The writer is a TV journalist/documentary filmmaker, currently working for NDTV
Recently, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has embarked upon revising the province’s syllabus. The K-P information minister, Shah Farman, during a recent press conference on the curriculum, dodged criticism over his statement that “jihad is a part of our faith and every schoolchild should have knowledge about it and its true spirit.”
So far, the changes in the syllabus have not been finalised, but media reports suggest that some of the recommendations include re-inserting Quranic verses on jihad for grade nine that the previous government of the Awami National Party (ANP) had excluded from the syllabus. The loudest criticism to Shah Farman’s statements has come from the ANP’s Bushra Gohar, who accused the PTI of having a pro-Taliban agenda to radicalise society by imposing on it the jihadist narrative through the education system.
The previous ANP government made changes to the syllabus and did away with Zia’s version of Islamisation. This included adding messages of peace, deleting material on jihad (reproduced out of context) from the Islamiat textbook for grade nine and re-inserting them in the class 11 textbook. PTI’s information minister saw the ANP educational reforms as ‘criminal changes’. His party is now busy developing a syllabus that will reflect its version of Islamic ideology and culture of Pakistan.
On the record, the PTI’s education minister, Atif Khan, has rejected all criticism, saying the party has no intention to add jihad to the syllabus and that they have so far only corrected mistakes in textbooks — such as replacing the picture of a woman wearing a skirt with a woman wearing a shalwar-kameez. PTI’s Shafqat Mahmood lashed out at the ANP saying that it is carrying out propaganda against the PTI because they were defeated in the elections.
However, the party’s critics remain sceptical. Educationists like Mehdi Hassan feel that the PTI’s policy, like that of the JI, JUI-F and PML-N is very pro-Taliban. “They believe in making Pakistan a purist religious state according to their own interpretation of what that should be. If you want to make an Islamic state of that nature then you have to change the curriculum to include jihad, which forms an important factor in the kind of Islamisation they are promoting.”
This is certainly not the first time Imran Khan has been accused of being conservative. Khan’s effigy was burned in Kabul last year when he termed the ongoing war against foreign troops in Afghanistan as ‘jihad.’ His coalition partner the JI, too, shares Imran’s ideology and initially wanted the education ministry for itself, so any move to radicalise the curriculum will be welcome by his coalition partners.
Perhaps the severest constraints to further radicalise the syllabus will be donor considerations, since it is the British who fund a large part of the education programme in K-P and may not be able to justify funding a provincial government seen as sympathetic to the Taliban agenda.
However, if some of PTI’s jeans clad supporters are confronted with all the contradictions back in Punjab, they simply brush them aside, saying that Imran is a modern progressive leader. At the same time, many within the PTI insist that there is an ongoing struggle between the more liberal faction of the PTI and the more conservative.
So, then, who is Imran Khan? I believe that Imran’s policies in K-P in the next five years will show exactly where he stands on divisive ideological issues.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (34)
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A Litmus Test for Truth: If both religious and liberal extremists disagree with you and dislike you, it means you are speaking truth. Example: Imran Khan. IK once said the religious are criticizing him for being secular and the secular criticising him for being religious "I must be doing something right"
This article, more than anything, is a reflection of the confusion and crisis of the liberal secular Pakistani elite. Doing away with references to Jihad will not do. Yes to think critically about this concept, its meanings and history is an intellectually sound thing to do. You cannot put things not amenable to liberal secular sensibilities under the carpet. That is more intellectually dishonest. This heightened anxiety over constantly "moderating" religion is a reflection of the angst and irresolvable contradictions of liberal secularism. Btw the word "moderation" comes from the Latin Moderare meaning to control, tame, domesticate, and regulate. Rather than moderate religion, we should instead deepen our understanding of the tradition. Just running away from controversial questions will not do anything. Of all the political leaders in Pakistan, Imran is still the most sensible and inspiring.
@Observer Jihad is not pillar of Islam. There are five pillars: Shahada Salat Sawm Zakat Hajj
It's the fundamental right of a Muslim to remain a 'MUSLIM', and only a ‘MUSLIM’; no one can take that right away from him. Period. Text books are man made, and should be treated as such. The message of Islam is simple and straight forward, do not try to make it complicated.
Who has imposed these Taliban upon us?Remember it was Gen Pervaiz Musharaf with the backing of our Army who again was made to do it on a gun point by Bush and US admin..Who's war we fought in Afghanistan in 80s?remember..?Who was heading the country by that time?Wasnt this the agenda of Zia ul Haq by that time?If all these questions are yes then show me a man who could stand infront of the Army and refuse to take orders! Do you guys really think that those twin Ganjas have the courage to say NO to our Army and US??What kind of leaders we have to represent us at the world forum?If we cant make our house in order,then no one else would come from outside and would try to put the things in order for us.Whenever we could standup for our rights and tell US to fight on his own,the things would improve. Im afraid our history is neither so charismatic nor so chivalrous to tell our generations very proudly rather it has been disfigured to an extent that even we are ashamed of telling it to our future generations rather makes it an obligatory duty to hide the facts! If you need to tell the truth and educate your future generations,then start accepting your faults and start rectifying it..Jehad is also part of Islam but the real question is to understand its conditions in which it becomes an obligatory duty on every Muslim. You have to revise all those lies which you been telling to your next generation otherwise Im afraid we would be simply erased as a nation from the face of this earth! We all know what ANP has been doing so far..simply counting heads on the basis of ethnicity..We dont want their certificate of being Pukhtoons or non-Pukhtoons the way we want no certificates from any Pro-Talibans of good muslims or bad muslims we could be either or both as in my case. Our children must learn the truth and PTI as a political party in power is doing a good job what so ever,from all the other parties on this front.Whats the education policy of Punjab or for that matter all the other provinces in this regard?Any comments??
Who has imposed these Taliban upon us?Remember it was Gen Pervaiz Musharaf with the backing of our Army who again was made to do it on a gun point by Bush and US admin..Who's war we fought in Afghanistan in 80s?remember..?Who was heading the country by that time?Wasnt this the agenda of Zia ul Haq by that time?If all these questions are yes then show me a man who could stand infront of the Army and refuse to take orders! Do you guys really think that those twin Ganjas have the courage to say NO to our Army and US??What kind of leaders we have to represent us at the world forum?If we cant make our house in order,then no one else would come from outside and would try to put the things in order for us.Whenever we could standup for our rights and tell US to fight on his own,the things would improve. Im afraid our history is neither so charismatic nor so chivalrous to tell our generations very proudly rather it has been disfigured to an extent that even we are ashamed of telling it to our future generations rather makes it an obligatory duty to hide the facts! If you need to tell the truth and educate your future generations,then start accepting your faults and start rectifying it..Jehad is also part of Islam but the real question is to understand its conditions in which it becomes an obligatory duty on every Muslim. You have to revise all those lies which you been telling to your next generation otherwise Im afraid we would be simply erased as a nation from the face of this earth! We all know what ANP has been doing so far..simply counting heads on the basis of ethnicity..We dont want their certificate of being Pukhtoons or non-Pukhtoons the way we want no certificates from any Pro-Talibans of good muslims or bad muslims we could be either or both as in my case. Our children must learn the truth and PTI as a political party in power is doing a good job what so ever,from all the other parties on this front.Whats the education policy of Punjab or for that matter all the other provinces in this regard?Any comments?
Have tried commenting twice but both times failed.......apparently I can't say anything negative about the PTI and the JI, or my connection is faulty.......too bad.
let the people of pakistan decide what they want. Pakistan is an islamic ideological state and here books should be in accoredance with islamic teachings. simple !
Changes have not been made and already there is hue and cry. At least allow them to make a mistake first, rather than criticizing even before they did anything.
Every good thing is bad when it comes to PTI.Come on PTI supporter don't cry.She has rightly said.IK and PTI is pro-taliban.
How about Including Evolution by Natural selection and cosmology in the curriculum?
please do some research in o-levels Islamiyat there is a chapter of jihad
'I believe that Imran’s policies in K-P in the next five years will show exactly where he stands on divisive ideological issues' // Exactly, rather than writing a blog now let us give them some time and then criticize.
I know my comment will not be approved but still I am writing it, hoping against the hope that it might be approved. I am an ordinary Pakistani who is 1000 times more religious than those who kill innocent people in name of Islam and I am 10,000 times more liberal than those Pakistani flag bearers of Liberalism who only criticize Islamic values. Can we the Pakistanis get rid of you both extremes please? We constitute 90% of population of Pakistan but we are being held a hostage at the hands of above to extreme thoughts. Imran Khan also represents the same 90% Pakistanis. He will be disliked by both Taliban and Liberals. Don't believe me? Just look around, hear what he says and how is he met with skepticism in both schools of thoughts. If you can read between the lines, you will find a lot to think about what I wrote above. Thank you.
Ill write for express tribune when I grow up and all I am ever going to write about is PTI and Imran Khan. Because that is what sells and that is what people read.
Even I'm confused about PTI's ideological bent. Thanks writer for conveying a message, by your write-up that I'm not the only one.
For God's sake what is Zia's Islam and what is modern view of Islam... if you talk about jihad then you are Zia or Taliban sympathizer and if you talk about women rights etc you are modern and progressive Muslim. Lets just throw these definitions away and include Quarnic verses in syllabus as they are. With verses about Jihad i think Surah Nisa should be compulsory part of course for every student
@why should u teach about religion(i mean teaching it deeply) in schools, don't you all thing religion is always personal
@Asim:
Its not about the teaching or not teaching Islamiat.....It is about the culture that a certain school promotes.....The "huge" change in syllabus based on which this column is written is a very small part of the whole curriculum and I do not think it will produce talibans.....It would have been much more helpful and meaningful if the syllabus criticism is done in a true academic spirirt rather than promoting one's own agenda.
Madam Jehangir, Have you ever gone into the trouble of finding out what exacltly this islamic concept of Jihad is. From your writing it does not appear. Actually, the full term is "Jihad Fin Nafs" meaning Jihad against one's own self,against one's own sins and moral weaknesses.
Garbage in garbage out is not only applicable to computers but also the human mind . Deleting garbage from the computer not so from the human mind .
@wsd
Dont know about American school but Choueifat Lahore teaches rigorous Islamiat and Pakistan Studies throughout grade school until O Level. Please research before accusing.
@wsd:
Pretty much agree. My own dad isn't that religious but he admires the dictatorships of Ayub Khan, Zia ul Haq and Parvez Musharraf simply due to economic reasons. As per him Pakistan got only two great leaders, Ayub and Musharraf and the nation's economy was great during their tenures. He further believes that democracy is not for a nation and society like Pakistan. And it's a fact that people were distributing sweets when the first ever Martial Law took place in Pakistan.
Moreover it's not just Talibans who oppress women in Pak-Afghan region, a number of other entities or fighter groups in Afghanistan are also involved in different criminal activities, but mainstream media never reports that. What about the Afghan women who was killed by her in-laws, plus the couple who fled to Pakistan since their life was in danger due to Jirga or Tribal laws?
“They believe in making Pakistan a purist religious state according to their own interpretation of what that should be. If you want to make an Islamic state of that nature then you have to change the curriculum to include jihad, which forms an important factor in the kind of Islamisation they are promoting.”
Well, Pakistan was created as an Islamic state and its constitution reinforces that Pakistan is an Islamic state and thus Islam is to be strictly followed. As for Jihad, it is indeed an integral part and pillar of Islam.
You can't declare that the state is Islamic and not abide by the pillars of Islam and refuse to enforce Sharia. Otherwise, it will be a case of demanding for the cake and then refusing to eat it.
Munizae,
I think you underestimated the power of IK on the internet.
The same power that Modi displays on the internet.
You cannot say anything against the two on the internet. Nobody will accept.
The people should decide what should be included/excluded in the education of their child. With today's technology it is possible to let people decide. If the people decide, no one can object.
@Arindom
Thank you for reminding this Buddhist fable. I've heard it before. A piece of pure wisdom, and wisdom has no religion.
"This is certainly not the first time Imran Khan has been accused of being conservative."
What an accusation!
replacing the picture of a woman in skirt in a school textbook with a woman in salwar-kameej!! - Wow! what lofty priority project of a Government!!.
As the old buddhist fable goes, when a monk causes scandal by helping carry a woman across a river in spate; the dirt exists in people's narrow minds, not in the monk's pure heart who was only trying to help!!
Likewise, the dirt exists in the politicians and the text-book writers' minds, not in the little children who want to be educated and get jobs.
Ms. Jahangir,
Is this true that inducting quranic verses favoring Jihad is equal to pro talbanism? Have you seen what exactly has been changed and what is the new version? During Zia's time every one (including our liberal class) supported his war in Afghanistan. Taliban is more of product of Afghan mess rather than any change in our syllabus.... Lastly, I have never seen any criticism by Ms. Jahangir on schools/ syllabi which have no roots in our culture, religion but are considered "elite schools" of this country. Examples are American school in Lahore, Choueifat etc.
Imran khan is a hypocrite and using islam like jamaat islami for political gains. PTI is good lookin Jamaat islami. They will destroy Pakistan with these policies.
Let the time and PTI go, every1 will know after 5 years what actualy khan is and his ideology. This is no to time to judge any of the governments intentions..
How about letting the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa decide what goes into the textbooks their children study?