Pakistan's struggle to rein in religious seminaries!

[Norwegian]

Pakistan's struggle to rein in religious seminaries
By AFP
Published: June 16, 2015
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PHOTO: PAKISTAANPK

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan pledged to crack down on religious seminaries suspected of fostering extremism following the Peshawar school attack in December that left more than 130 children dead, but the move faces stiff resistance from conservatives.

Amid a wave of outrage after the attack at the school in the Peshawar, the government announced a “National Action Plan” to fight back against the militants.

A six-year moratorium on the death penalty was lifted and the constitution was amended to allow military courts to try those accused of carrying out attacks “in the name of religion or a sect”.

The plan also included proposals to keep a closer watch on the country’s 13,000 Islamic seminaries, or madrassas, 97 per cent of which are privately run.

With little oversight of what was being taught to the 1.8 children enrolled in them, fears grew after Peshawar that some were breeding grounds for intolerance — or even extremism.

Every evening the leafy streets of one of Islamabad’s most exclusive quarters throng with young men in white shalwar kameez and prayer caps.

They are students of the Jamia Faridia madrassa, tucked among the upmarket homes of diplomats and wealthy Pakistanis.

It is run by Maulana Abdul Aziz, the cleric of the hardline Red Mosque, which in 2007 was the scene of a week-long military siege against radicals which left more than 100 people dead and led to the rise of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Aziz is well known for his controversial views, including praising the Islamic State group and saying the Pakistani military’s fight against the TTP was “un-Islamic”. Last year the Red Mosque’s madrassa for girls renamed its library in honour of slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

Habib Ullah, a Jamia Faridia student, says bin Laden is his hero and has strong views on Shia Muslims, who form a minority of about 20 per cent of the Pakistani population, which is mostly Sunni Muslim.

“They are not Muslims and they should be converted to Islam,” the 12-year-old told AFP.

In his home village in the northern district of Kohistan, the cleric used to say that killing one Shia would bring you 70 steps closer to heaven.

That is a startling view for any child to hold, but particularly in a country where sectarian violence — mostly targeting Shias — is on the rise.

But the government’s efforts to rein in madrassas have prompted anger from many clerics, who accuse the authorities of maligning religious leaders in a bid to build an “anti-Islamic narrative”.

“The term religion and sect have been used in the… constitutional amendment, which makes it biased,” said Abdul Qudus, spokesperson for Wafaq-ul-Madaris al-Arabia, the country’s largest grouping of madrassas.

“We are quite sure that the government wants to target religious institutions, but we won’t let it happen,” he said.

Information Minister Pervez Rashid felt the force of the clerics’ influence last month after he called madrassas “universities of illiteracy and ignorance”.

Banners appeared overnight all over Islamabad condemning him and he was forced to apologise on television.

There is also the question of possible resistance from Pakistan’s wealthy friends in the Gulf. In January, a Senate committee heard that seminaries were receiving funding from Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

The last time Pakistan tried to regulate madrassas, under military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Gulf countries — particularly Saudi Arabia — leaned on Islamabad to persuade it not to push too hard on the curriculum, according to a senior official.

After Peshawar, however, Pakistani media and government ministers began publicly questioning whether financial support from Saudi Arabia for madrassas was fuelling violent extremism, a rare moment of discord between the longstanding allies.

The Saudi embassy issued a statement saying all its donations to seminaries had government clearance, but much of the funding is thought to come through informal channels.

“Madrassas have special representatives who travel across the Arab world and African countries… and those who have access to Europe, they collect the money themselves from Muslim communities there,” Amir Rana, the director of think tank the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, told AFP.

“This is a grey area which is difficult to monitor.”

A senior government official who asked not be named said an estimated 70 million rupees was illegally transferred from two Gulf countries in the space of two months this year after visits by religious leaders.

Pakistan is a deeply religious society and, despite misgivings about madrassas, clergy are generally well respected.

Overcoming resistance from them will take political will and determination, which Rana said he doubts the government can muster.

“They (the government) have political interests and they are well aware of the street power of the clergy and their hold on society,” he said.

Pakistan underwent a “programme of Islamisation” under military ruler Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s and successive governments have sought to make capital from religion.

The government has sought help from religious leaders to persuade parents to immunise children against polio and used mosques and seminaries to build a narrative of patriotism.

Moreover, madrassas remain popular with the poor for financial and social reasons, as well as religion.

For many less well-off families, madrassas offer a cheap way to deal with their numerous children. Unlike many schools, madrassas do not charge fees, and on top of teaching pupils, they also house, clothe and feed them.

In addition, a madrassa education can offer social prestige that in Pakistan’s deeply religious society, secular schooling cannot match.
A boy from a poor family who trains long enough to become a mullah brings respect for his whole family — and the chance to open his own mosque.
Pakistan's struggle to rein in religious seminaries - The Express Tribune

Its quite shocking to find out that after all that religiously fueled extremism and terrorism Pakistani society has faced for years, our so-called elected government is unable to crackdown effectively against its roots and sources of funding. Shame on our coward politicians who cannot stand with the truth and what is right, instead they time and again bow down to threats from Mullahcracy and their blind followers!

@hacsan @TankMan @Etilla @Srinivas @desert warrior @pumkinduke @wolfpack @rubyjackass @Derolo @Archdemon @Natan @500 @MarkovChain @Solomon2 @F-15I @A.Rafay @Ahmad1996 @Armstrong @arushbhai @AstanoshKhan @AZADPAKISTAN2009 @balixd @batmannow @Bilal. @chauvunist @Crypto @Dr. Stranglove @Evil Flare @EyanKhan @Fahad Khan 2 @GIANTsasquatch @graphican @Green Arrow @Guleen Ahmed @HRK @Jazzbot @Junaid B @Jzaib @Khalidr @khawaja07 @Leader @Luftwaffe @mr42O @Muhammad Omar @nomi007 @Pak123 @Pakistanisage @Peaceful Civilian @pkuser2k12 @PWFI @raazh @Rafael @Rashid Mahmood @RescueRanger @Saifkhan12 @SHAMK9 @Stealth @Strike X @SUPARCO @syedali73 @Tameem @Tayyab1796 @Zarvan @AdeelFaheem @Rajput_Pakistani @Men in Green @IceCold @LoveIcon @razahassan1997 @Cheetah786 @Dil Pakistan @asq @junaid hamza @Pukhtoon @jamahir @Strigon @Rafi @Ulla @420canada @sathya @HughSlaman @slapshot @raza_888 @SBD-3 @cb4 @AsianUnion @Aether @Proudpakistaniguy @WishLivePak @Waffen SS @Fracker @Ranches @ghoul @Jf Thunder @GreenFalcon @genmirajborgza786 @orangzaib @Pakistani Exile @KURUMAYA @Irfan Baloch @ali_raza @Syed.Ali.Haider @Patriots @muslim_pakistani @W.11 @Meengla @zaid butt @ajpirzada @Shoaib Rathore @CHARGER @yesboss @TheNoob @Bratva @Viny @StormShadow @suresh1773 @SOHEIL @Force-India @faisal6309 @S.U.R.B. @vsdave2302 @jarves @WAJsal @Winchester @janon @pak-marine @Donatello @Darth Vader @wolfschanzze @TheFlyingPretzel @DRAY @narcon @FaujHistorian @1000 @FNFAL @gau8av @abhi21 @naveen mishra @Kunwar Anurag Rathore @AgNoStiC MuSliM @LeveragedBuyout @MastanKhan @Agent Smith @shuntmaster @Slav Defence @sur @XenoEnsi-14 @DESERT FIGHTER @p100 @BDforever @hunter_hunted @Mav3rick @rockstar08 @asad71 @Major Sam @Faizan Memon @Spy Master @ozzy22 @Manticore @war khan @Afridistan @Razia Sultana @madmusti @ghazaliy2k @Khalid Newazi @Ammyy @bloo @Marxist @karan.1970 @thesolar65 @Not Sure @Arav_Rana @Avik274 @SamantK @Major Shaitan Singh @Omega007 @farhan_9909 @haviZsultan @Sidak @ranjeet @Yogijaat @ravi Nair @WAR-rior @he-man @Indrani @Mike_Brando @SarthakGanguly @sreekumar @Pakistani shaheens @ChennaiDude @Akheilos @Hyperion @Soumitra @TimeTraveller @pursuit of happiness @TankMan @T-123456 @madooxno9 @scorpionx @Capt.Popeye @Tridibans @christian warrior @GR!FF!N @SpArK @utraash @Falcon29 @levina @Jf Thunder @Metanoia @halupridol @Krate M @dexter @jbgt90 @Pride @Star Wars @ROCKING @waleed3601 @ShowGun @danish_vij @manojb @Wolfhound @Koovie @KingMamba @venu309 @Pak_Sher @OrionHunter @Dr. NooB NinjA @Horus @Oscar

 

[VCheng]

Its quite shocking to find out that after all that religiously fueled extremism and terrorism Pakistani society has faced for years, our so-called elected government is unable to crackdown effectively against its roots and sources of funding. Shame on our coward politicians who cannot stand with the truth and what is right, instead they time and again bow down to threats from Mullahcracy and their blind followers!

Why is it shocking? A majority of society supports these radical Mullahs and what they say.

 

[SBD-3]

In addition, a madrassa education can offer social prestige that in Pakistan’s deeply religious society, secular schooling cannot match.
A boy from a poor family who trains long enough to become a mullah brings respect for his whole family — and the chance to open his own mosque.

Both statements are controversial to a large extent
1-Except from Huffaz Karam, I havent really seen anything social praise for anyone. Even for Huffaz, the opportunities are limited to either enter into a private business or restrict themselves to imamat and taraveeh. However, despite this a typical child complets hifz before secondary education so a significant lot converts to the traditional education system rather than going further to Dars-e-Nizami.
2-Pakistani society is rather religiously concious than religious. You'd hardly find masjids populated with nimazis. Not many make a concerted effort to acquire the religious knowledge on their own but rather the task has been outsourced to Mullahs and Ayatullahs in the society so people seek their salvation in the understanding conveyed to them by the clergy.
3- A typical molvi invests about 20 years in religious schools and end up heading a mosque for about 10K a month, 4K below the minimum wage. Most of the common molvis spend more of their day in doing multitasks than studying because their earnings, on average, are not enough to feed a family with respect.
I don't know who has written these inferences but it appears that his/her understanding of the society is very limited.

 

[jamahir]

Every evening the leafy streets of one of Islamabad’s most exclusive quarters throng with young men in white shalwar kameez and prayer caps.

They are students of the Jamia Faridia madrassa, tucked among the upmarket homes of diplomats and wealthy Pakistanis.

these are the typical south asian males who do not contribute to humanity... while elon musk is en route to take some of humanity to mars, these prayer-fanatic reactionaries ( a blot on islam ) spend their day reciting something that neither they nor their teachers understand... these are parasites and must be removed using hard measures.

south asia ( except afghanistan ) hasn't had the socialist renaissance that many other muslim societies had by the 50's, and it is this failure that led to filthy things including the attack of the peshawar army public school last year.

It is run by Maulana Abdul Aziz, the cleric of the hardline Red Mosque, which in 2007 was the scene of a week-long military siege against radicals which left more than 100 people dead and led to the rise of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)

why is that fellow not dead yet??

Aziz is well known for his controversial views, including praising the Islamic State group and saying the Pakistani military’s fight against the TTP was “un-Islamic”. Last year the Red Mosque’s madrassa for girls renamed its library in honour of slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

those girls of red mosque have a equivalent in indian-administered kashmir - aasiya andrabi, chief of "duktaraan-e-millat" - who i believe has been encouraged over years by the indian establishment.

Habib Ullah, a Jamia Faridia student, says bin Laden is his hero

these brainwashed fools don't even know that bin laden was a cia puppet.

“The term religion and sect have been used in the… constitutional amendment, which makes it biased,” said Abdul Qudus, spokesperson for Wafaq-ul-Madaris al-Arabia, the country’s largest grouping of madrassas.

“We are quite sure that the government wants to target religious institutions, but we won’t let it happen,” he said.

why do these madrassas even exist in south asia??

Information Minister Pervez Rashid felt the force of the clerics’ influence last month after he called madrassas “universities of illiteracy and ignorance”.

Banners appeared overnight all over Islamabad condemning him and he was forced to apologise on television.

pakistanis should support musharraf... he is a man of action, who can take risky decisions... these madrassas should be abolished.

There is also the question of possible resistance from Pakistan’s wealthy friends in the Gulf. In January, a Senate committee heard that seminaries were receiving funding from Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

saudia and qatar was puppets of usa government and heavily involved in the murders of hundreds of thousands of muslims in libya and syria... i don't see why pakistan establishment is not cutting political/military links with the two.

The last time Pakistan tried to regulate madrassas, under military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Gulf countries — particularly Saudi Arabia — leaned on Islamabad to persuade it not to push too hard on the curriculum, according to a senior official.

saudia can go to hell... makkah and madinah should be liberated.

 

[Norwegian]

south asia ( except afghanistan ) hasn't had the socialist renaissance that many other muslim societies had by the 50's, and it is this failure that led to filthy things including the attack of the peshawar army public school last year.

Why do you keep bringing this "great" idea of Arab Socialism, Jamahir etc etc over and over again. Socialism like Capitalism is a failed socio-economic ideology. It has worked NOWHERE in any part or region of this world. Yet, you keep on coming with more and more of this. I cannot understand why???

 

[Zarvan]

Pakistan's struggle to rein in religious seminaries
By AFP
Published: June 16, 2015
0SHARES
SHARE TWEET EMAIL

PHOTO: PAKISTAANPK

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan pledged to crack down on religious seminaries suspected of fostering extremism following the Peshawar school attack in December that left more than 130 children dead, but the move faces stiff resistance from conservatives.

Amid a wave of outrage after the attack at the school in the Peshawar, the government announced a “National Action Plan” to fight back against the militants.

A six-year moratorium on the death penalty was lifted and the constitution was amended to allow military courts to try those accused of carrying out attacks “in the name of religion or a sect”.

The plan also included proposals to keep a closer watch on the country’s 13,000 Islamic seminaries, or madrassas, 97 per cent of which are privately run.

With little oversight of what was being taught to the 1.8 children enrolled in them, fears grew after Peshawar that some were breeding grounds for intolerance — or even extremism.

Every evening the leafy streets of one of Islamabad’s most exclusive quarters throng with young men in white shalwar kameez and prayer caps.

They are students of the Jamia Faridia madrassa, tucked among the upmarket homes of diplomats and wealthy Pakistanis.

It is run by Maulana Abdul Aziz, the cleric of the hardline Red Mosque, which in 2007 was the scene of a week-long military siege against radicals which left more than 100 people dead and led to the rise of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Aziz is well known for his controversial views, including praising the Islamic State group and saying the Pakistani military’s fight against the TTP was “un-Islamic”. Last year the Red Mosque’s madrassa for girls renamed its library in honour of slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

Habib Ullah, a Jamia Faridia student, says bin Laden is his hero and has strong views on Shia Muslims, who form a minority of about 20 per cent of the Pakistani population, which is mostly Sunni Muslim.

“They are not Muslims and they should be converted to Islam,” the 12-year-old told AFP.

In his home village in the northern district of Kohistan, the cleric used to say that killing one Shia would bring you 70 steps closer to heaven.

That is a startling view for any child to hold, but particularly in a country where sectarian violence — mostly targeting Shias — is on the rise.

But the government’s efforts to rein in madrassas have prompted anger from many clerics, who accuse the authorities of maligning religious leaders in a bid to build an “anti-Islamic narrative”.

“The term religion and sect have been used in the… constitutional amendment, which makes it biased,” said Abdul Qudus, spokesperson for Wafaq-ul-Madaris al-Arabia, the country’s largest grouping of madrassas.

“We are quite sure that the government wants to target religious institutions, but we won’t let it happen,” he said.

Information Minister Pervez Rashid felt the force of the clerics’ influence last month after he called madrassas “universities of illiteracy and ignorance”.

Banners appeared overnight all over Islamabad condemning him and he was forced to apologise on television.

There is also the question of possible resistance from Pakistan’s wealthy friends in the Gulf. In January, a Senate committee heard that seminaries were receiving funding from Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

The last time Pakistan tried to regulate madrassas, under military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Gulf countries — particularly Saudi Arabia — leaned on Islamabad to persuade it not to push too hard on the curriculum, according to a senior official.

After Peshawar, however, Pakistani media and government ministers began publicly questioning whether financial support from Saudi Arabia for madrassas was fuelling violent extremism, a rare moment of discord between the longstanding allies.

The Saudi embassy issued a statement saying all its donations to seminaries had government clearance, but much of the funding is thought to come through informal channels.

“Madrassas have special representatives who travel across the Arab world and African countries… and those who have access to Europe, they collect the money themselves from Muslim communities there,” Amir Rana, the director of think tank the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, told AFP.

“This is a grey area which is difficult to monitor.”

A senior government official who asked not be named said an estimated 70 million rupees was illegally transferred from two Gulf countries in the space of two months this year after visits by religious leaders.

Pakistan is a deeply religious society and, despite misgivings about madrassas, clergy are generally well respected.

Overcoming resistance from them will take political will and determination, which Rana said he doubts the government can muster.

“They (the government) have political interests and they are well aware of the street power of the clergy and their hold on society,” he said.

Pakistan underwent a “programme of Islamisation” under military ruler Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s and successive governments have sought to make capital from religion.

The government has sought help from religious leaders to persuade parents to immunise children against polio and used mosques and seminaries to build a narrative of patriotism.

Moreover, madrassas remain popular with the poor for financial and social reasons, as well as religion.

For many less well-off families, madrassas offer a cheap way to deal with their numerous children. Unlike many schools, madrassas do not charge fees, and on top of teaching pupils, they also house, clothe and feed them.

In addition, a madrassa education can offer social prestige that in Pakistan’s deeply religious society, secular schooling cannot match.
A boy from a poor family who trains long enough to become a mullah brings respect for his whole family — and the chance to open his own mosque.
Pakistan's struggle to rein in religious seminaries - The Express Tribune

Its quite shocking to find out that after all that religiously fueled extremism and terrorism Pakistani society has faced for years, our so-called elected government is unable to crackdown effectively against its roots and sources of funding. Shame on our coward politicians who cannot stand with the truth and what is right, instead they time and again bow down to threats from Mullahcracy and their blind followers!

@hacsan @TankMan @Etilla @Srinivas @desert warrior @pumkinduke @wolfpack @rubyjackass @Derolo @Archdemon @Natan @500 @MarkovChain @Solomon2 @F-15I @A.Rafay @Ahmad1996 @Armstrong @arushbhai @AstanoshKhan @AZADPAKISTAN2009 @balixd @batmannow @Bilal. @chauvunist @Crypto @Dr. Stranglove @Evil Flare @EyanKhan @Fahad Khan 2 @GIANTsasquatch @graphican @Green Arrow @Guleen Ahmed @HRK @Jazzbot @Junaid B @Jzaib @Khalidr @khawaja07 @Leader @Luftwaffe @mr42O @Muhammad Omar @nomi007 @Pak123 @Pakistanisage @Peaceful Civilian @pkuser2k12 @PWFI @raazh @Rafael @Rashid Mahmood @RescueRanger @Saifkhan12 @SHAMK9 @Stealth @Strike X @SUPARCO @syedali73 @Tameem @Tayyab1796 @Zarvan @AdeelFaheem @Rajput_Pakistani @Men in Green @IceCold @LoveIcon @razahassan1997 @Cheetah786 @Dil Pakistan @asq @junaid hamza @Pukhtoon @jamahir @Strigon @Rafi @Ulla @420canada @sathya @HughSlaman @slapshot @raza_888 @SBD-3 @cb4 @AsianUnion @Aether @Proudpakistaniguy @WishLivePak @Waffen SS @Fracker @Ranches @ghoul @Jf Thunder @GreenFalcon @genmirajborgza786 @orangzaib @Pakistani Exile @KURUMAYA @Irfan Baloch @ali_raza @Syed.Ali.Haider @Patriots @muslim_pakistani @W.11 @Meengla @zaid butt @ajpirzada @Shoaib Rathore @CHARGER @yesboss @TheNoob @Bratva @Viny @StormShadow @suresh1773 @SOHEIL @Force-India @faisal6309 @S.U.R.B. @vsdave2302 @jarves @WAJsal @Winchester @janon @pak-marine @Donatello @Darth Vader @wolfschanzze @TheFlyingPretzel @DRAY @narcon @FaujHistorian @1000 @FNFAL @gau8av @abhi21 @naveen mishra @Kunwar Anurag Rathore @AgNoStiC MuSliM @LeveragedBuyout @MastanKhan @Agent Smith @shuntmaster @Slav Defence @sur @XenoEnsi-14 @DESERT FIGHTER @p100 @BDforever @hunter_hunted @Mav3rick @rockstar08 @asad71 @Major Sam @Faizan Memon @Spy Master @ozzy22 @Manticore @war khan @Afridistan @Razia Sultana @madmusti @ghazaliy2k @Khalid Newazi @Ammyy @bloo @Marxist @karan.1970 @thesolar65 @Not Sure @Arav_Rana @Avik274 @SamantK @Major Shaitan Singh @Omega007 @farhan_9909 @haviZsultan @Sidak @ranjeet @Yogijaat @ravi Nair @WAR-rior @he-man @Indrani @Mike_Brando @SarthakGanguly @sreekumar @Pakistani shaheens @ChennaiDude @Akheilos @Hyperion @Soumitra @TimeTraveller @pursuit of happiness @TankMan @T-123456 @madooxno9 @scorpionx @Capt.Popeye @Tridibans @christian warrior @GR!FF!N @SpArK @utraash @Falcon29 @levina @Jf Thunder @Metanoia @halupridol @Krate M @dexter @jbgt90 @Pride @Star Wars @ROCKING @waleed3601 @ShowGun @danish_vij @manojb @Wolfhound @Koovie @KingMamba @venu309 @Pak_Sher @OrionHunter @Dr. NooB NinjA @Horus @Oscar

Come and try it your self this will fail at maximum you would manage to register them and monitor who comes and goes nothing more than that. What actually should be done is first schools developed and free education is given in schools than religious education is increased. When a child reached third grade he or she should be able to recite Quran properly and in third class Arabic language should be introduced. Also Islamiyat course increased and after 5 classes a child should be offered to do Hifz and this Hifz should be done in schools and in 9th and 10th grade Quran should be taught with translation and also Islamiyat. In 11th and 12th one Tafseer and books of Hadees should be taught.

 

[Norwegian]

Come and try it your self this will fail at maximum you would manage to register them and monitor who comes and goes nothing more than that. What actually should be done is first schools developed and free education is given in schools than religious education is increased. When a child reached third grade he or she should be able to recite Quran properly and in third class Arabic language should be introduced. Also Islamiyat course increased and after 5 classes a child should be offered to do Hifz and this Hifz should be done in schools and in 9th and 10th grade Quran should be taught with translation and also Islamiyat. In 11th and 12th one Tafseer and books of Hadees should be taught.

Are you talking here about the general curriculum for public schools or curriculum for the religious studies in Madrassas?

 

[jamahir]

Why do you keep bringing this "great" idea of Arab Socialism, Jamahir etc etc over and over again. Socialism like Capitalism is a failed socio-economic ideology. It has worked NOWHERE in any part or region of this world. Yet, you keep on coming with more and more of this. I cannot understand why???

nowhere did socialism fail, except through external and internal conspiracy... why forget that 40+ nato militaries and terrorist slaves invaded libyan jamahiriya in 2011??

socialism/communism is a eternal idea... the most simplest and practical of political arrangements.

 

[Zarvan]

Are you talking here about the general curriculum for public schools or curriculum for the religious studies in Madrassas?

Schools not Madrassahs this has to be taught along with formal education

 

[pak-marine]

Most difficult , much delayed but most essential necessary bit for the survival of this country .. These dogs are covered in blood of hundreds & thousands of innocent lives ..

 

[asad71]

1.It is not right to single out Muslims for having religious seminaries. Christians have much more. Many famous universities in USA and Europe began as Christian seminaries, and they continue to receive Church endowment. Oxford for example. Most of the top schools in India are such. Hindus and Jews have their own seminaries. Madrassas are more open in comparison. That's why they draw negative attention.

2. Madrassas have played and are still playing a crucial role in keeping the Muslim society hopeful and attached to the faith in the face of Christian colonization and now so called secular and atheistic mischief. There are various regulations that have been enacted by govts in Pakistan, India and BD to watch over madrassa activities. So these are not doing anything they like beyond the view of the govt.

 

[Zarvan]

@Zarvan is basically advocating the conversion of normal schools into madrassas...he is one sneaky mullah.

No I am telling to teach both Islam and formal education together I know you have serious problems with Islam but 99 % Pakistanis love Islam and if you will teach both Madrassahs will slowly start reducing

 

[FaujHistorian]

Why is it shocking? A majority of society supports these radical Mullahs and what they say.

What you said was true perhaps few years ago.

Pakistani society like any other group of 200+ million people is not made of stone or wood.

They too have realized that Mullahs are not helping and thus willing to uproot this evil.

The idea is for the thinking heads aka intellectuals to take the lead now and steer the masses in the direction of good global citizenship, and self awareness.

I say this because many intellectuals (perhaps including you and I) could be stuck in the past but the society has moved on.

peace

 

[Solomon2]

...But the government’s efforts to rein in madrassas have prompted anger from many clerics, who accuse the authorities of maligning religious leaders in a bid to build an “anti-Islamic narrative”.
“The term religion and sect have been used in the… constitutional amendment, which makes it biased,” said Abdul Qudus, spokesperson for Wafaq-ul-Madaris al-Arabia, the country’s largest grouping of madrassas.
“We are quite sure that the government wants to target religious institutions, but we won’t let it happen,” he said.
Information Minister Pervez Rashid felt the force of the clerics’ influence last month after he called madrassas “universities of illiteracy and ignorance”.
Banners appeared overnight all over Islamabad condemning him and he was forced to apologise on television.

Apparently attempts to control the madrassas are likely to fail as long as Pakistan officially remains an "Islamic" republic - the Islamists get a special veto, since democracy and government are subject to the Koran.

The last time Pakistan tried to regulate madrassas, under military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Gulf countries — particularly Saudi Arabia — leaned on Islamabad to persuade it not to push too hard on the curriculum, according to a senior official.

I heard about these negotiations from a friend, specifically one that took place in D.C. The Pakistani diplomat in charge of hosting the event explained his superiors compelled him to remain silent while the Saudis and Americans talked about education reform in his country. It must have been a humiliating experience for him...

 

[OrionHunter]

The last time Pakistan tried to regulate madrassas, under military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Gulf countries — particularly Saudi Arabia — leaned on Islamabad to persuade it not to push too hard on the curriculum, according to a senior official.

What is Saudi Arabia's grand design for Pakistan? Why is Pakistan allowing SA to spread its fundamentalist Wahabbi brand of Islam in Pakistan? Is there a secret understanding between the two? Or is Pakistan too scared of upsetting the applecart for fear of losing Saudi support?