28 December, 2005

My dear Arjun Singhji,

You are aware of the RSS strategy to vilify the Madrasas and to project them as a massive threat to national security. Unfortunately a contribution was made to the furtherance of this communal point of view, perhaps inadvertently, by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language.  Although there has been no nationwide survey of the Madrasas (as distinct from Maktabs, largely attached to Masjids in every village and mahalla), the UNI issued a Press Release, based on information fed by the NCPUL that there were 500,000 Madrasas in the country with about 50 million students on their rolls.  What is interesting is that Urdu Duniya, the official organ of the Council, is its issue of July, 2003, projected these data with supporting arguments, thus giving this piece of misinformation, academic authenticity.

On 9 November, 2004, I raised the issue with the Editor, Urdu Duniya when I found to my horror that these data had been accepted by the academic community all over the world.  Then the Editor published a vague apology in Urdu Duniya rather inconspicuously in the issue of January, 2005.

The result is that these misleading figures are still being cited by ‘experts’ on Muslims and Madrasas!

It is suggested that the Ministry of HRD should issue a clarification pointing out that these figures are not authentic and in any case, the NCPUL was not the national body to deal with Madrasa Education.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

 (SYED SHAHABUDDIN)

Shri Arjun Singh,

Minister of Human Resource Development,

Government of India,

Shastri Bhawan,

New Delhi - 110 001.