Kerala - Kochi

Jamaath calls for steps to end Muslim backwardness

KOCHI: A meeting of the Kerala Muslim Jamaath Federation has called for positive steps to remove the backwardness of the community in terms of education, employment and economic development.

This required the community to work with government agencies and also put political pressure on the government to get policies formulated. At the same time, the community should take steps for internal reforms and enable its members to make use of the available opportunities.

The meeting, held in Aluva on Monday, was opened by Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran. The meeting, organised in the light of the Sachar Committee recommendations, discussed the causes of Muslim backwardness, the unrest among the youth and the reforms needed in the Jamaaths.

The meeting wanted the State government to have special recruitment from the Muslim community to make good the deficiency in government jobs over the past 60 years and thus give effect to the recommendations of the Paloli committee. It wanted that while registering Muslim marriages in accordance with the recent rules formulated, only those marriages which are valid in terms of the Muslim Personal Law should be given effect to by the registering bodies.

Speakers felt the progress of the community got stagnated after Independence and this had created a wide gap between the Muslims and other major communities.

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