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What is a madrassa?


Basically a madrassa is a school that teaches Islamic religious studies and Islamic law.


I found the found the following definitions on the web.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrasah

Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious (of any religion). It is variously transliterated as madrasah, madarasaa, medresa, madrassa, madraza, madarsa, medrese etc.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/madrasa

ma·dra·sah also ma·dra·sa or ma·dras·sah

A building or group of buildings used for teaching Islamic theology and religious law, typically including a mosque.


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline ... ssary.html

Madrassa A madrassa is an Islamic religious school. Many of the Taliban were educated in Saudi-financed madrassas in Pakistan that teach Wahhabism, a particularly austere and rigid form of Islam which is rooted in Saudi Arabia.


http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history ... ry/m.htm#2

Madrassas Higher schools of Muslim education that taught law, religious sciences, the Quran, and the regular sciences.