Blast in Pakistan madrassa used as bomb-making factory; 16 killed, 120 injured

Meanwhile in India, the government is embracing these  jihadi factories!
Madrasa certificates will now be CBSE equivalent

16 killed in blast in Pak madrassa used as bomb-making factory

Jul 13, 2009, Islamabad

At least 16 people, including several children, were killed and 120 others injured on Monday when a powerful explosion in a small village in Pakistan’s Punjab province flattened a madrassa, which was being used to make bombs, officials said.

The blast, which occurred shortly before 10 am local time in the village near Mian Channu in southern Punjab, was caused by explosives stored in the home of madrassa teacher Riaz Ali, local residents said.

Ali was a member of a banned religious group, officials said.

Police and rescue service officials told reporters that 16 people, including several children, were killed in the blast, which also destroyed dozens of houses.

Muhammad Yousuf Soomra, health officer of Khanewal district, said the toll could rise as more bodies were feared to be buried under the rubble of collapsed homes.

It was not immediately known what triggered the blast. Rescue workers found parts of shells and bombs, grenades, rockets and suicide jackets in the rubble of the madrassa.

Officials said the seminary was being used to make bombs.

Doctors in local hospitals said 120 injured people had been brought for treatment. Over 40 of them were admitted to hospitals while many were allowed to go home after being given first aid. An emergency was declared in all hospitals near Mian Channu.

‘Jehadi’ material, including cassettes with militant propaganda and pamphlets of the Harkat-ul-Jehad al-Islami terrorist group, were also found in the debris of Ali’s house, Geo News channel reported.

The blast created a crater 40 feet wide and eight feet deep. The explosion flattened about 25 structures, including a rural health centre and the madrassa, a police official said.

Rescue efforts were hampered by large crowds that gathered at the site of the blast. The lack of earth moving equipment also affected efforts by rescue workers to sift through the rubble.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the blast and ordered authorities to launch an immediate inquiry into the incident so that the culprits could be brought to justice.

Thailand’s Islamic terrorists using Islamic schools to recruit fighters

Thai insurgents recruit from Islamic schools-report

Jun 22, 2009

BANGKOK, June 22 (Reuters) – Militants in Thailand’s deep south are using Islamic schools to recruit fighters for an armed ethno-nationalist struggle against the Thai state, according to a report released on Monday.

In a 20-page study, the International Crisis Group (ICG) said the near-daily attacks in Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani provinces were part of a separatist struggle that had no links to radical Islamist groups or a global jihadi movement.

Nearly 3,500 people have been killed since 2004 in the region bordering Malaysia, which was an independent Malay Muslim sultanate until annexed by Buddhist Thailand a century ago. [ID:nBKK426738] [ID:nBKK190770]

“The classroom is the point of first contact,” the report said.

“Recruiters invite those who seem promising devout Muslims of good character who are moved by a history of oppression, mistreatment and the idea of armed jihad to join extracurricular indoctrination programmes in mosques or disguised as football training.”

The ICG study was compiled over 16 months and its release comes after an escalation of violence that has seen 38 people killed and more than 60 wounded in the past two weeks, among them soldiers, police, Buddhist monks and praying Muslims.

The report said the rebel movement was a fight to protect the identity of the region’s ethnic Malay Muslims, and human rights abuses by security forces had “fuelled secessionist fervour”.

“(Islamic schools) are central to the maintenance of Malay Muslim identity and many students are receptive to the call to take up arms against the state,” ICG said.

“This is not a struggle in solidarity with global jihad, rather an ethno-nationalist insurgency … aimed at reclaiming what was once the independent sultanate of Patani.”

The report said rebel movements relied heavily on teachers to recruit young fighters, who would swear an oath of commitment and secrecy before joining a clandestine, multi-cell network whose leadership has never been revealed.

It said the central government’s reluctance to work towards a solution at the local level was exacerbating the problem and it should avoid “quick fixes to what is a highly complex conflict”.

“Changing these policies is essential as the government tries to respond to the insurgents’ grievances in order to bring long-lasting peace to the region,” ICG said. (Reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Alan Raybould and Dean Yates)

Madrassa in Assam blamed for being a safe-haven for illegal migrants and illegal activity

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/318193.php

Assam tense as illegal migrant issue resurfaces

From ANI

Jorhat (Assam), June 17: Activists in Assam’s Jorhat district have alleged that a madrassa in Titabor region is sheltering a number of illegal migrants, and called for a 12-hour shutdown against state government’s inaction.

Activists of Jatiya Yuba Chatra Parishad and some former Madrassa-e-Islamia workers expressed fear that the migrants might be involved in various illegal activities.

“According to the Investigation Officer, 87 students are there in the madrassa and they provided photocopy of it president of madrassa, Farooq Ahmed. Others had firmly said that there are not more than 87 students in the madrassa. But they organized a press meet before the issue was raised and said that there are 150 students and they sent me a letter asking food for 150 students. Now, they are unable to provide any information on the whereabouts of remaining 63 students. In that case why the administration is not taking any steps or action against them. We hope that the state govt, especially chief minister would conduct a high level enquiry regarding this problem,” said Mukhtar Ahmed, former Secretary Madrassa-e-Islamia.

In the wake of a 12-hour shutdown called by AJYCP activists, policemen patrolled the streets to keep a check on any untoward activity.

People of the area see it as threat to their security and want the government to take action against the madrasas.

“It is a very serious problem for Titobar and entire Assam. Rebels are being trained here (at the madrassa) and then they are sent for carrying out blasts and other such activities. It has become a security problem for the locals. It is because of the porous border that people from Bangladesh enter the country easily and the state government and especially the chief minister should take strict steps to curtail the problem,” said Anuj Kumar Das, a local.

An increasingly strong student movement that has been campaigning against immigrants sparked off the current conflict.

Despite fencing its 4,000-kilometre border with Bangladesh, India has not been able to stop migrants coming to Assam.

Assam shares a 272 km (169 mile) porous border with Bangladesh.

Copyright Asian News International/DailyIndia.com

http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_asia/2009-06-17/667474892644.html

Illegal Migrant Tension in India

2009-6-17

Northeast India is tense, after a Muslim religious school is blamed for being a safe-haven for illegal migrants and illegal activity. This has sparked youth protests in the region and the migrants have been put under surveillance.

India’s Assam state is the center of agitation over illegal migrants sheltered at Madrassa-e-Islamia – a Muslim religious school.

Muslim residents and former staff now claim that several illegal migrants have taken refuge there and are involved in unlawful activities. It boils down to a question of numbers. The Investigation Officer has counted 87 students, but the school says there are 150.

[Mukhtar Ahmed, Former School Secretary]:

“They sent me a letter asking food for 150 students. Now, they are unable to provide any information on the whereabouts of remaining 63 students. In that case why is the administration not taking any steps or action against them? We hope that the state govt, especially chief minister, would conduct a high level enquiry regarding this problem.”

Police patrol the streets to keep a tab on any unrest after a 12-hour shutdown called by the activists, Jatiya Yuba Chatra Parishad. The activists blame state chief Tarun Gogoi for not taking any action against the school, which denies the allegations.

[Anuj Kumar Das, Resident]:

“It is a very serious problem for Titobar and entire Assam. Rebels are being trained here (at the madrassa) and then they are sent for carrying out blasts and other such activities. It has become a security problem for the locals.”

An increasingly strong student movement that has been campaigning against immigrants sparked off the current conflict.

India has fenced parts of the 4,000 kilometer border with Bangladesh, but officials say this has done little to deter desperate migrants.

Hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants from Bangladesh have swamped the tea-growing and oil-rich Assam state, in search for work and food.

Illegal Migrant Tension in India

2009-6-17

Northeast India is tense, after a Muslim religious school is blamed for being a safe-haven for illegal migrants and illegal activity. This has sparked youth protests in the region and the migrants have been put under surveillance.

India’s Assam state is the center of agitation over illegal migrants sheltered at Madrassa-e-Islamia – a Muslim religious school.

Muslim residents and former staff now claim that several illegal migrants have taken refuge there and are involved in unlawful activities. It boils down to a question of numbers. The Investigation Officer has counted 87 students, but the school says there are 150.

[Mukhtar Ahmed, Former School Secretary]:

“They sent me a letter asking food for 150 students. Now, they are unable to provide any information on the whereabouts of remaining 63 students. In that case why is the administration not taking any steps or action against them? We hope that the state govt, especially chief minister, would conduct a high level enquiry regarding this problem.”

Police patrol the streets to keep a tab on any unrest after a 12-hour shutdown called by the activists, Jatiya Yuba Chatra Parishad. The activists blame state chief Tarun Gogoi for not taking any action against the school, which denies the allegations.

[Anuj Kumar Das, Resident]:

“It is a very serious problem for Titobar and entire Assam. Rebels are being trained here (at the madrassa) and then they are sent for carrying out blasts and other such activities. It has become a security problem for the locals.”

An increasingly strong student movement that has been campaigning against immigrants sparked off the current conflict.

India has fenced parts of the 4,000 kilometer border with Bangladesh, but officials say this has done little to deter desperate migrants.

Hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants from Bangladesh have swamped the tea-growing and oil-rich Assam state, in search for work and food.

Assam tense as illegal migrant issue resurfaces

From ANI

Jorhat (Assam), June 17: Activists in Assam’s Jorhat district have alleged that a madrassa in Titabor region is sheltering a number of illegal migrants, and called for a 12-hour shutdown against state government’s inaction.

Activists of Jatiya Yuba Chatra Parishad and some former Madrassa-e-Islamia workers expressed fear that the migrants might be involved in various illegal activities.

“According to the Investigation Officer, 87 students are there in the madrassa and they provided photocopy of it president of madrassa, Farooq Ahmed. Others had firmly said that there are not more than 87 students in the madrassa. But they organized a press meet before the issue was raised and said that there are 150 students and they sent me a letter asking food for 150 students. Now, they are unable to provide any information on the whereabouts of remaining 63 students. In that case why the administration is not taking any steps or action against them. We hope that the state govt, especially chief minister would conduct a high level enquiry regarding this problem,” said Mukhtar Ahmed, former Secretary Madrassa-e-Islamia.

In the wake of a 12-hour shutdown called by AJYCP activists, policemen patrolled the streets to keep a check on any untoward activity.

People of the area see it as threat to their security and want the government to take action against the madrasas.

“It is a very serious problem for Titobar and entire Assam. Rebels are being trained here (at the madrassa) and then they are sent for carrying out blasts and other such activities. It has become a security problem for the locals. It is because of the porous border that people from Bangladesh enter the country easily and the state government and especially the chief minister should take strict steps to curtail the problem,” said Anuj Kumar Das, a local.

An increasingly strong student movement that has been campaigning against immigrants sparked off the current conflict.

Despite fencing its 4,000-kilometre border with Bangladesh, India has not been able to stop migrants coming to Assam.

Assam shares a 272 km (169 mile) porous border with Bangladesh.

Copyright Asian News International/DailyIndia.com

Delhi Madrassa cleric arrested for allegedly sodomising 10 year old

10-yr-old alleges sodomy, Delhi cleric arrested

IANS, May 01, 2009

New Delhi: A 21-year-old cleric of a madrassa was arrested on Friday for allegedly sodomising a 10-year-old boy in the national capital, police said.

Mohammad Shehzad, who had joined the madrassa of Kali Masjid in Hazrat Nizamuddin a fortnight ago, was arrested for sodomising one of the students on Tuesday night.

Shehzad has been sent to the jail, police said.

The police said the boy could only muster the courage to tell his mother about the incident Thursday.

The boy’s mother along with few other locals then went to the madrassa and thrashed the cleric.

The boy’s father died some time back and since then he has been living with his mother.

Muslim-run schools in UP fraudulently converting into madrasas to benefit from the Union government scheme

UP schools converting to madrassas: Report
Press Trust of India

Monday, April 20, 2009, (New Delhi)The Centre has sought a status report from the Uttar Pradesh government on media reports that several private schools in the state have converted into madrassas in the last two months to avail of special benefits.

Taking cognisance of reports that scores of private schools converted into madrassas, the Ministry of HRD has asked the state government to conduct an enquiry and submit a report, stating the factual position.

According to reports, schools have been converted with the aim to get benefit from the Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madarassa (SPQEM), launched by the Union government in February this year.

In the letter to the state government, the ministry said they should find out the affiliations and standing of the schools which have been reportedly converted.

“The state government has been asked to state the action taken by it in curbing the trend, if such conversion is happening,” a senior ministry official said in New Delhi.

Reports said most of these schools are run by Muslims and do not have more than one year of standing. However, as per norms madrassas, which have been in existence at least for three years and registered under central or state government Acts or Madrassa Board or with WAKF Boards or NIOS shall be eligible to apply for assistance under this programme.

“Ultimately the state government will recommend the madrassas for consideration under the scheme. So they should be careful while recommending the madrassas,” the official said.
Reports said the schools which have been converted were formal schools and were following syllabus and textbooks of the state education board.

At present, about 3000 madrassas from Uttar Pradesh are getting funding from the government under several schemes, including Madrassa Modernisation Programme.

The government launched the SPQEM scheme in February which aims at improving quality education in madrassas by introducing modern subjects and providing vocational training to students.

The scheme will provide funds to madrassas and maktabs to introduce modern subjects like Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Hindi and English in their curriculum. The scheme envisages an expenditure of about Rs 325 crore in the Xith Plan.

The financial assistance will be given yearly under the scheme through the state governments/Union Territory Administrations in whose jurisdiction the institution is situated.

Uttarakhand Madarsas misuse state funds, multiply 200%, refuse modernisation

Madarsas multiply 200%, refuse modernisation
Saturday, November 22, 2008

Rajendra S Markuna | Haldwani

In spite of the Uttarakhand Government’s best efforts to modernise madarsas and bring these on par with mainstream schools by adequately funding the traditional religious learning centres, the madarsas have failed miserably to live up to expectations.

At the most, the State exchequer’s generous gesture could help increase the number of registered madarsas from 11 in the hill State (when it was part of Uttar Pradesh eight years ago) to a whooping 299 at present.

In a shocking display of utter misuse of the Government’s money, of the 299 madarsas registered with the Muslim Education Mission (MEM), only 33 could be modernised by the Social Welfare Department under its ambitious mission of bringing the hitherto old school of learning into the mainstream. The department finds it tough to convince teachers of these madarsas to include subjects like mathematics and sciences in the curricula. “To convince these teachers to switch over to modern education is not an easy task,” Social Welfare Department’s additional director RP Pant told The Pioneer.

Pant said, “Inhibitions in the minds of not-so-literate religious leaders about modernising the education in madarsas are so deep-rooted that we have been able to introduce mainline education in only 33 madarsas.”

There are nearly 2,000 students in these modernised madarsas. As these madarsas are yet to impart the same level of education as modern schools, the students fail to get good jobs after the completion of their studies.

The only option available to these students is teaching and, that too, only in these madarsas.

The Social Welfare Department extended a grant of Rs 7,000 to these identified madarsas as fund for two teachers’ salaries. Now it has been decided to double the grant, Pant said.

He added that the total number of madarsas could be much higher than anticipated in the absence of any survey. Despite the resistance shown by these traditional learning centres, the Social Welfare Department has set aside Rs 24 lakh this year for their modernisation. The MEM has computerised 125 madarsas at a cost of Rs 2.64 crore. It has also prepared a multi-media activity-learning module based on mathematics and science in Urdu for students of Classes IX to XII. About Rs 7.46 lakh have already been spent on this project during the financial year 2007-2008.