COMMUNITY ROUND UP

In a bold and an unprecedented move, the central government has included in high school syllabus, the facts and figures provided by the Sachar Committee Report regarding social, economic and educational backwardness of Muslims in India. NCERT, has included a chapter on the issue in a social science book for class VIII. The issues discussed in the chapter include how Muslims got marginalised in the Indian society, how they are away from the basic facilities of water, electricity and education. The 7th chapter of the book Social and Political Life deals with socioeconomic and educational conditions of the largest minority in the country in comparison with the Hindu majority. The chapter refers to the Sachar Committee Report and has included its facts and figures.

The Aligarh Muslim University will be offering a course on Islamic Banking and Finance In the context of the emerging growth and employment potential, the University has decided to offer a PG Diploma in Islamic banking and Finance from the next academic year onwards. The Vice Chancellor has constituted a high power committee consisting of Dr. Mohammad Nejatullah Siddiqui (Chairman), Dr. Shariq Nisar (Bearys Amanah Investments Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore) and Dr. Javed Akhtar, Chairman, Department of Business Administration, AMU to prepare a detailed proposal for commencing this programme.

ENA Foundation organised a book release function recently at the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce. The book, titled “Islam and Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh)” is a collection of articles in Marathi by non-Muslim scholars, compiled by Mustaque Madni. Padmashri Dr Vijay Bhatkar, scientist, who released the book said, “Religious history has been authored by various historians, resulting in conflicting controversies”. He pointed out that Islam was the second-largest religion globally and that 30 per cent of Muslims were in the sub-continent. Islamic scholar Anees Chisthi was the guest of honour. Dr Pramod Talgeri, vice chancellor, India International Multiversity, who presided over the function, said the major contribution of the book was to raise consciousness about Islam and remove all misconceptions regarding it. The book provided a platform from which one can view the global spectrum of Islam’s contribution.

Hafsa Chhipa, 15, daughter of a smalltime businessman in Astodia aspired to become a teacher. Chhipas dream came true when she became part of a project conducted by Society for Promotion of Rational Thinking (SPRAT) which imparts English language training through the US department of States access Microscholarship programme. Currently, the twoyear programme is conducted in various districts of Gujarat and more than 240 students have enrolled in it. I hardly knew English before I came here. Now, I can talk and converse properly, says Chippa. US Consul General in Mumbai, Michael S Owen visited the SPRAT centre and interacted with a number of young students belonging to underprivileged sections. Owen said, Language is the key to understand the cultural differences and learning English which is now a global language will serve as living bridges for mutual understanding. M Hasan Jowher, president, SPRAT said, We have more than 40 per cent girls in our programme. Students come from diverse family backgrounds including rickshaw drivers, small service providers and riot victims, among others. The Access Micro scholarship program is US department of State sponsored initiative offering students in the agegroup of 14 to 18 years, the chance to learn English in an interactive way. (Reported by A.H. Lakhani)

The Selected Members Camp, 2008 of the Students Islamic Organisation was held at Jamia Hamdard Public School and inaugurated on 1, June 2008 by Mohammed Jafer , Deputy Ameer, Jamaate Islami Hind. The camp was an indepth study on various prevailing ideologies and views. Asghar Ali Engineeer, Prof. Achin Vinayak, Yoginder Sikand, Prof. Arun Kumar, Inayatullah Subhani, Maulana Farook Khan, Allama Zeeshan Hidayati, R.P Singh, Jalalul Haq, Kavita Krishnan and Manish Jain were some of the speakers at the seven day camp. Prizes were distributed to the winners of different competitions by the national leaders of SIO. The seven day camp ended with the concluding speech by National president of SIO, Bishrudheen Sharqy.
(For more details, email at prssioindia.org)

Ayesha Ansari topped in the Science stream in Mumbai division at HSC examination with 95.67 per cent. However, she lost her father, Ahmed Ansari, last month in a road accident. A student of Swami Vivekanand Junior College , Ayesha could not believe that she had topped. She wishes to become a gynecologist. I was actually prepared for the exam a month before it started, said Ayesha. Ayesha has been participating in cocurricular activities and sports ever since she was in the primary school, says her mother. Ayesha hopes to do an M.B.B.S degree, preferably studying in Pune or Mumbai. Tanjeema Patel of Abeda Inamdar College , Pune stood first in Science stream with 95.5 per cent. She thanked her parents for the support and said, I studied for six hours everyday. I had worked hard and the results are very much according to the expectations. Tanjeemas sister Tabassum is also a student of the same college and stood third in the college securing 91 per cent marks. Tanjeemas father Ghulam Patel is a chemist and mother Parveen Banu is a housewife.

A poultry breeder from Hyderabad has developed an exotic variety of Polish chicken without feathers on its neck. Naveed Qureshi who also bred a huge goat fourandhalffeet high and weighing 120 kg now being displayed at his farm in the Old City claims an entry into Guinness Book of World Record. Qureshi, a third generation breeder of exotic birds, has a collection of 30 birds like Partridge Silky, Frill Polish Golden, and Silver Lakavenclark, which has evoked a lot of interest among the spectators. The hybrid combines the virtues of Polish species, which is resistant to many diseases and known for its tasty meat. One has to wait at least for eight generations to confirm that a chosen feature obtained from cross breeding sustains in the offspring, Naveed Qureshi said.

The Shariah Protection Committee (for women) organised the second Shariah Conference, 2008 (for women and girls) with the theme, Islamic Ideology on Nikah. This was held on June 27, 28 and 29, at Exhibition Grounds, Nampally. For more details, contact email shariahconference2008yahoo.com

Breaking stereotypes about Muslims in India, a new directory here says the community is producing doctors, lawyers, accountants, poets, artists, architects, businessmen and experts in many fields. Agras Ghalib Research Academy has just published a comprehensive directory of Muslims, seeking to demonstrate that the community is not what it is made out to be, but is rubbing shoulders with the mainstream. According to S. Ikhtiyar Jafri, director of the academy, We have long been hearing that Muslims only marry and produce children, that they have nothing to do with modern education and that they do not contribute to the countrys development.

It is also made out that the community has no interest in social service and that it is unhygienic. But during my research for the project, I did not encounter a single Muslim man who had four wives, Jafri said. The directory provides interesting insights into Agras Muslim community of around 3,25,000. The city has 160 Muslim lawyers, 15 chartered accountants, 20 architects and civil engineers, 80 plus computer shops or retail counters owned by Muslims, in addition to 150odd medical practitioners, 30 media persons, 75 poets, 20 Urdu writers, a dozen Hindi writers, more than a dozen prominent artists and around 300 government officials. No effort was made, bemoaned Jafri, to project a positive picture of the role and contribution of Muslims in evolving a composite GangaYamuni tehzeeb. Jafri is a poet and journalist.

The directory lists more than 100 schools, 50 NGOs, 45 hotels and restaurants all set up by Muslims. In addition to a legislator, there are eight Muslim Corporators in the Agra Municipal Corporation. . The biggest chunk of Muslim businessmen is involved in the shoe manufacturing and trading sector. The city has more than 170 mosques and 30 graveyards, in addition to more than 50 madrasas. (Reported by Brij Khandelwal)

Former President, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam has said that the Indian youth can make a difference to society in the fields of literacy, environment and social justice. Delivering the 58th Convocation Address at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) here, Dr. Kalam also asked the young generation to work towards minimising the ruralurban divide. The Aligarh Muslim University conferred honorary D.Sc. degree to Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam and Wipro Chairman, Azim Premji. Accepting the honour, Premji told students not to get bogged down by hardships as no one will manufacture a lock without a key. God will not give us problems without solutions. Presenting the annual report on the occasion, vice chancellor, Professor P. K Abdul Azis said that 2008 is being celebrated as a year for the academic rejuvenation of the University and the faculty members are submitting projects that would bring at least 200 crores by way of external fundings.

Mohammed Moosa, who earns a meagre income by dealing in old clothes and has halfadozen mouths to feed, is now a popular man at Gole Khana locality of Bidar old city. He is greeted by everybody he comes across on the streets of the old city.

He has become famous due to his daughter Afshat Tarannum, a preuniversity student who cleared the common entrance test (CET)2008 with flying colours. She got the 59th rank in the CET conducted by the state government for admission into medicine.

This is the highest rank in Bidar district so far. Incidentally, Tarannum, a student of Shaheen PU College had studied in Urdu medium till Class VII. Her achievement has partially erased the image of Bidar being behind in the field of education.

We never thought of CET or the MBBS due to our poor financial condition. It was the determination of the child that made a difference, Moosa said. He also credited the institution where his daughter studied for her success.

Without the generous support by college authorities in terms of finances, it might not have been possible for her to continue her studies, he said. Because of the percentage of marks she scored in SSLC examination, she was granted a scholarship to continue her studies. Now her expenses to study MBBS in Bangalore Medical College would be met by Bangalorebased social organization.The secretary of the Shaheen PU College, being run by Allama Iqbal Educational Society, Abdul Qadeer reacting to the success of his student said, For a student with talent, it is not difficult to continue his or her studies. There are many philanthropists who are interested to support the talented.

According to him, gone are the days when the children were forced to pursue the subject of their parents choice be it studying engineering or becoming a teacher. Anyone with a zeal to excel in studies can realise his or her dreams, as help will be at hand to support such students, he added.
The Shaheen PU college which began in 2003 has so far sent nearly 50 students to do MBBS and nearly 200 students to study engineering, most of them from poor financial back ground, he said. It was also planned to provide free PUC education to 100 merit students in the district with 80 percentage marks in SSLC, with the help of individual sponsors, under a programme called Scholars Group, he said.

Even after sixty years of independence, Indian Muslims are yet to get their political foothold. Caught in the crisis of educational backwardness, they are a scattered lot groping in the dark in search of their future. These views were expressed by Maulana Asrarul Haque Qasmi in an educational awareness conference held recently in Santoshpur, 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The conference was organised by the Delhibased , All India Talimi Wa Milli Foundation of which Maulana Qasmi is the president. While expressing his concern over the poor literacy rate of Muslims of West Bengal, Maulana cited the example of the Foundation which had started several makatib in remote villages to provide education at primary level. Maulana Qasmi said that financial constraints were a big hindrance for many intelligent and meritorious children. The Foundation has adopted several means to provide for the education of poor children. Speaking on this occasion, Member of Parliament and editor of Urdu daily Azad Hind, Ahmad Saeed Maleehabadi said that the reason for Muslims lacking behind other communities in India was their failure to go with the demands of time. Maleehabadi regretted that most Muslim organisations concentrated in urban areas, while there was more need of such attempts in rural areas. Maulana Nausher Ahmad Kalkatwi, secretary of the Milli Foundation presented the Foundations annual activity report He said that the Foundation had so far established 163 makatib in remote areas of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and a girls school (Milli Girls School) with modern accommodation facilities in Kishanganj district of Bihar to promote girls education. The school at present has 500 students.

Taking a major initiative to increase the representation of Muslims in the IT/ITES companies and BPOs, the Andhra Pradesh government has launched a special training center for the girls and boys of the community. Inaugurating the special training program at the Haj House in for which two hundred boys and girls have been selected, the state minority welfare minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir said that training will equip the candidates with necessary skills and knowledge required for jobs in the IT companies. While 100 candidates will be trained at the center set up in Haj House, four group of 25 students each will trained at four different centers set up by Institute of Electronic Governance. 14 leading IT companies were extending cooperation in the special training program.