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The mission of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan,
a symbol of Muslim renaissance in India was not only to establish
an educational institution at Aligarh but his vision was that this
institution gains the central position among Muslims by providing
them leadership in educational matters and all Muslim institutions
are affiliated with this. It is a great moment that the dream of
Sir Syed is going to materialize with the establishment of Aligarh
Muslim University’s centres in Murshidabad (West Bengal) and
Malappuram (Kerala). It looks pertinent to turn attention to the
chronology of events that culminated into establishment of new
centres of AMU.
On February 8, 1873 while addressing a meeting of Mohammadan
Anglo-Oriental College Fund Committee, Sir Syed’s illustrious son,
Justice Syed Mahmood submitted the plan of proposed Aligarh Muslim
University and suggested that the University might establish
schools in the University town and “elsewhere”.
Laying the foundation stone of Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College
on January 8, 1877, Sir Syed said before Lord Lytton that “from
seed which we sow there may spring up a mighty tree whose
branches, like those of Banyan of the soil, shall in their turn
strike from roots into earth and themselves send forth new and
vigorous saplings; that this college may expand into a University
whose sons shall go throughout the length and breadth of the land
to preach the gospel of free enquiry of large hearted toleration,
and pure morality”
While welcoming the then Governor General Lord Rippon at MAO
College in 1884, the founder of the college, Sir Syed said that
“the aim is to extending these schemes to places other than
Aligarh”.
After the demise of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in 1898, Sir Syed Memorial
Fund was created in different parts of country and the effort for
the establishment of a Muslim University was sped up. All the
persons associated with this movement wanted all Muslim
institutions of India to be affiliated to the Muslim University.
Dr. Sir Ziauddin, while presenting the idea of the Muslim
University at Lahore session of All India Muslim Educational
Conference in 1898, discussed at length the concept of a
University and emphasized the importance of the right of
affiliating colleges. Moving a step ahead, Maulvi Rafiuddin gave
his own plan of the proposed Muslim University in a British
periodical ‘Nineteenth Century’. He contemplated to widen its
jurisdiction to all Muslims who lived in the British Empire and
recommended affiliation of colleges all over the globe to this
proposed University.
Theodore Beck, the Principal of M. A. O. College also advocated
that such a Muslim University should have the power to affiliate
all Muslim Institutions spread all over the country. In 1903,
while addressing the annual session of All India Muslim
Educational Conference, Sir Agha Khan delivered a very impressive
speech in favour of a Central Muslim University at the Mumbai
session. He wanted this University to be given the power to
affiliate colleges all over the country in order to achieve the
goal of establishing a Central Muslim University.
On April 17, 1911, a special debate was organized in the new
building of Students’ Union in which affiliation of all Muslim
institutions was emphasized. The same year in November, the draft
constitution of the proposed Muslim University was submitted to
London by the Government of India with the recommendation that the
power of affiliation could be granted as there will be no abuse of
it, if properly controlled.
The British Government was very apprehensive that in the name of
Muslim University, Muslims of India might get united once again
and the Aligarh movement might take a political turn, for the
students of Aligarh were prominently active in the freedom
struggle and the Jamia Millia Islamia came into origin on the very
stairs of University Mosque.
On December 17, 1920, AMU Act came into force and the University
was permitted to establish and maintain intermediate colleges and
schools but very restricted powers of affiliating colleges and
schools in the Aligarh district were given.
In 1968, the Beg Committee proposed to the Government of India
that Aligarh Muslim University may be granted power to establish
institutions of higher education and research outside the
University campus.
On October 17, 2002, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mr.
Digvijay Singh while addressing the Sir Syed’s birth anniversary
celebration announced to provide free land for setting up of a
Centre of the Aligarh Muslim University or a similar minority
educational institution in Madhya Pradesh besides allocating one
crore rupees.
After the announcement of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, the
Gharib Nawaz Foundation invited the Aligarh Muslim University Vice
Chancellor, Mr. Nasim Ahmad at a function organized in Bhopal on
July 21, 2003. On July 24, 2004, the Gharib Nawaz Foundation
presented a memorandum to the Union Minister of Human Resource
Development, Mr. Arjun Singh demanding for the establishment of a
centre of Aligarh Muslim University in Bhopal. MHRD forwarded the
proposal to UGC for action.
The University Grants’ Commission on January 28, 2005 informed
Gharib Nawaz Foundation that the Aligarh Muslim University has
been asked to submit a detailed proposal in this regard. MHRD drew
the attention of AMU to a resolution passed by the ‘national
monitoring committee for Minorities education’ held on July
11-12,2006 indicating that AMU might be permitted to open another
campus.
In the meantime, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Shri Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan
Singh on March 30, 2007 requesting for establishment of the
Aligarh Muslim University centre in Murshidabad. MHRD forwarded
the letter to AMU and suggested that the proposal be examined in
terms of Section 12(2) of the AMU Act. MHRD again requested the
University that the proposal be approved by the appropriate bodies
of the University before the Ministry could process the request
for obtaining necessary sanction to the visitor.
On November 21, 2007, the Education Minister of Kerala, Mr. M. A.
Baby met the Union Minister of State for HRD, Mr. M. A. A. Fatmi
and requested to establish Aligarh Muslim University campus at
Malappuram.
Earlier to this, while addressing AMU Court, the apex body of the
University on January 21, 2007, the former Vice Chancellor of
Aligarh Muslim University, Mr. Saiyid Hamid suggested that the
Government should either establish new Universities in India to
meet the educational need of the minorities or Aligarh Muslim
University should be allowed to start its campuses throughout the
country.
Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis, after accepting the responsibilities of
Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University on June 11, 2007,
focused on the all round development of the University to fulfill
Sir Syed’s dreams. On December 2, 2007 at the meeting of
University Court, Dr. Mohammad Asif Khan moved a resolution that
the University should establish Specil centers in North, South,
East and west covering different regions under section 12(2) of
AMU Act. The supreme governing body of the University approved the
resolution.
The proposal to establish five centres at Katihar (Bihar), Pune
(Maharashtra), Malappuram (Kerala), Murshidabad (West Bengal) and
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) was put before the Executive Council in
its meeting on January 17, 2008 which was unanimously approved.
Later, the proposal for Katihar was changed over to Kishanganj on
request of the Chief Minister of Bihar. The Academic Council of
the University endorsed the above resolution to establish the
centres and authorized the Vice Chancellor to take necessary
follow up actions. He was also urged to take initiative in the
context of the mandate given to AMU by the Parliament “to promote
especially the educational and cultural advancement of the Muslims
of India”.
Honoring the decision of the EC, AC and the University Court of
the University, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis
submitted a proposal to the government of India for the
“establishment of new five centres of AMU in the Muslim dominated
educationally backward and under developed regions of India’. The
proposal represented the biggest and most far-sighted initiatives
of AMU in the context of Sachar Committee and Fatmi Committee
reports.
AMU Vice Chancellor also wrote a letter to the Chief Ministers of
all five states requesting them to provide 250-400 acres of land
free from all encumbrances and free of cost to the University for
the establishment of AMU Centres. The Kerala, West Bengal and
Bihar governments responded positively and assured the University
of their Full Cooperation in the establishment of its Centres.
The Aligarh Muslim University had submitted a detailed proposal to
the Government of India for establishment of AMU Centres along
with an estimate of expenditure on February 13, 2008. Responding
to AMU’s proposal the Central Government allocated Rs. 25 Crore
each for the establishment of Malappuram (Kerala) and Murshidabad
(Murshidabad) centres in its 2009-2010 annual budget. The
President of India in her capacity as the Visitor of the
University provisionally accorded approval for the establishment
of these centres under Section 12(2) of the University Act.
When Sir Syed Ahmad Khan established M. A. O. College in 1877, its
area was only 78 acres of land but now it has reached to one
thousand acres and with the addition of six hundred acres of land
given by the Kerala and West Bengal governments free of cost, the
University has taken a big leap in this direction. Today the
products of Sir Syed’s institution are spread over 92 countries
and perhaps this is the only University of India whose students
are found in every part of the world. Sir Syed was the first
Muslim social reformer who exhorted Muslims to gain modern
education and helped them come out of the ghettos of ignorance.
The establishment of these two centres should be considered as a
glorious chapter in the history of Aligarh Muslim University.
These centres would pave way for an educational revolution among
Muslims and the institution considered a symbol of Muslims’ glory
would expand its area of activity. Its centres would be
established in other states as well and when the University would
be organizing its centenary celebrations in 2020, new Muslim
Universities would be taking birth from the Aligarh Muslim
University.
Dr. Rahat Abrar is the
Public Relations Officer of the Aligarh Muslim University.
He can be contacted at
rahatabrar@gmail.com.
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