Madrasas must arrange nat’l anthem competitions: HC

The High Court today rejected a writ petition filed challenging the legality of a government circular asking the madrasa authorities to hold national anthem competition at their institutions.

The High Court bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan passed the order saying that national anthem competition will run at all educational institutions including madrasas under the relevant rules.

Nurul Islam Miah, a madrasah teacher, and Monir Hossain Swadhin Sheikh, a citizen of Kadamtoli, Dhaka, last week submitted the writ petition saying that madrasas are running under Islamic shariah rule and therefore the authorities are not bound to hold national anthem competition.

Writ petitioners’ lawyer, Advocate Taimur Alam Khandker told The Daily Star that the madrasah students must take part in national anthem competition following the High Court order.

The cabinet division issued the circular on January 18 asking all educational institutions including madrasas to arrange national anthem competition.

The writ petitioners challenged the legality of the circular saying that the circular is “erroneous and misleading” as Section-5(2) of the national anthem rules 1978 mentions that in all the schools, day’s work shall begin with singing the national anthem.

So, the rules are only applicable for the schools, not for madrasas, the petitioners said.

The government circular is against the spirit of traditional Islamic education, they added.