Afghanistan Times
Related Articles
It was a sacred fact from the day first and it’s clear than ever that madrassas (religious seminaries) are biggest obstacles ahead of fighting against terrorism as it producing terrorists at highest level. Not talking about registered madrassas, but to those who nurture militant’s ideology, distributing tickets of Paradise and provides foot soldiers for the Taliban, and other terrorist outfits, who have been engaged in bloody insurgency against the government and the innocent Afghan masses. There is a general belief that abundance of unregistered madrassas have led to an increase in militancy. A large number of madrassas have been operating across the country, most of them legal and adhering strictly to religious teachings. But there are several others which are not yet registered. As many as 635 unregistered religious seminaries have been operating only in northern Balkh province. Provincial Hajj and Auqaf Affairs official said this, while issuing registration certificates to 30 madrassas, making 65 documented religious schools. Like this there would be much more madrassas that went unregistered and possibly have been engaged in anti-government propaganda. The government has to adopt concrete measures to deal with the issue—an issue of great concern, before in the name of religious education, a great disservice to be done to Afghan children by brainwashing their minds before they reach age of maturity to make proper decisions for themselves. It is obvious that the country’s fight against extremism cannot succeed until the issue of madrassas reform and regulation is meaningfully addressed. At the same time, it is hard for us to fight insurgency while there are thousands of thousands madrassas operating across Pakistan. Based on reports, thirty thousands madrassas operate in Pakistan legally, but thousands of them are not registered. Based on ground realities, all the registered and non-registered madrassas in all parts of Pakistan have been practically serving as production factories of terrorism, and religious extremism and supplying militant force to Taliban and other notorious terrorist outfits in that country. Some months ago, if not wrong in July of the current year, two vans, both without license plates, carrying 27 boys between age of 4 and 15 were stopped by police in eastern Ghazni province. All of them were illegally on their way to Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province to recruit them in seminaries called madrassas. According to reports, much of the militant activities are being centered in Balochistan, where 5,500 madrassas operate as boarding schools. “You can see madrassas in every street, and they are injecting extremism to every house, community and village of Pakistan,” Khadim Hussain, a Pakistani security analyst once told VOA. It is crystal fact that Pakistan has never been honest with Afghanistan in fight against terror. Instead, Islamabad feeding militants to keep war persist as it is by one way and other. However, it is imperative for Kabul, and Islamabad to come up to the fore at least in this issue, to undertake a forensic analysis of the madrassas landscape. Generations cannot continue to be lost to misguided and inadequate education. Certainly, the leaders of National Unity Government will act seriously to reform madrassas through elimination of hate and the promotion of basic skills. In Afghanistan, unquestionably, this issue would be resolved as there is will. What is more concerning despite several other issues, is the unwillingness of Pakistan officials who yet to act against madrassas promoting hate and terrorism in the region. The known reason behind it is Mulla-military alliance that rules over the country and foundation for it was provided by the notorious Objective Resolution in Pakistan’s constitution presented by the first Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan in 1949 which totally contradicting Jinnah’s speech on 11 August.
