Since the emergence of Taliban in Afghanistan in 1990s, an increasing concern for talibnization has forced the intelligentsia to think upon newly emerging scenario in the region. The rise of Taliban has strengthened the foothold of extremist and allowed them a greater space to march on and impose their brand of ideology.  This has remained an abiding tragedy that ruling elite, in order to protect their own vested interests, have encouraged a particular mindset with the help of curriculum, which has instilled obscurantist vision in the general masses in the name of advancing the ideology of Islam.       

Zaidi (2010, p. 1) has rightly put the education policy in the words that ‘it takes us back to the basics to re-capture the past glories of bygone eras in order to conserve politically motivated status-quos’. It is no more a startling fact that polarisation of syllabus has sent waves of inexorable tensions that has hit the very fabric of pluralistic society. Winthrop and Graff (2011, p. 2) opine that ‘contrary to popular belief, Madrassahs have not risen to fill the gap in public education supply and have not been one of the primary causes of a recent rise in militancy’. The questions such as what should be taught in religious schools, and who should decide this forms a central moot point to any religious education initiative are reforms (PRIO Policy Brief, 2010). Haqqani (2002) points out that even (students in) moderate (quietist) schools are taught to reject “immoral” and “materialistic” Western culture.

This paper will offer an insight into the insipid intellectualism and retrogressive mindsets of religious factions who have flourished an atmosphere of violence and disrespect through conventional as well as religious education.

The paper will be divided into three parts. Firstly, it would analyze the trends of advancing a pseudo-cultural contrast that society and religion represented in the light of extremist teachings imparted in religious schools or madrassahs. It will redefine the communal and sectarian connotations as fuel to the fire in the process of spreading communal and sectarian division. Secondly, this paper will highlight the contexts of increasing intolerance from historical prospective which has deeply influenced a mischievous conundrum yet to be resolved through culture of debate and discussion, as once it was a striking feature of Islamic society in the medieval period. Thirdly, we will seek to explore the dynamics of extremism in the back drop of socio political and demographic composition of society in the shades of external influences. Finally, we will conclude that despite all the rabble-rousing speeches and poisonous texts taught in schools and madrassahs, how a society has, by and large, refuted the seamless divisions propagated by seminaries. Interestingly, our societal norms do have great respect for the diversity and difference of opinion. They still uphold the idea of live and let live as a cardinal principal of symbiotic existence.

Word ‘reforms’ itself contains a huge and extensive connotation of changes one desires to see and get implemented. The paper, however, deals with reforming the structured patterns of teaching methods in madrassahs. This will focus upon issue of indoctrination, where blind imitation always takes lead and spirit of inquiry into religious discourses suffers from indifference.

A common issue with a madrassah graduates is that of employment. Since they are not educated in mundane sciences, they end up sitting in the podium of mosques. This paper will call upon policy makers to introduce a reasoned reform pattern to develop necessary skills in madrassah students in order to get settled financially by working in different fields.  

This paper will draw heavily upon secondary data sources. However, interviews and limited survey will be conducted, if required, to strengthen the realistic findings of the paper. This paper will establish that schism is not an inherent feature of Islamic ideology, but a manifestation of benighted minds and fickle souls to advance their own agenda of widening the gulfs and butchering the notions of tolerance and non violence.  

References:   

Haqqani, H. 2002, Islam’s Medieval Outposts, Foreign Policy No. 133, November / December, 2002.

Winthrop and Graff 2010, Beyond Madrassas: Assessing the link between education and militancy in Pakistan, Washington D.C. and Center for Universal education at Brookings, quoted in NOREF Policy Brief No. 04 July, 2011, Norwegian Peace Building Resource Centre, Norway, p.1.
                               
Borchgrevink, K. & Harpviken, K. B 2010, Teaching Religion, Taming Rebellion? Religious Education Reform in Afghanistan  PRIO Policy Brief 07 / 2010 published by Peace Research Institute Oslo, Norway, available at http://www.prio.no/sptrans/590909841/PRIO%20Policy%20Brief_Teaching%20Religion%20Taming%20Rebellion_%20Afghan%20madrasa%20reform.pdf>  accessed on 6 August 2011.