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M.J. Akbar while delivering Sir Syed
Memorial lecture at AMU on April 20, 2010 |
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 'Reservation is the right of Muslims'
says
M.J. Akbar, urged the
Muslims to stop begging the Government:
"Reservation is the
right of Muslims. When other backward and under privileged sections
of the society are being offered the Reservations, why not the
Muslims?"
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Aligarh:
"India is most likely to become a modern nation because all the four
pillars of modernity through Democracy, adult franchise, secularism,
in which every faith is equal before the law, gender equality, and
economic equality through economic opportunity are the driving
forces of progress", said noted journalist M.J. Akbar.
On the declining number of Muslim MPs
he said, "It is because the parties have created fear to win their
votes. They feed Indian Muslim's fear in order to herd them in one
direction at polling booth. Muslims will get justice and development
when they vote for development. If they vote for fear they will get
fear."
M.J. Akbar was delivering Sir Syed
Memorial lecture on “Muslims and Modernity – Relevance of Sir Syed
in 2010” organized by Sir Syed Academy at Kennedy Auditorium,
Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh on April 20.
Akbar said that the last two
centuries, both Mughal and Othman also failed to democratize the
educational system and ignored the new technologies like printing.
Akbar pointed out that one of the greatest men of his time, Sir Syed
Ahmad Khan was so depressed by the events of 1857 that he
contemplated settling down in Egypt. But he dismissed exile as
cowardice and turned to programme of reform and education for
Muslims, urging them to acquire the intellectual merits that had
made the British victors and modern scientific temperament and
versatility in the English language. This would restore the glory
they had lost with the decline of Mughal power.
He mentioned that Sir Syed’s life was devoted to lifting Indian
Muslims out of what he described, a “fatal shroud of complacent
self-esteem”.
Akbar highlighted the role of Sir Syed for propagating female
education and said that Sir Syed was far ahead of his age in
demanding education for girls.
Akbar said that Sir Syed promoted
learning as well as inculcate ‘national hood’.
Highlighting the role of Ulema, Akbar mentioned that the Ulema have
always had a special place in Muslim societies, not merely as
leaders of prayer but as judicial and educational bureaucracy. The
Indian clergy energized despondent Muslims across the subcontinent,
between 1825 and 1870, what is best described as a people’s war. By
the time this insurrection was defeated, it had planted seeds of a
fierce anti-west, anti- colonial sentiment that prepared the
community for the nationalist movement lead by Gandhi. Gandhi
reorganized his allies, and wooed Muslims through the Ulema, he
added.
On the issue of Muslim reservation, Akbar pointed out that a curious
paradox has overtaken our policies, as Muslims because the most
decisive factor in the election of alliance governments, Muslims in
Parliament are coming down because the parties have created fear to
win their votes. They feed Indian Muslim's fear in order to herd
them in one direction at polling booth. Muslims will get justice and
development when they vote for development. If they vote for fear
they will get fear. But we have a great opportunity in secularism
and democracy. We must seize the future that has been promised to us
by the Indian civilization that in both the starting point and the
horizon and with fullest criticism, the future is far bright than
the last two hundred years, he opined.
In his presidential address, Professor, P K Abdul Azis urged the
students to come forward to discuss the issues before the nation.
Prof. Azis said that education is the tool of empowerment and
students take the advantages of job. He also said that AMU is on
expansion mode and the University has received more than 800 acres
of land in different parts of the country.
He said that we should be become
meaning player in nation building.
On the occasion four books – Sir Sye’s Review as Hunder’s India
Musalmans, Safarnama Musafiran-e-London edited by Ismail Panipati,
Safarnama Punjab edited by Prof. Iqbal Ali and Sirat-e-Faridia by
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan were also released.
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