Saharanpur: Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind chief and renowned cleric Maulana Arshad Madani on Sunday claimed that any board affiliation was not necessary for madrassas, and that the institutions did not require government help.
Speaking at an event of nearly 4,500 madrassa operators, Madani noted that Darul Uloom Deoband and related 'Ulemas' (scholars) had played a key role in the nation's independence, referring to the same as the 'purpose of establishment' of the institutes.
"Even today, madrassa operators love their country unabashedly, but the sad thing is that today the question mark is raised on madrasas. Condemnable efforts are being made to link madrasa operators with terrorists. Madrassas, as well as Jamiat, have absolutely nothing to do with politics," he said.
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The government need not fund madrassas as 'the community continues to do so, which will lead to the institutes 'standing stronger than the Himalayas', Madani also said.
Notably, the remarks come after the Uttar Pradesh government kickstarted a survey of all madrassas in the state back in September. Darul Uloom Deoband, alongside other madrassas, has been deemed unrecognized by the survey.
In Saharanpur alone, 305 institutions apart from Darul Uloom have been similarly left out of government recognition. UP Madrassa Education Board Chairman Iftikhar Ahmed Javed, on October 21, had said that a total of 7,189 unrecognized madrassas had been identified in the state educating at least 16 lakh pupils. The survey is nearing its completion, with teams from all 75 districts expected to submit their reports in this regard by October 31 to respective District Magistrates.
