LUCKNOW: After being unrecognised during the survey of state Madrasas, Asia’s biggest Islamic seminary Darul Uloom, situated in Deoband of Saharanpur, decided against getting affiliated to UP Madrasa Board as it did not need recognition, avail of the government's aid or be part of other state-sponsored welfare schemes.
The seminary also decided not to make changes to the courses running in the madrasas affiliated with it currently.
All three decisions were taken unanimously by the Islamic seminary at its day-long national convention in Deoband on Sunday. The convention was attended by the owners of over 6000 madrasas affiliated with the seminary.
On one hand, scholars like Mufti Abul Kasim Nomani of Darul Uloom and Maulana Arshad Madni, president, of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, held the state government’s survey right. Whereas on the other hand, they refused to get affiliated with the state Madrasa Board.
After the convention, Maulana Madni said that the face of the UP government was portrayed in a bad light. But he reiterated that the Islamic seminary was against getting either the affiliation to Madrasa Board or receiving any funds from the state government.
Maulana said that the seminary had sufficient resources and funds and after discussion, it was decided to continue the existing courses in madrasas associated with it without making any changes.
Seeking to disassociate madrasas from politics, Maulana Madni reiterated the role played by Darul Uloom and its scholars during the freedom struggle. However, he did not mince words while expressing shock over the attempts allegedly being made to question madrasas’ integrity and link the institutions with terrorism.
According to the seminary’s spokesperson Ashraf Usmani, Darul Uloom of Deoband was registered under the Society Act and had madrasas from across the country affiliated with it. Hence, it needed no affiliation from the UP Madrasa Board.
He explained that the seminary also did not need any government aid because it had sufficient funds provided by people for its activities. Usmani also said that the objective of the conference, organised once in two years, was to discuss issues related to madrasas in the prevailing situation.
Speaking during the convention, Mohtamim Mufti Abul Kasim Nomani advocated for the syllabus to be taught at other schools for students of ‘Panjoom’ (Class V) besides imparting them Islamic education. He exhorted the affiliated madrasas to arrange primary education for children till class V on their own and include the syllabus of English, Mathematics, Science, History and regional language for the madrasa students. He also suggested the madrasas to run state government-approved primary education syllabi.
Nomani emphasised making the students imbibe cultural values besides the regular courses. He asked the madrasas' management to keep any negative thoughts or activity at bay besides keeping their documents updated and teaching arrangements perfect so that no one could raise a finger.
Mufti Nomani also reminded the Madrasa management of their responsibility to crush the anti-national forces as he claimed that the madrasas always imparted the lesson of peace and harmony.