Let me clarify that the collective effort as announced is certainly not additional religion
ISLAMABAD: I am the founder of Saqifat-ul-Nubala (Center of Excellence for Nobility) and am engaged in voluntary service for Islam and humanity. I am writing this to praise the National Assembly’s decision of making the teaching of the Holy Quran in educational institutions mandatory. However, this revolutionary vision has been recently contested by Anjum Altaf’s in his column, Is more religion the answer?
An overview of current modus operandi identifies two systems in the learning of the Holy Quran, ie, madrassas dedicated to out-of-school children and private Qaris for school-goers to teach at home after school. Experience shows that managing time for regular studies and the Holy Quran, side by side creates pressure for the children as well as parents, resulting into neglect and even abandonment of the latter.
Imparting the Holy Quran learning during school timings will not only facilitate naazarah and tajweed individually, but also infuse collective approach in a controlled and formal environment besides opening new avenues for the clergy’s advancement outside their traditional shell. Above all, it would hopefully generate unity among factions and mutual accommodation in building up an Islamic team spirit at the grassroots level.
The query raised by the writer as to whether ‘more religion’ is required, needs elaboration as to what constitutes ‘more’ in religion. Since the discussion pertains to the Holy Quran education, let me clarify that the collective effort as announced is certainly not additional religion, rather just the essential basic component to mould the young generation to be a useful citizen of society.
Abdul Lateef
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2017.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
