The Indian madrassahs and the agenda of reform

Abstract

The reform of the traditional madrassah system of Islamic education in South Asia is a much talked about and hotly debated subject today. It is often linked to discussions about ‘terrorism’ and allegations of madrassahs being involved in training ‘terrorists’. In this way the voices of the ‘ulama associated with the madrassahs, as well as the voices of Muslims who are engaged in promoting reform within the madrassah system, are often marginalized or completely silenced. This article seeks to highlight the views of key individuals associated with a range of madrassahs which are associated with different schools of thought in India. This paper looks at the different ways in which the agendas of reform of the madrassahs are imagined and presented by a number of Indian Muslim ‘ulama as well as Islamist ideologues and modernist Muslim social activists. The paper further examines the various rationales that are offered for reform as well as the particular areas of reform that are stressed. These include the modernization of the madrassah curriculum, reform in methods of teaching, relations between teachers and students, and coordination between different madrassahs. The article also looks at various suggestions that are offered for promoting better and closer interaction between the madrassahs and the wider community, including other Muslim sects, non-Muslims, and the Indian state.