CS: Enlightenment, not extremism

The Deobandis share a history of patriotism. And Darul Uloom is a beautiful place of learning, like any serene university. And now, the winds of change and modernity have finally arrived

Akash Bisht and Khalid Akhter Deoband (Western UP)

Deoband, a small town in western UP, derives its name from the term Devi-ban, which means 'forest of goddesses'. The town is a mix of kuccha and pukka houses similar to those found in other towns on the highway connecting Delhi to Saharanpur in western UP. However, modernity is slowly creeping into this arid, sleepy town with newly built multi-storied fancy housing complexes and plots nearby being marked for future construction.

Amidst the small town bustle of this sugar belt, lies the legendary Darul Uloom, considered to be the second most important institute of Islamic learning in the world after the Al Azhar University of Cairo. The seminary hit the headlines after it recently organised an 'All India Terrorism Conference' in Deoband, which was attended by thousands of Islamic clerics, scholars, muftis and teachers of madrasas owing allegiance not only to the 'Deobandis' but also to 'Barelwi' and 'Shia' schools of Islamic thought. It was in this conference that a fatwa was issued to denounce terrorism and those elements associated with it. The fatwa sent shockwaves all over India and the world, especially after the denouncement came from Darul Uloom which is sometimes referred as a cradle of terror by the West. Undoubtedly, this allegation is brazenly false and prejudiced and has nothing to do with the original realism of this centre of learning. Meanwhile, Darul Uloom also issued a fatwa which mentioned  that eating beef is unislamic if there is a ban on it and declared that Muslims should respect Hindu sentiments which is necessary for Hindu-Muslim unity.

Located on the fringes of the town, the seminary has tall walls and a huge gate which act as a perfect cover to provide it privacy from the public gaze. Inside the seminary, thousands of Muslim students (talibs) dressed in shining white attire and skull caps, move in the campus that is a perfect blend of the present and past, young and old. Some of the buildings in the campus are as old as 100 years while some are in perfect tune with contemporary times. Right in the middle of the campus glitters the gigantic and picturesque mosque that has children playing in its corridors while the elderly recite verses of the holy Quran.

Voices of young children and men reciting verses resonate in the campus and get louder as one gets close to the oldest and largest buildings in the seminary. It resembles a fort and has large domes on the terrace that commands the view of the entire town. There are numerous classrooms perfectly camouflaged among empty hallways and rooms in the corridors of this mammoth piece of architecture. The only way to find a class is by spotting several black slippers neatly placed outside the classroom.

Inside, hundreds of young talibs sit either on the floor or on the benches, reciting and memorising the Quran aloud with their bodies rocking back and forth in meditative unison. The corridor is filled with talibs rushing towards their classes with their books held close to their chests and conversing quietly in the massive hallway. The rhyming melody of students reading out loud in symphony is the sweet sound that constantly resonates in the seminary.

In one of the rooms, the university's Public Relations Officer Adil Siddiqui sat reading the cover of an English magazine: 'Benazir Bhutto: The daughter of the West'. He keeps a long white beard that touches his lap when he sits. Just like the youngsters in the seminary, Siddiqui also rocks back and forth while he talks. Rubbing his old, wrinkled hands together, he says, “Darul Uloom was established on May 30, 1866, nine years after the revolt of 1857, to revive Islam and preserve Muslim culture, which Muslims thought was being destroyed by the Britishers. Darul Uloom was established as a reaction to British atrocities on Muslims who were supposed to be the harbinger of the mutiny. The seminary was a reaction against the attempts of the new rulers to force Muslims to live in a particular manner.”

He explains the reason for choosing Deoband for setting up Darul Uloom. Most of the towns and villages in Deoband's neighbourhood had shades of spirituality: Kaliar is famous for the tomb of Sufi saint Hazrat Sabir, Saharanpur derives its name from Sufi saint Shah Haroon Chisti and is famous for its naugaja pir, Khatauli has its sufi spiritual history while Haridwar and Rishikesh are well known for their religious significance.

Since the 9/11 attacks, Islamist religious institutions have been under US pressure to condemn terrorism as numerous jehadi outfits have identified themselves as 'Deobandis'. Hardline Muslim leader of Pakistan, Maulana Fazalur Rehman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, calls himself a Deobandi, Mullah Umar, the underground chief of Taliban in Afghanistan was trained in a Deobandi madrasa in Pakistan and several Al Qaida operatives are depicted as ideological partners of the Deobandis. However, significantly, all these years, the Deobandis in India have never identified with any of the fundamentalist, extremist streams, and have been completely detached from the Taliban way of life and thinking. So, why this sudden need to issue this fatwa?

Adil Siddiqui argues that all religious heads of the seminary agreed to hold this conference because of the present situation in the country whereby every bearded man wearing white kurta pajama and cap is being branded as a terrorist. He says, “There was a desperate need to address this problem since everyone started thinking that talibs studying in madrasas are terrorists. Hence, we believe that these issues need to be addressed at the earliest before things get out of control.”

He is of the view that because of US and western propaganda, terrorism is being depicted as rooted in the religious education of Islam. Hence, there are demands from western quarters to change the system of education of Islamic religious institutions. It was because of this perception that there had been a churning in the community. Consequently, around 50,000 Muslim students and clerics from madrasas across the country converged at the seminary to raise their united voice against the unilateral condemnation and stereotyping of Muslims and associating every terrorist act with Islam. He said that terrorism is more of an economic problem related to the political economy of the region and the insatiable desire of the US to control the energy resources of the world. “We should enroll George Bush in our seminary and then he will have a clear idea of what is taught here. But, is he ready for it?” says a smiling Siddiqui. However, he is also self-critical and mentions that the ulema of Darul Uloom have been persistently media shy, this has led to suspicions and allegations. 

Meanwhile, a possible explanation for the timing of the fatwa lies in the resolution passed in the conference which mentions, “Now the situation has worsened… Indian Muslim(s) — especially those associated with madrasas, who are innocent, with good record of character — are always gripped by the fear that they might be trapped by the administrative machinery anytime. Today, countless innocent Muslims are spending their lives behind bars, and are forced to bear intolerable torture. At the same time, those spreading terror, attacking police stations, killing police officers in broad daylight and carrying illegal arms are roaming about freely, while the government takes no effective and preventive steps to check their acts of terrorism and violence. This discriminatory attitude has put a big question mark on the secular character of the government, posing a great threat to the country…”

In contemporary times, for those who are either warped or terribly sectarian, Deoband evokes an image of Muslim conservatism which is being spread from the Darul Uloom seminary. This is a complete misconception. Contrary to the image created by rightwing propaganda branding them as anti-national, this seminary played a major role in the freedom movement of India. The contribution of this seminary in the freedom struggle can be judged from the fact that its first graduate, Maulana Mahmood Hasan, established a government in exile in Kabul along with Raja Mahender Pratap of Thenua princely state in Hathras district. Other ulema of this institution spent many years in jail in their struggle for India's independence.

They were committed patriots, nationalists and freedom fighters. The Deoband seminary had also passed a fatwa against the Partition and did not support the Muslim League movement in favour of a separate state for Muslims. Indeed, they chose the secular Indian democracy and rejected the theocracy as in Pakistan. Indeed, their pluralist, secular and nationalistic credentials are impeccable.

Says Siddiqui, “The main reason for this misconception is due to communication gap and a wrong presentation by the media.” Explains Maulana Salahuddin, teacher in the Department of Research on Christianity, who also teaches English and Computer Technology, “There has been no serious research work on the contribution of this institution in India's freedom struggle. The founders and senior scholars believe that the biggest contribution of this institution is that education is being provided to the lowest strata of the Muslim society free of cost — right from admission till graduation.” He adds that keeping the needs of the modern times in mind, efforts are being made to provide necessary education of English and computer training along with religious education.

The scholars here take pride in the fact that most of the pass-outs from Darul Uloom are law-abiding

citizens, who believe in a simple and stoic life and are not attracted to modern day luxuries. The truth is that not even a single talib has ever been charged with 'anti-national' activities. This university, like all universities, is also an academic institution — with

a difference.

Mohd Raoof, a talib, is naïve and has very limited knowledge of the actual reasons of Islamic extremist activity. He says the attack on Iraq is because of the attempts of non-Muslims to destroy Islam. Aslam Ahmed, another talib, didn't differ either. The students, however, vehemently denied the involvement of any Darul Uloom student in any act of terror or anti-national activity. They further said some allegations by motivated sections against the institute stems from the tilt of the Indian government towards the West, particularly the US.

The debate goes on. Life goes on. The students are busy with their lessons while the young ones chase cars and pose for the camera. There lies nothing suspicious in this serene place of enlightenment seekers. The feel of the place is deeply stoic, like any place of learning, where everyone wears a uniform and follows a strict code of conduct. The winds of change are blowing. The students love to play cricket and volleyball. They are tuned into the 'happenings' in India and the world. This is no frog in the well place of isolation. New ideas and paradigm shifts and experiments are being introduced. And the truth is, English language and skills, computer and information technology and mobile phones are gradually making inroads in this old and beautiful institution of Deoband — the house of knowledge.  

“So don't condemn us without knowing our reality and integrity. It shows your own ignorance, not ours,” says a young boy, with a smile. So we say farewell to Deoband, returning through the sugar belt, carrying the smile in our hearts. And the sound of the verses, to and fro, rocking like a symphony.