UP Govt Survey An Attempt To Demonise Madrasas, Says Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind

The Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to conduct a survey of private madrasas is a ploy to denigrate the institutions, rectors of more than 200 madrasas declared at a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, The Hindu reported.

After the Adityanath government said it will “examine unrecognised madrasas” in the state, attendees of the gathering hosted by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind took a vow “to protect madrasas at any cost” and established a helpline for any seminary encountering problems, and constituted a steering committee to look into the matter.

Last week, the Uttar Pradesh government passed an order to conduct a survey of what it calls “unrecognised madrasas” in the state to “gather information about the number of teachers, curriculum, and basic facilities available there, among others.”

The survey will be conducted to ensure that basic facilities for madrassa students match the requirements of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Minority Affairs Danish Azad Ansari said.

However, the decision has stoked fears among the Muslim community, especially with the ongoing campaign against madrasas in some BJP-ruled states.

In the BJP-ruled Assam, authorities demolished three madrasas last month, alleging links with banned groups.

On Tuesday, the Jamiat said that the government’s decision to conduct the survey reflected its “retrograde mindset”.

“A combative approach causes confusion and fear among the populace and builds a barrier of mistrust between the communities,” the group noted in its statement. “…Madrassa graduates become sincere and patriotic citizens of the nation.”

The Jamiat, however, declared that the rules and laws governing the madrassa system needed to be updated. The meeting’s rectors gave their approval to a plan to fix legal issues with the madrassas’ systems and establish a helpline to help the institutions with paperwork.