How Madrasas Obliterate Muslim Educational Futures
By
Arshad Alam, New Age Islam
14 February
2022
The Community
Needs To Decide If Their Children Should Continue To Be Indoctrinated Into A
Medievalist Mindset
Main
Points:
1. Madrasas
have been exempted from the Right to Education Act, 2009.
2. This means
that Muslim children studying therein cannot demand an age-appropriate
education.
3. Muslims are
the only community where nearly 10% children are not studying any modern
subject.
4. Blaming
various governments for its educational ills does not serve any purpose.
----
On February
11th, the top court of the country refused to listen to a petition which prayed
that madrasas and Vedic schools be brought within the ambit of the Right to
Education Act. The prayer specifically mentioned that children studying in
these institutions are being denied education as conceptualized in the RTE and
hence it was a violation of their fundamental rights. It is worth nothing that
the RTE Act 2009 made age specific education a fundamental right but through
amendments made in 2012, madrasas and other religious institutions were
exempted from this provision. The SC argued that since there was clear
exemption, they were not in favour of entertaining the plea. This attitude of
the top court is perplexing to say the least as the issue involves the
fundamental rights of millions of children.
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It is
certainly true that the exemption is not just for Muslim religious institutions
like the madrasa but also for Vedic schools and other minority educational
institutions. However, as this writer has pointed out earlier, the situation of
madrasas cannot be compared to educational institutions of other religious
minorities. Ranging from the Arya Samajis to Christian missionaries, all have
established their network of schools but it is important to understand that
they do not deny modern education to the children studying in such schools. The
situation of madrasas is completely different. Here, except in the
government-controlled madrasas, there is no modern education that is being
taught to students. Madrasas that are controlled by religious organizations
like the Deoband affiliated Jamiat e Ulama do not teach any contemporary
subject to its vast numbers of students. What we need to understand is that the
students within such madrasas vastly outnumber the students studying in
government-controlled ones.
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The
orientation of education in these madrasas is to prepare students for a “life
beyond the grave”. This kind of religious education does not equip these
students in any meaningful way so that they could negotiate the structures of
modern world. Most of such students have no knowledge of history, science or
geography. They are forced to cram outdated religious books which is understood
as education. Some are entrepreneurial enough to establish their own madrasas
but majority of these students return to their family calling. Thus, madrasa
education does not lead to any meaningful social mobility either. Moreover,
what they are taught only brings an extra layer of conservatism in their
thinking. For example, graduates from such madrasas would be the first to force
hijab on the women of their family. They would hardly imbibe of anything which
is connected to their national life like the Constitution, knowledge of
Hinduism and other religions, or even an appreciation of the cultural diversity
of the country. All that they study about is an arcane Islam which has no real
relevance in today’s world. The Hadis and the Quranic commentaries take them to
a time and space of “real Islam” which is the 7th-8th century Arabia.
This is an
Islam which takes its superiority over other religions guaranteed by God and
hence its theology is highly unsuited for a democracy like India. Rather than
learning about the civilizational heritage of the country, all they seem to
know and care about is the imposition of an Arabian Islamic model which is
considered as worthy of emulation. This can only lead to an alienated living.
It is not surprising therefore that such Muslims are nearly cut off from the
traditions and practices of the national community.
Muslims who
run these educational institutions never send their own children to study in
them. I have met umpteen number of madrasa administrators who have a very low
opinion of their students. A majority of these students are poor and low caste
Muslim for whom this is the first opportunity of any form of education. Many of
the parents who send their children to madrasas cannot even distinguish between
modern and religious education. Many send their children to these spaces simply
for earning religious merit and at times to ensure that they are fed properly.
Those who fund and administer madrasas are therefore guilty of robbing the
educational future of millions of Muslim children.
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The trouble
is that there is no debate within Muslim society regarding the ill effects of
madrasa education. Muslims have often complained that they have become an
“educationally backward minority” because various governments have not paid
attention to their educational needs. However, the community itself has linked
madrasas to their religious identity. They think that any attempt to reform
madrasas is an attack on their religion and culture. What they do not realize
is that partly this backwardness is their own creation. How should a community
progress if nearly 10% of its children are divorced the realities of modern
life? This is classic case of self- exclusion where potential Muslim candidates
are almost willing themselves off the educational and job market. But then, it
is easy to blame the government rather than introspect the historical wrongs.
If the
community does not have any remorse in obliterating the educational futures of
Muslim children, why should any court of law come to their rescue?
----
A regular columnist for NewAgeIslam.com, Arshad Alam
is a writer and researcher on Islam and Muslims in South Asia.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/madrasas-muslim-educational-medievalist-mindset/d/126369
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