UP Madrasas Defy CM Yogi Adityanath’s Independence Day Orders to Sing National Anthem and Record Proof of Celebrations

• BJP-led UP state government released celebration protocol for August 15
• Madrasas across different cities of UP decided against singing the Indian national anthem as part of the celebrations
• Indian Independence Day is celebrated annually on August 15

Uttar Pradesh, August 17, 2017: As India celebrated its 71st independence day, celebrations took place in all states of the country. However, some discrepancies were observed in various cities of Uttar Pradesh, where madrasas celebrated the day following 'confusions' created by Uttar Pradesh government's recent orders on the celebration protocol in Islamic schools.

Madrasas are a specific type of religious school or college for the study of Islamic subjects, though it may not be the only subject studied there.

The UP government had issued a notification to all madrasas across the state ahead of the Independence Day, devising guidelines for the celebration of Independence Day. According to the government circular, flag hoisting and the recital of the national anthem must take place at 8 am on the Independence Day across all madrasas. In addition to this, they were also instructed to film the events organized to celebrate the day as proof.

Though many madrasas paid heed to the government orders, some maintained that they never received any official intimation of the celebrations.

According to Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangimahli, head of Darul Uloom Firangimahal, an "unnecessary hype" had been created in the context of the government order as Independence Day has always been celebrated across all madrasas with zeal and enthusiasm.

Sharing similar views, Ashraf Usmani, spokesperson of the Darul Uloom Deobandh insisted that the protocol of the celebrations had been the same in the past too. He also added that none of the madrasas in his knowledge had received any such circular.

According to Usmani, there was no need to give an "evidence" of the celebrations. "This is the function of our freedom, why will we not celebrate it" he added, mentioned PTI report.

Asserting the same opinion, Firangimahli, who is also a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, also believes that the BJP-led state government should not have issued the order specifically addressing the madrasas but instead released it for all schools, colleges, and universities.

The Yogi Adityanath-led state government's orders had created ripples immediately following its release and there were reports of clerics divided upon it.

Following this, about 150 madrasas connected with the Barelvi sect had decided to defy the orders of the government. It was decided in a meeting held on August 14 that celebrations were to take place with gusto, and the events of the day would include unfurling the Indian tricolor and distributing sweets to pay tribute to the freedom fighters. However, according to a PTI report, Maulana Shahabuddin Rizvi, national general secretary of All India Jamat Raza Mustafa had said that "No action will be performed which goes against the Shariat like the singing of the national anthem and videography."

According to them, the word 'adhinayak' in the Indian national anthem was originally written in praise of the British in 1911, which is against the shariat.

Prohibitory orders were immediately promulgated in Bareilly district on the night of August 14 after a few Muslim organizations decided to defy government orders.

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As per reports, on August 15, in Kanpur, Meerut and Bareilly, three of the biggest madrassas of the state, a majority of the madrasas celebrated the Indian Independence Day by unfurling the national flag, however decided against signing the national anthem. The students are believed to have sung Sare Jahan Se Achha, a 20th century patriotic song and not record the proceedings of the event.

Minority Welfare Officer of Bareilly, Jagmohan Singh was later quoted by PTI reports, saying that a formal report on the recitation of the national anthem and the videography of events undertaken to mark the Independence Day was being sent to the government for scrutiny.

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