With the overall objective of empowerment of Indian Muslims through recognition as a Backward Class with a separate sub-quota for reservation, several national Muslim organisations, including Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, All India Milli Council, Movement for Empowerment of Muslim Indians (MOEMIN), All India Momin Conference, All India Shia Conference, Markazi Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadith, Imarat-e-Shariah Bihar and All India Muslim Educational Society, have formed a Joint Committee of Muslim Organisations for Empowerment (JCMOE).
Renowned educationist, former Vice-Chancellor of AMU and currently Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard Sayyid Hamid is Patron of this organisation.
The JCMOE’s National Advisory Committee consists of the Patron and the heads of the associated organisations, with Mr. Syed Shahabuddin as convener .
The JCMOE has also established a National Organizing Committee consisting of representatives of some associated organisations: Mujtaba Farooque (JIH), Naved Hamid (MOEMIN), Abdul Hameed Nomani (JUH), Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan (AIMMM), Mauji Khan (AIMC), Maulana Aquilur Gharvi (AISC), Dr.S.Q.R.Ilyas (Afkar-e-Milli), Mr. Amanullah Khan (U.P. Rabita Committee), Dr. K.K. Usman (Forum of Faith and Fraternity). The first five shall act as Joint Conveners.
The JCMOE has requested various associated organizations to act as Conveners of State Organizing Committees for urgent mobilization to exert pressure on both Central and State Governments. The State Organising Committees shall be broad-based with representatives of the State units of other associated organisations as well State level bodies. The State Organising Committees shall nominate District Conveners and advise them to include representatives of all associated organisations as well as local organisations and institutions. State, district and local committees should invite all Muslim MPs/MLAs and other prominent social workers to join them and leaders of all sympathetic political parties and members of the intelligentsia, to local, district and state level meetings, organised by them.
The JCMOE has formulated a Charter of Demands in the light of the UPA Manifesto, Prime Minister’s assurances to the minorities, the New 15-Point Programme for Minority Welfare and the recommendations of Justice Sachar Committee and Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission.
MOBILISATION PROGRAMME
State Organizing Committees will organise public meetings at the town, district headquarters and State capital levels, to approve the Charter of Demands and present Memoranda based on the Charter to the DMs and the Chief Ministers, at least in all districts and states of Muslim concentration, with copies to the Prime Minister.
At the national level, the JCMOE is calling on national parties and their leaders to take up the Muslim case, and to request them to raise the question in the coming session of the Parliament and press the government to agree to a Discussion on Muslim Welfare and Uplift, with a view to formulate a national strategy and line of action.
The JCMOE proposes to organise, if necessary, a dharna by Muslim leaders and to hold a mass rally in Delhi towards the close of the monsoon session of Parliament.
The JCMOE is of the considered view that the assurances and the recommendations for Muslim uplift are not being implemented adequately and properly with the urgency that they deserve. The objective of the Committee is to mobilise public support for urgent action in this regard, particularly for the acceptance of the Charter of Demands by the Government.
The JCMOE has formulated a Charter of Demands in the light of the UPA Manifesto, Prime Minister’s assurances to the minorities, the New 15-Point Programme for Minority Welfare and the Recommendations of Justice Sachar Committee and of Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission.
The Charter of Demands is as follows:
I- Recognition of Backwardness
1. Recognition of the Muslim Community as a Backward Class under Article 15 (4) of the Constitution on the basis of the factual data collected by the Sachar Committee.
2. Provision of a separate Sub-quota for Muslim Community in proportion to their share in national/state populations and the levels of backwardness in higher education, public employment, development and welfare benefits and bank credit.
Enlargement of the list of Muslim OBCs through reconciliation of the discrepancy between the Mandal and State Lists and inclusion of other eligible Muslim sub-communities.
3. Institution of decennial Development Census based on universal and easily accessible parameters and establishment of a National Assessment and Monitoring Authority for collection, analysis, and retrieval of the collected data and monitoring.
II- Political & Administrative Measures
4. Raising representation of Muslims in Union and State legislatures & PRI’s, by appropriate demarcation, rotation of reservation for SC/ST, dereservation of Muslim concentration constituencies and other devises such as double-member constituencies.
5. Nomination of qualified Muslims against discretionary appointments in the Higher Judiciary, Public Service Commissions, Universities, Public Sector Undertakings, including banks and insurance companies, official Boards, Authorities, Corporations and other statutory bodies.
6. Composite posting of civil and police personnel in districts, blocks and thanas of Muslim concentration.
III- Promotion of Education
7. Establishing government schools of equal quality in all deprived areas, in accordance with the national norms under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
Provision of exclusive high schools and hostels for girls.
Restoration of the Three Language Formula to provide for mother tongue as medium of primary instruction and as a compulsory subject up to X.
Economic compensation for BPL families to reduce dropout and establishment of vocational schools and ITIs for the dropouts in deprived areas.
8. Institution of scholarship for Muslims on merit or means at all levels on parity with SC/ST.
9. Encouragement and facilitation of establishment of professional colleges and private universities by Muslims under Article 30 of the Constitution and equal treatment under Article 29 (2).
10. Reservation in Public Employment at all levels in all cadres for Muslims in proportion to their population in the zone of selection.
11. Distribution of benefit of all development and welfare schemes to Muslims in proportion to their eligible population at the operational level.
12. Concessional flow of priority sector bank credit, up to say Rs. 500,000, to eligible borrowers by banks for the self-employed, the self-help groups and small entrepreneurs among Muslims and other deprived groups, in proportion to their population in the bank’s jurisdiction.
13. Allocation of due share of municipal and urban development resources to Muslim mohallas and wards.
Expeditious regularization of Muslim colonies. Rehabilitation of those displaced in slum clearance operations or in communal violence.
14. Time-bound survey of Waqf properties.
Grant of public premises status to public Waqfs.
Exemption of Waqfs from rent control and land ceiling laws.
Establishment of National Waqf Development Corporation & statutory provision for utilization of surplus wakf income for education & economic development.
Creation of Waqf cadre to meet the administrative needs of all Waqf institutions.
V- Social Dignity
15. Protection of honour and dignity of the Muslim community against denigration, demonisation and vilification, through statutory curbs on incendiary and provocative speeches and statements and through enactment of hate laws.
IV- Employment & Economic Uplift