12, Jul 2015

MUMBAI: At a time when the Muslim community is debating whether it is right to consider children studying only in madrassas as ‘out-of-school’, a senior cleric in the city has appealed to Muslims to offer their customary ‘zakat’ towards secular education. Maulana Syed Moinuddin Ashraf, popularly known as Moin Mian, who heads the Jamia Qadriya Ashrafia madrassa at Grant Road, is spreading his message through social media this Ramzan.
“While we support theology training, modern education is the need of the hour, and by educating one, the community is alleviating a family from poverty,” he said.
Terming the appeal nothing short of revolutionary, coming as it does from a well-known cleric, educationists said that it shows how the idea of supporting secular education is fast gaining ground.