Bengaluru, Oct 7 (DHNS): Three Arabic experts have been appointed to look into madrasa textbooks in Dakshina Kannada district, the government told the High Court on Tuesday.

Mohammed Iqbal and Myyadi, from Dakshina Kannada district, urged the court to direct Mohiddin Jumma Masjid and Darul Uloom Madrasa (wakf institutions) to adopt the Samastha Kerala Sunni Vidyabhyasa Board syllabus, under which Arabic language is taught with Kannada translation. They opposed the syllabus of Samastha Kerala Islam Matha Vidyabhyasa Board, Samasthalayam, that entails Arabic teaching with Malayalam translation.

The appellants said the SKIMVB is an unregistered board which is forcing its syllabus on madrasas in Dakshina Kannada and challenged a February 2015 order of a single bench. That bench ruled since the wakf board had given a direction on continuing the syllabus, no more orders were needed. But the appellants said the two institutions were still continuing with the SKIMVB syllabus and urged a division bench of acting Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice B V Nagarathna to quash the order.

Following the government submission, the bench directed the appellants to check with the Arabic experts to ensure the syllabus had no “anti-national” content.