PU’s music department falls prey to religious extremism

May 17th, 2008 Aimon · 1 Comment

By Mohammed Rizwan
In the face of tough opposition by religious hardliners, the management of Punjab University, a 130-year old 25,000-student institution, is struggling to maintain its writ on campus.

The university started a discipline in music, but in the face of stiff opposition, the classes of this department can’t be held on the campus and had to be shifted to Alhamra Art Council where they are being held in its basement since the programme began two years ago because the Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Islami Jamiat Talaba called music ‘un-Islamic and vulgar’.

Classes of the second batch are also being held at the council and the university administration has not yet been able to shift them on campus.

Classical singers say that the launching of the music discipline at the university was a milestone to promote traditional music, but the Islami Jamiat Talaba said it was a waste of time and resources.

IJT activists vowed not to allow music classes on campus and several times protested against the launching of the music discipline. They call the Art and Design Department as ‘darul kufr’ (house of sin).

Badrul Zaman, winner of the President’s Pride of Performance Award, said music students would promote peace and love through their performances. He said it would be a great opportunity for musicians to have formal education and earn a master’s degree as well.

“All students are encouraged to become professional singers. They will also revive classical music, which is Pakistan’s identity abroad,” he said.

He said that music students were looked down upon by certain sections of society for no reason.

“Study and research will help them take Pakistani music to new heights. It is regrettable that Pakistan has no audiovisual library. I took me 50 years to differentiate between Pakistani and Indian music, which has been explained in a documentary,” he said.

Keith Timney, teaching western music, said that students were able to understand the delicacies of music. Nadeem Riaz, a student, said that after graduating he would become a professional singer of classical music. Another student, requesting anonymity, said that the IJT was capable to stop classes if held on university campus.