Author:
Publication: The Washington Times
Date: October 30, 2003
URL: http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20031029-084548-9640r.htm
Few would have expected Secretary
of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to focus on radical madrassas, or Islamic schools,
in his private communications with top advisers. This focus would be more
predictable in a secretary of state or national security adviser. But,
in his much-commented-on memo, which was leaked to USA Today, Mr. Rumsfeld
put special attention on madrassas, asking: "Does the U.S. need to fashion
a broad, integrated plan to stop the next generation of terrorists?"
Drafting and implementing such a
plan should be a high priority. An estimated 6 million Muslims study in
madrassas around the world. Pakistan is of special concern. Madrassas there
began to seriously proliferate when jihadists were needed to fight the
Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. After the battle with the
Soviets was won, the clout of these schools rose, and many continue to
receive foreign funding, primarily from Saudi Arabia and Iran. There are
currently up to 1 million madrassas in Pakistan, a minority of which, perhaps
15 percent, indoctrinate their pupils with Islamic vitriol and militancy.
In a July 2 editorial, this newspaper
looked at the Pakistani government's plan for dealing with madrassas and
proposed revisiting the subject in coming months. Most analysts say it
is too soon to track the government's progress, but there are already several
notable setbacks and apparent shortcomings in initiative and approach.
For starters, the government of
President Pervez Musharraf has yet to put a madrassa reform law up for
a vote in parliament. Such a law would give the reform effort democratic
legitimacy and allow the government to implement several requirements.
As it stands, Pakistan's $255 million plan is voluntary, giving madrassas
monetary incentives to register and teach a broader, more pragmatic curriculum.
Yesterday, a council of clerics
in Pakistan that runs thousands of madrassas rejected the deal: public
funding for their schools in exchange for curriculum expansion. The rejection
is an embarrassing setback for the government and demonstrates that compulsory
reform for schools is necessary. Madrassas can get by with little funding
and are often supported by foreign sponsors.
The administration should urge the
Pakistani government to require madrassas to register, to expand the curriculum
and to declare sources of funding. Diplomas should be available only to
graduates from madrassas that comply with the government's program. The
United States should also consider bolstering funding for secular education
in Pakistan.
This is, of course, a wish list
of reforms, but if Congress approves President Bush's aid package for Pakistan,
the United States will have $3 billion to leverage the changes. The United
States has several priorities in Pakistan, and madrassa reform should be
high on the list.
