MMU flags ‘growing concerns’ over Muslim students’ educational prospects
Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), the amalgam of religious, educational and social organisations in Jammu & Kashmir, headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has expressed serious concern over recent developments affecting Muslim students and educational institutions, particularly the threat of large-scale demolition facing Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur.
The MMU said that reports of the proposed demolition of 38 out of 40 buildings of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, where nearly 3,000 students are pursuing their education, are deeply disturbing. While the demolition order has reportedly received interim relief, the continuing uncertainty over the future of the institution remains a matter of grave concern.
The Majlis said that Kashmiri students studying at the university approached them regarding the matter , directly affecting them and their future, and the future of their families who send them to outside institutions for education .
The MMU said that whatever legal or regulatory violations may be alleged against an institution, there are established legal and administrative mechanisms to address them. The future of thousands of innocent students cannot be bulldozed along with university buildings. Students have no role in such disputes and must not be made to pay the price for them.
The Majlis also referred to the recent closure of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Jammu, which disrupted the studies of its students and created uncertainty about their future. The MMU said the circumstances surrounding the closure, particularly after the controversy over the admission of a large number of Muslim students to the medical college, have raised serious concerns within the Muslim community about students being increasingly made to suffer because of their religious identity.
“Whether it is a Muslim-run university facing demolition or Muslim students finding their professional education suddenly disrupted, the consequences ultimately fall upon young students whose only aspiration is to study, qualify and build their future,” the MMU said.
The Majlis urged the authorities concerned to ensure that no student is denied or deprived of educational opportunities on account of religion, identity or political considerations. Any deficiencies, disputes or alleged violations concerning educational institutions must be addressed transparently but with compassion and concern , so as not to jeopardise the education and careers of innocent students.
The MMU said that education must remain above politics, prejudice and communal considerations, and called upon the authorities to safeguard the academic future of all affected students and ensure that educational opportunities remain equally and fairly accessible to every community.