5th July 2023

To,
Shri Priyank Kanoongo,
Chairperson,
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR),
Government of India

Sub: Darul Uloom Deoband’s teachings to young students

on ways to legitimize and normalize rape, sexual
intercourse with minors, animals, dead bodies, impotent
persons as well as anal sex with men, women and
children, which may be against International
Conventions and/or the criminal laws of India.

Dear Shri Priyank Kanoongo,

Namaste.

India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the

Child (UNCRC), which is a human rights initiative setting out the civil,
political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. It is an
international treaty that makes it incumbent upon the signatory countries
to take all necessary steps to protect children’s rights as enumerated in the
Convention.

In the spirit of the Convention, we would like to bring to your urgent

attention the shocking fact that Asia’s largest & globally influential Islamic
school, Darul Uloom Deoband, (which was setup in 1866-67) is teaching their
students, including young children, that criminal assaults on minors, sexual

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intercourse with dead bodies, rape of females, impotent persons, anal sex
with hapless animals, as well as humans – both adult and children – can be
legitimized, if followed through with easy to perform rituals.

Most of the books being taught at Darul Uloom Deoband and other Madarsas
in India are either in Arabic, Persian or in Urdu, hence it is not possible for
us to conduct an academic audit of the curriculum of these Madarsas. This
task can only be undertaken by competent institutions of the Indian state.

However, we recently came across English and Hindi translations of a few

of the books being taught and officially endorsed by Darul Uloom Deoband.
Even a cursory reading of some of these books, especially with regards to
rights of children, is spine chilling and mind-numbing, to say the least.

The content of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi’s influential books:

We present before the NCPCR, a few illustrative extracts from ‘Bahishti

Zevar’ and ‘Peculiar Personal Problems of Men and Women’ which provide
a tiny glimpse of sexual perversions contained in these two ‘highly
authoritative’ texts, especially with regard to child rights.

These highly influential and best-selling books have been written by late
Deobandi idealogue Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi, who has a massive fan
following among Indian Muslims as well as across the Global Ummah,
including ISIS, Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

The extracts cited below as well as enclosed as Annexure 1, throw light on

the nauseating forms of sexually perverted content being routinely endorsed
through teachings and Fatwas by Maulanas and Muftis of Darul Uloom
Deoband. The sexual perversions do not stop at legitimizing sex with little

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children but also extend to sex with dead bodies, impotent persons, raping of
females, as well as anal sex with animals and humans – both adult and
children.

A Fatwa in Urdu by Darul Uloom Deoband publicly endorses sexual

intercourse with a minor girl. The Urdu Fatwa and its English (Google)
translation is enclosed as Annexure 2. Numerous other Fatwas by Darul
Uloom Deoband also publicly endorse Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi and his
works. Some of these Fatwas are enclosed as Annexure 3.

The most worrisome part of these teachings and Fatwas are that sexual
perversions, that invite rigorous jail terms on account of such acts being
considered as heinous crimes in most civilized societies, are sought to be
normalized through rituals. Rituals such as ‘gusl’ (taking a bath after the act)
or keeping extra fasts, are recommended if the said acts are committed
during the month of Ramzan.

A tiny sample from the authoritative ‘Bahishti Zevar’ widely used by

Muslims:

Example 1: The English translation of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi’s ‘Bahishti

Zevar’ advises that a mere bath after sexual intercourse with a minor girl is
enough to legitimize the act:

If anyone has sexual intercourse with a minor girl, then

bath is not obligatory for her, but in order to make her used
to bath she may be required to take bath. (Page 55)

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 If a man indulges in sexual intercourse with a minor girl,
bath will not be obligatory if there is no seminal discharge.
(Page 58)

Example 2: On page 58, Thanvi again assures his readers that a mere bath
after the following bizarre form of sex is enough to make the act legitimate:

If a man inserts his penis into the naval of a man or

woman and there is no seminal discharge, then bath will
not be obligatory.

Example 3: Even more shocking is Thanvi’s prescription given on page 271

for legitimizing sexual intercourse with a dead woman, minor girl or an
animal:

If anyone committed sexual intercourse with a dead

woman or with a minor girl who does not excite passion
or with an animal or embraced or kissed anyone or
masturbated and in all such cases semen came out, then
the fast will be disrupted but recompensation will not be
due.

The ‘fast’ mentioned in the above / following extracts refers to the fasts kept
during Ramzan.

Example 4: On page 272, Thanvi declares that sexual activity for anal
pleasure with self is perfectly acceptable and does not disrupt the fast:

… a man inserts something in his excretion hole and it

remains out, then the fast will not be disrupted …

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Example 5: The following quote also from page 272, prescribes an extra fast
and some charity to legitimize sexual intercourse by a woman with a minor
or an insane person:

If a woman subjects herself to sexual intercourse with a

minor or an insane during a fast, then compensatory fast
and recompensation both will be due.

Example 6: On page 278, Thanvi again advises extra fasts for both the
partners to legitimize anal sex:

If a man enters his penis in the back part (hole) of someone

and its top has entered, then fast of both is lost and
compensatory fast and recompense becomes due on both.

Example 7: The Hindi translation of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi’s ‘Bahishti

Zevar’ (pages 719 and 720), provides the standard simple way to
legitimize men having anal sex with men, women or impotent persons – go
have a bath after the act! If the partners to the sex act are both adults, then
both need to have a bath or else only the person on whose body semen is
discharged needs to have a bath!

दू सरी वजह इलाज (eelaj) यानि की नकसी ऐसे मदद के, नजसे जोश आ रहा
हो, खास नहस्से के सर का नकसी नजन्दा औरत के खास नहस्से में या नकसी
दू सरे नजन्दा आदमी के मुश्तरका (पीछे का नहस्सा) नहस्से में दाखखल होिा,
चाहे वह मदद हो या औरत या खंसी (िपुंसक) और चाहे मनि निरे या ि निरे ,
इस सूरत में अिर दोिों में िुस्ल के सही होिे की शतद पायी जाती है यानि
दोिों बानलि हैं तो दोिों पर, वरिा नजसमे पायी जाती है , उस पर िुस्ल फ़र्द
हो जायेिा।

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Example 8: Page 720 also advises that if a sexually aroused woman indulges
in sex with an animal, a reluctant male or uses an external object (such as
a wooden stick) for self-pleasure, she need not feel guilty if she has a bath
after the act. However, as per real Islamic ethos even the simple bath is not
necessary if the semen of the animal does not enter the woman:

अिर कोई औरत जोश की वहज से अपिे खास नहस्से में नकसी बे-जोश मदद
या जािवर के खास नहस्से को या नकसी लकड़ी विैरह को या अपिी ऊँिली
को दाखखल करे , तब भी उस पर िुस्ल फ़र्द हो जायिा, मिी निरे या ि निरे ,
मिर यह शारे ह (शरह करिे) की राय है और असल मर्हब में बग़ैर मिी
निकले ग़ुस्ल वानजब िहीं।

Extracts from Thanvi’s ‘Peculiar Personal Problems of Men and Women’:

Example 9: On page 3, the English translation of Maulana Ashraf Ali

Thanvi’s ‘Peculiar Personal Problems of Men and Women’ brazenly declares
that sexual intercourse with an animal, dead person or a minor girl is
perfectly legitimate and even a bath is not necessary, if semen has not been
discharged:

If the male organ is inserted into the private part of an

animal or a dead person or a minor girl who is not fit for
sexual intercourse, then bath will not be necessary
without discharge of semen.

Example 10: Page 10 normalizes sexual acts with a dead body or an

animal through the same old simple formula:

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 If one rubs his sexual organ with a dead-body or an animal
and semen is discharged, then compensatory fast will be
compulsory but recompensation will not be due.

Example 11: No less shocking is the advice also given on page 10 for getting
away with rape of a woman during fasting hours. In this case, even the rape
victim has to make up for disruption of her fasts by undertaking extra fasts
while the man will have to give some amount in charity in addition to the
extra fast:

If someone committed sexual intercourse forcibly with a

woman, then the woman is liable to compensatory fast
and not recompensation, but the man is responsible for
both.

Example 12: Page 11 goes further to exonerate sexual intercourse with an

animal or a dead body:

If anyone commits sexual intercourse with an animal or

a dead-body or committed sexual intercourse outside the
vagina and it caused no seminal discharge, then the fast
is not disrupted. But if there is seminal discharge in such
conditions, then the fast will be disrupted and a
compensatory fast will be due on him, but
recompensation will not be due.

Our Appeal to NCPCR:

The above given samples are a mere tip of the iceberg. And yet, they provide
ample evidence that Darul Uloom Deoband’s teachings are endangering the

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lives of children, in a very alarming way. These facts do not surface in the
public discourse because any mention of atrocities and crimes committed by
Muslims under cover of ‘religious freedom’, immediately invites the tag of
‘Islamophobia’. Even we are bringing these facts to your notice at the risk of
being vilified as Islamophobic.

The Indian state cannot afford to ignore the brazen trampling of child rights
and human rights in the name of religious freedom, especially considering
that in almost all non-Islamic countries of the world, including India, these
acts fall in the category of heinous crimes punishable with up to life
imprisonment.

Even as per the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,
2012, punishment for penetrative sexual assault involves imprisonment
which is not less than ten years and extends to imprisonment for life.
Whoever abets the offence under the POCSO Act also faces similar
punishment. But as per Darul Uloom Deoband’s Islamic scholars, a mere bath
after committing barbaric sexual crimes against children makes the acts
normal and acceptable!

Given this dangerous scenario, NCPCR should take serious note of the fact
that the religious education being provided by Darul Uloom Deoband is
ruining the mental and physical well-being of the children studying there
by encouraging young students to grow up believing that sexual perversion
and criminal forms of sexual acts are normal and rightful behaviour.

Since the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was
setup under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005
to ensure that children enjoy their rights and develop in a free and fair

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environment, and to ensure that the legal and constitutional rights of the
children are protected, we the undersigned request urgent intervention by
NCPCR on the following lines:

1. The entire curriculum of Darul Uloom Deoband needs to be examined

by an independent body, headed by a sitting or retired Supreme Court
judge(s), capable of undertaking a non-partisan audit of the course
curriculum taught by Darul Uloom Deoband.
2. Thousands of young students trapped in Darul Uloom Deoband need to
be rescued, deradicalized and admitted into regular schools.
3. Past students of Darul Uloom Deoband need to be put on the radar of
intelligence agencies because of the dehumanization and radicalization they
have suffered at the hands of the Maulanas and Muftis of Darul Uloom
Deoband.
We hope to witness early and firm action by the NCPCR against the
systematic poisoning of the minds of young children at Darul Uloom
Deoband.

Yours sincerely,

(Signatories in alphabetical order)

1. Dr. Ajay Chrungoo, Former Medical Officer, J&K Health Services

2. Dr. Amit Thadhani, Director, Niramaya Hospitals, Mumbai & Navi
Mumbai
3. Advocate Amita Sachdeva, Delhi High Court & Legal Secretary, Human
Rights Mission
4. Prof. Anand Kumar, National Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced
Studies, Shimla

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5. Dr. Anil Kumar Vajpayee, Central Government College, Daman & Diu
(Retd.)
6. Prof. Bharat Gupt, University of Delhi (Retd.)
7. Prof. Daksh Lohiya, Professor Emeritus, DAMTP, University of
Cambridge, UK
8. Prof. Gauri Mahulikar, Academic Director, CIF and Former Professor &
Head, Sanskrit Department, Mumbai University
9. Dr. Gautam Sen, London School of Economics (Retd.)
10. Advocate Hari Shankar Jain, Supreme Court of India
11. Prof. Himanshu Roy, Centre for Political Studies (CPS), Jawaharlal Nehru
University (JNU)
12. Prof. Kanchi Gopinath, Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bangalore
(Retd.)
13. Prof. Kapil Kapoor, Former Pro-Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru
University (JNU)
14. Dr. Krishen Kak (IAS, retd), Author
15. Prof. Lakshmi Bandlamudi, LaGuardia Community College, City
University of New York
16. Prof. Madhu Kishwar, Former Professor, Centre for the Study of
Developing Societies (CSDS) and National Professor, ICSSR (2016 – 19)
17. Dr. Narendra Joshi, Project Director, Vivekananda Prabodhini, Jana Seva
Kendra, Mumbai
18. Dr. Neena Bansal, Associate Professor, Dept. of Political Science,
University of Delhi
19. Shri Neeraj Atri, Chairman, National Center for Historical Research and
Comparative Studies
20. Advocate Prashant Singh, Supreme Court of India
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21. Dr. Prem Parkash Khosla, M.M.D. University, Haryana
22. Prof. R. Vaidyanathan, Cho S Ramaswamy Visiting Chair Professor,
Sastra University and Former Professor, Indian Institute of Management,
Bangalore
23. Shri Rahul Dewan, President, Sarayu Trust
24. Prof. Ramesh N. Rao, Dept. of Communication, Columbus State
University, Georgia
25. Dr. Ratan Sharda, Author
26. Advocate Ravi Sharma, Advocate on Record, Supreme Court of India
27. Shri Sahil Aggarwal, Co-founder and CEO, Rishihood University,
Haryana
28. Prof. Sangit Kumar Ragi, Dept. of Political Science, University of Delhi
29. Shri Sanjay Dixit (IAS, retd), Chairman, Jaipur Dialogues
30. Dr. Satish Malhotra, Retd. Prof., G.G.S. Medical College, Punjab
31. Dr. Sharda Narayanan, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Natya, Dr. MGR
Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women, Chennai
32. Dr. Shilpi Tiwari, VIMHANS, Delhi
33. Dr. Surendra Jain, Former Principal, Sh. L. N. Hindu College, Rohtak,
Haryana
34. Prof. Uma lyer, Bronx Community College, City University of New York
(Retd.)
35. Advocate V. Govinda Ramanan, Supreme Court of India
36. Advocate Varun Dutta, Punjab & Haryana High Court
37. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, Advocate on Record, Supreme Court of
India

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 Annexure 1 – Books

Bahishti Zewar (English)

Bahishti Zewar (Hindi)
Peculiar Personal Problems of Men and Women (English)

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Annexure 2 – Fatwa

Urdu Fatwa: 432/n=420/n

English (Google) translation

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Annexure 3 – Fatwas

Fatwa 1: 1487/1308=B/1429
Fatwa 2: 943/900/M=7/1438
Fatwa 3: 276/158/H=1433
Fatwa 4: 1027/1027/M=1432
Fatwa 5: 1209/B=201/TB=1433

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