Madarasas to observe special open days for transparency

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad:  Faced with the charge of harbouring foreign nationals, madarasas in the State have decided to observe special "open days" after the ongoing Ramzan vacation and set up their websites for
transparency.


Though most of the 4000 and odd madarasas spread across the State have no restriction on the entry of visitors during office hours, the managements have decided to conduct special open days in a bid to tell
people that they are transparent.


On open days anyone can pay a visit to any of the madarasa, have interaction with students and teachers, inspect the curriculum and seek clarification of their doubts.


"As such we do not have any restrictions. But since doubts are being expressed after the police conducted midnight raids on some madarasas, we want to send home the message that our doors are always open. Anyone can walk in any time. But for the sake of visibility we will conduct open days," says Raheemuddin Ansari, a senior office-bearer of Deeni Madaris Board, the umbrella body of Islamic seminaries in the State.


The madarasas will reopen after the annual Ramzan vacation in the fourth week of October. "We have always kept open our door open. Our hostels (Darul Iqama) follow a strict spiritual-cum-mundane
syllabus. People can inspect our accounts and our records. All our accounts are audited. Those in doubt can interview our students and teachers," says Mufti Mastan Ali, chief of Jamiatul Mominath.


The Deeni Madaris Board will soon hold a meeting with Minorities Welfare Minister Muhammad Ali Shabber to chalk out the modalities on interlinking of madarasas and setting up their individual websites.
Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy had suggested that madarasas go online and post their information on the internet for transparency. Moulana Anwar Ahmad of Jamia Nizamia says the madarasas have nothing to hide. "A delegation of senior journalists from the US visited the madarasas recently. Even the US government is giving funds to madarasas in Hyderabad. If we are harbouring foreign nationals, will the US government give us funds," he asks.

Terror charge: Muslim women surround cleric for his stoic silence

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Sept 3: About 50 women relatives of bomb blast suspects
now in police custody on Monday laid siege to the residence of senior
Islamic scholar Moulana Hameeduddin Aquil Hussami for over five
hours holding him responsible for their "fate".
Moulana Aquil, who is regarded as "Amir-e-Millat" (leader of the
community) by lakhs of Muslims down the Vindhyas, had actively
campaigned for Congress during the State Assembly elections held in
May 2004. He shared dais with senior Congress leaders including Chief
Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
As a thanksgiving to the Moulana, the Congress government appointed
his son-in-law Raheemuddin Ansari as the president of the AP State
Urdu Academy, which is a minister of State rank.
The women relatives demanded that Raheemuddin Ansari quit the Urdu
Academy as the Congress government had been "targeting" Muslims
and branding them as "terrorists and anti-nationals". They held the
Moulana responsible for their "fate" and the "sorry state of affairs"
because he had supported the Congress and openly appealed to
Muslims not to vote for the Telugu Desam.
The women came in black burqas at around 1.00 pm and continued
their agitation till 5.00 pm. They left the residence only after Moulana
Aquil agreed with them that "there was no difference between the
Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party".
The Moulana addressed the agitating women for about 30 minutes. He
said he himself had become a victim of the Congress government after
the police raided Darul Uloom Hyderabad, a madarasa run by him.
"We supported the Congress with the hope that it would bring a secular
government. But it is treading the path of the previous BJP-led NDA
government. We do not see any difference between the BJP and the
Congress," he said. The women dispersed only after the Moulana
assured them that he would lead a delegation of Muslim elders to the
chief minister and find out the whereabouts of the suspects arrested in
connection with the blasts in the city.
Moulana Aquil made several unsuccessful attempts to contact on
telephone Director-General of Police MA Basith and Hyderabad city
police commissioner Balwinder Singh. The Moulana was told by the
DGP and CP's offices that they were busy and would not come on line.
This had further irked him.
No sooner Moulana Aquil announced that he saw no difference
between the Congress and the BJP than Telugu Desam supremo N
Chandrababu Naidu deputed party politburo member and MP SM Lal
Jan Basha to the residence of the Moulana. Basha spent some time with
the Moulana and told him that the TD had never troubled Muslims
when it was in power for nine years.
"There were no communal violence. Law and order situation was well
under control. We looked after the welfare of minorities and ensured
that there was no trouble to them. The TD government did not pick up
innocent Muslim youths. No madarasa was raided during our rule,"
Basha said.
Meanwhile, the police continued with their raids on madarasas. On
Monday the police raided Al Mahadal Islami, a madarasa managed by
noted Islamic scholar Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani at
Shaheennagar.