Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised the BJP cadre to reach out to Muslims, he will be in Mumbai on Friday to inaugurate the Bohra Muslim community’s premier educational institution.
“Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, Arabic Academy (also known as Jamea) is the premier educational institute of the Dawoodi Bohra community. Its sole benefactor is the 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq and head of the community, His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin,” a community spokesperson told News18.
“For us, the institution itself is so important. It first opened in Surat around 200 years ago and we have been fortunate that all our institutions have been graced by the heads of the state of that particular country. The institution is a microcosm of the Dawoodi Bohra community. Our values and aspirations are represented in the institution. We see it is an honour to be able to host the prime minister on the occasion,” said Aliasger Najam, Senior Administrator, Head of Outreach, for the academy.
Modi enjoys a special bond with the Dawoodi Bohras, especially Syedna Sahib.The Bohra community is so warmly associated with Modi that they organised a surprise birthday party for him at the hotel where he stayed in 2005 when he visited Chennai for the BJP's National Executive. pic.twitter.com/S2V2z7Avad
— Modi Archive (@modiarchive) February 10, 2023
When asked if this is an outreach programme for the Muslims by PM Modi, he said: “Generally, we as a community are apolitical. For us, this is a moment to celebrate education and the diversity in Indian culture.”
When asked about the educational principles of the institution, he said: “The campus prepares young women and men for positions of leadership in the community. Wherever they live in the world, they impact the society positively. The message that His Holiness has always given us is to be loyal and faithful citizens of the society where we live. That is the message that the institution will give here as well. The students will carry the message across the world.”
A community spokesperson said: “Jamea has hosted a number of high-profile guests and dignitaries over the course of its history, including several heads of state. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the Surat campus in 1960 during his first visit to the state of Gujarat as Prime Minister. On the occasion of the inauguration of new facilities the following year, he wrote ‘I hope that this Academy will continue not only to teach the wisdom and culture of the past but also the wisdom and achievements of the present age.’ In 1983, the Karachi campus was inaugurated by President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq of Pakistan, and in 2017, the President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya inaugurated the third campus of Jamea in Nairobi.”
PM Modi is known to enjoy a special bond with the Dawoodi Bohras, especially His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin. The Bohra community is so warmly associated with the prime minister that they organised a surprise birthday party for him at the hotel where he stayed in 2005 when he visited Chennai for the BJP’s National Executive.
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