The Deoband Madrassah Movement: Countercultural Trends and Tendencies

262 Pages·2015·1.835 MB·English

by  Muhammad Moj

The Deoband Madrassah Movement
DIVERSITY AND PLURALITY IN SOUTH ASIA
The Diversity and Plurality in South Asia series, wide in
scope, will bring together publications in anthropology and sociology, alongside
politics and international relations, exploring themes of both contemporary and
historical relevance. This diverse line in the social sciences and humanities will
investigate the plurality of social groups, identities and ideologies, including within
its remit not only interrogations of issues surrounding gender, caste, religion
and region, but also political variations, and a variety of cultural
ideas and expressions within South Asia.
Series Editor
Nandini Gooptu – University of Oxford, UK
Editorial Board
Christophe Jaffrelot – CERI/CNRS, France
Niraja G. Jayal – Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
Raka Ray – University of California, Berkeley, USA
Yunas Samad – University of Bradford, UK
John Zavos – University of Manchester, UK
The Deoband Madrassah
Movement
Countercultural Trends
and Tendencies
Muhammad Moj
Anthem Press
An imprint of Wimbledon Publishing Company
www.anthempress.com
This edition frst published in UK and USA 2015
by ANTHEM PRESS
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or PO Box 9779, London SW19 7ZG, UK
and
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Copyright © Muhammad Moj 2015
The author asserts the moral right to be identifed as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above,
no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise),
without the prior written permission of both the copyright
owner and the above publisher of this book.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Moj, Muhammad, author.
The Deoband madrassah movement : countercultural trends and
tendencies / Muhammad Moj.
pages ; cm. – (Diversity and plurality in South Asia)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-78308-388-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) –
ISBN 978-1-78308-389-3 (papercover : alk. paper)
1. Deoband School (Islam) 2. Islam and politics–Pakistan.
3. Islamic religious education–Pakistan. 4. Islamic
fundamentalism–Pakistan. I. Title. II. Series: Diversity and
plurality in South Asia.
BP166.14.D4M65 2015
297.8’3–dc23
2014046372
ISBN-13: 978 1 78308 388 6 (Hbk)
ISBN-10: 1 78308 388 3 (Hbk)
ISBN-13: 978 1 78308 389 3 (Pbk)
ISBN-10: 1 78308 389 1 (Pbk)
Cover image © danishkhan / iStockphoto.com
This title is also available as an ebook.
In memory of my loving parents
Alive, they were close to me
Departed, they are closer

CONTENTS
Preface ix
Prologue xi
Chapter 1. The Deoband Madrassah Movement:
Research Context 1
1.1 Madaris in Islam 1
1.2 A Brief History of the DMM 5
1.3 The DMM and Social Movements 13
1.4 The DMM in a Countercultural Context 19
1.5 Research Methodology and Approach 25
Chapter 2. Origin of the DMM: Seeds of a Counterculture 29
2.1 Shah Waliullah’s Movement 29
2.2 The Link between Waliullah’s Movement and the DMM 43
2.3 The DMM’s Initial Ascetic Approach 45
2.4 The Countercultural Character of the DMM 53
Chapter 3. The DMM in United India: Activist
Countercultural Trends 61
3.1 The End of the DMM’s Ascetic Approach 63
3.2 The DMM’s Entry into Active Politics 70
3.3 The Countercultural Politics of Deobandi Leadership 75
3.4 Deobandi Opposition to the Pakistan Movement 79
Chapter 4. T he DMM in Pakistan: Countercultural
Politics and Extremism 91
4.1 The Evolution of the DMM in Pakistan 91
4.2 The DMM’s Shifting Stances in Politics 98
4.3 The Rise of Extremism in the Deobandi Movement 104
4.4 Countercultural Tendencies in the DMM since 1947 112
viii THE DEOBAND MADRASSAH MOvEMENT
Chapter 5. Deobandi Islam: Countering Folk Islam
and Popular Custom 119
5.1 Different Interpretations of Bidah 120
5.2 The DMM and Dominant Beliefs and Practices in Pakistan 123
5.3 The DMM against Folk Islam 127
5.4 Deobandi Opposition to Non-religious Sociocultural Practices 148
Chapter 6. T he DMM versus Mainstream Society:
Viewpoints of Deobandi Journals and Students 155
6.1 The DMM versus Popular Customs and Practices 157
6.2 The DMM versus the Mainstream Political System 165
6.3 The DMM versus the Mainstream Educational System 173
6.4 The DMM versus Women’s Role in Society 179
6.5 A Comparison of Madrassah and Mainstream Students 185
Epilogue 195
Appendix I: The Deobandi Stance vis-à-vis Muslim Groups other than the Barelwis 203
Appendix II: Countercultural Exposition of the Deobandi Taliban 209
Appendix III: Interview Guide 213
Glossary of Islamic Terms 215
References 225
Index 237
PREFACE
This book explores the history and evolution of Deobandi Islam, a South Asian Sunni
sect whose origin dates back to 1866 when a madrassah movement was launched in the
small North Indian town of Deoband. Since its inception, Deobandi Islam has survived
and spread mainly through its madrassah network, which has produced Deobandi prayer
leaders, preachers and politicians on the one hand and has paved the way for the
creation of extremist Deobandi organizations like the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangwi
on the other. The latter role of the Deobandi movement makes it all the more relevant
in the present scenario, whereby a global wave of extremism and terrorism has seriously
threatened world peace.
Unlike the existing literature that has studied the Deobandi movement in the context
of political Islam and religious reform, this book endeavours to interpret this madrassah-
based movement from a countercultural perspective. By employing an offbeat approach,
this book tries to explain the background of the perennial confict between the Deobandi
sect and mainstream Muslim society in the subcontinent. An attempt has also been made
to identify the countercultural currents in the 150-year-long history of the Deobandi
movement. In addition to that, a comparative analysis of the values and attitudes of the
students of a Deobandi madrassah and a mainstream educational institution has been
included to underline the countercultural mindset of Deobandi Islam. In its concluding
section, the book looks at some probable scenarios with respect to the future of Deobandi
Islam as a counterculture.
The main objective of this work is to understand Deobandi Islam from a different
perspective. This work is expected to be of ample interest and importance to the
intelligentsia and academia on the one hand and politicians and policymakers on the
other. By giving an insight into the making of the mindset of the Deobandi Taliban, this
work also hopes to add considerable value to the ongoing policymaking process vis-à-vis
the future of the Pak-Afghan region, especially after the withdrawal of NATO forces
from Afghanistan.
While working on this book, I immensely beneftted from the effcient editorial
oversight and valuable secretarial support offered by Anthem Press. In thanking the
publishing staff for their efforts on my behalf, I do not, of course, absolve myself of
responsibility for the shortcomings of this work.