By P. Mohammad for TwoCircles.net,
The Internal reforms within the Institutions of Muslim Indians is the need of the hour as almost all Muslim Institutions are within a control of very narrow, selfish and petty interests and so called secular political parties are promoting these elements within the community very actively so that the democratization of Muslim Institution should not be taken place.
The recent Muzaffarnagar communal riots and the response of so called secular party in power was so inhuman, demeaning and humiliating for any Indians but in-spite of all these, almost all Muslim Institutions and the Intellectual class was not at all responding to the situation within the given democratic and secular space.
The institutions like Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Jamia Millia Islamia(JMI) and Jamia Handard and their vast network of Alumni spread across the world has very much failed in their very organized responses. The intellectual class of these three institutions and their Alumni, if organized properly and even ten organized group of reputed Professors from these institutions was enough to push Samajwadi Party Government to the corner and hold them accountable in front of public by holding an organized protests and demonstration with the help of many secular and progressive individuals and the organizations across the India.
The worst part is that the western Uttar Pradesh(UP) within a reach of 100 kilometers from new Delhi and having a capacity to organize Dharna and protest like Anna Movement in Delhi but Muslim Institutions and Intellectuals failed to respond to the situation. These institutions are just behaving like degree-minting centers and creation of employments of a certain section of people. The quality of debate and discussions within their alumni networks are one of the indicators of the degradation of these institutions from their core. The types of very narrow, myopic and selfish politics the teaching staffs are engaged in within their campuses are uninspiring at best.
This is the time to initiate and facilitate the democratic debates and discussions within the community as without utilizing the effective tools of the democracy within the Muslim community and utilizing all democratic secular space within the Indian political systems, the situation of the community will not be improved. I think there must be positive interactions with all emerging political forces in India from the scommunity intellectuals for creating long-term value in the form of modern education, progressive outlook, health care infrastructure, employment, rule of law and this will facilitate a healthy institution building. All right thinking people and institutions must play their part to improve the situation otherwise these so called secular parties will only use and exploit Muslim in the form of vote bank without any change from within.
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P. Mohammad is an AMU alumni working in Delhi and can be reached at [email protected]