Editorial

Options for career were never as wide before the youth as they are today. With market needs being taken into account, the educational institutions are busy tailoring their curricula precisely according to the needs of the industry and services. This became imperative once India was ushered into the era of liberalised economy.


As our survey elsewhere in this issue points out, even the Muslim institutions in the South Indian states are under the throes of change and inducting new courses in keeping with the changing scope of employment. But the survey makes it evident that the axis of change seems to be mainly engineering, management and computer training courses and institutions where these are imparted. Few Muslim colleges that responded to our telephonic enquiries came up with new choices in the field of law, journalism/mass communication, fine arts, accountancy, architecture, economics, sociology, designing, health or educational administration or even pure sciences. And fewer still conceive setting up institutions or including courses such as agriculture, horticulture, veterinary, fisheries, poultry farming, sericulture, teaching, social work, human rights, tourism, archaeology, museology etc. Few among us consider these avenues worth investing, and fewer of the Muslim youth feel attracted towards careers that involve toil, struggle, risk and innovation.


Surveys ascertaining the career choices for Muslim youth are not likely to throw up anything other than medicine, engineering and management on the top of the list. Muslim parents tend to discourage wards intending to venture beyond these traditional destinations. Pecuniary benefits still override all other concerns. No wonder then why most of those Muslim professionals with BE, MBBS and MBA degrees look towards greener pastures in the oil-rich Gulf and thereafter take flight to Chicago, San Jose, Montreal, Sydney or Canberra for permanent settlement. Not only that, they lack a commitment to serve the soil that bore them, but they are also totally devoid of any sense of sacrifice for the community and the humanity at large. If at all they think of the homeland, it is again motivated by the lucre of the soaring real estate prices, the escalating value of the dollar against the weakening rupee, the glitter and glamour of its wedding festivities and ornaments and dresses, the hunt for a supine and malleable son/daughter-in-law or finally the aroma of its foods and spices.


The youth even in the mainstream population are no different. What needs to be realised is that societies that blindly encourage development of science and technology and ignore training of human resources in sphere of humanities such as economics, sociology, law, mass communication, et a,l seriously run the risk of losing direction. Science and technology create wealth, but its equitable distribution, justice and fairplay are ensured by those who frame and formulate policies. These men and women come from the faculties of social sciences. It is they who chart the course of the society, determine the course of the scientific and technological development and monitor the imbalances in the wake of creation of wealth and finally set up mechanism to even out the wrinkles in societies undergoing the assault of consumerism and capitalism. But sadly no community has perhaps so lopsided a view of career choices as are Muslims.


Not alone this, the Muslim society displays a distinct dislike for courses such as nursing, veterinary sciences, catering and hotel management. Religious, cultural and dietary inhibitions come in the way of Muslim institutions choosing these disciplines. The New College in Chennai closed down its hotel and catering management course merely for the fact that its involved cooking inter alia pork and serving liquor. The courses could have been continued even without these portions and the relevant academic bodies sounded about the community’s dietary inhibitions. It would have been instructive to study as to how Jews and Jains accommodate their Kosher and vegetarianism in their community managed institutions? What a pity that a community with the best of universally acclaimed culinary skills shirks from combining them with skills in modern hospitality! Repugnance to courses in nursing are mainly owing to it being a female preserve. Veterinary also involves breeding of pigs and therefore a taboo. The larger question that needs to be addressed is whether the community can afford to ignore whole spectrum of benefits merely because some portions of it are not to its liking. Or should we develop alternatives in a plural society to create our own niches.


It is time the community devotes some conscious thought to diversify the choices for its future generations.

Brother Mirza Yawar Baig has accused Dr Zakir Naik of misguiding and giving false information. Dr Zakir Naik does not say that Allah may be called by any name that a person finds to his liking. If Brother Baig carefully goes through Dr Naik’s article, he clearly states that “You can call Allah by any name, but it should be a beautiful name, should not conjure up a mental picture and should have qualities that only Allah possesses.” Brother Baig asserts that Dr Zakir Naik does not have formal education in Islam. Dr Naik has no need to prove his credentials to anybody. The knowledge he has is a gift from Allah. The article in Islamic Voice, April 2005-“ Can Muslims Use God instead of Allah” by V.A.Mohammed Ashrof is brilliant. Brother Baig, please make note and also refer to Ahmed Deedat’s booklet-“What is His Name?”

Mirza Yawar Baig has misunderstood the article by Dr Zakir Naik. Very often we call Allah as “Khuda” or ‘God’ in English. Muslims have enough problems to focus on rather than get into debates like these. Moreover, Islam is not the monopoly of only the Aalims. It is Allah who is the author of the Quran and He alone can guide all of us. So let us not spend our time and energy criticising or debating over non-issues.

Generally, people, including the Muslims, who visit dargahs are known as “pilgrims” which is incorrect. This is simply because a dargah is not a place of worship.


In the wake of Pakistan President’s recent visit to the famous dargah in Ajmeer and the prominent coverage of the media in this regard, the Prince of Arcot in Chennai, being a responsible Muslim, has made his timely statement that the Muslims worldwide, pray only in masjids and not in ‘dargahs’ which are only shrines of very pious Muslims. No doubt, such virtuous people lived in the true perspective of Islam and they were engaged in their efforts to enlighten their ignorant fellow-beings about the everlasting, universal message of monotheism in Islam, which the Almighty has revealed for the benefit of the entire mankind, through His last chosen human messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This message exists in its divine purity in ‘The Holy Qur’an’, which shall always be the divine guidance for mankind, until the Doomsday and the lifestyle of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stands out, any time, as the most exemplary lifestyle to be emulated by any sane, peace-loving person, desirous of achieving the glory of true success and tranquility in this world and after death too! Knowing this, whenever a Muslim visits the tomb of a saintly person, he should only invoke the Almighty’s blessings upon that person. But some Muslims and non-Muslims alike, resort to worshipping there, while this is opposed to the very essence of Islamic monotheism. The custodians of the tomb of the saintly person, also stress upon their privilege of being the descendants of that person and indulge in blasphemy, for the sake of their vested commercial interests.

Islamic Voice is very useful and contains lot of valuable information. It has helped me to enhance my understanding and knowledge too.

It will be helpful if you publish an article on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, from the time of its first construction, its occupation by the Romans, Christians, Muslims and Jews till date in chronological order with dates. Youngsters these days need to be updated on the history of the past and this can be done through Islamic Voice.

The Dawah work today has to combine modern techniques and the Islamic Dawah activists should keep in mind the fact that the audience comprises a large chunk of non-Muslims apart from Muslims. But what is happening today is that we are focusing only on the Muslims and are making no attempts to reach Islam in a simple way to the non-Muslims.

Allah’s most glorious gift to us is the Quran. In all matters and problems of life, we should refer to this. This is more so now when the population ratio of the Indian Muslims is the subject of discussion in the political forum. The so-called religious leaders of Islam are issuing random statements rejecting the laws of the country damaging the interests of Muslims. There is no leader among us worth mentioning. We are living in a secular society and we should respect the laws of the country. Even, when justifying and arguing, we should use logic and restraint. The Muslim leaders should learn the art of agreeing without disagreeing in discussion or issuing statements.

Almost everyday, something is published somewhere about Muslims. We are unable to read all papers and periodicals. You should compile all these news items and publish it in Islamic Voice every month. Readers too can contribute to this column.
irshad858@yahoo.com