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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Who is going to save the moderate Pakistanis? |
| 2004-10-23 |
| Enlightened moderates are out, Madrassahs are in. In 1947, Pakistan had some 20 dozen madrassahs. The half of Pakistan left now, according to interior ministry's rather conservative estimate, has 20,000 with 3 million students and they churn out 40,000 graduates every year. Pakistan's primary schools are not far behind. The Economic Survey 2003-04 says 17.4 million Pakistani children are attending primary schools (according to UNICEF, an additional 13 million school-age Pakistanis will never see the inside of a classroom). Here is a sample of what the fortunate 17.4 million primary school Pakistani children are being taught: The official Curriculum Document, Primary Education, Class K-V specifically prescribes "simple stories to urge jihad ." Under 'Activity 4', the specific prescription for three- and eight-year-old Pakistanis is: "To make speeches on jihad and shahadat." The Ministry of Education..formally endorses the following 'Learning Outcome': "Recognize the importance of jihad in every sphere of life." The officially certified direction for five- and ten-year-old Pakistanis is: "To make speeches on Jihad ." The "Affective Objective" for Classes I-V is: "Concepts of Ideology of Pakistan, Muslim Ummah and Jihad." Of the 17.4 million primary schoolers only 4 million enter the Middle School (the rest drop out). The lucky 4 million are given further tutoring in jihad. Pakistani textbook writers are obliged under explicit instructions from the Ministry of Education, the National Bureau of Curriculum and Textbooks, to "create a feeling among students that they are the members of a Muslim nation. Therefore, in accordance with the Islamic tradition, they have to be truthful, honest, patriotic and life-sacrificing mujahids." The National Bureau of Curriculum and Textbooks, Social Studies Curriculum for Classes VI-VIII under the National Curriculum Committee, has similar recommendations for jihad, Tableegh [proselytize], Shahdat, sacrifice and the rest. Of the 4 million middle schoolers only 1.6 million enter the High School. The lucky 1.6 million then receive advance jihad tutoring. Urdu Curriculum (Compulsory, optional and Easy course), Classes IX and X, National Bureau of Curriculum and Textbooks, Ministry of Education sanctions the following 'Learning Outcome': "Must be aware of the blessings of jihad ." The Curriculum Wing of the Ministry of Education, more often than not, equates jihad with guerilla warfare. Our education ministry continues to 'inspire' our children to become guerrilla fighters. Punjab Textbook Board continues to make our children "aware of the blessings of jihad " to "make speeches on jihad " to "create a yearning for jihad" to "love and aspire for jihad ." As a consequence of it all, our madrasas manage to add 40,000 real jihadis every year to our existing reservoir of jihadis. Then there are 1.6 million wanna-be jihadis who graduate from our 16,059 high schools every year. Does our education ministry know that right after the Battle of Khyber our Holy Prophet (PBUH) had stated that jihad-e-asghar (smaller jihad) is over and that jihad-e-akbar (greater jihad) had begun? Doesn't that mean the end of armed jihad (jihad-e-asghar) and the beginning of jihad against poverty and illiteracy? To be certain, we are going to need all the jihadis we can produce and then some more. At least four major jihads are coming up. Make no mistake: the first jihad is against all the 'enlightened moderate Pakistanis'; the second is against the 293 million inhabitants of the 'Great Satan'; the third, against the more than 6 million residents of Israel ; and then there are a billion Hindus to be taken care of. An 'enlightened moderate Pakistani' is now an endangered species. While the WWF is overly busy saving sperm whales, pandas, Iberian ibexes, Monk seals, Blue-fin tuna, one-horned rhinoceroses, seahorses and Lady's Slipper orchids there is no one to save enlightened moderate Pakistanis. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |
| #1 I doubt we can save BOTH of them..... |
| Posted by: Cleremp Angineling7223 2004-10-23 4:16:57 PM |