Dr Muhammad Manzoor Alam, an internationally known scholar and activist, passed away in Delhi on Tuesday, January 13, morning. Alam was a visionary scholar, global thinker, mentor, and a tireless advocate for education, social justice and the empowerment of marginalised communities, said his friend and associate.
His loss is deeply felt across academic, social and religious circles in India and internationally, said Shaikh Nizamuddin, Assistant General Secretary, All India Milli Council.
Alam was born on October 9, 1945, in Bihar, to M Abdul Jaleel. He earned his PhD in Economics from Aligarh Muslim University, where he developed a profound interest in Islamic social sciences, economic reform and the advancement of knowledge for societal transformation.
Nizamuddin said Alam’s career spanned multiple countries and institutions. He served as Economic Advisor at the Ministry of Finance, Saudi Arabia, associate professor of Islamic Economics at Imam Muhammad Bin Saud University, Riyadh; chief coordinator for the translation of the quran at the King Fahd Printing Complex, Madinah, and chief representative of India at the International Islamic University, Malaysia. He was also an active member of the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
He also held leadership and advisory positions in numerous organisations such as the Institute of Objective Studies (founder and chairman), All-India Milli Council (general secretary), Muslim Social Sciences Association (president), Fiqh Academy, Indian Association of Muslim Social Scientists and Indo-Arab Economic Cooperation Forum.
In 1986, Alam founded the Institute of Objective Studies (IOS) in New Delhi with the vision of creating a research-based think tank for the intellectual and social empowerment of Indian Muslims and other marginalised communities. Under his leadership, IOS became a hub for academic research, policy analysis, interfaith dialogue and advocacy for minority rights. The institute has published numerous research volumes, organised international conferences and nurtured generations of scholars under its mentorship.
