Terror suspicions draw spotlight on Pakistan's madrassahs
Critics say madressas operate with little to no oversight of their curriculum and often promote religious intolerance.
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| Students of a madrassah attend their class at a seminary in Rawalpindi.— AP |
RAWALPINDI: Sitting on the ground, the students sway back and forth, deep in thought as they read the Holy Quran. Their white skull caps signify that they are students at one of the tens of thousands of religious schools across the country that have become embroiled in a debate about where militancy comes from.
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| Internally displaced children from tribal areas attend a madrassah set up in a mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad. — AP |
Following the Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar in December that killed 150 people — most of them children — the government has been under intense pressure to combat militancy and terrorism. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif proposed 20 measures including reintroducing the death penalty for terrorism-related cases, freezing funding for militants, ending religious extremism and protecting minorities.
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| Students of a madrassah eat their lunch at a seminary in Islamabad. — AP |
The action plan included a proposal to register and regulate religious seminaries — often called madrassahs — which face accusations of incubating religious extremism. Critics say the religious schools operate with little to no oversight of their curriculum, do not prepare students with real-world skills and often promote religious intolerance.
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| A student of a madrassah sits on a spot of light as he is wrapped in a shawl to warm himself while reading verses of the Holy Quran prior to a class at a seminary in Islamabad. — AP |
But many of those working at religious schools say they are being unfairly painted as contributing to militancy.
"We condemn all those who indulge in terrorism. This is our country. Anyone who is doing anything against Pakistan, against Islam, against the army ... we condemn them," said Abrarul Haq, who teaches at the Taleemul Quran school in Rawalpindi.
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| A student uses tweezers to groom his beard, at the seminary dorms on the outskirts of Islamabad. — AP |
There's no exact number of madrassahs in Pakistan but estimates put the number in the tens of thousands. They provide food, housing and a religious education to students from around the country. Many teach both male and female students.
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Comments (74) Closed
Mar 05, 2015 04:17pm
Madrassah education is far superior than so called western education which creates workers only good for corporates and have no knowledge of anything else.
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Mar 05, 2015 04:31pm
@zak thts why ur using western developed phone, internet, to critcize western education. comon, religion is a personal thing, not education for the betterment of the world. religion hasnt developed or invented a car .. studying quran, you may acheive betterment from god, but you cant make a phone
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Mar 05, 2015 04:32pm
@zak morover, 99% of terrorists have been schooled from madrassahs , not the normal schools like APS et.c.
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Mar 05, 2015 04:47pm
@zak Yea sure, thats why we are ahead in technology, ethics, medicine, business, and peace. west so bad, we so good.
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Mar 05, 2015 04:52pm
@Zak.
We don't want to know anything else.
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Mar 05, 2015 04:54pm
With the rise of these madrassas there has been a proportional rise in militancy and terrorism.
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Mar 05, 2015 05:11pm
Western education only promotes good employees for corporates and no nothing else.
while Maderssah education only creates religious harmony, out of the box thinking and love of humanity.
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Mar 05, 2015 05:14pm
One cannot survive without the other. Worldly study alone will lead to a selfish, materialistic societies such as the ones in US/Europe and other "developed" countries, while religious study alone will lead to violent and intolerant extremism. All fields of study are equally important. Studying astronomy, for example, enables us, through an understanding of the immense vastness of space, to truly appreciate how small and insignificant we are in front of our Creator, and this directly leads to a greater appreciation for everything we have been blessed with in this life. The study of biology, zoology and botany further enhances our lives and imparts a sense of wonder on one hand, and gratefulness and humility on the other. The study of human psychology enables us to understand ourselves more in order to better assimilate in society, which is a necessary requirement for peaceful coexistence with others. Man is not an island, so let us make sure our perception of reality, which are partly based on knowledge, isn't isolated due to limited exposure to the various sciences and disciplines.
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Mar 05, 2015 05:15pm
this is not a develop country face, if need Madrassah education , first construct good buildings " not dirty places " , " keep clean ".
They can sit on the good carpets , Mullahs eating money and funds.This is not way of Islam.
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Mar 05, 2015 05:19pm
Why Musharaff attacked many Madrassah in his presidential ship?
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Mar 05, 2015 05:47pm
i never could understand the logic of killing kids.
when you kill parents you create more yatim,
more students in madrassas, more suicide bombers.
that is how you grow your business, not by eliminating your potential mvps.
when will the militants learn this.
in addition to western weapons they may need a lesson or two in management studies.
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Mar 05, 2015 06:00pm
@Jay Patel A typical Indian comment that was controversial Lal masjid Issue not madarsah. Why you Indians are always stand by on adding fuel on issue which is sensitive for Pakistan ? There was only one , not many . your statement is enough to prove you trolls lie so frequently
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Mar 05, 2015 06:03pm
@Shah Actually Zak doesnt believe a word he writes - he just makes these statements knowing very well what the raction is going to be and sits back and enjoys the fun. Smart bloke.
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Mar 05, 2015 06:10pm
@Hamza Zuberi
i don't indent to counter you.
one question though..
by separating religion from education and politics how did the Christian world make so much progress?
mere coincidence?
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Mar 05, 2015 06:16pm
@zak
i have never been to a madrassa.
what do they learn there?
why is it better than learning to make stuff?
and how do we're prevent them from becoming terrorists?
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Mar 05, 2015 07:00pm
@Hamza Zuberi
STRONGLY AGREE.
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Mar 05, 2015 07:04pm
Madrassah education in present times is solely out of poverty. Even the religious bias in most cases are a camouflage used to maintain an identity. How many children of upper class study at madrassahs ? It is obvious that who spend for the food lodging and clothing of the poor children will orient them towards their version of religion rather than science or rational thought. This is because at some points science and rational thought diverge.
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Mar 05, 2015 07:21pm
@zak Which planet are you living on? What jobs do these madrasas train you for? Nothing can replace the broad based education imparted in schools and colleges which train you for a professional career. I am not aware of any madrasas training people to become doctors and engineers. Religious education can supplement formal education but can never replace it.
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Mar 05, 2015 07:32pm
@zak ...WOW ...Name one madrassah student who is famous for his or her acheivements in Science/Tech/Medical fields
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Mar 05, 2015 07:53pm
@Hamza Zuberi Excellent comment!!
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Mar 05, 2015 07:58pm
Looks like cattle herding.
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Mar 05, 2015 08:03pm
@zak It is laughable to see your comment. You are using the same western imparted education and invention, i.e. Internet to put a comment like this. Also I believe you are not residing in one of the countries where people are taught only in Madarasah. You seem to be living in some western country.
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Mar 05, 2015 08:06pm
@zak
You Sir, are special type of person for whom agenda is the only thing.
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Mar 05, 2015 08:14pm
Religion should not be given over importance in the society...It should be part of our life...Cinema, Art, Culture, Sports, Philosophy, Science etc should be given importance as well...That balance is no more there in Pakistan...The people are afraid of the religion...They are afraid of religious personalities...Criminals are using religion as a cover as they know that people are afraid to speak against a religious figure...
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Mar 05, 2015 08:20pm
Hamza I wish people think like you and understand that religious education alone is not the answer . You have to have an open mind and accepts both western education and religious education and then your mind will be free of bigotry and you would learn to respect others irrespective of their background
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Mar 05, 2015 08:28pm
@ali: totally agree wid you
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Mar 05, 2015 08:38pm
Madarsah students belonging from poor family.if the govt. Provide sufficient govt school number student in madarsah automatically reduce.
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Mar 05, 2015 09:20pm
Visit India and see how its Madrassah are run; ours do not produce extremists; we have Muslims in walks of life in India. May be others could learn from Indian Madrassahs.
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Mar 05, 2015 10:07pm
@zak Do you seriously believe that or you deliberately wrote it to generate response from viewers? If you really believe that then it maens you are going to send your children to madrassah to gain knowledge about everything.
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Mar 05, 2015 10:23pm
@zak
And all your comments prove that!
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Mar 05, 2015 11:34pm
More than the skills to earn a decent living and to find the happiness in doing so, it is the realization that religion is the cause of most of man's miseries and he does unimaginable Atrocities in the name of religion is the most valuable lesson i learned in our secular schools.
If the people who suffer such atrocities in their own life cannot learn from their experience, how much should i cherish my learning!
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Mar 05, 2015 11:36pm
Some saner education is better than no education......but many eating from one plate is not healthy or hygienic practice though it can be symbolic at times.
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Mar 05, 2015 11:49pm
@zak At least western education system teach/train people the skills to earn a respectful living. Please have your brain examined.
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Mar 06, 2015 01:06am
Madrassah education should not be parallel to mainstream education. Rather it should be just a portion of study those who want to learn more on religion. Need to keep religion out of education, administration, politics and business and diplomatic relationships.
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Mar 06, 2015 02:47am
Photography is just beautiful. I am hoping that light beam is not photoshp. ;-)
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Mar 06, 2015 02:48am
@zak
Very true. Education should be banned. No one should be educated. No one should use any electronics devices. Good thinking in the direct direction for Pakistan's development.
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Mar 06, 2015 04:09am
@abuzarsu You must be kidding. religious harmony?. You are creating disharmony . what are u talking about?. Look around you. Everyday so called ulemas are killing each other.
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Mar 06, 2015 04:18am
Madressah... a scary place indeed !
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Mar 06, 2015 05:12am
The Names of Many Learned Scholars and Spiritual Personalities of High Esteem are Associated with Madaras which were thought to be higher place of Islamic Learning , Education and Love for Humanity.
It is strange that something went wrong in Politics which acted so badly , that the name Madrassaa is now a days being associated with terrorism which is horrible.
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Mar 06, 2015 05:32am
Nobody is saying that Madressah education is not better. What we want to do is to regulate all kinds of schools/colleges and Madressahs to teach tolerance .
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Mar 06, 2015 06:13am
Religion is nothing but a philosophy and a way of life. You do not need to read any book to become religious. If you are a nice human being you are Muslim even if you do not go to Mosque or recite the holy book. If you go to Mosque and recite the holy book but do bad things then you cannot ever be a Muslim. Same is for all other religions. So the main idea is that we are humans first and if we beleive in humanity, it is enough. The purpose of religion is to draw us towards humanity and justice and nothing else. So try to understand the end purpose and try to acheive that rather than getting lost in the process.
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Mar 06, 2015 07:19am
Convert all your madrassah to modern schools , you can see the Pakistan become a developed nation within matters of 30 years and a tolerant society. If the madrassah thrive for another 5 years, you will end up similar to the Afghanistan
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Mar 06, 2015 07:57am
@USA
me
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Mar 06, 2015 07:58am
I have no job no life so I just troll
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Mar 06, 2015 08:41am
@zak I agree, Madrassah education is the only way to take our world forward. All information required for leading a perfect life is mentioned clearly in Islam and people need not go anywhere else for any other type of false knowledge.
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Mar 06, 2015 09:22am
@zak :And what knowledge does a madrassah educated person have? To hold some imaginary words sprouted by some guy thousand years ago as law?Seems like you yourself are madrassah educated.
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Mar 06, 2015 09:33am
My dear innocent corrupt high officials street kids are discussing the corruption in Schools and other educational areas but top Govt officials and top think tanks do not know. Corruption in government Schools is the main cause of terrorism, let me tell you why, funds have been theft by corrupt officials and Schools are worst then horses stables. Let me ask all readers, even poor or rich, who wants to send his kids to government School. What is the standard of Govt, hospitals, Schools, Pakistan Air Line, democratic politics and justice with masses? All think tanks and media has assumed this is our luck and no one can change since all are thieves. When Pakistan will be a respectable country, when all will be bound by law for honesty, including justice departments. This is a drama, I LOVE PAKISTAN, and every one is busy to harm.
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Mar 06, 2015 09:40am
If there were not for madrassa, these IDP kids would be begging on this street. At least madrassas provide them with room, board and some education. Similar madrassas also exist in India but they don't produce suicide bombers, so blame the establishment for changing the curriculum.
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Mar 06, 2015 11:35am
It is very essential to ascertain the exact sources of funding of miscreant madrassas. After that is established and linked to terrorism, the intentions of funding Nations and individuals must be ascertained, to find out whether they intentionally funded suspect madrassas or are oblivious of those misappropriations. Now that this debate has just started, and this fed-up Nation questions the resolve of the Government in investigating the Financiers of Madrassas, any lackluster attitude on the part of the Government will be counter-productive. I suggest higher accountability in setting madrassa education curriculums, better training of religious teachers, exclusion of political activities from seminaries, and funds disbursement linked to good behavior.
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Mar 06, 2015 12:04pm
To eliminate madrasas, provide free quality education to all, and offer breakfast and lunch there too. Most kids end up in these Saudi madrases because of poverty.
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Mar 06, 2015 05:04pm
@KHALID SOHAIL
this is not drama, this is real.
terrorism is real, bombs are real and the killing is real.
no one is trying to harm your beloved nation.
Saudis are sending money with good intentions.
it is your own people spending those for detrimental purposes.
others are just trying to protect themselves.
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Mar 06, 2015 05:15pm
@Mahdi
it may not be the source but the usage which is the problem.
money from middle east is flowing in to prepare pious pakistani people.
look at the money spend on defence.
they are to provide security.
are they providing security or are they busy creating insecurity in, around and wherever possible?
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Mar 06, 2015 05:40pm
@zakReally?
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Mar 06, 2015 08:15pm
@vNu Your question ignores the deep psychological troubles ailing "Western" society today due to increased materialism and being out of touch with spirituality. The prevailing norms in the "West", and increasing in the "East", are extremely unhealth, so while we admire and emulate them in their scientific achievements, we must not do so blindly. Otherwise, we will have no one but ourselves to blame for being afflicted with the same problems as they are. A growing number of disillusioned youth are waking up to the lies their governments are telling them, yet they are a very small minority. The majority of Americans, for example, are totally oblivious to what's really going on in the world. As proof, you can see the current media war going on between RT and American broadcasting firms like Fox and CNN.
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Mar 07, 2015 10:03am
Religious education has no place in modern world, be it Islamic, Christian, Hindu, Jew education. If some people are interested in pursuing religious education after they get the basics on Science, Literature, History and Mathematics, they should be allowed, but they should not be encouraged. Madrassahs are creating blind people blissfully ignorant of strides the human kind has made in last 14 centuries. The yardsticks of 7th century Arabia cannot be applied to the world we are living in today. World has changed and it is more liberal place now. Of course the world has much more to do to eradicate widespread poverty and hatred of each other. Madrassahs education are creating mentally handicapped people. Students are made to parrot something which are collection of stories and distorted histories. When they parrot these again and again, their brains are slowly disabled and they become incapable of reasonable thinking. They get a fixed mindset that preach "Our belief is the right one" and the "Kafirs are impure." The spark of hatred to the others are ignited in their hearts. First, the "Kafirs" are their hate objects. But as the "Kafirs" are too few in Pakistan, they start hating some people who share their own faith but have different view points. Madrassah education is just damaging our society and crippling the mind of its students.
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Mar 07, 2015 10:21am
@Rafiq Ali
Agree absolutely.
I will add this much.
Any curriculum for religious education should include all view points of all major religious tenets.
It should also be a critical study which covers the all lines in the scriptures which are proven wrong by modern science.
In other words religious study itself should be a scientific study.
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Mar 07, 2015 10:32am
@Hamza Zuberi
I will not and I cannot defend the materialistic way of western life.
What I observe is this.
In the west there was a time when the most powerful institutions were religious. War was the way of life.
They learned from their experience and mistakes.
We fail to do so.
Now there is more to eat, more to drink, more time to play and more importantly they all sleep more peacefully in the west.
That may the reason why they are indifferent the world around them.
WE cannot afford to do so since everything affects us directly.
And religious education is not the solution but part of the problem.
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Mar 07, 2015 02:22pm
The seminaries produce people who can be easily brainwashed.
It is people who misuse religion for their own purposes.
What is needed is a monitoring and licensing system which keeps checks and balances. If it is good education and training then good but if the place is used as a training ground for terrorism then close them down.
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Mar 07, 2015 07:00pm
I am not for either one of the two systems of education at present prevalent in Pakistan. For those who blindly praise 'Western'
education I can pose the rather symbolic question of AAZ being a prominent politician in Pakistan and having being expelled from a 'Western' education institute in Karachi. If such a case had happened in the Western world there would be countless
articles written about AAZ. With the notorious corruption in 'Western' education and the Madressas of the Muslim world,
self-education is the only hope for humanity and it has been made most viable because of the internet. In Pakistan, however, both modern technology and religious knowledge are being used to hurt nature even more than what has been done so far.
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Mar 07, 2015 07:10pm
@Mahdi How can we expect an honest investigation when government has a complete monopoly over investigation. Unless
private investigators can challenge state investigators in a court of law their can be no justice what to speak of Islam or any other religion.
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Mar 08, 2015 01:32am
@Datta "@Shah Actually Zak doesnt believe a word he writes - he just makes these statements knowing very well what the raction is going to be and sits back and enjoys the fun. Smart bloke."
And he seems to have a clone or two, who sometimes write the opposite....really interesting.
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Mar 08, 2015 09:17am
Humankind: be human and be kind
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Mar 08, 2015 04:27pm
@Hamza Zuberi You are completely confused. Please keep wallowing in confusion and darkness.
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Mar 08, 2015 08:40pm
@abuzar Religeous harmony or intolerance of other faiths? Love of humanity or terrorizing people not in agreement with your interpretation of your religion. Give me break!
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Mar 08, 2015 09:49pm
Serioulsy...that can't be true, I thought they just go there to study the Koran and listen to sermons all day.
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Mar 09, 2015 12:15pm
@Zak..........your comment has been discredited by a good number of participants.But seeing that you honestly admitted that
u have no job and so just troll. good luck to you.
@Rafiq Ali.....yes your comments throw some real light on the problem and offer sane course to follow.
Madarssah education needs wholesale reform, it must include modern education to make students to
join main stream of society, contributing to development and also respect to other religions, by way of
some comparative knowledge thereabout,so that brainwashing may be avoided.Herein comes the important
role of the government,the madarshaas and donor countries to agree and make such reform without
losing time.
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Mar 09, 2015 01:48pm
@mashael Absolutely spot on. This is just what it is. First we have man, then religion. Religion is not a club, whose success depends on its membership, whatever its members may practise. Religion is a means to further your spiritual development so that you become a better human being ... and so on. A much respected Indian saint Paramhamsha Ramkrishna took discipleship under a Muslim saint in 19th Century India to practise Islam and see its effects. After that he was convinced that all religions lead to the same goal. So he would say - there are as many paths to God as there are religions. The key thing here is practising religion correctly, which again requires the teachers to be men who teach the right things, no matter whether it is taught in a madressah or in any other place.
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Mar 09, 2015 02:13pm
how many nobel laureates produced by muslim world ????
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Mar 09, 2015 08:32pm
@Ahsan ; Well observed. As a photographer myself I was wondering why nobody appreciated the beauty of the pictures.
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Mar 09, 2015 10:00pm
if u follow history, you will see poverty makes people afraid and god is their only hope and their faith is exploited by others
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Mar 09, 2015 11:01pm
Madrassah environment prepares its learners to live a simple and satisfied life, in short they are in safe heaven and this is unfair to highlight their private life as shown in one of the photos;the man with tweezers,anyhow we should highlight some mature and solid proof to refer and end extremism
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Mar 10, 2015 01:47am
There is nothing wrong with Education at Maderssas. Unfortunately over the last 30-40 years, external interests and our Mullahs used the institutions for criminal intentions and to propgate there ideology and agenda. Look where we are now i.e highly intolerant and aggressive religious society where there is no tolerance of difference
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Mar 10, 2015 05:43am
@zak: Dear zak, you are on the pitch. The ball is coming toward you. You can handle the ball if you are alert, trained, experienced, and ready for it. Or you can just pray.
Instead of just a "pitch" and "ball", how about "world" and "tomorrow"?
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Mar 11, 2015 12:34pm
@ali our religion not stop us to invent but just think being a Muslim what is your destiny ?????
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