Syed Khalique Ahmed
NEW DELHI—While Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has dropped the teachings of two international Islamic scholars – Syed Abul Ala Maududi and Syed Qutub Shahid – from its syllabus for Islamic Studies from the current academic year, Jamia Millia Islamia university says its courses are designed keeping in view the secular ethos of the country and university teaches fundamentals of all other world religions, including those having their origins in India, in its Islamic studies courses.
The issue came into the public debate after 24 scholars allegedly having a saffron background forwarded a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few days ago, seeking a ban on teaching the religious and political thoughts of Maulana Maududi and Syed Qutub in Islamic studies courses in two central and government-funded universities – AMU and JMI – and privately-run Jamia Hamdard. The signatories to the letter claimed that the writings of the two internationally acclaimed Islamic scholars promote violence and terrorism. However, they have not sighted even a single paragraph from the books of the two authors that incite or support violence. While Maududi was born in India and migrated to Pakistan at the time of Partition in 1947, Syed Qutub was an Egyptian Islamic scholar. Both were contemporaries, influenced Islamic thought among Muslims of their own generations and their writings continue to influence Muslims of succeeding generations all over the globe.
A senior official of JMI requesting anonymity said that Islamic studies in his university were taught in a historical perspective while maintaining the secular temperament of the country.
“Universities are centres of knowledge where students are taught different ideologies. Students need to acquire knowledge of different thoughts even for criticizing and opposing those thoughts and ideologies. How can students know about important thoughts if they are not taught about it or not allowed to study it at all,” the official said, saying that JMI is a leading central university in the country, having achieved many feats in sciences and other fields. JMI was recently ranked the third best university in the country according to the NIRF ranking 2022.
“There are no compulsory papers or optional papers in the Jamia syllabus on Maulana Maududi or Syed Qutub. Reading of their books has been suggested for some of the topics only. Students are free to read books of other authors as well on the same subject,” he said. The only books of Maulana Maududi in the reference section of the syllabus are Deeniyat (Islamic Religious Beliefs) and Tafheemul Quran (Towards Understanding Quran).
When asked specifically, he said that the university had not so far received any direction from the Prime Minister’s Office, Education Ministry, or the University Grants Commission to drop Maulana Maududi and Syed Qutub from the Islamic Studies syllabus.
The official questioned the locus standi of those who have written the letter to the PM. “Do they think that those, who run the Jamia, do not know what is good or bad for the country? From the content of their letter published by media, it appears they are not concerned about education but they have some ulterior agenda,” the official pointed out. “Shall we make changes in the syllabus on the demand of any Tom, Dick, and Harry?” he said.
Jamia incorporates all major world religions in its Islamic Study course
Among the major Indian and world religions, other than Islam, taught in Islamic Studies courses of Jamia are Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Jainism, Sikhism, Bahaism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shintoism. The topics covered in the syllabus for Hinduism include basic features of Hinduism, the concept of God, man and universe, human destiny and liberation, and different sects of Hinduism. The topics under Buddhism include the life of Buddha, basic Buddhist concepts, the four noble truths, the eight-fold path, and the conflux of Buddhism and Hinduism in India.
Likewise, the subjects under the Judaism section include the meaning of God, creation, and man in Judaism, the revelation in Judaism, the concept of morality and justice, “the chosen people” and Israel. The topics covered in Christianity are Jesus – the Christian view, basic teachings of Christianity, major sects or branches of Christianity: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism, and Christian Mission: Ideology and history.
AMU removes books on Maududi, and Syed Qutub from its libraries
Confirming that AMU has withdrawn Maududi and Syed Qutub from its syllabus, Mohammad Ismail, Chairman and Professor in the Department of Islamic Studies of the university, told India Tomorrow that he decided on the instruction of the university’s vice-chancellor Prof Tariq Mansoor.
More than 100 books of Maulana Maududi and 40 books of Syed Qutub have been withdrawn from the AMU library. While Maududi was born in India and migrated to Pakistan at the time of Partition in 1947, Syed Qutub was an Egyptian Islamic scholar. Both were contemporaries.
Defending the thoughts of Maulana Maududi and Syed Qutub, Prof Ismail said that the two Islamic thinkers have been part of the AMU Islamic studies syllabus and their books were read by students studying at the university. “However, no one who read their books became a terrorist,” he said, in a sarcastic comment in response to the letter sent to PM Modi. The topics in the syllabus included important works of Maulana Maududi, his thoughts, and the main points in his tafsir (exegesis) of the Quran – titled Tafheemul Quran (Towards Understanding the Quran) – and the concept of the Islamic State. Among the books suggested for reading also included The Milestone by Syed Qutub.
“Their teachings are very progressive, and focus on social equality, egalitarianism, the general welfare of the people and argue for democratically elected governments in all countries, including Muslim countries,” Prof Ismail said when questioned about his opinion regarding the contents in the writings of the two Islamic scholars.
“The focus of the two writers, who are being slandered, has been on a democratic form of government as far as their political thoughts are concerned,” he said, adding that “I don’t find any reason to ban them from the syllabus of any university.”
Both of them, he said, have strongly denounced kingship and dynastic rule in their writings, stating that these forms of government are an antithesis to the political teachings of Islam. “That is why the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has banned all the books of Maulana Maududi,” Prof. Ismail pointed out.
Regarding the letter posted to the PM, Prof. Ismail said that the letter nowhere mentioned even a sentence or a paragraph from the writing of either Maududi or Syed Qutub that could be termed offensive.
The western world vilify Maududi because his voice is the strongest against Western colonization
Prof. Obaidullah Fahad, who also teaches in the Islamic Studies department of AMU, in a video circulated on social media, said that “the Western world has launched a vilification campaign against Maulana Maududi because, in the Muslim world, Maududi’s voice is the strongest against Western colonization.”
“I am reading Maulana Maududi for the last 50 years. I have been teaching about his works, and also supervised several research projects on his work during my academic career but I did not find even a word in his work that promotes violence and terrorism or encourages underground activities. Maududi advises people to follow methods adopted by Prophet Mohammed: Peaceful, democratic, and constitutional means,” says Prof. Fahad.
“When he was put in jail during Ayub khan’s regime in Pakistan, he instructed his cadres not to resort to violence or underground activity against the government. He asked them to follow the law of the land,” the AMU professor said.
“Maulana Maududi is read by intellectuals and academicians all over the globe because there is logic, power, and argument in his writings,” Prof. Fahad claims.
