced that the centre will promote communal harmony and understanding among the followers of different religions and thus will be helpful for the national integration. It was Mrs. Gandhi who laid the foundation stone of IICC on 24th August 1984.
No doubt IICC has catered to the needs of Indian Muslim and tried to keep up the tradition of composite culture. But with the passage of time, a strange trend has emerged in its election process to float “Panels”.
In the present election currently going on almost four panels are working to attract the members of IICC. It may be noted that almost all members of the IICC are distinguished people of their respective fields. There should be difference in the election of a municipality, gram panchayat or student union an educational institution and the prestigious IICC. Panel based election seem to be a channel to avoid the fair election process itself. It snatches the liberty from the voters their right to elect suitable persons. For example, there may be black sheeps in a panel but the voter may vote it out due to few other persons included in it. In my view the biggest negative point is that panel politics generates groupism which is anti-creativity. I think that esteemed members of the IICC should avoid panel politics to protest and preserve the functional aspect of the IICC.
My second point is that the IICC should not be allowed to take shape of a club. It is not a club but a Centre which should be allowed to function as a centre of excellence for thinking and concerned people. Through panel politics, there is chance that some people may be elected to the IICC management who may not have suitable talent and creativity for that. I am trying to save the interests of IICC from these people.
In my view the election process of the IICC should be very transparent and without any lobbying. As the lobbying is turning out it to be like a business deal we must accept that no institution, IICC or any other such centre should be turned to a coffee breaking point. As far as panelist are concerned, they themselves realize that creation of panels is sending a wrong message to community and media. It seems that IICC is presently gripped by internal politics. We should avoid such situation as it is denting prestige of the IICC.
Finally, the electors of the IICC management should ensure to support and vote to the candidates who have proven track record of serving the interests of the community and nation, who have composite culture, brotherhood and missionary zeal in their veins. There are candidates who have already proved their worthiness in other fields, we should give them a chance to come on the centre stage of the IICC. Persons who are not any panel may be move suitable as it is sure that they are not part of any internal politics.
We should not forget that IICC is not only our meeting point but our dream, a creation house, a place to dwell on our problems and aspirations and a dream to come true. Hence, we must ensure its smooth functioning on the lines of the desires of founders and make it a centre without any internal politics compounded by promise to handover it to next generation.
(The Writer is Director of Centre for Studies on Muslim Politics (CSMP) and can be reached at [email protected] )