Articles by Yoginder Sikand

The Deoband Dar ul-Uloom's recent fatwa on Muslim women working outside the home and a host of other women-related fatwas close almost all sources of employment. An accepted principle of Islamic jurisprudence holds that fatwas must be related and responsive to the social and temporal context which they intend to address. It is because the Deobandis are hardened followers of the Hanafi school of Sunni jurisprudence and insist on blind imitation of past juridical precedent that they seem unwilling to understand the need for contextually-relevant fatwas.

There is a strong feeling among Muslim activists, scholars, the government and international actors that there is a need to modify traditional madrasa education and introduce basic "modern" subjects into the curriculum. This article discusses the efforts of one educational programme in Gujarat that attempts to do so and finds that not only does this benefit those participating in the programme but also a larger section of the community.

Muslim community identity in post-1947 Islamic Education for Girls India. These include the fear of cultural From Behind the Curtain: A Study of a Girls

One of the few, and certainly the most prominent, of 20th century writers to have articulated the claim of Nanak's Muslim identity was the noted Delhi-based Muslim scholar, Khwaja Hasan Nizami. While the political motives behind the penning of this tract on Sikhism and Sikh-Muslim relations obviously cannot be ignored, Nizami's quest for refashioning established community identities and building bridges between spiritual traditions provides a valuable lesson for contemporary efforts at inter-religious dialogue and understanding.

Despite notable exceptions, madrasas in general remain unenthusiastic about government offers of help. The present BJP-led governmentâ??s professions of concern towards Muslim education are viewed with considerable suspicion. While most madrasas have developed innovative forms of Islamic education, madrasa reform to truly succeed, needs the willing consent and cooperation of the ulama. This, however, requires a climate of trust and confidence which, in turn, is related to the broader question of communal relations in India.