South Asian Islamic Education in the Precolonial, Colonial, and Postcolonial Periods (original) (raw)
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Webology (ISSN: 1735-188X) Volume 1 8, Number 6, 2021, 2021
Apart from the oppressive imperialism and its depressive economic repercussions, that the Indians in general and the Muslims in particular had to confront with, after the War of Independence 1857, was hatred towards their culture and imposition of modernism by the British Raj. Interestingly, the challenges were responded not by any political institution but by the educational ones, which with their diverse approaches attempted at giving distinct trends to their respective societies. Aligarh Madrasah Movement adopted and promoted progressivism, rational thinking and loyalism towards the colonial masters. Contrarily, Darul Ulum Deoband Movement remained, for a long, supportive of conventionalism, revolutionary activities, and antagonist of British imperialism and their modernist cultural values. Although contradictory in their vision and philosophies, the both institutional movements aimed at reforming and empowering the Muslim society of South Asia to restore their political stature. This paper attempts at discussing the historical developments of the both educational institutions and the dichotomy of their politico-religious philosophies they endeavored to cultivate among the Muslims of South Asia. It brings in limelight the political phases and transitions in to their visions, strategies, and nature of politics, from their inceptions to the withdrawal of British from Indian Subcontinent 1947, to popularize themselves and to achieve their assumed objectives. The methodology employed in the discourse is eclectic, i.e. descriptive, analytical, comparative and critical.
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