Saharanpur 7th September : The Deoband-based Islamic seminary, Darul Uloom, has invited the heads of 250 madrasas of great size that are associated with the school in Uttar Pradesh to attend a conference on the 24th of September.Darul Uloom spokesperson Ashraf Usmani said, “The aim of the conference is to study and discuss the recent government directive regarding survey of madrassas in the state of Punjab and to respond to the directive in a manner that is appropriate.”
The Uttar Pradesh government’s recent directive to all district magistrates to launch an investigation to identify “unrecognised madrassas” has whipped off a political storm, because a number of minority groups have claimed it is an attempt to take advantage of the community.
Many clerics backed the move, while others wanted more clarity.
The Bareilly-based the cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan said, “Why should anyone be in a position to have a problem with the government’s plan to collect information on madrasas? However, the government should first state its intent clearly.It should also clarify whether it is fulfilling its the responsibility to recognized madrassas or being able to make sure teachers are trained and earning their salaries in time.”
The patron of Deoband of Jamiat Dawatul Muslimeen, Maulana Ishaq Ghora, said, “The government’s directives are clear.The survey is for those madrasas that aren’t recognized.The ones who follow the rules are not in danger.”
According to Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education information More than 16,000 recognized madrasas exist in the state.
amita/shs
