Muslims lagged behind as they enslaved women, says AMU Vice-Chancellor

While UP minister Azam Khan, often masquerading as the voice of the teeming Muslims, has written to the UN about the minorities' pitiful plight in India, Lt Gen (retd) Zameer Uddin Shah, Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, has said that the Muslims had only themselves to blame for their present socio-economic state.

The AMU V-C, known for his scathing and rather radical views about his own community, slammed the Muslims for wasting too much of time on religious rituals, including 'namaz' and the holy month of Ramzan. At a meet organised here by the AMU Old Boys, he also criticised Muslims for keeping their women "enslaved" and failing to make the most of opportunities available to them.

"You have not utilised half of your population. Your women have remained enslaved. They were kept inside homes. Muslims have no one else to blame. You enslaved women and the result is you are enslaved," Shah said as the large gathering listened in pindrop silence.

Speaking about his experience in Saudi Arabia, the former Army officer and brother of actor Naseeruddin Shah, said the situation remains the same there too. "Women are confined. Except in Turkey and Iran, women have remained enslaved in the entire Muslim world. That is the reason why they are backward," he added.

The AMU V-C virtually mocked Muslims for treating the month of Ramzan as a holiday. "Muslims work for 11 months in a year. During Ramzan they do not work. Also, in any normal week, they do not work for two-and-a-half days. On Friday, they make elaborate preparations for 'namaz'. This is followed by the weekend," he added.

He dwelt on the shortcomings of the community, saying: "You left education. There is infighting among the community. There is division on regional lines, too. This is also destroying AMU."

Shah also stated that even though there was no discrimination on religious grounds, Muslims were in the habit of raising a hue and cry about not being given enough opportunity. "What matters is qualification and ability. I started as a madarsa student and reached here. The community just cries about discrimination which just does not exist," he said.