DEOBAND, INDIA // "Welcome to Darul Uloom's computer department," said a soft voice in halting English. "Look, this is where we breed terrorists." Wry chuckles filled the room, drowning out the hum of a ceiling fan.
For Adil Siddiqui, whose job is to chaperone journalists visiting Darul Uloom, defensive humour is perhaps the only way left to dispel the myth that this century-and-a-half-old seminary is the ideological powerhouse of global jihad.
"The world thinks we are making bombs here," he said. "But as you can see for yourself, that isn't true."
Darul Uloom, located in this grubby town in rural Uttar Pradesh in northern India, is believed to be the ideological birthplace of the Taliban.
One of the largest and most influential seminaries in the world, perhaps second in prominence only to Al Azhar University in Egypt, Darul Uloom spawned Deobandism in the 19th century, an ideological strain of the Hanafi sect of Islam to which the Taliban, as well as several other militant groups such as Jaish-i-Mohammad and Harkat ul-Mujahideen, claim allegiance.
Currently there are 3,500 students enrolled in Darul Uloom, and the school has inspired thousands of seminaries across South Asia - about 1,500 in India alone.
Although the Taliban in Afghanistan claimed descent from Deobandism, Darul Uloom and its clerics had no role in their enterprise. But in recent years, several students from this ultraconservative madrasa - as well as affiliated Deobandi madrasas across India - have been arrested on serious terrorism-related charges.
Prominent arrests include that of Mohammad Qasmi, a Darul Uloom graduate and a cleric from a small mosque in the town of Phulur in Uttar Pradesh. He was convicted on Aug 26 and sentenced to 13 years in prison for helping to carry out the 2006 bombing of the Sankat Mochan temple in Varanasi that killed 28 people.
Sajjad Ahmad Wani, who had studied for several years at Darul Uloom, was arrested in December on charges of orchestrating bombings in Uttar Pradesh a month earlier that claimed 12 lives. The state police alleged he was a part of Harkat Jihad-e-Islami, a Bangladesh-based terrorism group.
Most recently, Abul Bashar Qasmi, another former student of Darul Uloom, was detained after it was alleged he was the mastermind behind the serial bombings in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad in July that killed 56 people.
The arrests of former Darul Uloom students have cast doubt over this ultra-orthodox seminary. The accusations that the school somehow promotes terrorism makes its clerical establishment blanch.
In February, at a conference here, the school issued an "antiterror" fatwa strongly condemning those who take part in terrorist activities anywhere in the world. The seminary passed strictures against terrorism as unIslamic, and it defined terrorism as any action that hurts innocent individuals.
Maulana Marghoob-ur-Rahman, the seminary's chief rector and vice chancellor, says he felt the need to do so because Darul Uloom was being labelled "dehshat ka adda" by many - Urdu for "a den of terror".
"Darul Uloom has always invited prejudices from the outside world," said Mr Rahman, who has been the school's vice chancellor for 27 years. "Whenever a bomb blast happens in India, fingers point at us. It's an unexamined belief that we foster terrorism."
He added that because Islam is the cornerstone of Darul Uloom's identity, its students were targets of terrorist "insinuations".
"If we were not teaching Islam, but engineering or medicine, we wouldn't be treated the same way."
But if that is the case, why single out Darul Uloom? To that, Mr Rahman had no coherent answers, knowing that India, with the second highest number of Muslims in the world after Indonesia, has more than 12,000 madrasas.
Students, reluctant to give out their names, said prejudices about Darul Uloom's terrorism connections are taking their toll.
"When I go to a non-Muslim neighbourhood," said one student from Surat, in Gujarat, "my presence invites fear the moment I mention I'm a student of this seminary. I'm treated like a criminal."
Experts say that even though the school may not be training jihadis directly, it perpetuates a narrow, literal interpretation of Islam, which is the ideology that inspires jihad.
A Darul Uloom brochure openly criticises the United States and Israel, saying: "USA, Israel and the fascist lobby in India working under pressure of USA are making every possible effort for the character assassination of our institution. They are taking exception to the teachings of Islam and finding faults with it. It is because of this that mutual clashes are taking place ? and a new term 'terrorism' has been coined."
The Indian government recently announced an ambitious project to modernise education and infrastructure in the country's 12,000 madrasas.
The Indian government says its aim is to encourage madrasas to move from rote learning - memorising the Quran - to critical thinking, where teachers ask students to research subjects and think about concepts - and to include science and mathematics in the core curriculum.
But Darul Uloom is resisting such a change.
"What does modernisation mean?" said Maulana Arsad Madni, the former secretary of education of the school. "If it means stop preaching Islam, then we're not ready to modernise."
However, he later acknowledged that Darul Uloom was offering computer courses to its students and teaching them English for one primary goal: to equip them to counter the negative publicity Islam now receives on the internet.
"Islam is 1,400 years old," Mr Madni said. "God's message hasn't changed over the years. So there's no reason for us to change."
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
THE%20SPECS
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
THREE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
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A Dog's Journey
Directed by: Gail Mancuso
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott
3 out of 5 stars
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
The years Ramadan fell in May
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
More coverage from the Future Forum
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Race results:
1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min
2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
RACE RESULTS
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
