According to the new syllabus revised by the FPSC recently, non-Muslims are in effect being forced to study Islamiyat
HYDERABAD: According to previous CSS policies, non-Muslims had a choice to opt for sitting for the Islamiyat examination if one wished to do so. Otherwise, they were awarded marks in Pakistan Affairs, in lieu of Islamiyat, without needing to attempt the Islamiyat paper. Now, according to the new syllabus revised by the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) recently, non-Muslims are in effect being forced to study Islamiyat. A new policy has been formulated in which a new subject, Comparative Study of Religions, consisting of five religions, including Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism, has been introduced.
The trick here is that the portion on Islam in the syllabus for Comparative Study of Religions is about the same length as the Islamiyat subject. Non-Muslims are appalled at this policy. This is an act of discrimination towards non-Muslims and reinforces inequality, as in effect, non-Muslims are being forced to study Islamiyat at length, with their being less focus on other religions. Again, non-Muslims are in between the devil and the deep sea. The FPSC should revisit its policies and reintroduce the previous rule to accommodate non-Muslims.
Engineer Bhagwan Bhatti
Published in The Express Tribune, August 19th, 2015.
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