RIYADH, 24 November 2007 — The socio-economic progress of Kerala Muslims can be attributed to their willingness to take up modern education along with religious studies, said Justice Rajinder Sachar, chairman of Sachar Committee, at a function in Riyadh recently.
Muslims living in other states of India can follow the example of Kerala Muslims to improve their socio-economic condition, said Sachar, who is also the author of Sachar Committee report that is based on findings about the socio-economic and educational status of Muslims in India. The report was submitted to the Indian government on Nov. 17, 2006.
Sachar, a former chief justice of Delhi High Court and UN Commissioner on Habitat, was speaking at an interactive session with Kerala Muslim leaders organized by The Muslim Educational Society (MES), Riyadh chapter.
Some of the findings in the report have sparked national-level debate.
In West Bengal, Muslim participation in government jobs stands at a meager 2.5 percent. It is even below 4 percent in Gujarat, the state ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party. In education, Muslims are far behind other communities in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, he added.
The literary rate of Muslims is also below the national average. Their participation in the administrative service such as IAS, IFS, and IPS is also very low, he said and urged Muslim leaders to exhort the members of the community to get better education and improve their social status.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was a great visionary who had the conviction that without education the community could never progress, socially and economically. Similarly Dr. Abdul Ghafour, who founded MES in Kerala in 1964 created awareness about education in the community and was able to establish many educational institutions under the minority community management.
During the last two or three decades, there has been a remarkable progress in education of Kerala Muslims. The percentage of girls in high schools and colleges has also increased considerably. Kerala’s political environment has been a contributing factor to this significant development. MES manages about a dozen colleges, including an engineering and a medical college in Kerala and also runs over 50 schools.
Responding to questions about the “Sachar Committee report”, Justice Sachar said that every individual has the duty to follow up on this report and put pressure on the government to ensure that the weaker sections of the society — be they Muslims or others — get justice.
He also quoted from the Holy Qur’an, which says, “God will not change the status of a people until they change themselves.”
Community leaders and other organizations have to demonstrate their willingness to work selflessly for the prosperity of the society.
He also urged the community to remain optimistic about the recommendations of the committee and noted that some of the states, including Kerala had started constituting expert committees to study the recommendations made in the report. If India has to progress, socio-economic and educational advancement of the weaker sections of the society is a must. Both government and NGOs have to work toward achieving this goal, he stressed.
He praised the Kerala community for their secular outlook and willingness to accommodate different cultures and touched upon the history of the state dating back to the arrival of Arab traders who spread Islam in India.
MES Riyadh chapter President Mohamed Ashraf presided over the function. Abdul Rahman Kutty, secretary, welcomed the gathering and Dr. Abdul Rahman presented a vote of thanks. Dr. Riaz Mehdi, Dr. Badshah and Dr. Misbahul Arifeen, leaders of Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association also attended the function. Alikoya, MES patron, presented Justice Sachar with a copy of the Holy Qur’an.
