The madrasa originated as counterpropaganda against Ismaili and Fatimid influence.

Evidence

It was in this period that the Islamic institution of higher education, the madrasa, was rapidly developed and expanded, and assumed the central position that it has retained ever since. In its origin, its immediate task was counterpropaganda—to devise and disseminate an answer to the challenge of Isma ili doctrines and of Fatimid power. As the historical record shows, it was successful in both. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 448

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the general theme of religious institutions arising from political-religious contestation, like universities in Reformation-era Europe.
• CANDY: A surprising fact: the Islamic university system began as a propaganda tool, not a neutral seat of learning.