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Critics: Pakistani Schools Help Breed Terrorism (Gasp!)
Even the title makes me laugh. Are we ahead of the curve here at R-Burg or what?Graduation from a madrassa in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, requires memorization of 6,666 verses from the Quran, the Muslim holy book, and some say these strict teachings are fanning the flames of terrorism. Ummm.... Iâm not exactly religious but why 6,666? Creepy. There are anywhere between 10,000 and 70,000 such schools in Pakistan, most funded by private donations â much of that money coming from outside the country. Which means from Saudi Arabia or possibly Jordan. Supporters say the rote memorization sharpens the minds of future Islamic scholars. Uh-huh. And without madrasas, they say, these children would get no education at all. There may be a valid point to that, but itâs a little like the Nazi Germans saying "Without National Socialist training these Ukranain children would have no education at all!" Under the circumstances maybe it would be better if little Ramine couldnât read Arabic.... There is no furniture here; no pencils, computers or magazines. Science, math and English arenât taught ... a world with its own rules behind a wire cage, rules made by the mullahs, not regulated by the state. Private education I tell ya - itâs a scam! It is a world where Usama bin Laden is openly proclaimed to be a hero by the men in charge. France? Berkeley? Oh.... Pakistan. "It is not only the madrasas," said Mullah Abdul Rasheed Ghazi. "It is the whole of Pakistan. If you have a poll they would say that Usama bin Laden is our hero, and that Bush is our enemy." True, assuming the people you intereviewed had heard of either of them. Itâs really, really rural there. Calls for reform have come not just from the United States, but also from neighboring Afghanistan, whose leaders blame the madrassas for turning out Taliban extremists. Also true.... although its kind of hard to blame the Pakistanese for wanting a stable, friendly government on their northern boarder when they have a hostile one to the east. They donât grow naturally up there, either. Islamic parties in Pakistan have rejected attempts to broaden curriculum as American interference. Most clerics have refused offers of financial aid from the Pakistani government to register their schools or to open up a one-book world. Where will the get the next generation of glorious shahids from if they do? Posted by: Secret Master 2004-04-15 |
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