London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

Indian state run by Hindu nationalists abolishes Islamic schools

Indian state run by Hindu nationalists abolishes Islamic schools

The Indian state of Assam, run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist party, has banned Islamic schools, saying public money cannot be squandered on religious teachings. Outraged Islamic scholars and political opponents have called it an attack on Muslims.

The government in Assam state, led by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), argued the new law was a result of a popular demand for “general education” in Islamic schools, known locally as madrassas.

“We need more doctors, police officers, bureaucrats and teachers, from the minority Muslim community rather than imams for mosques,” Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after the state legislature this week passed a bill into law to convert madrassas into regular schools beginning April.

He rejected accusations that it was a move targeting Muslims, India’s largest religious minority.


Sarma is seen as a rising political star in Assam, which has 731 government-run Islamic schools where religious scriptures are taught beside regular subjects.

"If only Arabic was taught, there would be no issue. But, as a government, we cannot allow teaching of the Koran on public funding." Sarma added, drawing applause from prominent backers of the BJP.


Arabic colleges will be also converted into high schools from April, according to provisions of the new law which will come into effect in April in Assam, the oil and tea-rich state bordering Bangladesh.

Sarma said only those privately-funded madrassas which also teach regular subjects besides religious scriptures can be registered once a separate new law is passed in Assam, home to some 13 million Muslims.

“We are in the process of drafting a bill,” the BJP official told journalists as Madrassa teachers warned they would challenge the step in courts of law.

Islamic teachers rise in protest


“We have opposed the bill and we will submit a memorandum to the state governor, the prime minister and the president of India on January 5,” said Amirul Islam, who heads the Assam Madrassa Teachers' Association.

“If need be, we will go to the Supreme Court as well,” Islam said, arguing Islamic schools were introduced as far back as 1915 in Assam, when India was under British rule.

“If madrasas don’t exist, what value will the certificates hold for those who have studied there?” the association president asked.

The body estimates 140,000 students were still enrolled in the now disbanded madrasas in Assam, which last year saw widespread protests against a federal citizenship law that Muslims fear.

Law upset opponents


“The idea is to wipe out Muslims,” opposition Congress party state lawmaker Wajed Ali Choudhury said of the decisions to abolish the Islamic schools.

Choudhury’s party colleague Sherman Ali Ahmed argued fluency in Arabic language can help locals find jobs in countries in the Middle East where millions of Indians are already employed.

“It will change the atmosphere of Assam. This bill is aimed at polarisation of votes along religious lines,” Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, another Congress lawmaker was quoted as saying.

Love Jihad law


Two BJP-run states have enacted laws that prohibit forceful conversion of woman to their husband’s religion. A third BJP state is also set to enact a similar “love Jihad” law.


Rights activists allege the law is draconian and a naked attempt to crack down on mixed marriages in general and a move to frighten away Muslims seeking Hindu brides in particular.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×