This entry discusses madrasas, traditional institutions of Islamic learning, for young Muslim women in a country in which Muslims form a minority.

It is a widely held view, and held as a Qurʾānic injunction, that seeking knowledge represents a ritual obligation and that Islam encourages learning for men and women alike. Since in the Indian context there are no historical precedents for having large-scale, public girls' madrasas at the secondary or jamia level, recourse is taken to the historical precedent of the Prophet as the model teacher who paid special attenti…