IOS Chennai Chapter organises interactive session on “Role and Responsibilities of Civil Society”

IOS Chennai Chapter organises interactive session on “Role and Responsibilities of Civil Society”

Chennai: On the occasion of the visit of Prof. Hamidullah Marazi,  Director,  International Center for Spiritual Studies, Islamic University of Science & Technology, Kashmir to Chennai, IOS Chennai chapter organised an interactive session on the topic "Role and Responsibilities of Civil Society" on Saturday,  7th October 2023 at 5.00 p.m. at Darul Ihsan, 4, Zackria Colony, 1st Street,  Choolaimedu,  Chennai 94.

The meeting started with the recitation of a verse from the Holy Qur'an.  Mohamed Haneef Katib, Coordinator, IOS Chennai Chapter welcomed and introduced the Guest to the audience. 

Prof. Hamidullah Marazi, an Islamic scholar of repute who has in the past held many responsible posts in different Universities, is the Convenor of the “IOS Forum for Inter-religious Understanding" formed by Institute of Objective Studies. He has written more than 60 books on various topics ranging from Islamic philosophy and epistemology to interfaith dialogue. He has been the resource person in several workshops conducted by IIIT, in Malaysian and Indonesian Universities. 

Initiating the discussion Mohamed Haneef Katib said that in a multi-religious and multilingual country like India, the responsibilities of civil society are diverse and crucial for maintaining social harmony and promoting democratic values. The important responsibilities include fostering dialogue and understanding among different religious and linguistic minorities. Advocating for Minority Rights, community development, and promoting inclusivity in all aspects of society, including education, employment, and politics, monitoring Government’s actions, conflict resolution, supporting marginalised groups, Civil society often provides support and advocacy for marginalised and vulnerable individuals regardless of their religious or linguistic identity. Civic Engagement, Cultural Preservation, etc. also form a place in the list of the responsibilities of the civil society.

Summing up he said civil society in India has a multifaceted role in promoting unity, tolerance, and equitable development in a multi-religious and multi-lingual context. Their efforts are crucial for building a harmonious and inclusive society.

In his address, Prof. Marazi emphasised the need to understand that the Prophet of Islam Muhammad (PBUH) was one of the great social reformers and philanthropic personalities of history. He laid down the principles of social reform.

In modern times, non-governmental organisations have become very important and their role is no less than a government in the modern world. On a priority, we need to be involved in inter-religious dialogue and try to bring peace through dialogue among various communities.

Striving for education and creating the best private universities for the dissemination of knowledge and teaching skill development is of utmost importance. The third area is the economic upliftment of the community and making zakat the means of sustainable development. Zakat can be spent on developing a system of sustainable development. We can use it for making institutions of education like private universities, asylum rehabilitation centers, inns, and other places where deserving people can be provided support as has been mentioned in the fatawa by International Fiqh Academy Jeddah, and great scholars like Yusuf al  Qardawi, Muhammad Abduh and others.

The other area is to work for peaceful co-existence and fellow feeling in society and we need to involve ourselves in intra-faith and inter-faith understanding. Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi has a special forum for Inter Religious Understanding which conducts various programmes for creating goodwill among various denominations. It is the responsibility of civil society to research the problems of the deprived and marginalised especially to identify the areas where social action is needed and provide a database for carrying out various programs for addressing the economic social and educational problems. In this regard, IOS New Delhi has done a commendable job and has created a huge database for carrying on schemes for the overall development of the Muslim community in particular and the minority communities in general.

The session got concluded with a vote of thanks.