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Mumbai:
Noted Islamic scholar and reformer Maulana Sajjad Nomani of Lucknow
was present as chief guest at 15th MMERC Convocation in
Mumbai. In his address to the students of MMERC completing Diploma
in English Language and Literature (DELL), he admonished them to
reach the peak of English speaking and writing and then convey the
universal message of Islam to those knowing nothing but English, the
internationally dominant language. However, he cautioned them to get
influenced by the Western culture. ‘So far, I have listened English
from ‘slaves’ (according to mentality) but for the first time I am
listening it from ‘free’ ones,’ said Maulana adding, ‘the way to
materialize the English skills you got in MMERC should be by serving
Islam. Some of the youths among you must resolve to do for the
humanity not for oneself. Don’t use it for material gains or you
will commit lose the trust of the Muslim community.’
Maulana, on the basis of his
observation, told the attendees that not much effort was needed to
persuade the women in western countries to put on veil. He narrated,
‘I have some female relatives in European countries. They told me
that their Christian classmates visit them on Sundays and request to
spare some time as they wanted to learn the way to wrap scarf.’
It must be admitted that the
exhortations of Maulana Nomani were the piece de resistance of the
convocation ceremony and the hall was full to overflowing by the
public who came to hear his sensible comments.
This function held recently at
Mumbai’s Hajj House was the annual Convocation of Markazul Ma’arif
Education & Research Centre. In the function MMERC graduates gave
their presentation on various burning topics. All the graduates were
alumni of Islamic seminaries and were given their first acquaintance
with the English language through its two-year Diploma in English
Language and Literature (DELL)
The function was presided over by
Sirajuddin Ajmal. He is the director of the Ajmal Group Of Companies
and an MLA in the Assam assembly. While welcoming all the attendees,
he said that MMERC was a part of the educational activities run
under the largest North-East NGO Markazul Ma’arif.
Giving details about the establishment
of Markazul Ma’arif in 1982 for rendering welfare service, he said
it was a dream of his father late Haji Ajmal Ali, and that Maulana
Badruddin Ajmal Qasmi (his brother) had contributed greatly towards
nurturing the NGO. He expressed his sense of satisfaction on seeing
that the madrasa graduates trained by MMERC have attained remarkable
communicative skills in English after completing the prescribed
two-year diploma in English speaking and writing.
The course condenses into a short
period all the levels of English grades right from the first to the
graduation level and hones the communicative skills of the students
in English.
In the function, two MMERC graduates,
Usama Imran Zakir Qasmi and Mufti Nisar Ahmad Qasmi, presented
speeches on ‘Modernization Of Madrasa Curriculum’ and ‘Qur’an Peace
& Violence’ respectively.
Classifying opinion makers about
prevalent madrasa curriculum into two groups-one calling it outdated
and irrelevant and the other claiming it requires no changes at all-
Usama said both were wrong as they were holding extreme positions.
‘The moderate solution lies somewhere between the two extremes. What
needed is to ‘upgrade’ the syllabus and not to ‘replace’ it,’ he
said quoting justice Maulana Taqee Usmani who reportedly stated,
‘The most pressing need of our time is to renew and review the
system of education and training in madrasas and try to infuse a
new spirit in its dead body.’
‘A few selected verses of the Qur’an
are misquoted, out of context, by those propagating the notion that
Islam promotes violence by sanctioning Muslims to freely slay the
infidels. Islam does not allow its followers to fight people except
those who fight them and it orders Muslims to stop war if the
opposite party stops,’ argued Mufti Nisar Qasmi speaking on his
topic. He added that Islam imparts teachings of peace and good
behaviour to others. ‘According to a saying of Muhammad (saws) ‘the
creature is a family of Allah and the most beloved to Him is the one
kind to His creatures’.
Besides, two MMERC scholars related to
MMERC Dawah department also gave their talks. Maulana Shahid Mo’in
Qasmi, coordinator of the department, spoke on ‘Risks from
Homosexuality as per Logic & Islam’. He expressed surprise over the
efforts by the so-called protagonist ‘freedom’ to legalize
homosexuality under the guise of ‘personal freedom’ and said,
‘Homosexuality is both ‘unnatural and injurious to health,’ adding
‘none of the religions-- a religion does not prohibit natural
needs--allow it.’ Arguing that the natural trend was
‘heterosexuality’, not homosexuality, Shahid Mo’in said that Allah
did not create a ‘gay’ fellow for Adam to get peace and pleasure
rather He created Eve. He also claimed that homosexuality causes
AIDS. ‘Since the time AIDS was discovered, 2 crore and 50 lakh
people have been affected till date.’
Contrary to the misrepresented notion,
Maulana Hifzur Rahman Qasmi, a Dawah trainee, said that hijab (veil)
is a means to protect a woman’s modesty and it safeguards her from
falling prey to the lustful eyes of males. He came down heavily on
the hypocritical attitude of the West towards hijab.
Referring to the controversial
statement of French president Nicolas Sarkozy that burqa was a ‘sign
of subservience’ therefore, it was not welcome in (secular) France,
he said, ‘They talk of freedom of choice but when it comes to Muslim
women’s choice of wearing burqa they cannot bear it! The claims of
freedom turn out to be hollow once any one else instead of the
Muslim woman tries to define it as to what type of dress she can put
on and which attire she should abstain.’ He also asked if veil was a
sign of slavery then why the well-known Tamil writer Kamladas
Suraiyya was influenced by it to accept Islam and why even the women
of western countries protested against the statement of Sarkozy.
There was also a screen presentation
of the activities of the NGO Markazul Ma'arif on its publications,
makatib, education, teachers’ training, computer training, relief
and rehabilitation work, health care, water supply and mass
marriage, among others.
The chairman of Anfar Group of
Companies, Maulana Mushtaq Anfar in his talk suggested that the
students should get knowledge throughout their life accompanied with
sincerity and piety and make people take advantage of that. For
encouraging the students to perform best Tarun Rathi, the Mumbai
United Democratic Front president, awarded a cash of Rs 5,000 to the
three toppers in the examination and requested to let him confer
this award every year.
Dr. Abdur Rauf Soomar, the chairman of
Muhammad Haji Saboo Siddique Musafirkhana Trust, while calling the
experience of equipping madrasa graduates with English a successful
one, suggested introducing the same in other madrasas too. ‘Students
from Mumbai and Maharasthra should be given more opportunities’, he
affirmed.
In the function, the six toppers of
the first year- Muhammad Haneef Qasmi, Nisar Ahmad Qasmi and
Muhammad Salim Qasmi- and three of the second year- Muhammad Zafar
Akhtar Qasmi, Muhammad Javed Iqbal and Muhammad Usama Zakir Qasmi
were awarded trophies. Muhammad Ashraf Qasmi and Muhammad Nisar
Qasmi were awarded the Best Writer and the Best Speaker
respectively.
Four students, Asrarul Haque Qasmi &
Muhammad Ehsan (1st Year) and Shuja’at Husain Qasmi & Muhammad
Zaki Qasmi (2nd Year) were awarded for being particular
about attendance-- not absent for more than five times during the
academic year-- in the class.
Besides them seven more awards were
conferred on the students showing their commendable performance in
various aspects of academic life in MMERC. Muhammad Zakaria Qasmi,
Muhammad Abdul Aleem Qasmi, Taqee Ahmad Qasmi, Fakhruddin Ahmad
Qasmi, Waseem Akhtar Qasmi, Asrarul Haque Qasmi and Muhammad Ashraf
Qasmi were conferred with ‘The Punctual Student Of MMERC, ‘The
Efficient Personality Of MMERC’, ‘The Immaculate Personality Of
MMERC’, ‘The Pleasant Personality Of MMERC’, ‘The Social Personality
Of MMERC’, ‘The Spiritual Personality Of MMERC’ and ‘The Sportsman
Of MMERC’ awards, respectively.
The function was attended by many
leading and notable personalities of the city including the convener
Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi, director of MMERC, Mufti Azizur Rahman
Fatehpuri, the grand Mufti of Maharasthra, MLA Basheer Moosa Patel
and Mahmood Daryabadi, general secretary of Ulama Council, among
others.
Abdul Hameed is
a research scholar at MMERC.
He can be
reached at ahameed12@gmail.com
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