Calicut University withdraws salafi' textbook

KOZHIKODE: The Calicut University on Thursday withdrew the controversial textbook Kithabuthouheed prescribed for the BA Afsal-ul-ulama course, which allegedly contains extreme ideologies of Salafism. After the university announced the decision, the Sunni Students Federation (SSF) called off its protest march to the varsity scheduled on Saturday. Calicut University vice-chancellor Dr K. Muhammed Basheer told DC that he had called the chairman of Arabic Board of Studies and discussed the issue.

"I realised that the textbook was withdrawn in 2007 following a protest and it is not apt to bring back such a textbook again. Following the discussion, the chairman directed the authorities concerned to withdraw the textbook from the syllabus," he added. SSF state secretary Muhammed Ali Kinaloor welcomed the move and asked the university to take action against those who reintroduced the textbook without any detailed discussion. "By reintroducing the textbook which was earlier withdrawn, it is clear that those behind it had a hidden agenda. Propagation of such ideas should not happen by using public money and public educational institutions," he added.

The controversial part on page 11 of the book says that those who visit the jarams (shrine/dargah) are shirk (anti-Islam). For supporting the text, the author has quoted a Quranic verse which was allegedly misinterpreted saying such people should be killed, their wealth shall be robbed and their wives and children should be taken away. The book was written by prominent Saudi Salafi scholar Muhammed ibn Salih Al Hussaini and is improvised and interpreted by scholar Koyakutty Farooqui. The office of NDA Kerala vice-chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar issued a release saying that the foreign-influenced ideologies and foreign-funded NGOs propagating such ideologies are a threat to the peaceful Indian Muslims and the whole nation.