[Reader-list] First Posting

[Vikhar Ahmed]

Hi everyone,



I'm Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed and am studying journalism at the Asian College of
Journalism, Chennai. I completed my M. A in Modern History from JNU last
year and came here to postpone the decision about what I wanted to do in
life and to avoid the parochial confines of academic research. At some level
I've been a drifter…my graduation was in commerce and then I went on to
study history (I didn't know that I would be studying history till a day
before the results came out, my first choice was for another course) – but
I've enjoyed the ride so far so I might even recommend it!

I intend to continue research on a topic that I've explored in some detail
for my M. A seminar paper. The paper I wrote was on 'Intra- Islamic Rivalry
in late 19th Century and early 20th Century: A Case Study of the *Fatawas *of
Sanaullah Amritsari'. In this paper I had looked at the differences that
existed amongst the various sects within Indian Islam and I demonstrated how
*fatawas* were used to foster these differences.

In my research as an Independent Fellow at Sarai (my topic is 'Indian Print
Media and it's Reportage on *fatawas*) I want to see how much the media has
been sensitive when they report about *fatawas*. Do they understand what a *
fatwa* is? Do they understand the role it plays in the lives of Muslims, if
it plays any role at all? Why does an obscure *maulvi *issuing a
*fatwa*become a newsworthy item at all? I will try to trace the
history of
*fatwa *reportage in the Indian print media going back to the time of the
reports of the infamous *fatwa* that was given about Salman Rushdie,
depending of course, on the access to archives.

            I will also try to look at the manner in which the whole world
of *fatawas* operates and try to find out the relevance it holds for a
contemporary Indian Muslim by trying to visit prominent *madrasas* across
India that are affiliated to the various sects within Indian Islam.

            Comments and suggestions are invited…



Will be more punctual with my next posting,



Vikhar Ahmed.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20060118/ab5313d3/attachment.html