Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Lessons in History

Ashmi Jalal, final year, BA Islamic History, Maharaja’s College, Kochi

As a student, I was always intrigued by history and the culture of our country as well as the world. I felt one would gain more knowledge about a nation by understanding its history. That prompted me to take up Islamic History for my graduation, after completing plus two in humanities.
Contrary to popular belief, Islamic History is not a religious subject. It has more to do with politics, philosophy and economics of a country than a particular religion. The subjects include world history, political science, economics, Islamic banking and so on.  We also learn about Islamic dynasties like Abbasid and Caliphates that ruled the Middle East and other countries as well as the social and cultural impact of different Indian Islamic empire’s rule in India.
Apart from what I had learnt at the Madrasa, my knowledge of Islam was very limited before taking up this course. There are about 30 students in my class and a good number of them are non-Muslim students, whom we teach and help them to understand the subjects better. After completing BA, one can opt for its post-graduation or do higher education in Delhi. As for my future plans, I would like to do my masters in Islamic History and take up teaching profession.

As told to Sherene Joseph
 

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