Urging Muslim women UPSC aspirants to take inspiration from her, Jameel Fathima Zeba, the first Muslim woman from Telangana to crack the examinations, on Friday said that it shouldn't take time for others to secure an equally good rank in the test.

Speaking at a felicitation organised by the State Minorities Welfare Department, Zeba who secured 62nd in the examinations, urged aspirants to not give up, work hard and to have the patience for faring well in the examinations.

Recounting an incident from her time preparing the test, Zeba said, "I was not at all prepared for the tests on the optional subjects. Those tests were on the last day of the examinations and I hadn't slept the previous day. I could have given up, but I chose not to."

"On Friday morning, when I received the mark sheet of the exams, I saw that I fared very well in those subjects and in all probability scored the most nationally," Zeba said after being presented with bouquets and shawls from well-wishers and prominent personalities, which include A K Khan, retired IPS officer and an advisor to the State government.

Khan underlined the importance of the education of women among Muslims. He said, "This community has to send the message that though education for everyone is important, the importance of a girl's education is a little more than that."

Reiterating the same point, Shahnawaz Qasim, an IPS officer and director of Minorities Welfare Department, said, "If you want to see Muslims success, educate women. There's no substitute for education."

Also present in the event were M A Waheed, IFS (retd.), Syed Israr Ahmed, Zeba's father and other personalities.