By TCN News,
Lucknow: Muslim Political Awareness Forum organised a seminar on “Educational Problems and our Responsibilities” at Mumtaz P.G. Collage in the state capital. Educationist and social workers discussed the problems of Muslim minority relating to the education of the community.
Speaking in this seminar, Chief Guest Dr. Shakeel Samdani of Aligarh Muslim University said that without reservation of seats in jobs and admissions the progress of Muslim community in India is not possible. The Sacchar Committee has already exposed the governments that they failed to uplift the Muslim community socially, educationally, economically and politically. Muslims are at the lowest level and claims of their progress and development are totally false. This is due to the discrimination at every level by the successive governments.
Dr Shakeel Samdani adressing the seminar as Chief Guest
Dr. Samdani was speaking on ‘Reservation of Muslims in Educational Institutions’. After reviewing the High Court and Supreme Court Judgments in the last six decades he said that at the national level no reservation was given to the backward classes including Muslims up to 1992. After 1992, for the first time in the history of independent India, the backward classes were given reservation in central services in which large numbers of Muslims were also included. Of course, reservation was available in some states in services as well as in educational institutions. In 2005, by the 93rd Amendment to the constitution, the benefit of reservation was extended to OBC’s in educational institutions including private institutions. But private minority educational institutions were exempted from the purview of OBC reservation.
Dr. Samdani further said that the Muslims should try to get maximum benefit from 27% OBC quota and they should continue their efforts to get their separate quota within 27% OBC quota. Muslims should also try to declare their institutions as ‘minority institutions’ by the government. They should apply for declaring their institutions to the National Commission for Minorities Educational Institutions set up by the government of India and take help from Chairman Justice M S A Siddiqi, who is doing a commendable job as the head of this commission. Dr Samdani advised Muslims to do more efforts in comparison to the majority community. They must develop political awareness so that they can get political advantage of the democracy. He asked the Muslim community to put maximum pressure on the state as well as central government for granting them reservation before the next Lok Sabha election scheduled to be held in 2014.
Presiding the seminar, Convener of Muslim Political Awareness Forum Dr. M. Anis said that the problems of the Muslims are more than others that is why a serious discussion is necessary. To weaken the Urdu as medium of instruction was a political conspiracy against Muslims and that is why new generation of Muslims is becoming more unaware about their culture and history. He said that it is a part conspiracy to force the Muslim students for ‘Surya Namashkar’ and singing ‘vande matram’ in schools. Maulana Jahangir Qasmi said that Islam has given much importance on education and the Prophet of Islam has exhorted the Muslims to acquire the knowledge and there is no age limit for acquiring it.
Er. Khaliq Uz Zaman (Delhi) spoke on the ‘Problems of Education in Textbooks’. Senior media person Alim Naqvi, while speaking on ‘Problems of Education in Mother Tongue Urdu’ said that those communities who gave preference to their mother tongue are now a days more developed and advanced than others. In this connection he cited the examples of Jews, Russians and Germans. He also emphasised that mother tongue is the best medium of instruction for the students. He discussed in detail the injustice done by congress stalwarts, Govind Ballabh Pant, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel etc and blamed them for crushing Urdu language. Mr Z Ahmed Farooqi spoke on ‘Discrimination in Reservation Policy’ in India.
L-R: Dr Shakeel Samdani (Chief Guest), Dr Anis, Er. Khaliq and Alim Naqvi
A core committee was also formed to solve the issues relating to Muslim education. Mr. Manzoor Ahmad, IPS (Rtd) Chairman, Prof Shakeel Samdani, Anwar Ul Haq, IAS (Rtd), Sultan Ahmad, IAS (Rtd.), Dr M Anis Ahmad, Shafiq Ahmad, S.M Bahraichi were elected as members.
In this seminar a large number of educationalists, intellectuals, social workers, women and students participated. The seminar was attended among others by Mohd Khalid, Secretary, United Muslim Organisation, Noman Siddiqi, (Khairabad), Amir Mahfooz, Wasi Siddiqi, Shaharyar Jalalpuri, Saud Siddiqi, Syed Shifat Ali (Bahraich), Jalal Ud Din (Allahabad), Zaid Farooqi (Banda), Zulfiqar Ali (Mathura), Afaq Ahmad (Azamgarh), Abdul Qayum (Lakhimpur), M S Bahraichi, Asif Burney (Editor Wais e Awadh).