AMU To Offer Course On Comparative Religion, Sanatan Dharma, Other Texts Included In Curriculum
The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh has announced a new course from the next academic year on comparative religion.
The post-graduate course will have religious texts of Sanatan Dharma and other faiths along with Islamic studies.
So far the University has only been offering course on Islamic Studies.
PG course in Comparative Religion
"Chairperson of the Islamic Studies department has moved a proposal to start a course on comparative studies will be offered from the next session. Religious texts of Sanatan Dharma and other faiths will be taught along with Islamic studies," AMU spokesperson M. Shafey Kidwai said.
"Like Islamic studies, we aspire to offer quality education concerning Sanatan Dharma and other religions. In the new course, there will be lessons on the Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Gita and other scriptures related to Sanatan Dharma. Teachings of Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other religions will also be there in the curriculum," Chairman, department of Islamic Studies, Mohammad Ismail, said.
AMU removes books supporting Islamic State
The development comes days after the AMU's Department of Islamic Studies decided to remove books by two authors from its syllabus after they were accused of supporting the Islamic State.
Earlier, more than 20 educationists wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that these books authored Maulana Abul Ala Maududi of Pakistan and Syed Qutb of Egypt.
Abul Ala al-Maududi (1903-1979) was an Indian Islamic scholar who migrated to Pakistan shortly after Partition. He founded the Jamaat-e-Islami, a Muslim organisation in India and Pakistan. His leading works include "Tafhim-ul-Quran".
He graduated from the Deoband seminary in 1926 but fell out with it and its political wing Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind.
Sayyid Qutub (1906-1966), an Egyptian author, was also a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950s and 1960s. He was known for his radical views and was jailed for opposing President Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt.
Qutub authored over a dozen works, including a commentary on the Quran and "Social justice in Islam".
Books part of optional courses?
According to the University the books were part of optional courses and, hence, they could be dropped without discussing the issue in the Academic Council and they were removed to avoid any further unnecessary controversy on this topic.
"The board of studies will formally endorse the decision in its meeting to be held within a fortnight. There have been objections against the inclusion of books by these authors. Therefore, we have decided to remove them from the course curriculum to avoid unnecessary controversy," said Professor Ismail.
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