The fact that Muslims ranked first in the sex-ratio category showed that the community displays no bias against the female progeny.
The fact that Muslims ranked first in the sex-ratio category showed that the community displays no bias against the female progeny
There is new dawn approaching the minority community members, with more and more organisations harping on growth in education levels to ring in the difference.
The latest in the series is Students Islamic Organisation (SIO), which organised a one-day seminar on their silver jubilee celebrations at the Bandra Reclamation Ground on Sunday.
Attended by at least 2,000 people, mostly youth from various parts of India, the SIO meet emphasised on the need for Muslims to shake off the perception that they are backward and a radical community.
Speakers, including Sachar committee member Rakesh Basant, advocated education as the ticket to success in the globally competitive world, while Muslim leaders urged their youth to pursue higher studies.
“In today’s competitive world, education and merit are the only two ladders to success,” said Bishruddin Sharqi, president of the SIO, which primarily works with schools, colleges and universities across the country to explain the importance of education.
In a bid to break the popular perception that madarsas are schools that foster terrorism and extremism, Sharqi felt that the government should aggressively touch base with these religious institutions and gain their confidence.
“Once their confidence is gained, secular education should be introduced. This will usher in a change, though slow, in the way the community progresses,” he added.
Pointing out that the Muslim community stood the second last in literacy rate in India, the lowest being the Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes, Basant said, “They also ranked the highest in the dropout rate after primary school. This should change if the community wishes to progress.”
Minister of labour, food and civil supplier and consumer protection, Ziauddin Siddhique felt that the Muslim youth needed to fast adapt to the changing times and learn English, which is critical in the global worlds.
“Urdu should also be given its importance, but English is required to fit into the competitive job-market,” he observed.
According to Basant, the fact that Muslims ranked the first in the sex-ratio category showed the community displays no bias against the female progeny. However, the girl child fell short in areas like empowerment and progress.
“This indicates that the community welcomes girl children, but they should be educated and encouraged too,” said Basant.
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