AMU’s Decision To Withdraw Maulana Maududi and Sayyid Qutb’s Books From Syllabus Reeks Of Anti-Intellectualism: SIO

The Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) has denounced Aligarh Muslim University’s (AMU) decision to remove works by Maulana Maududi and Sayyid Qutb Shaheed from its curriculum as ‘anti-intellectual’.

The student’s organisation slammed the varsity for buckling down under pressure from the Hindu right-wing and removing books of two of the most influential Islamic scholars of the century.

AMU dropped the books of Maulana Maududi and Sayyid Qutb Shaheed after a letter was written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by 25 right-wing academics terming them “the brazenly Jihadi Islamic course curriculum”.

“Across the world, the work of the two scholars has been an essential read for anyone seeking to understand Muslim decolonial tradition. They form an important part of Muslim intellectual tradition in Middle-east and South Asia and still continue to have a deep impact in these regions and beyond through the Islamic revivalist movements they spawned,” SIO said in its statement, describing the intellectual standing of the two Islamic scholars in the Islamic world.

The organisation reminded the varsity of its legacy of engaging with varied ideologies, especially from within Islamic tradition. “People allegiant to these myriad ideologies have helped make the institute one of the important places of learning in the region. However, instead of standing up to majoritarian goons, who will settle for nothing less than a complete erasure of Muslim and Islam from public life in India, the university chose to cow down,” it said.

SIO accused the University of betraying its students, faculty and legacy by removing the books Maulana Maududi and Sayyid Qutb Shaheed.

“We all must resist these efforts to impose a monolithic vision of education in the name of ‘Indianisation’,” it said.