Born in 1980 in a Tahreeki family of Kerala, and having been associated with Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) since his early youth, SUHAIL K.K., an M.Com., is the Ex.National president of the organisation. In an exclusive interview with DR. WAQUAR ANWAR, he sheds light on the various organisational aspects of SIO. Excerpts:
Your stress on student-orientation of SIO will isolate the non-student youth. Youth wing, as such, is present only in Kerala. In other parts you are ignoring a significant chunk of young men. Do you agree?
SIO is not yet a totally student oriented organisation. It also accommodates a huge number of youth who are working as members and associates. It may take further five or six years to make SIO a totally student oriented organisation. It is a step by step development. SIO in Kerala, after the formation of the youth wing, has totally transformed into a students organisation. That is the first experience.
Your ‘policy and programme’ aims at making SIO a king-maker in the campuses. What does this mean? Moreover, why a king-maker, why not the king itself!
That terminology is an expression of our dream. SIO, in order to be a mainstream students’ movement and a vibrant students’ organisation, should feel the pulse of the students. SIO needs to be part of each and every move in the students’ community in India. So we have decided to participate in each and every activity of the students including their politics. We will be taking part in elections and we will be creating new debates. So we use the term the king-maker in the sense that there is a vacuum in this regard. We want to fill that and make our space there. Those political parties who are working in the campuses are only working for the sake of elections. We as an ideological organisation have a variety of programmes. We are trying to create a generation that is concerned with social problems and that is related with the happenings around itself – having a sort of social responsibility. We sincerely feel that if we really work hard, we will be able to fill this vacuum in the campuses.
Last year hype on the celebration of 25 years of SIO was created, raising high level of expectation. What special efforts you are taking in the current term in this regard?
There is a difference in work culture that has been promoted during the last three years. Since then we have been talking about a vibrant students’ organisation. That has come into reality. In the last term we talked about the concept of creative campuses. This year we shall expect the implementation of the concept of the creative campus. This term’s decisions have many provisions with regard to students’ activism and campus activism. In the new policy we have included social service inside the organisation. Muslim society in general needs to assimilate with the secular society and the mainstream society. Social service is a big tool before us. We want to play a creative role in campus politics. Apart from that we have programmes addressing social justice and the trend of neo-imperialistic trend in the education sector. This is all about the work style and the culture that one promotes.
What do you mean by neo-imperialism?
We cannot define neo-imperialism in a framework. But we can see its reality in the campus and in the new generation. They are actually totally isolated in terms of their thoughts, commitments towards society, the morality they should have and in terms of the good traditions that we have, etc. Everything is declining in the students’ community. The neo-imperialistic trend is there in the lifestyle of the new generation and the way they have adopted. It has affected the curriculum in the educational sector. In fact the new curriculum framework and the curriculum changes are made on the basis of the interest of the powers of neo-imperialism. We had been addressing this also in our last term in the name of social justice in education sector. If we see the trend of the government in withdrawing from the education sector, especially from the primary education sector, we can see the role of imperialism.
In your last term you talked about redefining education and this year also the same has been repeated. What has been done in this regard?
We posed a basic question. What for is education? What is the purpose of education? This is the basic question we raised in front of the society. The basic aim of education is to create a generation that is based on morality that changes a man into a real human being. We find that more and more educated people are indulging in immoral and anti-social activities. This is a parameter, a signal of things as they are going. The education today is creating a sort of moral degradation. We do not need such a system of education. We need a value-based education to create a value-based society. We have been saying this for the last 25 years since the day SIO came into existence. Our slogan last year was ‘25 years of redefining education.’ We are telling Muslims particularly that our basis of education is la ilaha illallah , on the basis of our fundamental creed. Our philosophy of knowledge is based on the philosophies of the Qur’an. As we have a social system, a political system and other systems based on the Qur’an, we have also an education system on that basis. This awareness is required to be created in the Muslim community.
What is the specific notion about a creative campus?
It comes from a campus atmosphere. We want that the campus should relate to the society. As of now we a have a campus that is aloof from the society that exists only for entertainment. They are not aware of the real aim of life. We should address this isolation of the new generation. A creative campus is the opposite of isolated campus.
Do you think SIO has been noticed by the students’ community and by other mainframe students’ organisations?
As I worked as a public relation secretary during the last term, I felt that SIO is being noted and it is being felt by the authorities, the government, the students’ community, the educationists, the social activists, etc. They are feeling the presence of SIO. They have started to have an affiliation with SIO. However, we have yet to achieve many goals but ours has become a unique voice in the campus. Our goal is to become the trend setter and the king maker in the campus. We shall Insha Allah (Allah willing) achieve that.
Campuses with considerable Muslim students are very few. In most campuses Muslims live in a plural society in minority. In this milieu of plural society what role is left for SIO?
Let me share with you my personal experience as public relation secretary in the SIO headquarters. Last year I approached different editors of mainstream media, both print and electronic media, in the process of our preparation for the national campaign on social justice in education sector. I informed them about the topics we planned to put before the student community and the society in general like foreign direct investment in higher education. The editors found it amazing that an organisation that is named as Islamic is placing its voice on issues that do not come under the paradigm of communal issues and it is working for the cause of the whole society. Whenever they see any Muslim organisation doing agitation, they can predict that this is something for the rights of the Muslim community. This is what we try to promote in the Muslim community that we should not be a body or commune that always talk about our rights and cry about our pathetic conditions. We need to work, to contribute something and to participate for the well being of the whole society addressing general social crises and the problems that everyone is facing. In that case our specific problems too will be addressed by the society. If we stand for the society, the society will stand for us.
Many SIO members do not continue to engage themselves in Islamic activities after retirement from the organisation as they do not join the Jamaat. What do you think is the reason?
Regarding flow of SIO members towards Jamaat-e-Islami Hind there is no trend of them not joining the Jamaat or a very few numbers participating therein. We cannot hope that all of them will join the parent body. There may be a decreasing trend of involvement of these students in Jamaat activities. This may be on account of expectations and the difference in the work style of the Jamaat and SIO. After involvement with SIO for a long period, say 10 years, a student may find the work style in Jamaat different from what he had been used to. I think there is a need to bridge this gap. A person after 30 years is still young. It is happy to note that the Jamaat has decided to form youth wings in different parts of the country. This will contain the trend of dropping out.
Your message!
To the students’ community I would say not to fix aims and objects of life by surrendering to any person or organisation. Always work for the society. If you feel that Students Islamic Organisation of India is working for the benefit and wellness of the society you must become part of it. In general to the new generation I would say that never set your aim by seeing different media, and the culture they are promoting. Be serious in determining the aim of life.