By S.
Arshad, New Age Islam
05
September 2020
Madrasas
are the institutions of religious learning in the Muslim world. In the context
of Indian Sub-continent, we see that a parallel education system called Madrasa
education system runs along the modern or secular education system regulated
and funded by the government. In the early Islamic era when the English or
Western education system did not exist in the orient, Madrasa were the seats of
holistic education where sciences were also taught along with Quran, Hadith and
Fiqh.
Introduction
of residential schools for children of Muslim minorities in particular and
minorities in general has resulted in a drastic change in the education
priorities of poor and lower middle-class Muslim families.
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Thanks to
this, the Islamic education system produced many scientists in almost every
field of knowledge. But after the emergence of the British empire, the English
or modern education system was seen by the Islamic world as an attack on
Islamic culture. Since the main thrust of the western education system was on
science and technology, the Muslims mistakenly regarded scientific knowledge as
atheistic and anathema to Islam. Therefore, gradually, madrasas removed
sciences from their curriculum and finally became the centres of religious
learning.
Through the
Madrasa Programme, the Tata Trusts have engaged with educational organisations
working in areas with large Muslim populations
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In India,
the first Madrasa is said to have been established in Ajmer in 1210. After
that, Madrasas were established in Budaun and Delhi. In those days’ madrasas
were run in mosques or in private houses. For example, Shah Waliullah's father
ran a Madrasa in his house. When Shah Waliullah came back from Hijaz, Mohammad
Shah Rangila presented an abandoned Haweli for his Madrasa. Initially in these
Madrasas too, natural science, poetry and mathematics was taught along with
Logic, Grammar, Literature, Fiqh, Tafsir, Seerat, Sufism and religious
philosophy. But during the 15th century, 'acquired knowledge (Sciences) was
removed from the syllabus of the madrasas. Thence, they became pure Islamic
madrasas.
In India
after the British occupation, initially, the British government patronised both
Madrasas and Sanskrit schools called Tol. They even established Madrasa Aliah
in Calcutta in 1781 to win the confidence of the Muslims. In this Madrasa,
English, Logic and Philosophy were compulsory subjects along with Islamic Studies.
Many madrasas
also have girl students. In this photo, girl students busy in Chemistry
practical session at Madrasa Aisha Siddiqua Mansoora Malegaon. (Photo:
ummid.com
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But when
Lord Macaulay presented his theory of westernisation of the Indian culture,
Muslims became alert. Lord Macaulay had written:
"We
are going to introduce an education policy of ours. After getting educated
under this policy, though they will remain Indian in colour and caste, they
shall be considered a British in culture, civilisation and custom".
After this,
the British government discouraged Madrasa system and promoted modern secular
education system with emphasis on science and technology. This inspired Sir
Syed Ahmad Khan in 1864 to establish AMU where the Muslims could acquire modern
education without being influenced by the western culture. This created a
reaction among the Muslims that Sir Syed was leading Muslims towards western
culture through English education which would lead Muslims towards moral
degradation and towards kufr.
Therefore,
to save the Muslims of India from the English education of Sir Syed, Maulana
Qasim Nanautawi established Darul Uloom Deoband just after three years in 1867.
English was barred from the syllabus of Darul Uloom and Philosophy was accorded
less importance. Gradually, Darul Uloom Deoband became a centre of Islamic
learning and thousands of madrasas in the present-day India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh were affiliated to it.
However,
after the Independence, the three countries adopted a dual education policy.
One, Madrasa education system where only religious education was imparted and
the other was the modern or secular education system imparted in schools funded
and regulated by the government. This is where the confusion lies.
Modern
madrasa-cum-schools in UP combine Quran with computers/ Photo redit Nitin
Sharma
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India is a
Hindu majority country and the presence of madrasas has found some
justification in the fact that the government run schools do not impart
religious education which is mandatory for Muslims. But that madrasas have
existed and flourished in Islamic countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh
underlines the confusion of the policymakers of these two countries. In
Pakistan, madrasas affiliated to Deoband and Bareilly schools of thought exist
though in government schools there, Islamic education is compulsory till the
12th grade. From graduate level many colleges and universities have faculties
for Islamic studies. Recently, the government of Punjab has made it mandatory
for Muslim college students to learn the Quran with Urdu translation.
Therefore,
Muslim students will have to pass the paper on Quran to get the degree. Apart
from that, a number of private Islamic universities are running in Pakistan
where Islamic Studies is offered for MA and doctoral programs. Now the question
arises: When Islamic studies are mandatory from grade 1 to the graduate level,
what is the relevance and justification of the parallel education system of
madrasas in Pakistan.
In Bangladesh,
the situation is more confusing. Here three education systems run parallel. One
is the general or secular schools funded and regulated by the government. Two,
the Alia Madrasas on the lines of Madrasa Alia of Calcutta. Three, Qaumi
madrasas which are not regulated or funded by the government and run on
donations. They are not regulated by the government and their degrees are not
recognised. Most of the cases of sexual abuse, physical torture and corruption
are reported from these Qaumi madrasas. These madrasas follow the syllabus of
Deoband and do not give importance to sciences. Alia madrasas include sciences,
arts and philosophy in its syllabus.
In
Bangladesh too, a number of government run universities offer Islamic Studies.
Apart from them, a number of Islamic universities are functioning.
In 1977,
the world conference on Islamic education was held in Makkah. One of the
recommendations unanimously made in the conference was to introduce an
integrated and unified Islamic education policy for the whole Muslim world
replacing the existing dual education system and to put emphasis on science and
technology. From 1977 to 1990, similar world conferences on Islamic education
were held in Dhaka, Islamabad, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Cape Town, Cairo and
Khartoum. But as we see today, nothing has been done towards the formation of a
unified and integrated education policy at least in Bangladesh, India and
Pakistan.
The reasons
for this are many. But the main reason is the sectarian differences among the
Muslim religious leadership. The madrasas are affiliated to different schools
of religious thought. The differences are so intense that every sect considers
all the others Kafir and each sect promotes and propagates its ideology among
its students and followers.
The second
reason is that integration of the education policy will end the power of the
Ulema and they will lose their status as the leader of their respective sects
and the financial bounties these madrasas offer them. When the madrasas are
merged with the mainstream schools and the subjects taught in madrasas are also
offered in schools and colleges, they will have to qualify in the exams as
teachers and will have to conform to the rules and regulations. Therefore, they
will lose the status, financial gains and authority they enjoy now.
With the
withering away of madrasas, the radicalisation of Muslim youth will stop as
they will follow a national syllabus. The Madrasa in Bangladesh and Pakistan
have been hotbeds of extremism and terrorism because they have their own
syllabus which is based on radical ideology. Some Madrasas of Pakistan are
called hotbed of terrorism or the University of jihad because they openly teach
and preach extremism and militantism.
For
example, Darul Uloom Haqqania, Pakistan is called the University of jihad while
Jamia Uloom Islamia is described as the "fountainhead of Deobandi
militancy" because they have given birth to terrorist organisations like
Harkat ul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Sipah-e-Sahaba. Taliban derives its
name from the Persian word Taliban meaning students (of Madrasa). Madrasas
along the Afghanistan border are particularly the seat of militantism.
This is why
unified and integrated education policy could not be formed and implemented in
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Madrasa lobby will never agree on the
merger of madrasas with the mainstream education system because their
political, social and economic interests are protected by madrasas. Until a
unified education system is implemented in these countries, the exploitation of
our youth will continue and the Muslim world will continue to suffer the
scourge of extremism and terrorism.
Related Articles:
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/madrasas-exist-along-with-modern/d/122799
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