Letter to Prime Minister of Pakistan

EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN


This White Paper is a document to discuss Religious bias in the educational system and general standard of textbooks. It is expected that the recommended Education Policy will be formulated according to the vision of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

The purposed of this White Paper is a draw your kind attention on the biased educational policies in Pakistan. These educational policies are against the teaching of the Father of the Nation, who founded a moderate and democratic state of Pakistan on 14 August 1947. It is a Right of all Pakistanis to receive education for the progress of Pakistan but immediately after his death in 1948 there were some elements that opposed his ideas and weakened the foundations of Pakistan for their selfish motives. They did not even spare education and constantly brought hatred, bias and discrimination in the educational policies especially against the religious minorities in Pakistan.

There has been research on 52 textbooks in 7 different subjects. It is sorry to say that the purpose of the Curriculum Wing, Ministry of Education, and Government of Pakistan is to convert books and readers to Islam.

It has been observed that there is religious bias and discrimination against the religious minorities in the curriculum. It is obvious from the present National Education Policy 1998 – 2010 where in the aims and objectives of education and Islamic education it expresses, “Education and training should enable the citizens of Pakistan to lead their lives according to the teachings of Islam as laid down in the Qur’an and Sunnah and to educate and train them as a true practicing Muslim. To evolve an integrated system of national education by brining Deeni Madaris and modern schools closer to each stream in curriculum and the contents of education. Nazira Qur’an will be introduced as a compulsory component from Grade I-VIII while at secondary level translation of the selected verses from the Holy Qur’an will be offered”.

There is a propagation, disinformation and attacks on the faiths of other religions. Students of other faiths are openly invited to convert to Islam through textbooks. There is a preaching of Islam in the subjects of social and physical sciences. Due to this, students of other faiths have to suffer and go through mental and physical persecution. There innocent minds are often confused when they are forcibly taught teachings of Islam which vary the teachings of their own faith. Teaching and imposing another religion is the violation of fundamental Human Rights.

Curriculum Wing, Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan is held responsible which is spreading bias, hatred, disharmony and intolerance against other faiths. Pakistan is cultivating what has been sown by the Ministry of Education in the shape of violence which is on its peak. It has not introduced a value based curriculum. There are partial, biased and narrow minded educationists and policy makers who are problem creators for the entire Pakistani society.

Some examples are presented here from the book of Islamic Studies as well as other textbooks which is compulsory for the students of other faiths as well.

Class 1
Publisher: West Pakistan Textbook Depot, Lahore
Page 8, Line 7 “Children! Say the Kalma from the heart and learnt by heart”.

Class 2:
Publisher: West Pakistan Textbook Depot. Lahore
Page 3, Line 2 “Dear children! We are Muslims. There are millions of thanks of Allah that he created us as Muslims. Allah also likes the religion of Islam”.
Page 5, Line 4 “Kalma is recited to a non-Muslim to convert to Islam”.

Class 3:
Publisher: West Pakistan Textbook Depot, Lahore
Topics on Islam, Islamic Heroes and Islamic terms: 7
Page 29, Line 13 “Jesus Christ was very popular among people. Due to his kindness and truth. King was afraid of to see his popularity and felt that he may not occupy his government one day. So, the king wanted to kill Him by sending soldiers but God ascended Him”.

Class 4:
Publishing Date: January 2005
Edition 3rd, Impression 21
Publisher: Punjab Textbook Board, Lahore
Total Topics 45, Topics on Islam, Islamic Heroes and Islamic terms: 19
Page 22 Line 5 “2. Write any of your favorite Naat in your note book taken from any book or magazine”.
Page 60, Line 15 “And now, no other religion is popular in the eyes of Allah. Whole humanity is destitute to follow the path of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the teachings of Holy Quran for the welfare of religious and worldly affairs”.
Page 93, Line 7 “Understanding well the meaning of these”
2. Your law and constitution is Quran

Class 5:
Code XLIV/AL, Edition 1st , Impression 5th
Publisher: Punjab Textbook Board, Lahore
Page 18, Line 4 “Followers of other religions are often busy in garrulous manners on their festivals. They do not express their relation or devotion with Allah. On the contrary, on one hand these two festivals of Islam provide an opportunity of entertainment and joy to Muslims and on the other hand they become a source to meet one another and to help the needy. Besides this they are a source to have a strong contact and relationship with Allah. That is why Muslims specially arrange for prayer on the day of festival.”
Page 20, Line 3 “How do the followers of common religions celebrate their festivals?”.

Class 6:
Publishing Date: February 2005
Edition 2nd, Impression 3rd
Publisher: Punjab Textbook Board, Lahore
Total Topics 47, Topics on Islam, Islamic Heroes and Islamic terms: 29

Page 35 Line 19 “Sultan got back mosques from the occupation of the Christians and gave to Muslims. While Christians had changed the shapes of Al-Aqsa and other mosques. Christians have always harmed Muslims and have even killed them. They occupied the territories of Muslims. They bitterly looted and ill-treated with the prisoners”.

Page 43, Line 3: “Our dear country Pakistan came into existence in the name of Islam. According to the Quaid-i-Azam, Pakistan is fort of Islam. It is also jihad to sacrifice for its safety and progress. It is a religious obligation of every Pakistani to take part in it.”

Class 7: Code No. XLV/AL: Edition 1st: Impression: 23rd
Publisher: Punjab Textbook Board, Lahore
Page 21, Line 14: “Write a letter to any of your non-Muslim friend, conveying him/her the message of Islam”

Class 8
Date of Publication: January 2006
Publisher: Punjab Textbook Board, Lahore
Page 126, Line 12: “Different non-Muslim nations in the world have been opponent of the Muslims, and have often been cooperating to harm Muslims”.

Class 9
Date of Publication: June 2002
Edition: 1st, Impression: 1st
Publisher: Punjab Textbook Board, Lahore

Note: This book is for the students of Religious Minorities of Pakistan. There are biographies of the founders of different religions and teachings, according to Professor Muhammad Qasim Mazhar, Deputy Educational Advisor, Ministry of Education Islamabad. Biography of Jesus Christ and teachings of Christianity are not part of this book. According to him following are the founders of popular religions in the world.

Lesson 21 Page 67 Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH)
Lesson 22 Page 71 Hazrat Musa (Moses)
Lesson 23 Page 74 Gotam Bodh
Lesson 24 Page 79 Zartashat
Lesson 25 Page 82 Shri Krishin Ji
Lesson 26 Page 87 Guru Nanik

Please keep in mind that Christianity is the largest religion in the world and the largest religious minority in Pakistan. More than 80% of Christians live in Punjab but the Founder of Christianity ‘Jesus Christ’ and His teaching have not been included in this book deliberately.

Class 10
Code: XLV/AL, Edition: 1st , Impression: 7th
Publisher: Punjab Textbook Board, Lahore
Total Topics: 21
Topics on Islam, Islamic Heroes and Islamic terms: 9
Page 4, Line 6, “Which is the best book to read and teach?”
Note: The answer of this question is the “Holy Quran”

Purpose of this White Paper is to struggle for the formulation of “National Educational Policy” but not the “Islamic Education Policy”

RESERVATIONS

1. There is Islamization of textbooks as Islamic prayer is written almost on each and every textbook while these books are for all the students regardless of any creed.
2. Curriculum in Pakistan has promoted bias, hatred, prejudice, discrimination, disharmony and intolerance against the other faiths except Islam. There is bias against the other faiths in the textbooks, electronic media and print media. Culture of intolerance is on its peak and the Ministry of Education is held responsible for this all. There is so much bias that incidents like Shanti Nagar, Sangla Hill, Bahawalpur, Texila, Toba Tek Singh, Islamabad, Sukur, Multan, Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar and Charsada etc take place where churches, Holy Bibles and houses are turned to ash with dynamites. Religious Minorities are segregated and treated as untouchables. They are harassed, threatened, kidnapped. Fake cases are registered against them and sometimes the yare put to death illegally. It seems the main objective of education in Pakistan is only to preach Islam.
3. The attitude of the academic staff is mostly biased against the students and employees of other faiths
4. There is preaching of Islam in almost all the subjects. Dignity of Islam and Muslim heroes is expressed in the lessons while there is negation, degradation and attacks on the other faiths and the heroes of those faiths. Sometimes derogatory language is used against other faiths in the textbooks.
5. Students of other faith have been so much brain washed that they fear to appear in the subject of Ethics or Civics due to bias against them by the Muslim examiners. That is why they give priority to appear in the subject of Islamic Studies and have to hide their faith/s.
6. There is biased and intolerant material against the other faiths in the subject of Islamic Studies. Muslim students are provoked against the other faiths. Such words and terms are used that create disharmony among human beings. The antonym of ‘Muslim’ is ‘Kafir’ (non-believer). Textbooks are playing the role of clerics and are busy in preaching Islam to non-Muslims by all means. This can be simply observed from the following sentence which is taken from the book of Islamic studies, Grade 7, page 29 and line 12, “Write a letter to any of your non-Muslim friend conveying him/her the invitation of Islam”.
7. There is the use of Islamic terms in the subjects of Social Sciences and languages. There are lessons of Arabic and Islamic teachings in the subjects of Urdu Languages especially and students belonging to other faiths are forced to study them.
8. Students of other faiths other than Islam have to face biased and discriminatory attitude of the teachers in the practical of Home Economics, Muslim teachers mostly do not taste the cooking of these students and menial establishment is asked to taste their cooking and to the report the teacher/s.
9. There is discrimination with the students of other faiths in the assembly in the public educational institutions. There is recitation from the Quran, Naat (a poem in Praise of Prophet Mohammad), and sermon delivered from the teachings of Islam. Students of other faiths are forced to attend the assembly that is held for the Muslim Students.
10. Students and teachers of other faiths face problem to pronounce or write the exact names of Islamic terms which are mostly in Arabic. There is sometimes hard time for them and Section 295-C of Pakistan Penal Code can be applied against them and they can be put to death either by the court or hardliners. There is no need of any proof for this allegation.
11. Students of other faiths are deliberately ignored in the classes. They are treated as untouchables and are segregated. They cannot use utensils in which Muslim students eat or drink. There is inhuman treatment with them. They are called as “Choora” (Untouchables)
12. There is discrimination of 20 marks with the students of other faith in NAZRA (reciting the Quran by heart). This discrimination entirely goes against the student of other faiths in Pakistan and its becomes very difficult for them to get admission in higher education

RECOMMEDATIONS

1. Curriculum must be value based
2. The Message of the President of Pakistan General Perez Musharraf and appeal of the Chairman, Punjab Textbook Board, Lahore must be deleted or thoroughly revised. Purpose of the textbooks must be to create the atmosphere of social and interfaith harmony among the student of all faiths and races.
3. Besides material against the other faiths in the textbooks must be removed. There should be such a materials that may bring harmony, tolerance, acceptance and universal brotherhood.
4. Pronouns like “I, We, Us and Our’ must be used only in the subject of Religion when using in the sense of religion. These pronouns must invite the attention of Muslim students only.
5. Teaching and preaching of Islam, Islamic heroes and Islamic ways of life must be only for the Muslim students in the subject of Islamic Studies.
6. The subject of “Religion” should be compulsory for the students of all faith as it is in the case of Muslim students or it should be abolished altogether. There should be proper arrangement of the academic staff and subject of “Religion” instead of “Ethics” for the students of other faiths. Recruitment of the academic staff must be from the religious minorities/
7. Academic staff and students of Muslim faith must be refrained to invite the people and students of other faiths to convert to Islam. There should be religious freedom to all people at all levels.
8. Degradation, propagation, derogatory language and false stories about the other faiths must be removed from the textbooks. As they are written with biased approach, if it is very necessary then they must be written by the educationists and religious scholars of other faiths
9. All of the nationalized Missionary schools and colleges be denationalized which were nationalized in 1972 by Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. This was a deliberate conspiracy to deprive religious minorities and especially Christians to receive education.
10. 20 extra marks of Nazra (reciting the Quran by heart) must be withdrawn at all levels because these discriminatory marks are a grave hurdle for the students of other faiths to get admission for higher education.
11. It has been observed that in the admission forms there is a column of religion in which it is written Muslim/non-Muslim. There must be the names of all religions that exist in Pakistan or simply a column where one can write one’s religion in the column. Non-Muslim is not a religion in any sense. The column of religion must be deleted from the admission form.
12. There must be teachings on ethics in the assembly regardless of any religion, sect or creed.