In Pak, A for Allah, B for bandook, J for jihad

NEW DELHI: There is more evidence to prove that Talibanisation of the Pakistani society is being enthusiastically backed by its state agencies. The curricula of its schools are tailored to encourage Taliban���s complete intolerance of any other world view.

According to the National Bureau of Curriculum and Textbooks, Class V children are expected to ���acknowledge and identify forces that may be working against Pakistan, make speeches on jihad and shahadat, understand Hindu-Muslim differences and the resultant need for Pakistan, India���s evil designs about Pakistan and demonstrate by actions a belief in the fear of Allah���.

A report by Pervez Hoodbhoy of Islamabad���s Quaid-e-Azam University and author of Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality said thousands of Pakistani school-going children are growing up learning that the Urdu equivalent of the letter A stands for Allah, B for bandook (gun) and J for jihad. Though not officially prescribed for pre-schoolers, books printed by Iqra Publishers are being used in several regular schools and madrassas across Pakistan.

In his article in the Newsline, Mr Hoodbhoy said the three examples of Allah, bandook and jihad are not the only ones which sound like a blueprint for a religious fascist state. ���The Urdu letter for the T sound stands for takrao (collision), K for khanjar (dagger), H for hijab (veil) and Z for zunoob (sins) ��� which includes watching television, playing musical instruments and flying kites.

In the article titled ���The Saudi-isation of Pakistan���, the Pakistani academic of repute said Pakistan���s self-inflicted suffering comes from an education system that, like Saudi Arabia���s system, provides an ideological foundation for violence and future jihadists. ���It demands that Islam be understood as a complete code of life, and creates in the mind of a school-going child a sense of siege and embattlement by stressing that Islam is under threat everywhere,��� Mr Hoodbhoy said.

Mr Hoodbhoy said he was appalled at the syllabus which expects Class V students to make speeches about jihad. ���This is the basic roadmap for transmitting values and knowledge to the young. By an act of parliament passed in 1976, all government and private schools are required to follow this curriculum. It was prepared by the curriculum wing of the federal ministry of education, government of Pakistan. It sounds like a blueprint for a religious fascist state,��� he said.

The academic said the fear of taking on powerful religious forces, every incumbent government has refused to take a position on the curriculum and allowed young minds to be moulded by fanatics. ���What may happen a generation later has always been secondary for a government challenged on so many fronts.

The education ministry estimate shows that 1.5 million students are acquiring religious education in the 13,000 madrassas. These figures appear to be way off the mark. Commonly quoted figures range between 18,000 and 22,000 madrassas. The number of students could be correspondingly larger,��� he said. The mushrooming of Taliban nurseries in Pakistan is bad news for New Delhi as many of them are churning out India-bound jihadis.