madrassa

noun ma·dras·sa \ mə-ˈdra-sə , -ˈdrä- \

variants: or madrasa or less commonly madrassah or madrasah

|Updated on: 27 Jun 2018

Definition of madrassa

: a Muslim school, college, or university that is often part of a mosque

Recent Examples of madrassa from the Web

Witnesses reached by telephone said the mosque was also a madrassa, or religious school, and that members of the Taliban had been present at the assembly, which had been organized to recognize graduates, appoint mullahs, and elevate junior mullahs.

— new york times, BostonGlobe.com, "Afghan military strike kills at least 70 at mosque," 2 Apr. 2018
The Taliban claimed the strike hit a madrassa, or a religious school, during a graduation ceremony, killing dozens of civilians.

— Fox News, "Pakistan students pray for victims of airstrike in Kunduz," 11 Apr. 2018
Abdullah Qarloq, a senator from the district, said the Afghan military struck the Akhundzada Gojor madrassa, or religious school, during a graduation ceremony.

— dan lamothe, Washington Post, "Afghan air force faces criticism after reports that airstrike on Taliban target killed civilians," 3 Apr. 2018
All clerics are government vetted; all madrassas are government controlled and infiltrated by undercover informants.

— julia ioffe, The Atlantic, "Why Does Uzbekistan Export So Many Terrorists?," 1 Nov. 2017
Ehsanullah Amiri wove carpets for $100 a month to help support his family, while Habib Khan Totakhil studied in a madrassa in the ultraconservative tribal areas.

— jessica donati, WSJ, "A Reporter’s Anguished Farewell to Afghanistan," 18 Aug. 2017
The family later moved to Saudi Arabia, where Mr. Ullah was educated in a madrassa, or Islamic school.

— james hookway, WSJ, "The Muslim Militant at the Heart of Myanmar’s Rohingya Exodus," 13 Sep. 2017
The strike, which included dropping ten bombs on a madrassa, or religious school, and firing two missiles at targets fleeing the area, was estimated to have killed two dozen al-Qaeda members.

— yasmeen serhan, The Atlantic, "U.S. Calls Syria Airstrike Lawful—but Human Rights Groups Disagree," 7 June 2017
After-school madrassas serve a growing demand for parents who want their children to study the Quran.

— katrin bennhold and kimiko de freytas-tamura, New York Times, "‘Why Do All the Jihadis Come to Birmingham?’," 26 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'madrassa.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.