I'm shocked -- shocked! -- to learn that jihadist sentiments are on the rise in a country where the madrasas have been dubbed "universities of jihad," and where sympathizers of bin Laden can be found at the highest levels of government.
"Islamist voices rise on Pakistani campuses," from the Christian Science Monitor, :
...Islamist student unions are battling for the hearts and minds of young Muslims - receiving a boost from a growing student conservatism as well as IJT's ability to fill in gaps left by the poor funding of education here.Some 23,000 students attend Punjab University, a place that the government hopes will foster the values of "enlightened moderation." The leafy grounds echo campuses around the world: young men and women stroll together down shaded lanes; a young woman poses giddily for a picture.
But some faculty members say that their tolerant and liberal viewpoints are facing an increasingly tough challenge. And students say they've seen IJT activists beat others whose public behavior they deem unacceptable. In one example highlighted by the local press, IJT activists allegedly beat a newly married couple whom they mistakenly thought were flirting in public.
IJT activists deny such charges. "This is false propaganda. There is not one incident in which IJT workers beat students," says Nasurallah Khan Goraya, president of IJT, which is linked to the Jamaat Islami, a popular Islamist party with seats in the National Assembly.
Members of IJT, who number some 3,000 nationally, say they promote Islamic values not only by policing student behavior but by helping needy students. Pakistan spends less than $600 per student per year on higher education, proportionally less than comparable South Asian countries, according to comparative studies. Its spending on overall public education, the lowest in the region, declined to 1.8 percent of GDP in 2002-03 from 2.6 percent of GDP in 1990.
The US has proposed $87 million in aid for higher education in Pakistan between 2002 and 2007.
IJT leaders say they do not receive any money directly from Jamaat Islami. The bulk of their funding, they say, comes from private donations from former members both in Pakistan and abroad and supports campaignssuch as aiding schools in earthquake-affected areas and holding book fairs. "We have only an ideological link with Jamaat Islami," Mr. Goraya says. "We do not depend on them."
You know, I take it back: We DO need leftist teachers.
We can ship them all to teach in Pakistan. Talk about a monkey wrench...!
Sorry. Been frequenting the politics forum on DA and getting rather depressed with the lack of historical depth in many people's thinking...
"Pakistan spends less than $600 per student per year on higher education.."
And the "education" is like foot binding for the head. The Chinese ended the practice of foot binding for women some time ago (especially after Mao)because they thought it was a regressive practice that held their society in a previous era.
"the 'education'[in Pakistan's madrasas] is like foot binding for the head."
-- from a posting above
What a memorable way to put it.
Himself (AKA Hugh)-
Thank you, sir.
There were some important studies on this by Rubina Saigol, Pervez Hoodbhoy, K. K. Aziz, I. A. Rahman, Mubarak Ali, A. H. Nayyar, Ahmed Saleem, Yvette Rosser and others. Here are just a few extracts from these studies:
Nayyar & Salim (2003): This study was conducted with 30 experts of Pakistan's education system, and found that the textbooks contain statements that seek to create hate against Hindus. There was also an emphasis on Jihad, Shahadat, wars and military heroes. The study reported that the textbooks also had a lot of gender-biased stereotypes. Some of the problems in Pakistani textbooks cited in the report were: “Insensitivity to the existing religious diversity of the nation”; "Incitement to militancy and violence, including encouragement of Jehad and Shahadat”; a “glorification of war and the use of force”; "Inaccuracies of fact and omissions that serve to substantially distort the nature and significance of actual events in our history"; “Perspectives that encourage prejudice, bigotry and discrimination towards fellow citizens, especially women and religious minorities, and other towards nations” and “Omission of concepts ... that could encourage critical selfawareness among students”. (Nayyar & Salim 2003)
The Curriculum Wing of the Federal Ministry of Education rejected a textbook in December 2003 because of two serious objections: The textbook contained the text of letter of a non-Muslim, and it contained the story of a family were both husband and wife worked and were sharing their household chores. In February 2004, a textbook was disapproved by the Curriculum Wing because it didn't contain enough material on jihad. (Nayyar 2004)
Pakistani textbooks were relatively unbiased upto 1972, but were rewritten and completely altered under Bhutto's and especially under Zia's (1977-88) rule. http://in.news.yahoo.com/031122/43/29ozt.html The bias in Pakistani textbooks was also documented by Y. Rosser (2003). She wrote that "in the past few decades, social studies textbooks in Pakistan have been used as locations to articulate the hatred that Pakistani policy makers have attempted to inculcate towards their Hindu neighbours”, and that as a result "in the minds of generations of Pakistanis, indoctrinated by the 'Ideology of Pakistan' are lodged fragments of hatred and suspicion." (Rosser 2003)
Professors who have been critical of Pakistani politics or corruption have are sometimes discriminated against. Dr. Parvez Hoodbhoy, who was also a critic of Pakistani politics, had troubles leaving the country for a lecture in the Physics department at MIT, because he was denied a NOC (No Objection Certificate) necessary for travels abroad http://www.pakistan-facts.com/staticpages/index.php?page=20030403171005709
One of the omissions in Pakistani textbooks is Operation Gibraltar. Operation Gibraltar, which provoked the Indian Army attack on Lahore, is not mentioned in most history textbooks. According to Pakistani textbooks, Lahore was attacked without any provocation on the part of the Pakistani army http://www.pakistan-facts.com/staticpages/index.php?page=20030403171005709. The rule of Islamic invaders like Mahmud of Gahzni is glorified, while the much more peaceful Islamic ruler Akbar is often ignored in Pakistani textbooks.
The Pakistani Curriculum document for classes K-V stated in 1995 that "at the completion of Class-V, the child should be able to":
* "Acknowledge and identify forces that may be working against Pakistan."[pg 154]
* "Demonstrate by actions a belief in the fear of Allah." [pg154]
* "Make speeches on Jehad and Shahadat" [pg154]
* "Understand Hindu-Muslim differences and the resultant need for Pakistan." [pg154]
* "India's evil designs against Pakistan." [pg154]
* "Be safe from rumour mongers who spread false news" [pg158]
* "Visit police stations" [pg158]
* "Collect pictures of policemen, soldiers, and National Guards" [pg158]
* "Demonstrate respect for the leaders of Pakistan" [pg153] (National Bureau of Curriculum and Textbooks Federal Ministry of Education, 1995 Government of Pakistan. Pervez Hoodbhoy - What Are They Teaching In Pakistani Schools Today?)http://www.pakistan-facts.com/article.php?story=20030428231558859
More information can be found at:
# Dr A H Nayyar. Twisted truth: Press and politicians make gains from SDPI curriculum report SDPI Research and News Bulletin Vol. 11, No. 1, January - February 2004
# Pervez Hoodbhoy - What Are They Teaching In Pakistani Schools Today? (International Movement for a Just World) http://www.pakistan-facts.com/article.php?story=20030428231558859
* K.K.Aziz. (2004) The Murder of History : A Critique of History Textbooks used in Pakistan. ISBN 969-402-126-X Vanguard.http://web.mid-day.com/columns/mayank_shekhar/2004/december/98885.htm
* Nayyar, A.H. & Salim, Ahmad. The Subtle Subversion: The State of Curricula and Text-books in Pakistan - Urdu, English, Social Studies and Civics. Sustainable Development Policy Institute. http://www.sdpi.org/whats_new/reporton/State%20of%20Curr&TextBooks.pdf http://www.sdpi.org/help/research_and_news_bulletin/nbjanfeb04/articles/text%20only/text%20only.htm http://www.countercurrents.org/ipk-sarwar030404.htm
* Rosser, Yvette. Indoctrinating Minds: Politics of Education in Bangladesh, RUPA, New Delhi, 2004.http://www.observerindia.com/publications/monograph/indminds.htm
* --- Islamization of Pakistani Social Studies Textbooks, RUPA, New Delhi, 2003.
* --- "The Clandestine Curriculum: The Temple of Doom in the Classroom", Education About Asia, Volume 6, Number 3, Winter 2001 (Association of Asian Studies) http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/s_es/s_es_rosse_EAA_frameset.htm http://www.pakistan-facts.com/staticpages/index.php?page=20030403171005709
* ---"Hegemony and Historiography: The Politics of Pedagogy", Asia Review, Dhaka, Fall 1999.
* ---"Stereotypes in Schooling: Negative Pressures in the American Educational System on Hindu Identity Formation", Hindu Diaspora: Global Perspectives, Rukmani, ed. Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, 1999 http://www.mssu.edu/projectsouthasia/tsa/VIN1/Rosser.htm
And just think if the islamic facists ever take power in Pakistan they have nuclear missiles ready to fly and scientists with the no how to make more.
Like Stevenz said, they have nukes. Brother, good thing President Bush told India yes and Pakistan no for nuclear agreements.