What's new

An Indian Muslim can't teach Sanskrit in India

I

irfan

Local Club Regular
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Runs
1,606
Shameful.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...it-professor-forced-to-flee-by-hindu-students

A Muslim scholar of Sanskrit has gone into hiding after protests from some rightwing Hindu students claiming that, as a Muslim, he cannot teach Sanskrit, the ancient classical language of Hinduism.

Feroz Khan, 29, was the unanimous choice of a selection committee at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi for the post of assistant professor of Sanskrit literature. The committee members were impressed with his erudition, which stems from a childhood passion for the language that continued into further education.

But on 7 November, two days after Khan took up the post, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a rightwing student organisation with a Hindu nationalist ideology, staged a campus protest demanding that Khan be moved to a different faculty.

One placard read: “A Muslim cannot teach us our religion.” They vowed to keep protesting until Khan was transferred to another post.

Khan has been stunned at the protests. His Muslim family, who live in a village not far from Jaipur in Rajasthan, is unusual in that his father, Ramzan Khan, also studied Sanskrit and is famous in the area for singing Hindu devotional songs and working as a volunteer in a cow shelter. Hindu priests in the area have come out and supported his son’s appointment.

Before vanishing, Khan made only a few remarks to the media. “Since my childhood, till the completion of my studies … I never faced any discrimination because of my religion. This is so disheartening. A group of students don’t want me to teach them Sanskrit because I am not a Hindu,” he told the Times of India.

Sanskrit is 3,500 years old and has the same status in Hinduism as Latin did in Christianity – only it is not quite as “dead” as Latin. It is still used in some academic and literary circles, as well as during Hindu and Buddhist religious rituals and ceremonies.

So far, the university has stood firm. It issued a statement saying Khan’s appointment was final and that it was committed to providing “equal opportunities to everyone irrespective of religion, caste, community or gender”.

But Khan has left the university for the moment. University officials confirmed that he had left on Tuesday to go home for a while and would return when things had calmed down. But when journalists visited his home, Khan was not there and his father said he did not know his whereabouts. They did not respond to calls from the Guardian.

No minister from the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has come out in Khan’s support. The Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal, a former BJP MP who is still affiliated with the party, tweeted: “Stunned by the protest against professor Feroz Khan. What has language to do with Religion!?!?!? Irony is professor Feroz has done his masters and PhD in Sanskrit. For Heavens sake stop this god damn idiocy!”

Meanwhile, other students on the campus have come out in support of Khan and his right to teach Sanskrit, along with some members of Hindu nationalist groups.
Click to expand...
 
How dumb this is? People have too much time on their hand and are out looking to create trouble. If Khan is qualified to teach Sanskrit and he wants to teach Sanskrit, he should be able to do it. These troublemakers need a good ol latti charge.
 
Pathetic. What has someones religion got to do with their teaching of Sanskrit?

Poor fellow, he will neither considered a Hindu nor a Muslim by the right wing from both communities.
 
Birdman said:
How dumb this is? People have too much time on their hand and are out looking to create trouble. If Khan is qualified to teach Sanskrit and he wants to teach Sanskrit, he should be able to do it. These troublemakers need a good ol latti charge.
Click to expand...

People and students in these univeristy/college organizations are almost always good for nothing. They are there just to do the dirty work of political thugs. Education is alien to them.
 
imrankhannsu said:
Would you allow your kids to study Arabic from a Hindu?
Click to expand...

If he has the qualification, yes.

Languages have nothing to do with religion!
In fact even in the original post, the verbiage “classical language of Hinduism” sends out a wrong and ridiculous message. It’s an ancient native subcontinental language. Arabic is a native ancient middle eastern language that people in the past belonging to pagan religion, judism, Christianity, etc all spoke, wrote.

Our world is just becoming too narrow minded and volatile..
 
Good to see Paresh Rawal calling the stupidity out but too late sir your party has already enabled discriminators.

I wonder if even moderate Hindus who supported BJP are ok with it coming to this.

Also this :
Meanwhile, other students on the campus have come out in support of Khan and his right to teach Sanskrit, along with some members of Hindu nationalist groups.
 
Both Tamil and Sanskrit are equally old and rich, one is a dead language, the other is spoken by millions and has official status in multiple countries. Let Hindutva supporters wrap their heads around that.

No sympathy for Sanskrit, it deserves to die. When you deprive people of your own community from learning it, this is the end result. Thankfully other languages have a more secular outlook. I can speak for Tamil here, the contribution of all castes, Muslims and Christians has enriched my mother tongue and I couldn't be happier.
 
JaDed said:
Good to see Paresh Rawal calling the stupidity out but too late sir your party has already enabled discriminators.

I wonder if even moderate Hindus who supported BJP are ok with it coming to this.

Also this :
Meanwhile, other students on the campus have come out in support of Khan and his right to teach Sanskrit, along with some members of Hindu nationalist groups.
Click to expand...

Hindu society needs urgent reform, Hindutva takeover is happening at an alarming pace. Can't believe how much radicalized the society has become especially in cow belt states and some other places as well. I used to think some BJP supporters acted the way they did because of TINA factor, but now I am convinced you can either be moderate or BJP supporter.
 
Kerala Brahmin Arabic teacher’s advice to BHU Muslim Sanskrit professor — go to court

Bengaluru: Gopalika Antharjanam can’t quite understand what the fuss at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is all about. Popularly known as ‘Gopalika Teacher’, she is probably the first Brahmin to teach Arabic in India, and is proud to have learnt “such a beautiful language”.

Gopalika, who retired three years ago after teaching Arabic at a Kerala school for nearly three decades, feels every citizen in this country has the right to learn any language, and should not be tied down by religion or fanatics. She also said she is glad to have set an example for many who would love to explore other languages, appreciate their spirit, nuances and the culture associated with them.

BHU students have been up in arms over the appointment of Feroz Khan as assistant professor of Sanskrit, saying a Muslim is incapable of teaching them Hindu theology.

Gopalika, too, had been forced to leave the school where she was teaching because the management had objected to a Brahmin teaching Arabic. But armed with a strong will and an order from the Kerala High Court, she fought back and taught at the same school from 1989 to 2016.

She had a word of advice to Khan. “It is his right to learn or teach as he wishes. He must take it to court, just like I did decades ago, and be assured that justice will be delivered to him,” she told ThePrint from her home in Mallapuram, Kerala.

Gopalika’s story

Born in a traditional Namboothiri Brahmin family in Thrissur, Gopalika had decided to learn Arabic on a whim after her Class X examinations.

“I was not a brilliant student. I told my parents that I would like to learn Arabic, and they were open to it. I had two other Brahmin girls in my class, though I am not sure if any of them pursued a career in it,” she said.

“Arabic is such a beautiful language, and when I was young and expressed an interest in learning it, there was a passion in me, so I learnt it quite quickly,” Gopalika added.

In 1982, after her marriage to a Mallapuram-based auditor, Narayanan Namboothiri, she expressed her wish to teach. But her toughest battle lay not in convincing her family, but in breaking the society’s conservative mindset, which made it impossible for her to pursue her passion.

Mallapuram, which falls in Kerala’s northern Malabar region, is home to nearly 70 per cent Muslims, and Arabic is spoken alongside Malayalam. It is also one of the regions from where a large number of people have flocked to the Gulf countries for employment.

“My husband had a friend who was a teacher in a nearby school, and told him how there was a five-month vacancy for an Arabic teacher there. He took me there and I joined the school as a teacher,” she recalled.

“I was very hurt emotionally when they asked me to leave the school. They created a ruckus and that’s when I decided to fight it out in court. I won the case after four years, in 1986, and since then, it has been smooth sailing for me.”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thepri...im-sanskrit-professor-go-to-court/323984/?amp
 
These thugs might threaten the life of the professor and his family. Understandable why he went into hiding.
 
After what happened to mahira Khan, shakeel siddiqui and shabana azmi
Just another day in aryan supremacy
 
Slog said:
Stupid question.

If you replace Arabic with ‘Quran’ you have a point. Otherwise no
Click to expand...

So you are saying a Hindu cannot teach Quran and in that case the Students protesting have a point.

Basically if this appointment had some dharmic Hindu rituals to perform , you are ok with not being appointed and you don’t see an issue there?
 
JaDed said:
So you are saying a Hindu cannot teach Quran and in that case the Students protesting have a point.

Basically if this appointment had some dharmic Hindu rituals to perform , you are ok with not being appointed and you don’t see an issue there?
Click to expand...

Is the professor teaching Sanskrit or is he teaching Hindu texts for a religious class?
 
Slog said:
Is the professor teaching Sanskrit or is he teaching Hindu texts for a religious class?
Click to expand...

It’s unclear but as per right wing , dharmic studies is part of syllabus.

Maybe someone can correct me hopefully as to why in this day and age religion is being taught in college I have no idea.
 
Slog said:
Is the professor teaching Sanskrit or is he teaching Hindu texts for a religious class?
Click to expand...

JaDed said:
It’s unclear but as per right wing , dharmic studies is part of syllabus.

Maybe someone can correct me hopefully as to why in this day and age religion is being taught in college I have no idea.
Click to expand...

Yes thats the confusion.

Apparently he has to teach hindu texts as well.

The dept he has been appointed to is Sanskrit vidya dharma vigyan or Sanskrit education and religious sciences dept.

May be shift him to sanskrit literature?
 
If he is teaching religious studies then can understand the anger. As it just seems to be the Sanskrit language the religious undertone is unnecessary. I would have no problem learning Arabic from a Hindu but not the Qur'an. Long may Modi continue to divide India.
 
PakLFC said:
If he is teaching religious studies then can understand the anger. As it just seems to be the Sanskrit language the religious undertone is unnecessary. I would have no problem learning Arabic from a Hindu but not the Qur'an. Long may Modi continue to divide India.
Click to expand...

cricketjoshila said:
Yes thats the confusion.

Apparently he has to teach hindu texts as well.

The dept he has been appointed to is Sanskrit vidya dharma vigyan or Sanskrit education and religious sciences dept.

May be shift him to sanskrit literature?
Click to expand...

JaDed said:
It’s unclear but as per right wing , dharmic studies is part of syllabus.

Maybe someone can correct me hopefully as to why in this day and age religion is being taught in college I have no idea.
Click to expand...

Slog said:
Is the professor teaching Sanskrit or is he teaching Hindu texts for a religious class?
Click to expand...

Slog said:
Stupid question.

If you replace Arabic with ‘Quran’ you have a point. Otherwise no
Click to expand...

One of the most famous biographies of Prophet Muhammad was written by a Catholic woman.

A lot of professors of Islam in American or European universities aren't necessarily Muslims but are teaching about the history of Islam.

We are talking about a curriculum here not spiritual teaching.
 
imrankhannsu said:
Stupid because you cant answer it
Click to expand...

Answer what? What does language have to do with religion?

There are millions of Christians in the Middle-East who speak Arabic as their first language. Do you think it is wrong for them to teach Arabic?

Your question is stupid because it is stupid.
 
Mamoon said:
Answer what? What does language have to do with religion?

There are millions of Christians in the Middle-East who speak Arabic as their first language. Do you think it is wrong for them to teach Arabic?

Your question is stupid because it is stupid.
Click to expand...

No its not. Again you didnt answer my question. If you dont want to answer it fine but calling it stupid doesnt answer it
 
imrankhannsu said:
I asked a question. I didnt give an opinion! Quoting you "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Click to expand...

The question is beyond stupid. What difference does it make whether the person teaching Arabic to anyone is Muslim, Christian, Hindu or even an athiest. It's a language.
 
imrankhannsu said:
No its not. Again you didnt answer my question. If you dont want to answer it fine but calling it stupid doesnt answer it
Click to expand...

If I want to learn Arabic and I come across a teacher who is qualified but is a Hindu, I would have no issues learning from him. Why? Because I am not learning about Islam; I am learning about a language which is not limited to Muslims only.

Does this answer your question and can we call it stupid now?
 
Sanskrit is not just a language. It is the language Gods use among Themselves. Anyone who doesn't believe in these Sanskrit speaking Gods should not be allowed to even learn, let alone teach this Divine Language.
 
Mamoon said:
If I want to learn Arabic and I come across a teacher who is qualified but is a Hindu, I would have no issues learning from him. Why? Because I am not learning about Islam; I am learning about a language which is not limited to Muslims only.

Does this answer your question and can we call it stupid now?
Click to expand...

What was stupid was the lengthy process for you answer it
 
uberkoen said:
The question is beyond stupid. What difference does it make whether the person teaching Arabic to anyone is Muslim, Christian, Hindu or even an athiest. It's a language.
Click to expand...

It's beyond your capability of answering a simple question too if you think that way
 
Sad. Urdu and Hindi are both derived from Sanskrit and Prakrit although Urdu contains more Arabic/Persian/Turkic words. If anything, Sanskrit should be seen as the language that unites all desis regardless of their religion. We all speak languages that are derived from Sanskrit, whether we're Muslims, Hindus, Christians etc.
 
Mamoon said:
Answer what? What does language have to do with religion?

There are millions of Christians in the Middle-East who speak Arabic as their first language. Do you think it is wrong for them to teach Arabic?

Your question is stupid because it is stupid.
Click to expand...

Thank you.

I hate narrow minded religious fanatics.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

sweep_shot
Muslim man beaten to death in India for resisting holi colors on his clothes
Replies
31
Views
927
sweep_shot
sweep_shot
hoshiarpurexpress
Muslim students furious at Swinburne University over prayer room closure on main day of worship
Replies
21
Views
42K
rpant_gabba
rpant_gabba
The Bald Eagle
An open challenge to Indians, if all Muslim empires in sub-continent were barbaric then name even a single saint-like Hindu empire in entire history!
3 4 5
Replies
339
Views
6K
speed
S
Devadwal
Reality check for Indian citizens - Can we learn?
Replies
29
Views
705
JaDed
JaDed
Cpt. Rishwat
Would India have become a rising tiger economy if BJP-style rule had prevailed?
Replies
35
Views
812
JaDed
JaDed
Back
Top