Last Updated on April 1, 2026 4:50 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
Staff Reporter / New Delhi
The President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Arshad Madani, today released scholarships worth 1 crore 80 lakh rupees for 1,199 students selected on merit for the academic year 2025–26. It is noteworthy that this year too, 65 non-Muslim students are among the selected candidates. The scholarship amounts are being transferred directly into the students’ bank accounts.
It may be recalled that since 2012, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and the MHA Madani Charitable Trust have been awarding scholarships annually to support financially weak yet talented students in pursuing higher and professional education. For this purpose, a formal Taleemi Imdadi Fund “Educational Aid Fund” has been established under the Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani Charitable Trust, Deoband, and the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Arshad Madani Public Trust. A committee comprising education experts selects students each year strictly on merit.
Importantly, there is no religious restriction for these scholarships. Consequently, a significant number of non-Muslim students apply every year, and those who meet the merit criteria are selected without any discrimination. This year, the highest number so far, 65 non-Muslim students, have been selected purely on merit. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind does not work on the basis of religion; rather, its efforts are grounded in humanity. The sole objective is to ensure that talented students can continue their education without obstacles caused by poverty or financial hardship.
On this occasion, Maulana Arshad Madani stated, “Visionary nations shape their history not through politics, but through education.” He further remarked that only those nations reach the heights of progress whose younger generations are educated. After the country’s independence, he said, the community now stands at a very delicate juncture in history. On one hand, it is being entangled in various issues; on the other, avenues of economic, social, political, and educational advancement are being obstructed.
If this conspiracy is to be defeated and dignity attained, he said, the community must establish its own educational institutions for boys and girls. History shows that education has always been the key to progress. Therefore, he once again appealed to philanthropists and affluent members of the community to come forward and establish separate educational institutions for boys and girls, where they can pursue education without fear, while preserving their religious identity and Islamic upbringing.
He added that such institutions should strive to become model centers of excellence, so much so that even non-Muslim parents would be inclined to enroll their children there. This would not only promote mutual harmony and brotherhood but also dispel the misconceptions being deliberately spread against Muslims by sectarian elements. Under this vision, the Madani Charitable Trust is systematically running separate schools for boys and girls, ITI colleges, B.Ed. colleges, and law colleges, yielding encouraging results. He emphasized that revolutions do not occur while sitting idle at home; history shows that any nation wishing to live with its identity, culture, and religion must be prepared to make sacrifices.
Maulana Madani further stated that the current situation in the country is extremely alarming. Particularly after the change in power, successive events have made it evident, he alleged, that India is falling into the grip of fascism, where hatred is being cloaked as patriotism and oppressors and sectarian forces are being shielded from the law. He warned that communalism is not only scorching Muslims but affecting the very fabric of the nation.
Expressing happiness over the outstanding success of 53 Muslim candidates in this year’s UPSC examination, he described it as a significant achievement. He said this demonstrates that despite adverse conditions, Muslim youth are excelling not only in professional education but also in competitive examinations. This year, four Muslim candidates are among the top 100. He emphasized that this success has been achieved despite attempts to make their educational advancement difficult. Important schemes for Muslim educational uplift, including those under the Maulana Azad Foundation, have been discontinued, and discrimination is allegedly being practiced in educational institutions. If, despite these obstacles, the educational ratio among Muslims has increased, it represents not only an extraordinary development but also a major positive shift within the community.
Muslims, he noted, are generally affected by economic backwardness. Various reports have highlighted that many Muslim children drop out of school because their parents cannot afford educational expenses. This harsh reality was revealed years ago in the Sachar Committee Report, which also stated that the condition of Muslims in the country was worse than that of Dalits. He claimed that there has been no improvement in their economic condition, and since 2014 it has further deteriorated. In this context, the success of 53 Muslim youth in a prestigious competitive examination like the UPSC is a powerful symbol of collective awakening. Many among them achieved this milestone despite financial constraints and limited resources. Despite these painful realities, he concluded, if determination is sincere, no obstacle can become a wall in the path of progress. The younger generation, despite financial hardship, fear, and religious discrimination, is writing new chapters of success. History testifies that when this community awakens, it shows the world a new direction. The need of the hour, he said, is for Muslims to adopt the path of unity, knowledge, and struggle because that is the path leading to dignity, success, and a bright future.
