The initiative can be described as the first step towards empowering a neglected, downtrodden, opportunity-less, marginalised and unorganised community of the region.
One of the salient characteristics of the Muslim community of this country in general and rural areas in particular is the lack of information and awareness. Realising this fact, the Creative Foundation, which came into existence 10 years ago, recently put forward a step to establish an information-sharing unit, maintaining constant internet link with all the members of Muslim community of Dakshina Kannada district through Masjid bodies.
The IEC which can be rightly called as the brain child of Creative Foundation is committed to maintain constant contact with all e-jama'aths of the district. Further, it will always keep a track on all the development schemes and programmes of both the state and central governments and provide information to all the e-jama'aths of the district via internet.
According to Anwar Sadath, the president of Creative Foundation, his organisation is striving hard to declare the entire district as e-jama'ath zone by the end of 2015, so that the data of each Muslim individual can be accumulated and reviewed by an accountable and responsible centre.
An e-jama'ath would collect the data of each and every individual who comes under its jurisdiction, feed them into the computer and share them with the IEC. How many homes and families are there in a particular jama'ath? Who is the head of a particular family? How many male and female members are there in a family? What are their qualifications and abilities? How many of them are employed and what kind of job are they doing? How many are graduates and how many of them are unemployed? Are they beneficiaries of the development schemes and programmes of government meant for minorities? How many of them own a house and how many families are leading their lives as tenants? If a particular family owns a house, does it have proper records and documents? Whether all the members of above 18 year age posses voter identity card or not? How many of them are pan card holders? ...all these details would be updated by an e-jama'ath.
The IEC would peruse all these details and guide the jama'ath to overcome its shortcomings and problems. It also would inform and explain the members of the jama'ath in time about the new development schemes of the government and guide them how to derive benefits from them.
“The work-sphere of a governing body of a jama'ath should not be confined to the development of mosque and madrasa buildings. It should exert all its efforts for the cause of overall progress of the community”, says Sadath.
In order to make community members realise their responsibilities, Sadath says, his foundation will organise education guidance camps, information camps, and the like, to explain about the community development plans of the state and union government.
Creative foundation believes that the jama'ath of a Masjid is the right place for the sharing of information. And, if a jama'ath becomes an e-jama'ath, it can easily share all the information through internet.
Currently three independent jama'aths of the district, namely Muhiyuddeen Jama'ath of Idya, Shekhmaley Jama'ath of Puttur and Bolar Jama'ath of Mangalore have been declared as e-jama'aths. These 3 jama'aths have already been provided with computers and internet facility and the preparations for data compilation have also begun. The imams of the mosques and office bearers of the jama'ath are being trained to handle the information sharing system.
K P Sadiq, the Vice-President of Shekhmale jama'ath says that there are more than 700 members residing over 90 homes, which come under the jurisdiction of his jama'ath. The jama'ath is planning to set up a team to collect the data from the members and feed it into the computer. The imam of the mosque also appears to be enthusiastic about the plan.
The Muhiyuddeen jama'ath of Idya, near Suratkal has more than 900 homes under its limits. It has two computers presently, which can be used for multipurpose activities such as data storage, information sharing and training of the madrasa students. Abdul Azeez, the secretary of the jama'ath says that the concept of e-jama'ath has stimulated many people. According to him, the jama'ath will be able to pile up all the expected details from the members within 4 months.
The Bolar Muslim jama'ath has over 600 homes in its limits. Haneef Haji, the secretary of the jama'ath says that the governing body of the mosque is currently discussing the finalization of the framework to launch a data collection campaign.
With the aim of bringing the entire Muslim community onto the platform of e-jama'ath, the Creative Foundation is eager to declare at least 100 mosque-bodies as e-jama'aths in the next few months.
“Lack of creativity and information is one of the main reasons for the backwardness of this community. It is our responsibility to awaken it. If everything goes according to the plan, we hope e-jama'ath would change the picture of this community,” says an office bearer of IEC. Meanwhile, several Muslim organisations of the region such as Jamiyathul Falah and Talent Research Foundation have come forward to encourage IEC.
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