New Delhi: Indian Muslims must move beyond a reactive approach to contemporary issues and focus on education, constructive social engagement, interfaith relations and economic empowerment, said S. Ameenul Hasan, Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), in a wide-ranging podcast with YouTube channel Half Wall.
Describing what he considers the community’s biggest challenge, Hasan said Indian Muslims, as a community, lacked a clear sense of purpose and direction. He argued that instead of constantly blaming external circumstances, the community needed to work on its own younger generation and develop a purposeful outlook. According to him, Muslims should understand their responsibility as representatives of Islamic values and work towards spreading goodness, serving humanity and improving their families and neighbourhoods.
Education, he said, must be at the centre of this transformation. Referring to figures he had cited in an earlier speech, Hasan said only around six out of every 100 Muslims of college-going age enter higher education, while the situation varies considerably between states. He attributed the educational backwardness to a combination of historical and socio-economic factors and stressed that educational advancement was essential for improving employment, business opportunities and overall community development.
Hasan also urged Muslims not to allow every political controversy to consume their attention. While acknowledging that specific groups should take up legal and political issues, he said ordinary Muslims should concentrate on grassroots concerns—families, neighbourhoods, mosques, education and community welfare—and build relationships with people of other faiths.
On Hindu-Muslim relations, Hasan advocated greater interaction rather than social segregation. He proposed that Muslims should live in plural neighbourhoods, send their children to plural schools and participate in the joys and sorrows of people belonging to other communities. Such everyday interaction, he said, would help communities understand each other’s beliefs and remove misconceptions.
He similarly defended the broader concept of jihad, arguing that the term had been widely misrepresented. According to Hasan, jihad essentially means striving or making an effort for goodness, beginning with the struggle against one’s own negative impulses. He criticised the tendency to equate the Islamic term exclusively with violence and argued that its meaning should be understood in its proper context.
Addressing expressions such as “love jihad”, “land jihad” and “corporate jihad”, Hasan described them as a deliberate misuse of a sacred Islamic term and rejected the concept of “love jihad” as a contradictory construction.
On the Uniform Civil Code, Hasan called for dialogue rather than confrontation on the streets. He argued that India’s social and cultural diversity made uniformity a complex issue and said all communities must be consulted before major changes are introduced. He also posed a broader question: before seeking a “uniform civil code”, should society first work towards treating all human beings with equal dignity and respect?
Hasan further called upon Muslim youth to become part of the small but constructive section of society working for positive change, rather than limiting themselves to frustration or social-media reactions. He urged young Muslims to develop their own agenda based on education, service, moral development, family welfare and constructive citizenship, instead of repeatedly responding to agendas set by others.
On economic empowerment, Hasan highlighted the work of RIFA Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which he said provides entrepreneurship training, business counselling, scale-up support and assistance with foreign trade. He argued that greater Muslim participation in business would benefit not only the community but also India’s economic growth and GDP.
The JIH leader also highlighted the organisation’s social-service and interfaith initiatives, including platforms bringing together people from different religions to address common social problems. He emphasised that the objective should be service and social change rather than publicity or branding.
Hasan’s central message was therefore one of self-renewal: education, purposeful living, economic participation, social responsibility and stronger human relationships should take precedence over perpetual reaction to political controversies.
