Indian BJP leader links Islamic seminaries to terrorism
Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister links Islamic seminaries to terrorism as Hindu nationalist state government prepares new restrictions on madrasa education
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A senior leader of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sparked outrage with an Islamophobic remark linking Islamic seminaries to terrorism, as the Hindu supremacist government in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh prepares fresh restrictions on madrasa education.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya told reporters that madrasas in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh “indirectly promote terrorism.”
His remarks came as the state government led by Hindu militant monk Yogi Adityanath reportedly prepares to abolish degree-level courses in madrasas and limit Islamic seminaries to providing education only up to the 12th grade.
If approved by the state cabinet, the proposal would mark one of the most sweeping restrictions on Islamic seminaries in Uttar Pradesh, affecting thousands of Muslim students enrolled in religious institutions across India’s most populous state.
Maurya’s comments drew criticism from opposition leaders and Muslim voices, who accused the BJP leader of demonizing Islamic educational institutions by equating them with extremism.
The remarks also fueled concerns that the proposed education policy is part of a broader campaign targeting Muslim institutions rather than a routine administrative reform.
The controversy comes amid a series of targeted actions against madrasas by Uttar Pradesh’s Hindu nationalist government, which has intensified its campaign against Islamic seminaries through surveys, closures, demolition drives and tighter state control over religious education.
Muslim organizations and rights advocates say the measures have increasingly marginalized Islamic educational institutions and deepened fears of systematic discrimination against India’s Muslim minority.
The latest remarks also reflect a broader pattern of anti-Muslim rhetoric by leaders of the BJP, which has frequently portrayed Islamic institutions and practices as security concerns.
Rights groups have repeatedly warned that such narratives deepen religious polarization and reinforce prejudice against India’s roughly 200 million Muslims.
The issue is expected to dominate the ongoing session of the Uttar Pradesh state legislature, where opposition lawmakers are likely to challenge both the proposed restrictions on madrasas and Maurya’s remarks.
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