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.