Madrisas and Enlightened Moderation
20 September, 2005
By kabir Malik
A mastermind terrorist has an agenda and has a strong will, skill and commitment to pursue it. Most of us are law abiding citizens and do not get involved in terrorist activity, however, some of us are vulnerable and do get involved either by association or out of profound veneration of the terrorist, or his agenda. This mastermind drills his agenda so well into us that we become disillusioned and his die-hard followers. In the Muslim world we are stoked to take the last step where disillusioned Muslims are made to believe in a dark ideology that God would welcome us with open arms if we kill ourselves and other people with us in the name of Islam. Suicide bomb attacks on President Pervez Musharaaf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Incidences of 9/11 in the USA and 7/7 in the UK and indiscriminate killings in occupied Iraq are testimony to this dark ideology.
This dark ideology is born out of the skewed imagination and hatred of the terrorist and is pursued in the name of Islam; however, it has nothing to do with Islam. The Quar'an, which is the constitution of Islam, condemns the killing of innocent civilians and the damaging of property in wars; and the word 'collateral damage', which is intentional in terrorist activity to cause maximum shock and awe, does not exist in the vocabulary of the Quar'an.
The horrific acts of suicide bombings give out a loud and clear message that the Muslim Ummah, its young generation in particular, is in dire need of guidance in the true Quar'an teachings. They would then have a true understanding of Islam, be able to protect themselves against the brainwash and the dark ideology of terrorists and be able to live in harmony in the fast developing global world of today.
At local levels in the heart of our communities we need Maulvi tutors who could teach and guide our children in Islamic principles and values. Madrisas in Pakistan and other Muslim countries are very well embedded in the local communities and Maulvi tutors are committed and dedicated teachers who have a history of delivering quality Islamic education to the young people. Traditionally Maulvi tutors have been self styled and self-appointed, however, in the light of the changing world, may be they should be selected and trained to at least some NVQ type qualification, and Madrisas sholud be registered and inspected. However, we must not hound the Maulvi tutors and Madrisas for the sake of hounding. Madrisa culture must be preserved, strengthened and replicated in western countries to give Islamic education to our young generation.
Education in Madrisas coupled with elders' teachings at home do work well in Muslim countries, however, because of the different nature of the western society, this method of teaching has failed our young generation miserably in the United Kingdom. Muslim youths living in Britain have been brought up by their elders with the cultural rituals of the native countries they come from, together with a kind of Islam bunged in their heads by the imported Maulvese whose knowledge of Islam has always been questionable. Most of the Moulvese do not even know the English language; therefore they are unable to relate with the British society and its Muslim youths. We Pakistanis have replicated Pakistani ways of living in the UK, which is a far cry from the British society we live in. This practice has bread a brand of youths who are British by birth but do not feel British. They have no interest to integrate themselves into British society and this ultimately had the sad consequence of the horrific incidence on the 7th of July 2005, which took place in London.
When prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said "we should even go to China in pursuit of knowledge" he did not mean, when we get there we must hang on to our cultural baggage and stay aloof. If we analyse the prophet's advice and examples he set, it would transpire that we must gel in the host society and be part of it like Muslims did in AbuSina (Ethopia) at the advice of prophet Mohammad (PBUH). The immigrant Muslims in AbuSina lived under the Christian kingdom, fought alongside their host Christians against the invaders, and through the practice of Islam, spread Islam there.
Our Pakistani Muslim community in the UK on the other hand has done the opposite. We do live in a predominantly Christian kingdom; however, we have created cocoons of ghettos and live in them in isolation, with no real connection to the British society we live in. We came to the west of our own free will and were welcome by the host countries to stay. However, in return, we have abused the hospitality of the host countries by committing acts of violence like 9/11 in the USA and 7/7 in the UK. Our few disillusioned children have made an ugly scar on the Muslim community. Most of us, however, are law abiding and peace loving citizens. We need local preachers at the heart of our communities to help us get out of our archaic beliefs and mindsets before our misguided youths inflict more harm on the local community and the Muslim Ummah in the name of Islam.
An Islamic leader with a vision and a tried and tested Madrisa education system described above may be part of the measures needed towards implementing the prong1 strategy of President Purvez Musharaaf's 'Enlightened Moderation'. "Violence is the voice of the unheard" --- Martin Luther King. With regards to President Musharaaf's prong2 strategy, let us plea to the powerful leaders of the world urging them to listen to the "voices of the unheard" and let the never ending "violence" come to an end.
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