Madrasas or Islamic seminaries are the institutions of Islamic learning that go back to the earliest period of Islam. Though all madrassas are engaged in Islamic teaching, their relationship with the larger society and their role varies from time to time and from country to country.
Most madrasas provide free education, food and shelter to a large number of students. These institutions cannot be viewed as neutral seats of learning. Some linkages can be identified between madrasa education and environment and militancy but other factors also contribute to religious extremism and militancy.
The term madrasa covers a variety of institutions, ranging from small rudimentary centres for teaching of the Quran and fundamentals of Islam to formal institutions that teach for religious certificates and degrees. Some such institutions have elaborate show-piece structures with formal hierarchy.
In case of the rudimentary centres the students may be studying in regular schools but they go to these centre for learning the Quran and basics of Islam. These may or may not be attached with local mosques. These play a limited role in shaping the orientations of their students.
However, the madrasas that serve as the only source of education and learning for young children are critical to shaping their orientations. Semi-literate mullas with narrow religious worldview teach the students in most madrasas. Many parents send their children to these madrasas because education is free and discipline is strict. Then, there are formal and elaborate institutions that have qualified teachers and offer various religious degrees.
A new breed of madrasa is emerging in urban areas that combine formal school/college education with religious education. The students go for formal state managed examination for getting regular degree but get additional Islamic education which is taken care of by the institution itself. These institutions charge tuition fees.
However, modern madrasas and university-like show-piece institutions are small in number. Most madrasas are giving narrow-based purely religious education that is devoid of modern text and knowledge. An important study by Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad, published in April 2009, maintains that the curricula of the madrasas “have not undergone any significant changes in their core content since inception in the 19th century.” He maintains that “some modern subjects such as English, history, Maths, etc., have been introduced in several madrasas, especially at the elementary level, and some large madrasas have started some specialized courses on Islamic economics and finance. However, in an overwhelming majority of cases the higher level madrasas remain committed to their traditional curriculum.” It is not clear how qualified are the teachers who teach modern subjects and what text is being used for teaching these subjects.
The madrasa education emphasizes literalist approach towards religious text. It is highly conservative, monolithic and sectarian in perspective that questions the legitimacy of those who do not share their perspective on religion and society. Their worldview is characterized by hostility towards whosoever is described as an adversary. This could be non-Muslims and those Muslims who are viewed as misguided or non-genuine.
Invariably the madrasa have sectarian education. Some madrasas that label them as university may discuss the teachings and jurisprudence of all sects. However, this is not done to promote religious pluralism but to reject the teachings of other sects and show that their own school of Islamic thought is better.
The madrasa creates a mindset among young people that makes them vulnerable to the appeals of the militants for joining the holy war. Some of the madrasas have connections with militant groups or they allow militant leaders to visit and approach the young people. The militants also recruit young people through the mosque prayer leaders who may be linked with militant and sectarian groups. Even those who do not join the militant groups support their ideology and actions from the sidelines.
Madrasas proliferated in the 1980s under the patronage of General Zia-ul-Haq’s military government. A large number of these institutions were set up in NWFP, near Afghan refugee camps. These prepared the young people for fighting in Afghanistan. Similar trends of proliferation of madrasas were noticeable in the Punjab and Sindh, especially in Karachi in the 1980s and the early 1990s. In the Punjab two militant groups fighting in Kashmir sponsored madrasas with the funding they partly received from Pakistani intelligence agencies
During the Taliban years (1996-2001), a good number of Deobandi and Ahle-Hadees madrasas used to send their students to Afghanistan to fight along with the Taliban. On their return these students were more vulnerable to the appeals of the militants.
Now, the madrasas are no longer sending their students to fight along with the Taliban. However, most of them sympathize with militant groups of one kind or another.
The government of Pakistan has been trying hard since August 2001 to regulate the madrasa activities and help them to upgrade their courses to meet the requirements of modern time. The madrasas are not generally cooperative because they fear that they would lose their autonomy. Therefore, Pakistani madrasas continue to function in their traditional manner.
Author: Hassan Askari
