Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer (1939-2013) was a renowned scholar of Islam and a human rights activist. His work and writings touched the lives of many and reflected his commitment to peace, secularism, religious pluralism and democracy. He was the founding Chairperson of the Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS).
The Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to a person/organization who/which has contributed in a sustained and substantial manner to promote the causes that are dear to Dr. Engineer and encouraged others to take up similar work for a just and peaceful society.
The award has been instituted jointly by
- Central Board of Dawoodi Bohra Community (CBDBC)
- Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS)
- Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS)
- Bohra Youth Sansthan (BYS)
Eligibility criteria
Members of civil society are invited to send proposals nominating outstanding individuals or organizations who have worked in one or more of the following areas:
- Liberal and progressive reforms within any religious community.
- Scholarship on liberal Islam or Liberation Theology in Islam
- Rights of women in Islam and other religions.
- Communal harmony and peaceful co-existence
The work of the nominees in any of the specified areas should be in reference to India and should not be in conflict or contradiction with the other areas specified. There is no age bar.
Anyone, except the Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award Jury and Screening Committee, can nominate any individual or organization except their own close relatives or the organizations they are closely associated with. The steering committee reserve the right to refuse clearly unsuitable proposals.
The Prize
The recipient of the Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented with a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a citation at a formal ceremony.
Procedure for sending proposals with nomination
- The proposal should be sent in the prescribed format, with the nomination and supporting information about the nominee.
- The last date for sending proposals is 31st July 2024
- The nomination should be sent electronically to csss.mumbai@gmail.com
- The nominations will be examined by a screening committee and a short list sent to the jury of eminent scholars, activists and writers on issues of communal harmony and religious reforms.
- The decision of the jury will be final and binding.
Format for proposal
Required from the proposer
- The proposer should know the nominee well and should be familiar with their works and contributions.
- A proposer can nominate only one person/organization in one year and cannot repeat the same nominee in subsequent years.
- The proposal of nomination shall have the following details:
- Full address, email and phone numbers of proposer and nominee
- The nature and length of relationship between proposer and nominee
- The proposer’s expertise relevant to the proposal mentioning his/her occupation
- A brief summary (no more than 200 words) of the nominee’s work and contribution. This will be the first information our jury receives about the nominee
- A statement setting out in detail the reasons for the proposal and the nominee’s special qualifications for this award.
Required from the nominee
The following information is required from the nominee, who may submit it jointly with the proposer. If not, the Award committee may request the nominee to submit this information after the Committee has received a valid proposal:
- Biographical details- Name, birthday, place of residence
- address, email and phone number of the nominee
- A short account of the nominee’s/organisation’s work, including duration of relevant activities, number of staff and volunteers.
- In case written material by the nominee is sent, please send no more than two publications or audio-visual matter.
For organisations,
- Written material produced by or on the organization. Materials submitted cannot be returned.
- Information about the financial situation of the organization: Indicate your current budget and include copies of your most recent financial statements (balance sheet, profit and loss statement and auditor’s statement) preferably for the last three years.
- Details of sources of financial support like donors, project funds and other sources from which funding has been received in the past three years.