My Reply To Professor Naim:

In a write up about the 19th June seminar on Iran organized in Rampur Raza library Professor C. M Naim has criticized many points which were discussed in the seminar and the way it was started.  I would like to reply him point by point.

Answer 1. Professor Naim has written that in a secular country like India and institution like Rampur Raza Library the seminars should not start with the recitation of Quran. But, have Professor Naim gone through the emblems of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) where he can easily find the verses of the Holy Quran? Does Professor Naim not know that in these two central universities every event starts with the recitation of the Holy text and the founders of AMU and Jamia never criticized the presence of Holy text in the emblems of both the universities? Even at a time Mahatma Gandhi expressed his will to dissociate himself from Jamia when a few people opined about dropping the word Islamia from the name of the university. So the question is, why Mr Naim has singled out Raza library and its director Prof. S. M Azizuddin Hussain only? This question he must need to answer.

Answer 2.  Most of the times, the Quran is recited at public places in Arabic, though it’s totally a different debate whether Quran recitation in Arabic should have been done or not.

Answer 3. Indeed this is an issue of debate whether the Iranian culture is like the Indian one or not? But upon enquiring from the Raza Library Rampur I got to know that Professor Aziz didn’t say this rather it was wrongly reported by the newspaper, Sahafat. Professor Naim must have cross checked with the Rampur Raza Library before criticizing Professor Aziz on this issue.

Answer 4. In Iran it was not only secularism which was the main basis for Shah’s regime. Raza Shah Pahlavi was American stooge who in a bid to make Iran the Venice or Paris of the East did his best to make the culture of Iran vulgar and westernized which was totally different from the Iranian culture.

Answer 5 .Why not? A debate is a debate whether it is carried out anywhere. If Raza library cannot carry out such a debate then which place Mr Naim think is more suitable for a debate on Iran , West Asia and its relationship with India. Even Jamia Millia Islamia organizes many debates and seminars about Arab spring and the conflicts going around in Middle East. Most of the Western Universities too have been organizing such type of seminars, then what problem Mr Naim has when Raza library organizes such seminars. Being a foremost library and and an educational institution of India Raza library has every right to organize seminars about Arab and Middle East.

After replying to all the questions of Mr Naim I would like to ask a few questions to him?

1.      I see that his entire question is coming out not as an academician but by a person having some ideological differences against Prof Azeezuddin. Professor Naim doesn’t seem to be dealing this issue honestly.

2.      Why he is trying to defend the Saudi monarchy and other American stooges in the Middle East and their roles in the crisis of Bahrain in crushing a popular revolt against the oppressive regime of the Bahraini monarch?

3.      No any country or system is perfect but why to single out Iran only to condemn. At least Iran has been taking the American hegemonic ambitions directly through their horns. It has not bowed before the American pressure ever like the way Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries do.

Mr Nain has every right to express his dissatisfaction but in a unbiased way rather than having any personal issue. Mr Naim should better care to figure out such practices like recitation of the Holy text in all institutions like AMU and Jamia along with Raza Library and Khuda Bakhsh Khan Library, Patna. The question also arises about what would have been the response of Mr Naim if the director that institute was someone other than Professor Azizuddin?

 Last, but not the least I would like to say that, no doubt Professor Iqtedar Mohammad Khan seems to be having a soft corner for Iran which I think every Muslim needs to have, because in the present scenario its Iran only which is taking the bull of Western imperialism directly by its horn rather than acting like a lackey like most of the Gulf monarchies. But what about Mr Naim whose heart seems to be beating for the American supported monarchs of Saudi Arabia, who have been the biggest curse for the Middle East, the biggest traitors of the Palestinian cause?