Revamping Religious Education

By Burhanuddin Hasan

It is very disturbing news that the federal government has accepted the unjust demand of NWFP and Balochistan that they could have their own textbooks written, particularly on the subjects of Islamiat, containing Quranic verses, Hadith, life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Pakistan studies and Urdu. The NWFP minister for education, Maulana Haqqani, told newsmen that the Federal Ministry for Education has agreed to their proposals about changes in the curriculum, allowing them to produce their own textbooks which would be approved.

He said that the NWFP Government had reservations about the changes made by the federal government in the curriculum to "secularise" education by excluding Quranic verses. He claimed that 161 Quranic verses were taken out while a chapter on Islamiat was deleted from the books for classes 1 and 2. If true, this is a very serious accusation which requires an explanation from the ministry of education.

However, the decision of the ministry to allow provincial governments of NWFP and Balochistan to produce their own textbooks on Islamiat and Pakistan history is fraught with serious dangers. The radical religious elements in the provincial governments must be waiting for this opportunity to inject their own ideas about Islam and the creation of Pakistan in the textbooks for children and youth to mould their minds according to their own obscurantist ideology.

The present atmosphere of religious extremism and sectarian hatred in Pakistan is the main cause of divisive tendencies in our political leadership. At this stage, when the threat of Taliban is looming on the country's borders, we cannot afford to deliver the youth once again in the clutches of the Maulvis who produced Taliban through their distorted vision of Islam and their teachings. For centuries, their emphasis has been on rituals and sectarian conflict, ignoring the real spirit of Islam and its message.

Allama Iqbal brilliantly sums up the philosophy of Mullaism in following verses:

• Alfaz-o-maani me tafawut nahi lekin, Mulla ki azan aur, Mujahid ki azan aur.

• Qaum kiya cheez hai, Qaumon ki imamat kiya hai. Isko kya janain yeh bechare do rakat ke Imam.

• Haqiqat, kharafat main kho gai, eh Ummat, rivayat main kho gai.

The religious education imparted by our radical madressahs revolves around mainly the rituals and other "fruaat" rather than in-depth study of the code of life given by the Quran.

Those of God's men (Al-nas) on earth who have understood Quran's message of knowledge and exploration and are using it for the benefit of mankind are ruling the world while those whose Holy Book revealed this message have been left behind and are still groping in the darkness of the Middle Ages.

The Holy Quran provides God's code of conduct to human beings to live their worldly life with peace, justice and righteousness and share their wealth with the poor and the needy, which is the basic requirement of a welfare state.

The Quran, most eloquently, describes this code in Surah Aal-e-Imran:

"You are the best community that has been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency (bad deeds)" (V-110)

Why is it then that the best Ummah raised by God among human beings has lagged so far behind?

The reason is that this Ummah has not really understood or acted upon the message of Quran. It only "recites" the Holy Book as a ritual? Quran says, "He giveth wisdom unto whom He wills and unto whom wisdom is given he truly hath received abounded good. But none remember except men of understanding". (Al-Baqara) (V-269)

We have failed to receive "wisdom" from God because we are not men of "faith and understanding". Those among God's servants, no matter whatever their religion, who understand, have been given wisdom, which they have used to create modern civilisation. God has given us signs to explore the universe. He says: "Lo! In the creation of heavens and the earth and in the difference of night and day are tokens of His sovereignty for men of understanding". (Aal-e-Imran) (V-190)

"Understanding" is the keyword here. Those who have understanding have pondered over the secrets of creation of the universe and have landed on the moon are heading towards Mars.

If the government wants to get rid of the hackneyed religious education prevalent in Pakistan it will have to take urgent measures to revamp the entire system of madressah education to prepare our youth for rational and independent thanking and study Quran like Iqbal and Qaid-e-Azam did not like our half-baked Maulvis and pesh imams, who are producing only jihadi outfits and sectarian warlords.



The writer is a former director of PTV. Email: burhanhasan@hotmail.com