ALIGARH, April 20: Noted journalist Mr. M.J. Akbar said that 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. He felt that the poverty is the sustaining element of naxalites in the country and this factor may become an inhibiting factor of modernity, he observed. Recall what Sir Syed said in his letter from England when he saw the maid reading a popular economic equality: as long as have poverty, as long as we naxalites picking up gun because the poor have not had enough to each, we Indian cannot overseas a modern India.
Mr. 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.
Mr. 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.
Mr. Akbar pointed out that one of the great man 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”.
Mr. 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. In 1869, he visited England to admit his son at Cambridge and study the people he so admired. He mentions a young girl, Elizabeth Mathews, a maid in the house where he was living. In spite of her poverty, he notes, she would buy a half penny paper called ‘Echo’ and would delight in reading punch it she chanced upon a copy and Sir Syed wrote ‘The Muslims have nothing to fear from adoption of the new education if they simultaneously hold stead fast to their faith, because Islam is not irrational superstition, it is a rational religion which can march hand in hand, with the growth of human knowledge’. 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, Mr. 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 Muslims 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.
In his welcome address, Professor Shan Mohammad, Director, Sir Syed Academy said that since the inception of Sir Syed Academy in 1974, AMU institutes a Sir Syed Memorial Lecture almost every year under the auspices of the Sir Syed Academy. He said that noted scholars like Dr. Tara Chand, Dr. Rafiq Zakaria, Mr. B.N. Pandey, Mr. Sidharth Shankar Roy, Kuldeep Nayyar, Abid Husain, Prof. AM Khusroo and Shayam Bengal have delivered the Sir Syed Memorial Lecture in the part.
AMU Registrar, Prof. VK Abdul Jaleel proposed a vote of thank.
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 released today.
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