WELCOME ADDRESS

Janab Amir-e-Jamia, Honorable Prime Minister of Malaysia Janab Dato Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi, Honorable Minister of External Affairs, GOI, Shri Natwar Singh, Honorable members of diplomatic community, members of the press, my fellow colleagues in Jamia, other universities in Delhi, friends from UGC, Ministry of HRD, and Ministry of External Affairs, Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is a historical moment for us this afternoon to have the Honorable Prime Minister of Malaysia, Janab Dato Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi with us. We have gathered here to confer upon him the degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) in recognition of the commendable contribution made by his excellency to the cause of international peace and understanding and doing a commendable job in leading Malaysian society to become a truly Islamic Society, committed to peace and harmony. I am indeed grateful to Shri Natwar Singh Saheb for doing a commendable job in highlighting the achievements of the honorable Prime Minister before this distinguished gathering. It makes my job easier, sir.

I also take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to Datin Seri Endon Mahmood, distinguished wife of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar; Minister of Works, Dato' Seri S.Samy Vellu; Minister of Energy, Water & Communication, Dato' Seri Dr. Um Deng Yaik; Minister of Higher Education Dato' Dr. Hj. Shafie Mohd. Salleh; Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Tan Chai Ho; and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Dato' Seri Hj. Mohd. Shariff Haji Om, and other distinguished members of the Malaysian delegation. I extend a very warm welcome to all the distinguished persons present here.

Let me for the benefit of our esteemed guests recount a brief history of Jamia Millia Islamia. Jamia Millia Islamia was founded in 1920 by a group of dedicated Muslim freedom fighters in response to Gandhiji's call to boycott British run institutions as part of our freedom struggle. The founders of Jamia were very clear about the objectives of their mission. They wanted to educate the young with the most modern knowledge available in the world and yet to bring them up in such a way that they remain proud of their religious and cultural background and at the same time develop an understanding and respect for other cultures. They wanted to in the final analysis, prepare young men and women, committed to the ideals of national unity and integrity and willing to offer the sacrifices needed for building a just and peaceful society. We are still committed to these ideals, sir.

Jamia started with a small fraternity of students and teachers with very meager resources but in the warmth of the Indian composite culture, has by now grown into a full fledged modern Central University by an Act of Parliament, having all the major discipline and faculties. The Jamia alumni are spread all over the world and research work being carried out by the faculty members is both nationally and internationally acclaimed. In our recent efforts to strengthen the research activities we have established six more research centers devoted to different contemporary social concerns, including the Center for Jawahar Lal Nehru Studies. To pursue our commitment to peace and harmony we have recently established a Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Jamia as well.

At this point of time the world in general and the Muslim nations in particular seem to be passing through a rather difficult time. A major part of the global human society today is witnessing acute poverty, illiteracy, lack of adequate health services coupled with violation of human rights. There is strife all around and tensions even in societies, which are comparatively better off. Issues pertaining to religion, culture and society are being raised and contested both within and between nations. This is not surprising because, the nature of knowledge and text notwithstanding, differences in the interpretations of the same still persist among all major religious traditions on the one hand and between these on the other. The process of debate is part of the human history. Bloodshed has also occurred in the past and the religious and ethnic conflicts were often violent. What one has hoped for was that with the phenomenal advancement in science and technology, economic and educational development all over the world, the use of violence to settle these differences, would become a thing of the past. That people would come to terms with the fact that the diversity in thought, belief and culture was a part of every society and one must learn to live with it. It was also believed that the global advance in science and technology would benefit all, and that the ensuing benefits would enrich social, cultural and political life globally. However, the dream of a peaceful and just society has remained as elusive as it was in the past millennium. The struggle for achieving the dream has become all the more difficult as many have lost faith in it while others are bogged down by the confusion and lack of clarity to accomplish the task. We therefore have societies that are trying to seek recourse to violence to address these issues, while others are choosing to remain noncommittal to these developments. In such an environment it becomes all the more necessary for us to publicly acknowledge leaders and nations who are committed to work for social development through a democratic way of life by using peaceful and participatory methods.

Both India and Malaysia stand out to be fine examples of such nations committed to achieve peace and harmony both nationally and internationally. We are proud of having a broad based composite culture, which has survived the test of time, despite periodic attempts to do away with it. Malaysia's achievements are even more significant as an Islamic society. It has remained committed to its Islamic identity and yet has succeeded in keeping other religious and ethnic communities fully assimilated in its composite society. Its human development record is also one of the best, as it has almost achieved 100 percent literacy and a sizeable percentage of its population, nearly 80 percent, is able to access and finish secondary level of schooling. A quarter of its student population is able to access higher education. What is more noteworthy in Malaysia is the high percentage of women, who are playing an active role in the Malaysian economy. They are able to do so because they are able to access education at all levels along with their male counterparts. Being a Muslim society this is highly commendable and the religious ethos is fully respected as most women still comply with it. The success of Malaysian society can directly be attributed to the commendable modern political structure the country has created and the farsighted vision of its political leadership. I only wish other Muslim nations would have learnt some lessons from Malaysia. Keeping the population growth under check has also made it easier for them to look after all sections of the society, something which other developing nations have failed to do.

Having achieved a measure of success has not made the leaders unmindful of the future challenges before them. As the learned Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Abdullah in one of his speeches on revitalizing education pointed out, and I quote,

"In our 47 years as an independent country, the development of human capital has historically centered on providing access to education. On this score our country has done relatively well………. There is of course still much to do…… Our greatest challenge however lies not in improving access but in dramatically enhancing the quality of our education system. ......

We cannot merely set our sights on churning out knowledge workers. Our aspirations for the country go beyond the dictates of globalization. We do not want to just react to external pressures, but also to shape and craft Malaysia in line with our own ideals. We want a country that is competitive and innovative, but also one that is harmonious and unified. "

His ideas on the burning issue of Israeli-Palestinian conflict reflect his commitment to international peace and understanding and I quote, "The international community cannot stand by and watch in silence the fast deteriorating Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The question of Palestine is not a religious conflict between Muslims and Jews……The prevailing cycle of violence, repression and intimidation must stop…… Any action causing the loss of innocent lives of civilians including women and children cannot be justified... In finding a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the rules of international justice and fair play call for and require all parties concerned to be involved in the process of finding that resolution".

We fully share your sentiments Sir, which are in harmony with what our founders had in mind and that is the reason why we feel so overjoyed in having you in our midst today. On behalf of Jamia Millia Islamia and on my personal behalf, I extend to you, sir, a very warm welcome. Your august presence has rejuvenated our resolve to work harder to build a culturally, socially and economically vibrant society in India and the world at large, where peace and justice shall prevail.