Dawat e Fikr o Amal | Book Review by Mushtaq Ul Haq

Dawat e Fikr o Amal

Author= Waris Mazhari

Publisher= Foundation for Islamic Studies, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi

Year of Publication= 2009

Price= Not Mentioned                                          Pages= 176

The 9/11 incidents proved to be watershed in the Muslim-West Relations. The West on offensive and hostile towards the Muslim World and the Clash of Civilizations just round the corner. The aftermath of 9/11 was a period of hostility of West towards Muslims and anything Islamic, every notion, connotation, ideology and relation with the Muslim World was challenged, probed and delved into by the West in order to remedy as to what went wrong with the Muslims and why they ‘hate us’? These radical changes and different atmosphere even led some conscious Muslims to introspect about their shortcomings and identify the loopholes so as to plug the same.

One of the oldest institution of Muslim learning which even helped the Muslims to preserve their distinct identity, culture and religion even during the dark gloomy days of colonialism and alien rule i.e Madrasa became a bone of contention between the Muslims and West, as the latter alleged them to be the Bastions of Terrorists.

The direct target of this ridicule were the Madrasas of the sub-continent as they were alleged to harp, train and depute the terrorists to be Angels of Death. These Madrasas became a target because thousands of their cadres have fought and became cannon fodder in the U.S led Cold War against USSR which ultimately led to the demise of the Soviet Union. The West led by Uncle Sam was factual in describing these Madrasas as Terrorist factories, but it forgot that these Madrasas were only present in Pakistan and groomed by the same Uncle Sam to fight its war and its curriculum was formulated and published by the University of Nebraska which consisted of a heavy diet of Violently exclusive interpretation of Islam which taught, inculcated and believed in Jamaat, Jihad, Jannat and Shahaadat, but after the death of Soviet Union a new enemy was needed hence the Madrasas became a butt of ridicule and a cause to go for unjust and pre emptive war killing millions of innocents.

The argument of Uncle Sam was adopted by all enemies, fascist and Right wing to settle the old scores and put down every genuine demand of Muslims as appeasement leading towards Terrorism. Hence in India too where already the Muslims are marginalized and driven to wall with frequent riots making them understand that they are second class citizens and still their loyalties are under suspicion and the majority has not forgiven them for the Partition of the sub continent, these arguments were selling like hot dogs.

The present book under review is a collection of various articles and papers written to address the above burning issues of Indian Madrasas and Indian Muslims as well as the debates that took/are taking place at Global Level regarding Muslims, by the well known scholar and authority on Indian Muslim issues Waris Mazhari. In his Foreword to this collection Prof Akhtar Ul Wasey states that “During the period of colonialism and slavery Muslims were at their lowest ebb, but still contributed to the freedom struggle, but after independence the Muslims were baffling with new challenges and different conditions Muslim Ulama especially couldn’t tackle as they couldn’t make it out from the shadow of slavery”. It was this shadow of slavery which made them reluctant of imbibing any new change or idea, hence resulting in further marginalization and downfall.

In his Preface Waris Mazhari calls for Self Introspection among Muslims, radical reformation in the two fields i.e Educational and Social and this theme of introspection and reformation runs through the whole book. Less than first half portion of the articles deal with the madrasas, changes they are desperately in need of and how they can be more contributive. Mazhari regards the cause of Muslim Ulama crises which renders them non contributive, uninspiring and non seriousness of masses towards them to

1. Unshaken faith in exaggerated glorification of the past.
2. Insecurity or feeling of danger looming over their heads. (P-19)

These two serious flaws make them suspicious of any new move towards reform which makes them happy and content with status quo.

Mazhari is against the similar division like of Church and State in the field of Education where knowledge it is divided between religious and worldly(secular). 

(P-23). He states that Madrasas are in dire need to introduce English language in their curriculum, and if it is not done further marginalization will take place for Muslims.

Mazhari dedicates a separate chapter expounding the progressive views of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi regarding the changes in Madrasa education, whom all hold in reverence but his views and opinions are in oblivion as he was for a change in curriculum, introduction of new disciplines and believed in complete Functional Specialization of different Madrasa students according to their abilities.

Mazhari decries the inadequacy of teaching skills among the Madrasa Teachers which hamper the whole process of Madrasas education as well as the State of research in madrasas which is in doldrums and quite ill equipped to deal with the present day scholarly challenges, though he states some remedial measures to fill these voids. Though Mazhari is for the end of exploitation and nepotism which is a norm among Madrasas but he is not in full favour for the Central Madrasa Boards to take over the administration of Madrasas and judges their pros and cons.

Though Mazhari calls the Ulama for a Positive role and wants them to be Socially engaged but he is also aware of the fact that South Asia is emerging as a new field of Muslim Studies and Muslim Ulema must be prepared scholarly to met these challenges as well as to react to the Bad Media Image of Muslims though they need to build an alternative indigenous Muslim Media to rectify the same, Islamphobia and Muslim Bashing, Cartoon Issue and the same, though he is aware of the fact that when it comes to the Muslims all have double standards and strands of hypocrisy lay bare.

The Positive effect of 9/11 has been the promotion of a Culture of Dialogue instead of Clash, though the Dialogue hasn’t percolated to the common masses and is only prevalent as Inter-Faith but Mazhari calls for an Inter-Maslak Dialogue too between Shia-Sunni and various other sects.

A number of articles also deal with the challenges baffling Indian Muslims and how the majority of Muslim Organizations who boast about their work towards empowerment and upliftment of Muslim masses and community work are only confined to paper work and a big board with no or little real grassroot work done on the field.

Thus this collection is an invitation towards Introspection, as it identifies the flaws and inspires to contribute something positive. The young scholar deserves our appreciation and encouragement to carryout such endeavors in future too so that Muslims too become contributing and progressive, inclusive and introspective  voices like that of Mazhari are heard, understood and acted upon. In the coming decades Mazhari is going to be one of the leading voices of Indian Muslims.

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist and presently student of Masters Program of Political Science at Kashmir University and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com