Author: Our Political Bureau
Publication: The Economic Times
Date: February 2, 2002
Introduction: Keeps General on tenterhooks,
to control supply life of Jehad
From military bases, it is now curriculum.
In what is seen as a marked enlargement of the US role in Pakistan, Washington
has indicated that it will like to remain engaged with the reforms of the
madrasa curriculum in Pakistan.
The US' interest to extend its interest
beyond the military to the civil came from the national security advisor,
Condoleeza Rice and just after President Bush's State of Union address
where he talked about youth in many countries being brainwashed into being
terrorists. In an interaction with the media in Washington, Condy Rice
clearly hinted that the emphasis would now be on the supply line for jehad
- the madrasa education system.
"Terrorism, the kind of hopelessness
that gets foisted on people around the world, cannot stand in a world in
which people have hope. And that is why education in practical skills,
rather than education in hatred, is so important to peace and stability
in the long run," US' National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said.
"We are moving quickly, with places
like Pakistan, to help them improve their educational system," she said,
indicating that General Pervez Musharraf will have to tackle those contorlling
these powerful institutions.
According to various studies on
the state of education in Pakistan, only 40 per cent of its people are
illiterate and for the past two decades, even the state is relying on the
madrasas to educate its children. As it happens, most madrasas offer only
religious instruction, ignoring mathematcs, science and other secular subjects.
What is more disturbing is the fact
that a sizeable section among them preach jehad and prepare the students
for waging wars in different theatres like Chechnya, Xinjiang and Kashmir.
The students are taught that fighting against the Hindus and the Christians
are part of their "spiritual obligations".
While there is little realisation
yet within the Pakistani establishment that the brand of Islam which is
preached in the madrasas is bad, General's recent speeches that he would
reform the institutions had received hostile response.
This is not the first time that
the General had announced such plans. Even after the much trumptted plans
of the General's adminsitration a year ago, there are over 50,000 madrasas
whic h are not registered with the government. Those who control them have
said that the State has no role as they were designed cenuries ago.
At her interactions with the media,
Ms Rice said that leaders of every continent will have to accept that there
is no such thing as a good terrorist or bad terrorist. "You cannot condemn
al Qaeda and hug Hamas," she said. In other words, terrorism in any pretext
will be unacceptable to the US.
