New Delhi: On June 14 at the JIH headquarters, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind’s (JIH) President Syed Sadatullah Husaini unveiled the policy and programme for the term 2023-2027. Apart from the areas of education, economics, and health, it will focus on clearing up misconceptions about Islam and enhancing relations between religious communities. The next term’s plan was approved by the JIH Central Advisory Council (Markazi Majlis-e-Shura) in a meeting held on June13.
Addressing a press conference JIH President Syed Sadatullah Husaini said misunderstandings regarding Islam and Islamic teachings should be dispelled. In the next four plans, the president said utmost importance has been given to bringing about a positive change in the country’s public opinion. Noting that the teachings of Islam are not for any particular sect or community, however, he explained that the well-being of all human beings, their worldly welfare, their salvation in the Hereafter, and delivering justice and fairness to all, are the salient features of Islamic teachings. “The JIH wants to spell this out before the people of the country,” he added.
In the prevailing hatred-filled atmosphere in the country, the JIH leader emphasized the necessity of fostering an environment of communication and discussion in order to eradicate prejudice while pointing out that mending relations amongst the nation’s diverse religious communities has been accorded top priority in the four-year plan. He further stated that numerous initiatives and campaigns would be implemented in support of this at the national, state, and municipal levels, as well as the promotion of platforms for discourse and discussion at various levels.
He stated that an atmosphere of working together would be fostered for achieving welfare and justice for all while platforms would be created among intellectuals, religious leaders, common people, civil society, youth, and women, through which different religious groups would be brought closer to each other.
Giving details of the programmes, the JIH leader held that regular campaigns would be conducted against the common vices found in the country such as casteism, bigotry, violation of women’s rights, feticide, dowry, drugs, corruption, etc.
He vowed that the Islamic perspective would be presented regarding the environmental crisis while different types of special measures would be taken in different cities to solve ecological challenges,
Focusing on reforms within the Muslim community, Husaini affirmed that special focus would be given to those aspects of Islam in the programme, to which the reformist movements had not paid much attention. “For example, marriage should be easy, the ritual of dowry should be abolished, women should be given a share in inheritance, women’s rights should be paid, honesty in trade and financial matters should be implemented, cleanliness be observed, and good behaviour towards Muslim and non-Muslim neighbours must be practiced – such Islamic teachings will be emphasized and efforts will be made to harmonize the attitude of Muslims in their daily lives with the teachings of Islam,” he added.
Highlighting the main priorities of the JIH, regarding education, he emphasized encouraging an inclusive education system, free from the dominance of a particular culture, based on moral values, and easily accessible to all citizens.
Asserting that the Jamaat will try to increase the ratio of education among Muslims and other backward groups, he announced the establishment of new educational institutions in various regions of the country.
He also announced that an important component of the new plan was the economic empowerment of the Muslim community and other backward groups and also improvement in various other domains.
Making efforts for institutionalizing microfinance as a movement and provide interest-free loans to the poor, focusing on the public health and the healthcare industry along with the various works of social service, drawing the government’s attention toward recovering, development, and proper utilization of Waqf (endowment) properties, collective efforts with justice-loving people and classes of the country to establish peace and justice in the country, struggle against discrimination, fear and terror to make the society free from evils like all kinds of cruelty, injustice, sedition, corruption, and hatred are some of the highlights of JIH ‘s new plan, according to him.
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