A true secularist

Sir — In the passing away of noted Islamic scholar and social scientist Asghar Ali Engineer in Mumbai on Tuesday, after prolonged illness, the nation has lost a preacher of global peace and communal harmony. Though born in an orthodox Bohra priestly family, Engineer was a true secularist who worked assiduously all his life to promote peace and brotherhood among people of different faiths. He was an advocate of non-violence and communal harmony, for which he was feted and invited to lecture in prestigious forums across the world. 

Engineer was passionate about the ‘democratisation and accountability’ of the religious establishment, and campaigned strongly for equal rights for women in the Muslim milieu — a stand that earned him the ire of a segment of his community and resulted in several physical attacks on him. 

Despite the threat, Engineer soldiered on and authored more than 50 books and several articles highlighting his concerns on issues affecting humanity and religious amity. His death has certainly left a void among his many admirers and votaries of peace and communal harmony.