Happy with a baby girl. floor
He says that he does not have any problem in paying the annual fee of Rs 2.55 lakh, rather he likes it. He said that if he had two children, he would not have been able to send them to such a big school. He said, ‘Having a child allows us to focus completely on him. They give him good training as well as many other facilities. There are many advantages of having a child. A feeling like Talha is gaining momentum in the Muslim families of India.
A rumor has spread among Muslims that family planning is not allowed in Islam. It is our responsibility to spread milk and water on these rumours. We ran awareness programs, appealed to people, talked about Sharia’s injunctions on such issues.
Maulana Khalid Rasheed, Imam, Lucknow Idgah
success of population control programs
News agency Reuters spoke to six Muslim men and women, as well as Muslim leaders, Islam experts and population experts. Everyone agreed that the consciousness of family planning and population control has arisen among the Muslims of India. Muslims have the second largest population in India with a share of 14.2 percent. However, population control programs have also been carried out in the country for decades. Even then reaching the verge of becoming the world’s most populous country can be called a failure of these programs, but on the other hand it can be considered as their success to create an understanding among Muslims to have a small family. Experts also say that population control programs proved effective to a great extent in India. Because of this population stability has come here.
Fertility rate is declining among Muslims.
The increasing trend of keeping small families among Muslims was also reflected in the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS). According to the survey, the birth rate among Muslims has been continuously decreasing in the last 15 years. Survey data shows that in 2005-06, each Muslim woman used to give birth to an average of 3.4 children. This figure has come down to 2.6 in 2015-16 and further to 2.4 in 2019-21. However, the fertility rate of Muslim women is still higher than that of any other community in India. The good thing is that the decline in the child birth rate among Muslims is also sharp. In 1992-93, an average of 4.4 children were born per Muslim woman.
Having a child allows us to keep our full attention on him. They give him good training as well as many other facilities. There are many advantages to having a child.
Syed Mohammad Talha
Muslim religious leaders are also playing a role
Even better thing is that the torch of awareness among Muslims about population control is being lit by their religious leaders. Maulana Khalid Rasheed, Imam of the Lucknow Idgah, says, “A rumor has spread among Muslims that family planning is not allowed in Islam.” They say that Shariat talks about family planning. He said, ‘It is our responsibility to do milk with milk and water with water on these rumours. We ran awareness programmes, appealed to the people, talked about Shariat’s orders on such issues.
The mood of the Muslim community is changing
However, experts consider these efforts insufficient. He says that there is still a great lack of awareness among the poor Muslims. Government health workers in Bihar have been given the responsibility for this. He talks to local Muslim leaders in mosques and appeals for their help in raising awareness about population control. However, the results are not encouraging. Ahmed Daikundh, the keeper of the Al Azhar mosque in Kishanganj, says, ‘Islam talks about the complete family and it is up to the people how many children they want.’ The fertility rate is high in the Muslim families of the area. By the way, Daikundh says that people of his generation are giving birth to fewer children than before. He says, ‘We are seven brothers and sisters, but each of us has only four children.’
Shahid Parvez has a wealthy family in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. Shahid has six siblings. But he has only two sons and one daughter. They say that their children have attained higher education. 65-year-old Shahid’s daughter Munija is a teacher in Delhi. They are married, but are not planning to have a child immediately. She says, ‘We want to live a little for ourselves too.’