This is a translation of a chapter by Maulana Waris Mazhari titled ‘Maslaki Kashmakash Aur Dini Madaris’ in Yoginder Sikand & Waris Mazhari (ed.) Dini Madaris Aur Dahshatgardi: Ilzam Aur Haqiqat (‘Madrasas And Terrorism: Accusations and Realities’), Global Media Publications, New Delhi, 2008, pp. 143-50.
Among the various internal challenges facing madrasas today is the pressing problem of sectarianism and sectarian conflict. Some people claim that in the last ten or fifteen years there has been a decline in the sectarianism actively promoted by madrasas. God knows better, but I feel that if indeed this is so, it is still not very significant. A glance at the sort of literature being churned out by madrasas and a general survey of the mentality of madrasa students and graduates of madrasas make this claim appear doubtful.
The problem of sectarianism among Muslims, including within the madrasa system, is, of course, centuries old. But in present times it is no longer restricted to ideological debates in scholarly circles. It has now taken the form of organised communalism, undermining all efforts to promote Muslim unity and making a complete mockery of the notion of Islamic brotherhood. The manifold problems facing the Muslim ummah today cannot be addressed and effectively solved until the idea of Islamic brotherhood and unity, which every Muslim holds dear, is actually put into practice. Sectarianism and sectarian conflict are the single biggest hurdle in this path, and, unfortunately, our madrasas are playing the leading role in keeping these alive and further exacerbating them.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that nine-tenths of the literature produced by our traditional madrasas and the speeches of their ulema are devoted simply to instigating ideological war against other Muslim sects in order to further boost sectarianism. These self-styled ‘devoted followers’ of God are forever on the look out for ideological enemies, not missing a single opportunity to whip up hatred against them. Many madrasa magazines survive mainly on drumming up opposition to other Muslim sects. Some such magazines are devoted entirely to this cause, which they regard as ‘noble’. The most saddening and unfortunate aspect of this entire situation is that most supporters of every Muslim group and sect have been made to believe that they are literally at war with the followers of other sects. They are made to imagine that the beliefs, interpretations and the reputation and respect of the founders of their own sects are all under threat from others. To protect all these, they believe, they must leave no stone unturned, and because they believe that they are in a state of war with other Muslim sects they think that for them every means is permissible.
Shockingly, all this continues unchecked, even in a country like India, where Muslims are an increasingly beleaguered minority, where their very existence and identity are under grave threat, and where Hindu extremists have now started demanding that the government take over the madrasas. What is even more distressing is that these madrasas depend on funds provided by the public, and most members of the public do not approve of these sorts of activities that promote hatred and conflict. Instead, they are simply concerned that in the prevailing anti-Muslim and increasingly irreligious climate the community’s future should be provided with proper Islamic education. It must be forgotten that the conditions of education and literacy among the Indian Muslims continue to remain pathetic. The money provided by the community should be spent on addressing these fundamental problems instead of on instigating hatred against other sects. After all, if a person is left completely illiterate, uneducated and pathetically poor the chances of his or her abandoning religion altogether are even greater.
Causes of Sectarian Strife in the Madrasas
As I mentioned earlier, sectarian differences among Muslims are not a new thing. Nor is it limited just to India or the Indian sub-continent. But it is a fact that intra-Muslim sectarian conflict has assumed a far more menacing form in India and, particularly, Pakistan, than elsewhere, and is now even more severe than in the past. Today, in our part of the world it has taken the form of a distinct social phenomenon.
What are the causes for this? Without identifying the causes, the problem cannot be solved or, at least, reduced in severity. In my view, this mounting intra-Muslim sectarian strife promoted by the madrasas in South Asia has three major causes: (a)The syllabus and methods of education used in the madrasas (b) Blind faith, personality worship (shaksiyat parasti) and the resultant emotional extremism and (c) The quest for power and wealth, whether out of greed or compulsion.
Much has already been written about the drawbacks in the curriculum and teaching methods used in the madrasas. Unfortunately, these have been devised so as to discourage the students from thinking for themselves, and, instead, to fit them into a particular sectarian mould. Subjects such as Hadith, jurisprudence, Quranic commentary and allied disciplines are all taught from this sectarian perspective. Examination questions also reflect this. This is why the mentality of the madrasa students is so heavily shaped by sectarian concerns and understandings. Consequently, their identity is primarily defined by their being Hanafi, Shafi, Ahl-e Hadith, Deobandi, Barelvi scholars, and only then as Muslim scholars.
The second major cause for sectarian strife in the madrasas is personality worship. Personality worship is a characteristic of the majority of those who are associated with madrasas, whether as managers, teachers or students. The tradition of teaching religious commandments and perspectives directly from the primary sources of Islamâ€â€the Quran and Hadithâ€â€came to an end a very long time ago. Now, all these things are taught through reference to the writings of certain individuals belonging to one or the other particular sect. The views of these individuals are now regarded as the means to understanding what Islam is all about, and are even considered as the criterion and source of such understanding. Earlier, the views of individuals were judged according to certain external standards provided by the scriptures, but now these views have become the standard, to back up which, suitable evidence is sought to be marshalled from different sources. Naturally, this also assists and promotes a sectarian mentality.
Every sect now has its ‘holy’ personages, and all of these have their own views, which the followers of their respective sects seek to defend at all costs. They refuse to accept the fact that an intellectual critique of a person’s views and arguments is certainly not tantamount to disrespecting him. Muslim history is replete with instances of great scholars who sharply differed from their teachers on many points and even critiqued some of their views but they never disrespected them. But, unfortunately, this tradition is now almost extinct in our madrasas, where students are made to believe that the elders of their sect alone were right and that all that they said or wrote is inerrant.
The third major cause of the sectarianism associated with the madrasas is purely economic. The leaders of every sect want that their circle of followers should expand, and this prompts them to stress the separate identity of their sect and the boundaries which set it off from the others. Sectarian strife is a tool to promote this agenda, and it helps bind the followers of a sect to its leaders even more closely. To use a commercial analogy, if people come to know that they can find a cure for their ‘disease’ from a cheaper shop they would not continue to patronise the shop that they had earlier been doing their purchases from. The same holds true for the different sects.
Fanning sectarian hatred is the source of livelihood for many of those engaged in this business. If all the massive amount of literature produced by madrasa-related scholars that is geared to fanning sectarianism and sectarian conflict is destroyed or is banned from being sold, what will happen to those many writers, publishers and distributors who have been making a living out of this sort of business for decades? Their predicament is no different from those publishers of text books who simply change a few words in an existing book and then bring it out in the market, presenting it as a completely new text, or from those useless writers who pen books on unimportant subjects. Delivering thundering public speeches against other sects has now become the sole source of income for some people, as also churning out hate-filled sectarian literature. The situation is so dismal today that the vast majority of madrasa students with average capabilities and skills who wish to write can do so only by producing such sectarian literature, or by penning commentaries on existing texts or compiling and publishing speechesâ€â€either their own or of some other person belonging to their sect. Only those madrasa scholars whose aim is not simply to earn money or to acquire name and fame write on any other sort of topics.
Another aspect of this economic angle to the problem of mounting sectarianism in madrasa circles is that of foreign funding, mainly from the Gulf, but from some other countries also. This began some three decades ago, and now even many smaller madrasas have entered the race to garner such funds. People and organisations associated with some sects are now desperately seeking to win over their foreign funders by trying to present their own ideology and understanding of Islam as identical with those of their would-be foreign patrons. In order to get funding from them and to prevent others from doing so, they paint the other sects in lurid colours, presenting them as wholly opposed to the sect that their foreign funders are associated with. This further exacerbates existing sectarian rivalries.
What is the Solution?
How can this menacing problem be tackled? In my view, the most important step that should be taken is to bring about certain basic changes in the methods of teaching the Islamic sciences, particularly jurisprudence and Hadith. For this we can adopt the same approach as is followed in certain universities in some Arab countries. For instance, in the teaching of jurisprudence, students should be first taught only the meaning or import of commandments or laws on various issues, and only later, say after a year or two, should they learn the various proofs or arguments for these, because by this time they can apply the capacity for independent reasoning (ijtihad) to understand these issues more dispassionately. Presently, however, students are not encouraged to engage in ijtihad. Instead, they are made to believe that on every issue (masla) their own particular sect or school of thought is best and is superior to all the others. This is not the right approach. Teachers should not insist that students must always abide by the view and position of their own particular sect under all conditions. Instead, students must be able to freely think for themselves and decide, on the basis of intellectual arguments, whether or not to accept or reject the position of their own school of thought on any matter. Arguments for preferring one school of law over the other can be taught at the level of specialisation, not, as at present, when students are still doing their basic course.
Likewise, the method of teaching Hadith presently employed in the madrasas is unsatisfactory. Presently, Hadith is taught by presenting it within a particular sectarian framework. This is wrong, and must be rectified. The present method of teaching Hadith does not allow for students to develop the capacity for deduction and independent reasoning. Instead, students should be encouraged to study Hadith in such a way as to enable them to understand their actual import and to develop their own perspectives accordingly.
Besides changes in the methods and approaches of teaching these subjects, certain existing texts in the madrasa curriculum can be excised and others included in order to help reduce the differences between the different sects.
Almost all madrasas are affiliated to one or the other sect. It is very rare for a student belonging to a particular sect to study in a madrasa associated with another sect. In many cases, madrasas refuse admission to students associated with a sect other than their own. Further, the environment in the madrasas generally is such that a person belonging to one sect would find it virtually impossible to study in a madrasa associated with another sect, for he would have to face considerable ridicule, fierce opposition and immense suffocation. If the doors of madrasas are opened to Muslims from all the various sects and schools of thought, and if the madrasa managers make sincere efforts to promote a climate of tolerance, it is likely that the raging sectarian strife and conflicts could, to some extent, decline. In the same way, allowing people from other sects to become members of the managing committees of madrasas would also have a positive impact. Madrasas can also invite scholars belonging to other sects to their functions. In addition, madrasa managers should make sincere efforts to ensure that their students do not exceed the acceptable intellectual boundaries when writing or speaking about other sects.
In critiquing certain aspects of the madrasas I do not, of course, wish to negate their importance. Rather, my intention is simply to open these issues for discussion so that madrasas can play a more effective and meaningful role in promoting the welfare of Muslims, in particular, and of humanity, in general.
Photo: Girls in an Indian madrasa by bobz
An excellent writeup and Yoginder has hit the nail on it’s head. Finally, one Muslim who is willing to clean the mess in his house before pointing fingers at his neighbours. The lethal combination:
Islam+Madrassa+Shariah+Mullah+Sectarianism+Jihad = Pakistan.
This is the reason, i repeat again and again “Thank God. Hinduism has saved Indian Muslims”.
For a change, let us try to be honest for once and give the credit to Hinduism.
Well I have registered with this blog log time ago for email, but I think this is the first time I am posting.
I had an overview of what brother Yoginder Sikand has written, I agree madarsas have a sectarian belief, but talking about hatred being filled in students is almost wrong. Many of the big Madarsas I know of in India are clear on this issue. India is our home land and we have the same government rules and policies as the others have. We do not need to rely on mercy of Hindus to live here (bcoz the brother is saying “here their very existence and identity are under grave threat”)., I don’t believe in this point that existence of Muslims is under grave threat, though Muslims are a minority but it is not a less number to fall under threat.
And the people who spread hatred among the citizens are the leaders who want to avail votes of them for their victory. i am saying this from both sides, and some mislead people try to propagate it. But blaming madarsas for this thing is a completely weird. One of the biggest Madarsa in India Darul uloom Deoband(it was laid basically to find against the British) has actively taken part for independence of India. Its the other thing that the majority Hindus influenced community didnt give them the same importance as it was given to other freedom fighters. The reason may be the secretarian belief of them.
and with due respect to R.Alamsha Karnan
I am still smiling at your reply
First for the addition you have done and to the output you have given and secondly for the complete misunderstanding you have about what saved the Indian Muslims. Pakistan has been damaged because of some political leaders in that country and the politics played by America between these two countries. A normal Muslim in Pakistan isn’t aware of the situation, they are brain washed and some parties take advantage of it, as the Indians are brainwashed against them. At the end of the day its only the political parties gain the advantage, If everything is solved then what will be remained to win or point out in the next election
The Hinduism atmosphere has spoiled Muslims much more, or else they would have been in much better position. Islam doesn’t allow to showoff the bodies of females as it may tempt males and lead to bad things, but unfortunately many Muslims influenced by Hindu customs are doing what they shouldn’t do and spoiling their souls. Islam doesn’t allow to waste money and Muslims spend lakhs on marriages influenced by Hindus. Its not like I am propagating hatred, I have many non-muslim friends, colleagues and neighbors; I am friendly with them as I have to be as a citizen. But the facts shouldn’t be altered just for the sake of some advantages. I speak the same thing in front of my friends if any discussion comes out. But we are not taught to hate others, we are taught to follow what we have to follow and Islam doesn’t allow us to hate someone for simple reasons like your a Hindu and I am a Muslim.
I am an Indian and I am proud to be as it is my homeland, people may say what ever they like
I read till the last line with atmost interest..Great article..
Sectorian issues have spoiled the right spirit of Islam as a religion..I am glad my grandfather decided to stay in India and not move to Pakistan..India is the best place to live,provided we jail all hindutvas and jihadists..
Sectorian issues in Islam is not as dangerous or discrminatory as in Hinduism where we have all those superior/inferior and untouchables..Though I hate sectorian issues in islam,atleast i am glad i am not born into any such discriminatory caste systems..
At times,it amuses me as to what is the highly motivated cause for all these infightings..Is it bcoz we are still mourning over something that happened 1400 years ago?Will the time machine move backward and make changes,simply bcoz we are fighting over it today?? I don’t know..To me,all these sectorian issues are just poilitically oritented drama and nothing religious..
Person-worship is something very ‘interesting’ I wonder what makes people say “Lailaha Illallah” and at the same time ,deluded to think that human beings will come for reccomendation on Day of Judgement..I hope people understand that its just between them and God and nobody,no beard man or woman is coming for your rescue..
Solution is not really complicated as portrayed..Just give a Quran and atleast 3 different translations of Quran to all muslims and make them read and understand it..I have seen people religiously reciting Quran and trying to make as many complete readings as possible.During Ramadan,we are busy reciting it as to finish the whole book during the month..I wish instead fo doing that,they LEARN least 1 single chapter completely rather than reading the whole 30 chapters..Quran is for us to understand,not just some random poetry that is to be recited over and over ..Look into translations and refer more if one find conflicts..Its easy..and interesting too..I laugh at myself thinking of those years i spent reciting Quran simply bcoz my mother asked me to do and I’ld recite it in half sleep ,in an angry-sad mood..Maybe reading the translation would have generated interested in lazy fellows like me..
Learning hadiths will make more sense if we learn its history and science before one jumps into volumes directly..Hadiths are great as reference but many people dn’t know that at any instance,hadiths can’t override Quran.Laws can’t be made from hadiths alone..Allah has sent Quran and has said it to be COMPLETE and he has promised to safeguard it from corruption..Hadiths were written by hman beings after 200 years and one needs to take into account the social economical and political scenario then..Without that,hadiths amkes no sense (atleast to me personally) Again,we ahve different sets of hadiths for different sectors..In conflicting cases,i believe it is preferable to resort to Quranic stand..A quick reference to so called anti-human Sharia laws will tell you that they are from hadiths..No Quranic law is anti-humane or oppresiive..But all the controverisal ones have roots in hadiths..Why is that so?
Madrassas can do wonders by broadening the horizons of perception..Let people study different school of thoughts..Who is feeling intimidated and insecure if students learn about different school of thoughts..?Its the political/religious leaders alone and thatz why they dn’t promote it..Pls rememeber that there is no priesthood in Islam..
I dn’t intend to say that a beginner must jump into the web of different thoguhts..that would only make the person more confused..Let him learn Quran first ,on his own,then by refernce,then learn hadiths,then learn interfaith relationships..I personally think it will make faith more reasonale and humane..and that needn’t happen in a madrassa alone..People can do it on their own..I hope i made some sense..Good day
Sorry for all typos..All i meant to say that madrassa is a over hyped package..Any person can aquire as much knowledge as any scholar sitting at home,using internet,books..All you need is patience and open mind..I am afraid whether i sounded like a big headed think-tank..I am a least informed person and i know little knowledge is more dangerous,but this is my thought as of today
{originally posted by Nimmy
Sorry for all typos..All i meant to say that madrassa is a over hyped package..Any person can aquire as much knowledge as any scholar sitting at home,using internet,books..All you need is patience and open mind..I am afraid whether i sounded like a big headed think-tank..I am a least informed person and i know little knowledge is more dangerous,but this is my thought as of today}
So, u want to say you can complete your complete studies (engineering or medicine) from first class just by sitting in home
Madarsas are important in teaching Arabic Qaida, and the right talaffuz for tilawat.
They dont have much to offer in terms of intellectual wealth or a contemporary world view. They badly need modernisation.
“The Hinduism atmosphere has spoiled Muslims much more, or else they would have been in much better position. Islam doesn’t allow to showoff the bodies of females as it may tempt males and lead to bad things, but unfortunately many Muslims influenced by Hindu customs are doing what they shouldn’t do and spoiling their souls. Islam doesn’t allow to waste money and Muslims spend lakhs on marriages influenced by Hindus.”
As I mentioned earlier – this forum is good entertainment.
In the west there is far more “interesting” dresses than in India. The rate of “temptation” of men and rate of “bad” things is far lesser than that of India or Pakistan. Is the impression that some men of particular religions are more prone to frenzy at the sign of exposed bodies?….What has religion got to do with anything?….Dude, if you have problems…do not look….bit please do not force others to your beliefs..
abdulquddus,
> The Hinduism atmosphere has spoiled Muslims much more, or else they would have been in much better position.
Alamsha does have a point. Without Indic religions (and dare I say it, a strong influence of liberal, post-enlightenment West), India would have been just another Pakistan or Afghanistan. The other Middle Eastern countries haven’t collapsed yet only because they have oil.
You must wake up to the fact that while Islam may have several things going for it, there are theories on justice, morality, theology and ethics that are far more sophisticated, elegant and beautiful than the ones laid out in the Quran some 14 centuries ago by Arab tribes.
Or is it that you can’t see why stoning someone to death for infidelity, death for apostasy, or amputations for theft are considered barbarous by most civilized societies?
I agree with Nimmy. Jail all communalists.
Give the average people from all communities a chance to interact with each other.
Stoning to death for infidelity or death for apostasy cannot be enforced in India because there is only a Muslim personal law here, and not a criminal law.
And yes, many Muslims are happier to live in India than elsewhere.
No..I didn’t mean that Madrassas are of no use..Almost all muslims have basic islamic education during childhood days and i think that forms the very basic of further perceptions..Why can’t we learn on our own..Does it anywhere imply that only the madrassa-gone muslims have enough knowledge as to make or form a conclusion?
My point is simple,those people who go to madrassas alone ,and finally become am Imam too have a life and a family..Is it that simply bcoz they choose to learn more on religion,they ought live a low life..I can’t talk for majority,but i can tell you that imams in my place find it hard to have a sooth life in this high rocketing society..leave about luxury,they can’t even afford to marry off their daughters due to alck of money to pay dowry and i find no ‘muslim’ coming forward to marry their girls without any demand..Where do you expect Imams to make money when they are lowly paid in masjids?Are they expected to shake some tree and pull down money..Or will Allah sent them cheques?
As Muslims we need to pay heed to a simple Qur’anic verse: “God does not change the condition of a people unless they change what is in themselves” (13:11).
So,either include science and other ‘wordly’ subjects into their curriculm and let them have a poart time job as to have a living on their own,or else increase pay at masjids..Teach them computers and use of internet so that they ahve access to information for different corners of the worlds,with different views..Make way for them to develop as a person and thus the immediate community..
{originallu posted by Sudie
What has religion got to do with anything?….Dude, if you have problems…do not look….bit please do not force others to your beliefs..}
well for us religion is not something like do what ever u like go once in a week to temple and bow infront of respective Gods
But for us religion is a way of life which is to be followed in every aspect of life, so we are ordered in each aspect to follow islam which is a way of life
{ originally posted by Arun Nair
You must wake up to the fact that while Islam may have several things going for it, there are theories on justice, morality, theology and ethics that are far more sophisticated, elegant and beautiful than the ones laid out in the Quran some 14 centuries ago by Arab tribes.
Or is it that you can’t see why stoning someone to death for infidelity, death for apostasy, or amputations for theft are considered barbarous by most civilized societies? }
hi, well u are free to say what ever u like
yes, those punishments are because so that other dont dare to do that, thus stopping them from even thinking of committing that sin
islam teaches us to have modesty orelse people will be just like in the west(which u feel is the civilised socitey) i.e ” Have one wife officially and affairs with 10 unofficially” that is why many of them dont even know who their father is. Its time for us to think what is civilised and uncivilised. I dont think any indian wishes his wife may be used by other man but unfortunately this happens in the west
I am a muslim but i have always felt that muslim community is far from being named “civilized”..People are obsessed with jumping or reffering to extremes..So what if West have many illigal affairs?Atleast they say it loud and clear unlike those guys who do it in the secrecy of darkness or lean on some lame hadiths to justify their doing..the west is loudly proclaiming that it is matter of individual freddom whereas there is no such thing in muslim community..I won’t say Islam,bcoz Allah has given enough space for all to survive in peace and harmony..But man made hadiths and beard people have made life on earth as hell as possible…
Its funny how people think that Allah is sitting there counting number of people moving in and out of religion..Allah says “There is no compulsion in religion” and is more on earth actingore loyal than the king himself..I can’t believe people believe that hadith can override Allah..Prophet is a servant of Allah..He has no right to override Allah,its basic common sense..Depending on some goat aten hadith people still walk around with swords to kill people moving out of Islam..Befor acting champions of islan and acting as Allah’s personal secretary’s .I suggest them to understand what Quran is all about..
Just a small not on “Preserving islam and “those punishments are because so that other dont dare to do that, thus stopping them from even thinking of committing that sin”
Please read more..http://www.islamicperspectives.com/Apostasy1.htm
Allah is not silly or forgetful enough to leave out such an important matter relating to death of a person and i have no idea what makes people think that Prophet can make such important decisions overriding Allah’s commands ..”Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion”
finally,pls don;t ridicule others faith..I have seen lot/majority praying 5 times a day with no much impact on spirituality..Also,a true muslim will never disobey Allah by looking down at others faith and beliefs..
P.s :I have no intention to be moral police or sound arrogant.SOrry if my words sent such a message..
There is no doubt that there are many Muslims who are more comfortable living in India than living in countries where the Shariah is enforced.
Had commonality of religion been the sole driving factor, all Muslims would have crossed over to Pakistan.