Doing this might be difficult, but it is not impossible. We need to identify interest groups, motivated individuals, clubs, associations or groups of progressive-minded elders from the community itself who can mobilize the community to carry out the work at the local level. Muslim NGOs or any other organization with a track record of transparency and efficiency and an interest in helping the community, can be instrumental in such an effort.
Lack of credible NGOs may be an issue, however, to start with on a pilot basis; identifying a few NGOs won't be a problem. Once a few organizations take the initiative and come up with a viable proposal, the government or non-government funding agencies can evaluate the same and grant a project. For monitoring the implementing agency, the NGO itself will primarily be responsible. In addition, the local interest group will provide necessary inputs, in terms of community relations, cooperation and community mobilization. In the absence of such interested parties, at the grassroots level, we will need to have implementing and monitoring agencies.
Another important aspect of this movement will be to ensure funding. In this age, nothing happens without money. Although sincerity of intention and seriousness of will is absolutely essential to carry on the mission, money is quite instrumental. Money can provide solutions to many of our problems. We need to pay for our infrastructure, for the teachers, and above all, for scholarships given to needy students. So we need a constant stream of money. Raising funds for specific occasions is fine, but in order to plan and implement projects on a large scale, and to ensure their sustainability, we need to have accumulated funds at hand. For this, we need to mobilize the institutional resources like government funding, the Waqf boards, other non-government funding agencies, and individual contributors. Of equal importance is the need to make sure that the money is in safe hands and reaches its destination (i.e. the end user) on time. For this, we need a viable institutional mechanism -- a funding agency.
Along with our integration to the mainstream and ensuring our educational progress, we must also ensure that we are contributing to the economy also -- not merely as consumers and labor force, but also as entrepreneurs. Compared to the booming Indian industry, the contribution of the Muslim industry is nearly insignificant, except for a few. The true development of any community comes from its industry, which is an outcome of strong entrepreneurship. We can't always look towards others to provide opportunities for us. We have to create our own opportunities. Only then can we choose what we like rather than meekly accepting what others leave for us. High educational achievements will make us worthy as individuals, and a strong industrial and entrepreneurial presence will make us worthy as a community.
And last but not the least, contributing to the Indian social fabric is an essential task before Indian Muslims. We need to engage ourselves in meaningful social interactions outside the Muslim community, leaving the ghettos that we have created around us. We need to involve ourselves in the cultural and developmental affairs, not just of our own, but of all, in general. We need to contribute to the social progress and focus on promoting harmony, not divisions. We need to diversify our interests and aspirations. We need to speak for justice, for empowerment, for environmental protection, for cultural, and for ethnic diversity. We need to learn to appreciate the composite culture rather than exclusively advocating for ours. This will help us form better links with others around us.
We need to make a positive contribution to the secular character -- not only for the interest of the Muslims, but for all. We need to speak out for other communities when there is a need for advocacy. We need to work for the underprivileged of any community. We need to develop a better understanding of the role of women in society. We need to promote their education and welfare. We need to learn to respect women. We need to ensure that Muslim women are not subjugated. We need to demonstrate, by our actions, that Muslim women have a better social status, as opposed to quoting religious scriptures to prove it.
If we can succeed in doing all or at least some of the aforesaid, we will establish ourselves as better Muslims, better Indians, and better human beings.
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