Distinguished guests, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I want to express my deep appreciation for your warm welcome. Thank you for your hospitality. My special thanks to Feroze and Neyaz Sahib for organizing this event. I admire and appreciate their leadership and their passion and their commitments. It is my distinct pleasure to be here today. I am humbled and honored. Let us stand shoulder to shoulder with Neyaz Sahib for the ideals that we share and the vision and values that we cherish.
A sense of humility brings us together as we are bonded by shared history and shared heritage, shared background and shared belief and shared faith. Our bond are stronger than the differences that drive us apart. As I look out these young generations, I see the future of India. I see the future of the world.
I commend all of you for serving the educational and social and cultural needs of your community. I want to express my deep gratitude for your efforts and commitments. Your talent and time will contribute the direction and success of this school. Your success is everyone success.
I am one of you. I was born not too far from this place in a middle class Muslim family. I relish my heritage. I still cherish and nurture the fond memories of my birth place Kaunra Gahni. My upbringing and my faith had a tremendous impact on me during my formative years. They shaped my character and my destiny and influence the person I am today. Being a Muslim has taught me many things- but the most important is that the whole purpose of religion is to provide justice and a path to justice for all of us.
I want share my thoughts on injustice and human dignity. There is no place for religion injustice. People need to respect human dignity. People should be treated according to their talents not their background and belief. All of us will do well to remember no country, no religion, no caste, no creed, and no civilization has monopoly on wisdom and values of freedom, justice, and human dignity. Please join me in this journey so that we can together break the barrier and boundary of biases and bigotry. There are a lot that unite us and there are a little that divide us. Our bonds are stronger than the differences that drive us apart. Let us together close the door of despair and darkness and disappointment and open the door of prosperity and upward mobility. Let us welcome the light of learning and let the light of learning penetrate deep into the darkness and light up the whole world.
Now I want to share my thoughts on why education matters. All of you should commit to working together to eliminate disparities in education. The statistics on Muslims in poverty and without education in India are stunning. The situation for many Muslims especially youths are heartbreaking. I am sure there is a deep reservoir of anger in Indian Muslims because they confront hostility and open prejudice in addition to lack of education. They share a city but not a community. They share a common dwelling but not in a common effort. They see dark and hopeless world. It is lack of education and poverty that breeds violence and failure. It is the lack of education that fuels frustration and desperation. The greatest gift you can give is the gift of education. Education empowers the mind and uplifts the soul. Education is the best investment you can make to build your future.
Education is the powerful equalizer opening doors to all to lift themselves out of poverty. Education propel individual and nations forward. You should extend hand and help to your brothers and sisters who need assistance. You should commit your selves by making things better for the next generations. Students has always been our best hope. You should commit yourselves by keeping their hope alive.
You should commit yourselves to create today’s students for tomorrow’s jobs. This means enhancing education and placement rates, build job skills and academic competence and improving teacher preparation.
In closing, I want you to be the best you can be and exploit your fullest potential. No hope should be high enough and no dream should be large enough for you to attain. You need to work hard and aim high and pursue your dream. All of you have role and responsibilities to shape your fate and future. Remember as long as you believe in your selves, the future will always be yours.
All of you are strong and vibrant. Therefore I am confident if all of you work together to provide opportunities to those who have no hope and no voice. I can say your best days are ahead of you not behind you. If you come together you will endure and thrive.
All of us will do well to remember everything is possible when we work together, when we learn from one another, when we listen to each other and when we set aside our differences to work for shared goals with shared responsibilities and shared sacrifice.
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to share my thoughts
God bless you