Allahabad High Court Ruling Potentially Bans Islamic Schools

Allahabad High Court Ruling Potentially Bans Islamic Schools: The Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh ruled Friday that the Madrasa Act of 2004 was unconstitutional and ordered the state government to enroll Islamic students in mainstream schools according to CNN.

During weeks leading up to a nationwide election that could further polarize the world's largest democracy along religious lines, it struck down a law governing madrasas.

Alongside general subjects like math and science, madrasas teach students about the Quran and Islamic history.

“We hold that the Madarsa (sic) Act, 2004, violates the principle of secularism that is a part of the Constitution of India,” the high court ruled. In exercising its powers in the field of education, the State is bound to remain secular. As one of the primary duties of the State, it is bound to remain secular. It cannot provide for education of a particular religion, its instructions, prescriptions and philosophies or create separate education systems for separate religions.”

Indians also send their children to Gurukuls, residential schools where they study ancient Vedic scriptures alongside general subjects under the guidance of a "guru". According to the country’s most recent census data from 2011, about 20% of the people in Uttar Pradesh are Muslim. The ruling can be appealed to the Supreme Court. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made headlines over the past decade for passing some of the country's most controversial laws, which critics say discriminate against Muslims and marginalize them in a secular society.

According to Iftikhar Ahmed Javed, the head of the state's board of madrasa education, the court order affects 2.7 million students and 10,000 teachers in 25,000 madrasas.

An estimated 960 million people are eligible to vote in this nationwide election - the largest in the world.

Modi has been frequently accused by critics of dismantling India's secular traditions, even though the Allahabad High Court cited India's constitution as its reasoning for ruling against madrasas.

As anti-Muslim hate speech makes frequent headlines and Muslim-owned properties face demolition, Muslims and critics of the BJP are concerned that India's secular fabric is also eroding.

Assam, a northeastern state, passed a law in December 2020 converting all Islamic schools into regular schools.

Assam's current chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said it would guarantee "equal education for all children and facilitate higher education."

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