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Death worshippers
By Dr Farrukh SaleemA children's programme on Hizbollah TV: A ten-year old daughter of a suicide bomber comes on and says: "I have often prayed for my father to be martyred. I am very happy that God heard my prayers (http://www.manartv.com.lb/)." Agence France-Presse (AFP). The mother of a suicide bomber: "I am very happy my son was martyred. I had said goodbye to him before he left for his mission and I wished him success. I am thankful to God that he heard my prayers (http://www.afp.com/english/home/)." Is it human for a ten-year old to actually celebrate the death of her father? Is it human for a mother to actually rejoice at the loss of her son? Only in a society that glamorises death (and not life). Only when one is brought up in a 'culture of death'. Only where twisted logic is indoctrinated as the ultimate truth. In Pakistan, ten thousand madrassahs prepare two million martyrs a year. On top of that, 198,166 primary, middle and secondary schools are working hard at manufacturing 27 million closet martyrs. As if that wasn't enough, the martial state of the Islamic Republic steps in and puts on display its destructive nuclear potential -- Chagai and replicas of missiles -- on all major street intersections. Walk into any classroom of any government-run school and ninety-five per cent of what's on display is martyrs (with the exception of Jinnah, Iqbal and Sir Syed). What we have thus managed to create is an ideal 'culture of death'; a whole society of death worshippers. Here's the official curriculum document for classes K-V, National Bureau of Curriculum and Textbooks, Federal Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan (1995): "At the completion of Class-V, the child should be able to: Make speeches on jihad and shahadat; India's evil designs against Pakistan; acknowledge and identify forces that may be working against Pakistan [pg 154]." The document further instructs teachers: "To judge their spirits while making speeches on jihadÂ….." Another prescribed 'learning outcome' is to "recognise the importance of jihad in every sphere of life." Textbooks prescribed by the Punjab Textbook Board eulogise "jihad and shahadat" and routinely urge students to "become mujahids and martyrs". Middle school textbooks have long been urging children to be "willing to die as martyrs for Islam." Someone really intelligent once said that the real tragedy of Islam is that "people who talk about Islam the most understand it the least." Our madressahs have been teaching our children death and destruction. Islam is all about life and construction. Our religious leaders are harsh and inflexible. Islam is pleasant and accommodating. Our schools give lessons on hate and hostility. Islam is all about love and friendship. They teach us insanity and irrationality. Islam is all about wisdom and reason. We have been spreading intolerance and ignorance. Islam is all about tolerance and enlightenment. We glorify death and demean intellectual struggle. Islam is all about intellectual struggle and glorification of life. Schools and madrassahs determine what a nation is destined to become in the future. For us, that future is here because we have long let our madressahs and schools churn out brigades of death worshippers. Glamorisation of death -- not life -- and long years of death worshipping degenerate into suicide bombings. To be certain, suicide bombings are getting us nowhere; Muslims are killing Muslims. Our religion gives us al-jihad al-akbar, the greater jihad, the most powerful of instruments to beat non-Muslims through excellence in education, knowledge, schools, universities, libraries, women emancipation, creation and innovation. We have picked up al-jihad al-asghar, the lesser jihad, even before we gave a chance to al-jihad al-akbar. Al Quran, 4:29: "O you who believe, you shall not kill yourselves" Al Quran, 2:195: "You shall spend in the cause of God; do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction" The writer is an Islamabad-based freelance columnist. Posted by: john 2007-02-11 |
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