Beating Belief into Children

The majority of individuals belonging to the so-called “Islamic Republic of Pakistan” have, at least once in their lives, been forced to adapt to the precepts of Islam. The culture of imposing the mother religion on one’s offspring has been in practice since time immemorial. Following the lineage of these cultures and the societal influence, guardians are cornered into seeping this thought into the subconscious minds of their heirs: that they must go to a madrassah to learn primarily how to read the Qur’an and to be enlightened on the teachings of Islam.

Madrassah is a term used to describe an institute which primarily teaches the Qur’an and Sunnah and secondarily other subjects. Madrassahs have a deep-rooted connection to Pakistani society, with innumerable citizens having experienced a premature teaching at the hands of a maulvi. There are multiple madrassahs across the nation, which are either state-propagated or privately owned institutes.

Madrassahs provide students with a basic understanding of the principles of Islam by offering detailed knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah. Madrassahs across the nation were promoted and popularised under the military regime of dictator General Zia-ul-Haq (1977–1988). He is known to have imposed the principles of Islam in the region. Zia, who was notoriously known to “Islamise” the nation under his controversial ordinances, had been strongly criticised by many for his politicisation of religion.

Religion, which is to be the sole choice of individuals, has been used by leaders as a radical and powerful weapon in the history of Pakistan to gain the support of public opinion.

People who are not literate enough are easily swayed by the eloquent constructions of politicians and become puppets to dispose of. This same case follows the social trend of sending ripe children to madrassahs.

In a country with a 25.3% poverty rate, mostly people from lower middle-class families are adamant about sending their children to such seminaries because of the provision of free quality education, which they otherwise cannot afford. The public educational infrastructure is not up to the mark, so families feel comfortable admitting their children to a madrassah, where at least the child would be receiving “Islamic education”.

There have been multiple challenges and concerns associated with the madrassah culture in Pakistan. Though it is very crucial and helpful for a nation based on the ideology of Islam, it has its complications.

It can lead to the assemblage of individuals who are incapable and incompetent to challenge or compete in the modern market. Not being able to specialise in anything will force the individuals produced to rely either on state funds or other exclusive means. This will corner them into a state of inferiority complex in society.

Another global concern raised by critics of madrassah education is that it produces individuals with extremist tendencies, which are infused with misinterpreted verses of the Holy Qur’an. The mullahs present in the madrassahs inject such thoughts into young minds without paying heed to the fact that these minds are highly vulnerable and tacit. This extremely vulnerable situation is often used to the advantage of terrorists by moulding the minds of the young or in brewing up terrorist or specific-motive sentiments. It is evidenced that many terrorists have either attended madrassahs or have been directly associated with them.

History is proof that under Zia’s regime, madrassahs were used as political institutions which inserted extremist tendencies and sentiments into children. They were also used for the political mobilisation of youth, with mostly conservative interpretations of Islam. Many produced from these institutes took part in the Afghan war as mujahideen, which led to heightened political instability and the rise of militant Islamism in the region.

The controversial Red Mosque in the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, has been reported to support the actions of the infamous jihadist Osama bin Laden and his terror-led attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre on 9/11—often citing him as a political leader and hero and brewing such thoughts into the minds of the younger generation.

“We share the same objectives as the Taliban, but we don’t offer military training. We work on minds. The Taliban are more hands-on,” says Abdul Aziz Ghazi, imam of Islamabad’s controversial Red Mosque.

These instances tell us how small comments and arguments can instil crass and revolutionary ideas into vulnerable minds, thus creating soldiers for these very organisations.

Multiple cases also erupt now and then, telling us how the qaris sexually exploit the children and tell them to remain silent about it. These so-called advocates of Islam who shamefully commit such foul and filthy acts should be immediately held accountable and made an example of. The silence that revolves around the mullah community after such acts are committed is also extremely deafening and shameless.

The author has also had the experience of visiting a local madrassah once. Forced by family, I did go—for a day. Multiple children were sitting across wooden tables on the mosque floor and moving vigorously while reciting the lesson assigned to them by the qari. One boy, who must have been 8 years old, was giving a massage to the qari, who looked physically tired. I sat five feet away from the qari and began reading my lesson. While reading, a thick plastic PVC pipe whooshed directly past my ear and narrowly missed me. It turned out the qari had aimed directly at the face of the boy sitting next to me but missed. The shocking thing was the fact that this had been so normalised that no other child paid any heed to what had just happened. I, stunned by the act, never went back.

Violence against children is a major issue among these madrassahs, where students are beaten vigorously and brutally, as if in a state of lawlessness. The qaris have been given a free hand by most parents of the children, and they do not hesitate in exploiting that power to a concerning extent. This culture of beating children has grown so common that people do not bat an eye, even if a child has been brutally beaten. The main reason for this issue is the lack of accountability that is attached to such matters.

The madrassah, though in the guise of teaching Islam, is in fact not teaching Islam. Islam is a peaceful religion which teaches the principles of humility, love, kindness, restraint, and compassion. But the hijacking of these core principles shows that in madrassahs, only theoretical and miraculously convenient interpretations of Islam are being preached.

The history of Pakistan tells us how, during General Zia-ul-Haq’s regime, the United States—under the administration of Ronald Reagan and with the help of the Saudi monarchy—cleverly created a whole army of mujahideen to counter Soviet influence in Afghanistan. The United States, under the guise of world peace, was only hoping for self-glorification and to emerge as the world’s superpower.

It is also evident that during the Musharraf regime, madrassahs spread further across the nation, where strong sentiments toward religion were misused as a weapon. Musharraf, who propagated this scheme, wanted the Western world to believe that only he stood between the radical Islamists and peace in society.

The hypocrisy and self-serving interpretation of the edicts of Islam by these mullahs are a direct insult to the religion. These mullahs should not be allowed to work in the name of Islam if they directly violate its very jurisprudence. The easily swayed, vulgar masses should be encouraged to develop a conscience and not serve as sacrificial goats for the altar.

In conclusion, though such institutes are very important in upholding a nation based on religion, they should be regulated by the state to work in the best interests of the state and society. All people who try to step out of line should be held immediately accountable. It is also imperative for the layperson to develop a conscience of their own, and it is the state’s duty to help them distinguish between right and wrong.