RAZING QUESTIONS

MADRASSAS

- Prashant Srivastava and Afrida Hussain

The madrassa is the new battleground in the BJP-ruled states of Uttar Pradesh and Assam, with the respective governments raking up issues such as the funding and staff of the Muslim religious schools. In Assam, the state government has also brought out the 'bulldozer', demolishing three madrassas that were alleged to be “jihadi centres" fomenting anti-India activity.

In UP, it's the Yogi Adityanath-led government's decision to conduct a survey of unrecognized madrassas that has triggered much trepidation within the community. The survey has a 12-point questionnaire that the state claims is meant only to collect data on the number of students, staff, source of funds, and the possible affiliation of unrecognized madrassas with NGOs. That hasn't stopped the opposition, though, from making doomsday predictions.

The apprehensions are not without merit, considering that the Yogi regime has been the prime mover in the "bulldozer culture" that has inspired fellow BJP governments in other states. UP's minister of state for minority welfare Danish Ansari tries to dispel the fears. "The bulldozers will not run on the madrassas... the survey's aim is to collect data of unregistered ones and make sure they become properly governed education systems," he says. "Our government is doing this to better the madrassas; students there must also learn about technology and the new education system. The UP state board recognizes 16,513 madrassas, but there are many irregular ones, the minister adds.