UP madrassas celebrate I-Day amid confusion over govt's videography order

Islamic schools were asked to record video footage of the events organised to mark the day

Madrassas in the capital city on Tuesday celebrated the 71st Independence Day by unfurling the tricolour and reciting national anthem, even as the Uttar Pradesh government's recent order of videography of the celebrations created "confusions" among the Islamic schools.

Though many madrassas paid heed to the order, many others claimed that they never received any official word on the celebrations.

Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangimahli, head of Darul Uloom Firangimahal, said, "The Independence Day was celebrated in the madrassas traditionally with the unfurling of the national flag, recital of the national anthem and distribution of sweets among students."

On being asked about the state directives on videography of the celebrations, the cleric said some of the Muslim religious schools have been doing it for their records, while some other madrassas chose to avoid the order.

According to the government circular, flag hoisting and recitation of the national anthem should take place at 8 am on the Independence Day in all madrassas. Apart from this, the Islamic schools were also directed to videograph the events organised to mark the day.

Firangimahli, who is also a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said an "unnecessary hype" has been created with regard to the government order as the madrassas have always been celebrating Independence Day with fervour and gaiety.

To a question on madrassas of the Barelvi sect deciding against singing 'Jana Gana Mana' on the occasion, the Maulana said the statement could be that of an individual as "the national anthem has been sung ever since independence in madrassas".

He, however, noted that the BJP-led state government should not have issued the order specifically for madrassas, but for all schools, colleges and universities.

Echoing similar views, Ashraf Usmani, spokesman of the Darul Uloom Deoband, said the day was celebrated in the same fashion as was practised in the past.  

"We have been celebrating the day in this manner earlier too...," he said.

On the videography directive, Usmani said none of the madrassas he knew had received the government circular nor was there any need to give an "evidence" of the functions.

"This is the function of our freedom, why will we not celebrate it," he asked.

In Bareilly, a majority of madrassas celebrated the day by unfurling the national flag, but some of them desisted from singing the national anthem.

Meanwhile, the Barelvi sect's call for defying the government order evoked mixed responses from the madrassas under it.

"There was a mixed response to the decision to defy the government order," Maulana Shahbuddin Rizvi, national general secretary of All India Jamat Raza Mustafa, said.

Minority Welfare Officer of Bareilly, Jagmohan Singh said a report on the recitation of national anthem and videography of Independence Day events in madrassas was being sent to the government.

District Magistrate R Vikram Singh had promulgated prohibitory orders in the district last night after a few Muslim organisations decided to defy the government order.