By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net
Very different from traditional Islamic madrasas, there is a madrasa in New Delhi that teaches its students Sanskrit, Gita and Ramayana besides Quran and Hadith.
Established in 2005 with the support of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), the madrasa whose most students are mainstream college graduates is located in Jamia Nagar area.
Not to talk of teaching terror, the madrasa, Islami Academy, somewhat modern in its name also, has been teaching Sanskrit and Hindu religious scriptures from the very first year, much to the surprise of saffronites, both in government and media, who have pulled out all the stops to tarnish the image of madrasas.
Not only this, the madrasa’s focus is on comparative studies of religions in India that is abode of oldest civilizations in the world. Purpose is to make students aware of commonalities and differences in religions found in the country.
Twenty-something Fahimuddin has come from Shimoga, Karnataka to study at the madrasa. What inspired a science graduate from Shimoga to learn Sanskrit and study Hindu Scriptures, that too in New Delhi? “I wanted to study religions in India, their origin and factors behind creation of so many religions,” says Fahimuddin talking to TwoCircles.net in the rich library room of the Academy.
He came here because this institute is unrivaled in what it gives to its students: serious comparative study of religions. What makes the Academy more important is the guidance of Dr. Muhammad Abdul Haq Ansari, former JIH chief, that the Academy is getting. PhD. in Philosophy from Aligarh Muslim University, Dr. Ansari holds M.T.S. degree in Comparative Religion & Theology from Harvard University, USA. He has authored more than two dozen books.
Fahimuddin took admission in a 3-year course called Researchers & Thinkers in 2006. Take a look at the subjects Fahimuddin and other students seeking admission in this course are supposed to study: Old Hindu Religion, Modern Hinduism and Christianity. In Old Hindu Religion, students study religious Scriptures like Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Smiriti Gita and Ramayana.
Besides, they study Sanskrit Language and Arabic Language and Literature. As they are doing comparative studies of religions, they study Fundamentals of Islam, Islamic History, Quran and Hadith.
In the beginning Sanskrit Language and Hindu Scriptures were taught by two teachers, one from Lucknow University and other from Aligarh Muslim University. Now the Sanskrit Language course is being sponsored by Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, a deemed university that is fully financed by the Government of India. The Sansthan send their teachers for the classes.
Students are coming from several states including Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar. The madrasa bears all expenses of the students. Tuition is free, as also lodging. For food and other expenses, the madrasa gives each student a monthly stipend of Rs 2,000.
What is the main purpose of the Academy? It wants to produce Muslim scholars and writers who are well versed in all religions, civilization and traditions so that they could present Islam well in Indian perspective. The academy’s introductory booklet reads: “Islamic Academy wants to produce a literature which addresses the Indian community at large, studies Indian religions, history and tradition, expounds on Islamic ideas, values and systems primarily in their context.”