UP Shia Waqf chief wants all primary madrasas shut

Uttar Pradesh's Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Wasim Rizvi on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shut down all primary madrasas across the country to save a majority of the Muslim population from getting affiliated to the Islamic State (IS) terror outfit. In his letter on January 21, he said if the madrasas were not closed, then in the next 15 years more than half of the Muslim population in India would be influenced by the IS ideology.

Rizvi said it has been witnessed globally that to promote any mission, children are the softest targets. "IS is a dangerous terrorist group which is spreading rapidly its wing in the Muslim dominated areas," he added.

He alleged that in the name of spreading Islamic ideology, the children are infused with extremist beliefs and thoughts. In June 2018, Rizvi had said that every secular Muslim wanted the Ayodhya dispute should end and a grand Ram temple could be constructed at the disputed site.