New Delhi: The Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO), Delhi Zone, organised the Sumud Academic Conference at Jamaat-e-Islami Hind headquarters, bringing together over 100 students and scholars from Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Hamdard, and other institutions across the region.
The daylong event, themed “Reminding Muslim Students to Re-evaluate, Reimagine and Reconstruct Campuses,” featured paper presentations, panel discussions, and keynote addresses. Speakers focused on contemporary challenges faced by Muslim students, particularly issues of identity, saffronisation, and the growing privatisation of higher education.
Prominent speakers included Malik Moatasim Khan, Vice President, JIH; Dr. Roshan Mohiuddin, National Secretary, SIO India; Dr. Khan Yasir, Faculty, IISR; Hammad Yasir, independent researcher; Mohd. Alfauz, Doctoral Fellow, JMI; and Fawaz Shaheen, Lawyer & Researcher, among others.
In his address, Malik Moatasim Khan spoke on “The Idea of a University Under Siege: Privatisation and Saffronisation in Indian Education,” stressing that while privatisation has some positive aspects, its negative impacts are far more serious, whereas saffronisation poses an unmitigated threat to education.
Dr. Khan Yasir, in his session “From Campus to Ummah,” argued that students should rethink education as more than a pursuit of employment, urging them to explore knowledge and alternative models of livelihood beyond the narrow frame of job-seeking.
A panel discussion titled “Faith in Flux: Navigating Identity in the Modern Campus” featured Dr. Roshan Mohiuddin, Fawaz Shaheen, and Mohd. Alfauz, with an interactive Q&A and open-floor session encouraging student participation.
Paper presentations formed another highlight, with young researchers presenting their work under the review of Hammad Yasir. Topics ranged from navigating identity and the role of students in shaping intellectual futures, to the broader challenges of “universities under siege.”
The conference underscored sumud – steadfastness and perseverance – as a guiding principle for Muslim students to confront academic and political pressures while upholding democratic and secular values. Organisers emphasised that the event was not only about imparting knowledge but also about integrating student perspectives into the broader discourse.
Concluding the event, SIO Delhi Zone described the conference as a vital platform to prepare students for the realities of campus life, urging them to remain resilient in the face of rising challenges.
