By Shahid Awan
The War of Independence of 1857 has been crushed. Thousands of innocent Muslims are being subjected to oppression and barbarism. Corpses are hanging on the trees here and there. The effects of grief and despair are palpable. The life of Muslims in the subcontinent has become a burden. In this gloomy darkness, a servant of Allah sees this wave of blood passing over his head, his heart aches and he seeks the path of prosperity. Ultimately, the secret of the nation’s well-being is found in education and education is the source of salvation for Muslims. He says, “I ask myself, is it against Islam to educate the nation according to the needs of the time and to impart European knowledge to them? I got the answer, No!”In the new circumstances, the helplessness of the education system has become apparent. Sir Syed formed a scientific society and a school map began to emerge in his mind. He sold his house, got up and left for England, saw Oxford and Cambridge And when came back, dressed as a beggar, hugged his neck, begged and collected donations, gave his all for it as well. Finally in 1857 Madrasa-ul-Uloom was inaugurated in a semi-finished grass bungalow. In 1877, he laid the foundation stone of MAQ College. Speaking on the occasion, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan said, “The seed we are sowing today will one day become a tenacious tree like the “bur” tree of our country, its branches will take root in the ground and then new and strong branches will grow from them. The college will grow into a university whose students will spread across the country and spread the teachings of independent research, generosity, tolerance and true morality.”Aligarh University has been established for a century and a half and is scattering pearls of knowledge and training which is benefiting millions of students. A few months ago, a function of Sir Syed Education Foundation of Pakistan was held in Hassan Abdal in which Sir Syed’s great-grandson Syed Ahmed Masood expressed a fear that Modi, the fascist ruler of India, was trying to change the name of this most important university. He had suggested that the Sir Syed Education Foundation intends to make a huge banner which would be signed by people from all walks of life across Pakistan, through which a condemnation resolution will be tabled to stop India from renaming the university. However, according to reports from across the border, the Modi government and RSS are fighting for the completion of this failed project. The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is set to hold provincial elections early next year. After the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the construction of the Ram temple, extremist Hindus are now devoting all their energies to targeting the Aligarh Muslim University, a memorial to Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in Aligarh. In August last year, candidates for recruitment in the Army in Rajasthan were denied jobs simply because they were graduates of the said university. The reason given was that the university was not present on the panel of the Army Selection Board. The Modi government is on a mission to change the names of areas, departments and cities named Muslims. The Uttar Pradesh government has renamed the “Mughal Museum” under construction in Agra as “Shivaji Ji” Museum. The Chief Minister of the province Yogi Othi Nath has said that Mughals cannot be our heroes. Earlier, the same Chief Minister had renamed Allahabad as Priya Raj, Faizabad as Ajudhya, Mughal Sarai Junction as Pandit Din Sial. ۔
The popular area of UP is preparing to make Mian Ganj Maya Ganj and Aligarh Hari Garh. According to the monthly Hilal, Ali Nagar of Gorakhpur has been made Arya Nagar, Urdu Bazaar Hindi Bazaar, Humayun Nagar Hanuman Nagar, Meena Bazaar Maya Bazaar. Yes, the names of the British have been kept in the place. Where millions of Muslims live, the vicious practice of tarnishing one’s name only on the basis of anti-Muslim sentiments is on the rise.Speaking of the historic Aligarh University in Uttar Pradesh due to the anti-Muslim sentiment of the RSS, the special gazette issued on the centenary of the establishment of the university published more pictures of Narendra Modi than Sir Syed Ahmed Khan while the Urdu language section was not even mentioned in the special gazette, due to which the students of this university are very angry. Changing the name of Aligarh Muslim University and changing its syllabus has become the top agenda of the BJP government. In view of this situation, the Hindu newspaper NAVBHARA TIMES wrote in its editorial: “The popularity of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal and Mirza Ghalib among Indian students is increasing day by day which is a matter of concern for the present rulers. On the one hand, the Modi government is trying to remove the mention of Urdu language and Muslim heroes from the Indian curriculum. On the other hand, Muslim students are becoming so obsessed with the elites.”It has been reported that last year a special program was organized on Iqbal Day under the auspices of General Council of Aligarh University in which students said in their speeches that the decision of Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam was based on foresight that Muslims and Hindus cannot live together. University President Mohammad Salman Imtiaz said, “Modi government is constantly trying to take over Aligarh University but the university will continue to raise its voice against the violation of the rights of minorities. During the third wave of Corona epidemic in May, 21 faculty members of the university died of the virus, while 75 other university employees, including former faculty and non-teaching staff, died in the same month. In the opinion of the concerned people of the university, the death of so many people is also being interpreted as anti-muslim.Sir Syed Education Foundation is running a campaign on its own. The government of Pakistan, through the Foreign Ministry, should also compel the Indian rulers to refrain from renaming the world-renowned university, given the delicacy of this most important issue. And if this issue is raised in the International Court of Justice, it should not be avoided. Cities and hospitals planned in the name of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan even today. Pakistan’s civil society, bar associations, labor unions, journalist forums and education societies also need to play their part in this critical issue. This crucial issue needs to be highlighted in educational institutions so that this conspiracy can be foiled.