The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : "Contribute towards development of education"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 26, 2006
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

"Contribute towards development of education"

Staff Reporter

Increasing awareness of Islam in U.S.: Consul General

RECOGNISING ACHIEVEMENT: David Hopper, U.S. Consul General, Chennai, hands over certificates and award to a student at a function organised by American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin, at Vandalur on Saturday. — Photo : A. Muralitharan

TAMBARAM : Speakers at an international education conference on Saturday appealed to the Muslim community not to depend too much on the Government, and also called upon leaders and institutions of the community to contribute towards development of education.

The American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) in the U.S., Organisation of Muslim Educational Institutions and Associations of Tamil Nadu and Seethakathi Trust organised the 15th international educational conference and award function at the Convention Centre of B. S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Engineering College at Vandalur.

David Hopper, US Consul General in Chennai, said there was an increasing awareness and appreciation of Islam in the U.S. with Muslims becoming more numerous and visible in the American society. With a population of six million Muslims, Islam was the fastest growing religion in the U.S. and many American Muslims came from Africa, Middle East and Asia, but most were American-born.

Americans in general were becoming aware of Ramadan's place in the calendar and children in school were also being taught its importance. ``Though the time since September 11 terrorist attacks has been difficult for Muslims in America, public officials have made an effort to reach out to the Islamic community'', Mr. Hopper said, adding that similar to Indian-Americans, Muslims were organising and were also enjoying a considerable success.

Inaugurating the conference, Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali said Muslims should develop their own potential without depending too much on Government. Stating there was nothing new in the Prime Minister's 15-point programme to improve the lot of minorities, Mr. Abdul Ali urged the Government to implement the scheme immediately without delay. Akram N. Syed, president of the AFMI, also highlighted the need to ensure access for Muslim women to education. He said Muslims must give priority to access to modern education, particularly women, if the community was to develop. He regretted that not all sections of the community had access to finance that was important for encouraging entrepreneurship.

Khalid A. K. Bukhari, secretary, Seethakathi Trust, said more individuals and institutions among Muslims should come forward and also with sufficient financial strength to take education to all sections of the community. The theme of the conference was ``Educational excellence: A door to gain opportunities to face challenges''.

Over 50 meritorious students from schools all over India were given merit certificates and awards.

S. Sathikh, conference chairman, and S. Dawood Shah, principal of Crescent School, also spoke.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu