Madarasas in Ayodhya

The Other side of Madarsas in Ayodhya region:

Vidya BhushanRawat, from Ayodhya

As saffron saints make their political attempts to communalise the country and indirectly seek to ask the frustrated people of the state of Uttar-Pradesh, to support a thoroughly discredited government, an unplanned visit to several Madarsas was definitely a signal for those who look down upon Muslims and spread the canard about their possible anti-Indian feeling.

A.B.W.M.National School or Madarsa Talim o Tarbiat, is in the opposite side of Ramjanambhoomi-babarimasjid structure. As I was traveling to Ayodhya, 80 years old Mohammad Hashim, who was the first person to have seen the rowdy elements of the Hindutva brigade putting the idols of 'Ram Lalla" in the 'Babari Masjid' and he had complained to then district collector and the rest is the history now. I go along with him and a local social activist Abdul Khaliq to see various monuments of Ayodhya. And suddenly the principle of Madarsa Hafiz Mohammad Safi comes in and ask us to join his Madaras's republic day programme.
Over 200 students predominantly girls have gathered at the small open campus of the Madarsa where the tricolor is about to be hoisted. In front of the tricolor is written with flowers " Jai Hind". Exactly at 10 am Mohd Hashim, one of the oldest member of Ayodhya, with the help of Mr. Hafiz Mohd Safi, hoist the tricolor and the entire gathering claps and start singing " Jan-gana-Mana". It was a slap on the face of those who consider that Muslims abhor the very concept of 'National song'. But that was not the end. The programme is well prepared by Hafiz with the help of his teaching staff, which consist of 5 female teachers.

The program followed by songs, dances and plays by students both boys and girls. Two girls who sing " Ah Malik Tere Bande Hum, aishe ho hamare kadam, neki pe chale aur badri se daren take hansate hue nikle dam..' again all the childern claps. Another girl sang 'Chhodo Kal kee baten, kal kee baat purani, naye daur main likhenge hum, milkar nayee kahani, hum hindustani',followed by 'sare jahan se achcha hindostan hamara'. Small children also danced on 'Nanha munha rahi hoon, desh kaa sipahi hoon bolo mere sang, jai Hind'..

It was so heartening to see the children playing 'natak', carrying national flag and saying through their own way to reject smoking and chewing tobacco, which is dangerous for health. The most illustrious part came when a small girl spoke on the issue of 'unity in diversity' and she said:” we are the children of this great nation but unfortunately some people talks of hatred and feel proud in breaking the constitution and civilized norms. They talk of war and feel happy about it but they don't understand that the war is anti children. Why these leaders want to deny us our childhood." At the end sweet was distributed among the children.

One is surprised how these children’s, majority of whom are unable to pay their monthly school fee of 15 rupees, have been able to speak in terms of national integration and unity in such a way when the projected image of a madarsa is of orthodoxy and conventionalism where an illiterate Mullah teach students all that is 'evil' in India. This is also a time to retrospection for the 'secular' media which has also fallen to the continued 'cries' of Sangh Parivar that Madarsas are the center of anti Indian activity. One does not know what is anti-Indian. Madarasas are helping the poor people and their children by whatever small means they have with them. The principle reveal that only 100 students are able to pay the monthly fee of Rs 15, which means about 60% students coming in the Madarasa as free of cost. They do want grant as at the present they are not getting it from anywhere and if the government is concerned about religious education and every other thing that Madaras do, let it take over all these institutions, provide funds to them and ban the religious schools of hatred run by Sangh Parivar.
The school principle informed that they don't grant from any one but some local people who have been kind enough to support their cause. While till 4th standard they inculcate the religious education to the students but after fourth standard, they follow the normal course prescribed by the UP government. At the moment the schools classes are till 7th standard but from next year they will be start the VIII standard also.

One was surprised to see the few of young girls in Jeans and shirts in the Madarsas and played their role during the programme. How could it become possible if they are all negative things existing in the Dini-madaris.

Interestingly, one could see about 70 students belonging to Hindu community learning not only Urdu and Arabic but also of English. In various classes where I move, I could see even the staff belong to Hindus particularly Brahmins. A teacher Ms Anju Sharma told me that she felt completely at home at the school where the students are learning everything from Hindi , Urdu, English as well as General Knowledge. And to take up their teaching standard, I move in every class during the session and ask random questions right from ‘Name of the country, its capital, name of the state, its capital, tables, our national anthem and name of our prime minister and chief minister and to my utter surprise, the students were well equipped in these.

Kichchauchha Sharief is a famous Dargah of Hazrate Alam Huzur Sayed Shah Maqdum ashraf Jahangir Simnani Rahemtullah Alehe. Near the Dargah is one of the most outstanding Darululoom named as Jame Ashraf. One of the finest libraries is being developed in the institution where some of the original writings and letters of Sayed Maqdum Ashraf Jahangir Simnani are available. The library has books of other religion such as Hindusim, Sikkhism and Budhhism and also in Hindi and English as well. We were informed that about 10,000 books are available at the library at the moment. At the religious teachings we found that apart from Arabi, Persian, and Urdu, English and Hindi are compulsory subjects for the students. Most of the students come from UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharastra, Karnataka. About 300 students are taking religious education in this Darul-uloom, which has more than 12 teaching staff. There are about 150 rooms made for the guests in the institution where one can stay from a minimum of Rs 25 per day to about Rs 150 per day. The librarian and manager of the Jame Ashraf Maulana M.Qmaruddin Ashrafi informs me that these guest houses are not exclusive for the Muslims but people from the other religion can stay there. In fact, says Asharfi, a majority of people in these guesthouses are Hindus who come to Kichhauchha Sharif to visit the Dargah. I meet some of the people residing in the Darul-uloom and ask them various questions. There is a family from Bihar, who has been living here for almost two years. I ask them whether they face any problem in living in this area of Muslim dominance. The woman who is heading her family including 25 years old son, says:“I and my family are completely comfortable and at peace at this place where we never felt that we are at some other place far away from our home in Bihar. Today, my son is recovering after 2 years of medication and we are in fact grateful to this Darul-uloom that they provide us the best services in the cheapest possible rates and we are completely at home here.”

There is a Sikh family from Delhi here and as I asked the woman how she feel at this place: We are thankful to these people for providing us this place. This is the best possible guarantee of protection for us says the woman who does not want to face my camera because she fears her daughter’s in-laws may create trouble for her. I asked them whether they found anything ‘anti-national’ in this darululoom, as being rumored these days: It is absolutely nonsense. These people are doing a great service for the human kind. At least in this Madarasa I have not found anything, which could be said as antinational. We can vouch that at this institution we are completely safe. Safer than any other place”.

About 40 Kilometer from Faizabad towards Lucknow is Rudauli Sharif, another holy place for millions of Hindus and Muslims alike. Here the famous Darul-uloom named as Madarsa Chistia Shaberia Faizal Haq, where about 650 students are getting education. Apart from the religious education which a few of the students, 85 in total number here, get, most of the students are getting the modern education and learning Hindi, English, Urdu, Persian and Urdu. As I visit to different classes from 1st to 5th, one could see the enthusiasm in the classes. The kids reciting ‘Sare-Jahan se Achcha Hindustan hamara’, or twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.. or jisne suraj chand Banaya, reflected clearly how much changes are coming in the Muslim society and that the charges of conventionalism in Madarasas are falsehood. At least, one could claim that there are numerous such madarsas, if not all, which are making lives of millions of Muslims and non-Muslims, who are unable to find a place in the government schools or private schools. Madarasas are poor people’s laboratory to get education at a time when the state is relinquishing its responsibility in the education sector. There were 15 teachers at the primary level in this darululoom and 7 of them were women. Mr Ataun Nabi Shabri, Secretary to Sajadanashin, Raudalisharief, informs me that the Darululoom is now helping poor students to get their education and that we want to go for an intermediate college soon. The Uloom’s liberary has more then 5,000 books on Sufism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and in different languages including English and Hindi though most of the books are in Arebic, Persian and Urdu.
In this age of misinformation when the votaries of Hindutva are spreading that Madarsas are involved in the anti-national activities, it was refreshening to see the celebrations of day of national honor by the children of Muslim community at Ayodhya reflect in unambiguous term that the canard against the madaras must stop. That Madaras are open to people belonging to different faiths is an eye-opener for those who always blames them fetching isolationist tendencies in the Muslim society. There is a lesson for those also who feel that these Madarsas are exclusivists in nature as a large number of Hindus have been there in different guesthouses of these Madarasas. Hence it is important that anything about Madarasas should not be written in a generalized way. It is therefore heartening to see that the faith in democratic set up of the country by the Muslim community in front of the place where the lunatics of Hindutva brought shame to the nation and broke all constitutional norms and dishonored their promise to the nation and its highest court on 6th December 1992, is really a matter of greatest joy for all of us who have believed that this country can only survive if it respect the rights of every one whether he belong to majority or minority community.

In the Sangh dominated school mindset, students were given the overdose of 'war against terrorism. Political leaders, Hindutva ideologues made rhetorical speeches in the city but despite that the city of Ayodhya and Faizabad remain indifferent to all this. Visiting few other Madarasas, one can find a wind of change flowing there. At the Yatimkhana madarasa, I ask an orphan as what is he studying these days, and he says that apart from the religious taleem (education), he know reading-writing English as well as Hindi and after some time he would study maths and science. I naively ask the boy as what would he like to be in future. After, a thought, he says " I would like to be a 'sarkari naukar'. In the Baharshah Madarsa of Faizabad, an official of the madarasa speak to me in great length of India's plural culture. One is surprised to find that despite all the tall claims of the Sangh Parivar, Madarasas are rapidly changing and accepting new changes for their students, for they also know that a mere study of religious scriptures will take them nowhere and they need to bring their students to the level of other college going students. When I ask this question to a local lawyer Sayed Aftab Rizvi, he says that 'ofcourse, a lot of new things are happening in the Madarasas which are the center of education for the poor students and these changes, he says are for the good for them'. It is the forces like the RSS and VHP which are spreading canard about them to deny the poor Muslims, whatever little avenue available, to educate themselves'.

Elsewhere in the Ayodhya, Faizabad, Rudauli and Akbarpur there is a complete antipathy towards the grand Hindutva project. There is a complete bonhomie between the Hindus and Muslims, some of the students made various reflections on 'terrorism', an issue which the Faizabad administration wanted to impose upon the people. Yet a student made a nice caricature when he said that attack on Parliament was a terrorist attack in the similar way as those who hoisted the 'saffron' flag at the 'disputed structure and demolished it. A large number of students turned out in the town in a campaign virtually organised by the 'Ayodhya ke nagarik', while a large number of Hindu voices were clearly on a harsh action against the terrorists, there were a few who talked about human rights, human values and respect to all the religions and faith in India. Ayodhya is the symbol of India's cultural pluralism and one hope that despite efforts by the outsiders to communalise it will fail this time also as have been in the past.