Deen in Duniya, Duniya in Deen

A kid I know got a very decent college in the post EAMCET counseling in spite of his disappointing rank(we jokingly call them cellphone number ranks). He gave everyone a fright today announcing he wasn't interested in this one because... one, apparently the branch IT isn't cool enough and two...this one's a shocker...because non-muslims go to that college!

A quick flashback. I got a pathetic rank myself in EAMCET and wasn't fortunate enough to be endowed with the privilege of caste reservation or scholarship benefits(I didn't qualify since Dad's in the central government). I studied at a minority college that was more of a Buffalo shed. Four years of my life ruined in a detesting, gloomy block of a building where academics were a joke and cigarette and weed filled the air. With the kind of education I was getting there, I wasn't fit to work at McDonalds. I still made it, praise to god.

This post is focused on the second reason this guy quoted. It is indeed very tragic that a kid of barely 18 quote religion in the context of education. It reflects on the kind of influence he's been subject to growing up- this cannot be pinned to family or friends alone.

Our community is plagued with a very unhealthy and disturbing trend- we tend to isolate ourselves into packets. We crave for company "of our own". This "preserves faith", we say. Last month I was walking into my Apartment and I heard a kid tell his friend " Sri chaitanya school mein hindu log padtey re". I was aghast at how the wrong concepts of religion have infiltrated even the youngest of minds. Nowhere does Islam direct people to divide on religion. To each his own is how it works. Where are the kids getting these rotten thoughts? Parents, friends, and the "all-knowing" saints of baju ki gali.

Deen AND Duniya, that's how it should be. We tend to mix these up very often. A college admission becomes a matter of deen but watching "Ek tha Tiger" after ramzan prayers is supposedly fine.

Back to topic: Does studying at a non-minority college have adverse effects like this Kid suspects? The answer is No.

It all comes down to the person. A few glowing examples of how things were in my "devout" muslim college:

• At least 8 out of 10 guys in my class were smokers by the end of the course.
• A guy once handed me his stash of weed(marijuana) to hide when we were surprised by a police raid on the way to college. I refused and he had to chuck it into the forest
• Nasty things happened too... if you know what I mean.
• Classes were attended at will and the exam surprise check squad was beaten up in once instance.

If these are the hallmarks of a college that prides itself on it's deeni principles, I don't know where the world is heading.

But yes, there ought to be good things too right? I learned the "Safar ki dua" at college... my only take away in four years.

I have to admit, non-minority colleges aren't without flaws. They can have all the above problems or more. But the sole conclusion here is this: they're all the same! Judge a college by its Academics, Placement record , Sports feats. Logistics too if distance is an issue. But religion? That's just pathetic.

Nuff said.

Our community is being consumed by a disease: that of ignorance and stupidity. Instead of focusing on the larger good, we are held back by petty issues, small talk and aggression. God give us knowledge, God save us.

Note: This is my opinion only.