The symbolic construction of the walls of Deoband

Abstract

The interest in traditional Muslim education for religious leadership among policy makers began to raise a number of research questions that could only be resolved by scholarly investigation of dar al-uloom education in both Britain and India (the original location of the principal dar al-ulooms that influence the creation of the British network of such colleges). The article explores some of the issues that arose out of fieldwork in India, primarily on visits to over 20 Deobandi seminaries in Up and Gujarat, to clarify the historical origins of the traditional curriculum used to train imams. However, the researchers recognized that most of the narratives recounted by the ulama of Deoband were more easily accessed as the creation of an ‘imagined community’ and set out to establish the discourses that constructed the boundary walls of the Deobandi movement

An exploration of the viability of partnership betweendar al-ulumand higher education institutions in North West England focusing upon pedagogy and relevance

“…Not only in its historic origins but also the validity of the curriculum and the traditional styles of pedagogy are highly criticised from outside the tradition, and have become a matter of some concern to reformers within the Deobandi networks of ulama. Geaves (2012) has explored the narratives that divide the Indian Deobandi ulama concerning the historic origins of the dars-i nizami curriculum. He concludes that:…”

“…To overcome such obstacles, I was able to draw upon contacts made in previous projects and to utilise the same human resources that successfully gained access to Indian Deobandi dar al-ulums in 2008 (Geaves 2012). In that year, I had visited 26 major dar al-ulums in Northern India, including both the historic foundational institutions in Deoband, Saharanpur and Lucknow and their respective transplants in Gujarat that have so much influenced the creation of Deobandi schools in Britain.…”

Between Tradition and Transition: An Islamic Seminary, or Dar al-Uloom in Modern Britain

“…They include the current socio-political climate facing Muslims in Britain and the general antipathy of 'ulama toward social scientific research. However, given the prominent role the Dar al-Ulooms play in the British Muslim religious landscape, there is, to adapt a phrase from Geaves (2012), a need to uncover the narratives that contribute to "the symbolic construction of the walls of British Dar al-Ulooms." It is with this intent that I was the first to gain access and conduct detailed ethnographic fieldwork over the course of a year inside a British Dar al-Uloom.…”

“…Aside from language, the dars-i nizami has faced criticism for its perceived lack of adaptability and emphasis on its sacrality (Geaves 2012;Reetz 2007). Similar to the case of Christian theological colleges in Britain that have faced criticism of following a "theoretically heavy and irrelevant curriculum" (Welland 2000, p. 184) the dars-i nizami has been criticised for being ill suited for life in modern Britain: "The emphasis in the curriculum remains on inherited knowledge and textual study, and any modification of the curriculum would necessarily involve revision of a syllabus that has been actively preserved over generations (Gilliat-Ray 2006, p. 67).…”

New Labour and the Re-making of British Islam: The Case of the Radical Middle Way and the “Reclamation” of the Classical Islamic Tradition

“…This project did not shy away from theology, covering Islamic conceptions of justice, the objectives (maqasid) of Islamic law, and the nature of divine sovereignty. Funds were made available to train imams [42][43][44], and partnerships between Islamic centres of higher learning and universities were considered [45]. Finally, New Labour funded organizations involved in the dissemination of Islamic knowledge through "tours" of religious scholars and through on-line videos and podcasts.…”