Salafi textbook in Calicut University fuels row

KOZHIKODE: A fresh row has erupted in Calicut University  over the content of a textbook which allegedly promotes  extremism.   The Sunni Students Federation (SSF) alleges that the ‘Kithabuthouheed’  textbook for the BA Afsal-ul-ulama course has contents which teach extreme ideologies of Salafism. The book, written by prominent Saudi Salafi scholar Muhammed ibn Salih Al Hussaini and  improvised and interpreted by scholar Koyakutty Farooqui, is meant for the first-year students.  The  controversial part is on page 11 where the Quran ayat (verse) given in correspondence to the text is allegedly misinterpreted.

“The book says that those who visit the jarams (shrine/dargah) are shirk (anti-Islam). For supporting the text, they have quoted a Quranic verse  which was then misinterpreted as saying such people should be killed, their wealth shall be robbed and their wives and children should be taken away. This is not the right way of teaching and is actually prompting  the students to extreme acts,” said SSF  state secretary Muhammed Ali Kinaloor. “At a time when many youths are reportedly joining the ISIS, such textbooks should not be included in the syllabus,” he added.

The book, though introduced in 2007, was later withdrawn following Sunni protest. “It was during the last months of the UDF government that the board of studies with no Sunni representation decided to reintroduce the book in the syllabus,” Mr Muhammed Ali Kinaloor added. However, those who back the book say that the protest has ulterior motives. Calicut University Vice-Chancellor Dr K. Mohammed Basheer, who is himself an Arabic teacher, said, “one cannot take an adamant stand on a textbook which is against their ideologies. The book supports no Sunni ideologies, but that doesn’t make it bad as a textbook,”  he said.

Dr A.I. Rahmathullah,  Calicut University former Arabic department head and former Arabic board of studies member, opined that the protest was to pressurise the university to withdraw the textbook, which is against the Sunni ideas.