Zakat Board and Muslim Economic and Educational Problems
When
it comes to mobilizing internal resources, it is necessary to point out one
significant difference between Dalits and Muslims. Dalits have hardly much
internal resource to mobilize. They have been underdogs right from the beginning
of history. Even then Ambedkar, from pre-independence days, worked hard to
establish some educational institutions to educate them so that they could
benefit from reservations in government jobs. Thus Ambedkar did it single
handedly for lack of other leaders.
The Muslim
situation has been very different in a way. All Muslims were never underdogs.
Various Muslim dynasties ruled over India for more than 800 years and created a
feudal class with considerable land holdings. These dynastic rulers as well as
the feudal class (Zamindars) donated from their resources and created Wakf
properties which, in terms of today’s ruling prices, are huge running into
thousands of crores. – Asghar Ali
Engineer
By Asghar Ali
Engineer
(Secular Perspective May 1-15,
2010)
Indian Muslims, according to the
Sachar Committee Report are slipping below Dalits in their economic and
educational status and the Committee has supported this with wealthy of data.
This is acknowledged by everyone including the Government of India. But who is
responsible for this state of affairs? The Muslim themselves or the government?
This is a big debate within the community.
There are different views and
various controversies. A section of Muslim intelligentsia feels that Muslim
leaders have habit of complaining rather than being active in drawing up
strategies for development, change and spread of education. Breast beating would
hardly help in the long run. Community has to be pro-active in its own interest.
It must mobilize its own intellectual and material resources for
development.
The other section feels it is
duty of the Government in a democratic country to help a substantial minority to
stand on its own legs. After all Muslims belong to weaker sections like OBCs,
dalits and tribunals (SCs and STs). There is woeful lack of education and
paucity of resources due to extreme poverty in the community. Muslims by
themselves cannot mop up enough resources for the purpose.
There is grain of truth in both
the arguments. Muslims have to find a middle path. Both government as well as
Muslim leaders and intelligentsia must put governmental as well as community
resources together to help the weaker sections in the community. The Government
should realize that more than 15 crore Muslims (150 million) will remain a drag
on economic development of India. India cannot go forward leaving them
behind.
The community leaders have to
realize that in the era of globalization and liberalization – and there is
hardly any possibility of going back from it – dependence on the government has
its own limits. The whole dynamics of liberalization banks upon private
initiative and merit. The community will have to generate internal resources for
development and spread of quality education.
When it comes to mobilizing
internal resources, it is necessary to point out one significant difference
between Dalits and Muslims. Dalits have hardly much internal resource to
mobilize. They have been underdogs right from the beginning of history. Even
then Ambedkar, from pre-independence days, worked hard to establish some
educational institutions to educate them so that they could benefit from
reservations in government jobs. Thus Ambedkar did it single handedly for lack
of other leaders.
The Muslim situation has been
very different in a way. All Muslims were never underdogs. Various Muslim
dynasties ruled over India for more than 800 years and created a feudal class
with considerable land holdings. These dynastic rulers as well as the feudal
class (Zamindars) donated from their resources and created Wakf properties
which, in terms of today’s ruling prices, are huge running into thousands of
crores.
It is true that a large number
of Zamindars, especially from the north, migrated to Pakistan along with the
middle class which came into existence in pre-independence era from feudal
class, creating a great vacuum. However, even then a class of prosperous Muslims
were left behind however, small it was. Then a new class of small entrepreneurs
came into existence from amongst the artisans in post-independence era. Also,
there are business communities in Gujarat among Muslims some of whom have also
taken to middle status industries.
Also, Muslims have traditional
educational institutions either run by income from Wakf properties or many from
donations received from the oil rich Arab countries. The Dalits have no such
sources wither. In drawing up any strategy for development of Muslims these
resources can play an important role.
What is need is a vision and spirit. Muslims produced Sir Syed in the
British era as then what was needed was modern education among the scions of
this Zamindar class to have influential and high status jobs in the
government.
Now in post-independence India
what Muslims need is an Ambedkar who can provide a dynamic lead to Muslim
underdogs as partition has deprived them of the better off classes as they
migrated to Pakistan. A new middle class is being born from amongst the
have-nots. This middle class is slow in growth as there are very limited avenues
for growth for lack of resources.
Thus it will be seen that if the
community leaders are determined to help the community there are three types of
resources which already exist in the community:
(1) Wakf properties; (2) Zakat
fund from a better off sections of Muslims and (3) The existing institutions of
madrasas which can be modernized and used as dynamic vehicles for spreading
education. However, there are massive challenges to transform these existing
institutions into useful tools for development of Muslim
community.
Firstly, the Wakf properties,
though enormous in numbers and in terms of values are either under possessions
of various government organs or mutawallis (thos in charge of Wakf) or old
tenants who refuse to vacate or agree to increase in rent. These are not
ordinary challenges. The Government keeps on making promises but does precious
little to help. It owns institutions are most unwilling to vacate these Wakf
properties which it is occupying. Also the Wakf act needs to be thoroughly
reformed and empowered to get properties vacated.
Those appointed on the Wakf
boards happen to be political appointees and there is massive corruption in
collusion with politicians. For example, the Bohra community, being trading
community, has very rich Wakf resources but, the priesthood, by bribing Wakf
members and politicians, pockets all the income and destitutes of the community
get nothing. The priesthood is fattening itself on the Wakf income despite
protests from reformists. Thus all the resources generated by Wakf properties
are also eaten away. If these properties are put to proper use, the community
will not have to depend on even government resources for its progress and
development.
Secondly, Zakat is a great
institution given by the Qur’an to weaker sections of humanity. Zakat, according
to the Qur’an is meant to be taken from the well off and given to weaker
sections like orphans, widows, wayfarers, poor and destitute and for liberation
of slaves and prisoners. Today, in India, either the rich do not pay Zakat at
all or pay individually to some poor or feed the beggars in Ramadan and think
they have done their duty.
Thus the very spirit of Zakat is
killed. What needs to be done is to institutionalize it, collect it through a
legally established body and then distribute it in three portions. One portion
could be given to deserving students as scholarship to spread higher education,
especially technical education, one portion could be given as interest-free loan
to small traders including petty hawkers which will boost their income which in
turn increase education and decrease rate of dropouts which is mainly due to
poverty.
Interest-free loan is also a
great institution meant to help weaker sections of society. Today even hawkers
and petty traders have to borrow money from moneylenders at exorbitant rates and
struggle to eke out their living. It is not rich traders who need interest-free
loans but these poor artisans, hawkers and petty traders. Unfortunately, in the
name of Shari’ah compatible loans and investments it is richer sections who are
making hey while no one talks of poorer sections.
A portion of Zakat money, if
properly canalized, can be given by way of interest-free loans to these weaker
sections. Zakat boards could be established in every state, or even districts
with people of known integrity and crores of rupees could be mobilized to help
the poor of the community. However, Muslim leadership has neither vision, nor
integrity nor will to do this.
The third portion could be spent
as outright charity for extremely poor and needy people who have no possibility
of even returning it.
Recently a two day seminar was
held in Mumbai Hajj house to establish such a Zakat institution and ended in
utter chaos. They invited some political leaders like Digvijay Singh of the
Congress and the ulama began fighting on his speech. Firstly why a political
leader should at all be invited? It is bound to result in controversy. Also, the
leader of the Barelvi sect said there is no need to establish any Zakat
institution and the seminar ended in disagreement and confusion. This is the
impression one gets from newspaper reports.
It is unfortunate that
everywhere initiative is given to ulama who have no understanding of the modern
economy and go only by traditional interpretations. They are too narrow in their
outlook and, what is worse, have their sectarian interests which prevent any
attempt to bring about unity transcending sectarian barriers. It is very
difficult to overcome these massive challenges.
These ulama are not allowing
even modernizing of madrasas which can also become another valuable vehicle for
spreading modern education along with religious education. There is hardly any
taker for modernizing of madrasas among the traditional ulama. Thus all the
valuable resources of the community stand blocked.
Centre for Study of Society and
Secularism Mumbai.
E-mail:
csss@mtnl.net.in
2:57 AM
Sultan Shahin
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