Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, well-known Indian Muslim journalist and scholar, was elected unopposed as the new President of the All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat (AIMMM), the umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations. He was one of the general secretaries of the AIMMM under the outgoing president Syed Shahabuddin. Earlier he was the general secretary of the Movement for the Empowerment of Muslim Indians (MOEMIN). India is home to 150 million Muslims, the largest Muslim concentration in the world after Indonesia.

Dr Khan is a member and trustee of many national and international organizations. Three years ago he established Charity Alliance which is taking care of some of the most disadvantaged Muslims in the country, especially in the educational field.

Dr Khan is a seasoned journalist and serious scholar. He authored, edited and translated over 40 books in Arabic, Urdu and English and has authored several articles for the Encyclopaedia of Islam (Lieden). He was educated in India, Egypt and UK where he obtained his PhD from the University of Manchester. 

Dr Khan is considered a specialist in Middle Eastern and Indian Muslim issues. He has written extensively on Palestine. His works include “Palestine Documents” (Delhi 1998), the only documentary records of its kind in English. In 1988, he established the Institute of Islamic & Arab Studies whose publications include Muslim & Arab Perspectives journal. In January 2000, he started The Milli Gazette which has now become the most popular English-language paper published by Indian Muslims with a world-wide readership. 

The following are replies by Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, the new chief of the All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, to questions put up by Radiance Viewsweekly (13-19 Jan. 08) regarding his vision of Mushawarat:

1. What are your views about the achievements of AIMMM?
Over the last four decades since its inception, AIMMM has been successful in articulating Muslim points of view, lobbying with the government and political parties and offering guidance in political matters to the Muslim community, while not being a political party itself. There may have been low points at times in its history, but overall the Muslim masses still trust Mushawarat as a responsible platform to represent and speak for them, being the only umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations. 

2. When Mushawarat was established it was the only organisation of its kind and it definitely played a vital role. Now there are other forums also. Do you think Mushawarat still retains its importance?
True there are other forums, local as well as national, but they either represent a single group or, if claiming to represent a number of groups, they still remain marginal at best.

3. What is your assessment of the outgoing President Syed Shahabuddin contributions?
Syed Shahabuddin took over the reigns of the Mushawarat at a critical time both in the life of the organisation itself when a small group decided to go its way while still claiming to be "AIMMM", and also in the history of the country when Hindutva forces, glued by their common enmity of Muslims, had managed to grab power at the centre. He took initiatives, lobbied with the government and political parties, aired the community's views to the media, wrote and spoke extensively and in general self-lessly represented the case of the community as an able lawyer and seasoned diplomat.

4. What are the challenges the Muslim community and the Mushawarat are facing and what do you personally propose to do to face these challenges?
The Muslim community faces a plethora of problems from within and without. Illiteracy, joblessness and lack of enthusiasm to think and do big are some of our big problems, while the inimical forces are hell-bent to deny us any respectable space in the society. In this they are encouraged by a weak central government whose pretentions about democracy and secularism seem hollow and meaningless at best. 
Mushawarat has to keep lobbying with the government, interact with the media and guide the Muslim masses to take a realistic and moderate approach towards issues while trying all we can to help ourselves out of our own resources. We have to keep struggling in order to get our share out of the national resources but, at the same time, we should struggle ourselves to improve our lot.

5. What are your plans to further strengthen Mushawarat?
I will try to bring into the Mushawarat more new blood, activate the organisation on state levels and also to coopt newly emerging biradaris and other organisations so that everyone who matters in the community feels that it has a stake in the unity of the community. I will also try to popularise the achievements of the Mushawarat among the Muslim massess and invlove them in various ways with the organisation and try to get their feedback about vital issues touching their lives.