This is the second time that I have written an article with the same headline. Two and a half years ago, I wrote an article and that dealt with Aligarh where the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is situated, as well as with its founder and those who have graduated from this prestigious institution, especially those who are residing in the Kingdom. In the article, I cited the criticism that I leveled against the old students of Aligarh while addressing them on the occasion of the annual function to mark the birthday celebration of the university's founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. He was a great social reformer, eminent educationist, prominent jurist, as well as an author and politician. He was born into a family which had close association with the Mughal dynasty that ruled India for centuries. I criticized the graduates after seeing that they had split into two groups and had organized separate functions to mark the birthday celebrations. After publishing the article, I received several calls, in addition to numerous comments about the article posted on the website of this newspaper. Those who contacted me included Dr. Muhammad Badshah Khan, chairman of the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association - Riyadh. He invited me to attend the annual function in Riyadh as the guest of honor. Even though I gave excuses for not attending the function, his insistence made me finally accept the invitation. I went to Riyadh to attend the annual Sir Syed Day function of the Aligarians. It was a big gathering of hundreds of old students of AMU. In the succeeding year, I was invited by Aqeel Jameel, secretary general of the Jeddah chapter of Aligarh Muslim University Alumni. The guest of honor at the function was the vice chancellor of the university who came from India to attend the celebrations held at the Indian Consulate premises in Jeddah. Faiz Ahmad Kidwai, consul general of India at that time, was one of the guests of honor. At the function I was delighted to see the end of the split among the Aligarians. I saw all the old students come together to elect more than 20 members of a committee to govern the association. The alumni association was headed by Farzan Rizvi. Jameel was elected secretary general for the second time and it was a transparent, free and fair election. The alumni association is an active and sincere body working for the betterment of all old students of the university. I was amazed to learn that there are more than 3,000 graduates of AMU working in various fields including medicine, engineering, accountancy and sales in the Kingdom. This puts AMU in a unique position and no other university can boast of such a distinction. The alumni set up a Zakat Fund last Ramadan. Members of the association collected zakat from people and distributed it among the poor and needy alumni members as well as others in Jeddah. The alumni association also organizes functions to honor officials of the university when they come to the Kingdom to perform Haj or Umrah or on visit visas. The alumni organized a condolence meeting when the former vice chancellor of AMU Syed Hamid, who was an eminent educationist and great reformer, passed away at the age of 93 in 2014. He was at the helm of AMU when the university passed through difficult times. Through his political acumen, administrative efficiency, free thinking and clean hands, Syed Hamid was able to overcome all the difficulties faced by the university. The Jeddah alumni recently organized a function to honor Pro-Vice Chancellor of the university Brigadier (Rtd.) Syed Ahmad Ali, who came to perform Umrah. Some prominent Saudis and figures from the Indian community attended the function and a dinner was arranged at a local restaurant. Dr. Muhammad Badshah Khan, chairman of the alumni in Riyadh, also attended. Khan was a classmate of Syed Ahmad Ali in the elementary, intermediate and secondary levels of education. Addressing the gathering, they shared their memories of childhood and student life with the audience. In their speeches, the alumni president and general secretary welcomed the chief guest and other attendees. It was then my turn to address the gathering. Being a graduate of AMU, I expressed my extreme happiness at having an opportunity to address such a large gathering of Aligarians. In his speech, Syed Ahmad Ali spoke at length about the development and reforms being witnessed by the university since the new vice chancellor assumed office. He said that the new head of AMU was able to secure financial and administrative support from the concerned authorities in the country. Syed Ahmad Ali noted that the university is currently witnessing unprecedented development and expansion work in terms of student hostels, lecture halls and libraries. Even the Guest House, which was hitherto not in a position to host any guests, has undergone a total facelift with comfortable facilities for guests similar to that of a luxurious hotel. He also spoke about the great achievements made by the new administration in restoring discipline to the university campus among teachers, students and non-teaching staff.
— Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
