by admin | May 25, 2021 | Entrepreneurship, Opinions, Success Stories
Mushirul Hasan
By Firoz Bakht Ahmed,
Tears welled up my eyes, when I was told by my friend, Mohammed Wajihuddin, an eminent columnist, that not a single wreath or even a flower, was laid at the grave of Prof Mushirul Hasan by Jamia Millia Islamia, the institution that the renowned historian and the educationist had nursed as his offspring.
It is shocking to note that Jamia failed to give him the little due at his last resting place – something absolutely unbearable, said, Wajihuddin. Mushir had given the prime of his life to Jamia.
Prof Azra Razzack, who had worked under Mushir in the K.R. Narayanan Center of Dalit Studies and Minorities at Jamia Millia Islamia too felt that the Indian populace didn’t give Mushir his due.
Mushir was an institution in his own self. Having read almost all his books, Razzack said that the one which has stamped its mark on readers of history is that on Jamia Millia Islamia’s contribution in India’s freedom movement “Partners in Freedom: Jamia Millia Islamia”. A thoroughly researched book, it highlights the history of forbearance, companionship and insight within the parameters the historic Jamia Millia Islamia.
It demonstrates how personages lived for and worked towards the attainment of high morals and principles. Razzack thinks a Chair or a building in the name of Mushirul Hasan must be considered by Jamia, where he spent the prime of his life.
Having seen Mushir at close quarters for a number of years, I can state that he was a man of many lives and colours. I had known him for almost three decades. Right from my student days, I was a connoisseur of Mushirul Hasan’s books and lectures since I studied at Delhi University in the 1980s.
Not only was he a man of letters, he lived by each and every word he had written. Being a soft-spoken person, he was known never to hurt even the worst of his critics – a rare quality that Maulana Azad also possessed. Mushir might not live before us in flesh and bbody but the tremendous legacy of historicity he has left for posterity will stamp him as an immortal in the genre of writing books loaded not only with knowledge but most importantly – values and vision.
While manning Jamia Millia Islamia as its Vice Chancellor, Mushir left no stone unturned and brought it on par with the other illustrious institutions like Delhi University, BHU and Calcutta University. During his time, he turned it into a state-of- the-art university besides giving it a designer look.
He had also served as the Director General of the National Archives of India and the President of the Indian History Congress. Wherever he worked, he gave it a touch of finesse and perfection – his hallmark.
Remembering his book, “In Search of Integration and Identity – Indian Muslims since Independence”, M. Atyab Siddiqui, a Muslim thinker and Mushir’s legal advisor for a number of years, stated that he was the architect of the modern Jamia. His legacy of liberal thought and perception for the underprivileged sections of society should be carried forward. It was because of Mushir that in the comity of universities, Jamia carved its niche.
However, Siddiqui was piqued: “Mushir’s mission was to educate the beleaguered Muslim masses in the best manner possible. But it saddens me when today, I note that Jamia is in a pathetic state and requires a visionary like Mushirul Hasan to make it regain its pristine glory.”
The most noteworthy trait of Mushir’s writings was his secular credentials along with his habit of calling a spade a spade. Though the world over, he carved a niche for his books on the vivisection of India. However, his most readable book is on the Nehrus, titled, “The Nehrus – Personal Histories” – his last one.
In it, he has unquestioningly laid out the best of his feelings on Jawaharlal, Indira and Rajiv. Some of the passsages are very touching. Perhaps this seems to be a sequel of “When Stone Walls Cry: The Nehrus in Prison”. As he had a very special place for the Nehrus, he presented them as having a great capacity to gauge the pulse of the times.
Being a suave man of a few words, his magnificence was that each word he uttered had its own music and meaning that the audiences thoroughly acknowledged. Besides, wit and humour were his hallmark.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Mushir was the son of two universities — Aligarh Muslim University (where he had studied) and Jamia Millia Islamia, that he nursed like his own child. By penning, “Aligarh’s Notre eminent contemporain-Assessing Syed Ahmad Khan’s Reformist Agenda”, Mushir paid his homage to his alma mater.
Mushir was a sensible historian. Once when he was hounded by some zealous elements for having stated that Jamia’s students were giving undue publicity to Salman Rushdie’s “Satanic Verses”, a sub-standard book, by burning it, he was attacked as he was mistaken by the motivated students. Later, he was able to impress upon them and the same people who went for his jugular became his flowers. That was Mushir’s aura and benchmark.
Today, there’s no one to match Mushir when it comes to the understanding of Islam, Muslims and Partition of India. He had told my father, Nooruddin, that the concept of a book on the 1947 Partition came to his mind when he had heard Maulana Azad state that water cannot be cut in twain egging Muslims not to vie for the so called El Dorado (Pakistan). His mammoth work, “Memories of a Fragmented Nation: Rewriting the Histories of India’s Partition” remains unmatched on the topic throughout the world.
We must continue Mushir’s vision and education for a better India.
(Firoz Bakht Ahmed is the Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University and the grandnephew of Bharat Ratna Maulana Azad. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at firozbakhtahmed08@gmail.com)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has an “anti-Muslim” and “anti-Pakistan” approach and claimed New Delhi rebuffed all his gestures due to the upcoming general elections.
Khan made the remarks in an interview to the Washington Post on Thursday. Later, at an event in the capital on Friday the Prime Minister said that “the condition of Muslims in today’s India proved that the demand for a separate homeland was justified”.
Asked during the interview with the Post that why his gestures to India were dismissed since he took power earlier this year, Khan said “The ruling party (in India) has an anti-Muslim, anti-Pakistan approach.”
He claimed that India rejected his repeated calls for peace because it has the general elections coming up in 2019. “India has elections coming up. They rebuffed all my overtures.”
Khan expressed the hope that once the elections get over in India, both countries can resume talks.
He later addressed Baloch students during an event here on Friday and said: “The way Muslims are treated today in India has made people realise now why Pakistan was born.”
In his interview with the Post, Khan said that he opened the Kartarpur border to facilitate visa-free pilgrimage by Indian Sikhs to Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara where Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life.
A day earlier, Khan slammed New Delhi for giving a “political colour” to his gesture of Kartarpur border opening and called it “unfortunate”.
“Unfortunately, India portrayed it as us seeking political advantage… The Indian media gave Kartarpur (border opening) a political colour as if we did this to gain some sort of political mileage. This is not true. We did it because it is part of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s manifesto,” he said.
The Pakistani leader also said that he “wants something done about the bombers of Mumbai”, adding that “resolving that case is in our interest because it was an act of terrorism”.
Ten Pakistani terrorists sneaked into Mumbai through the sea in 2008 and went on a killing spree, leaving 166 Indians and foreigners dead. Indian security forces shot dead nine of them while a 10th, who was captured, was hanged.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Patna : Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP from Bihar’s Kishanganj, Maulana Asrar-ul-Haque Qasmi, passed away early on Friday following a heart attack. He was 76.
According to district officials, he died at the Kishanganj Circuit House. He will be buried at his native Tarabadi village.
Qasmi was a noted Islamic scholar and a popular face of the party in the state, particularly in Seemanchal comprising Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria and Katihar districts.
He won the Kishanganj seat on a Congress ticket in the 2009 general elections after five consecutive failures. He retained the constituency in 2014 despite the Narendra Modi wave in Bihar and across the country.
He had defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Dilip Kumar Jaiswal by a margin of over 1 lakh votes in 2014.
He was a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and also a founder member of the All India Milli Council.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Lucknow : Family of slain Uttar Pradesh Police Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, who was killed in Bulandshahr mob violence, met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday, even as the main conspirator of the mayhem, Bajrang Dal’s Yogesh Raj, continues to evade an arrest.
The meeting was held at the 5, Kalidas Marg residence of the Chief Minister here, where Sunita, the widow and her two sons Shreya and Abhishek were present.
Adityanath told the bereaved family that his government was with them in their hour of tragedy and would always remain by them, an official told IANS.
It was in Monday’s violence that the inspector was killed along with another civilian.
Although the prime accused — Bajrang Dal’s district coordinator — is still at large, the police have arrested four others named by Yogesh Raj in an FIR alleging cow slaughter.
Sarfuddin, Shajid, Asif and Nanhe — who were among the seven accused named for cow slaughter in the First Information Report (FIR), have been arrested, the police said.
The police also had reportedly picked up two minors but were forced to release them after villagers stormed the police station.
There has already been two high-level meetings on the Bulandshahr incident with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. However, there was “no clarity on the line of action” with regards to the arrests of men belonging to the VHP, Bajrang Dal and BJP — named in another FIR, informed sources said.
Two press notes released by the Chief Minister’s Office showed no mention of the lawlessness perpetrated by the Bajrang Dal and their ilk, but speak in detail about how strict action should be taken against people involved in slaughter of cows or running illegal abbatoirs, despite a ban announced on March 17, 2017, days after the Bharatiya Janata Party government was sworn in.
“It is now proved beyond doubt that the police is deliberately not taking any action against the Bajrang Dal leader as they have connections with the BJP” Vaibhav Maheshwari, the state spokesman of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) told IANS.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Hyderabad : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said attempts to provide reservation to minorities are betrayal with the nation and an insult to the framers of the Indian Constitution.
Addressing an election rally of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he called for defeating any such move to protect the country’s unity.
Hitting out at the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government for its move to increase reservation for minorities to 12 per cent, Modi said he was surprised how the power-hungry were pushing for religion-based quota for the sake of their family and to save their seats of power.
Stating that the issue of religion-based reservation was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, the Prime Minister said the great personalities framing the Constitution decided against it in the interest of the country’s unity.
Modi wondered from where the reservation for minorities would come when the Supreme Court had already fixed the upper limit of total reservation at 50 per cent.
“They will take away the rights of Dalits, STs and OBCs from backdoor. Will you allow this crime?” he asked the participants in the rally held at L.B. Stadium.
Telangana Assembly had last year passed a resolution to increase reservation for minorities in jobs and education from current 4 per cent to 12 per cent and the same was sent to the Centre. TRS had blamed Modi for the delay in implementing its poll promise made in 2014.
Modi also came down heavily on TRS, saying it destroyed Telangana the way Congress destroyed the nation.
Countering Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that TRS is ‘B’ team of BJP, Modi said TRS and the Congress had common nature, character, thinking and policies.
The Prime Minister recalled that during the Karnataka Assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi used to dub Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) as the ‘B’ team of BJP, but after the elections formed the government with the same party to keep the BJP out of power.
Branding the TRS and the Congress as the two sides of the same coin, he alleged that they have already started planning backdoor entry to prevent BJP from coming to power in Telangana.
Modi said both TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had their apprenticeship in the Congress and this made them natural friends.
He described dynasty politics as a threat to the democracy. He pointed out that barring the BJP, all major parties in fray in the Telangana elections were parties with dynasty politics and family rule.
He said the Congress, TRS, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) all were family-ruled parties. “All these parties are becoming threat to democracy,” he remarked.
Modi said Telangana had wasted its five years of welfare due to the arrogance of one family. He alleged that the KCR family exploited emotions of Telangana movement for itself. Stating that Telangana had huge potential, he said the state could not progress because of the kind of rulers it got.
“Why people of Telangana demanded a separate state? Why they suffered so long for separate Telangana. Why so many youth sacrificed their lives? They did it for a bright future of Telangana. One family was not to be given the right to loot Telangana.”
Referring to the TDP’s alliance with the Congress, Modi recalled that N.T. Rama Rao had formed the TDP for the self-respect of Telugu people after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had insulted them.
He alleged that TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu for the sake of power and vested interests put the entire party into the lap of Rahul Gandhi.
—IANS
