Seminaries and Mosques Are Our Red Line; Targeting Religious Institutions Is Unacceptable in Any Way: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
Quetta (Daily Qudrat): Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) Balochistan Provincial Amir Senator Maulana Abdul Wasey and General Secretary Maulana Agha Mahmood Shah have said that madrasas and mosques are the scholarly, intellectual, and cultural fortresses of Islam. They are not merely places of worship or educational centers, but fundamental institutions for the teaching of the Quran and Sunnah, the protection of Islamic thought, the awakening of religious consciousness, and the ideological training of the new generation. As long as madrasas and mosques remain active and scholars stand at their posts, the light of religious education and propagation will continue to shine, and the intellectual and cultural onslaught against Islamic identity will continue to be resisted on scholarly grounds.
In today’s era, madrasas and scholars are the most effective scholarly force defending the Islamic creed, religious values, and the cultural identity of the Muslim community against atheistic, secular, and anti-Islam intellectual trends. This is why, in various periods, efforts have been made to weaken religious madrasas and scholars through pressure, propaganda, administrative obstacles, and various forms of Fitna (unrest). The history of anti-Islam intellectual movements, including the Qadiani Fitna, bears witness to the fact that the ideological fence of an Islamic society cannot be broken without weakening religious madrasas and scholars. Therefore, every attempt to target religious centers will be considered an attempt to weaken Islamic identity.
Unwarranted crackdowns against scholars in the beloved homeland, unnecessary pressure on religious institutions, administrative complications, and the approach of pushing madrasa affairs toward confrontation are unacceptable. Such actions not only create anxiety among religious circles but also wound the religious sentiments and collective feelings of society.
We wish to make it clear that religious madrasas do not belong to any particular class; rather, they are the religious, scholarly, and cultural heritage of this country. The fundamental principle of state policy toward them should not be confrontation, but trust, consultation, legal protection, and mutual respect. In the name of making madrasa registration, financial and administrative affairs, and other legal matters transparent and workable, such conditions, obstacles, or unnecessary monitoring cannot be imposed that affect their religious identity, educational autonomy, and fundamental role.
The center of JUI’s political and intellectual struggle is the protection of the Quran and Sunnah, scholars, and religious madrasas. Madrasas are not a political expediency for us but a fundamental reference of religious and ideological commitment. Therefore, JUI will raise its voice strongly on every constitutional, legal, political, and democratic forum for the protection of their rights and identity.
We make it clear to the government and relevant institutions that instead of unilateral decisions, unnecessary restrictions, and the use of force in madrasa affairs, the path of meaningful consultation and consensus should be adopted by taking the representative leadership of scholars into confidence. No compromise will be made on the freedom of teaching, religious identity, administrative autonomy, and constitutional rights of madrasas.
Madrasas are our red line; every unnecessary step toward their sanctity, religious role, scholarly autonomy, and legitimate rights will be unacceptable to JUI. We consider the protection of madrasas and mosques not merely an organizational matter but a struggle for the protection of Islamic identity, constitutional freedom, and the national religious heritage, and we will continue our constitutional and democratic resistance.
