Page 9 - Pakistan Link - May 28, 2021

OPINION MAY 28, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P9

n By Prof Nazeer Ahmed Signs from Allah: History, Science and Faith in Islam reality, it has hurt the image of the
Concord, CA madrasa in the global conscious-
ness. And it will affect fundamen-
182. Islamic Education – Modern Issues - 4 tally and profoundly, the further
he madrasa has become evolution of the madrasa as we
the repository of vested go forward into the twenty first
Tinterests just like any oth- century.
er institution in This xenophobia has had se-
modern life. There rious impact on the madrasa sys-
is money on the tem. Money, which used to flow
line. Sometimes, it freely from Saudi Arabia and oth-
is big money. The er Gulf countries has decreased to
molvis and mul- a trickle. Donations from Amer-
lahs stand to lose ica and other Western nations
by modernizing the madrasa. have just about stopped. Even
First, it would blur the line small donations are questioned.
between deeni talim and dunawi The allegations against several
talim. Second, it would deny the Islamic charities have fostered
mullahs their claim for exclusive a sense of fear among potential
control over deen. Third, it would donors. The madrasas now must
dry up their source of funding. fend for themselves and depend
In other words, the madrasas on local support.
would then become just like any A second side effect has
other school. The mullahs would been increased government sur-
no longer head up the list of in- veillance of all madrasas. Laws
vitees whenever a poor villager have been passed in the United
slaughters a chicken for a feast. States that make it legal to visit
Most importantly, their exclusive and search places of congrega-
claim to God and heaven would tion, including places of worship.
be compromised. the Kemalists had to use coercive acceptance in the Ottoman Em- must study science and technolo- Representatives from the police
The more prosperous madra- methods to ensure that the re- pire. It was introduced into Mo- gy along with the traditional sub- departments and intelligence de-
sas would have the most to lose forms would succeed. gul India even later. The reason jects if they are to face the mod- partments routinely visit the ma-
from a modernization of their Another aspect of reform is was the determined opposition of ern world. In slow measures, even drasas in India and Pakistan and
curriculum. These schools cannot potential competition with secu- the ulema who felt that the Word the most orthodox ulema have question the teachers and molvis.
compete with the secular schools lar schools. The madrasas could of God, namely the Qur’an, would started to bend in the direction In Afghanistan, total chaos reigns
in subjects dealing with science enjoy an advantage vis-a-vis secu- be defiled if it touched a wooden of technological education. At and the madrasa operates under
and technology. Opening up their lar schools if they offered quality or iron press. While the printing madrasa e lateefiya in Bangalore the perennial fear of violence. The
curriculum to modern education instruction in secular as well as press made possible the wide dif- the students learn to use comput- shadow of government surveil-
would be like inviting “duniya” religious subjects. There is hun- fusion of books in Europe, the ers along with memorization of lance has increased further the
into their closeted “deen”. The ger among the people of South Muslim world limped along with the Qur’an and Hadith. Mobile difficulty that the madrasas face
owners of these schools, or of Asia for both secular and reli- hand-written manuscripts. It is phones are used by molvis to talk in raising funds or recruiting stu-
the trusts that run these schools, gious knowledge. Unfortunately, not uncommon even to this day to each other. IT driven technolo- dents.
would lose their market niche. the madrasas are neither compe- to find a mullah who stands up gies have made the teachers and A much more disastrous re-
Therefore, they jealously guard tent to teach the the sheikhs re- sult of 9/11 and the injection of
their current market position as secular subjects An attempt at the transformation of alize the need the term “terrorism” into politics
the guardians of “deeni taalim”. nor can they com- to upgrade the is the destruction of educational
An attempt at the trans- pete in secular the madrasa must therefore be gradual, teaching of sci- links that have existed between
formation of the madrasa must fields. The inabil- ence and math- religious schools and seminaries
therefore be gradual, preserving ity to compete has preserving the stability that this institution ematics. Many a in different parts of the world.
the stability that this institution pushed the mol- school in South- For almost a millennium, the
provides while enhancing its so- vis into a corner. provides while enhancing its social ern India require madrasas in Southern India ra-
cial usefulness. The changes must To preserve their their students, diated their influence far beyond
also come from within the com- turf and protect usefulness. The changes must also come before they the borders of South Asia. As
munity rather than imposed from their employ- from within the community rather than graduate, to ac- early as the 12th century, it was
the top. A first step in this direc- ment, they take quire the equiv- the migration of Awliya from the
tion is the reintroduction into this a hard position imposed from the top. A first step in this alent of a high trading communities of South-
syllabus a study of the mathemat- on the division of school diploma. ern India and Gujarat that intro-
ical, natural and historical scienc- instruction into direction is the reintroduction into this These may not duced Islam into the Indonesian
es as well as Qur’anic spirituality deeni and du- seem like much and Malaysian Archipelago. Un-
(tazkiya). These subjects were a nawi domains. To syllabus a study of the mathematical, from a global til recently, the madrasas in the
part of the Nizamiya Nisab as late coax the mullahs natural and historical sciences as well perspective, but South attracted students from Sri
as the 18th century. Once math- to emerge from constitute a fun- Lanka, Maldiv Islands, Malaysia
ematics is mastered, science, phi- their shell, both as Qur’anic spirituality (tazkiya). These damental and and Indonesia. Alumni from the
losophy and the natural sciences financial incen- welcome depar- schools of Vanambadi and Salem
will follow. Gradually, the Niza- tives and external subjects were a part of the Nizamiya ture from the ri- are scattered all over South-East
miya Nisab will be transformed pressures may be gidity that char- Asia.
into an Islamic Nisab embracing required. Nisab as late as the 18th century. Once acterized the Because of official restric-
the Qur’anic sciences, mathemat- mathematics is mastered, science, syllabus in most tions following 9/11 and the
ics, the natural sciences, philoso- Technology madrasas and suspicion that the madrasa is a
phy and technology. and the Madrasa philosophy and the natural sciences will seminaries until breeding ground for terrorists,
The probability of a success- Science and recent times. the international link has been
ful reformation of the syllabus technology have follow. Gradually, the Nizamiya Nisab cut. Now, these students come
would increase substantially if had a checkered 9/11 and no more and an age-old connec-
the molvis are trained to see the history among will be transformed into an Islamic American Pres- tion between India and SE Asia
benefits of a liberalized syllabus, Muslim people. sures has been broken. The movement
which includes a study of the lan- The scientific Nisab embracing the Qur’anic sciences, It has been of scholars and students and the
guages, mathematics, history and method was cul- mathematics, the natural sciences, alleged time and cross-fertilization of ideas and
spirituality. A top-down approach tivated by Muslim again that the cultures that it fostered for a
offers several advantages: It trains scholars in Spain philosophy and technology nineteen men thousand years has been scuttled.
the teachers and has the highest and Central Asia who carried out Student exchanges foster interna-
potential for student reach. It of- in the Middle the 9/11 attack tional understanding and are a
fers the highest benefit-to-cost Ages. But it with- on the world major element in the liberaliza-
ratio. It exposes the vast majority ered after the Mongol invasions before a large gathering of Mus- trade center were products of tion of the madrasa. The scut-
of mullahs to the beauty and maj- of the 13th century. In succeeding lims and harangues them that the madrasa. No incontrovert- tling of this process will increase
esty of the natural and historical centuries, Muslim scholars, while science is secular and it fosters ible proof has been published to the isolation and alienation of the
sciences in an Islamic framework. paying lip service to the need for unbelief. establish a connection between madrasa from global liberal cur-
If history is any guide, a re- mastering science and technol- Notwithstanding the oppo- the alleged perpetrators and the rents.
form process, which is strongly ogy, looked with deep suspicion sition of some mullahs, the all- madrasas. Nonetheless, the ac- (The author is Director,
opposed by the mullahs is likely on anything that disturbed their reaching embrace of technology cusation is repeated often times, World Organization for Re-
to fail, or cause a major social up- partitioning of the sacred and the cannot be avoided, not even by and most people in America source Development and Educa-
heaval. Kemalist Turkey achieved profane. The introduction of the the most insular madrasa. Tech- have come to believe, that the at- tion, Washington, DC; Director,
such reforms but the Kemalist printing press into Muslim soci- nology transforms societies and tack was connected with students American Institute of Islamic
revolution was the tail end of a eties is a case in point. While the cultures and the madrasa cannot who attend madrasas. Indeed, the History and Culture, CA; Mem-
long series of reformations start- printing press was introduced escape the winds of change. Many madrasa has been accused to be ber, State Knowledge Commis-
ing with the Tanzeemat in the into Europe in the 15th century, a farsighted ulema now realize the breeding ground for “jehadis” sion, Bangalore; and Chairman,
first half of the 19th century. And it was not until 1728 that it found that the students in the madrasas and “terrorists”. If perception is Delixus Group)
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