British mindset regarding Madaris still prevails today: Fazlur Rehman

KARACHI (Dunya News) - Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday said that the same mindset the British had regarding Madaris still exists today Pakistan, Dunya News reported.

Addressing 'Tahafuz-i-Madaris Conference' in Karachi, JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that a bias is being spread that religious seminaries limit the abilities of young people.

He said it is portrayed that students of religious seminaries cannot play any role in society. Before 1857, there were no such Madaris in the subcontinent, so why do such seminaries not exist in the same form elsewhere in the world? He added that when a madrasa was established in Aligarh, the British rulers altered its curriculum.

The JUI chief said that the scholars of the subcontinent took upon themselves the responsibility of safeguarding Islam, and that the same mindset the British had regarding Madaris still persists today. He emphasised that they have always called for a single system of education and a unified curriculum.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman further said that the real threat comes from within our own ranks. If Pakistan is placed at the top anywhere in the world, it is because of religious seminaries, he claimed. Cooperation means helping one another, and he cautioned against being misled by sweet talk.

He further said that they would not allow any conspiracy against religious seminaries to succeed.