During the holy month of Ramdhan, there is a random surge in donation seekers on roads, mosques and at other places of social importance. The Madrasa students can be spotted everywhere seeking alms and donations for their respective institutions. These students from the madrassas are actually enrolled here by their parents aiming to secure the religious knowledge and become Islamic preachers and imams in future to lead the community from the front.
Their parents too are keen to see their children growing up as Islamic scholars and influential class of the society since all those holding the religious tag in any community attains a great respect from people. However, it is ethically wrong to force these children to come on roads and seek alms for their institutions to run its affairs and feed for themselves.
When these institutions are set up by the local communities, they should have formulated a detailed plan for running it’s day to day affairs. It is not an easy task to feed these young pupils two times meals, offer accommodation in addition to arrange the salaries of their teachers unless the madrassas committees have thoroughly worked out a plan and executed it properly.
Majority of the Dar ul Ulooms across Kashmir face huge financial crisis due to poor planning and incompetent management committees. These committees while being on fore front to set up these Darul Ulooms and enrolling children from the down trodden part of our society, however, they miserably failed to pool the sustainable resources for its running, therefore, forcing these young pupils to come on roads and seek alms to fill their stomach.
It is the job of these committees and those living within the close proximity of these Darul Ulooms to treat these kids as their guests and provide the sustenance for these institutions. Forcing kids out on roads to collect alms for the running of these institutions is grossly violating the labour laws since most of these kids are under age.
At the same time it is compromising their dignity and making them habitual of alms seekers which in their long run life become part of their lifestyle. Again harming and lowering the dignity of a person who in next few years is seen as a religious head of the community. When you can’t afford to feed them, you have no right to set up these institutions.
