- Dr. Mayank Chaturvedi
New Delhi, 29 May (H.S.) : In a democratic country like India, no one can have any objection to the religious education of the followers of one sect and neither should anyone ever have. But when it comes to the golden future of the country and if there is an attempt to limit that future in the name of religious education and to stop the development of its intellect through conspiracy, then every citizen of the country should not hesitate to rise above his religion, Dharam and sect and take it to task. Such circumstances are seen developing in the country once again. Actually, in the last few years, the discussion in the country regarding 'Madrasa education' has gained momentum. There are also many ideologies regarding this. When it is a matter of children, it is natural that points of agreement will have to be found, but when it comes to institutions like 'Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind'. When these Islamic institutions advise to avoid government responsibilities and try to limit the future of the country in the name of religion, then many questions arise that what kind of India are we building?
Now in this new case that has come to light, the decision of 'Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind' that it will approach the court against the forced closure of unrecognized madrassas has become a matter of controversy. Many voices have been raised against this from all over the country, which are calling this step of 'Jamiat' anti-constitution and anti-Muslim.
Institutions like Jamiat want to maintain their rule over Muslims.
Priyank Kanungo, a member of the National Human Rights Commission and former chairman of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), says, “The clerics of this organisation do not want children to join modern education. To maintain the fundamentalist sect, they want the children of the community to be deprived of modern education. No religion says that children should be kept away from knowledge. But here Jamiat's insistence on running unrecognised madrassas actually shows that these are the same people who want to maintain their rule by keeping the Pasmanda Muslims and many other Muslims in poverty.”
Priyank Kanungo further shares his old experience of NCPCR regarding madrasa education and says, “In the decision of the Supreme Court on the Madrasa Act last year, the court has also said very clearly in its conclusion that religious education will be given with equality as per the Right to Education Act, which is given to children through Article 21(A) of the Constitution. In such a situation, it is natural that any government will definitely see whether the children are going to school or not. No one is stopping Muslim children from taking religious education, but how can they be kept away from modern education, which is also their fundamental right, in the name of illegal madrasas? If they have been kept away from modern education or it is being done through unrecognized madrasas, then naturally, any state government will take action against these madrasas.” Secular principles being ignored in many madrasas
Kanungo also said that while working in the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, he found that even in the recognized madrasas, the syllabus as per the RTE Act 2009 was not being followed. There is a lack of qualified teachers in madrasas as mandated by the National Council for Teacher Education. Ignoring secular principles, it was found that a large number of Hindu and other non-Muslim children are receiving Islamic education there. When this can be the condition of recognized madrasas, then how can any welfare state government allow running of unrecognized or illegal madrasas.
Children are being radicalised in the name of madrasa education. Supreme Court advocate and founder and national coordinator of Rashtriya Jagran Abhiyan, Subuhi Khan, considers the decision of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind to approach the court over the issue of unrecognised madrasas as inappropriate. She says, “It is the misfortune of Muslims in India that they have not got such leadership which cares about the future of its own children and its community. The mind and character of any child is formed by the education given in childhood. But here efforts have been made to distance them from the mainstream in childhood itself and most of the children have been connected to madrasa education. In which ‘Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind’ supporting the operation of unrecognized madrasas is very wrong, because naturally a lot of illegal activities take place in those which are not recognized or do not want to get recognition. Many obstacles are committed against children at such places and they are made radical in the name of education.” Subuhi says, “There is no interference of the government or the educated Muslim community at these places. Whereas the recognized madrasas also get financial help from the government. On the other hand, today our governments are working towards modernizing the madrasas. There is also talk of implementing the NCERT syllabus. Naturally, if the government keeps an eye on them, there will be less possibility of crime there. In fact, only those people who run their shops in the name of illegal madrasas, do illegal business, can have problems with the government action being taken against unrecognized madrasas. Any Muslim leader who wants the welfare of children will wish that illegal madrasas should not be run.”
The whole drama is about collecting donations and zakat and not giving an account to the government
Similarly, Maulana Suhaib, the national president of Jamaat Ulema-e-Hind, a scholar of Islam Qasmi strongly attacks Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind for advocating for unrecognized madrassas. Maulana Suhaib Qasmi said, “This is the organization that has been preparing Muslims in a negative way in the country for the last 70 years. If you talk to the state presidents of this organization, you will come to know that they have been using Muslims for their own selfish purposes. Their only thought is that if Muslims in India are seen to be troubled, they will keep getting funding from abroad. They go to countries of the world and tell that Muslims in India are very troubled, mosques are being snatched from them. Madrassas are being closed, we are teaching them, so you give us money. This entire drama is being done to collect donations and Zakat.”
Maulana Suhaib says, “These are the same people who never allowed many madrassas to be registered. Muslims were instigated earlier and even today by saying that if they register, the government will take over their property. Even among those who have registered, these people keep saying the same thing and try to convince them that they will be taught Ramayan and Gita. Your faith will be snatched away, so stay away from the government. If they stay away, they will not have to give an account. This whole matter is about not giving an account to the government.”
Work is being done to create a negative image of India through Jamiat
Suhaib Qasmi does not stop at this, he says very clearly that Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and Personal Law Board have formed an alliance of their Maulvis. All of them are running different institutions in the name of serving Islam, and through these institutions they show the whole world that look; Muslims are being beaten inside India. They work to create a negative image of India in the world so that more and more donations can be collected. Even now they are showing the same thing to the world. On one hand our parliamentary delegations are talking all over the world and exposing the truth of Pakistan, its terrorism, on the other hand people of these organizations are roaming around telling that Muslims are being killed in India, they are being tortured, they are ruined.
He also raises the question that Did Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind celebrate the success of Operation Sindoor across India? If they have organized any big event, please tell us. Actually, they did not organize any big event in honor of Indian soldiers, because they believe that if they do so, then the money that they give to them in the name of Muslim persecution in India from many countries like Pakistan, England, America, Dubai, Qatar, etc., will not be given. They allege that “the condition of Muslims today is due to organizations like Jameen Ulema-e-Hind. They have shown negativity to the common Muslims of the country and have declared Hindu brothers as their national enemies. That is why they are seen supporting unrecognized madrasas today so that the Maulvi keeps asking for donations to run the madrasa, keeps getting humiliated on the streets and keeps begging in front of all of them.”
The condition of recognized madrasas is also worse, then why should non-recognized madrasas be considered?
In this regard, Dr. Nivedita Sharma of Madhya Pradesh State Child Protection Commission (SCPCR) said, “During her tenure, her experiences related to this matter were not good. I have visited madrasas regularly during inspection of educational institutions. The madrasas are in very bad condition. So far, not a single madrasa has been found in the inspection which could be called better in terms of facilities in the interest of children. What to say about illegal madrasas, which are also in the notice of the government, those who have taken recognition from the Madrasa Board are also not providing facilities to the children as per the rules.” He said, “Children who never come to Madrasa to study have been enrolled in Madrasas. Along with this, names of those children have been registered in the government-recognized board exams who will never appear for the exams. People between the ages of 23 and 28 are also declared as Class 8 students. When asked for information, their correct information is not given. Classes from 1st to 8th are found to be running in a single hall. At many places, only one toilet was found for both girls and boys. A large number of non-Hindu children have been admitted. They are being taught Deen-e-Taleem without the permission of their parents. What is being taught there is also very objectionable.” She asks, “Why should Hindu children be taught books like ‘Talim-ul-Islam’? It is written in this book that “I believe in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers and the Day of Judgement.” The same book says that “those who do not believe in Allah are called Kafirs.” Then, it is written at another place that “those who worship things other than the Almighty Allah are called Kafirs and Mushriks. The Mushriks will not be spared.” There are other similar books in which a lot of things have been written that do not have any positive impact on the minds of children, at least to create a harmonious society, but are filling them with fanaticism.” Dr. Nivedita Sharma also asks here, Should this education be given to Hindu or any other child? That those who do not believe in God will not be spared. That is, only those who believe in God are good and true, the rest are wrong. Referring to an illegal madrasa Aata-e-Rasool in Umth Palia village near Javra, he said that “when the children were questioned, they said that they have come here in the hope of attaining heaven by reading the Quran. That will be attained only by reading the Quran, not by going to school. These children were from different districts of UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. It has been observed at many places that only religious education was being imparted to the children in the madrasas, and no child goes to school. This is a violation of the right to education. Therefore, the Child Protection Commission has objections to the arbitrariness of madrasas. In which, unrecognized or illegal madrasas should be closed down completely. Yes, if according to the national education, madrasa education is compulsory, then it should be such that the child becomes competent after receiving the education. Otherwise, do not spoil the future of children in the name of madrasa education, because this is the future of the country.”
The largest social organization of Hindus, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is also not in its favour. VHP's national spokesperson Vinod Bansal says, In the last four decades, extremism, fanaticism, terrorism and anti-national mentality have been strengthened in many madrasas of the country, this is very objectionable and worthy of protest. Till now, incidents of bomb making, sheltering terrorists, spewing anti-India venom have taken place in many madrasas. If you call madrasas the center of education and such incidents happen there, then undoubtedly it is dangerous not only for India but also for the world. In fact, the first priority of any government should be to destroy all such educational institutions or centers of mentality. Vinod Bansal also says, “Those who are supporting unrecognized madrassas must understand that the government has unlimited rights. If it feels that anti-national activities are taking place, then the government has the full right to stop, interrupt, remove or close it. Even if, in the name of minorities, the Muslims of the country have got many unlimited rights in Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution, which even the majority of this country does not have. Still, the rights of the government are above the interest of the country.” VHP National Spokesperson Bansal believes that “Now the time has come to review the privileges given to them in Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution. It is not right for them to repeatedly knock the doors of the courts under this cover, because in many matters they already know that the matter being raised is inappropriate. Here you should understand Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind going to court regarding unrecognised madrassas in this context only.
It is worth mentioning that this matter of madrasas is again becoming a matter of controversy because Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is today seen advocating the maintenance of all those illegal madrasas (unrecognized) which have no existence in the education system of the state or the center and neither have any registration in the government system of education. Jamiat alleges that closing down unrecognized Islamic educational institutions is against the Constitution.The fact of the matter is - it is unconstitutional to run an institution for children without proper infrastructure , right Curriculum and trained teachers. Maulana Kab Rashidi says that in Uttar Pradesh, more than 200 madrasas have been closed by the administration in Bahraich, Shravasti, Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Balrampur, Lakhimpur Kheri and Pilibhit districts bordering Nepal, accusing them of illegal occupation and operating without recognition.
On the other hand, it is also being seen that the Yogi government of Uttar Pradesh, the Pushkar Singh Dhami government of Uttarakhand are constantly cracking down on illegal madrasas. A similar scene has been seen many times in Madhya Pradesh under Dr. Mohan Yadav's government due to the activism of the State Child Protection Commission. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav also seems to be strict about the tampering with the future of children, quality of education and illegal madrassas. At the same time, these days action is being taken against illegal madrassas in some other states of the country as well. Strictness is being shown against them and notices are being issued. Here, many other questions have also come up on institutions like Jamiat, after all, how can these organizations advocating for Muslims play with the lives of children who are future of India in this way? In which children from their own society are kept away from getting modern education, then these same institutions seem to blame the governments for the backwardness of Muslims. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind wants to have control on Muslims by keeping them away from modern education that's why they are fighting for illegal/ unrecognized madrasas which is unconstitutional.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Mayank Chaturvedi
