NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University has dropped a proposed course on Islamic terrorism following objections by minority bodies and some university academicians and students.
“The JNU authorities recently replied to our notice saying that there was no proposal to start a course on ‘Islamic terrorism’. But their documents submitted to us does mention it as part of the curriculum of the proposed Centre for National Security Studies,” Delhi Minorities Commission chairman Zafarul Islam Khan told The Sunday Standard.
“The Commission has suggested that JNU should instead run a course on how different religions are being misused by a bunch of people, but this proposed course should talk about various religions and not remain confined to one or two. In this course, they can talk about terrorism etc.,” Khan said.
While the proposed centre was a good initiative, Khan felt that ‘Islamic terrorism’ as a subject of research and teaching was ‘flawed’ and would ‘deteriorate’ the communal atmosphere in the campus and beyond “and create wrong notions about Muslims”.
In May, the JNU Academic Council had given in-principle approval to the course on Islamic terrorism to be taught at the proposed Centre for National Security Studies. The minority panel then issued a notice to the varsity asking if it had considered the implications of introducing this subject.
The Academic Council also faced criticism from sections of the teaching community as well as students, who described it as an attempt to ‘propagate Islamophobia’. Over 30 academicians present at the academic council meeting reportedly submitted a complaint at University Registrar.
The Commission has suggested that JNU should instead run a course on how different religions are being misused by a bunch of people.