Indian Muslim Legends. 

Book release function. The Hindu, March 25, 2010.   

Genesis of the Hindu-Muslim problem. July 5, 2009.
Fanned by the diligent pursuit of the divide and rule policy by the British...»

Why not strive to reach for the stars? December 21, 2008.
Education holds the key to Muslims’ development...»

Merit and integrity. August 10, 2008.
Where have all the leaders gone?...»

Democracy and secularism are inseparable. November 9, 2006.
To tackle communalism, electoral alliances with communal parties should end...»

A judicial nudge to long-overdue police reforms. November 5, 2006.
The issue is too serious to be left entirely in the hands of myopic politicians...»

Sadbhavana yatra commemorated. October 20, 2006.
Chief Minister presented the Sadbhavana award to Mahmood bin Muhammad.

Print media: challenges ahead. The Hindu, July 10, 2005.
One important trend which the print media has always to contend with is the tendency to compromise on integrity...

The anatomy of terrorism. The Hindu, December 4, 2001.
Islam is a balanced way of life and there is no place in it for fanaticism or extremism...

Between the fire and the fire engine. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy Journal, Volume 54 Number 2, July-December 2002.
When Ahmedabad was on fire for three days following the Godhra incident, the local law-enforcement agency remained neutral in a different sense...

 
INFORMATIVE TALK: Former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mahmood Bin Muhammad delivering the Khwaja Banda Nawaz Endowment Lecture in Gulbarga University on Wednesday.



GULBARGA: Former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and trustee of the Nizam's Charitable Trust Mahmood Bin Muhammad on Wednesday said democracy and secularism are inseparable.

Delivering the Khwaja Banda Nawaz Endowment Lecture at the Ambedkar Hall in Gulbarga University here, Mr. Muhammad spoke on the threats to secularism. "Only political will and a motivated force can answer communal tension. Secular outlook of the police should not mean passive neutrality, but prompt and determined action whenever there was threat to secularism, he said.

Quoting Churchill in his speech, the former diplomat said: "If the police mean business and culprits know that they mean business, there will no communal trouble." If the judiciary prevailed, most disputes could be settled in ink rather than in blood, he said. "The administrative and legal process can, at best, act as an aid or a catalyst and the spirit of secularism itself, like the rule of law, must come from the hearts of people, otherwise no court can save it," he added.

Educational reform



Stressing the need for reform in educational system, he said the system should be aimed at instilling spiritual and moral values. Injection of hatred in tender minds through widespread historical and media distortions was dangerous, he said. "Ignorance is a fertile ground for growth of communalism and inter-faith dialogues can help prevent spread of hatred.

Mr. Muhammad said the battle for secularism had to be fought on three fronts - political, ideological and administrative.

On the political front, the hypocrisy of politicians must end. Hatred in the name of religion, violence under the garb of patriotism and communalism under the cloak of nationalism must end.

Electoral alliances with communal parties must end and ethics in public life must be restored to find a permanent solution to communalism, he said.

He said secularism was like oxygen to Indian democracy. Mr. Muhammad pointed out the Indian tradition of pluralism and pantheism. In every day interaction among people of different faiths, they had learnt to emphasise similarities and not differences.

People share religious traditions and experiences, fairs and festivals and Indians had more in common than differences, he said.

University Vice-Chancellor B.G. Mulimani presided over.