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| Residents of Chechnya call paid education in madrassas in demand |
| 2024-08-11 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. Paid teaching of the Koran and Arabic is in demand in Chechnya, and the demand to introduce free education in madrassas was an attempt by the mufitites to gain control over this area, local residents and a Caucasus expert said. As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, on August 7, at a meeting of directors and teachers of commercial madrassas with the Mufti of Chechnya, Salakh Mezhiyev, it was decided that madrassas would not charge fees to students who could not afford paid tuition. On August 6, the MRB of Chechnya called on the heads of commercial madrassas to conduct training free of charge and explained this recommendation by numerous complaints. The Muftiate emphasized that it does not demand that madrassas be closed and does not prohibit teaching the Koran, but only asks not to charge for training. There are 413 madrassas operating in Chechnya, of which 131 are commercial and 282 work free of charge. Representatives of the muftiate and madrassas have agreed that fees "will not be collected on a mandatory basis," a representative of the Chechen DUM told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "There have been inquiries about why fees are so high in some madrassas, and that sometimes people cannot afford to pay for tuition. Directors and teachers of commercial madrassas have agreed at a meeting with the mufti that they will not charge students "mandatory fees." No one is planning to close these schools," he said. In different regions of Russia where Muslims live, madrassas are sometimes understood to teach the basic principles of Islam, the basics of the Arabic language and reading the Koran, the chairman of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Asian part of Russia, Mufti Nafigulla Ashirov, told a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot". These are often courses or, say, Sunday schools at mosques. "These are often courses or, say, Sunday schools at mosques. This is a crash course, an education for all those who want to learn about Islam. The teaching is done by imams of mosques or even students of Muslim theological institutions. No special expenses are required for this. In most cases, no fee is charged for this training or it is symbolic," he said. Along with this "lower level" of education, there are secondary specialized educational institutions called madrassas, he explained. "The activity models of these madrassas may differ. There are madrassas that are maintained by charitable organizations or patrons, often not one, but a group of patrons. Such educational institutions also, as a rule, operate at mosques, and mosques help maintain them. Madrassas and mosques exist due to donations from believers themselves. Such madrassas are located in various regions of the Russian Federation, including the Caucasus. In addition, a number of Islamic institutes and universities have been opened in the Caucasus. In most cases, students of secondary and higher Muslim educational institutions are not charged tuition fees," Ashirov said, adding that Sharia law permits charging tuition fees. The mufti noted that he is not deeply familiar with the Islamic education system in Chechnya, but he has been there and seen a number of educational institutions. "In Chechnya, among other things, there are Koran Hafiz Training Centers, where 500-600 people study. But they exist at the expense of the budget of the DUM CR, which is formed from donations from believers," he said. They charge from a thousand to four rubles, as a rule. Everyone is satisfied A resident of Chechnya, Yuni, said that almost "in every village" there are people who teach the Koran and Arabic, and their services are in demand. "People sign up themselves, sign up their children and undergo training. [They] are charged from a thousand to four rubles, as a rule. Everyone is happy. There is training at madrassas, the authorities call them commercial. Now they are proposing to either switch to free training, and the DUM will pay the teachers, or close them. Apparently, they want to subjugate all the teachers. But the system is paid, it is convenient because it is within walking distance in both villages and cities. It seems that the authorities are not doing anything terrible, but the reasons are still unclear. Take control of training, teachers, have the opportunity to tell the world that everyone is taught for free?... I don't know," Yuni told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Another resident of the Republic of Beslan believes that the name "commercial madrasah" is inaccurate in relation to these institutions. "In essence, these are private courses in teaching Arabic, tajweed (rules of reciting the Koran). Often, other languages ​​are taught in parallel in these schools, including Chechen. Of course, those who maintain such language schools need to cover expenses, and student fees help with this. The fee is up to 3-4 thousand rubles," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to him, they are monitored, as are all educational institutions. "Each [institution] has its own methods. But of course, everything is monitored anyway," he said. Apparently, in Chechnya, the situation is worse with collecting zakat for Islamic education A Russian Caucasus expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the existence of "commercial madrassas" in Chechnya was a revelation to him. "In Dagestan, all madrassas operate free of charge for students, using funds from zakat collection and donations from sponsors. In Dagestan, there are even religious educational institutions with boarding schools. Students can receive free education, accommodation, and meals. If commercial madrassas exist, then, apparently, the situation in Chechnya with collecting zakat for Islamic education is worse, or not everyone is satisfied with it," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. The Caucasus expert suggested that these madrassas have no relation to the Spiritual Administration, and therefore charge a fee for their existence. "But the very call of the DUM of Chechnya to remove the fee is indicative. In that case, it would be interesting to know who and how will ensure the activities of these madrassas? Will the DUM be able to ensure their existence, or will they have to close? Since they are calling for the abolition of the fee, then there is probably something wrong with the control," he noted. The educational programs in any madrasah can be controlled, the specialist added. "Because educational activities require a license in any case. This presupposes the presence of control," he said. |
| Posted by:badanov |