The role of Madrasa in the time of COVID-19

Islam is one of the hottest subjects in modern times. Its historical legacy and cultural contribution to the world has provided contexts to look at any phenomenon from more than one angle. However, what new contemplation of Islam refers to our intellectual engagement? For us, Islam is all about the history of gone era as a panacea! Jargons like Caliphate, ‘golden era’ etc. are the legacies of the historical past, that are trying to become relevant.

But mostly in conflict zones of the Arab world. While, the educated class is aware of the cultural-intellectual contributions and conversations of the West and the rest of the world, both divide as well as bridge.  The West, for long, has determined these divisions the fate of one culture as superior and other cultures as underdeveloped. Although these categories are superficial in terms of adhering with the conceptual framework for governance.

Both, the so-called superior and underdeveloped countries rely on values considered as democratic. Though, politics around Islam in the West sees a failure in a liberal democracy. No wonder, India has been a burgeoning ground for the same politics but in a different shape. Despite sharing the very imagination of the East with the Arab world, its cultural and traditional exchange, India is being spelt as a politically hegemonic and racialised country, otherwise a society known for the contribution in shared Eastern imagination.

The hegemonic and racial context refers to numerous recent cases of Islam and Muslims under criticism for the ‘sins’ of and belonging to the norms of Arab culture. Though in humanitarian eyes of Islam, there is no difference between an Arabs and non-Arabs. Both are equal. But lack of desire to understand and appreciate other cultures and people is breeding prejudice against Muslims. Hoping for an alternative would be a distant dream and may have a craving for another utopia.

In India, Islam as religion is studied with the reference to its intellectually diversified and regionally rooted legacies. Which is more in engagement to the local norms of the society? After independence, the concern that Islam promotes a diverse society helped to keep it in the secular fold that may prefer democracy over Caliphate. Nevertheless, in recent times, the secular aura seems to be in decline; Islam's intellectual literacy is in the hand of popular preachers, soothsayer and Muslim evangelists.

Most of them seem to be content with the education received in religious seminaries, with little or zero updates about contemporary times. Due to this, sometimes the comments about the non-Muslims or fellow Muslims are conceived as insensitive or offensive. Though they have a transnational impact it also damages the day to day relationship between co-religionists.

In the time when there is a crisis in understanding the diversity of religions, cultures and beliefs, under contending modernities a project named ‘Madrasa Discourses’ is committed to educating Madrasa graduates about the significance of pluralism, diversity, democracy, Islamic theology and philosophy, scientific developments and gender equality at the University of Notre Dame.

The project was launched in 2017, is the brainchild of professor Ebrahim Moosa who teaches Islamic Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Many professors from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia; New Delhi, and Aligarh Muslim University.

Madrasa Discourses provides the most advanced and comprehensive facilities and provides an extensive exposure to its students with the top academicians of the world. Another essential figure and lead faculty associated with Madrasa Discourses is Dr Waris Mazhari, an Islamic scholar and expert in Madrasa curriculum who is associated with Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi.

Scholars and researchers of Madrasa Discourses advocate that “the toxic explanation about Islam as the product of sword and missionary ambitions serves the purpose of reactive mentality on the one hand, and cushions the hegemonic approaches of the biased interpretations of Islam in general and eastern traditions in particular, on the other hand.”

Believing in the public good and democratic values, the programme is aimed at contributing to creating a healthy Indian society.

Madrasa Discourses in the eyes of a Madrasa Graduate:

I have received my initial education from the Madrasa Jamia-tus-Salafiah, Varanasi, which is a premier institute in North India. I graduated from Jamia Millia Islamia, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, both are in New Delhi.

Three different worlds ignited me with motivation to serve the society from where I claim my membership.  For me, my society is neither Muslim nor Hindu; it is a human society. This is the lesson I have learnt from my family. I am motivated by the works of great minds, like professor A K Ramakrishnan whose insights on Islam and world religions moved me to another level. I was not surprised by the fact that he not a believer in God but knows God more than believers. And he was not surprised by the fact that I do believe in God but claiming that I know believers the most.

My search for understanding the most complex issues of the society, culture and civilisation led me to join the Madrasa discourses. As I am interested in everyday issues of my society, culture, philosophical worldviews and lots of other things happening around me. I was learning to react to the most fundamental issues; “what is a human being, what one being does to other being and how human being hands over things from its memories to other human beings?” My society is India that shared its imagination with greater East. In Madrasa discourses, I was interested in the scientific worldview of Aryabhatta, a sixth-century astronomer whose contribution helped not only to Arab scientists during the medieval period of world history but also benefitted to Europeans minds.

Aryabhatta was from India's Pataliputra, the modern-day Patna. For social scientists and humanities, I learnt how backhand of the history works, how its process begets new history and why a scholar must prefer wisdom over politics in history for shaping the social reality. It was the lesson I learnt from Ibn Khaldun (d.1406), the great Tunisian historian who is on the top recommendation in Western and Indian academia, was the pedagogical tool to teach students at Madrasa Discourses.

Role of Madrasa in the time of Corona:

As the world is fighting with Covid-19 pandemic the humanitarian concern is at the forefront of the people associated with Madrasa Discourses programme. Professor Moosa is doing his best more than ever in the online classrooms to keep Muslim collectivities educated and updated about Islamic concern to human life. He also advised the government of Saudi Arabia to suspend the Hajj pilgrimage  in July 2020.

In prioritising human life over religious rituals, he played a tremendous role in educating Islamic scholars and Ulama from all over the world. Dr Waris Mazhari, who has a significant influence over scholars from Indian Madrasas including The Darul-Uloom at Deoband holds the same opinion. He rejects all the conspiracy theories behind the spread of Corona Virus and shows his concern for a healthy Indian society. Despite all these engagements, online classes of Madrasa Discourses are in progress. We are committed to learn and educate from the Eastern traditions, which is our own. We belong to that tradition.

Dr Saad Ahmad is associated with Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi