A Madrasa Is An Apology For A School

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 14 September 2024 This refers to, Madrasas ‘Unfit’ For Proper Education, Textbooks “Profess Supremacy Of Islam”, Child Rights Panel Tells Supreme Court Madrasas are indeed not suitable for the intellectual growth of a child. To put it bluntly, a madrasa is an apology for a school. It's a travesty of education. Now, what's education? Education is a catalyst to awaken an individual. But instead of awakening, madrasas are eclipsing and stunting students' all round development. Granted, nowadays quite a few madrasas have introduced NCERT books to their orthodox curricula but the fact remains: The 'knowledge' imparted at madrasas is regressive and primitive. This type of education trains and educates students to become Maulvis and Quran-Hadees teachers. It doesn't prepare them to face the practical challenges in life. Moreover, the focus is mainly on religious study. Many poor non-Muslims in Bihar, MP, UP and West Bengal send their wards to these madrasas where even non-Muslims have to study the Quran, Hadees and Sharia. Just think, when even highly-educated engineers, doctors, corporate 'trainers', 'coaches' and 'mentors' among the Muslims behave in a religiously obstinate and fixed manner, what will be the fate of these poor products of madrasas and Islamic seminaries? Their thinking will be all the more bad and warped. Any kind of religio-scriptural education is bad for the young and impressionable minds. When schools in Europe are doing away with prayers and all kinds of religious education, madrasas are still teaching antediluvian things culled and gleaned from the Quran and Muhammad's obscure teachings. The fossilised education at madrasas ossifies the minds. It eggs them on to think only on religious lines. Anwar Shaikh, Ibn Warraq, Salman Rushdie, among others rightly said that madrasas were ideal nurseries where future terrorists and fanatics were trained and nurtured. Though things have changed of late, most of the madrasas are still not properly equipped to impart even a semblance of quality education. This sham must be stopped. There mustn't be an independent Madrasa Board. All madrasas must operate under the aegis of the State Boards and they shall have to follow the curriculum prescribed by the respective State Boards. No religious study, no Qur’anic verses or Muhammad's muddy teachings should be allowed there. A classroom has no place for a bronze-age education, ethics, ethos and etiquette. Embrace modernity instead. ------ A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/madrasa-apology-school/d/133195 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism