Faithful Education: Madrassahs in South Asia

Acknowledgments

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S This book is the result of a long journey––intellectual, temporal, and spatial. It took so many years and so many conversations to gather data and write this book that it is not easy to remember all the individuals who contributed to its content; neither is it possible to recount all the events through which information has been gathered and my ideas have been shaped. From digging out documents to listening to men of wisdom; from formal and informal interactions to unobtrusive observations; from friendly exchanges and heated debates to refusal to talk––all have contributed to this book. My interactions with the people who served as sources of information and ideas took place face-to-face, through regular mail, via e-mail, and over the telephone before, during, and after my field trips. I sincerely thank all the individuals who have shared information and their thoughts with me about South Asian madrassahs since 1999. I am greatly indebted to my research assistants, Matt McCleary, Daniel Evans, Paula Orlando, and Mina Aitelhadj, who have worked with me closely since I joined Illinois State University. They have made significant contributions at various stages. Among them Mina Aitelhadj deserves special mention. Not only has Mina been engaged in this project for the longest period, she identified sources, kept track of the contemporaneous developments, and helped me gather data. Mina listened to my sometimes incomprehensible ideas with keen interest. Between 2003 and 2007, other research projects had often pulled me in different directions, but Mina kept me focused on this project. She is truly a gifted person with a natural bent for research. My friend Dr. Marina Carter took special interest in this project, read a number of drafts of each chapter, corrected them with great care, and suggested ways to improve my arguments. I could not ask for more. Margaret Case, who took care of the copyediting of the manuscript, was a blessing for this project. xi Her knowledge of South Asian languages and culture helped identify some errors and correct them easily. The comments and suggestions of three anonymous readers were immensely helpful. They not only improved the content of the book but also the presentation of information. I have presented parts of this book at a number of conferences; consequently I have received comments from the discussants and the audiences present. They were invaluable. I am thankful to Kendra Boileau and Adi Hovav, two editors at Rutgers University Press. Kendra extended her support as soon as she came to know about the project in 2005 and remained supportive until she left the Press in 2007. She has an enviable quality of patience and was always ready to accommodate . I took advantage of both. Adi’s support was key in getting the book out to the readers. She ensured that it received due attention. Thanks are also due to Marilyn Campbell, Katie Curran, and Alicia Nadkarni for taking care of the production process. My sincere gratitude to Ershad Ahmed for permission to use the photograph featured on the cover of the book. Thanks also to Routledge for allowing me to use some materials from my book Islamist Militancy in Bangladesh: A Complex Web. Finally, thanks to my wife Shagufta Jabeen and our daughter Ila Sruti. By now they must have become tired of listening to my incessant discussion of madrassah, and my erratic work schedule. Yet they never tired of extending their support in completing the book. xii acknowledgments Faithful Education
Map of South Asia ...