One of the world's most revered schools of Islamic learning has removed its reformist leader just months into his term.
Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi became vice-chancellor of the Darul Uloom seminary in India in January and pledged to update its curriculum and rein in hard-line religious edicts. But within days he upset conservatives and sparked protests by praising a Hindu nationalist politician loathed by many Muslims in India.
The board of the 150-year-old institution in the northern town of Deoband voted Sunday to replace 60-year-old Vastanvi with Maulana Abdul Qasim Nomani.
The school was founded in 1866 to preserve Islamic culture in India and preaches an austere form of Islam that has inspired millions of Muslims, including the Taliban's hard-line interpretation.