ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD
Members Only
lock close icon

Is a Madarsa Headmaster Paying a Price for Being ‘Progressive’?

In March 2015, Akhtar was beaten up for encouraging students at the madarsa to sing the national anthem.

Updated
Opinion
3 min read
story-hero-img
i
Aa
Aa
Small
Aa
Medium
Aa
Large
Hindi Female

It is a lonely battle for 46-year-old Kazi Masum Akhtar. He claims to be paying a price for being a ‘progressive thinker’.

Akhtar who was violently beaten up nine months ago by irate members of the Muslim community has now broken his silence.

Islam means peace. But in practical life wherever I look…where there is terror, disturbance and problems, there are Muslims. Why? That is wrong, That is not Islam. Hazrat Mohammad was attacked several times over 13 years by the opposition but he never did inhuman activities. He won the hearts of the people.

Kazi Masum Akhtar

The true meaning of Islam needs to be shared with the world, says Akhtar.

Growing fundamentalism needs to be dealt with. Tolerance, unity, love and humanity are what the Prophet taught us. We have lost everything. The whole Muslim world is in crisis. The activities of some who claim to be the real Muslims are the curse for Muslim society, Islam is being insulted.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD
0

A Lonely Battle

In March 2015, Akhtar was beaten up for encouraging students at the madarsa to sing the national anthem.
Children read the Koran at a madarsa on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. (Photo: Reuters)

Akhtar’s war is against those who have hijacked the true essence of Islam.

Jihad is the fight against cruelty and injustice, it is also service to parents. Jihad is about humanity. Jihad does not mean killing ordinary people in bomb blasts.

His phone hasn’t stopped ringing and a stream of reporters continue to navigate their way through a maze of pencil-thin bylanes in Kolkata’ s Picnic Gardens area. The nameboard describes him as a ‘teacher, talker and columnist’.

For 11 years Akhtar was an Assistant teacher at the Narendranath Vidya Mandir. A deep desire to help the Muslim community pushed him into joining a madarsa. This was not easy. He had to clear a separate exam to join as a headmaster. The need to make a difference urged him on and he finally found himself at the Talpukur Ara High Madarsa in the city.

During his three years as the headmaster, Akhtar found himself pitted against a system that brooked no argument. For Akhtar, being Islamic went beyond the skull cap and the beard. He was pulled up for not complying with the fatwa that had been issued. Kazi says religious leaders issued a fatwa asking him to wear a skull cap and grow a beard and send them periodic photographs showing the growth of the beard.

Kazi described himself as a devout Muslim but his pleas fell on deaf ears. As headmaster he tried to inject discipline but was up against a wall. The teachers drifted in and out of school and spent two hours instead of the six they were meant to.

In such an environment the students were going haywire. His efforts were appreciated by the parents and he was recommended for an award for the best teacher in the state, the Shiksha Ratna Award.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

The Big Disconnect

In March 2015, Akhtar was beaten up for encouraging students at the madarsa to sing the national anthem.
Kazi Masum Akhtar’s attempts to clean the system were not appreciated and he was viewed as a rebel. (Photo Courtesy: Payal Mohanka)

Sadly, the disconnect between the teacher and the religious leaders of the community took an ugly turn. Akhtar was vocal about several issues: strong action against madarsas which harboured terrorists and early marriage for girls in the community.

His attempts to clean the system were not appreciated and he was viewed as a rebel who was hurting the community’s feelings by making anti-Islam statements. In March 2015, Akhtar was beaten up for encouraging his students at the madarsa to sing the national anthem. An unruly mob attacked him with iron rods.

For the last nine months Akhtar has not attended the madarsa.The state education department is allowing him to mark attendance at the office of the district Inspector of Schools in the Kasba area of Kolkata.

I am restless and frustrated. But the actual teachings of Islam are essential not just for Muslims but for all communities.

Kazi Masum Akhtar, Madarsa Teacher

Akhtar’s 12-year-old son, who studies at one of Kolkata’s most prestigious schools, reads the Koran every morning.

Akhtar repeatedly swears allegiance to his community and prays for their support in his progressive and patriotic journey. He continues to wage his war against the “insult of Islam”.

(The writer is a Kolkata-based senior journalist.)

Read more on the story here.

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from opinion

Topics:  Jihad   Fatwa   Madarsa 

Published: 
Speaking truth to power requires allies like you.
Become a Member
3 months
12 months
12 months
Check Member Benefits
Read More
×
×