New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) The chairman of the NationalCommission for Minorities today dismissed Shia board chiefWasim Rizvi's controversial "madrassas breed terrorists"remark, saying the Islamic institutions produced IAS officers,not militants.
Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi said it was a "laughable"remark made to earn a few brownie points from the government.
"It is laughable and juvenile to connect madrassas withterrorism. One or two isolated incidents cannot be used todefame madrassas," he said.
"Nowadays, children who studied in madrassas are becomingIAS officers and earning fame in multiple spheres. Madrassasdon't breed terrorists, they produce IAS officers," he added.
Waseem-ur-Rehman from the Deoband in UP cleared UPSC in2008. He got 404th rank. Maulana Hammad Zafar from MadrassaAli Arabia in Mau, Madhya Pradesh cleared the exam in 2013, hesaid.
The Shia Board chairman had written a letter to PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath on January 9 in which he claimed that madrassasbred terrorists and demanded that the Islamic institutionsshould be shut.
The Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind served a legal notice on WasimRizvi citing the 'defamatory' remarks. It sought for a writtenand unconditional apology from Rizvi and a payment of Rs 20crore towards damages.
The minorities commission chairman said Rizvi's letterwould have no bearing on the government's stance towardsmadrassas.
"His comment was meant to earn a few brownie points fromthe government. But I am confident that the government willpay no heed to his statements. It instead wants to modernizemadrasas," he said.
"There have already been changes in the madrassas. Moderneducation is being imparted there and the ones where it's nothappening, the government is working for them too," he added.
PTI CORRCHT.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.