In a recent article, noted Pakistani academic and columnist Elf Habib underlined the need for emphasizing rationalism in the "Islamiat" courses taught in Pakistani schools and colleges. "Islamiat," or Islamic Studies, forms a key component of the Pakistani educational system.
The two-part article, titled "Rationalizing the Islamiat Courses," was published by the liberal Lahore-based newspaper Daily Times on October 18 and 19.
Habib argued that obscurantist religious thinking was introduced in the Pakistani curriculum during the rule of General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s, and there is an urgent need to rationalize the syllabi to eliminate the "obscurantist version of Islam."
While underlining the need for rationalizing Islamiat courses, Habib also emphasized the need to give a new meaning to jihad, noting: "The idea about the new role of jihad as a crusade for peace, knowledge, creativity and innovation to defeat disease, hunger, thirst, and pollution and improve human welfare may be elaborated [in textbooks]."
"[Under General Zia-ul-Haq,] Koranic Verses… were Introduced Even into Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Islamic Studies was Mandated for the Graduate and Professional Levels"
Following are excerpts from part one of the article:[1]
"The growing intolerance, extremism, and irrationality which, to a large extent, have triggered the tempest of the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and kindred terrorist organizations, have inevitably necessitated revamping of the Islamiat courses and the tenor of their instruction. Indeed, a real and lasting success against terrorism, as agreed by almost all enlightened analysts and strategists, can only be secured by molding the youth's minds and aspirations.
"Most of these bloodthirsty organizations, devastating the lives, property, and the prospects of peace, progress, and a symbiotic interaction in essentially unavoidable pluralistic polities, claim to be crusading for the imposition of a weird obscurantist version of Islam. So the futility, irrelevance, and the disastrous impact of this mindset have to be exposed and remedied … [by] infusing a realistic, futuristic insight by altering the curricula, courses, and the mode of instruction for the younger learners. The mission has become even more pressing, as Pakistan… is also being blamed for incubation, breeding, harboring, and exporting some of its most monstrous and mutated brands.
"Elimination of this mindset is even more imperative as this curse, unleashed by the unethical, expedient, and selfish motives of General Ziaul Haq, the country's most diabolical dictator, has foisted an authoritarian and obscurantist [Islamic] thought process and intensified the asphyxiating and manipulative grip of the [military-led] establishment on the national resources and institutions. It has thwarted some extremely essential democratic priorities like civilian supremacy and a fairer distribution of the resources for popular welfare and development.
"Zia, in fact, followed an inherently futile fundamentalist notion that a cloying lip service to Islam with a lot of reading, reciting and learning of scriptures would regenerate an era of piety, plenty, and progress and the fabled Muslim splendor. Koranic verses, as a result, were introduced even into mathematics and natural sciences, and Islamic Studies was mandated for the graduate and professional levels. But the promised outpouring of piety, progress, and bounty somehow became even more elusive and the country instead slid into a vicious spiral of sectarian and ethnic strife."
"[Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif] Pursued a Quixotic Path to Turn Every School Kid into an Intellectual Giant, Proficient in Classic Arabic to Translate the Holy Koran"
"Islamiat courses became even more copious and cumbersome during… [the era of two-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif]. Nudged, reportedly, to a large extent by his Abba ji [father], extensive segments of scriptures were introduced and children were required to translate these verses and furnish and explicate the meaning of every word in them.
"Nawaz, in his zeal to bolster Zia's policies, pursued a quixotic path to turn every school kid into an intellectual giant, proficient in classic Arabic to translate the Holy Koran, to memorize its substantial parts, and study, simultaneously, several other subjects as well. The learning of Islamiat was thus bracketed with the learning of classic Arabic and a massive… [amount of] work [requiring memory].
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"Reaction of the teenagers to this behemoth burden was quite obvious, as there were reports that the students in some schools had collectively prayed for their deliverance from Nawaz and the ordeal he had subjected them to. We would never know how far the supplications by these tender souls spurred his ouster, but the burden of Islamiat courses has never since been rationalized."
"Musharraf… Like a Fatuous Farmer… Wanted the Emergence of Enlightened Moderation from His Dictatorship"
"General [Pervez] Musharraf, the fourth dictator, after about seven years of incubation, fielded another set of curricula which characteristically failed in vision, perspective, content, and direction.
"Musharraf, ironically, like a fatuous farmer, anxious to pick sweet water melons from the bitter gourds (toombas) sown by him, wanted the emergence of enlightened moderation from his dictatorship. Most of his pronouncements for moderation, however, were made during his marathon international trips and meant more to melt the Western donors. [These efforts]… created several chaotic situations, igniting even angry protests by some of his arbitrary edicts about the introduction of prayer procedures. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa declined to follow these changes and Baluchistan also balked at their adoption."
"[A] Mindset to Appreciate and Respect the Diversity of Faith, Culture, and Customs has to Be Subtly and Imperceptibly Imbibed"
"Actually, only a genuine democratic dispensation devoted to the mantra of dialogue, debate, and consensus-building can foster an effective policy to promote the quintessential concepts of tolerance, care, and love for humanity, contributing to a cordial coexistence of disparate cultures.
"The basic objectives and principles for formulating these courses, the themes, and treatment in the text books to be based on them as well as the material and the guidance to be included in the instructor's manuals and co-curricular aids thus must be settled at the national level. Some rudimentary proposals in this context are being ventured here.
"The studies must strive to groom the students with the spirit and ideals of Islam and a harmonious and peaceful life. [They must also prepare students for] interaction and cooperation in a rapidly evolving and an inevitably unavoidable pluralistic world. For this, a mindset to appreciate and respect the diversity of faith, culture, and customs has to be subtly and imperceptibly imbibed.
"All Islamic primers, thus must, at the very outset, set a sort of preamble or introduction, narrating the appearance of various religions, including the evolution of Islam. [They]… must also succinctly and lucidly emphasize the steadfast devotion of the devout followers of different religions to their belief, rituals, and practices, [as well as] their passion for its sanctity, superiority, and dominance… [in addition to their] zeal to fight and sacrifice their lives and assets for its defense, glory, and dominance. [They]… should reveal how religious intolerance and wars [have] ravaged life, humanity, civilizations, and cultures…"
"The Obsession to Force Every Child to Translate the Prescribed Arabic Texts Perpetuated by the Successive Regimes … has to Be Rationalized"
Following are excerpts from part two of the article:[2]
"In addition to a explaining the position of Islam within a constellation of world religions and the need to coexist with them, the Islamiat courses should address specifics. Coming to the actual contents and description, the courses must… [elicit interest in] treatment of the basics to evoke interest, appeal and the curiosity to search for further knowledge. The Holy Koran itself denounces the non-application of knowledge: ‘The likeness of those who are entrusted with the Law of Moses, yet apply it not, is as the likeness of the ass carrying books' (62:5).
"Some of our Sufi saints, known for their sublime spiritual status, stressed that a real profound assimilation of the essential basics of the religious knowledge is sufficient to transform human lives. Bulleh Shah's Ilmon bus kareen o yaar/Ikko alif mainoon derkar (Forget pride in all your knowledge o friend/One alphabet is all you need) is a marvellously apt and pragmatic assertion. Modern educationists and psychologists have, similarly, reaffirmed the vital significance of clarity and command of the basics.
"Recalling and reciting a lot of verses and scriptures is, in fact, no longer a problem in this era of information glut. A miniscule chip tucked in a tiny watch, mobile, or iPod can instantly reel out a collection far more than ever carried in the most possible, brilliant memories. Thus the prayer verses, nazira (ability to read Koran) and the last 10 surahs of Koran are sufficient for the memory work up to the secondary level.
"The obsession to force every child to translate the prescribed Arabic texts perpetuated by the successive regimes, similarly, has to be rationalized. Even the scholars solely devoted to Arabic cannot do it for years and certainly never without referring to the earlier exegetic commentaries. Anyone capable of reading Urdu or another language can automatically grasp any prescribed authentic translation. Authentic consensus translations in various languages may be prepared by a panel, comprising competent scholars from various subjects, shades and sects. King James arranged an authentic translation of Bible in 1611. Our successive religious ministries have missed the move even four centuries after him."
"Islamic Studies has to Be Kept Distinct from the [Teaching of] Arabic Language"
"This evidently brings up the rationalization of the role and place of Arabic in the Islamic studies. Islamic Studies has to be kept distinct from the Arabic language. [The] Koran was revealed in Arabic as [the] Lord willed the Arabs to understand it. He certainly also wills the others to understand it in their own tongues. Some American Muslims, in fact, have launched a movement to pray in English and the trend is bound to flourish with the flowering of dispassionate thought and reason. Masood Khaddarposh pioneered it long ago in Punjabi. In Christianity, the practice has been followed for centuries and yet it has not affected its status or strength as the largest religion of the world.
"Islamiat as an exposition of the belief, principles and practice of Islam has also to be distinguished from the Islamic (or rather Muslim) history, parsing the progress, problems, events, factors, and the role of various personalities in it. Most of our courses and textbooks so far have muddled this concept rendering these courses less about the spirit and purpose of Islam and more about the hagiography of Muslim celebrities.
"The courses also must be well graded to inspire interest, continuity, and development. Beginning with a simpler description of the basic canons like Kalima at the elementary level and proceeding with the Islamic institutions and ideals at the later levels. The development should also gradually point out the inevitability of change and evolution of thought and behavior as a result of stunning scientific, industrial, technological, and economic advancements. It should smoothly lead to the difference in interpretation, emergence of various sects and denominations [sic], and the need for consensus and adaptability to the changing circumstances…
"This theme should be extended to embrace the growing need and relevance of secularism. The idea about the new role of jihad as a crusade for peace, knowledge, creativity, and innovation to defeat disease, hunger, thirst, and pollution, and improve human welfare may be elaborated. The epilogue and teachers' instructions should also emphasize how almost all great religions have evolved with time, and evolve they must to conform to the changing minds and needs.
"Human beings and societies have never moved back in time. It may be illustrated that the forces trying for the rigid interpretation of any anachronistic ideas sucked many societies in gore and gyre but never succeeded. The co-curricular literature similarly may expound the eclipsing significance of religion as an instrument of state policies and international relations…"
