Muslims have been always in minority right from the time when they had been in ruling position in the country during the 8th to 17th centuries to the period when others grabbed the power. But the sense of hailing from a minority community never bothered them until the country got divided in 1947. Since then, the Muslims are made to realise at every stage that they belong to a minority community and hence they are dependent upon majorities to get even a little of their work done. These views were expressed by Dr. Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, member All India Muslim Personal Law Board while speaking on the oppression and injustice confronting Muslims in India at the headquarters of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind on 30 March.
Elaborating the issue, Dr. Ilyas said the Muslim community is supposed to play an active role in nation building and fight for the rights of others rather than remaining absorbed in its own affairs. But, since the post-Partition days there have been deliberate attempts to inundate the community with so many hurdles that it cannot get time to think over the issues related to others. And now we see that the community is nothing but a “Demanding Group” which always cries for its own rights or rather dependent on others to get their voice heard. In his view, the primary duty of Muslims is to take interest in the welfare of whole mankind and not only of their own; being minority has never deterred the Muslims from performing their duties. He expressed his shock on silence of Muslims over oppression of Christians in Assam.
Dr. Ilyas, who is also General Secretary of Welfare Party of India, stressed that the Muslims should also make their representation felt in political corridors and take part in decision making. “So far, the Muslims are not aware of many malicious policies of the government either. The government, at every time, tried to crush the identity of minorities and impose the civilisation and religion of the majority upon them,” he added. He said the population of Yadav in Uttar Pradesh is 7 per cent while Muslims number 18 per cent of the total population of the state and still Mulayam Singh Yadav forms his government because Muslims are not politically united.
However, he appreciated the endeavours of JIH and others in the field of social services especially after natural calamities and expressed his happiness that the community is passing through the process of its revival without any external support. He exhorted all especially the youngsters to take the life head on and derive positive meaning from every incident.