... No country can boast of development if a sizeable minority lags behind and ... remains illiterate and poor.

Large masses of Mus"'rs are quite poor and illiterate, ranking below the Schedule Castes. Muslim women are particularly backward ... In the post-Babri Masjid demolition period, the situation is changing favourably. Muslims are paying more attention to education and

economic progress. They have also become quite conscious of female education ... A large number of Muslims (30%) live in urban areas and a large number of them are artisans ... (They) are upwardly mobile compared to the so-called (high) caste Muslims ... Artisans are becoming small-scale entrepreneurs and benefiting from their professional skills. But these skills are by and large traditional and they happen to be primary producers lacking marketing skills ... The real problem today is not so much lack of consciousness for education as of economic resources. The educational backwardness reflects economic backwardness and vice versa.

The Muslims lack not only a political leadership ...but also a socio-cultural leadership ... committed to the cause of socio-economic progress. Though many Muslims cannot afford education because of poverty, there are community resources available both internally and externally. Internally, there is need for a proper management of the Wakf properties which run into billions of dollars. Unfortunately, this property has not only been mismanaged ... but also sold at throwaway ...

... If the Wakf property is properly managed, it can generate a great deal of revenue which, in turn, can be used to set-up educational institutions. An example has been set in Gulbarga, where the Dargah authorities have established an educational institution ...

As for external resources, one can get a lot of money from the Islamic Development Bank if proper projects for educational institutions and scholarships are submitted to it ... The representation of Muslims in government jobs is much below their population percentage. There are several reasons, the anti- Muslim prejudice being only one. Lack of education and training is another ...

Artisans and small-scale traders belonging to the community lack finances. There are several schemes for the minorities announced by the Central and State Governments but there is no proper agency to disseminate information to the masses. Also there is the ... institution of Zakat, which is obligatory on all Muslims. If Zakat Boards are formed in every State with persons of integrity managing them, a lot of resources will be made available to the poorer Muslims. If interest-free cooperative banks are established with the Zakat money, artisans and traders will benefit. For all this to happen, Muslim leaders and intellectuais need to have a genuine commitment, a social vision and a dynamic approach ... Mere breast-beating and a culture of complaints would not take them very far. (Source: The Hindu, 24'June, 1999)