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April 21, 2002
EXCERPTS: Why this disinterest?
Ghulam Kibria laments the lack of research by Muslim academics
IN developed Western countries, teaching is only one of the functions of the university professors. Their other, and in some ways even more crucial, function is research. This covers all subjects and not just science and technology. Research is conducted in economics, sociology, anthropology, international relations, history and other subjects which have a bearing on national life. The colleges and university professors, assisted by their senior students, conduct in-depth studies which are dispassionate, objective and free from bias. These studies provide correct guidance to state functionaries in drawing up state policies. The whole developed world benefits from these efforts.
One very illustrative example is that of Lord Keynes, an English professor of economics who closely studied the collapse of laissez faire capitalism in the wake of the great depression of the thirties. On the basis of his research, he proposed an economic order which guided the Western leaders in formulating the new system post-war international system. The World Bank and all its auxiliary systems are the outcome of Keynes’ research.
There are innumerable examples in other disciplines which helped world leaders steer their countries out of difficult situations. Even the atomic bomb was the result of Professor Einstein’s recommendation based upon scientific research in many universities.
Some Muslims who entered the education field in India confined themselves only to teaching. They did not even write textbooks and fewer still, if any, carried out research in economics, sociology, anthropology, international relations or Muslim history. Aurangzeb, who is regarded as a hero by many educated Muslims, had a Hindu historian, Sir Jaddo Nath Sirkar.
This phenomenon had a double impact. Firstly, the students took no interest in research which sealed the fate of the nation. Secondly, the leaders received no independent guidance. Hence, the Muslim students’ preference was government service followed by private service after which came the teaching profession. In Western societies, the best students usually opt for teaching and are involved in scholarly activities and research work. The Indian Muslim community had to be satisfied with drop-outs and laggards as teachers with little or no interest in scholarly pursuits and research. Hence, the general standard of teachers was less than mediocre.
Before Independence, hardly any text or reference book was written by Muslim scholars for students, even for those studying in the Muslim University Aligarh. The only exception was Urdu literature and Islamic Studies. Since 1947, books written by non-Muslim scholars are being used by students in Pakistan. Why? Because Muslim writers haven’t written many books in modern disciplines. They were shy of writing books.
The situation in Pakistan has progressively deteriorated with a steady drop in the standard of education. Each generation of students receives less knowledge than the previous one. This is the greatest tragedy.
The British ruled India for their own national benefits and not for the welfare and development of the Indians. Their policies were shaped to meet their own needs. For example, industrialization was not encouraged as a state policy for that would have hurt the sale of British products. It has been argued that there was no law barring an Indian from setting up an industry, if he so wished.
The main thrust of the little industrialization that was encouraged was towards processing raw material for British industry. An additional reason for not encouraging industrialization in the areas which became Pakistan was that Punjab and the NWFP were the recruiting grounds for the British Indian army. The lack of employment opportunities for people nearer home compelled many of the unemployed to join the army. It is, however, argued that those who wished to set up an industry were not stopped from doing so.
To change the orientation of this system called for time and study. While the actual work was left to be done when Independence arrived, the preparatory work was not undertaken either. Thus useful time which could have been utilized for implementing the plans was instead wasted in preparing them.
The few Muslim economists who were there should have made a thorough study of the available resources — both men and material — and prepared reports on how optimum use could be made of them after Independence for the benefit of Pakistan.
Another question which is naturally asked is: why were books on economics, sociology, technology and all the other disciplines not written by Muslim academics? In the first place, there were very few Muslim scholars around. In fact the ratio of educated Muslims to educated Hindus was quite poor. The few Muslims who were educated either entered government service or became professionals like lawyers and doctors. Mostly non-achievers joined the teaching profession.
It has been pointed out that the feudals dominated the Muslim society in India, especially in the areas which became Pakistan — the southwestern and southern Punjab and the whole of Sindh excluding Karachi. These areas did not have many educational institutions. There was not a single university in Sindh or the feudal belt of Punjab like the Aligarh Muslim University. The few feudals, who realized that education would enhance their prestige in the eyes of the British rulers, sent their sons to Bombay and Lahore. A few even went to Aligarh.
In the Muslim minority areas of India, there were some feudals who came to recognize the importance of education. Some feudals were scholars themselves. They were the ones who supported the establishment of a university for the Muslims in a small town, Aligarh, less than hundred miles east of Delhi. It started as a college in late nineteenth century and became a model for a Muslim college established in Lahore, Peshawar and other places in India. The college in Lahore remained a college as the feudals in Punjab did not find it necessary to upgrade it to a university. Peshawar’s college also remained a college.
No wonder then that the Muslims were unprepared for independence; they lacked appropriate education, the most important prerequisite for independence.
Excerpts from
Paving the highway for development
By Ghulam Kibria
Bureau of Composition, Compilation and Translation, University of Karachi Tel: 021-479481, 4969237
ISBN 969-404-50
192pp. Rs300
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