About

The IMC-USA convention has become an annual tradition for scholars, activists and others concerned about the brutal siege of India's pluralist and democratic ethos by the Hindutva ultra-nationalists. The annual convention is a platform for social activists and members of the Indian Diaspora to share ideas on issues of concern including political and economic corruption, the continuing persecution of Dalits and the marginalized lower castes in India.

Eminent personalities will be addressing the delegates during the day long sessions and the evening banquet. In addition, they will hold consultative meetings with participants on topics related to strengthening India's secular democracy and promoting social justice and economic prosperity.

The scheduled sessions will deal with coalition building for protection of Human Rights in India, networking for Muslim NGOs and Business initiatives by Muslims in India, among many others.

M. A. Khan, President of IMC-USA Greater Washington D.C. chapter and member of the convention program committee, elaborated on the achievements of the previous conventions stating, "The IMC-USA annual convention held last year, was a huge success in terms of bringing together for the first time several different groups and communities that constitute India's impressive diversity, and enabling them to work together to protect India's pluralist ethos". He further added, "This led to the formation of the Coalition to Build Better India (CBBI). This coalition in turn became the launching pad for the Coalition Against Genocide (CAG) which successfully thwarted the US visit of Narendra Modi, a pogrom politician. Narendra Modi is the architect-in-chief of the 2002 Gujarat pogroms.

Awards

Maulana Muhammad Ali Jowhar Award in Journalism
For best in-depth coverage of Indian Diaspora AND India-related issues in the US
Ruth Morris, Sun-Sentinel, Florida

Bahadur Shah Zafar Award
For promoting pluralism and communal harmony in India
Raju Rajagopal, Promise of India, CA

Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award in Humanitarian work
For self-less service towards the upliftment of the poor and the oppressed classes in India
Gujarati Muslim Association of America, Chicago

Altaf Hussain Hali Award in Humanitarian work
For self-less service towards the upliftment of Muslims in India
Syed Salman, Michigan

Tipu Sultan Award
For courageously serving India and India's interests
Biju Mathew, Campaign to Stop Funding Hate, NY

Brief Biography of Maulana Muhammad Ali Jowhar (1878-1931)

Maulana Muhammad Ali Jowhar was a dynamic national political leader, a courageous journalist and a poet par excellence.

He was born in Rampur and was educated at Aligarh Muslim University and the Oxford University (1898-1902).

He launched his famous English weekly "Comrade" from Calcutta in 1911 and his Urdu weekly "Hamdard" from Delhi in 1913.

He became a principal leader of the Khilafat Movement. He was the younger of the famous 'Ali Brothers' and led the Indian Khilafat delegation to London in 1920.

He played a crucial role in establishing Mohandas Gandhi as a national leader after Gandhi returned from South Africa.

In 1923, Mohammad Ali served as president of the Indian National Congress. He was imprisoned at the time and after his release, he went straight from prison to Kokannada to make his Presidential address to the Congress. In spite of his extremely busy schedule, he found time to write his autobiography 'My Life a Fragment'.

In 1930, he became the president of the Khilafat Conference and attended the first Round Table Conference, where he delivered a memorable and fiery oration against the subjugation of India and in favor of immediate independence. He was in ill health and demanded in his speech, "Give me freedom or give me a grave in a free land"

After giving a soul-stirring speech at the First Roundtable Conference in 1930, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jowhar died in London. He was buried in Jerusalem since he did not wish to return to an India that was not free.

H.G. Wells, the celebrated English novelist proclaimed: `Muhammad Ali possessed the pen of McCauley, the tongue of Burke and the heart of Napoleon'.

Brief Biography of Bahadur Shah Zafar The last Mughal king

Bahadur Shah, better known as Bahadur Shah Zafar, was born in 1775 at Delhi. He was the son of Akbar Shah from his Hindu wife Lalbai. Bahadur Shah, after the death of his father, was placed on the throne in 1837 when he was little over 60 years of age. He was last in the lineage of Mughal emperors who ruled over India for about 300 years.

The British had curtailed the power and privileges of the Mughal rulers to such an extent that by the time of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Mughal rule was confined to the Red Fort. Bahadur Shah Zafar was obliged to live on British pension, while the reins of real power lay in the hands of the East India Company. During the reign of Bahadur Shah Zafar, Urdu poetry flourished and reached its zenith. He himself was a prolific poet and an accomplished calligrapher. He had acquired his poetic taste from his grandfather and father who were also poets. He passed most of his time in the company of poets and writers and was the author of four diwans. Love and mysticism were his favorite subjects that found _expression in his poetry. Most of his poetry is full of pain and sorrow owing to the distress and degradation he had to face at the hands of the British. He was a great patron of poetry and literary work and some of the most eminent and famous Urdu poets like Mirza Ghalib, Zauq, Momin and Daagh were of his time.

It was at the time of Bahadur Shah that the War of Independence in 1857 started. The war started out as spontaneous and independent upsisings led by leaders of diverse faiths. For the war to have any chance of success, it needed a central figure to rally around. In Bahadur Shah Zafar the freedom fighters -both Hindus and Muslims- found that symbol of freedom and therefore nominated him as their Commander-in-Chief. In the initial stages, the freedom fighters were successful, but later on the strong and organized British forces defeated them. Bahadur Shah, who had been proclaimed as an emperor of whole of India, was overthrown. He was arrested with his three sons and a grandson. Captain Hodson killed his sons and grandson and their severed heads were brought before him. Bahadur Shah Zafar himself was tried for treachery.

He was exiled to Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma (now Myanmar), in 1858 where he lived his last five years and died in 1862 at the age of 87.

Brief Biography of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai (1894-1954)

Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, who grew up to serve India as a brave freedom fighter, a visionary reformer and an excellent administrator, was born on 18 February 1894 in a middle class Zamindari (landlord) family at Masauli in the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh.

He obtained his BA degree from Aligarh University, but soon after joined the Indian freedom struggle. At the time of the historic joint session of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League at Lucknow, where the Congress-League Pact was signed in December 1916, he participated in the meetings with his Uncle Vilayat Ali. He also became a regular member of the Khilafat Movement in 1920.

He was the main force behind the Non-Cooperation Movement in Barabanki district. He was jailed and sentenced to six months in June 1930 for spearheading a no-rent campaign by farmers and villagers, in the Rae Bareli district.

Kidwai became a minister in Pandit G.B. Pant's cabinet in United Province when Congress governments were set up in many provinces under the Provincial Autonomy Scheme in 1937. He was given the revenue portfolio and under his stewardship, UP was the first province to enact land reforms to amend some of the ills of the Zamindari system. In April 1946, he became the Home Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He introduced many reforms in jails, which aimed at making prisoners better citizens.

Kidwai became the minister for communications after India gained its independence. He was later entrusted with the portfolio of food and agriculture at a juncture when there was a severe shortage of food. Undaunted, Kidwai set out to apply his administrative skills to the problem and soon turned man-made scarcity into abundance.

Kidwai was a man of considerable learning, which was not confined to scholarship alone. People, not books interested him. His strong point was a bold and imaginative approach with a human touch. He was a man of action and lent excellent support to Prime Minister Nehru and India.

Ceaseless strenuous work shattered his health and he died on 24 October 1954. To honor this great man, who worked tirelessly, first to free India from foreign occupation and then to ensure its self-sufficiency in food production, the premier cancer hospital in South India was named after him.

Brief Biography of Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali

Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali, one of the greatest social reformers of India was born in Panipat. He was also a great poet and his collection of verses was published under the title, Deewan-e-Hali. Hali came into prominence during one of the darkest hours of Indian Muslim history. The Muslims had taken lead in India's first war of independence against the British in 1857, and after losing the war had to face the brunt of the victor's revenge. Muslim mutineers and their supporters were murdered in the thousands by the British and a policy of systematic discrimination was instituted against the Muslims.

Hali used his pen to bring about social and educational reforms among Muslims. He heralded a new movement in Urdu prose and poetry free from jargon and verbiage. He wrote the famous "Musaddas-e-Hali", a narrative on the rise and fall of Muslims that was published in 1879.

Hali reviled "the rich for their selfishness, the aristocracy for their degeneracy, religious leaders for their bigoted ignorance, and poets for their foolish triviality."

Extracts from Musaddas are still being taught to Indian Muslims in schools and in religious and educational functions. Hali blazed a new trail and used the poetic genre of the long Urdu nazm as an instrument of social and moral reform. Maulana Hali's ghazals reflect his command over the form of poetry but later on in life, he focused more on nazm as a means of expression. Hali also used the nazm for interpreting the beauties of nature, a theme that was more or less neglected, or treated marginally by the poets of classical ghazal.

In his prose treatise, "Muqaddam-e-Shair-o-Shairi", one of the earliest texts in Urdu literary criticism, Hali underscored the limitations of the classical ghazal and pointed out the hollowness of its hackneyed themes, thus putting the nazm on a surer path of progress.

The ghazal has been primarily used as an instrument of aesthetic and intellectual pleasure, and a source of courtly entertainment, while a nazm combines pleasure with purpose, in service of society. It is a more earthbound form of poetry, with a moral and a message. His patriotic nazm like Hubbe Watan went a long way in fostering Hindu-Muslim unity that was being undermined by the British.

Hali was a pioneer in Urdu literature, the first major poet to put forward the theory that "literature should be harnessed into the service of the community, and made to advance the cause of social welfare and betterment."

To Hali also goes the credit of being the first to introduce the genre of biography in Urdu. He authored Heyat-e-Saadi, Heyat-e-Javed and Yadgar-e-Ghalib. Altaf Hussain Hali, until his death in 1914, served the Aligarh movement with considerable dedication, validating Sir Syed Ahmad's call for change among Muslims. Like Sir Syed Ahmad, Hali found the existing Muslim society to be decadent and static, but he arrived at that view not by comparing it with the modern western civilization, but with the history of Islam. Indeed, by presenting Islam as a modern religion, in accord with science and rationalism.

In his novel, Majalis-un Nisan (Assemblies of Women), Hali, emphasizes the need of educating women. The heroine, Zubaida Khatun, is taught the Qur'an, Arabic, Persian and Urdu as well as mathematics, geography and history by her father. This was at a time, when studying "British" subjects such as geography and mathematics was a taboo even for Indian Muslim men.

Hali passed away on 30th September 1914 in Panipat, but the movement for reformation and renaissance he helped start continues to this day.

Contact

Convention 2005

CONTACT

Michigan Chapter
michigan@imc-usa.org
Phone: 1-800-839-7270

Office of the President
info@imc-usa.org
Shaik Ubaid, IMC-USA president president@imc-usa.org
265 Sunrise Highway, Suite 1-355
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
Phone: (516) 567-0783

Other Departments
IMC-USA Media Team media@imc-usa.org

Register

Convention 2005

Due to Limited Seating, tickets are likely to sell out. Register today!

For Tickets and Registration you may do one of the following:

1. Send an e-mail to: convention@imc-usa.org
2. Call: 800.839.7270

Registration Includes:

Adults $50 per person: All day conference, Banquet Dinner, Lunch, Free Parking

Children 12 & Under $15 per person: Supervised program includes lunch & dinner

(Meals catered by Muslim restaurant)

Hotel Information

Holiday Inn Fairlane - Dearborn
5801 Southfield Expressway,
Detroit, MI 48228
Phone: (313) 336-3340
Room rate: Concessional rate of $99 (reg. $149) is available by mentioning IMC-USA Convention

Schedule

Convention 2005

10:00 am to 11:00 am Registration & Networking
10:30 am to 11:00 am Inauguration
11:00 am to 1:00 pm Parallel Session I
1:00 pm to 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm to 1:45 pm Prayer Break
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm Parallel Session II
3:30 pm to 5:00 pm Parallel Session III
5:00 pm to 6:00 pm Prayer Break
6:00 pm to 7:20 pm Plenary Session
7:20 pm to 7:40 pm Prayer Break
7:40 pm Banquet Session

Parallel Session I
11:00 - 12:45 -- Coalition Building Session Hall A
# Speakers: Shrikumar Poddar, Hindu Vaishnav Center for Enlightenment, USA
# Dr. Rahul Deepankar, Community Activist, Buddhist Leader
# Raju Rajagopal, Chair, Promise of India, USA
# Manzoor Ghori, Indian Muslim Relief and Charities, USA
# Kaleem Kawaja, Association of Indian Muslims, USA
# Francis Muthu, Community Activist
# Ranjit Singh, Indian National Overseas Congress, USA
# Steve Spritzer, National Conference for Community and Justice, USA
# Jim Dorsey, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, USA
12:45 - 1:00 -- Interactive Q & A

11:00 - 12:45 -- Indian Muslim NGO’s Networking Hall B
# Speakers: Imam Achmat Salie, Detroit MI
# Ubaidur Rahman, Global Media Publications, India
# Munaf Zeena, Council of Indian Muslims, UK
# Manzoor Ghori, Indian Muslim Relief & Charities, USA
# Kaleem Kawaja, Association of Indian Muslims, USA
# Imtiaz Uddin, Indian Muslim Education Foundation of North America, USA
# Mohammed Yousuf, HelpHandicap Foundation, USA
# Ghulam Rasul Mansuri, Gujarati Muslims Association of America, USA
# Quaid Saifee, Muslim Youth Awareness Alliance, USA
# Dr. Altaf Ur Rahman, Association of Indian Muslims, USA
# Rizwana Khan, AMU Alumni Association of Michigan, USA
# Mohammed Qamruzzaman, HelpDeserving, USA
# Azher Qazi, Detroit MI
12:45 - 1:00 -- Interactive Q & A
1:00 pm to 1:30 pm -- Lunch
1:30 pm to 1:45 pm -- Prayer Break

Parallel Session II
2:00 - 3:15 -- Activism for Better India Hall A
# Speakers: P.D.John, Policy Institute for Religion and Peace, USA
# Fr. Cedric Prakash, Jesuit Priest; Director, Prashant, India
# Ghalib Begg, Comminity Activist
# Munaf Zeena, Council of Indian Muslims, UK
# Omar Khalidi, Author, Scholar at MIT
# Hyder Khan, Supporters of Human Rights in India, USA
# Dr. Biju Mathew, Campaign to Stop Funding Hate, USA
3:15 - 3:30 -- Interactive Q & A

2:00 - 3:15 -- Women’s Networking & Activism Hall B
# Speakers: Dr. Sania Zainuddin, Community Activist
# Dr. Lise McKean, Center for Impact Research
# Pushpa Iyer, Community Activist
3:15 – 3:30 -- Open Discussion, Q & A

Parallel Session III
3:30 – 5:00 -- Human Rights & Justice Session Hall A
# Speakers: Dr. Jawahar Nesan, Dalit Leader & Activist
# Swami Agnivesh, Renowned Hindu Spiritual Leader, India
# T. Kumar, Advocacy Director, Amnesty International, USA
# Jaswant Kaur, Sikh Human Rights Group, UK
# Rasheed Ahmed, Vice-President, IMC-USA
# Pushpa Iyer, Community Activist
# Kulmeet Singh, Sikh Coalition, USA
4:45 – 5:00 -- Interactive Q & A

3:30 – 5:00 -- Indian Muslim Business Networking Hall B
# Moderators: Quaid Saifee, IMC-USA
# Shafaquat Khan, IMC-USA
# Ghalib Begg, Comminity Activist
3:30 – 5:00 -- Networking & Interactive Discussion
5 pm to 6 pm -- Prayer Break
6:00 pm -- Plenary Session Hall C
# Quran Recitation
# Welcome
# IMC-USA Presentation (Mission, Achievements & Future Projects)
# Fr. Cedric Prakash, Jesuit Priest; Director, Prashanth, India

7:20 pm to 7:40 pm -- Prayer Break
7:40 pm -- Banquet Session Hall C
# Introduction of the Keynote Speaker
# Honorable John Conyers, Jr. (Keynote Speech)

8:15 pm to 8:45 pm -- Dinner Hall C
# IMC-USA Annual Awards Presentation
# IMC-USA Project Releases

8:45 pm -- Banquet Session Continues… Hall C
# Ubaidur Rahman, Global Media Publications, India
# IMC-USA President’s Message
# Fundraiser
# Closing Remarks (Banquet Session Ends)
10:00 pm -- Cultural Program

* Profiles of speakers/panelists are enclosed in the registration folder.

Speakers

Convention 2005

Speakers

Keynote Speaker:

• Congressman John Conyers from Michigan

Other Speakers:

• Munaf Zeena, Chairman of Council of Indian Muslims (UK)
• Fr. Cedric Prakash, Jesuit Priest and Director of Prashant
• Prof. Jawahar Nesan, renowned Dalit leader and social activist
• Ubaidur Rahman, Global Media Publications, India
• Dr. Rahul Deepankar, Buddhist leader
• T. Kumar, Asia Advocacy Director, Amnesty International
• Asim Ghafoor, Attorney and Washington Lobbyist
• Shrikumar Poddar, distinguished Hindu scholar
• Kannan Srinivasan, renowned Historian and Journalist
• Dr. Omar Khalidi, Indian Muslim Historian and scholar at MIT
• Dr. Biju Mathew, Coalition to Stop Funding Hate (CSFH)
• Raju Rajagopal, Promise of India (POI)
• John Prabhudoss, Executive Director of Policy Institute for Religion and State (PIFRAS)
• Dr. Shaik Ubaid, President of IMC-USA
• Steve Spritzer, Interfaith Program Coordinator for National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), Michigan
• Dr. Sania Zainuddin, community activist
• Dr. Lise McKean, Deputy Director of Center for Impact Research (CIR)
• Kulmeet Singh, Sikh Coalition

Theme

Convention 2005

Indian Americans: Activism for a better India will be the theme of IMC-USA's 3rd annual convention. Meet interact and network with Indian and Muslim leaders, professionals, NGOs, business owner and families.

Learn and share ideas with NRI's (non-resident Indians) of all religious backgrounds who are interested in safeguarding India's pluralism and are working towards a pluralist, prosperous and peaceful India.

Indian Muslims are the second largest community in India and the second largest community amongst the Muslims worldwide (over 150 million and around 12-15%).

Active in American Muslim scene at all levels, Indian Muslims are poised to help themselves and their counterparts in India who are facing severe challenges and left to defend themselves on their own.

* Share a unique, rich and enhancing experience
* Listen to eminent scholars, intellectuals, historians, journalists, community and human rights leaders
* Learn about the glorious past and great contributions of Indian Muslims to Islam and to India
* Learn of the dangers of Hindutva-fascism in the US and in India
* Learn about the challenges that over 150 million Muslims and other oppressed groups face in India
* Network with leaders and representatives of many different religious groups
* Network with charitable institutions working in India
* Enjoy a cultural program at the end - Bring Family & Friends

Focused Activities:

* Networking with other Indian Muslim organizations
* Professionals and Business Owners
* Annual Recognition Awards
* Human Rights and Inter-Faith groups
* PIO’s / NRI’s / NGO's