Chief of the umbrella Muslim body says the government’s action is unconstitutional
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — President of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) Firoz Ahmed has condemned the hostile actions of the Uttar Pradesh government of “harassing religious educational institutions.”
In a letter addressed to President Droupadi Murmu he has slammed the state government’s directive to send madrasa children to schools and expelling non-Muslim children from madrasas and urged her to intervene in the matter.
The AIMMM is the umbrella body of India’s Muslim organisations and eminent personalities.
In the letter sent on Friday, Ahmed raised objections to the directive of the Uttar Pradesh government and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPRC) with regard to the transfer of students from madrasas to the schools.
Expressing serious concern, the Mushawarat president said interfering in the activities of madrasas is against the constitution and law urging President Murmu not to allow the constitutional rights of Muslims, religious freedom, educational autonomy and comprehensive development to be violated.
The Mushawarat chief pointed out that most of the children admitted in madrasas are those who live below the poverty line and the religious institutions are centres of free education, food and accommodation.
Ahmed noted that the constitution guarantees religious and linguistic minorities to establish and run educational institutions of their choice and religious institutions are protected under the law.
The Muslim body said these madrasas bear the burden of educating more than one crore children across the country and lakhs of them in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
“More than one report of the central government’s Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas [SPQEM] has found that children’s attendance is higher here than in government schools and that madrasa teachers are more punctual, responsible and attentive to students,” it said.
The letter asserted “the number of students admitted to madrasas are not only from BPL families but also because of the absence of government primary schools in nearby neighbourhoods. Similarly, thousands of Muslim and other children study in Vedic Pathshalas, Shishu Mandir and Christian missionary schools. Only targeting madrasas is exposing the intention”.
The letter draws President Murmu’s attention towards religious freedom, educational autonomy and comprehensive development. It pointed out that the condition of the education system in the state is very poor; more than 100 Shiksha-mitras have committed suicide due to non-payment and discouragement of madrasas will have a very bad effect on education in the state.
“It should be clear that many other state governments of the BJP are doing also this kind of arbitrariness, which causes deep concern and unrest in society,” the letter said.
The Mushawarat said it should be noted that in the list of more than 8,000 unapproved madrasas that the UP government has released, many private tuition accommodations, part-time learning centres established inside mosques or elsewhere have also been included.
