“For centuries, young men have gathered at Islamic seminaries to escape Western influences and quietly study Islamic texts that have been handed down unchanged through the ages. But over the last two decades, revolution, Great Power politics, and poverty have combined to give the fundamentalist teachings at some of these Madrasas a violent twist. And now, in one of globalization’s deadlier ironies, these “universities of jihad” are spreading their medieval theology worldwide.”

                                                                    -Husain Haqqani           

The madrasa system of education exists in every country of this sub-continent. It is, of course, a system under which only Muslim students study. There are 3,50,000 madrasas in India with 1.5 million students. In some ways, madrasas are at the center of a civil war of ideas in the Islamic world. Westernized and usually affluent Muslims lack an interest in religious matters, but religious scholars, marginalized by modernization, seek to assert their own relevance by insisting on orthodoxy. In stead of providing value based education based on modern, proper and scientific teachings to create good citizens for the overall development of Indian society, these Islamic institutions produce clergies for driving the Muslim mass to medieval era as a part of their movements for Muslim separatism. Instead of guiding the Indian Muslims for their social, economic and spiritual developments, the hard doctors of Islam being produced by Islamic institutions keep their co-religionists away from their emotional integration with Indian society. In the absence of any scope for re-interpretation of religion for democratic, secular, scientific, industrial and modern condition of the society, common Muslims do not see beyond mosques and madrasas. The young Muslim alumni of madrasas are unable to join the ‘national mainstream.’ They are fit only for the posts of imams of mosques or clerks of waqf boards.

Prof. Suhas Majumdar writes in his book ‘Jehad – The doctrine of permanent war’, “The greatest obstacle is no doubt the education imparted in the maktabs and madrasahs - the seminaries that teach the tenets of Islam. The Ulema would not allow the infringement of a single tenet, at least on the plane of theory. That they have not renounced even the injunction regarding slave concubines “whom one’s right hands possesses”, comes out most clearly in communal riots in India in which the violation of Hindu women always forms a part of the ritual. It is doubtful if all communal riots are started by the Ulema, but the lesson that infidel women are lawful plunder for Muslim rioters in their role of mujãhids is undoubtedly inculcated in Islamic seminaries managed and governed by the Ulema.”

What is alarming is that during the last few years there has been a remarkable growth in the number of mosques and madrasas along the borders of India encouraging terrorism. These madrasas, largely financed by petro-dollars, inject poisons in the minds of their students to create future religious extremists. Studies conducted along the Indo-Nepal border show that there are 343 mosques and 367 madrasas in the bordering districts on the Indian side and 291 mosques and 195 madrasas in corresponding Nepal side. In Nepal many madrasas are fully or covertly indulged in anti-India activities. The Indo-Bangladesh border has 955 mosques and 445 madrasas in 22 bordering districts of West Bengal on the Indian side and 976 mosques and 156 madrasas in 28 districts on Bangladesh side. 57 mosques and 88 madrasas have been constructed on the Indian side in West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura during the last five years. Although the populations of Muslims in Himachal Pradesh is very negligible, there are extremely disturbing reports about the activities of 29 madrasas operating in seven districts of the State. Even in the Western border of the country, Rajasthan to Gujrat, the situation is deteriorating as can be seen from the fact that in border district of Jaisalmer only, madrasas and muktabs are now more than 100 in number, which was not even in double figure in 1980. A number of these madrasas are getting funds from the Middle-Eastern Islamic countries for conducting anti–India propaganda. Many of these madarsas have close association with the ISI agents and their premises are being used as hide-outs/shelters for Kashmiri militants, ISI agents, gunrunners, criminals; as transit camps for terrorists and for other anti-national activities. The ISI is operating along the Indian borders for further distancing and alienating the Indian Muslims from the mainstream. Lt Gen Mahesh Vij, GOC of the 4 Corps, has pointed out that madrasas have become a nerve centre for ISI activities in eastern India and are posing "a serious threat" to the security of the area.

Madrasas in Pakistan are hotbeds of religious fundamentalism and a training ground for militants. Nearly three million young people study in thousands of madrassas in Pakistan. Militant Islam is at the core of the curriculum of most of these schools. Inevitably, their graduates are blinded by intolerance, prejudice and backward thinking. These seminaries have served as a training ground for militants now in Kashmir and Central Asia, and those belonging to Taliban. Jeffrey Golberg wrote in The New York Times, “In a Pakistani religious school called the Haqqania madrasa, Osama bin Laden is a hero, the Taliban's leaders are famous alums and the next generation of mujahedeen is being militantly groomed.”

"They are dungeons run apparently by these men of religion," says social scientist Amjad Iqbal, adding: "Such inhumanity can only breed criminals."

After the attack on the American Center in Kolkata, the Chief Minister of West Bengal Budhadeb Bhattacharya remarked in an interview to a web daily that some madrasas in the State had become the bare for anti-national elements. "What I mean to say is that these madrasas should be affiliated to the State Madrasa Board. They should join the mainstream of the country. But some people are deliberately refusing to get affiliated to the Madrasa Board, and are teaching Arabic and theology. Some anti-national elements are operating from these madrasas. This must be stopped.”

In an April 20, 2002 commentary in the Economic and Political Weekly, D Bandyopadhyay observes in his introduction: "The Indian nation cannot march forward with a major segment of its largest minority group remaining backward, illiterate, unenlightened and weak. It is the duty of every section of Indian society to help in the mainstreaming of this section. But the issue of modernization of madrasa education brings up the vested interests of fundamentalist elements trying to protect their turf and the political system which strives to utilize the backward for electoral gain. Strangely, the interests of the non-secular religious groups and those of the so-called ‘secular and progressive’ politicians merge, reinforcing one another."

Even the Pakistani President, General Musharraf spoke candidly about the negative aspects of the madrasas. Many of them impart only religious education and such education, which produces semiliterate religious scholars. They promote negative thinking and propagate hatred and violence in society. Musharraf himself conceded, "We must ask what direction are we being led in by these extremists? The writ of the government is being challenged". In his own view the supremacy of law is questioned by madarsas in Pakistan. He has warned that, "If any madarsa is found indulging in extremism, subversion, militant activity or possessing any type of weapons, it will be closed.” He has also announced a new 'strategy for madarsas', underlining the need to develop new syllabi for the madarsas.

It is now that in India, the Ministry of Human Resource Development wants to promote the ‘modernization’ of madrasas with a view to foster ‘rational thinking and secular outlook’ among its graduates. The government is concerned about providing standard education in the country to the Muslim youth. With the prospect of madrasas churning out tens of thousands of would-be militant graduates each year, calls for reform are growing. But the conservative Indian Muslim feels that any government collaboration with the madrasas would bring no fruitful results. Rather, it will adversely hamper the very functioning and spirit of these religious institutions.

As Prof. Suhas Majumdar points out in his book ‘Jehad – The Islamic Doctrine of Permanent War’, “It is here that India’s Secularism is attended with the biggest question mark in its day to day observance. Since 1947, thousands of Islamic seminaries have sprung up throughout the length and breadth of this country in pursuance of clauses in our Constitution, and the Indian State is prevented from interfering in their management by the operation of those very clauses. Leading the Mussalmans to the path of peaceful coexistence with their Hindu neighbours by appealing to such Secularism, is an expectation ludicrous in itself; but the deception played upon peace-loving Muslims by this sop of Secularism is worse still. The intolerably farcical element in this sordid business is the unceasing propaganda, daily mounted in our media with screaming headlines and loud protestations, in favour of this very Secularism and the State’s proclamation that without this policy no communal amity is possible in India. This assertion is of course the exact opposite of the truth. A Secularism that allows reckless proliferation of Islamic seminaries without any attempt to reform their system of education is the surest pathway to unhindered communal discord.”

It is high time that laws be made and implemented for registration of all the madrasas; new syllabus, which is more scientific, secular and relevant, be introduced and practiced in the madrasas and the activities of the madrasas be closely monitored. If we fail to take stern measures now, the country might face another partition in the near future.