The contours of Islamic civilization in South Asia were etched to broad relief here at a 2-day symposium on November 16 and 17. While most scholars highlighted the positive contributions made by the Islamic faith and culture, a few outlined the synthesis between Hinduism and Islam and consequent syncretic traditions spawned from the process.
The symposium was opened by Dr. Halit Erin, secretary general of the OIC Research Center for Islamic Arts and Culture widely known by its acronym IRCICA with headquarters in Istanbul. He highlighted the role played by the IRCICA in promoting positive understanding between various cultures and even among Muslims through a creative engagement. He said the first symposium on Islamic civilization in South Asia was held in Islamabad in 1986. Dhaka University vice chancellor Dr. S. M. A. Faiz said Islamic culture was truly global as it was the first attempt to bridge gap between the occident and the orient. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mr. Touhid Hossain said Islam was a religion of peace and love and parochialism and terrorism were alien to it. He said such conclaves would show that Islamophobia was misplaced.
In the working sessions Prof. Khurram Khader from the International Islamic University (IIU) from Islamabad laid the premise by sketching the journey of Islam to the subcontinent during its early 600 years. He said before Islam entered the mainland India as an imperial power, it had already taken the stamp of Iraqi, Iranian and Afg-han cultures there-by gaining a lot of influences. He pointed out that religions of South Asia with which Islam interacted were quite different from the ones it came face to face on its route of conquest. It therefore necessitated a lot of adjustment which were witnessed in sectors like political administration, architecture and culture. He said Islam never attempted wholesale conversion in this region and therefore faced the challenge of always remaining a minority’s religion. It visualized the role of Muslims as a dominant minority. This espoused two distinct characteristics namely segmental and organic. The segmental characteristics were designed to reinforce the distinct identity while organic characteristic were aimed at maintaining the leadership role. He also outlined the role of the Sufis in the process who, according to Prof. Khader, devised tariqas in lieu of shariat.
Prof. Qandil Abbas from Pakistan held the crusades and the Mongol invasions responsible for decline of Islamic civilization but the Safavids in Iran, Ottomans in Turkey and Mughals in India led to resurgence of Islamic culture. Dr. Durgadas Mukhopadhyaya from Kolkata profiled the Bauls, an itinerant community of singers in West Bengal who practiced syncretic traditions repre-senting a synthesis of Sufi Islam and Vaish-anavite beliefs. Dr. Minhajul Hassan from Pakis-tan profiled the Pakhtoons who, he said, were fanatic Muslims who pra-ctice Islamic rituals but keep aside the Islamic law when it comes to treatment of women. He said the women are confined to four walls of houses and family’s honour is defined in terms of modesty of women. Dr. Akhtar Hussain of Delhi University highlighted the contributions of sufi poet Amir Khusrow. Dr. Abuzar Khairi from the Academy of Third World Studies of Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi outlined the welfare activities taken up by Delhi sultans at the behest of Muslim Sufis and ulema. Dr. Anwar Hossain from the Dhaka University asked the participants not to avoid asking uncomfortable questions regarding the role of Islam in South Asia. He said the role of Islam as a catalyser in dismembering the Indian subcontinent into three nations should not be glossed over and scholars should not be carried away by only the teachings of the faith.
Bangalore based journalist Maqbool Ahmed Siraj saw the Hindu-Muslim cultural interaction in the subcontinent as a rule, not an exception. He detailed the literary activity in the period which led to exchange of literary masterpieces between Persian and Sanskrit, often under the patronage of the royal court. He debunked the misconception that the medieval era smothered literary activity and said development of Hindi as a lingua franca owed itself to the patronage of Muslim sultans of Delhi. Dr. Arshi Khan, reader, Political Science, Aligarh Muslim University in his paper on ‘Beyond Multiculturalism’ tried to differentiate between multiculturalism and pluralism. He said the Muslim imperial power in the subcontinent played an integrative role and promoted solidarity between communities. He cited cooption and employment of Hindu officers of the vanquished armies by Muhammad bin Qasim and Mahmood of Ghaznawi. He also argued that multiculturalism, a modern concept, was not exactly pluralism. He said the pluralism stresses rights of communities while under multiculturalism individual autonomy gained immense importance. He said millet system under Ottomans eloquently exemplified the Islamic spirit of tolerance by recognizing various nationalities.
Others who presented papers at the symposium included Dr. Najma Khan Majlis, Qazi Azizul Mawla, Fatima Meher Khan, Dr. Akhataruzzaman, Dr. Ataur Rahman Miazi (all from Dhaka university), Mirza Asmer Baig from the Aligarh Muslim University, Dr. Mohammad Ayub from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, Dr. Mohammad Sanaullah from the AMU, Prof. K. M. H. Khalideen from Sri Lanka.
(This report has been compiled by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj who participated in the symposium.)
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December 2008 |
