Recently, there has been so much uproar over the dress code in madrasas. The white kurta-pyjama uniform of a madrasa seemed to be a point of contention for the U.P. government as it hinted at a particular faith. They were even inclined to fund a change of uniform which would apparently bring madrasas at par with other educational institutions.
When there are scores of poor people in the country who don’t have proper clothes, the U.P. government is arguing over the dress code of madrasas. Even Mahatma Gandhi preferred the humble dhoti, keeping in mind the pitiable condition of many of India’s citizens.
While publicity-hungry politicians have been trying to introduce a modern dress code for the students attaining an education at madrasas, their assertion has not earned enough support from the state’s citizens.
Opposing this suggestion the Muslim clerics demanded that the government should instead focus on improving the infrastructure of the seminaries, repairing its dilapidated buildings and providing satisfactory salary to the teachers.
Yogi Adityanath’s push for ‘modernisation’ disrespects the culture of Islamic education at madrasas where students are expected to dress in a simple manner. For instance, the dress code of pyjama, sherwani and Turkish cap was not a hindrance for the Aligarh Muslim University students. It did not keep them from attaining a modern education.
The Turkish cap was removed later, the students still don the sherwani and the pyjama at AMU without their learning being compromised. The U.P. government should know that a uniform does not keep students from receiving an education.