Mumbai, July 26 Amid demands for Muslim quotas in education and employment, leading intellectuals and lawmakers from the community will hold a meeting in Mumbai on July 27 to discuss reservation issues and chalk out a plan for the future, an organiser said.

The Muslim Leadership Summit-2024 will be an important event and serve as a platform for extensive discussions on the issues faced by the minority community and the way forward, said Saleem Sarang, founder of the Muslim Welfare Association.

Sarang, vice-president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), an ally of the ruling MahaYuti, said world-renowned Islamic scholar Khalil-ur-Rahma S. Nomani of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board will chair the conference and along with 24 other eminent personalities and parliamentarians will guide the community.

“This could be a decisive chapter, with deliberations focusing on the core issues of Muslims, not just on quotas in education and jobs, but also on their welfare, safety and security and related aspects,” Sarang said.

Echoing the sentiments of community leaders and other prominent personalities, Sarang said it is high time that Muslims are given quotas and reservations not only in education and employment but also in politics and to improve their socio-economic status. The summit will devise strategies for the all-round development of the community in the national mainstream.

“The data are revealing… Nearly 75 percent of children aged 6 to 14 miss out on education within the first few years of school, and barely 2 to 3 percent go on to higher education. The percentage of Muslims falling below the poverty line is high, coupled with a ratio of about 2 to 2.5 percent in government or private sector jobs,” Sarang pointed out.

Due to the lack of education and/or employment, drug addiction, antisocial behaviour and crime are on the rise among the illiterate and unemployed Muslim youth, creating a stigma for the entire community, the organisers lamented.

The summit will feature a series of panel discussions, interactive sessions and brainstorming sessions among the invitees, with the aim of charting a roadmap for the future to ensure a meaningful, productive and inclusive role for Muslims in the national mainstream.

–IANS

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