DR MOHAMMAD SALIM ENGINEER is presently Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. Alumni of IIT Kanpur, he has done PhD in 4G mobile communication technology and was former Head of the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering at Malviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur. In an interview with MOHAMMAD NAUSHAD KHAN, he said Muslims should keep restraint and not be provoked on issues aimed at dividing societies and communities for political gains.
Findings of earlier survey and the recent one suggest that education is becoming the most important issue for Muslims. Do you believe that Indian Muslim mindset is changing in the positive direction?
We have many studies and surveys on education and Indian Muslims. No doubt, education has become a very important subject and people are also gradually realising its importance today. And they believe that if people are educated, many problems may not arise like poverty and fighting within. Education is very important for an individual to become a civilized citizen and to make a Muslim good Muslim. Islam not only talks of education but also of education and training to impart good values and character to an individual. The secular education we generally talk about is widely prevalent as it naturally imparts confidence in individuals and the community. They can understand the depth of the issue and the situation.
But do you think the present atmosphere is conducive for Muslims to achieve what they desire on educational front?
Muslims here want to live with his Islamic identity and want to protect and preserve it. Under the prevailing atmosphere even existence and survival of Muslims has become the biggest issue for them apart from identity and other issues. Safety and security is the biggest issue for Muslims these days. If an individual’s life is not safe, he does not feel secure and protected; then how can he pursue his education or move towards his goals in the desired manner. Only education cannot be an answer if the atmosphere is not conducive to apply knowledge. If an individual is content about his life, safety, dignity, identity and security then only he can pursue his dreams and goals. But that does not mean that if there is not prerequisite atmosphere, one should not go for education. Education and safety and security should go on simultaneously. We cannot afford to sit and wait for the cordial atmosphere to pursue our educational aspirations. The issue of safety and security is not the same for other communities and people of different faiths, but it is very important for Muslims now.
Keeping the present atmosphere in mind, what would you like to say to Indian Muslims?
It is true that the fascist forces are trying to create an atmosphere of fear psychosis among Muslims. We should not let such fear to come in our mindset. If we do so, we may be helping them in their agenda. They don’t want to instil fear only among Muslims but all those communities who come in the way of the agenda they want to pursue and all those who are raising their voices and not falling in their line. You see how mob lynching is going on and how big and influential personalities are being attacked in broad daylight mercilessly. We all should come out of the fear they want to instil in us. And for Muslims there is no way to fear. They fear none but only Allah. They believe that the Almighty is our protector and saviour and therefore they should not be afraid of anybody. Allah is always there to help us and guide us.
Apart from this, these forces also want to create issues every now and then only to provoke so that they can do or go for what they want like polarising one society and community against another or to create divisions and take political mileage out of it. Because they don’t have any positive agenda for the nation building and also they don’t have anything to allure people towards them with some positive agenda, they are trying to divide societies and communities on caste and religious lines. Even they are also trying to divide Muslims. Muslims should remain cautious with such hidden agenda and tactics. Muslims, with open heart and mind under the guidance of Islamic principles, should remain united and work for peace and the prosperity of the community and the country. These forces are trying to divide the societies within majority and minority and people should remain alert and should not get trapped into majority and minority discourse.