Asghar Ali Engineer, head of Mumbai’s Centre for Study of Society and Secularism:
“This small number of fanatical clerics is taking their followers back to the times of barbarianism. Taking a life has absolutely no justification,” he added.”
Asghar Engineer (yes, that’s his name) is partly right, the clerics he’s talking about are taking their followers back to times of barbarism, which means to the time of their prophet, and in accordance with traditional (and roundly approved) Islamic teaching. Engineer’s views, no matter how noble, are in the minority, which makes him an endangered species. KGS
The surname "Engineer" is unusual but not unique. There is the professional cricketer and commentator Farokh Engineer. He's of Parsi background and played for Mumbai and Lancashire as well as appearing for India in 46 test matches.
The surname was also used in mediaeval Britain. In discussing the etymology of surnames in his The "Dictionary of British Surnames" by P.H. Reaney refers to names Richard Lengignur (1191), William Enginur 1202) and Robert le enguigniur (1221) which indicate a derivation from Old French "engigneor" or "enginior", a maker of military machines or engines of war.
Reaney lists modern variants of the name, contracted and corrupted through long usage, as Jenner, Jenoure, Genner, Genower and Ginner.
For more information see:
//www.leopardmag.co.uk/feats/62/how-junner-the-engineer-got-his-name
Do not go by his statement.
I have seen him making statements saying the organizations like Jamaat-e-Islami and Deobandi are secular and democratic.
By the way, it is ideology of Deobandi that has created Taliban.
This gentleman keeps on making such liberal statements. But I believe that he is one supremacist.