Acclaimed economist, Islamic thinker Najatuallah Siddiqi passes away at 91

News Network

November 12, 2022

Internationally acclaimed economist, Islamic thinker and winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies, Mohammad Najatuallah Siddiqi passed away at United States. He was 91.

Born in India in 1931, he was educated at Aligarh Muslim University as well as Rampur and Azamgarh. He served as associate professor of economics and professor of Islamic studies at the Aligarh Muslim University and as professor of economics at the King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in its Center for Research in Islamic Economics. He later became a Fellow at the Center for Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and after that a visiting scholar at the Islamic Research & Training Institute, Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah.

He was a prolific writer in Urdu and English. According to WorldCat, he has 63 works in 177 publications in 5 languages and 1,301 library holdings. Several of his works have been translated into Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, etc. Perhaps his most widely read book is Banking without interest which was published in 27 editions between 1973 and 2000 in 3 languages and is held by 220 libraries worldwide.

During his long academic career, he has supervised a number of Ph.D. theses in the universities in India, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. Till the end he continued to be associated with a number of academic journals as editor or advisor. He had served on numerous committees and participated in many conferences in various parts of the world. He was a very helpful for all and shared his valuable knowledge in the society.

Siddiqi was also a former Central Advisory Council member of Jamat-e-Islami Hind. He was also a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Management Studies, Aligarh Muslim University, India.

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From malls to highways, Kannada signboards to be enforced in Dakshina Kannada

News Network

February 4,2026

Mangaluru: Urban local bodies and gram panchayats should make the use of Kannada on signboards mandatory while issuing trade licences to commercial establishments, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Darshan HV said. He also called for regular inspections to ensure compliance.

Presiding over the District Kannada Awareness Committee meeting at the deputy commissioner’s office, Darshan said the city corporation would be directed to ensure that shops operating in malls prominently display their names in Kannada. “All commercial establishments, including shops, companies, offices and hotels, must mandatorily display their names in Kannada on signboards,” he said.

The deputy commissioner added that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would be instructed to include Kannada on signboards along national highways. Banks, he said, would be directed through committee meetings to provide application forms in Kannada.

“Even if English-medium schools and colleges impart education in English, their signboards must display the institution’s name in Kannada. Steps will also be taken to ensure that private buses display place names in Kannada,” Darshan said.

During the meeting, committee members raised concerns over the closure of Kannada-medium schools in rural areas due to a shortage of teachers and stressed the need for immediate corrective measures. They also pointed out that several industries employ workers from other states while overlooking local candidates.

Members further demanded that nationalised banks provide deposit and withdrawal slips in Kannada. It was brought to the deputy commissioner’s notice that the presence of staff without knowledge of Kannada in rural branches of nationalised banks is causing hardship to local customers.

Meanwhile, MP Srinath, president of the District Kannada Sahitya Parishat, urged the district administration to allot land for the construction of a district Kannada Bhavana in Mangaluru.

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