TMI central body visits Mansoora,condemns Propaganda against Madrissahs

Lahore: The Tanzeemat e Madaris al Islamia( TMI), the central body of the religious educational institutions has strongly condemned the malicious propaganda against the madrissahs under the west’s pressure. It has called upon the government to immediately stop the campaign unleashed against Islam, Islamic signs, the mosque and the religious educational institutions under the cover of the Peshawar tragedy.

A meeting of the TMI presided over by the Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Sirajul Haq, and attended among others by Mufti Munibur Rahman, President, of the Tanzeemul Madaris Ahle Sunant, Pakistan, held at Mansoora on Saturday, declared in strong terms that the male and female students attending the madrissahs were not only loyal to Pakistan but were also ready to lay down their lives for the country.

A declaration unanimously adopted at the meeting termed the Peshawar terrorist attack and those taking place earlier as heinous crimes against Islam and humanity. It said that the bloodletting of innocent citizens was mischief of the last degree, and noted that Islam did not permit the killing of innocent people, women, minors and the aged even during the war.

The meeting fully supported the unanimous plan adopted by the political parties and the armed forces for wiping out terrorism and said that this was the need of the hour for the internal security of the country, for the restoration of peace and stability.

Others present at the meeting included Maulana Qari Muhammad Hanif Jaulandhri, Maulana Yaseen Zafar, chief organisor, Wifawqul madaris al Salfia, Maulana Abdul Mustafa Hazarvi, chief organisor, Tanzeermul madaris Ahle Sunnat, Pakistan, Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Sialvi, Maulana Abdul Malik.

The meeting strongly condemned the attempts to bracket terrorism with religion and the madrissahs, and was of the firm view that this was a calculated plan of the secular elements, colonial powers and the Zionists to malign religion. It said that in fact, the madrissahs were the seats of the teaching of the Holy Quran and the Hadith and the fortresses of Islam. It said the mosques and the madrissah had been functioning in the region for centuries in the prevailing form and with the curriculum and had been promoting Islamic values and brotherhood, and dissemination religious knowledge and information in the society.

Stating that the madrissahs had nothing to do with terrorism or extremism in the country, the declaration noted that out of those charged with terrorism or those sentenced by the courts on the charges of terrorism, only a few were related to the madrissahs. It said that the responsibility of any terrorist act of an individual having past link with a madrissah could not be placed on the madrissahs in general, and there was no justification for the propaganda against these  on this basis.

While rejecting the entire propaganda against the madrissahs as false baseless and mischievous, the declaration declared that any unlawful or immoral measure against the madrissahs or the mosques  would be countered with full force.

The declaration said that Pakistan had come into being in the name of Islam, it was called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Islam is its official religion. As such, the struggle for building the country into a true Islamic and welfare state would continue.

The meeting demanded that the reference made to the madrissahs in the National Action Plan and the official ads be dropped. It also demanded that the names of the madrissahs should also be included in the list of the educational institutions receiving government grants.

JI chief, Sirajul Haq while talking to the media after the meeting, said that Islam preached love and  brotherhood, and the Ulema imparting religious teachings at madrissahs and the students of these madrissah were the asset of the country, and it was a matter of shame that poisonous propaganda had been unleashed against the madrissahs at the instigation of the west and the secular lobby.

Sirajul Haq said that a terrorist had no religion, but the present propaganda against Islam and madrissahs was simply the agenda of the west and the US to keep the humanity away from Islam through such propaganda.

He made it clear that any action against the mosques and the madrissahs under the cover of terrorism would not be allowed. He demanded that Ulema of the Wifaqul madaris be also included in the action plan and any decision regarding the madrissahs be taken with their consultation.

The JI chief pointed out that the madrissahs were not allowed to open accounts in the banks and the State Bank was not taking any decision on the madrissahs request in this regard.

The declaration noted that most of the madrissahs were already registered. It welcomed the registration of the madrissahs in line with the formula already decided by the government and the madrissahs body.

The declaration noted that the madrissah were funded by the masses and the philanthropists of the country, the accounts of the madrissahs were clear and were regularly audited.