Being a modern Muslim in Mumbai

A government resolution that plans to put the Madrasa board on equal footing with the CBSE board, could make it easier for young Muslims to straddle the traditional and progressive. Aastha Atray Banan meets the people involved in modernising the madrasa product

Student of engineering Sadique Shaikh says the Quran lessons help him de-stress

MB Qasmi relaxes behind a computer screen, listening to the soothing, sing-song voices of young boys reciting the Quran outside his room in the beautifully decadent Musafirkhana Building at Crawford Market. He has just received a call from some members of the Pakistani media. "They wanted me to condone the Indian government, and share a tale or two about the Indian Muslim's plight. I said, 'Hamaare ghar ka mamla hai'. They just hung up on me," he smiles impishly.

The director of the Markazul Ma'rif Education & Research Centre is working towards a single goal to modernise the madrasa product. This includes teaching young Muslims aged 16 to 21 years, college-level English, science, general knowledge and computers, in just two years. Some students come in without even being exposed to the English alphabet, before Qasmi gets down to the moulding.

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Being a modern Muslim in Mumbai

Divided on government recommendation
While some believe that news about the The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) considering granting madrasa certificates recognition equal to that of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), spells good news, Qasmi calls it a half-baked measure since "it's restricted to just seven Indian states.

Madrasas in those states are already working in accordance with government rules. So what's the big deal?"

Elite are happy with this Deeniyat school
Some of course, see the move as encouragement for individuals like Maulana Habib, the tall, strapping young principal of Fine Touch Deeniyat School, located at Mumbai Central, that's gained popularity among elite Muslim in Mumbai.u00a0

A bit surprised at a question that demands that he explain the need for a school like his, he asks, "What is a Musalman without the Quran? Today, colleges teach everything but what they should. And so, there's a greater need for schools like ours where kids are taught about values."

The school's first-year course includes reading the Quran, knowing all of Allah's 99 names and their meaning, learning the right way to pray, regulations concerning Namaaz, and knowledge of Urdu and Arabic. Almost 700 students, both, girls and boys, attend school, some even arriving as late as 9 pm for an hourly session.

HR College student's evenings are reserved
Abdul Rahim, 16, spends the day at HR College of Commerce & Economics, one of South Mumbai's hippest and most sought-after educational institutions, sitting through Economics and Secretarial Practice lectures. A evening lesson awaits him at Fine Touch, a 5-minute walk from his Mumbai Central residence, where he lives with his parents, three sisters and brother.

He stays miles away from smoking, drinking and "girls", he adds quickly. Why shouldn't he, when he has his hands full. "Every practicing Muslim must know the nitty-gritties of the religion. Following what someone else tells you blindly, is far from smart," he says, looking up from fiddling with his cell phone.

Sixteen year-old Sadique Shaikh spends much of his day training to be an engineer at Babasaheb Gawde Institute of Technology at Mumbai Central.u00a0 But he must set aside an hour each day to study the Quran at Fine Touch. "I love being there. It instantly takes away all my stress. The maulanas there teach us how to be good to our parents, and people around us," he shares.

Affluent parents are game
Affluent Muslims in the city are more than willing to allow their kids to straddle the worlds of tradition and modernisation. Mohammad Sirajuddin Ajmal, Director at Ajmal Perfumes, heads over 100 exclusive showrooms across the Middle East. The youngest of his three sons, 17 year-old Abdul Hafiz has been sent to Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, one of the largest teaching institutions for religious education in the world. Why would any teenager agree to move from cosmopolitan Mumbai, where he studied till standard 7, to remote Uttar Pradesh? "Why won't he? He loves it there. We've never forced the kids into anything. When he left for the school, he was old enough to decide what he wanted," says the father.

Ajmal, who himself attendedu00a0 Mumbai's prestigious Wilson College, hopes his son will complete education at Deoband, before heading to Europe to learn about perfumery. "If he knows Arabic, and has graduated from Deoband, he will be taken seriously by traders in Arabic countries. They like dealing with religious scholars."

Ajmal's reasons are different from Farooq Mithaiwala's, the proprietor of a famous sweet mart in Mahim. He's sent all his four daughters to a madrasa at Mohammad Ali Road in the hope to strengthen their "moral grounding". "These days, parents are money-minded. They prefer sending their kids to fancy schools in hope that they get ahead and earn pots of money." Mithaiwala's youngest daughter, Sidra is attending the madrasa (till she gets married at 18, the father says).

We want our kids to go mainstream
General Secretary of the Sunni Darul Uloom Mohammadih madrasa at Mohammad Ali Road, Athar Ali wants underprivileged Muslim kids who are lured by free education and lodging, to be absorbed into mainstream society. "They can't afford an education. They come from remote parts of Bihar and UP. They want to be accepted, that's all. The government's resolution might just prove to be a boon."

Madrasa students here, spout Shakespeare

Muradabad to Mumbai to make a change
Twenty year-old Usama Zakir asks for permission to come into a MB Qasmi's room. Shy and a wee bit nervous, the student who came to Mumbai from Muradabad two years ago, engages in a conversation in fluent English, although halting at intervals. Qasmi, director of the Markazul Ma'rif Education & Research Centre, assures us he's nervous because he is talking to a girl. Zakir spends his free time (whatever's left after he attends class from 8. 30 am to 11.30 pm), roaming the streets of Mumbai, hunting for second-hand books. Though he complains about lack of free time, he loves what he is doing, and secretly hopes he can join the ranks of Qasmi to try and make a change.

The classics including those by Shakespeare and Wordsworth are part of the syllabus here. And when they encounter a bit where Juliet yearns, "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" there's no room for awkwardness. "Why edit anything? These kids are smart. They ask us questions, and we explain what we can, in the best way we can. We've even had to deal with queries about same sex relationships." Qasmi says.

Only liberal Maulanas should teach at these Madrasas, says Mumbai's culture club

Ahlam Khan, Theatre director
What's wrong with going to a madrasa to learn more about your religion? They are not terrorist training camps. These are avenues that educate us about our role as Muslims. What I have a problem with, is the people who teach Islam. We need an open-minded, educated lot as teachers, rather than the maulvis.

Javed Siddique, Playwright and lyricist
I see no harm in Muslim youth attending madrasas. What we need to pay attention to and ask is, what are they being taught? The Quran teaches you tolerance and kindness, traits that are beneficial to society. If the madrasas are teaching this, they should be encouraged.

Zafar Karachiwala, Actor
Whether a madrasa education is good or not, is a subjective issue. It depends on the intent of the individual receiving the education. Every Muslim needs to know what your religion teaches you, because all religions talk about peace and harmony. Hopefully, the teachers are aware of the sensitive times we live in, and will teach kids about tolerance.

Originally, madrasas taught literature and math too

Zeenat Shaukat Ali, Professor of Islamic Studies at St Xavier's College
In ancient times, Muslims went to madrasas to receive higher education. Most of these madrasas imparted secular education along with teaching Islam. The course also included literature, mathematics and history. Over time, some of the madrasas restricted the syllabus to religious teaching only. Going to a class that teaches you the Quran, is not a bad idea, because if taught correctly and honestly, it will make the student a better person tolerant and giving. The Quran tells you not to condone other religions, so, how can it propagate segregation on the basis of faith? If these kids continue to go to secular day schools, and reserve evenings for religious education, they might strike a perfect balance.

What's the Indian government's stand?
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is considering granting madrasa certificates equal recognition as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) certificates. This could spell good news for around 7,000 madrasas that impart education to about 3.5 lakh students in seven states that have madrasa boards: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam and West Bengal. The Sachar Committee appointed by the MHRD to review the status of minorities across the country, has made the recommendation. The suggestion has also been on the PM's 15-point programme for minorities. In the interim report submitted to MHRD, it was proposed that the Aalim degree offered by madrasas be recognised by all universities for admission to undergraduate courses. So far, only a few universities including Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Jamia Hamdard and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) accept students from madrasas for direct entry into undergraduate courses. These universities issue a list of recognised madrasas from which they admit students into various programmes.