Realign Islamic Studies curricula to reflect social realities

Indian Islam can’t be limited to only one major stream of thought. It has to represent broader social and cultural realities. The exclusion of Barelvi Islam, acclaimed for its Sufi ideas and cultural richness, is an irreparable omission from curricula 

By Aftab Khan Azhari

In independent India, Islam has suffered from epistemological problems, a fact pointed out by scholars. In India, Islam, due to its political interaction and the Independence Movement, was approached as a homogeneous entity. Internal divisions were ignored while approaching Indian Islam. The misunderstanding still continues.

Sunni-Shia global theological division applies to Indian Islam too. But, apart from Shia-Sunni,  many ideological thought-schools exist. Multiple groups consist of broader Sunni ideology. The sad reality is that all these intra-community differences are easily forgotten while approaching Islam in India. 

From the north Indian perspective, the traditional Sunni groups are known as Barelvis. Barelvis are traditionalists holding Sufism in high esteem. Their history is a charming blend of Islamic spiritual beauty and regional cultural aspects of South Asia. 

Deobandis and Ahle Hadith are two other sects in Indian Islam. Deobandis trace their lineage to the Wahabi movement ushered by Muhammed bin Wahab in the 18th century in present-day Saudi Arabia. They started their mission against inclusive Sufi ideals and preached an arid form of ritualistic Islam, shorn of cultural aspects. 

In the wake of the political displacement of colonialism, such radical missions emerged in the Indian subcontinent and charted their independent course with the institutionalization of the madrassas. The Deoband Madrassa was established in 1867 and now is a global force to reckon with as many South Asian radical groups like the Taliban in Afghanistan and Jaish-e-Muhammed of Pakistan are the offspring of this revivalist movement. Ahl-e-Hadeeth is a ultra radical  movement inspired by Ibn Abdal Wahab of Saudi Arabia.

Due to historical reasons and the institutionalized madrassa network, Deobandi Islam has passed to represent all Sunni thoughts. This generalization of Indian Islam on the lines of visible Deobandism has badly affected the popular understanding of Islam. The scriptural chauvinistic Deobandi Islam, regrettably, has assumed community patronage.

Barelvi Islam, rooted in the South Asian context, and inclusive in its approach through assimilative Sufism, has been largely ignored in popular academics. However, it is much in demand in cultural spaces. 

This misleading bias of homogenizing Islamic societies has to end and due representation has to be accorded to the plural strata of thoughts that exists within the community. The first step to this reconfiguration of Indian Muslims must start with secular institutions teaching Islamic Studies in their syllabus. 

Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia are the premier institutes trying to study the changing Muslim society and offer insights into that critical growth to enable national development in general and community development in particular.

Here comes the crucial task of streamlining the curricula of these universities to align with the community’s social realities. By delineating the Islamic studies syllabus of Jamia Millia Islamia, I will explain the problematic approach to understanding Islam in India.

Two problems are of grave importance. The first one is the fact that the syllabus is out of tune with the changing needs of humanities. The department is following the outdated anachronism of humanities discipline studying hard facts without connecting to the present. Humanities are changing to include solutions to the needs of the targeted groups. The learning of history, scriptures, and philosophy is an undisguised vain effort as this learning is not actualized through quantifiable community development.

The next important and urgent action that is needed is to make the syllabus inclusive. A casual perusal of the syllabus proves the point that the Deobandi sect’s ideology in the Indian context and Salafi ideology in the global context is given undue prominence. While there are no qualms that this will help students to understand the revival history, it fails to give a holistic approach to Indian Islamic history. 

Although official numbers are not available, it is common knowledge that Barelvis (Sufis) constitute a substantial chunk of Indian Muslims. It is generally acknowledged that the assimilative religious ideals of Barelvi (Sufi) Islam opened Islam to the Indian masses through collective love and cultural reciprocity. This crucial cultural symphony has almost been removed from the syllabus.

This reality can’t be discounted as mere sectarian rhetoric. My valid point is that by presenting only one version of Isalm, the syllabus is a rendition of a narrow version of Indian Islam. There is another performing Islam, with a quiet political leaning and broader social harmony. How can this important strand be omitted from the scheme of learning?

In Bachelors and Masters, prominence is given to the Salafi approach to Islamic studies. As a casualty, Sufi Islam and the regional charms of the religion are shoved into neglect. 

The syllabus follows the Deobandi understanding of linear Islamic identity that argues that the pristine form of Islamic learning is the prophetic period, and cultural and social accretions of religion that Islam acquired as a seminal force have to be discarded. Thus, the syllabus laid focus on Arab Islamic history with sparse study of Indian Islam. Even Indian Islam has been shrunk into political history without an adequate debate on its cultural aspects. 

The approach to philosophy boggles me as a member of the community. Again, only cherry-picked Islamic philosophers are taught with the disclaimer that philosophy is not to be chaffed with as it might lead to perfidy. Indian Islamic philosophy has been completely forgotten. The opposition of Salafism towards rational understanding is the reason for this bias. This diminutive understanding of religion hazards the rich historical legacy of Islam.

As Islamic radicalism has failed to thrive in India due to the political and cultural distinctions of the country, it is woeful that the syllabus includes detailed analysis of the proponents of Islamic radicalism. It could be understood that their ideology has to be studied to counter the extremist threat. However, what is the justification to use their worldview to approach Islamic studies? The founder of the global Salafi movement, Ibn Abdul Wahab, the history of Ikhwanul Muslimun, and Maududi, are given cult status. 

Their books have been given as reference also. How pernicious are these inclusions in the syllabus for a student with a smarter knowledge about Islam?

Indian Islam can’t be limited to only one major stream of thought. It has to represent broader social and cultural realities. The exclusion of Barelvi Islam, acclaimed for its Sufi ideas and cultural richness, is an irreparable omission from curricula. 

Along with modernizing the syllabus to reflect the social realities, all major ideological thought has to be taught as part of the curricula. Only then Indian Islam can be approached objectively.

Dr Aftab Khan Azhari  is an alumni of Jamia Millia Islamia and Jamia Al Azhar, Cairo Egypt.