Speaking at well-organized Sir Syed Day celebrations at Ibn-e-Zahr beach camp in Jubail on a cool and wintry weekend, visiting guests and prominent elders recalled the huge sacrifices that Sir Syed Ahmad Khan had to make in the 1860s to raise the political profile and the spiritual morale of Muslims of the subcontinent.

“It was certainly not an easy task,” said Mukkaram Ali Khan, a veteran AMU alumni who is associated with the prestigious King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). “Aligarh became the benchmark for all that was the best among the educated elite in that tumultuous period.”

In a speech that was full of rib-tickling anecdotes and peppered with some of the finest Urdu couplets, Mukkaram Khan narrated the unique spirit and camaraderie that characterized and differentiated AMU alumni from the products of other educational institutions.

“Aligarh has always been unique, and AMU Old Boys have always carried the flame of learning to the four corners of the world,” he said and recalled that one time in the history of the United Nations, 25 percent of the world’s population was represented at the world body by AMU alumni.

“Humayun Rasheed Choudhury of Bangladesh, Saad Al-Hashmi of India and Sahebzada Muhammad Yaqoob Khan of Pakistan were representing their respective countries at the United Nations, and all of them happened to be the products of our prestigious Aligarh Muslim University,” he said to thunderous applause.

Writer and personality development trainer Nayeem Javed delivered the keynote address on the life and times of Sir Syed and his intellectual relevance in today’s world. Among other points, he highlighted the damaging role played by the media in harming the image of Muslims.

“Industrialists and money-lenders have a vice-like grip on the media, and as a result Muslim issues are seldom highlighted or highlighted in a negative way,” he said and called for the promotion of courageous, honest and bold journalism.

“Muslims are the torch-bearers of the 800 years of glorious history in the Indian subcontinent,” he said.

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, he pointed out, was never apologetic. “He did not suffer from slavish mentality. He took recourse to the field of education to unlock the doors of science and technology for his community. The creation of AMU was no ordinary feat.”

Senior Aligarians such as Anis Bakhsh, Meraj Ansari, Nafis Tarin and International Indian School-Jubail Chairman Ahmad Khan have all played a key role in uniting the large Aligarh community in Jubail.

“It is our quest to keep the Aligarh spirit alive through the organization of such events,” said Anis Bakhsh who also heads the India Forum in Jubail.

Program convener Wajahat Farooqui said the idea behind celebrating and organizing Sir Syed Day is to look for clues to present-day problems bedeviling the community by revisiting the past and taking inspiration from the stellar leadership provided by Sir Syed in those difficult days.

“The philosophy and the movement that led to the rebirth of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent after the catastrophic war in 1857 needs to be told and retold for the benefit of the younger generation,” he said.

Referring to the differences that crop up occasionally among the various factions of AMU alumni, Farooqui said: “We Aligarians are known for having a multitude of differences but we are equally known for coming together for a common cause and burying our differences in the larger interest of the community. The coming together of all Aligarians for this program is a fitting tribute to the spirit of Aligarh.”

Syed Baqar Naqvi conducted the proceedings with poise and panache.