Muslims & Education

It is generally thought that Muslims do not prefer to send their children, especially girl child to school. They   are mainly concerned about religious education and therefore are inclined to open more and more madrasas.

This stereotype was further reinforced when in seventies and eighties when number of madrasas  were opened, especially in northern, western and central India. This was mainly because it was in seventies that oil revolution took place in the Arab world and they began to give money to poorer Muslim countries including for religious education. Many Ulama from India succeeded in getting financial aid for starting new madrasas and also expanding existing madrasas. It is undoubtedly true that during seventies and in subsequent decades quite a few madrasas were established in India. However, there are many reasons for expansion of madrasas, which must be understood. It should not be reduced to a stereotype, which is often done. First, we would like to throw some light on the prevalence of madrasa education among Muslims in India.

Firstly, it should be noted that during Muslim rule in medieval ages these madrasas were centers of higher knowledge and these madrasas provided religious as well as then available scientific knowledge known as ‘ulum-i-‘aqliyah (intellectual knowledge). These centers of learning were naturally patronized by the kings, nawwabs and jagirdars (feudal lords). Thus what is known as Dars-i-Nizamiyah synthesised both religious and natural sciences of the time. However, with the decline of the Mughal rule and establishment of British rule these centre’s of higher knowledge fast declined and were left with no resources to grow and imbibe the modern knowledge. Now small madrasas came into existence in different localities, which were run by donations from local communities and catered to elementary religious knowledge. The biggest institution of Islamic learning which came into existence in the post-Mughal period in north India was Darul ‘Ulum Deoband. This institution founded by Maulana Qasim Ahmed Nanotvi and others also had very humble beginning. It was founded in nineteenth century after failure of 1857 war of independence.

This madrasa had come into existence during period of great crisis for north Indian Muslims when Muslims were facing British wrath and the ‘Ulama were in the forefront of anti-British struggle much before Indian national Congress came into existence and national freedom movement started. These ‘Ulama remained steadfast in their struggle for freedom and also became allies of the Congress and firmly opposed two nation theory and partition of the country. These ‘Ulama led by Maulana Mahmudul Hasan opposed modern education not so much because it was modern and secular but more so as it was British imperialist system. Sir Syed on the other hand became founder of the modern educational institution in Aligarh known as MAO College, which subsequently became Aligarh Muslim University. In a way both Sir Syed and the ‘Ulama of Deoband school were complimenting each other rather than contradicting. Both systems of education were needed in that period of acute crisis. It was, for Muslims, also a period of an acute identity crisis.

Modern secular education alone would not have sufficed for Muslims during that period of crisis. It was very difficult for the Muslim elite to come to terms with total eclipse of their power. And it was for this reason the ‘Ulama played far more significant role in freedom struggle to drive the British out than the secular Muslim elite. The secular elite were far more interested in making a deal with the Britishers to safeguard their own interests. The ‘Ulama at the same time were more worried about religious identity and hence madrasa education flourished under their patronage. Also, it was in keeping with the requirement of Muslims as there was glaring poverty among them since most of them were converted from lower Hindu castes. Modern western education made not much sense to them nor could they afford it as they faced stark poverty. Many sociologists have pointed out that among Indian Muslims before independence there was either feudal class or the poor class. Thus either there were very rich Muslims (mostly from feudal class) or very poor Muslims, middle class being very weak. The ‘Ulama catered to the poorer classes by opening madrasas where free religious education was imparted and many madrasas also offered free food and clothing. The period immediately after partition was also full of crisis for Muslims.

The educated rich and middle classes migrated to Pakistan for greener pastures and poor illiterate masses were left behind. Once again it was madrasa education which came to their rescue and fulfilled their psychological and intellectual need. The Government of India could not open even enough primary schools to fulfill need for schooling for the poor. Muslims being among extremely poor had to fall back on madrasa education. And those who somehow could make it to government schools dropped out before completing primary education as the poor parents would like them to work somewhere to supplement family income. But even after dropout they would continue madrasa education due to convenient timings either early morning or late evening. All this put together accounts for lack of secular education among the Muslims and flourishing of madrasa education. The ‘Ulama also saw an opportunity to run more madrasas after oil revolution and many more madrasas came into existence including those of higher learning which catered to increased Muslim population in the post independence period.

Now the girls also began to join both primary and higher centers of Islamic learning. There are courses being run for girls in places like Malegaon in Maharashtra and other places. However, having said this about the madrasa education I would like to discuss the situation about the modern secular education. It is necessary to dispel the stereotype that Muslims resist modern secular education and opt for madrasa education only. Such stereotypes, besides being unreal, are also dangerous as they intensify communal attitudes. Madrasas are looked upon as centers of fundamentalism and also now generally dubbed as centers of ISI &ISIS activities. This is, to say the least, highly politically motivated. It is highly regrettable that few politicians and political parties  announced that madrasa education is a security risk. There may be a few black sheep but such sweeping statements are very dangerous and amount to condemning whole community. Those, which indulge in such activities should be isolated and punished under the law of the land.

 Apart from madrasa education there is growing trend today among Muslims to go for secular education. So far the socio-cultural factors rather than religious one kept Muslim girls away from modern school education. Today, with the growth of middle class among the Muslims the trend for modern education is on the rise.  According to 2015 survey there are 0.4% graduates now among Muslims which is still very low but better than before. Compared to others it may appear dismal figure but nevertheless it shows changing trend among Muslims. According to a survey in UP, the number of Muslim girls passing matriculation in first class has jumped 13 times. Though the base may not be very high still the jump of 13 percent is no mean figure. The same survey indicates that in different colleges in U.P. there is great increase in the success rate of Muslim girls. Also, all over India one finds increasing number of Muslim colleges, particularly girl colleges coming into existence. It is highly encouraging trends. Syed Hamid,  ex vice President of India & ex-vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, has taken it as his life mission to popularize modern secular education among Muslims. He had taken out a Talimi Caravan (educational caravan) through various cities and towns of north India to urge upon Muslims to go for modern education.

It has had considerable impact on Muslim mind. There is great difference between stereotypes and ground reality. While stereotype remains static the ground reality changes. Muslims are still very backward as all social, economic and educational indicators bear out. Yet, the new middle class which is emerging on the Muslim horizon is realizing that the community must advance in educational field in this information technology era. Azim Premji, the only high ranking industrialist among Muslims in India has declared that his foundation will educate 80 thousand students every year and he also declared that education is the best gift one can give to children. The Government of India had announced to give Rs.500 crores to Maulana Azad Foundation for educational and other needs of the community. However, the government gave only Rs. 100 crores.

If the government fulfils its promises which are generally unfulfilled and left only for announcements, Muslims can achieve much higher rate of literacy. The main problem for education among Muslims is poverty, not religion or lack of will. There are not many industrialists or businessmen among Indian Muslims like Azim Premji to come to their rescue. Now there seems to be will among Muslims but no resources. There is also a trend for imparting modern education in the madrasas. But again the lack of resources stares in the face of Muslims. Some madrasas have, however, adopted modern sciences as part of their curriculum.

Political Islam and Its Proponents

A terrorist is not created in his mother’s womb. It takes an environment of hatred, a whole jungle of hatred-to bring him into existence. The present-day community of Muslims has unfortunately provided such an environment. How did this jungle of hatred grow? For one it has been cultivated by the extensive proliferation of a particular ideology among Muslims, a political interpretation of Islam, which offered Muslim the status of God’s vicegerents on earth with the right to rule the entire world on His behalf.

Islam was the leading civilization of the world in the period between the decline of ancient civilization and the ascent of modern European ones. But ultimately, western colonial powers established their dominance over the Muslim world; it was in reaction to his domination that political movements began to be launched in the name of Islam. The objective of these movements was to free Muslim countries from western rule and to re-establish Muslim rule.

It was Syed Jamaluddin Afghani, born in Iran in 1838, who probably developed the concept of Islamic nationalism for the first time. During his lifetime, the colonial expansion of the west was at its peak and almost the entire Muslim world had, directly or indirectly, come under its rule. Jamaluddin Afghani made it his mission to bring down the colonial system and restore the political power of Muslim nations. Towards this end, he launched the movement know as pan-Islamism. It aimed at bringing together the Muslims of entire world to form a united international power, which would defeat western nation and set the Muslim world free from their clutches.

Jamaluddin Afghani failed to achieve his political target, but what he did successfully was to show the seeds of hatred for western nations in Muslims minds all over the world. As a result, Muslims in general came to regard western nations as their enemies. Almost all the Muslim leaders of his time began to think in negative and political terms. The more prominent of these were Sayyid Qutb and Amir Shaqib Arsalan in the Arab World, Muhammad Iqbal and Sayyed abul Ala Maududi  in the Indian subcontinent, and later ayatollah Khomeini in Iran.

Initially, the movement focused on the expulsion of western forces from the Muslims world. More appropriately, it was an initiative to gain political freedom. Thus, in the times of Afghani, this movement was more political than religious in nature, which its slogan being the east for easterners’’.

After Afghani, this revolutionary movement entered another phase. Now it was given an ideological form. The movement, which had been described in communal terms (with reference to the global Muslim community), was now given an Islamic hue. An attempt was made to Islamize their communal thinking by developing a complete ideology based on the political interpretation of Islam. If earlier the thinking had been that the western nations were usurpers and that a restitution of Muslims’political  rights must be demanded from them in the next phase ideologists developed the theory that Islam had a system covering the whole of human life and that this include politics. The Muslims were, therefore, duty-bound to capture political power b y force so that Islam might be implemented as a total system. The promoters of this movement held that so long as Islam was not adopted by the believers in toto, as a complete system, their faith would not be acceptable to God. It following that bringing about a political revolution became a binding obligation, like prayers and fasting.

In this second phase, two Muslim leaders figured most prominently: the Egyptian intellectual Sayyid Qutb (d. 1966) and Sayyed Abul Ala maududi (d.1979), a Muslim ideologue from the Indian subcontinent. Both these leaders found themselves in a very favorable environment- an environment  that now made it possible for their books to be translated into many language and thus for their ideas to spread over almost the entire Muslim world. As a consequence, Muslims in almost all part of the globe were directly influenced by their political ideology. Some became actively involved, while the thinking of others, shaped by this ideology, centred on political Islam. All dreamed of the political glory of Islam.

This movement, designed to establish political Islam, gave rise to various other movements. Two of these movements grew in to prominence: all Ikhwan al –Muslimun, or the Muslim Brotherhood, established in 1928 in the Arab world and the Jamat- e Islami established in 1941on the subcontinent. Both were highly organized movements and subsequently launched campaigns to establish Islamic rule in Muslim countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Algeria, Tunisia and Malaysia.  

At first these movements sought to establish Muslim rule by spreading their ideology of political Islam. When they failed on this score, they started taking part in the national election in the countries here they were active. When they failed on this front too, they resorted to militancy. This political movement of the Muslims intensified in the latter half on the twentieth country. It was during these days that the Jews established their rule in Palestine in the name of Israel. Now Muslims believe that they Jews are rejected by God, while the Muslims themselves are the chosen people. So finding the dominance of the Jews over the Muslims intolerable, they made a frantic bid to obliterate the Jews from the face of the earth. The pro-Islam movement of the first half of the twentieth century ultimately turned into an anti-Jewish movement in the second half century.

Events have demonstrated that, in spite of making every conceivable effort, Muslims have failed in their campaign against the Jews. On every front, right from the united nation to the Aqsa Mosque of Jerusalem, they have had total defeat inflicted upon them. It is the ensuing build-up of a defeatist mentality which has culminated perforce in the phenomenon of ‘Islamic terrorism’. Though ostensibly aimed at re-establishing Islamic rule. The political Islam movement actually grew as a political reaction to the circumstances in which Muslims found themselves at that particular point in time. Its inspiration and its impact were totally negative. The movement was the result of anti- western rather than pro-Islam feelings, and for precisely this reason it rapidly turned violent.

According to Islam, a truly Islamic movement arise out of feelings of benevolence for all the humanity. Its target being neither land nor power, it is always carried out through peaceful means. It never adopts violence. If Muslims movements of the modern age opted for the way of extremism, it was because they were not genuinely Islamic in nature. The truth is that these Muslim social movements, which had only the community agenda in mind, adopted the name of Islam purely as a means of self- Justification. If you read the Quran, nowhere in it will you find any mention of ‘political Islam’. They Quran contains neither information nor injunction which could lead to the setting up of a political system. The eighteenth- century French thinker Rousseau, who was greatly concerned with the human condition, wrote a treatise called the social contract (1762). He opened his book with this arresting statement: man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.’

This is the language of a political book, a book which was to contribute to the ideas and policies of the leaders of the French revolution and which ultimately gained worldwide currency. But if you read the Quran, you will see that it begins not with a diatribe against human inequality with its implied criticism of wrong governance, but simply with praises of God, and it ends with the necessity to seek refuge in God against Satan. In the Quran and the Hadith, there is no mention of the system of state. Nor is there any mention of revolt against nay existing system neither is there any indication as to how a political ruler or khalifah is to be appointed or selected. No such principles are set forth in Islam, neither from an ideological nor from a practical point of view. In short, it is clear that no aspect of political Islam is dealt with anywhere in the Quran and the Hadith.   

At more than one place in the Quran we are told what the Prophet’s tasks were in accordance with the divine plan. These were recitation of the verses of the Quran; purification of man; teaching of the scriptures; and teaching of wisdom. In none of the verses are we told that the task of the Prophet was to establish Islamic rule in the world. Such verses of the Quran as presented by the champions of political Islamic in support of their cause were distorted to serve their own ends.

The truth is that giving a political interpretation to Islam is a despicable act and in no way serves the higher aims of the religion.

Islam & Political Extremism

The Quran teaches us not be extremist in our religion. Its exact words are: ‘People of the book! Do not go to extremes in your religion.’(4:171). We also learn from a saying of Prophet Muhammad that extremist tendencies have always been the chief reason for religious group going astray. That is why the prophet once observed: ‘Sedulously refrain from extremism, for the previous communities were destroyed only because of their extremist tendencies in religious matters.’

“Ghulu” meaning extremism is engendered in a religious community when it goes in to a state of decline, and I in fact, a sign of its degeneration. There is a tradition of Prophet Muhammad which forewarns his followers of the rot that can set in. he said that all those evils which had arisen in previous communities would also arise, but on a greater scale in his own community.  To make his meaning clear, he said:

‘Where previous communities were divided into 72 sects, Muslims will be divided into 73Sects.

There are innumerable cases of ideological extremism in Islamic history. But we also find among Muslims another kind of extremism which probably never existed in previous communities. When the prophet said that while the Israelites were divided into seventy-two sects and the Muslim would be divided into seventy-three sects, he was giving an example of this other kind of ghulu (extremism) which can be described as political extremism.  No previous community had ever been crowned by such political glory as was enjoyed by the Muslims for almost a thousand years after the emergence of Islam. Political glory was not however, a part of Islamic creed, but a part of history. But Muslims stressed this fact of political glory to such an extent that, for all intents and purposes, it became incorporated in their religious creed. The result of this political extremism is the violent jihad we experience in the Muslim world of today.

Ultimately, extremist concepts such as ‘Muslims are God’s vicegerents on earth and, as such, they have the right to rule over other communities ‘were developed. Religion came to be regarded as synonymous with a complete state. And a religion of this nature could not be fully observed unless it was established as the basis and framework of the state. Those promoting these ideologies and politicizing Islam believed that Muslims were a superior community, which the right to treat other communities as inferior. As a result, to this day, Muslims find it difficult to relocate any sort of dominance. They believe that their religious obligation can never be fully discharged just by performing prayers and observing fasting. They imagine it is incumbent upon them to strive to establish diving rule on earth.

A set of beliefs such as these has nothing to do with the religion as revealed by God. It is nothing but a case of political extremism. But present-day Muslims are largely under the influence of this extremist way of thinking – some consciously, others unconsciously.

Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, achieved considerable political success while he was still alive; and this was built on rapidly by his successors, the caliphs. Unfortunately, along with success comes the opportunity to abuse it, that is why, according to the hadith, the Muslims were divided, in terms of ideological extremism, in to seventy- two sects, while the seventy-third sects was concerned with the political extremism. Of course, the evil of ideological extremism is the found as much in Muslim as in other communities, but it is the former’s bent of political extremism that has aggravated this issue further.

Congregation led by earlier prophets did not achieve political success during their prophets’ lifetime. Their prophets only left them an ideological legacy. That is why we find political extremism absent in them. At the most, the can indulge only in ideological extremism.

According to the Quran (22:78) and the hadith, the greatest duty of Muslim community –shahadat ‘alannaas-is to spread the diving message of Islam peacefully among other nation. But because of their  extremist political approach, present –day Muslim have abandoned this missionary duty. The most dangerous  aspect of their labeling of non –missionary activities as missionary work, for instance, debates, political protest, Muslim- reform activities, community work are all  termed missionary work by today’s Muslim.

The most urgent task today is to inculcate this consciousness of the mission and to set up an educational system on the principals of this mission. Muslims should be raised as a missionary group- or witnesses (22:78) as it is called in the Quran- and should be prevented from indulging in non- missionary activities. Without taking such a step, missionary work cannot be effectively performed.

The Quran (5:67) tells us that the secret of protection from enemy plots lies in the performance of dawah. That is, if Muslims engage in dawah work, their lives properties and wealth will be protected by God. In short, the communication of the religious message is the responsibility of Muslim, while the protection of their worldly interests rest with God.

According to a famous tradition, our action are judge by our intention’. Intention here is the equivalent of what is generally called spirit. This means that although there are many actions which in form appear to be morally acceptable. It is to the spirit of these acts rather than their external form that Islam attaches real importance.

From a Hadith we learn the Prophet Muhammad speaking of the Muslim of the future, predicted that only the external spirit, and only the outer form of Islamic action would survive.

That is to say, the action of the Muslims of the future would be lacking in internal spirit, and only the outer form of their religious observance would persist. People will remain ignorant of the true spirit of Islam so long as they are conversant only with its forms and attach importance only to the externals.

It is easy to understand how extremism or ghulu stems from this flawed perception. In the early days of Islam, the spirit was alive and was accorded full attention. But when in later generation degeneration set in, external rituals began to be given more importance. This is a frequent occurrence.

Let me explain this with an example from the world of business, the phrase ‘customer- friendly behavior’ is often used in business jargon. It means if a businessman is to be successful, he must appear to be friendly to his customers. Now let us compare this with behavior in the family. You will not hear any parents say that their behavior towards their children is ‘child- friendly’. The reason for this difference is that the spirit of love for their children wells up naturally in parents, and so they do not need to talk about it or make a display of it.

The case of a businessman is totally different. A businessman has no love or compassion for his customers. It is solely the desire for commercial gain that inspires him to make a display of these qualities. Is human nature that wherever the internal   spirit is alive, no importance will be attached to the externals, while in the absence of spirit, the maximum attention will be paid to formal etiquette.

 This is the human mentality that produces the phenomenon called ghulu. It is a fact that ghulu, or extremism, is invariably relevant to externals and do not to internal realities.

When we look at the Muslim of today, we find that the prediction of the Prophet has come true. One kind of ghulu that has developed among Muslims is the one pertaining to ideology, for instance, the concept of spiritual leaders being intermediate between God and man, and the concept of sacredness of graves. Today, violent activities are going on in the name of jihad all over the world. There are some who are directly involved, while others justify these acts in their speeches and writings. A third group consists of those who are silent. But according to the sharing principal, they too are involved for silence is not enough- it is their duty to publicly condemn such un-Islamic acts.

This is political ghulu is the greatest weakness of Muslim; it has overridden all the human qualities that qualify a community for a position of honour and glory – qualities such as benevolence, universality of approach (that is, looking at all human being as gold’s family), positive thinking, keeping abreast of the changing times, thinking realistically, acknowledgement of others, fostering the dawah spirit, giving importance to the value of peace, and objective thinking.

The greatest harm done by political extremism is that it deters Muslims from emerging from the shell of the past. This is the cause of their failure to understand to present. In the past, war something which decide the fate of communities. But in modern times, peaceful resources have become much more powerful. Yet Muslims seem unaware of these resources. In the past, the economy was based on agriculture. Now it is based on industry. Electronic communications just did not exist in the past, whereas today, communications have become one of the greatest strengths of mankind. But Muslims are blissfully unaware of all these developments. That is why they have not been able to take advantage of all the blessing of the modern age. Moreover in the past, all resources were in the hands of the king, but today is the age of institutions.

 The violent jihad, prevalent in modern times, dates back to Tipu Sultan (d.1799). this has been a 200-year long jihad without any positive result, and with no real movement directed as yet at reassessment of values, aims or objective. The reason lies in the Muslims, lack of awareness. Today the greatest task is to remedy this shortcoming, without which there is no possibility of any positive change.

About seventy years ago, Amir Shakib Arsalan published a book titled our Decline: its Cause and Remedies. The author concluded that the reason for Muslim backwardness lay in abandoning jihad. He quoted an Arabic couplet in support. ‘I refrained from taking part in war, so that I might live. But I did not find in it life. Life was for those who went ahead and waged the war.

This point has been made repeatedly by Muslim leaders over the last two centuries. The result has been that this militant ideology has spread among Muslims all over the world. The jihadi model has become the sole inspiration for action. But when we take stock of the outcome, we find that this has proved to be counterproductive. In such a situation, it would be more appropriate to modify the couplet and say: ‘ I adopted the path of war for life and survival, but finally I learnt that life and survival are only for those who abandon the militant course in favour of a peaceful course of action.’

BANNING COW SLAUGHTER

I am against all kinds of slaughter, so the question of my favoring cow slaughter does not arise. But whether I am for or against it, cow slaughter is not going to stop. The conditions of our life are such that the cow will continue to be killed. I am against meat eating, but it is not going to make a difference. Under the present conditions meat eating cannot go. We are not yet in a position to provide the entire population of the country with an adequate amount of vegetarian food. People will simply die of starvation if we decide to go vegetarian. Unless we have enough food grains and vegetables and milk to feed the whole country, non-vegetarianism will continue to predominate. There is no way out at the moment. It is a necessary evil. So is cow slaughter.

It is ironic that people who are anxious to ban cow slaughter are doing nothing to create the necessary conditions to make the society vegetarian. So cow slaughter is not going to end because of these people. If it ends someday, it will end because of the efforts of those who are not at all anxious to do away with cow slaughter. Slogan mongering and agitation are not going to end it, nor is it going to end through legislation. Though we have the largest number of cows, they are the most uncared for; they are as good as dead and useless. On the other hand, beef eating countries have the best kinds of cows, healthy and strong. While a single cow in the West yields forty to fifty kilos of milk per day, it would be too much for an Indian cow to give half a kilo. We have only skeletons in the name of cows, and we make such a hullabaloo about them.

The production of vegetarian food, of nutritive and health-giving vegetarian food, is the first imperative if you want to abolish cow slaughter. Supporters of vegetarianism have yet to meet the argument of the non-vegetarians that the world is much too short of vegetarian food to provide nutrition and health to mankind. There is logic in their argument.

It is very interesting that both cow and monkey are vegetarians. Man inherits his body and soul from vegetarian sources. It is another thing that a monkey sometimes swallows a few ants, but by and large he is a vegetarian. The cow is wholly vegetarian; it will eat meat only when it is forced to. Under the circumstances it is strange how man has turned non-vegetarian, because his whole physical and psychic system is derived from vegetarian sources. The structure of his stomach is such as only vegetarian animals have, and so is his mental makeup. Obviously man must have been forced by circumstances to become non-vegetarian. And even today he cannot do without animal food.
It seems to me that cow slaughter will continue in spite of all our good intentions to stop it. In my view, it will only stop when we make provisions for adequate synthetic food for all. And then people have to be persuaded to take to synthetic food on a large scale. Synthetic food is the only alternative to non-vegetarianism. The day man accepts living on scientific food, meat eating will disappear, not before.

The day is not far off when we will leave behind this agitation against cow slaughter and will instead be agitating for a large scale slaughter of men. The day is not distant when man will eat man, because you cannot argue with hunger. As we now ask a dying man to donate his eyes or kidneys, we will soon ask him to donate his flesh for the hungry. And we will honor him who donates his flesh, as today we honor one who donates his heart or lungs. There is going to be such a population explosion one day.

Very soon we will begin to think it is unjust to cremate dead bodies, they should be saved for food – and it will not be something new and extraordinary; cannibalism has been known to man since ancient times. There have been tribes where man ate man to satiate his hunger. Once again we are coming close to that situation when cannibalism will be revived. In view of it, it is just stupid to agitate for a ban on cow slaughter. It is utterly unscientific to do so.

I don’t suggest that cow slaughter should not and cannot go. It can go. Not only the killing of cows, all kinds of killing can go. But then we will have to take a revolutionary step in the direction of our food and food habits. I am not in favor of cow slaughter, but I am also not in favor of those who shout out against it. All their talk is sheer nonsense. They don’t have a correct perspective and a right plan to stop cow slaughter. But it must stop; the cow should be the last animal to be killed. She is the highest in animal evolution; she is the connecting link between man and animal. She deserves all our care and compassion; we are connected with her in an innate and intimate manner. We have to take every care for her.

But remember, caring is possible only when you are in a position to take care. Without the facilities and the wherewithal, caring is impossible. We have to be pragmatic; it is no use being sentimental.
Life is lived according to its needs and exigencies, not according to ideas and theories. The cow cannot be saved when man himself is facing death. To save the cow it is necessary for man to become so affluent that he can afford it. Then, along with the cow, other animals will be saved too. The cow is, of course, nearest to us as an animal, but other animals are not that distant. Even the fish is our kin, although a distant kin. Life really began with the fish. So, as man grows affluent he will not only save the cow, he will save the fish too.


We have to be clear in our view that the cow and, for that matter, all other animals have to be saved. But it is sheer stupidity to insist on saving them even when the conditions necessary to do so are lacking.

Integrating Indian Muslims with the Indian Society

The father of slain terrorist Saifullah, Sartaj, has refused to accept his son’s body, saying that “a traitor cannot be a son.” Saifullah was killed in Lucknow’s Thakurganj after a 11 hour counter terror operation. He was suspected to be linked with the blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain train yesterday, police said. His father has now disowned him and has stated that he will not cremate his body. Speaking to reporters, Saifullah's father Sartaj emphasized, "We are Indian citizens. I was born here, my ancestors were born here." He said he had heard this morning about the death of his son in the encounter. He further said that his son left home two and a half months ago. He was not happy with his ways and then there was an altercation between us before he fled home. The last time I spoke to him was last Monday when he had said that his VISA was ready and that he was leaving for Saudi Arabia soon.

Mr Sartaj act is appreciable and is logically the best decision.However instead of talking about this singular incident we must address the larger issue of so called Islamic radicalization of Indian Muslims. It's easy to point out flaws and criticize government policies. The harder part is to offer an implementable road map to solve the delicate problem of Islamic radicalism in India. The policy solution, however, can only come once the right diagnosis has been made and the roots of radicalism understood. I feel that home-grown radicalization arises from an identity crisis, one that starts in the household and leaves some Indian Muslims unable to integrate into mainstream society. Such Muslims, I argue, are most likely to fell prey to radical Islamist propaganda through social media or through the physical networks of radical organizations.

The issue of countering radicalism, then, is really about how to integrate Indian Muslims into present mainstream society. My major criticism of the present Indian Government's counter-radicalization strategy has been its 'religious' nature. Trying desperately to find a religious solution to a problem that has social roots is likely going to fail. The Indian Government has been trying to fix Islam instead of fixing a small percentage of Muslims in India at risk of radicalization due to their upbringing and exposure to a misinterpreted violent ideology.
This unconscious Islamisation by the Indian Government, emerging from misdirected advice from Muslim community leaders, has led to an undue overdeveloped focus on religion. For instance, if the aim is to integrate Indian Muslims into society, then focusing on their personal issues and discussing nonstop in media just pushes and further traps Muslims into their own community, leaving them feeling more isolated in India than ever before. What, then, is the solution? 

For one thing, specialized campaigns and programs are needed for Muslim community leaders and parents whose very teachings their kids in their early years have a major impact on how well these kids fit into Indian mainstream society. Influencing Muslim parents' approach to raising their children will have a long-term sustainable impact on de-radicalization.

Second, having talked to young Indian Muslims, both men and women, I would argue that the permanent solution for India's growing Islamic radicalization problem is a non-religious response based on sports, entertainment, and exposure (SEE). Why these three areas? Because not only will they get the quickest integration and de-radicalization results, but most young Muslims will willingly participate.

Government investment in building sports facilities for Muslim youth to support integration with the larger Indian population would be a tremendous start. Spending on creating local Muslim cricket/Hockey/Soccer leagues, and having them play against universities or State and Central level tournaments is the sort of exposure that will go a long way to taking hundreds of Young Muslim enthusiasts away from the risks of radicalization. It will also help other Communities overcome their prejudices against Muslims.

Second, with the growing interest of youth in media, Government spending on providing a platform for Muslim youth who have a taste for such pursuits will get a great response. Recognizing Muslim talent through a film competition, for example, would generate far more involvement from Muslim youth, and better results.

Third and most important is exposure to government services. The majority of Indian Muslims come from financially poor background, where a government job is considered the most sought after job – a symbol of respect and acceptance in society. The British Empire in India offered government positions to locals in order to pacify any revolt against them, and it worked. Given the negligible presence of Muslims in government and law enforcement, will have an overwhelming and permanent impact on young Indian Muslims.

Two crucial factors underpin this SEE strategy, which together can have a major impact on de-radicalization: first, by focusing on non-religious solutions, it neutralizes the overdeveloped emphasis on religion; and second, it provides hope and acceptance to Muslims through programs tailored to their interests and culture – in short, it offers a chance to excel in Indian society.

If the Indian Government can create this sense of opportunity for Indian Muslims, it will go a long way to not just assimilating the Muslim community but making it a highly productive part of society and retain the plural fiber of the great country.

Value Education, Role Of Faculties

INTRODUCTION

Value Education: Need of the Hour

Mankind is passing through a crisis. The tremendous emphasis on the scientific and mechanical ways of life is fast reducing man to the status of a machine. Moral and religious values are being undermined. The fundamental principles of civilization are being ignored. Conflicts of ideas, manners and habits are pervading the atmosphere. Disregard for everything old is the fashion of the day. At this situation, the solution of all these social and global evils is through value education. Emphasis should be laid on such education through which moral values can be developed among the students so that they can conduct their life morally. They can decide what is right or wrong; what is good or evil; what is justice or injustice. If we can make a student as a good human being, the development of moral values within him is the prior task of education. They are the foundation of human existence. They make our life meaningful.

Due to dearth of values in the present generation the curriculum must give prominence to value education. Value education has never been out of style. It is very relevant in almost all the fields concerning human activity. We have outstanding doctors who are in to organ robbery, brilliant engineers whose bridges collapses soon after their bills are passed, accountants who rob government treasury by manipulation, civil servants who rule as emperors, politicians with fake promises. All of them are the best educated and trained but their intellectual dishonesty is horrifying. Hence, the need of development of moral values is very significant. Some important needs have been mentioned below:

1. Preparing Our Children for Future Roles in Society:

Knowledge gained in school is only one goal of education. The primary goals of education should be enabling students to gain knowledge and moral values. Our kids will need both in preparing themselves to be good parents and citizens in society.

2. Many Parents Aren’t Teaching Moral Values:

If all parents were teaching their children moral values in the home, it would not be necessary for the schools to do this work. The sad fact is that a lot of kids are not learning from their parents the difference between right and wrong. This is because most mothers and fathers in their busy work days spend only a few hours with their children. In many families there is only one parent and no other role models for kids to follow:

3. There is Too Much Violence and Dishonesty in Society:

Every day students are exposed to violence, dishonesty, and other social problems in the media and the real world. How many times have we heard about school shootings? What about other times when students are caught cheating on exams? Then, too, we read about bullying in school and fights between gangs. If moral values were taught in schools, we would have fewer of these problems.

4. To Counter Bad Influences in Society:

Unfortunately, many of the role models of young people are setting bad examples. These bad examples range from sexual promiscuity, degrading of women, advocacy of violence, and the condoning of dishonesty in order to succeed.

5. Moral Values Will Stick with You for Life:

The significant of moral values in our life is very important. Moral values teach us what is right or wrong. Thus, we can conduct our life in a right direction. We can understand what is good or evil. This type of learning helps us to conduct our life morally in this world.

SOME IMPORTANT MORAL VALUES IN CURRICULUM

If we want to make our students as a moral human being, college curriculum is one of the best ways to serve this purpose. Because he think that moral values can be inculcated among our students through a value based college curriculum. Therefore, following is suggested.

1. Unconditional Love and Kindness: In most cases, if you love someone, he or she will love you back in return. This, however, is not the real meaning of love. Love should be unconditional. With more love in the world, kindness will follow and replace cruelty.

2. Honesty: Students must be taught that dishonesty and cheating is wrong, and will get you nowhere in the future. As a student, one is only hurting himself or herself by cheating, because this action will eventually catch up to you in the end with bad consequences.

3. Hard Work: Nowadays, so many students want to cheat and cut corners in their studies, because they are lazy and don’t place any value on hard word. This thinking must change.

4. Respect for Others: Unfortunately, in our highly competitive dog eat dog society; many people will tread on others to get ahead in life. Respect for others should include respecting different religions, races, sexes, ideas, and life styles.

5. Co-operation: To achieve a common goal, it is necessary for all people to work together. If this is not done, a few people may profit, but the end result for everyone will be a failure. I still believe in the motto, “united we stand and divided we fall.

6. Compassion: Compassion is defined as being sensitive to the needs of people. If there were more compassion in the world, there would be less homeless, hunger, wars, and unhappiness.

7. Forgiveness: Anger in most cases is caused by unwillingness to forgive. There would be less violence and fighting in school if students could learn this moral virtue.

Role of Faculty in Imparting Value Education

Ordinary Teachers can bring about extraordinary transformation in the society. A teacher should practice what he preaches. Teachers are a role-model for the students. Their actions convey more than their words. Students learn values from what the teachers are rather than from what they say. Teacher makes a maximum impact on the personality of a student in the formative years. Students imbibe virtues and vices knowingly and unknowingly from theses role models. Teachers demonstrate the appropriate behavior of their students by their actions. Teachers must have healthy attitude and should possess rich values. Teaching is all about attitude-positive/ negative towards their job of imparting quality education. Teacher should act as a friend, philosopher and guide.

A teacher is not only a source of information but is also a mentor and guardian. For this teacher must respect the teaching profession, love her subjects and students, Students will seek inspiration from teachers who have high self-esteem. A decade back or so the role of a teacher was limited to being a source of information. But today this place is shared by books, coaching classes, multimedia technology etc. So the role of a teacher is marginalized. Role of a teacher has increased manifold. In modern times we are experiencing transition. A teacher can maintain values and nurture them. A teacher has an immense potential of bringing about a sea change in the society by demonstrating essential values of head and heart. Teacher can impart values in students by giving them instructions through discussion, experimentation and lectures and by the following mentioned ways:

Teachers can maintain a case-study register to closely observe the students and note down the positive and negative traits of their personality.

By organizing cultural and sports events values like team spirit, sharing, spirit of cooperation, patience, courtesy etc can be imparted.

National and religious festivals must be celebrated to foster a feeling of homogeneity.

“Thought for the Day” should be employed in assemblies. Moral thoughts trigger in them moral thinking.

Teachers should give importance to cooperative learning.

Skits, role plays propagating moral values can be performed by students under the guidance of teacher.

Teacher must tell the students to go to the libraries- the treasure house of knowledge. Classics available in the library are morally rich and inspiring.

Teacher must explain the students the importance of meditation& yoga practices for realization or the attainment of oneness with God.

Every day a Teacher must spent at least 5 minutes on moral lecturing.

Impart knowledge of foreign languages to make them know different cultures.

Organize games, excursions, visits to places of historical importance. Club activities like nature club, literary club, wildlife prevention club, social service camps, blood donation etc.

Suicidal tendencies in students should be curbed. They must be prepared by the teacher to face the challenges of life fearlessly and with courage.

The most important agent for building the character of the student is a teacher. Character is nothing but a bundle of habits formed through repeated acts. Character building can change the nation. As strong foundation is required for a strong building, strong character is required for nation-building.

CONCLUSION

When a problem arises, it needs to be recognized, addressed and resolved. Instead of blaming people or institutions for the results of a lack of morality in schools and colleges. We should focus our efforts on finding ways of successfully implementing character education into schools. Changes have to occur in parents, legislators, communities, and the media and educational system so that children are taught how to behave. Actualizing character education programs into schools is necessary in order to overcome this nation’s crisis of character. Thus Teachers play an important role in the nation building by character building of the students. The best and the greatest profession in the world is that of a teacher, because the future of a nation depends upon the type of teachers who shape the future generations. Every teacher plays the most important role in shaping the students as enlightened citizen. I have a simple message for all faculties, “Arise, Awake and Stop not till the goal are achieved”.