SRINAGAR, JAN 22 : The Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board chairman has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to shutdown all Madrasas in the country over fears that they are promoting the ideology of militant organisation ISIS.
In a letter to the Modi, Waseem Rizvi said that if madrasas in the country are not shut down immediately, half of India’s Muslims risk being influenced by Islamic State ideologies within the next 15 years.
“I write to you seeking the shutdown of all madrasas in the country…because we have seen across the world that children are the first targets when it comes to plotting and planning terrorist activities, and with the increasing threat from Islamic State, there is fear that it will influence India as well,” Rizvi said in his letter.
The Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board chairman also claimed that the ISIS is enticing young children in Jammu and Kashmir with money and financial stability and in exchange they are teaching them hostile doctrines in lieu of Islamic education. It could prove fatal to the well-being of the country, Rizvi added.
He asked PM Modi to shut down all madrasas in India and also requested that some provisions should be made to let students who have cleared high school get admitted in madrasas if they have chosen a career in religion.
“This way, a student could get proper education in regular schools and also learn communal harmony and at the same time, they will have the opportunity to follow the religious path if so desired,” Rizvi’s letter said.