June 22, 2010
Towards the Education of the underprivileged Indian Muslim
Javeed Mirza
“Children cannot wait to grow, hence their prioritized Right to Education. The damage of denied Education while growing up is difficult, if not impossible to remedy retroactively. Education constitutes one of the few globally accepted duties for children, because it is compulsory. Children are given the Legal Right to Education because they lack a political voice that would enable them to secure their education through the political process”- Katarina Tomasevski.
In today’s world, the main conduit available for the Poor and the Marginalized to keep Poverty at bay and move up the ladder is seen to be Education.  For the unprivileged, Education remains the prime Window of Opportunity for a better future. It bridges the gap between the haves and the have not’s.   Education is also seen to be a Key element in the growth of a nation and a number of countries are seeking to transform their economy into a “knowledge based economy” realizing that the ultimate growth stems from the creative pursuit of the human being.
The UN Charter of Human Rights declares Education as a fundamental Human Right, embodying a legal entitlement.   Article 26, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states:
1. Everyone has the Right to Education. Education shall be Free, at least in the Elementary and Fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and Professional education shall be made generally available and Higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the Human Personality and to the strengthening of respect for Human Rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of Peace.
3. Parents have a Prior Right to choose the kind of Education that shall be given to their children.
The Upholding of Education as a Right to the vulnerable sections of society., i.e. Children, Women and Minorities are asserted in Article 10 dealing with the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women and assuring them  equal rights with men in the field of education; in Article 2 affirming the Rights of the Child to be provided education irrespective of the child’s or his or her parents or legal guardians race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability birth or other status and in Article 13 providing  Protection of National Minorities and asserting their Right to set up and to manage their own Private educational institutions and training establishments etc
The UN Millennium Summit in 2000 adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). These are the worlds time bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions—income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter and exclusion—while promoting gender quality, education and environmental sustainability. They are also basic Human Rights—the Rights of each person on the planet to Health, Education, Shelter and Security as pledged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Millennium Declaration.
The Free and Compulsory Education for all the world’s children forms the backbone of the International Human Rights law. The International community has made pledges to meet the MDG “Millennium Development Goals1” and the objectives of “Education for All” (EFA) include the goal to ensure that by 2015 all children have access to a Free and compulsory Primary Education of Good quality.  It is the recognition of Education as a Public Responsibility.
The RTE (Right to Education) acts have been formalized in a number of countries and are in various stages of implementation. Enhanced implementation measures need to be pursued and High priority accorded for its rigorous implementation so that the objective of alleviating Poverty and attaining High growth can be achieved.
However, most nations are not considering the RTE as a child’s birthright but as a Development Goal. The current reality is that Quality Education is priced out of reach of the Poor.  There is more talk than substance to the RTE implementation.  Lack of Resources is cited by the least developed countries for their shortcoming. The MDG Report prepared states that “... In total we find the costs of meeting the MDG’s in all countries are on the order of $121 Billion in 2006, rising to $189 Billion in 2010...” It is seen that if the Donor countries (the G20 group of Rich nations) allocate a minimum of 0.7% of their National Income as Aid (currently six of the Rich countries allocate 0.7%) to the developing countries and the latter allocate 6% of their GDP for Education (India and Pakistan allocate approximately 2.5% of their GDP for Education and more than 10% on Defense!) then the MDG targets can be met. In the absence of a National and International Peoples voice demanding the adherence to RTE and MDG, the elite of the Rich and the Developing countries willfully expropriate the Peoples money and divert it to their short sighted and chauvinistic goal of National Defense depriving the underprivileged their Natural and Human Right and unmindful of the Loss it brings to the basic livelihood of the Poor.
Human Right correctives have been used in South America more than in other regions so as to make Education Free in many respects. They follow a fixed constitutional allocation of Budget money for Education so there is no financial impediment for providing Free Education. Starting from Brazil and Mexico many Latin American governments provide subsidies for Children from work so that they can go to School. Child Labor is the anti-thesis of Free and Compulsory Education and has been banned. A strict implementation of the law banning Child Labor and the provision of Subsidies for those children that must work to eke out a living for the families, needs to be adopted. Definition of Free education should include a range of subsidies provided to offset the cost of enrollment, Tuition, Books, Meals, Sports, Transportation for children who live far from school as well as extracurricular activities.
Many developing countries prioritize Freedom of Education over the Right to Education. This freedom empowers communities, particularly Religious or Linguistic to design and carry out education of their children. Thus Education is available but is neither provided nor paid by the state. It is thought that Primary Education does not generate a good return on Investment as those who finish Primary School do not earn and are unable to repay. The shortsighted approach perpetuates a vicious cycle in which the Wealthy get educated and Wealthier and millions of Poor children continue to be effectively denied a Right to Education.
The Report recommends that all governments, Rich and Poor as well as the UN and World Bank should
Acknowledge that the key problem in ensuring Universal education is not lack of Public resources (as evidenced in High and Increasing Military expenditure) but the Global Political will to tackle economic exclusion from education
Reaffirm Education as a Public responsibility and eliminate financial barriers so that all children, no matter how Poor they are, can go to School
End contradictory policies and institutional rivalries between global educational organizations
Realistically monitor the cost of education imposed on facilities and the children themselves hidden behind the confusing vocabulary of “Fee-Free” rather than Free Education
Ensure forms of International cooperation that facilitate, rather than hinder free and compulsory education for all children
Immediately and concertedly prioritize universal Free and Compulsory education so that all children stay in Education until the minimum age of Employment – at least 14.
MUSLIM EDUCATION and SOCIO ECONOMIC CONDITONS
THE 2010 Right to Education Bill (RTE), passed by the Indian Parliament, makes it legally enforceable for every child between 6-14 years to demand Free Education. The 93rd constitutional amendment transformed the Right to Education from a directive for State policy into an individual Right.    Enforcement of the RTE act would transform the Indian Education from a British inherited Class based and upper caste dominated one, to one of a new era where Education is not considered a privilege but a Birth right of all human beings.  The RTE act would have a profound effect on the education of the Poor and the Marginalized as it demands and enforces Quality Education while providing Resources to make it viable. The Education of the Muslim Minorities would as well be transformed and achieving new Heights is possible. The biggest segment that it will benefit will be the Govt. school sector as it is here that the overwhelming majority of students go to study and it is here that the Educational quality is substandard and has consistently shown Poor results. Govt. figures say 192 million children in 1.2 million habitations access Government schools.  Approximately 70% of the total Muslim population of school going students attends Govt. Schools.  The Middle class, constituting roughly 30% of the population sends its children to private English medium and Regional medium schools. These Schools have much better standards. They provide decent education and also charge a high fee that the underprivileged Poor cannot pay. The improvement of the Government schools is the HIGH ORDER OF PRIORITY if the Muslim underprivileged Students are to improve their Educational lot.  

Muslim statistics:  Mr Firoz Bakht Ahmed cites the following stats in an article titled “Why are our Madrasas dithering on Reform?”  Dated July 26, 2010 in http://Right-to-Education.Blogspot.com
The Muslim Literacy rate is 41.27% versus the National Literacy Rate of 63.07%. Muslim women have 21.66% literacy rate versus the non-Muslim women literacy rate of 40.54%. There are less than 2% Muslims in government jobs. Of the 479 judges at the all-India level, only 30 are Muslim that makes it just 6. 26%. In the IAS, the Muslim Percentage is a mere 2.7%. Of the 3,284 IPS officers, just 120 are Muslims (3.65%). In the Central Govt. ministries, the figures are pathetic. Of the 59 Secretaries in the Home Ministry (Joint Secretaries, Directors, Advisors etc), the Percentage of Muslims is ZERO. The situation isn’t different in the Labor, Power, Defense, Finance, External Affairs, Personnel, Public, Pensions and Grievance Ministries. Of course, the HRD and information and Broadcasting ministries do have an officer each out of 26 and 33 respectively, making it 3.44%. Of the total 426 officers in all the ministries, only nine are Muslims, which means a meager 2.11%.
The statistics above are not only prevalent at the National level but also at the different state government level.  For a community that has a numerical strength of 15% of the total population, its representation varies between 0to 6%. This is not just confined to the Govt. sector but it resonates loudly in the established Private sector of the Indian Big and medium business’s. The Justice Sachar committee report highlights the extreme down trodden state of a community that had ruled India for 600 years prior to the British supplanting it in the middle 19th century. It concludes that the Muslims of India are the new underclass and their plight surpasses that of the Indian Scheduled Caste (the Dalits who are at the bottom of the caste ladder and have traditionally been the most exploited and the poorest).
The Middle class Muslims have attained a degree of success with the establishment of Muslim Minority colleges. For the past couple of decades, Private colleges owned and operated by Muslims have established a number of Professional colleges in different parts of the country. This has opened the doors for the Indian Middle class to join and pursue Professional education. The Job market in the Middle East has absorbed a number of them and their earnings and repatriation has brought prosperity to many Muslim middle class families. However this Education is unaffordable to the unprivileged Muslim and does not offer any benefit to them. It bypasses them.
The Muslims of India face many odds. Lack of Education is of a High order.  It disallows them from competing for jobs in the private sector.  The govt. sector jobs follow a “Reservation System” which identifies the distribution of Government   Jobs as fixed Quotas for different Castes.  Even though the Indian Muslim is basically a home grown product born from its Lower castes, the Reservation system denies it appropriate Reservation citing their conversion to the Muslim faith. (The Faith is seen to have overcome their Caste background). It is true that the Muslim faith would not ask for representation on caste grounds but if caste is representative of economic and social backwardness then the Muslim is in the same category as those from the lower castes and in the Muslims case the criteria of economic and social backwardness is not accepted . Reservation of 10% for the Muslims was recommended by the Justice Ranganath Mishra commission that was set up to address this grievance of the Muslim. However, the Central and the State governments decided to shelve the recommendations, as of now.
Coupled with this are other acute factors--- The Muslim’s enterprising spirit as well as their numerical strength in some Business pockets caught the envy of the Right wing Hindu elements represented by the RSS, the Bharatiya Janata party, the VHP, the Bajrang Dal and a host of likeminded parties. With an upper caste exclusivist religious outlook they have sought to trample the Rights of the Muslim to pursue business or have a say in politics. Towards this, periodic communal riots are unleashed at the time of elections (or planned ahead with the elections in mind) with the aim of subjugating the Muslim. The communal riots devastate the Minority.. Killing and maiming them and dishonoring their women and burning their businesses.   There have been Hundreds of communal riots since Independence.  India’s independence itself brought the horrific killing of millions of innocent Muslims in India (and hundreds of thousands of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan).  The Police and the Bureaucrats act in cahoots to initiate and perpetuate the riots and in many cases it is seen to be organized and pre-planned +++ The Indian justice system has not been able to punish the Thugs and murderers. The political establishment is afraid to mete justice and the community absorbs the pain and internalizes it, feeling helpless and dejected in the face of the organized carnages. This in turn brings a psyche of alienation and siege.
MADRASAH EDUCATION: Introduction
Madrasah Education has come into prominence for the past decade, the Western World viewing it with suspicion and fearful of adverse security ramification. However, Madrasah education has been in existence since the advent of Islam and has served as the main educational channel wherever the Muslims lived. Originating from the Arabic term Al-Dars (To Teach), Madaris (plural of Madrasa) have been identified with the learning of the Quran and the Hadith (Traditions and saying of Prophet Muhammad).  The Madrasa  Premier Places of Learning, in various regions of the world (Spain,  Egypt, Mesopotamia, Iran, Azerbaijan/Afghanistan etc) embodied a panoply of learning where  Subjects like Mathematics, Law, Grammar, History, Literature, Optics, Astronomy, Anatomy, Physics, Ethics, Logic, Philosophy etc were taught  and produced outstanding luminaries of the time ( Ibn Sina aka Avicenna, Ibn Rushd aka Averroes, Moosa bin Haiyan  aka Moses Hoine, Al-Zahrawi, Imam Ghazali, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Bukhari, Ibn Taimiya etc).  It started from the time of Prophet Mohammad with the Mosque serving as the center of discourse and Madaris constructed adjunct to mosque, becoming the centers of Learning. This was a route not unlike that followed by the early educational establishment of other religions, since Education was a traditional monopoly of the Clergy/Priests/Pandit and their working place (Church, Synagogue, Temple) was the most convenient locale besides offering a suitable environment for religious learning.
India’s current (2011 Census) Muslim Population is 177 Million, 14.6 % of the total of 1.21 billion, and it is said that 4% of its student age population attend Madrasas.  With a median age of 30 years, school going children between ages 5 and 20 years would constitute around 25% of the total population numbering around 44 Million. 4% of this would be around 1.75 million.  In June 2011, Ms Mamata Banerjee, the new CM of West Bengal, stated that her administration will recognize 10,000 Madrasas that were hitherto unrecognized (this is in addition to the 602 recognized by the previous administration of West Bengal). In 2010, the state of Bihar decided to recognize around 2700 more Madrasas (in addition to the approximate 1300 that were already recognized). The Sarva  Shiksha Abhyan wing of Andhra Pradesh has identified over 2000 Madrasas  in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh (with population of 199M of whom 24% are Muslim) is identified as the traditional home of the Madrasas. It must be home to many thousand Madaris. Estimates of Madaris in India hover above 50,000. (Estimates of Madaris in Pakistan and Bangladesh should be on par with India considering they have approximately the same population as the Indian Muslim population and have the same mindset coming from a common legacy).The Indian Subcontinent is home to a whopping 5 million students and their upbringing and progress deserves serious attention.  
Historical background
The Arab traders, who came to India to trade and settled down, brought with them their cultural moorings and so did the Muslim invader kings from the North (Azerbaijan/Turkestan/Afghanistan). Education as they knew it, was established in India and so Madaris were formed. Early Madaris in India have been traced to the XIIth century. In West Bengal the Madrasah-i-Aliah was founded by Warring Hastings (first governor general of East India Company) in October of 1780 in Kolkata to provision the  man-power for the ever growing bureaucracy of the East India Company Raj.  Modern education was introduced along with Islamic studies. The Madrasah was supported by government funding. Similar Madrasas were established and they operated at the same time that most Madrasas continued to provide Islamic education in their own way.
In 1927 the “Board of Central Madarsah” was established. Madrasas spread over Bihar, Orissa, & Bengal and conducted examination under this board. Some independent madrasas were also affiliated to the central board. During partition the board shifted to Dhaka .
The Madrasa curriculum
In a research article* Hakim Sayed Abdul Hayee divides the Madrasah educational system in India into four phases. 
First Phase: From the 13th century to the 15th century, ten subjects were highlighted and 17 books taught. Starting with an Introduction to the Quran and to Persian language students were taught Sarf and Nahwa (Arabic Grammar), Arabic Literature, Tafseer (Commentary) of Quran, Fiqh ( Islamic Law), Usul-e Fiqh (Principles of Jurisprudence), Mantiq (Logic), Kalam (Scholasticism), Tasawwuf (Mysticism) etc.
Second Phase: Sheikh Abdullah and Sheikh Azizullah in the 16th century added books in Fiqh, Mantiq, Arabic Grammar and Kalam and introduced Balaghat (figure of speech) as a new subject. There were 30 books covering 11 subjects. Hadith was sought to be introduced in this period by Sheikh Abul Haque Muhaddis who learnt it in Arabia but it was not successful until its introduction by Shah Waliullah Muhaddis.
Third Phase: Shah Waliullah popularized the study of Traditions called Hadith  after he returned from Saudi Arabia and after completing a course on Hadith there. Hadith being defined as the Sayings of Prophet Muhammad and Traditions of Islam..From then on Silah-e-Sitta (six most authentic Hadith books) was added to the Indian Madrasa syllabus. He mentions the introduction of new subjects, Mathematics, Astronomy (fundamentals), Philosophy and Tib (Medical science) in the syllabus and the total number of learning books was around 38.
Fourth Phase: Mullah Nizamuddin of Lucknow was the Prime figure during this time (died in 1748 AD). The syllabus he proscribed is named after him __Dars-e-Nizami. The curriculum laid greater emphasis on the study of logic, philosophy and other sciences. It is considered as the base of learning in the Madrasah education system of the Indian subcontinent.
Dars-e-Nizami included books written by Indian Ulema (Scholars) and had 40 books on 13 subjects.  Prominent Indian Madaris made changes in the Dars-e-Nizami and stressed different subjects. Madaris of Farangi Mahal (Lucknow) discarded all except one of the Hadith books, and focused on the subjects of Logic, Fiqh and Philosophy. The Teachers of Madrasa Rahimia in Delhi focused on the teaching of Hadith and those from Khariabad focused on Logic and Philosophy. Experimental curriculum with emphasis on different subjects was being undertaken by different Madaris and many variants of the Dars-e-Nizami became operational. Mufti Taqi Usmani, former Chief Justice of Pakistan, surveyed Madaris following Dars-e-Nizami in Pakistan and found that the average Madrasa taught 72 books on 20 subjects varying from Tafseer and Hadith to Medical Science and Engineering. **
The Madaris were able to meet the Muslim rulers need for Administrators, Judges, Educators, Doctors etc for running their establishment. The now abandoned Arabic college of Delhi at Kashmiri gate produced eminent Muslim personalities of the time like Maulana Qasim Nanautavi, Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi and Sir Syed Ahmed in the late 18th century.
Khalidque Ahmad Nizami mentions in his book “Tarikh Mashaikh-e-Chisht”: “Madrasa Rahimia, Madrasa Bazaar Khanam and Madrasa Ajmeri Gate were the fountainheads of Knowledge and education before 1857.Though Delhi had countless institutions, these three Madrasas had distinguished identities.  They played key roles to set right the religious life of Muslims. Madrasa Rahimia was the center of the movement to revive Muslim education. The existing Indian Madrasas take their roots from this very Madrasa”.
The turning point in the Indian Madrasa Educational system was the 1857 First War of Indian Independence. The British intent on avenging the perceived Mutiny of the Natives ( led by the Muslims) and not wanting to see any future rebellions, pursued a scorched Earth policy bringing massive destruction and subjugation of the Muslim elite, simultaneously wreaking havoc on the Madrasas.  A thousand Madrasas in Delhi witnessed during the time of Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq, were shut and the endowments and Properties of the Waqf confiscated (on which the Madrasas depended for their income), with the aim of rooting out their existence.
Lord Macualay in 1853 introduced English in place of Persian and Sanskrit as the Official language of the Indian state and there became a dire need to find natives who spoke the language and could work as Clerks and Administrators. The elite of the country now turned to learning English. The Muslim elite became divided. Sir Syed Ahmad chose to follow a Modern path and rallied a section of the community in support of an English Medium Oriental college that he started and which went on to become the Aligarh Muslim University. Another section of the Muslim elite decided to rejuvenate the Madrasa system and established the Darul Uloom Deoband in a town 100 miles from Delhi and another Madrasa was established in Lucknow called the Daul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama. These institutions hold Premier ranking in India and most existing Madaris hold their syllabus to be their broad parameter.
The Islamic Education in the Indian subcontinent (broadly categorized as Madrasa Education) has the following components:
Maktab.. It is the imparting of Islamic education (primarily teach the reading of the Quran) for children at an early stage in Life, undertaken in a small setting. This is provided during pre-school or after school hours in the local mosque or in an adjoining school. It can also be a full fletched Elementary School imparting Islamic learning along with regular subjects like Math, Science, the Regional language, the National Language (Hindi), Urdu. In some Maktabs there is co-education where Boys and Girls attend school together. It is generally a 5 year course for children from age 5 onwards and runs 6 days a week. This serves to provide the much needed Literacy/Preliminary education to the children.
Darul Quran. These schools focus on the memorization of the Quran (Hifz) and its graduates are called Hafiz (those who have memorized the Quran). They may also teach Tajweed (the articulation of the Quran’s recitation). Some of these schools teach other subjects along with Hifz like Math, Languages and Science. Rote memorization and Chanting are usually the pedagogical methods employed and discipline is usually strictly enforced.
Madrasa. Students who have completed learning at the Maktab join the Madrasa to pursue higher learning of Islamic studies. Students become Alim (Scholar) at the end of the course.   This is an 8 year study program and is meant to be on par with the combined Middle and High School learning.  Some Madrasas may have an abridged program of 6 years and recommend students to go to Jamia.. or college to complete their study and pursue undergraduate and graduate studies. Urdu is the most commonly used medium of Instruction. Some Madrasas offer Hifz as well as Alim course and students can choose to complete one  course or another or complete one and do  the other. Students do not progress from one grade level to another in a structured way. Students progress individually, with those who are more advanced helping those who are less.
Jamia. This is the Institution of Higher learning (University) where students can study Kalim, Fazil and Mufti courses. These are the undergraduate and graduate courses. Students pursuing such studies are relatively few and the Jamia are also few in numbers. Prominent National Jamia are Darul Uloom Deoband, Darul uloom Nadwatul Ulama Lucknow, Darul uloom Banskandi, Jamia Jalalia Hojai, Mazahirul Uloom of Saharanpur etc.
The prestigious Darul Uloom Deoband integrates the syllabus of three famous schools, the Madrasa Rahimia of Shah Waliullah in Delhi, Farangi Mahal of Mulla Nizamuddin of Lucknow and Madrasa Allama Fazi-e-Haq in Khairabad combining Tafsir (Commentary)  and Hadith (Traditions), Fiqh and Usool-e-Fiqh (Law and Rules of Jurisprudence), and Logic and Philosophy. At the Primary level (for first 7 years) subjects taught include Urdu, Persian, Hindi, English, Mathematics, Arabic Grammar, Geography and Composition. The undergraduate is called Fazil and it takes 8 years to complete the Fazil course. A student at Darul Uloom Deoband needs to successfully study 15 years from the Primary level before he can take a Specialization course and become a Mufti (a Graduate with a Masters degree). This institution has the largest informal affiliated Madrasas following its Teaching Program in the Indian Subcontinent (including in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and SriLanka).
Another prestigious institution called the Darul uloom Nadwatul Ulama of Lucknow offers 16 years of learning. At the Primary level (for the first 5 years) students are taught Urdu, English, Hindi, Arithmetic, Geography and General Sciences. The Secondary stage (for the next 3 years) students are taught Persian, Arabic Grammar, Literature and Composition. The next stage of the study is  a 2 year Higher Secondary stage and here students are taught Arabic, Persian and English as well as Islamic History and Religious studies. The next stage is a 4 year stage of Alimiyat wherein students learn Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh besides Arabic Literature. Students at this stage develop a  good command of English and Arabic. Further Fazilat study is a 2 year program in Arabic Literature and other Islamic branches of Learning. Takmil (Research or Specialization) can be undertaken further for those who are interested.
Markazi Darsgah –e Islami of Rampur. This works under the auspices of the Jamat-e Islami Hind party and has evolved a slightly different curriculum. The first 8 years cover subjects like Islamiat, Nazra Quran, Arabic, Urdu, English, Hindi, Mathematics, General Knowledge, History and Geography and the second stage of 7 year program teaches Talimul Quran, Hadith,  Fiqh, Usul-e Fiqh, Arabic Literature, English, Political Science, Economics etc. Some Madrasas following this curriculum prepare the students simultaneously for both a modern Degree examination in a Govt. recognized University as well as the degree of Alimiyat or Fazilat from the Madrasa.
Jamiatul Hidaya of  Jaipur: It is a relatively new institution opened in 1986. Its Rector Mr Fazlur Rahman Mujaddiddi says that the Jamia provides all subjects pertaining to Islamic learning like the other Institutions cited above but also brings in Modern sciences and hands-on Vocational Training for an allround development. Here education is started from grade VI onwards and is of 9 years duration. A first level of 4 years learning has religious and modern subjects and they are so framed that if the student would like to exit from the Institution he can pursue his/her studies at a Govt. institution and not lag behind. At the second stage of 5  years course called the Aliya course,  subjects offered are Tafseer, Hadith, Fiqh, Arabic language and Literature, Hindi, English, Social Sciences  and Intensive Technical Training in Vocational courses like Computer Applications, Welder cum Fitter, and Electrician cum  Wireman training. The Technical training is a new element offered by this Institution and is being followed by some Madrasas elsewhere.
Socio-Economic background
The preponderant sections of today’s Muslims are converts from Hindus and share physical and cultural similarities. Their lineage is mostly from the lower caste segment of the Hindu population.
Poverty is a critical factor in the low performance of all schools in those communities; schools do not have the financial or human resources they need to teach children the basic skills of Reading, Writing, Math, Science and Social Studies. As a result children have been deprived of schooling beyond what the local mosque can provide.  Madrasas provide free education for most students and some also provide free Food, Lodging, and Clothing. 80-90% of the students come from a very poor background and a good number are orphans. They are located in poor communities and cater to the social needs of children who could otherwise be victims of forced child labor or other forms of abuse. Many Muslim parents choose to send their children to Madaris because they consider the education that they get to be a respectable one. Girls are sent there as they are considered to be safe and trustworthy. The Madaris are community based and operate on funds collected by the community. Children are sent to the Madaris to gain basic grounding in their religion and get an education that is on par with that provided by nearby Govt. schools where quality is seen to be low.  With limited access to good quality public schools, coupled with increasing identity pride and communal prejudices, poor North Indian Muslims tend to find refuge and comfort either in Madaris or in Urdu medium schools  that serve Muslim communities “.***Most Madaris lack furniture, books, teaching/learning supplies, and have ill-equipped toilets  and bad hygienic conditions and Health care. In most cases, especially in South India, the everyday meal consists of Rice and Dal (lentil soup) and is supplied twice a day, and like all poor students’ intake in the country, it is not meant to meet the required Protein and Vitamins of a growing child but is meant to keep the hunger away.  
Founders of ever-increasing number of Madrasas are entrepreneurs and the establishments of new Madrasas are enterprises meant to fill in the educational voids. They provide Literacy and Educational service in the absence of lack of quality Govt. Educational institutions.
There are measurable differences between Madrasas in the same city and between States. In some states including Bihar, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madaris are governed by Boards that function like the School Boards. The Boards set the curriculum and monitor the performance of the Madaris that are registered under them. They conduct examinations to qualify students to enter government schools after graduation.  The governments of these states allocate some funds to Madaris that are registered with the Madrasah board. The govt. recognized Madaris have non-Muslim Teachers working and secular education is taught besides Religious learning. Student attendees also include non-Muslims, since in the remote places, the Madrasah is seen as a feasible alternate option for Education vs the absence of good quality Govt. schools. 
Most Madarsahs choose to operate without government grants because they fear that Government funding could lead to Government intervention and that Teachers supported by Government funds would start behaving like other civil servants who know their salaries will be paid whether they work or not. ****
A fee is charged from those students who can afford to pay but the amount charged is much lower than that charged at private schools. Some have playground and some have Library. Holidays are given in Summer and in Ramadan. Schooling is all days except Friday. There is a total segregation of sexes in the Madrasas. Most Madrasas cater to Boys learning. There are exclusively girls Madrasahs too. There is a total segregation between the Male Teacher and the Female students and the Male and the Female Teacher.  Most small Madaris are started by an Alim who after graduating from a large Madrasah returns to his village and with the help of other Alims starts the Madrasah. Teachers are paid between Rs 1500 ($33) to Rs 4000 ($90) a month and supplement their income by giving Tuition to students outside the Madrasah. The job opportunity for most students who completed the Alim, Hifz or Fazil course is to work as an Imam/Assistant Imam in a Masjid or become a Teacher at Madrasahs or earn a living by giving private Tuition to children of upper middle class families. The degrees awarded by the Madrasas are not recognized by Indian Universities except by the Theological department of the Minority Universities Jamia Millia (JM), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANU). The degrees are neither recognized for administrative jobs by the Indian Central Govt. or the State Govts. In effect the degree obtained from the Madrasa institutions has no marketability and is of no value in the Job market. The Madrasa graduates other alternatives include working as a Laborer, Factory Worker, helper in Retail store, driving Auto-rickshaw or in some cases going to the Middle East and working there. .
Tailoring, Knitting and needlework are taught within some of the Madaris to girls in their late teens. Many Muslim girls and women are not permitted to work outside their homes and hence cannot be taught vocational skills that lead them to work outside of home.
Reform in the Madrasah Curriculum
The Madrasah Education Reform is seen to be necessary by many of the Muslim Intelligentsia and efforts are being directed to overhaul it. Examples of recent changes are the appointment of Mr Mullah Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi as the Director of the most prestigious Darul Ul loom. Mr Vastanvi has earned high laurels and recognition for the establishment of Madrasa education on a vast scale, (numbering over 100,000 students) in the Akkalkuwa area of Maharashtra. In the past thirty years his effort has been to bridge the gap between the Traditional and Modern education for Muslims.  While teaching, he realized the need to make students earn their livelihood and he started Training Imams in Tailoring and other Vocational skills. He solicited funds from Muslim Businesses to build Vocational institutes and then certified colleges that include Engineering and Medical colleges etc. He has urged the Muslims not to be stuck in the past and move ahead. “If you want to move ahead in the world, you have to go where the world is moving, and Education is critical for that”. His student Mohammad Farooque continues “ …Vastanvi tells  us  that this is the era  of globalization and competition. When you are here, try to do your best and you will progress”.
A document drafted by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University, Mr Ahmed Al-Tayeb, along with a group of Intellectuals that includes Christians, challenges religious extremism and says Egypt should hold elections, respect basic rights, adhere to its international covenants and guarantee “ full protection and total respect “to places of worship belonging to other religions. Significantly, the document does not call for the application of Sharia law, but says that legislation should be based on ”the principles of Islamic law”,-- widely interpreted as the universal values of Freedom, Justice and Equality. The document says “The exploitation of religion and its use to create division, conflict and enmity between citizens should be criminalized. Inciting religious discrimination or sectarian and chauvinistic tendencies should be considered a crime against the nation”.  The document also seeks autonomy to its own workings and a return to an old system under which the Grand imam was selected by senior religious scholars and not appointed by the Egyptian President. (Financial Times report of June 24, 2011).

Suggested Reforms
As seen from the detailed listing above, the subjects taught in the Madrasahs have content formulated many hundred years back and do not deal with contemporary issues. It needs to be brought into conformity with the needs and the sensibilities of the modern world. 

1. The Twentieth century has witnessed rapid changes and tremendous leaps in Technology and this has totally bypassed the Madaris. Understanding of Technology is virtually non-existent and needs to be integrated in the curriculum ..  Online learning, Distance Education, Centralized Teaching by Mentor Teachers using Broadband and webstreaming are to be applied in the Madrasa curriculum.
2. The methodology of Teaching has also seen remarkable progress in the last two centuries but this has not penetrated the Teaching mode at the Madaris. In place of Rote memorization, Critical thinking, Articulation and Assertive self growth needs to be encouraged.
3. Lack of organized and centralized syllabus. Local Madaris basically operate on the Intuitive notions of the founder and lack formalized Syllabus and Curriculum. Uniform Syllabus and Curriculum with due room for local modifications and enrichment needs to be built that will allow for uniformity in learning on a national scale and also allows for easy transfer from one institution to another at the national level without incurring academic loss.
4. Establishing Standards. Standards should fix the Physical ambience required, Building space, infrastructure, hygienic conditions, Health care and Food standards for the Students. Enforcing of the standards should be worked out in cooperation with the Madrasah establishment.
5. Teachers Training centers. Enhancement of Teachers learning at Teacher Training centers where Teachers are introduced to new subjects, new methodology, new ideas and Technology so they can bring the same to their classroom.
6. Improvement in working conditions of the Teachers. The low salary of the Teachers burdens the teachers with a constant need to strive to augment their earning and pursue extra tuition or part time work/business elsewhere and this disallows them to be focused Teachers and give their best.
7. Incompatibility and Non-Recognition^ of Madrasa degrees with regular degree. The degrees obtained from the Madaris are not considered valid if the student would like to pursue higher education in Govt. or Private Colleges (except for the Theology dept of the three Muslim Minority universities, JM, AMU and MANU). Eligibility is denied and the student is per say, stuck with them and is not able to make further progress.
8. Preparing for the Standardized exams: Madrasa Students are not allowed to enroll in the Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) run by the Govt. where students are taught Technical and Vocational training like Welding, Auto mechanic, Fitter etc since their threshold eligibility requirement is passing the standard Xth grade exam. Likewise students who do not pass the XII grade are not permitted to enroll in Regular colleges.
9. Learning of Sciences, Physical, Biological, Engineering and Social Sciences.
   Absence of these subjects forcefully prohibits students from contemporary learning and reduces them to the learning of the past with little discourse on their application to modern life in the context of the changed world situation and living in a multiethnic community and globalized world.
10. Absence of International exposure. Students and Staff have no recourse to International exchange scholarships or the attending/hosting of International conferences or Journals/Literature from abroad. 
11. Libraries are nonexistent, except in a few place and they have outmoded content and material .
12. Lack of sports facilities. There is little provision for sports facilities or Gym.
13.  Establishment of Technical and Vocational center in as many Madrasahs as possible so there is a direct correlation between Study and Work.
14. Introduction of Vocational skills that are relevant for girls and helps them work while undertaking their home building responsibilities and taking into consideration their sensitivities to working outside of home.
15. Establishing different tracks of learning that cater to the predominant majority of students who do not pursue Higher Studies in Islamic learning and for the minority student populace who would like to do so.  The majority of the Madrasah students’ learning should be geared to making them Learn Islamic Theology along with subjects that are required to pass the Standardized Xth and XIIth Board exams. The minority of the Madrasah students who prefer to pursue Advanced Study in Theology should be provided the academic environment that will nurture critical thinking and help them grow intellectually as Scholars who can lead the community and be the moral custodian of the community.
16. Introducing Continuing Education in the Madrasas to teach the neighborhood community brethren, Literacy and livelihood skills.
17. Introduction of Education to women (housewives and working poor women) where Evening and Weekend classes can be introduced and even home education can be brought to them using Technology.
18. Diversifying and teaching the Regional language along with other subjects so that the students do not feel lost in their communication with their peers and are able to follow the local laws and avail the State Govt. jobs.
19. Study of Comparative religion that provides exposure to other religions and helps develop a deeper understanding of all religions. This is especially relevant to students who would like to pursue higher level studies in Islamic ideology and practices.
20. Encourage interaction with Regular schools by involving students in Inter-school and Inter-collegiate activities.
21. Foster Entrepreneurial talent. Encourage the start of Enterprises and work with the govt. to provide financial support to its students.

The RTE in the Indian Context
THE 2010 Right to Education Bill, passed by the Indian Parliament, makes it legally enforceable for every child between 6-14 years to demand Free Education. The 93rd constitutional amendment transformed the Right to Education from a directive for State policy into an Individual Right. It lays down strict guidelines ensuring that Quality standards are maintained and if implemented correctly, it will help transform the countries educational system. The serious question is whether the Government is willing to commit the Resources required to effect the desired changes..   
The RTE Act 2009 did not include the term Madrasas in its definition of different kinds of schools. The RTE Act defines “school”—whether government aided or private—as any “recognized school” imparting elementary education. Section 18 makes a “certificate of recognition” mandatory for all schools. And Section 19 prescribes stringent conditions--- such as Building and classroom specifications, teacher-student ratio, study hours, library and playground facilities—for obtaining recognition. A cross section of the Muslim leaders and scholars called the RTE Act as “draconian” and accused the Central government of trying to monopolize and control Education which was a State Govt. and not a Central govt. subject. The Madrasa establishment has strenuously objected to the inclusion of the Madrasas from the RTE Act. The inclusion would have posed a threat to the existence and continuation of existing Madrasas.  The RTE Act (without the exclusion) would have disqualified all Madrasas from the School system and barred them from working since they don’t have the wherewithal to meet the strict conditional criteria and be recognized and allowed to work.
Article 30 of the Indian Constitution gives Minorities “the Right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice”. Article 30 has been used to open and run the Madrasas without the need for Government recognition.
It is outrageous for the government not to recognize the unique character of the Madrasa as conforming to the preservation and upholding of the Muslim cultural and religious identity with a long history of providing educational services, and not wanting to take measures that would bring in the benefits of RTE without adversely affecting their current working. 
Indian Govt. Programs dealing with the Madrasas
A National Monitoring Committee for Minorities Education (NMCME) was constituted in 2004 to look into all aspects of education of minorities and suggest ways and means to improve the conditions for educational empowerment of minorities and visited several states and interacted with the leaders of the Muslim minority community, educationists and Madrassa Managements. An Expert Committee of the NMCME has suggested that Madrassas be provided a linkage with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to provide for certification of academic levels, linkages with vocational education, improving the quality of education in modern subjects, introduction of 58 teacher training Programs, enhancement of teacher salaries, strengthening of State Madarssa Boards for monitoring and raising awareness about education Programs for the Muslim community.
Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM), a modified scheme of Madrasa modernization has been drawn. It is to promote modern subjects like Science, Mathematics, Social Studies & languages in Madrasas with effect from November, 2008 to enable children studying in madrasas which opt for this scheme to attain standards of the national education system in formal education subjects and vocational education.
Under the SPQEM, honorarium of Rs.6000/- per month for graduate teachers and Rs.12, 000/- per month for post-graduate teachers with B.Ed. has been notified, up to a maximum of three teachers. A notification dated 30th January, 2009 has been issued equating certificates given by the State Madrasa Boards to that of Secondary and Senior Secondary levels in cases where such equivalence is in place in the respective States.
An amount of Rs. 325 crores ($72.2 million) is proposed for the scheme as per budget provision made by Planning Commission in the XI th Five Year Plan.
Sarva Shiksha Abhyan  (SSA): It is the Flagship program of the Indian Central Government to bring Universal Literacy to its citizens and for delivering the 2010 Right to Education Act. It deals with the Madrasa education.  For those Madrasa schools that it recognizes, it expects them to be under their purview. It provides each such Madrasas 1 to 2 Teachers (called “Volunteer Teachers”) to teach non-Islamic subjects or in lieu pay the school for the Teachers salary. The Teachers are paid Rs 1000 ($22) to Rs 2000 ($ 44) per month for their services. One can comprehend the Quality and the motivation of the Teachers recruited to work.
It also provisions many of the recognized Madrasas with mid day meals offering Rice, Dal and Egg (some Madaris have refused to accept them citing grounds of low Quality and of different culinary preference).  Sometimes Text books are also provided. This is the best that the Govt. is able to put into practice! It is apparent from the above Programs launched, that the UNION GOVT., while making the Right noises, has in fact committed scant resources to their implementation. The Govt., is NOT SERIOUS about meeting its Human Rights and RTE obligation to providing Decent Education and bring about positive changes in the lives of the Madrasa attending students. It is a burning issue and demands full attention and support but the response from the politician is Rhetoric lip service. It will be a national tragedy if it is not recognized as such and steps taken to address it.
Role of the Private Sector in Education
It is unwise to totally consign Education to the good will of the Governments, knowing well how Inept, lackadaisical, Corrupt and Biased this can be.  The Christian Missionary Educational work has earned laurels for doing excellent service and some of the private Muslim Minority educational institutions have also been successful in imparting Quality education. However the Poor and Marginalized have not been affected by these institutions and they are dependent on the Govt. to meet their educational needs. 
A  Govt. Policy that supports the Private sector in catering to the educational services of the Poor and the Marginalized needs to be instituted.  The Madrasa Education as a private sector enterprise needs to be wholeheartedly supported, upgraded and brought in conformity with National and International education as well as making it relevant to market needs and the spiritual needs of the Muslim community.
International Education that is seen to have common goals needs to be encouraged to step in. Universities in Malaysia, Turkey etc have earned reputation as good centers of Islamic learning and of being relevant to modern life at the same time. They should be encouraged to establish their presence and work with the Indian Madrasa establishment.
Muslim NRI’s wanting to invest in Education must be encouraged to invest in Technical and Vocational colleges so that the much needed Technical skills may be learned and Human Resources supplied to the job market.
Mr Abusaleh Sharif, member-secretary of the Sachar committee has a different approach “The solution offered by the Sachar committee was to integrate Madrasas with mainstream schooling by means of an ‘equivalence’ measure”. This would avoid Ghettoism in the Madrasas and the focus would be on the development of the mainstream Government schools.  The issue with this is that the Reform or Improvement of the Government schools are a long drawn process and has not taken place in the past 64 years of Independence. It is overlaid with Bureaucracy, Corruption, Teacher absenteeism and lackadaisical interest   and of course lack of resource commitment by the Government.
Autonomy and Reforms from within the Madrasah Establishment
The formation of the Madrasa Board.   Sections of the Ulema and Muslim Politicians view the Govt. move to appoint a Central Madrasa Board as a government intervention that will dilute the essentially theological nature of the Madrasa. The Madrasa management thinks that by accepting government grants their autonomy will end and they will have to follow the Govt. diktats etc. The apprehension is not unfounded. What can be done instead, is the establishment of an autonomous All India Madrasa Education Board by the Muslim community which in turn is supported by distinguished educators from outside the community and by International educators. This will work on an overhaul of the archaic system that is unable to fulfill the aspirations of the millions of students attending the Madrasas. A vision has to be crafted that places Education in the contextualized world and employability of the students as its core principle while building advanced learning institutions for the small segment of its students who prefer to do Research and undertake advanced studies. The Indian Govt. needs to support such a Board, which it cannot control or manipulate but influence, and provide the resources to make it successful.  The Board should address issues outlined earlier i.e bringing about a common syllabus; affiliation of Small Madrasas;  students Enjoining a degree that is recognized by all Govt. and private institutions in the country; building a mode of education where switching from Madrasa education to Regular education is easy and without academic loss; establish Technical and Vocational Centers in most Madrasas so that Practical training takes place simultaneously along with academic learning;  apply  the Western Teaching methodology fostering Critical Thinking;  bring about massive introduction of web-based Broadband Technology and the usage of Communication Technology to develop Online Learning, Distance learning and Continuing education.  Incorporate the Learning of Physical, Biological, Engineering and Social Sciences; building bridges with International Universities; creating Laboratories, Libraries and Playgrounds; Study of Comparative Religions; Research geared towards contributions to society and to the Postulates of Islam---Justice, Tolerance and moderation and the accommodation and respect of other cultures and the rejection of Oppression and Gross Inequalities.
Outstanding issues that must be addressed by the Madrasah Boarch include topics like
The Teaching of Science
Islam’s Golden Age lasting 500 years is seen as proof that there is no conflict between Islam and Science. What started as a movement to translate the scientific and philosophical texts of ancient Greece and India led to a remarkable flowering of Science, Philosophy and Theology. The golden age emerged in Baghdad in the 8th century, spread to Cairo, Damascus and other Middle Eastern cities and later flourished in Andulasian Spain. It had a strong presence in the 13th and 14th centuries too.  Its downfall is attributed to the absence of Universities in the Muslim world, the slow adoption of the Printing press, the relative poverty of the Muslims compared with Europeans, increasing deference to religious leaders and more recently the legacy of Colonialism and the lack of Democracy and of autonomy to the Scientist and of course due to the non prioritization and non-allocation of Resources for its growth.
Science in Muslim Societies today lags far behind the scientific achievements of the West, when at one time Muslim civilization was the center of Science of Philosophy and held sway for 500 plus years.
The Poor state of Science in Muslim countries is expressed by Mr Nidhal Guessoum, the author of Islam’s Quantum Question: Reconciling Muslim Tradition and Modern Science.   “ .. Abysmal by all kinds of measures: how many books and publications are written or translated in the Muslim world; how many patents come from Muslim inventors; how many Muslim students are performing in the international arena?” A study by the Organization of Islamic Conference found that there are fewer than 10 scientists, Engineers and Technicians for every 1000 people compared to 140 of the developed world and 40 of the world average. They contribute only 1% of the worlds published scientific papers.
“There’s a consensus across the Board that Science is a good thing”, says Ahmad Dallal a historian working at the American University in Beirut. Sixty percent of the worlds 1.6Billion Muslims are under the age of 30 and there is a major push to educate this generation and learning of Science is a key component in their educational arsenal.
“Being a Muslim, living in a Muslim world, Islam plays a big role in our everyday lives,” says Rana Dajani, a molecular biologist at Hashemite University in Jordan, “We need to understand the relationship between Islam and Science in order to live in harmony without any contradictions”. She is an outspoken advocate of Evolution and Modern Science. She also emphasizes that the Quran is a guide for how to live, not a book of science so certain passages—like the story of Adam and Eve—must be read metaphorically…” *******

Critical Thinking
Raja Dani adds that the biggest challenge to Arab Professors is to get their students to think critically... “I challenge my students to rethink their opinions, to challenge their preconceived opinions, to be in their uncomfortable zone. To me, that’s the objective of education”.  Critical thinking is the opposite of Rote Learning. While Rote Learning has its advantage of developing retentive memory (seen to be essential in learning of Medicine), it will not help in applying learning to new conditions or to think them through.
The ascendance of Islam would have been Impossible without the best brains of its  time doing Critical thinking and devising solutions that made progress possible.
The revamping of the Madrasa education must incorporate the growth of Critical thinking in its Syllabus and curriculum.
Overcoming Gender discrimination
The Muslim Minority educational institutions in India have adopted a dual policy of having separate colleges for boys and for girls and also have colleges with co-education. There are advantages to both the approaches. The Muslim National Universities, MANU, JM and AMU have co-education.
The ultra conservative institutions of Saudi Arabia have made an exception to its premier institute of learning, KAUST (the King Abdul Aziz University of Science and Technology) and co-education is allowed. Co-education in Turkey, Libya, UAE, Indonesia, Malaysia and many parts of the Middle East is common and so is working together of the sexes at the work place.
Enforcing of laws banning Child Labor
Child Labor denies RTE to the child and is the anti-thesis of Universal and compulsory Education.  It is Poverty that forces the child to work at an early age and induces the parents to send them to work. This is banned in many countries in the world (including India). However its effective banning is not possible except with overcoming Poverty. In some developing countries (Example Brazil and Mexico) subsidies are provided for the families in lieu of working wages so that the child can attend school. This must be followed in India too. 
Building Political strength
The Muslim community of India is said to have a critical say in more than 100 Parliamentary constituencies in India and can have a deciding vote in many more.  The community has not pursued a coherent national policy of using their Vote power. The utilization of this powerful weapon in a planned and cohesive way will bring many benefits to the community.
The traditional pattern of Vote getting  has been where the National and State secular Political parties incorporate a few Muslim Leaders hailing from an elitist background and give them Ministerial portfolios. These ministers by virtue of their given Power and allocation of funds, are able to seduce and bring the Muslim vote to the parties that they represent, taking the help of a coterie of supporters who rally the Muslim masses. The leaders have little grassroots support and are content to lip service the community’s needs. It is in their interest to maintain the status quo and this implicitly forbids them from actively working on the Real needs of the community.  Superficial issues and non-issues are built so that the power structure is undisturbed and the merry game continues.
Muslim Regional Political parties have good representation in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Assam .They can play a powerful role if their interests are to serve the Muslim Poor but this is not seen as of now.
The Implementation of the Justice Ranganath Mishra recommendations (allocate 10% of the Quota of college seats and Govt,. Jobs to Muslims) would provide an opportunity for the Muslims to get into powerful jobs (Govt. Secretaries and judges) which in turn would help the community.
Influencing the Media
Yoginder Sikand in an article titled “the Media and the Mullahs” dated March 17, 2011 points out that the Media “… chose (es) to ignore numerous other resolutions recently passed by the same faction of the Jamiat that do not quite fit into the stereotypical image of the “mad Mulsim” that influential sections of the Indian media so sedulously seek to cultivate: justice for innocent Muslims languishing in Jail on trumped-up Terror charges,  compensation for Muslims hit by communal violence, reservation for Muslims in government jobs, the implementation of the recommendations of the Sachar Committee Report, and so on.  That it highlighted only those resolutions that would conform to and reconfirm the image of the Muslims, or, at least the Mullahs, as incorrigible buffoons, at best, or dangerous would-be Taliban-style fanatics, at worst, reveals much more about the deep-rooted biases of influential sections of the Indian media than it does of the Muslims or the Mullahs themselves. Clearly these sections of the media are simply not interested in projecting Muslims’ substantive issues, including genuine concerns related to religious deprivation and discrimination”.
The Vastanvi controversy. An interview that the newly appointed Rector of the Darul uloom Deoband , Mr Vastanvi gave to a Times of India reporter quoted him as supporting the BJP leader of Gujarat Mr Modi,  who has earned an infamous name as the planned annihilator of more than 2000 Muslims (and making 100,000 homeless as well as the planned burning and devastation of thousands of Muslim business’s) in  the state of Gujarat in  2002. However Mr Vastanvi denied the allegation that he supported Mr Modi. What he mentioned in the interview was that the Muslims should move beyond the Gujarat tragedy and seek to improve themselves.  This raised a controversy and aspersions were cast on Mr Vastanvi, as the Gujarat riots hold a very important place in the psyche of the Muslim mind and support to the perpetrator of its carnage is anathema to all Muslims.
The Jamat e Ulema e Hind is said to have passed more than 200 resolutions in different parts of India against Terrorism but they were not considered newsworthy at most times and the important news received little coverage in the mainstream media.
“The Fatwa factory” was the name given to the Fatwa wing of the Darululoom Deoband since it is responsible for issuing Fatwas.  The Fatwas are also issued for trivial reasons and in some cases have earned ridicule from the mass media. However they need to be viewed in the context of the history and the legacy of the backward Muslim community and it only points the high need to transform the archaic existing system.
The Media can play a Positive role and help build pressure for the good works that the Muslim establishment may undertake. It is necessary that good Public Relations are maintained with the General Media and the Muslim media be used effectively for launching the community programs.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR MUSLIM EDUCATION:
Usage of the Waqf Board funds
It is said that Real Estate Properties held by the Muslim Waqf Board is worth Billions of dollars. These Properties are depositories entrusted by Patrons to support the community interests. The Waqf lands have been manipulated by the National and the State govts.’s for private benefit, stealing it away from its intended use.  Corruption, lack of documentation and lack of Supervision has resulted in loss of many such properties and they have become fair game to the Minority and majority Politicians and Businessman’s Greed.
The Waqf Board needs to be an autonomous body elected by the community with Powers to safeguard and Recover its illegally confiscated properties. It must build proper documentation of the Properties and put it on its website and have transparent dealings of how the properties are being used for its intended purpose of serving the community. The proper use of this Financial Capital will help improve the conditions of the impoverished members and institutions and provide financial assistance for Entrepreneurial growth.
International Aid and Support
Although Quranic schools are not part of the formal government school system, they receive support at the national level from the federal Agency for Mass Education (AME) which largely focuses on non-formal education. Because girls in Muslim communities are more likely to attend Islamic schools than Public schools, UNICEF has supported Quranic schools through the AME. With UNICEF support, the AME developed a curriculum for an accelerated Program through which Quranic schools could elect to teach the Primary schools curriculum in three years to children who had dropped out of school. Schools that participate in this program receive materials and Teacher training.
Absence of World Bank Aid
The World Bank supports the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (FTI) but not Madrasah Education. Because they are not part of the Govt. system, Madaris have not been supported by the EDUCATION FOR ALL initiative, a drive begun in 1990 by the international community to urge Govt.’s to provide primary school education to all children. Many have never received govt. support—financial or technical—nor regulation, supervision or accreditation. Millions of Muslim children attend these schools for the purpose of not only learning their religion but as the only feasible practical option available for them.  The World Bank, as part of its mandate to help the Economic growth of a nation, needs to support the Educational effort.
A USAID supported program called CAP’s has provided Educational support to the Madrasas in India. Its focus in the regular primary grades was to improve the quality of instruction and offer academic education on a more formal basis. The Primary level Teacher training it provided included child-centered teaching techniques, sequential learning, development and use of teaching materials, documentation, and spoken English. Life skills development became an integral part of the Madrasah curriculum.
Educational Trusts, Non-profit NGO’s, Foundations and Charitable organizations of the Western World and connected to Indian Business that have Education as their Goal, must reach out to the Madrasahs and provide them financial assistance, Educational materials and Pedagogic and Technical support.
Prosperous Middle East countries that have shared faith must also donate generously their Wealth and other resources to improve their impoverished brethren in the Madrasas, who in turn can provide them with dependable skilled Human Resources.
CONCLUSION
Islam is anchored in a commitment to good works. In the best traditions it espouses virtues of Justice, Tolerance, moderation and the respectful accommodation of other cultures and the rejection of Oppression and Gross Inequalities.  Strains in it have evolved with the growth of a doctrinaire branch called Wahabbism, the roots of which lie in the frustration of the masses arising out of Poverty and the failure of Capitalism and Globalization to address the Problems of the Hungry, the illiterate, the disenfranchised and the un-empowered.
The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has held numerous conferences condemning and opposing Terrorism. Its stand against communalism and sectarianism has contributed to a decrease in communal clashes between Muslims and Hindus and between Shias and Sunnis .   Also that in India, as of now, no Madrasa student has been found involved in terrorist or subversive activities.This is unlike the Madrasas run by in Pakistan by the Taliban and those run by Hafiz Saeed’s Jamaatul Dawah where Extremism, Terrorism and Jihad is preached and practiced. The Madrasah politics in Pakistan started when the Pakistaini Intelligence agency, the ISI, and the USA Intelligence agency, the CIA, thought that it was in their interest to foment trouble against the Russian invaders in Afghanistan and enlisted and trained the Madrasah students (Taliban) and provided them with logistical and financial support to battle the Russians. Another factor for the growth of Extremism in Pakistan has been the continued occupation of Kashmir by the Indian army and its brutality against the Kashmiri people. The Pakistani military clique has a vested interest in keeping the Kashmir issue burning as it provides a convincing rationale for them to hold onto power and gives them a largess of Billions of dollars of USA aid and a bloated Defense budget allowing them to live a cozy life with the Power and the Perks.  
Poor and Hungry societies are much more likely than high income societies to fall into conflicts over scarce vital resources such as watering holes and arable land and over scarce natural resources. Many world leaders in recent years have rightly stressed the Powerful relationship between Poverty reduction and Global security. While violent conflicts surely result from a combination of factors, Poverty creates conditions for igniting and sustaining conflict.
The dominant World Powers and its Bodies are seen to be following Neanderthal instincts in holding onto primitive notions of Regional Military alignments, Strategic Resources control, manipulation of Peoples demands with slight Reforms and subtle cosmetic changes, oblivious to the cataclysmic seismic changes already in motion and soon to erupt with the explosive birth rate, High Expectations, easy availability of destructive technology and weapons, the evisceration of its Forest s and rapid degradation of its Environment. If the Meteors had earlier annihilated the Earths biodiversity and its living Dinosaurs, we are on track for a similar change with the absence of Human will and construct to face the mammoth challenges and refusal to understand that change will come and it has to be welcomed. The change needs to be channelized through an elevated  vision that is long term and acts courageously in the interests of all and not just to protect the privileges of the privileged,  that thinks ahead and takes diligent steps so it helps all mankind and does not lead to destruction of all.
It is tragic to believe that , the countries making Nuclear Weapons today, (USA, Russia, UK, France, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea) plan to spend around $1000 Billion* (averaging $100B each year) in the decade  2011-2020 ******. Such colossal waste of Resources is a clear example that we are unable to correctly understand the Real issues that confront us... Poverty, Illiteracy, Expectations, Jobs and Dignity... and that instead of confronting them we seek to multiply the Weapons of Mass destruction that we cannot use without the wholesale destruction of the Human Race.
The Millennium Development Goals, adopted at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000, is one step forward in understanding and meeting our critical needs. We need to pursue this with willful determination and only then we stand a chance to see the future generations alive and Happy.  
Prof Jeffrey Sachs, author of the MDG Report called “Investing in Development. A Practical plan to achieve the Millennium Development Goals” says “... The World community has at its disposal the proven technologies, policies, financial resources and most importantly, the human courage and compassion to make it happen “and adds “…If the Goals are not met, millions will die, who will otherwise live. Countries that would be stable will descend into conflict. And the environment will continue to be degraded. The risks and benefits will be shared across the entire world. So genuine international leadership and responsibility will need joint action on both development and security policy.”  He also reminds us that “...The world truly shares a common fate...”

Info obtained from http://right-to-education-india.blogspot.com and http://right-to-education.org
1. The MDG Report called “Investing in Development. A Practical plan to achieve the Millennium Development Goals” by Prof Jeffrey Sachs.
* “Hindustan ka Nisab-e-dars awr us ke Taghaiyurat “(Teaching curriculum of India and changes in them) published in the monthly “Tarjamn-e Darul Uloom”, Delhi (Nov 00 - Jan 01 issue)
** Article “Present curriculum of Indian Madaris: Need for Reform” presented by Mr Burhanuddin Qasmi at a workshop, “Islamic Education and Learning in South Asia” organized by Erfurt University in Germany.
*** “Madrasah Education:What Creative Associates has learned” by Jeanne Moulton
**** Amiruallah Khan (2005). The Madrasah students in India.
***** Firoz Bakht Ahmed “Why are our Madrasas dithering on Reform?”