The Changing Era

Kandahar to help resolve the issue. There, he met some Afghan youth. During their interaction, they asked these youths if they would be interested in visiting India for tourism. They replied affirmatively. When asked which places in India they would like to see, the first name they mentioned was Deoband. Upon further inquiry, they explained that their interest in visiting Deoband stemmed from the fact that they identified themselves as Deobandis. The senior official’s conversation revealed that he believed Deoband might be a training center for militancy. He thought it might be the ideological hub for the violence persisting in Afghanistan and along India’s borders. Hearing this, I smiled and replied, “I am a Deobandi too.” I explained that I studied at Madrasa Al-Islah, a school founded by Maulana Asghar Hussain of Deoband, a student of Sheikh-ul-Hind Maulana Mahmood Hasan. I then clarified that Deobandi or Deobandiyat refers to a school of thought that emphasizes adherence to the Sunnah. It was in this sense that the Afghan youth identified themselves as Deobandis, as the people of Afghanistan have a long history of travelling to Deoband for religious education. They have also traditionally relied on Deoband’s scholars for their jurisprudential guidance. This has no connection whatsoever with political violence or militancy. After my explanation, the official was fully satisfied. Misconceptions about religious madrasas are widespread across the country. These very misconceptions give