Author: O P Verma
Publication: The Deccan Herald
Date: June 22, 2002
Taking a cue from Pakistan, India
is planning to issue an ordinance soon to regulate the functioning
of madrasas (Islamic religious schools) in order to weed out those
which are imparting jehadi education to promote militancy among youngsters
at the behest of the ISI of Pakistan, reliable sources said.
The ordinance may be notified well
before the monsoon session so that a Bill could later replace it,
the sources said, adding that the ordinance would be finalised after
Union Home Minister L K Advani returns from his Spain visit after
June 24. The issue would also come up at a meeting of the Cabinet
Committee on Security.
India would like to wait and watch
whether Pakistan effectively implements its decision on madrasas.
Such measures could also be adopted by India in the near future to
justify its legal actions to control the madrasas. Madrasas,
which are part of Islamic culture and tradition, are being brought
under the normal education system in Pakistan. The US has given funds to
Pakistan to promote general modern education in madrasas to replace
the "hate campaign" there to muffle the jehadi ideology.
Home ministry officials were stunned
to know that out of 80 madrasas in Gujarat, 40 were teaching literature
relating to Osama bin Laden, the Taliban and jehad. A lot of provocative
jehadi literature was recovered from some of these madrasas which
got burnt in the communal violence there. The Gujarat police could
not take any action against these madrasas fearing retaliation. These
madrasas do not take any government aid and are not registered with
any educational institution.
During his recent visit to Delhi,
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had drawn attention of the ministries
of external affairs and home affairs to the functioning of madrasas
in the state. A group of ministers (GoM) led by Mr Advani has already made
a recommendation for enacting a Central law to regulate the functioning
of madrasas.
The home ministry is awaiting the
law ministry's views on madrasas working independently or in masjids.
The GoM had identified 343 masjids
and 330 madrasas on the Indo-Nepal border indulging in non-religious
and non-educational activities.
