Only very recently has the West taken any notice of Islamic schools in South
Asia, where especially those following the purist Deobandi interpretation of
Islam have attracted much media attention. They were accused of inspiring
numerous radical Islamic movements in South Asia, including the Taliban
in Afghanistan, sectarian movements fighting against dissenting Islamic
groups in Pakistan, and separatist militants battling with the military and
the police in Indian Kashmir.1 While the vast majority of these schools focus
on classical Islamic education and not on politics or militancy, it is the nar-
row theological and ideological outlook of their graduates that has repeat-
edly been the target of criticism.