<p class="title">A prominent Shia leader on Tuesday demanded a ban on the 'madrasas' (Islamic seminaries) in the country alleging that they were "producing IS supporters".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shia Waqf Board chairman Waseem Rizvi has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to ban all 'madrasas', which were imparting Islamic education at the primary level.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"More than half of the Muslim population in the country will become IS supporters in the next 15 years if the madrasas are not banned," Rizvi said in his letter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He said the IS has been trying to penetrate areas populated by Muslims throughout the world. "The children receiving education in the madrasas are cut off from the other religions...they are being turned into fundamentalists...they are also being deprived of normal education," Rizvi said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He advocated a common education for all the boys till class X. "If anyone wants to have Islamic education, he can be allowed to join the madrasa after completing class X," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Shia leader's remarks came after the arrest of a madrasa teacher from Uttar Pradesh in connection with terror activities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rizvi's remarks invited strong reactions from Muslim clergy. "Madrasas have a glorious past...they never teach fundamentalism to the children...on the contrary, they promote harmony and brotherhood," said senior Sunni cleric and All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Khalid Rasheed Firangimahali.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rizvi had earlier also created controversies by his remarks on Ram Temple. He had said that Muslims should withdraw cases from the Supreme Court and offer the disputed land in Ayodhya to Hindus for construction of Ram Temple.</p>
<p class="title">A prominent Shia leader on Tuesday demanded a ban on the 'madrasas' (Islamic seminaries) in the country alleging that they were "producing IS supporters".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shia Waqf Board chairman Waseem Rizvi has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to ban all 'madrasas', which were imparting Islamic education at the primary level.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"More than half of the Muslim population in the country will become IS supporters in the next 15 years if the madrasas are not banned," Rizvi said in his letter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He said the IS has been trying to penetrate areas populated by Muslims throughout the world. "The children receiving education in the madrasas are cut off from the other religions...they are being turned into fundamentalists...they are also being deprived of normal education," Rizvi said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He advocated a common education for all the boys till class X. "If anyone wants to have Islamic education, he can be allowed to join the madrasa after completing class X," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Shia leader's remarks came after the arrest of a madrasa teacher from Uttar Pradesh in connection with terror activities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rizvi's remarks invited strong reactions from Muslim clergy. "Madrasas have a glorious past...they never teach fundamentalism to the children...on the contrary, they promote harmony and brotherhood," said senior Sunni cleric and All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Khalid Rasheed Firangimahali.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rizvi had earlier also created controversies by his remarks on Ram Temple. He had said that Muslims should withdraw cases from the Supreme Court and offer the disputed land in Ayodhya to Hindus for construction of Ram Temple.</p>
