In this article we are discussing the educational challenges faced by the Muslim community in India. The issue of illiteracy and low literacy rates among Muslims is a concern, with a focus on female illiteracy being particularly noteworthy.
Table of Contents
The first word of the Quran is “Iqra,” which means “Read.” Unfortunately, Muslims have moved away from education. In India, which has the third-largest Muslim population in the world, the literacy rate among Muslims is 42.7%. This means that 42.7% of Muslims in India are illiterate, lacking the ability to read and write. Comparatively, other minorities such as Christians, Buddhists, and Jains have much lower illiteracy rates. For example, Jains have an illiteracy rate of 13.57%, Christians 25.65%, Sikhs 32.49%, and Buddhists 28.16%.
Breaking down the gender-wise illiteracy rates, the female illiteracy rate is highest in the Muslim community at 48.1%, while it is the lowest among Jains at 15.07%. In this video, we will delve into the details of Muslim education, analyzing various data points to understand why the Muslim community has distanced itself from education.
Explore the reasons
Stereotypes and Discrimination:
People often say that Muslims are very strict in following their religion. They listen to every word of their Prophet, understand it, and act accordingly, or so people claim. Now let’s examine this claim in conjunction with education.
In a narration found in Ibn-e-Majaa, Hadeeth No. 224, Prophet Islam states, “Acquiring knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim.” In Tirmidi, Hadeeth No. 2646, Prophet Islam says, “Whoever embarks on the path of knowledge, Allah will make the path to paradise easy for him.” In Shoab-al-iman Hadeeth No. 1650, Prophet Islam encourages, “Acquire knowledge and impart it to the others.” Similarly, there are many more hadiths that encourage Muslims towards education. Despite these teachings, 42.7% of Muslims are illiterate. In this context, the claim that Muslims strongly follow their religion and adhere to all the teachings of their Prophet doesn’t align well with the situation in education. Now, let’s delve into the topic and first understand what education is.Understand what education is
And if I tell you, education is a tool through which you can utilize your potential to the fullest. Without education, anyone in this world cannot find a proper path. Education is also a source that has helped societies facing oppression move towards democratic participation. Now, if we look at it from the perspective of Islam, education doesn’t only mean intellectual knowledge but also serves as a source to improve an individual’s character and nature.
Now, applying all these things to today’s Muslim education failures of Muslim community, they lack a proper path. Muslims have potential, but it is not being used correctly. Muslims don’t have their own democratic participation and, most importantly, character. The nature of today’s Muslims has become so corrupted, and to understand this, I want to share an incident that happened in front of someone I know. They mentioned that one day, they were standing at a paan (betel leaf) shop, which was owned by a non-Muslim. The shopkeeper was praising a boy to his companion, talking about his honesty and many other good qualities, and at the end, he said, “The boy is so good that you wouldn’t even realize he is a Muslim.” This one line is so profound; it defines the filthy nature of today’s Muslims, and the reason for all this is only one.Indian Muslims are most illiterate.
In India, Muslims are the most illiterate. Now, let me share some data with you. The Indian government established a committee to learn about the Muslim community, known as the Sachar Committee. The committee, in its report, revealed that the educational opportunities for the Muslim community are quite limited. In terms of education, their situation is worse than that of the SC, ST, and OBC communities. As the level of education increases, the enrollment of Muslims decreases.
The report also found that 25% of children in the age group of 6 to 14 years have either never attended school or have dropped out. Educational attendance for Muslim children below 17 years, up to the metric level, is only 17%, while the national average is 26%. Similarly, among Muslim children in middle schooling, 50% complete secondary education, whereas the national average is 62%. According to a national survey, the Gross Attendance Ratio (GAR) for Muslims is not in good condition. The GAR for the SC community is 101, for ST it is 102, while for Muslims, it is 100 at the primary level. However, at the secondary level, the situation worsens with a GAR of 71.9%, and it further drops to 14.1% at the senior secondary level. Enrollment of Muslim students in higher education is only 4.4%. You can understand from these education statistics how far behind the Muslim community is in terms of education.Muslims don't educate themselves Peoples says!
And it is very easily said to justify this. Muslims don’t educate themselves. However, let me tell you a truth. What kind of father would there be who, due to his own lack of education, works a low-grade job and thinks that his son should do the same?
Leave aside some people; I don’t think any father holds such a mindset for his son because a father always thinks that his son should lead a peaceful life after getting educated; that’s his mindset. While the reality is that the son doesn’t study. Whereas the reality is that the father can’t afford education due to financial difficulties. Whereas the reality is, where would they study? There are no schools or colleges. And this is the truth. In such a situation, it becomes necessary to understand what Muslims have done for the education of Muslims. To understand this, let’s go back a bit.Historical Context:
Now comes the Mughal period, with rulers like Emperor Akbar and Emperor Aurangzeb. They give a new direction to Muslim education, transforming the Islamic education system into a secular education system. Aurangzeb builds countless schools and colleges. A famous madrasa, Farangi Mahal, is also established during this period. Amidst all this, after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, the Mughal Empire starts declining. Along with that, Muslim education also rapidly declines. Despite financial difficulties, the government stops providing financial support to native schools, and Muslim education drifts further away.
Although the English attempt to bring Muslims back towards education. Sir William Hunter is appointed as the Chairman of the Indian Education Commission, and various measures like scholarships, reservations, and Muslim teachers are introduced to increase Muslim literacy. However, the fear still exists among Muslims. They perceive Western culture and Western education as a threat to their religion and culture, and Muslims still keep themselves away from Western education. The English try to bring Muslims back towards education during this time. During this period, the Indian Rebellion of 1857 takes place. The English blame Muslims for this rebellion. Many Muslim families are attacked. They are harassed, and Muslims are excluded from civil services even after the rebellion is over. The selective policy of the English puts Muslims in a worse condition. By now, everything has ended. All the major madrasas are either closed or in very bad condition. Here, some Muslim leaders wake up.University of modern education and Islamic education.
Muslim leaders wake up They realize that Muslims need to revive their education system. They have to acquire modern education along with Islamic education so that they can reach the level of other communities. Their passion transforms into a mission to instill national pride among Muslims, and for this purpose, some educational reforms are carried out.
As mentioned earlier, Muslims feared that the English language used by the British would harm their religious faith. In response to this concern, in 1866, Haji Abid Hussain and Maulana Qasim Nanautawi established Darul Uloom Deoband, located in Saharanpur. Its main motive was to provide Islamic education. As Muslim leaders believed that to instil national pride among Muslims, they needed to acquire modern education, they first embraced the Western education system. On June 24, 1875, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan established the Muslim Anglo-Oriental School (MAO) in Aligarh, which later evolved into the Muslim Anglo-Oriental College and eventually, in 1920, was upgraded to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). As mentioned earlier, in response to the fear among Muslims that English might harm their religious faith, Haji Abid Hussain and Maulana Qasim Nanautawi founded Darul Uloom Deoband in 1866, located in Saharanpur, with its primary focus on Islamic education.Nadwatul Ulama emerged in Lucknow in 1895. Another madrasa was established in Mubarakpur, Azamgarh, in 1895, named Misbahul Uloom. After several years of struggle, an individual named Hafiz Abdul Azeez, also known as Hafize-E Millat, established a full-fledged university. It was named Al Jamia Atul Ashrafia, also referred to as the Arabic University and Mubarakpur University.
A very famous university establish during 1st world war.
After the First World War, with the intention of providing a national outlook to Muslim education, Maulana Mohammad Hasan, a freedom fighter, established Jamia Millia Islamia on October 20, 1920. A fact that people might not be aware of, because if asked today, you would promptly mention that Jamia Millia Islamia is located in New Delhi, Okhla. However, it was not always in Jamia Okhla. When it was established in 1920, its location was Aligarh, and it was shifted from Aligarh to Okhla in 1935.
Before 1947 and after 1947 the condition of Muslim Education.
Let’s return to the topic. Before independence, significant efforts were made to provide a path for Muslim education. There were options available for them to choose the type of education they wanted. However, the problem was that, considering the Muslim population in India, there were still not enough schools or colleges. While AMU and Jamia were established, there were still insufficient educational resources for the Muslim community. The low literacy rate among Muslims is a significant reason for this.
Now, let’s move to the year 1947 when India gained independence. Along with independence, the partition of India took place, and a separate country, Pakistan, was formed. A large number of Muslims migrated to Pakistan, but a substantial Muslim population continued to consider India as their homeland. However, due to this partition, Muslim education suffered a major setback. The mission that had started to instill national pride among Muslims faced a significant hindrance.Christian communities Education system
Talking about today, Christian communities have numerous schools and colleges throughout the country, establishing their own educational standards. New schools and colleges are being built, further solidifying their education system.
However, this is not the case for the Muslim community. They lack well-established schools and colleges. Except for a few, there are not many high-quality educational institutions. This contributes to the fact that, according to the 1990 National Sample Survey, only 2.3 percent of Muslim men and 0.8 percent of Muslim women were graduates. Even after subsequent surveys, the educational condition of Muslims remained poor.Muslim community have/had financial issue.
Economically, the Muslim community faces challenges, with a substantial portion living in poverty. Approximately one-third of India’s Muslim population is impoverished, with a poverty rate of 31 percent, compared to the national average of 26 percent, according to pre-COVID data.
Several factors contribute to keeping Muslim education failures and away from education. Sometimes, Muslim girls are excluded from classes in the name of wearing the hijab, and other times, disruptions occur in the name of prayer.how can Muslims be brought back towards education.
So, the question arises, how can Muslims be brought back towards education?
The answer is simple; it requires collaboration between the Muslim community and the Government of India. The Muslim community needs to revive the national pride mission from 1850, opening schools and colleges like AMU and Jamia. However, considering the financial constraints of the community, there is a need for collective effort. Individuals like Vali Rehmani, who initiated the Ummid Academy, demonstrate that even with small donations, significant educational projects can be accomplished. Similar initiatives can be undertaken in other areas to build more schools and colleges. The key is for people to come forward with a strong vision, presenting plans to the public, and garnering financial support.Conclusion:
Moreover, the government must run awareness programs to tackles Muslim education failures, ensuring quality education without discrimination. Scholarships, mentorship programs, skill development initiatives, and teacher training programs should be implemented to enhance engagement between educational institutions and local Muslim communities. A joint effort by the government and Muslim leaders can pave the way for financial support and, ultimately, elevate the Muslim community’s position in the education sector to be on par with other communities in India
It is essential to analyse various factors contributing to the distance of the Muslim community from education. Potential reasons could include socio-economic factors, cultural barriers, lack of awareness, and gender disparities. Designing targeted educational programs, promoting awareness campaigns, and addressing socio-economic challenges might be key components in bridging the educational gap. Additionally, it is crucial to involve the community itself, including religious leaders, in promoting the value of education. Emphasizing the importance of education within religious teachings and encouraging community participation in educational initiatives can play a significant role in bringing about positive change. Efforts should also focus on gender-specific challenges, aiming to empower women through education. Providing accessible and quality education for girls, along with challenging traditional gender norms, can contribute to breaking the cycle of illiteracy.Experience the power, feel the comfort, and embrace the evolution for the most recent tech news and reviews, Health tips and many more follow themdakbar Blogs also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google News, and Instagram. For access to our most recent videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
It’s really true and also we saw alot of muslims who want to study but financially and some time discrimination matter for them. I hope government will do some thing for muslim community
Need to think muslim ummah..and has to be take step for the situation.
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