Advocacy & Information

• 2020:
  Association of Indian Muslims of America Establishes 50 College Scholarships at Anjuman Islam, Mumbai:
  In an announcement today, Kaleem Kawaja the executive director of the Washington DC based Association of Indian Muslims of America (AIM) (https://www.aim-america.org) informed that they have recently expanded their scholarship program at the Anjuman Islam educational institution, Mumbai, to 50 scholarships. These scholarships have been awarded to 50 engineering students in 4 engineering colleges of Anjuman Islam. The distribution of scholarships is as follows.
  
  - 10 scholarships at the Saboo Siddik Engineering College, Byculla, Mumbai;
  - 15 scholarships at the Saboo Siddik Polytechnic, Byculla, Mumbai;
  - 10 scholarships at the Abdul Razzak Kalsekar Engineering College, Panvel, Mumbai;
  - 15 scholarships at the Abdul Razzak Kalsekar Polytechnic, Panvel, Mumbai,
  
  The recipients of these scholarships are students studying for Bachelor of Engineering degrees at the engineering colleges and Diploma of Engineering at the polytechnics. These scholarships will pay about half of the annual college fees of the recipients that currently stands at about Rs 80,000. The Saboo Siddiq colleges were established in 1936 in Byculla in the heart of the Mumbai metropolis, by the wealthy Mumbai businessman and philanthropist, Haji Saboo Siddiq. He also built the well known rest house (musafirkhana) in Mumbai for Hajj pilgrims in 1910. The Abdul Razzaq colleges were built in 2006 in Panvel, a suburb of Mumbai, about 30 miles east of the city, by another wealthy businessman and philanthropist, Haji Abdul Razaq Kalsekar. Kalsekar who was originally from Mumbai, built his business empire in Dubai. In fact under the auspices of Anjuman Islam institution, Kalsekar helped built the modern Kalsekar Technical Campus on a 11 acre tract of land that comprises of several modern tall buildings. Kalsekar has also built a charitable hospital in Mumbai. The Anjuman Islam institution, one of the two premier educational institutions of Indian Muslims, was started in 1874 by a set of community leaders from the Bohri, Ismaili and Konkani Muslim communities under the leadership of Badruddin Tyebjee. Tyebjee was a brilliant British educated lawyer whose father sent him to England to study in college when he was only 16 years old. Tyebjee was a contemporary of famous educationist Sir Syed Ahmad Khan who in 1875 established a college in Aligarh that grew into Aligarh Muslim University. Tyebjee went on to become the first Indian to be the chief justice of the Bombay High Court in late 1800s.. Soon after its inception Anjuman Islam continued building schools and colleges for the Muslim community not only in Mumbai but also in other cities like Poona, Sholapur and Aurangabad. They built special colleges of women, law, engineering, commerce, science, pharmacy etc. Today there are 80 colleges and schools under the Anjuman umbrella. Association of Indian Muslims of America's scholarship program for students at Anjuman Islam began in 2017 with 15 scholarships. It is a 35 year old, Washington DC based, social service organization of Indian-American Muslims who live in North America. The Association's major programs are to promote education in the community in India and to provide relief help in the event of calamities.
• 2020:
  A.I.M. Delegation meeting with US C.I.R.F. on the Genocide in Delhi, UP, Assam, Karnataka: On March 16, 2020, a Human Rights delegation formed by the Association of Indian Muslims of America (AIM), Washington DC, with assistance from the American Muslim Institute (AMI), Washington DC, held a 2 hour meeting with the US Commission for International Religious Freedom commissioner Johnny Moore and his deputy Harris Akins. The members of the AIM team included Kaleem Kawaja/AIM, Dr Angana Chatterji/ Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, Sunita Viswanath / Director, Hindus for Hunan Rights , New York . The AIM delegation provided a brief account of the geocidal violence against religious minorities, primarily Muslims, perpetrated by some extremist Hindu groups, in the last six months, in connivance with the police and political leaders of the ruling BJP party in the states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Karnatak , Over one hundred Indian Muslims have been killed, over 800 have been injured and over 500 families have lost their homes. The marauders burnt and destroyed the houses, shops, schools, mosques, vehicles of the Muslim victims. Independent international media reports have confirmed that in most instances the police either helped the marauders in their attacks or remained mute spectators as the carnage occurred. The AIM delegation requested that the commission conduct an enquiry and in its annual report castigate the BJP govt in the states of Assam, UP, Karnataka and home minister Amit Shah (who controls police in Delhi), for the terrible genocidal brutalities committed there with the connivance of police. They also requested that the US State Department impose strong sanctions on senior political authorities and police officials in these states. The A I M delegation pledged to the Commission that they will very shortly provide documentary evidence of the above mentioned genocidal attacks on the Muslim minority. The delegation reminded the commission that a similar genocidal massacre of Muslims occurred in Gujarat in 2002. Commissioner Johny Mooore pledged to investigate the situation and include it in their annual report.
• 2010:
  Supported a prominent conference on "Challenges to Secularism and Rule of Law in India", organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Human Rights section. Conference was attended by several distinguished academics and journalists from India and U.S.
• 2008:
  A public meeting at the Northern Virginia Muslim Community Center, Springfield, VA, to address the upsurge of terrorism in India and the police harassment of Muslims in that context. Meeting addressed by Amaresh Misra, visiting prominent Indian journalist and historian.
• 2006:
  A meeting with Indian government minister for Non-Resident Indians, Vyalar Ravi, drawing the attention of the Government of India to develop programs for improving education in the Muslim community in India. Co-sponsored a public reception for minister Vyalar Ravi in collaboration with other Indian associations.
• 2002-2005:
  Massacre of Muslims in Gujarat: In the aftermath of the horrible massacre of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 organized the following events:
  A meeting of the Indian Muslim community with the visiting delegation of members of Indian parliament, requesting them to help stop the violence and rehabilitate the victims.
• 2001:
  Published an advertisement in Washington Post on the occasion of the state visit of Indian Prime Minister AB Vajpayee to US, to highlight the violation of human rights of minorities in India.
  A Peace Rally at the Indian Embassy, co-sponsored with other Indian Associations to address the violence in Gujarat.
  A hearing at the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Washington DC, on the anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat.
  Denial of visa to Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat: A successful public movement that led to US Government denying visa to Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat who was responsible for the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat in February-March 2002, to visit US.
• 1997:
  Organized a seminar and poster exhibition entitled, "Indian Muslims, 50 Years After Independence."
• 1995:
  AIM members held a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, on the situation of Muslims in India.
  A meeting of the Indian Muslim community with Justice R.Venkatachalliah, Chairman, National Human Rights Commission of India, during his visit to US, submitted a petition to him on the violation of human rights of Muslims in India.
• 1994:
  AIM in cooperation with other US based Indian Muslim organizations, held a meeting with Narsimha Rao, Prime Minister of India on his state visit to US, and presented a memorandum to him requesting help to improve the security and human rights situation of Muslims in India.
• 1992:
  In the aftermath of the demolition of Babri mosque in Ayodhya, organized the following:
  A protest rally at the Indian embassy.
  A public meeting of the Indian community.
  A meeting with senior officials of the US State Department
  Presentations on this terrible disaster to: the Indian-American Business Council, the George Washington University International Study Forum, the Organization of Islamic Countries, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Organization.
• 1990:
  Letters to 15 US senators and 40 US Congressmen seeking their help to stop frequent anti-Muslim communal riots in India.
  A campaign to repeal the draconian TADA (Terrorists and other Destructive Activities) legislation in India that had been abused to harass Muslims in India.
  A presentation on the plight of Muslims in India on local Indian TV channels in metro Washington D.C.
• 1987:
  Advertisement in Washington Post: Published an advertisement in Washington Post to draw public attention to the frequent occurrence of large scale anti-Muslim sectarian riots in India.
  AIM Board members meet with Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India on his State visit to Washington DC.