The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned a ruling by a court in India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh effectively outlawing madrasas, or Islamic religious schools.
The Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh on Friday declared the Madrasa Act of 2004 to be unconstitutional while ordering the state government to move students enrolled in madrasas into mainstream schools. “We hold that the Madarsa (sic) Act, 2004, is violative of the principle of Secularism, which is a part of the basic structure of the Constitution of India,” the high court said in its order.
SEE: Uttar Pradesh: Court ruling effectively outlaws Islamic schools in India’s most populous state
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/24/india/india-madrasa-court-ruling-uttar-pradesh-intl-hnk/index.html
“This ruling is a total violation of the basic religious freedom of Indian Muslims,” said CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell. “The State Department should designate India a country of particular concern and our government should condemn and take action to oppose the continuing state oppression targeting Indian Muslims.”
He noted that earlier this month, condemned India’s discriminatory, anti-Muslim implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
SEE: CAIR Condemns India’s CAA Law, Calls on State Department to Designate India as a Country of Particular Concern
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com, CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com