We are passing through the hardest period of history of Idea of India. The Idea of India of our forefathers is under red signal. As for Muslims, my opinion is so clear that Muslims are here in India by choice not by force. Muslims should claim their citizenship of India with their Muslim identity; because they are being attacked as Muslim not for any other identity,” averred Prof. Apoorvanad of Delhi University while speaking on ‘Idea of India and Indian Muslims’ during the 3-Day National Social Leadership Summit-2016 at India Islamic Cultural Centre in the Capital on 4 March.
This was the second National Social Leadership Summit jointly organised by the India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC), the Movement for Empowerment of Muslim Indians and the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP). The seven co-organisers of the summit include SEWA, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Zakat Foundation of India, SAMLA, Human Welfare Foundation and JANHIT.
Muslim social leaders of various fields across the country were invited to the summit. Leaders and renowned professionals from health, education, social movement, enterprises, lawyers and other sectors were present as delegates. The 3- Day summit was divided in several sessions like “Idea of India and Indian Muslims”, “Indian Muslim: Beyond Ballots”, “Threat from Terrorism: Demystify the myth”, and “The Media and the Message”, etc.
Trinamool Congress MP Sultan Ahmed was present at the Inaugural Session of the Summit. He said that the Muslims in India never made their own political party; they always trust on secular parties; so the secular parties have the responsibility to response to their demands and address their problems. In response to a question, he told Radiance that Muslims have been taking part in any movement of India, from Freedom Movement to JNU Student Movement; this is the beauty of our country that there was an Umar Khalid with the Kanhaiyas in JNU.
Prof. Sugata Bose, a historian, former Professor of History in Harvard University, and Member of Parliament, remembered Gandhiji and Netaji while the country is being tried to divide in so many fractions in the name of nationalism.
“Mahatma Gandhi celebrated the birth anniversary of his rebellion son Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on 23 January 1948; just one week before his ruthless assassination on 30 January. He had paid a great tribute to his rebellion son because the greatest achievement of his had been to reunite Hindus, Muslims and Christians in a common fight for freedom in Azad Hind Fauj,” Prof. Bose said.
John Dayal, a prominent civil rights activist, said that if the Muslims in India are not saved, the Christians of India will also not be saved. He also expressed his opinion on the JNU issue that Kanhaiya Kumar is not a patient of gangrene but the medicine of social and political gangrene.