Zafar Sareshwala, who was the Guest of Honour, appeared to be the star of the programme as none of the speakers forgot to mention his name and eulogised him several times, as he smiled and nodded every time his name was taken.
By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Muslims should come ahead and participate in the development of the country, as equal citizens, feels Minister for Human Resource and Development Smriti Zubin Irani. “I urge you all youth to move at least half a step, if we (government) take two steps,” she told an applauding crowd at Ansari Auditorium of Jamia Millia Islamia on Monday, adding, “I am confident you will march together.”
Irani was the Chief Guest at a national symposium organised by ‘Muslim Youth for India’ (MYFI), a little known organisation, in collaboration with Jamia Millia Islamia, what clearly appeared as a ‘reach-out’ step by some members of the Muslim community, at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s close aide and Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Zafar Sareshwala.
In fact Sareshwala, who was the Guest of Honour, appeared to be the star of the programme as none of the speakers forgot to mention his name and eulogised him several times, as he smiled and nodded every time his name was taken.
Padma Shri Akhtarul Wasey, Commissioner of the National Commission for Linguistic Minorities, praised him for his work and hoped that under his Chancellorship, MANUU will reach new heights. On the question of why Muslims in the country are lagging behind, Professor Wasey minced no words as he said, “In Muslim localities more police stations are opened than schools.”
He congratulated the HRD Minister for some of the majors she took in short stint and welcomed the attempt at “new dialogue” between the government and the Muslim community. As an institution that beholds the nationalistic character, he reminded, “Jamia can be the best platform” for such a communication.
Invoking first Education Minister of India Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad and the founding fathers of Jamia Millia Islamia, Professor Wasey reiterated the need of Hindu-Muslim unity, as he said, “Muslims interests are no different from the country’s interests. If the country progresses than Muslims too will benefit, whose dignity is automatically connected with the fate of the country.”
Comparing the HRD Minister to first Education Minister of India Maulana Azad, and also calling her a “mother – educator,” he made a strong appeal to her to nurture the Muslim population of India towards a bright and educated future.
He reminded that India’s development would not be possible if 15-16% of its population (comprising Muslims) are neglected, but added, “Muslims do not need alms, they need their rights and equitable participation,” as the young crowd, majority of them school and college students cheered.
HRD Minister urged that we should not pay heed to “misinformation” and assured that the promises government made for the modernisation of madrassas and mainstreaming of the Muslim community will be fulfilled. She reminded of the new method of learning and nationalistic fervour of the founding fathers of Jamia, and stressed on the need of reforms in education sector, urging youth to “make their voices heard” by giving their feedback at www.myGov.in.
The Minister also spoke on character building and said that no field of education is complete without the building of character and a strong sense of service to the under-privileged and the motherland. She also assured the representatives of the Madrasa system present there that her Ministry have taken all the necessary steps towards modernization and strengthening of the Madrasas of India.
She said that her government’s objective is to make education accessible to all and she is working on a plan to make a website where courses and study materials from central universities and other premiere institutions would be available.
Earlier Maulana Yusuf Nadvi, son of famous cleric from Lucknow Maulana Salman Nadvi, reminded the Muslims that a community on whose Prophet, first verse revealed by God urged to “read” yet Muslims are now lagging in education, and reiterated the need of getting bother world knowledge, besides Islamic learning.
He said that Muslims in India need opportunities, and if they get a platform, “all Muslims will work for the country and will shine like Zafar Sareshwala.”
Tanweer Ahmed, who served as the Chairman of the Hajj Committee during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government, urged the government to harness the skill of communities of artisans and craftsmen of Muslims, in their larger scheme of skill development, which would go long way in ‘main-streaming’ of those sections of the people.
Midhat Hussain of the MYFI thanked Sareshwala for his “efforts for the development of the community.” He also narrated an anectdote that, according to him, changed his “concepts” about Prime Minister Modi. “When ModiJi was still a CM of Gujarat but was nominated the PM candidate of BJP, with the help of Zafar Bhai, we went to meet him. I am not sure, if I should have asked this question, but I still asked him, how Muslims will benefit if he becomes the PM,” he said, adding, what Modi answered, changed his concept about him. “ModiJi said that he would not work for any community in particular, but for the entire nation and see to it that these differences do not hamper the growth of the community,” he announced.
Several distinguished speakers participated in the Symposium. Prominent among them were Professor Akhtarul Wasey, Commissioner, National Linguistic Minorities Commission, Yusuf Nadvi, Tanvir Ahmad, former Chairman, Haj Committee of India, Asifa Khan, Akhtar Ali Farooqui, a senior Sr. IPS officer and Prof. Mujtaba Khan. The symposium was presided over by Prof. Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia.
The hall was packed to capacity much before the commencement of the programme, although half of the students comprised of the Jamia School, who were in uniforms.
The timing of the programme in Jamia is, however, being seen by many as an attempt at ‘reaching out’ to Muslims just before the Delhi’s Assembly elections and dubbed it as “BJP’s blatant misuse of temples of learning.”
Many in the University were also fuming that it was jointly organising a programme with an organisation that has the patronage of Sareshwala.