Shia Waqf Board chairman asks Narendra Modi to ban madrassa education, says it increases terrorism

Continuing its attack on madrassas, the Shia Waqf Board has reportedly written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the education in madrassas is increasing terrorism. In the letter, the Board’s chairman Waseem Rizvi also said that the madrassas should be converted to convent schools which offer an optional subject of Islamic education.

#BREAKING -- Shia board writes a letter to PM saying education in Madrassa is increasing terrorism. Madrassa practice should end and should be converted into convent schools, these schools should have optional Islamic education | @pranshumisraa pic.twitter.com/rzhAS8mzHM

— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 9, 2018

Talking to CNN-News18, Rizvi said that most of the madrassas in the country are not recognised and the Muslim students studying in such institutions are moving towards unemployment. He also told ANI that madrassas should be affiliated to CBSE or ICSE.

Madrasas should be affiliated to CBSE,ICSE, and allow non-Muslim students, religious education should be made optional. Have written to PM and UP CM in this regard.It will make our country even stronger: Wasim Rizvi,Shia Central Waqf Board pic.twitter.com/eJUINw7CiK

— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2018

More from India

CP Radhakrishnan takes oath as Vice President of India Wife and son watching, Indian-origin man beheaded at US motel; suspect illegal migrant, arrested

News18 further reported there are two primary reasons cited in the letter to justify the demand of closing the madrassas: First is that the education imparted in the madrassas is not relevant to today’s environment and therefore, they add to the long queue of unemployed youths in the country. [caption id=“attachment_3925857” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The second is that it has been found in certain cases that the education of these institutions is encouraging the students to join terrorist ranks. He claimed that these madrassas were mushrooming in almost every city, town and village and were providing “misplaced and misconceived religious education”. He also alleged that funds to run the madrassas were also coming from Pakistan and Bangladesh and that even some terror outfits were assisting them. Reacting to it, All India Muslim Personal Law Board spokesman Khalilur Rehman Sajjad Nomani said madarssas had played a key role in the freedom movement and by raising questions on these schools, Rizvi was insulting them. After as many as 51 girls were rescued on December 30 in a raid on a madrassa in Uttar Pradesh, the Shia Waqf Board had said that all madrassas being run on Waqf properties will be closed down. Rizvi had earlier written a letter to Modi condemning the All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s opposition to the triple talaq bill. Rizvi had also said that the punishment should be increased to ten years for those who give instant triple talaq, reported ANI. With inputs from PTI