By Danish Ahmad Khan
All is surely not well with eminent Muslim personality Saiyid Hamid and the institutions he is presently associated with - Jamia Hamdard (Hamdard University) and Hamdard Education Society. The Indian Muslim Observer story titled "IMO EXCLUSIVE: Son puts Hamdard University Chancellor Saiyid Hamid under ‘House Arrest’?" published on October 28, 2012 has been affirmed once again. After nearly one year two Urdu newspapers published from New Delhi have taken up this issue and prominently highlighted it. Both the newspapers, however, flouting established journalistic norms have failed to give credit to the Indian Muslim Observer as the primary source, which they should have done in any case.
A former Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, 93-year-old Saiyid Hamid is presently Chancellor of Hamdard University (Jamia Hamdard) and Secretary of Hamdard Education Society. In 2005, Saiyid Hamid was also appointed Member of Sachar Committee by Prime Minisrer Manmohan Singh. The Sachar Committee prepared a report on the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community of India and presented it to the Government of India.
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The Urdu daily 'Qaumi Salamati' recently published a report titled "Saiyid Hamid apney hi ghar me mein mahsoor o majbur" (Saiyid Hamid under arrest and helpless in his own home). The report was published on August 7, 2013. The Qaumi Salamati report though was based on an investigative report by Dr. M. Q. Tabrez, Special Correspondent, Chauthi Duniya weekly, published in August 12-18, 2013 edition. However, by all accounts the Qaumi Salamati report was clearly picked from Indian Muslim Observer and translated verbatim in Urdu.
The Indian Muslim Observer story had highlighted crass nepotism indulged in to by Saiyid Hamid when he provided employment to his 'jobless' eldest son Syed Samar Hamid at Hamdard Public School. The Hamdard Public School was established by Hakeem Abdul Hameed, Founder of Hamdard Dawakhana (which produces famous brand Rooh Afza and other Unani products). Hakeem Abdul Hameed recognized the administrative and organizational capabilities of Saiyid Hamid and made him Secretary of Hamdard Education Society to manage Hamdard Public School and Hamdard Study Circle (which prepares Muslims for Civil Services Exams). Saiyid Hamid, whose contributions to Muslims is negligible as a bureaucrat or educationist, emulated the epic character Dhritrashtra and out of blind love appointed his son Syed Samar Hamid as a Manager to manage the affairs of Hamdard Public School.
The basis of the Indian Muslim Observer report was our first hand experience when I, Mohammad Aleem and Shahabuddin Yaqub had personally gone to present the first-ever Biography on Saiyid Hamid personally to him. The biography of Saiyid Hamid was written by Mohammad Aleem and published by Gloriords Publications owned by Shahabuddin Yaqub. We had a bitter and humiliating experience and saw it for ourselves how Saiyid Hamid was being mistreated by his Personal Assistant Paras Bhatia and allegedly being kept under 'House Arrest' by his own son Syed Samar Hamid for obvious reasons.
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There is more to Saiyid Hamid's 'House Arrest' than what meets the eyes. One Nafees Ahmad, so-called sympathiser of Saiyid Hamid, while writing recently on AMU Network forum said: "The story, which appeared in a newspaper that Saiyid Hamid is under house arrest is baseless, fabricated and manufactured by an abnormal person who was refused to see Mr. Saiyid Hamid as he wanted to see him without appointment (I don't remember the date; may be around two-three months before). During those days, Hamid Saheb was advised bed rest by the doctors and to avoid visitors . Despite advising him not see Mr. Hamid by the Secretary and Mr. Samar Hamid, he reached his residence without appointment and gate crashed. Mr. Hamid, a person of extreme 'Murrwwat' met him and his companion at his residence against medical advice."
The truth being that whatever I wrote is completely based on our first-hand experience as stated in the report. Had Nafees Ahmad accompanied me and my colleagues he would have come to know who was abnormal and whether the story I wrote was 'baseless, fabricated and manufactured'. I have met Saiyid Hamid on several occasions along with my father relating to the work of the Gaya Muslim Orphanage (which was established by my grandfather Enayeth Khan in October 1917 in Gaya district of Bihar state), and Saiyid Hamid was then quite accessible.
Moreover, I and my colleagues had to meet Saiyid Hamid personally to present his own Biography, which was written by Mohammad Aleem and published by Shahabuddin Yaqub's company Gloriords Publications. Both the persons were accompanying me as well. Another startling fact which Nafees Ahmad and others would come to know now that Saiyid Hamid from Day One had wanted to dictate his Biography (which would have been more of an Autobiography that he never wanted to write). In a conversation Mohammed Aleem told me that whenever he wrote some pages, Saiyid Hamid would phone him asking to send whatever he has written so that corrections (in his own way) could be made. But, Mr. Aleem resisted on several occasions and refused to send these. He also told me that Saiyid Hamid's family members, including his wife and sons, were totally non-cooperative and never uttered a single word about the personality of Saiyid Hamid narrating their experiences as family members. On the contrary, Samar Hamid wanted his name to be published in the Biography, which was not done by the author despite hard efforts.
Recently, I received a letter by Saiyid Hamid on his official letter head and under his signature dated 24th May 2013. Saiyid Hamid wrote: "... I was deeply dismayed that you have chosen to defame me and my family in this manner. I fail to understand what could have compelled you to write such an untruthful and a libelous article. You have caused me immense distress and pain. I would request you to kindly take off the offending piece from your website."
I still stand by whatever I have written as it was based on our personal experience, which was indeed offensive and humiliating. The entire episode tells the whole story and about the way in which Muslim institutions are being run and community's so-called messiah operate.
As of now, I have come to know through reliable sources that several corrupt practices are currently going on in Hamdard University on a big scale. This needs to be fully exposed by the mainstream media as well and valuable institutions like Hamdard University and Hamdard Public School be saved from deteriorating further.
[Danish Ahmad Khan, a Delhi-based Journalist, is Founder-Editor of IndianMuslimObserver.com. He can be contacted at danishkhan@indianmuslimobserver.com]
All is surely not well with eminent Muslim personality Saiyid Hamid and the institutions he is presently associated with - Jamia Hamdard (Hamdard University) and Hamdard Education Society. The Indian Muslim Observer story titled "IMO EXCLUSIVE: Son puts Hamdard University Chancellor Saiyid Hamid under ‘House Arrest’?" published on October 28, 2012 has been affirmed once again. After nearly one year two Urdu newspapers published from New Delhi have taken up this issue and prominently highlighted it. Both the newspapers, however, flouting established journalistic norms have failed to give credit to the Indian Muslim Observer as the primary source, which they should have done in any case.
A former Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, 93-year-old Saiyid Hamid is presently Chancellor of Hamdard University (Jamia Hamdard) and Secretary of Hamdard Education Society. In 2005, Saiyid Hamid was also appointed Member of Sachar Committee by Prime Minisrer Manmohan Singh. The Sachar Committee prepared a report on the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community of India and presented it to the Government of India.
The Indian Muslim Observer story had highlighted crass nepotism indulged in to by Saiyid Hamid when he provided employment to his 'jobless' eldest son Syed Samar Hamid at Hamdard Public School. The Hamdard Public School was established by Hakeem Abdul Hameed, Founder of Hamdard Dawakhana (which produces famous brand Rooh Afza and other Unani products). Hakeem Abdul Hameed recognized the administrative and organizational capabilities of Saiyid Hamid and made him Secretary of Hamdard Education Society to manage Hamdard Public School and Hamdard Study Circle (which prepares Muslims for Civil Services Exams). Saiyid Hamid, whose contributions to Muslims is negligible as a bureaucrat or educationist, emulated the epic character Dhritrashtra and out of blind love appointed his son Syed Samar Hamid as a Manager to manage the affairs of Hamdard Public School.
The basis of the Indian Muslim Observer report was our first hand experience when I, Mohammad Aleem and Shahabuddin Yaqub had personally gone to present the first-ever Biography on Saiyid Hamid personally to him. The biography of Saiyid Hamid was written by Mohammad Aleem and published by Gloriords Publications owned by Shahabuddin Yaqub. We had a bitter and humiliating experience and saw it for ourselves how Saiyid Hamid was being mistreated by his Personal Assistant Paras Bhatia and allegedly being kept under 'House Arrest' by his own son Syed Samar Hamid for obvious reasons.
There is more to Saiyid Hamid's 'House Arrest' than what meets the eyes. One Nafees Ahmad, so-called sympathiser of Saiyid Hamid, while writing recently on AMU Network forum said: "The story, which appeared in a newspaper that Saiyid Hamid is under house arrest is baseless, fabricated and manufactured by an abnormal person who was refused to see Mr. Saiyid Hamid as he wanted to see him without appointment (I don't remember the date; may be around two-three months before). During those days, Hamid Saheb was advised bed rest by the doctors and to avoid visitors . Despite advising him not see Mr. Hamid by the Secretary and Mr. Samar Hamid, he reached his residence without appointment and gate crashed. Mr. Hamid, a person of extreme 'Murrwwat' met him and his companion at his residence against medical advice."The truth being that whatever I wrote is completely based on our first-hand experience as stated in the report. Had Nafees Ahmad accompanied me and my colleagues he would have come to know who was abnormal and whether the story I wrote was 'baseless, fabricated and manufactured'. I have met Saiyid Hamid on several occasions along with my father relating to the work of the Gaya Muslim Orphanage (which was established by my grandfather Enayeth Khan in October 1917 in Gaya district of Bihar state), and Saiyid Hamid was then quite accessible.
Moreover, I and my colleagues had to meet Saiyid Hamid personally to present his own Biography, which was written by Mohammad Aleem and published by Shahabuddin Yaqub's company Gloriords Publications. Both the persons were accompanying me as well. Another startling fact which Nafees Ahmad and others would come to know now that Saiyid Hamid from Day One had wanted to dictate his Biography (which would have been more of an Autobiography that he never wanted to write). In a conversation Mohammed Aleem told me that whenever he wrote some pages, Saiyid Hamid would phone him asking to send whatever he has written so that corrections (in his own way) could be made. But, Mr. Aleem resisted on several occasions and refused to send these. He also told me that Saiyid Hamid's family members, including his wife and sons, were totally non-cooperative and never uttered a single word about the personality of Saiyid Hamid narrating their experiences as family members. On the contrary, Samar Hamid wanted his name to be published in the Biography, which was not done by the author despite hard efforts.
Recently, I received a letter by Saiyid Hamid on his official letter head and under his signature dated 24th May 2013. Saiyid Hamid wrote: "... I was deeply dismayed that you have chosen to defame me and my family in this manner. I fail to understand what could have compelled you to write such an untruthful and a libelous article. You have caused me immense distress and pain. I would request you to kindly take off the offending piece from your website."
I still stand by whatever I have written as it was based on our personal experience, which was indeed offensive and humiliating. The entire episode tells the whole story and about the way in which Muslim institutions are being run and community's so-called messiah operate.
As of now, I have come to know through reliable sources that several corrupt practices are currently going on in Hamdard University on a big scale. This needs to be fully exposed by the mainstream media as well and valuable institutions like Hamdard University and Hamdard Public School be saved from deteriorating further.
[Danish Ahmad Khan, a Delhi-based Journalist, is Founder-Editor of IndianMuslimObserver.com. He can be contacted at danishkhan@indianmuslimobserver.com]