Quick Facts
Biography
Syed Shahabuddin (born 1935) is an Indian politician from the town of Ranchi, in the Indian state of Jharkhand. He began as a diplomat working for the Indian Foreign Service, but later became a politician. He served three terms from 1979-1996 as a member of the Parliament of India. He is known for his involvement in the Shah Bano case and his opposition to the Demolition of Babri Masjid.
Career
Shahabuddin has served as a diplomat, an ambassador and a politician. During his time as a politician, Shahabuddin was the Joint Secretary in charge of South East Asia, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific in the Ministry of External Affairs.
He founded the Insaf Party in 1989 (dissolved in 1990 and later revived). He is known for his strong belief in the federal structure of India and his desire to see more people participating at every level of governance.
On 16 November 2012 he published an open letter to Narendra Modi regarding Muslim voters, amongst other things. He has often called for persistent action against corruption, nepotism and inefficiency, for democracy within political parties and for equitable distribution of national income and resources in order to provide a life of minimum dignity for all people.
Social work
He was involved with many Muslim institutions and organizations including the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, of which he was the President between 2004 and 2007.
Media
Shahabuddin edited the research monthly journal Muslim India between 1983 and 2002 and again from July 2006. He is a regular contributor to TV discussions relating to current affairs. He has written many articles about topics ranging from Pakistan to the status of Urdu for the Saudi Arabian newspaper Arab News.
Criticism
Shahabuddin has received criticism for his failure to bring major changes to his 'backward' constituency of Kishanganj. He has also received criticism for his open letter to Narendra Modi.
Biography
Syed Shahabuddin: Outstanding Voice of Muslim India was compiled by Mushtaque Madni and published by P.A. Inamdar. It was released on 21 April 2013.