PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Taking a critical view of the Uttarakhand government implementing a new system for Madarsas through the Uttarakhand Minority Education Authority, abolishing the Uttarakhand Madarsa Education system, the State general secretary, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Uttarakhand, Maulana Sharafat Ali Qasmi said that the government should refrain from taking any coercive or punitive action regarding it until a final judicial decision is reached.
“The new law has been challenged in the High Court and the matter is still pending. We are waiting for the final ruling,” he added.
He further said that his organisation considers this issue not merely an administrative change but a crucial issue related to the religious and educational rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
“Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees every citizen the fundamental right to profess, practice and propagate his or her religion, while Article 26 grants every religious denomination the freedom to establish and manage religious and charitable institutions. Besides, Articles 29 and 30 provide special constitutional protection to religious and linguistic minorities to preserve their culture, language and to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice,” he stressed.
“Before the Madrasa Board in Uttarakhand was formed in 2012, the Madrasas in the State operated independently and, with the support of society, imparted religious and moral education. Therefore, the assumption that the existence of Madarsas depends solely on the Madarsa Board is factually and historically incorrect,” Ali Qasmi said.
He asserted that as per numerous judicial decisions, the nature of the institutions, which impart purely religious education, is different from that of general schools. “Therefore, the rules governing the general category of schools cannot automatically be applied to the minority educational institutions,” he observed.
“We have full confidence that India’s Constitution, judiciary and democratic system will protect religious freedom and the constitutional rights of minorities,” he added.
