TEACHING RELIGION
Maryam Sakeenah
Most of the criticism to the Single National Curriculum relates to the Islamic Studies syllabi. There is paranoia about it being ‘bloated’ and ‘overzealous.’ This concern stems from the idea that religion and its education are invariably regressive and degenerate. Given our long and morbid history of the political abuse of religion, sectarianism and violence, this is not without grounds. But we will come to that later.
The Western colonial project had deep ideological underpinnings. Post Enlightenment Europe had liberated itself from a degenerate religious orthodoxy after centuries of struggle, hence it emerged as stridently secular. The narrative of religion being essentially regressive, anti intellectual and anti scientific is steeped in the experience of centuries of European history. In the historical experience and cultural consciousness of much of the non Western world, however, this Eurocentric narrative does not hold, at all. It was under the religious state with the Shariah as the law of the land that culture, critical inquiry and scientific development thrived during the Muslim Golden Age in the Middle Ages. This also was the precursor to the Western Renaissance. Elsewhere, such as in Latin America, Protestant Churches and their religious discourse (liberation theology) became the driving force for progressive social change.
Originating from the British colonial masters whose purpose was served well through the systematic marginalization of the madrassah as a centre of enlightenment in pre colonial Indian society, the madrassah and its affiliates have suffered structural exclusion from society. Religious violence involving seminaries and, following the War on Terror coming home, an active campaign of negative stereotyping maligned the Madrassah further. This explains the fears regarding the recruitment of madrassah-qualified religious instructors at schools, and vice versa. Alongwith a lack of acknowledgement of the positive social contribution of the Madrassah, there is also a lack of understanding of the complex historical, social, economic and political factors that have led to this gradual deterioration of the Madrassah. Consequently, there is no realization of the urgent and pressing need to reverse this process.
How pressing this need is can be
gauged from the fact that the school and the Madrassah embody two widely differentiated
education systems, set upon a head-on collision course. This creates two
ideologically opposed social subcultures which overlap the stratification of
the society along the lines of social class. The university graduate possesses
the cultural capital that eventually makes him gain access to the avenues of
power. On the other hand is the deprived religious seminary graduate whose
fewer career prospects and the constant fear of poverty breeds resentment which
may easily flare into violence. Including secular learning as a necessary part
of the Madrassah system and facilitating the interaction and exchange between
the seminary and the school may well work as a means to bridge the gaping
divides and begin the healing process for a deeply fractured society.
Memorization is not a
skill exclusive to Islamic Studies. Nor does memorization of some course
contents preclude independent thinking, critical engagement and logical
reasoning. It is a necessary tool for gaining knowledge and complements other
skills. So many individuals throughout Islam’s history, having gone through
traditional learning, emerged as the greatest minds spearheading critical
reform, discovery and innovation: Ghazali, Ibn Tayimiyyah and Ibn Khaldun
immediately come to mind in this regard.
Traditionally, Islamic
Studies courses taught at Madrassahs have been broadly categorized between the
‘Maqulat’ (rational sciences) and the ‘Manqulat’ (transmitted classical
learning). Both are integral to the study of Religion, but just like in the
heyday of Muslim civilization the ‘Maqulat’ stood prioritized, a return to that model can
provide space for critical engagement and analytical reasoning within the
purview of religion.
Concerns regarding the promotion
of sectarianism through the teaching of religion can be addressed by
prioritizing the ethical content of Islam over issues of juristic difference,
form and ritual. Rights of fellow beings must be highlighted, including for
those of other faiths- for which there exists voluminous content in religious
sources. Anyone who has read through the Single National Curriculum will know
that these contents have been included.
As a teacher of Islamic
Studies for many years, I have encouraged critical engagement with religious
texts, contextualization of religious interpretations and given space for
discussion, debate and questioning. I have encouraged the appreciation of the
internal diversity of religion and facilitated the understanding of the
relevance of religious ethics and values in our society and the wider world. My
students come from a variety of sectarian backgrounds. I enable them to
understand differences without judgement. I encourage them to feel free to
profess fidelity to personal convictions while respecting the convictions of
others different to theirs. I am not an exception. Numberless individuals in the
Muslim world and beyond have endeavoured to make faith come alive for seekers
of knowledge as a means to positive personal and social change.
Much of the criticism to
the Islamic Studies curriculum is based on our unfair biases, negative
stereotypes and preconceived notions. These arise from a prejudiced view of
religion which is the legacy of our colonial past that still holds some of our
most popular academics intellectually hostage. In a country that has suffered
religious violence and where instances of religious and sectarian intolerance
are not rare, the teaching of religion sincerely, judiciously, insightfully and
authentically can show us a way out of the dark alley of obscurantism, hate and
ignorance.
The writer teaches Islamic Studies and Social Sciences in Lahore
and can be reached at meem.seen@gmail.com.
