Former Presidents
OF
ALL INDIA MUSLIM MAJLIS-E-MUSHAWARAT
1964 - 1975
Dr Syed Mahmood
An eminent freedom fighter, leader of Indian National Movement and uncompromised torch bearer of peace and harmony, Dr Syed Mahmud was born in a prominent family of Ghazipur district of UP. He studied at MAO College, Aligarh and Cambridge University, London; and obtained Ph.D. from Germany.
During his time at the university, he joined the national movement and being expelled from AMU for his political activities, he travelled to England and studied law. In 1909, he came in contact of M K Gandhi and J L Nehru there. In 1913, he came back home and joined his legal profession in Patna with Maulana Mazharul Haq, a senior lawyer and founder of ‘Sadaqat Ashram’. In 1915, he married Mazharul Haq’s niece. He was soon drawn into the strengthening independence movement. In 1921, he was elected General Secretary of the Central Khilafat Committee. He served as the General Secretary of Indian National Congress since 1926 until 1936. In August 1942, along with nine other members of the Congress Working Committee, Dr Mahmud was imprisoned in Ahmednagar Fort.
Gandhiji visited Bihar in 1946 after riots broke out and lived with Dr Mahmud. Mahmud gave high priority to the elimination of communalism, antagonism based on religion and caste identity. In January 1948, Gandhiji asked Mahmud to accompany him to Pakistan, but this proposed visit could not take place because of assassination of Bapu.
Dr Mahmud was the Minister for Education, Development and Planning in Sri Krishna Sinha led government of Bihar,1937 and post-independence, the Minister for Transport, Industries and Agriculture. Pained with communal partition of India, an optimist in him motivated him to write one of his books ‘Hindu Muslim Accord (1949)’, celebrating the `Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb of India’. He was elected for the first Lok Sabha from Chapra, Bihar and became the Union Minister of State for External Affairs 1954. He participated the Bandung Conference (1955), where Panchsheel was spelled out and visited Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq to promote mutual understanding and goodwill. He resigned the union council of ministers on 17 April 1957 because of his eye trouble but the communal and political situation of the country made him uneasy, and he called for Muslim unity and worked for to protect and defend the identity and dignity of the Muslim Community and its Constitutional and Human Rights, specially Right to Equality, Justice and Security. In 1964, he convened the representative Convention of Indian Muslims across the cast, creed, sect and region, at Lucknow and was elected President of the first and only confederation of prominent Muslim organizations in post-independence India, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM). He chaired AIMMM until April 1968 but the aim, objectives and principles of AIMMM until he breathed last. The Life and active political career of this uncompromised torch bearer of freedom, peace and communal harmony came to an end with the demise after 50 years of struggle within and outside the congress on 28 September 1971.
1976-1984
Maulana Atiqur Rahman Usmani
Mufti Atiqur Rahman Usmānī was born in the household of Maulana Azizur Rahman Usmani, Grand Mufti of Draul uloom, Deoband in 1901. After graduating from Darul Uloom joined the academia of his alma-mater and started practicing the Fatwa under the supervision of his father and became the Mufti of prestigious seminary Darul Uloom, Deoband. Mufti Sahib was a trusted disciple of Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri and he joined Jamia Islamia Talimuddin, Dabhel (Gujrat) with him also as a teacher.
Being a literary person Mufti Usmāni established “Nadwatul Musannifeen” along with his close associate Maulana Hamid al-Ansari Ghazi, Maulana Hifzur Rahman Seoharwi and Maulana Saeed Ahmad Akbarabadi in Delhi 1938. He written and edited many books of high excellence and eminence. Mufti Usmānī served as the working president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind after the death of its president, Maulana Ahmad Saeed Dehlvi.
He was co-founder of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat and became its president after Syed Mahmud. Mufti Sahib died on 12 May 1984 in Delhi. He was buried in Mehdiyan, near the grave of Hazrat Shah Waliullah Dehlawi.
1984-1996
Sheikh Zulfiqarullah
Shaikh Zulfiquarullah was born on 1st January 1903 in Moradabad, UP. He studied at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and then joined Jamia Millia Islamia for further education. He started his career in business and industry as well as the sociopolitical activities. He was one of the board of trustees of the Muslim Hostel of Allahabad University and Rotary Club of Allahabad. Subsequently in 1944, her served as Honorary Secretary and Manager of Islamia Inter College Allahabad. From 1940 to 1965, he was a member of the Court of Aligarh Muslim University. He served as the Municipal Commissioner of Allahabad during 1930-1956. From 1930-1956, he remained senior Vice Chairman in Municipal board Allahabad for seven terms. He also served as Mayor of Allahabad during 1962-1963.
He was elected to the 6th Lok Sabha and became union minister of state for Finance in August 1977 in the government of Morarji Desai and later as a cabinet minister in the government led by Chaudhry Charan Singh.
He was associated with the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat for many years and was its president from 1984 to 1994 after having served it as Vice- President. He also served as President of Muslim Majlis for some time. He died at the age of 90 on 17th January 1997 in Allahabad.
1996-1999
Maulana Mohammed Salim Qasmi
Maulana Salim Qasmi (8 January 1926-14 April 2018) was an eminent Indian Muslim scholar and jurist. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband and joined the academia at his alma-mater. He received the fourth IOS Shah Waliullah Award and was honoured with the Mark of Distinction from Egypt.
He was the eldest son of Maulana Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi, Rector of Darul Uloom. He graduated from Darul Uloom Deoband in 1948 where his teachers included Hussain Ahmed Madani, Izaz Ali Amrohi, Ibrahim Balyawi and Fakhrul Hasan Moradabadi. In 1982, alongside Maulana Anzar Shah Kashmiri, he co-founded Darul Uloom Waqf and was appointed its chief rector.
Maulana Qasmi served as the Vice-President of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and as the President of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat. He was a member of the Aligarh Muslim University‘s Court, member of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama‘s advisory board and Managing Committee, and member of the Mazahir Uloom‘s advisory board. He was a permanent member of the Fiqh Council of the Al-Azhar University. He patronised several institutions including Kul Hind Rabta Masajid and Islamic Fiqh Academy, India. He was president of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Musahawarat (AIMMM) during 1996-1999.
2000-2007
2010-2011
Syed Shahabuddin
A veteran diplomat, selfless community leader and parliamentarian Syed Shahabuddin was born on 4th November 1935 at Ranchi. He had a brilliant academic career. He joined the Patna University 1950 and did his MSc from there. He served as the convener of Patna University Students Action Committee to organise protest to police firing on students in August 1955. After finishing his master’s in physics, he studied bachelor in law. He started his career as a lecturer of Physics at Patna University in 1956 and left it two years later when he was selected for the Union Public Service Commission.
Syed Shahabuddin served as a diplomat, an ambassador and a politician. His first posting, under then PM, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, was as Acting Consul General in New York. He went on to serve in Rangoon, then Jeddah as Consul General, later as Ambassador to Venezuela and Algeria from 1969 to 1976. At the time of his premature voluntary retirement in 1978, Shahabuddin was the Joint Secretary in charge of Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific in the Ministry of External Affairs.
He joined politics and nominated permanent invitee to the Janta Party National Executive, where he served as a member of its manifesto committee during the 1979-80 election campaign. The party nominated him in 1979 for a midterm vacant seat of the upper house of the Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kishanganj, Bihar in 1991.
He started and edited the highly respected documentation & research monthly journal Muslim India during 1983-2002 and again from July 2006 to 2009. He was a regular contributor to newspapers and TV discussions on current affairs.
Mr Shahabuddin served the AIMMM as working president for years during the presidency of Mr Shaikh Zulfiqarullah and he took over the Chair in 2000 and served three terms from 2000 to 2007 and then again from 2010 to 2011 and had worked tirelessly for the organization by raising issues of the community at different foray. In order to make this organization more effective and inclusive, he amended the constitution through a referendum in 2006, opened the door to individual membership, introduced the ‘Circle of Friends of Mushawarat’, initiated the meetings of Mushawarat outside Delhi and shifted the office of the organization to its own building. He passed away on 4th of March 2017.
2008-2009
2012-2015
Dr ZAFRUL-ISLAM KHAN
Scholar, writer and journalist, Dr Zafrul Islam Khan was born on 12th March 1948 at Azamgarh, UP. He was exposed to both traditional and modern streams of education. He studied in Indian Madrasas and Lucknow University. He also obtained education from Al-Azhar University and Cairo University both in Egypt. He persuaded his Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Manchester University in 1987 on the topic of ‘Concept of Hijra in Islam’.
Dr Khan was the Indian Correspondent of the Saudi Daily Arab News during 1992-1996. He is the editor of Muslim and Arab Perspective journal since 1993 and The Milli Gazette since January 2000. Dr Khan is frequently invited to speak in seminars and conferences in India and Abroad. He was president of AIMMM from 2008-2009 and again from 2012-2015. In the year 2015, Mushawarat celebrated its Golden Jubilee Celebrations which were inaugurated by Mr. Hamid Ansari, the then vice president of India who was also fortunately associated with Mushawarat before he had assumed the office of the vice president of India.
2016-2023
Mr. Navaid Hamid
Navaid Hamid was born on 23rd June 1963 in Delhi. He received his early education from SPS, Delhi and later was a student of Delhi University. He was a member of the National Integration Council (NIC) for two consecutive terms, from 2004 to 2014 and of the National Minorities Committee on Minorities’ Education of the Ministry of HRD during 2005-11.
In order to coordinate educational activities of various NGOs and to raise the demand of reservation for Indian Muslims in educational institutions, decision making bodies and public employment an organisation namely Association for Promoting Education & Employment of Indian Muslims was formed in April 1994 on his initiative.
Mr Hamid was one of the organisers of relief work for the victims of the Gujarat carnage in 2002 and of the relief to earthquake victims of Jammu & Kashmir in October 2005. He was invited by the US State Department to visit US under the programme of ‘International Upcoming Leadership Visit to US’ from 19 March to 10 April 2010.
He got elected as Mushawarat’s President in the year 2016 and had served organisation until April 2023. Mr Navaid Hamid played prominent role to maintain its identity and integrity and had worked tirelessly to retain its lost glory including convincing other prominent organizations to become part of the Mushawarat caravan, besides convincing prominent Muslim entrepreneurs and intellectuals to accept its membership. In its 57 years of history, AIMM went to the Supreme Court of India, and he is one of the challenging parties in the court against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (2019).
Under Mr. Navaid Hamid’s dynamic president ship, many reputed organizations, and individuals rejoined the Mushawarat. He also ensured that the women became part and parcel of Mushawarat’s decision-making, and for the first time in Mushawarat’s history, a woman Dr Uzma Naheed got elected to the Majlis e Amla of Mushawarat and was appointed as the first woman vice president. He also ensured wider representation in decision with reservation of seats for southern states, NE states, women representatives and OBC representatives in the national executive and after some 25 years, Jama’at Ahlus-Sunnat also joined the Mushawarat. Further he practically took Mushawarat to Calcutta, Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhopal, Baroda, Hyderabad and other places by organizing meetings of the Mushawarat and public meetings (Ijlase-Aam) and launching mass contact programs to understand the issues and pulse of the community beside visiting various riot effected hot spots in UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
2023
Adv. Feroze Ahmad
Firoz Ahmad Advocate was born on 28th March 1963 in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. His father late M. Bashirul Haq was an eminent advocate of Dhanbad. Firoz Ahmad qualified B.Sc. from Aligarh Muslim University with First Class First, Gold Medal. Then he qualified LLB, DLL, DTL and PIL from Delhi University. He is a practicing Advocate in the Supreme Court of India since February 1991.
He has an excellent experience of conducting Labour, Civil and Criminal cases. This apart, he is engaged in several social activities. He is the member of Supreme Court Bar Association and High Court Bar Association. He is the National President of All India Momin Conference, Acting President of Bihar Association (Regd) Delhi and General Secretary of Human Solidatory Movement. He was invited as a Prime Minister’s Guest by late Shri Rajiv Gandhi and Smt. Sonia Gandhi in 1986 as being Gold Medallist and Topper of the Central University. He was also conferred with Jawaharlal Nehru Award and National Peace Award by Universal Peace Federation.
In the recent elections of Mushawarat, Mr. Feroze Ahmad got elected for the current term along with 25 members of its diverse national executive having representations from different states, women and prominent organizations in an electrified election.