"I will never forget him”

It was in mid 80’s, I came to know Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer thorough my good friend Siddhartha from Bangalore. I wrote a letter to him to attend an Interfaith Consultation on Development and Peace in Bangkok and received a quick response. He spoke at the consultation and made significant contribution and impact. Since then we stayed in touch. Since 1990, Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, as a convener and Chairman of AMAN, lead us through his distinguished wisdom, non-compromising values and his unrelenting devotion to his fellow human beings. He participated in every important meeting, training session and Assembly that AMAN had organized despite his health and age, without expecting any reward since he never accepted any remuneration besides the cost of travel.

His speech always starts soft, where he had to clear his voice initially a few times. Deeper into his speech, his voice would become louder and his commanding explanations would keep the audience in pin drop silence. He always spoke straight to the point without any hesitation. He never hesitated to speak out against hypocrisy and double standards of Western leaders and their addiction to wars. Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer was an advocate of nonviolence forms of struggle for social change. His emphasis had always been nonviolence in relating with human beings and the nature.

In regards to AMAN, his major concerns were to engage young generation and women. His worry was that funding agencies of the Muslim world confined themselves more to relief works and less in critical education, leadership building and networking. Therefore, being a networking organization AMAN has to struggle to finds its way. Every Assembly and the Council Meeting, I expressed my desire to take back seat and give my position to another younger person. He always rejected my idea, not because he lacked confidence in new leadership, but was worried that in this financially empty house, many talented people who will not come? I remain grateful to him for his trust and confidence in me.  I am sure new leadership will emerge and take AMAN to new heights. His departed soul will be in peace if AMAN remains true to its founding principles of fostering peace and justice and championing women and human rights.

-M. Abdus Sabur