By M. Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Concerns for security remain as Muslim grassroot leaders discuss issues of education and empowerment in third national workshop of Muslim non-governmental organizations organized in the capital from January 18 to 20.
Over 360 delegates from 190 Muslims NGOs from 18 states participated in the three days long workshop of Muslim NGOs from January 18 to 20 which is being organized by Movement for Empowerment of Muslim Indians (MOEMIN), here at the India Islamic Cultural Centre on Lodhi Road.
L-R: Safdar H. Khan, Prof. Wasim Akhtar, Prof. Alauddin Ahmed, Zafar Mahmood, Mohibul Haque and Qamar Agha.
Speaking to TCN Navaid Hamid, member of the National Integration Council and the general secretary of MOEMIN, termed the workshop as a chintatn shivir of the community, and informed that soon they will have a summit of social leaders from the community.
Justice Markandey Katju, Press Council of India Chief, was the Guest of Honour at the inaugural session.
Farha Naqvi, author and social activist and member of the National Advisory Council, said that NGO and the civil society is free from constraints that government suffers from and they thus play very critical role in the development agendas of the country. She added, government cannot move without the participation of the civil society.
Farha naqvi, who is also a member of the steering committee of the Planning Commission, also flagged the debate over security in the introductory session and urged the civil society members to demand immediate passage of the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill. She added, “Justice and development has to go together…until we have psychological security we cannot think of developments.” She further added, “We need justice, we need security and we need development.”
NAC member, author and social activist Farha Naqvi.
As several speakers and panelists kept talking over the varied subjects, from education to empowerment, women, micro-financing, right to information, etc. the concern for security kept cropping in.
Apart from the inaugural and valedictory sessions, there were 10 technical sessions spread over three days. The technical sessions were broadly on ten issues concerning the community: (i) Economic Equality among Muslims: Policy priorities - Achievements and Challenges; (ii) Access to Credit : Micro Financing; Millennium Development Goals, Islamic Banking; (iii) Rural Development: Access of Muslims; (iv) Education of Muslims : Governments initiatives - Problems and prospects; (v) Health for All : Inclusion of Muslims; (vi) Women Empowerment & Child Development; (vii) Access to Information: RTI & other sources of Information; (viii) Corporate Social Responsibilities and expectations of Muslims; (ix) NGO Governance and (x) Human Rights Violation : Awareness and Responsibilities.
In the last session on the third day, panelists comprising of senior advocates and political representative spoke on issues of illegal detention of Muslim youths, fabrication of cases, recent spate of communal riots and role of state machinery in a session on “Human Rights Violation: Awareness and Responsibilities,” moderated by human rights activist Mahtab Alam, described by Navaid Hamid of MOEMIN as the “young angry face of Indian Muslims.” Advocate Feroz Ghazi, and JH Jafri of South Asian Minorities Lawyer’s Association (SAMLA) explained the legalities and extended their legal support to any individual or organization in need.
Advocate Feroz Ghazi of SAMLA speaking during a session on “Human Rights Violation: Awareness and Responsibilities,” while moderator Mahtab Alam sitting.
Young RTI activist and Founding Trustee of the INSAAN International Foundation, Afroz Alam Sahil spoke on access to information and RTI and also urged the civil society members to work and a more transparent manner and remain accountable if they demand the same.
Senior journalist and member of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, Zafar Agha urged the grassroot organizations to work towards education, the main force behind, empowerment. He said that in a community where only four per cent of the populations are graduates say a lot about the backwardness of the community. He urged the local groups to take advantage of the newly enacted right to education bill. He added that the problems today are modern and so traditional means won’t serve the purpose.
Syed Zafar Mahmood, President of Zakat Foundation of India, gave an inspirational power point presentation citing from Quran and Hadith, and couplets of Allama Iqbal. Highlighting the need of techinal computer education, he said that the qalam described in the first surah is for present world computer’s keyboard and we need to take maximum advantage of it.
Mokhlesur Rahman, President of Assam based NGO Minorities Rights Protection Committee asking question during one of the panel discussions.
Resolutions:
By the end of the workshop, they decided upon five issues and moved resolutions in favour. These are:
i) To organize a national summit of Muslim leadership (social) at the end of April, alter this year.
ii) To urge the Government of India to constitute Equal Opportunities Commission.
iii) Government of India should give salutatory power to the national Commission for Minorities, like SC/ST Commission.
iv) Muslims youths acquitted by several courts should be properly rehabilitated and compensated and given government jobs.
v) Involve Muslim NGOs in implantation and monitoring of government schemes.
The co-partners of the workshop are: Rehab India Foundation, India Islamic Cultural Centre, Institute of Objective Studies, Zakat Foundation of India (ZFI), South Asian Minorities Lawyer’s Association (SAMLA), Jamat-e-Islami Hind, Inter-faith Coalition for Peace (ICP), and Abbasi Charitable & Educational Society.
Mohibul Haque, Chancellor, University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya being facilitated by the Guest of Honour at the valedictory session Wajahat Habibullah, Chairman of National Commission for Minorities (NCM). Also in picture organizers: Navaid Hamid and Safdar Khan.
A number of Muslim personalities were also felicitated during the workshop for their selfless contribution for the empowerment of Muslim community in different fields. Those felicitated include: Justice Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui for National Muslim Leadership Award for Service to the Community; Dr. Waseem Kamaal Akhtar, Vice Chancellor, Integral University Lucknow, Mohibul Haque, Chancellor, University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya, Mohammed Ateeq Ghori, Marwar Muslim Educational & Social Welfare Society, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, all three for National Muslim Leadership Award for Educational Empowerment; Abida Inamdar for National Muslim Leadership Award for Educational Empowerment of Muslim Women and Al-Khair Cooperative Credit Society, Patna for National Muslim Leadership Award for Economic Empowerment.
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