Tag Archives: Indian Muslim Woman

Muslim Students Shine Nationwide in 2025–26 Exams, Scaling New Academic Heights

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education - Gold Medallists, Toppers, Merits, Achievers (wef. June 12th, 2023), Leadership : IAS, IFS, IPS, IRS, IFoS, IAAS (incl.) all UPSC Services (wef. 18 June 2026), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

INDIA :

Photo Credit: The Hindu

A quiet but significant academic shift is unfolding across India, as Muslim students register notable successes in some of the country’s most competitive examinations. From civil services and national-level entrance tests to state and central board results, the 2025-26 academic year has emerged as a milestone, reflecting both individual perseverance and gradual systemic improvements in access to education.

One of the clearest indicators of this progress is visible in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination 2025 results. A total of 53 Muslim candidates successfully cleared the exam, the highest number in nearly a decade. Out of 958 successful candidates, this represents approximately 5.5%, marking a steady increase compared to previous years. While still below the community’s population share of 14-15%, the rise signals a growing presence in India’s administrative framework.

Several candidates secured top ranks, underscoring the depth of talent emerging from the community. A.R. Rajah Mohaideen secured Rank 7, placing him among the top 10 achievers, while Ifra Shams Ansari (Rank 24), Nabiya Parvez (Rank 29), and Hassan Khan (Rank 95) featured within the top 100. These achievements highlight a shift in a field historically marked by underrepresentation, offering new role models for aspiring civil servants.

Parallel success stories have emerged in engineering entrance examinations. Majid Mujahid Hussain from Madhya Pradesh secured an exceptional All India Rank 3 in JEE Advanced 2025, one of the most challenging engineering entrance exams globally. His accomplishment stands out not only for its academic merit but also for challenging the perception that top ranks are reserved for students from elite urban coaching ecosystems. Majid’s journey, built on disciplined self-study and determination, reflects a broader democratisation of opportunity in competitive education.

In the medical field, Muslim students have also demonstrated competitive strength. Umaid Khan from Maharashtra secured All India Rank 21 in NEET-UG 2025, contributing to the state’s strong overall performance. While comprehensive nationwide data on religious representation in NEET remains limited, individual achievements such as these point to increasing participation in high-stakes medical admissions.

At the school level, Muslim students have consistently excelled in both central and state board examinations. The CBSE Class 10 and 12 results for 2025 recorded an overall pass percentage of 88.39%, within which minority students have shown increasing competitiveness. Across states such as Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, and West Bengal, Muslim students have frequently appeared among district and state toppers, particularly in science and commerce streams.

Regional trends further underline the importance of educational ecosystems. Southern states like Kerala and Telangana, known for their robust literacy rates and institutional support, continue to produce high-performing Muslim students. In several districts, pass percentages among Muslim students have reportedly exceeded 85-90%, particularly where access to coaching and academic resources is more developed.

Among the standout individual stories this year is that of 15-year-old Syed Zaid Sadiq from Nashik, who topped JEE Main 2026 with an impressive percentile of 99.927. A Hafiz who has memorised the Qur’an, Zaid successfully balanced madrasa education with mainstream academic studies, scoring above 99% in both sessions of the examination. His achievement challenges common stereotypes surrounding religious education and highlights the potential for integrated learning approaches. He now aims to clear JEE Advanced and secure admission to an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

In Bihar, Sabreen Parveen emerged as a joint topper in the Class 10 board examinations, scoring 492 out of 500 (98.4%). A student from Vaishali district and the daughter of a tyre shop owner, Sabreen’s achievement exemplifies how determination and family support can overcome financial constraints. Aspiring to become a doctor, her success has inspired students in her community and beyond.

Equally inspiring is the story of Zainab Bilal from Srinagar, who scored 95% in her CBSE examinations despite being visually impaired. Relying on auditory learning, memory techniques, and assistive technology, she independently prepared for her exams. Her journey underscores the role of resilience and innovation in overcoming physical challenges, offering a powerful message about inclusivity in education.

From Jamia Millia Islamia schools, Md Fauzan topped JMI Class 10 2026 exams with 98.71%. Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Arham shared second place scoring 98.43%, from Syed Abid Hussain Senior Secondary School. Atiqua Zia and Ansari Zeenat Fatima secured third with 98.29%, representing Syed Abid Hussain Senior Secondary School and Jamia Girls Senior Secondary School.

Another noteworthy development is the increasing participation and success of Muslim women. In the UPSC 2025 results, 13 of the 53 successful Muslim candidates were women, indicating a positive shift toward gender inclusion. Notably, 38 students from Jamia Millia Islamia qualified UPSC this year thus setting example before all major universities. This trend also is mirrored in school-level examinations, where girls consistently outperform boys across communities. Initiatives encouraging girls’ education are also gaining momentum at the grassroots level.

In Rajasthan’s Sikar district, a unique initiative by philanthropist Adil Khan recognised the achievements of top-performing girls from government schools, irrespective of religion. Rewards included a car for one student and cash prizes of ₹1 lakh for others. The initiative not only celebrates academic excellence but also promotes awareness about the importance of girls’ education, particularly among underrepresented communities.

Experts attribute these encouraging trends to multiple factors. Increased awareness about the importance of education, greater parental support, and the expansion of coaching facilities into smaller towns have all contributed. Additionally, digital learning platforms and scholarship programs have made quality resources more accessible to students from economically weaker backgrounds.

Mentorship initiatives by non-governmental organisations and community groups have also played a critical role. By providing guidance for competitive exams such as UPSC, JEE, and NEET, these programmes have helped bridge long-standing gaps in access to information and preparation strategies.

However, challenges remain. Despite the visible progress, Muslim representation in elite institutions and services still lags behind proportional levels. Socio-economic barriers, disparities in school infrastructure, and limited awareness in certain regions continue to affect outcomes. Addressing these issues will require sustained policy efforts, community engagement, and investment in education at the grassroots level.

Educationists emphasise that the current momentum must be nurtured. “The improvement is real, but it needs continuity,” said one academic expert. “Access, affordability, and awareness are the three pillars that must be strengthened to ensure long-term change.”

The achievements of 2025-26 collectively tell a story of aspiration and gradual transformation. Whether it is a civil services aspirant securing a top rank, a student from a modest background topping a state board, or a visually impaired learner excelling against the odds, each success contributes to a larger narrative of empowerment.

As India continues to evolve as an educational hub, the rising performance of Muslim students reflects not only community progress but also the broader democratisation of opportunity. While the journey toward equitable representation is far from complete, the trajectory is unmistakably upward.

In classrooms, coaching centres, and homes across the country, a new generation of students is quietly rewriting expectations – one exam, one rank, and one success story at a time.

source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Education> Focus / by Mohd Naushad Khan / May 08th, 2026

Why We Felt the Need for a Muslim History Month

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , ,

DELHI :

At its core, Muslim History Month is about building an archive, one that reflects the richness and diversity of Muslim experiences across time, space and geography. For me, as an Indian Muslim woman, this work is inseparable from the present moment.

A calligraphic panel installation. Photo courtesy: Karim Jabbar

As an Indian Muslim woman, I had long felt the dissonance of being spoken about rather than being listened to as an equal. In my experience, even in spaces that claimed to centre Muslim issues, Muslim voices, especially those of women, are often sidelined. The authority to narrate our own histories has routinely been denied. This experience is not mine alone.

When I began conversations with my friend and colleague Dr Ashwini K.P., a Dalit woman human rights advocate, and now UN Special Rapporteur on Racism, we quickly recognised the parallels in our experiences. Caste and religion operate differently, but both structure exclusion in similar ways, by determining whose knowledge counts, whose histories are archived, and whose voices are amplified.

Muslim History Month, launched in 2020 by our co-founded organisation, Zariya, emerged from this shared understanding and we celebrate it during the month of Ramadan/Ramzan. It is a community-led initiative that creates space to document, explore, and celebrate the diverse histories, cultures, and contributions of Muslim communities across the world. Through essays, articles and storytelling, it seeks to reclaim narrative authority by centring Muslim voices and highlighting perspectives that are frequently overlooked or misrepresented in mainstream discourse. In recent years, Islamophobia in India has shifted from the margins to the mainstream. It is visible not only in policy debates or organised hate, but also in everyday language, media representation, and cultural production. The repetition of distorted narratives, whether through films like Kerala Story 2 or everyday hate crimes, begin to replace reality. Against this backdrop, the absence of self-represented Muslim narratives becomes more than a gap, it becomes a form of erasure.

Muslim History Month was an attempt to counter this, by shifting the focus from what is said about Muslims to what Muslims say about their own histories, cultures, and lives, globally. The idea of dedicating a month to Muslim histories was inspired by earlier initiatives like Black History Month and Dalit History Month, movements that have long demonstrated the importance of reclaiming histories from erasure and distortion. These efforts remind us that history is not neutral. It is shaped by power, by who gets to record, interpret, and disseminate it. Muslim History Month builds on this legacy by creating a platform where Muslims, alongside allies, reflect on the diversity and complexity of Muslim histories and cultural practices.

One of the most meaningful aspects of this journey has been witnessing how contributors engage with the platform, not just as writers, but as individuals seeking space to reflect. One of our contributors this year, Mai Zarkawi, a Palestinian jewellery designer and visual storyteller, tells me she was inspired to contribute to Muslim History Month because “it creates space to reflect on the depth and diversity of Muslim cultural practices, beyond dominant or simplified narratives.”

The urgency of this work is evident in the dedication of its contributors. Writing from Beirut, Islamic art historian Rima Barakat chose to participate despite being the middle of the ongoing conflict. She reflects that war compels cultural action, noting that, like artists in past world wars, creative expression becomes a way to endure, sustain community, and measure survival through artistic resilience.

Across its three editions, the initiative has evolved in both scope and depth. The first edition brought together reflections on everyday practices and overlooked communities, challenging narrow understandings of what constitutes “history.” Contributions from authors who identified as Pasmanda, Roma, Uyghur and Tsakhur all featured in this edition. The second focused on Muslim women whose contributions have been marginalised or forgotten, seeking to address the gendered erasures that shape historical memory, from Haleema Beevi to Fatima Al-Fihri.

The third edition, which is currently underway, turns to Muslim art and architecture, but in a way that deliberately expands these categories beyond monumental structures or common artistic traditions. Performative arts, art as a means to resistance, light calligraphy, geometry and varied Quranic scripts all form part of this series. Academics, experts and activists in this edition have written about subjects varying from Roghan Art and Islamic Geometry to the importance of Amulets and devotional performative traditions.

The three editions have had contributions from authors from over 15 countries. From Sudan, Egypt and Palestine to India, Nepal, Tunisia and Canada. This global participation is central to the project. Muslims are often treated as a monolithic group in public discourse. Muslim History Month actively resists this by foregrounding differences in language, culture, geography, and lived experience. In the age of AI and tools such as Chat GPT, referencing and footnoting form an important part of these pieces.

This initiative tries to disrupt the idea that history belongs only to grand events or celebrated figures alone. It insists that culture, whether in the form of calligraphy, craft, food, identity, ritual, or storytelling, is central to understanding how communities endure and evolve. For me, this work is inseparable from the present moment. It is shaped by the realities of Islamophobia globally, by the distortions of media and popular culture, and by the urgent need to create alternative spaces of knowledge and expression. But it is also shaped by hope, the belief that by telling our own stories, we can begin to shift how we are seen, understood, and remembered.

As Karim Jabbari, a world renowned Tunisian light and calligraphy artist tells us in his interview, for him, “Calligraphy is the anchor of our history. It is the way our ancestors transmitted knowledge into written form, and it is the link that keeps us grounded. If we understand it, stay faithful to it, and keep our connection with it alive, we are essentially maintaining a living connection with our own history.’

At its core, Muslim History Month is about building an archive, one that reflects the richness and diversity of Muslim experiences across time, space and geography. For me, as an Indian Muslim woman, this work is inseparable from the present moment. It is shaped by the urgency of ensuring that future generations inherit something more than stereotypes about Muslims. We are more than the vengeful, violent, anti national beasts that we are shown to be by the media.

Because beyond the noise of headlines and the weight of propaganda, there exists another set of stories that need to be documented and preserved and this is a humble attempt towards this direction.

Mariya Salim is co-founder of Zariya. She is a human rights activist and an international sexual- and gender-based violence expert based in Delhi.

source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> LiveWire / by Mariya Salim / March 19th, 2026