Minority students to study 'ethics' instead of Islamic studies in Sindh

Sindh Text Book Board chairman says 'ethics' book will be included in curriculum of all public schools from April 1

KARACHI: The Sindh Text Book Board (STBB), Jamshoro, has decided to add a special book to its syllabus for minority students in the province.

“Students belonging to minority communities in government schools will study the curriculum according to their own religion,” STBB chairman Syed Zakir Ali Shah announced on Tuesday.



The new book which has been named Ikhlaqiat (ethics) will be included in the curriculum of all public schools across Sindh from April 1 of the current year, the chairman said. “This book will be added to the curriculum of grade 7 students and above in the first phase of induction.”

Talking about the contents of the book, the chairman pointed out that the book includes the teachings of different religions, including Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism and mystic poetry.

Last year, the Sindh government had announced to include Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s August 11, 1947 speech in the school curriculum from classes 8 to 10 in a bid to teach religious tolerance.



“Quaid-e-Azam’s speech is being included in the curriculum on the directives of Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari,” Provincial Minister for Education Nisar Khuhro had said. “We will include this speech from classes 8 to 10.”

The founder of the nation’s August 11 speech is famous for the Quaid explicitly talking about giving equal rights and freedom to all religious minorities.

However, some have pointed out how teaching 'ethics' instead of a subject that relates to minority faiths is inherently 'discriminatory'.

"Discrimination begins from the point when children are offered [to study] ethics [rather than compulsory Islamic studies] instead of a subject that relates to their faiths,” Peter Jacob, the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) executive director said in 2012.

Jacob says ethics is not a suitable alternative for religious studies. He says considering that the contents are derived from Islamic traditions, the stated purpose of giving students this option is lost.

“If Muslim students have a right to study Islamic studies, non Muslim students, too, should be entitled to study subject that relates to their religion,” says Mariam Arif, head of the Street Law Clinic at the Quaid-i-Azam Law College. Referring to sub-section 1 of the Article 22 of the Constitution, she says the government is legally obligated to ensure that non Muslim students receive religious instructions in accordance with their faiths.

“Ethics is not a religious study. It certainly does not subscribe to the faith of a religious minority,” she said.