Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris vows not to compromise on independence of madrasas

The Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned recent criticism of 50 percent of over 32,000 religious seminaries in the country being unregistered, demanding that irresponsible statements should not be issued and seriousness should be shown on the issue of the registration of seminaries.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, President Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris Pakistan Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani, Nazim-e-Ala Mufti Muneebur Rehman and others said religious seminaries are working under the Pakistani law, and due to the criticism, the feelings of religious seminaries teachers, students and millions of religious people have been hurt.

They said religious seminaries have always made national safety, stability and interest as supreme and have not worked against it; besides, they have always condemned terrorism in all its forms and supported the Pakistani forces.

They said the leadership of the Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris Pakistan has decided to not compromise on the independence and working of religious seminaries and said their identity will be safeguarded at any cost.

They said that Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris will convene conventions in all the four provinces to make the people aware about the registration of madrasas. They said that responsible forces created hurdles in legislation on Madaris despite the settlement of all relevant issues and now time has come that the issue of the registration of madrasas be resolved seriously. They pointed out that it has been seen that religious seminaries are being pushed towards the path of resistance directly or indirectly instead of holding dialogue with them, they said and urged that all matters should be resolved in an appropriate manner.

They announced that the first provincial convention of Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris will be held on August 28, which will be attended by the Wafaqul Madaris Al Arbia Pakistan, Tanzeemul Madaris Ahle-Sunnat Pakistan, Wafaqul Madaris Al Shia Pakistan, Wafaqul Madaris Al Salfia Pakistan and Rabta Al Madaris Al Islamia Pakistan.

Mufti Taqi Usmani said that religious seminaries were earlier registered under the Societies Act; however, that process of registration was banned by the government.

He said religious seminaries are not being allowed to operate bank accounts, resulting in all transactions being done through cash and such exercise will not helpful to ensure transparency in seminaries’ accounts. He demanded that religious seminaries be allowed to operate bank accounts to ensure transparency.

He further stated that the government on the one hand has not been concerned about the millions of out-of-school children, but on the other hand it complains that religious seminaries do not teach modern education.

Mufti Taqi Usmani said religious seminaries also teach modern education to the students but it is aimed for specialization in Islamic teachings. He said mostly secular people and foreign forces keep propagating about the religious seminaries as they fear that religious seminaries are the only force that raises voice against enforcement of transgender and LGTB laws in the country.

He said the issue with regard to the registration of religious seminaries had been almost resolved and approved by the federal cabinet, but it was stopped at time of implementation for reasons best known to them. He said they do not want confrontation, but if the problems are not resolved through dialogue, then they will take to the streets.

On this occasion, representatives of Wafaqul Madaris Al Arabia Pakistan, Tanzeemul Madaris Ahle-Sunnat Pakistan, Wafaqul Madaris Al Shia Pakistan, Wafaqul Madaris Al Salfia Pakistan and Rabta Al Madaris Al Islamia Pakistan were also present.