Karnataka: Muslim leaders condemn terrorism, madrassa syllabus to be revamped
BENGALURU: Leaders of prominent Sunni and Sufi Muslim bodies in the city have condemned terrorism and also criticised the tendency to brand the entire Muslim community as terrorists.
They said terrorists with Muslim names cannot be Muslims and were enemies of mankind. Terrorism was not only un-Islamic, but also anti-Islamic. Hate speeches against any religion or their prophets was also an act of terrorism, they added.
They condemned terror attacks in Paris, California and Sydney and said prominent Muslim organisations such as Sunni Jamiathul Ulema, Jumma Masjid Trust Board, Sunni Students Federation, along with eight other organizations, will present a memorandum to the President Pranab Mukherjee emphasizing their stand against terrorism.
Sultan Sheik Abdul Khader, President, Islamic Educational Board of India (IEBI), has said that the syllabi of madarasas all over the state would be revamped to inculcate the values of Islam as a peace loving and a tolerant religion and help young Muslims become responsible citizens. IEBI was constituted two weeks ago to look into the guidelines of both Islamic and academic syllabi at all madarasas. IEBI (Karnataka) was constituted by leaders of prominent Muslim organisations.
“There are over 10,000 madarasas throughout the state, and these are in a state of dissent as there are no prescribed syllabi, especially in Karnataka. Following the successful model of Kerala, we are working on bringing in changes in our state syllabus, which will inculcate values of Islam to its students educating them that Islam never promotes violence,” Khader said.
“We have devised syllabus from zero level to 12th standard in English, Urdu, Kannada, Malayalam and many other Indian languages at all madarasas uniformly. Education on Islam and academics will be imparted through both theory and practical classes. Teachers are being trained for over 1 to 3 months at our administrative office in Banashankari.
A minimum of at least 5,000 teachers of various madarasas will be trained in the next five years and in 10 years we are looking at training at least 25,000 teachers” Khader added. “Being a religious matter which comes under the personal laws of the concerned religion, it is appropriate that the religious leaders themselves decide what is right for them. Under these circumstances, the government, including the judiciary, is not quite encouraged to undertake a decision in this matter,” Khader added.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
