Ishfaq-ul-Hassan l India Tomorrow
SRINAGAR | For those Islamophobes who stereotype Muslims, this should serve as an eye-opener.
A 21-year-old Hindu from Rajasthan has topped this year’s entrance test for MA in Islamic Studies programme at Central University of Kashmir (CUK).
Shubham Yadav scored 73.25 points and is way ahead of the second-ranked candidate who has scored 51.50 points. Hailing from Alwar, Rajasthan, the 21-year-old is the only non-Muslim candidate among the 54 students selected for the programme in the General Category.
Last week, the University put up the list on its official website. The University has asked the selected candidates to approach the varsity administration for counseling so that the admission process is completed by November 3.
“I developed an interest in Islamic studies through my friend who is a student of global Islamic politics. He used to study with us. That is how I developed an interest. I have read about Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. I am preparing for UPSC. So it will help me in scoring good marks,” Yadav told India Tomorrow.
The subtext of pursuing Islamic Studies is to clear the misconceptions being spread by Islamophobes across the globe. “When you study Islamic studies it is totally different from what is being presented by Islamophobes. I want to bridge that gap between what is being presented and what real Islam is. I want to be part of IAS and therefore this will help me in understanding the Indian culture which consists of Hindu, Muslims, and people from other religions,” he said.
However, it was sheer luck that Yadav got CUK to study Islam. “There are 14 universities spread all over India. There is a central portal that conducts exams. When you qualify for a certain course, it distributes the students to those universities which have that programme. Apparently, the Central University of Kashmir has an Islamic Studies course. That was not pre-planned. I was awarded CUK,” he said.
Coming from an armed forces background, Yadav’s grandfather was in the army. His father is running a store in Alwar. “My family is very liberal. They are very happy. They accepted the results. They are the ones who motivated me for exams,” he said.
Besides Islamic Studies, Yadav has also been selected in law and political sciences. “I have got all India rank 4 in LLB. I have got all India rank 10 in political science. Right now I am waiting for the results at my graduation level. I plan to crack the civil services,” he said.
Head, Department of Religious Studies CUK, Prof Hamidullah Marazi told the media that it was a very pleasing development as religious studies is a very interesting field of study. “And since CUK has an All-India level entrance, candidates from across the country and from every faith compete in the exam,” he said.
