by B. R. GOWANI
the 1857 Mutiny saw the fall of the Muslim, i.e., Mughal, rule in India
Muslims also faced an array of problems in the Mutiny’s aftermath
India’s other regions under Sikh, Muslim, Hindu control had lost earlier
the British colonialists were now the master of entire undivided India
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1917-1998) was then in government service
he blamed British policies for the Indian uprising against the Raj
Khan also noticed Muslim desperation and their looking to the past
the Hindu openness to British rule and learning didn’t go unnoticed
the British conducted census but cleverly used religion-based numbers
rather than using the economic, ethnic, social and other matrices
this was their way to create religion-based division – divide and rule
the Muslim clergy tried to find answer in Islam rather than modernity
this was frustrating for Khan who wanted Muslims to learn from British
he opined that Muslims should be open to science, math, and other subjects
in Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq, Khan challenged Muslims to prove they’re right
“Yes, if the Mussulman be a true warrior and thinks his religion correct, then let him come fearlessly to the battleground and do unto Western knowledge and modern research what his forefathers did to Greek philosophy. Only then shall our religious books be of any real use. Mere parroting and praising ourselves will not do.” (“Apnay moon mian mithoo kahney say koee faida nahin”)
by 1877, Khan succeeded is establishing MAO college
the Muslim clerics vehemently opposed Khan’ advocacy of education
the Imam of Mecca issued a fatwa (religious decree) against Khan:
“This man [Sir Syed] is erring and causes people to err. He is rather an agent of the devil and wants to mislead Muslims. It is a sin to support the college. May God damn the founder! And if this college has been founded, it must be demolished and its founder and his supporters thrown out of the fold of Islam.”
this didn’t deter his aim to lift Muslims from centuries of apahy
Khan was free of communal feelings; he gave his reason:
“I shall feel sorry if anybody thinks that this college has been established so as to show discrimination between Hindus and Muslims. The main reason behind the establishment of this institution was the wretched dependence of the Muslims, which had been debasing their position day after day. Their religious fanaticism did not let them avail the educational facilities provided by the government schools and colleges. It was, therefore, deemed necessary to make some special arrangement for their education”.
in 1920, MAO (Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental) College became a university
Aga Khan III and other Muslim leaders worked hard for AMU
Khan wasn’t around to see the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)
but his dream and prediction to turn MAO into AMU had come true:
“From the seed we sow today there may spring up a mighty tree, whose branches, like those of the banyan of the soil, shall in their turn strike firm roots into the earth and themselves send forth new and vigorous saplings; that this college may expand into a university, whose sons shall go forth throughout the length and breadth of the land to preach the gospel of free inquiry, of large-hearted toleration and of pure morality.”
Khan considered Christians, Hindus, and Muslims as one nation:
“O Hindus and Muslims! Do you belong to a country other than India? Do you not live on this soil and are not buried under it or cremated on its ghats? If you live and die on this land, then, bear in mind, that… all the Hindus, Muslims and Christians who live in this country are one nation.”
Khan viewed Hindus and Muslims being “the two eyes of … Hindustan”
“We shall only destroy ourselves by mutual disunity and animosity and ill-will to each other. It is pitiable to see those who do not understand this point and create feelings of disunity among these two nations and fail to see that they themselves will be the victims of such a situation. My friends, I have repeatedly said and say it again that India is like a bride, which has got two beautiful, and lustrous eyes ~ Hindus and Mussulmans. If they quarrel against each other that beautiful bride will become ugly and if one destroys the other, she will lose one eye. Therefore, people of Hindustan, you have now the right to make this bride either squint-eyed or one-eyed.”
for Khan, Muslims and Hindus were part and parcel of India:
“My friends! This India of ours is populated by two famous communities, the Hindus and the Muslims. These two communities stand in the same relation to India in which the head and the heart stand in relation to the human body.”
AMU has produced several notable artists, politicians, presidents, …
for Muslims, AMU, one of India’s central universities, holds special place
2020 is the centenary year of the Aligarh Muslim University
such a university requires a great human to be its speaker
AMU opted for India’s Prime Minister
the decision was praised/criticized by many people
to do a good work, i.e., spreading enlightened education, is a tough job
you’ve to deal with bureaucrats, government leaders, and ministers
little educated HRD minister could insult a vice chancellor
Narendra Modi spoke as the chief guest
Modi’s record as a human being is an absolute opposite of Sir Syed Khan
a communalist to the core, Modi rarely conceals his hatred of minorities
Modi’s mission is to either expel minorities, Christians/Muslims
or to reconvert them into Hindus
or to let them rot as second-class citizens
the fate of the untouchable castes, known as Dalits, wouldn’t be great either
Modi’s speech is great if his words were true
“Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) represents a ‘mini India‘. Its campus is like a city in itself. We see a Mini India among different departments, dozens of hostels, thousands of teachers and professors. The diversity which we see here is not only the strength of this university but also of the entire nation”.
“It is engrossing to see religious scriptures of Hindus, Muslims and other faiths shelved together at the Maulana Azad Library of the university. This is what India is all about, and AMU functions every day on this principle.”
the above paragraphs are incompatible with Modi’s actions
he’s hell bent on erasing diversity and creating internal division
Modi also agreed with Khan’s philosophy of unity with all
“Sir Syed Ahmed Khan said that when you receive education and come into the work sphere, you must work towards all, without any discrimination, without seeing caste or creed or religion. That is a thought that we must always carry with us.”
Modi was a totally wrong person to be invited to speak on Khan & AMU
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com