Indian Muslims asked to get educated, end self-centeredness

The 12th Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer Memorial Lecture was held in New Delhi Nov. 23 on the theme: “Muslims of India: Past and Present.

New Delhi:  Indian Muslims should get educated and their leaders should stop being self-centered to help their community emerge from its poor socio-political situation in India, says noted lawyer A.G. Noorani.

The 88-year Supreme Court lawyer and author was speaking at the 12th Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer Memorial Lecture in New Delhi Nov. 23 on the theme: “Muslims of India: Past and Present.

“Even after 71 years of India got independence, Muslims still beg for their rights, depend on someone’s mercy for everything which is very unfortunate things to happen to the Muslims in our country,” said Abdul Ghafoor Abdul Majeed Noorani, popularly called Noorani.

It is “not that we don’t have competent Muslim leaders in our country but most of them become the puppet of the ruling party which in term use them as vote bank and for their self goal,” he told the gathering chaired by Former vice-resident of India Hamid Ansari

He said Indian Muslims’ condition now is “worse” than it was in 1857 or 1947 “because they are not united and don’t take part in nation building activities. Most of them are self centered and think about self glory…the present muslims leaders are no exception.”

More than 300 people comprising of parliamentarians, former bureaucrats, scholars, professors, students, human rights activists and eminent citizens attended the lecture iorganized by Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai.

Asghar Ali Engineer was an Indian reformist-writer and social activist, who died in 2013. The Mumbai-based Muslim leader was internationally known for his work on liberation theology in Islam. He wrote and worked enlighten people against sectarian movements and violence.

Irfan A Engineer, the organizer of the event told ucanews.com the event was also an occasion to celebrate Indian constitutional day, commemorating the Constituent Assembly adopting the Constitution of India on Nov. 26, 1949. It was promulgated on Jean. 26, 1950.

Muslims, the second largest religious group in India, making up approximately some 14 percent of India’s 1.2 billion people but suffer from economic and social poverty because lack of education and resources, studies show.

Noorani suggested to have an organizations dedicated for the advancement of minorities and seek support from Hindus for protecting secular values in the country.

He also suggested to document violence and discrimination and present them to larger public with agitations to bring social cohesion. They also have to bargain with political parties for their share of seats in decision-making bodies.

Noorani said Muslims “can’t isolate themselves from the national issues. They will have to lend their voice and take active interest in broader socio-political landscape of India,” he said.

Ansari in his concluding remarks stressed on how education is the key for the rights and advancement of Muslims. He pointed out that education of Muslims has been so far ignored and that has proved detrimental in today’s social order.

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