YOU ARE INVITED
Two-Day National
Workshop
Towards an All-India
“Citizens Campaign: Implement Sachar
Committee’s Recommendations”
Organised by
Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD) and Communalism Combat
Venue:
Islam Gymkhana, Marine Drive, Mumbai.
Dates:
January 27 (Saturday) and January 28 (Sunday), 2007.
Ever since its release, the Sachar
Committee’s Report on the socio-economic status of the Muslim
Community in India has generated a lot of discussion within the
community as also among secular organisations and individuals.
In a nutshell, on the basis of voluminous data collected by it,
the Sachar Committee has conclusively established that:
-- In the 60 years since Independence, India’s Muslims have been
sliding down even as other Socio-Religious
Communities (SRCs) continue to climb up the
development ladder.
-- The community is falling behind not because of some inherent
resistance to educational and economic progress on its part, but
because it is a victim of neglect and/or in-built systemic bias
both in governmental institutions and in the private sector.
The Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Mr. A. R. Antulay, has
publicly stated that his government is sincere in its intentions
and committed to act on the findings and implement the
recommendations of the Committee. Many Muslims however remain
skeptical. They believe that with elections in the crucial state
of UP around the corner, this is just another political ploy of
the Congress to woo Muslim voters, that once elections are over
the government would again do nothing. They rightly point out that
even parties that call themselves secular have done next to
nothing in the past in response to the recommendations of earlier
such committees and commissions.
We too believe that left to itself governments in fact
would do little or nothing to address the problem of gross neglect
and bias. But we also believe that an active citizenry could force
governmental action.
The success of Citizens for Justice and Peace in bringing justice
to the victims of the Gujarat Genocide (2002), and the campaign of
other social activists that culminated in the Right to Information
Act are recent reminders that given commitment and tenacity on the
part of civil society, remedial action is possible through
judicial intervention and/or legislative/executive action.
MSD and Communalism Combat have two objectives in mind in
organising the proposed Two-Day workshop:
-- The immediate objective is to increase public
awareness about and promote informed discussion and debate on the
findings and recommendations of the Sachar Committee;
-- The broader objective is to make a modest
contribution towards the launch of a national campaign for the
implementation of the Sachar Report.
Venue:
Islam Gymkhana, Marine Drive, Mumbai.
Dates:
January 27 (Saturday) and January 28 (Sunday).
Themes for the Workshop:
1.
Affirmative Action:
The Sachar Report has made a strong
case for affirmative action (in the field of education,
employment, access to credit, infrastructural facilities and
political representation) as the only means of improving the
socio-economic situation of Muslims. At the same time it points
out that Muslims are not a homogeneous community but are
stratified in three distinct groups: ashraf, ajlaf and
arzals. The Report argues for the need for group-specific
affirmative action plans for the three socio-economic groups among
Muslims.
While the need for affirmative action is widely recognised,
opinion remains divided even among Muslims over the forms it
should take. Some argue for religion-based reservation. Others are
strongly opposed to this both on grounds of principle (you can’t
have religion-based reservations in a secular state) as also on
strategic and tactical grounds (the relatively-better placed
ashraf would corner all the benefits of reservation;
religion-based reservation will fuel the hate politics of the
sangh parivar wiping off any benefit that accrues to the
community).
What would be the most appropriate
forms of affirmative action given the Indian reality?
2.
The Gender question:
It is unfortunate that there was no gender representation in the
high-level committee appointed by the Prime Minister. For this
reason or otherwise, the fact is that the gender-specific concerns
of Muslim women are only cursorily dealt with by the Sachar
Committee. We, therefore, propose to allot extra-time to this
issue during the consultation. We are happy to be associated with
Awaaz-e-Niswan, a Mumbai-based Muslim women’s group, in conducting
this particular session.
3.
The Security Issue:
In its report Sachar Committee observes that three issues dominate
the concerns of a minority community in any society: identity
issues, security issue, equity issues. While affirming that the
three issues are closely linked to each other, the Committee has
observed that given its mandate it has remained focussed on equity
issues.
Be that as it may, the fact is that particularly after the Mumbai
and Gujarat carnage, security of life and property has emerged as
the core concern of India’s Muslims and other minorities. Should
this not, therefore, form an integral part of any Muslim/secular
initiative or campaign aimed at improving the lot of Muslims?
4.
Solutions Within:
There are several pointers in the findings and recommendations of
the Committee that could be the starting point for discussions of
initiatives within the Muslim community itself that could go a
long way in improving the lot of the community as a whole. We
propose a special session that will have intra-community
initiative as its focus.
5.
Towards a National Campaign:
As stated above we believe that left to themselves, central and
state governments, or the organised private sector are unlikely to
pro-actively implement the Committee’s recommendations. Citizens
groups will have to consider ways and means of launching a
sustained national campaign among other initiatives to see that
action is taken on the Sachar Report.
While a lot of groundwork would be needed before any effective
national campaign can be launched, we see the proposed
consultation as a part of that process.
Workshop Schedule:
Day One (January 27, 2006): Morning Session:
Introduction
10.00– 10.30: Registration of Participants.
10.30 – 10.40: Welcome Speech, Mr. Gulam Mohd. Peshimam,
Convenor, MSD.
10.40 – 10.50: Introductory Remarks, Mr. Javed Akhtar,
President, MSD.
10.50 – 11.05: Highlights, Sachar Report, Mr. Javed Anand,
General Secretary, MSD.
11.05 – 11.30: Sachar Report: Vision and Intent, Dr. T.K.
Ooman, Member, Sachar Committee.
11.30 – 11.50: Comments and questions.
11.50 – 12.05: Tea Break
1. Affirmative Action: Education/Employment/Credit/Infrastructure
12.05 – 12.25: Affirmative Action, Diversity Programmes: The
American Experience, Aroosha Rana & Saad Bukhari, US Consulate
Mumbai/Chennai.
12.25 – 12.45: Comments and questions.
12.45 – 1.05: “Reservations for SCs/STs in India: The Dalit
Experience”,
Mr. Rajshekhar Vundru, I.A.S.
1.05 – 1.25: Comments and questions.
1.25 – 2.10: Lunch Break
Day One
(January 27, 2006): Afternoon Sessions
2.10 – 2.30: “Affirmative Action & Indian Muslims: The Caste
Dimension”,
Mr. Hasan Kamaal, Advisor, Muslim All Backward Classes (ABC)
Association.
2.30 – 2.50: Comments and questions.
2. Leveraging Existing Institutional Provisions
2.50 – 3.10: Constitutional guarantees and Indian Muslims: How
the
National Commission for Minorities can help:
Mr. Syed Hamid Ansari, Chairman, National Commission for
Minorities.
3.10 – 3.30: Comments and questions.
3.30
– 3.45: Tea Break
3.45
– 4.05: Muslim Educational Backwardness and Role of the State:
Prof. Mushirul Hasan, V-C, Jamia Millia, Delhi.
4.05 – 4.25: Comments and questions.
3.
Right To Life and Property: Paper Promises
4.25
– 4.45: Violence (Mob/Bomb/State), Bill on Communal
Violence: Ms.Teesta Setalvad, Co-editor, Communalism Combat,
Secretary, Citizens for Justice and Peace.
4.45 – 5.05: Wanted: An unbiased, representative police,
Mr. Suresh Khopade, Police Commissioner (Railways), Mumbai,
(Author and
architect of Bhiwandi’ Mohalla Committees); confirmation awaited
from other senior police officials.
5.05 – 5.30: Comments and questions.
5.30 – 6.00: Open Forum.
Day Two
(January 28, 2006): Morning Sessions
4. Muslim Women: The Hidden Dimension
11.00 – 12.00:
Sub-Themes:
State and Community: Seizing Citizenship;
Muslim Women in Development and Rights Discourse;
Participatory Solutions. Speakers (include): Ms. Azhra Razak,
Ms. Shama
Dalwai, Ms. Teesta Setalvad, Dr. Zeenat Shaukatali,
Awaaz-e-Niswan.
12.00 – 12.15: Tea Break
12.15 – 1.45:
Muslim Women: The Hidden Dimension
(Cont).
1.45 - 2.05: Comments and questions.
2.05 – 2.45: Lunch Break
Day Two
(January 28, 2006): Afternoon Sessions
5. Solutions Within
2.45 – 3.15: Muslim Education: Lessons from South India,
Dr. Syed Iqbal
Hasnain, former V-C, Calicut University.
3.15 – 3.35:
Comments and questions.
3.35 – 4.00: Muslim Philanthropy (zakaat), Wakf Boards:
Wasted Resources, Professor Imtiaz Ahmed.
4.00 – 4.20:
Comments and questions.
4.20 – 4.35: Tea Break.
4.35 – 4.55: The Right to Information: A Tool to Combat
Discrimination,
Mr.
Shailesh Gandhi, Information Right activist.
4.50 – 5.00:
Comments and questions.
5.00 – 5.10: Jihad Against Terrorism: Citizens Campaign
Against Violence
(mob, bomb or state) Javed Anand, MSD.
5.10 – 5.20:
Comments and questions.
6. Towards A National Citizens Campaign
5.20 – 6.00: Open Session
6.00 – 6.10: Concluding Remarks, Javed Akhtar, President,
MSD.
6.10 – 6.15: Vote of Thanks, Asif Khan, Secretary, MSD.
For further
information:
Javed Anand
(M)
09870402556; Ph/Fax: 022-2660 22 88. e-mail:
[email protected];
[email protected]
