Even Our Madrasas Are Not Safe Under Capitalism

News:

On 02/02/2024 the government of United Republic of Tanzania decided to close down Al Habash Madrasa located in Sogeambele and Nkuhungu areas in Dodoma, central Tanzania on allegations of running education services under unconducive environment. The Madrasa had a total of 132 female students aged 13 to 20 years old in both campuses from different areas mainly within the Dodoma region.

Comment:

We strongly denounce this unacceptable decision of the government to close down Al-Habash Madrasa without solid reasons. This step meant to destabilize efforts of Muslim parents and guardians who deserve credit for sending their children to acquire religious education which is obligatory in Islam.

It seemed the government took that particular step in line with global campaign against Islam. The said reasons hold no water for the government to reach such a decision. While this is taking place, few days later, on 06/02/2024 the government demolished the students’ mosque in Tawalanda Secondary School in Bagamoyo, Coastal region.

The global capitalist hatred campaign of Islam which being pushed mainly by the US utilizes various pretexts to control, intervene and close down Islamic sources of education. This is taking place in the Muslim world in traditional madrasa, Islamic colleges or Islamic Universities.

In 2015, about 147 students in Hai Disitrict, Northern of Tanzania who were being taught in Madrasas of three mosques: Masjid Bilal (Kibaoni), Masjid Othman (Uzunguni) and Masjid kwa Kiriwe were withheld  by the state apparatus.    (Mtanzania 2 Aprili 2015)

Also, in the similar year a madrasa teacher namely Al-haji Maulana Shiraz (71) of Zawiyatul-Qaadiriya community with only 11 students in Masasi Disrict in Southern Tanzania was arraigned under the pretext of fighting war on terror. (Habarileo, 3 April 2015). Western and capitalist colonialists tailored propaganda of war on terror causes division, social and economic instability, spreads hatred and in most cases prosecution fail to adduce evidence before the court of law after many years of their so called “investigations”.

Regarding the issue of Al-Habasha Madrasa, the government via Dodoma Regional Commissioner Rosemary Senyamule on 05/02/2024 allegedly that the madrasa was closed because of student congestion that about 30 or 65 students are using one classroom for studying or one dormitory.

It is more than shame and laughing stock statement, since that government’s own school are squalid and the most congested. For Instance, In Tambukareli Primary School in Nyamagana, Mwanza region, 300 pupils are using a single classroom (Jambo FM. 27 October 2023), in Njiwa Primary School which is found in Malinyi, Morogoro region, 172 pupils are using one classroom (Jembe FM. 9 May 2023), In Mlonwena Secondary School in Lushoto, Tanga region, there was dormitory shortage to the extent that three students were using one bed (ITV, 22/04/2019).

The current students-teacher ratio is up to 100 students per 1 teacher in government schools, students-classroom ratio is up to 81 students per 1 classroom (Mwananchi 11, 2023).

This is the reality of government schools, with all this congestion, why didn’t the government close down all these schools as it has done to our madrasa? where did the same government got morals to talk about congestion in Muslim madaras? If not hatred for Islam, what else?

In terms of the so-called poor hygiene such as accessibility and availability of clean water and toilets. The Al-Habash Madrasa had toilets and accessibility of water though in the Sogeambele campus the students used water from the nearby pond. However, the government schools are worse than this. In Morogoro regional municipality there are not enough toilets in its schools with only 892 available holes, out of required 2574 holes (Mtanzania 21/07/2023).

It is also an open double standard to close the Al-Habash Madrasa because girls are deprived secular education. In Tanzania there are about 4,383, street children, 3,508 boys and 875 girls, if the government needs to offer education for girls, why doesn’t it collect all the children and send them to school instead.

We demand the government to reopen Al-Habash Madrasa and allow it to make the required changes. It is also high time for the government to disengage itself from capitalist global anti-Islam campaign that only blemish state relationship with its people. Islam has offered plenty and incredible contributions to Tanzania and would do more once Khilafah (Caliphate) State is re-established in the Muslim world InshaAllah.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Said Bitomwa
Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Tanzania