AMU Alumni Jeddah Committee members with Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi, Professor Mukkaram Ali Khan and Habib Anwar Zubairi during Sir Syed Day celebrations in Jeddah. — SG photos S. Athar H. Rizvi Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Rich tributes were paid to the vision of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, founder of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, at a function organized by the Jeddah chapter of the AMU Alumni Committee here Thursday night. The annual gathering of Aligarians marked the birthday of the great visionary and reformer who in 1875 established Madrasatul Uloom Musalmanan-e-Hind, which later became Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College and was renamed Aligarh Muslim University in 1920 after transforming into a full-fledged university. The birthday of Sir Syed (born Oct. 17, 1817) is celebrated all over the world by the university's alumni to commemorate the greatest educationist and social reformer from the Indian subcontinent. Spread over 467.6 hectares, AMU offers more than 300 courses in the traditional and modern branches of education and draws students from different parts of the world, especially Africa, West Asia and Southeast Asia. The university is open to all irrespective of caste, creed, religion or gender. It ranks 8th among the top 20 research universities in India and currently has about 28,000 students. The university has produced many great leaders, including several heads of state and prime ministers. They include Paksitani leaders Liaquat Ali Khan, Ghulam Muhammad and Fazal Elahi Chaudhry, Muhammad Amin Halim Didi of the Maldives and Mansoor Ali, ex-prime minister of Bangladesh. In the fields of literature, culture and sports, the university boasts of noted lyricist Javed Akhtar, famed actor Naseeruddin Shah, and legendary Indian cricket captain Lala Amarnath among its alumni. Saudi Gazette Editor-in-Chief Khaled Almaeena, chief guest at the function, said he has great love for the people of India for their straightforwardness and hard work. He said Indians have contributed a lot to the development of the Kingdom. "This country would not have achieved what it has without the active and sincere contributions of expatriates living here," Almaeena said to a round of deafening applause. "India does not belong to anyone, but everyone belongs to India," he said admiring the diversity the country offers. Referring to the longstanding relations between the Kingdom and India, Almaeena said: "I have traveled across the globe, but believe me I never felt so safe anywhere else, but in India." Alluding to the pioneering role being played by Saudi Gazette in expounding the causes of the expatriates in the Kingdom, Almaeena assured the audience that the paper would continue to highlight the problems faced by different expatriate communities. Almaeena lamented the absence of a biography on Sir Syed in Arabic, which would greatly benefit the Arab world and allow Arab readers to learn that Sir Syed was a top educationist and a social reformer. Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi, former Saudi diplomat and a columnist specializing in Southeast Asian affairs and himself an AMU alumnus, wondered which aspect of the multifaceted personality of Sir Syed he should highlight. "He was a philosopher, educationist, social reformer, writer, politician and the founder of the great institution AMU. But little do people know that he was also a great mufassir (commentator of the Holy Qur'an)," Al-Ghamdi, who was guest of honor at the function, said. He also bemoaned the fact that no authentic book on Sir Syed is available in Arabic. "It is a shame on all Aligarians that no authentic book on the life of Sir Syed, who wanted the AMU to be known as an Oxford for Muslims in India, is available in the Arabic language," he said. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Consul General of India, also an alumnus of the university, cajoled the Aligarians to unitedly contribute for the development of the cause propagated by Sir Syed. He said it was depressing that the Aligarians gather once a year, pay tribute to the great leader and then do nothing except to meet next year with the same old tributes and words. "In between, we do nothing to further the cause expounded by the great visionary Sir Syed," he said. Earlier, Professor Mukarram Ali Khan from Dhahran's King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals traced the history of AMU and highlighted the contribution of Sir Syed to the educational progress of Muslims in India. In hearty anecdotes, Mukarram shed light on the life in the university when he was its proud student. Habib Anwar Zubairi, the most senior Aligarian present on the occasion, presided over the function. A 1954 graduate now residing in England, Zubairi was in Jeddah on a private visit. In his welcome address, Farzan Rizvi, president of the AMU Alumni Committee, focused on the achievements of the committee. He said it is determined to carry forward the cause for which Sir Syed strived all through his life. He said a directory of Aligarians living in Jeddah will be compiled. Abdul Ghafoor Danish, senior member of the committee, praised the commitment of Sir Syed toward secularism, inculcating moral values and ethos among Muslims, social reforms and making AMU into a liberal voice of Islam and a principal seat of education for Muslims in India. Aqeel Jamil, secretary of the committee, meticulously conducted the entire program. He also emphasized the need to contribute to the educational welfare of Muslims in the subcontinent. Proposing the vote of thanks, Azizurrab announced that the next Sir Syed Day function would be held in Jeddah on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013.
