Muslim NGO in India gives scholarships to Hindus
Scholarships were given to 400 students of which 50 were Hindus
Scholarships were given to 400 students, of which 50 were Hindus PHOTO: AFP
A popular Muslim non-governmental organisation (NGO) in India on Thursday distributed scholarships among Muslim and Hindu students.
The NGO, Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra, gave out scholarships amounting to INR5 million to students from Class VI to graduation level as well as engineering and medical students from various schools and colleges in Mumbai.
Read: Ford Foundation funding dries up as India's Modi clamps down on NGOs
According to the press release, the scholarships were given to 400 students of which 50 were Hindus.
The cheques were handed over in the presence of Maulana Mustaqueem Azmi, state president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra, Gulzar Azmi, president of its legal aid cell, Maulana Halimullah Qasmi, secretary and Congress MLA Amin Patel.
"This is not the first time that we have extended scholarships, we have given it earlier too and would continue to do so," the release quoted Gulzar Azmi as saying, while speaking at the function organised to hand over scholarships.
Read: Greenpeace says India barred activist from entry
Maulana Mustaqeem Azmi said that the NGO had been helping society since it was created in 1919 and it had never discriminated on religious grounds.
"There are many secular trusts and NGOs which readily provide help to needy Muslim students in the country. In its humble way, the JUM-AM attempts to reciprocate the noble gesture."
This article originally appeared on NDTV.
The NGO, Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra, gave out scholarships amounting to INR5 million to students from Class VI to graduation level as well as engineering and medical students from various schools and colleges in Mumbai.
Read: Ford Foundation funding dries up as India's Modi clamps down on NGOs
According to the press release, the scholarships were given to 400 students of which 50 were Hindus.
The cheques were handed over in the presence of Maulana Mustaqueem Azmi, state president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra, Gulzar Azmi, president of its legal aid cell, Maulana Halimullah Qasmi, secretary and Congress MLA Amin Patel.
"This is not the first time that we have extended scholarships, we have given it earlier too and would continue to do so," the release quoted Gulzar Azmi as saying, while speaking at the function organised to hand over scholarships.
Read: Greenpeace says India barred activist from entry
Maulana Mustaqeem Azmi said that the NGO had been helping society since it was created in 1919 and it had never discriminated on religious grounds.
"There are many secular trusts and NGOs which readily provide help to needy Muslim students in the country. In its humble way, the JUM-AM attempts to reciprocate the noble gesture."
This article originally appeared on NDTV.