– Sajida Sultana

The madrasa and its education have been subject matter of major discussions in the media since the attack on the World Trade Centre. However, the discussions ignore the fact that since the time of European Enlightenment, there have been several rich debates and discussions within madrasas on the inclusion of modern subjects as part of their curriculum and these discussions have brought in the conceptual distinction between din (religious) and duniya (secular) within the domain of madrasa education. It has also been noted that the colonial dichotomy of the public and private spheres exists in the present day madrasas and they safeguard the private sphere of Muslims from the external/state intrusions .

Today, English language teaching at madrasas is part of the modernization programme introduced by the State as an initiative to improve the future prospects of madrasa graduates. The reasons behind the state driven modernization could be political and/or social.

English is increasingly becoming an important component of the madrasa curriculum not only for the purpose of creating more employment opportunities for the students, but also to respond to questions related to Islam, and to demystify religion. Parents want their children to be equipped with the skills required for employment and also gain English language skills in addition to the proper understanding of their religion.

To give a glimpse of the significance of the English language in the education system in some of the madrasas, let us consider two madrasas in Hyderabad, one for girls and the other for boys. These details were obtained through interviews with the Head of the institutions and their English language teachers.

A madrasa for girls in Hyderabad, since its inception in 2009, provides equal importance to the English language along with religious knowledge. The English language teachers mentioned that some of the students have a strong notion that it is the language of those who colonized us, it is not their mother tongue, and learning the English language may not be useful. However, the girls at this madrasa aspire to speak in English because they know that it is a universal language and, at a personal level, they see their cousins speak in English confidently and fluently. They also want to talk to them in English. The students consider the additional knowledge of English as fun. Also, some of their graduates have moved to other countries after marriage and have communicated to the current students about the ample job opportunities for girls/women with a good knowledge of religion and a fair command over the English language.

The teachers do encourage girls to speak in the English language, not only as a means for better employment or for personal reasons, but to consider everything they do as ibadat (in the path of Allah) whether it is eating food or learning a language like English. One of the teachers also said that language is not related to religion. To spread the religion, we need to speak in the language of the other person.

Similarly, in the boys’ madrasa, which is established by the alumni of one of the oldest madrasas in Hyderabad, the management has adopted a unique style of teaching English in the initial levels, i.e., by drawing parallels between English and Arabic grammar. This ‘practical concept’, as the head of the madrasa calls it, is of recent origin, which has been experimented on only two successful batches. The course is divided into four sessions. The first session is allotted for teaching the Nouns, the second for Verbs, the third for Grammar with explanation, and the final session for memorizing and learning texts by rote.

For the first three months the course is flexible. The students are allowed to use Urdu or Arabic and they are provided inputs in English. After three months, Urdu or Arabic is not used and the leaners have to speak in English. It is extensively used and conversations also happen only in English. As part of the teaching, films are screened followed by a discussion for an hour. The students are also encouraged to make presentations. This also helps in building their self-confidence.

We thus see that the English language in the context of madrasa education is viewed as a means to develop and spread the language and culture of Islam through Dawa (awareness of the religion); to translate old material published in Arabic and Urdu in to English; to avail employment opportunities; to fulfill societal needs and aspirations; and to pursue further education in other universities. There is a huge demand for English in Arab countries for those who want to go abroad. The English language is included so as to train the madrasa students to understand the recent developments in the world. Deoband madrasa, for instance has an Online Education programme for the foreign nationals to pursue their course in Islam. The entire course is administered in the English language.

The English language is now part of the curriculum in most of the madrasas and some madrasas have established separate English Language departments. This in certain ways marks the paradigm shift in the madrasa education system. The system of education followed at madrasas is carefully planned to ensure that those who graduate from a madrasa are able to face the challenges of the world.

 

Sajida Sultana is a PhD Student at EFL University.