The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPRC) on Wednesday claimed in the Supreme Court that certain madrasas in the country were engaged in anti-India and pro-Islam activities besides promoting terrorism.

In its written submission before the court, the commission claimed that even though Darul Uloom Deoband Madrasa was founded in Deoband in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, it has been impacting Muslims across India and many foreign countries.

The NCPCR also said that madrasas were unsuitable for receiving education, which violates the fundamental right to education.

“The Deoband madrasa fanned out across South Asia and has also set up seminaries, or madrasas, teaching an austere version of Islam, particularly along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border… education imparted to children in madrasa is not comprehensive, and is therefore against the provisions of the Right to Education Act, 2009,” the commission said.

The NCPCR application has defended Allahabad High Court’s March 22 judgment, which had declared the Uttar Pradesh-Madarsa Act 2004 as being illegal and unconstitutional and contrary to the UGC Act.

The apex court, however, had on April 5 stayed the high court judgment.

According to the NCPCR, a large number of madrasas funded or recognised by
the state governments are providing Islamic religious education and instructions
to non-Muslims and Hindus in violation of Article 28(3) of the Constitution, which prohibits religious education in institutions funded by the state.

The commission said it had taken cognisance of objectionable content on the website of Darul Uloom Deoband wherein a fatwa talks about the invasion of India (Ghazwa-e-Hind).

“In this regard, it is humbly submitted that Darul Uloom Deoband being an academic body of Islamic education and affiliating madrasas across South Asia has been issuing fatwas, which are exposing children to hatred against one’s own country and eventually causing them unnecessary mental and physical suffering,” the NCPCR said.