Aliah University of Kolkata: What’s in a Name?
By S. Arshad, NewAgeIslam.com
The issue of determining the name and character of Aliah University of Kolkata has become a major issue for the Muslims of the state and has turned into a political issue for the Mamata Banerjee government.
Madrasa Aliah which was formerly known as Calcuttea Madrasa is one of the oldest educational institutions of India which was founded by the then Governor General of India Warren Hastings in 1780. It was virtually rendered non-existent by the Separation Council in 1947 which recommended that all the moveable property should be shifted to Dacca Madrasa. However, on the request of the intellectuals and the general Muslims of Bengal, the first Education Minister of India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad took initiative to reopen it on April 4, 1949. Since then it has been a centre of theological education in Calcutta.
In 1985, Shri Uma Shankar Dikshit, the then Governor of West Bengal, in his inaugural speech at a belated Bicentenary function of Calcutta Madrasah, proposed that Calcutta Madrasah should be treated as an educational institution of national importance and be upgraded to a University.
During this period, a campaign had been started against madrasas branding them centres of obscurantism, fundamentalism and terrorism. Therefore, reforms and modernization of the Madrasa system was envisaged by the central government. The West Bengal government decided to upgrade Madrasa Aliah into a university. In 2007, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed the Aliah University Act XXVII of 2007 turning it into a university and conferring on it the status of a minority institution. The word Madrasa was omitted from the name.
However, there was a hue and cry among the Muslims of the state who felt that the government violated the character of the oldest educational institution of the Muslims. They were of the opinion that if the government was so interested in the educational development of the Muslims, it could have established another university of the minorities in the state without closing an already running madrasa.
The Madrasa students have since been running a campaign demanding the reinstatement of the Madrasa while pro-university lobby is in favour of a university.
Before coming to power Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee had promised that if she came to power she would retain the word Madrasa in the name of Aliah University. So when on December 15, she laid the foundation stone of the new campus of Aliah University in Rajarhat in the suburbs of Kolkata, the Madrasa students were shocked to see the word Madrasa omitted from the name. They started slogan shouting. Taha Siddiquee, the Pirzada of Furfura Sharif who is also close to Mamata Banerjee protested saying that those who were opposing the Madrasa were the enemies of Sharia and the Muslims and were dalals of the Left Front. A verbal fight ensued between the anti-Madrasa and pro-Madrasa lobbies. Finally, Mamata Banerjee pacified the two camps saying that a committee of four personalities – Maulana Nurur Rehman Barkati, Taha Siddiquee, MLA H.A. Safwi and Haji Sheikh Nurul Islam will decide as to what should be the name of the University. Mamata Banerjee had hinted that the word M might be placed in brackets in the name of Aliah University. The word could mean Muslim, Madrasa or even Mumtaz. She also said that there was the word Muslim in Aligarh Muslim University.
The four political and religious personalities will meet after the winter session of the state assembly but the general Muslims of the state are keeping their fingers crossed. While the Madrasa students do not want to lose their Madrasa, the students who are pursuing professional courses in the university do not want the word Madrasa on their certificates as they might face discrimination in the outside world as their certificates would be considered awarded from a madrasa.
When contacted one of the committee members, Maulana Barkati said that they had not discussed the issue yet and whatever is decided in the meeting will be conveyed to the Chief Minister. Asked what his personal opinion was on this issue, he said, "I feel that the main campus of Madrasah Aliah should remain as the Madrasa as it was before the legislation and the campus to be built at Rajarhat should be developed as Aliah University. In this way, the character of Madrasah Aliah can be retained and a university can also be established for the modern education for the minority community. Since the Aliah University Act 2007 has conferred the minority status to the institution, it can be named Aliah Muslim University. If it is done, it will be a remarkable contribution of Mamata Banerjee towards the development of the minority community of the state." He further said, "70% of Muslims I spoke to on this issue wanted this arrangement as Muslims have an emotional attachment to Madrasa Aliah and it has become an identity issue for them".
However, this can be possible when all the four members of the committee recommend to the Chief Minister the retention of Madrasa Aliah main campus as Madrasa and establishing a university in Rajarhat. When MLA H.A. Safwi was contacted for comments, he said that they would meet after the assembly session was over. Asked what his personal opinion was he declined to comment. However, it was learnt that some supporters of Mr. Safwi were visiting the other three members and trying to convince them that they should speak in favour of merger of Madrasa and university. Haji Nurul Islam is learnt to be in favour of the Madrasa and university being run independently. Taha Siddiquee also does not want Madrasa to be done away with.
Maulana Barkati also said that if the word Madrasah was attached with the university, it would pose problems for the graduates of this university as the certificates issued from this university would be considered awarded from a Madrasa. That's why the university should be separate from Madrasa. He also cited complaints from Madrasa students who said that in railway examinations, they faced discrimination as their Fazil and Kamil certificates were rejected while the school final certificates from general schools were accepted. Taha Siddiquee and Haji Nurul Islam could not be contacted for comments. The V-C of Madrasa Aliah University Mr. Shamsul Alam said he could not say anything in this regard since the Chief Minister was herself dealing with the issue. He would accept whatever decision she takes, he said.
However, renowned journalist and columnist Syed Ali does not seem to be happy with the happenings involving the Aliah University. He said that the issue had become very complicated and we should not complicate it further. "What should bother is whether it remains a Madrasa or becomes a university, the institution should run efficiently. The students should get quality education." However, he said that if the character of Madrasa Aliah could be reinstated it would be better as it was an old institution and had its own significance. It was a part of our rich cultural heritage. If the government wanted to establish a university for the educational development of the minority community, it could establish it without disturbing the Madrasa, he said.
However, when the Madrasa is separated from the university, the Madrasah Aliah should not be ignored both in terms of funds and administration. The government should make it sure that Madrasah Aliah gets modernized and upgraded to ensure quality education there so that the students graduating from the Madrasa can contribute to the development of the society by pursuing their careers on professional levels.
On the other hand he said that the committee of the four persons that Mamata Banerjee had formed was not a committee of the general Muslims. It was a committee of the people associated with Mamata Banerjee's party and could not be considered the representative of the general Muslims. If Mamata Banerjee wanted to know the views of the general Muslims she should have roped in intellectuals, litterateurs and scholars who were the true representatives of the community. The people the Chief Minister had selected had nothing to do with education or learning, he said.
All said and done, the matter of the Aliah University is a sensitive issue from the point of view of the Muslims and should be handled with sensitivity. The issue was made complicated by the previous government and Mamata Banerjee can rectify the wrongs of the Left Front government who was not sincere in its endeavours involving Muslims. The Madrasa students do not want to lose Madrasa Aliah whereas the students pursuing professional courses in the university do not want the word Madrasa on their certificates. That's natural. But the government should keep the sentiments and aspirations of both the groups. Mamata Banerjee will do well to reinstate Madrasa Aliah in its main campus beside The Muslim Institute respecting the sentiments of 70% Muslims while establishing the Aliah Muslim University at Rajarhat. That seems to be a viable solution for this issue.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-culture/aliah-university-kolkata-what’s-name/d/6254