Madrassas in Main Stream

DG ISPR in a press briefing today said that Madrassas are to be brought into the main stream by integrating with the higher education system of the country. It is a good step forward, for, one, it shall  enable madrassa graduates in finding jobs like the students from other colleges and universities and two, help eradicate extremism to a great extent which is inadvertently being taught and practiced in certain madarssas, by standardising the syllabi for them.  For combating the extremism yet more effectively, may I suggest the names of madrassas be also changed so that no sectarian affiliations of any kind are reflected by their names or charter, which is presently quite pronounced and  obvious too. Madrassas carrying names like Jamia Al Kauthar & Jamia Jafaria (Shia), Jamia Amjadia Rizvia & Jamiatur Raza (Breilvi), Jamia Ashrafia & Darul Uloom Haqqania & Darul 'Uloom (Deo Bandi), Jamia Abi Bakr (Sunni) etc. give a loud clarion call only to the followers of their particular belief to come and join them. Their curriculum, their daily prayers and other rituals – in fact their entire student life style is based on a particular belief which is, according to their thinking, not only “Purely” Islamic but also the only one correct. All others are wrong.  And this belief is ingrained in their minds from a very young and impressionable age which they carry with them to their graves and all along just cannot accommodate any other thought all their life.  And, that breeds extremism.

Similarly, the names of the mosques in Pakistan be changed from their sectarian overtones and named according to their geographical location.  Masjid E-7,  Masjid Abpara, Masjid Qissa Khwani (Peshawar) etc.  However, if there are more than one mosques in an area these could be numbered 1, 2, 3 etc.  And, most important, a Masjid being Bait Allah (House of Allah) should be open to all Muslims for prayers. During a Jama’t let everyone fold his arms where he likes or not fold at all according to his belief, as is done in the Greatest of all Bait Allahs of the world – Khana Ka’ba.  

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)