Restore the Minority Character of Aligarh Muslim University

January 15, 2006

Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India
South Block, Raisina Hill,
New Delhi - 110 011, INDIA

Dear Honorable Prime Minister:

The Federation of Aligarh Alumni Associations, once again expresses its concern and dismay over the recent ruling of the Allahabad High Court upholding the verdict of the Honorable Justice Tandon quashing the minority character of the Aligarh Muslim University. This is clearly an infringement of the Parliaments sovereignty, as the court is over-ruling an Act of 1981 of the Indian Parliament.

India must guarantee equality and justice to all as it is the home for all religions of the world and being the most pluralistic democracy. The founders of modern India recognized it and created a Constitution for the diverse populace and took into account the structural and historic disadvantage that many Indians faced. The Constitution was specifically structured to facilitate the eventual melding of the people to arrive at true equality while enjoying their beliefs and traditions, forming a rich seamless fabric of India.

Since the creation of the Republic of India, Muslims have suffered inordinately in personal safety and opportunities for education leading to decent jobs. Currently the nationwide percentage of Muslim students in engineering, medicine, management and higher education is less than 3\% while Muslims are 13\% of the population. The last fifty-eight years of multi-structured discrimination has brought the Muslims down to the very low economic level.

It makes moral, political and legal sense under the Constitution to provide special dispensation to those in dire need. The Aligarh Muslim University was created for and has helped ameliorate this problem under difficult circumstances. Instead of providing opportunities for Muslims and to strengthen and raise their educational level, stripping the University of its minority status is absolutely not just.

We have faith in the Indian Constitution and its secular credentials and are encouraged by the statements of Honorable Arjun Singh, Minister of Human Resource Development to pursue all legal and legislative means to restore the minority character of the University.

Therefore, we the undersigned, urge you to immediately restore the minority character of this Premier Muslim Institution unambiguously through Aligarh Muslim University (Removal of Anomalies and Doubts) Act in the parliament.

With best regards,

Sincerely,